[IC] Adelon: Steeling the Faith [Open!]

[GambolMuse]

It was weird to think that there was a pseudo-war going on between the Church and Magi right now, as there was no sign of it all the way out here in the countryside. There were troops here and there of course, but they were so far and few between and in such small groups one was hardly going to raise alarm over it. After all, why would people? So long as you weren't a Magi then the Church had no problem with you, you could do about living your life without any problems from them. And even if you were a Magi you were safe, so long as you weren't an idiot and kept your head down. Most of their kind was keeping low and out of sight as of late, avoiding anything and everything that might draw attention to them; most Magi were trying to stay out of sight, there were a few who were more interested in causing trouble and lashing out at the Church. With magic dwindling to pitifully low quantities in the world someone had to take the blame, and naturally the Church, the organization who conducted worship, would be the target. Justifiably or not, Magi had begun to attack the multiple churches throughout Adelon, met often with swift and violent opposition. It was no wonder then that many of them were just trying to hide, not wanting to be taken in for other people's misdeeds.

Ethan didn't share the fear of being arrested, nor did he have any plans of causing trouble. Hiding wasn't something he could afford to do either, not that he had any intentions of running away from all of this. He knew very few people outside of his tiny home of Kinsgrove, and even those within the vale were few in number. Of those few there had been one man he had taken a particular shining to, an older gentleman by the name of Cedric who was well known locally to be a Magi, and a skilled one at that. While the man was never able to teach Ethan anything in their time together he treasured the stories and the wisdom he received, coming to see Cedric as a sort of grandfather figure. Had nothing happened to their town he'd just as well stayed out of this whole business between Magi and the Church, but now his hand was forced; Cedric had been taken away, and likely because of Ethan's own mistakes. There was no way in good conscience that he could abandon the man to his fate, he had to try to find and save Cedric, wherever he might be. Easier said than done of course, seeing as he was utterly clueless as to where the troops might have even gone.

"Aw man... This map tells me nothing!" Ethan groaned, slouching in his seat as he laid his forehead down on the table. Staring at a sheet of paper for 20 minutes and praying it told you what you wanted to know was infuriating, so was not understanding it whatsoever. Having never exactly traveled beyond the reaches of Kinsgrove he knew little of this area, and things would only get even more difficult the further out he got. At current he had found himself in a small settlement, stuck up in a tavern as he had just finished up with an early lunch. Traveling alone as he was one never knew when you may get your next meal, and he'd be a fool not to stop here and grab a bite to eat. The soup was a bit too salty and the bread hard, but with how hungry he'd have been he'd as soon just eaten his stool instead. Sitting back upright he returned his eyes to the map before himself, staring at it yet again.

"Gotta think, let's see... I came this way out of home and headed East... I think..." Ethan mumbled, frowning as he scoured the map for familiar landmarks, "Or did I go west... let's see... I passed the river, so it had to have been East. Which means I should be roughly..." Uh, what was the name of this settlement again? There were a handful around and they were spread out here and there, he couldn't quite recall which one he'd come across. Glancing around for someone to ask he frowned at his options, having to pick between the table of drunks laughing raucously and the burly barmaid currently yelling at another patron about why he couldn't have more mead. Smiling uncertainly Ethan gave a shake of his head, opting to instead head into town and see if anyone might give him directions. Should he ask about troops, or was that too obvious? With patrols coming and going it could just be a moot question, though it may be worth the chance if someone did know something.

Right then, best to go ahead and get moving, he'd never find Cedric just sitting around here. Pushing himself away from the table he tucked the map away in his bag, fishing into his pocket and pulling free a handful of copper coins, heading over to the counter and laying them out for the barmaid. "Thanks again for the meal ma'am, it was... Good!" he lied, smiling politely as he began to leave, only to pause when the woman shouted at him.

"Anytime kid! Come around again sometime, ya hear? We don't get many cuties like you!" she called, her surprisingly deep voice carrying over the laughter of the other patrons.

Ethan visibly shivered at the compliment from the burly woman, chuckling uneasily as he turned back to thank her, meeting her gaze, a pair of deep brown eyes resting under a bushy brow, with a sizable mole on her right cheek and a mess of frizzy black hair on her head. She was... Ah... What was a nice way to put it, imposing. "Uh... T-Thanks! I'll be sure to do that!" he called, turning around promptly and hurrying out the door, shuddering once he was well out of view. That was definitely not how he wanted to leave that place, now he was probably going to have nightmares about her. Making a face between disgust and worry he shook his head, slapping both his cheeks and smiling to himself. "Can't think about that now, need to focus on finding some answers," he mumbled to himself, looking around as the townsfolk walked to and fro, "Now... Where to start...?"

[shylarah]

Town

The young girl huddled near the corner of a building, one hand on the rough brick, the other tangled in the shaggy coat of her companion. The cat wasn't too much shorter at the shoulder than she was, and currently much cleaner. The girl's clothing was soiled and torn, her face smeared with grime and her short hair tangled. In fact, the only part of her outfit still in good condition was her shoes, and even those had patches of mud on them. She was watching the people in the square with a great deal of intensity. Her eyes darted back and forth, and she pressed a hand to her stomach as its complaining intensified accompanying a breeze that brought delicious aromas from the tavern across the way. It wasn't as good as what her mother would make, no, but she'd been eating scraps and what she could forage from her limited knowledge of edible plants and roots. Wyth had brought her a rabbit on two separate occasions. The second time she was so hungry she'd tried to eat it despite not having flint and steel to make a fire for cooking, but the taste of raw meat had made her nauseated and she could only force down a small portion before she gave up. She thought that eventually she'd be starved enough that it would seem appealing, but that wasn't the case -- at least, not yet.

She'd been avoiding towns for the last two weeks or so, just travelling without a real destination -- anywhere that was away from the village she'd lived in all her life. Upon spotting this settlement, however, the thought had occurred to her that where there were people, there would be food as well -- and she might even be able to grab flint and steel. She'd never stolen anything before, nor begged, but desperation caused a person to do things she wouldn't otherwise. So the child had made her way into town, trying to avoid the busiest streets and the larger groups of people, and before too long she came across the tavern she was now watching. Could she slip in the side door? It might lead to the kitchen. She could grab something to eat and leave again right away. But what if there was someone there? She licked her lips. As she tried to muster enough nerve to make a move, a young man emerged from the tavern, with a hunk of bread in one hand. His attention was focused on a piece of paper, to the exclusion of all else.

The girl steeled her nerve and left the safety of her alleyway, heading for the man and the bread he held. She realized she shouldn't appear too purposeful, so she tried not to look at him too much, and she angled to approach from behind and to one side. When she only a couple arm's lengths away, she swallowed hard and darted forward. As a thief, her technique was awful. She made no effort to avoid being noticed. Instead she relied on surprise to work in her favor as she snatched the targeted item from the man's grasp and took off at a dead run. "Wyth, ahead!" she called, and the cat surged forward, weaving through the crowd with his girl right behind him. The passage of a large cat cleared a path, at least temporarily. As they reached the edge of the square, she told him to heel and dashed into an alley, her eyes searching for somewhere she could climb up, where the man wouldn't be able to follow.

[Olminu]

The staring wasn’t an abnormal happenstance—the townspeople gave her uneasy looks and children pointed, confused by her presence. Despite her discomfort, Grun didn’t falter, she walked gracefully and unaffected on the surface with every bit of experience she had in the past as a clergywoman of particular acclaim. Of course the townsfolk wouldn’t know that, she was only relatively recognized among her own kind and even then, her reputation had been dragged through the mud several times over at the church’s hand making the few interactions she had with her vagabond kinsman a tense one. Not only was she Divined but she didn’t hide herself behind cloth and robes or slip through the shadows as expected from her kind and it was this that must have made her look all the more foreign in the small settlement.

Under normal circumstances, she wouldn’t have ventured into such a small village. Although the people less confrontational in general when compared to the city, and envoys of the church more scarce, small settlements such as these didn’t tend to provide her with much help or information. People were more inclined to ignore her or spread dishonesty she had learned. Whenever she entered a village like this one, rumors were quick to spread—her presence was a disruptive one. And it was on that, she was here for; a rumor. Supposedly, some Divined had taken up residence nearby in a small group and she needed evidence. However unlikely, if there were other wandering Divined close by then she wanted to know. Their numbers as a species were trifling and the lack of unity didn’t help much in that regard. She was looking to unite her people and convince them to stand as one.

She had little to no success so far.

She needed to find someone who could, who would be willing to, aid her in her endeavor. Whether that present itself in useful information or someone simply willing to talk to her in the first place even if they had nothing of significance to say.

More importantly however were the group of five following behind her at a safe distance. They had been stalking after Grun since she entered the village and while unassuming in their appearances, there was an edge in the way they focused on her like she didn’t know they were there. Most likely, a fight was inevitable. She didn’t care for combat, preferring words over fighting but not from lack of ability. However fighting wasn’t an option this time, Divined were already stigmatized, Magi even more so, fighting in a public place where passersby’s gave her cold stares and fearful glances wouldn’t help the reputation of either. Best case scenario they’d lose interest once they realized she meant no harm. Worst case scenario they would confront her themselves. Apparently luck wasn’t on her side when they suddenly split into two groups and followed her on both sides at an uncomfortable distance.

The tallest one spoke up, “So tell us, what’s someone like you doing here?” there was an idle threat in the way he spoke that made Grun stop in her tracks. Making eye contact with the man who spoke to her and despite meaning no ill-will (quite the contrary), the man flinched under her gaze, “I have heard rumor that other Divined have passed through this settlement, perhaps you could tell me the truth or falsehood of these rumors,” when the thugs faces twisted into fear and then anger, Grun realized a little too late that they took her enquiring as a threat. Presumably believing her words to mean she had every intention of bringing her kind to the village to cause harm. They didn’t attack immediately, instead the tallest one narrowing his eyes at her, “What’s the supposed to mean?” the atmosphere had turned tense and the townsfolk in the immediate vicinity were quick to clear out.

She sometimes regretted her conviction to not hide herself, it had a habit of causing more problems then solving them.

[Scout]

"Full house!" The Ydra declared, flashing her cards before she pulled the coin to herself from the table. Her teeth were a brilliant white as she smiled, "Next round on me, guys, c'mon."

It was like a harem of drunken men sat around the table with her, scratching their heads. They were all doing so well earlier! What happened? One of them stared at her skeptically, like the gears in his head were turning. "Aha! I figured it out..."

Asta blinked, raising an eyebrow, "E-eh? Figured what out, my good man?"

"We started out doing really good tonight... And now you're winning. I know you're secret!" He grinned, proud of himself, his words holding a light slur as he looked to his mates. "She thinks 'cuz we're drinkin' that we ain't gonna focus!"

The nomad had to keep herself from sighing in relief and opted to feign guilt. "Oh, drat... Guess my game is up, fellas. One more round, now that you've figured me out?" They all laughed a bit too loudly at her teasing before collectively declining her offer. No, they'd lost enough money tonight. Asta heard the barmaid call after some young man who was leaving before feeling the giantess's eyes on her. Oh, crap. She tried to shovel the coin into her bag in a hurry as the woman came from around the bar. Asta could almost swear she felt the ground shaking as she was approached.

"Oi, little Ydra rat," She snarled, "Thought I told ye that you weren't allowed to be gamblin' with them stakes anymore?"

Asta shook her head, "N-no, you misunderstand! They wanted to play with that much!"

The woman crossed her arms, "They're drunk. And by taking coin from their hands, you're stealing drinks from their mouths, and so that's coin you're stealing from me," She argued gruffly. "I told you max buy-in was a few copper pieces - a pot no higher than a silver at a time, and here you are, taking every ounce of metal they could've carried. Besides, I'm tired of seeing this little act... Every night it's 'oh, how am I ever going to win my money back?' and then suddenly you're in the most expensive inn we have in town... You've a bit more than luck on your side, missy. Now take your buy-in and stop harassing my customers," She threatened.

Asta was a Magi, she didn't have to take this. On the other hand, the barmaid was big... and the girl wanted to keep her profile low. She gave an annoyed "hmph!" And pulled her share from the bag before giving the rest of the coin back. "I cheated anyway," She confessed, grabbing her bow from the ground beside her and slinging it over her back.

The maid was far from surprised, "Duh." The rest of the men at the table, however, were appalled. Void magic made cheating at cards the easiest thing in the world, so long as you knew how it worked. She started poorly, but gradually saved good cards and traded them out in her hands. Took a bit of finagling, but patience was a virtue when it came to nabbing coin off of drunken gamblers. Too bad, she was excited for them to go home to angry wives who begged the question 'why weren't you at work?!'

Collecting her things, she left the tavern with an ounce of dignity, only to feel an animal dart between her legs, barking. "Myria!" She shouted as the Cobra Fox took off after a little girl and a moorcat tearing through the crowd. Her eyes shifted over, wasn't that the kid who was sitting in the bar staring at a map for the past half hour? Did he even figure it out, or did he leave after getting too frustrated? It didn't particularly matter. Asta put her fingers to her lips and whistled sharply; the sound was almost ear-piercing. Myria stopped in her tracks, "Get back here. You know better."

She didn't even have to look to know that the fox was at her side once again, a small twinge in her heart as she felt the scolded animal's shame. However, without acknowledging the white-haired boy from the inn, she went on her own way. At first, she'd thought he was Ydran - but a closer look revealed her was an awkward, disproportionate human. Euch. A better question was where she would stay tonight; she certainly didn't want to stay in this village much longer? It was starting to feel stuffy anyway.

A few blocks and turns later, she saw a crowd parting and opening itself up. Weaseling her way to the front, she laid eyes on an unfamiliar scene. It wasn't uncommon that Divined would be harassed anymore, there was once a time when people were respectfully at their beckoning call; the world was changing so quickly, however. Distrust even filled the eyes of those that faced Asta, but she also held an air of superiority about her. The part that was unfamiliar was how proud of her heritage this Divined was. In fact, she didn't cover up out of shame or to hide herself, she wore her identity proudly. Admirable, but foolish. Asta pulled her hood up and pulled her cloak around her shoulders... This was going to be interesting.

[Mogtaki]

It had only been a few nights of travel since the last settlement but this journey had felt pretty worth it when the task was to get as far away as possible from the original site he originated from, even if he didn’t know what was driving him away. The journey from what felt like the centre of the world to him had been a long one but a road well-travelled as it only proved to be fruitful. There had been much that was picked up from travellers and the last settlement, but there was still a need to travel and find what might be taking him along this road and passed the strange environments he had never known to have existed before. He had been told the sentinel beings were ‘trees’ by one traveller who insisted on giving him a crooked look when he asked before laughing about something like ‘first time out of the big city’, whatever that meant.

The problem was, this ‘big city’ was probably what he wanted to find by name alone, definitely finding it intrigued him more than anything. It had now been mentioned a few times to him with people looking at his equipment and showing off their own in a pleasant tone. Maybe it had something to do with what he was, maybe it was where he wanted to go and where his function was to be granted.

Regarding function, he wasn’t like others who walked along the roads, in fact he wasn’t flesh at all like they were. Only resembling the fleshy beings so much, he was in fact all machine even down to the hair on his head. Assimilating the fleshy beings, he was one of the Machina that he sometimes saw with the fleshy beings. From what he had observed, they weren’t treated very well or like other fleshy beings nor did they have a face quite like his own. They looked all machine while he looked to be similar to a fleshy being only so far. Maybe that’s why people treated him so well, because he looked like them and made them believe he was like them too. From his number he had created a name much like the fleshy beings carried, only hoping they would accept him more and maybe give him more information to where his destination might lie.

For now, he had arrived in a busy village by the size of it, just like he had been told where he might arrive. It was rather interesting to say the least, but it would only provide him with the rest stop he needed before he had to continue and see what else lay before him. While he didn’t get exhausted like the fleshy beings might from a long journey, he was needing to find time to recharge and maybe even get some much needed oil. He could eat the food the fleshy beings enjoyed so much, burn it up and use for extra energy, but really he just wanted to take in what was around him and relax for a little bit. The village seemed nice enough with all sorts of sounds and people everywhere, but it wasn’t what he was looking for in terms of permanent residence.

Moving around the wandering people who insisted on looking at him at least once, he found a building where windows were limited and would allow him to lean against and keep out of the way of other beings. While he was managing to settle into his little spot, there was a moment where he had a moment’s peace before a strange animal jumped out from inbetween the buildings, causing him to jump back in fright and move away from the corner. He had no idea what that was but it wasn’t after him and was instead going elsewhere, hardly looking like the type of creature that would want a piece of him, anyway.

While that was mildly distracting he saw the people took very little heed of the creature as it bounded through the crowd and off towards someone else, his eyes following it. Well that was something he had never encountered before, but he did recognise that there was probably more like that thing nearby and should probably watch where he was standing. Managing to back away he made a quick turn, feeling a little distracted before he somehow managed to find himself colliding with a Mura that stank strongly of ethanol, one that almost immediately fell over all while he stumbled back himself in surprise.

[GambolMuse]

There had to be some word on where Cedric had gone, it wasn't like the Church made any qualms about publicizing their taking of Magi. Someone here was bound to know something, it was simply a matter of finding someone who'd talk. Of course finding information was only half the battle too, Ethan didn't know much beyond his home town and was going to have to figure out where things were awfully quick. If he just kept heading east like he had been then he was bound to start hitting the cities, and there he ought to be able to find more information. Great plan... If only he knew which way was east. He'd been taught how to discern direction based on the sun's position once, yet now that he actually needed it he was hopelessly lost. Maybe a guide would help, albeit that meant using his already meager savings for paying someone, which likely meant one less meal at the very least.

That was provided he could even find a guide. If someone was to show him around then he'd be honest about what he was doing, and not many people would appreciate the task he was taking on. Cedric had been taken away like a common criminal, and no doubt people had heard of his arrest or even seen it by now. With his plan being to basically spring free a prisoner he doubted there were many who'd aid him in that, as messing it up could well mean being arrested by the Church as well. Having anyone help him with this was a huge gamble, one that most people likely would not be willing to take. He needed a guide pretty badly, yet finding one was hardly going to be an easy matter.

"I probably should have thought this through better..." Ethan lamented, letting out a sigh as he hung his head. Deciding he might as well just go about asking around for the time being he moved to put the map away, barely folding the piece of paper up before someone came darting by, relieving him of his last bit of bread. It happened so quick that at first he didn't realize what happened, noticing the lack of anything in his right hand and glancing up to see a small figure bounding away in the crowd. It didn't take a genius to figure out what had happened, and he'd not let the last of his meal be stolen, no matter how crummy it might have been. "H-Hey, that's mine! Get back here!" Oblivious to the Ydran girl who had just come out, he took off after the bread-thief, determined to catch her and make her give his bread back. The little girl had no problems running through the crowds it seemed, but Ethan had to make quite the effort to slip by people and not barrel someone over in the process.

Just when he looked to be catching up to the girl too, Ethan found himself running square into a wall, or what felt like a wall. So focused on his target he hadn't noticed the other person walking around the corner, nearly barreling them over and ending up on his rear as a result. After a brief stumble he looked at the person worriedly, his face flush with embarrassment as he chuckled, "H-Hey, sorry! My mistake!" he said quickly, giving a half-wave before continuing his chase. He had just caught sight of the girl and her pet rushing into an alleyway, and lo and behold when he got to the entrance of it she was still there, evidently trapped with the fence at the other end. A bit winded from the chase and still red in the face, Ethan smiled as he leaned forward, placing his hands on his knees in an attempt to catch his breath.

"Y-You... My bread... Not nice..." he managed to get out, smiling tiredly as he stood upright and wiped his forehead down with his sleeve, "You... You don't want that bread anyways, it's stale, pretty sure." Huh, now that he was actually getting a good look at the girl he realized how scrappy she looked, wearing hardly anything more than rags and looking a bit thin. Poor kid, must be one of those orphans or something judging by her appearance. He'd never really had much intention of punishing the girl to begin with, and seeing her now Ethan felt a compulsion to help her out. Putting his hands up to show he meant no harm he slowly approached her, giving the girl and her pet a kind smile. "I bet you're hungry huh? Let's try again, how about I buy you something to eat? Something not stale, how's that sound?"

[shylarah]

Alley

The child was troubled to find her path blocked by a fence, and not one that she could climb easily. At the sound of the man behind her, she whirled around, and Wyth moved in front of her protectively. But even though she'd stolen from him, the man didn't seem angry. Once he had his breath back, he smiled and offered to buy her something. The girl's eyes widened in surprise, and she placed a hand on her cat's shoulder to tell him to stay. The hunk of bread she'd grabbed was indeed hard, but could she trust this man? She chewed her lip nervously as she examined him. His clothes weren't too expensive, just everyday things. A pack, so maybe he was travelling? The map certainly would imply such. His expression was gentle, and his face seemed open. Her gaze lingered on his hair. "Ydran..." she murmured. Her father had told her that the Ydrans had great respect for their Magi. Certainly more than Murans. The girl's expression clouded at the memory. She'd never see him again, never watch him keep a kite aloft on a still day.

She dashed the tears from her eyes and focused on the man in front of her once more. If he was Ydran, maybe she'd be okay with him, at least for a bit. And he would give her something to eat, which she needed badly. The girl used her free hand to brush her bangs out of her eyes and gave him a small, uncertain smile and a nod. "Heel," she told Wyth, tangling her fingers further in his thick fur and staying right next to the large cat. He turned his head and butted it against her shoulder, making a soft sound in his throat to reassure her. She knew he would protect her if anything went wrong. "Wyth too?" she asked suddenly. The moorcat couldn't really hunt in a city, and he'd been eating less than he was used to as of late, since he was reluctant to leave her side.

[Mogtaki]

How awkward it was to bump into someone who had such a strange fragrance about him, but now wasn’t the time to wish he could switch off his sensory processors. Just hoping to get out of the way of others at this point after his mistake he tried to head away from the immediate vicinity, but with one tug to his leg that stopped him in his tracks he turned around, seeing the man he had accidentally knocked over attaching himself to it with one of his messy hands.

“’Ey! Wasae big deal, aye?? No ‘pology? Nae any help??” the man slurred, pulling himself up forcefully with a tug of the Machina’s clothes, giving him a forceful poke once he got up onto his unsteady feet, “Ye city folk are all the same, ain’t ya?? Bumpin’ n’ bashin’ intae other fellah, nae ev’n an apolahhgee!”

The boy couldn’t even process what the man was trying to say, as if he was speaking in some foreign language or something but there was definitely words in there. It was strange, but he really didn’t know how to handle a situation like this or whether he should even be concerned for this man, finding it hard to understand what the man was needing or why he was so clingy all of a sudden. Staring down at the man’s hand he tried to tug away from him, only wanting to leave at this point. “…I don’t know what you’re saying, but let go”.

The man didn’t seem to take too kindly to his words or his actions, instead completely ignoring anything he said and was now trying to walk away without so much of an apology. With the boy’s desire to leave the man immediately made a grab for his forearm, tugging him in again. “Ar’ ye scoffin’ yer apology tae me? Lil’ brat! Ye think ‘cause ye got them machinie parts yer bet’a than me?? Now ye say tha magic words ‘afore I cairve ye a new gob!”

Feeling rather confused at this point the boy simply stared at the man before turning to face him, glaring at him in annoyance. “Sir, I don’t know any ‘magic words’ but if you would be so kind as to remove your grip from my arm so that I may continue with my journey! You are of no threat to me and I don’t wish to be one to you. Now, release me!”

“Oy ye thin’ ye can threaten me?? Bratty bairn! Now I see why ye got yer arms and legs all jiggered up!” Giving the kid a quick tug he soon found that the boy was pulling back, trying to get free from his grip. The drunken staggering was soon turning into a struggle for dominance, the man not giving the boy his freedom for his ignorance. “Ah said stop yer squirmin’ an’ apologise, ya lil’ runt!” the man growled as he pulled out a small knife, swiping it quickly at the boy and catching him in his cheek; however, the noise and spark that came from the knife only caused alarm in the man, the knife acting as if it had hit a brick wall and flew from the man’s hand and onto the ground. Flabbergasted, the man looked to the kid’s face, only wondering what had happened.

The boy’s face had been slightly cut, but instead of blood there was metal and what looked like very solid wires passing electricity through in dim pulses in the ‘wound’. Nothing had been damaged underneath apart from the ‘skin’ on top, the boy looking to the wound before moving a large finger to it as the man let out a sudden yell. “Agh!! Machina?! Help! Help! Rogue Machina! Comin’ tae kill us all!”

Well, that was an awfully rude assumption, but at least the man had let him go and was instead back on the floor all rolling around as if he was the one who had been hurt; however, the feeling all around him was by far anything pleasant as the atmosphere changed. Instead of ignoring the drunken man’s ramblings, people had turned to look at the man before in the direction he proceeded to point in which happened to be right at him instead. Looking from side to side as people looked, he moved his finger away from his face for only a second before the people suddenly started talking about him.

“It is a Machina!” “What? But it looks like a kid!” “Is that a new model?” “Why does it look like a Mura??” “Who does it belong to? Who would make such a thing?” The onlookers spoke, his expression turning into one of worry which only made them talk about him more. “Is it emoting? They’re not supposed to have emotions!” “Where’s the guard? Someone get the guard, quickly…” Maybe now was the time to leave this place; it wasn’t the kind of place for him, anyway. He needed to find somewhere to go to repair the damage and continue out of here, especially with all these people talking about him now. Immediately making a turn he gasped at the presence of someone right behind him, someone tall and fairly imposing; however, without even looking to see if they were this ‘guard’ or not he immediately dashed around, making a move to get away.

[GambolMuse]

Ethan wasn't sure how in the world he'd managed to keep up with the girl, but he'd finally caught her; the fact she had run into a dead-end alley was likely the only reason he was speaking to her now, as otherwise she'd be long gone. He'd probably have given up the chase if she wasn't in here honestly, he wasn't that bent out of shape over stale bread. Though it wasn't that far a run from where they had begun he was already winded, likely thanks to having just eaten a fair bit. Reeling over from a combination of shortness of breath and a cramp he smiled tiredly, struggling to get out some coherent speech in between breaths. Not only could he not get mad over losing a scrap of stale bread, but seeing the state the girl was in compelled him to feel sympathetic instead. Maybe she was a local girl, all alone and orphaned. Plus she had that pet with her too, and neither of them looked to be terribly well off.

"Hm...? What was that...?" Ethan asked, standing upright as he gave the girl a kind smile. Whatever she'd mumbled he'd missed, though he figured it wasn't for his ears anyways and so didn't press the matter. Stepping a bit closer he held up his hands passively, keeping on his smile before he stopped just a few feet away, squatting down to come eye to eye with the girl and her cat. "So Wyth is his name huh? Yeah, I can feed Wyth too," he replied cheerfully, reaching out and offering a hand for the moorcat to sniff, "We'll need to find a different place to eat at, that inn was kind of crummy, but we can find you two something nice. And heck, maybe a new shirt or something while we're at it." He didn't have much in the way of cash, but he tended to accrue some here and there by helping out. Last town he was in he'd gotten a few copper pieces for stacking firewood for an older couple, and earlier today he'd gotten a few more for helping to carry some crates. It was hardly going to make him a fortune, but so long as he kept at it he'd have enough to get by.

"I'm Ethan, by the way. I'm kind of a traveler, just passing through the town. And how about you? What's your name?" He was going to ask about her parents, but given the girl's state he figured that was a touchy subject; any child running around all dirty and in rags either had rather nasty folks or none at all, whichever the case may be it'd not be a nice discussion. After introductions were done with the white-haired Magi got back to his feet, adjusting his pack carefully before reaching into it and pulling out a handful of coppers, counting them silently. "20 copper, that should be plenty for a meal, don't you think? Just tell me what you two want and we'll find it."

Hearing a drunk screaming was nothing new in the town, what with the multiple taverns and the inn keeping many of the residents routinely drunk. The guards would not have bothered coming out had it only been the drunkard's cries, but hearing others shouting for aid as well forced them to look into it. With many of their members either currently on patrol or duty only a trio was sent to look into the scene, supposedly caused by a Machina of all things. There wasn't very much in the way of that out here just yet, and one causing problems for people was unheard of. Still, if enough people were raising a stink then something must be up, it was best to go and see what it was. On their way towards the taverns, the trio was distracted by an unusual sight in the town square; a group of disgruntled looking men were currently facing off against a lone individual, and a tall one at that. Upon getting closer they recognized it to be a woman, and a Divined of all things. Seeing one of their kind out here was extremely curious and highly irregular, raising quite a few questions.

"Ey, what're you lot up to here?" one of the guards shouted, frowning as he and his companions parted the crowd, stepping into the open center with his hands on his hips, "You causin' trouble? If you've got issue with this one then don't take it out in the middle of town you morons, there's people about here!"

How odd that a Divined was here, and one that wasn't cloaked or trying to conceal themselves. Having never met one personally before the eldest guard of the group was curious, his pale green eyes holding Grun's features for a silent moment before he finally spoke. "You aren't from around here, are ye?" he asked in a raspy voice, scratching at his white beard as he looked her over from head to toe, "A Divined ain't something you see often miss, so some people might be a bit scared o' ya. Plus we know what your people can do, so I suggest you try keepin' a low profile while you're here. Ain't none of the guard gonna turn you over, but just be careful." Looking over then to the tall man of the group, presumably its leader, the guard frowned and approached them, looking square in the man's eyes as he rested a hand on the hilt of his blade. "She do something to you boys? If not clear out, yer causing a scene and people have got places to be, things to do. Can't be having some dunderheads picking on foreigners in the middle of the town."

[shylarah]

Alley

The moorcat gave the offered hand a casual sniff, but didn't seem overly interested in the man, if he wasn't going to hurt his girl. She nodded at Ethan. "He's Wyth...I'm Amuné. Amuné Ris." Her voice was quiet, like she was afraid of being overheard. She watched him count the coins. She'd rarely had any money of her own, since her village generally relied on a barter system. The sight of the coins brought to mind the time her father had taken her on a trip with some Ydra to another town for a fair. He'd let her have a few coppers all her own to buy whatever she wanted, but only after he showed her how to haggle. Her chest ached at the thought, and she tried to shake it off.

Ethan was asking what she'd like to eat. Before she could come up with an answer, the girl's stomach gave a loud gurgle. Amuné colored, hiding her head in the moorcat's fur out of embarrassment. "Anything would be good," she said, her voice muffled. "Thank you. Wyth needs meat. It can be cooked, but not too much seasoning."

[GambolMuse]

The drunkards did not take kindly to being shown up by the guards like this, but they hadn't much choice. While they had numbers in their favor none of them were exactly armed, where in contrast each of the guards carried a sword and likely knew how to use it. They couldn't do much but throw fists, and frankly when it came to a fight swords had a tendency to beat out bare hands. Loathing the guards, the leader of the group sneered at them before turning and marching off, leaving Grun to her own devices. Her being here was still a big problem and annoyance, she was out of place and didn't belong here. She ought to be cloaked like any other Divined, not trotting around as if she owned the place.

"Sorry for those louts, they're always picking brawls with strangers," the eldest guard remarked, letting out a breathy sigh before adjusting the belt around his waist, "If yer looking for information on other Divined then I'm afraid we've got nothing either for you. However, the captain might've seen or heard something, he'd be willing to share. Come along with us to the barracks, we'll see if we can't give you a hand." It'd be better for everyone if she came along anyways, it would save her from further scrutiny and them from having to break up fights. Smiling politely he waved Grun along, following alongside her once she had begun moving, the other two guards bringing up the rear behind them. "Just understand miss, we don't get many travelers out here, not exactly a tourist stop. We get Divined even less if ever, so you can kinda see where folks will get a bit edgy if you suddenly show up..."

Ethan gave the pair a warm smile, pocketing the coppers he had taken out for the time being. "Pleasure to meet you two! Amuné, Wyth, let's go get you some food!" The food here didn't seem to be all too costly, at least not where he had gone. They most certainly wouldn't be returning to that tavern any time soon, not if Mole-ita was going to try and flirt with him again. Shuddering reflexively at the thought he gave an uneasy chuckle, scratching at his head as he glanced down at Amuné for her answer. Curious when she blushed he tilted his head somewhat, raising an eyebrow as he wondered why she had suddenly gotten red in the face. "You don't have to thank me, I'm just trying to be helpful. And not too much seasoning, got it! Shouldn't be too hard to find something like that," he remarked, smiling as he turned to leave the alley, "We'll see if we can find some fresh fish for Wyth, and maybe a nice big plate of food for you, how's that sound?"

Curiously the crowd outside of the alley had dispersed for the most part since going in, for reasons that were lost to Ethan. Shrugging it off dismissively he glanced back at Amuné and Wyth once more, waving them along with a smile before starting to move through the crowd itself. He still didn't much know the town and as such he didn't know where to head, but he figured enough wandering about and he'd find some place for them; Ethan hadn't exactly found this town on a map, it had been more stumbling and dumb luck that he'd come across it. As the trio passed through the crowd and reached the center of the settlement he stepped to the side briefly to let a small group of angry looking men by, watching them storm off for a moment before continuing along. Maybe they got thrown out of a tavern or something, they did kind of smell like alcohol. If they were heading to the tavern he'd just been at then all the more reason not to return, lest he have to put up with them too.

"Would you look at this... I bet we can get food here!" Lining the edges of the town center were various stalls, selling everything from bits and bobbles to clothing, food and even crystals. There was only one thing they had come for, and as they drew nearer Ethan was delighted to find it had a variety of foods; seared fish on sticks, roasted potatoes and vegetables, a few varieties of meats, it was a proper roadside tavern if he'd ever seen one. A small crowd stood at the stall itself and so they had to wait a moment, the other customers buying out quite a lot of the inventory before Ethan himself got to the counter. Peering around he tried to decide what he ought to get for Amuné, deciding ultimately on two fish and some of the seared vegetables. With an appreciative smile he took the food from the vendor, fishing out the coins from his pocket and laying them out before turning back to his companions, squatting down and offering the two fish out first. "Here you go, eat up! I can get more if you're still hungry," Ethan said, smiling cheerfully, "After this we can find you some clothes, how's that sound?"

[Mogtaki]

Trying to get out of this place wasn’t going to be easy with so much attention on him right now, his identity as a machine only hindering his ability to remove himself from the scene. It wasn’t his fault that he was attacked and yet he was being blamed for something he couldn’t understand, as if he was doing something bad. He recognised something bad had been done but he didn’t know why it had to be him. All of these accusations and all he had done was defend himself. He couldn’t tell if he was feeling frightened or his sensors were picking up danger. There was always one problem with being a Machina: not knowing if his emotions were real. There could be no danger at all, but if his sensors were correct he would have to prepare for battle.

Making his sudden dash around the large man he was immediately cut off, the man turning around and grabbing at his collar before pulling him back. Stumbling back on his feet, the Machina stared up with concern as the man immediately laughed. “Who built you then, ehh?? Whose face did you steal, little machine?” the man spoke in a deep, gruff voice, moving when the little Machina tried to get around him, “What’s your serial number??”

“That’s…not information for you, sir!” the Machina spoke before making a brief run around the man, managing to escape his grasp this time. He didn’t know who he was but he did wear a suit, probably a bad decision on his part to run if that was the case. The man wasn’t a normal man most likely and looking back he saw an emblem on his suit, one that was usually associated with figures of authority. Gasping upon realisation that he might be in a little more trouble than he thought he immediately spun around, seeing how many of them there actually was.

There was the man and three other men with highly visible weapons who had insisted on approaching him about this fiasco, all of them turning to face him and looking like they were about to run after him if he didn’t stop. Now he was in trouble, but it wasn’t his fault. He didn’t start the fight and it was the man who pulled a weapon on him. As far as he was concerned he was innocent, but apparently not in these people’s eyes. Was it really true that he was the bad guy here? There was just no sense to it, especially when he hadn’t done anything wrong.

“Look, I-…I don’t know what I did wrong, but please leave me alone. I never asked for trouble!” Turning around again he tried to head on his way, but with one quick look again the men starting moving after him. Panicking, the Machina instead broke into a run, pushing past the crowd to try and get out of sight again. Already he was feeling regret for his actions but people were quickly trying to get away from him as well, frightened of what he was while managing to give him a good path to follow. He didn’t know whether to be concerned that they were doing this or glad that they were giving him a path.

Making one last look behind him he saw the men were following him, pushing their way past the crowd. This was not good at all, he just wanted to leave and disappear from this place. Turning around immediately he spun around again, not really giving a good look at it before feeling a sudden yank at his leg. Someone had stuck their walking stick out at him which got caught on his leg, causing him to stumble and immediately bump into a young man, falling to the stone floor with a hard thump. He didn’t have time to register what had happened, but without much time to get up again the guards were already on the scene.

[Scout]

"Confound it," Asta muttered as the scene was diffused by the guards rather quickly. Her hand fell still before it could even move to make a cast and she pushed her way back through the crowd to find somewhere else to be. Magi weren't trusted, so she chose not to outwardly utilize her power, choosing to hide in throngs of people when she used making an average event into a more exciting one. Still, she had to find some way to stop the church's power-grab over Magi. Her people would, one tribe at a time, abandon this entire plane of existence. They thought that by leaving it they would be safe from the effects of magic gradually ebbing away... But no, as soon as this world faced such a drastic change, their home plane would almost certainly be next. Either the Church would take it too or the Ydra there would have their own issues with the disappearance of magic. It was all connected and her family and friends just wanted to bury their heads in the sand. Disgusting.

As the crowd dispersed, going back to business as usual, she was able to make it more easily down the street. Was everybody in this town perpetually drunk, or was there a holiday she simply didn't know about? Men everywhere were tottering about and shouting at random people for no reason. It wasn't until she saw a crowd and a few guards chasing after somebody shouting about him being Machina. It was hard to tell, he looked like a normal kid, albeit with some strange equipment to just take out walking. This town was full of drunks and interesting happenstance... All day, it seemed.

She furrowed her brow as she caught sight of an older man sticking his walking cane out and caused the boy to fall straight into somebody in front of him, taking both of them to the ground. She laughed at the comedy of the scene, recognizing the boy and the little girl and her pet by the food stand. They were the ones causing a commotion directly outside the bar. A living Machina, a boy with no sense of direction, and a homeless girl toting a moorcat... Three pretty big misfits all in a pile with the guards converging on them.

[shylarah]

Amuné tagged along after Ethan, still keeping a hand on her cat's back for reassurance. The sight of the market made her eyes grow huge. So many things to buy! Her attention zeroed in on the edibles displayed, and she took a deep breath, closing her eyes for a moment to better enjoy the smell. And she would be able to eat something. The Ydran man lead her to a stall serving fish, and the girl wasn't the only eager party. Wyth's tailtip curled in anticipation of the flaky meat he was eyeing in a calculating manner, as if figuring out the best way to liberate a morsel or two. The line seemed to take forever, and when Ethan finally made his purchase and extended the fish the girl grabbed them hastily, pulling one free of its stick to hold out to the moorcat as she took a greedy bite of the other. "Mmm..." It was simple fare, but to a starving child it was a taste of heaven. Wyth took his fish daintily, careful not to get Amuné's hand with his teeth, and gave a catty sort of smile, whiskers forward.

His ears swiveled as there was a commotion behind them, and the feline turned his head, before suddenly lunging forward and shoving his girl aside, causing her to drop her meal. "My fish!" she cried, and started to snatch it up again, only to have some strange boy hit Ethan, resulting in both of them landing atop it. Cat and girl looked down at the fallen pair, and tears welled up in Amuné's eyes. Having nothing to eat, and then being given something only to have it taken away was just too much. "Hey!" she cried, emotion getting the best of shyness as she beat her little fists against the newcomer, more in anger than in an actual attempt to harm, and tried to pull him aside. "Get up, get off! That's my fish!"

[GambolMuse]

There really wasn't any solid reply from Amuné, but Ethan figured the girl didn't mind. Considering both herself and Wyth were not only starving but dirty made it a safe bet they'd like to get cleaned up, and he'd be happy to help with that as well. Gods only know if any tailor around here might have clothing her size, but it was worth a look before he left town. "There's always more where that came from, by the way, just let me know if you want another," he said cheerfully with a smile, "Just don't eat too fast, otherwise you'll get sick." Chuckling as he watched the pair tear into their meals he clasped his hands together, rising to his feet and glancing around to try and find a nearby tailor.

"Stop that boy! Don't let him escape!"

Hm, what was that? Sounded like someone was awfully cross with some kid, wonder what that might be about. Turning his head to look in the direction of the shout Ethan blinked seeing another boy charging towards him, looking back as well at whoever was pursuing him. Gasping when he realized he was right in the stranger's way he held up his hands defensively, trying to wave to get the other's attention. With no luck in that department he braced for getting hit, giving an "oomph" when he was run into and toppled over, landing on his back with the fleeing boy on top of him. Groaning he lifted up his head, peering over the stranger at the four men in suits, not recognizing their attire at all and finding it highly unusual for how far out they were. Did these people come from the city?

"That's enough, you're through Machina!" one of the men snapped, drawing his firearm from his coat and aiming it at the boy, "You know full well rogue elements like yourself can't roam freely, you'll be deactivated and returned back to the factory."

Machina? Who was a machina? They were calling this boy a machina apparently, but there was no way that was possible; machina were machines, he was a living being, anyone with eyes could see that. No machine looked this lifelike, so whoever had given these people the idea he was a machina was pulling a cruel trick. Able to move once the stranger got off of him he sat up, smiling politely as he looked up at the group of men. "Easy now, I'm sure this is some kind of misunderstanding," Ethan said, raising his hands slowly, "Let's just all calm down here and figure this out. There's no way that this kid can be-" The white-haired boy was cut off when a blade slammed into the ground between his legs, narrowly missing his groin as it broke apart the cobble beneath him. Paling in fright he let out a faint squeak, staring at the blade for a moment before looking up.

"He is a machine, and he is well beyond his parameters by being out here. Don't be fooled by his appearance, he's as much a machine as my sword," the man spoke, frowning as he pulled his blade free and looked down at Ethan, "You'll be charged for aiding him and be brought into the city if you continue to get in our way. Move aside or be prepared to face the consequences."

"He... He's really a machine, huh?" Ethan mumbled, furrowing his brow as he looked over at the stranger again. No way could that be true, he had emotion and looked to be alive, it just couldn't be true; if this boy was a machine then he was special, it would be wrong to just toss him aside and 'deactivate' him like the men had been saying. Biting his lip uncertainly for a moment the Magi let out a sigh, hanging his head and closing his eyes. "Alright... Just give me a second to..." he began, trailing off as he abruptly spun his body around and swung a leg out, managing to catch the man in the leg and trip him, immediately grabbing the other boy's arm and pushing him ahead, "Go, go, go!" Scrambling up to his feet he grabbed Amuné and held her under one of his arms, taking off hastily down the road with Wyth no doubt following suit. With the stranger now tagging along they made a hasty retreat towards the eastern side of town, hoping perhaps escape into the woods nearby. Glancing back over his shoulder he saw the men still ganging, all four looking mighty angry right now.

There wasn't any realistic chance of making it away from those four, they were fast and their group was a bit bogged down, not to mention the men had weapons. Though Ethan knew nothing of this other boy or why he was being chased he couldn't well abandon him to his fate, even if it meant he himself getting in trouble. A noble endeavor sure, but it would be for nothing if they ended up getting caught here. They had barely made it out of the center when the men were closing in, and the road they were entering was narrow and liable to get them trapped. Seeing little other option, though reluctant to do so, Ethan skidded to a halt and turned around, staring at the men bearing down on them. There wasn't any other option, not if they wanted to get out of here. He hadn't cast magic in some time now, and the spell he'd need to stop them was liable to wear him out, yet it was needed.

"Amuné, hang on," Ethan said, turning his body and extending one arm towards the four men. Wind seemed to abruptly shift direction in that instant, moving to their backs and then shifting again as it blew against their fronts, taking on a slight swirling motion eventually with Ethan and Amuné at the epicenter. With his hair and clothes being tossed erratically and eyes glowing a slight golden hue the wind took on visible form, a translucent green mist forming at his hand before shooting forward suddenly, expanding and engulfing each of the four men in its wake. Initially nothing happened as they stopped and braced against the gust, but within seconds each of them was swept off their feet, being thrown every which ways both into walls and other objects. The spell only last a few seconds, but once it was over Ethan dropped to one knee, releasing Amuné as he gasped and began panting, a sheen of sweat on his face.

"Hah... There... No more creeps..." the Magi mumbled, smiling as he wiped at his face with his sleeve, trying to force himself to his feet and staggering slightly, "Sorry for that you guys... Didn't mean to hurt you." That spell had definitely overdone it though, he felt like he'd just run a quarter mile in an instant. Thankfully it had done its job, as each man was now sprawled out in various ways, groaning and barely moving as they were no doubt quite disoriented from all of that. As if there wasn't a big enough scene before now the citizens were borderline panicking, some screams emerging as everyone began to rush away from the scene of the attack. Feeling rather terrible for it Ethan could only watch, his smile fading as he looked down at Amuné again. "Sorry... Couldn't let them catch us," Ethan managed, turning to face the unknown boy as he started stumbling forward, "Come on... We should go, before they get up. I don't have another in me."

[shylarah]

Amuné abandoned the effort of recovering her meal and put the Ethan-pile between herself and the strange men as they approached. She went pale when one of them stabbed the ground before Ethan, and Wyth's fur bristled, making the large cat seem even bigger. Machina? She looked at the boy. He seemed to be Muran. Was he really a machine? She'd had limited contact with them, for her village did not have many. They were simple and rather old-fashioned there, and the Machina she'd seen looked nothing like the other child.

She gasped as Ethan swept her up, eyes widening in surprise, and then unfocusing. "Magi..." she whispered. She twisted her neck to look at his face. "You're Magi." He was Magi, just like she was, and Ydra as well. Maybe she really would be okay with him. Wyth stayed at their side, and people were quick to get out of the way of the group. Those that didn't were easily pushed aside.

And then the nice man was stopping, and turning around. Amuné was confused. The men in suits would catch them if they just stood still. What was he doing? She held tight as the wind suddenly picked up. He had the power of Kedo, the Saint of Air, just like her father. But he was using that power to toss the suited men aside? That wasn't what magic was for. The girl frowned and bit her lip. She supposed that defending yourself was okay, but her father had always said magic must never be used for evil, for it was a blessing. When Ethan set her down she looked up at him and smiled shyly, before looking around. People were scared. Magic was a bad thing now, and they were afraid of it. But Ethan had magic too, so he wouldn't be afraid of her. She decided that she'd stick with him, at least for a while.

[Mogtaki]

All of his senses were completely thrown off, his sense of balance compromised as he was thrown to the floor by gravity through the influence of an exterior force. What a complete problem this was now and what was worse was he landed against someone and on something too. Slowly pushing himself up he gasped as some squeaky girl thumping against his frame, confusing him briefly before he was instead pushed onto his side. Everyone here certainly was rude around here, even if in his haste wasn’t really looking where his feet were going. Not quite understanding what she was trying to say before, he looked down at himself at the strange pressure against his chest, seeing a fish quite clearly stuck to him. “Oh, uhh! I-I’m sorry…” he stuttered, peeling off the fish and giving it back to the girl, smiling for only a second before his attention went to a much more important matter to attend to.

Those men were already there, staring down at him with such authority and hatred. This was awful, he didn’t mean to do anything wrong. Raising his hand in front of him he stared at the end of the weapon, his eyes slowly going to the man in full knowledge of what his threat meant. He had come so far, he couldn’t go back to that place. There was nothing for him back there and he had learned so much about the outside world, to be taken back and given a full restore would be even worse than death.

“N-No…please, I didn’t mean-…” Before he could even begin to explain himself the boy he had accidentally collided with was speaking for him, but the boy just sounded confused. Slowly looking to the boy, the sound of steel smacking stone caused him to flinch pretty badly, his attention going straight back to the man who was full of anger and determination to carry out his duty. This wasn’t good; if he so much as tried to move he was going to be shot. This boy was going to get in trouble all because of him. He didn’t deserve this, not for his own mistake of bumping into him.

Looking to the boy with a hopeful expression he could only hope that he wasn’t like these other people, that he wouldn’t end up treating him like he was just a pile of illegal parts. There had to be some way to convince these men that they had the wrong idea about him, but from what he experienced once they knew what he was there wasn’t much hope in that; if only he could just grab that firearm the man had, maybe even the sword, then he could make a difference and finally find a way out of this mess.

The boy being threatened didn’t really turn out very well, it almost seemed as if he was going to give in to the threat. Getting frightened for only a brief second, the moment the sound of a man slamming into stone he jumped before immediately being yanked up and thrown forward by the boy. Stumbling on his feet he made a sudden terrible error he really should regret, but it was probably his only way out: he started to run. This was definitely a terrible idea; they had ranged weapons, he didn’t. Looking back briefly to the boy he saw he was taking the girl with him, immediately thinking it was a bad idea to get her involved too. This was bad and all because of him, but what was worse was he didn’t know if they were going to get out of this alive all because of him.

“I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to-! Ah! What are you doing??” Skidding to a halt as well he turned to Ethan, almost frightened by what he was doing. He didn’t understand what was happening now and could only be worried that the boy was surrendering; however, according to his readings an energy level was rising and it was coming from this guy. Staring at him in an attempted analysis he gasped when it was shot out, watching it before he noticeably started feeling anxious. Opening his mouth to speak, he could only move back in fright as it caused the men to suddenly bounce away with great force into various directions.

Now that was something he hadn’t seen before but all he could feel was confusion, trying to get data on what that was. It was certainly different to what he experienced before, but right now that would have to wait until later when he was still supposed to be escaping right now. Just about to turn around again he looked back when he realised the boy wasn’t doing too well, barely managing to walk by the looks of it. He could run off immediately and not think about it, but he couldn’t leave these two behind. Frowning, he soon went around to his side, looking over him before to the girl. “Hold on tight, okay? I’m just going to…”

Only seeming to contemplate it for a moment he moved around once they were moving, moving his large hands underneath the pair he lifted them over his head before immediately breaking into a sprint. Anybody with a sharp eye could see where he was heading with them through the crowd, but he didn’t want to risk being caught by the men while they were out. He just knew where he had to go and that was out of the settlement. While the Machina was in a hurry, he realised he completely forgot one simple custom. Coming to a brief halt he placed both the girl and boy down, panicking slightly. “I-I didn’t mean to treat you like that! I should ask first! It’s your custom, right?”

[GambolMuse]

Everything had happened awfully quick, Ethan barely knew what he was doing himself. After he had been nearly run over by the other boy things just moved like clockwork, his body willing itself to get both the stranger and Amuné out of harm's way. It wasn't until they had gotten into the chase itself that he started to recognize what was going on, realizing too that they didn't stand much of a chance at escaping; the men were armed and likely trained, they would need a miracle to get away without trying anything. After exhausting every option he could think of Ethan opted on the one he was most reluctant to use, and the most worried to as well. If casting a spell didn't take the men out then he'd not only be drained, but they'd be livid and everyone would be in trouble for it. That risk was worth it however if he pulled it off, as it would give them at the very least a window to escape. With Amuné in his grasp still he didn't have time to set her down, so instead he clutched the young Ydra to his side, gave her a brief warning and fired off a spell.

The results of his magic couldn't have been better. Not only were the men thrown aside, but there was minimal damage to their surroundings, and he hadn't killed them or himself with it, a win-win. Though Ethan may not be quite dead he certainly felt like it, his body immediately becoming exhausted as he fell to one knee, breathing a bit raggedly from expending so much so quick. It was normally against his self-conduct to attack someone like that, but there was no way he could let Amuné or Wyth be hurt, or the other boy for that matter. Managing to rise back to his feet after a moment's struggle he let out a breathless chuckle, trying to stumble ahead as he gestured for the others to follow. People were in a proper panic now after having seen magic, and no doubt the guards would be on their way; how were the people of this town going to treat a Magi? Would he be taken away like Cedric had been? That was pretty disheartening to think about, especially when he'd gone and pledged to help Amuné.

"Come on, the forest isn't far..." Ethan said tiredly, glancing back at Amuné and Wyth to make sure they were unharmed before immediately looking forward when the other boy approached them. "Hold on...? Hold on to- WHOA!" With strength quite shocking for his size the other boy lifted both of them up with minimal effort, raising them above his head before taking off down the road. Balancing awkwardly in his hand, the white-haired Magi had only just gotten a hold on himself when they stopped just as abruptly and were placed down, feeling lightheaded from the sudden lifting and dropping. Rubbing at his forehead he glanced up at the boy, giving him a confused look briefly before breaking into a smile.

"Hey... It's fine, you're trying to help... All good..." Ethan answered giving a dismissive wave of his hand. Peering past the other boy he made sure to check if they were being followed, relieved to see no one coming after them. So his spell had worked then, though he wasn't likely going to be welcome back to this town any time soon. Shame too, he'd like to at least go back to the spot he'd cast at and clean it up, seeing as he'd made a mess of things. "We should keep moving, if... You don't mind. You're not safe... And we gotta protect Amuné too." He'd get back to his own task eventually, first thing was to make certain these two were fine. Giving a nod of approval to be lifted again, Ethan braced himself and let out a faint gasp at the shift again, being less disoriented however as he was ready for it. Like before it only took a second until they were off again, and in mere moments they were beyond the city's limits, heading down the road that wound back into the forest.

Only once they were largely out of view of the town did Ethan call for them to stop, certain they were safe for now. That and all of the jostling around while being carried was hammering his already battered body, he felt like he'd just ran into a building at full speed or something. Smiling gratefully as they were set back down, the Magi let out a long-winded sigh before leaning back where he sat, placing his hands back on the grass as he let out a short laugh. "Wow... Today sure was busy... Didn't expect to be running this much..." he mused, still a bit short of breath, "Nice to meet you, by the way... My name's Ethan, and sorry if I caused trouble back there... Couldn't just let them do... Whatever they were wanting to do to you. You alright now, uh...?" Glancing over at Amuné and Wyth he smiled, remembering their plight as well as he gestured to the small bag at his side. "There's a bit of food in there... Dried beef and fruit. Take whatever you want, my treat, make up for squashing your fish."

[Scout]

Asta watched in utter shock as guards were thrown aside, some falling unconscious while others struggled to recuperate from the sudden shock. It was rather comical and the crowd was thickening. The few guards who started to get to their feet would see the little Machina-boy-thing picking up his two new companion. However, they wouldn't even take note of the direction the small group was running. Spectral, white whisps emanated slightly from Asta's eyes as she watched from behind her hood, her hand shifting and waving inconspicuously. The crowd was fixated on the little group as they ran away, but the air started to ripple directly in front of the guards, a wall of mirage appearing directly before them. Those familiar with Void magic would notice it immediately, but the school was a difficult one to grasp. The illusion was hardly anything to scoff at; were it so much as touched, it would disappear. On the other hand, it was enough time to confuse the hell out of the guards for only a moment. The air was shimmering, and a few of the crowd members noticed it.

"It's a trick! That Magi out there is trying to fool you, get 'im!!" The people turned to an uproar. Dear Saints, the Church had really ruined the perception of all of them, didn't it? They all thought that that kid was evil just because he cast magic trying to protect a kid being harassed by guards. Ironic, though, that they thought he was the caster and nobody even looked to her. As soon as the guards had recovered and moved into the wall, shattering the illusion, all three of the misfits and their moorcat were gone.

Asta crouched down near Myria, "Go find them, I'll be right behind you," She instructed pointing in the direction of the woods. The cobra fox slunk through the throngs of people and was able to slip away undetected into the treeline. Asta waited for the crowd to disperse as the trail of the misfits grew cold. She pulled stepped beyond the treeline unnoticed and started her own search. Myria would likely be hiding somewhere near the group, but not making contact with them. Asta would feel it had they found the cobra fox and don anything rash. Considering they had a child with a moorcat and one seemingly over-generous Magi, it seemed unlikely to happen.

Asta couldn't directly know where Myria was, but as she traveled she had a "getting warmer/getting colder" feeling based on the direction she was going and whether she was getting closer to the fox. Finally, after what seemed like an age, she found them sitting around, resting after the massive casting that the boy had to use earlier. The Ydra girl waited a few moments before clearing her throat and stepping out, Myria walking directly beside her.

"That was some... er... Impressive work back there, I suppose. Bit of a strange situation you've all landed yourself in, though, I must admit," She said with a shrug, looking the three plus one of them over. "You casted some pretty heavy magic, I'm pretty surprised you didn't actually die from it." Her observation was blunt, sure, but she wasn't one for using extraneous flourishes on her statements. "Name's Asta," She stated, crossing her arms over her chest, cocking an eyebrow, "Think I ran into you," She started, looking at Ethan, "And you," Her eyes flitted to Amuné, "Near the tavern I was in earlier... You've been causing a lot of commotion today, it seems."

[Mogtaki]

The Machina didn’t know if he was doing good or making a mistake by carrying these people, but he didn’t know how else to transport people. He never even touched a living person before so carrying them was a completely new lesson he had to undertake. Just what happened when they stopped functioning at 100% and started slowing down like that, when they stopped functioning properly during a dire time. Apparently he had not screwed up quite as badly as he thought he might, hearing the boy give his approval of the ride. Smiling happily he nodded, picking them up once more and continued his way out of the settlement and towards the forest.

As he continued outwards he could only wonder whether these people will remember him or pass on information like what he looked like. He was worried that he might not be able to travel into settlements again just because of what he was, but he tried to not let that get him down. He wanted to be part of the people and wanted to see how they functioned, but if he was going to be chased out by people like that then he was not going to have a terribly great time or a lot of freedom. He was worried he might not get the same freedom others had just because of what he was. Maybe it was bad to be a machine, but then again it was hopefully just those people who had the problem was just a onetime thing.

Finding the space to finally settle down and hopefully get back on the right path again he eventually came to a stop once the boy signalled for him to, looking up at him before slowly lowering him down along with the girl. “I have not touched another being that wasn’t followed with a ‘watch it’ before”. Moving away from the pair he stared at them as if expecting one of them to get mad at him for getting them into trouble. He had practically dragged them into trouble and he felt bad for it, but instead the boy got all giggly about it. Staring at him as he instead introduced himself he placed a finger on his slashed cheek, looking away briefly before nodding. “They wanted to deactivate me. I thought you heard that”, he spoke, confused by Ethan’s own confusion, “I am C-X 00…uhh, but a name like yours…C-…Cecil. Nil value over ‘C’ and ‘xil’. Cecil is logical conclusion”.

He thought Cecil was fairly logical if he had to have a name like theirs to keep him out of trouble, seeing how his model number could cause trouble again. He didn’t want to drag anybody else into his problems, even if the guy seemed happy enough to be a part of it. He really didn’t know what to do in this situation, but he definitely upset the girl with his appearance. Looking away for a moment he hardly noticed someone had been following them and was quite willing to come straight up to them. Just what made them think it was fine to approach them like that without warning? Taking a few steps back he raised his fists, staring at the woman as she insisted on talking to them casually, or at least Ethan and the girl who appeared to be called Amuné. He wasn’t sure if it was alright that she seemed to be ignoring his presence for now considering the attention he received earlier, but of course she could easily be the type to hate Machina too. He was rather unsure at this point and would probably need to wait a while before giving his assumption that everything was going to be okay now.