"Huh?" Rin asked, approaching the window. "A letter."

"Ah, is it from your mother?" Xhez asked.

"Doesn't seem like it. Thanks for reminding me, though. I should write back to her." Rin said, taking the letter from the bird and sitting down on her bed. She opened the folded-up paper and scanned its contents briefly. "It's from June."

"June!?" Xhez asked, brightening up. Rin arched a brow at her. "Ah, I have been wanting to hear from her again! What does it say? Is she doing well?" The sprite asked.

Her excitement was so palpable it caught Rin off-guard.

The brunette glanced back and forth between her and the paper for a moment before saying:

"Uh, shouldn't you read it yourself?" She asked. "There might be stuff here that's, ehm, not for my ears, you know?"

Xhez tilted her head.

"I cannot hold the paper, or else it gets wet," she stated, holding her hands up. With a smirk, she added, "did you, perhaps, forget that fact?"

"Oh, uh, right. Yeah, sorry."

"It is no problem. Humans and their struggles, it cannot be helped," she bragged light-heartedly.

Clearing her throat, Rin went back to the letter.

"Um... Hello, Xhez, I hope you're doing well," Rin began, reading the short couple of paragraphs that looked like they'd been scribbled down in a hurry. "I've been thinking about you a lot, lately, as I went from one place to another. Lately, my band hasn't quite been making the same amount of money that we usually did, so, things have been busy on my end. The thoughts of..." Rin paused for a second, "our time together do tend to keep me entertained, though." She swallowed. "Anyway, I am writing this letter to you because I've recently arrived at a little village to the east and I heard someone say something about a person and it sounded like they were describing you."

"What?" Xhez asked, confused. Rin felt the same way.

"Have you gotten into any trouble lately? I found some people talking about a problematic golden-eyed girl who "got away" from them." Rin's eyes widened. "That wouldn't happen to be you, would it? Well, in case it is, the people looking for you are out here in Alera. You might want to avoid this village. Stay safe out there, Xhez. With love, June."

Rin had just been through a sudden cyclone of emotions, reading that. From the slight discomfort upon being reminded of Xhez and June's affairs, to the shock she felt upon hearing a description of a "golden-eyed girl who got away". She had no idea what to make of all this.

This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

Xhez hunched over a little.

"That... can't be... them, right?" Rin asked quietly.

"I... Is your eye color common among humans?" Xhez asked. It seemed she caught on immediately.

"I've never seen someone else with eyes like mine," Rin shook her head. "So... Is that talking about the Scorned? Did she run into them?"

Xhez stood up.

"That was what happened last time, no?" Xhez asked. "The 'party' you had infiltrated. If a similar thing is happening now, then is she not in danger?"

"Maybe," Rin replied. "I... We should send her a letter ourselves. Just to make sure she's alright."

"I agree," Xhez nodded.

So, the two of them jotted down a letter of their own. Just in case June was fine, Xhez replied to her letter in kind, writing about how she missed her and hoped she could see her again soon. However, by the end of it, she asked if June needed any kind of help.

Once they finished writing on the paper, they sent it out using the same messenger bird that had delivered it to them.

Xhez looked troubled.

"Alera," Rin murmured. "I don't think I've heard of that place before. How far away could it be?"

"... I hope we hear back from her soon," Xhez stated. "I am so worried now!"

"We have to give her a few days to respond. If she's not getting involved with them directly, though, then she should be fine. Don't worry," she told Xhez. "I'm sure June's alright."

---

{June}

"So... You sent this girl a letter, is that right?" A man asked as June sat in front of a line of individuals, in a dimly lit room, all waiting to hear what she had to say.

"Yes," she replied casually. "I did."

"Well, fuck," one of them muttered. "That's just great."

Murmurs began in the crowd in front of June. The woman remained completely still as people seemed to start panicking.

Her bandmates were seated next to her, frozen and silent, waiting to be spoken to, just like she was.

"We just left a place, are we going to have to find new headquarters again?" One girl asked, concerned.

"It's not like we knew she'd be friends with the same bitch who escaped! How were we supposed to know that?"

"We aren't ready to defend against a raid or anything of the sort. If the police-"

"Enough."

One woman's voice, quiet but threatening, was enough to silence them all.

June glanced over at the lady who approached the center of the group. She recognized the silver-haired woman, of course. Olivia inhaled sharply, smoking a cigarette as she made her way over to June.

She blew the smoke out in June's face but the woman showed no reaction to it.

"All she wants is to know whether her friend is alright, doesn't she?" Olivia asked the group behind her as her narrow eyes looked back into June's. "What better way to show her that she is than to invite our golden-eyed problem to come to check on her? Doesn't that sound optimal?"

"You..." One kid asked, "you want to tell her to come here? Um, ma'am, even if that could work, isn't that the last thing we want? And, wouldn't she just send other people to check for her?"

"Judging by what was said in the letter, it would seem as though the person June reached out to happens to be more than just her 'friend'. Isn't that right, June?"

"You could say that," June replied, mechanically.

"In that case, she may have guards come with her but I would wager this bitch would want to come to see June herself. To make sure she's alright. Such a happening would provide us an opportunity to correct the little... mistake we made, no? Hehe, when we think about it like that," she turned toward the others, "I think this little coincidence may just work in our favor. Say, June, how about you write that girl another letter, hm? I'll tell you what to say. Does that sound good?" She asked with a devious smirk.

June's response came as naturally as every other word she'd uttered so far.

"Certainly."