Axley wasn't usually a particularly touchy person, so when she suddenly found the churchman softly nestled in her own arms, feeling the gentle touch of his own around her, it took a moment of blinking to rightly focus herself. As a bard, she'd entertained drunken souls many a time, and some men were quite...affectionate when inebriated, to say the utmost least. Still, this was different. Snow's touch was surprisingly gentle and even respectful, far removed from the 'hugs' she'd gotten to know. It took a moment for Axley to adjust to the feeling of someone who truly cared to be embracing her, and by the time she had prepared herself to return it, it had already left her. Axley was left with a mildly perplexed look on her face and little else.

As Fergus decided pleasantries were in order, Axley opened her mouth to speak before the barrister immediately jumped into his own background. Axley listened quietly, figuring perhaps she should not be so eager to introduce herself. After all, her own past was quite shady and filled with darkness and embarrassment. Though...she highly doubted Snow would judge her, and if the world was going to shit, it wasn't like family names meant anything beyond connections...of which Axley currently had none. She hadn't shared her past with Cilia or even with Snow; whenever they had spoken of where she came from or why, she would clam up immediately and try to shoo them away in humility. Now...well, it wasn't like there was anything she was holding at stake anymore.

She didn't listen to Cilia or Snow quite as closely as she had Fergus, considering she already knew their backgrounds by and large. She had assumed she was the one of the most prestigious descent, though it seemed Fergus came from a rather pedigreed line of his own. It made her feel a little better...though her family had certainly fallen much further. She waited for Snow's slightly painful recounting of his past to come to a close before she took a glance around. "Guess I'm the only one left." Axley closed her eyes for a moment, sighing and taking a deep breath. She'd never shared what she was about to speak. She wasn't even sure Snow and Cilia knew her last name....

"My name is Axley Crawford. I doubt either of you two recognize that name, but the more politically and financially learned of the four of us might recognize the surname." Axley's eyes flashed to Fergus for a moment; just how much would he know? Her home had been quite some distance from the Imperial Ruins, and her family hadn't had ground-shaking clout, but they were still a well-known and wealthy merchant family before the incident. "I was born your typical lower-ranking noble's girl. Taught to read and write, picked up an appealing hobby, trained in music...you know, what merchants do when they're trying to get their daughters to marry for political gain." Axley had to bite her tongue from saying more; she'd come to many realizations of her father's desire for power and corruption, but those were saved for a later time.

"But the Crawford's fortune was not all...honestly earned. It used to be, back before my birth, so I was told, but once a child rearing was brought into the mix, my father began to grow greedy. He didn't want to have to spend significant funds on raising a child, but having one was oh so good for his public image." The biting sarcasm in Axley's voice was prominent, though her restraint was noticeable. "The mob got involved. I don't know the details, but it seemed as though whenever my father wished to get a commission, searched for a political foothold, he would always suspiciously have his roadblocks cleared for him. A little blackmailing here, a bit of strongarming there...and one murder."

Axley tried to gloss over that moment as best she could; she'd managed to track down the family of the man, the barrister, who her father had put a hit on, but couldn't force herself to try and contact them; there was no guarantee they wouldn't seek her arrest by association. "But that one murder had a heavy cost. The mob began to threaten my father, demand more and more of the ill-gotten fortune he'd amassed. And rather than cave to the stronger group's demands, he stood firm. Why, I'll never know...but one day I woke up to my home burning to the ground. I barely managed to make it out with my life and what little I could grab around me. The rest...it was gone. By the time I'd returned after I'd escaped, the place had been looted of any valuables that remained. My parents...didn't make it."

"With no fortune left and an embarrassment of my family and home my only legacy, I decided to start completely new and took the first ship away to new locales...and that's how I ended up here." Snow knew the rest, but she trusted him not to mention her struggles, her poverty before she had met him. She didn't need to demoralize herself any more than the day had already.

Cilia listened intently to what people were saying and watching their body language. She had learned that how people moved tells you more than their words many time. She knew when someone was going to try to hurt someone long before the arm moved to strike. What struck her was how different they were and how much alike. Each of them was carrying some badge of shame from the past and it was defining them. No matter how much she learned from her dogs that what happened in the past does not mater, you learn from it and move on. She found it hard to live that way.

Fegus was a noble and after cracking his head on the rock,he was human. She doubted that he would bring charges against her. But she didn't find his humor as funny as he did. She decided money wasn't as important to him as was his pride and sense of duty. It had taken a while to think that maybe he had a hard time with emotional women worried about things that were not important to him at the time. She would have seemed flighty. But being around a Barrister was a scary thing. Many street people had lost hands or heads due to these encounters. This one wasn't that scarry, he made it clear that he didn't want to be mothered either.

Snow was two people at the same time. There was the Snow she knew - kind, compassionate, generous, forgiving, and protective. This was the one who helped her get the clothes on her back. Then there was the ridged Snow, the one that keeled before them to tell his story. This is the Snow she saw when he was teaching young women to defend themselves and boys that had the makings to be guards. This was the Snow that went to save people from the evils of the world, that carried a body back that had been killed. Cilia had been on the receiving end of his sternness once for going into a burned warehouse that was still smoking, after he had told her not to. In her eyes' Snow's life had been far from boring at his temple. He was always doing things and some of it was fairly heroic. She did not know much about battling spirits. She was amazed to hear that he did not like people telling him what to do. But, it made it clearer the number of times that he suggested to people they make a different choice rather than a harsh don't do that. She would have to listen to that differently when he said that to her.

Axley was one that did not like to much physical touch. Axley would let you touch her arm or hand. She had given little children at the temple hugs when they were crying, then quietly sing for them. She also knew the Crawford name from her childhood. She had heard stories about a merchant that came to the port to pickup goods and enjoy himself. But they were stories of her childhood at the brothel and they were all jumbled up in her head. Spending the time straightening them out and sharing them with Axley would not serve any good, she thought. It wouldn't bee good for her either. She was trying to remember the merchant that attacked her and left her for dead. It was not a good first experience and is large part of the reason that Cilia tries to stay busy and care for people. The thought that maybe she and Axley might even be half-sisters or cousins entered her mind. She had guessed that Axley knew the streets or poverty because she was around Snow and his flock. But she was determined and was overcoming the obstacles of life. She had talent that let her rise up. Her father was right in teaching her music as it gave her options.

She pulled her knees up and hugged them letting her hair fall around her like a shield. The nightmare of being raped would come again and she would have to fight it.

"Well aren't we just a motley crew of survivors? A lawyer from a patrician family. A street urchin, no offense intended to you Cilia. An Immaculate Monk who gave up on the order. And a merchant princess who lost it all." Had they not just escaped almost certain death... TWICE... Fergus would have laughed at the prospect of being grouped up with his current associates. Not so much at the fact they were of 'lower standing' so much as that the odds were just absurd. And yet here he was, sharing stories with them as they all came to terms with their lives being turned upside down. "I suppose we should all count ourselves lucky, yes? Sure, we may have lost a lot today... but at least we have our health."



Cackling Harlot's Retribution was contemplating which settlement to take next. Something close but with lower population? A bit further away that would need another Soulbreaker? She could not use those thoughtlessly, after all. Yes, Mask of Winters had amassed a large number of them. That did not mean they could be used indiscriminately, however. They were still a finite resource. It was then that she decided to make camp for a short time, if only to discuss it with the undead officers who accompanied her.

"I think a few smaller towns should suffice before we cross the sea to Pangu Prefecture. After all, the shadowland made by our assault on the Imperial Ruins..." Cackling Harlot still hated referring to them as such, as she had always wanted to see the Imperial Palace when she was a girl. And now that she was finally able to, it was only to utterly destroy the place. Bittersweet, to say the least. "... will grow to be quite large. If Master Winters' calculations are accurate, far outside the radius of the Soulbreaker. Only minimal casualties will be needed to extend its reach northward."

The officers with her seemed to agree, and they began packing up their camp as Cackling Harlot took a quick bath in the river. While putting her clothes and armor back on, she noticed an odd taste in her mouth. Spitting on the ground, she found it was a small amount of blood from a recent feeding. "Ah, right. I got a bit carried away with that one. I should thank him if I ever run into him again. Though for his sake, I hope I never get that chance." She laughed for a moment, thinking how even now she was not used to feeding on people like that. Would she ever get used to it? Would she eventually grow numb to it? Would it always bother her? Questions for later. Now, she resumed her campaign to bring Mask of Winters' plan to fruition.



The night had been kind to the four survivors of the Imperial Ruins. No bandits, dangerous animals, or undead stragglers had come across them as they slept. Fergus was a bit annoyed at having to wake up in the middle of the night to go on watch, but he knew why it was necessary. And now they had to move on. It was a very long way to Lord's Crossing, but they needed to make the trek if they wanted to mount any sort of organized defense against Mask of Winters.

"There should be a city or town to the northwest. We're not far from the Imperial River, after all. Stupid dynasts had to name everything around here Imperial this, Imperial that... dumbasses." The second half of that was unintentionally spoken aloud, but at this point Fergus didn't care. Who was going to yell at him for talking down on the Great Houses right now? No one. "We can buy some supplies, get a real meal, and maybe even secure some transportation inland. Not like I'm lacking for money to buy things for us, right?" Truly, it was a bit of a blessing that Fergus had brought some of his wealth with him to buy frivolous things after work that day.

As the four survivors put out the fire and packed their belongings for the long walk to the Imperial River, Fergus caught sight of something roughly human-shaped on the other side of the stream they camped next to. Given the day they had yesterday, he was visibly nervous. "Oi, you! Come out! We're all armed, and we're not afraid to kill you if you try anything funny!" He didn't WANT to do that, but current circumstances dictated that he place the survival of himself and associates above the survival of others.

---

Just... fuck!

Sasuke was having a bad day as it was. He'd survived some messed up crap in his life up until this point, but that one took the cake. The Lintha from his childhood, the Stormcrows' attack on the Imperial Ruins, and even his life as an infamous arms dealer didn't stack up to this moment. He had gotten out of the city right on time for whatever-that-was to go off right behind him. If it wasn't for that horse (may she rest in peace), Sasuke would be just as dead as half the shit that had attacked him on his way out. Said horse wasn't even half a mile behind him, but he knew that horse or no horse, he had to get the hell out of there.

He arrived at a large tree near the river. Taking advantage of the shade, he decided to stop running for his life for a few precious minutes and take a break. He took stock of his situation. He counted up his tools and arms, and everything was still there. He went through his several pockets and pouches he kept underneath the set of clothes that hid his armor. His scrip was still there -- all three quian, including small bills. It was too bad he didn't get around to buying that extra throwing knife. It would have fetched twice its asking price on the collector's market. Now's not the time to think about that, though.

Sasuke knew exactly how much rations he had with him. He lacked a bow now, so he knew hunting was going to get rough real fast, especially in this highly populated region. (Well, highly populated until this morning, at any rate.) He had his rope and his tomahawk, but those only had a short reach. The best he could do was keep following the river and get to Lord's Crossing to restock on rations, warn the town, and get the hell out. Because that's where any general worth his salt will attack next, and there's no way to defend against shit like that. It was the stuff of fairy tales and nightmares, and he wanted no more part of it. He had enough of nightmares between his captivity under the Lintha and the Scarlet War that followed.

No sooner than he reached the river, he ran into another person. A survivor? Oh... fuck. Survivors don't wear full plate armor unfit for running for your life in, never mind stroll around as if they own the place. Not unless they're the ones burning down the very city that's right the hell next to them. There was no avoiding this one; Sasuke could feel that in his bones. He had his back to the river, and the figure was closing in. For the third time in his life, escape was impossible; he'd have to somehow fight and survive this battle as well. He was already one for one, and he was hoping to put a mark in his favor on the scoreboard.

He immediately readied his sword. Forget the tomahawk. It wouldn't do shit to her at this range, and both it and his knife would just bounce off that armor, which was better than any he'd seen in years, if he knew anything about armor. And forget punching her. The best he knew he could do with his knuckles was aim for the face and hope he had one hell of a lucky left hook. And the owner of said high-quality armor? Haunting beauty, strange mark on her forehead... he'd heard stories about those sort of people. For the first time since he could remember, he prayed he was wrong. This definitely wasn't a friendly face.

"Who goes?" Sasuke called out in hopes that his counterpart wasn't an enemy. He planted his feet on the ground anyway and pointed his blade at the ground, as ready for the worst as he could be.

There was no answer, and the figure got to within a stone's throw away from him. Eventually, she got closer and noticed Sasuke standing firm, sword drawn and pointed downward, in an obvious sign that he wasn't yet willing to commit mindlessly to a fight. It was then that his worst fears were realized: she was one of those "Anathema" from the stories, and there was no doubt she was an enemy. "You sure you want to do that?" The woman kept her words short, and at least did her opponent the courtesy of waiting for a reply.

"I would rather not be captured, thank you very much. I've gone through that routine once already. I'm not sure if you could relate, but it was a supremely painful experience for me the last time, and I'd rather not have to do it again." Sasuke continued to stand his ground with his blade pointed down. He knew full well that he was going to lose this fight and most likely die a painful death. Still, it was better than getting captured, tortured for information, and dying even more painfully by execution instead. Truly a nasty way to go, but at least he'd rather choose his pain. "I hate to be rude, but it's probably better for both of us if we just get this over with."

She shrugged, and drew her own sword: a large, black monstrosity that looked like it'd knock a horse's head off in one swing. "Have it your way." Almost before Sasuke knew it, the fight was on. Her blows felt like she was swinging a whole damn mountain at him every time... and was that thing moaning!? Although the exchange of blows was brief, it was fierce. It was all he could do to parry her attacks, never mind find an opening of any sort. It was the first time he had used his katana in such a high-stakes fight, and he was surprised the thing still held up against his monstrous foe's onslaught. It was plain to see that she was strong as hell, and she had clearly studied how to use her power. In short, Sasuke either had to give it all he had or die trying.

"You've got some sweet moves. You use that sword well, but have a taste of this!" As Sasuke was finally about to land a decent blow... she was gone. The very next instant, she was right behind him, getting ready to cleave him in two from behind. With no time to react, he employed his favorite trick for backstabbers: He twisted his wrist, brought the sword over his back, and braced the blunt edge on his back to block the attack.

Sasuke's stunt worked like a charm, but that strike of hers still hurt like a bitch. He felt the force of the impact right through the breastplate, and it jarred him completely. He had no chance of blocking the kick she'd launched at the same time. As impossible as it seemed, this one hit from the front. As much as Sasuke would have liked to punch her leg away, it moved way too fast, and hit him square in the chest. If it weren't for the armor, he knew he's be dead meat right then and there. Instead... he got knocked out by the whiplash caused by the impact.

When he came to a couple minutes later, he was sitting up against the very tree he was resting under nearby before their fight. He noticed that his sword was barely out of his reach, right where he'd dropped it when he got knocked out, but hers? Well, it was pointed right at his throat. Well, this can't get any better. It was clear that he lost, and the woman wasted no time in getting things over with. "Oh, you're awake? That was a quick nap. I like you, so I'll give you a choice. I'll let you go, but I need just a little blood from you as the price of your freedom. Deal?"

Sasuke was still dazed from that last bash to his chest. His armor thankfully didn't take much of a beating, so it was plain to see she (thankfully) wasn't out to kill him outright. Then, there was this bizarre offer to top this strangeness off. Either way, he couldn't move much at all after that mess, especially with the raging headache. At least he won his enemy's respect enough to be offered his freedom, even if for a modest price. "Deal. Just do what you've gotta do. Before you do, what's your name?"

"Cackling Harlot's Retribution. Yours?" She was already taking off her gauntlets, presumably to grab a knife or something. At this point, Sasuke hardly cared. As for her name, he was surprised to hear a title of sorts instead... it was odd to say the least, but Sasuke knew that somehow, it fit her completely just as much as any normal name possibly could.

"Sasuke Stormwind. Thanks for an excellent fight." Before he could say anything else, she was already up close, holding him securely so that he wouldn't try anything stupid... and biting his neck. He wasn't used to women at all, so that was easily the strangest thing that happened in this strange day. He had gone through fighting dead shit, getting out of the Ruins, seeing that massive beast crawl from the sea off in the distance, and a big ass shadow cover the whole city... and now he was getting a hicky from a person straight out of the storybooks right after they'd just tried to kill each other. It was over before he knew it: a strange ass end to one strange ass day.

"Thanks for the business!" With that, she didn't waste time in walking off and leaving Sasuke to continue leaning against the tree. It was plain she didn't really give a crap about him anymore, and Sasuke was okay with that. At least he could rest until the sun went down, knowing he'd get to live and fight another day.

---

Sasuke had already lost track of how much time he was sitting under that tree, but he knew it was time to move as fast as his legs could carry him. He had retrieved his sword as soon as he could and returned it to its sheath. If it could help him stand up to someone like that, it was definitely worth keeping at all costs. It was a sword truly worthy of a name, but he still couldn't come up with a good one for the life of him. Putting the matter off, he continued to press onwards and make up for the time lost getting his ass kicked back there.

He immediately continued following the river's course and set off to the west. Around halfway down, he followed a branching stream so that he could stick close to water as he headed deeper inland. He had walked for some three hours when he saw lights off in the distance: most likely, a campfire. He knew from personal experience that bandits didn't randomly light campfires this close to the road, which he was certain wasn't too far from their position. Steeling himself, he moved slowly to investigate, when he heard a voice off in the distance called out:

"Oi, you! Come out! We're all armed, and we're not afraid to kill you if you try anything funny!"

Clearly not a bandit. Way too nervous to be any sort of fighting man, either. He must be an actual survivor. Sasuke gave it a moment to think, and decided to take a chance with this stranger. True to his habit of not trusting others, though, he made sure he could whip out his sword at moment's notice. They were supposedly armed, after all. Whatever that meant.

"I'm not here to rob you. I'm Sasuke Stormwind. Are you a survivor from the Ruins as well?"

Axley was used to sleeping on the streets. Before she had found Snow and gotten his help to get back on her feet, there had been a corner right on the outskirts of the market district that she had called her home. She was used to terrible sleeping conditions...and was just as used to being rudely awoken in the middle of the night. Not that she enjoyed any of it for a moment, of course; when it was her turn to go on watch for the night, she grumbled as unhappily as anyone else would. But she at least knew she wouldn't pass out on the job. Thankfully, it seemed whatever army still remained within the Soulbreaker Orb's radius was either not headed their way or still deciding on what to do next, as their night went thankfully uninterrupted. Thank the gods for that.

Axley was the one who had the final watch before they moved on, so she was more than prepared to move as everyone else woke up with the dawn's light. She quietly urged everyone on, still wanting to be absolutely nowhere near the Imperial Rubble lest they find the undead horde moving out without being prepared. She had spent plenty of time inspecting her ceremonial sword; despite her sparing use and precious care of the blade, she could tell the weapon was beginning to fall apart. She had no idea how much longer she would be able to keep the blade intact; maybe if they got to Lord's Crossing, she could find some way to leech some money off of Fergus to get it reforged. She'd have up and gotten a new one entirely, but considering it was one of only two links to her past she knew of, it held quite a fair bit of sentimental value to the bard. Memories of a life long gone now, stored deep within the slightly tarnished metal and wood varnish of her lute. Memories of a life now two 'lives' removed. First a noble, then a street urchin, now a refugee.

As the group began to head out, Fergus called out to someone-or something-he spotted on the other side of the stream they were going to follow. Axley had had her mind on what would happen when they got to Lord's Crossing; she hadn't been on watch, and she chastised herself for her wandering mind. But if they were truly going to be accosted so soon after their harrowing escape, Axley was prepared to simply put whoever it was that would challenge them in the ground. She had had enough combat and running for her life to last several lifetimes, all in the span of a few hours. If they were going to have to do it all over again...

...

...wait.

Wait.

Axley knew that name. And given the unique surname, she knew there was no way it was some mere coincidental case of mistaken identity. Though given what background she knew of the man, it would be no surprise that he of all people would survive the carnage...it still was more of a surprise than Axley was looking for. Why did everything all have to happen at once? She'd thought she'd never see him again after she left her home behind....left everything behind. And yet...he was a survivor as well.

Would he even recognize her? It had been over two years now. She turned to Fergus and the rest of her ragtag group, a strangely nervous and apprehensive look on her face. "It's fine. I...know him. Er...knew him." Axley bit her lip awkwardly. How was she going to approach this? Given their interactions in the past...she didn't know how much he knew about her father's intentions, but if he had caught on at all...

"Survivor is one way of putting it, I guess." Axley took charge, doing her best not to sound nervous. She wondered if he'd even recognize her. "We're trying to get to Lord's Crossing so we can regroup and try to make sense of all this mess." That was the gist of their plan, anyways. She turned back to Fergus, Snow, and Cilia. "Sasuke is a very accomplished warrior, as I remember. We'd be in a much safer position if he came along with us." That was spoken with a little bit of bile in her mouth. Strategically, yes, it made perfect sense, but for Axley, it was going to be a nightmare. How would she be able to speak with him...? Surely he knew of her family's corruption now...

Cilia rubbed legs to try to get them to relax. Sleep had helped but, she was still not use to running that much. Now her mind was racing like a three-year-old on sugar.

At the call and response occurred with the stranger as they prepared for the day's journey, Cilia was ready to quail. This was becoming a more natural response to the world. Then Axley's comments were not purely glowing in a positive way did not help. Because of the circles that Axley worked in, this one could be anyone from a womanizer, a conman, a cheat. or a crappy tipper. Heck! It could be even worse a former boyfriend. If that was the case, Cilia would take Axley's side and give him the cold shoulder too. Men do not understand and had a different view of these things.

On the other hand, she was excited to have another warrior for their group. Maybe he could teach her something or even better he might have a book on him. If he had a book and was Axley's ex, she would have to think about the situation.

As she got closer to the stranger, she looked at him intently, trying to judge what she thought. She liked the pockets, lots of places to put stuff. Women's clothing doesn't have enough pockets she thought. It also made her think that he had a lot of secrets he was trying to hide or maybe he had poison in one of those pockets. She wanted to get closer to see his stuff. Maybe, he would have a bow or a crossbow. She could learn to shoot that.
They really needed one as the Jerky wasn't going to last. She would have to ask if he knew how to tie a rabbit snare, she was going to ask Snow and forgot. The fresh meat would lift their spirits. The new comer had his hand near his sword meaning he was ready from trouble and he wasn't sure if he trusted them. It was okay, she wasn't sure if she trusted him yet either.

She moved off a little in a flanking motion still a ways away looking like she was checking for rabbit tracks, which she was. But she also watche watched Fergus, Snow, Axley, and Sasuke Stormwind. Interested in how this interaction was going to go.

Snow offered himself for the second shift. The dead of night and to be honest, he didn't sleep until after his shift. He tried. He tried to think back to sleeping on the stone floor at the monastery or in the mud during the war. Compared to that, sleeping in the wild, buried in his robes, soft grass under his back and head, it might as well be a warm bed. But he couldn't. Too much thought on the mind. Too much to consider. He had understood where everyone came from and just like him, he didn't mind or care the previous sin. They were his flock. Redemption was but a kind word and selfless service away. He tried to offer the good to them, and if none were in the past they were in the present, the future. Their health. Well it was a start.

He spent his watch shift in meditation, breathing excercises. He did on occasion, go back to the Texts. The parts he believed in. The parts of Creation, the Dragons, Lethe, and the Perfected Hierarchy. He focused on letting go, focused on the here and now. Cilia, Axley, now Fergus. He watched them sleep. He swore he would try to make it right for them. Safe for them as long as he could. He muttered the prayers in a sing song voice. Axley taught him that the world is still beautiful. Cilia taught him strength despite it all. Fergus taught him that the most important thing is to find a reason to smile. They were his reason.

---

He had gathered his things. His walking staff out for the road ahead, and for protection. The Dragons gave them a peaceful night, and hopefully a peaceful day. "Unconquered Sun, keep shining upon this day." The Immaculate Order was not so foolish to not greet the sun and moon. "Dragons watch over us." He said in prayer. He cast a bit of incense into the wind to lay upon the skin of Sextis Jylis, The Dragon of Wood. He then looked to his group. "Another long day." He grinned. "Good thing I remembered some song to make the trip a little-"

Fergus raised the alarm, Snow gripped his staff and prepared to enter into a stance...

A soldier it seemed. He gave the name and immediately he proved himself among the living. A great sign. Even before Axley gave his blessing Snow seemed relieved. "Nice of him to open with his intentions." He kept his staff heavy but he was ready to give the man the benefit of the doubt after Axley cleared him. "A former friend is a friend in these times."he commented ready to take a stand, get close. Cilia was already looking out for them. He approached with an open palm to his chest, ready to bow. "Fear not Lord Stormwind, you are among friends he-"

Snow stopped in his tracks as his eyes narrowed, looking at an odd wound on the mans neck, it brought back memories. Grisly sights and he had long since know what they meant. He recoiled, his staff now in both hands. "That- that wound on you neck. How did you-?" He stepped back and entered a defensive posture. His eyes narrowed and his posture stiff. "I know bites like that. During the war, we'd find corpses with their blood drained. The only wound was two teeth marks. You met the enemy. You met them and you're still alive? Why?"

Cilia moved closer to Fergus to get his opinion on what was going on and to try to learn about where they were going. “Fergus...” she asked quietly, “... do you know who he is?” She figured that Barrister knew anyone who had money and a family name.

After the atrocities they had all witnessed the day prior, Fergus was still on pins and needles. Cilia's question snapped him back from his internal musings about how this guy might be a bandit. Rather than answer right away, he took a few moments to eye over the newcomer. Fergus had seen those symbols before. "Well I'll be the spawn of anathema. He's from House Tepet. Mnemon might be the house of the current Empress, but Tepet has the military might. If he's friendly, we may have just lucked out." Of course... that was a big if. Especially given the past twenty-four hours.

To this, Cilia nodded with a little understanding. Most of the house politics that she knew came from her mother’s work, entertaining the men who came to the port to trade, make deals, and other things men tend to do. The politics that Fergus talked about was above her. But she agreed that having the military on their side would be good. As the wind started to blow a bit, she pulled her hair around to start braiding it for the day. She made it look easy as she put it into a tail of sorts. “Fergus, what is the place we are heading to like?”

While she may not have said much, Cilia at least seemed to agree with the general gist of what Fergus had said. Then she asked about Lord's Crossing, and what it was like. "It's actually fairly similar to what the ruins were like before the war, if you happened to see any pictures of it in books. I know you might be too young to remember the old Imperial City, but yeah. A bit smaller, to be honest. Though it is still fairly similar." He didn't yet want to tell her just how far away it was. Knowing the distance might be a little demoralizing at this point in time.

She looked at him and smiled a little bit. She wasn’t sure if the “fairly similar” was a good thing or not. “Hmm” she said with a little bit of apprehension and paused. She said, “I thought those things from yesterday were just in nightmares and stories told to get children to behave. I was glad to have all of you there to keep me going.” She pondered, “I wish I grabbed some proof so we could show something other than our word.” She knew that she would not be considered a credible witness on something this grave.

Fergus conceded a little bit to Cilia's opinion on the undead horde. " Yeah, so did a lot of folks. Even a lot of survivors from the war figured they were all wiped out by the Fair Folk once we gave them most of Creation. Hell, even I thought that. Shows how much I know, huh?" Almost as if in response to her mention of credible proof, Snow commented on the Tepet man having met "the enemy" and survived. From this far away, Fergus had no clue HOW Snow knew that... but he doubted the monk would lie about such a thing. "Well... maybe we just got that proof you asked for. By all the dragons, this is just... I don't even know what to think about the last day or so."

Cilia watched Fergus and his reaction to hearing Snow talk about “meeting the enemy and survived.” She said with a little worry in her voice, “I guess, there is a lot that we all are needing to learn.” She knew that Fergus was now going to be drawn into the other conversation. She would follow.

---

So far, Sasuke’s chance encounter with the group seemed to be going as smoothly as he expected it to. An alert stance from everyone present, a brief moment of tension, and then a voice of reason in the form of a monk… with hair!?

The moment of relief as fleeting, though: The same monk who had stepped forward with a friendly voice got into a fighting stance out of nowhere. "I know bites like that. During the war, we'd find corpses with their blood drained. The only wound was two teeth marks. You met the enemy. You met them and you're still alive? Why?"

Sasuke saw the man enter a defensive posture, but kept his cool and retained the same alert stance as before, just in case. It was a long day for all of them already, so he could understand the tension flying around. It didn’t mean he had to be nice about it, though. ”I met an Abyssal on my way out of this Gods-forsaken ruin. I had my back to the river, so I decided to fight. Long story short, I lost but somehow got away with it. In exchange, I got this annoying ass mark on my neck as a souvenir.”

Sasuke wanted to make one final thing clear, though: ”Oh, and one last thing: If I really were an enemy, I would have just attacked you already. But I haven’t, so what’s the point of all this posturing?” Sasuke could understand the monk’s ignorance of military strategy, especially in this situation. Any spy worth his salt would have done their best to keep word of this attack from getting out. It was plain that whoever destroyed this city wanted it done fast, so that they could keep the momentum going. Sasuke had no idea what they had to gain by destroying a city rather than conquering it, but he could figure out that mess later.

While Sasuke waited for the monk’s reply, he took a much closer look around the encampment to assess the others in that group. The sun was coming up fast now, and he could now see the finer details. Only one person in the group had a sword. Even then, that sword looked too ornately decorated to randomly take into battle. The decorations and crests on the scabbard were clearly faded, but they still looked somehow familiar.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes and laser-focused his attention in that direction… and tasted bile. Either I’m crazy or this is six different kinds of bullshit. Even if she was who his gut told him she was, she was supposed to be dead. He had to make certain beyond any shadow of a doubt, though. ”What’s your name?”

While Axley had to admit Snow’s point was valid, the Sasuke Axley had known was more than a match for the average undead warrior. Though if Snow was as concerned as he was...Axley had to ponder. Exactly what had her old...acquaintance? -- she’d need to find a proper word to describe a man one was forced to hang out with for political gain sometime -- run into on his path to safety? Regardless, she severely doubted a man with pride like Sasuke would fall in line with the enemy. No, something else had happened, though-an Abyssal. He’d fought an Abyssal. Axley would have been more surprised if it had been anyone but him. But somehow, it almost seemed par for the course, especially now that the end of times seemed to have been wrought upon them.

Axley would have pointed out the major hole in Sasuke’s own posturing if she wasn’t certain it would sail right over his head. A smart enemy would appear friendly at first before going for the most opportune -- and most effective -- backstab right when the group was least expecting it, especially since it would be effectively four against one were he to turn foul of them. But manipulation and convoluted strategy tended to be a bit beyond him. Sasuke was a simple man. It wasn’t a bad thing, but it did make him somewhat predictable at times. Even two years removed, she could have mouthed his response to her own rebuttals.

And now he was staring at her. Oh, why did he have to do that? His eyes weren’t even ones of recognition, which would at least make the awkwardness fade a bit, but he didn’t even seem to recognize her. They were the confused eyes of a man lost in nearly waking thoughts. Maybe she looked familiar, but to have forgotten so much in a relatively short time...they’d had dinners together, gone shopping...Axley hadn’t gotten attached to him, per se, but did she not stick out in his memory at all? She almost took offense to it. The question put a serious exclamation point on the entire situation, and her cheeks burned with both embarrassment and mild indignation.

“If you’re about to tell me you completely forgot nearly a year and a half of forced-upon meetings and what was once at least a workable friendship, then maybe you took a few too many clubs to the brain in your arms dealing, Sasuke Stormwind.” Axley postured maybe a bit more than she wanted to, but for some reason she really, REALLY wanted to drive the point home that he shouldn’t have forgotten her so easily. “Did the Abyssal suck out your memories as well? It’s not like Axley’s even a common name, you know…”

“I… had to make sure. I thought you were dead.” Sasuke still tasted bile, and it was clear even from that distance that all color had drained from his face.

Fuck the monk with hair. He had far more important things to worry about, like getting the sane part of his mind to convince everything else in his brain that he wasn’t staring straight at a literal ghost.. “And how the hell could I forget? I could count the number of friends I have on one finger, and you were on that list! After fighting at least two different kinds of dead shit, I see you coming back from the dead. What else were you going to expect!?”

What else was she to expect…? “You could have done some digging around. Only two bodies were recovered from that fire.” Of course, most of the world had simply assumed her body had been burned beyond recognition, but still. She knew deep down their lack of connection was still at least partially her fault. She could have come to him and let him know she was still alive. “To be fair, seeing someone you thought was dead ought to be, at best, the fourth most incredulous thing that’s happened to you in the last twenty-four hours.” She could riddle them off. Watching the Imperial Ruins live up to their name, fight an Abyssal, and lastly, still manage to get a word in edgewise against her. For once, Axley relented. She really didn’t want to fight her old friend either way.

“I didn’t die. I just...didn’t want to be remembered for my father.” Axley’s indignation quickly turned to crestfallen humiliation. She despised bringing up her family, but had felt the need to now twice in the last day. It was always a dark sting when her past reared its ugly head once again. “I couldn’t bring myself to see you, because I didn’t know exactly how much you would have learned. Everything got leaked. To admit to being a Crawford would be as well as offering myself to prison or worse.” How much did he know, anyways? Axley’s eyes searched Sasuke’s, wondering whether she’d find confusion, acceptance, or worse.

Sasuke paused for half a second. He needed to find some good words, but he decided to be blunt about it anyway. “I learned everything. About your father, about what he did throughout his career, and even the strings he pulled to get us to meet. Hell, I found out about what led to the fire, and it’s because of that I thought everyone died. But what your father did was his responsibility alone.”

Sasuke didn’t wait for a response (especially from that monk with hair), and continued anyway. He knew at this point that their friendship started because of a series of shady events, but he wasn’t the sort of guy to care. “Regardless of your past, I’d like to think that we’re still friends, even after all this time. If those goons don’t like that fact, they can sit on my sword and rotate for all I care.”

This was not entirely what she was expecting. There should have been some kind of doubt or dissuasion from returning to chums just like that. Hell, she had manipulated him at her father’s will just so they could get along. She turned away, biting her lip with confliction. Should she just be selfish and accept this gift? Friends were hard to come by when the world’s gone to shit, after all. She had two, and maybe Fergus, but she’d known Sasuke longer than all of them. She deliberated in silence, wondering just how he could get past her misdeeds, even if they were orchestrated by another.

In the end, she simply turned back to him and shook her head. “We’ll see if we even get along anymore. For now, a sellsword, let alone a good sellsword, would be really important in getting us to Lord’s Crossing. It’d probably be best for all of us if we stuck together either way.” Axley put on a semblance of toughness; it would fool the common eye, but Sasuke likely knew her enough to know she was putting on a convincing show. She didn’t know what to think about this. Sometimes the gods gave gifts, and other times they simply left mysteries. This could be either, but currently rested in the latter. She needed more time to remember if they even truly could be friends again…

Regardless of her past, Sasuke thought that the gods and the world they forsook already delivered any needed justice several times over. That said, he was more than happy to let bygones be bygones, and bury the whole thing along with the rest of that city. He knew that their friendship would have had to start over anyway, and he thought it best to start on the right foot. It was better to guard a few extra people and make sure he’d be able to survive all the way to Lord’s Crossing, after all.

Speaking of extra people, he turned and faced the monk with hair again, having never changed his own stance. ”So, what’s it gonna be? Are we exchanging names or blows? I could go either way at this point.”

"You might want to explain the 'somehow got away with it.' I want to hear the long version." Snow scoffed. The man didn't realize anything and his complete lack of taking this seriously only made Snow all the more condemning and convinced that this man was a liar. A liar, a coward, a spy. Offering up anything in order to save his own skin when faced with certain death. Its the only thing that made sense.

"You'd attack us one against four only if you were foolish. If you weren't you would lie your way into our ranks to stab us in the back, or maybe figure out where everyone who survived would be flocking too, and then report back on their defenses. Confess. I dont believe for a second you were just let go. An entire town of innocents slaughtered. You meet one of their deathknights in combat, teeth at your throat and just allowed walk away. I've seen men betray countrymen for worse things then their life. Now tell us the truth." The man was already injured and he's fought those with swords before. Snow was confident. He had more to lose and more to fight for.

Then he addressed Axley, and her response was nearly an explosion. The two of them bickering like some kind of married couple. Snow let the end of the staff hit the ground. This made things that much more complicated. They had a history, and Axley reluctantly seemed to vouch for him after their diatribe.

Snow remained unconvinced going to Ferguson and Cilia. "I dont like it." His eyes still on him incase he went for Axley for whatever reason. "The only thing that makes sense is that he is a spy. It even checks out with his profession. Fighting for coin over duty. He might not even realize it. I've seen the dark magics the Deathknights can employ. It can infect the mind, bring madness to those whom even speak to those enchanted. Still... the shared history between Axley will make abandoning him or dispatching him all the more difficult. And he is still alive. The last thing we need is conflict among the living. Regardless, we would be wise to keep your hands on your weapons, and keep him in our sights."

Snow castigated the sale sword whom remained on edge and the ready entire time. Snow sighed.
He didn't like him. He didn't like this. "Life must be given a chance... Snow Sparrow. Away with your weapon."

According to Snow's brief explanation, the Tepet man and Axley had some sort of history. That didn't make the news that the monk felt this newcomer was a spy any easier to swallow. Still, Fergus thought it wasn't as complicated as all that. If a man from a Tepet Patrician House (especially a patrician so decorated as to have such fine weapons and armor) survived the assault on the Ruins, then it could just as easily be the dragons' will that they meet like this.

Fergus' brow furrowed a bit as he tried to put his thoughts into words. "I suppose that's possible, Snow. Being wary is definitely wise. But I know a bit about him as well. Any patrician such as myself would. His weapon alone gives away the fact he is with House Tepet. You may have noticed that as well, had you not been so worked up about him being an enemy." Fergus patted the fine dagger he kept at his side before continuing, signaling to Snow that he had no intent on letting himself just be killed without a fight.

"Still, you could be right. Though I will be frank with you. I'm going to try and see it from a different angle. Perhaps the dragons themselves smile upon us today, yes? Two patricians from the two mightiest remaining dynastic houses, meet by chance with a ragtag group of survivors after a devastating attack on the former capital? Seems almost like a fated encounter, doesn't it?" He patted the monk on the shoulder in hopes of reassuring the man. "All we can do now is play it by ear and hope for the best. If you're on edge the entire time, you'll burn yourself out long before we get to Lord's Crossing."

He did not mean to ignore Cilia in the exchange, but he needed to talk to the new man and hammer things out. Cutting off any further discussion between the man and Axley, Fergus yelled out: "You there! Tepet!" He figured addressing the warrior by his noble house might be best. Both a show of his own authority as well as recognition of the other's status as a noble. Especially as Fergus did not yet know what the man's name was, nor his patrician house. "As it seems you've history with one of our merry group of misfits, I'm willing to give you the benefit of the doubt for now. ... that said, I doubt I am alone in thinking I want to know exactly what happened there." The word "there" was accompanied with a motion toward The Tepet man's neck wound.

Looking around again at the mostly packed-up campsite, Fergus made a proposal. "For the time being, we are headed upriver to the nearest town in order get some rest and properly supply ourselves before deciding what we do next. Tag along with us. On the way, you can explain everything. If we all like what we hear, then you can stick with us if you see fit. If we don't like what we hear, then that's as far as we go together. Seems fair to me. What say you?" As he asked the final question, Fergus extended a hand to the Tepet man while keeping his other hand planted firmly on the pommel of his weapon.

He did not intentionally speak for the others in the group. It was merely habitual, as patricians are used to speaking from positions of authority.

Cilia watched the exchanges with some interest, she was still weary of this new person. Axley's exchange and Snow's reaction weighed a bit on her thoughts. Fergus' willingness to give a benefit of a doubt was more in line with her natural thinking. He had not done anything aggressive or hostile towards them. But the last day had done little to let her think naturally.

She wanted to hear his story, it sounded like a story with some hope in it. He had engaged a larger group of them and was alive. That meant something and there was a reason, maybe fate or the dragons like Fergus said, or blind dumb luck. She thought his being a spy was a stupid idea. With an over powering fast moving force, why would they send a spy after them. They could have just overpowered them. She doubted any of them may have anything they would want, accept for knowledge maybe.

She lulled herself into the moment watching the water and listening to the world around the. She sniffed the air to see what she could smell. Death has a smell of decay and rot. People would be doing that soon. The undead soldiers had a smell to them too. It was an awful smell, unnatural and foul. As Fergus calling out the name "Tepet", it brought her out of searching to see if death was coming back to the now.

She too would watch and try to see what would happen.

---

Snow castigated the sellsword who remained on edge and on the ready the entire time. Snow sighed. "Life must be given a chance... Snow Sparrow. Away with your weapon."

Sasuke at least acknowledged the monk's grudging response. For as much as he didn't like the monk, at the very least he had to respect the man's spirit. "I'm Sasuke. Good to see you're not in the mood to fight, either." True to his word, Sasuke dropped his fighting stance and took his hand off his sword hilt. He also took his free hand off his tomahawk, which was strapped to the other side of his belt.

Before Sasuke could think or even speak another word, the fancy-dressed man suddenly yelled out: "You there! Tepet!" Sasuke caught the nuances behind the man's tone and manner of address. He was clearly not a commoner. "As it seems you've history with one of our merry group of misfits, I'm willing to give you the benefit of the doubt for now. ... that said, I doubt I am alone in thinking I want to know exactly what happened there."

Sasuke looked closely at the man, and made out the crest of House Mnemon on the other man's outfit. Between the livery and his tone, this left no doubt he was a partrician somehow connected to that House. Nice! This means a better chance for support from the next town.

Having gotten Sasuke's undivided attention, the other man made a proposal. "For the time being, we are headed upriver to the nearest town in order get some rest and properly supply ourselves before deciding what we do next. Tag along with us. On the way, you can explain everything. If we all like what we hear, then you can stick with us if you see fit. If we don't like what we hear, then that's as far as we go together. Seems fair to me. What say you?" As he asked the final question, Fergus extended a hand to the Tepet man while keeping his other hand planted firmly on the pommel of his weapon.

Sasuke was rusty on noble etiquette and all that, but he still patched his words together well enough. As a show of faith, he visibly moved his hands away from his weapons, walked up, and shook the other man's hand. "I am Sasuke, Lord of House Stormwind, under the umbrella of House Tepet. Not like that that title does us any good right now, though."

With that bit of etiquette aside, he was more than happy to take up his counterpart's offer, although it was tinged with obvious suspicion. Sasuke almost winced when the other man pointed directly at his neck wound, which served as a very potent proof that he had his ass literally handed to him not even a day ago.

"I'm headed to Lord's Crossing. I've got some assets there from the old days. I'll tell you everything I know, but we have to exchange stories on the road. I had to fight that Abyssal less than a day ago, so she could already be on the move." It was clear that Sasuke genuinely hated that mark with almost every fiber of his being. At least I'm alive, unlike all those poor bastards back there.

"Before we continue running for our lives, what's your name? I don't think I ever got it over all this mess."

"Beg your pardon Lord Fergus. I view of the circumstances, the living should be on the same side, House or not. Birth doesn't equal virtue of character." A contrast against the Immaculate teachings. He could go into facts that peasants have shown more courage than the patrician, and even the Dragon Bloods that sent hundreds of them to their deaths while they fled the field. It was no point in judgement though. Still Fergus made some good points, at least taking what Snow felt in his heart seriously.

Honestly it was so strange? Was Sasuke, Lord of House Stormwind allowed to run amok. The only other thing aside from the negative was that he was meant to deliver a message, or the enemy didn't care to kill one man. They'll slaughter entire cities but the single survivors were not worth their notice. That had both good and bad connotations.

"I'm never in the mood for a fight." Snow corrected the swordsman. "I've had enough of it for a dozen lifetimes." he kept his staff in one hand and reset the strap on his back for his sanxian. "A lord of another House though. I hope the words of two Lords is enough to rally other houses into action. House Tepet and Mnemnon would be awesome powers, even after the war."

He considered it as they began their trek north. "Seems quite prideful of me, but perhaps Fergus' words had some merit. Maybe the Dragons are smiling upon us." he had to smile. The concept that fates were with them to survive while tragic was still a warming thought to him.

All this talk of Sasuke being a spy and that he was not to be trusted was getting on Axley's nerves. She knew the mercenary. While he carried an excellent blade, she knew his moral compass pointed mostly north. He was a little too thick to pull off a convincing spy routine, and for him to actively choose to work for the enemy would require some incredibly dark magic indeed. She trusted Sasuke to beat the snot out of anyone foolish enough to try such a thing on him. Had Snow gone on for very much longer, Axley would have given him the stare of death. She nearly cast it Fergus's way as well when he seemed to agree that it was right to be suspicious, but luckily, in her eyes, logic and sense won out and trust was extended forward. She left the men to their grandstanding for a moment, sighing as she went over to where Cilia had been standing and stood beside her in silence for a moment.

Only after a moment's quiet did she shake her head and sigh. "Men." The single word brought a sigh of annoyance. "Everything's a conspiracy to them, I swear..." She rolled her eyes and stared into the water with her friend. So much had happened in a day. Pain, suffering, and strange reunitings, all brought about by the cataclysm that had destroyed what Axley was now intent on calling the Imperial Rubble. It seemed she wasn't allowed to live anywhere she went; still, at least she could find use in at least being a messenger. Perhaps then she might be offered refuge and the long, painful journey from noble to peasant could finally reach its close. She'd fallen so far in just two years...if she couldn't stop it herself, surely someone else could help, right?

Her internal monologue over, she rested a hand on Cilia's shoulder for a moment, glad she at least had her friends to help her cope in these incredibly difficult times. There was always a smiling face to help her anchor herself and keep thinking straight; she might not have said it to their faces, but she would be eternally grateful that they still survived to this day. Glancing back to the men, it had appeared they were finally getting along. "If you guys are done bickering, we should probably not waste any more daylight. Who knows when the undead horde starts shambling our way again?" Axley pointed out the urgency of their movement before turning to Cilia. "Let's get them to keep up. If they get to fighting again we'll never get there."

A fish darted in the shallows chasing a minnow. As Cilia watch trying to take this all in.

“Or a fight to see who the top dog is. Your right, by the way, we best go help them,” she said. Axley knew woman to get the mothering instinct going in Cilia. It really wasn’t hard. Point her at someone or something in need and she was off. Well, if she felt safe, or scared, or just about most other times.

What Axley said had made Cilia relax and smile, she wasn’t quite to the laugh stage. But smile after the last day was a big step. So she gave a playful little nudge with he shoulder, to mean I’ve got your back. Axley let her know that things were all right, that is what she needed. She headed over to introduce herself. “I’m Cilia,” she said trying to sound confident.
“Nice to meet you,” she said then asked, “Need any help?” She wanted to discretely see the bite without gawking. Staring at people could cause fights. So she did her best to be polite. It came out as being weird.

And so it was that the four survivors of the Imperial Ruins became five. While two of them were suspicious of the new man, the other two seemed to hold more favorable attitudes. The walk toward the river's edge was long, but thankfully uneventful... at least until they approached the next town. Cilia's sharp eyes spotted the smoke first, and the others were quickly alerted. Before they rushed headlong into danger, Sasuke and Snow' combat experience allowed them both to spot the telltale signs of troop movement: evenly-spaced bootprints, mostly in line with each other. Not only was it a sign of disciplined warriors, but ones trying to hide their true numbers. If not for the training and experience of the two combat veterans, the group's trip may have been cut VERY short.

There was a brief squabble about what to do next, before Axely pointed out that they were on the eastern side of the town and the bootprints were heading east as well. The group had narrowly avoided whatever unit had razed the small town. Fergus then suggested they stick to the plan and move upriver. They still had enough food for a day or two, and the enemy seemed to be heading down the banks, not up them. It seemed counterproductive if they wanted to press inland, but he wasn't going to question their good fortune yet again.

So the group decided to avoid the razed town in case any enemies were left behind to deal with stragglers or take stock of the spoils of war. Further upriver they went. A steady pace saw good progress toward the next town, but they were forced to stop and make camp overnight once more. While fetching firewood, Axely and Cilia found a good patch of mushrooms for everyone to eat. Snow had made a pair snare traps as they walked, and used it to catch a rabbit and a squirrel. The squirrel wasn't really worth the small amount of meat on it and was released. The rabbit was field dressed and cooked by the morning fire, ensuring everyone had a tasty breakfast. Fergus was not used to "roughing it" and complained a bit about his feet hurting, but was silenced when EVERYONE on the group reminded him of what they had just survived and how he was lucky to be alive, let alone walking to what they hoped would be safety.



Cackling Harlot HATED ships. They reminded her of all the ships she saw in the distance while strapped to the altars of the Yozi-worshippers before her Exaltation. Despite that, there was no other way to cross the mouth of the Imperial River quickly while also leading several Fangs worth of elite soldiers. She grumbled under her breath while the helmsman bellowed orders to his men. Her orders were clear, and she would not disappoint her master. Even if it left a trail of hundreds of thousands of corpses in her wake, she would see this campaign through to the end. She HAD to. If not...



The group arrived at a quiet fishing village in the late afternoon. The sign on the trail leading to the center of town identified it as the village of Dragon's Gate. A bold name for such a small town, but Fergus didn't care. There were no enemy soldiers here, the buildings were not on fire, and there seemed to be TWO different inns! Each was across the town square from the other. To the north, near the docks: The Squeaky Wheel. Beloved by locals for the cook's tendency to deep-fry things in greasy Yeddim fat. The sign on the door read "At The Squeaky Wheel, YOU get the grease!" To the south, near the farrier and stables: The Broken Bench, named for a trio of husky carpenters that sat down for a break after building it... who broke the bench on which they sat. It's sign read "Portions so big, you'll feel like you might break a bench too".

Fergus thought the signs were absurd, but comical. His vote was on the Squeaky Wheel. "I haven't had genuine fried food for some time. I know it's not healthy, but what we need now is comfort food. If you guys want the other place, I'm fine with that. But I think some fatty and delicious junk food would lift our spirits a lot right now. Either way, I can foot the bill. What do all you say?" It wasn't the BEST reasoning, but it wasn't BAD reasoning. Really, Fergus just wanted to eat something bad for him and was willing to pay.

---

In this situation, grease was good. Grease implied meat, and meat was useful for hard journeys like this. Whatever the reason, Sasuke found that, if he had to choose, eating this stuff alone was better than eating just dried potatoes alone, pound for pound. Even if they couldn't take this stuff with them, it was certainly good enough to get them farther than a normal bowl of stew would. Besides, Fergus was right. Junk food really would lift their spirits. It would certainly lift mine if nothing else.

Sasuke was all for searching the razed town and seeing if there was any money, food, or the odd treasure to take and sell later on. Even better, it would have presented an excellent chance to get even more witnesses of the recent carnage to join the group. Obviously, he was soundly outvoted. It was plain that the rest of them weren't used to war or even scenes of carnage resembling this, and it would bring back nothing but hard memories of what they had gone through only a few days ago. Eh, it could have gone either way. Safety's important too, I guess. Even so, he couldn't help but feel bummed at the thought of missing a potential win for the team.

At any rate, Sasuke returned to the moment in time for Fergus to cast his vote. Agreeing with the man's sound logic, Sasuke was quick to toss his vote in his general direction. "I'm with Fergus on this one. We need some of that comfort food, and there's no telling how long until we get a good hot meal we don't have to cook ourselves. Even if we have to pay a little more, we might as well use our money to get some quality grub."

He paused a short bit and tossed a glance to all of the others. "Seems like Fergus is footing the bill, so I'll pay for lodging. I have no idea how much cash you've got, but I've at least got enough to get us to Lord's Crossing. Oh, and let's see if they sell food for the road. Jerky beats hunting any day of the week."

It was the duty of the nobility (regardless of actual rank) to help the common folk when they were in trouble if they could -- or however that rule went. Sasuke felt like he owed these people a favor, at the very least. There was safety in numbers in treacherous parts like this, and these people provided it at obvious risk to themselves. After all, he could very well have been a spy, and they would all likely be dead if he really was.

All this aside, Sasuke hardly knew how to say thanks, for the simple reason that it was so long since the last time he had occasion to thank someone for anything. He hoped the others would get the message, at the very least.

Cilia watched Snow tie the snares, she just about had her nose in the knots watching. She would ask him to teach her when they had time. Maybe in the morning she would ask him.

Fergus brought up the discussion about where to stay the night and were to eat. Cilia's tension went up a little, she was fine with either place. She would inquire where ever it was if she could earn her meal and lodging. If the staff got to keep tips, she and Axley may be able to earn enough to buy a little bit of supplies for the group. She had waited tables, scrubbed pots, and did other tasks for food before. She hoped that the rest of them would help protect her back in case someone wanted to get more personal. She had learned that being a redhead meant that blending into the crowd was a little harder. That also meant that she got a far share of extra inappropriate male attention. But inappropriate behavior could be directed into coins in ones purse if strung along.

With a deep sigh, Cilia took off her cloak and handed it to Fergus. She started to cast her magical spell. Reaching up her blouse untied a hidden knot and then unbuttoned the top two buttons of her blouse. She gave a little bounce to make sure everything was free and moving correctly. Then she unbraided her red hair so it was long and full. Finally pinched her cheeks slightly to get a little color in them. Her mother would have been proud of her. Tomboy to woman in a few easy steps. She spoke to Axley, "Men always want to do this the hard way." She bounced again watching their eyes then nodded to the men of her group. Life on the street had made it so she did not really caring if they watched her show or not. Though she really did want them to notice that she was a woman. She then walked into The Squeaky Wheel like she owned the place making sure that her hips moved and the other parts of her bounced and swayed enough to draw the eye. She had paid attention to the lessons that her mother and the other working girls taught her about men and what they liked. To the barkeep she went, speaking the sea slang from her childhood and leaning forward to let him look down her shirt a little. Not enough to say I'm easy.

She inquired if someone passing through might work for a meal and a night sleep in the common room for herself and a couple friends. "A redhead waitress and a traveling bard could make for a profitable night for you," she suggested in a very seductive way. He would need to negotiate that fee with Axley.

She knew that waiting tables meant that she could hear the gossip and learn the lay of the land. This would let the men of the group would draw a different sort of attention. Being from noble houses, they already had two things to worry about cut purses and leaches. Seaports have some shady people looking for easy money.

As she was at the bar she thought about the fact that she might even spend the night with someone if it got the party what it needed. Horses and supplies, but that was not what she really wanted. She would leave that door to open till later and hopefully the men in the party would make sure it was closed. She did not think that any of the men in the group would let her whore herself out for their benifit.