Riley smirked at Wyeth's rebuff. "I never called you a weakling as such, I just think our leader should try and not put himself in the way of danger; especially when we have plenty more canon fodder who we can afford to loose" she spoke with an almost stern tone of voice. Her opinions probably sounded like she was being a bitch about the entire situation, but her point was valid. Other soldiers lives where worth less then his, particularly with his level of experience. His desire to be a strong leader was going to be his downfall. 'Idiot' she thought to herself as she watched Mara fixed up his wounds. "You two just have clashing personalites, but he does have a point. We aren't exactly the stereotype image of heroism yet. How many shepherds do you think complained about skipping breakfast? " Riley said, giving a look of admiration towards the newest recruit.

On the battlefield, she never really stopped to watch a cleric at work. Not in detail at least, the cleansing and healing was much faster then she had realized and was almost hypnotizing to watch. Tal leaned in close and gave a gentle nudge into Riley's neck, his large brown face pressed up close to hers. She let out a sigh of exasperation and reached into a satchel that was worn around her neck. The contents where fairly basic - a flask of water and a couple of apples but it was clear what the hulking beast was after. She dipped her hand in and gracefully offered it to the mount, who greedily took the whole thing - shaking his head in appreciation.

Once Mara had finished with Wyeth, she spoke about leaving for the temple and preferring to be in the company of the religious woman then the prisoner; started to follow her. The gates of the city where vast and impressive, and made her gaze in a mix of wonder and awe. She could never quite grasp how it was constructed, having grown up in the rural areas the walls just seemed unreal. A fantasy of safety and security her family hadn't been given the privilege of having. Whilst Mara left for the temple, Riley took a detour to the barracks of the city - the stable that was built-in provided a safe and secure place for a mixture of creatures used by the city guard and sacred swords - a bizarre diversity of griffon, Pegasus, horse and wyvern all slept in various stalls. Once the responsibility of Tal was relived from her, she dropped her sword off in the armory and made her back into the streets.

The temple wasn't too far away, only a five minute venture from the barracks not including shortcuts that could have been taken if she trusted the alleyways of the city more; the city being rife with pickpockets and thieves at the moment however caused her not to take the chance. Serious crimes where a incredible rarity, but petty crime was always a serious issue for a place that had poor districts. The walk was uneventful, and walked in to find the cleric restocking supplies for her satchel. "Anything I can assist with Cleric?"

The first arrow she let loose drove itself deep into the advancing ruffian's foot, causing him to topple over before he could reach her. He grunted in pain and dropped his axe, clawing at the arrow that protruded from both ends of his foot. "Sorry, but you're just not my type." An'zu smiled sweetly and wagged a finger at the downed man, carefully maneuvering backwards as she reached for another arrow. Her jibe only made the man infuriated, and while he himself couldn't move, he bellowed for the other men to kill her. If before they wielded their axes just to threaten and frighten her, now she was pretty sure they were really going to use it against her. An'zu was starting to get worried, but she could never quell the urge to run her mouth. "What's the matter? Can't your boss handle a little prick?"

Luckily, some disturbance from behind distracted the ruffians before An'zu made her situation even worse. A blonde mercenary had called for their attention, sword drawn and looking very much like he was up for a fight. The man seemed capable, and their still groaning in pain leader roared for three of them to attack. Obediently, three of the ruffians quickly turned to charge at him, axes at the ready, while the remaining two stayed to deal with her.

And as if things weren't hectic enough, another mercenary appeared out of nowhere, one with hair as dark as his clothing. Unlike the first merc who, despite seeming annoyed at having to help, looked pretty confident and capable, this one looked like he was ready to piss himself at any given moment.

An'zu was amused at the unexpected turn out of events, but she also couldn't help but feel just the tiniest bit annoyed. Her plan had been to run away (though not before shooting everyone's feet, just because she can) to avoid possible complications. She didn't want to risk getting guards involved, just in case they bring this matter back to the higher ups, who was slightly more likely to recognize who she was. The kidnapping ruse wasn't her idea, but she was growing to appreciate it as she got to explore more of the world. She was not at all ready to return to her home.

She could technically run away now, seeing as the two remaining ruffians who hadn't engaged the blonde mercenary now turned to the dark haired one, but she knew doing so wouldn't sit well with her. Chonsinese honor, and all the crap. An'zu shrugged and looked around: the street they were in was still pretty empty, and the guards probably weren't yet alerted. There was still a little time to have some fun.

"Well, my mercs in shining armor, guess we have to do this the old-fashioned way."

An'zu released an arrow to hit the first ruffian again, this time through his dominant hand to disarm him. In her defense, it wasn't entirely out of spite. It was about 87% spite and 13% to save blondie, whom the ruffian was about hit with his handaxe. She had another arrow already nocked and ready to be loose, but An'zu waited to see how the others fared before releasing it.

After all, she'd just bought these arrow. She'd hate to waste any more on these lowlifes.

Sapphire felt satisfied at last. She could still taste the delicious stew and warm bread in her mouth as she gently patted her stomach. “Delicious,” she thought whilst wearing a wide grin. Gazing around, she began to notice how busy and bustling the town really was. “I wonder what’s going on today,” she mumbled with an air of curiosity about her. Not even less than a minute, the teal haired girl’s eyes happened to set on a flyer stuck onto one of the shop’s walls. She got a closer look and realized what it was in an instant. “It’s the biannual jousting tournament! How could I forget?!” she exclaimed with a bit of dismay. Of course she’d forget, she was so preoccupied with her new friends to worry about one of her favorite things to go to when she still lived here.

She added the joust to her mental list. However, first things always come first- she had to add to her ever growing candy sack. It only took a moment for her to ponder on where she’d scamper off to find the what she say was the best candy store in the entire realm. Looking this way and that, Sapphire hopped around the next corner and, sure enough, she found what she’d been waiting for…with a surprise bonus. Turns out she wasn’t the only person to be craving sweets at that time. She nonchalantly waltzed up to the two, Noelle and Vincent. “Oh…I didn’t see you two there,” she cooed, feigning surprise. Furtively, the girl hoped that the two didn’t buy too much of her favorite types of candy when they went, but she doubt they’d do as she secretly wished (mostly because every candy was her favorite candy).

The teal haired girl then proceeded to walk into the store, her signature dopey smile visible on the petite face. No matter what her gaze happened to fall upon, she was excited. Candy sticks, rock candy, powdered candy, miniscule cakes, and much more surrounded her. Without hesitation, Sapphire began to greedily fill a sack with everything she laid her eyes on. It was pure bliss; Sapphire could hardly contain her elation. By the time she finished picking out what she wanted- in other words, a bit of everything in the shop- she turned towards the cashier to pay. She collected a lot more than she had originally planned to purchase. Once she was told the price, the girl dug into her satchel, frowning at the contents. She breathed a solemn sigh at what she knew she had to do. “I…I guess I have to leave about half of what I want…” The girl took the sack and glumly began to place some of the sweets back, spending quite a time due to her indecisiveness. “Oohh, I don’t know what to put back!” She feared she’d remain in the store for what would seem like forever before making any more choices.

-Laciel-
Laciel watched as one of the men bellowed orders to the others, and quickly identified him as the leader. He would go for him first after cutting through the ruffians, but another character soon quickly appeared. He looked to be a mercenary like him, except he didn't look as confident to fight. "(Damnit, why did you do that if you're scared out of your wits?)" The man waited for the first grunt to make his swing, but before he could execute his plan, he watched as the Chonsinese maiden fire an arrow in the hand the man was using the axe with.

"Seems like trying to resolve this conflict without anyone being killed is put of the window."

Before the man had anytime to curse in pain, Laciel cut at the man's chest, ripping it straight open. "... What a pity..." As soon as he finished off the first one, he watched as the second roared as he began preparing to cut the merc in half. However he read the man's move easily, and could read his movements from a while away. He deftly sidestep the man's chop, and sliced at the man's main arm. He watched as he screamed in pain as the axe flew, almost cutting the third thug. He quickly kicked the man down, before dancing around the third thugs swings.

"You six ruffians are nothing but imbeciles, throwing your weight around, hoping for a hit... And you have a spineless leader who orders you around, while standing around like a moron, hoping for the best," Laciel shouts, hoping to draw the remaining thugs to him. He got part of his arm nicked by the axe, but it was just a small cut that could easily be tended to. Laciel ignored the sting on his arm, and continued to taunt the men, deftly dodging the doofus swinging his axe around.

"Hey boy," he shouted to the other merc. "If you're going to fight, don't show the fear in your eyes... I believe you should easily be able to take out those assailants if you just focus." Laciel was still dancing around the man, as if he was toying with him. He finally backed into a building, and watched as the man raised his axe in the air, smugly looking at Laciel. He knew what his next response was and quickly dashed to the side, and prepared to slice the man in the stomach. Before he knew it, the man staggered back, holding an arm to his stomach, with some crimson trickling down.

"I hate people like you... Hurting people to get your way, just like a sniveling brat... Just sad." He turned his head towards the leader, and pointed his blade at the man. Blood dripped off the tip of the blade, forming a small puddle. He awaited the leaders next move, and kept an eye on the other merc. He didn't know his skill level, or how well he could move. All he knew was that he would come to help him if he couldn't successfully defend himself.

Gran/Vass
Gran grinned mentally as Vincent shot a stinging truth to the tactician. It wasn't a smart idea to strengthen them in the assassins mind, but he knew the inevitable reality. Unless they were dealt with, they could grow into a full fledged threat. Gran was also smiling in his head at the fact about snakes in the group. They had foolishly let one into their group without their knowledge, making infiltration a lot easier than usual. All he just needed now was for the tactician to return the letter, via Vass' s hawk named Ragmi. He often sent reports through his hawk to avoid any suspicion among the group.

"I guess I will take my leave too, If you need me I'll be somewhere."

The mage waved to the two, smiling at them both. He then began venturing down the streets of the unfamiliar city, searching for a butchery, or a market. He took a look at the people and sometimes gave them a nod or a smile, upholding his little facade.

The cleric sealed his wound with a simple wave of her staff. It was impressive, really. There were so many types of magic—some ripped flesh from your bones and others mended broken limbs. Wyeth glanced back down at his bloodied arm. The wound was no longer there and his arm was simply bloodied. He would wash off the blood when he got to an inn. He looked up at Riley, his face becoming serious as he listened to her. So she likes that guy more than me. he crossed his arms, scowling lightly. ”Why don’t you all make him leader then? I didn’t necessarily ask for this position.” It was true. Wyeth was only leading him until someone stepped up and decided to guide them. The cavalier, the cleric, and the mage had left him behind, not even asking if he wanted to come along. Fine. I guess I need some space, anyway.

Wyeth tucked some strands of hair behind his ear as he walked down the street. What was he supposed to do now? Maybe he should see if he could get the binds of one of his tomes fixed up. That would be great—that way, he wouldn’t have to worry about the pages fluttering all over the place. Tomes were rather expensive. It was better to get them fixed up than get a brand new one. The tactician continued to walk down the path, his eyes half lidded. Maybe I shouldn’t be as trustworthy as I am. he thought. I know I haven’t been the best tactician, but… at least I’m trying, right? Yet, he still felt like he should be doing better. He wasn’t going to disappoint them any longer, then.

The tactician walked into a store, his gaze flicking to and fro the shop before it settled on the shopkeeper. “G’morning,” the woman said cheerily, waving him over. As Wyeth approached, her smile broadened. “What do you need?”

Wyeth showed her his precious tome. The Arcwind tome was coming apart at the binding, and the pages were very close to falling out. If he used it in battle, there was a good chance that it would come apart in the midst of casting a spell. The shopkeeper peered at the tome for a few seconds before looking back up at him. “Thankfully, I can fix this for just a few coins. You’ll have to wait a bit, though. I’ve got other things to do before fixing your tome.” she winked at him. “I promise ya that it’ll be done by the end of today.”

He thanked her and left the store. Perhaps he could drop his sword off at the smithy and have it sharpened for him. It was a bit too dull for his taste. And so, Wyeth made his way further down the street, humming a light tune under his breath.

Lune took his eyes off the wyvern, shaking his head slightly as he slowly moved with the people in the streets. He couldn't help but be afraid of the creatures. They had potential to be dangerous, even if they were tamed. Shaking his head, the thought of defending himself arose. Instinctively he reached towards his waist, but, he had no weapons on him. It'd been awhile since he'd even held a sword, really... Luckily, he'd managed to avoid conflict for the past few months. Upon leaving the clan of bandits, life had been simple, although, a little less interesting. Lune was perfectly fine with less interesting however, he was without a weapon to use.

"I should look to buy a sword," Lune mumbled to himself, stepping up on his toes as his eyes narrowed, scanning the streets. He wasn't too familiar with the roads of Ylisstol, but, he was pretty sure a city this large would have a blacksmith. Spotting the store far down the road he was on, he hurried along, swimming through the sea of citizens. Lune arrived at the front door of the smith, looking up at the sign that was proudly displayed before entering the store. Having a quick look around, he noted the various weapons on display as well as a man hard at work past a room. He could probably snatch a few with ease.

Lune shook the thought out of his head. No, no, that wouldn't even be logical. There was no way he could hide away something like a lance and not be pointed out by someone on the road. Besides, he was supposed to be a lawful person now. Once Lune found a Bronze Sword, he observed the price, wincing slightly. It was fairly high, considering that it was a weapon. It made the price of the bread from earlier look like nothing. Lune was really considering thieving this one until the blacksmith came out from his room, crossing his arms and nodding his head as he spotted Lune. Lune nodded at him, removing the Bronze Sword from the rack and approaching him.

"350 gold coins, correct?" Lune asked, sifting through his pockets before finding a couple of small bags. He dumped all of his coins into one bag, making sure he had the total correct. He had severely cut down his funds - the money he had from his parents was quickly declining due to him abandoning his life of crime. The blacksmith nodded, and business was made; he had obtained his new weapon. With a smirk, he slid the sword into his empty scabbard, enjoying the familiar weight at his side. He'd love to see someone call him a thief now.

With no business left in the shop, Lune stepped out, being greeted by the roads of Ylisstol again. He looked around, observing the people. "I suppose the day is a little better. I have a new toy,"

Margaret
Ylisstol looked like what Margaret dreamed of it. A beautiful city, full of all kinds of people. Stretching herself, Margaret looked back at the back of the travelers, looking for Piers. As much as she loved family, he was a troublesome one. He couldn't defend himself, and he was a major scaredy-cat, not a good combination in a big city like this. Without telling anyone else, she ran off, looking for Piers.
Piers
Piers listened to the man's words of encouragement, watching him dance around and kill the gang, something he could never do, only if because he was too scared. Thoughts raced through his head. What would happen if he did nothing? He wasn't helping at all, and this man was doing all the work. The thought of being able to prove himself raced through his head over and over, and each time it passed over he took another step. Closing his eyes and steadying his sword, Piers closed his eyes and ran at the ruffian, thrusting his sword forward.

The ruffian looked down at him, surprised that a little brat had been able to kill him while he was distracted with the actual threat. Piers pulled his sword out and tackled the barely living man to the ground, raising his sword and stabbing downwards, aiming towards the chest. Feeling the blade stop once it went through and hit hard ground, he pulled it out again, the iron coated with blood. Piers repeated this over and over, feeling weaker with each thrust of his blade. Finally feeling to weak to continue, he pulled his sword out one last time, sheathing it, and sitting on the ground. " I... actually killed a man. How? I'm not able to do that." Piers cradled his head in his hands, nearly in tears.
Margaret
After a little bit of looking, Margaret finally found Piers, all bloodied, and lying near the corpse of a man. She walked up to the two other people standing there, and quickly spoke to them. "Hey. What happened here? Seems like a nightmare of a time."

"Ghhh!" Another sharp inhale of breath, while he flinched as if he had been shot. Vincent accidentally swallowed the lump of rock candy, getting it caught in his throat. After a few moments off coughing, he managed to dislodge the killer candy, and regain his composure. After getting to a relatively level pace of breath, he glared at her through his helm. "My name isn't mister grumpy. It's Vincent. V-i-n-c-e-n-t." He spelled, before folding his arms. "I was planning on going to the candy store anyways..." He looked away, before walking past her. "Follow me." He walked down a few alleys, and onto the main street. sure enough, they were right in front of the candy shop. Surprisingly, Sapphire had arrived there too. "At least you are competent." He muttered, before walking past her into the store. He knew what he wanted... it wasn't much. Just some rock candies to suck on, and a few cakes to carry in his satchel.

Sapphire seemed to have a hard time deciding what she wanted. She didn't have enough money, eh? He looked at what she had laid out on the desk, and commented on a few of the choices, helping her to decide which ones she wanted... Maybe he was being a bit too relaxed at the moment, but he found himself managing to not be insulting or grating. It was as if he was discussing a hobby with a friend. He didn't even feel very upset with Noelle anymore. In the end, he somehow managed to get suckered into paying for some of their sweets. Not that he cared much. He had enough money. Else, he wouldn't be stopping by a candy store. As soon as the candy business was settled, his guard was back up. "So, do you have any plans other than wasting time getting lost? I, for one would rather not wander aimlessly about town all day. It would be wise to check back with the Blades if you've nothing better to do. If not, I still advise that you stick together. This might be Ylisse, but I've been in this town long enough to know that there are still unsavory folks creeping about this town." He withheld the fact that he had once worked with some of them.

It perplexed Sapphire when Vincent helped her choose a variety of candies and even aiding with the pay for a bit of the total. She was surprised but not completely thrown off. He acted so differently just a moment ago, it irked her, but the girl did not hesitate to brush the thought away all together. Quickly regaining her composure, Sapphire scooted out of the candy store, quite delighted, as she peeked into her satchel. Although her candy allowance was almost entirely diminished, she still possessed more than enough money for the rest of the ever so important necessities.

“While you two stand here and chit-chat,” the girl started jokingly, “I’m on my way to the joust~. Any of you care to join~?” She didn’t mind the two tagging along; the more the merrier. However, she didn’t want to stand around waiting for an answer, so it was either a quick and simple response or she would be gladly on her way. Sapphire wouldn’t dare miss one of her favorite pastimes for the world, she was too eager to pass up on such an old pleasure.

Already sick of waiting, the impatient girl decided to start towards the area which the joust was to be held. “Anyways, if you wanna come, just follow me,” she shouted out directly at Noelle and Vincent before continuing on her way. She could already feel the ebullience welling up inside. “I wonder if it’s the same as it’s always been.”

Soon, the girl looked forward towards where the massive hoard of people had gathered. It was right around the place the joust was usually held so this had to be it and it looked as though she had arrived with plenty of time to spare. Not too soon after, Sapphire began to cheer with the crowd an exuberant cheer. The atmosphere was enough to brighten almost anyone’s spirit, and it was one of the reasons why she adored jousts so profusely.

Her job complete, Mara bowed her head slightly and responded to Wyeth's comment. "A leader shouldn't be determined by popular vote. I'll follow whoever is most effective at saving lives." With that, she gave a cursory nod to her companions and went on her way to the temple.

While Mara was no longer in the services of the temple as an acolyte, she still retained a small residence within the building. She had quite a few keepsakes, and it would be impossible to travel with them. From time to time, she would return to sort out affairs, restock, and go through her things. Today was no different, and Mara spent a good half hour looking through some of her father's things. She did not dare spend much longer than this for fear of stirring up old memories. Mara settled whatever expenses were owed to the temple out of her meager holdings, and returned back to the main vestibule.

Mara went to work restocking her satchel with healing supplies and having her staff appraised for repairs. Thankfully the temple was well equipped for this sort of thing, as they saw plenty of healers each day. What Mara wasn't expecting, though, was company. Actually, she was quite pleased to see a familiar face here (well, outside of the clergy she knew). Looking up from her satchel, Mara smiled briefly at Riley. Truth be told, Mara was not all that familiar with Riley, as the cleric spent most of her time with the sick and the wounded. Mara tried the best to hide her surprise when she spoke. "Oh, I didn't think I'd see another Sacred Blade here..." she looked away, "Oh, help? No, no I'm fine."

Mara was silent for a few moments, but rather than pushing Riley away, she decided to look back and continue. "Actually, Riley, I was wondering... What are your thoughts on the Sacred Blades?" Mara traced her fingers along her gnarled healing staff, "I haven't been with them for that long, and I guess I just want to know if we're really making a difference. I've seen so many die in just the last month. Will it always be like this?" Mara had no idea why she decided to seek console with a fellow Sacred Blade, but perhaps now was as good a time as ever.

It happened in an instant. One second, she was as innocent bystander simply doing her duty by teaching some ruffians a tough lesson, and the next she was an accomplice to a murder spree. It wasn't unjustified, because she probably would have gotten killed without their interference, but still—holy crap on a stick. This was not being low-key at all. An'zu made a face, lips jutting out in a pout. She watched as the blonde mercenary cut down one ruffian after another, his quick movements easily outmatching her assailants' clunky gait. Blondie weaved between his foes effortlessly; even when he was focused on lecturing the other less nimble merc, he was able to run circles against the ruffians.

"Is this what 'doing things the old-fashioned way' means?" she asked, half in earnest and half in incredulity. An'zu looked at the dead bodies littering the ground, their blood staining the concrete. It was a mess. "Because I totally meant to just maim them, y'know? Let them lose a couple of limbs so they couldn't hurt anyone ever again."

The darker haired mercenary did his part as well. An'zu noted the frantic way in which he'd attacked the ruffian, stabbing repeatedly even after he'd already taken care of him. He collapsed on the ground afterward, seemingly on the verge of tears. Oh, gods. She made a man cry.

A tall, rather imposing woman appeared when everything was over, and An'zu froze for a moment. Oh, no. It was the guards. They were going to bring the lot of them for questioning, and one of them might recognize her, because if she knew her mother, she would have sent word everywhere about her disappearance as soon as it happened. Her mom was frighteningly relentless about these things. She'd be forced to return home and she hasn't even seen Regna Ferox! Thinking quickly, An'zu nonchalantly turned her back against the tall woman as she approached, so she wouldn't be able to get a look at her, and crouched down to face the bloodied dark-haired mercenary still on the floor.

"Hey," she said, patting him on the head to soothe him. An'zu always felt better when her brothers did that to her. "Thank you for saving my life. I'll not forget this." She meant it, too.

Then she turned to the blonde merc, giving him a playful salute and a grin. "You too, Blondie. Thanks for the rescue! I swear I'll pay you back someday, but I'll give you this for now." An'zu tossed him her bag of sweets and slowly backpedalled to the nearest alley. "Take care of the guard lady's questions for me. I gotta run!"

With that, she scurried away to gods know where. She followed the road until the six corpses she'd left behind were no longer in sight. It wasn't until then that she realized she had been holding her breath for a while now. So she was affected, after all. It wasn't as though it was her first time witnessing a kill—when your country was practically at war with another, death was common sight. She just didn't expect to be the indirect cause of it, or to involve others in the process.

An'zu ended up outside the blacksmith's, the same one she'd been to earlier that day, before she messed things up. She was still a little frazzled, but she was slowly regaining her composure. Forget about it, she chanted repeatedly in her head, like a mantra. A distraction would have been much appreciated, and An'zu was lucky it was nearly time for the joust.

"Excuse me," she waved at the raven-haired man who had just come out of the smith's. She wondered idly if the sword that hung at his side was new, like her arrows. "Do you know where today's joust is being held?"

Riley smiled inwardly as Mara asked her about the blades. It was a question she had asked herself, and for awhile doubted if they had what it would take to become the new protectors of the realm but after seeing first hand what kind of leader Wyeth was, she believed they could become something better. She disagreed that he should take a frontline position, the guy was stupid for putting himself on the battlefield; but that was why she liked him. Riley was a born follower, stab this or slay that and she could do it fine. She wouldn't know the first thing about inspiring another to fight by her side, or to convince someone to fight for a cause. It wasn't her way.

"The Sacred Blades are still fairly new to the world, and we haven't quite gotten our members up to scratch. What we stand for is noble, and our goal is to protect the innocent and defeat evil. That's all I want from my life now - but if you think it will ever get to a point when we don't loose anybody? That won't happen. Sometimes we will arrive to a village late, or we could get flanked, or we didn't see something coming and someone will die. That's how war works" she said, her eyes fixed onto Mara, and for a glimpse of a second she saw another girl who would say it was wrong to fight. Riley felt her façade slip, and she gave a small smile. "Yes, we are making a difference. We already have. We watch as our brothers and sisters of our group die, but it saves entire families. We sign up for the bloodshed and fights, farmers children don't. You have the hardest job, your the person who can save a life. Don't forget how important you are whilst on the battlefield, I might need you to patch me up one day" Riley finished explaining her opinion before looking around the rest of the chamber. She wouldn't have been able to get much further in, not being a cleric herself - but her curiosity was peaked as she watched a variety of clergy wander around. Her focus moved back to the chestnut haired woman, her green garments shimmering in the sun

"So, what about you? What do you think of the blades, or more accurately - why did you sign up? You seem too good a person to belong on such a hellish place as a battlefield. Do you not have any family you worry about?" Riley asked, offering a hand to the young woman to help her back to her feet.

-Laciel-
Laciel watched as the mercenary cut down one of the brutes that was distracted by his taunts. He saw as he vicously began stabbing the man to death, seeing a look of horror on the bloodied bandits face. Laciel cringed as he watched the brutal scene happened, and felt a bit bad for the ruffian who was brutally impaled. The other ruffian who was heading after the kid stopped in terror, as he watched as his allies torso was destroyed. Laciel decided to spare this one, and quickly smashed the fifth ruffians head with the hilt of the sword, knocking him out.

Laciel watched as the man was sobbing in the blood of his mutilated victim. He walked up to the young man, and before he could say a word, he was approached by a woman who seemed to wonder what sort of skirmish happened here. Laciel looked at the woman, and saw that she was armored and just about his height. He studied the woman for a bit, before concluding that she wasn't one of the Ylissean guards.

"Well, it was more or less six men ganging up on a Chonsinese woman," the man says gesturing to the lady with the bow. "This young man and I took action and defeated some of the ruffians... Honestly wish there was another way instead of slicing em up," the man says shaking his head. He turned his head to see the lady he saved coming up to them, giving them a playful smile. After she thanked them, she threw a sack of something to Laciel, she disappeared before he could return the small sack. "You didn't have to pay... But." Laciel takes a look at the four dead bodies and two incapacitated ruffians. "Oh jeez, this is going to cause problems..." The blonde man rubs the back of his neck with his available hand befor taking out a torn piece of clothe from his inventory, and began cleaning the sword.

"Hey Missy, if you aren't going to report us to the guards, help me get this guy out of here..." Laciel finishes cleaning the sword with the rag and promptly puts it back in his bag before sheathing his sword. He then turns toward the merc in the fetal postion, and stretches his arm out. "Here, let me help you up bud." He outstretched his left arm which was leaking a bit of blood out from when he was hit earlier. The cut didn't look too deep but it was noticeable to the naked eye.

As people passed by the thief, Lune listened closely to the conversations. It seemed that there was am event going on that day that included something called jousting. Lune wasn't much for recreation, and had no interest following the crowd, but, was curious on what jousting was. He hadn't heard of it before.

A feminine voice interrupted his train of thought. Someone wanted his attention. He slowly turned his head and studied the young woman. As opposed to himself, she had quite the arrangement of interesting colors. She asked about the joust. Lune waited a moment, turning his entire body towards her as he placed a hand on the back of his head. "Sorry.... I don't know where the joust is being held. I'm not too familiar with it." Lune averted his eyes from the girl, seeing people on the streets and studying the flow of traffic.

"But, if this event you're talking about is really worth going to, I'll bet a fraction these people are on the way towards it now." He wasn't sure what to say from there, but, perhaps this could be his first step towards becoming a good person. Lune gestured towards the road. "Let's go." He said, knodding his head. Without waiting for her, he stepped into the street, looking around before hurrying with the citizens.

-Gran/Vass-
Gran was seemingly wandering the streets for quite some time, Gran came up to a market with people selling differentiating food, from fruits to veggies. He honestly needed to quench his hunger so it wouldn't bite him in the ass in the end when he needed to fight. He walked up to the nearest stall, and began browsing the wares that he could procure to fill him up. He decided on buying five apples, and paid the stall owner the amount of gold that was equal to five apples before going on his merry way. He took an apple out of his bag and took a bite out of it, munching softly on the fruit.

"(Well, now what do I do...)"

The mage pondered to himself what he should do next since he hadn't received a message yet. He often found himself looking to the skies for any sign of his hawk, before sighing and continuing on. There was nothing good to do at the moment, and he began wandering the streets. As he wandered, he watched as some people hurried off to go see something. Grans intrest was piqued, and he began following the different groups of people, which eventually lead to a place where a joust was taking place. The atmosphere was bright and cheery in contrast to most of the situations he was in while being trained.

"(Might as well relax, and blend in... I haven't watched anything like this before,)" Gran thought as he made his way through the crowd to see the joust. As the crowd cheered, he didn't cheer along, he just watched curiously what would happen next. He took another bite out of his apple, he began scanning the crowd, noticing a familiar face within the crowd. Gran quickly pushed his way through the people, making his way to the familiar teal haired girl in the group. If he remembered right, the girls name was Sapphire, and he saw how she was cheering along with the crowd.

"Ey Saph," Gran said cheerfully to Sapphire as he made his way to her. "Could you explain to me what the heck is going on? I've never been to one of these." As he asked for an explanation, he took another bite out of his apple, and continued munching on it.

It was crowded but Sapphire longed to get in the front to better observe the tournament. Suddenly the girl, hearing some version of her name called, whipped her head around in a flash. It took awhile before she could recognize who it was. "Oh it's that mage guy who makes weird faces when he's alone." He'd ask what was going on although, to her, it seemed pretty obvious. "Well...this is Ylisstol's biannual jousting tournament~," she explained with a bit of splendor in her voice. She then pointed towards the fenced off center. "They're not ready yet, but it's almost about time the games started," Sapphire added on before turning to face forward once more, continuing her cheering.

Sapphire, Noelle, and Vincent

"You're still Mr. Grumpy to me," Noelle said, smirking. She followed Vincent around and like that, the candy shop was there! She squealed in delight, rushing over to the delicacies. Surprisingly enough, Sapphire was already there, contemplating on which sweet to choose. That got the myrmidon started as she carefully selected her choices. In a matter of a few minutes, she had her chosen sweets safely tucked in her sack and clothes. Noelle had managed to get Vincent to lend a few coins - which was odd but totally okay. After all, she still had to save some money for her weapons and such.

Sapphire then ran off to the jousting tournament, leaving Vincent and Noelle up to their own devices. She glanced at Vincent, her eyes pleading. "You should go!" she urged, almost ready to run after Sapphire herself. "It will be loads fun!"

"I suppose I have no choice, then..." He grumbled. He had other matters of importance to take care of, but the safety of these two blades came first. It was more of a matter of being responsible and trustworthy than what he wanted to do. He had signed himself up for this when he first left, and he might as well carry through with it. Besides.... jousting was dangerous. He carried on behind, quickly catching up with the two.

"It's just about to begin~!" Sapphire squealed ecstatically. She happened to notice two figures in the corner of her eye. Turning, she recognized the two in an instant. "Hiya, guys!" She greeted Vincent and Noelle with sparkling eyes. The girl, showing her boundless amounts of happiness, then began to make her way towards the front of the endless amounts of people. In the past, she enjoyed being in the foremost of the crowds since she could see most of the action there.
While gazing at the workers who were setting up the jousting arena and at the mass of people behind them, Sapphire's eyes happened to fall upon two certain people. Immediately her stomach dropped. At first she thought it was a hallucination, maybe being surrounding by things from her past began to make her see things. She rubbed her eyes fervently and, sure enough, the two figures remained where they once were. She couldn't stop herself from hyperventilating at once.ever it was

"Heya!" Noelle grinned, waving to Sapphire before going up to her. Though the actual jousting tournament hadn't started yet, the sight was breathtaking. The air was filled with a cacophony of sounds, making it difficult for Noelle to hear anything. Excited, she turned around to whisper something to Sapphire. The sight of the young girl trembling in fear stopped Noelle in her tracks. "S-Sapphire?" she questioned, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Are you okay?!"

He remained by the girls until they arrived, stopping to take in the sight of people preparing to joust, and those watching. Apparently one of the girls was surprised about something in the crowd, and not in a good way. Noelle seemed worried. "What's wrong, did you see a ghost?" Whatever it was, it had to be something she had already seen before. Maybe a person in her past? come to think of it, there were quite a few people Vincent wouldn't particularly want to meet anywhere. Usually such people died, but in other cases they haunted him. What could be so bad for her? She hardly seemed like the kind of girl to make mortal enemies with anybody... but looks could be deceiving. He himself was proof of that.

Sapphire stumbled back on her own feet, bumping into the person beside her. “S-sorry,” she mumbled, barely audible. It looked as if she had the life sucked out of her as she haphazardly walked through the crowd as quickly as she possibly could. “Why here? Why now?” she angrily thought to herself. The tears forming in her eyes threatened to spill, blurring her vision. Alas, she stumbled to the ground in a state of agony; she couldn't go on any longer. She watched helplessly as the salty water steadily dripped from her eyes onto the stoned ground.

Whatever it was, it was extremely sad. He didn't understand what that felt like. "Hey! Are you deaf!? I asked what was wrong!" He hissed, before chasing after her and catching her arm, stopping her. He put his hand on her chin and pulled her face up to look her in the eyes. "Why are you breaking down? You are making a mess of yourself in public. This isn't how a hero should act." He scolded, before withdrawing his hand. " What's so wrong? Why can't you face it?" he pressed. She was making it hard to watch the both of them, and not making a good impression of the blades. He sighed and let go of her. He was being too rough. He just didn't understand her. It was a bit annoying. He pulled off his helm and tucked it under his arm. "I suppose we should clear out of here..."

A garbled apology and like that, Sapphire had dashed away. Vincent then ran after her, so Noelle just followed. It was bad enough that the girl had broke off from their group, especially in such a crowded area. There was always a chance that Sapphire might be involved with the wrong crowd... She pinched and shoved her way through the crowd, not caring if some people turned around and yelled at her. Within moments, she found the girl on the ground, tears pouring from her eyes as Vincent kept asking questions. She stopped, shivers running down her back. Did Noelle even know how to comfort friends... She only knew how to entertain - she... "You okay?" she said, running a comforting hand over Sapphire's back. She glanced over at Vincent, worry glazed in her eyes.

"Yeah, let's get out of here," she agreed, helping Sapphire up to her feet.

Sapphire did not appreciate Vincent’s tone one bit. She didn’t mind getting corrected but she’d do without the raised voice. “I-It’s so easy for you to say! You don’t seem to have any feelings at all!” she angrily shouted in reply to Vincent before quickly scurrying off in whatever direction she happened to be facing. She didn’t care where she was going as long as it was far away from anything that seemed remotely human. Before she knew it, Sapphire had already passed the town gates. The girl turned to gaze at the busy city before glancing at her reflection in a nearby pond. She knew her actions were quite childish but she also knew that she couldn’t help it. She left her home without a word, how was she to face her parents now? Plopping down beside the water, the girl began to loathe the day; the incident almost ruined one her favorite things. Now Sapphire had to decide what to do next.

"Ghh! Damn you!" He growled as she quickly ran away, getting lost in the crowd. He sighed, and walked out of the area, sitting against the wall in a nearby alley. Mission failed. "We aren't going to be able to find her if we stay in town... looks like she wanted to be away from everything. If that's true, we shouldn't bother her if she won't be in danger..." he rubbed his temples, before pulling his helmet back down to hide his face. "You... aren't going to run away from me too, are you?" He said, tiredly. Something more was different about the way he said it. It wasn't the same serious tone he usually used, but he wasn't joking around either. He rose, and sighed, regaining his composure. "I think we should forget about the jousting. Is there anything else you wish to do in town, Noelle?"

"W-wait!" but Sapphire ran away after leaving a loud and angry reply to Vincent. The crowds swallowed her up, leaving Noelle and Vincent alone. Noelle, quite distressed, just followed Vincent out of the area. It was already too late to go after Sapphire and it seemed she needed some time to herself. Whatever she was afraid of, she would tell her friends later on, when she was ready. Noelle quietly stood next to Vincent, leaning against the wall as she listened to him. However, the next thing he said startled her. The tone of his words was quite unlike him; perhaps Sapphire's last words affected him? "Mm, you know she didn't mean to say tha - ...Eh? I wouldn't run away from you," she sternly said. "And, not really. I guess it's time we head back and meet up with the Blades. Unless you want to do something in town."

Sapphire, after much thought, made the decision to walk back into town but this time with a plan already in mind. The girl slowly got to her feet, taking one last glimpse of her reflection before nonchalantly walking past the gates once more.

Rounding a corner, the girl took a stop. There it was, just as she suspected- the tailor’s shop. Taking a quick glance around her surroundings- the place was almost deserted due to the joust- before entering the store. She required something that could easily hide her face. She needed “A cloak!” Sapphire unintentionally blurted out her thoughts, and then fully faced the shop owner. “I need a cloak,” she repeated, more formally this time around, “do you have any?” She waited for a response, surprised from the fact that it was the tailor himself taking her measurements (arm, shoulder, leg, and back length) before placing in her hands what she assumed was her size. “65 pieces of gold,” the tailor stated not so long after. The pricing wasn’t too ridiculous, so the girl paid the man prior thanking him and exiting the store.

Taking the next turn into an alley, Sapphire busied herself with putting on the new cloak. It was a elegant color, in her opinion. “Great, now I can watch the joust without being seen~” she beamed quietly to herself before scampering off towards the jousting arena. It was a gated area so she’d have to pass the gate just hoping that Vincent and Noelle had gone.

It didn’t take long to arrive to the predetermined place. The teal haired girl scanned the crowd. Without luck, it seemed as though the two members of the Sacred Blades that she’d spent a brief amount of time with had stuck around nearby. She pulled her hood up and held her head low as she quickly made a dash by the two, praying to Naga that they didn’t see her.

"Yes, I have business elsewhere. I suppose it's a good thing that we don't have to attend this." He picked up his pace, and headed for the gates. Along the way he noticed one person out of the entire crowd that was wearing a cloak. Cloaks were suspicious. Usually, if you wore one, you had something to hide. He wasn't about to let some sort of suspicious dealing happen right under his nose. This cloaked figure could put the others at this event in serious danger. He drew his sword quickly, and had it pressed at the cloaked figure's neck faster than anything the girls might've seen him do yet. "You! Stay still!" He barked, before pulling the hood off of the perpetrator. He immediately dropped his sword. "Damn it!", He cursed. "What the hell do you think you are doing!? I could have killed you! Better yet, what do you have to hide!?", he demanded, before grabbing her arm again. "You aren't getting away this time. Are you caught up in something out of your grasp?"

She attempted to unsuccessfully wriggle her arm free. ”So close…! Sighing, she knew she had to face everyone sooner or later. ”I…I’m scared and ashamed…” the girl finally muttered out, tired of hiding. She tried to avoid any eye contact at the moment. ”I…left my home without telling my parents, soon after my sister fled. It was probably hard enough to lose one daughter, but two is most likely heartbreaking. I didn’t want to at first, but I’m afraid of what my sister could accomplish- I want to keep my parents safe, that’s what really motivated me to join the Sacred Blades,” Sapphire explained with intent, turning to face Vincent fully now. ”I don’t know what they’d think of me now, with them being nobles it could’ve damaged their reputation. And…I’m sorry for calling you…heartless…and for running off without a meaningful word.” She stood quietly and waited for whatever scolding or whatnot was to come to her.

Noelle quietly watch the whole scene play out, her heart almost breaking. After Sapphire was done talking - and apologizing, much to Noelle's relief - she pounced on the teal haired girl, hugging her. "Sapphire! It's alright. I'm just glad you aren't in any nasty trouble. Right, Vincent?" she said, glancing at Vincent, her eyes telling him not to scold her this time. However, one little fact floated around in her mind. What was her sister going to do to make Sapphire join the Blades...? She would have to discuss that later, perhaps in a more secluded place with the other girl.

Vincent listened to her, and let go of her arm after she stopped struggling. "I can understand that sentiment. It's quite noble of you. I don't know what it feels like to leave my family in such a way, but, it's honorable of you to join a cause you believe in, despite what others might want." He pulled his helm off again, feeling the breeze reach his head. "It's... not an issue. I suppose I have been pretty heartless. You'd have every right to run away from someone like me." He did the most unexpected thing anybody would have imagined him to do. He leaned forward, and gave her a hug. It felt weird, but it felt like the right thing to do. It didn't last that long, and he took a step back afterwards, looking away. "I suppose I'm the one who needs forgiving. I'm sorry for being so hard on you. I had suspicions that you were some sort of criminal, but it's a weight off that you aren't. An honorable person like you deserves a place in the blades..." He didn't know what else to say. He just remained silent, and put his helm back on.

Sapphire was surprised she didn’t get denounced this time around, blinking in disbelief. Vincent’s words were actually very touching instead of hurtful. The most unexpected action was the hug he gave her- she found herself momentarily hugging back before he abruptly let her go. In the end, the girl was left with a sincere smile on her face. ”I-I don’t know how to thank you for such kind compliments…, but, could you excuse me for a moment…?” she asked before removing the cloak, tearing off a corner of a nearby flyer, writing something on the blank back with a pen she found in her bag, and placing it atop the now neatly folded cloak. She then disappeared into the swarming crowd of spectators only to reappear moments later, neither cloak nor paper in hand. ”How about we go watch the joust~? It’s about to start, you know?” she mentioned happily before skipping by the gates and towards the front of the crowd, her favorite spot. Peering across the fence towards the other half of observers, the teal haired girl watched graciously as the two figures, her parents, laid their eyes on what their daughter had mysteriously left them, a royal blue robe with a note carefully set on top. ”’…I love you…’” Sapphire quietly quoted the note to herself just as the two joust competitors walked into the arena.

"Don't let it get to your head, you're not a hero just yet," Vincent added before he and Noelle followed Sapphire back into the jousting tournament.

Laciel - Piers - Margaret - Wyeth

Piers turned his head up and hesitantly grabbed the merc's hand. "Thanks." Dragging himself up using the help, Piers stood to his feet and introduced himself. "My name is Piers. thanks for helping me out."

Laciel helped the young man get back up on his feet, and heard his introduction. "No problem Piers, the name is Laciel, pleasure to make your acquaintance," he said smiling to the merc. "Anyways, before we go on, who are you lady," he asked the woman who was about his height. "You don't look like any guard from around here... You look more or less like your a part of a mercenary band."

"Well," Margaret explained, "Mercenaries would be a proper term more or less, but the group is called sacred blades. This here is my brother. Again what happened here? Piers can't hurt a small animal, much less a big scary ruffian. Never mind, you seem pretty skilled Laciel. If you want, you can ask to join our little group of merry folk."

As he listened to the womans explanation, he looked at the brother, and then back at the lady. "Are you crazy? He brutally destroyed that man, and your saying he can't even hurt a fly?" Laciel just shook his head at her comment, before continuing on. "Anyways, you never told me your name... Wait, did you just say that you were a part of the Sacred Blades?" Laciel was a bit surprised at what he was hearing. By some random luck, he had managed to run into two mercenaries who were a part of the group he was searching for earlier. "Well, I was planning on doing that when I found the Blades - pledge myself to their cause. Anyways, lets walk and talk Missy, I'll explain what happened."

Margaret motioned for Laciel to follow and started to walk, behind the two, Piers followed slowly. "Well for beginners, my name is Margaret. Me and piers are part of the Sacred Blade more or less, though Piers doesn't do much work in the field of fighting. When I walked up I saw Piers stabbing that man like he had no mind. what was that all about?" The merc explained the whole of what happened as the trio made their way down the street.

He had to admit, the feeling of having a sharpened sword on him was somewhat comforting, even if he didn't know how to use it, exactly. Wyeth sighed as his eyes flicked over the sharp, light blade. The smithy had done a good job. The "leader" of the Sacred Blades sighed and walked further down the street, slipping the iron sword into its sheath under his violet and canary yellow robes. All the while he had been in the blacksmith, he was wondering what the rest of the Blades were doing. And at the same time he hoped that they were okay.

As the trio walked through the town, they discussed the previous situation, Piers talking a little more than he previously had. As they approached the smithy a familiar face popped up. "Oh hey! Wyeth! Wyyyyyeth! I have a new member that could possibly join us. Whatta you think about him?" Margaret yelled out.

A feminine voice called out for him, making Wyeth glance up the street. It was then that he saw a group of people, with Margaret leading them toward him. "Ah, Margaret." he grinned at her, and then glanced up at the two young men behind her. "You've got a new recruit then?" he questioned, taking a few steps closer. "What's his name? What makes you think that he'll make a new addition to the group?" his eyes watched her closely, a frown crossing his face. He was extremely serious about his questioning-- he had to make sure that he wasn't going to let a "snake into their group".

"Well for one, my name is Laciel, and I presume that you are the leader of this mercenary group?" Laciel studied the man and his words before going on. "I for one have fended for myself for quite sometime, and your group works for justice in this realm, such as the Shepard did. Your group has the same ideals as I, and it has taken me some time to seek you guys out." Laciel rubbed the back of his, looking at the man in strange clothing. It reminded him of a certain legend he couldn't remember for the time being. "However, I will do what ever I can to prove my worth, sir... Uhm... Whats your name?"

Before Wyeth could speak, Piers quietly chimed in. "Um.... if it's worth anything, I feel like Laciel should be allowed in. He's more effective than I am, that's for sure. I trust him."

Laciel, huh? He seemed like he could be useful to the Sacred Blades. But Vincent had made him wary, and Wyeth felt as if he were pressured. He couldn't just brush the man to the side and tell him he couldn't join, but then again, he couldn't exactly be trusted. "My name's Wyeth." the tactician told him. His eyes flicked to Piers, who told him that Laciel should be allowed in. He did seem trustworthy. "I suppose I can allow you to join. But we'll be keeping a close eye on you." Wyeth's frown remained on his features. "If I see one sign of treason coming from you, I won't hesitate to strike you down where you stand. Understood?" The long haired man tried to make himself look intimidating [like he had seen Vincent do before] as he stared down the new recruit. "I said... am I understood?"

"Well you got it Wyeth," Laciel said, unfazed by the mans attempts to look intimidating. "And its a pleasure to serve under you sir," he said, trying to sound as polite as possible. "You won't expect any treason from me." Laciel extended his right hand, trying to be as friendly as possible to his new comrade in command.

Well, it seemed that Laciel seemed to outright ignore his attempt at being intimidating. His shoulders would have sagged right then and there, but he decided that he had to seem somewhat professional and give Laciel a good image. Wyeth would hate it if the new recruit thought that they were just a childish group of wanna-be Shepherds. "No need to call me sir," Wyeth said, taking his hand and shaking it firmly. "You can just call me Wyeth. Sir makes it seem like I'm the head of an army or the lord of a castle, and both are far from the truth." and with that, he smiled slightly. He couldn't seem that cold.

"Haha, alright," Laciel said as he finished shaking hands with Wyeth. "If I remember right, there's a joust today... Used to go to those with my family," Laciel said, thinking about his past. "I'm going to head to the place where the jousting area is later, because I need to get this taken care of." Laciel points to the wound on his left arm which was still oozing a bit of blood out. "See you guys later!" He gave a friendly smile, and wave before heading off to the nearest temple, in search on a cleric or priest who could mend his wound.

Sayuri looks around the crowd and smiles, "Nothing brings people together like a friendly competition, or free food." turning she looks back at where the Joust was about to be held. Sighing she places a hand on her sword, "Really wish I had known about this sooner... If so I might have given it a go. Oh well."

Suddenly she heard a familiar call from nearby. She holds out her arm and whistles in response. A crow swoops down and lands on her arm then hops up to her shoulder, "Hey there Tsugi. Guess this means Kage is almost here. Thats good, it'll be nice to see him after that long trip."

Looking around she notices a handful of people that felt out of place though she couldn't explain why, "Hmm... I seem to be getting slightly paranoid. Still best be on high alert," She turns to look at the arena when the first two people come out. Though she was focusing on the joust she kept a close eye on the crowd and her coin pouch.

An'zu and Lune

With the last hour's incident already in the process of being buried deep, deep in the recesses of her mind, An'zu forced herself to think about other things. Like the Ylissean citizens, for instance. Such a helpful bunch; if they weren't off saving strangers from bandits, then they were taking time away from their schedule to personally guide you through the city.

"Thanks a lot!" An'zu beamed, giving the raven-haired man a lighthearted pat on the back. "I don't do well with directions." She supposed she should be more wary of strangers, considering recent events, but she convinced herself that she wouldn't get attacked twice in a row. There was no way her luck could be that terrible.

An'zu trailed after the man as he stepped onto the street, and quickened her pace to match his. Because her strides were so much shorter, she was practically jogging. "So, is this your first time seeing a joust as well?"

Nodding after the girl thanked him, Lune followed the steps of the other people, wincing slightly as she touched his back. It was strange to him, but, he understood that it was just a friendly gesture. It'd been long since he'd made any friends, actions such as those were almost alien to him. Once she asked him the question he slowed down slightly, noting her attempt to keep up with him and giving her a better time.

"Yes, actually. I've never experienced a joust before. Seems like things like this are popular in Ylisse.... I've spent the majority in my life in Valm, so, yeah." Lune told her, having to lift his voice a bit louder than he normally liked. It was beginning to become louder on the streets as they got closer to the congregation. "Anyways, what do you go by? My name is Lune." He thought that he may as well get acquainted with the girl for now. This could easily become his first friend in this town. A small desire in the back of his head hoped that she was rich so he could rob her, but, he quickly shooed that away. Lune was a good person now!

"Aha, so you are from Valm! I was guessing either that or Rosanne." An'zu grinned then beckoned at her attire, even doing a little twirl to emphasize her point. After her first day in Ylisstol, she came to the realization that she stood out like a sore thumb wrapped with a banner that said 'foreigner over here.' She thought about changing into something less conspicuous, but Ylissean clothes were far too constricting for her liking. "Well, Lune from Valm, I'm An'zu. Bet you can't tell where I'm from."

An'zu had replied to his introduction automatically, playful quips spilling out of her mouth before her brain could register it (this was usually how she gets herself into trouble). Was she supposed to use a pseudonym in times likes this? Ugh. Who knew trying to be incognito was so difficult? It was worse than putting on a farce of a marriage for the people. Since Lune spent most of his time in Valm, she just hoped he wouldn't be too familiar with the Chon'sin throne's seventh in line.

"We're both a long way from home, aren't we?" she noted idly, although she was unsure whether he heard her through the roaring crowd.

The streets became more and more packed as they neared the arena, and she stuck close to Lune to avoid getting pushed along by the tide of people roughly pushing through, trying to get a better view of the joust. Jeez, what happened to the nice, super friendly Ylissean citizens. Before long, only the backs of tall people filled her field of vision. It sucked to be short sometimes. An'zu tiptoed and jumped about to get a glimpse of the arena, but it did little to help. "What can you see? Is it starting?" she asked as the crowd started to cheer. She stared at Lune, seriously wondering how inappropriate it would be if she climbed on his shoulder so she could watch.

He didn't expect anyone from around here to even know about Valm, much less Rosanne, but, maybe he was the only geographically challenged person. He now took a second look at her clothing, noting its uniqueness. Where could she be from? He was pretty sure she wasn't from Ferox...

Long way from home... He never thought much about how far he'd traveled. He wasn't sure if he could even get back to Rosanne without a massive amount of money. It did give him a clue to that An'zu lived very far away though. The young man slipped through people, taking a few glances back to ensure An'zu wouldn't get lost within the waves of denizens.

He smirked slightly as he heard her asking him about the joust. She was quirky and lighthearted. It'd been awhile since Lune had met someone like that. "Yeah, it's starting up now... You can't see, can you?" Lune asked. He could give her a lift. Lune observed his elbow room, noting that he'd be bumping into a few citizens if he attempted to do so. Lune turned away from the joust and extended his hand towards the young girl. "Here, climb on me."

An'zu burst out in a short bout of giggles at Lune's offer. "Are you a psychic? Because you totally just read my mind." She took his hand and heaved herself onto his shoulders with ease, grinning at how ridiculous she might look. The arena was completely visible now, and she could see the two competitors as they rode up to their respective starting points, their lances readied at their side.

Now that she was on him, he expressed his thoughts. "I cannot think of where you could possibly be from. You aren't Valmese as well, are you?"

An'zu rested her chin on Lune's head as he asked a question—if he hadn't realized yet that she had no sense of personal boundary, he will now. "Yes, if you mean the continent," she answered playfully. "No, if you mean the country. I'm from Chon'sin. You've never been?"

Lune felt the impulse to scratch his hair. Considering how messed up his hair would be after this, Lune wished he'd put his hood on first. He shook his head at her response. "No, actually, I've never been to Chon..'sin," It was a new word to him and odd sounding, so, it rolled off his tongue slowly. "Chon'sin." He repeated. "I've actually never even heard of it before. It's in Valm, right? How far from Rosanne?" He asked, taking a quick scan of the premises, hoping no one was staring at the two of them.