Prytaneum
Interlude
The Ash-Covered Girl
Part 1
It had been four days now, but she still wasn't sure what to think of them. Even just waiting in Central Park for the rest of her 'party' to arrive, she couldn't help but feel uncertain, and she wasn't even sure of what. They would arrive soon and the three of them could continue exploring the Dungeon, but…
Not for the first time, she wondered what she was doing. No, she knew what she was doing—the question was, why was she still here? By this point, she should have either made a move or decided the risk wasn't worth the reward, but instead, here she was, just…playing along. Like she was an actual supporter instead of a…
Sighing to herself, she pointlessly adjusted the straps of her backpack, shifting and settling the weight. There was no need; it was just a nervous habit. Her cloak was settled around her, concealing her almost entirely, and between it and her magic, she had some faith in her ability to disguise herself…but that was when she wasn't carrying her backpack. Necessary for her job it may have been, but it stood out noticeably and more than a few people might 'mistake' her for someone else while wearing them. She changed bags regularly in the hopes of avoiding that, but she still had to keep an eye out for predators.
And prey, of course. And she'd found perhaps the best prey of her life, so why did she continue to hesitate?
It had been his name that had first drawn her—the name of the Crozzo family. She'd seen the flier on the bulletin board and nearly stared at it in shock, thinking it was too good to be true. She hadn't heard anything about a Crozzo in Orario and such a family couldn't help but draw attention with their power and history. Even if the family seemed to have fallen, countless people still remembered the name and just as many would pursue the legend of Crozzo's magic sword.
Including her. Even if it was just a coincidence or some attempt to draw interest or something like that, it was an opportunity she couldn't ignore. Even if it proved impossible, she had to at least check or she'd never forgive herself. Just one of Crozzo's magic swords must have been worth tens of millions of valis—maybe more. But for that same reason, it was bound to be protected to an obscene degree, surrounded by powerful adventurers and items and more.
Except it hadn't been. The man, Welf Crozzo, was just a normal adventurer, lacking any of the prestige she'd expected from his family. Impressive by the standards of most Level 1's, perhaps, but small fry even within his own Familia. Many of the other people who had taken an interest in the notice he'd sent out had been quickly disappointed as he'd quickly yelled at them, crushing their expectations. It didn't surprise her, of course; why would an adventurer give anything away, much less something so valuable? But behind the words had been an anger he couldn't hide and it had been enough to make her sure that somehow, he was related to the Crozzo.
So she'd watched as the interviews progressed, listening and learning. Where others had flattered and spoken of his greatness, she'd evoked sympathy. Disguising herself as a child was simple—or rather, it was the only thing she could disguise herself as—and so was the rest. Her story had been an only slightly altered version of the truth and in just a handful of minutes, she'd gotten a new job. Welf had told her to wait in Central Park while he fetched his comrade and she had.
Maybe that was the first problem. Percy Jackson was strange, she'd noticed that much immediately. Orario was a gathering place for people all around the world, so he didn't truly stand out, but there was something odd about him—or maybe a combination of things. He was very tall, especially compared to her, and he held himself with a quiet confidence and strength that it had taken her awhile to notice. At first she'd been dismissive of him, thinking of him as nothing but the name beside Welf Crozzo's, but she'd changed her opinion within minutes of entering the Dungeon. He was strong, she'd thought, too strong to be a Level 1.
And so she'd pegged him as Welf Crozzo's guardian. It wasn't surprising, really; the promise of even a single sword could buy the loyalty of even a powerful adventurer—and a supply might be able to sway even major Familias. If anything, the strange thing was that he had only one guard and that it wasn't even more powerful. Regardless, he was a threat; the biggest obstacle standing between her and Crozzo's magic sword.
Except that Welf Crozzo didn't have any magic swords. She'd noticed that quickly enough, given that she carried most of the equipment. She'd figured he'd be wise enough to keep the sword on him instead of giving it to her, but all he had was a normal sword. That had been something of a surprise, but only briefly; no doubt he had understandable concerns about it being stolen. It didn't matter; she'd decided to wait. If he really was a Crozzo, he'd handle one eventually and even if it took months, it'd be worth it just for the chance.
In the end, it hadn't even taken a full day. But even before that, something else had happened. Percy had revealed his own sword, some kind of enchanted, transforming blade. It cut through legions of monsters with such ease that she had no doubt as to its value; it was something extremely expensive, no doubt. High-end equipment worth hundreds of thousands of valis, if not millions itself. It may have been foolhardy, but when she'd seen a chance, she'd taken it.
Really, it was baffling how trusting he was sometimes—how he viewed the world and prioritized things. She'd let her approach so easily, left himself completely unguarded in an attempt to help her, and without him even noticing, she stole it away.
And without her even noticing, he'd somehow taken it back in an instant. She hadn't seen him move, hadn't felt the slightest change, and yet he'd drawn it from his pocket as if nothing had happened. She'd expected to be struck down then and there, but he hadn't done a thing. No, even more than that, the next thing he'd done was to protect her and Welf at danger to himself. He hadn't so much as mentioned the theft and hadn't treated her any differently. At the very least, she'd expected to be watched like a hawk after that, but he didn't do a thing. If anything, he just continued to trust her.
She couldn't understand why—or even how—he did such a thing. But that wasn't the limit to how strange he was. He didn't care about money. He didn't even seem to care about Crozzo's magic swords. She wasn't even sure if he cared about himself, because he hadn't hesitated to put his life on the line to protect her and Welf. He seemed to refuse to act how she expected and she couldn't help but think he was more like a dog then an adventurer—a guard dog, perhaps, and as big and scary as that might imply, but loyal and protective and bafflingly dumb in ways that were hard to really hate.
Fitting, seeing as he was apparently friends with a giant Hellhound. 'Mrs. O'Leary' had well and truly terrified her the first time they met, seeing as she'd learned firsthand that her entire body fit in the Hellhound's mouth. She was a massive creature, far larger than even the Large-category monsters she'd seen and larger than most monsters she knew of. In fact, while there was no way to say for sure…she was pretty sure she'd never heard of anything like her. Percy had claimed she was a Hellhound, but she didn't look like how she'd heard them described, didn't breath fire, and simply didn't fit the part. Instead, she did what should have been impossible and moved through shadows at sickening speeds. If monsters like her existed, they'd have been nightmares for any who had to face them, but she'd heard no such tales. And yet, a friend of Percy's, possibly a member of the Poseidon Familia, had given it to him.
Was it possible she was a monster from the Deep Floors that had been left untouched for years now? Given to a child as a pet? If he truly was from the Poseidon Familia, maybe it wasn't impossible, but…it was still hard to believe. Such a creature, with such an ability, was beyond priceless by anyone's standards, something even the strongest Familias in Orario would literally murder for.
And yet he'd used it to save them, but not himself. He claimed he'd stayed back to protect people—people he didn't even know—and as far as she could tell it was the truth. Just like it had seemed to be honest panic that made Welf run across Orario in search of a magic sword, honest kindness that split their profits, and honest concern that caused him to try and look after her.
They were just adventurers, and yet…
"With everything you said…even when you talked about death, you didn't seem that bothered by it. You said you didn't feel that way anymore, but I was really concerned. So…I know we don't really know one another after spending maybe a day together, but if there's anything I can do to help, then I thought I should say…I'm here."
She couldn't help but adjust her bag again.
It was possible he'd even meant it when he said that. He was loyal. Bizarrely so, though perhaps it made sense for someone new to Orario. If she wanted to, she was sure she could use that. She was no stranger to playing the role of the helpless child to garn some modicum of sympathy from others, and it would probably be a simple matter to guide him in the right direction, to…to ask for help.
So why? She hadn't stolen the treasure that was already within her grasp, she hadn't used the opportunity that had presented itself…in the last three days, she hadn't done a thing.
Was it guilt, maybe? No; there was nothing to feel guilty about. However they acted, however they seemed, they were still adventurers. They may have been kind now, but she knew firsthand how quickly that could change. She couldn't trust them, couldn't tell them the truth, or else they'd turn on her like everyone always did. She couldn't even trust her own family, how could she trust them?
It's not like it would have even mattered, really. As priceless as a magic sword may have been to her and so many others, it was nothing to someone from the Crozzo family. If she stole it, then so what? His family had made countless magic swords; he could make another from scrap metal and it'd still be worth millions. But that scrap metal could change her life and maybe even set her free. What was there to question? To second guess? Why should she let this opportunity slip by?
It would be a good lesson. It might even teach them some important truths, like not to trust so easily—and that they were better off without her to begin with.
She couldn't help but purse her lips and grit her teeth.
It was the truth. Of course it was the truth, but—
"Arde!" A voice said and immediately she felt her shoulders tense. Doing her best not to move, she looked at them in her periphery. There were three men approaching her—and she sadly recognized them. It was always easy to tell people from her Familia apart, at least for her; their eyes were almost glazed as they looked at her, as if they didn't even see her, they only saw Soma.
But then, that was probably true.
She thought about running and, as always, decided against it. Experience had taught her how such things usually ended. Instead she just looked down and tried not to let them see anything like defiance or hatred in her body language.
"Lili is sorry, Mr. Canoe," She said meekly. "Lili doesn't have any money today, either."
"Arde," The short Chientrope replied, a smile on his face but something like desperate anger in his tone. "Come on, don't be like that. In these desperate times, we should try and help each other. We're part of the same Familia, right?"
"…Yes," She answered, bowing her head. "But…Lili is just a worthless supporter. Lili can't make any money on her own…"
There was a crack of knuckles, but without looking up, she wasn't sure of the source. It didn't really matter.
"That's a lie, isn't it, Arde?" He said, voice dropping to a dangerous tone. "You've been working hard lately, right? I even heard that someone saw you in a restaurant with your buddies. If you've got enough money to eat with friends, shouldn't you put your family first?"
"I don't have anything," She replied, shaking her head. "I begged for food and a kind stranger helped me—but I don't have anything!"
"Bullshit," Canoe said, stepping towards her. It occurred to her that in her current disguise, someone might have been able to mistake them for actual relatives. The thought made her want to vomit. "Even if it's just a little, you have something, right!? If you can beg, then you should have gotten at least a few valis!"
"I—"
"Is there a problem?" A voice cut in. She turned to look and saw Percy and Welf approaching, bags hanging over their shoulders. She opened her mouth instinctively, almost saying their names, before closing it and remaining silent. Percy glanced at her silently before focusing on the three members of her Familia.
"Just Familia business, sir," Canoe said, putting on a kind smile with ease. Ruthless as he was, he was good at it; things like pride and opinion didn't matter much to those of the Soma Familia. "I apologize if we bothered you—we'll take this matter elsewhere, if you wish."
"Familia business, huh?" Percy repeated, returning the man's smile with a crooked one of his own. "Must be some business. Might be a good idea to talk a walk and calm down before you continue."
The last few words were phrased as a suggestion but were clearly anything but. Even Canoe noticed and stiffened slightly, narrowing his eyes even as his two goons shifted behind him.
"What at you trying to say, sir?" He asked, looking at his two companions. "Is it really right to interfere in the business of another Familia? We were just having a friendly conversation."
"Uhuh," Percy replied. "Clearly. But somehow, I think it can wait."
"Do you, sir?" Canoe said, voice turning challenging. He and his followers shifted slightly. "We may have to disagree somewhat."
And slowly, the smile drained off of Percy's face, his features growing almost detached as it relaxed into his natural expression. But his eyes…his eyes were strikingly intense, so much so that she wouldn't have been surprised if they'd begun to glow and she looked away enough though she wasn't the target.
"Whatever you're thinking about doing, I'll tell you right now that I'll enjoy what happens a lot more than you will," He said. "Take. A walk."
Canoe stood up to that look for all of a second before turning away.
"As you wish," He said. "We'll see you later, Arde."
Percy watched them go, attention focused on them even after they left her sight, before abruptly turning back to her.
"Sorry," He said. "I hope I didn't cause you too much trouble, Lili. Maybe I should walk you home for a few days."
"No, Mr. Percy," She replied, shaking her head with a smile. "Please don't worry about Lili—Lili will be fine."
"That's your Familia, huh?" Welf asked, frowning. "I hope they're better once you get to know them."
She refrained from answering that and smiled again.
"Back to the twelfth floor?" She asked, trying to change the subject—and again, she had to wonder.
What was she waiting for?