Day 01 Opening Day

"Oh no! It's fine, dear!" Arianne reassured Liseran. She didn't want the girl to leave. "Just sit down with us! I want to hear about your journey here!" She motioned for the two girls to sit next to each other on some chairs. Maia shrugged and sat down. She trusted this woman for some odd reason, but she was positive they had never met before.

"First, I'm supposed to deliver your letter." Maia spoke up, she handed the woman a letter from her bag.

Arianne didn't even hesitate, she opened up the letter and read it. A smile formed on her face. "Oh my! I've been given a tip about an old temple! Imagine all the research I could do!" She cheered.

Maia raised an eyebrow at the older woman. "Isn't it really dangerous to explore those old temples. I've heard stores about scholars going in and never coming out."

Arianne smiled. "You're right! But don't worry, I'll make the necessary preparations if I do decide to look for it." She said softly. "Now that's done. Let's talk about you two. The Expiates didn't give you too much trouble?"

"Ruined temples are dangerous, but assuming you come with the right people and aren't foolish enough to surpass your own boundaries, it should be fine," Liseran said nonchalantly while adjusting her glasses.

People who excavated temples weren't uncommon. After all, a lot held treasures of old and remnants of history long forgotten. Not that learning more history was any use to Saoirse. They were rather adamant on how for many years the Walpurgis had oppressed ordinary people. It was more likely going to be the only main focus of the past they planned on showcasing.

Arianne asked about the Expiates and Liseran gave a small, ironic smile.

"I stay away from them when I can," she said. "Therefore they can't give me trouble at all. When I do bump into them, I just show my papers and I'm fine. Some are not as lenient, though. Isn't that right, Maia?"

"There other places I would like to explore before this one though. I've already made preparations to head to Eisleyn for a project I'm working on." Arianne explained. However, she failed to mention what the project actually was. But, Maia wasn't sure if she wanted to know. Eisleyn was not one of her favourite places to go, and rarely delivered letters there. Even Pascal had enough common sense to not send many couriers in that direction.

"Yeah. Most Expiates I know aren't lenient." Maia said. Well, if you let a man get away with murdering someone's father, don't expect any love from her.

Arianne nodded. "I have a dislike for them too. I've met a few good men and women, but most of them are pretty ridiculous." Arianne chuckled softly. "A reform would be nice, but all the monarchs in Esterelf are completely useless."

"Monarchs usually show no interest except in themselves," Liseran murmured. ]"However, they must be doing something right to have held down both foreign tensions and Walpurgis issues for so long. That said, it's best not to complain. After all, when one complains, they're given much worse than they already have."

Liseran's tone came off as slightly bitter, but about what, it was hard to tell. The girl breathed out steadily and politely smiled at Arianne.

"Eisleyn, you say? Well, if you do visit there, I highly recommend their hot springs--really delightful, they are."

Liseran glanced at her pocket watch and hummed.

"I have other business to attend to. So if you two do not mind, I shall be leaving soon. Maia, will you be staying here?"

Maia shook her head. "Probably should be going. I have business to attend to as well." She replied. She would probably just head back to Saoirse, and pick up some new letters. She liked it that way, staying away from that horrid town she called home. But she couldn't exactly afford to go away. Maybe one day, she'll head back to school. Maybe she'll become a respected scholar.

"Alright, ladies. I would love to have a longer chat, but we all have business to attend to." Arianne chuckled. But she was slightly disappointed. "But before you go, I want to tell you that I have some places that are lined up to be explored. But it's too dangerous for me, so I'll be putting some fliers up on boards around Esterelf, and if you're interested, you'll get payed and perhaps gain a new tool for your 'cause' that could prove useful." She explained.

"I'll keep that in mind..." Maia replied. She wanted to know what Arianne meant by "cause" but decided to not push it.

She left the room with Liseran.

"As will I," Liseran said after making a polite bob.

As the two stepped out, Liseran would put her hood back on again.

"That was...interesting," Liseran murmured. "I'm curious as to what she has in mind. Albeit, ruins exploring is severely dangerous as I said. If you ever agree to that matter, will it be alright if I tag along with you? It's better when two people know one another when going on such endeavors."

"Indeed," Mephistopheles said inside the bag. "Can we get going to the festival? I'm famished."

Liseran rolled her eyes and ignored him. She instead turned to Maya and offered her one of her rare small smiles.

"Are you doing anything after this? Why not take a break from your work and have some fun? There are a lot of things for even Walpurgis such as ourselves to enjoy on this day."

"It does sound interesting. I'll be sure to get in contact with you if I ever decided to go." Maia replied. She was a courier, not an adventurer. But her curiosity made her wonder what a real test, please felt like. Or a strange cave filled with corrupted beasts. It was terrifying and exciting at the same time.

Maia thought for a moment, then sighed. A small smiled rested on her face. "I suppose I could take a few hours off. But I'll go off on my own for a bit, I few stalls caught my eye..." She chuckled softly. ["But feel free to find me if you need something, I shouldn't be too hard to spot!" And with that, she pulled her hood up and left the inn. Ready to explore the city. And with her knew knowledge of the secret passes used by the Walpurgis, she wouldn't be harassed by the Expiates as much!