GambolMuse

Adelon: Steeling the Faith [Open!]

Nymira didn't understand why others were so offended when she only spoke the truth. Perhaps Ethan and Amuné were friends, and Ethan was probably friends with Cecil as well, but that was where the friendships ended. They still hardly knew one another and she couldn't understand how this brief time could allow anyone to truly be friends. Zander and Geoffrey were largely strangers and two people who were only with them because of circumstance: if two travelers banded together for better chances of survival did that make them friends? Or was it for convenience? For all the offense taken from her statements the Dimuran could only shrug off her criticisms, her mind unwavering and her stance remaining the same.

"Hey Amuné, we need to try being nice, right? We're traveling together, arguing doesn't help anything," Ethan chided gently, smiling as he reached over and pat the young Ydran on the back. Yes Zander could be... Difficult, but he wasn't a bad person, just as Nymira wasn't. They might need a bit of time but they would come around and everyone would get along eventually, he was certain of that.

No reinforcement on Ethan's part was going to stem this fire it seemed. Amuné had already made up her mind she disliked what was being said and with Cecil now leaving she was no doubt infuriated. Nymira simply sat and let the young girl get her thoughts out, finding the outburst to be both childish and unnecessary. Sighing as Cecil left the room she took another sip of her ale, directing her eyes to the young girl once more as she went on.

"If he cannot handle the truth then that's not my fault. It's more cruel to lie to him, don't you think? We should be upfront about things." Cecil had run off by now with Ethan hot on his heels, and now Amuné too was leaving to chase after that blundering fool. Nymira might consider checking on them had food not arrived, her hunger overriding her marginal concern for where they might be going. They would come back, she told herself, cutting into her food to examine it, they had to. Once they blew off a bit of steam and reflected on what was said they would realize the truth behind her words and accept them, even if they might not like them.

Biting into her steak the Dimuran found it to be a bit rough yet adequately seasoned, though not sure what it was seasoned with. Certainly better tasting than the hastily stripped and cooked meals she'd had as of late, she'd gladly eat this. Glancing up briefly at Zander she shrugged again, taking another sample and chasing it down with a drink of her ale. "I pray if I've killed for my meal, and I pray for special occasions. I don't pray for every single meal, that's ridiculous," Nymira answered plainly, "We've more important things to worry about than making sure we thank the Saints for every apple or nut we enjoy with our meal, don't you think?"

If Ethan could put one foot in front of him without stumbling he'd have easily caught Cecil by now. Unfortunately that single glass of ale was more than he generally drank in an entire month and it was having its effects on his empty stomach; managing to navigate to the door he hiccuped loudly when passing through, getting out just in time to see Cecil jump up to the rooftop. Groaning in realizing he now had to give chase in his state he put a hand on his stomach, turning when he heard the door open again behind him. Why had Amuné come after them? She disliked Cecil right now so that couldn't be it, so it had to be over what Nymira was saying.

"Hey Amuné... I need you to go back inside, okay? I uh..." Ethan began, taking a pause to cover his mouth as he belched, "Ugh... I need to talk to Cecil okay? And you should go eat, we might not have a chance to later." With how hectic their days had been as of late they really should take advantage of every period of reprieve they got. Saints only knew what was in store for them later. Seeing the girl still undeterred he knelt down, reaching out as she approached and giving her hair a gentle ruffling. "I know you're not getting along with them, but... Try, okay? I'm positive they're not bad people, they're just not used to this. Give them time, go inside and eat, I'll be back with Cecil soon."

If Amuné didn't want to return inside she had little choice, going with himself and Cecil was well out of the question. "Keep an eye on her, okay Wyth? Make sure your girl gets plenty of food," Ethan said before pushing himself to his feet, smiling as he gave the pair a wave. Turning back to where Cecil had gone he sized up the building, trying to get some idea of how high he had to vault to reach the roof. Between being famished and slightly intoxicated it was hardly the most logical thing he could be doing yet the Muran found no other means of chasing his friend. Tapping the ball of his foot against the dirt a few times he nodded to himself, thinking he had the idea down now.

Taking a few steps forward he slammed down his right foot, kicking out some magic in the process and propelling himself upward, angling for the rooftop where Cecil was hidden. He certainly went high enough, a little too high as he was now almost two meters over the top of it. Gasping and realizing his mistake, coupled with how badly that jump jostled his stomach's contents, Ethan flailed as he began his descent down. Were he in his right mind he'd use another burst of magic to cushion his fall, but instead he tumbled down, rolling to break the impact and ending up face planting against the tiles, groaning with his rear in the air in the process. Now he really felt like he wanted to hurl as he pushed himself up with his hands, sitting on his hindquarters and placing both over his stomach.

"Ts... Ow ow ow... H-Hey, Cecil..." Ethan managed weakly, burping and covering his mouth preemptively before settling down, "Where you going...? We need to talk, sit down please? I really... REALLY don't want to run right now..."

Adelon: Steeling the Faith [Open!]

D: Still wanting to join yeah?

Adelon: Steeling the Faith [Open!]

Ethan doesn't help everyone! He'd say no to Hitler...

Probably...

Dragon Ball: Legacy (Mogtaki and Vena Sera)

Haku's face flushed a bit from embarrassment at that, feeling awkward as he rubbed at his neck. "Oh, I k-know... I mean you look like one, but I uh... I mean that doesn't make you one. We look like humans but we're not... Uh, sorry." Idiot, putting his foot in his mouth like that, he'd gone and upset his friend. What other reason would Takeshi be afraid though unless T'charrl looked like one? It was the prince's fault anyways for being such a baby about bugs to begin with. Trying to move on and help his friend Haku assumed the position to relax, sitting but not doing much. Unsure of how to proceed he looked to T’charrl for help, nodding once at his suggestion and closing his eyes again. “Right… Okay, I can get this.” Taking a deep breath, he settled down, trying not to think too much, to not move or not let himself be distracted. Listening to what was around him he could hear his own breath, T’charrl’s and the wind. Wasn’t doing much for him but he assumed this was right.

-----

If there was an alternative to sending Kiton in on his own Sasha couldn’t think of it. The whole ordeal seemed dangerous as they still didn’t know exactly what or who they were up against. Those four pirates had been pushovers yet there was no guarantee the rest would be just as easy. “It’s not that I don’t trust you… You’ve stayed with us and you seem like a good person, that’s not it. It’s just kind of moot, trying to help you turn over a new leaf, if you end up dead doing it. We don’t know what risks there are here, we shouldn’t be so ready to just throw you to the fire.”

“But he’s willing, and it could be our only option. Look, I’m not your biggest fan if that hasn’t been made clear already, but I won’t let you die either. I’m not that heartless.” If Kiton was to be their newest ally then he needed to try and treat him as such. Easier said than done of course as he still had issues with the princes and their friends, but he’d give it an attempt. “If you’re willing to do it then go for it, we’ve got your back.”

Sasha could see regardless of her disapproval this was going to be their likely course of action. Fine, she’d just have to be absolutely sure not to let anything happen. “It’s my job to make sure you get back in one piece, so we’ll help if you need it,” she added, smiling slightly as they came to the end of the road. It looked like the building they were after was down at the end of the next, if the small crowd of pirates was any indication. Glancing around she considered their options, getting back around the corner and gesturing towards their target. “I think the best option is for Kiton to approach them while Ricken and I go down the side roads. If things take a turn we’ll be able to pincer them, there’s more than us but we’ll have surprise on our side.”

-----

“You won’t have to, it’ll get better. This was just a little hiccup right?” Viral had come a long way, much too long to start relapsing and fall back again. He had those other forms down even if he didn’t believe so himself and he was far healthier than he was. Yumi refused to let him think he was going to fail, he’d spent too much time down to have to go through any of that again. Breaking free from the treeline she started down the road, keeping Viral in her grasp while they walked. “I guess not, sorry. Let’s just focus on getting you home for now, yeah? We can worry about all that later.”

Walking worked just fine but it would take too long, there was one alternative to that. “I’m going to fly us there to get us back quicker, just giving you a fair warning. I won’t go that fast though.” Doubtless Viral didn’t wish to fly but they needed to pick up the pace, and running with him in tow just wouldn’t cut it. Breaking into a slow jog Yumi jumped off of her back foot, taking up into the air and rising a few dozen meters from the ground, just high enough to clear any trees. Her hold on Viral was secure as could be now, tucking him against herself like a child as she began flying. “I’m sorry I didn’t help you before, I didn’t know what to do. But I’ll be sure to make it up to you now.”

Dragon Ball: Legacy (Mogtaki and Vena Sera)

"I wouldn't know, never really had friends. If getting a bit of a surprise means being your friend though then that's fine, it's worth it," Haku said with a smile, snickering then behind his hand, "Well I know Takeshi looks like he wants to piss himself. He acts so big but he's scared of bugs, and ones that are way smaller than you. Some big scary prince he is." To think he'd been so intimidated when he heard about the older prince at first. Sure he was strong but all it took to beat him was something crawly, some warrior. They could probably joke about Takeshi's irrational fear all afternoon but there were more important things to be doing: T'charrl needed to get more comfortable with his ability and Haku might just know what could help. Shame he couldn't remember what it was called for the life of him but it seemed like his friend figured it out. Mimicking what was done he sat down cross-legged as well, placing his hands in his lap with a smile. "Uh... Yeah, I can give it a try. I haven't gotten it to work yet but it's supposed to be good for you, so can't hurt." Closing his eyes he sat there unmoving, not totally sure what he was supposed to do at this point. It'd come to him... Maybe.

-----

"Not the point. You could break someone's neck like that, and hard to get information from a dead man," Sasha pointed out before disappearing inside, returning with cord to restrain the men. Gathering that information had been easy enough, now they only needed to find the building and get the hostages. But how should they go about it? Again a direct attack just seemed like an awful idea, and they couldn't well break in and risk hurting anyone inside, so that was out of the question.

"You want to be bait? Is that it?" Ricken asked, a bit surprised to hear Kiton willing to do such a thing. Smirking he scoffed before folding his arms, shrugging and waving his hand. "Well go ahead if you want to, I don't care. Saves us a headache having to come up with an alternative."

Sasha frowned at her brother's callousness, shaking her head then and looking to Kiton. "There's other ways we can do this, that's too risky for you. You shouldn't have to put yourself in danger like that if we can help it. Maybe we can... I don't know, find another door, or a window or something. There has to be another way in."

"But none are as easy as this and you know it. Besides, it's not like we'd completely abandon him. He goes up to the building and tries getting in, if they get suspicious or attack him then he can handle them, or we'll move in and help. It's our easiest way inside sis," Ricken pointed out, looking to Kiton then with a frown, "Question is whether you can handle it or not. Pirates are usually pushovers, getting through them shouldn't be hard if you have to fight. But think you can not screw up and kill someone?"

-----

"Whatever it is, I've seen that. This one wasn't anything I had seen before, that's what I'm saying." Losing control was okay if it was new, Viral was unfamiliar with it so it was fair he wouldn't know how to use it right. Given that Aito and Vegeta had helped with the other two it was only a matter of time until this one was taken care of as well. Smiling coyly at Viral she giggled, her smile wavering when he mentioned he couldn't see. "Are you... You're not blind are you?" she asked worriedly, glancing down and trying to get a peek at Viral's eyes, "I mean... It is still very early, and you were underground for a while. I'd have a hard time seeing too if I was in your position." Definitely something worth having looked at just to be safe it wasn't a real issue. Hopefully Viral's vision would improve once they finally broke out of the forest, something which only took a moment longer to get to. With the warm glow of the sun now the temperature picked up a little and they could see easier. "I bet you're probably hungry too. I'll make you something when we get back."

Dragon Ball: Legacy (Mogtaki and Vena Sera)

"Well yeah... I mean so maybe sometimes you surprise me, doesn't mean you're not my friend. Would be a pretty stupid reason not to consider you a friend," Haku answered back, wondering why he even had to explain it. There was also the small fact that T'charrl was likely his only friend, but he left that out, not wanting to make it sound bad in any way. "Hey, sometimes is better than never. And if you keep working on it then it will be all the time, right? You can do this." He had to, he didn't even want to think about what might happen if the powers weren't mastered. Surely no one would really hurt him right? He wouldn't let anyone hurt his friend, for whatever that was worth, an imposing fighter he was not. "What if you tried a sort of... Oh what's it called... That thing where you sit really still and think. Why don't you try that? I mean its not really sleeping, but maybe that would help? I've seen people around the base doing it and I've tried it, though I think I'm doing it wrong. That way you won't really be asleep though right?"

-----

Their surprise attack had more than done the trick, three guards laid out in a matter of seconds by Sasha and Ricken. With Kiton handling the final one they had effectively rendered that guard obsolete, now they only had to question the remaining man. Perhaps Kiton wasn't terribly familiar with how interrogations worked but generally having the person conscious helped. "Uh, good job, but can you not choke him?" Sasha asked, smiling slightly as she gestured for the man to be set down. When he was he tried scrambling away, whimpering as Ricken grabbed him by the shirt and threw him back against the wall, a foot slamming next to his head to make sure he didn't go anywhere. Giving Kiton a grateful smile she walked over to the man, crouching down before him and rolling her eyes as he began to plead for his life.

"We're not going to kill you, relax please. We're only asking you a few questions," Sasha explained, reaching up and pushing Ricken's leg away to give the pirate some space, "We were told you have some hostages here, we're just looking to free them, that's all. No one has to die in this place, and we're going to try avoiding that at all costs. But we're going to need your help to do that, okay?" Watching the man nod frantically she smiled, relaxing a little as she stood up. "Good, now please, if you know where they are tell us, we won't hurt any of your friends either, at most they'll be knocked out. You're doing a good thing helping us here."

The pirate nodded again, stammering incoherently at first before clearing his throat and pointing down the road. "T-That way! They're back in some big s-stone building, about 500 meters from here. C-Can't miss it, should have some more men o-outside," he got out, frowning as he shook his head, "And these people a-aren't my friends, I'm just trying to make a q-quick haul, need money. C-Couldn't care less if you killed them to be honest."

Ricken scowled hearing that, reaching down and smacking the back of the man's neck to knock him out. "That's why I hate pirates, there's no loyalty there. Just after money without any regard for what happens to others," he mumbled, placing his hands on his hips, "But at least we know where the hostages are now. These four should be out for a bit, we can probably go take care of that and deal with rounding these guys up later. Kiton? Next time try not nearly breaking their neck, not exactly a safe way to restrain someone."

"He did fine Ricken, cut him some slack," Sasha quipped in annoyance, glancing at the four men thoughtfully before going into the building, returning moments later with a cord she'd found. Pulling them all together she managed to just get the cord around them, tying it securely to bind them, albeit temporarily. Should do well enough to keep them from running off until they returned at the very least. "Next step I suppose is go find that building, and figure out how we're getting those people out," she mused, looking at Kiton carefully for a moment before smiling, "Any ideas? I want to see how you'd handle this."

----

"You did... Well everything else anyways. I never saw you change into this before. It was like a shark only... Well on land. And in water, and underground," Yumi muttered as her brow knit together, trying to think of a better way to describe it, "Aito might know more, but it was new to me. I've seen your cat form, and I've seen the lizard form, but I've never seen this. It's not your fault if a new form came out, and honestly that new form probably saved your life." Having reassured Viral he wasn't going to change they began moving back out of the forest, towards their temporary home and no doubt into the waiting arms of June. Again Viral began to grow panicked, seeming like he was running from something despite safely being in her arms. Sighing when Viral asked to be put down she reinforced her hold on him, cradling him against her chest and giving her friend a stern smile. "I wish you stupid men would just let someone help you for once. No I'm not letting you go, I'm making sure you get back safely. And to do that I need to carry you, so clam up and enjoy the ride."

Dragon Ball: Legacy (Mogtaki and Vena Sera)

Haku couldn't offer any ideas, he had no idea why a spirit would hang around. It wasn't exactly something spoken about much back home, if you died then you died in the line of duty, you were honored and that was that. He'd since learned about things like Otherworld since joining this group yet he still had more questions than answers. Kind of creepy too now that he considered it, being surrounded by a bunch of spirits. Of course none were visible when he glanced around but he knew they were still there, it was creepy enough knowing some may be watching him.

"P-Put down? You mean as in killed?" Haku asked, frowning before shaking his head, "No way! They would never kill you, they're the good guys, right? And... And you can learn how to use it, I'm positive you can! I mean... You are already better than you were right? You didn't get this far to just stop now. And... Even if you didn't there's no way they would kill you, they're your friends, I'm your friend. I wouldn't let that happen." They had to find a way for T'charrl to be able to control his ability, but how? Truth be told he wasn't completely sure what the ability was and only knew it had something to do with spirits and plants. If he had some idea he could give an idea, if anyone had some clue they could help yet apparently no one knew. If they did they weren't talking and that infuriated him. "Well uh... You can talk to the spirits? Can you talk to the one you have? Maybe it can help?"

-----

"I did say it wasn't easy. But it's about having the resolve to do the right thing. No matter who it is, if someone's harming others we need to be able to stop them," Sasha reiterated, "Sometimes its someone we might know, or even someone we used to fight with. It happens, we've been there, and it does suck. But that's what it takes to keep people safe sometimes." It's what it might take here, and while it wasn't a simple thing to ask Kiton to do he needed to be prepared to face these sort of challenges. If he didn't want to be viewed as a criminal anymore and turn over a new leaf he'd have to do difficult things regardless of the path he chose, it wasn't like just flipping a switch and expecting everything to work out. They were approaching the settlement now in earnest and there wasn't any backing out now, Sasha hoped Kiton could see this through, for his sake if nothing else.

"Doesn't matter, we'll take them out," Ricken whispered as he followed Sasha's lead, cutting across an alleyway to the back of an adjacent building, "Just have to keep an eye out and watch for any signs of a trap, so stay alert." When they were on the job he could quickly turn all business just as he had, his entire focus now on freeing these villagers. As they reached the rear of another house the siblings exchanged glances, and without a word Sasha ran across as Ricken disappeared, landing on the rooftop above Sasha and peering from around the wall on the top. From here he could spot about four pirates standing in front of a building, chatting away and drinking, having a good time of it all. Disgusting, criminals acting all happy and pleased with themselves. Reaching back he knocked against the roof four times, just loud enough for Sasha to hear.

"Four enemies ahead, meaning number wise we're pretty even," Sasha explained to Kiton, stopping at the corner and putting a finger to her lips. Taking a glance around the corner she saw the men Ricken had pointed out, taking a quick look around to see if anyone else was around. From here she could see into the front of the building too and no one stood out, it was likely just those four here. Giving the Frost Demon a hand signal she paused, smiling apologetically before whispering, "I'll lead, you follow my lead and Ricken will bring up the rear. We're going to take them out."

Rising up on the balls of her feet Sasha looked to be ready to break into a sprint as she eyed the men, trying to decide who to pick off first. Two had blasters visible, the other two appeared unarmed, she should try getting one of the first two then. Counting down to herself she raised her rear before taking off, dashing across the ground at a surprising speed and leaping into the air as soon as she was close enough. It would feel like a sudden gust to the men, and before they knew it Sasha had her legs around one of their necks, twirling herself around and him in turn before throwing him into the wall. Ricken was a split second behind, using his arm to catch one of the pirates in the neck, nearly flipping him over as he was knocked out and landed ass up on the ground. Sasha tripped a third man just as Ricken was getting his footing, and with a single quick strike to the side of the head he was out too. The fourth pirate was now fumbling for his blaster, trying to get a shot off on the siblings.

-----

Okay maybe "home" wasn't the right word, but that's where they were heading. June had been worried sick and Yumi had promised to bring Viral home as soon as possible, she couldn't be sitting here forever with him; moving Viral right now seemed like a bad idea given how shaken up he was. It was so unusual, seeing a generally self assured Viral losing it like this. Watching as he grasped his scarf she gave him a tearful smile, finally getting to her feet and cradling her friend against herself for warmth. "I don't know how you changed, but you're okay now. Nothing bad happened, no one was hurt, everyone is safe," she said gently as she turned, heading back the way they had come to leave the forest, "And well... Aside from being half naked and wet? No, you don't look different. Please, just save your energy and rest, everything is going to be fine Viral." Aito could check on him once they got back, June would probably try to force loads of food into him and see he was made comfortable. For her own part Yumi intended to stay at her friend's side until he calmed down, and longer still if need be.

Dragon Ball: Legacy (Mogtaki and Vena Sera)

"I guess anyone wouldn't be happy about a place like this. Like I said I can't really see anything, but I do feel... I don't know, like its almost sad here. I can't imagine what you're feeling..." There had to be something that could be done to help though, T'charrl must have a way of fixing things. He could talk with spirits right? Maybe if he could help them find peace or something, move on, maybe that's what they were here for. "Well... Maybe you don't have a choice like that, but you can choose what you do with it? I don't know, I don't have any idea the kind of things you're feeling or going through," Haku muttered, frowning as he sat on his rear, "And I mean... You're the first of your kind to travel like this, right? I've heard you say it before. Sure maybe you can't choose what you are, but you chose to do that. And you're choosing to try and learn your ability. That's all your decision."

-----

"It makes sense though when you think about it. Is it a good idea to trust someone who won't fight people they used to do bad things with? If someone we bring in is going to turn on us then it's not worth training and putting them up right?" Sasha pointed out, "It might not be the nicest way to do it, but it makes sure we don't have allies who could betray us." With their non-lethal methods of combat too it wasn't though as Korian was asking anyone to kill a former friend or comrade. Fight yes, but fighting someone and taking their lives were far different. As they approached the settlement the trio sought refuge in some nearby trees, taking the opportunity to scope out the place and come up with a plan.

"The request was sent by some villagers, I doubt its a set up," Ricken explained as he knelt on one knee, "And if there are none then its free rein over how we handle this. The only thing keeping us from completely leveling them is the chance there are hostages inside. If it turns out there aren't any then they're as good as done." No holds bar, and while they might not go and kill those pirates they sure as hell would regret ever causing trouble.

"Either way we should be smart about this. Sneak in and learn what we can, and we'll go from there. So I guess you two just stay at my back then? We'll look for a lone guard and question him as soon as we get the chance, sound good?" Blessings or not that should be how they went about this, the alternative involved wild fighting with who knows how many enemies and potentially endangering the hostages. Motioning for the boys to follow her lead Sasha took one glance around to make sure the coast was clear, running across the open ground and hiding behind the nearest building. Nice and slow, getting spotted would probably raise the alarms.

-----

It likely wasn't much consolation to be doing this yet Yumi had little else to offer. Just her company and some kind words would have to suffice, at least until Viral was able enough to get moving again. "It's okay, what happened wasn't your fault. You were attacked, you fell in the water. I... Don't remember what happened after that. But we're on Uuonoe still, everyone else is fine and back home. We're in the woods together." How badly worn out was he? It was one thing to be fatigued, it was another to be completely absentminded and not know where he was at whatsoever. "Do you remember anything at all? It's okay if you don't."

Adelon: Steeling the Faith [Open!]

“Most adults have more fortitude than a child, that’s how people drink it,” Nymira answered, rolling her eyes as Ethan once again attempted to drink it, “Seven hells… If you don’t like it then don’t drink it!” Honestly was it that difficult? She’d assumed he had some taste for alcohol, it seemed like every other bloody Muran in these parts did. If he was so sensitive to the liquor then he could get water, or some milk, something that wouldn’t upset his sensitive palate.

“I don’t want to waste it though, I mean you did buy it for me,” Ethan responded, grimacing as he forced himself to take another swig.

“I’m more offended by your idiotic expressions than I would be your turning down the drink!”

That may be, but he still wasn’t going to waste it. As silly as it might be it was in a way a gift, he wasn’t going to turn away a gift. Even if that gift was probably what a horse’s rear end tasted like. Sloshing around the liquid in his glass he frowned, pinching his nose and tossing back the remainder of the glass, which was quite a bit. Letting out a gasp as it all went down he burped, groaning and laying his head on the table.

“Idiot…” Was all Nymira could muster, shaking her head in disbelief. Why force yourself to do something you disliked? “And you may travel with us Geoffrey, having a guide who knows where we’re going is invaluable. I’ll be sure you’re paid properly.”

Everyone went quiet for Amuné’s recital of the story, mostly out of respect more than anything. Nymira hadn’t heard the tale and could care less for it, yet she found it adorable how enraptured the girl was in her own tale. Ethan for the most part had heard a variation of it but wasn’t completely paying attention, trying to keep down the burning liquor assaulting his stomach.

Cecil, on the other hand, was not at all impressed. He didn’t even give Amuné a glance as she told the story, instead going quiet and staring at the floor. Being a Machina he had no reason to care about the Saints or their exploits. The Saints was something for those of flesh, not one of metal and circuits.

“We’re all out for our own thing I guess…” Ethan muttered, pausing to belch again and rub at his stomach, “I met Amuné and Cecil a while back, and we found Nymira back in Galloway with a guy named Norman, well kind of…”

“Found isn’t what I would call it. You poked your nose in business that wasn’t yours,” Nymira retorted with a frown, admonishing Ethan’s state before looking at Geoffrey, “That’s the gist of it though. We’re simply traveling together because it’s easy, traveling alone is a hassle.”

Nymira’s words hit Cecil particularly hard, even if she didn’t mean for them to. With all the praise he had received it had been primarily from Nymira and hearing her speak of the journey as one of simple convenience made him wonder if any of the praise was real. It most likely wasn’t real, she was just speaking in the sense of a warrior out of thanks that they didn’t die. Traveling alone was a hassle because it left you vulnerable, but she didn’t have to worry about that anymore when she had so many around her that could do the same job he did. She didn’t appreciate the fact that Norman had asked for them to check up on her and they never would had met her if he didn’t lose so much power and need a new battery. In Cecil’s mind the conclusion was she saw what he did and thought it was convenient that he was with them, but every other aspect she didn’t care about.

"Oh come on, that's not true!" Ethan said, smiling as he finally lifted his head from the table, “Maybe that’s why we started traveling together, but we’re all friends now, right? We’re having fun.” Well perhaps fun wasn’t the best fit here. Being attacked by Magi was far from fun, as was witnessing a manor be overrun by homicidal Machina. Still though, he wouldn’t say this was a terrible time. Meeting new people was always nice and the circumstances around that shouldn’t ruin the experience.

“Friends? You could call it that. I don’t know if I typically consider my retainers to be my friends,” Nymira stated indifferently, taking a sip of her ale, “Besides…” she continued, pausing as she wiped her mouth with a napkin, “We may travel together now, but as soon as we find what we are looking for we’ll go our separate ways. The way I see it we’re traveling together purely for convenience. Whether you agree with me or not isn’t my concern.”

Cecil didn’t need to assume anymore; Nymira had instead outright said it. Staring at the floor for a moment he glanced over to the others, seeing them completely occupied with each other before his eyes moved to the door. Maybe this was as good a time as any, somebody would need his chair eventually. Making a side glance to the group again he soon slowly stood up, going quite blank in the face as he made his way silently towards the door. If what he did was simply a convenient outcome then there was no reason for him to continue being around and scaring everyone. Quietly opening the front door Cecil quickly exited, not giving so much as a glance back.

Now how could anyone think like that? They had been through quite a lot in the past few days, how could anyone say they weren’t friends after that? Ethan was beside himself, not sure what at all to say in reply to Nymira. Instead he could only stare at her silently before he tore his attention away when Cecil got up from his seat. Giving the Machina a quizzical look he frowned when their friend left the room, glancing once at the Dimuran before getting up.

"Oh no... Amuné, wait here." He was really upset if he was just getting up and leaving like that. “Cecil, wait a second!” Ethan called, stumbling slightly before hurrying after his friend. Stupid ale, had him all out of sorts.

Nymira watched the pair leave before simply dismissing it with a shrug, not terribly concerned that Cecil had left. Was he thinking they were friends here? She commended him as a warrior, this much was true, and they were certainly indebted to him for saving their lives. Yet they knew nothing of each other, how could they be friends? They had completely separate goals and traveled purely for convenience sake, not for pleasure. She had a difficult time understanding why that was so hard to accept, it was the truth.

“Alright you lot, here’s yer food!” one of the cooks called, leading the way with two trays in hand and two barmaids at his heels. In all there were six trays of food, one for every member of the group including Wyth to enjoy. “Hope it’s to yer liking, rare that we get a dignitary like yerself through here miss,” he spoke to Nymira, setting down her tray first and taking a small bow before handing over Amuné’s next. “Please, if there’s anything else you need…” he began again, pausing noticing two seats were now empty, “Er… Weren’t there others with you?”

“They’ll be back, don’t mind them,” Nymira answered as she examined her food, prodding a rather hefty looking steak with her fork before slicing into it, “That’ll be all for now sir, thank you.”

Adelon: Steeling the Faith [Open!]

Thank you for the heads up sir! O7 We shall keep it relatively here-ish so you've got our window!

EDIT: Also just as another FYI, Mog and I will be doing a collab for this next post! Kind of works out this way for Chukkle to come in a bit later. So expect that collab most likely tomorrow folks :)