The night has reached its peak, the moon is high up in the sky and the three hadn't have their dinner. Lance wanted to treat their new member to dinner and celebrate her first day, but since a lot has happened and she's still a child, he stopped himself.
"Have you gotten your keys?" he asked as he walked beside Lithea while Verin is following behind them.
She only nodded and showed him the box where the key was kept.
"Are you ready to settle inside the elite dorm?" Lance showed his fist.
Verin squints his eyes on his friend, embarrassed at his actions.
"Why are the ranks separated in sleeping arrangements?" she asked.
Lance felt his stomach turn, his face went pale. This has been the first time he heard her speak, he has forgotten Lithea has spoken words earlier. But because of how low her voice is, his mind probably slipped.
"Haaaaa!" he pointed at her, Lithea blinked.
"She—" he stammered, "she spoke!"
Verin frowned, his brows furrowed again as his eyes squinted more; he shook his head.
"They just had it that way," Verin answered seeing how his friend reacted.
"That is discrimination, isn't it?" she followed.
"Ah," Verin smiled, "the quarters aren't divided years ago. But because of the discrimination Ruby and Jade rank faced throughout the years, the guild has decided to change the living situation."
"Hmmm," she hummed.
"HOW CAN YOU STAY CALM AND KEEP A CONVERSATION WITH HER?!" Lance bothered, "SHE JUST TALKED!"
Verin moved Lance's hands down to stop pointing at Lithea, "Please, mind your actions."
"She talked!" he pressed.
The swordsman sighed as he dropped his head, rubbing his forehead, "she has been talking since earlier."
Blink.
"You're acting like this is the first time you've seen a girl talk," Verin commented.
"BUT THIS IS THE FIRST TIME SHE SPOKE SO MANY WORDS!" Lance's face burst in red.
Verin stared at him for a good second, making Lance wonder what he's thinking then walked away from him, bringing Lithea with him towards the alley located behind the guild. That is where the quarters is located.
"You're being weird, commander."
"How come you're not as surprised as I am?" Lance yelled, "oi, oi!"
He watched their backs as Verin was talking to her with smile on his face, it popped a vein on his forehead.
"This pretentious bastard," he said to himself.
"Stop acting cool, idiot!" the archer screamed his lungs out.
Verin stopped walking and looked at him from the side, "you're disturbing the night's peace."
Immediately, the green eyed man covered his hand and ran towards the two.
"The quarters are built behind the guild so it's easy for the adventurers and messengers," Verin explained further.
"The elite is by the end, the view from the second floor is good," he thought since she's new, she might want to have a good view to relieve herself from all negative emotions she is and will be having.
"View?" she tilted her head.
Verin blinked, his ears turned red and he avoided Lithea's gaze, "yeah, you can see the ruby sculpture in the heart of the capital."
Lance moved his head closer to Verin, raising an eyebrow.
"If you want, you can stay in the room where it's visible."
Lithea nodded, "that sounds good."
She walked ahead of them and Lance pulled Verin to him, "really?"
"I'm just doing your work."
"Nobody asked you to do it in my behalf," he grinned mischievously.
"It is given as one can see you are an irresponsible, leader."
Lance's head turned bright red, a smoke popped out of his head.
The three of them arrived at the quarters and Lance spreads his arms up in front of the door, "welcome to the elite dormitory!" unfortunately, both Verin and Lithea only walked pass him, not giving him even the slightest attention to energize him more. It would only cause greater damage in their wellbeing.
At the time, during Lance's and Verin's first year of friendship, the latter has no idea of the archer's personality. He's always viewed him as someone who's very responsible and intelligent. He's tactical and always have different scenarios running in his head when doing quest, and he's always mentally prepared.
But as time passes by, Lance loosened and got comfortable, completely breaking his walls due to Verin. And that is how he was able to act the way he used to be, his mischievous side resurfaced.
Verin, being the only son in their household, has never had the chance to fool around as he has siblings to take care of and a father to impress; his whole childhood was dedicated to being a swordsman, to prove to his father he doesn't have to be a fisherman, he will follow his dreams. He will have what he wants and break from their expectation of him.
"Is he always like that?" Lithea whispered, curious why a grown up man, and an adventurer acts the way he is.
"Unfortunately."
"What are you two whispering about?!" Lance poked his head between the two and pushed them away from each other, "hmm? Hmm?"
"I was asking Lithea if she would like to have a little tour," stoic Verin said. He's done with his friend's acts.
The curly archer raised his fist to the air and shouted, "Come on!"
"I would have to decline," Lithea bowed and went for the stairs.
"Let me bring you to your room."
Lance slouched, he's given up. 'How could they be so cruel?'
Verin secretly let out a smile, he's amused at his friend's work to make Lithea comfortable. It's just that, his ways are making her even more uncomfortable. And on top of it all, it's the first time for him to meet someone like her; very unmoving.
When they arrive in front of her door, Lithea did what the attendant said and summon a small amount of mana to her key to pair her key with the doorknob. It worked.
"There you go," Verin rested his palm on the doorframe.
Lithea bowed and unlocked her room, leaving the tall man outside, blinking his eyes fast.
"Well," he said to himself, "she'll fit it soon enough… I hope."
A small sweat formed on his head.
Inside the room, Lithea turned on the lights and saw how it needs cleaning and organizing. But for the first time in her life, she felt an enormous amount of exhaustion. She dropped on her knees and as soon as she relaxed her body, tears started falling from her eyes to the floor.
She covered her mouth to muffle her sobs.
"I'm finally one step closer, mama, papa."
She cried to her hearts content and when she glanced at the big mirror mounted on the wall to her right, the moon's reflection caught her attention. She hiccupped and sniff before sitting straight, "the very same lovely moon."
Remembering the time when the moon shines on her, lulling her back to bed. If she wasn't startled by something that fell that night, what could possibly happen? Will she be able to escape with Mia? Or will their family be found one morning, dead.
Lithea decided to wipe her tears dry and take off her coat and small cape, leaving her with only her sleeves. She pulled out the locket from her inside her shirt and opened it, she only not have her parents' pictures inside, but Mia's picture was inside as well. Although it was not pasted on either side, she settled on just having Mia in it. At least this way, they're with her.
"I promise, no matter how long it takes, I will avenge our family."
A knocked was made on her door, "Lithea, its Lance."
'Does he need something?'
"Verin prepared dinner, you had a long day so I am just going to ask if you would like to have yours in your room instead?"
Lithea put on her small cape before opening the door and peeked her head, "I will be there."
Lance smiled, "alright, be there when you're ready."
She arrived downstairs to mashed potatoes and grizzled vegetables. And being a child who learned how to cook at the temple, she can easily tell Verin just threw whatever was in the fridge. But despite the appearance, it smells good.
"There she is!" Lance announced when he saw her tiptoeing on them.
"Ah!" he had his arm around the third guy in the room, wearing a uniform she's seen around the capital, "this is Lars. He's of Jade rank, they occupy the other side of the elite quarters."
Lithea bowed a little, "please to meet you."
Lance's face dropped, "how come you didn't say that when you met us?"
Settling the cold beverage next to their plates, Verin smirked, "who would be pleased to meet us in that situation?"
"Ruby is finally showing the world how behaved you all are," the jade guy joked. He's a guy in brunette and green-ish, brown-ish eyes. He's been a jade for few months only, one of the rookies. But since he's assigned as a subordinate to the investigation unit's commander, he's the only one occupying their side of the quarters for now.
Lars is one of the few people who can pull of a surujin, this weapon was introduced to the kingdom after Azazel's defeat. This consists of a weight attached to a chain with a blade or something sharp on the other end. But since Meadow Kingdom's surujin is made out of steel, the level of difficulty is high among the trainees.
He became the perfect addition to the commander's team, with his flexibility and good senses, he strengthen both their offense and defense.
Lance scoffed, "tch. And yet here you are, hanging out with wild animals."
The two laughed loud, slamming the tables.
Lithea slowly moved her head to the side, her brows furrowed as she frowned.
"Don't worry, these two are just loose screws." Verin took her plate and put a good amount of mashed potatoes and stirred vegetables.
She nodded.
"What was that you said?" the two brown haired guys asked.
"Eat and don't fool around the table."
"Yes, sir!" they did salute before speedily consuming their food.
Lithea's spoon froze midair as she blinks at what she witnessed. Is this possible? She grew up in a temple where everyone is well behaved, although she was told not everyone acts as them, she still have hopes for them to act like a respectable person they are.
'Is this really the guild I've been longing to join?'
After their heartfelt but chaotic dinner, Lithea volunteered in doing the dishes. The guys didn't allow her and wanted her to rest but with her persistence, they didn't argue any more than they want to as they also longed for relaxation as the night deepened.
"Thanks, Lithea." Lance waved his hand before running upstairs.
She started her duty, in this, she can imagine being at the temple with the others. She wasn't sure she will experience homesickness, but with just three days away from them, the priestess is starting to miss them.
'I wonder when I will face the root of this all?'
After washing the dishes and putting them away, Lithea decided to go up to her room and change clothes to get ready for sleep. As she was deep in thoughts, trying to plan out her day in looking for a spot where she can continue her training alone, she bumped into a shirtless Verin who has a towel hanging on his shoulder.
"Oh, hey!"
He looked down on her, smiling.
He has a basket filled with bath supplies, he was on his way to the basement to take a hot bath. It is the best way to relax after a long day.
Not knowing this kind of situation, Lithea's eyes grew bigger at the sight of a naked man. She quickly look the other way and covered the side of her with her hands where he can see here.
"You okay?"
Lithea's lips trembled. She closed her eyes tightly and gulped.
"Yes!" she answered in a squeal and hurriedly entered her room.
Once she locked her doors, she breathed in heavily, "what the heck was that?"
Verin scratched his head, unsure what got her flustered. But with her situation, he thought she was not used to seeing men around like this. He got insensitive and just did whatever he felt like. Growing up by the beach, he got used to people just going around in swimming wear wherever they go.
The humidity where he's from is unbearable, it is a miracle he isn't as tan as everybody else. A trait he's famous for in their neighbourhood.
Out of courtesy, Verin knocked on Lithea's door. It freaked the lady inside.
"What?!" she yelled.
A sweat trickled down his forehead, "uh, if you want to take a bath, there's one for women down the basement as well."
A small, pinched voice answered him, "thank you."
He moved away from her door and headed to the basement, chuckling alone.
"I should probably keep an eye on her," he decided, "she's still naïve with how the world works."
When he arrived at the basement, he can hear Lance and Lars talking loudly. He entered the changing room to strip off his clothes and wrap himself with the towel he brought with him. Neatly keeping his clothes on one of the vacant opened closet.
"Yo, Verin's here." Lars said, "So, what really happened at the guild today?"
Verin sighed as he dipped in the water with them, soaking his towel.
"How fast was it passed around?" the latter asked.
"Well, it's the guild. How fast did you think?" Lars cracked his nape and leaned his back, relaxing.
"They were fussing over Lithea, what else should we do?" Lance shrugged.
"I heard she pinned a gold rank on the wall," Lars laughed.
"That guy was gold?" both of the rubies asked in surprise.
"He doesn't look like it," Verin said, trying to recall the person. "He didn't even block my attack."
Lance dropped his head and laughed out loud, "You expected a gold ranked to block a ruby rank's attack?"
Verin shrugged, "if he's able to reach gold, he could at least have sharp senses."
"I cannot argue with that," Lars gave up, "but back to Lithea, how strong is she, really?"
The two went complete silent, trying to search for a perfect word to describe her strength. With just one mission, they were able to see how she fits the rank.
"She's," Lance began.
"Amazing." Verin finished.
Lars's brows furrowed, traveling his gaze from Verin to Lance, and Lance to Verin.
"Are you two bewitched?"
"What?" Verin snapped.
"You two are one of the most brutal people I know in terms of judging other people's strength," he pointed his fingers at them, "how can you ran out of something to say?"
Verin and Lance looked at each other.
"What's the idea of this Lithea?"
Lance scoffed, "you'll know when you get the chance, dear friend."
The jade rank closed his eyes and threw his head at the back as sigh.
"She might be stronger than both of us," Verin absentmindedly say.
Lars shot his eyes open, squinting his eyes and gritted his teeth, 'ha.'
Meanwhile, as the others are relaxing and doing something they needed to, Serene's booming laugh can be heard in one of the streets in the capital. This street is where most of the drunks often and that could also mean one thing, she is frequently seen in the area as well.
The legal age for drinking in the kingdom is 20, and when she turned that age, she curiously tried drinking alcoholic drinks. Since that day, she developed an addiction to liquor.
"Oooh, Serene," the pub's owner said as he was wiping some clean beer mugs, "you're going steady today. Did something happen?"
She slam her drink on the table, "people are disrespecting my home!"
"Slow down, slow down, kid," the owner sweats.
"How can I keep calm if they threw insults at us?" she chugged down the beer in one shot and raised it after, "one more!"
"Now, now, dear, you don't need any more." The owner tried to talk her to make her stop.
A bartender brought unopened bottled towards Serene with a huge smile, "here you go, Serene!"
It was always a joy when Serene comes to their pub, she's talkative and very fun to hang out with. But whenever she's troubled or pissed, she won't talk and just keep drinking. Although it is an advantage for the owner with her piled up tab, as she's a regular, the owner can't help but get worried with her every time this happens.
He looked at his employee and gave him a daggering stare, his bartender gulped and turned around.
"Come on up, Serene. I'll have my daughter Ivy fix your room."
"I don't want to!" she wailed.
He looked for a free waiter and ushered him towards him.
"Sir, Robert." The waiter said.
"Go fetch Ivy for me."
"Yes, sir!"
The owner turned to face back Serene who's washing her face with her own tears and snot on the table, "just one more mug and you're done."
"One?" she sniffed.
"Yes, Ivy will take you to your room after you're done."
"Papa?" a fragile looking girl arrived.
"There you are," Robert smiled at his daughter gently, "will you please fix a room for Serene?"
Ivy looked down at the lady who's crying, slumping on the desk.
She giggled.
"Big sister, Serene is doing it again?"
Robert nodded.
"Alright, I'll pick her up when I'm done."
"Thank you, dear. I can always count on you."
He ruffled his daughter's hair and Serene saw it all. She wished her parents gave her the attention Sir Robert is giving her daughter. Or even half of the attention and care he gave her. The parental love she's been longing for, she found it on a stranger. The bond of a sister, she found it on his daughter.
Her mind went to her family before she passed out.