scorri

Cinaed had settled in, a bit away from the goings on with the Commander and Sarasin, a decently sized plate of food and some juice in front of him. He was close enough that he could overhear the conversation, enough to hear about the reward and shake his head over Alvira's actions, We're in a noble's house, you have to have more tact than that, come on..., but far enough away that he wasn't in the middle of all of it, and could mostly be left to his own thoughts. Thoughts that weren't especially happy right now. The Evokers are still not present... I need to talk to them, sooner rather than later. This reward from last night, doesn't feel like I deserve it. Not after what happened. Maybe I just give my portion to Siorel or the other newcomer, Ullr? I think? That'd be more fitting. And then there's news to come... News which, combined with what happened last night, sounds like it's not going to be good. Something to make our journey harder no doubt. I just hope I haven't become a liability to this group right when everything starts going sideways...

Bladen stretched as he hopped out of the wagon. Wings unfurled not long after, stretching out to their full length before folding back in, shrinking down to their smaller size. Glancing around at their group, he gave Lucille a wide berth as he headed towards his target. His talk with Lucille had gone not as badly as it could have gone, part of him had expected to get magic thrown at him if he was being honest, but it still had gone far from well. So for now, he was going to avoid her. He would prove his intent later, bothering her in peaceful times was just going to make things worse. Spotting a fluffy pink tail, he smiled slightly, and made his way to Asami, sliding up next to her, plan quickly forming in his head. "Well, it seems like we have a free day then, or at least an afternoon. I was hoping, if you don't have any more pressing matters, that I might get to take you out on a date?" The two of them hadn't had much alone time together during the rest of their trip, not after their late night talk at least. It hadn't been the best talk, if he was being honest, ending on a vaguely hopeful but scary note. But he had made a promise to himself. That he would make sure the time they had together was as full as it could be. He grabbed her hand, smiling at her pleadingly. "Let me spoil you a little, ok?" Astraea had spent most of their trip in the back of Jade's wagon. Their talk had helped her to feel safe there, even if the Wastes had still terrified her. But now they were out of that place, in the open world. As worried as she was about her future, she was still curious about this world. She made her way to the front of the wagon, looking up at the merchant. "Uhm. Miss Jade, I was hoping that... Perhaps thou would accompany me among the town today? I perhaps should not be wandering by myself, with how little I know of this world, but I would like to see the sights if possible."

"Ah, ha, yeah. Tio is, well, not a morning person seems to be putting it lightly from what I've seen." Cinaed shook his head, a small grin on his face, though it was quickly wiped away at the mention of the fox, replaced by a frown that not even Siorel's closeness could remove. "Yeah... Mmm. I don't know." He sighed, running his free hand through his hair as he thought, tail swishing irritatedly behind him. "Maybe I'm just being paranoid. My dad always told me that, as a merc, if something seemed too good to be true, it probably was. But she doesn't seem to have harmed anyone and those magic items were all the real deal... So maybe I was just being too touchy. Too worried. It just, all felt too convenient." He sighed again, before leaning down and kissing the top of her head. "You're right though. For now, there's no sense in worrying about it. If we start to see changes in anyone who dealt with her, or if we run into her again, we can deal with it then. For now, we should probably just head inside and learn why we've been summoned. And maybe eat some more, the breakfast at the inn was nice but there wasn't that much of it and you may have noticed, I'm a large guy. I need a good amount of food." He grinned at her before starting to head into the manor.

Cinaed smiled at Favio, giving him a small nod in greeting before looking back at the mentioned fox with a frown. Part of our group, ha. Wait. Hmm. Five tails? Must have missed one... No matter. "No, she's a merchant, apparently. She was just trying to sell us some goods for our future battles, since we're likely to find some. As for everything else, yes that is the commander and thank you for welcoming us in and the generosity of offering food. I'm sure we'll meet up with the Evokers sooner rather than later, so thank you for that information as well." He smiled, before glancing back at the rest of the group with a sigh. Hopefully not too many of them had fallen for the fox's deal. He couldn't shake a nagging feeling that something wasn't quite right.

Cin turned back to Mikoto, though not in time to catch her glare, and listened, patiently, before shaking his head. "So it's not as dangerous as I thought, but still not something I trust. I'm sorry, but a strange person offering ridiculously high discounts on what are clearly extremely rare items in exchange for a, what, potential year off the end of my lifespan? No, no thank you. There's nothing showing that you aren't lying in some way or that you aren't using these years for something dangerous. So forgive me, but I simply don't trust you." He smiled at her and then turned to the rest of the group, letting go of Siorel's hand as he did, not wanting to drag her along if she wanted to stay. "I'll be heading up to the mansion. Obviously I can't tell you all what to do but... Be careful. And think long and hard before you casually trade away something as precious as part of your life. Please." He cast a pleading look at both Alvira and Gean, both of whom had seemed to be considering dealing with the fox, before turning away from the fox and her wares and starting back up the path. "We are expected up there soon though, so do remember that."

"Mmm, maybe. They're quite expensive though, so it depends on the price..." Cin looked down at Siorel, giving her hand a small squeeze before returning his attention to this Mikoto as she began to explain. His curious expression quickly turned somewhat horrified and he quickly shook his head. "Nope. Sorry, but no. You have to be kidding. Trade away a year of our lives for, what, a discount on a magical item? When we're already risking our lives every day? What if we're fated to die in a year and you just yoink that year away?" He wasn't really convinced that was how this all worked, or even if that was how anything worked, but he couldn't help but argue against it. Just the mere idea that she could take away a year of life from him or the others... He turned away, back towards the rest of the group. "We should probably keep moving. We're expected up at the manor after all."

Cin walked along with the other Tigers, hand firmly wrapped around Siorel's hand, the short dancer still glued to his side. He wasn't upset by this development, rather quite happy to have her walking right next to him, though it still left him slightly baffled at how insistent she was at being so close to him always. He'd been mostly distracted by glancing down at the lizard next to him, but his attention did get pulled in by the merchant set up right in their path. Still holding Siorel's hand, he moved closer to the wares on display, glancing through them before looking up at the fox. A strange sight, a type of monster that he'd never seen before, dressed in a mostly unfamiliar outfit to him, but he still asked, politely, "Good morning ma'am. Quite a set of items you have here. Quite expensive wares you have. How would we go about getting that discount you've mentioned? I'm surprised you're willing to offer such a steep discount." He glanced over the magical items, inspecting the jewelry with a close eye. It wasn't quite what he was looking for, but depending on the price and the discount, it might be worth considering. And while the gauntlets were quite impressive, even with the discount, they were far from affordable for him right now.

"Mmm, you're cute when you pout like that." Cin leaned down and gave Siorel a quick kiss before straightening back up. "But it's true, I'm very mean. And selfish, so even though you don't need to go back up, I'm going to take you up there anyways. It shouldn't take too long for me to pack, but I want your company anyways. So you're stuck now." Grinning, he made his way up the stairs of the inn, not caring who saw him or what they thought of the situation. All he knew is that he was happy and had a wonderful woman in his arms. Right now, that made the rest of the world seem to matter just a little bit less.

"I. That sounds wonderful. I would love to go on a date with you, Siorel." I'll need to buy her something perfect when we do. And treat her to lunch... Yes, this will be good. Looking down at her, he couldn't help the smile on his face. There was something about her that just made it impossible to be worried or upset for too long. And knowing that she had chosen him of all people left him warm inside in a way that he had never felt before. "Hah... I think it's impossible to be really ready for you, Siorel. Like I said, I'm pretty sure I'm the one being gotten in all of this. I'm just going to follow you wherever you lead me and enjoy what I have. I hope that's alright." He smiled at her, gently running a finger down her cheek before poking her nose. "Now! We've been told to report to the mansion as soon as possible so that we can get thanked for our work last night as well as get more information on everything that went down. I was going to go tell everyone else about it, but you know, I think that Versaris and Gean probably have a handle on that. Instead, I'm thinking we should go make sure we're all packed up and ready to leave." He quickly bent down and scooped her up into his arms, careful to drape her tail over his arm before straightening back up. "What do you think? Any objections?"

Cin almost flinched in surprise when Siorel stretched up to kiss him, but instead leaned into it, enjoying the moment of peace and happiness, her body pressed up against his making it easy to forget all of the concerns that he had about the future. His family, his powers, the enemies they would soon be facing, none of it seemed to matter in that moment, as he surrendered to her whims, letting her take control. She was quick to reassure him that she was not afraid, something that he could only hope would remain true. "I... I hope that you're right to not be afraid. I know I am... Ugh. There's more I need to tell you too, information I just learned about myself. Later." He glanced over at Versaris. The man had said not to go around giving his name away freely, but surely it couldn't hurt to tell Siorel. If she was going to be near him, that meant that his name was putting her at risk too. So she needed to know. His gaze was quickly dragged back to Siorel though, as she began talking excitedly about all the things she could do now that the two of them were involved. He felt his cheeks burning as she listed all her plans, and he quickly disentangled himself from her as best he could, taking a few steps back. "W-wha... I. Uhm." The image of her in a bathing suit was too strong, his cheeks bright red as he stammered his way through several things that almost sounded like words before he finally slammed his mouth shut for a few seconds and then reached out and took her hand. "I. I would love to help. With your clothes. H-however I can. Though... ah, I'm afraid you're going to constantly outshine me. As far as that goes. I've pretty much just got the one outfit. Though, if I'm being realistic, you would outshine me no matter what I wear, so I guess I should just get used to it."

"I... A-ah." Cin stammered slightly as Siorel almost immediately caught on to the fact that he was asking her to come along instead of Gean. It seemed that no matter what he had planned, how he thought things should go, this lovely lizard was one step ahead of him with her own plans. As she squished up against him, he sighed, shaking his head. I. If she hasn't run by now, what could the Evokers say to make a difference? She already knows. I may as well just... "She had an answer for me this morning. One that would have made you delighted to overhear I suspect." He shook his head ruefully, before giving in to the already lost battle, and wrapping her into a hug with his free left arm. Tilting his head down slightly, he whispered into her ear, "She told me to go get that dancer. Though really, I'm pretty sure I'm the one being got in all of this. Not the other way around. I just hope you're right about my magic... I never want to run the risk of hurting you because I lost control like last night."

"Of course, Versaris. I appreciate you telling me." Cinaed sighed, running a hand through his hair, trying to think. "I hope my mother is ok... Ah, I do still want to talk to you later!" His request was called out after Sari's now retreating back as the man made a beeline for Aly. Cinaed grinned as he watched, shaking his head slightly. Something had changed in the man, and it was good to see. To see him seem to be truly genuinely happy was a delight, and if it brought about a more honest companion because of it, well, all the better. I really do owe him and Tio apologies though, huh? One ring at a time I suppose... His internal musings were cut short by a voice calling out to him, one that instantly had his cheeks warm, as he turned to find Siorel smiling up at him. "H-hey there. Good morning to you as well. I hope you slept well." Now isn't the time to talk, certainly not in front of everyone, ugh, how do I... "Uhm, I'm going to need to talk to the Evokers tonight. About.... Everything from last night. I was. Hoping that maybe you would join me in that? I just, need to understand what's going on. With my magic. I need to know if it will happen again. But I'm... scared. And having you there would help." Until I know that I'm not putting her at risk just by being around me, I can't tell her about my talk with Gean and about how I feel... I just can't.

Cin found himself suddenly pulled to the side by Ing, no, Sari, away from even Gean, to suddenly have information about his last name dropped on him. He frowned, not really understanding. "I. Can certainly withhold my last name, I trust you enough to listen to what you say. But this doesn't make any sense. My family... They all died, Versaris. My mother was sent away, to try and keep some of them alive, but she was the only one from what she told me. The rest of them, they never appeared again after the war. They never came to find her, they left her alone. The only reason they would have done that is if they were dead. Why would they still be on some watchlist?" He shook his head, not denying the man's words, just confused, when suddenly he paused, considering. "Ah. Hmm. Can we talk about this more, later? I'll give you the quick summary now, but I suspect that you might want to talk more after... And I needed to talk to you anyways. Tomorrow, maybe. I need to talk to the Evokers tonight and that one is urgent. Ugh. After the fight with the Crows, I stopped by the fortune teller. She showed me... It was my family. My grandfather, others, all with my golden scales. Welcoming me, happy to see me. And then it changed. A man with red hair, standing over their corpses. Their burnt corpses. Fire dragons that had been burnt to death, completely destroyed, I'm sure you don't need me to tell you that is an almost impossible task." He ran a hand through his hair, trying to think. "I'd assumed she'd somehow shown me the past instead of the future. But now... Well, now I don't know what to think. Except to wonder why, if they really are alive, did they just abandon my mother in Glacies..."

Cin jumped slightly as Gean showed up behind him, seemingly out of nowhere. He turned to look at her, a small flash of emotion skating across his face for the briefest moment, remembering their talk from not that long ago. Early Morning Confessions But then, he smiled at her and things snapped back into place. She was his friend. Nothing was every going to change that. Not a gentle rejection or the dark past she kept hinting at, no. He was there for her and she was there for him. "Hey Gean, have a good morning so far?" He chuckled, before suddenly Ingverd, no apparently Versaris appeared, with a promise to wake the Evokers if needed and a new name. Or perhaps an old name, depending on how you looked at it. He smirked slightly and returned the bow, "A pleasure to meet you, Versaris Didaron. I am Cinaed Astuikami, also at your service." He straightened and chuckled. "It's good to see a different side of you though, so I'll do my best to remember the change. Apologies if I mess it up occasionally." It seemed like the group was needed up at the mansion, perhaps sooner rather than later, for what besides a thank you wasn't entirely clear, but that was an easy enough place to start towards. "I suspect a group is probably gathering in the breakfast room, and the others are still asleep. Do you want to go and try and wake the Commander, Sari? Or perhaps you Gean? She should be able to get the rest of the group moving quickly enough."

Cinaed bit back a yawn as he sat alone at a small table in the dining room of the inn. In front of him was a medium plate with a few scraps of food leftover, the remnants of a decently sized breakfast. "Mmm, suppose I should go check on the wagons, since I'm up. Make sure we're ready to leave once everyone else is ready." Anything to avoid going back up to his room right this minute. There was someone up there that had left him feeling all twisted around every time they talked, and after last night, he needed some time to think. Nighttime Visit Even after his talk with Gean, and the resolution that had brought, he still needed time to sort out his head. It wouldn't do to go talk to Siorel when he was still feeling sad about how things had turned out with Gean. The relief was there too, but sadness had been the first emotion he had felt. Even though he hadn't lost her as a friend, rejection hurt. "Ahhh, I'm being stupid. Come on then. Time to do something useful rather than sit around and mope." Besides. Siorel is beautiful and wonderful too. I just want to make sure I start things off on the right foot with her. Make sure I'm not just using her as a rebound. Though after their time together last night, that wasn't really something he was too worried about. He really did like her, even if they'd known each other less than twenty four hours. Maybe I ask her to come with me to talk to the Evokers. She may know something that I don't about everything that happened, given how blurry it all is. And then after that, we can talk. That sorted, and conveniently pushed off to that coming night, he pushed back from the table, headed out towards their wagons. He stopped when he reached the lobby, noticing the innkeeper talking with one of the men of the town, and overhearing discussion about Tio. "Ah, good morning. Did you need us Tigers for something?"

"A-ah." He'd messed up. He wasn't entirely sure how, he really had thought that it was a reasonable suggestion, but her reaction, combined with the too cheery warning told him to backtrack. "Well, thinking about it more, I've already made so much progress with learning from you, why would I switch? It was just something that popped into my head. Besides, one dangerously powerful ancient being in my life is enough, right?" He smiled at her, hoping she would laugh, trying to right course with her. They finally were hoping to escape. Bladen had followed Asami over to their exit route before gently resting his head against the side of hers. "Mmm, I just want to be out of here and in a place I can sleep and forget everything that happened today. Strange new people, strange new magic, weird animated dolls, arms and legs inside of chests, I just want to leave it all behind." He sighed, straightening up again and shaking his head. "I need to talk with our new pegasus rider at some point though... I owe her an apology, I think. Besides that though, I just want to sleep and pretend this all never happened as best I can."

Cin stopped, closing his eyes and barely holding back and irritated sigh as Tanya called out from behind him. "I said I was fine on my own and I meant it. I don't need a babysitter." The words were harsher than necessary, and he immediately flinched at them, realizing the anger and frustration he'd forced down before were bubbling back up. He tightened his fists, digging his nails into the palms of his hands, turning them pale from the strain before finally managing to turn back to Tanya with a stiff, polite smile on his face. "I'm aware you were teasing, no need to worry. It was not any one individual of you, as I said, it was just a lot and I am tired." He could feel the fakeness in his voice, hoping that the cat who didn't know him very well wouldn't notice, or would chalk it up to tiredness. He just wanted to be alone. To be away from everyone he might yell at or hurt accidentally if he lost the tenuous grips he had on his temper and magic. "I'm just going back to the inn, no need to follow me. Your offer is kind, but really. I just need to be alone." He gave her another tight smile and a nod, before turning back around and continuing his path towards the inn.

Cin shook his head as people tried to placate him, Gean even going as far as to assign Tanya to escort him back to the inn. "I'll be fine on my own, I don't need to be walked back to the inn. I just. Today has been a lot and you all overwhelmed me. I just wasn't. Ready. Thank you for taking Siorel. Feel free to tell the Commander I support her joining if it's needed to convince her." He slowly stood back up, careful extracting himself from the group of women as he did, until he was a few feet away from them. "If you run into either of the Evokers, please tell them I was hoping to talk to one or both of them soon as well. I need. Answers." He bowed to the group before starting to make his way off towards the inn. He wasn't entirely convinced he was going to sleep just yet, but he needed quiet. Of that much, he was certain.

Cin didn't really know how events had turned out like this. Only a short while ago, he had been doing his best to hide from everyone, be on his own, and now he was literally surrounded, covered even, in women. As Siorel slipped out of his grip, he did quickly give Renais a hug in return for the one she had been trying to so enthusiastically give him, but as everything kept adding on, Tanya throwing an arm around his shoulder, Siorel leaning against him, he finally just gave up. Gently placing Renais on the ground, he without warning quickly dropped down to the ground to a sitting position. It was just too much. Maybe by just giving up like this and getting away from them the only way he really saw possible, they would back off at least a little. "I think I'm done with today. I should go rest and talk to the Evokers about everything tomorrow. Surely you can introduce Siorel to Commander Natalya, right Gean? Renais? You guys don't need me around for that." Please just leave me in peace, I just need a moment, anything to have some time by myself.

"I mean, I'm sure you could take a break every once and a while. Tease someone else, take a nap, you know. Something other than teasing me." He had more to say when suddenly Siorel let out a scream as Renais ran towards him yelling his name. As she leapt at him, all he could do was let out a panicked "Renais be careful!" but she was already airborne. He quickly tightened his grip on Siorel with one of his arms, letting go with the other and just barely managing to wrap it around the healer as she slammed into him, pulling her close. Staggering a step back, he managed to stabilize, just barely, before he looked down at the two women in his arms, realizing just how close he had squished the two of them. "A-ah, Renais, I wasn't. You shouldn't. Are you two both ok??"

"I don't. That is. We barely know each other!" Cin's cheeks were heating up, the slightest red tinge now visible, as he kept walking, trying hard not get too flustered. He was quickly realizing though that it was an impossible goal around Siorel. She was too good at needing in and getting a reaction from him in what was quite honestly a completely unfair manner. He muttered under his breath, just loud enough for her to hear, "I just fake dropped you, no need to threaten something like that..." As they reentered the town's limits, he sighed and nodded. "Yeah. That's fair. I suppose it's not surprising that you've had to fight and kill before in this world. I have to imagine you've faced a lot worse than what we did today living on your own." He shook his head, a frown taking over his face as he contemplated the type of people that would prey on young women like Siorel. It was a good thing he was carrying her, keeping his arms occupied as he did, as it kept him from clenching his hands into fists. But he had to keep a lid on his temper. Especially after today. He forced himself to move past it, forcing fake cheer into his voice. "But that's not now! I'm sure you'll have a whole lot of people on your side soon enough, ready to help keep you safe. Even if it means I have to deal with your teasing every day." He spotted Tio, though with fully green hair, seemingly threatening some knights, with Renais, Syndra, Sixteen, and the wolf they had rescued earlier, all near the statue of the Captain. He also thought he saw Commander Natalya further into the village, so he started making his way towards her, figuring that Tio had things under control. "That's Tio, one of the Evokers, over there. It looks like there are still a few of the knights alive, but if they're at all smart, they'll surrender to her now. I'm pretty sure she could wipe all of them out in an instant... You can meet her later, if you want. I figured you would want to meet the Commander first though?"

Bladen had been half listening to the conversation in front of him, more preoccupied with this strange woman's comments about his magic than anything that the General was talking about with them. If she could sense his magic, would she be able to teach him about it? He'd been waiting for a lull in conversation when suddenly a warm presence at his side pulled his attention away. Asami was clearly not entirely ok. Something was bothering her, for her to be clinging to him like this without even a hint of teasing in her voice. He quickly pulled his arm out of her grip, instead wrapping it around her waist and pulling her close. "Hey, you know you don't need to ask. You're always welcome next to me." He gently kissed the top of her head, enjoying the warmth of her against his side. "It seems like she knows a lot about magic," he said, gesturing to the red woman. "She even identified that I have magic, interesting magic. Said that I have a promising future if it develops well." Asami had been helping him learn about his magic as she could, but she was busy and they were both easily distracted when they were alone together. Not that he was really complaining about that, but it wasn't helping with the learning magic thing either. "Do you think it would be worth asking her for help learning my magic? She seems. Interesting? Hard to interact with? But if it means I got a better control over my magic, that seems like it would be worth it, right? Not that I haven't made a lot of progress thanks to your help, it just feels like there's more that I should be doing to get stronger, to get more useful to the group. You know?"

Cin grimaced slightly as she kept right on teasing him before suddenly smiling slightly. "You know... That's a fair point. Alvira was already wondering if we were dating. I really shouldn't encourage those sorts of rumors. I guess I should just. Let go." He opened his arms just enough that, even with the grip she had on his neck, she dropped a couple of inches before grabbing on to her again. "Though on the other hand, maybe not. After all, it's fairly easy to explain that you were just tired out from all the dancing and I decided to help you out." Making his way back to the village, trying not to think too hard about the soft lizard he held in his arms, he kept an eye out for the rest of the group, trying to find Commander Natalya. "You still want to meet our commander and try to join up, I'm assuming? I mean, I wouldn't blame you if you changed your mind at this point, but you didn't seem to be at all swayed from your course." He couldn't really argue with her at this point if she still wanted to join the Tigers. Even with the light magic attack, she had stayed in the fight and her dances had been invaluable. Surely the commander would see how useful Siorel could be in the upcoming journey.

Cin didn't know how to react to the sudden change in personality. Seriousness was gone and the teasing Siorel from earlier in the day was back. He shrunk back slightly as she leaned against him, mumbling under his breath as she teased him. "I, mmm, yeah. Guess you were." He stood up, stretching, right as she suggested he carry her back. Heat rising in his cheeks, he swallowed and then nodded. Bending down, he scooped her up in his arms easily. "Fair enough. That's a small enough price to pay, I suppose. Shall we head back then?"

"I guess, at the end of the day, you're right. That I just need to focus on the fact that we all made it out alive and that the village is safe. And I just need to not use my magic until I get a chance to talk to the Evokers." It wasn't the deaths that bothered him, so her talking about killing a man didn't phase him overly much, though it was hard to reconcile the occasionally clumsy dancer he had enjoyed sewing with earlier in the day with this hard fighter laying beside him now. That was his problem though, not hers. He just needed to adjust how he saw her and accept that she hadn't been lying when she said she could handle herself. "I should probably head back soon, huh? Make sure people aren't worrying about me. Though from what you said about no one else coming to check on me, that might not be an issue, ha."