ReaperMelia
Junior Member
It was obvious that Nia was getting more and more annoyed with the troublesome Nopon the more she thought of him. Melia hadn't considered the possibility of this all being a test. If it was, they'd need to get Riku to talk on their own... It would be tough, but there had to be some way to pull it off. That being said, much like her new companion, Melia was exhausted. Any serious thinking would have to wait until tomorrow. The former commander simply nodded and stood up from her seat before following Nia.
Unsurprisingly, the Nopon had ditched them here, too. Could he get any less annoying? Melia was too tired to protest, though. She listened to the woman greet them and gave another nod. She would normally feel a bit uneasy about sharing a room with a former enemy, but she didn't have the time nor the energy to protest. Besides, they'd agreed to work together, and Melia would have to trust Nia to hold up her part of the truce. "That's fine with me. Thank you."
With that, the two were whisked off to their room. It was fairly plain: two beds, a little nightstand for each, and a few other basic furniture items adorned the room. Melia made her way to one of the beds and collapsed onto it as all of the day's excitement finally fully settled in. She fell asleep pretty much instantly, though she unfortunately couldn't even relax in her sleep. She spent the entire night dreaming about the horrors she had witnessed, reliving the experience of watching her friends die and feeling utterly alone.
Melia hoped that she'd wake up to find all of it was just a bad dream and that she'd be back in her old bunk, but she still found herself in the City. She heaved a sigh before dragging herself out of bed. There wasn't any time to rest; if the Lost Numbers didn't have anything for her to do today, she would need to find a way to stay busy herself. Melia wasn't going to sit around and do nothing when there was so much at stake... And so much to avenge.
A sudden knock on the door drew Melia's attention. After a quick check on Nia, she called out. "Come in." The door slowly creaked open to reveal one of the Lost Numbers' troops standing on the other side, a few books in hand.
"Uh... good morning, ma'ams! I've brought the evidence that Monica promised. I apologize if I interrupted your sleep." He sputtered the words out while giving a hasty salute. Melia did her best to not raise an eyebrow; it seemed their supposed star status was drawing some attention that still felt very strange and out of place to her, but she knew she'd simply have to deal with it. For now, the important thing was seeing this evidence.
Melia gingerly took the books from the soldier, though he seemed to remain still after the books were in her hands. Perhaps ready to answer any questions that came up. The first book had a bookmark poking up from around its halfway point, so the former commander flipped it open to the noted page. Her eyes widened as they settled on illustrations of the queens of Keves and Agnus, though in the art, they weren't wearing their masks. While they didn't look the same, they bore a striking resemblance to herself and her new bunkmate. A caption beneath the art further solidified the intent: "Portrait of Queen Nia" and "Portrait of Queen Melia." It was true; they did share names with the queens, and their faces were eerily similar. The page's text gave descriptions of the queens that were seemingly passed down by their former companions. As difficult as it all was to believe, it seemed that the City may have been telling the truth after all...
"Those books will tell you all you need to know about the queens' lives before they went missing. They have some information on the history of the City as well if you're curious. Maybe some of the names of its founders will help jog your memories... Well, if that's possible, anyway..." The soldier scratched his head. "If you need anything else, please ask me."
Unsurprisingly, the Nopon had ditched them here, too. Could he get any less annoying? Melia was too tired to protest, though. She listened to the woman greet them and gave another nod. She would normally feel a bit uneasy about sharing a room with a former enemy, but she didn't have the time nor the energy to protest. Besides, they'd agreed to work together, and Melia would have to trust Nia to hold up her part of the truce. "That's fine with me. Thank you."
With that, the two were whisked off to their room. It was fairly plain: two beds, a little nightstand for each, and a few other basic furniture items adorned the room. Melia made her way to one of the beds and collapsed onto it as all of the day's excitement finally fully settled in. She fell asleep pretty much instantly, though she unfortunately couldn't even relax in her sleep. She spent the entire night dreaming about the horrors she had witnessed, reliving the experience of watching her friends die and feeling utterly alone.
Melia hoped that she'd wake up to find all of it was just a bad dream and that she'd be back in her old bunk, but she still found herself in the City. She heaved a sigh before dragging herself out of bed. There wasn't any time to rest; if the Lost Numbers didn't have anything for her to do today, she would need to find a way to stay busy herself. Melia wasn't going to sit around and do nothing when there was so much at stake... And so much to avenge.
A sudden knock on the door drew Melia's attention. After a quick check on Nia, she called out. "Come in." The door slowly creaked open to reveal one of the Lost Numbers' troops standing on the other side, a few books in hand.
"Uh... good morning, ma'ams! I've brought the evidence that Monica promised. I apologize if I interrupted your sleep." He sputtered the words out while giving a hasty salute. Melia did her best to not raise an eyebrow; it seemed their supposed star status was drawing some attention that still felt very strange and out of place to her, but she knew she'd simply have to deal with it. For now, the important thing was seeing this evidence.
Melia gingerly took the books from the soldier, though he seemed to remain still after the books were in her hands. Perhaps ready to answer any questions that came up. The first book had a bookmark poking up from around its halfway point, so the former commander flipped it open to the noted page. Her eyes widened as they settled on illustrations of the queens of Keves and Agnus, though in the art, they weren't wearing their masks. While they didn't look the same, they bore a striking resemblance to herself and her new bunkmate. A caption beneath the art further solidified the intent: "Portrait of Queen Nia" and "Portrait of Queen Melia." It was true; they did share names with the queens, and their faces were eerily similar. The page's text gave descriptions of the queens that were seemingly passed down by their former companions. As difficult as it all was to believe, it seemed that the City may have been telling the truth after all...
"Those books will tell you all you need to know about the queens' lives before they went missing. They have some information on the history of the City as well if you're curious. Maybe some of the names of its founders will help jog your memories... Well, if that's possible, anyway..." The soldier scratched his head. "If you need anything else, please ask me."
