"In hoc signo vinces"

A part of her stood amazed at the Festival, the scope by which it were conveyed paling in comparison to that of what it actually seemed to be. Even now, with so much time having now passed through since it was announced and had begun, much of the festivities were in full effect; something to which a lesser event could not have hoped to maintained, even for perhaps half of the time that had elapsed. No shortage of reasons as to this. War and strife had for much of the past year plagued Fiore, particularly within areas like Era and Crocus, where so much of the intregal parts of Fiore seemed to originate and grow from.

She felt a bit aloof within a place like this, almost like that of a sheep walking amongst a lively colony of wolves. Augusta had never been one to partake in the festivities of the people, believing them to be wasted ventures; acts that showed only one's weakness and sinful indulgences. The thought of it made her sick, as did her very presence here. The smell of alcohol remained pungent in the air, a scent that likely were to linger throughout the remainder of the festival, if not even well after it was all over. Worse yet, the array of scents which further clouded the air, their toxicity so apparent that Augusta could taste them upon her own tongue, it made her wonder at how she herself had not yet vomited. Keeping her composure as best able, rage built within her, a desire to dismantle the Festival in its entirety and go about whatever sort of vengeance would most be applicable to those here.

Yet, for as much as her fury blinded her, she did not forget where she stood within the world. In all respects, she was a wanted woman, a devout follower of the Church whom had falsely been branded a monster. An irony, given her present company. Within the eyes of divine retribution, there were hardly a soul amongst the people on these grounds that would have been spared the unwavering retribution of God's Cleasning Flames. Individuals of all sizes and creeds walked throughout the lengthy and spacious grounds, confined within the border composed of stalls, some still providing their fullest of services whiles others began to deconstruct themselves, having more than made whatever profits they sought out of their time here. She pushed her way through, with each step making her more wonder if coming here, for whatever sense of security that it might have offered her, was a mistake.

The briefest of reprieves came as she approached near a small lake off the heavily travelled path she had been walking. Pools of people gathered at the base of the lake, clumbed up like pigs to the slaughter. Children played without a care in the world. Parents and young couples nestled within each others' arms as their heads were lifted to see the faintest of colored lights parade through the skyline above. Augusta peered upwards for only a moment, watching as a faint stream of green ascended higher and higher towards the heavens, only to erupt in a thunderous display. Only moments later, the echoing crackle of its own explosive wrath pierced through the silence around her.

As perhaps welcoming of a sight as it was, where she stood left little appreciation for what was going on. A small builing, a plaza of average size, lay not too far off in the distance. Sufficient enough to perhaps give some safety from the sensory decay around her. With each step Augusta took, the dirtiness in the air seemed to fade more and more away, to such a point where once she had arrived and taken a seat, it felt almost as though the air were clean, or at least, as clean as possible given what had been plauging this city for so long.

A sigh of relief escaped her lips. "Nice to finally be able to breathe outside of that filth. This Festival... No, this city, it's a cesspool," Augusta exclaimed, having assumed that she were by herself. In her haste to escape from what the aroma that hovered over the Festival grounds, she had not noticed the other woman seated barely even a short distance away from her.

"In hoc signo vinces"

A quick glance at the woman, the one other person who had been in the area of where Augusta had opted to take up this temporary position in, she hadn't expected that this would be have been someone she'd interact with, but as it turned out, would be exactly that.

A faint chuckle escaped from Augusta's mouth, one that was as much reflecting on the break of her isolation as much as it was at the foolishness of the woman and what she spoke of. "A nice place? Dear, any place that would even so much as consider this place to be 'nice' must be out of their mind. How can anyone consider this to be nice? The smell, the people here, they reek."

Just even reflecting upon the smell that she had been forced to endure earlier, the very idea of recalling it almost made her wish to vomit. "How anyone could consider this place to be nice, whether for being so foolish as to allow such madness to be condoned here. Or even after the fact, the tarnish that this abomination of a festival will leave upon this place, is beyond me."

She looked at the woman, appearing almost like that of someone of a similar mindset to her. While most were plainly enough in the festival-embracing mood, this woman did not seem to share that same mentality. Rather, she seemed almost annoyed, perhaps at Augusta's position towards the Flower Festival, or maybe for a different reason. What was clear enough was she was hardly someone who was enjoying themselves.

"Doesn't take much to see that you might be thinking the same. Wouldn't you agree?"