{One Day Later, August 13, 239 2E}
The Watchful's guild hall was... Odd.
It almost resembled a college, from the outside. Players were walking around on a field of grass, sitting on benches as they chatted with each other. They all had uniforms, all of which were mainly sweaters, shirts, and skirts or pants, with the main difference from one person to another being the color of their sweaters. Some were blue, others were golden, others were red. Lianna swore she could see some people scribbling down on notepads as well.
[Uh... The whole university aesthetic is a little on the nose, isn't it? Hopefully, we get to put on actual armor when we actually go on missions.]
At the same time, given that this place did provide housing, she figured that maybe such a style fit the place.
Speaking of housing, that had been the plan Lianna subscribed to. The one that allowed her to stay at the guild hall. Thankful as she was for the home Miss Taylor bought for her, Lianna wanted to be as close to the guild as possible.
[Ahhhh, my wallet is still crying about it, but what could I do? This place is way too far from my house. I had to get it.]
Leaving after day 1 didn't seem like too valid an option anymore, though.
Regardless, she was here. So, Lianna walked forward with nothing but hope and a pair of stuffed backpacks filled with her belongings, intending to make the most of this.
Walking in through a pair of glass doors that slid apart automatically, Lianna walked toward a wide desk with three chairs in front of it where a secretary waited patiently, probably expecting new recruits.
"Good morning!" Lianna greeted the secretary with a great amount of energy as she walked over.
"I take it you're new?" She asked politely.
"Was it that obvious?"
"It's more so that my memory is rather good, so I feel I would know if you weren't," the secretary responded. "Most of what you need to know is in this pamphlet. You're quite lucky, however, as you are..."
She stopped speaking.
A surprised look came over her face as Lianna heard the glass doors behind her open on their own.
Lianna turned around and as soon as she saw what had made the secretary pause like that, she produced the same exact stupid expression, jaw on the floor and eyes wide.
It was the same lady from the Watchful's office.
The woman walked in, looking as though ice spirits had gotten together to design a human being that could represent them. Her features, blue-white hair that barely reached her shoulders and skin as pale as snow, were still fresh in Lianna's mind, and yet seeing them again still shook her to her core. Her eyes were a shade of silver that was darker than her hair. She was quite a bit shorter than Lianna, and yet it felt like her body was 75% legs.
If Lianna hadn't seen her yesterday, she'd probably be wondering if this lady was lost. The girl was wearing a stylish blue dress, long white gloves, and blue heels, and she carried a spear on her back. The confidence with which she walked up to the front desk probably made it abundantly clear to anyone who had caught a glimpse of her and wondered why she was here that she belonged in that space.
This girl had the aura of a refined warrior.
Walking in with the cold eyes of an arrogant princess, she only gave Lianna a fleeting glance that carried a mild amount of curiosity before making her way to the same desk, standing next to her. Unlike Lianna, all this girl carried beside her spear was a leather bag.
She still had that same foreign scent on her. Lianna had never smelled anything like whatever perfume this girl had on, but it was wonderful.
"Greetings," the woman said with a low tone as frosty as the block of ice Lianna imagined she got carved out of. "I am new to this organization."
Her voice slipped out from her lips like water poured into a cup from a high pitcher. Lianna swore she could hear an accent, though it wasn't too thick.
"U-Uhm, well," the secretary awkwardly pointed at Lianna. "Usually, I'd give you a recruit pamphlet but there's only one left... You could share it if you want. Take a look around the facilities together, maybe?"
Prompted by that suggestion, the girl fixed those silver eyes onto Lianna.
[Whoa. I just got chills.]
The look in her eyes almost made Lianna want to simply give her the damn thing and explore the facilities without it. However, the blooming extrovert within her popped out and whispered:
[Hey, maybe this would be a good chance to make a friend!]
"That sounds good to me," Lianna stated, batting her eyelashes a little. "How about it? Wanna check this place out?"
Immediately, the girl turned away. Lianna was worried she'd just silently walk off, but no. It seemed as though she was just debating it internally.
After a slightly awkward bit of silence, she finally said:
"Very well."
Lianna grinned.
"Before that, here." The secretary put forth two individual sheets of paper. "Please, fill out these forms."
"Alright."
Taking one sheet, Lianna took one of the chairs in front of the desk. Without a second thought, she spun it toward her and put a foot on top of it, placing the paper over her thigh, before beginning to fill the form out.
The beauty whom Lianna would soon be walking through the facilities with raised a brow at that before simply sitting on one of the other chairs and filling the form out on the desk, crossed legs and her back perfectly straight.
Once they were both done, they handed their sheets to the secretary and she bowed her head.
"I suggest you head to your dorm rooms first, so you can put your things down. I hope you enjoy your time here."
"Thank you," Lianna replied before waving at the girl. "Come on!" She said excitedly.
"Hmph."
Together, they walked into the nearby hall.
"May I look at the pamphlet, please?"
"Of course," Lianna responded before passing it over. "Be care-"
Almost the instant she'd begun to look down at the paper, the girl tripped.
Had it not been for Lianna's quick reflexes, that pretty face may have been hitting the grey floor.
Lianna kept her up, holding her by her lower abdomen while the girl instinctively grabbed onto her arm.
Lianna hadn't meant to place her hand there, of course. It just... ended up there when she saw the girl falling. But, now that it was in that spot, she could tell, this girl's body was quite toned.
Their eyes met. Lianna pulled her hand back as soon as it looked like the girl was steady.
"I-I apologize," the girl said. "I was unfocused."
"No worries, no worries. Uh, by the way, the dorms are right here!" Lianna said, pointing at a sign that itself pointed to a nearby staircase with the word "dorms" on it.
"Are they? Well... Good." Her cheeks took on a faint dash of red.
[Aw, she's got a cute side too.]
"Come on." Taking the lead, Lianna extended a hand, nodding toward the stairs, making her intentions clear.
The girl rolled those gorgeous eyes.
"It was a minor accident..." She muttered, but she took Lianna's hand anyway.
[Callouses,] Lianna quickly noticed. [Well, with that spear she's got, it was obvious that she was a fighter. But, between the abs and now this... Wow.]
They went up the steps finding a row of grey doors with numbers over them.
[My room is 2F-109. There's a whole other floor, but...] Lianna glanced at the girl out of the corner of her eye. [I guess her room's on this floor too.]
The girl retrieved her hand once they reached the top. Lianna smiled brightly.
"So, first impressions of this place?"
"Hm?" The girl looked up at her.
"What do you think about the facility?" Lianna asked more directly. "Honestly," Lianna walked over to the railing, gazing out at the rest of the buildings. "I think it feels more like some weird school than a guild hall."
"This appearance is not common?" The girl asked. "Ehm, I agree, it is strange," the girl responded. "Though, I... I suppose I do not know what is and is not considered normal here."
Lianna tilted her head as they walked down the hall.
"Hm? What do you mean?"
At that, the girl stopped.
She hesitated. Lianna was about to tell her she did not have to respond, but she soon did so anyway.
"I suppose there is no harm in telling you if you're going to find out later anyway. I..." The girl looked into her eyes, almost challenging her. "I am a foreigner."
Lianna blinked.
[OF COURSE! Those eyes!!! Lianna, how did you not see it!?]
Her hesitancy in admitting that was understandable given that Garriden and Telvan had only just recently ended a long war. Lianna, of course, didn't care at all.
She liked Telvan, and from what little she knew about Garriden it was probably a much better place for her specifically than the alternative, but she couldn't say she had much in the form of nationalist pride.
"Oh," Lianna responded, sounding dumb even to her own ears. "U-Um, that's cool! Wow, so, you traveled like halfway across the land to come here?"
"Indeed, I did."
"When did you arrive?"
"Only a day ago," she responded. "Right before we saw each other at that office."
[Oh? So she does remember me.]
She spoke somewhat quietly, but she didn't seem shy or timid. Just reserved.
"So, no. I am still getting a feel for this place. I am not used to anything yet," she continued.
Sensing an opportunity, Lianna put forth a grin.
"Well~," she began, "if you need someone to show you around the city, look no further!"
She clicked her tongue and pointed at herself with her thumbs.
"I'm your gal," she declared with a wink.
"... Pfft."
For some reason, the girl nearly laughed.
"I will consider it... Thank you," she said, struggling to hold that laughter back.
[... Was that lame? That might have been intensely lame. Oh well.]
Carrying on with their walk across the hall, Lianna kept her eyes on the dorm rooms' numbers.
Absent-mindedly, she stopped in front of the room that had 2F-109 on it.
"Okay! Here's my room. So, uh, where's yours?"
The girl blinked.
She looked at the room's number and then back at Lianna.
"This is it."
That declaration nearly made Lianna's heart stop.
[What?]
"Are you sure?" Lianna asked.
"Uh... Unless these letters mean something else here, this reads '2F-109', no? It was repeated to me various times before I even began my journey to Telvan," the girl responded firmly, though just as surprised. Lianna nodded. "Then, this is my room, yes."
"..."
"..."
Lianna clapped her hands.
"So, you're my roommate, then!" Lianna declared happily. "Awesome!"
"Roommate?" The girl asked. "I... I was not aware that..." She trailed off.
She was obviously made somewhat uncomfortable by this revelation. Lianna gave her a sympathetic expression.
"You can make sure to check if you want. But, uh, I was told I would have a roommate. I just didn't expect it to be someone as cute as you!"
"..."
[Eh?] Lianna paused, noticing how that statement made the girl stare up at her with shocked, almost scared eyes. [I... might have said a bit much, maybe.]
"T-Thank you," The girl then replied, regaining her composure. "Um, i-it's fine, with regard to the roommate situation, I do not mind. I was just surprised. Let's head inside."
"Right!"
Pushing the door open, Lianna's eyes fell upon what would be her new home, for at least a little while. Somehow, it was only slightly smaller than her previous one.
[A kitchen, a bathroom... That door over there probably leads to the beds. And, a couch. Honestly, that's more than I expected.]
A quick glance at the girl behind her was all it took before it became Lianna's turn to be the one stifling her laughter.
The traveler looked horrified.
"So," Lianna spoke up, dropping her backpack on the couch. "Roomie, what's your name, again?"
The girl shook her head, refocusing.
"I apologize. I should have introduced myself earlier, but I was a little overwhelmed."
"That's nothing to be sorry for," Lianna stated. "I get it."
"I... Well, anyway," she continued, taking a couple of steps closer. "My name is Enverna."
"Enverna, it's nice to meet you!" Lianna stuck a hand out automatically. "I'm Lian..."
The internal dial controlling Lianna's volume slowly twisted until it reached 0.
Realization fell on her shoulders like a sack full of sand.
They stared at each other, wide-eyed and stunned, for the second time in the last two minutes.
"..."
"..."
Both of them failed to process what was happening.
Until, finally, they yelled out simultaneously:
"YOU'RE ENVERNA!?"
"YOU ARE LIANNA VELCROSS!?"
And instantly went right back to their blank-minded staring.
[Holy shit...] LIanna thought. [It's her!!!]