Julia’s black dress from earlier had been replaced by a loose pair of white pants and a pink shirt, her emerald hair now tied up.

Without a sound, her bare feet padded across the marble floor as she walked under an archway to the space that was in between them. Waving her hand in the direction of a pair of white sofas that sat on each side of a white coffee table, she smiled. “Shall we sit?”

With a nod, Nina walked under an arch before moving across to the sofa arrangement. Taking a seat, she watched as Julia sat on the sofa opposite her with a smile.

“You don’t have to be so guarded,” Julia hinted as though she could detect Nina’s tension. While it was true that Nina had her guard up, she felt that it was a natural reaction. What she had thought would be a chat at The Eye of Iron had seemingly turned into something more, and she was still unsure why.

“I’m just surprised, that’s all,” Nina admitted as she looked around at the extravagant setting. “Where exactly are we?”

“This is my home,” Julia said as she waved her hand about with a casual air. “You can relax here.”

Nina hid the surprise on her face before flinching as another person silently appeared without notice. Julia, who was amused at her reaction, smiled as Nina realised that the woman was a servant. Placing a tray of tea on the table, the woman withdrew under Nina’s gaze before she turned to ask. “We only just met, why would you invite me to your home?”

Pouring tea into the two cups on the table, Julia laughed. “Isn’t it natural to invite a friend into your home?”

Nina couldn’t help but draw comparisons between Julia and Reina. Having sat with Reina earlier today to have a discussion over tea, she felt that the two of them gave off a similar vibe. Admittedly, her tea with Reina had not been in such extravagant circumstances, but it frustrated her that she could not put her finger on exactly what was similar.

“I wasn’t aware that we were friends,” she replied as she accepted the tea, the aroma from the cup telling her that this was on another level from what she had been drinking with Reina before.

“Everyone from The Cloud Orchestra is my friend,” Julia smiled as she set her cup down, Nina observing the grace in her action. She seemed at a glance to be more refined than Reina, as though the air about her was gentler. It was almost as though the refinement had polished the edges off to leave a smooth gemstone behind. What was it exactly that made them similar?

“Is that so,” she replied after sipping her tea, finding that it was indeed excellent. After initially coming here on a mission with determination, it felt as though the atmosphere had been defused. Thinking that it was inappropriate to ask about a gun over a cup of tea, Nina wanted to push the idea to the back of her mind. However, despite feeling this way, she knew that as soon as Julia asked why she was here, she would have to steel herself.

“So how can I help you?” Julia asked as though she could see right through her. Seeing that the cup in Nina’s hand froze, a smile appeared at the corner of her lips. “Did you come for advice?”

Again, Nina had the feeling she couldn’t hide anything at all. When she saw the smile appear on Julia’s face, it had reminded her of Reina when they had talked. Thinking that this similarity was the feeling that made her draw a line between the two, she sighed.

She thought back to how she herself once had a reputation for being a skilled negotiator. Even in cases where she wasn’t the main person responsible, in her previous work she had often been brought along to be a part of the proceedings. Although Nina knew that there were skills to negotiating, it was the other part that she thought was always more important, and it was this part that what had always made her valuable.

Knowing and using information.

Nina could already tell that Reina and Julia were both skilled at these types of conversations, where it was possible to probe for details without giving away anything yourself. However, if you didn’t have any cards to play, there was little to no chance of seeing any of the cards that your opponent had up their sleeve either.

Right now, Nina didn’t have any cards at all. Unlike her previous job where she spent so much time buried in paperwork that she knew the intricate details of everything that was happening, now she was blind.

“I'm only here because I don't have a choice... so I need your help with a weapon,” she conceded after sitting in silence for a moment as her thoughts processed. Watching Julia sip her tea with an air of leisure, she wondered what it would be like if she had a conversation with Reina, two strong characters playing their own game against each other.

“Not a K-Point 200, right?” Julia smiled before leaning forward. “It’s because you’re from Caecus, right?”

Noting that she smoothly glossed over how different her attitude was now from when she stormed out earlier, Nina silently praised her professionalism. “Did Svanda tell you?”

“She did, yes.” Julia stood up and motioned for Nina to do the same. “Come.”

Nina quickly drank the rest of her tea as she didn’t want to waste it before standing up and following her. Without looking behind, Julia walked under the series of arches which ran across the room, taking Nina through what seemed to be a sitting room, a dining room, and surprisingly, a conservatory. Trying to look out the windows as they walked, Nina realised that the buildings across from them seemed to be much further way in comparison to what she had seen before. Remembering that the main roads from the orange level weren’t this wide, there was only one conclusion.

We’re above the orange level, Nina thought as Julia led her into the space at the very end of the series of rooms. With windows on her right and also in the wall on the far side, she guessed that they must have been in a room on the corner. In the wall to her left, a giant display case was embedded in the same fashion that she had seen at the range before. Sitting at a large wooden desk, Julia motioned for Nina to sit in one of the chairs opposite.

“So you want a weapon that you could find on Caecus?” Julia asked as she began to tap on a keyboard, her face glued to one of the six monitors that were fanned out before her.

“Not so much from Caecus… just something that doesn’t feel like a toy.”

The tapping from the keyboard stopped as Julia looked up. Studying Nina’s face for a second, she picked up a pen before leaning back in her chair, the pen spinning between her fingers. “Tell me why.”

“Does it really matter?” Nina asked as she met Julia’s curious gaze, the breeze from the open window sending the loose strands of hair swaying across her face.

“Of course it does,” Julia smiled in response as though her answer was obvious. “To find what is right for you, we need to understand your feelings first. As an employee of The Eye of Iron, it’s my duty to give you the best service possible.”

An employee? Are you sure you don’t own the place? Nina thought to herself as she was connecting dots together in her head. A normal employee would never live in something this luxurious, and they wouldn’t have their house connected to their workplace either. No matter how you looked at it, it seemed like Julia was rather high up in the organization.

She considered asking, but quickly shelved the thought. Thinking about how Julia had been quite friendly with Svanda, she decided that asking her instead would be better. After she had apologized for her earlier actions, that was. Seeing that Julia was content to sit back and wait for her response, she sighed.

“I don’t like how it feels easy to use a pulse weapon,” Nina said as she looked out the window. “To hurt somebody else… it should have feeling.”

“A feeling?” Nina looked back to see that Julia was scribbling in a notebook. As a scowl crossed Nina’s face, Julia waved her hand in defense. “It’s valuable information to find what you need. Could you elaborate on this feeling?”

Are you sure this isn’t market research? Nina stopped to collect her thoughts again before continuing. “The recoil that translates to that shock in your arm… the sharp sound that punctures the silence… the heaviness of lifting a weapon… all of these feelings are heavy, heavy feelings that match the heaviness you should feel in your heart when you use a weapon.”

“I see,” Julia mused as she continued to scribble in her notebook. “That’s also why you don’t like colourful weapons?”

“Weapons are cold, so they should look and feel cold too. They aren’t a fashion accessory.”