Crashing into Ira, the three of them were sent tumbling to the ground; Andrisson yelling out to the duo."Knock it off, you two!"
Both of them quickly stood up, the giant of a girl looming over the shorter man.
"Right! Anyways.. My name is Cammie, nice to meet ya!" Her voice was loud and slightly obnoxious, but Ira could tell Cammie meant no harm. So when she reached out her hand to lift Ira up, the young girl took it.
After helping Ira, she slapped the back of the shorter man's head and then said:
"Go on, idiot. Introduce yourself to the new girl!"
Rubbing the back of his head, he sent a glare towards Cammie, "My name is Kaine, and if you couldn't tell, I am the most handsome man in the world!"
Another slap landed on the back of his head, making him wince in pain. "Shut up, rat-face.." Cammie annoyingly spouted out.
A loud clack resounded out from the back of the room, the mysterious girl finally finishing her workout session. Rather than immediately walking over, the girl splashed her face with water, grabbed a towel, and dried it down; only then did she finally begin to approach Ira
Sweat glistened against her toned and curvy body.
Glancing downwards, Ira stared at her full breasts shamelessly, then she looked down towards her own, which were not so full compared to the other girl's—a tinge of jealousy appeared in her heart.
A dreamy voice echoed inside Ira's ears, coming from the mysterious girl, "How shameless…"
The remark was obviously directed at Ira, making her turn as red as a lobster.
The girl spoke again, "Anyways, my name is Bariealla Ell Riallman, Bari for short."
A look of surprise marked Ira's face, 'Riallman!? THE Riallman's; the most powerful family in Fort Delta!?'
Her train of thought was cut off by Bariealla, "So, Ira was it? I have a question for you."
The young girl stood there patiently for the question to come, a little anxious at such a powerful person before her eyes—only to be met with silence, no question being asked.
Realization began to strike, she needed to respond first!
"G-go on…"
Bariealla spoke dreamily, "Have you had any experience killing Purge Beast yet?"
Ira's interest was piqued by the question, 'This could be my time to show off!'
A wave of excitement hit the silver-haired girl. "Uh… Actually, I had killed a Strayed Monster less than a day after awakening into a Dormant, and then a few days later, I killed a Strayed Fiend while also aiding in the death of a Fallen Beast… Oh, did I forget to mention that I killed an Aberrant Demon a day after that?"
Silence overtook the atmosphere temporarily, only being broken by Cammie's obnoxious laughing.
"That's the funniest joke I have ever heard! Isn't that right, Kaine?"
The beautiful man stood there, not a hint of amusement on his face, "Only you found it funny, Cammie… Loser..."
A sigh came from Cammie's lips, "Hold still…"
A thunderous punch slammed into Kaine's shoulder, causing him to scream out in pain.
"What the hell, Cammie!"
Another obnoxious laugh yelled out, paired with Cammie's occasional snorting.
"Ignore those idiots… That being said, I do not believe you either, you will have to prove your capabilities during combat. Respect is earned through hard work, and right now, none of us has an ounce of respect towards you; try your best to earn it." Bariealla spoke with a voice that carried authority, yet an underlying layer of kindness.
Ira doubted that Bari's tough act was her true self, just as Ira's shyness was not truly her.
◇
A phone began to ring, sighing heavily, Andrisson walked over towards it and picked it up, occasionally responding with a "Yes, Sir" or an "I understand" to the person on the other end.
Hanging up the phone, he glanced towards Ira and the others, his eyes squinted from uncertainty.
"... Pack all your necessities, we are heading to Fort Echo to retrieve an information report, where we will then transport it to Fort Bravo. After that, our mission will be complete and we will return to Fort Delta to await any further missions."
Cammie laughed happily, a cheeky grin appearing on her face.
"Finally! I am sick and tired of smelling this sterile air! I heard Fort Bravo has amazing scenery, too. Wanna go see it with me, new girl?"
Ira gently shook her head no, "I'll p-pass on that…" a moment later, her stomach grumbled—she had not eaten in days after all.
Cammie looked over at Andrisson, "Do we have time to eat? I'm starving!" she questioned.
Ira held her stomach tightly in pain, commenting to herself silently, "This hurts worse than getting gutted.. Maybe I'm overexaggerating a little bit."
Bariealla tilted her head in confusion, "Gutted? What are you talking to yourself about?"
Realizing she had been heard, she answered vaguely.
"J-just speaking about past experiences and all…"
◇
Rubbing her belly, Ira felt slightly lethargic. At first, she attempted to eat slowly to avoid going into shock, but after a few bites, she could no longer fend off her desire to greedily devour all of the food in sight.
'Desires are such dangerous things.. Some can make you go mad, others can make you achieve your dreams… And some can make you destroy everything around you."
The Purge Beasts were a good example of the desire of Destruction.
Grief could drive you mad, a good example of that would be the death of a sibling.
Desperation could lead you to your dreams. Examples of that were long and varied, though.
'Why am I acting so philosophical all of the sudden.. Maybe it is because I miss Astheneia. Sorrow does have a certain effect on people like me… if there is someone else like me out there.'
A feeling of loneliness settled gently inside Ira's heart. Slowly, the young girl began to stroke the scar on her left hip to bring her comfort.
The young girl's thoughts were interrupted by Andrisson, "Alright, now that everyone has eaten we need to begin our journey to Fort Delta."
Cammie exhaled sharply, clearly upset by Andrisson's comment.
"Fine, fine… first to the car isn't a sore loser like Kaine!"
Kaine yelled at Cammie, his teeth gritting against each other in rage, "You wretched girl!"
Weakly standing up, Ira began to walk towards the door. A tap landed on her shoulder by Bariealla.
"Hey, don't eat as much next time. If you cannot fight to your maximum capabilities, you will get injured. Eat in small quantities multiple times throughout the day—trust me, it'll help out a lot in the long run."
Ira nodded her head, 'That does seem like it would work.. I'll give it a try one day.'
Stepping out the door, the cold sterile air gently crashed against Ira's face.
'The weather keeps getting worse and worse each day… I wonder why..'
Suddenly, Cammie pulled Ira into the car. "You'll be sitting by me, new girl." A large smirk appeared on her face.
'This is going to be a long drive…' already preparing for the obnoxious duo to begin fighting, she closed her eyes in an attempt to get some sleep before their playful fighting began.