Osceau

| Chapter Two | A New Leaf |

WARNING: Severe gore/violence, Murder, Strong Language. This chapter is not suitable for audiences under 18. Continue at your own risk.

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Grasping the paper of coordinates, Estel hurriedly dressed herself: a short maroon dress with the skirt split down the centre, and a puffy black skirt underneath. The chestpiece area was a slightly lighter shade, and five golden buttons ran down each side. The long sleeves were cuffed at the end, a black line ran around the edge of the cuff, and a large black bow sat in the centre of the high collar.

As Estel folded his clothes from the day previous, preparing to put them in a wash, he noticed a silver thread dangling from the pocket. She pulled the thread from the pocket, and revealed the bloodstone heart hanging at the end. She held it up to her eyes and, now that she could see properly, he could see faint black smoke emitting from the crack. A powerful aura was coming from this necklace. Whether safe or not, well, he could only figure out by putting it on, right? So that's what he did.

He slowly put the necklace around his head, letting it fall to her shoulders and dangle around her neck. Nothing happened for a few seconds, but as he looked down to look out for any activity the thread rapidly shortened, turning the necklace into a choker. The bloodstone slapped against Estel's Adams apple before disappearing under her high collar.

Estel rushed downstairs and towards the front door. As she approached, she noticed a large rectangular box. It was wrapped in sparkling silver wrapping paper, as if it were a Christmas present, and a small black envelope was stuck to the front of it.

Estel unwrapped the box and opened it to find a large greataxe. The handle was made from a brilliant oak, three spiked rings nestled near the top. The blades were made from a brilliant steel, the rim coated in silver. The axe looked brand new - every inch if it was immaculately clean.

Estel tore the black envelope from the box. On the front of it, in sparkling silver writing, was Madore's name. Smiling slightly at this, Estel opened the envelope and started to read the short letter hidden inside:

'I can tell you love your axes. Since you're not officially in the Guild yet, I can't give you our best axes, however that small handaxe won't help you much on your rescue mission. Take this greataxe, and I wish you luck.
- Madore ◇'

Estel left the house smiling slightly, greataxe mounted on his back. She decided to look around the capital before leaving for her mission, as he had not had the chance to properly yet. The first thing he wanted to find was a restaurant - he was in the mood for some pasta, so she set out to look for an Italian restaurant. She found a cheap place down an alleyway called Il Crepsucolo. The name was written with thin white paint, and each corner or end of a letter had a small star drawn on, on a sign that was a deep midnight blue. The building itself was painted black, the cemented lines in between the bricks a brilliant pearl colour.

Estel entered the building and sat down. A tiefling waitress approached him - she looked like Cordelia, which made Estel smile sadly. Xer nametag read 'River'. She asked him what he wanted, and he thought for a second. "Buttered noodles," Estel replied. The waitress gave no reaction to the order other than write it down on a gilt-edged black notepad before walking off behind the counter and into the kitchen. Estel waited around ten minutes before a steaming bowl of spaghetti goodness approached her on a silver platter. She investigated excitedly, until-

Bolognese.

"Something wrong?" The waiter, this time a lioness tabaxi, asked politely. She was being so kind that Estel felt guilty for wanting to scream at her for getting the order wrong, so instead he replied with a no and ate the food anyway. It didn't taste too bad, but the texture was nowhere near what Estel was looking for. After finishing, she dabbed the napkin on her lips and slipped out of the restaurant without paying - as if she was going to pay for something she didn't order!