It was astounding to see the sun make its way through the sky; the orb of fire began its journey to the east, slowly but surely creeping its way over the broad expanse of violets and azures. As the dawn inched its way into the morning, the sky's pale colors blossomed into a vibrant blue. Not a single cloud clotted out the sun's rays, and so the heat constantly beat against the earth. The bright and scorching circle granted no mercy to both human, creature, and plant-- many watering holes that animals used to drink from were beginning to dry up and once colorful fields of grass and flowers had turned brown and stiff. Many people were beginning to grow weary of the sun's relentless force upon the land, no matter how beautiful or mysterious it might have been.

It wasn't often that droughts plagued Sariwon, especially to that extent. With water becoming scarce and farmers' crops beginning to die out, the relationship between Houses had become more than tense. Most of the Houses have sent their people to scout over the fields and plains in search of water or somewhere where they could dig a well, but over three quarters of the nation had become drier than Ashines itself. Several of the Sari people deemed the drought had been a punishment from the gods, complaining that it was due to the fact that there were too many mages within the borders of their great nation. House Tosen and House Aseryo, however, pointed the finger at each other. They both deemed that the other had cursed them using some sort of magical ability.

Either way, the mages were almost always at fault; they were either the cause of suicides or forbidden lovers eloping. Akane didn't feel particularly friendly towards the magic-users, but she believed that they had no reason to be blamed so much. It seemed like House Tosen had nothing better to do than point the finger at the Aseryo's mages, but she was pretty sure that Ryoichi would never allow such a thing. Did they even have mages to blame? She hadn't caught sight of robed figures ever since she arrived at their doorstep. What she didn't question, however, was that their meeting with the Tosen would not go as smoothly as she wanted it to be. If the Tosen bared their blades at her House members, though, she wouldn't hesitate to show hers as well.

The sun was halfway in the sky when they reached House Tosen's stronghold. The castle was extremely well-kept, but some dust was sprinkled across the outer walls of the establishment. Dry earth staining the walls was not an uncommon sight any longer due to the drought that had plagued their land for almost half a year. It happened to almost everyone, no matter how cleanly or neat the person could be. Akane's weary gaze scanned the area, taking in her surroundings. Much like Hose Aseryo's castle, the Tosen's castle was located in a broad expanse of grass fields. A slight cool breeze often worked its way across the plains, making the dead weeds and ferns rustle and sway. It looked much duller than she imagined, she had to admit; she heard stories of House Tosen's fields being filled with life and colorful flora, but all she saw was a sickly and tawny shade of brown surrounding a large building.

Their group was not that large, and so the Tosen guards had no trouble working them into the castle to prepare for the meeting. They were treated coldly yet carefully, and every so often, the armored men tossed a few of them sharp glares. Akane did not falter under their hostility, and she met every glare with her own heated glower. They did not confront her about it; it was most likely because they did not wish to be the ones that would start the clash between Houses in their very home. The four or five guards led them through ornamented hallways in silence, and the only thing that could be heard was the clanking of metal and the hushed whispers of the Aseryo as they conversed amongst themselves. She was one of the few that did not speak-- instead, she stuck close to the front of the group, near her Lord. Her face was set in a deadpan; she did not allow for either worry or amazement to grace her features, even if the hallways were rather pretty.

The guards led them into a large, heavily decorated room. The sounds of their footsteps echoed off of the walls, attracting attention from some of the people that were already inside. Akane noticed that they were from House Tosen, and already, tension started to crackle between the groups. It was as if the slightest sound could trigger someone to unsheathe their swords or recoil into a defensive position. Personally, she was not a fan of the situation-- she had been in many of these conditions, and they usually did not end well. As the Aseryo filed into the large room, Tosen servants began to bring out a variety of foods and drinks. They rushed to set down the plates and jars of liquids as fast as possible in front of the men and women, some of them bearing furrowed brows and pouts. Even the servants are nervous... Akane noticed as one of them, a shaky-looking woman, put down a plate of dull-looking food near her. Even for a House of important status, the drought had taken a toll on them. She doubted that the "large" meal would be enough to fill all of their bellies, and they would likely have to share most of the food.

Akane knelt down on the floor, sparing the nearest plate of food an uninterested glance. Even though her stomach rumbled slightly, she dare not eat the brownish and dry rice that was within her reach. It would probably give her a stomachache. Thank the gods that this place isn't crowded. she thought, glancing once more around the room. Probably half of the large meeting hall was filled with people. Not that she minded; less people meant less noise and less chance of an argument breaking out. It was smart of Ryoichi and the Tosen lord to only choose a few people to attend the meeting. Not that she expected anything less out of her lord and one who apparently did not want issues to break out. The myrmidon stayed silent, placing her hands in her lap as she waited for the appearance of the head of House Tosen.

Clarissa removed her helm, placing it on the table. She grabbed her waterskin and opened it, draining the last drops of water into her mouth. The day was hot and it was unbearably so. Within the estate of House Tosen she could see that they were not all that much better off than House Aseryo. The gardens were a mass of browning and wilting flowers. A rather sullen and gloomy look appeared in everyone's eyes, whether they belonged to Aseryo or Tosen. They had the same worrisome expression.

Hunger. Starvation would come around soon if things did not turn around. Though she did not quite understand how or why the rain did not come to water the earth, it was the same as the north when the winds of winter did not cease to relent and let Spring come around. The results were both the same: It began with a lack of food, then desperation, and ultimately an escalation to war. Hunger, the dreadful companion, is planning on visiting again.

She put the waterskin away and gazed absentmindedly at the landscape, her hand on the hilt of her sheathed sword. Today was a meeting between the two rival Houses and as an outsider, she had no real business being inside the Tosen house so she stayed behind outside with a few other Aseryo guards. The guards of House Tosen, still as they were, kept a watchful eye on her and it was unlikely they would try to stir any trouble.

There were the rumors. Talks of demonic beings far different from any other living thing was spreading like wildfire through the land but almost always these report were away from major population center. Some even blamed the drought on these new mysterious beings.

Then again, they were rumors. Having never seen one herself she wondered how true these stories were. Not even tales her grandfather told her mentioned anything that resembled them. And what would happen if she did face one? To fight the unknown, the very thought of it caused the hair on her neck to stand up.

She began to hum to herself.

From the wall of his stronghold, Silzard watched the slow approach of Lord Aseryo's party with crossed arms. This would be the day that the extent of truce between the feuding houses would be decided upon. In his youth he had entertained the notion that he would be the one to put the old blood to rest, but despite the monumental event unfolding before his eyes he no longer thought that would be the case. Even in his lifetime alone, there was simply too much blood spilt by both sides for true reconciliation. The consequences of their actions would propagate hatred in the next generation as they learned why their fathers and uncles were dead. He closed his eyes, letting a deep breath escape his lips, and turned to prepare for their arrival.

The Great Hall was decorated with wilted flowers and familial portraits dating back to the founding of House Tosen, as well as a few select trophies associated with notable personages. A long table reserved for feasts bisected the hall. Normally, the leader of House Tosen would sit at one end of the table, but Silzard had ordered that seats for himself and Lord Aseryo be placed at the middle of the table so that they might sit across from each other, with their retainers fanned out on either side. The atmosphere created by that choice was both more personal, and confrontational. His sister would be seated to his right, and to his left the mage Travard. Those remaining in House Tosen's party would be permitted to choose their seats, so long as they were distributed equally.

As the members of Aseryo were escorted into the hall, Silzard stood. His cold gaze passed over each of those in his retinue, making it clear that they would be standing as well. He was attired in his crimson armor, and his sword was unbuckled and lay horizontally in front of him on the table where it could be seen, and the other members of Tosen had been instructed to display their weapons as well, so that their could be no misunderstandings. When they were all seated, he spoke in a calm and deep voice.

"Welcome to House Tosen, Lord Aseryo. I will be speaking in place of my father for the time being, as he has fallen ill. Please, accept this humble repast as a sign of our hospitality," he finished. If the last sentence hadn't made it clear enough, the cold gaze he leveled at anyone not eating made it clear that doing so would be taken as an insult.

---

---

Stringent as the atmosphere was, Illyan Travard had been tasked with reassuring that House Tosen was especially prepared for the occasion. Whether it was sorting out the more aggressive individuals tied to the House, or duly reminding the peons, as he jokingly called them, of just how high of a profile this assembly between the two Houses was, no amount of responsibility was too much for the young mage.

In recent times, Illyan was enacted to serve as the Lord's representative when Slizard was unable to attend to the manner, though this seemingly regal authority was reduced to him apologizing before the council of the Aseryo on behalf of any injuries sustained, should the two Houses clash in a physical manner. "Just cleaning up after their own messes," he would say to himself in an annoyed fashion.

To make matters worse, Illyan was a mage; his kind, though rare in number in accordance to the general population, was despised by the majority. He was accustomed to the mocking stares and small talk of the people as he rode throughout the country, delivering whatever message he was tasked with. Of course, they knew better than to openly discriminate a member of House Tosen, one with personal connection to the royal family itself.

"The Aseryo have arrived," the metallic hums of armor brought Illyan's eyes out of their trance. He cupped his hands atop of his magic tome, which appeared far less than menacing compared to the arsenal of weapons sprawled atop of the table before their side. Ironically enough, the measly book alone, in his hands, could inflict more destruction than the weapons that laid before him combined. He had hoped that he would never have to come to such violence, though.

As the Aseryo filed into the room alongside the armed escort and found their seats, Illyan peered to none in particular. He was familiar with Lord Aseryo, but that was where the attachment stopped. Every other face was an individual mystery to him.

"Any time we may begin, sire," Illyan mumbled into the ear of Slizard.

The room fell into a silence as the lord spoke, immediately sensing the brief tension in his voice. Illyan cleared his throat and looked between the two lords that sat across from one another, awaiting a response.

Ryoichi had no choice but to face the new Lord of House Tosen. On one hand, he was glad that older Lord had recently fallen gravely ill, which meant that Ryoichi could know that the man calling for his brother's head was now going to be on his way out of his life. On the other, this new Lord Tosen was an unknown variable. Still, as Ryoichi walked to the palace he made note of the lack of vegetation and water. He had leverage here, to motivate this new lord to join forces and stop this petty war long enough that they could kick out the demons from their respective lands. Worst case, he could try and force people to realise that they were on a side without much food or water.

Another worry was Karesh. The Rabbit, as he called himself, was gone from sight. Ryoichi had no idea where the thief had gone, nor what on earth the man was thinking. They would get in trouble if he was caught, but at the same time, Ryoichi had hired the man for this specific purpose. Carnesale had been upset at his taking Karesh into his retainership, but it would be better than trying to explain what he'd been doing raiding the Aseryo vault.

Such a thing had become rare in recent days, as the famine drove people to the rich, who always seemed to have just enough enough food. Ryoichi knew that his own store couldn't hold out forever, but if he could end this feud.... Ryoichi didn't like it, but it had to be done. No more deaths or pointless skirmishes in the streets. It wasn't too bad, but with the drought things were getting worse by the day. He had to remind himself that he couldn't afford to be bitter about his brother's death now. Doing so would just make things considerably worse.

The march inside revealed wilting flowers and dead-eyed paintings. It had a faintly uneasy feel to it, but Ryoichi ignored it, instead looking along the rafters for his retainer. He didn't find him as he was led into a large room where a long table stood. The room for the negotiations no doubt. From how the chairs were set, the Lords were to be facing each other. Ryoichi had to remind himself that he wouldn't be looking into the face of the Lord who had ordered his brother dead. With a pause, Ryoichi adjusted his cape and weapon, then entered the room.

The red armor glinted as the other Lord stood to greet them. A few words poised to ensure their cooperation. Ryoichi had done this dance many times before. He moved to his respective chair and placed the sword down in front of him as a sign of trust. He didn't look to the rafters to find his missing retainer, nor did he break eye contact with Lord Tosen.

"You will have to forgive me for not eating first, as I have seen enough banquets to know to always let the host eat first," Ryoichi said, bowing slightly to show respect. He knew that eating first meant not knowing if there was poison in the food or not before eating it and thus, it equalled playing a dangerous game. It was better to exercise caution in a tense situation like this. "Also, one of my retainers makes it a point to break into places that he is not supposed to break into, so if you could please return him here if you find him, I would be eternally grateful. Karesh Salib is a skilled thief, but I had hoped that he would exercise at least some self control today. As you can tell, it is not so."

A smirk crosses the red cloaked girl's face as she perched herself atop one of the battlements that led to House Tosen's lands. She was hidden against one of the crenelations, simply listening to the breeze. The commotion today got her excited. This would be the Ryder's first encounter with this dreaded 'House Aseryo' she's heard so many rumors about. As a young lass that knew little about the political game that her lord played, she assumed that she wasn't needed in the Great Hall to meet the opposing house, but that wasn't going to stop her from showing up in a more uninvited manner.

The wind blew past the battlements, her blonde hair blowing slightly out from under the light, yet faded shade of red that made her cloak. Her ears perked up as she heard a distant sound. Ryder peered out from behind the crenelation. She would give a short nod of her head, confirming her prediction. The opposing house had arrived. Ryder turned on her heel, a flash of red visible to any who may have been watching the wall she was atop. With that, she hurried off down the battlement, hopping to a close roof, heading to her position.

Ryder had decided to scope out her opposition before making any sort of appearance, and she'd also be able to watch for any other sneaky people from her position. She patted her side and her thigh, checking to make sure both her Stiletto knives were secured in their proper sheathes and ready for action, should she encounter any. Her eyes flicked back and forth, observant as she hurried across the rooftops. It wasn't far to the Great Hall; she knew she'd make it before any of House Aseryo's men had arrived.
The early bird gets the worm. She thought, as the cliche saying popped into her head. With that, she slid into a window which she had purposely left open for this event. A sigh escaped her lips as she realized no one had closed it. Ryder then slid into the upper level of the Great hall.

From her position in the upper levels in the Great Hall, Ryder hurried towards the rafters of the first floor, the area where the two houses would converge and feast. She found herself leaping up onto one of the rafters from part of the staircase. There was a bit of a thump as she landed, after hearing which, Ryder would freeze, checking below herself to make sure she went unnoticed. With that, she hopped forth with dexterous alacrity, finding herself a new perch in one of the corners. Ryder slid her hood back up, which had fallen down due to her haste across the estate.

Ryder contemplated what the people from House Aseryo would be like. She found herself lost in thoughts of wild and imaginative ideas of what House Aseryo could have done to cause this strange feud. Before she could finish her trance-like imaginations, a few unfamiliar faces came through the doors. Ryder had her eyes locked on the man in front, his blue armor quite contrasting to the crimson armor of her own lord. She cracked a smirk at this as she simply watched and listened. Ryder raised an eyebrow as none of the group seemed to be eating. She was soon enlightened by Ryoichi's comment. Oblivious to his cautioned gesture, she smiled once more as she saw his gesture gentlemanly. Her brow raised as she heard about this skilled thief that may or may not be prowling around the shadows with her. Ryder grinned widely. She'd wondered which of the two of them would be caught first.

There's nothing wrong right? Leiko thought to herself. She couldn't quite get it around her head that they'd really work together with House Arseyo. She huffed and shifted awkwardly in her seat, maintaining her polite smile. The last she thing she wanted was for someone to notice. After all, it was their Lord who was hosting tonight's meeting and Illyan made sure they would be civil. It would disrespect him and their Lord, if she did something stupid, like bring their age old feud to the meeting.

Was it wrong that she couldn't quite look past their feud yet? I mean, she was raised with such beliefs that it wasn't quite easy to just look past it. To simply start working hand in hand with House Arseyo all because of the appearance of "demonic beings". Which she had yet to see, making it even more agitating the more she thought about it.

She let out a tired sigh, luckily no one had spoken to her yet. The meeting hadn't even begun yet and she felt a huge sense of discomfort already. Hell, Leiko didn't even feel safe. Her staff was across the room along with everyone else's. It left her feeling defenseless it irked her. When the food was served, she was happy to eat. Something to distract her from the company in the room.

Though, that was not what had happened. Of course, there was a no good member of House Arseyo. A thief nonetheless, was prowling their Lord's estate. Ready to steal a fortune's worth of House Tosen valuables. A disgrace, she thought as she gritted her teeth frustratedly. What a way to start the meeting, with a thief no less!

Today was the day Lorelei would finally face the longtime enemies of her family. The blue-haired girl, barely old enough to be considered a lady, sat down at the table next to her elder brother with a stubborn expression. She was also clearly hesitant to relinquish her sword, despite seeing both Slizard and the Aseryo Lord, Ryoichi, lay down their arms. Lorelei clutched the rapier for a moment before also setting down it down on the table for all to see. At least House Aseryo would see that even the Tosen's "little girl" was armed and ready to fight, so hopefully that would instill some kind of awe in them.

However, Lorelei was quick to take offense once Ryoichi spoke of a thief breaking into the castle. "What?" she let out, the anger showing on her face with nothing holding it back. "You're just letting one of your men rob us of our valuables? My father is kind enough to invite you in and my brother honorable enough to greet you respectfully and you can't resist making us regret it?"



A loud and heavy thud interrupted the young lady, also making her yelp and jump in surprise and completely shattering her angry mood. On the table, next to her rapier, was now a massive axe. The source of the noise. Beside her was the lumbering Red Beast, placing his axe on the table in total complacence with Lord Slizard's demand. "Lady Tosen," he spoke, his voice deep but oddly gentle, "It is not befitting of you to become enraged with our guests. Give them a chance to defend themselves properly." Lorelei opened her mouth like she wanted to tell him off, but instead decided against it and crossed her arms over her chest with a huff.

"My apologies, Lord Aseryo..." With that settled, Gael took the seat next to Lorelei. He had no place to introduce himself, being he was neither royal nor noble, so he kept his mouth shut from then on out. He did, however, take a moment to look around the table and examine the retainers that Lord Aseryo had brought to the castle. Evidently there was a missing one somewhere in the castle. While Gael wanted to immediately search for the thief it wasn't his place to do that either. He was called to be present for the meeting so he would do just that. His stoic and intimidating appearance would surely be of use to Slizard, and already he felt that he had proven use by assisting in containing his younger sister.

Speaking of, Lorelei remained brooding despite her apology to Ryoichi. Her opinion hadn't changed, after all, but she knew that Gael was right about her behavior. Even Slizard, her brother, surely would talk to her after the meeting about that outburst. In reality she was incredibly anxious on the inside. Her first real political meeting. A taste of the gritty side of royalty. And all of this, too, was just a prelude to upcoming battles. The hidden excitement has her wound up, something her brother is undoubtedly aware of. While Slizard had always been calm, Lorelei has always been more emotional. This was just the first step to becoming famous, and so she wanted it to go perfectly.

Orion stayed at Ryoichi's side, he wasn't normally given honors like guarding the Lord of the house but was happy to do the job. He'd been with the house for two years now and felt at home here, as for family he had Feathers, she was always good at cheering him up. He patted his horse as he dismounted when they entered the castle gates, leaving her near some dead grass by the gate. "I'll get you a drink and some food later girl, be strong it's tough on us all." He told her patting the mares side sighing.

He jogged to catch up to the other's moving to stand by his Lord, even taking the seat beside him at the feast. Though his years of service he'd learned that Knights of the house's were always honored. Most importantly to him however was keeping Ryoichi safe, he didn't like being here. Not that he hated Tosen by any stretch in all honesty he would like both house's to work together. The reports demons worried him and than drought, supplies were stretched thin soon he'd have to give up his water rations to his horse If food got scarcer they might try to eat her, he shuddered at the thought of losing his mount.

However Ryoichi spoke of the thief that had vanished from their group. He groaned and sighed looked at the Lord of house Aseryo, this was a bad way to start this meeting. He looked towards the Lord of house Tosen carefully, bowing slightly to show respect. "I am sure my Lord means no disrespect. The thief has been... Troublesome in the past and we simply mean to warn you of the thief's disregard." He said remembering the past problems they had with him. He looked back at the food waiting for his Lord to begin eating before he even touched the food. The knight looked at his fellow travelers trying to reassure them it would be okay.

"Indeed, Orion. I thought it best to start with honesty as opposed to you undoubtedly finding out later, my endearing host. Unfortunately, I find that Karesh is more interested in scouting the area first. Also, the fact that you know he is here won't let him steal from you. I have ways of," Ryoichi paused to try and find the right word to describe what he was talking about, "convincing him to return the items in question. Do not worry, I think he does it more as a proving than to actually harm anyone. Alas, this meeting is off to a sad start because of him, but do not worry. You will find that House Aseryo is more focused on the demon threat than this feud."

Ryoichi bowed deeper to show more respect. It was embarrassing, but he wanted to air the truth before somebody -Karesh- did more than just scout the castle and they discovered that he had stolen something. Even worse, if Karesh decided to show up out of thin air then it would seem even more suspicious. It would be best to say it immediately and avoid as much drama as possible along with giving a promise that going forward that he would not lie to their allies. Even if it wouldn't be true at time he wanted to project such a reputation as much as possible.

"As for 'letting him rob you', my Lady Tosen, I'm afraid that as I entered the building he up and vanished. When one wishes to locate Karesh, he is usually gone. He will show up when he wishes to, and no sooner I'm afraid."

---

The information regarding the lurking imbecile struck a nerve for Illyan; career criminals always rubbed him off in a negative way. While he was considered one of the more kinder individuals who was relatively uncharacteristic to get upset, those particular times where his temper flared were not pleasant to witness. One might have been more frightened by angering a common thug or lumbering titan, but the wrath of any type of mage? All too frequently, would he experience a ruffian attempting to steal one of his tomes or gemstones; had it not been for the state of his own reputation in the society, he would have surely burnt his own justice onto their hands.

"We understand the.. inconvenience of your attendant's situation," Illyan gave the lord an intense look, leaning closer towards the table as he folded his arms. "But as a close hand to my liege, allow me to remind you of your invitation as guests within our manor. These halls do not serve as a pig sty to be paraded around."

Although Illyan knew that he was on the borderline of threatening the opposing Lord, his task was to assume the order of the conference. He held no animosity towards House Aseryo and they knew that, but in the end, he was loyal to House Tosen. Given his neutral position on the feud, he was suggested to serve as a mediator, should any tension arise from the discussion to come.

Illyan's serious expression melted into a small, genuine smile. He reached forward, lifting his chalice of drink. "But, I digress. My respect and welcomes, Lord Aseryo. To hopes of progress."

Illyan could not help but feel slightly awkward, potentially being the only person in the room to be smiling. It was simply the fact that, despite the existence of the two Houses' feud, he personally felt that there was bigger issues at hand; demons, people disappearing, and not to mention, the growing drought that was leading to an epidemic of food shortages. Those things were what he wanted to rectify most, and maybe, it could lead to the dissolution of the hostility between their Houses.

But, of course, if the miscreant laid its hands on his own possessions, Illyan would not hesitate to make it personal against the skulking dullard.

With an awkward and forced smile on her face, Leiko lifts her glass as well. Eyes darting off to the side and back to her hand. Her house was trying, well for most parts Illyan was, so why not? She didn't really feel it, nor was it as genuine as his, but that didn't matter. The only reason they had gathered was because of the demonic beings and after this, things would probably go back to normal. She wouldn't have to see the disrespectful and irresponsible members of House Arseyo again. The thief specifically, and their Lord for not having control of his members. How pathetic. she thought.

"Cheers?" She says in a questioning manner, as if she was unsure of herself. Which she really was, she wasn't used to playing civil with House Arseyo.

"I-if, that's all there is, may- may I, search for this thief? I don't feel comfortable knowing someone's lurking around my Lord's estate." Leiko cursed in her head, that was exactly what her parents made sure she wouldn't do! She shouldn't have stammered, it made people see how nervous one really was.

Oh well, what's done is done. In her seat, Leiko had her fingers crossed, silently praying in her mind that Illyan or Silzard would allow her to. It would also be the time where she would sneak into her room and bring her book of spells along. She was utterly defenseless with just her staff. The only thing she was capable of doing was healing people and as delightful as that sounded, it just didn't seem enough for her. Leiko felt the need that she should have something to protect herself with, and not just simply relying on the people before her.

The many outbursts around the table brought a faint crease of irritation to Silzard's brow, which was quick to fade as he regained his composure. Many of his house members seemed to take his reticence as permission to speak for him, but in truth he was simply considering the extent of the transgression and the best way to respond. "While I do not understand your choice to keep such unreliable retainers, I am not offended. If your thief is prowling my estate, then Ryder will apprehend him shortly," he stated, saying her name loud enough that she would be able to hear him from wherever she was lurking.

"As for your suspicion regarding the safety of my food, I will take offense to that," he continued calmly, showing no outward sign that he was truly offended. "I'm wounded that you would think House Tosen capable of ruining what little food is available in a time of hardship, but if you insist." Grabbing his utensils, Silzard placed a sample from each of the dishes in front of him onto his plate, and ate them with grace and alacrity. "Now, I trust that settles any doubts and we can continue as planned?"

"So many people talking, and it's all about me," A voice said from a dark corner of the room. "I'm honestly flattered that so many lords care about me, I am, truly. However, perhaps you should consider disclosing your own thief who is also listening to the conversation." The laugh in his voice was apparent, and as a plainly dressed man stepped from the shadows, he pointed to the rafters where Ryder was currently sitting. Karesh knew exactly what his lord had done and had no interest in the fact that he had been discovered. "Madam Leiko, was it? I'm afraid that you won't have to search for me, not that you would succeed, but your pretty face may have let you find me." He winked and moved next to Ryoichi.

His clothing was not something anyone would wear to an important meeting. It was a plain white shirt with loose off-white pants, but most noteably it held no pockets. Unlike most of the Houses gathered, he was relaxed and calm, seemingly in control of the situation he found himself in. Without any further pause, he sat down and placed his feet upon the table.

Ryoichi, meanwhile, felt like he was about to blow a gasket. "Now that..." Ryoichi paused to try and stop himself from grinding his teeth in frustration, "the matter of my roving cohort has been dealt with, perhaps we should talk about more important matters. Seeing how we both had unknown members until now, it's safe to say we were on equal footing."

"Also, I don't recommend trying to lie. Those of you that kept journals need better hiding places."

Ryoichi sat down and simply placed his head in his hands, defeated. Hiring this thief was a mistake.

They hadn't even been there for half an hour, and already there were disagreements and complaints. To be honest, it annoyed her greatly. House Aseryo and House Tosen had agreed to meet to discuss the topic of the ravenous creatures that roamed across their lands, but they were speaking of a thief prowling around their estate. Akane had to restrain herself from rolling her eyes and scoffing at the statement-- she knew exactly who the person of interest was. She had approached Karesh once or twice. His white hair and darker skin certainly caught her eye several times. It wasn't often that such an exotic-looking man made their way into House Aseryo, and so the very thought of having him, such a handsome looking thief, on their side thrilled her.

Akane's sharp gaze wavered around the room once more as the two lords conversed. No one from the Tosen's side caught her attention so far; there was a man with red hair, but he was too old for her liking. Such boring looking people. she thought to herself. Not even their lord looks that handsome.

Her eyes flitted to the man beside House Tosen's lord, who had just begun to speak. His voice carried itself across the room fluidly, and he did not falter or stutter once when he spoke. The way that the young man held himself and the way he leaned forward as he addressed them made her heart flutter. Who is that? She hadn't seen such a shade of blond, and his accent sounded even more exotic than Karesh's. Her fingers curled into her lap, grabbing at her russet gowns as she bit her lip. If only she would have taken a seat closer to his... then maybe she could have gotten a better look at his face. I have to talk to him at the end of this meeting.

The black-haired myrmidon was snapped out of her star struck daze when Karesh suddenly decided to make an appearance. She sent a piercing glare his way as he sat down next to Ryoichi. The damn thief just had to go and embarrass House Aseryo in front of that handsome devil... he probably wouldn't even look at her after this little "meeting". Akane was going to punch Karesh in the face when she had the chance.

A sigh escaped her lips as she slowly regain her composure. She probably appeared extremely frustrated, but she believed that no one could blame her. Ryoichi's face looked like very much her own. They had the right to be disgruntled with the thief, no matter if he was part of their House or not. "I agree that we should stop talking about the thief," she spoke for the first time, crossing her arms as she glowered at Karesh. "The topic of demons emerging from who knows where is far more important than him."

Ryder's eyes would roll as her lord so obviously tried to queue her in to find the thief. Her eyes moved quickly yet precisely as she scanned the room. Much to her disbelief, he too was waiting in the room. Ryder had expected him to be prowling about, stealing paintings and other such valuables. Her teeth gritted together a bit as Karesh made his final comment. He had been going through their stuff! But of course, someone who is much like him surely would have had all her belongings hidden well enough... Or so she thought.

Two Stiletto daggers would fall from the shadows that the thief of House Aseryo had pointed out. They both soon connected with the table where there seemed to be an empty seat on the side of House Tosen with a satisfying sinking noise. With her weapons now exposed on either side of her plate, much like the rest of the attendees who had weapons shown, Ryder let out a bit of a disgruntled sigh as she was spotted and pointed out, right as she was to make her move to! She cursed in her head, eyes shifting to the thief of House Aseryo that had been the meeting's hot topic thus far. For a short moment, a frown crossed her face as the other thief had cut their 'game' short.

With a calming exhale, Ryder swung down from the shadows of the ceiling, one hand on a support as she gracefully landed on the floor next to her fellow members of House Tosen, the blur of her cloak in tow. With little more then a short "Hmph," she sat down, knocked back the hood of her bright red cloak, and started to eye the members of the opposing house. It appeared as if the little girl was sizing them up, her judgmental eyes passing over each of them. She remained silent for a moment, her eyes trailing to meet those of Karesh.

"My hiding spot was better," she stated, plainly before flicking her hair past her shoulders. After her statement, Ryder quickly turned her eyes back down to the plate before her and folded her hands, resting them on the edge of the table. As she was new to her house and knew little about the silly feud, Ryder simply fixed her posture so she sat in a more ladylike position, and listened in on the conversation of the two lords unless provoked further.

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[DELETED]

Karesh was barely ruffled by the falling daggers. It was a rather petty way for the girl to admit to having been caught. The Lord was not so good at subtleties, but he doubted that she would have caught him. After all, he was six year her senior, and that meant something in this line of work. He only smiled as she crawled out of her hiding place and told him that hers was better.

"That is, if you assume that where I walked out of the shadows," Karesh said truthfully with a smile. Misdirection was always key to sneaking around. A rat there caused a guard to look the other way while he slipped on by. Mages probably used some of it to, to make themselves look like less of a threat than they were. He'd do the same if he was one, but then there were people who got off on the idea that they were powerful so, who knew what they were thinking. "It is very rare that I find myself agreeing that I am unimportant here."

"As he said, we need to discuss our common enemy. How do we strike at them if we don't know where they are based?" Ryoichi chimed in, reigning in his embarrassment and anger at the thief's actions. They had just managed to get the two most hate filled groups into a room and managed to get them to talk. Somewhat civilly too.

---

---

Illyan gritted his teeth, a hardening expression plastered on his face. All dynamic entrances and dramatic monologues aside, the fact that the gathering of the two Houses had came to a horrendous frustrated him greatly. It was like sitting between two children, both competing on who had the bigger toy ship; he would be lucky to still have his sanity before the hell called marriage, if he even lived to tell that tale.

"All of the information appears to only stem from rumored sightings," Silzard answered, turning to Illyan and pointing at the scroll beside his chair. The boy, nodding, took the scroll and unrolled it at the center. Its contents consisted of a map of Sariwon, scattered markings littered across each individual province and stretch of land with small, but concise handwriting acting as notes located along the right of the map. "The following parchment and its proportions were drafted by our mage, Travard."

"Each individual mark is a report involving these foreign creatures," Silzard waved his hand across the map. "As you can see, there are a concerning amount of cases in our country."

"But," Illyan followed up on Silzard's statement, clearing his throat as he hovered over the map with focused eyes. "You may have noticed that there is a specific area where the density of the marks appears concentrated, compared to the sporadic distribution."

Illyan placed a finger atop of the described area. "A fishing town by the name of Nanrao, located in the southern wetlands. This would be the ideal area to conduct a preliminary investigation."