Side story 2, part 1: Of work and breaks

-17.04.1052-

-Location: Silvana-

-Time: About 11:30-

Aria was sitting behind a desk in a small room, some documents in front of her. She wore a khaki jacket that hung loosely on her small frame and a beige shirt under it. Her long pants had a color that looked like a slight transition into brown but matched her jacket. Her feet were adorned with nearly new boots that had only been worn for about a month.

Reading through the lines of text on the paper, she slowly bent backward, leaning on the support of her chair. A small sigh escaped her mouth; it was just another uninteresting case of a fight between travelers. Nothing more than a document that she had to sign before storing it in a drawer somewhere until the day of its burning came (either one, really).

Bending back in, she got hold of a feather and dipped it in the inkwell placed nearby. Without thinking much, she quickly signed the document and put it on a pile to her right. Then, she got hold of another piece of paper and looked at its contents.

The work that Aria was doing was something that usually went down for lower sergeants to sort through: pending accusations toward any facilities in the city, notices of significant disputes that required the hand of the law to resolve them, and many other things of similar nature. More often than not, those required little more action than just a signature of an official so that they could be parsed further down the line, preferably to an office that could take care of such things. A routine that might've as well been done by a trained pet, or basically anything with enough sentience to write their own name in a given spot.

Then, why was Aria doing such humdrum, never-ending work? The reason was simple: she was a lower sergeant. Although most of her coworkers called her Inspector, her rank was just a Sergeant. Was it not for the fact that she finished a specialized school for Officers in Tulia, she'd probably be doing patrol together with Chris or other guards.

A few minutes passed as she kept on reading and signing documents. However, as she looked at the pile of documents left to do, she saw that there were none left. A tiny smile made its way on her face as she tucked the sleeves of her working attire a little, deciding to take a short break. With a sigh of relaxation, she leaned back in her chair, spreading the fingers of her hands on the wooden surface of the desk. Lazily, her eyes went over the room.

The space Aria was in was not particularly large, but it wasn't cramped either. It measured around 3 by 4 meters and provided ample room to move around. Aria's desk was positioned in the corner of the space, leaving very little space for her to maneuver out from behind it without knocking something over with her rear. The desk was made of sturdy, dark wood and had withstood the use of at least a few of Aria's predecessors. Adjacent to the desk was a small bookshelf that contained a collection of leather-bound documents that were too valuable to discard, all neatly organized and within hand's reach.

On the other side of the room, there was a small table adorned with a neat, hand-crafted tablecloth, white in color. On top of it, there was a small pedestal housing the Orb of Truth that Aria had used sometimes, dormant as usual.

In addition to the furnishings, the room was minimally adorned. The woman who had occupied the space for nearly two years by now had introduced a small green carpet to imbue the room with some liveliness, but it had proved largely ineffective. The weathered walls, which were covered in light planks up to her waist height, betrayed their age through the small cracks visible in their corners. The wooden surfaces were worn and marked by numerous splinters and cracks.

Nevertheless, the atmosphere of the room didn't get to Aria easily. She hardly ever even noticed anything amiss in the room and mostly focused on the work at hand. Granted, the last month was... not as work-oriented for her, but today the woman was filled with energy and determination to change that.

Subconsciously, her hand made its way into a pocket of her jacket, and she brought out the runestone she received from Travis. Its dark surface and engraving were etched into her mind deeply as she had traced them with her hands a thousand times already. And yet, no matter how many times she did the movement, she couldn't help but feel a tingle of warmth travel through her body. She wasn't exactly sure how it worked, but she felt weird... relaxation with this stone in hand.

She wasn't sure whether it was his presence or his gift that allowed her to finally fall asleep without being awoken by nightmares, and she didn't care. She was simply grateful that it was all over and behind her.

Aria smiled, sighing. Slowly, she placed the runestone on the desk, in a position that didn't bother her when she was signing any documents but where it would be easily accessible to her should she want to hold it. After letting go of it and leaning back in her chair once more, she felt a flush of blood rush over her face.

'...I'm ashamed he had to see me like this...' for a brief moment, she hid her face in her hands. 'And I didn't even tell him what I managed to find out... way to go, Aria!'

...

'...Well, not like I found out that much... there had not been a single thing that seemed to match what we went through...' she thought, slowly lowering her hands to her thighs. Intertwining them together, she could feel her heartbeat reverberate in her small palms. 'But I could've at least told him that!' she scoffed a little, putting on a pouty expression. 'And now...' she got up from the chair and turned around, facing the window behind her. Looking down from her vantage point, Aria could notice several buildings of Silvana. Some smaller, some taller, tiled with deep brown or vaguely red tiles. Made of wood, stone, or a mix of both. This was... hardly worth spectating.

She looked around at the streets nearby before gazing upward toward the outskirts. Beyond the western walls were vast forests that almost entirely surrounded the city, but her eyes were fixed on something even further away. Although the distance from the Quear Mountain Range was much larger than Aria had the sight to see, she could almost picture the sharp peaks that Foll had told her about, covered in rocks and nearly barren of any snow.

'... even though his level is probably still lower than mine, he went on to level up... he must really be determined to get stronger.' she nodded to herself. When faced with **** danger, with the possibility of ****, there were always three options: fight, flee, or give up. They represented defiance, cowardice, and acceptance respectively. Aria liked to paint herself as a member of the first group, but... she couldn't help but feel like Travis fit it much more. The way they both acted when she realized that communications were broken down seemed to only indicate that she'd rather give up than seek hope. When faced with the perspective of fighting for survival in that weird forest, Aria lost all optimism. Meanwhile, that man was certain that they would find a way back. He fought until the last moment...

Aria clenched her fists. 'Gerial and Foll would laugh at me for showing such a weakness. I--'

*KNOCK KNOCK!*

The sound of a hand knocking on the door to her room rang in the air. The woman quickly turned around with a slightly startled expression on her face. After recollecting herself a little she answered, "Come in."

Nearly instantly, the door's handle descended, letting the person in. Chris's head peeked from behind the wooden surface, a slightly surprised expression painted on his square face as he looked at Aria. His bushy eyebrows were raised in a surprised expression.

"Hey. How are you feeling today?"

"Oh, hi Chris," she answered, nodding to him a little. "I'm fine, come on in."

"You look... refreshed," the man said, stepping inside the room and closing the door behind himself.

Chris wore light armor with only a few visible metal plates on his leather suit. Despite his imposing size compared to the small woman, his gentle expression made him look more like a teddy bear than a mountain one. His brown eyes scanned her over with a discerning gaze. He stepped closer to the woman, standing only two meters away from her by the window.

"Well, I've finally had some good sleep," Aria replied, her expression still mostly neutral as she eyed the man. "How's the situation in the city?"

"Eh, same old. Barely anything happens currently."

"That's good," a faint smile emerged on the corner of her lips.

"I guess. Less work with patrolling. Things really are calm nowadays. Makes you wish it stayed like this."

"...I suppose."

"Well... want to go on a walk? I imagine staying in your room like this can be a little boring."

"Sure," she shrugged a little. "I'm just about finished in here anyway. Might as well take this opportunity to stretch my legs."

Quickly, Aria took a small step toward her desk and gathered all the documents on one side that had her signature. Putting them on a pile, she got a better hold of them with one hand while her other one took the runestone she received from Travis and pocketed it. With that, she was ready to go.

No more than a minute later, the two of them were walking down a corridor in the building, the woman quickly sorting the documents in her hands. The walls of the place seemed to be in a somewhat better state than the ones in her own room, outfitted with mana lamps all the way, barely a crack or a spiderweb visible to the naked eye. The floor, while old, barely gave out a quiet whine while they walked on it.

The first stop the two of them made was the secretary's room. Without so much of an introduction, Aria placed the documents on the desk and diverged them into a few groups. After quickly letting the sergeant know which ones go where, she looked at Chris, who only seemed to nod, before deciding to make her way out of the building.

The outside air felt chilly, but in a refreshing way. The sun shone in the near-clear sky, showering the entirety of Silvana with its heating embrace while a slow breeze blew around, cooling everything down. Some people were moving about on the streets, most of them still clad in jackets or thicker dresses, but there did appear to be some that took the increase in temperature to heart, only deciding to wear light tunics and shorter skirts.

Quickly taking the lead, Chris walked toward the nearest wall, Aria following suit. Within just a few minutes, the two of them were walking up a flight of stairs in one of the watchtowers situated on the outer border of the city. After reaching their destination, the huge fellow nodded to the guard who was on their post, and the man glanced over the nearby terrain momentarily before leaving the two alone.

Aria placed her hands on the stone blocks. They created a square wall around them two, roughly 3 by 3 meters of space inside, a little over a meter tall. The construct included some elevated sectors, making the wall look like square teeth. A blow of wind came rushing by, causing the woman's hair to flutter furiously for a moment. Nevertheless, she welcomed the current, a small smile appearing on her face.

'It is nice to feel some fresh air.'

"Enjoying the view?" Chris chuckled, standing near her and assuming a similar position.

"Yeah," she nodded. "It's nice to get out of the office every now and again. I just hope that Nimmel won't suddenly need me for anything."

"Eh, you know she has a broomstick up her ass. Everyone's looking forward to her retirement, her included."

"Pfft," Aria snorted momentarily. "Yeah, true. Still... now that I am back to being... capable of work, I should seriously try to prove that I'm not just for show. I need to thank Gilbert for sorting my work when I couldn't do it."

"I'm sure if you tell a good word about him to your brother, he'll be overjoyed."

"Hmm? Really? What makes you think so?"

"I've heard that his sister is gathering money for tuition in elemental magic. Apparently, she wants to attend the Tullian Academy."

"...oh. Isn't Gilbert from Guill? Tullia is half of the kingdom away."

"Well, yeah," Chris shrugged lightly. "He did say that he wanted to gather some money to help her pay the tuition and all."

"So that's why he's been overworking himself so much? Gods, now I feel bad about letting him take my workload."

"It does happen to add to his pay as well, you know. Besides, he really wants the best for his sister. He says she has a talent for magic. I'm sure you know that older siblings can be pretty unreasonable for the sake of younger ones."

"Yeah. I know that pretty well," a weak chuckle escaped Aria's mouth as she bent over the wall a little, supporting herself with her elbows while taking a small step back. "Maybe even a little too well," she added, her expression slowly stiffening up a little.

"Oh. Sorry, I didn't mean to bring anything bad up."

"No, don't worry about it. It's alright," Aria responded, squinting her eyes a little as another blow of wind came their way. She was still looking at the nearby acres of forest, almost as if she were ignoring the man's presence. "Sometimes, I just like to rant at my brothers."

" 'Brothers'? I thought you only had one brother?" Chris asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I have two, both older. Since you said about Tullian Academy, you must know of Gerial?"

"Yes. He's a lecturer in there, no?"

"I think nowadays the term is 'professor' or something like that," Aria shrugged. "But yes, he teaches magic in that academy. And I have a second brother, Foll. They're almost the same age."

"If I may, what are they like?"

"*Sigh* My, that's a question and then some," the white-headed woman chuckled a little. "Gerial is... pretty strict. A stick-in-the-mud type of person. He follows the rules, and that's it. I don't recall him ever stepping out of his boundaries. But he's also very calm. I don't know if he ever got mad."

"Sounds like a Sage more than a master of elements."

"True," she laughed momentarily. "But he is that kind of a person. Calculative and reserved."

"And Foll?"

"Foll... haha. He's the complete opposite of Gerial. He can't sit in one place for long. Radical and lax, a free spirit, if you will. He's by far the most chaotic person I know, completely unpredictable in many ways."

"So, I take it he's not much of a lecturer?"

"Not really, no. Foll is a pretty impatient person. Teaching magic is really not up his alley. He's more of an adventurer, really. Here, there, here again, he loves going everywhere he can. Gerial could spend his entire life in a single room, meanwhile, Foll can't stay in the same city for a few days."

"Sounds like he's difficult to get a hold of, no?"

Aria nodded. "Definitely is. I meet with Gerial at least a few times a year, or at least contact him. Meanwhile, Foll... well, I've last seen him almost two years ago. I do know he keeps in touch with Gerial, but... I'm surprised that he hasn't come around yet. When I studied in Tullia, he came around every few months, but... since I moved here, I haven't seen him. Kind of makes me wonder if he forgot about me," she looked down at her hands for a moment.

"Hey, don't say things like that." Chriss objected almost immediately. "Maybe he really can't come around. I'm sure whatever he's doing must be important."

"Yeah, I get it, I get it," Aria swiped her hand a little. "As I said, I just like to rant about them a little. Foll is unpredictable, is all. I'm sure one day, he'll barge in unannounced and bring me something. He's always like that: even if he'd have to raid a dragon, he'd not come empty-handed."

"Really?"

"These bracelets are from him," she nodded, rolling up the sleeves of her uniform a little. Two silvery bracelets were present on her hands, each adorned with a line of small, blue jewels, glimmering in the sun's rays. The accessories were nearly skin-tight but small enough to only be barely felt. "I got them on my 15th birthday. I think he found them in a dungeon somewhere."

"They suit you," Chris said, putting on a gentle smile. Unbeknownst to Aria, his feet skitted just a tiny bit closer. "A bit of brilliance is a nice change from the uniform."

"Oh, thank you. Though... I haven't worn these in quite a while. I used to have golden ones, but... well, I lost them," Aria grimaced slightly, feeling her heart beat faster momentarily. Even just thinking about the hellish place she had been in was making her feel light-headed, and not in a good way.

And yet... There was another feeling slowly welling up at the bottom of her heart. A fiery desire, per se. When she thought about Travis, how he reacted, and what effect that place had on him... she wanted to do that, too. She wanted to take a stand like he did. She wanted--

"I see," the tall guard replied, unknowingly bringing the woman out of her thoughts. "A shame. The other ones looked really nice, too."

"..." she didn't reply.

"...well..."

"...Chris."

"Yeah?"

"You scout around Silvana from time to time, right?"

"Sure do. Someone has to keep those forests clean. Why do you ask?"

"Are the forests around a good place to level up?"

"Are you planning to?" he raised an eyebrow.

"I'm thinking about it. Maybe in my spare time, I'll go and hunt some beasts around. Seems like a better use of my time than lying around and reading books all day."

"I see," Chris nodded lightly, stretching his back as he straightened his position. "I'll gladly show you a few places where some monsters gather. The levels may not be that high, but sometimes even a level 8 or 9 happens around here. Sounds good?"

"Good for a beginning. It's been a while since I've been on an actual hunt," Aria said before letting out a small sigh.

"Well then, want to see one of those places?"

"...Maybe after work."

"Meet you at 18 then?"

"Sure." 'Do I finish at 18 today? I don't even remember.'

The two of them stayed up on the tower for some short minutes more. In the meantime, they exchanged some more small talk. Yet, Chris couldn't help but notice how Aria's eyes barely budged from their position as she began staring into the distance, looking toward the south.

"Mind if I ask you what are you looking so intensely at?"

"...Just looking. I was wondering how Quear Mountains look."

"Meh," the guard shrugged whilst letting out a sound. "All just piles of rocks. You've seen them once, you've seen all there is to them."

"...I guess," she replied, her gaze resting in the distance. With every beat of her heart, she could feel... something akin to longing stir up inside. A feeling that told her to drop everything and go after that man. She felt like... working with him would be good for her, for some reason.

"But I can tell there's something more on your mind. Want to share, even a little?" Chris asked, slowly coming a little closer.

"...it's nothing important." Aria shook her head a little. "Just wondering what meal I want to eat in the evening."

"...I see." '...she doesn't want to talk about it.'

"I think I'm going to return, now. It'll be noon soon. I'd rather not have Nimmel on my back for leaving without notice."

-About 6 hours later-

*Huff*

Aria let out a small puff of air, slowly leaning back in her chair. 'Yet another day went by.' she thought to herself, taking a look at the slightly cracked ceiling. A wry smile appeared on her face. 'At least there wasn't that much more work after noon.' she continued pondering as her green eyes went over to a small batch of papers on the righthand side of the desk. The ink on the freshest ones was still wet, their forms fulfilled all with her signature.

The young woman slowly rose from her seated position, her eyes fixated on the view outside the window. She couldn't help but notice the subtle changes in the sky's hue and the way the light danced across the city's buildings. Glancing at the small clock on the wall, she realized it was already 18. With a sense of relief, she knew her shift had come to an end.

Approaching the Orb of Truth which was perched on its pedestal, she retrieved a small bag from behind it. Methodically, she placed the item inside and securely fastened the bag before draping it over her shoulder. It was a routine she had become accustomed to - a small act of closure at the end of each shift. After all, this orb didn't belong to the authorities on whose behalf she acted. It was hers.

She took a few steps back to the desk. With a small sigh from her mouth, she picked the documents up one by one and quickly sorted them into a few small groups. Momentarily, she reached into a small drawer compartment of the desk and found a few small snippets of leather. Each had a long mark of a different color, used to separate groups of documents when needed. With skilled fingers, she divided the papers, and in a dozen or so seconds was holding a few groups, ready to deliver them to appropriate sectors.

Stepping toward the door, Aria took once again a sweeping look, ensuring that she took all her belongings. After affirming that, she got a hold of the door's handle and walked out of the room.

With a quick trek, the white-haired woman did her final assignment of the day and then got to a changing room. Meeting a few of her associates, she exchanged some greetings, but no words eventually spurred into an actual talk. Within a dozen minutes, Aria was walking down Silvana's streets, heading to the eastern gate.

Her shift was finished, but the day was not.