A Steamy Situation

Walking into Hosenka for the first time since the Trevor Willet incident, Diana wore her "office lady" attire of a white button-up long-sleeved shirt under a navy blue jacket, a navy blue knee-length skirt, and navy blue dress shoes. The dressy outfit and her long blonde hair made her stand out among the more simply dressed and dark-haired citizens of Hosenka. She did not care too much about that minor inconvenience because today her assignment did not rely on stealth and timing. She had legal sanction for this job.

Diana's assignment for today was not to kill someone but to protect them. She had been contracted by a client of Daggercorp to protect a friend of theirs, a young woman who was the daughter of wealthy local notables who owned a sizable chunk of the hot spring business that Hosenka was renowned for. Even though she was not technically nobility the young woman was still referred to as a princess because of her social standing and manners. It did not matter because Diana was hired to protect her and she would carry out the contract.

Diana walked through the winding streets and slowly made her way through the thick foot traffic until she reached the wealthier district of Hosenka. From there Diana looked for the address listed on the job notice, which was at 2642 Sakae Street. She stopped at a crosswalk and spotted a green metal sign with a white arrow that pointed the way to Sakae Street, which was straight ahead. The blonde mage walked past a busy roadside noodle stand with a line of customers that was twenty people deep and kept working her way through the crowd until she arrived on the street she needed to be on to find the client's house.

Diana turned right and walked down the row of beautiful modern townhouses that reminded her of Croesus Street in Capital Crocus. She read the golden numbers on each house and noticed that she was on the right path because she was in the 2000s and the right address was 2642. The street was far less crowded than the streets she walked to get here, so the blonde's progress would be much quicker.

-2642 Sakae Street, 20 minutes later-

Diana paused in front of a white modern two-story townhouse with the numbers 2642 hanging to the right of the front door, which was a modern wooden door with a brass doorknob. Diana walked up to it and knocked on the front door. Moments later it opened to show a bald older man dressed in a tan traditional kimono with traditional sandals on his feet.

"Please state your business here." He requested of her in a voice that was somewhat curt. Diana wordlessly handed over the job notice and the man read over it. He nodded and handed the notice back to her.

"Please forgive my rude behavior, Miss Winchester. Some rather rude fellows have been harassing Miss Kasumi lately. They desire her hand in marriage, but they only want access to the money of her parents and have no true love for her." The man explained to her the reason for his curt tone of voice. Diana did not hold it against him. It was strictly business.

"Please, come in. Please leave your footwear at the door." He requested of her. Diana complied and took off her navy blue dress shoes, leaving them on a black mat specifically set aside for footwear. Diana was then guided into the living room, which was decorated with wooden furniture made of expensive wood and boasted a genuine brown leather couch with a glass coffee table in front of it. The man led her through the living room and to a staircase which they ascended to reach the second floor.

-Inside the townhouse, second floor-

The man led Diana up the stairs and through a hallway with immaculate white carpet to a room closed off by a wooden door with a golden doorknob.

"Here is Miss Kasumi's room. I will knock and let her know you have arrived." The man stated. Diana stood back and let him do his work; he gave three knocks on the door and waited for a response. He soon received one when a young woman with short dark hair wearing a yellow kimono with a red floral pattern and a strange circular pattern that resembled a ball answered the door.

"Hello, Abe. I see that Miss Winchester has arrived." Kasumi said to her butler. The man bowed to her at a forty-five degree angle and held the bow for five seconds before standing up straight. Kasumi made a slight bow before turning to face the blonde mage.

"Welcome to my home, Miss Winchester." Kasumi said to her.

Kasumi:

[Word Count: 804]
[Total Word Count: 804/7,000]

Diana stood in place and waited for Kasumi to speak again. The blonde mage did not have long to wait because the dark-haired young woman spoke... just not to Diana. Instead her words were directed towards Abe.

"Mr. Abe, I would like to go to the spa with Miss Winchester and spend a few hours with my friends. Do I have any scheduling conflicts that would hinder my plans?" Kasumi asked her faithful butler.

"I do not believe so, Miss Kasumi. Allow me to go check." He replied to her before bowing out of her presence and disappearing down the hallway. Kasumi turned to Diana and spoke to her.

"I have a meeting with a few of my friends. I would like for you to accompany me to the spa and stay by my side. As Mr. Abe has likely already told you, I have gotten the attention of some... unsavory males who want my hand in marriage. I want nothing to do with them." Kasumi said to her. Diana listened patiently to the client's explanation of her business at the spa and the trouble she was having with some young men who did not take no for an answer. The blonde wondered why she was selected to accompany the dark-haired young woman. Diana's height and long blonde hair did not exactly let her blend in with the other people of Hosenka.

"I frequent a women-only spa, but that does not deter the men from trying to corner me there. They disregard the rules they find inconvenient and invade my personal space. I am growing tired of their calling upon me in the hopes that my answer has changed. My answer has not changed since the last time I refused their advances two months ago. They desire only my money and they will not get it." Kasumi said with a trace of frustration creeping into her voice. She clearly wanted nothing to do with them and the would-be suitors still persisted. Diana hoped that this job would not get... violent. She did not know how much force would be acceptable to employ in "convincing" the suitors to leave Kasumi alone and the blonde did not want to get arrested. Getting arrested would put a serious damper on her career, if not outright kill it.

Diana wanted to do something other than be a contract killer for the rest of her life. She was looking to break into the VIP protection business so that she could employ her particular set of skills to save lives rather than take them. If she got arrested for excessive force a lot of the lucrative jobs would be forever closed to her and she would have to stay permanently in the shadows just to make a living. Diana would just have to be careful if she happened to encounter the suitors on this job. She would have to avoid bringing out her weapons and use only hand-to-hand combat if they got confrontational.

"Have you ever been in that sort of situation, Miss Winchester?" Kasumi asked politely. Diana did not have to think too hard about her answer.

"I have not been in that situation, Miss Kasumi." Diana politely replied to the young woman's question.

"If you do not mind me saying so, I find that answer surprising. I thought that someone like you would have had plenty of suitors." Kasumi commented in response. Diana did not think much about romance because until recently she had little chance of interacting with anyone outside of her job as a contract killer. Even when she was protecting someone there were rules of conduct that she had to adhere to. Chief among them was to keep the relationship strictly professional.

However, Diana found herself wanting to make a few friends that she could have interactions with outside of "work." Her guild provided a home, protection, and a pipeline to lucrative work, but there was not a lot of social interaction there. It was to be expected when one was part of a guild full of contract killers. Diana was right at home among them, but part of her wanted something more, something different. She wanted to feel what it was like to walk in the world of normal people without carrying so much baggage.

"There are no scheduling conflicts, Miss Kasumi." Abe's voice reported to the young woman.

"Splendid. Miss Winchester and I will depart for the spa at once. We will be back by nightfall." Kasumi stated her plans for the day. Abe bowed to her and Kasumi bowed to him. Kasumi then looked at Diana.

"Let us be on our way, Miss Winchester. There is much to be done." Kasumi said to her escort for the day.

"Of course. We will leave immediately." Diana said politely. She bowed to Kasumi like Abe had done and held the bow to the count of five. She then stood up and followed the young woman out of the townhouse and into the streets of Hosenka. Diana wondered what going to a spa would be like... she had never been to one before. Maybe the blonde would get lucky and the suitors would not appear to harass her charge so that the job would be a smooth and peaceful one where the worst thing that happened was having to wait in line at the spa.

[Word Count: 906]
[Total Word Count: 1,710/7,000]

-In the streets of Hosenka-

Diana walked beside Kasumi on a busy street as the pair made their way to a spa that her parents owned. Diana had never gotten to go to one before because her social life had died when she was ten years old. She vaguely recalled that the upper-class youth of Bellum tended to frequent them almost as enthusiastically as they patronized nightclubs like Boomslang. The blonde had been forcibly taken out of that world and thrust into the shadows by her parents when they found out that she could kill with only a touch. Today she was reclaiming her place in the light, even if it was only for a short time.

"You will like the spa we are going to. I visit it at least once a week. The customer service is splendid and so are the facilities. No expense was spared to make them among the best in Hosenka." Kasumi gave Diana a sales pitch on the spa that they were going to visit. Diana listened with patience out of both professional obligation and genuine interest in the subject. She was curious as to what women did in spas all day and was about to get a firsthand look at what visiting one was like. It was more than a little sad that the blonde was getting so excited about something that ordinary people took for granted.

Diana and Kasumi walked up to a modern building that had female customers lined outside the door and halfway into the street. The dark-haired young woman raised a hand to show off the building.

"Here it is, Miss Winchester. This is the spa that we are going to visit." Kasumi said to her as the pair took their place in line. Diana fell in behind the young woman and began the wait to get into the spa. The line to get in stretched a considerable distance and there were at least thirty-three people ahead of them. The blonde was patient and would wait however long it took for the line to shrink and for Kasumi and her to get their chance to use the facility.

As the line began to slowly inch forward Diana inevitably overheard some of the conversations that the customers were engaging in to pass the time. One middle-aged woman in a pink flowery kimono lamented to another middle-aged woman in a plain green kimono how her oldest son was struggling in school but her youngest daughter was at the top of her class. A young woman in a plain pink kimono spoke with a friend in an elaborate green-and-gold flowery kimono about a young man that had caught her attention in high school. Diana had never had much chance to interact with the normal world and she was fascinated more than she should be about the everyday triumphs and tragedies of normal people. She and Kasumi continued to inch towards the spa entrance whenever the line moved up.

"You seem to be distracted, Miss Winchester. Are you anticipating our visit to the spa?" Kasumi asked her. Diana almost blushed but controlled her emotions enough to suppress it. She instead gave a calm reply to the question.

"I am anticipating our visit to the spa." Diana answered truthfully. Kasumi looked pleased to hear that answer and smiled at the blonde. Diana smiled back the best she could and turned to face the double glass doors, which were inching closer with each passing minute. There were only twenty-five people ahead of them now.

Diana looked behind her to see that there were eleven people who had gotten in line since the pair had joined the queue. She did not care how many joined because the blonde was patient enough where such things did not matter to her. The line inched forward and the live was down to twenty-two customers ahead of them. Progress was modest but steady.

Diana stood in silence and watched Kasumi inch ahead as two customers decided that they would just come back another day and got out of line, allowing the pair to move forward a bit more. The blonde obligingly moved forward and watched as another two customers decided to get out of line, then another two. Now there were only sixteen people ahead of them.

"We are getting closer." Kasumi tried to encourage Diana, but the blonde needed no encouragement to bear the wait. Her "job" had taught her the value of patience. Having patience had paid off in the elimination of the Copycat Gang when she took up a position in a tree overlooking the gang's cave hideout and waited three hours for them to emerge to attack a merchant caravan. When the time came to wipe out the group, Stiletto had taken the opportunity and ran with it. She killed four of the five-man gang with long-distance shots to the back of the head before the leader even knew she was there and killed the leader with a textbook shot right between the eyes to eliminate the gang with no one the wiser.

Soon the line picked up speed as some satisfied customers left the spa and made room for more customers to be admitted. Six customers entered the spa and the line shrunk accordingly. The line was really starting to move now... Diana could throw a rock and hit the glass double doors.

[Word Count: 910]
[Total Word Count: 2,620/7,000]

-Outside the spa-

Diana and Kasumi now had only four people standing between them and getting to their destination, but the wait was unnecessarily lengthened by one of the more dreadful aspects of modern life. There was a teenage girl in a white kimono with a blue snowflake pattern talking on her iLac babbling on and on about a boy band concert without care about the people waiting behind her. Diana kept a neutral facial expression, but inside she was more than mildly annoyed by this development. All the teenager had to do to keep the line moving was to shuffle forward, but apparently that was beyond her.

"Like yeah, that Tim guy's SOOOOOO gorgeous!" The girl continued her conversation with the person on the other end. From what Diana could understand the young woman was talking about the lead singer of a band that had recently achieved popularity named Radiation Lad. Diana had never heard of them or listened to their music. She had become a DJ Krill fan ever since partying on the boat with him and DJ Beluga during the DJ's birthday party. His music had an electronic sound that was pleasing to Diana even if critics considered the musician a sellout.

"A concert? IN CAPITAL CROCUS? NO WAY!" The girl exclaimed. The other three people ahead of her had already gone in and the girl was oblivious to it. Kasumi stood calmly in place and Diana followed suit because a public incident was the last thing she wanted right now. The blonde had to endure more of the conversation between the girl and her friend... apparently all the girl could talk about was the lead singer of Radiation Lad.

"I'M TOTALLY GONNA BE THERE!" The youth exclaimed. Diana was starting to get more than a little flustered by the girl's total ignorance of the line forming behind her. Kasumi wore a calm face, but Diana could tell that the dark-haired girl was nearing the limit of her patience. Fortunately neither Diana nor Kasumi would have to act because a friend of the girl's grabbed her wrist and started pulling her into the spa.

"C'mon Mizuki... you're holding up the line!" Her friend, a brown-haired young woman with waist-length brown hair and a yellow kimono with an oriental dragon pattern, said to the Radiation Lad fan as she gently ushered the girl inside before someone took a more violent approach to removing the obstacle. The crowd began to smile as Mizuki was guided in by her friend. A few young women near the back of the line even clapped in appreciation of the heroine who had just saved everyone's day. The brown-haired young woman waved a hand to the audience and finished taking her friend inside, permitting Diana and Kasumi to enter. The couple wasted no time in going inside.

-Inside the spa lobby, near the reception desk-

When the pair finally entered the spa, what stood out to Diana the most was the decor. The decor was a soft white with gray marble tile floors, brown wooden benches sitting against the wall, and soft white walls with traditional ink paintings of scenery like mountains and the ocean to break up the monotony. There were also lists of spa services dotting the lobby walls and young women in white cloth robes examining them before heading off to the room appropriate for the service that they wanted. Diana was impressed with what she was seeing so far.

Kasumi took the lead and walked up to the reception desk when the brown-haired heroine and the iLac-using girl had left to partake of the spa's services. Standing at the desk in front of a computer was a black-haired young woman wearing a white uniform that vaguely resembled that of a hospital orderly. Diana stood just off to Kasumi's side as the spa princess spoke to the staff member. The staff member bowed to the princess and the princess bowed to her.

"Hello Ayame. I am here to book a spa day with my companion, Miss Winchester. Some of my friends are already here and I wish for us to join them." Kasumi said to Ayame. Ayame's hands danced across the keyboard and soon the young woman had accessed the location of Kasumi's friends.

"You will find your friends in Sauna Room 26, Miss Kasumi. I am certain that they will be glad to see you." Ayame said to the princess. The young woman handed Diana and Kasumi locker keys, presumably for lockers where they would put their normal clothing before they changed into the robes that Diana had seen the young women wearing. Diana's locker was Locker Number 0451. Kasumi's locker was Locker Number 0452.

"Thank you, Ayame." Kasumi said before handing a bag of Jewels that paid for the spa day, then thanked the staff member with a slight bow. Diana followed the example of her hostess and gave a slight bow to the staff member. Ayame returned the bow and spoke to the young women.

"Enjoy your stay at Daimyo Spa." She wished them a good stay. Kasumi led the way to the locker rooms and Diana followed. The blonde mage was looking forward to spending a day doing something that did not involve violence. Maybe this job would be an easy one after all.

[Word Count: 908]
[Total Word Count: 3,528/7,000]

-Inside the locker room-

Diana and Kasumi stepped behind white privacy curtains and disrobed in order to put on the white cotton robes that spa customers wore. Diana was first from behind the privacy curtain; she quickly got undressed and put on the robe, then put her clothes in the locker assigned to her. She could not stand the sight of her own body because of the numerous scars on it that were normally covered by clothing. The most upsetting thing about the scars were that they were inflicted upon her by her parents, the very people supposed to protect her from harm.

The scars on Diana's back were inflicted by a leather whip when she tried to stand up to her parents and refuse to be forced into the shadowy lifestyle of an assassin. That spark of defiance lasted until it was beaten out of her over the course of a week. After that it was all downhill.

Diana tried to forget about jumping off the precipice which led to her current career choice and tried to focus on the present, but it was a feat that was not easily accomplished. Her life had become inextricably linked to her profession. Her magic was custom-made for her profession and not suited for much else other than killing things. Diana could not simply walk away from something that she had been molded to do for twelve years. The blonde felt trapped with no way out... no way that would not cost more than she was willing to pay.

If Diana walked away from the underworld now, she would be walking away from everything she had known in exchange for the uncertainty of the normal world. Daggercorp and the Hidden Blades might not let her walk away alive after all of the unsavory things she had done for them over the course of her tenure with the guild. Even if she did walk away from the underworld and survive reprisals, there was no guarantee that the straight and narrow would be safe for her either.

Diana had enemies in Bellum who wanted to make sure that the Winchester family was truly dead by wiping out its last member. Diana would be a lot harder to kill because unlike her parents and siblings she did not have an alcohol habit to exploited with poisoned wine. She also knew how to fight back with bullet and with fist. If they wanted her dead they would have to send their best hired guns after her and hope that one of them had good aim and a lot of luck.

"Oh, Miss Winchester! You are ready to go to Sauna Room 26 sooner than I expected. We will not delay any further, for the sauna is soon to start." Kasumi said to her as the latter put her clothing into the locker next to Diana's. Diana followed suit with her clothing and put it away, then locked the locker and pocketed the silver key on a medium-sized white plastic tag with an old samurai helmet for the spa's logo positioned just above the numbers 0451.

Kasumi led Diana out of the locker rooms and to Sauna Room 26, where her hostess' friends were waiting on them.

-Outside the locker room-

Kasumi led them down a soft white hallway with wooden doors that led to other sauna rooms. Diana knew this because the rooms were helpfully labeled with hand-painted wooden signs spelling out the room's name and number in black letters that resembled calligraphy. It was an oddly charming touch that meshed well with the facility's synthesis of modern decor and equipment with old world decorations. Diana liked it and was so caught up in the spa's decor that she nearly walked past the room they needed to go into.

"You must have never seen anything like this before. Is that so?" Kasumi politely asked the blonde mage as the latter reached for the door handle.

"Yes. I have never seen anything like this before." Diana answered without hesitation. Kasumi gave a small smile before asking another question of the mage.

"What do you think of the decor of Daimyo Spa?" Kasumi asked.

"I like it. It is a good mix of old world and new world." Diana answered truthfully. Kasumi opened the door to the sauna, which was a large square room with wooden paneling and wooden benches lining the walls that could seat a dozen patrons without issue. Sitting on the benches were only three other people... Kasumi's friends must have set this room aside just for them.

"Hi Kasumi!" A blonde young woman of average height with blue eyes and wearing a towel wrapped around herself greeted the princess. Her eyes turned to Diana, who was probably not on the guest list and was regarded with curiosity by the other girls in the room. One was a tall young woman who had purple eyes and purple hair. The other young woman was of average height and had blonde hair and red eyes.

"Hello Asuna. The young woman with me is Miss Winchester, a mage I have haired to be by my side and protect me from... unsavory types." Kasumi introduced Diana to the blue-eyed blonde sitting on the left of the room. Asuna raised a hand in greeting to the other blonde. Diana politely returned the greeting by raising her right hand in acknowledgement of the greeting. Diana worried that the other girls would see her as an intruder, but that fear was unfounded. The other girls were just as welcoming as Asuna was.

"I'm Haruna." The purple-haired young woman introduced herself.

"I'm Hitomi, Asuna's sister." The red-eyed blonde introduced herself to the mage.

[Word Count: 966]
[Total Word Count: 4,494/7,000]

Diana raised a hand in greeting to each girl until she had greeted the entire group. She then followed Kasumi to another section of the sauna room to change out of the robe and get a towel to wrap around herself. Diana dreaded this part because many of her scars would be visible without the coverage that the robe provided. She did not want to stand out too much because she was the only scarred person in the room, but she had little choice. If she wanted to blend in she would have to wrap a towel around herself and hope for the best.

"We won't start the steam until you guys are ready." Asuna assured them. Diana and Kasumi hurried to the small changing room to get the towels; Diana did not like to keep people waiting, especially when they allowed her to get in on the hitherto private meeting between Kasumi and themselves. She and Kasumi entered the changing room around roughly the same time, grabbed towels, and ducked behind privacy curtains to change.

Diana quickly wrapped the towel around herself and did her best to cover the numerous scars on her back inflicted by the leather whip so many years ago. It was a small miracle that her back was not a web of scars from the beating that she endured in a vain effort to get out of becoming the Winchester family assassin. She tied the towel tightly and stepped out from behind the curtain at the same time that Kasumi did. The blonde was careful to let her hostess go first so that the chance of her back scars being seen was minimized.

The pair swiftly re-entered the room and sat down in the left corner. Diana took the corner seat to hide the scars and let Kasumi sit beside her. Once the two late arrivals were settled Asuna turned on the steam and a white fog began to fill the room as the room's temperature increased. Diana welcomed it because she did not want to be the center of attention. She would sit with her back to the corner and let Kasumi do the talking, which Kasumi soon did.

"Hey Kasumi, how's it going?" Asuna asked the princess.

"It is going well, Asuna. Aside from dealing with those suitors, everything is going well. I intend to start college in Capital Crocus some time next year and go for a degree in business. My parents wish for me to take over the family business." Kasumi answered. Hitomi spoke up.

"Me, I'm doing the best I can in high school, but I don't think that college is in the cards for me. I'm not doing so hot in chemistry and that class is killing my GPA." Hitomi lamented her academic struggles. Haruna chimed in next.

"I won't even get to see college unless I walk by one. My father got laid off from his construction job and money's tight. My mom's helping us stay afloat, but the office is getting ready for yet another "restructuring" and she's not sure if she'll have a job." Haruna lamented her family's financial condition. Kasumi was moved to comment.

"Are you able to get scholarships in your field of study?" Kasumi asked the purple-haired young woman. Haruna frowned.

"I can't get one. They've all been earmarked for the rich kids who screw around in class all day but mommy and daddy know people. It's funny how that works. People who don't need the financial help are most likely to get it." Haruna commented on how scholarships were handed out at her school. Kasumi quickly retreated from the subject.

"I apologize if I accidentally offended you." Kasumi made an apology to the purple-haired young woman.

"It's OK, Kasumi. I'm not mad at you. I'm just frustrated with the system, that's all. Because my parents aren't wealthy and don't have connections, I don't get a scholarship even though I have a nearly perfect GPA. I wonder why I even bother trying." Haruna lamented. Kasumi stood up and walked over to the unhappy youth, who made room for the princess to sit beside her.

"I'm just tired, Kasumi. It seems like no matter how hard I try I can't get anywhere that matters. My mom's in the office rat race and my dad's trying to find work in construction, so money's kinda tight. I can't afford to do unpaid internships because I need to get a paying job to help keep us afloat, but internships lead to better jobs." Haruna continued to talk. Diana could tell that the purple-haired teenager was tired. Tired and sad. Diana kept silent as Kasumi tried to console her friend and assure her that there was a light at the end of the tunnel.

[Word Count: 829]
[Total Word Count: 5,323/7,000]

Diana sat in silence while Kasumi and Haruna continued to discuss the latter's financial woes and feelings that her best efforts would get her nothing in the end. The purple-haired teenager felt like the deck was stacked against her no matter what she did or how hard she tried to change her situation. As unhappy as she was about not being able to get a scholarship for college, she was more upset about the financial situation of her parents, who were on shaky ground in their respective fields because of circumstances beyond their control. Her construction worker father had been laid off and her office manager mother faced the prospect of her job being cut due to "restructuring" that was happening for reasons Haruna had not yet discussed.

Asuna and Hitomi had remained quiet like Diana and had let Kasumi do the talking. The mage was fine with that because she did not like being the center of attention. She had not liked being the center of attention ever since she was ten years old, when she was first forced into the shadows thanks to her magic. Staying out of the limelight had come naturally to Diana and it was essential to her continued success in her other occupation. Flashy assassins tended to die or be apprehended far sooner than their less conspicuous brethren.

Diana listened as Asuna and Hitomi started to talk to each other about college plans. Diana did not have to worry about academia because she had no interest in it and did not really have anything that she wanted to study. Besides, college campuses were far too crowded for her taste. The blonde mage was not sure what she wanted to do with her life besides break into the VIP protection business. Magic was one of the few things that she was really good at doing, but her magic had limited applications.

Diana's magic was best used for killing things from a distance, gaining entry to a secure location, or sneaking out of said location once her work was finished. It was useful for black ops work, but Diana had no interest in being anyone's servant. She had been there once and did not want to return to enforced servitude, especially when it involved killing people. Even if she agreed to work for a shadowy government entity her chances of survival were far lower than they were as an employee of a guild of contract killers. While Daggercorp might let Diana live if she kept quiet about their secrets and moved far, far away from civilization, it was doubtful that she would get the same privilege from a shadowy government organization.

Again Diana found herself in the same conundrum that she always did. She had a potent but limited skillset that was best used for crime and she wanted out of that life. How could she get out of it without occupying a body bag well before her time?

The blonde's grim thoughts were interrupted by Asuna speaking to her. It seemed that the blue-eyed blonde wanted to talk to her about something. That subject was what Diana did for a living... such as it was.

"Hey Diana, what do you do for a living?" Asuna asked her. Diana put on a calm facial expression and proceeded to answer the question.

"I am a Guildless mage. I tend to take jobs that involve hunting threats like wild animals. Sometimes I take jobs that involve protecting people." Diana said to the teenager, being careful to keep her true guild affiliation and other "activities" a secret. That did not require too much effort since secrecy came as naturally as breathing to the blonde mage. Having gotten the answer to her first question, Asuna quickly asked another.

"So you're Guildless, huh? Does that mean you're not with any of the guilds?" Asuna asked. Hitomi sighed and jumped into the conversation.

"Yes, Asuna. Diana's not part of any of the guilds. While she doesn't have the safety net that a guild provides, she's not caught up in guild politics either. She travels around looking for work and takes any jobs that she can find." Hitomi answered her sister's question with a tone of mild irritation like she could not believe that her sister would ask such a dumb question. Diana sat through it without heaping scorn on Asuna... she was just glad that Hitomi was able to give such a good explanation of the life of a Guildless mage. It was to-the-point and covered everything that Diana would have brought up in the course of her answer.

"Hitomi is right on all counts." Diana said succinctly. There was nothing else she could have added to the explanation to make it any better, so she just let Hitomi's explanation lie without adding anything to it. Asuna seemed to accept it because she moved on to another topic.

"Do you have a boyfriend, Diana?" Asuna asked out of the blue. Diana was glad that everyone in the room was sweating and that their faces were red from the heat because the question was an awkward one, even for a normally composed person like her.

"Or do you have a girlfriend?" Asuna asked another relationship question right on the heels of the first question. Again Diana was glad that the heat of the sauna provided a convenient cover for her because the question was even more awkward than the one about having a boyfriend. Diana took a deep breath and answered the question.

"I am not romantically engaged." Diana answered calmly and succinctly. Asuna smiled and took that as an invitation to ask even more invasive questions of the mage. What the blue-eyed blonde said next was more than a little shocking.

"Great! You see, my sister's kinda lonely and... well, she might need someone in her life. She has lousy luck with guys, so I was kinda hoping that you could... you know..." Asuna said mischievously. Diana stared at her blankly. Hitomi clenched her teeth and made a fist before standing up. Asuna saw the gesture, shrieked, and quickly jumped up from her place to get out of her angry sister's reach before Hitomi gave some violent feedback on her sister's statement. Asuna chose to relocate next to Kasumi for protection, putting the princess in a bit of a rough spot.

"I do not wish to be involved in a conflict between sisters." Kasumi lodged a polite but firm protest with the blue-eyed blonde. Hitomi sat back down and glared at her sister, who was hiding behind Kasumi. Diana kept an eye on the proceedings but did not feel that her ward was in any real danger. Diana was mildly amused by the situation but kept her amusement to herself. So this was what everyday life with siblings was like.

[Word Count: 1,158]
[Total Word Count: 6,473/7,000]

Diana was relieved that the barrage of questions subsided when Asuna scrambled for safety behind Ksumi. Asuna was too busy worrying about Hitomi's vengeance to ask any more intrusive questions about Diana's personal life, which was fine with the blonde. She was not eager to answer any more questions about her personal life. Besides, she did not have much of one to start with. Diana got up in the morning, looked for work, traveled to the job site, completed the job, and went "home" to the guild hall... rinse and repeat.

Kasumi continued to serve as an unwilling buffer between Asuna and Hitomi while Haruna looked like she was not sure what to do to get out of this mess. Diana sat in her corner and watched the conflict sputter out as suddenly as it had started. Hitomi closed her eyes and sighed.

"You really don't have much room to talk about my love life, Asuna. Remember what happened with that guy named Toshi you were going out with?" Hitomi hinted at some romantic complications in Asuna's life. Asuna frowned and got out from behind Kasumi, who was glad that her role as a human shield was over. Asuna walked over to Hitomi and it looked like the conflict was about to start anew, but then the blue-eyed blonde sighed.

"Eh, I suppose you're right. That guy was a real loser. I can't believe that he was running around behind my back with that trashy biker chick named Haruko. Well, maybe I could because he was trying to get me to learn to ride a motorcycle so that he could live out his biker chick fantasy, but it doesn't matter. Let's just call it a truce." Asuna conceded to her sister and offered a truce.

"A truce it is." Hitomi agreed. The red-eyed blonde let the matter drop then and there to everyone's relief. The conflict was finally over... everyone could breathe more easily. Diana heard squeaking as the steam was turned off by Haruna, who was beet red in the face.

"I think we should call it good before we all die of heatstroke. Besides, I think we went a little over our allotted time." Haruna suggested. Everyone nodded their agreement because it was getting a little too hot for comfort in the sauna room. Slowly but surely the steam began to dissipate and everyone retreated to the changing room to change back into their robes. Diana made sure to go last so that no one saw her scars.

-In the lobby-

Everyone had gotten changed and left Sauna Room 26 to go to the lobby and see what else was being offered. Diana stood by Kasumi's side while the other girls debated on whether to get a deep tissue massage or go to the hot springs. Diana would go wherever Kasumi went.

"What about a deep tissue massage? I heard that the staff's pretty good with massages." Asuna suggested. Hitomi was all for it and so was Haruna. Kasumi, on the other hand, was on the fence. Her face had uncertainty etched on it.

"You guys go on ahead. Do not let my hesitance stop you." Kasumi told them. Diana was fine with that decision. She did not want to make the staff shriek when they saw the scars on her back. Besides, she really did not like being touched by anyone. The other girls looked disappointed, but only Asuna was disappointed enough to actually say something.

"Are you sure?" Asuna asked Kasumi with disappointment on her voice.

"I am sure." Kasumi confirmed. Moments later Abe walked into the spa lobby and bowed to Kasumi. She returned the bow and he stood up straight before speaking to her.

"Miss Kasumi, I hate to interrupt your spa day, but I must speak to you immediately. Something... has happened." Abe said to her. Kasumi's face showed interest in what her servant had to say. He guided her off to a side and Kasumi raised a hand for Diana to stay where she was. Diana obeyed and remained at a distance as Abe whispered something of importance to her. Kasumi's face suddenly showed immense distress.

She walked briskly for the locker room to change out of her clothing while Abe remained behind. He motioned for Diana to come to his side and she obeyed. He led her off to the side and began to speak.

"Miss Kasumi has given me permission for me to tell you this information, but keep what you are about to hear to yourself." The bald servant counseled her. Diana nodded her agreement.

"Miss Kasumi's family... is not in good shape. Her mother and father have fallen ill and it may fall to Miss Kasumi to run the family business." Abe whispered into Diana's ear. Diana was as stunned by the news as Kasumi was. She remembered Kasumi saying that her parents wanted her to go to college for a business degree so that she could run the family business in the future, but it seemed that the timetable had suddenly been accelerated by this unexpected turn of events.

"What do I do?" Diana asked him.

"Keep this silent. The world does not need to know this yet." He repeated. He then produced a bag of Jewels that he handed to her, presumably both as payment and as money to buy her silence. Diana pocketed the Jewels and thanked Abe.

"I have served Kasumi's family for over forty years and will continue to serve them now. I may need your help in the future. I fear that those... suitors may try to take advantage of Miss Kasumi once the news gets out, so I will be in contact with you." Abe told her before the fully dressed Kasumi walked up to the pair. Abe turned to her.

"Come, Miss Kasumi, there is much that must be done. I will be by your side the entire time." Abe assured her. Kasumi thanked the faithful servant and turned to Diana.

"Thank you for your company today. I have enjoyed it." Kasumi said to her before walking away with Abe to go see about her family. Diana's good mood was ruined by the news, so she went to the locker room and changed back into her normal clothing, then left the spa to go home. Even though she was not supposed to get emotionally engaged with a client, she could not help but to hope that Kasumi and her family would be OK. Diana knew what it was like to lose a family and hoped that Kasumi's parents would pull through whatever disaster befell them.

[Word Count: 1,127]
[Total Word Count: 7,600/7,000]