mcd900

Xetketh seemed to rather lack the fear that Miz had, apparently instead settling for expressing her interest in the orc and orcs in general; and also not-unnoticeably glaring at him with several of the eyes that surrounded her. It was difficult to evaluate the significance of that, not least because he wasn't sure how much of it was conscious on her part. "Ah... yes. Orcs are commonplace, in this time. I can't exactly speak as to what might be new to you, seeing as I don't rightly know the extent of what was present in your time, but if there were only the two you speak of, then yes. You'll find quite a number." As Miz (slowly) made her way about a step or two in front of him, he looked back towards Lucille; he was rather loathe to leave her alone, given how they had meant to come to the shopping district together, but he couldn't shake the feeling that there was some manner of social impropriety waiting just minutes away within Big Bob's store if he went to go join her at the stalls now. She seemed to be rather intently focused on her discussion with the merchants, so hopefully she'd managed to find the tights she was looking for. He looked back towards the weapon store, a slight grimace on his face, and resolved to try to be quick about things in the store, at the very least. "...Do you intend to enter the store, or... not?"

As the healers brought Syta into the lobby, out from the arena battlegrounds, Laniva furrowed her brows slightly. She didn't seem to be back to consciousness quite yet, and given that this was possibly some kind of magical effect, Laniva didn't have the slightest idea as to when she might wake up again. She accepted the bag of gold from Luia, bowing her head gently in thanks. "Thanks. Mercenaries probably have this kind of effect on arenas when they pass through town, yeah." Good luck, Nyx... it's a tough one in there for sure. The exchange of gold settled, leaving just the matter of Syta. The healers had definitely done a good job with her injuries from the fights, but she was rather stumped as to where to go from here. Maybe if I bring her back, Renais can take a look at her? The ones in the arena probably only do cuts, bruises, and scrapes... and if Renais doesn't know, it's not like there's a shortage of mages who know loads more about magic than I probably ever will. I guess I'll take her back to the others... She knelt down next to Syta, trying to figure out how to carry her... and all of her myriad weapons. She's always carrying all this stuff around? Everywhere? Huh... Eventually, though, she managed to heft Syta onto her back, with a bundle of weapons under an arm. Alright, let's see... where were we staying...

Laniva moved up to the stands to watch Syta's run in the arena, gladly taking the opportunity to sit and rest for a bit. She was distinctly less excitable in the stands than Syta had been for her - it wasn't exactly in her nature to be cheering like that - though she was focused quite intently on Syta's fights. She'd entered the arena with dark magic, from the looks of it. It was somehow more apparent how much Syta usually carried now that she was free of most of it, though she seemed to not really be missing it, at least for the first couple fights. Hmm. She's actually pretty good... what was she so worried about? Maybe she's just not really into this sort of thing. She clapped from the stands as she won the first four fights rather handily - it was looking like Syta was going to do at least as well as Laniva had. Once she came up against the archer, though, something seemed to come over Syta, and visually quite noticeably - her hair changed color, her stance seemed to change. Is she... she looks like she's really enjoying this all of a sudden... The fight went by pretty quickly after her... shift, she supposed it could be called. The next fight, though, against the light mage that had defeated her, was over in a flash - quite literally, at that, given how powerful the light magic seemed. She winced as Syta went down, getting up from her seat to rush down to the ready room as the healers worked their magic. It seemed like Syta was still unconscious, which was a little odd - these were supposed to be practice fights, after all... She looks, uh... back to normal, though, at least...?

Laniva grumbled a little as she got to her feet, Syta already at her side before she even knew where she'd come from... and, noticeably enough, also reaching for her ears already, though this time she seemed to have held back for some reason or another. "I'm okay, Syta, just fine. The healers know what they're doing, don't worry... haahh. So many mages... that really wasn't what I was hoping for." She shrugged, dusting the detritus from her brief dirt nap off, giving Syta a bit of a smile. "Your turn, yep. Maybe you'll have a better go of it than I will. I'm sure, uh... one of your weapons can probably get you pretty far. I don't really know much about magic, though... probably can't really give any advice. But I'm sure you'll do just fine." She stretched a little; the healing only did so much for the soreness. "And, um... if you want to, you can ask. I'm not making any promises, though... but, um, you really look like you want to. So, you can ask... I mean, I might still say no, but... yeah." She trailed off, a little awkwardly; in truth she wasn't really sure why she was humoring her at all, but she seemed so enthused (and dejected, pulling herself back...) that it was hard to say no outright.

Laniva nodded appreciatively in response to the well wishes from the other Tigers, giving a bit of an inquisitive head tilt towards the rather cheery woman who had just made quite the run in the arena. "Ah... thanks, I'll do my best. Good luck with... uh, that." The first two fights were hardly anything of note, save the fact that they were mages. Annoying as dealing with magic was for her, they were only able to last so long in a one-on-one fight, and soon enough they were knocked to the ground, held at bladepoint just long enough to signify her victory. The third was much the same - dark magic this time, instead of anima; hardly made a difference as far as her not liking it went. These first fights weren't too challenging, and she was able to have enough of a relaxed focus to notice Syta cheering her on, giving a bit of a wave at the end of the fights. The fourth was a human axefighter, and she found herself smiling somewhat going into the fight. It would be the first in this arena that was a fight, and not chasing around a mage with a sword while they casted away. Just as she'd expected, it did prove to be an honest fight. They exchanged blow for blow, and she found the wind briefly knocked out of her at a heavy impact from the poleaxe, her armor not quite stopping the full force of the blow - then, pivoting hard, half-swording, jabbed hard with the (dulled) point, forcing him down. Hmm. That felt more... natural. Didn't have to think every bit of it through... The fifth - the archer - landed a solid shot on her, and as she charged she grumbled internally about the state of her armor from what was ostensibly a practice fight. She delivered a swift counterattack, hoping to prevent any further damage on her armor, and that seemed to do the trick quite well. The light mage would prove to be Laniva's downfall in the arena, managing to outlast her - the mage was frustratingly quick, and she was simply not suited to deal with a spellcaster in ways other than beating them before they beat her. The spell knocked her out cold, briefly; the healers worked their magic soon enough, and she was on her feet in no time, fast enough to whinge about the amount of mages in this arena to nobody in particular, seeing as the only person who might have been interested in listening was up in the stands. Oof. Well, my turn to be the spectator, I guess.

Laniva was about to head in, set for the fights, until Syta stopped her. "...Huh? Oh. Yeah, I guess we should let them go first... Let's go up to the stands. It might be good to see how the arena combatants fight. Though that's not really going to change how I go in there..." She shrugged. She stood there a little sheepishly as Syta waved to the two in line, giving them a bit of a nod. "Let's go up to the stands. If you don't want to try the arena right now, you can wait there for me after they've gone."

"Cerezia's View, huh.... okay, that sounds nice, I guess." Laniva made a bit of a face at Syta as she made her seafood remark. "I'm not just a cat on two legs, Syta... jeez. Do street cats even like lobster...?" She sighed, letting herself be led towards the city's arena. It wasn't long before they reached it; Syta knew her way around, and made her way through the city rather excitedly. "Well, I was going to challenge the arena either way... I mean, there's nothing to lose for trying, right? I'm not going to make you do it if you don't want to, though. If you want to watch, or just wait out here, or whatever, that's just fine too." She rolled her shoulders, loosening up a little, mentally preparing for the fights. "Whew... okay, wish me luck, I guess."

"S-Sure, let's go..." She was... bubbly. In an endearing sort of way. If Syta had been the one deciding, they'd probably have long been running off somewhere already; but here she still was, hesitating in the face of... well, Syta's face. "Y-Yeah. Let's do that... the arena first, I mean. Um, you lead..." It was a little embarrassing; there was the abstract feeling that she was getting along better with Syta perhaps slightly more than any of the rest of the Tigers to date - though, it was still up in the air whether this friendliness was just for her, or for everyone, or actually even if Laniva felt like reciprocating it anytime soon instead of awkwardly mumbling as she was. "We can do the shopping and get something to eat afterwards, um... is there a place in town here that you like?"

It was... comfortable, the bustling of the street, the occasional stallowner's yell advertising their product, everything. He could imagine the clanging of a hammer and anvil, the heat of the forge - he could almost have put aside in his mind the rather uninvited guests tagging along, if not for Miz's sudden decision to dash behind him. He looked over towards Lucille, apparently focused on the fashion stall's offerings, and where he'd probably be, if not for the... circumstances. There was a sense of mild exasperation that Miz was hiding behind him, this time... "What is... what?" He glanced, somewhat quizzically, into the armory, not having seen the object of Miz's apparent fear. It sure is an armory... last I remember, she wasn't afraid of weaponry... what, the orc...? "That's... Bob. Big Bob. I think. What, have you never seen an orc before...? Even if you haven't, I thought you'd be rather more tolerant when it comes to monsters. You're lucky we're not already inside, or Bob would probably be offended." Especially seeing as far as monsters are concerned, you two are... er, unusual. "Are you going to be alright if we go in there? I don't think there's much chance to find anything besides more mundane magic anywhere else in this town, so if that's what you're interested in, then we have to head inside." He paused, a bit surprised at how panicky and discomposed her reaction had been. "...Why are you hiding behind me, anyway?"

Laniva couldn't help but find herself slightly perked up by Syta's excitement; it was admittedly a little infectious. "O-Oh. Um, good... thanks. Let's see... um, I need a new sword, 'cause the one I have is falling apart... and maybe something to eat, and... let's see, I think I heard there was an arena in this town...? Um, maybe let's not do those things in that order though, I don't really... think eating and then going to go fight is... um, yeah." She's so energetic... it feels like I could have asked her without... all that petting, and she would've still done it...

A-Ah, jeez... this shouldn't be so... nice. Laniva mumbled something quietly, not doing much until she started to pull away. "Mm... u-um. S-Sure... nice to meet you, Syta." Laniva sighed, glancing away for a moment, rather embarrassed. "Laniva. I'm Laniva... I'm with a mercenary group, we're passing through town. A-And... sure, you're welcome, if you enjoyed it that much." Another sigh as she shrugged, looking around. "I don't think anyone was watching... not anyone I know at least, so... don't worry about it. It was..." kind of nice, actually? "...hrm. Um, if you want to thank me, how about you show me around town? If you're here for work, you probably know it better than I do." It was a bit of an odd thing to ask of a relative stranger, perhaps, but Laniva figured that she was probably owed a favor already...

"Um... yes, really, it's..." Laniva trailed off, murmuring some kind of explanation as the woman started petting her, her expression forming something between relaxed and confused. Her eyes closed instinctively, though she was doing her best to otherwise maintain her composure - nice as it was, she was still rather aware of the fact that they were in the middle of town. She was less so aware of what the woman was saying; some kind of praise or something for her, from the tone of her voice, she might've even been giggling, but she wasn't exactly paying attention. It felt as if it was continuing perhaps longer than she had expected when she'd been asked. Is she just... fixated, or is she choosing to just keep going...? Laniva mumbled something vaguely questioning, a little incoherently.

Laniva blinked at the woman, ears flicking slightly in confusion, apparently no less motivated for being told how unusual a request it was. "Um... w-well..." It... it doesn't seem like she has any other intentions... it feels like she actually just really, earnestly and honestly, wants to... pet me. If I just let her, maybe she'll stop asking...? "This isn't really something you usually ask cat clouded to do... I-If you have to, I suppose I can, um... make an exception. J-Just this once, um, miss... w-what's your name, anyway...?" Weird time to ask... usually supposed to start with that, but I guess she's... um, very focused...

Laniva listened to Tio's explanation, which was simple enough; they were ahead of time, staying at the Dusty Frontier, mildly unhealthy amounts of prejudice, pay... The pay was nice, but she was admittedly still considering taking some time by herself to explore the city. It was a good time to look through the shops. She hadn't minded Alvira taking her clothes shopping, but it was finally time for a new weapon, and it would be nice to take her time doing it. She had hardly started to figure out the city's layout before she was approached, though - she almost felt the starry-eyed gaze before she saw the blonde woman waving, calling out, coming up to her. She cocked her head a little at her first question. "Ah, hey... er, yes? I am a cat clouded, yes..." It was an odd question - feline clouded weren't that rare, after all. There were a few with the Tigers right now, even. Her gaze shifted up, no longer eye to eye for a moment; then back, as she asked her next question; Laniva spent at least a moment flabbergasted, still just holding her head cocked. There was an odd sense of being aware that she was probably thinking, but simultaneously not really having any idea what any of her thoughts were. "Er... p-pet...?" Her voice was a pitch higher than she remembered. "A-Ah, I mean... t-that's not really, something, um..." Forward...? I-Is she... "Usually that's something people who are closer... um, do, miss..."

Xetketh's approach to their group - which had started as a pair - was admittedly not much of a surprise, at this point, though he could hardly feel particularly enthused about more self-inviting company. Hopefully there wouldn't be much trouble from the two of them, given that ostensibly they were being gracious enough to let themselves be led around, and not tout their haughtiness. How much success the two would have with "mutual respect" for humans was still to be seen, and while he was willing to let them do their best, it still felt as if it spoke volumes for that to be an active effort... As Seilan turned back towards town, he saw that Lucille had moved in front of him, so that he was between her and Xetketh, and also that she was perhaps starting to be rather annoyed by those tagging along. Still, it was essentially let them come or... well, leave them with the wagons, and that was probably not a wise choice for some number of reasons. "Well; I don't see any reason why not. We're going to be doing as we like in town, so if you're content to follow along, then that's fine." "Let's see... to start, we can head down the main shopping street. There'll be clothes there for sure..." He thought back to the last times he'd been here. It hadn't been very often during his training; not too much of a particular use for a trade city there. The most recent one, though, had been with the rest of the mercenaries on the way to Hwein. It had been something of a bustling night - the consequence of thirty or so mercenaries with coin to spend stopping in town before marching far off from home. Home... oh, that gives me a bit of an idea. "...and if I remember correctly, the trade guild is at the end of the street. I'd like to stop by there briefly, actually. Let's be off; everything's that way..." As Seilan lead on to the bustling main trade street, he glanced at his companions' reactions to the city between distant thoughts of trade terms; finance, metalwork, woodwork, conversations from quite some time ago, trying to remember and connect them to one another, starting a message in his mind. "Hope you're well"... "foreign trade is difficult right now"... "is weaponmaking restricted in the capital"...? Can't make it look like we're marching home... Miz seemed dispassionate about everything they passed, save the occasional side street magic stall or staffmaker's, and it seemed to be more of an investigative interest than anything else, perhaps a step or two from enthusiasm. It was fairly plain to see she wasn't impressed; he idly wondered what might have been in her time, such that this trade city was little of note to her. Xetketh, for her part, seemed to be giving everything at least a mildly interested look - was that how things always were, for her? - and he thought he might have caught one or two eyes on himself as he looked around, though it was hard to be sure. He moved a bit closer to Lucille, walking next to her, hoping to at least mildly assuage any nerves that might be strained with the presence of the two monsters. He was somewhat certain that Miz gave her some sort of stress, and he couldn't imagine Xetketh causing much less, given how much of a relative stranger she was... They eventually came across Chiaca's main street, and while it was still fairly busy he couldn't help but shake the feeling that perhaps the Coteon occupation was probably having something of an effect on the nation's trade. There was some kind of sense that just a bit of the spark was missing. The road, roughly paved with cobbled stones, lead on for quite a while. At its end stood the trade guild, one of the more important buildings in town, and along it lay several stands, carrying all sorts of goods - ordinary weaponry for a mercenary's trade, clothing, plain and fine; the odd jewelry stand, less frequent and frequented by nature, but with a presence nonetheless; several knickknack shops, carrying all kinds of daily necessities and indulgences; and lastly, an old brick building standing distinct from the rest (that he wasn't sure was there last time he'd been here...?) with distinct signage out front, labeled Big Bob's Best Buys. "Well, here we are. We don't have any shortage of time, so if anything strikes your fancy feel free to look."

It had been about a week since they left Liste, and as the city of Cerezia came into view, Laniva felt herself relaxing, ever so slightly. The... intrigue, to put it lightly - of about a week ago had certainly had something of an effect on a number of the Tigers, and while she was content to keep pressing onwards with their mission, there was no denying that quite a few things were up in the air with quite some potential to stir trouble once they came down. Still in the distance, the city was a fair bit larger than any she'd ever seen - bigger both than the small castle and town she'd grown up around and anything she'd seen on her brief wander since. There were enough people that she could faintly make out little blobs moving around in the distance, and the occasional larger one; a horse, or a cart, or something. First time in a city like this... wonder what it'll be like?

"A pair of tights shouldn't give us any difficulty to find in a city like this. I don't have to remember the finer details of the city to remember that there are plenty of clothing stores-" His expression fell somewhat as Miz stepped, quite literally, into the middle of their conversation. Sudden intrusions on her part were something he was going to have to get accustomed to, it seemed; though in this case, the timing was rather unfortunate, even if she had something of a pitiable explanation for her request to tag along. It seemed that, for her part, she wasn't exactly thrilled to have to be joining them, either, but if her guardian wasn't going to be able to look after her someone would have to keep her from burning down anyone who gave her an odd glance. Well, so he thought, at least; if pressed, he would readily admit that it was a rather more imaginative take on her disposition than reality. Hopefully. "...I suppose that's fine. Do know that we will be doing what we feel like in the city, though; so unless you're rather more specific about your interests in humanity you're going to be seeing whatever slice of it we find fit to run across." He nodded to Lucille, with a resigned smile conveying something along the lines of 'suppose there's no other choice'. "That's all from me. Let's be off for Chiaca, then."

The gold was definitely welcome; admittedly the split would have been significantly more favorable something like only a couple of weeks prior, but that was just how this business went sometimes. More importantly - much more importantly - was the fact that one of Hecatia's holy relics was now unaccounted for, and would likely be (had already been, in truth) the source of numerous aches in the coming days, head-and-otherwise. Laniva didn't mind the change in plans much - it was going to be necessary, whether she liked it or not, and in truth she was mostly along for the ride as far as their destinations went anyway. She shrugged slightly, to no one in particular, settling for watching Sixteen create awkwardness for Sarasin. And a roll from the table; there was no reason to turn down such a generous offering, after all...

Their journey - after their rather harrowing experience in the labyrinth, however brief though it may have been - was uneventful, and they'd managed to cross the border to Hwein unhampered. He was rather heartened by the fact that people of Hwein still stood at the border, and the distinct change in the land from sweltering, sapping heat to a more familiar, comfortable atmosphere settled him, somewhat. Liberation, now. That's what lies ahead of us, and nothing else; no more barriers, borders, nothing. Just us, and Coteon... In short, now that they were in Hwein, he was in a far better mood, and perhaps a fair bit more determined, more centered in his purpose - certainly he'd be begrudging these battles less than those in Vaia, necessary as they might have been. Being with Lucille for most of the journey had done a lot for his mood, as well - there was a distinct lack of fretting about where exactly the two of them were, and a lot more room left in his mind for the moment. Still, it had been quite the eventful night when they'd finally figured out what exactly to do. Not least so because they could be more open with one another, now, but the other guest he'd had that night had been rather different in nature. A Barrier… He shook off the thoughts. It would do little good to think of the death he'd learned of and promptly avoided, and he hadn't had any more experimenting visits from 'miss Miz'Githon', so he'd deal with that when the time came. For now, Chiaca was ahead, and Lucille was asking him a question... "Only a couple of times - the academy had a lot of leeway with where they could stage their trainings, and they didn't hesitate to march us everywhere for the experience. I know my family's sent a fair number of goods this way, too. I don't know it as well as the capital, but it is certainly a beautiful place." He dug into his memories; besides passing by on the way to Vaia, it had been a while... "Let's see... I remember some of the older trainees snuck off to town when we set up camp nearby... I didn't go with them, though. The amount of trade means that there's a fair amount of leisure here, so I'm sure we can find something to do. Did you have anything in mind that you wanted to do? If not, we can just see the sights."

Tempting as the fox's goods might have been, the lightness of her purse was a rather noticeable deterrent for Laniva, and she decide to settle for watching those who were interested in the 'discount' go through the process. Urged inside with the rest of the Tigers, she took note of the food in the room, trying to decide whether the inn's breakfast had been enough. It was a little odd to see the drinks being brought out; it struck her as rather noble-ish of the merchant - Sarasin. She recalled memories of innumerable nobles' comings and goings, attending some party or another, early, late... She frowned a little, having had some of her training consisting of standing guard at these events, remembering the behavior of those attending; it was perhaps an odd sort of person who would try to recreate such with a band of mercenaries. His mention that some were absent was clear enough in meaning, but she could only shrug, if anything; it was really the commander or the two Evokers that were of much notice to anyone outside their group, so it wasn't much surprise. Better to just let the Tiger talk for the group.

After taking her time to finish her breakfast, recovering a little from her earlier morning training, Laniva had (grudgingly) put the lighter parts of her armor on; it was simply too uncomfortably hot to put on her full set of armor, not when they weren't looking for a fight. The walk towards the manor was long enough that there was a fox selling here wares, with quite a few tables set up along the way. She'd caught Mikoto's explanation about her 'discount', observing from near the back of the interested group, enough to catch her glare at Cin. Hmm... one year. If what she's saying is true, then a year doesn't matter if I get stabbed tomorrow... and if what she's selling means it's less likely I get stabbed tomorrow, then maybe it's worth it... She checked her things, taking a tally of her gold. Let's see... well, if it costs... and the discount is... wait, I don't have enough gold even with the discount... hmm... She crossed her arms, thinking things over quietly.

Laniva stretched as she stepped into the inn through its front entrance, wiping her brow, catching her breath. Cin looked to be talking to some of the townspeople, but being rather distinctly less-than-presentable as might be expected after a run and some practice bladework, decided to quietly make her way to the inn's dining room instead, finding a few of the others already there and eating. Siorel in particular stood out, seemingly plenty energetic at this time in the morning, distinctly contrasting some of the other Tigers in the room. Doing her morning training routine had been rather difficult today, between the heat and the exertions of the day before, but that wasn't going to stand in her way... although she was rather more tired than was typical by the end of it. She mumbled out a "hello" and managed a brief nod before beelining it straight towards the food, taking a couple of eggs and some meat to a plate, flopping into a seat. It looked like Siorel was doing introductions and being subjected to some mild questioning, from what she caught entering the room. It seemed like not everyone had had the chance to speak with her yesterday; but she didn't put too much more thought towards the matter. Right now, it was time for a much appreciated breakfast.

Lucille's squeak and following murmur of thanks were perhaps indicators that what he'd decided to do had been correct; and perhaps it was just his imagination, or was she getting really warm now? "Mhm... of course." The structure shuddered loudly, both under them and the ceiling above, the ramp leading out of the labyrinth slowly coming into form. The fact that the ramp led not only up and out, but down into the darkness didn't escape him; he hadn't known how deep below they were, given their rather sudden transition into the labyrinth, but it was evident that this place was still full of secrets to uncover. Or, would be; it was entirely dependent on whether the whole thing collapsed from the damage before it could be explored any more. "Ah... looks like that's our way out. Well, no rush... we can go once everyone's ready."

He felt an odd warmth in his chest as she looked up at him from the hug, mumbling that she'd been worried for him; that despite all the other stress she'd been going through, she'd been thinking of him. Or perhaps it wasn't despite her stress, but rather part of it. Either way, as she apologized for her closeness, he smiled. "Right now? Nothing but waiting to get out of here like everyone else, Lucille. Nothing to apologize for, okay?" He pulled her back in, even as she lessened her grip. She was... warm. Warming him, for sure; it was nice... admittedly, at this point, he was finding it less and less that he was doing things just for her sake, but he could hardly express that aloud, not least after what Susan had just walked off saying. ...Could I?

Seilan had been content to somewhat unconsciously listen to Susan, being rather more occupied with Lucille's sudden embrace. He was stunned by the hug briefly, but managed to return it before too long; he had something of an impression that returning the gesture would probably brush aside any thoughts about the delay. What to say, though, in a situation like this...? If anything? "Ah... hey there, Lucille." No, that's not the right answer. No- wait, I already... well, too late. She was about halfway through her realization when he began to parse Susan's parting words, and for some reason or another she'd happened to drag Nisha with her, and was it just him, or was she starting to feel rather warmer than usual? "Ah, Susan-" No, she was long gone, and he wasn't exactly going to be going anywhere right now. He was quiet a moment, or five; unconsciously tense, trying to find the words; was she hugging him tighter than usual? Was there a usual? If something was usual, it was the frequency with which he was ending up at a loss for words, through what was (at least, so it seemed to him) little to no fault of his own. "W-Well... it certainly would be quite the coincidence to meet here, if the two of you were related..." It seemed like both a poor time and place to broach the topic, and she seemed to think the same, insofar as she wasn't saying anything. "All that aside, I'm glad you're alright..."