Everything had been going well until the storm hit. They had managed to get to Everward just before that, which was all well and good, but Edwyr couldn't help but feel frustrated that they were now stuck here. Rationally, he knew that it was unlikely that Feyrith was traveling through all of that rain and lightning, but still, simply sitting here in an unfamiliar inn was making Edwyr antsy.

And Arbane and Lanna weren't helping with their insistence on being all upbeat and jovial. Edwyr fully realized that he was in the wrong here, which was the only reason he hadn't said anything to them, but he still couldn't help but feel annoyed with them.

He wondered why, though. He didn't remember being irritated with them often, and he'd known the two for years. But then he quickly realized what was now different. They had never been together for this long. Yes, they spent a lot of time together, but they also spent a lot of time apart. Edwyr hoped that the reason for his annoyance was his frustration at not being able to continue the journey, though, and not simply being around Arbane and Lanna. He truly didn't like the latter possibility.

"Hey, come on, it will be fine," said Arbane, putting the piece of bread he'd been eating aside. Lanna nodded emphatically, likely not talking only because her mouth was full of fried meat. "We'll catch up with him. And we can't go out there right now, anyway. Just relax."

Edwyr huffed. That was easier said than done. And not helped by the fact that both of his friends seemed to have no issues at all with it, unlike him, who found simply sitting around and waiting incredibly difficult.

He looked away from them and around the room, which immediately made everyone who had been staring at him look away. Edwyr scowled. Typical. They likely expected him to solve all of their problems with magic, much like the people of Sunwood had back when he'd arrived. Edwyr remembered that well, as well as the collective disappointment when they'd found out he couldn't use magic. He wasn't planning on sticking around Everward long enough for that, though he was getting the sense some of the people here had already put together something was off about him.

At least none of them had asked him for anything yet. Still, Edwyr didn't like how many people there were in the relatively small inn due to the storm, which was still raging outside. It made him feel on edge, but he obviously couldn't simply go outside to clear his head right now.

As Edwyr's eyes scanned the crowd of faces, lit only by the candles on the tables and the simple, metal chandelier hanging from the ceiling, he noticed someone in a dark corner, watching him. That wouldn't be so odd itself, if not for the cowl the person was wearing over their head.

Edwyr narrowed his eyes, trying to get a better look, but the person was already getting up, avoiding his gaze as they walked past all of the tables and reached the back door, which Edwyr hadn't even noticed before. And just before they left, they locked eyes with him.

Edwyr continued staring at the door long after it had been closed, frowning into space as he tried to figure out what had happened. Why was he so entranced by some stranger staring at him? Without really thinking about it, he'd stood up, already about to follow behind them when Lanna's voice stopped him.

"Where are you going? Everything okay?"

Edwyr almost sighed. It was admirable that Lanna cared so much, but he wasn't always on the brink of a catastrophe.

"Yes, I'll be back soon."

Lanna and Arbane both frowned at him, but they didn't protest as he left, following in the figure's footsteps and leaving through the small door. They might have said something when they saw him exit, but over the noise of talking, clinking of tankards, and the storm, Edwyr didn't hear anything.

He frowned into the thick rain outside, which was making the previously dry, dirt paths between the houses wet and muddy. At least the wide roofs of these houses offered some protection against it, but they also made Edwyr's surroundings even darker. There was barely a speck of sunlight coming through the dark, ominous clouds above.

He was about to look around and hopefully find whoever it had been at the inn, but then he stopped. Why did he even want to find them? They were likely simply another villager, though it was very odd that they'd kept their face covered up like that. And that no one had seemed to notice it or them, now that Edwyr thought about it.

Edwyr sighed, already walking down the path on his left, looking around cautiously as he tried to avoid mud and rain. As he reached the end of the house on his left, and therefore his shelter from the storm, he frowned as he looked around the buildings he could see, squinting into the dark corners between them as cool wind and rain hit him every so often. But despite all of that, and the noise of thunder, Edwyr was still more comfortable here than at the inn, if only because it was more peaceful here. Which was truly saying something.

But while he didn't want to go back, he also didn't feel like crossing the road and getting completely soaked before he made it under another roof. And he didn't even know if this was the right way to go, anyway. The person could have gone the other way, and he had no way of knowing.

As soon as he thought that, though, Edwyr saw the figure again, watching him from behind a house on the other side of the street, almost out of sight. They stayed there for a moment longer before disappearing behind the house's wooden wall. Edwyr scowled and set his jaw, hesitating only for a moment before setting off.

He grimaced as the heavy rain hit him, forcing him to put his arms over his head and run as fast as he could. It wasn't far at all, and yet making it over to the other side felt like it took far too long. As he finally reached another roof to hide under, he ran his hand through his hair, trying to get some of the water out of it before looking around, hoping to find the person who had clearly wanted him to follow them.

And indeed, at the end of the alley he had found himself in, the figure seemed to be waiting for him, leaning back against the wall. Scowling again, Edwyr made his way over to them, staying under the protection of the roofs as he went, but he didn't walk up to them immediately. This could very well be a trap of some kind, even though he had no idea what its point would be.

"Who are you?" he said, making sure to speak loudly so he would be heard over the rapidly falling rain and occasional thunder.

The person looked over at him, finally letting him see who he was dealing with. It turned out to be a human woman, wearing a black mask over the lower half of her face along with the cowl. Edwyr wasn't sure what he'd been expecting, but somehow, he was surprised. But then, of course it was a human—an elf wouldn't be here, hiding like this.

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"That is none of your concern for now," she replied. Despite her calming, melodic voice, Edwyr narrowed his eyes, feeling more than a little annoyed. He would not be spoken to like this, by a human or an elf. "Who are you is a better question, anyhow."

"I don't have to tell you anything," Edwyr grumbled, glaring at her. He wasn't sure why that had been his immediate reaction, though. He had nothing to hide, and he was no one important. He had nothing to lose by saying as much.

"Of course you don't," the woman replied. She took a few steps towards him but didn't walk up to him completely. There were still at least six feet between them. "You are a magicless elf, correct?"

Edwyr frowned, this time in confusion rather than suspicion or irritation. Magicless? He'd never heard anyone use that term for his condition. It was always Cursed, and nothing else. And what did this human even know about it, anyway? From his own experience, humans didn't seem to know that certain elves had no magical aptitude in general.

The woman seemed to take his silence as confirmation as she continued. "I know of someone who would be interested in meeting you. And all elves like you, if you know of any."

Despite getting new information, Edwyr felt like he understood less and less. Humans tended to stop being interested in him the moment they found out he couldn't fix their problems. And yet this one seemed to be doing the complete opposite. "Why?"

"No need to be so suspicious," the woman said, sounding a little amused. "It's nothing bad. Quite the opposite."

"And what does that mean, exactly?" Edwyr was getting very impatient, even though he had nowhere else to be.

"Where are you heading?"

Edwyr was almost shocked at her sudden change of topic, so much so that he answered without thinking, or even questioning how she knew he was going somewhere. "An ancient ruin in the mountains."

"Oh, you are?" Her voice suddenly lacked emotion. It had almost sounded ominous. "Interesting. I wonder why." Edwyr wanted to tell her he wouldn't answer any more of her questions, but then she simply shook her head. "No matter. Go there. And when you get there, tell them that Genrith sent you."

Edwyr was about to ask what in the Goddess' name any of this was supposed to mean and who they were, but the woman was already running away, disappearing behind the corner and into the rain. Edwyr ran after her, trying to catch up, but by the time he'd also reached the corner she was gone, no sign of her anywhere.

Edwyr muttered a few curses, running a hand through his still soaked hair. What had all of that been about? He was so confused that he couldn't even form any actual questions right now, though he already knew he would have many of them.

He knew one thing though—that had been no ordinary human. She clearly knew much more than a normal human would. And she knew about the ruin, also. She wanted him to go there to meet...someone. Who could be interested in a Cursed elf like him? His own people didn't want him.

Still, even though Edwyr wanted to completely reject everything he'd just heard, he couldn't help but feel intrigued and curious. And since they were already heading that way, there was nothing to lose.

Who had she said he was supposed to say had sent him? Oh yes, Genrith. He would make sure to remember that name. Though now Edwyr's mind was going a mile a minute, trying to comprehend what had just happened.

Why would anyone want to talk to him? What could he offer to anyone? And had this woman been following him, or was this simply a chance meeting? She hadn't seemed to even know who he was, nor had she seemed to have been aware he would be here. But if she hadn't come here to talk with him, why was she here in the first place?

Edwyr shook his head. He would have plenty of time to think about it as they still had days of travel ahead of them. He leaned against the wall of the house he'd been standing next to and folded his arms, frowning in thought. Despite not really wanting to, he should probably head back, if only because being out here wasn't likely to help him dry off and the longer he stayed out here the more likely it was Arbane and Lanna would have questions, which he. for some reason, didn't feel like answering.

He would tell them about what had just happened, of course, but only after he made some sense of it himself. There was no point in sharing what had happened when he knew he wouldn't be able to explain anything anyway. But he would have to tell them before they caught up with Feyrith. If this somehow involved Cursed elves only, it was unlikely it would be something the Council would approve of, and if Edwyr knew one thing about the elven society, it was that they never lied or withheld important information.

Edwyr wasn't sure how he would manage to not involve Feyrith when they finally reached the ruin, but he had always been good at improvising. He would figure that part out once they got there.

With that he walked back towards the muddy street, scowling down at the puddles of dirty water that had formed on it. But at least the rain seemed to be letting up a little now. It didn't mean that he would be able to make it across without getting soaked further, but at least it was a sign that they might be able to continue their journey soon. Edwyr was now even more eager to get on the road again.

He made his way back to the inn, trying to avoid the rain as much as he could with limited success. Still, breathing in the fresh air did make him a little more calm and collected. As he reached the main door of the inn, however, he spotted the local stable from the corner of his eye.

He should probably check on their squawkers since he was already wet anyway. He knew the beasts didn't like loud noises and the thunder was still very much that. Immediately as he thought that lightning flashed above, soon followed by a deafening crack. Edwyr huffed, shaking his head. It wasn't often, but sometimes he wished he had human ears instead, so his hearing wouldn't be so sensitive.

He did his best to walk under roofs, and thankfully he was even able to make it most of the way to the stable without having to go out into the rain. He ran the rest of the way and didn't stop until he was through the large entrance to the wide, wooden structure.

The familiar smell of hay and squawker droppings immediately hit his nose as his eyes adjusted to the relative darkness inside of the stable, though Edwyr didn't have to even look for Tempest as she chirped and ran up to him, pressing the side of her head against his chest. She truly didn't like being around other squawkers, it seemed.

Edwyr stroked her head as he looked around the entire stable, noting that while there were at least twenty stalls for squawkers, there were only ten in use, counting Tempest, Aggra, and Stomper. Either the people of Everward didn't need a lot of them—which wouldn't make much sense with the size of the stable—or some of their people were away, unable to travel due to the storm.

Since Tempest wasn't moving away and was now also letting out soft coos as Edwyr continued rubbing her forehead, the elf stayed where he was, doing his best to check on Aggra and Stomper as well, even though he was a few feet away from them. They looked fine, however, aside from the fact that Aggra's reins were tied to a hook on the side of his stall, and every so often the squawker pulled on them, letting out a noise of annoyance.

Suddenly, all of the squawkers flinched as thunder boomed again, this time a bit farther away, and Edwyr sighed. He gently pushed Tempest away and walked over to his friends' squawkers, stroking the feathers on their heads as well. That always seemed to work with squawkers, and Edwyr was relieved to see it work now as well as they both relaxed a bit.

He flinched when he felt something tug on his armor, chuckling when he saw Tempest staring at him with her head titled and one ear flat against her head. The other seven squawkers also seemed to be giving him looks, both distrustful and hopeful, clearly hesitant but also interested in a head rub. But Edwyr understood their trepidation—he was likely the first elf they'd ever seen.

Hearing more thunder and seeing the squawkers shrink back into their stalls, Edwyr sighed. It would still take some time for the storm to pass and going back to the inn would mean sitting around and doing nothing. He might as well keep the squawkers company for a while.