How long had it been since she felt so relaxed? There was something about this feeling that was invigorating to Esperia, even if she might have just been seated on a bench at Hargeon's square, the idea that she was freed from the chains of the past: her dreams and desire that had haunted her for so long were now drained away, and she felt oddly enough liberated? Although it had taken a while to get used to this new look of hers, but she had to admit the long white hair suited her, and there was something about those black eyes that was mesmerizing. Overall she had no reason to complain about the side-effects of her bargain with Asmodeus.

But then why was she not chasing pretty ladies instead of sitting here in the square by herself? Well, the truth was because right now that was not what she longed for, it was not what she desired. It reminded her a little of Alisa's lecture: use your desire as a stimulant, let it empower you, but do not allow it to control you. If she desired something, she would get it on her own terms.

No, instead she was gazing up at the sky for a bit, enjoying something as simple as the clouds slowly moving bit by bit. It was nothing special, but right now she didn't need anything, at least not yet. No, even the book she had brought with her, a simple fantasy novel about a tale that took place in a distant country had been left open on her lap, only halfway finished.

No, it was only once she lowered her gaze and saw a unfamiliar figure among the crowd that her interest was piqued. You see, as someone who had stayed in Hargeon for a few years Esperia had steadily become someone who could recognize the locals of the port, so a unfamiliar face usually meant a traveler, but this one in particular seemed different. There was the sight of furred ears on top of her head. Feline? It could be one of the feline race she had heard stories about before... What was their name again? The Nekomata? Close enough! Or perhaps it was a Kitsune? She had heard stories about them before, the foxy tricksters, Demi-humans, overall this exotic presence had drawn her interest, and before she even realized it her lips started to curve upwards into a smile.

This feeling, it was familiar. A faint sensation of excitement, similar to a child who got her curiosity stirred. How could she possibly deny herself the opportunity to not dive into an adventure like this? Hoping upwards a hand gracefully swept the novel off her lap as she stood upright and approached the direction she had seen the exotic beauty at. It took little effort to find her, considering how easily she stood out in the crowd, and so arriving in front of her she spoke with a cheerful tone.

"Hello there~ I couldn't help but notice an unfamiliar face in the crowd~ I don't believe I have seen you at Hargeon before, such a pretty face I would be sure to memorize~ An adventurer? It's quite a busy time for the port now that Blue Pegasus is preparing some festivities soon~"

A harmless and inviting greeting and a charming smile, just the way she liked it~

Aura has been feeling quite lost after Priscilla and Manzo left. She sent him on an unknown adventure making him think she was truly there, but alas she was not. She stopped mid-way and came back as the waters were calling for her. The voice within the sea kept talking to her as if it was a person. There was no way the waters had a voice. Sure maybe it could be a god or even worse, a demon. She remembered what Manzo told her about how certain parts of Joya worshiped her as Kitsunes were sacred to them. Hosenka will soon be her place, but for now, the nine-tailed fox had things to finish here.

She created some flowers around her yet they died so only after. What was wrong with her magic? Her golden eyes saw how the flowers were replaced by droplets of water so she tried again. 'Why is this not working?!'. Aura was getting frustrated as she tried again and again and again! The flowers that once followed her every step left her. Her eyes watered a little bit till a voice that was realistic spoke to her. Her head turned to see a woman who approached her with an interesting choice of words.

Festivities?

There was going to be some kind of Festival? Blue pegasus? Was that not the place Manzo was from. She bit her lip defensively and backed up a little.  "W-who are you?" she should not be so afraid by now, but there was no way she was going to back down from being defensive. Her master could trick her by any means. Her single tail formed into nine total as her eyes glared at the woman. "A-an adventurer(?) from Joya... You here from master?" She glared more. She was wearing a long dress and coat to cover her body as much as possible, but still did not wear any shoes. Her scars from her chains could be seen deep around her ankles, but so far that was all one could see.

Seeing the Kitsune back away a little made Esperia tilt her head slightly sideways, a brief hint of confusion before she finally smiled sympathetically at the stranger. "Oh right~ Where are my manners~ To think that in my curiosity I forgot something as simple as introducing myself." The white haired maiden made a playful curtsy as she hummed softly. "My name is Esperia~"

Although the young Kitsune continued to remain a bit wary, the tail of the Kitsune seemingly forming into nine in total, it reminded her of how a kitten might end up hissing at someone when terrified. "Joya? You're far from home then~ Although to answer your question: My origins are now from here. I was born and raised in the North of Fiore, but because I am a member of Blue Pegasus I have been staying here for the past few years."

Why exactly she had done so, was soon answered by the young mage. "You could say I want the guild members to have someone to welcome them 'home', if that makes sense~" She giggled gently at the Joyan lass, yet for a moment her gaze drifted downward, only barely noticing something around her ankles, but from her angle, she wasn't sure, beyond the fact the lass was barefooted.

"But do not worry~ As long as you are here, and have no ill intentions you will find sanctuary and safety, that much I can promise." A hand raised to her cheek as she pondered for a moment. "But you have yet to grace me with your name my dear~" She smiled kindly at her and for a moment felt a tingle of curiosity coming from Asmodeus. She couldn't really explain it, but she felt Asmodeus was intrigued by this stranger in a similar fashion.

"And another correction: I am no master~ I have been many things in the past, but to rob one of their freedom is an intolerable act that I despise, so if you wish to speak politely, just call me 'Miss Esperia', or if you want to do me a favor: call me Esperia~"

Master... it were words she had not heard in a long time... Made her wonder how Sebastian was doing.

Aura was not sure if this woman, but she seemed to be the opposite of those in Joyan. Her magenta hair flayed with the wind as their gaze met each other. She could not help but think this woman was bad, but aside from that, she felt like she was good. Very indecisive some could say. She was like one of those women who liked to tease and flirt with people. Was she perhaps sinful? She did not know how close she was with that thought. Slowly, Aura became less defensive and stood up straight with her arms against her sides.

Her eyes squinted with determination as they said how she did not want to be called master. This girl did not understand it seemed. Her golden eyes saw the girl's eyes motion towards her ankle, making her hide them behind the other. "A-Aura, my name is Aura." She gazed away and then back at her in a poutful mood. "I do not speak good Fiorian." She hid her face with her tails. "Espy. Yes? Shortened seems simple yet good for me." She had a slow speech with an accent. The tone was a rather rich womanly soothing tone that slides like a silk fresh-made ribbon. "U-uh, I am not used to company, but shall we walk?" She slowly went towards her to stand beside her with a six feet distance.

It was fortunate that Esperia didn't have any fancy tricks like reading the young Kitsune her thoughts, lest she'd be amusedly entertaining the thought of showing Aura just how sinful she could be. At least for the time being she was glad to see that Aura was starting to feel a bit less defensive. "A pleasure to meet you Aura~" A simple and friendly greeting, accompanied with a smile as she gave Aura a moment to explain herself. "Hmm, I guess it must be hard for a foreigner to learn the language, I would offer you my help in studying it~ My elder sister used to praise me for memorizing things like reading and writing very easily."

She couldn't help but feel a bit proud at the mentioning, yet when Aura called her Espy the young woman chuckled softly in response. "Well Aura~ People who call me Espy usually are my friends, so I guess that makes us friends now~" A playful wink followed in return as she watched Aura seemingly stand next to her, as if inviting her for a walk. "It would be rude of me to decline such a invitation~ I hope I will be able to help you get used to companionship."

And with those words she allowed Aura to start guiding her around as they walked, giving Esperia the opportunity to explain herself a bit further. "My friends often say I got the bad habit of getting my nose into situations I could ignore~ but when someone looks lost or in need of help, I just can't turn a blind eye to them... A silly thing, right?"

Aura was hoping this woman was indeed safe since she seemed quite alright. Blue Pegasus seemed to be filled with kind people just like Aegis's guild. She wondered how he was doing, such a kind soul he was. Too bad about somethings though as she had to leave, their paths disappearing from each other. The lost Kitsune trailed towards the benches and stands with Espy who talked about being friends out of respect for calling her Espy instead of Esperia. "I will... accept the conditions." She slowly spoke innocently with a charming smile with her eyes towards Esperia. The girl was happy to have a friend, someone to call her so. Priscilla was more like a mom. One who takes care of her and her needs when there were any.

She hopes her travels go well.

Her head shook instantly at Espy's question. "N-no, I feel like that is good. Trouble does not always mean bad when it saves a life." She continued to speak slowly and crossed her arms against her own bosoms. Quickly, she turned and walked with her the rest of the way to the beach. "Do you have any good places here that you like?" She wondered as maybe Espy had an idea of where to go. She still did not quite get use to this place.

Esperia smiled gently at Aura's response: True, sometimes it's nice to know that your efforts help someone in need." Esperia hummed softly as she walked along the beach with Aura, although as they walked Esperia couldn't help but ponder. Was it a good thing, to always be willing to help others? What if at some point she helped the wrong person, a person with bad intentions for example? Or maybe she would keep helping people to the point she had no energy left and broke: Was it still a good thing then? Esperia didn't like the idea, perhaps because she didn't see herself as such a selfless person.

But that didn't mean she was evil, if anything she felt a genuine sensation of joy and happiness at the fact the Kitsune was willing to consider her a 'friend'. Friendship was a beautiful thing to Esperia, something she longed for and desired.

"Hmm a good place that I like to visit?" She raised a hand to her cheek, tapping it lightly as she pondered for a bit. Although there were a lot of nice places within Hargeon, it was likely that Aura had already seen them before, so she tried to think of a sight the Kitsune had yet to enjoy. "How about the lighthouse? If we ask nicely the elder will let us climb to the top, and there is a really beautiful sight to enjoy up there. The sea stretches as far as you can see, while behind us there is the port and the mainland~ It's a scenery I would truly recommend in case you haven't seen it yet~ We would only need to cross the docks and climb up to the lighthouse at the other side in order for us to enjoy it~

Aura wondered about where they would go. She has not been to many places here. Her tail swayed excitedly as she was thinking of someplace for them to go. Her golden eyes glistened towards the sea as she then started to talk about the lighthouse. She has never been to the lighthouse here. Was it any different than being on the top of the pirate ship, she forgot what it was called. She remembered Lumiuer who always had that job. He was really good at watching for dangerous things. She wondered where the crew was after their shipwreck here. She has not heard a word from any of them including; Suki. '

"Alright, sounds good." She clapped her hands together while being very perky. Her eyes could see where the lighthouse was. Sure it was quite the walk, but it was fine since the beach was a very night place to walk. Her fingers went through her strands to flip it over her shoulder. She went towards the stairs that lead down into the sands, squishing the sand through her toes. "It doesn't feel that bad." Her head turned to look at Espy. "Let's go!~" She slowly walked so she could balance. It took more muscle and work to walk through sand than flat land since it was all over the place, uneven. "So... tell me about it, Blue pegasus." She wondered about it. Second person she has met from there.

Esperia nodded her head gently, finding her lips curving up into a warm smile as she noticed Aura's mannerisms started to become more perky and cheerful. Seeing the barefooted girl walking like that made Esperia ponder for a moment when suddenly a clever little idea emerged in her mind. A silly trick perhaps, but she thought it would be a cute idea as she watched Aura try her best to walk through the sand. Then again, maybe it was better left for another time, so instead she started to follow after Aura and when the question was asked Esperia tilted her head slightly to the side in confusion: "Blue Pegasus hmm?" A moment passed as she stepped beside Aura, ensuring she kept up with the girl's pace and started to talk in a softer tone, the nostalgia evident in her tone.

"It's a pretty famous guild, our Guild Master Alisa is really famous and strong! She actually taught me a lot of things in the past. Although I haven't seen her in years... Aside from that my childhood friend Liana is also with the guild, she really likes Alisa a lot~" She paused for a bit, noticing how as she spoke it became increasingly difficult for her to figure out things to tell Aura, making her realize how little she actually knew about the guild beyond those two, nor that she ever felt a connection to the guild as a whole. She had only been there because of those two...

"Honestly, I wish I could tell you more about them, but I don't really know much about them myself beyond that, but I do hear a lot of their members are really stylish and cool. Not me~ I'm just an ordinary silly lewdling~" A sheepish giggle escaped her lips as she looked at Aura. "If the sand is getting unpleasant to walk on, let me know~ I used to be very good at giving piggyback rides!"