You give it a moment of thought, and then you decide to keep your distance for the time being. You’re going to follow them, though, since they could turn out to be useful. They’re still a ways ahead, so you try to pick up the pace a bit. As you get closer, their voices come into earshot again. That’s about the right time for you to duck off the path, you think. You edge behind a clump of trees, just a bit off the path, and begin to follow them, taking care to stay unseen. You pick your way around clumps of mossy roots and burgeoning tree-ferns, all the while keeping an eye on the road. As you close the distance between the two people and yourself, you arc off a little further into the rainforest. You slow down, and then you manage to get a good look at the one who’s speaking a little loudly.
She’s on the shorter side, with neck-length hair that fades smoothly from black to blonde. You feel like she’s a little overdressed for the climate, since she’s wearing a tall, well-worn beanie and a stiff wool coat, both of which are smoky silver in color. She’s also wearing a pencil skirt of a darker gray, finished with black tights and thin-heeled black booties. If nothing else, you’re impressed by her dedication.
You can’t see the other one too well from your position. But, at this distance, you can listen in on their conversation rather effectively.
“I’m pretty sure we’ve been in the same class before,” the well-dressed girl muses to her companion. They must not know each other too well, you think. You slow down, straining to hear the other’s response. But the other one is speaking lowly, so you only hear the girl’s next response.
She gives a little laugh, sounding cheery. “Heh, that’s how I felt last sem, during my history—”
You miss the next few words, focused as you are on navigating through the edge of the rainforest. Then, you hear the other’s voice, low and ever-so-slightly sardonic. “Well, doesn’t that sound like my kind of poison?”
You can almost hear the grin on the girl’s face as she responds. “Oh, speaking of poison!”
“The cafeteria food?” The other responds quickly this time, their quiet voice underpinned with mischief.
“Yeah! I heard that, this year, they’re finally changing the food company they use.”
“Maybe I’ll bother to dine in the cafeteria sometime, then.”
“Oh, you don’t eat in the caf? No wonder I haven’t seen you around much! What do you do for food, then? Do you go into the city often?”
The response comes just as quickly, but the words fall a little more flatly. “Only when I’m in the mood to throw away money, which happens more often than you might expect.”
“Wow, what? How do you not like Caelis City!? Maybe you should try to explore more, don’t you think? This is our last year here, after all!”
You can’t hear the other’s response.
The girl continues, saying, “Wait, I just realized— where’d you grow up? I mean, I’m from Mistral, like, way south of the capital, so Caelis kinda feels like home, in some ways.”
You miss the other’s response, but so does she.
“I’m sorry?”
“Vale.”
“Oh, Vale! I have some family that lived in Vale! Well, I have a pretty big family, so there’s a lot of us all over the place, heh. What about you? Is your family still in Vale, or did they come to—”
She suddenly falls silent. You stop short, wondering what happened, and then you hear a faint swish followed by a sudden thwock as a flash of silver goes sailing over your head. Your heart is pounding, and you press yourself against a tree and slide downwards into a crouch. Before you can think further, the quiet one calls out to the well-dressed girl, saying, “What did you see?”
“No,” she says, her voice firm. “Heard— something distant, but getting closer— clumsy and large—”
And then, a few yards away from you, an Ursa and three Beowolves come crashing through the underbrush, pursuing the two that you’ve been following. The girl immediately dashes forward to intercept the Grimm, plunging her arms into her oversized coat. Without turning around, she calls out to her partner, saying, “Hold the bear!”
Her sprints forward after her, and you catch a glimpse of him as he breaks away from her path. He’s holding a misshapen quarterstaff, but he twirls it and suddenly snaps and transforms it into two separate weapons: a stout baton and a long-barreled revolver. He snaps off a few tightly-aimed shots at the Ursa, and then he twirls the baton again, and a small blade springs out of one of its ends.
As the Ursa charges towards him, he ducks back onto the path, leaving the Beowolves for the girl. She slams into the first of the wolves, her arms a blur and her hands flashing with reflected light— one second, she’s slashing at it, and then she leaps backwards and hurls a number of daggers at the wolf. It stumbles further away with each impact, and then her hand and eyes glow a soft lilac and the daggers rip themselves out of the Grimm’s torso and return to her outstretched hands. As the other two wolves leap at her, she launches herself into the branches of a tree, gathering herself before she can continue her assault.
You grip your sword and shield, and you feel the presence of the gilded woman rush to the forefront of your mind. Neither the Grimm nor the two students you’ve been following have noticed you. This would be the opportune moment to jump to their aid, potentially earning their favor if you can help ensure a safe victory for the two of them.
On the other hand… they seem to be capable of cleaning these stray few Grimm up themselves, and they can always signal for emergency aid if they’re really in danger. Should you really insert yourself into this battle and make yourself vulnerable? Should you leave them and keep heading towards the campgrounds, so you don’t get caught up in potential series of Grimm attacks?
Aid them.
Continue onward.
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