[color=#1A1A3B][b][u][h1][sub][sub][sub]Farren[/sub][/sub][/sub][/h1][/u][/b][/color]                  continued to stare down the long, rather wide, thoroughfare even as Ophelia began to speak. He seemed uncharacteristically distracted, but in truth he was very much listening to her every word. Yet, as he did so…that name seemed to resonate within his skull, each ‘bounce’ of the proverbial vibration like a susurration of clawing birds within his brain. He gritted his teeth.

[h3][sub][sup][i]Gerlinde[/i][/sup][/sub][/h3]

That damned name.

Farren’s eyelid twitched slightly and his grip on the Blade of Mercy tightened significantly, the material of its grip making a slight–but noticeable–noise. He swallowed, deliberately forced himself to glance in Ophelia’s direction as she spoke, and then briefly closed his eyes as she was nearly finished, nodding slightly as if in recognition.

While he’d heard her, the truth was that he’d closed his eyes to gather his wits rather than his thoughts. Still, by and large he managed to play much of it off, speaking even before he opened his eyes again.

[color=#1A1A3B][b]“Well done. Excuse my earlier…reticence at our splitting up, it seems you gleaned valuable intel by going ahead of us,”[/b][/color] he offered, opening his eyes as he finished speaking, meeting her gaze with a look that spoke of apology. It was gone the next moment as those bright sapphire eyes turned on Torquil, then focused further on his rather ornate shield. [color=#1A1A3B][b]“Useful thing, you’re hardly singed,”[/b][/color] he commented, his gaze roving over the glass of the implement. He’d never seen anything like it before–at least that he could remember, which he supposed wasn’t really saying much.

[h2][sub][sup][i]Gerlinde[/i][/sup][/sub][/h2]

He’d began to relax, but his jaw tightened again, teeth pressing against eachother in his closed mouth with painful pressure, but he forced a smile, then turned to stare down the road again. [color=#1A1A3B][b]“I’ll just have to keep my distance then, you too, of course–”[/b][/color ]he added the last as he gave Torquil a sidelong glance before returning his piercing gaze to the road, his body partially turning in its direction. He felt…antsy, and moreso than he probably ever had before becoming a hunter, he really wanted to kill something…if only for the distraction.

That thought though…it brought something to mind and he sighed, turning back to Ophelia. [color=#1A1A3B][b]“Ah…think I learned one of those [i]Runes[/i] when our friend here killed Skinner.”[/b][/color]