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

[shylarah]

Bath

Amuné saw Cecil standing away from the spring, and she felt sorry for the Machina. He couldn't really take a bath, now could he? And that meant he'd never get to feel how wonderful they could be. It seemed Ethan had though of something similar, for he took a rag over to Cecil so the Machina could clean himself off.

Ethan suggested lunch before they set out to search, and Amuné was glad. "Something to eat would be wonderful," she said. "I'm so hungry my tummy is making noises!" Wyth pricked up his ears at the word "eat". He wasn't particularly hungry, but he would never turn down food if it was offered. He squeezed his eyes shut as his girl dumped water on his head to rinse the suds off, before heading with her to the edge of the spring. Amuné wished she could stay in the water longer, but Ethan was drying off, and that meant it was time to get out. Still, she felt so much better now that she was clean.

She checked the bandage on her shoulder, which was quite wet despite her best efforts to keep it out of the water. But at least it was still secure, so that was good. She dashed for the towel rack, bare feet slapping on the damp stone. The girl grabbed two towels, draped one around her shoulders, and went over to Ethan. "Will you help me dry my hair?" she asked holding one out to him. Usually Mommy or Daddy helped her with her hair while she sat wrapped in a towel like a little ghost, but neither of them was around to help her now. She hoped desperately that while they were looking for this Nymira that they'd hear good news about her parents too.

[Mogtaki]

Cecil didn’t really have a method to which he could join the others in their activities that would mean he wouldn’t be damaged, certainly managing to make him feel a little sad. He wasn’t able to partake in what they enjoyed doing and was simply finding himself to be rendered useless and placed on the side lines. He wanted to be able to experience what they experienced, but what that man said really scared him and he feared for his life. Even if it was just water, he didn’t know if he was going to short-circuit if he got in it or not, making him worry that he was trying to be too much like them by desiring a bath.

Staring at the water almost longingly he glanced to Ethan who seemed to mutter something, staring at him for a moment before he watched him get out. Not fully understanding what he was doing now or if he was done, he stared as he indeed got one of the towels meant to dry him and instead dipped it in the water, giving it to him. Staring at it curiously, he slowly took it from him before smiling. “That’s…that’s really great, thank you”. Sitting down happily to the side, he started wiping down his legs and arms with the towel, imitating how they were washing themselves. He was pretty happy he could partake in the washing ritual they all seemed to enjoy, even if he was too worried to get into the water. His legs and arms were fairly dirty after all that travelling time he had taken part in so even to him this felt like some sort of sweet relief to finally get washed.

Looking up to Ethan when he decided to make another decision, he tilted his head a little before nodding, looking away. “Will this lunch take long?” he asked, setting the towel done and slowly standing again, feeling rather refreshed already, “The situation currently is pretty dire…” Looking to Amuné who seemed rather happy at the food suggestion he let out a sigh and rubbed his chest, contemplating on the true needs and desires of the group. They really needed to repay the debt to that man before it was too late, but they were all happy to go with other plans that he couldn’t understand the prime importance of putting off the other for. If they found this person they wouldn’t need to worry about anything else and could eat all they wanted before heading out again, but there was also the man that had attacked them so that would be an active problem too. Feeling confused and worried, he sighed and lowered his head as he continuously tried to fix his plans in his head, only feeling as if time was running out.

[GambolMuse]

"No problem Cecil, don't want you missing out," Ethan replied, smiling as he gave his friend a pat on the shoulder. He knew they had work to do, but they really ought to take care of themselves first. If they collapsed from hunger or something then they'd be useless, both to themselves and in saving this Nymira woman. Sure, there was a sense of urgency with finding her, but they couldn't wear themselves down and expect to be useful. After getting Cecil a towel to clean off with, the Magi went about drying himself down as well, slipping into a small changing room to the side to get dressed. All of his clothes were nice and fresh, courtesy of the staff at the inn, and changing into them was a delight in of itself. Once he was all dressed he stepped out of the changing room and was immediately confronted by a still-dripping Amuné, smiling at her kindly when she asked for help.

"Of course! I'd be happy to Amuné." Accepting the towel he knelt down before the young Ydran girl, smiling as he began to wipe down her hair. She looked so happy now that she was fresh and clean, and hopefully she'd be even happier once she saw her clothes. Humming to himself as he went about his work, Ethan finished and playfully laid the towel over Amuné's head, chuckling before lifting it and poking her on the nose. "There, all dry! I bet that must feel loads better," he said cheerfully, going over to Wyth and squatting down again, offering to dry off the moorcat. After a little bit of coercing he managed to make Wyth stay, and he dutifully went about drying down the animal. When all was said and done Wyth's fur had poofed up somewhat, inciting laughter from Ethan that he tried to stifle behind an open hand. "S-Sorry Wyth, you just... You..." he stammered, laughing as he pointed at the animal, "You're like a big ball of fluff! It's awesome!" The moorcat sure could be intimidating, but right now he couldn't help but crack up at his appearance.

Now that everyone was dried they could get Amuné dressed, and then look into getting some food. Right on cue too the maid had come to the washroom to deliver the clothes, and Ethan rushed over to grab them, smiling gratefully and thanking her numerous times before returning to the group. The clothing was wrapped up in a bit of brown paper and tied closed by a string, a hasty way to make it a present for the little girl. "Here, got these for you while you were getting ready, hope they fit," Ethan said cheerfully, handing off the package to Amuné, "Just go try them on in a changing room, let me know if they're okay?" He hoped so, goodness knows if they could get a refund on them or not. He didn't even know where the maid had gone to buy them either, he'd just provided the money and left it to her judgement. Watching Amuné hurry off to get changed, he turned back to Cecil as he began asking about their plans.

"Lunch might take 15 minutes, and that gives us a bit of time to ask around too. Don't worry, we'll be working while we eat," Ethan explained, giving Cecil a thumbs up, "And we'll follow any leads we get here, however big or small. Then we can start asking around town too and see what we can find." They weren't going to forget about Nymira, she may be in trouble and need some help desperately. There was no telling what they might find when they went looking either, so they had to be ready for the worst. Seeing Cecil become apparently worried over it, Ethan walked over and gave him a pat on the back, smiling as he tried comforting the Machina. It was still a bit odd that a machine was feeling emotion like this, as according to Norman there was something very different about Cecil. Different wasn't bad though, and Ethan considered Cecil a friend no matter what he was like. "Hey, things will work out, okay? We'll find this woman, and we'll bring her back to Norman, everything will be fine. Then we can get you your oil and head to the next down, so don't stress."

Come to think of it, was oil all that Cecil needed? Norman had seemed very curious about their friend, and it might not be just because he had a shard in his body. They hadn't really done an entire inspection either, at least not to Ethan's knowledge. Just to be safe though they should ask now before they got caught up in work, otherwise it could go a while without being addressed. Giving Cecil a curious look over, as if he'd have any idea what to search for, the Magi offered a warm smile and slung an arm around the Machina's shoulders. "Say... Did we miss anything? Other than the oil, I mean," Ethan asked, raising an eyebrow, "It's just... Well you said it had been a while, right? Better we be safe and cover all our bases while we can, don't you think?"

[shylarah]

Bath

Amuné held the second towel around her with one hand, the other hand resting on Ethan's shoulder to steady herself as he gave her hair a thorough drying. Then the man put the towel over her head, getting a giggle from her when he poked her nose. She felt so much better now, all nice and clean. She pulled the fuzzy towel tighter around her shoulders and watched Ethan go over to Wyth.

The moorcat was doing what he could to get the water out of his fur, but he was more than happy to let someone else do the work, stretching out and letting the man rub him down. Wyth closed his eyes most of the way and purred. His thick fur clumped up and stuck out at funny angles. That made the man laugh, and his girl joined in with a happy giggle. The cat just opened his eyes at looked at them, before getting to his feet and stretching out.

Just then a maid arrived with a package wrapped in paper and twine. Ethan thanked her profusely before going to hand the parcel to Amuné. She gasped, and her eyes went wide. "For me?!" she asked, taking it hesitantly. "Is this...you had her get me clothing?" Grateful tears welled up in her eyes, and she gave him a tight hug. "Thank you," she said into his shirt, before dashing off to get changed. Once inside she ripped open the package eagerly. Inside was a skirt, a blouse with long sleeves, and a vest with a cute floral pattern, as well as underthings and socks. "He really shouldn't have..." the girl murmured to herself, looking at the garments. But they were for her, and she really didn't want to make Ethan feel bad after he'd gone to the trouble of spending money on her.

Carefully she pulled the fresh clothes on, and her old shoes, before bundling up the old clothing in a neat ball. It wasn't in good shape, but if they needed bandages or scraps or something it might come in handy, once cleaned. She smoothed the knee-length skirt down, and went outside. "Look, Ethan!" Amuné exclaimed, turning around so he could see. "They're wonderful!"

[Mogtaki]

While Cecil was all for them feeling good about themselves and everything, he still felt rather worried that they were falling behind greatly. There was all of this they had to do and then there was supposed to be the journey they were originally undertaking on top of that, even if that didn’t have a time limit. He really wanted to get back on schedule, but having people with him really did make it just that little bit more difficult. He still didn’t know what was wrong with him not being able to accept this is a logical decision made by them. They were the ones who needed this rest, they knew what was best for them and yet here he was getting all worried when he wasn’t worrying over them. It was hard to worry over them, they seemed so happy to take this time of theirs and be slow about it.

Finding that he was just too confused with what he was supposed to be doing he did ask about the time it would take them and when they might expect out of their time. Frowning slightly when Ethan gave him a pretty straight forward answer he looked down before away, worried that it might be too late soon for the woman considering how long she had been missing for even if they only just found out about her. Someone was in trouble and not finding them meant he was probably going to lose his rights to the battery and then he would definitely be pretty dead. Sighing lightly, he looked up when Ethan gave him a pat on the back, staring at him curiously as he gave it another attempt to make everything better. Sighing lightly Cecil soon managed a smile, trying to show he was not stressing out too much. “I’m trying not to. I just hope I’m not going to pay the price if we can’t find her”.

Giving his arm a rub he soon looked down at his hand instead, simply wondering where this path was leading him. He should run away instead, just keep going and the man would never be able to catch him to take the battery. It seemed to be the most sensible decision he could make, but it didn’t feel right either. He had so much to worry about now and he definitely felt pretty bad because of it. Gasping as Ethan slung his arm around him he stared at him, trying to understand what he was asking before he looked away again. “Well, uhh…there are a few things”, he spoke, flicking his gauntlet, “I wouldn’t mind knowing what my function is. Yeah I probably left the factory early, but I don’t know what happened there anyway. Could had been something terrible that drove me out, but…I don’t know, that man might know something about me, why I’m built like this and why I exist. It’s just-…it’s just been a thought, I guess”.

[GambolMuse]

It had cost him almost all his remaining money, but Ethan had been more than happy to pay for Amuné's clothing. She needed those more than he did anything else, and he'd not dream of spending it on anything less. Hopefully what they got was enough, he knew he'd not given the maid much and had worried about the quality of what they might get. After accepting the package from the maid, he presented it to his young companion cheerfully with a smile, hoping she'd accept it. "Yeah, I did! I figured you needed some, so-" he began, stopping when Amuné hugged him. Glancing down at the young Ydran girl warmly he nodded his head, giving her a small, one armed hug before watching her race off to get changed. Good, she should be in much higher spirits from now on, that would be nice. In the grand scheme of things too it had only cost him pocket change, well worth the purchase.

While Amuné changed, it seemed like Cecil needed some help at well. The poor Machina was stressing over trying to find Nymira, making it out like she might die if they took half an hour too long. She very well could, that wasn't a thought that hadn't crossed Ethan's mind yet, but he knew they had to be ready to start too. A rescuer was no good if they couldn't save themselves as well, he'd had a guard tell him that before, back in Kinsgrove. If you went into a rescue weak or unprepared then it might just mean two casualties, instead of one person saved. Not knowing what kind of position Nymira might be in it was best they be ready for anything, and to do that they had to be fed and fired up. "We'll find her, don't you worry. And if we do have to pay then I'll handle it," Ethan replied, waving his hand dismissively with a smile, "You needed that, you shouldn't have to pay for it, that's not right. I can just pick up a few quick jobs around Galloway, and pay it off in a day or two. So don't even worry about that, it's taken care of!"

At last the doors to the changing room swung open, and Ethan looked over with a gleam of excitement in his eyes, hoping Amuné liked her new gift. Judging by the beaming smile on her face one would think so, nearly skipping as she raced out to them. "Awesome! I'm so glad they fit you!" he laughed, watching as the Ydran girl twirled about. That should make traveling for her a little more pleasant, though maybe they should have gotten new shoes as well? One way or another he'd probably have to pick up some money here, they could always buy her a fresh pair before they left. With Amuné taken care of for the moment, Cecil's needs crept back into the forefront of Ethan's mind. They hadn't gotten their Machina friend everything he needed still, and he didn't want their friend thinking he was being neglected. When asked about it, Cecil had asked about a fairly heavy and deep question; essentially, Cecil wanted to find out why he was here. It was a hard one to answer for anybody, though Machina, unlike humans seemed to be generally built for one purpose and one purpose alone, so maybe it wouldn't be that difficult.

"We can ask Norman when we see him later, after we get Nymira," Ethan declared confidently, smirking as he spoke, "Maybe he can't give us the answer, but he can point us in the right direction, at the very least. And from there, uh... Well we go wherever he tells us!" Hopefully that somehow aligned with where he wanted to go, and where Amuné was looking to go. They had an awful lot of traveling to do between the three of them, and they could well end up traveling all over Adelon before they were done. It was a bit more than he had planned to do on the onset of this journey, but if they were willing to stick with him for his journey then he'd do the same for them. Now that they were all cleaned up and dressed, there was only one thing left to do before they got to work: have lunch!

"Oh boy, I can't wait to get something to eat...!" Ethan declared excitably, rubbing his hands together at the table. The barkeeper had come by already and looked into what they wanted, not that there was a huge selection. Some steaks of various cuts of meats, soups, plenty of baked goods, essentially everything that Galloway might be able to provide for itself. Given that this was partially a farming and commercial center, unlike their last town, he was optimistic they wouldn't get tasteless or stale food this time around. His stomach grumbled excitably at that thought, his mouth salivating as he pictured a heaping bowl of fresh, delicious stew before him. "Hehe... So, think we should start asking around now? Or... After we eat?" he asked curiously, glancing between Cecil and Amuné before flashing a small smile, "Because... Er... I really don't want to get thrown out before we eat."

[shylarah]

Inn

Clean and with a fresh change of clothes, Amuné felt like a new person. She could almost forget the events of a couple weeks prior.../almost/. She offered up a quick prayer to Saint Edos, that her parents were okay and she'd somehow find them soon. But she could look at that search in a more positive light now. The only thing left that she really wanted was a good meal. Cecil was talking about life purpose, for some reason, and that made the girl wrinkle her nose. "You sound like an elder!" she told him. "There's plenty of time to worry about why you're here when you're older. Or...well...hm." He /was/ a Machina, so someone had to have actually built him, didn't they? Maybe his purpose was more relevant to his life than the purpose of people of flesh and blood. "Well we can try to find out, but shouldn't you go where you came from to get answers, not just somewhere random?" Answers wouldn't just be lying around any old where, would they?

First things first, though. Ethan mentioned food, and Amuné seized upon the idea with renewed enthusiasm. "Dinner!" she exclaimed. "Something I didn't need to skin, anything, that'd be nice. Maybe they'll have a fish to make up for the one yesterday." Wyth made a soft noise of anticipation, and the girl frowned at him. "Don't give me that, I know full well you had a rabbit when you caught me one, so you don't need another meal until tomorrow. Ethan doesn't need to buy you something, Wyth, don't be greedy." The moorcat's ears drooped at her tone. He'd hoped for something he didn't need to catch. That was the best sort of food, after all.

"Why would we get thrown out for asking about her?" Amuné didn't understand why Ethan was worried. They were doing a harmless favor for a local. Norman seemed okay; surely he wouldn't ask them to do something that would get them in trouble, would he? Suddenly the girl felt cold. She had a sudden rush of forboding. Something, either Nymira or something related to her, something troubled the child. It felt like her Sight kicking in, but she couldn't tell any sort of details, nor even if it was her gift for certain, and without a reason she didn't dare say anything. Ethan had already wondered about her advanced warning at the bridge. What if he figured out she was a Seer? No, she'd just have to stay quiet and hope things went well.

[Mogtaki]

Cecil was finding it hard to be calm over trying to find someone, even if he had never met them before or even knew what they looked like. It was an entirely new experience for him and everything was made harder with the worry that they may never find this person, meaning he would be unable to complete a task assigned to him. Maybe that was where his worry came from, but he could never be too sure as everything that was riding on this was to do with his battery and being unable to repay it. It must’ve been easy for the other two to overlook because it wasn’t their lives that were on the line, just his and the desire to keep the battery. Ethan and Amuné sure had it easy with their organic bodies, only needing to consume fuel to feel better after using so much energy.

With Ethan trying to reassure him everything was going to be okay, Cecil still felt lost to what he was supposed to do about this woman. Sure he felt better that they would actively participate, but if this side-tracking meant possible death. Giving his chest a rub he looked down momentarily before to Ethan again, sighing lightly. “How much does someone’s life cost compared to mine? Is it really that cheap?” A day or two of work didn’t sound like much to him at all, especially if they lost someone only to be replaced by a few jobs. It sounded like someone’s existence didn’t come with that many worries, but maybe he was just looking at it incorrectly.

With Amuné getting all sorted as well, Cecil still had a pretty big question on his mind regarding the existence of himself and how much that guy actually knew. The man certainly seemed to know a great deal which should’ve concerned him, but not until he was actually asked about it. Giving Ethan an idea of what he wanted to know he stared at him as he once again gave a fairly positive outlook, even if there was some doubt expressed within. If that man could give him an idea of his purpose then maybe he could stop searching so hard for it, giving them all a way to relax and finally unwind. Finding it all a little difficult to schedule in his mind Amuné decided to express interest in what he was saying, only coming out with something that sounded a little like she was trying to suggest something else. “You want me to…go back?” he asked, looking away, “You want me to leave to where they wanted to deactivate me? I can’t go back there, I’ve been travelling for months to get away from there…”

[GambolMuse]

Ethan was rather excited to get some food, particularly food he didn't have to work for. The meals came with their stay at the inn, so he didn't have to worry about costs, and the staff here prepared it all for them. Considering their last meal had been interrupted by that water Magi, it had been a bit too long for his liking since they'd eaten. Cecil, however, perhaps due to his lack of an appetite, didn't quite share that sentiment. Trying to reconcile his need to go and search for Nymira, the wind-Magi cringed slightly when Amuné suggested going back to where the Machina had come from. That was probably not a very good idea, in fact it was probably the one thing that was out of the question. After Amuné's comment, Cecil made one as well asking about the cost of life. "W-Well... I... Uh..." Ethan stammered, trying to come up with some kind of response. You couldn't put a cost on any sort of life, every life was important in its own way. Between Amuné suggesting the impossible though, and Cecil asking the unthinkable, he was at his wits end.

"We won't get thrown out! I mean... Not so long as we don't ask the wrong person," Ethan replied hastily, glad to be having a change of topic. Smiling sheepishly he gave a small chuckle, hoping his words hadn't instilled the wrong idea in Amuné. "We should probably avoid shady looking people, they might be part of her disappearing, and things could go bad if they find out we're looking. We'll stick to the every day guy or girl, got it?" he explained, nodding with certainty to himself, "That way we're not running the risk of tipping anyone off. Then, we can use whatever leads we get to find Nymira, and everything will be fine!" That was his hope anyways, they would have to be a little cautious going in from here not to anger the wrong crowd. Naive as he may be about the ways of the world, Ethan knew even from Kinsgrove that there were plenty of nasty folks who'd come for you if you crossed them. There was a wealthy man who owned the town's forestry company, for instance, who'd had a worker beaten up for taking a few days off for his child's birth. Really not a bad thing, but he'd been punished, unjustly so, for doing it. The townsfolk had been very quick to... Reprimand the owner, though that didn't fix anything. Basically Ethan took away from the whole experience to step on the toes of those in power, unless you were ready to deal with the consequences.

There was an awful lot to be done still, there was no doubt of that, but they had to take everything one at a time. At present they had to find Nymira, and after that they could head on, look more into Amuné's parents as well as Cecil's origin. There was also the matter of Ethan's friend, though from what he understood it was more likely he'd find information closer to the major cities than all the way out here. The men who had taken Cedric didn't appear to be from anywhere nearby, as their attire suggested they were from a much wealthier district or province of Adelon. Galloway was nice and certainly a commercial center, but it didn't have nearly the outstanding wealth that the people who'd taken his friend seemed to have. Chances were greater than not that all of their journeys were going to continue after this, and it may be a while yet until they had any solid leads in regards to any of them. It was a lot to do, yet Ethan was optimistic they would all get what they wanted in the end of it.

But right now, something far more pressing and immediate demanded their attention. Something that was so monumental, so incredibly influential of how the rest of the day might play out, that they couldn't afford to miss it. "Yes! Food's here!" Ethan beamed, watching as plates and plates of food were laid out before them. Strips of beef cooked in some kind of sauce, plenty of vegetables, noodles, fish, some kind of stew, they were not the largest of portions but Saints be praised there was a lot of it! Practically salivating at the sight of it all, the Magi shifted about in his seat, resisting the urge to simply dig in and get eating. Instead, Ethan patiently filled up a plate for Amuné first, setting aside a small steak of fish for Wyth as well, before finally serving himself. "Oh boy, this looks so tasty," he said, rubbing his hands together before grabbing his fork, beginning to chow down eagerly. Sure, there was something nice about catching your own food and cooking it yourself, it made you feel proud and capable; there was next to no flavor in food cooked over a fire in the wilderness though, whereas this was a burst of flavors. It had been far too long since he'd gotten a meal this tasty, he couldn't pass it up!

[shylarah]

Inn

Amuné immediately regretted her words when she saw Cecil's expression. "What, no, no! Not if they want to kill you, that'd be bad. Life is very precious, too precious to have a worth in things you can own." Her mommy always said that saving someone's life was equal to saving the entire world, or something like that. That was to be expected from a healer, of course, but the girl felt it was true.

And once again Ethan was showing his boundless optimism, and his naivity. "Not all bad people look bad," Amuné said her voice turning pensive. "Are you sure you'll be able to tell?" But really, she felt cheerful enough now that she was clean and waiting for food that, aside from her vague sense of forboding, she wasn't very worried. As she'd told Cecil, there was time enough to worry later on.

And then the food appeared, and all thoughts of worry fled. "Yay!" Amuné exclaimed, clapping her hands together. And so much of it! There was enough that even Wyth, who'd pricked his ears and adopted an expresson both wistful and put-upon at the sight, could have something. The girl took the piece of fish and held it out to her companion, who took it daintily with a noise of pleasure. Then she turned her attention to the plate Ethan set before her, piled high with goodies that smelled divine. And this time no one was going to make her drop it. She said a quick "thank you" to Ethan before grabbing her utensils and digging in with enthusiasm.

After the girl had eaten so much that she felt stuffed, and Ethan was done too, she looked around the room. "Where should we start?" she asked. "Can I see that picture Norman gave us?" Ethan held it out to her. Amuné began to take it, and froze. Her grey eyes widened, no longer focusing on the image but instead the vision that appeared before them. Nymira, in a dim room, her clothing tattered, her limbs chained to a pipe. A couple other people, looking down at her and laughing. One of them kicking the helpless woman, and she took the blow silently, just glaring up at the suited man.

Ethan and Cecil would see the girl suddenly go still, then after a moment suck in a breath and yank her hand away from the picture as if burned. "I...I think Cecil might have been right. We need to find her fast," Amuné said after a pause. She didn't want to say anything, but it was important they find Nymira before something bad happened -- or rather, anything worse. However, there was no sensible reason for rich business types to be taking people. Were they working with whoever was causing trouble for Magi? How could she give a clue without revealing her gift? "If...if she just up and vanished...um, maybe someone took her. I mean...." Amuné fumbled for the right way to say it, something helpful but not revealing.

[GambolMuse]

The talk of Cecil being essentially killed and his wondering why he was here was a bit too heavy for Ethan's liking, particularly during a meal. They were here to work, and also refill their stomachs and chat. It wasn't that he had no intention of facing those things, because he did, just not right this very moment. "O-Of course I can tell! You can just feel when someone's good or not," the wind magi replied vaguely, smiling as he began sorting out the food, "I mean, the man on the bridge? Something felt funny, but I wanted to try and be friendly anyways. It won't get us anywhere if we act rude or suspicious of every person we meet." If they ever needed help, like during this search, it made far more sense to befriend everyone than it did make enemies. That, and it was just in Ethan's nature to act friendly as opposed to threaten someone, he really had no love for the latter.

Getting the food was the biggest blessing of the day, and both Ethan and Amuné dug in with renewed enthusiasm; Wyth ate quite fervently too, but only fish. They didn't take very long at all to work through their food, and by the time they were done most of the dishes were wiped clean. Letting out a content sigh after the fact, Ethan leaned back in his seat and placed his hands across his bloated stomach, suppressing a belch as he relaxed. "Ooooh that was good... Really hit the spot..." he mumbled happily, closing his eyes with a smile and letting out a happy sigh. If they could just sit here for an hour or so and nap, that would be swell. That was what he wanted to do, yet they were still on a task from Norman, and couldn't quite ignore that now could they? Amuné certainly didn't think so, and for some reason she was wanting to see the picture of Nymira.

"Huh? Oh, sure. One sec Amuné," Ethan responded, sitting upright and digging the photo out of his pocket, passing it over. Expecting the little girl to take it, he paused and watched with confusion as she seemed to turn rigid suddenly, her eyes glazing over. Was she alright? Exchanging a worried glance with Cecil he sat by silently and just kept a careful eye on their young companion, not entirely sure what was going on right now. It didn't last terribly long, and when whatever had happened had ended Amuné drew away quickly, like something bad was being offered out to her. Okay, now he was really confused, that couldn't have been normal. Had she passed out or something? He couldn't come up with any kind of explanation for that scene just now, but it had him concerned.

Now that she had that episode behind her, Amuné sounded very worried and determined to find Nymira. Just what in the world had that been? "Uh... Are you okay Amuné? You just kind of... Blanked there for a minute." She looked really flustered too, which only served to add to Ethan's concern over her. Something had happened just now, and whatever it was it had the little Ydran all flustered and worried. They all had probably considered the fact the Dimuran had been taken, yet Amuné's oddly vague comment just now made him consider it even more. Did she somehow know what was going on? Was that what just happened? He'd have to ask later, right now he wanted to focus on getting to action. If Nymira was in half the danger that Amuné made her out to be, they may not have very much time to get to her.

"Okay, we're getting to work! No sense in keeping her waiting any longer," Ethan said with a smile, trying to lift the mood again as he pushed himself from the table and stood up, "Cecil, Amuné, go ahead and step outside real quick, I'm going to check something." There was someone in this place they hadn't spoken to really, and they were the one person who might really have some useful information. Heading to the counter at the head of the building, Ethan waved to the innkeeper for them to come over, leaning across the counter as they approached. With no one nearby he felt they could ask, but he'd keep his voice low, just in case. "Hey, uh... We're trying to find a friend of ours, we were supposed to meet her in Galloway. She's a Dimura woman, kind of short and all, black hair. Did she come through here?"

The innkeeper looked at Ethan with a hesitant expression for a moment, giving away that they most likely did know something. Like the Magi they took a brief look to make certain no one was listening in to their conversation, leaning down as well and swallowing uncertainly. "We don't get a lot of Dimura here, so I might have seen her, and I might not have..." he began, his eyes gleaming knowingly as he glanced at Ethan.

Oh jeez, he was doing this right now? Ethan didn't have any coppers left, how was he going to pay this man for the information? Did he have anything of value to hand over? Not really, and he certainly wasn't going to ask Amuné or Cecil to pay up for the information. "Please, if you know anything, tell me. I swear I'll pay you back," Ethan begged, lowering his head as he spoke, "I don't have money now, but I'll get you whatever you want when we're done looking for her, that's a promise."

"A promise, huh? You'd better keep that promise, because I don't usually do this for free," the innkeeper responded, frowning as he watched Ethan beg, "But fine, you have a deal. I might have seen your friend earlier, though I don't know what kind of friends you keep there buddy. She was being escorted by a group of men, and they were heading over towards the western side of town. Looked like some sort o' official business, and I keep my nose out of that," he explained, standing upright and resuming to polish a glass, trying to play it off, "I'll be keeping an eye out for you, don't let me down kid."

Oh wow, had they actually just gotten that lucky? Ethan couldn't believe it, this man had told them where to find Nymira. Or a general idea at least, they could narrow down their search after the fact. "Thanks! And I swear you'll get your money, don't you worry!" he replied with a grin, bowing graciously before quickly heading for the door. It was a lead anyways, and maybe once they got closer they could start pinning down Nymira's actual location. Beaming at his companions as he stepped outside, he flashed them a thumbs up as a show of success. "He said the western part of town, that's where he thinks she had gone. So we just gotta head there!" he announced triumphantly, turning before pausing and letting out a chuckle, his face flushing slightly. "Er... Which way is west?"

[Mogtaki]

Cecil felt so confused, he thought he was getting on well with these people but one of them seemed quite happy to suggest him going back in the opposite direction of their ventures and submit himself to those people. He didn’t know why he was subjected to this, but she quickly tried to change what she was trying to tell him while also playing a little dumb to what happened to him yesterday. He thought it was pretty clear that those people wanted to send him back to be deactivated, but maybe it didn’t really mean much that it happened because he was a Machina. He found out yesterday that people cared very little about Machina and were happy to abuse him. Ethan not giving him an answer didn’t really help either. Feeling like he had done wrong by asking such questions he moved back a little, looking off elsewhere as if ashamed to be subjected to such thoughts.

When their food arrived it was a case of Cecil remaining out of the way while they gorged themselves on organic material, making noises much to his displeasure. He didn’t understand the concept of food very well when to him it was just shoving stuff down your throat and processing it into ash, but whether they got something more out of it he couldn’t tell. He didn’t know if they were enjoying the process and why it was apparently enjoyable to them, confusing him as to why they found it enjoyable. There was so much about these people that he didn’t understand, but maybe he was missing an element in him that would had made him more alike to them. It must’ve been a concept that he could never understand.

Remaining fairly quiet as they finished up eating he only looked back when discussion started up again, his eyes shifting to the picture before away again, thinking Amuné had crashed mentally or something. He would wait for her to process the thought at least, so instead of staring at her he decided to look around instead. He didn’t know if there was any chance she came about this way, but maybe there was somebody who looked like the same species as her and might know where she was. What he thought was people who looked certain ways always stuck together, at least that’s what he learned about Ethan’s kind who always seemed to be in social gatherings like here. Making a glance back to Ethan once he started talking he gave him a long staring at before standing once he stood too, looking like he was standing at attention for a moment before loosening up, feeling confused to the notion that he had to go outside.

Slowly turning around, Cecil made his way out of this strange building and moved outside beside the door, staring at it for a moment before sighing heavily. He didn’t understand why they had to wait outside for Ethan to do the investigation all by himself, he thought they were all in it together to try and find this woman. Looking around with mild curiosity over his surroundings he gasped when Ethan eventually emerged again, giving them information relevant to their search. Looking to him he stared at him when he didn’t appear to go anywhere, instead deciding to have a laugh to himself much to his confusion. Curious, he shifted his head to the side as Ethan admitted he didn’t actually know where west was. “It’s the same way it’s always been”, he spoke before making a turn and walked off in perfect west, only to come to the edge of a building and become confused, “Uhh wait, how do you regular people navigate buildings?”

[shylarah]

Galloway

Amuné paled when Ethan said she should wait outside. Her mind knew that he meant just for a little, but her heart trembled at the thought. Still, maybe if she did as asked, he wouldn't think too hard about what had just happened. "Come, Wyth," she told the moorcat, heading with Cecil to the door. She focused on her feline friend, scratching behind the ears and managing to smile when he rewarded her action with a rumbling purr. The girl immediately looked up when the inn door opened, relieved to see it was Ethan. The man said Nymira was in the western part of town, but once again, he had no idea which way that was. But Cecil knew, and so the group headed that way.

The girl was worried. The Dimuran lady had seemed so strong, but there were bad men holding her prisoner. How long could she last? And then suddenly the Machina boy was stopping, as if he didn't know how to proceed. "What's wrong, Cecil? I don't understand what you mean," Amuné said, heading along the side of what to him was an obstacle. Going around seemed so obvious to her that she didn't really get what he was asking.

It took several minutes for them to get to the western part of town, even with the girl trying to discreetly hurry them along without making it too obvious. And then she saw it, a view that looked familiar. That building there, with the brightly colored door, she'd seen it from the bit of window in the room where Nymira was being held in her vision. Which meant...

"There!" She pointed to the buildings across the way from the view. One had several windows that were about right for what she'd seen. "Er...I mean, there, that'd be a good place to keep someone if you kidnapped them, right? We should check it out!"

[GambolMuse]

Ethan was pleasantly surprised how easy it had been to find some information, and it thrilled him they could get on with their search. Sure, he was in debt yet again, and there was no absolute guarantee this was legitimate, but it was more of a lead than they had moments ago. To the western part of Galloway, easy enough. At least... It would be, if not for some small issue: Which way was west? He really ought to consider buying a compass at some point, then he might not end up so haplessly lost. Cecil appeared to know the way, yet he ran into a wholly unique problem, one even the directionally challenged Ethan wouldn't have. "Er... We just walk around them..." the Magi responded, tilting his head confused, "I mean, we can't just walk through them! Or... I mean we could, but that would mean going into a stranger's house, which would be rude..." he mumbled, starting to follow after Amuné as she took the lead. "If we asked then I guess it wouldn't be rude, but then we'd waste time asking. But if we talked to someone, maybe we'd find more information. I suppose that's not a total waste of time then..."

Reaching just the western half of town took a little while, and that was only the start of their search. There were a cluster of buildings every which direction, mostly ramshackle and thrown together structures, with a few tightly sealed warehouses every few hundred meters. It didn't seem like the most welcoming of places, though if someone had kidnapped a person then this was just the sort of place to hide them. Hoping they didn't end up in a fight, he kept his ears open and eyes moving about for any signs of shady people. Not that he'd likely know a shady person if he saw one, he'd probably greet them all the same and find out whether they were nice or not after the fact. More focused on watching out for bad people, Ethan jumped a little when Amuné gave a little shout, looking off in the direction she pointed before blinking in surprise.

"Huh... It does sorta look like a place they'd hide someone, I guess," he mused, walking towards the building slowly. Unlike many around it this one wasn't sealed, and the front door was even somewhat ajar, like someone had either just left or gone in. Slowing his pace even further as he got to the doorway, Ethan pressed up against the wall and listened for any sounds inside, not picking up anything after listening intently for a few seconds. Turning his head to face the other he placed his fingers to his lips then, easing the door open and slowly stepping inside. Crates, a table, a few turned over chairs, but no people. A staircase went down at the far end of the room though, maybe that was where they needed to check? Creeping towards the stairs he peered down over the railing to see if anyone was there before leaping over it, dropping down into the basement and readying a wind spell, just in case. To his slight disappointment however, there was no one here.

"Uh... Seems empty..." Ethan called up, frowning as he rubbed at his head. Huh, and Amuné had seemed certain about this place too, weird. Glancing about the room as the others came down, he noticed something crammed up against the wall, hidden by a couple of sloppily stacked boxes. Tilting his head briefly he walked over and began moving them, picking up the pace when he spotted what he thought to be blood on a few. Once he had slid every container over he was unnerved to find fresh blood on the pipes along the wall and the floor, as well as a pair of restraints still fastened to it. "No way... Was she just here...?" he wondered aloud, frowning as he looked around the room again. They hadn't seen anyone on the way in, so had they kept going out of town?

"I think we just missed her guys, look." That was definitely fresh blood, and if he had to make a guess it was likely Nymira's. Why had they moved her though? Did the people holding her somehow know they were coming? Or was it a coincidence? Furrowing his brow, Ethan cupped his chin as he mulled it over, deciding ultimately it didn't matter; Nymira was still in danger, and they now knew she was hurt and bleeding, they had to find her. "I guess... I don't know, head further towards the edge of town? I can't imagine they just put her in another building..." Ethan spoke, not sounding terribly certain. He'd never dealt with something like this before, yet it made more sense to move her than to just stick her in an adjacent shack, to him anyways. "What do you two think? Should we keep going?"

[Mogtaki]

Cecil didn’t understand; could they not traverse the building? They weren’t wanting to go up it and seemed set on going around everything, only making it all longer a task to uphold. Slowly turning around and staring at the others he frowned, not understanding what was so strange about wanting to go directly this way. “You can’t-…I mean…” he spoke, pointing to the building before looking to Ethan who instead decided on their sense of direction, despite not knowing any better. Sighing lightly he walked after them again, his head low as he tried to figure out what was their limitations. This was going to take a whole lot longer than it might’ve if he was by himself, but then again it probably would look like he was just trying to save his own skin by running on desperate means.

While it didn’t take all too long to get to the right side of town, Cecil still felt it would’ve been better if they went with his plan, not unless they couldn’t do it. He didn’t know what they were looking for now, he never had to look for a person before and he wasn’t exactly one for being able to make a good decision regarding people anyway. He was best keeping to the back of this one, these people were probably better at looking for others compared to him. He didn’t know much about society or how people functioned so it seemed sensible to keep out of this search. It was only for his battery that he was coming along, he didn’t want to remain back like some sort of token for them to return with this woman.

Keeping behind everyone once they reached the building he stared up at the strange building they had arrived at, looking to the door curiously as if wondering why he wouldn’t just open it. It looked like Ethan had forgotten how to open a door much to his curiosity. Almost stepping forward to help him with it he smiled when Ethan showed he was capable of opening the door before they all decided to step in. He didn’t know what he was supposed to do in this building, he most certainly wasn’t spotting anyone in here so it was probably empty. He didn’t know what there was to look for if the woman they were trying to find wasn’t there, but then again he hadn’t done a search for someone before. There had to be more to it, maybe something that told them they were once here. Slowly wandering around he gasped when Ethan called them over, making a brief run over and giving it a look. Looked strange to him, like someone was also leaking that red stuff as well. “Someone needs repaired”. Looking around he slowly moved along, trying to follow something before giving the area another look. “If they’re leaking, think there might be more of it? Maybe we find where they went if there’s more of it somewhere”.

[shylarah]

Galloway

The child gave a silent sigh of relief when Ethan didn't think to question why she was so sure. She watched as he listened at the door, but there was no one inside. The place was rather messy. Maybe there'd been a fight? Amuné wouldn't have been surprised; the Dimuran woman seemed like she'd fight if she could. As Ethan headed for the basement stairs, she gave Wyth a soft command. "Defend, Wyth."

The moorcat went to join the man, his senses alert. He smelled blood, and that meant someone or something was hurt. He didn't want whatever had hurt them to get to his girl, or her friends. But it was empty, and now the other two joined them downstairs. Wyth followed the scent of blood, and it seemed the man had the same idea. But it was just blood. Whoever had spilled it was gone. Losing interest, the moorcat returned to his girl.

Amuné's eyes were wide at the sight. This was the right place, but where was Nymira? Had the bad men taken her somewhere else? Could she See if they had? She darted a glance at her two companions, but Cecil had a better idea. They could follow a trail if the woman was bleeding, perhaps. And Ethan seemed to have an idea of which way they'd gone -- it would be funny, considering how he never knew which way to go, but not in these circumstances. "I think you both have good ideas. So heading out of town, and seeing if there's a trail. Come on, there's no time to lose!" If the people taking Nymira had horses, they'd never catch them once they got on the roads. She hurried up the stairs and back outside, looking around for any trace of blood that might indicate which way their quarry had gone, sending up a prayer to Saint Edos that Nymira was still alive when they got there.

[GambolMuse]

There were so many buildings in this general area it might take weeks to search them all, and they didn't have that kind of time. Ethan was seriously concerned they might be hopelessly lost until Amuné pointed out a building for them to inspect. At first glance it didn't seem to stand out much, if only the front door appeared to be open. Since they had no other leads at this point he figured why not, venturing over and hesitantly entering, only to find it utterly devoid of other life. Well that wasn't completely true, there were probably some bugs here, and maybe a rat or two, but no people, and certainly no Nymira. There wasn't any signs of anyone having been here, at least not until they went down and inspected the basement.

Blood was never a good sign, people didn't usually bleed unless they were injured. The fact that this blood appeared to be fresh too only furthered Ethan's concerns, not even sure if Nymira was alive at this point. No, he had to think positively, she might be hurt but she had to be alive, killing her wouldn't make any sense. People usually were after something when they kidnapped a person, right? So unless they got whatever they were after she'd be alive, she had to be. Optimism was fine and all, but without any clues as to where the Dimura might have been brought they were still hopelessly lost. The only thing Ethan could think to suggest was see if there was some indication of where they had gone, maybe head out of town and see if they ran into the group. He didn't know what they'd do if they found a bunch of undoubtedly armed men, but he'd cross that bridge when they got to it.

Cecil had a more thought out plan than just stumble along and hope they find something; look for a trail of blood. The puddle and stains left behind weren't terribly big, meaning Nymira probably wasn't bleeding all that heavily, but she'd still be bleeding. If they could manage to find even just a drop or two every so often then they'd know they were on the right path. "Right, good thinking Cecil. We'll follow any trails, and head out of town if it takes us that way. Wherever it leads." Never mind paying Norman back for his help, this was about someone's life being in immediate danger, that came before anything else. Ethan had no problem in working to pay back the engineer, he did have a huge problem though with failing to save a girl from certain doom. Wasting no time then he hurried back to the stairs, racing up them and back out the door. They had come from that direction, which could only mean Nymira had been taken...

"This way!" he announced, quickly taking off down the way they had been heading earlier. Not too quickly though, he had to remember to keep an eye out for any blood, or some other signs that Nymira had been moved. The first dozen or so meters yielded no results, but after spotting a smudge on the ground Ethan slowed his pace, relieved to find it was a splotch of fresh blood. It had to be her, so they must be going the right way! Every bit of him wanted to just take off at full speed to find her, but he had to be mindful of the trail, and his companions. Glancing back to make certain he hadn't lost them he continued on, keeping his eyes low for any more spots. There was another one, and soon after another, there was no doubting they were on her trail now. Just how far had she been moved though?

Pretty soon they were reaching the edge of Galloway, and buildings began to thin out, giving way to fields and a sparse treeline. Though there was no one readily visible, Ethan managed to find a bit more blood smeared on a wooden post, meaning this was still on her trail. But where was she then? And how much further did they have to go? Panting a bit from having run out here, Ethan gave the immediate area a look over before letting out a sigh, wiping some sweat from his face on his sleeve. "She can't have gotten that far away, so where is she...?" he wondered aloud, frowning as he turned back to the group, "Should we split up a bit...? Or fan out at least, we can cover more ground then..." Immediately after suggesting that however he shook his own head, folding his arms and kicking a small pebble aside. "But if she's being held, then splitting up is dangerous... So how do we find her...?"

[Mogtaki]

Cecil thought it was sensible to think that if something was already leaking, it would make some marks on the ground and show where they had been and where they were going. He didn’t know what it was exactly that these people leaked, but it was pretty distinctive and not that hard to see. He was sure there had to be some sort of trail leading away from where they were now and figured following it would be the best plan of action. He was really sure he was going to run into the usual problems if he was the one to try and follow it like being unable to recognise it again because of its colour and foreign nature to him. It would just be a bad idea for him to follow something that could probably be mistaken for some other type of fluid and something that may end up ending with them losing the woman.

Gasping when Ethan and Amuné bolted off he hurried after them, hoping he had done something good rather than send them completely off the trail again. He didn’t know what they were expecting when they finally arrive at this woman, he almost expected things to be a little bad given the circumstances of their first discovery considering she had been moved. He didn’t know if someone knew they were after her or they were rather unlucky. He was pretty willing to suggest to them that it was because of all of this washing and consuming they had done before that made them lose her, but he didn’t know and that kind of future was extremely unyielding and unpredictable. It would probably be unfair for them for him to suggest they were the reason they lost this woman in the first place, but he didn’t want to make them feel bad.

Once they finally came to a stop again he turned towards them slowly before looking around as if expecting the woman. He didn’t find anything and that made him a little unhappy and anxious, looking off into the distance before back to Ethan who was suggesting some pretty bad ideas. If they split up he didn’t know how they would find each other again or what to do if they found the woman, not to mention there was the risk of them never returning to him again because he was the cause of this little excursion. Rubbing his chest he frowned as he looked around again before quickly looking back to Ethan. “I don’t know, I don’t know! We have to find her! I don’t want to lose my battery!” he spoke quickly, shifting his feet, “If we don’t find her, I’m in trouble! I won’t get to keep my battery, I’ll be hunted down and salvaged for parts!”

[shylarah]

Just West of Galloway

The trio hurried to the edge of town, following the sparse trail of blood. But when they reached the last of the buildings, there was no one in sight. Amuné lifted her hand to shade her eyes against the sun, squinting, but she didn't see anyone. Ethan suggested separating so they could search more efficiently, but immediately vetoed his own idea. The girl was glad; she really didn't want to split up. But then how to find where Nymira had gone?

Cecil was growing panicked, worrying that he'd need to give back his battery, or be salvaged for parts. Amuné hesitated a moment, but moved close to the Machina and patted his arm reassuringly. "We won't let that happen," she declared, putting as much certainty into her voice as she could. "You're keeping that battery, and nobody's going to take you apart." Just like they were going to help Nymira -- if they could find her.

She looked around again, thinking. The land was pretty flat, so they'd surely see the bad men and the woman they held captive if they were in the open. Even horses wouldn't be able to go far enough to be beyond sight that fast. That meant they were either behind a building, or in the trees. "If we can't see them, they probably went that way," Amuné said aloud, pointing at the stand of trees. "Wyth, far! Search!" The moorcat fixed his girl with a stubborn glare. No way was he leaving her alone when there might be dangerous people!

[GambolMuse]

The trail of blood left Galloway behind, as Ethan had expected. Good thing Cecil had the sense to follow the trail to begin with, and Amuné had made the guess to check that building. One heck of a guess, but it had paid off for them big time. Now he was just worried whether or not they could catch up to Nymira in time, or if they had moved her too far too quickly. Buildings soon gave way to open road, with nothing but trees, the occasional farm and fields populating the space now. The trail continued on a ways out but there was no clear sign of Nymira, or anyone for that matter. She must have been bleeding and fighting the whole way, how hadn't anyone seen anything? This whole business was awfully confusing, she had to be somewhere nearby, no way could they have moved her much further in such a short time.

While Ethan and Amuné were no doubt concerned, Cecil appeared to be doubly so. And not for the reasons they might be, as he seemed to think he was going to lose his battery now; losing his power source would be equivalent to dying, wouldn't it? Norman didn't seem the type to do that, but then they didn't know the man all that well to begin with. Giving his friend a sympathetic look, it was Amuné who beat him to the punch, trying to console Cecil. "Yeah, I'll find a different way to pay for it, don't worry. You're keeping that battery," he added, smiling as he gave a thumbs up. "And we're going to find Nymira too, so that won't even be a problem. Just you wait and see." He could keep saying that all he wanted, but so far they had come up empty handed. Surely they were bound to find some kind of clue sooner or later.

"You think they went into the forest...? Oh man, I hope not, that'll make it even harder to find her," Ethan mumbled, sighing as he rubbed at his head. Wyth might be able to track them, if only they had some sort of scent for him to follow. Wait... That was dogs, wasn't it? Either way it didn't much matter, the moorcat didn't appear to want to leave his master's side any time soon. If Nymira was captive though why would they head into the forest? He assumed it was a group of men moving her, and she was bleeding, so what reason would they have to try and sneak through the woods? People getting arrested wasn't anything new, it wasn't like they had to hide it; then again arrested and kidnapped were two totally different things, now weren't they?

Ethan scratched at his head as he gave the area another look over, wondering just what in the world had happened. So maybe she had been hurt while captured, and now they were bringing her to whoever had asked for her capture in the first place. Okay, he'd buy that, but then why leave their place open and so obvious? Maybe they had left in a hurry, but again for what reason? Walking about a bit in the area he'd mulled that over, stopping when he noticed something strange. Just off to the side of the road he saw skid marks, or rather, marks that looked like someone had been dragged. Arching an eyebrow he walked across the grass and to the tree line, eyes widening when he saw some legs sticking out from behind a tree. Hurrying over he was shocked to find a man propped up against the tree, one eye swollen shut and nose dry with blood, but alive. Just what in the heck was this?

Something didn't really feel right, what was this guy doing out here? Kneeling down to inspect the man he double checked for a pulse, relieved to find one on him. It was then Ethan noticed a sheath on his hip, yet no blade was there. Okay, so he was out cold and his weapon missing, had he been mugged? Furrowing his brow in thought the Magi got up to go report what he'd found, instead freezing on the spot when he swore he felt eyes on his back. Then, the rustling of leaves up above told him he was in danger, and a hand shot down into his pouch. In a matter of seconds he had taken out his sword and unfolded it, catching a pair of daggers and deflecting his attacker, managing to knock them away. Giving one look at who'd come after him and his jaw dropped, his mind a mess as he tried to make sense of this. Wasn't that Nymira?!

Was he with these criminals as well? He didn't quite dress the part, but then she wasn't familiar with their customs, so he might well be. The fact he was armed was reason enough to be wary, and she assumed he had been checking on what must be his comrade. She had only just managed to break out of their custody, she had absolutely no intentions of going back. Watching the Muran man with her uniquely colored purple eyes, she immediately went back in for an attack when he tried to speak. She wasn't going to be tricked or lied to, she had business here and couldn't waste time in captivity like some novelty. Jumping up she swung her smaller frame around, slicing in a circular motion with both daggers, finding both of her attacks blocked. Immediately upon landing she tried to trip the man, doing so but watching in frustration as he caught himself on one hand and flipped himself back, easing out of the trees. No way was she letting him get away. Charging after him she made a series of stabbing motions at his torso and head, missing each time or having her strikes deflected. Why wasn't he attacking back? Just what was he playing at?

"Nymira! Please, I'm not your enemy!" Ethan said hastily, ducking and then leaning to avoid the two daggers, "I'm here to help you!" Yikes, here she came again! Trying to parry one of her daggers he gritted his teeth when she knocked his sword away, having to catch both her wrists instead to stop her from stabbing him. Hardly deterred she tried kicking him right between the legs, raising his own leg to block that before falling backwards, rolling and kicking her away as he scrambled for his sword, "I mean it, I'm your friend! Please stop!"

Friend? She didn't have a friend here, only Norman even remotely qualified as such. Nor was she here to make friends, she was here on important business and didn't have time to waste socializing. This man was just another criminal trying to deceive her, of that she was certain. Gathering herself up after he'd thrown her aside, Nymira was prepared to attack again until she realized there were more eyes on her, tensing up and turning to face Amuné and Cecil. Were they with him as well? But one of them was a child... Just what was this? If they had said anything up until now she'd missed it, totally engrossed in her duel with the Mura. Now that she realized there were three people... What should she do? Use magic? She was supposed to be forbidden from doing so, yet she was getting tired of fighting and the odds were technically against her. "Just leave... I have no problems with you..." Nymira spoke, her voice soft yet commanding as she glanced between the three strangers.