The two of them listened, Ruli's expression blank, while Ysaryn's betrayed her amusement. "In detted?" She repeated, not understanding. Ruli muttered to her in elvish to translate, and Ysaryn laughed. "That is not nice. Is like they say you alone not worth the mating. I see why you decide not to agree." She shook her head. "I would not. My mate will know my worth, and be grateful for the opportunity to sire my heirs."

Ruli glanced up again when Kire asked him a question, and he shrugged. "Wouldn't know. Been here." He pointed out indifferently.

"I see no reason he not like it." Ysaryn pointed out. "I am excellent with fish."
"It is very good." Ruli agreed, and Ysaryn grinned at him. "Will you teach me? I think I'd like any fish prepared this way."
"Mmmm. Maybe." She teased.

Kire grimaced at Ysaryn’s summation of the many suitors she had turned down. It was a rather blunt rewording, but Ysaryn hammered the point home better. “Maybe when someone tries to court me again I’ll tell them they’re ‘not worth the mating’,” she said, grinning. She put her empty bowl away and listened to the exchange between Ysaryn and Ruli, chuckling a little at the elf’s cheekiness. “Are you afraid he’ll cook better fish?” she teased her back. She gestured at the tray, silently offering to be the one to clean it.

“What’s next on the agenda for the supply run, Ruli?” she asked as she went about cleaning up the utensils Ysaryn used to cook earlier. “I’d like to start looking around for clues.” She left the rest unsaid, that Ysaryn’s flash of memory had given her something to go on. “We could go earlier, get that business done, and take up the rest of the day to hunt down leads.”

Ysaryn smiled crookedly as she laughed, finishing off the last of her own meal before sucking the grease off her fingers. Her fuschia gaze flicked to Ruli and she shrugged. "Have to know how to catch them, first. This one is never near water."

Ruli pursed his lips, unable to argue with the fact. Being so far from the sea made it hard to master cooking fish. Instead, his attention shifted to Kire upon her question, watching her clean up. He hadn't been entirely aware he'd been volunteered to be her partner in investigation, but suppose he had set himself up for that. Not that he minded. He rather liked being away at the coastal town.
"Dunno." He answered. "Give it a day, see what else is needed. Otherwise, basics. Maybe pots. Utensils. Gardening urns."

"Rulitus."
Ysaryn met Ruli's gaze, and she rambled off in elvish to him, and he nodded. "Yeah, I'll look for that." He agreed, and, satisfied, Ysaryn turned to grin at Kire.
"Cooking supply!" She announced, before wandering off to check on Envy and bring back his plate.
Ruli, left alone with Kire, glanced warily at her, then back down. "When did you want to go back?" He asked her.

When Ysaryn left the kitchen, Kire’s expression went serious. “Honestly, I want to go back tonight, even if by myself.” Kire rubbed her nape. “She told me how she remembered the Gemini. One of them was around when she had been taken. They’ve been taking the elves to make dolls.” Her anger flared back then; she would have disappeared then and there to go back to Cordon to hunt them down. Don’t be rash. “But I’d rather find out what I could first during the day before diving into the thick of it. They’d be more alert during the night, I’d presume. Gods, how did a Gemini get here? Did they arrive with Ikegai?” That disturbed her; if there were more blood mages to aid her enemy, opening a world gate would be within reach. “This Itallo, he’s the head slaver around Cordon, it seems. And he must have a hand in this Gemini business, if they’re taking elves. Bastards. Looks like I’ll definitely be staying for his wedding.”

She huffed, crossing her arms. “Forgot to ask, see anything worth noting while you were buying tools?” Not that she had expected him to sniff out information on her behalf, but anything that had to do with Itallo right now was of interest to her. “Ysaryn described him as two-faced, so he must be a popular lord around there.”

Ruli's eyes narrowed when Kire's expression fell, not having to ask why as she explained what Ysaryn had told her. His gaze drifted past Kire to where the elf had vanished, wondering what she'd gone through. "Dolls out of the elves, too?" He asked. "Why? Their magic? Its dormant in most of them, they don't bother with it."
Still, dormant or not, he supposed it could still be useful if they needed it.

"Uh." Ruli scratched at his eyebrow as he thought of his answer. "Sort of. There was this man walking down the street, well guarded, talking about Itallo's wedding. Well dressed. Cold gaze. Some ugly brooch. Green eyes, I remember that. Don't see many green eyes here. Or, I mean, in Ziad."
Ruli glanced back up to Kire. "Do you know that she's .... I don't know. Not one?" He asked warily. "She seems .... I don't know if the word 'normal' is right, as we've only known her a few days, but, do you question her?"

“I don’t know.” Kire ran her hand through her hair in frustration. “I’ve never encountered elves before, let alone how they’d react to blood magic, save for that one corpse in Ziad, so I have no idea why he’s doing this to them. I don’t know if they’re all just mad and get off on their taboo experiments or if there is some grander purpose or design to everything.”

When Ruli described the person he had seen in Cordon, Kire grunted. “That sounds like the Gemini Ysaryn described. Someone close to Itallo, and a Gemini, too. Unless there’s more of them, though I’d rather not that be the case.” She sat down, leaned against the cavern wall, sighing as she closed her eyes. His next question, though, made her snap back in attention towards him. She considered it, glancing at the entrance to see if Ysaryn was on her way back.

“She seems within the acceptable bounds of ‘eccentric’.” Kire gestured vaguely towards the entrance. “It’s hard to judge ‘rational’ versus ‘irrational’ when you’ve experienced pain recently. I feel like if you’re too calm, too normal, in the face of great adversity, something must be wrong with you.” A thought occurred to her, and she looked at Ruli, measuring his expression as she spoke. “Did you ever wonder if I was a doll, like Akuma? I'd be surprised if you hadn't considered that yet."

"Gemini are from your world, correct?" He confirmed. "It would be a very strange coincidence that there are more than one of them here. If the man was a Gemini, it seems highly unlikely that he and Ikegai would cross paths, at all."

As she answered abut Ysaryn, he nodded along. "She appears to keep busy." Ruli pointed out. "People cope in different ways. The only times I have ever seen her sit still are when she's drinking that awful tea, or when she's sleeping." He offered. "Zeke is the same way. He can't sit still. Because if he does, it drowns him. If I had to put a bet down, I would bet she's genuine."

And then Kire asked if he ever suspected her to be a doll, and Ruli found himself staring at her. The real her, as her ring was still removed. "Strangely, no." He answered. "I hadn't been aware of them when you first wandered into Ziad. And when you told Envy and me about them, some things made sense, but, for some reason, I never suspected you." His pale blue eyes searched her face. "You're too ... imperfect. And I don't mean that to be insulting." Ruli reassured, raising a hand. "Your expressions are written on your face, you smirk at inappropriate times to give away you think something is funny, you swear. Akuma was collected. Always. It was as if she was scripted and following cues. Nothing caught her off guard."

Ruli's eyes unfocused, directed toward the floor as his memories took over. The expression on Akuma's face when she went from harmless beauty to lethal weapon. So calm. The smell of blood, the shrieking, nothing made her flinch. "Ysaryn's the same way as you, I guess."

"I am what? Who?"
Ysaryn strolled back in with an empty plate, looking between the two curiously. She caught Ruli glance at Kire before meeting his gaze, and she frowned at him. "What you say?"
"I said you're like Kire." Ruli repeated honestly.
She straightened, smirking proudly. "Well. A comparison I enjoy." She purred, tossing a wink at Kire as she went to rinse the plate.

Kire listened to him explain how Ysaryn and Zeke coped, and she understood that very well. On to the next thing that needed doing, don’t let your mind wander enough to paralyze you. Kire being here, tracking down a murderous fugitive and rebuilding the community he had decimated at the same time, was proof enough of that. She nodded in agreement to his assessment that Ysaryn was really herself. She smirked briefly when he said that Kire was too imperfect to be a doll like Akuma and went on to explain what he meant by it. “A lot of people don’t like me precisely for those things you had just said,” she remarked. It was oddly comforting to hear those words from Ruli, that a man who wasn’t particularly keen to have her company would vouch for her character.

She chuckled when Ysaryn walked into the kitchen in time to hear Ruli’s comparison to her. “I am likewise not complaining,” she remarked, grinning at the elf as she watched her wash the plate. “Looks like Envy has no complaints about your cooking.” She stood up and stretched. “That was a lovely meal. Thank you, milady Ysaryn. I’m going out to replenish your firewood and then rest. Then to Cordon bright and early tomorrow,” she added, addressing Rulitus for that last one. She smiled at Ysaryn as she walked out of the caverns.

As she went about her task, Kire thought about her ever-growing list of promises to the people of Ziad and to Ysaryn. As with her problems back home, it wasn’t enough to just kill her targets and be done with it. If this Gemini or Ikegai had wormed their way into the messy politics of Cordon, as well as made dangerous allies with the Kartaians, she could potentially leave behind an even bloodier trail in the aftermath of her quest. And we’re looking at a full-scale war, worse comes to worst. First, she needed to find out just how much influence Ikegai had in the port city.

Even after Kire had finished gathering firewood, her mind wouldn’t rest. Deciding to spend the night here and reserve all her strength for whatever may come tomorrow, Kire had gone to the sleeping chamber to turn in, but instead stayed up, leaning against the cavern wall, turning the possibilities over in her mind. But before I could plan, I need information, she reminded herself grudgingly. As experienced as she was in battles and politics, Kire also knew she was fighting against her own instincts to rush in, put her own neck in the line and brute-force her way through a problem. “Gods, what a mess,” she whispered to herself.

Ysaryn twisted into a dramatic bow, holding her arms outward as her braid swung. "You have my thanks, Kirai. Continue bringing me fresh fish, and I will continued to make you lovely meals." She flashed a toothy grin once she straightened. And once Kire vanished outside, the elf looked over to Ruli, her expression sobering.
"You're comparing me to that evil woman?" She demanded.
He sighed. "No. Kire. And how you're not like the other one."
Ysaryn sniffed, and began to stomp out, only to turn near the exit. Her eyes landed on him. "She told you what I remember? She said she'd discuss it with you, and then you speak about the woman who destroyed Ziad? You think they succeeded in making me one of the dolls?" Ysaryn asked.
Ruli shook his head. "I asked her if she thought you were one. She doesn't believe so, nor do I." He raised his hands. "We know you're on our side. You're not an enemy."
The elf twitched one eyebrow. "If I were, maybe you'll reconsider accepting a prepared dish from me without hesitation." She said with a wicked glint in her eye before she wandered off.

The conversation bothered him. He knew the elf teased about the meal, but the look in her eye when she thought they didn't trust her. He lay awake that night, resting on his back on his sleeping mat. He was exhausted, too little sleep, but unable to manage to claim more. His eyes burned behind his eyelids, when he heard Kire mutter to herself in the dark chamber. His eyes snapped open.
Ysaryn's low chuckle followed shortly. "Yes. You are." The elf confirmed with a teasing tone. It appeared none of them could sleep.
Ruli took his chance. "Ysaryn, I'm sorry about earlier." He whispered through the darkness.
Her silence answered him. Somehow, he could tell whatever smile she'd worn while teasing Kire had disappeared from her lips. "Not yet." She answered cryptically, and Ruli frowned.

Kire straightened up when she heard the elf tease her, and she had to stifle a laugh. She was about to tease Ysaryn back when Ruli, who had apparently also been staying awake, whispered an apology to Ysaryn. Why? Though by now she was used to Rulitus somehow finding ways to make himself the center of someone’s frustration, his apology, and the elf woman’s subsequent response, hinted at something serious. Kire huffed. As if I didn’t have enough things on my mind to keep me up all night. “Rest,” she muttered, never mind that all three of them obviously had trouble doing that tonight, “if you’re going to fight, wait till morning.”

Morning came, and she had only slept for a few hours. Kire got up before she could change her mind and decide to sleep in, brewing coffee and bathing quickly in the cold mountain stream. Hopefully Ysaryn hasn’t killed Ruli yet. Or given him another nosebleed, she thought as she dried her hair in the early morning sun. Gods, that man is asking to have a target painted on his face. She shook her head; it wasn’t like she was any better.

Ysaryn grinned in the dark again. "Speak for you self to rest." She answered to Kire. Ruli kept quiet after that, lying awake a lot longer, unable to sleep as easily as he wished.
Come morning, Ysaryn was awake and gone from the sleeping chamber, while Ruli was still sprawled on his back, one arm bent over his face -for comfort or protection- and he slept soundly.

Footsteps sounded behind Kire as she dried her hair, then they stopped suddenly. Zeke stood with the kettle, eyes bleary and red. He narrowed them at Kire, looking more as if he were trying to get her into focus than actually glaring. "Sorry." He blurted, turning to walk upstream from her, leaving her to bathe.
"Spot taken!" Came Ysaryn's sharp shout, and Zeke froze again, closing his eyes.
Muttering to himself, he turned and began walking downstream instead, his steps cautious on the uneven ground.

Kire likewise squinted at Zeke, relieved she was mostly finished with her bath. Not long after he left, though, she heard Ysaryn’s voice and chuckled softly to herself. After Zeke had walked off downstream, Kire stood and made her way to the opposite direction until she spotted the elf. “Good morning. Unless you didn’t sleep too well,” she called, stopping a respectful distance away from the stream and sitting down, rubbing her damp hair. The bath had helped wash some of the tiredness away, and Kire hoped it would stay that way later when they head back to Cordon. “What was that about, last night? Why was he apologizing to you?” she asked. She looked up, then chuckled. “That’s one apology more than I’ve ever gotten from him so far.” The smile disappeared into a thoughtful look as she waited for her answer.

Ysaryn was kneeling in the shallow stream, sitting on her heels. She wore nothing as she washed, her bare back turned toward Kire and the caves as she bathed. Her hair was unbound and damp, sticking to her skin as she turned her head to eye Kire upon her approach. For once, she didn't smile immediately.

"Men fear what they cannot control." Ysaryn said. "I threaten to poison him." She turned away again, squeezing a washing cloth in the water before rubbing it against her neck. "I hear you discuss last night. If I am enemy or friend. Is not that I do not understand the why. But surviving the enemy was enough. I do not want to survive ally, as well."

Setting the cloth on her thigh, Ysaryn gripped her hair and twisted it, coiling it at her nape and squeezing so it stays in place. She glanced over her wet shoulder to Kire again. "He says you know I am not enemy. Is this true?"

Briefly, she furrowed her brow when Ysaryn said she had threatened Ruli. Afterward, Kire met her gaze solemnly, her own lingering only for a moment before turning away to look at the stream. So she heard. She let Ysaryn say her piece, understanding how that must have felt, especially given what she had already been through. It reminded Kire how tenuous the peace was among those that lived in the caves. “He’s right,” she answered when Ysaryn asked, “I know you are not the enemy. I’d like to think that it is clear to me who is and isn’t.”

Her mind went back again to that conversation the two of them had about Ruli. “You really don’t trust him, do you?” Kire still believed that, much like most of the people here, Ysaryn and herself included, his outlook on others was coming from a place of inner pain. Sid’s story about him, though leaving out many of the details, had said as much. She sighed. “I’m sorry if we made you doubt our trust in you.” She paused, then added, meeting her gaze again, "I hope you know I'm not your enemy, either."

Ysaryn considered her question about Ruli, lips pressed thin. "He has not decided yet." She answered, still watching Kire. "When he decides, my trust will decide, as well." She claimed, her eyes following Kire as she looked to the stream and back. "You, I know not to be enemy. And yet."
She grinned in a way that shadowed her dark eyes. "Some friends must be watched more hard. Bad deeds often made in good intention."

The elf stood, turning in the stream to face Kire, unbothered by her nakedness. Without rush, she bent to scoop up her clothing, pulling on her undergarments. "You make many promises, Kirai. Good intentions. But you also taunt monster who would destroy world to claim you." She folded her arms over her middle. "You are not enemy, but the enemy wants you."
Stepping out of the stream, Ysaryn approached Kire, her expression soft, but without her usual smile. "Make a choice on a side. You hunt, or you build. It is unsafe for both. These people, they are not you tribe, yes? You tribe still needs you. This tribe needs this tribe. Envy. The longer you sway, the less safe you are. For you, and for them."

Kire smirked at her remark about bad deeds made with good intentions. “You are not the first to warn me about that,” she said, before looking up at Ysaryn, her cheeks reddening when the elf dressed in front of her. Looking up at her, Kire fought both the distraction of Ysaryn’s nakedness and the hard stubbornness welling up inside her, resisting the choice. “It’s not that simple,” Kire said. “I can’t just abandon one for the other. I have many tribes before. I can add one more.” She sat, silent for a while, appraising Ysaryn’s mood. Then, with a huff, she stood up. “I understand what you’re telling me. The sooner I hunt down my enemy, the better. I know that better than anyone.” She tried not to have too hard an edge to her voice.

She turned towards the caverns, about to head back. “Don’t think too badly of me. As Chieftess, I don’t do too well when I’m the one being given ultimatums.” She gave the elf a small smile, before heading back inside, leaving Ysaryn to finish drying off. Once inside, she slipped the silver ring back on before looking for Ruli.

"The choice is always before you." Ysaryn called after Kire. "I am only pointing it to you eyes."
But she frowned as Kire rushed away, running from the conversation, the ultimatum. Ysaryn wasn't familiar with the literal word, but she guessed enough from the tone what it meant. Chiefs and Cheiftesses did not like having choices thrust upon them. It was why her father had rarely made a move that was not his idea. Or so he thought, as the others whispered to Ysaryn's mother, and she, then, to the chief. While Ysaryn understood, she knew, too, that sometimes chief's had to stand taller than their pride.

Growling, and finally dressed, she stalked back toward the caves after Kire, only to be sidetracked by Zeke, who was still struggling to fill the kettle without stepping into the water. With a click of her tongue, Ysaryn wandered over to help him.

"What?" Ruli grunted when Kire nudged him. He raised his arm to glare at her, blinking the sleep from his eyes. "Shit." He dropped his arm again. "Its not morning already." He complained, knowing full well it was. He could smell the coffee on her. "A cup of coffee and I'll move." He bribed with a yawn.

“Afraid it is.” Kire raised an eyebrow at him, her mouth almost twitching into a smirk. Can’t say I blame him. “One cup of coffee for the grump,” she said, going to the kitchen and coming back with two cups. She handed one to Ruli, the other she kept for herself. She was quiet as she drank her coffee and waited for him to wake fully, her mind still occupied by her conversation with Ysaryn. Even after Ruli finally was ready to leave, Kire remained silent. Kire, do you even want your throne back? Janes’s last question to her before coming back here came to her then. She couldn’t tell whether her cousin was angry, or simply needing answers, when she said that. Jan knew her better than many people, sometimes even better than herself, but Kire had pushed the question aside just as she had pushed Ysaryn’s question away earlier. Now both women’s questions weighed heavily on her, two sides of the same sentiment that Kire wouldn’t acknowledge.

The moment they emerged, she could tell things were much busier than ever. The streets were even more decorated with flowers and banners, and she remembered the brief encounter between Itallo’s men and the botanist yesterday. The heady smells of flowers, perfumes, and food were dizzying. But still, on the other side of the wall, there was squalor and rot, and Ysaryn’s memory of being taken by the Gemini came back to her. “They took her to a place very near the water,” Kire remarked as they made their way to the city proper. Her eyes scanned the busy streets of Cordon, wondering if she would see that Gemini again today. “The man you saw yesterday, did he look old or young? Though if he’s using any sort of glamour on himself that might not matter.”

Ruli groaned in response to her affirmation, but did as he promised and sat up when she returned with coffee. She was quiet, though he didn't know the reason. It was nice to enjoy coffee in silence instead of dealing with her constant questions. He downed his cup, then rose, dressed, and fetched a second cup before nodding to her to signify he was ready to go.

Back to Cordon.
He shoved his hands immediately into his pockets for warmth, tucking his arms against his torso as he looked around. Every time he exhaled his cheeks grew warm against the fabric of his keffiyeh, but it answered with a chilling cold whenever he exhaled. He recalled Kire saying her family was currently living in the snow and frowned, unable to fathom that sort of cold.
"I'm sorry to point out, that could be anywhere." Ruli answered her, looking around the coastal town. Much of it was built on water. The streets were even angled so that every house had views of the sea, depending on which window they looked out of.

As she asked about the age of the man he'd seen, Ruli shrugged. "To be honest, I'm a terrible judge for age." He admitted. He tried to think, though, trying to compare the man he'd seen with people he knew. "Older then Aeron, for sure. By a few years. Grown into manhood, but his cheeks were still full. So ... not too old?" He made a face. "I don't know how to look for glamour, but magic calls to magic, and during his little walk, I didn't sense anything." Unless he was just unfamiliar and unable to detect Gemini magic as Kire could.
Wordlessly, he directed her through the streets to where the man had walked yesterday, gesturing with a jerk of his chin.

Kire snorted when Ruli pointed out just how little of a lead her description was. “Hm. A little coin could go a long way to finding some loose lips,” she said. “Even just rumors of such a place should exist and go around by word of mouth, especially if this had just started happening within the past six months.” She observed the houses, looked around at the festivities, and listened to Ruli tell her about the Gemini. Not too old? “Strange. That sounds too young. How did a Gemini without the years of experience even get here? Though that might explain the crudeness of the doll-making, if Ysaryn managed to escape.”

Around them, women with flowers in their hair and pinned to their dresses talked excitedly about the wedding, and the arrival of the bride. Apparently, there will be a parade through the streets as Lord Itallo’s betrothed makes her way to the lord’s mansions along with her entourage. Talk around town was, from what Kire could gather at least, that the parade will happen in the late afternoon. “Maybe the bastard would show up then, if he’s confident enough to walk around out in the open like yesterday, and if he’s somehow in the city’s payroll,” Kire said. “We could get the supply run done first, maybe get some seafood again as a bit of peace offering for Ysaryn. Then this parade, if you want to stick around. Or if you want to leave me to it, I can snoop around while the parade’s happening, and you go watch your sunset,” she said, gesturing at the general direction of the sea. “I know I just assumed your involvement in this.”