Faith in the Spirits Arc 1: To Align the Stars

[scorri]

Cinaed couldn't help the small yawn that escaped his mouth as he walked back down the halls of the inn, robe tied neatly across his body, towel around his neck. The warmth of the bath had lulled him into a short doze, not enough to fix the lack of sleep but he wouldn't be collapsing again either. Which was good, he didn't need to be worrying anyone any more than he already had. He winced slightly internally, remembering the responses of his teammates at the revelation that he hadn't slept. It had been stupid. And he would need to find Ingverd and resolve some of that stupidity. But first, he needed to finish drying off and change, hopefully followed by a quick trip to the magic shop.

He opened the door to the room he had theoretically been sharing with Ingverd, though it was mostly just his bag that had been doing the sharing, and tossed his towel onto the bed. As his hands started to reach to undo the robe, he realized with a start that he was not alone in the room. Ingverd had returned, some time between his leaving for the bath and current time. Just how long was I napping? Well, guess there's no time like the present... He dropped his hands to the side before turning to fully face the other man. "Ah, Ingverd, I. Mmm." Deep breath in. Exhale. He could do this. "I need to talk to you at some point. About my behavior last night. I do need to go shopping before we leave town as well, if possible, but, no, this needs to happen too. Sooner, rather than later. I, my actions, I owe you an apology. And an explanation." His fists tightened into balls, grabbing the soft material of the robe as he stared at the other man, hoping that he wouldn't turn him down. He knew that he had started to set fire to the bridge between them. All he could hope is that now he could put that fire out before the whole bridge turned to ash and smoke.

[Nanami Touko]

Alvira had pulled Lani along towards the first store she'd laid her eyes on, a little place named Kansei Cloth. The name gave her a bit of pause, given Kansei's relationship with Clouded and Monsters, but they'd just drove out the Crows! Surely they were town heroes now... Either way, she wanted-- needed, to pick up some new clothes. Both so she could change more often instead of having to wash the same dress robes every night and so she could... I wanna show off to Tasha a little. Something nice that'll really make her stare.

She'd finally let go of Laniva's hand when they entered, immediately pressing herself up to one of the shelves. She began to rifle through some of the clothes, doing her best to ignore the owners. "Any clothes you're looking for, Lani? You've got a good figure, I'm sure you could work anything you want."

---

Ingverd had been reading through his notes as the door to his room opened, Cin walking in. He hadn't expected the dragon to want to approach him after all of the morning's events, so when he apologized, the 'elf' was left a little gobsmacked. "An apology? For what? Weren't you just sticking to your ideals?" He wasn't smiling, doing his best to push his smug personality down. He caught the way he was talking and it surprised him to hear that he almost sounded angry. You really let this get to you more than you should have, didn't you? Ingverd sighed and let the book fall onto his face. "Well, get out whatever you need to. If it'll make you feel better, I'll listen."

---

Unbeknownst to Tio and Elisa, a pair of eyes were stalking them as they walked through Eibar. A form, keeping completely to the shadows, was watching exactly where they were going, what they were doing, and making sure to follow after them as quietly as it possibly could. When they'd purchased a wagon for travel, the creature waited until they walked off, before once again sneaking, slowly crawling into the wagon they'd put their name to. It slipped into one of the crates with the faintest sound of a lid shutting and all was quiet once again.

Edited March 28, 2022 by Mel the DM

[scorri]

That... wasn't the reaction he was expecting. Ingverd sounded almost, angry? That didn't make sense though. He'd been angry when Cin had been upset and now he was angry when Cin was trying to apologize? What was he supposed to do to make this man happy? He sat down onto his bed with a heavy thump, staring down at the ground, trying his best to stay calm. "Look, I, just. I still think you were wrong to not tell anyone what you were planning on doing. If the Crows had attacked us at night, we could have been taken by surprise, heavily wounded before we even got a chance to react. But, I, I had no right to get as angry at you for taunting Rustal like you did. Because, well, I wasn't really any better. I mean, I didn't cut off his hand, but I taunted him and wasted time during our fight to knock the mask off his face just because it felt good. And so even if you hadn't done anything, my actions would have gotten us attacked anyways. The only difference is that I told Commander Natalya what happened, but that's still not. It doesn't excuse how badly I reacted. And if I'd been thinking straight, I would have realized that."

And this was what it all hinged on. Ingverd had been wrong to put them all in that extra amount of danger without telling anyone. That much Cin wasn't going to move on. Just because the Crows ended up being pushovers didn't excuse it. None of them had expected that. He unconsciously traced a line across his chest where the Crow's leader had tried to split him in two. Even with their strength being less than expected, he had still almost been taken out. How much worse would it have been if the bastards had attacked during the night? No. He had to focus. Explain why. "It, I, it was the hand. That's why I reacted like that. I don't. Mmm." He stopped talking, staring at his feet for a long second, before finally continuing, keeping his gaze locked downward. "My mom met my father when he was a guard at her school. But before that. He was a mercenary. A really good one too. He was a rising star, him and his whole crew. They wanted to change the world..." A soft, sad smile crossed his face and he shook his head, still staring down at the ground. "He lost his arm. He went from being unbeatable to barely able to hold a weapon. They hired him as security out of pity more than anything and he knows it. His whole future career gone in an instant. His dreams, his aspirations. He's not. Unhappy. He loves my mom, he loves me. But he lost so much. And I know he misses it. I can tell. And seeing you, with that hand, knowing how, abhorrent Rustal was. I could see him doing the same to one of us. To Aly or Laniva. Even me. Just because you did it to him. I couldn't, I didn't want to imagine one of my companions having their ambitions, their dreams, cut short. And that hand showed me a future where that happened."

[MRDRHAWK]

Nyx was… in a bit of a bind, as it were. Mostly because she was a bit torn in her priorities, between following her heart in seeking out her sort of-but not really-daughter, knowing full well that she needed to spend more time with her… and following her lady boner to watch her crush drop some ice on people in the arena, as Syndra had seemed to practically camp out by the arena.

For once since they’d gotten here, Nyx chose the former over the latter, and sought out Gean instead. She saw the young lass hauling Moonie in after the fight, and towing around the little mousey healer with her, presumably to patch up the young lady’s wounds. Nyx was fine with it, and her, but that didn’t seem to go both ways.

If only lil’ Rennie knew that Nyx truly hadn’t given a shit about her sister, or rather having some perceived grudge against the healer for something related to her. She never even met the woman.

”Oi, Gean! Y’decent in ‘ere?” Nyx called into the inn’s lobby, knowing full well that she absolutely would be. But that was just how they were - teasing of one another, to be sure, but always having each other’s back. And Nyx wouldn’t change that for anything.

---

Things were going pretty smoothly, all things considered.

The young cat Clouded twirled the lance in her dominant hand as she pondered over her makeshift notes, cooped up in a far corner of the Eibar arena. She’d come in pursuit of a lead regarding the head of a mercenary group who allegedly had ties to the Hecatian underground, and needed a place to entrench herself. And, wouldn’t you know it, someone conveniently skipped town or something right before she arrived, and the arena needed an extra fighter. Worked for her!

Stretching her arms up above her head, Tanya stood up with a groan and the creaking of the wooden chair she’d found herself. Clearly, there was plenty of time to investigate this little port town, and enough ground here to keep her busy. But she was always up for a little fun, and idly hoped that perhaps someone might prove a worthy challenge, someone to get her blood pumping and her heart racing - even if the bird man running the establishment told her to keep her strength in check. Honestly, where was the fun in that? 

“Alright… Darlunya, was it? I’m coming for ya. The Spear of Justice doesn’t play favourites, and if you really do have those kinds of connections… I’ll sever them, and your head from your neck if I have to.”

Tanya grabbed her spear from her side, and made her way back to the central area of the arena. No better vantage point to scope out potential challengers than right in the thick of it, after all.

[Nanami Touko]

A sob story, is it? Ingverd almost sighed, but he managed to hold back. Cinaed was too soft for this sort of life. "I'm sorry for your father. However. If any of you let that mutt cut off your own hands, you deserved it. He was a weakling, a fool, mad, and not someone strong enough to do that unless you weren't paying attention. Which I believe you weren't, mister no sleep. I'll accept your apology on that half, but I won't apologize for how I instigated things. You can once again take it up with Natalya if you disagree, but this is the life we all lead as Clouded and as mercenaries. If the Crows had attacked us in the middle of the night then we'd have replied as best as we could. You can't plan for these things and I still believe it's a good lesson."

He slowly sat up with a bit of a groan, sitting himself at the edge of the bed, looking right at Cinaed. "Look at me. I want you to look at me and listen to me. The Crows, were nothing, and I don't mean their ability to fight. They were small time racists. Clouded are different and so they hate them. I need you to realize where we're going. We're going to Lufiria, and we're going there through Islexia. They revile us there. We will be attacked for existing, let alone instigating something, and we'll be attacked in the middle of the night, the morning, the day; whenever they so please. If the Tigers cannot function under threat of ambush, under threat of being indiscriminately assaulted, I don't need them. I need people that can mentally handle this sort of thing and see the Evokers through to Lufiria."

He huffed, he was getting worked up again. "You all passed. It wasn't as difficult a test as I was hoping, but I don't see an issue keeping you all on contract to finish this. Don't make me reconsider. I genuinely cannot believe that the threat of attack prevented you from sleeping..."

[scorri]

It was more of the same, what Cin expected anyways. Ingverd was sure he was right, it would be their own fault if they got hurt, not his, never his. What had happened to the caring, teasing man who had woken him up on the ship what felt like so long ago now? He forced his eyes up in response to the command, finally looking Ingverd dead in his eyes. The world was against them, they had to be prepared, blah blah blah. He could feel the anger rising in him again, and he tried his best to shove it back down, staring at the half-elf blankly. When the man was finally done, he shook his head. "I get it. I'm naive, I'll get eaten alive in Islexia if I don't sharpen up, got it, got it, got it. The world is out to get us, you act like I don't know that already. Tossing your allies into an ambush is still shitty, no matter what justification you come up with." He felt the urge to storm out again, but he forced himself to stay seated, hands grabbing onto the mattress as he stared at Ingverd, emotions hidden as best he could. "And hey, at least you didn't waste too much time on me before finding out what a liability I apparently am. Go ahead and fire me, if you really object to my thoughts so much. You clearly don't think you need a naive Clouded dragging you down on this mission."

[Nanami Touko]

Ingverd scoffed. "No, no I don't think you do get it Cinaed. But I can see this is going nowhere, so maybe speak with someone else that sees things my way. Go talk to Natalya. Maybe she'll be able to explain this in a way you can understand. Or, maybe, you're right. You'll get eaten alive. Don't regret it when I end up being the one to pull your ass out of the fire." Off the bed he went, no longer interested in discussing this. "I'll get my own room in the next town, you don't have to worry about being near me any more. I'll make sure to stick around the more reasonable members of the Tigers until I get to return to Glacies~" He couldn't help taking shots at this point, getting further frustrated the more he had to listen to this drivel. From all he could tell, Cinaed's entire hangup had been because the situation was orchestrated, rather than happenstance, but that didn't matter in Ing's mind. Set up or randomly came upon, if the Tigers couldn't handle it, they couldn't handle it. It didn't matter if he had a hand in it or not. And if you can't see that, then leave me alone. Greenhorns, every time.

He walked out the door, hands behind his head. "Maybe there's some leftovers that need dealing with..."

[Billy12510]

The arena had finally opened for business for the day, and although it wasn't like her to engage in this kind of bloodsport, Syndra had decided that she needed to do something to avoid returning to the Tigers and pissing off their clients even more than she likely had already. Still, what have I to apologize for? That bimbo and her wife show up late to a fight that their associate started in the first place, and they get mad at me?! Since the Crows were that elf's idea of a "test" it's clear they don't think much of us to begin with, so why should I care if they don't like me? I'd love to see that elf try that stunt again when we're in Islexia and be greeted with some of my family's hospitality.. Syndra put an end to that line of thought when she had noticed a spear-wielding cat lady towards the middle of the lobby, likely to be one of the arena's fighters. Syndra called out to her; "Excuse me miss? Do you know where the signups are for the next round?"

[Bluemask 96]

With her talk with Rene done, and the town returning to business as usual, Gean was ready to knock out her errand list so to speak. Speaking of, her first target to find had just yelled down the hallway for her. Entering the lobby, the young clouded decided to sass the surprisingly sober drunk. "What this? I come to find you and your not even halfway through a bottle? Time's must be changing. Or maybe a certain mage put you on chill for now~"

 

[scorri]

"Fine, I wouldn't want to bother you with my presence anyways. Go enjoy the more reasonable Tigers, I'm sure there's someone for you to play with there. Sure am glad I never let you get close if this is the real you." The words were flung out of his mouth before he could stop them, frustration, disappointment, and regret all jumbled up into one last parting shot. He slammed the door shut before collapsing onto the bed with a groan. Covering his eyes with his hands, he was surprised to feel an unexpected dampness. Growling angrily, he dashed away the just forming tears and set about getting dressed. So what if Ingverd didn't seem to care if he lived or died. It was a job. He'd called it from the start, the flirting had just been a game, this was the real Ingverd. But if he had been right, why did it hurt to hear? Finally dressed, he sat back down on the bed with a sigh. He'd have to go grab that wind tome eventually, but for now... For now it was safer to just stay here.

 

Cin will stay in the inn until the last moment at which point he will go quickly to buy a Wind Tome unless otherwise interacted with

[MRDRHAWK]

Nyx pursed her lips, ready to retort to Gean’s teasing but finding she had none to pluck from her mind. Shit, maybe Syn really was being a better influence on her. Or maybe Nyx was making her worse…? No, not the time, she had a daughter to tease.

”What, y’think m’gonna get drunk this early without a reason? C’mon, Gean, even I got some standards with the bottle!” No, no, she really didn’t. But that didn’t matter right now; none of it did, in the fact of an important matter. “‘Sides, m’really not in th’mood to get us kicked outta every store we might go to today. Y’don’t deserve that.”

Nyx left the unspoken bits about her definitely deserving it unsaid, especially since Gean knew full well why Nyx was so apprehensive about coming to Hecatia in the first place. “‘Plus, we ain’t had a whole lotta mom-kid time since we got this big job, n’that ain’t right. So c’mon, Gean, le’s get ye some pretty shit.”

---

Well, it certainly didn’t take long for someone to come traipsing into the arena looking for a challenge! Tanya couldn’t help but study the cool woman that came into the arena, nodding in approval before shaking off whatever thoughts of playful flirting may have come into her head. There was a job to do first, after all, and something told her chasing this woman would end pretty poorly for her.

”Oh, yeah, just go over to Ricardo over there. You can’t miss him, he’s a big bird man.” Tanya stuck a thumb in Ricardo’s general direction, quietly hoping he wasn’t too busy to vet challengers but not really looking for herself to see if that was true. Speaking of that…

”Uh, no offense, though, but you don’t look to me like you’d last even a round with Zala n’ Dino. You got some magic in ya?” Tanya was also very much not keen on watching someone walk into the arena and get trounced by the early rounds, and decided to express those concerns in a… unique manner. Par for the course for her, mind, but the other woman probably wouldn’t get that.

[Billy12510]

"Trust me, I'm not going to turn tail and run at the sight of a few sharpened sticks, but perhaps you'll find that out for yourself. An avian named Ricardo you said?  Thank you. Perhaps you'll get to see what I'm capable of in combat yourself, once I make it to you." Confidently, Syndra made her way over towards the birdman to go and sign up. "Excuse me? Are you Ricardo? I've been told you're the one in charge around here. I'd like to sign up for the next round of fights."

[Bluemask 96]

"Hoohh? First you show me some restraint,then you want to take me shopping? I must've done something right." It was true that Gean hadn't spent much time with Nyx recently. While she wasn't the best of role models in most eyes, she had been there for Gean almost as long as Tasha had been. Adding Nyx into her plans might cause some trouble when she grouped back up with the others, but Gean was confident she could handle that.

"Well it just so happens that I want to go to a couple of places, shopping and non shopping." She took the arm of her 'not mom' and proceeded out the inn onto main street. "I'll let you choose first. Weapons, arena, or fortune teller? I gotta grab the girls for when we go clothes shopping."

[MRDRHAWK]

Nyx couldn’t help herself, grinning like a mad fool when Gean happily acquiesced to her request. Although the mention of bringing others dampened her enthusiasm for the whole ordeal just a tad, it was far from enough to quell the sudden surge of elation in her chest.

”I’m good with whatever, honestly. Might be kinda fun t’get some new clothes first, then go crack some skulls. Y’know, show some o’them lads that we can be fancy as hell n’ still kick their asses.” Granted, Nyx wasn’t exactly in the market for silken gowns or anything, but it would be a nice buffer in case the others that Gean planned to bring along were a bit… less cooperative.

”I do know Synnie went off to go scrap right away, but she’ll be fine. N’sides, this is about ye, n’not her.” Plus, Nyx didn’t want to think about the idea of Syn becoming a third mom to Gean yet. That was a little more than she was willing to stomach at present.

[TheRoon]

After Rene and Miria had their talk she decided to lead her fellow Tiger into the inn lobby. She took a look around for Aegean, but surprisingly found no trace of her. "Hm...that's odd." She looked at Miria. "I thought Aegean was meeting us here for our shopping trip, I guess I was wrong...what should we do? Maybe we should go looking for her? Who knows how far she got..."

[GoldsbroTSG]

Miria followed along with Renais and began roaming a bit once it was announced Gean wasn't there. Then, the little sister radar kicked in!

"Oh! Hey Renais, she's just outside!"

And soon she was bolting out of the inn, meeting up with her 'big sister', giving her a tackle hug from behind. "Hi!"

Turning over, she also noticed Nyx. She smiled.

[Ursali]

With no one left to stop her once everyone had dispersed, Alriana was finally free to scale one of the buildings and observe as the townsfolk went about cleaning the streets of the crows. It wasn't as though she had anything better to do with the shops closed, aside from help clear out the crows; however, she felt she earned the right to rest after killing so many of them. Once the streets were clear she hopped back down to the street, intent to get her shopping done. However, she appeared to have landed near a curious stall. Fortune... Teller? Individually the two words made sense, but put them together and she no longer knew what it was supposed to mean. Intrigued, she approached the stall.

"How you tell fortune?" She asked the woman behind the stall.

[Bluemask 96]

"Oh so she's Synnie now?" Nyx was making this way to easy for Gean. Even despite everything else Gean had noticed Nyx's growing bond with the ice mage. Now that she had Nyx all to herself, she wasn't going to pass up on the chance to tease her about it especially when she was being so open. "Gee I wonder what you've been up t- oof!"

Gean was suddenly thrown off balance,  being tackled from behind by a familiar voice. "Woah there cub! Don't need to rush me down. Easy girl." 

[Mercenary on the Winds]

Their opening search for Ingverd hadn’t borne fruit. Either they somehow missed him on their way across Eibar, or he was avoiding them. Tio couldn’t exactly rule out the latter, but that may have just been frustration speaking. After a bit, they’d just decided to go on and procure their wagons, and supplies for the actual journey. The route that Tio and Elisa had stayed up last night planning out had several stops for them to replenish supplies, so they were able to keep the cost of things to a minimum. But this had all taken longer than Tio would have liked, and she still hadn’t the answers to what actually happened, nor had she apologized to the dragon girl for her imposition on her. Now she and Elisa were back on the search.

“Ugh… Where is he? The only person who will probably give me a straight answer, and he’s nowhere to be found.” She shook her head, only to get her long hair into her eyes. Rounding the corner towards the inn, finally, her eyes found the elfish man. “Ingverd! There you are. I swear, you have no idea how hard you are to find sometimes.” She quickly walked up, placing her hands on her hips, “Surely you’ll tell me what happened here? I was either ignored, or expected to have known.”

"Ah, hello, Tiora. What can I do for you… Hm? What happened was a group of racists was put where they belong and a mercenary group was paid for it." He tilted his head at her, confused, arms folded. "Is there an issue?"

Tio bristled at her full name being used, but tried to relax, realizing that her frustrations were shining through. “You paid them? Was this your doing? Or were you just paying them because it was a group of racists that they ended up felling?” The deaths of racists were entirely of no concern to Tio; people who couldn’t find it within them to see monsters or clouded as living beings didn’t deserve sympathy. “I’m just… having a little difficulty figuring out how we were attacked again.”

Ingverd shrugged. "Myself and several of the Tigers instigated one of the Crows members at the arena the previous evening, so clearly, they saw fit to attack a bunch of Clouded and Monsters in the early hours of the morning. I asked Natalya to deal with them when it was apparent we were being assaulted, with the promise of pay. Is there an issue with that?" His response was full of half truths, but no lies. He didn't need two people blaming him for something entirely reasonable.

Ah, things were starting to fall into place. There was something off seeming about Ingverd, but the man was enigma on his best days. She’d already burned herself looking too far into things in the past twenty-four hours. “So, to my understanding, the Crows couldn’t handle that you and Tigers performed so well in the arena, and sought revenge. Do I have that right?” Tio exhaled, letting her arms fall to her sides. “No, there isn’t an issue with that. If they sought to strike first then it was their own folly, and to try to bring the populace into it…”

Tio looked at Elisa with a lifted eyebrow before continuing, “That does make me wonder what the ice mage from earlier meant then.” Tio felt the urge to cross her arms, and huff, but only just stifled it, “The way she phrased things made it seem like there was more to this, and far be it from me to believe someone that petty for no reason.” 

Syndra or Alvira had said something then. "I wasn't present for the other Tigers, but I wasn't exactly kind to the man while I was giving him his lashings during our round. Rustal I believe his name was… The fellow missing a hand~" Ingverd smiled. "But, I do hope you'll excuse my being angry at a racist in the middle of fighting grounds meant for combat. Gave him the beating of his life. They must have sought revenge over it… But surely you won't admonish me for a justified assault on a horrible individual, will you?"

That was quite a bit more than she’d expected to get. It did seem a bit strange–knowing the man’s line of work, he’d probably encountered individuals far worse than whatever dreck he was talking about now–but Tio could only sigh. “If you’re telling me everything, the only thing I’d truly admonish you for would be involving the populace. But you and the Tigers saw that nothing happened, and it appeared to have mostly gone well. Well, I also wish I’d known in advance, but Elisa and I were hardly needed.” 

If this was all it was then Tio had nothing to be concerned about there. The ice mage’s words still bothered her quite a bit. “Ingverd… I’ll only ask once. Is there something about this that you’re not telling me? I can’t say that you’d have any reason to lie to me, but that’s why this all seems a little… odd. If you don’t say anything, I’ll leave it at that; things went well for the most part. But I’d rather be on the same page. You have been turning my opinion ever so slowly.” This was the only shot she had at this. Anything she got would have to be on his terms. 

He sighed. She was going to push this, was she? He dropped his arms and shrugged harder. “I took his hand. There, are you happy? I have my limits and he wasn’t just some country racist with a loud mouth. Nearly killed Alriana and I didn’t quite take that kindly. So perhaps I gave them more of a reason to hold a grudge, but it was still a valuable lesson and test for the Tigers AND it worked out for the best in the end, so I see no issue… I hope you can also see that.”

“Well… that confirms what I was thinking you meant by that. It was strange that you mentioned his hand.” Tio focused herself, this was perhaps the most serious that she’d seen Ingverd. Well, aside from the times that he was at Iseria’s side. “So you took his hand, and that’s what sparked them to attack in the way they did…” She pondered a moment, trying to piece things together delicately. “As I said before, my only real concern with this was the populace; I greatly would have preferred to have somehow taken the fight elsewhere. But you, and the Tigers made sure that the only trouble they caused was littering the street.” Then her eyes narrowed a tad, “But knowing that one of the Crows nearly killed Alriana…” A pause. “Uh, who is Alriana? I don’t quite have the Tigers’ names down.” Some for good reason… 

He frowned, arms folded again, considerably more bothered by her ‘understanding’. “Look, the Tigers did quite a number on the man, to my understanding. Cinaed and Alvira both, alright? I just guaranteed they’d be showing up. It was a good test to see if they could handle the worse that is still to come in Islexia, so I don’t think it was a terrible idea. Ambush or not, informed or not, a mercenary group should be able to handle themselves against any surprise. It was a good call. Gods…” He was visibly frustrated, clearly bothered by people calling him out for this. It wasn’t against anything he’d been taught. Always be aware that you could be attacked…

“Alriana is… She’s one of the Tigers, the, odd, lizard girl. I’m not quite sure what she is, but that’s not the point. He’d tried to goad her into attacking him once she was down, just so he could have an excuse, and I wasn’t about to put up with someone like that.”

Tio tilted her head at Ingverd’s insistence on the idea being the correct one. She hadn’t really voiced any opposition to how things occurred, or at least she didn’t think she had. He seemed strangely bothered at the possibility of someone calling him out for this. Had something happened? “I don’t recall voicing too much opposition to this. Yes, I would have preferred to be informed, and for it to have been away from the port. But as you say; our enemies aren’t going to wait for us.” Even if they hadn’t worked together for long, Tio had Ingverd pegged as annoyingly unflappable. It was, admittedly, kind of heartwarming to know that he felt more than he let on. 

But more importantly, Ingverd was talking about the lizard from before, and he didn’t know what she was. “So even you don’t know what she is…” That ruled out quite a few possibilities, and judging by how he kept mentioning her as his reason for removing a man’s hand, Tio wasn’t sure if he’d oblige gathering information on her. She sighed, “Well, you reacted probably as I would have in that scenario. Just… keep me in the loop on things. The ice mage seemed to insinuate that because of how things happened, I had a part in it, and my tardiness was related to that. But rest assured, I see why you did what you did, and I mostly agree.” 

Ingverd sighed. “Hh… It’s, Cinaed. The dragon. He’s been getting on me for not telling the group. For ‘setting them up.’ But what does it matter if I did it or not? Islexia will be far worse and it’s a good skill for a mercenary group to have, one that they need to have if they’re going to survive this trip. I needed to know they had it, but apparently I’m the big bad because it was orchestrated instead of happenstance. Because it was a ‘test’... Frustrating. I know I shouldn't be letting this get under my skin, but I thought I was doing this for the right reasons. Perhaps I was too aggressive considering my relationship to the Tigers, but I just… Ugh.” 

His face met his hand as he pinched his nose once more, sighing hard into it. “I… Simply thought this would’ve been a good thing. No one else has given me guff about this… I don’t know why I’m letting Alriana’s endangerment upset me so much, and I don’t know why I’m letting Cinaed’s opinion get to me this badly. Maybe I’m just on edge… And, just, disregard that Syndra woman. She seems openly hostile to everyone… Unless it was Alvira, in which case, probably disregard her too. She seems to hate everything that isn’t at least partly Clouded.”

Tio’s head tilted even further as she listened to Ingverd. She looked up to the sky, bouncing her head back and forth as she looked for the correct sequence of words. “On the one hand, I think you’re absolutely right that testing their ability to fight an ambush is important. Especially for our mission. But… Cinead’s also right to be upset with you. Why wouldn’t he be? What happened to the Tigers in the event that they failed? I can’t say I know him, so his reasons are beyond my reach. Had it been me though? I’d be furious to know that my employer put my company’s lives in danger simply because he didn’t believe in our skill.”

Tio looked back down at Ingverd, “Don’t mistake my words. I still think you did it for the correct reasons, but your reasons aren’t apparent to Cinead. If the Tigers had failed then; we’d simply have moved on to another mercenary group. They’re expendable in that case, and the mission above all else. Cinead doesn’t see them that way, and I don’t think you do either.” Tio wandered in a little closer,  “It’s fairly obvious–to me, anyway–why what happened, and what is happening with those two bothers you. You care about them, on some level. I don’t think you’d have dismembered a man otherwise. It’s not as simple as finishing the mission anymore.” Tio huffed as he mentioned Syndra, and Alvira, “I’m pretty sure it was the former. At least, Alvira, I think you said, has reason to be hostile towards me. More so after last night.” 

“Just… Look. It’s not that he’s upset at me. It’s that he’s calling me wrong. That’s what’s getting to me. I understand being upset at an ambush or being set up, whatever. It’s still a good lesson to learn. He’s so stubbornly sure that I’m wrong for what I did, that it’s just… ugh. I’ll get over it, but it’s rubbing me the wrong way. Horribly.” He sighed once more, he knew he was better than these base emotions, but things were getting to him, more so even than things Jeremiah had done to him in the past. 

“Pfeh. Okay, maybe I care. I still shouldn’t care this much about them after only a few weeks…” It was frustrating him more to think about, he needed to work out some of this frustration. “Well, you've got your answer now. I hope it’s good enough. Hopefully you can deal with whatever you did to Alvira… If you need me, I’ll be around. Take care, Tio… And thank you, I suppose.” I’ve at least addressed what’s getting to me… I care, goodness. When did I get so soft?

Ingverd turned away from her and waved, hands quickly stuffed into his pockets. “Talk to Cinaed if you can! He won’t listen to me~” It was time to clean up whatever trash was left in this port town.

Tio stuck her hand out as Ingverd turned, and walked away. She realized that he’d called her Tio, and even thanked her. It really was bothering him, a lot. She sighed as she watched him disappear down the streets of Eibar, “Didn’t even let me finish… .” Tio did understand his frustration; thinking about it a little more. The mission to find the envoy was the only thing they were really supposed to focus on. Whether the Tigers lived, died, or complained shouldn’t have mattered because Glacies, and so much more, were at stake. 

First it was Alriana, and her fantastical magical signature. Then, Alvira and her justified disdain of her, and Glacies. A disdain that Tio herself understood intimately. Lastly, Syndra and her… Tio paused, she didn’t really know what to call it aside having her head stuck up her ass, but that didn’t really align with things. Maybe I should disregard her… She didn’t directly share Ingverd’s goal oriented view, but the wellbeing of Glacies came first, or it should have. She was a little too invested in the group’s wellbeing. 

Tio straightened up, and then looked at Elisa who’d stood by and allowed the pair to converse, “I need to go find Alvira. I’ll apologize to her, and then, maybe, we should go find Cinead, or ask someone to check on him. Then…” Tio smiled,  “You’ll have me all to yourself~” Her perk was returning, at least a little glad that she wasn’t the only one warming to the Tigers. 

[MRDRHAWK]

Nyx cocked an eyebrow at Gean, before a quick bout of mental math had her cheeks turning red. Fuck, she was making it way too easy, huh? Mercifully, she’d been spared a bit more of it by the tiny blue that slammed into Gean, which had Nyx barking out a hearty laugh.

”Hey there, y’lil scamp, try n’ not break Gean, aye? Prob’ly would make today a lot harder if she hurt herself.” Nyx teased, before moving over to Miria and ruffling her hair. She liked to think that Miria was about the only other Tiger that actually liked her before she and Syn started getting close, and seeing her and Gean bonding brought a proud smile to Nyx’s face.

Turning back over to Gean, Nyx’s eyes narrowed - moreso out of jest than anything. A clearly melodramatic overreaction, complete with flapping her arms. “Not in front o’ th’ kid, aye?! M’not gonna be th’ one to piss off Moonie’s mum, n’ Rennie’s big sis. That one’s prob’ly got plenty o’ reason t’kick me arse as it is.” Still, she elbowed Gean in the side, more of a nudge than anything. “‘Sides, I bet a fine lass like ye's got plenty o’folk interested in ‘er. Maybe that big lad we picked up ‘fore we left? Eh? Ehhhhh?”

Ah, this was nice. Good wholesome family fun. Shame Nyx didn’t notice the fact that Renais was right nearby, probably scared out of her ass of her. Oh well.

[Mercenary on the Winds]

A little bell alerted an older gentlemen to Alvira and Lani's arrival. His tan, weathered face looked up from the shirt that he had been sewing, and tilted his head a little as he saw a feline clouded, and what he thought was a dragon. He'd only seen one once before, almost a decade and a half back in Kansei. They were an incredibly uncommon sight. He stroked his graying beard, and watched the two for a moment. The dragon quickly set about searching through the clothing, clearly having an idea of what she was searching for. He lowered his head back to the shirt, and continued his work with a surprisingly amount of dexterity. 

"Just holler if yer lookin for somethin, okay? My partner is in the back, she'll help if you need." 

He smiled at the thought of monsters and clouded coming into the place. Made creating clothes for them worth it. But if they didn't need him, or his partner's help to find what they needed. All the better. 

---

Ricardo had only just reopened the arena, having gotten a worthwhile replacement for Rustal. So he flinched for a moment, and turned to face Syndra, "Damn, we only just reopened and we've already got a challenger." Ricardo looked Syndra over, and smiled, "If you couldn't tell, you're the first in line. It'll be a moment or two; I hadn't really expected to get a challenger so soon after opening." 

Ricardo peered around Syndra at Tanya, "Hey! Go and tell the others to get ready. You guys are up." Ricardo flared his wings, and then looked back at Syndra. "I'm sure you know the rules. 200 gold, 450 for each round you win. Nothing lethal, or I'll be the one to deal with you. Otherwise, good luck in there.  But something tells me that you're gonna do just fine. Walk through the gate when you're ready to go." 

---

The older woman was looking into her crystal ball when Alriana practically appeared in front of her. She flinched for a moment, hand having instinctively shot to the hidden knife at her hip. "What in the... ?" She blinked, trying to wrack her brain for what exactly was standing in front of her. It wasn't coming, and she didn't think it was going to. "I, tell people's fortune by using their innate mana to gaze into their future." She tapped the crystal ball in front of her, "It is divination. It is a glimpse into what could be, and not. The world is changing always, so what you see could happen, or perhaps not at all. Care to discover your own?" 

[TheRoon]

Miria had a tracker for Gean? She sure wish she had that for Liza. But it was good to see she didn't go too far, and that Miria was all over her quick. 'This group is so clingy...I might have to get used to it.' Renais stepped up to the two with a small smile. "Glad to see you didn't go too far. I was worried you might hav-" But her rising enthusiasm was swiftly curbed when she saw who else around. A certain drunk ex-con she swore to steer clear of. "....ah." Her smile melted into a neutral expression. "Good day..." With that sad greeting out of the way she turned to Gean. "Well, it seems like you three have a lot to do today. Hope you all have fun." She bowed her head slightly to her two friends and began to walk along.

Edited March 30, 2022 by TheRoon

[Bluemask 96]

"Woah hold Rene." Gean took Miria's hands off of her and jogged up in front of Renais. It seems there was some friction between her and the groups archer, and she was quickly retreating into her shell again. "Now hold, who just promised me we'd go shopping together huh?" Gean had knelt down so she was eye level with the healer and placed a hand on the pink hair's shoulder. "Like you said, I hadn't gotten far, and I do have a lot to do today, so I'd be really happy if we all got together to do some of those things instead of searching for each other later, okay?" Gean paused for a moment before an idea came to her mind. One that would probably have the best chance of keeping Rene with the group. "Tell ya what. Why don't we invite Ms Tio to join us too? More people for you to feel comfortable around right?"

[GoldsbroTSG]

Miria’s smile beamed brighter at Gean's comment. She was happy to just get some fun time in with her sister. She giggled some after her hair was ruffled by Nyx, this really would be the first time they'd hang out together outside of their room or the bath, huh?

Then suddenly, Miria snapped her head towards Renais's direction. They were all supposed to go together, weren’t they? Gean removed her, but Miria was quick behind, following on Gean's retort,

"We were all gonna go. Like a... a girl's day, right?" Her face started going into what looked like a pout with the puppy-dog eyes.

"Please, Renais?" She asked, not really trying to push her along, but if she said no, Miria was going with her either way.

[TheRoon]

"Ah I..." Gean and Miria were both incredibly quick to stop her. It made wanting to leave much more difficult, especially with Gean looking the pinkette in the eye and Miria doing that super dangerous pouty face. "Mm..." And then came the T word, Gean had her number alright. There was really nothing Renais could do, so she took a small sigh as she accepted her fate. "...fine, I'll go with you. As long as you ask Tio...and stop that pouting, Miria. I feel like I'm being interrogated by knights." She then turned her head to Nyx with a far less dismissive look on her face. "Just no funny business. Alright?"

Edited March 30, 2022 by TheRoon