scorri

"Can't imagine he'll be helping, not after calling it a test." Cin's response was muttered, likely meant for Syn's ears only as he sat near her, and he finally looked over at Ing, frustration creeping onto his face. "You deal with Rustal's hand yet, Ingverd? Can't imagine the cleaners here would appreciate coming and finding that on the table. Might have been nice for you to tell the Commander what you were planning on doing, but I suppose that would have ruined your game. But seems we'll dance to your tune. And Nyx is right. They're going to have Pure weapons. So us Clouded and Monsters need to be extra careful, as a warning." He pushed back from the table, his appetite suddenly gone. He started to make his way out of the dining hall, not overly interested in dealing with more of this discussion, but he hesitated for a second by Renais. "Are you ok? That was... a significant reaction. I'll keep an eye on you during the battle, promise."

"Something like that." It wouldn't do anyone any good to know he hadn't slept at all. He glanced up at the woman sitting near him and nodded. "Yeah, you're one of the other magic user s, right? Nice you meet you. You can call me Cin." He was only half paying attention to the conversation, keeping eyes peeled, waiting for Commander Natalya to come in. And speak of the devil, there she was. Com hurriedly stood up, and responded, "Commander, I don't know how much time we have, but we're going to get attacked this morning. The Sundown Crows I mentioned to you yesterday. They were." He hesitated, refusing to look at Ingverd, considering his words before pushing forward. "They were further taunted last night to the point that they will not be able to ignore us. I'm honestly surprised they didn't just attack us in the middle of the night." And that was the other piece of why he couldn't sleep. If he'd tried hard enough, he could have managed it. But the worry of an attack catching them unawares had kept him up and moving until it was far too late to try and rescue his night.

Lend a Hand Cinaed barely stifled a yawn as he half stumbled into the dining room, the picture of exhaustion. His tail, normally kept up off the ground, was dragging and the bags under his eyes combined well with the droop of his eyelids to paint a picture of someone who had not gotten nearly enough sleep. And the truth he wasn't about to admit to anyone was that he hadn't gotten any at all. He'd had less than zero interest in returning back to the room he'd been supposed to share with a certain swordsman and so had instead simply wandered the inn's hallways. His eyes swept the room, flinching away when they spotted Ingverd, and he quickly headed instead for the trays of food. Quickly grabbing a few selections without even paying attention to what it was he grabbed, he headed over to the spot furthest away from the other man of the group, and attempted to focus only on the food in front of him. Until Commander Natasha showed up, he would stay quiet. But he had to let her know what was coming to them this morning, thanks to the late night activities of his former roommate.

Looking around, Bladen couldn't see any of his friends. All that he could see was walls and floors and strange lights and a few locked chests. He called out, not sure if anyone could hear him. "Hello? Gabi?? Anyone?" He moved forward, sword drawn, hoping to find a friend. 42-46, open chest

The rest of the group had rejoined him, and expressed a desire to leave the arena, one he shared. But first, he had something important to do. He offered the two bags of gold to Lani and Aly. "Your winnings, from Ricardo. He gave them to me since he knew we were all a group." Once the two of them had taken the gold, he stuffed his bag into his pocket and nodded. "Right then, I agree, we should get out of here. As a group. Ricardo mentioned that we should get back before nightfall if possible. And I have information the Commander and everyone else needs to know involving our... friend... from the arena and the type of people he hangs around. Ah, though... Do uh. Do any of you know where we're staying tonight? I left before I heard that..."

Cin listened, nodding along, the information unpleasant but not unexpected. As Ricardo started talking about how some in the land preferred the Crows stay around, he began seemingly idly twirling fire around his fist, intricate patterns weaving in and around his fingers before suddenly solidifying into a flaming gauntlet as a fire of a different sort lit up his eyes. "A shame, really, if those with wealth and power were to lose such a valuable resource such as the Crows. Mayhaps they should have considered finding a real solution to the issue of their forces being spread so thin rather than rely on those connected to such... tainted organizations." The fire around his fist vanished, but the flames in his eyes remained. "I won't pick a fight, I'm not so foolish as to do that. But if they think our group will be an easy target and come looking for one, well. We're not going to let a bunch of racist, Pure weapon using, trafficker scum stop our mission. And we won't hesitate to wipe them out if it comes to that. So you might want to consider what alternate options this city has. Might want to see what your arena folks are willing to do. They seem like a tough squad. If they're good people, besides the one obvious exception, you all plus others you might know may find a power void to fill here soon." He held up his hand again, a single flame in his palm. He stared at it for a long second before shaking his head and flicking it out. "After all, I'm far from the strongest one in our group. I got lucky in a couple of those fights. But there are others who won't hesitate if pushed." He accepted the sacks of gold, but paused for a moment, opening the heaviest one and pulling out 200 gold that he handed back to Ricardo. "I'm having no debts to that asshole. Here's my entrance fee. Feel free to tell him that or just take his money and keep it for yourself, I don't care either way. We won't start a fight. Probably. Most of us. But we won't take what they've threatened lightly either. The safest thing for them would be to just let us leave this city. But as you said, I suspect that chance is long gone already. Hopefully you and yours can stay safe and maybe have a better city to live in when it's all said and done." He grinned at the man before heading back to where he had been with Renais earlier, hoping to find the rest of his group.

With Renais off to heal Aly, Cinaed returned to his earlier goal of finding Ricardo to obtain his winnings. As he spotted the man and approached, he noticed Rustal talking to him, and quickly stopped, doing his best to subtly listen in, though he knew it was fairly impossible for a 6'8" Clouded to not be noticed, especially outside of Glacies. Thankfully, it didn't seem as Rustal was especially trying to be subtle, which meant Cin could overhear most of the conversation, specifically the names "Sundown Crows" and "Darlunya" as well as a less than subtle hint that Rustal would prefer to be using Pure weapons on the group. He growled, an unsettling urge to solve this problem before it could hurt the rest of his crew rising in his belly, but he quashed it, contenting himself with a glare at the man as he walked off. Once Rustal was fully out of sight, he made his way to Ricardo, giving the Avian Clouded a smile. "Well, I was coming to find you to collect my winnings but, well, I also couldn't help but overhear your conversation with... Well." He gestured in the direction that Rustal had left in. "The names I have for him at this point aren't exactly polite, so I'll refrain. But it did leave me curious. I'll be blunt. You clearly have no love for him, and the fact that you've tolerated him here despite his views towards our kind tell me that the person backing him is dangerous. And after I embarrassed him in the arena, and my companion destroyed his sword, we both know he's not going to forget us. Add in the fact that I would be stunned if others in my group don't make their way here, well. I can only see that anger growing. A significant portion of our crew would be considered lesser by him. What are the chances that we get out of this town safely without interference from him and these Sundown Crows?"

The shock and wonder that burst onto her face as he suggested she could some day become an Evoker warmed Cin's heart, delighted at the joy he had somehow inspired in her. "I think you could become anything you want to, and if that's an Evoker, then some day you'll reach that. And if there's something I can do to help you reach that goal, then of course. I look forward to helping you train." He would have said more, but then the cries from the crowd drew his attention back down to the arena, just in time to see Aly destroy Rustal's sword in what appeared to be an attempt to bite off his hand. He swore under his breath, now understanding her comment before about simply biting someone who bothered her. But as she made her way to the healers, and Renais ran off down to her, he clenched his fists until they began to hurt. This was not good. The way Rustal had left her, taunted her... Hopefully it wouldn't come back to bite them all. But someone had to tell Commander Natalya about this. If he had been willing to be that open even in the arena, taunting her into attacking after the fight was over, what would he be willing to do outside where there were fewer eyes on them?

"Heh, helpful, huh? As if being our merc group's only healer isn't helpful enough?" He was teasing her now, amused that she somehow didn't consider keeping the entire group alive to be carrying her weight. "And, well, look. If you could match an Evoker's magic when you're, what, 15 or so years behind them in age and experience? I think you would be getting your own Evoker title. And then you could travel along with them, leaving us poor Tigers behind." He chuckled, suspecting she might like that idea at least a little, before continuing, "But that being said, you clearly have magic potential. Your healing spells alone are impressive, given how far away you can heal someone from. I can only imagine any offensive magic would be just as impressive. I can help, if you want." He held out his hand again, producing a sphere of fire that then morphed into two small diamonds dancing around each other. "I can only use fire, myself, but as long as you aren't trying to use ice, I should at least be able to help you with the base you already have. Between some basic offensive magic and maybe a little bit of physical self-defense, we should be able to get you able to protect yourself and maybe some of the rest of the group too."

She seemed to like the flames he had made, tempting him to make more, but for now he refrained. Perhaps later, but for now he was more focused on her ridiculous objections that she wasn't suited for fighting. "Hey now, I'm not talking about teaching you how to punch someone. Though... Honestly some minor self-defense might not be the worst thing to learn, if you wanted. I'm talking about using your magic. But you seem to think that just because you're not tall like me, you can't fight? Guess that means you better be off to talk to the Evokers. After all, Elisa, she's strong, so she must be built for fighting, but Tio, well, I guess she's got to stop fighting and just stick to healing. She's just not built for it. A shame really..." It was clear how much Renais admired the two of them. Hopefully by pointing out the flaws in her logic, he could start to see some of the real reasoning behind her hesitation. After all, he wasn't going to force her to fight. But he wanted to see the real reason before he gave up because some part of her seemed to want to fight. And then the unexpected encounter turned even more unexpected. Not only was she willingly talking with him, she was apologizing. "Hey, hey there, come on." He, very gently, slid a hand under her chin and tilted her head up to be looking at him instead of bowing. Once they were making eye contact again, he dropped his hand back to his side. "Look, I'm not going to lie and say it didn't hurt. But it's also not the first time I've had someone react like that to me. I promise you this, though. I'll never purposely hurt you. Physically or in any other way. Ok?" It seemed like while they were talking, Lanvia had entered the arena. He watched as she easily made it through the first two fights, cheered her on in a difficult third fight, and chuckled to himself as she made short work of the muscled axe user. She was fighting well, but just as he was beginning to think she would be giving Rustal a run for his money, there was a devastating flash of light magic. When the light cleared, Lani was down. "Damn. She was doing so well too... Lucky hit from that magic user."

As Cinaed approached the pink haired healer, he heard a small comment, realizing only now that he had heard her voice rising over the crowd during the fight. He hadn't connected it to her, given how quiet and reserved she had been before, but realizing it now just made his grin even wider. "You only wish you could have... What? Fought out in the arena too? I could help you with that, you know." He held out a hand, letting magic flames dance across them. "You've clearly got more magic ability than I do, but I've worked hard to be able to fight with my magic. I could give some tips on integrating it into battle." Dismissing the flames, he stuffed his hands into his pockets and gave her a quick once over. "You know, I appreciated your cheering during the fight. Though I can't say I realized it was you at first, with how different it was from what I was used to from you. Err, not that that's a bad thing. Ahhh. I didn't want to make this awkward. Sorry, I'm just, er, well, glad you're willing to cheer for me. That's all." Though with his luck, his words about how she was different now were just going to send her running off again...

It was tempting to toss some final parting shot at Rustal as the man walked away, but instead Cin turned, intending to speak to Laniva and Aly before he headed down to the arena, but as he did, he spotted a certain pink haired healer, sans hiding cloak. The sight of her caused him to pause, before giving her a smile and a nod, and then turning to his other two companions. If she wanted to talk, she would approach. For now, just even seeing her out and about instead of hiding in her room was a plus. “Right then. I’m going to go punch that stupid mask off his face. I’ll see you both after our fights, and I’ll cheer you on.” Time to show him what a mangy patchwork of humanity can do. Soon enough, Cin was standing down in the arena, facing his first opponent. Clenching his fists, his magic flared into life, forming fiery gauntlets as he strode forward. The first two fights went quickly and easily. Blows were taken and dealt, but nothing that he didn’t expect. His temper was growing though, tired of fighting these people that weren’t the target of his ire. It finally showed through in his fighting as, facing a lance wielder, his magic flared up twice, turning a simple magic gauntlet into fire running up and around his entire arm, as he slammed the man into the ground with his final hit. But it didn’t satisfy him. A small break for the healing didn’t help either, as he entered his next fight. The man came charging at him with a large axe, but he didn’t hesitate. Fire flaring up around his arm again, he sidestepped and slammed his fist straight into the man’s back. He and his axe went flying in two separate directions, and the bout was over. The next fight, he faced a light magic user. He was still struggling to contain his anger, and it finally came back to bite him. His first two attacks were easy, both fists connecting solidly. But as the mage let out an attack in a burst of light, Cin’s next attack, fueled by his anger, swung wide. He quickly followed up with a second swing, knocking her down, but the lesson was there. He needed to be careful here. And finally it was time. As he was healed, Rustal strutted into the arena, sword in hand and mask covering his face. Growling under his breath again, Cin made his way to the center of the arena. His magic burst into existence again, this time starting out completely covering both of his arms before slowly being twisted and formed into the two normal fiery gauntlets that he used to fight. “Come on then, bring it on. I’m going to punch that mask right off your face, you bastard.” Rustal rolled his shoulders back and twirled his blade as he made his way up. The others hadn’t really given him much trouble, or in a phrase, the dragon was good. Still, he had no chance, not against him. “Talk about a flashy entrance! You’ve got the crowd going nuts, and you’re out here looking like you’re having a grand old time. Got the makings of a pit fighter at least…” Rustal took his stance, low to the ground, “But I gotta tell you. You’re not even close to me. None of you are. I don’t need no magic tricks to put you down. So come on.” Rustal tapped his mask, “Why don’t you see what happens when you touch me?” A lick of the lips beneath his mask was a sinister, confident smile. Rustal was ready to silence the crowd, and snuff Cin’s fire. “You’ve got a lot of brave talk for a man who’s going to be on his ass here soon.” And there was the signal for the start of the match. Cinaed dashed forward, fire gauntlets blazing, and dealt two quick blows to the man’s stomach, having hoped that his threat about knocking the mask off would leave another location open and was correct in that hope. He knew a returning blow was coming, but he was risking it all to try and end this quickly. It was one thing to know that the Dragon was quick, it was entirely enough to deal with it up close. He’d braced himself but that was all he could have done against the dragon’s quick punches. His attacks were no joke, taking another group of those would end him. Rustal found his footing after the blows to the stomach, and retaliated with a strike to the dragon’s left arm. Wasn’t really any time to throw any words at him, Rustal needed to figure out a way to strike again without taking more hits. So make time then… “Thought you said you were going for the mask? ‘Fraid of what you’re gonna find under there? Come on, boy! Come on!” Cinaed growled, loudly this time, a fierce grin on his face. “Oh don’t worry, that’s what this one is for.” His fist swung forward, just as the man pulled his head back slightly. Just enough that though Cin solidly connected with the mask, cracking it and sending it flying from the man’s face, it didn’t do any damage. The second fist connected with Rustal’s shoulder, thankfully, but he knew that he had left himself open here. The ploy had worked, though not as well as he would have liked as his mask was removed from his face. The following punch hit his shoulder, but Rustal got exactly what he wanted, an opening. That sinister smile was now in full view, as well as the patchwork of burns and scars on Rustal’s face. Both eyes still functioned perfectly, but whatever had happened, had affected his entire face. “Ha, you’re so easy to bait!” Rustal’s voice was no longer confident, or cocky, but just plain furious. Rustal aimed for Cinead’s other arm, if he did enough… maybe he could weather the coming punches. “Damned uppity abomination! I’ll see you crumple yet!” His arms were both bleeding, his energy being drained as his magic sputtered out. “Heh, one of us will crumple, but it’s not going to be me. Now hold still while this uppity abomination crumples your face.” Though he had no magic left, he still had his fists. The first one drove into Rustal’s forearm, cracking the bone and forcing the sword to the ground. The second fist followed up and slammed into Rustal’s face, sending him flying backwards into the ground. Panting, bleeding, he stood over the man, grin still on his face. “Take that, you asshole. I told you I wouldn’t lose.” It had been a while since Rustal’s sword had been forcefully removed from him, not since the last time Ricardo put him in his place. Rustal tried to swing his other arm into Cinead’s face, but the dragon’s final punch sent him to the ground. He couldn’t move, why couldn’t he move? He had to win, he couldn’t lose to a damned Clouded. All around him was cheering, louder cheering than before the match, all for the cursed being standing over him. ‘Take that, you asshole. I told you I wouldn’t lose.’ Rustal stared at Cinead, eyes wide with hatred and malice, “...I’ll kill you. Bastards… like you…” Rustal trailed off, delirious from Cinead’s punches. He felt like he would have been fine just perishing right then. But the healers would fix him right up. Losing to a Clouded… unforgivable. Darlunya wouldn’t let him hear the end of it, none of them would. Damn it all… I’ll… just have to beat the other two… crush them instead… Cinaed didn’t even bother to acknowledge the man’s threat. It wasn’t anything more than he expected from the man, after losing to someone he viewed as trash. He walked back to the healers, finally calmed down, though the anger still burned in his belly. Punching him had felt good, but it didn’t deal with it completely, not after everything Rustal had said. The healing magic moved through him, leaving him whole again, his magic back under his control. Stalking back out to the center of the arena, he gave the final fight a look over, noting the gauntlets on his fists. He shook his head, fists flaring up once again. “Sorry, but I can’t lose today.” The flames crept up his arms, flaring out behind him as his arms were covered completely in fire. He charged forward and slammed both of his fists, one after the other, into the man’s stomach. As the man stumbled back, he twisted, flames spreading down his legs, and landed a solid kick directly into his chest, sending the man flying backwards into a heap on the ground. He turned, waving to the crowd, finally acknowledging their cheers. He had won. He made his way out of the arena, intending to find Ricardo for his winnings, but once again spotted Renais along the way. It’s worth the risk, but tread carefully. I don’t want to scare her again. Walking over to her, he smiled at her. “Hey there.”

Bladen woke with a start, his wings suddenly flaring out from his back as he tried to catch himself as he fell. He came back to his senses, feeling the cool hard floor beneath him. Slowly calming himself, breath steadying, before looking up and around. The strange sights around him were offset by the comforting sight of Gaby not far away. And even seeing Lucille and the Hero a bit further off helped, if only because it showed the others were likely here too. But if they were here... "Where's Ayane? She was right with us! AYANE!" Bladen wakes up on 44-41

They'd made it to the arena safely, thankfully, and without Aly having to climb a building, even more thankfully. Cinaed wasn't planning on fighting, tired as he was after their sea journey and lacking money, but he was looking forward to seeing his companions compete. And then they were approached by a masked man. He'd experienced the hate some people had for Clouded before. It usually irritated him but was able to be ignored. But this... He growled, quietly, his tail whipping back and forth, but before he could do something stupid, an Avian clouded quickly approached, inserting a calming force and reminding him that the arena cost more than he had. He would watch, and enjoy, his companions fighting. And then the masked man had to get in one last dig. Cinaed's tail slammed down onto the ground, sending a dust cloud into the air as he growled out, "You're on. I accept your oh so generous offer and look forward to our fight." I'm going to rub your face in the dirt after I punch that stupid mask off your damn face. Turning to the Avian, he nodded. "My name is Cinaed, and I'll fight first of my group then." A small part of him screamed at his foolishness for rising to the man's bait, but he knew he could do this. He had his fists and magic on his side, he would take that cocky jerk down a peg or two. Assuming he didn't lose before he reached him...

"Dammit. DAMMIT! LUCILLE, GRAB AYANE AND GO, I HAVE WINGS OF MY OWN!" Sparing a glance down to the body on the ground, he growled. "If you can spare the weight, take our body here too." Looking back over at Lucille to check, he saw her going to grab Aya and let out a small sigh of relief. Time to go then. A moment of concentration, and there came his wings. They spread out to their full width, flaring out wide as he jumped up into the air, wings pumping, once, twice, thrice... And just when he thought he was clear, ready to fly, he felt almost as if his magic was wrenched away from his control. This wasn't like the normal way he lost control of his wings, no. One second his magic was there, the next moment it was completely gone. Not slipping away, not there but out of his control. Just gone. He flung his hand out, as if he could somehow fly without his wings, almost hovering for a moment as his momentum carried him upward, but all too soon, gravity called. And then he was falling, directly down towards the opening gash in the ground.

Cin frowned at Aly's response, not quite sure what to do with that. "We care what they think because we can get in trouble if we attract the wrong kind of attention. Because of who we are." He gestured towards his tail, Lavi's ears, and then... most of her. "We stand out because of our blood, Clouded, monster, however you want to say it. We're not the norm here. And we're not liked." He was speaking quietly, but forcefully, hoping she would listen. He had no idea what kind of life she had led that up to this point she didn't realize what danger she was in just for existing, but. "And unlike in Glacies, where there are people that don't like us but are forced to tolerate us, that's not always going to be the case here. Something goes a little wrong, no one will be on our side but us. Which means trouble for Commander Natalya and the rest of the Tigers by reason of association. So to keep our whole group safe, we all need to try and stand out as little as possible. Which is obviously easier for some rather than others, but it does mean we need to be careful. And climbing a building, even if it would help us, could run the risk of having someone cry that you're trying to break into their building or worse. So just... stick with me, ok?" He sighed, running a hand through his hair, before nodding. "Right then, to the center of the city since we're agreed." He took the lead, helping to make their way through the city. He wasn't easy to lose sight of, so even if they ran into a crowd, they shouldn't get split up too much. He couldn't help but feel the stares of people as he walked past, drawing attention both for his height and being a Clouded. It made his skin itch, and he wanted to run to whatever inn they were staying in and hide there for the night. But he needed to get used to this. He knew there were people who wouldn't like him for who he was. He'd just explained that to Aly. It was time to face it and not flinch. The job was going to require that and more, so he may as well get started now.

Lucille's response to his plan was, well, short. Ayane's had been expected, protesting the idea of running away, which was expected, honestly, but he hadn't expected the pegasus rider to object. He frowned slightly, knowing he wouldn't be able to argue against both. He figured that Lucille was offended that he didn't trust her, but he wasn't exactly losing sleep over that. As long as she agreed to cooperate, she could be as short with him as she wanted. Drawing his sword, he shook his head. "Fine, we all go back together." He slowly moved forward, approaching the collapsed figure, looking for any signs of life. He knew the chances of this being either a trap or a waste of time were significantly higher than any of the other possible outcome, but he couldn't run away. Close enough now to see the figure more clearly, he called out, "Hello, you! Can we help?"

"The arena, huh?" It seemed that while he had been trying to avoid a fight, she was looking for one. At least she was looking for the arena and not some alley way. He had a guess as to where the arena might be, but before he could open his mouth, a newcomer joined their group. He recognized her as Alvira's roommate... Alri... Aly. That was it. He was more than happy to welcome her to their little group but her suggestion was worrying. "Ah, no, no that doesn't sound like the best plan Aly. I appreciate your willingness to help but climbing a building just risks bringing the exact type of attention we're trying to avoid right now. We need to be on the best of behavior because everything we do will likely be interpreted in the worst possible way." He didn't know all of her circumstances, but she seemed sheltered to not realize how bringing attention to herself like that could go so poorly. "As for the arena, it's probably near the center of the city. They won't have it near the docks most likely, too much going on there. If we check the center and can't find, then we can explore other options. How about that?"

Bladen quickly grabbed potions for himself but also a few extra for whoever was out there. Pulling his cover up more fully, he stepped the rest of the way out of the wagon, immediately feeling his tiredness grow. The heat combined with his mana getting pulled away left him stifling a yawn. "R-right. I'll take the lead, if you don't mind. Figure if it's a trap, I can take the hit a little better than you and your mount." Looking over at Aya, he raised an eyebrow. He hadn't exactly expected her to volunteer as well, not that he was complaining. "Aya, will you take the rear?" It was silly, to be honest, sandwiching the human in between them, but he just didn't trust her. He was most suited to be in the lead here, given his ability to take a hit and still stay standing, but that didn't mean he had to like having a human at his back. Especially one who had one just recently changed sides. If Aya could keep an eye on her as well as the rest of their surroundings, well, it would leave him better able to focus on what was ahead. "Lucille... If there's trouble, grab Aya and get back to the wagons. You'll be able to get back to get us help the quickest, and I can hold out for a while." Hopefully. After a short pause to make it seem like he was waiting for objections, he spun and started heading towards the body. It was the right plan, he was sure of that.

Cin felt out of place as he walked through the city. Not only because of his height, which he was used to, but because of his scales and tail. He knew that being here would make him a target of glares and more because of his clouded status, but it was entirely different to feel it in person. He wanted to hide, to cover his scales and tail in a cloak, pretend he wasn't who he was... And then Ingverd's voice echoed in his mind again, telling him to never try to be who he wasn't, that there would be people who would hate him no matter who he was. He straightened a little, still not to his full height, but no longer trying to hide either. As he did, he spotted a familiar face in the crowd, the cat clouded from the Tigers, Laniva? Laniva. He picked up his pace slightly, catching up to her fairly quickly. "Laniva, hey. Probably best we stick together, huh? Given everything, I don't know if Commander Natalya would want us wandering alone here, you know?"

Bladen had been enjoying the trip so far, more than expected certainly. Though the wagons were tight, the company was good. He was tired, but he knew that was more from the Waste than anything else. But when Thesephine called out about the body, he was instantly more awake. Making his way out of the wagon, he followed her gaze, quickly spotting the prone figure. "We can't just leave them out there. If there's a chance to save them..." He pulled three cover he'd been given over his head and shoulders, quickly checking the sword at his side. "I'll go. I can move quickly enough, even while carrying someone if it comes to that. And while I've got some magic, so long as I don't try and fly, it shouldn't be too bad."

Midnight Meetings

Marianne was truly a sight to behold. Her dance, combined with her magic was just exquisite. He could feel the goosebumps as he watched the show, chuckling as she surprised first Nyx and then finally Chris at the end. He clapped appreciatively before looking around. Gean was talking with Natalya, he would have to approach her later. He owed her an apology for how he ran away, he knew. He'd acted just like Renais in a way. Running away because he was scared. And if he was going to get upset when people did that to him, he couldn't do that to others. But he wasn't going to interrupt her time with the Commander. There was Renais, talking to the Evokers. Another no go. Ingverd and Miria, Alvira had run off... He sighed. With no money in his pockets, he didn't have much he could do. But at least he could look around the city. Hands stuffed in his pockets, tail drooping and only just not dragging on the ground, he set off, alone, into the city.

"Marianne, are you sure?" He asked that and yet he gently took the shining beautiful band, looking at it with a glow in his eyes. Without a hesitation, he slid it over his wrist and up his arm, letting it settle just below his elbow, slightly above where his scales ended. The brilliant orange gem, coupled with the silver and orange on the main band, were a shining contrast to the ruby red of his scales, and the star and sun designs were delicate and beautiful. It was a stark contrast to his general appearance, light and delicate compared to his large frame and less than fancy look, but he loved it anyways. "Who knew helping out strangers would be so lucrative? If I'd known, I would have just stuck to that instead of being a mercenary." His joking tone quickly turned serious as he clasped Marianne's hand in his. "I will treasure this as a symbol of our friendship. And if either you or Chris ever need help, and it is within my power to do so, you have my word I will be by your side." He let go of her hand and smiled at both her and Chris. "I will say, I wouldn't say no to seeing you perform before you leave, if Chris is correct." He glanced over at Alvira, smiling gently at her as well. The gift had clearly flustered her, but hopefully she would accept it. It would suit her well, he suspected, and the act of kindness might help to soften that shell she had built around herself.

A Stressed Dragon Special