Taalia Giovanni

Taalia carefully stepped through the decaying monument to the previous inhabitants wealth and prestige, the inside of the villa hinting at the beauty it once possessed. As she disappeared between those weather-beaten doors, the world outside seemed to drain away as it was replaced by the quiet solitude of a lonely, abandoned house. The scent of dust was heavy in the air, and the girl made sure that she stepped both quietly and slowly, lest her size give away her position to some hidden occupant or her weight send her foot through the rotting floor.

When Taalia came to witness the painted portrait of, assumedly, the prior owners, the girl paused and stared at the dust-caked curiosity with an unusual interest. She had never really seen paintings of this quality before, and the captured essence of the family lingering in their decaying opulence struck something sentimental within the shepardess. Physically, the family may have moved on for whatever reason, but a part of them remained. As such, despite the evidence value in the frame or perhaps even the painting itself, Taalia chose not to try and profit from its current dubious ownership. Besides, it was unlikely she could fit it on the flying machine anyway.

However, the shepardess did slowly approach and brush the portrait aside gently, as if curious as to whether anything lay behind it.

Then the whistle came to the girls sensitive ears.

Whipping around on the spot, her shield up and pistol pointed ahead, Taalia's eyes scanned back and forth through the aged innards of the home, as she proceeded on with her inspection...