Emily

Personal Info

Born into wealth, Emily had the finest education and developed decent combat skills. But unlike most silver-spoon types, she cared more about training than chasing fame or fortune.
Too bad, due to her sheltered upbringing and naive nature, she was exploited by shady Explorers when first arriving in the Abyss. Lured by sales pitch like "We'll give you real training!" "Guaranteed power-leveling," she found herself saddled with brutal missions and nearly lost her life on one occasion.
When things went south, those "allies" vanished without a trace, leaving her behind in exchange for their own safety.
Fortunately, Emily is stubborn. Through sheer grit (and a dash of luck), she clawed her way out alive.
The ordeal made her extremely cautious about joining any squad. Even invitations from top-tier ones now wouldn't prompt an immediate decision.

Chronicles

Let's just say that Miss Emily has her very own brand of humor. Takes every joke at face value.
Once, she was a big admirer of one of us and asked him for training tips. The man told her to do a thousand bunny hops and sword swings daily.
Which is clearly a joke, but she actually did it! The prankster apologized, but the fact that it was just a prank crushed her even more.
Some call her overly earnest. Me? I find it endearing. If only she would join our team. I'd kill to have someone like her around.
— An Exploration Team Leader

Growing up, our parents were always busy, so Emily was practically glued to my hip. Meals, naps, you name it.
I even taught her early combat drills. And well, she was hopeless. Even mastering the simplest techniques took dozens of repetitions.
Eventually, our parents hired her a proper tutor just to stop our bickering. After that, we trained separately.
When I left for the Abyss, she begged to come. I refused.
Not because I didn't want her. Back then, I could barely protect myself, let alone her. Plus, Mom and Dad would've skinned me alive for bringing her along!
— Susan

Emily's always idolized Susan. Copied her clothes, toys, and even her meals, whether they suited her or not.
Same with training. But you know, they say the Guild wasn't built in a day! How could a beginner match Susan's level?
But that stubborn streak keeps her going. Once she makes up her mind, nothing stops her. She'd sob through drills, all to catch up with Susan.
... If only she'd see her life is hers to live. She doesn't have to be anyone else.
— Emily's Mother

Record

After extending an invitation to Emily, the team waited nearly a month without a reply.
Some members suspected the message might not have reached her, while others took it as a polite "no."
Just as they debated whether to visit her in person, Miss Emily stood at the base...

During her initial missions, Emily grew frustrated by her clumsy teamwork.
However, she didn't vent her feelings on others; she blamed her own inability to keep up with the team's pace, and forced herself to train extra after every mission.
Some members felt Emily was being too harsh on and impatient with herself, and worried it might lead to other issues.
But before long, her intensive training started to pay off. The hesitation vanished; confidence took its place.

Later, members close to Emily spilled the truth that her earlier depression stemmed not just from dissatisfaction with her skills; she had been terrified of being abandoned by the team.

Anecdote

Emily and her sister shared no similarities whatsoever, aside from the red satin ribbon on her left wrist.
Even that ribbon... While her sister used it to tie her hair, Emily wore it around her wrist, determined to maintain at least this visible difference. The accessory was a childhood birthday gift from her sister, one for each of them.

Several days ago, when Miss Susan came to visit, Emily noticed the missing ribbon from her hair.
Though she said nothing at first, she couldn't hide her concern, stealing frequent glances at Susan throughout the visit.
Her distraction showed. She even missed when Susan brought up those embarrassing childhood stories.
Only at parting did Emily muster the courage to "casually" mention it. Learning that "the ribbon was lost in battle" left her visibly crestfallen.

After Susan left, Emily removed her own ribbon and stared at it for a long time, wrestling with whether to keep wearing it.
Yet in the end, she retied it around her wrist, pulling it even tighter than before.
"Hmph! This ribbon is one-of-a-kind now! No reason to throw it away!"
Miss Emily declared this boldly, but the loneliness and disappointment on her face was palpable.

"That idiot little sister of mine probably just said something like 'mine is one-of-a-kind now,' didn't she? Hahaha!"
"Sure, it was just some scrap fabric from Mom's old dress. Nothing special really. But since Emily shared hers with me, you bet I'd never lose it."
Of course, Emily didn't see Miss Susan retie her red ribbon the moment she left the team's base...
Nor would she learn about Susan's words until much later, leaving her equal parts furious, flustered, and secretly overjoyed...