Light revealed a mass of gray clouds forming above Aurelburg; the sky became darker and achieved the illusion of the sun cowering in fear. What was supposed to be the brightness of a morning sky was instead filled in by a seemingly frozen dusk. A crackle of thunder with surges of lightning came and went, making known to the world below the gradual descent of watery drops. It started out as a subtle flow and became stronger with each passing moment. The pour was slowly overwhelming the city rooftops, covering buildings and houses in moving films of water and drowning out all other sounds people outside could hear.

Rain.

Kirk didn't expect that a land south of where he was from would have this kind of weather. The sound managed to go through the walls, and yet he felt this was a weaker form of the weather that took up most of the skies of Grand Prettan. A window close to him revealed a bright, yet rainy morning. It was then he thought of the pour being loudest only at a single area of the window. Daylight revealed many of the room's finer details that exhaustion and the night hid from view; this room had wallpaper textured with small, white fleurs only seen up close. Lights were kept off as most of the windows allowed what light the sun managed to push through the blockade of clouds in the sky. He expected that the blur made after that encounter with the monster would let him see a mess of his belongings strewn all over the couch.

To his surprise, his pile was safely put aside close to the wall.

Kirk unbound the string that sealed his pack and looked inside; the rubies were still safe. Not that he wanted to doubt his hostess, but he wouldn't want to be too comfortable with their company. Nobody would have been foolish enough to lead him to this room, even more by revealing a mode of travel unknown to the world at large. While there was no telling what a woman of her power could still do, the fact that she revealed something akin to a lost art so casually to a stranger can't be discounted as a clue to a rather sinister secret. Kirk would have to join this cleric and her companion, at least until he could repay their hospitality.

Speak of the "demon"...

Soft taps were heard from his right; Euphemia came out of what was obviously the room's kitchen. There was a glint of silvery items mounted on the wall that could not be hidden by the gray backdrop. The smell of freshly-roasted meat departed from the tray and into his nose; thin, white smoke coming out of the bread soon followed. Her eyes met his, and soon she was walking towards the coffee table in front of the wanderer.

"Good morning, Kirk." Euphemia seemed to have sported a new veil. It was less obstructive than the large, cape-like headpiece Kirk first saw her wearing. "Have you rested well?"

"Good as new. Don't worry about me." Kirk flexed his arms and rolled his shoulders. "I never thought sleeping on a couch made me more refreshed than resting in any sawdust inn. This is something else all right."

"I'm sorry for not having a bed to spare for you."

And the cleric was looking close to him; a few seconds of meeting her gaze felt like minutes. She looked much brighter than before; a blend of gracious curves and a slightly angled face opened up to the swordsman (her dress, even if it still covered most of her body, offered something to the eyes unlike the dark, heavy habit she sported when they first met). It was quite far from the heavily-covered woman who ventured into a forest to court danger during that night. He could stare at Euphemia all day and never get tired of it. It was almost perfect, save for the veil that reminded Kirk what he was doing was either awkward or wrong, no matter the excuse.

"Still, I appreciate your efforts in helping us back in the forest. We would have been in a dire situation if not for you going out of your way."

"You worry too much, Sister." Kirk went ahead and took a chunk of meat and a slice of bread. "It's only a man's job to make sure that women and children won't be harmed by never-seen-before creatures. That's all."

"Your humor is rather interesting, Kirk."

Euphemia looked at him, and her eyes slowly moved to his pile of belongings, and then went back to him. She stood a little farther away from the swordsman before saying:

"What happened to your sword?"

"S-sword?"

"I saw you charge at the monster before I passed out. You were carrying a sword."

"Oh, that. Right." Kirk bowed, and stared at his feet. "My trusty blade was... broken when I attacked the beast. I didn't know that its tail could break my weapon so easily."

"Do you plan on acquiring a new one?"

"I'd want to, but I don't think I'll be able to afford a new one right now." Kirk looked at the canoness again. He scratched the back of his head before helping himself with another serving of meat and bread. "Besides, I'm not too sure of your country's laws about wearing swords in public. I wouldn't want you... whatever you call your countrymen...?"

"We're Kriemreichers, Kirk."

"Cream-hikers, you say?" The swordsman was about to use the word again, but his lips pulled back before doing so. "As I was saying, I wouldn't want your people to look at me funny when I go around."

"I believe you're right. Unless you are a soldier, wearing a sword in public will invite questions." Euphemia then steered away from the topic; a soft smile on her face when she said, "I couldn't thank you enough for helping me with my friend. Rook is recovering from his wounds. He should be waking up probably tomorrow."

"Glad that I was able to help, Sister"

"Yes, I am very relieved." Euphemia's gaze directed to a window to her left. Her voice lowered as if robbed of vigor. "It would have been... much worse for us."

Light filled her eyes as she looked outside; her irises shattered when it received the day and revealed various shades from the lightest of blue to a bluish-gray tinge around the edges. The view revealed nothing but a seemingly endless curtain of falling water; far from them was a dark mass of clouds that gradually became thicker as it drew closer to the city. She let out a long, weak breath and said:

"Given that we are bound by our predicament, I would have to 'invest' in your trust." Euphemia did not move from where she stood; her eyes were looking at Kirk, yet they felt out of focus. "You may feel that my friendship will be forced, and I am sorry."

"Same here. We're brought into this by one of the most awkward events ever to happen."

Kirk stretched his arm to reach for another slice of meat and bread, but remembered that Euphemia did not even take her share just yet. He shot back to the sofa, contented with having to stare at the food in the meantime (that was, until Euphemia would tell him to take the last morsels). He said:

"Don't get me wrong. You look and seem kind and all, but I still can't shake off the thought of you being a demon of sorts. Using light to blink people out of a place isn't an everyday event."

"Surely I am just as human as either of you. I do take a little offense in that, if you don't mind me speaking out loud."

"I guess I've spoken my mind too loud."

"There are so many things I don't know about you, or even Rook, but I haven't found the time for us to sit down and talk about it. Not yet, at least. Still, I hope you find good our company, or at least not to protest too much."

"My fault too, for letting myself get dragged into this." Kirk spanned both of his arms at the backrest. "Like last night, you seem to need help, and I'm the man for the job."

"Then I trust that you'll be with us for as long as needed. I hope Rook and I won't put you too far from where you should be going."

"That's mine to worry about." Kirk looked at Euphemia before he slouched on the sofa. "You look and sound a lot better now. Trust me, you'll be a lot better if you eat up. You might have to make more of your meat and bread though."

"You have quite the appetite. You won't mind if I leave your company to prepare my meal."

Kirk gave a nod, which didn't take Euphemia long to understand. She turned around and headed back to the kitchen. That was the time when a familiar sight of a man covered in a non-burning black flame sat close to him.

"I feel you are bothered by something, Master Kirk."

"Not exactly, I'm more concerned with how I'll get back to my journey once all this is said and done. She's not bad company, don't you think?"

"I am in no position to decide for you." Macario's voice shifted to Kirk's left. "It was you, after all, who called her a 'demon'."

"No fair. I wonder how you would act in my shoes"

"I'd be a little more careful with my tongue, especially when talking to a woman. Also, it is a bad idea for me to stay too long with your new friend around."

"Euphemia? Why?"

"I feel that she could detect my presence. She might have a little knowledge of me which can lead to... unfavorable conclusions."

"Like her trying to banish you to the Afterlife?"

"Now that is uncalled for, Master." There was a low hum after Macario spoke. "Your new friend will be on her way here. I'll leave for now."

Something clicked from the kitchen door; Euphemia's shadow appeared before him first, followed by the cleric herself. She looked from left to right, then shifting her eyes from the ceiling to the corners of the room. Finally, she looked at Kirk and asked:

"I picked up an odd feeling here. Was someone here, Kirk?"

"Nope. Just me." Kirk chewed on the last bit of dried meat. "Need help with anything?"

"Not at the moment." Euphemia made her way back to the meal she was preparing. Kirk managed to hear her whisper "I must be dreaming still..."