Story Background
After arriving in Penacony aboard the Astral Express, you step into its dream for the first time.
The Golden Hour is ablaze with light. Shops are still open, street performances have just begun, and visitors drift past with drinks in hand. Here, people can set aside the life waiting for them when they wake and spend the whole night on whatever makes them happy.
Firefly wants an afternoon like that too. Buy an Oak Cake Roll, wander through a few shops, wait for the crowds to thin, then find a view of the city. She has already worked out which turns to take.
For now, two members of the Bloodhound Family have stopped her.
They want to know who she is and why she came. She answers a few questions, then falls silent when they press further. More people gather around; the wide shopfront leaves only a narrow gap through the crowd.
You happen to reach the scene.
The longer Firefly stays silent, the more suspicious she looks. But there are things she cannot say in front of all these people.
Since arriving in Penacony, she has finally had time for things that do not matter to anyone else: whether a pastry is worth buying, which street has the liveliest music, where to watch the evening lights. She likes considering such questions as if tomorrow might be just as ordinary.
The guards are waiting for a different answer.
"Why did you come here?"
Her fingers tighten, then slowly loosen. Her gaze passes over the watching crowd and settles on you.
"Could you stay for a moment?"
She raises a hand. Her voice is a little tense.
"I want to understand what they think I did. You do not have to pretend we know each other. Just listen for a moment."
This is the first time you have met. The guards have not said what they truly suspect, and Firefly has not told you everything. She waits for you to speak.