Arras felt deeply uncomfortable.

There was no further explanation in that statement, it would be completely unnecessary for anybody with any understanding of what they liked and disliked in their environments. The place was crowded, unbearably hot, (the wind spell had worn off shortly after they had been led inside) and worst of all, he felt closed in. Stuck within walls. It wasn't even a labyrinth, no, that would've been far better. A labyrinth of walls would've had places to run to, to escape into. No, here there were no nooks and crannies. Only people, people, and more people.

"Arras? Are you alright?" She could sense the rising fear and discomfort in his psyche even through his usual mental magic. It was especially easy to tell given she'd just had a healthy dose of it herself about twenty minutes ago.

"No."

"Wh-what do you mean no?!" Illia leaned forward in shock, and given she was on his shoulder, she craned her neck to face him. She looked right into his eyes, and almost recoiled when she saw the near feral drive to bolt in them. "O-okay, just calm down, please? Can you tell me what's wrong?"

Arras followed after the rest of his group with his eyes focused on them like he would lose them forever if he took even a step away. They were currently making their way through the waves of people, and some of them were talking and making conversation. At some point it seemed as if some of the people here had even tried to talk to him, but for the life of him Arras couldn't muster up any willpower to respond.

"This is terrible I feel trapped yet simultaneously I feel exposed like at any moment something's just going to swoop down and-"

"Breathe, Arras, breathe!" She slapped a wing against his neck. "I'm with you! It's alright! You were just fine back at the nobles gathering, why are you so afraid of this place?"

"There's so many people everybody is talking at the same time there's nowhere to escape to this is miserable!"

"O-okay, if you're having trouble with all the people... Can you just follow my instructions? I'll get you through it just like I got you through the crowd of nobles."

"Okay anything you say."

A curious thing that Illia had noticed about Arras, was that he didn't exhibit usual signs of fear that she'd come to expect from any other living being. When Arras got scared of something, he didn't whimper in fear, he didn't start shaking, he didn't ask for help or for any assistance of any kind, no. He started talking faster, he got stiffer, he moved faster. He lost any humor he'd normally hold. He became... Very direct. Arras didn't get scared often, so when he did, Illia could easily tell.

And right now? As far as she could tell? Arras was absolutely losing his shit. Illia wasn't sure she'd ever seen him quite so frazzled before. His steps were unusually swift, both to keep up with the group he'd come with and to keep as much distance as he could from any other individuals.

"Okay, just keep up your current pace. I think you're heading towards that building off in the distance, you see it, right?"

"Yes."

"There should be way fewer people in there, can you hold yourself together until you make it?"

"Maybe." His tails started twitching.

"M-maybe!? Okay, I'm going to try something alright?"

"Alright."

Illia readjusted herself a bit and positioned herself as closely to Arras's neck as she possibly could. He might get some odd looks for it, but that was better than him having a mental breakdown in the middle of a few hundred strangers. She extended her wing as far as she possibly could, steadied her breathing, and began to use healing magic.

"Is that helping at all?"

"N... A little bit." Arras craned his neck into the sensation slightly. Illia's assumption had totally been correct, she, and by extension, Arras, got a few odd glances, but she really couldn't find it in herself to care. All she could feel was the overpowering sense of relief that Arras felt at that moment. She also admittedly, felt pretty relieved.

...

Arras didn't think "a sigh of relief" could be accurately compared to the visceral release of pressure he felt upon walking through the doors of the building. Hallways, paths to escape into, far fewer people walking around, and it was much cooler inside than out. Now that his mind had been freed up to think about that stuff, he absentmindedly wondered if they had some kind of artifact which did that.

Oh, he could also find it in himself to actually listen to the words being thrown around him.

"I am sure you've all had a long journey, esteemed mages. If you wouldn't mind, I would be happy to escort you all to your rooms."

"That sounds wonderful. Thank you Ejillus. I presume we will be briefed as to the purposes of our summonings later tonight?"

"You assume correctly, Lord Birav."

Now that Arras actually thought about it, the forty four other "mages" he'd been travelling with were all dressed rather... Extravagantly, in comparison to the average person around this place. Arras supposed that he himself was dressing the part as well, though he couldn't exactly change his clothes. He figured that had something to do with their roles. If he, along with everybody else, was here representing a noble. Then they were higher in station, or whatever, than the other people here were they not? So... 'Birav' being addressed by 'Lord' and the lack of it for Ejillus... Did that represent family?

"If you would all follow me."

Wordlessly, the group followed after this 'Ejillus' person. Arras began to wonder if he actually commanded a bit more attention than he'd initially figured he would've. Otherwise, why would this huge group of people representing high society follow after him with eagerness? Regardless, he didn't really have the energy to question it. If the rest of the group went along with it, that was good enough for Arras. Right now he really just wanted to sleep, or whatever they did for rest around here.

Three by three, the mages filtered into different rooms. Curiously, it didn't seem to be done with the carriage groups in mind. How did Arras notice that? Because the beastkin that he'd spoken with earlier in the day during their trek slipped into a room with two other mages other than Arras himself.

Either way, it was eventually Arras's turn to slip inside one of these rooms. He... Really didn't like it that much, but he figured it was better than being outside at the moment.

"Please enjoy your stay, Lord..."

"Tell him Veile." Illia advised.

"Veile. Lord Veile."

Ejillus blinked confusedly for a second, before coming to his senses, "Ah, you surprised me for a moment. Apologies Lord Veile. I wish you well."

Ejillus proceeded to ask the same question to Arras's two roommates, almost word for word.

Kimara and Ephimarus. Those were the "last names" of the two people staying with Arras. Because yes, he eavesdropped. He figured he might as well if he would be spending any extended amount of time with these individuals.

There were a few beds in the room, and while they weren't exactly Arras's preferred kind of bed, you know, being way larger than him... Now wasn't exactly the time that he cared about being picky.

"So-"

Arras didn't even wait for them to finish speaking, he just flopped over into bed (to a bit of panic from Illia) and immediately let his metamorphosis spell end.

"...Ah, I was wondering where the Spirit fox went." One of the other two people in the room noted.

"...You didn't realize that earlier?" The other asked somewhat incredulously.

"No, Madam Kimara, I simply thought he was a beastkin."

"Sir Ephimarus, one must be more observant than that to succeed in this profession."

"Bah! You know well I was merely joking with the titles, can we not engage in this ridiculous drivel amongst ourselves?"

"Hm. Very well, very well Erickson." She smiled with a hint of playfulness.

"Thank you. Now, what might your name be?"

Arras remained stock still with his face down into the bed for a few seconds. Before gently pushing himself back up. Were they talking to him?

"If you'd rather we just continue to call you Spirit fox that's perfectly fine as well." Kimara remarked dryly.

"...Do I have to answer them?"

"You probably should." Illia nudged him.

"Ughhh..."

"I'm sure they won't be that awful... Here, I'll make the spell for you."

Illia frowned a bit at the lack of a response, but she shook herself out and turned her attention to the duo before her.

"Hello, please forgive... Sir Veile's lack of urgency. He's had a very... Stressful day."

"...Veile, hm?"

"Illia." Arras stood to his full height and blinked slowly. "If there's anything I need today, it is certainly not this ridiculous game of political nothings. I'll introduce myself, but please keep it short." He stated simply. There was no condescension in his tone, nothing of that sort... He just wanted it over and done with as soon as possible. Arras was really, really hoping these two would be "normal" people.

"That's certainly a sentiment I can appreciate. Would you rather we speak out loud or mentally?" Kimara raised an eyebrow lightly.

"It doesn't matter. Either or is fine. Now... You wanted me to introduce myself? My name is Arras. As you noticed, I'm a spirit fox. And, as Illia told you, my 'last name' is Veile."

"It is interesting to meet one such as yourself. I am no expert on the many races across our world, but from what I've heard of your kind, you're a rather reclusive bunch..." Kimara nodded to herself thoughtfully, though she shook her head bemusedly a moment later. "Ah, I must apologize. Where are my manners? Amakazi Kimara, Knight of the Ephiramus Barony. I myself am a Lassalin."

"...A Lassalin?" Arras tilted his head curiously at the person before him.

"My, my, was it not you yourself who asked to keep introductions short?"

Arras focused his attention on the person before him. He... Admittedly, hadn't been giving them that until now. He simply, just, really did not care about them at all. Though, with his curiosity piqued, he simply couldn't help but appraise them.

To the outside observer, they looked completely normal. Sure, they were dressed formally, much like Arras himself while transformed. But, other than that, they looked just like a human as far as he could tell. An average female human, much like he'd seen a few times at the nobles gathering. And... That wasn't how transformation magic worked was it? If you transformed into another shape, you kept bits and pieces of yourself to ease the spells usage. She should at least have scales of some sort... Well... It was, technically, completely doable. You'd just... Need to be really good at...

"...Ah."

Really good at transformation magic. Lassalin, that was their strongest affinity.

"It's almost like you didn't believe me for a moment there."

"...I apologize. I simply forgot what exactly... Your kind, is skilled at."

"Hm, not a half bad metamorphosis yourself. Though, not quite as good as I'd expect from a three tailed fox."

Arras blinked in confusion, and then comprehension. It didn't take him long to figure out what exactly she'd done, but the fact that it took him any time at all won the snake at least some respect in Arras's books. Somehow, without his, or Illia's notice, given that she hadn't freaked out on the spot, Amakazi had managed to temporarily shut the other two out from the mind link, and deliver that last tidbit directly to Arras himself.

What was once, overwhelming anxiety and anxiousness, soon found itself replaced by a burning passion in Arras's heart. His muzzle twisted upwards into a smile. A feat of magic he hadn't even thought of attempting, shown to him in a completely random situation. Arras... Truly loved magic. So much so, that the half-insult flew straight over his head. But even more so than that, the drive to improve quickly rooted itself itself in him once again, and all that prior negativity found itself erased.

A slow barking laugh managed to slip its way through Arras's muzzle. It was quiet, yet still it drew concern. He felt so... Stupid, to be honest. Why was he letting things like this get to him? Well... He couldn't really help his instincts, but to let his fear control him like it had just minutes earlier? He'd felt that once before in his life, and he never wanted to experience it again.

"Uh, Arras... Are you alright?"

The other two for their part, simply casted a curious gaze over the fox.

"...Never better. I'd like to apologize again, I was being rather... Unpleasant. You have my full attention now. Resting can wait."

"Is that so?" Amakazi noted passively. "Well, as much as I'd love to just interrogate you, I do believe I've delayed dear Eri more than long enough."

"Similarly, I do believe we talked about you referring to me like that before we arrived."

Arras recognized that look, he'd seen it on Illia's face before...

"Oh please, I somehow doubt this particular creature cares about such things." She shrugged neutrally. "Go on, you were the one who insisted on getting acquainted with whoever ends up sharing a room."

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"...Just don't do this in public."

"Very well, very well. You're no fun, you know that?"

Arras blinked confusedly. She just... Deflected him like that? Yes, him, Arras looked the man over once he'd been mentioned. He was a little shorter than the average human, but not nearly as fancily dressed... Actually, no, that would be an inaccurate description. It wasn't that they were dressed for less, it was more so that they were dressed practically. Their attire looked far more... Hardy. He'd seen it a few times back at the gathering, people wearing different equipment. He'd asked Illia about it, and the answer she'd given him had been "armor"

At his side was a somewhat decorated blade, of course held in its sheath. Arras also believed he saw a wand or something similar in a satchel on his belt. Belts, also another interesting thing made by bipedal creatures. Arras didn't really get why they were necessary inventions, but he didn't much care to question the creation of pants out of any pursuit he could make in his life. If they didn't make them to fit without a belt, why didn't they just do that? Well... It didn't really matter.

Back to the previous topic however, he'd recognized the makings of that conversation. One side oversteps, gets scolded, ends up apologizing, things resolve. But... This person just, deflected...? How did they do that? He kind of wanted to know for himself...

"I apologize for my knight's rather... Uncouth behavior. My name is Erickson. E. Ephimarus. Heir of the Ephimarus Barony. I suppose I'm the only human in the room, hm?"

"...Seems like it." Arras agreed with a nod. "I'd..." He contemplated saying "I'd love" for a moment, but he rather quickly decided against it. He always wanted to give an accurate display of his feelings. "...Be happy to hold a conversation, but there's also some work I need to do, magic wise. So, unless you happen to have anything urgent to ask me, I'd appreciate being left to my own devices."

"Ah, very well." He nodded. "I suppose I should rest and recover myself while we have the time. I'm sure we'll be put to work soon enough regardless."

"Then, have a pleasant day." Arras shifted his gaze towards Illia, and she nodded a moment later.

"...You know, that actually went way better than I expected it to." She admitted somewhat surprised.

"...What did you expect to happen?" Arras asked with a bit of genuine curiosity as he began to work his magic once again. He'd been going far too long without proper practice. A whopping thirty or so minutes? Unacceptable. For now, he wanted to continue working on his wind magic. At least until he could create any kind of sustainable breeze.

"...I dunno, you were just kind of talking without asking me for any help, and I guess I just... I didn't really have any faith in you... Oh, wow, that sounds way worse than I thought it would, sorry..."

"What? Why would you think I'd do better? I'm honestly a little surprised everything went that smoothly myself. It was mostly just because those two seem a bit more... Laid back than the average noble? I... Suppose I wouldn't know? I've only ever spoken with two. Not counting Erickson."

"No... They're definitely a bit less... Aggressive, than I'd have expected them to be. I think we got kind of lucky with our roommates." Illia noted as she shuffled around for a bit, then laid down on the bed.

"...I see."

"Oh, right, so uhm... Arras?"

"Yes?"

"There was... Something I wanted to talk to you about..."

There was a lot of hesitation in that sentence, the atmosphere suddenly felt very tense.

"So soon?"

So he tried to make a joke.

"...Sorry."

It didn't work.

"No-I'm not very good with jokes, am I?"

"...Oh, no, sorry, I'm just oblivious."

That wasn't a good answer. Arras cringed slightly.

"Well-what did you want to talk about? I'm always open to listen to anything you want to tell me." Arras ran his best damage control.

"...Now that I think about it, this probably isn't the best time... But uhm, there is something else I wanted to talk to you about."

"And, that is?"

"You're... Still scared of thunder, right?"

"Yes... Why do you ask?" Arras shuddered lightly, he'd ended up spending an entire night down on the bottom "floor" of his home during a stormy night. Jumping a little with every BOOM off in the distance.

"...Right. Uh... You're going to need some help from me then."

"...What do you mean by that?"

"Arras, you understand why you're afraid of thunder, right?" She looked at him sadly.

"Hmm... No, I don't think I do... It just kind of... Does. It just does scare me." He admitted after a few moments of thought.

"Okay, well... Your entire physiology is to blame. It's not really something you can control... Basically, your entire species has evolved to be very reactive to sudden noise and movement like that. Uhm... Something about, no physical enhancements, faster reaction times to compensate... That's both, good, and bad for you by the way. You notice how reactive you are to stuff, right, Arras? You'll snap your attention to the smallest noises, you get irritated when out in the open, you hate being in large crowds where you can't tell what's coming next... It's like... Every survival instinct of your species got turned up to an eleven in you."

"...What are you getting at here?"

"So... Why do you think thunder scares you so much?" Illia asked the question again. She had faith in Arras's intelligence, if nothing else. Though, it wasn't like she had faith in nothing else, but that was besides the point.

"...It's a... Hm... It's a loud, sudden noise. I can't tell where it's coming from, nor when it will happen... And you're saying that... That's exactly why it scares me?"

"Yeah, everything that kept you... Alive, back in The Grand Forest, screams at you over the smallest stuff. Now, if there was something, way less small. Like say, something super loud and completely random... Well, you already pieced it together. That alarm, turns into something crippling."

"...I see. But, like I said... What are you getting at?"

"You'll be fighting with, and against, thousands of magic users. There's no way you can keep track of all of them at once, right?"

"Yes, of course. Even I have my limits."

"...And magic makes a lot of noise."

"Also, of course-" the realization hit him almost instantly.

"...You don't mean..."

"That's exactly what I mean. If you can't control that fear, you won't be able to do anything. You could try to block out that dread, but... Like you said, using magic like that is bad for you, emotionally and what not. Also... It has a limit to it as well. With how terrible you are with thunder, I'm not sure if it'd even be able to help you."

"...So what? Is there just nothing I can do? I'll just be a... Gibbering mess in the midst of a battle for my life? I don't..."

"That's why I'm bringing this up. I... I think I can help. You remember back when we talked about what kinds of magic we could use?"

Arras thought for a moment, way back to the first few days after Illia and he had met. "I think so, why?"

"You remember what I talked about with senses, right? A combination of mental and healing magic?"

"...I believe so. Let me think... Ah... I believe you said, 'senses is used in order to control what a person perceives and feels." And... You can use senses?"

"...Mhm, it can control feelings. As in, most any natural emotion you'd feel, without completely shutting it out either. So... As long as I'm with you, I think I can help regulate your fear. You'd... Still know it was there, but it wouldn't be... Crippling, like it is now."

Arras thought it over for a moment. "...I would be fine, wouldn't I?"

"Of course! I'll practice it as much as I can right now if you want. I think I can also help you with your fear of the crowd...? It should work, it's a similar issue."

"...Thank you."

"Oh, uhm, no need to thank me! We're... Ffffffffrrrrrrrrieeeends...?"

"...Illia?"

"Huh? Uhh, never mind."

...

Time basically flew after everybody settled in. Arras and Illia left Amakazi and Erickson alone, and vice versa. Arras didn't really pay them much heed, but they were practicing just like he was. He could appreciate that, like minded individuals who valued their craft to a high degree. If this whole 'war' business actually took some meaningful amount of time, he could see himself maybe getting along with them at some point.

...That felt very odd to think, Lassalins were terrifying predators back in the forest, but now one was just across the room from him? It was weird. It was also weird that they were continuing to hold their transformation. It hadn't sounded like they were lying when they said what they were, and why would they lie about it? Surely they were more comfortable in their true form than they are in an artificial one, like Arras himself?

Well... How could he know for sure? Maybe he was the odd one out, and other creatures were perfectly comfortable in whichever body they managed to create for themselves. Either way, there was no real problem with anything regardless of the answer. It was simply curious to him.

Anyways, Arras continued to try and get his wind magic into a passable state. He also put a bit of attention towards his force magic, but not nearly enough as he normally would. Most of his practicing as of the moment was dedicated to learning, instead of refining. There really wasn't much else to discuss, it was a quiet evening with all four individuals practicing in their own ways. And well, Arras couldn't be happier with it. Especially given what had happened just an hour or so earlier.

They weren't doing the same kind of practice as Arras or Illia, it seemed to be more fundamental towards magic as a whole. Arras couldn't really put it into words all that well, it was mostly working off of their own magic, and barely any of it leaked to the outside world. All he could tell was that they were practicing, but he didn't care to interrogate them. He had his own practice to deal with.

So, time carried on just like that. Practice, practice, more practice. All as usual for the fox. It admittedly didn't take him too long to develop his wind magic to a point of being "usable", but he wasn't quite satisfied with that. It was far too inefficient, too slow to activate... Even though he wanted to continue his work with force magic, perfectionism was both a blessing and a curse. Unfortunately, he wasn't quite given the time necessary to do so.

Knock, knock, knock.

"Pardon the intrusion m'lords." A calm, even voice called out from behind the door. Arras peered in its direction as he continued to circulate a light breeze, but before he did anything Erickson smiled calmly and stood up.

"Worry not, we have been ready and waiting." He lied. At least, Arras figured he was lying. They had been practicing right up until that moment, hadn't they? Did they not dislike being interrupted? "You may enter."

The door opened slowly, and a rather plain human stood on the other side of it. They were dressed just like any other not noble affiliated human, so Arras figured they weren't exactly important. As soon as they opened it all the way, they bowed deep for a long few seconds.

...Arras felt a little uncomfortable with that, though he couldn't quite put his paw on why that was.

"Lord Veile, Lady Kimara, Lord Ephimarus, you are to follow me to regroup and brief the rest of your force as to your abilities."

"Certainly, if you would pardon us for one moment?"

The man once again bowed low, and closed the door.

"I'm sure you heard him?" Erickson turned his attention to the rest of the room.

"You wound me Eri, but of course."

Arras didn't respond, but he did activate his metamorphosis spell. That was a good enough answer.

"Illia?"

"Oh, right-of course sorry."

"Why are you apologizing? You didn't do anything." Arras tilted his head to the side as Illia fluttered up onto his shoulder.

"...Because I didn't do anything?"

"Illia please. You know I don't care about any of this right?"

"...I know. It's just better to be assuming the role at all times."

"I'd rather you just be yourself..." Arras let that one slip before he could properly muffle the thought.

"...Huh?"

"Oh, didn't mean anything by it. Just... You're much more pleasant to be around when you're enjoying yourself. Not that you aren't pleasant at all times." He boldly lied. Illia was scary when she was playing the political part, or whatever it was she did with matters of contracts. Not in any sense of power, but just... Her presence felt intimidating despite not being any sort of actual threat. It was weird.

"...Huh."

Arras stood to his full height and lightly dusted himself off. He met Erickson's gaze and nodded.

The door opened again, and the group began to move.

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