"You asked for me, sir?"
Sting looked up as Ayva came into his office. "Good, everyone's here."
Ayva looked to see that Rogue, Yukino, Orga, Rufus, and Minerva was present as well.
"We've received an invitation from the king. He's hosting a party for the princess' birthday."
"Why am I here, sir?" Ayva asked, confused. "I'm not a member of this guild."
"There have been reports of dark guild activity in the capital, low key kind of stuff, but I want you to come along with us in case it's the Hellcry Devils guild." Sting smiled. "Besides, I heard you've never been to the capital! It'll be fun having you along."
"I see. Very well, then. When do we leave?"
"The party is in a few days. We'll leave for the capital in an hour and use the time we have before the party to look around and see if we can figure out what's going on."
"Understood."
"Everyone, get your things together and meet at the station in an hour."
Ayva was among the first to leave, heading down the hall towards her room. She got her things together, figuring she could just find a shop in Crocus to procure a dress suitable for a party at the palace, and made her way out of the hall to the street.
"Ayva, a moment?"
Ayva stopped and saw Minerva leaving the guild hall behind her. "What do you want?"
Minerva sighed, her bag in hand. "May I walk with you to the station?"
Ayva shrugged and headed towards the station, not really caring that Minerva was walking with her.
"I wanted to apologize." Minerva glanced at her.
"For?"
"When we first spoke, my apprehensions towards you were uncalled for, as were my actions."
"To be honest, that didn't really bother me." Ayva said. "That's more or less how people have always treated me since I was little."
Minerva looked at her, surprised. "What did happen, Ayva?"
"If you're referring to my soul, it was stolen from me."
"I am sorry."
"The man who took it from me is the guild master of the Hellcry Devils." Ayva looked at her. "So I'm sure you can understand why this job is important to me."
"I see."
"I also want to prove to my guild that I was worthy of them saving me, taking me in and training me, helping me heal and giving me a new start on life. I owe the Stonevale Rangers my life and so much more."
"I'm sure they'd be proud of you." Minerva looked at her. "We will find this dark guild and we will make them regret what they've done."
"I certainly hope so."
"Tell me something, Ayva. What do you think of my guild? Would you ever consider joining it?"
"I don't know. I owe my guild a lot, but I suppose it'd be something I could consider. After all, it's a wonderful guild. Everyone is happy, works as a team. It's hard to imagine how it was before when your father was master."
"It is a nice change." Minerva sighed. "I came to realize that later than I should have. I had let the darkness and weakness in my heart cloud my judgement and I had abandoned the people who cared about me."
"I heard what happened. Considering how you were raised as a child by that monster of a father, I can only imagine the effects it had on your psyche." Ayva looked at her and offered a smile. "But you pulled through your darkness because of your friends and look at you now: stronger than ever before."
Minerva looked at her with surprise. "That is true." She smiled at that. "Could we start anew?"
"As what? Friends?"
"I'd like that very much."
"As would I."
"Minerva! Ayva!"
The two looked up to see Yukino was already waiting, waving to them from where she stood.
"Do you know what you're going to wear to the princess' party?" Minerva asked.
"I thought I'd find a shop in town and get something then. I don't really own anything nice."
"That's quite a shame." Minerva looked at Yukino. "Have you decided what you're wearing to the party?"
Yukino shook her head. "I was actually going to do that same and go shopping."
"That settles it then, we'll have a girl's day in the capital and go shopping."
"And looking for signs of dark guild activity along the way, I hope?"
Sting and the others had finally joined them.
"But of course. You can't blame a girl for wanting to have a little fun, though. It keeps things from getting boring and dull."
"Well, everyone is here, so let's hurry and board the train."
The train ride was pretty quiet, aside from Rogue and Sting groaning from their motion sickness. Ayva sat alone to ponder things, specifically if she should ignore the voice in her head telling her she doesn't deserve to be happy without a soul.
"You are strong, beautiful, and kind. You've shown that you can smile and laugh and be happy. When I look at you, I forget that you don't have a soul. And no one in the guild cares because you've proven to us that it doesn't affect who you are or what you stand for or how you do your job. We like every bit of you, regardless. Rogue has always been quiet and he tends to keep a calm face and rarely show any emotions. He started smiling more after Sting took over as guild master, but he really came out of his shell after you came into our lives. He's always been protective of his friends and those he cares about. For him to show you such affection as a kiss, you must really mean a lot to him. And Rogue isn't the kind of person to let something like that go."
Ayva thought on Yukino's words. 'She's right... I don't need to be afraid... but I'm terrified...' She looked over at Rogue, smiling at bit. 'He's cute, even when he's sick to his stomach.' She looked out the window and sighed. 'I should talk to him, find a way to work up the courage to face him.'
