Faith in the Spirits Arc 1: To Align the Stars

[TheRoon]

"Mm..." Yeah her opponent was vile alright, she only hoped he wouldn't cause trouble for the group so they can move on quickly. "Ah well I...hm..." She tried to think of a counter to that, but deep down inside she hoped some karma would hit him later. But then the subject moved forward a little to her entering the ring. "Ah, me? No, I'm not equipped to fight yet." She laughed a bit nervously. Renais had little to no combat experience, which explains why she shakes when an enemy gets too close to her. 'But...if I'm going to be more useful to Tio I have to get over that I think. It's just hard.' "But...maybe someday. Just not today." She lead toward Cin. "Are we about done here? I don't want to worry the commander."

Edited February 21, 2022 by TheRoon

[MRDRHAWK]

Nyx couldn’t help but flash a beaming smile at Syn and her confident declaration, though it may have been at least partly due to all the alcohol swimming through her brain. It was so potent in her mind that it was making her smell like… salt? Wait, no, hold on, that was the ocean tang that they hadn’t quite excised from their bodies yet.

”Oi, dis place gotta good bath? M’pretty sure m’smellin’ like th’sea o’er ‘ere.” Plus, Nyx could fully flaunt her figure in the bath, which was always a fun little confidence booster - provided that Nattie wasn’t holding court in there.

Nyx’s beaming smile turned to something vaguely resembling a scowl, if the scowler was a tipped-over cow. Damn that Nattie for being just a little bit hotter than her in every way - just a bit taller, a bit bustier, a bit buffer… a bit better of a mom figure to Aegean. And strangely for the normally boastful outlaw, she found that part to sting more than the bodily bits.

So, making a rare decision that wasn’t fueled by booze or the chance to cause problems on purpose, Nyx decided that she really needed to find Gean. Well, she’d do so as soon as she stopped clinging to Syndra. She owed the lass some not-mother & not-daughter bonding time, and Syn deserved the chance to bond with other people and not have Nyx practically holding her hostage all the time.

[Billy12510]

"I think I remember the commander mentioning having a bath, so I'm going to assume there's one there that'd suit your needs." Syndra did notice a sharp change in Nyx's facial expression, but she dismissed it as just being influenced by the alcohol she'd been drinking today. She hadn't really taken notice of their sea odor, they were in a port city after all, but the fact they'd been out at sea for that long did put the idea that a good soak was probably due up for her. "Ah, here we are. Quiet Harbor." Syndra then broke free from Nyx's arm and got the door for her. "Even if you don't see yourself as a proper lady Nyx, it doesn't mean I can't treat you like one. After you."

[mcd900]

After stumbling off from the healers' area, Laniva had been quietly skulking about the arena's entrance, hoping to avoid any pointed gazes or gloating. She hadn't stuck around to watch Aly's fight, but catching sight of her growling as she left the arena alongside Cin and Renais told her enough about how things had gone. She walked over to rejoin her comrades, shoulders hung a little low, catching the last of what Renais was saying.

"...Hey. Ready to leave here whenever. Nothing worth staying here for, not after... that. I don't doubt that's the last we've seen of that bastard, though. Much as I'd hate to be right, he must be either a serious idiot, or have a very good reason to be that... confident."

She sighed, heavily. "Doesn't matter, though. Just so long as nobody wanders off alone."

[scorri]

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

[TheRoon]

"Quiet Harbor inn." Renais spoke up in response to Cin. "Tio and Elisa told me before we parted ways. I don't know where it is exactly, but I'm sure with enough asking around we can reach it just fine, right?" She was still worried about that warrior, but she purged him from her mind for now.

[MRDRHAWK]

Nyx couldn’t hide the burgeoning blush on her cheeks fast enough - though, regrettably, she had to cover her face with her hands to do it. Damn her lack of loose fabric to toss over her face when Syn started getting smooth and getting her redder than a schoolgirl. Thankfully, if anyone asked, she could just say it was the alcohol making her nauseous; anyone that knew Nyx wouldn’t question it… much. Probably.

Though that didn’t quell the internal cries for the warmth Syn provided by just being there. Ironic, given she was an ice mage, but… well, Nyx was frozen by her smile.

“Feels like I shoulda done t’at fer ye, since yer th’proper lady o’th’ two o’us.” Nyx teased, but still found it nice to be treated like one of the fancy dames for once - even if it was by someone who deserved it so much more. “Y’look like a real charmer that way - kinda like one o’dem fancy story princes, but… Y’know. A helluva lot hotter n’em pretty boys.”

Pretty boys weren’t her type, after all. But a pretty lady with an exterior like ice but a heart with more warmth than Nyx had any right to lay claim to? Now that was more her speed.

[GoldsbroTSG]

Four-Hundred Fifty... Wow, that is a lot. But Miria has a smile of confident happiness at the chef being amazed at her 'spicy crab eating' skills. Ingverd took care of it all, and he was ready to head out. Whatever he was doing to Karin, it seemed he was done with it. "Okay, Ingverd, let's go."

She turned to Karin, similarly just being nice, "Thank you Karin, it was delicious." And gave a smile.

[Mercenary on the Winds]

Karin saw the two customers off, realizing that the man left quite a bit more on the table than was necessary. More than the original pricing even. She wanted to say something but she stopped herself. If he wanted to give her more gold for that, then who was she to decline. She collected the gold, putting it into her pocket, and then grabbed their dishes. And for the faintest moment, that idea she had in her head. Her disdain of monsters wavered for a moment. The dispassionate look that had been on her face was different now, frown on her face, creases on her forehead as she thought hard for a moment as if she were recalling a bad memory. She shook her head wistfully, and returned to the restaurant, her evening was over. 

---

With the moon shining down and the people on the streets beginning to thin, the Tigers found their ways back to Quiet Harbor. For some, their nights would end there, for others, their evening continued until well after the Crows had come out to play. Fortunately, nothing occurred tonight. In fact, the residents would wake up tomorrow morning noting that the streets of Eibar had been eerily quiet. Well, except for one incident with a group of crows, and a young couple. Reports say that the Crows flew off after their antics ran afoul of a silver haired gentlemen. Otherwise, all had been well, unusual for Eibar as of late. It was a shame that it was a herald of times to come.  A tall woman--remarkably so--led a group of men and women behind her, all armed with a myriad of weapons. An enormous sword hung from her tanned back, and her dark eyes narrowed as the port began to come into view. 

"Rustal! Get up here!" She shouted, turning back to the group, her sheer presence and voice halting the group. All except one. Rustal stepped forward, his face set in a permanent scowl. His right arm wrapped in bandages. But in his left was yet another pure weapon, gripped so tight that the veins on his hand were visible. 

"Are ye sure they're still in the city?" The woman asked. 

Rustal nodded slowly, "None of our scouts saw them leave, either by boat, or this way. They're still inside." Rustal's voice lacked any of the cocky tones from last night, they were instead replaced with a low tone laced with anger and hatred. The only thing holding him back was the woman in front of him, "They saw fit to test us, Darlunya. Some of our crows even got into an altercation later that night with yet another one of the cursed beings. The other one I told you about."

Darlunya grinned, "Hmph. I'd be interested to see exactly what he thinks he's going to do." She opened her arms, "The Crows don't go down because some mangy pup calls for it. But we can deal with him later... I'm more interested in the kittens from the arena, and the elf that reduced your handiness. You said that they were at Quiet Harbor, yes? When we arrive, I want the Crows to fan out through the city. I want every possible avenue of escape blocked. You will send a messenger to Quiet Harbor, and you'll issue a challenge." Her smile widened, "Not a person messes with the Crows and lives to tell the tale." 

"Of course, Darlunya. Let us purge these abominations from our homes. Ah... what of the general populace?" Rustal hoped that Darlunya would say she didn't care, he had more than half a mind to burn that arena to the ground. Ricardo hadn't stopped the man, he was complicit in this. 

"Keep the upper city twits out of it. But if anyone else sees fit to help the cravens... I suppose no one will miss them. After all, it's happened before, has it not?"

Plans laid out, the black shadow was slowly approaching the waking port city; an angry cacophony of caws, and feathers drawing ever nearer to the unsuspecting city. In search of the Iron Tigers, who the last of should be waking and making their way to the dining room. To figure out plans for the morning, and learn how they were going to begin their journey. 

Edited February 26, 2022 by Mercenary on the Winds

[TheRoon]

Renais was very much awake by the crack of dawn. Her business was more or less concluded so she went down to get some breakfast and saw her fellow Tigers. She simply gave Miria a nod before she approached the table. 'Tio and Elisa are still asleep...must have been a long night in the bath.' She was once again grateful she didn't join them, the cleric wasn't ready to confront her potential meltdown.

Tio also still had her cloak, but oddly enough the more time she spent away from it the more she felt comfortable without it. It was a little bothersome to keep together during windy days. Regardless she took some plates and started to stock up on food, preparing a feast ahead of the Evokers. 'I hope they like what I picked out...eggs, sausages...or maybe pancakes...' She took her time browsing as she tried to decide what to prepare for her idols.

Deal or No Deal

Spoiler

Morning had finally arrived, and despite Renais’ busy day and late night bath she still got up early. Her work ethic in school pretty much trained her to be a morning person. She walked down the inn halls with a purpose, and soon enough she found herself in front of a room that belonged to the man she wished to see. ’...I wonder if this is a bad idea…’ The cleric hesitated for a moment. This man was someone she wanted to avoid given what little she had known about him, but she was desperate at this point. So with a small sigh to herself she gently knocked on the door and waited for Ing to answer.

There was the quiet sound of socked feet against wood, the door slowly cracking open. Ingverd was already awake and perfectly dressed, not even bags under his eyes. “And good morning to you too, Renais… What can I help you with?” Not talking, that’s for sure. Already getting over that sheepishness it seems~

“Good morning.” She returned the greeting as her eyes shifted ever so slightly to the side. She was in her usual outfit too, minus her cloak. “I know you’re a busy man, so I’ll get right to the point.” She turned her eyes back to him. “I require your services, Mr Klir. Do you have a few minutes to hear me out?”

“Mr. Klir, ouch… Please, call me Ingverd. I’m barely older than you.” She was either too respectful or she assumed his heritage painted a younger image than actually was. “I’ve time to hear you, yes… Do you want to speak in the hall, or would you prefer a slight bit more privacy?”

“This is fine, this won’t take long anyway.” She took a small glance down the hall as she said that. “It’s fairly early anyway, I was a little worried you would still be asleep on that note. But that being said...” She turned back. “I know I must sound like a broken record to some, but I’m looking for my missing sister. I was given info recently that she was in Islexia.”

Now that, was curious. “Alright… Looking for your sister in Islexia. We’ll be passing through, so are you sure you don’t want to wait until we’re closer?” For once, Ingverd was initially at a loss. He didn’t know much about Renais on just her name; as far as he was concerned, she was just a Glacies’ magic school graduate. Lost family was important, though, so he could keep an ear out… At a cost. “What are you offering then?”

“I didn’t want to drop this request on you at the last minute. But you can begin your work when we’re closer.” Renais was worried he would turn her down outright, but it seemed like she had his attention. But then came the tricky part: payment. “Mm…” She folded her arms under her chest as she took a minute to think. “...well we’re each being given a good amount for this mission, I’m willing to offer you half of what I earn. What do you say?”

“Heh. Well, I’m afraid you’ve forgotten who exactly is paying you. It’s not the Evokers. Hi~” Hopefully she understood what he was implying. “I’ve got gold in spades, so you’ll have to think of something else. I deal in information so… Perhaps you can think of some of your own to trade.”

“Ah…mm.” That caught her off guard alright. “I guess you’re not just a regular sellsword then, I wasn’t as prepared as I thought I was.” She took another moment to think. “...I’m not sure what I could tell you exactly. I’m just a twenty year old student, recently graduated from a Glacies magic academy. Uh…is there anything specific you’re looking for?”

“I’m just your average twenty one year old spy… I won’t know until you tell me, so, how about this. I’ll do my best to find any information on your sister, and once I have, I’ll tell you~ By that point, you’ll surely have come up with something worth my while… So until then, take your time to think about it. Sounds good?”

That seemed like a reasonable deal all things considered, so Renais gave the man a nod. “It does. Thank you, Ingverd.” She relaxed a little bit. “You’ll need some more to go on though, my source told me she was traveling with an “Alto”. I’m pretty sure that’s just a nickname, but it’s something I guess. I do know it’s another woman though.”

“Alright… Alto, and your sister’s name is?” He was a little curious about who this other source was, but unless Renais offered it, prying would do this conversation no good. He wasn’t sure about her thanking him yet, either. There wasn’t exactly much to go on… I’ll do my best once we hit Islexian soil, but…

“Elizabeth Silvavolke, Liza for short. She is a knight of Kansei, some called her the Platinum Valkyrie. It’s been over a month since we last exchanged letters. She’s fairly tall, a little under your height actually. Silvery hair is her most stand out feature, very pretty woman. She may have an arm injury as well.” 

She took another minute to think to herself as she mumbled to herself. Ing could still hear her fine enough though. “Hmm, I don’t think Mr. Noire gave me a description of this Alto…I know she’s also a woman but that’s mostly it…”

Funny… That sounds exactly like the woman that Jeremiah was looking for– There was Mr. Noire, Ingverd tensing for a moment. Funny indeed… I’m not sure how deep I should look into this, anymore. Ingverd pinched the bridge of his nose, not saying more, but nodding after it all. “Right. If I hear anything about your sister, or this Alto, I’ll make sure to inform you. I’ll see you in the main hall for breakfast, then?”

“Oh, yes of course Ingverd. Thanks again.” She replied after she was taken out of her inner thoughts. “I’ll make sure to think of a suitable payment for you too, you have my word. See you with the others then.” The pinkette gave one last nod to the man before she turned and walked off. ’Well…that was easier than I thought. I don’t know why I was nervous…I don’t know why I’m STILL nervous actually.’ She kept on her way, and did her best to ignore her own heartbeat trying to make itself known to her.

 

[Nanami Touko]

Ingverd had been the first into the room, idly sitting by, a simple breakfast of two eggs on toast and coffee getting him going. His night had been a rather productive one, smiling over most of the things that had happened. One thing had bothered him, but that was something only time could sort out. "I hope you stay inside today, Karin."

Tough Tales and Memories

Spoiler

With the moon bright in the night sky and Miria off on her way, Ingverd turned his attention back towards the restaurant. That woman, Karin, had peaked his interests, not in his usual way. Feelings like those, they don’t come from blind sheeping, especially here in Hecatia… We’re not in the heart of prejudism yet, so why, why, why~? Approaching the restaurant once again, the door was slightly ajar, Ingverd looking in through one of the windows. Cleaning alone? What a rude job~ Slipping inside the slightly open door, but going no further, hoping not to startle her more than he likely already would, he finally spoke up. “Hello, Karin. Mind if we have a chat?”

Karin found herself startled by that voice again, she turned, already knowing it was him. It wouldn’t have been anyone else, and really shouldn’t have been anyone at all, not at this time of night. “...What do you want?” She made it a point to keep her eyes on what she was cleaning. She still didn’t know exactly why she’d done the things she’d done when she was serving them, and she sure as hell didn’t want it to happen again. Not with a Clouded. 

“Hmhm. Well. Let’s not beat around the bush. You’re racist. I’m not here to preach at you, nor attempt to change your mind… But, I am curious. We’re here in Hecatia, far enough, I would think, away from Lufiria, the Islexians, and much closer to Glacies, where Clouded like myself are rather accepted… So how does such a cute waitress like yourself grow such a burning hatred for our kind? If you don’t mind telling me, perhaps over drinks… I’d like to hear it.”

Karin stopped cleaning and turned to face Ingverd, partially against her better judgment, and mostly because she almost couldn’t believe what she was hearing. ”It’s pretty easy as a matter of fact. I can think of any number of reasons, and I doubt that many of your kind are too much better. Why exactly would you care in the first place? Your curiosity is that strong, huh? Then maybe you should go find someone who wants to talk.” Hopefully that would have been enough to deter his questions, and send him away. A Clouded has no reason to understand. Just a fact of life.

“Then tell me those reasons,” he continued to press, not letting it go that easily. “Surely you would want to know why someone you’d never met would hate you despite never having personally wronged them… Right?” He continued to smile, rather pleased with his position in the conversation. Enough pressing would likely get her to blow up at him… And that would shed some light.

Karin scoffed, “Yeah, I suppose I would. Too bad there are so many of them in the world that I couldn’t begin to figure it all out. So why bother?” Karin noticed that none of those feelings were overtaking her like before. She was in complete control of herself, even if the young man was, admittedly, quite attractive. “Humans hate the Clouded and Monsters, and Monsters and Clouded hate the humans. It’s pretty simple to figure out, isn’t it?” 

"Well, that's just the thing, isn’t it? I don't hate you at all; you're rather fetching, since we're being so honest. The girl I was eating with earlier doesn't hate me, nor do I hate her either… So what is it? There must be something, yes? … That offer of a drink is still on the table~ My treat, even if it's expensive."

The elf wasn’t taking no for an answer, and he wasn’t quite getting the hint either. Karin paused a moment, thinking over the offer of a drink. After today’s shift, a drink would have been nice, even if it was from one of them. “...Exceptions exist. But you two don’t prove anything.” Why on Amaranth do you care? I’m one person that you’re probably never going to see, or talk to again. “...Fine. If you want to buy me a drink so badly, I guess we can. It’s your gold, and I don’t have to tell you anything. So don’t get mad when I don’t say anything, got it?” She finished cleaning down the table, and then stared into his pretty red eyes. “Clouded and monsters like you have already taken enough, I don’t want you wasting my time too.” 

"Heh~ Of course, mademoiselle. You don't have to answer anything… Shall we? I'm sure you know the lay of the town much better than myself. And the best places to drink, of course." Taken… Then, this is personal. Better than mob mentality, but it still might have been a larger event. I'm just too curious~ Besides… It's not half bad getting scowled at by a cute girl. Ingverd held the door open for her, bowing slightly. "After you."

Karin sighed as she made her way out of the restaurant pointing to the right, “The quietest place for drinks is this way, especially by now… The Sundown Crows are probably around bothering the other pubs, and I don’t really want to deal with them. Especially for the best now that you’re with me.” The Crows weren’t all that fond of Clouded, a consequence of people like Darlunya and Rustal being so high up, and their prejudice spilling down the ranks. People who may have been quieter about their disdain, or even those who might have been willing to engage were all pulled further away. At least Karin didn’t have to worry about that. “Come on, let’s hurry up before someone gets ideas.” 

"I'm sure we'll get an odd glance or two. It's not often you see two beautiful people out together on a moonlit night." Ingverd remained all smiles, not put off, externally, by her attitude. It would almost be cute, were she not so serious. "These Sundown Crows," he began to ask, starting to follow after her, "I assume they're a mercenary group? Not very fond of Clouded, I take it?" That definitely can't be helping things if a prolific group is spouting such vitriol… Then again, we're on a rather strict mission. Can't stop for every little issue… Hopefully none of the Tigers make this our problem. "Also, what do you prefer to drink, if I might ask? I'm rather partial to a good and aged white wine, myself."

“Yeah… they’re a group of Mercenaries that gained prominence not too long ago. Probably about six months? There was an Islexian band that had grown real strong, the Altair Knights had a lot of trouble with them, and the Sundown Crows proved instrumental in their downfall, or so anyone knows.” Karin kept her eyes open for anyone following or giving them glances, it was late, so the more unsavory folk–including the Crows–would be out and about. “So they practically own the place now. A lot of the folks around here think the Crows are a benefit to have around when it’s really the opposite. But no one’s really interested in dealing with Darlunya. People have tried, but we don’t really see them too much anymore, if you get the idea. …And a white wine is good when I can afford it.” 

"Then white wine you shall have~" The more she spoke about the Crows, the more Ingverd was convinced someone of their group-- Probably that damn full dragon --had already upset one of their members and this was going to become their problem. "So, if a group were to actually deal with them, it would be quite a boon for the city? Hypothetically speaking, of course. I am but one man; dealing with an entire group of seasoned mercenaries is beyond me." It wasn't, but he'd play humble. 

“..I think it would be. They’ve slowly made Eibar worse and worse… I might detest the clouded and monsters, but I at least try to keep it to myself. But with the Crows acting the way they do, the more virulent racists have started coming out of the woodwork. And that’s only getting worse because of whatever’s going on in Islexia; they’re all over the place.” Karin sighed, she really just wanted the clouded and monsters to stay away from her, they’d already taken just about everything from her, and for reasons she could hardly discern. Hating them thoroughly like some of the crows and locals… it was a frightening prospect. “You’d have a tough time dealing with them… and that’s discounting the chance that the Altair Knights might act if something happens to them.” She pushed open a door to a small pub, hardly anyone was inside, the usual. Karin was having a bit of an issue, though. Talking to the clouded was actually enjoyable. 

"Well… I hope someone strong enough comes through to deal with that." Darlunya… You'd best pray we don't run into you before we go to leave. I could spend the night weeding them all out, but… An act of aggression from someone, someone that would likely be assumed Clouded, given their reputation… I fear it would only stir up the citizens. No, they have to be the aggressors, else people will fall back on the current tension of the town. Ingverd’s delighted face hid his troubled thoughts, giving the little dive a few looks over. "Cozy~ I'm sure they serve the best drinks as well… You know, Karin… You're certainly talking a lot for someone so unhappy to be spending time with me. Not a complaint in the slightest; you've a lovely voice and I'm learning quite a lot, but… It is, surprising~"

“...I.” The elf aired the thought that was in her head. He was absolutely right, but he didn’t have to say it out loud. “...Talking about the crows and what they’ve done is just simple.” He’d once again complimented her, she’d been keeping track. She looked away, mostly annoyed, but a tad flustered now. “...Truth be told, talking like this is fun.” With that said, she hurried over to the counter, and looked at the bartender. “Two glasses of white wine… if you have any, I know how things are going around here.” She sighed, Why are you thinking about it? He doesn’t need nor care, and he’s not going to change your mind… Clouded did this to you, to them…

"Your finest, if you would," Ingverd said to the barkeep, fishing three larger gold coins out of his pocket, a total worth of three hundred."The rest is for you to keep, of course. For the trouble~" He didn't know how well the man or the patrons would take to his presence, so it was best to be prudent. "Now, fun, you said. That's quite the delight to hear~ Mm. You said you wouldn't be answering any questions, so let's turn the tables. Ask me anything, Karin, and I'll do my best to answer it."

The elf just made with the payment with nary a thought, Karin just kind of turned and looked at him. She supposed that it made a little sense; he looked fairly highbrow and spoke with a noble’s disposition, but it was still surprising. Anything, huh… “...Why exactly do you care why I don’t like the clouded? I’m just a waitress, one person in a world of… however many. It doesn’t make any sense to me. It doesn’t seem like you’re just in it to get in my pants either. So why?” 

"... Hm." He held a much softer smile, genuinely taking a moment to contemplate how to answer, rather than resort to more flowery verbiage. "I don't… like this gulf, between our races, Karin. We're talking. Just two people. You said you were having fun and without laying it on thick, you've been pleasant company for myself as well… So, I just… I have to know. Issues like this, they aren't as simple as just disliking people for the sake of it. You might be one person, but everything starts for a reason. Like the people of Eibar changing their tunes due to the Crows~" 

He smiled a bit wider, holding her eyes. "I said I wasn't here to preach or convince you of anything… And I'm not. If you hold onto these feelings after tonight, I won't chide you or complain… But, if it isn't too painful, please. Tell me where they grew from? Even if there's nothing I can do to help you, now… Maybe, if I see someone on a similar path, I can step in when it's needed."

There was a long, long pause after his answer. The flowery words were gone, and it was nothing but a genuine want to understand. It was disarming. Enough that Karin forgot for a moment that she was supposed to keep to herself. “...You really want to know?” Karin took a deep breath, and looked around the bar slowly gathering her thoughts. He wasn’t… the same, or like them. “I’m… told it was a Clouded caravan, fleeing from somewhere else in Hecatia. I didn’t use to live here, I lived further in, closer to Islexia. My family and I were amiable with the clouded, we never saw any reason for us to be enemies, even when we had the people around us telling us about the horrors that they would visit upon us.” Karin linked her hands together, “I was… what, sixteen? I had gone to another village to help with things. I came back… to nothing. Nothing but embers. My entire village, my entire family, was gone. Just gone. But there was something there. That caravan of clouded. I will never forget the sheer terror I felt when I saw them, and they saw me. The only thing I understood that night was that they hated us. That… man, held my sister with her neck snapped. And nothing but a grin. They let me run because they didn’t care, what was I going to do? What was anyone going to do? Those are my memories of the Clouded. They took everything from me, and the fact that I’m here is nothing but a stroke of luck.” Karin finished, and realized the tears on her face now and the tears on the counter, “I hate them because they hated us.” 

Another group of Clouded giving us all a bad name… A group of humans might have traumatized her all the same, but no one here would have batted an eye at such a tale. 'I'm sorry for your loss with those bandits, it must have been hard'. Ugh… You didn't deserve this either way, Karin... Ingverd’s mental vent kept his poker face up, a hand slowly placing itself over Karin's. "I'm… I'm sorry. It can't have been easy to tell me all of that-- Here." He'd quickly fished a handkerchief out of his dress shirt's pocket, holding it out for her. "You've better reason than most to be so guarded. Mmm… I'm sure the wine will take some of the edge off. Shall we…?" He did his best to avoid challenging how she was feeling, the delicate emotions in her likely on the verge of spilling were they to be jostled. 

Another pause, and then she accepted the handkerchief from Ingverd, “...I don’t want to hate them. I just… can’t trust them. I’d, spent so much of my life up to that point telling people that they were wrong… that the clouded and monsters… were more like you. That people like you weren’t the exception. But… life taught me otherwise.” She finished wiping her tears as the glasses of wine were placed in front of them. “...I’d rather live in that world where I could look at you, and not see the people who took everything from me. Where I could ask your name, and not feel like I’m betraying their memory. But it’s not the world I get to live in.” 

"Yes… But, you see? I understand now. You aren't doing this to feel superior, or to follow the crowd… You're just, afraid. I think anyone would be, if they had to see their family… Like that." A gentle squeeze of her hand, Ingverd pulled himself back a bit, reaching for his glass and swirling the wine in it slowly. He took a sip and smiled, staring into the liquid for a moment. "Thank you, Karin. For telling me… Mm. It does help me, selfish as that is. If there's… Anything I can do tonight, to perk you up, say the word. Even if that's leaving. I'd much rather see you smile."

Karin couldn’t really clearly think of anything. There was just… too much to think about. Here he was, proof of what she’d always known against the world that she’d always lived in. It was difficult, a little too difficult. “...I, yeah, I think you should go. It’s… not to do strictly with you. I just… can’t right now. But… I do want you to tell me your name. Because I want to remember it, for maybe when I can believe.”

"Mmm… My name." How forthcoming did he want to be with this? He didn't want to chance getting her into trouble if anyone dug deep enough to follow where his name had popped up, but… "I'll have to lean in close to tell you. Is that alright? I… Hmhm. It's just, a little dangerous… If anyone else were to hear."

“...No, that’s fine then. If you… can’t tell me normally, then… I won’t worry about it.” Apprehension overtook Karin’s words. Even if the man felt like someone she could genuinely trust… he was still a Clouded. And who knew what dangers his secret name could visit upon her. She simply just wanted to live her life. That had been all she’d ever wanted. 

"Then, you can call me Ingverd. One day… When all this has blown over, this… Tension, between countries, I'll stop by. I hope you'll be happy to see me, Karin… And thank you. Once again~" He held a wry smile, getting up and making for the door. He could only hope she had it in her to make peace with her demons.

Karin let Ingverd walk all the way to the door in silence. It was a long moment. “...Ingverd.” The name was heavy on her lips, “...Thank you. I… I hope this tension disappears.” She couldn’t say if she’d be happy to see him, or not. She didn’t know. But there was one thing she could do. She did the best she could with the confusion still swirling inside of her, and smiled, a genuine smile. “...Good luck.” 

"Hah~ Heh… I'll need it." The night air felt a little colder when he left, now on his own. There was one place left he had to stop by before turning in, though. "Darlunya, is it… You wouldn't happen to have a rather conceited underling by the name of Rustal, would you~?" He asked no one, heading towards the arena. Idle chatter from the group that had come back told him enough, and he had some frustrations he needed to take out on a deserving party. I guess it's our problem.

She seemed smart enough to take care of herself, so he would try his best to not worry and focus on killing the fleas that were about to gather at their doorstep. Hopefully Alriana was ready to go for that as well... The lizard had been a curious one the night before. He'd keep an eye on her during the battle, see how well she could keep her emotions in check.

Murder Withheld

Spoiler

It was a quiet night, a bit of a chill, but nothing too bothersome. Ingverd had left Karin to her devices, planning an excursion towards the arena to deal with a few problems… That was, until he heard the faintest shuffling of claws against tile. He glanced up, and moon or no moon, that white glint was impossible to miss. “... Alriana?” It couldn’t be anyone else. He turned his head to get a better look and sure enough, there she was, crawling across the nearby roof. “Mind telling me why you’re up there?” he called out, approaching the building.

Alriana had parted from the arena group and, as she had wanted to earlier in the day, scaled one of the buildings near effortlessly. Though, her intentions this night were much less innocent than her wanting to help her companions find the local arena. Now she sought a particular man whom she’d promised to kill the next time she laid eyes on him. She thought she was moving quietly, but not enough it seemed. Of all the people to spot her it had to be the cocky swordsman. She stared down at him, studying him, before finally speaking. “...Hunting.”

He opened his mouth to talk, but no words came out, gawking at Alriana and her claim. “I… Ahahah… Hunting. I see. Can you hunt down here? Please? I really don’t want anyone sending off for the town guard if they catch you… I’m heading to the arena. Care to join me?” You’ve already been there once today, but maybe you’d enjoy watching this time… Especially given what I learned of what happened earlier.

“Mrrrr…” A low growl left her lips, staring hard at him as she wrapped her tail around a foothold and draped herself over the building. Still not on the ground, rather hanging upside down, she huffed. “Why all you worried about be on roof. Only weird like you can see or hear me. Especially at night.”

“Are you… Aly.” He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose tightly. “We’re worried because we care about you, Aly. Even if the chances of someone spotting you are low, it’s dangerous here. Especially if one of the people from the mercenary group stationed here saw you, alone. You’ll take out some of them, I’m sure, but… Even you can be overwhelmed.” It was a little ridiculous having to explain this to an upside down lizard, but he was doing his best. “Where were you going to… hunt… anyway?”

“Mrrrr…” Another growl, though half-hearted this time. “Fine… Get off roof.” She pushed off the wall and, with a flip and well-timed release of her tail, landed on her feet in front of the half-elf. “Walking on ground bad for hunting. Can’t see well, especially in city like this. Was going to arena. Have promise to fulfill.” She figured that was vague enough, he shouldn’t have known what had gone down earlier in the day.

“Oh, a promise at the arena? It wouldn’t have to do with someone named Rustal, would it?” He smiled as they walked, hands behind his back, leaning over a bit to compensate for her height. “It just so happens that I have business with him as well… I need to give him a message to send to his boss.”

Her eyes widened in surprise then narrowed, regarding him with suspicion. “How you know that name? You weren’t at arena earlier.” She stared at him hard, trying to get a read on him to no avail. “Him give message might be problem. Promised to kill next saw. Not let him see first.” Just for a moment she flashed her teeth, glinting slightly in the moonlight. “Bite sword earlier, not miss this time.”

Always those teeth… They were her most frightening feature, but it was alluring all the same. “I spoke with Cinaed. He explained a lot of what happened at the arena… So I’ve got a few things to, tell, Rustal. As for your promise… Can it wait until tomorrow, Alriana? Please?” He hoped that he didn’t have to explain this to her, but he would if she wouldn’t agree.

“Mrrrr… Of course that dragon tell all.” She huffed, frustrated. “Why promise need wait? He only get more prepared longer alive. Make sense to snuff problem.” She hadn’t clued into what Ingverd was implying, though that was more so due to her lazer-focus on fulfilling her promise and restoring her pride. “What you going to tell him, anyway?”

“I need him to be alive so he can send a message to his boss… That a group in town is going to deal with them.” It was difficult to want to explain his plans. He preferred to work in vagues and implied wordings, but Alriana wasn’t going to get those, it seemed. “And the reason I need you to wait until tomorrow is because I want them to attack us first. The people in this town are currently being influenced by the mercenary group he belongs to, the Sundown Crows.” He’d leaned in closer, whispering now.

“If we kill one of their members, it will give them justifiable reason to attack us in broad daylight and claim it as an act of self defense for attacking their group… Consequently, if this Rustal is as terrible as he seems, he’ll go back and spur them on to attacking us first, letting us kill them without any complaint~ Do you understand?”

“Mrrrrhhh…” Alriana stared at him hard, thinking hard about Ingverd’s plan. It’d come up plenty from both Laniva and Cinaed, and now Ingverd too, that acting on her own whims would only inconvenience the Tigers as a whole. Waiting until they were at least in the right by the populace to kill them, though she really only cared about Rustal, made sense. She didn’t like it, but it made sense. 

Despite that… “Still want, make him pay. For earlier. But kill if see…” There had to be some alternative, the lizard just didn’t have the experience. She sighed, not making any progress on her alternate ideas. “Will wait, for Tigers’ sake. Even if not want to.”

 “That’s a good girl…” He hadn’t realized he’d be dealing with a bomb like this on his way, glad that he managed to defuse it before they arrived. If Alriana had gone off and killed the man, completely painted them as the horrible Clouded the Crows claimed them as, well. It would’ve been rather difficult for them to work through. “Now, I’m going to the arena to see just how good this Rustal really is… And deal with him, just a little bit. You can watch, if you like~”

“...Will watch. Make sure you win.” Those were the words she had left for Ingverd now that he’d, to her benefit, spoiled her plans. “Least you can do.” Though, she had no reference for how good a fighter the half-elf was. He’d proven himself quick on his feet on the boat but she’d yet to see him swing that sword of his.

“Aly… There’s no backwater mercenary that can handle themselves against me. I know you didn’t get to see any of it, since you were all dealing with the pirates above deck, but, why do you think there weren’t any reinforcements from that southern ship~?” He smiled wider this time, eyes squinting some, a bit of his murderous intent leaking out. “Rustal will never forget what I’m about to do to him… It’ll spur on those Crows incredibly well~”

“Mrrr…” There was that cockiness again, even if it was, probably, deserved if his claims were true. She shivered, instinctually, under his gaze, the hair on the back of her neck standing on edge. Though she had no reason to fear him, she well understood his intent and somehow knew there was strength backing up his confidence. “W-Well, make sure it bad. Deserve worse than what you do.”

“Hmhmhm. He doesn’t need all of his fingers.” Intent laid plain, Ingverd straightened his back out again, heading towards the arena. “Onwards, to battle~”

The late night was often when the arena slowed down; afternoon into early evening tended to be the best time for the action, and today had been no exception. That group of three clouded had been the talk of the evening, and then there was the other dragon not too long after. Ricardo surmised that she was also from that same group. Despite only the dragons making it all the way through the gauntlet, Ricardo could tell that they were all quite capable, perhaps even strong enough to deal with the Crows should things come to blows. No, there was no should, they would come to blows if Rustal’s mood was any indication. Losing to one dragon was bad, the 2nd one took a chunk out of his pride, especially when he’d had her dead to rights, and gloated it away. Now… he had to deal with this nightmarish swordsman who’d just walked through the others as if they weren’t even there. 

He wanted to watch Rustal get torn apart, but he heard footsteps behind him, and turned to see the lizard girl from earlier, and an… elf? He looked like an elf, but something didn’t feel elfish about him. “Well, well. Glad to see that you’re doing okay there… Alriana, I believe your name was? I tend to remember the names of good fighters.” Ricardo flared his tense wings as he looked over at Ingverd, and the sword at his hip, “Brought a friend, huh? Are you looking to challenge the gauntlet?”

"Ah! Hello my good man. Why yes, I am~ My name is Ingverd Klir; a pleasure to meet you." Ingverd quickly took and shook the man's hand, smiling as politely as he could fake right now. "I just so happen to be the employer of the fine people that visited your arena earlier, and, pardon me, but I'm absolutely livid," he suddenly grit out between his smiling lips, "with one of the fighters at your establishment… Now, of course! I've heard from people around town that this isn't your fault, rather the fault of the Sundown Crows, so I'm here to make… An example. Shall we say. Something that will send a message. I'll pay, of course, but I'd like to ask for no winnings… Just the floor, once it comes to that~ Would that be alright?" Ingverd’s true intentions had slipped out rather blatantly as he spoke, his smile a pleasantry, his eyes narrow, and the hand gripping his sword hilt was tight. Tight even to turn his knuckles white.

Ricardo’s face slowly turned from a grin to a neutral face as the man–now known as Ingverd–revealed his aims tonight. Not to strictly challenge the gauntlet, but to set an example, on Rustal. He looked at Alriana, before looking back at Ingverd, “...I hope you know what you’re saying. The message you’re wanting to send is only going to get the Crows wanting to peck out your eyes. Unless… that’s what you’re after?” Ricardo remembered himself telling Cinead that if they were going to fight, they needed to have the element of self defense. If Ingverd was their employer he’d probably gotten that bit of information. He paused for a moment; it would be pretty difficult for him to explain away his own involvement in this should he let Ingverd do as he pleased. If they ended up losing to the Crows, they’d almost definitely come for him too, but on the other hand, Rustal and the Crows getting knocked down a peg, or worse, was better for almost everyone. Ricardo sighed, “...Alright. I’ll take your terms, but you’re gonna have to wait a bit. Someone walked in just a little before you. If he continues at the rate he was going, you won’t have to wait long. Come back down here when he’s done, and we’ll let you loose… Also, I lied, you won’t have to pay me for this.” A smirk came across Ricardo’s face, “Seeing Rustal fucked up is more than enough for me.”

"Heh. Alright, we'll wait. In the meantime," Ingverd fished out a platinum coin, placing it in Ricardo’s hand and closing his fingers over it. "This is insurance, and a start up fund. Let's be realistic. Whether or not I do this, the Crows are coming after our group. A bunch of Clouded and Monsters making their presence known in Eibar, stirring up the arena, defeating a prolific member… I just want to guarantee it, and that coin, my friend, is for you and your men to equip yourselves." He patted Ricardo on the shoulder, moving past him just a little as he continued to talk.

"I'm sure Cinaed mentioned it to you. Power vacuum and all that. We won't be looking to just hurt them…" He smiled wider, sliding a finger across his throat."However! I need Rustal alive for  this to go off, so I won't be committing a murder in your arena tonight. Is Rustal right handed, or left?" The only information he hadn't been able to pry out of Cinaed.

Ricardo visibly recoiled at the platinum coin, his gaze rebounding between it and Ingverd. “...Who the hell are you, and how the hell do you have this kind of money to throw around?” He let that question air, realizing that it didn’t really matter to him, nor did he believe that he would tell him truthfully. “Asking us to arm ourselves for the vacuum that forms, eh? I got you, I’m sure the group won’t mind; this place is our home so having to pick up our weapons to defend it is the least we can do.” Ricardo slowly understood why Ingverd asked Rustal’s hand preference, “The guy’s… relatively good with both hands, but he’s a righty. In fact… you should probably go watch the guy who showed up before you. Rustal should be fighting him now, if you want some insight into how to better take him apart.” 

Ricardo sighed, “Hey. I know you’re not exactly doing this for us, but thanks all the same. Rustal and the Crows are a blight on Eibar. Celine Altair would have dealt with them already, but she’s already overwhelmed. I can promise that should things go bad, we’ve got your back.”

He didn't even address the question asking who he was. "Oh contraire, my finely feathered friend… You can give your thanks to Karin. If she's brave enough to handle your approach… I've got plenty of reasons to be doing this for all of you, as well as for us. As for Rustal… He'll be left handed by morning~"

Ingverd managed a small chuckle, taking another step towards the entrance, before holding out a hand for Alriana. "Shall we, Aly? I'd like to see who's putting Rustal so finely in his place."

Alriana watched silently as Ingverd introduced himself, save for a nod to confirm her name and that she was mostly okay. Ingverd wasted no time in explaining his plan to Ricardo and the man slowly went from cautious to hopeful; though, she had to wonder how much that platinum coin he’d slipped the arena master mattered in that mood shift. Or if it had mattered at all, given how the man had reacted upon seeing it. Motivations beyond her understanding were at play and, at least in the moment, she wanted to watch Rustal get taken down more than understand the context of this conversation. “Yes. I want see too.”

Ingverd stared plainly at his open, empty hand for a moment, before shrugging towards Ricardo and sighing. "Alright, Aly. Let's go watch a fight." One of these days. 

Leading his lizard friend into the viewing stands, the arena was slightly empty, though he chalked that up to how late it was… and who else would it be down there, but Chris… Fighting against a very tired looking Rustal.

"Of course… Who else?"

“Stop… Running around… and draw your damned sword!” Rustal spat out, between breaths. Ever since he’d crushed that lizard his night just kept getting worse and worse. First the ice wielding dragon, and now this idiot who wasn’t even really fighting him. “Stop running! Fight me, so I can be done with you!” 

“You'd have to hit me to be done with me. You're nooot doing the greatest job with that." Chris on the other hand was enjoying himself, but only a little. It had been a bit of a restless evening; Marianne crashed after performing and a sweet or two, and he’d had too much on his mind to just sit around. So he'd left her to sleep, and wandered the streets hoping to clear his thoughts. He remembered there being an arena and figured that a bit of practice would probably be enough… and then stumbled upon the “Lufirian Smiter.” He knew Hecatia wasn't the best, but this was the most blatant display of prejudice he'd seen in a little while. Listening to Ricardo, and learning who the man was, he couldn't not pay the man a visit. He'd heard of the Sundown Crows, and it was in anything but a positive light. He wasn't impressed, and figured that the man was all bluster. So he hadn’t even bothered to draw the sword he’d been given, and was content to dance around his wild strikes. He swung again, and Chris simply stepped to the side, patting him on the back as he flew past. “You’re supposed to be famous around here? Or is it because your prejudice is dripping from every orifice? You're not going to lose to a dancer, are you?"

“Shut! Up!” Rustal had no clever quips, or retorts, or anything. He couldn’t even threaten him. He was just toying with him, a damned Lufirian! “You, and people like you, don't deserve to exist with the rest of us. So hold still and let me kill you!” Rustal spun around and started swinging recklessly, no thought or plan, just blind rage. A far cry from the measured strikes when he fought earlier. 

All Ingverd could do was smile. "Beautiful. Aly, watch closely. Pay attention to Chris, try to follow him. You can learn a lot from this."

“Mhhm? How so?” She was much more focused on Rustal than their brief companion from the ship. “Watch how dodge, or more than that?” The man was fast, much more so than Rustal, able to evade the man’s fevered swings with minimal effort. Was there really much to learn from there?

"Yes, yes, his footwork! Spending all the effort he needs to dodge incoming swings, no wasted energy. Wonderful. Terrifying. It's incredibly impressive…" Ingverd was barely paying any attention to Rustal, far too focused on how well Chris was doing.

Chris was just counting the strikes in his head. He didn’t really have to do anything extreme to avoid Rustal’s attacks, they were as obvious as his hatred towards monsters and clouded. It left a bad taste in his mouth that someone as disgusting as Rustal also wielded a sword. Chris dodged another strike, and pushed Rustal away, “Alright, I think you’ve wasted enough of our time. You can’t even connect, surrender. I don’t need my sword to deal with you.”

Rustal stumbled away and whirled around with near animalistic anger. He couldn’t take it anymore. Being looked down on by a Lufirian, one who entered his arena, and refused to fight him. Then he had the nerve to ask him to surrender. Rustal gripped his sword, “Fuck you. Fuck you, fuck the dragon, fuck every single one of you abominations! I am a Sundown Crow! I would end you if we weren't in the arena! But that’s fine. I’ll still make sure that you remember my name when I put my sword through your gut!” Rustal dropped all pretenses of an arena bout, and rushed towards Chris with every aim of making good on his threat. “I will never surrender to filth like you.” He thrust with all of his might in one last ditch effort.

Chris just sighed, “Thanks for offering.” Rustal charged straight in not even bothering to defend himself, and held his blade haphazardly, simple to abuse. Chris kicked him in the stomach, and disarmed Rustal in the same motion. Rustal had barely touched the ground, when Chris had the man’s sword at his throat, poking just enough to draw blood. “Told you. Why bother using my sword when you were just going to give me yours?” Chris had half a mind to just finish it right then and there. He had just tried to seriously kill him after all, self defense wouldn’t be too hard to call. “You’re very lucky that my job requires me to be elsewhere, or you, and your friends wouldn’t exist too much longer. For your usage, my name is Chris.” Chris gave Rustal a smile, before removing the sword from his throat. “I take threats against clouded and monsters alike very seriously as a Lufirian Knight. Be sure to tell your boss that, and hope that we don’t see each other again.”

“How the fuck… You can’t…” Rustal said, his eyes not matching the quivering in his voice now. He suddenly couldn’t move. Only his mouth and eyes seemed to work. “I, I surrender… I, fuck you. What do you… know about the boss?” Did this man know her? He mentioned her without a care in the world. Who the fuck are you? The fuck do you mean Lufirian Knight? Rustal looked towards the healers, who hadn’t started moving towards him to check on him. Damn it. Damn it! Damn it! I hate this… I hate you! All of you! He could only glare at Chris, even as his hands shook.

Without another word to him, Chris left the arena with Rustal’s sword in tow. Chris wondered if telling Rustal who he is was too much. Even if he expected Rustal to run to his boss, unless he stuck around, his threat wasn’t much more than hot air. For the moment at least; he didn’t mind returning here should things in Amaranthe go well, and if the Crows were still around, he and Marianne would make sure they weren’t. Ricardo mentioned that Darlunya may have had ties to the Hecatian underworld; that alone would have been enough to urge Chris into the arena to speak with Rustal. If only I wasn’t supposed to be elsewhere… cursed traffickers. Chris handed the ingrate’s blade off to Ricardo, outside, “I’ve done what I wanted to. I’ll just take my winnings as is, and watch the next round if you don’t mind.”

Ricardo had watched, and found himself impressed that Chris went through all of that, still without a scratch on him. “...Bunch of people after Rustal today. First you, and then elf…” He handed Chris a bag of gold, “I’m handing out so much gold today… You picked a good round to stick around for, well, ‘round,’ someone’s here to pick a bone with Rustal.” 

“Oh?” Chris chuckled, “I suppose the weight of Rustal’s racism has finally collapsed on top of him.” Chris did feel a bit bad about Ricardo handing out so much gold, and had half a mind to return his winnings. But having extra in case Marianne’s problem flared on the way seemed like a good idea. Elf was interesting though, he wondered if it was Ingverd. Then he remembered what Rustal said about a dragon. It was possible that it was him. Chris had questions but whether he’d speak with him or not was another deal. But, he was interested to see what exactly he wanted with Rustal. Chris left the waiting room, and headed towards the stands.

"Hah! You bastard! You've shown me up before I even get to try, hahaha!" Ingverd was holding a smiling face in one hand, shaking his head slowly, impressed and slightly bothered with Chris' performance. "I can't exactly do better than that… Goodness. Mmmm… Well, Aly, did you learn anything? Are you excited to see me hurt this man~?"

“Better to watch opponent, easier dodge if predict strike. Also, Chris strong.” That was what she had learned watching the Lufirian swordsman. As she had watched, a small smug smirk had appeared on her face, clearly enjoying Rustal’s helplessness. If Ingverd could offer the same sense of satisfaction, all the better. “Mhm. Yes. Make him regret, fighting.”

"Heh… You're almost cute when you're bloodthirsty." Ingverd pushed himself away from the edge of the viewing stands and walked back towards the entrance… running right into Chris, putting on his friendliest smile.

"Chris! Fancy seeing you here~ Came to play in the garbage some, I see… A shame, though, you didn't take out any of the trash. Good show, at least."

It was immediate, Ingverd almost running directly into him. But almost immediately, Chris noticed that the sunny disposition that Ingverd usually carried himself with was… murky. Chris shrugged in acknowledgement, “I guess I was right, Rustal was talking about one of the Tigers dragons, and Ricardo was talking about you.” Chris’s face remained neutral, “So you’re going to talk with Rustal, are you? Judging by that smile, and what you said; I don’t think talking is really what you’re up to, now is it?” He had questions for Ingverd, but he sighed, they could wait. He offered a smile, “Of course I didn’t. I don’t like leaving something like this half done, and with Marianne and I leaving in the morning… I don’t think I’d “clean” up enough so to speak. But I have an inkling that suits you just fine. Let’s see what you have in mind… and if you’re still around I’d like to ask you something.” Chris winked at Ingverd, “Good luck, otherwise.” He pat the elf on the shoulder, and moved to a seat.

"I'm afraid I won't be around for too long. Have a woman to entertain, you see. Don't prod her too much, by the way, she's quite the curious creature… Prod her the wrong way and you might lose a finger~" Chris' comments on cleaning were hitting the mark, so there wasn't much else to say. "I hope you enjoy the show~"

He passed by Ricardo and headed into the arena proper… He had a few eggs to crack before he could make this omelette.

The healers had only just left Rustal when another silver haired man walked into the arena. Though, this one was an elf. Rustal stood up, “The fuck are you? Ricardo hasn’t called another challenge, yet. Get out of here before things start happening.” The man from before had taken his sword after he’d thoroughly embarrassed him with it. “Ricardo! Throw me that sword.” Rustal needed a win, somewhere, anywhere would do at this point after like that. “So what fuck is a pretty boy like you doing in here? You with that Lufirian? You better leave. That bitch and whoever he’s with are going to get a Crows welcome, and I don’t think you want to be a part of that.” Rustal realized that the man hadn’t stopped moving towards him, and almost appeared to be ignoring his threat. The hell is with all these Lufirians and Clouded?! What is wrong with all of you?! Why don’t you fear me? I am your better! His night kept getting worse. 

What a treat! A taste before the meal. "Hello… Rustal. Darlunya hasn't been tugging tight enough on your leash, it seems." Ingverd wasted no time getting up in his face, all smiles. "I need you to understand one thing, and one thing only, you insignificant spec of a man: I'm doing this to drag out the important people, the person you work for, no one else and especially not you. You are dirt. You are less than dirt. You're what the worms leave behind after they're done eating. I'm going to break you, I hope you understand. So please. Please. Run back to your Crows. Run back and tell them who maimed you. I want this, so, so badly… See you in the pit~" With a wave and a scoff, Ingverd turned and walked into the arena.

Rustal felt his body run cold as the man started talking, it was like air had cooled by several degrees just from his presence. There was an unmistakable, horrific feeling of dread running throughout Rustal’s body. His threats had been words, but this man’s words felt tangible, each one connecting with Rustal’s being. He’d gone to open his mouth to recapture control, but no sooner had he, the elf turned and marched into the arena. The dread inside of Rustal turned to fury, the chill to boiling anger. “Ricardo. Give. Me that sword. I’ve had it tonight. I’ll kill him, and then I’ll kill the Lufirian, and then I’ll find those dragons, and anyone else. Who DARES to try and intimidate me.” He marched over and ripped the sword out of Ricardo’s hand, the only thing keeping him from charging after the elf was that the first match had already begun. 

Chris looked for the lady that Ingverd had mentioned, and his eyes fell on the leathery skinned lizard from the boat. She’d brought him another set of questions. Even he had no idea what she was, and Ulara was known for its wide variety of clouded and monsters. But when he thought he found a possibility something popped up that made it implausible. “Aha, so Ingverd was referring to you, was he?” Ingverd’s last comment did pique a bit of interest, and a bit of wariness, “Come to cheer Ingverd on as he makes Rustal regret his sad existence? Interesting way to spend an evening with a friend.” 

Alriana turned to look at Chris, not that interested in watching Ingverd fight anyone aside from Rustal. “Yes. Only one with Ingverd right now. Must be me.” The smirk had faded from her face, now only wearing her standard blank expression. “Was going kill Rustal later, but Ingverd want me to wait. This next best thing.” Even she had sense enough to not openly talk murder, but with the crowds’ focus on Ingverd, and the wide berth they’d given her, she figured she could get away with it. “Your fight also good watch. How get so strong?”

The surprise was evident on Chris’s face, and in his tilted head, “...That’s probably not something you should be saying openly, but I guess we are the only two in earshot.” He stood up, and moved to the railing, close, but not too close to her. “I’m guessing a part of Ingverd’s issue with Rustal–aside from the painfully obvious–has something to do with why you’re intent on killing him.” Her next question was a simple one at least, “A lot of practice. Lufiria will make sure that you get good at surviving, and with what I do, I’m often in the thick of it, so to speak. Speaking of which… where are you from, and what’s your name?”

“Cinaed told him what happen early, apparently.” The lizard huffed, crossing her arms. “Beat in arena, then gloated over me.” Even just recalling the event visibly agitated her, tail slapping against the seats some. “Should’ve bite hand, only got sword. Least Ingverd take fingers.” She couldn’t help but grumble, still not entirely pleased with tonight’s events. “Mhhh… From Lufiria. Name, Alriana. You, Chris. Ingverd tell.”

Oooookay. Bloodthirsty, I’ll keep that in mind. Hearing that Rustal gloated over victory sounded perfectly in line for him. Rustal seemed like the type to gloat over taking a child’s toy, and then smashing it. But Alriana’s anger was… pronounced for that. But Chris’s surprise continued as Alriana said exactly what he’d been thinking, “So… you’re from Lufiria? Strange…” Chris wondered if poking the point was safe, he wasn’t exactly interested in dealing with something that could, allegedly, bite through a sword. But it was worth the effort, and if she’d struggled with Rustal, getting away from her shouldn’t be difficult. “If you don’t mind me asking… What are you, or do you know? I’m Lufirian too, and I’ve met many monsters, and clouded of various types… and not a single one matches you.”

Alriana stared hard at Chris, as if making a point of it, before she continued speaking. “Everyone ask that when hear from Lufiria. I’m a Monster. Not that hard to figure out.” A bit of a stonewall of a response, but the lizard was slowly becoming annoyed at answering the same question to everyone that took an interest in her. Besides, it was no more than she actually knew.

Chris internally sighed, happy that she’d just answered instead of anything else. But her answer was telling; either she didn’t want to tell him, which was possible, or she genuinely didn’t know. “...If it wasn’t that hard to figure out, I wouldn’t have asked. But I apologize for doing so.” He kind of wished that Soleanna was here about now; the girl was just short of a walking library, so she’d probably have a better go of figuring things out. He wondered if she was doing better now. “Kind of surprised that you’re not watching Ingverd go through his rounds. He seems to enjoy your presence, are you two friends, or are you just here to watch the carnage?” Probably best to walk away from the pointed questions, back to small talk. 

“Don’t care except for Rustal fight. He cocky and smug… Annoying. Not friend.” At least, he wasn’t to her. The half-elf still rubbed her the wrong way even after some time to think on their encounter on the boat. He was friendly, and not a terrible person, but something almost instinctual told the lizard to be wary of him. That didn’t mean she didn’t appreciate what he was doing here, just that he’d yet to earn the title of friend.

That response had been interesting. She didn’t seem to think too highly of Ingverd. “You don’t know it yet, but he does have some license to be as cocky and smug as he is. I do get that it’s annoying though, I have to deal with it often.” Thoughts of Marianne drifted through his head; she had every right to be as confident and smug as she was, but he did wish she toned it down sometimes. There was one glaring thing to Chris, and it had stuck all throughout their conversation. “Alriana… I’m not going to say that you shouldn’t detest Rustal. He’s a bastard that the world would be better off without. But you need to be careful about becoming blind to everything else aside from a goal. Because you’ll end up missing something very important if you do, and that might get you, or someone you care about hurt.” He looked back over to the rounds; it looked like Ingverd was just about through to his target. “Eyes forward, your show’s about to begin.” 

“Mrrrr…” Alriana couldn’t help but grumble as Chris excused the way Ingverd acted, deserved or not. Her tail rolled and flicked, not unlike an annoyed cat. “He could still, turn down behavior.” As the conversation turned more serious the lizard calmed somewhat, her more pronounced motions coming to a stop. “What there to miss? Already told why wait, agree even if not like. Ingverd told keep open mind and experience what place has offer. This place just has… This, to offer.” Though the feeling burning inside her was undoubtedly hate, Alriana lacked the knowledge of the word to properly express herself. With Chris’ instruction she turned her attention back to the ring, eagerly anticipating what Ingverd had promised.

The rounds preceding Rustal had been rather sad. Only the mage before him even chanced to strike at him, but hadn’t managed to do anything of note. For the best, he didn’t want to break much of a sweat before he got to put down this mad dog. Idly spinning his sword, he watched the man approach the arena’s pit, smiling properly. “I’m glad you didn’t run away! It’s good to know that burning hatred inside you has a spine, even if you don’t… Come on then.” Ingverd sheathed his sword, holding his hands out wide. “Come and get me~”

Rustal stormed out of the waiting area, death in his eyes. The man had almost mirrored the Lufirian from before, trashing every single fighter before him without any effort at all. And he’d sheathed his sword. Again… was he watching the Lufirian from before? Were they related in some manner? Rustal had nothing to say, he’d exhausted his words with Chris. He was tired of being played with. He wanted blood. One step, two steps, faster and faster, Rustal broke out into a run, sword drawn. He wasn’t running from this. Rustal swung in a wide arc to cover for the footwork of the swordsman from before, but the elf didn’t move. Rustal hesitated a moment. Was he serious? Was he really just going to–Rustal felt his body moving again. Truth was, he didn’t care. If the elf was going to take the hit, then he was going to make it hurt. Die. Die… Rustal slashed at Ingverd’s arm, not bothering to cover himself from a counter. 

Ingverd didn’t bother dodging, the sword cutting deep across his right arm. He flinched slightly from the strike, pain not something he could completely ignore, but in the split second that Rustal’s strike finished, Ingverd’s left arm had pulled his sword back out and cut Rustal across his chest, sending the man sprawling back several feet. In the same flourish, he swung the blood off, did another spin, and sheathed it again, standing there, opening his arms again. “Is that all? Come on. All that gusto, all that rage. Surely there’s more to you in there… That can’t be all.”

Rustal never even saw what hit him. All he knew was that he was thrown backward, almost as if there was a shield about him. When Rustal got eyes on again, the elf was in that same, infuriating, open arm pose. The gash on his chest had to be from a sword… but when had he even… Rustal found his stance again, and heard Ingverd’s taunting. “You don’t… get to look down on… someone like me.” His words were low, none of the bravado or snide quips from before. Raw hatred gave form to the words that formed on his lips. “I’ll see… you, and everyone you care about burn on a pyre.” His words were followed with a maniacal shout, and a forward rush. If Ingverd was going to stand there, then there was no reason to target an arm. Aim for the fucking head. The moment he was in range, he swung in a wide arc, it was probably the most accurate his blade had been all evening. He wanted him dead. 

Ingverd stood there, sighing. Brace yourself, system. He did his best to lean up, just enough for Rustal’s sword to cut into his shoulder. It was a spike of pain, one that he didn’t really want, but he was here to prove a point, send a message, and scare the fuck out of this man. So after his split second wide eyed moment and the huff he let out, Ingverd grabbed the worm’s sword, a tight grip pulling it clean out of Rustal’s hands. “I guess that was all.”

A kick suddenly met him, sending him to the floor of the arena, Ingverd kicking him in the stomach, before rolling him onto his back. “Alright, Rustal. We’re going to play a game. The game is called… ‘How Many Fingers Does the Racist Keep?’. Here’s how it works~” He pulled his sword out and stamped a foot onto the man’s back, stabbing the blade into the ground right in front of his right hand. “Who do you work for? How many of you are there? What are they equipped with? And… Tell me, plainly, how worthless, useless, and powerless you are~”

Again, Rustal found himself without a sword, and at the mercy of his opponent. Only this time, his blade had connected, but it was almost like there was no effect. That the man felt no pain. He wasn’t like the swordsman from before at all, and he punctuated it by going even further. His blood was supposed to have run cold, but he was guided exclusively by hatred, and fury at this point. “You already know that I’m a Sundown Crow! How many of us are there? Enough to send you back to the pit that you spawned out of! Get your foot off of me you, ingrate!” Rustal tried to force Ingverd’s foot off him, completely ignoring his threat. “Return my sword so I can end you!”

“Woooow, those were all wrong answers! Looks like your prize is NONE!” he growled and with a hefty swing, he took Rustal’s right hand off completely! “Ricardo told me you could use the left well enough! Tell Darlunya I said hello, mongrel. I’ll see you tomorrow morning, I hope… Thank you, such for an entertaining night~” Calmly reaching over and collecting the man’s hand so the healers couldn’t get to it, Ingverd waved to the small crowd as he walked to leave the arena, letting Rustal to his screams.

Somehow he knew that the elf wasn’t joking, but it took the searing pain he now felt for him to understand the gravity of it all. He screamed louder than he’d ever had before. He turned, and saw, or didn’t see his hand. Ingverd quickly walking away. Rustal tried to steel himself through the pain. That bitch stole his hand! “Give… that, back!” Rustal forced himself to his feet, and tried to chase after the elf. Even as his brain was now telling him to flee, to get away from him. “Bastard, you…” 

The fight was… grim. Chris never took his eyes off Ingverd, if he wanted to send a message, there was no clearer one to have sent. He didn’t bother fighting Rustal. In fact, Chris decided that calling that a fight was a disservice to anyone who fought in the arena. That was an example, where Ingverd’s only goal was to show Rustal just how powerless he actually was. Punctuated by Ingverd taking the fool’s hand, both figuratively, and literally. If it had been anyone else, Chris would have already stopped the fight himself, but it was Rustal. He said it to Alriana, and meant it; he was a man that the world was better off without. Rustal’s screams weren’t anything new to him. He kept a very close eye on Alriana since it seemed like she didn’t understand what Chris had meant. She hated Rustal, and it didn’t seem she had the knowledge to understand that. So I guess she wasn’t the only one who was bloodthirsty, huh Ingverd? I wonder what Jeremiah would have thought to see that. He thought a moment longer, and decided, he probably wouldn’t have let Rustal live. 

Even if Ingverd could take it, Alriana couldn’t help but flinch as Rustal’s sword sunk into the half-elf. It wasn’t as though she was unaccustomed to bloody sights, but what Ingverd was doing ran contrary to everything she knew about self-preservation. He countered, surely, and the blow he dealt was nothing short of amazing, but he just let Rustal back in to nearly take his head. It made her skin crawl, not understanding what he was trying to accomplish. But look away she did not, for she still wanted to see Rustal suffer what he had done to her, though he was receiving far worse than she had. Then the crucial moment came and, instead of a few fingers, Ingverd severed the poor, but definitely a bastard’s, hand. It was cathartic in a way she didn’t understand, her expression remaining blank as a mix of emotions occupied her thoughts.

“I don’t think so~” Ingverd, despite his wounds, was still faster than Rustal, heading back into the waiting area where the healers were. “Chop chop, gentlemen. I’m sure someone rowdy will be arriving soon, and I’d rather not have you dealing with him for long. Do close his wounds, though, I need to avoid him bleeding out…”

Ricardo had nothing to say to Ingverd. He wanted Rustal to suffer, but this was leagues above what he’d expected from the elf. The man was playing a very dangerous game, and this was beyond what was necessary to get what he wanted. “Healers, tend to Rustal. Darlunya won’t be happy if he bleeds out.” He was unsure if Ingverd wanted the healing with how quickly he was still moving, and frankly, he wasn’t sure if he wanted the healers near Ingverd at the moment. What the hell was that? Holy shit, Ingverd… Darlunya’s going to be on your doorstep tomorrow, that much you can be certain of… A small smile formed on his face, and he hadn’t even realized. 

“...That, is what I meant, Alriana.” Chris finally said, as Ingverd disappeared into the waiting area. “That’s what I meant by becoming blind to everything else. Rustal hates Ingverd, he hates you, and he hates me, all because we’re monsters, clouded, or Lufirian. Ingverd played with that, abused his emotions, and that was the result.” Chris looked over at the girl, “The same thing you seem to feel for Rustal. You’d already started tuning out things that weren’t important to your promise of killing him. Rustal didn’t have to lose his whole hand then, Ingverd definitely wasn’t leaving without taking a finger, but Rustal gave him his hand. All because he was blinded by his hatred, and superiority. If you want to live, and survive, you need to keep emotions like that in check. Or you’ll end up like that.” Chris turned and started walking towards the waiting area, “Let’s go visit your bloodied friend.” 

“Ahh, haha… Ricardo? Perhaps just a touch up, for me?” Ingverd wasn’t going to bleed out, but his arm was SCREAMING with the deliberate cuts and gouges it had received. It was all he had to not wince whenever it moved as he’d walked in. “The faintest touch, please~”

Well, he asked at least. Ricardo hesitated a moment, but one of the healers had already moved to Ingverd’s side, and began radiating healing light with his staff. “...You’re psychotic, you know that?” Ricardo finally said, “I’ve seen some fighters who take blows only to counter them hard, but they also have armor. You’re insane.” He turned to the opening where the other healers were working desperately on Rustal’s stump; they weren’t going to hear anything through Rustal’s screams. “Once you’re healed, you should probably get the hell out of here. I’m sure the Crows will start flocking. While you might be okay in that event… your friend upstairs might not be.”

"I'm quite sane, thank you. I was merely proving a point… As for your warning, mm, hmhm, if anyone tries to hurt her, they'll have to get through myself and the previous gentleman, I'm sure you've realized. She's safe, but thank you… Take care of that stump, Rustal~!" Ingverd, healed enough to ignore the remaining stinging, grimly waved at Rustal with his own severed hand, leaving the resting area to wait for Aly and Chris.

The lizard’s brow furrowed with Chris words, taking a moment to really think about them. Hate. That’s what this burning feeling is. That’s why seeing this gives me satisfaction. But, I’ve been acting no better than him. Will I continue to act like him unless I stop hating him? Is this what Ingverd meant when he said to keep an open mind, or did I not understand? Chris’ movement snapped her back to the arena, quickly standing to follow after the Lufiria. “I not want be like that. Hate… Him for acting like that. Not good if act like what hate, right?”

It was a tad alarming how precocious Alriana seemed with all of this. Chris found it a tad reckless that Ingverd had done all of this without explaining this. Had that been the point, or did Ingverd want the girl to figure it out herself? Too late for that now. "Like I said, you don't have to stop hating him. But you do have to know how to control yourself, know when that's taking over. That's the important part. Hate is just another emotion, a powerful one, but an emotion. For instance, I hate traffickers. Always have, always will. I think most of them are without redemption.” Chris let his hand rest on the hilt of his sword, “But there are too many things for me to do for me to mindlessly pursue people like that. I’d almost certainly have died by now. I hate them for what they do. But if I let that consume me, I’d never have met my friends, or Marianne, and I would have hurt a lot of people in the process.” He thought about the two women from before. He could have handled that better, but he handled it far better than he really should have. Chris paused for a moment, “Ha, look at me rambling. Simply put, no, it’s not good to act like what you hate. That you already understand is a good step.” Once outside, there was Ingverd. His clothes still tattered from his example setting. Chris decided it was better for Alriana to have the first word because Chris had several, some not even related to what he’d just seen. 

“Ah! Chris, Aly, how was the show~?” He’d stowed the hand away for now, despite the bloody stain it would leave in that pocket. He’d have to properly clean everything tonight. “Do hope you didn’t mind the point of it all, too much… I had to really let it sink in just how worthless he was. Not that it’ll change anything, with how far gone he is, but, the principle, the principle.”

“Mrrr… How do that?” The lizard quietly grumbled. “Not have, emotions, like this before. How make not control?” The feelings swirling around inside her were hard to process, tugging her in different directions all at once. Joy and satisfaction from Rustal’s current fate, but also unease at how close she had been to acting like the man. She wondered if it was even ‘right’ for her to feel anything positive from this situation. She seemed to have learned something right given Chris’ positive response, at least. As they approached Ingverd, still bloodied but looking at least a little better than how he had in the arena.

“Show… Was good. But you stupid.” She said flatly. “Can’t be okay, with wound like that. Even if heal. Not necessary risk yourself, prove point. Not even understand point.”

"Ah… Haha. Mm. That's surprisingly kind of you. You sure you didn't want me to bleed out from these wounds~?" He joked, just once, before softening his stare. "Thank you, really. It's alright, I'm fine. The arena healers stopped anything serious… Rustal will be dealing with something far worse. As for the point… Hmm."

How best to put this… "People like Rustal only understand power. Now, not everyone in this bucket is a blithering racist, but the one thing they all have in common is they won't back down until you show them they have no power at all. I could've simply thrown two swings right away and put Rustal into the dirt, but his pride would've covered for him. 'You were just lucky', 'I've been fighting all day', 'you cheated', or whatever excuse he could think of… Letting him hit me and doing my best to not even move shows him he has no control over the situation. No power. No chance~"

He could only hope she understood, smiling again. "Which means he won't try and take any of this into his own hands. He can't handle me, how could he possibly handle all the Tigers? No, this will make sure that come morning, bright and early… Darlunya and her ilk are right on our doorstep. Ready for the cleaning… Sound fun?"

“Mhhrrrr…” There he went being flippant despite her concern, eliciting only an annoyed growl out of the lizard; even if it was only for a momentary joke. “Hmph… Must be fine if still make joke… Not displeased, you okay.” That was the friendliest she was comfortable getting with the wiley half-elf; he had still yet to fulfill his job of being less suspicious.

“Teach a lesson only people like him understand?” She asked, seeking confirmation of a proper understanding of Ingverd’s actions. “He hate so much, blind to obvious?” She wanted to understand this in its entirety to better understand where her own emotions had been taking her. “How people come be like him? Why only understand power?” Might did make right on the battlefield, but, from what the lizard understood, there were generally laws and ruling bodies to hold order in less bloody ways. Nothing permanent could arise from such a bloody method of rule, or so Grelbiria had told the lizard.

“Plan likely work, yes. Not sure if should be glad about though. Only want… Only hate, Rustal. Not care about rest crows.”

“Hmmmm…” How best to explain this? He glanced at Chris for a moment, before looking back at Aly. “There are a lot of ways that people can get this way. They can be harmed by a group. Feel hatred towards themselves, and take it out on others. Like… ‘If someone else is happy, and I’m not, then I have to make them unhappy.’ That sort of backwards thinking.” He shrugged a little; it wasn’t a feeling he was familiar with. “In Rustal’s case… The Crows managed their current position through happenstance. Rustal seems like a rather sad fellow… So this position of power, probably brought him great joy. His hatred of Clouded… We, hmm. This is much more difficult to explain…”

Ingverd placed a hand on his chin for a moment, stroking it somewhat. “Some people. Have trouble accepting those that are different from them. I don’t have this issue, you seem not to either… but, Rustal was one of those people. Maybe a Clouded harmed him growing up, or spurned him in some way. Maybe he’s just a horrible person? I’m sure he’ll never tell us… But, those two things combined, this grown dislike and this need to feel superior… They combine into what you’ve seen today, Aly. It’s what happens when emotions and control get out of hand. No matter how upset you get at someone, no matter who they are, if they aren’t as bad as Rustal? You’ve got to control yourself. If you can’t, you’re no better than him~”

He raised an eyebrow at her, hoping she’d remember what she was off to do this night before he ran into her. “As for the rest of the Crows! They’re probably just as bad, if not worse than he is, so there’s no need for remorse! Hahaha~ We’ll be doing this entire town a favor, and a good deed all the same, how very wonderful. Make sure you do your part, he’ll definitely be there tomorrow.” Ingverd smiled and reached out to pet Aly’s hair again, hoping she’d at least enjoy the chance to properly get back at the terrible man.

Chris sighed as Ingverd explained much of what he had… and then returned to his bloodthirsty streak in regards to the Crows. “If I hadn’t known your caliber, and then Rustal’s weakness, I would have stopped that fight myself. Still almost did; you could have made that example without doing all of that.” Chris doubled back around to Alriana’s question, since Ingverd’s explanation flowed rather perfectly into it. “There’s not one answer to that, Alriana. How one person controls their emotions is different from the next. The first step is realizing that you feel that way, and then making an active decision, either with it or against that emotion. If you watched Rustal; he was not in control of his hatred. He couldn’t, or wouldn’t, see that both I and Ingverd were swordsmen far beyond his caliber, and only because we were different from him. If that wasn’t an arena, and Ingverd hadn’t plans for the man, Rustal would be dead. When, I’m sure, he fought with a clearer head on his shoulders against you and your friends.” 

As much as things turned out mostly alright, Chris still didn’t like Ingverd’s method. “Ingverd’s right; the only reason Rustal behaved differently with you all is because he felt that he still had power against you. That power evaporated when faced with overwhelming opponents, and he descended into madness. If he wasn’t strong enough, if he didn’t have power over those he felt were weaker than him, then he had to fill that new void with his existing hatred. There are any number of reasons he could feel that way, but at this point, it’s not our place to worry about it. The only thing we can do is try to not let people like him make things worse for others, and try to stop people like him from existing.” Chris stepped past Ingverd, partially unsheathing his sword, “All of that said… You didn’t explain any of this to her, beforehand? Playing a very dangerous game there, Ingverd. So where are you two going for the night? Since you decided to take a bunch of nonsensical attacks, I don’t feel comfortable leaving the two of you alone. So I hope you don’t mind a third wheel for the moment, and probably a question or two.” 

“We’re heading to Quiet Harbor. The Tigers are staying there… Best baths in town, and the Evokers, well, they’re rather neat women. Have to stay pristine… Not that I mind, I could definitely use a bath. Want to join me, Aly?” He chuckled and shook his head, squinting ever so slightly at Chris. “Always questions with you… As I am aware, Alriana has been cooped up her entire life and she hasn’t experienced anything in this world beyond what this… Grelbiria has taught her. So! I suggested she spend this new life of hers exploring the world, the sights, her emotions, and everything… I’m confident I could have stopped her if something beyond acceptable was about to pass. Worry not.” Ingverd was a little worried about more of Chris’ questions, but he didn’t let it show.

“So… Beyond that… What would you like to ask, Chris? Why are you still around, by the way? Marianne didn’t collapse again, did she?”

“There was really no point in leaving Eibar until morning, and… you’re partially correct. Marianne crashed after her performance, and ate too many sweets to compensate.” The second hand embarrassment of explaining all of this was surprisingly palpable. “She does this often, and she’ll be fine in the morning, so we ended up sticking around.” Quiet Harbor… Chris had heard about that inn, and almost headed there first, but it was probably best for them to retain as much gold as possible. It was also partially to do with not causing more alarm. He was not particularly interested in having Ingverd’s watchful eyes on him at all moments, knowing what he did. “As for my questions… Why exactly were you avoiding Marianne and I when we got off the boat? I couldn’t help but notice that Aegean was also… oddly invisible.” Best to start with one straight to the point.

This guy… Ingverd’s face didn’t flinch in the slightest, the same slight smile as always. “I just so happen to have added someone to my list of people I fear. You, Chris~ Aren’t you happy? Sorry, but that display of yours when I went to speak with you previously… Heh, you’re just so frightening when you want to be, aren’t you? Aly, trust me, no matter how nice he seems, he’ll kill you if he has the need, no questions asked. Even more skilled than I am~” He couldn’t help but chuckle; it was amusing to paint Chris with such a dark swath.

“As for Aegean, you’d have to ask Tasha. The lady Tiger is her keeper, not I. I’m just here to make sure she doesn’t get herself killed.”

Chris blinked for a moment or two before chuckling, “Happy probably isn’t the word I’d use, but being on your list, when I believe you said that only Jeremiah could frighten you, I suppose that’s a high level of praise.” Do you have to bring Aly into this? She is walking behind me, and she bit through a sword. Chris kept an eye out as they moved through the streets, the small length of steel peeking from his sheath hopefully enough to deter any brave fools. “That’s fine then. I was just wondering; Marianne was a little hurt that you didn’t even manage a goodbye.” Chris didn’t quite believe Ingverd in regards to his reasons for avoiding him, but Chris was absolutely sure that Ingverd meant the last part. “As long as Aegean’s fine, that’s really all I can ask for at this point. If… she’s who I believe her to be…” Chris peered over his shoulder at Alriana. She might have been sheltered, but he couldn’t really gauge her in the little time that he had, probably best to not say too much in earshot of her. 

“My apologies; I saw the ring on her hand and I make it a business of mine to not flirt with engaged or married women. If she was so truly hurt, though, I’ll stop by before you leave, or next we meet, sit with her and share some tea and talk. Promise~” He smiled a much friendlier and honest smile, hoping Chris didn’t have any more pressing questions for him. Not on these subjects, at least.

“Aha… You noticed the ring, then.” Chris couldn’t help a smile, “She liked talking with you, so she’ll be happy. I’ll be sure to tell her, but I don’t think we’ll see each other after this for a while. We’ll probably be on our way early in the morning.” Chris thought for a moment. Was it worth trying to press for information? “...Ingverd. Why exactly are you intent on getting the Crows to attack you? I’d say it’s putting the Tigers in danger, and it’s not exactly of any benefit to you. Other than getting to put racist fools in their place, that is. But, you wouldn’t be doing something like this on a whim, and I certainly don’t think you’d be putting the Tigers in danger because you felt like it.”

“Then I’ll stop by in the morning… Oh, that?” Ingverd chuckled, shaking his head. “One. The Tigers already caused a splash at the arena: Cinaed, Alriana here, Laniva, and even our firecracker, Alvira. The Crows were already coming after us, I’m just guaranteeing it without a shadow of a doubt… Two. If they can’t handle a small group of hired racists like the Crows, they’ll never survive Islexia. And three… Hmph. What, a guy can’t have good intentions? Eibar, and Hecatia as a whole, will be better off without these people.”

Chris nodded his head as he listened, “I never said you didn’t have good intentions. It’s always good to ask for clarification.” Chris’s smile then turned into a frown, “Do you know then about their leader, Darlunya? Her supposed ties to the Hecatian underworld? They’ve not really been confirmed one way or the other, but I guess if it was that easy, they wouldn’t exist anymore. I had intended to come back here after we finished up in Amaranthe, and follow that lead myself. But if you’re dealing with them now… all I’ll say is to be careful after this. It could be nothing, but…” Chris’s frown turned into a scowl, “Traffickers are the scum of the continent, so you should be prepared for them to act as such.” Chris took a deep breath, that was never a topic he enjoyed talking about, “...You’ve been awfully quiet back there, Alriana. Have we given you a lot to think about?” 

“Heh, well, as you’re aware, I’m only afraid of two people, Chris. If Darlunya has those ties, and they try to come after us… If traffickers try to lay a single hand on Alriana,” he specified, eyes more serious than they had been before, “I’ll just have to cut them all off.” He smiled, but it wasn’t cold, despite the remark. It was confident, serious, perhaps a bit cocky… And his specifying Alriana may have painted his intentions with Rustal in a much different light, all of a sudden. 

“Quite right! My apologies, Aly, but Chris does tend to poke and prod, so I couldn’t leave him hanging. Do tell us what you’re thinking… About all this, what we told you, whatever’s on your mind~”

Between the pitiful state of Rustal, controlling her emotions, and whatever else the two were talking about, the two swordsmen had given the lizard plenty to think about during their walk back to the inn. I can’t let myself become like him. I need to learn to control myself. “Need think about actions, then? Not just act on whim?” That seemed like a logical first step for the lizard, even if her ‘normal’ thoughts were often best ignored. But, when I fought him, and the man with the axe, what was that? Was that also hate? Or, something else? Neither Ingverd nor Chris had seen that fight, nor had any of her earlier companions commented on anything being wrong prior to her fighting Rustal. But she knew something had happened, even if only for a few seconds. A momentary loss of control where her better ignored thoughts suddenly seemed to make sense, to be the most rational choice of action. If it was tied to her hate for Rustal, perhaps it was best she gave up on this emotion.

“Not decent, be seen naked. Or see other naked.” Alriana swiftly shot Ingverd’s invitation out of the sky. “Grelbiria said so.” At least as he continued on to Chris, admittedly feeling a bit weird from having Ingverd explain herself to Chris, he inadvertently confirmed that she had understood what he’d said on the boat correctly, even if it had led her to act astray. Ingverd talked of stopping her, but he’d yet to see her try when she was committed to something, the lizard quietly huffing a little.

“Darn.” Ingverd faked being hurt, chuckling all the same. “Always think before you act. Even I do. Perhaps too much… But if you always go with your first instinct, you’ll harm people that have done you no true wrong, and then you’ll be in Rustal’s position. I’m sure you like both of your hands being attached, hmhm.” They were nice hands, after all. “I assume you still want to bathe, even if separate, yes? I’ll pay for extra if you need the space for your tail. I kept you out longer than you’d intended to be, after all.”

“Mhhm. Will try do, from now on. Less act on instinct.” It wasn’t an end all be all solution, but it was at least somewhere for the lizard to start learning how to control her emotions. She frowned a little with his mention of the man, not unable to feel as though it was a veiled threat even if he didn’t mean it as such. The feeling quickly passed however with the offer of a bath, even she was not immune to their siren call. Especially after today. “Yes, still want bath. Don’t need extra room, though.”

"Hmmm… You're sure? Alright." Best not to push it further then. He once again reached out to gently ruffle the top of Aly's head, rather content with the night's events. "Get a lot of rest after that, then. More than whatever fight awaits us, we've got a lot more journey ahead of us."

Chris cocked an eyebrow at Ingverd's confidence. He certainly didn't rattle easily, but Chris guessed that made sense. He had been trained by the best Lufirian intelligence operative that had ever been. More importantly, his declaration was oddly pointed; Chris had warned him because of the group's largely clouded and monster makeup, but he had defaulted to Alriana. Is… is there more to that? Does Ingverd know something about her? Was that worry… or is he just interested? Chris remembered what Ingverd actually was, and couldn't quite put it past him. Still, it made the brutal fight make a tad more sense, regardless of what the meaning behind Ingverd's words was. 

Alriana though… something about her was just off. She'd mentioned the name "Grelbiria" twice now, and it hadn't rung a bell, so that was out. She'd picked up on things remarkably quickly, so the only thing that came to mind was this Grelbiria kept her sheltered. But why exactly? What would be the point of keeping her sequestered to the point that even some emotions were a new sensation to her? Something wasn't adding up. But by the time that Chris had accepted that fact, they were mere steps from Quiet Harbor. He pulled himself from his thoughts, and turned to face the pair, "Well, I believe this is your stop, so to speak. Looks like the Crows got the hint, and hung back." Chris sighed as his face took on a more neutral expression. "More importantly… be careful tomorrow. Even if they didn't strike tonight, you can be absolutely certain you'll see them tomorrow." Even if Chris had more questions for Ingverd, it would both defeat the purpose of him being out here, and both Ingverd and Alriana could use the rest. "Well, I should probably get moving before the Crows do start causing problems tonight. Good luck with tomorrow, and the rest of your mission. Keep learning Alriana." Chris turned and began making his way down the street, "Oh right, Ingverd. Do something about that hand in your pocket. You don't need tainted blood like his on you." 

“Am sure. Tail good heat sink. Make sure rest body can stay in bath.” She allowed the head petting this time as well, though not only because of the carried over familiarity of Grelbiria. She’d been listening when he mentioned her specifically and, while it didn’t immediately elevate him to friend status, she did appreciate his presence a little more, now. “Mhhm. Will sleep, with eye open. And keep learning. Try not let emotion control, again.” As Chris turned around to say one final thing to Ingverd, Alriana took the chance to wave goodbye. 

“We’ll be careful, Chris! Take care… I’ll make sure to get rid of it~” He had some plans for the hand, holding onto it for the moment. “Sleep well, Aly… I’ll probably be awake before you, so here’s to seeing you bright and early tomorrow morning.” He had to do a lot of serious washing before he slept, so instead of heading for a room, he approached the desk, informed the attendant or their relations to the Tigers, and headed immediately for the mens bathing area. The pre-wash area would do just as well for him as it would for his clothes…

"Hmhm... We'll just have to see."

[scorri]

Lend a Hand

Spoiler

Ingverd yawned, towel over his shoulder, bathrobe half open, fishing for the key… He had a bag of his washed, but still mostly bloodied clothes in his other hand, finally getting the door open and spotting Cinaed, in a similar state, probably having finished rather recently. “Ah, Cin, my good friend~ How nice to see you after such a long night. I won’t keep you up too long… Unless you’d rather I did.” He stepped in and approached the room’s desk, setting his clothes down and then fishing the severed human hand he’d cleaned off in the baths, placing it on the desk for the morning’s activities. “Thank you for all the info about the arena, by the way. Helped a bunch.”

The arena had left Cin feeling sweaty and gross, but more than that, the interactions with Rustal had just left him feeling dirty. So he had passed on the information from his talk with Ricardo to Commander Natalya and Ingverd who had been there as well, headed upstairs, done some stretching, before finally making his way to the baths. He had spent a decent length of time there, trying to get clean, as well as enjoying the warmth the water provided, but had eventually needed to leave. He’d been a bit surprised to not find Ingverd in their room, given how late it was, but the man had spent more time away from their room during the boat trip here, so it wasn’t out of the question that he was gone. Still, after the warning Cin had given to the group about not going out at night, he had hoped that even the bolder members of their group might stay in that night.

He’d finished drying off, and had just slipped into a pair of shorts to sleep in that night when the door opened. He quickly looked over, damp hair falling in his eyes before he pushed it back again, and spotted Ingverd. Bathrobe and towel indicated that they had likely just missed each other in the baths, but his attention was quickly drawn elsewhere. First to the pile of bloodied clothes and then to the hand Ingverd was putting on the desk. What in the actual... Whose hand? What was he???? Through his confusing mass of thoughts, Ingverd’s words penetrated, the off handed comment about the arena... “Ingverd, what the fuck did you do? Is that... Did you cut someone’s hand off in the arena?” It had to have been Rustal. There was no one else in the arena that he would have done that to but it still left him stunned. He slowly sunk onto the bed, trying to not let his emotions explode out of him. After everything he had said, warned the group about the danger of the Crows, the likely attack, how could Ingverd have done something so stupid as this?

“Whoa, whoa… What’s wrong? Yeah, I did. This is Rustal’s hand. He didn’t need his good hand anyway, he’ll probably be dead tomorrow… After the absolute thrashing the lot of you and Alvira gave him at the arena, it was likely that the Crows were going to come after us either way… I just guaranteed that while getting rid of some frustrations. I hope you’re all up for a battle in the morning~ I can’t wait to see Rustal’s face when I throw his hand back at him.” Ingverd found himself chuckling at the situation, fishing through his things and finding a journal, sitting down at the desk right next to the severed human hand to get ready to write in it. “Was that all? Something else on your mind?”

“I have two--” He paused, before revising, “Three. Three problems. First of all, you were fighting him in the arena. You know, the place where it’s a show of skill, not a fight to maim people? You and I both know you have the skill to easily defeat him without leaving him handless. Sure accidents happen in the arena, sometimes people get hurt, but to go in there and deliberately cut off his hand... Ugh.” He shook his head, standing up and pacing slightly. “Second of all, the key word there is likely. I don’t like the Crows any more than you do, I don’t like leaving racists around, but we have a job to do here. We cannot be spending all of our time fighting every single person who hates monsters and Clouded along the way. We can’t be risking our party member’s lives every time we meet someone who calls us scum. I don’t think that we can’t win, that’s not the concern. But any time you meet an opponent in battle, there’s a chance for a lucky hit, there’s a chance for someone to hit you in just the wrong place and sometimes it’s better to try and avoid the battle if it means you can guarantee getting a step closer to your goal safely. By escalating things like this, you’ve guaranteed we’ll fight tomorrow. How would you feel if Renais got cut down by someone who slipped by us? Or if Aly threw herself into battle and got hit by a stray Pure weapon? Because you know as well as I do that they’ll be fighting with those tomorrow. Any time there’s battle, there’s a risk someone doesn’t come back. Are you so willing to play with your companion’s lives just for some satisfaction?”

He shook his head, slumping back down onto his bed. He ran a hand through his wet hair before looking directly at the man. “Trust me, I wanted nothing more than to smash that man’s face in and leave him unable to fight. But I know we can’t antagonize every single enemy along the way if we want to give ourselves the best chance at completing this mission.” He gave the hand a side glance. “And third, it’s just... creepy. I don’t want to sleep in a room with a severed human hand. Or, well, any severed hand. Wouldn’t make it ok if it wasn’t human.”

“Who’s playing?” Ingverd’s smile had faded and he’d set the journal down atop the severed human hand, staring Cinaed down. “This is something serious. I’m taking it seriously. Do you understand exactly where this group is going? Through Islexia. Through the monster hating capital. Do you seriously think I want a bunch of greenhorns taking on such a job when they can’t handle themselves against the first group to turn angry eyes on them once we’ve hit harbor? This isn’t playing around, Cinaed. This is a test. Pass or fail, win or die. Show me that you’re worth the thirty thousand gold I’ll be spending on you all. Goodness…” Ingverd rolled his eyes with a huff and went back to his writing, decidedly bothered by words he could only classify as cowardice. What if this, what if that, what if you had a heart attack in your sleep tonight? Living on what ifs is no way to live at all. “I’ll put the hand somewhere else before I sleep then. You’d think someone that’s killed people before by setting them on fire wouldn’t be so bothered by something this mundane.”

“You think I don’t get it? Of course I know what we’re going to be facing. Just because I’ve lived in Glacies my whole life doesn’t mean I don’t understand what I got myself into by coming here. I wouldn’t have signed up if I wasn’t willing to risk my life.” His anger was a solid ball of fire in his stomach at this point. The arrogance of this man, to toss a fight in their laps as a test with no warning, no discussion, just making it their problem now. “But just because I’m willing to risk my life for this doesn’t mean I’m going to pick a fight with every single person who calls me a name along the way. Especially because I’m not working alone. Maybe that’s what you’re used to, maybe you’re used to the Queen sending you off to kill someone and you get to have your fight, but that’s not how a mercenary group works, which I know you know. I’m not-- ugh.”

He shook his head, glaring at the man’s back before laying fully down on his bed with a huff, staring at the ceiling. “From what I understand, the Queen chose this group for a reason. And that while I am a greenhorn, that is far from true for many of this group. So talk about a test all you like, about how you need to test us to make sure you’re worth all this money that ”you” will be paying us, but I can’t... No. Never mind. This is pointless. You’re so sure you’re right, your arrogance will never let you hear my words. Do what you want with the hand. But remember this. I fight and kill to defend myself with my fire. You took that trophy because it made you feel good. They are in completely different worlds.”

“Are you… Listening to yourself, right now?” Ingverd was rather shocked at this reaction, it was so beyond what any proper mercenary should’ve been reacting with. “My arrogance? Every single person? Cinaed, I have known you for a good week on a boat at best, and this is the first encounter we have had with a group like that. The pirates came upon us of their own will, so kindly keep your comments about every group being taunted into battle to yourself until I do actually begin making such examples. This level of overreaction over a simple job is astounding– And it will be a job. I am not setting this up to force you all to fight for the good will of the city. Mercenaries do work and get paid, simple as that. I can assure you that Tasha will have no issues cleaning up filth like this for coin, so if you’ve complaints about such a ‘test’, bring them to her.” He rolled his eyes, it was always the ‘righteous’ and green mercenaries that made complaints like this. 

“Killing is killing. Spin it as pretty as you like to make yourself feel better, you’re still taking the life of someone else, no matter if they tried to take your life first. And you know what? It did make me feel good. Chris was there, did you know? How did he put it, yes… ‘if it was anyone other than Rustal, I would have stopped you, but the world is better off without people like him’. I’m afraid I won’t apologize for indulging in garbage. You don’t have to like it, but please, please don’t act like you’re better than me just because you don’t swing first.”

“Well I’m glad you feel good about this. You know, honestly? I think if you had killed him, I would have felt better about it. You still would have been putting the group in danger, but at least then you wouldn’t have just been playing with the man to make yourself feel good. Like Chris apparently said, the world is better off without him, not just with him being down a hand, right?” He stood up, not even looking over at the man, trying to contain his frustration. “I'm going to go... somewhere. So don’t mind putting your trophy away, I’ll leave the room to you and it.” He shook his head again, heading for the door. This wasn’t going to go anywhere, that much was clear. 

“Hey…” Ingverd sighed. Such a reaction wasn’t unexpected, but he still felt Cinaed was being a little unreasonable. Maybe I’m just too jaded. “If you must go, at least stay within the inn. The last thing any of us want is to wake up to your body because they saw you walking the streets tonight. For our sake, promise me that much, yes?”

"I may be a naive greenhorn, but I'm not an idiot. No need for you to waste your time worrying about me." And then he was through the door, not quite slamming but forcefully shutting it behind him. Stupid to believe he was a good one. Stupid to get all caught up in the moment. He'll hold your hand and flirt one moment and then leave you to die the next if it's what's best for his mission. If you can't cut it, he'll leave you behind. Better to just stay away. He stumbled before collapsing down against the wall, allowing himself one long moment of weakness before straightening and rubbing a hand across his eyes, surprised to find them wet. "Now to just... Figure out my plans for the night..."

“Why are you going as far as to say things like–” And there he went, Ingverd sinking in his chair and sighing harder. “Just what is his problem? Where is the risk? If Rustal is one of the stars of these Crows, they’re no match for the Tigers. They get paid, Eibar has one less problem to deal with, and they all come out stronger for it… Is it just because I called it a test? That’s not wrong. I do want to make sure they’re strong enough to handle this… Ugh.” His monologue finished with a quiet groan, picking his journal back up and going back to writing in it. “Well, he won’t tell you what got him there now... Maybe he’ll feel better after taking these frustrations out on the people that deserve them.” 

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

Edited February 27, 2022 by scorri

[GoldsbroTSG]

Breakfast Break

Spoiler

The most important meal of the day! Miria was excited for a good breakfast in the morning. Thank goodness for this inn! Bacon, potatoes, eggs, toast… Miria's eyes glew and her eyes watered. This was gonna be great.

She brought herself to a dining table, with two plates, stacked with all sorts of breakfast food. She set herself up with her utensils, and started to dig in.

Last night was definitely… eventful. After the rollercoaster of emotions Aegean went through, she definitely wanted to get started with the next day. Luckily the hotel had provided breakfast, and thanks to her employer’s stern words, they weren’t being charged too much for it.

Heading into the dinning room, Gean came upon a familiar face… gorging down on enough food for two people. “Hey leave some for the rest of us cub.” She said to Miria as she grabbed a plate and made her way to the breakfast line.

Miria’s banquet was suddenly interrupted by the sounds of a familiar voice. A good voice… Gean! And it was her making fun of her having so much food, “Bomffbbth–” She started a retort, but realized not only did Gean already walk away, Miria’s mouth was still stuffed. Just chew, just chew and wait for her to come back.

Chewing and swallowing the mouthful of bacon and potatoes, she started to mix around everything. It was all good, but obviously this was gonna be delicious together!

Having picked up some hash browns and waffles, Gean let out a chuckle at the girl’s hurried and muffled response. “I’m not going anywhere. You can finish your food first, and then say good morning.” Miria did always manage to put a smile on Gean’s face. Her innocence was adorable, if not a bit worrying at times.

Wiping her face with a nearby wipe, Miria simply gave a laugh in response, “I know, haha~ I was just trying to say, y’know, I gotta eat. Keeps me in top form.” Her smile beamed some. “It was complimentary, so I got a bunch, y’know? Breakfast is great!” She took a hearty bite of some of her amalgamation of breakfast foods. The glee was clear on Miria’s face.

“Yes but I do question where all that food goes. You’re easily the biggest eater. Well, next to Aly probably. And yet you’re definitely the slim and cute as a button girl I know.” Gean had grabbed a glass of milk and had now sat down at the table across from Miria. Taking a bite, she did have to admit the food was good. “So why all the food?”

“Why? Well…” Miria held up a finger, taking another bite. A relieving sigh escaped her after that one. It was so good. “I always liked food. Eating feels good. Something about, you feel hungry, you eat something, and boom, sometimes it’s all you need to feel better when you’re down.”
She played a bit with her plate with her fork, “I wanna say it’s a lot because of my armor. When I run out of my magic, I gotta supply my armor with what I can, right?” She smiled, “It’s… the best idea I’ve had, especially considering I get hungriest when it comes off.” She noticed Gean’s milk. That sounded good too, but she had forgotten to grab one. Oh well, seconds were probably possible anyway.

Miria’s answer sounded exactly like something she would say. However, the later bit did bring up another concern. Miria’s tendency to shut down was definitely not good. So far she managed to avoid becoming drained mid battle, but there was no guarantee that this would remain a constant. “I wonder if there’s any way to get around that, maybe increase your magic reserves?” Gean tapped her chin with her fork.

“Actually, about that, Cinaed and I had a small conversation. Me and Renais, too.” She chuckled nervously, thinking about approaching the Evokers. “Cin and I are gonna go together to meet the Evokers, to see if they can help me with that. And maybe tell me if they know anything about it. Maybe then, I could make it work better too.” She smiled, “I’d like to make it easier on everyone else, I… always feel terrible when I overextend even a little bit and I just, well, crumple.”

She took another bite, pondering a little. “Renais and I actually talked about a lot last night. It was nice.” Her smile lowered some, but not out of negativity. It was more soft and warm than normal. “A-Anyway, yeah, hopefully we can figure out something.”

“Well would you look at that, I turn my back for just a bit and my golden cub has made a bunch of friends.” Gean let a sly smirk form on her face. Outside of combat, Miria did keep to herself more often than not, tending to keep to her books. “And now it looks like she has no time for her big sister Gean.~ Ah, they grow up so fast.” She knew it was a bit mean of her, but she felt like teasing the girl just a bit. She was genuinely proud of the girl though.

Miria’s face reddened a bit in response to her jokes about their sisterly relationship, even gave a small, nervous laugh again. “C-Come on Gean, we’re still the same age, haha, and you can always come to me if you wanna hang out.” She wiped her eyes, probably trying to hide a quick tear that came out. “I did tell Renais, thank you for being so welcoming. Maybe I wouldn’t have opened up so quickly if not for you.” She smiled, taking some food. “I hope one day, I can take you to see my parents. I think they’d love you.”

"Aww thanks Miria. If that's how you really feel, then it means I've done my job. I'll hold you to that, both the promise to hang whenever, and the chance to see your home. I've never been to Morano before." It was hard for Gean to say no to this girl. Even though they were the same age, Gean did feel like she was talking to a younger sibling rather than a friend. I wonder if this is how she felt… Gean pondered that question as she took another bite and began to stir her potatoes around.

Miria smiled and laughed as she ate away. This was a great idea to mix up her food. After the crab from yesterday, and this– this was like Heaven. And she was enjoying her meal with her 'big sister'. Big sister, huh? I told Renais, but– Nono, why are you worried about it?! You can trust Gean, you know you can!

"Hey Gean, can I tell you something?" Her voice sterned up. "It's nothing, super major, just… I wanna tell you."

Gean raised an eyebrow. This was a bit different from the normal air from how the conversations between the two girls normally went. As long as it's not like me from last night, that's fine "What's that cub? Something happened?"

"No no, not at all just, since I proposed taking you to Morano, you should know." She gave a reassuring smile, then her face tensed up some,

"I… well, mmm, I was, adopted. My mama and papa found me at their doorstep one night, and, yeah. Not to say I'm unhappy or anything, just… My mama is lighter, green-haired, tall, and my papa is a clouded. I got… questioned a lot back when I was running the shop, so, y'know. Keeping out. Don't want things to be awkward if we ever met up with my parents for any reason." Her smile was back, still shining.

Gean reached over the table and ruffled the girl's brown hair. "Silly, that won't change anything. Regardless of the circumstances, I'm sure they love you deeply and are just as proud of you." Gean got quiet for a bit. I guess that's right huh Tasha "Now c'mon, let's finish eating. Something tells me we got a big day ahead of us." She went back to eating thinking about how much Miria trusted her.

I won't run away this time. I promise. This is just the first step to making things right.

Miria had a small tear come out at Gean's response. Her smile still shined bright as her hair was ruffled, but Gean continued to be a constant reminder. I miss mama and papa but, I'm glad I found the Tigers, found Gean. "Thanks Gean." Her face blushed a bit, "And yeah, you're right! And breakfast won't last forever, I gotta hurry up and get my seconds, maybe thirds! And some milk, mmmmm–" Her mind was back off again, after the minor fright of Gean's response right back to food.

Miria had already gone through a plate of food, and of course, the rumblies still continued. Almost like it was compelling her to eat. The girl would find it weird normally, but more breakfast sounded like a great idea! She forgot some milk and maybe some juice too. She waved to Renais when she saw her nod in acknowledgement to her. And she was off again.

She returned to where she and Gean were sitting, with a second plate stacked with food, also with some milk, and a bit of juice too. She was ready for another good, long eat.

Edited February 27, 2022 by Silver Gallade

[Billy12510]

Syndra woke with the sunlight cracking in through the window of the room she was sharing with Aegean and Nyx. "Morning already, eh? Guess I should get ready then." Putting on her suit, she left the room while her roommates were still asleep and headed out to the breakfast cart to get a plate, and begin making plans for the day.  I still have those things to give to the commander. And I think Alvira won't just let me go that easily, not knowing the things she knows anyway.  After helping herself to some waffles, she noticed the dragon man that had recently joined the Tigers; and how awful he looked.  Hmm... should see why he's like this. "You look like hammered shit, stay up a bit late?" She asked as she sat down near him. "Oh, forgive me, I'd forgotten we hadn't been introduced. Syndra."

[Nanami Touko]

Alvira walked into the dining area with a blank look on her face. She collected her food, got herself a coffee, sat down... and leaned back in her chair. Leeaaanned back. Just, melted. Things with Tasha the previous night had gone... Well. Alvira let her head fall back, breathing out a heavy, long held breath, then took a deep one. All her thoughts were scattered. So many things had been resolved, but also brought into question... And so much needed to be done. "Hoo... Boy."

---

Ingverd glanced at Cinaed as the half-dragon entered, though his gaze didn't linger for long. It seemed he hadn't slept at all. What a fool. Ah well. He'll grow or he'll fall. I don't have time for the naive. He continued to sip his coffee, idly beginning his breakfast, though he didn't miss Alvira entering and turning into... Goo? "Well. Someone had a good rest, didn't they?"

Alvira gave him a thumbs up without a single word.

Edited February 28, 2022 by Mel the DM

[mcd900]

Laniva filed quietly back into the inn, doing her best to maintain somewhat of a neutral expression. She'd woken early; an old routine from her training that she hadn't seen fit to break, which had become more of a personal habit in recent times. She'd gone for a short walk outside, which had ended up being more of a short run, as well as some practice on her sword form. None of which particularly helped her mood significantly, but it kept her occupied, at least. It wouldn't do for the others to see her sulking overlong, and that aside they were still on the job; they had a reputation to uphold.

Her appetite sufficiently worked up, she took a rather hearty serving and sat down, glancing around to see who had already arrived. Cin was looking rather tired; a bit of surprise, honestly, given that he'd had enough fights in the arena to give anyone a sound night of sleep. Renais, Miria, Gean, Ingverd... Alvira, looking particularly relaxed.

Mm. At least we're not on the damn boat anymore. Can keep a meal down for once...

[Nanami Touko]

Alvira heard another set of feet entering, head curling back up to spot Laniva, which gave her a bit of an idea... She picked up her coffee and slipped over to the cat's table, sipping it slowly. "Hhhhhey. So... How's things?" Alvira was surprisingly chipper, almost smiling. "Nice to sit down and eat some real home cooked food, huh?"

[MRDRHAWK]

Well, that’s the last time Nyx goes drinking that early in the day, especially almost immediately after disembarking from a boat! Okay, maybe it would not be the last time Nyx went drinking that early, she knew. But she could try and seem responsible by saying otherwise.

She also had to deal with her head swimming with all sorts of thoughts, of screeching crows and warm smiles from a cold mage, and even sober it would have been too much for her. But hung over as all fuck? Yeah, no. That was way more than she could manage.

To that end, if one looked hard enough on the inn’s floor, Nyx was passed out in the corner, trying her damnedest to get some more sleep after she was so rudely woken up by the sun. Idly, she contemplated firing her bow at it, but decided that her arrows were better served elsewhere. Like possibly jamming into her skull to stop this damnable throbbing in there.

[Bluemask 96]

Gean continued to sip her juice. Having finished her plate, and getting full again watching Miria eat, she chose to just sit and observe the rest of the party. The two draconic members of the group were particular standouts this morning, both out of sorts, although probably for different reasons from the looks of things. Still, no need to pry, especially since the two seemed locked into other conversations.

Continuing her observations she spotted an new sight from a familiar face. "That's a lot of plates there Rene, don't tell me you're a big eater like Miria here." It was definitely a sight to see the cleric without her cloak, but Gean decided not to bring that to attention.

Edited March 1, 2022 by Bluemask 96

[JakezuGD]

Natalya hadn't exactly expected the direction the night had taken, but a lot of things were sorted out, so all's good that ends good. At least, for now it did. Miss Levion, huh... I'll have to keep that in mind.

Her Full Name

Spoiler

Gean groaned as she slowly opened her eyes. Last she knew she was spiking her heart rate talking to Tasha in the baths. Now instead of steamy water she felt a soft bed. Finally aware of her surroundings, she realized she was in her room. On top of that, a familiar yellow tail let her know that she wasn’t alone. “Did I pass out?” She said with a raspy voice.

Elisa had left the room as soon as they’d gotten Gean situated, and so it was just Natalya, waiting on the bedside to see if she would wake up before nighttime, and sure enough, it didn’t take too long for her to do just that. Having her in normal room temperature must’ve helped enough. “You sure did. Feeling better now?” The tiger moved a hand to Gean’s leg over the covers, giving her a little rub.

Rubbing her forehead, and realizing how things played out she meekly responded back after sitting up. “Physically, yes.” Mentally and emotionally she felt like trash. She took a deep breath before responding. “Sorry about that, very foolish of me.” Honestly she couldn’t bring herself to look the older woman in the eye. She did very well keep something extremely important from her, as well as not tell first before anyone else.

Tasha had had a moment to calm down herself, of course, and she didn’t quite feel angry about being left in the dark like that anymore. But she did still want to know as much as Gean could tell her. “Look, it’s fine. I get that that’s a secret you’d be told to keep one from everyone, no matter who, I’m sure there’s people who’d want to know that for worse purposes. But I need you to tell me as much as you can. Okay?” Natalya pulled herself closer, trying to make it so the younger woman could speak quietly if she wanted to.

Tasha had seemed to lessen her anger, and while it was a slight relief for Gean, she did still feel bad about things. Letting out a sigh, she began to divulge more about herself. “Ok… Let’s see where to begin, you remember me telling you about my father right? We both lived in Lufiria until I was nine years old. As you also know thanks to today, I was related to some important people in Lufiria as well. Things were fine at first while I was growing up, but somewhere along the lines, things were getting tense. Eventually my family was framed for an assasination attempt on the royal family, with no way for us to prove our innocence. At first we were going to seek out my uncle to see if things could be resolved peacefully, but even that got shot down. We were attacked, and had to flee. Cover our tracks and start over in Glacies.” She took a deep breath. This was the second time she told this story, but it still wasn’t easy. “I chose to take this mission to find out the truth from 10 years ago, and maybe clear my family’s name. However there seems to already be problems. Those dancers we met. They seem to be from Lufiria. I don’t know who they are, but the guy definitely knows who I am from what I can tell. That’s why I wanted to hold off on saying anything earlier. I didn’t want prying ears to catch wind and cause us more problems.” She finished her speal, hoping that would answer most of Tasha’s questions.

Of all things, it just had to be a combination of assassination and noble politics. If anything, hiding herself in a merc group was a smart idea, considering how few nobles liked doing that, at least in her perception. Maybe Lufirian nobles were different, though. You could never be sure with anything when it came to that country just on the perception you got from others. “That definitely would put you in a position where a lot of people want to know where you are… And puts all of us in danger if people do figure out who you are.” Natalya briefly held her forehead with her free hand, knowing that this would end up being a pain in the ass if they were to go to Lufiria, not that that was directly in the cards for them yet. “Your name isn’t a cover name too, is it?”

"Name no, the actual nobles in my family are my Aunt and Uncle. Mom was an accomplished soldier but other than that there's not much to us. Dad figured as long as we avoided using our family name most people in Amaranth wouldn't know who we were. And even then unless you were close to the royal family, my last name would mean nothing, since my aunt took my uncle's last name upon marriage. My full name… Is Aegean Florence Levion." It felt oddly comforting letting Tasha know these things. For ten years she's had to keep silent about what happened, the only person she could bring it up to was her father. She didn't miss the part about the dangers Gean could wrought about the party. Much like her conversation with Ing, this fact and the potential to be thrown from the party kept the girl on edge. "I was hoping that by completing this mission, I could find some clues, avoid actually reaching Lufiria, and make it back to Glacies to meet with my father and share my knowledge with him." She let out another sigh. "So much for that plan."

That was a beautiful name, at least in Tasha’s opinion. Not that it would change how she would address Gean, she was just too used to that by now, and so were most of the Tigers. Telling them would have to be up to the seafolk herself, of course. “I mean, we’ve not had anything happen that prevented you from doing that yet. We’re supposed to not go with the Evokers if they happen to be going to Lufiria itself… I think? We just have to escort them to Lufiria. At least, I don’t think our contract states that we’d have to enter the Severed Sands if they were going past Islexia.” That was all well and good, but they might have to change that if the Evokers requested it. Or Ingverd… He was their contact with Iseria, after all. And speaking of him. “By the way, what was that about Ingverd threatening you with his sword?”

Oh right. Gean had almost forgotten about that last part. In her panic earlier she let out the fact that her and the verbose man had talked before, best to explain that notion. "Right so, the morning after our first bout with pirates at sea, Ingverd approached me at my room, and forced me to spill the beans. I remember him having his hand on his sword the whole time, and the fact he called me out about my past with no room to argue, I kinda freaked out." She rubbed her scales on her neck. "I don't know if I can trust him, he knows something, and seems to be a bit tight lipped on things. But for now he says he's on our side."

“As I’d expect from someone working directly under Iseria. I don’t doubt his allegiance for now, but he’s more than capable of handling himself, and should our goals end up diverging from Iseria’s, or whoever his real loyalty lies with, we could have to face him on unfriendly terms. Just things to keep in mind.” An agent of Iseria’s was surely better informed than a bunch of mercenaries could hope to be, and if she knew anything about the structures that worked behind the rule of a strong monarch such as theirs, may be of complicated relations with many other powers that be. At least Tasha wouldn’t have to very pointedly ask him about threatening one of her people at swordpoint. “That about answers the questions I had in mind. I’ll go see if Alvira’s still in the bath, you just take it easy, alright? Miss Levion.” If nothing else, Natalya had gained another tease to her arsenal, though she’d have to limit it to when she was just with Aegean. Maybe things wouldn’t have ended this amicably if she hadn’t panicked and passed out when she did…

Gean made a small pouty face upon hearing 'Miss Levion'. The playful tiger had returned. Somehow things had smoothed over, and once again Gean felt that she didn't deserve such a person in her life. She dove back under the covers to hide her face. "Yeah I'll do that. Hope the night grows better for you." She was ready to call her mom once more but held back. "See you in the morning Tasha."

“Depends on Alvira’s mood, I guess. But I’ll try to cheer her up if she’s feeling down, yeah?” Natalya gave a small smile back to Aegean, having gotten her own concerns out of the way for now, standing up and heading to the door…  but quickly turning back, grabbing the rest of the keys that Gean had taken with her. “Right, just taking these so people can get their keys from me, and you can rest easy. See you,” she noted, nodding and actually leaving the room.

Aside from that, there was the other, equally if not more personal occurrence... One she was very interested in seeing where it would lead. Even then, there was still work to be done, and despite her usually being one of the first to wake up, Tasha had taken the time to gear up, being in practically full loadout coming down for breakfast. Though her revolver was the only weapon she was carrying. "Morning, people. Everyone get the rest they needed overnight?" A small glance at Alvira in particular, she knew why. Looking over the others, it felt like most would answer in the affirmative, even if Nyx was being Nyx and Cin seemed like he hadn't slept at all.

[scorri]

"Something like that." It wouldn't do anyone any good to know he hadn't slept at all. He glanced up at the woman sitting near him and nodded. "Yeah, you're one of the other magic user s, right? Nice you meet you. You can call me Cin." He was only half paying attention to the conversation, keeping eyes peeled, waiting for Commander Natalya to come in.

And speak of the devil, there she was. Com hurriedly stood up, and responded, "Commander, I don't know how much time we have, but we're going to get attacked this morning. The Sundown Crows I mentioned to you yesterday. They were." He hesitated, refusing to look at Ingverd, considering his words before pushing forward. "They were further taunted last night to the point that they will not be able to ignore us. I'm honestly surprised they didn't just attack us in the middle of the night." And that was the other piece of why he couldn't sleep. If he'd tried hard enough, he could have managed it. But the worry of an attack catching them unawares had kept him up and moving until it was far too late to try and rescue his night.

[Nanami Touko]

Alvira's gaze slowly fell on Tasha as she entered, feeling her face warm up a bit. "I... Got plenty of rest."

She, in fact, hadn't.

Shattered Memories and Shared Sheets

Spoiler

Alvira had crushed it! Just absolutely ruined that terrible man! Her tail was wagging all the way back to the Quiet Harbor, all smiles, perhaps the happiest she’d been in such a cathartic manner… Until she walked back in and realized she’d both be sleeping next to Tasha and would have to explain what had happened to her memory in the bath. They were already at the door to the room, Alvira having stepped aside to let Tasha unlock it… When her nervous voice spoke out. 

“T… Tasha. Uhm. I… We’ve had a long day, but… I don’t want to keep any secrets from you. I don’t want to upset you. So… Mmm… That, name. That name Aegean said in the baths. Jeremiah Noire… I recognized it.” She huffed, shivering a little, slowly holding herself. “If I try to think about it any more, try and recollect where I heard it from… My head… Just starts to hurt. I don’t know why… But it’s a bit scary.”

After she’d seen that Alvira had left the baths, Natalya had gotten things settled and gotten them both back into their shared room, choosing to visit the town’s arena afterward. Cheering the dragon on had likely improved her performance somewhat, and in the end, she had won, even against their strongest fighters. Including one very loathsome man who seemed like trouble. “Hm? You did?” Focused on Aegean as she had been during their moment in the bath, Tasha hadn’t noticed anything wrong with Alvira in that moment… save for the one unwarranted comment, anyway. But this didn’t seem like a normal kind of remembering things. “That’s concerning… And I don’t suppose you have any idea why that is.” Either way, talking more could wait until they were behind that door, beckoning the dragon to follow inside as the commander again began lightening up her state of dress.

“I… Might, have an idea.” Alvira followed into the room after her, the dragon’s tail closing the door behind them. Once again she averted her eyes, still unable to handle the sight of Tasha in less of her armor and clothing. “Uhm… Mmm. I haven’t thought about it much because I’ve been spending the past, almost decade, trying to take care of myself and my siblings… But…” She sighed, going past Tasha to sit on the bed, tail coiling onto her lap. “I don’t… I don’t have any memories of the first ten years of my life?” She laughed quietly and a wry smile slipped onto her face, looking down at the floor. “If I try to think about them, it’s not even pain, I just get nothing… I… This is the first time in a long time I’ve had the chance to be… Introspective, about myself, so it’s… It’s, just a little… It’s really, alarming. Incredibly so… What, if I’m not even ‘Alvira’? What if I’d done horrible things? And that’s why my siblings and I were living such a harsh life in Lufiria…? I…” 

She’d begun to panic, enough to hold herself again, not enough to delve into any hysterics, but things were leading there. “I’m scared. I’ve learned so much these past weeks and months, but I don’t at all know where they’re going. I hold onto all of you in this group, even if I don’t say it. You all matter so much… Even Nyx. I know I snapped at her, I still have to apologize, but even… Her. It’s… I don’t want this to be a lie. I don’t want, what I am and who I am now to be, fake. Some safety net my mind decided on…”

Tasha finished getting her armor off and setting it to the side while she listened, and the longer Alvira spoke, the more it seemed like she was going to crack again. The dragon had been so headstrong and dismissive most of the time they’d known, but these few recent talks seemed to show a fragile girl behind the outward-facing strength. “Even if it was, does it really matter? You are who you are now, not some ghost of the past that’s hidden from everyone. And we’ll see what the future has to bring together.” She was quick to be by Alvira’s side, sitting next to her on the side she hadn’t brought her tail around from, a hand on her shoulder. “And I’m here for you. If there’s anything like this that you’re feeling anxious about, I’ll listen. No matter where those missing years, familiar names, or otherwise might lead. That’s what a good mom does, right?”

“... Yeah. Yeah, it is. And you’re right…” Alvira was still struggling, but Tasha’s words had managed to hold her at the precipice, rather than have her drop into her anxieties. “I… It would still be difficult to reconcile with things if everything suddenly came back to me, but… I’m, me. I’m not who I was, even if I learn something horrible… What worries me the most is this past coming back to bite me and not knowing enough to stop it from happening.” She’d managed a glance at Tasha while she spoke, a serious one.

“It’s not much of anything, but I can at least put together that this Jeremiah is looking for my siblings and I because of something I know or did in those years I can’t place. I don’t want any of you to get hurt because of that… We’ve handled ourselves against riff raff, but he was… Dressed regally, ornately armed. A proper soldier, knight or something. If… If what I have buried has to do with Lufiria, and he’s someone important from there, It worries me even more. We can’t stand up to someone like that… I don’t want to see you hurt, or worse.”

“Maybe not, but it’s just as likely that vision didn’t mean what it seemed to,” Natalya replied, pulling herself just a little closer to Alvira. She was holding herself together for the moment, at least, letting Tasha play the optimist to try and calm her anxieties. “I’m sure we’ll get stronger on this mission, what with having to get through Islexia, and people of higher status like that would be more likely to engage in diplomacy than the lowlives we usually fight. You might even be stronger than me by the time we reach the Sands. And we might have learned more about that past of yours by then, too, enough that we can be safer about things, yeah? I don’t want to see you hurt either.”

Once again, Tasha laid things out with enough common sense to keep Alvira calm, the dragon sighing. It was going to be on her mind, but it wasn’t going to crush her. Not at the moment. “Yeah… Yeah. Stronger than you, though, that’s a laugh. You’re way too strong for any of us to catch up~” She managed the smallest smile, a real one, and slipped herself off the bed, taking a blanket with her. “Alright… Sleep. Important, especially after all that exercise… I hope you sleep well, Tasha.”

Alvira slowly got herself comfortable on… the floor, tail wrapping up and under her head to give her a pillow against the wood, the blanket flopping over her. 

“Hey, I’m old compared to the rest of you, Nyx not included. I’d be more surprised if nobody did become stronger.” Tasha answered the smile with a small laugh, happy that Alvira had gotten her worries assuaged. Though… “I hope you sleep well t… …what are you doing?” The tiger blinked a few times, looking at Alvira in slight disbelief. She had a nice, actually very nice, bed right there, and she was choosing to sleep on the floor? “Uh… you’re sure you wouldn’t rather sleep on the bed?”

“Huh?” Alvira peeked back over at her, the tip of her tail wagging. “Uh… Well… Uhm. I’m… You’re…” Her face was getting redder, trying to explain things, hiding it underneath the blanket. “I… I’m, a little afraid to s-sleep next to you…”

“...The beds might not be sized for the likes of us here, but there’s more than enough room for both of us?” Even if she had a small hunch of what Alvira actually meant, that seemed like the more, reasonable, concern. And if she was really that concerned about sleeping next to Tasha, there was one thing the tiger thought could be the case, checking the mattress. “This isn’t one big bed either, it’s two smaller ones shoved together, so we could pull them apart?”

Alvira huffed quietly and sat up slowly, looking over at the tiger, thinking things over. Tasha had looked for solutions rather than invite her over… So things would be fine, right? Cautiously, she got up again, sliding onto her side of the bed, covering herself with the blanket quickly. “It, would be a lot of work after a long day to have you move all this, so… I’ll… I’ll just do my best. That’s all…”

“Hehe, it wouldn’t be that big of a deal, but if you’re sure!” Just moving a few beds was a hell of a lot easier than swinging a poleaxe accurately, anyway, but if that’s what Alvira wanted, Tasha wouldn’t press the matter further. Instead, she’d simply take off her middle layer, sliding into bed as well once she was in just her underwear and with her hair decorations set aside on the side table. “Mmm… The beds on the ship weren’t bad for their worth, but it sure is nice to sleep comfy in a good bed.” She stretched her arms a little, a contented sigh as she relaxed.

Alvira’s entire body tensed up as she felt Natalya slide onto the bed, hugging herself tighter and shrinking up some after the momentary freeze. She had to focus to stop her magic from slipping out; the last thing either of them needed was a temperature change… She had to say something, though. Something important for the both of them, going forward. “... T-Tasha.”

Alvira’s tail had snuck out of her blanket and gently pressed up against the tiger’s back, just making a connection, not stroking or anything else. “I… I, think, you are a very attractive woman. That much, is plain for anyone to see… And I think I might… Like you. But…” Alvira swallowed, her mouth getting dry. “I don’t know if it’s because I truly feel something for you, or because I’m growing enamored with the comfort you’ve brought me. Being with and talking to you makes me feel so safe, but also anxious, so I… I don’t have anything concrete. Yet.”

Is there a point to you saying all of this…? She’s probably just being nice, anyway… “I just… Wanted… Wanted to make clear why I was so apprehensive to get into the bed. I-I… Mmm. Yeah…”

So the kiss wasn’t just sudden bluster. I see how it is… Natalya looked over at the dragon, her own tail wrapping around Alvira’s softly. “Then you should let yourself explore those feelings more. Whether it’s something fleeting, or something you feel more strongly… I’ll accept you whichever way you want to be. It’s entirely up to you, whether you’d like ‘Mommy’ to cause misunderstandings or not~” A light touch on Alvira’s nose, sliding her hand away as quickly as it had come up, and a smirk backing her words. She wouldn’t make any real moves herself, both out of wanting the dragon to be honest about her feelings and because she didn’t want to be rash in assuming with someone half her age. But if Alvira was to make the moves necessary…

Tasha was definitely doing this on purpose. The words, the phrasing, the touch on her tail and nose… Alvira was squirming on her side of the bed, almost rolling in place. She had to flex her wings to keep herself still enough, huffing loudly, whining a bit quieter. “If I ‘explore’ anything tonight, I’m going to end up in your arms, doing something I don’t know if I’m r-ready for or not, yet… You’re, really… Really crushing my rational side. Gods…” Alvira’s tail caught the tiger’s, giving it a tight squeeze, not enough to hurt but enough to hold onto it. She could feel a pit of feeling growing just below her stomach, legs squirming, claws clinging onto the blanket. “Please don’t tease me so much if you aren’t going to take responsibility for what you’re s-stirring up inside me…”

Much as she wanted to escalate the situation by teasing further, Tasha did have her own realistic concerns that she wanted to make clear before they’d take any step like that. “It’s because there are some things I have to say before any of that happens, too.” She let out a sigh, knowing that Alvira would probably not take this too well, but prefacing was important. “Before I say this, I am single. Haven’t been in a serious relationship. But being a tiger, there’s a time every month that my, urges, get much stronger. That’s called being in heat. Though she hasn’t been with the group for that long, the time she has been, me and Laniva have been taking care of each others’. Just because it’s almost impossible to focus on anything those days otherwise.”

Alvira felt her claws tense up into fists, but she quickly released them. What are you doing, getting jealous over someone, when you can’t even figure your own feelings out? Idiot. Stupid. Alvira took a deep breath. She had to find the right words to explain this… Maybe they were simpler than she was trying to formulate. “... I’ve got a lot of issues. You know that already, Tasha. You’ve seen a lot of them recently… Some of them earlier, when we first met, b-but… What, I mean is… You’ve already shown that you can handle my problems. It would be… If this, is to become a thing, it would be selfish and immature of me to not try and handle yours in return. Even if they’re more physical in nature…” She peeked over her shoulder at the tiger, wondering how she was taking the talk.

“So… If that’s all that it is… I just need to learn how to satisfy, y-you… Right?” Alvira swallowed hard, slowly rolling over, but she kept the blanket over her completely, eyes the only things peeking out now. “There’s… O-Only one way, I can learn, if our… If we’re… Compatible enough, f-for that…”

Surprisingly, that seemed to go over much better than expected, with Alvira not really even questioning things much. Now things were back to the previous square… “I’ll talk things over with her, then… Because it seems like you’re okay with making that commitment yourself.” Tasha pulled herself close, softly pressing up against the dragon, throwing the ball back into her court for possibly the last time. “Maybe things won’t lead to more things, but you won’t know that unless you try. You said I wasn’t taking responsibility for what I’m making you feel… I only have one condition.” Those next words were what she’d wanted to continue with earlier, closing in on Alvira’s ear, and with but a whisper, “Make me.”

“Well… I-I– Mnhn…” It only took a moment, but Alvira was suddenly buried up to her eyes in Tiger. Tasha kept on talking, that sensation growing inside of her, the whisper throwing all rationale out of Alvira’s mind. She leaned up and kissed Tasha properly, throwing herself over her and the blanket over them both…

Her pleasant stupor remembering the previous nights events was interrupted by Cinaed, apparently the Crows were after them. Several of their monster members had run through the arena, so it didn't surprise her that they were angry, but to go this far? "So we just kill them, right?" Alvira stared blankly at Cin and Tasha, not realizing the severity of her statement. "If they're all as bad as that Rustal guy, I don't think anyone will miss them."

"Quite right!" Ingverd had set down his breakfast, clapped his hands and crossed a leg over his knee. "I paid them a visit last night to make sure they would come after us. Call it a job, with a hefty paycheck should you succeed. Call it a test to see if you can all handle the worse that's yet to come in Islexia~ Call it what you'd like, but you're all about to have a lot of very angry Clouded and Monster hating members on your doorstep... I hope you've all eaten~" His piece said, he returned to his coffee, idly drinking with a smile on his face.

Edited March 1, 2022 by Mel the DM

[TheRoon]

"?" Gean's approach had the cleric turn to her slightly. She still felt uncomfortable around her, but simply turned back to her plates. "These are for Tio and Elisa." She said as she put the plates down.

She reached for a cup of orange juice and brought it up to sip. That's when the news came. She was a bit away from Cin when he told Tasha about the crows, but as soon as Ing spoke up the news had reached her. 'The crows...those crows?' Her eyes widened. A pack of angry arena fighters looking for revenge was on their way here.

"Ah!?" She gasped out and let go of the cup as it broke on the table and spilled juice. "!" She sprang up and tried to clean it up with a napkin before it reached the Evoker's plates.

[MRDRHAWK]

Nyx grumbled, as the clear noise of hustle and bustle began to creep into her senses. Dammit, she forgot she wasn’t here alone, and the rest of the crew she found herself with was beginning to stir and make their way down to the main floor. Nyx had half a mind to snark that she wanted some shuteye (which she really did), but…

But then the big lad they’d picked up on the boat mentioned the Crows, and suddenly Nyx felt the fog in her head both thicken and lift at the same time - focusing on one thing swimming around in that head of hers made it easier to deal with.

”Oi, dem Crows… ‘pparently, their leader’s got some kinda connection wit’ th’underworld.” Nyx tried to chime in towards Nattie, slowly dragging herself upright while also trying to move towards the tiger Clouded. She added, in a not unnoticeably smaller voice, “Y’know, th’same sortsa lads tha’ nearly killed me back before y’brought me in. Maybe even…”

No, no, that’s not a thought she wanted to finish. None of these kids deserved to get out through that sort of thing, and Nyx wouldn’t let it happen, even if she felt like she was about tits-deep in the ground at the moment. “Point is, y’gotta be careful wit’ em. Betcha a lotta dem’ll be cartin’ round dem sortsa weapons like th’pirates ‘ad on th’boat.” And a lot more of them, too, depending on who was supplying the Crows.

[Billy12510]

"So that's what it's about then. I see..."  Syndra's comment belied her true feelings. That son of a bitch. Test or not there's little justification in forcing a conflict like this. "You're going to be there helping clean up the mess you made right? Otherwise the Crows won't be the only ones I have an issue with."