Sunset.

She smiled. When was the last time she enjoyed a nice peaceful atmosphere where she could muse uninterrupted? She couldn't remember.

Things were getting quite tense in Alvarez lately. Though Madam had been summoned numerous times for the Spriggan meetings, she could never attend due to her location. She was always wandering, never in one place for too long.

She sighed. (Name) felt that she had been pushed to her limits for this "war" that His Majesty was initiating with Ishgar. Honestly, why bother with weaklings? To boost the emperor's ego or for political purposes? (Name) couldn't tell, nor would she try to grasp the reasoning behind it. She was punished once for doing so.

Shifting the ebony scimitar that was strapped to her hip higher, (Name) lifted a stray strand of hair away from her face to get a better view of the scenery before her. Clouds spread away from the falling sun like a curtain, showing off vivid scarlet rays that penetrated the sky's orange-yellow shade. It was serenely beautiful, reminding her of blood that was spilled much too often in her presence.

(Name) smiled softly once more. Scarlet. Such a destructive and confusing shade. Although (Name) was quite used to the view of scarlet all around her, the color always seemed to dim her vision when appearing. The damn shade chased her in her sweetest dreams and haunted her in her worst nightmares.

Inhaling the last fresh air she would probably never breathe again, the captain of the "Eileen Squad' stretched her stiff back and cracked her neck muscles. War was coming and here she was, cracking bones and unraveling stiff backs, like an old wo-

"Captain! Captain! Ahahahah~"

Ugh. Not now. Anytime, but just, not, NOW.

(Name) turned distastefully to retrieve her visitor, Juliet. The orange-haired soldier bounced (fucking BOUNCED) her way up the hill to where her Captain was standing and trying to enjoy a peaceful scenery. (Name) didn't know, nor couldn't grasp how Madam could even enjoy her presence. She, for one, did not.

Juliet's brown orbs stared gleefully into (Name)'s (e/c) ones. "Oh? Captain's watching the sunset?"

"Yes, Juliet."

A high-pitched squeal emerged from her as she began to skip around and ask mindless questions about why (Name) was watching the sunset, where do sunsets come from, and how (Name) would one day look like a sunset if she stared at one too long.

Calmly gritting her teeth, (Name) didn't answer her questions directly, but simply answered a 'yes" or "no", knowing that the girl wouldn't care for a more well-thought reply. She didn't want Juliet here, but (Name) knew full-well that she couldn't so much as touch a hair on Juliet or her depressing partner, Heine. Madam would hear none of it.

"What brings you here, Juliet?" (Name) asked in a monotone, while shifting her attention back on the horizon. Suddenly, it didn't seem as dramatically gorgeous as before. Way to go, Juliet.

Juliet stuck her tongue out in an attempt to look cute and raised her hand in a clumsy salute. "Lady Eileen wants you to flyyyyyy~"

(Name) raised an eyebrow. Madam wanted her to fly?

"Where to?"

Juliet burst into fits of giggles. "Away, away, away!~"

(Name)'s hand itched towards the sword. Then, an image of Madam came into her head and the hand stopped its dangerous and rash movements all on its own. From afar, Heine strode up the hill casually, but gloomily, as if someone stubbed her toe and didn't apologize for it.

"Heine." She wasn't (Name)'s favorite of the two, but if the Captain had to choose who'd she be locked up with forever, Heine would be her choice. Brutally honest, pessimistic, and in a consistent state of maturity.

Her eyebrows were partially hidden by her bandanna and black parting bangs, but all could tell she was frowning of some sort. "Captain. I'm sure you've heard the news by now."

Glaring at a smiling Juliet, (Name) replied directly, "No, I haven't, as a matter of fact."

The frown turned into a confused scringe. "Why not? Juliet hasn't told you?"

(Name) shook her head. Whirling on Juliet, Heine balled her fists. "You fool! Lady Eileen said the matter was important and here you are wasting time, giggling away!"

Another clumsy salute. "Oop-th. Teehee~"

Rolling her eyes, Heine turned back to (Name), crossing her arms. "Lady Eileen requests your presence immediately."

Silence. (Name) waited. Heine cleared her throat. "Well?"

"Is that all?"

"Yup!"

(Name) frowned. Madam would've sent for her by means of telepathy if she so desired. Why send these irritating soldiers? Perhaps she knew about (Name)'s annoyance towards her "children". To the captain, these were pawns, soldiers, and to put it even more bluntly, swords.

(Name) straightened her back once more. "Very well. Did Madam perhaps add anything else to this state of urgence?"

Heine shrugged. "Those were her exact words, Captain. If there were more, I would have already said."

Juliet rubbed sticky mucus between her fingers while smiling brightly. "Uh-huh! Just like I did! But Captain doesn't seem to like me very much, hmm?"

"You dimwit!" Heine cursed, but anxiously glanced towards the back of their captain. Although (Name) never raised a hand against them, Heine saw what (Name) could do to people she did not like, or insulted her.

But the captain didn't do a thing. She stood there, drinking in the last moments of the sunset before she flew off. She took a deep breath. "You're right, Juliet."

The pair froze. "I don't like you very much. However, it is not you that I blame my hate for, but your Creator." With that, (Name)'s back molded into black and white feathers, her shoulders shuffling into elegant wings, and her feet shrinking into skinny aviary claws, she flapped her giant raven wings to meet with the Scarlet Despair.

As they watched the magical raven fly off into the disappearing sun, Juliet turned to Heine. "What was she saying about me, again?"

Heine scoffed. "Nothing. Captain can be confusing sometimes so it's best if you leave it alone."

Juliet turned back to the speck in the distance. She was quiet for someone who talks too much, causing her partner to notice the unusual silence between her and Juliet. Pretending she didn't notice anything amiss, Heine continued to breathe in this sacred moment of eerie stillness.

"What's going on between Lady Eileen and Captain? Something...more than just master and soldier?"

Ugh. But the question caught Heine off-guard. As she prepared to make a scolding remark, she paused and pondered the question. Was something bothering Captain about Lady Eileen and why didn't they get along in terms of the Captain being summoned?

To give Juliet a sufficient answer, Heine crossed her arms and gave her a sideways glance. "Captain and Lady Eileen? Hmph. Something dangerous...and electrifying."