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The sky filled with beautiful soft hues of pink and purple as the sun rose over the horizon. She marveled at how quickly the colors could change in a matter of moments as she sat in a tree. Being apart of the Hunter Sect meant extremely early mornings, and today was her day to go hunting. She closed her eyes as the warmth of the sun hit her skin, she loved the feeling of well... being alive. The forests were becoming vibrant in shades of green as the sun made its appearance.  This was one of her favorite times of day, when the forest started to awaken. Birds shrills sang in the air, and the wind rustled the loose leaves around. The air was crisp with the potential of warming up shortly after the sun rises. She yawned, and stretched her back out, she didn't sleep to well the night prior. Nightmares filled her dreams, which was pretty rare - but she also recently had a run in with a small demon. It was no bigger than a wolf, and looked like a disfigured deer with claws, an alligators head, a horses mane, long cat like tail, and a few rows of teeth. Thankfully she had seen it before it saw her and she pierced it through its head with an arrow. But of course, she had to get a closer look - the foul smell didn't keep her around for long, but the sight of this grotesque creature caused her to shiver.
Brielle had her trusty Bow &  Arrow ready in hand in case a possible kill came along, as well as a small sword strapped to her back, and a smaller knife strapped to her right thigh. She made sure to carry multiple weapons in case of another demon sighting - and to also gut her kill and bring it back to the Sanctuary. After a few moments of sunbathing, she rose to a squatting position on the branch - examining the forest floor briefly. She placed the arrow away in the carrier she had on her back, and leapt along the branches discretely. As she came across a small stream of water that jetted out from the lake near the entrance of the Sanctuary - she jumped from the trees and landed gracefully on the ground. Brielle walked to edge of the stream, and bent down splashing the cool water against her face. She sat back, inhaling deeply, and exhaling as she opened her eyes to the now deep blue sky that graced her. Standing up, she started to follow the stream, early morning meant some animals were about to go to sleep and typically some could be found near the water getting their last sip in before bed. It also meant some were awakening, and would be getting their first sip of the day. Win-Win almost. Brielle had been out hunting a day prior and brought a buck back to the Village, she wasn't too concerned with finding much today. As a trip to the supply rooms, prior to leaving this morning, told that they were well off on meat, it was the gardens and foragers who needed to step up and supply more at the moment. But this balance always shifted due to weather, or season change.
It was early spring, so soon the gardens would flourish as well as the forests - they would have a bountiful harvest again this year it seemed. As her thoughts wandered towards the gardens, she stopped following the stream and started heading towards the gardens located on the West side of the mountain. Brielle had a soft spot for them, essentially because her mother was a gardener and though everyone was trained to fight - not everyone was able to. Padding through the forest quietly, the sounds of nature found themselves ringing in her ears. Birds chirping, squirrels running around trees, the breeze swaying the leaves of the trees. Outside was her favorite place to be, inside always depressed her - as many people acted like everything was fine when they lived in such a tragic world - there were people dying for the citizens wellbeing and some seemed to care less. After moments of being lost in her thoughts she arrived at the outskirts of the West Gardens, a few of the workers were out tending to the growing crops.
"Good morning Brielle!" A short elderly lady called to her.
"Good morning Miss Ayame," Brielle smiled, and continued walking. Ayame had been friends with her mother, so she was a familiar face from the past - she had become more compassionate to Brielle after hearing of her mothers passing. Occasionally bringing  new toys, and just company. Brielle found herself always coming to check on the gardens for Ayame's well being.

Brielle walked back into the woods, and began her trek to find something to bring back to the Sanctuary. She walked about a bit more West, and stopped to realize the sun had moved higher. Jumping up into a tree swiftly, she sat back against the trunk - dangling one leg off of the branch, she pursed her lips in a bored dissatisfaction for how her morning was going. After a few moments, she reached into the satchel she had brought, pulling out an apple, and a book. She took a bite of the apple, crunching down happily as she nibbled away. The books spine was clearly worn in, and the pages of the book were torn at the edges due to time. This book was one she had read before, it's name was 'Alice in Wonderland'. She adored everything about the book, and kind of always wished she would find a rabbit hole to fall through. If you're already living in hell, maybe you'd fall into a normal non-demon infested one. At least that's what she hoped, and imagined for.

Rays of sunlight slowly began to emerge and burst through the window beside Eden's bed, he sat up with a slight jolt. Another nightmare had crept into his mind. They'll be fine he said to himself."

He worried about the children a little as the nightmare crept back in but only for a moment. He was worried one of the demons that was sighted recently would come for them. Looking over to his bedside table he reached for a nearby bottle of water and took a long swig to quench his dry throat. He then proceeded to get up and go about his usual morning routine to prepare for the day. He was especially excited for this particular day. He'd be able to teach the children about the local flora and fauna, which was always one of the best activities to do with them since it was very hands on learning. He proceeded to take care of his hygenine making sure to look as sharp as ever for the day, and he set himself out an outfit for the activity.

"Best to be wearing overalls today since I'll need the extra pockets."

He fumbled around in a nearby closet and pulled out a clean set of overalls, paired it with a t shirt and some work boots and set off on his way. He had a lot of extra time before class would start today, so he figured he should check in with the locals.

Ysran looked up to the mountains. A large collection of buildings sat in the mountain's side. Sanctuary. Apperently this was a unique phenomenon nowadays. All these humans all living in such a large group. A "city" they would call it. Apperently these covered the earth many years ago, but this was likely the only one now. He would likely learn much here. Not to mention the technology would be far more advanced than anything he'd ever seen. Time to head up.

The trek up the mountain was uneventful. No wildlife. No demons. Not even a passerby. But at last he was here. He walked past the entrance, and into the streets. He supposed he should start his research now. He leaned up against a building and watched the streets. So, how did humans interact in such a large group? Well, most seemed to walk right by one another, yet some walked in groups. Siblings perhaps? Family? He was unsure. He also noticed the diverse clothing everyone was wearing. Most wore light colors, yet others wore dark. He then realized his long, purple robe was seriously out of place. He needed a change of clothes, otherwise he wouldn't blend in to well. He lifted off the wall and began to look for someone willing to trade for clothes. Judging by how some other people had various things set out on stands, and seemed to be trading them for... something, but couldn't quite tell what.

The kitchen had been alive since dawn.

The smells of meat sizzling over a flame, citrus being squeezed into glasses, and fresh bread getting sliced into hearty pieces filled the space and drifted into the hallway and nearby rooms. Sparrow hummed as she finished the dishes from her morning baking, drying and stacking them in the large cabinet on the far wall of the room. Tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear she grabs a thick slice of dark, rich bread from the basket in the middle of the table and tears a piece off, stuffing it into her mouth in a not so lady-like fashion. Her eyes close and she smiles while still chewing on the delicious treat.

"That's not for you, little bird!" Her fellow cook and loving mentor, Larra, purses her lips and narrows her eyes at Sparrow, who giggles in response and grabs the bread basket on her way out of the kitchen. She places the basket in the middle of the largest table in the dinning hall and then grabs a large iron rod from near the wall to tend to the fires that had been lit early in the morning. Although the kitchen staff made more than enough food for everyone living in Sanctuary some still liked to cook for themselves, and so the community fires had to maintained throughout the day. Tending to them was one of her least favorite jobs, second only to washing the dishes, but everyone had to put in their fair share of work.

After rekindling the warm flames Sparrow makes her way back to the kitchen. While she had been away the other workers had finished preparing the meal, and she assists in bringing an array of cooked meats, sliced fruits, a mixture of nuts and cheeses, and this morning's baked goods to the table. Larra had showed her how to make poppy seed muffins, and three dozen of them fill bowls, accompanied by sweet rolls and luscious savory biscuits. The smells draw sleepy inhabitants from their quarters and soon the kitchen isn't the only area of the village that is wide awake. Children dash around the tables, sneaking in between the adults to grab food and then running away to share their steals with the others before they have to head off to class. Laughter erupts from one corner of the room as the elderly share stories among themselves, and other folks talk about the days tasks.

Instead of dinning with the others Sparrow takes a few tidbits: another slice of bread, a piece of cheese, and a handful of nuts, and ties them up in a small cloth to bring to her favorite spot. She skips down a long corridor to her quarters and places the satchel of food on her nightstand before stripping off her work clothes and changing into a tan dress. She pulls the soft cotton over her head and tugs it down over the rest of her body. The fabric hugs her chest and loosens into a relaxed shirt at her hips, the hem falling just below her knees. She pulls a light blue cardigan on over her shoulders and runs a comb through her blonde hair before grabbing her breakfast and heading back out into the hallway.

Sparrow makes her way towards the main floor on the southern side of the mountain compound and finds a small bench against a wall near the entrance to the villages market area of sorts. A few people were already setting up trading booths for the day, and others, like herself, seemed to be simply watching and relaxing. Opening the cloth holding her breakfast she breaks a corner of the piece of cheese off, nibbling the edge of it closing her eyes. She leans her head back against the cool stone wall and smiles while listening to two women bicker over a trade. How much is a woven blanket really worth? Such matters were of little interest to her, but the idle banter relaxed her mind and let her thoughts wander. Here she didn't have to worry about making sure the bread didn't burn, or whether someone else would wash today's dishes, she could simply listen to other people's stresses, which seemed much less important then her own.

Eden walked at a slow pace and made his way down to the main entrance area. All the while he walked nodding his head and waving to the residents like he'd do every morning. He looked around for anyone who might've needed help for the day and came across a man and a group of children attempting to set up a market stall. It appeared that they were having some trouble so he made his way over to them.

"Mister Eden, daddy's work stall won't stand upright, and the tarp on the top keeps falling off. Could you help us please? a small girl sounded off as she pointed to the problems.

"Sure thing, just let me have a look."
He made his way over, taking careful consideration into how he might help solve this problem.

Adam had found The Sanctuary yesterday. Or rather, last night. It had been a long journey for him.
As he had stumbled in the guards were suspicious of him but didn't want him roaming the streets, so he had been locked away. In the morning, they let him go. That was now.
He looked around, silent and observing of the humans. He bet there were some mutts in here, but most definitely no demons like him. For this reason, he was terrified.

He found his way into the market and wondered what to do next. What was there to do? What would a human do? Socialize. Right. He picked out a girl with blonde hair who was leaning against the wall and eating (@Ktyhrea) He carefully walked over to her, giving a smile.
"Hello," he decided to start, a traditional human greeting. "Um, I-I'm new in town and I don't really know what to do now. How long have you been here?"

Alright. That was okay, for now.

Sparrow opens her eyes at the sound of soft footsteps coming in her direction. Seeing the young man standing before her causes her to sit up straighter and smile brightly. "Welcome to Sanctuary," she says cheerfully. Folding the cloth back up and slipping it into the front pocket of her dress she stands and curtsies, strands of her hair fall over her eyes and upon straightening she pulls the unruly locks over her right shoulder in one fluid motion. She looks over the newcomer, her cool blue eyes studying him from top to bottom before looking him in the eye again. Realizing she had remained quiet for too long she lets out a nervous laugh and forces the smile to remain on her face, rather than show any sort of nerves. "You're probably starving if you just got here. Come with me and we'll get you some food."

She takes his hand in her own and then blinks, pausing for a second and staring in to space. "You asked how long I've been here," she says thoughtfully. "Sorry, I just get a little flustered when I meet someone so uh... new. I've been here for quite some time. Not as long as a few of the villagers, but longer than you have!" She giggles and her cheeks flush a light pink as she rambles through her speech. Why is this making me feel so weird? she thinks to herself, but the thought quickly passes as she returns to her rather odd attempt at a welcome.

Food had always been her family's way of coming together and relaxing, which explained her father's rather round stomach, and so she continued on that note. Not only did the food here taste fantastic, it would give her a chance to show the new guy around, and she always felt more at ease when in the kitchen.

"Now, food. You need to eat." Glancing down she realizes that she was still holding his hand. She lets go immediately and her face reddens further. Nervously she runs one of her hands through her hair and then clasps them together. "Um, sorry... Would you like me to show you to the dinning hall?" Her voice softens as she speaks, clearly embarrassed and even more nervous than she had been when the boy had first spoken to her.

@GoodLuckTuck

The bear cloak easily kept Luciel warm due to its size and how he had it belted in three sections. Laden with the game bag and backpack full of root vegetables, he set off through the forest in the direction of the waking villiage and its light which slowly faded from torches being lit and snuffed in the morning twilight.
He'd been so lost in his crunching footsteps and listening for other sounds, he almost hadn't noticed the woman perched up in a tree if it weren't for the shadows his downward gaze happened upon. Curiosity took him for a moment long enough to almost make eye contact with them before turning his head back down, not willing to draw attention. Still, he did his best not to be rude, offering a small and awkward bark of "G-good morning!" to Brielle before continuing on his journey.

She looked armed, something Luciel was aiming to avoid at all cost; engaging in social niceties with an armed human alone in the woods, especially while toting supplies. He suspected lone humans to be creatures of advantage, having no knowledge of hunters, and picked up his pace in slight fear of being robbed or worse.

@LadyinInk

How long she had been resting in the tree was beyond her, she had gotten through enough pages of her book before being interrupted. The sounds of something moving towards her caught her attention. She surveyed the area from the branch she was in and saw a being come into sight - whom greeted her immediately. She stared at him, as he adverted eye contact with her. Brielle stared at his horns, and pursed her lips in thought, a smacking sound being produced as she snapped the book shut upon recognition of the mutt. Placing the book back into her satchel quickly, she simultaneously threw the apple she'd been eating away from them - a thud sounding off in the distance as it collided with the earth. Brielle narrowed her eyes at the face of the boy, she had seen him previously - and knew he was one of the few mutts to do business with the Sanctuary.
The narrowing of her eyes was merely her thinking of how to handle the situation, though could probably be taken the wrong way. It took her a moment to recognize him, since she never had to really deal with him. Which was fine by her, she only liked to encounter demons when she was killing them. Unfortunately, in Brielle's mind, King Dominick had a soft spot for mutt-borns, though many who respected his kind would say 'half-breed', she referred to them as 'mutt's'. Her distaste for demons lingered heavily over her life - once your whole family has been slaughtered by them its kind of hard to want to trust any kind of them. She jumped down from the tree branch, and inhaled deeply.
"You're on your way to Sanctuary?" it was a question but came off more like a statement, while walking towards the half-breed.
Brielle was never exactly 'mean', she just wasn't a fan of a demons or any who ran with them. She tried her best to always be rational, but distain hung in the air thickly - due to her tone, and body language. She clenched her bow tightly in her right hand, and forced a small smirk. "I'll walk with you - My day hunting hasn't been so productive...." She groaned, and joined the traveler by his side. Her demeanor seemed to relax a little as they walked together, "What was your name again?" Brielle questioned, moving a low hanging branch out of the way as they moved towards the entrance.

@Hawlin

He stood there for a moment, pondering how to help the man and his kids then it came to him. He moved carefully and tied the loose tarp to the tops of the wooden post which clung to only one side of it. Doing this would provide the merchant with shade for the day while he worked underneath the market stall. He then reached down for a smooth flat stone and found one that was decent in size and carefully placed it under one of the legs.

"Eh... it's not great, but I think it ought to hold up for the day until you can get it fixed.

"Ah well that's okay I can work on it from home, thanks for you help though I thought I was going to have to wheel all this home for the day. The man replied to him, smiling and shaking his hand in thanks for the deed.

Eden smiled back, giving a toothy grin and wave of the hand. "Well I should get going, times going by and Ill need to be at work soon. Then he started off down the pathway again whilst the children continued working away with their father to get merchandise set up.

The morning air was still cool but the heat of the day was beginning to set in, somewhere distant as Eden walked he could smell food in the air. "Man I would kill for some breakfast" he thought to himself as he carried on.

@Ktyhrea
Adam watched as the girl curtsied, hair falling over her face. He gave a sort of bow as well and chuckled as he came back up. He looked at her, fascinated with the human. He couldn't tear his eyes away from her. When she laughed he gave out a laugh as well and nodded in thanks.

Adam only started blankly at her for a moment as she took his hand. Out of all the possibilities, he did not expect this one.
Why do humans hold hands again? Sign of affection? That's not possible, we just met. He was confused but didn't show it.
"Yes, not as long as me." That's funny. A...joke. Should I make a joke as well, now? He didn't get a chance to, distracted when she took her hand away and apologized. He was disappointed that she'd released his hand and when he realized this, colour rose to Adam's pale face. "I-It's alright, I-I didn't mind," he replied to her apology. Was that right? Was he supposed to admit that? Lord of Demons, he was terrible at this.

Her voice sweetened, and Adam found himself smiling. "Ah, yes, thank you." As they began to walk, he spoke again. "So what do you do here? Or rather, what even is there to do here?"

"Good question." Sparrow motions for the boy to follow her as she heads down a corridor. "I cook for everyone. Not by myself of course, but I help cook for people here. Baking mostly. I made the most delicious poppy seed muffins this morning, they were positively amazing!" While talking about her cooking Sparrow's voice gets higher pitched and more excited, clearly indicating that her work is one of her passions. "Everyone in Sanctuary has a job. Some of us, like myself, cook. Others assist the royal family in their day to day activities. Still others guard our home, hunt, manage the gardens, clean, scavenge supplies from outside the walls, or train the children. As for what there is to do for fun..." she shrugs and pauses outside of the dinning facility. "I usually make my own fun. I like to read, but in order to find books I have to trade for them. Or go outside." She lowers her voice and leans closer to the boy, her expression getting more serious before she speaks. "Just between us, I'm not scared of them." Upon leaning away from him her bright smile returns and she takes a step into the dinning hall.

People were still eating, and the other cooks were bringing more food out to fill the empty bowls around the tables. Sneaking in between a couple who seemed to be arguing about what kind of meat was being served Sparrow grabs a warm roll and then takes a step back. She tosses it towards the boy. "Catch!"

@GoodLuckTuck

Luciel continued in double pace, refusing to look back and even assuming a hunched stance with the hope of either escaping the area of aiming to deflect a blow with a bag of vegetables before the woman spoke. It wasn't a greeting, but instead an acknowledgement of his destination which stopped him dead in his tracks in mid stride. The faint glint of reflections of shadows caught with sharpening pupils looking into the untouched snow knew the motion the woman made after her feet landed behind him. "I only have produce..." he replied to her question voiced as a statement, acknowledging her question and explaining himself in the same instant. "...To trade" his explanation continued, hoping his status was apparent. He dared not draw the bent dagger to offer an example for fear of it being taken the wrong way after hearing the click of bow and arrow.
Humans in such a position would call his charity 'indentured servitude' or 'protection pay'. Without having ever met a representative of the town, Luciel simply hoped his actions would let himself be known enough to actually enter the city...maybe even have audience with the king. For what reason was his thoughts alone, but all of these thoughts raced through his mind along with the notion to run if it weren't for the woman's assertion to walk with him.

Unsure how to react at first, Luciel simply walked on in step with the woman. His demeanor appeared meek, though his free hand gripped the small silver cross. Softly, shapeless words whispered from the mutt who turned his head enough to observe the guards at the gate nearby. "Luciel...Luciel Lumiere" he simply said, assuming the woman had no interest in his story or any kind of chat by her tone. She was there because she needed to be there. Still, nervousness broke his composure for a brief moment as he neared the front gate.
"What do you believe?" his whispered with a flicker of a forked tongue between fangs as he tilted his head down to let the bear skull obscure most of his face.
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"Oh, just in time" One of the guards sighed, sniffling a bit as their eyes went from the cloaked figure to Brielle and then the bulging sacks the cloaked figure carried like a beast of burden. Though the demonic blood fueled a nightmare of muscular strength, it was wasted on toting what would take almost three fully grown men a day to haul. The gesture was beyond the two men at the gate who had been tormented by the smells rising from the mess hall for the last few hours of their shift. Even the archers along the wall were on edge upon seeing the prospect of food, a few even knocking arrows in impatient anticipation to be relieved by the next shift to have at breakfast. Freshly cooked produce mixed with leftovers?

"Goooood morning, Brie" One of the guards at the gate chirped, going so far as to offer a casual bow. Derrick...rotated to the gates from his night shift. He was skilled with a sword and held duty to paramount, he knew all about Luciel and the disguise like most of the guard did. "I guess your hunt was successful!" he chuckled, one hand on his sword as he lowered himself to Luciel's level. Luciel, meanwhile, turned away just slightly enough to earn a glare from the veteran. "And let me guess, you think a few packs of goods will get you something. Aye, mutt?" Derrick cooed, tilting his head while Luci shifted the weight on his shoulders. "I...I need a new trowel" Luciel whispered, edging a step forward and falling to a knee to open the flap of his game bag and reveal the prime produce.

Derrick looked back to the guards of the walls who tensed their bows while he leaned in to rifle through the potatoes. Luciel kept his head lowered and turned until the man abruptly stopped, lifting a hand caked in a squished potato. It was soft, one of the ones on the top in the crate. Crushing it let out a small wisp of steam and Luciel's blood ran cold as he looked up after hearing the sound, eyes accidentally making contact with Derrick's

They were baked.
He'd put yesterdays leftovers into the crate to keep them fresh for lunch with just a bit of heat and fat. Some crushed spices and it was...nothing, it didn't matter anymore once he saw the look in the guard's eyes. He hadn't expected to break his tools and had gotten caught up in emotion to the point of forgetting what he threw in the pack.
It didn't matter, since it was enough of an excuse that Derrick finally had fuel.

"You need to know your place, mutt! Look at this shit!" Derrick exclaimed in spite of Luciel reaching and offering a confused and panicked "No! Please, it was an accident, I-"
But Derrick shouted over the halfbreed, "Offerings of peace!? And you bring us-" he started, reaching into the bag for the next slightly steaming potato and lifting it high before crushing it, "-rotten garbage? Who do you think you are, you accident!? It's steaming with bacteria, for fuck sake!"

"They-...they're baked..." Luciel offered in disbelief that this was happening, growing pale as snow until Derrick took ahold of the straps and planted a boot to his chest to peel the packs from them and kicking them a ways down the small slope. "Baked with parasites at this point..." Derrick spat, quickly being interrupted by Luciel who shrieked, "I just need tools! I will bring you anything you want!"

Derrick looked back, a pack in each hand. "I have a lot to sort...Brielle?" he commented with a wink before dropping a bag to lift a hand. "Archers!!" he barked, Luciel only able to watch in horror as four...six...eight?
Archers drew their bows waiting for the command to fire and execute the 'sabatour'. They looked unsure, wondering which of them would be the first to loose an arrow and give them a reason to. A few even looked to Brielle, aware of who she was and hopeful that she could shed some light on the issue since it was no secret that Derrick was a bit of a dick even to his fellow man.

@LadyinInk

@Ktyhrea
Adam nodded in return, although he had no idea what 'baking' was. "Poppy seed muffin?" he questioned, excited to see what that was. What would he do here? Perhaps cook, like this girl. 'This girl'. What to even call her? Oh! That was something humans did, right? They had names that they called each other by.
When the girl leaned closer, he blushed, and told him that she wasn't afraid of 'them', it took him a moment to recognize what she was talking about. Demons. Like him.
"Y-You're not?" he asked, surprised that a human was possible of not hating 'them'. Before he could continue to question her further, she told him to "Catch!", and threw him something. He caught it with amazing reflexes.
"Thanks," he said, looking at the roll. It emitted some heat in his hands, and he assumed this was the "baking" she had talked about. He brought it to his mouth, and took a bite.
The taste.... The warmth.... It seemed to melt in his mouth, and it was heaven.
"You made this?!" He asked, his mouth semi-full. He gave a small giggle, and swallowed the food. "This is...amazing! I haven't tasted something like this." Finally, he came back to the whole 'name thing'. "I-I'm Adam by the way."

Ysran walked the streets looking for someone selling clothes, or... something of the like. The closest thing he could find was a man selling robes, much like his, but in lighter colors. Lighter blues, a couple of pinks, even a green. He saw a few others wearing robes, and decided he'd blend in enough. If anybody asked, he'd just say he's a foreigner. But then there's the matter of his ears... Apparently half-breeds were shunned and hated. He himself wasn't a half-breed, but certain... exposures had changed him. With any luck, he could pass it off as a birth defect.

He leaned back against another wall, observing the humans once more. What else would he need to know? What about their diet? That may be useful. Looking around, the few that were eating seemed to be eating meats, cheeses, and breads, with the occasional fruit or vegetable. Hm... perhaps he could try interacting with someone? No, that would only raise suspicions. Better to let others start the interactions, and avoid direct questions. For now, he would need to continue his observations. There was much to learn.

Sparrow watches intently as the boy devours the muffin she had given him. "I'm glad you like it, Larra and I made those this morning," she explains. Grabbing a few more items from the main table she sets them on a plate and hands the food over to the boy and motions for him to sit at one of the empty tables. It seemed most were finishing up eating, and the realization that she would likely soon be called back to the kitchen to work on lunch dawned on her while the boy was saying his name.

"Everyone here calls me Sparrow," she replies, even though he hadn't asked for her name. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Adam, and I'm thrilled you're enjoying the food. I positively love baking." She pulls the small folded cloth from her dress pocket and sets it on the table, revealing the rest of a slice of bread and the cheese she hadn't quite finished earlier, as well as some nuts. She picks at her food, quieting down while she thinks of a way to get out of her afternoon duties.

"Would you like to go outside the city with me?" The words came suddenly out of her mouth and a toothy grin crosses her face. "I'm supposed to help prepare lunch soon, but if I wasn't actually here they couldn't make me work. Besides, I think I've earned a day off." Her eyes study Adam closely and she leans in his direction in anticipation of his response.

@GoodLuckTuck

"I only have produce..."

She blinked a few times, upon staring at the mutt inquisitively - Brielle lightly knew as to why he came to the Sanctuary. So she didn't care to futher question him. For the Villagers that hunted/guarded/dealt with newcomers - they were updated frequently on newcomers that were accepted into the village. King Dominick was a righteous man, he was kind and offered a hand of help to those in need - when others turned a blind eye. Unfortunately, due to Brielle's families circumstance's she disagreed with the King on these matters. Not seeing why they needed any Mutt's around. But because she was someone who guarded & aided the 'people', she saw it as her duty to protect everyone - regardless of species. The years of being a hunter and encountering Mutt's was certainly helping her get over her hatred. But the road to recovery was a very, very long one for her. Through the years - the King interviewed many Mutt's, and had them escorted through town. There has been few that no longer require escorts anymore - but of course there are always newcomers. These interviews merely @GoodLuckTuckdetermined if he saw them as whole-hearted, or truly demonic. So far, the King handn't been wrong about any he allowed to coexist with Sanctuary. Which in turn, was why Brielle tried to not be so hard on those she encountered. She stared at his outfit, not understanding how it came together or even could be taken off. The walk to the gate was silent, she could clearly feel a tension and wasn't exactly opposed to it. "Luciel.." She almost hummed, and nodded with affirmation.

"Goooood morning, Brie" Someone chirped, she gave a nod towards the Guard. He wasn't particularly her favorite - a stereotypical guard that abused the power he was given. "Good morning - Derrick," Brielle expressed a tight-lipped, unenthused smile. She looked to Luciel as he made a comment about her hunt being successful. She saw how uncomfortable his demeanor became as Derrick got in his, his face was twisted with what Brielle read as fear.

"I...I need a new trowel" His voice was so light, she felt it pull on her heartstring as irritation welled up for even feeling bad. Confliction weighed in. She did nothing though, but watch it all unfold. She was giving a test of her own, to see how this Mutt would react back.

Brielle grimaced though as she saw Derrick's personality in full force, her eyes left the two for a moment and skimmed the area. Noticing it was causing a small commotion from the morning crowd of beggars, rising village dwellers, and shop owners setting up for the day. "Derrick...maybe you should calm down," She said. A few familiar faces making eye contact with her, as the scenario unfolded, she felt her heart start to race. The boy's shrill shriek brought her view back to the two, he was basically pleading for his life now - in that moment she decided he had no ill intentions. Instinctively she drew an arrow from its holder on her back, and quickly armed her bow - pointing it directly at Derricks face. She surprised herself in doing this 'Well, I have to follow through now..'

The arrow quivered for a moment, she wasn't the best with confrontation. "There should never be a day, that one should have point their weapon on their fellow comrade..." She barked loudly, "Pick up your stuff..." Her gaze shifted to Lucile, nodding towards the things Derrick had ever so kindly made a mess of. "We allllll know, Derrick, the King wouldn't approve of this. Regardless if we do, or not..." She gritted her teeth, a little bit of anger welling up for sticking up for a Mutt. But at the same time, she couldn't condone his actions. She lowered her Bow as Derrick reacted.

"H-He's being escorted, by me. Inside. And will be under my watch for the day. Touch him, I'll shoot you - we all know I don't miss". She made this threat out to everybody in the immediate area. That was the truth, the same could not be said about her close range fighting though. She walked forward past Derrick into the Sanctuary, turning back and crossing her arms as she locked gazes with Derrick again angrily. "Come on," She ordered to Lucile, her eyes still locked with the stubborn guard. "Goran is gonna be pleased to hear about this...." She stuck her tongue out, spun around on her heel and walked further inside.

@Hawlin
@Ktyhrea@Lord Orgasmo@GoodLuckTuck(if you want to join in)

With the call for archers, Luciel had lowered himself, folding his plated fingers and closing his eyes and quickly whispering a soft prayer of "Dimisi juxta verbum Domini. Ego sum." Meanwhile, Derrick had made to leave but was caught in mid gesture for Brielle to follow by the creak of a bow. Turning his head, he waved his hand to dismiss the archers while listening to her defend the mutt. "Whaaat? Come on, I wasn't going to make them shoot the beast" he groaned, rolling his eyes with an exasperated shrug and a tilt of his head in mild amusement but ultimately disappointment that swinging authority around hadn't been enough to reel the woman in.
Regardless of Brielle's command to pick up his things, Luciel remained where he was. Seeing the lack of motion from the figure, Derrick scoffed and dropped the other bag, letting a few potatoes spill out since the mutt obviously wasn't going to react the way he'd hoped. "I'm not the one with a weapon drawn on a comrade" he hissed, narrowing his eyes for a second. Turning his head, slightly, he took note of the audience before barking, "That thing still has no place here!" and storming off, refusing to acknowledge the threat of Goran being told of the incident save for a dismissive wave. Derrick was confident that little would come of it other than a stern talking to since trained humans in fighting condition weren't something to simply discard.
Such was the state of the world where even the uncouth had their purpose.

Soon after he left, Luciel looked up and then to Brielle without a word. Quickly, he collected the spilled goods and loaded himself back up with the bags. All in all, it went a bit smoother than usual since the guards normally took his supplies, bags and all. Whoever the woman who stood up for him was, she was certainly cut from a different cloth. "Suns save you, miss" Luciel offered with a deep bow, thankful she turned away to lead him into town. Adrenaline wracked his thoughts and instinct had edged out a slight edge to the claws on his shaking hands. Following closely, he readjusted the bear-head of his cloak to hopefully look a bit less conspicuous before returning his hands to their folded state around the silver of his necklace.
His grip on the metal stilled the tongue that lashed behind clenched teeth, a side of him thrilled by the experience and howling damning thoughts of peeling the man's flesh from his bones. The howls of instinct grew in vividness, though softened in strength like a daydream he fought to wake himself from. Practice eased the process, and his thoughts returned to his surroundings and the alluring aroma from the mess hall that wafted through the town.

The eyes of onlookers drawn by the commotion were a bit much for him, used to living a solitary life outside the walls. "Fair miss. Somewhere I can leave these? I do not need tools if I am overstaying my welcome" Luciel explained, giving her a reason to cut his visit short since he was still understandably worried about the guard at the gate and how many more in the crowd or walking the streets might be like him. He almost jumped with a sudden realization, looking up as his voice gained purchase to say, "Pardon! Fair miss, I...was never told your name."

@LadyinInk

@Ktyhrea
She handed the plate to Adam, and then motioned for him to sit down. He did, wondering what more there was to human life than muffins. "Spare-oh," he mumbled out loud to himself, testing out the name. When she told him he loved baking, he was glad to know he was correct on what 'baking' was. He continued to eat what she had put on his plate, and watched as she ate some food too. He wondered what she was eating, because it sure looked different than what was on his plate. It was quiet between them as they ate, and Adam wondered if he should say something.

Humans converse words during meals, right? I think that's something I learned. But what to say? Before he had the chance to come up with something, she blurted out some words.
"Would you like to go outside the city with me?"
Adam's eyes widened a little bit. He had just gotten away from 'outside the city', and now he was wondering what more there was to 'inside the city'. When she leaned in a bit closer, a smile crept on to Adam's face.
There was something about this girl.... It was like she made him rethink everything. Like she could convince him she was better to hang out with than do what he wanted on his own. It was being with someone else rather than...what's the word? Alone.

Alone was no fun, and so Adam nodded. "Anything to get you out of work," he agreed, a grin still stuck on his face.

Eden walks into the dining facility, the smell of the early bird morning meals engulfs him in its cloud as he enters. He inhales and exhales deeply taking in all the scents at once and begins to make his way over to Sparrow, one of the cooks he's familiar with.

"Hey Sparrow, you got anything special for me this morning? I gotta go to work soon and I need a quick bite."

@ktyhrea