[31] Bunny

They came back into the mid-day of Aclair. The high sun rose from the back of the mountain, doing nothing for the city. The coarse, black, roof of the city glowed with the luminescent, orange lights of the Orient Crystals that pervaded the streets.

'The sun hides behind the mountain but the city has its own stars.'

Claire tossed a small rod-like object of ice into the air, caught it, and repeated that action as she walked. They had left the inn, well, mostly they had been kicked out as no payment had came through, but she found that their stay there was no longer needed. The streets were crowded and busy. Passing by the residential area of the city, houses and inns at either side of her as she walked the widening and narrowing streets, turning and walking, she went through her thoughts.

"Even the smallest, cheapest, plot of land costs a hundred gold coins?" She muttered.

At the behest of Clara, they were pointed to the City's Development Agency only to find that although 7 gold coins was considered quite well off for 2 people, it was nothing in the face of buying a plot of land. The cheapest option, renting one big enough to plop a house down on was 10 silver coins a month for 15 years before you would own it. However, Claire would rather like to buy something like that outright, and that would take at least a hundred gold coins.

"Why don't we just place it in the Forest?" Alicia voiced her thought, an eye squinting at the roof with her hands holding her head as she followed the Ice Queen, "I don't mind living there."

The girl didn't quite get it. It seemed no problem to her. At worse, they could just carry the pillar with them and be a mobile home.

"But I do," Claire stopped, looked back, and shook her head, "I want to live with civilization, I want to place it down in a city—which is more so due to my own preference—and we still need the Adventure Guild to make money. Not only is a city better for relaxation with the plethora of choices available, we will be able to shop for food in this place, else I would just be eating ice and water while you suck my blood dry."

The vampire licked her lips, and spoke with a gleam in her eye, "I don't mind sucking you dry."

"But I do. And that sounds. . .suspicious," Claire said, and thought, 'She certainly seems cheerier than normal.'

The small tower disappeared in her hand and she pushed open a door, entering the bustling Adventure Guild. Naturally, eyes came to them, which retreated as fast as they did. The familiar interior was still as rampantly uncaring of those around. Rowdiness mixed with exhaustion and a few parties where chugging booze. The two figures waited in line at the side of the quest board until they reached Clara.

"That was fast, back already?" The receptionist smiled.

Claire wanted to roll her eyes. Certainly, the woman must have knew there would be no way for the them to buy land with the funds they had. Certainly, that sly smile of hers was teasing them.

"Yes. . ." She muttered, "We're looking for requests with the most monetary gain. Could you help us?"

"Well well well. . ." Clara begun with twinkling eyes.

'There it is, that's the face of a scheming woman.'

"The Guild will be having an expedition into Aclair's Dungeon soon. With your strength, joining will be no issue, and you can keep anything you find, hunt, or kill for. How does that sound?"

"An expedition?"

"One of our bi-annual match to prevent a dungeon break scenario from occurring—as no city wants what occurred to Tam. It's funded by Aclair, in conjunction with its minute military, and lasts for about a Week, reaching up to the current highest floor. Joining alone is a reward of a gold coin."

Claire mellowed over the thought. It didn't sound bad. The main drive to accept was what they could retrieve in the dungeon. Though she was sure she could simply trek through the dungeon herself, a gold coin was a gold coin—less than Black Lagoon had payed, but that was a company that had its roots in the mines, not a city governance. No other quests were so excellent enough to pay even one gold coin.

"How does it sound?" She asked Alicia.

"?" The vampire tilted her head, "I don't mind. I'll follow you wherever you go."

Claire raised a brow at that notion. It was the first time she had someone she could call a friend in her life. She returned to Clara and nodded.

"We'll like to join, then."

"You're in luck," The receptionist smiled, "Registration became open to Adventurers just yesterday."

"You schemer."

"Haha, it's just business, it's just business~. If I recommend a person, and they successfully enter, I get payed as well."

Claire rolled her eyes and followed after Clara, who left her post to another receptionist as they made their way to the back of the Adventure Guild. The back of the black-box, which was the Guild Hall, housed a circular arena. It wasn't large, there was dirt upon the ground, and two stone platforms at its center, and about two rows of chairs circled the small stadium at its top.

As they walked in, dust following their movement, Claire easily spotted a group of men at a stand on the right of them, below the base of a platform, and a line of adventurers before the stand.

The men, naturally being soldiers, wore the same black uniforms with swords to their hips. Clara led them to the front of the line.

"Card plea—."

Before the man at the table could even speak, protests rang behind them as a man tugged at Claire, pulling her back.

"Hey what the hell are you doing cutting the line?"

"Yeah! Yeah! We've waited here—get her out!"

Claire frowned, glancing up at a face hidden behind an iron helmet.

"Let go of me."

However, jeered on by the crowd, his grip increased instead and he pulled her out of the line. At that moment, however, Alicia voice oozed out in anger as she turned to face the group of adventurers.

"Apologize."

Her voice fell, dry and cold.

She glanced and her eyes gleamed crimson. A split-moment later, thuds rang and knees dropped to the ground as each individual fell with cowering fear.

Shaking eyes struggled to glance up and tears welled as the voices came out in a chorus of fear.

"I-I'm sorry—."

A hand patted Alicia's shoulder.

"There was no need for that. We were in the wrong."

Claire thought the girl usually preferred punching her way through things. Unless she specifically wanted to make someone fear her, she didn't use her <Death Eyes> often. However, she didn't quite accept its use in this situation.

"They disrespected you, and he—he touched you," Alicia shook her head, disagreeing with her.

Her eyes particularly narrowed onto an armored male on his knees. Yet, a laugh brought both their attention to a standing figure.

A girl dressed in a white long-sleeved jacket that revealed her belly and a short-skirt of the same color with frills of red. She was the only individual standing and, along with that prominence, there was a pair of twitching bunny-ears upon her head as she laughed

"Apologize?" The girl stopped, orange eyes glancing at the two, "A skill trying to make me fear death? That's laughable—you're gonna need a bit more than that."

Alicia's nose twitched.

"You reek of blood. . .human blood."

"Oh my? I guess ya caught me then~I scrubbed and I scrubbed, but their smell just wouldn't come off, y'know?"

The girl replied, licking her lips without a care in the world.

"Y'know, I really detest people that flaunt their power in my face," Her figure shook, she squirmed and gnashed her teeth as her ears perked up, "Why don't you two apologize? In fact, why don't you apologize?"

A finger jabbed at Claire.

"Unless, are you just standing behind your protector like some dainty damsel?"

Clara stood at the side and smiled. There was a circle of green above the head of the 'bunny'. She saw no need for her to get between them as of yet, and simply enjoyed the show.

The man who had grabbed Claire shakenly stood up at that point. He wore heavy armor, and there was a giant sword with double handles strapped to his back. Although he could not bring himself to so much at take a glance at Alicia, although his legs shook with fear, Claire smiled as he followed the bunny-girl's words.

"Y-yeah! She's just standing behind her guard! And she has the nerve," He gritted his teeth, fully standing and jabbing at her as well, "The nerve to cut the line. Can she even join the expedition with how weak she is?"

The men in uniform glanced her way.

'How troublesome,' The Ice Queen shook her head.

"Sheesh," She said, tapping the floor with her foot.

Ice crept over the dirt ground and she controlled it, narrowing towards the man.

"Wha—what the hell—."

Before he could speak, his legs froze, his thighs froze, his torso froze, and his shoulders froze. Ice crept up his armor, rendering him immobile and piercing up. In no time, spikes had already narrowed out.

"I can't—I can't move—." He struggled to speak, his skin growing pale and his teeth shuddering.

The man froze over, holding his head up for fear of dropping it upon the sharp ice, and she spoke at that point with cold, azure eyes.

"I'm not standing behind anyone. If you can't handle Alicia's glare, you simply can't face me at all."

Claire Hill was far from the type to hide her power. If a situation came where her absolute force was needed, she would use it with no qualms in her heart. She was overpowered, and she knew it.

"Oh?" Rabbit ears perked up and a grin came to her view, "I suppose I can face you then?"

Before she had realized, golden chains danced around the bunny-girl's figure.

Claire smiled, her now white hair bellowing.

"Perhaps you can."