Faith in the Spirits Arc 1: To Align the Stars

[Nanami Touko]

Gean still looked scared, despite things. He couldn't blame her, so he didn't say anymore, letting the two hold each other's hands gently as they walked. He hadn't realized they were together in that way, but they were cute together. It wasn't his place to judge in any way, given his own taste in relationships... As they walked into the main hall where the Tigers were beginning to gather, he had to pause, glancing at the pink fox sitting near Alvira and Natalya... "Mikoto?" He tilted his head at the sudden change in her appearance, glancing back at Renais for a moment and pointing between them, before resting a hand on his chin. "Huh. Well. I mean. Sure... Whatever floats your boat? Good morning, everyone..." It seemed that Alriana and Iris weren't present yet. Late lizards... Heh.

[Xinnidy]

Üllr for his own, had been a bit slow to wake, especially compared to his usual self.

...It was a full day, and awkward to sleep in a bed besides. After that, his plan was to dress a bit more proper. He had just gone shopping with Iris, after all, and something she'd said stuck with him.

And that was the second time he tried wearing pants, hoping it wouldn't become that often --the feeling of cloth under his knee was novell--. Still, these allowed a fair bit of movement, and with a tank top to boot, he was properly dressed. A rare sight.

"Mhh..." It was still an awkward feeling as he walked down to meet the rest of the group, hoping he wouldn't catch too much attention as he wondered what was for breakfast. 

[scorri]

"Siorel!" Cin felt his face flush hot, as his tail snapped against his leg, quickly checking to make sure no one else was in earshot. Thankfully it seemed as if he had gotten lucky this time... "You can't just, I'm... Ugh." He gave up, realizing there would be no convincing her. Following behind her, he glanced over at the newcomer she had pointed out and gave a small shrug. "Your guess is as good as mine. I don't remember seeing any avian clouded around yesterday. Maybe he's just another guest and stumbled into our group's breakfast?"

"You could just ask me, you know." Koba looked away from his plate with a grin at the smaller lizard before leaning back, eyes wide at the man next to her. "Sheesh, another tall one in this group? You guys trying for a record or something?" He gave the two a quick once over, noting the tightness of the two, as the lizard clung tightly to the dragon's arm. Hmm, good to know. Don't mess with either of them, or the big guy will snap my arm like a twig I bet. He gave a small wave, cheerily adding, "Sorry, got distracted. Name's Koba. Assuming you're both part of the Tigers," which seemed likely given the leader of the group had walked in a few moments ago to talk with the dragon he had been behind earlier, "then I'm a new recruit. Tio brought me in, though I don't think I'll stand up to the level of some of you folks from what I'm seeing here. Oh and also, goose, not duck. Easy mistake."

Edited January 2, 2023 by scorri

[Ursali]

Alriana, as usual, was the last of the Tigers to rouse herself on this rainy day. Between spending time with Sixt-- Iris. Her name was Iris now. Iris. Iris. Iris. Between spending time with her sister and reading the romance book that she had purchased, the lizard had stayed up rather late into the night. Speaking of, the book itself was rather... Advanced, for her knowledge of the subjects contained within. Words that neither she nor her sister knew the meaning of were all too common, as well as many confusing, nonsensical descriptions of gendered objects. There was mention of less advanced actions like kissing and hugging, so the book wasn't entirely worthless to her; though, the descriptions were rather verbose and overly detailed in a weird sort of way. In the very least she could ask Sari what all the words and descriptions meant; he seemed rather knowledgeable if somewhat reluctant to speak of the activities. That was probably because she called him weird all the time, but that was because he was.

Iris herself was hardly more awake than she was, half-hanging off her bed and staring at her with one eye open. "Didn't sleep well?" Was all the lizard offered her half dressed sister as she herself got about getting out of bed and getting dressed. It didn't take as long as it normally did, no need for her armor to eat breakfast, though the inclusion of the necklace Versaris had gifted her really stood out when contrasted with her very simple clothing. Her brow furrowed, unaccustomed to paying even this much attention to her outward appearance.

Edited February 7, 2023 by Ursali

[Nanami Touko]

"Mrrrhnnn... Mornings are hard..." Iris yawned and rolled off the bed onto the floor completely, picking herself up and stretching hard, a looooong whine leaving her. "Gahhhhhhhh... Okay. I'm up. Mmmm... That necklace really does look good on you, Aly. It matches all your colors. The not-elf has pretty good taste, huh?" Iris pulled one of her new, slightly large shirts over herself, adjusting her shorts some.

"Also, that book sucked! Nothing made sense except for all the kissing stuff, but I already knew about that... Weird book. Maybe it was written by humans and humans are just really weird... I don't know. Mmmhnn, breakfast!! I crave energy...!" Iris was happy to be woken properly, but she couldn't wait, giving one final stretch before bolting out the door on all fours.

The eating space was rather heavily populated, the lizard sneaking in past everyone and-- "Oh, hey! Morning Ullr!" She picked herself up to standing as she caught up to him, smiling wide. "The clothes look good on you. I'm wearing my new stuff too!"

[Ursali]

How Iris could go from negative twenty to one-hundred within the span of a few seconds still wasn't something Alriana was used, almost watching on in amazement as her sister got ready. "It does match me well. It's very pretty." She felt stronger than the word she'd assigned to the necklace, but was unwilling to give the effort of saying a more complex word. "The not-elf is also really weird." There was the slightest of smirks on her face, deriving some amusement from referring to Versaris as a not-elf given what Iris had told her back in Liste. She fiddled with her shirt, smoothing it out some.

"Mhn. Book weirder than Versaris--" Was all she managed to say before her sister dashed out the door, no longer content to remain still for a second longer. She was hungry as well, both for food and for answers, following her sister downstairs in a much more mellow pace. The majority, if not the entirety, of the group was already downstairs; though it didn't escape the lizard's notice that their group had grown once again. More bodies meant a better chance of success of their next task, but also a bigger chance that they could be preemptively discovered. She caught sight of Versaris out of the corner of her eye, but was much more interested in getting breakfast at the moment.

[Mercenary on the Winds]

Tio yawned wide as she made her way down to the meeting room flanked by her darling. Despite the early time, Tio appeared to be mostly awake, and put together. She returned back into her usual attire; she'd gotten what she'd wanted out of her casual attire, and it wasn't as comfortable as her usual. By now all of the Tigers were likely in the meeting room that Danica and Arios and the inn staff had prepared for them, complete with food. Tio genuinely needed to spend some time and chat with her former senior, and thank her for all of her help with housing the group. After yesterday and all of the events therein, Tio had no desire to do anything aside from sulk a little, and then try to salvage her evening. Everything had just finally gotten her to boil over culminating in the short rant over her past with Koba. Dark times that she'd wished that she could have just forgotten. She hated thinking about those times, remembering the slaughter of village, home, and family... and all because her father had lied to them, to the village, and then betrayed them all. She didn't understand why until many years later when she could see everything for herself. She'd never know what it was truly like for the Clouded to experience what they did daily, but her struggle was real as well. With all that happened before, Koba's jab was far more than enough to break the carefully maintained façade. 

Elisa had gotten her to leave the sudden administrative work until the morning, and focused on just relaxing as best they could. Tio wasn't quite sure what she'd do without Elisa; she'd been the light in her life, and just kept her sane when things overwhelmed her. No magical talent, intelligence, or anything could replace the pillar of comfort, warmth and beauty of Elisa, and she only got brighter when days got worse. It wasn't exactly what she'd wanted from their time in Cerezia, but it was certainly more than she'd expected from yesterday evening. Reminding herself of yesterday evening did bring a frown back to her face. Now they learned that they were harboring a Belrose, and of course, it had to be Syndra. Information they received right after the Tigers agreed to handle Kazran Serdio--another Islexian Warlord; hopefully Marigold had arrived before them because there were some things to discuss.

Tio looked out the windows, clicking her tongue as she noticed the fairly heavy fog outside, "That might be a little annoying... I suppose we should have expected this after the storm last night. Hopefully that won't cause us too much trouble." 

"It shouldn't; it will probably lift in a couple hours, or so." 

Tio turned to see Danica standing behind the counter; she and Elisa had already made it back to the main lobby. She'd lost herself in her thoughts again for longer than she'd expected.

"Fog and Mist are pretty common around here, and it normally lifts pretty quickly especially during the summer. If you give it some time, you won't have to worry about it." Danica smiled, "It seems like Elisa is rubbing off on you if you're awake this early, Tio. I remember how hard it was to get you out of bed at Solara. I think you two are the last to walk in."

"Oh hush, you. I'd liked to have slept more but we decided to leave all of the administrative until now because of... well, everything."

"Believe me, dear, I could tell. If you were a water mage, I would have said that you were the sole cause of that rainstorm." Danica chuckled, and then sighed, "Are you alright now? You're certainly doing better, but... If you'd like to talk about it--" 

"I'll... think about it. Not right now though. We've got some decisions to make with the group, and those are the priority right now. If you're right about the mist, we might have some time to chat; I still have to ask you some questions, especially about what you're naming your child, and catch up some. That's for later, though." 

"Ha... You've changed, but you haven't changed at the same time, Tiora. Go on then. Elisa, dear, please continue to help her as only you can; we both know how fragile our brilliant Evoker of Light can be~"

Tio stuck out her tongue at Danica and then huffed, "Not what I needed this morning, Dani." Tio turned, and hurried away into the meeting room. She scanned the room, and it seemed like everyone was here, including Marigold... Tio's head tilted as she realized that Marigold was here, and soaking wet. "...Did you find a precariously placed puddle somewhere, or did you make a water mage furious at you?" 

[Nanami Touko]

"Goose, then..." Siorel hadn't forgotten how Cin reacted; she'd definitely tease him about it later. For now, she kept an eye on the new bird that, apparently, Tio had dragged in, swaying over to the prepared food and idly biting into a strip of bacon. "Good to have you then. No one's making a stink about you eating our food so I guess it's true... Hope you can get used to our, uh... Colorful cast of critters~" Siorel was a bit strange herself, but with folks like Aly and Sixteen around, she was far from the strangest.

"Cin, hun, you should get your fold-- food. Ahem. Gonna need a lot to make up he energy you spent last... Day." She was still thinking about it...

Marigold tilted her head back at Tio before realizing that she was wet, glancing down and gasping. "Oh! Right. Uh... Yeah, actually. The puddle. Kinda laid down somewhere with a bit of an indent in the middle of the storm... Thought about a buncha stuff as the night rolled on and by the time I was done thinking, it was time to come meet you all... Hadn't realized I was soaked until I got up. No skin off my back, so don't worry about it. Can't even feel the cold... So. Business talks, then?" The Evoker wouldn't have approached her for less.

[scorri]

"Ahh, I've probably seen worse in my time. Most of you all seem pretty decent so far at least." And only a few humans, so I should be safe... We'll see. He snorted into his food, unable to hold back the laugh as the lizard stumbled around innuendos at the dragon. This group was going to be interesting, that was for sure.

"Siorel, please." Everyone was right there. If she kept things up, everyone would know their business. He grumbled further as he went to go get food, lizard still attached to his arm. When they were a distance away from most others, he leaned down and whispered, "Look, last night and this morning were amazing. And if everything was right in the world, we would still be upstairs together. But please. Just, calm. For a little while at least? We have serious business to talk about this morning I suspect. We can talk more about... Everything later, ok?" He kissed her forehead and then grabbed a plate, straightening back up. "Right then, time to get some food!"

[Mercenary on the Winds]

Tio rubbed her eyes, and blinked a couple times before her head tilted at a near forty-five degree angle. "...Huh?" Was all that Tio manage before her hand reached her forehead. "I have. So many questions that I don't think I'm awake enough to even begin to articulate all of them. In fact, I think I have so many questions that it is for the best that I don't worry about it for the moment." Tio cleared her throat, and then nodded, "Yes, yes. Let's deal with the business aspect of things. My apologies for just... storming out yesterday evening. It was a rough week into a much rougher day that was supposed to be one of relaxation, and things just... boiled over. But, enough of explaining myself... Elisa and I hadn't quite adjusted our plans given that last night was an awful time, but since the Tigers will be assisting your employer against Kazran; I'm assuming that there will be somewhere that we will be rendezvousing with them? Our original idea was to travel through the nearest checkpoint, but if there's somewhere we need to be it would be prudent to know if we need to change the checkpoint we are to use. It's a bit embarrassing to admit but I'm not versed in Islexian maps, nor land holdings."

[Nanami Touko]

"I'm undead. Like the ferals in the sands, just without the feral. Don't think about it too hard, even I don't know what happened to me." Marigold shrugged and leaned back more in the chair, her bodysuit making some quiet wet noises at the shifting. "Cass and Owen are holed up in Eslcas. That's where's we'd be heading to get there from here, quick as can be. Right over the border too, so it's right into their territory; as long as I'm with you it shouldn't cause any problems. These folk deal with the issue and you'll have safr travel all the way through to New Serdio... So long as your B problem doesn't hamper things. We can help against someone like Kazran, but her family is a bit much."

Marigold motioned her head towards the Syndra shaped elephant in the room, shaking her head. "If they come for her, it's out of our hands. We can promise you safety from everyone else in the region after Kazran is dealt with, at least. Hope that's good enough... When are we leaving?"

[Bluemask 96]

Well the breakfast area had become lively. There were some new faces, as well as some new looks for the more familiar ones. Still in a little funk about things, Gean let go of Renais hand to move silently through the area and grab some food for the both of them. Passing by Tasha, the mermaid Clouded took a brief moment to give her mother figure a hug before moving on ahead, stopping where Nyx was and giving her as hug as well. No words were spoken, Gean just felt like it was all she could do to keep her spirits up in the moment. Finding two empty seats, Gean sat down and made a gesture to the pinkette to let her know where breakfast was and hopefully she'd join Gean at some point.

Tio and Elisa had arrived, and were discussing the current change in plans. Apparently they were now dipping their hands into some new Islexian affairs, and this Marigold was going to be their main contact in regards to these affairs. Gean was a little weirded out by the fact that she nonchalantly continued talking while being drenched, but apparently she was undead, so it was fine? It wasn't the mermaid's place to pry so eating some bacon and people watching seemed to be the better option.

Edited January 5, 2023 by Bluemask 96

[Mercenary on the Winds]

"Eslcas..." Tio put a finger to her cheek. If she remembered correctly, Eslcas was closest to the northeastern checkpoint than the nearest one to them. "Hmm... That will necessitate us to change our route. According to our own mission--I can't speak much about that with you, I apologize--we were following a pretty strict route which would have led as through the checkpoint just to the east of here. If we're to make for Eslcas, it makes the most sense to head through the northeastern checkpoint since that will limit our exposure to Islexia, and hopefully minimize our chances of our... "B problem" causing us much issue." Tio glanced over at Syndra before releasing a sharp sigh. "If that's the case, then we will likely take our leave in a couple hours; Elisa and I need to adjust our route, and thus, take stock of our supplies again, and I've been informed that the fog outside will lift as the day goes on. Now that we know that we may be being watched, I'm not keen on traveling without visibility. I've also heard that Commander Celine Altair of the Altair Knights should have arrived here at some point, and I would also like to speak with her about a couple things; I doubt we'll get the chance before its time for us to depart, but who knows? Especially not when we have to deal with this..."

Tio turned to Commander Tasha, "Commander, and... Syndra. The plans will be rather hard to draft without the both of you. You especially, Miss Belrose. You're going to have to tell me whatever you know, and what we can expect. If you're going to put everyone in danger, then you'll be the first person to assist in pulling everyone out."

[Nanami Touko]

"Sounds like you've got your work cut out for you... I'll wait here, then. Already ran my chance through the arena and don't really have anyone to talk with here, so... Guess it's daydreaming or thinking up ways to die for the next few hours." Mari crossed her legs and leaned back in the chair, hands behind her head, getting comfortable.

"Hasn't worked yet, mind you. Any attempts at making it quick. Imagine if I took off my own head I'd pass eventually, but that'd be slow and grueling; not looking to die of boredom." She shook her head and sighed. "Maybe I should've asked that axe feller from before if he really could have... Oh! Sorry. Don't mind me, just rambling. Happens a lot. Don't have any shame left so the filter doesn't exist anymore... Go on with your changes and your meetings." She waved a hand at Tio to go on with her business, relaxing into the chair again and shutting her eyes.

Across the room, Siorel stuck her tongue out at Cinaed. "I'm not doing this on purpose... Mostly. And I'm not about to broadcast details, but... You know how I am. If that's too much for you, better walk away now~" She smirked, but at the very least agreed, internally, to try and hold back for his shyness. Food did sound good, so she grabbed a plate and idly followed after him, tail swaying gently behind her.

Edited January 7, 2023 by Mel the DM

[Billy12510]

Syndra had been... "volunteered" for more information from her number one fan, Tio. I'm the one putting us in danger huh. Even if she didn't like the tone being taken she knew acting bitter right now wasn't going to get her anywhere. "Well, what do you want to know? I've been ahem 'away from home' for about three years now, so if you're hoping for something like troop movements I'm not the one to ask. Although, there are people I could try to get in contact with to help with that, the only issue being they're living in a city that's in the opposite direction of where we're likely going. If you've a map I could show you in greater detail what I do know, but even that info is potentially out of date." 

[TheRoon]

Renais gave Gean a glance before they let go. She liked her strong firm hands, it was a bit of a shame to let her go. Though she knew it wouldn't be long until she had to hold it again. The pinkette let her gaze travel the room, she noticed Mikoto had changed her hair color. It hit a bit close to home all things considered. 'Makes me wonder if she's sending a message...' She couldn't help but blush at the sight of the fox, she was just too... "...hm." She let those thoughts pass as she took a moment to let her eyes wander the rest of the room. She couldn't help but notice a lot of new faces now, the commander had been quite busy during Renais' crisis. She felt a little nervous that everyone here was under her healing care now. 'Can I even keep everyone safe by myself...no no, I can't let those kinds of thoughts get to me. An Evoker wouldn't back down from this.' She clenched her fist by her side and raised her head with confidence as she walked to grab some food.

She noticed Gean greet and pass Commander Tasha and wondered if the tiger leader knew about their relationship. At some point she'll probably get to know her, quite an attractive woman she had to admit, but Renais began to learn not to be smitten with women in relationships. Speaking of, she noticed Tio approach her and Syndra. She was curious about what the topic was, though she thought it more than likely was about their upcoming mission. Regardless, after more passing glances she took a plate and slowly walked toward Gean and the open chair near her.

Edited January 7, 2023 by TheRoon

[Nanami Touko]

"Renais~!" Mikoto's ears twitched and perked up, slipping out of her chair and cutting off the girl on her way to Aegean. She deftly took hold of her hands, the plate falling and being caught by two of her tails before it could hit the floor. She gave those hands a small squeeze, smiling wide, though with none of the previous day's animalistic qualities. Mikoto looked like a beautiful woman with tails and fox ears, nothing more. "Well~? What do you think? I thought your hair was just so, so charming, so I thought I'd join you... Plus, that old kimono was getting so stuffy and formal... Casual wear from across the continent~ I did my best to put together something comfy and nice, but... I'd really love to hear your thoughts. Won't you indulge me~?"

Edited January 7, 2023 by Mel the DM

[TheRoon]

It didn't take very long for Renais path to get cut, by the very fox she had on her mind. "Oh!" With her hands now occupied with the fox's own hands her plate dropped, but thankfully was swiftly caught by Mikoto's tails. It seemed like she had a plan for their meeting, this was perfectly executed. "E-eh?" She answered back with yet another blush. Mikoto had a way with Renais heart, and her appearance wasn't helping matters. She took a glance at her outfit, regretted such an action, and did her best to keep eye contact. "Well it's...a little surprising, actually. Did I really make that much of an impression on you? Aha..." She couldn't help but let out a nervous laugh before the incredibly attractive fellow pinkette. "But you do wear this look quite well if I'm being honest, shorts are quite attractive. Though as long as I'm being honest, what brings you back into our company so soon? I'd have thought you would have moved onto other business given the events that happened the other day." She didn't quite understand Alvira's situation, but it seemed like a big enough risk to keep around. She wondered what Mikoto's angle was.

Such a dangerous woman...

Edited January 7, 2023 by TheRoon

[Nanami Touko]

"Of course you did... We had such a wonderful conversation, after all." Mikoto's smile slid to a smirk, her eyes narrowed, an eyebrow raised an her tails fluttered, all in unison, knowing Renais was paying quite close attention to her face. "As for what I'm doing here, why, I'll be accompanying the Tigers! Isn't that exciting? The Evokers can't participate in your next job, so I offered myself to keep you all safe... I can't go seeing my favorite mercenaries getting hurt, can I? Especially not you." She winked, slowly letting go of Renais' hands, letting their fingers linger touching for just a moment. "I do hope you're ready to see more of me... Because I'm looking forward to seeing a lot. More. Of you, my darling Renais..." The faintest show of a tongue ran itself across Mikoto's top lip, her sultry stare disappearing in seconds into something much more bubbly~

"I'm so glad you think I look good! Looks like I haven't lost my touch after all, konkon~" She blushed faintly after letting those noises out, her genuine elation unable to hold back a few yips.

 

Edited January 7, 2023 by Mel the DM

[TheRoon]

The news was...startling, so much so that Renais couldn't hide her nerves much longer. Her expression dropped from a forced smile to some slight shock. "Y-you are?" She once again blushed at the minor meeting between digits, and at Mikoto's declaration that she will be with the Tigers for some time. On top of the fact that she absolutely noticed the hungry gaze and lip lick, like a hunter who stared at her prey. The graduate did remember a quick read that foxes hunted down mice, though Renais always saw herself as a bird...despite the fact foxes also liked hunt birds.

Regardless she did her best to compose herself as she turned her eyes to the side. "T-that's wonderful news, Mikoto. Truly. I'm sure everyone is at ease to have such a skilled spellcaster by our sides." She cleared her voice and looked at the plate she held on her tail. "That being said, it seems like it won't be long until we reach our next mission. I'll need to eat and prepare for the day, I have so many members to care for now so I'll need all the strength I can get." She held her hand out, and hoped the fox would pass on her food without much trouble.

Edited January 7, 2023 by TheRoon

[Nanami Touko]

"Of course..." The tails presented Renais' plate back to her without issue, Mikoto smiling and tilting her head some. "I'd like to talk in private at some point... So make some time for me, would you? It's been so nice to see you again... Here's hoping we see each other a lot more going forward." She giggled a bit, brushing some hair out of her face, those fox ears twitching again. "You look beautiful, by the way. Some honesty from me... Since you were so kind as to tell me your thoughts."

[Bluemask 96]

Gean continued to eat as a familiar, but now much more pink fox beelined right for her girlfriend. She didn't like it, but there was no need to make a scene. Gean's fork did stop at the mention that Mikoto would be traveling alongside the group in place of Tio and Elisa, whatever this mission was exactly, the group was in for a big detour. Gean wasn't too happy about having the merchant meddling more often now, but she was a powerful spellcaster in her own right, and without the Evokers, they'd do well to have such a backup on hand.

Looking back around, Gean gave a lazy wave to her blushing dragon friend and his very happy but tired looking girlfriend. It was good to see Cin happy, even if he was still wrapped around Siorel's finger. Moving on from them, Gean noticed someone wearing something very interesting. Aly was never one for showy garments, so to see the bright red necklace that matched her eyes was a treat. As Aly passed by Gean, she made sure to tell the girl. "The necklace looks great on you."

[TheRoon]

Renais was a bit staggered at the comment. "Beautiful? Ah..." She looked aside, quite embarrassed. "Mm...well uh, talk later then Mikoto. Thank you." She took the plate and rushed to Gean's side. "Sorry, Gean. I brought...oh, you already got me a plate..." She looked down at the two plates already set up. "Aaah, well we can share the third dish then!" She took her seat. "Thank you, Gean. Truly..." She felt terrible. She just told Gean she would be there for her, yet here she was getting swept up in the fox's hunt. 'I'll have to tell Mikoto the truth during our meeting, that I have a girlfriend...this habit is awful.' She only wished she wasn't so easy to start up.

[GoldsbroTSG]

Miria sat and ate her breakfast while Mari explained her situation to Tio. An undead seems... hmm, The girl thought about how cool it sounded to not be able to die, but the look on Mari's face about it all seemed... otherwise. It wasn't the place to ask, other important things were happening. Questions about Syndra's family, questions about where they were going forward, Miria just began scarfing the rest of her breakfast.

"If it's okay, I will excuse myself," Miria spoke a little quietly towards the group, but main Mari, giving her a smile before stepping away. She turned, seeing her favorite pink-haired and mermaid duo. She made her way to the table Gean and Renais were sitting at, taking a seat across from them, giving a smile. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything." She said as she sat, just wanting to see and check on her friends.

[JakezuGD]

"Heh, yeah. Me too. Think a pair of leather boots would fit you? Those can be made plenty warm," Tasha replied, already thinking about what they might be looking for on their seemingly soon-to-come date. The fox's confidence could be left to its own value, there was food to be gathered and eaten, and a cute dragon to share the moment with, letting her go for now and getting to compiling a plate for herself.

On the other end of things, Elisa followed behind Tio to where they'd be meeting the others again, chipper as ever thanks to the 'quiet' night she'd spent with her wife, on top of how well she usually dealt with mornings. Though Tio was the more readily spoken of the two and often shouldered much of their formal burden, that only meant that it fell to Elisa to make sure that she was both ready and willing to tackle anything they might have to deal with, a task she would gladly perform for as long as she was alive - as far as she was concerned, there wasn't a soul alive who could compare to her wife's radiant majesty, a knowledge and understanding tempered through the turmoils she had vented about to the goose last night. But, they'd eventually have to get back to business to get things over with, and that would be this morning, first getting all of the paperwork done that she'd urged Tio to leave for later, and now having a proper discussion with the others after last evening's bust. Not being in the right mind for work would make you less efficient, after all!

Danica's remarks would've sounded odd to most people, but Elisa knew she and Tio went way back in their student years, before she herself had even met her wife. She was interested in hearing what the innkeeper might have to say about Tio that she might not have known yet, but as Tio said herself, that would have to wait for later. "Don't you worry, I'll keep her safe and sound and well hugged at all times~" She would've demonstrated right away, if not for having to follow her wife making for the meeting room.

The quick hug from Gean was a little unexpected, but very much appreciated, Tasha not having the time to respond with much other than a pat on the back before the mermaid was off again. The Evokers had arrived while she'd been getting food and gotten straight to talking about their objectives, as they likely should've, the tiger keeping an ear out for what they were speaking about as she finished plating her stuff, sitting down at the table. "I'm listening, though I can only speak for what I know of our resources on the combat side of things. But I assume you mostly just want me to be on the same page, yeah?" Without waiting to confirm more than that, she got to work on her breakfast.