[IRP] Secrets of the Empire

[Toogee]

The castle town of Pherae was perhaps the busiest in all of Pherae. Behind the castle walls, the town enjoyed peace as the citizens went about their day. Shops and blacksmiths usually enjoyed a vast selection of merchandise from Lycia and Bern, though the latter was becoming rarer by the day. The three taverns were always sources of lively conversation and mercenaries at any hour of the day or night. All of this happened in the foreground of Castle Pherae, a grand structure that had remained relatively unchanged since the reign of the original Lord Elbert. The people here could view the castle from almost anywhere in town and know they were safe from the outside world.

It was on the cobblestone streets that the castle librarian, Paige Pierpont, walked amongst the townspeople in the late morning hours. Usually, she was vibrant and greeted the day with eagerness. Today, dressed in her drab brown cloak, the bags under her eyes revealed the long night she had suffered through. She had read through dozens of books, yet she could not find what she was looking for. The night had left her defeated; if she were to continue her work, Paige needed a little assistance.

The librarian found herself in a little tea shop, a far quieter alternative to the taverns around town. She knew the herbalist from her frequent visits, so Paige usually didn’t have to say her order. This time however, she needed something stronger.

“Can we make it the Bernese Blend?” Paige said to the woman behind the counter.

“Someone had a long night,” the herbalist responded as she grabbed a different set of tea bags. She handed Paige a mug of steaming water where the tea soaked, while Paige handed over a couple of gold pieces.

“Enjoy. We don’t have much of this stuff left, what with the border closure.”

Paige nodded, not her usual talkative self. She took a seat outside at one of the tables, hoping the sunlight combined with the strong tea would waken her from half slumber. She took slow sips as she watched people walk by. Her thoughts wandered as she pondered the question she had been seeking all night long.

Who was the Lycian Emperor?

[Swift_Assassin]

Lycia. The land of the the Great Hero Roland. Lycia had long upheld the status quo of Elibe. If not for the Lycian League, what would the continent look like? A century ago, Roy of Pharae, son of Marquess Eliwood of Pharae, lead an army to save Elibe from the machinations of King Zephiel of Bern. Decades earlier, Eliwood himself embarked on a journey to find his father which lead to him, Hector of Ostia, and Lyndis of Caelin saving Elibe from the wrath of Nergal.

What happened to Lycia? It has become the evil it usually fights against. And to make things worse, no one knows who's in charge. At least, the common people don't. He has just been a faceless figure known as 'The Emperor'. Perhaps the clues to that lies in Pharae. And the clues to many other things.

Wolfram was traveling by his own personal carriage, filled to the brim with his research and accumulated tomes, on his way to Pharae. He had several reasons to be there, and one above all hastened his journey. Wolfram intercepted a carrier pigeon used by his lord that was heading towards his former safehouse. Inside was a request for immediate aid.

Using a contact of his, a bishop loyal to the Church of St. Elimine, he, and his cart, was warped a great distance to hurry his journey along. He made his way into the castle town of Pharae, where he came across a familiar man. Clad in a long black cloak, with hood down, was a fellow servant of his lord, Marcus Carvax. "Marcus!" He called out, "What's the problem?"

"Wolfram?!" Marcus replied. The man was shocked. That message went out only a few days ago and he was here. He ran up behind the carriage and climbed in. At this, Wolfram reigned the horses in and stepped back into his carriage. He covered the entrance with a thick blanket to muffle the noises, and Wolfram did the same with the exit. "Shad's not well."

"I figured that. Is he conscious? Did you find out what happened?" Wolfram replied, concerned for his nephew's health.

"He awoke later that day, but he lacks the strength to pull himself out of bed..."Marcus started. He went on to explain the story as Shad told it to him. "So, you see..."

"Magic exhaustion. That reckless pup...at least he was fortunate that he was in Pharae," Wolfram replied. He was surprised with the recklessness that his student exhibited. He was more surprised that he encountered a couple of mages, one with a Meteor spell at that. "I swear, if I didn't know that he was his father's son, I'd swear Maddox was his father."

"If that was the case, Shad would have tried to bat the rock away with his sword rather than with magic. The pup takes after his father," Marcus replied. "So...what do you need to do?"

"Just give him some of my magic. He should have recovered already, but since magic is a foreign concept to three hundred years of Hyperions, it probably took a toll on him. Just bring me to his room and we can get this over with." Wolfram answered. They both climbed out of the carriage and secured it so no one can take it. They began walking to the nearby inn...

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"That...was...a...terrible idea."

Shad was stuck in bed. His body felt fine. Nothing ached. To be fair, he didn't even fight anyone outside of that one guy. Even that was just a quick take down. All of this was because they had to be fighting an ignorant ignoramus who had the ability to rain flaming boulders on people. Shad doesn't even remember boulder landing. He only found out when he awoke the next day what happened. What he wasn't happy with was his 'prize' from the whole affair.

He turned his head at the 'journal' on the desk. To the common eye, it was just a blank book with a black cover. But to him, it was Neil's Fire tome, left behind by the mage in his urgency. A fake cover for it will help keep it secret. For now. But at least now he had options at his disposal. But what could he do right now? Stare at a book waiting in Pharae for a couple weeks for Wolfram to arrive. By then, he'd probably recover normally and not need his help. As he turned in bed, he saw the red haired woman from the school again. "Huh?"

"Shh...be quiet. I just wanted to thank you for saving the village," Alice responded. Shad swallowed. What did she see? "I ran with the others when the boulder hit the school. I saw that man, the one you told the kid about, and I followed him when he came to help. So I just followed him back here. I've been working up the courage to come in and thank you." She explained.

"The door was locked," he countered. He turned his head towards the window and noticed the panes were fixed in place. He looked back at Alice.

"Okay, so I was working on the lock. It's a different make than I'm used to," She replied, a bit flustered. Shad tried to look back at his hand, when Alice stopped him. "No, I'm not stealing that ring again. It's too easy right now." Shad tried to look back again when Alice dropped the ring on the bed next to him. "I-I'm just practicing. O-okay?"

"Where did the others go?"

"Not sure about the loud one. I swear I still hear her voice ringing in my ear. Both of the guys are gone. I'm not sure about the ditzy one, but I know I saw the 'leader' of your group in town. I think she works in the castles library or something," Alice explained.

"You think?" he questioned."Or you know?"

"That's for you to find out. I need to be going," Alice dodged. She turned and slipped out the door. Shad just looked at the door for a bit before looking at the ring. Who was that woman? Is she following him or something?

[Breadophile]

A green-haired woman entered the pub after telling her pegasus to sit tight outside. She didn't like to saddle him up, simply letting him fly as he wished and whistling if she needed him. Her pegasus was smart enough and obviously strong enough that no poacher stood a chance in a fight. But he wouldn't get attacked in broad daylight anyway, so neither of them were worried. Just in case of her own safety, she pulled off her staff and iron pole.

The woman was clearly not dressed for the weather, though. Beads of sweat could be seen all over her face. If not for some special concoction she bought at a village, her face would be beet red from sunburn. Even then it was still a little tinged. Nothing too noticeable, thankfully.

It was cooler inside the pub, even though air conditioning hadn't been invented yet. Kalin wasn't one to complain, though. An opportunist she was.

While she may have been a little ditzy, she had street talk nailed down. Pubs were nothing new.

"And what can I get for you, miss?"

"Ilian firewater, on the rocks, shaken not stirred. Burn it to a crisp and let it swim. Oh, and a to-go cup, please."

The man was a little dumbfounded that she knew that much, but it wasn't the most far-fetched order he had heard.

Doing an odd assortment of brewing, the man produced a beverage that looked completely ice cold, belying the extreme heat inside of it.

She took the drink and slipped the man some gold. Having money sure felt good. She had learned some things from Ray and her parents, from basic training, and from her idol Farina about saving money. Personal experience too, though those days were thankfully over.

...but Kalin could indulge every once in a while, especially to blow off some steam. It was painful not having access to local food and drinks, so it was nice that pubs were pretty universal. Ilian pubs had a ton of southern drinks. She had tried a few but this one sat the best with her.

Now thaaaat's the stuff. She closed her eyes and tilted her head up. A discreet taste of chocolate mixed with the powerful tastes of alcohol and coffee. She wasn't one for coffee, but with this combination it worked perfectly. As if everything was in perfect alignment. The rest of her family hated the drink though. Kalin figured they just had bad taste.

"Hey barkeep, I gotta ask you something."

She slipped him a coin.

"Have you seen a incredibly beautiful, tiny, 17-year-old boy? He looks like a girl, but can give off the male vibe to some. His hair color is the same as mine and he's wearing a tight cape."

"A cape?" The man was slightly confused...

"Is he a mage?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Sssshhh, don't let that get out. It's obvious you're not from around here, so let me fill you in. Magic is banned everywhere in this country. Only divine power and catalyst staves are allowed. Pherae is better about it than most but you never know who's watching."

"O-oh, really?"

"Yeah. But to your question, I'm sorry to say, but I haven't seen the person you're talking about. The library is worth a check though."

"Dangit, I was hoping I could find him without having to enter a maze. Thanks anyway. That info about magic was worth the gold piece."

"Then I hope you don't mind me keeping it, heheh."

A fair trade is a fair trade, after all.

"Later!"

She left the pub with her drink. Now what would she do? She looked around...

...is that... the knight who gave me all this money? No way. What's he doing here? Well, I won't let this opportunity go to waste. Where he is, money is. Cha-ching!

Quickly after, however, she saw him enter a carriage.

Dammit!

He was busy. Job seekers have to respect that or they don't get hired. Money-making 101.

She started walking through the town to pass the time. She had gotten better at walking in the boots enough to make her stride look elegant. Well, elegant for Kalin, anyway. Walking in them still sucked just as much.

"Why is it so hoooooot?"

The firewater had cooled down by now, becoming completely ice cold. A very strange drink indeed. Normally one was supposed to drink it quickly, like with a good number of other Ilian drinks, but Kalin figured she could use the cold effect to her advantage while still drinking something delicious. The freezing feeling felt just like home too. Also alcohol, alcohol was cool too. Kalin's tolerance was ridiculous though, so she wouldn't get anywhere close. Such is the pain of her origin.

[Deathspike]

Meanwhile....

A wagon was approaching Pherae's castle town's gates. After receiving proper clearance to do business the wagon was allowed in. Once inside the people in charge of the wagon asked around for the shopping area as well as the location of the castle library. They however could not go into detail as to why they were looking for the latter place, but one person was helpful to them in that respect.

"So, what are we going to do first?" asked the male of the two.

"Well, we do have what information we need, but first I REALLY need a drink. Perhaps some tea maybe." said the female.

"Surely we would have plenty of time for tea after we make the delivery, Klara." the man said while crossing his arms.

Klara had then just looked at him with a certain look she uses to get her way, "Well if your so insistent on doing that, Gunoy then perhaps YOU could deliver it while I get tea. I will have tea whether you are with me or not, that is how badly I need it." she said to him with authority.

Gunoy had then just let out a big sigh while shaking his head. "Okay, fine, all of this talking is starting to dry me out now. Besides, I know by now not to go too far arguing with you or it will never end." he said to Klara.

"Heh, I had a feeling you would say that, luckily while asking around I found out about a good place here, lets go!" she said grabbing the reins of the horse pulling said wagon.

A minute or so had passed on and they found themselves infront of a tea shop. They settled their wagon in the proper area and walked inside. Despite hearing of its popularity there were not alot of people inside as they walked over to the bar and took a seat.

"Yes? How may I aid you this day?" said the shop owner.

"Ma'am, do you know how to make a lemon ginger blend? It is my favorite." Klara asked the owner.

"Lemon ginger hmm? Yes, I know how to make all sorts of tea you see, but I must admit, I have not had a customer ask me to make what you requested. It shall be done." she said to Klara. After she was done with Klara she turned her attention to Gunoy and asked, "And what will you be having, sir?"

Gunoy crossed his arms and pondered on what he wanted. He never was one to drink lots of tea, just mostly water. "Earl Grey Rooibos. Can you make that?" he said staring at a wall.

Hearing that request the shop owner found herself becoming nervous, "Y-yes, I can make t-that for you, s-sir. Now i-if you will excuse me I'll g-get right on it." she said hurriedly going into the back to get all she needed for their tea.

"What was that about?" Klara asked Gunoy.

"Like I would know." he said while resting one of his arms onto the bar.

[Cevian]

Pherae. The home of Eliwood and Roy. Given it's long history it was a great place for Tareya to start her search for information on the current goings-on in the world, at least one a bit farther away from the actual warfront.

The problem was, in all her planning on her destination her trip there wasn't planned well enough. Walking across the desert on foot by herself was longer and more draining than she thought. The only thing keeping her going was the pressure from letter down her whole village. She didn't want to do this, but now that she was here she had to.

Moving slowly through the town the blackrobed girl was in search of water, her store of it from her trip over the desert having run out. It was then that she saw the little teashop. Reaching an arm out she moved towards it slowly, thirsty and tired. She didn't quite make it, finally passing out near the tea-sipping Paige.

[Toogee]

Paige’s pondering of her work was interrupted with the appearance of a worn girl moving to the tea shop. The poor thing appeared to have traveled far away judging from her appearance. She was reaching out for something, but what? By the time Paige had but two and two together, the girl collapsed from exhaustion and/or dehydration. Immediately, Paige stood up and rushed to the traveler’s aid.

The first thing Paige did was make sure Tareya was on her back, examining her for wounds of any sort. The girl’s dry lips indicated dehydration. The librarian knelt down and placed the shaman’s head on her lap to keep her head up. Paige needed her conscious, so she tried to speak to her.

“Come on, stay awake,” Paige said to Tareya, an urgency to her voice. “Why don’t you tell me your name while someone gets you some water?”

“Can we get some water out here?!” Paige immediately shouted into the tea shop. She rarely raised her voice unless it was an emergency, so she hoped someone would react accordingly. For now, Paige stayed with Tareya in an effort to get her conscious long enough to partake in the water.

[Swift_Assassin]

Wolfram followed Marcus into the nearby inn. He didn't catch the name as he stepped through the doors. He looked around the lobby, not very impressed with what he saw. "No offense, but this place is a dump," Wolfram whispered to the knight.

"Exactly. No one would expect a displaced lord to make his lodgings here." He replied, as Wolfram just shrugged. Whatever worked. He couldn't argue with the logic. He followed him through a hallway into the back, wondering if the owner was perfectly okay with this. He looked around briefly and saw no one, so he kept walking. As they walked, a red haired lass ran by, bumping into Marcus along the way. "Hey!"

"Keep walking. Patience isn't a strong suit of the Hyperions." Wolfram commented, focusing Marcus on his walk. Soon they were there, outside the door. Marcus grabbed the doorknob and reached for his key when the door just opened. "Nice. Captain of the Guard, are you?"

"Wolfram?!" The duo walked through the door to see Shad staring at the door. Shad was surprised to see his uncle. "That...was really, really fast. How did you get here?" Shad questioned.

Wolfram walked over to his student and sat down in a chair next to the bed. He put a hand on Shad's leg before replying. "Doesn't really matter. The real question is...how did you get here?" He countered.

"We stopped in a nearby village. I wanted to do...research on what life in a Lycian town is like. I sent Marcus ahead to reserve our lodgings while I explored. Then, what I thought was a hilarious historical comedy piece, turned into an attack upon the village...," Shad started to explain. He elaborated more on the situation than Marcus did to Wolfram.

-----------------------------------------

"...So then I began pelting the meteor with fireballs and wind magic. Next thing I know, I'm here stuck in this...huh?" Shad faded off. He noticed he was now sitting up and waving his hands back and forth. Wolfram's hand was gone and he swung his legs off the bed.

"I see. Reckless pup. I appreciate the effort and thought, however reckless it may have been," Wolfram answered. "You suffered from magic exhaustion. If the Lycian knights and your friends had faltered, you'd probably be dead right now. Normally, you'd be fine by now, but your paternal predisposition against magic seems to be the cause, in my opinion. I gave you some of my magic and you should be fine for now."

Shad got back up to his feet and then fell back again. His body was weak from lack of nutrition and use. He reached his hand for his sheathed sword and Marcus brought it over to him. He began using it as a walking stick, like it was disguised as. He walked behind a tattered screen and began to change into new clothes.

Wolfram began thinking about what Shad had told him. What he told of him of the Sacaen mage Neil, made him think to his days in the research institute. A man named Neil joined it around the time he finished his training. Could it be the same guy? "Lord nephew, what should we do know?" Wolfram questioned the changing lord.

Shad remembered how thirsty he was and figured his uncle must be as well. "How about we go out for a drink, Uncle?" Marcus didn't like that, but looked to Wolfram for a response.

"No taverns." Wolfram replied. He stared in at the book on the end table. "We don't want to risk one of us being drunk."

Without thinking about it, Marcus just said it aloud. "There's a small tea shop nearby." Wolfram's head jerked towards him instantly, wide-eyed and staring at Marcus. Shad's head popped out from behind the screen and stared at Marcus as well. "What? I don't want to get drunk while I'm on guard duty."

Shad walked back out in his coat and walked over to the end table and grabbed the book. Wolfram tossed over a harness he had to secure the book to his waist. Shad attached it to his belt and fastened to book in place under his coat. "That'll do. Let's go."

And then the trio walked out of the inn and followed Marcus towards the tea shop.

[Deathspike]

Around this moment the two were having a light conversation, but then they heard a sound. It sounded like something hit the ground outside, and hard. They then pondered for a moment as to what it could be, but then Gunoy stood up.

"I'll go check it out, Klara." he said to her, "you wait here." He then proceeded to walk outside of the tea shop. When he got outside he looked to his left and right and noticed one woman rushing towards another woman to help her. Thinking she could take care of it he went back inside.

"So, what was it?" Klara asked.

"Someone fell on the ground outside, but it's being taken care of by someone else." he had responded.

"WHAT?! And you didn't even offer to help?!" Klara said obviously mad at his selfishness. As she was berating him they then heard a voice outside begging for water. They turned their heads to the voice and then Klara took a look at Gunoy. "You went out there, you're going to get them the water." Klara said in a demanding tone.

All Gunoy did at that moment was sigh in disbelief, "Ugh, fine I'll do it." he said as he hopped over the bar and began pouring water, "but you're paying for the tea."

"Oh fine then, fair enough I suppose." Klara said as she watched Gunoy walk outside with the jar of water.

Meanwhile outside.....

Gunoy had now walked outside of the tea shop. He saw the two women still on the ground with the unconscious woman in the other's lap. "Hey,...red-hair." he said approaching them, "I got you some water." He then grabbed a nearby chair, dragged it over to them with his open arm, and proceeded to sit down and then offered the water to them.

[Toogee]

While Paige was tending to Tareya, she looked over to find one of the patrons sitting beside them with a jar of tea.

"Thank you," Paige said to Gunoy as she took the jar from the man's hand. The librarian carefully pressed the lip of the jar onto the girl's mouth. She didn't want to shove the water down her throat and risk drowning her however.

"Here, we've got water right here," Paige said to Tareya, hoping she did not drift into unconsciousness.

[Cevian]

Tareya was on the border between consciousness and not as Paige had run over to help her. Through a haze of fleeting awareness she could tell that something was happening as she struggled to not fall further down into unconsciousness, out of fear she would not wake up again.

It didn't take long before she felt something press against her mouth, moving to try and drink from it as the water started to flow. She drank from it as fast as she could, her body craving the hydration.

[Toogee]

"There we go," Paige said as the girl greedily took in the water. It wasn't long until the jar was completely empty. With that, Paige moved to help Tareya up.

"Come, let's get you inside," Paige said as she took the weary traveler's arm to help her up. Her attention turned to the the man sitting in the chair.

"Perhaps some introduction are in order, once we get to a table?"

[Swift_Assassin]

"So. Did he say it? That day I mean?" Wolfram questioned Marcus. The knight turned his towards him and nodded. Despite the vague nature of that question, it was a bit of an inside thing between them, developed over the past couple years. It was a reference to an unofficial family motto. "In a terrible situation, there are no terrible ideas."

"Twice."

The two were startled and looked at the lord, unaware that he had caught on to this long before. "Twice, milord? Who'd you say it to the next time?" He replied, revealing he didn't even hear about this.

Shad turned around and stopped. He sighed, followed with a deep breath. "Kalin. The Pegasus Knight," He answered. "I've figured I'd only ever say that to someone I know as being reasonable."

"The pegasus knight?...Was that before or during your flight?" Wolfram inquired.

"Before. I told her it was a terrible idea, but et cetera, et certera," He paused. "I hope all Ilians aren't air-headed like she is. Want to know her reply to that?" Shad said rhetorically. "The insane plans are the best plans!" He mocked, even trying to mimic her enthusiasm.

The pair looked at each other, one trying significantly harder than the other to suppress their laughter. Wolfram looked back at Shad. "That phrase was your uncles excuse for their reckless behavior, pup. You just had the misfortune of growing up in what was essentially their safe house back when they came of age," the shaman explained. Shad turned around after that comment. "I still can't believe they paid someone to put that on a plaque," Wolfram exclaimed.

Marcus crept closer to Wolfram as Shad began walking off. He began to whisper to him, "You do remember Daren used to-". Wolfram cut him off by covering his mouth mid-sentence. One of the things he was truly concerned about was Shad becoming as reckless as his father. It's still better than as reckless as his uncles, but he'd rather he wasn't reckless at all.

Shad just looked around and noticed a bit of a scene outside of a building. A red-haired woman was helping a poor...really overdressed man? woman? who collapsed. Wouldn't it be funny if that was Paige? What would the chances be? It's not like red is a common hair color. Their only in a town ruled by red-haired men for decades. "So where is this place?"

Marcus looked around from where they were and pointed it out. Right in the direction of the scene. Convenient. "Let's take our time. I'd rather not step over someone to get a cup of tea."

[Breadophile]

Kalin had this strange feeling she was being mocked. Actually, to describe it as strange would be a misnomer, since she had that feeling quite a lot.

She put it away in her mind, though.

(Since that guy's busy, I wonder what else is up...)

She looked around. There were quite a lot of people staring. The effect of the skirt, she figured.

There was also quite a bit of commotion coming from a certain drab, boring place she liked to think that people who didn't know how to have fun went to. She called it a "sober pub".

(Guess there's a first time for everything...)

Just then, she had this nagging feeling having to do with her mone-(!? Someone's stealing my wallet!!!)

She had gotten too close to the alleyways, preyed upon by a wayward thief. With blinding speed, she turned around and grabbed his collar, then pulled it up into the air, dragging the rest of his body along with him. She then pushed him back onto the wall.

"Who the hell do you think-"

It was just a kid.

"Ugh... let... let me go."

"You're just a child... Why are you..."

"What's it to you?"

"You're-"

"let me guess, too young for this kind of work? Give it a rest, I've heard it a million times."

(God, you're as grumpy as Ray.) She was incredibly thankful the person in front of her was unable to set things on fire.

"Well you sure picked a bad target to steal from. In Ilia we would fight to the death for the right to have what you just attempted to claim."

"Ah!? W-what!?" The kid looked more than a little nervous.

"But those customs are outdated by 2000 years. Now-a-days we just reprimand kids who get into this sort of job."

He relaxed a little. Not too much though, she still had him in a grip.

"This is stupid. Let me go!"

"Nope. Where's mommy and daddy?"

"Like I'd tell you."

"You'll be in big trouble if you don't. What happens when the knights get a hold of you? So where are they?

"They're dead. They were killed because they could use magic. Are you happy now?"

Kalin felt like an asshole, but more than that: "W-what? That's... that's terrible..."

"I don't want to talk about it. Now can you let me go?"

He started shaking to get free.

"No way, you're coming with me, pal."

"What? Are you crazy?"

"Nope! Big sis Kalin needs to steer you on the right track. If you don't have any family you can just join mine!"

"You're crazy..."

By now they had attracted quite a few onlookers. Kalin hadn't noticed until now. She looked around.

"The hell are you guys lookin' at?"

[Deathspike]

With that incident taken care of Gunoy stood up and walked back into the tea shop. Before he got inside he overheard the red haired woman talk of introductions and a table.

"Fine, but I already have a spot, and I'm not changing it." he said as he walked back inside.

When he got inside the first thing he noticed that Klara wasn't at the bar like he thought she was. He looked left and right trying to see if she was still in the shop. He then saw her sitting at a far-off table with two cups of tea. They locked eyes and Klara waved at him signaling him over. Gunoy then walked over to the table and sat down.

"Got tired of the bar, huh?" he asked as he reached for his cup of tea.

"Oh, nothing like that," Klara responded, "she just said no one is allowed to drink at the bar as weird as that sounds." she said taking another sip of her tea while closing her eyes.

"Oh, really? Eh, so be it," he said as he proceeded to take a sip of his tea.

He wasn't paying attention to Klara who had one eye open; watching him take a sip of the tea. She had blushed a little from the sight, sat her cup down, and giggled a little. Gunoy then sat his cup down and looked at her with a blank face.

"...Really, Klara? Again? Do you plan to put that in everything I eat or drink?" he asked bluntly not saying out loud what exactly "that" was.

Klara was actually shocked at what he said, "Umm...actually, I hadn't planned on doing that this time, but with you walking outside I couldn't miss the chance!" she said with much enthusiasm. "And besides, you know it's gonna happen and you don't stop eating or drinking," she carried on, "it's pretty obvious you enjoy that now."

Gunoy then just ignored that last comment and took another sip of his tea. Of course it couldn't be done without Klara constantly giggling everytime he took a sip. He had then noticed the tea shops door opening.

[Cevian]

Tareya moved in a bit of a haze as Paige helped her up and led her in to the tea shop. She wasn't really in a position to reject the help as she was trying to not fall unconscious. Her body was thankful it had water, but that didn't instantly remove the fatigue her thirst and journey had placed on her.

[Toogee]

(08-04-2014, 08:34 PM)Deathspike Wrote: With that incident taken care of Gunoy stood up and walked back into the tea shop. Before he got inside he overheard the red haired woman talk of introductions and a table.

"Fine, but I already have a spot, and I'm not changing it." he said as he walked back inside.

Paige was not sure whether that was a yes or a no as far as introductions were concerned. There was no one waiting to guide the girls to Gunoy's spot. In fact, he seemed to already be entertaining someone at said table. Taking the hint, Paige helped Tareya's near unconscious body to a vacant table.

As the librarian helped the traveler into her seat, the herbalist emerged from behind the counter and placed a pitcher of water at the table along with two glasses. Paige nodded her thanks and poured a glass for Tareya.

"Drink up, there's plenty more," she said to Tareya. The girl didn't seem in any condition to get into a long conversation, so Paige kept silent, save for a brief introduction.

"My name is Paige, by the way."

[Deathspike]

Gunoy had taken his attention to the opening door as he heard it open and saw the two women who were outside. "Ahh, there they are," he said pointing towards them.

"Oh, so those were the people you help out, hmm?" Klara asked Gunoy setting down her cup. She noticed one of the women was helping the other to a table near them. She felt sorry for the two and then looked at Gunoy with anger and disbelief. She had raised an arm out and proceeded to slap Gunoy in the face.

His head turned to the side with the force of the slap. He looked at Klara and then straightened his head, "Tch, really? Now what did I do wrong?" he asked seemingly unaffected from being slapped.

"Oh no you don't," Klara responded, "this one you'll have to figure out on your own." she said as she then turned her attention to the two ladies sitting near them. "Hello, you two, on behalf of this big lug I apologize that he didn't help you more than he could've," Klara said.

Gunoy then just had a look of disbelief on his face after hearing what she just said. "Okay, so let me get this straight-" he was cut off with Klara placing a hand infront of his face.

"Just be quiet like you usually are, Gunoy," she said to him, "ladies are talking." After she told him that he felt her hand being slapped away. She turns to him to see him turned away from them all and back to sipping his tea. "I'm sorry about that, my name's Klara," she said turning her attention to Paige and Tareya, "and you are?" She was so distracted by Gunoy that she didn't hear Paige introduce herself.

[Swift_Assassin]

Shad continued observing the scene outside. He began piecing things together about the red-head in helping the...person. He began stroking his chin, starting to conclude that he did, indeed, know her. But then another commotion happened. An attempted theft, it would seem. He turned to glance in that direction when utter dread came over him.

He instinctively pulled his hood over his head and quickened his pace, struggling to stay balanced with his "cane". Wolfram kept pace with Shad while Marcus was distracted. Green hair. Blue armor. That voice. It could only be one person. Kalin. Shad turned back and called for Marcus, who ran up to them.

"Kalin?" Wolfram whispered to his nephew. When Shad began moving faster, he wordlessly confirmed his statement. He turned towards Marcus again, who nodded to him. So that was the crazed Ilian they talked about. Ilians had always had a sixth sense when it comes to gold. Wolfram thought.

Shad's entourage entered the tea shop. He quickly looked around and figured out it was Paige. Does she know Kalin is still around? "Marcus, give them our orders. You know what we like." Shad ordered his guard as he hobbled towards Paige with Wolfram at his back.

Wolfram reached out and tugged on the back of Shad's hood, finding it rude and shady to obscure your face in a business establishment. He also loosened his cloak and removed it, preferring to carrying it in his arm. He turned back towards Marcus, who looked at him inquisitively. "Sweetened lemon tea for him, black tea for me," Wolfram informed. Marcus gestured a thank you and turned away from him. "Pup, I'm the one who orders tea for us, not him."

"Oh, huh, really. That's interesting," Shad replied, not even listening to him. He ended up stumbling right into an empty chair, managing to catch himself before it fell back. He got himself back up and moved to a table right next to Paige. "Paige!" Shad called out, interrupting her conversation.

Wolfram just rolled his eyes at this display and tossed his cloak on an empty chair at Shad's table. "I apologize. The reckless pup has been bedridden for a couple days and forgotten his manners," he said, bowing in respect to the group. "I am Wolfram Caron, and this is my nephew, Shadrach Hyperion." He stepped towards the exhausted woman at Paige's table and began to inspect her. "Is she going to be alright? It would probably be best to get her out of those robes and into something lighter. Those robes look better off fending off the harshness of the desert than the heat."

[Toogee]

As Paige was talking to Tareya, the woman that Gunoy was eager to come back to came to them. She started to apologize for the “big lug” and introduced herself as Klara. It seemed Gunoy was too distracted to give out his own name, so Paige continued.

“It’s quite alright,” Paige replied to Klara. “The water was very much appreciated. Nice to meet you, Klara, my name is-”

Paige’s name was called out by a familiar face at the adjacent table.

“Shad?” she replied back as she turned her head. It was indeed the same Shad that helped them with the bandits a couple days ago. He seemed to be back on his feet and well enough to travel. Shad also brought a couple of his entourage. One of them, Wolfram, introduced them and apologized for the interruption. There was a lot of apologizing going around, but Paige didn’t mind the interruptions. It certainly made her break much more interesting.

“It’s good to see you well,” Paige replied to Shad, flashing a smile. She then turned to Wolfram, who was quickly examining Tareya.

“It’s Ok, we’ve met before,” she said of his apology. “Actually, I’m headed back to Castle Pherae. I’ll be sure she gets rest and care at the infirmary if she needs it.”

[Cevian]

Tareya started to drink the water that was placed before her as her mind started to focus a bit more as her strength started to return to her. As she grew a bit more aware of her surroundings she noticed all of the people gathering around her, some looking at her and one even asking who she was, it seemed.

All of the attention was a bit too much for such a shy person. Her face grew flush with blush and she passed out again, this time for entirely different reasons.