The bar was called Coffin & Crown, a bit of a strange name but she had already established that this place had a lot of weird names.

  To them they may have seemed normal but to one who did not belong to whatever era they were in, they were anything but normal.

  Then again, her name from Japan might be the weird one here.

  ‘There’s no winning this isn’t there?’

  Yuzuriha sighed heavily. Mostly because she didn’t have the time to fret over such futile things. Currently she was dealing with bigger fish.

  The time now was around 8 in the morning, and much to Yuzuriha’s surprise, this place was already alive as if the evening had drawn in. When she looked around, she realized part of the reason why that was.

  ‘The windows here look boarded so it's hard to tell if it’s morning or not. The only source of lighting here seems to be coming from the bulbs at the ceiling’

  This reminded her of how casinos were structured. They had no windows or clocks, if they were, you’d have a hard time finding them. This made it easier for their customers to lose track of time and keep on playing.

  They also had lighting and the right kind of music to create a soothing environment that discouraged urgency.

  The same kind of tactic seemed to have been employed here as well.

  She wasn’t into gambling or anything, she just knew how casinos worked!

  Yuzuriha hung closely to Marcille as they followed the twins across the maze of this place. It was sure as hell lively.

  She involuntarily heard slurred arguments, the clinking of glass filled to the brim with booze no doubt, and the stenches that invaded her poor sense of smell.

  With how deep they were in the bar, Yuzuriha could taste the sting of alcohol, rust and something acrid beneath it all. The scent crawled down her throat and scraped against her lungs like wet gravel.

  They made her want to puke and also shut off her ears with how loud the music was and annoying the voices of these drunks had been.

  It was then that she concluded that this wasn’t the kind of bar one visited for warm company and gentle conversations. The Coffin & Crown was a place where trouble loitered in plain sight.

  Yuzuriha’s enhanced senses went beyond the norm now that she had integrated with Azure Ooze.

  The patrons of this bar radiated with hostility. The air was steeped in astris so foul and violent it left a bitter aftertaste on her tongue.

  If she had come here alone, she would have definitely turned and left without hesitation. Because right now, she was scared out of her mind.

  Luckily, she wasn’t alone.

  Yuzuriha clung tighter to the hand of her older sister. Marcille’s hand was firm, warm, and calloused like stone. She was also strong and capable should anything happen.

  That knowledge alone gave her some comfort.

  Marcille walked confidently with her head held high, unfazed by the attention she was getting from these drunkards. In fact, many of the people they passed greeted her.

  One large man near the bar’s counter raised his mug and said with a throaty lurch.

  “Oi now, Drapes! Back so soon, are we? Ain’t even been a fortnight since you broke poor Anselm’s fingers!”

  Marcille gave him a lazy wave and continued walking.

  “Told him not to cheat me, Darrik. Now he got a good lesson to remind him of that!”

  Just like that, the crowd around the man chuckled and broke into uncontrollable laughter. The alcohol must have warped their minds somehow because that wasn’t funny.

  To add on matters, Yuzuriha had instinctively pressed herself closer to Marcille’s back when the man had addressed her.

  Yuzuriha wasn’t a child….mentally. That much was obvious, then why was she acting like one?

  She tried to convince herself that it was the hostile astris that was making her feel out of place here.

  That must have been the reason she was clinging like a child, wrapping both of her soft hands around Marcille’s hard ones. That must have been why she was shrinking behind her older sister’s back, head bowed, and avoiding eye contact with anyone who looked her way.

  ‘I don’t understand this at all. I had been in dozens of bars before. Most of which was after a hard day’s worth of work. I’m no stranger to places like this!’

  As true as that may be, this one looked and felt different. It made her feel really uneasy and uncomfortable.

  And somehow, despite it all, there was still something familiar about clinging to Marcille like this. It didn’t feel out of place. It didn’t feel shameful. She didn’t seem surprised or mind it either.

  Marcille didn’t say anything, she glanced down on her little sister, and brushed her thumb across Yuzuriha’s knuckles upon noticing the way she was clinging to her.

  It was almost like she had done this before a bunch of times with her. It was a strange feeling, a strange warmth Yuzuriha hadn’t felt before.

  That’s what made her feel at ease. As long as she was around, everything would be fine.

  After winding their way through a maze of tables, they came to a table tucked away in one of the corners of the bar. Four figures sat around it while having a hearty conversation, which stopped the moment they looked up and spotted the group approaching.

  “...And that’s when I told him if he valued his life, he’d best find a new profession. The work of a Vulture ain’t for everyone. Ah speak of the wretch!”

  It came from the voice of a woman Yuzuriha didn’t recognize.

  Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.

  “Right here. We found her!”

  Seth called proudly as he waved his hand. And Silas added with…

  “The sneak attack failed. All of our efforts lie in the gutter”

  Even now, Yuzuriha couldn’t tell which was which. She was just making assumptions based on their speech patterns and maybe body language.

  “Ha! Tragic. Suppose that makes the score 45 to naught in Marcy’s favor? If you keep at it like this they’ll lose heart and interest in joining us!”

  The second figure to say that was a man. They all roared with laughter at his statement, prompting even the nearest table over to look their way.

  Marcille chuckled as she ruffled the hair of the twins.

  “I think it’s best that way, Arthur”

  After a laugh, they all turned their attention to the little girl hiding behind Marcille. And Marcille exposed her proudly to everyone.

  “Everyone, this here is Yor Drapes. My dear, sweet, beloved, adorable little sister. She’s been through a bit, so you lot best behave.”

  Yuzuriha felt a bit flustered by the way Marcille introduced her, but she powered through it and lowered her head as she said.

  “Pleased to meet you all”

  She had been in a fair number of situations in her previous life, there was the time she had accidentally locked herself in the school’s rooftop and spent three hours there before the janitor saved her.

  The disastrous dinner with her in-laws where her ex-husband had casually mentioned he might want to take in a second wife, in turn angering Yuzuriha.

  Not the best memories.

  But none of them came closer to what she was dealing with right now.

  After that embarrassing introduction her older sister gave her. Everyone at the table all frantically cooed over her like she was an adorable cat someone dragged in from the rain.

  She wasn’t sure if they were already drunk or this was just how they behaved. Either way, they talked and did a lot.

  Their voices were even overlapping each other, making it hard to hear what they were saying. Unless you weren’t paying attention of course.

  This was also how she learnt a bit about them too, including their names.

  It was chaotic. It was loud. It was fast. It was completely overwhelming.

  And still, somehow, this wasn’t even the worst part.

  The worst part was how flustered she felt.

  “Oh, Bless the Stars, she’s real! The famed little sister Marcy can’t stop raving about!”

  A booming woman with arms like scaffold beams and a voice like a cannon scoped her up from the floor. And before Yuzuriha could respond, she was already enveloped in a crushing bear hug, her face smushed into the woman’s large chest like a doll.

  This was Agnes Thorne, the group’s bruiser.

  Thanks to spending some time refining the way she perceives astris last night, Yuzuriha could see Agnes’s shape clearly.

  She was a tall, broad silhouette that burned with pulsing strength. Her astris flared outward in volcanic bursts of amber and ochre. She had short choppy hair, her height was just over six feet, towering even when seated.

  “She’s so small I could crush her! Is she the only one you brought, Marcy?”

  “You are crushing her, Agnes. Here, give her to me before you hurt the little lady”

  Yuzuriha felt being pulled away from Agnes’s brutal bear hug and into the subtle arms of another.

  ‘Now I understand where Marcille gets that hugging style from’

  The figure who saved her gently placed her down. It was Arthur Ainsbury, she deduced by his deep voice and flair. It wasn’t clear but she could see the shape of his fine clothing, a fitted waistcoat and cravat.

  He had a graceful posture he held like a blade half drawn. And his astris was layered in trickles of vibrational energy, constantly shifting.

  Arthur gave her a slight bow.

  “A pleasure, little Miss Drapes. I must say, your pupils are an exceptional shade of grey. Are they natural?”

  “She’s blind, Arthur. Careful where your compliments land”

  Interjected Marcille, a bit annoyed. She didn’t say anything else while drinking a bottle of alcohol, probably.

  “Oh. All the more impressive then. I’ve never seen grey like that before, they are even more faded than yours, Marcy”

  A chair creaked slightly as Arthur went back to his feet.

  The next one was Tobias Gall. He hadn’t said a word since they arrived, and his appearance seemed kind of strange compared to everyone else here.

  Not that it made a difference but his face wasn’t visible, only the plague doctor mask he wore twitching at the seams and his astris was a sickly hue. It was murky greens, dusty yellows, and browns that seemed more like rot and old books than vigor. His outline was hunched, hands clasped in his lap as well.

  He had been quiet all this time, and when he did decide to speak, he said…

  “I do not stink”

  Tobias hissed as if he was defending his pride.

  This confused Yuzuriha because nobody said anything about his stench. If anything, she couldn’t get a whiff of scent of him anyways. And she had an excellent sense of smell!

  “No one said you did, Toby. You’re hearing things again. And Art, your idea of conversation is deeply flawed. Work on it”

  And finally was the woman they came here to see. Her voice was soft, so soft that it slipped under the conversation and rose like mist.

  When Yuzuriha turned toward her, she saw a composed woman seated at the table while leaning over one hand. Her form shimmered in faint gold threads, barely visible like the last rays of a dying sunset wrapped around her limbs.

  Her body shape was small, willowy and refined in a rough manner. Her entire presence was so magnetic that Yuzuriha forgot she was staring for too long.

  Her name was…

  “Do not mind him, Yor. He lacks manners. And a soul. My name is Temperance Wrenleigh, the leader of this group, Duskfall. Though I prefer to be called Tansy. It’s cuter that way”

  Out of everyone here, she seemed the most normal. At least that’s what she thought until the woman began to personally inspect her body like a corpse collector.

  She checked her hair, caressed her smooth and young skin, her proportions including height. That went double for her face, all while marveling at the blind girl. She stopped once she was satisfied.

  “Sorry about that, I had to confirm you were real. I never thought I’d see the day, she’s quite the looker ain’t she? It is strange and exciting seeing her in the flesh, ha ha ha!”

  Temperance let out a bright chuckle, briefly turning to Marcille before focusing her attention on Yuzuriha again.

  “Marcy told us stories about you. Honestly, we were beginning to think you were made up. She also said you have two other siblings. Where are they now? Willow and Leopold, are they?”

  That first line filled Yuzuriha with curiosity. For one, the stories she had told are probably about the old Yor, in other words…

  ‘This is my chance to learn more about her! But I must be careful on how I approach this or I’ll come off as being suspicious. Ok, here we go’

  Yuzuriha hesitated for a moment.

  “She told you about me?”

  Just like that, there was a beat of silence at the table. For the first time since she arrived, the room seemed a bit quieter. Yuzuriha began to wonder if she had said too much but…

  The room erupted with laughter as Agnes slapped the table. Yuzuriha was at a loss as to what they could be laughing at.

  “Told us? She sang praises of—”

  “That’s enough, please! For Stars sake. That’s not the reason we came here!”

  Marcille immediately chimed in, her voice was high pitched and she jumped in Arthur’s way before he could continue.

  Even her astris seemed a bit shaky and flushed. As if she was embarrassed of something.

  At any rate none of that mattered when Marcille said in a serious tone…

  “I need your help, Tansy. It concerns my little sister”