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Cin's questions would go unanswered for now, what with Tasha first trying to empty her lungs of the smoke out of the window, then further blinded and deafened by Cyro's exit strategy. She just about managed to hold onto the offered shoulder, at least, but for a good moment, the tiger was thoroughly disoriented, revolver falling out of her hand, thankfully not cocked. "Hah... Ahh... J-just... Hold me, to the window... I need, air..." Getting back into a shape to carry herself would take a while, thanks to all of the little gifts their attackers left behind... but it didn't stop her from balling a fist in her free hand, weakly slamming it against the window frame. "Damn, it...!" Though the spear clearly perturbed Luthier, he wasn't ready to simply back off with nothing, and made it clear with a light spell... that was intended as an escape measure, not to counterattack Elisa. With Tio now bearing down on him as well, he wasn't going to be able to fight; taking the advice and running off was the smart thing to do, unfortunately for the Evokers, beyond incensed and ready to blast this man and his lackeys into oblivion. Their enemies were scattering rapidly, but even though Elisa wanted to give chase, now that their immediate threat was fading and her wife was ready to secure the location... her fury died down, and her legs gave way to just lay down on the ground. She was done, both physically and emotionally, with this interruption to her all-important sleep. "Can we just... stop, with this shit, for a while... Please..." There were undoubtedly many who were injured, but the strawberry blonde sighed in resignation. Using her magic now would delay her recovery to an unacceptable degree, enough that it would likely jeopardize their ability to cross the Sands, once they finally got that far. As Ferid was about to round the corner and get rid of any hangers-on, he stopped himself and hid back seeing a spell being cast from the direction the others had fled in. He did realize to close his eyes, lightning flashes being rather blinding whether one actually hit him or not, but this spell was clearly one used to disorient rather than attack, having not expected how loud the booming crack actually was, still stuck clutching his ears for a moment despite his preparation. Grrh... That's not a trick I've seen used often. The rabble are weak, but their leaders are good. Hopefully they didn't get away with much more. Once his hearing had come back enough to fight with, the wolf proceeded with his original plan, but he was now too late to intercept anyone additional, the enemy having used the distraction to get away.

Barely holding on to her consciousness, Tasha could see Alvira and their attacker go through the window after another of those devastatingly painful lightning bolts forcefully opened it up, raising her gun arm just in time to miss her chance to fire. She couldn't have taken a shot like that anyway, not with her vision half gone, breathing unsteady with coughs, and half of her target being covered by someone she really, really didn't want to hit. I can't... Just, focus on not breathing more of the smoke... You won't help anyone if you're dead! Through sheer willpower, she dragged herself toward the window, the cross-draft starting to dissipate the fumes. Hopefully, they left in enough of a hurry to not bother cleaning up after themselves... They were starting to run away now, like smart little gremlins do when facing a threat they can't do anything about. But there was still one big gremlin around, one only Elisa and Tio could deal with, and with Cin carrying the latter out, the younger Evoker's chance to make the opening strike came. With her physical advantage, she zipped down the hallway and into the courtyard, past the group guarding that doorway before they could react, her drive to make this opportunity count only growing as she came close enough to see who their mystery madman was. One more long bound with her legs, arm pivoted to aim, and she let the spear fly. "Think fast, chucklenuts!" The strawberry blonde's words hadn't even fully left her mouth when the point met Luthier's shoulder, the man having to consider himself lucky that arm was still connected to the rest of his body! It was far from Elisa's best throw ever, but it had done its job, swinging the odds heavily in their favor. Good thing too, because she had no idea how long she could keep this up for... "I knew you were up to something, bastard! Now let our people go and fuck off!" Her eyes may have had a blaze behind them, but she knew she shouldn't be anywhere near as exhausted as she was after just two attacks, trying to mask her panting as best she could. Something flashed ahead of Ferid, another window breaking. He couldn't focus on it too much, dispatching the guard he'd slowed down previously, only to see that the remaining two guards on that side of the building had turned tail. They wouldn't be able to run too far before he'd catch them, but this wasn't the kind of situation where he could go on a wild goose chase if they got far away enough to split up - all he could do was ascertain where they were going and what he could figure out about their objectives, following them to the far corner of the inn, stopping there and laying flat against the wall, presuming it to be too dark for them to notice him watching if he kept a low profile. Five... One of them carrying the dragon. Was she their target, or just cutting losses? The question could be presented later; now, he needed to make sure none of the assailants lingered around the perimeter.

Tasha knew she was an easy target if she stayed on the bed, managing to roll herself off over to the far side right before smoke billowed in the room. Unfortunately, that meant her advantage when it came to vision was almost completely removed, however much she could even see clearly anyway. "Damn, it!" She grit her teeth and looked over the measly cover that the bed could give her, just barely seeing the outline of someone trying to drag Alvira out of the room... At least she could be fairly certain she wouldn't accidentally hit the dragon, considering she was on the floor. Exposing herself to any more attacks would just mean she'd be taken out as swiftly as her girlfriend was. Come on...! Quickly, she covered her nose and mouth enough to prevent inhaling the smoke and held her breath, steadying her aim as much as she could for one more shot... and as it rang out, the other figure collapsed immediately, another perfectly on target hit! That was all that was left for the tiger, though, her held breath combined with the smoke now in the corner as well causing her to start blacking out... Though the smoke was starting to clear up, it wasn't enough to allow any magic casting just yet... but then, Elisa heard it. She was well awake by now, thoroughly fed up with her tiredness, angry that they somehow knew to strike when the two of them were recovering, and now, they dared to insult her wife too? The strawberry blonde stood up straight and got a straight line to the door, a fire in her eyes that Tio would know not to question. "Fuck this. I'm going in." The younger Evoker broke into a sprint and tackled the door straight off its hinges, crashing directly into the assailant who had been ordered to deal with Tio. After a second to orient herself in the hallway, she noticed the impact had knocked the attacker's lance out of their hands, rapidly getting onto her feet and snatching it for her own use, stabbing its previous owner straight through the throat without a second thought. "WHO'S NEXT, YOU BASTARDS!?" The one in front would shortly be dealt with by Cin, by the look of things, making her shift her attention to the other side of the hallway, equally smoked up, more gunshots coming from the direction that was likely Natalya holding her own as best she could. Peering around the corners, Ferid could see a small group at the door on the other side, as well as a small contingent covering the windows on the outside of the building. If Versaris could deal with the guards in the courtyard, he could deal with their escape security, and in a split second decision, rushed at the ones covering the windows, taking one out with a well-placed gunshot before holstering the revolver and running the other through with his spear. The others noticed and charged toward him, but he delayed the first by throwing the body off of his lance into them, dodging the second's swing and impaling them through the back. His eyes gleaming in the night, the knight held his head forward and pulled his weapon free once more. "Come on. You can do better than that."

"GRAAAHHH!" Tasha screamed out in pain, the conductive effect of armor not being present helping her absolutely none when it came to her terrible magic resistance! Getting blindsided like that was poor form enough already, but now, she was barely holding onto her consciousness through the pain, the shock tensing her muscles all over, suddenly thankful that she had been lucid enough for trigger discipline or those shots would've gone somewhere completely random. Yet, even while she still struggled to get her eyes adjusted from the blast, she only had one goal in mind. She knew she couldn't fail, not this time, not after Mercuria's bullshit, this was just a normal man! Before Alvira could connect with her ice, the tiger had brought her arm back into aim, taking the shot on reflex... hitting their assailant squarely in the left side of the chest with both bullets from her revolver. "You're not... taking her from me!" Elisa kept trying to funnel the smoke out of their room, but not having the ability to pressure vacuum it out with a wind spell made everything that much more difficult. She knew as well as Tio that they couldn't do much of anything before they were clear of the risk in their current state. "Damn it! Why," she had to pause to cough a few times, "why are we attracting... some stupid big shot out of nowhere!? I don't care how tired I am... once this clears up, I'll give you everything I can to take them out!" And if things came to that, she could probably borrow a lance from someone and fight that way... Whatever feud was going on in the adjacent room to Ferid's provided him with the distraction he needed, opening his door quietly to see two people standing in front of that room's door, and the crack of more doors being slammed down gave him an opportunity to create more chaos by taking his chances and dumping two quick trigger pulls into the interior guards. Both of his shots were on the mark, as expected, and his targets quickly fell to the floor, the muzzle flashes subsiding from his eyes just in time to see Versaris rush past his door toward the guards he'd shot. "Courtyard. I take exterior," the wolf commanded, grabbing his silver lance and dashing out of the room in the opposite direction, past Sari and Aly through the door they'd 'opened'. He had much better chances fighting outdoors with his style and primary weapon, and a concerted attack like this would surely have more guards than were immediately visible... but his vision was almost as good as if it were daytime, intending to move fast and stealthy to take as many out as he could.

Though Cass's pushiness had been a bit of a bother, Tasha had managed to finish her work at the inn with some difficulty, and went to sleep after a meal and some quality time with her girlfriend, as usual. Little did she know that she'd have more reason to be pissed off than probably ever before in just a few hours. While the initial sounds only got an uncomfortable stir from the tiger, the sharp noise of a breaking window made her ears twitch and jolted her awake, grabbing the revolver next to their bed in a flash and quickly scanning the room to see that it wasn't their window, her focus shifting to the door to their room. Her aim held steady, her free hand slid over to the dragon sleeping next to her, maybe not even needing to considering how close together they had to be with a single bed like this, and all the noise that had already happened. "Vira, wake up! Something's going on!" She had to hope that a loud whisper wasn't loud enough to alert whoever might have been listening in... Elisa was totally lights out while Tio still worried and researched into the night, but even if the shattered window and shout weren't enough to wake her, the smoke now in their room definitely was, coughing as she slid from the bed to the floor, shambling over to the window to their room to get it open. She was too disoriented to realize this wasn't ordinary smoke, but thankfully she at least knew better than to create fire where there's smoke on intuition. "W, what the fuck!? What's going on?" Taking a moment to relax and gather her thoughts seemingly wasn't an option... What a mess to wake up to, and unable to do most of what she should at that. Two crashing doors immediately made Ferid leap out of bed, pulling the loaded gun from his belt. Only a couple seconds of assessment added breaking glass to the matter, and using any moment of noise he could, he made his way to his room's door without being heard. If anything he'd trained for was correct, this was a night attack, and he needed to confirm who and how many. In just his black undershirt and pants, he wouldn't be recognizable as any kind of military either... so no matter who they were, they'd at the very least feel sorry for disturbing his sleep. This was Islexia, so they probably wouldn't have Clouded in the group, which hopefully gave Ferid an edge he could exploit, ready to open his door and take shots at the people he expected to be waiting behind it as soon as there was another loud noise to mask it. He could take down five people before having to reach for his spears, a horrible choice of weapon in tight quarters though they were.

Though initially a little surprised that Cassandra was being so forward, Alvira's immediate rebuttal and clinging on got a smile out of Tasha, having to stifle a laugh at the turn of events as the shark explained her presence, as well as the cat they picked up in Eibar asking about their contact. "Tanya, right? Yes, she is... everything fine with your ears? I'd have thought another cat would've heard what she said." Maybe her kind of cat didn't have hearing as acute as she herself did. "Anyway, that's alright, we hit a bit of an unexpected snag on the way here, so we've tried our best to rest up while making good time toward our destination. Getting an inn to stay in sounds like a better time than tent camp, for sure. And, uh..." She reached her non-hugged hand over, conveniently the one that didn't have oil residue, to pat the dragon a little. "I already have a girlfriend, so thanks but no thanks. No need to be sorry either, Marigold, I'm sure we can handle a little flirting here... It's much better than the expected alternative. Long as you listen to a no, anyway," she told, shifting her gaze between the strangely hidden undead and Cass. "I've still got some weapon maintenance to do, but we can get moving as soon as everything in the inventory is all oiled up. I'm also our armorer, so, y'know. Lot of work on my plate." Elisa released a breath she didn't realize she'd been holding while she'd been looking over Tio analyzing the amulet to the best of her ability. "Good... I figured it'd be like that. We'd all have been in a lot of trouble if each of us didn't have the specific skills that we do, even if some of us are pretty badly beaten up as a result." With that matter resolved, the younger Evoker also turned her attention to the small gathering of people, including three new faces, likely to be Marigold's allies, given that Renais and Miria were with them. "I suppose our contacts here wanted to meet Natalya personally? Should we meet them as well, Tio?"

"Well, considering her influence seems to be gone from Alvira and we don't have the Escaflowne anymore, the two things that Mercuria had been able to use to interact with us, I don't think we'll have any interference from her for the foreseeable future. Unless a goddess can just decide that the world works their way and somehow grabs hold of someone else... but let's not think about that one." Elisa shook her head to cut off that line of thought, allowing herself to be led back into one of the wagons. Heat was another thing she had more tolerance for than her wife did, but with her already being exhausted, even the breathable nature of her bodysuit wasn't quite enough to stave off a growing annoyance at how sweaty it was getting. "You mean something simple, like a hooded cloak? Or are you planning on using that one reflection spell you came up with? I'm fine with either, though the latter is probably best saved for when we have to avoid combat." Thoughts about disguises aside, she gave a small wave to Ren, Syta and Lani when they approached. Though she was usually the better of the two when it came to sensing anything regarding mana flow, in her current state, checking up on Kisara was better left to Tio. "I hope she's fine, we put a lot of effort into trying to keep her safe through all of that. If my condition's anything to go by, she's probably worse off still... not that I have any experience with people sealed in amulets." "More principled than your average Hecatian knight, that's for sure." Ferid shuffled further into the wagon upon hearing the arrival of the Tigers' contacts. He wasn't supposed to be part of their proceedings in any way, after all. "Maybe. I have even more reason than most here to not show my face anywhere in Islexia, so don't count on it too much." Jesse seemed like a good girl, but people directly serving under Celine probably were going to be the better of those available in Hecatia. All he could do for now was sit back and keep to himself. "We've got plenty of time to work those frustrations out of you later~" Much as they were in Islexia for business, Tasha could always spare some time for her girlfriend, especially when they were sharing a tent by each other. Any further poking about Alvira's apparent desire for a less-clothed tiger could be saved for later, though, seeing as she was being called for directly by a boisterous lady identifying herself as the sister of who they were supposed to be working for soon enough. "You don't say," she commented, setting the rag down on her whetstone so as to not corrode anything the oil wasn't supposed to touch, placing the axe she'd just finished into the appropriate barrel and, with a quick sway of her hips and tail, stood up to climb out of the wagon. Cassandra sure had a radiant smile, though after seeing Aly's teeth, there wasn't much surprise in it for the commander. "Hi, you'll get to meet me right away. I'm Natalya Eligia Liberia, the Iron Tigers' commander. That makes the reason for the name pretty obvious, I'd think. I assume you've got some advance intelligence to tell us, if you're all the way out here?" Wiping some sweat off her brow, she looked past the girl's head and to the large shark tail slightly lifting her skirt behind her. Aquatic Clouded weren't too common, from what Tasha had seen, and many were like Gean, not having such a... presence, to them. "Nice tail, by the way."

"What happens after is an issue for then. Even with the Evokers out of commission for a while, we're still stronger than a group our size would be expected to be," Tasha answered, hands gliding along the surface of the blade with an oiling cloth, having first scrubbed it clean of any traces of surface impurity. Just enough to coat it properly, but not enough to cause issues with excess oil. She was done with that one quickly, switching from a sword to an axe, but pausing for a moment to turn to her girlfriend. "Even when I'm working, huh? I don't get tired of hearing it, that's for sure~" Her tail flicked about a bit, the tiger choosing to tease a little by having the haft of the weapon rest against her shirt. "You've got plenty to look at too, especially with how you've liked wearing stuff that puts those nice legs on show recently. Bet you'd like it if I lightened up a bit more too, eh?" A quick grin later, she swung back around to focus on her work, flipping the axe about to how it should be held for oiling. "You've been waking up before me the past few days, I think that's enough indication to how I'm feeling." Elisa really didn't need to say more than that, given how incredibly rare that normally was. She hadn't even been doing her morning workout quite the same, only the bare minimum so travel wasn't draining her form away, but she couldn't help cracking a smile at the inquiry. Her wife always had her best interests in mind, so much so she'd asked that same question about once every other hour while they were both awake. What Tio asked of Ren brought the younger Evoker's thoughts back to that morning, and the unseen fox they'd assisted. "Kisara... She felt almost manic for a little bit while we fought off Mercuria. As much as she was putting her life on the line to save Alvira and Laniva, I think she was enjoying the challenge, as silly as that sounds to say. And... kind of terrifying, too. That might be the kind of 'researcher' I'd have become if not for you..." Elisa sighed, slowly shaking her head. "Still, it's clear we need her knowledge when it comes to dealing with that particular issue. I just hope we don't need it that often." "In Liste, while I was on the way to deliver information to the east, a group of Knights held the Tigers and townsfolk on threat of burning the village down if they didn't tell everything they knew about the theft of the Escaflowne," Ferid began, looking back toward Hecatia and the road they'd taken to get into Islexia. "Their fool of a captain had also apprehended a caravan of Clouded with no evidence, so I took it upon myself to release them while the Tigers fought to secure Liste. I'd also met one of the people who's currently with the Tigers while I was on the road east." He leaned out from the wagon to look around, but couldn't exactly see Siorel, wherever she was. "Siorel, the lizard Clouded in black. Can't spot her right now, but she can't be far, I've seen her around during the trip. I handed her off to their discretion at Liste as well."

As much as Tasha wanted to keep leading the caravan, this was Islexia, and it was imperative for all of the Clouded to stay concealed, commander or not. The encroaching heat certainly helped in making that happen, few people having the energy to try and exercise or anything during daytime. Instead, the tiger had been busy doing her other job, going through all of their inventory and making sure their weapons were cleaned, sharpened and oiled properly. It'd be a potentially deadly mistake if she slipped in that and a partially rusted blade snapped before its time, or was unable to bite into its target. Since she needed a good amount of space to work with, she'd asked Alvira to watch from a little further back, if she wanted to. "Today's when we're supposed to make contact with Marigold's people. Hope that goes well..." Tasha idly stated, wiping sweat off her brow as she got another sword in her hands for an application of mineral oil. The situation being what it was, Alvira hadn't been keen on going out to town either, staying back at the wagons. "One good thing about how it's been getting hotter, it's also drier out here. Don't have to re-oil all of our stuff as often." Elisa, while better now than she had been for a day or two after the incident with Mercuria, was still feeling lethargic and irritable, with Tio handling even more of the talking than she usually did. Seeing the typically optimistic and relatively more chipper of the Evokers as downcast as she was must've been a bit of a shock to... her wife, mostly, considering everyone with them had seen what had occurred. Once the advance party had departed - with Renais being one of the people to go - she turned to her spouse with a worried look, seemingly blowing off Ren's concern for the moment, considering they had little to do and little that could be done about their condition. "I know it's best that the people going with her are humans, and definitely not Syndra, Nyx, or us, but... I don't know. Something about that encounter in Cerezia still nags at me." The tall Knight had kept as low a profile as physically possible with his stature. As Celine had mentioned, Islexia didn't fancy letting the Altair Knights roam around unchecked, and on top of that, he was Clouded, not that it was obvious to anyone while his helmet was on as usual. He only had one job to do with them, unlike the others who were less personally tied to the proceedings of the Knights, but at least he could pass the time by seeing how the Tigers operated. One of those said 'squires' seemed interested in striking up a conversation. "About as good as you can expect going through inland Islexia in armor. Light armor, maybe, but that doesn't make it that much cooler." He sat hunched over in one of the wagons, having spent most of his time on the trip just thinking about things. Not much about what had happened previously made sense to him, but his idea was that maybe, just maybe, he could piece things together in a way that sounded reasonable. It was a long trip to spend entirely within one's own mind, though. "You're a horse rider, aren't you? I imagine your steed is doing alright."

Tasha remained quiet while Celine talked things over with the others. The Underground at least to her knowledge wasn't a concern in Glacies, considering how the Altair Channel put a large amount of distance to the mainland and how the well-organized mercenaries were more or less always on the right side of the law, but from their encounter in Eibar, it was very clear that wasn't the case over in Hecatia, much less in Islexia. Any assistance they could get on top of what they were already capable of would be greatly appreciated, so the suggestion of simply being handed a couple extra pairs of hands for their trip through Islexia wasn't one she could possibly turn down. "That's what I saw, anyway. We'll gladly take any extra hands we can get, considering how dangerous the journey's going to be, so if they don't have anything against it, they're free to join us for as long as they need to." That was when the one non-Amaryllis Knight in the picture decided to chime in, stepping forward to add his own suggestion. "If you'll allow it, Commander Celine, I'll join them as well. I won't participate in any combat they might find themselves in against any of the Warlords' forces, but the Underground is our problem to deal with. Not that I expect them to lose against simple bandits, but I'll make myself useful in that case as well." Ferid nodded briefly to Diya, who could back him up on his following justification. "As for reporting back to the garrison, I'm sure many people lower down the ladder would rather have me away from their feet for as long as possible." He didn't know many Glacians, either, so maybe getting to actually speak with some of the Tigers could make for a productive use of his time, even if his skills weren't required. Elisa didn't have much to add to the discussion, just trying to recover as best she could. There was still that strange incident that had happened with the two men in Cerezia not long ago, but she didn't have enough information to piece much together about it, nor had she managed to attune herself to either of their mana signatures, with how the clearly stronger man had been quite wary of her. If there was anyone they were related to in the group, it was likely they either wouldn't remember them, or Elisa wouldn't know who to ask in the first place, besides the obvious.

Alvira was right, of course. She'd said much the same when the tiger had first opened up to her properly that night in Liste, but all of this just felt... more visceral, for lack of a better descriptor. A reminder that she couldn't do everything she wanted to, or perceived needing to, in order to be the capable leader and partner she so dearly wanted to be, but that maybe she didn't have to either. She could only do her best, and as far as her girlfriend was concerned, that was enough. "I... mmm." Tasha relaxed her grip just a little, but though she couldn't change in a day, she could try to do more, while also not getting too down on herself over things she couldn't really help with. There were other people who could help... You couldn't do everything as just one person. Her appreciation would be wasted in words, however, and did the only thing she felt sensible in the moment, pulling just enough space between them to plant a tender, slow kiss onto Alvira's lips. Though her cheeks were tear-stained and eyes reddened, Tasha could now manage a smile, the bright, happy grin the Tigers knew her for, her ears and tail finally perking up too. "I love you too, Alvira. And I'll try my best, just like I've always done... but I have to accept I can't do everything. As long as you're, we're, alright, I don't care. I'll do what I can to make sure we all stay alright, and ask for help when that's not enough." That was the limit of anyone's capability, after all. "We're taking it slow for a moment anyway, so... Let's just, stay like this for a while." She pulled herself back in closer to her girlfriend, now resting her chin on Alvira's shoulder, tail coming around to rub the dragon's bigger one. "You're nice and warm again..." Over the minutes of rest, Natalya had calmed down more or less all the way, separating herself from Alvira once Celine had stood up. There was work to be done, and surely as the Tigers' commander, the Knights would have things to ask of her. For his part, Ferid had left the inn to patrol the village while the others recovered. He was still capable of doing his duty, and if there was anyone he hadn't spotted during his quick check lurking about, it could spell disaster for the convalescing party of knights and mercenaries. Fortunately, they were still perfectly in the clear, and he'd returned just in time for the Commander declaring it was time to continue business.

Being casually comforted was one thing, but as soon as it was Alvira doing it, Tasha knew it'd be impossible to keep holding things in. The dragon cut straight to what she was feeling, of course, why wouldn't she? She was the only person who actually knew her insecurities that well. The tiger let her girlfriend finish what she wanted to say, let her pull them into a hug... and with a quiet, wavering voice, finally answered her. "I-I... I was scared. I don't know why. But, as soon as I felt that, thing, from the sword, I just... I couldn't move." She sniffled into her arms, trying to hide her eyes from everyone around her, a hand weakly balling into a fist and impotently hitting the table. "Damn it... I'm supposed to be our leader, and I can't even help my fucking girlfriend, cowering like a toddler because of a sword! Maybe I should call myself a paper tiger instead, if that's all it takes to make me freeze up..." By now she had trouble keeping quiet, pulling up to bury herself against Alvira's shoulder instead, returning the embrace perhaps stronger than she intended to, a tight, firm grasp she didn't want to let go. "But you're, safe... And better for it. I'm sorry, Vira, I'm so sorry... I don't want anything bad to ever happen to you, and now you have to deal with me being like this too..." She could feel it as well, that same warmth that had escaped Alvira before. That really meant she was as back to normal as she could be... maybe those sweaters they'd gotten before would end up not being that useful after all. A Temporary Peace "You did what you could, no apologizing for that," Elisa quickly said to Mikoto, before her wife moved in to make things comfortable for her, pulling her arms in below her chest and trying her best to relax against Tio's plush legs. "Gods or no gods, we still have a mission to carry out... but it'll be just a bit difficult if we can't do much ourselves. At least if things are as good as they look now, we don't have to worry about Mercuria again for a long while." Although, as reported to them by Natalya, there was the fact that the Lufirian soldier who'd rescued Lucille had seemingly recognized Mercuria by name, which complicated things for them... They couldn't possibly leave it out of their discussions once they'd reached Lufiria itself, and this incident would have to be included in full in those discussions. If they knew what was going on with an honest-to-goodness deity, who knew what else they were hiding? Furthermore... "Hey," she said quietly, poking at the older Evoker's chest. "Do you think we should let Celine know? About what the Commander told you." Ferid didn't expect his effort to be met with much more than simple acknowledgement, but the sheep came back to him with an about-face in attitude as soon as she realized he'd done his due diligence. "I'm more surprised you were so quick to move, with how your speech draws on. I can imagine some groups of people would be ready to kill for the knowledge that the Escaflowne can do that." He let the remainder of what that implied hang there, not pushing for more conversation. If there was something Celine required of him, he'd act on that, but perhaps he should soon ask whether he should be leaving according to his original route plan.

With the powers of a god came the complex of a god, it seemed, Elisa hearing the wailing protests of Mercuria as the Escaflowne and the empowered Kisara managed to break her hold on the weapon and the two handling it, but subsequently being thrown back with the goddess's desperate last attempt to get things going her way. She landed next to Tio, and couldn't do much more than lay on the floor, her just now bright pink hair returning to its usual strawberry blonde sheen rather quickly. "Ugh... Stupid, uppity bitch goddess... You can't just do whatever you want, not if I have anything to say about it..." She mumbled venom under her breath, feeling rather drained thanks to what she just did. That was the single largest throughput of mana she'd ever had to deal with, and very likely also the strongest attacks she'd had to weather, while not even being the primary target. It didn't take too long for Mikoto, and then Renais, to inquire about their condition, and though Tio was sitting up well enough, Elisa wasn't getting up just yet. "If she wouldn't say fine, I think I might just sleep here for a moment. I feel like I just ran around the whole damn island without breaks, but without my muscles feeling sore..." The offer for help was all well and good, but she honestly didn't think there was much that standard healing magic could do to help. Whatever Mercuria had done wasn't a typical sort of attack that would cause visible wounds that could be treated normally. Meanwhile, Natalya could finally feel her body relax some, her breathing starting to come down to normal now that that dreadful pressure was no longer present. She was still too out of it to even notice how jubilant Alvira was with regaining her fire, only raising a hand to her neck to feel her heartbeat, racing as if she'd just been in battle, spending a moment to simply get herself to a calm normal. But as that moment dragged on, as she looked over to her girlfriend moved to tears and holding both a flame and ice cube, she became acutely aware of how she'd just done absolutely nothing when she'd specifically said she'd do anything, if there was even a small chance that it'd help. Instead of joining Alvira in her moment of revelation like she probably should've, Tasha pushed her plate aside and leaned onto the table, burying her head in her arms, ears and tail still drooped limp. No sound came from her, but only because she was trying so, so very hard not to beat herself up more than she already was. As much as he'd been told to help and watched the matter, Ferid didn't budge from where he was, even once the abrupt shock of magical interference was over with. It was at that moment he realized he should check if someone besides the expected people had been watching, too, because surely something this unusual would be worth quite a lot in terms of intel. He scanned the room, then turned around, seeing nothing unusual, but just to make sure, he walked out to briefly check the immediate surroundings as well. Thankfully, his search turned up with nothing, and as far as he could tell, the Knights and Tigers were the only people who were there to see the event take place, returning to his place behind the other Knights afterward. "I checked our surroundings. It's likely nobody else saw this happen."

Ferid didn't respond to the sheep's call for help, only continuing to stand and watch what was happening. Either all of the others were used to this sensation already in some form, or they just didn't care about the dread that it inflicted upon them... with one exception. Strangely, the only other who seemed as shaken by the power coming from the sword was the Tigers' commander, who looked to be trying her best to keep herself away from the weapon, locked up like it was the most frightening thing she'd ever seen, or perceived, in this case. He could sympathize, feeling as if his usual level of composure was the only thing preventing him from having the same reaction. ...If this is what the ability to sense magic is like, I'm almost glad I can't. I'd either go insane, or get used to it and be paranoid. Like the knight saw, Tasha was still glued to her chair. Her mind was shouting at her to tell everyone to run away from that thing, but she could hardly even form words, the combination of the horrible feeling and a rising anger at her own sudden inability to do anything turning her thoughts into a mess, and her spiking anxiety causing her to start hyperventilating. She just wanted it to stop. "Forming a triple conduit isn't easy, you know!" Elisa knew that no matter how much that was a thing she wasn't yet confident she could do in a high pressure situation, she had to try, or Kisara's life was in danger. There was no way she wasn't taking immense punishment from Mercuria, with how the fox's mana signature was almost dissolving in her hand, and how some of that even extended to herself and Tio. She closed her eyes to concentrate, only focusing on what she had to do as instructed by the Escaflowne, now able to hear its voice -- or what she assumed was its voice, anyway. Tio was easy to bring into the link, but Mikoto took a bit more trying, having to very quickly and accurately navigate what mana flow she could get from the merchant fox into the overall circuit. Adding to the problem was that she tried to make it a surprise to overwhelm the goddess's assault in a rapid burst... and while she couldn't quite manage that, she could delay the full flowthrough enough to have a sizable sudden inrush ready to go. If it's just one chance you need, here you go! Do it, Kisara!

Miria came up to them at almost the same time, trying to physically get things resolved, but if her own previous experience was anything to go by, Elisa knew that wouldn't result in anything actually happening. At worst, the armored girl was going to get herself trapped as well, so whatever Kisara was doing, she'd have to try and do her best to help her do it. Good thing you've got a little bit of both present here then, huh? She hadn't exactly linked with an object rather than a person before, but as much as Kisara was trapped within the pendant, it still gave her a distinct target to work with. I'll give you as much as I can handle putting out, so get working! That said, she began doing her part... and even with only being able to spare a portion of her mana through the link, that much clearly eclipsed the full capabilities of most people present.

"If they're laying hands on it while she's watching, what do you think? I'm from Sylph. Didn't you see me with--" Ferid was about to question the sheep's perceptiveness, but cut himself off as he felt... something. Something completely alien to him, that he could only describe as oppressive. Some of the others reacted quickly, but he wasn't sure what to do or how to even begin to decipher what was happening, standing there in stunned silence. At least he had his helmet on, so nobody could see his agape jaw. Tasha of course heard Tio's notice as well, mentally preparing to jump up and slam herself into the two holding the sword, but when the moment actually came, she found her feet frozen to the floor. The fur on her ears and tail stood upright, both drooping limp, and instead of bravely launching forward despite the obvious difficulties of gathering enough speed indoors to tackle three people to the ground, her hands tightly gripped her seat, backing away as much as she could without moving the chair. Whatever that feeling that suddenly engulfed the room was, it terrified her, as if every inch of her body was being pressed onto by invisible needles. No, even that wasn't right; she outright had no words to describe what it felt like, only that she'd never felt anything like it before in her life. All she could do was watch... and tremble, hoping that the bad thing will just go away, like a scared, confused child who couldn't begin to understand what they were perceiving. The other Evoker had half a mind to reply "yeah, I figured, but what are we going to do about that?" to her wife, but the wave of magic now emanating from the sword shut her up incredibly quickly, bolting to her feet and side by side with Tio, her own hair flushing a deep, bright pink as she did. She knew when she had to be serious about things, and if they were going to try using brute force against a goddess, half-assing it would only result in failure. "I've got you, but what do we do!? Trying the same as last time wouldn't-- Huh? The pendant?" Lani's plea cut into Elisa's train of thought, but she very quickly put two and two together. The only thing that could mean was that Kisara had some kind of plan for dealing with the problem, and since the cat was able to communicate that, it surely meant that just having hands on the thing was enough to talk with the mysterious fox. And if the solution was at all related to manipulating mana flow, she'd be the better choice of the two. Without thinking on it any longer than that, Elisa rushed forward to Lani's side and dove her hand into the cat's breastplate, taking the pendant in hand. Though she had little clue about how this actually worked, she just thought of the words and hoped that would be enough to reach Kisara. What do we do? Can you hear me? If you've got a plan, tell me exactly how to help!

Both Elisa and Natalya had stuck to going toward finishing their meals while the sword touching ceremony was afoot, though with the former acknowledging Tio's sign and the latter paying attention to Syta's pendant changing hands momentarily, they still had things to look out for. Tasha didn't know exactly what was going on there, though the two of them were pretty close, from what she'd seen... and it was soon going to be Alvira's turn to touch the Escaflowne again. Before that, though, Celine addressed a question to the tiger, having her gulp down what she was munching on to reply, albeit with a small groan afterward. She wished she'd known about all of that earlier, and she still didn't know the whole picture when it came to Nyx's past, but at least she could confidently say she wasn't blindsided by the inquiry. "I know there's more she hasn't told yet, but yes, we know the general idea," she confirmed, letting that be where the matter would remain until this other business, which was probably far more important from the Knights' perspective, was over with. ...Nyx could talk just fine herself too, since she chose to approach instead of hanging back like she usually did. All the while the blade had switched hands to the dragon, or rather she'd joined Laniva, which meant Tasha wasn't going to divide her attention while that was going on, ears perked, tail standing half upright. If Alvira indicated things were amiss, she'd leap from her chair as quickly as she could. As soon as the dragon girl made contact with the weapon again, Elisa furrowed her brow in thought. This time, it both didn't feel like Mercuria, and whatever this other supposedly-divine thing was, its signature was much amplified compared to earlier. Strange. Is Laniva's concurrent contact preventing Mercuria from interfering, or does she just not want to right now? For all we know, she could whenever she wanted to... but she might be observing instead, if there's something she wants to figure out. Behind the other Knights in the inn now stood another figure, one who silently arrived during the proceedings. It was, of course, Ferid, having noticed Celine and the others going to meet the Tigers, he'd packed up his things and come to spectate whatever the two groups were going to talk about or do. It wouldn't do for him to be the only person present to be out of the loop... and so he quietly watched Laniva and Alvira, with some brief looks at the woman holding the sword. Diya had proven to be of a similar mindset to him, lending yet more credence to his belief that Celine could have real, lasting impact on the province's affairs. Runaround Messenger Still, the ultimate goal was that there would be no more people like him. If it took the endurance and suffering of the few principled people left to achieve that, it would be worth it.

Tasha was still eating while Celine and Tio talked, though with the Knights present, she slowed her pace enough to not look unseemly. She'd begun slowing down anyway now that she wasn't immediately hungry, her only response to all the talk about laying hands on the Escaflowne and all the god communication stuff being an idle shake of her head. They needed more information, but this went too much over her head to say heads or tails about it. Before she could finish what she was eating and reply to Alvira, Elisa, who was also eating and listening to the proceedings, piped up. Not before having given the dragon just enough time to get over her brief fluster with Laniva, of course. "Are you sure a tackle's going to do anything? I couldn't pull away from you even though I tried when Mercuria was imposing on us. If she decided to do that again, wouldn't you just be unable to let go of the sword, even if Natalya tried to push you away from it? Worse, can you be sure that anyone who tries to separate you from the blade wouldn't be pulled into Mercuria's influence? She didn't do anything permanent to me, but that may be because I put all of my ability into separating our mana flows when I realized I physically couldn't move. Even if others are much less vulnerable since they wouldn't be linked to you in the same way, others also don't have that kind of defense available to them." The younger Evoker couldn't stop neither the dragon nor tiger from proceeding with that little plan of theirs, but she figured such a warning was necessary. She didn't want anyone to end up as collateral damage from just gathering info, as important as it was. To that end, she glanced at Diya, who seemed to have the same idea, but who also very likely listened to what she'd just said. The Evoker chomping on her food in a relaxed manner again, Tasha got her chance to answer, though now she was less sure of what she was going to say. "I mean, I guess I should defer to Elisa's opinion with that, but I don't have any magic ability to screw up, and I'd really rather try and do what I can to keep you safe, Vira. Though it's gonna hurt pretty bad if I slam into you full force..." She kept any comments about Lani's involvement out of it, while it was a little funny that the two people she'd had any real intimacy with in a long time were connected in this very specific way, that was something most people didn't need to know about. "So I say it's your call. I don't even know which way is safer, but I'll be paying attention regardless." For now, she simply gave her girlfriend a pat on the shoulder and returned to what was left on her plate.

Natalya sighed in relief that there wasn't much she'd missed so far, though a certain girl present was quick to pipe up. "What happens with the Knights won't change our contract, and they wouldn't be able to keep us from departing anyway. Just a detour that changes when we'll get there, but it won't be a problem for what we've already agreed to, yeah?" With saying that out of the way, and nobody else seeming to be immediately interested in picking her mind, the tiger sat down next to all the others in the big discussion and began wolfing down her meal, hardly caring about table manners while she devoured what was on her plate. Her ears were perked the whole time, happy that she was getting something enjoyable enough that would fill her stomach properly. Worrying about all the things they were mentioning could be saved for later, if it would ever even become a problem for them. After all, the Tigers themselves weren't going to be going into Lufiria, and with how gracefully they handled the situation with Lucille, the Evokers probably wouldn't have that become an issue either, especially if they had the chance to explain to this Jeremiah soon enough. Elisa nodded to Tio and sat down, acknowledging the question but letting Versaris speak first, which in itself prompted her wife to continue the conversation while getting their food. Though all of that information was very useful for them to know, as well as somewhat frightening to think about, she felt that Tio was overcomplicating things in her head, like she sometimes tended to. "I might not know how to fight against someone who can see your moves before you even think about them, but we're not going to anyway, right? It's one thing to be prepared for everything and another entirely to worry about things that are incredibly unlikely to happen in the first place. We're supposed to be on a diplomatic mission, not preparing to fight Lufiria's generals." She pat the older Evoker on the shoulder, offering her an understanding, if slightly concerned smile. Though with food now in front of them - and Tasha quite audibly gobbling hers down - she pivoted around to the original question. "Oh yeah, that tome is really, really interesting. Most of it is handwritten, so I have to imagine the princess herself or someone close to her made it, which makes sense because it seemingly leverages some things I haven't seen in any spells before. Some of the switching speed in mana utilization is inhumanly fast, and I'd imagine even someone that isn't Lucille would find themselves casting faster by using it. I'd bet that's part of how it's able to fuse two different types of Anima magic together. Another thing I noticed is that it's almost deceptively easy... Anyone with even a basic grasp of Anima could use it effectively, and it shouldn't be difficult to replicate either, as long as the method is known." She paused for a moment to stuff a bagel in her mouth, pacing herself so as to not chew too rapidly, but by the time she was finished with it, the Knights had showed up, her attention turned to the goose and the people behind him.

For once, Alvira had gotten up a good bit earlier than Tasha did. It made sense, not only was the dragon much more exhausted after the battle yesterday, there was also the matter of... Noise. Her girlfriend probably didn't hear any of it, but the room they'd taken was right next to, evidently, Alriana and Versaris's. Though they didn't continue for too long, it was still well past when she wanted to sleep that she couldn't hear them anymore. Part of her had wanted to cover up the noise with their own, but she was the responsible person and let Alvira get the rest she needed instead. Getting fully geared up could wait for later, right now, the tiger just wanted food, chucking on a sweater and pants as usual with a few stretches to get the sleepiness out of her muscles. That, and her late awakening was likely to have a number of things already piled up for her to answer to, whether from the Evokers, some of the Tigers, or one of their newer business acquaintances. Though with how exhausted Celine had looked yesterday, she probably wasn't there to demand explanations just yet. Coming down from her room, most were already present, giving a quick wave to her girlfriend and heading over to grab a plate for herself. "Morning, people. If anyone's got anything particular to ask from me, either do it quick before I sit down to eat, or wait until I'm done. Just really hungry." Her tail flicked a bit, piling on about as much to eat as she could physically fit on one plate. Though Elisa had woken up before Tio, as usual, she'd been taking her time studying the peculiar tome Lucille left behind. Sure, she'd taken hours doing so last night already, but that was nowhere near enough to properly understand how the spell was devised. It was Anima magic, sure, so she could probably learn how to replicate it with enough study, but not being part fire did mean she had a slightly more difficult time with it. If things like that were commonplace in Lufiria, there was a lot of catching up to be done still, work that Elisa was more than happy to engage in! After all, she was the spell developer of the two of them. Finding new ways to apply her knowledge and broadening it was why she liked the research part of her job so much. She couldn't just hole up in their room forever, however, not just because she should be up to date with what their plans were going forward, but also because she needed to eat, much as she preferred to not be tempted to more than was necessary. Putting the tome aside for now, she quietly followed a somewhat less chipper than usual Natalya down to where most of the others were, giving the defeated-looking fox a curious glance, as well as Renais next to her. Their talk with Mikoto had been enlightening, but whether she'd pursue the path she thought closed would be up to how her relationship with the two she'd mentioned developed. Best not to push her too much. "Anything that's happened that I need to know? Oh, and, if you could get me a plate, Tio?" The strawberry blonde settled in next to her wife, refraining from being too touchy-feely with the discussion looking to be serious.

"I'd like to say it was just doing our job, but I don't think that's entirely right. We're not sure if who we fought were aware of who the thief was, but it's probably a safe guess to say they did, just because of how multiple groups were targeting the same person, yeah?" Even in Glacies, where the mercenary business was highly regulated and there were official channels for assistance from other groups, Tasha hadn't heard of any incidents where there'd have been a large-scale offensive from multiple coordinated parties against a single target like this. Maybe that was in part because the island was relatively peaceful aside from the Islexian pirate incursions, but still. She took a glance at the tall man in slightly different armor, and Tio's confirmation of who he was made her faintly recall seeing a glimpse of someone like him, though they hadn't spoken back in Liste. Though things were winding down, Celine looked exhausted, and her Knights were attending her for the moment... then Laniva stepped up to touch the sword. Not exactly like Alvira had before, though, instead, it looked like she was in a trance, not paying any mind to others around her. And instead of what happened to the dragon, the cat mentioned something else entirely by name. She may have wanted to know more about that, sure, and Gean prodded about it further, but Versaris and Jesse had a more salient point for right now. "Gaia, Schmaia. Sure, I'd like to hear what exactly happened, if you can even say more than that, but right now we all ought to get some rest." She pulled her girlfriend closer, whipping her tail up to rub Alvira's. "Healing or not, we can't exactly march into Islexia with half of us half asleep," Tasha noted, nodding first to Jesse and then to Celine. "If there's something you'd like to ask of the Iron Tigers, we can talk about all that once we're all well rested." Elisa simply tried her best to make Renais comfortable, not pulling her in much. She had to go do her checkups soon enough and all... yet the question that came before their inevitable separation was a bit surprising. "What, are you thinking of wanting to be our successor at some point?" She giggled a bit, but went back to serious quickly enough. "To be honest, you're already more qualified than I was to start with. Before I went to Glacies, I was as magically inept as Natalya is now, or at least I thought I was. That was 15 years ago now, I think. I didn't know whether I had the potential to be anything or do anything, I just knew that if I wanted to get somewhere, I needed to work hard. So that's what I did." Her arms shuffled back, putting the tiniest bit of distance between her and Renais. "I didn't meet Tio until after most of my studies and training. By then I was a strong mage, but I wasn't anywhere near her level... and she brought out a kind of strength I had no idea I had within me. My path to getting where I am was far from normal, but we're all our own people, right? Who's to say you can't find your own way of becoming even stronger than we are now?" The strawberry blonde gave a couple pats to Renais's shoulders, letting her go for now. "Don't let your thoughts about yourself get in the way of working toward what you want to be. Trust me, I know what it feels like to doubt whether you're worth anything. Just keep moving forward and you can achieve your goals." For a moment, she held a soft, if slightly wistful smile for the healer, before turning around to head over to her wife's side once more. As she did, her eyes picked up on the tome Tio was now holding. It didn't look familiar, bringing the question of where she'd gotten it, since it seemed like an Anima tome, not something the light-inclined older Evoker could use in the first place. She'd missed the whole shebang with Laniva aside from how confused she looked right then, though she had felt a strange sensation much like earlier with Alvira... something to ask about later. "Am I interrupting something? What's the tome about?" Ferid gave the Evoker a simple nod again, not needing to elaborate any further than what was said already. He was a passing knight that happened to get mixed up in things at Liste, that was the long and short of it. He could let the knights who were closer acquaintances of Celine's take care of her, and he'd stay back to watch that nothing happened to them while they're resting and trying to figure out what to do about returning the stolen relic. At least, that's what he thought he would be doing. But the cat's touch on the Escaflowne brought about an unexpected dazzle from it, her rattling on about a 'Gaia', while seeming confused over why she was drawn to the relic to begin with. His eyes slowly drifted over the Tigers, now that he could see them all gathered, unlike previously at Liste. The thief, the blade, the Evokers' presence, the two strange Monsters with them. Many questions, all too few people who could give answers. Yet the only outward indication of his busy thoughts was a quick shake of the head. Hopefully he could make heads or tails out of what was happening without having to take months to do so.

Though their assailant, the Lufirian knight Tanvir as he introduced himself in passing, was still ready to fight if anything was to come of it, Tio very quickly shut him up with... something. Even not being magically adept, Tasha could feel the suddenly changed terrain shielding her somehow, and an effect on this scale was probably incredibly difficult to create, as evidenced by just how spooked it made the man. The situation may have been resolved, but-- "Hey, Alvira!?" Suddenly, the dragon wrested herself out of the support to step forward for one last question. It didn't look like Tanvir was going to waste any time replying to it... but there was the faint but visible flinch when he heard it. Clearly, it wasn't something he shrugged off just because he didn't care. He knows something, but I don't think we'll get those answers anytime soon... She sighed and nodded to Tio's quick assessment. This had been a surprising engagement in the first place, not to mention they weren't equipped to fight who were apparently some of Lufiria's finest. Her gun was still out, at the ready in case the new arrivals were hostile to them, but with Ren and the other Amaryllis associates identifying them as Celine, there was no need to be on guard anymore, holstering the revolver with a bit of On top of that, Mikoto gave them some extra healing through the Evoker, likely bringing everyone around to be as healthy as they could be after their slog through the mercenaries and Lucille's unit. Amusing as Aly and Versaris's antics were, they did also hand over the Escaflowne with Ren as intermediary, which technically brought their affiliation with the Knights to a close, unless something more came of the encounter with their commander. While she wanted to go check up on Gean after all that, she looked back to see that several others were already doing so, and, furthermore, she had to consider her position as their commander. Stepping up alongside Tio and the others to introduce herself, Tasha gave Vira a pat on the shoulder as she went past. "Passing resemblance to the Princess aside, it's good to meet you after all that, Lady Celine. I'm Natalya E. Liberia, commander of the Iron Tiger Mercenaries, harboring some of your associates for a while. Didn't expect we'd actually run into the Escaflowne all the way out here, though." Some negotiations were probably on the horizon here, considering the importance of what they were dealing with. Elisa didn't quite let up on looking serious even with Renais getting her chance to heal Gean, because this situation really wasn't over just with them agreeing to the trade and getting the injured party back up to health. She knew that with Tio handling the front, there was little they'd need to be truly afraid of, and she could keep hanging back for the time being, observing the group. After all, if she was to get serious too, they were probably going to leave some large, permanent marks on the landscape. And going that far was unacceptable for an Evoker of Glacies. Still, she was a little surprised by her wife pulling out the thing she basically only did to say she's dead serious. He is really strong, so she's probably just making sure... but I can't imagine the situation is making her too happy either. Elisa glanced back at Mikoto, who looked a bit scared of the show Tio was putting on. Hers was a great tactical decision, but the strawberry blonde knew there was a scolding awaiting her from the older Evoker, if she knew Tio at all... but Renais's detour onto her chest brought her thoughts away from that momentarily, just letting the girl do what she wanted to calm down. It was very reminiscent of her wife, really, with how she too tended to do just this and simply rest against her softness when she needed to relax. She herself did that too, of course... just that she'd not been nearly as tired, mentally or physically, in recent times. A small sigh at the expected venting to Mikoto aside, the younger Evoker watched quietly while Renais got through her hug pile and Celine finally reached the group. A shame they couldn't meet her in Cerezia earlier, but from everything that happened, it was likely her delayed arrival was orchestrated to some degree. But, now that the pink healer was free again for the moment and about to go check everyone was fine, she decided to follow up on the earlier mention, walking up to the girl and giving her a much gentler hug from behind in turn, giving her that same softness from the opposite side. "Why would I yell at you for that? I'm very familiar with the feeling, you know. I do have a wife who just wants something soft to rest against when the day's been a bit too much... I'm not against being the person to lean on for others too." She could've easily made her tone teasing, but that would've been uncalled for, instead speaking softly and simply. Elisa wanted to acknowledge and validate Renais's feelings, not poke fun at her. Ferid lagged behind Celine and Diya as expected, coming out of the forest lance in hand. His lack of a mount made him lose ground at full speed, but seeing that the situation was more or less resolved in spectacular manner, his mild lateness wasn't a problem, slowing down his stride and stowing his weapon on his back. Celine was even making sure he was still following, how nice. Perhaps that was half out of not wanting to let him out of sight as a surprise factor in the situation. Tiora Candialia only seems to become more intimidating the more I see her. Worth her title, that's for sure. He wasn't quite as sure about whether they would remember him in turn, with them only having met briefly at Liste and that having been a while ago by now, but that could be solved with a brief mention. Shortly, he fell in behind the other two Knights, giving a quick nod to Tio and crossing his arms. "I believe we've met."

With Versaris being the target of the large man in the distance, Tasha dodged away from him, still half carrying Alvira, then hearing her call out as she looked elsewhere... Ears twitching violently at the sudden gunshot from behind. Her head swung around to look, and there behind Mikoto, who now held Lucille, was a mystery attacker holding Aegean. "GEAN! Damn it!" She hadn't turned her gun around yet, teeth grit at the fact she didn't have a good shot past the fox, not with that gun at that range while having to aim one-handed. At least them still having Lucille as hostage thanks to Mikoto's quick thinking gave them a lot of leverage in the situation, but making moves now would have to be done by the people who could actually fight the strongest of their attackers... But then they were approached by said attackers, seemingly not intent on pressing an assault right at this moment, trying to negotiate a trade. The only problem was they still had Escaflowne as well, and there was no reason for them to give up both. Versaris stated as much, hard as it was for him to speak, and while it seemed the fox's vitriol toward the princess was justified to at least some extent, calmness was going to be required here. Thankfully, Mikoto seemed to acquiesce, and Natalya followed up by lowering her revolver halfway. "While I don't agree with her aggression about it, we can all get out of this alive on the condition that Escaflowne stays in the country it should. We don't want to see this turn into a war either. Right, Tio?" She turned her eyes to the Evoker next to her, only to see quite the scowl adorning her features. "...Tio?" "Huh? What?" Elisa was confused for a second, not by the dark magic attack itself - that was targeted about as expected, since Versaris was holding the sword - but by Mikoto's sudden command, seeing her bolt toward Lucille only for Aegean to be shot and taken hostage at the same time. Much as she wasn't a fan of hostage tactics herself, she had to admit that the fox's move was likely going to save them in negotiations, giving them the ability to trade and be done with the situation if the attackers were willing to do so. She did agree with what she was told to do, though, and without thinking on it more than that, the strawberry blonde dashed on over to Renais's side... who looked particularly shaken. This was exactly when they'd need their healer most, and Elisa could only try to keep her voice quiet, calm and serious to assuage her. "Renais, I need you to focus, okay? I know it's scary, but you're a healer. You can be the difference between life and death, but you have to act. Be more afraid of what happens if you don't act than what's already happened. You can heal from a distance, right? That means you can stabilize her without having to provoke her attacker." Ferid had anticipated that turn of questioning, but he also had a feeling he knew why that task might have been hoisted upon him. There was no time to give that answer to Celine, however, with the battle still apparently continuing, they needed to get going immediately. "Roger that. Lead the way, Commander." He'd be a good bit slower just for being on foot, but he might be able to take some shortcuts to keep up. On the way, he pulled his visor back down in anticipation of combat. He wasn't magically adept to any degree, and said helmet restricted his hearing, having to rely on eyesight to keep both Celine and their target in view. It at least looked like not much was going on in the immediate aftermath of what had pushed them to move, but that could change in an instant.

"Don't worry about that, just keep your eyes open." Most of the Tigers needed rest after that battle... There was little else Tasha could do right now besides try to comfort Alvira and keep her aim steady, handgun out of its holster and pointed toward the threat. Elisa rolled her eyes while Mikoto wasn't looking. The situation was developing fast, so talking less was only going to benefit them, and Tio gave her enough of an answer to not need a further reply. Celine and her companion's caution was warranted, given his being there by his lonesome and very far away from his usual post. But, without missing a beat, he pulled his helmet's visor up and saluted the Knights' commander to give her what she wanted to hear. "Ferid Sead, Sylph Garrison messenger reassigned as individual scout detachment, Lieutenant. I was tasked to deliver information about the Axios Hall theft to Plainsguard Keep, after which I was sent to personally investigate the border area before I was to head back to Galaria through Cerezia." That was about as accurate an account of events as he could tell, though he had a feeling Celine would ask more at some point. He relaxed his stance, half-turning toward what was ostensibly the more important part of the current situation. "I was too late to notice the disturbance to do anything about it myself, but I believe I've spotted our thief up ahead. As I assume that's what you're here for, with your permission, I'd join you in settling things favorably."

Tasha gently lowered Alvira back on the ground once she'd simmered down and said what she needed to, all to get a strange response to... something, from the dragon. Whatever it was, it wasn't immediately obvious to anyone around them, and with everything that had happened to her recently... it was probably Mercuria again, as strange as that was. Or, at the least, the tiger was the only person immediately around her that said insult could apply to, and it was incredibly unlikely to be directed toward her. "You just can't catch a break from weird voices, huh? First gods, now a sword. What's next, trees?" Maybe that was making light of the situation too much, but they needed a little bit of levity, holding Alvira up and rubbing her shoulder. She didn't miss Tio and Versaris's musing about there still being a potential threat, however, and definitely not Mikoto's loud call for attention. Alvira was exhausted, though, so she couldn't just drop her off and leave her there... instead, what she could do was look around, try and make use of those senses of hers to figure out where that threat was coming from. One hand was good enough to operate a revolver, leaving the other to hold her girlfriend up. The fluffy feeling of being thanked by Renais had to wait, as Elisa had noticed something amiss around the same time Mikoto had. It wasn't immediately obvious as to who or what this signature was, but the fox's callout of it being dangerous got her to focus more. South... There. Just barely coming in range of siege magic. Who is that? Instead of preparing her spells immediately, the strawberry blonde quickly stepped up to the fox, closer to her as she was than Tio in the moment, and established her linked circuit between them. Mikoto's mana still felt a little off, but she could manage. "That should boost your sensing accuracy too. No getting the jump on us."