As Kire turned, there was a subtle movement as a figure passed behind a stone, then walked around it. A woman. She was wrapped in a dark cloak, looking tired, but alert. To be expected in the dead of night when she was pulled out of bed and sent to see who rang the magical doorbell. Her face was dark, her skin grey in the shadows, but her slanted eyes glowed like an animals as she looked Kire over. While they weren't the blood red of the Kartaian's, they weren't a colour found naturally in the human gene pool. Like pink sapphires, the colour soft even as her gaze was sharp.

"I do not know who that is." She admitted calmly, her words thick with accent; she was still learning to speak the common tongue, after all. "He sent you for why?" The woman asked, tilting her head. She could smell magic on Kire, and smell ... decay. Her expression shifted. Decay, mingling with the sweat and faint trace of blood. "You are from Ziad?"

She folded her arms beneath the cloak she wore, the fabric shifting. Beneath it, she wore no armour, only cloth tunic and trousers, her feet pushed into faded and torn silk slippers. She turned her head this way and that, catching on that this woman knew where to stop, had either seen or sensed the magic ward that had been placed around this spot to warn them of intruders. She smiled, her teeth straight and flat, save for her canines which were thicker, even if still nonthreatening. This woman was magic. Oh, she would be liked.

A woman? Was the sorcerer this woman? Kire didn’t immediately answer, observing her. Her eyes were different from those Kartaians, but Kire had the impression that this one was like distant kin to them. Very distance, considering the diplomacy the Paladin was being shown and the absence of anything to skewer her with. Pretty eyes. “I—er. I am not, but Rulitus is. We traveled from Ziad, but I’m a stranger to the place. Rulitus tells me he has a friend here? A sorcerer?”

Now for the ‘why’, which was a harder question to answer, at least believably. “I am a hunter,” she said, a simple enough summation of a complicated truth. “I am looking for the person who helped destroy Ziad. A dangerous criminal. I am told there is someone here who could aid me in looking for him.” Kire kept her hands away from her sword. She was lucky this woman was sent to welcome her, but clearly anybody else from Ziad would likely identify her face. “May I ask for safe passage to meet the sorcerer? I—well. I might not be too welcome, but I can explain to him why. Rulitus vouches for me.” She considered adding that her companion was somewhere downhill, but decided against it for now.

The woman tilted her head upon hearing that name again, as if it should mean something to her. Maybe it would to the others. She shrugged her shoulders, listening to Kire explain her reasons for being here.
Bold of such a woman, armed and armoured, in the dead of night, asking for a sorcerer. Any other group would have been suspicious and wary.
But apperently, this was not strange behavior for this woman to encounter.

"Come to me." The woman invited with a tilt of her head, her face disappearing behind her hood. She wandered back up the hill into the mountain, leading Kire along a path only she knew. When she approached a solid stone part of the mountain, she paused turning around to await Kire patiently. When Kire was near enough, she walked right into the stone and slipped through its surface.

A glimmered doorway, the natural passageway behind it dark and cool. The woman stepped a ways in to allow Kire room and waited. When the armoured woman joined her, she grinned wickedly, visibly pleased by Kire's willingness, and she continued on.

It dug straight into the mountain, the air cool, but fresh. Somewhere, there were other routes out into the open, the breeze that wandered through carrying the scent of trees, dirt, and mountain flowers. Far better than the stench of Ziad.
When they entered into the first main chamber, there was a young boy with a head of long curly brown hair. He looked tired, dark bags under his eyes as he waited for the woman and the stranger.

The woman beside Kire removed her hood, revealing that her grey skin was not illusion from the shadows, but her natural colouring. Her ears were pointed slightly, though not to the extreme of the Kartaian's ears. Her slanted face was kinder, softer, less murderous.

"Envy." She stated simply.

The boy sighed, looking Kire over with absolutely zero enthusiasm. He said nothing, only stared for a few minutes, his midnight-blue eyes dull.
"Fine." He sighed. "Wait here."

Alone, the elf turned to grin at Kire. "I like you hair." She complimented. "Gold. Like jewel."

Kire followed, though not too close, still feeling wary of traps, or at least attempts to deceive her and lead her down some other path to keep her from discovering their real hideout. Though when the woman led her to the stone, Kire had an inkling it was a hidden passageway of sorts. More testament to this sorcerer’s prowess, then. The aura grew stronger with each step, and as she passed through the ‘stone’, Kire could faintly smell tobacco. She cocked an eyebrow at her guide; for some reason, she seemed to delight in the whole affair. The expression didn’t seem malicious, so Kire shook her head, paying it no more mind.

The smells down here were much more pleasant than the welcome she had the other day at Ziad. This was place the exact opposite of that: alive, and somehow thriving. It felt like a proper refuge, the kind Kire wanted for her own family in exile. Even more, Kire wondered how Rulitus could refuse this life, if he really did know who this sorcerer was. What could have been so terrible that the man would cut himself off from others the way he had? Kire, though was startled out of her thoughts upon entering the main chamber.

A boy. How many people were living here? Are they all survivors from Ziad? She was about to ask her guide when she saw finally what her features were like under her hood. The similarities to the Kartaians were there, as she had wondered earlier, but the differences were even more pronounced. Envy? When the woman turned to her and complimented her hair, Kire broke into her first real smile since coming here, albeit a small one. The woman had such an easygoing manner about her, or perhaps her first two days with Rulitus had weighed her down so much she hadn’t expected to encounter this sort of warmth. “Thank you. I like your eyes,” she said, allowing herself a brief grin as she returned the compliment. Kire decided she liked this person. “Uh. What, or who, is ‘Envy’?”

The elf's expression blossomed and she touched her cheek gently, as if to coddle her eyes that were worth of a compliment. Being so close in appearance to a Kartaian, it wasn't a compliment she received often. Her hair, too, was the same deep shade of red-pink, tied back and braided to keep from her face. It was messy on one side, betraying the fact that she'd been asleep before Kire had triggered the wards.

As Kire asked about Envy, the elf smiled again. "Sorcerer." She said simply, though she struggled with pronouncing the word. She drew a circle around her face. "Like me." Her hand rose upward. "Tall. But hates being woken." She said with a dramatic eye-widening for emphasis. "They may wait until the sunlight." Silence fell, as she considered the question answered, but her fuschia eyes roamed Kire, her head tilted curiously. "May I touch?" She asked, raising her left index finger, wiggling it, before pointing to toward Kire's armoured shoulder. "I do not know armour like this. Different from what the sollers ... Sole ... warriors wear here." She rambled off quickly in her native tongue in a tone that said she was ranting about the difficult pronunciations of common words before grinning again, and prodding Kire's armour with her finger. No more than that. As if to test how hard it was compared to how it looked.

"I am Ysaryn." The elf admitted, realizing she hadn't said. "When Ziad was attacked, we knew where I live. I came with others. Helped bring people here. Help injuries. Bury when needed." Ysaryn frowned. "Many did not make it. Some still fight."

"Saryn." The boy returned, his tone sharp as if to scold her for talking. He looked no older than ten, but Ysaryn hushed at once, looking unsure. His dark eyes went back to Kire, still frowning. Despite the elf's admission that many were wounded or needed help, this one looked physically unscathed. "Leave your weapon with her, and follow me."

Ysaaryn looked far too thrilled over the idea of being left with a weapon, which made the boy frown again. "Erm, second thought, follow me. Just hands off the hilt." The elf muttered something in her tongue, unhappy, which he ignored before turning to disappear into the cavern.

He was silent as he walked ahead of her to a small antechamber. Kire's magic would tingle again, the smell of tobacco and nectar, and sound would fall less on her ears. The sound of the elf ranting behind them died instantly. The smell of disturbed dirt and ore filled the air here, though it was drowned out by the reek of tobacco. It wasn't a large chamber, and the duo stopped some half a dozen paces once the passed the sound barrier as they entered the little room in which the elf took residence.

He sat upright in what was a makeshift bed; essentially a massive amount of leaves and straw covered in blankets. Even sitting, his size was evident; he was Kartaian. But he looked far different than the others. Aside from missing one ear, the scarred tissue announcing it was a very old injury, his dark blue-grey skin was ashen grey in several places. His face, even, was almost entirely ashen, the skin uneven and damaged.
Burn scars.

He turned his head slightly when they approached, his black shifting along his shoulders. "So. Who arrives here in the middle of the night demanding that I be woken?" He asked, his voice tired. In fact, he barely opened his eyes. "Aeron tells me you look like someone I have met before, but are not her. At least he doesn't think so." Aeron, the boy, swelled his chest, as if ready to defend his opinion. "So who are you then, stranger. And why do you come at night reeking of death?"

Kire felt a bit more at ease in the woman’s presence as they waited for the boy to fetch this ‘Envy’. “Nobody likes being woken,” she conceded. At her request to touch the armor, Kire blinked, in parts amused and a little awkward at the genuine curiosity she showed over her. “Well-met, Ysaryn. Kire,” she replied, watching as the woman prodded her armor. So she was called upon to help after the sacking. And stayed with them ever since?

The boy returned, asking her to leave her weapon behind. Kire frowned at that. While she understood the reason, she didn’t want to part with it anyway. Relieved that the boy had changed his mind, she followed, hands on her sides as she walked behind him. How much had this boy seen of Ziad’s pillaging? she wondered, even as she marveled at how absolutely quiet it had gotten. More magic. Rulitus pointed me in the right direction, then.

She almost jumped back a step, her hand on her sword, when she finally saw who this ‘Envy’ was. Kartaian! And yet—her gaze quickly assessed the burn scars on his body, the way his body was slumped as he sat on his meager bed, Ysaryn and the boy. Kire had to make a conscious effort to relax her body and not think Rulitus had delivered her to Ikegai’s friends, after all. “I apologize—Envy. My name is Kire. You might have met someone who bore my face, half a year ago.” She paused, her mind burning with so many questions about Envy and Rulitus. “I’m looking for her and her maker, and I believe they’ve had a hand in what happened to Ziad. I met a man named Rulitus there, who brought me here so I could get help.” She unclasped her helmet and removed it. “Kartaians had been sent after me back when we were at the ruins. I don’t think they’ll be able to track me this far, we had only just dealt with the first three hunters they had sent.” She glanced at the boy Aeron, wishing he hadn’t been present for such conversation. “If that concerns you, I will understand. I just thought I would try my luck with a sorcerer native to this land.”

The elf was quiet as she spoke, unmoving, not looking at her, taking in each word and assessing it.

So it was her face he knew, then, vaguely recalling the dark haired beauty Ruli had shadowed. Wanted to hunt her and ... maker. That was an interesting bit of information he would need to ask questions about later.
He had known that the woman had had a hand in Ziad's fall, but it was news that there was someone else involved. It made sense. It was the missing part of the puzzle that had been bothering him all these months. She shouldn't have been able to do that alone. The amount of power it took did not equal what he had felt in her. Nor what he felt in this woman that stood beside his bed.

Rulitus. Envy inhaled, turning his head, opening his eyes fully. Like his pale and scarred face, they were clouded, a sunburnt pink instead of what should have been a blood red. He inhaled sharply, confirming through the smell that lingered in her that, yes! there he was. So faint, but he knew that smell.
Her concerns about his concerns about her being tracked, no, that could come later. "Aeron?"
"I didn't see him." Areon answered automatically, as if knowing the question.
"Is he with you?" Envy asked Kire. "The one who brought you here? Is he with you?"

“He is,” Kire said immediately. If there had been some bad blood between them, she would have seen it in his face. This was something else. “He said you two weren’t on good terms. I didn’t press him on the matter. I left him at the foot of the hill, past your wards,” she added, hazarding a guess about the aura she had sensed here and in Ziad. “I could fetch him, if you’d like. He is very stubborn, but you probably already know that.”

There was a deep rumbling sound, potentially a laugh, or a growl. Or both. He nodded "Bring him to me." Envy nodded, accepting her offer. "And I will do what I can to help in return. Even if he doesn't obey." because yes, Envy knew him to be incredibly stubborn. "Take Ysaryn with you. She'll make sure you can get back."
"Envy," Aeron said delicately.
"You can go back to bed, Aeron." Envy said firmly, though not harshly.

The boy frowned, and turned to leave the little antechamber. When they crossed through the sound ward, noise met their ears. Soft mumbling, but definitely more voices than they had left.
When they reached the larger chamber where Ysaryn waited, Aeron turned and stalked off. There was a fair haired woman who was clearly looking for Aeron, as she sighed and directed herself to him, following him out. Beside Ysaryn was another grey-skinned elf, a male armed to the teeth, who was talking very heatedly toward her even though she clearly wasn't paying attention. Ysaryn burst into a smile upon spotting Kire and immediately fell into step beside her.

"Wait." Said a voice, and the whole room went quiet, including the scolding elf. Ysaryn stopped in her tracks and turned, eyebrows raised.
Envy stepped into the chamber, one hand braced against the wall as he used it as a guide. "Its the middle of the night. I'm going with you."
No one questioned, though Ysaryn stepped back to stand beside Envy. He placed a giant hand on her shoulders and let her lead him, their progress slow.

When they stepped out into the open air of the mountainside, he tilted his head back and breathed deeply. He enjoyed the smells, the breeze, the openness of being on the surface. Always had. Even if he couldn't see it, he knew it was beautiful, even blanketed in darkness.
Ysaryn, who hadn't said a word, gestured to Kire to lead the way.

How many refugees are there in here? Kire wondered as she stepped back out, giving Ysaryn a small smile. She was about to ask when Envy called their attention, meaning to go with them. It looked like Ysaryn had already assumed the role of guide for him, but Kire kept an eye out for him as they made their way back outside. Kire saw the way he reacted as he took in the night air. He must spend a lot of time in there. Upon Ysaryn’s gesture, Kire nodded, and led the way.

“He should be here,” she said over her shoulder. “I’ll go get him now.” He better have stayed put, she thought, picking her way back down the hill. “Hey, Rulitus. Envy’s asking for you,” she called out as she reached level ground below. She stared at him, hands on her waist. “He looks less reluctant to meet you than you are to see him,” she pointed out.

Ysaryn stopped when Kire said she'd fetch Rulitus, but Envy's head followed the blonde as she made her way out.

Then he pushed gently on Ysaryn's shoulder and followed.

Rulitus, true enough to his word, was not quiet where Kire had left him but nearby, sitting with his back to the mountain. His legs bent, arms resting on his knees, his face turned toward the desert. When he heard Kire's footsteps, he turned his head, and then, jumped to his feet when she spoke.
Asking for him. Envy was asking for him. He inhaled, then shook his head. "That's not─"

"Coward." Envy said across the space between them, appearing at the crest of the hill above Kire.
Ruli froze, eyes wide. "Envy, I─" He began, throat catching.
"Save it." Envy interrupted. His face pointed to Ruli, but his eyes lingered beyond him at the fast ocean of sand. "One hundred and seventy days apart, and you can't even step inside to say hello?" Ruli clamped his jaw shut. "I don't know what took you so Gods-be-Damned long, but it has been long enough, Ruli. Now, come up here, because I am going to break my neck if I come after you."
Ruli didn't move, hesitating.
"Do I need to make the woman drag you?" Envy asked, and Ruli squared his shoulders, his pale gaze moving to Kire for a moment.
Instead of speaking, he stepped around Kire, climbing the incline to stand before Envy. As if he knew, Envy reached out and snagged him, yanking him against his chest in a tight embrace. At first, Ruli just accepted it, but after a few seconds the shock wore away and he wrapped his arms around the Kartaian.

Ysaryn took an uneasy step to the side. "You smell." She commented idly, wrinkling her nose.

The history between the two men was clear. Kire stepped aside, crossing her arms as she observed their exchange. What a curious affair I have found myself in. More than just some casual friendship, this one. Envy spoke to him as if to a prodigal son. She smirked when Envy threatened Rulitus with her dragging him, and if she were to be honest she almost wished the Kartaian would follow through with it. But alas, Rulitus had finally listened to reason and went up to his estranged friend, though Kire was consoled by the sight of the giant man enveloping the grouch in an embrace he couldn’t escape.

Kire followed up after, giving them space and standing beside Ysaryn instead. “The smell isn’t the only unpleasant thing about him,” she said quietly to the woman, but otherwise didn’t interrupt their reunion just yet. I’d have gone mad if I stayed away from my family for that long, Kire thought. She had run away from her problems before, but ultimately she would’ve rather died than be parted with the people she loved. That’s also how long they’ve stayed here then. “We’re both still rather winded from our fight with the Kartaian hunters,” she said after a while, “may we rest a while inside?”

Whatever passed between the men, it was in silence once they embraced. Envy kept his hand on Ruli's nape, trapping him in his grasp until Kire mentioned something about fighting Kartaian's.

Suddenly recalling that she had mentioned that, Envy cleared his throat, his clouded eyes now misty. "Yes. I think that would be appropriate."
"Envy," Ruli said quietly, and Envy's nose pointed at him.
"The first step in making amends is saying you're sorry." Envy said kindly. Ruli's shoulders sagged, but he nodded. "Speak, or I'll remain unaware."
"Alright." Ruli said. "I'm sorry, Envy. I really am."
"I never needed to hear those words, Wheat-Thief." Envy reached out to pat Ruli's shoulder. He gripped, and all but directed Ruli along. "But you will not have as easy as a time within."

Ysaryn, amused by Kire's remark, led the way. Ruli followed her, guiding Envy, who in turn forced him forward. "How many?" He asked after a time. "Kartaians, I mean?"
As Kire answered, he paused, Ysaryn lingering near the glimmered stone entrance. He tilted his head upward again, eyes toward the moon high above as if he could feel it on his skin. "They won't track you here." He explained. "You'll be safe, at least, from them. Though I would know more about your quarry."

After a few more deep breaths, he lowered his head and the group went inside.

Save for the armed elf, the chambers were deserted. Ysaryn swaggered toward him, earning a frown, and they wandered away without a word. Envy directed Ruli back to his antechamber, where the giant settled on his bed and folded his legs beneath him. Ruli loitered awkwardly in the corner.
"Now." Envy invited, gesturing towards Kire. "From the beginning, with more detail, please."

Kire answered his question, still marveling at how such a warm person could have any resemblance to the three that attacked them earlier, and, to a lesser degree, how a grouch like Rulitus could have ever been close to him. She nodded when he reassured her that the Kartaians wouldn’t track them here, and followed quietly when they went back inside. Now that there wasn’t any immediate danger she could foresee, Kire felt the tiredness of the day weigh upon her. There was a dull ache at her side, when did that happen?, and she grunted, assumed she had been hit during the fight. The Ring would ensure the bruising wouldn’t last long, but she’d still feel it in the meantime.

Once inside, Kire leaned back on the opposite corner where Rulitus stood and sighed. The beginning, eh? Her tired mind ran through which information she had already volunteered to her companion earlier, disentangling it from the more complicated whole she had yet to divulge, and told that to Envy: Ikegai’s drive to control and own the world, his blood magic, his dolls. How he must have struck some dark deal with the Kartaians. And how he had been using her likeness for his own schemes. She told Envy about her arrival in Ziad up to the Kartaian attack, though to her credit she had omitted much of her confrontation with Rulitus. “I am sorry that he’s spread his influence here and all the pain that came with it. And for dragging you into this.” Kire frowned at the floor. “I’m hoping I can put an end to him, and destroy my double, with your help.”

The two males were silent as she spoke. Rulitus looked uncomfortable in the corner, repeatedly turning his head toward the entrance as if expecting someone to barge in and assault him. Envy was still, like before, soaking up every detail.

His faced shifted toward Ruli when she finished, the Kartaian nodded at the blond. "And you were aware of this story, upon bringing her here?" He asked softly.
Ruli nodded silently. Then, remembering, rasped "Yes."
"With respect, for a moment, Kire will remain silent. Ruli. What made you believe you were not repeating your mistake?"
Ruli went still, but didn't look unprepared for the question. He cleared his throat, trying to sound less strangled and more certain. "Her face." He answered. Envy looked toward Kire, as if trying to see what Ruli meant. "Its imperfect. Which makes her seem more authentic. And, her expression when I confirmed there was someone else with her face roaming around. Or when she speaks of this man."
"What does her expression look like?"
"Like yours when you think about your sister."

As if as proof, Envy grimaced in hatred, growling softly. "Fine. Point taken." Envy faced Kire again. "Pardon my, or our, hesitation, but we have been played before. This woman that is your double, Akuma, she was called, played the same cards. Looking for someone. In need of help. And the moment we offered, well, you've seen the outcome."
"And yet," Envy held out a hand toward Ruli. "He has believed you enough to bring you here. Where he knows that if you are playing us, we would stand no chance, and you would succeed in killing many more who are taking refuge under the mountain. I know he is no fool, so you have said or done something to convince him you are worth the trust of a man who trusts nothing anymore. Not even my love for him."
"Envy," Ruli stood off the wall.
"No, it is your turn to remain silent." Envy said, a little more harshly than he had when asking Kire to be quiet. Ruli shrank back, looking away. "Kire." Envy began. "How do we know you mean what you say?"

Kire listened as Envy called upon Ruli to vouch for her and her story, which she honestly didn’t know whether to be a good thing or a bad thing. She was curious to know why Rulitus did decide to trust her enough to bring her here, and when he gave his answer, she huffed, leaning back. Hatred, huh. She supposed that made sense; there were days she felt like her frown at the thought of Ikegai and the people who had driven them out of the Capital was permanently etched on her face these days.

“Akuma,” she murmured under her breath. He even found a name for this doll that was a dark mirror of hers. She pursed her lips when Envy bade Ruli quiet down, piecing a few more things together about what had happened between the two. Something about trust, then, and how Akuma had betrayed theirs. Ruli’s guilt then—was he the first to trust her? She remembered how Ikegai had done the same, and she seethed at the thought, almost forgetting the question posed to her.

“To be honest, I’m not sure how he could have decided that. He was quite resolute in driving me out of the city and wanted nothing to do with me when he finally saw my face. If I were in your position, I wouldn’t trust me, either. I have family back home, I know how it feels to have let them down and put them in danger. I’ve paid for it, and then some.” She touched her scarred brow. “I have nothing to give except my word, the fact that I owe Ruli for not leaving me alone when the hunters came for me, and the fact of my hatred for Ikegai.” She ran a hand through her disheveled hair. “I’m not asking anyone to like me, or even to trust me. But I will deliver their heads to you, either way.”

Ruli's eyes followed Kire's hand as she wiped it over the scar on her face, wondering privately what had happened. Where she was from. he noticed she never said. How could Akuma and Ikegai had gathered so much power while they'd never heard of him.
When Kire admitted she owed Ruli for not leaving her alone, Envy turned toward the dark-skinned man, raising his eyebrows. Or at least one, the other only twitched, the muscle beneath his skin damaged. Ruli said nothing, but Envy seemed to understand. No one deserved to be at the hands of the monsters he was related to.

"They wanted her to be taken alive." Ruli commented idly. And again, Envy looked surprised. "Which means somehow, Ikegai is still in contact with them."
"And how do you suppose they found her the first time?"
"Your wards, I think." Ruli guessed. "Unless Ikegai has another way to track you?"
"You're aware of scrying and tracking magic, so I'm sure he is, as well. But if its been months, he had to know when to look for you. Which means he probably did infiltrate the wards in some way. With Akuma's help."
Guilt washed over Ruli's face again, but he didn't respond to that. "Are you sure its safe here?" He asked gently.

Envy inhaled and sighed, thinking. "The wards here are different. They won't know when these are disturbed. And even if they knew, they couldn't get here."
Ruli turned toward Kire and cleared his tired voice. "The thing I can do. They can do. You can only travel to where you've been. You have to know it well enough to picture it clearly in your head. We're hundreds of miles from their den, they'd never get this far."
Envy reached up and rubbed at his scarred face. One hand was so much darker than the other; he looked like a giant, calico cat. "I think we should sleep on this. We can consider a plan when we've had rest. When you get back to the main chamber, follow the large path on the otherside. It will lead you to the sleeping quarters. I'm afraid they're not much, we've had a hard time getting our hands on furniture and supplies."
"Just like that?" Ruli asked, then he hesitated. "...Both of us?"
"Yes, Ruli, the both of you." Envy nodded. "Her answer was good enough for me. So, go. Sleep. And try to refrain from waking me in the morning."

Ruli straightened and walked out of the room, back into the main chamber. But instead of following the directions to the sleeping quarters, he turned right, heading to exit the cave altogether.

Kire, too, was surprised at the offer of hospitality, even if it was the outcome she had hoped for. Just like that, she thought, same as Ruli, but she wasn’t going to contest the offer of a room and bed, any bed. “Thank you,” she said simply, and followed Ruli out the chamber. She didn’t question why he didn’t take the path down to the sleeping quarters; it felt in keeping with how she had appraised his character at this point. So she went on to the path Envy had indicated, found a vacant room with spartan furnishings: a mattress not unlike Envy’s, blankets, a couple of crates that served as makeshift chairs. It was accommodation enough; their months on the run had acclimated her to a life absent of the comforts she had grown up with. Besides, it was much better than sleeping in the ruins of Ziad.

“Thank the gods, rest.” Kire finally set down her belongings, her sword, undid her armor. Gods, that felt good. She lifted her tunic to inspect her side and clicked her tongue, seeing a sword-shaped bruise running along the side. Sighing, she pulled off her boots lazily and crawled onto the mattress, asleep within minutes. That night, she mercifully didn’t have dreams, too bone-tired for her mind to play their usually nightmares.

It was already just past midday when she woke with a start. Groaning, Kire eased herself off the makeshift bed. While her body still had some stiffness, the bruise was almost gone. She scanned her belongings and found to her satisfaction that nobody had tried to rob her in the night. What time is it? Being in a cool mountain chamber had disoriented her. Lazily, she pulled on her boots, strapped her sword belt around her waist, grabbed her waterskin and stepped outside, meaning to peek out the entrance of the cave.

Under the light of day, the clothes she wore would have given the impression of being well-made but clearly had seen better days. They also hinted at the form underneath: leaner times had made her thinner than she had been six months prior, and fighting to survive and be ready for the next crisis had given her more muscle. Sone of her other scars showed, like the old wound on her shoulder, and the tip of the three large scars on her back. “Gods above, I slept that long?” She cringed at the brightness, deciding she’d rather be in the cool chambers within, instead. Perhaps she could ask to refill her waterskin, and maybe a little food if they had any to spare. She wondered where Ruli had stayed if not inside the sleeping quarters.

Having slept all day, Ruli was too awake to sleep. Add the mountain of information he'd listened in on from Kire, and the anxiety of being here, around Envy and the others, he couldn't stay inside the mountain. He had energy to burn, information to categorize. Plus, with the exception of the sparse visits here to make sure it was still vacant and the wards were still strong, he'd never spent time out of the desert. Under the cover of darkness, he roamed in small half circles around the cave entrance, exploring.

By the time he grew tired enough to get some rest, there was only an hour or two max before the sun would rise. Still unwilling to rest near the others, he went back to Ziad, gathering his pack and his sad little blanket before he went back to the mountains. He sprawled out on a decently smooth boulder and slept under the stars.
A mistake, absolutely, as he was woken just after dawn covered in insect bites.

Grouchy, he wandered inside the cave, scratch and grumbling, and explored inside. In Ziad, Envy had made a whole kingdom underground. A full kitchen, boys and girls bedrooms, a bathing chamber, sparring circle, armory, an infirmary, and so many more rooms. This place ... it was bare bones. He peeked his head into the sleeping quarters, where people slept on piles of hay, leaves, or scraps of clothing covered in mostly whole blankets.
He spotted Kire's form sprawled on one, the woman in such a deep sleep he almost envied her for a moment. There were dozens of people. A few he recognized. The elf that had wandered around outside with Envy lay tucked in a corner, but her pink-hued eyes were open and watching him. So were the dark eyes of the male elf that sat with his back pressed to the wall. Neither trusted him. He was okay with that.

The kitchen, when he found it, was nothing more than a little chamber that opened up to the mountain from above, letting the smoke ventilate outward from the hearth they'd made in the middle. Two fires burned constantly, and beyond was a path that Ruli knew to lead outside, where people could gather wood and kindling for the constant hungry mouths.

And nothing else. Not within the caves that he'd found. No apothecary. No armory. No infirmary. There were countless faces he both hoped and feared to locate. His brother, for one. And Aeron. Alais, Sid, the list went one. But aside from Envy, he hadn't met anyone.

So he put himself to work. He walked back out of the caves and began to gather wood. Children, injured, and refugees from the city. He wasn't sure many of them were in shape enough to carry armfuls of supplies. So he went back and forth, bringing in load after load and, when there was a pile of wood waist high stacked against the cavern wall, he went out to hunt.

---

By the time Kire had woken and strolled through the cavern to peer outside, the majority of the refugees were awake. They weren't jovial, or talkative. They were still mourning, shocked, some still recuperating. A few glanced at her warily as she walked by, some out of instinct at this new face, armed and healthy by comparison. Others, who had seen Akuma's face, paled, inching away before disappearing.
Ysaryn, who was sitting on a small reed mat in the main chamber, grinned. She held in her hands a small porcelain mug that steamed and smelled quite terrible. She watched Kire with interest, her legs folded beneath her. "Sleeping beauty wakes." She greeted as Kire spotted her.

As she observed the refugees, Kire could tell she wasn’t welcome, whether or not they recognized her face. The haunted look was familiar; she had seen the same on her own family, on her people, even on herself. Even without her armor, the sword at her hip probably didn’t help. Kire sighed; sad as it was, this was more logical to her that Envy’s leap of faith, and their wariness of strangers might serve them better. Maybe I could find a way to help them later.

Ysaryn, though, was a bright spot amid the somber group, though Kire’s nose twitched at the smell wafting from whatever it was she was holding. She smirked at the greeting, shaking her head a little at the teasing. “Heh. ‘Sleeping beauty’ would’ve liked to sleep off the whole day if she could. Good morni—uh, afternoon, Ysaryn.” She sat opposite the woman, aware of the looks cast her way. “They don’t like my face so much around here, I’m afraid,” she remarked, apologetic for any attention or frightened behavior her presence elicited. “So. I am—from very, very far away and know precious little about anything around here. What do you call your people? Envy is Kartaian, you are different, but a little similar.” She paused to drink from her waterskin. “And the man with you. Are you related?”