[IC] Blood Act I~ Ghosts of the Past

[May]

☆ Helena ☆

Helena had momentarily zoned out when Annabeth spoke to her and brought her back into focus. It took her brain another second to figure out what she was talking about. People more often asked about the ring through her nose and not her glasses, and when they did, they wanted to see just how bad her eyesight was. It was amusing to them to take them and put them on and see how blurry or big things became for them. It wasn't so funny to her after awhile. Like people pointing out her freckles and bright hair. She knew she had them. It didn't change daily.

“Glasses,” she laughed, pushing them back up her nose some. “They help me see. Kinda almost blind without them. Have you never seen someone with glasses before?” That was a little strange. She knew not everyone who might need them would have them, like her father who could really use some, but still there had to have been someone else with them. Especially in a place where people read books often.

[Fallenreaper]

Lyn, Orchard

“I’ll have to try harder next time. I love seeing you out and in the twilight. Especially when you’re having fun with friends.” Lyn stated with smile, the gesture warming the edges of her face deeply. Her eyes twinkled with happiness at seeing her uncle interact with people beside her mother and herself. He deserved it as much as her mother did. Even if she didn’t seem to agree and spent most her time mopping in the den. Lyn’s thoughts drifted to her father and hoped he was at least managing to get mother out of bed.

Letting the thoughts slip through her attention, Lyn’s head tilted back in surprised and blinked. She was unsure how to answer his question. She narrowed her eyes and tilted her head before uttering the first thing that came to mind. “What made you think I was causing trouble? I thought I was usually well behaved...most of the time. ”

Her smile curled into a wicked teasing one while her arms curled upon her hips, pretending to be insulted. Her uncle would naturally know she wasn’t seriously upset or hurt thanks to the expression she wore.

Khan, Courtyard

“It’s called a demon. Some call it possession as demonomancers are at highest risk of it due to their blood magic. It could even happen to me if I’m not visual and keep my demons under control. It is more rare for masters to fall to such tricks by their demons and usually only because they allow issues to build, giving the demons a foothold into the mind for manipulation.” Khan answered while he eyed Rurik’s cart coming into view, his horses snorting with the weight. It seemed he had made quite a profit this round around and purchased numerous bone artwork from the few remaining Naga.

Noting that Ssarak was growing uncomfortable with the conversation topic, he allowed it shift toward another of the student's’ choice. He noted the look exchanged between Meirin and himself, wondering if she felt the same fear of him. Tyrael and him were not as different as most people thought. They both kept secrets to protect others, both demonomancers, and held leashes to some powerful creatures that should never have walked the earth. The most obvious difference was how they handled their own issues resulting in how people viewed and connected to them, sealing their roles with in this world. His thoughts he kept to himself however, not wanting to upset either of them over a debate turned sour.

Amary nodded. “Yes, it was and is. I’m disappointed in the half demon’s actions and it has created...stress between us. As for recovery, the Naga have survived nearly being wiped out before when the world was new and creatures like yourself were rising into existence. Just like then, we’ll move on and stride to overcome the challenges. It merely takes time. If you, or the others, are ever within our lands than know you’ll have rights to wander freely.”

[EliteCommander]

Ssarak Dyreackthanose

---

”Indeed.” Ssarak responded to Amary. As concerning as it was, he did not wish to dwell on the matter of Tyrael. There was more he wished to talk about with the Naga, like Mar and Lyn, but he knew it was a sensitive topic that he would only really want to discuss with Amary or Lyam. There was the option of a telepathic conversation, but he did not like to read the thoughts of others without permission, unless they were in immediate danger.

For the moment, Ssarak simply continued, deciding to discuss the future rather than the past. ”Adaptability is a defining trait of any intelligent being, and your kind does have a great deal of experience in matters of survival. Do you know in which area exactly you will be settling? If you are in neutral territory, it is not terribly likely that you will be disturbed by anyone, from either side of the border. But, I suppose it is possible that your presence could be investigated by the Esyire. Fortunately, we do not have a history of violent encounters with outsiders. Since our lands are quite hostile to other races, they have never had much of an interest in them. If you are discovered by any of the clans, it is doubtful they will assume you to be hostile, unless given a good reason. If I know which region you are settling in, I may be able to tell you which clan you are most likely to encounter, explain their customs, and how to best interact with them peacefully.”

Ssarak did not expect the Naga to experience much opposition in their new home, given its location, but he wanted to give as much advice as he could regardless. He had risked a great deal to help them, so he was naturally interested in assuring that they would survive. Having favorable relations with at least one of their neighboring groups could be a great help in that regard.

[Ryonara]

Meirin Kurenai

Meirin was visibly annoyed as Khan and Ssarak spoke about Tyrael. The last thing she wanted to talk about was the demon. While Meirin has tried to be nice to demonomancers like Khan, Colette, and even Baulder on the rare times they meet, Tyrael represented exactly the sort of things Meirin hates about demons and demonomancers. They had no control over the power they had, being guided by their whims and corrupted emotions. While Tyrael surely had his reasons for doing what he did, they were obviously flawed, like all demons. Meirin was more than happy when the conversation shifted from him to the naga; Meirin couldn't say she had much interest in them, but out of politeness she would still give them her undivided attention.

Meirin let Ssarak do most of the talking since he knew the most about where the naga were going. Meirin could always try to give some nuggets of wisdom, but the matriach seemed like a wise woman herself. The naga were stubborn at times, and if Mar was any proof, rather backwards. But they wouldn't have made it this far if they couldn't learn from their mistakes. "Are there any plans for you and your clan once you've settled in, Matriarch? Perhaps the college could help you in some way. A key to survive is unity after all, and even if we aren't kin the college will never turn their backs on friends." Meirin said with confidence. While she had no authority to actually say the college will help, Meirin certainly knew that if she heard the naga was in need, she would be one of the first to volunteer. After all they've been through, Meirin didn't want them to suffer any thing worse.

[Vesuvius00]

E'nasha Williams

"Um, trees aren't exactly vengeful, but I think I can see what you mean." E'nasha couldn't help but laugh at the thought of trees rising up to fight for their fallen 'brothers', although Baulder's own laughter also seemed very contagious. For a moment she wondered why she didn't go out and talk to people more often. This was fun, and she didn't feel weighed down at all as she spoke with Baulder, unlike pretty much every other encounter she had with people in general.

She was brought out of her thoughts as Baulder asked about El'kan. Now this question wouldn't have seemed strange at all, if Baulder hadn't seemed so nervous while asking. "Well, we're both from the same small village back in Yarosmere, and we've been living together ever since we found out that we both could use mageblood, traveling here to the college together. I guess, he is like a brother to me but we're not related by blood at all." Baulder's last statement confused her slightly, she'd never heard anyone say anything about their names being similar before, and again he seemed so nervous asking.

She smiled kindly as she continued talking, trying to defuse some of that nervousness. "I don't mind answering your questions, that is part of conversation after all, right? And as for our names, I guess they do sound kind of similar the way we say them, but our full names are completely different. I'm Emmika Nash-Williams which is shortened to E'nasha, and El'kan is really Ellin Ka-Rovis. The compound names are a traditional way of keeping track of lineage in our village, and I have no idea if any other people in Yarosmere or even the rest of Tiien do this or not, but it works fine for us." E'nasha listened as Baulder started listing off things they could do together, some of which sounded fun, some dangerous, and some.. Baulder-ish?

"I'd prefer to stay in the college if we could please." She smiled awkwardly as she spoke. She'd had enough of randomly-appearing monsters and such since she'd gotten to the college, she wasn't about to go out and invite another encounter with one. "Where in the college haven't you been yet? I've been pretty much everywhere already, maybe there's a cool place I could show you, or we could just wander around for a while. Honestly, tipping over a golem sounds like it might be fun, but I don't think making one of those things angrier than they already are is a very good idea... " She trailed off as she thought. She wasn't very good with swords, or weapons in general, maybe some sword practice would be good for her. It could be fun and educational at the same time. "Sword training sounds interesting. I don't really use weapons much, if I have to fight I normally try to use magic to trap or disarm my opponent before they can get to me. Maybe you could teach me something?"

[Lucius Cypher]

WINTER 2ND YEAR

A few months pasted. Students have been putting their focus on their studies, whether it'd be with their magics, evocations, or unique talents. The naga had long since left, but fortunately there has been no word of any disasters or dangers on their way to or in their new homelands. But peace wasn't bound forever. Conflicts were arising around the world, from the far corners of Ghannos to neighboring nations like Oelik, Djarkel, and Eania. Though the college is neutral in all things, they knew that if left alone these incidents could spiral out of control and harm more than just their nation of origins. Thus the college has sent out another request among it's students: To go to these nations and seek out the problems within, find a solution or at least the source, and come back home safely.

Currently it was mid morning. Most everyone had already woken up, and those who haven't would need to be quick. While there were still classes one could attend, those attending missions would be allowed to skip classes for the duration of their quest. Various bonfires have been made around the college as a heavy snow settled in, bringing cold air through the lands of twilight. Breakfast wound be provided in the messhall and Underhaven has been allowed a small stall within the mess hall to service vampires for today. However their services were limited only to vampires, as they served nothing but meals and drinks consisting of mortal blood. Mercenaries have now taken part of the college's security detail, specifically the Quake Company and, to the surprise of some, a company known as Tooth and Nail. They were a largely orcish band of mercs, which would surprise some considering Lucilia's own passive dislike of the boarmen. But numbers ruled the day, and it was not as if they were being stationed at the college itself: The Quake dwarves would be defending the college, while the Tooth and Nail orcs were paroling their borders, eliminating bandits, monsters, demons, and ensuring their neighbor's conflicts did not spill into their lands. More importantly, they were being used to clear out brigands and monsters in the Western Mage Hold, which the Twilight college had long since abandoned due to matters of the past. But with the upcoming threat of Kudd and his demons, they have decided it was important to have control of their lost lands.

In preparation for the student's journeys, kits have been prepared. These kits consist of a backpack, a bedroll, a belt pouch, an iron mug, a silver dagger, two fishhooks, a flint and steel, a sewing needle, a signal whistle, 50 feet of string, 50 feet of thread, a waterskin, a week's worth of trail rations, and a whetstone. The Herb or Rune healing kit were also avalible. Of course students were encouraged to bring their own supplies as well. All these things could be picked up at the college's general store, though only one per student. The forge was also open, and to the surprise of some, Tyrael wasn't the only one in it. Having reached some sort of epiphany during his time off, he has begun to employ students and apprentices. While they couldn't even touch his level of skill in the forge, they did offer basic services such as maintenance, sharpening, and repairs. They would also sell any weapons and armor the forge had available, and they had much available.

As for the missions themselves, there was a large notice board within the courtyard that students would clamor to. Many have already been taken, but three in particular were available.

The first was related to Noxomancer's. It was the right time for their alignment ceremony, which would allow Noxomancers to tap into the power of nox. Although this seemed like something only concerning those students, others were welcomed to come to help protect the noxomancer as well as learn more about the nox itself. Those who would participate will be heading to Craigville, deep within the lands of Djarkel. As a hotbed of activity, those who participate would be encouraged to be prepared for all and anything.

Another quest involved following up on the clues in Djarkel. Lucilia had managed to crack the code within the journals and notes from the last escort mission, so this one was a diplomatic meeting. Lucilia needed to confirm who her allies were, and thus she wanted students capable of subtly and persuasion to participate. She warns that Djarkel, despite it's apparent barbarity, can be wrought with intrigue and conspiracy. While she warns of the basic threats of bandits and possibly demons, the most dangerous enemies they'd find would no doubt be the statements and representatives of Djarkel's aristocracy. After all, anyone could put a blade to your throat. They can do that and so much more.

The last mission available was to Yarosmere. Ever since the last Solstice Feast, the college has been keeping a zealot from their lands who have recently become more lucid. He gave the college warnings of some sort of mass tragedy that would occur in Yarosmere, but otherwise left little to no further clues on the nature of the threat. Thus students would be sent to investigate and find out what is happening in Yarosmere, and report back to the college as soon as possible. It was well known that some violence has been occuring in the lands of the desert sun, but no one knows why or how.

@Fallenreaper@Vesuvius00@Ryonara@EliteCommander@Freeshooter92@EthTenshi@Luna@Demonic Angel@Rtron@Konan375@cqbexpt@May

Annabeth Gulch

Having awoken early this morning, Annabeth geared up for missions today. She had spent these pass few days honing her magics, training her swordsmanship, and practicing with Samson. Despite not being bred for war, he was doing good with his training. Not the fastest horse, but nearly indomitable. Annabeth did not forget her training with Ssarak either; she still made use of the axe, but now that she fought from the back of Samson more often, she found that she would need a weapon with greater reach. Jousting was all well and good, however Annabeth simply wasn't accustomed the technique and force needed to couch a lance. There had already been a few awkward incidents were she had stabbed a target, only to hang off her lance as Samson rode away from her. So instead, she chose an axe. A long axe, specifically a bardiche. With a blade of steel and a shaft of Iron Wood, it was a sturdy weapon that Annbaeth could confidently use on the ground or on Samson.

Annabeth also donned her armor. After her sparing with Meirin, Annabeth had a better idea of what sort of armor she wanted. While she kept her coat of plates, she now uses one armored gauntlet instead of two. Only her shield arm would have the armored gauntlet with her sword arm had a harden leather one, to give her fighting hand less weight to deal with. Annabeth had also picked up a helmet for piratical reasons. Lastly, Annabeth picked up her bow and arrows. Her hold hunting bow was left in her closet, as nowadays she uses a proper calvary. The strength needed for such weapon surprised Annabeth, not that she didn't have the power to draw it. Her new quiver even accommodated horse-back archery, allowing her to draw her bow and shoot with great dexterity. Or put her bow away in a flash, allowing her to free up her hands for other tasks.

After gearing up, Annabeth looked at herself in her mirror. A laugh escaped her lips. It was funny how this farm girl had gotten this far. First she moved to the big city where she thought it couldn't get any bigger than this. Then she went to the college and learned magic, thinking that this would be the highest moment of her life. And now looking at herself, Annabeth was a warrior. But not just a warrior, but a wizard as well. The magic of the mind were within her grasp, and even if she didn't know how to manipulate it well, she could mold it, shape it, use it. Despite the weapons on her waists and in her hands, the deadliest weapon of all was within her mind. Had Annabeth seen this version of her just a year ago, and she would have thought it was just a childish memory of hers. A time were she still believed in knights in shining armor slaying dragons to save a fair maiden, or heroes who would stand and fight the tide of evil against all odds. Hard for her to believe that she has become one of those things.

With her introspection over Annabeth donned her cloak and left her room. It was time for breakfast.

[EliteCommander]

Ssarak Dyreackthanose

---

Ssarak was in his room, dressing himself in his thick winter attire. He tended to forego leather in favor of appropriately thick furs during this time of year. They were not particularly necessary indoors, but he disliked stepping outside even briefly without something to insulate him. Being Esyire meant that he was less tolerant to the cold than most other races. His natural body temperature was rather high, so it took more effort for his body to maintain that temperature when the air cooled. Nevertheless, his experience this year was not quite as bad as it had been the previous, and he suspected that it would only get easier as time went on.

The previous few months had continued to be a time of intellectual growth for Ssarak. His private lessons with Satori had become so ingrained into his schedule by this point that he could hardly even consider filling that time with any other kind of task. It was mostly due to his military background that he was able to maintain such singular focus on his magic in perpetuity. He had further improved with his strengths in focused concentration, and continued to fine-tune those skills. Normally, Ssarak was the type of person who would want to diversify his skills to allow him to handle a variety of situations. It was why he had trained with multiple weapon types growing up, and was still maintaining his physical conditioning. However, in this instance, he had a particular interest in aspects of psychomancy related to focused concentration. He had an interest in learning of the intricacies of the mind and how it functioned. It was the kind of knowledge that could only be obtained with detailed concentration on a singular mind. It was something that had interested him for a while, but now, he had a new, more personal reason to pursue it. With how close they had become, Meirin had shared more details of her past with him. She had told him of the demon attack on her home in the past, but now he knew that its effects had reached far past that moment, and well into the present. It was because of that demon attack that Meirin now had her problems with sleeping, More troubling was that her medicine was becoming less effective, causing her to need more, which had been adversely affecting her health. The attack had done something to her mind, something he wanted cured before something terrible happened to her. But, being a psychomancer, he was in a position to at least try to do something. Psychomancy could manipulate the mind just as vitamancy could manipulate the body. Psychomancy in general was generally associated with its more harmful, manipulative effects, but it could heal just as well. If Ssarak wanted to heal her mind, he would need to improve his understanding as much as possible.

While Ssarak had certainly been making progress with his magic, there was something else he had heard that was a more present concern. New missions had been posted on the notice board in the courtyard, and he did not intend to ignore them. As with any skill, magical training needed to be tempered with real-world experience, and there was no doubt that the missions would be important. Once he was dressed, Ssarak stepped out of his room, though he did not go far. He was fairly certain that Meirin was in her room, so he stopped and knocked on her door. “Are you there, Mei?” He asked simply.

[Luna]

Colette Filiatraut

Colette sighed as she was sitting at the edge of the bed of her room looking out the window of the tower looking at the heavy snow fall. She then turned her head and looked at her sleeping girlfriend and her pale face lit up with a smile. She then stood and took out an outfit. It was a pretty dress that was short sleeve and was puffed up at the shoulder. The shoulder had black straps criss crossed to make X's in a light gray area. Hanging off the sleeves was fake roses that had two black bow hanging below. The chest was like a corset that that was not strapless that had a light gray area like the sleeves with the black straps to make mini x's. Draped over it and along her shoulders was a dark black ruffled piece. The shirt was puffed out a little and was mostly draped in black except for the right side that was white. Hanging over the white was a rose bow that had stripes over the bow part and had two see through clothes hanging from the rose. The bottom was layered and ruffled. She put on matching shin high shocks and even matching heels.

She looked in the mirror was was in her room and adjusted the dress. She took her brush and began to brush her hair. She put her hair in two hanging braids and clipped out a small top hat at the right side of her head. She looked at the mirror again and began to trace her skin, almost missing the warmth human and other creatures coveted in. Seeing the slight formal wear made her think she was back home with her family not turned. She shook her mind out of the illusions knowing such times was over and would never be returned. She went to the window and head out her hand catching some of the falling snow. She was now the creature of the night, unable to feel anything on the outside as her mortal body was like the walking dead yet she was a mind and ever sense any living creature had only they were ten fold than human senses, the only sense truly dead for her is her sense of taste as she could only taste blood.

Her eyes went to the small bag of blood candies she recently made the night before and it made her happy and hopeful that it would soon be changed. She picked up the small bag and decided it was time to get Keri up. She took note that Atticus was watching her, but not saying anything for once as her magic had improved greatly since the Catacombs and she was able to hold dominance over him. She giggled silently as Hyllos landed on his head, much to Atticus' annoyance. She went to Keri's side of the bed and shook her a little.

"Dear its time to wake up"

Summer Flores

Summer hummed as she was leaving her dorm room. She was not adorned in her usual short sleeve, floor length green dress, but instead she was dressed in a dress that had long olive green sleeves that was connected to a white chest that had a draped by the same color over her shoulders. The shirt was a olive green that had designs of leaves blowing in what looked like white wind. She wore light gray tights that had vines going up the sides of her lengths. Her heels were black lined with green and had straps cross crossed over her ankles. Her hair was in two pony tail braid that were low that was covered with a bonnet like hat that was white over the top and olive green in the back.

She looked so happy at this moment. This was her first winter out of the tower that was trapped in. She always loved winter since it was odd for an herbamancer to like winter since nature went dormant over the winter. She continued to walk wondering who she should try and talk to. She didn't know much people here since she had been here for only a short few months and she had been focusing on gaining control over her powers and breaking some parts of her sealed up powers so she wouldn't nearly die.

[May]

☆ Helena ☆

Helena had spent the last few weeks getting the hang of this whole college life. It got better and better being away from home and everyone she knew. It helped to have people to talk to now. Even if she wasn't totally for certain that she'd call them friends just yet. Or at least very close friends. But they were friendly, and they gave her something to do aside from sit and study or do school work.

She had maybe indulged herself a bit too much the night before. Her father had sent her a few bottles of her favorite ale from home, and she might have finished one herself, and stayed up too late doing it. And now, now she was already cursing the sun as it came shining through her window and it felt like straight into her face.

Grumbling, cursing, and generally being in a foul tempered mood, she climbed out of bed and splashed her face with the cold water in the basin on her vanity. She hissed at the cold, but knew she needed it to actually leave her room and not want to light someone on fire. And that was something that was very important that she had to do today. Because it wasn't just classes she might be skipping out on if she arise today. It was important things. Like a mission.

Helena hurried out of her room still in the clothes she was wearing yesterday, that she'd fallen asleep in, huffing in the brisk air as she pulled her cloak tighter about her. Her hair was in a messy braid, also from the day before, but most of it had come undone and her hair haloed around her head in a flame colored light. Her eyes were a little red as well, and looked almost bruised from the dark circles around them.

She rubbed at her nose gently, being careful of the ring through it. She hoped she wouldn't catch a cold this winter, that would be just terrible. Especially right now. She was just glad, as she stepped into the warmth of the mess hall, that she'd at least had enough foresight to pack her bags before she started drinking. Because trying to do that right now would be all sorts of terrible.

She got her food and sat down heavily at a half full table. She looked at her plate with almost distaste before grabbing the hot tea and sipping at that before starting in on her food. She didn't really want to eat, but if she didn't, she'd regret it later. All she wanted to do right now was not throw up. She was normally much better at handling her drink, but she hadn’t had much the last few months and she over indulged.

“Pace yourself next time, Helena,” she grumbled to herself, picking apart a heel of bread into little crumbs.

[Demonic Angel]

Keri Wolf

Keri shifted her head toward the sweet voice that called, as her body curled up in ball underneath the covers. She didn't want to go outside or even leave this room. This place was the young woman's sanitary away from the others. In reality one of the reasons was to avoid the teacher all together or at least as much as she could. The other reason was to be able to see the woman she loved. Granted it seemed that every time they had plans something would come up suddenly. Yet at the end of the day they were able still able to see each other. Her eye slowly fluttered one as some of her dark brown hair fell across her face. ” Morning.” the younger vampire said before sitting up. She started to rub the sleep from her eyes as a yawn escaped her lips. The girl felt rested due to the nightmares being at bay recently even though she knew that this wouldn't last long but for the time being it was rather nice. ” Hey there beautiful.” the young woman said before giving her lover a kiss on the lips.

A smile had crept upon Keri's face as she walked her way out of bed. She stretched then walked over toward the wardrobe, grabbing out a tan colored long sleeved tunic as well as a light pink tunic that she made into a vest. It was strange not pulling out the normal shade of green but she did wanted try something different today. The younger vampire put the under shirt on first. At the neck of the tunic was v shaped which stopped in the middle of her chest. On the sides of the tunic was thin ribbons crossing then tied into bow on the end. The top one was sleeveless but the bottom was shortened enough to lay comfortably on her hips. These were the only differences to the outfit really everything else was the same. ” Alright. Are you ready to go?” the younger vampire asked while turning to face Colette.

[cqbexpt]

Baulder

"Black.... again." Baulder growled out as he opened his eyes and sat up in his bed. Baulder had been trying to repeat what had been his first dream for months now. The dream was something he couldn't remember in of itself but he did remember having it. That was the only time, before or since, he'd had any sort of flicker into something else. His sleep was always passing out and waking up the next day, but for once it had been different. Angered Baulder jumped out of bed and picked up the first thing he could get his claws on. It was a large piece of tanned leather that he had brought back to his dorm with him the night before. He began attempting to tear it in half with sheer force but was unable to simply rip it in half. Angering him further Baulder simply dug his claws in hard and grabbed a hold of the leather with his mouth. He pulled with all his strength and took out a chunk slightly bigger than his bite. Throwing the leather down in anger Baulder continued to furiously chew on the leather chunk he had taken out. Still angry yet simmered Baulder looked around his section of the room to find that his roommate had already left, as usual. Baulder had only talked to the Elf once since he began living at the college. He seemed to have a different schedule from him entirely. But that wasn't what Baulder was thinking about, he was thinking about how annoying it was that his half of the room was always perfectly picked up and organized. Baulder thought it annoying to say the least, he half considered simply smashing everything contained on the Elf's side just to set his mind at ease.

Baulder pulled on a pair of cotton pants that left quite a bit of room around his legs on the inside by when they got to the bottom around his second ankle the pants tapered and fit his ankle rather tightly. He then doned a cotton under layer shirt and then a leather overcoat. Deciding to forgo shoes Baulder opened his door and began making his way towards the meal hall. Not realizing he was still chewing on the leather Baulder took it out of his mouth and walked by a courtyard, tossing the chewed flesh into the snow. Baulder began to calm down as he began to finally feel the cool stone underneath his feet finally make its way through his thick callouses. He had found during the last few months that he enjoyed the cold and somewhat dry air that came with this season. Now that he thought about it this was actually his first winter. Baulder thought that he liked winter, having compared the two extremes the cold was better. Scratching his face Baulder turned to E'nasha in his head for a second, how long had he known her at this point? He could now say that he knew the people at the college longer than the people at the village, weird.

The last few months had been rather uneventful aside from Master Tyrael returning to his teaching duties, albeit with one of Khan's demons always being present somewhere. He was glad Master was back again, he liked Khan but he wasn't the demon. Not to say he hadn't been interacting with his master before his return to teaching. Baulder had been spending extra time in the forge with Tyrael to make up for what he didn't get from his classes. While the work he was doing for him was mostly changing out cooling water and pounding hoes back into shape he found the work, soothing. When he wasn't doing either of those however he continued with shaping Jhon in his image. For the most part Baulder had gotten his voice to sound the same as his own but he still didn't talk like Baulder. He also didn't have most of his mannerisms, but that would come practice practice practice that's what he'd tell Jhon. He'd get it, eventually.

As a more practical matter Baulder had to choose a "mission" to take part in for the winter. He felt like he needed to leave the college for awhile. The same stone walls everyday, the same trees everyday, the same animals to eat everyday. Baulder needed to see more. He was thinking the delegation to Darkjnel might be a good one, there would be food there, exotic food. If the formal and fancy events he had been to had taught him anything it was that there would be food, good food. But, he wasn't really sure of that decision yet. Maybe he'd talk to E'nasha about it yes? He figured she'd be going on one of the outings, yes that would be nice. He liked her, she smelled nice, yet not nice to eat nice. It was more of a... he wanted to be around her more kind of nice right? That's how he could describe it, yes that would work for him.

Baulder let a more muted smile come across his lips as he scratched his face and turned into the food hall. Baulder quickly grabbed as much meat as he could find, making sure to keep it all from mixing so as to savor the flavor of each piece of meats. To his pleasure he also discovered some bread sitting out for him to take. Baked goods were more of a recent thing for Baulder in general however bread was something he remembered the villagers serving with every meal. Something to do about feeling full or what not. After filing up a wooden tray with a variety of dishes Baulder found a table with rather few people sitting at it and began to dig into his food with his claws. Leaving any sense of civilization behind as he shoveled food into his throat as fast as he could without choking.

[Vesuvius00]

E'nasha Williams

It was dark, no lights anywhere except for a lone candle in her hand. There were people, familiar faces, but all of them moved about silently, seeming as if they were talking to each other without her being able to hear even a breath of air. The silence was too eerie, and despite the movement of the people around her, it as all too still. "Wha... How... why can't I hear anything? Hello! El'kan? Bau-" A hand reached from the shadows and covered her... covered my mouth, stopping my calls. Everything around me froze, and I couldn't move. I couldn't breathe.

"Now now, weren't you wondering why it's so silent...?" The hand over my mouth pulled away slightly, only to trail over my cheek towards my ear and then move to grab my chin, forcing me to tilt my head back so I could see the hand-owner's face. I could feel the other hand grab my waist, pulling me up against this creature's body before both arms wrapped around me, trapping me there. The face smiled before continuing to speak.

"You've always had this... one sound with you, for your whooooooole life." One of the hands moved to hover over my chest, tapping twice while the face moved closer to my own, grin getting wider.

"I'm not surprised that the first thing a dead girl would notice is her heartbeat."
"Or, her lack of one."

For the first time in almost 2 years, E'nasha woke up screaming from a nightmare. El'kan was next to her within 3 seconds, pulling her into a hug and asking what was wrong. She closed her eyes and leaned into her friend's arms, staying silent for a moment as she collected her thoughts. "It's... nothing. Just another nightmare that somehow managed to be worse than the others." She pulled away and El'kan stood up, looking at her like he didn't quite believe her. He knew not to push her when it came to the nightmares though, and so he went back to his side of the room while she suppressed a yawn. "What time is it?"

"Uhh, I don't know. Mid-morning I'd guess, I've been up for a little while already and it sounds pretty active out there." As he spoke he grabbed his coat out of his wardrobe and put it on, fastening the buttons quickly. "I'll meet you in the dining hall once you're ready, ok?" She mumbled a sound of agreement and he was out the door in seconds.

Once he was gone, E'nasha lay back down in her bed, pulling her blanket around her tightly as she yawned again. She didn't want to go back to sleep, but she didn't want to do anything else right now either. Her stomach grumbled slightly as she thought about going to follow El'kan to the dining hall. Food did sound good right now, but not good enough to make her want to go out of her nice dorm room and into the biting chill of winter just outside the door. She couldn't get the image of that creature's face out of her head. She couldn't stop thinking about the nightmare at all. She felt so... empty, as if the eeriness of the dream had clung to her and followed her back to the real world.

She lay there for a good while, the only sounds in the room being the slight rustling noise Sir made every time he moved in his cage, and the reassuring beating of her own heart. After a time, the emptiness had eased, if not dissipated, and all that remained was her empty stomach, as it reminded her by growling again, prompting her to finally get out of bed.

Once she was up she moved quickly, brushing her hair and tying it off into her usual pigtails before picking out a suitable outfit for the day. She hated winters outside of Yarosmere, not because of the cold, but because of the need to wear specific clothing to protect oneself from it. Her entire wardrobe was still as if she lived in the desert, light but durable and good for spending time out in the sun, not for keeping heat by you. The only wintry change she'd made was to get a coat and a couple pairs of trousers to wear rather than the shorts or skirts she'd prefer, but still she couldn't stand it. If you didn't want to stay inside, you had to spend forever bundling up just so you could leave, and then there's nothing to do outside because all the plants have frozen and the people are about to be. Worthless effort.

She sighed at the end of her mental tirade and pulled her boots on before leaving her dorm room, practically running towards the dining hall so she could be out of the cold, lifeless outdoors as soon as possible. On her way she passed through the courtyard that held the notice board for missions in it, and decided to stop and see if there was anything interesting she might be able to go on. She wasn't sure if she would go on a mission yet, considering how useless she felt she'd been on the last one, but perhaps...

"Wait, what!?" Her eyes fell upon a notice for a mission to Yarosmere, with a somewhat-sketchy description. A zealot gave the college some warnings of a coming tragedy in Yarosmere, and they want a few students to go investigate the situation and report back to the college. "That's it? No, 'watch out for' this or 'make sure not to do' that? They're sending us practically blind!" She took a second to double-check that there hadn't been any hidden hints on the flyer before walking away somewhat disappointed. She had to go. If there was trouble in Yarosmere, that was her home, the only place where every memory she has of being there was happy.

She got to the dining hall and glanced around for El'kan, not seeing him. Of course, the room was pretty full of people, so he could be there somewhere. She went and got a plate of food before walking around the edge of the room to try and find El'kan, but again got nothing. She did however see one person she was always happy to spend some time with: Baulder. As she walked over to his table and sat next to him, she wondered why she liked to be around him so much. Sure he could be a little strange sometimes, but he was always interesting, and always seemed so alive and interested in everything. He was eating as she walked up, so she simply said "Hi!" to him before digging into her own meal. She was no stranger to talking between bites.

[Ryonara]

Meirin Kurenai

Meirin woke up that morning in a cold sweat. She didn't remember what this dream was about, whether it was sweat or dark, only that it made her feel... Tired. It was hard to explain. Ever since Meirin started to take more medicine to deal with her insomnia and night terrors, she's started to feel like they were getting less and less effective. It got bad enough that eventually she couldn't hide it any longer. So one day she told Ssarak about it. She should have tried to go to someone who was more... Knowledgeable about the affliction of the mind, but Meirin didn't want to. This wasn't just her body acting strange or just a bad habit. It was something worse, something that Meirin felt she needed to handle herself. Or at least with those she trusts.

Sighing, Meirin knew she couldn't worry about it now. Ever since talking to Ssarak she has felt that these dreams have become less frightening. Mostly since she can't remember them, which was probably a blessing. Changing out of her night clothes Meirin prepared herself some tea, her medicine, and then changed into her clothes. As she was brewing a hot pot of water, she looked at the tea box she had. It was the same one Khan had given to her so long ago. Since Meirin has mostly been getting a good night's sleep, she doesn't visit the headmaster anymore. Part of her felt guilty about this; she wondered if Khan still suffered for his own night terrors. The fact that Meirin had been handling hers made her feel somewhat responsible if Khan can't take care of his. But considering the problem she has now, perhaps Meirin and Khan would meet regularly again.

Finishing her tea and getting dressed, Meirin went over to her armory. She had collected a vast array of weapons, some that she doesn't even know how to use. Daggers from all around the world, a barrel of swords, even a few bows and crossbows. She wanted to know how other people around the world fight, to get an understanding of what their lives were like. Strange as it may be, their weapons of choice and how they used it spoke much about their lives. Those who used swords were often at war with their fellow neighbors, and those with large unwieldy weapons fought against large and frightening monsters. Some blades were made to hold a keen edge while others could withstand much punishment. Even the bows had their own history: some could shoot down a dragon from the skies, and others are made to shoot from the back of dragons whilst in the sky. These things gave Meirin an unconventional look into the history of others, which would hopefully help her on her next mission.

Meirin knew that there was a mission to send a diplomatic party into Djarkel. While she doesn't know the full details, based off her last mission Meirin knows that this was a follow up on the information they had found while protecting the caravan. Meirin suspects they would deal with more vampires, and being the courts of Djarkel, plenty of Psychomancers. She knew that Ssarak would come along, but she wasn't certain who else would be with them. Meirin honestly hoped Alaira wasn't going to come along. As a diplomatic mission no doubt rife with Psychomancers, Alaira would be a poor pick. Not that Meirin could stop her... At least until she becomes a liability. More importantly however, this was explicitly a diplomatic mission. Thus Meirin would need to dress herself appropriately. Fortunately she's been keeping up-to-date about the various styles in Djarkel, so hopefully Meirin could dress to impress. Thus Meirin moved from her armory to her armoire, looking for the best outfits she had.

As she was picking them out she heard a knock on the door and knew it was Ssarak even before his voice called out to her. Putting her clothes away Meirin went to open the door, and sure enough the big black dragon was at her door. "Good morning Ssarak." Meirin gave him a quick peck on the cheek, something she often does when they meet in private. "I was just getting ready for my mission. Would you like to come inside?"

Myrn Vaan'Atisha

Myrn woke up with a start over her study. She rubbed her eyes as she looked at the drool-stained piece of paper in front of her. She had been keeping touch with the naga through writing as well as updating her journals with all the new information she had been gathering. Over these past few months at the college Myrn has not only been a productive member of the college, but also attending their classes. She went to each class whenever possible to jot down information about their magics. Despite the fact that her own mageblood has not yet awakened, Myrn was excited to learn more about mage blood and it's potential. Additionally, Myrn has been working as a tutor for the college, using her knowledge to help students even if she can't practice herself. She also helps tutor about other things such as history and culture, in which she's met another often about such things. Her name was Meirin; a tall red haired woman who was a weaver. She wanted to learn more about the world and often did so by collecting weapons. Myrn thought she was strange, but she didn't question it.

In addition to all of that, one brand of magic in particular interested Myrn greatly, and that was the magic of enchantment. Classified as an ancient magic that did not truly require mageblood to use, Myrn had learned many lines and tried to recite them. However they never produced any affect. The likely reason is because her mageblood has yet to activate, though Myrn hopes to figure out a way to activate an incantation even without awakening her mageblood. That aside, Myrn hasn't used her Dar'Missan as often as she'd like. While far from rusty, her life at the college has been peaceful so far. She had been so caught up in her research and writing that she hasn't even gone hunting. Myrn seems to have transitioned from a story teller to a scholar.

Cleaning up herself and her room a little, Myrn wondered what she would do today. "Let's see... I think in about an hour there is a Crytomancy class, and after that a Geomancy. Then it'll be lunch time, though I'm certain Val is holding a seminar about runes around then too... Oh! The mission board! I should go see what they have on the mission board. Yes, that's what I'll do. It'd be good for me to get out more, maybe somewhere warm. The snow is pretty, but it's just not my element..." Myrn bundled up, as her lithe elvish body wasn't good at retaining heat. It was times like this she wouldn't mind having Aramir around to huge, as her pyromancy made the snow elf a warm little ball of fire. If the two crossed paths, Myrn was going to pounce on her.

Until then Myrn grabbed her bag, her Dar'Missan, and a canteen before heading out to the mission board. She wanted to be early so she could get a good pick at missions.

[EliteCommander]

Ssarak Dyreackthanose

---

Once Meirin opened the door, Ssarak gave her a quick hug and smiled at her kiss. ”Good morning, love.” He said, raising his brow once she mentioned her mission. ”Ah, so you have already found a mission to take on? That is actually why I was coming to speak with you; aside from the usual reasons, of course. Though, I have not actually looked at the notice board yet, I was just going to ask you to join me.”

Ssarak stepped inside and closed the door behind him. He took a seat at the foot of the nearest bed, since the chairs were a few sizes too small to support him. Even the bed creaked under his weight. ”I believe it goes without saying that I would like to join your mission. Tell me about it; which teacher assigned it, and what will we be doing?” Even without having the faintest idea of the requirements of the mission, Ssarak was certain he would be joining her. There was no kind of danger, or even tedious boredom, which could convince him not to accompany her. The only thing which might cause him to take on another mission was if it were for some reason forbidden for him to join. Even then, he would do whatever he could to convince the appropriate authority to reconsider. There were, of course, the obvious reasons for his desire to remain with Meirin, but there were more serious concerns that kept him from being willing to part with her for an extended time. A few weeks prior, he had begun using his psychomancy to explore the deepest reaches of her mind, searching for whatever it was that had caused her mental issues. Being apart for too long would mean that he would be making no progress on helping her.

[cqbexpt]

Baulder

Baulder shoveled some more pig into his mouth and with barely having chewed it he tried to take a bite out of a chunk of bread. But he found his mouth too full so he began swallowing half of the barely chewed pork to make room for the bread. He was engaged in a very delicate dance of not choking to death on his food when E'nasha abruptly sat down across from him. Baulder tried to respond to her greeting but he half choked for a second before the meat lodged itself in his throat and with eyes bulging had to attempt to work the food out of his throat and into his stomach. He put the back of his wet hand to his mouth as he worked the last bit of his food down. Finally clearing the chamber Baulder managed to get out a "M-morning, 'Nasha. The... mission board." Baulder then had to force down a his food in his throat again before he was able to finish his sentence. Baulder's eyes began to swell a bit as he blinked having finally forced the food into submission in his stomach. Baulder let out a ragged laugh at the stubborn defiance of the pork to actually stay in his stomach.

"I was saying, have you seen the board thing? Baulder paused for a moment, he remembered something. Etiquette or something, what was it? Ask them how they are? Something like that right, that's what the other people did he thought. "H-hhhow are you.... this morning? It's still morning right?" Baulder didn't actually mean to say the last part out loud, his thoughts sort of slipped into his speech there. Biting his lip then eating, an albiet smaller portion of food, Baulder half waited for a response before with part of his mouth still having food in it saying. "Are you going to the Yasomere place or the Darkjnel thing. I don't know which one to choose." Baulder said before stuffing more food into his mouth in an attempt to hide from asking any more questions. He wasn't sure how he felt about this "etiquette" thing.

[Vesuvius00]

E'nasha Williams

E'nasha wasn't sure what to do when she noticed that Baulder was choking on his food. After a moment he seemed to work through it ok though, and started talking to her. She smiled at him before swallowing her own bite of bread and answering him. "Yeah, I just looked at the board before I came here. I'm going to Yarosmere, mostly because I'm interested in what's going on there, but also because..." She trailed off and decided to take another bite of food to help her stall her answer. Words could be tricky sometimes, and not always accurate for what you want to say. "Well, I guess I'm a little homesick. This is my first winter so far from the dessert, and honestly the cold's kind of annoying too." She added a laugh onto the end of her statement before falling silent for a moment.

Baulder had asked how she was. While she could just brush the question off, she wondered for a second if she should. She hadn't actually talked to El'kan earlier, though she'd never really told him much any other time either. The shock wasn't as bad now as it had been right after she woke up, and it probably wouldn't be recurring anytime soon. At the moment, she was fine, everything was pretty much normal, though she did feel less awake now that she'd started eating. She decided it'd be best not to bother Baulder with it. "I'm fine, kinda tired still though. I just woke up a little while ago, so I'm pretty sure it's still morning now. How are you?" She took another bite of food and waited for Baulder's answer.

[Fallenreaper]

Ivellios

Aarem was concern.

As with all times he was concerned, the God of the Nox retreated to his realm and was determined to figure out the solution. In the dim, blue light Aarem’s figure was laid across his throne seat. His left arm was draped upon the crumbling stone support and in his right, he was examining a physical representation of the Nox held within his slender fingers. He tilted his onyx black hair that seemed to absorb all light. The god’s grey, stormy eyes flickered with dangerous thoughts and aggression over the object held firmly in his right hand. Cautiously he twisted it in place before his gaze while he examined it deeply for subtle, hidden flaws that didn’t seem to exist. Someone was messing with what measly power he was allowed by influencing the Nox, denying him what was rightfully his.

A fact he wasn’t happy about and intended to fix. After several moments, Aarem sharply inhaled, lingering over a spot when his hand paused then tighten his grip. Immediately he crushed the physical representation of his realm then slowly rose upright, his feet stepping down from the eternally decaying throne. It wouldn’t be long before his brother would summoned him and with a bitterness enveloping him, the dark god faded from his realm into the plane of Ivellios. Moments later, he materialized from the shadows of a large palm tree. Bracing himself for the irritation to come, his foot lead him out of the shade and into the brilliant light causing him to raise an ashen hand to shield his eyes.

Part of him hated being here, his sight was busy darting between the various gods toying with their own selfish affairs over mortal kind and gradually lead himself toward the long forgotten game board sitting in the middle of the courtyard. His slender fingers reached out to brush the hard surface when he noted an interesting scene budding into delightful violence between two siblings: Duuri and Xiah.

When within range, he heard Duuri immediately break out in a giggle over Xiah’s predicament. “You’re going to be out of the game if you don’t chose another pawn… and quickly.”

Her head was propped up by her hands, her ponytails swaying back and forth from her rocking motion. Unusually straight and white teeth were shown through a widen smile at her sister’s stress, drawing a venomous look from the older goddess. Aarem hung back to watch the eruption sparks happening between them with a mischievous smirk on his features. Naturally, Xiah had a retort for Duuri as her usually pretty face wrinkled up into a sour looking frown and seemed about to slap the little red head. “I’ve got higher standards than you. I won’t just pick any ugly little mutt off the board and call him or her mine. It’s insulting.”

“If you don’t pick, your only pawn is about to walk away from the college.” Duuri poked Xiah with the truth. ‘Just let the whore’s only piece leave and be done with it!’

Xiah retracted as if the younger sibling had actually physically smacked her and in the worse way, her hand brushing off Duuri off. Sighing, she leaned back over the board. Her eyes frantically scanned the courtyard then wound about the several different rooms. Her eyes fell on Meirin at least twice, but inwardly felt the setback as Duuri already had laid pawn rights to her. She skimmed her finger along the next choices and finally settled on the best option, E’nasha. Touching the little teenager on the head, she announced her choice out loud. The student, unknown what caused it, would feel a very faint tingling starting from her head top then travel down her spine before vanishing. It could easily been mistaken as merely a shiver from the wintery cold outside since several students chose then to march into the mess hall.

Duuri smirked then pointed at Baulder. “He’s my next pawn.”

“You already have two, that makes three!” Screeched Xiah, her voice gaining an octave and clearly insulted by this.

The redhead just stuck her tongue out in reply instead of uttering a verbal retort. Xiah had been about to smack her hand across the child’s face when she felt pressure on her wrist and a firm grip preventing it from moving. Slowly she turned her head to meet Ren holding her hand in place then spoke in a quiet, warning tone. “I advise you to rethink your actions Xiah.”

Her figure stiffened when she jerked her hand away, freeing herself from king’s grip. “Just because she’s your favorite, doesn’t give her the right to abuse such power!”

With those words echoing in her wake, Xiah abruptly took off to cool her embarrassment and let her humiliation die down. Ren idly watched her retreat around the main hall then turned to Duuri. His thick arms crossed over his and head tilted, his expression stating he wasn’t pleased with her either causing Duuri to glance away. “Duuri, you really need to stop provoking her that way.”

“B-but it’s fun,” Duuri admitted, her eyes still unable to meet her older brother’s gaze.

Hearing his sigh, she changed a glance and found herself regretting it. “I’m sorry, Ren.”

She immediately hugged him, letting the embrace hold then skirted off to play. Relieved she might listen, Ren’s eyes looked right at Aarem and his hiding place. The evil god merely stood there like he expected something but didn’t voice it. Guessing his brother’s demands, Ren briefly touched a pale, albion boy’s head (Leith) and turned his attention to something he noticed about his brother. “I suppose you’re bent on solving the Nox issue yourself?”

“Yes.” Was the short, blunt reply Aarem gave. His figure moved away from Ren, drawing a fairly large space between them, and turned to face the King with subjective glare. “I can handle this myself.”

“Can you? In your weakened state and limited power level?”

“You might be the King of the Gods, but who made you that way?” Aarem’s mention seemed to caused Ren pain as the younger brother turned away, his head bowed in what seemed to be shame. The darker god took this cue to leave while he turned on his heel, letting his painful words linger, then vanished back into the Nox waiting for the alignment ceremony.

[cqbexpt]

Baulder

Baulder had taken the opportunity while E'nasha was talking about Yarosmere to finish off his bread. He noticed that it was a bit sour but.... in a pleasing way. The almost bitter taste complimented the copper-ish taste he was getting from the pork's juices. The flavours were very complimentary, something he would need to remember. Baulder having zoned out for a moment thinking about the complex interactions of food in his mouth caught the end of her talking about the desert and it being too cold. "Yes, Yarosmere. I believe we will join you on that, yes. Was.... unsure of what I wanted to go on, I figure you will be arbitration on this decision then." Baulder said with a slight laugh before putting more pork in his gullet.

Baulder saw some small facial movements in her face as she paused to think about his second question. He didn't know what they meant though, it was just a thing he noticed. He would need to ask master later, maybe he would know, he always knows. With a reassurance that she was ok Baulder responded best that he could. ""Good... good.... good, the uh.... cold feels good on my.... feet. I think I like this cold, getting up in the morning is pleasant. So is leaving the forge into the cool.... air." Baulder for a second dredged his bare foot off the floor and put it into his lap and looked at it for a moment. He rested his second joint over his thigh and put his hand on what he would consider his "shin" and his warm hand was barely felt through his thick callouses but it felt good nevertheless. "The food in... Yaso-mare? Yarsomere? Is it good? Tell me about their... your foods, I always like a good food." Baulder said with a grin as he began shoveling the last remaining bits of his pork into his mouth.

[Ryonara]

Meirin Kurenai

After letting Ssarak in Meirin also sat on her bed. Usually if they were going to be together for an extended time they would be in Ssarak's room, since his furnishing were large enough to comfort him. Still Meirin did make the effort to commission some larger furniture for the future, such as a bed. Before Meirin just slept on mats, as she did back at the monastery but after spending a night with Ssarak, Meirin wanted to try out beds some more. Hers right now was sized only for her, but that was just until she could make up her mind about one that could fit someone like Ssarak.

Her room aside, Meirin tilted her head at his mention about the missions. She would have thought that Ssarak would keep tabs on it considering how important the information was, though perhaps it was only because Djarkel was her home. Or rather her home was in Djarkel. The monks stayed away from the cities and civilization knowing the sort of trouble they bring, but that didn't mean they could escape everything. Demons and monsters were common enough in the land of darkness, but if there were evil people in Djarkel, then Meirin would protect her home. Both the college and the monestary. "I'll gladly join you Ssarak. You don't even need to ask." She said with a smile.

She stood up and took a journal out from her shelf. Most of the first pages consisted of scribbles and Meirin's poor attempt at literature. While she could read decently enough, her penmanship had room for improvement. It wasn't that the letters themselves were ugly, but her spelling and grammar needed more work. But she skipped those pages and got to the important part; a page sized map of Djarkel. "The mission I'll be going on will bring us to Djarkel again. We'll be following up on the leads from our last mission, so Lucilia assigned it. I don't know what exactly she discovered, but from what I'm told we'll be meeting with some important people in Djarkel, so we'll need to be prepared. She only wants those she can trust to maintain the college's good reputation with the barons."

[EliteCommander]

Ssarak Dyreackthanose

---

Ssarak rubbed his chin as he looked over the map, noting any apparent places of interest. "Hmm, I was wondering what became of the information we uncovered. It is good to see that our work has not gone to waste; or at least, not yet. It will be a diplomatic mission, you say? A few years ago, I would have told you that I was entirely unqualified, except perhaps as a bodyguard, but now, I believe my abilities are strong enough to be of some use. I just hope the other students who join us on the mission are as...cool-headed as us. I would not want someone like Alaira anywhere close to this task."

Being rid of his serious demeanor for a moment, Ssarak grinned towards Meirin. "Though, there are still some things with which I will need your help. If it is a diplomatic mission, I should look the part of a diplomat, but I am not as well-versed in Djarkel fashion as yourself. I do not suppose you have anything in my size, do you?" He joked. "You may need to help dress me up as a 'proper' member of Djarkel high society. With your help, I may not look completely like a fool."

Ssarak stood up from the bed, letting out a breath towards the door. "I suppose I should go speak to Lucilia right away, before the mission is filled completely. I would not want to miss the chance to join you. I may be able to convince her to give us something to purchase proper clothing, if she has not thought of that already. Besides that, I believe I am going to have quite a few questions for you about Djarkel over the next few weeks."