Futuristic The Goddess Equation | Dead

[Aron the Aron]

[ 2069-12-02 05:46:12 ]
[ Unknown Location ]​

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The crumbling ruins of what was once a towering metropolis proved a worthless companion to her thoughts as she settled into her little nest of rubble; she had made the best of the uncomfortable mess she had upon for the last two days, but the difficulties of camping alone in No-Man's Land was starting to show. Her gloved fingers were sluggish in their robotic motions, dialing her telescopic sight, checking the battery packs, double-checking her carried supplies.

The anticipation was starting to get to her...

The once bustling city was now a maze of crumbling buildings and shattered concrete, the only signs of life coming from the occasional scavenger or animal. The ruins offered plenty of cover for anyone trying to sneak around undetected, but she remained vigilant, her eye refusing to peel away from the depressing scenery.

Suddenly, the whine and smoke of a diesel engine echoed through the barren city. A flicker of black and green emerged amidst the twisted wreckages and groaning structures; it was an armored car, a rugged 6-wheeled monstrosity more resembling a tank than the civilian vehicles it was pushing aside.

[ Control. ]

[ Control here; Go ahead. ]

[ Unknown vehicle has entered staging area; no visible markings. Possible hit on HVT. ]

[ Received. Verify identification of HVT first. ]​

She didn't have long to wait before the transport opened it's rear doors, pouring out a small gaggle of crudely-dressed soldiers. If she had to guess: they were likely low-pay mercenaries by their lack of uniform equipment and tactics. Shabby AKs and grenades slung over vests of decades-old body armor; no anomalies that would suggest that the soldiers far below were supplied by foreign parties.

One particular individual did catch her eye however...

[ Control. Eyes on the primary target. ]

[ Facial scans from your sight confirmed; that's Rafael Zarza. ]

[ HICOM has given clearance; take the shot. ]​

The edge of her lips twitched into a predatory curl before she cooled it into a more relaxed frown and shut away her darker emotions. One last time she turned the dial of her sight to make one last calculation and calibration.

Direction: 33.8035 ° N, 67.5789 ° E
Range: 1122m
Wind speed: 0.7kt

Breathe in. Breathe out.

Keep the hands limp, but the fingers taut...

Breathe in.

... Eye where the bullet should go...

Breathe out.

... and gently squeeze.

The sound of her rifle boomed through the ruins with a roar, bouncing off the decaying walls like a thunderstorm as she pulled the trigger. 23 grams of tungsten accelerated to hypersonic velocities in thanks to the dual coil/rail propulsion system, leaving a wake of heated air as it tore through the kilometer distance in mere seconds.

The man on the other side of her scope stood no chance against a saboted penetrator round. What hadn't been immediately vaporized flew away in ludicrous gibs, showering his fellows in blood and gore. Many began wildly flailing their rifles around in search of their assailant; others hunkered behind whatever piece of rubble they thought would hide them from the shooter. They didn't matter to her; none of them were her targets.

[ Splashed. Contract complete. ]

[ Nothing left but a hole in the ground. Good work MORRIGAN. ]

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And as [Morrigan] stood up to make herself scarce, she couldn't help but look back and admire her work...

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第
零
章

Airspace​

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[ 2071-07-12 13:46:12 ]
[ Vladivostok - Primorsky Krai - Siberian Republic ]
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The interior cabin hummed with anticipating as the passenger jet left the runway at Vladivostok International; the shimmering white steel and glass sights of the rebuilt city became a mere blur in leaving the window, replaced with the mesmerizing dark blue skies. Flight attendants moved through the isles with practiced smiles and calm demeanors, reassuring the more nervous passengers as the windows shifted from the ground to the clouds.

A sense of calm settled over the passengers as the plane reached cruising altitude; some relaxed into their seats while others took the time to chatter or tend to their children. The normalcy of international travel was something that many had dearly missed since the travel ban lift in the republic; many on board were hopeful immigrants bound for their destination in America.

One such passenger however, wasn't...

That Lass Over There

 

[That Lass Over There]

Sitting in a window seat aboard the departing flight, the woman sighed in relief that it seemed she did not end up with a neighbor. Playing the lottery for seating neighbors had not been something she was excited for, but the seat next to her was empty and the outer seat next to the isle was a man who had taken sleeping pills twenty minutes earlier, about as lucky as she could have hoped for. Nothing better to do on the long flight ahead, she put on her glasses, tapped a power button on the side, and once again went through her message history in spite of the lack of service mid-flight. Happily, she watched all the videos and pictures she had been sent these past few weeks from home, her mouth drawing out in an attempt at a smile.

Her furballs had definitely gotten a bit pudgier than when she left them; she would have to scold her sister for not following directions later, though the brat was unlikely to listen. Even so, they were adorable, playing with each other and pouncing around the store that had been closed in her absence. Thankfully, they had taken mercy and not torn up any of the books while she wasn't there to watch over them. It was rare they did, but always a concern with an extended absence.

'Auntie was fine?'
'Seemed like she was doing great.'

Those were the last messages exchanged a few days ago, before the great wait for the travel ban to lift had begun. It had dropped shortly after her arrival, and nobody had expected it to take so long. At least she would be going home finally, even if a little later than planned.

A little over three weeks of message history proving inadequate for more than an hour's worth of occupation, she pulled up a digital copy of one of the books from her collection she had started a re-read of, eyes sweeping the lines of text with a small sparkle as she waited for sleep to inevitably take her most of the way to Atlanta.

 

[Aron the Aron]

"Psst! Excuse me! Hey! Pssssst!"

Broken out of her e-book, the woman was forced to minimize her read to a corner of her sight before turning her head to the source of the hushed calls of attention. It seemed like her hopes of a quiet and peaceful 18-hour flight were quickly going up in smoke and ashes...

Spoiler

Her interrupter couldn't have been that much older or younger than her, only differing in height by a few inches if she had to hazard a guess. her heavy jet-black jacket was kept firmly in place thanks to a weird mishmash of buckles and straps overtop an ordinary oversized shirt and shorts combo. A bit of a unique fashion statement, but given the girl's otherwise clean appearance and perfect English, it was doubtable that she was a Siberian like rest of the passengers.

"Sorry, uh... You're Seat 16F right? I had a mix-up with my seating arrangement and they told me 16E was free..."

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Her new seat neighbor had turned out to be quite civilized as the flight settled into a steady cruise over the pacific; besides an awkward bit of smalltalk the stranger tried to initiate, she had largely been left alone to read and nap through the long flight home. It was a big on the odd side that the girl seemed to be nervously looking around wondering what to do for most of the flight. She was probably just jittery about going to Atlanta; the month-long travel ban had stumped many foreigners with the surprise of its sudden announcement and enforcement...

The blue skies above never ceased to be beautiful even as elapsed to night, the rare ability to see the stars out at night was captivating in the ever-brightening world below. It was a shame that light pollution had escalated to the degree that it was then in America; finding any birds besides pigeons flying through the city had become a sad reminder of the rapid urbanization her homecity was undergoing.

"Uh... Hm. Uh, you're from Atlanta right? Or at least, you're from somewhere close to the city?"

 

[That Lass Over There]

"Psst! Excuse me! Hey! Pssssst!" Broken out of her e-book, the woman was forced to minimize her read to a corner of her sight before turning her heado the source of the hushed calls of attention. It seemed like her hopes of a quiet and peaceful 18-hour flight were quickly going up in smoke and ashes... "Sorry, uh... You're Seat 16F right? I had a mix-up with my seating arrangement and they told me 16E was free..."

'Unamused' never had quite such a bite to the word, until the feeling was directed at you. Blue eyes cast a cold glance at the newcomer, speedreading her like the least interesting paragraph on a page, before waving to the empty seat beside her. "Go ahead." Monotone... Wasn't quite right, but some part of the inflection typical to human speech was completely lacking in her voice, like an old AI facsimile of natural human speech. There was some attempt to put emotion into the voice, but the attempt was too primitive and uninformed to actually glean anything.

The interaction mostly ended there; occasionally, the newcomer would make attempts at conversation, and when that happened she again minimized her e-book, replied curtly, and went back to reading after it became clear the conversation topic wouldn't be pursued further. As time went on, she pulled bottled water and a pack of crackers out of her hand bag, offering a second bottle to her neighbor with a side glance. "Do you want some?" It was the first and only interaction between the two initiated from her side, and afterwards she went back to minding her own business. For the most part, the blonde woman was dead silent, though occasionally a stifled chuckle or small, strained smile would reach her lips as she enjoyed her book.

In spite of having the window seat, she hardly ever glanced outside, as the view didn't interest her very much. Neither birds nor the few stars visible over the less light-polluted ocean seemed to entice her away from her story.

"Uh... Hm. Uh, you're from Atlanta right? Or at least, you're from somewhere close to the city?"

It had been a while since the last attempt at conversation, so an eyebrow raised to the unexpected question, but as usual she minimized the book that was nearing its end and humored her neighbor a response. "Yes, I live in Atlanta." She went back to looking ahead, as though she were about to go back to reading, but after a moment of pause she looked back to the woman beside her. "Didn't used to, though. How about you, where do you live?" She pulled off the glasses, putting them away in her bag for the moment and properly turning her attention to her neighbor for the first time. Since there was still a long flight ahead, there might as well be some genuine attempt at conversation from her end.

 

[Aron the Aron]

'Unamused' never had quite such a bite to the word, until the feeling was directed at you. Blue eyes cast a cold glance at the newcomer, speedreading her like the least interesting paragraph on a page, before waving to the empty seat beside her. "Go ahead." Monotone... Wasn't quite right, but some part of the inflection typical to human speech was completely lacking in her voice, like an old AI facsimile of natural human speech. There was some attempt to put emotion into the voice, but the attempt was too primitive and uninformed to actually glean anything.

The interaction mostly ended there; occasionally, the newcomer would make attempts at conversation, and when that happened she again minimized her e-book, replied curtly, and went back to reading after it became clear the conversation topic wouldn't be pursued further. As time went on, she pulled bottled water and a pack of crackers out of her hand bag, offering a second bottle to her neighbor with a side glance. "Do you want some?" It was the first and only interaction between the two initiated from her side, and afterwards she went back to minding her own business. For the most part, the blonde woman was dead silent, though occasionally a stifled chuckle or small, strained smile would reach her lips as she enjoyed her book.

In spite of having the window seat, she hardly ever glanced outside, as the view didn't interest her very much. Neither birds nor the few stars visible over the less light-polluted ocean seemed to entice her away from her story.


It had been a while since the last attempt at conversation, so an eyebrow raised to the unexpected question, but as usual she minimized the book that was nearing its end and humored her neighbor a response. "Yes, I live in Atlanta." She went back to looking ahead, as though she were about to go back to reading, but after a moment of pause she looked back to the woman beside her. "Didn't used to, though. How about you, where do you live?" She pulled off the glasses, putting them away in her bag for the moment and properly turning her attention to her neighbor for the first time. Since there was still a long flight ahead, there might as well be some genuine attempt at conversation from her end.

"Norfolk." At the funny looks she was inevitably given, she let out a chuckle. "I know; I don't exactly look it. I'm Québécois, but I moved south since my job required it." The brunette's eyes twinkled as she wistfully looked up at the cabin ceiling. "It's funny when you think about it: a francophone like me living in a place like Virginia, probably one of the last places you could expect someone to speak French. I certainly won't miss the cold though; I think I've experienced enough snow for one lifetime..."

Another Canadian diaspora? It was hardly a surprise considering the difficulties of living there. With seasonal weather becoming more volatile the further away you were from the equator, places close to the poles like Canada were particularly affected by constant blizzards and heatwaves. The only reason the Dominion was even still around was because it still had a seemingly endless supply of raw resources to export; with the Middle East a smoldering ruin and Venezuela a failed state, Canada was practically the only major exporter of oil left in one piece. To say nothing of places like Europe or America, who were hit particularly hard when the climate took a nosedive into hell...

 

[That Lass Over There]

"Norfolk." At the funny looks she was inevitably given, she let out a chuckle. "I know; I don't exactly look it. I'm Québécois, but I moved south since my job required it." The brunette's eyes twinkled as she wistfully looked up at the cabin ceiling. "It's funny when you think about it: a francophone like me living in a place like Virginia, probably one of the last places you could expect someone to speak French. I certainly won't miss the cold though; I think I've experienced enough snow for one lifetime..."

A hum sounded in response to the brunette's musings, blue eyes curiously watching the feelings dancing across her neighbor's face. "Moved for work?" Quietly, she parroted the essence of what she had been told, and followed up with, "What sort of job required you to move from there? They close the office you were at?"

 

[Aron the Aron]

"Moved for work?" Quietly, she parroted the essence of what she had been told, and followed up with, "What sort of job required you to move from there? They close the office you were at?"

"Seacrest Associates: Private Security and Investigations. It's normally a handsomely-paying career, but there's not enough to do up north to keep the branch there. It's the big cities where all the business it at; cities like New York and LA." The girl patted her coat with an air of confidence, as though she was motioning to something hidden inside. Now that she mentioned it, some parts of her clothing looked a little off for casual wear... "Heck, I'm just coming back from a job in Siberia: some scientist went missing and I got the job to find her."

The girl fiddled with the edge of her hood as she lowered her voice and looked around for any listeners. "People say that her helicopter had an accident and crashed mid-flight, but I know what's real! You think the high-profile string of accident-related deaths in the Siberian government's any coincidence with how they all happened in the same few months?" The Siberian government being as corrupt and inept as their counterpart in Moscow was hardly a secret to the world, and nobody wept with each death. Still, it was a tad odd that every media channel across the world had the same story about every death being accidental or natural...

The more the girl talked, the more odd she appeared with every story and expression about her apparent profession. Tuning her out halfway through her third story became easy when it turned out that she wasn't even paying attention to her supposed listener...

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Yes I'm aware that this looks nothing like Atlanta; google images doesn't do great at finding artwork of a sci-fi Atlanta

[ 2071-07-13 06:28:44 ]
[ Atlanta - Georgia - United States ]
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Home sweet home, with hints of salt in that sweetness.

Zoning out and continuing to read her book had done wonders to pass the time; before long the clear blues of the pacific became the rugged mountains and forests of the West Coast, then the Midwest before the Atlanta skyline became visible through her window before it was overtaken by the familiar sights of the ageing Hartsfield–Jackson International Airport. Even though it was well over a century old and had a newer, bigger, and more modern counterpart being constructed to the East, it still saw plenty of life as one of the busiest places in the world. Strangely enough: the woman who had been sitting next to her had seemingly vanished into thin air when she got up to get her luggage. Maybe she was quick to get off the plane, but then how could she have missed that?

Thankfully, there was no more distractions as she left the plane, went through the hellscape that was airport security and customs (the abominable time-waster it was), and left the terminal as fast as she possibly could. No more freezing over in a Neo-Soviet style hotel; no more sitting in stuffy airplanes; no more dealing with travel-related crap. She could finally go back to her normal life...

 

[That Lass Over There]

She did feel some remorse tuning out the woman like that, especially after trying to start a proper conversation... But she had heard enough of conspiratorial talk the last few weeks trapped in Siberia, and didn't desire to hear anything more, no matter the credibility. She'd also gotten a bit peeved when it became clear that there would be no chances to speak about anything else with the stranger. She had hoped to ask and answer plenty of questions, share some cat pictures, and maybe invite her to come over for a cup of coffee if she didn't have any particular plans after landing, but her vague interest had died as quickly as it raised.

From then on, she didn't make any attempts to speak to the woman again, falling asleep a little before midnight. She did offer another bottle of water, but that was the line. It didn't bother her much either when the stranger had disappeared, making for one less body to push past on her way out of the plane. Not that she planned to participate in that competition though - she was plenty happy to wait for the seats to clear out an easy path to be made.

Escaping the airport was a nightmare as usual, with all the people about and security being a right pain, but she managed through it somehow. It helped to have a familiar face talking with her through the suffering.

"Where are you?"

"North exit."

"There's like, twenty of those. Specify a bit? Actually, you know what, just come out and find me! I'm parking."

As though announcing the start of a game, the voice coming through her earbuds cut out after the proclamation, the call ended. A small sigh escaped her lips and she closed her eyes, thinking for a moment on the parking lot stretching out for an unbearable distance in front of her. All the cars she saw, moving and parked, and what she felt from those observations. After a little bit of consideration she took the handle of her luggage bag and rolled it behind her on the damp asphalt, walking in a direction that felt mostly right.

A small, effort-full smile comparable to the ones that the blue-eyed woman put on, a baggy sweatshirt with hardly any other clothing visible, and a baseball cap turned forward. Turning the corner of the car, these were all the details she absorbed in a split second, and the corners of her lips twitched downwards as grey eyes turned up to her with a bigger smile. "Unnatural as usual, Sis! Even knew I was hiding back here!" There was a bit of a staring contest between the two as appraising looks were exchanged, and much was left unsaid as the silent conversation was interrupted by a stuck out tongue from the grey-eyed girl.

Considering that to be a signal, the blue-eyed woman shook her head to deny the earlier exclamation. "Bary, it's just because you're predictable. Now get up before you get your -" Bary stood up and turned around, accidentally putting on display the already dampened backside of the baggy sweatshirt, and causing her to sigh. "- Never mind. It's your own laundry, anyway. Just get me home, I'm desperately missing my babies." Baryte chuckled and went to the driver's seat, the trunk popping open with a button press to let her put her baggage in before swinging over to the front passenger seat. The car was already started, and they pulled out as she put on her seatbelt. While Bary busied herself with keeping a lookout for cars, she idly looked around the car that she hadn't been inside in a while. Her eyes went to between the seats, the empty plastic bag placed at her feet for trash, and she popped open the glove box to only find a few nick-nacks and letters.

Once they got out of the parking lot and into the road, Bary moved her hand to turn on some music and slipped out a question. "Speaking of home, -do you think I could stay over for a bit longer, Sis?" Grey eyes kept ahead on the road as blue flicked over to observe for a moment.

"Dare I ask why?"

"Jazzy got mad again."

"... Sure. Take as much time as you need." She pulled back the hand offering the small pack of tissues after having it nudged away, looking out the window to the right with an empty gaze. "No more freeloading, though. I'm putting you to work tomorrow." Without looking, she reached her hand out, tweaking the volume of the music so that the strings were a bit louder compared to the sound of asphalt running under the car.

"-Thanks, Anne."

"Mm."

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The bed was a tangled mess of limbs, and a weight pressed itself into Anne while bundling all the covers all around itself in one spot, a little heat leech of the most clingy variety. With a cover over the window, the night lights of the city failed to light the room in the early hours of the morning, and she found herself with a choice... Not really, in an hourish - 6:30 - would be her first rush of customers. Well, as big of a rush as a niche cafe can get.

With the obstacle that had found its way intertwined with her, she first tried a gentle approach - a kiss on the top of the head, a soft "It's time to wake up," but the devil wouldn't budge. Then, an attempt to untangle herself and start the morning on her own, foiled by the sleepy mumbling and further entanglement of their legs, rather effectively locking her in place. The last option was...

Five minutes later, a betrayed looking Bary sat on the bed, covers wrapped around her while Anne started putting on a dress shirt and long, dark skirt combo that she liked to wear as a sort of uniform. "You didn't have to tickle me!"

Without care for the indignant voice, a frank answer came from the perpetrator of the crime. "We have to open shop in less than an hour and you weren't getting up."

"How do you even know, there's no alarm-" In the room lit only by a small, dim lamp beside the bed, the two connected eyes - one blank stare and one incredulous - and as Anne buttoned up her shirt, Bary clicked her tongue and lost their little stare-off. "No, never mind, I forgot you could just do that. So weird." With a shrug, Anne went to the bathroom and left her sister to pout on the bed for being woken up so early.

Coming out of the bathroom with a bit of makeup on, she looked over at the hopeless blob on the bed that had likely been staring at the dresser like that ever since she entered the bathroom. "There's no uniform, so just wear something appropriate. I'm going to go downstairs and get everything set up. You remember what you need to do, right?" From the closet she pulled out a blue vest, buttoning it up with care.

"Bake, take care of the cats in the back room, and clean... I got it Sis, you've only told me seven times." Groaning at the clear message that she wasn't being left off the hook, Bary finally got up and moved toward the dresser, pulling out clothes haphazardly, judging them against her body with a frown. "Jeez, you just had to be a little taller, didn't you?"

"Got dad's genes, for better and worse." Anne, all ready to face the day, opened the door of the room and left into the fully lit hallway outside. Hand on the door frame she turned around for a moment to look back, a small hint of some emotion softening her expression. "See you downstairs?" She asked after a moment's hesitation, offering a question with an unmistakable note of care managing its way into her voice.

"Yeah, I'll try not to be too long." Bary shooed Anne out of the room, going back to dresser diving to look for anything that would be professionally appropriate from her sister's wardrobe.

[ 2071-07-14 05:54:37 ]
[ Daydreamers Café - Atlanta - Georgia - United States ]
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"No, Krische, this isn't for you-! I'm sorry, okay? It has chocolate drizzled on..." While an idiot was explaining herself to a feline who only desired the pastry in her hand, vocalizing its apparent starvation in favor of eating from its half-full bowl, Anne made her way to the front of the store, gently stroking the wooden sign and the '~Open~' burnt into its ancient grain. After a moment of nostalgia, the sign was flipped to face outside, Anne clapping her hands and stretching while making her way to behind the counter - with two pairs of hands, she had a tiny bit of extra time, a nice change of pace from double tasking any super early customers and the last stages of setup for the shop.

 

[Aron the Aron]

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第
一
章

Heavenly Encounter
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[ 2071-07-14 12:07:23 ]
[ Daydreamers Café - Atlanta - Georgia - United States ]
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The rain that started that morning hadn't lessened in as the morning became the first minutes of the afternoon. The almost dreary autumn-like weather was a thankful reprieve from the typical July sun and heat, and nigh perfect weather for a quiet and cozy business like Anastasia's café. Sadly, things were shaping up to be another slow and gloomy Tuesday, with new visitors few and far between, and nothing out of the ordinary happening yet.

Baryte -for her typically disastrous self- was a helpful presence in the café; having a second pair of eyes and hands to help with the more menial tasks made the day feel a little less monotonous. Her occasionally playing with the cats or misplacing an item somewhere did give a few small headaches though, and the odd grumble and pout didn't escape Anne whenever she managed to bungle another batch of muffins and cakes according to her sister's "ridiculously perfect standards."

Being in the quieter parts of the city meant that the towering skyscrapers were a constant presence outside the windows, far from the downtown hustle and bustle. Obviously there wasn't as much potential for business since most traffic passed by without stop, but it was also quieter and less hectic. At the very least Anastasia wouldn't have to worry about being swamped by half-dead suits and secretaries wanting a fix of processed black coffee. Maybe it was fitting that she chose warmer brick and wood tones instead of the usual "modern" whites, greys, and blacks that every building seemed fond of; it felt warm and cozy, ideal for curling up with a steaming cup and a good novel.

While Anne saw out another satisfied customer though, life as she knew it was about to change in the next several seconds. The rustic wooden '~Open~' sign clattered against the lonely door to her cafe - not unlike a shopkeeper's bell - revealing an ethereal-looking woman entering her café. A drenched umbrella sat in one hand as she politely shook off the rain by the open door, her dress fluttering as a chilling breeze accidentally came into the shop. She was definitely not a regular; Anne didn't recognize her at all, and the faint expression on her face looked uncertain and unfamiliar despite her eerie calm.

Spoiler: It didn't even take a cursory glance to see how pretty she was...

By most metrics, the woman was mesmerizing to behold. Elegance bled from the way she held herself, smooth and graceful like a dancer in the midst of a ballet. Her dark heels made nary a sound as she strode further inside, letting the brighter lights of the café wash her long locks of hair from a muted grey to a luscious silver-white to match the dress she wore. It was certainly an unorthodox color to dye someone's hair into, but maybe having unnatural hair colors was the new fashion statement outside of America. She had a gentle smile on her face as she soaked in the homely decorations, her's far different from Bary's illuminating grin or Anne's faint curve of a smile.

"Apologies if I let in the cold; I couldn't stand the rain for another minute." Now much closer, the mystery woman glided to one of the many stool that lined the counter, seating herself with practiced etiquette. It was easy to say that she looked like the kind that came from European nobility, with her ghostly pale skin and almost statuesque posture, but her voice was unmistakably American despite its silken tone. "Could I trouble you for a cup of tea? Orange Pekoe if you do, whatever you recommend if you don't."

... Her eyes were a dazzling lavender for someone wearing contacts... were those contacts?