A/N: Big thanks to Aevari, Luna, and elysiontower for helping proofread! I couldn't have done it without you three to point out all my mistakes. So! Here's chapter 2! I'd like to warn you that I'm trying something new in narrating the story I've prepared and this will become apparent to you readers within the first few paragraphs. I hope you'll like this... shift in views :3 if not or you think it can be done better please, i'm all for constructive criticism!

Described as a diamond in the middle of a vast ocean of sand, the desert metropolis wasn't far from the metaphorical image. Its shimmering radiance could be seen well before the weary travelers even arrived, and as they drew closer, it became apparent just how it shined so vividly in the hot afternoon sun.

Surrounded by a massive water reservoir that both functioned as its life source and defense against outside invaders, the shoulder-deep man-made moat may as well have been the city's private ocean nestled in the basin of a giant dune valley.

A multitude of spires rivaling the height of old ruined skyscrapers in Resiam dotted the metropolis; many of which functioned as a dock for the numerous airships, traveling to and from the city. Mounted on top of each spire were large rotating water collection nets, which were one of the city's famous attractions. Far below the towering buildings was a maze of densely packed streets of limestone homes and commercial districts. Hundreds of thousands of people could be seen pushing their way through the traffic while shopkeepers shouted for each passerby to come see their wares.

A white drone hovered over its mistress, who stood by the railing of a small transport airship. "Remy_003 reporting in. Area designated as 'sector one' has been scanned, mistress. I've went ahead and filtered the possible results down to thirteen points of interest." To say it spoke would be somewhat inaccurate, as any normal human listening in would only hear a series of chirps and whistles of no discernable pattern or meaning. Yet for the person to whom it spoke, the message came as a direct, feminine voice.

Golden eyes scanned over the bustling streets below as the silver-haired Nasod constructed a detailed mental map of her upcoming base of operations. Notes were taken and pins were placed for all the pubs, parks, and other such areas of high civilian traffic; any place where she could glean info to help in her search.

Yet as she worked with the flood of new incoming data, she became faintly aware of something else creeping into the back of her mind. It was a strange sensation of static that existed only as a weak, almost indiscernible, flicker in the furthest reaches of her core's communications systems. After half a day's worth of flying over the desert, however, the sensation intensified into something else. It was a signal and it was decrypted.

No response from her mistress. The white drone tilted slightly. "Mistress Eve?"

The Queen of Nasods blinked at the call of her name, shifting her focus on her loyal drone. Her response was slow and was grounds for immediate concern from her servant, who then flooded the neural link between the two with a flurry of inquiries. Eve dismissed it all with a shake of her head, quietly reassuring the drone that there was nothing to worry about and reached out to pat her.

"Is it the voice again?" Remy asked. The queen's hand froze at the question for a moment; long enough to draw even more concern from the white drone.

"It is, isn't it? Has it gotten worse? Do you feel weaker? Has the corrupted code affected more of your programming?"

"Mistress Eve!" a voice filled with youthful vigor and over excitement rang in the Nasod's head. A black drone flew in from the aft end of the airship, chittering up a storm in a language only its mistress could understand.

"This city is amazing! It may not be as densely packed as Velder but there's so many people from all around the world here! Not to mention all the neat things in all the market districts!"

"Moby," the white drone whirred, "Your sector?"

"Yes! They're all in my sector! Oh! We should check out the 'Cheese Wheel'. That place sounded interesting! And the 'Rock Salt Restaurant' sounds exotic. And I saw a bunch of people flocking to a place called the 'Tail Feather'. We should check that place out, too!"

"Moby!" the white drone whistled.

"Yes, Remy?" the black drone ceased its ecstatic twirling to give the white drone its undivided attention.

The white drone visibly trembled in what could only be discerned as anger and annoyance. It was only when their mistress placed a hand on the white drone's head that Remy settled down. Eve shook her head quietly at Remy before gesturing calmly towards the white drone's partner.

"Report for your sector," Remy said flatly. Eve tapped the drone twice on the head; she flinched from the slight contact before relenting, "Please."

"Oh… Oh!" Moby perked, "I forgot."

The gyroscopic engines within the white drone whirred violently and, had it not been for their mistress wrapping her arms around her, she would have pushed the black drone overboard. Instead, Remy was quietly tucked under Eve's arm before she turned to face Moby. She placed a hand over her chest. A single word appeared in their communication log.

"Hurry."

"Y-yes, Mistress Eve!" Moby replied, "I won't let you down!" The black drone zipped away, zigzagging through the dozens of other passengers standing on the airship's main deck, as he made for the aft end of the ship, once more.

"Such a nuisance," Remy whirred, "There are other, more effective personality algorithms, mistress."

"I know," was Eve's reply on the private message log between the two.

"With all due respect, we can't afford to waste time like this."

Eve turned to the metropolis before her as the ship approached one of the large spires. She shut her eyes, letting out a soft, trembling sigh as a red display winked into existence in front of her.

59%

It was almost due to move up another tick. She understood the constraint she was in, but it was something she was afraid to monitor. She didn't want to be reminded of how little time she had left and would've preferred it if Remy didn't constantly pressure her. Still, it was a necessary reminder to keep her focused on the upcoming task. The red number was shoved out of her view and she leaned forward, gripping the railing as impatience and anxiety took hold of her.

"I know."

With the functionality of her systems slowly declining, the Nasod figured it would only be a matter of time before the efficiency of her scanners would fall to the same fate as her ability to heal or lead other Nasods.

To make matters worse, finding a place was only part of the challenge. What she was really worried about was the method of com-

"So, this is Sander," a young man interrupted her train of thought as he hung over the railing of the tiny transport airship, "I always thought it to be a lot smaller, being in a desert and all. Have you been here before, Eve?" He ran an arm along his jaw, wiping the beads of sweat that quite literally poured from his head.

He and the rest of the other passengers aboard the transport had to suffer through the blistering heat the entire day. The hot desert wind and layers of Velderian Knight's armor didn't help much. Eve wasn't spared from the heat either, as the black one piece and high boots she wore were perfect for absorbing the intense sunlight.

A bright blue text screen popped up over the Nasod's head as white letters began to flood it, substituting her missing voice:

No. I've only ever been within the confines of Altera's Core. Everything beyond Lunastre is-

"That's odd coming from a member of the El Search Party," a tall, blonde woman joined in as she occupied the open spot next to the redhead by the railings, "I always imagined you folks to have traveled all over Elrios, Lord Knight Seighart."

"Elsword's fine, Rose. I'm not into that whole… ranking officer crap," the knight waved, dismissively, "So I take it you've been here before?" No longer donning the Velderian Markswoman's uniform that she initially appeared in, the woman was dressed in a less elaborate, loose fitting white long sleeve top and a pair of ivory cargo pants in anticipation of the significantly warmer climate they were flying into. Her long blonde locks were tied in a loose braid that fell to the small of her back and she looked much more comfortable than the party members she had been assigned with.

Eve didn't say anything after she was interrupted. Not like she could, anyways. Her half-written message that hung over her head remained unfinished for a moment longer before she deleted the text box entirely, opting not to bother tapping Elsword's shoulder for attention just so he could read what she wrote.

"I lived here for a few years, yeah," Rose smiled as she scratched the tip of her nose, "When Velder was lost I fled across the ocean and found myself here after aimlessly traveling from village to village in the desert."

Elsword cocked an eyebrow, "When Velder was lost? Whatcha mean?"

The blonde clammed up quickly upon realizing the minor slip of the tongue. Of the two listening in on her conversation, Eve was the only one faintly aware of Rose's history. She never spoke about it nor did Eve ever bother to ask. Not that it was a problem for Rose, anyways as the blonde tended to avoid speaking to the Nasod in general. To the rest of the group she was an orphan who had to fend for herself while taking care of her sister, Pet.

A large cargo ship leaving the city rumbled past them, causing the entire airship to sway under the gust of wind and forcing the occupants to hang on to the railing for dear life.

"Hey! Watch where you're going, asshole!" the redhead shouted while their small transport ship stabilized, "You'd think that guy wouldn't even care if he knew we were escorting someone important."

"Honestly, he probably wouldn't," Rose stated, "This is Sander, after all. In this city, everything, even human lives, has a price tag on it. He was probably more worried about his shipment reaching the shores on time than anything else."

"Still, though," Elsword grumbled, then quickly remembering that they were indeed tasked with escorting someone important, "Ah crap, I gotta check on her."

"The emissary's probably still hanging off the aft end of the ship spewing her guts out, especially after that near miss," Rose chuckled.

Elsword groaned, pushing off from the railing to go look for their client, all the while grumbling to himself. "She signs up for a job that requires her to travel and yet anything from birdback to boats causes her to hurl. Clearly she's fit for the task. Just hire Elrios's greatest heroes and put them on bucket duty for the entire trip. No problem..."

Though Eve would never outwardly admit it, she was relieved to see the knight mostly back to his old self. Mostly. It was certainly much different compared to when they initially left Hamel. The young man refused to speak with anyone. Even his sister respected his wish to remain alone. It hurt watching him mourn over Aisha's death and, for a while, the Nasod felt he wouldn't be the headstrong human she was once attracted to. However, seeing him again after nearly a year had passed proved her wrong. The events in Hamel had scarred him both mentally and physically to the point where even Eve was able to pick up when he was trying too hard to mirror his former adolescence. He was still the brash, reckless idiot she remembered him to be, but there was also this tempered cynicism in the way he acted, now. No longer did he use any and all opportunities to poke fun at others or himself. Instead, even though he had openly stated that he was over the loss of Aisha, Eve had caught him numerous times staring off at nothing in particular. Raven called this the "Thousand-mile stare". Even the Nasod was able to garner the significance of such a trance and she was quick to understand why no one would bother him about it.

"Eve?" Rose broke the silence between them and the silver-haired android tilted her head curiously at the blonde.

"Sorry if I, uh, interrupted you. Earlier. Didn't know you were, um, talking. To him. That's all," she spoke without looking at the Nasod. She fidgeted as if she wasn't even sure if the words she was saying made any sense to their listener.

Eve shrugged as a text box appeared above her head.

Apology accepted.

The reply caused Rose to purse her lips and she snorted before shaking her head.

A large question mark appeared on the text display, to which Rose waved the question off, "Don't worry about it. We're about to dock, anyways, so we should get ready."

Before she could leave, however, Eve raised a hand signaling for her to wait.

You mentioned you've resided here for several years. I have a few questions regarding various points of interest that I'd-

Rose nodded, half-reading the text message before cutting her off, "Yeah, sorry. This is going to have to wait. Right now we have to go. The dock runs on a tight shift and they've been known to force people off the boarding platforms without all their belongings if they took too long to unload."

"Elsword!" his older sister could be heard in the ship's lower deck, "Hurry up! We're about to dock! I got your pack on me! How's she doing down there?"

"Uh… I'm going to need a mop again; where'd you put it?" Elsword's voice echoed in reply.

"Rose had it last, I think," Elesis shouted. The Blazing Heart was seen stomping out of the lower level, drenched in sweat.

"There you are," the redhead said upon spotting the markswoman, "Hey, newbie, clean up duty. Get to it."

"Who does she think she is calling me a newbie?" Rose shook her head as she turned to Eve, "I'll be right back."

And with that Eve was left with a half written message in display once more. Her hand dropped as she tapped her heel in frustration. This was going to be a long trip.

Raven emerged from the lower deck and approached Eve, he handed Eve her travel bag. "Thanks, again, for coming along with us," the Blade Master said. Yet as the Nasod took the bag, she found herself wrestling against the much stronger grip of the veteran who refused to let go. He continued, "With how small the El Search Party has become, it's nice knowing we can still form a functional group of four."

Raven stared hard into her eyes, concern vividly evident in his gaze before he let go. Eve held her travel bag close to her chest, already well aware of what troubled his usually stoic demeanor.

A heavy clang echoed around them as the transport vessel linked with the waiting dock. The passengers onboard had flocked to the ship's opening gates and were already quickly disembarking, including Elsword, Rose, and Elesis.

Raven hung back with the Nasod as Eve stepped back, averting her eyes as she slowly shook her head.

I just needed the means to travel here. Your business with Velder and Sander are none of my concern.

"At least stick around until we figure out our lodging situation. We're on an escort job for Velder nobility, after all. If we're lucky we might be given decent accommodations as part of her guard."

But I'm not part of the El Search Party anymore.

"Neither is the markswoman," Raven replied, nodding towards Rose, "But whether you're part of our group or not, you're still our friend."

Eve hesitated at the suggestion and as she expected, the Blade Master took that opportunity to press on.

"I know I'm just repeating myself by saying this, and I know you're not the type to openly seek help from others, nor do we know anything about Nasod coding, but I just want to remind you that we're still here for you. And if it's anything as small as finding you a place to stay, then it's really no bother for us. At least, it isn't for me."

"The human presents a meaningful suggestion, mistress," Remy whistled, "Perhaps it would be best to take advantage of their offer."

Fine. But don't expect me to assist you if the situation calls for it. Furthermore, I don't wish to keep all of you waiting for my sake. Once you've finished your business here, I'm perfectly capable of handling my problems alone.

"Got it," Raven said, a content smile crossing his lips, "We're all just worried about you, so don't feel as if you're imposing on us."

The message disappeared as the Nasod hugged herself tightly.

And… thank you. I'll try not to be a burden.

The mercenary shrugged lightly, "Don't worry about it. It's not like we have much to do here, after all. We're just here as extra insurance. We'll be out of your hair in a week, tops."

Eve stared up at an enormous portrait hung up on a wall that towered at least two stories over her. Framed in what appeared to be pure gold was an oil painting of a rather rotund individual who stared back at the viewer with sharp, appraising eyes. Two ends of a long mustache peeked out from under his round nose, accenting the full cheeks and large chin. His smile bore the look of a salesman and his successes were worn in the form of regal off-white and bronze robes. Resting on his circular head sparkled a white and silver sultan's headdress.

His Greatness, Sultan Hanna Dafarr was inscribed in a golden placard at the bottom of the large painting.

"He's fat," Moby commented.

"His weight has nothing to do with his ability to rule," Remy stated, "Had our mistress been designed to be unreasonably heavy, I'm certain her ability to lead our people would remain largely the same, right mistress?"

Eve tilted her head as she quietly tugged on her dress at her hips before shaking her head in disgust.

"I'd rather be the way I am," her reply read in the group's message log. She turned around and took a seat on the stone bench in front of the picture as she waited for the others to finish speaking to the registrar. "Searching for someone, please enquire for details" were written in big white letters in a large blue display that hung over the Nasod's head.

Despite her rather peculiar yet straightforward request, not a single visitor of the hundreds that came in and out of the palace approached her to assist.

She was beginning to think taking up Raven's offer was a waste of time. Most of the early afternoon had been spent making their way through the busy daytime streets to bring the emissary to Sander officials. Thankfully the one named Rose knew the city well enough to guide the rest of the group to the city's palace. Eve quickly learned, however, that finding their way to the palace was only half the problem.

"What do you mean he's 'booked' for the entire month?!" Elesis slammed her palms against the satin-covered wooden desk, the already warm room growing noticeably hotter as her frustration manifested into an aura of flames around the Blazing Heart. "We've spent almost a week sailing over an ocean, over half a day traveling by air, and two hours waiting in line and now you're to tell me we have to sit around doing nothing for an entire month?"

Her voice echoed loudly in Sander Castle's grand registration hall. Lining either side of the expansive hallway were registration desks, manned by over twenty registrars tending to the masses of people who had business with the city's superiors.

Sitting on the other side of the kiosk and the target of the woman's fury was one of Sander Castle's registrar on shift: a balding, lanky, middle-aged man, with narrow shoulders, a long neck and a particularly broad nose. He was dressed in goldish-tan silks and seemed rather unfazed by the Elesis's indignation.

"I'm sorry, madam, but unless your visit is of some importance, I'm afraid you must wait like everyone else. His Greatness is quite the busy man and he has no time to speak to just anyone."

"Do you have any idea who we are?!" Elesis continued.

"Loud and obnoxious?" was the registrar's reply. If Elsword had not been there to hold his sister back, the woman would have most definitely cooked him where he sat.

The younger brother struggled to keep his sister in line while simultaneously motioning to the person they have been tasked to escort.

"Ms. Cleri?" he called in between grunts as he wrestled with Elesis, "Can you explain to this… kind gentleman why we're here?"

Elsword pulled his sister aside as the registrar's attention fell on a rather timid looking young woman. Standing at average height and dressed in the best Velder's artisan tailors could muster - which consisted of a rather long satin noblewoman's cloth draped loosely over her otherwise thin frame and topped with a thick velvet coat lined with golden thread - she looked every bit as sure of herself as a child being asked to plan a wedding.

In one hand she held a clipboard which she used to fan off the beads of sweat that dripped from her face and fogged her thick reading glasses. Her braided brown hair was a mess from the rather windy flight over the desert early and several messy strands stuck unattractively to her thin rosy cheeks. Held in her other hand and pressed close to her chest was an ornate golden box magically sealed shut with hundreds of tiny black runes. As professional as she was made to appear upon arrival in the Sander capital, she looked both frightened and on the verge of collapsing from heat stroke.

"And you are?" the registrar asked, clearly unimpressed by the sight before him.

"C-Cleri, sir. Claire, I mean. Claire Kindlesprite."

"Very well, Ms. Kindlesprite―"

"Cleri is fine."

"Whatever. I take it these are your servants?"

"T-they're my personal guard. Not my servants."

"Hired dogs, then. I'm not going to argue semantics all day: do you wish to schedule a meeting with His Greatness, or must I call on our guards to see you out?" the registrar calmly reached for a bell at the corner of his desk. The castle's soldiers were already clutching their blades at the mere motion.

"That won't be necessary!" Cleri squeaked, "A month's time will do!"

"Hey, wait a minute! No!" Elesis protested, still under her brother's grasp, "His Greatness either sees us now or he sees the bottom of my boot! I'm not wasting a month of my life waiting for a stupid meeting!"

"Elesis! Shut up!" Rose whispered.

The registrar sighed and rang the bell. Immediately the castle guards surrounded the six visitors with scimitars and spears at the ready.

"Elesis?" Raven grumbled, standing back to back with the other five members of the group. He saw the two redheads reaching for their weapons, to which he raised his hand to stop them, "I believe you owe the gentleman an apology."

"Kindly see Ms. Kindlesprite and her dogs out of the palace. Oh and do try to keep them from bleeding on the tile. My bell ringing hand is too tired to call for a cleaner," the registrar said with a shooing motion before turning to the next visitor in line, "Next!"

"But―" Cleri protested only to have a spear brandished inches from her nose.

The group was escorted out of the palace with Elsword and Elesis being thrown out onto the pavement. They found themselves at the top of a stone set of stairs that flanked either side of a large fountain depicting a woman pouring an ever flowing urn of water over her thinly clothed body. The escorting guards stood watch at the doorway, preventing any future access for the El Search Party and leaving them no choice but to make their way down the stairs in defeat. By then, the sun had nearly completely set. The amber glow of electric lamps filled the calmer streets.

"Great!" Elesis exclaimed, "This is just great. We travel halfway around the world as Elrios's most expensive cleaning service for an emissary who can't stand her ground―"

"Elesis… enough," his brother began.

"And then we get told to buzz off 'cus 'His Greatness' is too busy shoving coins up his ass to see us!"

By then Eve had lost interest in the conversation between the humans. She pulled away from the group, bright blue sign still hanging over her head as she idly let her legs carry her across the length of the courtyard towards the palace's main exit. The streets were far less busy with businesses closing for the day. Her chances of gaining any info had substantially fallen at this point and she deleted the display with a flick of her wrist.

The static had returned - rather, it had never left. With calmer streets and more time to sort her thoughts, Eve's focus had returned to the same encrypted static feed that her sensors had been picking up since that morning. At this point, Eve didn't know what to make of it. It would take some time to decrypt the transmission and she wasn't sure if it would be worth her time dedicating her limited resources to work on it.

Through all of the static, though, she could still hear Elesis firing off complaint after complaint at the other four.

"Elesis! I said that's enough!" her brother ordered.

"Yeah? I heard you. So what then? My point is: we were sent here to this hot, miserable desert and now we're expected to just turn around and go home? Let me remind you we don't get paid for a job half done. If we go home with Cleri not doing her job it means everything we've spent on expenses comes straight out of our pocket. And we're not exactly swimming in ED, here. Not since Mr. Leader-of-the-Black-Crows decided to blow nearly all of our cash buying out the loyalty of a bunch of crooks!"

Eve watched as the Blazing Heart pointed an accusatory finger at Raven. The Nasod had seen him caught in these situations enough to expect the mercenary to return fire with a well-phrased remark that would shut Elesis down. Surprisingly he said nothing. Not even an attempt to silence Elesis was made when he almost always would have done so. Instead the mercenary let the redhead go on her verbal tirade until she simply ran out of steam.

"You done?" Raven asked as silence finally befell them, the sound of Elesis quietly huffing and puffing sustained the tension in the air.

Elesis sighed. "Yeah," she nodded as she flopped at the fountains edge, "Yeah. I'm just... It's just been a long, rough, day."

"It has been for all of us," Raven agreed.

"I'm sorry," Elesis continued, "I know what you all are thinking. I stepped out of line. I shouldn't have…"

Elesis pounded her knuckles into the hard limestone.

"Cleri?" her voice was direct and sudden, enough to cause the young emissary to jump, "What I said about you earlier, I didn't mean it. I'm sorry."

"Oh!" the brown-haired woman waved it off sheepishly, "No. Everything you've mentioned regarding me is well justified. I never really traveled further than Velder's outer walls in my life. Me being here is the result of a well connected family and a silly dream of one day experiencing the world in person rather than through books. I just… never imagined traveling would be so taxing on my body."

"Still. What I did was stupid. What I said to you was just plain mean. And for that, I'm sorry," Elesis muttered, letting her head drop apologetically.

"We just need a break," Raven nodded, "We'll start fresh tomorrow morning. Find a place to stay in the meantime. Preferably some place affordable."

"I know a few cheap rooms we can rent," Rose chimed in. "Depending on how sure you are of keeping an eye on your valuables, I can show you some decent inn locations."

"How about somewhere sensible and not at the expense of peace of mind? I'd rather not have to worry about thieves tonight," Elsword groaned.

"I have just the place," the blonde replied.

Their client called for their attention as she tentatively dug through her travel bag for her money pouch. "Um… and if it helps, I can foot the bill for tonight. I understand you all are short on money so this is the least I could do to pay you back."

Hearing this caused Elesis to glance over at Raven excitedly who, after taking a moment to consider the offer, accepted it. "We don't usually take advantage of generous offers like this," he stated, "But we'll repay you. I promise you that."

"No, don't worry about it, really. It's my pleasure!" Cleri reassured him.

"In that case I'll have a few drinks courtesy of Ms. Kindlesprite!" the Blazing Heart exclaimed, throwing a welcoming arm over the emissary's shoulder. She waved at the Nasod who had been standing near the entrance of the courtyard, staring quietly past the gate, since the group had been forced out of the palace. "You hear that Eve? Drinks are on Cleri, tonight! You should join us!"

The moon was full tonight. With the city lights, it was impossible to pick out any of the constellations. This was strange to Eve: seeing a human city so active at the late hours of the night was unusual even for Velder's capital. Even though most of the businesses had closed, many of Sander's residence flocked to the late night bars and taverns. This was quickly apparent when the inn Rose took them to was flooded with bar patrons. Initially, Eve took this as a prime opportunity to continue her search. However, despite sitting in the middle of the tavern with a large sign over her head, no one seemed to want to speak to her. She garnered the occasional sideways glance of curiosity every now and again but after a quick appraisal of whoever was looking, they would quickly ignore her.

She didn't want to speak with any of them, anyways. The scents of alcohol and tobacco that assaulted her senses were too much to handle and the patrons' overall rowdy demeanor was simply abhorrent. If Eve were to make a list of things she despised most about the human species, their overindulgence would definitely be among the top in the list. It was enough reason for Eve to abandon her search for the night and resign herself to one of the two-person rooms Rose rented for them.

The door squeaked open and the loud jubilations of drunks singing their cares away flooded the room before the soft click of the door brought the volume back to a soft muffle. Eve turned to find the emissary doing her best to remain as unnoticeable as possible as she tentatively set her belongings aside for the night.

There wasn't much to the room save for two mattress boards and a single nightstand with an unused oil lantern resting on top. With no means to light the lantern, Remy sat on the nightstand, pointing her headlights upward and filling the room with its bright fluorescent glow. As Rose mentioned, the rooms were cheap. They were safe, given the fact that each room had a lock, but the wooden boards weren't going to be enjoyable to sleep on.

"I guess you and I will be roommates, huh?" her voice squeaked quietly from the other end of the room.

Eve didn't answer and instead returned her attention to the window overlooking the stone rooftops of an amber-lit district. Cleri didn't seem to mind being ignored. In fact, she seemed quite content with Eve's lack of words. The Nasod heard the roommate shuffling through her bag. There was a distinct pause in movement followed by a clearing of her throat to grab Eve's attention.

The Nasod turned her head to her once more only to find Cleri pointing at the black drone hovering at Eve's side. Moby was looking at Cleri who seemed hesitant to change in front of her companion. The Nasod Queen placed a hand on the drone's head, gently rotating it around to face out the window with her.

"Thank you," Cleri muttered passively as she began to undo her layers of regal clothing.

The shuffling continued for a few minutes more before a soft "Okay!" was uttered. No one but Moby turned around, garnering a light chuckle from Eve's roommate.

"You don't talk much, do you?" Cleri asked, prompting Eve to look over her shoulder at her.

The Nasod pointed at her throat, making a cutting motion with her hand afterwards to depict her inability to speak. Cleri tilted her head at Eve and the Nasod sighed, turning fully to the emissary.

She took a deep breath, shutting her eyes and opening her mouth as a garbled, almost indecipherable voice came through like a broken audio speaker.

"I. Can't. Speak."

"Oh! I'm sorry! I didn't know," Cleri replied, putting a hand over her mouth.

A blue display box appeared hovering next to Eve's head and a single word appeared in white text.

Apparently.

"Forgive me. I tend to keep to myself around new people. I just always saw you as the quiet type. I didn't know you literally couldn't talk."

Eve tilted her head to the side, her golden eyes pulling away from the annoyance sitting on the bed in front of her.

I prefer to omit communication because of it.

"I see," Cleri nodded. It seemed as if the conversation was to be left as that, but Eve could still feel the woman's gaze on her.

What do you want?

"Sorry. It's just… you're really a Nasod, aren't you?"

Isn't that obvious?

"Sorry! I never ever saw one in my life. I just read about them in books. I always thought Nasods looked more… mechanical. But you look just like a real person!"

Eve's brow furrowed at that.

I am a real person.

"Oh. Oops, sorry. I didn't―"

Stop saying sorry.

"Ah! You're right, sorr― I mean, okay," Cleri stopped to catch up with her thoughts. She exhaled, calming herself down before speaking, "I just think it's amazing that's all. Looking at you, that is. At first glance you could easily be mistaken as human. But your ears, the blue gem hidden under your bangs, the companions following you… you're most certainly something more."

Your point being...?

Cleri shrugged, "I don't know. I figured maybe that's why people are hesitant to approach you."

Eve's eyes narrowed.

What do you mean?

"Y-your sign. It said you're searching for someone. I don't know who it is you're searching for but your way of approaching the situation is a bit… peculiar."

I can't speak. The sign is necessary.

"I'm not saying it isn't. But you'd think at least one person would've approached you by now asking what all this was about, right?"

The Nasod rubbed her chin in thought.

I suppose you're correct. It's odd that not a single human has at least enquired about my situation.

"There are other ways to gather information," Cleri nodded.

Should I use force, then?

"Goodness, no!" the emissary exclaimed, hand over her chest in shock, "I mean I can help you. Maybe people are intimidated that you're a Nasod. Maybe I would be able to assist you in getting others to speak."

I'd rather let you finish your business and be on your way.

"In my spare time, I mean. I don't know if you've heard but the earliest I can meet His Greatness is a month from now, assuming they even let me see him. That's a lot of free time. If we don't go home empty handed right away, I can perhaps assist you with your troubles."

Why do you insist on helping me?

Cleri groaned, dropping her head in self-depreciation, "I've been a burden to all of you for the entire trip. And now, with the possibility of us coming home with nothing to show for it, I feel absolutely terrible knowing the esteemed El Search Party had to babysit me on a botched trip to Sander. The least I could do is foot the bill for tonight and help you all as much as I can. And that's why I want to do what I can for you, too."

Eve crossed her arms, sighing as she tapped her heel in annoyance.

Let me get one thing straight between you and I: I am not part of the El Search Party.

Cleri blinked, "You're not? But according to the contract, it stated―"

I quit the El Search Party nearly one year ago. I'm only here because you were aboard the only ship heading to Sander at the time. Us traveling together and lodging together are merely because I took Raven's generosity to fund for my stay while the El Search Party handles their business here. Given my circumstances, I took up his offer under the impression you would only be here for a week. The situation has changed, however, and from the looks of things, you are either leaving soon or waiting an entire month to complete your objective. I am not going to take advantage of Raven's offer if that's the case. I do not like being a burden to others and I prefer working alone if I could manage it.

Eve turned her attention back to the window as the message faded away to make room for another string of text.

That being said, I am under no obligation to care for you. I don't want your assistance nor should you expect any in return. After tonight, I'd prefer it if we go our separate ways. I'll worry about my problems and you'll worry about yours. Understood?

The text hung in the air as Cleri quietly read her explanation, disappearing only when the emissary muttered a dispirited "okay" under her breath. She heard Cleri shuffle around on the wooden board and it sounded like she was turning in for the night. Eve waited a moment after the shuffling ceased, her focus returning to idly decrypting the static that persisted in the back of her mind before glancing over her shoulder at the emissary.

Cleri was staring at Remy, hand tentatively extended towards the white drone as she searched for some kind of switch.

Do you want the light off?

"I-if it doesn't bother you, yes, please."

A holographic display of a dial appeared in front of her and she turned it counter-clockwise. Remy's headlights simultaneously dimmed to a faint glow, bathing the entire room in shadow.

"Good night, Ms. Eve."

There was a long pause as Eve's display window remained empty, though it quickly became apparent that Cleri was waiting for a response. The Nasod relented.

Good night.

Nothing else was said afterwards, though Eve could have sworn she heard the emissary mutter something the Nasod couldn't quite catch before exhaustion got the better of her and she fell asleep.

"She thinks you're 'cool'," Remy whirred in simulated amusement.