Adriane

The Origin: A War Resumed (Arc One; Completed)

Lora Kadar

Reaching the border of Gurata had brought forth a feeling Lora welcomed, but reaching the Homestead brought along an entirely different feeling. She had never lived there, only visited a few times before, and her longest stay there had been at the beginning of her leave from her pack. The uneven buildings and free-roaming animals had always reminded her of Gurata’s true spirit, but as she approached them with her present company the sight lighted her nerves. The dominating Arena and the forward march of the Sentinals’ horses set upon Lora the feeling that the Prince’s undertaking was about to change everything.

All roads lead to the Arena, and as they marched along the twists and turns the Homestead, Guratans turned to watch them. Recognition dawned on the colors of the travelling party and familiar curiosity fell on her, wearing Kisarin’s loyalty in a sea of Barceans. When they reached the Arena she moved forward to pass off the horses to her fellow Guratans: loosening girths, arranging stirrups, and holding them until one of the hands could take them. Once they were taken she caught up to the group with ease—following the nonsensical direction of the halls was natural after so many years travelling about Gurata. She reached the back of the group as the front reached Chief Yihira: her voice familiar on Lora’s ears and her appearance distinct as Lora peeked over a Sentinal’s shoulder.

She knew the Chief from distant glimpses and heard announcements, but nothing more intimate. Catching her so casual and close was almost as exciting as Cyril’s recognition, and she pressed her way through the crowd for a better look. Yihira recognized the man they had saved and then she took off with them, ordering one of the residents to go fetch the other two Chiefs. Lora’s pulse picked up further at the prospect of seeing all three Chiefs (and Cyril) all at once. (Of course, no Chief would have ever denied Cyril’s audience, so the surprise was mainly that the entire travelling party was tagging along. Perhaps it wouldn’t be so unwelcome if she joined them.)

She knew everything about the Arena that Chief Yihira told them, but she listened carefully regardless. She had never been inside the Chief’s meeting place before but she had sat outside it with her uncle once, waiting for the verdict on the northern mountains. Walking inside of it with the Prince of Barcea, Princess Ayano, and Chief Yihira made her wish, just a little bit, that she was heading home afterward simply so she could tell someone about it who would be as excited as she was. As polite and accommodating as the Sentinals and company were, they were a little too comfortable with their positions near power to understand.

Kisarin joined them and Lora couldn’t even pretend she wasn’t grinning—him she had seen more often and a bit closer than his sister, though seeing him again was just as exciting. For the most part she liked the Chief whose region she lived in and she wore his colors proudly. Seryosa joined them shortly after, accompanied by a few (that included a massive snow leopard and a fellow but different nonhuman) and Lora bounced on her feet a little, trying to rearrange her face to match the seeming indifference everyone else appeared to be wearing.

The meeting was going along until Seryosa objected, her disregard for the Prince and Barcea’s call for help irking Lora greatly. But then he called for Decision by Battle, and Seryosa accepted, and Lora was caught between desperately hoping he knew what he was calling for and trusting that he knew the best decision for his country. Seryosa called for the Decision at noon, with eight fighters on either side. Lora’s eyes skidded over the group around her, their numbers more than double that, and wondered exactly who would be out there, fighting with and protecting the Prince.

The meeting broke and the two Chiefs responded to Cyril’s decision in their own ways. Drosil approached and he volunteered and Cyril welcomed the offer, and Lora understood how this was working. Her fingers knotted into each other and her gaze skipped over to Ayano, for once glad she couldn’t make eye contact with the girl. If this was a volunteering opportunity there was no question Lora would be one of the first on the list, and finally making use of herself would eradicate the need for a terribly awkward and embarrassing conversation about continuing to follow him around. She would follow him anywhere, of course, but it would probably be more than a little humiliating for both of them if she had to ask if he even wanted her to.

The Prince headed towards Gortul and the new man, ever-caring about those he saved. The Divine Paladin stepped up and his companion stumbled towards the Prince. She didn’t want to interrupt any important conversations he needed to have—but she could see that his was the time and she knew that if she didn’t step up now she would back down with doubt. The Paladin and Christopher stepped back and the Prince turned back to Dalious. With a last glance towards Ayano, Lora moved forward from the group towards Cyril.

She caught the end of Dalious’ offer, and stepped up to the opportunity. “Me too, Your Honor.” She inclined her head and then peeked back up towards the pirate, realizing her fault. “Well—not the bit about the measly pirate, of course—or that you should lose any of your men—“ she winced and straightened, trying a smile over her flushing cheeks. “I mean I’d like to volunteer as well,” she glanced at Dalious and nodded gently in his direction, “If you have the room, to fight with you.” Her eyes found the Prince again, and her mouth started up again before she could stop it. “Of course, you have your choice of fighters and wonderful Sentinals and you’ve picked up quite the few along the way, so if you’d rather someone else take my place, please don’t feel any hesitance in having them do so—the state of Barcea is vital and this Decision is incredibly important and I’m no soldier so I completely understand. But, um, if you don’t…uh, that is, if you’d like to have me—wait—no, that’s not—“ Lora snapped her mouth shut, closing her eyes and gathering herself with a deep breath. “I’d like to fight for you in the Decision by Battle.”

The Origin: A War Resumed (Arc One; Completed)

Lora Kadar

Lora woke easily the next morning and helped shuffle the rest out into the stables and onto the road. She was only a little tired though her nose ached; Drosil’s inebriated appearance at their table had included far too many smells and upset her greatly. For the most part she rode quietly near Ayano and Diane—but not too close. She had spent the latter part of the night and now the beginning of the journey trying to find a good way to go about keeping her promise to Ayano, and the last thing she wanted to draw was more prompting. Or worse, Ayano sticking to her promise of bringing it up to Cyril herself.

There was simply no good way to ask the Prince of her childhood home country if she could continue tagging along behind him and his sister on their mission to save said country. She had very little, if anything, to contribute to the mission besides her five senses and pleasant demeanor, and there was no way to request her staying without it sounding desperate or too commanding. On the other hand, however, pulling him aside to discuss her point of exit on the journey would seem like a guilt trip. She would settle for simply following until she became a burden or they passed the best route to her pack, except if she did nothing Ayano might—correctly, at that—think that she wasn’t going to ask him to stay.

It was a stalemate if she ever had one, and she wished she could just fight it out. But the only person to fight would be herself, which was impossible, pointless, and could be fought just as well internally. She sighed heavily, resigning herself to the rest of the journey into Gurata. Perhaps if she just let it go for now, the answer would come to her.

Something came to them, though it wasn’t the answer she had hoped for. The air around them grew steadily colder, but the chill was welcome to Lora and didn’t reach through her layers. Pax snorted as they crossed the border, comforted by the familiar lack of road and knock of rocks against his hooves. She leaned forward with a gentle pat on his neck and he moved with a new energy when she squeezed him. They continued on for a while, though, and by the time they came across something Pax had settled back down.

Cyril spotted it at the same time she did, and quickened his horse’s pace towards the collapsed man. Lora followed as close behind as she dared, and when they drew up in front of him he managed one word before passing out.

“Rum?” she asked, looking between the man and Cyril. Had she heard that right? Drunks collapsed on the road weren’t particularly common for Gurata, but it was always possible. Unless… “Did he mean run?” She quickly glanced between the two again and then at the area around their travelling party. Everything seemed quiet and there was nothing in sight, but that only meant if there was something out there, it would be even worse.

Lora slid down from Pax and dropped his reins to the ground, bending down to the man’s side and gently moving his shoulder. He was out cold, and Lora wondered how long he had been there before they approached. He smelled of smoke and blood, and Lora began shuffling around his clothes until she found the crusted wound behind his shoulder. She turned and looked back up at Cyril, thinking it was far more likely he had said Run. “He’s injured, it looks like it took a lot out of him. It’s old, though—not fresh. Whatever happened I think there was a fire, he—he smells like smoke. It’s hanging on his clothes.” She turned back to look at the man, shaking her head. “He doesn’t look like he’ll make it much longer.”

The Origin: A War Resumed (Arc One; Completed)

@PetiteAmbivertBring it on.

The Origin: A War Resumed (Arc One; Completed)

@PetiteAmbivertI only followed him because I thought I knew...
Is it too late to crawl back up?

The Origin: A War Resumed (Arc One; Completed)

@The Darklight ProjectYou mean we haven't reached the bottom of the pit yet? There's still further to fall??

The Origin: A War Resumed (Arc One; Completed)

Lora Kadar, Ayano Serio, and Diane Laues

The Prince called for them and Lora glanced behind her to catch him moving away from the others. She turned back to the two angels for a last thanks and a goodbye, when the man reached his hands up and the woman stilled. He turned to Lora, eyes down and mouth small. He pushed off her thanks and her lips twisted into a frown. Now wasn’t the time, but she wouldn’t leave it until he understood the impact they had made.

She joined the larger group and Cyril motioned towards her and the other two, skipping over them quickly and spending twice as long on her. She flushed a brilliant shade of coral, bowing to her new travelling companions and willing her face to fade as fast as it could. She straightened and a bright voice piped up and called her name. Lora peeked behind another Sentinel to find Ayano, grinning widely in her direction. She returned the smile and approached her, surprised and incredibly pleased to find her here.

They mounted and made their way out of the village and towards Gurata, small talk eventually dissolving into a comfortable silence. She had always enjoyed Ayano, if she hadn’t managed to spend as much time with her as the others.

But, no time like the present. They reached the end of the day and the end of their journey so far, stopping for the night at a sweet inn on Cyril’s direction. Ayano and the woman who had been sticking close to her other side weren’t given any explicit directions for action, so Lora dismounted and seized the opportunity.

“Would you like to get food?” She directed the question towards Ayano, but smiled politely at the woman near her. It didn’t look like she was keen on leaving Ayano at any point in this journey. “I’m starved and you’ve been travelling much longer than since I joined you, so I can only imagine how famished you must be,” she added.

The Princess opened her mouth to reply, but something else beat her to it. Almost as if in response to Lora's question, suddenly Ayano's rumbled in a terrific growl. The opening of her lips changed from speech to mute horror as she instead wrapped her arms around her torso, bending over slightly. As she did this Diane quickly stepped over, a look of worry on her face, but she relaxed a little when she realized the Princess was only suffering from traveling hunger pangs... Even if they were some of the loudest the Princess had experienced.

"Oh... Yes please! Cyril only had jerky for snacks and I'm worried it's bear, so I... chose not to partake willingly..."

"I wouldn't let him feed you bear, dear." Diane sniffed slightly after she spoke, as if the idea was preposterous. Ayano, however, was too busy after straightening, hands going to rub her own backside some. Clearly her stomach wasn't the only thing in pain from all of the riding.

"Ugh... my butt hurts..."

She had stepped forward when Ayano doubled over but the other woman beat her there, and Ayano was quick with her response and confirmation it was simply hunger. Lora offered her a small and understanding smile that quickly developed into an amused grin. Saddle sores were only too familiar to her.

“Come on, let’s find you a nice, cushioned seat and some food that is inarguably not bear.”

Inside the inn they were seated and they ordered—some chicken for Lora and some not-bear for Ayano, and tea for her companion.

“So, what brings you two to join his Majesty on his way to Gurata? Why is he heading to Gurata anyway? You all are the last people I expected to run into on my way home, much less run into and be recognized by. It really is wonderful to see you again, and doing so well, your Highness.” She folded her hands on the table and offered them a sunny smile.

Diane was the first to receive her order, with it only being tea; she had made sure to order the Princess some as well, and as soon as the cups were poured she carefully directed Ayano's hands to the cup with a light touch. Even as she was directed to the location of the cup, the Princess smiled at Lora in return, even if she had no way of seeing the young woman's smile.

"Oh, we're going to Gurata to-"

"Ayano..." Where Diane might have broken a staff over someone else's head, her response to Ayano's near blunder was just a gentle, admonishing tone as she didn't even look over to the Princess, her eyes nearly closed as she sipped gently from her tea. The Princess jumped in her seat slightly, a motion that made her whimper slightly in pain before she settled back down.

"Oh, right- Um, we're on a mission! If you want to find out more, ask Cyril for specifics but... Well, it's good to run into you again too! It's been a long time! How have you been? What have you been doing? Where have you been?" The questions had begun like a flood.

The woman cut Ayano off and Lora quieted her smile to a polite shift of the lips, nodding as the Princess shifted the topic. “Of course, I understand. Someone’s got to save the world, right?” she joked, letting the topic drop.

“I’m good, I’ve been good!” she started, leaning forward and letting her eyes drift around the Princess’ face. With no eyes to hold, she got caught on the lift of her nose and the ivory waves of her hair. “I’ve been in Gurata since I left you all in Barcea, with my uncle. He’s Alpha of his tribe there, over under Chief Kisarin? Once my tail finally came in I took up as his Beta, but I recently took off for some…uh, travelling.” She searched Ayano’s cloth and glanced at the woman before nodding lightly—mostly to herself. “Soul-searching, I suppose you could say,” she admitted. “But Gurata’s lovely, though it’s no Barcean castle.” She chuckled, twisting her fingers together.

“What about you? You’ve certainly grown up lovely, if I can say so. You look great, and I can only assume you’re doing as equally great things if you’re accompanying his Majesty. How are you doing, saddle sore and hunger pains aside? How have you been since I left?”

“Oh, stop it, I'll blush!" Though her words may have been rejection, clearly the Princess was pleased by the compliments as she giggled slightly. To herself, Diane smiled slightly as well, though it was a smug sort of smile. At least the pup knew good breeding when she saw it, and seemed to know how to throw out a proper compliment or two.

Fingers wrapping around the warm tea cup, Ayano's smile faded back into a more settled one, rather than the beaming she briefly broke out into from Lora's words. "Well... I wouldn't say equally as great, but I have been practicing! Cyril seems to be getting really, really serious about letting me join the Sentinels! I've been joining him on trips, and starting to figure out how they work! Beyond that, I'm still working on my painting, and, well... People are saying that's going well, too!"

"You did bring your supplies just in case, Ayano?"

"Yes, of course Diane!"

She laughed as Ayano did, glad to see the girl happy and pleased she could be the cause. “Oh, that’s wonderful!” she exclaimed when the conversation opened for her. “So exciting, and impressive! I’m sure he’s very proud of you, and I’m more than sure you’re doing excellently. Oh! How nice, I’m positive it is! I’d love to see anything you have, if you don’t mind, of course. I remember when you used to paint while the rest of us ran around and it was brilliant then. I’m sure it’s only gotten better! I’ve always loved painting, it’s absolutely magnificent, don’t you think, ma’am?” she raised her eyebrows and a pleasant smile towards the woman, Diane.

The man behind the bar reached their table with the food, setting it down in front of Lora and Ayano and blundering his way back to his other patrons. She thanked the man and turned her smile back to the other two without touching her food.

Diane had placed down her tea cup by that point, one again her hands going over to Ayano. The Princess allowed her to turn them over so the palms faced up, and from there the woman then placed the cutlery into Ayano's hands. After making sure to have them turned properly, she gave Ayano a little pat; with that, the Princess actually grabbed onto the utensils, while Diane directed the Princess to just where the plate was. With Ayano able to start eating, Diane finally looked back to Lora, picking up her tea once more.

"Yes, art is quite stunning... so long as it is of sufficient quality. The Princess' for example, has such quality."

Even as Diane spoke, Ayano was feeling around her plate with her fork, discerning the size and shape of her food before she actually started to eat, carefully at first but with growing confidence at each bite.

Lora watched the direction, taking note of the setting and tapping and feeling around that was being done. She didn’t miss the still compliment of Diane’s, and retained her small smile to agree. “Yes, of course.”

She waited until Ayano was eating with no troubles before she dug into her own chicken. She was caught between simply picking it up and tearing into it, and slicing off the smallest pieces she could in order to eat like a proper lady. She eventually decided on something in the middle, being it that Ayano could only hear but not see the actual display, and it appeared Diane was going to be rough around the edges no matter how courteous she tried to be. She cut off large pieces and ate a few at the same time in an even larger bite, taking care to chew thoroughly before swallowing.

“Do you get much chance to paint on the road, your Highness?”

As both of them ate, the look that Diane gave Lora bordered on disapproving. Her head was tilted back slightly as she looked down her nose at the newcomer, only taking a sip from her tea every so often. Ayano was not aware of this, and though she could hear the way Lora ate she didn't mind at all; after all, Sampson was a member of the Sentinels.

"Oh, not as much as I like... There are plenty of things I smell and hear that give me plenty of inspirations. But really, the only time I can do it well is when we stop for awhile... Maybe at Gurata, if we stay long enough? Oh, I hope so... After all, I don't know when the next time I'll be back there!" Ayano took a pause here as she munched away, happy to have some sustenance to enjoy.

"So are you going to part ways after we cross the border, or stay with us all the way?"

Lora didn’t miss the look from Diane, but took care to pretend she did when Ayano showed no hint of her own disapproval. She hummed as Ayano talked, smiling at the picture of her painting away in Gurata. “Yes, it’d be wonderful if you found the time!”

She swallowed one of her last bites of the meal, dragging out the end to answer the Princess. She frowned, remembering the Prince’s invitation to travel to Gurata with them. “Well, I’m not sure. My home isn’t too far off from the border really, but I’m in no rush to go home. Of course, I’m not really part of your travelling company or your mission, and the last thing I’d want to be is in the way. If I’m not helping I’m probably just dragging you down, so I suppose perhaps heading home would be the best course of action, now I think about it…” She drifted off at the prospect of heading back home after travelling with the Serio family, her true ranking in society hanging in the air between them. “But this is more than I ever expected,” she added in a happier tone. “Sitting here is an honor, your Majesty.”

Ayano wasn't having any of it, though. In the middle of bringing her fork to her mouth for another bite she stopped, sitting up in her chair sharply. The movement was so sudden that Diane's quickly looked over her direction in worry, but relaxed after seeing that the Princess was alright, just... indignant, almost.

"No, of course you aren't in the way! You're a friend, and I bet if you asked Cyril would let you come the entire way! You know he's nice like that, so ask!"

Lora smiled brilliantly, and though Ayano couldn’t see she was sure it carried into her voice. “Well thank you, your Highness, I appreciate that very much, but we both know that perhaps Cyril can be a little too kind.” Her smile faded, and her stomach twisted unpleasantly. Cyril’s sweet nature was probably her favorite thing about him—eyes aside—but sometimes she wished he wasn’t so. It made the line between Kind King and Amiable Friend very hard to distinguish. He had seemed pleased to see her and had invited her along—but because of their past and taking actual pleasure in her company, or because it was the kind and polite thing to do for an old friend was indiscernible. And it wasn’t as if she could go up and ask him to clarify—he was her Prince. He had far more important things to occupy his time with than her.

“I’d hate to take advantage of that and guilt him into letting me come along, or make him feel bad for asking me not to tag along like a lost pup.” She cringed at the picture. “Really, don’t worry about it, please.”

"If you don't talk to him, I will!" Ayano was adamant, holding the base of both of her utensils against the table as she leaned forward slightly. Blinking quickly, Diane's hands went over to almost seem to restrain the Princess, who looked like she might pounce at Lora with how intent she seemed on having the friend from long ago come along.

"That's enough, Ayano. I'm sure she gets the point."

"You heard her, she's not going to do it! So I'll take it into my own hands!"

Lora’s hands twitched to raise in a placating motion, but she held them down because Ayano wouldn’t be able to see them anyways. “Your Highness, really, that’s not necessary.” The only thing worse than asking Cyril to let her follow them like her previous thought of a lost puppy was having Ayano do it for her. He would certainly feel worse turning down the sister he loved so much than he would her.

“I’ll talk to him, alright?” she bargained gently. “But if he says no I won’t push him—as much as I’d love and be honored to spend more time with you all, I won’t get in the way of your mission. You’re obviously going to Gurata for something far bigger than rekindling old friendships and I would never stand in the way of that. Besides,” she started, hoping she wasn’t too forward but wondering if Ayano wouldn’t leap across the table and drag her there if she tried to step back at all, “If you really like we could always cross paths again—I’d love to be of any help to you all I can, even if it’s not necessarily this time around you could use me.”

"Fine, so long as you do it!" The Princess, for the time being, seemed satisfied, giving a smile. "See? Was that so hard?"

Lora barely stopped herself from rolling her eyes, for once extremely glad the Princess couldn’t see her. “No, I suppose not,” she answered with a sigh, turning back to her plate and finishing off the last bits of her dinner.

The Origin: A War Resumed (Arc One; Completed)

Lora Kadar

Lora’s eyes flitted between the man, Wanderer, and Cyril as they received the news. It seemed to confirm something for Cyril, who watched as the Wanderer passed through panic and fear and into begrudging acceptance. He spoke, keeping up his odd insistence of referring to himself with impersonal pronouns, distilling any remaining doubts about what she had seen yesterday. She wasn’t surprised at his statement, expecting nothing less from the way they had all but evaporated after the fight. She turned back to the Prince as he processed this and turned it to his liking. And then he extended his earlier offer to them as well, except where hers had been a soft offer theirs was a firm order.

The man did not like this possible outcome of events, but reason wasn’t far off and he agreed. Cyril looked pleased and turned away, done with his convincing and on to attending the rest of the group. He turned his Sentinel away and moved onto their new companions, comforting the Wanderer, but perhaps just depressing him. He didn’t care for long, moving on to the newest man—Drosil.

She turned back to look at the scene in front of them, the woman yelling about the species of the Deathcrawler and then turning her sights on her companion. Her ears turned towards the Prince and Drosil despite her watching the one-sided fight, the soft tone drawing her interest. The sound paused, and she glanced over to the two men on instinct. Drosil was staring at her with a look in his eyes she’d rather not describe, much less ever see again. Discomfort slid a cold hand down her back and she glared her best at him, nose flared and teeth peeking, but he was too busy picking her apart to note the intense distrust she was sending his way. After far too long he turned away, but she did not. She watched him move back to the Prince and take his time continuing, her eyes narrowed. If his small but far too long actions towards her weren’t enough for her to find dissatisfaction, his manners toward the Prince certainly were. She wasn’t close but her hearing was unfortunately expert, and honed in on his words. He mentioned the man from earlier that was no longer here—were they connected in some sort?

And then—Puppy love? Puppy love? Lora hadn’t had puppy love about anything since Pax had grown from a foal and the insinuation that the rest of them had reacted with less enthusiasm than her was frankly—in her modest opinion—conducive to treason. He was the Prince for Ambrosia’s sake! Was she supposed to be as grumpy as the rest of this lot? What did it matter if his voice was velvet and his eyes belligerently brilliant, the rest of them should have been just as pleased as her to share his company!

The man continued with a rather insensitive comparison (she was a nonhuman, not a Deathcrawler) and Lora had had enough. Turning sharply and removing the man far from her mind, she caught up to the Wanderer’s near-death experience. She hesitated for a moment, perhaps now wasn’t the best time, but continued. It might be the only time, if the woman got her way. Anyway, she was all too familiar to tiffs between friends being solved with a little fighting. “Thank you—“ Lora interjected between the woman’s screams and the Wanderer’s sputters and gasps. She rushed her words, sure the woman would cut her off if she gave her the chance. “I’m sure you don’t care to hear it but I really mean it, and I’ll follow you two around until you let me get it out. What you two did was extraordinary and I’m very glad and grateful that you did it, whatever your reasons or humbleness.” She grinned brilliantly, nodding. “Thank you.”

The Origin: A War Resumed (Arc One; Completed)

@The Darklight Project I'd like to offer all the research I've conducted over the last seven years compiled into a short scholarly article to back up Atrophy's claims. He can cite me in a footnote if he so wishes.

The Origin: A War Resumed (Arc One; Completed)

Lora Kadar

Lora directed the Prince towards the inn with a bounce in her step. She had found the boy’s mother, spoken directly to the Prince and been spoken back to, been remembered from her brief time in Barcea, and been invited along for at least a portion of his adventures. And now he was following her direction, listening to her suggestions—the day could simply not get any better.

It could always, however, get much worse.

They were just passing the bread shop and listening to Cyril when he cut off at the sound of yelling, and the few moments that followed were those of an intentionally poor comedic play. The group turned in slow motion, hair flying and eyebrows furrowing to find two travelers speeding towards them far too quickly. The woman flung off to the side while the man hit home in the way of the Prince, taking him down and tumbling across the street. Both men and Lora let out a squawk of surprise, Lora’s hands clapping over her mouth. Before she could think to ask if he was okay, the Prince stood and surveyed his impromptu gymnastics partner. He didn’t seem to like him, but he also didn’t seem angry that the man had fumbled the landing.

One of the Sentinels, however, (perhaps their coach?) seemed very disgruntled with the failed routine. He grabbed the man off the ground and held him from his horse (an impressive feat, but else what was to be expected of the Prince’s trainer?) and demanded answers. The man’s hands flew to his neck and Lora caught the swing of his sword at the lift in his jacket, and she gasped once more.

Their saviors had not disappeared at all, merely vanished in the moment to recuperate at the inn. She turned from the conversation and the hanging man to the woman who stood watching, and the shocked panic from the collision jumped into excitement. She would remember those eyes anywhere, even lighter and (if possible) more disgusted than they had been with her. The man’s height and weapon of choice were undeniable as well, and the smell they carried with them was the same on the wind of the fight yesterday.

The Prince spoke and Cade and Vesta joined them, jumping into the conversation before Lora could deliver the good news. She stepped closer to the Prince and waited, bouncing gently on her feet and trying to contain herself. She was wrong—the day could get better. They had just found exactly who the Prince wanted to, and Cade was even going to let her be the one to say it. But there was another roadblock in the form of a new man they seemed familiar with, and Lora wished for once her parents had not been important, that no one had cared what she said in front of anyone—that she had been raised to be as rude as she pleased. Of course, she hadn’t, so she held her tongue and waited for her opening. Someday she wouldn’t care about niceties and politeness, but that would be a day without the Prince of Barcea on the other end of her address.

The new addition to the group spoke to the hanging man first, going on about nonsense. And then he spun and made some odd movements, and suddenly they had even more company in the way of a gigantic centipede. He rushed at the newcomer and seemed to maul him, but before Lora could yell for help, the man pushed him aside and stood. He took off and shook out his robe and reprimanded the beast, who seemed to care for only a few moments before it turned away. It felt out Cade and her best assumption that he was some sort of pet was made as the man continued to speak to it in a rather fatherly fashion. It moved on quickly to the hanging man and then to the girl, whom it circled and watched carefully. Lora wondered if it was going to eat her.

The man stepped forward and introduced himself—Drosil—and his pet—Sir Mauls—and directed his attention to those they had caught. This, while all entertaining, only served to add to Lora’s heightening irritation. If he would just be quiet, she could tell all of them just who their current captives were. And then he was, for a brief moment, and Lora whirled towards her Prince—only to be cut off by furious shouting by her personal angel. Before anyone else could answer Drosil jumped in and began a lengthy explanation of his pet, something that might have intrigued Lora in any situation other than their current one. Maybe she would ask him to repeat it later.

For now though, she had had it. This was simply irrelevant to the subject at hand, and perhaps it wouldn’t seem so rude to speak up, perhaps it would actually be ruder to stay silent and keep the Prince in the dark any longer. “Your Majesty,” Lora started, bowing her head but speaking rather loudly to be heard over the commotion, “these are the two who saved the village yesterday. That woman is the one who saved my life, and that man fought off the H’kelans with her.” She smiled at him, turning to look at the angels. “I’m sure this is them, without a doubt.”

The Origin: A War Resumed (Arc One; Completed)

Well, on the opposite track of all her new companions that will tire of her excitement over Cyril, at least Lora will have lots of animals to feel at home with...

On that note, I will be posting soon. I know you're all waiting in hot anticipation of what Lora will say next to make an utter fool of herself.