I don't wait that long, but counting the ticks really makes it feel like time is dragging. A little after thirty ticks, the door opens again, Kelly standing there in her oddly colored dress.

"Girl," she addresses me, her expression and tone completely different than earlier. Instead of quiet and apologetic, she's harsh and commanding. "Strip."

Strip? Like... "My clothes?" Her glare is the only answer I get. I'm supposed to take off all my clothes, right here? For a moment, I'm totally confused, before I get it. They don't want me getting anything dirty, do they?

Jerking into motion, I quickly pull my clothes off, dumping them on the ground around me. She points at a guard. "You, burn those." I blink. They're burning my clothes?! "Girl." I jolt when her finger aims at me. "Come." Immediately obeying, I follow her into the house. But then I realize, what about my shoes? Those were given by the rail unit program... Calling on Chisa, she rapidly wings her way over toward this district. Even as I follow Kelly through the massive house, a good deal of my attention is on Chisa as she dives down at incredible speed, picking out the right spot, and snatching up my shoes right out of the hands of the confused guards. With a rapid, heavy beat of her wings, she barely breaks her fall, skimming the ground, no more than a blur of motion, before whipping back upward to fly away.

Then I turn my focus back to my surroundings. We've made it almost two rooms into the house already, the color and paintings and decorations in every direction all blending together until I actually look around at them.

That's when I see it, the most easily apparent thing. There are glowing lights mounted on all the walls instead of candles. They're mostly round rather than pointy, but they glow with faint white light, exactly like the ones in the rail unit building. Nobles are using mana to light their houses? How? It... it's impossible, they don't... they don't even have any of the necessary setup here, I don't see any metal to move the mana!

I try desperately to keep my realization off my face, as I gaze around in confusion. Until I see one. It's a little stone, like a rounded oval shape, resting atop a little wooden table next to a wall, like it got knocked over somehow. It's glowing, all on its own. There is no source of mana for it, at all.

These lights, they're something new. Something I'm unfamiliar with, working in a way I don't understand. Despite my current situation, I'm immediately interested in them. How do they produce light without using mana? Or do they use it somehow? Do they have a limited amount before they stop glowing?

No matter how much I try, I can't stop wondering about that until we arrive in a room that's clearly a bathroom, a handful of servants already placing down buckets of steaming water a short distance inside the room. Past them, there's a big, square tub embedded into the floor, a lot like the one in the rail unit building. It even has a few little spots for the water to drain in the floor around it, but I don't see big holes in the wall for water to pour in, so maybe it's a little different after all.

However, they aren't using the tub. At Kelly's command, a number of the servants come to wash me using the buckets of hot water in the entrance. As they approach, the adult men and women scowl down at me with cloth and soap in hand. I try to ignore their looks, focusing on their clothing instead. They're simpler than Kelly's clothes, all similar shades of dark blue, with jackets for the men and dress skirts just below the knee for the women.

Then they kneel down around me. I try to hold still as they unwrap my bandages from around my right arm, around my chest, and my leg. They toss the bandages on the floor a short distance away. When my injuries are revealed, they all stare at me in shock. "Come on, get on with it," Kelly urges them, the only one who doesn't seem surprised to see the big circular marks of red, scabbed skin ranging over my chest, stomach, and leg. And the blazing red of my burns all the way up my arm and side, only fading to a tender pink around my shoulder.

As if I'm not even here, the servants start talking about me. "Looks like she shoved her arm in a hearth," one man scoffs, head turned to another.

Another responds, "I saw a guy trip into a hearth before, he was completely disfigured after. Those kinds of burns never heal all the way."

Going off what he just said, one woman asks Kelly, "Why is this girl here anyway?"

"That isn't for you to question," she responds coldly. "The master has plans for her. Those plans require her as clean and presentable as possible."

"Yes, my lady." the servant woman responds, immediately lowering her head. Her words are kind of confusing though, 'my lady?' I figured Kelly is a higher class servant, but what was that supposed to mean? There's a somewhat tense silence to follow, the servants carefully scrubbing me down with soap and hot water.

I have to grit my teeth against the pain of them scraping repeatedly against my injuries, especially the still-healing burns that are on fire under the water, feeling searing hot as it runs off me. It's not too bad though, nowhere near some of what I've taken before, so I just endure it until they're finished.

When they all draw away, Kelly calls for a few to follow, and leads us off through the house again. I continue to stare around at the surroundings, the painted walls and shining floors. The decorations of cloth and metal and faintly glowing stones spread all around in a show of wealth that completely blows away even Kathy's house.

Even after staying with Eryk, living briefly how I guess a higher class child might live, it's hard to even imagine that there could be people so rich, with such... luxury, everywhere, all the time.

After awkwardly standing in a dressing room, the servants buzzing around me with a whole different assortment of clothes, with Kelly telling them it's important to make me look as good as possible, they eventually get me dressed. Why? Is this about trying to sell me to a noble after all? My heart starts pounding faster and faster the more that seems to be the case, even as I stand, unmoving in the hands of the servants as they size me up and do some work refitting the absurdly frilly dress they have me in.

It's blue, with big stripes of pink and weirdly shiny green frills sweeping across the entire front. Even seeing myself in it, it's really pretty, but terrifying at the same time. Why am I supposed to wear something like this? It falls to my knees, but there are also these big strips of fabric that I don't even know what they're supposed to be for, hanging off the front and back of my shoulders, going all the way down my sides, under my arms, down to my waist like big, weird loops.

This is noble clothing...

Then, with a word, Kelly gets the servants to move my hands, sweeping the big loops up so they trail off of my wrists. She instructs me to keep them like that. I don't understand why...

When they're finally finished dressing me to Kelly's satisfaction, they start to work on my hair, brushing it out, then putting some stuff in it, and brushing that through. I can't really tell what it is though. "What is this?" Kelly asks with an irritated look, grabbing a section of my hair. Looking at it in her hand, I realize that's the shorter section that got hit with that arrow during the battle. I frown as I look. It only goes down to my shoulder, instead of below my knees like the rest of my hair. I wonder how long it will take to grow back...?

Thankfully, they move on without forcing any sort of answer out of me, then she waves the servants away. "Stay right there," Kelly commands in a tone that I don't dare disobey right now, even without a guard standing threateningly over my shoulder. She leaves, and once more I have to just stand and wait. Actually, she didn't say I had to stand. So I sit down on the floor to be a little more comfortable, since I don't know how long I'm going to be waiting here.

After a while, I consider letting Emily know what happened so she can tell everyone else, but I don't actually know what to tell her, I still don't really know myself. Besides, she must have already heard I was taken away from all the other kids at the orphanage. So I reluctantly leave it for now, maybe I'll contact her when I actually have some useful information.

Sitting was definitely a good idea. I wind up meditating through most of the day before Kelly finally returns, commanding me to follow her. We walk out of the house, and begin on our way through the noble district. Chisa already dropped my shoes off at home, so now she bounces from one rooftop to the next to keep an eye on my surroundings.

The sun is already starting to go down, the sky sinking into a kind of dark, purplish blue, with only a handful of clouds drifting by

I keep pace behind Kelly, eventually working up the courage to ask, "What's happening? Where are we going?" She doesn't even respond, and just keeps walking. I frown at the way she's just ignoring me, but... she's a noble servant, I must be so far beneath her she has no reason to even listen to me...

I feel discouraged thinking about that, and try to distract myself by looking around again. We pass down a few wide, mostly empty roads, stand aside as a cart passes by at a corner, and cross a few well plazas, passing row upon row of incredible noble houses. Even among the nobles, we're clearly getting into a more rich area. The buildings are growing from three to four stories tall, the yards between them larger, the flowers and windows and servants all more colorful and impressive to look at.

Then we leave another courtyard, coming into an area with some of the nicest houses I've seen so far, only for a flash of oddly familiar color to catch my eye. I turn to glance at it, and immediately go stiff when my gaze locks with a servant in a nearby yard.

Nana?!

Even in a different servant uniform than the blue one I've seen on her before, her bright yellow hair is impossible to miss. She actually drops whatever she was holding, rubs her eyes, then continues staring in disbelief as I absently continue behind Kelly. We pass by the house Nana is working at, round another block, into another courtyard ringed by more massive houses, and slip between them, into a small space around the back corner of one house with a little door, that Kelly knocks on.

It opens shortly, a tall, thin man peering out from inside. He isn't that old, but his build reminds me uncomfortably of Mister Fredricson...

"I've brought her," Kelly says quietly.

"Good, you can go now." With a small gesture of respect shared between them, Kelly walks off again, her pace carrying her quickly out of sight. Even Chisa watching from above feels like she's rushing away as fast as she can without being to conspicuous. "You, wait until you are called." The man addresses me, drawing my attention back just in time for him to shut the door in my face. Do they always have to do that...?

I shake my head. As bad as it feels, they have the social standing to treat me this way, and there's nothing I can do about it. And this is without them realizing I'm not even a peasant...

"Psst!" A sound draws my attention after I've waited a bit. I turn to find the bright yellow of Nana's hair sticking out from behind a nearby building. "Psst!" she makes another sound and waves a hand to draw me toward her. The man didn't say I have to stay in place, so...

With a shrug, I glance around through Chisa's eyes, confirming there's no one else nearby. It looks like Nana's trying to be inconspicuous. I walk over to her. "1A, what are you doing here?" she hisses, throwing careful looks around in every direction as she hunches close to the ground in her dark servant clothes.

"I don't actually know," I answer uncertainly.

"What do you mean you don't- Ok fine. Come with me." Without any further explanation, she starts to lead me across the back of a building, into a side-door, and through a series of strangely narrow, undecorated halls, with a number of tight staircases.

"Where are we going?" I ask as I follow behind.

"Kurt Ordlyn said he saw you walking around and was sending someone to pick you up. I... sorta talked my way into doing it," she shoots a nervous smile over her shoulder at me.

"W-wait, Kurt Ordlyn?" I ask, eyes going wide.

"Yes?" She clearly doesn't understand my surprise, squinting at me as she slows her pace a little.

"He's the one who runs the rail unit program," I point out. "How does he know about me?"

"He is?" she wonders aloud, before hastily shushing me with a hand, when tiny side door opens into the little hall and another servant woman appears, staring at me with a look of panic, before Nana waves her hands and shushes her as well. "Keep quiet, Ordlyn secret," Nana says seriously, to which the woman suddenly gives a small nod, turning away and not sparing another look at us as she walks down the hall in the direction we just came. "Come on, we have to get you through here fast."

Gulping nervously, I follow on her heels. We go up a few steps, out another door, and across a small courtyard between a few more houses, their backs placed closer together. Another set of tiny halls and stairs bring us out into a much wider hall. This one is actually decorated, looking like a fancy noble house again. What were all those tiny halls we just went through?

Besides that, I think we're on the second floor too, there were a decent number of steps going upward earlier. I would be totally lost after all the tight turns too, if it wasn't for Chisa holding position above the spot I'm probably supposed to be waiting. Ignoring that and just trying to make my way through this baffling situation, I continue to follow Nana down the hall, with its cushy blue carpet, to arrive at a nice, heavy wooden door.

"Alright, he's in here. Ready?" she asks me quietly.

"Wait!" I hiss and put a hand out to stop her as she reaches to knock on the door. "This might be a weird question, but what does he call me?"

"Call you? 1A." She doesn't say it, but her expression alone asks what else he would possibly call me. That's all it takes to be sure. He's calling me here as the rail unit 1A, not as Aria.

"R-right..." I breath out anxiously, fighting to push down my swirling emotions and all my confusion, clearing every trace of it from my face. I have to focus for a bit to properly hide my emotions behind my blank stare, then tell a very uncomfortable looking Nana that I'm ready.

"Alright, I have to get back to my duties before they realize I'm gone. Good luck, 1A."

"Thanks, Nana." Then she knocks on the door, and a voice calls to enter. I swear, the voice sounds familiar somehow... Opening the door and bowing into a respectful gesture, Nana allows me to enter behind her, keeping up my blank expression as I arrive in front of Kurt Ordlyn, the man who actually runs the rail unit program. We both look at each other, his face betraying nothing, like Eryk does sometimes.

I do the same with my blank expression, even as his face finally brings back the memory of who this is. Someone I already know. The head handler who always walks us out to battle. That man was Kurt Ordlyn all along?!

Once Nana has closed the door gently behind me, he speaks. "Unit 1A, I thought you were dead." It's not a question, so I don't respond. My heart is thumping hard enough I'm worried he'll hear in the silence of this little room, like a fancier version of the sitting and drawing rooms at Eryk's house, with a number of couches and chairs, a shelf with books off in one corner, and tons of little decorations everywhere, the light of the strange glowing stones glinting off their surfaces.

"Why are you here?" Kurt asks.

"Because you called me here." I answer without a hint of hesitation.

"No-" after fumbling for a moment, he groans. "Stupid broken rail unit," his muttered words hurt, but I tell myself that the less he thinks of me, the less he might do to me. "Why were you brought to the place you were standing, before I called for you?"

"Because I was called to that place."

"Urgh," he groans immediately, his head falling into his hands. "Do you know what reason it was that you were called to that spot?"

"No."

With him frowning deeply, I'm just glad that it isn't directed at me. "That was the manor of Quint Varish, I want to know what he's up to. Unit 1A, I command you, the next time we meet, you will explain to me what that man wants you for. Is that understood?"

"Yes." I don't show it, but I grimace inside. Even if he's in charge of the rail unit program, I don't feel the slightest obligation to obey him anymore, except because of what horrible things they might do to me the next time I go to battle. In that case, what can I do about a direct order like that? Is there any wiggle room that won't be obvious that I'm trying to get out of this? I'll have to see if I can figure anything out...

"Good. Return to the place you were called before, and do not mention this meeting, or your orders, to anyone but me."

"Understood." That order I should be able to safely ignore. I still need to be careful though, since this is as a rail unit, not as a person. That will seriously limit who I can tell about it... Hiding all my thoughts and feelings, I turn around, opening the door and walking back out.

From there, I fumble my way back toward the spot where I was originally, winding through those tiny hallways somewhat randomly, using my water-aided memory of the way in and Chisa as a mark to aim toward. Between the two, I actually manage to make it back out onto a lawn close to where I was, even though I felt totally lost the entire way here.

Moving back into position as if I never left, I swallow nervously. I was only gone for about sixty ticks, and Chisa didn't see anyone come to get me in that time, so I think I'm safe...

Then my thoughts move back to what Kurt told me. This is Quint Varish's house, the man who is actually in charge of the rail unit program even though Kurt runs everything. While Kurt recognized me as a rail unit, Quint probably won't, since I was sent here under the name Aria...

"Mmm, this is getting hard..." I mumble anxiously, biting my thumb. Some people here know about my identity while others don't. What do I do...?