Reprieve in Vegas(Lilium/Anna, I guess?)

[Nevada, Las Vegas]

Time in the Sugiura realm was difficult to quantify. Differing from earth, where one could clearly tell the changing of the seasons, confirming time within that dimension was an exercise in tedium. Anna, the bright young maiden, entering the doors of one of the most vibrant casinos in town, hadn't been to earth in a long time. She didn't isolate herself like so many of her kind, and if she had to pick between the two, the realm of the living did not seem to be such a porous place to live.

Contrary to the opinion of her peers, even if the earth had been ravaged by spiritual warfare, one could still find a modicum of peace on this vast expanse if they looked hard enough.
Anna did not wish to incite too much attention. There were strongholds in America controlled by multiple organizations, possessing warriors who could wipe out entire cities.

In hindsight, Anna knew this wasn't the best decision, especially if she found herself embroiled in an unexpected fight. However, for the time being, Anna wanted to avoid a certain someone. Her initial request to Reinhilde - her older sister - was promptly denied. However, upon noticing her distress, she acquiesced, only under the supervision of a group of western soldiers.



Each of them walked beside her, wearing disguises such as fine linen suits and extravagant dresses, much to her chagrin. If she wished to avoid the gaze of the other guests in this establishment, they made things worse. Was her elder sister playing pranks on her again? Tch, whatever. Deep breaths. Inhale. Exhale. Repeat the process. Fixing the contours of her blue sundress, Anna examined her surroundings.

She had heard many things about casinos ever since she arrived here. One employee working here told her that it was the place where dreams could come true; a man who had gambled away half of his earnings rudely exclaimed that it was all a bunch of "horseshit".

Others were at the bars, drowning themselves in excessive amounts of alcohol... while those like Anna, who were unfamiliar with this way of life, either watched on as individuals either achieved great success or a financially abysmal loss. One of the male guards decided to be adventurous and go off to "observe the premise" but she knew otherwise.

He had already fallen victim to the kaleidoscopic array of colors on the machines. A female guard grabbed Anna's hand as she scoured the area for any potential threats.


She then turned to Anna and requested an answer, dumbfounded as to why she wanted to come here of all places.
"Lady Anna... I don't mean to be disrespectful but this place wreaks of liquor and promiscuity. Why Vegas?"
"I... well, between us? There's someone I'm too embarrassed to face right now. "
"Oh, Zunza Lowellen? The Magus you locked lips with moments after meeting him? "
"Wha... How did you know that!?" Her milk-white cheeks were now red with embarrassment.
"I know you said you wanted things to be private, but when it comes to the western capital, rumors spread like wildfire. I'm certain one of the maids passed the information on. "
"Does anyone honor personal privacy anymore!?"

Watching Anna shout in dismay elicited a chuckle from the female guard as she waved her hand.
"I am no expert on romance but I doubt you'll be able to avoid him forever. "

"Agh... don't say that! I only need to avoid him for today!"

Directing her attention to a slot machine, Anna hurriedly disappeared from the guard's sight and sat down to hide her face. She was not a confrontational person but having someone reveal an intimate moment with such casual indifference made her feel violated. In any case, she needed a distraction. She held the card indicating her membership at this casino, inserted it into the machine, and lose herself in the crowd...

Lilium made plenty sure not to touch even a drop of alcohol this time, last time was... Not very fun. Her cheeks were aglow with blush for a moment as she briefly remembered that demon, Arianda...

A shiver went through her gripping the glass just a tad tighter from the thought of her, and having to see her again... It was a strange mix of dread and longing, the dread mostly being self imposed; Arianda wasn't a bad person by any means but she always had a sneaking suspicion of her..

Lilium watched a new group walk into the casino, a brow raising as she watched them, a variety of predisposed sins twitching around them with their multicolored glows, though something was strange about the group... They seemed too uniform to be a bunch of friends out for some drinking and tossing away cash, well, all but one, who was already sucked into the hypnotizing array of colors and numbers. Casinos are designed to pull humans into emptying their pockets after all, simple psychology.

She decided to present herself to this group, she herself looking rather proper; a white flowery dress adorned with black bows, her hair tied into braided twin-tails, smaller bows tied along her hair which gave her a childish look; she did pick the outfit out herself after all.

Lilium proceeded to walk to the group, trying to quell any fear rising in her chest, keeping her expression neutral; if she could do this well, it would be a sign of improvement.

"Hello there, do you need any help getting around?" She asked, "I don't recognize any of you, is all. Are you new, or infrequent customers?"

The female guard hurriedly strode towards the seat where Anna was, consciously aware of how insensitive her casual comment was. As she stated, she was unfamiliar with the ways of love; her kingdom was the only form of love she was familiar with - her livelihood in every meaning of the term. She could not relate to Anna but she did not wish to let the benevolent maiden sulk in misery. This place was filled with a specific form of debauchery and greed she was rarely accustomed to, and the male soldiers were already ogling women of various nationalities as they walked by.

This was getting out of hand. In any case, so as long as they were prepared to draw their weapons, what they were doing in their spare time mattered little to the tall woman. Placing her hand upon Anna's arm, she said, "It was insensitive of me to reveal such an intimate subject or the maid's knowledge of it, without considering your feelings. "

Anna, who had drowned out the raucous noise, turned to the female guard and nodded her head, a pleased expression replacing the distress she felt earlier. She knew that her heart was in the right place, and that, if there was anyone she should've been mad at, it was those pesky maids. And besides, they were here to have fun and escape from the rigorous schedule of constant duty in their own realm.

Anna wrapped her fingers around the guard's hand to signal that all was forgiven. Turning to the slot machine, Anna scratched her head in confusion. "This is my first time ever coming into an establishment like this, and I'm not quite sure I know how to play properly. What bet should I even pick?"

As soon as she asked her guards the question, a petite female appeared before them. The male guards blinked in confusion, taken aback by the childlike appearance of the girl standing in front of them. When she spoke, the confusion settled as she seemed old enough to discern the situation.

Before they could say anything else, the female guard ordered them to bow their heads as her eyes analyzed the petite female. Anna raised her hand towards the guard, activated Aura perception. To put it shortly, it was an ability that allowed her to deduce danger by examining the colors that flash through her vision.

Through examining people before her, she could discern whether they were friend or foe; judging by her eyes indicating emerald green, Anna confirmed that Lilium seemed friendly enough to approach. The female guard watched with focused eyes as Anna rose from her chair and stood face to face with the small girl.

"We're new customers, although I do believe some of our males here have frequented this place before. They were the ones who made the suggestion. I would gladly accept your help. Hopefully, these people around me won't make you too uncomfortable. My name is Anna Lebenstein. These people surrounding me are my personal entourage. "

Lilium noticed something strange about this girl and her entourage. They were looking less like her friends and more like personal hands. The danava wasn't one to judge the privileged, so she kept this analysis of them silent, allowing the girl a chance to speak as she had a rather neutral expression on her face. She got a good look at her, seeing the sin around her emitting a green glow; Envy. That could path down to a number of behaviors, but it didn't seem nearly as severe as what she had seen.

She smiled softly, placing a hand on her chest as she did a little polite bow. If the girl was in any way observant, Lilium's actions would seem somewhat forced and artificial, like she was playing a part she didn't like in a play.

"Lilium is my own, lovely to meet you miss Lebenstein." Mentally, Lilium was starting to feel nervous, as if she slipped up somewhere, somehow, "There are many things to do here, not just gambling you know. Though... I'm not sure if a place like this would be good for someone of your.. Type. But you're welcome to try a game, just don't be surprised if you leave empty-handed."

"If you want my honest opinion, I'm not one for large, unruly crowds such as these," Anna said was a polite smile. "Oh, and simply call me Anna. It is a pleasure to be acquainted with you, Lilium! " Bowing with courtesy, Anna flashed yet another beaming smile as she focused her gaze upon the petite, waifish female standing before her.

Her appearance was childlike; Anna could hardly believe that such a woman would be caught here but earth was always full of surprises. Some of the soldiers glanced at Lilium with questioning eyes, before the female guard ordered them to return to their own business.

The female guard took one analytical glance of Lilium and confirmed that she seemed harmless enough. You never could be too safe. Anna decided to walk before Lilium and issue a request. "If it is possible, I would like for you to relax. You're such a pretty girl that it seems unfair for you to feign any emotion beyond your ideal self. After all, you read me very well. What do you say to showing me around? My entourage doesn't need to come along. "

As she said those words, she turned to the line of guards standing beside her, ordering them to do as they pleased so as long as they didn't cause trouble for those present. Her attention returned to Lilium as she waited the answer to her question.