The next morning at breakfast everyone seems tired and fed up. Elyza and Cornelia are the last ones down to breakfast. Upon entering, the room immediately feels gloomy. Cheese, for the first time in his life, is actually being quiet and just eating his food. Naliah looks solemn while Cariston inspects her cloak which seems to be sort of shriveled up. He says something to her before his hand glows slightly and a small patch of the cloak he touches seems to return to its normal not shriveled up state. Naliah seems relieved, but still has a scowl on her face as she watches Cariston very very slowly return the cloak to its original glory.

The gloomy atmosphere lifts slightly as they all eat, Nalaih’s silk cloak sits securely around her shoulders looking a lot better thanks to Carsiton’s help. As they’re finishing their meal, the door opens and one of the guards they met yesterday looks around the tavern with wide eyes. He spots them all, taking a moment to point in their direction before making his way over. Two burly men follow him, one holding a large chest which makes quite the thud when it’s set down on the table. So much so, that Elyza notices the barkeep wince as the wood cracks slightly.

“This is payment for your great deed of keeping the city safe.” He says loudly, making a few heads turn. “We just need a group name to put on the paperwork.”

Elyza’s first question is to ask exactly how much gold they’re being given, until she realises the group name is the more troubling question. They haven’t ever discussed a name as they haven’t needed one. She’s technically just their body guard, and they’re just some kids she’s been hired to keep safe. Cariston looks to be thinking hard on what to say. Cheese has a small smirk on his face which does not bode well. Naliah and Cornelia don’t seem all that bothered by the conversation at hand, Naliah way more interested in her food, and Cornelia in reading some crude comments carved into the table top.

“Thanks. We appreciate the payment” Elyza starts to say. “But we don’t have a-”.

“-The study group! Our name is the study group.”

Elyza watches Cornelia’s head twitch up at the sound of Cheese's voice, a look of disgust very quickly taking over her features. Elyza feels the exact same about the name, looking over to Cariston with a pleading look. To her distress he grins, telling Cheese it's a perfect name for the group.

“The...The study group?” The guard asks unsurely, looking over them all. Elyza wishes once again the ground would just open up and swallow her so she doesn't have to deal with these fucking idiots.

“Yeah, The study group. Or do you think we should be the study buddies?” Cariston asks Cheese. Elyza goes to stop this madness, but Cheese is faster.

“No, The study group sounds much better bro!”

“...Okay. Right, ‘The study group’. I bid you all a good day then.” The guard says, still looking incredibly confused but sure enough he and the others leave the tavern, leaving behind many curious patreons pointing and whispering in their direction.

“You have got to be kidding me” Cornelia mumbles beside Elyza, giving her a look which definitely puts across the extreme embarrassment they both feel just now. Naliah seems content with their decision. Not quite on the enthusiastic level that Cariston and Cheese are on the name, but happy enough with it. In usual Naliah fashion, she doesn’t have much to say on it.

Elyza thanks about telling Cheese and Cariston that she hates the name and that they need to run after that guard and tell them any other name to refer to the group by. But then she sees how brightly Cheese is smiling, and how happy Cariston’s laugh sounds as they talk about it. She finds herself for the first time in a very very long time caring more about their happiness than her own pride and feelings.

She may hate the name, but the others like it. So she’ll bite her tongue and live with it.

All is quiet once again once people seem to move on with their lives when nothing else terribly exciting happens with the group. It’s nice to finally have a moment of quiet to relax and unwind. They don’t have anything planned for the day which although all of this time has technically been time off, Elyza hasn’t really had time off as she’s had to keep an eye on them. With no one having any major plans means she actually gets a day where she can do anything she wants without worrying about anyone getting into trouble.

The illusion of that lasts a sweet half an hour before there is a hell of commotion outside with music and shouts. Cheese’s eyes light up and he practically jumps up from the table and runs to the door, obviously excited to have found something to do with the day. Elyza Is the last to follow them all out of the tavern, Cornelia just in front of her as she makes a huge show of dramatically sighing and following Naliah out.

As they get outside, everyone's mood dramatically changes, all for very different reasons.

“Yes, come one, come all! The Marvellous Travelling Market has arrived to bring the delights of all four corners of our great land to you here! For only a few days, my collection of rare and wondrous goods will be available to the fine folks of Kier! You ma'am! Do you desire a wondrous fur cloak of vibrant blue to become the envy of all your noble friends? You sir! Do you long for the strength to best all and make the ladies swoon? Do you dare embrace the strength of the legendary giants?! All this and more is available from me, The Amazing Jeston, here, and only here for the next three days!”

The rest of the group are immediately pulled in by the gnomish man in a large purple and white top hat with his sales pitch, quickly moving through the crowd and seeming to pick the perfect item making sale after sale. Elyza stands back and watches him, her arms crossed as she waits for him to slip up, but he doesn’t. He’s impressive, that’s for sure, but nothing Elyza hasn’t seen before.

In her years in Pyke, she’d seen many great salesmen who could sell just about anything. For a time, she stood among those ranks. Using her charm and wit to scrape every last gold from unsuspecting fools. That line of work was left behind when she left Pyke, but it doesn’t mean watching him effortlessly trick people doesn’t bring her a feeling of nostalgia.

However, what catches Elyza’s eye isn’t the loud man who wants everyone's eyes on him. His sales pitch is impressive yes, but the soft beautiful music coming from beside his elaborately decorated cart is what draws her in. She makes her way into the crowd, catching up to her group as they all watch the gnomish man in wonder. Off to the side, but still very much in sight, is a beautiful half elven woman with long auburn hair. Her delicate fingers pluck at the strings of the lyre in her arms. Her face is round with a smattering of freckles on her cheeks, yet she has strong elven features which definitely marks her as a half elf. Her eyes are closed as she gets lost in the melody she’s playing. When she opens them, Elyza feels the air leave her lungs as she gets lost in the stunning emerald hues.

Elyza just stands there, mouth slightly agape as she stares hard at this beauty in front of her. She doesn't think she’s ever seen a woman with such elegance and beauty. Sure, she’s seen pretty girls before, she’s definitely slept with more than a few, but this woman is on a whole other level.

She’s vaguely aware of Cornelia talking to the merchant Jeston, but she doesn’t really care for what he has to say. She knows he’s going to sell Cornelia something weird and useless, but honestly figures it’ll be a good thing to try to knock Cornelia down a peg or two by letting her get tricked into it.

There's a small pause in the music as the woman finishes her song. Elyza see’s her opportunity and takes it. “Hey there, you seem to be great with your hands, I like that in a girl.” she says, giving her signature smile no one is able to resist. However, the strangest thing happens. The woman doesn’t stop, but looks surprised for a moment before smiling back, either seeming to miss the meaning behind Elyza’s words, or ignoring it.

“Well, thank you.” she replies, her voice soft like silk, her smile not wavering as her eyes met Elyza’s again. Elyza finds herself at a loss of words, not used to her chat up lines and charm not working. It’s not like she hasn’t been rejected before, but with this woman, it seems different. Elyza can’t stop looking at her, can’t stop thinking about her. It’s almost as if she’s under some influence to do just that.

As she finishes the song she’s playing, the rest of the group seem to have finished their purchases with the merchant, and the rest of the crowd all seem to be smiliarily enamored with the musical talents of this woman. They all clap and cheer, many exlaming to their friends about how this is the most beautiful music they’ve ever heard. Elyza takes the moment of quiet to make another move.

“That was a beautiful song, you’re very talented” She says, edging closer, keeping her eyes on the woman's. “My name’s Elyza, what’s yours?”

“Elyssia.” She replies quickly, looking over to Jeston. Elyza doesn't miss the look Jeston gives her. “I’m sorry, but I've got to get back to work now.”

Elyza goes to speak again, to ask if she’s okay, but Elyssia starts playing another song. Naliah lightly touches her arm, saying the rest are leaving and they better go. Elyza nods, following after the rest of the group, but can’t help looking back to watch Elyssia play with a feeling of worry in her chest rather than awe.

They don’t have plans for the day as previously stated, but Elyza has never been good at sitting still and actually relaxing. Even as a child she was always on the go, always playing, always getting up to mischief. Which is why she finds herself wondering around the city with no real purpose just watching people as they go by.

There’s still no sign of Alenas, which means he hopefully has gone for good and isn’t coming back. But she’s still staying vigilant and looking out for him. She doesn't see him, but there are a few people who’s stares linger on her for longer than she’d like. Her anxiety spikes when she passes a group of men who are all looking at a piece of paper one of them is holding, and then all look to her with pointed stares. She hurries along, only rationalising it in her head that they’re probably just staring at her because she really sticks out with her red hair and purple skin, the horns really not helping at all. Just because they looked at her doesn’t mean they’re looking for her.

She finds herself going past the Arcane Anvil and decides to see who is manning the counter today. To her delight, and disappointment, its Trissaleth. She grins to herself, watching as the elven women, much like the first time they met, places a mark in the book she’s reading and turn her attention towards Elyza.

Elyza doesn’t have a preference for who serves her, she has fun making subtle flirting comments to both Trissaleth and Joanna, she just enjoys the way Joanna flushes more, and cuts prices a lot more than Trissaleth does.

“Back so soon? I thought you were out of funds?” Trissaleth asks with a small smirk, seeming to sense the imminent sale.

Elyza just shrugs. “I had a hell of a day yesterday and came into some more gold, it happens.”

“I see.” Trissaleth says giving her a reserved nod, seeming to come back to her usual stern composure. “Back for more arrows?”

Elyza flashes her a cheeky smile, getting an idea. “Actually, I’ve come in for your services.”

“My...My services?” Trissaleth asks unsurely, obviously caught off guard by the flirty tone to Elyza’s comment.

“You enchant things, right? I’m looking into getting some new armour. Enchanted, preferably.”

Trissaleth’s eyes widen for a moment before she seems to clear her throat and look at the counter. Elyza can’t help but grin at the fact that actually worked. Seeing Trissaleth flustered is just as fun as seeing Joanna in the same situation.

“Ah, right, yes.” She says, looking towards the entrance to the side of the shop where Joanna normally is. “That can be arranged. What type of armour were you wanting to look into?”

They discuss which armour would be best, Joanna appearing just at the right moment and her eyes seeming to light up at having her opinion asked. She suggests studded leather, and Trissaleth says that she’ll enchant it as part of the price as a thank you for choosing to have this done here. In total, it costs 500 gold which Elyza hands over feeling a bit disappointed that all her money she’s just been given has been spent, but also excited at the aspect of getting improved armour which is also enchanted.

She makes a big deal of taking off her armour there and then at the counter. Both Trissaleth and Joanna flushing slightly as Trissaleth tries to point out there's a curtain to get changed behind. Elyza Just smirks to herself, handing over her armour and watching both women try to hurry back to their duties. They tell her it should be done in the next day or so, Which Elyza happily accepts even though there's a slight worry at the back of her head that knowing her lot they’ll get in trouble and she’ll need it. She pushes that thought away repeating to herself it’s her day off and they’ll hopefully all behave.

__________________________________________________________________________

The afternoon gives way to the evening where the group meet back in the tavern for dinner. They’ve gotten into their own little routine of having dinner and drinks together until it's time to retire for the night. Sometimes Trizzi joins them, but more often than not they’ll see her hurrying to her room, head stuck in a book, not even paying attention to her surroundings. Elyza does worry if maybe she should be keeping an eye on Trizzi, but she’s also aware that Trizzi is more than capable of looking after herself.

That evening as they’re sitting together, Cariston explaining some great new discovery he found at the library today, which Elyza couldn't care less about. The tavern is busier than usual. Elyza is keeping an eye on the patrons as usual, which tonight has been rather boring as only one person has been kicked out for starting a fight. She thinks that she’s in for a dull evening, that is until she sees a familiar figure make her way over to the bar.

Elyza blinks once, twice, three times, just to make sure she isn’t seeing things. But sure enough, there sits Elyssia, the half eleven woman from earlier, at the bar. The barkeep hands her a drink with a smile as she says a few words to him. She seems to be dressed more casually now, her long auburn hair in a braid to the side rather than loose down her back as it was that morning. Elyza finds herself standing from the table, her eyes on Elyssia once again. She doesn’t even realise she’s left the table before she hears Cariston say her name with concern in his voice. She dismisses him, saying she’ll be a moment.

“Fancy seeing you here.” Elyssia looks up from her drink, a look of recognition flashing across her face as Elyza speaks. “I only drink in the finest establishments.” she answers, using her free hand to gesture vaguely to the rest of the room. Elyza grins, leaning against the bar as she keeps her eyes on Elyssia.

“You’re here with your friends?” She asks, her eyes flicking over to the group who are watching them with not much subtlety. Elyza rolls her eyes at them, wishing they’d learn how to mind their own business.

“Yes I...We’re having a few drinks. Care to join us?” Elyza replies, her confidence returning as she gives Elyssia a look which she hopes conveys exactly what she’s asking. She’s interested in Elyssia, she’d be crazy not to be. But from the curious looks Elyssia is giving the party, it looks like she’s interested in them as well as her.

Instead of answering, Elyssia picks up her drink and makes her way towards the table. She only takes a few steps before turning back to give Elyza a look which makes her breath catch in her throat. Elyza follows her back to her friends, wondering if Elyssia is possibly the most beautiful woman she’s ever seen. It’s either that, or that it's been a while since she got some.

Elyssia joins them for drinks, seeming to drink a lot more than the rest of them. She chats with everyone, making a good few flirty remarks at all the girls. Naliah is oblivious as always, answering her innuendo with an actual answer. Cornelia is way too busy drinking and having a conversation with Cariston to even react to the flirty comments. Which means Elyssia’s comments are left all to Elyza, which she is more than happy to reciprocate.

After some time Elyssia seems fully relaxed, laughing loudly and grinning at jokes. The conversation turns to Jeston, which Elyssia is all too happy to comment on.

“It’s all bullshit, you know that, right?” She says with a laugh, tilting her head slightly as she watches the group for a reaction. “Like what did he sell you? That cloak, right?” She says gesturing to Cornelia’s new cloak which she had purchased from Jeston. “He said it was some great beast? It’s a fucking Lion! He’s so full of shit.” She says with another laugh.

Cornelia seems to watch her for a moment, considering her words before shrugging off the Now very apparent dyed blue lions hide with scowl on her lips. Elyza watches the exchange, enjoying seeing Cornelia’s momentary pout as she realises she’s been tricked. Elyza is even more amused by the fact that Elyssia, who was so well behaved and obedient earlier, can now be talking about Jeston with such scorn.

“You’ve changed your tune from earlier.” Elyza says, her tone playful as she meets Elyssia’s eyes once again. “Although, I suppose I wouldn't shit talk my boss in front of him either.”

Elyssia shrugs, taking a long drink as she looks ahead, definitely avoiding Elyza’s stare. “Just because I play music for him, doesn’t mean i’m particularly fond of him.”

“Why not just leave then, find another job?” Naliah asks, cocking her head to the side slightly like some sort of confused animal. The rest of the party seem to make murmurs of agreement, Cheese chiming in with some comment about Jeston seeming way too confident and it must be annoying. Elyza doesn’t say anything, just watches Elyssia carefully for a reaction. To her Merit, Elyssia does very well to cover up any reaction, but it still doesn’t ease that uneasiness Elyza has felt since this morning.

There’s something wrong.

“It’s...it's not so simple.” Elyssia says with a small smile to Naliah.

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

“Why not? if I wasn’t happy I would just leave.”

Elyssia looks uncomfortable, her cheerful tipsy disposition disappearing as she sits up straight, staring at her drink. “I belong to him. He keeps me safe, sheltered, fed. Even if I could go, he would never let me.”

Quietness falls over the group, no one seeming to know what to say. Naliah looks confused, Cariston understands and looks sorrowful, Cheese looks like he’s going to say something, but then doesn’t. Cornelia wears her usual stoic mask, making it impossible to know what she’s thinking. And Elyza, she feels fucking terrified.

The uneasiness turns from fear to worry to anger so quickly, she can barely process it all. She reaches out a hand to cover Elyssia’s without thinking, their eyes meeting and somehow that says a thousands things that words never could. Maybe Elyssia can read her, knows exactly what Elyza is thinking. Either way, she smiles, tearing her eyes away as Naliah speaks up.

“So, like a slave?”

“In a sense, yes. It’s just more complicated than that.” She replies, the tense moment seeming to pass as the group all seem to relax seeing her not terribly upset by this confession.

“Huh. I would still leave.” Naliah says with a shrug, taking a swig of her drink as she looks over to the others, obviously expecting them to agree as they usually do. However, they’re unusually silent, just watching the exchange seeing where this goes.

“It’s not that simple. You can never just leave.” Elyza doesn’t mean to butt in, to sound so angry as she practically spits to the words towards Naliah. She regrets it as soon as the words leave her mouth. Both Naliah and Elyssia just look at her. Naliah still looks confused, Elyssia however has a knowing look. Elyza should feel terrified that she could be so careless and nearly give away something she’s tried so hard to hide. But she doesn’t, she feels furious instead. Furious at Naliah for not understanding what she’s saying, and oddly furious at the others for not correcting Naliah and coming to Elyssia’s defence.

She really is just their babysitter stopping them from getting in trouble, isn't she?

“It’s true that I can’t leave, but that doesn’t mean I can’t hurt his fragile ego.” Elyssia says, tone cutting through the tension in the air. With all eyes on her yet again she smirks, taking a sip of her drink. “I have a fun idea, if you’re up for it?”

“It depends what your idea of fun is?” Cornelia says, speaking up as she narrows her eyes slightly. Elyza understands her hesitation, but also is very much interested in being able to do anything to help out Elyssia, especially if it hurts that prick Jeston.

“He may be a con man who sells fake wondrous items, but he does have a large stash of treasure in his caravan. It's his pride and joy, something he loves to brag about when he talks about his success. Imagine if something were to happen to that.”

“Are you suggesting we rob him?” Cariston asks, looking a bit taken aback, but definitely not completely put off by the idea.

“It will be fun, and definitely worth it. I can guarantee that much.” Elyssia says, looking over the party looking for any sign of disagreement. Elyza waits for someone to object, she’s sure someone will have something to say about it. But she’s met with silence.

“And how do we know you won’t just run and tell the guard and get us arrested?” Cornelia asks, leaning closer with an intimidating look thrown Elyssia’s way. Elyssia just smiles in response, placing her drink down and threading her fingers together.

“And why would I want to report myself to the guard?”

“You’ll help us if we do this?” Cheese asks, looking rather excited at the idea. Elyssia simply nods, quickly adding that she would hate to miss out on all the fun. Everyone seems to think over it for a moment. Elyza just watches them, hoping that they’ll agree as she now very much wants to hurt this man in any way possible.

Everyone eventually comes to the agreement that they’ll help out and start to hatch a plan. Cornelia seems to be the most hesitant, but seems to get over her hesitance when she’s promised enough gold to buy the fanciest dress she can think of. Elyssia seems to have everything figured out, she just asks them to meet her outside the tavern the next night.

With everything sorted out, Elyza expects Elyssia to leave, as if she was just looking for some gullible adventurers to help her on this thing she’s obviously wanted to do for a long time. To Elyza’s pleasant surprise, Elyssia stays, she stays even after the others start to head up to bed. Naliah wants to show Cornelia something and insists she sleeps in her room, to which Cornelia just seems happy to get to sleep in another room for a change. As they go up stairs chatting, Elyza is left downstairs with Elyssia alone.

Elyssia ends up buying them another round of drinks, seeming to very subtly move her chair closer to Elyza as she sits down at their table once again. She seems to really bring her charm out with the others gone, her words dripped in this flirtatious tone that makes Elyza feel slightly giddy. It could be the alcohol, or maybe she’s just really missed the bold flirting that comes from women like Elyssia, either way, Elyza is having way too much fun.

She feels her breath catching in her throat as Elyssia looks into her eyes, leaning in slowly. She expects to feel those perfect lips on hers, to be able to run her hands through that gorgeous auburn hair. Instead, she hears Elyssia’s soft sultry voice.

“I think we both want the same thing here.” Elyza feels Elyssia’s breath against her lips as she speaks, it takes an incredible amount of will to not just grab her and kiss her senseless. “How about you show me your room?”

Elyza barely registers the words before she stands from the table, Elyssia’s hand already finding its way into hers as the both head towards the stairs. Their drinks lie forgotten on the table downstairs as Elyza desperately digs through her pocket for her room key, while a very impatient Elyssia kisses her neck.

__________________________________________________________________________

Morning comes all too quickly for Elyza. She hopes as she wakes that she’ll still have the beautiful half elven woman from the night before in her arms. However, she’s met by a cold empty bed, and a vague memory of a chaste kiss being pressed to her cheek.

She's later than usual down to breakfast and everyone notices. Cheese asks if she had a rough night's sleep as she looks tired. Elyza ignores him, sitting down next to Cornelia, where she's pleasantly surprised to find someone has already ordered her breakfast. As she's eating, she notices Cornelia keeps giving her little side glances. Elyza is trying to figure out exactly what her problem is when Nalaih speaks up.

“Did you have nightmares last night, Elyza?” She asks, looking concerned as she places her fork down.

“Nightmares?” Elyza echoes back at her, trying to figure out what she means.

“Yeah. I heard some very strange noises coming from your room last night. I thought maybe you were having a bad dream.”

The whole table has stopped eating and are looking at her now. Cheese and Cariston seem oblivious to what's going on, but now suddenly the looks Cornelia has been giving her make perfect sense. Elyza should feel embarrassed, but instead she finds herself smirking.

“Oh no, they weren’t bad dreams. They were in fact very pleasant.”

Cornelia rolls her eyes looking back to her meal, while Naliah tries to figure it out. She mumbles something about how she didn’t know people made noises when having good dreams before continuing to eat. Elyza feels oddly proud for some reason. Maybe it's the reaction from Cornelia, or maybe it's just because her fun with Elyssia last night has cleared up any last trace of her bad mood. She feels a twinge of something as she remembers why she was so upset at Naliah last night, but after getting what she wanted- no what she needed- it doesn’t seem important anymore.

Elyza finds it easier to relax for the day, like the nervous energy she has been feeling that’s kept her on edge for days is gone. She tells herself it's because of a lot of reasons, but really she knows it's because of Elyssia. As the day passes, she finds herself looking forward to seeing Elyssia again that night. She knows better than to get too attached, to start fantasizing about a life where she actually gets to be with the pretty girl she likes. She knows it always ends in heartbreak, especially with someone like Elyssia. Afterall, all Elyza sees in Elyssia is a younger version of herself. A version who hasn’t realised the life she’s living is only ever going to hurt others and herself.

Cariston and Cheese spend their day at the library, Naliah not wanting to go with them this time due to complaints that they’ve basically read every book in there that's interesting. Instead, Naliah spends her day in her room. Elyza checks on her after a few hours and finds her meditating, holding her strange sword in her lap. The sword still creeps Elyza the hell out, she doesn’t particularly want to look at it, so leaves Naliah to do her own thing.

Cornelia, after her morning of seeming annoyed by Elyza’s presence alone, seems to lighten up. She spends a majority of the afternoon in their shared room chatting. If it's because she just wants to hear the sound of her own voice, or because she genuinely wants to speak to Elyza, Elyza doesn’t know, but enjoys it nonetheless.

Cornelia seems to soften up a bit when it's just the two of them, her untouchable facade slips just enough for Elyza to see who she really is underneath it all. She never points it out, would never want to as she knows it’ll just make Cornelia close right back up again. Elyza often finds herself wondering if it's the expectations set upon Cornelia being the daughter of Lord McShelf that has made her this selfish high maintenance woman. Or if maybe it's all down to the fact Cornelia thinks she has to act like that to be seen as important and above the common people.

Elyza doesn't leave the tavern until the sun is beginning to set and the crowds in the streets have all but diminished. She passes several stores with their owners in the process of shutting up for the day, and some who have already done so.

She finds her way to The Arcane Anvil easily, the little bell above the door sounding incredibly loud compared to the quiet streets. Both Joanna and Trissaleth are at the counter as she enters, Trissaleth tiredly pointing out something in the binder sat on the counter. Joanna grins as she spots Elyza and welcomes her with her usual loud energy. Trissaleth is more reserved as usual, giving her a small smile as she approaches the counter.

Joanna is very excited to show off their newest creation, which is of course Elyza’s new armour. It doesn’t look that different from when she last saw it, apart from the now very prominent metal studs on it. To her surprise, Joanna helps her back into it, making little comments about adjustments she’s made here and there to increase its effectiveness. Trissaleth leans against the counter, watching them with a small smile on her lips, seeming content to only speak up to say the magic it's imbued with should help her stay out of harm's way a little better. Joanna ends up gushing about how Trissaleth stayed up way too late to work on this last night and how it's been a slow day so she’s also been working on it for most of the day. Trissaleth waves her off dismissively, but Elyza doesn’t miss the slight blush on her cheeks.

She bids them farewell and lets them close up, making it back to the tavern just in time to join the party for dinner. They have a quick and uneventful dinner, the excitement and anxiousness of their task for the night seeming to creep up on them suddenly. They slip out of the tavern while the more rowdy patrons have all eyes on them, not that they need the distraction, but it's nice, it makes Elyza at least feel more at ease to not have eyes on her.

Elyssia is outside waiting for them as she said she would be. Her face seems to light up as she sees them, but then very quickly goes back to her practiced neutral expression. Elyza doubts she would have seen the change if she hadn't spent most of her life watching people, learning to read them.

Elyza’s breath catches in her throat as Elyssia’s eyes meet hers. She wonders for a moment if she’ll bring up last night, if anything will be different between them. Elyssia just smiles, touching Elyza’s arm gently as she says she’s glad they decided to join her. Elyza knows not to read too much into it, not to overthink it. She has bigger things to concentrate on now anyway.

“There's usually some guards, big guys who would not appreciate you guys sniffing around. But you don’t need to worry about them.” Elyssia says as she leads them towards the spot Jeston’s brightly decorated caravan rests in.

“You dealt with them?” Naliah asks, her tone making it sound like she definitely wants to know the details. Elyssia just smirks, turning to her as they reach the caravan. “Lets just say they’re taking a little unexpected nap. They won’t bother us.”

Elyssia places her hand on the door, but then pauses, looking back at them. “You ready? Just follow my lead, and stay quiet.” After receiving several nods and even a murmur from Cheese that he’ll be as quiet as a mouse, which of course is followed by an exasperated groan from Cornelia, Elyssia pushes the door open. Eyza expects to see a large caravan with walls lined with treasures. What she doesn’t expect to see is the entryway of a large and luscious mansion. Elyssia explains that Jeston has this magical mansion in here, but she knows where they’re going so not to worry.

They slowly follow her, creeping quietly through the main entryway to a door off to the side. Elyssia takes lead, seeming to scan expertly ahead of them. Cariston follows behind her, followed by Cheese, then Naliah. Elyza stays at the back as she always does, as although she can be near the front, she’s much better at range with her bow. Cornelia sticks near her at the back, also seems to be a lot more alert than Elyza has ever seen her. Although, they haven’t exactly needed to practice their stealth skills exactly on any of their previous adventures. The party aren’t exactly known for being quiet and subtle, but they seem to be doing amazingly well now.

Elyssia pushes down on the door handle that she’s led them too, cursing softly half under her breath as it doesn’t move. She turns to them, sighing as she pushes a loose strand of hair out of her face. “Well, this was our way through. Guess we’ll have to find another way around…” She says, trailing off as she looks around in thought. Cariston takes a step forward, taking a few moments inspecting the door before he speaks. “It looks to be magically locked, I can’t unlock it as I usually would but...I think I have an idea.”

The group watch him carefully as he pulls out the wand of knocking which Beree had given them back in the academy. “Nice idea Cariston, you can open it with that!” Cheese tries to say in an attempted stage whisper but forgets to keep his volume in check and immediately gets shushed by everyone. He looks sheepish for a moment, before going back to being excited about getting to use the wand.

“The only problem is this will be loud.” Cariston says, holding it up as if it's some grand price. “However, I think I have a solution.”

“You have some sort of magic that can make things be quiet? and you haven’t used it on cheese yet?” Cornelia says under her breath, earning a small quiet laugh from Elyza as she grins at her. Cornelia looks incredibly proud of herself for the joke, but also a little disappointed no one else heard it.

Cariston holds up his left hand, chanting something quietly under his breath as he seems to cast something. As he speaks the last few words, there’s a moment where the words leave his mouth, and then the world around them goes completely silent. He then lifts his right hand up with the wand of knocking in it, pointing it towards the door. Elyza waits for the loud knocking sound she knows it's supposed to make, but it doesn’t come. Instead, the door slowly swings open without a sound.

Cheese grins, opening his mouth to speak, but yet again, no sound comes out. He looks distressed for a moment before seeming to realise what’s going on. Cariston is the first through the door, ushering them all through quickly when nothing disastrous happens. It’s very strange being in this pocket of complete silence, which is broken as they all move into the next room. Suddenly the soft clanking of armour and weapons seems incredibly loud. The silence fades and Cariston without a word points to a set of stairs leading down. Elyssia nods at him, moving to the front of the group once again as she begins to lead them across the room.

They however, don’t get far before the room seems to darken around them. Elyza looks around, more cautious than panicked. That changes when she notices the darkness moving slowly, swirling around them until it's very apparent the shadows are not just shadows. Elyza looks at her friends, hoping they’ve noticed too. She grabs for her bow, knocking an arrow and aiming at the dark shape twisting and twitching as it comes towards her.

She watches it, debating with herself if she should just grab the others and run, or if she should actually stand her ground and fight this thing. What good can arrows do against something that seems to be made of darkness? She tries not to get too in her own head, tries to stay calm and figure out how to kill this thing and protect herself.

She’s broken out of her thoughts as she sees a bolt of fire impact the shadow and explode. She looks to her right, relieved to see Cornelia with flames at her fingertips glaring over at the shadow. She’s about to thank her as the magical fire definitely seems to at least slow these creatures down, when there's a blinding light. Elyza goes to shield her eyes, adrenaline pumping through her as her mind races to figure out what attack these monsters could have that could do that.

However, as the light dims she realises it isn’t the creature at all. Another one of the shadows seems to be on Naliah, making a slash at her which she dodges and summons her sword to her hand. Her sword, which is normally black in colour, shines with the same bright radiant energy she’s seen Cariston use before. Naliah snarls, slashing her now glowing sword at the creature. There’s this horrific low noise the creature makes as it crumbles to the ground still glowing with that bright light as it dissipates into little shadowy whisps. Elyza just watches in amazement, awe struck at what the hell Naliah just did and how she managed to kill it so quickly. She shakes her head, looking back to the creature now on her as it swipes at her.

The battle ends as quickly as it began. With Naliah killing one in a single hit, the others rush at the remaining creature before it can even get a hit on Elyza. Elyssia seems to just watch them, standing up straight as the room falls still once again. “You guys really don't mess around, huh?” She asks, the amusement evident in her voice. Elyza looks over to her, a smile already on her face, that is until she notices Cornelia scowl.

“Did you know they’d be here?” Cornelia asks, voice low but dangerous. “Seems convenient you’d lead us right to them.”

Elyssia doesn't even flinch at the accusation behind Cornelia’s words, a sly smile creeping across her face as she looks over them all then shrugs. “I’ve only ever been down here with Jeston. They sure didn't do this last time if they were here.”

Elyza watches the exchange, feeling strangely torn. She should really back Cornelia up, but also she doesn’t think Cornelia’s being fair. She gets it, she really does, but Elyssia hasn’t given them any reason to distrust her. But maybe she is biased due to their time spent together the night before.

Cornelia glares a few moments longer before huffing and looking away, moving past the rest of the group who have all also stopped to watch what will happen. Elyza is the first to move after her, the rest following as they make their way down the stairs led by a seemingly pissed off Cornelia.

The room they come into has bookcases lining the walls with only one exit to the room. Elyssia points it out as the treasury room, taking lead as she leads them towards it. Elyza is more on edge this time, scanning their surroundings for any other creatures waiting to attack them.

As they reach the door, Cariston suddenly turns to look to his left, his eyes narrowing at something before he holds a hand out for them to stop. Everyone stops, all looking at him as he seems to look at an empty spot. Elyza is starting to think maybe he somehow hit his head in the last fight, but then she sees it. It's strange, it's like there's something there, but also isn’t at the same time. Suddenly Elyssia throws her hand forward, pink and purple sparkles appearing in the air and raining down in the direction Cariston is looking. They fall slowly in the air, seeming to stick to the outline of some sort of invisible creature that has been watching them.

Without much hesitation, Naliah repeats her trick from before, the radiant energy from the spell she’s cast on her sword making it glow. It doesn’t seem to hurt this creature like it did the shadows before, but the effect is still very prominent. Elyza just watches it for a moment, seeing this master of stealth now covered in the lights from Elyssia’s spell and the glow from Naliah’s. She thinks this thing surely can’t look more ridiculous, that is, until Cheese starts levitating it.

This poor creature floats up towards the ceiling, flailing as anyone suddenly lifted off their feet would. It scrambles against the ceiling like a trapped animal as everyone fires their attacks at it. This fight, like the last one, barely lasts more than ten seconds as a barrage of fire and arrows find their way into the creatures' not so invisible body. It stills, life draining from its still invisible corpse as Cheese sets it down. The spells start to fade as it lies motionless on the floor. Elyza isn’t quite sure how they seemed to have killed some sort of strange invisible air creature. She doesn’t really want to think about how you can kill air. It makes her head hurt, all this magic bullshit.

Cheese announces that he’s about 90 percent sure there are no more invisible monsters in the room, but he can’t be completely sure as he hasn’t learned the spell to see invisible things yet. Cariston backs him up, saying that he hasn’t seen anything yet so they should be safe to proceed into the next room.

As they enter the room, everyone stops and just stares. Elyza looks at the piles of platinum in awe, odd items scattered around the room which Elyza can just tell by looking at them that they’re definitely magical. She’s never seen so much money in one place before, she doesn’t know how to feel about it. Happy that they’re getting to steal from Jeston, but also something about this feels very off.

“Ooh, Cariston, what does this one do?” Cheese asks, running over to the corner of the room and then holding up a blue very lightly glowing orb.

“I’ll look at it later, Cheese.” Cariston says, seeming more on edge than usual as he cautiously walks further into the room. “We should take what we can and leave.”

Elyza nods at him, making her way over to the pile of platinum and starting to shove coins in her bag. Under different circumstances, she would try to at least do a quick count of how much coin there is, but Cariston’s nerves are rubbing off on her.

They all go about finding items around the room. Elyza focusing on grabbing as much coin as possible, while Cariston and Cheese find a few scrolls they quickly identify as spell scrolls. They chat briefly about it, but it may as well be another language as Elyza has no clue what they’re on about. Cornelia finds what looks to be some really fancy shortsword with jewels encrusted on the handle. She immediately claims it as her own, claiming it's too nice for any of them to ever have. Cornelia is making quite the scene about it, but Naliah is completely in her own world, staring at some pretty gems she’s found in the corner.

Their total findings come to 410 platinum in coin, or so Cariston says as he quickly does the maths on it. He tries to also show off something else he’s found, but quickly has to stop Cornelia who already has fire in her hands as she’s found a box containing many of the cloaks Jeston sold her. She has a look of disgust and hatred on her face as she goes to raise her hand, the flames already flickering there. Luckily Cariston is faster, and persuades her not to burn the place down.

Elyssia has just been watching them, standing off to the side with a small smirk on her face. Elyza has the feeling she’s very much enjoying the idea of how pissed off Jeston is going to be. As Elyza stands, watching the rest of her group gather their things as they really shouldn’t stick around for too long, Elyssia comes to join her in the middle of the room.

“Was it everything you were expecting?” Elyssia asks, her tone giving away exactly what she’s asking about. Elyza is about to reply with something oddly flirty, when she hears a shuffling sound. She looks towards the door to see a slight, ragged looking human man, scars across his bare chest, and a blindfold covering his eyes. He stands in the doorway, although obviously blind, he looks over the room, somehow almost making eye contact with Naliah as he looks at her and speaks.

“Nahliah, Child of Dracarus.” he says, voice wispy but somehow incredibly firm. “Cheese, Child of Carhanix. Cornelia, Child of Pyke. Cariston, Child of Dulsaid.” He looks to each of them as he says their names. Elyza watches in awe, that awe growing into terror as his eyes fall on her as she realises what’s coming. “Kelawa, Child of Casterly.”

The world seems to stop, her heart beating impossibly loud in her ears as a shaky breath escapes her lips. How does he know? How can this man she’s never seen in her life before know? He shouldn't, he can’t. It’s impossible for him to know her real name.

“Wait, kelawa?” Cheese questions, trying to catch Elyza’s eye, but she refuses to look at him.

Naliah summons her sword in an instant, going to take a step forward, but Elyssia moves to stop her. She holds her arm out in front of Naliah firmly, keeping her eyes glued to the scruffy man. “Marron?”

“Worry not. I hold no scorn for your theft of these items, not for the killing of my servants. The Child of Hendorin may obsess over them, but they do not matter.” Marron’s words are slow, directed, every word feeling like a knife under Elyza’s skin.

“Wanderers. A darkness follows you. Or perhaps a light, sent to combat that evil. The truth is seldom clean cut. Know, Children of Evenris, fate pulls at you. Gods, monsters, entities. They all colless to one end. It already knows you all. It pulls and yearns. Maybe it will succeed. Maybe it will be thwarted. Maybe you will never meet it, but your fate has already been cast. We are all bound to the choices we make. All that's left to see is how you walk that path.”

“Our fate? What do you know of us?” Cariston asks, looking curiously at this strange man.

He ignores Cariston, as if he had never spoken. He tilts his head up, a frown taking over his features. “I believe the guards Elyssia removed have returned, and given your current state, you would not emerge victorious again today. Trust me, and I shall aid you.”

He holds his hand up, mouth moving in a silent chant. Elyza realises too late he’s casting some sort of spell. She tries to shout out so someone can stop him, but suddenly she feels heavy, her eyes drooping as she stumbles and falls to the ground. She hears the grunts of her friends do the same around her. She tries to force her eyes open, to not fall asleep, to protect those she cares about. But the darkness is too strong, and overtakes her mind.