"So, what should I call you?"

Lupus and the young girl were currently making their way out of the forest and back to the path, their encounter was sudden but had luckily not ended badly. Lupus kept herself slightly ahead of the young girl and was beginning to ask some questions before they would shortly find themselves back with her sisters.

"Ana." She said this hoping that a barrage of follow up questions would not follow.

"Ana? I guess that name suits you. You look young, how old are you? Were you always all by yourself? Also, why are you acting all shy and mysterious?"

Ana cringed slightly at the last question, disliking whenever anybody commented on her reserved character. She took a moment to think about a response that could address all these questions and shut down any further questions concerning herself but found it difficult to do so, at least without seeming rude about it. She decided to be straightforward and hope that Lupus would cease asking any further personal questions.

"I don't see how answering those questions would benefit anyone, besides we're back on the path. Are those your sisters?"

Lupus raised an eyebrow after hearing Ana's response to her questions and then switched her attention from that, to her waiting sisters ahead.

"Yeah! Come on, I'll introduce you!"

Ana continued to trail behind Lupus, mentally preparing to once again meet new people. She was able to spot both of Lupus's sisters and tried to visually inspect them before any real introductions were made, mostly to see if any dangers were immediately present. They were both much shorter than Lupus and she assumed that they were much younger as well. Ana also noticed that one of the girls had an eyepatch and the other was nearly covering her entire person under a cloak and mask. This, along with Lupus's mace that she took notice of a while ago, told her that these people had some experience in combat. The girl with the eyepatch had obviously been injured sometime ago, the cloaked girl might've had some experience in assassinations and Lupus obviously had her strange magic that allowed her to conceal her presence and travel quickly. Overall, Ana still believed Lupus to be the most capable but chose to not judge too harshly until she met the other two girls.

"Shizu! Entoma! This is Ana, she was the one that was hiding behind that log and then led me on a little chase afterwards! She's a little shy and doesn't like answering questions but I think that makes her more interesting!"

Ana shot a quick glare towards Lupus for describing her in such a way but recouped herself to begin speaking with Entoma and Shizu.

"Hi, like your sister said, my name is Ana. Which of you is Shizu?"

"I am." Shizu spoke softly and didn't sound too interested in meeting Ana.

Ana noticed Shizu's impassivity and directed her attention to Entoma, "So you're Entoma then."

"Yep!"

Ana nodded in response to Entoma but then found herself not having anything else to say, she could have brought up the food that Lupus mentioned but could only bring her hands together underneath her cloak and lower her head. She didn't foresee herself sticking around this group for long but still did not want to ask these strangers for anything, it just wasn't in her personality to do so.

"Oh! Shizu you said you had some snacks in your pack, right? I kinda told Ana that you would share some of it, so…" Lupus suddenly announced, gesturing for Shizu to offer some.

Shizu, in return, offered Lupus a slightly annoyed look but proceeded to take off her backpack and open it, looking for the few snacks that she brought along from Nazarick. She pulled out something that was wrapped with cloth and offered it to Ana.

Ana took a second to inspect whatever it was that Shizu was handing her and carefully took it, not recognizing it through looks alone. She unwrapped it from the cloth encasing it and noticed how uniform it was in shape, it also seemed to be made up of various ingredients.

"It's a granola bar…" Shizu said after witnessing Ana's slight confusion.

Ana still wasn't sure what that was but was able to recognize a few ingredients within the food item itself. While she was debating taking a bite of the unrecognizable food, her stomach growled, resulting in an embarrassed look from herself and finally deciding that she was probably overthinking it. She took a small bite and was surprised to find how sweet and chewy it was, her surprise didn't go unnoticed by Lupus.

"Good huh? I bet you've never had anything that tasty! Now that I've delivered on my end, how about we get going?"

Ana simply nodded and decided to travel with these three for a short time before she would attempt to break off on her own again, probably sometime during the night, since it was approaching.

Some traveling later…

The trip with the group of four, so far had been quiet, largely considering that Ana was not interested in answering questions or even talking about anything else. It didn't help that Lupus was the only one trying to get something out of her, Entoma was attentive but not asking much and Shizu looked completely uninterested.

The sun was beginning to set, and Ana was the only one who looked to show any signs of fatigue, she was surprised to see that nobody else was faltering in any way. She thought that at least Shizu would show signs of getting tired, considering that she was carrying supplies but even she was steady in her demeanor. Ana's feet were once again beginning to ache and she had only gotten a little sleep before the whole ordeal with Lupus occurred. She wanted to stop and rest for a while but didn't want to ask everyone to halt just for her. After some mulling over her situation, she decided that she would attempt to break off from the sisters using this reason as an out.

"Lupus..." Lupus directed her attention to Ana who continued, "I'm getting tired and want to rest, it doesn't look like you guys are though, perhaps it would be best if you kept going on your way without me."

Lupus took a moment to process what Ana had just told her and cheerfully replied, "That's not a big deal! We could go for a rest! Entoma, Shizu, Ana wants to take a break!"

Entoma and Shizu both drew their attention to Lupus, then to Ana who sheepishly tilted her head down, not expecting for Lupus to force a dead stop within the whole group. While the sisters didn't necessarily seem bothered by Ana's need for a break, she still felt embarrassed by the fact that she was the only one that was exhausted.

The group had strayed slightly off the path to settle in a small clearing that surrounded itself with trees and some sizable boulders. Ana had announced that she would retrieve some wood in order to start a fire, as a chill was beginning to make itself quite noticeable. She left to do so, also leaving the three girls to their own devices.

"Lupus…" CZ had softly called, as soon as Ana left.

"Hmm? What is it Shizu?"

"We should not act according to this human, I suggest we investigate whether this child has any significant abilities or information, then allow me a little time to write the report for the day and go on our way."

Lupus was surprised to see that Shizu was getting a little impatient and was about to ask why this was the case, until Entoma inserted herself into the conversation.

"Shizu, are you getting impatient because that girl doesn't want to talk or travel with us?"

It was true that Ana seemed to avoid any question asked of her, but the girls also noticed that she wasn't keen on traveling with them for long. Besides Ana's eluding of any question, she had also been keeping a significant distance from the three of them, it was as if she was preparing to run at any moment. While Lupus and to some degree, Entoma, showed some interest in Ana, CZ was beginning to think that Ana was just a common human whose weakness showed through her shyness.

CZ replied, "That girl, Ana, clearly does not want to travel with us, yes. I also think it is important to see that we are hindering our own progress by adjusting ourselves with her incapability. Like I said, let's ask her again about herself or anything she might know and then we will stay for some time for me to write our report."

Lupus offered her sister a soft smile before speaking, "Shizu, how about we ask her again but if she denies us any answers, we just keep working on it. After all, it might take a little more time before she decides to open herself up. Also, we aren't supposed to be racing to our destination, right?"

Shizu immediately replied with an expression that slightly conveyed realization, "Lupus, if your finding yourself searching for something to keep yourself occupied with, why not discuss the mission directly?"

"Shizu! We've already done that! Besides there's really no harm in trying to extract some information from her, it might yield some interesting results! You're with me, right Entoma?"

Entoma turned her head from CZ to Lupus in thought, "Hmm…I guess it's what we're supposed to be doing, Lord Ainz told us to learn things about this world after all."

CZ simply stared at her sisters before crossing her arms and saying, "Fine, but seeing as Ana is as reserved as she is, I wish to attempt a different approach in terms of questioning."

Back with Ana…

Ana had underneath her arm, a bundle of sticks that she found suitable for a fire, it was not a lot, but she had other thoughts running across her mind. A while after temporarily leaving the group, she had considered making her leave permanent by simply traveling through the woods again. This thought was short lived though, as she decided that her tiredness was in fact, too prevalent at the moment. Her thoughts then ran back to the three girls that she had met today, while they didn't seem significantly hostile, she knew that people could wait for the right time to make their move. She was slightly paranoid as to why these girls, or Lupus as least, seemed interested in getting to know her, it didn't make much sense in her own mind. The only thing that could have possibly caused any intrigue within strangers, was her pale colored eyes, which did hold a secret but one that she did not intend to share. Ana figured that if she kept avoiding any questions about herself, that the girls would become disinterested in her and allow her to fade into obscurity. With this in her mind, she decided that the bundle of wood she collected was enough for a little heat during the night and began to make her way back to the group.

As she was able to recognize some of her surroundings, Ana knew that she would soon find herself back with the other girls, she prepared to quickly announce that she would be sleeping after the fire was started. Ana crossed the final bit of wilderness that separated her from the girls and instantly noticed something strange, a warm orange glow emitting from where they had decided to stop. There was no mistaking it, that light was the product of a fire and a decent sized one at that.

As she finally came in view of their resting spot, she saw a pile of neatly stacked logs, in which a fire was being produced from. She wasn't just surprised by the fire itself, but by the way it was seemingly brought out from nowhere. Sitting close by and against a boulder, was Shizu, without her sisters anywhere to be seen. Ana was taken back by the fire but that itself was nothing compared to the odd sight of Shizu seemingly waiting for Ana's return. Ana immediately found herself tensing up at the situation, becoming suspicious as to why things were as they are now. Shizu had been staring at her since her arrival and was seemingly waiting for Ana to address the situation, which she opted to do so.

"Shizu? Where are your sisters?" Ana asked, attempting to sound indifferent about the situation.

"Lupus and Entoma decided to go out hunting, they are capable of doing it at night. Before they left, we started this fire, which can be fueled by your contribution-" Shizu looked at the small bundle Ana held, "however small."

Ana felt slightly embarrassed by her small bundle of wood but walked forward to set it next to the crackling fire. Afterwards, she finally sat herself against a tree that was opposite to that of Shizu and brought her knees close to further trap heat during this cold night. As she was being warmed by the fire and her own body, she noticed that Shizu still had her sights on her, although this time she wasn't sure what else she was supposed to say. Ana thought further about Lupus and Entoma going out to hunt and figured she could ask Shizu about that, specifically about the abilities they held that allowed them to hunt at night.

"Uh…so, Shizu, just what kind of people are your sisters that they can successfully hunt during the night?"

Shizu's face and answer did not falter in the slightest, "We are all simply optimized to have certain skills. You seem to be somewhat observant and careful about the world around you, why is that?"

Ana wasn't surprised that Shizu turned the question on her but decided to keep her previous track record of dodging questions, "It doesn't matter at all who I am, you know I'm actually pretty tired, it's probably for the best if I just go to sl-"

"Come."

Ana was cut off by Shizu's request, her command had been followed by her patting the ground next to herself. While it had been a command, it certainly didn't come off as one, as Shizu's soft voice negated any threating tone in her request. Ana was clearly hesitant to follow through with Shizu's order, but she did so in order to avoid any conflict or awkwardness. As she got up to move beside Shizu, she took hold of the dagger she kept underneath her cloak, refusing to let her guard down, even to the non-threatening girl. As she cautiously neared Shizu, she used her free hand to balance herself as she sat down next to her.

The two girls sat in silence for a moment before Shizu grabbed her backpack, which was sitting next to her as well, and dug inside to bring out one of her snacks. She unwrapped it to reveal another granola bar and proceeded to offer it to Ana.

Ana took the snack and said "Thanks." Before quickly taking a bite.

Shizu observed Ana for a second and began, "Ana, why is it that you refuse to share any information regarding yourself?"

Ana swallowed her food before speaking, "Like I said, it doesn't matter who I am. Your sister Lupus continually asked questions and now you, can I ask why you're so persistent?"

"Me and my sisters find ourselves in a unique situation, that's all I am willing to say, but because of this unique situation, we are in the process of gathering information in general. You alone hold no interest to us, it is accurate to say that you are simply a small detail that could help us understand certain scenarios in the future." As Shizu explained, her eyes were glued to the fire in front of them and her speech was unbroken.

Ana had proceeded to take another bite of the bar and swallow it as Shizu said this, she was trying to understand but found Shizu's explanation vague and confusing. The one thing that Shizu mentioned that did relieve Ana was the fact that they did not necessarily hold a great interest in her. If this was the hard truth, that meant that Ana was not in danger of being kidnapped or killed later. Ana came to the realization that unless this was some kind of long con, she was in no danger with these girls for now; her grip on the concealed dagger loosened and she relaxed her shoulders a bit.

She found the warmth of the fire comforting and the snack that was given to her was still as tasty as the last one. She found herself at ease next to Shizu, a state that was assisted by the fact that it was only the two of them conversing around the fire. While Lupus and Entoma were still potential threats, albeit low possibility threats, she felt better knowing that Shizu was level headed.

Ana swallowed and spoke, "Look, you don't seem like a bad person, I just have a tough time with people. If what you're saying is true, then I guess I don't mind sharing just a little about myself."

Shizu finally turned hear head to face Ana, showing her that the eye-patched girl was now fully engrossed in their personal exchange and Ana continued.

"I guess to start, yes I have been by myself for a while now but there was a time when I had…good people around me. I'm traveling like you guys seem to be doing but I don't really have a destination, I'm just making sure I survive. You guys found me, and I ran from you, the reason being that I've had encounters with a lot of bad people in the past."

Ana had decided to share something about herself, but found it difficult getting into detail, she was unconsciously still trying to keep herself safe through secrecy. Shizu noticed that Ana was doing this as well and decided to ask more specific questions.

"Ana, you keep a weapon underneath your cloak, are you proficient with it?"

Ana was surprised at Shizu's observance but answered quickly, "Uh, yeah a little, I'm pretty agile when I'm not tired or hungry but lack muscle to do anything besides slashing. What about you Shizu? I saw that Lupus had a mace and Entoma probably keeps her weapon concealed like me, but you don't seem to have anything, unless it's under that coat."

"I am armed, yes."

Ana nodded in confirmation and decided to further ask another question, having brought up Shizu's sisters.

"Your sister Lupus is kind of…excitable, has she always been this way?"

Shizu noticeably took a moment to think, "It is the way she was created."

Ana found her phrasing a bit odd but continued, "And Entoma, she seems very…wary, I suppose. I mean that her stare seems a bit…unrelenting. During our walk, while Lupus was attempting to question me, Entoma's gaze was something that I couldn't help but notice. I suppose it's safe to say that Entoma is cautious of new people too?"

Shizu took another moment to think, "Her appetite likely just got to her."

Ana found this answer odd as well, but decided not to press the issue, she herself was just as vague.

"Ana, I have noticed that your eyes are pale in color, is there any significance to that?"

Ana was a bit struck by Shizu's sudden and specific question but answered quickly, "N-no."

After her answer, Ana bit her lip and mentally scolded herself for stuttering during her reply, Shizu was observant and would probably notice this. Shizu sat with her same blank expression and simply nodded at her reply and then suggested that Ana get some sleep. Ana then proceeded to get up and return to the tree she had originally been sitting at, bringing her knees in and letting her head drop. As Ana slept in her unusual manner, Shizu once again dug in her backpack to bring out the materials necessary to write her report for the day. Shizu began with any details that she didn't include from their time at the village and wrote in great detail about the rest of the day.

As Shizu finished with the report, she heard footsteps approaching their camp and was able to discern them as Lupus and Entoma's. She looked up to see Lupus and Entoma interested in her immediately, they wasted no time in making their way over to her and sitting side by side. Lupus was the first to speak up and was obviously excited to talk with Shizu.

"So, Shizu, what did you find out?" Lupus said with some intrigue in her voice.

"Yeah! Oh, and is she…asleep?" Entoma inquired as well.

"Yes, Ana is currently sleeping. We spoke for a while and I managed to find out that she is indeed by herself, she said this had been the case for a while. I also found out that she has no destination in mind right now. I-"

"Really? Ugh, I thought she would be more interesting than that! I guess you were right Shizu, I guess we can get a move on huh?" Lupus suddenly interrupted.

"Wait." Lupus and Entoma were surprised by Shizu's Interjection, but they listened closely.

"Ana was vague regarding her past and there might be more to that, but more importantly, I suspect there is something she is trying to keep hidden. It may turn out to be nothing, but I suggest we try to get this information out of her."

Entoma turned her head to face Ana and replied, "So, you think she has some talent or something?"

CZ thought for a moment before deciding that her theory may be true, "I believe that may be the case."

"See! I told you there was something to her! Let's try to keep her around for a while, at least until we find out what she's hiding, plus it might be more entertaining if we kept her around!" Lupus said, ending her statement with a wide grin.

CZ simply nodded and Entoma leaned against the boulder to decompress for the rest of the night.

A/N: Thanks to Lutemis wedgegeck for the reviews, also for the bookmarks and favorites.