Lorelai slowly dismounted her chocobo, her eyes glued to the numerous tall buildings. She had been to Lestallum a couple of times before, but it still amazed her every time. She left Eclipse next to the chocobo rental machine and crossed the street. She glanced at all the cars parked on the sides of the road. She had always been happy traveling by foot or by chocobo, but others seemed to prefer vehicles.

Lorelai looked all around at the people. Many of the residents in the little city were women, making Lorelai feel at home. The smell of food cooking filled her nose, making her stomach rumble in reply. She passed by a bunch of food stands where many varieties of food were being grilled.

"Hello, miss," one man greeted. Lorelai stopped in her tracks, looking over at him. He held out some sort of kebab. "Would you like a free sample?"

Lorelai smiled and gratefully took the food offered to her. "Don't mind if I do." She took a bite, savoring the taste. "Mmm, that's good."

"Glad you like it," the man said with a happy smile. "Hope to see you again."

Lorelai gave a small wave and walked away, eating the rest of her kebab and throwing away the stick once done. Lorelai found herself mostly wandering around, not really knowing where to find the tipster. She wished she had spent more time in the popular town so that she could find her way around. Rounding a corner, Lorelai bumped into someone. She stumbled back, as did the other person, hearing the sound of a paper bag crinkling and objects hitting the concrete.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" Lorelai apologized, gazing at the girl with short, brown hair wearing dark clothes. "I wasn't watching where I was going!"

"No, no, it's my fault!" the other girl quickly said. "I couldn't see past this bag!" The girl crouched down, rapidly smoothing out the large bag and placing the fruit and other food items back inside it.

Lorelai bent down, picking up a couple of things and holding them out to the girl. The brunette graciously took them with a smile and stuffed them into the bag. Once she had gathered up all the items, she stood up straight and smiled. She was a little bit shorter than Lorelai, probably a bit younger too.

"Hey, don't worry about it," the girl reassured, noticing the apologetic expression on Lorelai's face. "No harm done. You seem a bit lost. Are you new around here?"

Lorelai averted her gaze, nervously rubbing her arm. "W-Well, I've been here before, but not enough to find my way around."

"I'd be happy to show you around, if you like," the girl offered. "Just let me take these groceries back to the hotel." Lorelai smiled and nodded, following the girl down the street. "My name's Iris, by the way. What's yours?"

"Lorelai," she answered simply.

"That's a pretty name. Mind if I call you Lori for short?"

Lorelai shook her head. "Not at all. Most people call me Lora anyway."

"So, what brings you to Lestallum anyway?" Iris asked. "Looking for a job?"

"In a way. I came because I heard about a difficult hunt. There's a monster terrorizing one of the roads near Lestallum."

Iris gasped, her eyes growing wide. "Oh, you're here for the griffin hunt. That means... you're a hunter?"

Lorelai nodded. The two made it to the Leville Hotel. Iris led her new friend inside and up to her room. "Here we are," she said cheerfully, placing the bag on a counter. "Before you ask, this is a temporary establishment. We don't just live in a hotel. Talcott, come meet my new friend!" Lorelai watched as a young boy entered the room. "Talcott, this is Lorelai. She's going to be staying with us for a while." The boy smiled brightly.

Lorelai's eyes widened slightly. "Iris, that's not necessary, really."

Iris giggled. "Don't be silly, Lori. You're welcome to stay with us for a while." She then took Lorelai's hand in her own. "Now come on, I've got to show you around."

Lorelai gave in and let Iris lead the way. She was surprised by the girl's kindness and generosity towards her. They had only just met and Iris already called her a friend, even going so far as to welcome her to stay with her and Talcott. Iris gave a small tour around Lestallum, explaining to Lorelai everything she needed to know. The tour ended at the market where Lorelai caught sight of the outdoor restaurant.

She began heading over when Iris snatched her wrist, stopping her. "Wait, Lori, before you take on the griffin, can I join you on a different hunt?" Lorelai stared at her questioningly, wanting an answer. "I just want to see you in action and..." Iris nervously glanced at the ground. "I want to make sure you can handle it. It's a pretty dangerous job."

Lorelai laughed lightly, a sly grin spreading across her lips. "Oooh, I see, you want me to prove myself, huh? Well, I am the Star. I won't shy away from a challenge."

Iris released her wrist, a loud gasp escaping her lips. "No way! You're telling me I'M friends with the STAR?!" A huge grin spread across her face. "Wow, now I've gotta see you in action!"

Lorelai chuckled. "All right, I'll give you a front row seat."

Lorelai and Iris approached the old man at the restaurant. Lorelai skimmed through the hunts, picking one that was simple and fit with the time of day. It was nearing night and the hunt the girls accepted was to get rid of a small group of imps right outside the town. Being daemons, they only came out after dark.

The lights all over the town kept Lestallum safe from daemons, but if the power were to fail, Lestallum would be overrun. Lorelai knew that this hunt was as important as any other. Making it to the road, Lorelai glanced back at the well-lit town. She pushed back all her fear and held her hand out, palm up. Her eyes glowed white for a second as she formed a ball of light and had it hover around her.

"You're a hunter AND you can use magic?!" Iris exclaimed in amazement. "That's so cool!"

Lorelai giggled. "Thanks. I was born with the ability to use magic, so it comes naturally."

"I've never seen this type of magic before." Iris followed closely behind her friend, staying within the light as they walked down the road. "I've only ever seen fire, ice, and lightning."

"Well, I can't use any of those," Lorelai explained. "I specialize in light magic. It's also how I got the name Star. People can often see me miles away at night. They always say I look like a shining star, lighting up the darkness."

"Oh, I get it. I guess that gives you an upper hand on daemons, huh?" Iris leaned forward slightly, winking.

"Yeah, it does."

Almost right outside of Lestallum, Lorelai paused. She held an arm out, causing Iris to freeze. Listening closely, they could hear rustling on the right side of the road. Lorelai summoned her scythe, spinning it in her hand. She then jumped the railing next to the road, seeing the group of imps.

"There you are," she said with a smirk.

Many of them shrunk back at the light around her, making them easy targets. Though a few of them tried to hit her with small orbs of dark matter, she easily dodged and cut them up like the rest. It only took a few minutes for her to kill them all. She took a moment to catch her breath when she heard a low rumble behind her. Her eyes widened and she whirled around, seeing Iris stepping back in surprise at an iron giant that just emerged on the road. It raised its sword, ready to crush the girl.

"Iris!" Lorelai cried out, flinging her hand toward Iris. Her eyes glowed once more and a wall of light surrounded the brunette. The giant's sword came down, hitting against the barrier. Lorelai winced, the wall she created taking the blow instead of Iris. "Get away from it, hurry!" Lorelai commanded, causing Iris to quickly put some distance between the daemon and herself.

Lorelai leapt in, slicing the iron giant's arm, making it drop its sword. The light surrounding Lorelai made the daemon flinch and cover its face. She then hooked her blade into its stomach, propelling herself higher to face the creature. She plunged her blade into its head and slid down to its stomach, her blade screeching against its iron skin. Standing before the iron giant, she watched it fall back, shaking the ground under her feet. The corpse disintegrated into dark smoke and Lorelai's scythe disappeared in her hand.

Iris came rushing over, the light barrier fading around her. "Way to go, you kicked their asses!"

Lorelai laughed and flicked a few strands of her hair. "I know. I am amazing, aren't I?"

The two girls both laughed and headed back to Lestallum. Lorelai finally let the orb of light disperse since the lights of the town cut through the darkness. Lorelai reported back to the tipster and was paid a decent amount. Iris then took her back to the hotel, immediately telling Talcott all about the hunt and how skilled Lorelai was.

"Wow, Miss Lorelai, you really took down an iron giant?!" Talcott asked, full of excitement and awe.

She smiled and stretched her arms. "Yep, it was easy. Not a problem for any skilled hunter. Now, if you don't mind, I'd like to get cleaned up before bed."

While Iris and Talcott talked, Lorelai went to the bathroom. She took a quick bath before enjoying a Cup Noodles with her new friends. Once it was time for bed, Iris found it odd the way Lorelai kept a dimly lit lamp next to her bed. She questioned it, but Lorelai simply told her that it helped her sleep at night. Iris didn't ask again.

Lorelai wasn't lying. Having a little light near her let her sleep soundly. But she wasn't going to tell Iris or anyone else why. She feared that she would be mistaken for a coward if people knew the truth. She pushed the thoughts out of her mind so she could rest. After all, she had a big hunt to take care of the next day.