Feast and Friendship[Private/Ayero]

It had been over a week since Yakuroro had accepted an offer from a fanalis woman he'd befriended to have lunch together. But the meal had to be delayed when a sudden gathering of rukh stole Yakuroro's attention and he had to apologetically depart on the promise that he would stop to feed both himself and Akatetsu soon. There was an agreement to also meet up once more to actually share a meal together, although somehow Yakuroro felt as though the offer was more to his chimera of a son Akatetsu and that he'd simply been invited to tag along by proxy.

Alas, the Imuchakk magician would be arriving on the promised day alone and without a little orange scaled bonehead at his side. Akatetsu had been lost in the past week and despite restless attempts to find the baby beast, Yakuroro had nothing to show for it save for a trained skill to better befriend wild animals. He arrived at the restaurant Ayero insisted they meet at looking like he'd been to hell and back. There were bags under his eyes, his shoulders slouched from the straps of a large gourd he now carried on his back, and his elegant blue robes were faded dirty from a lack of cleaning. Somehow he looked even worse than when Ayero had found him starving before.

Thankfully, as he arrived it appeared as though the woman had yet to get there herself just yet. Yakuroro let out a sigh and entered the establishment asking for a table on the rooftop preferring open air to the stuffy interior where most of the patrons would likely stare at him. There were less people on the roof but it was a shame as they were missing a beautiful day with fine weather. The Imuchakk took a seat at a table that was shaded by a large cloth that covered the entire roof and settled into a large cushion that had been lain out where one might expect some kind of chair. The server who led him to the table asked if he needed anything but Yaku decided to hold off on ordering any food until his guest would arrive and simply asked for a cup of water. Once he was left alone, Yakuroro sighed again and closed his eyes as he tried to think of how to explain to Ayero that Akatetsu was missing.

The sun had risen halfway into the sky, unhindered by any sort of cloud cover. On this lovely day, Ayero makes her way through the busy midday streets taking in the sights and scents of shouting merchants attempting to lure in potential customers with promises of fine goods and food stalls selling everything from roasted meats to sweets. The red headed woman had decided to forgo her usual cloak in favor of feeling the temperate breeze touch bare skin; unfortunately this attracted some looks. Not for her Kou styled dress she wore…though atypical in Heliohapt her clothing was not entirely uncommon in such a city that played host to visitors hailing from an assortment of countries. Rather, the large black snake that was comfortably wound around her body is what seemed to garner those looks.

Usually hidden by the folds of her cloak, Kabu often went unnoticed until arched his body from the woman’s shoulder or slithered his way down her arm. The sensation of having the scaly serpent’s cold body wrapped around her waist and up to her shoulder was something Ayero had gotten used to, however it had taken some time. The snake was stubborn and usually refused to travel using his own means, instead preferring to cling to the halfling’s body, peeking out from the shadow of her cloak or his perch on her shoulder. Said snake lifts his head and flicks out his long, thin tongue in the direction of a nearby food vendor. ”Something smell good to you?” The fanalis muses, raising her head in the direction of Kabu’s and inhaling deeply. ”Today we’re going to eat with a friend. Save your appetite.” A slight trill of a protest rings in her ear as Kabu moves his head closer to her own. An eye roll is her response.

It wasn’t long before the duo made their way to the appointed restaurant she had insisted Yakuroro and Akatetsu meet them at. She had wanted to repay the magician and his young friend for their help. Normally the splitting of reward money would be her only thanks, but something about the blue magician intrigued her. His quick explanation of magoi manipulation had led her to discover an even more powerful strength and apply it in battle. After entering the restaurant, she approaches a waitress and inquires about the arrival of a certain Imuchakk and was quickly told that the magician had already arrived and was seated on the roof. Thanking the young woman, Ayero turns to find Yakuroro as the waitress gives a nervous glance over her shoulder, just now having noticed Kabu wound around the woman’s body but says nothing.

Making her way to the top of the building, Ayero quickly spots the large blue man and approaches him. ”Have you been waiting long? It’s good to see—“ The fanalis begins with an apology for not meeting him here on time, but her greeting his halted as she gets a good look at him. ”Are…you alright?” She had assumed that the money from taking down the slavers he’d earned would have fed him and Akatetsu well for the past few weeks. The thought of the young bonehead reminds her that she hadn’t greeted Akatetsu yet, and she peers around to look for the child. After several moments of silence as she studies the scene before her, she puts two and two together. ”Where is Akatetsu?” Her tone is a bit harder with a suspicious edge to it. She tilts her head slightly to the side, figuring that the Imuchakk’s worn appearance likely had something to do with the lack of bonehead.

The miserable look had yet to clean up from Yakuroro's face by the time Ayero had arrived. Even drinking some water and having time to clear his mind could not wipe the fatigue from his form. He did brighten up a little at the sight of Ayero and smiled subtly as he rose a hand to assure her that he was okay, "Me? I'm alright, I've just been working myself hard latel-" He stopped mid sentence as she asked about Akatetsu and the sharpness in her voice made Yaku's stomach tie itself into knots. There was no way she'd forgive him for having lost tract of the boy, it was clear that she was fond of him almost as much as Tetsu had seemed to be fond of her. Looking around as if some environmental clue would show itself to help him out of this tight spot, Yaku's eyes fell onto the water gourd and he laughed loudly as a lie flowed out of him as second nature. "Bwahahaha! Tetsu? He's in here!" Yakuroro's friendly smile was so perfect it would have fooled any stranger, but fatigue and a sense of guilt would bleed through the tone of his voice as he wrapped an arm around the water gourd.

"He's gotten fond of dark places so I keep him in here. But he isn't feeling well so I don't think he'll be joining us for food today! Ahahahaha...." Yakuroro opened his eyes and cringed as he saw Ayero's expression. It would be clear as day that she had not bought Yakuroro's false words. For one reason or another she would be able to see through the lie and Yakuroro lowered his head in shame both at having failed to deceive as well as at having to admit what was shameful in and of itself. "I...I lost Akatetsu..." Yaku muttered under his breath but when asked to speak up he'd say clearly, "I was fighting a monster and I told him to run! But then afterwards I could find him again! I looked all over the city a dozen times but no matter what I couldn't fiiiiind hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiim!!!!" The magician broke down into tears and face planted onto the table slamming his fists in kind.

Another server had come up to the roof to ask if they were ready to order but at seeing this sight the poor girl slowly backed away down into the shop and other guests on the roof began to stare and whisper.

Yakuroro’s excuse is met with an arched brown and a stern expression, honed to perfection from years of practice in raising younger siblings. His lie was too outlandish and uncharacteristic to fool the fanalis woman, who had been growing somewhat curious about his behavior since their last meeting. She says nothing in response, simply staring him down as she crossed her arms over her chest. Her chin tilts downward a bit as the Imuchakk slumps down in his seat, muttering something about Akatetsu. ”Speak louder.” She orders, growing more concerned by the moment about the bonehead’s whereabouts.

Ayero’s mind was unable to process anything past Yakuroro’s second sentence. After he had confirmed that he had indeed lost Akatetsu, she had heard all she had needed to. Anything else that the magician had sad merely faded into background noise. Clenching her teeth and fists alike, the halfling maintains control of herself for several hot seconds before slamming a fist down onto the table, the limb landing right next to a head of blue hair and leaving fractured cracks along it’s surface.

”What do you MEAN you LOST HIM?!” A snarl erupts from the woman as she glares down at the Imuchakk with fire in her eyes. ”How irresponsible do you have to be to lose a child?! I can’t believe this…” Sucking on her teeth, she looks up an away for a moment, realizing that she had attracted quite a bit of staring from the other guests on the rooftop. Biting her lip, the fanalis exhales slowly and takes a moment to reign in her rage. Lifting her hand from the table, she grabs a fist full of the blue magician’s hair and pulls his head back with a quick tug of her hand. She doesn’t speak for several seconds, searching his face while her own eyes reflect something akin to the fear of a mother losing a child as she’s suddenly reminded of her family. A wave of guilt seizes her and she sighs, releasing her hold on the man’s hair and drifting down into a sitting position.

”I don’t know what to say. You don’t appear to be fit to raise a child…” Her tone is more composed than it previously was. As she speaks, Kabu unwinds himself from her body, slithering off of her shoulder and over to Yakuroro’s water gourd, peering into it as if to confirm that the bonehead was indeed not among its contents. ”Perhaps he is being cared for somewhere.” She offers, her tone more neutral but her words hopeful.

The scene Yaku had made only escalated as Ayero also slammed her fist on the table and eventually grabbed Yakuroro by the hair. The Imuchakk didn't even flinch at the impact and sound of the fanalis fist but his body jerked from the pain of having his head pulled up by his hair. Ayero would lift the man's face to find it streaming with tears and snot like that of a young boy crying uncontrollably. To those watching it would be a most strange sight indeed. A giant blue haired Imuchakk being manhandled like a child by a violent fanalis woman? Some of the patrons slowly got up and took their leave weary of said violence escalating even further while others looked away for fear of getting caught up in things for sticking their noses into business that was not their own.

Even as Ayero calmed down and let go of Yaku, the man could not say anything for himself as he fell face first back onto the table. He was vaguely aware of the kindness behind her words as she suggested that Akatetsu was safe and sound but he couldn't think that way after searching for so long. Yakuroro was about to whine about how he thought Akatetsu was more likely in danger, but a familiar voice and an unfamiliar roar stole his attention.

"Fufufu~ Are we interrupting a lover's spat? Perhaps we should come back later, Tetsu." The soft voice of Lady Soushui rung from the edge of the roof. There in mid air was the Zou magician seated on a large purple flying carpet. It was clear from her tone that she was only teasing, but one couldn't be quite sure exactly who it was that she was teasing.


Seated next to her on the carpet was a beast with dark scales and boney growths as well as a dark and shiny skull, "Grwar!" The roar was one that seemed to invoke a sensation of excitement. The large beast leapt from the carpet and tackled Yakuroro causing him to fall backwards into his gourd which kept him from falling to the floor.


"T...Testu?" The Imuchakk looked in shock at the new form of his son but immediately recognized him through his eyes. Sniffing the snot back into his nose and wiping his face of the tears just in time to be tackled, both Akatetsu and Yakuroro shared an embrace. "Grwaaar~" The beast coo'd softly and nuzzled against Yakuroro before turning to Ayero and smiling at her with a toothy grin. "Grwagraouuu~" Akatetsu was clearly happy to see her as well and when Yakuroro finally let him go he also tackled her and wrapped the woman up in a hug. Should Kabu's curious head move near him at all, Akatestu would respond by licking the snake affectionately seeming no longer quite as fearful of him as before.

Unfortunately, the chimera was now even taller than Yakuroro and his actions caused the table to be crushed beneath him. His 2m long tail whipped and swayed happily, smacking Yakuroro in the face a few times in the process. Lady Soushui laughed softly and pointed her wand at the beast lifting him with magic up off of Ayero and setting him down beside Yakuroro, "Seems like you still haven't gotten used to your new size yet. Be a bit more careful Tetsu." Her voice was teasing again but something about her tone was almost scolding in nature. Akatetsu settled down and gave an embarrassed sound as he saw the table he'd broken.

Another flick of Lady Soushui's wand and the table sprung to life, repairing itself and becoming larger to accommodate everyone before the magician took a seat at the head of the table for herself. "Forgive my poor manners dear, I'm a bit exhausted right now." The Zouen woman said to Ayero with a soft smile and eyes that showed depth and cunning of a woman beyond her own years. "My name is Lady Soushui, I'm Akatetsu's mother."

Exhaling harshly, Ayero casts the distressed Imuchakk a pitying glance. Now that she had come down from the initial shock of the news, she did feel at least a little sorry for Yakuroro—it was clear that he was upset over the loss of his son and the possibility that the young bonehead could be in danger. The sound of an unexpected feminine voice jars her from any thoughts she was having at the moment, red waves bouncing as she quickly turns her head toward the newcomer. Tetsu…? She’s too startled to play into the woman’s teasing and correct her, far more focused on the familiar name the other woman had spoken.

Her eyes shift to the carpet’s other occupant, a seemingly unfamiliar creature whose stocky build contrasted heavily with Lady Soushui’s more delicate form. There was something vaguely familiar in the beast’s actions as he bounded from the carpet, practically body-slamming Yakuroro in the process from excitement. The Imuchakk’s level of shock reflected her own as he seemed to stare up at the eager creature in disbelief, uttering the name of his son. The halfling could only sit and stare, mouth agape and eyes wide as she tried to process the sudden reunion. This…is this really Akatetsu…?! The Tetsu that stood before her was not at all the one she had remembered.

She blinks in surprise when Akatetsu’s head turns toward her, smiling. ”Eh?” She doesn’t know quite how to respond, and thus remains seated while her hands clench awkwardly in her lap as her mind works frantically to absorb and make sense of the situation. ”W-woah!” She’s startled by the sudden contact, momentarily at a loss for a proper response that wasn’t wide-eyed staring. Kabu too was surprised, but he did not see Akatetsu hugging Ayero—what the snake saw was a beast attacking his master. Rearing his head back, the black serpent let out a spitting hiss in warning and prepared to strike. But when the large creature turned his attention toward the alarmed snake, Kabu’s demeanor changed. It seemed he was able to recognize the friendliness and warmth behind Akatetsu’s eyes and moved in closer for inspection. Upon being licked, the snake tilts his head to the side before flicking out his own tongue in greeting, slithering around Tetsu’s shoulder as he curiously examines the beast’s strange new body.

Seeing the exchange go well, Ayero lets out the breath she didn’t know she was holding and a soft, genuine smile sets over her face. She reaches up with one hand to pat Akatetsu’s head affectionately, a clear note of relief in her voice. ”It’s good to see you again too, Tetsu. You look well.”

The fanalis woman’s attention was on Lady Soushui as she settled down after lightly reprimanding Akatetsu and repairing the broken table. ”M-mother…?! As in…” The halfling nearly sputters, eying the mysterious woman up and down in disbelief. She couldn’t fathom how a seemingly human woman could bear a child such as Akatetsu—but there was always the possibility that she was referring to herself as an adoptive mother of sorts. Shaking the doubt from her head, Ayero apologizes in kind for staring. ”I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to imply….anything, ah, negative.” She rubs the back of her head, feeling a bit sheepish around this woman who appeared so calm and in control. Sobering up, the Fanalis-human returns the magician woman’s greeting. ”I’m Shiiba Ayero of Reim. It’s an honor to meet Akatetsu’s mother, Lady Soushui.” After offering a polite smile, Ayero’s gaze flickers between Akatetsu, Yakuroro and Lady Soushui. Her mind buzzed with many questions, but the fanalis settled on one after turning back to the Kou magician. ”How did you come to find Akatetsu?”

A rare genuine smile came over Yakuroro's face as the goofy reunion escalated to the breaking of tables and eventually settled down as Lady Soushui repaired the damage and took a seat. The Imuchakk was curiously looking Akatetsu's new form over with joy as Lady Soushui spoke with Ayero. "Yes, his mother~ Didn't you know?" The Zou noblewoman held her face in both hands and blushed as she closed her eyes, "This is what happens when an Imuchakk mates with a human~" The like flowed smooth like silk from her lips but it did not manage to slip by Yakuroro's ears even though he was busy investigating his son's new form. "Oi! Don't give her the wrong idea!" He said with a flustered blush. Lady Soushui dropped the farce and laughed softly before relenting the truth, "Sorry, I could not help myself. I created Akatetsu from magic and a few living ingredients. Although, it's not wrong to call him our son. Both my own blood and Yakuroro's flows through Tetsu's veins." Soushui said but less for Ayero and more for Yakuroro. Her eyes narrowed and peered over at the magician who's jaw had dropped. Yakuroro had been unaware of this for all this time and thought the title of "father" was superficial. A moniker created simply to strengthen their bond. He looked to Akatetsu whom turned his head and looked down at Yakuroro and a new sense of closeness between them filled his chest. "My...son..." Tetsu nodded happily understanding the words and the two shared another embrace.

Lady Soushui then listened to Ayero's introduction and bowed her head politely in greeting before finding herself asked with a question. "Ah, well I did so using clairvoyance magic. It is a kind of spell that allows one to see and hear things they would not normally be able to find. I found Akatetsu with this magic and took him knowing that Yakuroro was near by but...he was a bit preoccupied playing with some friends so I just took Tetsu and went on my way." Yakuroro chimed in once more, "I was fighting a demon of black rukh. Again with the misunderstandings!" He sighed and mumbled under his breath about Lady Soushui being an insufferable woman and turned away to lift his gourd back up as it was still knocked over from when he'd been tacked. Lady Soushui continued speaking ignoring the Imuchakk's yapping like it was that of a child, "I arrived in heliohapt over a month ago, but I needed time to prepare a lab that could suitably support the improvements I made to Tetsu's body. Now he should be able to fight along side his father rather then be sent off whenever there is danger nearby."

At this point, the server peeked her head out from the roof access door thinking to the lack of shouting meant the drama from earlier had passed. But instead of seeing a pacified Imuchakk and Fanalis, she saw both, a giant monster, and a strange new woman. The server took one look at Akatetsu whom turned to see her and smiled at her showing off his razor sharp fangs. The poor girl fainted on the spot back into the door way and would not waken for a short while. Another server, male this time, would be sent up to take everyone's orders in her place. The man was still a bit nervous and fearful, but he did his duty and quickly departed down the the kitchens to pass on their order.

"Yes, yes, you've come to impart some kind of power onto me and now you are planning to leave right? You never did like spending much time with me." Yakuroro said thinking back to how even when he spent a month living at her estate he only saw Lady Soushui for perhaps a few minutes at a time most days, if at all. The woman's face took on a more serious gaze and she sighed the cheerfulness out of her body. "Unfortunately, my business here with you is not limited to our son. I only found out today as I've been busy working on Akatetsu, but something big has taken place..." She let tension build from the statement with a pause before continuing. "Zou has conquered Reim."

”M-m-mate?!” Ayero’s jaw nearly hits the floor and her cheeks flush as her mind tries to imagine how a pairing would go between an Imuchakk and a human with the obvious…anatomical obstacles. Thankfully the female magician cleared the misunderstanding up quite eloquently. Ayero can only sit and nod dumbly at the woman’s explanation of how Akatetsu came to be. It wasn’t as if she didn’t understand Lady Soushui’s obvious simplification of Akatetsu’s birth, rather she was having trouble trying to comprehend how magic could creating a living, breathing creature. Her understanding of magic was very basic, limited to incantations followed by the desired result. She suddenly feels a bit self-conscious in the presence of the two magicians.


Her eyes travel over to Tetsu once more, unable to get used to the fact that the cute little lizard-like creature was now something so large and intimidating, as if built to fight. A smile twitches at her lips when the father and son embrace once more, glad that the situation had improved but still rather confused. She sits quietly during the exchange, trying to absorb Lady Soushui’s explanation and grateful for her simple description of clairvoyance magic.

Ayero’s contented silence is interrupted when Lady Soushui drops a verbal bomb concerning Reim. ”What?” She snaps to attention, a small gasp of surprise leaving her lips at the news. ”Are you…is this true?” She directs her gaze downward toward the folded hands in her lap, unsure of what to make of this. The past few months in Heliohapt were spent preparing for the slave auction; she had heard whispers of goings on in Reim but figured it to be either rumor, or nothing that the great Reim Empire couldn’t quell. Something seemed a little off though—surely if the world’s largest empire was under siege, word would have reached the desert country? And Reim was militaristic to boot—it would likely take years of battle to conquer its vast lands, or so she had thought. But if the life magician’s words were true, then Kou must hold some sort of terrifying power.


Closing her eyes in an attempt to shake the thoughts from her head, Ayero hears her brother’s voice in her head. Their reunion was brief, but he’d tasked her with checking in on their family. Her stomach flip-flops at the sudden realization that he may have known something. Opening her eyes, the fanalis exhales softly, a look of hard determination in dark brown eyes as she addresses Lady Soushui once more. ”How did this happen?”

Yakuroro listened intently at sound of the more serious news and pursed his lips in subtle frustration that he had not been more aware. Unlike Ayero, the Imuchakk magician didn't even hear so much as a rumor about these events as he'd spent the past week doing nothing but searching for Akatetsu. His brow furrowed into a concerned expression and he listened quietly as Ayero asked the obvious questions. Lady Soushui's eyes slowly closed and she explained what she knew of what had transpired. "I was contacted through magic by a Zou official and told that Reim would now be a vassal state of Zou. Following this, I did some magical investigation of my own. It seems that Reim fell in a single night. A smaller group of Zou forces found a way into the capital and assaulted the palace. Reim's Emperor was slain and now a man named Lagi El Nagi sits upon the throne. The El Nagi clan has been known around Reim as beast tamers for generations, so he is supposedly a man of Reim, but there is no doubt that agents of Zou are the ones who put him there." The Lady would let this sit with the two so they could sort out their thoughts.

Yakuroro had been to Reim before and while he disagreed with much that went on in that country, he disagreed even further with the way Zou ran things. Lady Soushui was an exception and he still disliked her, but there wasn't a single official he met who had a scrap of decency that wasn't well practiced and used solely to further their own ambitions. If Reim had fallen under their control then there would be a huge imbalance in the world. "I guess this means that the emperor's expansionism has finally led to a big play on the world stage..." Yakuroro muttered to himself but Lady Soushui overhead and spoke up to correct him. "Apparently the Emperor himself was not directly responsible for these events. One of advisors and an unknown young man simply carried out the deed in his name. Either way, I am concerned about what this means for both the future of Reim and Zou. I see this bringing nothing but more conflict and death in the long run." Yakuroro nodded in agreement to that but noticed Ayero's posture and that something was clearly troubling her.

"Ah, that's right. You're from Reim aren't you?" He looked to Lady Soushui and asked for Ayero's sake, "You said the capital was invaded by a small force. That means there weren't many deaths right?" The female magician opened her eyes and looked at Ayero apologetically, "I'm sorry...I don't know how many died. There was an unusual blizzard in the mountains around the time of the attack that I was able to find traces of with my magic. The storm definitely of magical means and I suspect that is how they got close to Remano without being discovered. But beyond that I know not how they actually got into the city or the palace nor how many lives it cost them to reach there..."

The fanalis pays close attention to the Kou magician’s every word, but unfortunately it didn’t appear as if the woman knew how heavily the invasion involved Reim’s common people. After hearing that only the capital had been assaulted, Ayero’s shoulders relaxed only slightly. Her family made their home in the mountains, isolated from Reim’s larger cities and towns. Perhaps they were safe from whatever was raging in Remano, perhaps the news didn’t even reach them yet. News was generally brought by the odd passing traveler as their village was too far out of the way of the usual caravan routes. In her mind she imagined her parents and many siblings sitting down for a meal in their small house, seated around the old wooden table that had held up surprisingly well in a house full of growing half-fanalis. The image had nearly vanished as soon as it entered her mind, replaced with the desperate screams of Reim’s people as they cluttered the blood soaked streets of Remano.

Her troubled expression didn’t go unnoticed by Yakuroro, prompting another question to Lady Soushui. Ayero could feel her heart leap into her throat as the female magician spoke of a strange blizzard in the mountains. Living in such an elevated climate, her family was used to that type of weather. But what if a magic induced blizzard was colder and more vicious? No, her family was strong. She’d be damned if they’d allow themselves to freeze to death.

”I’m going to Reim.” She announces, her tone weighted heavily with resolve but her eyes reflecting uncertainty. ”As far as I know, my family still lives in that country. I don’t care if it’s dangerous to go now, I need to make sure that they’re alright.” Sensing his master’s nerves, Kabu pushes his head gently against her cheek in an attempted nuzzle. Appreciative of the gesture, the halfling places a hand atop the snake’s head before turning to Lady Soushui. ”Thank you for this information. I’ve heard whispers about a conflict in Reim, but I never dreamed that it could have escalated this far.” She bows her head to the elegant woman in gratitude.

Seeing the conflicted feelings inside Ayero on her face, Yakuroro felt somewhat empathetic towards her but he had more important things to worry about than the feelings of one fanalis. Just as Lady Soushui said, Zou holding Reim could spell out a very dangerous future. This would give the expansionist Zou a foothold on an entirely different continent. Given the time needed to bring Reim fully under their command, Zou could launch a pincer attack on any nation that did not simply surrender to their will. He saw not only Reim's fate at threat, but all the worlds. Upon hearing that Ayero planned on traveling north to her home country, Yakuroro nodded and spoke up, "I'm going as well. I have my own reasons, but perhaps we can be of help to each other along the way. What do you say? Care to travel there together?"

In response to Ayero's thanks, Lady Soushui would shake her head, "I'm sorry I can't tell you both more. But if you are both going to Reim then we can all go together. I also have a responsibility as one of Zou's royal magician's to learn more about what happened there. I can't allow my country to take action that will cast the rest of the world into flames."

Following her words, several servers would arrive carrying the food they'd ordered. With an Imuchakk and a giant beast present there was enough meat laid out to feed a family for days but there were also other dishes of vegetables, fruit, grains, and fish giving a wide variety of things to choose from. "For now, we should eat. One can't travel on an empty stomach, eh Tetsu?" The lizard-like bonehead growed affrimingly and took a mouthful of cooked beef from a platter in front of him. "Gyagrwar!"

A curious glance is sent Yakuroro’s way as she strokes Kabu’s head. Her eyes bore into that of the magician’s with intense judgment for a few moments, as if discerning whether Yakuroro was serious about accompanying her or if he had other ideas. However, the Imuchakk had proven himself to be a valuable ally in the past and had given her no reason not to take him up on his offer. She figured they’d part ways once they had landed in the capital, each following their respective interests.

As she prepares to answer, Lady Soushui speaks and offers to travel with the pair, claiming to have business in her home country. A bit wary as the woman was under the Zou banner, Ayero nods in affirmation. ”I believe that would be for the best.”

When the food arrives, the fanalis woman does her best to enjoy the meal and the company. But the nagging feeling in the pit of her stomach makes it hard to relax when there’s the possibility that he family could be in trouble, or worse. After finishing her meal, the woman rises and excuses herself with a bow, departing to go prepare for travel and try to clear her head.

[Exit]

It was certainly hard to have a festive cheer despite how fitting it would have been for the feast they were sharing. But considering the nature of the news, Yakuroro thought better than to try and cheer anyone up. He ate mostly in silence and thought on whether or not going to Reim right now was really the best choice. He'd been too distracted searching for Akatetsu to really see how Heliohapt was faring and it was clear that some dark designs had been planned for the desert country. But in the past week he'd noticed nothing seriously out of place. Perhaps the threat had moved elsewhere, or perhaps the events in Heliohapt were just a distraction from what was happening in Reim all along. Either way, he knew that he could not sit idly by while an entire nation came under Zou control. When the meal was finished and Ayero departed, he too took his leave taking Akatetsu with him as Lady Soushui left to her own lodgings for the night. Soon they would all be on the road together.