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

[Mogtaki]

Cecil didn’t want to be thought of as selfish but it was really hard to believe he was going to be allowed to keep the battery. If there was no sign of this woman then there was no way they were going to be able to pay back for it before he was to be captured and taken away forever. Panicking, he gasped when Amuné patted his arm, his eyes quickly being directed to her. He couldn’t tell if she was being truthful or if it was all just to keep him quiet. Sighing lightly he looked away again, frowning as he contemplated his situation and whether he should trust her word. Making a quick glance to Ethan he shook his head. “We can’t hang around in this town too long, not unless we want to hurt the people in the town”.

He still saw himself responsible for what happened in the other town, even if that was yesterday and no longer in the way of his future, at least for now. He was unsure about his future right now, even wondering if he was supposed to have the concept of a future. He knew people usually had one and had plans for how their life might go, but whether he was allowed to think in advance about stuff like this he still needed contemplation over. He didn’t know if it was right for him to worry over losing his battery or being taken by the people from the other town, seeing how they both were confident he was going to be just fine.

Going fairly quiet, Cecil stayed back as Amuné and Ethan went into investigation mode again, watching them while keeping at a slight distance. He didn’t know what Ethan was investigating now but he had slight interest in it, wandering over as well before briefly looking back with his curiosity heightened. He did wonder what he had found that was so intriguing, watching him before gasping when something decided to pop out and attack Ethan, prompting him to take his sword out. This was pretty terrible; once again they were being attacked indiscriminately. Hurrying over to Ethan he gave a quick look to the girl before to Ethan again, feeling confused to how he should help at first before managing to get a good look at the attacker.

The features of this woman matched the woman they had been trying to look for, but he didn’t understand why she was attacking Ethan. He thought she would be the one in trouble, not them from her. Feeling confused to how he should act he gasped as Ethan fell to the ground, raising his hands slightly as if feeling inclined to help but not knowing how. She was the woman they were after, but she was attacking Ethan without prejudice. Staring at her, he blinked a few times before finding himself annoyed, holding his hand up in front of him. “We are here to rescue you!” he snapped, his arm suddenly letting out a sharp blast as his gauntlet flew straight off with his fingers ready to grasp hold of Nymira to capture her, his exposed arm showing just how robotic he was without the gauntlet.

[shylarah]

West of Galloway

The girl stayed near the road as Ethan made his minor detour, but rustling and the sound of metal on metal brought her running. And there was Ethan, and Nymira, and one of the bad men out cold on the ground. But the Dimura was attacking Ethan! Why would she be doing that?! They'd been sent to find her and help her, didn't she know that? "Don't hurt him!" Amuné shriek, both angry and frightened. Had Norman known this would happen when he sent them? But no, Norman wasn't a bad guy, he'd just been worried for his friend. The girl considered sending Wyth to help Ethan, but he was doing a good job of keeping himself from getting hurt already. She couldn't look away, though she didn't want to watch the fighting. It was scary.

Ethan went down, but flipped himself back up somehow, and then he was scrambling backwards, and lost his sword. Amuné bit her lip, but the man caught Nymira's wrists. Then they were apart, but Nymira turned to face the girl and Cecil, and Amuné's eyes widened. Wyth moved in front of her protectively, his fur bristling as he hissed a threat. Should the Dimuran try to hurt his girl, she would regret it!

"No, don't hurt her, Cecil! She's not an enemy. She's the one we're supposed to find!" the girl told the Machina. It would be bad if he did to Nymira what he'd done to the bad man on the bridge. The woman wanted them to leave her alone, but that wasn't a choice. "We can't!" Amuné protested. "We told Norman we'd find you for him. He's worried."

[GambolMuse]

Norman must have left out the part where Nymira might try killing them, because Ethan couldn't recall anything of the sort. Seriously, what was her problem? He'd said several times they were here to help and yet she kept coming at him, he was doing all he could not to fight back. Perhaps inadvertently the fighting had spilled out to the road, in plain view of Amuné and Cecil. He had really hoped to be able to calm down the Dimuran woman without them having to see this, but unfortunately it didn't quite pan out that way. After a brief but nasty struggle he now stood a bit away from Nymira, with her finding herself in between himself and the others. Why wouldn't she just relax and trust them? If he wanted to hurt her then he would have fought back, how wasn't it obvious they were friends yet? As if things weren't bad enough, Cecil turned around and more or less attacked her too, sending his gauntlet flying at her by some strange mechanism. Fearing being attacked might set her over the edge, Ethan rushed forward and raised an arm out, taking the hit and nearly toppling over, wincing as the gauntlet tightened around his limb. "Don't! She's a friend!"

Just what in the world was going on here? First this Muran wouldn't fight her, then that other boy with the strange arm attacked her, and now she was being defended? They couldn't make up their minds, and now with all these conflicted signals neither could she. Watching uncertainly as Ethan intercepted the gauntlet, she nearly opted to flee right then until the little Ydran girl shouted to her. What? They were here on Norman's behalf? That was hard to believe, and why would he have sent a child out here to fetch her? She could understand a rescue party, but this didn't make much sense. "Right... He sent a child to be my savior, that's very believable," Nymira retorted, frowning as she kept her daggers at the ready. But then sending one to attack her didn't make much sense either. Sure, children could be Magi, and in rare cases there were powerful ones, but she somehow doubted this girl fit that bill. Could they honestly be here to help her then?

"She's telling the truth! We're here for Norman's sake!" Ethan repeated, relieved when Cecil finally released him. Promptly turning back to face Nymira he dropped his sword at his feet, placing his hands together and bowing his head, almost begging her to believe them. "We had Norman do some work for us, and in turn we're trying to find you! He said you had gone missing and so we've been searching for you, and we can't go back empty handed. Just come back to town with us, we'll prove we're telling the truth." Of course if she agreed to come back then that would imply she trusted them, and thus far she had done anything but. Lifting his head after a moment of awkward silence he flinched seeing Nymira glaring at him, reeling back some and smiling nervously. "Uh... Heh... Please? Did I forget to say please...?"

So it was just this strange boy, the little girl and the machine-man then? An odd bunch, and retrospectively she wasn't completely certain why she felt threatened in the first place. After mulling it over briefly she let out a reluctant sigh, lowering her daggers before glaring at Ethan. "You're too much of a bumbling fool to be one of those men," she spoke sharply, only further annoyed as he adopted a stupid grin and laughed, "And I don't see them using a child to bring me back. So fine, I'll believe your story for the time being. But if I found out you double-crossed me, I'll make you regret it." If Norman had indeed sent these three, then she couldn't possibly turn them away. She owed so much to him and still needed his help in her mission, alienating him now by running away would cause any number of problems for them. Sheathing her daggers at her hips, Nymira pushed past Ethan and stalked over to the others, pausing briefly when she got to Amuné. "You, little one... What's your name?"

[shylarah]

Just West of Galloway

Amuné sighed in relief as Nymira put her knives away. "Hush, Wyth," she told the still-hissing moorcat. He quieted, but still didn't move out from between his girl and the strange woman. "We're not double-crossing you, promise!" she added, looking back at the Dimuran. "Uh, me? I'm Amuné Ris, ma'am, nice to meet you." The girl automatically fell back on the manners her parents had told her to use, not really sure how else to try to smooth things over.

She eyed the blood on the woman's clothing, but Nymira didn't seem ready to accept help, so instead the girl moved over to Ethan. "Did she get you? Are you okay?" It didn't look like the woman had, but Amuné wanted to be sure. If left untreated, wounds could go bad quickly. Her mommy had taught her that. "And...ah, what are we going to do about the bad men? Should we just leave them here? What if they follow us?" The child chewed on her lip, clearly worried.

[Mogtaki]

Cecil had the immediate instinct to instigate violence on this woman after she failed to stand down from attacking Ethan, already looking like she was just waiting readily to go in once more if he so much as tried to move. This act of aggression was too much for Cecil to just wait around and see what might happen without acting himself with that act being rather aggressive but would be successful in her capture. Firing off his gauntlet to trap her he gasped when Ethan instead took the blow and getting caught instead. Staring at him, he saw no reason to release him and instead kept a tightened grasp on him, feeling somewhat betrayed that he’d want to let her get away. “’Friend’?” That word couldn’t possibly be applied to her, not after what she did.

With that moment of trust remaining in question his eyes turned to Amuné, staring at her questionably as if not understanding he was in the wrong. Looking pretty close to continuing his assault on the woman his eyes soon turned to Ethan before immediately releasing his grip, his gauntlet dropping to the ground as Cecil tried to cover his exposed inner workings with his clothing. He felt confused and disorientated, feeling like he was betrayed by himself. Moving back a moment, he looked down at his gauntlet before holding out his exposed arm again towards it. With a sudden flash of electricity a bolt connected with his gauntlet and pulled it quickly off the ground and back to his arm, connecting immediately.

Cecil didn’t understand. He thought he was doing good by trying to protect Ethan again but was instead essentially told off rather aggressively. He tried helping in the only way he understood and yet it was wrong. Feeling confused he moved back anxiously, looking around before turning away. Today had been one of his most stressful days and what was worse was he had come out of it knowing nothing more about their world other than he was always going to be wrong. He didn’t know what was right or what he was supposed to feel about this. He was completely alienated at this point and couldn’t understand why. Trying to help people seemed to only get him into trouble.

[GambolMuse]

Phew, that was a close one. If Cecil had actually attacked Nymira then they might have been completely out of luck, but they managed to get her to come along after all. It was hardly going to be a relaxing trip back, as even now she was shooting him death glares, yet they'd found her and now just had to get her back. Relieved that things had worked out for the best, Ethan retrieved his sword and folded it back up, tucking it safely in his pouch just in time for Nymira to push him aside. Well she was a bundle of joy, he wondered why it was that Norman had taken someone so... Abrasive as a student. But then maybe that wasn't the truth after all, considering this whole situation had gone all topsy-turvy pretty quick; what was the real deal here then?

Nymira had seen plenty of people since coming here, yet she'd not seen anyone quite like the Ydran girl. She knew of her people, but to see a child was a rarity for her. More or less ignoring the moorcat before her, the Dimuran woman nodded her head once at learning Amuné's name. "A beautiful name for a beautiful child, you should feel proud," she spoke, her expression softening slightly. After dealing with so many shady individuals over the last few days, meeting a child whose innocence knew no bounds was extremely refreshing. She might even have reached out to hug the girl were it not for Wyth acting as a barrier between them. Glancing back at the woods when the men were brought up, Nymira laughed curtly before smirking at Amuné. "Please... Five grown, armed men were defeated by a woman, handily I might add. This isn't my blood, it's theirs. I sincerely doubt they'll try making a move any time soon." Never mind the broken noses and cuts she'd left them with, their pride was likely in tatters as well. If they were dumb enough to come back however she'd not be quite so restrained in her actions. "Before you ask, they're all alive. I don't kill unless I absolutely must, so don't you fret. I'm not fond of having someone's blood on my hands."

"Well, now that the gang's all here, how's about we get going!" Ethan interjected, pepping up again as he addressed everyone with a smile, "Norman said he'd be at the shop waiting, so we know where to go. I bet he'll be happy to see you again." Eh, another glare, just what did he do wrong? Shirking back some he let out a sigh, rubbing at the back of his neck before chuckling. "I'm sure you know the way, if you want to lead then we'll follow. No funny business that way." Thankfully she seemed to accept that much from him, either that or she was just ignoring him in favor of Amuné again. Wondering why Cecil wasn't chatting he gave their friend one look and felt awful, seeing him turned away and looking awfully down on himself. What was he upset for? They found Nymira and he could keep his battery, everything had worked out just fine. Heading over he placed an arm around the Machina's shoulders, grinning as he gave his friend a pat on the chest. "Hey, what's got you all down and gloomy? We found her, now we can head back! Isn't that good news?"

Ugh, that man's optimism was was so off-putting, why were the others not saying anything? If this was who he was then she might not stomach the walk back with him, she'd just as soon make it alone if anything. Or... Maybe she'd just walk back with Amuné and her pet, who she actually found to be rather adorable, bristling fur, fangs and all. Dimurans weren't usually the meekest of folk, and while most people may not want to tussle with something like Wyth, to her it almost seemed enjoyable. "I suppose I'll lead us back, I know Galloway better than you do most likely. It'll be best to avoid the major roads." No sense in drawing attention to herself, there were more people responsible for her kidnapping there and she'd prefer to avoid further conflict if possible. As things stood this was already a relational nightmare, and any more fighting might only worsen things.

[Mogtaki]

Cecil was sure everyone else was fine considering how they were acting, but it didn’t matter for him. He was not doing very well in his mind with much of his contemplation being drawn to whether he was going to be able to do anything right for them. The most he had done was electrocute that man and run away with them, but everything else was just him screwing up with a whole lot of ‘no’ being directed to him. There was so much he was unable to do with this entire diversion being because of him, ending with him almost screwing it up because he didn’t want her to get away. Maybe it wasn’t only her getting away that caused him to take such hasty action, maybe it was because she was attacking Ethan but even then he didn’t do a very good job at protecting him. He made Ethan almost angry and throw himself in harm’s way to stop the woman from being handled by him, distressing him the most.

Finding that his mind was wandering off once again he gasped when Ethan decided to wrap his arm around his shoulders, looking to him quickly before down at his chest as he gave it a pat. He wasn’t really understanding what this gesture meant or whether what he said had anything to do with it, remaining feeling rather lost and confused to what he was supposed to do or say in response. Looking around at first he soon shook his head, closing his eyes momentarily. “I don’t understand what you’re talking about”, he started off, looking quickly in the direction of the woman before sighing, “It…is good news, though. She can go back to her friend and I have my battery. Everything is okay now”. He didn’t know what else to tell him other than confirming they had indeed managed to catch her and they were now able to finish this job. It would be selfish to ask for more than that so he was fine with keeping quiet, his hope being that he wouldn’t end up making another mistake and attacking instead of being civil.

[shylarah]

Galloway

Amuné really didn't know how to respond to the woman's comment about her name, so she just smiled shyly. The flash of electricity startled her and she jumped, one hand going to tangle in the fur at Wyth's neck, the other shielding her eyes. "Cecil? What was that?" she asked, surprised to see that now his arm was attached again. "How...how did you do that?" she asked, her voice impressed. "Was it..." She darted a glance at Nymira and didn't finish the thought.

Instead she looked at Cecil, and saw how down he seemed to be. She moved to take up a spot on his other side, nodding at Ethan's words. "You were brave, Cecil. I wish I was strong like you are, then nobody would hurt my friends." The other half of the thought, "or my family", went unspoken, but from her expression it was easy to tell she was thinking about them again.

The child tried to shake the thought, but it lingered all the way back to Norman's shop. Sensing her flagging spirits, Wyth stayed close, trying to reassure his girl with his furry presence. Amuné managed to perk up a little at the sight of the shop. This meant they had paid off what they owed, and even helped someone. That was a good thing.

[GambolMuse]

Now that the whole fiasco of trying to get Nymira to come along was over, Ethan was hopeful they might return to Norman and move on. There was still the matter of their own journeys to attend to, and while this had been necessary it also had taken up a good few hours, more time than he'd like to have spent. Not wasted by any stretch of the imagination however they had secured something Cecil desperately needed, and now could continue on with their own adventure. Speaking of the Machina, why was he looking so down right about now? They had just found the woman they'd been searching for and he'd get to keep his battery, everything couldn't have worked out any better. Checking in on his friend, Ethan smiled apologetically when he seemed to confuse the other boy with his words. "You seemed sad, like something went wrong. But look, everything worked out fine! We're all here now and we're all fine, right? It's all good!" he said cheerfully with a pat on Cecil's back, placing his hands then behind his head. "If you're upset over attacking me, don't worry about it. It's a little sore but I'll survive, and I get you were trying to help, so no hard feelings, okay?"

So these three appeared to be friends, or at least companions on some sort of journey. Certainly they got along well, and in some way it was a reassurance that they were earnest about working for Norman; unless you were particularly deceptive, intentions were often out in the open and plain to see, not hidden behind a mask of friendliness and camaraderie. That was Nymira's experience at least, and she couldn't see these three threatening anyone, much less working for the criminals who had taken her. Plus the Mura seemed too simple to trick anyone, that helped her relax too. After the trio had a brief exchange they finally were back on their way to the shop, and it felt strange walking freely after days of captivity. Despite being surrounded too by supposed allies she remained alert the entire walk back, one hand always resting on the grip of her dagger.

The shop was technically closed up once the group had arrived, yet the door remained open expectantly, as if anticipating their return. When they entered the shop they would find the engineer sitting on his workbench, a smile on his face as he spun a wrench about in his right hand idly. "Good on you kids, I knew you'd find her. Nice to see you're well, Nymira," Norman said, ceasing the twirling as he slid down off the bench, tossing the wrench over onto another table with a clang. "Also glad you held on to our agreement, you could have easily skipped town and left me high and dry, appreciate it." And he'd not had to go out and risk his own neck, it was a win-win situation. Not that he'd hoped anything might happen to the trio, but they seemed more capable if things got nasty than he would have been. Smiling politely at Nymira as she came inside he moved over to greet her, and upon getting close enough had to duck to avoid being smacked, steadying his goggles on his head and giving her a puzzled look.

"You could have sent someone sooner you buffoon, it was terribly painstaking to remain in custody for so long," Nymira snapped, "Those men were insufferably barbaric, and they absolutely reeked! I swear, it's as if they've never heard of bathing before!" That was just one of many complaints she had with her situation, all of which might have been avoided if it hadn't taken a few days to send help. Honestly, was there not a single soul in all of Galloway that had been up to the job? Watching as he tried to apologize fruitlessly she folded her arms over her chest, having to look up at the taller man but nonetheless making him shirk under her gaze. "Three days Norman, three days! You promised you'd send people to act as my guard within a day, but that didn't happen. I had to free myself from their custody, you're fortunate they were idiotic enough to keep my personal belongings nearby."

"N-Now Nymira, I understand you might be a little angry," Norman said with a chuckle, holding his hands up defensively, "But I assure you, I tried to help you as soon as I could. Things just didn't quite work out the way I had planned."

"Obviously not. I don't even know why I agreed to this absurd plan of yours to begin with," Nymira continued, huffing as she finished. Remembering that there were others present she glanced at the group behind them, frowning before walking past Norman. "You explain it, I need to wash up. Three days without cleaning, and now I've got their blood on me..." she mumbled, promptly disappearing from the room as she headed inside the building proper.

There wasn't a whole lot the engineer could say at this point, knowing full well he'd ticked off Nymira. She had a temper, that one, and he was thankfully she'd not attacked him for messing up their ploy. Somewhat relieved when she left, he let out a long winded sigh before rubbing at his face, giving the group an apologetic smile afterwards. "Er... I suppose I owe you lot an apology, and an explanation. Seems like I wasn't completely up front with you to begin with." Heading to a panel on the wall he flipped a pair of switches, and at once the metal door slid down and a set of overhead lights came on, replacing the natural lighting that was cut off. Settling himself then down on the table again he fiddled with his goggles distractedly for a moment, trying to think of exactly how to explain things.

"Nymira was kidnapped, that much is true, but I suppose she was kidnapped on purpose. You see... Oh where to even begin with this," Norman grumbled, scratching at his head, "Okay, well for starters, Nymira's kind of a princess. I don't know quite how Dimuran civilization works, but that's what she's told me, so she must be someone important. She came to me a weeks ago and asked me to help her with her mission, something about building ties with important people and the like," he recalled, laughing before smiling ruefully, "I was confused when she came to me after hearing that, but she said she was interested in my expertise with Machina, so I began showing her a few things. She hadn't planned to stay long, and before I knew it she was packing up and getting ready to leave. Or she was going to, but she had to find someone to help her along first. See... She doesn't know the area at all, and while she can fight it'd be dangerous for someone like her to go alone, so she needed some guards. Tells me her former guards up and left after they got their first bit of pay, so she was looking again. I can't fight worth a damn so I wasn't about to do it, so I told her I'd help her find someone."

Boy, the more he thought about it and recounted this whole tale, the more absurd it got. Yet if these three were going to get stuck with the princess then it was only fair they learn the entirety of the situation. "So we hatched this plan, or I guess I hatched it: Fake a kidnapping, then send some brave souls along to rescue her. The common thugs around here wouldn't be an issue for her, so we figured it was a safe bet and couldn't hurt. I'd send someone along as soon as I found someone and if they freed her, they'd be her guards. 'Course, it took a bit longer than I expected, and she was captive for a couple of days. But then you three came along looking for my help, and I saw a chance to make a deal. The rest you know, but that's the gist of it."

"So wait... We just rescued some foreign princess then...?" Ethan asked, his eyes squeezed shut as he rubbed at his head in frustration, trying to make sense of all of it. "And you sent her to get kidnapped, but not really kidnapped. So this whole thing was basically a test to see if we could protect her..." Was that it? Giving Norman an earnestly baffled look it seemed like that was the case, yet this still didn't make a terrible bit a sense at all. "Okay... But we didn't actually save her, she was already free when we found her. She even attacked us, and you never said anything about that. I just don't get it... This is all super confusing... And wait, does this mean we're supposed to guard her now? Don't get me wrong, we were glad to help out, but I think a princess is a bit beyond us..."

"Normally I'd agree, but it seems most people don't know her. Before she went and got herself kidnapped she'd walk around Galloway all day and never get bothered, so she's pretty unknown out this way. That being said, it's unlikely that anyone is going to come after her unless they have some intimate knowledge of who she is, and the chances of that are slim." Unless they raided a town or encroached on land, the Dimura were usually left largely alone by the other races. Being as combative and aggressive as they were it was often frowned upon to even socialize with them, as more often than not things turned violent, even over petty disagreements. Nymira and her clan appeared to be a bit more civilized than that, yet her temper was still there. "I know it's a huge favor to ask of you three, but you're the only ones who have taken the request, and you seem to be able to handle yourselves fine. Tell you what, if you agree then I'll even give your friend there a free tune-up, just this once. I can get his systems working even better than they are now."

Well that would be nice, as there was still some work Cecil could use. But still... To guard a princess. Ethan had to remember his own reason for traveling in all of this, and the fact he was already trying to help out both Amuné and Cecil. There was no telling where Nymira might take them or what might come their way, or how much it might take them away from their own goals. "Uh... Just one second Norman, okay?" Ethan said with an uncertain smile, promptly turning around and looking at his friends, keeping his voice at a whisper. "What should we do...? I mean we can say no, but... He said she needs someone to protect her, and we might be able to do that. But if we do it then it might take longer for us to do what we need to..." he said, sighing and hanging his head, "Man... I don't even know right now..."

[Mogtaki]

Cecil really didn’t know what else to say towards their words, feeling conflicted over his own feelings and what they were trying to tell him. He had been told he had done wrong, but now it was apparently alright and everything was good. Finding it all too confusing he looked to Amuné, staring at her as she questioned his arm. “Huh? I-…” But sure enough her attention was gone from him once again, not knowing whether to answer her or dismiss it. It had all been on instinct, not finding it very easy to think of a how he managed to do it quite yet. Frowning, he looked back to Amuné who seemed to be praising him as well, feeling rather surprised by her choice of words. “Brave? That was strength? Bravery?” he spoke, trying to analyse what happened to try and come to the correct conclusion to whether it really was bravery and strength that he displayed. Going back on the analysis, it was definitely an odd display to be named ‘brave’ and a show of strength, not unless trying to capture the woman from afar was as such.

Feeling confused the entire way they came back he continued to try and figure out what was meant by all that and whether it was correct to say those things about what had been done. He couldn’t come to a reasonable conclusion but maybe those thoughts were already over for them and they had moved on from their thought processes without him. While this was probably of no surprise, he did feel a little behind like everyone was quite happy to move on and not give anything a second thought while he was stuck trying to figure out how he should feel about everything that was happening. Being back at Norman’s shop he sighed lightly now that their quest had been completed, feeling like he could knock that one worry away.

Keeping back and out of the way, he watched Norman and Nymira before gasping when there was instead violence, wondering if they had done the right thing now. This kind of interaction had only been seen where a fight was attempting to start, namely when he was trying to get away from that man in the other town. Feeling confused and alerted, he raised his hands a little as if imitating Norman as if something was going to attack him as well. When things were gradually dying down he had no idea what to even make of the discussion considering the words and phrases that were being used, not understanding what a ‘princess’ was. Was that her species or was it a job? Slowly tilting his head as he tried to take in all the information he quickly shook his head, finding the conclusion of the tale to be most uninteresting to his own existence considering it was all in the past and gone now: they had done their job, she was back out of harm’s way.

There was still other matters to attend to and things he wanted, but before any questions could be given Norman was back to asking them a favour. He was confused by this one, but what was worse was he was being used as a bargaining chip. To get seen to was what he needed, but to have it be placed on the counter with this made him feel pretty rotten. This was not fair, he needed to be seen to among other things but the only way to get them was to get in on this favour. Looking to Ethan, he frowned when it seemed it was something that had to be considered and discussed. This should be the time where he would speak up to Norman about throwing in that extra at the end, wanting to tell him how much it hurt his feelings that he was doing that when he desperately needed it. “He is using me in this. Why am I part of the deal?” he questioned Ethan, not understanding the concept of whispering, “I don’t want to be used. I don’t want to be part of the decision. He knows I would want a tune-up, but I don’t want to only say yes because it is what I want”.

[shylarah]

Norman's Shop

The child shook off most of the cloud that had dampened her mood when they reached the shop and the completion of their mission. But her jaw dropped at the exchange between Norman and Nymira. What kind of crazy hairbrained plan had that been? "So she got captured on purpose? And she just /let/ them take her and chain her and hurt her and beat her up like that?!" The words popped out before Amuné could think to censor them.

Norman proceeded to explain, and it seemed that was indeed the case. The girl frowned at his tale. It seemed like a foolish way to find help to her. You could set a test that didn't mean hurting yourself. But then again, the Dimura was very strong, and maybe she didn't mind getting roughed up a bit. Amuné had always heard that her kind were fierce and combative. "She doesn't look much like a princess to me," the girl said at last. "I thought they wore pretty clothes and glass shoes, and had lots of servants and lived in huge castles." But maybe that was just Muran princesses.

When Ethan came over to consult them, Amuné chewed at her lip. Cecil seemed distressed. "You should vote the way you think is best, Cecil, even if it does help you. And he threw it in maybe to convince us to help, as an added thing. Like when you barter for stuff at market." The girl looked down. Cecil should agree, because he needed what was being offered. Ethan was always willing to help people. That was two of three, before she even cast her vote. "Which way does she want to go?" Amuné asked finally, scratching Wyth's ear absently. "I mean, if she's going the same way, I don't see the harm. But I don't know how good we are at protecting." Likely the woman would be more use protecting them than the other way around.

[shylarah]

((nothing to see here, move along))

[GambolMuse]

"Well... Admittedly that wasn't part of the plan, but you see she was never in any real danger," Norman admitted, frowning as he itched at his cheek, "The princess knows how to handle herself, and some common thugs like them weren't going to do any harm. Sure, maybe they might have gotten a bit rough, but she could have broken free at any point... Probably." That was one of the biggest concerns with this hair-brained scheme of his, whether or not she'd be safe while in custody. Dimurans weren't exactly known for their weakness, in fact quite the opposite, so he assumed she'd be okay. Some minor bruises aside she did seem to be unharmed from it all, so sending Nymira off in such a manner wasn't that bad of a move, was it? Her only problem seemed to be with how long it took for someone to show up, not her treatment itself which spoke to her resilience. "Yes, well... Different cultures have different princesses I suppose," Norman reflected, smiling as he glanced down at Amuné. "Some are all dressy like you said, and others are more... Warrior princess, and that'd be Nymira for you."

Okay, so Nymira was a princess, that was a surprise. So was Norman asking them to watch over her for him, now that was something none of them had expected. How were the three of them: a young girl, a wayward Magi and a Machina, supposed to protect a princess? Ethan was used to making split second decisions as to what they should do, but this wasn't something he could or should decide on his own. The fact Norman tried sweetening the deal by making offers to Cecil didn't make it any easier, they had to discuss this among themselves. Turning then to both Cecil and Amuné he asked for both their opinions, hoping maybe the two of them would sway the group's decision one way or another. "Or maybe he's just offering it as kind of a reward for agreeing, instead of a bribe," Ethan offered hopefully, frowning after a second before sighing, "I guess that's still a bribe though, no matter how you look at it." He'd not realized quite how loudly Cecil had spoken, being so close, but evidently he'd been quite loud.

"I'm not trying to use you, it's an incentive my friend," Norman quipped, smiling sheepishly, "I figured we're even now that we've done work for work, so think of this as a pre-emptive reward. I know you three will do a fine job, and the only thing I can offer for that is my services, services which you may need. I assure you there's nothing underhanded about this." He certainly wasn't trying to use Cecil as a bargaining chip, that'd do anything but earn their trust and help.

Okay, so Norman wasn't trying to bribe them, which was nice to know. Still though, could they really take on this job? There was probably a ton of risk that came with escorting a princess, she could have all kinds of enemies and potentially get caught up in some sort of conflict. Should they risk themselves for that? Could Ethan in good conscience let Amuné be put at risk like that? He wanted to help, but the more he thought on it the less likely he was to agree. "I don't know which way she's going though, it could be in the totally opposite direction we are..."

"I'm going wherever you're going, don't be absurd," Nymira spoke up as she entered the room again, having cleaned herself off. Looking at the trio suspiciously as they were huddled around she frowned in disapproval, placing her hands on her hips and lifting her head haughtily. "You agreed to be my escorts, unwittingly or otherwise, by coming to my rescue. My mission here is to meet any of your leaders that I can and gain their favor for my clan, and I can do that at any city. You can continue on whatever little adventures you're having, and I'll simply tag along. This agreement works out for both of us, don't you agree?"

"Er... Nymira?" Norman began, frowning as he held up a hand, "I don't think they agreed to anything yet, you can't force them to-"

"Of course I can force them, I'm of higher social status than they are," Nymira shot back, narrowing her eyes at the engineer in annoyance.

"Yes, back in your clan, but you're not here. And... You're largely unrecognized even out here in Galloway, never mind the larger cities. To put it bluntly... You've as much authority here as Amuné does, sorry kid," Norman added, sending a small smile in Amuné's direction.

Nymira took some kind of exception to what Norman had said, and for a second looked to be primed to attack him again. Instead however she managed to take a proverbial step back and let out a long, deep sigh, closing her eyes and nodding her head slightly. "I see... Nevertheless I need escorts, at the very least to help me find my way around. Plus I am much less likely to become a target, however unlikely, if there's more people around me." These three may not be the most imposing of sorts, but the Mura could at least somewhat handle himself in a scuffle, and the Machina looked to be able to fight. Giving the group a silent look for a moment she placed one hand over her heart, bowing to them in a polite gesture. "As princess of the Rumia clan, I, Nymira Rumia ask for your help on my mission," she said, lifting her head before smirking, "Although... I plan on accompanying you whether you allow me to or not."

Well that pretty well answered their position here, didn't it? If Nymira planned on coming along regardless of what they said then why bother sharing their view? Anyways it seemed like they were in reluctant agreement already, so this wasn't a terribly upsetting outcome. Ethan smiled exasperatedly when the princess threw in that last bit, chuckling before giving his neck a rubbing. "Well I guess that settles that then, looks like you're with us," he responded, his smile waning ever so slightly at Nymira's smug look. "But... Before we go, Norman said he'd give Cecil a tune-up. I want to go ahead and get that done first, if Cecil wants to as well," he added, glancing back at his friend.

[Mogtaki]

Cecil didn’t want his decision to be based on his increased need to be seen to and hopefully optimised a little better. He was sure that was just a way to get him to agree with whatever Norman and Nymira wanted, causing him to feel used and less than capable of making a decision without it. He wanted to make his decision not based upon what he needed, but what everyone else needed and unfortunately that didn’t seem possible. Greatly disliking the situation he was placed in he frowned when Amuné only managed to make it much more difficult. “But-…but I don’t want that to be part of my decision…”

Feeling rather put off by the whole notion of having this massive decision resting on whether he wanted to be seen to or not he stepped away and tried to isolate himself from their decisions. Not really willing to say whether it was a yes or a no. He didn’t know who this woman was or even what was so important about her being a ‘princess’ or whatever they were calling her, she didn’t even care about his existence. She didn’t so much as look at him or talk to him like she was talking and looking at everyone else, she didn’t even ask him his name. If she didn’t think he mattered enough to get to know then she wasn’t going to get a vote from him, even if it probably didn’t matter what he said anyway.

As Ethan questioned her intentional direction she did come back with a rather hasty and immediate response, telling them it essentially didn’t matter if they didn’t want to take her. The thought that this was his doing was coming back all over again, knowing the job had been taken because he needed to pay off the battery. The way she fussed over this and try to force them into this made him wish they never agreed to take up the job, but there was no way to step out of it now it seemed. She was going on about a whole load of stuff that he just didn’t understand like social status and the mention of a clan, making him wonder why they didn’t just go with the whole paying for it thing instead.

With the woman pretty much thoroughly forced into their group through her own will he lowered his head depressively, finding it hard to understand her intentions and how it would affect their group. Amuné and Ethan seemed to like him fine enough, but this woman was not nice and probably didn’t want to get to know any of them properly. This was going to ruin things for them and he would probably be on his own again if she forced the group apart because of her attitude or different intentions. He just wanted to get to the city, but she was currently not willing to give them any information as to why she wanted to go with them and where she was going. Looking to Ethan when he mentioned his tune-up he stared at him for a moment before sighing, lowering his head into a brief nod. “I want it, but I still stand by saying I didn’t want it to be part of the decision we were making. I don’t wish to hold us up any longer, either”.

[shylarah]

Norman's Shop

Amuné didn't completely understand why Cecil was so reluctant to do what he needed, but she supposed maybe he was just really selfless. And then Nymira just added herself to their group without even asking. "Are all warrior princesses so bossy?" the girl asked, wrinkling her nose. She'd thought of princesses as more damsel-in-distress sorts, not the kind of people that'd be so...forceful. Then again, the Dimura was a fighter, and it kinda fit.

She returned Norman's smile with a small one of her own, not really sure why he thought she'd be offended. For a moment it looked like there would be another fight, but Nymira checked herself and explained her reasoning. "If you need help with directions, Ethan is useless," Amuné said, trying to lighten the tone. "He can't find his way anywhere. Um, but Cecil and I are pretty good."

And then Cecil was being all wishy-washy about getting seen to. "You should take it, Cecil. You'll save time in the long run, because you won't need more work later. And Daddy says that being selfish about things that are really important isn't so much being selfish as standing up for yourself."

[GambolMuse]

So Nymira was throwing a massive wrench into their plans, no doubts about that. Ethan was even inclined to turn her down until she'd more or less forced her way onto them, leaving the group with no choice but to accept. Not wanting to say one way or another about Amuné's comment, he could only shrug before letting out a sigh. Cecil wasn't thrilled with this either, feeling like he was being used to strike a deal; everyone was reassuring him it was just an added incentive and not a bargaining chip, but he still saw it that way. So they would be taking the princess with them, like it or not. The only good thing was she didn't appear to be in any particular hurry to get anywhere, more or less just trying to meet people. So long as she kept that, Ethan figured, they'd be free to do what they had to do still.

"H-Hey, I'm not completely useless! I just get... Confused," Ethan said defensively, sulking and hanging his head with a sigh. Aw who was he kidding, he was totally useless! The only reason he'd even gotten as far as he did before was by hitching a ride with people who knew where they were going. Still, Amuné didn't have to bring it up like that. They had at least finalized their arrangements though... Well, almost. Cecil was still up in the air about getting a free tune-up, something Ethan figured their friend would be all for. Nodding his head in agreement with what Amuné had to say, the Magi offered a smile and thumbs up in turn. "We should probably figure out where we're going before we leave anyways, so why don't you get this done while we're doing that?" They could use the time to map out an actual course, and even see if they could find a place to get most of their work out of the way. As they got to the larger cities, he reasoned, the chances were greater they could find what they were looking for. Only problem there was where were the larger cities exactly?

Norman didn't dare say anything about Nymira's forced joining one way or another, lest he get a smack upside the head or something. Instead he jumped on the bandwagon that was in favor of Cecil getting work done, waving the Machina over to his side. "The work I would do is very simply, it will take ten minutes at most," the engineer explained, smiling as he grabbed his small device again, showing the screen to Cecil after bringing up a basic image of a Machina skeleton. "All I would do is oil your joints, replace any worn down components, which there should be very few, and reapply some sealant to help protect you from the elements. If there's anything you need or want done while here then I'll do that as well, free of charge." It was a once in a lifetime chance, he didn't hand out these free check-ups often. And not to boast or anything, but he thought himself quite good with machinery, which meant Cecil would be hard pressed finding someone who could offer the same caliber of work. "If you don't want to think of it as a bargaining chip... Then consider it your personal reward for saving Nymira. Protecting a princess is a big deal, you deserve at least something in return."

Nymira didn't care much what they did, not being on any strict timeline herself. So long as she got to meet enough people to secure some solid relations that was all that mattered to her. She could understand the trio's desire to go about their own business, she wasn't wholly insensitive to other people's wishes, she just didn't care. Their journey, whatever it might be, was likely of a personal nature; Nymira was here to ensure the survival of her clan, and that they might not be left behind in this technological age. She had legitimate cause to need to travel, and she'd not take no for an answer. "I was given a map by some men at an earlier town, it might help..." she offered, reaching into a deep pocket on her coat and brandishing a well-worn, crumpled up map. Meticulously laying it out on the counter she smiled proudly, despite not realizing it was a map of the immediate area she'd bought it, and not Adelon itself.

Even Ethan was able to discern that difference, but he didn't say much for fear of getting Nymira angry again. Instead he just gave a small smile and nodded, clearing his throat before grabbing his own map. "Er... Princess, if it's all the same, can we use my map? It's just the one we've been using so we're used to it." he explained, hopeful they might be able to avoid embarrassing her.

"Very well, if that's what you think works best. I leave our direction up to you three, handicapped as you might be," Nymira responded, watching as Ethan briefly became crestfallen again. "So long as we keep going East then I have no problems with where you decide to take us, that's my only rule." Tucking away her own map she folded her arms, watching Amuné and Ethan expectantly as she awaited their decision. Admittedly her knowledge of the area was lacking, but then that's what she had these people for, wasn't it?

Huh, so there were rules on picking where to travel now? Ethan supposed that wasn't really a bother, they'd be heading in that direction anyways. Trying to please Nymira just meant avoiding small vales and villages though, a shame since he preferred those to bustling centers. Laying out his own map where the princess' had been, he pinned the corners down with a few random bits and bobbles he found lying nearby. "So we're in Galloway now, which is right... Here..." he figured, being perfectly literate if not directionally challenged, "And east is... This way..." The only reason he figured that just now was thanks to the compass drawn up in the top left corner, even he could recognize how that worked. "So I guess the question is, which of those towns do we stop at next?"

[Mogtaki]

Cecil really didn’t want to be a bother to anyone and to have these people being all held up because he wanted something made him wonder if they were going to regret bringing him into their little group in the first place. He was sure Amuné and Ethan were regretting taking him after being forced into this, but he did hope to make it up to them later even if he didn’t understand how. Staring at Amuné as she tried to give him her reassurances that it was fine he smiled a little as his mind went over what she was trying to say so he could break it into pieces he’d understand. “Standing up for myself? It is pretty important…” he spoke, thinking over it for a moment, “…I do really need it. It sure is an interesting thing to say. Does Daddy know a lot about these things?”

He still didn’t really understand who ‘Daddy’ was but they sounded wise enough. He didn’t really want to think about himself when everything so far had been for him, but everyone seemed so supportive. They all wanted him to get this done, but he didn’t know if it would bring convenience to them as well if he was functioning properly. They could go on their journey without him if he was causing a lot of problems, but thankfully they didn’t seem to be wanting to go anywhere. Looking down at himself for a moment he looked to Norman when he gave a little list of what he was going to do for him, even offering up anything else he needed. There didn’t appear to be a limit on what he could ask for so it certainly appeared to be free reign in what he would want.

“I don’t know what a princess is, so I don’t see why it should be considered a big deal when she has shown she is capable of protecting herself”, he spoke quickly to Norman, Giving Nymira a quick glance, “I do not know why it is an act that deserves a reward, but I do want this. I want more than that too. You said anything I need, well I need a lot”. He wasn’t going to have this be just another tune-up, there was a variety of things he wanted and just now was the best time to take it. If he was given whatever he wanted, then he was going to get everything he needed. “I-I want all of that, but I also want a tank of oil! I don’t want to be running out again anytime soon. I also want you to check what my function is, you know…why I’m made like this? It’s probably in my code somewhere, right? In an information booklet or something, maybe? I just have questions and I don’t know how to answer them, that’s all”.

[shylarah]

Norman's shop

Amuné smiled at Cecil. "My daddy knows all sorts of things! He's very clever." The girl was very proud to be the child of her parents, and was about to add more when she thought better of it and instead went off on a tangent. "You shouldn't call him that though, Cecil, because he's not your daddy. My Daddy's name is Baldur. Do Machina have mommies and daddies too? Do they look like you? I look like my parents, except Mommy's face is rounder, and Daddy has white hair, like Ethan does, because he's Ydran like Ethan is." She didn't know that Ethan was actually Muran, because she wasn't yet very aware of the subtle differences in facial structure between the two races. Besides, /she/ was Ydran, and her face was rounder than most of them.

The girl thought about telling the woman that her map was no good, but decided against it. No reason causing trouble, right? But she stuck up for Ethan. "He's not handicapped, he just has trouble." Amuné watched Ethan pouring over the map, and giggled. "Hey, how come you can read it now, when you couldn't before? Were you just being silly? Or is it following the map that gives you trouble?" Either way, it seemed he knew more than it had initially appeared. She supposed maybe watching her and Cecil had helped, but it was good Ethan knew a bit more now.

"I just want to find out what happened to my parents," Amuné said softly, in answer to Ethan's question. She fell silent for a long while. "Ethan?" she asked at last. "Do...do you really think my mommy and daddy might be nearby? It's been so long and my home is far away, and...and I keep feeling like I need to be looking closer to home. Daddy was hurt, and...and if he was hurt bad, I don't think he'd be travelling this far. And...." The girl hesitated, biting her lip. "I think it was bad," she admitted finally, her voice wavering. "Mommy looked so upset...."

[GambolMuse]

Norman wasn't generally accustomed to giving out such things, but then this was a special case. How many customers after all could say they helped save a foreign dignitary? Not many, just these three right here in fact. That deserved a big reward, and the only thing he could offer with his expertise was some work on Cecil, free of charge. Though the Machina had initially been hesitant to accept his help, after some convincing it seemed like he'd go along with it. Hearing Amuné call Ethan something completely wrong, and seeing the look of surprise on the boy's face, he gestured for Cecil to come over to his side so they might speak a bit more in private; no way was he going to be in the middle of that. He had said he'd be willing to do more than he'd listed, yet Norman hadn't quite anticipated everything that Cecil was going to ask for. Work he could do, he could tune-up any Machina and make it like brand new, better even. But all of that?

"The tank of oil is no problem, I've got jars and jars of it lying around the place. That I can do for you... But telling you why you were made? Cecil I can't tell you that, I don't know if anyone but the person who designed you can. I'll take a look at your coding and see what I can find, sure, but I can't make any promises." What Cecil had just asked for was equivalent to asking someone why you existed, hardly an easy request to fill. Unlike most Machina too Cecil was wholly unique, enough so that he didn't appear to have any particular design plan. Was he a combat unit? Utility? Companion? A whole different kind that he'd not seen before? The latter most likely, as generally a Machina was built for one of those three aforementioned purposes. "I'll do that in a bit though, let's get your tune-up outta the way, okay? After that I'll see what I can do for you."

Had the little girl just mistaken the Muran for an Ydran? Nymira was surprised, they didn't look remotely similar even to someone with as limited experience as herself. Amuné seemed to be earnest about that though, and they really ought to correct her. Letting her think that this Ethan was one of her own wasn't fair, and she'd only be upset if she was allowed to continue thinking that. "Little one, there's something you should know..." the Dimuran woman began, "Ethan..."

"Yeah, I got it Nymira! What she was going to say was Machina don't have mommies or daddies," Ethan interrupted quickly, smiling as he spoke, "See... Machina are made in a factory or something, I think. They're not made like we are, so they don't really have a mom or a dad. Well... Unless you count the person who made them, but then that's not really how it works either..." Oh great, now he'd confused himself with his own bit. Could they just leave it at Cecil not having any proper parents? They needed a change of topic awfully quick, maybe they could get looking at the map now? Turning his focus back to the sheet of paper on the table he began by finding where Galloway itself was, doing so easily enough. Then, following the compass in the corner eastward he was able to see where the nearest three towns were. Lifting his head to glance at Amuné as she commented on his reading ability, Ethan grinned sheepishly and rubbed at his neck.

"I can read a map alright, it's following directions that gets me," he explained, pointing towards the doors, "If we were out there then I couldn't tell East from West, or North from South. I have to ask people all the time which way is which, and I'm fine until I stop, then I get all turned around and confused again." That... And maybe he had noticed one or two things about what the others were up to. He HAD been taught before, believe it or not, he'd just never had to use any of that information until now. Back home he just knew where everything was, there was no need for cardinal directions to help him get around. Out here though? "So like I said, three towns, just no idea what ones to stop at," Ethan continued, tilting his head slightly as he looked at them in thought. The biggest would be their safest bet, yet they had no clue where to head or which one was the largest. He supposed they could ask Norman when he was done with Cecil, might not be such a bad idea.

While deliberating that, Ethan glanced up when he heard Amuné meekly ask him about about her parents again. It broke his heart hearing her so upset, and he could tell she was just barely keeping it together. Knowing the pain she felt all too well, the Muran offered up a sympathetic smile and moved around the table to her side, kneeling down and giving her a hug. "You said your mommy was a healer, right? Well she'll take care of him, I'm sure of it. If he was hurt badly... It would make sense they'd come out here, don't you think? The cities are where all the latest, greatest things are, and it's where some of the best healers probably work too. If your daddy was hurt then that's where I bet he'd be taken," Ethan explained, pulling back and smiling as he reached out and booped Amuné lightly on the tip of her nose, "We'll find them, I'm sure of it. Maybe it won't be for a little bit, but don't give up hope just yet, okay?"

What a moron... Lying to Amuné like that, he had to know the truth. If the child's mother was concerned despite being a healer then it was very serious, perhaps beyond her control. And what had even injured him anyways? Nymira had a guess, though she loathed to think the Church had extended so far. Ydrans tended to be almost like Dimurans in the sense they kept largely to themselves, with rare exceptions of course. And while she didn't wholly know the territory of Amuné's people, if it was anything like hers then she was largely removed from the rest of society. Even if there was someone who could help, would her father last all the way? Despite knowing just how unlikely anyone surviving what sounded to be a serious wound, she couldn't bring herself to tell Amuné that either. Like Ethan, Nymira could only muster up a small smile and nod, trying to reassure the little girl as best she could. She'd have to face the reality some day, today just wasn't that day.

[Mogtaki]

Cecil didn’t understand what was meant by ‘daddy’ and thought it was a name. It sounded like a name and she did say it a lot, but when she told him otherwise he felt confused and simply stared at her with concern. “Huh? Baldur? Uhh, I don’t-…umm…” He felt pretty confused by her questions, not feeling like he understood what any of these things she was trying to explain. ‘Parents’ was a foreign concept, but with how much Amuné went on about her ‘Daddy’ he did wonder what he was missing. It must’ve been an important aspect of their lives if they ended up looking like these ‘parents’, but then that kind of stuff seemed outside his understanding. He didn’t know how some people could influence how someone else appeared, not unless people were somehow made too. They certainly came in all sorts of sizes while his kind probably did not. He did wonder what other Machina were like, he hadn’t exactly seen many others.

Trying to understand something like that had to come later, first he needed some stuff from Norman to feel he was capable of walking away from here comfortably. He was sure there was more he could ask for, but the stuff he requested was what he needed rather than what he could use in excess. Staring at Norman after giving his request he frowned when he couldn’t give the information he needed, looking down at himself as he tried to think of another way to phrase it. Looking into his coding for something would make him feel better, but there must’ve been something he knew just from looking at him. “Uhh, yes…tune-up first. I-I just wanted to know, that’s all. I don’t want to return to my place of origin to find it out”.

Figuring he needed to go back to the same place he was before he moved closer to the table, staring at it for a moment before climbing onto it and sitting on the edge. Maybe he could still get some information from him through other thought processes, some other way he could question his function to this man and maybe find something out. Trying to think through it and how to question it properly he looked away for a moment before slowly looking back to Norman. “You…know a lot about Machina though, right? Then, uhh, what would you say…is the function of my hands? What function do my legs serve other than walking?”