Fire Emblem: Soul of Heaven [IC/PG-16]

[Skaia 578]

With Jeb basically at lance point, Leon looked at the man as they tired to figure out what to do. Leon had been mostly ambivalent to the man's fate, he was a bandit after all and they didn't exactly have a history of keeping them alive. Furthermore, both Rona and Raynor had felt fairly justified in killing him, and it wasn't as if the falcon leader could blame them either. As the man started spewing out about who allegedly stole the man's boat, Leon looked to both Raynor and Yue as they seemed to have their own concerns and questions for  the man. Looking to Jeb, who had still been sitting in fear, the young man asked, "well. Do you have any friends that are also looking for us?" 

Looking to Leon, confused, Jeb just started to stammer out, "wha- I - look. I can't tell you where every bandit in Aeora is. It's a big request - bounty - thing. Was sent out by the government of Rastarn - I guess they really don't like you lot." Looking around to see that that was likely not a well recieved comment he said, "listen, I don't know where people go to. They just hole up wherever, find abandoned buildings and stuff and do raids. Bandit stuff you know?"

Leon thought about the answer for a moment, feeling like the anxieties he had been feeling were only more justified now. All the same, rather than mull on it much longer, he then said, "well, Raynor's right. If you didn't want to capture my teammates, then why did you fight against us?"

"Because my men jumped you. Gotta see it through to the end, right?" 

Leon's eyebrow twitched as he then asked, more annoyed, "and why did your men jump us?"

"Uhh...." Jeb looked away as he seemed at a complete loss for words. While he seemed to be trying to think of something to say, it didn't look like he had anything that would be at all acceptable as he tried to think of this. 

With a humorless look on his face, Leon sighed as he began to walk away. "Alright, Rona, Raynor. Do what you will with him." 

[LordCowCow 840]

Rona didn't like this. Two of the others, Ada and Yue, seemed to want to keep the bandit alive. But why? His information was basically worthless. Not only because he could lie but also... "We won't be here long anyways. Our job is to transport Edda; not fight bandits." Going after them would only bring them more trouble. As would keeping him alive. She didn't believe for one moment that letting him go would do anything.

"If he runs off and tells any bandit friends he might have that there are a group of Jouraans heading down this road then we'll only have more people after us. I'm not going to let that happen."

Thankfully it seemed Leon didn't care one way or another what they did with Jeb. She started forward but caught a glimpse of Raynor. The man seemed ready to attack. Almost itching to. She had seen the type before. Her father had a special group that he tended to use to execute the injured enemies. They got a thrill from doing it which only made them more fierce the next fight they were deployed in. The Scarlet Reapers. Standing between them and a kill invited death. So she kept back and let Raynor do as he would.

She did, with reluctance, give warning to Susanoo. "You might want to step back if you don't plan on killing him yourself."

She wanted to get out of here soon. She didn't like this. She thought they would have just killed him and moved on. All this...all this just made her doubt things. And she couldn't afford to do that. She had to be strong. Firm. It was the only way to survive.

---

Alexis watched the group from atop Tana with a curious expression. She was wondering how they'd handle this situation. She still wasn't too concerned what happened to the man, he'd probably be executed by the military if they caught him anyway, but it was fascinating to watch people discuss a man's life right in front of him.

As Leon walked away, heading back towards Alexis, the girl waved him over to her. "So, you've got a pretty intense group here. How long have you been doing this?"

Leon thought about it for a moment before saying, "a few months. Not really that long." Shrugging he said, "and they're not a bad group." Looking to her he said, "right, thanks for the help by the way. What brings you out here?"

"Oh I bet they aren't." Alexis said with a suggestive wink. "As for myself...been going out on patrols lately. Things getting kinda rough and you know me; can only help out in the city for so long before it gets boring."

A few months? That could explain why they seemed to be so disorganized. It was a shame but it didn't seem like most of them really thought of Leon as a leader.

Granted she couldn't imagine it herself. He was just so passive. Which is why he needed someone tough at his side... She gazed over at the group again, specifically Raynor and Rona, and a small grin formed on her face.

Leon sighed at the girl's first comment, though he was familiar with it all the same. After her next comment though, Leon looked to the side, "yeah, and I'm sure they're fine enough back there anyway. Though," looking back to the Jourans in the group he said, "I imagine things are going to get a lot rougher for us out here too."

Alexis broke out of her haze and glanced back at Leon. "You're really living life on the edge you know. I never imagined you'd voluntarily choose such a difficult path but here we are." She hesitated then smirked at him. "So if not the archer which one?"

Leon sighed before he looked at her again saying, "please stop trying to play matchmaker with my love life. It didn't work out with anyone back home, and this isn't any different."

Alexis's eyes flashed. Sounded like a challenge. "Who knows. Maybe you just hadn't met the right girl yet....or boy."

She looked back at the group around the leader again. While she didn't much mind them finishing him off she thought it only fair she give an alternative. So she shouted out, "You know if you tie him up there should be a patrol heading this way pretty soon. They'll be able to take care of him if you don't want to."

[Saikazo 241]

"M-maybe he could tell us, w-where the other bandits are. The ones that are after Jourans." The archer shrank in on herself immediately afterward. "N-never mind, that was a dumb idea."

"Aw, that's not a dumb idea," Raynor said, resisting the urge to pat the girl on the head. He really wanted to though, he was sure he'd get a cute reaction. "I'm glad you're trying to look out for us,"

"Well. Do you have any friends that are also looking for us?" 

"Wha- I - look. I can't tell you where every bandit in Aeora is. It's a big request - bounty - thing. Was sent out by the government of Rastarn - I guess they really don't like you lot." The government of Rastarn? So there was a whole government after them, and not say, some wealthy asshole. This did complicate things a lot... "Listen, I don't know where people go to. They just hole up wherever, find abandoned buildings and stuff and do raids. Bandit stuff you know?"

"Well, Raynor's right. If you didn't want to capture my teammates, then why did you fight against us?"

"Because my men jumped you. Gotta see it through to the end, right?" 

"And why did your men jump us?"

"Uhh...." With a humorless look on his face, Leon sighed as he began to walk away.

"Alright, Rona, Raynor. Do what you will with him." 

"You got it boss," Raynor drew his arm back, eyeballing the distance between him and Jeb.

"You know if you tie him up there should be a patrol heading this way pretty soon. They'll be able to take care of him if you don't want to."

A second too late. He launched the javelin, a whistling sound being heard as the weapon spiraled through the air, rushing at its target. It finally nailed the bandit inbetween the eyes, causing the man to slump over, finally released from this mortal coil

"I'm sorry, you say somethin'?" Raynor asked as he walked over to the body, plucking the javelin out of the body. He stood over the body, a complicated feeling filling his mind. It wasn't regret about killing the man, no, in fact, that was the last thing on his mind. No, something else was now bothering him... and frankly, there was only one person he could talk to about this. "Hey, Rona," He called out. "Something important just came to me. Do you mind if you and I have a talk?" He looked around at the group. "Maybe just out of earshot, just in case this turns out to be nothin',"

Edited July 13, 2019 by Saikazo May Cry

[Kay Faraday 23]

---

"M-maybe he could tell us, w-where the other bandits are. The ones that are after Jourans." The archer shrank in on herself immediately afterward. "N-never mind, that was a dumb idea."

Layne let out a little sigh as he rubbed at his neck gently, all this bickering over what to do with the scum of a bandit was really starting to get on his nerves. Not because it was necessarily a bad discussion to have, but because every moment standing still was another chance of being jumped without warning. It was a little anxiety-creating to just be standing here and waiting for the others to come to a decision on what to do with this bandit.

Yue wasn't wrong at least, it was a good idea to at least try and figure out what the guy knew. But with the way the conversation had turned, it was quickly becoming apparent that he just didn't have an answers for their group. It was slightly disappointing...

"Alright, Rona, Raynor. Do what you will with him." 

The kill command. He quickly turned his head away as Raynor began the windup to throw that javelin, a small groan escaping him as he turned his head quickly. He didn't want to see the execution actually happen, it would be a bit too much for him right now. The killing was fine in the heat of the moment, but during downtime like this... He just kept his gaze averted from the others as he mumbled, "Let's get ready to get going again then! We don't wanna take too long with our journey, yeah? Especially with what he said."

Layne brushed his hands together before just taking a few steps away from everyone else, over towards Yue to give her a small smile, "It wasn't a bad idea though."

---

[Sethera 290]

She knew it. Her idea was dumb. The bandit chief didn't know anything, and oh, why did she even say anything? It wasn't like there was any point to it. Either nobody heard her, listened, or what she had wasn't worth saying out loud anyway. Why did she even try anymore?

Because, for some strange reason, Leon listens.

That ended up being a major impetus for her joining the Iron Falcons. Not very many people noticed her, or cared to, but Leon did. It made her feel slightly more confident, like maybe, just maybe, she could take a teeny-tiny step forward. Except she was still kind of pathetic and not very smart or talented or anything cool at all like the others, but she would keep trying for his sake. And...maybe for the rest of them too now.

In the end, the bandit boss was killed by Raynor. Who then wanted to talk with Rona. Yue's eyes widened. Wait, wait, he wanted to talk with her? Alone? About what? Was it scary Jouran stuff, or maybe... Her eyes widened further until they felt as if they would pop out of her head. No, that can't be, she started to panic. Does he...like her?

Her stomach churned, and, turning away, the archer glanced at...Layne, who was grimacing slightly as he mumbled something that the girl could barely hear. He brushed his hands together before just taking a few steps away from the others, over towards Yue to give her a small smile, "It wasn't a bad idea though."

"W-w-w-what? Really?" the silver-haired girl stammered, blushing slightly. "Y-you think so?" That was...odd. Nobody thought her ideas were good. Not even Leon usually. Maybe the healer had gotten knocked around the head a couple times during the fight while Yue wasn't looking. "Are y-you all right?" she asked, stepping closer to the man, momentarily forgetting her usual aversion to him and his healing magic. "You're not h-hurt, are you?" She tightened her grip on the scratched bronze surface of the bow in her hands. "If you get hurt, th-then, well, that's bad..." she trailed off awkwardly, eyes falling downward to focus on her shuffling feet. Every time I say something, I sound so...stupid. Of course it's bad if somebody gets hurt. He knows that. I know that.

Ugh. She blushed furiously. He's going to think I'm saying he's stupid or something, isn't he?

[Skaia 578]

With the matter  taken care of by Rayor, Leon looked to his old acquaintance and said, "well, guess that's that." The bandit leader's death brought no comfort to Leon. He was merely a part of a much greater problem that the group was going to need to deal with. All the same, he had felt somewhat anxious to continue their journey to Enta, as he only grew more worried about more bandits or patrols that would find them the longer they stood still. However, it had appeared that some of the group wasn't done yet with here, as some continued to socialize with one another and then there was still the matter of the red haired Yonan that was supposedly going the same direction as them. There was also something else Leon needed to take care of. 

Though Rastarn was not her government, Leon knew that Alexis was still an Aeoran. And she herself had been a particularly pious one at that. While he couldn't think she would bring them harm, nor had she shown any intention to in this fight yet, there was still the matter of what came after. As such, Leon looked to the girl and simply asked, "so, what're you going to do now?"

---

Edda, meanwhile, had simply been standing still. The news that the bandit had given them before his death only seemed to cause her to grow more nervous. And, in addition to that, confused. Edda wasn't sure why the Aeoran government was going after them so viciously. That they knew of her should've been unlikely. And the other two she had met so far didn't seem to warrant such a wide sweeping search. Of course, it was possible that what she had heard was true, and that the Aeorans were actually just that bloodthirsty to her people. But...

The girl then eyed the Jourans up as well. Though they didn't seem to be anything special at first glance, the girl was still not sure what to make of them. And, with more suspicion, the girl eyed up Ada. She was certainly a strange one to Edda - which was saying something given how strange the entire rest of the group had been - and that she couldn't understand the concept of an Aeoran Shaman, only made her more wary of the girl. In the end, she simply stood where she was silently waiting for the group to move on, but would keep alternating between shooting glances at Ada and looking to the ground. 

[LordCowCow 840]

And so the deed was done. Rona felt herself relax slightly as the final bandit was slain. It seemed that everything was wrapping up here. She should get back on Cormag and check out ahead to make sure that...

"Something important just came to me. Do you mind if you and I have a talk?"

She paused. What? Why did he want to talk to her? Did he finally realize who she was or something? Now that she thought about it his actions had reminded her of her father's soldiers. So what if...

She couldn't back down either way. Yet, still, she wondered if Leon was fine with this. She turned her gaze over to the young man with a hint of a question in her eyes. The nod he gave her should have relaxed her. But she still had no idea what this man wanted.

But she would look cowardly to deny it. So she agreed and led them away from the main group. Cormag moved to follow her but she held up a hand and he halted.

Still, as Raynor followed the girl, he would feel Cormag's eyes glaring daggers into his back.

Once they were a decent distant from the others Rona turned. Instinctively she kept her hand on her axe as she faced him straight and proudly. "What is it?" She asked. Then, trying to come off as relaxed, added with a smirk, "You don't want to try your luck against me right after a fight do you?"

---

"so, what're you going to do now?"

Well wasn't that the question of the hour? Alexis wasn't actually sure what she wanted to do now. "I suppose I probably should get back to my patrol. But if I'm being honest I've been getting sorta antsy you know? They don't send me out very far and there's still so much to see or do." She cupped her chin in her hand and scanned the group. There was something about them that drew her in. So many potential pairs but even more than that there was a general mystery about them. The Jourans, the Shaman, the shy but deadly accurate archer, it was all so...new.

Her eyes settled on the healer and the archer and a grin crept on her face. Look how kindly he handled her? And how concerned she was? It was just so...cute!

"Alright, I think I've decided!" The girl declared. She went to get off of Tana. Her foot caught the stirrup and she fell face first into the dirt.

With a chuckle she pushed herself up, dusted herself off, and practically glided over towards Layne and Yue. Her arms outstretched to the sides she began to speak as she got near. "I absolutely love to see companions who are so close they care so much about each other's status."

She looked at Layne. "You seem like such a noble guy. I would've thought, with your face, you'd be one of those smooth operators but it seems you're the kindly type." She then turned to Yue. "And you! You've impressed me twice so far. That earlier attack was so accurate, despite there being something in the way, such talent! And despite it you're so humble. So amazing!"

She turned around completely and shouted to Leon. "Your group is very interesting! I'm coming with!"

After everyone responded she would go over back to Tana, who seemed to be fidgety, and was watching Cormag with curiosity and concern, and took out some paper. She strolled over to the bandit leader's body and placed a note onto it.

"Hey everyone; Alexis here! These bandits were a pain but they're all dealt with now! I met and old friend and will be traveling with him for a bit. I'll come back another day even stronger than before so don't wait up!"

[Saikazo 241]

You don't want to try your luck against me right after a fight do you?"

"Oy, oy, I swear I don't flirt with women at every chance I get," Raynor stated with a joking smile. He then took a deep breath, letting himself become in the right state of mind for what he was about to ask. If he read Rona right, then he couldn't imagine this was about to go super well. "Do you... do you think we're putting the group in unnecessary danger by being here with them?" That was a question he didn't want to think about, but... "I mean, sure, they're carrying Edda with them at the moment, and the Jouran haters will possibly attack them for having her, but she won't stay forever. Maybe... maybe we should hit the road after they drop her off,"

He paused, organizing his thoughts. "Now, don't get me wrong. I have full faith in our ability to defend them if we do stay, our tendency to get separated from the group notwithstanding, but... they may not have to encounter half the fights if we weren't there. Honestly though, I haven't been with the group long, so I just want your opinion on the matter," Honestly, he didn't know what he was asking of Rona. He didn't know her past, he barely knew her. Why was she so clingy to Leon, why was she so suicidal in combat? He didn't have the answers, but that didn't matter.

He could walk away and move along with no problem. After all, while he did like the group, he didn't think he was worth all this trouble. But if Rona was staying, well, they'd be in danger anyways, so he'd stick around. Honestly, this would all come down to how she answered.

[LordCowCow 840]

"Oy, oy, I swear I don't flirt with women at every chance I get,"

Rona wasn't sure what he meant. She had thought for a moment he wanted to fight her but...the response given was rather confusing. She didn't get a chance to voice her confusion, or much of anything at that, because that statement was followed by something that caused a pit to form in her stomach.

Putting them in danger? Causing more fights? Was that what she had been doing? If that were true it meant that all this time she was trying to repay Leon she was only adding to his troubles. If that were the case...she didn't know what she'd do. She couldn't go back home and she didn't know much about anywhere else. All she had was Leon and the Iron Falcons. Without it...

She realized that she hadn't spoken for too long. She was standing, frozen in place, without even changing expression while trying to piece together what Raynor was saying. There was no reason for her to continue on if it wasn't for repaying Leon. No one else needed or wanted her. Even Leon she knew didn't actually need her around. Which was why she had to try harder than anyone else. But if what she had been doing wasn't actually helping...

Her mind went blank for a moment. The idea that she wasn't even able to help the group, meaning that she was entirely pointless, was far too much for her to handle.

She could vaguely hear herself giving a response. Almost an automatic reaction. The tone she could hear didn't match what she felt at all. "I'm not going anywhere. Leon would get into all sorts of trouble without me by his side! If that means we'll have to deal with more of these chumps so be it. I'll take them all on myself if I have to!"

[Blake 312]

While she wasn't satisfied with how the group handled Jeb, thinking he still had more information to offer, Ada understood the decision. She looked away from Jeb before the kill came, sighing softly. Seeing it outside of battle really would be different, wouldn't it? Heading over to Layne, she found him comforting Yue.

"It wasn't a bad idea though."

"W-w-w-what? Really? Y-you think so?"

"I agree with Layne. I think keeping him alive, at least for the time being, had benefits. You weren't wrong at all, Yue."

Ada smiled at the sheepish archer, though Alexis had come in and stolen the scene shortly thereafter. She waited for the... spirited girl to walk away before heading over to Layne and Yue, rubbing her head with a perplexed look on her face.

"She's, uh... She's something, isn't she? She came over to me during the battle to try and 'save' me from my magic. Travelling with you guys, I almost forget that people feel that way about dark magic, at times..." Shaking her head and shrugging, Ada put her tomes away. Now was the time to gather their bearings and decompress.

[Kay Faraday 23]

---

"W-w-w-what? Really? Y-you think so?" 

"Huh? Of course! We needed information, no matter how unlikely it was that he might have it... It would have been dumb to not at least try!" He wasn't so sure why Yue seemed to think her idea was so poor honestly. Maybe it didn't work out, but that doesn't change that the idea was one that could have saved them a lot of time and energy all things considered.

 "Are y-you all right? You're not h-hurt, are you? If you get hurt, th-then, well, that's bad..." 

He chuckled lightly as he rubbed at his neck gently, shaking his head as he watched her grip onto the bow in her hands as he sighed, "Not hurt, no. Just a little... Frustrated? We don't really know why they're looking for Jourans, we don't know how many potential ambushes there's going to be ahead of us... And I can't help but feel a little bit guilty for putting us on this path, even though there's nothing I can... Really do about it now." That scowl on his face had started to come back as he thought back to how he had pushed for Edda to accept their help... But he had to catch himself quickly. He put that grin right back on his face as he shrugged his shoulders a tiny bit, his voice regaining that usual cheer as he spoke, "I appreciate the concern though! You have any injuries that need to be patched up?"

Layne gave Ada a quick nod as she approached, waiting to make sure that the archer didn't have any pressing injuries, but...

"I absolutely love to see companions who are so close they care so much about each other's status. You seem like such a noble guy. I would've thought, with your face, you'd be one of those smooth operators but it seems you're the kindly type."

Oh no, that voice sounded like the one who had been zipping around the battlefield and spreading weird, weird ideas. He blinked for a moment at Alexis as he raised an eyebrow at her, just barely registering what she was saying, before she had moved on to Yue, who was surely going to shrink from the praise coming from the strange woman... But all Layne could do was raise an eyebrow in confusion, "...Smooth operator?"

"She's, uh... She's something, isn't she? She came over to me during the battle to try and 'save' me from my magic. Travelling with you guys, I almost forget that people feel that way about dark magic, at times..."

Layne let out a brief sigh as he rubbed at the bridge of his nose, a small mumble escaping him as he did, "...She's one of those types, huh? She was scolded by Susanoo, you remember the pirate guy right, for trying to get me to heal him when he got injured. I just kinda stayed far away from that." He lowered his voice a bit once she had wandered off, not really paying attention to Alexis when she had returned to her pegasus, "She seems to, ah... Not know what personal space is, judging by that little spiel, so be careful what you say around her."

---

[Sethera 290]

"Huh? Of course! We needed information, no matter how unlikely it was that he might have it... It would have been dumb to not at least try!"

Dumb to not try? So he's saying my idea is...smart? Maybe...he really did get a knock to his head.

"Not hurt, no. Just a little... Frustrated? We don't really know why they're looking for Jourans, we don't know how many potential ambushes there's going to be ahead of us... And I can't help but feel a little bit guilty for putting us on this path, even though there's nothing I can... Really do about it now." The healer started to scowl again before catching himself with a grin, shrugging as he spoke next, "I appreciate the concern though! You have any injuries that need to be patched up?"

"I...I don't think it's your fault. You couldn't have known." Or actually, maybe he could've known. They had learned that Aeora was looking for Jourans earlier, hadn't they? "Um...I mean, uhh..." she scrambled to think of something, anything to say that would be helpful in this situation. "E-even if you did know, it's not like you meant for anybody to get hurt, right? You were just trying to help." While she had disagreed with the decision to escort Edda to Enta, and still did, that didn't mean that she wanted Layne to feel bad about this. He was usually so cheerful, so it felt wrong to see him look so down.

"A-and, no, I don't have anything...I don't think," Yue looked herself over, nodding in relief to see nothing more than some rips and bloodstains from previous injuries. While she had suffered through that healing session for the sake of being strong enough to help Rona, now that the battle was over, she would rather patch herself up with a vulnerary or two. Or just a bandage. I still don't understand how Layne, another Yonan, could be fine using...that magic.

While they were talking, a familiar violet-haired girl arrived. "I agree with Layne. I think keeping him alive, at least for the time being, had benefits. You weren't wrong at all, Yue."

Oh spirits. It looked like yet another person was in need of healing around here. Ada must have gotten herself hurt in the head as well while the archer wasn't watching.

Forgetting her usual fear, Yue opened her mouth to ask if the shaman needed to get her head looked at, but was interrupted by the arrival of...that weird brunette from before. Her arms outstretched to the sides she began to speak as she got near. "I absolutely love to see companions who are so close they care so much about each other's status." She looked at Layne. "You seem like such a noble guy. I would've thought, with your face, you'd be one of those smooth operators but it seems you're the kindly type." She then turned to Yue. "And you! You've impressed me twice so far. That earlier attack was so accurate, despite there being something in the way, such talent! And despite it you're so humble. So amazing!"

"E-eh?!" the archer ducked her head, face heating up. "I-I-I..." the silver-haired girl stammered. She didn't know...what to say. She didn't even know this person, but she had...impressed her? Her? Yue? I'm not even that good, she thought. I just had a good teacher, and... And she just tried to do her best, because even if she wasn't the strongest, or the fastest, or the most skilled, she was still an Iron Falcon, so she couldn't just...do nothing.

Still...she felt a little bit better now. About her role in that battle. I really feel like I didn't do anything, but I guess I did something, at least.

After the woman left, shouting that she was coming with--wait, coming with?! As in coming with them?!--Ada walked closer, rubbing her head. "She's, uh... She's something, isn't she? She came over to me during the battle to try and 'save' me from my magic. Traveling with you guys, I almost forget that people feel that way about dark magic, at times..."

Layne let out a brief sigh as he rubbed at the bridge of his nose, a small mumble escaping him as he did, "...She's one of those types, huh? She was scolded by Susanoo, you remember the pirate guy right, for trying to get me to heal him when he got injured. I just kinda stayed far away from that." The blond lowered his voice afterward, mumbling something that Yue could barely hear, but she had stopped paying attention by then.

Dark magic. While she wasn't as uncomfortable with it, fundamentally, as she was with staff magic, she was still, well...uncomfortable with it. Every usage of Shade or Dusk had the Yonan's metaphorical hairs on end. The girl bit her lip as she slowly shuffled backward, eyes nervously flitting toward the tomes that the shaman was in the middle of putting away. That person, Alexis, might be weird but...I agree with her on one thing at least. The woman also seemed to have some sort of misunderstanding about her--she wasn't nearly as cool as the pegasus knight was making her out to be--but that was...well, she would find out with her own eyes just how untalented Yue was later. "I...I should go," she mumbled, before hastily beating a retreat from the two.

Caught up in blind panic and Don't think about it don't think how much of a disappointment I am, Yue didn't watch where she was going, and before she knew it, she had crashed straight into somebody else. "Oh gosh oh spirits I'm so sorry oh no I didn't mean I..." she trailed off, eyes widening when they locked with glacial blue. "Oh...h-h-hi E-E-Edda," she stammered. "I-I-I...u-um...uhh...meep!" her vision started to fuzz around the edges.

Edited July 20, 2019 by Sethera

[Skaia 578]

Leon had looked a bit dumbfounded as Alexis bounded off and started to engage in her...hobby, at Yue and Layne. While he felt sorry for the both of them, he was then left more surprised by her sudden declaration to join their group. Leon had known that she could've been a bit of an impulsive person, but this seemed to be something else. While the boy would normally chastise her about this, Leon felt like he wasn't in much of a position to argue with her. In fact, this was likely the best case scenario for the group to make sure she didn't tell anyone else about them. And having another hand around was always helpful. "Well um," Leon seemed to be collecting his thoughts before continuing, "welcome aboard, I suppose. Officially speaking, we go by the name of the "Iron Falcons."" After a brief moment, Leon simply glanced to the side saying, "we used to have more fliers." 

Fastening his sword to his side, he then continued, "anyway, I hope you have what you need on you. We should be heading out soon, after all," he gestured to the deceased bandit leader. "We don't want to linger around here for too long." 

 

---

 

Edda had realized something while she was mulling over her own thoughts. Glancing back to each member of the mercenary group that she was apart of, she was able to notice that they were all talking with one another. That alone wasn't worth note. No, what it was that Edda had realized was that she was awkwardly far away from everyone else. The girl had simply been standing on the side this whole time, silently lost in her own thoughts and it had seemed to her that this gap only seemed to widen as time went on. Of course, she didn't really want to be near them or anything. And even if she were, she had absolutely nothing to talk about with them. So it only made sense that she would keep her distance and not talk with them. If anything, she had less than nothing to talk to them about.

Oh, she could talk about how she wanted to go on! The thought had crossed her mind, and as she was the client it would be entirely reasonable for her to talk about that. Or, was it? Thus far, Edda hadn't actually had much of a say in when they moved out. And she had very little experience in dealing with mercenaries as it was. So she wasn't sure  how talking about it would go over. Of course, if she moved forward then surely that would convey the same message and they would be forced to follow. Though, that also didn't seem conducive to being less awkwardly far away from everyone else. Not that she needed to close the distance anyway. 

As Edda seemed to be lost in her own thoughts, she was interrupted as she felt something bump into her. Truthfully, Edda herself had hardly noticed it, and Yue would be able to notice that Edda had barely budged from her spot in spite of being crashed into. As such, she curiously glanced to the side, locking eyes with something akin to a frightened rabbit staring down a fox. Raising an eyebrow at this, Edda's vision focused more on the whole picture, seeing the shaking form of a the white haired Yonan girl in front of her. Edda looked around, not seeing any cause for panic before her eyes rested back on the archer. As she greeted her, Edda froze up as she realized something. "Oh um, hello there, um" As the distance, that she hadn't cared about, suddenly closed between them she came to understand something. Everyone in this group knew her name. Edda herself, though, had no idea who it was she was talking to. Though, she had said something at the end of her statement that caught her attention. Was it a Yonan tradition to say that at the end of a greeting? It certainly hadn't been an Aeornan one from what she had seen thus far. Maybe it was just some strange verbal tic that she had. Or maybe it was her name? 

Figuring to be safe to go with the assumption on the first and third option to proceed in the conversation, Edda simply replied, "Meep." Her tone was, of course, far flatter and more confused then the Yonan girl before hers. As Edda had returned her greeting, she then paused for a moment, not really thinking her usual conversation topics were applicable here. As such, she thought about it for a moment, realizing that the girl was still shaking and grew  more concerned as she asked, "are you..well? Cold?" It was still quite warm out. Trying to speak the girl's language yet again, Edda shrugged repeating, "meep?" 

Edited July 22, 2019 by Skaia

[Saikazo 241]

"I'm not going anywhere. Leon would get into all sorts of trouble without me by his side! If that means we'll have to deal with more of these chumps so be it. I'll take them all on myself if I have to!" That wasn't the answer he expected from a woman who had stood there, frozen as several emotions crossed her face. Raynor shrugged, shaking his head.

"Well, if you're staying, then there's no point of me leaving. Let's just make sure we protect the others then," he said with a shrug as he turned away. "We should get a drink or something in the next town, my treat, to celebrate a bright future in the Iron Falcons," He then walked away from her, heading back to the group.

He arrived back in time to hear Leon tell the new girl, "We don't want to linger around here for too long." 

"Aye aye captain," Raynor replied as he went and climbed on Gojira, who was laying on the ground, waiting for everyone else. "Ready to head out!"

 

[LordCowCow 840]

"We don't want to linger around here for too long." 

"I like that attitude Leon! Or I guess it's 'boss' for now isn't it? Hmm, maybe that's why you wanted to make a mercenary group..." Alexis shook her head to stop that train of thought before it consumed her. She patted Tana's neck. "All I ever need is right here. I got my weapons, my instruments, and of course Tana."

The pegasus tossed her head proudly and stamped her feet. Clearly just as ready to get going as her rider.

Alexis tried to get up in one fell swoop but ended up going over and launching herself onto the other side of the mount. She laughed it off as she lay there a moment. "A little overeager I guess!" She said, pulling herself up. "But nothing to fear; I'm ready to go at a moment's notice."

She cast a sideways glance at the group of Ada, Layne....oh, Yue no longer was there. She instead was talking to the strange and, for the most part, silent, girl that the group seemed to be escorting. She hadn't expected Yue to be the type to initiate conversation but perhaps she had been inspired to become a bit more social?

Alexis grinned. She'd have to try and work on that. If that girl was going to form a pairing then there would be much work to be done.

Out loud the girl couldn't help but declare. "Oh this is going to be so much fun!"

---

"Well, if you're staying, then there's no point of me leaving. Let's just make sure we protect the others then. We should get a drink or something in the next town, my treat, to celebrate a bright future in the Iron Falcons,"

"Haha, yes, that, that's a thing we should do." Rona said. A drink? Rona hadn't drank before. From her siblings, especially her sister, she knew that her family had a high tolerance for the stuff but she hadn't really had much of it herself. After all she had seen what it did to a soldier when they drank too much before a battle. Images of hungover warriors throwing up on the battlefield before being cut down flashed in her head.

Still, it was good that was all that Raynor wanted. One less worry. Now she only had to be concerned about how much Edda knew. And as long as she continued to do her work well surely the woman wouldn't out her even if she knew, right?

But from what Raynor said the quality of her help was in question.

She decided to make her way towards Leon in the hopes talking with him would somehow calm these concerns. She noticed that girl was nearby still, saying something about this being fun.

Rona had intended to try and find out what he thought of her performance. That was the important thing. But for some reason, seeing how the girl was talking to him, she couldn't help herself. "Is she a friend of yours?"

“Something along those lines. We used to train together back home, and our parents knew each other, so we just ended up spending time together.”

"I see....so, is...is that all? Nothing else like, perhaps, an arranged marriage?" Rona paused "She does seem to keep hinting at romantic relationships is all." The girl didn't get why she was asking such unimportant questions. She should be asking about how well she did. Or, if she had to ask about that girl, her prowess in battle. But there was a sinking, curious, feeling in her gut she couldn't remove.

Leon seemed stunned for a moment and were he eating anything he most certainly would’ve choked on it. Waving her comment away he said, “nothing like that. No.” He then glared at Alexis saying, “you really are a bad influence.”

Rona let out a sigh of relief. Which was then followed by a slightly panicked look. She hadn't wanted the Pegasus Knight a part of the discussion but now the girl seemed to be interested in what they were saying.

"Hello hello what's this? I'm only the best of influences. Hey there, I'm Alexis, I should thank you for taking care of this kid."

"Er...right. I'm Rona...Anyway I should move out. Preparing for leaving. And such."

Stiffly the girl turned and went back towards where Cormag was. What was wrong with her?

---

At the same time, off to the side, Cormag had ambled over towards Gojira. There was a slightly smug look on the wyvern's face. After all his rider had done so much yet Raynor had been regulated to some clean up and flanking. He couldn't help but let his pride in his rider show in that moment. And he snorted at the salamander as if to say "Bet you wish you had wings to carry your rider into battle."

[Sethera 290]

"Oh um, hello there, um," Edda froze, seeming a little...nervous?

Eh? That's strange... Still, it wasn't like Yue was able to focus much on the strangeness of this strange girl, what with everything starting to go black in front of her. Scary scary scary scary scary scary scary scary--

"Meep."

Huh? Time seemed to freeze, broken only by the archer taking in a ragged gasp of air. She had, it seemed, forgotten to breathe earlier. Lowering her head, the girl closed her eyes briefly as her temples throbbed, taking care to breathe evenly. It was something she had been taught to do from a young age as she had had a terrible tendency to faint whenever things got too terrifying for her.

Raising her head and opening her eyes, she stared back up at the Jouran, shaking in place, but, thankfully conscious.

"Are you..well? Cold?" What was going on? This girl was...concerned? For her? Why? She's an evil evil Jouran who's gonna do evil evil stuff to us and yet--

She was concerned.

The girl, perhaps confused by the continued silence, shrugged, "meep?"

"E-eh?" Why was she saying meep so often? Wait, that sounded a little similar...to what she had said when she was terrified earlier. Was she...imitating her? Making fun of her? She's not smiling or smirking though...so maybe not?

Realizing, just then, that Edda had asked a question, and Yue had failed to answer not once, but twice, brought her back to earth. "Oh! U-um..." she looked down, poking her index fingers together. "U-u-um...hello. I'm...Yue..." She trailed off, ducking her head shyly, letting her hair fall in front of her face. She would need to cut her bangs at some point. They were starting to get a little long. Or maybe, she would just let them stay long, so she could just hide behind her hair when things got a little scary. "A-a-and I'm...fine. Sorry..." She wasn't sure why she was apologizing, but maybe this person would be less likely to do evil things if she could appease her.

"S-s-so," she stumbled over her words. "U-um...are you...well?" Isn't that what she was supposed to do? Ask the other person how they were after being asked? She really, really wasn't any good at this talking thing.

[Skaia 578]

Edda had figured that her assumptions were not on the ball, as she had suspected. While the white haired girl had started talking to her, Edda had difficulty making out the words the girl was saying. It was actually impressive, to be this close but to lower one's volume to that level. All the same, it had appeared that what she was doing did not, in fact, be a custom or method of talking in Yon'Lou. More to the point, the girl had hardly seemed "fine," though Edda was no doctor and thus figuring out what it was that was ailing her was far beyond her kenning. As she looked skeptical at the Yonan woman, she seemed startled as she was now being asked the question. "Um, yes." Edda looked at herself, noting only a small scratch that she had sustained earlier. Beyond that, she certainly felt fine, so she just nodded again saying, "yes I am." 

After that, Edda just stood there, herself unsure how to proceed. Silently, the girl waited to see if the woman before her would do something, but of course she was also silent. Edda was sure that there was something that came after this, something more casual, but her mind seemed to reach for topics that either didn't exist or weren't shareable. And so, it was there that the conversation came to a halt. Well, it wasn't like she wanted to speak with them to begin with, so having gotten this far was fine. Right? Looking away from the girl, she bluntly said, "let's get going." And with that, began to walk off along the road once more, seemingly content with herself. 

---

As Rona began to trail off and get prepared, the mercenary boy figured that he would have to probably help warn her about Alexis's hobby. It was a bit overbearing at times, and it was clearly something she didn't seem to be comfortable with. As such he'd have to make sure she, and the rest of the Falcons for that matter, knew what they were getting into. Though, the boy looked towards Alexis saying, "also, don't call me boss. It sounds sordid when you say it." With everyone ready to get on the move, Leon said, "alright everyone let's get -" his attention was drawn away as Edda seemed to already be walking on her own. "Where is she..."

He then seemed to notice something else. Throughout this whole conversation, he had realized that Susanoo had been strangely quiet for his generally loud and obnoxious demeanor. It was then he realized why this was the case, as the man seemed to already be on a mule, riding off into the distance. Leon was thankful for this, as the less time he had to deal with the man the better it was for him. Shaking his head he said, "alright Falcons, let's get on the road." 

---

The journey from Western Aeora to Enta was a long one indeed. Having marched for several days at this point, the group had managed to evade any unnecessary conflicts with bandits, both either from the lack of them or the benefits of having two flying scouts. Avoiding the main bridge to cross into Enta's region of Aeora, the Iron Falcons attempted to take a more direct path from where they had started to Enta. Cutting into the Alelle Woods, the mecenary company was eventually stopped by the Evas River, being their own main natural obstacle between them and Enta. 

 

Chapter 6 - Verse

Date: 27th of Aeis, Year  967, Fall 
Time: 10:17 PM
Location: En Route to Enta, Southern Aeora, Evas River

Leon was glad to see that they were making progress in their journey, however, crossing the Evas was a problem that he still hadn't quite figured out how to solve. It wasn't  shallow enough to walk through, and the current was enough to dissuade one from swimming through it. Not to mention that he had no idea how a salamander would take to water. While there was probably something to do about it, the group had had an already long day of traveling, and so he turned to the others saying, "alright, let's set up camp here for the night." 

 

[Sethera 290]

Things just seemed to get more and more awkward. Yue didn't know much about conversation, but she suspected that just standing there in silence wasn't something people were supposed to do when they talked. That was more what she did, and she had been told that that was a very very bad and awkward thing to do. But now Edda was doing it too, so maybe this was normal? Or she was just as bad at this. Probably the latter. The others seemed to have no problem filling in the gaps in conversation.

Looking away from Yue, the girl said, "let's get going." And with that, began to walk off along the road once more.

The archer breathed a sigh of relief. She had talked with Edda...and somehow survived it. Even though the conversation got a little weird at the end there, it was over now, so she didn't have to worry about carrying it further, or making small talk with someone so scary. Yue then followed the girl at a slower pace, letting the gap between them widen as they walked. Soon after, the rest of the Falcons caught up, and the silver-haired girl blushed when she realized she had almost left her boss behind.

--

The journey to Enta had been long, but Yue had enjoyed every minute of it. Unlike many of the others, she felt more at home in the wilderness than in civilization. She much preferred forests and meadows to icky cities and towns, full of people who could get kind of scary if something bad happened. Not to mention, they were usually pretty smelly too. Animals didn't smell much better, but they had a different smell to them, one that Yue found comforting in its familiarity.

Eventually, however, they were forced to stop after cutting into the Alelle Woods. In front of them stood the Evas River, and Yue only knew what it was called because she had crossed that very same river on her flight from her hometown. Leon seemed to think that now was a good stopping point, turning to the rest of the group, "alright, let's set up camp here for the night."

As soon as he said that, Yue let her shoulders slump. While she enjoyed being out and about again, she could tell that she had started to get a little out of shape, staying in one place for so long. Once again, she would have to adjust to the aches and pains of traveling. The archer shook out her shoulders, letting her pack fall to the ground. "I-I'll go hunting...if we need food that is," she volunteered. "I-if we're fine, then...please, just ignore me."

Edited August 7, 2019 by Sethera

[LordCowCow 840]

Rona still didn't like forests much.

It felt so cramped. She wasn't able to fly very well. And there were noises coming from all directions all the time. It was far too easy to be ambushed and, given Cormag's trouble flying in such terrain, Rona would be forced to fight on foot if it came down to that.

There was one good thing about it though. Alexis, the other flyer in the group, had been grounded as well by the trees. Which meant Rona didn't have to suffer through the girl showing off anymore.

Alexis had taken to making dives and loops in the air, laughing all the while, on the way here. At some points literally flying circles around the much slower Cormag. While the rider herself didn't seem to intend any ill will Rona noticed that her Pegasus seemed to be giving what she could only call cocky looks at them. It seemed the mount had taken to taunting Cormag.

Which meant that Rona spent much of the first part of the journey through the forest calming Cormag down and assuring him he was a good boy.

It was a relief when they finally stopped to set up camp. Cormag went off to the largest patch land free of trees he could find and slumped down. Giving the other mounts a warning look not to approach.

Alexis's pegasus took this as a challenge and settled in several feet away from him.

"She's a stubborn one isn't she?" Alexis said as she laid her pack down on the ground. "She won't go too far though, don't worry about that. She's cheeky not dumb."

Rona wasn't sure how to respond. Truthfully she wasn't so sure it mattered. Cormag was gentle in reality so this was more a blow to his pride than anything. She knew he wouldn't do anything even if Tana were to climb directly on top of him but she wasn't about to reveal that. Especially not to her.

"I can see that. I'm sure she's difficult to handle." Rona replied somewhat curtly.

The Pegasus Knight seemed to notice that and shrugged. "Not so much. Only fell off a few...dozen times." The girl gave a laugh and went back to helping with the camp set up. Though she almost fell into the fire being set up in the process.

"I-I'll go hunting...if we need food that is. I-if we're fine, then...please, just ignore me."

"Sounds like a good idea." Rona said. She approached the girl with a smile and wave. "Not sure about sending you off on your own though. I'm not the most stealthy around but I could come with to back you up if you're willing to have me."

Truthfully she didn't know how much use she'd be but it was better than standing around here doing nothing.

---

Alexis was loving this so far. So many new people. New places. It was so freeing! She couldn't help but let Tana go loose, even if she was a bit worried about how snappy that Wyvern seemed. What really made her curious was the rider. She sounded so friendly and confident when talking with her companions yet when Alexis tried to approach her she got brushed off rather coldly.

It was so intriguing.

Perhaps the girl was protective of the group. She had thought earlier she might have had a thing for Leon but now she wasn't so sure. Looking at each of the group she could easily see Rona ending up with any of them.

Though, she had to admit, if it were with Raynor that would be rather boring. But wouldn't Layne and Rona make such an exciting pair?

That was the thought in her head as she tripped and nearly fell directly into the fire.

"Haha, guess I should be more careful! Why don't I just sit over here and play you all some music while you finish up. Don't want to catch anything on fire after all!"

And so she found herself something she could use as a seat and sat herself down. Pulling out her flute she began to play a song.

[Kay Faraday 23]

---

The woods were not a comfortable place to be. Let alone at night, when things were starting to get dark and... Uncomfortable. Camping had never been one of Layne's strong suits, even when he was traveling with the tribe back in Yon'Lou. Sure, he hadn't been on many big expeditions before getting moved away... But it was still something he wasn't that great with.

The fact they had to stop wouldn't be that bad, if they weren't trapped in the woods. At least there was a river nearby. Layne would have to do some looking around the banks to make sure that it wasn't too fast moving to bathe in, that the water was safe to drink for them... A variety of things, really. There was a lot to do in order to properly set up the camp, and he wasn't exactly much help in getting tents and all set up... But he would try anyway, before running off to do his own thing for the evening. He could certainly use a dip in the river, anyway.

 "I-I'll go hunting...if we need food that is." 

Layne blinked for a moment, before rubbing at his neck lightly, "...Whatever you bring back, I can get cooked. Stay safe out there, Yue." Camping might not be his strong suit, but he can help cook at least. There were sure to be some useful greens around that could be used... Or maybe they had some supplies that could work too. He was almost lost in thought as Rona went over to join Yue... And a sheepish look crossed his face. It probably wasn't a good idea to let her go off on her own, that was definitely true. Why didn't that occur to him?

___

Layne had rushed his way around the campsite, doing his best to provide help in setting everything up... And finally, he just plopped down by the campfire for a moment to relax. His eyes closing as he fell over onto his back, looking up at the sky as he closed his eyes, a little mumble escaping him. He barely even registered that there was someone else at the fire... Or that they had nearly fallen into it before he got here.

Right now, he just had to rest. The music coming from nearby had just barely started to register as he laid there, a low sigh escaping him as he just listened to it. It wasn't like anything he would have heard back at the monastery, the hymns there were all fairly standard. This was definitely different. A low mumble escaped the cleric as he sighed, "...It's a nice tune..."

Music wasn't something he had the most experience with personally... But he certainly respected it.

---

[Blake 312]

Ada found the forest nice. It wasn't her favorite place to be, but it had a certain level of nostalgia for her, between her travels and her home life. That said, it was still a bit hot for the girl as the group traveled. She swore she would just never get used to the heat down here in the south, causing her to long for the cold air back in Vjorsovol.

Without realizing, Ada found herself lost in thoughts of the farm. How was everyone? The twins? The animals? It had been a while since she had written a letter, so it might be for the best to write one when they settled into Enta. After all, if she didn't, she wouldn't be shocked if her dad came looking for her, and the thought terrified Ada. What would they think? She was supposed to be at school, but here she was gallivanting about, doing exactly what her dad told her never to do.

Even after the group stopped, Ada moved through the motions. She set up her camp, even failing to notice Yue and Rona leaving. However, a song began to fill the air, breaking her out of the lonely thoughts. Looking for the sound, Ada found Alexis playing the song on her flute, causing the girl to cock a brow. With the music keeping her from her thoughts, the shaman spoke without a filter.

"I wouldn't expect someone as forward as you to be able to play something so delicate. Sounds nice."

[Saikazo 241]

Raynor didn't have an opinion on forests. They were a necessity for life, without them, they wouldn't have trees, or food, and things like that. He was just really used to traveling across them, so he didn't feel uncomfortable among the thick trees. He didn't want to live here, not by a long shot... well, maybe building a log cabin in the woods after he became a legend wouldn't be such a bad end to his story.

After a day of traveling, they ended up by a river bank, and Leon had decided to set up camp for the night. That worked just fine for Raynor. Everyone split up to do their part to set up camp, Raynor doing what he knew his mount needed the most. The man had a fire started in no time flat... which may have been a mistake, seeing as the new person nearly tripped into it for some reason he didn't understand. With a shrug, he sat down, pulling out his book of dark magic. sitting down and quietly reading its contents, the words illuminated by the light of the fire. The newbie even began to play music, which was nice and relaxing after a day of travel and bandit killing.

Gojira watched the other mounts get in some sort of dominance ritual and snorted to himself.  They could fight over that patch, he had a much better place to sleep that night. The large lizard waddled over to Raynor, laying his head under Raynor's right arm, and then the lizard wrapped his body around his master's body. Raynor began to absentmindedly pet his mount's head as he read. The usually loud rider and his energetic pet were now the image of quiet peace, just enjoying the other's company as the time passed.

[Skaia 578]

Nodding as the two girls had said that they wished to go hunting, Leon merely did his part around camp as the group got to setting things up. Aiding Raynor in collecting the fire wood, and then helping pitch whatever shelter was needed, when all was said and done, Leon merely let out a heavy sigh. Rather than sitting, Leon took it upon himself to lie on his back on the ground, looking at the stars that seemed to peer through the the canopy of leaves the treetops formed. Having felt quite tired for awhile now, Leon took this moment of camping to try and unwind as best he could. The marching itself was physically strenuous and while it had definitely been no small part to Leon's fatigue, this hadn't been the first job they took which required a good deal of travel. More it was his thoughts on the bandits, the job they were taking, and the people he was with. Once they had gotten to Enta and delivered Edda there, what would come next? As things were, returning home and continuing on with business as usual hardly seemed like it would work out for long. 

While the boy was lost in his thoughts, a tune started to ring out as he heard the tune of a pan flute play throughout the camp. He wasn't surprised as he looked to who was playing the music, and simply closed his eyes to the relaxing tune as she lied there. Calming himself a bit as she played her flute, the boy then heard his other companions speak up. Sitting up a bit, Leon looked to Ada and said, "yeah. She might not look it, but," looking over to Alexis he said, "you always seemed to be a better bard that you were soldier." Not to mention he felt her demeanor was far more suited to it as well. 

Edda, meanwhile, had merely sat a bit away from the rest of the group, facing the edge of the river. She didn't say anything, simply sitting there, curled up a bit as she had the hood of her cloak up, obscuring her face. 

---

Yue and Rona would find that as they left the camp grounds, that animals were scarce around the location they had set up. There were no large animals to speak of in their pursuit of game, instead only seeing small birds and land mammals across the forest floor. And even those were few and far between, seeming to be quite alert to the presence of their hunters were they to carelessly approach. Even still, as Yue had remarkable skill with a bow, she would find bringing down game with her arrows difficult but not impossible. 

[Sethera 290]

Cringing, Yue prepared to fade into the background after speaking, when Layne spoke up.

"...Whatever you bring back, I can get cooked. Stay safe out there, Yue." 

"Th-thank you," the archer bobbed her head, flustered. She still wasn't sure how to treat the priest, especially considering the type of magic he used, but the man himself seemed like a kind person.

"Sounds like a good idea." Rona said, approaching the girl with a smile and a wave. "Not sure about sending you off on your own though. I'm not the most stealthy around but I could come with to back you up if you're willing to have me."

Rona? Rona wanted to come with her? Rona. Wanted. To go hunting with her?

Anything anybody said after that was lost to the wind. Yue's mind spun, and she didn't realize she hadn't said anything till what seemed like minutes later. "Ah! Y-y-y-y-yes! That would be great, I mean good, I mean fine," she looked down, blushing. "I-if that's okay with you." Wait, didn't she already say she wanted to go with me? Why did I say that?

It didn't get much better during the actual hunt either. There weren't very many animals to hunt, mostly just birds and smaller mammals. A white rabbit came into view, and Yue found that she couldn't even make herself aim her arrow at it, its likeness to Chang'e too much for her. Not to mention, her hands kept shaking whenever she tried to aim, and she missed multiple times on shots with easy range and little to no wind to interfere. Shots that should have been like shooting fish in a barrel were just that more difficult because of her.

Every time the archer attempted to calm herself down and get into her natural rhythm, she found herself distracted by Rona's presence nearby. Every time she aimed, all she could think was, I hope I don't miss. If I did, then that'd be so embarrassing and then what would Rona think? Oh! But if I don't miss, Rona might say that I'm super impressive, like Alexis did earlier, oh that would just be so nice--and then she missed. And missed the next one. And the next one. And the one after that as well.

By the end of the hunting spree, she found that while she had taken down some game, it was not nearly the amount she had expected, nor was it her normal amount. Whether that was because of the dearth of game in the area, her nervousness around Rona, or a little of both, Yue could not help but feel disappointed in herself.

"S-s-sorry," she mumbled. "Th-that was embarrassing. I'm sorry you had to see that. I..." What? I'm usually not like that? No, that just sounds like I'm bragging, doesn't it? So Yue said nothing. Instead, she just stared down at the ground in misery.

Edited August 8, 2019 by Sethera

[LordCowCow 840]

Rona nodded in response to Yue. With her own concerns about being in the way interfering she didn't even realize Yue's conversational blunder. She was just glad that the girl hadn't pointed out how her presence would more likely make it harder to get any prey. After all she was a warrior, not a hunter, and the only thing she ever hunted was that bear that one time and that was because her father had trapped her in its cave.

The more they went the more Rona noticed something odd. Yue seemed to be having difficulty with her bow. It was unusual. She had watched the girl, from a safe distance and usually behind cover, practicing and hardly ever saw the girl miss. The first thought was that perhaps it was her presence that was the problem. Was she distracting her somehow?

True, Rona did try and be a bigger presence than she really was but right now she wasn't trying to stand out through fake confidence. She was doing her best, in fact, to not be noticed. Had she perhaps spent too much time trying to be confident that she forgot how to blend in?

If so it was all her fault if they ended up hungry.

Thankfully, thinking about it a bit more, Rona realized that was silly. She had seen Yue hit easily in combat which was surely more distracting than her.

"Th-that was embarrassing. I'm sorry you had to see that. I..."

Rona shook her head. "No, don't worry at all! There must be something wrong with your bow, here, I'll take a look."

Upon saying this Rona approached the girl. As the archer had been facing away Rona, without thinking, reached around the girl's back and grabbed the bow in Yue's hand. She examined the weapon, pressed against Yue, trying to remember her days of fixing the equipment, as she looked for a cause for the misfires.

She couldn't find anything. She didn't want to admit that, though, and be called out for not knowing enough about bows. So instead she said, "I wonder if there are any bears around. I feel I could be much more useful bringing one of those down."

---

During the song Alexis noticed two things. One positive and one negative. On the positive end was Yue's response to Rona. Alexis knew that expression all too well. While the other pairings might have some basis she could see that this one had some actual feeling behind it without a doubt. She made a note in her mind to work towards getting that girl more comfortable with her crush. It would be so much fun.

On the other hand...she noticed the book that Raynor fellow had. True, he was a Jouraan, but it seemed that the disease of dark magic wasn't regulated to the one misguided soul. She could only hope it didn't spread too far. She shuddered to think what would happen if Leon tried to pick up the magic as well.

"I wouldn't expect someone as forward as you to be able to play something so delicate. Sounds nice."

In the middle of the song Alexis smirked, happy to have surprised one of her new companions so.

"you always seemed to be a better bard that you were soldier."

Once she finished the song she gave a half-bow, still seated, and looked up at Ada with sparkling eyes. "I can do plenty!" She declared. "There's no reason to just stick to what people think you should do. With all this world has to offer there's no way I was going to just try and learn to be a pegasus knight."

She pointed the flute at Leon and gave him a sharp look. "I'm a great soldier thank you very much. I just happen to also be good at this." She gave a lopsided grin and added, "You jealous?"

Waving the girl off he said, "I'm quite fine with my musical ineptness." Pointing to her flute he then added, "be sure to keep it out of the fire though."

Alexis looked down at the flute, hovering as it was over the flames, and pulled it back hastily. Fumbling it back and forth in her hands for a moment she grabbed on tight to blow out the small flame at the end. Staring at it for a moment she raised it high in the air and loudly declared, "Safe!"