>>82297617
Yes nonny, you should definitely try it! Bonus points if you cosplay as Youmu while you do it!

Augustine stands alone in a small, comfortable office with a window that offers a direct view of the village plaza.

The afternoon sun casts a strong light across the lovely features of your pink godstouched friend, so lost in thought is she that she doesn’t realize your presence, and as she ponders something over her notes, Augustine gives you the impression of being incredibly lonely.
A painful squeeze in your heart makes you wince. Don’t pity her, Rey… Gods, don’t make me fumble this.

''Goodness me, I didn’t realize you were there.'' Your friend acknowledges your presence while stretching, the long sleeve of her light blue dress crumpling downward. ''Rey?''

''Augustine.'' The smile that settles on your face isn’t forced. ''You look tired. Tense, too.''

''I am.'' She fiddles with the notes on her desk. ''I’ve been having the worst sleep of my life lately, this mess…'' She gestures at the window. ''…isn’t helping. The village isn’t a good place for an Elder.''

''Are things that bad?'' You sit on the chair next to her, and Augustine smiles and leans closer, almost brushing shoulders. Mother’s mercy, how do I breach Olin’s topic?

''The community is on a tipping point with a potential epidemic.'' She brings a pen to her mouth and nibbles on it, fidgeting with a note on her desk with her fingertips. ''All the kids downstairs share dysentery symptoms, thankfully I had the medicine to help them, adult Mamonos tend to be a sturdy lot when it comes to diseases, but the conditions here make it impossible to stay optimistic.'' Tension makes her tighten her fists, and the pen falls from her lips to clatter on the desk. ''I feel like… ever had one of those moments where you’re balancing an invisible edge? Where if you don’t act, you’ll regret it?''

''…No.'' Your past had its moments, but you can’t recall something so specific.

''That’s how I feel with this damn Mamono-Mercenaries situation.'' Augustine scratches deeply into her scalp, extracting a few strands of pink hair. ''If everyone starts getting sick, nobody will last the winter because the girls will riot and be violently put down, maybe even massacred. Nipping this disease in the bud is good, but only a temporary reprieve because of the conditions here, the girls need the bathhouse to keep their community clean. Sometimes I feel like an eruption of violence might be the only possible solution.'' She heaves a weary sigh. ''At least Shigeko and Seyraphal are out of here.''

''They’re doing well!'' You speak a little too loudly. Calm down, damn. ''In fact, Shigeko accompanied me here, though I have something important to tell you, so she’s waiting in the corridor…'' Breathing in and out, you find it difficult to shoulder Augustine’s stare.