[Realm: Álfheimr]
[Location: Outskirts]
"Ugh…" Gretchen groaned softly, shielding her eyes with one hand as the fractured rays of sunlight that bled through the overcast sky. Even through the haze, the light was painfully sharp after so long underground. Her pupils contracted, and for a brief moment, her breath caught — as though the world were too bright for her to return to so suddenly.
Tamamo-no-Mae stretched lazily beside her, nine tails swaying. "Relax, girl," she teased. "You could use a bit of sunlight. That skin of yours could blind a town."
Gretchen sent her a sharp, irritated glare but said nothing. She stood at the cave's mouth, the cold wind stirring her hair as the world beyond spread like a graveyard of old trees. To her right, Dante stood motionless.
"Seems you've saved this beautiful damsel," Gretchen said at last, dry humor creeping into her tone. "I imagine you're feeling rather proud of yourself."
"Hmph." Dante's response was little more than a grunt.
