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Faith in the Spirits Arc 1: To Align the Stars


Mercenary on the Winds
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Mikoto bit back another sigh. At least Syndra knew her magic, so there might be some intellectual stimulation here. "And what can someone like me help the mighty daughter of the Belrose family with? Hmmm~? Well... If it's within my power, I suppose I don't mind. I may not like those people, but you seem to want to truly help the Tigers... And I quite like the Tigers." Mikoto bookmarked her tome and shut it, folding her arms under her chest and staring at Syndra. "What'll it be~?"

Iris shrunk. "Uh! Uhhhh. It's Iris now. Ullr gave me a name. I like it a lot! And, uh. Well. Er. Alriana and, I, were... Reading a book, last night and it had a lot of. Terms. That we didn't understand... But they're still kinda stuck in my head? So I'm a little. Extra. Conscious... Of the subject matter... And you're kinda... Kindaaaaaaa... In terms the book would have used, I think, 'vivacious', fits? So I, er, yeah. Sorry. Ahaha..." Iris stumbled over her words enough to get out why she'd slipped so hard, a second time, hoping Tio would be fine with the answer. It was the truth, after all!


"No, nothing has happened. The Amaryllis was unaware that the Evokers were in the city, save for myself, until this morning, so we were asked to look into why they were here and speak with them. Nothing serious, I assure you, just Lady Celine wanting to keep tabs on important people passing through." Celine wasn't here yet, of course, but speaking her name would give some comfort, surely. The Hecatian Knights were far from respected, but Celine's soldiers were different. "If they're just inside, then we shall excuse ourselves." Ren bowed and walked over towards the breakfast area.

"Oh heyyyy, you're... The arena cat lady. Yeahhhhh..." Syta felt herself turning a bit red for not remembering names, if they were even said. "I, uh, yeah, sorta. Here on business first, cat second. Hope she's awake, though, I wouldn't mind talking to her again~"

What's this, Syta? Interest? From you? Kisara chimed in with her peanut gallery worthy comments, Syta sighing.

In seeing a new friend again, yeah. You're always like this...

"Ah, hey, Ren! Geez, always walking ahead... Come on, Sophia." Syta moved after Ren, waving at Tanya as she passed.

Ren stepped into the breakfast area right as it seemed one of the Evokers was getting up to leave. "Ah! Pardon me. We met yesterday, yes?" Their eyes were focused on Tio; they hadn't spoken with Elisa at length. "If it's not a problem, as a representative of the Amaryllis, we would appreciate a moment of your time." Ren looked past Tio towards a certain goose sitting down, giving him a soft smile.

Syta came in while Ren was speaking, letting the cleric do their work, while glancing around for-- "Ah! Heya Lani!" She waved, all smiles.

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Sophia yawned and followed behind Syta as she took off, stopping only to give a quick greeting to Danica. She always seemed nice… Sophia liked her. “Geez, Sytaaaaa… you guys are too faaaaaast this early in the morning.” She groaned lightly, before looking around the room for a place to rest her head. Neither Syta or Ren would mind terribly if she took a quick nap, right?

Mm, they probably would. Maybe she’d try and get that doze in later, after they got a chance to talk to the Evokers.


Boy, this table was a pretty big hotspot today, huh! As the trio at the table seemed to be finally enjoying breakfast, Syndra had come over to ask Saiga for some help with something - and Mikoto, too, although she seemed significantly less thrilled about the whole thing. Well, at least, until he heard her reply to Syndra.

“Well, if you’re hoping to have me look at something too, I’ll take a crack at it.” Saiga shrugged his shoulders as he all but shovelled another mouthful of food into his face. “Ah, but maybe I’m getting ahead of myself here. Whatcha need, Syndra? Let’s see if we can’t get a smile stickin’ around on that face before we head outta this inn, huh?”

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Cin's fists clenched, a heat growing in them, though no spell was cast. There was something about these two that he didn't like. The casual way they were tossing around information about Renais's family, talking about Alvira and her family, combined with the way that they seemed to be holding back information, drip feeding it to Renais, something just rubbed him the wrong way. He couldn't let his anger control him though. He slowly took a breath and then placed a gentle hand on Renais's shoulder. "If you have information, tell us. Otherwise, we'll be on our way. News about Islexian unrest is hardly new after all."


Koba was halfway through his second plate of food when he suddenly paused. He'd thought he'd heard a voice, but it couldn't be. He looked up, and blinked, then quietly sighed to himself  before smiling back at the healer talking to Tio. Ren was wearing a different outfit from yesterday, but it suited them somehow. The hat especially was a nice touch. It looks nice on them. Cute even. He closed his eyes, gently tapping his forehead with his fist. Stop that now, Koba. Even if they weren't going to be going different ways after today, you know too well that letting people close is not a good idea. They're cute, that's fine. There are plenty of cute people in the world. It doesn't mean anything more than that, so don't let it be more. Hopefully they would be busy talking to Tio and he could finish eating and then slip out... He didn't need them checking up on how well he was integrating with a group he'd barely talked to at this point.

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"Right, sorry Miss Mikoto, later is fine." Miria nodded, shrinking into her seat a little bit.

Saiga also offered to help, "Well, I'm not sure, but how much do you know about old, ma--" but as she began to start, Syndra arrived. "Hi Syndra! I'm doing okay, right now." And she gave the woman a smile. "I hope you're doing a bit better today."

Mikoto intertwined herself in their conversation, Miria feeling a bit confused on how dedicated she was to her book until Syndra stepped over, but she didn't let it bother her. Especially considering. Syndra being slightly more important regarding the group's current situation. She kept her smile for her friend, there wasn't much help she could do for magic, so she chose morale support.

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"Hey, let me finish my food first, at least," Tasha replied with a small laugh, happy that Alvira was looking forward to their time together so much. They might not have had that much time left until things got hairy for everyone involved with Islexia right around the corner, but for the short amount they did have, she'd try to make the dragon feel as comfortable as she could, sneaking her free hand around her girlfriend's shoulders. "We'll do what we can, yeah? You can stay right there if you want, while I've still got things to eat." She gave Alvira a little rustle, nodding over to the Evokers and Syndra as they offered their own confirmations that things were alright this way. And just on cue, the Knight who had gotten Koba to the inn - as well as the girl who had been with Lani - showed up to ask more things of Tio, though the tiger herself would stand by for any questions directed at her. As long as she was still present, anyway.

Elisa nodded to her wife's approval. "Thanks. I shouldn't be too long, I've attuned to Renais's mana before so I can follow her easily even if she's gone a good distance." She turned to leave right as one of the Knights from last evening showed up, asking for Tio's attention, which was well enough seeing as she herself was headed out. "Do tell me what you discussed later too, so I'm not out of the loop," the strawberry blonde quipped and walked out at a brisk pace, gaining to a sprint as she pinpointed where the healer's signature was coming from, with Cinaed next to her as expected.

But, as her quick feet brought her closer, she could tell they had someone... no, two others, also next to them. The other signature was very faint, but in a distinctly different way than that of someone who just didn't have more magical aptitude to them. And if that was the case, it was possible they could also sense her approaching in turn, choosing to slow down to a walk to round the corner and see the mystery people. Two men, both fairly unassuming, the one she felt to be the stronger of them even looking to be around her own height. She knew better than most that looks were deceiving to one's power, though. That, and both Cin and Renais seemed a bit strained... something was definitely up here. "I ran after you to see if you were alright, but it looks like you've found a party for yourself in that time. Is there something I can do for you, sirs?" While Elisa acted cordially, she immediately placed herself between the two pairs. There were a couple things she might be able to do... and even if she couldn't, she could get more information because of it.

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Syndra took note of Mikoto's comments. "Believe me, the feeling is mutual there. Just give me a minute before I get to you, I did ask Saiga first." She then turned toward the gator man, reaching into her bag and pulling out the letter she had written for her friends. "Do you believe you could deliver this to my friends? They're currently living in the town of Xel'Beth, just east of the river bend near Seseau. It's really important they get it, then they can help us fight through Isliexia. It's a man named Alistar and a wolfgirl Clouded named Ryfia. They stand out fairly well." Syndra then turned back to Mikoto. "Sorry about that, now as for what I would ask of you." Syndra then reached into her bag again, this time pulling out a sack of gold, and placed it on the table. "As I recall your wares included some... 'trinkets' that augmented peoples abilities. I believe this is half of what I need to buy one of those that boosted a person's magical acumen, but you'll have to use your magic to take the other 'half'. Whenever you're ready to do so of course." Normally this sort of thing would be against Syndra's beliefs in gains through work and effort, but now wasn't the time to hang on to such a thing, not with the ever increasing danger approaching the Iron Tigers.

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Renais felt incredibly frustrated, her anger slowly built up inside, and tears formed in the corner of her eyes. "I don't appreciate being toyed with..." She was about to step up and do something she might have regretted, but Cin put a hand on her shoulder to stop her. Just the reminder that someone was by her side was enough to get her to snap back to reality. "...Cin." She looked over her shoulder a little, and at that same moment she heard Elisa come up. Her head turned to the beautiful Evoker, and suddenly the weight on her dropped. "Elisa..." Slowly but surely, she composed herself. She wiped her eyes a little and took a breath. "...I'd like to know what happened with my sister, and you two are playing coy. Please, tell me what you know."

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The pink haired girl did exactly as he expected that she would have; she was an impulsive sort, emotions on her sleeve and easy to tug around. But the dragon behind her seemed to provide an anchor for her. It seemed like the young woman had a lot of people, and beasts, watching out for her. Yet... Sariel straightened ever so slightly as he felt something coming towards them. The magical energy was masked, but there was no mistaking that it was likely stronger than everyone here by an order of magnitude. A third person, a rather voluptuous woman dressed in rather odd attire walked up. The hold that he seemed to have of the pink haired woman's emotions vanished in an instant. If he had to hazard a guess... This woman was one of the Evokers. Shit... 

"Aha... Are you with these two here? My apologies, I don't think we've met." Sariel took a step back, before he bowed to her. "My name is Sariel, an associate of Cyro's; he's already spoken with the group. I was just here in the city relaying some information, and recognized... Oh dear, I never quite asked your name. I assume its Silvavolke since that is the last name of the woman who helped us before."

He turned back to Renais, "Make no mistake, my lady, I was not toying with you. It is a bit of... mutual understanding. If you can't help us, I can't exactly hand out information that might put our own operation in danger. My first and foremost priority is fulfilling the task that given to us by Gel'Hara, but I can see now that was a little too guarded of me." He bowed to Renais, "Perhaps Cyro's jab was more accurate than I'd like to admit. Yes, I do know where your sister is... supposed to be. She's looking into matters involving the people who may be tailing the siblings, and with her partner, dealing with them if necessary. I can't exactly say more than that. Cyro, however, will be able to get you in contact with her, as he said." 


Tio just blinked at Iris. "Iris? Is that what you'd prefer to go by, then?" It was a far superior name to Sixteen, much cuter as well. Tio sighed, "If that's what you'd prefer than I'll do my best to remember it... if you can do the same with my name. I have to question just what you were reading that would have... done all of that with the terms and what-not, and vivacious... I have to say that's a new one for me. It doesn't quite fit as you're intending it, but I... get what you're saying." She shook her head, "Just, well, remember. Terms like those aren't exactly what you'd use when talking to anyone, unless that's been explicitly okayed, by them. I don't overly mind, but, please try to use my name, Iris."

She immediately switched gears back into speaking with the now departing Elisa, "Don't worry, I expect we'll be together long enough after this for me to get you entirely up to speed." Tio nodded as Elisa made her way out. Syndra appeared to head off to begin her own work. There was nothing else that she could do at this point aside from keep a very close eye on the Belrose. Surely, she wouldn't do anything more nonsensical than she already had, but Tio had already dealt with people who'd done far worse, for far less. Absolutely asinine. 

Tio had begun to make her way towards the food, when the door pushed open, and the young lady from the Koba incident from yesterday walked in, flanked by two others that she hadn't recognized. "Well. I hadn't expected we'd be speaking so soon again." Tio noticed the gaze towards Koba, and faintly smiled. "I do have a couple moments to spare... but I can't exactly promise that I'll be able to completely help; there are things that I still have to tend to. Though, you did say as a member of the Amaryllis... am I to take that as Celine finally having arrived?"

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Hooves clopped against pavement as Jesse made her way through town. She had a free hand on Charlon's neck as she strode through at a pace with little rush. Something was off, Jesse knew good and well how busy Cerezia was in the morning, especially recently with how many mercs we're in town, so where were they? Her search was proving to come up short so far, only a handful of supports about shady people but nothing concrete or matching the description of a pegasus rider.

As the knight continued her path, she came across a group of people in the middle of the road. The two closest to her were two men she had no recollection of seeing, however right after these two gentlemen was a familiar strawberry blonde woman. "Morning milady, I hope the day is treating you and your wife well." Jesse called out as she approached, it was surprising that Jesse would run into one of the two who Ren and the girls were heading to see, and not with her other by her side. Jesse realized after her greeting that she seemed to have interrupted a previous conversation. "Oh sorry gentlemen, I didn't mean to cut in. Good morning everyone." Looking around some more it seems the madam Evoker was with two others, a pink haired woman and a rather tall an dashing dragon Clouded.

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"... Tasha, I'd be happy to stay like this with you for the fest of my life..." Alvira mumbled some sappy, but honest feelings as she snuggled into Tasha's embrace, trying to relax enough to allow the Tiger to eat without worry. She was still cold, but certainly feeling a lot warmer, now...

Mikoto saw the pile of gold, but her expression didn't change into a smile until talk taking showed up. "My, my... You know, I was going to tease you over your lineage, but now... Anyone willing to forego their concerns to face their future like this... I can certainly appreciate them. I can promise you won't have any regrets~"

Mikoto reached a hand across the table, mumbling, "do sit still, though," as a similar to before ocean of energy began to swirl out of Syndra. The fox expertly plucked a single drop of it, the 'liquid' sliding along her finger, until that finger made its way right into the fox's mouth, swallowed and gone...

Mikoto's magic swelled for the briefest moments, perhaps to something terrifying. By the time the whole process was over, Syndra's voima had already disappeared, Mikoto shuddering with happiness and anticipation. "Ahhhh... Ahah~ Konkon... Here you are." Not even producing her whole stall, a blue flame flickered and a small bag was between her fingers, placing it in front of Syndra. "Buyer satisfaction is guaranteed, or your money back~"


"It's exactly as Sariel has said, Renais. We're not trying to play with you, please... Crucial information needs kept secret save for those it needs to reach. His slip of the tongue was merely in shock of your necklace, nothing more. Goodness..." Cyro bowed to the approaching woman as well, sighing quietly. "Since the cat's out of the bag... She's patrolling from Eslcas to New Serdio, along with her partner, looking for information for us... I can't tell you more and I'll hope you understand that. These are grim times and any operation inside Islexia needs the utmost secrecy... The most I'll offer you is that I should be hearing from her soon. If you don't run into her before the next we meet, when Alvira comes for her siblings, I'll make sure to have told her that we met. If she has anything to relay to you, I will gladly play the messenger." Cyro felt himself sigh, taking a deep breath.

"I feel as though we've overstayed our welcome, Sariel... Once again, my apologies for his outburst and for troubling you. It was not our intention. Please speak with Natalya about me, if it'll help you clear your worries. We had a fruitful discussion and I'm sure she can at least trust enough of me to speak cordially. Shall we, Sariel?" Cyro turned to leave, standing to the side to allow his associate to move first.

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Laniva bristled ever so slightly under Siorel's questioning. "No... I don't have any. Troubles, I mean. Or... well, partners, too I guess. But, um... I'm glad it's not really anything bad. I can see why he's concerned, there's a lot of different things going on right now that none of us really saw coming. I'm sure he'll be back and hugging you soon enough."

She blushed at hearing the last part, her tail swaying a little under the chair. "L-Lady killer type...? I-I, um... I don't think so, not really..." Laniva certainly hadn't thought of herself that way; it hadn't exactly crossed her mind, and if she'd had any secret admirers during her time training they'd kept quiet as far as she knew. It wasn't uncomfortable to hear, but as far as compliments went, it was rather unexpected...

The egg was starting to get more fork holes than most eggs ever did in their lifetime, as she continued to aimlessly poke at it while thinking.

Just as she was searching for a more coherent response, though, a couple figures entered the room; an unfamiliar cleric, who seemed to be focused on speaking with Tio, and Syta. "Oh- hey, Syta!" She waved back, then beckoned her over to the table. Siorel probably wouldn't mind, they'd already met yesterday and all...

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"I-I'm sorry, Tio..." Iris felt proper embarrassed, slinking over to Alriana once she'd apologized, taking Tio's advice to heart. "I guess I really screwed that one up..." She sighed, tail circling around her legs some, hiding her just a bit. "At least I get why they're keeping Syndra around now! Makes sense. Mmmm... S, Sorry if I shouldn't have mentioned what we were, reading last night too, Aly..." Iris smiled a little sheepishly. "I, should... Really learn what I can and can't say, huh? Human conventions are tough..."

Ren sighed. "No. The weather of the area has been keeping her... We were tasked to look into two things today, so I decided to check in here first. I hope that's not a problem. If you've things to tend to, we won't be long." Ren waved at Koba and moved in closer to Tio, looking up at her. "If it's not too much to ask, we were tasked, plainly, with finding out what you're doing here in Hecatia... The most powerful mages from Glacies, to my understanding, wouldn't just be taking an idle trip through the country, so... If it's any business the Amaryllis can assist with, it would be good for us to know. Syta, Sophia, myself and our friend Jesse, we all report directly to Celine, so you won't have to worry about any of this hitting, uh..." Ren leaned in and whispered, "Artorius' ears..."

Syta, meanwhile, left all the talking to Ren, hopping on over to Lani's table and taking a seat next to the cat. "Heya! How's the morning treatin' ya? That egg looks like its seen better days... Should probably eat it before you put more holes in it than a shotgun round would, right?" Syta cocked an eyebrow at Lani and giggled some, wondering what was eating at the cat so much... other than, maybe, the stuff that happened yesterday, but... Hopefully not.

Siorel had been about to try and counter Lani's points when her teasing became reality, Siorel having to cover her hand to stop from laughing. "Ladykiller," she giggled out at Lani, trying her best to calm down.

"Ladykiller?" Syta questioned, tilting her head. "Are you going around killing ladies?"

"Hahaha!" Siorel's gut gave up and the laughter came out...

 

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"The weather's keeping her, hmm? That's annoying. I'd hoped to get a chance to speak with her before we headed of--we still might from the sounds of things--but if she hasn't arrived there's nothing to be done about it." Tio sighed, and then looked at the Amaryllis Knight as she whispered into her ear about their allegiances. The last thing Tio wanted was Artorius knowing about their visit, and mission. Both out of personal reasons, and actual diplomatic ones; they couldn't allow Islexia to know that they were on their way, and Artorius was not a trustworthy confidant. "I... can inform you of a little, but our visit is rather... secretive so I can't, and won't, just be explaining our reasons. All I can say safely is that our path takes us into Islexia. If Celine were asking directly, that might change things, but, every link in a chain, so to speak. I appreciate the concern but its not something I can speak about openly at current, my apologies."

Tio relaxed, "That said... you said you were looking into two things. If I might might be so bold, what might that entail?" 


Another individual walked up, yet another woman in odd green armor. It felt odd, but he couldn't place his finger on why. "Not at all. My associate and I were about to take our leave. We were just informing these lovely individuals of the whereabouts of a friend of theirs." Sariel kept a very close eye on the Evoker. Before this point, he'd felt mostly secure. The girl and dragon weren't much of a threat, though, there was an edge to the dragon's magic, and a strength to the Raphsodia's. Both entirely unrefined, though, so besting the two of them would have been a flick of the wrist. The familiar lying in wait obviously belonged to someone much more powerful, but given how it seemed to cower, meant that he likely had little reason to fear them immediately. The Evoker on the other hand... seemed to a threat not too far removed from that of the Moonless Arbitrator himself. If given a chance, she would likely crush him, and Cyro, even if they'd fought together, and the gap widened with the quality of everyone around her, including the knightly new arrival. 

"I am deeply sorry about agitating you, my dear. I would make it up to you, but I fear I'd just cause more issues, and so I will leave Cyro's message as our gift. I bid you all adieu, Miss Silvavolke, Lady Evoker." He nodded at Cin, before turning on his heel to leave. He shot an imperceptible glance at Cyro as he walked past, before offering a smile at Jesse. "Apologies to leave just as you enter the scene, but it will be a busy day today, as I'm sure you're aware. Good luck." With that Sariel led Cyro away. He waited until the pair were long out of earshot, feeling for movement by the familiar that had been watching the proceedings. Once satisfied that they were away, and not being monitored, he sighed. "My, my, my... what a rush. We found what we were searching for and more... yet, I hadn't expected to come so close with an Evoker. She'd noticed us, but I don't think she'd gotten anymore than just realizing that we were there... How... frightening. In another world, I might have just swooned over her beauty... but that woman is dangerous, as I would have expected from an Evoker." An unnervingly serious edge to his words; a far-cry from his jovial, unconcerned tone. 

The man ran a hand through his hair, "No matter. No matter, no matter, no matter. We can work around her, and the other Evoker who is certainly present... Cyro, message ahead to the others. Tell them to tighten the plan; we'll have three targets and I aim to have them all. Also send one to the Maestra, telling her that the Evokers are in fact in Hecatia... and might be getting involved with our friends in Islexia. Hahaha... Hahaha! Oh! What a rush! Having to outwit the Evokers! This mark gets more and more interesting by the minute... so many interesting people! So many avenues of magic..." His tone swung back to jovial, even excited over the prospect of all that was to come. "Ah, to finish what was started so long ago... Oh Miss Rhapsodia, blessed is it that you return to my hands, to break you apart, to learn your magic... hehe... But first... the dragon, and Syndra Belrose." 

The two disappeared further into the city and to places that only Galari herself could find. 

 

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Laniva perked up a bit as Syta sat down, taking a bite of the egg before responding as Syta giggled. "Morning's been okay, I think. Mikoto came by to chat about nothing in particular, then everyone's been going off to do their own things before we head out again. Nothin' really too much going on... did you manage to find Celine yet? We haven't seen her here, if you were looking..." 

Siorel's giggling tease and burst of laughter stopped her from poking too much with her question, though, and she blushed slightly. "Siorel... heyyy." She sighed, with little flick of her ears. "No, it's... not that, Syta. Siorel doesn't believe I didn't have... admirers, or whatever, when I was training to be a knight. Or now, either. Hahh..." She wasn't irritated by the teasing - far from it, actually, and she appreciated Siorel's cheeriness and friendliness despite only having recently met - but she was certainly a little embarrassed by the teasing, and just maybe feeling slightly more so for Syta being around for it... even if she wasn't really picking up on it.

Her tail swished slightly, in her seat. She blushed a little more, as Siorel kept laughing...

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The process had left Syndra feeling tired, but otherwise no worse for wear. Left on the table was a small vial of powder, the transaction complete. "Well then, cheers Mikoto." Syndra said as she swallowed the powder in the vial, feeling a level of magic course through her while doing so. She let out a sigh and then turned back toward the fox, curiosity peeking out. "So I know it isn't my life in your hands anymore, but I was curious Mikoto, what exactly could you use this to accomplish? I had an idea, but you're the expert on what would be possible with your talent." Syndra had no way of knowing if the fox would tell her anything, but she still wanted to ask if only to sate her own want for knowledge.

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So Tio wouldn't share more without Celine's presence. Ren understood, to a degree, but couldn't help a sigh. "The second thing... Mmm." Ren tugged Tio down a little, leaning right into her ear. "The thief from Axios Hall. Syta says she knows who the thief is... But won't spill until Celine arrives. Said she promised some people named Chris and Marianne." Ren leaned back down and nodded. "I'm only telling you all this because of your position as an Evoker, okay? I did some asking around after we met yesterday and learned how important that title is, so... I'm happy to have met someone as powerful, trustworthy, and helpful as Celine." Ren nodded again.

Syta was still a little confused, but... Lani was being really cute. When her ears twitched, Syta couldn't help letting out a tiny gasp, almost reaching for them, but holding back for the moment... "Admirers? I'm your admirer!"

Siorel's laughter renewed itself and she leaned back, slipping off the chair... "Ow! Hah! Haha... Owww, man... Worth it, though..."

"Oh, geez, miss, are you okay?" Syta got up to try and help her, but the lizard was already picking herself up.

"Woo... Haha, wow... You two are great." Siorel flopped into the chair and sighed, nodding.

"I don't get it... I just admire how Laniva fights. She's really strong, tough, but she's super cute, too. Really squeaky and meowy when she gets going... Her ears are just the best~"

Mikoto's ears perked up a little, smiling over at Syndra. "Anything," she said, without a hint of sarcasm, only excitement. "Voima is pure power... One of the most clean and untouched forms of mana. Not quite the direct thing; there are still a few steps involved, but I could do whatever I want with this... And I am." Her tails swayed behind her and for a moment, it almost looked as though she had six...  There were clearly only five, as they stopped moving. "It's not something that just anyone can handle, though. It's very volatile, because it's so direct... Handling it without consenting and willing parties could ruin it. You don't want to take in Voima that's been distilled with the rest of one's energies..."

She shook her head and sighed a little, smirking. "In any case, I'm using it for power. Any mage worth their salt wants to be strong, to fight, or to keep themselves safe... Maybe some even, simply for the pursuit of knowledge that come with strength. I fall somewhere around there... Does that answer your question?"


"Of course, Luthier." Cyro was already penning the letters down in his mind to finish writing later as his associate had his moment of joy. If you're smart, Rhapsodia, then run. Run back to wherever you've come from and don't look back... None of your friends in the Tigers are strong enough to protect you from what's about to come. Not even that-- Cyro paused, a worry fresh on his mind. "Luthier, there is one thing I should report..." As they disappeared, Cyro would begin to explain to his associate about a certain fox and how they should be wary of her presence within the Tigers...

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Jesse apparently was approaching as the conversation was dying down, the two gentlemen choosing to depart. She hadn't thought anything of it... until the smiling man commented on his way out. Sure Cerezia can be a busy city, but "as I'm sure you're aware" didn't sound like just a regular parting phrase. Still the two gentlemen had departed at this point, and there were much more important matters on hand. Jesse lingered looking in the direction they went as she began speaking. "Well then, in any case hello again ma- I'm sorry I didn't get your name yesterday. Also good morning to you two. I take it these are your traveling companions my lady?"


Gean slowly pulled herself up from the table as her and Nyx idly chatted away. It was good thing the two had a chance to talk, both had been out of sorts since Liste, so she was glad they were speaking again. The fact that things were still quiet in town was something to be wary of. "Maybe we should head back, I'll look to talk to Renais when we return. You're right I'm- I should just say what's on my mind. Or slow down, I probably am going a bit fast on this, I don't know." Gean got up from the seat and shook her head, dreads splashing about. "Alright, ready to head back?"

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Renais watched the two leave, and did her best to keep composed. Cin and Elisa's presence helped tremendously, and so did the new newcomer in green armor. Still, she couldn't find the words to respond to them, simply because half of her wanted the two gone. Once they left, Renais felt a large weight leave her shoulders, but there was a new one in her stomach now. She knew deep down this won't be the last she will see of those two, especially if she wanted to see her sister. "...ngh..." She bit her lip as she felt her body tremble, for the first time she felt truly threatened. She wanted nothing more than to go home, but for now...she turned to Cin and buried herself in his chest. "Mm..." She sniffed a bit and pulled her arms around him. Renais didn't cry, but she was a small step away from it. She wouldn't allow herself to cry completely, at least not here, but she had to let a little bit of herself out.

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"Mmm?" Tio was a bit confused at being pulled down a little; she never thought herself particularly tall so was a little out of the ordinary. She flinched a moment as she mentioned that one of their members seemed to know who the Escaflowne thief was, but they weren't going to say anything to until they'd spoken to Celine. "That's not--" Ren continued, and Tio visibly flinched this time before taking a step back. "...Did you just say Chris and Marianne?" Chris wasn't an uncommon name, Marianne was a little more so, but the both of them together? Oh dear... It has to be the same two... If this Syta learned who it was from them, then... 

Tio brought a hand to her mouth. "Aha... well. That certainly changes some things, and confirms others... shit. Where's... this Syta now...? I, should, probably speak with her before other things." Oh dear... I wanted to hope that we might not get pulled into this, but... if it really is this Princess Lucille... we might not have a choice. 

Edited by Mercenary on the Winds
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Laniva grumbled quietly as Siorel laughed hard enough to fall out of her seat, clearly enjoying the result of her teasing and Syta's arrival. Her blush deepened slightly at Syta's earnest admission of being one of her 'admirers', evidently still not having caught on to the conversation... that, or she was really honest. She sighed. "Siorelllll... mrrrh. This is your misunderstanding, you explain." The lizard was possibly having a little too much fun with this, though really it was Syta, if anyone, who'd egged this on, not that she really knew...

"Mmm... t-thanks, Syta... i-it was just an arena, though, it wasn't anything special, really. And... mrrh..." It was a little difficult to know how to react to being called... meowy, and squeaky, and... all that stuff about her ears, so she settled for trailing off into an incoherent mumble instead. Hardly elegant, but for lack of a better idea...

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Alriana didn't know what she'd been expecting Tio's response to Iris to be, but it was immediately clear that she needn't have worried about it. Hopefully moving forward Iris would be able to use her name properly; especially now that her sister had her own name and could understand the importance of being addressed as she preferred. However, in true Hyl'Sin-- Was it alright for me to give her Grelbiria's name...? Doesn't matter, she's my sister so she counts. Because I say so. In true Hyl'Sin fashion, Iris didn't know when she ought to keep her mouth shut and revealed to the whole Tigers, or at least anyone paying attention, that they'd spent last night reading a romance book far to advanced for them.

Alriana's face lit up with a light shade of pink as she looked over towards Versaris, due both to the questions she had for the not-elf and to see if he had overheard what Iris had just said. She quickly turned her gaze back towards Tio and her sister, not wanting to give him more ammunition to tease her with, though their conversation had mostly finished. Iris came over to her, looking probably the most subdued that Alriana had ever seen her; her sister wasn't usually wont for being held down by her emotions. 

"At least you learned something, correct? You correct people on your new name so you should make sure you get theirs right, too. It's only fair." Her tailed flicked a little in annoyance as Iris mentioned the book, but she couldn't rightfully be angry with her sister when she had already apologized. "Mrrhh..." She couldn't help the sigh, however. "I'm not much better about saying what I can and can't either, so we can learn together if you want."

Edited by Ursali
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Syndra sat and took in Mikoto's explanation. From what it sounded like it appeared that this 'Voima' would work for what she wanted to do, but she wouldn't be capable of using it, both due to the limitations Mikoto brought up and Syndra's own lack of knowledge with it. "No I get what it is you're saying. It's why I keep practicing and studying my own magic. I just want to keep safe myself and the people I care about. Which is ironic considering what I've potentially done to the Tigers by staying silent..." Syndra went on to ask. "The idea that I had and wanted to ask you about was if this Voima could be used to imbue an inanimate object, like say... an ice sculpture, and bring it to life. Beyond what a standard summoning spell would be able to accomplish at any rate. From how you explained it it doesn't seem as if that would work, or at the very least, I certainly wouldn't be able to to make it work. Is it anything you've tried before?"

Edited by Billy12510
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Ren stared at Tio and bit back a sigh. "It feels like the Amaryllis, save for Syta, are the only ones out of the loop right now... I did say those names. And, Syta is right there." Ren pointed at the blonde woman off sitting with Laniva and Siorel, shrugging slightly. "She wouldn't tell us, so I don't expect her to tell you... Though, you seem to have figured something out. If you think you can get her to talk, then allow me to come with you." Ren gave a look back at Sophia, wondering what the sheep was going to do, but deciding it was out of their hands.

Syta, meanwhile, was just loving Lani being a cute kitty. She couldn't help herself, slowly reaching over and putting fingers on one of those fluffers, petting and scritching her some. "I think... It was plenty special. You're a great fighter and I really enjoyed watching you~" Syta's honesty was almost obnoxious, Siorel whistling quietly as the woman practically melted this cat.

"Yeah, I uh, don't think there's been any misunderstanding... You two enjoy." She didn't move to leave, simply smirked, enjoying the show.

"I really wish I understood what you two were going on about with killing ladies... Lani didn't hurt anyone past what she was meant to at the arena. She's just a silly little kitty~" Syta was well and truly lost in those ears, petting Lani with reckless abandon.

Sari, quietly enjoying his breakfast, had been listening to basically everything going on. Iris had been particularly audible, even if she wasn't screaming, so when she mentioned reading a certain book, he glanced over. Just in time to catch Alriana's gaze, to which he squinted ever so slightly, raised an eyebrow, smirked and scoffed, the telltale blush written all over her face. He wasn't going to say anything; his look definitely told her plenty. It was a delight to learn, though, that not only had she gotten something involving romance, it had been rather... Detailed. Guess I'm in for some angry questions, later. Thanks for the bracing, Iris~ Now I'll be able to handle it when she springs it on me.

"Y-Yeah! I'd like that. I wanna do a lot more with you, Aly, so that's a good start. We can get better together!" Iris bounced in place a little, nodding. "I won't mess up your name again miss Tio! Promise!" She called back at the busy Evoker before looking at Aly and teetering a little, too much energy in her to sit still. "So... We're just waiting now? I guess that can be my first improvement test... I'm really bad at, waiting."

Mikoto felt herself leaning in a little towards Syndra's words, taking in her suggestion with eager thinking. "I knew I should've talked to you mages first... mmmm... could you use Voima for that..." Mikoto rested her face in a hand, thinking in depth about the process. "Mmm... Mmn, no, that... But... maybe if... No, that's... Mmmmmm... Well." Her eyes shot to Syndra, though her pose didn't change. "It's... Not, impossible. Creating a summoned creature to listen to your commands and orders; something that isn't truly sentient... That's far from impossible, and something that some here," she swiftly glanced at Versaris, before returning to Syndra, "have accomplished despite their limited magic. But giving something true life..."

Mikoto sighed, sitting up properly. "You'd need... Assuming you were trying to... Hmmm. There are two avenues, here... Creating life, which is something not even I have the slightest inkling of how to begin. The soul is complicated... The energies are far, far too delicate. It would take a God to play around with something like that," to which the Fox's lip curled into something of a smile, eager for her own future and to learn more of Mercuria. "So I wouldn't know where to go on that front... But, giving something life from someone departed... mmmm..." Mikoto thought, deeply, nodding. "You'd need... A body. Or something suitable to work as one... A willing... Participant, and... Perhaps belongings or even the corpse of the person you were, perhaps, trying to bring back. I can't fathom the level of control one would need to accomplish this, though. Creating a soul is already, nearly impossible. But moving it or, recovering it from beyond the veil... Not, impossible, but for people like us, far from our reach. That's right, even me~ Hmhm. Voima isn't attached to one's soul. It's certainly unique per person, but it's more their... Vigor. Their physical energy. What comprises their body, not their soul. Anything further would require someone very, very powerful... Aaaaand if the people in Lufiria, or, even in Islexia ever found out you were doing something like this... Well." She smiled. She didn't need to elaborate what would happen, prying into such taboos. She glanced to the side at Miria and Saiga, wondering if they were enjoying the conversation. The fox certainly was.

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Cin let out a quiet sigh of relief as the two men walked away, something about the interaction still not sitting quite right. They had eventually sort of given Renais the information she had wanted, but it all had been a little off to him. There was something about it that itched at his brain, but all thoughts of trying to figure it out fled as Renais threw herself at him, burying herself into a hug. "A-ah... Hey now. It's ok." He focused on her, wrapping his arms around his friend and holding her close. "You've got me and Elisa here, you're ok. Take whatever time you need." He looked back up at Elisa and then the new girl, who he gave a polite nod to, before looking back down at Renais. "Yes, we're with her. My name is Cinaed. Cin. Whichever. Right now might not be the best time unfortunately, but I'm sure Elisa can help you. I may take our friend here back to our inn though. It's up to you though, Rene. What do you want?"


Koba pushed back from his table, a small sigh of contentment at having a full belly for the first time in a while escaping as he did. He knew from listening to everything going on around him that traveling with the Tigers wasn't exactly going to be a walk in the park, but if the pay was decent and the food was good, he would manage. It did seem like the discussion had fallen to the side with the arrival of Ren and the other two, meaning he likely wasn't going to learn much more right now. Time to escape then. Before they come over here, worrying about me with that so sincere look in their eye... Better to leave, and maybe they'll move on to someone else. Someone that deserves it more.

Ren was leaning in close to Tio, the two of them talking quietly, giving him the perfect chance to escape. He stood up, sliding to the far side of the pair as they turned to look at one of Ren's other companions, planning on quickly sneaking past before they could notice. Unfortunately for him, most of the time when he was sneaking, he was not doing so in a tightly packed dining room. As he turned to slip between two tables, his wing caught on a chair, meeting resistance for a second before the chair fell, landing with a loud bang. He twisted to try and pull it up, only to repeat the mistake with another chair and his other wing. He sighed, pulling his wings in as tightly as they would go before quickly righting the chairs and turning back towards the door. Excellent work Koba. Truly you are a master of your craft. Any group would be lucky to have you.

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"Ah..." Well, Üllr saw that coming. Iris got herself in a little hot water for her lack of filter. "It's okay. Takes getting used to." Most of what Üllr knew of decorum had been instilled by his grandpa, and, while he was a bit more aware of what was right or rude, he wasn't that more advanced than the sisters... and he knew it. Couldn't help but sympathize a little.

"What did you two read?" Üllr had to admit he was curious, having little idea what would get Iris to think of Tio's 'vivaciousness' like that. 

At least the matter with Syndra was settled, all the same for him. He didn't know enough about most in the group yet, so trusting Tasha's decision was as comfy as he'd be about the situation. I just hope we don't get more like the knights coming after us...

He didn't have much left on his plate... a second was due, with how novel these meals were to him.

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