Doggo

Torkoal Zeraora

Reinaan waited for the obnoxious council member and her escort to get farther away before doing much else. He didn't like that the women knew his name despite their having never met prior to now. She might have been at the tower the first time they all gathered there. If so then she was part of the deception that was still angering him and that was just another thing to hate her for. Her comments about seeing things dark things into the future almost seemed like she was threatening the boy for a moment. Between that and her goodbye to Keres the Draken had every desire to tear the woman's throat out for her and save them all the trouble. He kept his eyes on the trio for a bit while pulling away from them at the same time. With that and Ryia's comment to the group to press on he readied Kloqah to head into town before turning to Keres. "Sorry, I shoulda pulled you away from that mess sooner." Reinaan said, wishing he'd done something to spare the girl some of the very apparent discomfort she had with the situation. He tried to keep it semi-quiet to make sure the woman wouldn't overhear however far off she'd be by that point. "I take it you don't much like Miss Councilwoman there."

Lucario Lycanroc Buizel Corphish Sandshrew Kadabra Cyndaquil Grovyle

Between Lindow's comment and being informed the woman before them was a council member, Reinaan's frustrations were only building. The condescending snort and glare from the of the Templar at her side only prompted the boy to reply in kind with a glare that said he'd fight the larger Draken if that's what he was looking for. Thankfully, Ryia's interaction with Hannah distracted him from this impending display in the disparity in his size and strength compared to the average Draken. Her main goal had apparently been to see Keres. Hearing the Water Chosen had run from the Tower inspired some respect for her in Reinaan. She'd obviously seen through them some and rejected their organization as a result, the only sensible thing to do in that position in the boy's eyes. "Isn't that sweet," Reinaan began, hardly restraining the sarcastic disgust in his voice. "Well you saw her now, so we should get going." he continued, wishing to usher the group on past these people who would do nothing but irritate him. He then hovered somewhat near Keres in the event he needed to pull her away from Hannah. As uncomfortable as she was around him, she didn't try to physically hide herself from his gaze like she had Hannah's. So it didn't trouble him to rudely pull her away from her acquaintance if it came to it.

Escaping the second wave of bees had proved to be a straightforward affair for the group. Reinaan wasn't surprised to see Keres slip off of Kloqah the moment she felt it safe to. It still bothered him to not entirely know the cause of this unease the girl had around him. As it was he'd never had enough time to even talk to the Nature Chosen much, let alone on why she seemed to not like him. He was determined to not let this repeat with Keres but now was hardly the time for such things. The bee sting pain dulled slightly as time passed and the Draken was still annoyed he'd gotten hit with his scales in top shape. Not enough to seek out armor but still. But for now, the city they had been aiming to travel to was before them. Reinaan was impressed to see the scale of the place, having not regularly gone to human dwellings. It dwarfed the small desert village but that was to be expected in the much more forgiving climate of Qresa. As they approached what appeared to be the main gate to the town three people left the city. Two armored Draken, Thunder Draken by the glimpses of yellow scales the boy could catch through their templar get ups, and a small human woman with bright blond hair. What she was doing with such a Draken escort Reinaan could only wonder and it more annoyed him than anything to see more members of his own kind so blindly loyal to the council that he loathed. Still, he wasn't planning to make much of it until the new Wind Chosen spoke to him, asking him about the average sizes of Draken. "That's average height for a fully grown Draken" he managed to say after a prolonged initial growl. Reinaan hadn't been particularly keen on interacting with Pyrrha as it was, but this topic was a sore spot. He knew he still had about another foot to go to match either of the two before them. He had been counting on not encountering many Draken for this very reason. Now the others would all know he was smaller than he ought to be. God forbid if one of them call him short. "Bet they don't look half so big or tough without their dumb armor" he said with no particular regard for who heard the claim. As it was the boy was simply trying to nurse the wound to his ego he'd produced entirely on his own by comparing himself to these strangers. But if he could convince himself they were only imposing as Templars and not as Draken he might feel a bit better about things.

With a growl Reinaan stood up and dusted himself off and spat out some dirt before turning to his mount to yell at the lizard for knocking him over. However this motion revealed the injured bee that had been coming for him that Ryia had just finished off. It didn't take long for the boy to put two and two together as Kloqah was showing no further signs of aggression. The fierce expression he had faded as he sighed and thanked the lizard. The one sting he had was still throbbing and annoying him greatly but he had to try and keep his mind on the matter at hand to not have a repeat showing. Looking around, it seemed the others had more or less successfully repelled the wave of bees but with distant grass shaking Keres made the observation that more were coming. The group seemed determined to get away rather than sit by and figure out exactly how many there were and Reinaan was no different. He made his way to the Water Chosen with his mount right beside him. "Come on, it'll be easier on you to ride Kloqah. I'm not letting you fall behind again." he said, still blaming himself for not keeping her with the rest of the group before any of this started. Keres looked back to the grass before nodding briefly. "That's true..." she said while looking to the mount before attempting to get up. Reinaan gave her a friendly shove up and onto the lizard's saddle proper before jumping on quickly and sitting behind the girl himself. She stayed quiet and leaned forward as much as possible, likely not wanting to make contact with him. Even after being in direct contact with him as he'd carried her on his back from the lamia's lair it seemed the girl wasn't really yet comfortable around him. The boy tapped at the lizard's sides with the heels of his feet before ushering her onward at a bit faster a pace than she'd been going on the road thus far. She seemed to understand the need to move quickly and was certainly faster than either of the two riding would have been on foot. "Let's get a move on!" he called out to the others. Ryia's idea to return and investigate was worth considering but perhaps a later time when they'd had a chance to learn more about the area and stock up on supplies at a town. "I'm gonna need you to watch our left side pretty well." he then said to Keres in front of him. Without explaining he held his free left hand to his right collarbone over the bee sting. The pain was going to draw his gaze to his right side more often than he'd like for this situation so the extra set of eyes was going to be important.

Ryia had gone to Keres' aid while the Draken had been caught up with the two bees he'd been fighting. Reinaan was relieved but knew he wouldn't let her linger too far behind anymore to make sure things like this didn't keep happening. As the others moved about and readied themselves for more to appear from the bushes, the boy was distracted by the sting he'd received. It had been pretty shallow and yet the pain had continually built up. In attempting to process the pain he tried to think if he'd ever been stung by something like this before. He'd seen much smaller bugs and imagined if they had stingers they wouldn't have pierced his scales like these had managed to. His thoughts carried him away from the battlefield for a moment as he held a hand over the injury as if holding it could somehow make it stop hurting or pulsating. Distracted as he was, Reinaan was not aware the bee that he'd only speared was still moving along the ground and coming for him. However, someone was looking out for the boy. Kloqah had turned about to see what her small lizard rider was going to do once he leaped off her back. She'd been largely disinterested until seeing him get hurt yet again and from that point had started moving his way. She huffed in frustration only to see the other bee moving towards him with his back turned. The larger lizard began charging, not at the bee but at her rider, aiming to show him how to stay out of harm's way one way or another. Only as the lizard's head plowed into his back did Reinaan realize she was approaching. Not braced for impact, he could feel his feet leaving the ground under the lizard's force. As he had still not registered the bee, his only thought was what to yell at her when he landed however many feet away she'd managed to push him. Though a face full of dirt was on the way before any yelling could happen.

Behind the Smile

Reinaan was relieved to hear the journey to town would be relatively short and straightforward. With the much less intense sun it felt like it would be a lot easier than moving through the desert. While the others wrapped up with the knights, the Draken got aboard Kloqah after making sure all of his things were in order for setting out. Though he couldn't help but overhear the new Wind Chosen. She barely knew them yet seemed comfortable enough to speak for the group. The boy's nostrils flared for a moment as his attention turned back to getting into position on his mount. There was nothing to be mad at he told himself. At least not yet anyway. He was realizing he hadn't yet directly spoken to the elf girl and was suddenly dreading the inevitable first conversation. As they began on their way, the lizard duo hovered toward the back, a bit uncharacteristically. Reinaan's main reason for doing so was he wanted to keep an eye on Pyrrha and Damien. But more importantly, Lindow was toward the front of the group and he trusted the man's sharp senses to catch onto danger quickly. Kloqah seemed content to walk at a casual pace behind the majority of the group and Reinaan took to scanning the area around them. Seeing so much grass just go on and on forever on relatively flat land was a new sight for him. The mountains of his homeland weren't nearly so accommodating to it except for around whatever lakes there were. Upon looking at the group ahead of him again the boy realized Keres wasn't among them. In something of a panic, thinking maybe something had abducted her again, he turned about from his position atop the saddle and saw her trailing behind him. She seemed to be writing and was taking things at her own pace. It was a relief to see she was okay. If it went on too much longer he would probably have Kloqah hold up and offer the girl a ride so she didn't get too separated. But before she could get much more lost in her own thoughts a series of sounds caught Reinaan's attention. A rustling in the grass, and a call from Keres sounded nearly at the same time as large winged creatures surrounded the group. The Draken saw several ahead of the main group and heard a few more behind him. He turned about quickly to see two enormous bees between himself and Keres and one more behind the girl. He acted quickly to produce his spear and jumped off from Kloqah's back as it would prove faster than having the larger lizard turn herself about. "Keres, one behind you!" he called out to alert the girl to her situation. At the same time he set his sights on the one nearest him and lunged out and upwards with his spear to stab at it. The creature was quick to move to the side and weapon missed its mark. Reinaan carried his momentum forward and began moving towards the Water Chosen, figuring it would be easier to protect her the closer he was. He kept his weapon raised and ready to stab at the thing again if needed. The bee wasn't going to hover idly and went in for an attack, it's stinger readied and trained on the boy. Reinaan was ready of course and attempted to stab at the creatures head. However the weapon lodged itself in the abdomen of the thing, a much bigger and easier target. The bee's advance was halted but it hadn't yet realized the extent of the injury as it continued to fly in place. Meanwhile the other bee between the Chosen of Water and FIre was approaching, its own stinger readied. Reinaan jerked his spear to side, tearing through the bee's abdomen in the process. Guts spilled from the wound and the injured creature fell to the ground. It's wings and body still moved but it wasn't able to get off the ground for the moment. The other bee meanwhile had gotten close and personal. With it approaching the Draken drew in his breath and exhaled a stream of fire. The bee continued through but the exoskeleton began emitting popping sounds as the creature began burning. The stinger was still coming at him causing him to abruptly end the flame breath before raising his spear to deflect the attack. It managed to redirect the stinger into his collar bone and the very tip of the thing pierced his flesh. The boy was angry at having his scales pierced by yet another giant creature's stinger and his free hand grasped the length of the thing. He pulled it out of his collarbone which tore the appendage from the end of the bee in the process. It's guts were pouring out from the new hole and the creature began falling down on top of Reinaan. The smell of the burning creature was becoming repugnant and the boy wasn't wanting for guts all over himself so he took a few steps back. Both bees were on the ground and seemed mostly harmless. He'd be sure to finish them off in a moment. But first his attention turned back to Keres as the pain from the sting began setting in. Hopefully the girl had handled the one behind her. He had to get to her soon as he had his suspicions that these were only the first of many more hiding among the grass.

It was almost relieving to have the group back together. Though the feeling was dampened a bit for Reinaan by the continued presence of Damien and the new Wind Chosen. Damien at least he had hoped would run off after something that had captivated him but had no such luck. The girl he still thought was a council spy so it was only natural for her to be sticking to them. He made no real effort to greet her like he did Keres and Ryia; she would no doubt press him for information soon anyway so there was no need to volunteer anything. With everything back in order, the teleportation device was set to perform its function once again. They were headed to Qresa, which, as Reinaan had gathered from the others, was a fairly simple farmland. An easy venture, and one not near so hot, after their previous excursion seemed preferable. The magic of teleportation was quickly becoming a familiar experience, this being their third use of the device. Many more such trips were likely to follow. It seemed like it would be extremely handy were it charged more often than not. The sights ahead of the Chosen on the bridge were vastly different from before. Instead of an ocean of sand, an endless plain of grass rolled on and on into the distance. Reinaan had yet to mount Kloqah, simply holding onto the reigns and walking by her side to take things in at a slower pace. She didn't seem to mind for now, though the teleportation seemed to annoy her. The Draken appreciated the Sun being up and yet the temperature was comfortable enough to move about in. Ahead was a room similar to where they had encountered their first bandits in the desert. As they walked several armored men began approaching. "Ha, Ziiyol's theory falls apart here!" he thought as he readied for battle. The last time he'd ended up with his throat slit so he wasn't about to trust these men. But instead the group was met with a series of knights who not only knew who the group were, but rambled on among themselves. Reinaan couldn't quite tell if he was hearing them correctly, but their names sounded ridiculous. He relaxed a bit as Kloqah prodded him, almost as if she were mocking him for getting so worked up over a calm situation. He had been wrong, if Ziiyol's idea was to be disproven, it would not be now. And so naked he would stay until something terribly unfortunate happened and he could rub it in her face. It took him a moment to catch the insanity of the thought process of wanting something horrible to happen. "Uhh, hello... sirs?" Reinaan began addressing the knights, uncertain of what all to call them. They had all been Sir Something or other so he leaned on what they shared. "We're trying to get to town for information and supplies. Is it very far from here?" he asked, hoping for a quick journey to their first destination. Nothing seemed immediately threatening about their surroundings but he wasn't planning on getting caught off guard again.

I dig it.

In the midst of stewing, Lindow appeared nearby the Draken and propped himself up against a tree. Reinaan looked about for a moment to see if he had the rest of the Chosen with him, hoping they might be on their way. However it was just the Thunder Chosen. The boy didn't mind, he felt the most comfortable with Lindow of the remaining anyway. Not that he himself didn't feel comfortable with Keres and Ryia but the women themselves seemed on edge around him. There was none of that here. Lindow had never treated him much differently than he did any human they'd met and for it Reinaan was grateful. And despite his foul mood, the boy couldn't stay too terribly mad when the man teased him about lacking lips or eyebrows. "Not like I'd want all that gross hair on my face." Reinaan shot back, trying to smile now that he was away from the Council and with a friend. "I suppose the claws and scales do have their perks... especially in our line of work." Lindow responded thoughtfully. His attention turned next to his weapons which he returned to their rightful places about his hip and back. He came to the bandit leader's sword and a hand waited upon it a moment while he looked back to Reinaan. "We're getting stronger." he stated. Reinaan huffed, the thought returning his own to less happy things. "I didn't get stronger just to be ordered about like some pet to those old bastards." Reinaan pouted again despite eyebrow-less state. He wasn't entirely sure how to express what he was feeling anyway. He had been shocked at the idea that the men in charge of the world would have been so violent as to kill a Chosen in front of them and curse them all. But somehow, accepting there were evil men felt a lot easier than trying to accept that there were men who claimed to be good while using such underhanded and emotionally manipulative techniques. Lindow found the statement amusing as he smirked and put the bandit cleaver away. "Who knows... keep getting stronger and they might change their tune." he suggested before pausing a moment in his thoughts. Reinaan however was caught on his last statement. If he got strong enough the Council would have to respect him. They seemed to only respect those things that could directly threaten them, like the Demon Gates. Lindow had another thought that he continued with before much longer. "Hey, Ziiyol, what do you spirits have planned once we've destroyed the last of the gates?" he asked of the air surrounding the duo. Before long a burst of flames appeared to Reinaan's side and there hovered Ziiyol, spirit of fire. "Hmmmm," came her usual relaxed pace to life. "Well while I'd love to stay and see how all sorts of things burn, when our mission is done we will all return home." the spirit said, speaking on behalf of the others. This didn't entirely seem to satiate Lindow's curiosity however. "Hm, I wonder if the same goes for the three of you that are lending me strength..." he pondered aloud. Ziiyol recoiled a bit at having attention brought to the Thunder, Light and Dark spirits that Lindow had consumed and made a part of him permanently. "That... I don't know. Everything has its own realm where it ought to be. You in yours, us in ours, and the demons in theirs." she responded nervously. This line of thought had Reinaan distracted enough from his pouting to add to the conversation. "Maybe you'll get to go between the spirit place and here whenever you want." the boy said with some wonder in his voice. It made Lindow think for a moment as well. "Think I'd much rather stay here if given the choice." the Thunder Chosen replied as his smirk grew a bit wider. The idea of being the only person in the world with the power of the spirits entertained him. "And what about you, my friend? What will you do once the curtain falls on this journey?" he said, shifting focus back to Reinaan. "Me? Well... I haven't really thought about it much past going back home. The village needs everyone it can get to thrive. And I still have to be officially recognized as a man. Hopefully I pick up a few more inches between now and then." the boy said while feeling the top of his head with his healed hand. He still wasn't fully grown by his people's standards. Despite his achievements, lacking the proper physical stature would be embarrassing at his ceremony. "At the rate you're growing you should be more worried about how you're going to fit into doors..." Lindow said before the two laughed about it together. The man slid down to sit with his back against the tree as he spoke. "I suppose I can respect that. Home is where the heart is after all- or so I've heard." he mused while closing his eyes and tilting his head back. "I think I'm going to continue traveling. Who knows, maybe me and you can take the long way back to your village... could be fun." "Yeah, that'd be great!" Reinaan cheered, a smile taking up his face all the way for the first time since arriving. "The elders will be so mad when I bring a human in." he gleefully thought aloud for a moment. Lindow was drifting off to sleep so it was one-sided. Still, it was enough to lift the boy's spirits. Reinaan looked to his friend and was able to finally shrug off the bitterness the interactions in the tower had instilled. It didn't matter how rude and manipulative the Council were. In the end, only the Chosen could save the world. And being a hero of that caliber was more than the young Draken could ever dream of. He stood and left his friend to rest while he walked forward some, just to be sure Keres and Ryia would be able to find them when they had finished their business with the mages.

A hand interrupted Reinaan's stewing. It was Lindow's hand as it happened, placed on his shoulder before the man went to speak to the council members. There weren't any words between the two but there didn't need to be. The boy knew his friend was offering some support and understanding even if he didn't express it. No doubt controlling emotions was vital to his line of work. It was only in this exchange that the Draken realized he could now see over LIndow's head as well. He knew he'd gotten taller based on comparisons to Ryia but he hadn't thought he'd become the tallest in the group. If he were in a better mood he might have celebrated. The Wind Chosen then introduced herself and some of the others responded. Yet the boy had no words for her. Not until he could be sure she wasn't just a spy from the council. With their various business concluded Reinaan was all but ready to leave when Keres approached. She mentioned what the boy already knew, neither she nor anyone in their group could tend to his arm sufficiently. "...There's gotta be someone else I can go to." he eventually replied after a small shot of flames erupted from his mouth. There was no reason to get mad at the girl for reminding him of the truth so he did his best to calm down. Still he didn't want to be indebted to these men. "We...would have to look...might get attacked before then." the Water Chosen replied. The response was just as correct as the initial statement. It elicited a sigh which turned into a groan on Reinaan's part. But he knew she was right. He had to have both arms fully functional if they were going to get by. And with no solid lead on an amazing healer they'd be wandering about aimlessly with him still handicapped. Fighting it anymore would prove to just be slamming his face into a cavern wall and so he ultimately conceded by asking for healing for his arm. He was quickly escorted to the infirmary where Gilly had already been taken. Upon stepping into the other room Reinaan saw a strange sight. Gilly was suspended in the air, in a bubble of some sorts. Several men dressed in robes were standing about it, chanting all the while. Whatever had happened to the girl seemed to require some serious magical intervention. Reinaan meanwhile was seated with a single man who began looking over the burned limb. It was still entirely without sensation in most parts. But those portions of the limb that hadn't been burned to the third degree were in a fair bit of pain in general, even more so with his limb extended for inspection. "How did this happen exactly?" came the simple question. "I overloaded Ziiyol's magic intentionally to try and stop a giant flaming skeleton monster." Reinaan said with as detached a tone as he could. With a bit of audible pondering, the man placed his hands on either side of the limb and an almost blinding light began radiating from them. It was similar in nature to the healing magic Kha had and Lindow now possessed, but the boy had never seen this intensity before. He watched in awe as the charred tissue toward his shoulder gave way to soft, new pink flesh, with his scales coming into their place over them soon afterward. The man moved his hands slowly down the burnt limb, pausing longer over the more severely burned sections to ensure they had finished the renewal process. It took a fair bit of time as it happened, the wound was pretty serious and the man wanted to be thorough in his work. Eventually the light faded and the man paused before asking Reinaan to examine the limb for himself. "Woah..." the Draken said under his breath as he brought his left arm before his face. Amazingly, he could feel over the limb again. There wasn't a trace of the burns and his scales had come in beautifully to cover the arm. They felt somehow shinier than they normally were which the boy realized might have been his lack of bathing during the adventures in the desert. Reinaan moved, flexed and stretched the arm about to test the healing job. It was better than it had ever felt. His claws had even fully formed at the end of each finger with a beautifully sharp point. For the sake of it the man began channeling the healing magic again and after asking Reinaan to stand, applied the magic briefly across the whole of his body. Tension and stiffness from past battles and mostly healed injuries vanished away and the sensation nearly relieved the boy of his irritated mood. "That ought to do it. You can put your clothes and armor back on now." the man said. Reinaan was confused of course. "Uhh... I came in like this." he said plainly. Now it was the man's turn to be confused. The Templar of course would never go about naked as this relatively small boy did. Clearly he thought this had been for the sake of a thorough medical examination and not the boy's norm. "Y-you really should consider armor like the Templar use. Your arm might have been somewhat less damaged if you'd protected it correctly." the man asserted. "My scales will do fine, thank you." Reinaan replied, his irritation building a touch at the outset of what he perceived to be an incoming lecture. Yet the healer relented quickly before letting the boy out. He paused briefly to watch Gilly for a moment before continuing on. He was next taken to those who would repair equipment as needed. There wasn't much damaged that Reinaan could think about but he did have his jacket mended so he could finally wear it again. Though with how tall he was getting he was worried it might stop fitting soon. Thankfully it was an easy thing for the mages to add a bit of length for him. He was happy with the repair job though wished it had been somewhere else. He packed it away, deciding against dressing himself yet. He still had to completely disprove Ziiyol's stupid theory after all. Eventually Reinaan was let outside to await the others going about their business. He was the first to exit and went and sat by Kloqah who had been waiting outside with the other mounts. He leaned into the lizard's side and looked up at the sky, still trying to hold onto the last traces of his outrage at being deceived and played with by the council. It was getting harder to stay quite as intensely angry the more time went on, especially with how good his body was feeling. But for now all he could do was appreciate the endless heat of the desert being behind him.

Wisps of flame licked the young Draken's lips as he heard the council members talk. Nothing about what happened outside their tower seemed real to them. They spoke of the Auran the group faced and past events but with little alarm or care. And for Reinaan's demanding of the curse being removed all he got was a laugh and Saleh claiming they did nothing to Kha. To then find out the curse had never been real and they'd just been lied to had the boy's blood boiling at how he'd been toyed with. But the worst offense was yet to come as they spoke of the Wind Chosen who they had seen die in their first visit to the tower. He was now to believe it had all been staged because the Wind Chosen didn't feel comfortable about her position. Why the show then? Why not simply explain she wouldn't be attending? What was the point of showing them a vision of the girl dying? That these men had no respect for the people they needed to save the world only further stoked Reinaan's flames. "Look Reiny, they're gone!" Ziiyol said as she materialized at the boy's side. She had well remembered the placements of the curse marks on the boy's body, despite the difficulty in seeing them on the black scales. But her partner could hardly care, his anger near blinding him at this rate. He looked behind them only to see the portal already closed. All he wanted was to leave yet he'd have to wait on the council's whim for that too. He looked forward as a new figure stepped into the room. The so-called new Chosen of WInd as the council had somehow been able to make the Wind Spirit choose another person. Reinaan knew nothing about this girl but all he could see was more council lies written all over her. He wanted nothing to do with the girl and if she was really to travel with them would be keeping a constant eye on her. "Let's just get Gilly treated and leave..." the boy said with every ounce of restraint he could muster as he turned back to the rest of the group. He was visibly shaking at how much he wanted to hurt the men sitting up above and the girl they'd just introduced. Another push might be all it took to make him lose control of himself. He moved toward the back of the group and kept his eyes closed, not wanting to look at anyone at the moment. And while he spoke of Gilly being looked after, he seemed to be ignoring his own useless burnt limb that likely couldn't be tended to anywhere else in the world. But receiving their help disgusted the boy to his core. He would never be in debt to these men if he could help it. Ziiyol hovered near, perplexed at the anger. She understood they'd been deceived but thought it a delightful trick with how convincing it had all been.

If Reinaan had thought the first teleportation experience would have him any more ready for this time around he was wrong. It was just as disorienting but it passed quickly. What stood before the group now was the Tower the Council resided in. It was a sight the young Draken had hoped to never come into view again, though he knew at least one return trip was going to be necessary to remove the curses the mages had put on them. Ryia announced them after Damien took his leave and they entered to what looked to be the same room as their first visit. The boy hadn't bothered putting his jacket on the first time and saw no reason to do so here now, especially given how moving one of his limbs hurt. Despite his left arm's condition, the boy was ready for a fight as he didn't trust the group to not want to kill some more of them. All there was were three men sitting up in the seats that overlooked the room. Saleh was the one who had sent them on their way in the first place. The other two the group hadn't seen amidst the darkness of the room on the previous visit. He was set to dislike them already and it didn't take much to confirm the feeling. The two new faces were incredibly condescending. If destroying gates was supposed to be so simple they should go and do it themselves the boy thought to himself. The Draken assisted in the group's collective explanation of events, though with none of the excess and showmanship that he showed in the desert village. He did little to hide his contempt for them when he spoke and continually scanned the room, expecting some other member to appear and blindside them with magic. He'd controlled himself from outright yelling at them to remove their curses through much of the explanation. He hadn't even said much about Kha. But as their explanation concluded and Ryia mentioned that the mage they'd fought was once part of the council, something snapped. "Is messing everything up all you people know how to do? Kha would still be here if not for your stupid curses! The gate's gone, so get 'em off!" he growled, fully aware that provoking the world's most powerful mages was an incredibly unwise course of action. Still, for what little it meant they had said they'd remove them after one of the gates was destroyed. The Draken would press for whatever scraps of honor he could find.

I'm down to clown around in the time stream. Any idea where we'd be starting the power scaling at? Cuz there's typical jonin strong then there's great war 10 tails shenanigans strong.

I'm an ultra mega nerd

Sounds like a party.

Listening to Ryia and Damien talk only reinforced the thoughts the girl had shared earlier. Reinaan was growing more annoyed the longer he listened in large part because nothing felt entirely genuine to him. The man would hide everything he could under a friendly smile and joking tone. It seemed this conversation and Lindow's talk of the Council compensating him did seem to be enough to win the man over to their side for a time longer. While appreciative of the additional fighter, the Draken was still unhappy with the person himself. Despite this brewing frustration the boy refrained from commenting at Damien's shout to the Elder and followed Keres inside. As the group entered the eye might be caught by the various textiles lining the walls of the place. However there was little flair to them and thus the next focus was a small circular table low to the ground in the middle of the room. Here sat the Elder, on the floor and cross-legged. It was likely he had yet to move from his conversation with Damien. There was a bowl containing a liquid of some kind in it not far from him. Reinaan found the room strange, largely because such a table would be little more than a foot rest for creatures as large as Draken. "Hello Elder," Reinaan started the group off as they filed in. The older man's attention shifted to them at the sound of the boy's voice. A smile took to his face at the sight of the gathered Chosen. "Welcome, my young friends." he said. "We've come to tell you we'll be leaving your village soon. Thank you for everything you've done for us." the Fire Chosen said, lowering his head some as a sign of respect. The Elder had helped them under trying circumstances when they arrived. Despite his repeated rebellious actions toward his own village the boy had learned well the lesson of respecting his elders and appreciating kindness in whatever form he found it in. "I figured you'd be going soon. You all have so much left to do." the elder said, his voice touched with melancholy bordering on mourning. To have their saviors leave so quickly would likely be hard on the people so the sentiment was understandable. That said, there was little left to threaten them and the endless sun had come to an end. Hopefully they wouldn't need the Chosen anymore. "I hope I can return some day, after everything's over." Reinaan said, feeling some of the sadness the elder did himself. The people had been kind and he wanted to enjoy some more of the hero treatment he'd been getting during the celebrations. He could imagine the reaction now of his triumphant return to the small desert town. The people would run out to meet him and ask for stories of bravery and courage. It'd be fun. But for now the boy felt satisfied to leave and so took a step or two back, giving the floor to the others to address the man.

As Keres produced the teleportation device the council had given them, Reinaan was surprised to see it fully charged and ready to go. That greatly simplified their return trip to Haven. It would be near instantaneous and much easier on the ill and injured among them. Lindow of all people suggested they seek out Damien and see if he would be interested in continuing to travel with them. Based on Ryia's description from earlier and his own initial distaste for the man, the Draken was anything but eager to continue in his company. That said, he did see the Thunder Chosen's point. With three Chosen dead and another incapacitated, those who continued in the journey to the other gates would be hard pressed for man power. With how eventful this first Gate's destruction had been the boy could only imagine what else was waiting for them. Ultimately, the group first decided to say their goodbyes to the Elder before using the device to be on their way. Finding Damien would prove to coincide with this task as they heard voices within the old man's home. Reinaan was hard pressed to believe the younger voice belonged to their sword-wielding acquaintance given how serious it sounded. He grew a little indignant at the condescending way Damien referred to them as nothing more than kids. Clearly their guest hadn't been paying any attention since joining up with them. Reinaan was about to announce the group when Damien himself came out the doorway, his usual attempts at charm sliding immediately back into place. "We're here to say goodbye to the Elder. But since you're here, we wanted to know what you were you planning on doing now." The Fire Chosen stated. While polite it was clear he was not trusting of the man and was almost hoping the reply would involve Damien running off into the desert on his own. "Plan? I don't have a plan." He responded with a shrug. "Same as when I came here. Just wandering is all." Reinaan didn't particularly buy any of it but as far as he was concerned this meant Damien didn't intend on accompanying them. If someone else wanted him along they'd have to ask.

The young Draken was happy to continue chatting with Ryia as the night died down. It was some of the more normal conversation Reinaan had had with any in the group. There was little talk of magic or spirits and there was no problem at hand to discuss. At one point the boy remembered he'd wanted to learn to read and write some when they weren't in a pinch. Now wasn't the time to ask the Earth Chosen for a formal lesson but he did ask to see how his name would be written under the human writing system. The duo merely dragged a stick through the sand without paper on hand and with a little guess work Reinaan was happy to see his name spelled out in the dirt. Not that he really grasped what the symbols meant still. But he tried to burn the image into his mind as a starting point. With that fun aside they continued wandering about the town as the celebration slowly wound down. Eventually the found Keres and before long the entire group, Damien aside, had gathered together in the dark as most of the town had gone to rest. "Back to those council guys?" Reinaan questioned in some disgust at Ryia's suggestion. "I don't like it but they did say they'd get these stupid curse things of us after we destroyed one gate." he concluded with a bit of sulking. The size of the group had dwindled already and the last thing they needed was another instance of one of them attacking the others. The boy agreed with saying goodbye to the Elder before leaving as his thoughts wandered to the journey ahead. "How are we getting back though? We just kinda popped up in the desert with that magic. Is Haven far away?" he questioned, unsure how well Gilly would take a long journey even with the eternal sun put to rest. His good hand moved cautiously to his burnt arm as continued, "And I don't know how helpful I'll be if something bad happens along the way."

Reinaan was curious to watch Ryia's reactions while attempting to answer the question about Damien. She wouldn't look at him as she thought and she seemed to be tripping over her words initially. It made the boy wonder what exactly had gone on between the two of them while he and the others went after Keres. At least for the moment he attempted to follow where the girl's gaze was but it didn't seem to be at anything consistent, just away from him. That said, in the process of trying to look around again the Draken caught Damien in the corner of his eye. The man seemed to be looking over their way but Reinaan didn't linger too long on him and ultimately looked back to Ryia as she continued. Some of her awkwardness faded as she began to actually speak some of her mind. The girl really didn't seem all too fond of him given the words she was rattling off. Reinaan couldn't recall ever hearing her irritated which helped it make more of an impression. Though she seemed to catch herself as she added nice and meaning well to the list of qualities. "Hmm..." the boy pondered aloud as if scrutinizing the response. The first part seemed more believable which only helped keep his suspicions about the man alive and well in his mind. "Well I wonder what he'll be doing now. Or what we'll be doing really. Doesn't feel like we're in all that great of shape to keep going..." he trailed off as he looked to his ruined arm again for a moment. But this was a party, it wasn't the time to be getting sad or pensive. "But hey, let's not worry too much about stuff. It's a party after all. We should eat or dance or something." he suggested. Reinaan wasn't entirely sure what he wanted to do himself, much less what Ryia might want to do. As he looked back out at the townspeople several people called to the pair to join them, all eager to have their heroes join them in the fun. The boy was about to ask Ryia if she wanted to accept the invite but upon turning back to her realized he could see over her head now. "I knew it!" he nearly shouted. "I am getting taller! We were the same height not too long ago." he continued, elated at confirming what he'd been suspecting while talking with the elder. He stood up as straight as he could and puffed up his chest, attempting to look more like an adult as if to impress the girl at his side. "I knew I had a growth spurt coming. I'm gonna get huge!" he now had something to celebrate himself. A smile had taken over his face and it wasn't going anywhere soon.

Ryia's answer to his question led Reinaan to believe that humans generally liked being loud and spontaneous when it came to celebrating something. These were qualities he'd been scolded for growing up though to limited effect. Regardless, he appreciated the difference in the cultures as it made his curiosity with humans as a child make more sense to him. Of course a free spirit would be drawn to these sorts of events. The Earth Chosen turned the question back on him which got him thinking about the sorts of things his village would do. "Well, a lot of what we do is caught up in ceremonies and rituals and stuff." the Draken began as he reflected upon celebrations at home. "Like we'll sit around and eat together, and the adults drink this weird drink they won't let me have until I've proven myself a man. So it's not too different there. But it's always also while the elders are reciting stories like the creation of Draken or the founding of the village. Any dancing is rehearsed as a part of the ceremony for appeasing the volcano spirit. Not exactly a lot of room to just do what you want." the boy continued. He had many a fond memory of such events and yet he had regularly been frustrated with them growing up simply because he had to play his part. If he wasn't assigned to be one of the dancers he had to simply sit and watch and listen. The adults seemed to have more fun with the weird drinks but he couldn't have that either. Any time he'd attempted to act out he'd be punished for disrespecting the village's traditions. While they'd given up on making him cover himself the others wouldn't stand for that sort of thing. Reinaan wondered if maybe after coming back home he could inspire the village to relax a bit and do things more like what the small desert village was doing now. "But, the food was always the best. Draken may not be the best at partying but they know how cook meat! If there's a Demon Gate on Blagos maybe you'll get to try it sometime. It'd be fun to show everyone around." the boy fantasized aloud. Reinaan thought of his explorations of the island's many caves, mountains and even some of the coastline. He had a lot of spots he really liked that he could show them. The village probably wouldn't like him bringing a whole bunch of humans around everywhere but given their reaction to Ziiyol's appearance he doubted it would take much more than saying it was part of the spirit's mission to get them to leave him alone. As he looked about the town Reinaan saw the people still going hard at it pretty much in every direction. Though for some reason he wanted to account for everyone in the group despite not being in a dangerous situation. Keres and Lindow had left earlier to tend to Gilly and Anis had come to the shrine with them but that still left someone. It took a minute but it clicked that he was thinking of Damien who he hadn't really seen around since they arrived. "Hey Ryia," he began as he kept scanning the area to get her attention for a new conversation. "You spent some time alone with Damien while we went after Keres right? What do you make of the guy?" he asked. If anyone had had enough time to get a read on the man it would have been her. As it stood their initial interactions still had the Draken on edge around him but maybe the Earth Chosen had a different view.

Ryia's reserved nature seemed to subside a bit as she smiled and agreed to the party. Reinaan was happy to see it. For a while now he'd been worried it would take a long time for the Earth, Water and Nature Chosen to feel remotely comfortable around him. The Elder seemed to agree with the sentiment, and it wasn't long before the people showed they were ready to celebrate as well. Music and cheers began filling the air as the people felt the heat subside for the first time in forever. His of freedom and praise to freedom, the Chosen and the sun filled the boy with energy. Ziiyol hovered ever nearby, mostly happy though a bit sad to say goodbye to the endless sun here. People who had attentively listened to Reinaan's tale of their defeat of the bandit leader called to the Draken to join their feasting and drinking. They no doubt wanted another round, and his arm aside Reinaan was more than ready to oblige. "Come on, let's go!" he said cheerfully to Ryia as he grabbed the girl's good hand with his good hand and pulled her along for a moment before letting go. The cheers of the group that had called to him increased as they saw the boy approaching. He had to try and take everything in given the whole town was getting caught up in the spirit of the moment. As he looked to his left his eyes met the eyes of a familiar face, the girl he'd spent their last night in the village with. The two quickly looked away from each other, neither seeming to want to relive the night for the moment. Reinaan shook it from his mind and turned back to the crowd. They deserved their story. And so Reinaan recounted the arduous trek through the desert and the sudden sandstorm. He told the story of the giant scorpion attacks and how they found shelter for the night only to find one of their own missing with only a boot as a clue. The Draken's voice was dynamic and emotive, filling each mundane detail of their quest into the depths of the earth to find Keres with mystery and intrigue. The fight with the Naga was loud and bombastic and wowed the audience as they heard of the destructive power the several Chosen possessed if they worked together. His tale next made the final leg of the journey to the Demon Gate sound like a heroic march rather than the tiring experience it had been. He made each shark feel terrifying and left their number vague, as if they had tackled an ocean of sand sharks. He cackled and made the Auran's words feel comically evil and told of the fearsome fiery projectiles. The mage's fierce transformation into the flaming skeleton elemental was grandiose and detailed despite the boy having been occupied escaping from and assisting Gilly and Ryia finish the straggling sharks. The tale concluded with the final stretch of the fight against the elemental and cheers erupted once he declared the evil dead. Details of the gate and exactly where they found the Sun Orb he neglected but the people were more than satisfied with the story. The people were energized and laughing at the Draken's enthusiasm. "Isn't this great?" he excitedly asked of Ryia with his duty to the party concluded. "Do humans always party like?" he asked of the girl, curious what life was like for her where she came from.

Keres and Lindow had both gone off to tend to the still unconscious Gilly. But with his focus on the Sun Orb and what the Elder would ultimately do with it, Reinaan had largely not noticed their departure. Only after his extended bickering with Ziiyol had the boy noticed Ryia and Anis still with him. They had come to a conclusion: Reinaan was going to prove her dumb theory so decisively wrong even she couldn't argue it. Naturally this meant he'd show her unfortunate things would still happen to him even if he was completely naked. Proving good things could happen with his jacket on would make more sense but until the ugly hole in the back of it from the scorpion stinger was fixed he couldn't wear it. That wouldn't be cool and what was the point of clothes if not to be cool? The fire spirit seemed content with the outcome and resumed her usual mindless humming and observing after hiding her presence from the non-Chosen. Both now watched as the Elder held the Sun Orb above the pedestal of the shrine. A strange warmth unlike anything the desert could offer seemed to flow from it. After a pause that felt like an eternity, light erupted from the orb into the sky. Reinaan looked and marveled at how high it would go. Eventually it reached the sun itself and a loud shattering noise sounded as pieces of the sky fell, all at once revealing a sunset. It had been days since the boy had seen anything but high noon. He hadn't been able to track days nearly as well as he would have liked and was surprised to see it was nearly evening. The reduced light and temperature felt incredible after so long in the desert. It seemed to fill him with renewed energy as he was nearly hopping in celebration. "We did it!" he shouted joyously to no one in particular. Though his display did end up facing him toward Ryia. It felt good to help the townsfolk given how kind and hospitable they'd been under their difficulty circumstances. They could finally get out from under their cover and see the night sky. The Draken could barely contain himself at the idea of seeing a beautiful night sky again. "We should party!" he declared to the Earth Chosen, hoping she'd share in his enthusiasm. His stomach rumbled loudly enough to suggest what this celebration would entail. It had been a while since he'd eaten. Add a fairly intense recovery process onto things and the boy wasn't surprised he was in the mood for food even despite the relatively slow Draken metabolism.