"The Imperial provincial system is a highly organized method of assigning administrative territories to the respective lords and ladies of the Imperial court for increased stability and security. Alongside noble troopers organized under the lords themselves. Each provenance is also required to maintain a standing militia, a localized constabulary operating under the grander Imperial Vigil Gendarmerie, and a cohort of volunteers to be assigned to the Imperial legions. Exceptions are made for frontier provinces in which the militia and constabulary components are replaced by the Legio Terminis, a standing army that oversees all military affairs regarding the frontiers."

- Aeglypces Klemens, Imperial Academy Of Higher Studies, "On Imperial Provinces: Military Administrative Apparatus"

In recognition of honor and sincerity as proven in battle. The collective group was fined two gold and four silver Artes for their ignorance of Gratian etiquette and for the crime of 'misunderstanding' military orders since they were merely adventurers. The inquisitorial part of the group naturally, had the Gratians take no issue with whatsoever. Not that anyone had expected the church to receive any blame for what happened.

Still, in Lucinia's eyes, that meant the situation was resolved and sorted. Whatever grievances that remained despite the duel will be ones that just simply weren't important enough for the Gratians to bother with. One of the calmer chevaliers gave Sophie a stern talking to, likely a necessary reprimand to save face in front of the gathered crowd without drawing any additional ire. An ending that was thankfully less dramatic yet more anticlimactic than she had expected for her first adventure.

She did come to despise riding in peasant carriages or merchant vessels though. A lack of padded seats, cushions or generally any other amenities beyond the wooden boards they called seats and their own supplies was a harsh experience. Her back was constantly sore as were her legs, and the few times they stopped off in villages she experienced the full range of countryside smells that assaulted her senses. Though she thoroughly detested the travel experience, she was just a little pleased at all the excitement that the current company brought. Not that she had any plans to ever share her thoughts so earnestly.

Her main worry now was Sophie herself. Though they had their differences, they had become nauseatingly acquainted due to a flurry of recent events and life changers. Enough that Lucinia had to begrudgingly admit, even to herself, that she held more than a modicum of respect for the elf and her antics.

One aspect that reminded beyond criticism for Lucinia was the girl's skill in combat. Though she clearly had a long way to go, to have stood against the threats that she had and survived said more than enough. By all metrics, if Sophie was anyone else, Lucinia reasoned that she would've recommended her to join the Imperial Legions. Unfortunately, this was also the area that Lucinia dreaded, for it was the very same that she had accidentally intruded upon with her unsanctioned interruption.

Sophie looked set to lose during the duel, but what Lucinia was certain of was that her momentary distraction practically ensured that outcome became the only one. In a way, that was perhaps the most egregious crime of all to her. To have robbed someone of their chance, however slim it might be, was an affront to one's honor, that much she understood. Judging from how disappointed Sophie looked for a brief moment, Lucinia felt as if she had driven a dagger into the girl. A wrong that she would need to make right.

A loud whistle signalled the group to get ready. Philippe motioned to the rest of the group that Sophie and the captain were finally wrapping up proceedings, they were good to go. The chevaliers and soldiers reflected this turn of events as they began spreading out and reforming their own formations. Seeing this, the merchants and other bystanders mulled about for a little more before shuffling off to whatever mundane tasks that they had to accomplish. For a moment or two, Lucinia barely even processed the dull purplish glow that covered the land, only now finally readjusting her eyes to focus on anything else beyond the duelists.

Someone huffed loudly and she found Sophie finally being dismissed by the chevaliers, the situation resolved at last. The half elf even traded a half bow with Captain Fontaine, the man just replying with a lukewarm nod. She earned his respect, though not his approval. But for now, it was more than enough.

That did bring Lucinia to her most immediate issue. Sophie was fast approaching the wagon once again, and she was the one who would be sitting closest to her. No avoiding it then.

Sucking in a deep breath, she prepared herself for the confrontation to come. The girl who ruined a duel.

"No more trouble?" Elaria's cheery voice called out from the front of the wagons.

Lucinia was about to respond until she saw the bard directing her gaze towards the inquisitors and the elf. Figures.

"Nope. We're good to go, fine aside." Mila yelled back before turning to her compatriots, "Marduk, get the mounts ready, we will move out in five." Mila motioned to the orc.

"Yes, warmaster." The hulking green warrior grumbled and began preparing the horses.

"Philippe, keep an eye on the Gratians."

"Already ahead of you." The junior inquisitor rolled his eyes, "Just keep an eye on that one." He growled.

The inquisitor glared at Sophie and the half elf sheepishly grinned.

"I am beginning to understand why all your reports seem to mention getting into trouble of one kind or another as of late." He chastised his colleague.

"I wasn't even involved in half the things." Mila defended herself.

"Aye. But she is your responsibility. And don't think I don't remember what happened with the princess. Lady Serilda will want to hear about it."

"I am aware. No need to chastise me over that. You aren't my superior, Philippe."

"At this rate?" He scoffed, "Yet. I am not your superior yet."

The two glowered and scowled at each other as they headed to their mounts.

Waiting a little to ensure the blackhats had dispersed before stepping forward, Lucinia shuffled up towards Sophie, catching the girl's eye.

"Lady Lucinia?" Sophie queried.

"Ah… Sophie. You uhh, have a quick moment?" She mumbled in response.

Worried, Sophie motioned for Elaria to wait a second and hurriedly drew Lucinia into a huddle. The elf got dangerously close to her. The Traxian had to restrain her instinct of flinching.

"Something the matter?" Sophie's voice dropped a little, the hint of concern slowly growing.

"It's just… umm…" Lucinia fumbled her thoughts

"Hmm?"

"The duel…"

"The duel? What about it? I made it out alright I'd say."

"But you… lost…"

"Oh. That's fine. A few bruises is all. Trust me, it's far from the worst." Sophie tried to snicker conspiratorially, as if she had somehow shared a secret.

Lucinia could only offer a weak half-smile. Hah, she's trying to be kind. I suppose… Lucinia shook her head. No, it's my fault. My mistake. And I must ensure that she understands. I must apologize, elf or not.

"Sophie." She started once more.

"Hmm?"

"I'm… sorry." She finally managed to blurt out.

"Sorry?"

"For the duel. I interrupted. And you lost." Lucinia shamefully stated before immediately dropping into a bow, "I'm sorry."

Unwilling to lift her head, Lucinia only grew concerned when Sophie didn't reply. Fighting her instinct to keep her head lowered, she gingerly turned upwards to find Sophie giving her a baffled look. Is she mocking me?!

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Lucinia waited for a response, her apologetic frown slowly morphing into a scowl from the apathy displayed. I even lowered my head and-

"Pfft. Was that what you were worried about?" Sophie chuckled.

"Something funny?" Lucinia snarled.

"No, no." Sophie sighed happily, "It's just… I've been through worse. This was a little irritating but nothing major. So you don't need to worry about it."

"That's…" But your honor! A duel tainted and disrupted!

"Lucinia. It's fine. Really."

"B-but your honor, the fight. You're a duelist and a warrior! You-" Lucinia tried to protest.

"Lucinia. I've been through worse, I mean. For what it's worth, I'm happy that you care, heh." Sophie smirked.

"But-! Ugh! You! Next time I won't apologize!" She pouted.

Sophie just chuckled and gave her a gentle nudge.

"Come on, Lucinia. You'll get more used to this in time. But I do appreciate it."

Lucinia bristled with embarrassment, a faint sense of anger, and relief. Before she could retort however, another voice interrupted the two of them.

"Girls! You two ready to go? We need to get moving some time today!" Elaria called out to them.

"Coming!" Sophie answered for them, "Shall we?"

Without giving time for the Traxian to respond, the elf had already begun trotting away. Ugh! The nerve! Lucinia grumbled to herself and plodded along, she's so damned carefree! Whatever, time to move on. Releasing one last frustrated grunt, she clicked her tongue and wondered just what else she might experience if this whole thing wasn't even worth worrying about for the other.

Arriving back at Mare's Berth brought a strange sense of euphoria for Lucinia. Passing through the port city's gates marked the end of their treacherous Gratian journey. Along the way, the group descended into a somber state of contemplation. Whilst she couldn't quite parse the struggles that the inquisitors and even her own group members. Though they had successfully resolved most of their objectives without violence or issue, the princess's words seemed to have affected them all in different ways.

In particular, both Inquisitor Mila and Sophie seemed to have their moods deflate the closer they got to Mare's Berth. Whatever it was about the north and Sophie's potential supposed hidden sister had wrapped itself around the two of them and infiltrated their psyche.

On the bright side, Sophie appeared genuine when she said that she cared little about the duel. The whole affair was almost entirely forgotten in the elf's eyes beyond the occasional grumble about the chevaliers. Though Lucinia couldn't help but feel that much more frustrated that she could do nothing to improve the general situation. As if her contributions hadn't been very useful in any way, for good or ill.

Elaria and Raylani at least, seemed cheery and uncaring enough. The two of them were about as aloof as they had always been. Elaria tried her best to keep morale up, the bard occasionally singing a small ditty or ballad throughout their travels.

Mare's Berth was different. Against the more subdued atmosphere of smaller towns and villages dotting Gratia, this city carried with it the same air that Arteria did. A liveliness that reminded her of civilization and the unfortunate prospect of a long boat ride ahead. On some levels, it was a break for all of them. The tired but relieved sighs from the others. The joy of being able to conduct another crowd from the bard.

Lucinia just leaned against the side of a wall and waited.

The others were inside the Inquisition's headquarters in the city. Unlike the first time she had arrived, this time the blackhats had little need for her presence. Guess they just wanted to figure out why I was tagging along with the others, figures. She sighed dejectedly. Not important enough, not anymore.

Her only company at the moment was the strange elf. The girl was acting as her bodyguard and caretaker, the others being unwilling to leave her on her own despite her protests. Although the elf did have her uses, mostly because the way she positioned herself warned any overly curious members of the rabble.

She was curious about her temporary guardian however. For not only did she look different from any other elf that Lucinia had seen before. She carried herself differently too. In fact, now that Lucinia thought about it, she was almost wholly dedicated to Elaria with no goals or volition to act on her own. Huh. That's right. I don't think she's actually ever done much more beyond stick with Elaria. Lucinia frowned, she's also older than us, right? Gah, damned elf doesn't talk much does she.

Lucinia's curiosity got the better of her and she tried to stealthily examine the elf only to be met with red eyes staring directly at her.

"Ah." She unwittingly let out a noise.

Raylani did not comment, just continued staring at her.

Self conscious, Lucinia felt herself shrink a little from the elf's withering gaze.

Amused, Raylani offered her a small life line and clicked her tongue once. Unsure how to perceive this display, Lucinia mumbled something under her breath, earning her a singular snicker from the elf. Alarmed at the sudden noise, Lucinia just gawked at her, surprised that the mostly stoic elf could even laugh.

"You have a question for me?" Raylani calmly asked.

"I…" Lucinia stammered a little.

Collecting herself, she spent a moment drawing a breath before trying once again.

"I do." She stated only to realize how rude she sounded, "I do have a question, Lady Raylani. If you don't mind."

The elf shifted ever so slightly, a small smirk on her face. It was an irritating expression that Lucinia could do nothing about. She supposed it was good enough that the elf was willing to anwser her. Or so she assumed that's what the expression meant.

"Uhh, Lady Raylani, what… umm no, why…. Yeah, yeah are you here?" Lucinia half mumbled.

The elf raised an eyebrow, her lips pursed in amusement. Her eyes seemed to dart around them quickly, scanning the peasantry to make sure that none of them were close enough to overhear. The Traxian found herself oddly pleased upon seeing this. Almost like she was being pulled closer like a confidant, a proper part of the team.

"Why am I here?" The elf drawled.

"You know, with Elaria and the others."

The girl just smirked eerily, "My mistress possesses great strength, beyond that of which you could even imagine."

Lucinia just stared at her blankly, "I suppose that's the reason. But just because she's strong? That's it?"

Raylani seemed unfazed and brushed off her comment, "You have not seen so you would not understand."

"I… I guess." Lucinia replied.

Perhaps it was the disappointment on her face or her tone, but the elf's expression softened a little.

"My mistress also rescued me, though the circumstances are ours alone to know."

"That's fair, I suppose. There's a lot I don't know about." She admitted.

"Quite so. She has also taught me much. Such as this odd language of yours." Raylani replied, taking her moment to savor the words.

"Language… of ours?"

"Indeed, I had to learn even more than expected with my mistress's tutelage. It is a blessing that she is as knowledgeable as she is. Her penchant for song and dance is also… quite pleasing." Raylani put on a rare smile.

"Hah, while I prefer more refined compositions, I do not disagree with your assessment."

The two shared a brief nod of appreciation. A small bond of understanding. Taking advantage of this, Lucinia decided to press forward with her questioning.

"Where… where are you from exactly?" Lucinia asked.

The elf's demeanor shifted almost immediately, stiffening up. Whatever friendliness or idle curiosity that she had in indulging Lucinia's questions vanished. From her, the Traxian now felt a detached coldness. A sore topic, I presume.

"Beyond where even the bearded stonefolk dwell. In the veins of this world. The land of darkness and the false sky." Raylani spoke.

"Beyond even… where exactly is-"

"That is all I will say." Raylani cut her off curtly.

"Fair enough." Lucinia mumbled.

With their conversation abruptly and awkwardly dying off, Lucinia's mind was now filled with another flurry of questions in the silence that followed.

From the point of view of a layperson, Raylani's presence alone would be curious enough. A strangely colored elf who carried herself with an almost exotic air. Almost fully covered from head to toe save for her nose and eyes, occasionally her mouth should she lower her mask. Despite trying her best to be inconspicuous, Lucinia couldn't help but look the elf up and down. Unlike the forms of Sophie or other elves that she'd seen before, Raylani was undeniably more curvaceous and generally pleasing to the eye.

Catching herself staring, Lucinia tried to erase the image from her mind and distract herself with more pressing questions and conjectures. Mainly those that involve the elf's home. The strange place supposedly underground somewhere. How big is it? How many of them are there? Just how did she get from there to here in the first place? How much of a threat would they be? Do they war with the dwarves? What else lives there? A plethora of questions that she wanted answers for, but with how reluctant Raylani was just now. She doubted she'd get those answers.

Lucinia sighed.

Making herself comfortable, she rested against the wall and began humming to herself. An old Traxian nursery rhyme sung to serenade young children. A fond tune from her younger days, one that relaxed her even now. Though it also made her somewhat mournful for the lack of her own attendant by her side. For the others had their own shadows and seconds. Elaria with Raylani, Sophie and Aryana, and even Mila and Sophie shared a bond of their own.

A gentle hum from the side joined hers and she widened her eyes. The elf was joining in. Her more sultry voice added a far more relaxing melody to the hum. Not that it was unpleasant, in fact, Lucinia found herself wanting to sway to the tune. Restraining herself, she settled for sharing this moment between them and carried on humming.

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