[Episode]Family is Family is Family

So far, this island was top of the list of places she would hate dying. Though that doesn't go to say that the place didn't have its charm, it just purely wasn't for her. So why was she here?

Well, that goes back a few years but to give the short version, it was because her sister owed her a favor. Back during the time of her capture, Seras was known as the older sister of the group. Having been one of the oldest members there prior to the escape, Seras had naturally taken on a sort of big sister role for the group, eventually being the one to spearhead their escape years later. Before they broke free, Seras had befriended one of the newest kids to be introduced to the ring, a girl named Annie. It was clearly apparent right off the bat that Annie wasn't going to last in the ring. The girl was much more acclimated to her previous life, living a peaceful one with a loving family; she wasn't a fighter. Seras saw this and immediately felt bad for her, developing a sort of soft spot for the kid as her naivety and innocence would often dig under Seras's tough exterior. During their time together, the kid would go on and on about how great their life back home was and that, if they ever got the chance, Annie would show Seras how great her home was. Fast forward a couple of months, or 3 months ago from today, when the lot of them were able to finally get that taste of freedom once again. Having no home to return to, Seras decided to ask Annie for a favor: to see this great home that she spoke so highly of. The two of them were able to stowaway on a transport ship from Ilusia to Baterilla and never looked back. Unfortunately, upon arriving at Annie's home, the two found her parents' dead bodies, hanging from the ceiling and rotting. Overcome with grief over losing their daughter, both of Annie's parents decided to take their own lives.

Since then the pair have been living out of the house, the bodies having been removed a long time ago. While Annie seems to back to her old self, Seras knows that somewhere below that cheerful exterior was an unexplainable pain, caused by an irreparable wound. While she smiled, there was clearly pain behind it.

"Hey Sera, what about this one? Do ya think we can buy one of these? Pleaaaaase?" The voice of Annie snapped Seras out of her trance, recalling past memories and just thinking in general. The girl was pointing at a stand that was filled with candy, one of it's kind out of the entire marketplace. There were people all around them, everyone too invested in their own world to really care about anything else. Seras's senses were invaded by the aroma of food, from pasta to pastry, and her ears were violated by the constant yelling of everyone else in the vicinity fighting about stuff that didn't matter.

"Hm? What did I say last week?" Seras knew what she said last week because it's what she says every week. This has to be at least the ninth time they've had this exact exchange. Anticipating what the child was going to say next, Seras brought her finger up and began to wave it as she spoke, talking as if she was reading off a list.

"Needs, not necessities. Wants will be the death of me." Both of them spoke in unison, reciting the motto with a sort of song-like rhythm. Seras watched as Annie's eyes rolled and couldn't help but giggle. Annie reminded her a lot of how she was when she was younger, thinking that she was the most important person at all times. It's unfortunate how life's played out for both of them. Sometimes Seras dreams of a world where she grew up to be a merchant like her parents, living a quiet and normal life.

"Now, I don't say these things just to waste my breath. It's important that you are able to choose what can keep you living and what won't. But... I guess it's also good to learn when to splurge and when to hold back." She couldn't help but sigh, disappointed in herself for caving in after giving a lecture. It would be a real shame if Annie started getting the impression that Seras was soft after this entire time she's invested in the kid. The worst part is if that happened, Seras didn't know if she'd be able to stand up against her. By this point, Annie was starting to become her own child, and there was no way that Seras was going to be able to bring herself to treat the kid poorly when the time came.

Anyways, Seras threw her hood off her head as she approached the cart, showing a small sign of respect if any. Showing her face in public was bound to lead to trouble at some point so it didn't hurt to start developing the habit now before she was forced to. The man standing behind the cart had a very inviting look to him. He was middle-aged with a lean build, seeming to be no older than Seras was. Out of everything, though, his most defining feature would be his bright pink hair, seemingly natural. He stuck out like a sore thumb compared to the rest of the merchants that littered the street, many of them seeming like their grandchildren had grandchildren and even a sneeze would cause them to crumble to dust. The man greeted her with a smile and Seras took a step back to get a good look at the wooden sign he had nailed to the top of his cart. Squinting, she could see that it read "Carl's Candy Cart."

"Carl, huh?" She was thinking out loud, not really noticing it until Annie tugged at her cloak on reflex. This was something she'd do semi-often, saying her thoughts with no filter. Luckily Annie was there to make her aware of it before it got out of hand and Seras would say something that she would regret. Seras's main problem with his name is that he doesn't look the part, especially his hair.

"Hehe, yeah... My mother isn't actually the most creative when it comes to naming and my father was way too much of a pansy to really fight her about it. This is why there's me, Carl, my brothers Bob, and Jeff. Meanwhile, my half-siblings got Andromeda and Percy, but that's neither here nor there... Candy! I got all sorts of sweets, but candy is what's on display. I'm going to take a wild guess and assume you're buying for you're dau-"

"Not my daughter. She's just a traveling partner. Wait, c'mon man. I don't look that old, do I?" Her eyes were glued to the display crates that were, as he said, filled to the brim with all types of candy. The air was poisoned by their sheer presence, overriding everything else Seras had experienced and replacing it with pure sweetness. From her previous statement, it was pretty obvious to anyone with a shred of perception that she was not in the mood for conversation so Seras assumed that he would just stop talking to her and diverted her attention back to Annie her daugh--er, companion. "Hey, Ann, so what exactly were you looking at here? And don't go thinking that I'm going to start buying whatever you ask for on the regular. This is a once in a while sort of thing, don't get used to it."