Fantasy Wherever the Wind Takes You

[Shreb]

Knock, knock.

Laila laughed...A really awkward laugh.

"Neither do I."

...

"I...I'm just slowly learning how much I could be missing out on. What else could the world show me? Is it gonna be better...Worse...Just the same as what we saw back over there? How many more times will we...See something like what we saw in the graveyard...And what you experienced?"

...

"S-sorry! You don't have to answer any of that."

Laila chuckled, sloshing around in the water as she yawned. "I...Don't really know where I am. Who am I compared to everyone else? I know I'm Laila...And I can cast a couple of good holy spells...I've got a good eye for magic and calligraphy...And what else...? What is that compared to Mom, to Alina, to Verdina, to Arioon?"

"I...I want to be better."

...

"Do you?"

 

[Gary Sue]

It's not that he didn't want to answer any of that- although he would really rather not, it's more so that he couldn't. Not while he was mute like that, and definitely not without some convoluted code or something of the like. It wasn't just another 'yes' or 'no' kind of question. "... Hopefully not too many more times. But... who knows. I just hope you or anyone else don't get cursed the same way. You shouldn't have to go through that."

Relieving some of the tension, she laughed and finally sounded like she moved a little bit. A low exhale escaped his own lips as he smiled rather bitterly, looking down at the water and applying the same way of thinking that she did, to himself. The difference was, he didn't have even magic or spells to hold a candle to Tomoe, Alina, Verdina, Arioon, or even Laila. He felt like he was at the bottom, and for a bodyguard, that was a whole other kind of low.

"I...I want to be better."

A single knock followed after both her statement, and the question directed right at him. It wasn't a question of if he wanted to get better or if he would do his darndest to, but more so... could he? Was there a way for him to make up for this gap in everything when it came to him and everyone else around him? "There's no way to know, until I try... That's why I want to find out more about it. My sword. If I can know it better, maybe then..."

 

[Shreb]

"I...I want to be better."

A single knock followed after both her statement, and the question directed right at him.

Excited. Laila gained some solace knowing that Reeve shared the same sentiments. Sometimes communication didn't need a voice.

She yawned, sighing as she laid back against her bath, letting the water wash over her. She didn't want to push further; they could leave those important discussions in their dreams.

"Do you think...A hippo would win in a fight against an elephant?"

 

[Gary Sue]

Unable to hear her thoughts, she could still probably guess that he would agree if he could- they should definitely have some of these discussions in their dreams. Speaking of which, maybe he could check to see if tonight would be a good time to talk for a good moment or so. He was so distracted by that train of thought, to be honest, that he got doubly surprised by the less than normal question thrown his way.

"... A-A hippo and an..? How would they fight..? What do hippos even look like, wha...", he stammered internally and externally, as he knocked once, followed by two more with an awkward pause in between. That probably perfectly got his confusion across, and from there on out, the rest of their time spent in the bathhouse was on little things and silly questions and ponder-fests like that.

When they were finally done, Reeve's only notable misadventure was trying to figure out where the towel was so he could dry himself properly before slipping right back inside his normal outfit, armor, sheath and all accounted for. And as he came back out of the bathroom, it was like he never changed out of it to begin with, maybe except for his hair being a bit more droopy and wet (well, duh) than before. "I think it's nice of Laila, for inviting me to a break like this to begin with. It really helped me calm down and relax, although I'd rather it didn't have to end this early. I guess it's a bit troublesome though that I can't talk to her while we're in there, either. Curse has its ups and its downs, sigh..."

And just thinking about it, he gave a troubled glance at his sword's hilt. Silence. No headache or crazed attempts at talking him into giving it blood, like back in the graveyard, no signs of 'life' to begin with, just... silence. He quickly raised his head over as Laila exited too, looking at her and offering a small smile alongside a low chuckle. "There you are. I guess we have some time to spare- means we can run errands in the meantime. We should have a good few hours at the very least until dusk. But if what Tomoe said about being watched is true... it might be best to be back before then."

 

[Shreb]

"... A-A hippo and an..? How would they fight..? What do hippos even look like, wha...", he stammered internally and externally, as he knocked once, followed by two more with an awkward pause in between.

Poor Reeve.

---

Change was quick for Laila; in a quick series of swoops and swipes and slides, she was already in a new miko-like outfit, ready to take on the world! Aside from her razzle-dazzled hair being mostly all over the place, she got caught up with waiting for Reeve to get out...She was half-debating on if she should barge in and see if he was okay, but Reeve was a strong guy, he could handle himself.

He looked like he was ready to go somewhere. Okay...But where?

Oh, oh, yeah, she just remembered.

She grinned, grabbing a shoulder and a hand of Reeve's before taking her other hand quickly off to the shoulder just to wave over to the town and go-

"Wanna head to the tavern and get some FOOD?"

She seemed very excited at the prospect of satisfying the hungry. The hungry being herself.

"And I guess we could ask Arioon for information."

 

[Gary Sue]

There it was again, the literal handholding before she invited him to go to town for food together. Reeve was almost relieved, thinking back at everything, that they were still able to go back to their good old interactions like this. So he smiled and nodded away, her excitement almost reflecting off of her and right onto Reeve as he enthusiastically gestured towards the town and began taking them to over yonder, walking by Laila throughout once she got going too.

"I'm tired, but she's doing more to keep me going than my want to 'solve this mystery' is... This is curious.", he thought while on the path over to Velia, which shouldn't be all that far away. If anything, it wasn't more than maybe... a quarter? And they'd already arrived close to the town's gates. The guards, who had been cautious the previous time they tried to enter, recognised the duo and simply fixed their postures, saluting at the adventurers who entered the town without any issue.

"Perks of doing errands for another town, huh? Speaking of which...", his mind trailed off and he lowered his head, looking down at the pouch hanging by his belt, significantly smaller now than when they'd received it a few days ago. "Money's kept me very well, but it is slowly running dry... I'll have to run some odd job so I have funds for when I want to get back to traveling on my own again."

Right now, those were big words, that carried some implications with them. His gaze scanned Laila up and down, looking at her expression as if to make out her own thoughts on this matter. "I wonder what her plans are. So much to discuss, yet so little time, huh..?", Reeve probably just looked curious for no reason in particular, before he realised how intensely he was staring and just laughed it off, coming to a halt as the two reached the Arioon's tavern once again.

 

[Shreb]

Laila somewhat kept it bottled. It was hard to take the stress as it was, but taking things on one at a time was the best way to make sure their lives could be held in some degree of normalcy. Indeed, as he watched her, so did she.

She looked like things would be okay.

Arioon was first to greet them. Quick on her feet, and quick with the very neutral gaze. She had a bit of a stoic appeal, as if she had polished her style after playing the womanly butler in Laila's memories.

"Hello again," she said with a bow. She quickly had been accustomed to the attire, now fitted in a classic tavern uniform very similar to Alina's, albeit hers was a bit more updated with sashes and frills across the collars and the skirts, giving her more of a countryside high society theme. Combined with a well-tied chignon and a fake pair of glasses, she looked like the kind of lady one would stare at while applying for the adventurer's guild.

Anything was more adapted than the fancy robes she had on, that's for sure.

Laila grinned. "Aaaaa-ri, hello~!"

"Lilac. And..." She tapped her cheek. "Reeve." Correct!

"Caaan...We get the uuuuusual?" Laila beckoned with an increasing enthusiasm. "For your old paaal?"

"That will be..."

Arioon pointed at a sign on the wall detailing the prices of the roast they had earlier.

"That much."

Laila scoffed, "Can't believe you...Can't ya' spare an adventurer a discount? Veteran's deal!"

Arioon rolled her eyes. "I'll see what I can do." Despite the years, it seemed Laila was a soft spot for the raven-haired assassin. Laila clapped Reeve's back as if she scored a purchasing deal on an acre of land, grin so wide on her face she could've wrapped it around the earth.

"After this, we should get some quick cash. I'm sure the people around here need their grass cut!"

Laila was just glad to be back, wasn't she?

 

[Gary Sue]

As they entered, Reeve mimicked the excited smile Laila was wearing. Unlike his playful companion though, his smile quickly faded when she refused to give them any form of discount, mostly because of some false sense of familiarity now that he had seen her from the archer's memories, many years ago. "Then again, it's to be expected unless Arioon owns the tavern, but... dick.", he grumbled internally while the shrine maiden gave it her hardest, and even managed to get the lot a discount. For all he knew, it might as well have been a single bronze coin, but time would tell.

With all that glee on her face when she turned to Reeve, he did the only thing he could and smiled right back. It wasn't proper or nice to just shut her enthusiasm down like that, was it? Even so, she seemed to have quickly caught onto the money issue they would run into with his limited budget... "W-Wait, this is the money we both got out of the quest, but I've been the only one spending after all so far, huh..? And 'quick cash' means doing some small work around here, but things are probably pretty calm... The guards seemed less on edge, so it's either the sunshine that got them to relax, or it's really gonna be hard to find a quick job around here."

Only one way to find out, and that was to just enjoy the food, get a chance to talk to Arioon once she brings the two's food over so they can check on the graveyard ordeal, and then they could go looking for errands to run for a coin or two. The smell of the tavern's foods and booze as they sat down filled his nostrils, and truly... it did feel refreshing, homey, cozy. After all that they had gone through, it only made sense that an environment as welcoming as this would feel right at home, wouldn't it?

 

[Shreb]

As Laila seated herself alongside Reeve, her smile only seemed to gain more energy.

"Gosh, Arioon looks way too pretty in that outfit. Her robes always seemed so tacky, but she really rocks the tavern look, huh?" She chuckled. "Almost like she belongs here now."

Laila knocked on their table, just to gather his attention with some oomph in her voice. "You should try their soft bread and butter dip. The bread's sweet and the butter's just a little melted so you dip it and it tastes like fat in your mouth, and it'll get ya' addicted if you're not careful."

She leaned close towards Reeve. "But it's really really really really good."

Laila, thank you for being so enthusiastic about bread.

She clapped her hands. "A-and their Honey Island Tea. That's also good, too!"

Okay.

Her mouth looked like it was going to summon waterfalls.

Her palms smacked the table. "Gosh! We need money!! So we can eat tons of good food!! I don't know too much about the towns nearby, but Grandma used to talk a lot about this one town up north that serves some brilliant fish skewers, it's got this chili paste salt and a basil seasoning that's grounded from bird's eye peppers and- and anchovy sauce with- with some seriously fresh medicine herbs that can help sustain your body's blood circulation so you're more resilient in the cold-"

sHE TOOK A DEEP BREATH.

"HooH~! And it comes with mushroom stew. It's okay, though, I wouldn't eat it more than twice."

 

[Gary Sue]

"Right, the bread's great.", he nodded along silently, looking at Laila and raising an eyebrow. His sentiments echoed anyone else's thoughts, were they listening to the 'conversation' being had, whatever direction it might have mysteriously taken.

"Honey Island T-Tea? What is a..?", a confused grumble as he furrowed both his brows, looking up and trying to paint himself a picture of however that water with leaves and greenery boiled in it could look different than... well, any other form of tea, really. It was just leaves dipped and left to stew in water, that's why he wasn't a huge fan to begin with. Unlike Laila, who seemed much more enthusiastic about bread, and tea too.

Actually, she was enthusiastic about everything. There she went, and once she took off with her breath draining ramble, he was left simply looking at her, with a dumbfounded look on his face. He couldn't say anything at this point, but what could he say..? When all else fails... He raised one of his hands quietly, placed it on her head and patted her once or twice as if she were a child. No embarrassment or being flustered, just... pats in hopes she'd calm down.

"Y-You'll be rich enough to spend all your money on foods and culinary expeditions all across Ceril, I'm sure...", an exhale slowly sounded, but for all it was worth, the prospect of someone hearing the two and thinking them idiots seemed more funny than bothersome this once. Reeve lowered his hand again and placed both his arms on the table, looking down at it and just... smiling. It was nice to be 'home', and this definitely felt like home with a hungry Laila by his side.

Something that surely, Arioon's soon-to-be arrival with plates and the harsh reality of no less than maybe two-minutes'-worth-of-pay discounts would help alleviate. Speak of the devil, he could swear that he saw some movement further behind and towards the kitchen, cocking a brow and leaning forwards to catch a better glimpse. And just in time too, it hadn't been more than a minute since his own stomach growled. "Ah, when she's here I should probably nudge Laila so she can ask for... the things."

 

[Shreb]

just... pats in hopes she'd calm down.

Laila glowed like a puppy who had just been given their treat.

So...Mission successfully failed.

Something that surely, Arioon's soon-to-be arrival with plates and the harsh reality of no less than maybe two-minutes'-worth-of-pay discounts would help alleviate.

Arioon was definitely a butler in her time; though, she clearly was holding a lot more than what Laila and Reeve would've been normally accustomed to; aside from the luxurious pot roast with a sinkhole of smells, out came Laila's supposed "Sweet Bread and Butter," loaves of soft bread that looked to have come from the islands with a mildly sweet fragrance and a texture that tore itself apart with just a gaze. The butter that came alongside it had this fragrance of familiar garlic with a tinge of animal fat and melted parmesan. Arioon even came equipped with the tea that Laila had gushed about, two glasses introducing them, as tall as batons and wide as jugs with a gloriously-amber colored fluid, crinkling with ice and bubbly-sensations...And a lemon wheel. A Honey Island indeed; it smelled sweet, which was about as expected, but a soft syrupy-sweet as if it would go great with pancakes and eggs with hints of apples, pears...And a plum.

Lastly, a tray holding a large watermelon, cut in half with a spoon burrowed into each half, the fruit surrounded by slices of apricots, peaches, their gaps adorned with cherries, figs, peeled kiwis, and-

"Nectarines!!!" She gasped, immediately grabbing hold of one right as soon as Arioon managed to lay the plates down...She could use the help, just a little.

Laila sniffed it with great intensity. "Gosh, I looove nectarines!" She happily giggled, eyes bright with hope and love and all sorts of flowery languages.

Chomp! "Thaanksh, Aaaaaaaari...!!! How-how musch ish all dish?"

Arioon cleared her throat, eyes averting from Laila's all-so-smiley expression. "...I'll...Put it...On your tab."

This tavern doesn't do tabs.

 

[Gary Sue]

That was definitely NOT the usual.

He gave a rather suspicious half glare to Arioon, simply because he could tell that whatever all of this was, it definitely wasn't as cheap as one might think. This was a whole feast for much more than just these two, with how little they typically ate and all... Reeve leaned forward, pinching the bridge of his nose and letting out a deep sigh... not quite disappointed, just... tired. They were going to have a lot more to do than just 'cut someone's grass' to be able to pay for all of it. He wanted to outright glare daggers at the assassin, but...

Laila's enthusiasm got the better of his soft side. So he did what he could to mentally endure and simply put on a smile, although it wasn't fake by any means. It had probably been passed on to him by the girl's infectious joy. "I think I should explain to her we don't have that much coin to spend like this later, too...", he huffed and dipped his head in, as if thanking this she-monster that brought them this feast in a moment of surprising consideration from him, before he began to dig in. Just to check out his friend's words, since it was here now...

He took a piece of the bread, looking down at the butter and taking in the sweet aroma before he dipped it in and took a bite. It was actually so good, he even found himself moaning in surprise by how well it tasted. "... For how much Laila ranted, I wasn't expecting it to actually be this good, h-huh..."

And just like that bread, everything on the table was of very much the same standard. From the roast they'd had last time, to the tea, and even the fruit mix offered to the duo. Now that his appetite had opened up some, it was far from hard to eat everything up even on his own, with the hungry, it'd be no biggie. How beautiful truly, the duality of man.

 

[Shreb]

What a feast!! It would take them a lot of time to even get through the main entrees, let alone the fruity dessert that Laila just so happened to start eating first. Once the eating started to die down and stomaches would happily be fed...

Arioon appeared at the table. Nothing too amazing, she walked over from the doorway; though her footsteps were still very quiet.

Laila's eyes locked with Arioon's, the priestess's mouth full of beef and carrots.

"Howsh' et ghoin?"

Arioon nodded. "It goes. How goes your requests?"

"ETH GOESH~!" Laila furiously swallowed down her stew before wiping her face with the nearest rag. "I'm having a great time with Reeve, y'know? How's tavern life?"

"Relaxing."

"Nice! We've been spending a bunch of money for stuff that we needed to use, and we're not exactly..."

"Just say your thanks and I'll take care of the rest."

...Arioon idly stacked up their empty plates and bowls as they would continue to eat, Laila's gaze shifting towards Reeve, perhaps suggesting for questions to ask; maybe Reeve could throw some sign language, somehow? She had her own fair share of questions, but perhaps Reeve might be able to convey something to ask first.

 

[Gary Sue]

As they went through all the foods offered, Reeve's worries about the money went away into the back of his mind, only resurfacing because Laila just now tried to weasel her way out of it. And to his surprise, Arioon did help out... Peculiar. He thought less of her than a 'good friend' that'd 'help in time of need', although all of this was... "I-It's definitely self inflicted, urgh... And again, Laila didn't ask for anything herself-", he grumbled about her lack of asking about Arioon's hitlist, looking to the side at her just to realise she was staring right at him.

With that hopeful look in her eyes, he quickly picked up on what she meant to ask of him and he turned back to the assassin, coughing softly to get her attention before snapping his fingers, just to be on the safe side. "It's gonna be hard, but... Ergh, here goes.", Reeve groaned internally, giving it his best in conveying some form of... language. He raised a finger, circling it in a motion so it pointed at all three of them before rolling his wrist forward a few times, trying to explain that he wanted something... well, explained.

And to be a bit more specific, he raised his other hand as if he were holding something- a piece of paper maybe? And he pretended to write on it, although it was scribbles more than anything. If he actually tried to form letters, he didn't even want to imagine what abyssal doodle would come out on top and only serve to confuse the assassin further. "Will that do for 'we want to talk about your hitlist', I wonder..?", he sighed and furrowed his brows upwards, just smiling hopefully at the maiden and waiting to see her reaction.

"S-Still, Laila, you should have said something yourself... Tch."

 

[Shreb]

And to be a bit more specific, he raised his other hand as if he were holding something- a piece of paper maybe? And he pretended to write on it, although it was scribbles more than anything. If he actually tried to form letters, he didn't even want to imagine what abyssal doodle would come out on top and only serve to confuse the assassin further. "Will that do for 'we want to talk about your hitlist', I wonder..?", he sighed and furrowed his brows upwards, just smiling hopefully at the maiden and waiting to see her reaction.

Great minds think alike!

Naturally, Laila beamed in acknowledgement. The heat list was definitely top priority, but Laila was hesitant on suddenly bringing up information about Arioon's targets; after all, the whole point of it was to prevent potential danger, but if more people knew about it, would that not make it a problem?

"...I heard Alina returned."

News travels fast!!!

Laila's lips, naturally, went shut immediately as her glance shot back to Reeve for just a moment, and then back to Arioon. "Yeah, she did..."
Arioon's breath seemed to be caught in her throat as she passively poured herself a mug of water. "I'm glad. Seven years..."
"I suppose I gotta ask..."

Better to ease into the question then ask it upfront.

"Where did you get stationed at, at first?"
"A library north of Veila. I was told my friend would be around there to study for his sorcery preliminaries."
Laila raised an eyebrow. As far as Reeve could identify, Laila was reading between the lines of Arioon's words.
Alina is the only sorcery friend Arioon has; Alina even said herself that Arioon doesn't know anything about magic, let alone detecting it. Did Arioon make a new friend? No, there's no way, she's horrible at social cues...Then this friend is probably the target she was talking about...

Well, we knew that the person probably was a sorcerer; magic like what was at the graveyard isn't something no ordinary magician can cast...But preliminaries? Is she lying? No, that wouldn't make sense, unless Arioon is being leveraged or has her own motives...I'd better start paying attention.

"Were you able to meet him?"
Arioon sipped her water.

Analyze.
Laila's eyes glowed a soft hum of white as they eyed Arioon with a tight embrace.
She's thinking.
"No," Arioon said. "Unfortunately, we couldn't get in touch; he was far too occupied with his studies that he was holed up in his stay instead. Later, he had already succeeded in the tests and moved on to several other towns. Gathering materials for somatic casting, I was told. A good gatherer already seems to make up half of a magician."
"Pretty spot-on, Ari," Laila said with a happy nod. "What's your friend's name?"
Arioon paused, her eyebrows furrowing at Laila with a curious gaze.

Laila smiled innocently.
Hesitating?
Eventually, Arioon reluctantly said, "I see what you're doing. Sound travels through these walls, so I'll do my best not to...Spread any gossip."
Looks like she figured out what I was looking for. If she's opening up, I can probably ask the question now.
"I know you're not too good with names, right?"
Arioon furrowed her eyebrows even further, eyes shifting to Reeve as if investigating his motives as well...Before withdrawing back to Laila.
"So you wish to inquire about that?"
"C'mooon~ Tell me about him! What he likes, if he likes us, what he dooes...?"
Arioon took a moment to deduce what the heck Laila was asking, before inevitably extracting her parchment. An old scroll of paper, durable to the touch. She slid it over to Laila and Reeve to look at.

"The Quiet Church of G'hodta sent in this letter to my family. A close friend of ours that went missing. I was told to look into it and had been given orders based on where he's been so I can retrieve him."
It was a missing persons poster, or some form of it.
Too much information to be a missing poster. Is this a wanted poster?

The man looked like a normal middle-aged man from the south; dirty-blonde hair, eyes of a marigold color, and his stubble covering up his bruised lips and cracked teeth. His nose was just a little crooked and he looked like he spent the majority of his life squinting at the sun from how dried he looked. Whoever drew this went through great lengths to capture a presence.

Laila couldn't quite see the danger in him, to be frank. Even the information that seemed to go into extensive detail about his powers of necromancy. Aside from a couple of straightforward but powerful spells like raising the dead and manipulating the dead, alongside plague-based spells...The poster just featured a normal guy.

He looks like a farmer from the countryside. This is her target? And the guy's a sorcerer? Could he be connected to the graveyard's strange hole? To Ruina's downfall? To Alina's disappearance?
"He's quite a special stranger. Despite working in a farm with his father, living barely harvest by harvest, he managed to embrace nature and become attuned to magic as a whole. Gifted, perhaps? He took to sorceries and..." Arioon paused, glancing left and right before sipping her water...

She shifted uncomfortably for just a single instance...

...And continued with a tad bit more emphasis, "I pity him. He was a good friend to my family and myself. His desires to learn the dark magicks to try to improve their lives seemed to have led him astray. I feel partially responsible, so I took up my mother's request to seek him out and set his spirits and mind straight."
Laila glanced at Reeve, her eyes shifting into a wild sensation of alert and danger.


Someone's watching us.

This must be Arioon's cover-story. Whoever this guy is must be dangerous enough that he could evade Arioon for the past seven years.
"He desired power, wealth, the usual things that could save him from the stresses of living. He greatly improved his ability to manipulate the crops and the seeds to his advantage..But such a small step has led to the great evils that curse this world."
...What is she trying to say? Damn it, Arioon doesn't seem to want to leave either. It might be because if we leave now, it'll be too coincidental to the moment our hairs stood up, if someone is really watching us. We can't let up now, or else we might be drawing suspicion...That must be what you're trying to say, huh, Arioon?

"He's given himself incredible gifts. Such hallmarks like even temporarily recovering the lives lost to us. Rumors say a man's father had been suddenly revived only several years ago...And people saw remnants of their families, mothers and fathers long since dead and recognizable only by the gifts left behind by their children."
"I see...That must be scary, to see your father's skeleton moving above their graves."
"Indeed...I fear he's gone too far past the point of no return, so I'm searching...To see to it he can regain his senses and never look back."
Arioon eyed the poster, then directly at Laila.
"Lilac, I shouldn't let you see this, or you may be obligated to help me. I would worry more about...Well, your surroundings. The same way this man must be as well."
...
Lilac blinked, now definitely confused. No amount of spell-casting could help her deduce this.
What the...Is Arioon telling me not to look for this guy? Why? Isn't he...

Wait...

"How uh...Did you want this to work if you told me all that?" Laila asked, as best as she could encrypt it, as her fingers press onto the paper, tapping it more than once.
Arioon let loose a deep breath. "I...Don't necessarily...Search for him specifically to retrieve him...Rather, I pay attention to what's around him. Not too different from...Decrypting someone's movement based on outside events...That way..."
"Ahh, so you can make it easier to figure out where he is and not have to chase after him?"
Arioon nodded, eyes intensely burning towards Laila's. They looked at each other for a long moment, as if trying to read each other's body language.

So Arioon isn't playing assassin for this guy on the poster...This poster is just a red herring. The real danger is what's...Around him?

Reeve might not be understanding what was picked up, but Laila's deep thinking was starting to connect Arioon's dots.

Then the real danger is whoever ends up targeting this guy...Meaning this guy is important. This guy on the poster is part of her list exists, a list of people for her to guard. She knows the capabilities of who's targetting this guy, but she doesn't know anything about who or what that assailant is...Because Arioon's not good with magic.

"I had hoped to get Alina's help, but...Her strange disappearance hindered me, sad to say."

Alina was going to be Arioon's aide, but someone figured that out and took Alina out of the picture...Meaning that this culprit that Arioon's been looking for has been able to continue with his plan for the past seven years...

What the hell is going to happen when such a plan succeeds?

So the cover-up story is just one huge red herring to make it pretend like Arioon's searching for her friend...But in actuality, she's looking for whoever's targeting this man.

Laila eyed Reeve. Things were really sticky. Laila's face clearly looked to be processing a lot of information, and with them currently held down at the table...They might be safe to leave, but the feeling of being watched had not gone away yet. She looked for Reeve if she should push further, her hand idly grabbing onto another nectarine to push for more time.

 

[Gary Sue]

Unlike the other two, who appeared to be mostly on the same wavelength, Reeve observed the two quietly and picked up whatever he could. He was still rather dizzy from before, and seeing Arioon so cooperative was... uncanny, to say the least. Seeing was believing, right? But that's not the matter at hand right now. He saw the poster, he heard the rumors, and it sounded eerily similar to what they had to go up against back in Ruina... but if Arioon was talking surroundings, then clearly that meant he wasn't the issue.

He could make that much out. So quietly, he glanced back at Laila who seemed alert, panicked almost from something. "Is she worried for whatever this... friend of Ari's is doing, or..? No, come think of it, she's not the kind of person to worry for others unless it's Tomoe or Alina. So why..?", he huffed and in an attempt to reassure her, he moved a hand to the hilt of his blade, as he used to. Soon as his hand touched the metallic hilt, it felt like something just... clicked.

... watching you.



"What the hell was-?!", his eyes reflected the same look on Laila's, as he heard an all too familiar deep voice in the back of his mind, warning him. He wasn't sure where that voice came from, but he could take a guess as he looked at his cursed weapon. Laila wouldn't take too long to catch on to what had just happened either, considering that putrid scent was emanating off of him again.

Reeve wanted nothing to do with this, at all. Just knowing they were being watched, just like Laila did, was more than enough reason to want out. But now that they were already knee-deep in this mire, the only way they could step away was to solve the issue at hand. "Laila already figured we were being watched. That's why she's looking at me like that...", he connected the dots at last, taking a moment to look his tool again and sigh. "Of all the times, now- You... ugh."

Lifting his head, he barely stopped himself from nodding. If they were being watched, then maybe it'd be best to be more discreet about communicating things through. And from what he could tell, the shrine maiden was equally 'enthusiastic' about finishing what they started. No two ways about it, were there? He moved his hand from his blade over to a nectarine, grabbing it and giving her a quick glance before gesturing with his eyebrows towards Arioon.

And while the two would get back to their discussion, he quietly leaned forwards with both arms on the table, supporting him as he stretched his neck. A fine chance to catch a glimpse of everyone in the tavern- one glance over this shoulder... and now another one over yonder too... "I don't... know, if there's anyone out of place. Nothing immediately strikes me as odd, and noone is directly looking at us... Whoever this is, they know to work discreetly. That's not good."

 

[Shreb]

And while the two would get back to their discussion, he quietly leaned forwards with both arms on the table, supporting him as he stretched his neck. A fine chance to catch a glimpse of everyone in the tavern- one glance over this shoulder... and now another one over yonder too... "I don't... know, if there's anyone out of place. Nothing immediately strikes me as odd, and noone is directly looking at us... Whoever this is, they know to work discreetly. That's not good."

Arioon and Laila kept their gazes to each other.

If one of us also looks with him, we might be found out right away.

"Is there anything we can do to help?" Laila asked sincerely.
"I suppose...If you know anything about Alina's return, that would be most helpful. I went through great lengths to locate her to no avail, so knowing that she's back and well...Is good news."

Was she trying to play it off like she didn't know we had anything to do with Alina's return? Hm...If we ease into it, it'll just sound like a great miracle. Much rarer coincidences have happened.

"We...We can tell you about something."

News really did travel fast...Or is this whole ritual thing more connected than we thought? Are there people here part of that group as well?

"Thank you. I hear a lot of trouble happened in Ruina as well. Some thugs came and attacked you, did they not?"

There are people who know about our appearance. The whole village of Ruina knows who came with Alina. So we have to play it off like we didn't know Alina at first. If Alina had a fragment of the willpower she does now...She wouldn't have said anything about us.

"Yeah...A-actually..."

Laila was extremely careful, detailing the most important bits and pieces. The harassment of the citizens, the graveyard trip, and then the hole that let them into a loop before the salvation of Alina.

Someone might be watching us.

She excludes some very crucial information, such as how they managed to get through the graveyard's corpses.

If they're listening, I can't mess the sequence of events up.

She excluded the memory dive they were forced into.

Alina's spell only released because of the position of the sword. I can't let anyone know that.

She excluded the current status of Alina.

"So it seemed Alina had weakened to the point that her spell wore off, just enough for a priestess like you to dispel...How terrible such criminals would do this to her..."

Laila nodded as Arioon thoughtfully tapped her cheek, hand gripping the mug with an intense pressure. eyebrows furrowed in an furious state.

Arioon won't need to know the intricacies as long as she gets a basic idea of the cause-and-effect system...And she knows I'm lying.

As soon as Reeve would look back to the conversation, Laila would take her turn, stretching her arms, grabbing her spoon to scoop up more watermelon as she thoughtfully turned every action into another opportunity to look left, then right.

Arioon hummed, eyes glancing at Reeve. "I see I have a reunion I should make. I'll be sure to look for her as soon as possible. I truly thank you for your help, Reeve. If there's anything I can do for you, ask...As best you can."

Dang...I can't tell who's looking at us. Arioon's the only one who could do this, huh?

"Reeve? You're not still thinking over it, right? Hey, I know you don't like Arioon too much, but we gotta loosen up a bit...We've been through a lot these past few days, y'know?"

Her hands casually moved with her words...As if unsheathing a blade.

Should we show Arioon his sword?

 

[Gary Sue]

The tension was rising bit by bit around the lot, as Reeve could feel hairs on the back of his neck standing with every little lie said. "Maybe she's not lying per se, but... she isn't saying the entire truth. Even so, if we're being watched, this is a lot of information being leaked... I understand Arioon's story, but how can we be sure we-... T-Tch. Fuck.", he grumbled lowly to himself, furrowing his brows and looking down at the table before he heard the assassin talking to him.

His eyes quickly pinned onto hers, with an intense look on his face while she... "... thanked me? Fuck, this is so... Urgh. Gods.", he complained internally, although he only responded with a rather wary nod- not wary of her, as much as of whatever else his curse had informed him of. And Laila was quick to pick up- on the first hint, that he still felt off about her friend. He gave the archer a careful look, feeling an intense want to turn her proposition down as soon as he heard it.

It wasn't hard to tell as much just from the hesitant look on his face- his muscles had tightened, he looked more stiff and his eyes had squinted somewhat. "Laila, you-... Maybe you're right. I'm not sure what all this is going to achieve, but... Now's a good time as ever to put everything on the table, I suppose.", Reeve put his trust in his partner one more time as he quietly moved a hand down to his blade, putting on a small, fake smile in an attempt to mask it as just... the natural continuation of a jolly discussion.

He didn't want to alarm anyone, so he only pulled it ever so slightly out of its hilt to show the gem on its guard to Arioon, with a glimmer that when focused on, gave the feeling you're being stared right back at. His head gestured to his friend, as it was probably more doable to have her do the talking. What he couldn't do though, was shake this feeling off of him and try to loosen up- the sword was back at it again.

Look around you. Someone is looking at you.

His breathing was getting sharper and sharper, as he tried to not let this paranoia get to him. Because that's all it was, with the current state of affairs. "Stop saying that and go back to being quiet, just get out of my head for a moment, things are hard as they are.", he found his own thoughts trying to address the cursed tool, although to no avail. The occasional whisper came and went, paying the man no mind.

And with the whispers, the sword's presence became stronger and stronger.

 

[Shreb]

He gave the archer a careful look, feeling an intense want to turn her proposition down as soon as he heard it.

...

C'mon, Reeve. We're risking a lot, already, but...If we start retreating now...We might never get a chance again.

Reeve put his trust in his partner one more time as he quietly moved a hand down to his blade, putting on a small, fake smile in an attempt to mask it as just... the natural continuation of a jolly discussion.

Laila's eyes shot to Arioon, who responded back with the same neutral gaze.

He didn't want to alarm anyone, so he only pulled it ever so slightly out of its hilt to show the gem on its guard to Arioon, with a glimmer that when focused on, gave the feeling you're being stared right back at.

Arioon was no ordinary assassin or bodyguard or what-have-you. Laila even knew that; there are children who spend their whole lives in the assassin's realm, but Arioon was carved from a different kind of gemstone.

His head gestured to his friend, as it was probably more doable to have her do the talking. What he couldn't do though, was shake this feeling off of him and try to loosen up- the sword was back at it again.

Laila, as smooth as an oil spill on an iceberg, continued to talk, as if this was entirely part of their conversation. "Using his sword, we figured out how to..."

Following Laila's improv, Arioon took the opportunity to spare moments of leeway, turning her eyes left and right; she was far more inconspicuous than either of them, as if every movement was trained into her body to the point that it was impossible to tell when Arioon purposefully did her recon until it already happened.

Look around you. Someone is looking at you.

Arioon took a slow turn to the bar counter, as if pondering what to drink next...Before her fingers moved to the poster as Laila shared a glance with Reeve and then back down to the poster, still making fake trivia facts about his sword.

Blonde hair. Stubble. Pointed ears.

Some features weren't being pointed out at; the moustache was left neglected, the nose hadn't been pointed to, and the eyes weren't gestured toward either; someone shared these features, but it wasn't the person on this poster.

His breathing was getting sharper and sharper, as he tried to not let this paranoia get to him. Because that's all it was, with the current state of affairs. "Stop saying that and go back to being quiet, just get out of my head for a moment, things are hard as they are.", he found his own thoughts trying to address the cursed tool, although to no avail. The occasional whisper came and went, paying the man no mind.

Arioon's eyes shifted toward the gemstone, then to Reeve, then back towards Laila, her eyes shifting between Laila's eyes and the gemstone.

"That's quite the lore you have for this sword. I can't help but think half of that is just gossip you heard from your mother."
"Oh, you know I love a good story!" Laila said with a happy giggle.

Laila was a bit slow...But she caught on.

It's whoever Reeve's gemstone was pointed towards.

 

[Gary Sue]

By the time Reeve had picked up on who exactly they were looking at, he had already raised a hand as if his head was hurting, barely holding back groans. The voice had gotten so loud it was impossible to ignore, and it was starting to drown out even the idle chatter that otherwise filled the tavern. He did eventually get the general idea though, looking at Arioon's fingers like he'd dozed off, before raising his head and looking at the same counter that she had prior. And as soon as he looked over, his eyes immediately met the blond's- and they locked.

An intense staredown started from there on out, as the voice in his mind stopped trying to urge him to look for that 'someone', confirming his suspicion. "He's the one. He's looking at us this whole time.", the gaze in his eyes slowly turned into a defensive and almost angry look, as if he was ready to throw hands and draw his sword. By the time he placed both hands on the table and began to stand up, the man had already left a few coins at the counter and with a shit-eating grin, he was about to leave.



He didn't do much other than smile at the agitated bodyguard, almost having wanted him to make his presence known and little else. And so, Reeve continued to glare daggers at him while the stranger raised both hands somewhat defensively, keeping that sneer on his face while he pulled up his cloak's hood from behind, covering everything but his face. He then quietly walked towards the door, paying the group no mind once again until he reached the exit. At that point, he simply turned to look over his shoulder and let out a laugh that despite the noise, the knight heard all too clearly.

He wants something from you. Will you comply?

Not the appropriate time to play riddle-solvers, or to even talk to him. He was so on edge for some reason he couldn't quite put his fingers on yet... It was like something weighed heavily on his shoulders and clawed at his back, just within reach that he'd feel something was... off. How did Arioon and Laila even realise..? He gave them a confused look each, before looking down at his sword and drawing it just enough for the gemstone to show again. When he looked at it, the voice sounded again and he could feel that it was trying to talk- to him.

Are you in disbelief? Or just pretending you don't know?

Did the sword somehow inform them or..? "No, it's just a stupid sword... nngh. Was it a coincidence that they saw him? Or can it communicate with them too, somehow?", he found himself having so many questions that just piled on and on, and the voice that repeatedly barged in and out of his thoughts wasn't helping.

You'll learn to listen, in due time.

It finally declared one last time, louder than the others, before it stopped. Reeve just found himself feeling in a daze. He was tired and his head hurt... so he let out a confused sigh, slowly sat down and leaned a hand on his head. His eyes were half closed and he was struggling to just keep up with his surroundings, with one hand clenched tightly on the butt of his hilt and the other firmly holding a tuft of hair in confusion.

This weight on his shoulders, it felt like it was moving around and about, like someone were drawing a line on his back. One inch at a time, it drew closer and closer to the back of his neck before finally, with a shudder, it slid all the way down his back and disappeared... for now. "What the fuck was that..? That man... He left the town."

"But why do I know that..?"

This inner conflict caused by exhaustion as much as it was by the questions he had to ask at almost every turn was but hidden on his face, as he looked over at the other two curiously, with some beads of sweat having formed on the man's face due to mental strain, perhaps. "Are they gone..? Was that the only person watching us? Or was he watching me alone? Is he even related to this Quiet Church, or did he want something else? It feels like I can't tell what's going on anymore."

You just haven't tried paying attention yet.

 

[Shreb]

Arioon and Laila, once again, shared their gaze at each other.

"We'll talk more...For now, we should see to our guest," Arioon muttered. They followed Reeve's gaze so they could exchange their information gathering appropriately, focusing directly on the person that had finally been caught in the act.

Though the man had quickly exited the area and their efforts to conceal themselves remained partially in vain, they got away with some good leads and information. Plus...Laila was probably still in the clear. For now.

Once the man had disappeared and Reeve looked back at them...

Arioon sighed. "I've never seen that man before. Judging by the way your blade reacted, he might be more connected with  you than us."

"How do you know it's the sword?"

"Reeve, you're a little easy to read. Not that I expect you to have the gaze of a cold-stone wyrm, but you appeared like your sword told you that there was a wart on your foot for the first time. Perhaps he saw your sword valuable?"

"Huh...That would make a bit of sense, you're the only one carrying a special sword out of us three. Our conversation might've just been coincidence."

"Did you use Detect Magic? We could've seen if he was listening."

"Oh...No..."

"No worries, we kept ourselves sparse. He seemed to react when you pulled out the gemstone, so he likely recognizes the value in your sword...Or worse, he knows who you are."

Laila pursed her lips. "Ugh...Exhausting...Can't we just eat food and go home?"

"You said you needed some quick cash?"

"Yeah? Trying to get myself equipped and whatnot..."

"I've got something...It won't be too much, but it'll get you the common sword."

"Huh? Stingy on the weapon?"

Arioon waved her hand as if shrugging off the world. "I tend not to wield fancy relics."

"You have a medal for your medal."

"It's a frame."

"24-karat gold with a supplementary plaque is not a  frame."

"Well. We can agree to disagree."

Laila stared at Reeve. "This girl."

Arioon glanced at Reeve. "It's a quick favor. Won't be much longer than an hour's travel and I'll reward you appropriately."

 

[Gary Sue]

As if the sword hadn't made him feel odd enough, Arioon's remark on how easy to read he was made him feel a bit... silly. Reeve had the expression of a scolded dog, looking down at one of the empty plates quietly. "... She's right, though. I'm so tired, I'm wearing my feelings on my own sleeves. I just haven't gotten used to hearing this 'noise' so clearly, and it's all a bit... It's piling up at the wrong moment. I should- ugh."

He shook his head, slapped his cheeks softly and looked at the other two when they mentioned something about the man that just exited the town. "There's no way anyone could know me. I've barely been around long enough in Velia, and I'm about to leave right after. It wouldn't add up if 'word had spread around', yet nobody wanted my services all this time.", right? There was one thing he had his mind on, but... there was no shot. He did tuck that thought neatly in the back of his mind though, with a final glance back down at his weapon, a bit more discreetly, but also reluctantly.

Arioon seemed like she was going to be giving the two a hand on the financial situation, although it'd be more of a band-aid to their problem than anything else. A sigh, nod in acknowledgement and now it was a matter of finding out just what task she had for the lot. Even so, he wasn't too certain if they'd be taking the job or not. The assassin's motives were still a bit dubious, and although he had just shown her his own big 'secret', he wasn't going to be taking on any dirty work she'd left undone if he deemed it too suspicious.

"She must want us to carry it out because she's stationed here. Even an hour away isn't much, but she can't be wandering around too much in case she's needed back here for her 'heat list' or whatever she calls it... If it's any assassin work though, she can count me out. I hope the same goes for Laila.", he only hoped for the time being, the tiredness having gotten to him as he didn't know what to expect anymore... despite knowing that Laila would, probably also turn such an offer down with no second thoughts.

 

[Shreb]

Laila glanced at Reeve, then sighed as she turned back at Arioon.

"Can you tell us what we're doing?"

"Pancakes."

"Are-" Laila glanced at Reeve with a look of incredulity. "Did you want us to make some for you?"

"No, my cousin is about thirty minutes down the street. He and his wife just made some stuffed pancakes and...I would like some."

"You did practice your sneaking techniques on pancake thievery back then, huh...No wonder Alina gets so paranoid. Also, stuffed?"

"Syrup-cheese pancakes. The bread breaks up as you chew it and the syrup's inside with a mix of butter."

"Oh. That's the cheese part, okay...I thought you were gonna have us run a stake-out or something."

Arioon stared at Laila with almost offended confusion. "My work will remain my work. Lilac, neither you nor your companion should be responsible for what happens in it. It should be my hands to be stained...Not yours."

"Is one of these pancakes gonna have a special knife with a poison tip inside?" Laila rubbed her thumbs against each other, eyes still glimmering in curiosity.

"I suppose you also think all of our coworkers wear hoods over their heads, black scarves on the necks, and pills strapped at the roof of our mouths." Arioon raised an eyebrow. "No. I'm just in the mood for pancakes."

Laila eyed Reeve, then Arioon.

"Who's your cousin?"

"Sir Makou of the House of the Seventh Blue Dragon."

"Whaa...A noble?"

"He's just a viscount. His wife is a Grand Knight of the Capital...And instructor for the Royal Guard."

"The ones for the kings and queens?? Amazing...And you want their pancakes?"

"When he's not dueling, he's cooking. It's part of his meditation. Not that I understand it." Arioon shrugged. "It's good. I always invite him whenever I have to attend a wedding."

Laila stared back at Reeve. This sounded like a fairly simple job.

Arioon continued. "He will be in the inn down the gravel road. It's the newest one, it'll be hard to miss. 'Winchesters Wines and Stays.' Just tell the innkeep that I request my friends an entrance with him."

Thoughts, questions, concerns?

 

[Gary Sue]

The request was... suspiciously simple, enough so to leave Reeve dumbfounded, but... there was nothing else he could question that Laila hadn't already. And Arioon appeared to not be hiding anything, too. Hell, his sword wasn't speaking up either, so things should have been good here, right? He quietly looked back at the maiden beside him, to exchange a quick glance before turning to his new 'client', if he could even call her that. "... I suppose we are becoming delivery mules then."

Evening was approaching, but they still had a short while to go. It was best to not stay out that late into the day, considering someone was tracking them, and someone was also tracking Reeve specifically by the looks of things too. So the only response he could offer right now, was a curt nod before he stood and looked down at Laila. Truth be told, he was forgetting a little detail about their meal.

"Ah... It cost money, right.", the man grumbled as he took out his pouch and gave Arioon a curious, although wary look, waiting for her to spill the beans on just how much of a pretty penny their daily outing would be costing them. Hopefully nothing that much more than what they'd be making back shortly...

 

[Shreb]

"Ah... It cost money, right.", the man grumbled as he took out his pouch and gave Arioon a curious, although wary look, waiting for her to spill the beans on just how much of a pretty penny their daily outing would be costing them. Hopefully nothing that much more than what they'd be making back shortly...

Arioon raised an eyebrow at Reeve.

She started by taking the pouch.

THE WHOLE THING?!

Her fingers dug into the pouch, scouring through the coins.

Oh, not the...Whole...Thing...

Arioon took an uncomfortably long time digging her hand into the pouch...But she eventually pulled out a coin out of the pouch like a claw machine.

She pushed the pouch back without a second thought.

"Go," Arioon said, stifling her smile as her eyes scanned Laila's increasingly shocked expression.

"Thank you!" Laila whispered sharply, hand on Reeve's shoulder as she shook him vigorously. Arioon idly spun the coin between her fingers, waiting for them to leave.

"Come on, we got a quest to get quested!!"