Faith in the Spirits Arc 1: To Align the Stars

[Billy12510]

Taking note of the building Aegean entered, Syndra then proceeded to leave the dragon and tiger. "Well since you've found where we're going to stay I'll go track down Nyx; the rest of them I trust to be able to find their way here." She probably just found the first hole in the wall after leaving the docks, I shouldn't be long. 

[Nanami Touko]

"Ah, I'd like a plate of crab in butter with a cold glass of ale, and a salad on the side, but, light on the prejudice, yes?" Ingverd smiled, the woman's attitude rather amusing. "Unless the owner of this fine establishment feels the same as you, I can't imagine he'd appreciate you treating your customers like they aren't even there... Let's have a smile, yes?" In an attempt to further this prodding, Ingverd's eyes flashed, wondering just how well his magic would function in a situation like this.

---

"I, I did..." Alvira took a moment to glance around at current company: Aegean and Syndra. The ice mage had seen by accident, Alvira giving her a gentle scowl. I'll have to get something out of her later... Aegean hadn't heard more than her outburst, at least, leaving the dragon turning to Tasha. "I, uhm... Shouldn't we, follow Aegean...? An inn room would be a good place to talk. Private... I don't... I don't, really want anyone out of the iron tigers to hear, anything of this s-so..." Hopefully that wouldn't be an outlandish request... Though... "I know she just, walked off, but... I, I don't want to get in the way of your previous plans, and... And you trust Aegean, so I can to... Right? We should just catch up and, we can do both talks. Save you some time and planning...?" Alvira couldn't help feeling like she'd just messed up Tasha's day, wanting to try and compromise to keep things in schedule.

[MRDRHAWK]

“S’Nyx. M’name, I mean.”

She was playing a dangerous game, here, telling him her real name, but maybe time healed all wounds. Either that, or with all the other nasties apparently running around, there just wouldn’t be anyone to chase after someone who had no intention of getting back into the game of knights & robbers. Hopefully, anyways.

”Aye, s’a lil’ bit secretive, our new job, but s’not like it’s a bad thing we’re doin’ ‘ere. We’re just a pack o’mercs too, but we’re… well, mostly nicer.” Alvira probably wouldn’t be too friendly with Felix here, but the others… might. Shit, it was a good thing she was here alone, huh?

”Don’ worry. S’jus’ an escort. They wanted some lasses who’d be fine with knockin’ skulls, n’be damn good a’it.” Nyx figured that was good enough for now; not incorrect, but with a few details left out. Just enough to hopefully safe the former knight, and keep him from trying to pry too much from her lips before they got too loose.

[JakezuGD]

Natalya's expression solidified into seriousness from the news, not knowing how to interpret that being the case in a Hecatian city. "Yeah, we can follow her inside, I'd just rather have her do the transaction right now. And I was planning on talking with her over a bath, so unless they're big enough here for three people and you don't mind, doing things separately would be better," she explained, seeming to want to keep privacy between either of the people who wanted to speak with her. That, and she wasn't quite sure how Alvira would fare being in a bath with her. "We'll just wait for her to be done with getting us booked and then we can get talking." A quick nod to Syndra to see her off, and the tiger would drag the two into the inn, waiting next to the entrance for Aegean to finish her task.

[Nanami Touko]

"I, whh, b-bath...?" Alvira was very quickly embarrassed by the suggestion, shaking her head and ridding herself of such desires before speaking again. "I... I, would love t-to share a bath with you, Tasha. But. Uhm. Maybe after, I get to speak with you, about this... I need to focus, you're already distracting enough... So... S-So if you'd rather split the conversations up, that's fine. I... I just felt like, I was messing with your day's schedule, so I wanted to offer something to keep you on, pace. I didn't expect to learn what I did today..." Alvira huffed quietly and followed along Tasha to the entrance way of the inn, tail wagging restlessly.

 

[Mercenary on the Winds]

Tio found herself surprised at Renais's almost immediate shift in personality. There was some confidence hiding in there, and it seemed like the cloak had been keeping it away. Tio's surprise slowly turned into a smile and then a giggle, "Equal trade, is it?" Tio looked Renais over; the uniform was almost entirely out of place even among the group, so amongst the populace it would be even more so. It would work reasonably if she wanted the attention, but Renais was certainly not that type. "I have no issue with a shopping trip at some point. I imagine that we'll have to make stops every now and again on our journey to replenish supplies, and weapons... So adding clothing on top of that wouldn't be too difficult."

Tio looked at Elisa, "She's... a lot more like you than I thought. Even that moment of confidence from her was almost exactly like when I did this to you." Tio then turned to the ramp of the ship, "We should probably find our way to the Quiet Harbor. We can figure out the logistics of things as we go. And I want that bath." 

---

The young man sitting behind the desk flinched a moment before looking up at Aegean with a look of bewilderment. "T-Thirteen? Is that what I heard you say?" The man looked her over, and then at the bag of gold on the desk, and then back to her. The woman didn't look like she was nobility or something, and even mercenary groups tended to frequent the other inns due to their cheaper fare. He looked down at the paper in front of him, as he had already started writing down the complete total of what Aegean had asked for. "...Pardon, if you don't mind me asking. Who are you? Who are you with that you would need thirteen rooms, and further more, thirteen rooms at the Quiet Harbor?" His words were a tad hurried. He wasn't entirely sure if he was dealing with some kind of royalty or something. He quickly handed Aegean the paper. "Each room is about 600 gold for the evening, and an extra 300 for the amenities provided by the harbor such as the baths, and food. With thirteen rooms, that comes out to about 11,700 gold."

If this woman was actually involved with royalty or something, they were about to see an impressive payday. 

---

"The Kanseian Chili Crab? That's the hottest thing we have on the menu. It's pretty universal avoided due to how hot it is. I like it, but whew..." Karin found herself impressive that Miria was considering the chili crab. She didn't look the adventurous type. "Is that what you're ordering tonigh--" Her pitch was interrupted by the man she had been so covertly ignoring. She straightened as he placed his order, and laid her prejudice out on the table. She slowly turned to face him, and no sooner had she with her mouth ready to spew venom, there was a red flash. Something came over her in that moment, she didn't feel that burning disdain anymore. She smiled at him, and was met with his own bright, beautiful smile. Then, everything went back to normal. She didn't exactly remember what had compelled her to smile at him, as he had asked, but that damned beautiful smile of his... Karin felt her face getting hot. "...A plate of crab in butter, an ale, and salad, was it?" She slowly turned away from Ingverd, back to Miria, "And then... a Kanseian Chili Crab for you. Got it." With that Karin retreated into the restaurant, not even sparing Miria a look this time. She still didn't know what had just happened, and frankly, she didn't care anymore. She just wanted out of there. 

---

Felix's eyes narrowed for a moment on Nyx's name. He felt like he'd heard it before somewhere, but surely there were other people named Nyx out there. And he didn't even really remember where he'd heard it, or why it had come up. As far as he was concerned, she was a mercenary on mission. 

"To be frank, as long as you guys aren't like those crows, you guys could be up to the craziest things and it wouldn't be on me to care. But an escort job, huh? Yeah, I can see that; even if the Altair Province is a part of Hecatia, it used to be Islexian territory, and so, there's still a lot of Islexian sentiment out here. The Islexians have been getting pretty brazen apparently, a lot of Glacian merchants and stuff have had their stuff targeted. If you're Glacian out here, in these times, not having an escort is just asking for trouble." 

Felix pushed over another drink in Nyx's direction, "That one's on the house. Entertaining the barkeep comes with its perks, haha." 

[JakezuGD]

"It's okay, Alvira. Thanks for the consideration." Natalya put on a brief smile, but one that would be extinguished fairly quickly. The two of them had entered the inn, seemingly rather fancy -- fitting for people of the Evokers' status, she supposed -- for what the Iron Tigers might need, just in time to hear the innkeeper mischaracterize their request. Good thing she had very sharp ears. "That's rooms for thirteen, not thirteen rooms. We're going in pairs, and I'm sure someone wouldn't mind third wheeling in one, so make that six rooms, if you will." An equally sharp glare of her amber eyes met the young man, certain that he was just looking for a fat salary at the end of the day, not what would actually be reasonable for them to book. If Elisa had suggested this place, she was certain that the rooms would be fit for pairs.

---

"Hehe, see, we've got some similarities," Elisa happily said to Renais, a hand gently on her shoulder for a moment as she stepped over to be by Tio's side. "I'm not much of a shopper, though... You could call me a bit of a tomboy in that sense~" A wink to her wife, both of them knowing that she did look astoundingly good in the right dress, just that it wasn't her style by any means. "Tio can probably do that with you, she's the one of us with all the fashion sense. And, as for tonight, since I suggested Quiet Harbor to Natalya, we'll have baths to go to, just like Tio said... I don't suppose you'd want to join us?~" That was a complete tease, though. Having seen how the cleric reacted before, she was fairly certain she'd be too embarrassed to actually do so, which would be fine by her; having more alone time with Tio was only the best thing that could happen!

[Nanami Touko]

Alvira gave the man working the counter a quick glance, before looking back at Natalya... her mind started wandering, a quiet swallow left her body. A bath, www, with Tasha... I... Haven't bathed with anyone but my siblings to save on water, we, uh... That's... Nnn, no! Stay focused Alvira! You need to tell her about what you saw in the crystal... but, a-after that... Part of Alvira remained focused on what needed to be done... and the other half started undressing Tasha with her eyes. 

[GoldsbroTSG]

The hottest thing on the menu. Miria was filled with excitement. She was ready to respond with a determined yes, until... Ingverd's comment, and... something else happened. She was suddenly smiling at him happily, but just as quickly went to confusion as she left the table with a blush.

Miria was confused. What was that? Ingverd?

"What happened? Some kind of magic? I've never seen something like that before."

[TheRoon]

Renais was actually a little pleased that the offer went well, she began to feel more comfortable around Tio as more time went on. "Mm...it's a deal then. I'll hold you to that." She was looking forward to shopping, it was going to be a fun day. One she's needed for so long. Elisa on the other hand was a bit harder to get used to, even just her hand on the cleric's shoulder was enough to get her fuming again. Such a soft hand. But it seemed like she had gone through a similar phase as Renais, perhaps that's why Tio was drawn to her plight. She did her best to keep her composure though and gave the older woman a smile as she passed by. She had to admit she was jealous of the two being so close.

...and then came an offer she didn't expect.

"I don't suppose you'd want to join us?~" 

"HAH!?"

She stumbled back from the offer, it seemed like her natural state around these two was red as a tomato. "D-d-d-did you just...s-say..." She stuttered out her words and took a quick series of huffs. Renais had only read about trains from Lufiria in books, but her current state was about as steamy as one right now. 'This is a hell of an offer...a bath with two absolute bombshells like-NO NO NO! You idiot! Married couple, remember?! M-A-R-R-I-E-D!!! B-But...they DID offer and...it's not like you're gonna DO anything right? No ABSOLUTELY NOT!!! DO NOT!!!"

While Renais didn't say much her darting eyes and biting her lip every now and then told a tale of it's own. The tale of the great war of the cleric's inner mind, between her respectful side vs her dirty mind. She cursed herself for having a perverse nature creeping inside her heart. But after a moment she shook her head and hugged herself, as a victor of this war had been declared. "I...I-I politely decline..." She stumbled her words out. "Maybe another t-time but...I have things I must take care of before the day is done..." She took another breath. "I'm so very sorry!" Though she had stuck with her choice as firmly as she could her darker thoughts had cursed her for the decision. She had so so many feelings to sort out later, too many...

Edited February 5, 2022 by TheRoon

[Bluemask 96]

11- what do they come with free massages and night service!?! Aegean's eyes shot wide open at the mention, baffled by the price range. Luckily Tasha had intervened at that moment and clarified the situation, clearly not amused by the price tag shown. Alvira was behind her but clearly lost in thought. Whatever happened really must have shaken up the dragon. Turning back around to the front desk she gave a grin and rubbed her neck with one hand. "Sorry about the confusion, not always great with words. Yes we insist on six two person rooms. As for the amnem- aneme-, extra stuff we'll take both." Most of the group were more than ready for a nice bath, and a good meal sounded worth the business expense.  She decided not to answer his questions about who they were and who they were with, letting him find out on his own they were with the Evokers sounded fun enough to keep that fact to herself.

 

 

Edited February 6, 2022 by Bluemask 96

[mcd900]

Aly joined them quietly enough that Laniva didn't realize she was there until she offered to help out, which gave her a moment's pause. Her suggestion of climbing buildings to find the arena was certainly rather... out there, as far as ideas for navigating the city went. It was clear that she honestly wanted to help, but with her lack of sense, it was something of a surprise that she'd been left to wander on her own. Maybe she'd snuck away from whoever her guardian was for the day; or perhaps the matter had just been overlooked in their hurry to get off that damn boat. Fortunately, though, Cin was already cautioning her against her idea.

"I'm not trying to avoid attention, but climbing some buildings is a bit much... We can head towards the city center for now. Hopefully we can find it there; otherwise, we might have to rely on asking some of the locals. Which would be less than ideal, but if we've no other choice then we'll have to do it." She shrugged slightly.

"Shall we be off, then?"

[Ursali]

"Hrrmm..." Alriana stared up at the dragon, almost as if silently judging his character. "Why care what they think? You and Laniva know why I do it." She was about to continue on her point of not caring what these strangers thought; however, Laniva also discouraged her climbing of buildings. Instead, she huffed and crossed her arms, letting out a quiet grumble. "Climbed building in Galcias all the time..." Her tail flicked in minor annoyance but she fell in line behind the clouded cat. "Let go look in center then. Then I climb buildings to find arena..."

[scorri]

Cin frowned at Aly's response, not quite sure what to do with that. "We care what they think because we can get in trouble if we attract the wrong kind of attention. Because of who we are." He gestured towards his tail, Lavi's ears, and then... most of her. "We stand out because of our blood, Clouded, monster, however you want to say it. We're not the norm here. And we're not liked." He was speaking quietly, but forcefully, hoping she would listen. He had no idea what kind of life she had led that up to this point she didn't realize what danger she was in just for existing, but. "And unlike in Glacies, where there are people that don't like us but are forced to tolerate us, that's not always going to be the case here. Something goes a little wrong, no one will be on our side but us. Which means trouble for Commander Natalya and the rest of the Tigers by reason of association. So to keep our whole group safe, we all need to try and stand out as little as possible. Which is obviously easier for some rather than others, but it does mean we need to be careful. And climbing a building, even if it would help us, could run the risk of having someone cry that you're trying to break into their building or worse. So just... stick with me, ok?"

He sighed, running a hand through his hair, before nodding. "Right then, to the center of the city since we're agreed." He took the lead, helping to make their way through the city. He wasn't easy to lose sight of, so even if they ran into a crowd, they shouldn't get split up too much. He couldn't help but feel the stares of people as he walked past, drawing attention both for his height and being a Clouded. It made his skin itch, and he wanted to run to whatever inn they were staying in and hide there for the night. But he needed to get used to this. He knew there were people who wouldn't like him for who he was. He'd just explained that to Aly. It was time to face it and not flinch. The job was going to require that and more, so he may as well get started now.

[Billy12510]

Retracing her steps back towards the docks, Syndra was asking passersby if there were any decent pubs in the area.  Eventually she had managed to find a place relatively close to where they had disembarked from, and she could begin to search for Nyx... if she could get past the door that was. "Why won't this damn thing open? It's almost like they-" She got cut off by the door opening from the other side as some patrons walked out. "Oh... thanks." Well I came here looking for Nyx but now I think I need a drink myself. That or an exercise regimen...

[MRDRHAWK]

Hey, Nyx won’t turn down a free drink! But what had her uncharacteristically concerned was the news of merchants being attacked again - not that they probably ever stopped out here, but Nyx had a sinking feeling in her gut. And for once, it wasn’t brought on by too much liquor.

”’Ey, we ain’t crooks, jus’ a buncha tough lasses makin’ an honest livin’. N’don’ ye worry, Felix; m’gonna talk to m’cap’n n’ maybe we can deal wit them ol’ crows for ye. Make things a lil’ easier on ye.”

Plus, she knew Nattie’d go for it - helping people was always a simple sell to her, and it also got them in with the locals. Which, in turn, meant easier access to supplies and information without Nyx having to dig at her old sources. 

“Wish we could do some’n ‘bout all them attacks on th’merchants, bu’ m’pretty sure if s’tha’ many, they’re either workin’ t’gether or they’re all mental out on th’roads, n’either way’d be tough t’mess wit fully.” Sure, they could make at least a dent and go from there, but if the raiders were much the same as they were in the old days, it wasn’t out of the realm of possibility that they’d start going for the Clouded kids the group had.

No. Nyx wouldn’t let them. They would have to either avoid them altogether, or take the whole thing out at the roots.

[Billy12510]

"Now let's see if you're actually here or I need to keep searching." Syndra started scanning the pub for signs of her brunette companion amongst all the patrons in the building. "There we are." She was, unsurprisingly, at the bar itself, apparently talking to the bartender about something, bur she couldn't hear it over the other patrons. Syndra then made her way over towards Nyx and sat down at the bar. "This seat wouldn't happen to be taken would it?"

[Mercenary on the Winds]

Tio turned and eyed Elisa as her partner went in for a hammer blow on the poor pink cleric. Admittedly, she wouldn't have minded at all if she wanted to join them, but it would mean that she probably wouldn't be doing too much talking about Chris's odd magical signature. She didn't like to just throw out magical theory in front of others, without having the grounding to show what she was saying had merit. So far, she was the only one who had noticed it, or if anyone else had, they were keeping it very close to the chest. But that was neither here nor there as Elisa's tease seemed like it threatened to tear the girl apart. Tio cocked an eyebrow, as it seemed like Renais wasn't kidding about her inner thoughts being 'unrestrained,' with how she was reacting. But finally, the girl aborted the countdown to disaster by the declining, "That's perfectly fine, Renais. If you have things to do, you should make sure that you follow through on them. That's a good start. Now. Quiet Harbor, we should go see if they remember us, Elisa." Tio yawned as she stepped on to the ramp, "Uh oh... I guess we should probably hurry then, I don't want to start passing out while we're in the bath. Guess I spent a little too much time working." Tio looked over her shoulder and waved at Renais, "We'll be seeing you, Renais, enjoy the rest of your evening, best you can." 

---

His growing excitement about a fat payday was immediately cut short by the call of a... very tall feline clouded woman with a gaze as sharp as a killing edge. Admittedly, the man hadn't made any mistake; a party requiring thirteen rooms, especially here, was almost unheard of and definitely would have frequented elsewhere. But he saw an opportunity, and nearly succeeded. 

"Ah... Aha..." The glare from the feline was both unnerving and quite invigorating, "Right. Six rooms, well. That would bring the total to just over 5k gold. I... apologize, for the mistake." He hoped that he hadn't let his disappointment at being caught shine through his practiced spiel. Leave it to a clouded to ruin his night. At least they tended to pay better, and be much more respectful than other humans. 

---

Felix took note of Nyx's concern. She didn't really appear to be much of a normal mercenary; most that came through her were generally quite happy at the attacks on the Glacian merchants because it was more work, and money. His thoughts were proven when she offered taking on the Sundown Crows. "Hah, it would be nice. But if you guys are from Glacies, but probably behooves you guys to keep your heads down. The crows might be the biggest mercenary group in the area, but if the smaller ones hear that the Crows got their beaks mangled by some Glacians, you might find yourselves in hotter water then you guys bargained for." 

Couple of the other patrons left the building, and in walked a regal looking dark blue haired woman. Felix cocked an eyebrow as she swung in, and sat down next to Nyx. "I don't know, seems open to me. You two friends? Should I open the carousel of drinks to you two, or are you her chaperone?" Felix smiled at his joke, kind of surprised at his flurry of questions. The woman was quite attractive, but he knew that he had to stay focused on his job. If she took the initiative, then fine, but it was better for business to stay friendly and not over step bounds. He looked over and another of the patrons was flashing a hand, "I'll be right back, if you need a drink just say so." He hopped off his stool, and glided over to the hailing man.  

[MRDRHAWK]

To be fair, Nyx already knew there was a target on the backs of just about everyone in the Tigers. After all, they were mostly Clouded, Nyx probably had about three warrants out for her capture, and if anyone in her old circles found out who Rennie was related to, they’d probably rip her apart just for kicks. So, wisely, she kept her mouth shut for a change - a decision not at all helped by Syndra sliding in beside her.

”’Ey, Syn! M’keepin’ outta trouble, I swear!” Nyx held her hands up in mock surrender, though the gesture probably would have looked more convincing if she didn’t keep her glass in hand as she did it. “Though m’kinda surprised yer ‘ere n’not checkin’ out th’sights in town. Unless y’think m’th’ grea’est sight ye can find ‘ere~”

There was that usual teasing again, but Nyx found it ringing hollow for once. Maybe she’d been more affected by the last couple days than she realized? Might need to talk to ‘Gean about it later - it’d been a while since they’d just sat and had a chat over stuff.

[Billy12510]

"Ha ha, don't worry about that Dame Nyx, I've been on enough of an adventure today as is. The major reason I'm here is to let you know where we're staying, it's a place called Quiet Harbor, I'll show you where it is. Although...  they never said 'when' we had to show up." Syndra then stretched and gave Nyx the reach-around. "Besides, a drink is more refreshing when it's shared in the company of others don't you think?" There's a reason why you're avoiding the others right now, I hope to find out why.

[MRDRHAWK]

Oh, right, they actually had to find lodgings for the night. Thankfully, it seemed like Nattie and the others had that covered, so Nyx could do what she did best - get drunk off her ass, and hopefully not get them run out of town. She had to admit, it made things a hell of a lot easier when she didn’t have to worry about places to sleep.

So lost was Nyx in her thoughts that she didn’t notice Syn draping her arm over her shoulders until it was too late, and she had to practically cram her face into her mug to hide the reddening skin on her cheeks. Dammit, she was supposed to be the smooth talker of the two! And damn this bartender for distracting her from the very dangerous hot lady now at her side.

”Makes sense t’me. Course, ‘ve ne’er been one t’care ‘bout that sorta thing.” Yes, Nyx, she’s probably very painfully aware of that by now. “N’hey, I don’ think ‘d make a real good Dame. Royalty ain’t fer some’un like me.” Besides, she had a bit more… regal of a title around here, assuming anyone actually recognized her.

Maybe it was for the best she wasn’t remembered here, though. Best to not bring about too much more trouble than they’re already on the road towards with this job.

[Ursali]

It was the lizard's turn to frown, still staring at Cinaed as a judgmental look took to her face while the dragon explained things that she was already quite aware of. "I know all that. Who care if not liked by human. If they try something, soon learn I not docile like seem." She was tempted to flash her teeth to illustrate her point; however, she at least had the sense to realize they were in a crowded area. More than just her target would see her teeth and she didn't feel like being trampled by the peasantry. Only by mention of troubling the rest of the Tigers with her actions did Alriana pause, and eventually relent.

"Fine. Won't climb here. Let go." Sticking close to Cinaed, as he put it, as he made his way towards the city's center wasn't difficult for the lizard nimble as she was. It was trivial to dodge and weave through the crowd, probably for the best since she couldn't see much of him with the majority of the people blocking her sight due to her own lack of height.

[mcd900]

Laniva sighed a little at her seeming unwillingness to... not climb buildings, but she supposed that was simply something they'd have to deal with. It was probably not particularly worth the effort to continue to attempt to dissuade her, given how set she seemed to be. She followed the two of them towards the city center, finding few who were unwilling to make way for her in her armor.

---

The three of them soon came upon the arena, and easily enough; it was a pit-like arena, rather distinctly featured at the city center, and for a moment Laniva felt almost excited to finally get a good fight in. 

"Alright. This ought to do. Not sure if either of you are interested in the arena here or would rather watch, but I'm going in there and signing up. Let's see if there's anyone here who can hold their own properly..." 

As she made her way down, she glanced around at some of the others around. Fighters probably stood out some from the eager crowd, and it would be helpful to have a little knowledge of what she was to be up against...

Edited February 11, 2022 by mcd900

[JakezuGD]

Elisa chuckled a little. Her tease had had the exact intended effect... Renais was reacting so very similarly to how she herself used to whenever Tio decided to poke at her attraction. And just like her now-wife had desensitized her to attacks on her sensibilities over time, she knew she'd have to try to do as much as she could for the cleric in that sense, or she'd just continue being as shy and indecisive as she herself had been. A pretty lady like her deserved to be confident! "We'll be seeing you, then~ Just remember where we're going for the night."

The strawberry blonde turned back to Tio after a quick wave to Renais, following her off the ship and taking her in a firm hug as they walked into the city. "If you're feeling sleepy already, I can carry you there. You know you love being held by my strong arms~" She was already in a teasing mood thanks to the previous, and a night with her lovely wife with a bath to boot was only getting her more excited. Not that she had any doubts of said wife's ability to meet that excitement with her own.~

---

Now that that misunderstanding was cleared, Natalya let her glare ease into a smile. "Good, then we'll just get that paid and invoice our employer. Still on the very expensive side but, hey, it was their choice, and I'm not one to question how deep their pockets are." Her own pockets would need the results of that invoice quickly, though. She definitely wouldn't be able to pay inn stays like this out of the Tigers' budget... Hopefully Ingverd or the Evokers themselves could help with that problem immediately, or else they'd rather quickly start running out of lodging options. At least she'd packed tents for everyone with the assumption that they wouldn't always be able to find someplace to stay the night.

While Gean would handle the rest of the matter, she could check whether Alvira was doing fine... and it seemed she was looking her over quite intently. "Hm? Something off about my armor?" the tiger asked, tail swaying a bit.

[Nanami Touko]

"So, hhhoo... Hwah? Huh!? Ah!" Alvira was clued into reality as Tasha finished her talking, flushing red once again, her tail slamming against the inn floor. "I, thh, no! It's, it's just fine, armor, it f-fits really well! Perfectly... Accentuates... Y-Yeah." Her eyes followed that tail for a moment, claws covering her face. "Ahh, uhm, ca-caaaan, can we go talk, now...? And bath, I, er whatever comes, after...? I... I really... I need to talk, about this. Need to focus. Need so much focus..." Covering her eyes was helping, but the thought of a bath was stuck in her mind, not going anywhere any time soon. Hopefully it would at least settle down when she started talking about what she'd seen.

---

"Hm? Magic? I don't know what you're talking about, Miria~" Even if the girl had seen something, he could okay it off. There was no reason to discuss his abilities with her, not yet, anyway. "All we've to do now is wait for our food, so... Is there anything you'd like to talk about, Miria? This is going to be a long journey, after all, and you're a rather sheltered girl, aren't you~?"