Greymont Castle

Gaivred's eyebrow crept up his forehead when the prince hugged his guard. Does this boy not know how to act around those below his station? He thought, preferring to keep that question to himself. The boy was more naive than he thought and it was a little worrying. What would he do if they were attacked was the main worry. Well they'd have to deal with that hurdle when it came and hopefully it didn't cause them to fail. His attention was brought out of his mind and back into the real world when the prince started talking once more. Apparently they were going to have breakfast with the boy.

A shame the knight had already had breakfast earlier. He was always an early riser and today had been no different. But still, he followed the group quietly into the chamber where everyone started to seat themselves. The bard stayed standing until the rest seated themselves, the prince took the head of the table, and Rhea took the seat to the prince's right. The rest were not of particular importance but he still kept a cautionary eye out. Gaivred himself took the seat next to Rhea, carefully placing his helm on the table next to the plate.

Eli said they were free to ask him questions, which was a little undercut by Rhea introducing herself. Shifting a little he looked at her once she quieted. "In a perfect world journeys get completed without fault. Unfortunately this is not a perfect world, so lets just hope for the best." He quietly said to her before settling into his seat. Gorou went on to talk about a report and how he'd act as a guide while some of the others started to eat or grab food. Gaivred just snagged a roll of bread and nibbled on it. Never overeat right before a journey since you don't know what's just outside of the gate.

During his nibbling two individuals reacted rudely. One asking if they were done, the other drawing attention to himself by slamming his fist on the table. Childish. He thought, a dark look at the squire who said someone would be along shortly. No one had asked about this Maize person, directly or subtly. Shaking his head he turned his attention to Eli, Rhea, and whoever else would introduce themselves.

She shouldn't be here. She really should have thought this through more before she had managed to get herself 'invited' to come along. Not only did the number of guards put her on a finer edge than a master crafted skinning blade, the number of people that were also joining the Prince was more than she was expecting, thought that was a foolish mistake on her part. He was, after all, the Crown Prince on an important mission, and therefore would require a large escort in case things went poorly for the group. As she looked among the group, she did have to wonder how half of them actually did manage to get placed in the group, although a few of them it was quite obvious that their connection to Eli himself was the reason. From her spot off to the side, she did a quick head count and began noting different things about each one.

The masked man leaning against the side made her uneasy right off the bat as those who stayed to the side like herself were often more observative than most, so when he went to speak with another woman she actually felt a touch of relief. The rest of the group was a mix of strange, from a Bard to Knights Mercenaries, the group actually looked like it would be able to hold their own in a decent fight, though they would have to do without herself in those. While she was for certain not harmless, she would much prefer not to get involved in too much bloodshed, her fight was with any doors and walls they might encounter. Suddenly the Prince himself shot through the area in his usual excited rush and Tiu couldn't help but smile a little as she kept an eye on the hyper kid. She let out a short sigh before a sudden loud bang made her stiffen, eyes widening as they shot to a man that was sitting at the table, having dropped a fist on the table to announce that someone would be arriving. She settled her heart rate back to normal as she wondered just how much stress hiding her species from this many people was going to give her. She was honestly more worried about the younger ones that were more likely to be curious, but she'd deal with that when it comes.

Siran Vahramyan Arshakuni

The prince decided to start their little event, though they weren't to leave just yet. It seemed he wanted to have breakfast and get acquainted before gallivanting off into the sunset. It was fine by Siran, since she wasn't going to turn down free food. As they went to eat, Siran discovered they clearly had another Ibionese individual in their midst. She could tell the bard was from urban Ibion, definitely not a nomad, and certainly not one of the tribes of the Kovkas mountains. Music wasn't always her thing, but she wasn't bothered by his playing at the very least. Unlike him though, she was definitely going to take her seat and start eating. As the other spoke up, she was quite sure she had identified yet another Ibionese man, though unlike before, she was sure this one was a nomad, but again not like her own. It seemed he was keen to leave. Siran was in no hurry, though she certainly wasn't going to object to getting started on this journey. As long as she wasn't potting around the clan encampment, she was just fine.

Waiting for an opportunity to speak up, Siran decided to voice a question of her own. "Your Majesty, Lady Rhea, I am Siran Vahramyan Arshakuni." She spoke with all the deference she had been taught by her elders. She didn't really care for courtly platitudes, but she wasn't sure whether the prince and his bodyguard did, so she decided to refrain from getting herself kicked out before this journey started. "I wish to inquire as to whether you have an estimated time we will be spending on this expedition; should we expect to be gone for some time, or should we expect this to be wrapped up shortly?" Siran hoped her question did not come across as though she was impatient; in fact, she was quite hoping they were about to say they would be away for a good long while. Siran was in no hurry to return, and the longer spent on exotic soil, the better as far as she was concerned. The only question was whether that would be out there for long or would end up back in Estala all too quickly.

@LordVoldemort @Ambra

With the party now conversing within small groups, Arin relaxed herself emotionally, yet the priestess still felt out of place. Those that had gathered in the castle grounds were talking with each other, but Arin was left alone to converse with her bird companion. The priestess hadn't felt contempt for Choco, although it was clear from the glances that they had received that Arin and Choco stood out in one way, shape or form. Placing her hat back on her head, Arin blinked a few times and slapped her cheeks to shake away the awkwardness that plagued the priestess, just in time for the prince to return from his short disppearance and greet the group once more, now with a prized royal breakfast.

As they were ushered into the banquet hall, introductions were to be had and questions were to be asked. Some were more strict as they spoke, and some were curious as to what the mission was. There were also a few that were silent at the dining table, and even those that cared not to introduce themselves and preferred to ask questions. Regardless of how each of them went about speaking (or staying silent), Arin waited patiently and politely for each one of them to finish before she spoke. Standing up from the chair she was seated in, Arin held her staff with both of her hands, and bowed before Eli and Rhea. "I am Arin Nilinas, a priestess from Avondale, and this is my companion, Choco." As if Arin had trained him, Choco proceeded to bow his feathered head towards the prince. "The both of us hope to be of service to you, your most royal highness." With a smile to Eli and his bodyguard, Arin took her seat once more.

Once introductions and questions were finished, Arin began to eat the food that was presented to each one of them on the table. The food looked delicious, and entirely different than a typical village diet. The bread was hardly rough, and the meat appeared tender. Arin was ready to dig in, if she was able to take a bite. The priestess stabbed a fork through a piece of meat, and raised it towards her mouth before it disappeared. Blinking in confusion, Arin continued to attempt to eat several times, and each time the food was disappear. Looking upwards at Choco, Arin was able to realize that the bird was stealing her food as she tried to take a bite. Hanging her head dejectedly in contrast to the entusastic music the bard was playing, Arin sighed and set the fork down. Forced to wait until they were off on their adventure to eat, the priestess couldn't help but to feel disheartened when her first taste of royal food would have to wait due to a greedy bird.

---

---

Eli was about to speak up when a young man spoke of a man named Maize. His attention turned to him and he raised a brow, unsure of who Maize really was. The only military-like person that he had known well enough was Rhea. In response, he looked up to her, as if trying to find an answer on who Maize was. After a few seconds, he looked back at the others, and began to speak. First, he looked to Gorou and seemed to go a little pale. "W-Well....I believe we'll be...uh.....sailing." It was obvious that he had some trouble with going out to sea, if it wasn't already obvious enough from the way he acted. "I just hope that.....it goes w-well, yes?" He laughed uneasily for a few second, then looked over to Sirian, deciding to let Rhea speak to Albus about what time they would leaving for their journey. "Well...to be honest with you, I don't know how long we'll be gone. I believe we'll be out for quite some time, though. It is a long walk after all...and....sailing." He grew a little pale again from the thought and pushed his dish away, unable to really eat at the moment. He looked up over at the Priest after she spoke and weakly smiled, a small tinge of red on his cheeks. "Thank you for your assistance. I really appreciate you all coming out here.

As excited as he was for this adventure, he just couldn't stand the sea. Something about it just got on his nerves and made his stomach twist inside when he thought of being out on the water. Even worse, he thought of what kind of creatures could be lurking in the deep. He would have fainted at that point if he didn't have a 'reputation' to uphold. He looked back up at the others and grew a wide smile, trying to reassure them that he was more than capable for this journey. He wasn't about to let some silly old fear stop him from something so important...even if he did wish to avoid it as much as possible. He idly looked down, pulling out the necklace from underneath his shirt, and stared at the heirloom in thought. It made him think of his heritage and about the stories that his father had told him. He smiled absentmindedly, feeling a sense of pride course through him. He couldn't wait to get this started and come back as a man. His father would be so proud of him...maybe he would even stop bugging him about marriage and what-not afterwards! That would be fantastic.

Fei's body practically hovered out of his chair as someone thought it was great idea to slam their fist onto the table, thus bringing unneeded attention towards him. The boy couldn't help but think that the other was being a little childish despite his age; heck, he was acting younger than the prince and him himself! And he did that just to let them know that someone else was coming? Fei didn't mean to, but he openly rolled his eyes as the action.

Scratching the back of his head, Fei gave his attention to those that were asking questions and introducing themselves. He even made it habit to draw everyone's name on the table with his finger, so that he wouldn't forget. The bluenette had opted against introducing himself. Not to be rude, but mostly because it was something that didn't really matter to him; so long as he was able to achieve his goals and help the prince at the same time, then knowing his name didn't matter.

Just as Fei was about take a gander at saying something, a rather imposing voice entered the scene, cause Fei and a few others to look back curiously to see who it was. 'Imposing' probably wasn't the best word once he got a look at the man, as 'intimidating' fit the appearance much better. As the man introduced himself as Maize, the name that was mentioned earlier, Fei waved slowly at him.

"We're leaving now?" It was the first words Fei had said since being seated at the table. Despite Maize being extremely intimidating to the boy, he liked how the other thought. Wasting little time, the blue haired boy pushed his seat back before hopping off. Adjusting the cloak that covered most of his body, save for his mid-shin down, Fei took off, already making his way over the door they had once came in.

@LordVoldemort @Ambra

Jauna's whole demeanor wilted at Eli's mention of walking. So that was to mean no carriages or horses then? Alright, fine by her if that's what he wished. If this was a test of her endurance, she entertained herself with the thought that hers might be greater than the prince's. She returned her gaze from Lady Rhea's mini-speech back to the last remnants of her porridge and shoveled the rest as gracefully as possible down her slender gullet.

When a well-muscled, knight in literal shining armor stepped up to the breakfast table and introduced himself as a knight and in charge of this mission, Jauna's eyes about bulged out of their sockets and she found herself hiding behind her hair. Well dang, we're in good hands she thought simply as her brain worked in overdrive to try, somewhat unsuccessfully, to focus on what else he was saying. It was clear that Eli was still a boy compared to this....this....MAN! @Solace . Jauna cleared her throat mildly and gestured to one of the servants who came up to take her plate and utensils. She nodded to them, all the more reason to have her now rosy cheeks pointed somewhere other than the newcomer or Eli. She found herself clutching the pommel of her father's sword in an effort to keep both hands in her lap and still.

Siran Vahramyan Arshakuni

The answer she got was mildly pleasing; the Prince wasn't able to give her a solid figure, but he seemed sure they would be gone for some time. In fact, perhaps the uncertainty surrounding the length of their journey meant they might be absent longer than they anticipated, which suited Siran just fine. What was strange to note is that mention of traveling by sea seemed to trouble the Prince. This was less than ideal; if the Prince had no stomach for the traveling, then their expedition might end prematurely. That was the last thing Siran wanted, but as it stood, she had no way of doing anything about it other than hoping it didn't come to that.

Soon enough, some knight entered the hall, presumedly someone already known to the Prince's cohorts, since he seemed to be partly in charge of their arrangements. He announced that it was time for them all to leave. Siran was more than fine with getting on the road right now. At the mention of horses, her thoughts moved to those of her own horse, Karabakh. "I have my own horse. If someone needs one, let them have the one prepared for me." She spoke aloud. The thought of using a horse other than Karabakh was absurd to her; she'd had him since before her clan was chased from Ibion and he was probably the greatest friend she had. Not to mention she had severe doubts that any of the random horses these people had as spares could compare to an Arshakuni royal warhorse, bred and raised for battle. If there were no objections, she would be out the door as quickly as anyone else and swiftly to her horse, more than ready to make the ride to the port.

Gorou expected that, once Rhea opened the floor, there would be a great many questions at once. After all, they had so many people here, and the swordsman was beginning to doubt any of them really knew why they were here or what they would be doing. But as the conversation continued, his doubts began growing more and more into full blown anxiety. When the man with a mercenary air about him stood up, his armor scraping, and immediately asked if they were good to go because he was restless, Gorou became truly thankful for the fact that his mask would hide any annoyed glares he gave these folks. Were there any more preparations? This was preparation! Had he not paid attention to the fact that Gorou himself had just asked an important question pertaining to their tactics? It were as if the man held a one-sided conversation, speaking without listening, or reading without comprehending what was actually happening.

Another man slammed his armored fist into the table, and the sharp, resounding impact made Gorou reflexively push his chair a few inches backward. It was not out of fear--anyone who paid attention would see the placement of his feet and know that he had positioned himself to rise and lunge in one motion. But it turned out that the noise was not a sign of violence to come, merely this dark haired youth's juvenile way of getting attention. He announced that Maize would soon arrive--Maize, the Dauntless? Gorou became intensely interested in that information, but couldn't it have waited for a more polite timing, or at least stated in a way that didn't so rudely interrupt everyone else's thoughts and meals? Gorou hoped the young man wasn't like this all the time--he had the look of one with some kind of chip on his shoulder.

One of the women, the one whose robes were as distinctly cultural as Gorou's own--though if his guess was correct, she was from the horse archers of south Ibion, rather than any of the old lines of Estala--asked another question, but this one wasn't so rudely worded and didn't overshadow Gorou's own--rather, it added a helpful qualitive. How long was this journey expected to last? Indeed, they were expected to suppress the pirate forces...but were they meant to hold out until King Erigan could send reinforcements? Was this inexperienced Prince and only a rag-tag party meant to wage an entire war by themselves? The Estali were known as thinkers, tacticians and leaders--fitting for those who practiced the study of magic--but surely they had planned all of this out beforehand and had some idea of how long it would take, what strategies they would employ, how much supply they needed...

The little priestess also waited politely, and simply introduced herself. She seemed very timid, but then again, her place was to heal and not to fight. Gorou made a note to try and keep her within sight, once they actually had a battle to fight--failing to protect healers in war was like showing one's belly to the enemy. There was a saying that "A crippled soldier is worth three dead," that Gorou himself had put to use whenever he found himself facing too many opponents. If you killed an enemy, that was one down. If you cut his sword hand off or broke his leg, however, that meant it took one more man to haul him off the field, and a third to see to his wounds. Miss Arin of Avondale would hopefully keep that from happening to any of them.

But now the Prince finally got around to answering them. As Gorou had thought before, what the royal said would give him a far better stock of just what kind of situation he found himself in. And the masked swordsman was...disappointed. He went pale as he looked at Gorou first, and simply answered that they would be "sailing." Sailing, yes, that had been expected considering they were going to fight pirates. But sailing where? To the North? Up the coasts? Were they attacking the pirate base directly, or would they cut off their supply routes? "Sailing" said about as much about battle tactics as "fighting" did! And on top of that, the Prince didn't even know how long the engagement was supposed to last? Gorou's disappointment redoubled, and the anxiety he had begun to feel earlier joined it in what could not under any circumstances be a pleasant combination. But now the Prince sat down and fiddled with something around his neck. Gorou saw him smile, the kind of small personal smile a person makes when they think to themselves "I did it!"

Thank the Goddess that no one could see his eyes behind the mask.

Then, he entered. The Dauntless, the man of the frozen north who had fought first against the Estalan, and who now swore his loyalty to them as a knight of the realm. The tales of his prowess from the arena, and as a knight from two lands, marked him with his moniker. Gorou could barely keep his hand away from the grip of his sword--he didn't want the movement to be misinterpreted. Would the Dauntless accept a respectful request to spar? How would the old ways fare against someone who had seen battle from both sides of the field, learned two schools of swordplay and ironed them out with experience?

But before he could ask anything, Maize urged them to wrap things up and prepare to leave. They would be heading to Port Sesta, but other than that once again the information was sparse. Did they expect this group to just...follow along, without knowing anything? A chilling fear dawned on Gorou that his mental image of the Dauntless might be shattered, much like his expectations of a competent Prince had been.

There was a slight hustle and bustle as everyone made ready. They were ushered out to the gates, where their horses and supplies had already been prepared. Gorou took a look around for any wagons or pack mules, hoping that he could gauge the answer to "how long will this be?" from the amount of supplies they were going to carry with them. As his gaze traveled, he also took note that Rhea was saddling up a Wyvern. His initial assumption about the scent on her had been correct, then.

Though she had let the Prince do most of the talking, it was Rhea who had opened the field to questions. She and Maize seemed cut from the same cloth, no-nonsense, but where Maize had rushed them out of the hall she seemed merely impatient, putting her own affairs in order and then waiting with an irked expression for the rest of them. Perhaps he could get actual answers from her.

@Ambra"Excuse me, Dame." Gorou approached Rhea, taking note of the wyvern and relaxing his body language in case the creature wasn't fond of strangers. "The Prince seemed somewhat flustered--understandable, of course--so forgive me that I ask for clarification from you instead. I asked whether we were heading directly north, or would be engaging the pirates in their outposts on the coastlines. And the lady of Ibion--Siran, I believe?--asked how long this engagement was expected to last. Neither were clearly answered. Can you please give us more specifics?"

Greymont Castle

Rhea's deadpanned expression was met with one of complete neutrality. Gaivred had no ties to anyone here, just a loyalty to the crown that Eli would inherit once his father passed. After a moment he looked away from Rhea to pay attention to what the other speakers had asked or said. The girl in white with the bird introduced herself before falling into an odd depression due to the greed of her pet snagging her food. A darker skinned girl introduced herself and requested the time frame of the mission they would all be participating in. Her and Gorou seemed to have a similar mindset of figuring out what the job entailed. Not a bad idea, but they can ask the questions. No point everyone asking the same thing. He thought as he finished his small loaf of bread.

Eli started responding to Gorou, but was exceptionally vague. They would be sailing. "Sailing seems like a bad idea..." He said quietly while shaking his head slowly. The water was a pirates domain, their choice arena for combat. If they were just sailing to land that was different. Of course things changed when a man barged into the dining hall. Lightly armored, sword, shield, clearly older then the rest of the people in the room. Gaivred's eyebrow slowly crept up as gold flashed in his eyes briefly. He might be the boys elder but this was a learning and introduction session requested by the prince. He thought as he rose to his feet. Everyone else was scooting back from the table and leaving.

"I'll have to keep an eye on that man and how the others act." He muttered to himself before putting his helm on his head and followed. Outside were some horse and a wyvern, which was being tended to by Rhea. "Exotic..." He murmured to himself, a shame he had such a fear of heights. He'd have loved to have ride a wyvern. Gorou was talking to Rhea once more, trying to glean actual information out of her instead of 'we're sailing'. A brief smirk tugged at the corner of his lips before he mounted his horse. A healthy morgan mare he had raised from birth. Once he settled into the saddle he tugged his axe and hatchet from the loops and tucked them into his belt and on his back. Giving the mares sides a squeeze with his legs he directed her to Rhea and Eli. "I never introduced myself. My name is Gaivred." He stated politely after waiting for Gorou and his questions to be answered.

Whether Arin was still hungry or not after what little food she was allowed to eat, the priestess' appetite had, for better or worse, faded away upon the prince's mention of sailing. Arin had been on a boat before, yet the even the calm waves of the local lake had enough power to upset her stomach in a fashion similar to when she was asked to heal the blacksmith's son after a hunting incident. The boy—a lad of seventeen winters—had been gored by a boar, and the injury was devastating. An embedded tusk, coated in blood, that had shredded entrails was sticking outside the boy's stomach and... and...

Gulp.

The memory of the boy's injury had made Arin quite pale as the rest continued to converse. Her stomach was churning, and what food she had managed to eat was more than likely to soon pour out of one end. The priestess glanced towards the windowsill, finding it still occupied by the bard and his bird. A look towards the door to the banquet hall found it still closed, until the arrival of a burly and giant knight that had only served to further the ill feeling Arin had felt. Thankfully, the man was authoritative, and was in a hurry to move onto the road to reach whatever was to be their end destination. The priestess made haste to the door—stopping in her tracks only to turn around and bow to Prince Eli as she was leaving—and then outside the castle gates.

Finding a row of bushes near the stables suitable, Arin released her morning meal into the potted plants. Leaning with the support of a wooden post, the priestess' continued to lurch herself over the bushes until the flow of breakfast had stopped, although a few more minutes were to pass until Arin decided it was safe to stand straight once more. Reaching into her satchel, Arin pulled forth a handkerchief and a water flask, first bringing the flask to her mouth in order to wash away the nasty taste and then to wipe away water that had dribbled onto her face. Hopefully no one was watching, Arin thought, taking in a deep breath and gazing upwards towards the sky for a moment. Uttering a prayer to Nilonne to at least allow her to hold her lunch down, Arin soon turned around and made her way to the stables, where the rest were beginning to gather and mount their respective steeds.

---

Zachary played his tune and sung in his native Ibion tongue whilst everyone came into the banquet hall. Once everybody was there he should have sat down as he had promised, but the music kept coming the heart and did not allow him to stop. His hands had a mind of their own. Plus his red-headed bird friend was having a great time at the end of his lute. Its wings spreading in an alternating way whilst it did a dance. Such a sight to behold was something Zachary had come to enjoy every time he decided to play a song.

The bard continued playing while standing off to the side to entertain his fellow party members. Although he played his heart away, his ears were perked to eavesdrop on the table. It was a trick he had picked up at a younger age, and an invaluable one for gaining information whilst feigning ignorance. The prince seemed uncertain about their mission, but it was a mission northward by sea. Everyone reacted too differently for Zachary to discern anything solid. All the bard knew was that everyone was beginning to feel doubtful until a man of authority walked into the hall. It was at his disturbance and announcement that finally made Zachary halt his music. He knew when a superior man was present and he had to listen even if his bird protested the lack of music.

It seems that in his jamboree time flew like an arrow, landing him no time to sit down and enjoy a meal before leaving. This was nothing new to Zachary. In fact, missing proper meals has been a habit ever since he could play an instrument so this wasn’t new to him. When all of the others began to stand and walk away, the bard quickly hopped over to the table and grabbed a few breads to throw into his satchel. ”I hope the prince does not mind me bringing along some snacks for the road,” the bard chuckled to himself. With that, his bird companion snatched some crumbs and flew onto the top of his hat. There it sat while bobbing up and down as Zachary rushed to follow the others. He managed to find a spare horse left for him to use next to a girl whom looked to be Ibionese herself. The bard contemplated striking a conversation whilst mounting, even turning to her and opening his mouth to speak. Yet he froze his smug expression and he sighed, settling instead for a smile and wink for the girl before moving away.

@LordVoldemort He trotted his horse to where the prince would arrive from in hopes of sparking a conversation with the lad. Zachary wanted to get to know the boy he was going to serve from this point forward, an idea he thought ingenious. The bard would sit atop his provided horse in waiting for Prince Eli with a big, stupid smile on his face. Adventure was nigh and he was surely excited!

Jauna finished her breakfast and followed the rest of the party out towards the main gates of the castle. She wondered if they would ever actually get underway or if there were yet more things to discuss that hadn't already been brought forth. The lady distanced herself about ten feet from the group, brandished her sword, and practiced simple thrusts and parries while she waited for departure time.

Sword forms, in all practicality, were the stuff of practice rather than actual battle. In a calm, rested environment Jauna could perform all but two of the forms taught to her by the strict woman who had coached herself and Eli. When push came to shove, not that she had experienced altogether many shoving occasions, it was surprising just how much of one's training went out the window in the midst of chaos. The nobility swordplay instructor in question would have chalked it up to her not having practiced enough for the training to become so-called "muscle memory". Jauna snorted at the thought as she feinted, spun roughly three-hundred-and-sixty degrees to her left and stabbed at the castle wall. Her black blade landed a mere inch away from the rough-hewn outer wall beside the gates.

"Jauna one, wall zero," she muttered under her breath and assumed a ready position.

Watching from the sidelines, Tiu began feeling a lot more at ease as the group seemed thoroughly interested in their own activities or the leaders of the group. When none other than The Dauntless walked in, Tiu straightened up instantly, his presence immediately drawing her interest. Over the nine years she had wandered this continent, the few stories she had heard of the man that now stood with them had always drawn her attention, an rd now she got to see him in the flesh. Within moments he had everyone up and moving, headed towards the gate. Tiu followed quickly, a small smile on her lips.

Once she had reached the stables Tiu made her way to one of the horses, raising her hand and approaching it slowly. It seemed anxious at first, likely smelling the Laguz blood in her, but she quickly calmed it. After a few moments of running a hand down it's mane, a distant sound of someone relieving themselves of their stomach contents made her tilt her head, but she soon decided to ignore it and return her attention to those around her. The Wyvern Rider that Eli had called Rhea was being questioned once more, and Tiu couldnt help but chuckle. There was no telling how long this mission would take, life was simply too full of surprises for something this big to be truly planned for. She returned her attention to the horse for a few moments before nimbly hopping atop it, ready for the road ahead.

Fei looked up as the imposing woman from before, Rhea, had walked past him, heading to the gates herself; curse her much longer legs... Deciding he'd have to pick up the pace, the bluenette moved to a light jog. With Rhea still in sight, Fei had no problem making his way out to the gates.

As he exited the estate, Fei came face to face with a large white wyvern, causing him to gasp in surprise.
"W-Whoa!" He shouted out as he stumbled back a bit. His eyes quickly moved down from the animal's muzzled face and it was there that he caught sight of Rhea beside it. So she was a Wyvern Rider huh? Fei couldn't say he was surprised, but it was a bit shocking to see something other than a horse around these parts.

Fei took careful steps, in case the wyvern was looking at him, and made his way over to the horses. They all looked nice and calm for the most part, but they were all far too big for him. Looking around and watching as the others mounted there horses with ease, he new he would have to ask to ride with someone. Unfortunately, a good portion of them were too scary to approach or he was too shy to ask them. There was Zachary...but he was...something special.

@Tala Avana As the bluenette began to cross people out, his eyes rested on a girl with a cloak covering a good portion of her features. He could see a bit of brown hair where he stood, a pair of sharp eyes and some armor, but that was about it; no weapons in sight either. Making his way over to the side of the girl's horse, Fei waved a hand up in the air, his cloak shifting in the process.
"E-Excuse me, Miss!" He called before tilting his head. "M-Might it be alright if I rode with you on your horse?" He questioned as he let his hand fall back to his side.

As Tiu adjusted a few times on her horse as she waited for the rest of the group to get ready, she heard footsteps coming towards her. Initially, she thought that they were headed for one of the other horses in the stable, but a young boy voice cut through her thoughts and she looked over. For a moment she honestly wondered why someone so young was being sent on a mission against a pirate army but shook it off before focusing on his question. In all honestly, she would have usually said no, as she wasn't all too comfortable with someone being that close to her while there were plenty of horses to spare, but she quickly decided that she didn't want to upset anyone this early into the journey. She extended a hand down to him in case his rather short stature might cause him problems getting atop the beast.

"Certainly. we're both small enough that she can easily carry our weight. I suppose you're not one for horseback riding?" She replied, taking a quick look at the boy. Short, light, a bit of an odd choice in clothing but everyone had their preferences. He was also packing light, no armor and nothing but a tome at his side so their horse wouldn't get bogged down by any extra weight. She honestly had to feel a bit bad for some of the other horses that would have to carry the more heavily armed and armored people of their group.

@Tenma Tendo