“No. I believe you. The world’s crazy and so is the abyss. In comparison, your claim about having done magic for your whole life doesn’t seem that out of the realm of possibility” Aurora could feel the disbelief and hope in the girl’s voice.

“Really-?” the girl didn’t get to finish before the pair heard urgent footsteps coming their way.

Rita looked startled and a little guilty at the noise but Aurora knew what was happening. The guards had come to escort Rita back to her ‘room’ and they would be here any second now.

She could already hear the shouts of ‘Lord Rita’ in the background and she could tell that the girl in front of her was startled as well by the new arrival. Her expression looked to be a mix of worry and guilt and it did not suit her at all.

“Hurry, come this way with me. I know how we can dupe them for some time” Aurora whispered to the startled female in her arms. She had a feeling she could not allow Rita to go back with her guards.

Something about the trusting smile Rita splashed her with seemed to melt Aurora’s heart. How long had it been since she’d last faced such a sincere smile?

“I…that would be lovely. Not that I don’t want to go back or they are bad people or I’m being abused or-” the girl babbled trying to assure Aurora that she was alright but Aurora did not care for the half-truths.

She saw the longing in Rita’s. The longed to be free and to leave this caged life behind her. It was an earnest request that reached Aurora’s soul and she decided then and there that she was not going to return Rita unless Rita wanted her to.

Aurora might not have enough control of her powers to ensure a safe victory but she was not going to lose here.

“You don’t need to worry, kid. I might not look like it but I’m pretty strong. Besides, I can smell your reluctance to go home quite clearly” Aurora got a puzzled look for her efforts to explain but she did not have time to sit around and expand on her words.

Had Rita always been such a worried individual? The one in Aurora’s memories was a mischievous yet battle-hardened warrior that had been sent as a backup for them.

The shouts and the footsteps, both were closing in on them and there was only a small window of opportunity left for them to take. Aurora grabbed the taller girl around her stomach and threw her up her shoulder in a ‘sac carry’ style.

Not the best or most comfortable of the holds, but it would do for now.

Her actions had shocked Rita enough to stop her futile struggling and she realized it a bit too late that she was being taken away by a stranger. It should have been a humiliating sight but it just looked awkward.

Most people would have panicked at this point and called for help but Rita could not help but find peace in this situation. She did not know what it was about this stranger, but she felt familiar and safe to Rita’s senses.

“Are you…eh,… Am I being kidnapped?” Rita asked in a small voice, still trying to wrap her head around what was happening to her. Rita was not sure she had ever been in such a situation before.

Sure, there had been successful kidnapping attempts made on her life but those had been put to an end by her a lot sooner than they had been allowed to get to this stage. However, Rita knew this time was different.

Not only her magic, but even her mind felt at peace in the female’s arms. Rita did not know why, but she did not mind being carried away by the blue-haired beauty. Even the laugh she let out sounded melodic and out of this world.

She liked that voice and the person attached to the voice. This was a first for Rita and she could not understand why.

“Kidnap? Weren’t you willing to come with me willingly? I don’t see you struggling to get away” the beauty replied back in an amused voice.

And it was true for the most part. Rita could feel that she would be let go if she struggled even a little bit. But she did not want to go back to the stiffening atmosphere of her room. She wanted to go out and explore more. She wanted to see more and feel more.

“Hey, wait. Put Lady Rita down. Otherwise,e we’ll be forced to retaliate” the guards had finally seen them run away and Rita waited for the spike of fear to enter her heart.

After all, the guards were not gentle and had been trained by the experts of the Abyss tower. As such, they were really powerful and took to their duty quite seriously. Rita did not want them to catch this lovely lady that just wanted to help her out.

“You can put me down here before the guards catch us. They’ll likely not chase you once They have me” Rita explained, waiting for the other female to drop her. It had been fun while it lasted but she knew it was time to go home.

She waited and she waited but the other seemed to have no intention of putting her down. Instead, the beauty seemed to be picking up speed.

“Hey. Didn’t you hear me? You should put me down” Rita tried again, trying to get free. But her heart was not in the struggle.

“Don’t want to. And you don’t want to go back either, right? Stop resisting” the lady seemed so sure and Rita just gave up. It no longer mattered to her what happened to the other. She had played her part.

She watched in remorse as a guard tried to skewer Rita’s carrier right through her chest, being mindful of Rita who was on her shoulder.

These guards had been trained specially for weird situations and Rita was sure the situation could not get weirder than this. She already regretted inviting the kind stranger into this mess and closed her eyes in silent prayer.

And then the guard passed right through them along with his weapon. All Rita saw in those last few seconds was the startled expression on the guard’s face and the joyful laughter of her carrier.

“Hold tight. It’s going to be a deep fall” were the last words Rita heard before she felt her body free-fall through the air.