As Rin and Sara arrived at the place the party was being held at, Rin tried to steady herself. Her heart slammed against her chest.
Beyond that door nearby was possibly the group responsible for the horrific sights that Rin actively needed to keep pushed back in her mind, just to keep them from overwhelming her. Now that she'd come close to dying a few times since then, sure, the memories weren't quite as hard to deal with, but the fear she felt back then had turned into resentment. Anger that burned brightly, and made it so that if Rin did receive confirmation that these were the same people, she would swear it upon the Divine himself that she'd see their end.
Many others were walking inside. There was a person at the front who Rin recognized from the last time she came here. Vix, the peasant girl who was missing an eye, was currently greeting everyone before they walked inside.
"Are you ready?" Rin asked Sara, who stood quietly behind her.
The woman gave her a nod, her gentle, half-lidded eyes just as uncaring as they usually were. Seeing that, Rin could stall no longer.
She took one step toward Vix and then stopped. Then, she turned toward Sara, remembering something.
"Oh, and, uhm... If anyone asks, my name's Triss," she whispered. Sara raised a brow but didn't question her further.
Finally, the two of them moved toward Vix. The girl quickly spotted them and Rin noticed a subtle twitch in her brows as she looked them both up and down. Rin tried, however, to maintain her confidence as she approached.
"Good evening, Triss," Vix said. "Who's this?"
"Hi. Ehm, this is my friend. Her name's Sara," Rin replied, gesturing at her classmate. Vix's eye remained on her, as though silently urging her to justify why she brought this stranger here. "She's an orphan," Rin stated. "She lost her parents a little while ago and... well, she's never had a place to call home. So, I brought her here."
Everything Rin just said was completely improvised. She felt slightly proud of herself for that before she saw the looks on both Vix's and Sara's faces. Both of them looked completely stunned. Sara, in particular, looked shaken.
[Did... Did I say something wrong?]
"I see," Vix replied, stepping to the side. "You may head inside. The party's just getting started."
"Thank you," Rin replied and the two of them went in. As soon as they were inside, Rin let out a deep breath. "I was so scared I'd messed up somehow."
Sara didn't say anything. She just stared at her with wide, shocked eyes.
"Are you okay?" Rin asked.
"... How did you know that?" Sara countered quietly, as others walked in. Rin pulled her a little closer so they wouldn't hear.
"Um, I just improvised a story for you," Rin replied before she finally figured out why Sara was so shaken. "Don't tell me... All of that was true?"
Sara gave her a sad smile and nodded.
"I'm sorry."
"It is fine," Sara replied. "We should focus."
"Right, right. Um... yeah."
Setting that aside, Rin took a moment to look around.
The lighting here was so dim Rin worried she would trip over something. The cold air kissed her bare shoulders, making the adventurer hug herself in hopes of some brief, but much-needed warmth. In the background, she could hear music playing from a distant radio, muffled behind closed doors.
She spotted John standing by the kitchen, greeting the others as they walked by and headed into a hall to the left. Rin gestured for Sara to follow and the two of them walked up to the rabbit-eared beastborn.
"Ah, Triss. You came," John noted as he saw them. Bowing his head, he gave a charming smile. "I am pleased to see you once again."
"Same here," Rin replied, forcing herself to smile back.
John glanced over at Sara, maintaining that charming expression.
"May I ask who this is? I don't believe we've met."
"Sure. She's Sara, my friend. She's an orphan," Rin explained. Now that she knew those words rang true, however, she felt sorry for using it here, having caught Sara off-guard earlier. "I... I think she would fit in nicely here."
"Ah, I see," John replied, sounding slightly relieved to Rin's ears. "Indeed, the Scorned welcome all who have gone through such tragic struggles. Rest assured," he turned toward Sara, bowing to her as well, "you will find a place for you here if you desire it."
"Thank you," Sara replied quietly.
"The others have gathered in the next building. You can access it through this door over there," he pointed toward where the strangers were walking. "Your initiation will take place later. For now, just enjoy yourselves. Calm your troubled souls as much as you wish, in whichever ways you wish."
"I understand, uhm, thanks," Rin replied.
She and Sara then began walking behind the strangers, moving toward that door in the cramped hallway. Curious to see how she was doing, Rin turned toward Sara and checked in on her. The woman's eyes were narrowed, darting from one person to another. She seemed fairly distrustful but still calm and collected.
As for Rin, though, she was on edge. The mere thought that any of these people around her were potentially murderous psychopaths was taking its toll on Rin's heart. However, she dragged her legs forward and went through that door the others used.
As soon as she did, she froze as the music became much louder.
Somehow, she'd ended up in a nightclub. There was a crowd up ahead formed of at least a couple dozen people. Beastborn and human alike danced along with thudding electronic drums and synths that blared from what Rin realized were a few different radios scattered throughout the room. They were all over each other, draped over each other's bodies with bottles of liquor in their hands.
[Well, he wasn't lying about one thing, I guess,] Rin thought, holding back a disgusted expression as she saw these potential murderers dancing. [This is definitely a party...]