It's not "Little" Red.

Sleep Deprived Starters || Accepting

        There were many ways to get you out of a fatigued daze. Loud sounds often did the trick, as it would for most people, and generally the smell of gunpowder was enough to make you assume Hansel and Gretel were up to something. Meanwhile, any physical contact, while you may have also jumped in the process, would also have sufficed.

        These were all things you would have preferred to Kyrie’s ridiculing tone. Arguably, even, as his tone was almost always ridiculing to you.

    “Your phrasing still needs work,” you huffed, too exhausted to come up with a proper argument. “I hope you had a better reason besides my appearance to bother me.”

Unfortunately for poor Scarlet, you had no intentions of revealing your hand. Whether the cards you’d been dealt were good or bad held no meaning if only you kept them close to your chest and maintained a cool, confident visage. Bluffing was something you thought yourself to be rather good at, after all, and to fold so suddenly would be detrimental to your image.

He was smart enough to let the topic drop though, and while you would never say so, you were at least mildly grateful for that. You were still expected to spend time with him, and your next stop was still some distance ahead, so you didn’t exactly have the opportunity to dodge conversation.

…On that topic, as entertaining as it had been, you hoped he didn’t start stumbling over the weather again. You might actually start to pity the poor thing.

    “Surprise me. I’ll be expecting something delicious, though, so don’t take this as an excuse to be lazy.”

    “Besides, anything you make is all but guaranteed to be better than that stupid lion’s cooking. Just be sure not to disappoint.”

        You had shifted the bag you were made to carry around. Fortunately, the rocky conversation had made you briefly forget about what was inside, but you definitely didn’t forget that it was such a hassle to carry unnecessary stuff around like this. And the fact that this was the first thing, too... Kyrie’s priorities are incredibly disorganized.

        And yet still, you were making some attempt to help the terrible consigliere. Maybe his weren’t the only ones disorganized?

“Really? That’s reassuring.” It still felt strange, just walking into a place like this. She’d done a couple of cases in nice homes, but nothing like this. “Hmm, thank you.~ I’ll…probably just wait until after we go shopping.” She was dying for a nap, too, but knew there’s no way she’d get up before the stores closed.

Aww man, ignored. Friendship must not have been all that common here. People probably weren’t able to trust one another, or died so easily that nobody got attached…how awful. Oh well. She’d dug her grave, and she was going to lie in it.

Even so, Ceri’s eyes couldn’t help but roam over the foyer as they stepped inside.The possibility of an attack explained away the lack of decor. Sure, people with money usually didn’t litter their property with things, but they usually liked to show off something. The architecture just had to speak for itself. Not that it wasn’t magnificent, but it seemed lonely.

The girl followed Scarlet’s hand, her eyebrows knitting together. “You’ll probably have to show me which room, I’m sure there’s ones you don’t want me entering.” Still, she couldn’t shake the unsettling feeling in her stomach. You’d think there’d be some kind of staff at the door, and the place just seemed eerily quiet. “Um…in the bathroom…did you want to see what I wanted to show you…before or after I bathe? B-but, otherwise, I think I’m good for now…thank you again.”

    “The other caporegimes should be home by then, so it’ll be nice to introduce you to them as well,” Scarlet added, with a very subtle ‘and they can help me show you around instead of you watching me flounder to do this right.’

        He was honestly doing his best to keep collected, but this was too new. He couldn’t be getting so close to someone that might end up in an enemy family. That said, he couldn’t rightly give someone he was supposed to be welcoming the cold shoulder, either. Furthermore, he must have been coming off as incredibly rude, ignoring her offer and clumsily showing her around--

        Eugh! Why was this so difficult?

— ✿         More people thought like her ?? The girl’s cheeks flushed a little at his words, her eyes glancing around. Her thoughts were just confused rambles, really … Linkel watched as the bricks changed their colors, an eyebrow raising as she wondered why they were all so colorful on different roads. They all must’ve lead to their respective famiglia’s. So this was … ??

Oh. So he spoke. “ I’ll remember !! ”The girl chirped, her fingers delicately pressing against Scarlet’s own. “ A church ?? ”Her attention was to said building. She really didn’t know why she’d need one, unless she was going to get hitched within the time she was here ( which would be quite interesting for sure), but perhaps it’d be a nice place to explore, if given the chance. Maybe she’ll ask Scarlet to take her, if she ends up staying … Her attention returned to said boy, as he spoke up once more.

“ A check up … ?? I have no problem with that !! I hope I ain’t sick or nothin’, that’d be a bummer … ” The girl mumbled, allowing her eyes to close as she faded into her own train of thought. She trusted Scarlet not to let her walk into a lamp post or anything. It’d be funny if she did, though. Perhaps she had an illness ?? Maybe that was why she couldn’t remember anything … She hoped her memory stayed, now, at least. It’d be very inconvenient to suddenly forget Scarlet. To him, at least.

        Scarlet awkwardly adjusted his mantle. Right, she probably didn’t know anything about churches, did she? And all he did was kind of point it out and proceeded with “moving on”. This wasn’t easy. Shouldn’t it have been a breeze to show someone around a town one’s lived their whole life in? So, why was he having such problems finding the right words?

    “Mmh...” He offered as a response, instead of actually explaining what a church was or what they usually did there.

        Fortunately, he was able to completely abandon that topic in favor of another.

Eyes widening at the sight of the mansion, Ceri couldn’t help but stop and stare for a time. He lived in such a nice place? Oh, man…she was so excited to see what the rest of it looked like. She’d always been a sucker for interior design. 

After realizing that Scarlet had left her behind, she trotted after him. “Your home, it’s beautiful! The garden, the building, oh…it’s all so lovely.” But she wasn’t about to say he was lucky. The cost of maintaining it, and the constant danger that the people here lived in…wasn’t a nice trade off.

“Really?” There was a singular note thrumming from the back of her throat as she paused. “Then, let’s be friends.~ It’ll be easier to remember. Even if I don’t end up by your side…I’ll always be above these…arbitrary lines separating people.”

        Scarlet blinked slowly, turning his head to quickly glance around as if he had forgotten where this was. He hadn’t, of course, but it was strange trying to picture what other people saw. His perception was just... too different?

    “Ah, thank you? We have surprisingly little attacks on the estate itself, now that I think about it...” Most of the tussles they had were more inwards towards the town, wasn’t it? That meant this place stayed... relatively the same. In fact, Scarlet couldn’t recall the last time they changed anything about it. “I’d offer you a tour, but I’m really no good at it. I’ll answer what questions you have the best I can, though.”

        From his belt, he pulled a small set of keys, and once unlocked, he pushed the door open for his new company and made a small wave as invitation inside so he may shut it behind her. Inside looked just as big, if not bigger, on the inside. Though, part of the reason it may have felt so spacious was the clear fact that that it was vaguely empty. Granted, this was just the parlour, but besides the rug they had leading up to the stairs, and a chandelier, there wasn’t too much to admire here.

“I’m just…I mean…it’s always over something stupid, is all. It’s not that people are born violent, it’s that we’re born selfish…and common sense isn’t exactly common, anymore…” 

She blinked, studying him. Poor thing. It wasn’t fair that he had to carry weapons when he didn’t want to…this town must have been more dangerous than it seemed. This walk had been quiet, and she hadn’t felt uncomfortable once yet. No gunshots, or people leering at them…it was nicer than some of the places she’d been forced to spend a night.

“Heehee, I suppose it is.” She had never grown particularly close to anyone, even if she wanted to more than anything. “J-just let me know if I ever overstep any boundaries, okay? And…please don’t feel the need to use a title with me…it’s, uh…strange, to say the least.”

        At the end of the green bricked road, the Grimm estate towered over the rest of the territory. It was very regal looking, with a concrete fence surrounding a gorgeous courtyard. Usually, there would be patrols out front here, but on Sundays, Scarlet didn’t deem it necessary. Sundays were when people were supposed to be allowed a break, right? It seemed unfair to keep people working.

        He pressed forward, hardly giving her time to soak in the area as he made haste for front door. He, honestly, forgets sometimes that all of this must’ve been new to her. He forgets that she’s new and all of this isn’t same old, same old.

Ceri could sense the sudden change in Scarlet. She didn’t mean to put such a damper on him. Her voice softened.“Hey, it’s okay…it’s usually just…over money. Or…fueled by drugs or someone cheating…” The redhead thought to touch him on the shoulder, but it didn’t seem wise. “Besides…places where weapons are outlawed…the crime rate is usually nonexistent…I’m talking ten murders per million people…”

The last thing she wanted to do was to discourage him from traveling. It was so important for a person’s development. “There’s…plenty of good out there, too. You should see some of the programs there are in place to help people…it’s amazing.”

She played with a piece of her hair. “Well…my body protects itself on its own, for the most part…stuff like what happened earlier isn’t unusual…and sometimes I black out, but I always turn out okay…Still, it’s nice to think there will be someone nearby to help me…”

The girl exhaled, then returned the smile. “In my line of work, not returning favors…can really cause trouble later…I don’t think I’ll be able to continue doing it here, but…maybe some of the things I’ve picked up can be of some benefit.”

    “That sounds like the opposite of ‘okay’, Ms. Ceri.” Was that supposed to relieve him? Knowing that war was just as bad outside?

         He tugged awkwardly on his rifle when she brought up weapons. Scarlet wasn’t surprised. Guns brought on war. That’s what happened to this town, anyway. You give someone the tools to hurt people, and there’s always going to be somebody who does.

        Regardless, he didn’t say anything about the subject. It was better not to, and let the topic travel somewhere else.

— ✿         There had to be some better way. Branding seemed upright dangerous- she could only imagine how many infections could come with that. But then again, leave that to the doctor to take care of.  The very idea of all that made her shake her head, and look to the boy. All that didn’t really sound …

“ … No offense, ” The blonde began, looking away rather nervously. “ That … Don’t really … Sound like any fun. Why ya’ll fightin’ anyways ?? Ain’t nothin’ worth separating everyone. But I suppose that is just … My opinion. I ain’t from ‘round here, I don’t think. So I wouldn’t know. Obviously. ” Of course there was that SMALL chance that she COULD be from around the area. From a different famiglia or something. She wondered, if the doctor would check her for a brand ??

Of course it’d only make sense, but she’d be disheartened to find out that she was from a familglia that wasn’t Scarlet’s own. Not that it actually particuarly was supposed to matter …

    “It... isn’t fun. But it’s a requirement. Though, it’d be nice if people thought more like you, Ms. Linkel. Maybe then things could go back to the way they used to be,” he mused to himself mostly.

        The fuchsia bricks they trailed had abruptly changed to a light gray. They were in the center of town-- a big circular area surrounding the massive, endless tower that housed in the middle. From here, there were several paths, most jutting off with bricks of varying colors much akin to the Boots’ fuchsia ones. Red, green, yellow, pink... and then one that continued light gray. Scarlet took this path, gesturing for Linkel to follow.

    “This is an important street to remember, as it’s the only street unaffiliated with any famiglia.” Scarlet pointed over to the a building and graveyard as they passed by, “Here’s the church. It’s... very rarely used, sans important ceremonies, like weddings. I haven’t actually been in there in... a long time, but you’re welcome to it.”

        He may have arguably been the worst tour guide in town, but he owed her this much. There was a lot of explaining to do and he was simply abysmal and figuring out what he needed to say. But he’d get by. Even if Linkel had to ask questions of her own.

— ✿       “ Those are some REALLY big words. Except for don … ” That seemed to be the only short word when it came to these things. So Scarlet was a captain, of sorts. Made sense, with that rifle and all. She surely didn’t see anyone else with such a visible weapon … 

“ B-Brands ?! ” The very idea of such seemed to scare the girl. How … PAINFUL. “ O-Oh my word … That ain’t no fun at all. Where … Where are they ?? ” Surely somewhere that would hurt less, right ?? Did such a place exist ?? The blonde gulped. “ Now, just who’s bright idea was brands ?? Ain’t they know them’s for cattle ?? ”

    “Hm...? I guess so. If it’s any better, caporegimes are sometimes just called ‘capo’s.” And consiglieres are sometimes called ‘assholes’. Haha. Let’s not say that out loud, Scarlet. “Dons are the most important anyway, and is really the only title that needs to be addressed. All the other are kind of just fancy job descriptions...? For lack of a better explanation.”

        Scarlet jumped slightly when she exclaimed. What? Was the concept really all that horrifying? Maybe he was just too used to it, being the one to do the branding on most occasions. The smell of burning flesh was also really unpleasant, but you usually had a mask on to help with that, in an airy room so it’d fade quickly...

    “It really all depends. Most people get to pick where their brand is placed,” he explained, remaining calm even if her fear concerned him. “I, along with most of the ruling class of this town, were made with our brands. I don’t remember who started it, but it’s supposed to symbolize you pledging your body to... the mafia.”

Up close, the wall looked far more imposing than she thought. Wow, was it being that tall necessary? Even privacy fences rarely exceeded 12 feet, but then again, the people must have been very wary about the worst of their population escaping.

“It really depends on the country. Some cities have less than 10 murders a year, while others…multiple ones every single day. But all of them are so dead-set on tourism that there aren’t any walls…” She exhaled audibly. “I’m used to getting attacked, just not by people…I guess I’ll need to learn how to do more than hit things with a parasol…”

Ceri smiled at the guards at the gate, albeit timidly. She wasn’t sure if there was some kind of protocol for her entering? She wasn’t part of a family yet, but she was with one, so they must have assumed that she was some kind of recluse or something.

“Thank you…it just…doesn’t sit right with me to get something for nothing. You got me out of there, and I probably wouldn’t have made it otherwise…” Her eyes roamed over her new surroundings. Oh, these houses were so cute. She went somewhere with buildings like this when she was a kid, but hadn’t seen anything like it since.

        Scarlet reached up to tightly grip the the strap that held his rifle, frowning to himself. He suppose he brought this on himself for turning the conversation to such a dark topic, but it still wasn’t pleasant to hear. He liked to think people weren’t as naturally violent as his world made it seem, but it may very well have been the case.

        Was it really so idealistic to want peace?

    “I’m surprised you’ve gotten around with just that much thus far. I can only hope you’ll never need to resort to violence anyway. Your famiglia should protect you, should you choose to stay.”

        It was almost strange to be walking along the emerald bricks, instead of trailing the rooftops. Maybe that just said something about Scarlet, though. But it wasn’t like he could rightly expect Ceri to keep up with him if he had tried that.