Jade was perfectly content to lean against the horse for hours, but that was when some soldier stumbled in and started asking what was going on. Jade rolled her eyes and hoped one or the other would address the man, but when they did not she piped up in her usual sarcastic tone.

“Nothing much, just trying to keep this civilian from wandering into open conflict,” she said, moment before the horse moved away and caused her to land on her rear. It was embarrassing but at least she had someone else who agreed with her that the merchant needed to be pulled aside for a bit so that they could at least check for spying. “Also, it’s because she’s been very rude and considered drawing her weapon on me. We’ve tried using logic and sense but she won’t see it.” Jade got up and leaned over to Pogs, whispering, “also because she’s been so stubborn I think she’s a spy.”

Jade straightened up, dusting herself off and putting away her flask. Secretly, Jade was a big girl and could take a few insults but the ‘this woman’ comment cut her deep. Deeper than she liked. It was a shame really, and now the merchant was just being plain rude to Jade by insulting her like this. Jade was a woman of refined tastes and ideals. Not that refined but refined enough to know when to give others a nice sucker punch. Jade wondered where she should stand so that the merchant couldn’t get away. Maybe near the horse again, to deliver a blow to the horse’s side?


Kuro was taken aback by the one volunteer’s sudden outcry to hunt for themselves instead of offer food to them. He wasn’t altogether sure that the statement made sense, as the soldiers probably didn’t want volunteers to wander too far out onto the plains and lose them. However, Kuro could only open his mouth before the rude man went off into... Kuro didn’t really see where the man went but it was probably out into the plains.

The large, Laguz man made Kuro’s point before Kuro himself could make it. “I’ve been flying this whole time, so I would have seen something to eat if there was anything,” Kuro added.

Before he knew it the campfire group had dispersed and Kuro was alone. He thought about going back to Selene so he could eat alone, but he thought that he should offer food to more people before retiring for the night. So he roamed around the camp some more, politely offering bread and water to anyone he met. Most were soldiers, who laughed at him and refused the food.

@Solace

Neela

Neela watched as the soldiers continued to improve the fire and kept feeding it as to keep the giant flame going. Watching them work so dutifully on the flame did impress her with them keeping at it, but didn't see the point in making such a giant flame. She was only speculating but if the southern forces so happened to be marching north while they marched south, then the giant fire they were making might possibly be spotted by the southern forces. Again this was all speculation on her part, a little bit of it being her unease around the giant flame.

She was about to stand and walk away, when she heard that one males voice that felt strangely more close than others, comment on the fire. She looked at him then at the fire and shrugged. "Impressive that they are still working on the giant flame, or that they practically made a giant beacon for everyone to see? Well if anything, you Beorcs can stick to one task so I guess that's a good thing. But yes I guess they are doing a good job." Neela said being a little more strict than the giant male was

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Onyx had been in the middle of taking in the attributes of his fellow comrades. Ebullience painted an expression on his face, while his eyes were shining brightly with fascination. It isn’t a wonder that he is usually mistaken to be younger than eighteen. Only once in a blue moon is the assumption made that he is a young adult. Although, this is usually in response to his crude humor and foul language, which only arise when he is having a heartly drink with friends. The white-haired youth was only intrigued further when the man finally introduced himself, ”Terrence Wolfe? Are you secretly related to wolves? Wait, are you a werewolf?! Wow, the empire has truly outdone itself.” Reality and the concept of being sensible had a weak grasp on Onyx’s fleeting imagination. It was amazing how many creative thoughts sprouted just from a last name. It was a little unsettling, in all honesty. No, it was extremely disconcerting. ”Unless if your name is finished off with an ‘e’. Then there’s nothing too intriguing though. Although… I found out mine pokes fun at one of the commanding soldiers here. I’m not sure if he knows it, but I surely do~.” The boy laughed mischieviously under his collar.

”Anyways, I digress. Pleased to meet you, Terrence Wolfe. I wonder what interesting titles other people around here live by? I swear, if somebody’s named something as generic as ’Bob’, I’m going to cry. Trust me, I will. I do not lie. Much.” He finished off the last clauses briskly before glancing in the direction of a few soldiers bearing bread. ”I only had a small portion, so they’ll probably give me a decent share… Just depends on how much you asked for. Well, time to test my luck. Onwards, to sustenance!” And so, Onyx led the strut for wheaty heaven. After a few minutes of bartering, begging, and downright pleading, the boy procured himself two slices of bread from the soldiers brimming with irritation. They quickly walked off, hoping to cease their acknowledgement of Onyx’s existence. The boy hurried back to Terrence with a skip in his step and a tune being hummed, ”See? I totally had the upper hand during that entire conversation! That pleading was definitely flawlessly planned out, those cries were all but a figment of your imagination!” Onyx boasted with a puffed chest before tossing the other slice the man’s way, ”Anyways, I would say we should go strike up a conversation with some people…” His voice trailed off as he watched a soldier scale a hillside, but he decided to let it go, ”...but there’ll be a time for that later. Just going to enjoy the bread, and take a breather.” He slumped onto his chosen bed sheet and began to sift through his bag. For all he knew, this could be the last night he could attain a stable sense of security. Might as well indulge in as much ambrosia as offered.

@Bornlucky

Sayuri Takashi

Sayuri sighs, "I heard that. Only issue with your little theory of me being a spy. What would I travel so close to an obvious encampment of soldiers? Wouldn't it have been much smarter to join the volunteers? And even before that I would have to have some sort of loyalty to this country. I have no allegiance to any country or force," she removes her hand from her sword, "Now if you two excuse me I'd be glad to turn back around and find another route myself. Oh," she looks at the ax wielder, "I apologize for how rude I sounded. I didn't mean anything by that last comment. I was keeping myself from saying something rude... Ruder than that sounded," she turns her horse to face the opposite direction, "Well good luck with a peaceful resolution."

Diamanda Jett

Diamanda finally noticed the other man that walked up recently, he pointed at her and himself as he pointed out that the Empire has no need for weapons, while she agreed that the soldiers are well armed and wouldn't need much use for her wears but the volunteers who might not used the standard issues weapons might be better off with her wares but she decided not to interject since the Merchant desist her insult to the brutish woman who looked deeply insulted, Diamanda really hopes she doesn't do anything to jeopardize their image of a peaceful envoy, the Emperor would be angry if the brute causes an incident.

"If this woman was a spy she would be a terrible and extremely moronic spy like she pointed out, but still we should just let her go, if she gets kidnapped it's her fault and we did our best to make her stop and if she is a spy we can always have somebody deal with her in the 'appropriate' way for our Envoy." Diamanda spoke, in a rather condescending tone to both women.



Terrence could barely keep a straight face as ONyx rambled off about how he might be a werewolf, he chuckled aloud as Onyx as the mention his name pokes fun at a soldier.
"Likewise to you ki-Onyx, and it be quite the sight to see a person cry after they introduced themselves." Terrence said with a grin. After the kid left to get some food Terrence decided to look though his pocket, making sure he still has the meagle amount of money in his pocket and it was still there, he hopes he can pay off his debt after this whole thing.

ONyx returned and he tossed himself a slice of bread, and Terrence chuckled again softly, he found Onyx amusing. "Sure kid we have a while longer of free time before lights out so we might do something before then." Terrence said as he got up from the ground, and went towards the exit of the tent.

"Pfft, I suppose so. But maybe that's what she wants you to think.Anyone else think it's a bit too coincidental that she knows the locals and is only heading down to the south now? Fine, though, if we wanna let her go to the front lines, don't be surprised if she shows up there tomorrow." Jade folded her arms and watched the horse and rider start to walk off, but made no move to try and stop them.

Peaceful resolution my butt. If anything, it's gonna be a hard won battle. No one takes this many people to a short skirmish where nothing happens, and you know it. Jade thought, shifting her weight to one hip. At the same time, she knew that it could work out that way, if the Emperor had given two craps about what the southerners wanted. Thing was, he really didn't. All he cared about was quiet and peace, and whatever the southerners wanted it would probably lead to no more peace. Therefore, the man in charge didn't want to negotiate. If Jade couldn't get the merchant here to stay away from the fighting, well then that would be it. Thing was, the merchant might see a lot of her friends die fighting tomorrow too.

@Demous@Bornlucky

Aelia Theroux

She liked this man. He was kind and less... rough than the other soldiers she encountered, not to mention he smelled much better. Aelia listened to what he said, noticing that his tone of voice became one that was less solemn once he spoke about his home. That was right... that was where the revolution was. The soldier, Jix, must have been concerned over the well-being of his family. War was a cruel thing; it didn't discriminate when it came to impacting the people of the world.

It was better not to continue speaking about the countryside and further upset the poor man. Though, after a few moments of silence, Jix's cheery expression returned as he spoke about his family and brother, who was about to turn fifteen. The mention of having a younger brother brought her mind back to the times when Anders was still alive. The shadow of a frown crossed her mouth, but she forced the corners of her lips to turn upwards before the man could notice.

"You must be looking forward to seeing him again," she said simply as she guided the horse out of the tent. There appeared to be a ruckus nearby, and she caught sight of a small gathering of volunteers. Was there an argument already? An exasperated sigh came forth from her lips, and she rubbed the ridge of her nose in frustration. "Are they already butting heads?"

[@Solace]

Royce Synnott

The sound of voices became more prominent as he continued through the dusty, flat land. The smell of burning wood and smoke filled the air, signalling that he had come close to a camp. The shadows of tents could be seen from his position, and Royce decided to continue keeping his distance. He wasn't sure if the ones who made the camp were well-equipped bandits or the volunteers he had heard so much about. He could be striding straight into a lion's den or into safety.

Royce's stomach grumbled loudly at the thought of having someplace safe to stay. If he was safe, then there would be food. And he was starving. He wasn't going to take a chance and wander off in search of another camp. The fragile-looking man ran a hand through his hair and approached the camp, his amber-colored eyes blinking as they adjusted to the light.

"Greetings!" the thief's voice was upbeat as he approached the squabbling group of men and women. "I do not mean to cause you any harm. Is this the group of volunteers that everyone has been chattering about?"

Altan

"Heh, good point."

Altan wondered if any of the Laguz around the camp could sense his presence as a fellow member of their race. A feature that the Beorc could possibly observe that would make them come to the conclusion that he was Laguz was his height; not many Beorc were two meters tall.

Though, that was where the line was drawn. Altan no longer possessed his bear ears, the ones that Leena had found a habit in playing with. No trace of his Laguz blood was openly obvious, but it did not bother him too much. He was still as strong and capable in his human state. He extended his hand out towards the great fire and stared at the back of his palm, closing and opening his fist as veins rippled beneath his knuckles.

Altan drew a long yawn, the corner of his eye focused on Jix as he looked into the flame. "This large expedition is pointless," he laid back against the grass, the cool earth matching the breeze. "Nobody cares about the tribes. I'll bet the soldiers are just flirting with the flock of hens."

"And what about you, Altan?" Jix turned from the female, standing beside him.

Altan rolled onto his stomach, rising to his feet with his back to his overseer. "Maybe some other time."

---

Jix Moros

After seeing that Altan did not wish to talk about it, Jix returned to Aelia and apologized for cutting off their conversation abruptly. "Jax is a quiet one," he said. "But he got sharp as a prod when he argued with my folks. He's a good kid, though; always gentle when it came to handlin' things around home."

"It's late, sweetie. You should-"

"As if she didn't notice, already?" Altan interjected from behind.

The commotion around the camp had grown more silent, with light chatter now joined by the sounds of people settling into the tents or sleeping. Jix cleared his throat, wearing his helmet. "You should find yourself a place, I'll handle your horse."

"I got it," Pogs suddenly emerged from the outer confines of the camp, taking the reins and beginning to guide the mount away from the fire. "The cap'n wants you to speak with him, Jix; methinks you should get there in a swift."

Shaking his head and letting out a small laugh, Jix began to wipe away any potential blemishes on his green armor. "You have yourself a good night, Aelia." He turned from the woman, walking off into the camp.