"Official adventurer now," she remarked. "Stay out of trouble… or don't. Either way, you'll fit in."
Nyx rolled her eyes, leaning casually against the counter.
"Master and trouble are inseparable."
Sion ignored them both. His eyes never drifted back to the upper balcony—but he felt the woman's gaze lingering like a razor at his back.
But he didn't chase. He didn't provoke. He waited.
Outside the guild, the sun dipped lower, casting golden light across the stone streets. Sion, Nyx, and Lilith slipped into the crowd, their destination unspoken. Perhaps an inn. Perhaps just scouting the city further.
Minutes later, down a quieter alleyway near the edge of the district—she came.
A faint footstep behind them. Too quiet for normal ears—but not for Sion.
The woman from the balcony.
She approached confidently, cloak drifting behind her, hood lowered just enough for her sharp, silver-gray eyes to meet his.
"Interesting performance… Sion Demonheart," she said softly. Her voice was cool, laced with experience and quiet amusement.
Sion didn't stop walking.
"Spying on strangers… Guild policy?"
The woman fell into step beside him, ignoring Nyx's narrowed eyes and the unseen threat of Lilith in the shadows.
"Only on the unusual ones. You walked into the guild like you owned the place… and bit a man in public. That tends to raise questions."
Sion finally turned to her, that dangerous, teasing smile returning.
"Then ask them."
The woman's eyes glittered with hidden knowledge.
"Oh, I will. But not here… and not now. You'll find me when you're ready."
With that, she veered off into another alley, vanishing into the crowd as smoothly as she'd appeared.
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]
New Character: ??? — Observation Complete. Potential Ally or Threat. Data Incomplete.
Nyx exhaled, playful but wary.