With a gasp, Anna tosses the vial, coughing and hacking like she's just been punched in the gut. "Oh gods, that tastes like my grandmother's buttered cream pies."

"Is that good or...?" Tyrion raises an eyebrow.

"Bad, I'm assuming, based on her reaction." Amadeo snickers.

"You laugh, but I've quaffed a few potions before. I'd rather eat dirt, but the effects are worth it." Hope watches with interest as Anna approaches the waking ostriches, who jump to their feet and squawk angrily.

"It's alright, now." Anna reaches her hands out in a calming gesture. "We're not here to hurt you. We just need you to do us a favor." The birds back up a bit, quizzically eyeing the elf before one female approaches. "There's a good girl. We just need you and your friends to find somewhere else to go. Can you do that for us?"

The bird scratches at the ground, feathers a bit ruffled, before squawking loudly. "I know, but there's too many other flocks around. You guys will be massacred if someone else comes out here." The female snorts, clacking her beak angrily. "Yeah, I figured you'd bring that up. We were only doing what we thought was necessary. I'm sorry it came to this, but you have to go somewhere else before others finish what we started."

The female turns to others, and the ostriches begin to chatter amongst themselves. After several minutes of tense debates, they begin to move about, gathering up clutches of eggs. Anna sighs, watching the creatures follow the female's lead. "Ok...I think they're gonna go make a new home. Can we go back now and get lunch?"

"Yeah, we can go. Nice work!" Hope softly claps her hands so as not to disturb the departing birds, Anna looking away sheepishly. "I'm just good with animals, that's all. They were scared, I bet."

"A dashing rogue, an awkward wizard, a raven-haired devil, and an animal lover. What a party we make!" Tyrion laughs, though Hope's nostrils flare. "I'd appreciate you not making reference to my heritage, thank you."

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"Oh, sorry. Sensitive subject?" Tyrion doesn't laugh, though he maintains the somewhat jovial tone.

"Yeah, a bit. I'm sure you can understand sensitive subjects, 'little man'." A bit petty. The words hardly escape her lips before she sighs. "Sorry, that was rude of me."

Tyrion waves her off, his voice taking on a more even tone. "Never you mind that. It's just words to me. Accept what you are and move on. When they call you devil kin, they're only blinded by their personal fears. People will always be afraid of what they don't understand, and they'll never try to understand what they're afraid of. So let them call you a devil. And with your own two hands, prove them wrong one day at a time. I may be small in stature, but I dream big, I live big, and I will leave my mark on the world one day. Just you wait and see."

Hope stares at this halfling, this tiny full-grown person, for a long moment. "I...Well." The devilkin leans down, extending her hand. "You've got a gift for words, I'll give you that. Should write a book of poems."

Tyrion shakes her hand with a chuckle. "We all have our talents. Mister Ravenwood seems an intelligent if awkward young man-" The wizard raises an eyebrow, but shrugs with a huff of agreement. "Our dear Anna is a bundle of energy with what I find to be a gentle soul-" "Awww, really?", comes the elf's response with a wide grin. "You have skill with a sword and you're cautious about how things can go versus how they will go. I know people, what they want and need to hear. And I'm good at going about unseen. We do in fact make quite the party."

Anna looks between the two and leaps forward, grabbing their hands in her own. "So we can do this again, yeah? It was alot of fun, and nobody got hurt!" Her giant doe eyes turn to Amadeo.

The wizard sighs, reaching out and laying his hand at the top of this awkward collection. "There were almost ten birds killed, but I suppose you just meant the four of us. I think doing this again might not be a bad idea. I need the money anyway."

"It's settled then. Wonder if we should get a name." Hope lets go, stretching. "Something to strike fear in our enemies' hearts."

"Or something that defines us. Something made up of a part of our dark and tragic pasts." Tyrion lowers his hood and laughs, scratching his chin. "But that's a discussion for another time. Let's go back for now. I'm ready to get paid and get lunch. Not necessarily in that order, either."

"Agreed. I'm starving." Hope rubs her stomach, and Amadeo nods. "Not a bad start to the day." And together, they walk back to the forest edge, an unnoticed figure watching from the undergrowth.