A new day; A new journey.

[Arin]

Arin was resting peacefully in the warm bed of their room in the guildhall residential wing, watching Luna sleep soundly beside him under the covers as the sun began to shine in their window. A pile of dirty dishes sat on the table in their room, where they shared a meal after a rather exciting night the evening before.

However, as much as he wanted to keep enjoying this peaceful moment with his girlfriend, he knew they had to prepare for the next leg of their journey, and he had important business to attend to with the King. He had important matters he needed to discuss with Aldari, matters that he trusted Aria's promise that Aldari would keep secret. As carefully as he could, he tried to get out of the bed without waking Luna, so she could keep sleeping and be well rested for the coming journey...Wherever that may lead.

Cypher was already getting dressed and ready to head down to the lobby, fixing his clothes so they weren't too badly wrinkled, and appropriate for public viewing. He walked back over to the bed and gave Sera a peck on the lips, watching the beautiful lamia girl sleep soundly in the warmth of the room.

Aria was still sound asleep, Ciel in her arms and holding her close in their shared room. Since arriving at the guildhall, she had been very careful about who talked with her new daughter, not wanting the crude behavior of the guild members to taint her mind further. She had enough trouble with what Lance stuffed in her brain, she didn't want more of it to try and deal with.

Lance...That boy was a curious case. He always had a tough exterior, but he was clearly showing that he was more distraught by winding up in this world than he likes to let on. He was also very reclusive around Arin, Luna, and pretty much everyone but his parents, she needed to try and fix that, before they parted ways. Still, she didn't want to wake Ciel, or leave and have her fearful of where she went, so she remained patient, and waited until Ciel was finally awake, before starting her search for Lance so they could have a heart to heart.

[Lance]

Akatosh had decided to sleep in the Wagon, acting as a guard should somebody try to snatch Celeste and their supplies. Even if they didn't take him along, he wasn't going to let their goods be stolen. The Dragonborn opened his eyes, looking over to see Kaen fiddling with his taiko sticks. 

The Oni hadn't slept at all, too absorbed in yesterday's events to feel tired. He was pondering over what Casey had theorized regarding the attack, about how there could be a third party who wanted an all out war. 'Who could possibly want a war that would essentially destroy Terra Mystica? The obvious answer would be some remnant or new form of the Castus Cruorem...but that's too tidy, as well as unlikely. Any group like that would be killed on sight.'

Lambert and Mary had arranged for a room with two beds, one for them, and one for Lance. While the two former royals had slept soundly through the night...Lance had not even gone to bed. He was down in the bar glaring at an empty space on the wall with a 2 hour old tumbler of booze in his hands. 

Lance's emotions had swung wildly in the last day or so. At first he was angry at nothing, then, he was in a phase of self loathing, his buried insecurities and issues bubbling to the surface, and for a while, they were sated. But now...he was just angry in general once again, he had wanted to go, to leave this fucking city before sundown...but Arin and Luna had decided to go off and fuck, and by the time they were probably done, it was too late to safely travel anymore. 

Lance squeezed the glass, his teeth grit, he was loathe to admit it, but he was jealous of those two. They had people that they could trust wholeheartedly, he did not. "I've got some fucking ancient wizard who's Arin's mother, a half-dragon who's already lied to us about who he really is, a fucking white knight asshole who lives on his high horse...and a bitch who'd rather leave me to rot in a jail cell than deal with me, and never shuts up about how much of a problem people are."

Lance's anger began to grow, Luna...training him or not, she was possibly the most infuriating person who's presence he'd ever had to suffer. Whenever she opened her mouth about how "they were losing precious time." he'd wanted to break her fucking nose, but now, he'd been forced to wait a whole night, because she wanted to spread her fucking legs. "I've repressed anything resembling sexual desire for my entire life, because I had a job to do...we're in a place on the brink of war, and she wants to fuck..."

Lance finally had enough, he downed the tumbler in one shot, stood up and left the bar. His hands in his pockets. "If either of them EVER bitch to me about wasting time, I'm not just gonna bring last night up, I'm going to fucking kill them..." Lance wasn't aware, but his emotions had caused his magic to unconsciously activate. A harsh, cold wind had begun to blow through the Guild Hall, and it would more than likely wake a few people.

[Arin]

Aria could sense a strong wind aura coming from downstairs, a look of concern on her face as she got out of bed, replaced her night gown with traveling clothes, these now bearing a slightly longer dress that reaches close to her ankles. Before she left, she leaned down and kissed Ciel on the forehead, speaking softly "Mommy has to go away for a bit, sweetheart, but I won't be far. I'm just going to have a word with uncle Lance. Stay here until I return." She walked to the door and phased out of view before reaching the room's entrance.

While Lance's aura was flaring out of control, causing a strong, cold wind to blow harshly in the lobby, she shivered softly as she approached Lance, placing a hand gently on his shoulder "Lance? What is wrong?"

Asmous noticed Kaen fussing over his taiko sticks, approaching the oni while adjusting his roughed up hair. He didn't have the most pleasant night either, too focused on keeping the perimeter safe while the castle was still compromised. "You seem troubled, couldn't sleep either?"

[Lance]

Kaen shook his head, "I don't sleep much to begin with, traveling doesn't really let me gain a sleep schedule..." Kaen knew that Asmous wasn't going to buy that excuse, the man was stubborn, not stupid. The Oni sighed and set his sticks down. "This incident with the assassin, it's too...convenient, I've no doubt that the Ice Kingdom would love to take advantage of Aldari's death, but the attack was far to brazen, and then there's this business with the Ice Queen's family..."

Kaen looked at Asmous, and even though he lacked visible eyes, it was plain that his expression was grave. "Someone or something is trying to play to the tensions between the kingdoms, I know it...but I can't figure out to what end. I've been wracking my brain, but the only thought that comes to me is that they want the world to become filled with hate and bloodshed."

Lance's first instinct upon having someone lay their hands on him was to grab one of his daggers and stab them, but he stopped himself when Aria spoke to him. "Let's see...I'm stuck in a world on the brink of war, filled with people I have no knowledge of, I have no one I can trust except for a nine year old and my parents...except I can't involve my parents, because they have their own issues to deal with."

Lance's voice began to raise in volume, becoming louder and louder as he ranted. "I've got to deal with a pompous, white-knighting asshole who has the GALL to judge me for being angry and aggressive. Ignoring the little fact that he'll go fucking insane if he gets grumpy, and will go on a murderous rampage. I've also got to deal with his bitch girlfriend, who does nothing but bitch about others slowing her down, when we've lost a whole day cause she couldn't keep her fucking legs shut!" Lance's aura flared again, the cold wind whipping violently through the room. "Want me to keep going!? Cause I've got plenty more to be pissed about!"

[Arin]

Asmous crossed his arms, thinking over the incident as well. Kaen had a good point, the attack seemed too obvious, even for the ice kingdom. At the mention of hate and bloodshed, Asmous cringed, remembering those whom he had to abandon in the castle before it's imprisonment in the ice spell "...you are right...This was too poorly orchestrated to be an obvious attack from the ice kingdom...I would continue, but your words interest me...What troubles you about the royal family?"

"...I see..." Aria sighed and took a seat beside Lance, leaning on her elbows and staring forward as she thought about Lance's frustrations "Arin's behavior is partially my fault. I've tried to give a spiteful child a moral compass that always points in the right direction, knowing full well he doesn't have control of his dark impulses...Arin has had a hard time letting people get away with wronging others, because of his own past experiences moving from orphanage to orphanage...He's developed a strict philosophy that one's punishment should be fitting of the crime...He truly does mean well, but he's never had a social life, so making friends has been hard for him...It doesn't help that he's stubborn and often doesn't like to admit that his actions weren't justified if he goes too far..." She waved the bartender down as she was walking into the lobby "Could I have a glass of hot tea please?" The bartender nodded and went to work heating up some water.

While waiting for her drink, she continued "Luna...Is complicated...She's grown cold around people who aren't close to her, partly because she has an aunt who has tried killing her on numerous occasions while growing up, so trust and kindness are hard traits to show externally. She just needs time to warm up to you, that's all."

She looked down and smiled weakly, trying to muster up some courage to relate to Lance "...I know some of what you're going through, Lance...You grew up and trained yourself for a war of men, now you're thrusted into a world of monsters and magic, and facing a war that could rival the nuclear holocausts in devastation...I've lost many friends and loved ones when the human radicals hunted us down like beasts...And even more when I was forced to separate our world from yours...I guess what I'm trying to say is...Try and give us a little more time, to show that this world isn't entirely bad..." Her eyes softened as well, somber even "...I was even hoping that you could try and make friends with Arin...And maybe do a better job of fixing his morals, because if someone as openly light hearted as you cannot stand him...Then I have failed, and I fear he may never make any true friends..."

[Lance]

Kaen was silent for a moment, "Perhaps the deaths of the Ice Kingdom's family were orchestrated by the same party that attacked Aldari. There are many poisons that mimic illness when they kill after all."

Lance closed his eyes after Aria essentially bore her heart out to him, inhaling through his nose. "Look, Arin...is a good guy, as a person, I don't dislike him...but as a companion, he's a right pain in the ass." Lance opened his eyes and looked at Aria. "I'll try and help him...if only because I owe you a great deal. But you need to tell him and Luna to lay off of me, I'm not in the mood for their bitching about my attitude today."

Lance stood up looking at Aria, "Also...you're wrong about why I hate this place...it isn't the land, or it's people, it's the fact that every time I look at you, or Luna, or Akatosh...I'm reminded that there are people back home who are mourning me. I'm causing them pain, and I can't tell them that I'm alright without hurting people over here." Lance sighed, "I guess...I'm trying to hate this place so I don't feel upset anymore."

[Arin]

Asmous thought about it, arms still crossed and thinking everything over "...Still...It doesn't make sense...Why such a destructive spell in our kingdom, and use such a subtle tactic with the ice kingdom? It still doesn't all add up..."

Aria nodded, agreeing that Lance deserved some slack, especially considering what he's been going through the past week. She was grateful that he agreed to try and give them a shot, but things needed to change if any of them were going to get along "I will speak with the three of you before we part ways...Thank you, for giving Arin a chance."

Then, he corrected her about why he was upset. He was upset because people were mourning him, believing him to be dead, and not able to tell them he was alive and well without risking the safety of this world. She rose to her feet as well, facing Lance with a somber look in her eyes "...I know how that feels, forcing yourself to leave everything you knew behind...I will inform any whom you trust to keep this world secret of your condition, you need only say the word Lance...Here."

She opened a rip in her pocket dimension of storage space, revealing a small medallion, and offering it to Lance "If you ever need someone to talk to, when those hurtful feelings start coming back, or if you, Arin and Luna need advice, just speak my name while holding this medallion. Think of it as a radio, only the frequency is by using mana to communicate."

[Lance]

Kaen shook his head, he could only guess about that himself. "Perhaps he wasn't imitating Draco for too long? He might have only performed that spell because he was beaten and found out."

Lance waved his hand dismissively when Aria thanked him. "Don't thank me, I've got something to gain by keeping him around, so it's not a selfless act."

When Aria asked him if there was anyone she could tell his actual fate to, he sighed. "That woman I told you about in wheat town. She can keep a secret..." Lance then took took the Amulet that Aria summoned, clipping it to his belt. "...Thanks, Aria."

[Arin]

Asmous shook his head, still not liking the thought "But that still doesn't explain why he would copy a guardsman, rather than a castle attendant, such as a chef, or a servant of the king." "It's because the person closest to him without being military was myself." Cypher was walking outside, arms folded behind him while approaching the two debating guards "I assume he saw me as an obstacle he could not pass, so he chose to take a more indirect approach to getting close to the king...Whether things went entirely as planned, I cannot say, but had we not reacted as quickly as we had, or if Kaen wasn't in the room with us to demolish the castle walls for our escape...We'd all surely be dead."

Aria smiled when Lance dismissed her gratitude, giving him a peck on the cheek "Still, your kindness means much to me, Lance. Even if it's not selfless, my gratitude for you being there for my son is unchanged. I shall seek out this friend of yours and tell her of your condition...Perhaps when this threat of war is quelled for good, I could guide her here to you...You seem rather attached to her."

[Lance]

Kaen nodded, "I'm just glad my strength is natural. If it was based off of magic, we'd be ice statues right now...but this adds a new issue...if there is some new group trying to stoke the flames of war...who are they, and what is it they aim to gain from this?"

Lance nodded, when Aria mentioned that he was fond of "Alicia's saved my ass more times than I can count. She's a lot like you actually, she's a nice girl, but she takes no shit."

[Arin]

Cypher nodded, glancing between the two of them with a smile "And we are all better off for that fact, Kaen, thank you...As for who this unknown group could be...Sadly, I do not have the faintest idea. It is my job to be informed of many things that could affect King Aldari or the kingdom as a whole, and this is one piece of information that I am unable to find..."

Aria smiled and thought things over for a bit, before a smile started to form on her face "Lance, I think I have an idea that could benefit both of you, but I will only do so with your consent, and I must ask that you hear me out before you say anything." When she was sure he was going to let her continue, she did so, not wasting any time, so as not to keep him waiting "If she requests proof of your safety, or if she wishes to see you herself, I can bring her to this world, to you, and then she can stay with me until such time that your journeys are over, and you choose to settle down in a secluded part of the world. If this is the only woman whom you would trust your life with, I can help make that happen. I understand that you would rather have her risk her life against terrorists than risk her life in this world, so the choice rests with you. I will even help train her to understand and use magic, so she may better defend herself in this world"

[Lance]

Kaen stood up and placed a hand on Cypher's shoulder, "We'll find them, if Casey and Daemira are going off to find out about this from the Ice Kingdom, I'll join them."

Lance was quiet for a moment, Alicia was a tough bitch, she'd gotten into fistfights with men twice her weight and won. If anyone could adapt to this place, it'd be her. "I think she'd like it better here...just...a word of warning, she's...kinda...ugh, she's Bi, alright? If you go to her, be prepared for her to be ogling you for a bit. She's like me, she's repressed a LOT of shit, and if I think you're attractive, she'll fucking drool over you."

[Arin]

Cypher looked to Kaen as he offered to join them, nodding in agreement "Agreed, but be mindful of your words and make sure your clothes do not stand out as fire kingdom origin. It is my understanding that Ice kingdom residents are very wary of anyone who claims to be from the fire kingdom, or even appears to be from here."

Aria blushed lightly when Lance warned her about Alicia's bisexual habits. She then smiled and dismissed his warnings with a wave "It's not my first time being 'ogled' at, especially by a woman. I've been very experimental in my many centuries of life, so I'm sure this will be nothing new."

[Lance]

Kaen smirked, "You needn't fear Cypher..." Kaen reached onto his belt and pulled out a small object, he depressed a switch and flicked his wrist, opening the trinket and making it release a small jingling noise. The item looked like an ornate tuning fork, of all things. Kaen, tapped it on the rock he had been sitting on, making the fork release an eerie, high-pitched tone. He moved the fork in front of his head sound waves visibly emanating from the trinket as Kaen vanished in a ball of purple flames, the flames being sucked into the fork.

When the flames had vanished, Kaen was revealed to look like...a human, the Oni had made himself into a human, with nothing betraying his true appearance or place of origin. "This is a relic that all journeyman Oni carry, it makes me human and seals my powers until I use it again." Kaen folded the fork and attached it to his belt.

Lance chuckled, "And here I thought you were just a doting mother...heh, not gonna lie, maybe if I'm able to loosen up and let this repressed sexuality shit go, I'll be stunned by your appearance." Lance smirked only half joking, he wasn't exactly clamoring to do anything with Aria...but who knew, Lance did find her personality appealing at the very least.

[Arin]

Cypher nodded in approval as Kaen used the enchanted tuning fork to transform himself into a human "Very impressive indeed, however, I assume that little trinket comes with its fair share of drawbacks. Say, if someone were to steal it from you while you were human, for example?" Asmous, having had his fair share of illusion magic for one week, scoffed lightly as Cypher pointed out one of the tuning fork's possible weaknesses "He better get used to being a normal human if that happens."

Aria gave Lance a sly look when he commented on his repression and how he would be stunned by her looks, clearly liking her personality if he were to comment that much about her, she pinched his cheek affectionately "You're such a charmer~ But wouldn't you rather save that for Alicia?~ I'm sure she'd enjoy all of that pent up frustration of yours~"