Pouting her cheeks softly as Liana explained her decision to attend this party by herself under the assumption that she had been asleep left a little pang of sadness in her. She thought she had warned the girl enough about the dangers of this season, so the least she had hoped for was that Liana would have waked her up!

Still, fortunately, the stranger, who introduced herself as Alisa had sidetracked her from those thoughts as Esperia playfully patted her own chest and remarked in response. "Indeed! Getting Lia drunk is my job~" A mischievous giggle escaped her lips when suddenly...

squeeze squeeze... the idle gesture of the more mature lady caused a sight to show itself that briefly made the Eisenberg gulp lightly, her gaze fixated somewhere in particular before the poor obsidian-haired lass shook her head violently.

Not this time! Even an impressive bust like Alisa's wouldn't tempt her! Besides after having lived with Liana for a while she had grown quite tolerant to the existence of impressive 'pillows' as she jokingly referred to them. Yet she had to wonder just how soft and snuggly they could--- NONONONO! change your thoughts Esperia!

Almost as if she was a monk who had reached the pinnacle of zen the girl calmed down enough to smile at Alisa while addressing her with a cheerful response. "The pleasure is all mine Alisa~"

She hummed happily yet standing quite close to Aiisa who had been gazing into her eyes had led Esperia to feel a bit curious. What would Alisa see beyond the sparkle of liveliness and slight mischief? If she could peer into her soul... would she see the grief and anger that lurked deep beneath that light? like the deep shadows of a pure lake?

"You heard her Agni~ We visit a butcher later." The canine beast whined softly but soon turned his focus onto the magical beast that approached him, sniffing it lightly to memorize its scent.

However, hearing Liana's comment about being the taller and more mature-looking of the duo did seem to spark something from Esperia who raised a hand to her cheek and hummed softly after Liana had taken the punch and drink from it, something she herself had done also.

"I don't know about that~ In the end maturity isn't all located---"

A swift sidestep behind Liana happened as both her hands reached for the girl's bust, attempting to give them a playful squeeze over their clothing while remarking mischievously. "DOWN THERE!" The playful teasing would have lasted for a few moments unless disrupted, but she soon addressed Alisa with a smile. "Surely you agree with me, right Alisa? Else you'd have so much maturity you might be reaching seniority already..."

Wow, did she just subtly say Alisa had a huge pair of breasts?

"But anyways~ I'm glad you went to a party rather than a little misadventure~ you know that this season is a dangerous one."

The leering gaze Alisa gave her caused Esperia's body to jolt upright, her cheeks turning a slight tint of red as she easily read the message her expression had held, and yet at the same time, the obsidian-haired girl's smile didn't waver, at least not yet.

Yet she had not entirely expected the consequences of her actions, Alisa's words stirring an even greater blush onto the girl's cheeks while she shook her head lightly. "I'm not a lecherous lady! I'm an umm... just someone who appreciates soft pillows to snuggle into." She whispered the last bit bashfully, causing a few chuckles from among the other attendants at the party, some of them quite understanding what there was to appreciate about such matters.

However, Liana's angry response made her drop her shoulders lightly, similar to a scolded puppy while Agni barked at her in response, almost as if he was agreeing with the idea Liana would propose.

"I-I'm sorry... I didn't mean to upset you Lia..."

She lowered her head a little as the last remark was said, for some reason imagining a rather questionable scene to unfold while Liana had her tied up to the bed... that would have been quite bad indeed! but at the same time...

"Does that mean you would be staying with me the whole night then?"

a little whisper followed at the last bit, revealing that despite her age Esperia did have a certain childishness to her!

A few rushed footsteps, tiny in distance were made till she stopped right before Liana and looked up at her, the fidgeting and nervousness in her expression clearly betraying she was not feeling comfortable with Liana's grumpy and upset mood.

"You're umm... not mad at me, right? I-I mean if you want to get revenge I'd understand. Although I don't have as much to squeeze compared to you..." Her gaze lowered at her chest as she pouted briefly while Agni barked playfully in response, raising a paw to Liana as if to tell her she could squeeze it instead if she wanted to. that would make a fair trade, right?!

the response that came from Liana initially made Esperia drop her shoulders in dejection, believing her friend had indeed been quite upset about the event that had unfolded just now. However, the soft whisper that followed afterward had an entirely opposite effect, her cheeks flushing up to a scarlet hue as she awkwardly turned her gaze away. So it would have been fine if nobody else was around? The little Growlithe raised a paw at the flustered girl as if he wanted to give her a high-five but Esperia decided to simply pet the beast's head.

However, when Alisa remarked about her having to be nicer to her girlfriend another jolt ran across Esperia's body, feeling her heart skip a beat at the words that were used before the girl bashfully nodded her head in response. "Mhmm, we're best friends!" Yet the swift rejection of the statement by Liana did sting a little, yet for the time being she ignored the feeling in preference for following Alisa's suggestion to accompany her to the party.

Still, there was a certain awkwardness that the girl felt after her actions, her gaze drifting away from the duo and lingering at Agni who was happily trailing after Alisa and her magical companion.

We're just friends... It was a true statement, even if she considered Liana her best friend, it was just that... then why in the world did that denial just now sting so strongly? The question haunted her a little, perhaps because the answer to her was yet to be found. Still, every now and then she shot a glimpse at Liana, as if she thought she could discover the meaning of that question by looking at her, but to no avail... no answer came, only a light beat of her heart, and yet this time she was prepared to be careful about looking at Alisa, in the end, that Pillowmancer was a dangerous foe to face!

"What is it that I want..." a soft mumble escaped her lips while she tried to recall the answer to that rather simplistic question, but perhaps the punch had been clouding her thoughts from the solution, instead leaving only a pouting Esperia to trail behind the duo.

Despite the fact she had been trailing behind the two of them not a single word was spoken by the young Eisenberg, instead her mind being occupied by the thoughts that haunted her. However, it was also at that time she started to slowly recall something: she didn’t like parties that much. Even during the festivities in the Elestia tribe Esperia had always kept to herself, so why in the world had she thought that she could do it differently this time? A whisper followed, making the Growlithe nod his head in response as he continued to trail after the duo, but by the time Alisa and Liana turned to look behind them the girl had already disappeared.

Instead, she had wandered along the dimly lit path, not entirely sure of her destination. Why had she been traveling? At one point she would have said it was in order to find answers and get revenge, but then something happened that made her decide a different course of action. She wanted to just explore the world at Liana’s side, to be able to enjoy that warmth that surrounded the girl, the one that kept the dark thoughts and feelings at bay.

Another sip of the punch followed as she found herself wandering deeper into the darkness, a soft sigh escaping her lips as she realized the answer behind the thoughts that occupied her mind: When did Liana become so important to her? And why exactly did she held such an importance to the young Eisenberg?

The teasing remark spoken by Alisa made Esperia’s cheeks flush up lightly as she shook her head violently. No, that couldn’t be the answer, in the end surely Liana wouldn’t see her as that. Another sip followed as she found the goblet of punch drowned, and gazing at her surroundings the girl realized one peculiar problem: she thought she had been going back toward the town, but instead got horribly lost in the darkness!

Meanwhile, Agni was still trailing the duo, keeping the one request in mind that Esperia had asked of him. Yet he couldn’t help but let out a little bark to try to draw the duo’s attention.

What does it mean to love someone? It was a question that plagued Esperia’s thoughts as she found herself drifting in the darkness. Just as Liana had expressed her unfamiliarity with those feelings to Alisa, so did Esperia lack experience with them, and perhaps it was exactly that what terrified her so. Fear of the unknown, she was afraid of discovering what those feelings meant, but she was just as afraid of losing the current bond she held with Liana, one that was so precious to her. Then there was also the indescribable frightening feeling of waiting. In the end, she wasn’t the only person in the world… what if someone else appeared and swept Liana off her feet? The thought horrified her, to the point she found her arms wrapping lightly around herself and tears gathering in her eyes.

She was never fond of the night, partly due to her upbringing and the sacred duty of her household, but even more so because tonight it made her realize how lonely she felt, even among such wonderful company. Meanwhile as the two young ladies realized Esperia’s absence Agni barked in response, as if he was saying ‘geez! Took you long enough!’ but soon when the worried Liana crouched down before him the canine barked once more and nodded his head in acknowledgment: it seemed his duty had changed from protecting Liana to finding Esperia!

A sniff in the air followed as he seemingly caught her trail, darting off the path and toward what appeared to be a part of the railways were an unused train wagon was left on an unused rail. A peek inside would have confirmed a small figure was seated in one of the wagons, a soft sobbing noise coming from her while at the same time Agni prodded the back of Liana’s leg with her nose as if to nudge her onwards.

It was a familiar voice, yet she didn’t respond to it right away. Her gaze remained lowered, her small arms wrapped around her frame as she sobbed. If she had time she might had been able to put up a mask, to force a smile and say everything was alright, but what would that do? It wouldn’t take away those feelings that threatened to tear her apart, the only way to deal with those emotions was to confront them, and that meant… confronting Liana. Her gaze lifted upwards a little, the dimly lit wagon revealing her face, how tears coated her cheeks, running down like small streams as she tried her best to control the little sobs, but to no avail.

“...”

When was it that she started to think this way? When was it that she started to feel like this? A feeble nod came from the girl as she finally started speaking, her voice shaking among little hiccups of her sobs. “Why...”

A single word was uttered as the tears continued to flow, and while the Growlithe remained at a little distance from the duo he remained watchful as ever while Esperia continued. “Why did it all change?” What changed? At first, it might had sounded like a confusing statement for the girl to make, but soon it would become clear what she was referring to. “You used to be my sunflower...” A sob followed as the past tense of the line the girl was so fond of using must have felt a bit odd, but then it continued.

“But now you feel more like the sun… you’re so warm, and yet at the same time you burn and remain out of reach.” sobbing softly as she looked down at her hands, feeling them shaking lightly on her lap. “And it scares me, that no matter how much I try, you’ll remain just a few steps too far, or someone else...” she couldn’t finish the sentence, the thought alone already horrified her too much.

“All those years I waited for us to meet again, for you to take my hand and keep me at your side forever.” But when was it that she wanted her role at Liana’s side to change into something even more? She finally lifted her gaze to settle onto Liana’s own. “I didn’t just want to travel alongside you… I...” she paused for a moment, struggling to express the words a certain child had wanted to say that day. “Ever since you saved me that day I loved and admired you so immensely!”

Her body trembled lightly, a mixture of feelings overwhelming her. “I thought… just being at your side would be enough, enough to vanquish that emptiness that night left, but now my heart is being selfish in the most terrifying way I ever felt.”

A short pause followed, her gaze settling deeply onto Liana’s own eyes as she finally expressed the feelings that had been buried so deeply in her chest. “I love you Lia… much more than anything or anyone else in this world, and wanted to explore those feelings together…”

But to know that those feelings were formed out of an unrequited love was too tragic for the girl, and perhaps that had led to her disappearance. “I...” she didn’t want to experience it, the feeling of being rejected, but what would hurt the most? The rejection and the consequences behind it, or the silent suffering as she hid those emotions till it was too late? Only time would tell what the end result of tonight’s events would lead to.