Akira listened as Rafaela explained who Hortence was, and she couldn’t help but almost twitch her mouth into a smile. Rule-breaker, huh? Seemed like the complete opposite of the woman who spoke with her now. At least now, she had an idea on what kind of dynamic she would expect from the two of them, should they find themselves all working together. Rafaela’s remark about men guarding this room, though, made her frown, though she didn’t notice it, herself. Her hands gripped the bed as she nodded in response.<br/><br/>Her anxiety disappeared, though, when one of the warrior woman’s men burst in and interrupted them. This time, Aki couldn’t stop herself from snickering when Rafaela’s calm broke in the face of her subordinate’s ineptitude. She straightened her expression as much as she could when the captain turned to her and said she needed to take care of this personally. Akira waved goodbye, sighing as she was left alone in the room again. “Well,” she said aloud, “Hortence sounds fun.”<br/><br/>That’s when Hortence materialized. “Holy f--!” Akira stared dumbly at the stranger in her room, which she hoped was Hortence, given the familiarity of her presence. Shaking her head to get her out of her daze, she listened as Hortence took off her helmet, introduced herself, and offered her a deal. “Er…okay, hi,” she said, apprehension in her features as the woman shook her hand. Still, she grinned at her comment about Rafaela. Not entirely sure where this encounter was going, she watched as Hortence attached discs to the walls, which looked like they were melting through them.<br/><br/>Well, Rafaela was right about Hortence’s attitude towards orders, though she didn’t strike Akira so much as a terrible person as someone who was critical of authority. She could appreciate that, but this was a whole new world, and she couldn’t be sure what that meant yet. Akira frowned, though, when Hortence told her that she was as good as gone if she trusted Rafaela’s superiors. It was easier with Kire, because<span style="font-style: italic">she</span>was the authority in her world. Right now, Akira didn’t think the Ring had enough juice to open another portal, so she was stuck. And if she wasn’t going to get answers from Rafaela, maybe Hortence might give them to her.<br/><br/>“Uh, well, sure, but just so you know, I’m not exactly feeling my best. I might slow you down,” she said cautiously, slipping off the bed, wincing as her bare feet touched the floor. Besides, if this little escapade went south, Rafaela might just blame Hortence for whisking her off. “I don’t know if I should trust you, but my gut tells me I should. If you try anything, though, I’ll make you sorry,” Aki said, extending her hand to Hortence, speaking in what she hoped was an intimidating voice.