{-Rennyn-}

Was he used to eating in the presence of the nobility, in front of large feasts that most common people will never set eyes on? No. Was he carelessly eating whatever was closest like Allyna was? Of course not. In fact, he was probably eating the least and the slowest out of all of them. He found that, with the possibilities of danger around him, he couldn’t muster an appetite.

What was more interesting to him than any of the food was the way Aymer and Noa acted around each other. First, there was the way Aymer kept Noa out of the meeting; then now, as Noa was occupying the seat meant for a distinct family member. They didn’t… look related, not really, but the way they not-so-quietly argued over Noa not attending the meeting seemed to suggest something. Not quite a father and son, though perhaps very close to it.

All Rennyn could think about after the thought was, that seems like a disaster waiting to happen.

From his observations in their time together, Noa was like Allyna—though the headstrong approach to adventure was swapped for a more cautious and curious one. Aymer, on the other hand, gave the impression that he’d give up everything he had if he could live in a safe little bubble forever. Rennyn hoped the three of them could get in and out of here before they had to get involved in anything else that might happen.

There was no telling what Dhymos would do and their personalities guaranteed they wouldn’t be left unaffected.

“This meeting,” Rennyn began near the end of the meal. “When is it?”

“Sometime tomorrow morning, I suppose,” Aymer replied in a way almost too casual for the situation.

“That’s hardly enough of an indicator.”

Noa shrugged with the same kind of reluctant acceptance of the fact. “At least one of them just went back home, since his territory’s capital closely borders ours. It’ll take him a couple of hours after sunrise to get here. The others kind of just show up whenever they feel like it around the time they agree on. Usually there’s not a lot of super important things to talk about…”

Allyna opened her mouth to say something, but Rennyn preemptively responded by jabbing her in the arm. She mumbled it instead, quiet enough no one could understand her.

“Surely you have a faster way of contacting them?” Kaylin asked cautiously.

“I could, if I knew where they were staying,” Aymer replied. “But, suffice to say, their whereabouts are often not my concern. They… didn’t leave on the most serious note. I’m sure most of them believe I’m over exaggerating or completely making up the problem. They don’t see the threat in it.”

Allyna nodded casually, took another bite out of the bread roll, and questioned before Rennyn could stop her, “So, do you usually inflate problems? Can’t see why they’d ignore you if it’s serious if you didn’t give them a reason to. A boy who cried wolf kind of thing.”

Noa, though seeming rather casual before, tensed and glanced at Aymer. Aymer hesitated, then slowly explained, “I have a bit of experience that none of them do—or rather, not in the same way they saw it. I… suppose you can call it focusing on a small issue. But I learned the hard way that small issues can have serious consequences. What I took as a learning experience they saw as an unimportant tragedy and nothing more.”

He stood up. “I’ll try to see if I can contact them and convince them to come sooner. Perhaps if they realize that regular people are getting involved in this they’ll be willing to act a little quicker.” Then he left without another word.

“What was that about?” Allyna asked.

Noa, though a bit slower, stood up as well. “I-it doesn’t matter, not right now. I’ll talk to him. When you’re done eating, there should be a servant or two that can show you to your rooms. One of them will be able to take care of whatever you need, if you happen to need something.”

Stolen story; please report.

…

Rennyn couldn’t tell if his inability to sleep in unfamiliar places came from the nightmares or the caution the past lives granted him. Either way, he was up as soon as there was a fragment of sunlight through the window, and made his way to the room they had met Aymer in before. He wasn’t sure if anyone else was awake, but it was as good of a place to stay as any.

He was only half-surprised to hear an argument, though this was louder than the similar ones he’d heard.

“I can help, really!”

“You can’t. You’re only going to get hurt.”

“But who else is going to take my place if I don’t even try?”

“Noa—”

Rennyn casually opened the door, feeling more of a creeping sense of dread from what their argument may have been about than having interrupted it. “Did something happen?”

Aymer looked surprised and almost seemed to be about to ask something else before nodding instead. “We’ve received a couple… concerning reports from around the area. More people are seeing figures close to what you described yesterday. I already sent out some messengers to deliver the news and knights to hopefully control the monsters, but I’m not sure if it’ll be enough… nor do I have the kind of manpower to spare to try to find more.”

Without thinking about it, Rennyn offered, “I could go. I’m just one person, but I can handle myself out there.”

“I can’t send a kid out there. I’d never hear the end of it.”

“If all I was was a kid, I wouldn’t be here. Trust me, I wouldn’t lie or joke about something like that.”

Aymer sighed. “What about your friends?”

“Keep them here. Allyna doesn’t know enough in order to be helpful and Kaylin’s not the fighting type. I’ll be fine on my own.”

“I can go with him!” Noa offered, not as eager as it was desperate. “Please, I want to help! I’ll know the area better!”

Aymer didn’t have to say anything, because Rennyn did it for him. “You’re not going anywhere. You’re just going to end up getting in the way of something and then no one’s going to be happy.”

He’d met people like Noa before, after all—once, he might’ve even been that kind of person. The one who was willing to do anything to help, but had yet to realize what it would really cost… whether that was a cost paid by them or someone who was never supposed to get involved. Rennyn was quite certain he didn’t want anyone like that anywhere near him in the long run; it would only cause more trouble, which was a kind of setback he couldn’t afford.

“I can take care of myself…” Noa mumbled.

“Quite frankly, someone like you is only going to get yourself—or someone else—killed. Do me and Lord Aymer a favor and just stay out of it.” Rennyn made a motion that made it clear he didn’t intend to stay much longer. “Lord Aymer, where do you need the most help?”

“A bit to the north of here, I believe,” Aymer responded. He gestured someone, a guard, over and muttered something to him. He went to stand next to Rennyn. “He’ll guide you there. I… can’t give you the Goddess’s Sword yet, but I’m sure they can find something else for you to use when you get there.”

“I don’t need any more help than that. The rest I can do on my own once I know what I’m doing—I didn’t just offer to do nothing.” Rennyn, debating it for a moment, gave Noa one last glance. “You want to be helpful, right?”

Noa nodded. Despite the excitement Rennyn knew he’d shatter, he still continued.

“Keep Allyna and Kaylin from leaving. Kaylin especially. She’s probably going to try to follow me out there and I don’t want her getting hurt.”

“And… how do you expect me to do that..?” Noa asked, not quite as disappointed as Rennyn had expected. “If… they’re going to worry about you, then they’re not going to listen to what I tell them. You could probably at least tell them yourself that you’re helping…”

He acknowledged that there was a personal meaning behind the suggestion, especially as Noa glanced at Aymer, but Rennyn decided it wasn’t important. “Well, just like the person who doesn’t want you to run off, I don’t want them to get into danger. I’ll probably get there, do what I need to, and be back before they realize I’d gone anyway.”

He found himself continuously preferring his time alone. He hated the thoughts that joined him, but… at least the faces of distant allies couldn’t faze him when there was no one around to bear them.

Before Noa or Aymer could say anything else—or Kaylin wandered down to question him—Rennyn waved and left. He wanted to do what he could for them and none of that was going to happen by waiting around.