Black and red were the colors that Rain had worn for the better part of her lifespan. They were some meager connection to her sister Eden. Most Calavera wore any hue in the rainbow, mixing many colors together in a magnificent display of the colorful heritage of their people.
Rain never thought much of the color choice beyond what it meant to her own family, nor did she think it would mean anything to anyone else.
Her search for her sister Eden had become risky with the intensity of the war, but this was not stopping her. On her own, she had been traveling from city to city, slowly and carefully, asking of a golden Celestine woman.
One day she came across something very unexpected- a whole parade of caravans and a troop of what she assumed were soldiers… or maybe mercenaries? All swathed in black and red fabric and punctuated by the occasional standard, displaying a fist holding a broken sword. She was awestruck. Rain stood at the edge of the road in silent shock, taking in the sight. A sudden shout rang out from one of the caravans as it passed by her, causing her to jump and drop her bag, contents spilling out in front of her.
Rain knelt and quickly scooped up her things, brushing dirt off of them and stuffing them back in her bag as the caravans and banners continued to march by. And then… there was a presence next to her. She glanced out of the corner of her eye to see a pair of boots and black pants with lace trim. Tilting her head up she saw a hand outstretched to her, and she genuinely thought about swatting it away before she looked up to see their face. It was a woman, a gorgeous one at that, wearing a breastplate emblazoned with a fleur de lis. Rain found her attention fully captivated by her. She knew she was blatantly staring, but no one could tell behind her mask anyway.
“You don’t want to get left behind, come on,” the woman said with a voice that radiated confidence.
She must have thought Rain was part of this group based on the colors she adorned… and why would Rain ever want to correct her?
In a split moment decision, she smiled, accepted the helping hand up, and began walking.
She had no idea who these people were or where they were going… but she would figure it out in time. Besides, this was not a bad way to continue her travels. There was safety in numbers after all. And she felt right at home among the black and red.