Jump to content

Faith in the Spirits Arc 1: To Align the Stars


Mercenary on the Winds
 Share

Recommended Posts

Tasha was just about ready to snap back at Marigold's insistence. She of course knew how oppressive Islexia was against the Clouded, at least on a general level, and that the Belrose family as its de facto leadership was largely responsible for the recent tides of that. But Syndra had been with the Tigers for long enough that the commander felt she knew the woman much better than anyone could just based off her family's reputation and hearsay, even if she had kept that family affiliation a secret. Fortunately, in at least some sense, the pale girl left them after mouthing off the expected threats, leaving them with little to do besides consult the blue-haired lady and proceed with the whole Cyro sidetrack. "Don't worry, Vira, I wouldn't let you miss that for anything," she reassured, giving the dragon a nod before turning her attention back to Syndra, and Nyx, who had butted herself in close with the former.

Though it was hard to miss Syndra's intent to take over and reform the family, be as it may that she didn't explicitly call it such, she was of course correct that they possessed neither the manpower or a particular reason to pick a fight with the Belroses, since this was a mission just to get the Evokers to Lufiria. The specific information would only become more relevant as they got more into Islexia, but for now, what she told and the endorsement of the Gaffney plan were enough for Natalya to be assured to a satisfactory degree that Syndra was going to act in their best interest, as long as she actually talked, anyway. "That's good enough for me, for now. I trust you'll keep talking as we head into Islexia about anything we should know. Also... why are both of you so damn eager to get your shit kicked in? Nobody's getting their ass beaten tonight if I have anything to say about it," she commented, really not getting what was up with the two human ladies' insistence on physical punishment. "Besides, you don't get to decide for me what I do and don't care about. I messed up by assuming with the conversation you had with that rabbit lady, right? That was the whole reason I wanted to talk with you afterward, but, you know, things happened."

Tasha wasn't angry at this point, just confused, shrugging and barely even trying to make sense of what had been going on with Laniva, Mikoto and the girl the latter was dragging off. They could surely handle themselves. "Just tell me what's up with all of that later, Lani. I've got a lot of things to deal with, and speaking of which." She walked past the chaos couple of the hour, looking back to Miria and Alvira, "We should get going, shouldn't we? Inform Marigold at the same time that we got this little confusion sorted out. I think Syndra should probably sit things out, though. Don't want to provoke her if we can avoid it, and is it even safe for you to show your face this close to Islexia out at night?" A quick glance back at Syndra, and finally back around to Danica to address everyone she ought to. "Sorry about that. Didn't mean for things to get heated, but tried my best to keep fists from flying."


With Koba acquiescing in the face of overwhelming optimism and an option being presented to him, that matter felt more or less settled, and they could leave him in Ren's care while dealing with the thing from before they hadn't gotten the chance to yet, thanks to the strange happenings of the day previously. Since they were both in the service of Amaryllis, Jesse quickly proved to have important information... that Celine wasn't there yet. All the more reason to take the offer of a moment to relax, Elisa supposed, though it didn't take much of a moment for Tio to bring attention to yet another thing that seemed off. She was being more alert for magical signatures than the strawberry blonde despite the latter's higher proficiency in that specific field, so when she did mention it... "Huh? What do you-- oh. I see it now." Since Jesse appeared to be aware of what they were referring to, she demonstrated right away, leaving no doubts as to what they'd sensed. This girl had armor similar to Miria's, though of an obviously different color and slightly different signature. Something that lent credence to the theory that they were to some degree personally fitted, at least in the sense of who could use them and who couldn't, especially if they were circuit-resonant as Elisa had suggested.

However, sigh as she might, that tickled Tio's research bone and quickly got her to rattle off what they knew before the younger Evoker had a chance to add her own thoughts, smiling for the topic having lifted her spirits in at least some way. But as much as it got her thinking, today was still today, and Elisa got up behind her wife to gently hold her shoulders. "We should have some time tomorrow before we leave, provided nothing suddenly comes up, so we could maybe talk more then? For now I think we'll take that offer of taking it easy... like we were supposed to anyway, before this little incident." The strawberry blonde gave her own sigh, but stole a quick peck at Tio's cheek. "I know you like research even if you're tired, but I think I'm gonna have to work that frustration out of you tonight~"

Edited by JakezuGD
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 3.6k
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Tio melted back into the youngest Evokers embrace, "You have... no idea how wonderful that sounds right about now, Elisa..." The lean back into Elisa's arms pointed her eyes towards the sky. Menacing looking clouds were starting to roll in. "My, my... those clouds don't look too friendly. I'll take the rain to this heat, but... can't help but think this may be some poor timing..." Rain especially from the direction that appeared to be coming from would definitely hamper travel, which would definitely add time to Celine's arrival. 

"Mmm... Either way, Miss Flynt. If there is time, we'll do what we can, tomorrow morning. For now... we need to relax. There has been too much today."



As the sun fell, the dark clouds rolled in and the rain began. It was a nice change of pace from the oppressive rays of the sun, but Cerezia's roads, and surround areas were notoriously poor with the rain. It slowed travel, and made safe walks more perilous. Most of the checkpoints in the Serdio Mountains closed due to the mountains becoming much more perilous than they already were; many found that it was the falling water that was more dangerous than the bandits that tended to call the natural boundary home. The clouds seemed to align with the dour mood; learning that Syndra is the daughter of the most powerful and prominent Warlord family on the heels of the Tigers' assistance being requested in dealing with a problematic warlord made things potentially more concerning than they already were. Fortunately, all of the fires that had started because of that revelation had been contained; Commander Tasha had been able to confirm details with Marigold--leaving Syndra back at the inn to not draw more ire--and simultaneously met with Cyro, the man who was assisting Alvira's siblings. It was another issue onto the pile, but fortunately, it pointed them in one direction: Islexia. 

As for the other Tigers, they began to trickle back to the Dusty Frontier; many sharing dates with one another, spending one of their last days outside of hostile territory in relative comfort. Their days would come to close with little to be concerned over; a full briefing on everything that had occurred today could, and would wait until the sun rose on the morrow. However, for some, their day wasn't quite over. 

A horse pulled itself back into Cerezia proper as the rains started to hasten. Fortunately, they'd gotten out of the mountains for the rains really picked up. The trip back was simple, if not long, and wet. The rains would pose a bit of an issue in the morning, but fortunately, they were happening now, and it didn't seem like the rains would last all night. The almost-Islexian sun would dry quite a bit of it, but that also meant that the morning would likely have a lot of mist to deal with. On the one hand, it would be good for their operation, but on the other, bad for the early parts of their travel. The rider quickly ushered their horse inside the stables, and then herself under the lip of the inn to get herself out of the waters. She pulled her hood down, and shook the water out of her hair before taking her glasses off and cleaning them. 

"Ah. There you are, Lydia!" A hearty male voice called out to her. The blonde haired woman met the man's gaze as she sloshed her way over to the desk. "Got caught in the rain, eh? Not a bad look for you. Where you been? They were missing you over at the outpost." 

"Apologies, I had some things to take care of for the Emeria. Ended up taking all day, and then rode right back into this..."

"For Tristan or the Emeria that you actually care about, eh?" The man chuckled, and started tapping the desk as he tried to find his next sentence. "Oh, right. You asked me to keep an ear out, and well, nothing came through. Same as the other days." 

Lydia sighed, and began wringing her hair, "Why am I not surprised... you'd think that merchants would make an effort to be on time. Well, thank you for that, and I came in to tell you that I put a horse in the stables, just so you know." 

"Are you not staying? You just pulled in, and you're already off again?"

"Yes, unfortunately, I've got things to do out in town before tomorrow." Gotta keep looking around for these friends of hers... or any other Intelligence member, there's no way that no one has responded or even arrived at this point. 

Endangered Secrets

Spoiler

Late Afternoon/Early Evening on May 29th, 1218

The city of Cerezia was energized. The largest border city in the Altair Province had seen a surge of activity ever since the attack at Axios had taken place. Mercenaries, knights, messengers, civilians; everyone was descending upon the city. It was both a good thing, and simultaneously a huge problem for the cloaked woman gliding her way through the streets of Cerezia. She’d been working out in Cerezia for almost two years now, and a number of locals would recognize her. She only looked up to see the approaching clouds, and to smell the scent of rain. She’d have to hurry before the rains made travel difficult; traversing the Serdio Mountain in the evening while it was raining was often found in obituaries. She pointed her eyes back ahead; for the time being, she needed to move quietly and without incident. She never expected that her duties would suddenly lead her here. Being Lufirian had its own benefits; they were almost indistinguishable from humans, the only way to tell was through their magical signature. Fortunately, no one but the crazy man Taka from the bookstore seemed to have the experience to really tell, and this seemed to be an accident. She really only had one duty out here: To keep a close eye on Hecatia and Islexia, and monitor the movements of the Hecatian Underground. So long as she was doing that, she was free to live however she wished. Lufirian Intelligence, despite their rigid rules, and high standards, was surprisingly lax when it came to working out in the field. The best spies were those who truly embedded themselves in the place that they were surveilling, after all. 

Hecatia, despite the laughably inadequate magic, and rampant racism was somehow more beautiful to her than Lufiria was. The lack of having to worry about when the next Mana storm was coming, or how they were going to connect the rest of the country using magic, or the turbulent political structure was enough of a trade for her. She missed things back home sometimes, but she’d found reasons to love Hecatia. One of which was a young man that she’d met on a whim. He’d been running the arena the day she decided to attempt it. She wasn’t much of a fighter, but she wanted to at least hone her skills a little. She’d done decently well, but found herself laid out by the man called Ramirez, and his huge axe. When she woke up, she found herself being tended to by the healers, and Vidar Emeria, the man in charge of the arena. That had sparked something between the two of them, and they’d been close ever since. She’d managed to keep her affiliations to herself for the most part, but recently, she’d found herself opening up to him more. Going so far as to tell him who she really was: Lydia Sumire, messenger for Lufirian Intelligence, and tasked with keeping an eye on Hecatia, and the Hecatian underground. 

Her duties had never interfered with them being close, and Vidar–the son of a clouded elf–hadn’t faulted her for not telling him why she was really in Cerezia, or her duties. That was, until recently, with the attack on Axios. Lydia had been trying to get in contact with any of the other Lufirian operatives scattered about in Hecatia, but communication was slow with the sudden explosion of activity. The branch in Hecatia wasn’t prepared for something of this degree, and operatives from Islexia and Glacies would take a while to arrive. What she did know was troubling. Axios was attacked, the attackers managed to escape with one of the relics, the attackers appeared to have a clouded bend to them, and, arguably the most important piece of information, there was a pegasus rider among them. 

“Ms. Sumire.” 

Lydia looked up at the scarred, bearded man waiting for her on the outskirts of town with two horses. She looked around, and then brought down her hood, revealing her long blonde hair, sharp brown eyes covered by glasses. 

“Where’s Vidar?”

The man nodded, “He’s at the compound waiting for you. Did you find what you were after?”

“Nothing that I didn’t already know.” Lydia quickly hopped up onto the second horse. “This is a mess. No one is responding, I haven’t gotten any messages… just…”

“Come on. Let’s go and speak with the master instead of this. Those clouds look like they might be a problem.”

The late afternoon heat was slowly starting to wane as the sun fell, and the clouds rolled in. But even before it would fade to night, the sun would fade behind the Serdio Mountains. A natural boundary between the Altair Province, and Islexia proper. Named as such for the late King Serdio Islexia, hundreds of years ago, famous for using the mountains to ward off bandits and warring tribes when the current region was a part of Islexia. The jagged peaks rose tall in the distance, standing watch over the city of Cerezia, and other smaller settlements further inland. They were home to many mercenaries, and bandits alike which made them treacherous to scale. But that was exactly why this place was chosen; people didn’t travel into the Serdio mountains, save for the protected checkpoints in the natural openings of the mountain range. 

Eventually, the mountain path they followed gave way to a plateau, perhaps not naturally formed, and a building off in the distance. Despite the locale, the building was well maintained, and guarded. Above the building was a statue of a woman with long ears, holding an orb in one hand, and a star in the other. The mark of the Emeria family, and all of their dealings. Two young men ran out with their weapons, before easing as they noticed who the riders were. 

“Ms. Sumire, and Astore. Apologies, we couldn’t make you both out from the compound. Sir Vidar is inside, waiting.” 

Lydia breathed a sigh of relief. Vidar’s men really were taking this seriously. It warmed her heart to know that he appeared serious about helping her do this. 

“Thank you all, let’s go, Astore.” 

“Of course, Milady.”

“You don’t have to call me that, Astore. I’m not Vidar’s betrothed as of yet.”

The man chuckled as they moved inside, leaving the two guards behind to handle the horses, “Master Vidar seems intent on doing so, and so, I felt I should get a headstart. It’s the least I could do for you, bringing him out of his spiral.”

“Well… Don’t. Because at this point, I’m asking him to put himself at more risk than he ever has…”

The two quickly moved towards the center of the compound. The number of people within the compound were sparse; mostly familiar faces that she’d seen Vidar with. Her flame happened to be the son of Tristan Emeria, one of the most prominent merchants in the area, and as a clouded man, no less. Vidar had his own operation under his father’s and focused more on forging bonds with the frontier villages. Not quite a mercenary outfit, but not quite a merchant either, something in between. So he had his own people that he could trust, and who were detached from his father. The less people in high places of power knew, the better, and with what Vidar had explained about his father, he absolutely needed to be kept out of the loop. 

Astore and Lydia pushed open the door, and Vidar looked up from the map on the table with a bright smile. “There you are, Lydia. Ah, it’s brighter in this room already… did you hear anything or find any of your friends?”

Lydia’s steps sped up as she approaches the elf, drawing him into a hug. He didn’t quite tower over her but he was a good head taller than she was. “Unfortunately, not a thing. I’ve gotten no messages from anyone, and I know that there are others here stationed closer to the capital. Something’s really going on here…”

Vidar nodded, and let go of Lydia, “Then we have no choice but to move forward as you’d asked. With everything at Cerezia, it would be better to leave sooner rather than later. Astore, how is our… guest?”

“She’s still resting, master. The woman’s injuries were worse than her pegasus, but both of them were extremely exhausted. Her pegasus will be fine, but moving her will be difficult. The healers are doing what they can.”

The man clicked his tongue, “Mmm… I think we’ll be alright if we make our way across the border in the morning. Using the Emeria name, we should be able to cross the border without them checking our wagon, so we would be able to get her pegasus across… Lydia?”

“I, agree. The more time that we remain here, the less likely we’ll be able to get out of here without incident. I wish we could speak with her more. I… I know it’s her. I know that she’s really who she says she is, but I don’t know how she’s here, or why she took the Escaflowne…”

Lydia found the uncertainty creeping up on her. Lydia had been out surveying the area the evening before when she’d stumbled onto a small cavern, after hearing the braying of a horse. She’d followed the trail to find not a horse… but a white winged pegasus, and an injured person resting not too far from it. She’d heard of the possibility of the relic thief being a pegasus rider, and pegasi were extremely rare in Hecatia, so the possibility of it being the thief in question was remarkably high. The person wore a hood over their head, so she couldn’t make out anything before she’d gotten close, and the pegasus immediately noticed her, alerting the rider.  

Lydia closed her eyes thinking about it. How close she’d come to dying that night. The rider, even injured, quickly revealed that they were well beyond Lydia, and that they weren’t happy about her trying to sneak up on them. It was over in an instant, Lydia found herself knocked prone by a bolt of lightning that she’d never even seen, and the rider standing over her, spell aimed at her, but with wide-eyed surprise on her face. 

“Y-you’re… Lufirian? Who… Are you… Intelligence…?” 

The rider then crashed to their knees clutching at their injuries, and knocking their hood off, revealing their identity to Lydia. As a member of Lufirian intelligence, it was impossible to not recognize the woman. Her long red hair, and bright green eyes, and near spitting image of the legendary General Rosaria marked the woman as Princess Lucille Shiva. Lydia quickly revealed who she was with the hidden mark of intelligence, and she could see the relief on the princess’s face. It was quickly replaced with exhaustion, pain, and a passionate plea, ‘Please… help me.’

Vidar’s hand brought the woman out of her thoughts, “We’ll find out when she wakes, won’t we? You said that Lufiria would never do something like this. If you believe in her, then I’ll believe in you.”

“...It’s not that simple, Vidar. You know that. She asked me to help her get away with the relic. If you get caught helping us and you’ll be labeled–”

“A traitor? Ha, you jest, Lydia. I am a clouded man in a country where many already see me as a traitor by birth. And if I am viewed as a traitor by the man, nay, demon known as Artorius Altair, then I will take it in stride. I have no love for this place. We toil day in and day out for Hecatia, and it earns us nothing but scorn. Artorius does nothing for us, and Hecatia continues to turn us away. Lady Celine has had her time.” Vidar paused, and then shook his head. “Sorry, Lydia. I didn’t mean to use your request as an opportunity to vent my frustrations with Artorius. It is… difficult to move past your desire for revenge and comeuppance.”

“And yet, it may come regardless, master.” Astore replied, nodding. “Our aim is to protect the princess across the border, and hopefully find these allies that she spoke of.”

Lydia nodded, “No, it’s… alright. I know what… you meant. As long as we can protect her, her allies should arrive quickly to my understanding. And what about your father?” 

“Father’s been kept out of the loop, and my contact tells me he still has no clue. I can’t fathom what Father would do if he knew that the Escaflowne was here. He’s not aligned with Artorius–not in the slightest–but I’m sure if father knew… he’d do anything to get his hands on it. And then the possibility of civil conflict.”

“We need to avoid that at all costs. I know… I know the princess would say the same.” 

Vidar then held his arms out wide, ”Then it is settled, no? We’ll make plans to start our journey tomorrow morning. Hopefully our sleeping beauty wakes sometime before then. Astore, can you begin confirming preparations?”

“At once, master.” The tall, leathery skinned man stood up, and made his way out of the hall. 

“Lydia, I think it’s best if you return to Cerezia and keep an eye out for anyone suspicious. If we can find someone who is allied with the princess, sooner, then we should take the risk. I can’t imagine that someone as important as you say she is would have been traveling alone. She had to have done this knowing the risks, and knowing that she’d have support eventually.”

“That was my plan. I’ll also see if I get any messages from anyone. Vidar… thank you so much, you don’t have to do this, and–”

“I do, Lydia. I trust you more than I do Hecatia. It will be my life’s greatest happiness to finally be able to help the mysterious woman who saved me from the same thing that threatens to destroy my father. And I get to stick it to Artorius in the same breath. This is destiny, my dear. Now go, we’ll get things taken care of here.”

“I… alright.” Lydia cracked a smile, before stealing a kiss from the elf. “Thank you all the same, Vidar.” She gathered herself, and hurried out of the compound. She never thought that she would be working so closely for Lufirian royalty, but at this moment. Lydia was responsible for the well being of the first princess of the Lufirian royal family. With Vidar at her side, and hopefully more assistance approaching, they could resolve this without turning Hecatia into a battlefield. One of the guards from before pointed her to her horse, and she began making her way back down the mountain path, and towards Cerezia. 

The other guard was missing.


Off in a room deep within the compound. A faint ball of light offered the only glow within the room. A single bed with covers. A tattered bag rested in front of the lone bed, alongside a brilliant gilded sheathe. Laced with gold, and silver, and the hilt of the large sword adorned with many jewels. It shimmered almost entirely out of place in the dingy, darkened carved out room. There was light, if somewhat hampered, breathing, the covers slowly rising and falling. The blade seemed to twinkle for a moment. 

“...Ugh…”

The covers rustled, and stirred… and then shot up with a gasp. 

“What?! W-where i–Hnnh.” She reached for her side. Quickly realizing that her entire body was on fire, but especially her torso. Which had been bandaged. “What…?”

She remembered the evening before. Pursued by yet another contingent of wyverns as she tried to break through the wyvern infested skies. Had Villkiss been rested they would have effortlessly danced around the slower mounts, but the both of them were running on fumes, as they had been for days. They managed to break away, but the pair desperately needed rest. The forests of Hecatia had served them well; the knights weren’t anywhere near as meticulous as they needed to be, and they’d been able to slip through gaps. Flying low on rivers was also appreciably effective. 

Finally, she’d found a place where the both of them could rest for a bit, after she tended to Villkiss’s wings. She must have dozed off at some point, and for longer than she expected, but Villkiss was keeping an eye out for the both of them. Her partner jolted her awake to a lone woman who appeared to be trying to sneak up on them. The fight, if it could have been called that, was over in an instant. Even exhausted, and injured, her casting ability was far beyond what any Hecatian would have been used to. However, the moment she was about to end it, she realized that the newcomer’s magic wasn’t human, but Lufirian. What happened afterwards was blurry. She shook her head, her bright red hair brushing her face, and her bright green eyes still glassy. She closed her eyes, and immediately, she could tell that it was still here. 

“...G-good… But… where am I…? This isn’t… the forest anymore.” She tried to move, but her body refused, sweat already beginning to bead on her forehead. She lay back on the pillows, her limited energy already running thin. She quickly felt for her hair pins making sure that they were still intact. She breathed a sigh of relief that the both of them were– “Wait.” She looked down at her hands, and relaxed ever so slightly. The wooden ring with the pink stone was still there, and perfectly intact. “...Thank goodness.” She brought the ring close to her, almost as if she was using the energy coursing through the stone to warm herself. “Shaw… Please… please be okay… I’ll… hh… I’ll make it. I, I promise… I have to… I need to, I want to… hhh. I just… have to… hold on until… they…” 

The red haired girl slipped back into unconsciousness, the ring still held to her chest.

Lydia pulled out a pouch, shook water off of it, and handed some gold to the man. "I just wanted to do that first before I headed back out. Galari knows that I would have forgotten again if I don't do this now." 

The man shook his head, and took the gold. "Ever the hard worker, aren't you, Lydia? The outpost and the Emeria are lucky to have gotten their hands on you. Be careful that you don't catch a cold or something out there."

"I don't plan on it, but thank you, and see you later." Lydia threw the hood back over her head, and made her way back out of the hotel. As she stepped back out into the rain, she kept her head on a swivel. Lufirian Intelligence had a particular way of finding one another--a series of codes that made little sense to outsiders--body language, words spoken, and even simple things that they choose to wear. Fortunately, out here in Hecatia, they could simply use their magic. Humans were not as adept as detecting faint uses of magic, and people would have to know what they were looking for in order to pick up on the signature. But there was also the possibility that the Princess's friends weren't intelligence. She wasn't entirely quite sure what she was looking for at this point, and she hadn't woken before she had to take off from the compound. What she did notice was that there was a rather high degree of knight presence tonight. That was a little concerning, and something to keep an eye on. The Knights seemed to be more content to focuses on the areas away from Cerezia, but now they seemed to be amassing here. 

As she made her way down the street, two figures were walking towards her. One of them was wearing a proper cloak, same as she was, but the other--a woman--was as unprotected from the elements as one might be. She had to stifle a laugh at the sight, but there was something odd about the two of them. Strange... Lydia decided to approach the pair--no reason to not act on her intuition, and the worst that could happen was that she was rebuffed or ignored. "Ah, excuse me. I couldn't help but notice that, well, you don't seem quite prepared for the rain." Lydia pointed to the inn, "That inn there is a good place to hide out until it ends, perhaps he'll even lend you a cloak, or something..." Lydia subtly worked her magic, expecting to of course find nothing, when she paused, and just looked at the pair. "...This might be a little out of the blue, but might I ask if either of you two seen anything with a shattered sword emblem? I lost something earlier, and I've been looking for it."

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Jesse heart rose as the woman in front of her began to answer her question. She stated that there wasn't much she knew but if she just took the time to look on the knight's face she would see how much of a service the Evoker was doing.

Jesse started shaking her hands when the lady began to curtsied. "Ah no, it's my apologies for intruding on your night. Truth be told I wasn't going to seek you out until after the situation in Hecatia had resolved, so you've done plenty for me just now." This was effectively Jesse's second time dealing with mobility after Celine, so she didn't quite now how to handle the composure and grace. 

"Ah, My Lady Evoker" Jesse still hadn't gotten her name, though the other's had been announced multiple times. "Thank you for your help here. I'll let Commander Celine know you two were here, but needed to depart on a mission of your own. Oh, and if you're looking for a place to relax, may I recommend The Evening Hibiscus on the Southern end of the city? It's a hidden gem that's perfect for just some alone time." It wasn't much, but this was the least Jesse could do for the two since they took time to answer the girl's question. Having said that, and noticing the clouds above, Jesse made her way in the direction that her traveling companion had went.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Tana was distinctly unhappy. She had been pushing to find an inn for an hour now, and the situation outside was only getting worse. She was wet, cold, and hungry, but her brother was insistent that they continue searching for information. Information that had, so far, been exceedingly useless. She had just opened her mouth to complain once more, when they were approached by a lovely lady, kindly offering advice before asking a strange question about an emblem while using magic of some sort. Still, Tana wasn't one to pass up an opportunity. "Mmm, I mean, if you really wanted to be nice, I could just bundle up in your cloak with you. Plenty of room in there~"

 

"Now is not the time." The quiet, but extremely serious voice cut off any further comments the silver and pink haired woman might have made, as Kay stepped forward, pushing gold hair out of his eyes. A silent pulse of magic was returned to Lydia, as he shook his head. "Unfortunately, I cannot say that we have found a shattered sword emblem. You don't see many of that sort of thing out here, from my experience." Even as he was saying that, however, his hand was fiddling in the wide sleeve of his cloak before briefly sneaking out, showing a pin of his own, with the shattered sword easy to see. The next second, the emblem was gone, tucked back within some hidden pocket in his cloak. "The inn, you say? Perhaps it would do my sister here some good to get out of the rain. Would you care to join us?"
 

Tana wasn't exactly sure what was going on, but it sounded like she was going to both get to go inside and spend some time with an interesting new friend. Her day was suddenly looking much better.

Edited by scorri
Link to comment
Share on other sites

The woman quickly mentioned getting cozy under her cloak, which, honestly was probably roomy enough for the both of them, but the man with her reacted immediately, and in a way that set Lydia's heart aflutter. She looked around, before nodding, "Ah, well. I'll probably find it later. It's not super important now... I was going to continue onto a bar, but this rain is worse than I thought it would be... I think it's best if I do come back with the two of you." Stars above, finally... Lydia opened her cloak, raising it above the woman's head. "Come on, let's get inside." Lydia led the pair inside the inn, checking around every so often. "Let me handle this." 

She pushed open the door, and once again brushed the hood off of her golden hair. 

"Oh, you're back. That was fast, and--well, who's this?" The man at the desk tilted his head back and forth. "Rare for you to be bringing anyone who wasn't Vidar back here."

"Oh, hush about that. They're two friends that are in town for the evening, just going to my room to chat for a bit." 

The man nodded at both newcomers, "Well, welcome then. If you're with Lydia, you can be trusted not to cause trouble. Might ask for a little extra for this, though, Lydia. Hope you understand." 

She waved her hand as she started guiding both of them to her room, "That's fine; I know how hard things are getting." She waved as she pulled them both around the corner and down the hall to her room. She fiddled with the key for a moment, before she started talking in a hushed tone, "You have no idea how happy I am to finally see another intelligence officer... What a mess." She looked at Tana before pushing inside, "Is she also intelligence, or...?" 

Edited by Mercenary on the Winds
Link to comment
Share on other sites

The twins followed after Lydia, Tana especially grateful to be ducking under the cloak and then into the warm inn. A tsk of disappointment was the only response from her at the comment about the other woman bringing back someone named Vidar to the inn with enough frequency that the innkeeper felt comfortable joking about it, but that quickly fell to the side as pieces started falling into place. She was Intelligence. Of course she was. Damn. So much for a fun time, she's like to be as serious as my dear little brother...

"No. She's not. But she's been authorized to be on my mission, which..." He hesitated, a faint blush coming into his cheeks before he pushed forward, entering the room behind Lydia. Once the door shut, he sighed. "My mission wasn't here. Not originally. But with everything that has happened, our third companion brought us along with him to Hecatia. There wasn't much point in watching Islexian movements when the entire continent is like a kicked beehive." He looked at her pensively, and then nodded. "Right, you know the sign, you have the magic, I think we can all lay our cards on the table, yes? I'm Kasun Aclemund, that's my sister, Tatyana. We're here for obvious reasons. I'm guessing from the way you're known here, that you're a more permanent placement here in Hecatia, with your mission being disrupted in the same way that ours was?"

"You can call me Yana~ All the pretty ladies can."

"The pretty ladies and everyone else. Now is not the time for flirting." Kas glared at his sister who was lounging in one of the chairs, trying to appear as though she wasn't soaking wet.

"Come on, little brother. There's always time for flirting. If we stay too serious, everything builds up and we shatter. You have to let things loose sometimes." Yana winked at Lydia, with a grin. "And don't worry, I caught the innkeeper's comment, so don't take any of this too seriously. It's all for fun and to try and get him to stop being so stiff."

Link to comment
Share on other sites

"Lydia Sumire. My mission was to be keeping an eye on the Hecatian Underground and monitoring what Artorius is doing out here; if anything at all. But, well, everything been thrown off-kilter by everything that's going on. I hadn't been able to contact anyone for over a week and a half now, and you are the first officer I've seen respond to any of this. Something's really wrong... especially knowing what I do now." She looked over at Yana with an confused look, "What do you mean you caught--" She paused, and then lightly flushed. "Ignore that, he's just making fun of me. That's not quite a real thing. Anyway."

She ran a hand through her hair, "If you're supposed to be on mission in Islexia, I don't know how you would have beaten everyone else here. I'm not the only operative here in Hecatia, and not a single one of them has responded. I get things are hectic, but... Where is this third of yours, anyway? You say that he brought you guys here, so I'm guessing he's the one in charge?" Things might actually have been looking up. Two intelligence members, and a mysterious third, depending on their skill, this would be a huge boost to their coming operation. "You guys are caught up on everything, right? Axios was attacked, it was thought to be clouded, and the thief's a pegasus rider? Well... If you guys hadn't confirmed that already, I can confirm all of that... including the rider, because I know where she is." 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

"Oh, it's not a thing, hmm? I'll have to remember that~" Yana was certainly interested, Lydia blushed so prettily, but she quickly grew serious as Lydia pushed through and continued her explanation. She looked over at Kas, raising an eyebrow, suggesting that they share about their companion, and then Lydia dropped the final bomb. She knew where the target of their desperate race across Islexia was.

"Wait, what?" Kas had been considering if Tanvir would be ok with him revealing his name, but all of that went out the window when Lydia said that she knew where the thief was. "You know, where she... Right, that changes everything." He ran a hand through his hair, eyes darting to the side as he considered all the possibilities. Finally, he spoke, quietly, but urgently. "Right, ok. I need to contact our third member now then. Look, I don't know what plans you have for her, but whatever they are, they're changing, if I had to guess. I don't know what the rest of Intelligence is doing," he paused, a worrying thought passing through his head, but he shook it away before continuing, "but what I do know is that we're both outranked in this by my companion. He's a Royal Knight and also one of the Asteria. If the name Tanvir means anything to you, then that's all you need. If it doesn't, then I promise you, he's not resting until he finds our lone pegasus knight. So, if you know where she is, I'll find him and he's going to want to take over immediately. You found her... He's going to be so relieved."

Link to comment
Share on other sites

"A Royal Knight and a member of the Asteria?!" Lydia's mouth dropped open. A Royal Knight outside of Lufiria? There was no way that this wasn't related. For the thief to be who it was, and for a Royal Knight to now be hurrying into Hecatia. "Okay... No, I've not heard his name, but I've heard of the Asteria... That's good to know. Perhaps that means things will be a whole lot easier then. Okay, okay... Well, if I had any doubt that she was really Princess Lucille its gone now. She's in the Serdio Mountains. She's being watched over by Vidar, and a few of his healers and men; don't worry, he's on our side, he wouldn't put her in danger. Problem is..." Lydia looked out the window, "Getting to where she is right now would be incredibly difficult, and dangerous. The rain makes traversing the mountains a nightmare, and at night as well? Forget it. I didn't think I'd find anyone, so I was just coming back to Cerezia to prepare for us to move out tomorrow, but... This changes a lot. She's not in the best way right now; she's hurt, and her pegasus is exhausted, but with you guys and the Royal Knight... we might just be able to get her out of here after all. If you can find him, and bring him back here, we can prepare at least... we can try to set out in the morning to get you guys to her, but there's no way to do it now." 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

"Yeah, we ran into him by accident, honestly." Yana had straightened up finally, leaning forward in her chair, fingers knitted together. "He saved our lives in Islexia, and we've been traveling with him since. When we started seeing what was happening, and Kas here got a message from Intelligence telling him about a pegasus rider sprinting their way across Islexia, and, well, Tanvir put two and two together. We're not involved in anything beyond getting Tanvir to the Princess, so you'd have to ask him if you want more details, but we set out as soon as we heard the news. Strange the other Intelligence members didn't do the same." She had a light smile on her face still, masking a worry that she knew Kas would sense. Something wasn't lining up here.

Realizing he was pacing, Kas stopped, looking over at Yana, an inscrutable look in his eyes. She was right to hold back the rest of the information that Tanvir had given them, he knew that much and wasn't arguing there. But it seemed like she had caught on to the same train of thought that he had been on, wondering about how much they could trust the rest of Intelligence members who weren't responding to what clearly was an international incident involving members of Lufiria. Now wasn't the time for this sort of speculation though, with the more pressing task of getting to the princess being the only thing that mattered. "If you're right that we can't get to her tonight, I'll do my best to convince him that we can't move before morning. But it's going to be a fight I suspect. Still. Yana, you stay here. One of us will be able to move easier than two and we both know that I'm better at sneaking than you. I'll go find Tanvir and convince him to come back here and not charge into the night. He's worried about Lucille. Desperately so. But he's smart, so hopefully I'll be back here before long. Before I head out, is there anything more you need from me?" Splitting up was the right thing here. Yana could keep an eye on Lydia, just in case something had slipped past him, and he could find Tan. He didn't like it, but he knew it was the right move.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

"So it seems like he's the only one, aside from the princess, who can answer what's going on then..." That meant that whatever the Princess had gotten herself caught in was related to the upper echelons of the government, and even large parts of intelligence weren't in on it. This was getting more and more curious by the minute. "I'm unfortunately very serious, or we'd be leaving right this moment. It's raining pretty bad out there, which means the mountain paths are going to be a nightmare to traverse. There are rock falls to consider, difficult to retain footing, and since we'd be there at night, there are the bandits up there too. The last thing we want to do, especially with the relic that the princess has, is bring a bunch of bandits right on top of us. And with as slow as we would have to move just to make sure that we got there alive, we'd probably have the entire mountain's bandit population watching us. So, uh, tell that to your Royal Knight friend, and hopefully he gets the hint."

She paused a moment on his question, before shaking her head, "The only thing I can think of is to hurry. The sooner we can figure out our plan of action, the sooner we can execute in the morning. We'll both remain here, and see what we can get started just between the two of us." Lydia looked at Yana with a small smile, and she sighed, "God... it's really freeing to be able to talk about this with more people, and people I know aren't going to stab us in the back. You guys are lifesavers... alright, you need to go. Take care." 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

"Right. He's reasonable. He'll understand if I explain it." Kas fished a small purse out of his cloak and tossed it onto the bedside table. "Here, this should cover any extra charges that the innkeeper puts on you for keeping us here. The only thing is, Tanvir, he's... not easy to miss. So if there's someplace safe we can stash him, without bringing a lot of attention to him, it might be good. But I'll leave that to you two to sort out." He walked past Yana, a quick glance shot at her, a message passing between them. "Stay safe, you two. Hopefully, come the morning, we'll be seeing some positive movement." He pulled his cloak back around him and headed out. He would turn invisible when he could, but for now, he would just move normally.

"Ooo, I'm sure we can get something lovely started between the two of us~" Yana grinned at Lydia, waggling her eyebrows, before looking up at Kas with a nod. "You too, little bro. Don't make me come and find you." She shut the door behind him before he could protest about the little brother comment yet again, and looked over at Lydia, deadly serious again. "Right then. Time to start planning."

Link to comment
Share on other sites




May 30th, 1218 PAF, Tuesday

8:00-8:30am

The morning came soon enough, and with it, mostly clear skies. Although, the rains from the evening before, and the warmth of the land below left a mist over Cerezia. Aside from the rains, the night had been quiet, and uneventful. Almost too quiet even. The Tigers got to sleep in for once; not needing to be forced awake for combat, or even particularly in a hurry to head out. There was quite a bit to discuss regarding identities, introductions, and their path forward. Tio and Elisa were both late once more, but after the day that was had, no one wanted to go and bother them. The commander was more than enough to explain the major goal of their future: an alliance with pro-clouded Gaffneys in order to take down Kazran Serdio, and secure themselves safe passage through Islexia. A risky endeavor, but if they succeeded they would almost definitely be able to sail right through Islexia.

With most of their briefing and introductions completed, the Tigers set about breakfast, and waiting for their charges to finally arrive. Elsewhere however, there were people beginning to stir knights, mercenaries, and rumors abound. The mists surrounding Cerezia kept the city unawares of what was to come...

Edited by Mercenary on the Winds
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Aegean stifled a yawn as she walked down the hallway of the inn. Yesterday was... an event to say the least. While it was interesting to have another new member of the group, that was just the sprinkles of the strom that appeared to happen while Gean was out and about. Their new side mission was a little worrisome, the less they got involved with Islexia the better, but the thought of a aquatic assault did light a fire in the mermaid's heart. Perhaps that was just her lineage taking over her instincts. She was a naval soldier wasn't she... Useless thoughts aside, Gean did have a unpleasant sense of Deja Vu. She had heard from Miria about what happened with Syndra's big secret, and Gean had no right to judge. It was a good decision to remain out of sight yesterday evening, only taking a quick stop to check in with Tasha and Vira. What happened with the Cyro guy could wait until they were on the road.

For now, Gean was heading down the hallway to go meet the only one of her employers who seemed to actually have a good day in Cerezia. Reaching Sari's door, she took the moment to look down at the person walking with her. Taking Renais hand, the mermaid smiled. "You ready for this? If not we can come back, or I can go in for you?"

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The morning came quick for Miria. She made a quick errand after everything settled down the night before, she needed some new clothes, and she was ready for the trip forward. She did a few stretches, making sure everything fit her nicely, and she felt fresh and raring to take on the future. For Gean, for Alvira, for Syndra, the whole collage of the Tigers. She smiled bright, as she put on her new coat, and made her way to the dining hall.

As she got there, it seemed she was early (or everyone else was late). Thus, she got herself a plate of all of her favorite things, and took a seat. Before eating, she had a thought. She looked down, pulled her gem from her necklace, and began to hold it.

With everything going on... Renais' amnesia, Gean's lineage, Syndra's lineage, Alvira's family, Nyx being a former criminal... So much has happened, and will happen. Everyone has so much going on. Miria was lost in thought for a moment. She wondered about how alien she felt, compared to the rest of the Tigers. She didn't know if she had any crazy secrets being hidden from her that wasn't her armor. And she couldn't tell what concerned her about it. She decided it was best to shake off that feeling. No one in the Tigers needed that right now! Miria was hungry, so she started digging in!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Staring Things Out

Spoiler

Gean strolled down the streets of Cerezia as the began to wane. Today had been a whirlpool of events so far, but there was some good to be gleaned out of everything. The Clouded girl had managed to snag herself some more gold from the arena, although she ended up losing to a rather irate light mage. Even after the colosseum healers did their thing, she could still feel the singes on her scales. Perhaps a crop top wasn’t the best idea…

Regardless of the practicality of her new outfit, the arena  wasn’t the true victory of the day. That title belonged to the girl waiting for her as she collected her prize money. To be honest, Gean was still nervous. For all the bravado and charm she gave off, this was still her first relationship, and she kinda just ran into it headfirst. Now the two were just passing the time away until they need to head to the inn.

Renais wasn’t far behind the mermaid, she took a look around town with her, after she chilled on her adrenaline rush during the cheers she put on for Gean during the arena match ups. She found it very odd that the arena of all things can get her hyped like that, but either way she turned to Gean as they walked along. “Why don’t we get a bite to eat? You must be hungry after your fights.” She tried to eye out a nice cafe the two of them could sit down in. “We could chat about…things. Since we’re in a relationship there’s some things we should talk about.” Despite being a popular girl, Renais had never been in a relationship before. She didn’t have time with her studies of course. It was certainly going to be interesting.

"I could go for some food and some words. I just hope I don't fill up on you before the food gets here~" Gean ended her reply with a soft hum. There were a good number of places to eat around, so Gean looked for something that seemed to have a general enough feel to it and a place where they could just sit and talk. Her feet brought her to 'Cerezia's View'. 

The sign seemed to suggest they had a good selection of meals: seafood, poultry, beef. "This oughta do us good." Entering the establishment, the mermaid got the pair a booth for two and sat down as the waiter, a sophisticated elven man came to take their orders. Gean went ahead and got herself a breaded trout and some salad with a bit of cider as a reward for her arena run. "Now," Gean looked at the girl across from her and smiled. "What's the topic for now, love?"

Gean was pretty into this, it made Renais laugh a little bit. “Fill up on me…well, we’ll see.” She followed along and took a seat herself. She more or less had the same thing, today had fried enough of her brain to really think on another order. “Mm…love. This is very fast, but not unwelcome.” She smiled a little. “Well first off, since we’re dating, I was curious…what did you find attractive about me?” Renais could probably guess, but she wanted to see what Gean’s answer was first.

“Fast or not, I need an appropriate nickname for my girlfriend, you know how I am with this.” Simply calling her Rene like before just didn’t feel quite right, at least not for the feelings she felt right now. “I can’t promise I’ll always slow down, especially when I can see you smile like that, but I’ll give it an earnest effort.” Gean took a slow sip of her cider as she pondered Renais' question. 

“Well for one, I like how eager you are when cheering people on, gave me some extra strength in the arena earlier. It also compliments your caring touch when it comes to healing. I admire your drive to find your sister, which strikes cords with some of my own goals.” Gean closed her eyes, she’d answer those questions if asked, but only if asked. No need for the rough stuff just yet. “Plus it doesn’t hurt that you’re quite the looker who’s awfully fun to tease.” Gean gave a chuckle at the last part.

“...hm.” She took in Gean’s words. She certainly knew how to flatter a girl, it was cute. “I’m glad you think I’m a looker, to be honest being near so many pretty women made me rethink that. It’s nice, don’t get me wrong, but it’s kind of funny considering how popular I was in school.” She giggled a bit. “...but thank you, I’m glad you think so. That being said, what are your goals exactly? It involves your homeland, doesn’t it?”

Gean took a deep breath, and another drink of her cider. "When my dad took me and fled to Glacies, there had just been an assassination attempt on the royal family. Plenty of families had been suspected, but mine had always been close friends of the royal family, not to mention my aunt and uncle were very influential members themselves. So when we got the news that we were on the list, it hit hard. We stayed put, having faith our family and friends would be there for us… and then the assassin's struck." Gean pointed to the scar on her left eye. "Got this on that night. Luckily it healed up nice enough for me to see, dad paid a handsome fee for that, but the big thing was the people who came for our lives… worked under my uncle. Now he was out on a mission with my aunt at the time but when you're seemingly betrayed by those close to you and there's folks after you and your family, there's not much to do right?"

By this point, the waiter had returned with their food, and Gean thanked him before she continued, taking her fork and playing with her salad. "I don't believe my uncle did it, no. Even if he was that kind of man, which he isn't by any means, he would have handled us personally. I think, if anything, my goal is to find the truth. I lost a lot that night, hell, I don't even know where my mom is. She stayed behind so we could escape and I haven't seen nor heard of her in 10 years. I want to know what happened. If I do run into my family, and my friends. I want to apologize for running away and leaving them when they all believed me. I know it's foolish, and I wouldn't be surprised if they hated me, but I need to know. If I don't, I feel like I'll be stuck in this hole forever, and these feelings that haunt me shall remain."

With that out, Gean gave Renais another smile, albeit a more sheepish one. She wasn't really hiding it from earlier, but there were bags forming under her eyes, no doubt a result of her most recent nights. "Well, anything else? I'm all open."

“....” It was a little frightening how much Gean had been through, it was almost the kind of thing Renais read in her fairy tale books. “Betrayal and deception…I’m sorry to bring up such painful memories, Gean.” She looked aside for a moment, just taking in how close Gean had been to the royal family. There weren’t very many books on Lufiria at the academy, so Renais shouldn’t know a whole lot…

But some things seemed to resonate in a way with her that rang true, like she knew a few small things. Not quite the assassination attempt though. “Mm…Lufiria seems like a scary place, and if what Mikoto said is true like I believe it is…how close was I to the royal family I wonder? Would they even know me? Was I an enemy or a friend?” She took a hold of her own hand as she bit her lip. “It’s a little scary…”

Gean pondered for a moment. She didn't have recollection of ever seeing Renais when she was young but the name does sound familiar. "I don't know much about the Rhapsodia family, I wasn't too involved with that stuff and the few social events I attended with my aunt I spent mostly in the company of the princesses. I do know it's a family known for their music, to the point where they even trained the princesses in the musical arts at one point, but I never heard anything negative about them." This was definitely a Sari question, but Renais was wary about asking him earlier. Maybe Gean could approach him on the topic herself, but that could be for later. 

"Well dour stuff aside, what about you? I know a little about your sister, but what about your time at school? Tell me more Ms Studious." While Renais talked, Gean began to eat some of her food. The fish was delicious, though the salad needed a bit more dressing for her liking.

Renais couldn’t help but be a little frustrated by the news, to be close to information and yet be frustratingly far too. “Hm…used to train princesses in music…” She mumbled. “So maybe I was close…nothing comes to mind though, it’s frustrating.” But then Gean changed the subject, which perked Renais up. “Oh…yes, that’s right. My sister and I lived with our father until he passed away, it was incredibly unfortunate.” She twisted her fork around in her food a little. “But my sister always kept her spirits high, and she took care of me despite that. She’s reliable and strong…that’s why I wanted to repay her however I could.” She lifted her head a little. “So I tried to be a knight like her but…well I couldn’t make the cut. I’m just not built for heavy lifting.” She giggled a bit. “So I decided to go the magical route, and I transferred to Glacies to study at a magical academy, the same one Alvira was from funnily enough.”

Gean chuckled at the thought of Renais in armor trying to lift a sword, however the big thing to note was how much she cared for her sister. Honestly her situation reminded the Clouded girl of her relationship with Tasha, which in turn made Gean feel a little bad because of everything from before with the truths she withheld. Just another spot on the list of relationships you need to repair.

“So what was school like? I was mostly homeschooled once I came to Glacies, so I never got to experience that kinda stuff.” Gean was a little curious at what a non Tigers Renais was like, so she leaned into this with a bit of enthusiasm as she finished her trout.

“School? Ah well…” She took a bite. “...honestly, it was the best thing that ever happened to me. When I moved to Glacies my whole life changed. It was scary being away from Liza after being with her for years, but I made a lot of friends and learned a lot. I had a roommate who was a noble too, it was quite an experience.” She smiled. “I enjoyed my time in Glacies, truly.”

“Oh? A roommate you say? Sounds like someone had a grand ol’ time compared to when they first joined us. Makes me a little hurt when I think about you all in that robe and not socializing with us~” Gean fake sobbed, but it was good to know that the Renais here was the same one at school, where she had people she trusted. It also was good to know that she enjoyed her time in Glacies, hopefully she wouldn’t mind returning to the country after this whole ordeal. Then again, would Gean even be back in Glacies once things were over? She hadn’t thought about that, but if her family did take her back, what would become of her time with the Tigers? Renais would more than likely want to stay with her sister, it was the whole reason she started this journey. So what would become of them?

Gean was so lost in thought that she failed to notice she paused in picking up a piece of her salad.

Renais picked up on the fake sobbing, but felt she had to be honest anyway. “...well, who knew how long we would have been together. I also didn’t have the best impression about mercenaries, but I was honestly ignorant to think they were all the same. I’m sorry if I came off like that.” She nodded her head. “But yeah, Rose Sinclair was her name. She taught me a lot, really everyone in Glacies did. It was a wonderful time…and none of it would have happened if I had never heard of Tio and Elisa. Tio inspired me to keep at my studies, to grow and learn…” She looked at Gean. “So that’s why I…mm…” She looked like she had more to say too…

But before she could continue, she noticed Gean was deep in thought. “...Gean?”

Gean snapped out of it as Renais called her name. “Bwah?” slipped out of the girl as she nearly dropped her fork before regaining herself. “Sorry, was thinking about how good it’s gonna feel when I snuggle you tonight in our room.” There was no need to bog down the conversation with that thought, they hadn’t even gotten past Islexia yet. There were too many things to be done first. Plus the two had just started dating today, bringing that up would be far beyond ‘taking things slow’. “Anyways, so that’s why you? btw Rose is a lovely name.”

She narrowed her eyes a little. “...snuggling huh? Well, I’m not one to talk given my thoughts…” Seemed like Gean got away with it. “It is a nice name, she was very sweet. A little reserved though…she had a sad look in her eyes.” She took another bite. “Mm…it made me wish I could solve her problems, I wanted to repay her…honestly, I want to repay everyone. I wouldn’t be the woman I am today without Rose, Liza, Tio, Elisa, Miria…and you.” She looked Gean in the eye.

“Oh? And what might those thoughts be?” Gean smiled just a bit, both for getting away with her deflection, and for the thought of what might be on the healer’s mind. Renais seemed to want to withhold that information right now, and instead attack Gean with some sweetness and sincerity, along with a piercing gaze. The mermaid would be lying if she said that heart wasn’t fluttering at the moment. “Well I, uh. Just doing my job, y’know. It’s an honor to be considered among the elite and such.” Gean had broken eye contact, while lazily poking at the scraps she had left on her plate.Giving me an opportunity to tease AND a heartfelt compliment? Someone’s getting kissed later.  

She noticed she put Gean a little on edge, it was kind of cute. She couldn’t help but give off a sly grin. “So you can be unbalanced. Compliments and good will, I’ll have to remember that for later…” Renais’ mischievous side rarely came out, but it seemed like Gean had a small glimpse of it for a brief moment. “...but that all aside, I have to ask.” She continued. “Do you think I could become an Evoker, Gean?”

Gean was a little surprised at the mischievous side of Renais, it seems she had been given a view of another side of her girlfriend once more. “Careful, you might get more than what you asked for.” Gean licked her lips in an attempt to gain control back. Serious question time returned however, and Renais had a rather interesting inquiry. 

“I don’t see why you couldn’t. You’re studious and have an aptitude for magic.even if there’s some kinks currently with your offensive magic, your talent at healing is nothing to scoff at. I’m sure given time and more learning, you’d be notable enough in your own right. Besides, one probably would get to hide in Tio and Elisa’s soft embrace if they didn’t have a chance now would they?” Gena smirked back across the table at her last comment.

Gean’s threat (or promise?) didn’t quite get Renais, though the lip lick did catch her off guard a little. “Hmm…” But she focused on the question at hand. “I suppose but…becoming an Evoker is no easy accomplishment, only the best of the best mages in Glacies history held that title. Tio was the only one for quite some time, then she married Elisa and she held that title with her more or less. Tio and Elisa are considered the best mages in Glacies.” She looked aside. “So to become an Evoker I have to be on their level, or even surpass them. To have an accomplishment that is just as fantastic as the Mana Storm quelling.” She shook her head. “And here I am, a healer that gets knocked out from music of all things, causing so much trouble for Tio on top of that. I don’t like my chances, in fact I think Tio might think I’m joking…” She laughed a bit to ease off her worries.

Gean reached over the table and put her hand on Renais’. “Nope, no thinking like that. Sure, you may have a problem right now with music, but we’re gonna work through that. Also, no one here is taking you as a joke, especially Tio, she wouldn’t have been as worried about you when you got taken by Mikoto, or when you passed out, or would have taken your cloak, if she thought you were like that. Yeah, Tio may have quelled a mana storm, and that’s huge, but you have many years ahead of you, and escorting the Evokers and stopping a potential war sounds like a pretty good first start to the Tale or Renais Silvavolke if you ask me.” Gean had yet to break eye contact. “Oh and one more thing. The strongest woman I know, stronger than Tio and Elisa probably, is a healer and a hero in her own right, so you got this ok?”

When Gean took her hand, she lifted her head back up and looked her in the eye. “...Tio really is a good woman, to care about someone she met recently like that.” She smiled a little. “You’re very much the same…but you’re more invasive if you ask me.” She half joked and giggled. “Tale of Renais Silvavolke, I like that sound of that. I’ve read fairy tales for so long that maybe it’s time I become a part of one myself.” She held her hand back. “You know a strong healer, do you? I wouldn’t mind meeting her someday, perhaps I could learn a few things…but either way, thank you Gean. This isn’t a bad start to our relationship, hm?”

Gean smirked, and with her other hand, reached over to caress Renais’ cheek. “Ha, if this is invasive you need to prep yourself, love. I gotta start early if I’m gonna cement myself as the loving girlfriend of the next Evoker in this story.~” Confident Gean was back in full effect, although she faltered just a little at Renais' wish of meeting this healer. Oh I have no doubt we’ll meet her with the way things are going. How she’ll be feeling at the moment is a different matter altogether. 

“Now, we’ve finished our meals, but I’m not quite full yet, if you know what I mean. Why don’t we pay up and get out of here to enjoy.. dessert? That is if I’m not moving too fast.” Gean wanted to continue this high, but she wasn’t gonna push Renais into it. Renais asked to go slow, and Gean would respect that, even if her instincts were trying to heat the engine.

Gean certainly had a way with words, it was charming. A little forward, but charming. She blushed a little at the firm hand across her cheek, then returned her support with a smile. “Mm, you’re too good to me, Gean. Thank you.” She put her hand on Gean’s again. “Oooh, dessert?” She grinned wide. “Well, we can…as long as we eat it slowly, if you understand me.” Seemed like Renais knew what she was putting down alright.
 

Another new day came, and Renais was...still pretty staggered from yesterday. In just an instant so much had changed. She had an angle on what she was, but it wasn't something she expected. She made a fox friend, discovered Alvira had something dreadful happen to her, and even made a relationship with Gean. It was certainly a lot to take in, and while Renais had a lot to do as soon as they got back exhaustion hit. The pinkette was too tired so she went to bed, she didn't share it with Gean though. Not yet!

In the morning, Renais had only heard a little of their next mission, and she didn't get a chance to meet whoever joined them now. It seemed like at this point the Iron Tigers was only going to get bigger, she wondered if she could keep everyone healthy throughout the whole ordeal. Regardless, Renais had a lot to do during the day, so she joined Gean to go meet with a certain handsome man. "No, I'm fine. If we stop now I might never go see him." She stood by her side and followed along. "So let's get this over with."

Link to comment
Share on other sites

"Can't say you two were the ones I expected at my door, this morning, but I suppose I can't complain. Yet." Versaris opened the door and then leaned against the doorway, arms folded, already dressed up in a button up black, long sleeved shirt, with a pair of slack black pants. Simple and without a stray wrinkle, he seemed quite the morning person. "Pardon my opening the door on you, I could hear you conversing and figured I'd skip any knocking... So... Since I was so busy, yesterday..."

Blacksmith and Bullying

Spoiler

Alriana exited the library first, her tail holding the door open for Versaris. They’d picked out a few cookbooks that looked promising, as well as some tales for herself, that the librarian didn’t mind parting with. “We go to real bookstore next? Or go to arena or blacksmith? Don’t mind what order we do in.” The not-elf’s offer to purchase everything remained in the back of her head, but she had no intention to spend every last gold he had; that felt like using him for his money rather than being treated because they were on a date.

Sari had offered to carry everything and so carry everything he did, one arm holding their paper bag full of books. “Well, a real bookstore wouldn’t be a terrible idea. They’d have a wider selection of newer written tales and perhaps even some other older ones… Or anything else you find interesting.” With some more hope in his mind, he gently took her hand and started off towards the bookstore, wondering about her earlier reaction towards those pats. Should I ask…? Would it be worth even asking? She probably didn’t even think about it… “Mmn… Aly? Can.. Er… Mmmm…” It was actually hard to ask this so candidly, even if there was the chance she didn’t even care. “Were you, fine with getting pat, earlier? I… I was expecting you to grumble, or something… Not that I would’ve preferred you upset, I’m just… Surprised, I suppose.”

“Mhhm, let go there then. Want better selection of books that can just buy if look interesting.” Having to ask permission over every book from the library had quite plainly annoyed the lizard, most of her selection being pieces the librarian wouldn’t part with. She didn’t bristle, or really notice, when he took her hand, naturally falling into pace with him. “Hmm?” His floundering had her attention, watching intently as he struggled to ask her his question. It earned him one of her, almost signature at this point, head tilts. “Why wouldn’t be fine with? You do all the time…” Over time she had stopped being so aggressive over his touches, even if she didn’t realize or care that it was happening; even Grelbiria hadn’t been free from earning the lizard’s trust. “Could bite at if want. Since bites are affection.”

“Listen here, you,” he sighed through a smile, cocking an eyebrow at her. “Bites from you would just be pain… unless you’ve got the control to nibble with teeth as sharp as those, I’d prefer your biting stays directed at our enemies.” He sighed again, letting his shoulders sink some. “Yes, I know I do, just… Normally you give me little scowls before settling into it. You didn’t this time, and I… Guess I got overly excited. My apologies. I shouldn’t have asked, I’m just… Trying to figure you out, Aly. You’re very unique.”

“Could probably learn. Can’t promise teeth won’t cut anyway, can bite through steel.” As useful, in many senses of the word, as her teeth were to the lizard, she hadn’t really put much thought into them. Steel and lesser metals were no match for them, however she had no idea as to what the limits, either upper or lower, were. Was it possible to harmlessly nibble on something? “That cause you touch before I trust you. If Grelbiria hadn’t done before would’ve bit hand. You lucky she did. And what mean by unique? Of course am, like Sixteen.”

“So you trust me now?” He smiled a little, definitely genuine, squeezing her hand some. “By unique… I mean, I’m not sure how to go, forward, with you. Normal flirting just makes you ask me why, and I don’t want to push your physical limits before you’ll let me. Even this much,” he said, gently raising her hand some, “means so much to me. You just don’t get why… And I don’t know if I can explain it. I, just… Want to do other things, but I’m holding back, for your sake. This has been an enjoyable time together, so far. I’d hate to ruin it by getting impatient.” He smiled a little apologetically, hoping she understood enough. There was a chance she didn’t, but the bookstore was coming into view, so he wouldn’t have much time to pry into if she did or not.

“You’ve proven self, no reason not to.” Though she could see him genuinely happy from having her trust, it wasn’t so special for her. Her coldness and suspicion were how she would’ve treated anyone trying to so suddenly poke into her life, and now he proven had no, discernible to her at least, ulterior motive. Unless love could be called an ulterior motive? The way he was talking made it seem as such, no matter how happy her consent of physical contact made him. “What other things? How hold back?” Perhaps those were the things Sixteen had warned her about? Though her sister hadn’t gone into too much detail, any at all really, so Alriana was left just as in the dark as she would’ve been without her sister’s warnings. Any hope of an immediate answer was unlikely as they arrived at the bookstore’s entryway; however, Alriana stopped outside just in case Versaris would answer her. 

"Things we can only do with our clothes off," he said bluntly, putting a finger up against his lips and hashing her. "But I'm sure you can find out more later, hopefully not from me. Let's see what the bookstore has for sale, yes?" He left her to ponder and stepped inside, looking about the far more heavily populated shelves than those of the library. He whistled, immediately gunning for a section on cooking, eyes open for a section on history…

The bell for the door rang, pulling Taka from his thoughts again. He found it odd that he was thinking a little more about the girl from earlier, even remembering her name. Iris. She looked so torn up knowing the truth about Lufiria. For a moment he might have felt a kinship with her. Another drag, adding to the smog in the air. “Wel…come.” Taka staggered out from behind the curtain. “We’re book, welcome to the open…” The man paused, “...No, wait, I’ve done this before… You can find books here, and maybe other things, mostly books, I promise. I think.” 

“What?” Rather than her, perhaps expected, curiosity, the lizard’s tone was one of deadpan disbelief. He didn’t think she’d agree to such a thing, did he? It was indecent to be without clothes in the presence of another, baring specific circumstances. “You’re weird.” Was how she decided to close that conversation off, filing off the need to talk to Sixteen about this later. As they entered the store Versaris immediately got to work in his own search for books, leaving Aly to greet the shopkeep alone. “Hello. Want cookbooks and history books. And books about tales.” The shopkeep himself, as well as the smog filling the shop, gave rise to a peculiar, almost suspicious feeling in the lizard; however, until he acted as such she would give him the benefit of the doubt.

Taka blinked as he looked down and saw… another of the white skinned lizards. There were more of them? Her speech pattern was different. “Cookbooks… Well, you can’t have the one in the back. That one’s mine. Probably don’t want it anyway, but gotta cover my bases!” He pointed in the direction over where Sari had walked, before turning around and pointing behind him, and then up towards the ceiling. “They’re… somewhere in here. They’re hard to miss. And history… Little rare that I get people asking for the historical stuff–it’s rare that I get people in here anyway–most people who walk in are looking for the sappy romancy lovey-dovey stuff. But if you’re related to that other lizard, I guess it makes… a little sense.”

He took a deep drag from his pipe, before stroking his beard, “Got a good amount of older books, both for history and just tales. Can’t promise the quality of many of em, but, well, they’re old, ain’t they?”

Sari couldn’t help the chortle that left him over the idea of Aly picking out and reading some ‘sappy romance lovey-dovey stuff’, but maybe their conversations would spur her on to do so after all. He’d just have to look around for the cookbooks himself, the owner seemed quite eccentric. “Worry not, my good man, your personal book of recipes is safe where it is. As for Aly… Perhaps you can suggest to her your favorite romance novel to go along with her want for fairy tales. I’m doing my best to teach her what love means, but I come up short sometimes~” She’d definitely be upset by this, but the opportunity, it was too good to pass up…

The man was certainly strange, but seemed otherwise harmless. As he turned to point at the ceiling she tilted her head, about to ask if the books were located in said ceiling before she realized this must’ve just been part of the man’s strangeness. “Sixteen was here?” That was the only possible way she could interpret his statement; none other could be mistaken for her sister. Unless, there was somehow a different survivor of her birthplace? No, Sixteen had said only she survived.

“Is fine so long as have, just need them to pass time. If quality bad, sometimes good.” On occasion it could be amusing to read a true disaster of a piece, though the lizard did prefer the higher quality works in general. “Mrrrr… Don’t need romance book.” A soft growl left the lizard, crossing her arms with a huff and, unknowingly, blushing slightly. Ignoring the fact that she had been going to quietly ask after one, the fact that Versaris would tease her so in front of a stranger did irk the lizard a bit. He was lucky he had split off, or else he would’ve been feeling her slight wrath via her tail.

“Aha… just interested in the words, eh? So maybe ye would be interested in romance books? Plenty of bad in there, if ye ask me! Got a bunch of those, and other stuff from all over the place. Got some neat stuff from Kansei, and Muravel and Kara! Wait. Karaval, and Mura. Damn I’d forget my name if I didn’t say it all the time.” The man chuckled, before he stopped, and tilted his head back and forth. Almost as if he was thinking about something. “Sixteen? There wasn’t a number in here, but there was a monster that looked just like ye. Said her name was Iris. Asked at least sixty questions? Was looking for some dark magic, and other stuff with some furred guy… Uliki? Ulli? Ullr? Oiler? Something like that.”

He stroked his beard, “...Wouldn’t take make ye also from Lufiria? Ye look the same as her, and she said something about being from there… and being created?”

Sari's attention snapped over to the conversation at those final words, calmly (openly) moving over towards the older man and Alriana. "Sixteen sure does love to run her mouth… I'll hope that's not a problem though, yes? We'll get some books, you'll have your gold and we'll be on our way." Really need to sit her down and tell her what she CAN and CANNOT say. Well, I don't expect this old man to be the violent sort. If he tries anything, it'll be the last time he gets to try. Sari sighed very quietly, gently peeling at a rather thick cookbook he'd pulled from the shelf. "We can start with me. How much? This looks like plenty to keep me busy on the road."

“Mhhrrhh. Maybe, then…” This was all Versaris’ fault, talking about all those weird things. If she could find answers through one of these books then maybe it was worth it. I won’t let Versaris pay for it. I won’t let him see it at all… “Iris?” Alriana was confused, before the eventual mention of Ullr confirmed that it was indeed her sister. Had she grown tired of waiting for a name and given herself one? Or had someone given it to her? She’d have to ask when she saw her later. The feeling the old man gave off suddenly shifted as he asked questions only Sixt– Iris, would’ve given him the information to ask. Before she could answer anything Versaris was beside her, drawing the old man’s attention. It was probably best to let him handle this. “Gonna go get books. Thanks for help.”

The question seemed to strike something as the man that was with her immediately returned, and the lizard decided that she was then going to wander off to go look for books. There was tension in the air now, and not because of the haze from Taka’s pipe. He thought. It might have been all in his head. He focused his attention on Versaris, and the man tilted his head. On the surface he looked like an elf, but he didn’t feel like one. What did it really matter? “Ah. It doesn’t really matter to me. The girl from before didn’t know why Murans might despise the Lufirians, despite being from there, apparently. I wondered if she was the same.” Taka shrugged, “I’m too old to care much about that stuff anymore.”

He puffed the pipe before continuing, “Mrhm… Where did ye even find that? I’ve never seen it in here before.” He slinked over and studied the book. “...Nope, ain’t never seen that one. Uhhh… 6 gold? Something like that. Maybe 16? 16 actually sounds like a good number.” He nodded vigorously before realizing that he’d turned towards the wall, and formally faced back to Versaris. “16. Gold. Yeah, that’ll do.

"You are quite the unique one." Sari dropped any tension he might've been holding as any perceived threat had been just that. The old man got to keep his hands today. "Right, Sixteen gold. Hmhmhm. Thank you, here you are." He placed the amusing amount on a nearby table, turning to follow after Aly.

"Any time I can help. I think things will be fine, though. Find anything you like? Maybe something romantic~?" He smirked, expecting and bracing for retaliation. "Maybe a book can explain some things about romance to you that I can't… By the way. You're very cute when you blush, Aly. Thanks for letting me see it again~" I'm just asking for her to get angry at this point… But she's too pretty to ignore.

Alriana had only managed to pick out two books in the time it took Versaris to diffuse the perceived menace from the old man, entirely due to the fact she had spent too long picking out to most informative looking romance book she could find. The title was hidden under the one tale she had picked out already and the binding with the title was obscured by being pressed against her stomach. “Thanks was for shopkeep. Was being polite.” She answered with a huff, mainly to deflect from his follow-up question. “Mrrhrhh, said didn’t need.” It was one thing to suffer his teasing when they were, relatively speaking, alone, but so much worse when there was another to witness it. “Mrraahh! Go too far!” She countered his statement with a growl as her tail slammed into his back, careful to keep the bottom book concealed. “Shouldn’t do when others around.”

“Oof! Ahaha… If you’re going to react like that, I’m going to want to do it more… But, if you say so. Today, at least.” He just couldn’t stop smiling, leaning over ever so slightly to try and see the books she’d picked… one was a fancy titled tale, and the other… She was taking great care to hide it, even when flailing her tail about. He grinned nice and wide before stepping away to find another book for himself. History had to be around here somewhere…

“That’s the problem.” She answered with another growl, though she didn’t feel the need to slam her tail into his back again. He tried to get a look at her hidden romance book, but she was sure she’d hidden the bottom book sufficiently well to keep it hidden from his gaze. He peeled off again to find more books so she did the same, all the while ensuring the bottom book couldn’t be seen by him. After a while she returned to the strange man at the counter with a few more books, one cooking and two fairy tales, having picked them off the shelves with her tail to avoid exposing her embarrassing romance book. “How much for all books?”

“Hmm…” The man studied the books for what seemed like an extremely long time. At least to him. After a bit he stepped back, and nodded, “Five books in all… Hrmmmmmmmmm… I think I can let ye have that romance one for free, so… let’s say 30 gold and call it a day.” The pricing did make what he charged Versaris seem a little exorbitant, but hey, he had a business to run, sometimes. Besides, she was already paying with her interactions with the elf; they were kind of cute, and he was probably going to get another one before this exchange was over. 

“That it, or are ye also interested in the magical stuff here?”

“Oh? You got a romance novel after all? How interesting~” He smirked his way over to the two of them, fishing another thirty gold out; he could buy her books, this wasn’t much of a cost. “If you’ve anything magical for sale, I’m sure we’d like to have a look at it. Whatever it is, we’re part of a group of mercenaries; surely it can’t hurt to be more prepared.”

“Mrrr…” Alriana grumbled as the old man so openly mentioned the romance book she’d gone through so much effort to keep hidden. “Mrahh!?” Versaris immediately swooped in, both to tease her about the book and pay for it at the same time. Her face was quickly alight, gray cheeks taking a shade of dull pink. “Y, Your fault have to buy!” She countered with a huff, almost pouting. The old man’s mention of magical items intrigued her, though only if they were items and not spells. “What have for stuff?”

Taka quickly smirked as the lizard-girl lit up, but kept her tail in check. Taka nodded with a stroke of his beard before pointing behind the counter. “Most of the magic stuff is books, but… there’s this magical band back here. Heck if I know what it do, but the girl and boy from before also took one of them. Look at it, it shiiiiiiiiiiiines.” 

She’s so fucking adorable, aahhhh~ This is amazing… I’m sure she’ll beat me up for it later, but for now, bliss~ “Yes, my fault. Of course~” He let it sit there, a small, satisfied sigh leaving him, as the old man offered his magical wares. “It does indeed appear magical… I’d need to have one of the group’s mages check it properly to see what exactly it does, but it’s not a fraud, if you want me to get it for you, Alriana. Just say the word. It’d look good on you, I think~”

At mention of the band, and the old man gesturing to it, Alriana raised herself up on her tail to get a better look at it. True to the shopkeep's word it did, in addition to looking pretty, shine. Though not usually one for jewelry Alriana did have an interest in less garish pieces. "Mrrr… You think anything look good on me, don't count." She gave the not-elf another huff, faint dull pink still tinting her cheeks. "How much is band?"

“Uhhhhh, I thiiink I sold the other for a thousand… so I’ll sell this one for thousand, one hundred gold.” He nodded vigorously, that definitely made sense to him. Iris and Ullr seemed to be in a similar sort of boat, if not as far along. Iris at least paid somewhat with her understanding of what the Lufirians had done to the world at large. “How’s that sound?” He took a long puff of the pipe, waiting for the response. 

“Not everything... Just a lot of things. Gosh.” Sari feigned offense and got the requisite gold out, handing it over to the odd old man in payment for the bracelet of sorts. “Go ahead and put it on, Aly. If that’s all you need here, we can head on to the blacksmith… Since I believe I remembered you saying you needed to look into weapons?”

“Might as well be everything with you…” She returned his fake offense with another huff, not at all convinced that he would say just about everything looked good on her. She didn’t even realize he was finishing out the gold to pay until it was already in the old man’s hands and the band was in Versaris’ hand. “Mrrr… Didn’t have to pay for thing so expensive.” Lunch and books were one thing, but this was quite a jump in price range. She wouldn’t be letting him buy all her weapons…

“Mhhm… Let go then.” She turned to the old man, still somewhat ruffled that he’d opened her up to more teasing but not going to act hostile to a stranger. “Thank for books and bracelet. Goodbye.”

“Er…” Was paying for it wrong? She seemed a little bothered by it and it wasn’t something he could really joke around. He gave the old man a sheepish grin and walked out after Aly. “Thanks.” 

As soon as they were out, he gently took her hand again, walking in the direction of the blacksmith’s. “I, er… I’m sorry if I’m spending too much gold on you, Alriana. I just… Well, the date was my idea so I wanted to pay for everything, at least this time. If you think I’m going too far, I’ll respect that at our next stop. Promise… But, don’t be afraid to ask me for things. It’s not a problem and I know it won’t buy your heart or something stupid like that. Just, want to make your life easier…”

As they departed the bookstore Versaris quickly took her hand and apologized. Her tail had been winding up for another strike, for his public teasing, but unwound and returned to its rightful place behind her; striking him after he’d apologized for something different would send the wrong message. “Mrrr… Don’t want feel like using for money. If want buy even the expensive things, say so first.” She let out another huff, this time actually striking him in a way that could be considered gentle compared to in the store. “Stop with tease in front of others. One thing with you, other with others.” 

“Mmm… Well, I can promise to ask to purchase things first,” he started, his features slipping into a small smile, “but, teasing you… I can’t promise to keep that private if the moment is right. You were absolutely adorable in there… I’ll try, but no promises~” He didn’t mind if she thwacked him with her tail again, he was far too pleased about the day’s events so far. “What do you need to restock on for weapons, anyway? Just another dagger?”

“Mrah!” Her tail immediately lashed out as he even teased her about teasing her. “You lucky willing trust when act like this…” She huffed as they continued walking, turning away from him a bit. “Want more options. Only have one set of daggers, other tigers have alternate options. Should have ones myself.”

“Ow, hahaha… You’re right I’m lucky. Lucky to have met you. Hmhm~ If this is the price I have to pay for teasing you, I’m sure my back can handle it.” He gave her hand a squeeze and continued keeping his eyes open for the blacksmith, taking a note of her wants. “We’ll have to see about getting you something unique, then. I’m sure you can handle it.” For a moment, he was tempted to suggest the wire, but that would cause significant problems… There was no way he could hand that to her.

“I’ll let you handle your purchases this time. I’m once again sorry for stepping on your toes in this regard… But if you see anything you can’t afford and want, let me know, okay? It’s all coming out of my pocket; not spending company funds on this. You’re definitely worth it, Aly.”

“Mrrrr…” How willing the not-elf was to bear her lashing out took away from the entire point of using violence as a deterrent; it wasn’t like she was so annoyed as to attempt to cause permanent harm. If he’d tried acting as he did now when they first met that would’ve been a different story, though. “Not need unique, necessarily… Stronger option also good. If they have stronger than steel daggers would buy. Need something train with.”

“Mhhm. Thank you. Not want let buy everything. At least one thing myself.” The lizard wasn’t sure whether it was her pride in being able to earn her own coin and buy what she wanted, or just stubbornness to refuse to accept such expensive things being gifted to her in quick succession, but she wouldn’t let Versaris pay for the entire date. His comment about it all being his personal funds did placate some of her feelings on the matter, but not enough to let him get away with being the only one to spend money today.

“Mrrrr…” The tailend of his compliment earned him another growl, followed by a soft blush from the lizard. “Just find blacksmith already…”

The blush was… A lot. “I really want to kiss you,” he mumbled, but luckily, their destination had come into view, giving him the perfect chance to clear his throat and exclaim, “then find it I shall! Let’s find what you’re looking for, if we can. If not, I think I know somewhere I can check later.” If this armory wasn’t selling what she wanted, another likely was, but not one she could easily visit… 

He pushed the door open, slowly letting go of her hand, and gave the place a look around. “Hello? Pardon us, just looking for some wares, interesting or otherwise…” It seemed like a rather general place to sell weaponry, but it also didn’t look like it was going to have any of the stronger things Aly was looking for…

Armin pulled himself up from behind the counter when he heard the door open, “Yeah? You’re in the right place. Iron Scales Forge, we’ve got a pretty good amount of stuff.” He pointed at the back wall, before scanning the two in front of him, and stopping on Alriana. “Huh. They say lightning don’t strike twice, but it sure has today. You look a lot like someone who just rolled through here with a brawlic wolf clouded.” He looked at Versaris, “Hah. Even got the same setup going. So whatcha looking for?” 

 “You must mean Sixteen,” he said, smirking over at the man. “Seems like they’ve been all over town, your sister and that wolf… Cute. Yes, she’s looking for some new weapons. I’ll let her handle herself on that end. Let me know when you’re finished, Aly. I’ll do my best not to chime in when you’re being cute~”

“What are you even saying…” Alriana huffed and turned away with his sudden admission to hide her growing blush. Her tail refrained from doling out more punishment, though it did slam into the ground rather noticeably. By the time they were entering the armory her face had mostly returned to it’s usual gray-white; though, how long it would remain that way only Versaris could know.

Her eyes immediately took to scanning the walls and displays for daggers and knives while Versaris handled announcing their presence. Even with mention of her sister quickly drawing her attention to the fishish man behind the counter there was nothing that caught her eye. “Not first place that she went first. Shouldn’t be surprised there more than one.” Rather than blush for him again so easily, her tail swiftly found Versaris’ back once again. Acting as though it didn’t happen she continued on to ask, “Have more daggers than this? Better than steel? Already have.”

“Better than steel, eh?” The man crossed his arms as he began to think.”Well, this isn’t the place you want in that case. Steel’s usually our best; the materials for the better stuff is a bit too expensive, and then Matron’s usually gobbles all of that up. I do say usually though; there is something that might be interesting to you. I’d have to go to the back and get it, but you seem like you could use it pretty well. It’s a knife that’s real good at dealing with the flying types, Wvyerns, Avian clouded that can legitimately fly, and Pegasi–if you ever see any. Wanna look at it?” 

Alriana’s face slowly shifted to one of minor disappointment as she discovered that the store’s stock was as limited as she first assumed. She opened her mouth to ask how to go about finding this ‘Matron’s’, already ready to leave if they had nothing she was interested in; however, her impatience was put on hold with mention of a rather unique sounding knife. “Want see yes. Go get.” Though her words were blunt, there was some, perhaps morbid, excitement in her voice at the prospect of a special weapon.

There was a bit of an unnerving edge to the girl’s voice when Armin mentioned the knife. It was quite different from Sixteen before. “Aaaalright. I’ll be back with the knife, and probably the big man himself; he usually likes to see who’s trying to buy the nicer stuff.” The man turned, and disappeared behind the steel fencing, and breathed a sigh of relief that he hadn’t realized that he’d been holding. More like he didn’t know why he was holding it. Strange day…

A moment or two later, and Armin returned with a white knife, unlike the more standard grayish steel weapons, and a very tall and large dragon man. “This is the knife I was talking about, and… this is also the guy I was talking about, Balsa, our owner.” Armin pointed at Alriana, “She’s the one interested.”

The tanned man looked over Alriana, and then Versaris for a moment. “Hmm…” His single good eye remained focused mostly on the lizard. “Very different from the girl before. Interesting. So? Why are you interested in the knife?”

"Whoa. Wasn't expecting to run into another dragon." It seemed Cerezia had all sorts, or maybe he'd assumed dragons were more rare than they actually were? Alvira and Cinaed had definitely mellowed him out on the idea of dragons, so he wasn't too surprised, at least. "Pardon my interrupting, but we're with the mercenary group that her sister and that wolf boy also belong to. Just looking for ways to stay ahead of the curb on keeping ourselves alive, you know? Especially as a bunch of Clouded heading into Islexia… I'm sure you can understand and appreciate the dangers we'll face going forward.”

“Mhhm.” She nodded as the man disappeared into the back, patiently waiting for his return. She hadn’t been expecting to find such a useful sounding weapon, especially when they were looking for someone who was supposed to be a skilled flyer. The clerk returned shortly, now with a large dragon, about Cinaed sized, accompanying him and the dagger itself. It looked pristine, lighter than her skin but still able to blend in; especially when viewed from a distance.

She had to crane her neck to look up at the dragon, slight excitement still in her tone. “Dagger sound useful. Can use against those who fly. Never fight before, so would be good advantage.” There was the matter of her intending to use it against the person who was likely the Lufirian princess if it came down to it as well, but she knew she shouldn’t say that after the talk she and Sixteen had had with Tio and Versaris. “Also never have special weapon before. Only have basics.”

Balsa looked over at Versaris. “Does she not speak? She is the one asking for the weapon, no? Your input is noted, but my question was for her.” Balsa returned to Alriana, listening intently. Something felt concerning about this one. She was like Sixteen from before, but she seemed very different at the same time. More focused. “You’ll use it to fight fliers… but why would you be fighting fliers? For what purpose? To protect yourselves as your friend suggests? Or for other reasons?”

"Pardon me, then…" Versaris almost rolled his eyes. This was one of those self righteous, my weapons are only used for the right purposes, blacksmiths. He was sure, with how excited Aly sounded, she was going to either fail this 'test' or spill something important. He bit back a sigh. "Islexia's famous for wyvern riders," he quipped, locking eyes with this Balsa and not saying anything more. The dragon seemed to have pride, and it was commendable, but weapons were weapons. If you made them and sold them, they were only going to be used for one thing.

“Mhhm… Purpose?” Alriana tilted her head, staring up at the dragon. No one had questioned her purpose for fighting before; the closest person was Chris, but he had meant to help her understand herself more than understand why she fought. “Fight because mercenary. Group probably fight strong flyer. Weapon would be useful if that happen. Not know what Versaris said until now, but also that.” 

Balsa’s eye remained narrowed. He looked at Versaris, “You had mentioned that you were going to Islexia. Strange that one of you wouldn’t have known before this point about Islexia’s Wyvern Riders.” He returned to Alriana, before taking a step back, relaxing ever so slightly. “ …I ask because I look in your eyes and I see what I’ve seen countless times. A thirst for combat, and not much more.” The man tapped his closed eye, “I’ve seen, felt, what that does to people. It’s a harrowing life.”

Balsa turned to Armin, “You can handle the purchase. She has the skill to use the knife. Hopefully she finds a conviction strong enough to ground her.” Balsa made a point to stare at Versaris as he said that, “You already do. Take care, and use that knife well.” The dragon slinked off into the back. 

“B-Balsa?” Armin put his hand out as the dragon disappeared into the back. That was weird. He thought for sure that Balsa was going to refuse her. He looked at Versaris and then to Alriana. “...Well, heck. Really is just a strange day.” The merfolk spun the blade, before placing it back into a sheathe. “Don’t… exactly know what that was all about, but Balsa okayed it. Judging by the make, and everything, this will run you about a thousand, two hundred. Sound fair?” 

Armin looked over his shoulder, almost trying to peer through the wall. Balsa was a secretive man. It always felt like to him that Balsa had seen, and knew more than he let on. He’d been here for years to his understanding, and still no one knew his past. Save the nuggets that he let slip every now and again. 

Versaris finally cracked something of a smile as the dragon left the room, almost chuckling. “Hopefully, you’re never put in a place where you have to understand... Well then, Aly, you said you wanted to handle this purchase yourself. By all means.” He didn’t move from his spot near the entrance, but it was… Concerning. He’d seen her aggression in battle a few times now, especially in Eibar against that wretched man… But, did a mercenary need a purpose? Was their purpose not to take jobs and help those that asked them for help? I know I already do, even if it’s recent… Maybe he’s just worried that Alriana’s excitement and interest will… Swallow her. Mmm… I’ll talk to her about it later.

Alriana didn’t know how to take Balsa’s comments, continuing to stare up at him, head still tilted. It wasn’t as though she didn’t know what he was saying; the lizard was well aware of the relative beast inside her, an instinctual urge to kill or otherwise use violence to solve her every problem. Before she could think much on his words the dragon he was already gone, returned to the back. That left only the clerk out front.

“That price fine,” she said, grabbing her gold pouch and beginning to count out the gold for the dagger. “What wrong with fighting? Am mercenary, don’t need reason to fight. It just what put food on table.”

Armin looked at Versaris, tilting his head ever so slightly. After a moment, he shrugged, it was between the girl and Balsa, and if he had an idea, he’d probably be able to explain it to her. Galari knew he couldn’t. “Alright. I’m assuming that’s all for you then, yeah?” He looked back at Versaris, “Anything you were interested in? Sorry again about not having higher quality stuff. You’d have to visit Matron’s and, uh, that’s on the upper side of town. They’re not gonna take kindly to two clouded strolling round like they own the place. Sucks, but what can you do?”

Armin looked at Alriana one more time, and then sighed. “This’ll sound weird from a guy who wouldn’t want to pick up a weapon to kill anyone. But, well, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that. Uh, fighting to put food on the table at least. Just, like, I don’t know, I kinda got the vibe that you were in it for the fight. You see types like that all the time. It messes with you, I think.” He placed the dagger on the counter, punctuating the end of his sentence. “But that’s from a guy who’s afraid of fighting.” 

“Thanks for asking, but I’m good.” Matron’s… Maybe I’ll go and see what they’re selling later. I just have to hide my ears, after all… “As for Aly and us, well. I personally believe that fighting for the sport of fighting is perfectly fine… Testing one’s self and the pursuit of strength are admirable. The issue comes when the sport becomes… Pleasure. When killing someone brings you excitement. When taking a life grants you joy… That isn’t to say that some people don’t deserve to die. There are bandits and ruffians and thieves and murderers aplenty. They should be taken care of… But even if they deserve it, one should take care not to fall too far.” He nodded at Armin, offering half a smirk. “Sorry for the lecture. Just opinions from someone that’s taken too many lives.”

“Yes, that all want,” Alriana said as she slipped the dagger and it’s sheath off of the counter, securing it around her her waist. She wondered what it was about her that gave off the impression that she fought for the sake of it, rather than it being a means to an end; maybe they could just instinctually tell she was dangerous, just like she had the instinctual urge for violence. She killed whoever Tasha pointed her at, and no one else, really. Rustal had been the exception, but an entirely deserving one. 

Versaris launched into his own explanation, though Alriana felt it was just as much for her as it was for Armin; not that she was opposed to his advice. She nodded along to it silently. “Only  fight who am told to. If they deserve it, all the better.” Their business seemingly concluded, the lizard turned to leave the shop.

Armin listened as Versaris, calmly, explained his point-of-view. One that sounded grounded in the actual act of killing. “Ha… I guess I warranted that, huh? Well, don’t worry about it. I’ve never seen you fight, and neither has Balsa. It sounds like you have something to ground you at least.” The merfolk pocketed the gold, and nodded at the two as Alriana turned to leave. “Make sure you come back sometime; it’s the only real way we know the weapons are working as intended.”

"I suppose I would've been rather hard to find. To what do I owe the visit of our runaway Lufirians?" His eyes narrowed slightly, but he still smiled wide, hoping they wouldn't take it too heavily. "Questions? Concerns? I might have answers, but I'm not omnipotent, and I might be a little... Distracted." He wasn't in any rush, but he was thinking about his late evening out. I wonder if she'll still be wearing it this morning...

None-The-Wiser

Spoiler

Versaris had finally parted ways with Alriana, with two goals in mind. One, the acquiring of better weapons for himself and her, even if she wasn’t quite up to snuff for their use at the moment… And a piece of protective jewelry, something that she could wear to be safe, even when she was away from him. A tall order, but something, even small, would be better than nothing. “Hmmm… This will do.” To hide his pointed ears, he’d donned a hooted hat, equipped with a headband, in white. Something he could claim was being worn to keep the sun off his head while exploring the town. He had no obvious features otherwise, so it was unlikely to raise suspicion.

Equipped, ready, and willing, sword in hand he made his way into that part of town. It was… A stark difference, as soon as he’d gotten a few minutes into the place. The quality of housing was better, the roads were cleaner, people were walking around together arm in arm… All humans. It wasn’t as though the other parts of Cerezia were some sty, some places of filth. It was all rather well kept and nice to visit, but there was just… A difference, a visible one. It bothered him.

Still, if they would take his gold, that was their fault~ The armory was blatant enough, so without a care he strode on in, nodding to the worker there. “My good man! My name is Ingverd and I’ve come with gold to burn for your finest weaponry. Might I have a look at your wares?”

“Huh, wha.” The man looked up from the counter, sounding entirely unprepared for Versaris’s approach. He was incredibly well dressed, untouched by soot or smoke, his long golden hair swept back neatly. “Ah, yes, sir.” He paused for a moment, looking the new arrival over. “A new patron. I’ve never seen you around. Welcome to Matron’s Armory Market. Might I ask what you’re looking for, good sir?”

“I’m new to Cerezia. Been traveling all over Hecatia. It’s a lovely place, isn’t it?” He smirked and stepped inside, already well aware of what he was there for. “A silver dagger, sword and… Aha. Yes, beautiful. That levin sword of yours. Those will do, my good man. I've got the gold ready for an immediate purchase, if you would.” Versaris gently leaned onto the counter, taking his coins out, letting the heavy clonk of them hit the counter to emphasize his point. 

The man whistled when he heard the clonk on the counter. “My… it's not uncommon for wealthy patrons to frequent, but it seems as if we have quite the wanderer on our hand. Might I be so bold as to ask about your occupation, good sir?” He stood up and quickly set about gathering the gear that had been asked of him. Just then, the door opened, and a man peered in. 

“‘ey, Jefferies. We just finished unloading th’ shipment. Gon wait at one o’ th’ bar, do ye know if–” The man paused as he noticed that Versaris was standing there. “Oh. Apologies. Just dropping off a shipment from Islexia. Lot o’ th’ halfbloods about, eh?”

“That’s fine, Matron will probably be around later. You’ll get the payment then. Surprised Kazran let you cross, but, gold does motivate. I have to deal with this.” Jefferies placed the weapons on the counter. “Let’s see… that all together will run you five thousand. The Levin Sword is one thousand, eight hundred while the silvers are one thousand, six hundred each. It doesn’t sound like that would be a problem for you.” 

“Not a problem, not a problem at all… Yes, quite the collection of halfbloods gathering in the other part of the town. It seemed like some mercenary troupe had rolled in… Quite the mess, wouldn’t you say? I suppose gold is gold, but, best they stay out of this part of the city if they know what’s good for them.” Versaris smiled and counted out enough gold and platinum for the man’s demands, setting it on the counter without a single complaint. “As for myself, I’m the son of a wealthy family from Mura. Consider myself something of a collector, and skilled with the sword– hence these purchases. The dagger is for my bodyguard; they’re waiting for me back at the inn. What need do I have of them here? The knights will keep me safe, haha~” He smirked, continuing the act, and collected his newly purchased wares, making to leave. “Thank you for the quick and considerate service~”

“Story of the week, basically. Countless mercenary groups have been in and out of the city, something about a relic theft. No one’s got any proof that the thief is even around here, but this place is just a nexus of information. So you’ve got plenty of halfbloods rolling through here like they own the place.” The man scoffed, and brushed the hair out of his eyes, “The Displaced Front may give them a reasonable place, and standing, but they’re still halfbloods. Another group of them is just par for the course.”

Jefferies nodded, “Mura, huh? A long way away from home, especially as a noble. I’d say to keep your bodyguard closer at hand; the knights are good, but they’re also on this wild goose chase. Not to mention that this is Amaryllis territory, and Lord Artorius is not fond of them for a number of reasons. They’re constantly stretched thin, and without their commander. It’s why the Displaced Front has become so big out here, but that’s just the musings of a man such as myself. Who knows what the impure would think to do if given a chance to strike? Axios apparently found out.” Jefferies then waved the man away, “It was a pleasure doing business with you, good sir. May Galari watch over you in these turbulent times.”

The bigger, burlier man stepped aside gingerly, offering a bow. “Apologies for interrupin’.”

“Not at all, sir, not at all, and thank you for the information. I’ll head back as soon as my business here is concluded and have my attendant accompany me for the rest of my stay. What turbulent times we live in…” He sighed and bowed, heading out… He walked away from the store for a few minutes before retching quietly, letting out a proper sigh. “Halfbloods my arse,” he mumbled, making sure he wasn’t speaking loud enough for any of the passerby to hear. I figured this half of Cerezia would be full of itself, considering its proximity to Islexia, but this is rich… Kazran. Serdio Kazran? That slave peddler… Jeremiah was looking into ways to attack him. I see he wasn’t successful, not yet, anyway… What a mess.

Versaris wanted nothing more than to return to Aly and give her a big hug, but he had one more thing to look for here, so he stowed his pride and put the veneer of Ingverd back on, looking for a jewelry store… “Hmm.” The Eye of Galari. It looked expensive enough for jewelry… Would it have magical items available? Can I afford them? I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to look… He made his way over and stepped inside, idly inspecting the things available before looking for a clerk… The regular jewelry seemed affordable, at least.

A well dressed, elderly woman with her hair pulled into a bun looked up as Versaris walked in. She shallowly bowed before righting herself, “Afternoon, sir. Welcome to the Eye of Galari. Is there something you’re searching for? We have many different pieces of jewelry to choose from: Necklaces, Earring, Rings, Bands, and so on. Would it be for yourself or for a special someone?” 

“Ah, greetings. My name is Ingverd and I… am looking for the perfect piece of jewelry for my partner.” He smiled, giving her the same shallow bow. “She’s got gorgeous white hair and beautiful red eyes… So I was hoping to get something in silver with a ruby attached. What would you suggest? And… Would you happen to have anything like that, magically enhanced? For… protection. I care about her quite a lot.”

The woman nodded, and strode around the counter. “Silver with a ruby, I believe so… Ah, yes, something like that would be over here.” She led the way over to a case which held a necklace, the chain in white, but the main casing of the necklace in silver with occasional white markings along the outside, and a bright red gem in the center. “That seems to match, generally, what you were after for them. Though, magically enhanced is difficult. None of our pieces are enhanced to start; it was decided that Cerezia is a bit… too risky to have such pieces just out in the open. However, we can enhance the pieces. It would just have to be sent to the capital to our master smith, and he’d ask for assistance, likely from Pandora Celti, and that would be done. The catch is that it is rather expensive.” 

“Mmm, I see… I won’t be staying in town very long, so I’m afraid I can’t afford that service. If you’ve nothing in stock currently, the necklace is beautiful, so I’d be happy to purchase that much. How much do you price your non-magical items at?” He was already fishing for his money, hoping this specific one, gorgeous as it was, wasn’t going to run the bank completely. 

“Hmm. That’s unfortunate. I do apologize for that inconvenience.” She bowed once more before continuing. “This particular piece… I believe it is four thousand, five hundred gold. It’s an older piece so the pricing is adjusted slightly. Many of our other pieces would run higher, and much, much higher if they’re magically enhanced. Many would quintuple in price just due to the complexities of performing the imbuing, and then applying the spells to keep the main protection from wearing out almost immediately. So four thousand, five hundred gold would be the cost if that’s all you were searching for.”

Quintuple!? Good lord… I think I’d be better off asking the Evokers, though I don’t think enchantment is their domain of magic… Geez. He didn’t let his concerns show on his face aside from the slightest widening of his eyes, nodding. “Ah! Yes, I’ll definitely take it then. Would you have a small box for me to carry it out with? Just so it can be a proper surprise and all. Thank you so much, really.” He was already counting out the requisite gold and platinum, like before, ready to leave this place.

“Yes, of course. Can’t have you carry such a marvelous piece without a suitable case.” She quickly made with a small, red box, matching the gem, and opened it. She then opened the case that the necklace was in, and placed the necklace in the box before closing it. “That should suffice, and no need to thank; it’s an honor to help people choose a present for a treasured one.” She bowed again, “So thank you for that.”

“Perfect… If I’m ever in Cerezia, I’ll be happy to stop in here again. Thank you.” He bowed again with a big smile and hurried out of the store with his purchase in hand… Exhausted. “I think I almost know how Tio feels. Almost…” He stretched a little and sighed again, making for the exit of this part of the city. “Thank the Gods that’s over… Mmm, let’s see…” Versaris pulled out the small box and focused on it intently for a moment, trying to sense any sort of magic radiating from either the container or the jewelry inside… 

“Nothing. Alright… TIme to find Alriana.” If he couldn’t get it enchanted easily, he wasn’t going to wait. He wanted to see it on her… And see her. That was an experience I’m not looking to repeat…


The sun had gone down by the time he had made it back to the inn, lazily stepping inside and making his way to her room. With a hefty knock, he looked down at the weapons on his side then thought about the box in his hand and hoped it would be something appreciated. I wonder if she even likes things like this…

Alriana had started on reading the small trove of books Versaris had bought for her after she’d retired to her room for the night. The romance book laid unopened, still buried under the rest of her pile, the lizard unable to rouse herself to read it even as curious as she was to its contents. “Mhhm…?” A knock on her door pulled her back to the inn room, stretching as stood up. As she moved to the door she placed the book on her pile in such a way to obscure the romance book from sight. “Who is?”

“It’s me, your favorite elf~” He wasn’t sure she’d open the door with just that, so he let out a small chuckle and pulled the dagger out, flipping it so he was holding the flat of the blade. “I’ve got a gift for you.”

“You not even elf,” she mumbled as she reached for the door, opening it to see him holding out a silver dagger. “Where did get? Go to Matron? How…” She couldn’t help but stare at yet another gift, before grumbling. “Told you not spend all money on me. Need have money for self.” She just couldn’t understand why he went to such lengths and expense; this was just a test, nothing was set in stone yet.

Alriana mumbled something and then grumbled at his choice in purchases, smiling despite her frustrations. “I bought myself a few things too,” he said, patting the new swords at his side, “you just seemed disappointed that there wasn’t something stronger at Balsa’s store, so… Here. Do you mind if I come in, though? I got you something else.” He held the knife out to her, hoping she wouldn’t take it and shut the door in his face.

“Mrrhhh… At least spent some gold on self.” She still didn’t like that what he’d spent on her far outweighed what he’d spent on himself, but it was far too late to go about trying to fix what had already been bought. “More? Rrrr…” She reached out and took the dagger, turning back into her room. “Fine, come in.” This had better not be something so expensive he doesn’t want to show me where there’s a risk of it being stolen. It wasn’t as though she could be bought, not that that was what she thought his intent was. It endlessly perplexed her and she didn’t anticipate finding an answer even in her romance book. “What else buy? More weapon?” She didn’t think that was it, with how he was being about it, but what else could it possibly be?

“Yes, more. I’m sorry, but I do like to dote on you, Aly. Now, do me a favor and close your eyes. Just this once. You might feel my fingers graze around your neck, but I’d like to put my gift on you before you see it… Is that fine? I promise it’s nothing sinister.” Promising like that likely made it seem as such, but he wanted the little moment of surprise. Hopefully she’d comply… Hopefully he’d built up enough trust that agreeing was even possible for her.

“Mrrhh. Can’t believe you…” [/i]A weapon and something else, on top of everything from before... He needs to take better care of himself instead of focusing so much on me.[/i] A rare sigh left the lizard, folding her arms but relenting to his request and closing her eyes. “Just do what need do, then…”

“I can’t believe someone’s this frustrated to be receiving gifts and attention…” He smirked, but wasted no time in pulling the box out of his pocket, brandishing the necklace and unclipping it. The silver chain slipped around her neck and he clasped it, letting it rest against her collar. She could probably feel it and might’ve been confused, but he smiled as he finished, happy with how it looked on her. “You can open your eyes now, Aly.”

“Because didn’t do anything to earn!” She huffed as her tail flicked and rolled in place, frustrated more so now at his lack of understanding than the gifts he was giving her. She felt his hands slide under her hair and around her neck, followed by a small click as something came to rest on her neck. A necklace? Or something else? She opened her eyes as instructed, immediately looking down at the necklace that had been placed on her neck. While not really one for jewelry, this piece seemed to be made for her; the red ruby matching her eyes and the lines along her body while the dull silver was a close match to her skin. Without even thinking about it she mumbled, “It’s pretty…” as she continued to stare at it.

“Hmhm.” He leaned down a little, getting onto a knee to properly stare into her eyes to try and explain this. “Aly. It’s not about deserving or earning. Partners do nice things for each other, just because they want to… I will admit, I’m spoiling you a little, but… Life is about to get very difficult for all of us. This is our last stop in a society that tolerates us. I just wanted to get you something nice. A reminder that, these sorts of mundane things, we deserve them too… That’s all. Just something nice for someone I love. If you’re still upset, well… That’s alright too. I’m sorry for going overboard.” He reached a hand up and ran a thumb along her cheek, gently. “I don’t regret it, though. Not a bit~”

“Mhhm…” Rather than a growl she gave him a slight nod as one of her claws reached up to touch the necklace. She didn’t entirely understand his emphasis on their deserving nice things, she knew that and wouldn’t compromise her views just because a bunch of humans thought that Monsters and Clouded were lower than dirt. “Not upset. Necklace… Nice. Just not think should do all this at once. This a lot of things all at once.” Her eyes moved to his as he reached up to touch her, huffing. “Mrrr… Weird.”

“Well… I don’t have a final surprise for you, so this is it. And with where we’re going, I’m not going to have the chance to surprise you more than this~” He was confident in his decision, even if it confused her or bothered her a little. He’d be saving up for the future as well; he knew he couldn’t buy her heart, but he could buy her clothes that would suit that lovely figure. 

“Weird? Sorry… This is better, right?” He let go of her face and started petting her head again, figuring the familiar sensation would be better appreciated. “Thank you for today, Aly. I did have a great time with you… I only hope that you had fun.”

“Better be last thing.” He said he didn’t have anything more, but part of her didn’t believe him. “What place Islexia?” He kept alluding to the place as though there would be a complete tonal shift once they were in the country proper. She knew enough to know that Monsters and Clouded weren’t welcome there, but she’d never had a first person account of the place.

“Mhhn. Less weird.” Though she understood why Versaris wanted to touch her so much, through his own admittance, she still wasn’t used to his touch save for the top of her head. “Thank you for day too. Not sure if it was fun, but was pleasant.”

“Not sure if it was fun, but it was pleasant, huh…” He cocked a slightly confused eyebrow at her, but smiled anyway, hesitating a moment to stand up… His eyes had fallen on her lips, and while he stared for a moment, he decided against it, getting up and moving to her bed, patting the spot next to him. “Islexia… Is a beautiful country, like most. Lots of plains and sprawling vistas, natural lakes and rivers that run through it… It should be a good sightseeing trip, so long as we avoid most towns.”

He sighed. “The problem with Islexia, Aly, is that… Because of its historical relationship with Lufiria, Clouded and Monsters, we’re… Hated, there. A lot. More than anything you’ve been through so far. Eibar will seem like a normal day after we pass through… They’ll so much as look at you before deciding you deserve to die.” He sighed. He wished it wasn’t this serious, but the history between countries ran deep… “So… I wanted to give you a happy memory before this became difficult. I’ll do my best to keep you safe, and I know you’re strong enough to handle yourself… But, it’s, going to get rough.”

“Not know what I find fun. Can’t know if fun when not know that.” She noticed his gaze lingering on her face, but not where he was looking; it wasn’t like it was far from the norm for him to stare at her. He said nothing so she let it go, following along to sit next him on her bed. She listened as he gave detail to the land itself, not unaware that he avoided mentioning the people for as long as possible. The conversation quickly turned heavy, enough so that she set aside her stubborn confidence and listened.

“Mhhm. Understand. Will be more careful in Islexia than here. Won’t give chance for them to see me. Best can offer. And, thank you for this, even if still not fully understand. It sometimes enjoyable spend time with.”

“Yeah. You’re smart. You’ll be safe… Mmmm.” He could only hope that she wouldn’t do something stupid if spotted and aggravated, but they’d keep to a tight knit group in Islexia– or rather, he hoped they would. No running about in towns off in little groups anymore… “Ah… Yeah, it was… Mmm… I, er. Aly, I…” He looked at her again, eyes following the features of her face once more, slowly making the man blush. “Can… Would… I don’t, even know how to ask this… Should I even ask this…?” He was mumbling a little bit, one hand holding his side, the other holding his face now. “Mmm… No, sorry, I… I shouldn’t ask about that, yet. And before you ask what, I already said what earlier, outside the smith’s… You’ve got your romance novel. You can learn plenty there. Sorry for… Being weird and saying weird things. I… Mm.”

He sighed, bright red at this point, and got up to leave. “I love you. It’s fine if you still don’t know; not saying it to hear it back. I… Just, love you. Have a good evening, Aly.” He managed a smile behind the red on his face and left… Leaning back against her door with a soft thud. “Ughhhnnn, fuck… I’m such a mess… Just be patient, Versaris. Just be patient…”

“Mhn. Know am smart. Will be safe as can.” Though he didn’t say anything about not getting into fights with the locals if it came down to it, she was sure that was a worry one his mind. One that she wouldn’t make any promises for or against, not if there was a potential that there were more Rustals waiting for them in Islexia.

She watched as his face slowly turned red from staring at her, tilting her head in kind. He fumbled hard over his words, which was a side that was mostly new to the lizard. “Mrrr… Not supposed know about that book.” She grumbled even from his slight mentioning of it folding her arms. “You are weird.” If he was going to admit it, she wasn’t going to deny it; though she wasn’t going to leave him with only that. “Good be weird, sometimes.”

"Still! I'll do my best to address whatever it is that's on your minds. Inquire away~"

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Another morning had come, and with it Laniva was awake earlier than most in the Tigers for her morning routine. It was a bit different, doing her run in town, and there wasn't enough space to practice with her sword - not without waking anyone up, or damaging the walls - but she went about her run nonetheless. It was good to have time to think to herself anyways; yesterday had carried with it quite a lot since she'd followed Mikoto and Syta out of the room.

Fox Finding

Spoiler

“Alright you,” Mikoto said with a growl, having dragged Syta into an alleyway, pushing her up against the wall. “Why is one of my kind inside you? Answer carefully or your life might be forfeit… There are only two reasons why a kitsune would be inside you and one of the reasons does not bode well for you.”

“I-I, alright! C, Calm down! I, she’s not in me she’s in this!” Syta, panicking, held up her gauntleted arm, an amulet dangling from it. “I, I found this one day, Kisara’s been inside it ever since, please, don’t do anything rash!”

Following the two into the alleyway, Laniva approached and separated Mikoto from Syta with a huff. “Calm down. Look, she’s already answering your questions - what is it going to do for you to get aggressive before you even give her a chance to speak?” She looked from the fox to Syta, a bit of a questioning look in her eyes. “...Keep explaining, though. You didn’t tell me this back there...”

“Krrhhhnnn… You’re lucky that you’re being so honest. You were about to be a stain against the alley wall– And you. Laniva. Don’t push your luck. I’m holding back because of my relationship with the tigers…” Mikoto’s tails bristled softly as Syta unwrapped the amulet from her gauntlet, holding it out for Mikoto to take. The fox snatched it without another word, focusing on it… “... How did you get in here, sister?”

“I… S-Sorry, Lani. It’s, not exactly something that Kisara wants people to know. Everyone has their secrets… Right?” Syta could only hope that would serve as an explanation, for the moment at least. They wouldn’t be able to hear the other half of the conversation unless Mikoto shared the amulet…

... Hahhhh… You need to calm down first, sister. Syta has done no wrong; in fact, she is one of the few Lufirians I can trust. I put myself here of my own accord so that I would not be found, all those years ago. I’ve powerful magicks, but am very frail otherwise, so it wouldn’t have taken more than an errant blade to strike me down. I’ve been safe this way… And Syta has done well by me. Mostly.

“I’m not pushing any luck. I’m not letting you jump Syta, that’s it. We were getting along decently enough until you started... this.” She grumbled at Mikoto, seemingly no less calm as she went right for the amulet. 

“Not even listening... whatever. And, Syta - that’s fine, I guess. Just... if you can’t tell me, just say that you can’t, I don’t want to run into any more... surprises.” She looked to Syta and looked meaningfully towards Mikoto, who seemed to be quietly focusing on the amulet for quite some time…

"... It seems you're telling the truth. Fine… Rrhhn. Much as it frustrates me, here." Mikoto held the amulet back out towards the other two. "Touch it. I suppose you deserve to hear this conversation as well. Both of you."

"No more surprises from me, Lani… Wait, are you sure, miss fox?" Syta perked herself up a little bit, nodding and holding a hand out to touch the amulet. "Y-You too, Lani… Just, don't be surprised by anything you hear… Okay?"

“Sure, okay... not sure what I'm meant to be hearing, but... okay.” Laniva hesitantly laid a hand on the amulet after Syta’s approval, listening, but uncertain. “Conversation with an amulet... does she just hear what I think, or...?”

Not quite. I can hear you talking, as well. I share the senses of whoever is holding me… The strongest individual present, anyway, so I'm hearing you all through, this… The voice got quiet for a moment, focusing on something, before a quiet growl emerged. That can't possibly be… Not that runt. How could you be her? Kise Hikari.

Mikoto flinched at the name, but kept her composure beyond that, sighing. "That woman is dead. I am Izanami-no-Mikoto and I have been using your research to great effect, Kisara Shinano. You're quite famous, so I'm shocked to see you so utterly trapped by something of your own design…"

Syta was pretty confused by this point. Names were being flung, wounds seemed to be reopened, the talk of Kisara being famous… "I, er… Can, can I ask for some clarity? Why is, Kisara famous…? I know kitsune are a rare species of monster, but…"

"Oh my. Oh my my my my~ You've been using this poor girl as a vessel without so much as telling her who you are?" Mikoto shook the amulet some, leaning in closer to it. "Why don't you tell us all why you're so well known among our kind, Kisara? You may be my sister; one of my clan, but you still went too far… I suppose I shouldn't complain, given that your progress into Voima is what made me what I am today, but you can't be that blatant about it. You know how the Lufirians get when people abuse magic…"

The voice from the amulet went quiet, finally sighing. Syta. Laniva. Are you prepared to listen to what I have to say? I owe it to this girl for carrying and caring for me all these years… I will admit, pathetic as it is, this companionship and comfort has softened me greatly. But I am not without my crimes… Crimes that drive this woman towards her goals. Will you listen?

Laniva listened quietly as Mikoto and this... Kisara, exchanged words-- thoughts? It was rather hard to understand without so much as a sliver of context, but nonetheless she was able to follow, at least so much as Syta had carried Mikoto’s sister within the amulet for quite a long time. Prepared to listen...? I suppose I am. I’ll admit I don’t really get the significance of any of this, yet, but... maybe your explanation will solve that for me.

[i[Significance? There’s none for you, cat. You simply chased after Syta. If you didn’t want to be involved, you should’ve stayed at the inn~ Now you get to hold the weight of this information as well…[/i] Kisara let out something of a laugh mixed with a cackle, sighing. Mmm… Pay attention now, Syta. This is what you’ve been protecting.

Syta took a deep breath and nodded. “Whatever you tell me… You’ve kept me safe from a lot of things. If you’ve done terrible things, the best you can do is atone for it, no?”

Heheh, haha… Atone. I suppose… Six hundred years ago now… During a time of strife between humans, something referred to as the Clearing Wars… The humans have always been trying to kill each other, but, we got wrapped up into that one. We used to live in Hecatia. In Islexia. They used to ignore us because of how spread out we all were, but… Once the fighting began, everything and everyone was forfeit. We were driven further into Islexia… Further still past the sands, into Lufiria. Our kind thought we would be safe there.

“Yes, safe, from the Lufirians… As if anyone could possibly be safe from those barbarians.” Mikoto didn’t bat an eye, not even sparing Syta a glance. “They might’ve left us alone, if not for you… But I can’t exactly blame you given Islexia’s dogged pursuit of us all the way there. A mess, honestly. Why must you people kill each other? If you’d just lived peacefully none of this would’ve happened.” Mikoto huffed and quieted down so that Kisara could continue.

Yes… Mmm. The Islexians pushed through the sands and chased us into Lufiria. Wars continued and, being one of the strongest kitsune of the time… I started looking into things I shouldn’t have. Voima. Not the way Ki–... Mikoto, has been using it, from what I can sense of her. This energy is volatile, unstable, unless… The participant is consenting or… Unaware that it’s being taken from them.

“Unaware…?” Syta has an idea of where this was going… She wasn’t sure if it was wrong to admonish Kisara, though. From the sounds of things, they were being hunted down on all angles from humans and Lufirians both…

Laniva grumbled a little at Kisara’s teasing, waiting for her to get to her explanation without saying more. The Clearing Wars, Islexia and Hecatia formerly being home to some Clouded and Monsters, then being driven out... and then something that she was entirely unfamiliar with; ‘Voima’. “What do you mean, ‘participant’? The... caster, or something else...?” She wasn’t even sure if she was understanding the concept behind this... magic, or whatever it was, if not that.

Are you unaware of the concept? I’d have figured Mikoto would’ve gotten to all of you…

“Well. I did explain it outside of Sarasin’s manse, but Laniva isn’t a magic user, so I wouldn’t be surprised if it went over her head… Why don’t you give her a refresher, as the originator of its use~?” Mikoto smiled rather smugly, almost happy to hear Kisara confessing her sins.

Mrrhh… Voima is one’s life energy. It can be used for magic, but it is also its own separate entity within people. Let us say that you have an average of one hundred years to live… That is your Voima. You could also call it your soul, if that helps make it more clear… And, no. Not the caster. The target… In a desperate attempt to save my people, I captured, drugged, knocked out and experimented on humans, Clouded and Lufirians, stealing their Voima to manifest magics that would stay the incoming forces. It was not enough.

“Kisara…” Syta felt her gut tightening up some. This was exactly what she’d been expecting, but that didn’t make it any easier to hear… She stole a glance at Laniva, wondering if the cat had been taking this well.

“Yes. You went somewhere you never should have… That’s when the Lufirians came down on you for abusing their ancient magics, hmm~? They pincered us between the Islexians and came down on us like a hammer… All the kitsune were either wiped out or sent running with our tails between our legs… And you, shut yourself away in this, trinket. Rather pathetic, honestly…”

“Oh... that was Voima, right... okay, yes, I remember.” Mikoto’s initial explanation had in fact gone over her head somewhat, enough so that the details - the name amongst them - had been lost on her. Laniva stiffened somewhat at hearing how Kisara had used the magic; battle, fighting in combat to defend oneself was one thing, but what she had been doing stood distinctly apart from that. “That’s... I-I see. One thing I don’t understand, though... I mean, clearly some of you were able to escape. Why… do this to yourself?” She gestured, rather vaguely, towards the amulet.

I am… I was, frail. Physically. I could’ve stayed and killed the lot of them. Killed until my magic ran out… At that point, I would’ve been less intimidating than a child. They would have taken me and turned me into their science project. They still did, to some of our people… But I was the strongest at the time. I was the pinnacle of our clan… I couldn’t allow them to get their hands on me, so instead of attempting and failing to run, I trapped myself somewhere they would never expect. And I have been here since. For the past two and a half centuries… Were it not for the odd individual finding this and picking me up, I would have gone insane.

“... Hoof…” Syta sighed hard. There were no winners here. No one was right. Kisara had done terrible things and terrible things had happened to her kind. The Lufirians had gotten involved because Kisara had stepped over a line, but then stepped over another in what they did to the Kitsune… She swallowed, letting go of the amulet for a moment and holding herself. “That’s… That’s, a lot.”

“Yes. Yes, it is a lot. And it’s why I’ve been trying so hard~ Lufiria took everything away from me… And it will see my vengeance one day.” Mikoto smiled far too coolly for the conversation at hand. “What of you then, sister? Do you know of a way to reverse what you’ve done to yourself? Or do you even want to leave, now that you’ve found someone to latch onto~?”

Syta hesitated a moment before grabbing back onto the amulet’s necklace so she could at least hear. 

Mmm… No, I don’t know. Of a way to get out of here or if I even want to… I’ll leave that up to time and Syta. Laniva? Keep her safe~ She’s the only person I trust in this world… She’s gone above and beyond to keep me hidden, safe and talk to me whenever the situation arrived… She is my only friend. So keep her safe… Or I shall find a way out of here and you will regret what you have learned.

“D-Don’t threaten her all of a sudden!” Syta huffed, grumbling some. “Geez… I just met her. She’s just being a nice person…”

That doesn’t matter. She chose to follow and now she knows everything. She’ll keep you safe or she WILL suffer my wrath. Take care, sister… Kisara’s voice faded out, and it didn’t seem like she was willing to speak further.

“That answers all my questions, at least… What about you, Laniva? Do you regret playing knight~?”

“Regret...? No, not really... I mean, she was oddly insistent that I protect Syta, but no, I don’t regret it. And if I do, it’ll be my decision. I wouldn’t mind, Syta is plenty nice, it’s just that I’m already working on another protection contract. But I’m sure we can figure things out, probably.” Laniva was rather puzzled at the teasing, unsure if it had been meant to get under her skin; if it had been, it hadn’t even made it past her plate. She crossed her arms. “...Anyway, Mikoto. It sounds like you’re plenty happy to continue things as they are, so I’m guessing my learning all this doesn't matter all that much to you. In which case, Syta, I think we can be on our way.”.

“It means your friend here doesn’t get plastered against the wall, yes. If Kisara placed herself in this of her own accord, I have no right to complain… But this whole talk stays secret. I’ll be coming along with the Tigers into Islexia, so I’ll be watching~” Mikoto gave Lani a wide smile and walked off from the two of them, tails swaying as they normally did. 

Syta took a moment to wrap the amulet around her gauntlet again, sighing heavily. “I’m… I’m sorry, Laniva. That, whole thing at the arena… It’s, Kisara taking control and sharing her power with me… I’m just not strong enough to handle it for more than a few minutes so it makes me pass out…” She looked at the cat a little sad, trying to meet her eyes and failing a little. “I… I really, didn’t know about any of this. And I’m sorry you got wrapped up in it…”

Laniva’s tail was swaying anxiously again. “It’s fine, Syta, I believe you. All that... really doesn’t seem like something anyone could have pretended they didn’t know. And I guess it makes sense that’s what happens when she takes over... still, for the arena? Do you not get to choose when it happens, or was she really eager, or something...?” She sighed slightly, not chasing Syta too hard about it - she was already clearly regretful. “It’s okay... I get the feeling Kisara was really serious about me protecting you, but... I’m not really sure if she can do anything about that. I still have to be with the Tigers, I can’t just... leave. But I won’t tell anyone about this, so don’t worry about that.”

“Yeah… I know that. I think Kisara is just being a bit overbearing– And, no, she can’t do that without my permission, so you don’t have to worry… Not that she hasn’t tried, but my magic circuits are too… Complex? Or tough? For her to force her way in. Something with me being Lufirian… So you’ve got nothing extra to worry about, heheh. Mm…” Syta sighed and then suddenly hugged Laniva, squeezing her tight. “Thank you! A whole lot! For everything… If I see you again, and I hope I do… You’ll let me pet your ears, right?” Syta backed up enough to look up at the cat’s eyes, smiling as best as she could.

“Overbearing is one word for it...” Laniva sighed again. “Glad I have nothing to worry about, I guess. And... ah--?!” She let out a small squeak as Syta hugged her, not having expected her to have picked up her own spirits again so quickly. Looking down at Syta, she saw hope - to pet her ears, specifically - welling up in them, and she sighed again. Really, there was no turning her down at a time like this. “...Yeah. You can.”

After she and Syta had left the alley, they'd stayed together for a bit longer before Syta went her own way, saying she needed to get back to looking for Celine, as they hadn't managed to find her. She'd eventually made her way back to her inn room to ponder what she'd heard that day, only to get more of a proper explanation after her morning routine the next.

It was certainly rather troublesome, and between the new difficulties (or rather, existing difficulties they'd become newly aware of) and her private knowledge of the fox's magic (who was apparently to join them, now) she found herself poking at her breakfast with markedly less vigor than on a typical day. She needed to come up with something to tell the Chief, on top of everything else; she'd asked to be explained to later as Laniva had left the room yesterday, and Mikoto had gotten rather pushy about not giving anyone the details of what had been going on.

Laniva sighed into some toast.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

"Good morning, Laniva~" The sultry voice of a familiar fox sung its way into the cat's ear, Mikoto walking into the room and sitting next to the catte... But, she was... Different. Not just her clothes, which had become a comfy looking camisole with a pointelle over it, short jorts and some comfortable looking sandals... Her hair was, pink. On the outside, anyway; the white, inner parts of her hair were still white. Her tails were still proudly on display, also pink (with white tips!), slipping around the chair without any issue. "How was your sleep? I hope you've been keeping to yourself... I spotted you out running and figured you'd take me back to the Tigers. How pleasant it was to be correct~ Since I'm sure that miss Natalya didn't say so, I'll be coming with you lot to Islexia-- but you already knew that... I hope we can get along, hmhmhm~" She smiled, almost cloyingly, at Laniva, slowly crossing her legs, content to sit there and look pretty instead of partake in breakfast.

Edited by Mel the DM
Link to comment
Share on other sites

There he was, as handsome as ever. Renais did ask Versaris to help with her sister, but considering his priority was on the Evokers she just let it sit and hasn't really talked with him since. "Yes, we were quite busy ourselves yesterday. Unexpectedly so I might add..." She looked aside for a moment, a little hesitant to bring up those events. "Mm...Mr Versaris. We have some things we have to discuss with you." She looked back at Gean and wondered if she should take the stage first.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sari had overheard them coming, and was awaiting their questions. "Good morning good sir. I hope your date yesterday was enjoyable." Versaris wasn't particularly quiet when it came to his attached to a certain member of the Tigers, and considering the pair were absent all day yesterday, that meant something good. "Amongst all the things from yesterday I'm sure they filled you in on, a certain merchant who's grown attached to us shared a bit of information about Renais here, and you were the best person to talk about it." Gean could feel Renais' look on her, and would carry the conversation until the smaller girl would step in. "May we come in? I'm not sure it's a conversation to have in the hallway."

Link to comment
Share on other sites

"Mister Versaris? Come on, Renais, we're past all that by now. Call me Sari, both of you. And yes, to both. Feel free to come in and the date was great~" He turned back into the room, sitting on the edge of his bed and idly keeping one hand near the sword resting against it. He wasn't worried about them, but he was quite wary of anyone else listening in. After his brush with the 'upper crust' of Cerezian society, his view of the town had been colored rather differently. "What's this early visit about, then?"

Link to comment
Share on other sites

"Alright, Sari." She answered back as they went in. "Very funny that we both went on dates yesterday I have to admit." She stepped in and stood before the bed he sat on. "Well, this may seem rather...odd, but follow me for a little while please." She folded her hands together below her waist, like she was about to give a speech before a class. "I've had issues with my magic for some time, mostly in terms of tome casting. Whenever I go to cast wind it forms music notes that used to give me headaches, it hasn't recently and I'm not sure why." She looked aside. "Turns out normal music can do it too, I played a piano not too long ago and fainted right after. I began to recall odd things after that..." She looked back. "The merchant we met is Mikoto, a kitsune woman. She and I had a discussion and she believes I'm a...Lufirian, and not just any Lufirian, I was part of a musical family called the Rhapsodias. It was very strange, but I feel like she wasn't lying despite the way she presents herself." She stopped for a moment. "Anyway...do you know the name Rhapsodia? I'm afraid I know nearly nothing about Lufiria beyond what little there was in texts at school."

Link to comment
Share on other sites

"Funny, is it?" He didn't see why, but that wasn't an avenue worth going down. Given Gean's presence in the face of such serious conversation, he could only assume that Renais' date had been with her. "That fox, huh... Yes, I remember her. She's still around, is she? Curious." He hadn't run into her, nor did he particularly remember mention of her during the briefing on what they were going to do in Islexia. Maybe he'd forgotten because of how much of a doozy that whole plan was. Hope these Gaffneys can truly be trusted... But, no self respecting Clouded would work with an Islexian warlord without good reason.

His ears twitched a bit as he heard mention of the Rhapsodia family, staring into Renais for a moment. "... Huh." That wasn't what he was expecting this morning, but... It wasn't exactly, a terrible conclusion to reach. "Hmmm... Well, I know plenty about them, mostly through Jeremiah and just, general knowledge of Lufiria... Middle of the road noble family, known for their music, their performances, as well as wanting to improve Lufirian relations with the rest of the world. Not that it worked out for them..." He looked away from Renais as he spoke, sighing.

"Around fifteen years ago, the family was on their way to perform outside of Lufiria for the first time since the collapse, and... They called it Bloody Requiem. Several members of the family were killed in the attack. They managed to avoid getting wiped out and escaped back to Lufiria, but, they haven't dared to perform outside of the country ever since. I only know so much because Jeremiah was placed on the case to figure out who and why they were attacked, but because it was his jurisdiction, I never received further details. We don't exactly share job information unless it's pertinent... So. She thinks you're Lufirian? Would you like to test that?"

His voice grew a bit more stiff, staring into Renais again. "I know that Natalya managed to pull one of those pure weapons away from the people that attacked us... All we'd need to do is prick your finger against the blade and it would answer things without question. Only Clouded, Monsters and Lufirians react poorly to pure weapons, so..." It was up to Renais, since it would certainly hurt, but it would place her origin, and given her odd magic and hair color, perhaps even place her family...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Laniva grumbled noncommittally as the fox sat next to her, bright, cloyingly pink, and smug. Her outfit was different, though she wasn't sure whether to attribute it just to simply being her morning attire, or if it was what she was planning to wear for the foreseeable future. "Mm. Morning, Mikoto... yes, I haven't told anyone anything, I'm sure you'll be happy to hear. I don't plan to right now, anyways... it wouldn't exactly make a difference. Syta's off looking for Celine, anyways." She sighed, perhaps ever so slightly more pointedly, taking a bite of her toast. "And if you're coming with us, I'm sure you'll be happy to make sure I continue to... not do that. We'll... 'get along.'" 

It wasn't the most straightforward of answers, but in truth she wasn't quite sure how genuinely Mikoto had meant it, and she wasn't willing to extend too much friendliness to the fox if she was unsure it was going to be reciprocated. She took another bite of the toast, focusing her gaze on it instead of the ever-so-bright fox next to her.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...