Samuel clapped his hands, gaining the attention of the group, glanced at a smiling Paul, then back at the two girls.

"Will you join us?"

Rose questioned back, "What exactly will I be helping out with?"

Paul answered that question for her.

"That Gear of yours. . .will be useful in destroying the barrier. However, more specifically, you'll be helping us take down Brian and his sister, including tracking them down."

"Tracking them?"

"Yes. I. . .need to find a certain rat. I'm sure you know her, yes? I'm very sure you know her."

She did. She wondered how he obtained such certainty that she did, but she did. She stared at his face.

"What happens if I say no?"

"Well," He looked to Samuel and Lilias.

The two touched the handles of their blades and their stares locked onto her.

Rose, however, scoffed. "You think I can't escape from here?"

Fighting both of them may be difficult, but she had little wonder that they would be able to stop her if she decided escape was the most optimal solution. All it would take was a blast of flames raising the area to the ground and burning everything in her wake.

"Your friend is still sleeping on my couch, is she not?" Walker replied.

manifested in her hand, unsheathed, and its blade engulfed in a flaming wrath of crimson. The weapon swerved through the air and stopped in front of the slum lord's face, refusing to advance faster as a ring gleamed on his finger. Her body was surrounded by a film of blue, and it was not there to protect her.

Still, the flames danced as she mouthed. "Threaten me with her life and I'll burn you to ash."

There was a crimson blade on her neck, and a black placed in tandem with it. Still, she mouthed those words even as the two men behind Walker had already unsheathed their weapons to her eyes.

And those eyes, those emerald eyes, never left his.

The Slum Lord smiled, "Your friend is still sleeping on my couch, and finding Brian and thus his sister, Lucy, will allow you to heal her."

Rose narrowed her eyes.

"Is that something you can guarantee?"

"Yes. It is. Even if we can't force her to heal your friend, I have the capacity to send her into the city to be healed."

The flames of her blade flickered as she debated his words. On one end, there was nothing stopping her from killing him if she were to find that he lied. On another end, she could find Mare and ask herself—though the information might cost a thing or two.

"Help us find and capture the rat, win the war, and I will make your wishes come true. Elsa, healed. Alos, reached. Simply work under me," He said.

Her wishes? Her face traced back to placidity as she heard his words. Alos was only a first step to her. If he could really cross her over to meet her creator, she would have to praise him. However, she only felt like scoffing.

"Alright," She said, deciding that she was in some part similar to Lilias. "I'll help you, but I would also like a mech core. Do you have that?"

". . .we have a few."

"We have a deal, then."

The crimson eyed dragonian smiled with that familiar unnatural expression that Rose had quickly found herself loathing as she sat back down and unsummoned her blade.

"Good," Walker said, "You'll be working with Chase. You might as well get familiar with him."

"Chase?"

— — —

Elsa blinked her eyes open as she rose.

". . .the fuck? Where the hell am I?"

She found herself in a room of white. White walls, white curtains streaming in light, and a white bed. Everything was blindingly white, especially the chandelier she had to scowl her face from before it could blind her.

She groggily stood, wincing in pain, and standing upon one leg while the other dangled above the floor. Elsa Mont was a girl of tenacity. As she sweated, hopping herself to the wide window by her bed, she gritted her teeth even as the pain came from her leg.

When she came upon the glass, propping herself on the wall and looking out, she gaped.

There was an endless desert beyond and, currently, it was roaring with the light of a sandstorm like never before. Sand, sand, and sand, dancing in the air, was all she saw.

". . .well shit."

A voice came behind her.

"You're awake. . . and you're up?"

She turned to see Rose standing there, an iron tray of food in her hand, to which Elsa almost dropped at the high quality meat.

"Yo that looks good, are those for me? Man I'm starved, let me at em."

Rose placed the tray down upon the nightstand and walked to the girl.

"Sit down, lay down, here let me help you."

". . .are you my nanny?"

"I see you're in good spirits."

"Better than ever."

"Clearly not."

"I've got a leg up on the competition."

"Are you just joking now?"

Elsa laughed, allowing Rose to place her down on the bed.

". . .I can't tell if I should be worried about you or. . ."

"Be glad I'm not breaking down in tears?"

". . ."

"This is the slums, Rose, injuries are a byproduct of trying to live here," Elsa said, quickly reaching for a piece of meat next to a bowl of soup.

"I'll feed you."

"You don't have to."

Rose took a spoon and began feeding the girl, receiving an eye roll.

"Well, at-least not this place," Elsa continued the conversation after a gulp, "Where am I, anyway?"

"Walker's Mansion."

". . .what? You're joking right?"

"Not one bit~" Rose chuckled at the disbelief apparent on the girl's face, "This is one of the guest rooms."

"The fuck, this is only a guest room?? Damn, now I wanna be a dang slum lord."

"Do you really?" Rose asked, a smile on her lips.

Inside her mind, however, she wondered what it would take for her to cut down Walker and place the girl on a sit of power. Everyone was currently within this building. She could burn it down. And as she thought that, her core hummed silently.

"Your eyes look a bit scary there. . .y'know I'm just joking, right?"

"Oh."

"Oh?"

"Nothing."

Rose shook her head of the thought.

"Yeah right. . .and blow on the soup a bit, would'ya?"

She did so and continued feeding the girl.