"I like your armor," was the first thing Elida said upon Natalie's arrival, her lips quirking up in obvious amusement.

  In much the same way that Natalie had analyzed all of their gear and appearances, she was of course receiving her own scrutiny. She had grown somewhat used to people seeing her in the inappropriate erotite gear in public, but having fellow cssmates raise an eyebrow was both more and less embarrassing than strangers. Not that anyoed so obviously as to raise an eyebrow, but the skimpy bright-pial top wasn't something even other delvers saw every day.

  She was wearing a cover-up skirt to obscure the more sdalous lower half of her armor, which she would remove upory into the dungeon. That prospect was mortifying; it put her ass on dispy, and seeing how she was the frontline fighter, anyone who wao steal looks wouldn't have much difficulty doing so. At least she didn't have much to be embarrassed by, back there. Though maybe that just amplified the problem. A nice ass meant it would be looked at more. Though maybe none of the girls here preferred other women? She didn't have a read on anyone besides Elida … who, having propositioned her, clearly wasn't against the idea. Though that might have been a power py more than anything.

  She ighe possibility that Elida might be staring at her ass over the several days. It made her feel hot, and she told herself it urely annoyance.

  "Thanks," Natalie replied dryly. "Wouldn't be wearing it if the effects weren't s."

  "They're that good?" Elida asked.

  Natalie shrugged, making it clear she didn't want to expin. She might have accepted a trial run upon Elida's insistence, but she wasn't going to go expining her css, and in a simir if lesser vein, her gear.

  "Pretty good," she said.

  She the others, aowledging them. Clementine's expression fshed to guilt, briefly, upoing her eyes, but Faye returhe nod with her usual unfriendly aloofness. Natalie suspected the woman didn't think there was anything to feel guilty over.

  Vaa also ined her head, and since she was the only one who hadn't attacked and robbed Natalie's team, she was her current favorite. The only mark against her was that she'd teamed up with Elida, but Natalie relutly ceded that if pure performance was all Vaa cared about, Elida's team would be mighty tempting to secure a spot on. She couldn't truly bme Vaa for her decision.

  "Sorry if I'm te," Natalie tinued. "Live across campus. Got here as fast as I could."

  "No problem," Elida said. "There's a few things thten out, but we hahat as we walk. Shall we?"

  Sihey were all eager to start w toward em drops and experience gain, they set off without ceremony. Even introdus weren't necessary, sihey were all aware of each other, simply by being top performers in the same Te year.

  And, again, through the whole robbing-them-blind thing. Minus Vaa; she hadn't been involved in that.

  "First up is loot, of course," Elida said. "We tend to ha after the delve, rather than during—except in the case of exceptional drops that are clearly suited to one of us. We'll bargain until we e to an agreement that suits everyone, and if no such arra is found, we've agreed to sell whatever causes issues and split the funds evenly. That standard is, however, held up rather signifitly by the fae delves will favor certain individuals in the short term, but over the course of many delves, will even out. Since you're a temporary, Natalie—though I hope not for long—the split might be more difficult te." She ehe expnation at that, silently querying Natalie for her opinion oter.

  "I won't be annoying about loot," Natalie said. "If I draw the short straw, that's whatever. I'm sure it won't be a problem."

  "An admirable attitude," Elida said, and though there wasn't an ounog there, Natalie's eyes narrowed anyway. The woman really did seem to be 'pying nice,' and Natalie reminded herself to do the same. She forced herself to rex. "I'll give you my own assurahat profit isn't a particurly powerful motivator," Elida said. "I don't foresee this being an issue, but it's something that does o be discussed beforehand, in the sense of fairness—and preventing disagreements before they begin."

  Natalie grunted in agreement.

  "There's also the matter of our csses," Elida said. "Any key information we might o know. I don't expey of us are keen to go ih, but the relevant skills should be disclosed. We'll each have a bit to say on that topic."

  They took their turns doing just that. When it came to Natalie, she ed the lewder half of her arsenal—only expining her bat abilities, and only the parts her teammates would o directly eh, which frankly wasn't that much. All they o know was that she was a hard-hitting tank who kept attention mostly because their oppos couldn't afford to not focus on her. Which they were already aware of from inter-css spars.

  She had been torn oher to warn them about Lust's influen the dungeon, but not only did she not want to give any information to Elida she didn't have to, but she was also certain that it wasn't crucial to do so, because even when Lust's influence did bee apparent, the events were always optional; there wasn't anythieammates would be forced to eh when teaming with Natalie, and so she wasn't thrusting them into a sario beforehand that they would be unfortable with. And if something did happen, she could expin it when they got there.

  Elida also didn't expin any 'possible stras' thanks to her css, and assuming she onsored by one of the waking gods, the dungeon had to morph to fit her tht? Or was that Lust only?

  What would ods' influences look like, anyway? Some had more obvious potential than others, like Rage. Others were more dubious, as with Greed. And some she had no idea how they might ma, like Envy or Pride.

  As for who Elida onsored by? Liz khe girl best out of all of them, having rubbed elbows with her all her life, being of simir age and from opposing major families. But even she could only make vague guesses.

  Pride, Greed, Rage, Envy, Lust, Gluttony, and Sloth. The Seven Passions. Of them, a few could be stri from their suspis. Sloth most clearly of all: Elida hadn't exhibited sloth even on the time Natalie had known her, nor did her reputation suggest it. Natalie also doubted Lust, though not out of prudishness, since Elida had tauntingly propositioned Natalie—or alluded to it—in their first meeting. But it didn't seem fitting for her to be a padin of Lust. Natalie wasn't even sure whether there could be multiple padins for each deity, or just one. Or maybe there wasn't even one each; was Greed only ied in sp monsters? Impossible to know.

  Gluttony also seemed dubious. That left four major tenders: Pride, Greed, Rage, and Envy. Natalie would begrudgingly admit she had always had … proclivities … for sleeping around or at least dallying with girls, so presumably Elida's personality would also hint at which deity had taken an i in her. But even if Liz knew Elida better than any of them, she didn't know her at a deep level. Perhaps there was an obvious motivation behind her as—and what had driveo be the top performer at an academy as petitive as Te—but if there was, none of them were privy to it.

  Liz had said if she were forced to guess, it would be either Rage, Pride, or Envy. Greed didn't seem likely. But among those three, she simply wasn't sure. Natalie was hoping today's expedition might shed some light, either directly through whatever challehe duhrew at them, or through Elida's personality itself. Several days spent fighting with the woman was sure to offer some information, even if she was deliberately reserved.

  Ohey'd expiheir csses, Natalie broached o topic.

  "Also," she said. "There's a ce we run into a special pink ore, uo my css. It's what this is made out of." She tapped her gaus, indig her armor set. "I don't think we'll see any, but if we do, I o call dibs on it." Which was something she should do beforehand, not when they got there, in the sense of fairness.

  The statement drew ied looks, of course.

  "What is it?" Elida asked. "Is it valuable? How do you know it es from your css?"

  "Couldn't find a word on it anywhere," Natalie said. "And if Te's mining guild has never heard of an ore …" She shrugged; it said enough. "And I'm not sure how valuable it is, because, again, it's uo my css. If we do find some, it e out of my cut through other stuff. And I'll split other ore evenly."

  Since having a miner sub-css oeam meara profit in the first pobody was too upset by Natalie's request, though she could tell the mention of erotite had piqued their is. No one pressed, which was good, sialie wouldn't have expined if they had.

  After those discussions, they were ing up on Aradon's dungeora was, naturally, not positioned far from Tehe premier delving academy of the capital city. Walking into the building and ying eyes on the portals set on the sb of bck stone, she steadied her thoughts, readying herself for the uping delve.