Tyrael would soon arrive to the bath house. He was honestly surprised by it's presence. Not only was there a place to wash in the middle of this desert, but it was much larger than he thought it'd be. In his travels he has seen many bath houses that were little more than a room that contained large barrels still water. And you often had to pay extra for soap or heat. But this place looked more akin to an inn. "Fancy." Tyrael said quietly to himself. So far Zastriel reported no issues with Lynn, so Tyrael didn't really feel the need to check on her. If anything he himself was due for a bath: he hasn't washed since he had began his trek through the desert and certainly knew he needed a proper bath. Lynn's watery healing magic may have treated his wounds but not his stench. And so Tyrael would enter, noticing that the sides were gender segregated. However he doubts there would be any men in the bath right now: with how tense things are due to the bandit attack he was certain every able bodied man was out and about. So Tyrael entered the men's side.

Slowly and methodically Tyrael began to disarm and disrobe himself. He hadn't properly taken off his garment for many days, and once removed from his skin he'd notice the awful stench. "Disgusting." Blood, sweat, and filth caked his inner clothes and he knew he would need to get them washed. But he would do so personally, likely now. He wasn't sure what this build's policy on bringing clothes to wash was but Tyrael didn't care, so he brought his dirty laundry with him into the baths, along with a scrubbing stone. It's what he usually used to clean his things, and he wished he had soap, but such a thing was an expensive luxury. It was either soap or coco powder.

Enter the men's baths Tyrael was surprised to see that these baths were not only quite large but also heated. Most bath houses didn't have more than one room, and the water had to be preboiled. "They must be built on an oasis." Regardless Tyrael entered the bath, ignorant of the other presence in the room. He was quite frankly just glad to have a hot bath. It has been too long. Excitement filled his body as he set aside his laundry and got into the steaming hot waters. As soon as he put his foot in Tyrael bit his lip to suppress any noise he'd make. It hurt, but only because it's been so long since he felt such pleasure. Slowly he entered the waters, allowing the heat to cover his body so much that it made him shake. While his body was still adapting to the heat he put his head into the water, combing his hair with his fingers before raising his head. "Aaaaah... It's been too long since I've felt this good."

Of course it was only now that Tyrael began to notice something amiss. He had been careless; his guard was lowered. So eager was he to feel the water's warmth that he did not notice what was hidden in the steam. Another bather; another man that Tyrael didn't recognize. Likely someone who had been here already, perhaps even a villager. It was hard to identify him without clothes on. Tyrael looked at this person and said nothing. Perhaps if he didn't make a fuss, the other person would not even notice Tyrael. Slowly, quietly, Tyrael dragged his dirty clothes into the water and began to clean them as he kept his eye on the other person.

Collab between Chihiro, Allanon, and Kallen.

Chihiro eyed Allanon calmly as he explained wanting a third party with him. Once he finished, she looked down at Hilde and then at him. "Very well. If he means us ill, you do of course realize I will be incapacitating him. I can also dose him with venom that makes him more...reliable in speech." She leaned down and kissed Hilde's forehead, a small smile creeping across her face. "After all, I have my happiness here, so let us get you yours."

Allanon smiled as Chihiro agreed to come with him. He took a breath in and out before responding. "Thank you, Chihiro. He said he had a room at Allard's inn." He turned towards the direction of the inn. "I'm not much interested in getting happiness. I simply have a promise to keep."

Allanon had truly not thought about achieving happiness in a long time. Certainly not after his contract with the Calabris ended, and absolutely not when it started. He closed his eyes, cleared his mind, and readied himself to confront a possible threat. In the moment he took to do this, a flash of a memory of his wife, and the promise he made to her hardened his resolve. This time he would not be alone. With that he strode forward to the inn to Kallen's room.

Upon arrival, he knocked upon the door. "Come on in," came the response from Kallen. Allanon opened the door to see Kallen had set up a small dining arrangement in his room. A small pile of books were set up to one side of the table, and Kallen closed a book in his hands. A history tome from what Allanon could see. An unopened bottle of wine rested on the table with a pair of glasses.

"I'm glad you came so soon," Kallen smiled as he glanced between Chihiro and Allanon. "I'll admit I was not expecting you to bring a comrade, but that's fine enough." He gestured towards the seat across from him. "Take a seat, and as for your partner. Hmm..." He clapped his hands twice. "Chester! Move to my right side on the table before me and settle down."

An unassuming chest sprouted many small human-like feet, and shuffled over the the ordered location before retracting the feet and settling down. "Not as comfortable as a chair, I apologize for that." He grabbed the bottle of wine. "Wine? Any good business talk should have some libations I believe."

Allanon took the seat staring Kallen straight into the eyes. "I don't drink."

Chihiro took the offered seat but also did not take any wine. "I'm content without wine. When in a business situation, I prefer to avoid anything that might distract me." She flashed a fanged smile at Kallen and crossed her legs, folding her hands in her lap. The chest, while odd, was far from being anything too weird for a 300 year old naga. "Now, let's begin. Kallen, I am Inquisitor Chihiro Aozaki of the Flores Sororibus Serpentis. I am here to mediate and act as a neutral party in this matter. Is this agreeable?"

"Shame," Kallen murmured glancing at the bottle of wine. He did not like the idea of being the only one drinking, so he slid it aside. "Certainly agreeable, Inq-"

"So," Allanon abruptly spoke arms crossed. His focus was on the potential threat before him and not a magical chest. "Kallen, care to explain why a Calabris family member like yourself asked me here tonight."

Kallen cleared his throat. "Branch family member. I am Kallen Peregris. I am... dead as far as they know. I'll be direct. I want to work with you. I hate the way the Calabris family is right now. They've lost sight of their original purpose. Certainly, our great founder was a tyrant, but he worked to protect humankind. Now, all I see is a hunger for power at all costs. I know very little about the Ironblades you were a part of, however, I know you were retired in a most unnecessary fashion. I want to either take over, or replace the Calabris family. I want to stop terrible things like your experiences as an Ironblade. If we work together, we might actually be able to change them for the better."

Allanon leaned back into his seat to consider for a moment. This was not a small decision to make. He certainly did not trust Kallen, but he hesitated to believe Kallen was an enemy. If Kallen was being honest, his help would be a massive hand in achieving his promise to his wife. Even so, he was uncertain about working with Kallen.

Kallen leaned forward. "If it will help you feel assured about my intentions. I am willing to sign a contract with you, and m'lady Inquisitor Chihiro here as witness."

Chihiro leaned back, crossing her arms under her bust and scrutinizing both men throughout the whole conversation. "Hmm, if it is as you say, then give me more context. I'm not as familiar with the family and history. Have they always been slavers? What changes do you wish to see in it? These are important topics to consider within this context as changing for the better is not a singular event. It is a devoted decision for continual improvement. Any contract made with me arbitrating is specifically tied to my code of conduct and thus my order's mission." She leaned forward and quietly drummed her fingers on the table. "As I would imagine, Allanon here would likely generally agree upon my mission to create the greatest possible good. That leaves you as the wildcard here."

She looked Kallen in the eye, her countenance becoming severe unlike her usual warmer demeanor. "And if you break that contract and go down the path of evil, you will be visited by me. Do not take my redemptive preference as safety. You will be redeemed or destroyed should you fall. Redemption is the first course. Refuse the rose, and I'll remove your life to save those around you."

Allanon crossed his arms and looked at Kallen expectantly. He said nothing, and simply waited for the young man to continue speaking.

"Context," Kallen repeated leaning back in his seat. "Very well. The Calabris family is one of the three major families of Portea. They rose to prominence as a part of the fall of the Grandis Empire. They were in fact one of the primary leaders in the war itself. The founder was a strict leader and history remembers him as a tyrant, but it's more complicated than that. He was always pro-human, but he was also a meritocrat who had even a few non-humans within his advisory. Slaves certainly existed and were used by the Calabris family. The institution of slavery goes far back, and I know of few merchant families that would not use at least a few slaves to reduce costs. The Red Saints are actually one of those rare families to have never used slave labor in any way as far as my studies have taught me. Anyways, thanks to the influence gained after the war, the Calabris family basically became the foremost military leader in Portea, and they proceeded to continue efforts to strengthen themselves against future threats, and the possibility of the return of the Grandis Empire. Over time that culture of self-improvement changed and corrupted itself into the form it is right now. Now, all I see is a hunger for more power at all costs without purpose. It's something that will cause the Calabris family to eventually collapse, but if they aren't stopped now that collapse could cripple humanity."

He looked at Chihiro with a serious expression. "I'll admit. I don't look at the world as good or evil, because it is never as simple as that. I'm sure the leaders of the Calabris family and all branch families believe what they are doing is good in some twisted way. I know well enough the tenants of the Inquisitors thanks to my studies of history. I would not offer a contract if I were not prepared for that. I don't need to be redeemed."

Kallen dragged over his bottle of wine and popped the cork to pour himself a drink. "The Calabris family does."

Chihiro's severe look didn't move, but she nodded, knowing most of this history except the inner Calabris workings. "Be that as it may, now would be the time to kill the slave trade within the family. So, I am asking you if you are for or against slavery. There are some true evils in the world, slavery being one. I agree that most of the world is much more complicated." She leaned back and flipped out a fan, running fingers along the outer spine of it. "As far as the Calabris family is concerned, we will deal with each in the most appropriate fashion, don't fret. That leaves our current issue at hand."

She tilted her head a little, her eyes narrowing. "So, set your word on the table, please. It will affect how this moves going forward. In addition, there will be an addendum to this stating the ability to dismantle more if needed. For example, if we find torture chambers or inhumane experimentation, we will of course end it. Understandable, I assume."

Kallen tapped his finger on the table while he drank a swig of his wine. He stopped once the wine glass settled back onto the table top. "Am I for or against slavery? I would say neither. Nor do I believe it is evil. I know of evils that have been committed to slaves, and I know of slaves that are treated better than... family. How slaves are treated is simply a reflection of their owner. Some slaves are voluntary slaves as it will improve their lives in some way. Some slaves become free and are pushed into a higher social strata than they were before they became a slave. Some are treated like trash. Just straight up abolishing an institution like slavery isn't a simple process, and those with power will make moves to maintain a legal equivalent to slavery if you do. There is a certain responsibility that owners take when they get a slave, and the worst of them forget that responsibility. The Calabris family is one that has forgotten that responsibility."

Kallen stretched his arms before continuing. "I certainly agree though that the experimentation must stop. I've been away from the family for several years now, so I am unaware of what they have been working on over the years, and even before that my access to information was limited, however, I would not be talking with you if I did not see an opportunity to make a change for the better in that regard." He looked straight at Allanon. "I don't know all of the details of what you were a part of while you were under the Calabris family's thumb, but I am aware that it was dark and sinister, and you were treated as a threat after they were done using you. Work with me and we can make things right again."

Allanon could not deny that Kallen was convincing. The fact that he was willing to enter a contract with an Inquisitor as witness clarified his good intention. "I don't care for your view on slaves, but I can put that aside for now. I do believe your intentions are good."

He then extended his hand across the table. "I will be putting my trust in you." He was sure Kallen was smart enough to know how he would react if he were going to betray that trust.

Kallen smiled brightly and met Allanon's handshake. "Excellent well. I will do my utmost to honor that trust."

The inquisitor's expression was a bit dour, but she nodded to Allanon. "We can work on ridding the world of slavery, but at least he will not desperately grip to it. I do not agree, but it shows he would at least work to guarantee quality of care in the meantime." She was far less satisfied with his answer than she let anyone know, but she also knew that his culture was massively steeped in the removal of the free will of others. He was further along than most, but she would keep an eye on him and prod him towards abolition over time.

"All that has been stated as goals and desires to be contracted will be set in stone. Thus far, we have enumerated slavery being legal but well regulated, the Calabris family being dismantled and reestablished in a manner consistent with the above table elements of the world, and that only the guilty will be killed. For his side, Allanon will provide personal assistance in the aforementioned goal of dismantling the Calabris. I will maintain my vigil to root out and prevent corruption or tainting of the cause as well as preventing collateral damage and innocent harm as much as physically possible. Any breach of contract will be dealt with and punished in accordance with the severity and reasoning of the breach, as determined by me, the mediator and present lawful enforcer. Are both parties in agreement to the stated terms, requirements, and end goals?" She looked between the two men, making it clear she was setting the verbal contract in motion and acting as the holder and prime enforcer of the contract as befits her position. Kallen, given he knew some about her order, would know that they were extremely strong contract holders, keeping the letter and spirit of the contract in mind. In addition, an ageless, forever vigorous inquisitor could also maintain it till the death of the mortals making such contracts.

Kallen noticed the Inquisitor's serious expression as he completed the handshake with Allanon. He imagined she was not at all pleased with his views on slavery. He doubted he could do much to change her mind on the merits of such an institution. He imagined this would not be the end of their conversation on the topic either, but he certainly welcomed such a discussion. It would be a challenging bit of fun. As Chihiro finished her clarification of the terms, Kallen nodded his head. "I find these terms agreeable. I accept!"

Allanon nodded in agreement as well. "I accept these terms as well."

Kallen clapped his hands together in joy at his success. "Excellent well! Now, shall we celebrate with a meal and some other libations? I am sure Allard's kitchen has quite a bit of decent options for the celebration of an agreement such as this. On me, of course." Kallen's adventures finding relics and his experience with negotiations over the last several years had left him with a fair amount of liquid currency. A decent portion had gone into investigation and research, however he always had a healthy reserve set aside exactly for moments like this.

While Valia told the story, Tali snuck closer to the woman, ending right next to her, still nice and deep in the water, only her head showing. She always enjoyed a good story, but she wanted to be a bit closer to the two pretty ladies. Unlike Sev, she was doing it to appreciate the beauty rather than perv over them. She would, of course, be happy to bed them if desired, but she was more focused on learning more about the area and making sure the town was getting back on its feet.

She remained perfectly quiet during the telling, contrasting Maeve's vocal interest. Her facial expression gave away how much she liked the story, her face a small smile. Once done, she finally spoke up. "Well, not often a battlefield creates love, but it's nice to hear about one such time. Allard has been perfectly hospitable to me during my stay. That's a lot more that can be said for many folks. They see a succubus, especially one as well clawed as myself, and they grab the weapons before I can even open my pretty little mouth." She sat up and stretched out, making no effort to hide any bit of her body and almost showing off to the other two to accent her explanation. "But hearing about how accepting he was back then too makes me happy. Having someone so accommodating yet powerful explains a lot of why Kalla is so safe."

The succubus finished her stretch and then tilted her head, seeming to scrutinize Maeve a bit. "Now, I didn't expect to see someone so far from home, though. I was happy to catch Valia in the baths, but you, my dear Isoli lady, are very far from home. I can understand needing a bit of warming, but that is what a good lover is for. The desert is not good to your kind. So, what brought you here? You have an air of the nobility. Political games being touchy again? Maybe you needed to escape an arranged marriage? I can be much better than a husband if so."

"Yes, not quite often, but one can always see someone's true spirit when on the battlefield. He loves this land and his people more than anything, only his family taking precedence before it. He'll defend it violently so that we can live happily. As for travelers, even a succubus as yourself, we hold our judgment on an individual's actions, and Allard is no different in this case," Valia explained. She sighed as she sunk into the water some more. "I can't say I wasn't a bit jealous at first, but seeing him happy with his family at that tavern of his makes me glad I didn't interfere." Her mind wandered further but she didn't continue, instead she stood up from the bath and stretched.
But that's another story I'm afraid, I should probably be making sure that my home is a bit more... presentable when the girls arrive home," she said changing the subject a bit as she got dressed in a simple white gown after drying off. When Tali asked her questions to Maeve, however, she couldn't help but silently wait for Maeve's answer while purposefully slowly drying off so she could listen, curious about her life in the snowy kingdom of Tundral.

---

Maeve heard Tali's words, nodding in agreement with her. While Maeve was a duelist and not a soldier or someone that had seen many battlefields in her life, she knew that conflict in general was an... interesting issue if looked at from that perspective. A battlefield is a place that not only swords clash, but also ideas and feelings. While hate and slaughter were plenty in such environments, lifelong bonds were also created by those who fought alongside each other and sometimes, even against each other.

"It is true. I might not be a soldier, but I am a duelist. Even though people can lie and deceive, one's blade is a reflection of their true selves." Maeve said, nodding as she looked towards Valia.

"Allard might be big and intimidating, but he is a very kind man indeed. Even I who arrived here just a few days ago know that already." she said, with a chuckle as she agreed with Tali.

"He doesn't seem the type of person who would judge someone just because of their appearance or race." Maeve completed.

Just after she said that though, Tali looked at hear after stretching herself. Her stare was a bit... intense though, which made Maeve a bit confused, looking at her back before Tali began to talk. Even though Maeve wasn't that experienced with romance or those type of things, she wasn't as naive to not notice that Tali was interested in her. Still, knowing and knowing how to react to such thing were two completely different things.

"F-Far, yes? The desert heat is a bit... too much..." Maeve began saying, clearly talking about Tali as well with the last part while leaning a bit backwards, putting some distance between them. Her cheeks were remarkably red too, which was very noticeable due to her skin color, being an Isoli.

"Not political marriage- I mean, they did try marrying me to someone- but that doesn't matter that much and- What?" She continued, still stumbling over her own words rather nervously as Tali continued. She was slowly regaining her composure while trying to avoid looking directly at Tali, which was going relatively well until Tali mentioned that she was better than a 'husband', which caught Maeve totally by surprise, making her suddenly get up, surprised, before sitting down again, embarrassed.

It did take her a few moments in a rather awkward silence for her to calm herself down and regain her composure and the noble air and image she had, which were almost completely shattered with what had just happened.

"Are all succubus that... bold?" She asked, clearing her throat after a few moments in silence.

Seeing the noble Isoli squirm and blush brought a smile to Tali. Her innate distrust of nobility was lessened by the fact that Maeve was helping normal people, but the former urchin couldn't help but enjoy a bit of gentle teasing of a noble. "Most succubi can be so. It's all about how hungry they are and if they think you will wanna get into bed with them. I don't feed through sex, so I get a bit more fun and take more time. So, since I thought you'd get flustered, I tried strong teasing. It worked, my dear, and that blush and fidgeting was oh so adorable." She slipped off the seat and sashayed a bit closer, making sure to bring attention to her bust with her arms folded underneath it. She tilted her head, her smile going from amused to surprisingly tender. Her tail stealthily snaked under the water and grazed along Maeve's outer thigh for just a moment. Even when trying to be a sweetheart, she was still sultry and sexy by nature.

The tender smile was paired with a look of genuine concern. Despite herself, Tali could never ignore seeing someone potentially suppressed. Despite the concern, Tali's voice remained in its natural sultry and lilting manner. If she was asked, it was one of teh few downsides of her voice. "As fun as teasing is, I am quite concerned from what I saw. You worry so much about being the perfect little noble girl that you forget to be yourself. Other succubi may just want you in bed, but I want people to learn, love, and live. Seeing the marks of Isoli society almost makes me shudder. You never had time to live and become your own woman, no?" Her tail became more insistent but far from sexual. It wrapped very lightly around Maeve's hand, the tip pressed gently to her palm. The gesture, while violating personal space, was intended to be affectionate and sympathetic.

Valia smiled at the two as she finished drying off and started putting her clothes back on. In truth, she didn’t know if all her students would arrive, but she remained hopeful and wanted her currently wrecked home to not hold any sign of trouble. She felt her students had been through enough, and worrying about her wouldn’t do them any favors. As she dressed, that was when the alarm was sounded but in a much less threatening manner, indicating it wasn’t an attack. For the people, they knew that this was a sign of the incoming skiffs. Valia nearly had to catch herself from running out immediately, or hobble in her case at the moment, making the final adjustments to herself before looking back to the other two. “They’ve returned!” she said excitedly before doing what she could to briskly walk out of the bathhouse.

The skiffs pulled in and there were many cries of joy as people were reunited with their loved ones, however, it was painfully obvious who the missing face was that the torch was lit for. Dorin, wrapped in white cloth and on a stretcher, was lifted and taken through town to be prepared for his departing ceremony. Quite a number of people couldn’t hold back tears seeing the white silhouette of their strong leader slowly being taken from the skiff, but maybe none with such a heavy heart as Allard. He watched on as they lifted the stretcher onto their shoulders, and carried his life-long friend, a brother if he ever had one, away. The large man quivered for a moment, but stoically tried to keep face, though the pain was evident. He gripped the head of the great axe he currently used as a makeshift walking stick and he closed his eyes, taking a deep shaky breath. When he looked up again, he saw Chihiro with Hilde, also on a stretcher. His mind quickly raced to the worst outcome but quickly cast it aside when he noticed that she was alive, just injured.

“HILDE!” He called out, easily moving people out of the way in the crowd to get to his daughter before they made way for him. Despite it being hard for him to move without pain, he seemed to be able to hobble over fairly quickly. “My girl, I had… I was worried ta death, my child,” he told her as he got close, taking her hand, knowing better than to embrace her. “What happened to you?”

Hilde seemed just as surprised seeing her dad in such a critical state, covered in bandages and using his axe to help walk. “F-Father!? Its nothing, I couldn’t just let them go on without me, I needed to go, I-”

“No, no, none of that. I know why ya left… Truth be told, when I was yur age I woulda done tha same, but I’m worried about you. Your wounds...”

“My wounds? It’s just some ribs here and there, but you. Are you alright.?” She asked worriedly.

“Aye,” he said trying to calm down, “We were attacked.” He then lowered his voice to a low grumble, “But it takes a lot more than some flimsy mercenaries and their little magic tricks ta stop yur ol man, eh?” He looked up to Chihiro, “Thank ye for taken’ care of her. Don’t know what I woulda done if I lost ‘er.”

Allard then turned around looking to the other foreigners that volunteered, “In fact, all of you. If I haven’t extended tha offer, yur all welcome ta stay at my inn till ya get back on yur feet.”

Valia didn’t have much time to reflect on Dorin’s passing. Her shock was replaced by a wave of girls running to their teacher. For a few good minutes, Valia could be found in what could only be described as a pile of her students. After they had embraced their own families, it seemed like she was their next target. She could be seen in the middle of all of them crying tears of joy as not a single one of her students were left missing. It seemed that the mission to rescue them was played out just in time. The time to say goodbye to an old friend would come soon enough, for now, she wanted to cherish what she still had.

---

As the day moved on, many of the people of Kalla had a lot to prepare for. With the death of their leader, yet the arrival of the young women taken from them by the bandits, there was a bittersweet feeling in the air. The townspeople were quiet for some time, licking the wounds of their invasion, rebuilding, and making sure everyone was medically taken care of.

While the adventurers rested and cleaned up, a feast was being prepared. A semi-circle lontable, made by placing many smaller tables together, lined three quarters of the town center, with the disrupted stones now re-leveled, and the monument was still in need of repair. As the light faded over the horizon, many torches were placed as well as a great fire in the middle of the plaza. The smells of cooking meats and vegetables as well as various specialty dishes started to fill the air from houses all around. Local musicians tuned their instruments, taut their drums, and joined together to plan out entertainment. Madam Valia’s students, those that weren’t taken and knowing their master was still recovering, decided to practice on their own. For tonight, was cause for celebration, of both lives saved, and of lives past.

The Kallan people believed that while the passing of a loved one was indeed tragic, and mourning was an important part of the process of healing, a celebration of their life and the effect on others was worth remembering, honoring the deceased and giving thanks for their life. There was also the celebration of the heroes that defended their home, and the ones who took the fight to the bandits that stole their loved ones away. They wished to honor those who not only put themselves on the line for their people, but honor the ones who, not even being from this land, chose to stand beside them to seek this justice. And finally, a new leader had to be chosen.

As the sun was setting a line of drummers, a few wooden flutes, and some simple stringed instruments came out to start warming up together to play, quickly finding a groove and starting to play. The dancing girls waited, as it wasn’t their time to perform, and instead helped with laying out the long table with food. Chairs were set, though there were obviously more people than chairs, it was common only to sit when eating or if someone couldn’t stand for long periods of time such as injured, elderly, or mothers that were taking care of young or still expecting. Some would even just take a hunk of meat with bone and remain standing to eat. Within about half an hour, everything was set and the celebration was about ready to begin.

At the sound of festivities outside of his room, Kallen stood up with the bottle of wine in his hand. "Let us take this outside and join the fun. It'll be good to destress for the both of you I imagine."

Allanon glanced at Chihiro to see what her reaction was to this. He did not have much interest himself in celebration. He felt he did not deserve such joy until his task was complete. While he would take the opportunity to rest, and take up Kallen's offer to pay for food, Allanon wanted to get planning his next moves. Now was not the time to celebrate. He felt certain that the Soul of Krogan would be used for nefarious and selfish means, and whatever it was it would spell danger for everyone. What needed to be done was making a plan.

Allanon leaned over towards Chihiro. "While I agree we should take a moment to rest. We should come up with a plan for what is to come. It has been a while since I've worked with a team, and I imagine we will need to work together for the foreseeable future."

Ingoleth was frustrated. He has been trying to come up with a new passion and just cant do it. Whenever he sits down, it always seems like he's close to a musical breakthrough, but it is conveniently far enough to dodge his grasp. With a frustrated sigh he took off the strap of his guitar, and hanged it on his wall, an expression of disappointment and annoyance, whilst Dixie was flying around the empty house. Without anything better to do, he grabbed his leather backpack and stuffed 30 gold pieces along with 2 rations, his map and multitool and filled his thermos with cold running water before closing the bag and securing it on his back. Then he grabbed his cloak and put it on over the backpack, and mounted his harp and flute on the side of his belt as he walked towards the front door. "Lets go." he mumbled to Dixie as he got out of his house and walked towards the first direction he felt like going towards, the fox spirit following, floating in the air near him, invisible to everyone else.
Portea was busy as ever, seeing people he recognized over the decades, visitors here to enjoy the city's wonders, as well as new blood hes been consistently seeing in the recent years. The city buzzed with life and it was something he grew accustomed to in his lifetime. Merchants, inventors, mercenaries, that was the norm for the city.
He kept walking mindlessly, looking around and trying to forget about yet another near-breakthrough in the musical world. It seemed like an impossible task at this point, and sightseeing helped him forget about it. Step by step, he walked, up until he saw a carriage. He approached it and got on, seeing the red and white clothing and a green lotus emblem, of one of the merchant families. "Just take me wherever you're going." and gave the carriage driver 5 gold pieces from his backpack. "That's the standard right? I've got more if needed." and got comfortable in his seat.

For the entire trip, he pondered. Pondered about his attemps, about his successes and failures, about those that enjoyed his music, and wondered why. The answer was simple, because he was amazing at his work, with unique shows.. but that wasnt what he was looking for, it wasnt enough for him anymore. In the end, he opted to simply enjoy the changing view, from grassy planes and forests, to sandy hills and cactuses, along with his fox companion hovering around them. So we're heading to Kalla.. I can work with that.
Sun setting behind the dunes and hills of sand, the colors of the sunset complimenting the sandy yellow of the desert. In the far distance could now be seen, the fast approaching town of Kalla.

---

Maeve couldn't help but give Tali a rather stern look when she mentioned that she intentionally teased her. For an Isoli noble, especially someone of her status, being teased like that was disrespectful. That said, Maeve having reacted to her teasing like that was still a reason for her to be ashamed and thus, Maeve simply decided to let Tali's teasing slide.

"Hmpf... I will let it slide this once." Maeve said obviously annoyed not only with the situation, but with her own reaction as well.

The second time Tali approached her though, Maeve was already prepared for her 'teasing' and wouldn't fall on the same trick twice. That said, the simple thought of trying to tease her and make her lose composure a second time was an even bigger insult to her, which Maeve didn't take as kindly as the first time.

The very moment Tali touched her thighs, she could feel the water temperature around Maeve quickly dropping, to the point it started to get trully cold around her. Not only Tali's actions were deeply affecting Maeve's mood, but the words she said made it only worse.

"Enough!" Maeve said, getting up with a thin layer of ice quickly forming around her on the water's surface, melting just a moment later when Maeve realized what was happening.

Even though the water temperature started to normalize again, Maeve's expression was still incredibly cold as she looked to Tali.

"I am an Isoli noble, an Orzhov. Someone whom not even the family elders could control. Someone who was never wounded in a duel before. No matter the opponent. I will receive the respect I deserve." she said with a cold, harsh tone.

"I am proud of who I am, succubus. I am proud of my lineage and my family's history, but I am not a weak woman, to be used as a puppet or just a pretty face to be married off to someone. I won't let anyone control me. Not as long as I am alive." Maeve finished, looking straight towards Tali's eyes, with a burning determination which couldn't contrast more with her usual cool and icy demeanor.

Without a single word more, Maeve grabbed the towel, putting it around herself exitted the baths before putting her clothes on.

---

Just as Maeve got out though, she suddenly heard Kalla's alarms going off once again. While it didn't seem to have the same 'urgency' as the alarm when they were attacked,, Maeve was still unfamiliar with the alarm system in Kalla and immediately, ran outside, with her hand already resting on the hilt of her rapier, alert to her surroundings and ready to another potential attack.

The second she got out though, the reaction the locals had to the alarm made it clear that it wasn't an attack nor anything bad. It didn't take too much investigating for her to figure out what was happening, as Valia herself, passed by her, saying something about someone having returned with an excited tone and expression.

Much calmer and less alert that she was before, Maeve calmly followed Valia and the rest of the crowd to see what was happening. Getting there, she could see a number of skiffs arriving on the town of Kalla, together with the cheers and cries of joy from those who got reunited with their loved ones and the cries of sadness from those who had lost someone.

Among those in the crowd though, a certain gigantic figure easily stood out among the others. The moment he shouted Hilde's name with a powerful voice, Maeve instantly knew it was Allard.

Fortunately for the kind giant, Hilde was safe and sound and their reunion was... Interesting. Approaching Allard from behind and watching them with an amused expression, Maeve found interesting to see how similar both the father and his daughter were. They indeed had not only the heart, but the mind of a warrior.

"Don't let him fool you, Hilde. From what I remember, both me and Neev were completely exhausted after healing him." Maeve said with a chuckle as she let her present be known.

---

Both due to the death of their leader and the arrival of the kidnapped girls, the people of Kalla, prepared a feast at the end of the day, both to celebrate the safe return of the girls and mourn the death of their beloved leader.
Being the first time seeing such type of celebration, Maeve was indeed curious, as it would be a new experience for her.

After some time of preparation, the celebration was about to begin, announced by the pleasant sounds of drums, stringed instruments and flutes as they started playing.
The number of people around indicated that most of the town, if not the entire town, had reunited themselves in the plaza. While Maeve did try to simply observe the celebration without having a big part on it or participating too much, afraid that it could be seen as disrespecting their fallen leader, since she was an outsider, her plan was quickly ruined when the people of Kalla insisted on expressing their honors not only to her, but all the outsiders who acted to defend their town.

With that part of the celebration done, most of the locals were just enjoying the food, the music or waiting for the dancers who were about to present themselves. Looking forward the latter, especially after the conversation she had with Valia, Maeve quickly got herself a chair in a good spot to watch the dance, waiting as she enjoyed the traditional music and giving a few small bites on some of the more traditional food, curious about how they tasted.

"Dad!" Hilde stressed as she heard the amount of healing he needed. "That's much worse than you made it sound!"

Allrd chuckled and scratched the back of his head, "Aye, I s'pose so, but better men than someone else. Not sure if many others here could hold out as long." He turned and looked to Maeve. "I guess we should prepare for tonight. I'll make sure you and the others get only the best we can offer. My wife's cooking!" he said with a hearty laugh as if he hadn't been on a hospital bed hours before. "Hilde, we'll see about Neev getting ya fixed up, I'll round up the family and try to get our kitchen into overdrive," he said before leaning down and cradling his daughter's head in his hand. "Your mother and I are very proud of you," he doted on her with a kiss on the forehead, "no go get some rest, we'll be over there with you soon." With that, Hilde was taken to the temple for healing and Everyone started to part ways to get everything prepared

-----

When Nix awoke to the sounds of them arriving at Kalla, she seemed spooked. Not only were there more of those same kind of people that took her before, but there were a lot of them, making all sorts of noise. True, they were also there with the people that found her, but now with the numbers so great and all the sounds they were making, she was uncomfortable, even with Kistal right beside her. She darted off the skiff and nimbly scaled the wall of one of the houses, perching herself on the roof, looking down at everyone. If it weren't for the positioning of her hands, low and helping her keep balance as she crouched on her haunches she would be flashing the town as she glared warily at them. Luckily, her lack of decency was lost to the crowd as they celebrated those returning home, nearly all ignoring her or not caring.

She stayed on those rooftops as well, following along wherever Kistal would go, keeping him within eyesight. She avoided other people, even though some did try to coax her down, she only would take their food when they would bait her down and then climb right back up. Eventually she was left alone, as she wanted, keeping low to lower her profile on the roofs. Even when the feast started, she hadn’t yet come down.

-----

Bidzil had made his way to Allard’s inn, taking a seat in the tavern and trying to relax and recover a bit after the fight. The biggest thing on his mind wasn’t even the treasure that he wasn’t able to get, but that he was unable to sort out just what had happened with his own body. It seemed that out of sheer will, something took ahold of him as he dashed in to save that girl, and whatever protected him had drained him completely after absorbing the strike, leaving him incredibly fatigued. He had revealed his wing before when he was younger, but this was way different. He had no idea where to begin with whatever strange abilities he had or who would know anything about it. The only one that might know something was that snake woman. She did say that she knew Krogan, so if she had been around that long, maybe she knew something about it. Bidzil sighed, leaning back in his chair. Too bad she was in a meeting of sorts or he’d ask. Maybe he could just wait down here, after all, he was way too wiped out to try to partake in the festivities, no matter how hungry he was. He felt like he could just drift away.

Which he did, with his head hanging nearly upside down and arms dangling beside him, snoring away.

-----

Lynn slowly woke back up when the sun started to set and the celebration was starting. She floated her way up to the top of the water to take a look around noticing that Tyreal was missing. They probably dropped her off here while they did their own business. The two guards that were next to the bathhouse noted she had poked out. The female one gave a friendly wave before telling her that her friend was out and about, left the bath house a while ago and should be wandering around.

Floating out of the water, manipulating it so that she came up dry , she stepped out onto the sandy bank and looked around. She hoped that she would still be able to recognize the person. While Tyreal was large, so were quite a number of people here, and she still didn’t have the best notion of how she looked.

------

The feast would be one for the books. For any of those that had the energy, it would last long enough to see the first light of day, though obviously not everyone stayed up the whole night. Allard had been given an intricate pendant, marking him as the new chief, followed by a show of dance from Valia’s girls, to which she was giddy to see them perform all on their own, letting out some tears of joy at their progress and the fact that they were even still here to continue their dance. Neev had recovered enough by the time everything started that she was able to heal Hilde, who stayed close to her family through the night, both her and her mother dwarfed by the giant man. It seemed his son was smaller too, but given a few more years, he may be quite sizable himself even as a half Sylve. If Chihiro desired, she’d be welcome to a spot next to them as well.

------

Ingoleth would have arrived in Kalla after nearly a week’s worth of travel. While the Red Saints accepted his ‘donation’, they did say it didn’t bother them if he was there, they were on the way anyway. In fact, they seemed a little glad to have another person tagging along with them, especially one that played music. The traveling crew only consisted of two armed guards, two healers, and the driver of the healers’ carriage. They were being sent out to change out with Neev and Vog, following the rotation schedule mapped out for the faction’s traveling aid.

When Ingoleth would arrive in Kalla, it would be just nearly in time for the celebration to start, and upon seeing another musician, he was happily invited to play alongside them if he wished.

Chihiro nodded along with Allanon, showing she agreed about making a plan later. However, she motioned to the door behind them. "Town celebration and party first, then we plan. A night of head start doesn't change the end result at this time. We have no clue to follow, so we need the light anyway." She took her leave and stopped by to visit Hilde in the temple, making sure they had her comfortable. Chihiro was a familiar figure in Kalla, so she moved among them almost like a native. She was technically a native of the deserts, but she kept her home monastery location and even that she was born in a hidden monastery very close to her chest.

She then went to partake of the party. She avoided dancing, but she did take the invitation to sit next to Hilde and her family. The newly healed Hilde would have a naga's arm around her waist most of the night if given the opportunity. She hummed quietly to herself, enjoying every bit of the celebration as best she could. Hilde and the party seemed to soothe her somewhat, bringing her simmering anger and annoyance at the stolen soul stone to a more palatable level for herself.

Kistal, meanwhile, had brought his freshly finished booze barrels out, tapping them all and setting them up for free usage. Kalla's people would get to taste his massively popular Portean brews, having a great variety and Kistal's considerable skill. He also helped in the kitchen, borrowing an oven and stovetop to add some of his best cuisine to the feast. He couldn't help it, a party needed good food and drink, so he felt obligated to use his skills. Later, after Valia's dancers, he began to do a skillful dance as well. His was far different, involving far more twists and turns as well as far more significant foot, or hoof, work. He also introduced a satyr drinking game to some of the braver partygoers. They had to dance with him, all of them holding a tankard of their drink of choice. The one to lose the most in the dance had to finish their drink and refill. The others got to just refill and continue to the next round. The last one standing was the winner.

Tali spent her time among the dancers and then doing her own dance following Kistal. Hers was obviously and unabashedly designed to be enticing. Each movement accentuated her body and made it a show for anyone watching. However, it was not a striptease nor a vulgar dance. It took elements of Kalla dancing and combined it with some of the dancing techniques learned among Isoli nobility and Portean high society. It was an enticing, vigorous dance intended to provoke but was very much always elegant and well suited to any dancing area.

---

The celebration was undeniably different from the kind of parties Maeve had to go to back in Tundral. While she didn't like most of the balls the Tundral nobility had, she found herself having quite a bit of fun in the celebration the people from Kalla were having. The food was an unique experience, being very different from what she was accustomed with and bringing exotic tastes that were new to her. After tasting the first few dishes, it became obvious to Maeve that Allard wasn't boasting about his wife's cooking for no reason, as the food she had made was incredibly good.

Even though Maeve had started the party mostly keeping to herself, the cheerful atmosphere and the celebrations slowly got to her and she soon saw herself talking with the local people, congratulating Allard for becoming the new chief, even accepting to drink a little bit of local alcohol with him to celebrate the face, which ended up being a tad bit stronger than the wine she usually sipped back on Tundral. Not enough to make her drunk but enough to make her face a bit more flushed, something that was impossible to hide due to how white her skin was.

Following Allard's proclamation as the new chief, it was time for Valia's girls to show their dance, performing on their own for those present. Maeve watched their performance besides Valia, who looked just like a mother, proud of her own children as she saw her students performing on their own. Maeve was surprised with how fluid and beautiful the dance was, especially since it was the first time she had seen the traditional Kalla dance.

The celebration continued for a long time into the night and surprisingly, Maeve clearly enjoyed herself. She did stay for quite a while, only going back to sleep when the night was almost over and she was already exhausted.

Allanon acknowledged Chihiro's delay of a planning session for recuperation, however, he himself had no interest in allowing himself to celebrate. The looming threat of the future left him on edge beyond that of just the Calabris family. The power behind the theft of the Soul of Krogan made him feel more uneasy than the Calabris family. He was cautious of Kallen. While he believed Kallen was honest in regard to his feelings and his plan there certainly were some things he was still hiding.

Allanon paid for a room and made his way to it. Before going to sleep he spent his time considering his options, and how to progress from here.

Kallen happily joined the celebration eagerly making connections and friends with the locals. He participated in the various games and fun throughout the night before eventually crashing in his room with a smile on his face.

Ingoleth reluctantly played some music on the way to Kalla without taking any mana from them, his mood slightly improving day by day the farther away his failed latest innovative attempt got. Nevertheless, it was still an improvement, and he appreciated the time away from Portea, finding the different scene inspiring and refreshing. Its been a while since the last time he visited the small town..
When he wasnt entertaining them with his music, he was gathering information about the event they were attending to, using his cunning ways to get some much needed insight about the type of performance it would be.

Upon being invited to play for a crowd, he politely refused. "I apologize, i am not here for a performance today.." he half lied. Ingoleth wasnt to perform here today, but Salman Beriedfolk... He was here to steal the crowd! But that would have to wait. The perfect moment to make an entrance had yet to present itself. But until then, he enjoyed the party by eating, drinking, and observing. The first trick of stealing people's hearts, was knowing what they already love. Unfortunately, he couldnt do that right before a performance, it would be too suspicious, or he could be discovered. Instead, he took a good look at everyone, and mentally noted some interesting fellows in the crowd that he could take inspiration from.
It didnt take long for him to construct in his mind the perfect illusion of this event, a majestic show that you cant look away from, a show that will bring forth tears on the eyes of even the toughest individuals. It was perfection. All he had to do now, was wait for the right moment, preferably toward the halfway point of the celebrations. So he sat down and enjoyed the mediocrity, while it lasted.

Kistal’s drinking game went on for quite some time, though eventually, he was the obvious winner. Being a satyr gave him the ability to do it with ease, however, knowing this, it didn’t stop some of the people of Kalla from wanting to do it just for a good time. Some of Valia’s students tried, but they couldn’t handle the alcohol as well to keep going. Valia giggled as she watched her students attempt to take on the challenge, wishing she could have a go as well if it weren’t for her injuries. She knew she wouldn’t be able to outlast a satyr, but she knew that she could outlast any of the current competitors, and with a little flare as well. No, instead the only person that seemed to be able to last the longest was none other than the young blacksmith. His work gave him just enough a steady hand to have a slight edge on other men that attempted the challenge, and he was able to outdrink any of the dancing girls with ease, leading him to the much coveted second place to the satyr.

Speaking of dancers, Tali’s display did not go unnoticed. Many watched with wonder, including the other dancers and again, Valia herself. Seeing some very familiar moves as well as some foreign to them. Valia wasn’t sure as to where they were from, not knowing that Maeve may recognize a few of the steps, but she did take note of some of the style differences and the effects on the crowd. Dance was her specialty after all, even though she hasn’t traveled the world, she always would have liked to see the ways others express themselves through movement. For her, even though she couldn’t risk dancing, Tali and Kistal both were able to entertain and inspire her greatly.

Allanon would find himself left alone to his thoughts, though the sounds of celebration went throughout the night, plans for the next day to be used as a day of rest and grieving after Dorran’s send off. Kallen would have found plenty of people to make acquaintances with, especially with people in such high spirits. If he ever needed access to kallan specific produce or armaments, he would always be welcome to do business there.

Some wondered why Ingoleth mostly sat back and watched. He had an instrument yet didn’t seem keen on playing it at the moment. It was normally just something noticed in passing however as the locals shrugged it off and continued themselves. If he chose to play at any time in the night, he would definitely gather at the very least a small crowd to listen to his music. Maybe even a few moments of what one could call center stage attention if he really got into it.

Lynn’s wandering didn’t go unnoticed, as Valia was able to wave the girl down to come back and sit with her and Maeve. SHe seemed a lot healthier than before, and the night was a far more comfortable atmosphere for the poor girl. She drew a lot of attention among the locals, much like when Tali first arrived, due to how different she was. Many of them had never before seen anything like her, having not left the desert. Lynn eventually noticed said attention and became a little self conscious about the stares, to which Valia would try to assure her that it was simply curiosity of the unknown and maybe even admiration of her beauty mixing into something that they couldn’t take their eyes off of. This only made her blush more and made her more self conscious it seemed, but at least she knew it wasn’t a bad thing.

At the end of the festivities, as the sun began to rise, The town came out to watch as Dorran’s body was set on a self driven fire skiff, pointed towards the sunrise. After a brief farewell, the skiff was pushed off to set sail towards the sunrise. At some point in time, much later, the fire that drives the skiff would eventually engulf the skiff itself where it would burn and become one with the sands. Some of the people that retired overnight had woken up early while the others had stayed up long enough to bid their previous chief one last time, and taking this next day as a day of mourning and reflection.

Valia kept to herself at home. She couldn’t bring herself to watch the final ceremony. Some in the town knew that she had reserved feelings for Dorran, and there were few rumors as to why. It was always a mystery why the woman never settled down, even. Today, however, once the celebration of Dorran’s life had concluded, she had distanced herself for some time.

Allard’s family took some time to themselves as well after the final ceremony, but left the rooms open for their foreign guests, so everyone had a place to stay at the inn, save for Lynn who they let sleep in the oasis once more. Vog and Neev stayed at the temple, which claimed the young girl that Allanon brought back under their protection. And lastly, Bidzil was still asleep at one of the tables in the tavern portion of the inn.

As everyone would wake up, some may find some things to be missing. Allanon is missing a belt, Hilde lost a hairband, the tiny ribbons on Maeve’s shoes disappeared, Sev would notice some missing shirt buttons, Kallen’s eyepatch is nowhere to be found, Ingoleth lost four of his lyre's strings, and Kistal would be missing a patch of fur from his left calf. Oddly enough, Nix, Tyreal, Lynn, Chihiro, and Tali weren’t missing anything, though some other townspeople could be heard muting about something going missing here and there.Though, they just chalked it up to a wild night for the most part.

Activity would be pretty low at this time, making it easy to get around and get organized, or even visit around, but most of the shops and stalls would be closed. It is a couple hours till noon.

The entire time, Dix was floating around him, invisible to everyone else, often times hovering near his instrument. At the middle of all the festivities Ingoleth answered her pleas, distancing himself from the gathering only to change his appearance into Salman Beriedfolk and grab his Harp, leaving everything else somewhere hidden.
Walking towards the backstage with a slight smile, he begun playing his stringed instrument before going up to the stage. With the assistance of his ghost sounds, he increased his harp's volume, silencing everything else by the sheer loudness of his instrument. After the short intro and using his illusory images, the sands were raised to the shape of trees covering the entire event before changing the texture into what looked like actual wood. In synchronicity to his music, the trees sprouted leaves which later turned into scales, falling from the trees and hovering above everyone's heads, out of reach, riding an illusory wind.
The moment everyone's attention was in his illusions, he infused his harp with mana and played his cunning tune, inducing awe, as the trees turned into fluffy snow which froze quickly and broke, the sparkling tiny pieces and snowflakes glowing as they remained out of reach. Thats when the feast begun, syphoning mana from everyone until he couldnt feast no more, as he slowly backed out of the stage and disappeared, along with his illusions. Recovering the stuff he hid before the performance, he went to the inn and paid for a room before calling it for a night, well fed.

The next day he woke up to find four of his Harp's strings missing. He was pretty sure that he didnt break them during the performance, but after hearing about the townspeople missing things too, he figured there was a thief among them, and what a thief.. What need do they have of strings? Having no way to fix his Harp without returning to portea, he roamed around the town, taking in the uninspiring yet unique sights of the town, mainly around the temple and the market district.

Allanon woke up just before sunrise as he usually does. Having not taken part of the revelry last night there was only one reason his belt was missing: someone entered his room while he was asleep and stole it from him. The only questions were why and who. He lacked a replacement for his belt and that meant he had to carry his swords by hand. After a thorough search, Allanon grabbed his stuff and carried both swords in his hands as he left the room. He made his way to the bar with a stern expression. "Where can I buy a belt?" He asked the person serving at the bar. He decided to withhold the fact that it had been stolen as it was ridiculous that a belt of all things had been taken. Perhaps it was to send a message?

This was just another frustrating problem to add to the pile. After receiving directions to where he could get a new belt, Allanon beelined straight to the location.

----

Kallen sluggishly rolled out of bed a bit after sunrise. He still felt a little tipsy from all the drinking. He slid his hand around the end table he placed his eyepatch to find it. When he couldn't find it he opened both of his eyes in surprise. This was not something he simply lost. He closed his Eye of Avarice and went to his chest to grab his replacement eyepatch. Then he turned his room inside out searching for his missing eyepatch sobering up fairly quickly in the process.

After failing to do so, he sat down on his bed with a frustrated sigh. "Unbelievable. That's too important to lose in a party. Even drunk I'm not so careless to lose this damn eyepatch. I thought this town of all places could be a place I could relax a little."

Nothing had been misplaced in his chest. Of course, anything that tried to take from the chest that wasn't given permission would be inside the chest right now. He took a deep breath and considered his options. The eyepatch might still have his sealing magic on it. He could use his magic to search for it.

"Well," He growled with wolfish grin. "If you're going to steal from me and hide then you better expect me to come and seek."

He stood in a cleared out part of his room and began to chant. "Hide and seek. Sneak and peek. Hunt and reap." A clear image of the stolen eyepatch with his magic seal in his mind. "Seek item" If the item was still within the city of Kalla unless the thief could prevent magical detection. Although he could only use this magic on familiar items and only accurately on items affected by his own magic.

---

Maeve didn't remember when it was the last time she kept awake until that late. The celebration, while undeniably enjoyable was equally exhausting. As such, Maeve woke up quite late on the next day, having rested for enough time to recover herself from the festivities on the last night.

After a long and well deserved night of sleep, Maeve woke up feeling well rested. After washing herself and putting on her clothes, she looked for her shoes before heading down to have breakfast. Much for her dismay, the moment she looked at them, she realized that the small ribbons on her shoes had disappeared.

"What?" Maeve exclaimed, very annoyed as she began searching around the room for the silk ribbons that decorated her shoes.

While she did drink a little bit last night, it was a fairly weak drink and she was far from even being tipsy, so she could clearly remember taking off her shoes, which still had the ribbons on them, before going to sleep.

"This is impossible... I am certain I did not take them off and they were right here last night!" She exclaimed.

Not only her shoes felt... incomplete without the ribbons, but they were also made of an expensive fabric, just like the rest of her clothes. While money wasn't exactly the problem, she was certain that she wouldn't be able to find replacements for them so soon.

Wearing her shoes despite not having found the ribbons, Maeve got down the stairs with heavy steps and a cold expression that was more than just an expression, as cold air emanated from her, making it clear that she was in an extremely bad mood.

"Someone stole the silk ribbons that were on my shoes last night..." she said in a very annoyed tone as she looked around, searching for anyone who might have a suspicious reaction to her words.

"Where will I find a replacement for it now?! Those were made of expensive silk!" she finished, clearly irritated.

Kallen's spell did the trick, and he could even see a faint trail left behind by the eyepatch. Though it was weaker here as the trail was older. Too much longer and the trail would most likely be gone. It did, however, seem to go into a few other rooms and then out a window, the trail getting stronger as it went towards the market. In the far distance, a dim light shone where his eyepatch was. Strange though, the market should have been mostly closed right about now.

Rather than waste any time Kallen immediately grabbed his staff and hand crossbow to set out for the place in the market where he sensed his eyepatch should be. It disturbed him greatly that anything could be stolen from him so easily. The only times he could go without wearing his eyepatch were when he was sleeping or when he was using the power of his Eye. Otherwise he'd be constantly risking putting himself into mana fatigue. The magic required to create a new eyepatch of a good enough quality to seal the leaking magic power was not easy to complete due to the intricacies of the seal itself. He really didn't want to make another backup.

Kallen would find himself at the market stalls, which for now all seemed closed. Some were out in the open air while others were inside a larger structure in small pocket rooms, each shuddered closed. In one of the rooms, the glow of his target can now be seen behind and under one of the counters, just below the shudder... and in pieces. It seemed like it wasn’t locked, but on closer inspection, the lock seemed to be broken off. The air was strangely cool close to this particular stall.

Entering an empty market left Kallen with an odd feeling like he was looking at something he shouldn't. He slowly approached the location he was detecting as his eyepatch hadn't moved since he located it. He approached the shutter with the shattered lock and when he touched it frowned at the unusually cool air. Whatever caused this was fairly strange, and as he wracked his memory he could only think of some Tundral magic being the source of this cool. The difference in temperature left a fair amount of condensation, leaving a perfect environment for a spell he could use to prevent a runaway situation.

"Mesh and fold. Mix and meld. Stand and hold. Mud wall." Kallen chanted quietly. As the spell took hold and formed a wall of mud behind him mixing the water from the condensation with the sand. Anything would have difficulty moving through it while it lasted. With his spell complete, Kallen opened the shudder to confront the thief.

A familiar satyr made his way down into the bar. He sniffed the air before frowning. "Damn, no time for breakfast. She never got back here." He sighed and made his way to the door. Unusually, he was not bringing his spear. He felt comfortable enough that people wouldn't want to steal it, and even those that would try would be easy to hunt and find given how unique the design was for this area. He stepped out into the morning air and began his search. Sniffing, listening and looking, he started to piece together Nix's movements from the previous night. They were mostly erased, but she did leave enough traces for him to find himself entering the market.

In the market he saw someone familiar. He had long since forgotten the name, but he did note the scent leading him to the same place. So, he let out a loud whistle to warn the man for the sake of not sneaking up on the poor guy and nodded to the stall. "Bet the wolf girl is in there. Her scent is quite strong. She probably got herself into some trouble, so if you will, let me handle her. Why, pray tell, are you out here this early?"

Unfortunately for Kallen, there wasn't nearly enough water in the slight condensation to supply the dirt with enough water to make a mud wall as he would like, so it mostly just formed into compressed sand instead. However, it seemed that Kistal was able to make his way inside before it was sealed off. As Kallen opened the shudders, he would instantly hear growling from Nix as she was inside, poised to strike, but waiting to see if he left her alone. The shop inside was a bit of a mess, obviously she had gotten into many of the things in search of food, very little of it interested her though.

One of the pieces of the highlighted material then moved from under the counter, on the back of a small creature that scurried behind Nix, but it was too hard to make out from behind as it moved into a pot. Nix stood her ground, hoping to intimidate the 'intruder' away. He smelled different than the regular people around here, and she could barely smell Kistal from him. In fact, Kistal's scent seemed to be getting stronger. This didn't make her lose focus, however. Whoever this man was, even though she could now hear Kistal, Kallen still had her cornered with no alternative way in or out of the stall.

---

Allanon would have met a sylve woman at the counter. Suzune was already awake and tending to stoves just in case anyone was hungry in the morning. "Oh, Allanon, right?" She reminded herself with a slight bow in greeting to him. "Not many shops open now I'm afraid, but you may be able to get some leather from the blacksmith and I can fashion you something. He shouldn't be far from the square, just before you get to the market. Hurry back though, breakfast will be ready soon."

Allanon shook his head. "It's not so much of an issue that I need to rush out right now. I'd just like to know where I can buy a belt when the stores do open up." He took a seat at a table and stood his blades against the table. "What's for breakfast?"

“Flatbread with falafel, humus, black beans, cucumber sauce , potatoes, however you wish to prepare it. Eggs, sausages, cheeses, and soon some steam buns. I couldn’t get a red bean paste imported in, so I tried making a filling with dates. I hope they come out alright,” she finished distractedly, leaning her weight to one side and crossing her arms as she looked at the steamer skeptically. She then looked back to Allanon, “my husband eats just about everything with a smile on his face, I can never count on him to get an unbiased opinion on my cooking,” she said with a smile.

Bidzil seemed to stir at the smell of food, leaning forward in his chair and catching himself before his head hit the table. He gave a good stretch and a yawn, the sound of a few joints popping could be heard, much to Bidzil’s satisfaction. He looked around dreamily, noticing that he didn’t make it back to his room last night, probably being more worn out than he realized. “Guess I dozed off a little early,” he said with a sleepy smirk, “Never slept that hard in my life, especially not at a table.” He looked out to a window and noticed the sun was out. “Missed the whole thing. Huh?” he mentioned, feeling a little down for missing it.

Allanon smiled as Suzune explained the list of food that would be available. "I'll be sure to give my honest opinion."

He turned his head to the waking Bidzil and quietly listened to him muse about missing the festival. "Good thing you're in a more trustworthy city. In Portea in the wrong bar you might have been robbed... or worse. Anyways, now that you're awake let's work up an appetite and train outside shall we? I'd like to see how you practice your swordsmanship."

Tali came down a few minutes after Kistal's departure, Chihiro close behind. The naga made a beeline for Suzune and put her hands on her hips. "Smells good. I'll take three portions. Two for me and one for Hilde." She leaned casually on one leg. She obviously wanted to keep her disguise up, despite her needing to use her full strength to fight a few days before. She left all but one fan up in her room, preferring to keep it around, just in case.

Tali, meanwhile, contented herself with settling in at the bar, leaning on one arm, quite unabashedly putting her cleavage on display. After all, she was still a succubus trained in all manner of seductive arts, so she felt no compunctions about showing off her goods as it were.


Suzune smiled to Chihiro. "Should I make some extra steam buns for the road for you two as well?" She asked playfully, already somehow knowing what wasn't even asked yet. She turned and gave Chihiro a wink.

Bidzil laughed lightheartedly, "As long as they don't touch my swords, or my jacket, I'll be fine." When Allanon mentioned practice, the young man's eyes seemed to light up, "yeah, sure! But where is a good place?"

"We do have a sparring arena in town," Suzune suggested as brought out the eggs from the pantry. "I doubt anybody is using it at this time, so it should be perfect if you want to use it. It's on the north edge of town." She then redirected her attention to Tali.

“Perfect, but uh, to be honest, I don’t really have much of a practice routine,” Bidzil admitted to Allanon. “Anyway, let's check out this arena,” he said excitedly heading to the door.

"Hey, I wondered where you wandered off to, and then you showed up last night. Everything alright? You weren't hurt during the attack were you?" she asked. Despite not knowing the woman very long, Suzune was known to be quite hospitable and caring for anyone who came to the inn. Not so much for anyone that caused trouble though. So far, Tali always seemed well mannered, and her dancing last night was quite a show to be admired. Suzune, despite her dexterity, never took to actual dancing as well as anyone like Valia or her students, though Allard seemed to like that she was a fighter. Thinking of which, Valia did seem to retire early last night and only briefly visited Dorran’s send-off, she wondered how she was taking it.

[Maeve enters with above post]