Mana Et Mecha: The Roleplay (Part One)

Introduction
A mirage.

It had to be.

What were the odds?

There was no way this idyllic town, an enclosed utopia amidst a sea of sand and dry despair, could be real.

It was not perfect: the city was built up from arid sandstone, seemingly driven on the unpaid labor of haggardly slaves worked to the bone from the most difficult jobs; the only water really in sight could be found at a couple of well sites at the four corners of the settlement, one in the center, and they were crowded as thirsty citizens pined for their daily water rations; crime ran rampant, in dark alleys or broad daylight; poverty was well-known and widespread...

... But to the three weary travelers entering the city at its gates, clamoring for any sort of food or drink, rationed or otherwise, this was a paradise. They had not seen civilization for the past week and were obviously not from around these parts. Two of them were extremely light-skinned, at least in comparison to everyone else around them. The third was decently tanned but still stuck out like a sore thumb against the natives that were three times darker. Their clothes, neatly pressed and ironed and cleaned, were not accustomed to the dirt and grime so pervasive and present on the citizens' and slaves' drab shauls. As they moved slowly through the crowds of people hustling and bustling in their daily activities, they caught the attention of many. Who were these people, the people of the city wondered? What is their purpose here? They were not hostile, simply curious. The people of this city were not used to having visitors from foreign lands and wished to accommodate them better.

The only thing that unified these two scarcely different groups, the light and the dark, the prim and the poor, was their gifts given from birth. It was magic.

Not in the classical sense of magic in witchcraft and wizardry, although that was present in these parts. What is considered magical here is the ability to be in tune with nature and the souls of the earth and its natural elements, and to be able to manipulate them in a way that was beneficial to the survival of humanity. The mages of the city used fire magic to cook their food, or earth magic to move large rocks to and from places, or even astral magic to bend fate in their favor.

What was most surprising and surreal to these travelers was that in this city, using magic was commonplace and public. Where they were from, it was a religious sin and illegal act to use magic in public. But they could not say where they were from. Not now...

... At least, not the leader of this group of nomads. He was the biggest, tallest one. He seemed to be barely in his twenties, and barely keeping his composure around his other traveling partners. A heavy ruby red coat wrapped around his hips suggested he originated from a far colder place, certainly not the desert of a place he was in. Sweat dripped from his ink black locks and passed over his watchful, shifty gray eyes, which squinted from the sunlight, and from the displeasure of dealing with his companions. He stared intently at a map, as if he was following a destination marked on it. One could not tell what he was thinking just by looking at his face.

The other two were mysteries as well. The first of them was a young girl, who looked to be half of the leader's height, and half his age. Puffy pants and light slippers suggested she was some sort of gymnast, but the news cap containing her mess of auburn hair suggested otherwise. She had a cheeky grin on her face as she conversed with the last member, the darkest of the three. He had flashy, somewhat satin orange attire. He looked to be in show business of some sort with his fanciful get-up. Makeup from under his eye dripped down his cheeks from the heat, and for whatever reason, his wrists were cuffed.

They walked quietly and kept to themselves. The girl gazed into the eyes of the citizens she passed, wishing desperately to talk to someone new, but she knew how her leader felt about conversing with strangers, especially in the rare occasions that they came across new towns.

The city street they were walking down was lively at first but as they passed, the activity died down for these strangers to pass. The girl surveyed their surroundings. The buildings were simple, in basic block shapes with no glass windows, only holes. Sun reflected against the beige-white colors of these walls, and the bright blue sky of noontime contrasted sharply with the structures, blinding the trio. On the city streets, vendors bartering over fresh and pickled produce stopped and gawked at the visitors. Children playing games paused to stare, and concerned mothers approached their kids' sides to protect them, just in case. The young girl was unsure whether this reaction was common for every new person that passed through the city or if they were an exception.

Finally, the leader halted to a stop, and the other two followed suit. The girl stared up at where they were now. They had approached one of the average-looking buildings, although it was taller than most of the rest, and seemed to be in a better-off part of the street with larger houses and exterior designs on the walls and decorations at the fronts. One small room was at the top of the flat building, giving what she guessed to be a great view of the rest of the city. The place was so tall that it obstructed the sun and cast a dark shadow over the three. She grew hesitant, and slightly intimidated. Her eyes darted to the tall man with the red coat around his waist, wondering what their purpose for being here was.

The leader turned around to face the darker man, and smirked, almost haughtily. He jerked a thumb to the door of the building and chuckled, as if he was the bringer of bad news. "It's over for you, my friend," he said in a deep voice flavored with undertones of self-satisfaction. "Your journey with us comes to an abrupt halt, and end."

The girl, confused, tilted her head. "What do you mean?" she questioned, curiously and now worriedly. Her voice was soft with fear.

The leader didn't answer. He instead looked to the man in orange, an eyebrow arched and a gloating smile. The other man frowned, and rolled his brown eyes. "Stroke your ego all you want by teasing me before you hand me off," he said, his voice a little higher-pitched than the leader's but far more musical and airy, "but I feel no remorse for what I've done. I've made my choice and I regret nothing. But I pity you, your narrow-mindedness and your stifling, oppressive city. I'd rather be a slave to a man in a free land than a free man in a land plagued with oppression and hate. Don't you feel anything for what I say and mean to do? You use magic as well. What makes what I've done traitorous but what you do 'for the good of the city?'"

"You've given your last oration, performer boy," the leader taunted. He turned towards the door. "You acted out knowing the consequences. I have permission to use magic in accordance with the city's administrative edicts and allowances. You do not. And now, because of your violations to the city and religious code, you'll face those consequences."

The young girl was frightened by the language she was hearing. She had not the faintest idea of what was going on, or why the leader she had followed for so long now spoke with harsh tongue. But she was more fearful for her friend, the darker man, and what fate beyond that door he would face. It did not sound like anything she would wish even upon her worst enemy.

She could do nothing. The leader sauntered towards the building's door, and with quick movements he knocked on it, stepped back, and eagerly looked to the man in cuffs to see his reaction for what laid on the other side. The girl winced as she anticipated the door would open at any moment...

The Roleplay
The dead moment of silence was broken by the sounds of a shout inside, muffled by the thick sandstone walls. That shout was then followed by rapid footsteps, soft yet growing louder as the inhabitant drew closer. The second that the sound stopped was when the door flew ajar, revealing a petite young woman in her very early twenties. Her skin was light for a Samadurian, although still much darker than that of the trio who stood before her. A pink scarf was wrapped around her head, covering her hair save for two long locks that fell in front of her body.

Needless to say, facing such strange and intimidating men, the sense of fear grew within her, but was simultaneously rising with curiousity. The lady looked back over her shoulder into the house, and spoke up with a meek and soft voice, "May I help you…?"

"Here's your order," the leader guffawed, his eyes close and his hands on his hips in contempt. But when he opened his eyes and saw a woman, he seemed surprise. He must not have been expecting someone of this appearance to answer the door.

His entire demeanor changed. He glanced down to the map in his hands, confused, a shaky finger now desperately trying to remain still and point to the marked location on the map. It seemed correct to him. Then he gazed up, his eyes scanning for some sort of landmark or street sign. When he could find no such help, he shut his mouth and stared expectantly at the woman.

The young woman was puzzled by this strange man and his two companions, unsure of what his words meant exactly. She stepped back, "Sorry, I don't recall ordering anything…" the lady looked behind her again, before taking another step back and gesturing for the trio follow her inside, "Maybe Inxie did… but make yourself at home while I get her up, she tends to sleep in late."

Before the others could answer, the short woman turned around and hastily made her way up the stairs behind her, and called out to someone on the second level, "River! We have guests, could you entertain them, please?"

There was a moment of silence, and while the woman did not return back down the stairs for now, another began to emerge. She placed her feet gently on the sandstone steps, carefully staring at the trio as she walked down. Her skin was dark like the others, but her eyes were a bright sky blue, and her long hair that reached to her ankles were as white as a cloud. But despite the whiteness in her hair, she was fairly young, even younger than the other woman before. Yet with her odd appearance, she seemed more astonished by the three strangers in front of her, and remained silent for the moment.

Everyone stared at each other for a long time. The girl glanced to her companions. The leader was watching this new woman with large, terrified eyes. He seemed shocked by something about her; perhaps it was the sharply contrasting white hair with her fairly dark skin. But he did not seem mesmerized. More so traumatized. The girl then looked to the other man, who was staring at the leader expectantly, as if waiting for him to do something.

Many moments passed in awkward silence.

Finally, the man dressed in orange sighed, exasperated. Now his demeanor changed. He bore a bright, winning white smile as he addressed the woman with white hair, and his shoulders, previously tensed with some fear, relaxed. His mannerisms became lax. He was taking on an entirely new persona, and he was taking the lead on this operation now.

"Good afternoon, Miss," he said kindly, waving to her in a friendly manner with his other hand on his hip. The leader did a double-take, for he had escaped from the cuffs that were around his wrists previously! How long ago had that happened?

The more talkative man stepped forward, dipped his torso a bit as if making an informal bow, and extended a hand to shake. "I'm terribly sorry that you've been given the task of entertaining us! Think nothing of doing so. We're simply a little bit lost. Apparently my friend here cannot read a map and we've stumbled across your abode. We'll be out of your hair shortly, but perhaps you could direct us for the place we are looking for? And if not that, could you suggest a sort of hostel or inn we may stay at for this day and we can begin our route tomorrow? We would greatly appreciate it."

River raised her eyebrow at the man in front of her, charmed by his suave body language yet still strongly suspicious of him and the others. Her eyes were just was wide as the dark haired man behind this one. She had never seen such strange people before, with their pale skin and eyes of a variety of colors. But realizing how she hadn't responded for a long moment, she forced herself to speak, "I'm afraid I don't know of any inns you can stay at, but…"

Then suddenly, River grabbed the arm of the other man and looked at it with interest, turning his hand from palm to back in her curiosity, "Why were you holding out your hand like that? Am I supposed to do something with it?"

"Oh, is hand shaking not a common practice in these parts?" he asked curioisly. He shook his head. "Oh, never mind that, though I appreciate your interest in my forearm. Perhaps your housemates know where the nearest inn is."

Another few moments passed.

Finally, the man slapped a hand to his sheepish, dark face. "Oh, forgive me so! I've been so rude that I have not even introduced ourselves!" He gestured to his own chest. "I am Thomas."

He gestured to the young girl, with a smile of admiration towards her. "That is Kestral. Say hello, Kestral!"

The young girl stared at River and have a curious, lopsided smile. "Hello."

Thomas swerved over to the other man, the leader, and wrapped his arm around his neck as though they were old pals. "And this is one of my greatest friends, Arkanov."

Arkanov stared at Thomas' wrists as though they were miniature monsters. He seemed very astonished, and even more confused.

Thomas smiled, ignoring Arkanov's strange behavior. "We're very pleased to meet you. Thank you so much for welcoming us into your home."

River smiled at this, beginning to feel more comfortable around these strangers. She flipped a lock of hair behind her neck, and bowed to the other three, "My name is River, it's a pleasure to meet all of you."

But this politeness only lasted a short moment as questions sparked in her again. She straightened her back and quickly took two steps closer to Arkanov and Kestral, staring at their faces intently almost tempted to touch them, "I hope this isn't rude, but why is your skin so… light? Did ash get stuck on to you?"

Truthfully, this was an honest question. The people of this city tended to be darker for they were directly under the sun and could thus tan easily, and also be more protected from the sun. Seeing someone so light-skinned be in these parts was understandably curious. But Arkanov stepped back and gasped as if she had just insulted their mothers.

Thomas gave an awkward half smile. "Certainly the inquisitive one, aren't you? Pay no attention to my friend's reaction. These two are not from around here. Quite a privileged lot, you understand? Like in nobility, of sorts. They're able to stay indoors more, not necessarily in the sun as much. No ash!"

"Ah, my apologies, but that makes sense now." River held her hands behind her back, yet she still was wary of that reaction from Arkanov. She was beginning to sense that she was prying too much, and was about to stop with the questions, until a thought had sparked in her mind. These people might have been able to help her, and as much as she didn't want to use them she couldn't wait in this place much longer.

The young woman crossed her arms, looking expectantly, "Just where are you three from anyways? And on your journey here, you wouldn't have happened to see any strange 'shards' of some sort? Things that look like glass shards maybe?"

"Depends on what you mean by shards," answered Thomas. "I think we saw some when we came in, though that could've been from glass bottles."

Arkanov refused to respond and looked away.

Kestral shook her head. "Why do you ask about these shards...?"

There was a small groan from upstairs, followed by a shout down to the lower level, "River, are you bothering guests with the heart shard thing again?" It was a deeper voice, still belonging to a woman, but it was much stronger than the voice of the woman who had left River alone with these strangers. But hearing those words, River stepped back and shyed away from the trio, looking away almost shamefully.

Then finally, walking down the stairs was the lady in pink from before, and a new woman who was taller, and quite beautiful. Her skin was a dark brown like the bark of a tree, and her long black hair that had exceptional puffiness and volume to it. She wore simple clothes, ones that revealed her midriff, along with golden bangles around her wrists, "Sorry for the wait, gentlemen and little lady. Lumi's told me you've come to deliver something?"

Arkanov cleared his throat, and the small smirk on his face returned. Perhaps these were the slave traders all along. He put a hand around the young girl and pulled her next to him, and then gestured to Thomas. "He's all yours."

Thomas stood, shocked at his captor's stupidity. He looked over to this new woman, and frowned. He was quite sure these women were not the slave traders. "I'm sorry about him. He's having a bit of a heat stroke."

"Am not!" Arkanov protested. His voice rose an octave in defensiveness. "Are you not the slave traders?"

"Excuse me, slave traders?!" Inxie jerked back, a hand over her heart, strongly offended by this assumption. Her eyes glared at the three of them, only to then shoo them away, "Get out of here, we don't want to partake in any slave trade! Now go find someone else to bother!"

Lumi simply nodded as she held on to her wife's arm, agreeing to this. River on the other hand felt like she couldn't let them slip away. They were foreigners, they may have seen more of the world than she ever had, they could help her figure where she needed to start, "W-Wait! I need them for something-!"

Inxie turned her glare to River, crossing her arms now, "Look, Rivvy, you can just ask every stranger here to help you find heart shards alright? They don't want to be bothered with that." She sighed, glancing back to the trio, "Unless you three are willing to scour the whole continent for things that are damn near impossible to find."

"I am!" Thomas immediately volunteered, glancing over his shoulder fearfully at Arkanov.

At this, Arkanov was infuriated. "Like hell you are!" he countered sarcastically. Now he did not seem very shy at all. He stepped forward and put a hand on Thomas's shoulder, digging his fingers in tightly. Thomas looked down to his shoulder and then back to the three women in front of him.

"I'm so sorry my friend here offended you two," Thomas apologized, mustering the most genuine smile he had ever given. "We had to ask about the slave traders for, you see, we are trying to avoid them."

"But-" Arkanov began, but Thomas immediately elbowed him in his gut. The sound of air leaving a balloon emerged from the taller man and he backed away.

Thomas continued. "I was a slave from the land these two are from, you see. I worked for these two. But these two, so noble — being nobility and all — they freed me, they simply couldn't bear to see me waste away into obscurity as an unpaid laborer. We've been running from the slave traders of our old city for a week now, and we just arrived here. We heard this place had an active slave trade, and these two simply couldn't bear the thought of me being sold again. Especially Arkanov here. So we have to be careful around the citizens of these parts. That's why my friend asked. He is simply looking out for me. We did not mean to involve you in any sort of shady business. If you are still upset, I understand."

River's hands were over her mouth agape, her eyes large and sympathetic towards the man. She absolutely bought his story, and stepped up to Thomas. Then suddenly, she opened her arms, and wrapped them around him in a tight squeeze of sympathy and emotional care for him, "You poor thing! It's okay, we'll make sure no one gets you!" She looked up to him, but then realized that maybe this was too personal for a stranger, and stepped back, "I might be able to help you find an inn then, I want you three to stay safe!"

If Thomas' skin tone could allow him to blush from the woman's touch, it would've. He looked over his shoulder again. Kestral nodded feverishly, supportive of what he had said. Arkanov stood silently, and his gaze met Thomas'. They exchanged no words.

Assuming everything was alright between them, Thomas turned back to River, and trying to be as personal as possible whilst still upholding respect for this young woman, he patted her shoulders appreciatively. "Really? Why, thank you so much! You will not believe how much this helps us."

"Thank you a lot, Miss," Kestral chimed in.

Arkanov gave the evil eye to the woman with Snow White hair and then turned away, grumbling. "Yes, thank you very much..."

"You're welcome, now come on! River walked past the others to the front door, and opened it up for them. Smiling brightly and clearly in blissful ignorance of Arkanov's tone. She beckoned them to follow her. But not before Inxie shot another glare at the three of them.

"Alright, you can go, but don't do anything to River," Inxie said, holding out her hand. She snapped her fingers, and her hand erupted into a controlled flame, showing her magic abilities, "Because I will give each of you burns for any scratches on her, got it?"

At the sight of the flame, Kestral gasped sharply, and then proceeded to whimper.

Arkanov put a protective arm around the girl and glowered at Inxie. She wasn't used to seeing magic used so openly and readily, especially not as a method of intimidation. "Watch where you use your magic, you batty bi—"

"You mustn't worry!" Thomas assured quickly, waving his arms dismissively. "We aren't psychopaths. We won't hurt River." He ushered everyone out of the house quickly before an altercation could take place. "Thank you so much for inviting us so cordially into your home! Goodbye now."

River quickly stepped out through the door, letting the others follow behind her, and quickly shut the door before any more words could be exchanged. She laughed tentatively, seeing how angrily serious Arkanov was, and how terrified the young girl with him had reacted. "I'm so sorry, Inxie tends to be a bit protective… shall we find a place for you to stay now…?"

"Yes please," Thomas agreed eagerly and looked around again at the bright blue sky outside.

It hadn't grown dark since they were last outside at all. "Though you can take your time," Thomas said. "The day is still young, unless you need to be home at a certain time with your sisters?"

River chuckled at this notion, although his misconception would make sense from an outsider's perspective. She began to walk along, sticking to the side of the road as not to get caught up with busy people, "No no, none of us are sisters. They're married to each other, and they've only let me stick around with them because I have nowhere else to go..."

The other three got quiet at the word "married." They made curious expressions towards River. However, Thomas regained his composure feminist, knowing he had to seem as though all of this was normal and natural to him.

"Ah. That makes sense," he said finally, after processing it all. "What do you mean you have no other place to go?"

The snow-haired woman noticed some of the strange looks she was getting from the man and the young girl. They were very silent, much more than she had thought they would be, which made her somewhat unsettled. As if she had something to be suspicious of, but she wasn't sure what it was exactly. Nevertheless, she tried to turn her attention away from them and back to Thomas, "My family's very far away from here, and I've promised them and many others that I wouldn't return until we can all go back home... but the good thing about Sihrasul is that there's people coming day in and day out, like you guys, who might be able to help me, even if it's just a little."

Thomas smiled at the woman, not so much for her story but for the fact she finally mentioned the name of the city they were in. "Well, perhaps you have to wait in Sihrasul no longer. I'm fairly certain we can help you."

Arkanov began to interject and speak up but Thomas hushed him.

"Really, you would?!" River turned her head to Thomas with a bright smile, clasping her hands together in front of her chest in glee. This was probably the first time anyone had accepted her offer, and so soon after meeting each other too. But, she began to realize that there was something wrong, that maybe they were rushing into this too fast, "But you may have to travel a lot, around all of Samadurai even. I don't know if it would be worth it if there's nothing in it for all of you..." she then turned her head back to Arkanov and Kestral, "What do you two think?"

Kestral seemed equally as excited, and nodded eagerly. "I would love to, but my brother has to decide whether it's okay."

"Kestral, Thomas, we need to discuss this before we, erm, embark on a journey for who knows how long?" Arkanov chided, but he seemed to be angry with them, especially Thomas, for another reason.

"We're discussing it now," Thomas answered. He seemed especially anxious to agree to this proposal. He turned back to River and gave an encouraging smile. "We'll do it! And if not them, then I alone shall accompany you."

River looked only happier with this information, at least only for a moment, until her smile dropped into a sad frown, "But Thomas, these two must have worked so hard to bring you here, wouldn't that all be for nothing if you just went off with me instead? And I don't know if I could protect us from any slave traders that would find us..." she sighed, glancing back to Arkanov, still speaking to Thomas though, "And your friend over here doesn't look very happy at the thought of that option..."

Thomas turned to his traveling companions. He tried not to meet Arkanov's gaze and settled instead on Kestral. He had made good friendship with her on their short travel together. "It would be a shame to leave you two behind."

"You're not going to," Kestral answered. She linked arms with the tall, darker man and with her brother, and beamed a childish, innocent grin. "Because we're coming with!" At this, Thomas looked back and forth between the girl and the other man. Arkanov looked defeated, and so tired and sweaty that he shrugged complacently, though he still stared daggers at Thomas.

The man in orange turned to River slowly, at the same growing pace that his relieved smile was forming. He was unsure of why Arkanov was agreeing to this so readily, but he was thankful nonetheless. "It looks as though we may join you. Though, we have not rested much on our travels. I hate to ask, but could we spend the night at a place to stay and rest up before we head out?"

"Ah, of couse, there should be an inn a short ways up ahead," River nodded her head in agreement, walking faster ahead all of them as to take the lead role for them. Shortly after, she had halted in front of yet another sandstone building, larger than most, but only for the sake of rooms and space for all of its visitors.

She turned her whole body around now, holding her hands politely behind her back, "I hope you all have a peaceful respite. But if you have the energy... do you think you would be able to come out later tonight? There's going to be a water festival tonight, Inxie and I are performing for it..."

"Well if you're performing, I simply must see it," replied Thomas, flashing his smile once more towards her. He gestured to Kestral and Arkanov for their opinions. "Thoughts?"

Arkanov grunted, "Unless she's going to threaten Kestral with those balls of fire again." He continued to stare intently at Thomas with a gaze that suggested he was plotting his murder.

"I'm sure she won't," Thomas laughed awkwardly, and then turned to River once more. "That sounds like a plan. I find it interesting, albeit strange how there is a water festival when there are water rations in this city amidst the desert, but now I am also intrigued in seeing what this is all about. I suppose we can meet out here in a few hours after we're all cleaned up. Thank you for inviting us."

"Of course! You're my future partners after all, so why wouldn't I?" River replied joyfully, holding up a hand to wave goodbye to her newfound friends, a goodbye for only this moment, "You'll see me in a blue dress, and Inxie… the only fire she'll be using is for her dancing."

"Sounds great," Thomas said in an equally jovial tone. He extended a hand and waved goodbye for then as Kestral did as well. Arkanov's gaze on the other man was unbreaking. Thomas ignored this. "Goodbye! See you this evening, River!"

The Water Festival
Night had fallen upon the city, the moon was glowing, as braziers outside ignited and illuminated the streets with their warm fiery glow. Meanwhile inside the house of the three young women, the one with blue eyes combed through her long, snow white hair calmly, making sure it was completely smooth and silky. She donned a dark teal dress, with a pastel blue trim, along with a dark blue sash tied loosely around her waist. She had finished the last stroke of the comb, smiling pleasently, as she set it down and traded it for another piece of cloth, the same color of the sash. She tied it around her head, with a bun-like knot on the back, but there was still enough cloth to trail down the back of her hair, slightly reminiscient of a veil. She was entirely set for tonight.

Her companions in the downstairs floor however, were having a much different time. Of course, with Inxie being the main attraction, her outfit was much more complicated, as well as her hairstyle, accompanied by the accessories she was to wear. So for the time being, River trekked down the sets of stairs, down to the ground level, and stared out of the well-shaped hole in the wall that they considered a window. She could already see people along the streets making their way to the heart of the city, where she and Inxie were set to perform soon. At this moment, waiting for her partner to finish, she stared along, hoping for a possible sign of the trio she had met earlier.

River was to be disappointed. Outside her house, on the main street that the trio had met her earlier, Arkanov and Kestral waited. They did not seem like they would stay long, for their satchels and packed bags from the afternoon earlier were still around their shoulders and tied to their hips. These two looked the same as from hours before, only thankfully less sweaty and more rested. But Kestral looked downtrodden, and Arkanov eager. He impatiently tapped his foot on the road, hoping the girl they had met earlier would arrive soon so they could leave. Thomas was nowhere to be seen.

The woman caught sight of the other two, but the third one in orange from earlier seemed to be missing. It was strange, maybe he was taking his time preparing as well, and the others had decided to go on without him? Or perhaps he was already at the festival, and these two were catching up. But she couldn't leave them waiting, and so she quickly turned away from the window, grabbing on to a leather satchel that she had laid in the corner of the room, for its contents she needed later. She decided she would have to meet up with Lumi and Inxie later that night.

River opened the door, a bit worried now that the most talkative member of the trio seemed to be missing, but she pressed on anyway. She raised her hand and waved over to the siblings, and picked up her pace, stopping when she was within earshot of the two of them, "Ah... Arkanov and Kestral, right? I'm so glad you guys made it! You look a little better than you did earlier."

"Thank you, River," Kestral answered shyly. As she scanned the girl's teal outfit, she smiled in admiration. "You look so pretty! I love your dress, and that cute little bandanna wrapping up your hair! I can't wait to see what you perform."

"About that," Arkanov interjected. He grabbed the young girl's hand and gave an uneasy look towards River. "Look, I'm sorry, but Thomas had to leave, as do we. We can't stay to see your performance tonight. Something has come up. But thanks for showing us the inn. Good luck."

"Wh… What? You can't leave so soon, I thought you promised the three of you would help me…" River seemed absolutely heartbroken, emphasized even more by the hand placed on her chest. Her eyes turned sorrowful, and she looked down in shame, "I… guess that's okay, you barely know me, and you're not the first ones to reject…"

River then turned her head up to him, giving him an innocent look, making her voice sweet in hopes of persuading him, "But you can at least stay for the festival can't you? After all, it's dangerous to travel at night, there could be bandits that would ambush you out there…"

Arkanov stared into her blue eyes and pulled himself away, about to reject her offer. But something in him changed. Kestral noticed this and raised an eyebrow towards her usually moody, stubborn brother. Arkanov couldn't quite place it, but something in the way this girl looked at him made him feel obligated to stay just a little longer, so he wouldn't see her complete disappointment. "Y-Yes, we can stay for the festival," he answered finally. "But afterwards we must leave and erm, look for our friend Thomas. He is nowhere to be seen."

River bowed her head to the siblings in gratitude, the smile turning to her face, much more humble than the last time she made that expression. "Thank you so much, and maybe Thomas is already at the center of the festival. As big as it is, with the clothes he was wearing, he should stand out from the crowd. So, let's head down there and check it out."

With that, the new trio headed down the street. As they walked, Kestral tried to meet her brother's eyes and question him with her looks. She was very confused because his earlier behavior suggested he did not have a soft spot for pleading eyes, yet he suddenly changed his mind for this girl. She wondered why. While River led, she tapped on his hand and looked up to him. "Why did you change your mind?" Kestral asked in a whisper inaudible to anyone else.

Arkanov's expression change. A crooked smile formed on his face, and he squinted his eyes. He was scanning the crowd before them. When he felt he looked long enough, he turned to his little sister and bent over so she could hear his whispering too, "I need to make sure Thomas is dead."

Kestral gasped, horrified by what her brother said. She glanced over to River and hoped she hadn't heard. It wasn't for the water festival after all. Disheartened and even more afraid, she kept her mouth shut, and instead gazed around at the city buildings. Now she spoke in a more audible voice. "I hope that's a mean joke."

River turned her head at the sound of Kestral's young voice, looking with a smile and soft eyes, "Hm? A joke? I like jokes," her upturned lips turned into a playful giggle, now glancing at Arkanov, "Am I allowed to hear it?"

"No," Arkanov said curtly, with a sour expression. "It's an inside joke."

Kestral looked like she wanted to hit him in his arm. She instead walked next to River and waved her hand at Arkanov as though warning River to not get involved. "He's a stick in the mud. I didn't take you for a joke type of girl but it makes me happy that you do, because I love 'em!"

River was interested to see the girl suddenly walking alongside her, which was a pleasant surprise considering how shy and quiet she had acted earlier that day, "That's great! Maybe some day we can have inside jokes of our own…" the young woman gave a glance to Arkanov, with a look as if ready to bite back for his rudeness, "And we won't have to tell your brother about them either."

"Good, he doesn't deserve to hear our funny jokes either," Kestral said, looking back over her shoulder at her brother. They locked eyes, a silent conversation spoken through looks that obviously meant more to them than it would have to an outsider.

Arkanov looked at Kestral as though she were a traitor. Kestral found this ironic and threw an equally accusatory look.

When the stare-down was over, he huffed and rolled his eyes. "I don't give a damn about your jokes. Make as many as you want. They're probably just as childish as you two are."

"Want to hear a good joke?" A new voice piped up. Arkanov looked to who made the statement and saw a girl, with a skin tone that finally matched his and Kestral's, although it was noticably more tanned. Her sun-bleached locks hung in curls and rested on her shoulders, and her dark blue sleeveless dress with water decals suggested she was a part of the festival. She held a board in her hand with paper on it. One could only assume it was for notes.

She placed a hand on her hip and scoffed. "This. This entire set-up. The festival begins so soon and I don't have my dancers yet, the floats are being finished as we speak. As we speak."

She sighed. "I hope this doesn't tank."

When she gazed her soft brown eyes over River and noticed her costume, she gasped excitedly. "Oh my goodness, okay, another dancer is here! Hi! Do you know where you're going? Go with the other dancers please. We need to hurry this along for everyone! Wow, I'm awful, I don't even know your name. Sorry... I'm a little frazzled now."

River was initially startled by the appearance of the other woman, but seeing how busy she looked on a night like this, and how she was giving out orders, she must have been the organizer of the entire festival. River then nodded, "It's okay, I'll get with the others soon, once my partner arrives-"

"Already here," a voice interrupted River as she spoke. She turned behind her and saw Lumi, along with a cloaked figure, walking up to the small group. The cloaked woman lifted her head, revealing her face to be Inxie; she must have worn that to keep her costume a surprise. Inxie looked to the new blonde girl, whose name she did not know, but the face she somewhat recognized, "We're ready to get on stage anytime, when you give the orders."

"Yay! Okay, thank goodness you guys are here," the organizer sighed happily. She grabbed the hands of the other two women and then directed them to an area down the street where the festival would begin.

A large structure veiled by a canvas cloth, leading the way for more structures covered. by more cloths, and several other dancers were waiting, eagerly shuffling and practicing steps. The blonde gestured to the group. "That's where everyone's getting ready. Just take your places. We're starting in five minutes. If you need anything, call out my name! I'm Salina. We good?"

"We're good, Salina. Thank you," Inxie said with politeness, carefully grabbing on River's hand to lead her to the other dancers. Meanwhile, Lumi waved goodbye for now, and slipped away to the crowds awaiting the performance.

So as Inxie was gently tapping her feet in different motions, to remind herself of the steps, River took the leather satchel off of her shoulder. She reached inside, pulling out a beautiful instrument of dazzling blue crystal, with silver strings that would make the music. One of her most prized possessions, and a reminder of what she was here for. She plucked the strings, testing their beautiful sound, tuning it to perfection. So when she was done, she awaited further instruction.

"Woah..." Kestral stared in awe at the instrument. She had never seen such a beautiful piece of equipment, let alone any equipment to make music with. She wondered what it was and what it would do.

Now she took more note of her surroundings as well. The town would have been dark in the night without the lanterns strung about. They were made of a thin blue paper and had parts cut out, and as they moved in the faint warm breeze of the eve they cast shadows that danced all the crowds' faces, which were just as excited and eager as she appeared to be.

She looked to her brother. Obviously he was not caught up in the whimsy of the set-up. He was looking around the crowd, probably for a sign of Thomas.

Kestral began to wonder when the show would begin. She expected Salina to make a formal announcement before it would start, but she was caught off guard by the crowd suddenly quieting as if on cue, and the uproar of singing voices from where the canvases were. The dancers were not moving yet, but the canvases moved back to reveal bright, colorful scenes depicting the ocean, of all its creatures and the vast waters it contained. Kestral gasped excitedly. She wished for it all to come closer down the road so she could get a better view, and thankfully, the dancers and the floats began to move forth...

On the stage float, in the center, Inxie still in her cloak knelt down. The wings of her left and right were another row of dancers, who were to be backups, as for this moment she was the main attraction. River was off to the side of the dancers, as she wasn't really much of a dancer, but her part would come in to play soon.

Then, as the music began to pick up, Inxie stood onto her feet. Embers began floating, circling around her feet. The woman jerked her arms up, making the cape of the cloak show, and the embers ignited the cloth. The flames rapidly burned away the cloak, resembling a Phoenix being reborn from the ashes, and there she was. Inxie stood there proudly, confidently, with her hands on her hips. Her hair was up in a long ponytail, adorned with golden bejeweled bands. Her magenta midriff top was trimmed and decorated with the same gold and gems, some tied in strings around her midsection. Her skirt was long, but cut on the sides, accentuating her legs.

Finally, the music for her had kicked in, and immediately she began to dance with the others behind her. She moved her arms so gracefully, with such elegance, yet her legs and hips moving at such a speed no one could quite follow, and even then she went perfectly along with the tempo of the music. She danced, and she danced, and she danced, until suddenly one of the others behind her had tossed her a small leather pouch, and while dancing she untied the strings. She then tossed it into the air, allowing its contents, some sort of white power, to fall out and scatter. Then with sparks from her fingers the powder ignited and burned in a blue fire. This process was repeated, each with slightly different white powders that burned green, gold, red, magenta, violet, a whole rainbow spectrum of unusual colors danced around her body.

Then, all of the dancing had stopped, their segment of the performance was over, and soon another would take over…

Kestral gasped in life amazement, dazzled by what she had seen, as the crowd erupted into applause and whistles. She never knew that Inxie was an exceptional dancer. More so, she was dazzled by the lights she had seen emerge from the pouch. They were entrancing and captured her attention. She looked every direction they came from. She didn't want this performance to end.

Finally, the floats had drawn near. Their structures were built from papier-mâché. It was simply amazing. They were in the shakes of various sea creatures and sea structures and symbols of water, like droplets or splashes. They were hollow and only got their colors amidst the darkness of the night through bright lights. Kestral peered in the floats and found that light mages, of all people, were shining bright lights and casting the glow. Following the floats were dancers in costumes of fish and octopi, dancing while moving down the street.

She gasped again, even more amazed. Never before had she seen such a vision of fun, magical culture.

Arkanov seemed to be enjoying it as well. He had crossed his arms and begun to watch when Inxie passed by and kept his attention up at the floats and magic used so openly. But Kestral could not tell based on the expression on his face whether he was pleased or disgusted. Kestral eagerly looked toward the streets for more action, and possibly to see Inxie and River again.

Kestral's wishes were granted, for at this moment, it was River's turn to take the spotlight on that float. Inxie stepped away from the center, now standing in the back, as the white-haired woman took her place. Calmly, with gentleness, she raised her crystal lyre up to her chest level and to the side. Then, she plucked the silver strings, the sound reverberating off of them creating absolute perfection of sound. Her song sounded through the entire street her float traveled down, she even began swaying side to side, and doing the occasional spin, as if doing a waltz while playing her instrument.

But this was not all, for when she took another step, water began to pool around her feet. This water then rose up to her height in spirals, circling her and moving along to they way she swayed and the way that she elegantly twirled. Then, as her lovely song came to an end, she put her hands down, only to follow by flinging them straight back up, causing the water spirals around her to spray into the air as a mist, which was caught in the illumination from the light mages, creating a rainbow illusion for only a few seconds. Then, she bowed to the crowd with a happy smile, and allowed the background dancers to make center stage once again.

The crowd went wild at the music and the display of water magic. Meanwhile, Kestral looked as though she nearly had a heart attack. She heard of water mages before but she had never met one in person, or seen them in action. She just wished she could go up and fawn over River then and there.

She looked over to Arkanov, and he seemed to be paying attention now that River was performing. He seemed impressed. Everything was going fine, and the festival moved down the street. Like a young child trying to catch up to a train, Kestral followed the floats and parade, not wanting to miss a single moment. It continued on down the street and turned a corner. The crowd applauded, in awe at the spectacle. This continued on for many minutes. Everything was going well...

Until a shot wrang out.

Dozens of people let out a scream all at once, even the light mages were startled, and the street went dark. The dancers stopped, and the float halted in its movement. Everyone was turning their heads left and right, up and down, trying to find the source of the noise, but they couldn't tell what it was.

River clutched on to her lyre tighter, while Inxie backed away closer towards her, unsure of what to do, or what was happening…

Bedlam erupted in the audience. Suddenly, crowded areas erupted into pushing and shoving matches, and bulky guards tried to break up the scuffles, but soon even passive bystanders were pushed into the fight.

Arkanov was confused, and in a flash he flicked his wrist out to his side. Kestral turned to look and see what he was doing. Slowly, an inky black sword materialized in his hands, forming like water dripping and filling a container. Soon, his weapon had formed. He took up a classic fighting stance and jutted his blade forward, daring any of the citizens to try and pick a fight with him. Some stepped away from him.

But that started even more of a commotion, as now mages near and far began to unleash their magic. Balls of fire, large boulders, weapons of all of the elements emerged from the hands of the crowd's members. They were threats for everyone, but no one. No one made a move.

A figure ran speedily down the street of halted floats and scared dancers. The darkness, since now all of the lights were shut off, kept the person's identity a secret. But, this person was wanted. Several other burly figures were tailing the smaller one, as though the first had escaped and they were all on a high-speed chase. Of all the floats, this myserious, chased person jumped onto the float River and Inxie were on.

Another noisy scuffle ensued, this time on the float. It shook and rattled. The people on it must have been having a fight.

A light finally came on. But it was not from a float, nor any conventional source of light. It looked to be from a gun, an antique-looking pistol of bright white light. Light magic. And the gun was in the hands of none other than Thomas. His clothes were even more tattered and dirty than before, and his hair was messy in a few places. His eyes were wide, crazed even. What came as more of a surprise was that he was directly behind River, and he had the gun was pointed at her head.

The light showed who had been pursuing Thomas: three large, strong, dangerous looking men. They were decked out in black and brown leather desert attire. They had a symbol on their clothes, bright red and dripping as though made with blood, or just a shaky hand painting red marks. It looked to be the shape of a head with a chain link ring around the head. In these parts, that was the semi-universal symbol for slave traders, to easily identify them among citizens.

But neither Arkanov nor Kestral knew this. They only knew that these men were visibly upset and carrying large elemental sickles of the various magic types.

One of them began to speak. "That damn runaway started this whole revolt! He's making the others crazy!"

"We just got 'im today too," another snarled angrily. "Fucking waste of money, and time. And now we've got to kill him."

Thomas looked over to River, and gave a sincerely apologetic look. "I'm sorry," he whispered, "I promise I won't hurt you. Just play along, please..."

River didn't quite do as she was told, and screamed the moment Thomas had aimed his weapon at her. She didn't even know what he was holding, it looked absolutely alien to her, but it was still terrifying even then. She wanted to get away, break out in a sprint and hide somewhere, but that wasn't an option. Behind her, Inxie had given them space, but flames erupted all around her arms, ready to harm Thomas any moment, as she hadn't heard his whisper to River.

The young woman turned her head around swiftly, trying to stare at her 'captor', "Thomas!" She shouted, "What are you doing?! What are you holding at me?! What is this?!"

"You make a move for me and this innocent woman gets a laser through her skull," Thomas warned when he thought the slave traders were approaching. "None of us want that. So do not move. I am not going back with you to be a slave. None of the people you've turned into common animals will be doing so either."

"Hey, we paid good money for you," one of the slave traders fumed. "We didn't sign up for this revolutionary bullshit!"

"You wanted to just keep them down in their place, didn't you?" Thomas asked loudly. By now a crowd had drawn near him, of the people that had fought with the festival guards not moments earlier. They were watching the scene take place. Some of them looked to be homeless people or vagabonds, but Arkanov looked over them and recognized uneven tans around their wrists and ankles. They had been tied up befrore. They were likely to be slaves.

"I have seen places built up on foundations of oppressing the people who inhabit it, and of cheating them out of the things they have worked for, deserve, but are denied," Thomas continued loudly, noticing the crowd below him. He seemed to recognize them from the expression of relief on his face. He furrowed his brow as if coming up with some sort of plan on the spot. "But in these places, these citizens are still guaranteed basic rights. They are treated like human beings. Perhaps they are objects to the system of the city or counry, but certainly they are not objects to people just like them, but only above them in societal class. That leads me to ask: why, then, is a town filled with the freedom of magical ability and expression of self such as this, just as hypocritical, if not more so, in policy towards indentured servitude than the places I have just described?"

A large roar of approval erupted from the groups of slaves. Thomas seemed pleased with himself. He had not even unleashed a full speech and already these people were on his side. He pointed an accusatory finger at the slave traders, and unleashed his winning smile in the form of a smirk. "I think your system is flawed. And I will be in your city and traverse its streets, but I simply cannot follow the rules of a society so cruel toward the people who carry it on its back and work for it to death."

Thomas turned to the slaves now cheering and hooting for him. "I do not think you should stand for this sort of belittlement either. Take back from them what is rightfully yours from the sole fact that you are living human beings just like me. Take back your freedom, by whatever means necessary."

With that, the slaves lunged for the traders in front of them on the float, and an all out brawl ensued that nearly tipped over the structure from how many people were on one side of it. Thomas used this opportunity to look at River, and give a thumbs-up for her performance. And then, he caused his magic gun to dissipate into the night air, removing the light from the street and cloaking it in darkness once more. One could only hear the sudden and rapid footsteps of heeled boots up the street and down the corner afterwards.

River yelped again as the darkness returned, and suddenly she felt arms wrap tightly around her. But they were familiar, not that of a stranger's, and warm from the fire that had enveloped them before. It was Inxie, thank goodness. River was almost ready to cry out of fear, but the other woman kept her together for now. She turned her around to face her, "Rivvy, sweetie, calm down, it's okay. We need to get out of here, now. Get back to the house and don't look back, I'll search for Lumi, got it?"

River nodded fearfully, her hands shaking with her anxiety as her heart pulsed rapidly. She was terrified, and broke off into a sprint the other direction, jumping off of the float, and trying to make her way towards their home before the rioting slaves could get her. Inxie called out one last time, "And don't be afraid to use your magic, defend yourself!"

That was the last words she heard before she was finally out of earshot. River kept running, holding her lyre tighter than ever, praying that she wouldn't be beaten to death by a slave or a trader. However, it was only a moment later she had crashed into another person, much taller than her now that she was fallen on the ground, and a bit shadowed by the lack of light. River screamed once more when she saw the dark sword he was carrying in his hand, and immediately she covered her eyes with her arm, as a pathetic excuse for blocking.

Arkanov grunted as she bumped into him, but he stood still and did not move much from where he originally was. Instead, he looked to see who had knocked into him and scoffed when he saw her. "What the hell are you doing?" He still helped her up anyways.

"Arkanov, don't be so rude!" Kestral admonished her brother angrily. She went over to River's side and put both hands to her mouth in shock of the sudden violence that had taken place. "River, I hope you're okay. Did Thomas hurt you?"

But at this point, Arkanov had already sprinted down the street in a speed nearly equal to that of Thomas. He lumbered down the street, keeping his sword in hand and at the ready.

Kestral, exasperated and now fearful of being alone, called after him, "Wait! Arkanov, come back! What are you doing?!"

"That damn crook is not slipping away from me so easily!" Arkanov growled in a bitter tone after his sister. "Stay here with her! I'll be back!"

Kestral looked back over to River, now in need of a new leader to follow. "What on earth do we do now?"

"We get back to the house, and hide there until this whole thing is over. If that doesn't happen, we may have to run to the next town…" River fretted, terrified as she didn't know her fate. This wasn't the first time her life was in danger, but even then it was an awful experience. She reached out her hand for the girl to take, and briefly glanced over her shoulders as she heart the shouting and screams getting closer, "Do you trust me, Kestral?"

Without even thinking twice, Kestral latched onto River's hand as though her life depended on it, for it did. All around her, the slaves were causing a ruckus and more bystanders were getting involved. City fixtures and crude buildings were being shoved over, bonfires were being lit, and the city guards were being unleashed. They had to leave now. "Quickly! Let's go back to your house!"

River nodded, holding onto the girl's hand tightly now, and ran away from the chaos of this sudden revolt. She went as fast as she could, pulling on Kestral's arm, but she was ready to pick her up and carry her the rest of the way of her young legs suddenly have out. She could hear fires burning, people shouting, the clashing of scimitars against each other. From the looks of it, there was no way this could all be resolved in one night, their best chance once they reach the house was to leave the city shortly afterwards, with Arkanov of course. River couldn't just abandon the city with someone else's sister.

In a matter of minutes after running, River could see the house, which was still thankfully intact. She bent over, panting heavily, but still opened the door, and let herself and Kestral inside. She quickly close it behind them, and continued panting, trying to catch her breath. Lumi and Inxie weren't here. "We'll be safe in here for now… when your brother comes back, we'll have to evacuate from the city…"

Kestral began to tremble from the mere excitement of it all, and the fear instilled in her. She didn't know what to do, for her brother had gone off for who knows how long, presumably to kill Thomas, and she was forced to put her trust in a woman she didn't even know. She had no problem trusting River, for she seemed like a reliable, peaceful person, but she just wanted her brother back. She whimpered slightly, and looked to River for guidance. "I don't think my brother is coming back any time soon," she mentioned in a shaky voice. "He's going after Thomas, and Thomas may be running as far as he can possibly get before he's caught. What if Arkanov gets lost...? I'm sorry, I know you two aren't on the best of terms, but I feel like I need to follow him too."

River looked over her shoulder, peeking out the window, just to be sure that nobody was outside watching them or waiting to hurt them. "Kestral, it'll be okay, I'm sure he can handle himself. He wouldn't want you to go after him, it's really dangerous out there," the woman then glanced down to her shaking hands, "And I can't protect you if I follow along, I don't know how to fight. Waiting here would be better…"

The young girl looked at her shaking hands, and something changed in the way she looked at the woman. Determinedly, she moved to the door. "You may not know how to fight, but... I may."

As she spoke, a star-shaped object began to form over her left hand. A handle materialized in her palms and she grasped it tightly. On the exterior, the star was slightly translucent and cast a purple-pink glow on some objects near her. It had bright white flecks, looking like a lit image of the starry night sky. But on the other side, a vision of a dark blue, morphing and shimmering galaxy could be seen. It was a strange star shield of sorts. In her right hand, bright white star shapes sat in her hand and at the ready. She glanced over to River. "You can join me if you like, but if not, don't worry about me. I've got fate on my side!"

She shuffled her shield and star bombs as she opened the door, and as quietly and stealthily as she could manage, she crept out of the door and onto the city's streets.

"Kestral, no!" River tried to get to her before she ran out, but she just wasn't fast enough. Now was probably the perfect time for her to start panicking. She had seriously just let a child run out into the streets where a massive and violent riot was taking place. She didn't know what to do, if that girl got hurt or even killed out there, she couldn't stand herself to feel such guilt like that again. She had to do something.

Determination filled River's heart, and she clutched on to her lyre once more. It was no weapon, but she knew that it may come in handy in the need of an emergency. She opened the door quickly, and followed suit after the girl, who hadn't gotten far as she could still see that glimmering shield, "Kestral, wait up! I'm coming with you!"

"Awesome!" Kestral cheered excitedly from hearing this. To make sure one would not lose the other, she held onto River's hand and together they careened through the crowds and small fights that were taking place in the streets.

She only knew the direction they were going. Nothing else. Kestral called out from over her shoulder, "Do you know the city near the direction they were heading?"

"N-No, not at all!" River explained, keeping up her pace beside the girl, utterly surprised by the fact that she could run with a shield and bombs on her, but perhaps it was the magic that make it lighter on her. She kept holding on tighter, afraid of losing her by accident, "All I know is that they went the opposite way of where we were before!"

"Well, this will be interesting!" Kestral exclaimed.

Suddenly, a man who had been brawling with another by scrimitars was thrown at River's direction. Kestral saw this and immediately lunged backwards so the shield would block her. The man was deflected off of Kestral's shield, but surprisingly Kestral had not been knocked over by the man nearly twice her height and double her weight. The shield had done some deflecting itself, as if it pushed the man.

But Kestral did manage to trip over River's feet, of all things, and fell to the floor. She fell with an oof onto the floor, and tried to scrambled back to her feet and followed River. "Oh, sorry! Well... darn, Ark took the map. Then just lead the way out of the city please! We can figure things out from there!"

River was about to lend a hand to get Kestral back up, and was about to check for any scrapes or broken bones, but she seemed totally unharmed, which astonished River. The woman took th girl's hand once again, and in the distance she could see the sandstone walls of Sihrasul, with several innocent people running towards it. It must have been an open gate, an escape route for those who desperately needed to flee, such as themselves. "Over there!" River pointed, "If we can get past the gates, it'll be safe."

"Oh, thank goodness!" Kestral said in relief. She was happy that they were so close but she was so tired and she painted heavily. But she continued on, for she needed to find her brother.

They neared the gate quickly with their pace. Some city guards were waving the small crowd of people through the gates to turn immediately to the right to an evacuation center. Kestral could not see it immediately. But that did not matter, for when the two girls passed the gates, they kept straight forward, towards another light far off in the distance. Kestral was scared to see the endless desert once again, and the waves and waves of sand swept up in the wind, but she persevered on. She figured the light was the next city, a shining beacon.

The city guards called out to them. "You two!" they yelled loudly, their voice carrying over the wind, "You should get to the evacuation shelter!"

River turned her head when she heard the voice of the guardsman, but she couldn't be worried with him. They had to find Arkanov and Thomas, before they kill each other or worse. She didn't know why they would want to harm one another, as she had thought they were on better terms than this, but as they made their way through the sand in the dark night with the city in chaos behind them, River refused to go back, at least for now.

"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIT!" A high pitched voice sounded like it was wailing right behind the other two girls. Kestral turned and skidded to a halt on the slippery sand, almost losing her balance. She squinted as she tried to make out a figure that was vigorously sprinting towards them, now seeming as though chasing them. The figure drew nearer and skidded to a halt as well. It was Salina. Her dress was torn at the edges and at the top, so she had to use her hands to raise it so it wouldn't dip too low. Her hair was far more messy than it was before. Kohl eyeliner was dragged down her cheeks, matching a bloody red scratch of the same shape in the same place. She seemed frazzled. And angry. Very angry.

"Where... are you two... going...?" Salina asked breathlessly in between huffs.

"Did you follow us all the way from the street?" Kestral was surprised.

Salina nodded, and turned to River while gasping for air. "Y-Yes... you. Are you okay? And where are you two running off to?"

River was surprised to see that Salina of all people had followed them after all that had happened, and all of the chaos. Why them of all people frantically panicking in the city? Then again, they were the only ones who had made this attempt to run out of the city rather than hide in shelter. "We needed to find two of our friends… well, they're not really my friends, but Kestral's brother is one of them. Now what in the world are you doing following us?"

"I want to say that I'm so kind that I simply ran here to check on your well-being after that ordeal, but why lie to myself?" Salina had a harsh scowl on her face and gave a suspicious expression to them, arched eyebrow and all. "I'm going after the lunatic that ruined my festival. He caused utter chaos and now this night is a disaster. I'm against the slave trade here too but did he need to do it on this night, of all of them? I'm going to track him down, drag him back to Sihrasul and throw him in the city's jail. Or send a bounty hunter on him. Whichever comes first."

The white haired woman tensed up when she heard this from Salina. She didn't want to risk putting Thomas in any more trouble and danger, but at the same time she didn't want to lie to this frustrated, frazzled young lady. River glanced off to the side, holding her lyre in her other hand a little bit tighter in nervousness, "Y-You're talking about Thomas... he's one of the people we're looking for, and the other, Arkanov... we think he's trying to kill him..."

"... I like this Arkanov guy already," Salina declared decisively. She crossed her arms and now looked at the two girls under more scrutiny. "And just why are you going after this Thomas? You said he was one of your friends... but he put a gun to your head. And ruined my festival. Maybe I should be putting the bounty hunter on you two?"

"N-No, please don't!" River let go of Kestral's hand and put it up in a halting motion, trying to calm down the other girl, but she felt that it just wouldn't be enough to convince her. She took a deep breath, glacing from side to side, "It's a long and complicated story, I don't even know if I'm actually friends with either of them, I'm just trying to make sure that Arkanov doesn't get killed and end up leaving his sister alone here! And what even is a gun?!"