A small reunion and an interruption

-21st day of AC, 21.04.1052-

-Time: 10:55-

-Location: Lodiz-

"Found you," Travis heard the feminine voice come from his right, familiar to his ears, and yet... soft in a way he didn't remember hearing it ever before.

But it did not mean he didn't recognize the owner.

"...Aria?" he looked toward the source with a slightly startled expression and immediately noticed the white-haired woman standing nearby, hugging a few papers to her chest.

She was wearing a typical outfit for an Inspector, her blandly khaki jacket covering a beige shirt that hid her modest chest, accompanied by more brownish pants tied with a belt of similar color, which emphasized her wide hips. By her side, she had a small bag with a seal.

Travis felt his heart beat with a glint of relief when he noticed that she was looking at him with a focused gaze, her emerald eyes sparkling with intelligence and wit. Her soft cheeks no longer had bags coming from her eyes on them. Moreover, her posture was straight and unmoving, compared to the slumping, shaky figure he remembered hypnotizing barely a week prior. The very sight made him feel not just relieved, but also... empowered.

But there was one thing that he didn't remember the woman having, and that was the small, pink-red mark on her forehead, above her right eye. Just what could've happened to her?

However, something stirred a bit of unease in the back of his mind. Aria worked in Silvana. Why would she be in Lodiz? And why would she announce her presence with the words she did?

Meanwhile, the woman smiled gently.

"Hi, Travis," she said, taking a small step toward him. "How are you?"

"...I'm fine," Travis got up, looking at the white-headed woman. "What are you doing here? I thought you worked in Silvana?"

"Well, I'm doing some things around," Aria shrugged, and the papers in her hands made some noises as if to remind her of their presence. "Get a document here, ask for signature there," she bobbed her head left and right, her white hair swaying in rhythm. "Look to everything, be everywhere while I'm here. Exchange information between Silvana and Lodiz, stuff like that."

"Oh. I see." Travis nodded slowly, taking in what she said. 'So... she's an errand boy? Or rather, an errand girl?'

"Mind if we take a seat somewhere? My legs are killing me."

"Sure... uh, this barrel won't do for both of us. Let's find a bench."

-2 minutes later-

"Ahh, that's a great spot," Aria sighed with relief, planting her bottom on a small bench in the center of the marketplace. The documents she held previously were now deposited in the bag on her side, safe and sound behind the magic seal.

Travis slowly looked around, confirming that the people around ignored their presence, busy with their lives. He sat down as well, feeling the wooden surface resist his weight. He placed his backpack by his legs, a deeper breath leaving his lungs.

For a few long seconds, neither of them spoke a word, basking in the feeling of relaxation. Eventually, however, it had to be broken. Travis knew that well. After all, he had a place to be soon.

"So," he started, turning to Aria. "I see you have had some good rest?"

"Yeah. Thank you, by the way. I don't know why, but after you visited, I slept like a baby."

"I'm glad to hear you're alright," he smiled gently. He could not help but feel uplifted, knowing that the woman was able to sleep peacefully.

"..."

"...so, uh... what happened to your forehead?"

"...hmm? Oh, right..." Aria blinked a few times, breaking out of her thoughts. Slowly, she massaged the red spot above her right brow and let out a faint groan of pain. "Well, nothing much. I was experimenting with my spells and lost control of a <Fireball>. It happens sometimes. Never had one ricochet back at me though... hah," she let out a weak chuckle.

"I see," 'Experimenting? A ricocheting <Fireball>?'

'Come on, girl, you've been looking for him for 3 days... you have to say something.'

"..." 'It's kind of awkward, to be honest...' Travis grimaced slightly at the thought, his gaze going to the nearby stands. 'I wonder how Violet's doing on her part.'

"...Travis," Aria's mouth parted with hesitation.

"Yeah?"

"You see... I've been looking for you lately."

"Looking for me?" '...should I be worried...?' he pondered momentarily before dismissing the thought. Aria wouldn't have wanted to harm him... right?

"Yeah. There's something I wanted to... talk to you about."

"What exactly?"

'...come on, girl! Say it! Your future depends on it!'

Although Aria had mentally prepared herself for this moment, she found herself unable to speak the words she wanted to. Her hands began to tremble and sweat formed on her cheeks. With each beat of her heart, the sounds of the bustling marketplace grew fainter and the man sitting next to her became increasingly blurry.

At that moment, Aria became overcome with one sensation: dread.

"...Aria?" Travis asked, glancing at the woman with his golden eyes. Slowly, he reached out and touched her shoulder. "Are you alright?"

"W-Wah!" she flinched, nearly instantly throwing a hand in his direction. As she stomped on the ground with her feet, she instinctively moved back on the bench. Mana welled up in her palm as a <Fireball> was fired immediately after that.

"??!" Travis was not able to respond, the spell forming and flying too quickly for him to even register. As it hit him right in his cheek, it caused a small, concentrated burst to appear, which bathed the side of his face in momentary flames.

Nearly instantly, he got hold of Pacifist by his waist. However, as he unsheathed it and prepared to defend, he flinched, noticing the fires dying off. The short wave of pain ended before he even groaned with pain.

"Ow..." he hissed, stealing a glance to his side. Nearly 70 HP was gone in an instant. Feeling his cheek a little, he felt a few hairs burned up, but not much damage to his skin. Then, he looked at Aria.

Immediately, what came to his attention was her trembling hand and emerald eyes filled with fear and remorse. Suddenly, a few tears appeared, going down her cheeks as her mouth started shaking.

"I-I-I'm s-sorry!" she blurted out with a stutter. "I-I d-d-didn't mean t-to!"

"I, uh..." Travis stopped saying, slowly sheathing his weapon. 'Damn, she can pack a punch for how low her level is...' "It's alright, Ar--"

"I'm s-sorry!" Aria exclaimed again. "I-I swear i-it wasn't i-i-intentional!"

"Aria, it's alright," he said. "I'm fine."

"...s-sorry..." she looked at her hands, her entire figure trembling as a few salty drops dripped from her chin and onto the bench.

'She's got us some attention...' Travis thought with dismay as he glanced around. At least a dozen heads were turned in their direction, some of them confused, and others seemingly angered. It appeared that should the situation continue, one of them might intervene. 'Do they think I did something...? Damn, how do I diffuse this situation?'

"..."

Suddenly, the woman noticed the man come closer and reach out to her. Before she managed to react, he got hold of her shoulder and pulled her close, hugging her. Dumbfounded, Aria felt her cheeks become flushed with deep red, her heartbeat accelerating even further. However, at the same time, she felt... calmed. She closed her eyes. For a long moment, a fuzzy feeling welled up in her stomach quickly traveled up to her chest, and then spread throughout her entire body. A feeling of warmth that couldn't be explained in words.

"There, there," he said calmly, caressing her shoulder. "I'm alright. Don't worry. I'm not hurt."

She didn't reply, hugging him back in response. A faint smile entered her face, invisible to her man.

'Please tell me this worked...' Travis begged in his thoughts, his topaz eyes shooting all around. With a tiny sigh of relief, he conceded that his diffusion tactic appeared to calm the situation down. The people went about their lives anew. A few heads of children were turned in their direction, but more out of curiosity than anything else.

But, as he turned back to the white-haired woman, he did hear something from them.

"What are they doing?" he heard a kid's muffled voice from some distance.

"Hugging, you dum-dum," a second one answered. "Next, they're going to kiss."

"Eww. Why?"

"Because then, they will have kids. My mother said so."

'...!' Travis flinched at the words, his hold of Aria relaxing slightly. Feeling his hastened heartbeat, he glanced toward the direction where he heard the kids from. However, they were no longer in there. Slightly shaking his head, the man sighed with a bit of relaxation.

"Feeling better now?"

"...yeah." the white-headed Mage answered, letting go of him. "Sorry, and... thank you."

"Don't worry about it. So, what did you want to talk about?"

"Oh, rig--"

Suddenly, a jingle of crystal-like clarity rang in the air. Aria flinched, her gaze escaping to her bag. Her startled expression quickly gave way to a slightly annoyed one. 'Who the hell would be calling me now...'

"S-Sorry, I should take this," she said, reaching for the container. As a bit of mana escaped her palm, the seal on it dislodged, allowing free access to the insides. From there, the woman pulled out a communication sphere. It was easily 4 or 5 times larger than the one Travis had, its radius about 10 centimeters. Its blue inside, however, appeared largely the same as his own.

"...It's no problem. Should I make some space?"

"No, I'm sure it's nothing..." Aria replied, wiping the remnants of tears from her cheeks. And then, she grasped the orb in her hand fully, prompting it to activate. "Who is it?"

"Miss Brinn, this is Audrey Helan from Lodiz's guildhall. There's an incident that would require us to use an Orb of Truth. May we ask for you to come here with yours?"

"What's the situation?" Aria frowned deeply.

"An adventurer came here not too long after you left and started saying some things we'd like a clear confirmation of."

"What kind of things?"

"It's probably better not to speak of them until you get here, lest some of it is true and gets out. May we kindly ask for your assistance?"

"...*Sigh* I'll be there in 10 minutes."

"Thank you, we will be waiting."

Aria's expression turned slightly stiff as she broke the connection. The red on her face persisted, but as she breathed, it started giving way to her normally paler skin color. "I'm sorry, Travis, it seems to be urgent. Can we meet later to finish our talk?"

"I... I'm not sure how much longer I'll stay behind. I wanted to pack my things soon and go hunt," he replied. "Maybe it'll be better if I go with you? You can do your thing, and I'll wait around?"

<It's not a bad idea. I don't want to hold him here for too long.>

The <Suggestion> from the man's mind circled Aria's a total of one time before slithering inside. In an instant, he noticed how her expression relaxed a little. A long breath went out of her mouth.

"Well, I suppose it'll be better for both of us that way," Aria nodded a little. "Let us go, then," 'It's probably nothing serious anyway.'

The two of them set off, making their way through the city. Aria's hasty steps were echoing on the cobbled road as she was forcing herself to not break out into a jog. Travis trekked quickly behind her, his thoughts diverging toward Violet. 'It seems that her claims have spurred quite some interest. No surprise here, that was well within our plans. Meeting Aria was unexpected, but it shouldn't change anything.' he nodded to himself with a tiny smile. For once, it seemed that things were unfolding the way he wanted.

The multitude of people in the marketplace transformed into a trickle on the streets. Innumerable voices and chatter all around became just a few murmurs here and there which often abruptly ended whenever Aria and Travis passed by. The swirling, warm air became stale and chill, bathing both of them in its embrace.

Reaching the guildhall wasn't at all difficult. Taking a split second to look over the structure from the outside, the man could only conclude one thing. 'This thing's enormous. Not as large as the church's buildings in Poiri, but just as impressive.' this was his initial thought. This building was built to withstand a siege, and despite its age, he was sure that it would still outlive every other building in the city.

As Aria placed her hand on the handle, she turned to him.

"Just in case, please do not speak unless necessary, alright?"

He nodded in response before helping her to push the door open.

Their arrival sent a creaking echo throughout the huge room they entered. The tall walls stood strong, dimly lit by the torches, and chandeliers hung above the heads of multiple people, spreading luminance into the remaining spaces. The odor of ale stung Travis's nose nearly instantly, making his stomach grumble quietly in discomfort. Still, he **** himself to not react to it and focus on the group of people close to the counter. Aria appeared to take on a similar approach, taking her steps closer to her destination.

Nearly instantly, the man felt the stares of multiple people aimed at him. Like ants walking up his back, he felt the unwelcoming, icy-cold gazes that were questioning his very reason for being there. There was no doubt that most of the people around were strong, likely about as powerful as he. Yet, Aria appeared to be hardly fazed by the stares that no doubt fell on her as well. Her stride was calm and constant, up until a person came out of the group up ahead.

"Miss Brinn, it's good to see you arrived!" a ginger woman walked to meet them, bowing her head slightly. Her brightly blue eyes appeared to have a bit of brilliance to them as she scanned both the Inspector and her companion with a glance.

"He's with me," Aria immediately said at the woman's questioning expression. "Where is the traveler you spoke about, Miss Audrey?"

"She is in a room behind the counters, under guard."

"...under guard?"

"She broke into the city without a MID. Normally, we'd just hand her over to authorities, but she claims to have some important information, so we'd like to confirm that."

"...I see."

"Please, follow me."

The duo immediately trekked after the redhead woman, passing by the group of mercenaries and into a small corridor. The small orbs of light were evenly spaced, giving off just enough light to not be irritating yet provide a good perception of what was ahead. Audrey approached one of the doors with two men standing guard.

"She is inside," the woman spoke.

Without answering, Aria placed her hand on the handle. The two guards barely flinched as she pressed it, making her way into the room. Travis and Audrey followed right after the white-haired woman.

As they entered the room, Travis couldn't help but notice how small and cramped it was. The dimensions were likely no more than 4 by 3 meters, and the space was not intended to be used as a meeting room. There were drawers stacked all around, likely filled with important documents and papers. The room was illuminated by a small orb of light that was hanging from a metal bracing, creating a dim and unwelcoming atmosphere. The light cast shadows on the dusty surfaces, revealing specks of dust floating in the air.

In the center of the room, there was a small table with a few chairs arranged around it. They looked old and worn, with cracks and stains visible on the upholstery. The room smelled musty and stale as if it hadn't been aired out in a long time. One of the chairs was already taken by Violet.

The black-haired woman looked at the entering woman with a mostly disinterested stare. Her pupils diluted, however, when she saw the second person enter. In her slightly startled expression, Travis easily could read out a question: 'Why are you here?'. He only shrugged lightly, showing her a thumbs up as if to signal that everything was alright.

Following the Inspector who led him into the room, he took a seat at the chair to her right. Audrey sat by the other side of the table, both parties visible in front of her. Rummaging a little in the pockets of her dully maroon outfit, she fished out a large piece of paper and a feather with inkwell.

In the moment before anyone broke the silence, Travis's eyes glanced at the woman from the guildhall.

She was wearing a maroon suit-like jacket, which fitted nicely with her ginger hair and gave a fair amount of contrast to her blue eyes. Around her neck, he could see a high tunic bulge out slightly, its collar surrounding her neck proudly, both a white color with a hint of beige mixed in. On her legs, she wore a pair of suit pants that had a similar hue to her coat.

Audrey's graceful bust and bottom were accentuated by the clothes she wore. Especially the way her jacket looked to be slightly strained when she took a deeper breath could be viewed as a sexy proposition on its own. Her frame was slender and of a height that made Travis's eyes look at her lips when she was standing. The way her elbow-long hair and eyes had contrasting colors made her appear like an embodiment of fire and water in one person. Her calm, yet slightly excited and worried expression betrayed her inexperience in the craft of the guildhall's accountant.

However, his staring was abruptly finished when he heard Aria rummage by her bag. As the woman quickly undid the seal on the container, her hand dove right in, and the man's eyes widened.

'She's elbow-deep in something the size of a handbag... is that spatial magic in place?' he wondered for a moment, seeing Aria's expression shift as she was seemingly feeling the items inside her bag with her hands. From a smirk to annoyance, then to hope, despair, and finally relief, the Mage's face betrayed a multitude of emotions that she must've felt as she kept on searching. Suddenly her face beamed with a new smirk.

Aria placed the Orb of Truth on the table. Its dull surface made of managlass held the swirling blue clouds within, just as Travis remembered.

"Let us begin," Aria said, shuffling the item closer to the black-haired woman. "Please place your hand on it and state your name, level and class."

"...Violet, Rogue, level 98 last time I checked," she said, and the orb glowed white.

"Is it true that you do not possess a MID at the moment?"

"Yes."

"Why is that?"

"It has broken during my travels."

"Then why did you break into Lodiz instead of asking to be taken to an office that can make you a new one?"

"Because the matter I know of is more important than that."

'...she's only speaking the truth?' Aria's thought rang loudly in her head as she noticed the orb only glowed with white color. 'Is the issue that serious?' she wondered, glancing at the woman's face. However, she could not discern a single emotion.

Aria shook her head a little, getting the questioning questions out of her mind and into her mouth, "Then, let us speak about that matter. Please repeat everything you said before."

"...___king hell..." suddenly, Aria heard a whisper come from her right.

"...excuse me?" she frowned, turning to Travis. Immediately, she noticed how he was looking to his side, seemingly spacing out and forgetting about where he was.

The man only sighed in response, not responding to her question.

"Would you like to speak something?" Aria asked with a slightly raised voice. With her eyebrows furrowed, she moved her foot to hit Travis's shin lightly.

"H-Huh? Did something happen?" he raised an eyebrow, his topaz eyes shooting toward Aria's emerald ones.

"Would you like to add something to the talk?" the Mage asked again, her expression slightly angered.

"Oh, s-sorry... I'm just thinking to myself..." he replied slightly sheepishly, shutting his mouth immediately after.

-Just now-

Violet scrutinized the duo seated across from her, her gaze soon shifting to the accountant lady who was scribbling down every detail of their meeting. The room was hushed, with only the faint scratching of the feather's nib against the paper breaking the silence. From Violet's perspective, the woman had an air of tension about her. Comparing it to her own experiences, she concluded that Audrey's current power roughly matched Travis's when he met Cecilia a week before.

Turning her attention back to the Inspector seated in front of her, Violet couldn't help but notice that the young woman's presence was hardly noticeable compared to Audrey's. She appeared to be around the same age as Violet, maybe even younger, and even at first glance one could tell she lacked experience in the field. Aria's level was a maximum of 20, possibly 25, and Violet couldn't help but wonder why someone so inexperienced had been promoted to the position of Inspector at such a young age.

However, such musings were of little importance to Violet at the moment. What was more important was the man left of Aria.

Just a moment ago, when he was only listening to the Mage's questions and Rogue's answers, his expression was mostly calm. That demeanor, however, made a rapid 180 when Violet answered the newest question. His golden eyes immediately appeared to gain a bit of glint to them as they shot to the side, seemingly watching a drawer nearby. He frowned as the color was escaping from his face slowly, his eyes shakily reading something. She knew what it meant.

"Fucking hell..." he whispered with a half-breath.

'That RALS thing is requesting something of him...' Violet deduced instantly, and then her gaze landed back on the Inspector woman. 'Does this mean our plan will not work?'

Meanwhile, the man felt a shiver run down his spine as he watched the contents of the quest.

'RALS is trying to kill me...'