Erin
*Sirdan leaned back, still in tear, closing his eyes for a bit to recover. He listened, but barely heard her words. Something about taking her in.* 

"No, but I was a member of..." *He paused for a bit, observing her very clearly,*"The same guild as you when you were active. I've heard of you, but never met you." 

*He leaned backward, suppressing a bit of emotions felt for that random New Sunlight knight who died chasing her down. He isn't sure why he felt sympathy - it was just another day in New Sunlight..* 

"I'm not interested in that. I barely know you when I was there. I am more curious to learn more about you."
Bridget
"Anything you have in mind? You have until I finish this curry to ask away." *She said half-jokingly. Artoria knew that she had all the time in the world. That was until she got bored, or overheard, anyhow.*
Erin
*He closed his eyes, thinking for a better answer,*"Hmmm. How about how you got started with joining New Sunlight? I'd like to know." *He paused for a bit,*"I can tell you my story after."
Bridget
*How she joined the guild? Though the fine details were lost to time, she remembered the story quite clearly.*

"It was after a job I took as a freelance mercenary somewhere in the countryside," *She said slowly as the tale found it's way to her head.* "Right. It was to stifle an uprising of cultists in one of the forests around here. It was me, this panther girl, another elf, and a macen. You may know him - his name is Mevis." 

*Her voice caught itself in her throat as she said his name. She coughed lightly, clearing her throat, before she continued.*

"After we took care of that business, a few of us decided to join New Sunlight shortly after, as a group. Well, I say a few, but it really was a few - it was Mevis, me, and another kitsune. Hitoshi. Mevis joined because he wanted to be a hero. Hitoshi joined... Because of gold, if I recall correctly. I only joined because they did." *She paused.* "Might've been peer pressure at first, but I stayed because I... Kind of grew attached to them. They were the first friends I made since I left home. Over time, they felt more like a family - New Sunlight felt like a home."

"Anyway, that's it. That's how I joined New Sunlight. I'm sure you know all about why I left, though."
James
*He took in her story, nodding and listening along. It sounded quite normal, up until the part where she left. The atrocity she allegedly committed. It was a tale to be heard about. And the part where she took down a knight who was after her.* 

"Me... I was once associated with a monster hunting guild of some sort in my way here. And then I took in a very interesting girl - a felinid, purple in fur, extremely strong, but not knowing of any of the way of the world. Raised by a feral loving Treton from what I knew." 

"We got closes together, and at one point work dried up, so I came over to Salvainia, and I had a legendary fight with Alexandriak - one of the trainer there. It lasted for many a minutes, and I barely won my way in. I escorted people, earned money, bashed head in, got myself a nice pair of plate." 

"I liked the place, but eventually, the girl I took in, called Kyo, just disappeared one day without a trace. I am not quite sure why I am in the guild anymore. A place to belong to, to train people at. A day job. Hell, I am not even sure why I fight." 

*He isn't quite sure why he is opening so much to the stranger. Especially one wanted for mass murder. Somehow, he felt a connection. Or maybe it was just him and his love for Kemonomimi. He saw her ears. He knew it. He can't be trusted.*

"And that would be chapter one of my story. So, what are you up to nowaday?"
Bridget
"I live out in the wild. Ain't like I've got a home to return to nowadays, anyway. I take a job here and there occasionally, but I always end up drifting. Drifting from one forest to another, but never outside Salvainian borders.

I suppose I'm looking for resolutions, in a sense. Right now, it's with my magic. A couple weeks ago it was working just fine, but now it's completely different. All of the spells I'd been practicing and creating my entire life vanished. Well, not necessarily vanished - I just can't *Do* Them anymore. The muscle memory's there, but the link between me and my old magic's been severed." 

*She took another sip of wine.*

"It's not as if I was left with nothing, though. Almost like an exchange, I got an entire arsenal of new spells. And they're all frighteningly stronger than my old ones. I can't say I'm unhappy with them, though. It's just... How?"
James
"Out in the wild. Exiled as a criminal moving around. I don't imagine New Sunlight's still pursuing you actively... But you cannot just walk in and declare yourself as Artoria Dax, right?" 

*Sirdan thought on what he just said. He swear that wasn't the name of the wanted one. It was Dax for sure, but it wasn't ARtoria. Was it not...?*

"I feel the same. I've gone out of practice with my magic recently, and it seems and felt better to focus on the art of fighting myself anyway. I've grown stronger than ever, better at using my shield. But I feels I've lost all connection to exomagic myself." 

*He twisted his neck and returned to the curry for a minute.*

"Maybe we've all misremembered what we've learnt. Magic is a fickle thing." 

"But magic - I doubt that is the resolution you are looking for. Are you looking for a way out, a way to return to civility?"
Bridget
*It was true that she couldn't just claim herself to be Arthur, but then again, why should she? Really, if she wanted, she could register herself as a new guildsman under a completely different name. Only Sirdan, Mevis, and Katherine would who she really was - and she had a hunch that they wouldn't let the truth spill.*

*She took in his words about magic, but ultimately ended up shaking her head. There was no way she 'misremembered' her magic when she'd been using it fine one day before - it just made no sense. Her hypothesis was that something forcibly cut her off from her old spell arsenal, but exchanged it with what she had now. What that 'something' was remained a mystery, but she had no proof to back up this claim. She had no proof for any of her theories, for that matter.*

*Sighing, she took a forlorn look at her curry. Half of it was already gone. She took a few more bites before returning to conversation.*

"I don't think I'm looking for a way back to society, no. Rather, I suppose I'm looking for forgiveness - but not from the government. I could give a rat's ass for what they think of me, to be honest."

*She hesitated, wondering if she should speak the thought that lingered on her mind.* 

"I want to be able to forgive myself, if that makes sense. I'm not going to try and say that I 'changed,' because I really haven't. I'm not going to defend what I did in the past, either. I dug my grave, and I intend to lie in it. It's just, I realized how awful some of the things I did back then really were. I got hooked on the power trip killing brought, and also the gold it put in my pocket. 

I saw fire and the power it held. And I loved it. But now? I look into fire and see my reflection in it. My faults - my mistakes. Sometimes I wish I had the courage to go and turn myself in, but I never do. I still kill people. I still burn down what I need to. But at this point, it's second nature. I can't imagine a life where I don't do this. Maybe it's fear, or I've just convinced myself that it's impossible."

*She stayed silent when she finished, a forlorn glint in her eye.*
Erin
*Sirdan took a look at his own curry, popping in another piece of rice as she shook her head and explained her situation. He too, took the cue to eat, and finished half of his cup of orange juice and the rest of his curry. Now his plate was empty. He felt ready to listen.* 

*He leaned back, nodding as Artoria spilled out everything she know about herself. By some cosmic coincidence, it seems the stranger found it appropriate to spill it all to him. Why? He thought to himself. Maybe they're connected somehow.* 

*The story continued - forgiveness, forgiving herself. An addiction to power of killing, and the gold... He certainly is addicted to the latter. He wonder if he is addicted to the former. This sounds awfully like him* 

*Sirdan contemplated the massive spill of personal and sensitive facts for a moment.* 

"You see, I have a similar story." *He paused,*"But I'm not willing to divulge any of that, even though you've divulged way more to me right here. I don't know you enough." 

"...Do you ever wonder what you fight for? I fought for immortality, for gold, for riches. And all the while I just wanted to be... A good person. One who fought for justice and profitted for it. I fought to afford armor, then fought to afford immortality. Then Kyo's gone, and I wonder why I am still in this business." 

"Maybe I'm truly addicted to fighting. So perhaps we're on the same road after all." 

"Have you considered changing your identity? Start over again? Living like a fugitive with legendary skills like yours - it doesn't seems fitting. Besides, if you turned yourself in, what will happen? They swing a thousand axes at your neck till it break? That's it. That'll be it." 

"...Say, what do you plan for your future?"