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Faith in the Spirits Arc 1: To Align the Stars


Mercenary on the Winds
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Miria nodded before taking a seat with Tanya at the table. She pondered at the menu for a bit as she looked, excitement building up in her. She was excited for some 'Listian' food. Maybe a new thing for her to try.

Her eyes locked onto something that almost made her jump. She remembered the delicious crab, and her heart nearly began to race.

"Ooh ooh, um--" She took a moment to calm herself. "The chili stew? Can I get two of those please? And a big jug of water." 

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"Altair Knights..." Renais repeated as she took note of his status. While she was confident the group wouldn't get into trouble, she still hoped it would stay that way. "Alright, thank you for answering..." She nodded her head at the knight as he walked in. She turned to Syn. "Well, let's not keep Miria and Tanya waiting." She walked in after him and found Miria and Tanya already ordering their meals. "...just two bowls? You must not be that hungry." She joked, but Renais has seen what Miria could do at the dinner table. "I'll just take one bowl and a glass, please." She sat near Miria.

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The knight answered Syndra's questions and then promptly went inside. "Well he seems to be all business doesn't he? At least the rest of our group have avoided trouble so far." Renais then turned to her and said to join her inside with Miria and Tanya. "Well, I could go for a nice meal I suppose." Syndra walked into the tavern and sat down with her group, "A beef stew if you have it please."

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Blanc nodded at the girls, quickly scribbling down their requests on a piece of paper. Not before raising an eyebrow at the young girl who had excitedly asked for the chili stew. That was one a rare ask; often said to be hot to the point of drowning the rest of the taste out. Blanc himself had tried it once, and he could only stare at his brother and sister in horror as he did. Well, that was neither here nor there. Blanc wasn't going to turn down someone who seemed so excited for it, and the feline had asked to match the girl's ask. He wouldn't mind seeing the fireworks. 

Blanc looked at the knight, neutral face once more, "I'll go place these orders inside, and be back for you, sir."

He quickly disappeared back into the doorway that he'd appeared from. 


The Tigers made good use of the time that they had been gifted through their quickened arrival. Liste was quiet, and only getting quieter as the evening finally started to roll in. The heat from the sun's rays started to dissipate. Elisa and Tio had arrived at Sarasin's home after a fairly long trek up the mountain, nearly another hour's trip. So far no messenger had been sent back. However, there was something approaching. The hooves of horses, and the creaking of wagons slowly moved their way towards their destination. 

The knight in the lead looked over his shoulder, making sure that the wagons were still as hemmed in as they were supposed to be. Surely none of the half-breeds were stupid enough to try and escape, but he had thought the same about Hecatia ever being attacked. The days since had proven that wrong, so it was prudent to be as meticulous as possible. Leave no chance for openings lest they exploit it.  

"We're near Liste now, aren't we?" 

One of the other knights pulled up alongside him, "Yes, commander. We're about half an hour away." 

The man grinned. Even with the sun starting to go down, it was still quite warm. If this excursion turned out to be nothing, then he and his order would have a place to rest. Admittedly, he knew nothing about Liste, aside from the fact that this caravan had been on its way there. With all that was occurring, they couldn't take any chances, and the wolf from before had convinced him that perhaps there was something there. Absolutely any clouded, or clouded sympathizer could be involved. 

"Bring the wolf up here, and be sure to warn him that if he pulls anything funny, we'll torch him and these wagons." 

The other knight saluted, and then returned to the wagons. He exhaled a breath, wondering for a moment. He and his order had been commanded to sweep the providence east. Apparently, their target fled to east after stealing something from the Axios Hall. If these people were involved in some manner, they would likely be quite skilled. Breaking into the Axios Hall was something that many thieves both dreamed of, and died for, attempting. The reports were all muddled, but there was exactly one thing that was clear: There was a Pegasus Rider among them, and they, along with a small retinue of fighters, managed to break in, and steal an artifact. His thoughts were broken up, by the sounds of footsteps, and struggling. He looked over his shoulder once more, to see the blue furred mutt being brought towards him by three knights. 

"Sorry for the wait, Captain Maraval." The knights kept their hands on the dog, as they basically dragged him along with the movement of Maraval's horse. 

Maraval ignored the knights, looking exclusively at the young man in their grasp. "Hah. You're suddenly a lot quieter now. Lost a lot of your bark, haven't you?" He chuckled before he switched gears, glaring at the captive, "Let me ask you again. The others in the caravan said that you had just showed up, and you seemed content to argue with me and my knights. With everything happening, I have reason to believe that you're involved with the thieves in some manner, and are traveling to Liste for reasons aligned with that. Tell me what you know, boy, and maybe we can work something out." 

Edited by Mercenary on the Winds
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While Üllr had a mind to just keep shouting at the knights, the distress present in the others among the carriage was fairly contagious. Breaking a fight in there would be a mess to him --not that his odds were any better outside, but maybe an escape would prove itself?

Being escorted by three of the knights, none too fond of his face by their expressions, Üllr met what he assumed was their leader again, a man ever too quick to sling taunts. Meeting his eyes, the wolf clouded tried to make sense of his words... unfortunately, the man seemed to jump to conclusions beyond what he understood. "I'm not a thief. I don't know who stole what, but you got the wrong person. I've been living on my own." The usual frustrations from being treated with such suspicion were a bit galvanized when he was encircled by humans, Üllr couldn't help raising his guard some --guys like these weren't bound to listen to him.

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Maraval's eyes narrowed as her studied the mutt. Perhaps the wellbeing of the other passengers had finally gotten to him. Still, his evasiveness was telling. "I never said that you were the thief. We at least have an idea of who the main mastermind is. A Pegasus rider, and forgive me, I don't think you could tame a horse much less a pegasi. However, that doesn't absolve you of being party to it." He shook his head, "Make no mistake, boy. You are the only unknown element here. You argued with my knights, and you are the only one who has no one to confirm who you are, or where your from. Not only that, I have no idea why you're heading to Liste." 

Maraval started to reach for the blade at his side, and then stopped. He looked at one of the knights dragging Ullr along. "You said that we're about 30 minutes away, yes?" 

"Shorter now, sir." 

The man grinned, and then looked at Ullr, "If it wasn't obvious, I don't believe you. Frankly, I don't believe any of you. If what I was told about Liste makes any sense, then the supplies in this caravan are almost in excess. This... Sarasin is a well known merchant, he wouldn't make a call like this without a reason, and to find that it is a bunch of ha--" He cleared his throat, stifling the venom tipped word that had risen, "Clouded. Clouded, in this caravan after Axios hall was attacked by a gaggle of them. I'm sure you can see just how I've come to this conclusion, yes?" In truth, it was a stretch. There weren't many leads on their escaped thief, and so the Regent and Captain Celine--begrudingly on her end, he heard--had authorized the halting and search of any clouded or monster caravans. They were working quite blind, and if things didn't work out, they had the backing of the Regent anyway. "I would suggest that you drop the act, and begin talking to me. You'll be dragged all the way to Liste like this, I don't mind, and I'm sure the knights don't mind, either. I'd also say that you shouldn't be placing such kind individuals at risk with your lies. Who knows what might happen to them?" 

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"...so you're holding me because you think I know a thief?" Üllr wasn't the best with words, but he wasn't slow, this seemed to be a case of those knights not liking his face and hoped it would get them somewhere. "Being a 'Pegasus Rider' doesn't tell me anything about that person, they could be a human for all I know, and I try not to hang out with those." Truth be told, he didn't know many people at all, let alone Pegasi riders, that was an easy way to cut his patience short.

"I heard Liste had more people like me. It's hard to find a place like that, so of course I'd want to go there. That's my reason." Glaring in return, Üllr kept his guard up, fully expecting to be scrutinized until they arrived. Of course, the man had to strike a nerve, claiming Üllr was putting the others in danger. "Grr..." He had to stop himself and take a breath. Realizing the knight was just adding pressure. "I'm not going to make a story up just to please your lazy ass. Go find that thief yourself."

 

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The boy started started to break ever so slightly, but he managed to catch himself. "You're under suspicion, yes. I suppose you're correct about the rider perhaps being human, but I'm sure that even someone like you knows. Knows that Pegasus are incredibly rare outside of Lufiria. Riders, then, are almost exclusively Lufirian, with the few outside being wealthy nobles with underground connections." He didn't know anything else about the rider. So even if he had wanted to tell the boy, he couldn't. Maravel then chuckled, "Fine then. That's what we were going to do anyway. Drag him here, I'd prefer to keep an eye on him. Then once we get to Liste... we can use him to flush out any potentials. There are more people like him there, after all. I hope he doesn't mean more Hecatian traitors then." He looked at Ullr with a sickening smile, "Pick up the pace. The young man needs to see how us 'lazy asses' work. Maybe he'll open up then." 

The man cracked the reins, and urged his horse to move at a prance. As the calls for the other knights to move faster started to sound. Damned half-breeds... 

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"Lufirian?" Truth be told, Üllr wasn't that aware of the intricacies of pegasi and foreign policy. He did have some understanding that Lufiria was a very hard to get place. On the other hand, it seemed he was right on the money that this guy had no idea who the thief was. "Maybe you should check up on those nobles then." It was pointless to keep bickering with this guy when he was grasping at strays (and frustratingly confident of it, too). Instead, they seemed fit to keep Üllr close, to which he could only sigh. "I meant clouded..." He could only wonder what they intended to do, drag him around the place as a prop? A fitting waste of time for a bunch of dunces grasping at nothing.

Still, he knew well it wouldn't stop there. Surrounded, he was in a bad position if they decided they were fed up with him, but maybe they'd get preoccupied while in Liste...

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The guard sighed as evening rolled in. She stretched the small, white wings on her back ending with a yawn. Being a guard paid rather well, but it was largely boring work. Micheal hadn't returned from escorting the Evokers up to Sarasin's place just yet. Though, it was more likely that he'd stopped by Blanc's place to get a drink and some food. She never quite understood why Sarasin's place was so far away from the main town, but it wasn't really something she worried about. As long as Sarasin was amiable to the clouded, and to Liste more specifically, she wouldn't mind what a human merchant did with their own money. She was a little disappointed that she hadn't gotten to speak with the newcomers. They seemed rather intriguing, and if they were working with people as important as the Evokers, they had to be competen--

"Huh?" 

The guard perked up as she heard horses, and the creaking of a wagon--no, multiple wagons? She squinted her eyes to see an abnormally large caravan approaching, and with Altair Knights at the head. "Oh heck." She turned to look for Micheal, hoping that the chief guard was on his way back. The feline man was walking back towards her now completely unaware of what was approaching. 

"Hey, Micheal! Get over here!" The woman called, "You're gonna want to see this!" 

Micheal popped his head up from the drink that was in his hand, and hurried over. Just as one of the horsemen started to break from the caravan. 

"What in th--" 

"Is this the town of Liste?" The Knight asked, his gaze bouncing between the two. 

"It certainly is, but who's askin'?" 

"I'm sure you know who we are, but the reason we're here, is because of those wagons." The Knight pointed back towards a group of wagons in the distance, also surrounded by more knights. 

"Uhhh, yes, we are expecting supplies..." Micheal's eyes then fell on a group of knights at the front of the pack. They appeared to be apprehending a young man. Micheal pointed at them, "What's with th' boy?" 

The Knight nodded, completely ignoring the final question from the feline man. He waved at one of the knights, and that knight nodded. With a crack of that man's reins, the caravan started moving towards the gate. 

"You will need to take us inside, sir. People with this caravan are currently under suspicion of aiding in an attack on Hecatian soil. As the Knight of Altair, we cannot overlook the possibility that the people who requested these supplies are also in league."

The avian woman tilted her head as if the man in front of her had just morphed into an unrecognizable demon. "I'm sorry? What attack? No one has hear--" 

"Then I'm sure that none of you will have any issue with allowing us to check into things. The faster we get this done, the faster you all can return to whatever it is you do here." 

With that, the messenger's horse pushed on past the pair, with the convoy following behind. 

"Hell... Nika, hurry on back, let th others know about what's going on... and head te th' inn. Look for a tall Feline gal... this has the scent o' trouble..." 

"Gotcha... be careful." 

The avian girl hurried after the horseman, quickly overtaking him and heading back into town. Hurrying along, passing by the wagons in the center, she shouted at the other guards across the square. "Hey, look alive! Something's going on, wait here in the square, the supplies are here, along with some knights..." She turned, and continued darting towards the Inn. She quickly pushed opened the door without bothering to knock, "Persica! Persica, is there a tall feline woman here?!" Nika stopped, took a breath, and lowered her voice a little. She realized that she had been almost shouting just then, "There's something going on outside, and it's over these supplies... Micheal told me to find someone here." 


Maraval looked over at Ullr, as the caravan started moving in towards the square. "Last chance to say something, boy. We'll find your treachery whether you say anything or not." The man cocked a brow as a feline man approached, the same one that his lieutenant had been speaking with. "You understand our situation, do you no--" 

"Release th' boy." 

"I'm sorry?" 

"Release th' boy. Ye just have questions, don'tcha?" 

Maraval shook his head, "He's under suspicion, I won't be releasing him. Not until I'm sure that he, and you, have nothing to do with it." 

Micheal's eyes narrowed at Maraval, "At least, let th' boy stand on his own. No one here has any idea about any attack, or anything, so I don't think ye'll be finding what ye're looking for." 

"We'll see. We're the knights here." He turned to his men, "Let him stand. He knows better than to run, or fight." 

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Sixteen yawned, her tail rapping against the wood of the inn's porch slightly. She'd gotten her room sorted out with the inn lady and Natalya-- she'd be sharing with Alriana --then decided to take a nap in a spot of shade that the awning over the inn's entrance was lucky enough to provide. Her nap was disturbed as someone came running over to the bunny that ran things, her eyes slowly opening and glancing over towards them both. She stretched out, got on all fours, stretched her spine like a cat, down and up, finally picking herself up to standing. With one claw rubbing gently at an eye, she yawned again on her approach. "Mmm, what's going on, Persica...?" She'd caught the rabbit's name when they were sorting rooms, having offered her back a quick, 'I'm Sixteen,' during the exchange.


Alvira had managed to find herself a snack while roaming around the town, idly nibbling on the little pastry, when commotion broke out near the entrance. "What the...?" Liste was so small and sleepy, what could possibly be going on? There was likely still someone at their wagons, so she started making her way over there.


"Mmmmhhnn... Ahhhh~" A stretch, a sigh, a shiver... The shade of the wagon had made Siorel a little chilly, slowly picking herself up and gravitating towards the nearest source of heat... which seemed to be a person. As her tired eyes slowly opened better, Cinaed’s back came into view. She blushed just a little, but smirked, sliding her arms over his shoulders and squishing up against him in a hug. "I didn't know you were this warm... This is lovely~ Morning..."

Edited by Mel the DM
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Dance Recital

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It had taken several hours for her to finish it, but Siorel had managed to put together the dress she’d had in her mind. She could add a few things to it after they’d reached a larger, more mercantile based city. For now, it was all black, as she’d planned, with a rather wide and open top, straps running up into a semi harness that all connected to chokers around her neck and over her shoulders. It was a little intricate, but that was fine, she appreciated the fine details of these things. The dress stopped just below her waist, leaving space for her thighs to be on full display, still covered by her shorts. She’d always planned to wear it with them, though the tank top had left once she’d had things fitting onto her.

What was covering her lower half was a caped skirt that went all the way over her tail, down to her ankles. Only from behind, though. A pair of long socks had been fetched at some point for change, finally ending in a pair of dancing shoes that Siorel had kept with her this whole time. She didn’t have many belongings, but these were her most prized possession. The only touch she’d added to her original plans had been Cinaed’s idea to lace the edges in a lovely red string with a few patterns around the corners, looking like little bursts of flame. Quite the handy work…

“Okay~ I feel so much more at home, now… It’s been quite a while since I’ve been dressed up to dance properly.” Her hair had been pushed out of the left side of her face with her hair pin, her right eye still covered by her bangs, the rest of her hair left long and running down her back. “Now…” She stepped off the wagon, giving the ground a few testing taps, in a very clear rhythm. She didn’t bother waiting for Cin’s interest in her dancing, starting to move her legs without thinking further.

Cin waited patiently outside the wagon, making sure no one else was approaching it, not wanting to have someone walk in on Siorel as she was getting ready. He’d seen the dress when they’d worked on the fitting, but the effect had been altered by the tank top and shorts. It would be interesting to see what it looked like all finished. Speaking of, here she was, black cape swirling around her as she moved to the ground, warming up. “Ah, so that’s the finished product!”

It really was lovely, though quite... flattering, to her various assets. He could feel his cheeks warming up as he tried not to stare at the display, focusing instead on her face. “It looks quite good on you, I must say. It suits you somehow. Though perhaps a different pattern than a flame, hmm. Well, maybe after I see you dance, I can say better. After all, you can always remove embroidery and replace it.” Some compared certain ways of dancing to flames, so perhaps it would suit her after all, but he worried it was too much of his influence on the design and something else might work better. For now though, he settled back against the wagon, ready to watch what she had already started. “So is your dance a flame or a something else, I wonder...”

“It’ll set your heart on fire, that’s for sure~” Siorel didn’t look at him, but she still smirked in his direction from his voice, feet tapping and clapping against the ground. She started to move, her shoes creating a rhythm, a beat, deciding the pace of her dancing and the whole performance. Slowly she began to turn, spins, her arms flowing with the motions, her tail carrying the cape of her dress along, as her feet didn’t miss a single note. She was off in her own little world, picking up the pace, hearing the music in her head even if the only instrument being played at the moment was percussion. 

The next motion happened so quickly, it almost seemed intentional. Her foot came down, right on her tail, flipping out from under her. She started to fall, but with a kick off from her other foot she managed to curve herself, hands hitting the ground, performing a flip and landing without issue, continuing back on her previous pattern, clacks and taps only getting faster, building up to an eventual end… Until she finally slammed them both down one after the other, striking a pose with her arms up. She took a deep breath, sighed, finally opened her eyes, and smiled over at Cinaed. “There~ That’s good practice… I’ll be ready as ever for the performance later.”

Cin was stunned, watching as Siorel twirled and spun, dancing to the beat of an unheard music. But somehow, as he watched, it was almost like he could start to hear the beat of distant drums, sounding out the rhythm of her dance. He found himself leaning forward, watching the swirl of black and yellow, with hints of red peeking out at various points. He was fully entranced, reminded of Marianne’s dance back when they first arrived in Hecatia. The two were similar yet completely different at the same time, but both dances had pulled him in completely.

The pattern broke suddenly, as Siorel suddenly flipped, a motion that seemed to have been triggered by her stepping on her own tail. He couldn’t tell if it was intentional or not, though if it was, it seemed like a more painful move than necessary, surely she didn’t need to step on her own tail to do a flip... She recovered quickly enough though, building the move seamlessly enough that maybe it was a part of the routine. He quickly fell back into staring as she twirled again, only snapping back to his senses when she ended with a slam, arms up. He couldn’t help but start to applaud, a huge smile on his face. “Wow. That was. Amazing. I’m sure you’ll impress the Commander and the others. And I think flames might be the right fit after all. There’s a fire in that dance that I don’t know I’ve ever seen before.

"Heheh~" Siorel smiled as she stepped back over to the wagon and sat herself next to him, stretching her legs out. "I'm glad you enjoyed it… I get to go into my own little world when I dance. It's a pretty wonderful experience and the only way I can make it better is by sharing it with other people. For your eyes only, this time~ Hopefully a private show wasn't too overwhelming… Though, sorry for the trip there." 

Her tail slipped out from under her dress, hands moving to gently pat the spot she'd stepped on. "All the dances I ever learned were human dances, so the choreography didn't account for tails. I try to be conscious of it, but… Well. You saw. I always manage to salvage it, but it is a little embarrassing…" For the first time she blushed a little, hiding her face behind her bangs even more. "Promise you won't tell your group I messed up?" She leaned a little closer and held out a pinky, giving him a little pout from under her face's hiding place.

“Of course I enjoyed it! Watching you dance...” He was at a loss, unable to find words that he felt could truly explain the joy her dance had made him feel. Unable to explain how wonderful it was to watch someone do something that they so clearly loved to do. Especially after the last week or so, it was nice to see someone do something so harmless, so fun. And then there was the other part he refused to admit, the part she was teasing at, the fire the dance seemed intended to ignite in him. He would be a liar if he tried to claim he hadn’t felt anything from the dance, but he was doing his best to ignore that right now. “You have to share this with the rest of our group. Really. It was amazing.”

She started trying to apologize for her trip, explaining that the dances she performed didn’t account for a tail, but he was already shaking his head. “No, no. Don’t apologize. You managed to recover so well, I barely even noticed it.” And then she was blushing, hiding her face, and demanding a promise from him. The sudden closeness, combined with her pout, had him blushing to match hers, and he reached out, hooking his pinky around hers. “O-of course. I wouldn’t dream of telling. Why would I when the dance was still amazing?”

She smiled. It was small, genuine, maybe a little vulnerable. Siorel wasn't a fan of messing up in front of the audience. "You're a real sweet guy, Cin. Thanks a bunch." She leaned back and gave him back his space, resting against the wagon's driving seat. "So… What should we do with the rest of our day? Relax? Eat something? Sleep? Maybe you can show me that fire of yours, if you're interested… I've seen a lot of magic, but not a lot of dragons. Maybe you do something special~"

“A-ah, of course.” For far from the first time, Cinaed was grateful for his darker skin’s ability to hide a blush. He could feel the heat in his cheeks as she settled away from him, back into her space on the front of the wagon. “It’s hardly anything to thank me for, though. I’m sure anyone would do the same thing. After all, you were nice enough to show me your dance, how could I be rude enough to tell on you after that?”

As she moved into planning out the rest of her, or well, their day, one request stood out to him. “Well, you showed me your talent, I guess it would be impolite for me to not return the favor.” He stood up, moving carefully away from the wagons to the empty space where Siorel had shown her skills. “Mmm, I mostly use fire for fighting, but I suppose I could show off a little bit too.”

He held out both hands, eyes closed, steadying his breath before summoning two flames into the air above his palms. It was trickier to do what he wanted to do with two spells at once, but he did this with his attacks all the time. Surely he could do this as well. Slowly, but picking up the pace as he went, the flames started to change shape. First, they were simple geometric shapes, squares, diamonds, circles, but as he started to move his hands, the shapes began to change faster and in a more complex pattern. Swirling patterns moved, twisting after his hands, complex patterns that he then began to simplify. Soon, he had two rings of fire dancing around his arms, almost like fiery bracelets, as he began to add more. Two more, then again, and again, until he had five rings on both arms, sweat beginning to appear on his forehead as he concentrated. He reached down, appearing to grab the rings, arms crossed, before flinging his hands out to the sides, sending the spells flying in a rain of sparks, scattered out harmlessly into the open air.

“H-ha. Been a while. Since I’ve tried to do that many at once.” He took a few deep breaths. One last bit, he could do this. “Normally though, I use my magic like this.” His normal gauntlets of fire settled in around his hands, their glow comforting in a way. “I fight with my fists, never really got a handle on the more complex weaponry to my father’s disappointment, but I can combine that with my magic in a way that really amplifies the damage I can do. Not the most elegant of applications, to my mother’s disappointment, but it’s what works for me.”

"Oh my gosh!" Cinaed had taken his magic and performed a rather ridiculous technique. Not ridiculous in its display or how it looked, ridiculous in how difficult a feat it must have been. It had clearly taxed him, but it was incredibly impressive. Still…

While Siorel had clapped at the initial showing of things, her concern got the better of her, hopping off the wagon again and making her way over to him, shoes tapping the whole time. For a moment her eyes closed and she spun before reaching him, one final tap in front of him. They opened and with her hands held out towards his arms, her yellow spots flashed pink and the damage he'd done to himself began to heal.

"While that was definitely incredibly cool, you really didn't need to go that far just to show off… Even this," she looked down at his fists, "is already impressive enough… Gaw, lly, Cinaed." She shot him a wry smile, wondering why he'd gone so far for her. Definitely a cutie.

"Come sit down, I'll tend to your arms more… But, it's good to know one thing. All those muscles aren't just for showing off~ Big strong guy like you hits someone with that, and those arms? You'll send 'em flying~" She hopped back onto the wagon and patted the spot next to her, almost demanding he return so she could fix him up.

“Ah, well, I hope you lik-- oh!” His magic always taxed him. Leaving him tired, sore, a little bit battered. It was the nature of casting magic without a tome. The energy had to come from somewhere and he was the source. But when her spots flashed pink, suddenly things just didn’t hurt as much. He could feel himself breathing easier, the strain from using so many spells at once having eased.

“I-it’s just how my magic works. And you put so much effort into your dance, I felt it was only appropriate...” He shook his head, slowly following after he as she ordered him to come back and sit by her again. “I’m mostly used to the strain at this point. But you! What was that?” I’ve never seen anything like that. I would say it was like she was healing like how I use magic, but it doesn’t seem to have had any effect on her. He settled down on the wagon, blushing again as she started to tease him a little. “I’m fine, really. And, well, no, they aren’t for show I guess. But really, I’m not nearly as impressive as all that. When I combine my strength with my magical abilities, sure, but otherwise most people can manage a punch or two from me. Especially if they’re wearing armor.” He frowned. “Usually I just have to use my magic then, which is basically just cutting my power in half. But I do my best, I suppose.”

"I'm sure you're selling yourself short, Cinaed." Her eyes were closed again, spots once again flashing pink for a moment as she did her best to heal him further, squirming just a little. "Mmm… Not used to this without dancing…" Finished, she sighed, flopping back again, her assets shaking ever so slightly. "Me? It's something I was born with. Much prefer to do it when I'm dancing, but my scales and their magic can do all sorts of stuff~ Heal you, make you faster, make you hit harder… It doesn't especially tax me to do it. I think there's something there; I definitely feel it, but, like I'm sure you're feeling, this healing isn't anything grand. I've done it twice and I bet you're still a little tired." She sighed once more, stretching her arms out with a squeak.

"Ahh, good show, though~ I can't wait to see you in real combat. I'll make sure to give you a dance your whole body will remember." She winked, the implications not lost on her, even if not her intentions. "Bet that armor won't stand a chance."

“Maybe, I guess you’ll have to judge that for yourself.” He was looking down at her, watching her heal him, when she suddenly flopped back, with an obvious jiggle. He gulped, hard, and suddenly found the surrounding area significantly more interesting than the small lizard beside him. “S-still, I think you’re the one selling yourself short now. You can do so much, even if it’s just a small amount, that still can make a difference.” He glanced back down at her as she squeaked, wanting to make sure she was ok, but quickly found his gaze drawn down past her face before snapping it back away again. 

Not that her words were helping anything. He could feel the heat rising in his cheeks, threatening almost to burn him like his spells would, as he shook his head. “N-no, I suspect I won’t forget your dances any time soon. Especially if they can do everything you’re saying they can. Maybe you’re right and I’ll be able to handle armor easily. That would be useful for the group for sure.” Stop being an idiot, Cin. You barely know her and she’s just being friendly. Just. Focus on other things. Focus.

"... Hmhm." He was cute, he was honest. Maybe a little too honest, but it was something she could appreciate. "I don't mind if you look," she slipped out, looking away with a big smile on her face, "just don't touch~" That was enough to get the point across, Siorel picking herself up and climbing into the back of the wagon.

"Between all the travel, shopping and that dancing, I think a little nap is in order… Of course, if your boss comes back, feel free to wake me up, okay Cinnamon?" She stuck her tongue out at her silly nickname, flopping gently against the hardwood of the wagon, her tail trying to find a good spot to rest, eventually curling against her. "Shouldn't be out for more than an hour…"

“I didn’t- I mean, I wouldn’t- I mean.” He sighed, burying his head in his hands. “Y-yeah, sleep as well as you can back there. I’ll wake you up if the commander shows up.” He shook his head, muttering ‘Cinnamon’ to himself as he tried to collect his thoughts. Back to embroidery. It always calms you down. And you can work on Gean’s present. Gean. Focus on that. Pulling his head out of his hands, he slowly began to pick up where he had left off when he’d needed to abandon his work to help Siorel with her dress. Life had suddenly gotten more interesting in the span of a single afternoon, that was for sure.

 

Cin had almost fallen asleep himself, as he struggled to focus on the needlework in his hands. While the heat didn't affect him nearly as badly as most of the rest of the group, he couldn't deny that it did tempt him towards closing his eyes and enjoying a nap. But all of that temptation had vanished at the sound of horses coming through the gate and the call for the guards to pay attention because of the supplies and knights. He frowned, sitting up and looking around, spotting the well guarded caravan being escorted in, with a bunch of men surrounding a smaller furred figure at the front. He frowned, hands flexing as he looked around for Commander Natalya, suspecting that this caravan was their awaited supplies, and it seemed that it had brought trouble with it, if the avian guard's reaction was any indication.

Suddenly, his attention was pulled away from the activity in the square as a soft, comparatively cool body flopped onto back, arms wrapping around him as someone squished into him. "A-ah, Siorel. Hi. Uhm." His mind had basically gone blank at this point, completely unable to focus, flipping between the rapidly approaching situation, her words, and the feeling of having her leaning on him like she was. He finally managed to settle on the safest of the three options, and nodded, trying not to babble too much. "Yeah, I think it's a combination of being half fire dragon and just being as big as I am, but a lot of people have commented before that I basically radiate heat. I think it's part of why I can deal with the cold so well and then I have my fire dragon half to thank for being able to handle the heat. It's pretty convenient most of the time, though usually people shy away from me in weather like this. Ha. Uhm." He forced his mouth shut before he could ramble on too much more, waiting a few seconds to make sure it was safe to talk again, before commenting, "It looks like we might have trouble though. Knights are coming in, it looks like they're trying to seize the caravan that has our group's supplies or something, with the way they're escorting it. You might need to delay that dance demonstration you had planned for the Commander, Gean, and the others..."

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"Awww... Well, I can do another one later... Or show them how well I move if this becomes trouble~ Good to know you're such a heater though, Cinaed." She gave him another squeeze, giggling a little. "I'm cold blooded, you see. Part of the clouded side of me... So I reeeeeaaally hope we can keep getting along. Your warmth is absolutely wonderful~" Not bothered by the extra heat in the slightest, Siorel nuzzled up against him just a little tighter before finally letting him go. "Okay! Battery charged... Let's see what these knights want, yes?" She hopped over the separator between the back of the wagon and the front seat, jumping off the wagon and stretching again, arms up high, letting out a little squeak. "Ahhh~ So much better." The knife her tail was holding suddenly flicked it towards her hand, catching it masterfully in her palm. She spun it once and hid it against her wrist, palm closed, slowly walking towards the incoming group. "Just wanna have a friendly talk~"

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"I, don't, Siorel, uhm." He was lost for words again, as she squeezed up against him, rubbing up against him, calling him a heater and wonderful. "I mean, I hope we can get along too, you seem really nice, but. We just. A-ah, wait!" Before he'd managed to get anything coherent out, she'd hopped away, heading towards the knights with a promise of a friendly talk to find out what they wanted. But that promise was accompanied by a hidden knife. "We really should wait, I mean, we don't want to... Dammit." He made his own, less graceful, way out of the wagon, quickly catching up to her thanks to his longer stride. "Look, just. Promise me you'll be careful? I'm pretty sure we're going to get wrapped up in all of this no matter what we do but I'm also certain our employers would prefer we avoid a fight if possible. Since a bunch of Clouded and monster mercenaries fighting with the knights of the country wouldn't be the best message to send... I don't like the looks of this any more than you do, but we can't be the ones to start things. Ok?"

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"It's fine, it's fine~ I'm just going to talk, Cin. The implement is just... Self defense. Just in case~" With the clouded they were holding, Siorel had the impression that these knights weren't going to be as kind as Ferid had been. "I won't start anything. Promise. Yoohoo!"

Siorel continued over towards them, waving her right hand at them, left hand still palmed to hide the blade. "I can't say I've ever seen such a collection of knights all together in one place! To what do we owe the honors, sirs?"

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"Thank you again!" Miria saw herself out after her meal was finished. It was delicious, and she was full of energy! The heat was getting her blood pumping. Maybe a good workout later would sate her...

Miria's attention was caught as she noticed the squad of knights in the distance. She was excited to meet knights, but... there was an aching feeling she had. Something was off.

"Hey, uh... ladies? There's a bunch of knights outside." She called into the tavern for the rest of the gals.

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Syndra paid for her meal and got up from the table, but was then taken by Miria's comment. "Knights? The man Renais and I talked to said Sarasin didn't employ a knight corp. So why are there a bunch of them in a backwater like this place..." The timing of the knights' arrival felt odd to Syndra. "Let's go to the inn, the Commander and the others should hopefully be there. We need to tell them what's developing here."

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Gean leaned back against the wall of the inn room. After leaving Vira and Lani, she headed to the inn where she chose her room thanks to the bunny at the counter. Afterwards she located Tasha's room and got the commander up to speed on their trip. Now done with the necessary talking, Gean chose to just remain inside with Tasha and avoid the heat, the next best solution after the baths.

Looking out the window of the room Gean could see the wagons, and a certain dragon boy that had been on her mind lately. Then she noticed... Oh so he's met Siorel already. She moves fast. And now they're- Gean leaned forward some more as she saw the Clouded duo leave the group's wagons and approach what could be assumed as a supply caravan. One that was surrounded by knights.

"Hey Tasha, I think our supplies are here. Along with some extra company, cause I don't think Tio mentioned a knights escort." Maybe these people were with the Clouded guy from earlier? Luca had mentioned that while they were in the shop, and their armor seemed to be similar enough.

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Enough time had passed for Renais to finish he beef stew and pay up, she even had spare time to ask around about the piano. Eventually she got info about one from a friendly passerby. "...Sarasin's manor." She took a sigh. 'Of course it would be up there, I should have gone with Tio...' She didn't regret the time she spent with her fellow Tigers, but she really wanted to get this over with. So she approached the group slowly and was about to bring up her last minute hiking plans, but then Miria pointed out the knights ahead. "...ah." Another sigh. 'So close...it would be easy to believe it's just a passing platoon but...' Her eyes darted to the side. '...dammit. I had to be the only healer in this group...' "Alright, let's get to the inn then. I hope it's nothing serious..." Renais did her best, but she couldn't help but sound irritated.

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What Is Love, Lizard Don't Bite Me

Spoiler

Ingverd sighed as he sat outside, letting his hair rest, untied, drying off in the heat and the gentle wind of the slowly starting evening hours. He’d said a lot, perhaps too much, but even with all he’d said he’d heard the why at the end of Aly’s line of questioning. He figured that was it, then. She didn’t get what this was or why he even liked her. He’d just have to face that with a smile and let things go down as they would… It at least would help him decide things much more easily going forward.

Alriana exited the baths somewhat reluctantly, but she couldn’t linger in there forever even if she and her sister weren’t vulnerable to wrinkling. Sixteen had left ahead of her, citing a curiosity for their room arrangements, so she knew she’d better be going as well. The gentle breeze as she stepped outside was nice, though she hadn’t expected to see Ingverd still around to enjoy it as well. Given how he’d retreated in the baths she’d thought him long gone, yet here he was. She still had questions about love, about his feelings for her; she’d only ended up going in circles trying to understand things herself in the baths. She approached him, standing a few feet away. “Hello.”

"... Hey. Hey, Aly." Ingverd managed a small smile, but he could feel a tension in the air between them. Maybe it was only him, but he could feel it. Looking at her was suddenly very difficult. "Let's, uhm. We should find somewhere to sit and talk. I think… Maybe there's a bench around town, or… Something." There might have been people at the wagons, so going there wasn't a given. "Sorry for confusing you with everything I said… I did, mean it all, though." He got up and started to walk, brushing some of his hair out of his face. "So whatever you want to ask… Go for it."

“Mhmm.” She agreed enough with what he was saying to voice her approval, following along as he set out for a place with a small amount of privacy. There was no reason to wait with her questions, still unknowing enough to not care about who overheard. “Why do you feel that way about me? Desire to be intimate with me? We have not known each other for long. Certainly not long enough to be family.”

 “Eh, haha… Family. That’s something that comes later…” He ran a hand into his hair and sighed, staring up at the sky for a second. “Being intimate with someone isn’t… Meant to become family, Alriana. I don’t know who raised you, but… I guess they didn’t explain this all too well.” There was a bench nearby, as he’d hoped, bringing himself to it and sitting down, petting the spot next to him in the hope she’d at least sit down.

“It’s about… Closeness. Intimate gestures. Hugging, kissing… Wanting to be with and take care of that person. You say we haven’t known each other long enough for that… But I disagree. You’ve told me plenty about your life… Your thoughts, this… Inherent freedom your life owns that I can’t help finding beautiful even if I’m a little jealous. Not to mention that you’re far and beyond attractive… As a woman. Even if your teeth scare me just a little bit~”

He hoped that would bring a little brevity to things. Aly could smile, she’d even laughed before. She understood that much. “So… Yeah. Yeah, I’d like to get closer to you. Know more. Do more. Does that mean family? Maybe down the line… These things never start there. We have to see if we like each other enough to last that long, after all… And I know that I annoy you plenty with how I like to put on airs. So I’m… I’m, doing my best to stop, being ‘Ingverd’, around you. Doing my best to be Versaris…”

“Grelbiria didn’t tell me much about love, she was satisfied so long as I remained docile. She smiled a lot and pet my head, but never explained anything.” She stared at the seat he invited her to take, as if weighing her options, but still took it without much delay. She stared up at him as he, she assumed, gave his reasoning for why he desired to become intimate with her. Immediately, and somewhat worryingly, her mind jumped to doubt his claim of knowing her well enough to justify his feelings. Would he still feel the same if he knew what I think about everyday? Sixteen knows more than he does and I met her today…

“Mrrhh…” She shook her head, a small growl accompanying it. The self and general doubt was new and not appreciated in the slightest. Just, focus on something else… “What does it mean to be attractive? Why does it matter that it’s as a woman?” His attempt at brevity was, unfortunately, stonewalled by Alriana’s own ignorance. “Not the only one scared by my teeth. Would be more weird if you weren’t.”

“…You still haven’t told me why you feel this way towards me, unless that ties into the freedom my life has, and whatever being attractive means.“ A small huff left the lizard, growing frustrated. Not at Ingverd, or rather Versaris, but at how difficult it was to try to tackle all of this head on like she’d done back in Eibar.                     

“Attractiveness… It’s, just… Why your body… There’s no polite way to say this, why it turns me on. Makes my heart race. Gets me excited. Your curves, your eyes, your teeth sometimes, even if I’m afraid… Your tail, and everything that it means…” He felt himself getting redder as he spoke. “L-Look, it’s… A lot of attractiveness is physical, but it’s your personality too. You’re blunt and unafraid to speak your mind. You get mad easily, but I just see that as you being honest. Not trying to hide how you feel… It’s… I like it, alright? Sue me…” He sighed, shaking his head.

“As a woman, I just… Mean… Are you not? Are you actually a man? Something in between? That doesn’t matter to me… Hmph… Maybe you don’t think it’s enough, but I really value that freedom. I told you before, that I’m tied down… And it’s to my family.” He swallowed hard, leg starting to shake, a nervousness entering him. “They’re… A family of spies and assassins, Alriana. Heh, Gods, I’ve not told anyone that shouldn’t know about this, aahhh… I’ve been trained to kill ever since I was small. It’s… It’s starting to weigh on me. My teacher, Jeremiah, despite his work being very similar to mine… He has a wife and a family of his own. Call me sentimental, but I really… I want, that. I want that sort of happy and content life.”

He took her hand, giving it a little squeeze, finally looking at her. He wasn’t confident, for once. “Maybe I’m jumping some gun, Alriana, but I… I really, want to believe in the feelings I experience when I see you. When I talk to you. When you tell me more about yourself. I want to believe that there’s something here for us… If you think I’m wrong then… Just, say so. But I think you’re beautiful. I think your freedom is beautiful. I want to share it with you, if you’ll have me… Aly.”

“I excite you?” She wanted to tack on a ‘why’ there, even though he had gone on to list her physical qualities, and her personality, as a reason. She just failed to understand why the reasons he listed were enough to excite him. She was just herself, and she only thought of herself as boring. “Why does saying this make you embarrassed? Why is this embarrassing?” Was stating how you were feeling something to be embarrassed about? Should she be feeling embarrassed for being so open with her feelings? If she was, she didn’t care. Stuttering and tripping over words wasn’t for her.

He had missed the meaning of her other question, though Alriana lacked the understanding to explain what she had been asking without merely repeating the question. “Pretty sure I’m woman,” she huffed at him, even as his nervousness started to show. “Why are you telling me then…?” She didn’t expect an answer to that question, merely giving voice to it rather than let it sit in her head.

She stared up at him as her took her hand, matching his look with her usual stoic face. “Have you for what? A lover? A date? I still don’t know what you want from me.” Alriana was slowly becoming annoyed that Versaris was acting on a lot more knowledge than she had, but she was doing her best to hide it since he was being genuine with her. “You should start over, and explain what you want and what you’re doing so I can understand better.”

"I…" He hadn't quite expected it to go this way, but Alriana was anything else but normal, so maybe he should have. He leaned back and stared off again, trying to piece together how to put this. "Mmm… Okay… Let's, start with the first why, okay. I'm telling you because, you wanted me to before. I was too afraid to, but… I want out of that life. If I'm going to get out of it and live something closer to a normal life, I should just start being honest with you now, instead of having it come up when it's outside of my control. Does that make sense?" It did to him, but there was no guarantee it would transfer.

"As… For what I want– I know you don't get why this is embarrassing, but you're really killing me here…" He hid his face behind his free hand for a moment and sighed into it, leaning his head back further and starting straight up. "All of the above? One at a time? Yes, I'd like to date you. I'd like that to turn into lovers, and everything else past that… hoo, geez…" He could feel how red his face was getting, only surviving in the knowledge that no one else was hearing him right now.

"Is… There anything else you want me to clarify, Aly? Ask me now, because if I stop talking so openly, I might not start again. Gods…"

“Mhhm. It does.” She understood that at least, even if she hadn’t expected an answer to that ‘why’. Why it mattered when she found out was less clear, but it had been information she wanted to know so she wasn’t going to worry about it. Though, his talk of honesty made her wonder if she should tell him about her thoughts. Would that make him reconsider his feelings? Would he want to know now instead of later when it happened outside her control? Before she could decide he was back to explaining.

“All of them? Is that how lovers happens? You go on dates?” Slowly she felt she was beginning to understand how all of this was supposed to work. Maybe after she read that book Sixteen wanted her to, she would understand it entirely. “If you want to go on a date, we can try. It’s just spending time together, right?” She stared at him, thinking about her earlier consideration. “No more questions, for now… Should I tell you a secret, since you told me yours?” 

"Wait, you will? Really!?" He had to hold back the urge to hug her, at least for now, not wanting to surprise her with anything she might not have understood again. "That's… That's part of it, yes. There's a little more to dates, but…" He'd explain if he had to. It could wait for now, as Aly seemed to have something important on her mind. 

"I, I mean, sure… If you're comfortable telling me. It's not like a, I tell you now you owe me, sort of thing, so if you don't want to…" He couldn't resist the urge completely, leaning a little closer and letting go of her hand so he could bring it up and pet her hair a little, hoping the gesture wouldn't be too forthcoming. She'd been fine with it before…

“Loud.” Was her only complaint as Versaris raised his voice in excitement. She wasn’t sure why it was worth getting excited over, but he seemed happy and not as nervous at least. “It’s not that. More like how you said. Better to tell you now instead of later when you find out without telling.” She looked up at him, accepting the head petting as she always had before.

“I am a creation. Sixteen told me.” That was easy, but it wasn’t the part of herself she was worried about. “I have violent thoughts all the time, even if I don’t want to. They’re just there if I don’t distract myself. I’ve had them about the Tigers, about you.” She stared up at him, into his eyes. “Do you still feel the same knowing that?”

He listened, knowing not to interrupt with Aly opening up like this. It was a little difficult to believe at face value, but she wasn't one for jokes… He let his smile drop just a little, but didn't hesitate this time, as he leaned in for a hug, squeezing her tight. Maybe she wouldn't understand it, but he could only express attempts at comfort in ways he knew.

"The fact that you're telling me means you don't want to act on them, right?" He pulled back enough to see her, still holding that smile. "If you were listening to them, that would be one thing. Having them and fighting them tells me you don't want them… Which means you're a good person, Aly. You don't want to hurt the people you care about… Though I must admit, I'm a little surprised you didn't listen to your urges against me. Just a little. I know how annoying I can get."

A bit of a chuckle, he sat back up again, still petting her. "If you were made… That means these thoughts were made with you, right? Since, not even psychopaths have these urges all the time… Which means there might be a way to take them out of you. If we found something like that, would you want them gone?"

Alriana tensed up with the hug but slowly relaxed into it, eyes a little wide as she stared past his shoulder. The hug was warm, almost secure. Not uncomfortable. As his face came back into view she was back to staring into his eyes, almost not believing him to accept her so willingly. A small growl at his attempt at brevity, her tail flicking behind her. “You not worth breaking laws over.” She leaned back into the bench as she was let go, taking some small comfort in the familiar action of having her hair pet. “Mhhm… Want them gone. Not pleasant to think about them. Don’t want to do those things to Tigers or you.”

"Then we do our best to find a way to get them out of your head. Simple, right? It might not be easy to figure out, but it's worth doing… Was that your only concern, Aly?" Maybe that was just the lead up to whatever secret she really had. That wasn't all that much…

“Maybe Grelbiria can help…” That was the only idea she had. If anyone could do it, it was the woman who made and raised her. “That was it. I don’t do much so I don’t get secrets.”

“Then… Yeah. Yeah, I still feel the same way about you. In fact, I feel even stronger about you now, Aly. Something is challenging that freedom of yours. How could I possibly sit here and leave you like that? No, now, more than ever, I want to be with you. Do everything I can to help you live any life you want to. I hope you can accept that…”

“Mhhm…” Though she still wasn’t entirely certain about the details, this seemed like it was mostly a good thing. Time would tell.

There was a lot that Ingverd wanted to do with her. A lot he wanted to say, but with how things had gone, the silence now wasn’t so bad. He finally broke it with a small sigh, resting against her a little bit. “How about… The next big city that we find, we… Just, go shopping. Just the two of us. Food, clothes, whatever you like… And we see how much we enjoy that. It’ll be a good test if, things will work out… Don’t you think?”

“Mmm, that sounds like a good test. Is that a test date, then? Also, who pays for shopping?” Though she didn’t want to sound like she was unwilling to pay, she wanted to save the money she’d made solely for finding gear or on equipment to keep herself alive. Shopping was a luxury that she rarely indulged in, hence her near identical wardrobe.

“It’s a real date, Aly. Hmhm… I just mean as a test to see if we like each other that much. Rather, if you like me. That’s sort of what dates are. Two interested parties doing little tests to see if they like each other enough to become lovers… And I’ll pay. I’m the one asking you out, after all.” With another pet on her head, he finally got up, stretching a little. “Well! That was productive~ Let’s not leave everyone waiting though, yes? We still have to get rooms at the inn sorted out… Want to share, tonight~?” He was going to do his best to be less of the personae he’d established, but he couldn’t help himself completely.

“I don’t dislike you.” Was what the lizard was willing to give him. Her feelings had shifted towards the positive once he had started being genuine with her, though today had shifted them into uncertainty. What did she feel for Ingverd? She’d said he was annoying earlier, but there was certainly more there; a lot of it she didn’t understand. She stood as he stood, once again staring up at him. “Those jokes are still annoying.” With that she was off to the inn expecting him to follow.

"Heh… Who says I'm joking?" It certainly was… A feeling. He'd thrown everything against the wall to see if it would stick, but the answer had come out uncertain. Only time would tell, now… Given how long this trip was, as least, they'd have plenty of that. I can't imagine this is how Jeremiah's relationship went, but I'm not complaining. Just have to do my best…

After her talk with Ingverd, Alriana had wondered around the town looking for a weapon shop with the man himself in tow. Unfortunately for the ever combat oriented lizard, the town only had a traditional magic shop within it. Feeling somewhat unsatisfied, she had curled up on a shaded bench and ended up taking an impromptu nap while Ingverd had gone to the inn to figure out room situations. She was awoken by the sounds of the knight's horses and the seized wagons as they entered the square, stretching out to her full length and pushing Ingverd into the handrest on his side of the bench. "Mhhm, sorry." She offered as she sat up, shaking her head. "What's going on? Why the noise?"

Edited by Ursali
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Nyx was glad for the nap, especially after the wave of revelations that had come before. Seriously, what were the odds that someone she’d apparently saved on that fateful night would be running the inn they were staying at? Especially in a sleepy little place like this… although, judging from all the racket from downstairs, it was getting rowdier by the minute.

”Oi, ye lads can’t keep quiet fer five minutes? Ye know s’rude t’ mess wit a lady’s beauty sleep, aye?” Nyx grumbled out to the lady that had barged into the inn - normally, she might have been inclined for more snark, but she genuinely was annoyed that she’d been prematurely awoken. Hopefully this wasn’t going to lead to another brawl right after an early rise like in Eibar - Nyx might just sit it out if that happened again.


Tanya Maldolche was dead.

The cause of her death, loathe as she may have been to admit it? Several too many bowls of chili stew, and a mousey little demon who somehow packed it all away and barely broke a sweat. It frightened Tanya, really, just how much of the spicy stuff she could put away - she was never a spice kinda gal, although Yuria was, and Maxim could at least handle it well enough.

But her? No chance in hell.

”Evil. You are an evil little mouse.” Tanya groaned in Miria’s general direction from her position on the tavern’s floor, having fallen face-down on the floor from the excess heat causing her to faint for a spell. She did lift her head up at the mention of knights, though - why would knights be stationed all the way out here? It was odd, to say the least. “Okay, but can someone help me up? I think my legs melted after the fifth bowl of chili.” Or was it fifteenth? She’d entirely lost count.

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Being allowed to stand up was a good start, making good of Üllr's hunch that the people in Liste would be more agreeable than the knights. "I already told you I don't know anything about that thief of yours." He kept frowning, staring Malavar in the face. "I don't know why you keep insisting I'm involved, but maybe you should let this man know you're here on a *hunch*." Shaking his head, Üllr turned to Micheal, his expression mellowing down a bit. It was good to have someone give more than a rat's ass to him.

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If it were anyone else, Versaris would've been annoyed by the sudden shove, but he figured he could forgive Aly for just about anything short of harming the other members of the Tigers of her own volition. So, he simply smirked, letting her get herself up, standing and stretching his arms out. "Well, from here, it looks to be a caravan of well armoured individuals... What that means for us remains to be seen, but Liste is a tiny town. There shouldn't be any official groups coming through here..." And given what region we're in, I have an idea I know exactly who these knights are. Hopefully Celine is with them... Else this could become trouble. "I'd get your knife out either way, Aly. I don't know if you'll need to fight, but I don't want anyone getting the jump on you. Be cautious." He kept his hand on the hilt of his sword as he moved to approach, hoping this didn't mean what he feared it did...

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Persica had heard the footsteps of someone hurriedly approaching, but she had assumed that they were going somewhere else. So when Nika had burst into the lobby practically shouting at her, the rabbit woman quickly covered her ears. She was unprepared to be yelled at, but fortunately, Nika realized that she had been shouting. Persica shook her head, "...Yes, a tall feline woman, Natalya, is... ... ..." Persica pointed down the hallway, "That way." Despite pointing down the hallway, Persica had already hopped up, her body moving faster than her words. "What's... going on out there?" 

Persica led the way, not really waiting for an answer. She knew Nika well enough to know that there really was something going on out there, if she was in here shouting. She turned, and looked at 16--One of the Tigers, and the one with perhaps the strangest name--who was wiping sleep from her eyes. "I, uhhhhhh, don't know. That's... what we're hoping Miss Natalya will know." 

Persica knocked on the door at the end of the hallway, "Miss Natalya? There's, uhhhhh, someone here to see you." Persica's foot started tapping the floor. This couldn't be a good omen. To her knowledge the supplies were late, and for Sarasin, that was incredibly out of the ordinary. 


The messenger Altair Knight looked up as a lizard, and an incredibly large... dragon(?) man seemed to be approaching them. They'd both hopped out of wagons towards the center of the square. He looked over at some of his compatriots, and gestured towards the wagons. "Get a couple knights, and get ready to search those wagons." He turned back to the approaching part as the surprisingly buxom lizard hailed them. 

"Halt there." The man pointed towards the wagons where they'd come, "Are those your wagons? I'll also need your names, occupation, and why you're here in Liste. We're currently on a search, and that search has led us here." He then pointed to the wagons that were still effectively surrounded by the other Knights, "The sooner we get this done, the sooner we can release these supplies. As far as we know they're for Liste, but with what we know of Liste, the amount of supplies is higher than would be necessary. Neither of you two would know anything about that, would you?" 


Maraval found himself bristling a bit at the audacity of this town guard, this clouded man. Speaking back to him was something that he wished he could just punish with a flick of his blade through the half-breed's neck, but answers were more important than asserting dominance. For now, at least. His lieutenant seemed to have things handled with yet another group of clouded that seemed to be approaching. The mutt was right; Liste was quite full of their kind. 

He turned to look at the audacious guard, "Where is Sarasin, or someone who knows the specifics of these supplies? I need to speak with them to ascertain why these supplies are as vast as they are." 

Micheal pointed up to the manor on the mountain, "Lord Sarasin's would be up th're. He's in th' middle o' a meeting, so you won't--" 

"I did say someone who knows the specifics of the supplies. Be that Sarasin, or anyone else. Unfortunately, we won't be leaving until we have the answers on that, which also means, I won't be releasing the boy either, nor these supplies." Maraval smiled at Micheal, "So I think you're going to find someone. I'd rather not be out here all night." 

Micheal scowled at the blatant display of antagonism, but there wasn't anything that he could really do about it. Aside from what was being asked. There were quite a few Altair Knights about, and surely there were more following behind. With the little that he knew about the Altair Knights, if they weren't being led by Celine Altair, there was a high change that they would become hostile towards them if they didn't get what they were after. There may have been a few progressive people amongst the knights, but the majority of them had been steeped in prejudice since the moment their eyes opened and they inhaled their first breath. 

Some of the other villagers had started peaking from the homes. Maraval took the opportunity to stride forth, "Citizens of Liste! Do not be alarmed, for we are the Knight of Altair. Serving Lord Artorius Altair, and thus the province of Altair. We have simply come to ascertain the truth. If any of you know anything about these supplies that we have... escorted, here. I ask that you step forward!" The man made a sweeping gesture, seemingly enjoying the spotlight, "Our aim is simple: To discover what happened at Axios Hall, and to find, and capture, anyone who could be in league with the vagabonds who have stolen one of our national relics from the treasury. We believe to have found one such vagabond amongst your supplies, and now we need to be sure that there are none here waiting for him." 

The man grinned, surely that worry would be enough to push some into action. The half-breeds were good at a single thing: Self-preservation. If they knew the stakes, and he left the consequences vague enough, the beasts' imagination would hopefully fill in the gaps.

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"Oh..." Sixteen shook her head and woke herself up, yawning one more time as she walked out of the inn's shade and grumbled as the heat hit her again. If was getting cooler around this time in the evening, but it was still strong... There looked to be a bunch of people gathering near the center of town, so she started making her way over, tail lazily dragging behind her. She still had the tome that the human had given her-- Syndra, Syndra, she was trying her best to remember everyone's names. She flipped through a few pages and mentally read through the incantation, a small orb of dark energy fluctuating around her fingertip. While she idly played with that, she started taking in the people that were gathering. It looked like... A bunch of people in armor that she didn't recognize, some lizard woman, Cinaed-- "Oh!"

He was here! She started hurrying up with a smile on her face and a small spring in her step. She'd been so irritable because of the heat, she hadn't gotten the chance to properly speak with her new friends since they'd all arrived!


"Greetings and salutations, my good man!" Versaris stepped forward at the man's provocations, bowing with his hand in front of him, boasting a wide smile as he bent back up to standing. "Versaris Didarion, at your service. If you're here with supplies bound for Liste, I can only assume those supplies are for Sarasin. Our good friend has been meeting with the leaders of or caravan, the Evokers? I'm sure the title rings a bell; Misses Tio Anne Candialia and Elisa Teresa Candialia. If you'd like to accompany me up to Sarasin's manse, they would be more than pleased to meet with you, I'm sure. The Altair Knights are righteous enough to accept that kind of invitation, yes? In search of truth?" His smile lessened and his eyes began to squint ever so slightly. "Surely... This isn't some ploy, yes...? To find an answer that isn't there?"

Versaris had heard enough about the Altair Knights to understand what was going on. Celine wasn't present; they had a clouded guarded and on display; this man was already grandstanding... "I don't think Celine would be pleased to hear of any improper conduct... Right?" This is likely heading towards a fight... I don't think he'll be pleased to be challenged by Celine's name, but I'd rather skip the pleasantries if possible...


"Hello~! My name's Siorel. I'm a dancer~ I was going to put on a show here, but you all showed up and there's such a commotion going on now... I don't know who the wagons belong to. Cinaed, you do, right?" She was smiling and playing agreeable, even if she didn't quite like how they'd shown up and starting talking like they owned the place. "I'm just here travelling. The last man I was travelling with dropped me off here, so I'm looking for a new group to hop along with. That's not a crime, right?" She leaned over a little, cleavage well on display. Even if they belonged to a clouded, everyone loved breasts~


Alvira popped another bit of the croissant into her mouth, making a wide circle around the commotion going on. She didn't want to stick her nose into anything without Tasha's say so, even if she recognized a few faces getting involved already. "Guess I should find the boss... Time to check around. Inn first..." Off she went, still keeping an eye on things as she walked, faster now.

 

Edited by Mel the DM
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