"..."
(︶)
Annie ignored their instinctive exclamations, complaints, and grumbling, as if she hadn't heard them—or, rather, as if she had heard them but simply didn't care. She hadn't taken any of it to heart.
(...)
(;￢￢)
She just strolled straight over to the campfire with light steps. First, she curiously eyed the little animals roasting over the flames—the chickens, rabbits, and whatever else, all golden-brown and glistening with oil. She even leaned in to sniff them before turning to the people who were still standing warily and greeting them with a cheerful grin:
"What a coincidence! We meet again!"
(^o^)/
"Are you having a... picnic? Or trying to survive in the wilderness?"
|▽)
"..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
Seeing that Annie didn't seem hostile and was alone, the group gradually relaxed a little, though they didn't completely lower their weapons.
Then the young female cultivator, who looked about eighteen or nineteen and had delicate features, took half a step forward. She studied Annie for a while before asking in a fairly calm, if surprised, voice:
"Little girl, what brings you here in the middle of the night?"
"Did you get separated from your family?"
"Or are you lost?"
Since she had seen Annie earlier aboard that enormous cloud-skimming skyship, she'd assumed that Annie was a young lady from a wealthy family who had sneaked out to play by herself and gotten lost or something.
"Not at all! How could I possibly get lost?"
(▽｀)
Annie just waved a hand, then made herself at home. She found a clean, flat rock by the campfire and sat down. Still watching the little animals roasting over the flames, she patted the spot beside her, gesturing as if she were the host and they were the guests.
Then she spoke, not at all