The Raven stared with such…widened eyes…hidden behind her corvid mask, seeing the alien before her eyes. Her breaths were slightly…panting, having just hoppingly arrived; strapped over her shoulders was…rather the sized and packed carry bag of sorts, black and stylistically becoming of a Raven.

Standing at the same spot at the same alley from the day before…was the equipt and readied foreigner, hooded and obscured by her dark-violet cloak.

Truly, the Raven’s mind was trying to process…who she was even staring at, despite the fact…she already knew who.

“H…h-h…hexagons?” such were the first words the Raven’s mind uttered in blurting observation, approaching closer. She shook her head; “I know I said you ought to…look the part, but…this is just… Wow…you really are…something alright…” she remarked, her voice slightly stunned in affect.

The foreigner simply stared, her bagged ignited eyes…no longer hidden to obscure their true cold empty gaze. “I greet you too” she replied flatly.

The foreigner was carrying her previous commoner dresswear on her shoulder, her right-arm supporting, revealing some of that which would otherwise be underneath the cloak’s obscurity—details the Raven’s observant eyes picked up quickly…as she began to peer.

“…you look so… I don’t even know how to… Fancy? Actory? Yet soldiery? What even is some of this…gear?”—she quickly caught glimpse of the foreigner’s exposed left-arm, the hand of which held the strap of her revolving-rifle—“What’s that on your forearm? Looks kind of…reflective?” She spotted the auxiliary terminal device.

« … » Not even a minute and that Raven was already probing and interrogating, no doubt due to her own curiosity but also as part of her…job.

“A thing. A…magical thing. I have many.” the foreigner replied flatly, before abruptly tossing the lady clothing back to the Raven.

The Raven’s attention was detached as she instinctually caught it; she stared at the dresswear now in her hands, confused as to…why she had been suddenly tossed this clothing.

“You gave that to me, no?” the foreigner began to state, “I am simply giving back”.

The Raven…stared at the foreigner, and then at the clothing, her mind…becoming more…flustered than it ought to…since…right, this had been worn by the foreigner… She quickly ahemed with a light shaking head, suppressing these intruding thoughts.

“I-I…uhm…see, alrightly then…” she replied, her voice…slightly flustered, but clearing.

Yet the Raven quickly tossed the clothing back to the foreigner, who automatically caught it. “You should keep it, though… We might have to…change forms and look more…normal from time to time, you know…” she stated; “…especially…with the way you…currently look” she added…more quietly.

The foreigner stared blankly at the clothing now in her hand. Right…that was going to be the case… even if changing out of her present gear was…going to be more work than not. Right…it was obvious, she needed a ‘normal’ set of attire to go along with her mask.

“Hmm…” she mumbled out, cogitating. Yet…that only begged the question of…where was she even going to store this?

The Raven, staring, immediately deduced the nature of the foreigner’s…apparent confusion. She sighed and approached; “Fine, alrightly” she said before she, respectfully, snatched the dresswear from the foreigner’s hands, stepping backwards somewhat. “Watch” she instructed, before plopping her own…larger carry bag onto the ground, kneeling down and opening it.

The Raven began to neatly, yet quickly, fold the dresswear into a much more…compact size, the foreigner…observing with rather the peculiar interest, perhaps more…baffled than she ought to be. Completed, the Raven gently shoved the folded clothing into her carry bag.

“And just like that…you can now store it and take it wherever, albeit it may be...a little wrinkled and…dented” the Raven said; “Also, I will…hold onto…it…for you… I have the…space…ahem” she added…rather awkwardly.

“I see…” the foreigner replied rather…flatly, “it is noted”. Indeed, that was…certainly…an interesting and efficient…clothing storage technique; she would have to…practice that…later.

The Raven, still kneeling down before her carry bag, looked up, seeing the foreigner’s cyanic ignited eyes staring down at her; she realized…just how…close she was to her. She became...abruptly flustered in mind, her mask-obscured face blushing…though she quickly snapped out of it with a shake of her head.

“Ahem…also, I didn’t say this…in the moment, but you left your…uhm… your Company volunteer armband on it… Do you want it…back or…?” the Raven finally asked.

“…Oh, I… That is correct; not needed, for now; so, keep it with the…clothing” the foreigner replied.

The Raven, acknowledging, closed her carry bag…standing herself up and sliding the bag’s strap back onto her shoulder. She looked at the foreigner again, her eyes…still unable to help…but stare into the foreigner’s own.

“Your…eyes are…certainly…something alright, not typical casting-eyes, nope…” the Raven mumbled in remark; “Why aren’t you…wearing your…butterfly masquerade?” she inquired; “A-and not to imply that…your eyes are creepy or uncanny or anything, b-but…you’ve always…worn it…” she tried to clarify, sudden…anxious flusters flaring.

“I have it; it is in my own…back-bag” the foreigner responded; “I am doing…as you said, ‘it is best to start separating’, so…I am separating. I appear to be a different…person to you, no?” she stated and remarked.

“Very.” the Raven lanced in blunt reply; “I mean, I have seen your…full…face…ahem—and I know it’s obviously you, but…certainly switching which half of your face is…missing…changes things… a lot” she added, somewhat…awkwardly.

“Yes, and it would be better if I wear that…mask when I must ‘change forms’, as you said; two separate faces for two forms” the foreigner stated.

“That’s true… but speaking of clothing and gear” the Raven began to reply, her focus shifting to the foreigner’s…appearance, “I don’t even know where you suddenly...got all of that...I don’t even know, that…Mythic-grade-looking stuff from…”

The Raven’s posture become somewhat more…timid, her mask-obscured eyes becoming evasive; “…maybe I’m wrong, but…everything about you has shouted ‘deliberately enigmatic’… I mean, the Bureau, they…we already know…a bit about you but…I mean, this…is… Aren’t you worried…about… you know?” she attempted to ask, eyes returning focus, voice…nervous but sincere.

The foreigner sighed; “I would not have come here like this…if I was worried in that way; I am making a…point, in a way, by being here like this” she replied frankly; “and I know, spy, that you will tell your Bureau all of the words that I say and what you see of me, which is why…all that I must say is that… well, I…found all of these things in…a ‘dungeon’…” thus she stated coldly, donning rather…disingenuous affect in voice.

“…” The Raven stared blankly, all of her nervous tensions evaporating; “You are saying all of…that…on you was found in some dungeon chest? I know a lot of…weird…stuff can be found deep within dungeons, but…”

“Yes.” the foreigner bluntly replied; “or…it is better to say that…Gunslinger, my old friend, had found these in a dungeon…a long time ago, and had…kept it as a…memory, yes, before giving it to me…as a ‘gift’ or… yes, that” she clarified, her tone still rather…intentionally disingenuous; “I give the sorry, my hold of this…tongue is still not good, so I misspeak...and my memory is bad too, so I misremember”.

The Raven, staring, nodded away somewhat, stepping back slightly; “Yeah… I can see you’re fucking with me now” she stated frankly.

“Ah, but there always exists the possibility that I am not” the foreigner replied in kind.

The Raven went silent…as if stunned, almost. “Wow…you really are starting…to take the role to heart… a menacing one, ouch…” she remarked. Truth be told, this distrust did perhaps…sting her on the inside more than it ought to, especially since it was absolutely justified.

The Raven shook her head; “Ahem—anyway, come on, it’s time to start moving… We have a…trip ahead…” she said with gesturing hand; “though…your eyes, that’s… I don’t think keeping them visible is…good, but…for now…this is fine, until we can find you a…different mask; just try to keep them obscure in your hood…especially when looking at others” she remarked and instructed.

“Hmm… I can simply close my eyes if it is needed; I can use my ears to ‘see’ without sight…kind of” the foreigner stated. Well, presently only one of her ears was fully…capable of hearing in detail, but…such was irrelevant.

“Normally, I would highly…doubt someone claiming…that, but you’re an exception of exceptions, so…I’ll follow your words…on that” the Raven replied; “anything works in that way… after all, we’ve been trying to keep those eyes more a secret…” she added…rather awkwardly, perhaps slipping out more than necessary.

“Hmm? ‘Have been trying to keep them a secret’, not ‘are trying to’? I see; so, does that imply, then, that you might have known about the eyes before that…incident?” she inquired, donning somewhat more…taunting affect.

The Raven…stared…silently, before backing away; “No, not really…it’s—ahem—let’s just move already…” she replied…rather awkwardly, before finally beginning to make way out of the alley.

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The foreigner promptly followed along. “Thus, I can infer the ‘yes’, then?” she inquired from behind.

“…” the Raven remained silent for a second or two; “…wow you really are starting to act the part now, aren’t you? A word-reading scary ice-heart…” she remarked, her voice not necessarily amused by all of this—the opposite, in fact.

The foreigner sighed; that was enough of this…for now, at least—she was not even being too serious. Though, she did…follow the Raven’s advice, adjusting her hood so that it…obscured more of her eyes…even if it meant she had to stare more at the ground than towards the front.

She followed along as the Raven guided, the two making way down the rather…empty dust-ridden streets of this…once grand city. It was still rather early in the morning’s dawn. Those few who were out and about…did not linger long to stare, minding their own business…evasively so, or simply giving them the street and way…wandering off and away.

Not because of the foreigner and her…peculiarities, minded. No, the locals were still rather…desensitized to such oddities. Indeed, their concerned and spooked eyes…only cared to process the existence of the one who guided, not followed. She was…not naive to such, either.

“… ‘appearance conveys more than words’, thus was said?” she murmured in recall.

The Raven turned her head back, looking; “Did you…say something?”

The foreigner shook “No…not really”.

Though, now that they were making their way, she might as well start asking the “Details. I want to know, what is to happen now?” the foreigner inquired.

The Raven once again turned her head; “…rightly, of course—ahem—well…uhm…as I said yesterday, we are to head for the Huckleberry Dutchy—Grandberry specifically, the capital holding… There is a Guild branch there” she replied; “now, Huckleberry and the lands down central aren’t…that close, and we might make…many stops on the way, so it could take maybe a week to even get there…but it depends” she added.

The foreigner nodded in acknowledgment. “Hmm…‘down central’…” she mumbled, her mind pondering. There was still that strange…familiarity with…the location of interest. Indeed, hadn’t she…arrived…more towards the center of this continent?

“You know about the same time…that fuck-festive between the Gods had happened back down central in Huckleberry…” so abruptly had her inner-question been answered by flashing memories of…that specific voice.

« … » The foreigner halted in a still.

Ah. That was why…she was getting that sense of familiarity.

Ah. So…she was…heading back to her point of…arrival; that same locality where she had been ambushed…by those unknowns.

Any lingering doubts of bringing Bee along with her…were dismantled immediately.

The Raven paused in kind, noticing. “Are you…alright? Why the… Why the…pause?” she inquired, turning to face.

The foreigner quickly sprung back, attention returning to the Raven; “Nothing…I give sorry, it is nothing” she replied.

“Transportation?” she quickly inquired.

“…oh rightly—ahem” the Raven recontinued as she began to walk again, the foreigner following behind in kind; “Wagon. Company provided, so Far West bred horse; escort too, since we’re heading into Huckleberry; I think we are being shoved with an already planned resupply; though…everything’s happening fast, even for the Company… so, there’s a light chance it could just be me, you, and a wagon ‘nd horse—worry not, I can drive” she explained…sprinkling in some humorous affect.

The foreigner acknowledged; “I see; I can understand it, then, that the person for whom we are searching…is in this ‘Grandberry’…or are we using it to begin the…” she was inquiring, but…quickly changed tone, “Do we even know the narrowed possibilities of where…this person may be?”

The Raven slightly turned a glance; “Strawberry, Redberry, Blueberry, to name a few…relevant or irrelevant, I won’t say; she could be anywhere in all of those many…many berries—we shouldn’t be discussing this outside in the open…is what I am implying… Once we are in a carriage and on the move, I can…answer more openly, within your given…need-to-know” she stated.

“I see…” the foreigner replied, “but…the day before you seemed more open about many things?”

“After…thoroughly scouting our meeting place and ensuring not a…single soul would be there besides you and me” the Raven replied, “…besides, some details can be said freely, others…can’t be said at all”.

“So, what can you tell me this moment, then?” the foreigner inquired.

“Well…I guess to answer your…other question, uhm…kind of: Grandberry is…our destination, but…we’ll probably be doing stuff on the way; also, we might have to help Grandberry’s Guild branch…with…problems they might be having, but…for us, that’s an ancillary priority” the Raven stated.

“Hmm? So, you imply that there are the problems with which we must also help, and that is why we are also going to this ‘Grandberry’?” the foreigner replied.

The Raven glanced back; “Wow…you really are…a word-reader” her breaths more blurted than said, before quickly aheming; “Missing staff… and again, might: it’s an ancillary priority; we only have one focus” she stated. Her mask-obscured eyes withdrew, “That’s…all…you need to know, sorry…”

“I see…” the foreigner replied. Well…that was…not exactly as helpful as she would have preferred; the vagueness was rather…unappreciated, indeed, even if…understandable—she was doing the same to them, after all.

Though…“…‘missing staff’, hmm…” her mind began to drift in…contemplations, the discoveries of the day before…entering her mind.

“…no adventurers, no quests, and more than half of our staff is still…is still…unaccounted for” these words suddenly flashed in mind, the foreigner halting in place yet again, cogitating, dots connecting, in ways…unintended.

The Raven, noticing, halted in kind, turning to stare; “Uhm…again, are you…alright?” she asked, now more…concerned.

The foreigner faintly shook her head, springing back; “Y-yes… I give sorry; I just…began to think” she replied.

“The day before…when I was with the Company, I found four…bodies with receptionist amulets, and were—” she began to explain, but…

“Found in an abandoned Company warehouse, likely shot in the head, and probably kidnapped—I know. I was briefed.” the Raven interrupted, rather sharply.

The foreigner mutteringly sighed; “Of course…” Not even a full day and they already knew… Company must have told them.

“One of the…receptionists…here told me that ‘more than half’ of their staff was ‘unaccounted for’ after the attack, but those four were missing before the attack; maybe some of the unaccounted were also missing before the attack, and could still be alive; and if there are missing staff in…this Grandberry also, then depending on the…flow of happenings and if similar…things…happened in other branches, this could imply coordination” she explained in summary; “was what I was going to say before your interruption.” she added…coldly.

The Raven stared, as if surprised; “…you concluded all of that…from just one…ahem—interesting, but…that whole…stuff…is not our concern nor your concern anymore… sorry; again, we have one priority” she bluntly, yet…awkwardly, stated, before turning and…moving on.

The foreigner sighed as she followed along in kind. Yet her mind…continued to linger. Certainly, being so dismissed in such a way was not necessarily…amusing to her deep down within, but…it was rather absurd to her that she remained so…focused on the discoveries the day prior…and on that…one specific receptionist. She did not know why…

The Raven could feel the sudden piercing silence from behind. The foreigner was simply too lost in her mind, but…the Raven had not the access to that abyss. She felt that her…prior words and…conduct had…upset in far more ways than not.

The Raven sighed; “Listen…this is… You’ll have to get used to this… This is…just how the Bureau works… I have a need-to-know, and you have a need-to-know… and I can’t always tell you…everything…even if I wanted to, especially about issues…beyond our primary task” she explained…rather lowly and awkwardly.

“Huh?” the foreigner blurted, her mind springing back, “Oh, rightly…it is understood”.

“Also…I guess to say…uhm, compared to the beginning of the year, and I know we…haven’t spoken much since, but…I think…you have become much better at speaking our…tongue… I mean, the accent is still…there but…” she remarked…nervously, but sincere; “and…my mouth is…trailing off…down a different…road, isn’t it?” she muttered to herself, flustering in mind.

“Oh, so, I should speak worse, then” the foreigner, deadpan, replied, “maybe to me there was always the pretending of the speaking badly”.

“…” The Raven’s fluster faded quickly.

Although the foreigner preferred to keep her…details confusing with regards to this denizen and the Bureau she so served, perhaps deep down within there was also a certain…amusement from doing such things; though, she could not comprehend it.

Silence resumed as they made way. The foreigner’s mind…returned to its prior drifting cogitations, pondering. Was it possible…there was a mix-up with the amulet and body? Could that receptionist…still be alive, but…simply missing? Such…stretches in logic, yet her mind still tried to convince itself. Why did such even matter? Four denizens were still dead either way. One specific denizen’s life should not matter to her any more than all the rest…yet…

“[WE ARE NOT ‘DENIZENS’! WE HAVE NAMES!]” So suddenly…these clamoring echoes from a bygone era lost to memory…bled into her mind, slamming into her with such an abrupt flash, her prior thoughts were demolished. She froze in place, staggered utterly from the impact; her breathing…more disturbed; her focus…more disoriented.

« ‘Reidneval’, ‘Rhiap’, ecca síc diçhitù habo… » she silently muttered, retaking her bearings; ‘Lavender’, ‘Pear’, there…she said them; she still remembered those names…

Yet… even in her own mind and inner-voice, she had never used…such names at all, only ever just…‘denizen’.

“S-seriously… Are you alright, Nilia??” The Raven, now even more disconcerted, inquired, having halted in kind.

The foreigner quickly snapped out of it, refocusing onto the Raven; “Y-yes…yes, I am…fine; I give sorry, again” she replied rather…flatly.

The Raven slowly nodded; “Alrightly… I… Your eyes, they didn’t seem…the same for a…second… D-did they just—”

“Let us keep moving; it is nothing.” the foreigner sharply interrupted.

“Alrightly… But uhm…let… Just tell me if…there is a…problem” the Raven stated…somewhat nervously, before she…simply recontinued on, the foreigner following along.

An awkward silence ensued. The foreigner’s mind remained staggered. Strange… she felt so…strange deep down within… This incomprehensible…disorienting feeling. She could not even…conclude whether such had been…her own essence’s doing or…a certain something else’s; her mind… everything was just so…mangled.

Though, the foreigner was not the only one…feeling disrupted on the inside, even if…contextually different.

The Raven sighed; “Listen… I’ll be honest, I have…never had a partner or…anyone before now, so…I…I’ve just been really…nervous and…stupid-headed…and not…nearly as competent as I usually…am; I apologize for that…” she abruptly broke the silence, voice mellow yet sincere.

The foreigner…was uncertain as to what to make of these sudden words, never mind think.

“I see…so you have never had a partner before me?”

“Basically… even for…Ravens, I have always been…a loner bird; I’m not as…adjusted as my fellows…I guess” the Raven replied…lowly.

“I see…” the foreigner replied flatly, yet her ignited eyes…averted, oddly. Indeed, perhaps in a…technical sense…she too was vaguely similar. Remnant troopers always operated in units and sections; she was atypically alone—albeit not completely.

“Though, I say that…but”—the Raven’s head gazed up, eyeing her corvid flying and trailing, glued utterly to her from the sky up high—“but…I always had him… Shadow ravens are…exceptionally long-lived…and very smart; he’s been accompanying me…since…since I was found… so, I guess…I do have a…partner” she remarked…perhaps saying more than she ought to say.

She sighed…again; “Yeah…sorry, I don’t even know…what I am talking about anymore; I should…probably be…quiet…” she said…rather embarrassed, anxieties flaring within.

Yet the foreigner’s gaze…remained oddly evasive. These words…being heard, combined with that…mangled weakness left from that invasive suddenty moments prior, something so…extremely strange was happening deep within. This…feeling, this emerging desire, one so…utterly…incomprehensible… This urge to just…

“I suppose that…there is a similarity between us…in that way”…W-why did she just abruptly say that? What was happening?