Firefly In The Dungeon

「Fragment VI」House

   It was fortunate that Evilus doesn't makes any move just yet after their previous attack, giving Alice the much needed temporary peace. Although there's nothing significant has changed in Orario, for the better or worse.

   During the time, postponing the search of a Familia, Alice began to look around for a place that would be her new base. But as it would serve an important purpose, Alice had to set some requirements for it.

   Mainly, the place has to be somewhere far enough from any densely packed buildings, and away from a place that might be marked as a target by those lunatics. Nobody would like to see their house got destroyed for whatever reason it might be, including herself. The less chance of it getting targeted, the better.

   However it also shouldn't be isolated from the rest of the city. Inconvenience matter aside, Alice is more concerned about the strategic point in the case of emergency scenario. Somewhere that has an escape route for civilians, while providing her a quick route to rush at any direction.

   Such thoughts leads her to Orario's Northwest district.

   Sparse. That was the accurate word to describe this side of the Labyrinth city. The Northwest district, especially the nearer it was to the massive wall has lot of undeveloped land plot, cultivating weeds on their own.

   A pity, nobody will buy any of them with how dangerous Orario currently. Who would like to live in a place, where some criminal might knock your door at anytime? Well, a knock would be much appreciated coming from a terrorist. Though, why would they?

   Because of that, there is no shortage of people that want to leave Orario. Truth to be told, many had done so. The rest however, have something that prevent them from leaving, with one of the possible reason is unsurprisingly, Valis. Again.

   They couldn't just walk to another place with monster outside the city, more so if they are civilians because that is equivalent to a death wish. For even if there is someone that is somehow managed it, they are basically a homeless on the new place, quite similar to Alice's current situation.

   A reasonable solution is to sell their house to get a considerable amount of Valis. Yet again, who have the desire to buy them?

· · ·

   Scouting through Northwest District, Alice finally found the most suitable area that meets her requirements. With a nod to herself, Alice began to look for any information about houses that were being sold nearby the vicinity, and by the means of looking for any information is, of course, the good old asking people.

   As the girl was looking around, Alice easily spot an old lady resting on a chair under the roof of their terrace. Alice stopped in front of the fence that surrounded the old lady's house, trying to get the elder's attention.

   "Good morning, ma'am." Alice said in a slightly loud voice because the distance.

   Hearing Alice's voice, a slight frown appeared on the old lady face before she stand up from her chair. Yet after finding out that there is a stranger outside her house, the frown changed into wariness in her eyes.

   That subtle change doesn't go unnoticed by the girl. Fear have embedded into people's heart,  even here it seems.

   "Yes. . ? What is it?" the old lady replied with a slight tone of reluctance from that hoarseness of an elderly. She was unwilling to interact with someone unknown, that for sure. Truthfully, the old lady wasn't a grumpy person, but when the safety of the place you live in is questionable at best, you are naturally forced to be suspicious at everything that exist.