Twisting around, Iris found herself looking at Akane. The kitsune was hunched over, yipping in laughter while her three furry tails curled around her in amusement.

Iris narrowed her eyes at the fox-woman, a playful scowl on her face. “Rude,” she accused.

Akane, still chuckling, focused her concentration and managed to form a single word with her human-like mouth. “Fun,” she articulated, her pronunciation slightly off. It was almost endearing, reminiscent of a toddler saying their first word.

“You're lucky you're cute,” she grumbled teasingly before turning to join the others, her heart lighter.

“You’re only saying that because she looks just like you,” Mocha nickered.

Iris swung around to face Mocha, feigning shock. “Are you saying I'm not cute?!” She placed a hand dramatically over her heart as she looked at her best friend in faux outrage.

From beside her, Kaira grinned and joined in the banter. “I think you're cute,” she chimed in, shooting Iris a playful wink that made her heart flutter.

There she goes again!

“She doesn't count,” the mare nickered. “She has to say that.”

Iris rolled her eyes playfully, the corners of her lips turning upward in a smirk. “Alright, alright,” she waved a hand dismissively at Mocha before turning back to her companions. “Is everyone just about ready?”

Kaira nodded, her eyes flitting to the doorway of the inn. “Just about,” she affirmed. “I was going to give Bree a bit more time to sleep it off, though.”

Iris waved off Kaira's concern. “Don't worry about that. I've already spoken to Bree. She's getting some food and asking Helda to give her something to help with the hangover.”

Atop the wagon, Gryff chortled. “I'm kinda sad I missed out on that. Would've been a sight to see Bree hammered.”

Iris shared a knowing look with Kaira, a devilish smirk tugging at the corners of her mouth. “You should have heard her sing last night. She made up a whole song about Mocha!”

The mare's excitement was almost palpable. “What?! She sang about me?'” Mocha neighed, the note of surprise clear in her voice.

Iris and Kaira burst into laughter. “She sure did, Mocha!” Iris managed to say between fits of giggles “And it was quite a performance!”

Akane walked next to Iris, and placed her arm on Iris’s shoulder and leaned on her exaggeratedly before barking and yipping toward Mocha.

Mocha nodded, the horse getting more excited with every vulpine sound.

“She has to sing it for me!” Mocha whinnied when Akane finished talking.

She motioned for everyone to gather around, hopping up onto the wagon while Gryff and Laken climbed down, the latter settling close to the owlbear with a casual arm draped over its fur. Iris looked around at the gathered group and a fond smile touched her lips. “Alright, everyone. Listen up,” she began, the ring of authority clear in her voice.

“Today, we head toward the Cursed Forest to look for the Marauder Prince. This whole time, he's been right under our noses. Right under the Queendom's nose. We're gonna take this bastard out, and hopefully make this entire region safer in the process–and earn a bit of coin to form our Guild. That's what being an adventurer is all about, isn't it? Doing what gets us loot and coin, all while doing good deeds for those who need it most.”

She took a moment to let her words sink in, her gaze scanning the faces of her team. “We'll find a place to stash the wagon and the horses. But if we can't... we might need someone to stay behind with it, as unideal as that sounds. We can't leave the mundanes unattended, there are just too many unknowns in the forest.” She shifted her gaze to Mocha. “And I think we'll need you this time, Mocha.”

At Iris' words, Mocha whinnied excitedly. “Really? No more guard duty?”

Iris looked at her friend and gave her a smirk. “After our teamwork against that earthbender? Heck no. You're with me, girl.”

Mocha bobbed her head in acknowledgment and stood a bit taller, her excitement clear.

The sound of the inn door creaking open drew everyone's attention, and Bree emerged slowly, immediately groaning about the sunlight. She hollered, “Iris! This stuff isn't working yet!”

Helda followed right behind her, chuckling. “It takes a few to kick in, girl! Give it time!”

As Bree groaned louder, another voice echoed from behind them. “Iris Stuart?”

Iris turned around, her eyes meeting the gaze of an orkun man dressed in Town Guard garb. Captain Morek, the jerk and one of the people in Cosdale she hoped to avoid.

Mocha flared her nostrils. “What’s he doing here?” she huffed.

A tight frown pulled at Iris’s lips as she stared back at him, her mood swiftly changing from jovial to angry. “What do you want, Morek?” She ground out, the challenge clear in her tone.

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Iris glanced over and caught Kaira’s eye, the elf narrowing hers and stepping away from Mocha.

Morek shifted uncomfortably on his feet, his gaze flicking between Iris and the group of curious faces. “Iris, I need a word with you,” he grunted, his voice holding that typical gruff edge, but strained with a hint of reluctance.

Iris crossed her arms, fixing Morek with a cool stare. “Just spit it out. What’s so important?” she kept her tone casual, not really wanting a fight.

“Don’t you cause any problems in front of my inn, Morek,” Helda said with a huff.

The guard captain sighed, ignoring the innkeeper. “Could we talk privately?”

Before she could respond, Kaira stepped next to her and put a hand on her hip. “Well, if it isn’t Morek Dommar,” Kaira’s voice held a cold edge, the false civility not quite masking her dislike for the man.

Morek’s eyes widened marginally as he took in Kaira’s presence, his face hardening as he begrudgingly dipped his head. “Lady Harken,” he bit out. “What are you doing in our… backwater town?”

The corner of Kaira's mouth curled up into a small smirk. “I've been assigned by Lady Arden herself to assist Adventurer Stuart in her quest. We are a party, and if you have something to say to Iris, you can say it in front of all of us.”

Morek's gaze flickered between Kaira and Iris, the unspoken tension between him and Kaira sat in the air like a physical thing. It was something she intended to talk to the cute elf about later, because she looked so cute right then as she stood there glaring at the orkun man.

With a visible sigh, Morek seemed to deflate slightly, the hint of a scowl crossing his face. "Forget it. This was a bad idea," he grumbled, already beginning to turn away.

Iris instantly felt a bit guilty. "Wait," she said, softer this time. Morek's eyes darted back to her, his gaze guarded. Iris softened her own look, offering a small nod. "Let's talk."

Held under her gaze, Morek seemed to mull over her words, his hard expression softening incrementally. With a deep breath, he finally gave her a curt nod of assent.

As Iris prepared to lead Morek away for a private chat, her gaze briefly met Kaira's, the elf’s ice-blue eyes filled with concern. Reaching out, Iris gave Kaira a reassuring squeeze on her arm, a silent promise that she would be alright.

With one last look back at the party, Iris led Morek a short distance away from the group, turning to face him once they were out of earshot. She crossed her arms and took a deep breath, preparing herself for whatever this conversation might bring. “Okay,” she said finally, her voice steady. “Talk.”

The corners of Morek's mouth turned up slightly in a self-deprecating smile. “I owe you an apology, Iris,” he began, his voice low. “I always thought you could use a bit of help, and while I thought you were rash at times, I did try. That said, I was the one who assigned you to deal with the monster in the woods. I didn't realize there were so many drakyyds. And for that, I take responsibility.”

Iris crossed her arms over her chest, studying him. “That was never the issue, Morek. The issue was that you and the rest of the guards just stood on the wall and watched. It was like my potential death was some sort of spectacle. Not one of you tried to help me when you locked me out. I could have been up on that wall, helping.”

Morek nodded, a guilty look on his face. “I know. But my responsibility was to the town first, and I wasn't sure if the monsters could have breached our walls if something went wrong. That was a poor decision on my part,” he admitted before wincing. “And honestly... seeing your magic at that scale... it was like watching an agent of the gods. The men who join the Town Guard are not always the most disciplined so… everyone just froze. Again, I'm sorry.” He added after a pause, “And I deserved that punch.”

Iris sucked in a deep breath, letting his words settle for a moment. “Fine, I accept your apology.” She softened her gaze. “Now, I know this isn't all you wanted. What did you actually need to talk to me about?”

He shifted, a touch of discomfort in his gaze. “The town's head councilwoman wants the guard to verify the safety of the route from here to Stilstead, and to make assessments on what to do if it's not.”

Iris immediately raised a brow. “I can tell you right now, it's not safe.”

Morek shrugged. “I know it's not. So, I want to send a guardsman with you when you leave again. You can show him, and then leave him in Stilstead. We'll send a second group in a week.”

Iris drew a deep breath, her eyes narrowing. “Who do you want to go?”

Morek turned his head, looking past Iris. She followed his gaze and... Oh, damn it. Her eyes landed on the nameless elf with the formerly cute butt.

Her gaze snapped back to Morek. “Not just no, but fuck no. Nope. Not happening.”

Eona, if you’re really up there… Give me some patience right now.

Morek looked genuinely surprised. “I thought you liked him! He talked about all the, uh... interesting times you two had together.”

“Excuse me?” Iris's voice rose in surprise and anger. “Oh, I'm gonna kill him.”

Iris spun on her heel, storming towards the elf with Morek trailing behind trying to stop her, but not willing to actually get in her way. As Iris neared her group, Kaira's eyes widened, as if sensing her seething anger. The elf woman quickly closed the distance between them and stopped in front of her, followed by the rest of the party.

“What's wrong?” Kaira asked, her eyes scanning Iris's face.

Iris's voice was filled with a simmering fury as she replied, "Morek wants to send a guard with us, and it's him..." She gestured towards the elf.

Mocha, upon seeing the elf, let out a whinny. “Oh. Shit.”

Kaira glanced at the man, her confusion deepening. "What? What did he do? Who is he?"

In the meantime, Gryff's eyes had widened in understanding. He instantly broke away from the group, heading towards the elf. Soon, heated words were exchanged, escalating into a full-blown argument that had Laken turning and walking toward him with an owlbear in tow.

Seeing Kaira's confusion, Iris sighed and explained, “I was in a bad place back then. I lost myself in alcohol and... other nighttime activities. He was the last person I was with before leaving Cosdale. When I fought the monsters at the gate, he literally turned his back on me.”

Kaira's eyes narrowed dangerously. “Oh, I'll kill him.”

Both women turned just in time to see Gryff land a punch square on the elf's jaw. The man crumpled to the ground, unconscious while the owlbear moved to stand over the man threateningly.

Morek let out a string of curses and rushed forward.

Kaira glanced back at Iris, a small smirk playing on her lips. “Looks like someone beat me to it,” she said. She fixed Iris with a serious gaze. “The past is the past–leave it there. You're with me now.”

Iris blinked, taken aback. “W-what?”

Kaira, however, didn't hesitate. Her eyes sparkled with determination as she stepped forward, closing the gap between them. “Waiting was a bad idea.”

Before Iris could even process what was happening, Kaira's hands found her face, pulling her down. Their lips met in a passionate kiss, and Iris felt her mind go blank.

For a moment, the world around them seemed to blur and fade away. There was only Kaira and the feel of her lips against Iris's, the grip of her hands firm and reassuring. The intensity of the kiss stole Iris's breath away, leaving her dazed and reeling.

A thought fluttered in her mind as she leaned into the kiss. Damn, she is so smooth.

Iris knew then, she had truly been caught in Kaira's irresistible charm.