[SS] Chocolate Fish

January 18, 12:17, A Certain Mountain Village in Sweden

“My subordinates, we have arrived!”

So spoke the blonde-haired girl to her two companions. Though they were both several years her senior, meaning that she would typically be the one subordinate to them, the utter confidence with which she spoke made her declaration sound natural enough that a listener just might find themselves forgetting that for a few moments.

The girl, Vita, and her companions as well were all members of Necessarius, the 0^th parish of the Anglican Church, and despite the girl’s cheer they were on no hiking trip. They had been assigned to assist a fellow agent in a Swedish mountain village, and they had only just arrived. After meeting at the airport, they had tried to take a taxi to the village, but roughly three quarters of the trip through the paved road had abruptly vanished and they found themselves having to hike the rest of the way. As a result they had only just now arrived at the village where they would meet up with the other agent, right as the sun reached its highest point.

The town was a quaint place, without any tall buildings or spectacular monuments. But even from where they stood, just outside its confines, they could tell there was an odd hush to it. Though the town was not lifeless, there was a conspicuous lack of human activity. Even if one were to carefully observe the windows of the various buildings, they would spot the rustling of a curtain at most. Any stores were closed, all homes were locked, and only the smallest gaps in the blinds or curtains were left for the residents to peer out of.

Not the most welcoming of places, but that was hardly unexpected considering what had occurred in the village. In a small town like this it was only a matter of course that word of the childrens' disappearance would spread, and considering the occult nature of the event, strange rumors had doubtlessly spread with it. Even if it wasn't necessarily a surprise, however, it did mean that meeting up with their fellow agent would be made slightly more troublesome than it would have been otherwise. They hadn’t had the opportunity to decide on a location to meet, after all.

“Say, do either of you know who we’re meeting up with? Unfortunately, I’ve never met him, so I wouldn’t recognize him even if I saw him.”

But Vita completely ignored all of that, speaking with as much confidence and enthusiasm as ever.

Needless to say, the blonde girl walking in front of her exhausted stature had the confidence of a thousand men if not more. A born leader, one could say, despite her petite body. But alas, Vita's cheers were incapable of making Tierney ignore a fundamental issue she had with the hiking they had been through to reach the village in which they had been assigned to meet up with another agent.

If her currently heavily hands-on-knees panting state wasn't enough to tell, though it may have been explicitly mentioned, Tierney utterly despised extensive sessions of physical exercise of any sort. Despite being an official Necessarius member for about close to a year now, she had yet to come to terms with the fact that the job could be very physically demanding.

“My subordinates, we have arrived!”

There were no words that could have made Tierney happier.

“Thank God...!”

Having finally stabilised her breathing after a while, Tierney peeked up at the village they had arrived at and her eyes slightly widened; the general environment reminded her of her hometown and she couldn't help but feel a surge of nostalgia, however daunting the place proved to be. “But man, any of these buildings would be the perfect setting for a haunted house...” She dully noted to herself as she paid more attentive glimpses to the village, forcing aside her nostalgia.

“Say, do either of you know who we’re meeting up with? Unfortunately, I’ve never met him, so I wouldn’t recognize him even if I saw him.”

…

…

…

“...Eh? No, I've not met him. What about you, Edana?”

If Vita and Tierney's red-headed partner on this assignment had no clue who they were meeting up with either, Tierney firmly believed this would truly be a lovely and fun game of hide and seek with the agent.

Snow as far the eye could reach. A cold breeze. No trace of life. A narrow path through the wilderness. Scandinavian winter at its fullest.

Clad in a thick military jacket with classic camouflage pattern, wearing even thicker gloves much like those of a firefighter and long leather boots ideal for long hiking trips, Edana Callan was close to being perfectly equipped for this situation…wouldn’t there be the fact that she was wearing a miniskirt with nothing but panties underneath, leaving her thighs fully unprotected from the cold.

However that fact did not affect her, same went for the rather long, exhausting journey that found its beginning when the one in the warm yet cramped taxi had ended. While the smallest of the bunch was a cheerful as ever, the other blonde was close to collapsing from the strain the hike had apparently put on her body. The last one, Edana, remained as cold usual, not showing any signs of anything on her face.

Arriving at that ghost town wasn’t anything that made her budge either. Her flare like hair was simply swaying as a cold breeze passed by and that was about everything that moved about her.

«Say, do either of you know who we’re meeting up with? Unfortunately, I’ve never met him, so I wouldn’t recognize him even if I saw him.»

«…Eh? No, I've not met him. What about you, Edana?»

«Folke Sundquist was it? In preparation for the mission I went around the female dorms, seeking for someone that might hold information of interest on Sunquist, as I considered it necessary to have a set baseline.»

Edana would usually do such things. Any good hunter would inform themselves about the conditions they had to work with. Due to that reason she would often gather weather reports from the past and future, gather different kinds of maps of the same area, study her prey in the library etc.

«According to their description Folke Sunquist is a man in his early or mid twenties, tall, blonde, eyes like rare gems and overall amazingly attractive, yet not easy to ask out. It is said that he is a rather drawn back type, quite skilled at avoiding Valentine’s Day and other favourable opportunities. Rumour has spread that he is actually some sort of weird person, but that is apparently still unconfirmed, since no one knew who the source might be.»

Everything she had been able to gather, brought straight to the point with every detail her source had considered important finding mention. That was all she had been told and thus all she had known.

«…Eh? No, I've not met him. What about you, Edana?»

«Folke Sundquist was it? In preparation for the mission I went around the female dorms, seeking for someone that might hold information of interest on Sunquist, as I considered it necessary to have a set baseline.
According to their description Folke Sunquist is a man in his early or mid twenties, tall, blonde, eyes like rare gems and overall amazingly attractive, yet not easy to ask out. It is said that he is a rather drawn back type, quite skilled at avoiding Valentine’s Day and other favourable opportunities. Rumour has spread that he is actually some sort of weird person, but that is apparently still unconfirmed, since no one knew who the source might be.»

"Oh, truly splendid. As expected of Edana, thanks!"

In response to her able subordinate's incredibly detailed and only slightly stalkerish report, Vita expressed her sincere gratitude with an exuberant smile.

"Un, as I thought, you should really join me. Edana, won't you become a citizen of mine?"

And without allowing the slightest pause, Vita immediately segued into an attempted recruitment, all without losing her smile.

It was a truly beautiful smile. The pure joy and innocent good will it radiated were stunning. It wouldn't be surprising for a man's heart to skip a beat or two if they saw it. Faking such a thing would be simply impossible.

But, if. Just if. Even though there is not a single individual on this planet capable of faking such a thing, if that smile were to, in truth, be that of a statesman or scheming politician...

That would be a scary thing indeed.

A breathe of relief escaped Tierney's lips as Edana showed herself to be the only person who knew about the man they would be meeting. Now, they only needed to know where they would be meeting him.

"Un, as I thought, you should really join me. Edana, won't you become a citizen of mine?"

“Eeeh, Vita is being picky on her population? How unfair!” Tierney mockingly whined with her tongue out as she finally stabilised her breathing enough to initiate some adventuring into the village.

As she cautiously walked around she noted that this village was kept decently clean; the fact that no rats were currently roaming all over her feet reassured her that, compared to her beliefs when she was assigned to the mission, there were indeed hidden villagers maintaining the place to some degree. A sigh prompted Tierney to turn around and ask the two girls about their course of actions.

“Shall we go around and see if there's a welcoming inn around at the very least? There may not be but it'd be bad to sleep outside tonight if we don't manage to find Folke Sunquist, and right now it's our most reasonable information-gathering option that doesn't involve vandalism...”

Tierney herself was somewhat doubtful of her idea but without leads this would prove to be quite complicated; they could go and ask the villagers directly by going door-to-door but it was very likely the door would be slammed on them if it ever opened at all...

«Eeeh, Vita is being picky on her population? How unfair!»

«I am not interested.»

"Worry not, Tierney! Citizenship is available to all! I have not a single problem with accepting you! It's too bad that Edana rejected my offer, but receiving you means this is a joyous day indeed! Welcome to Rome, Tierney!" Vita shouted as she opened in arms in welcome.

She had completely taken Tierney's teasing as a desire to accept the offer she'd originally levied to Edana. Or at least, that was how it seemed. Despite all her childlike exuberance, however, Vita was actually quite shrewd, and anyone who'd known her for any decent length of time would be well aware of that fact. So despite her apparent straightforwardness, it was difficult to tell whether she was being utterly serious or teasing Tierney in return...

"Ah, Edana. You may have refused this time, but the offer remains open! Remember that!" Vita said, calling out to her companion as she noted her attention was being drawn elsewhere.

Like her companions, Vita too was giving the town a closer look now that they'd properly entered it. It had seemed empty, maybe even abandoned from afar, but from this distance all she could feel was a quiet uneasiness coming from the hidden residents. It wasn't a good atmosphere.

The kind of thoughts and feelings of people who'd barricaded themselves indoors, in their own village, as if they were under siege... She couldn't imagine what they were like, but she strongly suspected they weren't a positive sort. Honestly, she felt rather uneasy about the prospect of spending the night here. Just their presence must feel like an invasion to the villagers, huddled up in their houses, so how would they take it if they tried staying overnight?

«Heading there might indeed be the most logical path to take, in case there actually is such a place in here to begin with. Judging from the current surroundings the odds aren’t that high. Further more I would suggest for us to sleep outside over taking a stay at an inn, as… As… …as…!!!! As the weather is quite nice todaayyyyyyyyy!!!»

"Camping, is it? Indeed, the weather is fine, and the natural beauty of the wilderness seems stunning! I have no objections to that course of action!" So she instantly gave her approval to Edana's proposition, without caring overly much about her actual reasons for suggesting it. And, of course, without hinting at her own reasons for accepting it.

"Is that fine with you, Tierney?"

Inside one of those very unwelcoming buildings, Erin warmed up with another sip of tea offered by her client. Considering the nature of the case, she didn't even bother pretending to put on a happy smiling face to provide reassurance; a grim look was all that anyone could muster after being told that someone, or something, had been making children disappear. It was one thing for kidnappers to make their catch and then send their demands to the community afterward, but as increasing numbers of children vanished, it became quite clear that those responsible were not interested in money or making any deals. The perpetrator's goal was unclear, and there was really no further information to be extracted now that she was meeting the client in person, much to her dismay.

"Okay, start over again from the beginning..."

Earlier...

The whole day was miserable from the very outset. Erin was scheduled to perform an outdoor hand puppet show as part of her charity work for local children in her region of London. Naturally, when she was about halfway finished, the weather took a turn for the worst and she was left packing the portable hand puppet theatre without an umbrella to protect her and her clothes from the typical British rainstorm. She had barely managed to get back inside to clean up and dry her ruined clothes when her old rotary telephone began to ring. Expecting another telemarketer to be on the other end, she neglected to even answer with her Detective Agency's slogan. Despite the accent, Erin could tell that the poor woman was seeking out the private detective who used to live and work in this building. It was a double edged sword to be mistaken for the former business owner; while it gave her the opportunity to steal some of the former tenant's business for herself, it also meant that until the guy registered his new address and phone number, she was getting calls incessantly.

She wasn't about to accept a case taking place in another country entirely when she barely had enough money to live in London. However, right before she could regretfully tell the Swedish woman that the old detective no longer lived at her address, she overheard the most crucial and sobering detail: Children have been mysteriously vanishing all over the village with no explanation or apparent motive. The villager was too distraught to tell Erin much more than this, and without any hesitation, the young magician detective informed her that she would be on her way, that the children will be found. It didn't matter that she was likely nowhere near skilled enough to fill the shoes of her predecessor, someone was asking her for help and it was her duty to answer that call. She chose her magic name for a reason, after all. Using the last of her mother's leftover money, she booked a flight to Sweden and gathered all the maps she could find in the local library branch.

The flight was uneventful, but it would take something quite serious to get Erin's mind and focus off of the idea that innocent children were vanishing left and right, with their parents and community unable to do a thing to prevent it. She got a window seat, and watched the scenery in silence as it drifted past. Once she was trapped inside her own thoughts, it was quite a difficult ordeal indeed to pull her out from it. She knew that there was little to go on, and it was usually a bad sign that such a horrific case still had no new additional information or attention surrounding it at this phase.

Before long, the flight arrived at its destination. Her mother had made a disgusting habit of not paying for utilities at the many houses she took herself and her daughter to reside in, and so learning to keep warm was something that Erin had to do in order to survive. She packed well; a full set of winter clothes, coats, jackets, scarves, earmuffs, gloves, and even boots. This preparation came in handy when the necessity to travel to the village on foot past a certain point became quite clear. Preemptively dressed for the occasion, she had no problem hiking through the snow to reach the dreary village eventually.

Back in the present...

"...So they just up and vanished, and you and the others feel as though some sort of unnatural force or being is responsible?"

She did her best to pry for information without upsetting the client. It was difficult to persuade someone to think and speak clearly when their emotional state was so chaotic and disturbed. Not much different from commanding a badly injured person to remain calm, as a matter of fact. Emotional wounds could definitely cut deeper, and these wounds would only continue to fester and kill everybody here if those children were not found and brought back home safely very soon. The woman only nodded as she wiped tears away with a worn handkerchief that appeared to never leave her side. Since there was likely not any other settlements closeby, it was looking increasingly like she would need to go back outside and look around the wilderness once the few houses and businesses were investigated. Nothing as convenient as an evil laboratory, mansion, or asylum in the woods would present itself like in old detective novels, right?

That's when the grieving woman's phone began to ring, breaking up the awkward silence that filled the home. Erin watched as she rose to answer, with a look of desperation in her eyes. Our young detective didn't know any Swedish, but given the tone of the conversation, she knew something was up. When the receiver was replaced, the woman immediately went to the nearby curtained window to peer outside. Thinking it best to not waste the opportunity, Erin joined her client in watching the arrival of several people to the village. They stood out far too much to be locals, so it's not like she would have to ask if these visitors were familiar to the woman.

"Those people...are they friends of yours?"

"Can't say I know them. And judging from your reaction, getting visitors at a time like this isn't exactly the norm."

As the woman nodded slowly in response, she continued to watch the tourists, already sorting them into a mental category of possible suspects. However, she wasn't so stupid as to go out there and confront them. If they were up to something, it was best if they were left in the dark about her involvement altogether if she had any hopes of staking them out. Given that another villager had informed the woman about their arrival, their ad hoc surveillance network could at least be useful for tracking them. With a quick motion, she quickly grabbed a map of the village with one hand, while pointing hurriedly toward the telephone with the other.

"I want you to tell your neighbour to let everyone know to keep track of where these people go and when, and to report back to me with the data. Specific buildings, if possible."

“Ahahaha... I'm fine with staying Irish, thank you very much.” Tierney rejected the offer as she looked away and scratched her head; for one it would likely take generations to rebuild Rome's previous glory and for two, the fact she had joined the English Anglican Church and had dragged her feet all the way to Sweden did not mean she wanted to reject her wonderful Irish nationality.

Just because her memories weren't all that fancy didn't mean her country was inferior to any other!

Tierney silently prayed that Vita would not start listing the benefits of being a citizen of New Rome while on their mission, and her prayers were found answered by a sudden outburst from the most unexpected person of the group, causing Tierney to jump back ever so slightly in surprise.

«Heading there might indeed be the most logical path to take, in case there actually is such a place in here to begin with. Judging from the current surroundings the odds aren’t that high. Further more I would suggest for us to sleep outside over taking a stay at an inn, as… As… …as…!!!! As the weather is quite nice todaayyyyyyyyy!!!»

"Camping, is it? Indeed, the weather is fine, and the natural beauty of the wilderness seems stunning! I have no objections to that course of action!"

Sleeping under the stars was something she remembered doing quite a lot as a child despite her lack of proper knowledge regarding what she was gazing at. Upon hearing this, Tierney allowed herself a small smile and lifted a fist high in the air.

“Alright! Camping it is! This isn't an industrial area so we're going to be able to see some really nice things you just can't see in London!” Her fist however went down as she sweatdropped and muttered in self-derision. “...I just hope people won't be even more afraid of us than they probably already are.”

«Camping, is it? Indeed, the weather is fine, and the natural beauty of the wilderness seems stunning! I have no objections to that course of action!»

«Alright! Camping it is! This isn't an industrial area so we're going to be able to see some really nice things you just can't see in London!»

Success! Pressing back the urge to jump while unleashing a heartful cry of victory, Edana instead simply closed her eyes while at least picturing the action in her head. Unfortunately she still let out a low squeak.
Hiding her blush by turning around quickly, which was an action to underline her pretending she was widening her inspection radius, she picked up on further of Tierney’s words.

«…I just hope people won't be even more afraid of us than they probably already are.»

«In the end that fits us best. We’re the hunters, not the shepherds.»

If those three were the hunters, the detective girl she shepherd, then who was he?

A young man in his twenties, tall, slender and blonde, was currently walking through the village. He was in a hurry. Unlike the three hikers he hadn’t chosen the main road, but was currently sneaking along a secret pathway. Well, calling it a secret pathway may have been the wrong expression for it these days, had it become one of the most commonly used routes to cross from building to building.
Not that secrecy mattered any, was the man quite a natural eccentric.

Besides his inhumanly beautiful features, he wore a thick brown fur coat over a nobly ornamented navy tailcoat, which was paired with a matching navy cylinder on his head. But while on first impression he may have had the air of a prince, it could as well be that he was nothing but a mere beggar, were all of his clothing items quite vintage in nature. Skipping over the clothing, the man actually carried an object in his hands that juggled as his black leather boots fought the snow: A well-aged violin case of black ebony wood, that’d easily fit in any antiquarian’s collection.
 
His name was Folke Sunquist.

He was a Magician belonging to the 0th Perish of the Anglican Church, Necessarius.

The time of his arrival had been the earliest, had he already spent a few days in the area, taking the village as his very base of operations for the current task.
Much like other visitors he hadn’t been that welcomed, yet through the fact that he wasn’t foreigner and therefore fluent in Swedish, as well as being an experienced traveler, he quickly gained their trust by calming their hearts with his excelling violin play.

Unfortunately that alone hadn’t been sufficient to guarantee a good investigation.

In the beginning he had settled on keeping up the secrecy of his investigation, yet over the course of his stay it had grown rougher for him to stick through things on his own. The traces left behind by the culprit required him to step into people’s homes due to rumours alone not making sufficient sources. Once he had figured that out, he had begun to selectively involve people with the true reason for his presence...not the best course of action, he knew, but it couldn’t be helped.

Now, after a few days of questioning the villagers, inspecting their homes and exploring the wilderness, he had obtained a few leads. And what he had found had told him of how grim the situation was. Grim enough for him to make the rare decision of turning towards headquarters in order to file a request for support.

That was the reason he was on his legs now, skidding through the snow, to properly welcome the long awaited guests.

With a repeated rhythm of three joyful knocks he would announce his arrival, putting on the most charming and heartful smile his fairy tale prince like face could possibly ever wear.

“Ahahaha... I'm fine with staying Irish, thank you very much.”

"Hmph. Admirable! Your loyalty to the land of your birth is admirable! However.. All roads lead to mighty Rome. You will come around eventually."

In response to Tierney's refusal, Vita's expression closed into a pout as she crossed her arms and replied with her prediction, no, declaration. Indeed; this was a declaration made by the Empress of Rome. It was therefore nothing less than the absolute truth. Regardless of what any lesser minds may say, at this moment, the future she declared became definite.

"That is a fact!"

With that, she decisively ended the topic and her expression was once again graced by an exuberant, almost arrogantly confident smile as she watched her companions unanimously decide to spend the night camping in the forest. Their expectations seemed to be quite high, but Vita couldn't quite share their honest joy. To the two of them, camping was likely a rare, fun activity, but to her, it was something even more natural than sleeping in a warm bed. In a sense, her very earliest memories were of time spent camping...

So she simply maintained the same countenance as earlier, not wishing to interrupt their fun with her experiences. She also couldn't help but admit that there was a slight allure to the prospect of camping here, however. While she couldn't say she was looking forward to the experience itself at all, her companions might allow for an entirely different experience. Neither fellow street rats nor nuns out on a mission, she couldn't avoid building up some anticipation at the prospect. Alas, the conversation took a darker turn soon enough and she returned to the conversation.

“...I just hope people won't be even more afraid of us than they probably already are.”

«In the end that fits us best. We’re the hunters, not the shepherds.»

"Hiding in their homes when they should be out greeting their Empress... Hmph. There's no need to be concerned for such rude oafs, Tierney! Put it out of your mind."

Though her phrasing was a bit harsh, she was completely honest with her thoughts. People like them who shut themselves away and refused to do anything to do change their situation were the sole variety of people who she did not wish to allow entrance into her country. They could potentially reform themselves in the future, but she had no wish to involve herself with them as they were now. And simply to compound her lack of care...

"We should be searching for Folke anyway. He's been here a while, correct? If there's any information the locals might have, we can simply retrieve it from him."

Erin continued to observe the unexpected guests through a small opening in the curtains, daring not to speak another word lest her activities be discovered. After all, while she was a Magician, she was hardly adept at combat, and outnumbered to boot. If they were accomplices to the culprit, then she could not do much to defend herself or the townspeople if incompetence led to provoking them. Silence was...of utmost importance. However, as she continued her tense watch, it became rather obvious that the trio was not in fact setting a foot any closer to the village. In fact, it appeared as though they were having a casual conversation among themselves, showing no particular sign of confidence, familiarity, nor even haste.

This puzzled the young detective somewhat, seeing as though the client was unfamiliar with them meant that they were not known to the village. For what other purpose would people arrive here if not to assist the culprit or participate in the investigation? Her thoughts kept revisiting the client's lack of familiarity with them. That one detail was allowing her to remain ever cautious and filled with uncertainty. The client quietly returned to her side after giving her a gesture that meant the right people around the village have been told to keep their eye on the newcomers. While she appreciated this development, the fact that their 'guests' had yet to budge meant their makeshift surveillance network would come up short unless they were willing to go outside in the cold to monitor them regularly. Considering that they were so taken by despair that they could barely even leave their homes...

"It's becoming increasingly probable that it will be necessary to venture out into that white abyss to see what they're up to. If their destination truly is an abandoned asylum, haunted mansion, or secretive laboratory, then it is my job and duty to follow them. No matter what, even if I must travel to the ends of the earth to get your children back home safely, I will do it."

She stated this quietly, but with increasing resolve and spirit as though she wasn't just making a promise to the client, but also to herself. This was no time to be hiding out in a warm house hoping that clues would simply present themselves in due course; if such a convenient thing were to happen, the children would have already been found and this wouldn't even be a case. These people were in need of extraordinary help against an extraordinary threat, and if she couldn't be the extraordinary person, then why did she even agree to come here? Now she was pumped, and with adrenaline and willpower surging through her veins, she was back in the game, no longer a scared little girl doing her best to reassure everyone else that there was nothing to be afraid of.

"Rest assured, Ma'am: They will be found, brought back home safely, and this village will have life breathed into it once more! Even though it will be difficult for all of you, I ask that you still keep watching and reporting to one another what's happening here, and fill me in and back me up whenever and wherever possible! Nothing will resolve unless all of us unite as one force to counteract this evil!"

Her magic name, Primiceriatus999, had begun to shine for the first time since arriving in Sweden. Shining brightly within her heart, her very soul, it empowered her to rise from her position and turn toward the back door in order to stealthily exit the property without earning unwanted attention from the suspicious tourists. Of course, she needed to get back into her outdoor clothing first, so needing to pause in order to change was a bit awkward for the mood and tone she had just established with her heroic speech. She didn't mind, however, as her thoughts were focused less on appearances and more on taking decisive action. She headed to the rear exit eventually after extensive preparation, and taking the client's silence as evidence that the guests had yet to make any notable movements, she felt confident that she would not be discovered easily if she were to leave quietly now.

...But fate, or perhaps luck had quite a disturbing sense of humor, did it not? She reached for the doorknob and gave it a tug, only to realize it was too late to stop the door from swinging open thanks to her opening it at the exact instant she felt and heard three distinct knocks. The result was a startled Erin being quite physically close to the unexpected guest, staring at him intensely with a look of curiousity, fear, and even devastation. Could she have been in checkmate all along!? The fight-or-flight response intoxicated and corrupted her focus, but she still heroically performed the only suitable action anyone in her position could do.

"...Uh."

The intense stare with a look of curiosity, fear and even devastation met the warm smile only underlined by the man’s absurdly perfect face.

And as warmth came, so came surprise.

«Oh? I didn’t expect you to be this…young…?»

A voice like silk, words coated in honesty and yet spoken in a manner of intonation that hardly fit the modern young man his looks made him out to be.

«I suppose this is hardly unnatural in our very world, however I might never get used to it…»

Speaking those words to himself, rather than to the girl positioned right in front of him, only with a slim distance between the two, the man’s ability to adapt to sudden changes truly shined. Nothing too unexpected for an experienced professional, but that was not a thing that girl would know.

Finally after having settled down with it, his glance would wander toward the blue haired one, he had made out to be his ally without any second thought or suspicion - something rather unusual for him, meeting her eyes directly with his own.

«Oh, excuse my blunt behaviour. Obviously I ignored the likelihood that you of all people were left unaware about how to identify me. So allow me to fix this problem right here and right now.»

Taking a step backwards in an as elegant and out-dated manner as his intonation, the man bowed, removing the cylinder with his one hand, while holding the violin case behind his back with the other.

«My name is Folke Sunquist, I am the one that filed the request for assistance in this current investigation. I am honoured to make your acquaintance.»

That was it. Each and every of the carefully chosen words spoken by that man had taken the role of nails in the coffin. Each and every single one of them would lead up to only one conclusion, an unfortunate one for him, yet maybe a fortunate one for that girl.

After all, it didn’t happen everyday that one was offered such an open opportunity to exploit.

The man's smile was haunting despite its apparent warmth. Erin was far too cynical to truly believe that such a person was genuine; perhaps this display of amicability was done solely to gain her trust? Well, if anything it had the opposite of the intended effect! She stood her ground even as the client appeared behind her to investigate the sudden halt of the young detective's enthusiastic momentum. Her expression quickly changed from that of horror to professionally-reinforced skepticism.

"Oh? I didn’t expect you to be this…young…?"

"I suppose this is hardly unnatural in our very world, however I might never get used to it…"

While she didn't want to give him any insight into who she was and why she was there, gears began turning in her head. Her youth was considered a surprise to the man, and since the case involved the kidnapping and disappearance of children, he was likely not speaking to her with the intent of making her into the next victim. However, this revelation was still yet not sufficient in abating her paranoia. Could he have instead been awaiting the arrival of allies or undercover agents for his sick scheme? Or could he an agent of another faction wishing to get involved in one way or another? She quickly thought back to the recent arrival of that strange group around the same time as the man's eyes attempted to meet hers. This gave momentary pause to her train of thought, enough to allow him to continue speaking.

"Oh, excuse my blunt behaviour. Obviously I ignored the likelihood that you of all people were left unaware about how to identify me. So allow me to fix this problem right here and right now."

She curiously watched his bizarre display of identification with an eyebrow raised, and quietly waited for him to finish. Before she could speak a word however, the man politely introduced himself, which only served to confuse her further.

"My name is Folke Sunquist, I am the one that filed the request for assistance in this current investigation. I am honoured to make your acquaintance."

Erin was about ready to place her head in the comfort of her palms. She peered outside to the left and right to ascertain if there were any other weird people nearby, and upon noting that there were indeed none, she would move aside to allow Folke the opportunity and space to get inside.

"...I'm Erin. Get inside; you've picked a pretty bad time to show up. I'll need to ask you some questions before we proceed."

She figured that this was an opportunity to get to the bottom of the man's identity and purpose in being here. If normal methods wouldn't work, then she was pretty sure that there were some icicles hanging from the rooftops and even around the windows of this very house. One way or another, she was going to figure out who this person was.

«Erin it is? A pleasure.»

Naturally he wouldn’t respond with apathy, but in the same overly polite manner all of his presence was coated with; that was just who he was.

Therefore only when permission had been granted, Folke Sunquist would set foot into the house. Even with the steps he placed, he cautiously followed the classic rule book of the old gentlemen’s school, not messing up his posture a single split second.

Finally inside he immediately turned towards the only other person present indoors, greeting them in the same well studied manner as he had just done with young Erin. And once the formalities had been dealt with, he set his mind onto dealing with the pressing matters, so to say the reason for his arrival that at the same time could also be considered that girl’s own interest.

«So, young maiden, which are the questions I will have to answer? I will try to with all that is within the borders of my ability. However, please excuse me if I can’t answer everything.»

As he had never been invited to take a seat or let his luggage loose, the tall blonde man remained standing upright, with both coat on and hat on his head, keeping upright that strange smile reeking of familiarity; much like an elder brother or a father.

Still for a moment hat perfectly pure smile would waver, given the worry her words had carried along up into his ears, digging straight for what was his heart.

«But please, tell me, why would the time of my arrival be of bad nature? Is there something that happened or even going on as we speak?»

It was as if that man grew attached way too easily to others, but the instance he had felt that girl’s negative emotions, that slight glimpse of worry, he couldn’t help but grow suspicious of the reasons. Not only because he was that insanely caring, there was also his intuition as a professional.

"Erin it is? A pleasure."

Our young Welsh-Irish detective led the bizarre man into the client's residence and closed the door after him. She didn't lock it, though, so as to not give him the impression he was being trapped. She took a deep breath once it became rather clear that he was not going to become hostile in this enclosed space. His excessive politeness was somewhat disconcerting, but the lack of any obvious ill-intent put her worries and cynicism about this at ease.

"So, young maiden, which are the questions I will have to answer? I will try to with all that is within the borders of my ability. However, please excuse me if I can’t answer everything."

"But please, tell me, why would the time of my arrival be of bad nature? Is there something that happened or even going on as we speak?"

The client remained silent, preferring to leave the matter of this unexpected guest to the detective she hired. However, she remained close to the phone in case anything happened. Erin peeked out through the curtains again and beckoned Folke to come and quietly join her in watching.

"These three have just arrived, and not one person in this village knows their identity and purpose for being here. Surely you're not unaware of the disappearances of children plaguing and destroying this community? The people are worried, frightened, and despairing. Just as we came to an arrangement to keep tabs on where these people go, you, an unknown entity, suddenly appear. So pardon my suspicion, Mr. Sundquist, but I have plenty of reason to ask if you are involved in the matter. Are you associated with the events happening here? Are you familiar with those three strangers who stand out like a sore thumb? If you are associated with the ongoing events, is it as someone who supports the disappearances, or someone who wishes to oppose and stop them?"

She spoke with confidence and firmness which suggested she was more mature than she appeared. It was a sizable risk just coming out and asking the man these questions bluntly, but sometimes this can throw a person off their guard and take them by surprise. The reactions she was sure to get from him would tell her all she needed to know about the sort of person he was. Whether he was the culprit, the accomplice, or someone else entirely, she needed to strike while the iron was hot, and he in her grasp.

Meanwhile, word had quickly spread around town of the arrival of the three. Soon, the entire village was made aware of their presence and while there was no unanimous decision as to what to do with them, they at least agreed to keep an eye on them and make certain that they wouldn't cause any trouble. They lacked the means to truly inflict harm, but there were plenty of old crops and objects they could toss if it came down to it...

A lot of words had been spoken in response to his own.

«Three strangers?»

Surprise crossed his face when the news had reached him. Up until now he had been fully in the dark about further arrivals, something he really couldn’t afford. It lead as far as for him to lose his composure for just a moment. However, a true gentleman would have mastered the art of quick recovery to deal with such instances. Thus only a moment later he was as calm as collected as before.

«I do wonder what strangers you are talking about, Erin.»

While she likely had deduced from his initial reaction that there was no further involvement between him and the strangers, he had still gone ahead to give a properly worded reply, for politeness’ sake.

In the end he would join the girl at the curtains.

«May I?»

A short peek past the curtains would finally fill him in on everything. While they had already partially left the perimeter of sight, the slight glimpse fortune had allowed him, was sufficient to gather a few thoughts. That man obviously was the type to think a lot, coming to a lot of conclusion instantaneously. Still, the true nature of his mind’s workings remained shrouded in mystery.

«I can assure you, I am here for the same reasons you are. After all we are comrades, since you are the support I ordered!»

The way he had put it, paired with inviting bright smile on his face, posed as an obvious sign of naivety. Still going on with the same story as he had, when he had arrived at the door, the man seemingly wasn’t that bright or at least too convinced of the mindset he already had.

Or maybe he wasn’t.

Even for someone with a mind this sharp, Folke Sunquist was a walking enigma.

«I am curious about those visitors, though. Shall we greet them before your friends might accidentally scare them off?»

With the change of his smile, a hint of mischief was added in.

The man's enigmatic nature had begun to reach levels that could accurately be described as "over the top", and this had not gone unnoticed by the increasingly suspicious Erin. He was definitely putting on some sort of exaggerated persona in order to mask his real self. It appeared as though he were unaware of how obvious he was making this likely scenario to any observer, and for a moment she even felt some pity for the man. But she had a job to do, and it involved getting to the bottom of a case with disappearing children. There was no time for pity; only time for action.

He had requested that they go out and meet the three visitors personally, which to her sounded like a potential attempt to link up with his allies and they could then gang up on and do unspeakable things to her for being in their way. Of course, this would mean they were definitely associated with if not the outright culprits of the case. On the other hand, if they tried to do something to her in broad daylight in front of a whole village of witnesses, would the townspeople not recognize them for why they were and put an end to them in the event she was killed?

In light of this outcome, perhaps going to meet and greet those new arrivals wasn't an entirely terrible idea. Her life wasn't exactly worth more than those of the missing children, so if risking her life created an opportunity to save them, she would gladly take the risk in a heartbeat. She gazed into Folke's eyes once more for a chance to try and uncover his intentions.

"I want you to make a promise, or a vow to me--, no, the entire village. Promise to us that you are not the culprit or an accomplice to the culprit. Look me in the eyes while you do. If you can make this vow, then we shall venture out to meet these people immediately. Please understand that this request is potentially putting my life at risk. So you can do me this one favour, can't you?"

She needed to be blunt and straightforward with him in order to avoid feeding his need to be as vague and enigmatic as possible. Perhaps he would eventually get the message that his polite yet vague assurances were not at all easing her worry, nor answering her questions or really helping in any discernible way from her perspective.

While the three girls had been speaking, and the young detective had been meeting with her employer and the enigmatic blond gentleman, the entire remainder of the village had been eyeing the three newest visitors warily. After the events of the previous days, every single resident of the small village had spent their days and nights in fear. Fear that they would be the next to be targeted, and fear that their children would be the next to be stolen. And no one knew anything about the culprit save that they had come to the village from the outside, and commanded powers beyond their comprehension.

In reaction to that fear, they had barricaded themselves inside their homes, and hoped that help would come. But in consequence of that action, the same fear that led them to make that decision had been bottled up, and with no place to be released that fear generated an equivalent amount of stress. But now, outsiders had arrived. The culprit was a ghost to them, with no form to assault, but these three young girls, whose origins were precisely the same, were a prime target. They could direct their every suspicion towards them, and turn them into objects of fear. But unlike the culprit, they were material figures. They could do more than simply whimper in their homes.

Slowly, hesitantly, a single window opened. The young girls may have noticed it, and they may have not. But once the size of the opening was sufficient, the resident of the home, a woman in her forties, tossed a single fruit. It was a tomato, rotten. She had not made a dish with it since she ensconced herself within her home, and it had simply sat in her pantry as a result, unused. And unwilling to leave even to take out the trash, it and many other foodstuffs simply rotted away as they wished. Until this point, they were a nuisance, their smell making the entire experience all the more unpleasant. But now, they served a purpose. With them, she could attack the three unfamiliar figures. They had a definite form, so they were not unopposable monsters. Her fear had driven her to action before, forced her to choose between fight and flight. Until this point, the former option had been unavailable, but now the circumstances had changed.

She had thrown just a single fruit, but that was enough. The floodgates had opened. The knowledge that another had already taken the first action gave the second the will needed to begin, and the third found it even easier to toss aside his hesitation. Every home that could see the girls had thrown their windows open and begun tossing all they could find towards them. Not only rotten food, but even small pieces of trash and small miscellaneous objects they had no use for. They threw everything they had at their disposal at the three of them, with a small but noticeable focus on the two who carried large containers which could be hiding almost anything. The rain of items quickly picked up speed, and soon enough even jeers and curses were mixed in. Yells for them to get out of their village, or to give their children back.

It was all a misplaced anger, but now that the dam had been released there was no turning back. The situation would continue to escalate until the villagers had once more lost any possible targets to vent their displeasure on. None had done so yet, but with the way events were progressing it was only a matter of time before they left their houses and confronted the girls personally. Then, it would erupt into a full scale riot. The clock was ticking, and with every second the seedling of a mob continued to germinate. It was only a matter of time before it sprouted and bloomed.

---

Any response Tierney may or may not have had to Vita's statement was cut off before it could ever be voiced by a mushy red mass that flew straight at the back of her head from a nearby window. It was a rotten tomato, a staple of booing crowds everywhere. If one were the slightest bit genre savvy, which Vita, due to her unfortunate lack of opportunity to indulge herself in the consumption of the relevant genres, was not, then they would have immediately anticipated what would happen next. They would have immediately anticipated the onslaught of rotten fruit!

This was the worst enemy for a young girl. The smell of the fruit would stick in their clothes for ages, the clumps would be next to impossible to wash out of their hair, and even simply being hit by them was both disgusting and embarrassing. And, most importantly of all, it would be damaging to the dignity of an empress to be assaulted by such a thing. There was the issue of the threat of an imminent riot, but that was simply a minor concern in comparison. This situation could not be allowed to continue even a second longer!

"Retreat! Full retreat! Disengage the enemy, shields at the ready!"

She spoke loudly and clearly with all the gravitas of a general issuing orders to a corp of soldiers that was simultaneously outmanned and outgunned. She was like the great hero Leonidas, ordering her troops to flee so that they may live to fight another day. Only, unlike in the Greek legends, she too fled with them. She ran from the hail of miscellaneous projectiles towards the outskirts of the city, assuming that her companions had followed. But the edge of the village, small as it was, remained a long ways away, and they only continued to sustain fire in the meantime.

«I want you to make a promise, or a vow to me--, no, the entire village. Promise to us that you are not the culprit or an accomplice to the culprit. Look me in the eyes while you do. If you can make this vow, then we shall venture out to meet these people immediately. Please understand that this request is potentially putting my life at risk. So you can do me this one favour, can't you?»

«My my, aren’t you a sincere one?»


There was no change. Not even that sudden request for such a heavy promise would shake the man that was Folke Sunquist. Rather his smile actually would express a new emotion: Amusement.  Instead of being of the kind of amusement close to mocking, it was one of much closer to admiration, one usually used in friendly context.

Erin had been wrong when she had assumed Folke Sunquist was attempting to hide something, at least something bad. Over the time of their conversation he had never been dishonest in any way and he would deliver proof for that truth, right here.

Removing that hat from his head once again, he would perform a gesture of absolute openness, turning away his gaze only for a short moment, so that he could kneel in front of the young lady, before his eyes would meet her’s directly.

«Erin, I, Folke Sunquist, hereby swear that it is not within my intention to harm the inhabitants of this village in any way. Never would I, someone who can understand their pain, perform such despicable action as to take away their loved ones or even assist those that would. Never, would I, Folke Sunquist, dirty my hands by such unjust action.»

His eyes would speak of his words’ honesty.

«Truthfully, all I have come here to do, is to find the one behind this, so that I can put an end to their plot once and for all. My oath to you shall serve as proof of that conviction.»

He may have been mysterious, he may have had a strange manner in all of his actions, yet that man was still the man those words described. This was his personality, this was what characterised him, this was all that was Folke Sunquist. Eccentric in many ways, yet purely humane.

With that announced in a loud and clear voice, he would return to an upright position, place that cylinder where it belonged, before opening his mouth once more.

«Now you, Erin, promise me, that you will treat every word I shall speak to those strangers as the truth and nothing but the truth. Whatever I tell them, it is truth, whatever I say about you or anything else, just agree, pretend you know what I am talking about.
This isn’t to discredit you or put harm to anyone, rather this is to ensure own safety. You have stepped into a world you shouldn’t have set foot into. Thus it is of utmost importance for you to follow my lead.»

Those were the final words spoken before they would head off.

Not yet had he taken note of the commotion, had that oath claimed the whole of his attention.

In a matter of habit, Tierney adjusted the strap of her violin case that sat peacefully on her shoulder instead of a more convenient for travelling over-the-shoulder style. She found that way of holding cases, or even bags, to be quite restrictive and as such never fancied the idea of restraining her front with a strap and her back with a diagonally-inclined case.

And that completely coincidental preference of hers would be something she would quite thank once she had calmed down enough to understand the ongoing situation she was still blissfully unaware of and note it: due to her ways of holding her violin case, it had avoided most of the attacks and only suffered from splashing damage upon a very disgusting item's impact with Tierney's head.

"Retreat! Full retreat! Disengage the enemy, shields at the ready!"

For a second, Tierney had failed to understand the meaning behind those words and grabbed until she felt something very, very disgustingly slimy sliding down her neck and seeping into her clothes... “Uuuuuuuugh!!!” She cried out in disgust at the accompanying smell of a rotten tomato that assaulted her nostrils in the most sadistic ways.

The villagers had taken an initiative on dealing with them before they could even show peace and were currently throwing anything they could find that was utterly repugnant at them! It didn't matter where she was running off to, the important part was that she had to run away before more humiliation would collide with her!

“Ew! Ew! Ewww! Please tell me there's some kind of river nearby! Anywhere!” She would have tried her best to follow Vita's rapid escape pace that was adequate to her petite stature if only it weren't for the fact that as Tierney made that simply request, the slimy substance in her back was making her run fast enough to be a participant in the Olympics.

Despite how stupid it sounded, it was actually really important. What would she do without a river to wash her hair and more importantly wash her clothes and the disgusting rotten tomato off her back?! Despair assaulted the girl's mind as she imagined having to go through the rest of this mission, being cruelly avoided by everyone due to how badly she smelled...!

That thought made it that no matter how hard she tried to convince herself otherwise in an attempted burst of optimism, Tierney couldn't help but feel that for the entirety of her "career" at Necessarius would always be plagued with this kind of laughable misfortune directed solely towards her...

"Now you, Erin, promise me, that you will treat every word I shall speak to those strangers as the truth and nothing but the truth. Whatever I tell them, it is truth, whatever I say about you or anything else, just agree, pretend you know what I am talking about.
This isn’t to discredit you or put harm to anyone, rather this is to ensure own safety. You have stepped into a world you shouldn’t have set foot into. Thus it is of utmost importance for you to follow my lead."

After listening to his promises and his request, she was fairly certain that the man wasn't at least immediately hostile or presenting any semblance of ill intentions. The energy and sincerity he placed into his words gave her some feelings of guilt, which she struggled to suppress as their awkward eye contact was maintained throughout the exchange. Even the information he was letting slip through took a moment to register in her usually perceptive mind.

She could have lied and manipulated her way into allowing him to keep believing that she belonged to the organization he originally mistook her for being in, but she just couldn't bring herself to willfully adopt a Machiavellian strategy when there was no evidence that he was acting in bad faith to warrant it. The decision to not embark on that journey of deception had already cost her the initiative in the investigation though, as his words clearly explained that he figured out she was not who he initially believed her to be.

Despite this revelation, he was still willing to allow her continued involvement with him and the case itself, with nary a moment of hesitation or confusion. That in itself was somewhat concerning to the young detective, but there was naught to be done by fretting over it, was there? Judging from his instructions, there was a good chance he belonged to an organization which has at least some experience in intelligence and counterintelligence, so the minor deception he was asking her to engage in was not exactly out of the ordinary, and was the least concern in her mind.

What was most concerning though was getting involved with such an organization to begin with. She worked best as an independent freelancer; the idea of being caged was incredibly unappealing, and she had read enough espionage novels to know there was a real risk of being intimidated into being part of some group or another merely because having any kind of involvement around them meant you had likely seen something you shouldn't have. And naturally, her thoughts immediately went back to his warning: "You have stepped into a world you shouldn’t have set foot into."

Her stoicism faded to such an extent that even Folke would immediately notice that whatever liveliness existed in her expression was replaced by that of a person expecting to face their doom or perhaps a fate even worse than death. She did not call attention to what she was ruminating over, but this was an instance in which no words were needed to understand what was going through her head. The awkward silence was getting to be rather uncomfortable, particularly seeing as she was the one expected to respond to what he had just said.

"...Very well. I will place my life and well-being into your hands for only a few moments. I can only hope what you say is spoken from a place of truth and goodness."

The commotion from outside provided an ample and much-needed opportunity to look away from the man she had yet to decide would be her ally or her executioner. The villagers' anger had finally reached a boiling point as they found catharsis in bombarding the other new arrivals rather messily. With her game face back on, she shot a glance at Folke and gestured for him to follow after her as she burst out the front door to intervene in the skirmish, hoping to settle it before it could be further escalated.

The sudden outbreak of the vegetable bombardment, much like with the other two, hit Edana Callan truly by surprise. A moment ago they had been discussing the evening plans in what was nothing more than a ghost town and now they found themselves as targets to a vicious attack from all sides.


From all sides it hit her, sometimes strongly, sometimes weekly. There was not a single ankle free or protected from the outburst. It just rained and rained. Instead of precision there was mass. Instead of care their was relentless cruelty. It came and came and came and came.

«I agree, retrea-bfawbh- IT’S IN MY MOUTH!!!!»

And so much like her comrades the Irish maiden made use of her well trained legs, joining that desperate sprint for shelter, all the while being drowned in a typhoon of rotten fruit.

Truthfully, this wasn’t what Neccessarius was all about, was it!?

«…Very well. I will place my life and well-being into your hands for only a few moments. I can only hope what you say is spoken from a place of truth and goodness.»

If there was one thing that helped to characterise Folke Sunquist then it was his smiles. This time he smiled for pure amusement over the person Erin was. It wasn’t the fact that she was stupid enough to have underestimated him in his ability to see through others, but the fact that upon his warning her expression had gone into another interesting - yet slightly unexpected - expression. An expression that drove pure enjoyment into his mind; not out of sadism, but because he was impressed.

So you’re truly more adult than you seem…how fascinating.

Fortunately for both of them, sudden events from the outside finally disturbed that rather awkward moment of silence. It seemed a larger commotion has broken out. Of course Erin wouldn’t even spare him the time to check on it himself, before she burst out of the door. Not that he needed to, as it was revealed to him the moment he had followed suit.

«Magicians of Neccessarius falling victim to a bombardment of bio degradable nature, to think I’d ever get to witness such a thing.»

He couldn’t help but smile in amusement yet again. At least the polite man that he was would hold back chuckling let alone laughing.

There was no time for that after all, was the matter a little pressing by the end. Still, he eyed it just for another moment, to allow for Erin to arrive and for him to make good memory of the obscurity of that rare scene, before everything would fall victim to reality’s true character.

And then, once he truly had seen enough of it, he would begin to unpack what was in that case of black ebony wood.

Just a moment later, it would resound.

A single sharp tone to tear the whole tension apart.

Followed by what was the jolliest display of violin play imaginable.

There he stood, alone among the snowy grounds. A  beautiful man clad in a blue tailcoat with a bow in his hand and a violin on shoulder. His youth would contrast the age of the instrument, its sound’s warmth, the coldness of the mountain village and the masterful play, the shabbiness of his clothes.

He had discarded both his hat and fur coat, along with the violin case to simply take a stand all alone, just for the sake of playing this warm and jolly song.

He would play and play and play, until even the last person’s heart would forget the anger, even if it was for just a little moment.

All was chaos. Fruits, nuts, nuts, bolts, and all varieties of small objects that could be fit into the palm of someone's hand were all raining down the three girls. It may have looked humorous if someone were looking in on the situation from the outside, like something from a comedy. And indeed, if they were to tell this story at a later date they might even get a few chuckles. In the present, however, there was nothing humorous about it. After all, the citizens were only a single rock away from creating a public stoning.

Midway through their flight, a sharp, noise pierced through the mayhem. It was obviously a musical instrument of some sort, but Vita didn't know enough about them to tell whether it was a violin or something else of similar construction. She looked back over her shoulder to get a glance at where it came from, half-worrying that maybe they were about to seriously upgrade the scale of their ammunition and start flinging cellos at them, but she when she saw the player the distraction nearly caused to trip over her own feet.

"Blond hair, young, a good face... Edana, is that Folke?!"

She grabbed her compatriot's arm to steal her attention, trying to get her to turn back around and confirm her guess. His features matched Edana's previous description, but she had never actually met the man. It would be best to get the person who had actually investigated him to check. It was the best way to avoid a potential mis-identification. Fortunately, the sound of the music seemed to have distracted the townsfolk, creating a small lull in the assault that they could use to check without incurring too much damage, whether it be physical or mental.

From the sound of her Edana and Tierney's cries, however, it seemed that they may have already taken some casualties...

Tierney stopped her mad running in its tracks, nearly twisting her ankle over the sound of a gentle violin that prompted her to instead turn around even faster than Vita could as soon as it reached her ears. Looking back at the place they had been deserting, she noted that the merciless throw attacks had ceased almost entirely and she could feel a certain sense of serenity from the full control the blonde man had on his violin, with the way it emitted a melody that could have an entire group of strangers dance together if for that one occasion.

A single instrument brought forth the kind of merry atmosphere that much reminded her of her own village and its privileged moments between villagers that no big city could ever match in mere seconds.

"Blond hair, young, a good face... Edana, is that Folke?!"

In a moment of nostalgic folly and without warning her two companions, Tierney actually rapidly paced back to where they had previously stood before being mercilessly assaulted by the villagers at a distance, never taking her eyes off the young blond man who was the source of the joyous atmosphere in this almost desolated place.

Though frankly she was much more attracted by the violin than the man itself, so the moment she stood at only a handful of metres away from him, she simply stopped and listened to the music that had her tap her foot in rhythm as she closed her eyes. A tranquil smile appeared on her face as she pictured a lot of very good moments from her less appreciated past.