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[ Agnes breathed a deep sigh of relief as she popped down a pile of books on her desk with a heavy thud. It had taken her an hour to re-organise her room, what with the copious amounts of dusty volumes lying around on the floor, and she was keen on getting out of there before Minen's imminent whirlwind arrival. All her stuff was now shifted to one side, either placed on or next to her desk or in her own personal chest. That would have to do for now, and if Minen had any complaints about the place, she would deal with it later.

It was still early in the day and the last thing she wanted to do was wait around for Minen, and so Agnes headed to Caesar's room, eager to escape her now-shared chambers. When she finally reached his door, she knocked in her usual rhythm, waiting patiently. ]

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[ Sitting at his desk, nearly half-asleep, until that familiar noise snaps him out of his trance. He knows the sound of her knock by now, even if he insists that she doesn't have to every time she comes over. Then again, he also knows how much she respects proper structure and rules. ]

It's open.

[ She opens the door and peeks her head in, immediately smiling and the sight of him half-asleep. ]

You are working hard.

[ She shuts the door behind her, sighing in relief without meaning to. ]

[ He's rubbing his eyes as she's getting settled in. ]

Either you're getting good at sarcasm or I'm better at fooling you these days.

I am learning from the best.

[ She walks over to peer at his desk, but doesn't seem as interested in it as she usually would be. In fact, she doesn't seem to have a reason for being here like she usually would... so she stands there quietly, but contentedly, just watching Caesar with an expectant expression on her face. ]

[ He returns her stare with his own. The silence doesn't bother him at all, but he feels as if she wants him to say something? ]

I heard about the inn situation. Looks like our plans for expansion came at a perfect time, huh? [ He's not that surprised about it. The reason he started this project is because he anticipated the inn getting overloaded long before everyone else. ]

[ She nods. ]

I hope there are no delays. I will be looking forward to having my own room again.

Oh? And who drew the short stick and ended up with you?

[ She frowns at his words, though it seems to be more of a petulant expression than one of anger. ]

Minen.

Really! [ He can't hide his amusement! ] Should I even comment about that? [ Considering her reaction the last time he tried to encourage her to make friends with girls. ]

[ She shakes her head, looking as if she doesn't even want to speak about it. Not even a little. ]

I thought I could perhaps spend more time here as a result... if that were okay with you.

I'd offer you to move in with me, but I have an inkling that you'd find it inappropriate. [ As usual, he speaks too plainly about such things. ]

Wha--

[ She blushes furiously for a moment, subconsciously taking a step backwards away from Caesar. ]

It is.

[ She glances to the side, eyes focused on the floor. ]

You do not think it is?

I don't see the downside.

Although... I am slowly turning you into a sarcastic lollygagger, imagine what you could be if we spent even more time together. [ The teasing is so easy! ]

[ The blush is still burning in her cheeks, but she focuses on her words instead, struggling to find a good retort. ]

I could be a lazy-bones that sleeps all day, no doubt.

[ She says it quite hotly, still mostly flustered. She tries to redirect. ]

Anyway.

[ ... She has nothing to redirect to. ]

I hope not! Lazy people are annoying. [ Fully aware of everything he's saying. ]

Come, sit down. If you're gonna hide from your roommate, you might as well be comfortable.

[ She accepts his invitation, sitting down gingerly on the side of the bed. At least her blushing is mostly gone now, mostly because the absurdity of his words brought out a smile again. ]

I hope the other residents have more luck with their accommodations than I do.

...I have a feeling Hervey or Grenseal are going to come knocking at some point, too. [ He lets out a long sigh. ] You broke up their little tiff last time, didn't you?

[ She nods. ]

Are they rooming together? There are a few others that are up for consideration, such as Jeremy and C-- Graham.

[ Her face darkens for a moment, but she pushes on. ]

All options seem quite disastrous, really, however Grenseal or Jeremy would be the best choices for Hervey. Shigure, too.

Those baboons.

Your own situation doesn't sound so bad in comparison, does it? At least you two got all that fighting out of the way.

[ This time her frown is less petulant. ]

I would much prefer to fight with her than to have to play this strange game of hers where she treats me like a friend. It is absurd.

You don't think she's genuine?

Not at all.

[ She sighs, leaning back on her hands against the mattress as she gazes up thoughtfully at the ceiling. ]

Will you be recruiting more guards, Caesar?

Hmm? Why? Don't tell me you want to switch careers.

[ She shoots him a look. ]

Yes, thieves will be very afraid of me. [ And now she shakes her head. ] I was just wondering. I am worried about the two of them.

In another lifetime, I'm sure they could have been great friends.

This is how some wars start, you know. Men imposing their views and cultures onto others without taking the time to understand each other.

Then we should be glad they are who they are, no?

I tried to speak to Sir Grenseal, but he is more intolerant than I expected. It was very frustrating.

You do come off a little strong when you try to make a point... perhaps he was just being defensive by instinct.

I do...?

[ Intense thoughtful look. ]

But he was wrong. How would you make the point?

Was he? He's not wrong to dislike pirates, but he's wrong to hate Hervey. Not that Hervey's fiery attitude makes this easy...

Enemies are relative to the times, Agnes. The pirates of today may not be as noble as the ones from your time.

We also had dishonest pirates. They are not mutually exclusive... There are bad people and there are good people.

[ She sits forward and crosses her arms. ]

All the people gathered here remind me of the war.

I won't lie, I feel the same way. [ ...But he has fought with half of them not too long ago anyway. ]

Is there something troubling you about it?

It just reminds me of exactly that -- a war. A strategist does not believe in coincidence, no?

What do you think?

This is the Firebringer HQ. It will always remind me of war.

But I wouldn't say we're at war right now. It isn't a conventional one, anyway. How does one plan a strategy against something so... unpredictable...

Unpredictable?

The True Runes. They're reacting to one another and nobody knows why. They're supposed to have a will of their own, right? So what do they want?

Is there an end game, or are they just trying to tell us something?

[ She blinks, and shakes her head. ]

You're sure they are reacting to one another?

Nash has given me reason to think so, among other experts I've spoken with. Most of all I trust my own intuition.

[ She looks completely bewildered, wanting to push him to find out who, but... figuring it best not to. ]

But... I have not heard of anything at all... How are they reacting?

You've seen my burned hand, right? I don't think I need to paint a clearer picture.

I know you're trying to avoid your roommate, so... how do you feel about pulling an all-nighter?

That was--

[ Her eyes widen now, out of concern and fear as her mind races, imagining even worse disasters. It takes her a moment to hear his words. ]

What would you like to do?

[ Her voice is less mild and conversational, and more pressing and alert. ]

The library is full of books about these kinds of things, perhaps someone missed a detail here and there. I think together we could go through most of those books overnight... and I'll tell you about Hugo and his rune, too. [ And other details she may have missed, such as his dealings with Zerase and Nash. ]

[ That sounds reasonable to her -- and challenging. She likes the idea of going through the volumes, combing out every single detail. And talking with Caesar will be a bonus. ]

Let us get started, then. Maybe I can share what little I know of True Runes, too, if it can be of any help.

.....I was hoping you could bring some snacks along. [ Stomach grumbles very inconveniently. ]

[ She looks as though she's about to chastise him... but then she nods, a hint of a smile showing at the grumble. ]

I will go to the kitchens first, then. I will be back.

[ ...w-waifu... ]

Sally forth, my dear Agnes!

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