As time went on, Rose became a bit more relaxed in our presence, even grinning once at a ridiculous joke Chaz tossed out. But there was still an apprehension around her. The constant picking at her shirt or pouch, the tight features, the withdrawn eyes. Something that seemed…reserved. She was a puzzle I couldn’t quite figure out. First, the blazing, powerful, brutal Alchemist from the forest. One who wasn’t afraid to use her magic to its full extent. Then the frightened, timid woman who needed shielding from some unseen threat. A woman bold enough to follow the most powerful man in the empire
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