Farmlands stretched as far as her sight could reach, and like an awestruck child at a festival Esperia found herself wandering along the residential area of the town. It was quite an amazing sight for the young lady who was raised in the far reaches of North Fiore where snow and ice reigned supreme, so to see something like 'that' happening before her eyes were quite a sight for the young lass.

After passing a small farm she casually observed the denizen of the farm going through their everyday activities. A bunch of young men was tending to one of the cows, one of them seemingly milking it while another was replacing the buckets used to catch the milk in, but even more curious was when a third male noticed her and after a short moment of conversing with his companions suddenly discarded his shirt and exclaimed in an overly loud and dramatic fashion "It's so warm in here!"

A blink of bewilderment followed from the young lady who silently observed the trio, yet after a moment she spotted one of the young men walking over to her, seemingly holding what appeared to be a small bottle of a liquid, unmistakable milk. "Young lady! Are you a tourist?"

The question made her pause for a moment, a hand reaching for her cheek and while she rested it lightly against the side of her head she replied in a soft and gentle tone. "Something along those lines..."

It appeared the lad had heard just the thing he wanted, for he flashed a grin at her and replied in a voice filled with cheer and energy. "Where did you come from? Have you ever tasted Baska's famous Cow Milk before?"

Cow milk? Obviously, she knew what a cow was, but there was no way those poor animals could endure the intense coldness of the climate she was raised in, so to say that she wasn't curious about the flavor was a lie."I'm from the far reaches of the North, even beyond Nanuq Town, so I never had the opportunity to sample Cow Milk before."

The young man laughed heartily at her explanation, seemingly amused at the thought a girl of her age had never tasted cow milk before! Perhaps it was for that reason that he handed her over the bottle with a smirk. "Then let Baska be the first town to make you enjoy the taste of cow milk!"

Her crimson eye sparked with a liveliness as she was handed the bottle, the glass somewhat chilly to the touch, and after removing the cork on the bottle she took a sip of the liquid, almost subconsciously finding her lips curving up into a bright smile. "It's delicious!"

The guy nodded his head while giving her a thumbs-up sign, explaining with clear excitement and enthusiasm. "Not only is it a delicious beverage, but it is also used for a lot of things, like cooking! Consider it a souvenir for your visit to our farm~ By the way, if I may ask... what brings you to Baska?"

A light tensing of her body followed at the question as she raised her hand awkwardly to the back of her head and laughed weakly. "hehe... I sort of got lost in my search for someone."

The young man nodded his head briefly, seemingly thinking about the subject carefully. "Do you have any description of her? like a picture or a name?"

A light shake of her head followed, seemingly a bit saddened by the subject but she soon replied with a brief smile emerging on her lips. "Her name is Elena, she's from the Elestia tribe, but don't worry! that girl has a knack for getting in and out of troubles! I'm sure she'll be totally fine."

For a while longer they remained talking, allowing her to obtain some valuable knowledge on the layout of the land and the people that lived inside the town. It appeared Baska was a small merchant town, but also enjoyed a certain boost to its tourism with the yearly large-scale market that was held there, making it a worthwhile location to memorize.

"I guess I should get back to work, if you ever get lost, feel free to come back here. Also, didn't you notice anything?"

The girl tilted her head slightly toward the side, looking at the young man's handsome yet somewhat slightly rugged and muscular chest before humming softly. "Aren't you cold like that?"

The two farmers in the back started to cover their mouths, attempting to force themselves not to erupt into a laughing fit when Esperia turned her back toward the farmer after giving a light wave of her hand.

"Guess I'm really not in North Fiore anymore..." The poor farmer, if only he had realized his attempt to seduce her with his fine body had failed hopelessly because Esperia's interests were somewhere quite different...

And so she resumed her journey, occasionally sipping from her newly obtained drink while walking along the farm fields wondering what to do next. Elena was unlikely to be within Baska, and she had no clues about the existence of that peculiar group of Lycans either.

The lack of information on both subjects was infuriating, but she knew more than well enough not to let that demotivate her! For the time being, she would just enjoy the sights around Baska, and who knew where the road would take her?

"Still, I wonder if walking around topless is a tradition in Baska... Hope they don't mind that I'm not participating in it..." Thinking back about the farmer, she had to admit she was quite grateful for the bottle of milk he was so kind to give her for free. But little did she know that this was only the very first of an encounter, that might possibly stir into motion a entirely different story...

Rule number one: Always take a nap somewhere secluded, then you're least likely to be interrupted.

It was a saying her sister often used in jest whenever she found Esperia napping around the church. It was rather ironic how different the Eisenberg siblings were. Aselia was a young woman who carried herself with grace and elegance and the professionalism of a trained Holy Knight, yet at the same time, she held a certain softness in her heart that only her family and closest companions were able to enjoy.

She still remembered it fondly, of how she skipped her father's sermon and took a nap in the fields behind the church, her hands resting against the back of her head while her legs swung back and forth along with the chorus of the choir that was singing.

A soft humming followed as the girl closed her eyes, recalling how her sister found her so easily and said those very same words, a teasing grin upon her lips.

"Sis..." The memory had faded away, replaced with the bone-chilling visage of her sister collapsed in a pool of blood, her voice wavering as she whispered she was glad that her younger sibling was left unhurt. Tears started to gather, her eyes growing moist but she would not allow those tragic feelings to surface, a brief shake of her head erasing any evidence of their existence as she took another sip from the milk bottle.

"Someday I'll find out why everyone died Sis... And then I'll avenge everyone." A soft sigh followed as she continued onwards, her steps guiding her along one of the fields when she spotted a figure amidst the grass. It was a person, judging from the first glance it might have been a female, and just like curiosity kills the cat, it also draws in the Esperia, and soon a pair of footsteps approached her. One step followed the other till she reached the person, the closed eyes making her whisper softly.

"Odd place to take a nap at... At least I genuinely hope she is asleep and not dead..."

Leaning slightly forwards she took a peek at the stranger's face, the initial concern about the state of being of the person being replaced by something similar to awe... "She's pretty..." a soft whisper, barely audible followed while she waved a small hand above the person's face, humming softly. "Oooy... are you asleep? This is a bad spot to take a nap at, according to Rule One of Naps you got to pick a secluded spot so you remain undisturbed, that's supposed to be common knowledge."

It was clear from the softness of her tone that she was acting without any ill intentions, but at the same time she waited for a response she raised a hand to her cheek, a soft mumble following. "I wonder, if she is asleep do I need to get her a bucket of cold water? But I only got this bottle of milk... and I don't want to cry over spilled milk, especially if she is dead instead of asleep."

A soft hum followed as she tilted her head sideways and continued. "Or maybe a prayer is in order? No, don't think so negatively Esperia, surely she is just asleep. I mean who would drop a corpse in such a open place? You'd have to be an idiot of a criminal to do such a thing, not that I know much of crime myself..." Poor lass seems there wouldn't be any naps today!

When the stranger spoke a smile emerged upon Esperia's lips while a little nod of approval was given in response to the statement that she wasn't dead, or at least not yet. In the end, most undead wasn't intelligent enough to speak beyond grunts and groans, and those who did like Vampires were usually not exactly the most active in the outdoors during the day.

"Good~ Cause the dead deserve their six feet under and digging a hole that deep would be quite tiresome." A little smile lingered upon her lips when the stranger, who had yet to give a name to identify her with asked if she wanted to sit beside her. Nodding her head lightly in response the girl she replied with a cheerful "Please don't mind if I do~" and soon she took her seat beside her, the feeling of the wind gently brushing against her cheeks provoking a gentle sigh from the girl. "The climate here truly is different from back home, the wind is mild and somewhat pleasant, comforting even compared to the cold chill that it brings where I live."

Her gaze drifted along the fields, taking in the sights as she tried to memorize the landscape, albeit her attention was soon drawn toward the young lady. Despite the icy tone of her voice Esperia found there to be something curious about the stranger, perhaps the reason why when she inquired about why Esperia was visiting the area that the girl replied in a soft tone that concealed a bit of chipper and cheer in it. "I totally got lost~" A straight and honest answer was followed by a chuckle while she continued. "Or something along those lines. It's not exactly the same as going left instead of right, or taking the wrong turn on the road... it's like I'm traveling without a road in sight."

A gentle sigh followed while the girl raised her free hand to her cheek, seemingly pondering about the situation. "Sorry, that might have sounded a bit confusing, what I meant to say was: I'm here without a particular reason or goal in mind."

Indeed, it was a bit odd perhaps for someone her age to be in such a situation, but if she was, to be honest, she had only two goals in mind, and both were currently still out of reach.

"Or perhaps I am searching for a reason... I was hoping to catch up with a childhood friend, but I haven't had much luck finding her trail. Hehe~ Elena is a slippery lass when it comes to finding her."

A little chuckle followed while she shook her head a few times to clear her thoughts. "And my other goal is still way too far out of reach for me to pursue, so right now I'm mostly just a lonesome traveler~"

Her gaze shifting away from the stranger she looked back at the field, wondering what about the sight had stirred her to take a break at this field to enjoy the scenery, but instead, after a moment she spoke once more. "What about you? Any particular reason why you are napping out here?"

A simple question, and one asked without any ulterior motives aside from perhaps some childish curiosity. In the end, it wasn't every day you found a young lady trying to take a nap in the fields of Baska's residential area!

At the very least she couldn't say she disliked the fact that she found her napping here, since it led to the chance to have a conversation with someone!

A moment of nostalgia followed as Esperia was asked about her place of origins. While one might have questioned whether it was a painful subject to bring up considering the loss of her family at such a young age, Esperia was quite fond of recalling those peaceful days prior to the event. Of how she lived in the large Eisenberg church that was located on the far edge of the Worth Woodsea, how as if it was a miracle by nature itself the land she lived on seemed to be evenly split between the snowy fields of the lands the Elestia tribe dwelled in, and the lush green scenery of the forest. Even more peculiar was the fact she had memories connecting to both places, but the land she lived in was no more.

The Eisenberg church had been burned to the ground after the siege by the Lycan raiding party and being the only member of her family who had survived it was difficult to say she truly felt like she had a place she belonged in. Her family was gone, the promise made by a childhood friend of hers unfulfilled and she never truly found herself comfortable among the Elestia tribe.

"The far north, a bit beyond the Woodsea and on the border of the frozen lands where the Elestia tribe dwells. However, it's understandable that you haven't heard about the place before. My family lived a hermit-like existence, and nowadays the church we lived in got burnt to the ground after some things happened..."

A soft sigh followed as she brushed a hand along some of her locks, an idle gesture in the hope of clearing her thoughts away from the gloomy memories. The stranger tried to wish her luck with the search for Elena, something that brought a smile to her lips. She was confident that she would find her in due time, it was just a matter of continuing her search till she found her! A clever idea, even if she did say so herself~

However, the moment the young lady commented about her search for the board that held the requests of the various citizen of the town a little chuckle escaped her lips while she explained with a smile. "You might beat me in terms of getting lost then~ The request board is at the Town Square, or at least I saw one there. If you want I could take you there?"

After waiting for her answer the girl finally realized something quite silly, the fact she had forgotten proper etiquette and that neither of them even knew what to call each other! Perhaps it was for that reason the girl finally decided to introduce herself, a little nod of her head following along with her introduction.

"My name is Esperia~ Esperia Von Eisenberg, it's a pleasure to meet you miss--?" She paused for a moment as if she was hoping to get the favor of the introduction returned, in the end, she couldn't go around and call this person 'Snowwhite' despite her matching the image of a princess of a snowy kingdom!

When Snowflake extended a hand toward her Esperia smiled briefly in return, gently grasping a hold of it while letting the name resound through her mind. Snowflake, it was a unique but somewhat fitting name for the young woman before her. After being helped back onto her feet and their next destination being made into the Town Square where the Request Board awaited them.

However, it was when Snowflake asked a rather curious question that Esperia paused for a moment: Was she a mage? A brief frown crossed her visage as she pondered the statement and after a moment of consideration continued her explanation.

"Something along those lines. The Von Eisenberg was a family that functioned similarly to the Holy Knights." She paused for a moment as if the past tense of her sentence would have been a clue already. "For generations, we kept the lands safe from occult threats and similar inhuman dangers that would otherwise destroy the peaceful existence of towns like this."

She closed her eyes as she briefly recalled a distant memory, her steps slowing down just a little as she was guiding Snowflake along the path to the town square.

"While magic is obviously an important asset of our training I never truly had the opportunity to learn how to use mine. You see, I lost my family during an attack on our household five years ago, and as a child, I was told to never use my magic in public unless it was to save myself."

She raised a hand slightly forwards, shifting it so the palm of her hand was pointed upwards and channeling her energy through her arm the magic manifested in the form of a small orb of illuminating light... or at least it did at first.

"My magic is tainted..." She explained with a weak smile as the light started to darken and the warmth it released turned into a cold chilly sensation, the black glowing orb pulsing above her hand till she closed her hand and the orb exploded into tiny fireworks around her hand, similar to a magician's little trick.

"So to answer your question: I can use magic, but never received formal training with it. In fact aside from petty parlor tricks like this, I doubt I have any means of using my magic in combat situations so far..."

She admitted with a hint of amusement in her voice while pulling her hands to her side again and looked at Snowflake with a curious glance. "Were you looking for a mage?"