Narda walked him back to his room, where they had tea and continued their idle chat. She had considered for a moment asking him if he would like her to spend the night with him in his bed, but given that he had only just experienced his first kiss, she refrained. It was enjoyable enough to have his company like this. Once they’d gone through all the drink, she excused herself and bid him goodnight, warm from the tea and from the time spent with him. Before going to bed, she gave instructions not to wake her guest early in the morning.

As usual, she rose early and made her way down to the great hall to look for Daryll. As it turned out, he too had been up early. “Did you sleep at all?” the giantess asked.
“I did,” the scholar said. He had several scrolls tucked under his arm. “I’d like to go looking for the Glenn house today.”
“We can arrange that. Did you already have a location in mind? You know we lost track of them at some point.”
“Yeah, ‘cos they ‘married low’ at some point, then went bankrupt, right?” Daryll confirmed. Narda nodded. Daryll went to a nearby table and unfurled one of the scrolls. “They might have moved from the older estate to somewhere smaller, so roundabouts in these areas.”
Narda frowned. “That’s almost outside of the borders of my province. And a rather unsavory part of town. I’ve already told my father to get that place in order but,” she finished with a scoff. “I’ll accompany you later, after we tell the Wyvernling and return my guest to his friends.”
“Ah. Right.” Daryll rolled up the scroll. “Enjoyed his company, did you?”
“Very much so,” Nard replied with a grin.

--

Kire stirred when she felt the bed move. Half-asleep, she opened her eyes, then when she saw that Ruli wasn’t lying down beside her she woke up a bit more. He was sitting up, unmoving, looking out at something. “Ruli?” she said, pushing herself up to sit beside him. Was he dreaming? She touched his back gently. “Are you alright?”

Ruli blinked, and turned his head.
He wasn't aware he had sat up hours before, and remained upright. Had no collection of the singing or the voice in his head. In that blink, he had only just woken, unbothered.
"Yeah." He answered. As he turned towards her, his spine ached from his time sitting in such a position. "Nng, I think I slept wrong." He complained, arching his back to stretch.
"You look rested. No dreams?"

“No dreams this time,” Kire answered, still looking him over, concerned. “How long have you been sitting up?” But it didn’t look like he was bothered by anything, so Kire relaxed, though she rubbed his back gently. “Alright then, breakfast. And then go see if the camp’s still standing.” She kissed his cheek then stood. “D’you think Envy’s alright? When are you coming back for him?”

"I don't know, I'm sure not very long," he answered about sitting up. "but I am sure we'd have heard something if anything happened." He arched again, then twisted slightly before getting to his feet. "Envy will be fine. He's in good hands. I'll grab Narda, and see if he's awake after we eat. Would you keep an eye on Gavin while I'm out?" He wondered, running his fingers through his hair to comb it. Once it was tamed, he pulled it back and tied it in a bun. "You know he wants to go into the forest."

“Mm. He has been eyeing it a lot, too. Lad looks like he’s ready to make a break for it,” Kire said. “I’ll watch him.” She waited till he was gone, then fixed her own hair and clothes before stepping out. As soon as she entered the hall, she saw Gavin step out of his own room.
“Morning. Breakfast?” Kire asked.
“Yeah.” Gavin yawned, lazily flattening his hair. “No weird dreams this time. Hey, are you heading to the forest anytime soon?”
Of course. “I’m not sure when, exactly. For now I’m focusing on watching over the camp before exploring the forest again. I’d rather all of us are present before we make another attempt.” She gave him a pointed look, which he reciprocated.
“I’m not gonna make a run for it, come on,” the lad said, shaking his head before walking with her downstairs for breakfast.

Myka was already there, looking like she could use two pots of coffee.
“I know I look like shit,” she greeted, sighing over her mug. “Can’t exactly sleep properly knowing a camp full of townsfolk might suddenly burst into flame, eh?”
“I know.” Kire and Gavin sat with her at the table after Kire asked for breakfast for them and for everyone else they were expecting. “Did you go down there already? Anything worth noting?”
“Nothing much. Everyone’s still in one piece. Though a couple of them were asking if it was possible to visit a temple, or erect an altar, if they were going to be asked to stay there longer.”
“Hmm.” Kire had paused in the middle of lifting her coffee cup to her lips. “We’ll talk it over with them later. Let’s see what their current status is first before we make arrangements like that for them. Oh, gods, I just remembered, I’m supposed to meet up with Princess Risa and Solaralai’s worshippers later tonight, back at Úvano.”

Across her, Gavin made a face at the mention of the princess. When Myka gave her a quizzical look, Kire explained who Risa was and what the meeting was about.
“Ah. Well. Are you expecting this goddess to turn these people into her fanatics or something?”
“Well, they haven’t done anything terrible to Úvano so far, and so far nobody’s told me about any of them spontaneously combusting like yesterday.”

He arrived in the same spot of Narda's house yesterday, the smell of coffee. Their mixtures were slightly different, stronger here, he learned. Which hopefully explained why Kire had so many cups in Úvano.
"Hello? Anyone up?" He called, making his way.
He was met with one of Narda's employees, who led him to where Narda and Daryll were, as the latter was rolling a scroll. "You look hopeful, did you find a lead?" He wondered.

A swift glanced around the room told him the Kartaian was not present. "Still sleeping? Wait, did he tell you not to take him, right?" Ruli wondered. "He's grumpy in the mornings."
But, Ruli considered something. "I wonder how nice he'd be to you. Considering he actually likes you." He said with a grin that amtched Narda's earlier one.

Narda and Daryll looked up when Ruli announced his presence. Narda nodded, while Daryll briefly raised a hand in greeting. "I did, indeed. Still slim, but it's something." He explained again the parts in the map where he thought the Glenn house would be.

"Are you here to fetch Envy?" Nard asked. When Ruli mentioned how the elf was in the morning, she chuckled. "He did say not to be disturbed, yes. And seeing how much he liked the mattress, I trust it would be difficult to pry him from it."
At his teasing, Narda laughed. "The Wyvernling doesn't often have a pleasant attitude when roused, either. That doesn't stop me from waking her. Still, Envy is a guest, and I'd rather he enjoy the bed for a while. And I don't want to get on his bad side just yet."

"Did you, er, keep him up late?" Daryll asked, then looked immediately like he regretted prying.
"Not in the way you must be thinking," Narda said, smirking. "But come now. Breakfast first."
"Has my cousin fed you, or are we all eating together at the inn?" Daryll asked.

"In part, yes." Ruli responded when Narda asked if he was here for Envy. "Mostly to see if he was up. Which I doubted. So also in part to see how well behaved." He smirked, eyes glinting. If he had to wake the Kartaian, he'd had no trouble being on his bad side.

"Kire's waking the others for breakfast. You know the empress and food. And the dark elf and food. Frankly, if we don't feed that one I'm worried she'll eat a villager." He hoped he was kidding. "I'll wake the brute. Am I taking you anywhere after? You have that look in your eye Zeke gets when he's after someone." Ruli asked, starting toward Envy's room and pausing to watch Daryll.

Daryll snorted. “If Ysaryn devours a villager, Kire will swallow up the livestock. Best get back quick if we want a share.” At the question of needing to go anywhere after, Daryll nodded. “There are enough heads working together at the camp. As interested as I am in helping, this other mystery has waited long enough.”
“Not without me,” Narda stressed, before Ruli went off to wake Envy. “I know you’re used to going off on your little ‘research trips’,” she said, frowning down at Daryll. “But if any important business is to happen within my family’s province, I would at least want to be involved. Especially if a Wyvern is doing the sniffing around.”

“There you are,” Kire greeted, seeing them return. “Food’s almost ready. How was Narda’s?”
“Did you fit in there?—oww, in the bed! Woman!” Gavin yelped when Kire kicked his shin.
“If you want breakfast, you behave,” the empress said. Myka snorted, muttering in Taakalon about how they were going to badger Narda about it later in private, anyway. “The camp is relatively quiet, save for a request regarding arrangements for worship at camp.”

As per Kire’s request, the inn served up a big breakfast and lots of coffee. Kire noticed Daryll was eager to go, judging from the way he shoveled food into his mouth.
“I’m going with Daryll on his excursion,” Narda said as she ate. “But I hope to see you later in the afternoon still?” she asked Envy. Kire and Myka glanced at each other, both of them rather amused at Narda being smitten.
Kire turned to Daryll, pointing a fork at him. “Be careful, alright? And at first sign of any weird magical trouble, you get the fuck out of there and come back.”
“With Narda babysitting, I’m sure we’ll be fine,” Daryll commented, to which Narda huffed.
“Best believe I will sling you over my shoulder if you disobey.”

"Envyyyy." Ruli sang as he strolled into the room offered to the large elf.

A deep growl answered him.
With the curtains drawn, it was quite dark in the chamber, but he was still buried beneath the blankets to shield himself from any rebellious rays that found their way in.
"Come on, sleepy head. You woman awaits. And there will be food."
Envy's responsive growl was somewhat less threatening, but still very reluctant.
"You know whats going to happen, don't you?" Ruli wondered, pulling the blankets back to reveal the elf. The Kartaian's sharp teeth were bared as he curled on his side, shying away from the cool air. "We're going to question Narda about all the juicy and moist details of last night. Without you there to tell us to shut up." He saw the pink-hued colour of Envy's eyes as the elf leered sleepily. Ruli bent down, propping himself on his knees. "All of us, Envy. Me. Gavin. Kire. Myka."
The elf groggily shook his head, slowly rousing. He mumbled something Ruli couldn't understand, as the elf had his face pressed to the mattress. "That-a-boy." Ruli straightened, earning another growl.

Ruli arrived in the inn with the others, grinning impishly. Envy stood behind him, his eyes barely open, his mouth set in a way that clearly said he was holding back a serious of inappropriate words in every language he knew. Gently, Ruli helped to guide him to a seat before taking his own. "Oh, he was real deep in there. In the bed." Ruli answered mockingly, grinning at Gavin as Envy snarled softly.

"Worship?" Ruli asked, glancing along at Kire. "As in, of Solaralai?" He wrinkled his nose. "They don't even know her. Why bother?" He looked toward Envy, but the Kartaian was still struggling to wake. So he switched his attention to Ysaryn, who was inhaling coffee despite her cheeks being full of the sausage that had been on her plate seconds before.
"Do you need help there?" Ysaryn asked, looking to Daryll. "Having someone of magic incline ... in ... ability may be of use." She said, tucking some of her loose hair behind her pointed ear.

While Gavin snickered at Envy’s grouchiness and Ruli’s remarks, Kire shook her head at Ruli. “I don’t know yet. People have their own gods they pray to here, and any other day it wouldn’t be too unreasonable to let them have their worship. And should they start considering praying to her, do I shut it down?”
“Too early for theology questions,” Myka muttered over her toast. “Kay, how’d I get from busting slavers’ asses and taking their loot to investigating a god?”
“Regarding Daryll’s trip, yes, Ysaryn, do come along,” Narda said. “I’d send in the Wenches too, but they’re currently on their other errand for the Wyvernling, scouting out other rumors of ‘strangeness’ cropping up in the surrounding provinces.”
“For as long as you’re there to help and not babysit,” Daryll muttered. “So who’s going?”

Ruli broke into his breakfast while Kire amd Myka spoke, nodding as Narda claimed Ysaryn for the journey to the ... whatever Daryll was dragging them. Which left him to assist Kire, and possibly taking the far-too-eager Gavin toward the forest. Which he was sure Envy would be annoyed about.
"Envy," Ruli said, suddenly reminded. "Are you going back into the village with us? If we step into the forest, would you want to accompany us?"
Envy gave a bleary blink. "I suppose." He said, then his brow furrowed. "I don't know, actually. I'd rather none of you go into the forest. I'd rather not go myself, but I find I am curious."
Ruli shrugged, going back to his meal, watching Ysaryn finish her plate clean, drain her cup, and then rise to her feet. "Am I to take?" She asked, looking to Ruli, then to Kire. "Who knows where I'm taking them?"

When the location was taken, and shared with the dark elf, Ysaryn held Narda and Darll's hands and vanished.

Narda, Daryll, and Ysaryn emerged amid a field overrun with weeds that weren’t as picturesque as the wildflowers nearer to the giantess’s home. “The town we’re going into sits in the fringes between my province and the next lord’s. While the crown does its best to oversee every corner of the continent, it’s still a vast empire, and subject to various complications, political, economical, and such,” Narda explained, pointing to the line of run-down houses ahead of them that demarcated the beginning of the territory she was describing. “Especially during the war, when tensions between neighbors who don’t really see eye to eye increased, and resources have been funneled elsewhere. Some fall through the cracks. Probably why we don’t have updated records on the Glenn family.”

As they got closer, however, the sky seemed to dim, and a cold air settled about them. Daryll wrapped his cloak tighter around himself. “Has it always been this cold here?”
“No. I haven’t been here in a while, but this is unusual,” the giantess said. She paused as she stepped closer to the perimeter, frowning. She looked down at her hands, flexing and unflexing them. “Do you feel that?”
Daryll yawned, rubbing his eyes. “What?”
“Tired. All of a sudden.”
“I’m always tired,” Daryll pointed out, “but yeah. I get what you mean.”
They looked about them, seeing people going about their business, but it was as if the whole town was feeling the same lethargy. Daryll rubbed his eyes again. “Nard, when was the last time you heard word from this place?”

Narda frowned, taking measured steps forward. “A month ago? Little less than that, perhaps. Not much to report then.” She yawned. “Tell us again what this woman looks like.” When Daryll described her, Narda sighed. There were dozens of women who looked like that: petite, with brown hair and eyes. An ordinary sort of girl that wouldn’t stand out, based on his description, so she would have to trust that Daryll’s image of her in his mind was vivid enough for him to instantly recognize her in the flesh. Now, if only she could focus on the task and not on the thought of sitting down or lying down for a nap. What was in the air here that made her feel like she was under a stupor?

--

After they left, Kire went back to finishing her coffee. “So.” She glanced at Envy. “Did it go well?”
Gavin shook his head. “Tsk. Why’d you kick me earlier if you were gonna ask him anyway.”
“Want another kick?” Kire muttered.

“What’re you gonna do when you go back in there?” Myka asked.
“There’s a spot I want to visit, actually,” Kire replied. “The boy’s father said he found the statuette somewhere in the hills right outside town, which should be somewhere still inside the forest, some ways away from their house where we found them. And maybe we could figure out together if there’s a need to ward the whole forest, or try to deal with it permanently.”
“Mmm. Sounds like a whole lot of trouble if you do, though,” Myka repied.

Ysaryn took a moment to collect herself, not entirely as used to dragging people along with her as Ruli was, let alone someone the size of Narda.
Not that she'd be dumb enough to mention that unless Narda or Daryll asked.

She felt a slight chill, though not enough to warrant a tug of her clothing to keep herself warm. And when Narda asked about the sleepiness, she turned toward the two, curious. "You are not having slept?" She said, wondering what sort of night the giantess had had with Envy. The tired looking male was always that. Tired.

Wondering if maybe she should have volunteered to go with Kire, and leave Ruli with these two, Ysaryn listened to the description of the girl, and raised an eyebrow. He was about as useful as a grain of sand in this trek, wasn't he? "Come to me." Ysaryn sighed, stalking passed the two and along the street, her head held high. "You nap can wait."

---

Ruli chuckled at Kire's immediate question, while Envy merely blinked slowly. "No gentleman tells." The Kartaian insisted firmly.

It seemed to be all he was willing to say on the matter, so Ruli, his face hidden behind his coffee, listened as the women discussed their plans. Back into the forest. His pale eyes shifted to Gavin, wondering if he'd let his eagerness show. "How will we know if we have to ward the whole forest?" He asked, still watching Gavin, to see what the lad would decide.

“I did sleep,” Narda insisted, rubbing her own face. “I am never this tired so early in the day.” Why was she so tired? As they walked down the street, with the giantess trying to recall through the fog in her mind the layout of the town, they passed by other people, all of them with that same lethargic look on their faces, dragging their feet through their daily routines.
“I know this is a sleepy town, but this is taking it too far. Something’s odd,” Daryll said, frowning as he blinked slowly. Even more strange was that Ysaryn seemed fine.

They passed town guards who were walking lazily, or at their posts but sitting down, head propped up on their fist. When, finally, life seemed to spark in some of them, they sat up, noticing the newcomers, particularly the weapons they carried, and stood. “Oy, you!” they cried, clumsily picking up their own weapons to jog over to them.
“Oy, you, yourself,” Narda growled, “Is my father still paying you to keep the peace or not?”
The men blinked, looked at each other, then up at Narda, seemingly only just realizing her unnatural tallness and, in particular, the battle axes she carried. Anyone who lived within the Wild Meadows should be able to put two and two together, given those details. “C-Countess!” They bowed as swiftly as they could, jolted awake. “Have you been sent by the crown to help us?”

Narda frowned. “What is going on? Where’s your mayor? Who is leading the town now? Take us to them.” The guards saluted and led the way. Narda looked at her companions and shook her head.

The mayor’s home was, as expected, more lavish than the rest of the home around it. The guards knocked on the door, prompting an irritated shout from inside. Daryll looked about, then up at the windows in time to see a plump woman peek from behind the curtains. When she saw him looking, she closed them swiftly.
The door finally opened. The mayor looked like he had only just got out of bed, but upon catching sight of the giantess he swallowed and straightened up. “Ah—contesa—”
“In common tongue, for my guests, if you please,” Narda said, though the tone of her voice and glower on her face betrayed her impatience. “We’re here to look for somebody, a woman from the Glenn family. But we have just been told by one of your guards here that you are expecting help from the crown. Why has my House not been informed, and why hasn’t word reached the Capital?”

It seemed as if Narda’s questions were far too early for the mayor’s mind to comprehend. “Er—yes! W-we did send messengers, but perhaps they have been waylaid?” He scratched his head. “It has been a fairly recent, uh, phenomenon, Countessa. As for the Glenn family, perhaps we could help? But I should say, that is a rather sad and disturbing tale—”
“I care not. I just want answers.”
The mayor swallowed again and nodded, glancing briefly at Daryll, who, as usual, was dressed like an ordinary traveller and didn’t look much like a Wyvern, and then at Ysaryn, her eyes, and her blades. “A-ah. Yes. Of course. Please come in.”

The plump woman, who looked to be the mayor’s wife, set about making tea for them. “Now. Quickly. About the Glenn family.”
“Yes, milady. See, therein lies the root of our problem. You might be experiencing the lethargy yourself right now, yes?”
Narda raised an eyebrow. “Since stepping into the town? Yes. Save for my companion here,” she said, gesturing towards Ysaryn. “I have with me Ysaryn, a friend of the Empress, and the Lord Daryll—” Daryll hissed, his hopes of not being introduced this way dashed. “—Lord Daryll Wyrmingway, the Empress’s cousin. So. You have help from the Crown, and a representative of the Wyvern family here.”
Realizing who Daryll was, the mayor looked even more flustered, which Narda found odd. If they did want help from Kire, they should be jumping for joy now. “A-ah! I am honored! Yes, of course. Uh. See, there is a family that claims to have Glenn blood living near the, er, most unsavory part of town. But they have been living so poorly, and of such suspect character, that this claim is questionable. And there is the matter of the daughter.”

“What about the daughter?” Daryll asked.

“T-there is no real proof, of course, as none of us know a thing about magic and the supernatural and such, but the daughter is quite, ah queer, shall we say. Maybe a witch. With no proof, we cannot do anything, but we have reason to believe this daughter is the source of the malady plaguing us.”

Narda ground her teeth. Something about all this rubbed her the wrong way. “We will be the judge of that. Show us where they live.”

--

Gavin met Ruli’s gaze, feeling like the question was both a genuine inquiry and some sort of test. “I don’t know. If it looks like something that’ll expand and affect more and more land and people, maybe we should. But if the thing is that volatile, it might not be too smart to mess with the whole thing. Didn’t your wards fight with the Gemini ones when Kire destroyed the world gate before? What if something like that happens again?” Myka made a face, remembering that night.

Kire frowned as she sat back, arms crossed, thinking it over. “We’ll enter another way,” she said. “Closer to those hills I was talking about. At this point, there’s so little known about the forest, the most I could think of is to scout out other areas just to learn more about it. No splitting up,” she said pointedly to Gavin, who frowned at the assumption that he was going to bolt and explore on his own. “I don’t know if it’s just because of the trance or the goddess makes it so that we split up upon encountering the visions while inside. So better not make her work any easier.”

Once everyone was finished with their meals, they left the inn to get ready for the trip. The line of hills Kire was thinking of was similarly engulfed by the forest, directly south from their first entry point yesterday. “I could just go in alone,” Kire said, to which she knew everybody else would react rather strongly. “Alright. Stay close, and be careful.”

Ysaryn looked skeptical about Narda's sleeping. If she and Ed had been under the same roof, sleep wouldn't even be an option. But Envy seemed far more a prude than Ysaryn or Ed. Narda was a hard read.

As they wandered in, the elf kept quiet, her eyes roaming, taking in the bizarre scene. Everyone seemed to be struggling to stay awake. To do their errands. Even the guards. Ysaryn raised an eyebrow at them. Her father would have had them punished for such laziness if they were part of their clan.
As Narda snarled at their inquiries and put them in their place, the elf smirked. Well enough. The guards nearly fell over themselves to make up for their mistake.

As they made their way to the mayors, Ysaryn's gait was smaller, to keep pace with the sluggish others of her group, but also to observe. Whatever it was, it was clear everyone was claimed by it. Disease? No, it wouldn't have been so quick to claim Narda and Daryll. And why didn't it touch her?
Magic? She was magic, the other two were not. Perhaps it was why she was uneffective.

Hearing the mayor answer the door dragger her attention forward, and she leered at him indifferently, her jeweled eyes bright in the sun. After the brief exchange, they were allowed in, and Narda introduced them. It wasn't her own, but Daryll's that made the elf turn her head and grin. "Worman... what?" She asked, the word impossible on her tongue. Chuckling softly, she poured herself into a seat, crossed her long legs, and watched the mayor with an unrelenting gaze. Slowly, her foot waved in the air, impatient and restless.

"Narda?" Ysaryn leaned toward the giantess. "What is this word? 'Queer'?" As the giantess explained that it meant strange, Ysaryn frowned and looked back around to the mayor. 'Strange' was no reason to suspect a person of a plague.
Before the tea was even properly served, they were on their feet again and leaving, Ysaryn giving the mayor's wife a piercing look before she was out of view.
They may not have elves and not yet know what to think of one, but may as well keep them on their feet.

The house was ... well, honestly, Ysaryn felt almost at home, It didn't differ much from the shacks and tents they'd dwelled in in Cordon. It seemed impossibly close to collapsing, but somehow still erect. There were wilting shrubs in the front, a moss covered boulder, and the windows were dim with grime.
Ysaryn's eyes searched it, definitely feeling something from within, but couldn't quite name it.

The boulder moved, revealing itself to be a round man in grey and green clothing. Ysaryn narrowed her eyes at him, wondering if he dressed in such a way on purpose. To hide.
"Mayor." The man said. He was balding, his brown hair thin, the weak caterpillar of a moustache on his upper lip looked as though it would flee in the next breeze. His dark eyes roamed the visitors, namely the elf. "I thought you wouldn't take her?" He asked, looking from Ysaryn to Daryll, clearly making an assumption as to who they were.

---

Ruli only grinned. "They did. I agree, it might be best to leave it be until we understand it more." He glanced back to Envy, who seemed to be considering what it would take to decide where that line rested. "It might be better to risk ourselves if it meant shielding the citizens long enough to get them away."
Envy inhaled, clearly disagreeing. "We will not be risking ourselves. We take no step without certainty here."
"With the exception of blindly wandering in." Ruli pointed out.
The Kartaian frowned, unable to argue.

"Fat chance." Ruli said to Kire, as Envy opened his mouth to scold such a thought. Envy fell quiet again, glad he didn't had to worry about Kire running off.
Even wearing his charm, Envy felt his skin crawl beneath the sunlight, his hand tight around Ruli's forearm as they appeared where Kire led them. He didn't let the younger man go, and Ruli didn't shake him off, knowing the elf needed guidance. And it gave him an idea. "Gavin, grab Envy's arm. Kire," Ruli said, reaching for her hand again. "Let's see her pry us apart, then." He pulled her arm gently, bringing her closer. "You don't get to hire us and then ditch us." Ruli chided, his eyes roaming her face. You're stuck with us now."

Narda looked about the squalid homes and frowned. It reflected badly on them as rulers that such squalor exists, limited resources or not. She looked at her companions and neither seemed overly bothered. Daryll was too focused on observing and watching for signs, and Ysaryn seemed to be doing the same, too. Ahead of them, they saw the home that was allegedly the place where these pariahs of the town lived, and her gaze shifted to the man who had revealed himself upon their approach. He struck her at once as a shady character, not unlike the slimy men she and the Wenches had had to deal with. She particularly didn’t like the look he cast at Ysaryn and Daryll. Her opinion of him did not improve upon hearing his question.

The mayor sniffed, displeased with the man’s lack of tact. “Darus, these are friends of the crown. Honored guests! They are here to, ah, investigate the matter with Lyta.”
“Oh, no,” Narda said with a grin, her hand on the handle of her battle axe, “why don’t you elaborate for us what you meant by ‘taking her’ somewhere.” Even with sleep tugging at her mind, she would make short work of any of these men by herself, should they be stupid enough to act against her.

Daryll, though, was half paying attention, his eyes moving to the door and the grimy windows. “’Lyta’? Is that your daughter’s name?” he said, looking about as if expecting the woman to pop out and introduce herself.

--

Kire smirked at Ruli’s response. As Gavin held Envy’s arm, Kire took Ruli’s and stepped closer. “First sign of danger, Walk out.” While she was prepared to do this alone, she was still grateful they had made up their minds about joining her. One ready, they stepped in. Maybe because they had spent a day here already, but Kire didn’t find the heat too unbearable this time. Or maybe the goddess had started worming her way into her mind. Hopefully it’s the former.

Gavin was quiet as he helped guide Envy. “Just tell me if you need to look,” he said to his mentor. While nothing about this forest felt familiar, it did remind him of the last time he had seen his mother. She didn’t explain herself, only said they were in danger and she had to send him away for his safety. Only, he got sent away with a brute who taught him to steal or face beatings before he got himself killed at the hands of a blood mage and his doll. His childhood was a haze. That last distinct memory had taken place in a forest like this one. And the dream…

Ahead he saw a hooded figure and stopped, grasping Envy tight. “Does everyone see that?” he asked. He squeezed his lids shut and shook his head, pinching himself with his free hand. When he opened his eyes the figure was still there, only farther away. Their back was turned to him. Illusion, or vision?
“In every thread, blood always follows you…”
Who said that? Gavin drew breath. Don’t let go.
“When the Wyvern and the Gemini cross paths, blood always follows.”
At his feet, the body of a young woman with sand-colored hair, eyes open and glassed over in death, her body twisted in a manner that betrayed her horrible fate. In a blink, her body frosted over as if covered in ice, turning into crystal.
Gavin screamed, stepped back, and let go.

The man's eyes widened slightly at the mayor's information, and then at Narda's axe as she thumbed it. Ysaryn could smell the fear spilling off him; such a foul scent that she twitched her nose and exhaled. "Uh. Sh-she..." He stammered. "People who c-can ... care f-for her. Her ... "
He looked to Daryll as he questioned the girl's name. "N-not my daughter. But yes. My wife's girl." Ysaryn inhaled again, the coughed. The noise made the man jump, his beady eyes wandering her curiously, taking in her details. Her swords, her ears, the strange colour of her eyes. And when she grinned, those teeth! He took a step back. "She needs uh ... uh ... a specialist."

Ysaryn wasn't sure what this word meant here in this context. 'Specialist'. But the manor in which he said it made her skin crawl. "You are to give her up?" She questioned sharply, brow furrowing. That horrible scent met her nostrils again. "Good. We are to take her. Yes?" She asked, looking around to Daryll.

---

"First sign. We promise." Ruli agreed with a nod.
Envy, hearing the two, inhaled, determined. "I want to court Narda properly." He confessed suddenly. Ruli chuckled. "I'll need pointers."
"Not now, Envy." Ruli said gently. "When we're back. We'll see about wooing your woman."
Envy squeezed his hands, squared his shoulders, and stepped with Ruli as they moved into the woods.

It was warm as the desert fell around them again. Ruli welcomed it despite its strange origin, his skin welcoming the arid heat like an old friend. To his right, he heard Gavin offer his eyes to Envy, and while he didn't hear any sort of answer from the elf in return, he felt Envy shift as they walked.

Then the singing started. Ruli furrowed his brow and suddenly remembered this morning, when he'd been woken before the sun had risen by the same sound. It was like a lullaby, but slower. More somber.
A dirge.
He remembered sitting up for hours, which explained the soreness of his back, and hated that he hadn't been laying down beside Kire, who had joined him because she needed him for comfort. Was she annoyed that he hadn't slept? Why didn't he feel more tired? Nothing around him made sense. He could still feel Envy and Kire's hands in his own, but couldn't see him. It wasn't quite the same as the empty blackness of the shadows. Somehow, it was bright. Warm. As if he were standing in the middle of a sandstorm. But no sand ate at his skin. No wind howled.

"Gavin!?" He heard Envy shout, and the yank as the Kartaian moved suddenly. Ruli shouted back, grasping for the elf, yanking hard enough on Kire's arm to yank her near off her feet. His fingers wrapped around a bony wrist, and he pulled. "Back!" He shouted to Kire. He hoped she, at least, could see. Or that Gavin could, on Envy's other side.

Only, when they retreated and the fog fell from around Ruli's mind, the music going quiet again-
Envy was gone.

Gavin's wrist was in his grasp, the Kartaian no where to be found. Not even his footprints in the dirt leading out. Only in. "Envy?" Ruli shouted, dropping both Gavin and Kire to spin around, looking back toward the forest. "Envy!?"
Raising his arms, he ran his fingers through his hair and turned on Gavin. "What did you do!?" He snarled, eyes wide in panic. "Envy!" He shouted again, pacing a few feet one way, than the other, wanting to go back into the forest to find his friend.

Maybe he panicked and left. Ruli couldn't breathe. He inhaled and vanished, appearing inside Narda's home, circling, rushing outside and into the garden, looking for any sign. Then to the Tower. Anywhere Envy would know to Walk to. Would he know to walk through the gate? Or how to find it? Ruli bolted through the Tower, almost leaping through the gate. No Envy there, either. No where in the tunnels. Back through the gate, to the camp, shouting for his friend, before he went back to where he'd left Kire and Gavin. "Envy!" He shouted, voice echoing against the unnatural trees.
He's got to be in here. Ruli stared at the woods, breathing hard, pulse racing, then started running for them.

Narda frowned down at the pathetic man, then glanced at the mayor. Both men seemed fidgety, and she wasn’t sure if it was for the same reason. Gods, if only she could shake the fog from her mind away. “’Specialist’?” she repeated, the word sounding inappropriate when it came from his lips.
“Y-yes, we are to—we are—” Daryll yawned, blinking through the haze of sleepiness. “Take her, yes.” The wave of sleepiness was stronger now, and Daryll found it hard to stay on his feet.
Narda grabbed him by the shoulder, shaking him, even as she felt that same wave of drowsiness trying to overcome her. “Where is she? Bring her out.” She looked at Ysaryn. Only she seemed to be clear-eyed and wide awake.

--
Gavin shook. He didn’t even hear Envy’s cry, or feel the Kartaian let go. The image of the woman, and the ominous declaration, the foreboding feeling l that made his blood run cold, that was all that filled his mind then, until he felt someone grab him in retreat. Then he was yanked back into the present, with Ruli, Kire—no Envy. His eyes widened in fear and panic, and when Ruli snarled at him Gavin flinched, an old reflex telling him to make himself small and to steel himself for an inevitable blow of a fist. “I didn’t do anything!” he cried out, arms shielding his head. But instead, Ruli paced in a panic, calling for their foster father before disappearing even as Kire, too, looked like she was about to bolt in search of him.

“Gavin, what did you see?” Kire asked, her voice firm but not angry. She could see plainly enough that whatever it was that he had seen had frightened him.
“I—I saw a—” Gavin cleared his throat, forced himself to speak straight, “there was a dead woman. Looked my age. She was dead, and then she turned into—like those mages around the Tower. All crystal. And the voice—she—it? I think it’s blaming me for it. Or it feels that way. Said blood follows everytime a Wyvern and a Gemini meet.” He covered his face with his hands, as if willing away the image of the dead girl from his mind. He had never seen her before, but something about the body frozen in death struck him so hard, like his heart would shatter if he saw it again.
As sorry as she felt for the lad, Kire held his shoulder and shook him gently. “Gavin. Tel me right now. Are you in any condition to continue so we can look for Envy? Because I will return you—”

Ruli returned then, but before Kire could stop him he had sprinted off, going deeper into the forest. “Ruli! Wait—Gods-be-damned,” she hissed. “Gavin, are you coming or not?”
“Coming!” Gavin replied, frowning. If he lost Envy here, after he broke down from a vision, he wouldn’t forgive himself. The two of them ran after Ruli, Kire concentrating on his signature and on Gavin’s beside her as he ran. If Envy was within the vicinity, she should be able to feel him, unless the goddess obscured her senses again. But even as she struggled to maintain focus, something else triggered her senses.
Other signatures.
There it was, the burning. Not exactly the same as the boy’s, but each distinct signature had that flavor of bitter smoke. “Ruli! Stop!” she called, just about ready to summon a portal in front of him to force him back when she finally saw the source.
People. Villagers? “Gavin, watch your back.” Her hand on her sword hilt, Kire raised her other hand. “Stand down. We are here to look for our companion.”
“Do not trespass,” the other figure said. “Please. This is holy ground now. The others will take your friend to you.”
Holy ground?
Kire took another step forward. “Not too long ago this was a town under the Crown’s protection, my protection. We can discuss this later, but right now, I need to find my—”

The flare of a nearby signature—several of them—made her turn and draw her sword, only to be met by flame. Kire, on instinct, jerked her other arm up, pushing the person away, her dragon-strength tossing the person several meters away from her.
“Kire!” she heard Gavin shout, just as she disappeared in a blue flash, reappearing beside Gavin. The portal had put out the flames, though she could still feel the heat of it on the arm she had raised to protect herself. The lad’s eyes were on her, wide in shock.
“Warn Myka,” Kire said. Before Gavin could object, he was swallowed up by a portal. She looked around; five men and three women, their hands aflame, surrounded her.
“This is holy ground,” they said. It seemed to her then that they were looking through her, all of them having the same expression on their faces. No anger, just—blank. Until she knew what was going on with these people, Kire couldn’t fight them like this.

As the group lunged at her, the flames surging in their hands, they, too, disappeared, the other end of the portal spitting them out a ways away from the forest. Kire, too, disappeared, reappearing in a run near where she had last seen Ruli run off. “Ruli!” she yelled.

The moment Daryll nodded, Ysaryn whipped her head back around, standing taller. "Yes. We take her. Bring her to us." She ignored Narda as the giantess shook the ever-tired looking male, her eyes trained on the man, who only seemed to hesitate. When he made no move to go inside, Ysaryn leered at the mayor. "You are chief of man, yes? Order it. Narda chief of you. She order you." She snapped her fingers, her other hand lowering to one of her twin blades.
"No!" The man by the house shouted, raising his arms. "No, I mean, I c-can't."
Ysaryn raised her eyebrow at him, waiting.
"Sh-she..." He looked to the mayor for a moment, then back. "She won't let any one into her room. Any of us near her. My wife..." He gestured toward the house. "She tried. Lyta struck her."
The elf's eyes narrowed. "I like this girl." She muttered softly, glancing to Narda. "We are to fetch, yes?"

---

Ruli ran until his legs burned. The desert surrounded him, and there was so much sand. He was out of practice, running on sand. Always out of practice. Out of shape. He hated himself for it. Loathed that he'd gotten comfortable and soft, and now, Envy was gone. Missing. After they'd managed to find a new home. After the Kartaian had stepped until sunlight, willingly, for the first time in years. Charmed or not, Ruli had been so proud. "Envy!" He called again, switching dialects. "Enlor'lei!" He hollered, calling him by his birth name. "It's me. Please. Say something. Anything!"
"Ruli!"
Ruli whirled, hearing it across the sand. But it wasn't Envy's voice. Just Kire's. Ruli felt anger flare, for her part in Envy's being here. But even that flickered out fast. She'd offered repeatedly to come alone. They'd insisted. Envy had volunteered.
"Give him back!" He shouted again, whirling. "I want him back! Give him back!"

In a blink, the desert faded, and Ruli was covered in shade provided by towering trees, the reek of bark and vine filling his nose, taking place of the arid sand. And fire.
Before he could swear, flames roared towards him, and Ruli dropped to the ground with a painful thud, covering his head as fire swam above him. He only chanced a look when the heat faded, spotting people. Amrians. They wore the same sort of looks many in Ziad had worn when Akuma and Ikegai tore the city apart. Vacant. Enthralled.
"I'm looking for an elf. A blue man." He corrected, not sure anyone here would know what an elf looked like without actually seeing one first. But a blue man, that was noticeable. "Please!"
"This is holy ground." One of the figures said towards him, not at him.
The fuck did that mean? Ruli snarled. Solaralai. "I want my friend."
"You must leave."
He could lie. Say he was Solaralai's blood. She was from his world. Ruli considered it. Honestly considered it. Would claim to be one of them if it got Envy back.

Kire's name called him again, far closer than before, and Ruli moved on instinct. He spun, rushing away from the villagers, feeling fire roar again, the heat growing against his back and neck. He tore through the trees, weaving, until he all but ran into Kire and, the moment he could reach her, he dragged them both into the shadows.

He dropped her when they were back where they started, turning to stare into the woods. "I didn't find him." Ruli's voice broke at the confess. "I can't find him. I can't-" He bent his knees and squatted, burying his head against his hands, his eyes tight.