Lord of Azure Flame Chapter 22: The Hunt

[Dark Sage]

"No it's fine. You're trying at least. And I did catch a little bit of what you said better," said Alf reassuringly, working out everything that Arrin had told him so far about thunder magic. You'd need to gather the mana from within yourself, the tome having it's own mana which you'd transfer yours into that...or something. Or was it the other way around? Stuff about mana usage and requisite mana and...

Wait. Requisite mana.

"You know, I did catch something about having a certain amount of innate mana to use thunder magic properly. If that's so, maybe we should do a test to see if I do have the right amount of mana before going any further. Assuming of course, there is a way."

[Phoenix]

Dinner

Iso had waited by the fire for awhile, keeping an eye on various things, Kelas making the stew, Irina grappling two chickens for her wyverns, Alferis accosting Arrin. His allies seemed to be alright for the most part so he sighed and relaxed until Kelas alerted him and the others that dinner was served. Seeing that there wasn't much to go around he took far less than he normally would hoping to help spread things out further.

Sitting back down, the fire sage began blowing his portion of the stew hoping to eventually cool it off enough to eat. He was probably considered a pyro, but even he couldn't wolf down hot soup immediately, not comfortably at least. Meanwhile Levski had closed up a small booklet he'd been reading and headed on over. Seeing Isotov looking available, the wyvern lord sat down right next to him demanding his attention in a suspiciously friendly way. Looking up Iso could see the man actually smiling.

Iso: ... what?

Lev: So. What's got you so upset with Morgan anyway, huh?

Iso: You ... haven't noticed any similarities to Ixion?

Lev: Um, I see plenty of differences. Q.E.D., Ixion finds you easily expendable ... Morgan does not.

Iso had to pause for a moment. The shamaness had pointed that out more than enough times herself though Ixion was never mentioned but he'd never caught that before. Even if her reasons were completely material at least she wasn't likely to dispose of him just because she could. Ixion on the other hand ...

Iso: You've been around, Lev. How much does Ixion hate me for what I did?

Lev: Iso ... I have no idea what's going on with you guys. Ixion acts like you impregnated his sister, kicked his grandmother down a flight of stairs, pushed him off a scaffolding, and killed his dog. I don't think you running off is the entire reason for that, thus, I don't know.

Iso: ... interesting.

Iso looked down at his soup, it wasn't ready for eating quite yet. He began blowing on it again as Lev continued.

Lev: So yeah, these Morgan thing isn't clicking for me me. Arguing with her is pointless anyway isn't it? I mean I can understand why some wouldn't approve of how she acts but what bothers you?

Iso: Urgh. She's just too hard to work with.

Lev stopped himself from laughing on the spot.

Lev: Oh please. Smoothest job I've ever had. I should give that woman a discount just for not bugging the tar out of me.

Trying to distract himself, Iso went ahead and began gulping down some of his soup. Surprisingly it wasn't as hot as it would have been if his guess had been correct. Since there wasn't much soup in his bowl to begin with it cooled off rather quickly. Lev decided to be more of a self entertainer than a council at that moment seeing Iso's swift move and smirked.

Lev: You know ... I think you should apologize to her.

Iso accidentally spit out some of the soup into the fire and immediately cursed himself for it. He already had so little as it was.

Iso: Dammit, man! Why should I apologize to her?

Lev: Because you're rather mean to the lady. I mean if she was a man I doubt you would even raise your voice at'er. It's called gender bias.

Iso: You would know about bias, wouldn't you? She's a woman and suddenly it's the best job ever?

Lev: I'm working for Viv too and quite frankly she's a lousy boss, even with those leggings.

Iso: (She also gave you that scar on your eye. Nice try.)

Lev: I'd go into details but right now these is about my decent boss. Now think about it. Take away Morgan's breasts and (that ass ... my god that ass)... all her other feminine features and how much louder does she have to yell to get your attention?

Iso: So you're saying that I'm upset with her because ... what?

Lev finally had Iso right where he wanted him. Now he was free to hack away at the unsuspecting fire sage.

Lev: Ahem. She's hot, but she thinks you're an idiot, you can't possibly change that without giving up whatever half assed philosophies you hold onto ... and you can't staaaaaand it.

Iso: You mean I ... no ... no ... absolutely not. I'd ... I'd rather be shot again than to even ... no, just no. You're out of your damn mind.

Lev burst into laughter. He liked where he could take the conversation at this point.

Krinkov

While relaxing, Krinkov watched Irina feed another two desperately panicked chickens to Kiev and the conniving female. He was certainly bored and with the infertile female off doing other things he didn't have much in the way of entertainment. He certainly wasn't going to pick on the little hatchling. He was just doing his job after all. He also had to not jostle the eggs with aggressive movements. They only weighed a few pounds each, but Krinkov felt as if he was being held down by a mountain. He couldn't move around like he preferred with those fragile eggs on his back. Every step a careful one, and that just ruined all the fun.

[Inactive Account]

"Technically with enough practice anyone can work up enough mana to use magic, but if you don't have much to begin with and the basic formulae aren't making sense then it might not be the thing for you," Arrin replied. He was trying to be tactful; he wasn't at all sure that any attempts to teach the fighter magic would work, certainly not his attempts, since he didn't seem to be very good at explaining things.

[Dark Sage]

"It might not be. Ah well. It was worth a shot," said Alf, shaking his head.

"How long you've been using thunder magic anyway?"

[-Cynthia-]

Morgan

So what do we have to fight Helenos anyway? A ancient sword that has not even been tested against an actual dragon and...some shields that Ixion gave us. Not nearly as much preparation as I would like, but we do not have nearly enough time. I could at least find out what the shields do. I had assumed that Lev knew...what if I assumed wrong? We only escaped the last time because servants of the Lord of Azure Flame showed up to stop her...we have not grown that much stronger since then. Morgan began to pace back and forth in camp, not noticing the food.

Charlotte

Charlotte noticed that the wagon had stopped, waking her from her not particularly restful nap. She looked down at the rest of the camp, people appeared to be eating some sort of roughly made stew out of bowls. Well, that's not making me very hungry she thought, deciding to remain in the carriage for now as to not disturb the other passengers.

Edited December 12, 2010 by -Cynthia-

[Inactive Account]

"Since I was five," Arrin replied. He knew people generally wanted elaboration when such an improbable statement was made, but he didn't quite feel like providing it. He continued eating.

[Dark Sage]

"Five. Huh. How old are you anyway?" asked Alf, trying to figure out how long it took to learn the magic and be competent with it.

[Inactive Account]

"Approximately fifteen. I'm not entirely sure when my birthday is, but Kelas would probably know," he mused. "Most other students start a... bit later," he added, in answer to the unspoken question.

[Dark Sage]

"10 years to study and master thunder magic...wow. Good thing I'm not learning then," Alf chuckled to himself. "See, at this rate, I doubt I'll be around in 10 years. Heck I might not even be around in a week!"

"But thanks for the stuff about the thunder magic. And this next question might be a little uncomfortable, but just bear with me. What's it like being severed?"

[Phoenix]

What Lies In The Heart

Iso quickly went back to sipping his soup trying desperately to get the very idea out of his mind. He only saw misery in ... in ... no he couldn't even bring himself to reference it in thought. Lev meanwhile had nearly gotten a cramp from the laughter. He forced himself to stop laughing aloud and sat straight again facing the trouble sage.

Lev: Look it's alright to admit it ... I already know so lying to me isn't going to do you any good.

Iso: Shut up. Shut up. Shut up. Just shut up. That woman is about as close to an enemy as you can get without actually being o-

Lev: -a heartless ex?

Iso: ... tch no!

Lev: Well, either way, you're way to upset about ... what exactly? I heard most of that argument and to me it sounded like "Grawr I'm angry and you're not my friend!" and "Okay but I need to keep this team from collapsing under the weight of its own bullshit so can I see your tome for a minute?". Yeah you should apologize. You wouldn't fly off the handle at man like that.

Iso: I would at Ixion.

Lev: Ixion? A man? Heh. I'm pretty sure Ivanko had him made somewhere. That aside ...

Lev quickly stood up as Iso finished his soup and quickly grabbed Iso hauling him to his feet.

Iso: What the hell?

Lev: Come on, let's go find the shamaness and make nice. Then you can go back to ... whatever it is you do with Kelas.

Iso: I'm not apologizing to her.

Lev: Oh yes you are.

Iso: Hey! Gah!

It was a contest of strength and Lev won instantly pulling Iso along with little real effort on his part while Iso stumbled along behind the over amused wyvern lord. Spotting Morgan in the middle of what appeared to be a pace, he smirked. For him it would either be fun, enlightening, or both. Still Iso protested though.

Iso: Lev, let go!

Lev: Will it kill you to suck it up and apologize for shouting in another person's face?

Iso: I'm not going to do it.

Lev: Oh quit being a little bitch and come on.

Iso: Screw you!

Try as he might the only way out of Lev's grasp was to sever his own arm. He was quickly dragged over to Morgan and kept tugging at Lev until the wyvern lord released him. He was already there, but with his arm free he was free to go. He quickly turned around without a word and began trying to walk away only to feel a tight grip on his hair that forced him to stop. Had he taken another step it would have torn out a lock of his hair ... painfully.

Iso: Lev ... for the love of ... why is this so important to you?

Lev: It's not. However it would be great to ... how to word these ...? It is important to try one's best to facilitate unit cohesion. With that ...

Lev carefully pulled Iso closer and then let go of his hair grabbing his shoulders to face him toward Morgan.

Iso: ... ... ....

[Inactive Account]

"Hm." Arrin was not at all sure why Alferis had asked that, but he didn't see why answering would cause problems. "For me it was a lot of dizziness and headache, and I didn't get hungry when I should have, but as you probably saw, symptoms apparently vary. I did notice a pattern based on how long the wielder in question has had their weapon, but my model for the progression of the illness ultimately failed to predict how it was going to go. If you're looking to predict something, good luck."

--------------------------

"Wait, what's goin' on?" Kelas asked without looking up, hearing her name.

[-Cynthia-]

Morgan's thoughts were temporarily interrupted when Isotov appeared in front of her. "Hmm?" she said, stopping and giving him a curious look. "Did you just happen to cross my path? I do not recall you ever intentionally seeking my presence before, is it urgent?" she asked him.

Tristan looked at the rather meager portion of stew and decided not to take any from it. After all, he had just taken food from the palace yesterday in order to prepare for his journey. Well, I did always want some sort of epic quest, and what is more epic than slaying a dragon? This should be exciting...though probably pretty dangerous. he thought, giving some oats to Bellerophon.

[Script]

Luc Altair

After the monk had fled it didn't take long for things to get under way once again. Levski had come by, and it seemed time to depart. Luc helped Tessa back to the carriage--noting how heavily she leaned on him. She was likely more exhausted than she would have spoken about. Two fights in a single day, and after already saving everyone's lives yesterday. Fighting others who followed the Goddess most assuredly didn't help either. It was a testament to the girl's strength that she held out this long. As she climbed into the carriage, Luc saw Beau and Charlotte already napping within. He surmised it wouldn't take long for Tessa to join them.

Others had taken care of funeral preperations in the mean time, so Luc dealt with his own few matters before they left. That trip was uneventful, but unfortunatly the sun had darkened and they were forced to make camp. In a way it was appreciated, he doubted if they could handle anything in their current shape. But still, resting like this gave their enemy time to prepare.

The offer of food came about from Kelas, and though he would have preferred whatever she had made, he and Fargo still had their rations. Fargo's grumbling over that was particularly loud.

A Paul

Go to sleep already dammit. I need to send my report!

[Phoenix]

Say Something!

Iso: Er ... uh ... nothing. It's nothing.

Lev: You've got exactly ten seconds ...

He leaned into Iso to whisper into his ear.

Lev: And then I'll tell her that you're desperately in love with her and-

Iso: I'LL KILL YOU!!!

Lev quickly backed off letting Iso go and chuckled. Iso was a bit defeated at that point. Lev had forced him to really dwell on his encounters with Morgan a bit deeper and he could only find enough there to simply be annoyed with her ... not much else. He sighed before speaking again.

Iso: Urgh. I ... really don't have anything to say that would be all that genuine so ... what's the point? (well ... maybe ... urrrrgh) I ... I'm ... ... I'm sorry for ... yelling at you at least. You ... really bother me with the way you think but, whatever, that just makes you ... annoying. I'll just deal with it I guess.

Lev: Keep going-

Iso: SHUT UP!!! ... I'm sorry for the trouble I used to cause, the fires, the near mutinies, the dropping, all of that. I want to focus on the enemy and just the enemy so can we ... just ... get along ... and not point out ... annoying things?

Lev: Dropping?

Iso: I uh, dropped her on the floor at one of the inns. It was an accident.

Lev: ... What the fuck?!

[Dark Sage]

"I see," Alf nodded. Reika's suffered similar symptoms too and as he said, it could vary, so that explains the fevers and everything. Dunno how long she's had the knives, and she's a secretive woman, so asking will be tricky. Still, it might give me an idea how long she could last.

"Thanks. I really needed to know the info. Just in case one of us gets severed again."

[-Cynthia-]

Morgan raised an eyebrow at Isotov. "So, you preface your statements by saying that you have little to say to me that is genuine? That makes it difficult for me to take you seriously. Still, I agree with your sentiment, we should focus on the tasks before us rather than things that do not matter." she said to him. Lev seemed to be around this conversation for some reason.

[Snowy_One]

As the group moved on, Altion stayed towards the back. Despite his recent return, twinges of doubt shot through his mind as the group slowly moved. Did he belong here? No one seemed to pay him much mind at all after all. Gluebag commanded more attention than Altion did for crying out loud! No lady cast their gaze over his way nor did anyone at all so much as raise a eye as to his return. It was as if he had never left, which was sad because that meant that most of them were acting as if he never existed. That was a poor lot in life to be sure. Still, he had better go and do something, no? Sitting around would do him no good at all. He was a poor hand at the hunting and knew little about much else though. With a resigned sigh, he dismounted from Gluebag and headed off and away from the group. There was one thing he could do to be certain, namely see if there was anything of value in the surrounding area.

---

Esphyr, like-wise, had little clue as to what to do now that the group had stopped for the night. Undoing her armor, she slipped out of it and put it aside as she lay back on the ground with a yawn. "Damned hard day today." she mumbled to herself. Her hand slipped under her shirt, sliding over her ribs to the places where she had been wounded in the fight and rubbing them softly. "Damned hard." she mumbled again as she rubbed the scarred flesh. She doubted anyone would notice it, being under her shirt and all, but damn! She must have more scars than unharmed flesh by now!

---

"I'm clearly behind on something here. What the heck is up with that hole in the ground?" asked Mana.

[Phoenix]

Iso and Lev

Iso: Who cares? You don't take me seriously anyway.

Lev: Seriously? You dropped her?

Iso: You just heard her. We should focus on things that matter.

Lev: Oiiii.

Iso: Well. I guess that's settled. I'll be going then.

The fire sage took his chance and quickly turned to leave hoping to put some much needed distance from the two while he still could. Lev didn't bother chasing him this time, though he would catch up momentarily.

Lev: Well that was entertaining. You may have just noticed that Iso's acting a bit strangely. That would be my doing. Now while I can't really fix all of these group's internal problems I intend to address what issues I can and that was definitely one of them.

Spectacles

Stephanie: I hardly find the hole to be of any importance! What is that creature that created it and spat you up, Ixion?!

Ixion: You can call that a gigas if you prefer.

The massive chimera quickly burrowed back into the ground the way it came leaving behind only a large soft dirt filled crater in what used to be the training grounds. Karina had the most disturbed and dismayed look she could possibly manage. There was a giant crater near the center of the fortress nearly one hundred and fifty feet in diameter ... and most likely a titanic chimera lurking beneath them. She could only be thankful that Ixion was relatively trustworthy.

[Inactive Account]

Arrin was getting a bit suspicious now. Just in case... could Alferis be working for the demons, or some other group after the weapons? Was he trying to work out how fast severing someone would kill them? Of course, he might just be genuinely concerned... well, Arrin would have to be careful, at any rate. If Alferis said anything more incriminating, he'd tell Kelas, or maybe Morgan. "Well, I'd rather hope that we don't have to deal with anyone being severed again," he concluded stiffly. The conversation had gotten rather awkward. "If you'll excuse me, I should check on Tessa." Finishing his stew, he got up and headed back to the carriage; he hadn't seen Tessa get up yet. He leaned in and found that both Tessa and Beau were still asleep. "Er, Tessa? Beau? Do you want to come get something to eat?" he asked tentatively.

[Balcerzak]

Tessa's dreams had been fitful and uneasy. One bad scenario flowing smoothly into the next.

She was standing in front of Morgan, trying to return the sword. A burden like this, the crimson stain of blood on the blade, the heavy weight of having killed someone. She didn't want it anymore, could she give it all back? The shaman's eyes narrowed, and a steely glint entered her voice. "I've never cared for you, but you tried so hard. This was the only way you could be useful. Since you don't have the Crimson Sword, I gave you another. But you couldn't even wield that... I have no need for a sister so weak. Begone!" As Morgan advanced on her, she saw Lev standing nearby, patting the haft of his axe...

...and smiling, despite the blood dripping down his face, staining his cheek. He'd thrown his booty to the ground nearby, the result of a fierce combat had led to his capture of the woman, but at a cost. His eye... Oh Lady, his eye! Racing to his side, and working on healing the man, she wasn't paying attention, she missed the woman standing back up, reaching for her lance. Tessa was so absorbed that she didn't notice Viveka thrusting her javelin until it was too late, it sprouted forth from Lev's chest, blooming like some macabre red flower. "Defenseless? I couldn't care less. A target is a target, and if I'm told they have to die, they have to die." The smile on the pegasus knight's face was frightening, and the way she loomed over them harkened back, earlier...

...to another brutal winged horse rider, laughing from the skies as she rained destruction upon them. Aiya lay fallen, with Celeste's javelin impaling the woman completely through. Try as she might, Tessa could not get the woman to open her eyes again. They were faded, dull, listless, and her head was cocked at an impossible angle. This was... the end for her, wasn't it? A snapping noise, someone had stepped on a branch behind her. Turning, tears in her eyes, she looked up at Damian...

...who was absolutely shaking with rage. "Tessa? How could you do this to me? How could you let her die. I guess... it's time to test your promises. What will you think of me, after seeing me like this, I wonder." With a bellow of grief the lancer tore his shirt, arched backwards and screamed at the sky. It was happening, another berserker episode, like the one's he'd told her of, all reason cast aside, leaving only malice and the Crimson Lance. The spear of impaling death that was slowly materializing at his side, sending crackling red lightning everywhere...

...red lightning, swarming around the boy, beginning at his tome, then spiraling upwards towards his head, encircling it, reflecting in his eyes. Arrin's usually cheerful eyes... filled now with hate. Hate and hurt. Deeply etched. "You stopped me. And then you took it from me. My vengeance! It was supposed to be mine! But you killed her. How could you? You're supposed to be my friend, you should have let me get my closure. There's no helping it now, the chain..." Eyes suddenly widening, a mad grin cracked open across the thunder mage's face, impossibly wide. "...the flow of the chain is clear. My teacher's killer's killer, I have to have her. And that's you!" The lightning arced from his fingers straight over to her, faster than the eye could see, and she was stricken by crippling pain, curling up as best she can with muscles that would not cooperated, but instead jerked out and flailed without any semblance of control. She barely managed a whimper. "You'll die for me eventually Tessa. But first I'll have you dance. And after you've finished dancing...

...do you want to come get something to eat?" Tessa only heard the voice pierce through because of the utter silence in the carriage. She was sore, slightly cramped, her chest felt like it was full of mucus, her ear was ringing intolerably, and she was shaking and covered in sweat. The backlit glow from the campfire caused eerie illumination on Arrin's face, leaning in to the carriage, and for a moment Tessa wasn't sure if she were awake, or if this was another, uncomfortable segue to yet more bad developments. With an involuntary jerk she scooted off of the carriage seat, and landed in a mess on the floor, but this impact was such to drive home the final realization that the dreams had ended. For now at least.

Smiling embarrassedly, she raised a hand to the nomad mage, "Sorry! I'd been having the most horrible dream, and well... you startled me. I... can't say I'm particularly hungry, but if you'll help me out, I can give you my share. It'll at least do me good to move around a bit."

[Inactive Account]

"Ah, I'm sorry--" Arrin stammered, reflexively offering Tessa a hand up. Her initial expression hurt, and he wanted to give her a hug, or do something to cheer her up, but... he wasn't sure if she wanted him around now or not. "Are-- are you all right?"

When Tessa replied that she wasn't really hungry, Arrin shook his head. "No, I couldn't possibly take your share, I've had enough," he protested, hoping that his stomach wouldn't contradict him by growling. "And you've got to keep up your strength, and--" He broke off. This was just the usual worrying, and there was more to worry about right now. Then everything came out in a rush, as he blurted, "Tessa, I-- I'm sorry about what I did earlier, so sorry-- I never want to do anything to hurt you, ever... I'm sorry-- I understand if you don't want to be near me now, or talk to me, but--" He continued for a moment, talking too fast and repeating himself without thinking about it. Finally his eyes welled up and he wasn't sure what else to say. "A-are we still friends?" he finished in a small voice. He hoped he was ready for whatever her response was; if she hit him or yelled at him, he thought he could stand it, but if she just ran away...

[Balcerzak]

As Arrin helped to pull her out of the carriage, she nodded when he asked if she were okay. As frightening as they may have been, dreams were just dreams, and would fade. Everything else, well... even if she did have something wrong with her, the worried look on the boy's face gave her the impression that that wasn't what he really needed to hear right now. She'd been about to continue along, and see about inviting Beau and Charlotte out too, but Arrin had rushed the train of conversation along rapidly, first insisting that she take care of herself and eat properly, but then it had turned into a frantic apology. So that is what this is all about? she sighed in relief. Best to just start at the end and work backwards.

Standing up on her tiptoes, had he always been this much taller than her, he put her hands on his shoulders and looked him in the eye. "Of course we're still friends, Arrin. The only way I can imagine that changing is if they invent something closer than friends, and then we move on to that. So you needn't worry there." She then leaned in and hugged him tightly.

"I don't mind what happened. I know who you are at heart. In fact, you're one of the few people I willingly accept getting hurt from. Whether on accident, or if I do something to deserve it, or really for pretty much any reason I could realistically thing of. So, no... If I feel you've done wrong by me, I'll tell you so. But unless that happens, even if I look like I'm in pain, don't blame yourself. Please."

Drawing back she asked him, "You... haven't been letting this bother you the whole time, have you?"

[Inactive Account]

With relief, Arrin returned the hug, holding Tessa close. He hadn't scared her away. "Thank you," he said softly when she confirmed that he hadn't driven her away. There was more he wanted to say, but he wasn't sure how to express it. Her mention that she would accept being hurt dismayed him a little, but... he was going to work to avoid ever doing anything that might hurt her anyway, saying such things didn't change that at all.

"I... yes, I was worried about it, and about other things," he admitted when Tessa asked if what he'd done had been bothering him. "But... some of it's cleared up now, and the rest can go later. Are you sure you're all right? Come on, it's cold, let's go by the fire," he added. He hadn't liked the look of Tessa's shaking when she'd got out of the carriage.

-------------------------------------------

Kelas had watched to see where Arrin was going, trying to be vigilant; when she'd seen Tessa appear, she turned her gaze back to the fire again. "Those two are just too damn cute," she muttered with a sigh, though she was glad that Arrin was able to be happy sometimes despite the chaos and hardship the group was dealing with. Still, going to have to talk to him eventually about... things... oh gods...

Satisfied that Arrin had not just wandered off somewhere, she looked around again. "We should probably work out who's going to take watch," she noted. "I'm up for a shift, but given the territory we might need more than one person at a time."

[-Cynthia-]

Morgan

"Well, thank you for that." Morgan said to Lev. "Now on to another issue, do you know how the shields we got from Ixion work? How to use them? We need every resource we can muster if we are to defeat Helenos." she said to him.

Tristan

Tristan heard Fargo's grumbling and went over towards the men from Directus. They appeared to be eating...something. "Um, I have actual food from the palace that I smuggled out just yesterday." he said to Luc and Fargo. "I would be happy to share, so you two wouldn't have to eat...whatever you're eating. It doesn't really look like food to be honest..." he said, giving the rations a mixed look of curiosity and disgust.

Charlotte

Charlotte watched Tessa and Arrin. Ah, it seems like love may be in the air...how sweet. She decided to prod Beau gently.

"Sorry to wake you Beau, but I thought you should be aware that we have food. I will not be partaking, but opportunities to eat have been rather few and far between in this group." she said to him.

[Phoenix]

To Practical Use

Lev: Well unfortunately no. On the other hand they're just shields. Ixion would be a fool to give us these things without having Ivanko explain everything we needed to know about them. My guess is that they're just enchanted to stop more than physical attacks. If we need some kind of ritual or craziness just to turn them on we're better off without them. Hm. Why not have a look at them yourself? You'd know if there was anything off about them I'm sure.

By The Fire

As Iso headed back over he over heard Kelas say something about a watch. Figuring she was probably talking about night shifts, he sat down next to her and immediately replied.

Well if I'm going to do a shift, it really ought to be the first since I'm already tired. If not, I'll probably go to be in a little b- ... er ... soon.