"The Ebongild? Never heard of the place. Must be nice if they're employing a goodie two-shoes like you." She giggled, and Rennia stared at her nearly in shock.
The half-devil girl smiled at Rennia, who could only feel uneasy as she observed her from top to bottom. Maeve seemed to be uncomfortable as well, not quite comprehending the stranger standing beside either of them. Rennia stood as still as a golem as she stared at the troublemaker.
"My, my… you have certainly grown in the right places, Rennia. I'm quite envious."
Strangely, it was Maeve who took offense to that.
"Um... is something wrong here?" Maeve asked tensely, seemingly reading Rennia's body language. All Rennia could see was red. She stared at Cassandra, her piercing gold and blue eyes scrutinizing every part of her body. One horn seemed to be protruding larger than the other, the second one barely visible, and the bloody scar on her nose. It wasn't fresh either. Cassandra had two blades covered in a sheathed bag—years of adventuring made it easy to spot. Cassandra was in a dangerous line of work, it seemed. Maybe she was an adventurer, maybe she wasn't. All she knew was that trouble stood before her.
"There's nothing wrong here, my fair lady. Just running into someone I haven't seen in a long time. Reunions can be awkward, don't you know?" She winked at Maeve, then turned back to Rennia. "Seriously though, you ran from me the other day. I know some things have happened in the past, but hey—ever since I saw you moving, I've been trying to reach you. Couldn't find you. Ivarcant is a big city."
Rennia said nothing for a while, seemingly nervous, and then blurted what came. "Cas… I… didn't expect to see you again, not after—"
Cas waved her hand. "Hah, that's ages ago. We aren't the same people anymore. I made my peace with the old home. I just… it's a surprise to see you."
Rennia coughed into her hand. "L-likewise."
Maeve pointed at Cassandra's nose. "Pardon my interruption—your nose seems to be bleeding."
Cassandra's eyes widened, and then she wiped it off hastily. "Well, excuse my bad presentation. Workplace accident. It happens from time to time, though the bosses said the healers can't fix the cut, so that's funny. But anyway, Rennia, how have you been? How's Kibblestadt? Didn't you dream about being an adventurer? Plus I saw you with a sword the other day. What's all this? Those thighs of yours are gleaming like the sun, and your breasts are practically spilling out. You flirting with men over the counter now?"
Cassandra laughed it all off.
Rennia didn't. Whether it was the situation or the past bearing heavy on her, Cas's nose seemed to scrunch up and her eyes narrowed. If there was an expression to describe the feeling of mana being used on you, this was that moment. Cas was perceptive—she'd always been that way. Devilings were the unstable ones. They inhabited a multifaceted personality, and that was what she feared. It was a bit traumatic to look into the past, but… she was afraid of Cassandra. She'd caused so much trouble back then.
"I… things… are great. I had an 'injury' myself, which is why I left Kibblestadt. Decided maybe the normal life is better suited for me? Still figuring it out. How about you? How are you doing?" Maeve had picked up on the subtle dysfunction of the conversation and scooted around, but close enough to hear them speak.
"I'm doing quite alright. Doing bodyguard work in the red light district. Pays good. Sometimes you get hit a little hard." She pointed to her nose. "But that's irrelevant. Speaking of sexy places… look at these tits on you. You seem to be packing a lot more than you used to back then. You seem to look more like your mother by the day."
Rennia giggled. Instinctively her hands went around her chest, body angled, feet tapping anxiously. "So… I've heard." The eyes of Cas were… special. Rennia knew that. She wondered if the girl could see lower, see it all.
"How is she, by the way? Your sisters? And not to mention old Lya—I haven't seen her in a while."
Rennia bit her tongue. "Uhh, my mom went off to the capital to visit my sisters. I haven't seen them in a year or so. Lyanna's doing fine. She went to priestess… uh… cleric school to finish her 'tuition.' Not very interesting stuff."
Maeve's eyebrow perked up, and she gave Rennia the side-eye.
"A clerical school, of all things? That's so not like her." Cassandra's face looked almost visibly angered, if not disturbed. "Say… you wouldn't happen to know how my parents are, would you? Or my grandma…"
Rennia panicked for a moment, and then her heart settled down. There was no point to be alarmed. The Cas of today wasn't the Cas of back then. "Uh… your parents, Mr. and Ms. Cousmyr—they're doing okay, last I heard. Apparently they're in the merchant business. They left the moment your grandmother died."
Cassandra's face twisted. "Gran-gran is dead?"
Oh no. Why did it have to be her of all people to have to tell her this?
Rennia couldn't help but feel bad. "I'm sorry. I thought you were informed."
Cassandra looked at the ground, visibly confused. "No… no… things happened you weren't aware of, but…" Her face twisted again. She was giving Rennia that devilish grin again.
"I'm happy to have spoken to you again. I…" She looked over her shoulder and gritted her teeth. "Gotta get back to work." She waved the flyer in Rennia's face, giggling all the while. "Perhaps I'll visit you… maybe we can make it a date sometime."
Rennia scratched her hair. "Uh… sure." The deviling turned and strode off as quickly as she had appeared, her face slightly down. From a distance, her face looked cute even to Rennia, but even that was an illusion. The thing about her grandmother, definitely threw her off.
"I'm sorry, what the fuck was that all about? I thought you said you were an exile. Who the hell is that?"
Rennia waited until Cassandra was out of view and threw herself on the ground, shaking her head erratically. "I am an exile."
"Then why did you lie to the 'devil'?" She said the word almost like a slur.
Rennia hissed at her. "Don't be prejudiced!"
Maeve looked aghast and ashamed, and tried hiding her face. "She didn't choose to be half-devil! It's just she was a mess back home—a horrible mess. I thought… I'd never see her again. And yet here she is."
"Trouble? What kind?"
Rennia shook her head. "I'll tell you tomorrow, after 'work.' It's a long story… But looks like my life is going to take an interesting turn again." Rennia rubbed her face. "Shit."
"What now, my peasant girl?"
"I was supposed to meet Mara at the guild. I kinda forgot about it. I'll make amends soon, but…"
Maeve recoiled, a hint of disgust on her face—partially suspicious, partially and apparently jealous. "You just have everyone all over you, don't you. How very weird. Even that cart driver. Hmmmpf."
Rennia narrowed her eyes. "What are you on about? I'm not asking for their attention. Maybe you should go speak to them if you want their attention."
Maeve threw her fists up, face slightly red. "I do not want their attention, I… Anyway, I think we've handed out enough of these flyers. Your 'master' better pay me my dues."
Rennia smiled at her. "So you did it for money after all. So it wasn't some arcane agreement as you claimed. You're broke, aren't you? A penniless noble."
Maeve's face lit up. "I am not! Never! I… seemed to have a problem with some transaction, and that is how I got set up here. It was a mutual exchange of commerce. Nobles have to work too, you know. Or do you think we sit on our asses all day and get fat? Perhaps I ought to sit on you instead."
Rennia started poking at her cheeks, causing Maeve to fuss.
"Stop that! Stop it!"
Maeve brought her leg forward and kicked at her groin. Rennia jumped instinctively and cussed at her. She almost kicked her in the balls. She never thought that something like that would affect her. "Watch it!"
Maeve threw up her hands. "Tomorrow morning, 5 AM. Meet me in front of your tavern-home-thingy, then we'll take great care to… assort the necessities of our private venture. This way we will work on our… uhh… friendship… and I can help you with your class… educate you, so to speak."
Rennia paused, a thought for a moment. It sounded kind of like a proposal. "So… it's a date then… between me and you."
"I guess." Maeve looked away.
Between Ishmere's magic lessons, barmaid work, Arosia's duties, Maeve's meddling, and now add Cassandra's bullshit into the fray—she was going to have a busy year. It was all going to build onto her, she knew that.
If only she had a way to relieve her stress. If only…