Chapter 1: Ambling About

Soft rays of sunlight filtered through the dissipating storm clouds, the remnants of the mid-day rain forming murky puddles on the old, cracked sidewalk.  The clicking of high heels echoed off of the wet pavement, where a young girl who looked only the age of 16 stepped lightly, her lavender cloak trailing along softly behind her bare, skinny legs.  For a casual walk, she was dressed elegantly;  A violet dress that flowed softly down to her knees, dark black high heels, and a matching scarf wrapped around her slender neck.

Gently, she trailed her hand along the brick of the building the broken-up path was winding around.  Her nails where newly polished, a dark black with lavender circles painted on them;  A closer look would show something that most people in these parts would understand, and those were transmutation circles.  Of course they didn't help her much, which is why her black arm warmers had a more elaborate transmutation circle embroidered on both sides.

Closing her almost black-looking cocoa eyes for a moment and breathing in the crisp, cool air, she let out a soft sigh.  It was so calm and serene now, something to savor whenever you could, no matter how rare the moments are, and no matter how it ended so quickly.

Her voice was silky and smooth as she whispered to herself, "The calm before the storm, which sadly I fear will not be lasting long."

She turned to look down in realization as a small grey tabby with dazzling green eyes came into step right beside her.  She smiled as she reached down, stoking his soft fur gently, "Nythil, I was wondering where you got off to."  She took the small tabby into her arms, his purring sounding almost like the buzzing of a bee nearby.  "Now don't go getting into any trouble."

With a flick of his tail, Nythil replied in a baritone, velvet-like tone, "Artoria, I don't believe you should be worrying about me, you should be more careful with taking care of yourself.  I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself."

"Nythil, please.  They'll want you killed once they find out what you've become."  Artoria replied, worry thick in her tone.  "Right now is calm, either way.  I don't think we have much to worry about."

"Worry or not, be careful, alright?"  Nythil begged, but his worries hung awkwardly in the Air as Artoria headed forward, wandering alone, without a destination.  A wanderer, and nothing more.  The one thing that made her atypical from the usual wanderer was that she was capable of using Alchemy, something that has proven useful to her many times when she stared in the face of danger.