"Second half?" Rei caught on quickly, her eyes flicking to the white-haired child and the old man. Somehow she got the idea that the Master there wasn't going to be the other half, everyone here couldn't be that much older than 20. So this left a child as Half #1, ...why anybody thought this was a good idea was beyond Rei. The samurai slowly began to shake Craïs' hand, but she couldn't take her eyes away from the sweet little magician's apprentice. This mission would more than likely be dangerous... So why?

"Shirokaze Rei. And, likewise." She responded to the redhead as she shifted her gaze into Craïs'. She would quickly let go and step aside, looking back at the men standing off and sighing, "I'm sure once they've finished being precious you'll get to know them, too."

The little mage moved away from Jumal to join the two women then, giving a warm smile to a pissed-off looking Rei. She nervously offered her small hand to the samurai, the swordswoman's reaction speed evident as she noticed and set her eyes on the girl the very moment her hand twitched. "I'm Aureno Winters. It's a.. um.. pleasure.. Hi..!" the girl stuttered, forcing herself to smile at Rei's piercingly cold eyes.

"...How old are you, Aura?" Rei asked as she turned around and crouched to the girl's height, beginning to shake her pale hand. Rei had taken notice of the nickname Craïs gave her, making the white-haired kid brighten her smile. "Twelve and three quarters, Ms. Rei." Aura answered politely, with the older girl giving the old man stood behind Aura a questioning look. ...Well, if a wise, neat-looking Master Mage decided the child was up to the task, who was Rei to disagree?

Yaozu caught the flask after Abbadon had tossed it too him. The monk sighed. The gunman seemed to show off a bit too much despite giving the speech about not taking pride in his skill. Perhaps what Abby was doing wasn't what it looked like, but most who saw would probably think like Yaozu. "What's this for?" He asked calmly before there was a flash. "Well. Looks like the magician is here. No real time for any more chit chat." He said before tossing the flask back. Shame. He was a bit thirsty. But it could easily be saved for later. As the introductions were made he walked over to the small group of women. "Yaozu Liqian. Nice to meet you... Craïs, was it?" He asked as he held out his hand to shake. She was a tall one. And then there was the child. He'd greet her in a moment of course after he finished with the red head. "Hey Shirokaze. Don't be so cold. You'll probably end up scaring the girl." He commented as he nudged the kneeling samurai with his foot.

Abbadon's hand hovered over the holster to his black revolver, Dead Man's Hand, as the flask of liquid explosives soared through the air towards Yaozu. It would be easy enough to blast the thing, either disorienting, killing, or crippling the hand of the large monk. Then, if he were to survive that, either the vibrations or another well-placed shot could bring down the part of the roof to either deal even more damage, or provide a nice little three-second barrier between the gunman and the hypothetically raging monk.

Fortunately, the whole situation didn't devolve into an interplay of guns and martial arts, as before Abaddon even made a move, a sigil appeared and a bright light flashed, illuminating the area for that brief second. The gunslinger reached for his revolver, but didn't draw it. There was a rather high chance that the light was going to reveal the Magiya representative, so it would be best to make sure they didn't notice the drawn weapon. But there was also the off-chance that this Saren asshole figured out some kind of teleport spell and came to nip the bud.

Fortunately again, Abaddon's caution was unneeded. Without even hearing the introduction, he could tell that they were Magiyan. The clothes and appearances certainly looked the part. Although the dark skinned one was most definitely foreign, it seemed that she was the representative. One of two if her words were to be believed. That left... the old man? ...No. He looked far too 'official' for this sort of business, and besides, that'd leave the little girl all alone if they were to set off immediately. Besides, what if this little girl had some necessary magical thingamajig to make it so they could complete their quest, or was secretly some kind of ageless being, or had some useful magic spell thingy that would really help if things went down hill? Best not to underestimate the kid, or the judgment of a Master Mage.

"Abaddon Vystel, sir, ma'am," the courier greeted the redhead and the Master, giving a simple curt wave and a nod to each before sauntering over towards the rest of the group and taking a position to Rei's free side, beside Aura. "Hey kiddo," he greeted the child in a tone that was surprisingly soft for the abrasive behavior demonstrated earlier. The sides of Abaddon's lips curled up a bit. It wasn't quite a smile, but it wasn't that indifferent scowl of his either. At least he was trying to look slightly less boorish than usual.

"Don' mind her. She's jus' overly concerned is all," Abaddon explained, pointing a thumb towards Rei, "I'm sure you'll do jus' fine. 'Sides, if anythin' goes downhill, we're here to make sure nothin' too bad happens. Promise."

Shirokaze Rei...

Of course, she was the Heiress! That's why her name had sounded so familiar. She was the closest thing any of the Morallaen City States would have for a princess. Craïs had to bite back a chuckle as she shook Rei's hand, instead just opting to grin even wider. The heiress then went past her to talk with Aura. As did the Avanim representrative, Abaddon Vystel. Vystrel, that name too sounded familiar to her. She'd have to check her notes once she got a little privacy. She nodded at Abaddon as the gunslinger too approached Aura. Seemed like everyone else on the team was a person of at least some importance except for herself, though one could argue Rei was leaps and bounds above any of them. Even if she wasn't the eldest heiress to the famed 1st Blade Shirokaze Sasuke.

Then the Liqian monk approached her. She took his hands and shook it and smiled at him. "Craïs Magen, yes. Nice to meet you, Yaozu.

Only then did Jumal move, joining Rei and Abaddon as the two conversed with his apprentice. He knew who the two were. Abaddon, he had suspected would be the representative of his respective State. Rei was one of the two possible options. He knew Sasuke well. He wouldn't send anyone he didn't implicitly trust, namely anyone other than his son or daughter. Yes, Rei might be the better choice in the end. Despite the slight gap between her and her brother's skills, she was the more calm and collected of the two. Traits that would serve their mission far better than any skill with her blade would.

"I trust you will, Mister Vystel. In fact, I am counting on it. Aura, while the best candidate the Magiyan can provide, is still young. Which is why the Magiyan Elder Council chose to send a second represtive to further assist you in your quest." Jumal then gestured to the redheaded mage a distance away. "I hope her being Desertian doesn't impair your judgment of her?" He smiled in a grandfatherly fashion at the gunslinger. The question was legitimate, though. Desertia and Her people by proxy did have quite a reputation, and it wasn't a good one. Legalized slavery, criminal activity endorsed by the ruling factions, more civil wars than any nation in Mirasoria could attest to, and a past for bloodier than other nations.

Jumal then regarded Rei. "I see Lord Shirokaze chose you, Lady Shirokaze. You have your great-great-great-grandmother's eyes... were it not for your hair, you'd look like a mirror image of her when she was your age." There was a fornlorn tone in his voice as he called her a lady, as if the title held a more deep meaning to it than what seemed.

"...My... Great-great-great grandmother's eyes? ...Well, ...thank you!" Rei slowly came to terms with what the old Mage had just told her. Yaozu's damnable nudging could be addressed later. This was where she seriously reconsidered viewing him as 'wise', and instead took to the belief that he might be a little nuts. Wait, hadn't she met him before? Yes... She was very young, but the man's face hadn't changed one bit since that day. He'd been discussing something with her father in Shizukesa, but Rei and Kirai were too busy play fighting in the Citadel gardens to take much notice of the grown ups.

"Lord... Arkaos? I hope I got the name correct, Sir. It really is a pleasure to meet you for real. Your apprentice is in safe hands," Rei said much more politely, almost apologetically as she took a short bow for the Master.

Aura smiled cheerfully at Abaddon's words and offered up her little finger, for what could only be seen as a pinkie promise. Young and naive as she was, she could imagine there were hard times ahead. People were going to get hurt, friend and foe, and Aura was going to be there protecting those she had to. "And I promise to help all of you in any way I can! Master taught me a lot about helping people with magic!"

(Short post is short, but tired Jake is tired)

Upon being posed the question concerning the particular origin of their unexpected fifth member, Abaddon put his hand to his mouth and chin in thought, as if taking in the information that the Master Mage had so graciously decided to provide him. "Well you see, sir," the world-weary courier began, lowering his hand from his face, "I've done a lot in my short life. Some I'm proud of, some I ain't. But I've traveled this world of ours, and on those travels I've met folks from all walks 'o' life. Big an' small. Rich an' poor. Slave an' free. Desertian an' Drakovian. An' every combo in between." The gunslinger paused to take in a breath.

"All makes a fella' think 'bout things, y'know sir?" Abaddon continued, taking a moment to glance to the redheaded foreigner-mage before facing back to the Master, "Personally, I don' care. If she can do the job, she can do the job. S'all there is to it. And if she - or any 'o' the others, really - can do it without pissin' me off, good on her. Just makes our 'lil manhunt that much more simple. And simple means we can all jus' go back home." Lord knew how much Abaddon wanted to 'jus' go back home', that was for sure.

Abbadon looked down to the young little novice mage joining the group. "Heh," the gunman snorted, grinning just a little bit at Aura's resolute promise and offer to seal the deal via interlocked pinkies. "Okay then, kiddo. Pinkie promise," the gunslinger nodded, lowering his hand and taking the white-haired mage's pinkie in his own before giving a firm shake to seal the deal, "Alrighty. Now I won't let you down, that's for sure. Just try not to let me down either, that sound good? Good."

Yaozu nodded. "Nice to meet you too Crais." He said calmly before looking at Aura. She was a kid alright. Innocent. "Alright kid. I guess we'll just have to watch each other's backs." He said with a smile. He thought about joining in the pinky promise, but since she and Abby seemed to be busy with it and all that was going on he thought it better not to. Besides there was another thing. He cleared his throat and sighed. "I hate to be a killjoy and bust up this little meet and greet, but I don't think we should waste too much more time." He said calmly as he looked around at his companions. "I don't think it'd be the best idea to continue to talk so leisurely when the guys we're supposed to catch is running around doing god knows what with whatever he took." Yaozu said with looking back at the entrance. It wasn't like he was trying to give orders or anything. He just thought that if this mission was so urgent they shouldn't spend too much time there. Of course, that was just his opinion.

(incredibly short post is short.)

(IT LIIIIIIVES!!)

Crosstown, North-Eastern Drakovian Border

By the evening of their first day, the group had arrived on the Drakovian border. Cavalry rode around in occasional patrols, each one demanding to know what the odd bunch were doing crossing the border. It was free, but these guys wouldn't let a threat in without a fierce fight. But it only took a single glance at the gold-sealed letters they had to realise the importance of these.. kids'.. mission. Two Mages from Magiya, an Avanim Gunslinger, a Liqian Monk and a Shirokaze Samurai... They looked so out of place in such a simple country as this, but the first townful of Drakovian people were welcoming to the Morallean team.

Having stopped in a candle-lit tavern in this small border town, everyone except for a peacefully sleeping Aura was gathered around a table examining a map of the country the barkeep had handed them. After a few minutes asking around the bar, people had helpfully given them information - they'd seen the 'man with glowing eyes' head North two days ago, followed by an old Mage not a few hours later. If Craïs new Saren at all, that old Mage following him could undeniably be marked down as Master Elysius Jorach, the young man's master. The Council never said anything about Jorach following too... Perhaps they had no idea he went after his apprentice?

"Well, it shouldn't take us long to catch up. If he goes any further than the next town along the northern road, he'll be a block of ice by time we show up, and we can just drag him back to Magiya territory that way," Rei shrugged at the map, glancing at each of the team neutrally before sitting back down and sipping at her glass of water. They couldn't move again tonight... So perhaps it might be a nice time to get to know each other. Not that Rei was going to start a conversation or anything!

Aura was curled up on a seat pushed right beside Abaddon's, her head tucked into his side, sleeping soundly. Despite being on an adventure of sorts, she still decided it was a good idea to go to sleep early.

Nursing a mug of brown ale in her hands, Craïs was closely examining the map. After a long while, she finally said her piece. "While even an apprentice mage like Saren would know how to ward off the bite of winter, not that it matters." To emphasise her next point, the travelling mage tapped the capital of Drakovia on the map. "Since I'm willing to bet this is his destination. Because of the Drachenvice Mage's Guild. They grant sanctuary to mages if one pleads for it. He'd be stupid to flee to Drakovia otherwise, he'd be much easier to track here than in, say, anywhere in Desertia. Mages stick out in Drakovia, big time. And since I sincerely doubt he knows of us, he wouldn't be baiting us to go north. Northern Drakovia is perilous at this time of the year, even for a prepared mage. Avalanches, monsters getting bolder and more likely to move about at daytime due to the scarcity of food..." After she finished with her reasoning, she took a long gulp from her ale before bringing the mug down with a light 'bang'.

"Kyyyyah~! Drakovian ale is the best, even the tavern swill." She grinned heartily at her fellow companions at the table. She then looked at Aura, and then at Abaddon. "Should I take her to our room? I'll be happier knowing she's sound asleep in her own bed rather than here if a brawl breaks out." She asked, gesturing at Rei as she said "our room". They had taken two rooms, one for both sexes. While Craïs herself had no problem with just a larger room fit for five, the concept of modesty in Revelria must be an abstract myth, if even that she remembered Rei snarking at her when the mage first suggested the idea, she did have to afterwards admit that both Aura and Rei especially might feel uncomfortable with the idea.

After listening to both Rei and Craïs Yaozu just sighed. "So tomorrow we'll be on our way then." He finally said before gulping down his own drink quickly. "I'll leave the planning and more complicated stuff to you two. I don't know much about the land outside of my own home after all." He knew a bit more than he led on, but to Yaozu this was just a mission to complete so that he could return home. If he could. What good would it be if he couldn't take over? Still though he needed to know what was so important about protecting outsiders as well as their own people if everyone could possibly suffer as a result. Even these people. The team he was in. If he had to go out of his way and risk himself, why should he have to protect them? Maybe he was just in a bad mood, but he couldn't help, but think about it.

As he looked around the table though, his eyes fell on Aura for a brief moment. She was just a kid. Even if he wanted to he didn't think he could let a child such as her die. Finally, he sighed and turned his attention back to his group. Well... If i can't handle keeping a few people who CAN fight for themselves alive, how the hell could I hope to do the same for my village. He thought before opening his mouth to speak. However, just as he did Craïs brought up Aura. "While I do think it'd be best for her to rest in a bed, it is a bit troublesome. We don't know how well we can trust the people around us. There's always a chance something could happen to her and we might not make it in time to help. At least if she's beside us we can keep an eye on her and keep her safe." He paused for a moment and chuckled.

"Well... At least I could." He joked teasing at whether or not the other's could actually handle themselves. He smirked. Of course, he knew they had to be strong enough to handle themselves. If they weren't they wouldn't have been along for the ride. Still no harm in a little joke right? And it could serve to get more of a conversation started and a chance to learn more about the group he'd be travelling with for the time being.

Craïs had to supress a sigh of frustration at Yaozu's words. She got the fact he was only kidding, that wasn't hard to discern. But mostly his jokes so far had been to play at the rest of the adults' incompetence. Whether he really thought of them that way or the fact it could stem from a repressed inferiority complex or something else entirely, she did not know. She just knew it got old really fast. Taking another, much smaller sip from her mug this time, she took the time to answer Yaozu's question: "I wouldn't return here for the night. I'd remain by her side 'till you all turned in for the night. I am a bit of a night owl and I have some research to catch up to. I don't see our mission as an excuse to put a stop to my projects. Well, the ones I managed to bring along anyway. People at Arcanium are expecting results."

"My own projects too need seeing to..." went unsaid by her. She was this close to figuring out how the bow artefact she had acquired three months ago on her latest mission worked. So far, the bow seemed like a very useful long-range piece of artillery, something she sorely lacked. She held no illusions about this mission not involving any battles... which is why she was so concerned about Aura's presence. But then again, she had been apprenticed by Lord Arkaos himself, so maybe she shouldn't set her opinion of the younger mage in stone before she got to see her abilities firsthand.

Abaddon had been... peculiarly quiet ever since departing from the Golden Tablet. He hadn't exchanged too much witty banter with anyone, nor done much apart from nod, shake his head, shrug, or indifferently walk on like some kind of marching machine. Though perhaps that last point was merely a testament to his experience delivering packages all across Mirasoria. Nevertheless, it could've been considered quite strange to see the brash gunman from before reduced to an almost complete and utter silence.

And it hadn't even ended yet! Apart from ordering his meal, there was nary a peep as the gunslinger sat at the table, dismantled gun receiving its regularly scheduled maintenance in eerie silence. Every now and then, he'd take a few seconds to drink or eat, before running his hand through Aura's hair, as if petting a cat or some such domestic animal.

TCHK!

Abaddon's silence was broken by a long exhale upon finishing maintenance upon The Cannon. He looked down to Aura, making sure she was as sound asleep as she seemed. "...Well," he finally said, tucking his gun into its holster, "Thank god kid's asleep now. You don't know what it's like having to keep your goddamn mouth shut an' your body all 'relaxed' an' shit for a dozen frickin' hours." Truly it did feel really fucking good to not have to worry about being a bad influence to children with 'unnecessary' words or actions.

"Anywho, back to business," Abaddon continued, rubbing his hands together, "What'cha say about the Mage's Guilds might be true - might not, I'm no spellslinger - but ain't this 'Saren Harlaus' bastard a Drakovian-born? I'm not usually one for gamblin', but I'm willing to bet that he has friends or family to help 'im out. Who would go refugee if they were hauling 'round some shady artifact that does who-knows-what-the-fuck, when he can get a few trusty pals to back his sorry ass up? If I were a Mage's Guildee, I'd drop that sumbitch, rules be damned if I learned he could do some crazy, world-domination shit with some two second spell and a magic thingamajig. And if I were Saren, I wouldn't take that fuckin' chance."

That said, Abaddon slunk back into his seat.

Aura's sleepy eyes opened wide into Abaddon's sleeve for a split second as the young man began to speak, but as those nastier words started to roll out she decided against making it known she'd just spurred awake. In fact, that would be cruel! The last thing little Aura wanted was anybody to get all apologetic or feel guilty, so she would 'sleep' through the scene, acting as if she were finding a more comfortable part of the gunslinger's arm to tuck her head into with the most blissfully cute look on her face.

...Aura couldn't help but wonder what these words meant! All she knew is she'd had her mouth sealed shut for a week by a magic rune once for asking what the F-word meant. It really was an innocent question! A teacher just happened to stroll past the group of curious kids as Aura spoke.

Rei shrugged at their gunslinging companion with a faint smirk, "So we'll ask around the mages in Drachenvice, see what we can find. Hopefully get a location, or some acquaintances locations. Hopefully it won't come down to any interrogation. Heck, it would be nice to just catch Saren off guard in the capital... If he's there." Her eyes fell away from the others as she leaned back in the chair, relaxing.

Before it got too quiet, the young lady forced a smile and looked around the table. "So... What do Avanim, Liqian and Magiya people do for fun? Mages projects sound.. hm.. interesting, Craïs. Why don't you start?" Rei shrugged again. Damn it, someone had to start a casual conversation! It was this or sleep. And it was far too early to sleep! ...For four of the team.

- - - - - - - - - -

As the Morallean bunch sat in their quiet corner of the tavern, a hooded figure walked in, two trickles of neck-length fiery red hair rested on each side of her collar. She very briefly glanced in the direction of the odd group, her paler red cheek tattoo flashing in the light of the indoor lamps. For now, her face remained hidden. If Craïs noticed, there was a faint tremor in the air around the hooded woman. Pressure. It felt... hot. What Rei took notice of was the woman's sword. Katana. Black saya, with gold decorations. It rang a bell somewhere in the back of her mind, but for now she ignored it. Samurai people weren't all confined to the Shirokaze territory. Many chose to live as mercenaries, exotic sellswords whose skill outmatched more typical armoured soldiers and the like. Who was Rei to judge? ...Lady Shirokaze, actually! But she wouldn't go throwing her title around, especially not at some random, possibly dangerous traveler.

"Some of that famous Drachenvice whiskey, pal." The hooded woman spoke casually to the innkeep. Her voice was warm and young. It was probably more comparable to Abaddon's accent than anyone else's. Not quite a Mage, not quite one of the Samurai... A unique person, to say the least. Already the pressuring aura around her began to ease off. The young woman took a seat at the bar and slid some coins over to the man for the drink, but far too many for a single glass of whiskey...

"I'll be stayin' the night, too."

After listening to Crais, Yaozu shrugged. "I'm not in a position to aruge with what you feel is correct and what you do. After all the kid is your travelling companion." He said in a calm tone. Besides what she'd said pretty much took any worry for the child there might have been and tossed it aside. It pleased him actually. It was good to know those travelling him were dependable among other things.

Soon Abaddon spoke. He made good points. But even so yaozu chose not to interject. He felt no real need to give any input since the other's had it covered. Besides, he was essentially muscle right? Not much else aside from that. He was okay with things like this. It wasn't much. As the goings on continued his attention shifted to Aura for a moment. She was moving around just a bit. Though the movements did seem a bit more coordinated than those of someone who was asleep. This made him chuckle slightly. Abaddon had seemed so glad to be able to speak freely now that she was asleep. If she was awake it raised the question of how much she'd heard.

Next up to the mic was Rei. That was surprising. Based on observation Yaozu hadn't expected her to speak of matter more than business. Yet now she was initiating a conversation. One which shifted from the business at hand to more casual matters no less. He smiled, but didn't say anything about himself still. Rei had singled out Crais after all. Yaozu didn't care much for talking about himself, but he didn't have anything to really hide either. He ran his fingers through his hair which had been exposed for some time after he'd removed his hood.

"While you all talk I'll go get us some more drinks." The over sized monk said as he stood up. "Any requests?" He asked before Crais could answer Rei. Better now than to interrupt part way through. Right? Getting drinks was a bit of an excuse though. He was going to get a closer look at the hooded woman. He was a bit curious about her. The hair, cheek tattoo, and the sword. it was enough to make him a bit curious. Not like it matter much. Right?

Craïs listened to Abaddon's input, blinking a little as he began to speak. He'd been quiet for so long. He made good points. She had forgotten Saren was from Drakovia. If he did have friends or family to seek refuge from, all of this just became several times more difficult. She did not immeaditely respond as Rei said her piece. Craïs agreed with the Shirokaze. That was their best course of action by far. Going up north to search for Saren was a much more time-consuming task, even if he were there. Their leads, if there were any, were in the capital. Abaddon was wrong about one thing, however.

"It's not an artefact that would just suddenly bring about world domination. If it were, he would have used it already. He had ample time to whip up any ritual not restricted by season or celestial alignments. If there were such restrictions, the Magiya Elder Council would have given us a deadline. He's likely hidden the artefact on his person, the Mage's Guild would likely have no idea he even had it. But you're right. Friends, family, acquitances. Those are our best bet for finding him." She said with a sigh.

She was just taking another sip as Rei posed her question at her. She set her drink down, contemplating how to answer the inquiry. Yaozu then stood up, asking them if they wanted anything as he did. Craïs politely declined, gesturing at the half-full mug in her hands. She couldn't afford to be buzzed for her projects, anyhow. They required too much caution. One ale was enough. She didn't see the hooded woman like Rei and Yaozu did, with her back being towards the inn entrance.

By then, Craïs had come up with her answer. "I wouldn't necessarily call it fun, with my projects being the other half of my job at Arcanium. And I'm not a Magiya, not really. I was never officially apprenticed, nor did I parcipate in Akademia. I'm only housed at one of the dormitories. But my projects... well, I'm an enchantress and an arteficer. As an enchantress, my projects iclude researching different enchantments, how to apply them and how they operate with different parametres. As an arteficer, I take on missions to search and find magical artefacts, study them and learn how to operate them. I only know a few in my personal possession intimately, even if I own more than two dozen of them. Most I find just go straight to the Department of Artefact Research, which is where I work. The only non-Magiya to ever work there, mind you." Screw the rest if they thought her claim for pride unfounded. She worked hard to get there without being a senior researcher's apprentice or having a scholarship stipend. And she was the youngest researcher to boot! Her accomplishments may be lost in meaning to these people, though... Except Aura, of course.

Clearing her throat, Craïs continued: "I guess that's why I was chosen as the senior Magiya representative, despite not being a Magiya myself. I'm capable and hilariously expandable. I know I make it all sound so boring and techinal and dull, but... it's all I have and I'm happy with it. Better than staying back home in Desertia, even if the populace was a lot nicer back there."

"Desertia has nice people?" Rei asked from a neutral stance on the matter. The Emperor was said to be slightly mad, he allowed slavery, and didn't care about the fact that merchants basically ran his country, had their own cities and private armies. It was a 'fragmented empire', by popular opinion... Still, Rei couldn't formulate any real opinion on the nation or its people as she hadn't been there before. "I'd like to go there some day, but I don't think I would enjoy the heat very much."

---

"Neat little crew ya' got over there," The young woman said as Yaozu came to fetch some refills. It didn't sound hostile or anything - in fact she seemed pleasantly surprised by the four nations' representatives sitting off in the corner together... Except Mr. Liqian here, anyway. The redhead threw her hood back, and a flowing crimson ponytail fell half way down her back. Looked about the same age as Yaozu, but was obviously smaller and closer to an average-sized late teen.

"It's nice to see more dangerous travellers like you guys around - word is there's some kinda 'bandit mages guild' operating around the border. You'll wanna keep your eyes peeled out there. Had a run-in myself..." She offered the warrior monk her advice. She frowned, however, upon seeing the white-haired kid sleeping peacefully with the group. That would probably be a typical reaction from most people, but most people didn't realise just how potentially deadly her guardians were. Heck, the Avanim guy could probably take a horde of bandits alone without them getting close enough to hurt him. And if they did get close, the young Shirokaze lady was presumably a chaotic fighter in close combat, and then there was this giant of a boy, the Liqian warrior monk. Aria's frown turned back into a faint smirk as she felt the two mages' power, too. Nope - these guys weren't going to have any trouble with thugs and the like.

"...What's your name, big fella'?"

Yaozu chuckled slightly upon hearing the redhead speak. "Neat is one word for it." He said before glancing back. "I guess it's good. Personally, I'm not sure I'm really the group type. But things could be worse." He said calmly before ordering a few drinks. "And I'm Yaozu. Yaozu Liqian." He said answering the questions she'd asked just before he took a moment to order. As he waited he turned back to her. "And what might you're name be?" He asked. Sure he couldn't really afford to trust anyone as of yet. Even his own travelling companions (eh? eh? See what I did there Jake? XD) But a little casual conversation was nice. Especially when compared to the over serious Rei, over paranoid Abbadon, and the somewhat easily annoyed Craïs. Honestly the easiest to tolerate and speak to was Aura. "Wow..." He muttered quietly to himself. He couldn't believe it himself.

Craïs was a little taken back by Rei's question. She seldom discussed her past with anyone back in Arcanium, the mages back there weren't interested and thus she held no reason to ever bring it up. It took her over a second to realize just why the Shirokaze heiress had posed the question. She often herself forgot what a horrid reputation Desertia held outside its borders. Slavery, cities abundant with criminal activity, poverty...

"Of course Desertia has nice people living there. We have to be. Not everyone can be as ruthless as the Emperor or the leaders of the criminal guilds, so we compensate with kindness. Admittedly, the capital is not a good place... it's rotten, having grown sickly over the decades with each Emperor worse than the last. But I come from Revelria, a city as autonomous as one can be in Desertia. My home lies next to the ocean. A city of glistening lights and never-ending festivals. The city and its people never slept... Even slaves like myself were treated with love and respect, both by our owners and the populace." Craïs sighed wistfully, shaking her head to bring herself out of the memories.

"You really should visit, yes. At very least, visit Revelria. Plenty of buzzing about will make you forget the heat."