FFCVIII: Chapter 1: Warrior Chosen by the Crystal's Light.

[SheWhoisWoe]

At the approach of the guards, the fur on Elyne's tail fluffed up, ears twitched and perked, and she subtly shifted into a more ready stance as she stopped walking. Quick charge to punch that one's face, spin and duck to trip another, and-oh, they're not hostile. Not that she lessened her guard any, she didn't quite trust anyone in a place like this, the entire set up had her on edge....But they were asking for her help, and she was not one to turn people in need down.

"Sure, what do you need? I'm not magic, of course, but I have bandages, gold needles, echo screens, eye drops, antidotes of various types, medicine for a variety of sicknesses, and even a few healing potions" She paused, tilting her head and looking thoughtful, then nodded. Bandercouerls...? Oh, probably needing something to revert petrification, maybe fix up some wounds "And I know how to suture wounds, set and splint broken bones...Ah! Are these creatures carrying any diseases? Some of those can get really damn bad, rockjoint is nonfatal, but annoying, boneshivers can be aggravating and doesn't really involve shivering bones at all..." Elyne babbled off, one arm up, pointer finger extended and waving about as she talked, tail still swishing side to side....But she was tense, despite it all, ready to move if they proved untrustworthy, though right now her plan amounted to putting distance between her and the guards and then evaluating her options.

[Nanami Touko]

Severine caught onto what Thyme was getting at, not flapping her lips at it. She remained quiet while L'Veyi played cover for them. It was a bit surprising, really, to see her jump onto the wagon so quickly. Was having more people in a group really worth that much? They were both fugitives of the highest degree... Well, it wasn't worth dwelling on the entire time. Having friends was definitely not a bad thing.

The dwarf coming into the group was a bit of a shock, though. "N-No, I don't think so... While they were never really open about hating Elves, Hellis definitely hates Dwarves. They'd hire more humans before stooping to that."

The new fella was still being curious. He didn't seem like an enemy, but he didn't seem like an ally? Almost distant. Playing it smart, it seems... "Well, let's not dawdle here much longer. My arm's not going to cure itself, after all! Edward, if you don't mind?" Severine lugged the stone limb over to the warrior, draping her free, normal arm over his shoulder to brace herself. She was curious about the dwarf, but really, she wanted her arm back!

Edited March 17, 2016 by Melissa

[Enaluxeme]

The other swordsman didn't seem hostile towards them, and in the worst case scenario, they were four against one. Having ascertained that his sword didn't suffer any damage, Edward sheated it.

He didn't notice the dwarf until Thyme talked to him. Or her. He knew female dwarves use to grow beards, but he had no idea how to distinguish the two genders aside from asking.

"Wow, we are starting to look more and more like a traveling circus! Let's go before an half-dragon shows up."

He helped Severine getting her arm around his shoulder, gave a look at L'Veyi and Thyme and continued:

"We need to get back at the camp to get our things, then we are going to town to get care of this arm. While we are there, we'll collect the bounty and you two are going to finally eat something. As for you other two... You are free to tag along if you want, but you won't get a free meal out of it!"

[Snowy_One]

Thyme gave a small nod. "You-" she said pointing to Euzzeth, "Yes. Something did happen. Something big that got the council furious at me. They've been siphoning off energy from the Fire Crystal and even the very last to provide mages with power and lying to the people inside the city for who knows how long and I found proof." she then carefully pealed back the layers of the cloth bundle to show just a bit of the crystal shard.

"It almost looks like a piece of magicite. I'd imagine it might work a bit like that for the purposes of improving ones skills and abilities as well. Still, I haven't had the time to see if it does such a thing. Regardless, the council... wants it back. They've already sent the guards out to me and I don't know what their communication with the towns, towns I didn't even know existed until a few moments ago, are like. If you don't know then, maybe, we can still get inside without problem." she then looked at Severine. "Not like we have much of a choice. Even if they can head in alone we need to rest up and get food. I'm not going to ask you to come with us. I will say that, if you can assist us, you will have my thanks and I will do what I can to repay you later."

She then looked back at the dwarf. "Same to you either. As you're a dwarf I doubt you're on the council's side. Even if they put a bounty on me, considering how much they have lied so much before, do you think they'd pay an outsider? I don't know but, well, any and all help is appreciated. Do you have any of that interesting stuff the old stories spoke of? Or beer? I think we could all use a stiff drink after this."

---

The guard looked around, practically panicking as he raised his hands up, waving them to tell her to quiet down before lowering his voice. "No! No. Nothing like that. Just some basic wounds and diseases. Proper bandages alone are a luxury to these class 0's, but they're still people no matter what the council, or my boss, says."

He then took a step back and gave a small cough, raising his spear up in an exaggerated fashion. "Okay men!" he said in a tone very overly-loud, as if clearly trying to cover up the speech before. "This miqo'te has confessed to the crime of... ummm... Punching several guards, insulting the council, and disrupting the guards patrol routes through inopportune walking. She deserves to be taken to the fields!" he then gave a small cough and nudged her side, trying to tell her to play along.

Edited March 18, 2016 by Snowy_One

[AnonymousSpeed]

Then, out of the corner of her eye, she saw a shot. Rather, something that could SHOOT something very painful. A short, stocky, thing with a weapon, confident strides, and... Wait? Was that a... dwarf?

"Are you a... dwarf? Why would there be a dwarf in Hellis?" she quickly bent low to Severine's ear "Do you think they managed to put out a bounty and get a dwarf here that fast and looking for us again that fast?"

"Most certainly! And most fortunately as well!" Yohanna called back, a bold and vigorous voice, distinctly that of a young woman, in what would to a human be contrast to her husky appearance. Despite her enthusiastic reply, the weapon stayed up as Yohanna stepped forward.

The new fella was still being curious. He didn't seem like an enemy, but he didn't seem like an ally? Almost distant. Playing it smart, it seems... "Well, let's not dawdle here much longer. My arm's not going to cure itself, after all! Edward, if you don't mind?" Severine lugged the stone limb over to the warrior, draping her free, normal arm over his shoulder to brace herself. She was curious about the dwarf, but really, she wanted her arm back!

He helped Severine getting her arm around his shoulder, gave a look at L'Veyi and Thyme and continued:

"We need to get back at the camp to get our things, then we are going to town to get care of this arm. While we are there, we'll collect the bounty and you two are going to finally eat something. As for you other two... You are free to tag along if you want, but you won't get a free meal out of it!"

"Dearest me!" the dwarfette exclaimed in immediate concern upon seeing Severine's petrified arm. Having seen carcass of the slain beast, she was able to quickly deduce the cause of the ailment. "You poor Elfkin!" Even in this pity, one hand remained on her canon, which only pointed slightly more towards the ground now.

It was then Edward began speaking, and while Yohanna had first done the respectful thing and listened to what he had to say, she gave no such respite from her voice once he'd concluded it. "Mind your manners, lad!" She commanded. "Two potential persons of aid arrive in a time when one of your companions is in evident need! You ought to check your tongue when speaking! Especially during your first meeting, and especially when talking to me! It is of the utmost importance to express respect for your elders!" The dwarf gave small "hmph" before mumbling to herself. "And it bodes well for survival not to express immediate contempt for those with firearms, tut tut, the foolishness of human flesh..."

She then looked back at the dwarf. "Same to you either. As you're a dwarf I doubt you're on the council's side. Even if they put a bounty on me, considering how much they have lied so much before, do you think they'd pay an outsider? I don't know but, well, any and all help is appreciated. Do you have any of that interesting stuff the old stories spoke of? Or beer? I think we could all use a stiff drink after this."

"The council?" Yohanna turned her attention away from her mumblings and towards the Spellblade. "Why, I would not give such a vile group the season of the year if I could continue on without doing so little as that for them! No, they won't be getting a single scrap of even the cheapest ore from me!" Engrossed in her huffing speech, the dwarf rather quickly forgot there were criminals around her, not that she was particularly frightened with her canon at her side and her obviously superior intellect, for there was no intellect to match hers! Besides, Hellis wanted them, and since they were not murderous barbarians, apparently so at least, they couldn't be too terrible. Not that such a city would pay a billion gold for even the most wretched killer.

"If you are foes of the council, you might be entitled to consider yourselves friends of mine!" she puffed. "For the enemy of my enemy is my friend, and there is no champion of making enemies to damnable city of Hellis!" After a brief pause to let her indignation at the mere mention of the city of mages sink ink, she remembered and decided to address the rest of Thyme's questions. "Alas, I am sorry, I carry with me now no Magitech which might aid your friend. And as for spirits, I never carry a single vial! Such rotten drink will turn the mind and motor skills to a more unimpressive paste than that used in its distillation!"

[SheWhoisWoe]

Elyne growled and hissed, ears flattening back against her head, partly in actual displeasure, for the term "Class Zero" could mean...a few things, but in this case, she was rather certain the people of this village ranked the lowest of the low in that system, not even people to most. That made her blood boil and she truly did want to do all those things the guard was accusing her of in his rather bad improvised acting, but...She'd been taught rather well, and knew that simply punching things that made her angry made her little more than a hotheaded bully if she won, and a hotheaded idiot if she lost.

So she acted the part of an apprehended criminal, putting her hands together in front of her stomach and bowing her head, following the guard, tail thrashing side to side angrily. Working the fields really didn't seem like that much of a punishment, to be entirely honest, but if that was the actual punishment, so much the better for this little act. Basic wounds and diseases...She definitely had supplies for that, at least, though perhaps she'd make a point to gather some more herbs and whatnot once she was away from this place.

[Acacia Sgt]

Well, he certainly hadn't expected to hear all that.

For being on the run she sure was willing to say it all to a stranger, Euzzeth thought. Then again, unless these others are also involved then it seems luck has favored her. Though as long as she's around these parts then being near her wouldn't sound like a good idea...

"Well, if you're heading to a town, I can tag along," he said. "At least until there. Who knows after, though."

[Nanami Touko]

Edward's comments made her chuckle a little bit, the brevity welcome after such a fight, and all the running. Thyme made her sigh once again, though. "Thyme, please... You can't just let everyone we come across know that! Sure, everyone here might be trustworthy now, but if they see the bounty on us... I mean... Don't you get that it might seem worth turning us in? Honestly..." This whole shtick of telling her tale to all passerby was turning into a headache.

"Edward, can I just run away with you and L'Veyi? I've got a sudden suspicion that this girl will be the death of me." She chuckled a bit, but the thought was pleasant. At least, more so than the walking chatterbox. Ah, no matter, it was done with and she needed some healing... Whenever they started walking.

[Enaluxeme]

The young man appreciated hearing Severine chuckle. In fact, he found the elf girl's giggle so lovely that for a second he was worried his face would match the color of his hairs. The moment didn't last, though, as someone else had something to say, in a irritate tone.

The dwarf was... Talkative, to say the least. Prideful, too. By her voice she seemed female, so Edward referred to her as such, hoping to not be making a gaffe.

"Please, calm down bearded lady." He resisted the urge to call her little lady, that would probably have been very insulting. "I wasn't trying to be offensive. Still, I don't like the idea of having a scrounger as an ally, but I doubt someone as proud as yourself would be like that...

We started with the wrong foot: I'm Edward, pleased to meet you. I would bow, but as you can see I'm a bit busy at the moment."

And thankfully so. He had no idea how to bow before someone so short: if he didn't bow enough for his head to be lower than hers, bowing would have been pointless, maybe it could even have been interpreted as mocking; if he went so down as to be lower than her, it would have been exaggerated and humiliating.

"Speaking of which, we should probably start moving. You ready?"

After getting Severine's confirmation, the two started walking towards the camp.

"By the way, Thyme, Severine is right, you should lay low. Don't worry though: most of the hellian towns down here are full of class zeros resenting the council. Sure, someone would turn you down, but not all of them."

[Snowy_One]

"I'm sorry." said Thyme looking downwards a bit. "I don't know what else I can really do right now though. I was taught all my life that the world outside of the city was basically over-run by monsters. Now I have an army on me and a valuable item in my hand and I don't know what else to do. On my own I would be dead in a week or captured. Even with Severine the fate would likely be the same. My only hope is to get some friends right now."

A while later

The town of Farmland #27 was barely a place worth calling a 'town' by almost anyones standards, yet as they approached the farms her eyes seemed to go a bit wide with wonder. Clearly part of her wanted to rush over and just see how these people were surviving, if just barely, in a world she thought was dead only a short while ago. Instead she kept her mouth shut and her head down and with the group, moving a bit to the back to try and hide behind the others.

"I see you all have magicite. You know how to use it to enhance your abilities, right? Prolonged exposure, especially in times of great distress or physical activity, causes the body to become receptive to the influence of magicite and the nearest source often ends up imbuing the body with things like enhanced strength. We may need that if they figure out who we are and start attacking."

Thankfully the guards around the perimeter seemed more focused on keeping the civilians in line and working than in the traveling group. At least until they reached the village itself. At the main entrance were two guards, each in shoddy armor. They didn't seem that attentive, more focused on an idle conversation about the merits of moogle-mail over chocobo-messaging, until the group arrived.

"Hold it! They called out as they saw the group approach as they instantly grabbed their weapons and approached, looking all six over. "What is a second fuzz-face and a... ummm... Dwarf man?"

"Woman Rob." replied the second one.

"Right. Dwarf Woman doing here? We barely get enough from the citadel and, at best, two or three outsiders every two weeks. Now multiple of different races? Something is... OH! OH! We've got a wounded Sixth and Fifth here! Quickly! Get them to the inn and kick out whoever is in the main room!" he called out as two more of the guards came up beside Severine, leaving their weapons behind, as they tried to lift her up to help her.

"Miss Fifth... Ummm... Just so you know, there have been reports of a thief in the area. Stole something of value but the councils message didn't say what. According to their description she was a short, flat-chested, woman with a foul, nasty, temper and willingness to backstab and betray anyone who got in her way. Smelled of spices too and had a pink robe, blue clothes, kneepads, and a scythe or... ummm... Something. I don't know why they didn't send us a picture but, since you're wounded and have friends, it seems she assaulted your group. You need to rest up so you can hunt down that thief for Hellis but, once you are, if you could draw a description for us, that would be nice."

---

Outside in the fields three people, an elderly man whose left arm had been almost cut off entirely by a plough, a young, emaciated, woman with multiple rashes and small scabs that were likely a form of disease, and a child of only six with a broken arm were all before Elyne, carried on makeshift cots as, not too far away, a small group with a woman with a stone arm was dragged up, prompting the guard to hurry away to tend to the stoned woman.

"You're pretty." said the child. "Can I... I touch your tail. It looks so warm and fuzzy and clean." she said with a smile. "Or, now that the guard isn't around, some food I can bring home to mommy?"

[Nanami Touko]

Guards, wonderful. They didn't seem the most suspicious of the group, though they did mention their... Situation...? Severine had thought it had been about Thyme until the description came into play, leaving Thyme out of the question. Another thief, huh? She didn't get to think about it as her attention shifted to the guards suddenly trying to help her along. "Wha-- h-hey! Hands off! I have an escort here, I'll be fine!" She glanced up at Edward carrying her, hoping he'd help shoo off the guards. She didn't quite appreciate being suddenly carried off by two guards they'd just met. "And, w-wait, draw you up a picture? We... We were attacked by a Bandercoeurl, not a woman with a scythe. Sorry to say. If there was a person going around attacking people that could petrify, I don't think we'd have gotten out with just my arm getting stoned."

[SheWhoisWoe]

Elyne grit her teeth. There wasn't much she could do for the old man, an arm that bad was quite beyond her skill, and even if it wasn't, she certainly lacked the facility to do it properly. So she turned her attention to the child, best to fix that first. "I've no food to spare, unfortunately, i was due to resupply...Here, actually, I didn't know things were like this." she sighed softly, moving about the child, poking it's arm in a few spots.

"But feel free to touch, gentle, they're sensitive, and this will hurt a bit before I make it better" She said, humming as she opened her pack, retrieving some bandages and a length of wood that'd do for a splint. Setting them aside, she took the child's arm in her hands, moving and setting the bone into the right place so that it wouldn't heal wrong, likely painfully, and then quickly binding the splint to it.

Elyne ignored the other group that came in, but not without difficulty. People like this were out here, and all because those two had whatever qualities made them higher class, they had people practically falling over themselves to help them...She very much wanted to go and put them in their place. Bet they'd never done a proper bit of work in their lives!

"As for you..." Elyne turned her attention to the diseased woman, humming, and smiling. Should be an easy enough fix, she dug through her pouch and produced a bottle of crushed herbs and leaves, handing them to her "Mix them into hot water and apply to your rashes and scabs, all the better if you open them a bit first so it really gets in, and you should be fine. It really shouldn't be anything serious, but with how malnourished you are...Turned a small thing into something major."" She said with a smile, and then a sigh.

Finally, Elyne turned to the old man, debating with herself. He was old, his life was horrible, and she just didn't have the supplies to clean and fix a wound like that. Even back home, they had mages for that sort of thing, and actual medical rooms to work in. She shook her head, standing up and picking up her pack, slinging it across her back. This wasn't something she could do, and to try would be a waste of limited supplies and time. "I'm sorry, sir. I'm not a doctor, and certainly not a miracle worker, I...Can't do anything for you." She shook her head and didn't wait for a reply, turning, and walking away.

[Enaluxeme]

"And here we are, Farmland number... I think it was twentysix or seven. They don't even care about giving towns real names, at least for the smaller ones. That is, if you are willing to call this a town."

As they approached the town, a group of guards stopped them. The guards rambled about a criminal on the loose, most certainly Thyme. Luckily, their description didn't completely match with the fugitive, that would at least buy the group some time.

Having seen the conditions or Severine's arm, two guards quicly took her from Edward's shoulder, supposedly to bring her to a healer. The young man understood that the elf was quite opposed to being carried away like that, but the guards didn't seem malicious, and they all had to avoid being suspicious. Edward went close to L'Veyi to whisper something to her.

"We souldn't leave Thyme and Severine alone, so I'm going with her. Go take the bounty, ok?"

After hearing L'Veyi's answer, he followed Severine and the guards.

[Nanami Touko]

Well, seems Edward wasn't about to help, which means things were in her own hands. "Hands OFF I said!" she spouted, a burst of ice happening around her to spook the guards off. "I can walk just fine, it's my arm! Honestly... If you're going to help someone, listen to them, at least!" She sighed, shaking her head, and straightening herself out. "If you want to help us then just show us where the inn is, instead of trying to carry someone off to it."

[charlie_]

Farmland 27 was a pretty boring name for a town, and Carol discovered shortly after arriving there that you can sometimes judge a book by its cover. Even in a farming town, she'd expected to find some traces of the magic that Hellis was famous for (or infamous, she supposed) but there was nothing. There wasn't much of anything, in fact. The whole place had been really quiet aside from the fields she'd passed on the way, and she even had her own person guard following her around, meaning that there was no fun to be had at all.

"I know I'm cute and all, but I'd prefer a little bit of space, thank you very much." she sighed, hardly expecting a reply. Why had she even come to this town in the first place? She hadn't expected Hellis to need any help from outsiders, so it wasn't for work, and then there was nothing to do when she got there. So instead, she was sat at a table in the inn, pouting. Maybe she should just leave; she'd only been here for a day and she was already bored of the place.

She stretched a her arms out where she sat to try and take the stiffness out of them. It seemed like a good idea. If nothing happened soon, she would just leave and go onto the next town... wherever that is. Her staff was at her side, and the rest of her belongings were just in the room she slept in - it wouldn't take long for her to pack.

Edited March 20, 2016 by SB.

[Snowy_One]

The guards looked at Severine, backing away quickly from the stoned mage as the minty cool blast shot past them. "We're sorry sixth! Just following the rules." they gave a quick thump on their armor before taking a full step back to give the group some room.

"The rules say we need some softs or golden needles or someone who knows healing magic quickly." said Thyme as she moved close to Severine in case she needed support from her as well.

"I'm sorry, but the captain simply... well..." One of the guards looked out into the fields. "We recently captured a vagabond with the gall to break our rules who had some medical equipment on her. I'll go see if I can fetch her to tend to your arm." he replied before hurrying off.

A few moments later the group had reached the inn without incident. Practically knocking the door down with their numbers the front guard quickly approached the innkeeper. The inn itself was a nice, quiet, place that, under different circumstances, might have even been considered 'nice'. Said different circumstances would involve more than a seemingly bored woman in light blue sitting at one of the tables and an inn-keeper who looked one step away from starvation standing at the front desk. Also likely a bard or some form of gambling going on, but not every inn could have those.

"Class 0, we need a room for our mage friends and their companions." said the guard, a different one than the seemingly nice one whom had gone off to fetch the monk. "You will be compensated according to the law for sixty percent of all fees of course. Give them the room with the enchanted restoration beds reserved for only the guests in dire need of a good rest."

"Huh?" asked the innkeeper, looking up slowly. "You want to give them the nice room?"

"Yes. I just said that."

"But that room is occupied. By that outsider over there." he said, pointing to the woman in light blue.

"Then toss the outsider out! This is a mage in need."

"But... she looks like a mage too. One of those... white... ones. You know. The ones you don't want to make mad."

"What's she going to do? Throw pebbles at me?"

"Oh shut up!" said Thyme. "We'll just take any bed at all! Something for a bit of privacy, and respect your healers! They keep you alive and distinctly not dead! I don't know about you, but when you grow up toying with magic, you quickly learn that someone who can heal you after you froze your arm or something isn't someone you want to be on the bad side of, so just stop and let her keep her room."

"It seems that the fifth agrees with me. I... can give you... the family suit. But it only has four beds. You will have to share. Maybe the dwarf can whip up some machine to help move a fifth bed in with his machines, or... maybe... you guards can help move in some more beds."

---

The young boy looked up at Elyne with a seeming smile on his face as he practically jumped on her tail, feeling its softness and happily enjoying its twitching as he gingerly played with the tip, rolling it around his fingers as he laughed happily. "You fixed my arm and you're cute lady! You're awesome. I hear moogles are cuter than you though. So, if they had a moogle who could heal, and the moogle could sit on your shoulder, you'd be, like, doubly awesome!"

"Thomas!" exclaimed the woman, quickly slapping him on the good wrist. "Sorry miss. He's just a kid. Say thank you to the nice Mi... Micko... Miqu... Miqu'it? Is that right? Doesn't matter."

"It's Miqo'te." said the guard approaching. "Listen, I'm sorry to have to end your care here, we really need you here. So many wounds... but we just got three mages coming in, two from the capitol, and we need you there. One of them got badly wounded, you see, and needs some healing. A white mage came in yesterday but she's been under guard so I'm too scared to ask her to help here. But... ummm... Since you're not a mage, can you help her? Please. Well... if you don't you can beat me up and escape, I'm certain, but I really like not being punched and like seeing people not hurt."

[Nanami Touko]

Seems someone had the nerve to back her up on this, the guards finally backing off. She smiled at Thyme, glad she was good for something other than fighting. And they were even gonna get a healer! That would deal with her arm, quickly enough. She used Thyme for support this time, walking along with the guards to the inn.

These guards were pretty heavy handed about this. Did they treat all mages from Hellis like this? She didn't especially special. Luckily, once again, Thyme spoke up. "Listen, it's no problem. We can just share, or use the floor. I don't want to impose on you all, so... We'll be fine. Just send that healer over to help with my arm, if you can. Thyme, can you help me to our room?" What she would really like to do it rest a bit. Having a stone arm was tiring.

[Snowy_One]

Several of the guards seemed to raise their eyes as they heard Thyme's name, as if struggling to recall something from before, as Thyme quickly came over to Severine's side, trying to slid her good arm over her shoulder.

"No name!" she quickly whispered into her ear before trying to hoist the girl up and get some of her weight both onto her and headed towards the stairs.

[SheWhoisWoe]

Elyne just smiled, patting the kid's head. She HAD given her permission "It's fine, ma'am, and you're welcome" she said, still smiling....which rather quickly faded as the guard approached her. Preferential treatment for mages? Was that why Hellis a nation of mages, or simply a symptom?...Regardless, she'd help. "If I were to just punch you and leave, I'd be naught but a thug. I shall head to the inn now, then, Sir." She said, giving him a half-smile as she changed course to head for the inn. She would definitely be leaving this damned nation as soon as possible, her patience would not last forever, and her temper would get the better of her.

She walked quickly, of course, and it was not long before she reached the inn, completely ignoring any guards or whatnot around as she pushed the door open and entered, glancing around the room...Ah, someone with a petrified arm? She shrugged, and moved to follow the awkward magely pair, taking deep breaths as she did, focusing on her breathing and trying to empty her mind of her annoyance. Yes, they were mages. Yes, just one of them hurt meant she had to go to them and fix it, instead of her just going out to the field where the Healer was already doing her work. No, that did not mean they were necessarily bad people, and No, that did not mean she should just shatter the arm and rant at them. Maybe they were nice. They certainly seemed to be in a bit of a hurry, and...Bah! Thinking about this was extremely counterproductive, better to just follow and fix it wherever they stopped.

....On the other hand, they were going kinda slow. Mages were probably not terribly strong. So she spoke up from just behind them "Do you need a hand getting to your room?" She asked, keeping the irritation from her voice.

[Nanami Touko]

"Oh, sorry! Uh... We should think up some aliases..." she whispered back, giving her arm over as she was lead to the stairs. Until she jumped a bit, as the new arrival offered help. "Oh, hello? Uh, sure, if you think you can lift this..." She looked at her stoned arm, chuckling a bit, and sighing. "Are you the help the guards sent for?"

Edited March 20, 2016 by Melissa

[SheWhoisWoe]

"Apparently." Elyne's voice was rather icy, with a low growl to it as she stepped up on the red mage's right side, easily taking hold of the stoned arm and giving it enough of a lift that she was carrying it's weight with little issue, no doubt making it much easier for the red mage to climb the stairs.

[AnonymousSpeed]

While talkative, Yohanna did have some manners, for the moment, at least. However, the pace of things around the group was quite fast, and not having any opportunities to grace the air with some sort of speech was beginning to bother her a bit. She eventually settled on not speaking for the moment, and instead just thinking about things and giving the odd scolding which could only her heard in her head. "Her machines," she corrected one of the guards in the inn, finally finding an opportunity to say something, which felt quite good to finally do after having to bottle it up for a long few minutes. It was then that a Miqo'te came up to the group, and once again the conversation moved to others. What a shame.

Edited March 20, 2016 by AnonymousSpeed

[charlie_]

"Huh." This place didn't seem so dull with all of the new arrivals. A dwarf, apparent mages, and even Miqo'tes were around. "I wonder where they all came from?" She posed it as a question in the hopes that she could maybe get some information - or entertainment at least - out of the guards. What did she have to do to get the guy following to talk anyway, poke his eye out? That probably wasn't advised. Could she heal that? Even if she could, he'd probably be kind of mad about it.

She laughed to herself. The thought amused her - although she found the fact that they wanted to chuck her out of her room was kind of concerning. "Is this how you treat your guests?" she called in a tone of mock indigence. "Don't worry, I can do a lot more than throw pebbles at you, if you'd like." This, also, was probably ill advised, but whatever. It was kind of funny.

"Soooooooooooo, dwarf guy." She shifted from her seat and moved up to make some space on the table. "Uh, girl." The beard kind of threw her off at first. She wasn't used to dealing with dwarves. "Miqo'te lady, other guys." She didn't really have anything to say about those two, he just seemed kind of plain in comparison to the dwarf and catlady, even if one of them looked to be a mage. "Take a seat! What brings you here?" Her smile was wide, and she tried to sound as inviting as possible. Hellian mages, dwarves and Miqo'tes didn't come together for no reason. There had to be an interesting story behind that.

Edited March 21, 2016 by SB.

[AnonymousSpeed]

Yohanna was ready to correct the young mage as she had the innkeeper when she did so herself. Normally she didn't mind the gender confusion so much, it was quite common, but she'd just done so. But she decided it was of no consequence, she corrected herself, and her offer of talk quite enticing, even if her demeanor was a tad impolite. "Excuse me, madams," Yohanna said aside to Thyme and Severine before they managed to head up the stairs. "If the rest of our services are not required at this time, might we depart and engage in conversation while you address with this medical issue?" Thyme seemed to the leader, and Severine closest to her, which made it likely she was the second in command in such a rag tag group, so it seemed only appropriate to ask them.

Edited March 21, 2016 by AnonymousSpeed

[Snowy_One]

Thyme looked about, keeping her eye on the several guards in the room before stopping to think about what to say properly to the White Mage. It was unlikely she was from Hellis, especially since they had openly referred to her as an 'outsider', but that didn't excuse the fact that the other guards were still watching.

"Well... A short while ago... Actually..." she stopped as Yohanna asked her a question before looking to the other two newcomers. "You're not excused, but for good reason. Why don't we head on up to the room for my friend. It's a high-priority mission and I'm ONLY allowed to tell... ummm... tell people with distinct abilities about it." she said before quickly pointing at the rest of the group. "Sure, you may be ragtag and strangers, but... well... it's something very important."

(OOC: Head to the room for now. When I get back from work we can give a nice primer for everyone on crystal lore and the like.)