Kenzo was excited for a change. It had been a while since he’d taken a break and he seriously needed one. A message had arrived from his guild master a couple of weeks ago. It seemed that Blue Pegasus’ supercomputer had finally managed to decipher the message encrypted in a piece of evidence that he’d gone through skin and teeth to acquire. It was a breakthrough that could definitely be considered as real progress. The search for Finn’s murderers had taken Kenzo to the edges of the world, and for now he could finally rest. He deserved it.

Thankfully, it seemed like he’d be given the perfect opportunity to take a vacation. It had been weeks since Kenzo had last heard from Fiore, but a certain message addressed for the blue haired warrior made its way to his room. It was from Alisa, and its content was pretty simple. Apparently, there was a new guild in the country, Empyrean Divine. Somewhat of a spiritual successor to Daeva Eye, the guild master was someone he’d gotten to meet in Hosenka. When he read the news, Kenzo couldn’t help but feel glad for Kurisa. She was definitely one of the strongest people he’d ever met, and he knew she was worthy of respect and admiration. At the very least, the two of them were on quite friendly terms.

Regardless, the news of Empyrean Divine came along with an invitation open to all guild members of Fiore to attend a festival with a grand Gala to be celebrated at Stella. Kenzo had been there before, so memories of the amazing cuisine and its vibrant people and streets flooded him. Alisa wanted Kenzo to attend. The two of them had serious matters to discuss. As such, the mercenary packed his stuff and journeyed through the countryside for a couple of days until arriving at the location. In pure Blue Pegasus style, Alisa had reserved an entire resort for the guild’s guests. It was a lavish resort, classily decorated in Stellan style. If the rooms and food were half as good as the place looked from the outside, Kenzo was sure to enjoy his stay.

It was early in the morning by the time Kenzo arrived at the place, so there was still a couple of hours before he could check in. Considering the gala was being held later that night, the male decided to leave his stuff with the clerk and stroll around the city in search of an appropriate attire. Those kinds of events demanded a certain dress code, he didn’t want to sully Blue Pegasus’ reputation after all. It had been a long time since Kenzo had been able to spend a day as carefree as this one, making him remember how much he missed the feeling.

Everything that had happened while he was away from Fiore had been quite intense to say the least, so it was of no surprise Kenzo started feeling homesick by now. Yet, the entire notion of homesickness was completely new to him as well. What did it even mean? He hadn’t spent much time at the guild hall in Hargeon, and if anything, Oak still more of a home to him. Still, he couldn’t help but want to return to his days in the guild. As he pondered on these thoughts, the memory of a certain black-haired girl came to his mind. It had been months since he last saw her. For the matter, the only thing he knew about her was that she was supposedly safe. He felt a rush of excitement by the thought of her attending the event, but quickly dismissed it before letting his hopes up. Shaking his head, he finally decided on an outfit for the gala, trying to distract himself from the topic.

For now, he was positively exhausted, and wanted nothing more than to rest. Quickly grabbing something to eat, the male made his way to the resort's front desk and showed them his guildmark. It was still around 1 o'clock, and the event was to take place in the evening, so he still had plenty of time to rest. After checking his name in the system, the clerk nodded as he handed Kenzo his key. "Suite 809. The ma'am has already made sure everything is in order". Kenzo accepted the key with a nod, though the meaning about comment puzzled him. The guy was surely referring to Alisa, so the mercenary decided to pay it no second thought. He just wanted to sleep.

The tiredness was so strong that Kenzo barely remembers how he made it to the room. It was an impressive suite with an amazing vista towards the pool, complete with a living room, kitchen and a huge bed. Yet, the male paid all of this no mind as he immediately took off his shirt, the hole in his chest that had accompanied him throughout his whole life nowhere to be seen, and closed the windows and curtains.  Leaving the previously illuminated suite in the dark.

With a short hop, the Bellan threw himself at the bed before drifting to sleep almost instantly. Perhaps if he'd paid just a little more attention he could've noticed a particular detail. While his assumptions of the suite being only for himself could have been entirely understandable, the fact that the place was filled with personal belongings that weren't his, the sign at the entrance positioned with do not disturb, or even the clearly audible sounds of running water coming out from the bathrooms shower would have made him notice otherwise. And yet, he didn't.

Oils and incense filled the air with the exotic scent of patchouli, ylang-ylang and cedarwood. The paladin enjoyed a bath in a tub filled with rose water. Flower petals speckled the greasy surface and after an hour of relaxation the mixture of fragrances had sept into her hair and softened her skin. There was still plenty of time until the ball and Rania did not intend to rush herself. The last few months of her life were spent mostly in solitude, travelling the continent to find both purpose and truth – only to end up more curious than before. If anything, the priestess understood that the guild was where she belonged – and that it was good for her.

Her spiritual retreat had come to an end when Rania received her guild master’s letter and an invitation to a ball here in Stella. The paladin was happy to attend and planned on resuming her activities as a member of Blue Pegasus shortly after. Rania reached for the glass of sparkly wine kept at her bathtub’s side and took a sip, stretching out contentedly in the sun. The bathroom’s window was wide open and offered a view of the gardens behind the resort. She didn’t worry about anyone taking a peek and if they did, she wouldn’t mind – Rania wasn’t the shy type.

A little more time passed until she emptied the bathtub and turned on the shower, carefully cleansing her skin until all traces of the oil had disappeared. Washing her long hair always took her quite a while, but patience was a virtue – and Rania was a saint. The paladin finished her extensive self care ritual by putting on a silken bathrobe she had been gifted by a wealthy merchant during her time in Joya. It fell perfectly around her edges and curves and felt light and airy on the skin. The material was expensive, but well worth its price.

When Rania exited the bath, she was surprised to find her sleeping chambers in darkness. She may not look like much, but the paladin was very observant and had sharp instincts. Her danger sense rarely failed her and after summoning a small orb of light the woman then realized why she hadn’t been alerted by the intruder. A smile tugged on her lips and the corners of her mouth slowly turned upwards. Rania breathed a sigh of relief and stepped to the bed where Kenzo was already fast asleep, drooling into her silk pillows. She saw his sword next to him and his shirt and gear on the floor.

She took a seat on her bed and ran a hand down his back, careful not to wake him. The hole in his chest had disappeared and upon noticing that change in his appearance, she sighed almost wistfully. It’s been a long time since their last encounter, but Rania and Kenzo had always been on pleasant terms – initially due to their guild master’s efforts to bring them together. The warrior and the priestess were two sides of a coin and, in a way, similar due to their differences. They made a surprisingly good team and often travelled together in the past.

She was happy to see him again.

If Kenzo had known this to be her suite, then her being in the bath wouldn’t have stopped him from greeting her. Unlike Rania, Kenzo was a born and bred warrior and seeing that he too unknowingly let his guard down around her felt strangely validating. She planted two kisses to his cheek and then walked to the kitchen to prepare something to eat for the two of them. It was still a while until the festivities began and he would probably be hungry before that. She wanted to let him sleep for a bit but decided to wake him before it got too late, so that there would still be time for him to shower, dress and dine.

Kenzo’s sleep couldn’t have gone any better. After all, this was probably the first time in almost a year that he had an above average bed for a change. As much as the experienced mercenary enjoyed a lovely straw or hay filled bed, there was nothing that beat the real deal. His mind drifted peacefully as it pulled him deeper into unconsciousness. It was honestly a rare occurrence, considering he usually had to keep his guard up and keep alert for any potential dangers while he was on the move. Oddly, that mechanism had turned itself off. Maybe it was the idea that no one would dare to attack a Blue Pegasus member at Empyrean Divine’s celebration. Battle mages from Fiore weren’t an occurrence rarely seen in the rest of the continent, but they certainly had a fearsome reputation.

After what seemed a couple of hours, the mercenary’s consciousness was suddenly pulled out from his slumber. It is said that smell is the most powerful of senses, a somewhat debatable assertion, but it proved to be true in Kenzo’s case. As he blissfully ignored the fact that he still invaded the black-haired girl’s room, he was undisturbed from his sleep by her greeting gesture. Even the sounds coming out of the kitchen as the young paladin prepared something to eat went above the warrior’s notice. And then, there was the smell… The scent coming out of whatever the young paladin was cooking worked like thunder lighting up a dark, stormed sky. Kenzo woke up almost in a trance, taking a couple of seconds to understand and remember where he was right now. A thread of drool tracing the side of his cheek and landing on the pillows woke him up in a tad bit of embarrassment. Luckily there was no one out there to see him.  Or…

The male became a bit concerned as he started processing the room around him. It was obvious that the couple of bags and clothing neatly placed at the other side of the bed were definitely not his. As images flooded him of his surroundings, Kenzo instinctively reached for his sword. The way his right eye worked was a curious thing. While the swordsman had learned how to block it from overwhelming him with its sensorial capabilities, there were still moments he couldn’t completely control it. Springing out of the bed in a bit of a shock, Kenzo turned his head at the kitchen to see a familiar figure cooking what smelled a delicious meal. The man’s mind raced with a couple of questions, but he was mostly wondering if he was still sleeping. Cautiously standing up and grabbing his shirt, he held it at his chest before asking with a curious tone.

”Rania?”

The paladin was making udon, a simple dish from her homeland consisting of rich flavours and delicious noodles. Kenzo slept like a baby next door and even though she wasn’t trying to be particularly quiet or anything, the warrior didn’t awake until it was time to eat. There was still plenty of time until the ball and Rania figured that now was a good time to catch up. The naturally perceptive woman hid a smile when she heard him stir awake in the other room and began setting the table. For drinks, there was simply sparkling water as she believed they would be having more than enough alcohol later that day. Rania thought about offering Kenzo a fork, but figured that he knew how to use chopsticks considering that he had lived in Joya for a considerable amount of time.

When he called out to her, her smile grew a little wider. “Yes?” She responded calmly, enjoying the slight hint of confusion in his voice. He was always groggy after taking a nap, especially when he felt safe enough to take one at all. She pushed the door open a little wider and peered into the darkness. He looked a little helpless standing there with his shirt in one hand and his sword in the other and she could almost see the smoke coming from his brain as he tried to process what was going on. Really, if she had been any other person he might have been in trouble simply for being so slow.

“I made food,” she announced and pointed at the table behind her. “Wash your hands and get dressed and then sit with me.” There was slight impatience in her voice, but nothing too serious. The food smelled fantastic and she had been craving udon noodles for a while now. In hindsight it was Rania who was hungry and Kenzo simply happened to be at the right place at the right time. The paladin removed her apron and took a seat by the table. It’s been a long time since the two had seen each other, so there was probably much to talk about. Of course a part of her was wondering why he had ended up precisely in her room, but with a scheming guild mistress like Alisa it was really no surprise that both of them had been set up like this.

Not that she minded.

“You look good,” she lied and inspected Kenzo head to toe. There was something more rugged about him than usual – he seemed tired, worn out and weary. She wondered where his travels had taken him.

Rania gently blew on the noodles and carefully took a first bite. The soup was warm and hearty; the herbs and spices she had brought from home worked wonders on an otherwise simple dish. The paladin ate silently for a while. She noticed Kenzo’s awkwardness – the warrior seemed to be at a loss for words and she didn’t want to force any sort of conversation on him. It’s been a long time since their last meeting and even though things had turned a little spicy for them, the raven haired woman wasn’t one to hold any type of grudge or longing in her heart.

For someone so compassionate and kind, Rania Okano was remarkably detached from the people around her.

His remark lured a smile from her lips and she looked up at him, nodding along with his words. “Too long,” she said naturally and took a sip from her glass of water. “I missed your company – yours and the guild’s. I guess the timing of my disappearance was poor, but I missed my homelands.” Rania had spent the previous year travelling to both Minstrel and Joya, visiting the graves of her parents in the former and joining a caravan in the latter. A larger part of her pilgrimage had been spent in solitude, but Rania hadn’t been alone the entire time. There was a group of free spirited people she fit well with and for a few months the paladin had travelled at their side and enjoyed their company.

Her skills as both an exotic dancer and a priestess came in handy almost everywhere she went and the lovable woman never struggled fitting into any place. “It was eye-opening, really. I’ll tell you more about it sometime, if you’d like.” She flashed him a smile and curled a long strand of black hair between her fingers before pushing it back over her shoulder so that she could continue her meal. “And you?” She asked. “You look rugged. I’m not at all surprised that Alisa sent you to my room. But don't worry, you're in good hands now.” She teased, but towards the end both her voice and her expression softened visibly.

She slid a hand across the table and took his, sending a warm pulse of energy through his body. As a healer Rania was a naturally nurturing person, happy to take care of the physical and mental ailments of the people around her. Kenzo, who always looked to be a little bit in need of both, was the perfect match for that side of her.

“It seems that we both had a rather productive year,” the paladin spoke with a smile. With how much time Rania and Kenzo had spent together on travels and assignments for the guild, some time apart was good for both of them. Besides, there were certain matters that Rania preferred taking care of on her own and she believed it was the same for the warrior. When he started playing with his food, the woman simply shook her head with a smile and stood up to bring him a spoon and a fork. Perhaps she had overestimated him after all. While Rania stood at the sink to find him some cutlery from the drawer underneath, he mentioned something interesting and her ears perked up.

“It’s my room, but you’re happy to stay. I don’t think I’ll be spending much time here once the ball is over,” she said and handed him the silverware. Rania sat back down and crossed her legs. A thoughtful expression snuck on her face and she leaned down to continue her meal. His question disrupted her trail of thoughts, but she quickly ran him up and down with her eyes and then gave a genuine nod. “You do, which is why I’ve been wondering if you had any plans on attending the upcoming ball.” Rania sure had. She had prepared a dress and everything for it after all. It was her first time visiting a ball this grand and she honestly couldn’t wait to see what it would be like – and what kind of people she would meet.

“Certainly not like that,” the paladin then remarked. Kenzo, handsome as he may be, didn’t look fit to join any ball or event for that matter and it would be a lie if Rania said that appearances didn’t matter, because they did. “You can’t go there looking like that, that’s for sure.” The raven haired beauty remarked dryly and finished her meal. “But don’t worry, we still have until tonight to fix that.” There was no harshness in her words, only genuine concern. Rania was both a gentle and an honest person. And besides, the ball was an important event, but perhaps Kenzo didn’t even want to go.

“But anyways – where have your travels taken you in the past years?”