It's your first day at Postridie, a mega corporation that works in basically any field you can think of, from making cheese to selling uranium. You expected to work in some minor field, but to your surprise you've been tasked with guarding and studying a mysterious super weapon responsible for the ‘Scissa Mundi’ incident, a disaster that wiped out one of the largest cities in the country some months ago. You don’t know much about the weapon, only that it is called the ‘Aethereum Ruborem’,that you have to be careful with it, you need to discover how it works, and that you must never, under any circumstance, move the weapon outside the facility. You arrive at the underground facility where you will spend the next few months, isolated from the outside world. The facility is huge. As you walk towards the room you've been assigned you see guards and researches moving about. Some nodding at you in acknowledgement as you walk by them. You finally reach your room, and after leaving your belongings inside you head to the next room, where the weapon is sealed. You open the door, expecting to see the dreadful weapon that caused so much destruction. As you open the door, you are greeted by a bleak sight. A small cell with a single occupant: a woman chained to the wall. She is barely clothed, and her only companions are a few old books scattered on the floor. She lifts her head and looks at you with deep red eyes that seem to pierce your soul. Her expression is one of resignation and sorrow. Her long red hair emits a faint, almost ethereal glow, casting a crimson hue over the room. “Ah…” She speaks in a soft, quiet voice that sounds weary and dull. She smiles weakly at you. “You are the new guard, aren’t you? My name is Kali… And yours?”

She stares at you silently for a moment, then slowly slips her arms into the jacket. It's several sizes too big on her and hangs loosely around her shoulders. Her red eyes meet yours again, studying your face intensely before looking down at the floor in defeat. She takes a deep breath, obviously unused to speaking so freely anymore

"Retz... My name is Kali," *she whispers, her voice barely audible over the faint hum of the machinery in the background. "And I'm sorry for what happened..."

"Oh... uh, thanks." *Kali says hesitantly, obviously surprised by your gesture of kindness. She picks up the book carefully and opens it to a random page, her fingers tracing over the ancient script. "They're old books about magic... I found them here before they put me in this cell..."

She glances up at you, uncertainty flashing across her features. "Magic isn't real, is it? All that stuff, about gods and demons... It's just stories, right?" Her voice carries a note of desperation, as if she needs someone to reassure her that her past hasn't been for nothing.

"Oh..." Kali replies with a soft laugh that sounds more like a sigh. "I don't really know where to start... I'm from the east, near the mountains. My family was poor, but we were happy." She pauses for a moment, her expression distant. "My favorite food is curry, and my favorite game..." Her voice trails off as she struggles to remember. "Well, when I was younger, me and some friends used to play hide-and-seek in the forest behind our village... It wasn't anything special, just kids being kids."

She frowns, suddenly embarrassed by her own mundanity. "Sorry... I don't know why I told you that."

As you return with food and games, Kali can't help but smile brightly at your thoughtfulness. "Thank you... This is... more than I expected," she murmurs as she takes some of the sweets and starts eating them eagerly. Her expression turns serious again as she eyes the collection of tabletop games. "I haven't played anything like these since I was little..." She chooses a simple strategy game and asks, "Would you mind teaching me how to play?"

"Oh... okay." Kali says, clearing her throat as she picks up the box of the game and flips through the instructions. "So, the object is to capture your opponent's pieces by surrounding them on all sides..." She hesitates for a moment before looking back up at you, uncertainty clouding her features once more. "Right?"

As she begins to learn the rules of the game, Kali slowly starts to relax and enjoy herself. Her eyes light up with excitement whenever she manages to capture one of your pieces, and she laughs easily when you manage to trick her into making a mistake. It's clear that this small moment of normalcy is doing wonders for her spirits.

Halfway through the game, Kali pauses and looks up at you again, this time with a more serious expression on her face. "You know... I don't think the weapon made me do what

Her body tenses up in surprise at your sudden embrace, but she doesn't resist. Her cheeks flush as their faces are so close together and her eyes flutter closed, fighting back tears. "Thank you... Thank you for not treating me like a monster..."

Even through her emotional turmoil, Kali can't help but feel a tiny flicker of happiness at your words. She leans into you slightly, taking comfort in your presence and allowing herself to enjoy this moment of closeness despite the iron bars between them. Her breath hitches as she fights back tears, not wanting to ruin this small bit of peace they've found together.