liskam

Liskarm?

I'm here. Come in.

I'm drying my hair. Wait there for a moment.

Okay.

(Whoa... Compared to the last time I was here, there's so many books.)

(So many reports, too.)

(Liskarm's not just amazing in battle. She's also so knowledgeable. Plus, she's always so serious...)

Hm? What's this report here...?

'A Survey of the Popularity and Reputation of Mercenary Groups within the Vouivre Alliance?'

And this. 'On the Tribes of the Vouivre Region...' I found it...!

What did you find?

Eep! I-I'm sorry, Liskarm. I shouldn't have looked...!

Phew—I was just taking a shower after training.

Did you need something from me, Jessica? If I remember correctly...

I... I'm here to return the novel I borrowed from you.

Just leave it on the table. I'll take care of it.

Okay.

Huh? This book...

I-Is there a problem?

No... I'm probably just mistaken...

If you borrowed it from me and you're bringing it back now, it's not an issue.

*Whimper*... Thanks, Liskarm.

Then...

Something on your mind, Jessica...?

I... Yeah...

Now, don't be so reserved. Take a seat.

This isn't Blacksteel. You don't need to try to be so polite around me.

We are friends, aren't we?

Liskarm...

I see... So you don't trust me...

O-Of course I trust you. O-Okay...!

Ha.

You haven't changed at all, Jessica.

I'm trying my best...

There's a tough side to you, and unlike before, you know how to bring that part of you out now.

But well...

You freak out whenever you're scared. That hasn't changed.

*Whimpers*... You make fun of me just like Franka does now.

Oh, no, I'm not as much of a meanie as her.

Right... No, I mean... That's not what I meant!

Franka isn't really that much of a meanie, but she always pranks the rest of us all of a sudden—

—And her jokes are terrible.

Ahem... Okay, I'll try not to badmouth her. You wouldn't know how to respond otherwise.

So, was there something on my shelf that caught your eye just now?

Well, I guess it wasn't a book that I was interested in... It's more like Vouivre itself that I'm trying to know more about.

Vouivre?

After I finished the novel, I wanted to know more about the story's setting.

You've been looking into Vouivre and the organizations there, right?

Hm? How'd you know?

Sorry, I... I saw the report on your desk just now.

And I also heard...

Well... These reports aren't really anything that special.

It's just... a habit of mine.

I was born in Vouivre, after all.

It wasn't until I'd left that I started to understand what a difficult situation my homeland is in... and what that actually meant for people outside.

But there is nothing I can do about the status quo.

All I can do is to understand what is going on there to the best of my ability and to think about what I might do about it.

I remember now. You told me before at Blacksteel.

That Vouivre needs a PMC that's different than the other ones.

Thinking back... I must've been so rash and naive for even coming up with that idea.

I-I think it's great to be ambitious!

I mean, it was you who plucked me out of the Equipment Department and asked me to join your team.

It was only because of your advice that I came here to Rhodes Island. I wouldn't have changed so much otherwise.

Back there, I didn't have any friends I could open up to, not to mention dreams.

I've always been very thankful of you, Liskarm. J-Just like How Franka found Vanilla—

Franka actually looked at all the recruits to find Vanilla.

All I did was run a few searches on the Blacksteel roster. That's all it took to find you.

You have such amazing potential. It was a waste for you to work in Equipment Testing.

*Sigh*...

*Sigh*...

All those days gone by... They're all some really great memories... Yeah.

Looking back, I was just far too naive.

I thought I could start my own PMC as soon as I figured out the way Blacksteel operates.

For the past few years, all I've ever paid attention to was Blacksteel's expansion.

If that was your goal all along, why did you go to the Biochemistry Department?

I had a few bottlenecks...

It's all pretty clear to me in hindsight, but everything was just a haze to me back then.

The things that Blacksteel asked of me just didn't seem to be anything like the 'peace' I had in mind. I was always hesitating during my missions.

That contradiction tormented me. If Dr. Longfellow hadn't assigned me to Biochemistry, I probably would still be tormenting myself.

Jessica... We've been working in Rhodes Island for a while now. What do you think of this place?

I-I feel honored to be here!

I get to keep working with you and Franka, and I've changed a lot ever since I got here.

Back at Blacksteel, I just didn't have any friends I could open up to.

But I have a lot of friends here who will hear me out... and I've gotten a lot of help from everyone.

I think coming to Rhodes Island has got to be one of the most important things that ever happened to me!

Yeah... That's good.

What about you, Liskarm? That reminds me. You and Franka were the first two Blacksteel employees who came to Rhodes Island, right?

A-Ahem.

Right. Back then...

You two just left without saying a word. I was so nervous.

I was so worried you were abandoning us.

It wasn't until later that I heard you were transferred to Rhodes Island with Franka.

Well, what else could I have done? She was my one and only partner...

Besides, I just didn't understand how Blacksteel did things back then. I was perhaps even more confused than you.

And I'd shelved my goals for a good while too.

You don't mean... that Blacksteel has some dark secrets...!

I think Blacksteel is a good company.

It's just... I guess I started seeing things differently at some point.

I thought Blacksteel had a different philosophy than the other mercenary groups out there, and I thought that was the best way to unite all the disorganized mercenaries in Vouivre, to fix the way they live.

Yet reality and my beliefs are two separate matters. My principles and actions don't always line up with each other either.