Fire Emblem: Curse of the Goddess [IC/PG-16/Not Accepting]

Asriel Dreemurr · February 10, 2017

Now this was just annoying.

With everything that they had gone through today, the very least that Edrick had hoped for was to not have any difficulty in going to sleep. And when they had first come up to his and Asura's door, Link had stopped him and suggested he get the door instead. While the farmer hadn't thought there was going to be anything harmful in the room, well he wasn't going to take chances when the most experienced soldier in the group was jumpy. So he'd put Asura down and taken a moment to get his spear out just in case. When they entered, all that there was in there was some drunkard passed out on one of the beds. Not that Edrick could really judge him, but still. Groaning, he put his spear down just inside of the door and, without even waiting to see if Link's words would wake the fellow up, marched up to the bed. He wasn't about to abide this, not after the rest of the bullshit that they'd dealt with in Ithome. He grabbed the man under his arms, hoisted him off the bed, and then unceremoniously threw him out onto the floor just past where they'd set down Asura.

"Find your own room next time!" He said with a huff, and then motioned for Link to help him get Asura inside. That was a fairly simple task, even if the Locrisian's weight made getting him into the previously unoccupied bed more strenuous than he would have liked, and there wasn't much to be done after that what with everyone else having already gone to bed. So he bade Link goodnight as the man walked out of the room, locked the door, finally took his armor off, and had very little difficulty getting to sleep. He did lay with his head on the opposite end of the bed though. No sense sleeping in its previous occupant's drool.

Sethera · February 12, 2017

Catriona felt it in her chest--a tickle that would release itself into full-blown hacks if she let it. However, she couldn’t. She couldn’t let herself give in to such weakness. Not to mention the presence of her allies next door. She did not need to be answering any questions from them tonight.

Eventually, she drifted off into a light doze, only to start when she heard the door slam open. Was it an enemy? She turned from her face-down position to peer toward the portal. No, it was only Ciela. But still, her drunken state made the princess nervous. Perhaps it hadn’t been the best idea for the two of them to share a room, especially considering the troubadour’s earlier words. Though, it would be better to confront her on this now, rather than let it fester during their trip.

Perhaps her time away from the border had softened her. While the lord wanted to rise from the bed and confront the girl, her limbs felt deadened and weary. Instead, she lay where she was, eyes half-closed in exhaustion.

Only for them to widen when Ciela wriggled out of her tunic and dress, tossing it to the floor. This...was already getting off to a bad start. She would have been more threatening had she been able to actually walk. The girl crawled forward, and Catriona had to fight the urge to help her reach her bed. She had a feeling it wouldn’t be appreciated, going from the stormy expression on her face. Instead, she watched the girl advance, little by little. Had she been a soldier, her persistence alone would have impressed the border sergeants, but her attitude would have ruined what little respect she might have gained there.

Though it seemed she was heading toward...Catriona’s bed. Not her own. Confused, the princess did nothing, eventually forced to admit that yes, the girl seemed dead set on sleeping with her tonight. If she could get on the bed, that is. It took her multiple tries before she succeeded, face red with exertion. Catriona readied herself for what would come next, when the girl opened her mouth.

“What the hell is wrong with you, Cat?!”

Catriona felt a hint of shock. That...had not been what she had been expecting. “What do you mean?” she asked, voice a bit unsteady.

Her breath ragged, Ciela pushed her body up only to move on to hold herself directly above Catriona. Her arms, the only things supporting her, visibly wobbled. Her breathing was heavy, the stench of alcohol clearly noticeable from her. Between the fact that she was intoxicated and how she was visibly furious about something, a shade of red dyed her face. “Can you act like a person for once?! You’re talking with people, not blocks of wood!”

This sounds familiar. Penelope had scolded her much the same way. The memory caused the words to sting more than they should. Catriona stared at Ciela flatly. “I apologize if my actions offend, but I assure you, I am acting as nobody but myself.”

“...What?! What kind of answer is even that? Do you even understand what I’m asking?” An odd thing to ask from someone that was clearly drunk. Her grip on the bed sheet tightened as she was trying to balance herself. She was clearly wobbling and the only thing that stopped her from just falling on top of Catriona was perhaps her own willpower. “Stopping the Goddess? Shouldn’t we need to stop you from destroying us instead?! Acting like you have no idea what you did wrong, that’s just disgusting!”

“Attempt to destroy you?” Catriona repeated, anger rising like a warm flame within her. “I am trying to save--” she stopped herself, and took a breath. She should not have drank tonight. “I do not know where you got that ridiculous notion, but rest assured, it is undoubtedly false,” she finished coldly.

“Yeah, yeah, you’re trying to save Mysia so I should just shut up. That’s what you keep on saying. Go here, stop the Goddess, this that tralala, trying to sound like a leader or something. Like hell, it’s like you would die if you stop thinking about it for a second.” Ciela paused a bit, apparently to catch her breath. Her body was visibly giving in despite her persistence, and she was barely able to breathe with how much she spoke with such passionate flames in the short time frame. Her uncovered body was visibly sweating from exertion, which dripped right onto Catriona as Ciela retained her position.

Catriona paused at her words, but didn’t let herself think them over for too long. She had already reconciled herself with that. “It is a large-scale matter that deserves my complete and entire attention,” she replied. “As it does yours, and everybody else’s.”

“Yes, and? We don’t stop being people even after that! Does the Goddess’ revival mean I can’t enjoy a nice warm bath? Do people suddenly stop living their lives?

But you don’t care, ah, you never give any crap about that! I know it, you never cared in the first place whether I leave or stay, or whether even anyone else leaves or stays. Just go alone to Pontus if it’s like that, and die along the way!”

Catriona forced herself not to respond to the venom in Ciela's words. It wouldn't do to lose her temper again. “What do you mean, we don’t stop being people? When did I ever say you weren’t people? And of course, I care whether you stay,” she said, breathing out slowly. “Your services have been useful so far, and I know that they will be invaluable in the future.”

“That’s all you care about! Abilities this, services that, loyalty third! You don’t care of us outside of that! Don’t have feelings, don’t have sentiments. Can’t you understand? We’re not entirely made up of Links!”

I think I’m getting a headache, Catriona fought the urge to rub her head. “I...do admit that I’m...not the best at showing my feelings,” each word felt like a stab to her self-esteem. “However, I am trying, and I...apologize if it wasn’t relayed well,” she said stiffly.

Ciela was still visibly furious. Her hands twitched, and she stared at Catriona as as if she was going to strangle her at any moment. Even as her words were still referring to the princess, the blue-haired girl now was barely able to see the princess as Catriona, the person she was supposed to be. Right now, she was a reflection of the person the blue-haired girl despised the most. She wanted to continue yelling, she wanted to attack that someone over and over again until she was satisfied, until she could finally call her victory in this argument. Unrestrained by any chains and fueled by her drunken haze, she felt as if her heart roared for blood.

More, more! I haven’t won yet! I haven’t felt like I have won against you! Those years, those years you made me waste! Those people I can’t ever talk to, those places I’ll never visit! No way will I let you go until you pay for all of that!

Yet, despite all the spirited and flaming thoughts inside of her, no words came out in the end. She was unable to act on her emotions, her hands refused to grip the vulnerable neck of the person before her no matter how much she ordered them to. It wasn’t long after when her overly drained body finally gave in, and her arms lost the strength to support her. Without anything left, she fell over on top of Catriona. She struggled to get up for a while, but even wiggling around was almost impossible to do at that point.

“...I…”

Completely against her wishes, her body had betrayed her. Ciela was barely able to speak, let alone move despite still retaining the flame of determination in her eyes. Only retaining a small glimmer of consciousness at this point, a soft whisper escaped her lips after a few moments of silence, before she finally stopped struggling and passed out.

“...Don’t go...I’m not...done yet...”

Catriona stared at the girl on top of her, mind frozen. Perhaps she had misunderstood. Maybe it wasn’t sexual gratification Ciela was seeking tonight, but affection. Unfortunately, she wasn’t the best person to go to for that. I might be bad with people, but I can at least see that, the woman thought wryly. Her hands moved by themselves, patting the girl on the head before stiffening when she saw blue locks instead of gray. This isn’t my little sister, but...but she’s young, just like her. Still young, sheltered, and new to the world.

With that thought, the woman rolled out from underneath the blue-haired girl, and inched her way to the edge of the mattress. It would be impractical to make the girl crawl to the other bed, and she was far too tired to deal with the headache that would cause. Better to remain like this, for tonight.

The lord felt...surprisingly comfortable, considering she was lying next to a girl she hadn't even known a week. Barely even three days, honestly. Not to mention she was fairly sure the noble had almost attempted to strangle her earlier. Still, I feel...safe. She drifted off to sleep with that thought lingering in her mind.

--

"Ah nothing much. I was just going to meet someone but, they're probably long gone." Alois shrugged saying, "well, I woulda won anyway, so it's not that big of a deal." Shaking his head, he said, "anyway, it's nothing big, me and this big lug here are just walking around the city now. And it's not like it's illegal to walk around at night right?" Catching what he said, he looked to both the woman and the knight with a sudden curious expression on his face saying, "it's not right?"

Gunther looked between the two. "Ah, excuse me, but do you know each other? I don't believe we're doing anything wrong. If we are, I assure you, it's my fault, Miss...?" he paused before continuing, "I am Gunther, by the way."

"Pleasure to meet you, Sir Gunther, my name is Vanessa, pegasus knight," Vanessa's eyes flickered over his stance and armor as she spoke. "And no, it's not against the law, it is just...not recommended." She paused. "Still, as long as you're not doing anything wrong, there's no reason to stop you. You may continue," she nodded at them before continuing on her patrol.

Eventually, the two would find their way to the plaza, but there was no sign of Hilarion. There was, however, a badly-scribbled note that read, "SQUARE!" The trip back to the inn was uneventful, though by the time the two returned the rest of the group were asleep.

The night wore on peacefully before morning came.

--

BGM

The morning dawned bright and clear. Catriona was the first to wake in her room, rubbing her eyes blearily. Without thinking, she coughed, spitting out black-colored blood. Grimacing at the sight, she rubbed it off on her handkerchief. She would have to rinse it out later if she didn't want it to stain. One thing Histia had over Galtea was superior plumbing. Ithome was full of aqueducts, and he innkeeper had even informed them of a public bath. Still, they needed to be on their way, though Ciela's words last night lingered within the princess' thoughts. Perhaps I should let them all wash up there before leaving.

As it was, things were tense between them all. So this might just be the thing they needed. Yes, it was perfect. Catriona nodded to herself. Glancing back at Ciela, she sighed. I can smell the alcohol from here...I wonder if I should wake her up. She wanted an early start, but she was also realistic. After the night they had, it was unlikely anybody would feel motivated, let alone civilized, so early in the morning. So instead, she sat there, on the edge of the bed facing the window, watching the people below start to go about their daily business. Her mind was oddly blank, every muscle relaxed. She hadn't slept like that for a while.

This is why I like alcohol, she mused. It's...relaxing. Mornings were just as much. Standing alone in the gray light of pre-dawn, it was as if time had frozen. And then, when the sun rose, her spirits would rise as well.

Her chest ached, but it seemed more bearable than usual right now. Radiating serenity, the woman's lips lifted into a rare smile.

[spoiler=OOC]

First part cowritten with Nai.

I moved us all to the morning of the next day. Feel free to do whatever morning activities you need to do. Each room has a small room attached to it with a sink and latrine, which leads to the sewer. Yes, you guys get indoor plumbing. There are no baths in the inn, however there is a public city bath nearby.

Hakima · February 12, 2017

Link spent the first portion of the night pacing the hallway of the upper floor, waiting for Alois and Gunther to get back. Being inside a building was… strange to him. Even as a boy, growing up in the outskirts of Nalbina, he had preferred the the sense of openness being outside gave him. Then he had spent years at the border, sleeping out in the open, with his allies just a glance away. And after that, several years operating under the guise of night had made him more comfortable under the shade of the moon than the harsh light of the sun. It was a culture shock to go back to mundane life, where a bed was waiting to welcome you at the end of each day and most people got suspicious if you looked at them too often. Link had struggled to adjust for months now, and it wasn’t becoming any easier.

Being a City Guard had helped some, but it wasn’t really the same. It was the way people were so willing to shift blame to others, so ready to lie and betray so long as it benefitted them, that was the hardest for Link. As a soldier, he had found it easy to entrust complete strangers with his life, because that’s what it meant to be a soldier. To be ready to die defending your countrymen. Maybe it was different for other regiments, but he would have died for any one of the Garou, and some of them had proven they would die for him time and time again. Back in the real world, he couldn’t even trust a word the majority of folks said. Link sighed, rubbing his temples and sinking back against the wall behind him. Was it this difficult? Did everyone go through this? Princess Catriona had served with the Garou nearly as long as he had, and even if they had not always shared the same duties, they were given the same burden. She didn’t seem to struggle over such trivial things, like convincing herself that it was even worth it to eat. She was stern and overbearing at times, but that was how a soldier was taught to lead. They needed results, even if it hurt their underlings.

Gunther didn’t seem to have trouble either, even if he was still green. People trusted him to protect them, they opened up to him without question. He was sunshine and justice, and everything the stories would lead you to believe a soldier really was supposed to be. Link attracted trouble wherever he went, like a plague, and people who trusted him always ended up regretting it. He would try to help, but he couldn’t exude the same level of personalness the boy could. Not anymore, not ever again. It had been what he was good at before, something that came easy, but now it was practically impossible. His emotions were so hard to control, and he scared himself sometimes when he got angry, because he would just lash out to hurt the nearest thing. Usually, it was himself - the knot on his head proved that - but someday, it wouldn’t be. Someday, he would hurt someone who didn’t deserve it. Unbidden, Link thought of Princess Penelope, Edrick, and Alois. They were all so young, so inexperienced, so DEFENSELESS. All it would take was for them to catch him off guard once. During one of his flashback, or while he was asleep, and he could accidentally do something unforgivable. Link felt physically ill from just thinking about it, his stomach turning painfully and his headache worsening. No… No, he couldn’t risk that. Not with so much at stake. He needed to go, to leave, get away before he did something impossible to repair.

Link also knew he couldn’t leave. They needed him, it was his duty to stay. To protect the princesses. Everything he knew about their quest made it seem suicidal, and a bunch of untrained teenagers weren’t going to be able to protect them if it really came down to it. Link clenched his hands into fists, shaking. “No… No… No!” His voice was raw from overuse, direly in need of a drink and rest, so even when he shouted it was almost like a whisper. Feelings of frustration and helplessness, they were overwhelming, and Link only knew of one way to vent them. He smashed his fist into the wall at the end of the hallway once, twice, three times. He lost count, only stopping when he couldn’t feel his hand anymore, and blood ran out of the hem of his glove. Once the shock wore off, the pain kept him grounded. It made him feel better; he deserved every bit of it and more.

Wearily, he pushed himself away from the wall. Blood stained the ends of his sleeve, and Link knew he looked like he came from a meeting with the Goddess herself. He was going to have to get cleaned up before anyone saw him. He wouldn’t risk anyone finding out about this. It was just the lingering affects of the alcohol. Link grabbed his backpack from Gunther and Alois’ room, cradling his mangled hand close to his stomach to not leave any blood behind, and slipped away from the inn. He passed Gunther and Alois on his way down the stairs, but he could only hope they paid him no notice. He headed out, toward the public bath he thought he had seen on the way to the inn.

He passed a green-haired guardswoman on the way, but outside of a brief nod, neither paid the other much attention. Link had been right, and he found the public bath not far from the inn. It was a big, open structure, similar the ones in Sector 3. He had thought bathing this way was strange, but eventually, he had gotten used to it. The place was deserted thanks to the time of night, and the moon reflected off the calm water of the bathing pool.

Link stepped forward, laying his backpack down and pulling out his spare set of clothes. He placed them on the pool’s edge, and then began to undress. It was a long, tedious process, trying to pull his mail over his head with one hand while trying to avoid hitting the knot on his head. He eventually managed, though, and his shirt followed soon after.

He paused to study his reflection in the bathing pool after that. Link was disgusted by what he saw. His skin was ghostly pale, a far cry from the dark tan of his youth. It made it easy to see the dozens of faded scars that marred his abdomen, some silver and hard to notice, others dark red and eye-catching. The worst of it all was his rib cage. The skin was shriveled and shrunken in around the bones, pulled taut around his stomach like a shirt that was too small. The muscle definition in his legs and arms still somewhat remained, and the sharp contrast between them and his abdomen made him look like some sort of patchwork monster the Goddess had stitched together.

Link forced himself to look away, down at his hands. They were covered by thick callouses, but his weight loss was noticeable in his bony fingers too. The knuckles of one of them were pushed up and out of place, the skin torn and raw from rubbing up against the leather of his glove with every punch. It should have hurt much more than it did, but his threshold for pain was so high, he could barely feel it now. Link raised his other hand quietly, running his thumb over one of the dislocated knuckles just a few times to test it, then pressing down hard and fast. He grunted in pain, but the knuckle snapped back into place with a loud cracking noise. One by one, he repeated that until every knuckle was back where it belonged.

He flexed his right had a few times experimentally, but it was still too sore to use for much of anything.

With that done, Link slid off his leggings, leaving him in only his underthings. Then, he slipped into the bathing pool. It was a far cry from the cold streams he was used to bathing in, hot and easily washing the caked up dirt and blood from his skin. Link took his time, diving underwater and enjoying the way it relaxed his aching muscles. It was always so easy to be underwater. It silenced the outside world, washed away most worries. Link knew how easy it would have been to just not come up, to stay submerged until it brought him to an end. It would hurt at first, he knew, but it was a temporary pain compared to his everyday life.

Link pushed himself to the surface, greedily sucking in air. It would have been so easy, but he had a duty to the crown and all those that had given their life to save his. He couldn’t end it there, no matter how appealing it was. Quietly, he pulled himself out of the bathing pool and began to dress. It was going to be a long day on the road.

The sun was just starting to rise. Link was seated at one of the tables in the bar, by himself, eating his breakfast. A big hunk of bread and a chunk of cheese, with a glass of water to chase it. It wasn’t the most filling breakfast, but it was all he could really stomach. Apparently the youngest princess had come to the decision that she wished to speak with them all over the dynamic of the group.

Link put away his food, getting to his feet. He looked much better than he had when they arrived in Sector 1, wearing a brand new tunic and a clean set of clothes. His sword was back where it belonged, on his back with his shield, and his glove covered up his marred hand. The knot on his head was still visible though, even when his cap was pulled down, and he still had all the signs of someone deprived of sleep.

He started up the stairs, slowly, to not disturb anyone. He wagered that he was the only one awake, considering a good portion of the party was probably suffering from hangovers. Whoever did come across him first, they would find him standing quietly in the hallway, leafing through the stack of sheet music he had been given in Sector 3.

Maeriberii Haan · February 12, 2017

"..."

Sharp pains invaded Ciela's thoughts as her consciousness returned. Her head felt like it was splitting apart, and she was barely able to feel any part of her body as she struggled to open her eyes. What happened? It took her a while until she could even move from her current position. She was barely able to comprehend anything right now. Her mind was mostly still roamed inside of her thought space, a dream she barely could even remember aside from a source of warmth she held on very closely. Yet, before even long the warmth disappear from her hold, and she was dragged back into the light. She was now lying face up and attempted her best to breathe normally, and slowly the details on her current situation had started to be clearer.

She was currently naked, sleeping on the same bed as Catriona, who was now staring at the scenery outside of the window, despite the fact that there was another bed in the room. Sensation returned to most of her body,. and all that she could feel was intense pain from her sore muscles. She was feeling somewhat tingly down there, but other than that, it felt like she had been battered and beaten up. Stench of alcohol was still on the air and on her breath. Perhaps she ended up being very drunk again last night. The sharp pain on her head overrode any other immediate thoughts she had however, and groggily, she pushed herself to sit on the side of the bed. With her legs already on the side, she decided to walk to the-

THUD

A loud noise could be heard as she fell over to the floor unceremoniously. Ciela could only sigh. No matter how much she didn't want to think of it, losing the function of her legs was the new reality that she needed to accept sooner or later. A fact she had to get used to. Wiping up a bit of the blood from her face from the fall, she ignored any potential offers of help from Cat, not that she would care to give any help, and continued her way to the latrine.

She was somewhat disappointed that the latrine didn't include an actual bathroom, rendering her last night's activity meaningless, but she decided to just let it rest as she was in a direr situation. The orchestra of all the woes and pain from each of her body parts and organs went even louder once she was inside. It felt like she was close to death already. It wasn't the first time she found herself in this position however, and she knew how to handle the situation. Perhaps. Ignoring the fact that she hadn't even eaten anything since yesterday morning, she forced herself to puke no matter how her body resisted it. It took her a while to succeed, but the purge was a success and she felt a little bit better. The headache, soreness, and the tingling sensation still remained however, and just now she finally noticed that her stomach was rumbling badly. Ciela could only let out a groan as she realized that.

Relieving herself from the tingling sensation as she urinated, she went on to clean herself for a bit before heading out. Managing to clear her thoughts a bit after that, she looked around the room for something to wear, and found her chemise lying on the floor. Next to it though, was a familiar looking tunic. Ah, right. Link lent it to me last night. That part was something she could remember. But, right now she couldn't be bothered to wear the tunic. Getting herself to worm herself into thin night gown, she circled the tunic around her neck like a scarf before heading out. The next time she saw him, she'd return it.

"I'm going out first."

Outside of the room, she noticed a small note on the door's handle. Apparently it was made by Penelope, who asked for each person on the group to meet her in the morning. Ciela couldn't care less for that, at least for now. Even if she wanted to yell as loud as she could about the group, she really wanted to eat now. Her stomach was killing her right now.

On her way through the hallway, she found Link leafing through several pieces of...sheet music, if her sight didn't betray her yet. Just her luck. The quiet and impersonal guard wasn't really someone she could stand by nature compared to the amusingly flowery Gunther, but at the very least she had to show a bit of gratitude for last night. Although...she forgot already about why did he lend her his tunic. Nevertheless, she tugged at him and pointed at the tunic circled around his neck.

"Hey, I'm here to return this. Thanks for lending it to me, but I think I'll do fine without now. Though, if it smell weird or something, I can get it washed up later. Dunno what I did with it last night, after all.

Anyway, did you have breakfast yet? You can come with me if you want." Ciela paused a bit, panting. Between crawling there and speaking that much, she felt pretty drained already. The hangover was quite clearly terrible, but she had to admit that the choice of drink Link suggested last night was great. She needed to get a few bottles for their next trip. "And hey, I can give you some treats if you want to. I still have quite a few to spend."

Hakima · February 12, 2017

Link squinted at the littles notes on the sheet music, but no matter how hard or how long he stared, they continued to mean nothing to him. It was irritating, and he felt like a dog with a piece of meat being dangled over his nose just out of reach. If he could just figure it out, he could learn so many new songs. Link was so enthralled in deciphering all the secrets the little notes were withholding from him that, for once, he barely noticed Ciela’s approach.

He jumped when she grabbed the end of his tunic and tugged, but recovered quickly when he realized it was just Ciela. She was wearing his tunic around her neck like some sort of odd scarf, and the skimpy nightgown. "Hey, I'm here to return this. Thanks for lending it to me, but I think I'll do fine without now. Though, if it smell weird or something, I can get it washed up later. Dunno what I did with it last night, after all.”

Link wanted to tell her to keep it, but when he tried, nothing came out but a dry rasp. His voice was gone. Had he been talking that much? Now that he thought about it, his throat was dry and scratchy, painfully so. It was… strange to think about. He had been so quiet for such a long time, a problem caused by him talking too much was refreshing. Usually, it was the opposite.

“Anyway, did you have breakfast yet? You can come with me if you want,” Ciela offered, catching his attention again. It was a kind invitation, but Link only barely registered it in the back of his mind. Ciela was short of breath, panting heavily, and Link was more focused on that. What was wrong with her? He could smell the faint scent of sickness lingering on her now that he thought about it, and realized she had probably been forced to drag herself to the bathroom to puke. "And hey, I can give you some treats if you want to. I still have quite a few to spend."

Link blinked a few times, wondering what she meant. Treats? Was that… It clicked in his head. Ciela was trying to get him to go to breakfast with her by bribing him, because she didn’t want to go alone. Link wasn’t very hungry, thanks to eating his normal reserved breakfast, but he wasn’t going to tell her no. The princesses were still asleep, and he could still watch from the ground floor while Ciela ate. Still, unable to use his voice much at all, Link nodded in response.

He spent the next few seconds trying to ask if she was fine with him carrying her downstairs, which proved harder than he expected it to be by just gesturing. It was cleared up eventually, and he carried her down to one of the tables on the floor of the inn. He favored his uninjured hand heavily throughout the trip, trying to avoid touching much of anything with his right hand, but hopefully Ciela didn’t notice that.

Once they were at the table, he sat across from her quietly. She was still woefully underdressed, attracting some glances of unwanted origin. Link glared at anyone he deemed was looking for an indecent amount of time, and the sword on his back was enough to purvey his message to them: anyone who tried anything would meet with a terrible fate.

He may have been stuck being a babysitter for the noble, but he would be damned if he wasn’t the best babysitter around. The amount of skin the lady was showing was not an open invitation for wandering eyes.

Maeriberii Haan · February 13, 2017

The next few moments was a bit awkward as Link attempted to explain that he's going to carry her downstairs with sign language. Was he mute? Nah, that couldn't be it. Perhaps he was just having a hard tme speaking now. Sore throat or something similar could be an explanation. That aside however, she accepted his offer to carry him as she begrudgingly realized that she really wasn't in any position to crawl down the stairs without tumbling badly and injuring herself further. Right now, it ended up as something that she needed to get used to no matter how much she hated it. Although, she found it odd that he was carrying her oddly. It's only noticeable because it's getting even more uncomfortable than it should, but it's as if Link tried his best not to touch her with one of his hands.

It was not something she put much thought on for now though. Once downstairs and properly seated, she asked the bar's patron about last night's expenses, and after learning what Asura did, offered to pay for it too. She noted the total and said that she would pay once she dressed in a more proper manner after taking a bath, and she also asked where the bathhouse was to him. Once that was done, she ordered a simple breakfast of bread, egg, bacon, and a glass of milk for herself. She wasn't in the mood for anything fancier for now. As she waited for her order to arrive, she decided to take a look at Link, and noticed how he's glaring at several other patrons of the bar.

Oh, right.

Those people were obviously staring at her loosely-clothed body. In a way it did make her feel uncomfortable, although right now she couldn't really care much about covering it properly, despite how much they could see. Wearing anything more decent would be too much effort for her now. She waited for Link to make his order, but after a while of not getting any verbal responses, she started to feel annoyed and ordered a full course meal for him. With full intent to try breaking the silence, she decided to start the conversation herself.

"Don't be shy like that, guards like you should eat heartily. Just ask me if you need anything else."

Well...that didn't seem like a good conversation starter. Ciela paused for a bit to think of something else before she continued to talk.

"I don't know what happened last night, but whatever it was, it felt pretty terrible. Like, I woke up naked on the same bed as Catriona, hurting all over. The hell happened anyway when I was drunk? Must be quite a wild night, huh?"

Wait...that didn't seem like a good conversation starter. Judging from the waiter's expression as he delivered her orders to her, it seemed to only serve to make the situation more awkward. She went silent for a while, not looking at the guard sitting before her while she though of something better to start a conversation with. It took a few minutes for her to actually figure out something.

"So...you're reading a sheet music earlier, right? Can I look at it?"

King K. Azo · February 13, 2017

Sleep, even a drunken sleep, was not something Asura enjoyed. It was a place where dreams could happen... and in dreams, Asura was defenseless. He couldn't distract himself... protect himself from the bad memories. He would have to sit there and re-experience every moment. Seeing her blood splatter everywhere, seeing her chest covered in blood... her eyes losing the spark of life as she began to grow limp and cold in his arms...

Seeing the blood cover his blade, seeing the young child losing her eye... someone who was far too young for that. He couldn't escape. His sins would always haunt him, no matter how much he tried to make up for them... he never could. He was now and forever a monster. People were just perceptive enough to pick up on it now. This group... was just able to see his own evils lurking deep within him. He was a hypocrite, one trying to oppose people who had the obvious higher moral ground.

He was a fool.

Asura shot straight up out of bed when he awoke, sweating and panting. His head was killing him so badly. What even happened last night...? He rubbed his head as he tried to remember. There was... drinking... that would explain his headache. Someone was... yelling... was it him? He didn't know. He shook his head, trying to clear it. Link... that's right. Link, the trained solider that saw war... threatened a farmer. A defenseless one at that. The thought made him angry... but it was only a smoldering flame instead of the raging inferno from last night. He was in no position to judge anyone.

With a sigh, he walked out of bed and looked down at himself. He was still fully clothed. Huh. With a sigh, he decided to head to the latrine. He had morning business to attend to...

Hakima · February 13, 2017

Link didn’t know what to say when Ciela asked what he wanted for breakfast. His stomach struggled with anything more than bread, cheese, and dried jerky after having lived off it for so long. On top of that, all the people staring at Ciela were really starting to bother him. There wasn’t even that many people in the area, but it seemed like they were all looking at her, like she was a piece of meat on display. She didn’t even seem to notice, but that served to make the soldier angrier than he already was. Was she used to this kind of treatment?

"Don't be shy like that, guards like you should eat heartily. Just ask me if you need anything else,” Ciela said. Link stared at her awkwardly, unsure how to respond. Soldiers didn’t actually eat that much on-duty, mostly because it was thought that a full stomach relaxed the body and dulled the mind. That, and there was never a good time for them to pass gas without drawing attention to themselves. She seemed to pick up on the fact that he had nothing to say to that, and continued, "I don't know what happened last night, but whatever it was, it felt pretty terrible... Like, I woke up naked on the same bed as Catriona, hurting all over. The hell happened anyway when I was drunk? Must be quite a wild night, huh?"

Link couldn’t stop the surprise from showing on his face. She had… they did… Link refused to follow that particular train of thought any further, partially because thinking of his liege in that fashion was dishonorable, but mostly due to the fact that thinking of his friend engaging in that emphasized how much had changed. The Catriona Link had known at the border would never have done something as taboo as sleeping with a comrade, but… hopefully it helped her? He wasn’t even sure what he was supposed to think, but at the very least, he hoped that it helped her unwind. She was always too stressed out for her own good.

The food was delivered quickly after that, saving Link from that particular conversation. Ciela had apparently ordered him a full course meal: a stack of thick, fluffy golden pancakes with a side of cottage cheese and a tall glass of dark, purple juice that Link didn’t recognize. The smell wafting up from the meal was mouth-watering, but he knew that he wasn’t going to be able to eat very much of it at all.

Keeping his injured hand out of sight, Link picked up the glass of juice and took an experimental sip. It tasted sweet, but the aftertaste was surprisingly bitter. Overall, he liked it. He took another, deeper drink, and Ciela said something."So...you're reading a sheet music earlier, right? Can I look at it?"

Link nodded, laying his juice down and pulling the shief of sheet music out of his backpack. She was a noble, so it made sense to the soldier that she might know how to read it. He had considered asking one of the princesses, but figured they had better things to do with their time, and this was a good alternative. He held them across the table, waiting for her to take them.

Maeriberii Haan · February 13, 2017

Ciela was quite disappointed and somewhat irritated at Link's silence, but at the very least, she was somewhat aware that the guard wasn't really doing it to distance himself from her. It's still not something she could like, but that was a good indication that at least he didn't mean any offense. It's...just who he was, and perhaps he couldn't really change it. That thought soured her expression for a bit as she was reminded about herself, but seeing Link handing out the sheet music broke her out of those thoughts.

A glint in her eyes, Ciela pulled the sheets towards herself and started to look over it. Looking at what was before her was somewhat nostalgic, reminding her of her failed attempts at learning how to play the vielle. Despite being years since she last saw them, the constant practice allowed her to still be able to read most of the notations depicted on it. After she enjoyed her trip down memory lane a bit, she went up and looked at Link who was still enjoying his juice, and thought that perhaps she would have to help him to read it. It would be understandable that the guard wouldn't be able to since he looked like a former farmboy, after all. And at times like this, it would be the obligation of someone like her to help!

With barely any prompts from the other side, Ciela went ahead and started to speak out. She was loud and clear as she gave a sizable lecture to Link about how to read the symbols and how to translate those to instruments. She wasn't even aware of what instrument Link played, but right now that shouldn't be important, once he understood the notations he would be able to use it everywhere. Or so she thought, but she wouldn't be wrong after all. She chirped on and on, even halting herself at points just to repeat several important points to make sure that Link at least heard about what she said, and that aside, she also took some momentary pauses to drink and catch her breath, lest she collapsed under her own excitement. She was ecstatic to talk about one of her old passions, and she wasn't even paying attention at whether Link even understood her words. After quite a while, she finished her speech and went to finish the glass of water she had nearby.

"That should be it for now. Don't be shy to ask anything if you still don't understand. alright?"

Droning on and on for that long was really tiring. What was it, fifteen minutes straight of talking? Ciela had to push herself to finish the food she ordered, although she realized that her dirtied hands would be improper to use with the dirt she accumulated on it by crawling. Figuring that since Link's tunic hadn't been taken yet it would be fine for her to use it in any way she liked, Ciela remorselessly wiped the dirt from her hands using it in front of its owner. Once that was done, she could start eating her breakfast in silent as she continued to watch Link, waiting for him to say anything.

The girl sighed in annoyance. Even if it was his nature to be silent, she really couldn't stand it. Right now, it was like she's sitting here alone despite having someone she was supposedly able to talk with. It's irritating, so very irritating. As the distaste of the current situation accumulated on her mind, she reached a conclusion. She was intent on forcing a more overt reaction over him now, at the very least something better than just silent compliance and minor facial expressions. Something like when he reacted about how she found herself waking up was funny enough, and thus she figured out on what to do. With a bit of a shrugging motion, she intentionally got the strap on her dress to slide off her shoulders, letting it to show some of her underdeveloped chest. Those lowlifes on the other side of the place would eat this display out like rabid dogs eating leftovers, but she had to endure it if she wanted a good reaction out of the person sitting before her. It felt breezy to show this much skin in the morning, and she reddened a bit due to the display, but she had already was too determined to see her plan through.

"Hey, after this can you help me go to the bathhouse? Also uh...I need some help in washing myself, I'm still feeling too sore, so do that too. I can deal with excuses, don't worry about it."

She couldn't really believe that she had just said that, but for the sake of messing around enough with Link, it should be worth it. Just so she could finally feel his distant presence, just so she could finally see him as a proper person.

Alaina · February 15, 2017

While the duo was a bit confused at the whole encounter with the green haired knight, she simply let them on their way before telling them it was not recommended to be out this late. Why might that be? It wasn't as if the city had a stabby thief problem or anything. As they parted ways with the girl known as Vanessa, the duo continued to make their way through the city before finally making their way to the city square. Upon getting there, they were greeted with a small piece of paper that simply read, "SQUARE," to which Alois couldn't help but raise an eyebrow to. At realization at what it was, a devious smile couldn't help but form across the boy's face as he let out a chuckle. Given how it was written the guard had quite clearly been frustrated, which only meant that regardless of not actually competing, Alois was the true winner of tonight. Slapping the paper, his expression becoming more triumphant Alois said, "alright big guy, let's get back to the inn now." If asked any questions about what had actually happened here Alois would simply say, "let's just say I made a bet with someone and totally won." With that, he made his way back to the inn.

Once there, it had appeared everyone else had already vacated the tavern area, with it being pretty empty in general. That could only mean one of two things. Either the group had all gone to bed or...they were arrested. A small sense of dread crossed the boy as he was inclined to believe the latter, but still made no mention of it as he continued to walk up the stairs to his room. As he did, he passed the green garbed guardsman, giving only a short wave as the man seemed to hurriedly made his way past the duo. Looking back a bit Alois briefly wondered what that was about, but continued to bed, figuring that it would only lead to another large can of worms to deal with for the day. As he got to the door he noticed his second note for the night was there.

Taking it off the handle, he started to read it aloud, loud enough for his roommate behind him to hear it, with his voice taking on a more confused tone as he made his way through it. When he got to the end, he was left with a befuddled expression on his face saying, "what?" He looked back to the knight saying, "can you believe this?" He then looked around to see other doors had this exact same note on them, which only caused him to sigh as he opened the door to his room. "Man, we left for like an hour or two and everything goes to hell. I swear, they'd all be lost without us." Bringing the note with him indoors, the boy didn't say much else before getting into bed and resting for the night.

As he awoke, the boy felt pretty relaxed and refreshed. The sleep had done him good what with all the events of the day prior, and even his night was pretty nice and without incident. As he got out of bed a stretched himself out, his eyes then looked to see the paper he had brought in from last night, being reminded of that. Sighing, after taking care to do anything he needed to in the morning, Alois made his way out of the room and walked over to the younger princesses room, wanting to get it out of the way. Knocking on the door he said, "ooooh princess," his voice slightly mocking in tone, "I'm here to talk."

LordCowCowCowCowCowCowCowCow · February 15, 2017

Alois was a mysterious man, Gunther thought as they went back to the inn, and the Knight was becoming more convinced that the young man had his share of secrets. Penelope would be all over that but Gunther decided that, unless something more suspicious came up, he didn't have to bother the Fighter.

Thankfully it looked like all was well, for the most part, when they returned. After being waved off by the innkeep about being sorry about any damage, Gunther went up the stairs to find Alois holding onto a note of some kind. "Maybe Alois has a secret admirer?" was Gunther's first thought until the boy showed him the note, and he noticed more on the other rooms.

"can you believe this? Man, we left for like an hour or two and everything goes to hell. I swear, they'd all be lost without us."

Gunther couldn't help but smile at the fact Alois said "us". Maybe he had done something right? "Well...Penelope would likely do this anyway. She's always been, erm..." nosy would be the correct word but it sounded far too harsh. "helpful." he settled on.

Gunther took off the heavy armor he wore every day, setting it down with an audible thud which caused him to wince. As he did he felt intense relief but also intense soreness. Immediately he felt his muscles crying out in pain as they were released from the heavy load.

With a groan he made his way to the bed, plopping down and falling asleep quickly.

-----

The morning he found that Alois was already gone. Probably to see Penelope, Gunther assumed, despite his words the other day. Gunther stretched, winced, and began, with a sigh, to put the armor back on. He found Alois by Penelope's door and waved at him. "Morning." he said with a bright smile, hair still a complete mess as he had skipped over the typical morning grooming.

Penelope woke from a dream which she could hardly remember but sent a chill through her body. She moved, putting her feet on the floor and sitting in her bed, while trying to steady her breathing. She saw Sienna still asleep and was grateful the fox didn't see her in this state.

Her eyes turned towards her sword and she shuddered almost violently. She looked away and stood, walking stiffly to her clothing. Glancing at Sienna to make sure she was still asleep Penelope put on her clothing. She stared out the window for a while, until she heard Sienna stirring, and then turned her her with a comforting but businesslike smile.

"Good morning Sienna, read this please." She handed to her one of the notes she had left for the rest, and then spoke up "I would like you to tell me any concerns, alright?" she tilted her head a bit to the side at the last, observing Sienna closely.

"ooooh princess, I'm here to talk."

"You're going to have to wait your turn, book deserter." Penelope said sharply towards the door.

Sethera · February 16, 2017

Catriona heard Ciela rise, but didn't turn to look. She would rather prolong this moment for as long as possible. The sunlight started to stream within the room in earnest, golden dust motes dancing in the rays.

THUD.

The sound caused the white-haired woman to turn around, though she wasn't surprised at what she saw. She would offer to help, but it would likely be refused. The blue-haired noble was quite proud. Eventually, after refreshing herself in a separate room, the troubadour left, tunic tied around her neck like a scarf. "I'm going out first."

Catriona sighed and did nothing. After a few minutes, the haze from her mind had cleared enough for her to feel like moving. Stepping off the bed, she entered the door leading to the separate room herself. While she rinsed up, she wondered how the day would go. Hopefully they had enough supplies to make it through the woods.

Exiting the shared bedroom, the princess turned and saw the note. "...Interesting," she mused. "But needed." She might be awkward at talking with others, but it didn't mean she didn't see what was going on. There were...some bad feelings that needed to be sorted out. A group meeting could work wonders as well. If Penelope didn't host that, she might. "Perhaps at the baths," she thought. "Yes, that could work."

She came downstairs to see both Link and Ciela, just in time to hear, "Hey, after this can you help me go to the bathhouse? Also uh...I need some help in washing myself, I'm still feeling too sore, so do that too. I can deal with excuses, don't worry about it."

Ah...this is the perfect time to execute that plan. She hadn't seen Penelope yet, so likely that girl wasn't awake just yet. They could get a head-start with gathering at the baths. "A good morning to the both of you," she greeted them. "I could not help but overhear what you said, Ciela," she turned to the troubadour. "I was thinking this morning that we could all get a good wash before our journey begins. I'll tell the innkeeper where we're headed so that the others know where to find us." Her voice was slightly livelier than usual as she spoke. Turning toward the innkeeper, the lord informed him of their plans.

"Ho ho ho! Well, if you all are leaving, then I have a present for you. Here," he handed over a few wrapped gifts. "You could call it a late Midwinter present. Or an early one, ho ho ho!" he laughed.

Catriona glanced at the presents in her hands suspiciously. "Thank you, but...what is this for?" she asked. "You don't even know us."

"But I know of you. Harris talked to me about you all. I know that you've been through quite the ordeal today. While I usually wait till Midwinter to hand these out, since you all are leaving today, well," he beamed. "You get them early! Or late! Ho ho ho!"

"Then our thanks," Catriona dipped her head to the man, though the suspicion hadn't quite left her eyes. "You didn't have to."

"It's not about haves and have-nots," the innkeeper said, eyes twinkling. "It's about the spirit of giving."

The princess blinked, before giving another short thanks and turning around, handing the gifts out to her two companions. "It seems that we have received...presents," she announced, tone bemused.

Hakima · February 16, 2017

Ciela’s explanation only confused Link further, but he appreciated her enthusiasm. She was genuinely interested in what she was talking about, and in trying to help him learn, which was a side of the haughty noble that he hadn’t seen before. Still, her method of teaching wasn’t very helpful, but the soldier didn’t have the heart to tell her that.

"That should be it for now. Don't be shy to ask anything if you still don't understand. Alright?"

Link nodded, taking the sheet music back from her and returning it to his backpack. Hopefully if he slept on it, her lecture would start to make more sense, but he doubted it. He was glad that he had asked, though, if only because it gave him a bit more insight into the attitude of the group’s spoilt healer. It had also helped distract him from the worst of his nerves, which was always a benefit in his book. He had even taken a few bites from his pancakes while Ciela had been talking, though not much more than that, because they were overwhelmingly sweet.

Ciela caught his attention by wiping her hands clean on his tunic, which didn’t upset the soldier, but did make him wonder if she realized just how dirty the garment had already been when he gave it to her. He worked in it nonstop, and his blood and sweat had been irreversibly soaked into the fabric. It was gross to think about, especially because she started eating right after that.

Link smartly abstained from commenting on that, pushing around his own food quietly, until he noticed the strap of Ciela’s nightgown slipping down her shoulder. It came dangerously close to revealing her chest, but as it was, didn’t show anything more than the swell of her breast. Link immediately directed his gaze at the table, the faint trace of a blushing dusting his cheeks.

Had she done that intentionally? Link ould have sworn she had done that intentionally, but it didn’t make any sense. She probably hadn’t even noticed that it had happened. "Hey, after this can you help me go to the bathhouse? Also uh… I need some help in washing myself, I'm still feeling too sore, so do that too. I can deal with excuses, don't worry about it,” Ciela prattled on, oblivious to the situation. Link grew noticeably more uncomfortable as she did. He couldn’t help her bathe. That was a level of intimacy he wanted no part of, but… she needed help. Who else was going to do it? Princess Catriona and Princess Penelope were above that sort of thing, he didn’t know what to think of Sienna, and the rest of the group would probably struggle in the same manner that he currently was. Maybe worse, considering they were all younger and (presumably) more interested in that sort of thing than him.

He was saved from that Hell by Princess Catriona interrupting them. "A good morning to the both of you," she greeted them. "I could not help but overhear what you said, Ciela," she turned to the troubadour. "I was thinking this morning that we could all get a good wash before our journey begins. I'll tell the innkeeper where we're headed so that the others know where to find us."

Link released a breath he hadn’t known he was holding. He owed her for that one. She spoke with the innkeeper about where they were going, but was surprised when the jolly old man handed her several wrapped gifts. "You could call it a late Midwinter present. Or an early one, ho ho ho!"

Link was immediately suspicious. The innkeeper informed the eldest princess that Councilman Harris had told him of the events of the previous day, and he was sympathetic.

"Then our thanks," Catriona dipped her head to the man, though she still seemed cautious. "You didn't have to."

"It's not about haves and have-nots," the innkeeper said, eyes twinkling. "It's about the spirit of giving."

Catriona turned back to them after that, extending a gift toward each of them. "It seems that we have received… presents," she announced, tone bemused.

Link took his from her, nodding his thanks. It was a small package, ornately wrapped in bright wrapping paper. For some reason, opening it in front of the others seemed like a bad idea, so he stowed it away in his backpack. He got to his feet after that, standing there awkwardly for a moment, noticing Ciela was still uncovered. He coughed into his hand, saying quietly, “you should cover up, at least until we get to the bathhouse.” He had no intention of bathing, or going anywhere near the two while they were, but he would go nonetheless.

For the first time in a long time, he wasn't in he mood to be alone. Link just hoped he wasn't intruding on the women's... erhm, alone time.

Maeriberii Haan · February 16, 2017

"A good morning to the both of you, I could not help but overhear what you said, Ciela. I was thinking this morning that we could all get a good wash before our journey begins. I'll tell the innkeeper where we're headed so that the others know where to find us."

That voice made Ciela turn around to see Cat descending down the stairs, which only prompted her to give her an expression of disbelief. She wasn't really voicing anything due to her loss of word, but her face said it all. What the hell? the girl thought. That didn't seem like something Cat would normally do or say, and it did felt a bit odd for her to be that cheery. Something really wild must've happened last night, but alas, Ciela couldn't remember anything. Even then though, she did appreciate the princess' offer. Even if personally she couldn't really stand Cat as a person, there's really no reason to turn down something like this, especially not with her current condition.

Her face reddened when she remembered about her falling strap, and quickly went to fix it. Link so far proved to be quite awkward to fish amusing expressions with, and it was just annoying. She was determined to keep on going, but right now, she realized that nothing short of stripping naked before him and assaulting him would do anything. Like hell would she do that. Perhaps it's best for her to just tease Gunther in the future. Yeah.. Gunther was really good for this. That explained why Penelope was really amused by him.

"You could call it a late Midwinter present. Or an early one, ho ho ho!"

Before the three went away though, the jolly owner of the inn decided to gave the three presents. Ciela was confused about why he did that, as well as Cat, but he explained himself well, which satisfied Ciela enough to start focusing on the present itself. She noticed that it was a decently sized box, but it was lighter than she expected something that big would be. Being quite hasty and impatient, Ciela wasted no time in opening the box a bit, just so she could see its content. She noticed that those were clothes on first glance, but to open more would mean she wouldn't be able to carry it properly. She gave an exasperated, but thankful smile to the jolly inn owner. In a way she felt a bit insulted that perhaps the reason he gave her more clothing was due to how she were barely clothed for most of the time she's walking around there. But on the other hand, more fancy clothing would be something she'd always appreciate.

“you should cover up, at least until we get to the bathhouse.”

"I'll be fine, I can't be bothered to wear more now. A bath would make me feel better, so just carry me there, please."

Did Link just peek at the content of her present? How rude. Perhaps she should open his present as payback later. The three of them would leave the inn not long after, and along the way, Ciela decided to voice her wish again, now that her soreness started to really be apparent again.

"So uh...I'm serious, can either of you two help me wash my body? Last night really made me all beat up..."

Alaina · February 17, 2017

As he heard her shout out the words, "book deserter" Alois was left slightly stunned and confused at the expression. "So it's gonna be like that, is it?" He said under his breath. Standing there, he then turned to see the knight walk over to him and greet him, before just giving a nonchalant, "hey there." He didn't say much else to the knight, just sort of awkwardly standing there and waiting for whatever it was he was supposed to be doing here. Everyone else seemed to be congregating downstairs and Alois was starting to wonder just what it was they did last night that caused this to even happen, though soon his thoughts were interrupted as the fox girl exited the room and simply told him to go in. Without much of a word left, Alois simply waltzed his way in, closing the door behind him as he entered. "Well your bookliness, I'm here. So what is it that we're supposed to be talking about?"

She, surprisingly given her earlier words, seemed composed. She was sitting at the small desk near the window, on the chair, facing the doorway. She gestures towards her bed, the only other seat in the room besides Sienna's bed, and spoke in a calm tone. "You've likely noticed many problems within the group. From what I've seen of you you're not opposed to speaking your mind, however, you don't often share your full opinions. I want to know if there's any problems you have with our group."

"That all?" He said, wry smile still on his face. However, his expression became more thoughtful, as he stood there pensive for a moment. Finally he said, "honestly there's nothing much from them that really causes any friction between me and the other people, unless they don't just appreciate my brand of conversing. Though, that knight of yours could stand to get a spine."

As he thought on it more he then followed up with saying, "but I won't lie and say that these people don't have their issues. Asura, Eddy, C. They're all way too prone to violent and emotional outbursts. They rarely seem to think before just about anything they do and as such, probably get themselves in deep sheet. And our local Cat and Link, well. One seems to just be a sheet of directions and the other I can't help but almost forget he's with us at times."

The girl had seemed focused on what he was saying, taking notes down all the while before acknowledging what Alois had said. "That could be a problem yes. And I will talk to them about that." she pauses, thinking, then leans forward. "Do you ever regret joining this group?"

Chuckling at the question at the question, Alois said, "what and miss all of this while I would just be aimlessly wandering about?" His face became more neutral as he said, "no. Can't say I have." After he answered her, the girl then started to stare intently at him for what felt like, and probably was, a solid minute. All the while, her expression became more expectant, as if waiting for the fighter to say something more. His face, in turn, only became more confused as the stare down went on before finally saying, "what?"

She nodded. "Thought so. You really are a simple guy, aren't you?"

At this, Alois's face had the slightest of smiles across it with his voice becoming more solemn in tone. "Didn't have much before so I'm fine with what I got now."

With Alois not seeming to linger on the specific topic, Penelope nodded sharply and before speaking again. "That is all. If someone's waiting send them in. Otherwise..." She smirked. "Go find one of them and bring them here."

"Alrighty then princess." His voice, getting its usual vigor back. He then started to turn slightly away before stopping and looking back. "Though, this is a bit one sided don't you think? You have any concerns about me you want to vent out?" The seriousness he had in the conversation prior was all but gone. Despite this, the girl gave him no reaction except for a gesture to leave, to which Alois could only oblige.Throwing his hands up in mock resignation saying, "fine fine." Before he could get to the outside, the Princess then commented telling him to stop referring to Fox Face by the nickname he had given her. This only caused him to sigh more, but he took note of it.As he got to the door he offhandedly said, "also learn to carry your own books," before opening the door and leaving. Once outside he looks over to his roommate saying, "well you're up big man." With that, he watched as Gunther moved into the room, before leaving the area. With not much else to do, Alois looked around a bit before noticing there was still one door with a completely untouched note. Letting out a sigh, the boy walked over to the door before knocking on it, "wakey wakey wonder duo."

Asriel Dreemurr · February 17, 2017

When Edrick woke, he realised that in his exhaustion and drunkenness, even if it had only been enough to give him a dull ache compared to a night of drinking zeilla, he had made a truly terrible mistake: he had slept in his armor. Not only had this gotten dirt and grime on the bed, which would have had to be washed anyways, but it left him incredibly sore across most of his body. It hurt to move even a little bit, but Edrick at least managed to roll over and make sure that if he fell out of bed he wasn't going to land on his lance. Just as well too, because when he tried to get out of bed his sore muscles responded just a little bit too slowly and he smashed into the floor. With about two hundred pounds of man and armor hitting the floor, it was fairly likely that most of the inn heard the impact. Fresh pain in his face had him rolling onto his back, and sure enough his nose was broken when he checked it. A bit more badly this time too, if the blood draining out of it was anything to go off. Still, he snapped it back into place and, with a fair amount of effort, set about making sure everything was together in his pack.

"Asura," Edrick said as he finished up with making sure his pack was arranged properly, "if I try to sleep in my armor again, hit me with something until I take it off. I'll take that over being sore like this." With that said, the young farmer managed to force himself to his feet and get his heavy pack up onto the bed. It took him a bit of working around, but he managed to get his arms through the shoulder straps and buckle the ones that went across his chest. It was easier to carry with them like that. All that he needed to do now was retrieve his iron lance from the ground, and he was about as ready to get on the road as he was going to be. Just as he was about to walk to the door, a familiar voice rang out along with knocking on it.

"Wakey wakey wonder duo." Well that was odd. Why was Alois worried about them being awake or not?

"We're up already!" He responded, a little irritation in his voice. Sighing, he opened the door and slipped out past Alois without bothering to look back. Not that moving at all was really easy as sore as he was. His movements were stiff, and probably uncomfortable just to look at as he made his way down the stairs to where the rest of the group was gathered. He was so focused on just getting down there in his sore state that he didn't notice a couple of things until he was already standing alongside the table where the group was gathering. The first thing that caught his attention was Ciela's state of dress, which saw his face turning red and him looking over at Link...who was pretending to eat breakfast. Next he looked over at Catriona who was...carrying a bunch of colorfully wrapped packages? That was just...weird. Still, at least it told him something about the plans for the morning.

"So...we're not getting on the road right away I take it."

Wind Rider · February 19, 2017

Sleeping in a warm bed was definitely better than sleeping out in the wild, Sienna had never felt more comfortable since starting her journey. Of course, all good things must come to an end, Sienna woke up with a soft yawn with Penelope greeting her on the edge of her bed. She handed Sienna a note that she must've given to the others, it was asking if the members of the group had any issues or concerns.

"Issues... Well, for me only one thing comes to mind... I just want to make up with Ciela, after I showed everyone what I could do she's been... Distant compared to everyone else... Almost like she fears me..." Sienna stated with a bit of a sad tone. Penelope seemed to think for a moment before turning back to Sienna.

"That's a good point, I'm glad you noticed that. Do you have any ideas on what you could do about that?" Penelope asked with a warm smile. Sienna's ears twitched a bit as she thought. "I already tried apologizing to her... But she still won't say more than a few words to me... It's like she hates me for surprising her back then... And fears me for what I am... I have no clue what I could do..." she stated.

"Perhaps I should put you together during combat. Stay close and maybe you can form a bond." Penelope's face lights up. "Would it be possible for you to help her move around?" She paused for a second before continuing. "But if she's afraid of you...Perhaps we need to get her used to your fox form."

Sienna thought for a moment and seemed to show a little hope in her eyes. "You think that will help? I don't want anyone to be afraid of me... If you think this will help then I'm more than willing to try... I could help her get around easily..." she said with a hopeful smile. Penelope claps her hands together. "Then its settled. We will try and get her used to you and have you help her around. Is that all, then?" She leans in, as if trying to read Sienna's expression.

"Y-yeah... That's all... Oh and please tell those two to stop calling me funny names please..." she said referring to alois and asura. "Of course. Now, you can go, I've got a lot to do after all." Sienna nodded and watched Penelope leave the room. "It's really nice of her to help me like that... Maybe this group won't be so bad after all..." Sienna got up from her bed and gathered her things before heading out the room.

LordCowCowCowCowCowCowCowCow · February 19, 2017

"well you're up big man."

Gunther nodded and stepped through the door. Penelope was seated in her chair still, but, as he closed the door, she stood up, excitedly. "It's working, Gunther! They're telling me things and I think I'm understanding more of what's going on with them, isn't that great?"

Gunther smiled nervously. He was still certain he was going to be yelled at for his mistakes. Though Penelope certainly didn't seem in a yelling mood. She took a deep breath and calmed herself down and Gunther watched as, right before his eyes, she took on a more professional expression.

"Now, if you'll sit down we can talk things through." She gestured at the bed.

Gunther hesitated. Sitting on the Princess's bed, even if wasn't her actual bed, seemed to be strange. Not just that but with his armor on he wasn't she he wouldn't break it somehow. Penelope, noticing his concerned glance downward, couldn't help but give a slight grin. "Did you know only 75% of all inns have floors that are guaranteed to hold the weight of a Knight in armor?"

Gunther's eyes widened at this and he took a step backwards. "But I'm sure this one is fine." Penelope said after letting him panic for a few moments. He breathed deeply and watched the girl, waiting for her to continue.

"It's been a while since it's just been us, hasn't it?" Penelope said conversationally. "There's always so much going on, so many people, these days. We don't get a lot of time to ourselves." Gunther just listened as she spoke, almost off-offhandedly. "Is this something you're worried about? I've noticed you have a...forlorn and lost look these days."

Gunther flinched. So he was that obvious. "Well..." He didn't want to speak, didn't want to trouble her, but Penelope's steady, questioning, gaze broke him. "I suppose yes. Things were a lot simpler before. I had my place and I didn't have to worry about..." He paused and then suddenly everything came out rapidly. "These people, I don't know how to act with them, I've never met them before this and they all seem to be so different from what I'm used to. They don't respect me, and I've not done anything worth respecting. Am I supposed to give them orders? I've never done that before. I'm just a guard. But they seem to be under the impression I'm more than that sometimes."

Gunther paused, blushing, as he realized how much he said.

Penelope smiled and walked over to Gunther. She raised her hand and placed in on his cheek fondly. "You are so stupid sometimes." She said with a laugh. "You're my guard, you're my friend, that's all you need to be if that's all you're comfortable with. Don't worry about what they think about you. If you want to give them orders you have my permission. If you want to take orders that's fine too. Maybe...maybe just try and talk to them like you talked to the other guards?"

Penelope saw something in Gunther's eyes then. Discomfort. She realized she had no idea what the other guards thought of this man. Nor how they treated them. Before she could ask, Gunther nodded. "Alright Penelope." he said softly, "I'll try and worry less about my position."

Penelope wanted to press him. Her curiosity, combined with her feelings of friendship, said to do so. But her inner tactician warned her it would be a bad move to push the attack just yet. She just smiled and backed away, hands behind her back and a large grin on her face. "Alright, Mr. Guard, then I've got some orders for you. Bring me the one called Edrick."

Penelope's grin slipped away when she saw the color drain from Gunther's face. Now this was an attack she had to make. "What's the problem? And don't you say there's not a problem Mister." She said, playfully scolding the Knight.

"...Pontic." he said, uncomfortable. It was easy for Gunther to feel comfortable disliking and distrusting the farm boy when he wasn't being questioned. But saying it to Penelope's face made it feel...off.

Penelope nodded with realization. "Right, your father..." She stopped. She knew the story of what Gunther thought happened to his father. She also knew it wasn't entirely true. What the truth was eluded her however. She didn't want to tell him this until she discovered the full truth. Only being able to offer that his truth is false, without anything else, would be a stupid decision.

Still, if it's affecting him this much, if he's going to hate Pontics on principle because of what he was raised to believe....

No, there had to be another way. She couldn't crush Gunther like that even for the truth. "You let me and Catriona worry about him, alright? Do you really think she can't handle one Pontic farm boy if it came down to it?"

Gunther sighed. She was right, of course. "I still don't want him alone with the others...Asura, Link, Cat, they might be able to handle themselves. But Ciela, Sienna, Alois...you."

Penelope sighed. She knew what she could do here. It would only be a bandage, a temporary fix, but this issue was a deep one. Not to be uprooted in a single conversation. "I will try and be sure that either you, Asura, Link, or Catriona is always around when Edrick is."

Gunther nodded, awkwardly looking away. "Thank you...I'll go get him, then."

Penelope watched him go, somewhat sadly. There were more problems Gunther was having, she knew, she could tell he was troubled. But perhaps this would be the first step. This particular battle, the battle with Gunther's personality, is far from over.

Gunther left the room, heading for the boy's room and, when finding Edrick missing, downstairs. The scene he walked into was...unusual to say the least. Ciela was...Gunther decided not to look at the girl. He focused on Edrick. While doing so his face, previously flushed from his brief glimpse of Ciela, grew stony. He approached the young man and spoke, in a somewhat clipped tone, "Penelope wants to see you, Edrick. She's talking with everyone and she wants to talk with you next. Come with me....please."

King K. Azo · February 20, 2017

Asura rolled his shoulder as he walked out of the bathroom. His head was still aching, but he decided it wasn't so bad. Nah, what would be really bad would be that the group he chose after his old group split up turned out to be a bunch of people that didn't like him, that he was trying to like, and everything he ever did was wrong, because of course it was.

That would be awful. Good thing that wasn't applying to his situation at all.

He headed down the stairs, looking over the gathered group. Yeah, he should have slept more. Ciela looked as if she was still sleeping, and everyone else just looked awkward. Cat was holding colored boxes though. Hurrah for that? He headed to a table far away from the group and sat down, waiting for the headache to die a bit before he tried to get food. He didn't really feel like dealing with these people right now.

"Penelope wants to see you, Edrick. She's talking with everyone and she wants to talk with you next. Come with me....please." Asura looked up as he heard Flower Boy say those words. Oh, boy. He didn't know what was going on, but where they trying to screw with Edrick again? He sighed and placed his head on the table. He didn't feel like fighting now. The last thing he wanted was to have to get an earful. He knew it was coming already, he didn't need more.

Hakima · February 20, 2017

"I'll be fine, I can't be bothered to wear more now. A bath would make me feel better, so just carry me there, please."

Link nodded and stepped toward Ciela, making to pick her up. This was becoming a serious inconvenience. What had happened to her legs? Whatever it was, a solution would need to be found. He couldn’t carry her everywhere, what if he ended up needing to fight? Was he just supposed to drop her?

He lifted her into his arms, ignoring her state of dress. It really was a lose-lose situation.

Edrick pulled Link from his thoughts, and the soldier turned to face him. He looked worse for wear, unsurprisingly. Link felt a tinge of sympathy for him, thinking back to his own teenage years, and all the drinking he had done. Back before he had learned his limit, most mornings had been spent puking and whining to anyone who would listen. "So...we're not getting on the road right away I take it."

Link nodded. It was probably for the best, if he was being honest. Link had just seen Asura stalk down the stairs without giving them the time of day, dropping into a table in the corner, probably badly hungover. Link might have felt bad, but most of him just thought that the hangover was well-deserved karma for the swordsman’s behavior.

He turned his attention back to Edrick when he noticed Gunther approaching. "Penelope wants to see you, Edrick. She's talking with everyone and she wants to talk with you next. Come with me....please." Short and to the point. Gunther did not seem to Link like the type to be so impersonal, but the way he held himself suggested he wanted nothing to do with his current assignment. It reminded Link of most recruits, when they found out that being a soldier was more than just a lot of fighting. It included things like having to shovel out the stables, too.

What could be the cause of that, though? Did he have a problem with Edrick? Now that he thought about it, Link hadn’t seen the two interact very much. And Asura had been screaming about something like that the day he met them. That... could prove to be a problem if they were to trust each other. Not that he blamed the knight, because trusting the boy was something he was reluctant to do as well. Link was suspicious of anyone who put their faith in fairy tales so wholeheartedly.

Link was used to ignoring personal conflict, assuming that they would work it out amongst themselves or a superior would, eventually, do it for them. That wasn’t the case now, he thought, glancing at Princess Catriona. Neither of the commanding officers seemed to have a ton of experience leading a band of warriors outside of battle, though the younger princess did at least seem to be making an effort with talking to everyone that morning. Even so, it was a lot of responsibility to put on the shoulders of a teenaged girl, and some of them (he thought of Asura and Edrick) seemed to have more baggage than Link’s original estimate.

Oh, the irony, a voice in the back of his said. Saying someone else has a lot of baggage. What are you gonna do when they figure you out?

The Galtean soldier ignored it. Asura and Edrick had chosen to lay themselves bare to the group, and that was inviting help. Link wouldn’t reveal his problems; they were his and his alone, and he would deal with them or die trying. Putting that kind of burden on someone else was irresponsible, especially if it was done to the princesses or Gunther. They all had enough to worry about without him adding anything else, which brought him back to his original point.

He needed to help out more. Link knew he was the oldest in the group, and one of the few with true combat experience, to boot. He hadn’t had anyone to guide him at their age, but now, he was in the unique position to do just that for them. Link knew people like Princess Catriona and Asura wouldn’t want him to offer, so he wouldn’t, but most of the others were green. He had seen more fighting in a week than they had their entire lives. He could help them.

Link was drawn from his ruminations by the pounding of his head. He was reminded that, to help them, first he had to help himself too. He shifted his grip on Ciela so that it was more comfortable, and said to Gunther, “the three of us are going to the bathhouse. Would you come get us when it’s our turn to talk to the princess?” Then, more quietly so that only Gunther would be able to hear him, he added, “and can I speak with you before we leave today? I have some questions.” He wasn’t sure if asking that was forgetting himself, but Gunther hadn’t seemed keen on pulling rank yet, so hopefully not.

His throat still hurt, but honestly, it felt good to talk again. He knew he was going to have to get used to it if he was going to be traveling with such a group, and to be honest, it wasn’t something that bothered him that much anymore. He hadn’t ever made a conscious decision to stop speaking, he just… hadn’t had anything to say in a long time. Nothing had seemed important enough, or he hadn’t cared enough to have an opinion. It was different now.

Link headed for the door after that, knowing it was best to get the bathing out of the way. Ciela caught his attention before he got very far, saying, "so uh...I'm serious, can either of you two help me wash my body? Last night really made me all beat up..." Link froze-up, about to step outside the door with her still in his arms. That… was not something he thought he should be doing, but it didn’t seem like the duties of a princess either. The soldier didn’t really have much experience with those who couldn’t use their legs, but he had been forced to bathe Rusl when he was sick. That was different, though, because Rusl had been barely conscious and his fever had needed brought down. Ciela just couldn’t stay above water.

Shrugging awkwardly, Link looked over to see what Cat would say. If she didn’t want to, he was going to have to, but really, did they want him in their bathing house? It seemed like an invasion of privacy to him. Besides, if Ciela was to be believed, it wouldn’t be that out of place after they had… well, Link didn’t think it was unreasonable to ask her, that was all.

Wind Rider · February 25, 2017

Sienna took a breath of fresh air, it was such a peaceful morning considering what happened just yesterday. But what should she do with what little time they had left in the sector. "Hmmm... Maybe I should look at what they have at the markets, maybe find something for the group... Yeah, that sounds good." She had to do something, at least find a small thank you gift for Penelope and Catriona for allowing her to join the group, maybe a little something for the others. With that in mind, Sienna wrapped her tail around her waist, threw on her cloak and hood and set out for the markets. She still had that red gem in her satchel, it should get her enough money to buy at least something for everyone. The markets seemed full of activity despite it being morning, but there was a slight slowness to it, so it didn't bother Sienna all that much. 'Right... So I have to think... What would be a nice gift for the others?' She thought to herself as she looked at what some of the market stalls had to offer.

[spoiler=OOC]Short but sweet, couldn't figure out a longer post but here it is. If you have any suggestions on what Sienna should get your characters your welcome to tell me, other than that, I'm glad to be back on YCM.

Asriel Dreemurr · February 25, 2017

Well that put a bit of a damper on Edrick's mood. He'd been hoping to get on the road quickly and put this city behind them before the sun was too far up in the sky. Well, at least he could...oh wait, he was out of money wasn't he? Well, jerky and hard bread for breakfast then. And maybe he still had some cheese somewhere in his enormous pack of supplies. The thing weighed almost as much as he did, there was bound to be some provisions in there that he hadn't worked through before coming to Histia. Well, just as he was getting ready to sit down and take a moment to relax before they got moving again, he was interrupted.

"Penelope wants to see you, Edrick. She's talking with everyone and she wants to talk to you next. Come with me...please." Gunther really didn't like him, did he? It made sense of course, how many in the homeland would have hated the knight simply because of his origins? Not that any of that made it easier to deal with him in the here and now. That was only exacerbated by how the rest of the group had accepted him in spite of much more than that. He briefly considered letting Gunther in on that here and now, but decided against it. Not just because he couldn't be sure how Gunther would react, but because they were in the city. If they came to blows, he didn't want either of them ending up in prison and extending their stay in Ithome longer than necessary. Well, he decided just to go with the man. Just as he was turning to ask Link to look after his stuff, his plans for the morning were rendered pointless once again.

“The three of us are going to the bathhouse. Would you come get us when it’s our turn to talk to the princess?” Perfect. Just perfect. Well, nothing to be done about it now. He just shifted the way his pack was sitting on his shoulders, and failed to find a comfortable way to wear it. He really was quite sore all over. Well, he had an idea at least.

"Harkinian," after last night he felt like being more familiar with Link, "if you ever see me about to fall asleep in my armor again, could ya do me a favor and hit me with something until I take it off?" Now that that was out of the way, he turned his attention to Gunther. "Lead the way."

And so they went, and the stairs were every bit as unpleasant to negotiate in his sore state as Edrick had expected them to be. Every step was painful and felt like it was going to tear muscles off of his bones. Grumbling to himself, Edrick mounted the last few stairs and strode towards the door to Penelope’s room. Maybe he should have knocked, but he was not in the mood. He turned the handle and pushed the door open while stepping into the room.

Edrick walked in on Penelope attempting to balance a book on her finger, and failing. She quickly looked towards the door as he entered and dropped the book. It landed on the floor with a dull “thud” and she hastened to sit straighter and more professionally. “Ah, I saw that once, at the castle….Anyway.” Her voice took on a more authoritative tone. “As my note read, if you even got it, I wish for everyone to tell me any concerns they have with the group.”

“Huh. Well, alright then.” Truth be told, he had been expecting something different when he’d been told she wanted to talk to him. Shrugging, he closed the door behind him and strode over to more easily converse with the princess. “I probably don’t need to say this, but Catriona is honestly terrible at talking to people. She seems just as likely to cause some problem for us just from speaking as Asura is if someone insults him. Locrisians take their honor very seriously, if memory serves.”

Penelope had to wipe a brief smile away quickly. She had to admit it was amusing seeing someone point out her sister’s flaws. “Yes, she is quite, ah, not quite as verbose as I’d like. I’ve been trying to be her, you could say, mouthpiece more often due to the misunderstandings she causes. As you can see that doesn’t always work. I’ll be sure to talk to her about that.” She tilted her head, looking at the farm boy. “So what else then? Surely that’s not the end of it.”

“Well…” he had to stop and think about this one for a moment. Most of the group had been welcoming of him, first in spite of his origins and then...in spite of his origins. Really all that had changed was he’d given them a more detailed idea of things. Though, one person did come to mind. “Do you think I should tell Gunther?”

Penelope, for once, seemed to be unable to respond. She looked slightly downwards as she took in the question. Slowly, carefully, she responded. “I think...it might not make a difference either way. Gunther’s issues go...far back.” She seemed uncomfortable talking about this but, glancing up at Edrick, she nodded to herself firmly. “He was told that his father was killed by Pontic cultists. From a young age this was the explanation given for why he had no father. I am trying to ease him into a different perspective but…” Her voice trailed off as she found herself unable to continue.

“Fair enough. I’ve met enough people who were told...well, not the same thing but for the same reasons if you take my meaning. I don’t think I’ll tell him this morning though, better just to bring it up once we’re out of the city. That way if he tries to kill me at least neither of us’ll get arrested.” The Pontic boy chuckled at that, finding humor in the morbidity. Laughing at death made it less frightening. “Is there anything else you wanted to talk about, or should I go back to waiting to get on the road?”

“Gunther wouldn’t…” Would he? She didn’t think so. That man couldn’t even bring himself to kill one of the thieves attacking him earlier. “You don’t have to worry about that.” She settled on. If there was a problem she’d solve it herself. “As to anything else, well, this is about you, Edrick, if you feel you’ve said what you wanted feel free to go.” She smiled at the boy. Edrick managed a smile of his own, in spite of the soreness, and turned to leave. Though he stopped just before he opened the door.

"Everyone else is heading to some bath house Link told us about. Might make sense to continue this there." And with that he was out the door and once more heading down the stairs in the hopes of catching the others before they got too far ahead. Of course he noticed their Locrisian friend sitting off in the corner. "Hey Asura, why don't you join the rest of us? Some steam might be good for the headache." Well, if nothing else he'd extended the invitation and was going along as well. With any luck a bath would help with the soreness in his muscles, though he wasn't really sure why they had a separate building for it here.

Alaina · February 26, 2017

As the boy had knocked on the door, he was responded to with Eddy's very endearing voice as the man then just burst out the door and started walking, paying the fighter little to no mind whatsoever. While he was about to tell him to stop, and give him the note on the door, he just let the boy going, figuring that he'd give it to his roommate instead. As such, he waited there for a few more moments, only for the swordsman to then come out and...speed past him as well. Standing there, his face neutral in expression, Alois didn't really know what to do and briefly considered just leaving them to their devices. However, realizing the irony in that action and not actually wanting either of them to most likely be ejected from the group, he took the note from the door and watched as Eddy had seemingly exited the room that the princess was in.

Thinking that he had been rather quick in that conversation, Alois simply shrugged and followed the boy downstairs. Noticing that the earlier trio had left the area, Alois heard the farm boy talk about something to do with going where there was steam, but didn't really care at the moment. As such, he just said, "yo Asura, before you go clear your head or something, got something for you." As he presented the note to the taller man he just simply said, "here."

Asura looked at the note, and back up to Alois. "... I don't understand what it says."

"Wha-" Alois didn't quite understand how he didn't get the meaning behind the note, as the message seemed pretty clear. However he simply shook his head saying, "whatever. Basically you gotta go talk to the littler princess upstairs about your problems with everyone. Can't skip, so best get to it." Or he'd probably be fired. And that'd be an entirely different meeting.

King K. Azo · February 26, 2017

"whatever. Basically you gotta go talk to the littler princess upstairs about your problems with everyone. Can't skip, so best get to it." Asura sighed.

"Alright, alright, I hear you," He muttered as he stood up, heading for the stairs. He knocked on the door, waiting for a response.

"What's the password?" Penelope's voice rang out. Asura thought to himself. What would a password a bookworm such as Penelope make? After some thought, he answered with the best answer he could think of.

"Did you know that 90 percent of not guilty charges are true...?" He asked slowly.

"Spirits he made a joke" Penelope says just loud enough to hear. "Come in." Asura walked in slowly, as if he did not want to disturb a sleeping dragon.

"Yeah, it took a lot of brain power to do that," He joked as he shut the door and leaned against it, waiting for her to begin. She looked back at him, waiting as well, an expectant smile on her face. After a few awkward quiet minutes, Asura finally spoke up. "So... what did you call me here for? Alois wasn't all to specific," He finally asked. This was way too calm for his liking. When a woman was calm when she should be angry... well, he might as well start writing a will.

She tilted her head. "Ah so Alois managed to find you after all." She blinked a couple times and then settled back again. "As I wrote I wanted to know of any concerns you have with the group."

He shifted a bit, thinking to himself. "Define... 'concerns'. And please, do it in a way that I can keep asking you do define vague terms," She smiled at him, a mischievous glint in her eyes.

"As a noun concern has two typical meanings. One is anxiety; worry. The other, a matter of interest or importance to someone. This is both, I suppose."

"That wasn't vague at all," He muttered. "Anyways... I'm not too sure where to start...," He stated in a louder voice before he thought to himself. "Well, more like I don't know how to say this without breaking out into a loud shout,"

"I can hear you just fine at a normal volume." She replied. "Just tell me what you're thinking as if you were making a list."

"Okay. I'm slowly and surely getting very annoyed of the group and their treatment of Edrick. It's grating my nerves to the point that I violently explode when I drink," He paused before pointing at the princess. "Side note, if you see me about to drink, stop me,"

"I will keep that in mind. As for Edrick, I actually just finished speaking with him now. We've let him into our group, something many of his people would struggle to accomplish, does that not show we're willing to let his actions speak?" Penelope says this without hesitation, as if she already knew what she was going to say. Asura raised an eyebrow. Did they really think that was enough?

"Sorry, but when a highly trained solider threatens to kill a farmer with no formal training, I tend to think that's exactly not what you're doing," He stated flatly. Penelope tilted her head quizzically, causing Asura to sigh and continue. "The reason I started yelling last night was that Link threatened Edrick. He also faced no repercussions for doing so despite the fact your sister was sitting with us, in a group. That, plus being drunk, is what caused me to yell last night," he paused before folding his arms and speaking again.

"Look, I understand, Pontics are evil or whatever you guys think. But after Edrick helped us fight off bandits, decided to stay in our group despite the fact it will force him to eventually face off against his own people, and proved himself as an all around decent person... it angers me that it seems like all that people are seeing is that 'He's a Pontic' and threaten his life, or have people make sure we keep an extra close eye on him. Maybe if he was an ex-solider like Link, I'd understand your caution. However, he's not. He's a farmer who obviously has no training. basically, we have soliders threatening civilians and the leadership is saying through their inaction that this is okay,"

He sighed after his little speech. "Damn, getting that off my chest feels good...,"

"I am glad you got to say all that." Penelope said, clearly thinking about several things at once. "I will speak to Link about this. However I would ask if you also talk to Link, calmly, at a later time. I'm not certain Link even realizes what he did." She pauses, then seems to notice something, a common trend, and spoke up. "Catriona is bad with people." She finished simply.

"I mean, we all are," Asura commented flatly. "It's just more obvious with Catriona,"

"I would like to think I have some experience in this matter." Penelope countered with a smile. "If I must I shall...attempt to...tutor my sister. Is that everything?" Asura paused before looking around.

"Um... are we... going to have to go to more libraries...?" He asked slowly.

Penelope's face lit up. "I certainly hope so!"

He shook his head. "Alright, well... maybe if it does, you should give people like me and Ciela some busy work. That way we don't have a repeat of... that whole debacle,"

"I am certain I can come up with....something." Her voice trailed off and she looks a bit to the side, a brief, impish, smile appearing on her face. "That being said if there's nothing else....ah, before I forget, please try and use Sienna's name instead of any nickname from now on."

"But, but, but... I give everyone nicknames! That's half the fun of a group," He whined in a joking tone. "I'll try, but no guarantees,"

"Hmmm. Are you finished with what you needed to say?"

"Yeah, that's everything I got," He stated.

"Well, very well, you may go and do...er, whatever it was you were doing. I believe I only have three more I need to speak with."

"Need me to send them your way?" He asked as he reached for the door.

"Let them know....I am waiting." she said, ominously.

"Okay...," he paused before looking over to her. "Actually, a thought. I think most of them are heading to the bath house... do you want to put this on hold and take a bath while everyone else is to?"

"I think...I will read a book." She says and a book appears in her hands so swift it was almost a magic of its own.

"Alright. Have fun with that," He said as he walked out. With that, he headed off for the bathhouse. A hot bath would clear his head and help him relax.

Sethera · February 26, 2017

Catriona blinked at the pile of presents in front of her. One package for each person. She glanced at her own, wrapped in purple with a white bow on top. The vision swam in front of her, replaced by a different present, a long, slim package, which was opened reverently to reveal a sword and sheath. The very same ones she wore at present. She had wandered the city of Augustus soon afterward, familiarizing herself with the capital, drinking apple-wine in a secluded corner of a tavern she used to frequent. She had felt dizzy soon afterward, and had collapsed.

She had briefly seen the concerned face of a Galtean noble, seconds before everything went dark. How naive she had been, assuming he had been there to help. When rather, he had been the one to orchestrate her kidnapping.

And yet, the seriousness of it all seemed so far away. Perhaps it was the alcohol, or their immediate destination. Staring at the wood-grained table, lingering on the whorls and knots, as well as the dark stain of spilled wine that hadn't been immediately cleaned, the white-haired woman let her thoughts drift.

"You should cover up, at least until we get to the bathhouse." Link's words brought her out of her stupor. Glancing up at him, she looked over to Ciela next. Ah. The woman was as indecently-dressed as usual.

"I'll be fine, I can't be bothered to wear more now. A bath would make me feel better, so just carry me there, please." This prompted Link to pick up the troubadour, though he seemed a little unsure on how best to go about it.

At that moment, Edrick came downstairs, took one look at Ciela, reddened, and turned away. "So...we're not getting on the road right away I take it."

Before Catriona could reply, Gunther descended the stairs as well. His reaction was amusingly similar to Edrick's before he focused his attention on the Pontic. "Penelope wants to see you, Edrick. She's talking with everyone and she wants to talk with you next. Come with me....please."

"The three of us are going to the bathhouse. Would you come get us when it’s our turn to talk to the princess?" Link asked.

"So uh...I'm serious, can either of you two help me wash my body? Last night really made me all beat up..."

For some reason, Link turned to look at her. Catriona blinked at the soldier, blankly, before realization set in. Oh, right...he is a man, and Ciela is a woman. She had a hard time viewing people that way. To her, there were soldiers and there were civilians. Link was a soldier and Ciela a civilian. But no, they were also man and woman. In which case, it would be more proper for...her to do it. Though she was a princess and Ciela a noble, which complicated matters. But not unduly. Perhaps, were circumstances different, it would be more difficult to bring herself to do so, but the lord still felt a trace of guilt from yesterday's events. Ciela crippling her legs on a market errand for the group had not been on the agenda.

"Very well," Catriona replied. She glanced at Link. "Will you be bathing as well?" Judging from his clean and pink face, as well as the slightly darker color of his hair, he had already done so. A pity, but no great surprise. They left the inn then, Catriona casting one last look backward at the pile of presents left behind on the table.

--

BGM

The bathhouse was fairly empty at this time of day. There were two entrances, one for men on the left and one for women on the right. Catriona took over the duty of carrying Ciela at that moment, and headed into the women's entrance. The first room within contained rows of empty cubicles for guests to put their possessions. A rather bored-looking female guard stood nearby. "Go on," she said. "Don't worry, I'll guard your stuff. Usually I wouldn't be doing this, but Councilman Harris has ordered for increased security, what with yesterday's incident. Tullus is over in the men's area." She looked rather delighted to gossip, but soon found herself disappointed by Catriona's taciturn silence.

Reassured by the guard's presence, Catriona removed her armor and weapons, as well as her clothes, taking the towel offered to her by the guard gratefully. She wasn't particularly self-conscious about her body, but she didn't like the idea of being so exposed, where an enemy could catch her off-guard.

The baths themselves were actually a series of enclosed rooms for each sex, as the particularly chatty guard explained. The first was called the cold room, and contained a cold bath. The next was the warm room, and finally the hot room. The best way to cleanse oneself was to go through the cold room to the warm room, and finally the hot room. After sweating out most of the dirt this way, they would return to the cold room where they would be massaged and oiled. Then they would finish at the resting room, a heated room where they would complete the process of resting and sweating. There was also a large pool for each sex to splash around in after they went through the bathing ritual.

"We also have a courtyard with an open-air garden for exercising," the guard chirruped. "This is shared between the sexes, and also includes a stage for plays and musicals. There are also booths that sell food and perfume. Off to the side are reading rooms with an assortment of books."

"That's very nice," Catriona said. "Though I'm afraid we won't have time to see all of that." She hoped the others wouldn't protest at that. She could just imagine Ciela begging to see a play, or Penelope lingering a bit too long in the reading room. Actually, it was probably for the better that Penelope hadn't come, though she might later.

Walking through into the cold room, Catriona immediately noticed how...elegant it all was. Beneath their feet swirled marble mosaics. The stuccoed walls sported frescoes of birds, trees, and naked women with flower garlands in their hair. The ceiling sparkled with painted stars across an azure sky, flying pegasi circling the edges.

The process of going through the rooms went rather quickly, Catriona helping Ciela through the rooms, eventually culminating in the bathing pool. Unlike the rooms, this lacked a roof, letting the sun shine through, causing the water to glitter a brilliant teal. Statues of noble-looking women lined the roof edges, gazing out across the bathhouse as if on guard. The two also saw a couple other patrons chatting amongst themselves, who greeted the two newcomers cheerily.

The men's side was a mirror reflection of the women's, though the paintings and statues were decidedly masculine rather than feminine. If Asura and Edrick decided to go through with the bathing process, they would find their bodies feeling rejuvenated and their hangovers gone. Ciela would also notice the alcohol gone from her bloodstream.

Sitting in the bathing pool, Catriona decided that now was a good time to have a, as they called it, bonding moment. Hopefully they could air out any problems between them this way. Hopefully the men were having a similar such moment. "So..." she began. "Tell me...about yourself." She hoped she didn't look as awkward as she felt right then.

--

The marketplace was pretty active despite the early hour, but it wasn't yet in the fullness of its activity. The produce stalls were grouped together, the smell of freshly-baked bread wafting in the morning air. Sienna could hear a pen of sheep nearby, their bleating filling the plaza with noise. Next to them, a butcher polished a giant cleaver. Piles of fish--bass, flounder, lamprey, mackerel, and shellfish lay for sale. A man was selling fresh turbot for seven gold, and next to him a merchant was selling pastries for the same price.

There were linens and ivory, spices and pigments, precious stones, and more, grouped together. A few of the merchants had the tanner skin of Isaurians, and a couple the narrower eyes of Locrisians, though the makeup was still overwhelmingly Histian.

A large complex of buildings would catch Sienna's eye. A friendly merchant would introduce it to her as the Dragon's Market. Built into the interior wall somewhat, it blended in with the surroundings, making it easily passable. However, the stream of people going in and out gave a hint to its activity. "It's the only indoor market in Mysia! Or at least the biggest," the merchant told her.

Inside, the vaulted ceilings and crowd of people were almost overwhelming. Though the shops here sold much the same things as the ones outside, one glance would show that they were of a higher quality. There was also a larger variety, and specialty shops such as smithies and even an alchemist shop selling tonics and even a couple elixirs. However, each elixir went for almost a thousand gold. A man specializing in woodcraft stood nearby. Behind him, in the workshop, a man was sawing off pieces for a collapsible bathtub. There was even a locksmith and a man selling what he claimed to be "permanent power-ups." Sienna would also catch a glimpse of a woman with familiar-looking red hair, but she would disappear before she could look twice. A woman selling books was sneezing while glaring at her neighbor selling flowers bouquets.

"Hello, you're new to the Dragon's Market, yes?" a suspicious-looking man with a mountain of goods on his back came up to Sienna just then. Rubbing his hands together, he beamed at the girl. "You're in luck! I have here, masks. Very special ones, in fact." He held up a few choice ones, which were so realistic they were unsettling. "You probably don't need the Keaton's mask though, do you?" he asked, peering at Sienna closely. "No no, you need something...better. Something like Major--"

"Hey! No hawking without a license!" a familiar green-haired guard barked at him.

"Tch, spoilsport," the man muttered, and moved off.

"Are you all right?" the woman asked. "Don't let these merchants scare you," she said, glancing at the Protean sympathetically. "They're just...zealous. Tell me if you need any assistance," she finished with a small smile before moving away.

Sienna would find herself with many things to choose from. She only had to decide what to get, and whether her pockets were deep enough to cover the cost.

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Fire Emblem: Curse of the Goddess [IC/PG-16/Not Accepting]

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