The Wind On Your Face [Illya, Rafaela]

Traveling was just how Rafaela lived, and she had to say she liked it a lot more than being cooped up in an investigative office like she used to be. Not that she didn't have her office back at the palace, but it was way better being out here in the field. She'd probably need to make camp soon, though. Night time out here in the woods wasn't exactly great, but--

Looked like someone else was already camping! Well, she wasn't the sort to avoid a fellow camper, and besides, she ought to investigate anyway as a Reichsritter. After all, if it was just a citizen, then she ought to visit, and if it was some ne'er-do-well, she'd need to put a stop to them.

"Good evening! Rafaela Leone, Free Imperial Knight, is here! Hopefully you don't mind sharing your name?"

It wasn't necessarily stated as a challenge, per se, but one could certainly take it that way. After all, Rafaela wasn't exactly a subtle woman, and pretty much everything she said was some degree of aggressive.

The moment Illya spoke his name, Rafaela's eyes lit up, and she took a seat excitedly at his fire even without waiting for an invitation. After all, she'd certainly heard the stories, and she knew that pretty much made the two of them comrades.

"You're the Wolf of Munich? I'm glad to finally meet you! I've heard a ton of stories from His Majesty about your time campaigning together, and you sounded pretty impressive!"

Rafaela was doing her best not to outright gush, but she didn't have too many other people to relate to when it came to her position alongside the Emperor. Besides, her mental image of the Imperial Theater during the war was definitely a bit more exaggerated than the reality of it.

"Oh, that's right. I'm the first of his Reichsritter! Number one among equals, as they say."

Her proud grin accompanied a removal of her cap, getting a bit more comfortable as she enjoyed the campfire and the company. Might as well get comfortable, right?

"Stupid? Psh, you're crazy! It's a great name, really conveys danger! Any proud fighter would kill for someone to call them something cool like that, you know. Like me! They call me Rafaela of the Violent Lightning, but I wouldn't mind a nickname like yours, either."

Rafaela certainly appreciated Illya's interest in her work, and she slowly undid her large twintails as the two of them continued to talk. She didn't like keeping them up when she was relaxing, and she didn't exactly have any intention of continuing to travel when she'd found good company for the night.

"Yeah, you could say that. His Majesty asked me to be an investigator, and that's been my main goal for the past year or so. What do you know about the Duvalier Group?"

The tiny woman's expression grew a little bit more serious as that topic came up, though it wasn't grave by any stretch. She wasn't really the type to totally get down just because the conversation got less lighthearted.

"Guess you could say it's a little bit personal. I used to work for the Carabinieri before His Majesty knighted me. I watched Italy go right into the Duvalier Group's hands without being able to do much about it, but I can tell you they're nasty business."

Rafaela laid back and watched the sky, not quite ready to set up and cook a dinner for herself just yet. She always kept important stuff on her person, but she also wasn't great at talking over food. She'd eat when things wound down.

"Course those corporate types don't leave much in the way of evidence. I might be a Free Knight, but I guess old habits die hard. I don't like the idea of going in there and just dealing with the CEO when I don't have a case."

"I like to fight for justice. Nothing else to it, really. I like to make sure people are safe and sound. That was why I joined the Carabinieri in the first place, after all. His Majesty said he liked that I did the right thing no matter what, and I liked the idea of being able to do that."

Rafaela sighed to herself and rolled onto her side, rifling through her bag without needing to actually sit up just yet. She could do that later, but for now she was content to just pull out her travel pillow and get a little more comfortable. The tent and all that didn't need to come out just yet.

"Traveling like that sounds pretty fun, though. I wouldn't mind asking for a little time to myself once this investigation finally finishes. I've been all over the world in the past few months, but it's all just been for work."