Jet and Adven slowly made their ways across the stale desert of Blue Crane's middle part. Each of them carrying a bucket of water that equaled the height of the length of their legs that ran from the ground to their knees. They were coming upon what seemed like a now abandoned town that was only pieces of wood in the distance, covered mainly by dirt, but they were outside of town, approaching an old wooden well.

"There might be some water in that well." Adven simply noted as they approached it. The sandcraft was moored at least a mile away as they went out in search of water that the sandcraft was running low on.

"If not, the people in Nemo said there was another village called Byrd up ahead." Jet said in response. They pulled the bucket that hung in the well by a rope. After drawing it up after a minute they found dirt and some spiders. Nothing more. No water.

"No luck." Adven sighs, but immediately his senses are burning and he is on high alert, and the same went for Jet. "Who's there?" The two scanned until they both fell on the same person and their jaws dropped.

Before them stood a pristine beauty who was actually too average to be beautiful, but she was, at least to Adven and Jet who remained silent. She had perfect skin, and perfect complexion, and her nose was neither small nor big, and her eyes were a beautiful gray that they could lose themselves in. Her face was a woman's face, and was not still retaining child-like properties like Virginia. But the woman before them was their age or so. She was also womanly, far from tomboys like Emilia, Virginia, or even Sakura. She wore her green dress that complimented her long and braided auburn hair, with just the right amounts of black and red mixed into it. Her braid reaching down to the top of her butt. Her pink lips let out a relieved sigh. "Thank goodness!" Her pleasant voice remarked as she approached them. "I've been out here trying to find Byrd for at least four days."

Jet merely let out an unintelligible mumble, and Adven nodded irking out a "Yeah."

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"So…you were out there in the desert for four days, Auriol?" Virginia wondered as she and Sakura met up with Adven, Jet, and their new friend just outside of the sandcraft. The two women were not absent in noticing the way Adven and Jet had not let go of their lock on the woman who introduced herself as Auriol. Their eyes would not leave her.

"Yes," Auriol nodded shyly. "And thanks to Adven and Jet here I won't be."

Adven and Jet start talking to one another from the side and while Auriol pays them no mind, Sakura and Virginia took notice, but could not hear what they were saying. That was, until both of them started out with angered words. "No way will I do that!" Jet boldly declared to Adven.

"Too bad!" Adven merely responded.

"You aren't allowed to simply do that." Jet argued. The two stop in silence before jumping to the roof of the sandcraft. Sakura and Virginia felt disappointed because now they couldn't hear the two. "Listen," Jet began vehemently, "Auriol will be mine."

"No, mine." Adven fought back.

"What about Sakura?" Jet argued.

"Sakura?" Adven questioned. "What does a flower have to do with anything?"

Jet stood there losing his anger. "I…er…I don't know. I just said it…I really don't even know what a 'Sakura' even is." The two stood there in confusion for a moment while Gallows and Emilia show up outside and find Sakura and Virginia with Auriol.

"Who's this?" Emilia wondered.

"You must be Emilia." Auriol bowed. "I'm Auriol. You're friends were kind enough to offer me a lift to Byrd."

"That sounds fair." Emilia noted, but quickly noticed Gallows was now atop the sandcraft with Jet and Adven. All of them with permanent scowls for the other. All of them start yelling and shouting, among other things that are just one degree of brawling.

Sakura creased her brows. "That's odd of them."

Emilia nodded. "So unlike them to just fight like that."

Gallows interjected an idea, "Stop this! Let's have her decide."

The other two nodded, "Right."

As evening came the three women of the Maxwell Gang (Plus) sat about in their room. Each deep in thought. "They have all been acting so strange, the men." Sakura summarized. "At least since Adven and Jet came back without any water."

Virginia nodded. "Ever since Auriol arrived at least."

Emilia immediately scowled. "It's…like they all love her."

"All except Clive." Virginia brought up. They quickly went to Clive's room where Clive was resting in his bed for the moment. The entered quietly and stood there like they were going to leave and not bother him, but instead, "Clive!"

Clive's body tenses at Virginia's calling of his name and he nearly jumps. "Huh?" He questioned in a daze as he looked to the three women. "What is it?"

"Can you go and find out what's going on with the other guys? They seem to be acting odd and territorial." Virginia gave his mission.

"Yeah, sure." Clive got up and left them behind to find out the answer so he could go back to bed. The three women stay there expecting for him to return. In the meantime Sakura and Virginia look through Jet's belongings and blush when they find his underwear. Still, Emilia simply noticed that Jet was growing roses in a closet near his window. They weren't to healthy, but that was probably due to the fact they've been in Blue Crane. Finally they noticed the door open and a determined Clive came into the room headed for his bunk. "I won't let them beat me." He muttered as he threw his stuff about the room in search of something, totally ignoring the three women. "They won't take her away." The three women realizing he was acting off too now simply backed out of the room.

By the time night came Auriol was simply sitting at the kitchen table as Jet arrived. "These are for you, fair lady." He produced a bouquet of roses from his personal garden. All of his roses. He left a mess of dirt as he had hurriedly taken them. So unlike him, just as it had been unlike Clive to disorganize his stuff by flinging it around earlier like he had. Auriol accepted the flowers and as she was smelling them Adven arrived in the room.

"Jet?" Adven questioned.

"What is it Adven?" Auriol wondered innocently.

"I made you dinner, see." Adven produced noodles and sauce from behind his back placing it on the table. It was then that Gallows arrived.

"Auriol, I want you to have my guardian rune."

Clive was soon within the room. "I'll be your slave!" He proposed.

Auriol simply giggled. "My, my, you all are so nice. I hope you treat all of your guests so well."

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As late afternoon hit Byrd, a town just like that of Nemo, but in a desert and rock surrounding, Auriol made her way through the shops as all the men of the Maxwell Gang followed after her devoutly. Sakura, Emilia, and Virginia simply watched from the outside of the saloon where they sat at a table drinking some tea and water. "Something is definitely going on with Auriol." Virginia noted.

"It's not just them." Sakura interjected. "Every guy who comes across her acts like they'd give her their lives and freedom on a whim."

Emilia clenched her teeth. "I'm not letting her steal the man I love." The other two women stared at her.

"The man you love?" Virginia wondered. "Mario?"

Emilia blinked. "Uh…I mean, the men you love."

The two girls blushed. "We don't love anyone!" They said in chorus and then blushed even more when they had both said it.

"Listen, we should follow her." Emilia proposed.

"Spy on her you mean?" Virginia question.

Sakura nodded. "Good idea."

It was at that time that Auriol was looking around. "I could go for something to eat." She commented.

"We'll take you!" The four men said in chorus.

Virginia heard this from afar. "H-hey! They're going to dinner without telling us!" She stood along with the others as they caught up. There happened to be a fancy eat-out place in Byrd and they were not being left behind. The guys and Auriol had already a table before the trio could even get to the place. As they all were eating it was becoming apparent that Auriol's skin was paler than it was earlier. This came about when she swayed as if weak. All the men took notice, being that they hadn't been eating anyway, but watching her. "Are you okay?" They all wondered at once.

"Y-yes." Auriol weakly replied. "I just feel a bit faint. I'll be right back." She stood up from her spot and moved towards the halls where there was a coat closet. Seeing her coming towards them Sakura, Emilia, and Virginia hid away in the back of the walk-in coat closet. Hiding behind boxes that lied at the back. It was here that Auriol entered weakly. Becoming paler and paler it seemed. As she stood there a man entered wit his coat, but he soon had the same first impression of her as Adven and Jet. In this moment Auriol grabbed the man's body and drew him into the room and closer to her body. Touching her lips to his. The trio of women from the Maxwell Gang notice this from their hiding spots and question what they were seeing. Soon enough though, Auriol is returning to the table as the man falls to the ground. After Auriol was gone the girls left their hiding to look at the man.

Virginia stepped back after she turned the man who was lying on his front to his back. "He's dead…"

"Look at him." Sakura said as she noticed that he seemed to be pale and without muscles. He looked like a skeleton who wore tight pale skin that did not hide his bones. His clothing remained intact though.

Emilia took it in. "There are legends of a she-demon who could steal life." She mentioned.

"You're not accusing that Auriol is a demon are you?" Virginia questioned.

"I was simply repeating what I knew." Emilia defended.

Sakura nodded her head. "Sometimes legends and myths aren't real, but rather influenced by real life." She pushed the dead body aside so no one would find it just yet. "Auriol may simply be the ancestor of the woman who inspired that legend. In either case she is definitely stealing life. Did you notice how pale she was before killing this guy? Afterwards she looked healthy and fine?"

Virginia had a bubbling feeling in her gut. "I suppose…we have to stop her before she does something to Jet…or…the others."

Sakura and Emilia nod in understanding.