{Sunday}

"Ohhh, so, how does it work?" Xhez asked.

"I... Don't really know the details," Rin replied. "But, yeah, it takes you, like, halfway across the world.

The two of them were sitting at the edge of Rin's bed, precisely eight days away from when Rin would leave the city once more for her next test. Currently, it was the afternoon and, as Elisa was off somewhere else, Rin was telling Xhez about the International Railroad, figuring she could be interested in it. Maria had allowed Rin to take today off, so she figured she'd spend some time with Xhez.

"Could I see it?" Xhez asked, with awe in her eyes. "I-Is that possible?"

"Yeah, one of the stations is here in the city. We could take a trip over to it if you want."

"Wonderful!"

As Xhez celebrated, Rin grinned a little, wondering how she'd been so lucky as to end up with this sprite as a friend.

Then, however, someone knocked on the door.

"Shoot, get in the bag," Rin whispered and Xhez quickly did so, jumping and shrinking as she usually did, while the adventurer went to answer the door.

She had expected to find Elisa or Maria. Instead, as she opened the door, she came face to face with a woman she hadn't seen in a couple of weeks.

"Hello, rookie~"

Sye, the mage who had traveled with Cara and Eve as they had gone to look for Rin, was standing outside. The Mages Guild member was wearing a short purple dress, heavy eye shadow, a purple purse, and a few gold bracelets. She bowed when she saw Rin, and the adventurer had to resist the urge to close the door then and there.

"U-Uh, hi," Rin said, trying to hide the nervousness in her voice. She knew, after all, that somehow, someway, the Mages Guild was involved with what had happened to her. "I-Is there anything I can do for you?"

"Yes, actually," Sye replied. "I would like to speak with you."

"Um... We can't talk right here?"

"The middle of this hallway cannot be a comfortable place to have a relaxed conversation, can it?" Sye asked with a chuckle. "Besides, I have not yet had my lunch. With that being said, would you like to come to share a meal with me? We can sit in a nice, very public, location so that you know I'm not trying to harm you in any way. Would that help you relax a little?"

"... Was it that obvious?" Rin sighed, disappointed in her own lack of a good poker face.

"Yep. You are an awful, awful liar. But, that's good, considering I need your help to make my final report to my superiors before I head back to Cradle, and honesty is golden in these sorts of matters. Would you like to come?"

"Do I have to?" Rin asked.

"Absolutely not," Sye shook her head. "You are an adventurer, not a member of my Guild. As such, you are under no obligation to listen to a single word I say. If you tell me to shove off, I will dip, bow and walk away."

"Oh, uh, then..."

"But," Sye quickly interrupted her, "if you do come with me, I will make it more than worth your while."

"What?" Rin raised a brow. "What do you mean?"

"I'll treat you to something nice. I mean... No offense, but I've seen what they serve here and, I am sure you must be yearning for something more refined, right?"

"Not really."

"Eh, why pass up such a luxury anyway?" Sye shrugged. "Besides, my offer wasn't done."

Then, Sye reached into her purse and pulled out a plat. The coin glinted in front of Rin's eyes and the woman almost felt her throat dry up.

[Oh... crap.]

"This is yours the moment you choose to come with me," Sye told her. "I would merely like a moment of your time. How does all of that sound?"

"..."

[Okay,] Rin said to herself. [How stupid am I?] She wondered. [Am I really about to go with this lady, who could be out to kill me because I'm some sort of witness, just because I'm too poor to pass up one plat? Of course... not.]

---

{An Hour Later}

"I tell you," Sye said, "the food in this place melts in your mouth. None of the restaurants here surpass the best food Cradle has to offer, but a few come close, and this is one of them."

The rookie hung her head in shame as she listened to Sye speak, with the plat weighing heavily in her pocket.

[I'm weak.] 

A waiter walked up and placed two drinks on their table.

Ultimately, Rin's pockets begged her to go along with Sye, and the adventurer couldn't pass up the offer. She could already see the words written on her tombstone as she reached forward and put the glass cup to her lips and sipped some random tea Sye had ordered.

[Here lies Rin, too desperate to say "no" to even a single plat.]

"Rin, darling," Sye giggled. "Do you *still* believe I intend to do you harm?"

"I-I mean... No, I don't know, I..."

"I understand that you do not trust me or my organization, given the information that has come to light surrounding your circumstances, but," Sye put a finger up. "If I had truly wanted you dead, I would have slipped a knife in your throat the moment you walked out of your room. So, please, just relax already."

Rin sighed. 

[Well... She has a point,] she thought.

Although her mind was still telling her she was foolish for coming out here, she nodded.

"Uh, okay, that makes a little sense, I guess."

"Good, now, let's just eat the exorbitant pasta that I have ordered for us, and do as two beautiful women should do when they eat outside with each other, and let's chat for a little as we enjoy each other's company. Sounds good?"

Almost on cue, some lasagna, a local delicacy of Libera, found its way to their table. The two were in the kind of restaurant that, back at Dren, Rin would have believed her usual customers would love. The room they were in was dark, lit up with magical red torches, and devoid of other customers as there were nothing but empty tables around them.

Honestly, this space they were in felt far too intimate. This was the sort of place Rin usually imagined herself taking some dream girlfriend to. So, why had Sye dragged her out here?

"Now," Sye said, as she cut a piece of her lasagna off, "would you like to start the whole interview now, or wait until we're done eating?"

Rin was slow to answer, however, because she noticed something she hadn't before. Sye was, honestly, a beautiful individual. Her eyes were somewhat mischievous and made a dangerous pair with her slender face, like that of one of those poster models. Her lips, however, were what entranced Rin the most. They looked painfully plump and soft, which was a trait Rin loved in her female customers back at her old job.

Those same lips stretched into a grin as Sye lifted a thin brow.

"Rin?"

"H-Huh?" The woman shook her head. "What?"

"Heh," Sye chuckled. "You are simply adorable. I asked if you wanted to help with my report now, or get to it after this meal?"

"Oh. Won't the food get cold?"

"No," Sye replied. "I only have a few questions I wanted to ask you. If I'm being honest, this was mostly an excuse to go eat with someone. I don't actually know anyone here," Sye admitted. "I was having trouble finding some fun, so, I decided to test my luck with you."

"In that case then, uh, yeah, let's just get it out of the way."

"Splendid. Well then, the first question, did you identify any Mages Guild-related equipment or clothing at that fortress? Before or after you were displaced?"

"... Can you describe what that would look like?"

"Yes. Our guild members wear purple and gold uniforms, normally with hoods of the same colors when we're studying. We also carry with us some of these," she said, pulling out a badge of sorts. "It's our Mages Guild insignia. A crescent moon. Official members, so, anyone who isn't an initiate, is given one. Did you see anything like that?"

"..." Rin closed her eyes, trying to remember. "I remember the people who attacked me were wearing purple robes... But, I don't think they were purple and gold, specifically. And, I can't remember seeing any sort of badge on them."

"I see," Sye nodded. Strangely, she wasn't writing any of this down. "Next. Did any of them use the following spellsign?"

She asked as she drew a spellsign in the air. She wasn't pushing Essence into her fingers, so nothing happened, but still, Rin could tell it was a spellsign depicting a type of star.

"Um... No," she answered.

"Hm. In that case, I have nothing left to ask," she replied. "Now, onto our food!"

Just as Sye had promised, the lunch they went on to enjoy was something far better than anything Rin had eaten in this city so far. They largely ate in silence, as Rin couldn't find much to talk about and Sye appeared to be uninterested in forcing a conversation. The meal was over before too long. They washed down the meal with the tea Sye had ordered and the same waiter came to collect their plates.

Rin didn't feel full, but she wasn't about to be ungrateful for a free meal.

"Thank you," she bowed a little.

"Don't mention it," Sye told her. "I'm always glad to make a gorgeous woman's day better."

"..." Rin raised a brow, and she recalled what Sye had said a little while ago.

[Beautiful, gorgeous... Is she...?]

"Curious?" Sye asked, and Rin realized she was staring.

"S-Sorry."

"No, by all means, ask away," she said, leaning on a hand with an amused look. "I'm an open book."

Hearing that, Rin paused. She didn't know whether this sort of thing was considered normal here, people like her, specifically. Back at Dren, women who loved other women were common enough, but she hadn't seen a single same-sex couple since she'd arrived at Libera. On the other hand, Elisa, who had ordered Rin's services three years ago, was from Libera, so maybe she was an example of what was considered ordinary here.

Regardless, she decided to ask.

"Are you... Interested in..."

"Do I like women?" Sye asked, and Rin sighed, nodding. "No," Sye shook her head. Rin was surprised to hear that.

"Oh, sorry, I..."

"I *love* women," Sye continued and Rin blinked. "I'll admit to you, this is my first time visiting Libera. I was beginning to fear that I had stumbled upon a dreadful place that held absolutely none of our kind. Well," she chuckled, "excuse me, I don't mean to assume..."

"No, no, you're right," Rin nodded, smiling awkwardly. "Uh, guilty as charged."

"Oh..." Sye replied, arching a brow and a curious look came over her. "I'm glad to hear that."

As that was made clear, the two of them exited the restaurant and Rin turned in the direction of the Academy before Sye gently grasped her by the hand.

"... Rin," Sye said, as the adventurer turned toward her.

"Yeah?" Rin asked.

"... I do not mean to be too forward or sudden, though that is exactly what I'm doing," Sye stated, "however, I am leaving tomorrow. I was supposed to leave earlier, but I got an extension so that I could look around a little and speak with you. However, unfortunately, the last month has been somewhat of a... dry spell, for me, if you know what I mean."

Rin blushed a little when she heard that, as she quickly picked up on where Sye was going.

"We barely know each other," Sye shrugged. "So, do not be afraid to reject me, I am not speaking to you at this moment as a Guild member or a superior or anything of the like. The following suggestion I am going to make is simply that; a suggestion made by a desperate, desperate woman looking for a fun time," she stated, lacing each word with some silly dramatics. "But... Would you like to head over to my hotel later?" Sye asked. "I truly could use the entertainment. This trip has been utterly boring for me."

"..." Rin went quiet.

[What a bold person,] she thought.

"I promise," Sye grinned, "I know how to treat a lady right. I would hope the last hour showed a little bit of that off, no?"

"I..." Rin hesitated. "Can I think about it?" 

"Certainly."

And so, Rin paused.

A few different sides of her were clashing at the moment. One that had feared for her life in the presence of Sye just a bit ago, one that had, in all honesty, forgotten sex was even a thing thanks to recent events. 

She gauged the pros and cons of this, as the idea took shape in her thoughts. For one, being so close to the next mission, she figured she could use the distraction.  However, most importantly, she was certain Sye didn't intend to harm her.

As she's said herself, she had plenty of opportunities to do that today, after all.

[So... I guess, she actually is just that horny?] Rin wondered, briefly glancing at the woman. [I mean... She doesn't look bad at all. Hell, I'd say she's absolutely beautiful.] 

Now that she was looking at her a lot less fearfully, some thoughts began to circle in her mind. 

She could almost hear Felix cheering her on from the side, which made her smile a little. 

[Yeah, if he were here, it wouldn't be a question. He'd basically shove me at her.] 

Maybe it was silly, but she did wonder what an experienced mage could do in bed. She felt like she wasn't going to get this opportunity anytime soon.

[Huh,] she thought. [With all this adventuring stuff, that sort of thing hadn't even been a factor in my mind for a while. Maybe this could be good... to help get my mind off of stuff for a little.]

On that note, she felt a little courage appear inside of her.

"Okay," Rin replied. "But... Just for a little while. Maybe you can come pick me up later?"

Sye looked pleasantly surprised.

"Of course. See you later, darling."

With that, Sye turned away and Rin let out a deep breath. 

[Well, this is happening now,] she thought. [Who knows? I might end up with a story to tell Felix if things get... interesting.]