[ it's surreal that Callisto reminds her so much of Iske, and that she is here, walking with him arm in arm, trusting him to protect her. her husband had carried her in his arms on more than one occasion, but not once could Rudbeckia ever stand beside him like this; and even if he would kill any monster that appeared before Rudbeckia, she never felt that he would be doing so for her sake. she's not such a fool as to believe Callisto regards her as anything other than a nuisance, but... something feels different.

maybe it's just because he isn't someone who is predestined to kill her. ]

Me? Romagna is a very warm place, so I'm used to mild winters. It doesn't ever snow there.

[ she says that—and yet, the next window they pass no longer looks out into a sunlit garden. instead, it frames a field of grass on the edge of a dark forest, all of it blanketed in layers of the still-falling snow. Ruby's steps falter, just briefly. ]

... Ah... [ the air is too tense here for her to laugh, but she ducks her head, sheepish. ] But my family sent me to the North recently, and it seems like the castle where I stayed left an impression on me. It was very cold there, so that's why I'm hoping that there might be fireplaces here too.

[ while every other door has been shut, the one she pulls him towards at last is slightly ajar. ] Here, this one is my bedroom.

[ ... ugh. wait. should she act shy, even in this situation? ]