Fifty miles west of Meridell there stands another castle, in a kingdom ruled by King Hagan the Wise (better known as the older brother of that scruffy oaf Skarl). The kingdom is known as Brightvale, a bastion of peace, knowledge, and really lovely ornate windows.

From the top of one of the many spires of Brightvale castle, King Hagan gazed out into the sunset wearily. His hands gripped the intricate windowsill so that his hefty body may lean out further, as from how high up it was hard to see all of the large city underneath him. The plentiful spires around him blocked much of his view but Brightvale city was the cornucopia of his growing kingdom. In the past Brightvale was weaker and warlike much like Meridel, ruled by his cruel younger brother, but Hagan was wiser. Investing in rebuilding faerie land provided a powerful ally in the tension after Darigan's rebellion.

Hagan remained lost in thought, wistfully staring into the road into his walled city. Carts came and went, so did travelers on foot or flying into the below. With a heavy sigh, he finally relented his pointless vigil. There was no way of knowing who would answer his call for a quest. Hagan tried to occupy himself at first, but his tea had long since gotten cold and the book at his table was not much relief: 1001 predictions by the Mystery Island Mystic, all of which had turned up poorly.

Hagan was sluggish getting his clothes on, slower still descending through the many studies and libraries in the spire as he ventured to the Anteroom. By the time had sat on his throne, a small crowd of servants and magicians had all gathered before him. They kneeled but Hagan quickly gestured for them to rise. A formality really, he hardly ever let people bow to him.
"How are preparations?" Hagan spoke in a commanding voice.

"The banquet is set and ready sire" A warbly voiced, fat Quiggle announced with pride. A few servants behind him nervously curtsied to the king. Hagan was quite pleased by the news, but he remained stoic if he nodded to them.
"Very good. Sample the food and take a break" He ushered them off to the side and the group hurried off.

"And what of my trials? Have we prepared everything?" He grumbled on, maintaining a stern glower on his otherwise unimposing face. His glare met with a skinny, sheepish Lenny in wizard's garb.
"Unfortunately..." She mumbled nervously, fiddling her wings together as she stumbled over her words. Hagan reclined in his seat once more and his voice softened.
"Go on Lady Wilma"

The Lenny took a deep breath, pushed up her glasses, and squawked forth her retort abruptly.
"The second test is much too dangerous! I suggest we remove it entirely"
Hagan scratched his bread inquisitively at her concern as she stepped forward, revealing a crumbled scroll from her robes.
"This was my results from the first test. I took it myself, I nearly lost a leg!" SHe continued, bowing again as she raised the results of her test forward.
"Please forgive me, my lord" She pleaded.

Hagan reached down and retrieved the scroll and painfully slow to the woman before him put his reading glasses so that he could scan her test results. Finally, with a chuckle, he grabbed her shoulder, lifting her to her feet.
"outstanding work as always Wilma! You've outdone yourself again!" He heartily chortled.
"My lord... I am serious! The test could be lethal!" She responded with valid concern.
"You do understand that when a king calls for adventurers, the quest he is giving is almost certainly 'lethal'? These tests will weed out the weak. Hopefully, the weak of will give up far before it gets dangerous" He insisted. His prattle had stifled any objections from the girl, but Hagan could read her like an open book. She was still very distraught.
"How about this: Get the royal alchemist, he will be on standby should things get dangerous" He bargained. Wilma nodded and hurriedly rushed off with her new errand. Hagan painstakingly checks every aspect of his opening ceremony. Everything seemed to go according to plan. With the meeting adjourned, servants went off to the castle gates, eagerly waiting for the heroes to arrive with the rising sun.

The guard at the gate seemed to jump to attention after what felt like an eternity and began lowering the gate. A wrinkled old Draik stood at the ready for the first adventurer to arrive.
"Greetings hero, may I have your name so it may be marked down on this historical day?"

Ferrin made his way through the streets of Brightvale, taking in everything that the village had to offer. Admittedly, he hadn't ever actually stepped foot in Brightvale before, because he had always devoted himself to its sister city of Meridell. But he had to admit...Brightvale definitely looked like it was a lot better off. There was definitely a lot of beauty to the town in comparison, and it was immediately obvious at a glance why. It was clear that the money was handled a lot differently here in Brightvale; there was a lot more prosperity going around than there was in his own homeland. Buildings looked nicer, there were brighter colors, and there wasn't a single part of the town that looked run down without actively going hunting for them. Brightvale definitely seemed like a different place than Meridell. Most would probably say that it was a much better kingdom overall, with Hagan being far more generous than the infamously greedy King Skarl.

But for Ferrin, it only made things seem boring.

That said, Ferrin, was very torn on Brightvale. He was glad that it seemed that more prosperous. It meant that there were fewer poor Neopians like when he was young. But it also meant that they were likely going to be trying harder to hide the parts that were on harder times. And he doubted they didn't exist. They almost always existed. But for now, he supposed that it wasn't something he needed to dwell on. He was here for a reason, and he was going to see to it that he accomplished his mission.

The Scorchio, dressed in his usual casual attire, stopped by a few of the shops on his way into the town, particularly the armory. But he didn't need anything that they had to offer. Magical materials and such were fine, but he was satisfied with his standard sets of weaponry and armor. He carried his sword and shield strapped to his back and adorned a chain shirt beneath his regular clothing. This was definitely a lot easier to travel in than his usual set of knight's armor--more comfortable too, though still not perfect. And it didn't help that he had to lug around his heavy armor with him in his bag on his back, but it was definitely better than wearing the hot suit of metal armor all day long.

Ferrin was definitely getting looks, however, but he did his best to ignore them. He knew why they were looking at him funny. It was his choice of clors. Red, blue and gold were the obvious national colors of Meridell, and him sporting them as proudly as he was likely came off as strange to your average Brightvale resident. But nobody commented on it to his face, whether for better or for worse, so Ferrin just ignored it.

Finally, Ferrin passed by the stained glass window shop and stopped when he found where the standard dirt road stopped and a cobble path began. It led straight into a small square, and beyond it the moat that surrounded the castle. The drawbridge gate was closed, but that was to be expected. Though he could certainly see the guard at his post, ready to give the signal to lower the bridge if need-be. At the sight, the Scorchio decided that he'd done enough waiting. He was ready to head inside for this big, important mission that he'd heard King Hagan had been calling for. He still wasn't entirely sure what this was going to be about, but it was going to be an exciting first big mission as a sellsword. Thus far, he'd only done small, easy tasks like guard duty or be an escort. He could only hope that this task would suit his talents a lot better.

He could only hope that this would be fun.

Ferrin stepped down the cobble path, making his way into the square. He saw the guard at the gate snap to attention the moment he started forward, and the gate began to lower once more. He couldn't help but raise a brow at the sight. He hadn't even really spoken to him yet, but they were assuming he was one of these heroes they'd called for...? Well, he supposed that he just had that look to him.

With that thought on his mind, Ferrin smirked a bit, straightening himself out and trying to seem more awesome than he actually probably was. And when the old Draik approached, he nodded to him.

"Well met," Ferrin replied, unable to stop himself from flexing an arm. Clearly, he was a bit of a showoff. "The name's Ferrin Aren. Traveler and hero for hire, I suppose you could say." He then chuckled a bit at that. He liked that line. He lowered his arm back to his waist in order to tug at the heavy bag he kept on him, to straighten it out again. "Here to save the day."

"'Scuse me... pardon me... really sorry 'bout this..." Eloween weaved her way through the streets of Brightvale, pausing every now and again to mumble apologies to anyone she so much as brushed against. Most of them didn't even spare her a glance. They were used to the hustle and bustle of city life, and had likely battled against crowds far more ferocious than this. For Eloween, however, this was all new. She'd grown up in Bogshot, a small village composed of a few, ramshackle wooden huts and surrounded on all sides by dense, marshy wilderness. She'd spent her early years learning how to silently move through the trees, avoid quicksand and tell the threat of any given plant or creature from a glance. Her eyes were used to lowlight, her ears used to the only sounds being her own footsteps and the occassional call of some wild petpet. Even the past couple of years she'd spent in Meridell couldn't have prepared her for this. There, things were less developed, more spread out, with farms, ranches and shops all seperated by large open fields, small clumps of woodland and winding, empty roads.

Here, everything was so much louder, brighter, and instead of greenery and unstable ground, she had to navigate through buildings and people. It was overwhelming, especially whenever she caught one of the passersby glancing in her direction. Could they tell she didn't belong here? Could they sense the wild on her, smell the dampness of the bog, see the tears in her clothes, the mud on her hooves? Were they disgusted, appalled that such a person was allowed near their little piece of civilisation?

... was that how Nora viewed her now?

That single thought seemed to knock any remaining breath out of her, and she came to an abrupt halt in the middle of the street. A few of the more disgruntled passersby muttered something along the lines of "Watch what you're doing!" or "Move it!", but otherwise continued on their way with little thought spared towards her. For once, she didn't notice. There was a tightness in her chest, like someone's hand grasped around her heart, and applying more and more pressure as the seconds passed by. She couldn't move, but she was vaguely aware that her legs were starting to give way beneath her.

She suddenly caught a flash of orange and blue at the bottom of her vision, and glanced down to see her gallion, Wyler, pressing her body against the ixi's legs, as if in an attempt to steady her. Eloween opened her mouth, perhaps to reassure the petpet that she was alright, but no words came out, only pained gasps. Her vision started to swim before her eyes, and she stumbled awkwardly in an attempt to keep her footing. Wyler, realising she didn't have much time to act, grabbed up some of the fabric of Eloween's trouser leg with her mouth and started pulling the ixi to the side of the road and out of the pathway of any disapproving citygoers. Eloween didn't resist, allowing the gallion to guide her until they came to rest by one of Brightvale's many shops - this one helpfully labelled 'Royal Potionery' - which Eloween leaned against as she attempted to regain her bearings. Wyler kept close to her, her tail wrapped protectively around the ixi's feet. Any passerbys who dared so much as look in their direction were met with the glare of the gallion's eyes and the flash of her teeth, as if to say "What do you think you're looking at?"

Eventually, Eloween's vision returned to normal and she felt herself being able to breath again. Her legs still felt like jello, however, and under normal circumstances, she would have liked to wait a little longer until she was sure she could walk without the danger of falling flat on her face. Of course, these weren't normal circumstances, so, at risk of looking like a complete fool, she cautiously stepped away from the wall. Once again, she stumbled a little, and had to use Wyler to steady her, but she wasn't about to be deterred from her goal. If she remembered correctly, Brightvale Castle wasn't too far away from the Potionary, and with Wyler's help, she managed to make her way to the end of the street, where the dirt path was replaced with a cobblestone road, the castle looming just at the end. She could make out the shapes of two neopets - a draik and a scorchio - in conversation as the castle's gate began to lower. She approached them, not sure whether to call out a greeting or let them wait until they finished speaking, and instead just hovered awkwardly behind the scorchio, hoping to eventually be noticed.

@XxFellsingxX
The Draik may have withered in age but his eyes were still sharp as a Crokabek. As he finished writing down Ferrin's name he cut the pleasantries and moved his attention to the girl standing doe-eyed in front of the castle gate. He wore a bright smile and his excitement practically emanated off him. The Castle guard stood at attention, watching as another

"and you young girl! Who may you be?"
He asked pleasantly.

Eloween's ears perked up when the Draik suddenly addressed her. She hadn't expected him to notice her so quickly and, still shaken from her panic attack moments earlier, it took a moment to process what he had asked her. "E... Eloween," she stammered out. "Eloween... Pengelly." She then heard Wyler giving a small snort and quickly added, "Oh, and this is Wyler." She motioned to the Gallion, who stood up to her full height, head raised and tail held high in a proud manner, all while casting a suspicious glance in the direction of the red Scorchio in front of them.

“Hup! Thank you sir!” Said Arma Rockspy as he hopped off his transport and stretched his sore body. After nearly two weeks of travel the cart carrying goods from the area around the Backbone Mountains finally arrived at Brightvale. He had come from afar to answer the call of King Hagan and to find out more about the incoming threat that his master had gone out to face.

He entered the kingdom and was instantly awestruck. Looking around he was surrounded by buildings of different shapes, sizes, and colors. The streets were also lined with people who were going about their day. He pulled the straps on his backpack to tighten it and entered. It hadn’t even taken him 30 seconds before he bumped into someone. Arma apologized, moving back only to bump into another and another after that. It seemed like he was stuck in an endless loop of walking into people.

Through the series of tosses and turns he ended up back where he had started. “Oh geez, these city folk sure are rude. They keep going about their day, not caring about those around them.” The Bori sighed. Suddenly he noticed something. There seemed to be a brief moment where a small bubble of free space appeared in the traffic.

Arma groaned and slapped his forehead, it seemed that spending all that time on the road without being able to face proper opponents had dulled his skills. Master Pebbles would have forced him into one on one training if word ever got out. He shuddered at the thought. Tightening the turquoise colored headband on his forehead, he closed his eyes. Taking a deep breath Arma calmed his nerves and recalled the teachings given at the Dojo.

Upon opening his eyes he immediately found an opening. Without wasting a single second he dashed through and moved to occupy the space. A flash of brown and light blue weaved through the crowd, only stopping for a few seconds to orient itself on the direction it was headed. After experiencing the harsh training given at the Dojo of Flowing Stone, moving through a crowd like this was child’s play. Once he remembered his training of course.

After nimbly dodging the passersby for a few minutes, the crowd finally started to thin out as the dirt road turned into cobblestone. Arma stopped and leaned against a wall, trying to catch his breath. He was really out of shape after traveling for that long. After a couple more minutes of rest he continued making his way to the castle. As he got closer he managed to see a drawbridge slowly being lowered and three figures conversing with one another. “They must be people who answered the call!” Arma exclaimed, increasing his pace to catch up.

“Excuse me! Hello!” A light brown Bori wearing loose fitting turquoise clothes and headband of the same color made his way to the trio. He had pretty much no equipment on him apart from a small pouch on his hip and a backpack. “My name is Arma Rockspy! I hope I’m not too late!”

"intriguing. Heroes come in all shapes" The Draik replied to Halloween, scribbling the names into his list. He seemed started by the abrupt and loud Bori, but quickly his jolly smile returned.

"You are far from late, eager one! Let the name Arma be added to the annals of history" He said as he jovially put the name into the list. His attention turned to the three of them as he began to roll up the scroll and the draw bridge returned to its upright position.
"The three of you are large enough to create the first team to enter! We have a feast for those famished few, but the king has implored that I ask you to make haste for your trials" he kindly old man decreed in a practiced manner.

"But formality aside, I must admit you should try the Tofu Satay before it gets cold" He snickered.
"So were to my new friends? To the dining hall or the spire of trails?" He asked.

Ferrin's eyes widened a bit when the Draik suddenly looked over behind him, not even seeming to acknowledge his self-imposed title and claim. There was a bit of disappointment in his posture as it slacked a bit following this lack of interest. However, he supposed that he had something a bit more important to worry about. And that was the fact that the old man had apparently found somebody that...wasn't far behind him...? He turned himself around and almost gasped when he found the Ixi that was standing surprisingly close; not uncomfortably so or anything, but more that he was simply surprised that he hadn't noticed her approach. He grinned a bit at the newcomer; a fellow hero, apparently. Although, he had to admit...she didn't really seem the part.

The Scorchio's gaze turned downward, meeting the gaze of the dragon-like petpet at her heels as she directed the Draik's attention as well. He couldn't help but smirk a bit at the sight. He had, of course, seen all kinds of Gallion, having lived in Meridell for most of his life. he'd seen them both domestic and feral. He'd even had to fight one off with a fellow knight to protect a market stall at one point during one of his patrols. They weren't too big of a deal, but they certainly weren't to be underestimated. Maybe the two together made up the difference for what the other seemed to lack...? He wasn't entirely sure, but he supposed he shouldn't be underestimating someone so soon.

However, when he realized the Gallion was staring at him, he moved to meet the petpet's gaze. "Heheh. A cute little guy," Ferrin said, reaching his hand out toward Wyler to pat him. However, if Wyler began to act defensive or aggressive as he reached out, the Scorchio would fail to notice. Luckily for him, though, his attempt would be interrupted and thwarted before it could even get to that point, as a new voice broke through the air. Ferrin's attention was brought up...and finally, a new figure approached the group. This one, a sturdy-looking Bori. This one also didn't look like all that impressive, but this Arma guy seemed like a step up at least. But just like his concerns with the Ixi, Ferrin could only assume that there was something more hiding behind it.

The Scorchio opened his mouth as though to converse with the newcomer, but before even a word could escape him, the Draik spoke up again to include the Bori and unexpectedly launch into some kind of explanation. However, Ferrin had to stop as soon as he heard something.

"Whoa whoa, wait, hold on, back up," Ferrin replied. "Did you say a 'team'?" he asked, clearly a bit puzzled. "You're looking for teams for this...big, important, whatever-it-is job?" He rubbed the back of his head, suddenly feeling a bit awkward now. He glanced back toward the other two--three if you count the Gallion--and looked at them curiously. Did either of them put it together that they were going to be working as a team for this endeavor? In retrospect, he supposed he wasn't really sure what he expected; he just kind of figured he'd show up, do the job, and then leave....

The moment Ferrin attempted to engage with Wyler, the Gallion dropped her proud posture and immediately became tense. Her pupils narrowed into her slits, her mane and tail tuft fluffed up, and she bared her teeth as the Scorchio approached. Fortunately, the new arrival - a brown bori - halted Ferrin's attempts to pet her, but it did nothing for the petpet's nerves as she suddenly turned towards Arma instead, a low snarl started to build in her throat.

Eloween must have noticed because she bent down slightly to stroke the Gallion's mane. "It's okay, it's okay," she said softly. This seemed to calm Wyler somewhat as she immediately stopped snarling. She remained tense, however, backing away so she was closer to Eloween and wrapping her tail around her ixi's legs.

Eloween sighed, half with exsperation, half with relief. She glanced at the Scorchio, then over to the Bori with an apologetic stare. "Sorry, she's... not great with strangers," she said to them, continuing to stroke the Gallion's head even as she spoke.

“Thank you good sir!” Arma beamed at the Draik that wrote down his name. The first thing he noticed was the Scorchio. He looked rather imposing but seemed a bit too overdressed for his taste. All that armor and then wielding that big heavy sword would certainly slow someone down.

Arma was about to say something but a snarl caught his attention. Looking down he saw a bright orange creature with blue fur peeking out from below a purple Ixi. The creature had a cautious glare at him and he knew enough to know that snarl was a warning.

“Woah, that’s a cool looking… partner?” He said obviously a bit puzzled. Not knowing what exactly to call the gallion. Backing off a bit from the hostile petpet he continued. “I’ve never seen something like her before. What’s her name?”

Arma’s head snapped up when the Draik mentioned food. “A feast? I’d like to eat first please!”

For the first time since they had met him, the draik seemed to take the scorchio very seriously when he spoke in response, carefully chosing his words with a more wistful tone.
"The king does not invite people inside the castle for any simple task. This quest is one that could never be done alone, even by the strongest of fighters and the craftiest of minds. You'll thank him later for giving you company" he declared rather harshely.

At the request of food, however, the draik seemed to perk up and gladly returned to his standard jolly self.
"Then eat you shall. Go with the maids. I shall stay here and await any others who come to participate" he decreed and with that a kyrii in a maids outfit gave a courtesy bow before saunting off with the crew. They went through the beautiful courtyard which had flowers from all across the lands. Inside was ever more decidant. A large dining hall with carefully hand carved buttresses and columns that support the tall ceiling. On the ceiling was an orange painting of the battle against Darigan and her people, showing Count Darigan himself fighting along side Hagan and Skaarl, both of which were actually absent from the fighting.

The meal set before them was exquisite as it was abundant. Any pallet could find a wonderfully crafted meal for themselves and the maids struggled to keep their watering mouths from drooling at the smell let alone the sight of their banquet. Quickly three plates with matching silverware were prepared for the heroes-to-be.

Ferrin instinctively raised his arms somewhat defensively as the old Draik suddenly replied so...unexpectedly. Judging by his sudden, instinctive step back, and the fact that his tail, previously swaying around behind him, came to a stop, it was clear that he was rather taken by surprise by the old Draik's harsher tone. It wasn't until the Draik looked away to tend to the needs of the Bori that Ferrin felt like he could take a moment to breathe and recover.

He gulped silently, shaking his head to clear his thoughts. He couldn't believe that he'd just let himself get so intimidated by an old man like that. But there was just something about that exchange that had caught him so off-guard.... Somehow, the way he spoke got to him more than if the old man had just yelled at him or something along those lines.

Ferrin's attention finally snapped back to the group as Arma and the old Draik began talking about that apparent feast that had been prepared for them. If he were honest, he would rather get right to these trials now instead of putting it off, but...at the same time, he didn't want to say anything that could embarrass himself further. And then, as his thoughts turned to whatever food that could be at a feast designed for such strong heroes...he could feel a rumbling from his core.

He glanced down at himself for a brief moment, a slight hint of a blush forming on his face, as he could only hope that the others hadn't heard that.

"W-well," he finally muttered, pausing only to clear his throat. "I guess it'd be, uh...rude to turn down the feast after they went through all the trouble to prepare it."

With that, he nodded to the maid that they were directed to and began to follow her out of the room. He examined the room around him, but none of it was all that surprising to him. He'd seen plenty of fancy decorations like that back in Meridell when he worked in the castle. Although he supposed there was a bit of a difference here, as there was always the feeling that King Skarl was only using the castle like a vanity project and a symbol of his status.

When Ferrin's eyes passed over the hanging painting, however, his eyes narrowed a bit. Skarl and Hagan...fighting? He might buy that as something Hagan would do if able, but Skarl? He couldn't help but shake his head. There was no way. He paused, however, as his gaze fell upon the depiction of Darigan. He instinctively clenched his fist at his side, but quickly averted his gaze and shook it off. He was getting worked up over nothing; it was just a painting.

Finally, the group stepped up to the table, seeing the food laid out before them, as well as the plates being set up in front of them. He couldn't help but grin a bit. There was...plenty to see here, that much was for sure. Including, to his relief, a variety of savory meats from the looks of it.

"Wow...they really outdid themselves, huh?" Ferrin muttered, glancing over to his two new companions, or teammates now, he supposed. Then, he stepped up to the table, moving to seat himself right into a seat nearest the best-looking meat he could find, which happened to be the seat right in the center.

Despite her usual timidness around strangers, Eloween managed a genuine smile at Arma. She guessed he must be new to the area if he didn't know what a gallion was, as they were not uncommon to the lands surrounding Meridell and Brightvale. "This is Wyler," she said, gesturing to the still-wary petpet. "She's a gallion. You see them a lot around Meridell." Wyler's gaze was still fixed on Arma, though her fierce glare had dimmed to a look of caution.

Eloween was so focused on keeping Wyler - as well as herself - calm she wasn't really paying attention to what the draik and scorchio were talking about until a fourth neopet approached them, this time a kyrii. Wyler noticed the stranger first, turning her head towards them. It was nowhere near as dramatic a reaction as the one moments prior, but it was clear she was alert. Eloween stood up and finally turned back to face the Draik as he told them to head into the castle. Apparently, some sort of meal had been prepared for them, which they were allowed to partake in before getting to the job at hand. She would admit, her breakfast at the local inn had been less than satisfying, and she knew everyone would be likely to work better on a full stomach than an empty one. Without saying anything, she followed after the rest of the group. Wyler, somewhat reluctantly, trotted alongside her, and Eloween kept a hand gently on the Gallion's tail as they walked so as not to lose track of her.

It was a good thing she did too, as the interior of the castle proved to be even more overwhelming than the outside. Eloween tried to keep her eye on where she was going, doing her best not to lose track of the rest of the group, but every so often she'd catch a glimpse of something so unfamiliar and she'd have to pause just to gawk at it. How long had this castle taken to construct? How much had it cost? How much effort was it to maintain? As someone who had grown up in a small wooden hut in the middle of a swamp, usually having to hunt and forage for dinner, she realised she couldn't answer that.

She suddenly felt like she really, really shouldn't be here, and grasped Wyler's tail tighter. The gallion glanced over to her ranger, lightly headbutting her leg before continuing to lead her along after the rest of the group. These feelings didn't dissapate when they entered the dining room. In fact, they seemed to get worse as Eloween took in the feast that had been prepared for them. When the draik had mentioned food, she had assumed they'd be given a decently-sized meal that they'd eat in the kitchen or a smaller room. She hadn't expected they'd get to eat in such a grand hall, nor that there would be such a large selection of food to choose from. This seemed like a lot of fuss over some hired help, and while she knew that Hagan could probably afford to spend his wealth on total strangers, she couldn't help but feel very uncomfortable. Anyone looking in her direction might notice her concern, her face seeming slightly paler than it had been before, but she didn't say anything, not wanting to draw attention to herself.

She sat herself down on one of the chairs, a little away from Ferrin, and motioned for Arma to sit next to her, preferably between them. It wasn't that she disliked the Scorchio - she'd only known for for a few minutes - but of the two companions, she found Arma the least intimidating and the least likely to do anything that might provoke Wyler.

Arma looked at the petpet with sparkles in his eyes. “A gallion huh? She’s beautiful.” He complimented. The world sure was wide. He had gotten used to seeing the same faces everyday at the dojo so everything was a new experience for him.

When the Draik told them it was time to go, Arma was the first one to follow the maids. Upon entering the castle he was awestruck. Such intricate craftsmanship! Unlike the rest of the group, he did not hide his enthusiasm and curiosity often walking away from the group to gawk at the at all the paintings and displays.

“Wow! So that must be the King!” He looked at a painting for about three seconds before moving to a glass case holding a sword. “What a sharp looking blade! And that hilt! I’ve never seen so many gemstones in one place!” He said, face leaning against the case. This carried on until the courtyard and more often than not Arma had to be pulled away by the maids.

The Bori’s eyes opened wide when he saw the feast before them. “So… so much food.” He whimpered. “I don’t even know what these are but it looks so good!” He was snapped out of his reverie when one of the servants cleared their throat. “Right, um, sorry.”

He moved towards the table and sat next the purple Ixi. “I haven’t had a warm meal in so long. All I had during my trip was dried meats, nuts, and whatever fruit we happened to come across.” He reached out and grabbed the first thing he saw. Happily digging in the meal set before him, stuffing himself so much that he nearly choked. After washing down the food with a nice long drink he turned to both his companions. “I don’t think we’ve actually introduced ourselves to each other. My name’s Arma Rockspy. I specialize in hand to hand combat.”

Ferrin did not hesitate to take the nearest plated meat, a nice chicken filet, and start digging into it. He only looked up from the food once he saw the Ixi move to take a seat a couple seats down, the Scorchio couldn't help but raise a brow, but he ignored it. It wasn't as though he was offended or anything, he simply had not expected such hesitation. Luckily, the Bori hadn't hesitated to drop into the seat between them, and he was fine with that.

"Heheh...she's right, though," Ferrin said after swallowing another bite of chicken--noticeably leaving the broccoli and carrots beside it mostly untouched--and moved to grab the nearest water. "Gallions are all over the place in Meridell, both domestic and wild." However, he paused when Arma introduced himself. He swallowed the bite he had just taken, setting his silverware back in place before grinning over at him.

"Oh really?" he asked, feeling a bit of excitement welling up inside him. "You're a brawler, huh? That's awesome! I love hand to hand combat! We should spar a bit and find out who's stronger sometime! I mean...y'know, after these trials and stuff are done and all that. But hand to hand's a hell of a lot more fun to spar hand to hand than it is with weapons." He then gestured to the gear he had laid behind his seat: what appeared to be a standard, regulation longsword, and a shield. They both appeared extremely well-maintained; especially the shield, which seemed to have been polished very recently, given its notable shine on the bright red, blue and gold of the Meridellian insignia.

"I prefer fighting like you do, in hand to hand combat, but when it comes to serious battles, I stick to what I was trained to use back in Meridell, the classic sword and shield. I think I'm plenty strong on my own, but put a sword and shield in my hand, and nobody's taking me down easy in a fair fight." He paused for a moment, quickly realizing he'd completely forgotten a critical point of his introduction.

"Oh, right. Heh. Sorry, I guess you probably want the introduction part." Ferrin replied, rubbing the back of his head. His grin widened, and he raised his right arm into the air, flexing it a bit. "The name's Ferrin Aren. Former Knight of Meridell, presently a sword for the small and shield for the weak. Heh. Gotta say, it feels pretty weird to be taking a job for King Hagan, since I used to take my orders from Skarl's lackeys."

He then leaned forward on the table so that he could look around the Bori, and toward the Ixi and her companion. "And you?" he asked. "I know you said your Gallion friend's Wyler, but what about you?"

Again, Eloween found herself smiling despite her nervousness as she watched Arma's excitement over his surroundings. This was probably a new situation for him as well, but unlike her, he seemed without fear or concern. She wished she could be more like that, welcoming the unfamiliar instead of being afraid of it.

As she began to dig into her food, Arma introduced himself properly to the rest of the group in a way that was fairly short and to the point. Eloween opened her mouth to respond when Ferrin spoke up, launching into his own, much lengthier introduction. A few things the Scorchio said stood out to her: he was from Meridell, something she'd gathered from the way he was dressed. He apparently had also been a knight, formerly in the service of King Skarl, which explained why he seemed less awestruck by their current surroundings than she and Arma were. The 'former' part made her raise an eyebrow though. He seemed too young to have simply retired, and the way he spoke about his former employer, referring to those under the king's command as his 'lackeys' seemed odd. Definitely not the way one imagined a noble knight to speak about his duties. Was he disgraced in some way? He didn't seem shady or dishonourable, just outspoken and perhaps a little full of himself. She didn't voice any of this of course, it really wasn't any of her business and she didn't want to offend someone she was going to have to work alongside. Still, none of this had done anything to set her at ease with the red scorchio.

She was partway through a mouthful of food when Ferrin suddenly addressed her, asking her name. She held up one hand to tell them to wait a moment while using her other hand to cover her mouth as she swallowed. It was at this point she realised the hood of her cloak was still up and she quickly pulled that down, revealing the shock of short orange hair, contrasting with her soft purple fur. "I'm, err, Eloween Pengelly," she said, nervously shifting in her seat. "I'm from Bogshot." Her eyes darted to Arma then back at Ferrin. She'd guessed from Arma reaction to Wyler that he wasn't local, so the name of her village likely was unfamiliar to him. Ferrin, however, was more likely to have heard of it, and she could already imagine the kind of conclusions he might be drawing about her from this single bit of information. "I'm, err, pretty good with a bow, I guess." She gestured to her back, where her quiver of arrows was attached. "My parents taught me how to track, what plants are useful and which are poisonous, how to handle wild animals... just things you'd need to survive in, err, more wild areas." She tried to think of what else she could possibly say about herself that wouldn't lower her companions' opinion of her any more. "Oh, and I know a little magic!" she said, before quickly adding, "N-nothing too flashy though. Just, err, I can heal wounds, and a couple of other small things. Don't expect me to be able to cast a fireball or something." She gave a nervous laugh, before quickly looking back down at her plate again.

Arma eagerly stuffed himself with all the different types of food. He had not seen such a selection since… ever. Back at the dojo it was the same thing every day. The food did have variations but it was mostly the same thing. Home grown vegetables and fruits and meat once every two weeks. Unless it was a celebration then they’d take the biggest and fattest one they had and turn it into a meal.

He listened to his two companions talk about themselves. First was the one called Ferrin Aren. He was rather fit and looking over, Arma could see that he was well trained. Upon the mention of a spar his eyes glinted with excitement and he spoke in a tone that was uncharacteristic of what they had seen. “A spar?” He smiled. “I’d love to. It would be good to shake off the soreness of travel. I don’t mind if you even use your weapons.” He locked eyes with the Scorchio, issuing a silent challenge before turning his attention to his other companion.

He turned around just in time as the Ixi pulled off her hood. The contrast in color caused Arma’s eyes to widen. “I like your hair, its a really cool colour.” She talked about where she came from and saw how here eyes darted to Ferrin. It seems like these two were locals around these parts. To be honest he didn’t care where they were from as long as they were good people. One’s background does not define them unless they allow it too. When she got into her skill set his eyes got wider. “Magic?! That’s so cool!” He paused, realizing that his sudden excitement might put her off. Once he calmed down, the Bori added with a smile. “Bows and magic. That’s a pretty good combination if you ask me.” His attention was once again stolen by food as he noticed the delicious desserts waiting to be eaten.

Ferrin's gaze locked with the Bori and he smirked at him. That challenging look was returned in kind, as Ferrin gave him a confident smirk of his own. However, he didn't say anything aloud and simply watched as the Ixi a couple seats down finally lowered her hood, giving him a good look at her face for the first time. He was obviously caught a bit off-guard by the color of the hair. Dressing with such a contrasting color was always more of a noble thing; soldiers usually kept their hair, if any, close to their species color, to avoid standing out. Given how the Ixi was carrying herself, he had expected a similar mindset. But clearly, he was wrong about that. He supposed she just liked the color? He knew he certainly did, as a small smile formed on his face.

"Bogshot?" Ferrin said as Eloween introduced herself. Something about that tugged at his memory. He'd definitely heard of the place before, but what could he be thinking of...? It definitely wasn't a place he'd visited before, so then what...? He crossed his arms and thought back to what he knew about Meridell and its surrounding lands. However, before he could continue his train of thought, Eloween continued to introduce herself and her skillset. As he watched her, however, he began to frown a bit. He certainly didn't disapprove of her or anything like that, but there was something about her that continued to bother her.... However, he didn't say anything. If he did, he might only make her feel worse.

"Yeah, that all sounds pretty useful to me," Ferrin replied, taking another bite and swallowing it before continuing. "I can't tell you how much easier some of my missions would have been if I'd picked up some archery. And Meridell's pretty skimpy on magic, so I bet that'll be helpful. We usually relied on Lady Kauvara's potion brewing skills and Motes for most things magic-related."

At Arma's comment about her hair, Eloween gave a small, nervous chuckle. It was the laugh of someone who was obviously not used to compliments. Compliments on her skill, or on a job she had done particularly well? Occasionally. Compliments on her appearance? Almost never. In fact, when it came to her hair specifically, she always felt a little embarrassed. It was much less common these days, but purple pets could occasionally have orange spots or patches, as evidenced by the small freckles Eloween had on her face. A whole head of orange hair like she had, however, was a very extreme version of this, and Eloween hadn't met or heard of any other pet that looked similar. She'd never really been made fun of for it, at most she'd receive a strange look or a raised eyebrow, but she had been encouraged since a young age to keep it covered while she was out in the wilderness, as it wasn't exactly great for camouflage. That was why she wore a hood, and after a while, she found herself wearing it even when in towns, cities or at the farm. It was just easier, and she certainly didn't miss the odd looks it earned her. For someone to outright comment on her hair, let alone say they liked it, was something she wasn't accustomed to. Unable to think of any other response, Eloween simply muttered a 'thank you' to Arma before taking another bite of her food.

Meanwhile, Ferrin seemed to recognize the name of her hometown, though didn't seem to know anything else about it. She supposed that wasn't unusual, it wasn't exactly a place many people were likely to pass through, and she would have recognized if Ferrin had ever been there himself. Someone like him would definitely have stood out. He also didn't seem too unimpressed by her skill set, even admitting it would be very useful. Eloween supposed if both Ferrin and Arma were more close-range fighters, an archer and a healer would likely be welcome among them. She found herself relaxing slightly, and once she had finished chewing on her food, she gave a low nod towards her companions. "I promise I'll do all I can to help you both," she said seriously. She then added, in a slightly quieter tone. "And I'll try not to slow you down."

Still sat by Eloween's chair, Wyler suddenly made a small sound, causing Eloween to turn her head towards her. The gallion was looking up at her ranger, her tail lashing side-to-side with impatience. Eloween frowned at her. "What is it?" she asked. Wyler gave a snort and nodded her head towards the plate of food in front of the ixi. "Oh!" Eloween understood. She glanced around at the castle staff, and awkwardly waved at one. "Erm, excuse me... c-can I have an extra plate for, err..." She gestured at Wyler, who would give any staff member who looked in her direction a very pointed glare.

"Heh. I'm sure you'll do fine," Ferrin replied with a chuckle, leaning back in his chair again. He watched as the Ixi asked for a plate for her smaller companion, and Ferrin was tempted to just offer his own. But he figured that might be a bit ill-mannered. He was never one to care particularly about manners, but it had been drilled into his head during his knighthood training. She might even think that it was just kind of gross, and he definitely didn't want her to have that reaction. She already seemed kind of put off by him to begin with.

Instead, he fell silent after that, leaning backward in his seat, even leaning the chair itself slightly so that it was on its rear two legs, using his foot to keep it anchored. Perhaps the manners weren't drilled into him perfectly, after all.

The Scorchio's mind wandered back to Eloween's introduction. There was one thing that was still bothering him. The name "Bogshot" was very familiar. But he just couldn't quite put his finger on it.... Until, finally, it clicked in his mind. The Scorchio's eyes widened at the realization, and his body instinctively reacted.

"Of course! Bogshot Swamp!" he exclaimed. "That's where Sir TormWHAGH!" In his excitement at the realization, his body had unintentionally extended itself, as though wanting to jump up from his seat. Unfortunately, his chair was still leaning back at the time, and the push against the floor was enough to send the chair toppling over backwards, striking the floor with a loud, echoing crash in the large chamber, and leaving Ferrin sprawled on his back, lower back still resting on the chair's backrest, tail sticking up in the air, drooping slightly over him.

"...Ow." he murmured under his breath, his enthusiasm suddenly curbed for the moment. So THAT must be why he was always told leaning in chairs was a bad habit....