[indent] [/indent][h3][hr][color=Tan]Ferris Talese[/color][/h3][hr][sup][i][@Pezz570][@HokumPocus][/i][/sup][indent] [/indent]
As Ferris had predicted, his teammates took the news of his paranoia without much of a problem. While he was grateful for Octavio’s comment, giving the man a nod after he spoke, Ferris had expected a reaction like Chres’: wordless acceptance, since there was nothing good about his magic-induced flaw. Though Ferris wasn’t ashamed of it because he was, as he’d said, largely able to control it, he also wasn’t proud of it. There were instances in the past he’d regretted, of course, and sometimes the paranoia yielded thoughts he was unable to shake. Being a lone wolf suited him well in these cases since relationships weren’t built on broken foundations.

Lynx introducing himself wasn’t surprising for Ferris because the hunter hadn’t given a thought as to whether the familiar could speak. From experience, he knew that most could, and the few that couldn’t were often still able to communicate with their holder mentally. In this case, however, Ferris was clued into the fact that this should be surprising by the Lynx’s word choice and by how Chres responded, turning to the familiar with a mixture of surprise and unease. His expression made Ferris do a double-take at the Lynx as well since Ferris had been prepared to brush the situation off entirely. Throughout his life, he’d met many a strange or secretive familiar. Some held their tongue to spy and blend in with the natural fauna while others pretended only to have one form to work subterfuge in a similar way. All this only fueled Ferris’ general dislike for familiars since it was due to their existence that he had to wield caution regularly, and he wouldn’t be surprised if either familiar he’d met was hiding a secret form or two.

At this point, Ferris was aware that his thoughts had drifted into the usual territory of second-guessing his teammates, and he decided he’d stop it there. It was a thin line between being watchful and distrustful, and the second required proof that Ferris didn’t have. Instead, Ferris chose to turn his attention to Octavio, watching the man whose familiar was speaking. Personally, Ferris wasn’t too keen on treating Lynx as an equal since familiars were always an extension of their holders, yet here was a familiar asking such of him. Perhaps he’d best play along, at least for now, as he didn’t want to stir up trouble over a minor issue. 

The silence, though, was broken by Lynx asserting his opinion on the matter of his tail, and Ferris watched blandly as Sil went back and forth with Chres in what was assumedly a half mental, half vocal conversation before Chres started voicing his thoughts. Thankfully, Sil seemed rather easy to read, at least when she wasn’t trying. His eyes wandered off to their surroundings, though his attention was drawn up with his teammates when a voice spoke down to them. Drawing a hand up to his mask to loosen it, he breathed in, trying to pick out the scent that hadn’t been there before. There was the usual stench of the city underbellies as well as the placeable scents of his companions and their familiars, but otherwise the vulture familiar’s metallic scent failed to stand out, be that due to the direction of the wind or the vulture’s position. Considering that the familiar had chosen to out itself, Ferris doubted it was a threat, and that the vulture chose to take up a dialogue with Sil further convinced him of this. 

[color=Tan]“Whose familiar are you, Talon? And why have you sought us out?”[/color] he asked, hoping to redirect the conversation in a more useful direction. A glance at the door behind which the innkeeper disappeared told Ferris that the scared man had yet to return, and Ferris wondered whether things were amiss.