Faith in the Spirits Arc 1: To Align the Stars

[TheRoon]

The group was gone, it was just the two of them. Once things had settled down, the pinkette took a small sigh to herself. She had a lot of issues on hand: Her newfound heritage, Mikoto, and Alvira's problem, but at the moment there wasn't much to do about any of it. That being said, there was one last thing she could take care of... and she was right next to her.

Renais turned to Gean and gave her a brief look in the eye, and her expression was... intense. Not frustrated or upset, it was a look of some desire to do something, and the minor blush on her cheeks might give away what it is. However, before Gean could be given the time to react, the cleric quickly stepped before her, put her hands on the mermaid's shoulders, stood on her toes to lift herself up, and in a moment after all of that...

They locked lips, and it was more forward than the surprise kiss Gean had earlier. At least on Renais side... how was she doing?

Edited November 12, 2022 by TheRoon

[mcd900]

As the healers brought Syta into the lobby, out from the arena battlegrounds, Laniva furrowed her brows slightly. She didn't seem to be back to consciousness quite yet, and given that this was possibly some kind of magical effect, Laniva didn't have the slightest idea as to when she might wake up again. She accepted the bag of gold from Luia, bowing her head gently in thanks. "Thanks. Mercenaries probably have this kind of effect on arenas when they pass through town, yeah." Good luck, Nyx... it's a tough one in there for sure.

The exchange of gold settled, leaving just the matter of Syta. The healers had definitely done a good job with her injuries from the fights, but she was rather stumped as to where to go from here. Maybe if I bring her back, Renais can take a look at her? The ones in the arena probably only do cuts, bruises, and scrapes... and if Renais doesn't know, it's not like there's a shortage of mages who know loads more about magic than I probably ever will. I guess I'll take her back to the others...

She knelt down next to Syta, trying to figure out how to carry her... and all of her myriad weapons. She's always carrying all this stuff around? Everywhere? Huh... Eventually, though, she managed to heft Syta onto her back, with a bundle of weapons under an arm.

Alright, let's see... where were we staying...

Edited November 12, 2022 by mcd900

[MRDRHAWK]

Saiga couldn’t help but flash a big grin at Portia at the apparent resolution to his problem. It seemed to be lingering on his face as he turned towards the new arrivals, who apparently came with a letter from… who was Celine, again? Apparently a commander of some sort; Saiga didn’t actually know, since he was definitely not from around here, and knew very little about Hecatia’s workings. Well, not that he really had to before now, but…

”Thanks a bunch! And yeah, sorry, but I’ve been sworn to secrecy unless the boss says otherwise. I was kinda surprised too, actually, knowing how he is.” Saiga responded, hoping he could at least give something beyond that it was important. He then turned towards the two new arrivals and beamed at them.

”Yo! Nice to meet ya, folks! Name’s Saiga. If you ever need a messenger, just call for me! I’m the carrier that brings smiles for miles!” Wow, he hadn’t had to break out that one in a while! Between the happy resolution to his and Ishii’s feed fiasco, and some possible new friends, though, it was a good day for Saiga.

---

Well, with everything cleared out, seemed like that was Nyx’s cue.

Weaving her way out of the crowd of spectators, she slipped back to the front desk and placed a hand on the table. “A’ight, now tha’ Lani ‘n ‘er new lady pal r’done, m’thinkin’ s’my turn. Ye still got lads ready t’throw me way, aye?” Nyx knew they’d be willing to get people upright for more fights today, that one wasn’t a concern. Idly, though, Nyx wondered just how far she’d be able to go with these fights.

Well, hopefully far enough for a bit of extra coin in her pocket. Might make this trip back into hostile territory a bit more manageable, in that case.

[scorri]

"I, ah, yeah. That should be fine probably." He had been planning on paying for the lunch, but given her attitude towards being 'spoiled', he decided not to make a fuss. Instead, he just stood up, stretching, before nodding. "I bet you could do some damage in the arena. I'll be cheering you on while you do. And afterwards we can go shopping, maybe get some ice cream too. That one will be my treat since you got lunch, ok?" He smiled, holding a hand out to her. "But first, some exercise in the form of the arena, yeah?"

[Nanami Touko]

"Exercise right after eating? Don't you know you have to let it rest for a bit~?" Siorel poked at his side before latching onto his arm again, humming a little. "Just kidding. Do your best in the arena, yeah? Give 'em what for, and I'll have a nice, big kiss waiting for you when you're done... Sound good?" She giggled, raising an eyebrow up at him. "Let's be off, then~"

It was a bit worrying that they'd dropped the subject of his family so quickly, but if it made him comfortable, then it was for the best. They'd have more time to discuss things. Lufiria was a long, long way away. Islexia was on their doorstep, though... That would be another trouble. As they walked through the town, Siorel happily draping herself off of Cin's arm, the arena began to come into view... And it seemed someone was leaving it? "Oh! Laniva, right?" Siorel took one arm off of Cinaed and waved at her and the... Woman in her arms? "Who's that?"

Syta grumbled as she slowly stirred on Laniva's back, eyes blinking. "Muhh... Kitty...?" The first thing in her view was those soft, soft ears, her tired mind idly thinking about them... Her hands idly moved to touch those fluffers, giving them some rubs and scritches~ "Kitty...~"

---

He'd answered EVERYTHING! Iris's jaw had dropped and her eyes were wide, the pupils in them tight slits, staring at Taka with both surprise and shock. "Whoa...! How'd you... Wow..." His answered had only brought about more questions, though... "Swirling about me? What's swirling? And the Devil's place? What does that mean!?" She was standing now, arms crossed, eyes still like slits and focusing hard on him. "I want the earth one... I think it's called Terra. That'd be nice, so, I'll give you the gold for it... The rest, I think I don't have enough for. And you didn't say what those bracelets did or anything... You're a funny guy." Iris suddenly glanced at Ullr, her eyes dilating back closer to circles. "Do you wanna spend anything here Ullr? Or have your own questions? This Taka guy is funny!"

---

Ren moved up a little to introduce themselves along with Jesse, but the tall man began speaking again, making them shrink back behind Jesse. "Uh, h-hello... Saiga... Nice to meet you, I, I suppose...?" Was it normal around here for strangers to go about introducing themselves to other strangers? Ren could only hope not, keeping behind Jesse, for the most part, only poking their head out to speak with Portia. "Y-Yes. We're here on orders from Celine... Hush hush orders, if you've a room we can speak in." They weren't even sure that this Saiga was meant to be hearing this, but if he was someone trusted from this Sarasin fellow, it probably wasn't hurting much. Ren slowly stepped out from behind Jesse, but they put their hat back on, hiding their face a little bit. People this Saiga's size were just... Too much for them to try and deal with. "Hahh..." A small sigh left them. Maybe I should've stayed outside with the horse... But I wanted to do a proper job with Jesse. Mrrrrr...

Edited November 12, 2022 by Mel the DM

[Bluemask 96]

Time seemed to slow down for Aegean.

In truth she was scared. She had lost too many close to her in the past, and too many she never knew if she'd get back. Too many that were haunting her dreams and weighing her down...

The Guard Cub 

Spoiler

It had been some time since Miria had brought Gean into the guest room and set her up to get some rest. The poor girl had a lot happen. Miria didn’t have the best comprehension of everything that was going on with her sister, but all she really knew was that she cared, and was going to do her best to at least ease Gean’s worries and issues as much as possible.

As such, when she laid down Gean, she got a chair and sat in the room, facing the door. Even with her book in hand, Miria was quick on her feet, and if any disturbance occurred, Miria’s the first thing said disturbance would have to get through. But, it seemed things were going to be fine. At least for now.

The little guard just maintained her position in her seat, reading her book, not wanting to bother Gean as she slept. As of right now, it was the most the Golden Cub could do for the girl who made her an honorary little sister, the girl that got Miria to open back up. She looked over to the sleeping mermaid, and gave a small smile, before returning to her reading.

Things had finally settled down for the moment, the situation with Renais had been resolved, and Gean was left to rest, though under someone’s self imposed surveillance. Miria had firmly planted herself by the bedside, watching to make sure everything was alright. Gean knew that protesting would be a futile effort, so she chose to close her eyes. Her breathing slowed as sleep finally took her…

“You left us.”

Gean was falling. Everything was dark around her and  she reached out for something, anything to grab onto as she fell further and further into the abyss. The freefall continued as she heard a voice ring out in the darkness, striking her like an arrow through the heart.

“You ran away when we needed you.”

There was a loud splash, Gean could feel herself being submerged. Without a second thought her body began to swim, her natural instincts kicking in like they had countless times before, but try as she might she was getting nowhere. Now more and more voices chimed in, echoing the same sentiments.

“You betrayed us.”
“We trusted you.”
“Why Gean?”
“Why?”

“Why?”

Gean flailed hopelessly as the Clouded girl sank deeper into the water, her chest felt tight, panic was setting in

”Why?”

Gean’s eyes shot open as she breathed heavily, she was still in Sarasin’s manor, still in the room with the piano, still with Miria. She clutched her forehead as she slowly regained her composure. It was just a dream. Just as dream…

Miria jumped when she heard Gean suddenly begin breathing heavily. She dropped her book, but tried to catch it with her feet, to make sure it at least didn’t slam on the floor. It didn’t, thankfully. It would not be wise to scare the girls in bed.

Once the book was finally set down, Miria made her way over to Gean and Renais, Renais also still here after the weird piano situation. The girl quickly went to ruffling the mermaid’s hair, trying to get the girl to relax. Whatever had happened, well, she was stuck with her Cub now. “Easy, Gean… Just breathe okay. Do you need some water, or anything?”

Gean suddenly had a hand on her hair. Miria had come to her side, and was already trying to see what she could do for Gean. Gean looked and noticed that she managed to avoid waking her bedside partner. Her breathing slowly returned to normal. "Um yeah, some water would be nice right about now. Thanks cub."

"Water! Yes ma'am," she gave a salute and off she went to her bag of goodies. She pulled out her waterskin, and shook it some. "Perfect."

She made her way back over to Gean, carefully reaching over the waterskin to her big sister. "Take as much as you need, I haven’t used it today."

Gean took the water skin and began to drink slowly, her hands a little shaky. Once she was done, she handed the water skin back to Miria. “Thank you” was what came out of Gean’s mouth, but she did not make eye contact, her eyes looking weary and lacking their  usual luster. Her brain was still trying to process what just happened, her ears still ringing with the voices she heard in her nightmare, voices she knew very well. Voices she could tell she wasn’t ready to confront. From the moment Versaris confronted her when they first set out, Gean had been trying to steel herself for the encounters she had coming, but she still was at a lost on what to do, and now it was affecting her even moreso.

Miria took the pack, and thought before she sat down. She could easily see it, in Gean’s hands and her face. What happened at breakfast was weighing on her greatly. And on the side was Miria, the cub, with no real solution. She could barely think her way out of a bag, can’t do magic correctly, what was her thing she could do for Gean…?

If only the sleeping Renais wasn’t in the way, or she’d just hug the girl and call it a day. The most she could do was really give her big sister some head scratches and pats again. “Gean, I… I don’t really know what to say or do, but… You know I’m here for you, right? You have a lot going on and, well, I don’t really get a lot of it, but I’ll be here with you. And so will Renais. If that’s alright?”

Gean put her hands between her legs to see if that would stop the shaking. It was working, but she still was feeling not herself. Then Miria spoke up, reminding her she wasn't alone. With a bit of effort, she gave her 'sister' a half smile. "Thanks cub, sometimes I feel like you're too good for me, you ball of sunshine."

“Well, I think you’re just fine~” She responded to Gean’s comment. Maybe leaving Lufiria made Gean think she was terrible, but… from Miria’s understanding, that both wasn’t really her fault, and she was still a kid. Of course, the golden cub wasn’t going to bring that part up, she didn’t know enough about it, and wasn’t at all brave or smart enough to pry.

Miria thought, and that’s when she brought it up, “Hey Gean? Since, well, your big secret got spoiled today, would you like to hear one of mine? It’s not as huge, but… at least we can know some secrets together?” She tried to keep a smile, but what she planned to tell Gean was still sour in her mind. That day… Why she left home, Gean could know that, Miria knew she could know that.

Gean could tell Miria was trying her hardest to try and cheer the mermaid up, and she appreciated that. Then Miria gave Gean a proposal, one that from the struggling smile on the smaller girl's face wasn't easy. "Miria, you don't have to tell me something about your past just because mine is coming back to face me. I'm willing to listen, but only tell me because you want to tell me, not out of any obligation." Gean had been learning a lot about her fellow Tigers recently, and she'd be willing to know more, but Miria forcing herself to speak didn't sit right with her.

“N-No, it’s fine, promise. It’s something I wanted to tell you anyway, just… I guess now worked better than normal in my head,” My silly, dumb head… “Just, I don’t want to try and act like mine is worse or anything, just… I wanna say, I get it, and I’m here for you. Okay?” She took a deep breath, and brought up the chair, sitting back down. She looked down at the sleeping Renais, she can learn later, she supposed.

“So, there’s… a bit more to why I left home. When I got my armor, I had a hard time practicing using it. So, in order to do so, I did a lot of… well, killing bandits around Morano. They weren’t always a problem, but when they wanted stuff, they took it. So, I made a name as the Lunar Gold, trying to keep my identity a secret. But… someone decided to dig deep. Someone hired an assassin, who tracked me to my home. Who attacked mama and papa… I beat him, he’s dead, but, I put my parents at risk. I couldn’t stay home if people found out who I was. If like, Sari for instance, was who got hired to kill me, I would be dead, and so would mama and papa. So… I left. Until I was strong enough to protect them.” She started to ball up in her chair. “That’s it. Just… I don’t know much about your situation, but it felt like mine, and… that’s why we’re sisters. To keep each other safe and perked up, right?” She did her best to keep a smile on, even if the weight of her story still lingered on her.

Gean listened as Miria shared her story as she promised she would. She took in everything the girl poured out. After a brief moment of silence, Gean opened her mouth to speak. “Miria, when my parents decided to flee Lufiria, I was nine years old. I didn’t know what was happening to my family other than the rumor people were spreading around. The only thing I was able to do, the choice I was given, was to run.  I’m sharing that to say this… you are so much stronger than you know, because you made that choice yourself, and you’re working towards that goal so strongly. I… I want to thank you for sharing with me, and that you count me as your sister.” Gean got out of bed and made her way to where Miria was sitting, embracing her ‘sister’ in a hug. "I lost a lot ten years ago, but you and the Tigers have taught me that I gained something just as important to me." and I don’t want to see you guys sad over my dilemmas.

Ten years… Miria couldn't imagine what Gean had to have gone through. Being a noble, probably living nice and cozy, and losing all of it before being even ten years old, if their similar ages reflected that. She didn't have much time to think about it when Gean brought up her strength. Was running really as strong as she said? Miria didn’t know the answer but it felt so genuine from her sister. 

"Well, y-you're welcome? I'm just trying to give back to you after giving so much to m–" Her brain stopped briefly as the mermaid got out of bed, "H-Hey you gotta get back in bed amd get your re–" She stood up to steel her point, but she wasn’t ready for the hug that followed. The warm embrace. Miria returned it so quick, it made her feel… nostalgic. 

She sniffled, but did her best to hold back crying, "Thanks Gean, I-I… I just… Ah, I'm supposed to be taking care of you right now, I c-can't be…" She hid her face in her sister's embrace as she started to quietly cry despite her efforts.

Gean stroked Miria's hair as she began to cry into Gean's arms. "Heh, looks like you got some more growing to do cub, but I appreciate the effort nonetheless." The two of them just remained in that moment the silence of the room speaking more than any words could.

Miria tightened her hug while her hair was stroked. She took some deep breaths to calm herself down, stroking her sister's back. She pulled her head away as she smiled, streaks of tears falling down her face. 

"W-We're sisters~ Supporting each other is what we do~" she spoke trying to keep her mood back up. "Now, hey! Like I said, you need go back to bed and get your rest. Let's go, let's go~" as she broke out of the hug and began to sternly lead Gean back to her bed again.

Checking on a Friend

Spoiler

Cinaed was worried about Gean. He’d given her some space for a couple of days, knowing that there was still some unresolved emotions there, both seemingly content with the final outcome, but still some awkwardness. But he needed to check in on her. And so he found himself outside her tent, hesitating. Finally, he called out, “Uhm, Gean? It’s Cin. I was hoping that you might have some time to talk. I know you’ve had a lot going on lately, so if you don’t want to, that’s fine too. I just. Wanted to check in on you, that’s all.”
Gean was currently in her tent scratching her head as she crossed out over a page in her own personal journal. Aggrh none of these feel right. C’mon brain, you’ve spent the last ten years talking about seeing them again, and now that it’s finally happening you clam u- the mermaid nearly jumped at the sound of Cinead’s voice outside her tent, wanting to chat and see how she was doing. Truthfully, she wasn’t doing well, the nightmare she had at Sarasin’s seemed to return consistently these past two nights, which made sleep something she was starting to avoid. To make matters worse, things were only getting hotter as they got closer to Islexia, and heat plus fatigue were a recipe for destruction, but Gean couldn’t show that. She already spooked the group when she collapsed at Sarasin’s and showing weakness now would only have them on her even more, something they didn’t need right now as things were.
“Gimmie a second big guy!” Gean quickly put the book back in her belongings and took a minute to collect herself before approaching her tent opening. “What’s up Cin. C’mon in.”
Cin waited patiently as Gean moved around the tent before coming to the entrance and letting him inside. Ducking in, he glanced at her, seemingly chipper. “Well... A lot has happened recently. It seems like, well, your past really is catching up to you. And I can’t help but remember our talk that night.” He winced slightly, before quickly clarifying, “Specifically when we talked about you and how you were scared. Scared about this exact thing.” He sighed, sitting down on the ground, trying to phrase this as best he could. “Given how you reacted, how crazy everything has been, I just. I wanted to come see how you were doing. And see if I could help in any way. And, most importantly, remind you that I promised to be by your side. And that hasn’t changed. No matter what we face, I’m with you if you want me.”
Dammit Cin don’t go straight for the jugular. Gean kept as strong of a poker face as possible while she listened in to Cin zeroing in right on her biggest worries, but she said she wouldn’t show it, so it was time to commit to the bit. “Well, for starters I’m doing ok today. I have had a lot on my mind to think about, but if this was enough to take me down I’d be flayed on the end of one of the Crow’s weapons right about now. If you’re gonna help me, let’s continue to do our best on this mission ok?” Gean gave the dragon boy a playful fist on his chest, and a grin. Then something did come to Gean’s mind. “Speaking of, it looks like somebody here has a girlfriend..” Good, topic is off of me…
So she doesn’t want to talk. Seems like that one night is all I’m going to get from her... Cin couldn’t help but laugh quietly at what was perhaps the most obvious attempt to change a topic that he had seen in a while, and held up his hands in mock surrender. “Alright, alright. You don’t want to talk, we don’t need to talk. But uh... I was recently reminded of various reasons why pushing down all these emotions someone might have is a bad idea. And while you don’t have magic to have flaring out of control, it’s not any better for you than it is for me. I’ll be the first to admit I’m still a work in progress. But still, something to think about. So I hope you have someone to talk to about things.” Like Renais maybe... I saw how she looked at her.
“As for girlfriends, uhm, yes. Ha.” He ran a hand through his hair, cheeks feeling a little warm. “I mean, you knew that, really. You’re the one who told me to go get her, after all. It’s something I’m still kind of getting used to, being able to say it, but.” He shrugged, stuffing his hands into his pockets, realizing how awkward this conversation would get if he focused on it too much. “The Tigers are certainly getting bigger though. I can see why the Evokers were worried about supplies and everything. Seems like every time there’s a stop, a new person or two are picked up. Including myself, I suppose.”
“Well Tasha always wanted a big family. Guess she’s just finally getting her wish. Hopefully we’ll be able to adapt and our growth slows enough that we can still maneuver through without becoming a liability.” Cin seemed to pick up that Gean didn’t want to talk about things so mission accomplished, even if he was calling her out on her hypocrisy . At the same time it looked like he wasn’t looking to talk about him and Siorel, guess he wasn’t comfortable about that yet. 
“Ugh, I wish it wasn’t so hot during the day though, I feel like I’m dying every day we set out.” Gean groaned, since he was getting on her case about pushing down emotions, she may as well complain about some other matters. At least the heat was something more manageable than her uncle coming for her.
Cin pulled his knees up against his chest, resting his chin on them as he contemplated Gean. “Mmmm... I hope the Commander is happy, yeah. And I don’t think we were really ever going to be a stealth mission, so hopefully the extra members doesn’t hurt too much, like you said.” He stared at her for a few more seconds before sighing. “Yeah, I suppose the heat is increasing. It’s not something that bothers me too much, but I know it’s hard on a lot of our group.” This is stupid. Why are we talking about the weather? Ugh. He shook his head, giving her one last look before giving a shrug. “I said I wouldn’t push. So I won’t. But... Talk to someone about all of this. The Commander, Renais, whoever. Because you know they’re as worried about you as I am, if not more. And don’t even try and act like it would be a burden, you know people are already worrying about you.”
He sighed, standing up, ducking his head to not hit it on the tent. “I can stay and talk about the weather if you really want to. I’m your friend and I want to be your friend however you want me to be there. But, if you’d rather be on your own right now, that’s fine too.”  He smiled at her, a somewhat sad one. “I don’t want to waste your time, that’s all.”
Things were going well.. and then they weren’t. Cin seemed to circle back to her once again, Oh and now you throw the Tasha card too huh. The last thing she wanted to do was shut him out completely so with a deep sigh Gean relented. “Alright big guy, I’ll talk. Get comfy cause I might get long winded.” This is what he signed up for.
Gean could feel her facade breaking as she began to speak. “Truth is, I haven’t slept well since we beat the knights. Since our time at the manor and the bomb that was dropped on me,  I’ve been having nightmares about what will happen when I do finally meet my family again. What’s more, I’ve been running circles in my head thinking of what to say, but what do you say to the people you betrayed and ran away from ten years ago? Especially when you know they would have been on your side if you had just stayed. Honestly I wanted the small talk earlier just so I could get my brain to stop racing so much its-” Gean was rambling hard at this point, she couldn’t even tell if she was being coherent in her speech.
Cin stopped, surprised that she had changed her mind like that. He sat back down as she started to talk, listening intently. It was some of what he expected, but also some that he didn’t. He did wince a little as she explained why she’d wanted small talk. “Ah, I uh. Guess I kind of stuck my foot in it a little there then, huh? Came to try and help, you tried to do something that would help and here I am.” He reached out, giving her shoulder a small squeeze. “Look, all this stuff happened ten years ago? You were, what, nine? Ten? So you ran because your dad took you with him. What were you supposed to do? Stay behind, to face accusations of everything without your family? No, come on.” He shook his head. “You clearly care about your family. About your friends. That will come across, I believe that. It will take some explaining, sure. But we can find them, we can explain.”
He sighed, leaning back, staring at her. “I can’t pretend to fully understand. I’ve never had to face this sort of thing, and hopefully never will. But... You care about them. Presumably they cared about you too, right? So, you explain. You tell them what happened, why you had to leave, but that you never stopped thinking about them. And hope that they understand.” He paused, trying to think some things through, absentmindedly making a flame pop into the air above his hand, flicking through a few shapes before settling on a heart, then making it disappear. “You loved them. That much is clear. You still do. You wouldn’t be this caught up in everything if you didn’t. So for now, lean on those who care about you. Me, if you want, the Commander, Renais, Nyx, others if not me. And when we run into your family, the Princess, we’ll do what we can to give you long enough to explain.”
Gean started to calm down as Cin held her shoulder. He did have a point, Gean was only nine at the time, but that logic didn’t make her feel any less bad about things. She tried to smile back, but her attempt was weak at best. “Thanks Cin, glad to have you here.” With that out, Gean sat down across from Cin. “Anything else you want to talk about?” She spoke in a lower voice, bringing her knees up to her chest. 
“Of course. I’m your friend, right? So I’m here to help as much as I can.” He smiled, leaning back slightly, tail wrapping around his legs. She seemed to still be somewhat shaken, but if helped at all then the trip was worth it. “Hmm, anything else...” Figure out some small talk. That’s what she wanted before, maybe it can help now. “I gave the embroidery project I was working on to Alvira the other day. She loved it, which made me think maybe I should make some more for others in the group. What do you think? It was easier with her, I made the symbol of her faith. But some of the others might be harder to figure out designs for...”
They seemed to be truly off the subject now, Cin bringing up a project her made as a gift for Vira. “I didn’t know you sewed. That’s what embroidery is right?” Gean wasn’t completely versed on the subject, but it was something new, so she would run with it. “I think for the most part the others would be fairly easy. Miria could be food, I’d say a bear too but that’s just my nickname for her. Syndra would be a blue rose, she makes that out of her ice all the time. Tasha would obviously be a gray tiger, we probably could use a guild emblem. R-” Gean paused, remembering the situation with Renais back at the mansion. Maybe giving her one with music was not a good idea, at least not now. “Sure some like Lani and Sixteen might be a bit harder to pin down, but you can start with the easy ones for now. Sorry if I rambled for a bit there.”
“Yeah, I started learning how to sew with my mom, mostly for repairing clothes at first. Turns out I did a lot of damage to my clothes growing up, heh. It was a combination of growing quickly and being a little rough and tumble. But I moved from there to doing decorative work.” He nodded at her suggestions, all of them making sense. And then she caught herself on a name starting with R. It was obvious what she had tripped over, given everything that had happened at the manse earlier in their trip. He couldn’t deny it either, really. His first thought had been something musical for Renais too, but after the piano incident, it really didn’t make sense. “No, that makes sense. Honestly a bear for Miria could still be cute, even if it’s mostly a nickname you use for her. As for the Commander... Making a guild emblem might be nice.” It would have to be a bigger project. Maybe he could buy a bigger piece of cloth at their next stop. “Mmm, you’ve got some good ideas, thanks.”
"No problem, just pay me back with a little gift of my own. Maybe a bandana for my hair." Gean pondered the new hairstyle. She didn't do much with her hair, maybe it was time to give herself a new look. She already had a new outfit, the idea could be worth it. "I'm sure the others wouldn't mind something simple either. Maybe after all this you open up your own thread service in between missions. A side hustle is always a good thing." The conversation was definitely helping the girl, she was sounding more and more like her usual self.
“Heh, how did you guess what my first project was going to be? I have to look out for my close friend, right? Maybe even my best friend...” He smiled at her, happy that they could just talk about things like this. “Well, simple is all well and good, but I do want to practice the more complex things as well. So we’ll see, but I’ll make something nice for you, I promise.” He leaned back, stretching a little. “Not sure I’ll ever get to the point of selling things, but it’s nice to be able to make things for my friends. It’s a way to show I care, you know?”
Gean had uncurled herself by this point, just chatting and talking. She had returned somewhat to the regular Gean everyone knew, though thanks to earlier it was a little more obvious that she was a little shaken and worn down. "I get it, I'm just saying, probably a good way to build up some funds, we can't expect the Evokers to fill our pockets all the time." There was then a low grumble heard inside the tent. "Ah." Gean looked down at her stomach. "Guess I haven't eaten yet."
“Yeah, maybe.” Whatever else Cin had to say about embroidery was interrupted as Gean’s stomach made it clear that it was done being ignored. “Heh, well, don’t let me hold you back from taking care of yourself any longer. I’ll let you go find some food.” He stood up, slightly stooped over to avoid hitting his head on the top of the tent, and made his way to the exit. As he was about to leave, he paused, before turning back and pulling something out of his pocket. “Ah, right, here.” He tossed the small woven cloth band over to Gean. “I got this during our last battle. I think it’s similar to the one that Marianne gave me.” He gestured to the silvery orange band around his right arm. “I, mmm, don’t want to keep it, not with the way things went in that battle. So I figure, maybe it can help you instead. At least, I hope it can.” He smiled at her and then ducked out, leaving her to her thoughts and empty stomach.
Gean caught the band right before Cin left, he was gone before she could yell out a thanks, but she'd just tell him later. Slipping the band onto her arm, she got ready to grab some food, but stopped when she looked at where she threw her journal. There was a moment of hesitation, but then her stomach spoke once more, and she could no longer deny it. So she left the tent, hoping filling up might make things better.

However one moment fixed that; was fixing it rather. The "answer" Renais had given her loosened the chains around the mermaid's heart as a wave of relief washed away her stress. Yes she still had problems to face, and some coming sooner than she'd like, but that didn't matter at this point. What mattered was accepting and enjoying this moment as long as she could.

Slinking her arms around the healer's waist, Gean returned the kiss in full. Sure they were in public and words probably should have been spoken first, but those things could wait till they broke away.

When time did finally move again for Gean, she broke away for a moment, still looking at Renais and still holding the healer in her arms. Her usual look of confidence back, but with another look hiding behind it. "As much as I would love to stay like this, we should make the most of this day. I need a new top, and there's an arena I would like to visit. Shall we?" 

[TheRoon]

Gean seemed to accept the pinkette's return, which is good she didn't want to feel like an idiot. After another moment in their embrace the two had parted, and Renais took a breath. Her face was flushed, but she still had a small look of intensity in her eyes. "...well you took my first kiss without warning, just like your hugs. I thought I'd return the favor for once..." She huffed again. "But Gean...before we move forward you really do need to know a few things about me, otherwise this...won't feel faithful." She stepped up again. "I'm a pervert. I like looking at beautiful women, and sometimes cute boys. It's kind of a hobby at this point...even if it's a creepy one, and even if my imagination is wild about it..." She looked aside for a moment. "...well that's my biggest issue anyway, and...I think you've heard of the Lufirian part by this point."

[Bluemask 96]

Gean, was not surprised by Renais' confession. It wasn't exactly a secret considering how she had acted in the past, with both Gean and some of their comrades that were particularly... packing so to speak. "Well, I can't say I won't be jealous, if today has been any indication, and we both have our share of Lufiria problems so that's doesn't really count." If anything your imagination might explode if we do go to Lufiria. There was a certain someone who Gean knew would destroy Renais should the two meet, but Gean also knew that person wouldn't be as bad, and how to handle them if they were.

"I guess my only choice is to fill your imagination with so much of me that I won't have to worry~ You commented about me acting without warning, well I need to up the ante now if your mind is gonna wander so much." Gean smirked, and got a weird sense of deja vu. It felt like she heard these lines before, although she hadn't said them herself.

"Hmm maybe I should go to the arena like this then." Gean continue as she tighten the hug slightly. "I may not be Mikoto or Tio, but I still can catch the eye right? Or would you rather we buy something to change that. Your choice love."

Edited November 13, 2022 by Bluemask 96

[mcd900]

Laniva hadn't made it much further than the front gate of the arena when she ran into a couple of the Tigers; Cin and Siorel, one of whom was rather wrapped around the other. "Oh, hey. That's me, yeah... um, this is Syta. We met earlier today... we went through the arena, but she did something magic, and then passed out, so I was going to see if anyone who knew about magic knew what was going on..." 

Somewhere in the middle of her talking, Syta seemed to have woken up, and was... petting her, again. "Ah, h-hey, wha... Syta, come on, jeez..." She grumbled a little, sighing; but mostly she was just glad Syta seemed to be fine. At least, she definitely seemed to be, given this was how she was waking up...

[TheRoon]

Gean's response was about as "Gean" as she expected, she was happy she accepted Renais' dirty mind. It put a small smile on her face. "I'm glad people can accept me for who I am, and...well honestly we should get you a shirt, I hope you don't mind if we go slow with this. I've never been in a relationship like this before." As good looking as Gean was Renais didn't want her fighting near topless in the arena. "So let's get going, we burned a lot of daylight after all." She slowly slipped out of the hug to lead off.

Edited November 13, 2022 by TheRoon

[Ursali]

"I can..." Alriana moved to answer him with a huff before realizing that she didn't have one over him. This time. "''t cook like that either. Never needed more than basic knowledge." Either with Grelbiria or the Tigers, food was always prepared for her in one way or another; she could at least cook something over a fire however. "Mhmm. Learn things through what characters do. Work sometimes others not. If have story will listen as long as good. If boring will not listen." Staring up at him as she was, she caught his momentary falter, but before she could comment on it the sound of approaching footsteps caught her attention.

She was no stranger to her appearance giving others pause; however, even now away from the restaurant she still felt the urge to flash her teeth at any she caught staring. She restrained herself and internally decided it was Versaris' fault for all that weird talk about biting to show affection while she was in the middle of eating. Before she could mete out appropriate retribution the librarian mentioned something interesting. "Dragon? Alvira or Cinaed? And wanted know if you have books don't want and can have. Even if library."

[Billy12510]

It seemed as if Miria was trying to cheer Syndra up, but it wasn't her normal peppy self, which seemed a little understandable given the story she'd been told. "You needn't worry about me confronting my family Miria, I've been looking forward to proving them wrong for a while. You are right though, there's always the chance we'll run into them and if that happens... well we aren't going to let them stop us are we?" Even though Syndra sounded confident it was just a front she was putting on. In reality she wasn't sure she was ready to confront her parents,  but the reality was there that it would have to happen someday, and the odds of encountering them were high. Still, it wouldn't help to worry about what might happen. "We'll be fine Miria. I have faith in us no matter who we end up fighting along the way. After all, Commander Natalya hasn't steered us wrong has she? And you're one of the best fighters I've seen Dame Miria, so I know I can rely on you if things go south."

[JakezuGD]

Now with less occupying her mind, Elisa listened to the others as they briefly discussed what had happened, and couldn't help but notice Tio was getting irritated again. So much for a fun, relaxing day out. Aside from the confusion of all the unfamiliar terminology and strange links between things that were forming, the younger Evoker felt guilty about this having happened, her compliance in the matter possibly the only reason why this connection had been able to rob Alvira of her fire and throw their plans astray once more. But by any measure, the dragon's safety was paramount, and whatever 'Mercuria' was, it didn't seem to be trying anything more beyond the existing issue. "Of course-- H-hey, wait up!" To Elisa, that was a clear sign that her wife wasn't quite feeling it, always becoming more headstrong when she felt like she needed a break. Still, she'd catch up to Tio very quickly, sighing, but not saying anything yet. It'd be much easier to get her to relax if they could be by themselves first.

---

Natalya was shaken out of her wondering where Alvira might now be by an unfamiliar girl approaching her. She seemed to have found the right person, and was quick to get to the point, as well as naming who'd sent her in the tiger's direction. I'm sure Miria only meant well, but we ought to be a bit more careful around here... Then again, the offer was very tempting, even as much as it sounded like a potential trap. Anything that could get them near-guaranteed safety in passing through Islexia would be like a gift from the heavens, considering the problems already mentioned. "I haven't kept up with the goings-on in Islexia, so no, doesn't sound familiar to me. Marigold, was it? So just to recap, you're offering us an intermediate job from a Warlord, in exchange for safe passage through the country. You do realize that even with what you've said, this sounds awfully thick to a Clouded merc, right?" Tasha raised her brow, looking the pale girl over some more. She was certainly stronger than she looked, if that poleaxe was any indication, and her complexion didn't seem quite right... And she did mention 'people like us'. So she was some type of Clouded?

On the other hand was the approaching group of the three expert mages and Alvira. Thankfully, if there was someone who needed to know about what happened, and who by any indication could take care of the dragon, it was Natalya. "Yeah. She and Alvira have been very close recently either way, so that just gives us more reasons to get her filled in on things," Elisa answered, pulling in front of the group and calling out to her. "Commander Natalya! We've got something you'll have to know about!"

Before Marigold could elaborate more, Tasha looked over to the side to see the Evokers, Mikoto and... Alvira. Wearing Gean's poncho, for some reason? "Huh? What happened? Alvira, are you alright?"

[Nanami Touko]

Alvira had promised herself she wouldn't cry anymore. She didn't want to give this being the satisfaction of making her upset over this... So she didn't cry, but she did rush ahead of everyone and bury herself in Tasha, squeezing her perhaps tighter than she ever had. "So warm... So good..." 

"Er..." Marigold was a little surprised by the sudden entourage of powerful folk showing up out of nowhere; it didn't take a magical genius to feel something coming off of them. "Is this a bad time? I can stick around and wait or..."

"That would be for the best, yes, miss undead." Mikoto strode up to Natalya and Alvira's moment without much of a care, bowing slightly towards the tiger. "She's lost her flame. We'll explain more inside, but... Keep her warm. I wouldn't say she's in any danger, especially with summer coming for us soon, but a cold night could prove fatal, now..."

---

"Ah, yes. We're looking for books on cooking, for myself, and Alriana is looking for anything involving stories, fact or fictional, you might have. If you're willing to part with any of them, I'll pay. I'd love to simply check out some of your books, but we'll be leaving soon, so returning them would be difficult."

He was rather pleased at how well Alriana was behaving herself, despite another person gawking at her existence, so without thinking, a hand moved to pat her head... Sari only caught himself after the deed was committed, flinching back a step and shrinking ever so slightly. "Er, uh... S-Sorry, Aly."

[Mercenary on the Winds]

Portia's eyes widened as the new arrival, Jesse, revealed her allegiances, and mentioned that she had message for her from the Lady of Amaryllis herself. "...You're from Calent, and you're all the way out here, and with a letter for me from Commander Altair?" Jesse had already stepped forward to hand off the letter. Portia quickly opened the letter without a second thought, and withdrew the paper from its seal. Her head moved back and forth as she scanned the letter, "...Ah. So she'll be arriving here with her unit sometime in the early morning... and sent the two of you ahead to both inform me," Portia looked at the letter again, there was mention of finding a young woman by the name of "Syta," she must have been another of Celine's pickups. Celine was a capable and shrewd woman; working with people outside of the knights made it easier to operate without every word being breathed back to her father. It was probably better to leave that for their own understanding. "I can acquiesce to supplies for your horse; you must have been riding quite hard to make it this far ahead of the commander. Though, I suppose you are traveling mostly solo." Portia turned, and looked at Ren offering a smile. 

"I'll get things sorted, and be ready for her arrival. Thank the both of you for coming to us with this information." Portia bowed her head. "If you could follow after the big guy, when you get to the warehouse mention that you're with the Amaryllis, and that Portia okayed you to get your supplies. If there's more to discuss, we can do so in a little bit, there's a lot to do right now, and even more so now that I know that she'll be here in just over half a day."

---

Taka stroked his beard, but his eyes were a little wider than they were before. Usually when he mentioned things swirling about an individual, it was also the point at which he would be labeled as insane, or perhaps it happened well before and then that just made them say it out loud. Either way, he couldn't remember the last time that he'd gotten so far. "Well... I think the swirling is... your mana? magic? something like that." He looked over at Ullr, "His is different from yours. His is clear, and calm, but yours... it's a mix, swirling around you. Heck if I know what that means, but it's different." His face hardened ever so slightly, "The devil's place. Lufiria. Ye'd know what they'd done to people twelve hundred years ago. All of us, but Murans and Islexians in particular. Perhaps they've changed, but that can't ever change the stains on their hands."

He took another hit, and then his visage softened, "Terraaa... where did I put that... did I even have a Terraaa tome? Maybe? Hmm... if I find it... you can have it. Ye listened to the rambling old man, and I ain't gonna use it. Ain't nobody else come in here either." He pointed up towards the ceiling again, "Right the necklaces... bracelets? They help with... something. They're magical, yeah." 

---

The librarian blinked. "Well, it starts to come together then. Alvira was her name, I believe. Came in here for books relating to gods, or something approximating those, not too long ago." The girl's speech was a little unwieldly, but he'd met all sorts, even those who seemed to speak a language entirely removed from the most common of them. "You're looking for cooking books, and basically anything that might tickle your fancy? Well, one's easy, but the other is a little broad. I suppose that you might like to read the one that your friend took; The Legend of the Three Angels. It's an Alliance legend, but it has special significance here, since Galari really did exist and we have proof. Other than that, we've got all sorts around here." He pointed back towards the door where the pair had entered, "The cooking stuff is that way, and regarding taking some of the books... it depends on what you grab; some of the stuff I won't part with, but other stuff, I can let you just take it. No one will miss it." 

---

Luia looked at Nyx, and then scoffed, "You'll get your fill, don't you worry. Just don't wash out in the first round after saying that." Today couldn't get any worse, right? Luia prayed that she'd get just a little bit of anything. 

---

"Yes, our apologies, but we will have to take the dear commander as there are things to discuss. Rather... pressing things." Tio sighed, and then actually looked Marigold over. The axe she was hefting was much larger than anything Tio thought that she would be able to manage on a good day, and the woman was just, holding it without much issue. Tio's eyes narrowed ever so slightly, "...did you already find another recruit?"

Edited November 15, 2022 by Mercenary on the Winds

[Bluemask 96]

"Well, I was planning on taking it slow and confessing to you later this afternoon, but then you got whisked away by a fox like temptress, and I felt I needed to make a move then and there." Gean chuckled. She followed behind Renais but moved with a sense of confidence as the girl held her hand. It was as if she didn't care who looked at her as they walked down the street, she managed to get her feelings across and she would make this work. Hell, she'd make everything work now.

"We have spent a lot of time outside of enjoying today. Hopefully we can find something for me quick. Actually, why don't you pick something out for me? I'll wear whatever you choose." There was a tiny bit of teasing in her voice, but Gean would do her best to keep it in check. She did agree to take things slow.

---

Jesse gave a small sigh of relief as Portia understood the situation and began to move things along. She did give Ren a reassuring squeeze of their hand. It didn't surprise Jesse that the healer was having a hard time with this Saiga fellow, considering how she felt when she first saw Charlon, but it was nothing she couldn't handle. "Aha, excuse my friend here. Their just a bit shy around others, but thanks for the introduction Saiga." Turning to Ren Jesse gave a smile. "It shouldn't take me long to take care of supplies, you wanna go with Portia and I'll catch up?" 

[GoldsbroTSG]

"Well, if you're okay with that." Miria kept her smile up as best she could. If Syndra was confident in fighting her family, the little cub would be as well. What made Miria much more confident was the comment from Syndra. 

"Dame? Like... lady knight 'dame'?" Miria's eyes were practically glowing when Syndra called her that. "I... I..." Her face started to redden as she went down to her noodles and took a slurp. "You really think I'm that good? T-Thank you, I, that means a lot." She was unstoppable now. "Now I gotta make sure I got your back." She excitedly said as she started to crush the rest of her noodles.

[Mercenary on the Winds]

The door to the noodle shop swung open. The elderly woman looked up at the newcomer; a young man with white hair. A rather attractive one as well. "Welcome... order whenever you're ready." She returned to whatever she was doing; he'd get here eventually. 

"Ladies, pardon me." A voice sounded out towards Syndra and Miria, leading their gazes to a smile held by a man with his arms folded. "If you have a moment-- And I hate to interrupt your meal, but... I'm in a bit of a bind. My name is Cyro. I've been searching all over town for a woman-- a dragon, by the name of Alvira... I've been asking around town, ran into a few people earlier at the general store that said they had no clue, and since, I've been asking just about everyone I can find... If you know anything please, it would help me greatly. I'm an old friend of hers, you see. From Lufiria. And I've urgent news that she must know about, immediately..."

[TheRoon]

Renais expected her to take her hand, and thankfully she didn't waver, she simply held back as they walked along. "It was a surprise, but I liked kissing you. It's nice... and are you sure you should let the biggest perv in the Tigers pick your top for you? You might not like it..." She giggled a bit. "I'm kidding. I'll find you something nice, I promise."

As they continued on she turned her head to the mermaid. "Mikoto told me I'm from the Rhapsodia family, and with a name like that it certainly matches my music problem. Though she also said they're gone now, I'm not sure how to feel about that."

[Billy12510]

Syndra's comment really activated Miria. She meant it as a term of respect, same way she did with other people she deemed worthy of such respect, but the knight part Miria brought up wasn't far from the truth. Miria did have talent enough to be a knight, and even as low of a bar as it was she'd make a hell of a better one than the ones they fought in Liste.

Her thoughts were interrupted when a man had entered and came over to their table, asking about... Alvira? "A dragon named Alvira?" He said his name was Cyro, and he apparently was a friend of hers from Lufiria. I know I haven't interacted with her a lot, but I know she hasn't mentioned anyone like that to me. He doesn't look like the man from the vision I saw with her though. "Let's say I believe you,  what could have possibly happened that you need to go and find her immediately?" 

[Bluemask 96]

Gean chuckled as they continued their walk, both at Renais enjoyment of the kiss, and at her joke. "Careful what you wish for, I said I'll take it slow but it'll be hard to resist teasing you with comments like that." The thought of sneaking a kiss or two on the healer brought a sense of eagerness to Gean, but she'd keep herself in control for now.

"Rhapsodia, not familiar with that name." Gean knew a little about other Lufirian families thanks to her aunt and uncle, but it had been forever since then and she couldn't say she had heard the name before. "Well if anyone might know more it'd be Versaris. He'll probably want to know that we have another Lufirian in our midst." Well it seemed like they would have another stop on their date today.

As the duo made their way through the city, the two finally came upon a clothing store. "Cerezian Flair" seemed to have a decent selection of clothing, so Gean turned to her girlfriend- a thought that made her smile again. "Shall we? I'm counting on you~" Gean gave one final tease as they went on through the doors.

[Ursali]

"Mhhm... Will ask Alvira to share it, then." That seemed to be the most interesting book that had been in this library, and now Alvira was in possession of it. The lizard was sure the dragon would share and with that confidence, and Versaris' interest in cooking, she was suddenly more interested in finding good cook books. Somewhere along the way Versaris had started patting her head; however, Alriana wasn't bothered by the unconsented head contact like she had been in the past, not even really noticing until he apologized for it. "It fine. Let go look at cook books. Maybe find one with churro..." 

[Mercenary on the Winds]

"Ah... I mean, my apologies, but I can't exactly go about telling her secrets to strangers, can I? If you do truly know her, that changes things, but all I know is she's meant to be traveling with a group of mercenaries by the name of the Iron Tigers... If you've heard of them, or can help me, please. It's urgent, but it's definitely private. Something I'd rather she hear first. My apologies, once again." The white-- silver? --haired man, sighed, his smile fading ever so slightly. "I fear at this rate I'm not going to find her... I can only hope to avoid such a fate."

It appeared that the man was here for the nuisances that had walked in earlier. Good, that meant that she wouldn't have to deal with him. Probably. 

[TheRoon]

Renais couldn't help but smile, Gean certainly was in a different light today after the kisses. "Ah well..." Her smile lowered a little. "I guess he should know, the thing is I'm still not sure what to make of all this. I'm glad I have an explanation for my odd music problems, but I don't think I want to put myself in Lufirian politics or..." She stopped herself, realizing Gean didn't have a choice herself. "Sorry, I didn't mean it like that...but I still want to support you as best as I can. I want to support everyone as best as I can." She stepped in the store with Gean. "Sorry, let's get started on that shirt. I won't let you down." She took a good look around the store.

[MRDRHAWK]

Well. That could have gone better.

To Nyx’s credit, she did at least beat a couple people. At least, she was pretty sure it was two - the one went down after a single shot. Maybe she’d accidentally shot at some fan or whatever who just wandered into the arena looking for a good time - that’d suck. And it still wouldn’t have been the most illegal thing she did in this city, probably.

That third guy, with the dark magic… damn, that hurt. Evidently, her constitution wasn’t as strong as it used to be if she could go down that easily - might need to figure out a way to fix that. But first, money.

”Oi, m’conscious again. Come t’collect my loot.” Nyx grumbled after she made her way to the reception area. She thought she’d seen a shock of blonde sneaking in behind her, but maybe she was wrong…

Although, for once, Nyx wasn’t wrong. Tanya had come to blow off some steam herself, thinking maybe some arena battles might help take the sting off of her recent mental woes. Although now she’d have to wait until Nyx got paid to get her time in; at the very least, she figured she could do okay, as long as there weren’t too many fire or light mages popping up in the gauntlet. But what would the odds of that be?

---

Saiga had to admit, it did upset him just a little that the smaller of the two had apparently been scared by him. Surely he wasn’t that scary looking! Sure, he was big, and muscular, and had a big scaly tail, but… Well, okay, maybe he looked the part, but still! At the very least, he’d been reassured that this wasn’t exactly an uncommon occurrence, so. There was that, he supposed.

”Aw, well, if you’re sure… sorry for spookin’ ya, though, lil’… uh.” Wait, damn, Saiga just realized something. “Y’know, I don’t think I got your buddy’s name. I kinda heard yours… Jesse, right?” Saiga inquired, turning his attention to the lady in question. He was glad that he was usually attentive during introductions, even if they probably weren’t meant for him.

But, hey. They were both here for the same thing, so why not try and make nice with them? It wasn’t like they’d have any reason to hate him, beyond apparently being a big scary man-beast. That still wasn’t his fault, though.