Riu was busy after that. She spent time learning a local language under the tutelage of the owner of the restaurant. He was patient and knew Riu had issues asking questions so never gave her a hard time. He made sure she understood each thing before moving on and quizzed her even when she didn't expect it. After a while, her strange accent that defined her as other started to fade, though sometimes she used terms that were more archaic.<br/><br/>Days turned into weeks and weeks into months, and soon Riu was antsy. She hated doing nothing, and while work kept her busy, she felt useless. At least her skill of not asking questions directly had strengthened and she barely ever slipped up in normal conversations anymore.<br/><br/>It was her off time that the most draining. She spent time practicing her sword skills, and she started slipping into and around military installations. For practice and to get a feel for how the military in Gaea worked compared to her world. Riu was used to a more guerrilla warfare over the simple formations that the armies here used. She didn't think their formations would be useful against her grandfather.<br/><br/>Finally, something interesting happened almost a full six months after Riu and Sora had met. A small group of military men came in to eat. "I've seen you before haven't I?" He asked Riu as she brought them their drinks.<br/><br/>"I can't say what you've seen, but I spend most of my time here."<br/><br/>"No, it wasn't here." The man frowned. "I'm certain I saw you in a tree or something. Captian thought I was seeing things, but I know I saw you. Were you spying on us?"<br/><br/>"Spying would imply purpose; maybe I was reading a book. Or maybe you saw someone else."<br/><br/>"You were writing. I saw you, and when I drew the Captain's attention, you were gone. Not even the branch was moving. It was as if you hadn't been there at all."<br/><br/>"Probably wasn't." Riu was getting irritated, but she remembered the incident and was sure the man wasn't incorrect. She had in fact been watching them do drills, and when a man had called attention to her tree, she had bolted out of there so quickly she had almost forgotten her notebook.<br/><br/>"Outta arrest you for spying." He mumbled into his drink.<br/><br/>"Leave the girl alone." One of the others said nudging him slightly. "She's a good waitress; she's clearly no spy."<br/><br/>"She's foreign." A third said. "Did you hear her talking when she first showed up? Where are you from?"<br/><br/>"Far away, my whole family is dead. I ran away to find a new life. I don't want to stir the pot." Riu lied.