Chase the Rain

[Reine]

Her mind was reeling with all the new information. She didn’t know how she should sort it or even where to begin really. Part of her wanted nothing more than to question Jared endlessly and see what interesting answers he had lurking in that skull of his. He might know secrets about the BB that she could only dream of, not to mention the location of the legendary thief Yari Rafanas himself. Just because this incarnation of the group had not been started by him did not mean that they did not have any connections with the man himself. And yet, when she looked up into the face of the man, all those questioned died upon the tip of her tongue, swallowed, never to return. She couldn’t do it. Seeing the outstretched hand and the look on his grey eyes, part of her just knew it wouldn’t be right. It would be like dumping the whole salt shaker on the wound and rubbing it raw.

Maybe she’d been too rough on him. Sure, he’d been rather tense and depressed, but maybe he had a good reason to be. And maybe he just needed someone to pull him out of his little funk and show him how amazing and enjoyable life could be once more. Though she could not promise to rid his mind and his heart of all its troubles, heck she couldn’t even promise to be nice to him. She could strive to make this an enjoyable vacation for the man; after all he had helped her in a bind.

Faelynn allowed her lips to pull up in a small smile. “Sure, the Inn is not very far from here.”

As she extended her hand to his, she realized that a light drizzle was beginning to fall from the skin. The small droplets of water impacted along her jackets, exploding in a small shower of water. They even grazed her face, the warm water trickling down her cheeks and jaw. Tipping her head back as she wrapped her fingers around his hand, she smiled a full bright smile that ignited a fire in her golden green eyes. She was beginning to feel like her time in Dheathain would not be wasted after all.

--------------------------------

The lower level of the Inn was a little crowded. It was not packed, but with the rain outside it seemed like a number of people had decided spending time indoors would be a good thing. Faelynn agreed wholeheartedly. By the time they made it back to the Inn, her hair was rather wet and the shoulders of her jacket had absorbed their face share of water too, the rest of her—aside from a few key areas that stuck out—were mostly dry. Thankfully the place was warm and two fires blazed brightly in stone hearths, providing light and warmth. Finding a small vacated booth, Faelynn led Jared towards it, quickly sliding in herself.

The soft cushion of the seat enveloped her behind and the moment her feet left the ground, she relaxed with a sigh. They were sore from walking around so much. Though The Iron Shackles were great for battles and she barely went anywhere without them on, they were not the most comfortable boots to wear for a prolonged period of time. In all honesty, she couldn’t wait to get to their room and strip them off. Yeah, their room. It was cheaper to get one room with two beds then separate rooms and seeing as how they’d slept in the same room on the ship she didn’t think it would be a problem.

“You know, this one time my brother and his friend Connaire had enchanted this sword my brother Ferynn made. They enchanted it so that the blade could shoot fireballs at the user’s command, by draining energy from the user.” Faelynn began as she settled back against the booth, a small smile pulling at the corner of her lips as she recalled the day. “They asked me to test the weapon out like they always do. So, I went into the backyard, lifted it up and pointed it at a man made of straw. Well, the fireball worked, in the sense that the sword exploded in a rain of fire and molten metal.”

She laughed softly as she remember how freaked out she had been at the time. Pulling up the sleeve of her jacket, she showed Jared a deep, white scar along her forearm, stretching towards her elbow. It was about three inches long. “Thankfully the only part of me that blasted sword left a mark upon. Honestly, those two are insane. They always get me to test out their latest experiment and that’s not the only time one has gone wrong. You should hear the story about the chainmail bikini that was supposed to turn me into a mermaid...” She trailed off, shaking her head at the memories.

[Lavinian Ambition]

Jared laughed at the thought of the crazy magical devices she surely had tested. Still he couldn't help but get the image of Reine in a chainmail bikini. Then again, he had the opportunity to see her in less, and like an idiot he had not capitalized on it. Perhaps Garret was right, perhaps he needed to stop pining for what he didn't have anymore and go out looking for something. Maybe he had missed his chance with Reine, but at the very least he could try once more, and see where it went. If they just ended up as friends, oh well. It wasn’t like he was in desperate need of the intimate affection.

"Reminds me of my sister Serenity," He smiled leaning back in the chair and sipped at the cup of water he had ordered to sober up. He then set the cup down before he continued, "She was always a headstrong girl. Tended to get in trouble for thinking she could get away with things. One time she found this stray cat, and she was bound and determined to house train the thing..."

He shook his head remembering how it went, "Eventually the cat was driven so crazy by her splashing it with water or smacking it on the nose, it began peeing on everything in sight. Finally mom had had enough, and threw the cat out. I think that was the closest I had ever seen Serenity get to being in trouble. House reeked for weeks..."

At least, it was what he called the shack he had grown up in. Looking up at Reine he couldn't help but feel that the girl was of the wealthier crowd. Then again, living in a place like Lavinya meant that a lot of people were. Perhaps that's why Lavinians and Radasanthians never got along, Radasanthians didn't know what it meant to suffer and struggle to survive.

Shaking he head he realized he had stopped paying attention to his surroundings, with his thoughts drifting everywhere. Looking back at the girl he gave her a smile before he said, "So tomorrow, where we heading first? I'll try to give you at least an idea of what to expect and if we might need anything. That way we'll be prepared I guess..."

Why had Jared come? First Radasanth, now Dheathain, it was like he was on a pilgrimage to every place he hated. Radasanth was number one for his bad experiences with Roland, and Dheathain a close second for its xenophobic people and the memories of Kyo. Really, he could have been much better off leaving the girl and not played tour guide. Was it hope, desire, was he actually trying to move on by being with another woman?

Jared looked at the mysterious Reine, taking her in once more from a fresher perspective, and he finally realized he needed answers, soon.

[Reine]

Faelynn smiled as she listened to Jared’s story about his sister. It seemed like both of them had some unique characters in their family, but that was probably why they were so close in the end. A family is not really a family without a few oddballs rolling around. They always seemed to keep things interesting in the end. Besides, Faelynn was not exactly perfect either. She was a thief for crying out a loud. At least her brother had a stable and legal job that didn’t require him to break and enter and also didn’t put his life at risk...unless he went to Connaire for enchanting. That was a whole different story.

“Oh yeah, Lasair said there were some locations on the back...”

Faelynn trailed off as she reached into her bag and pulled out the pieces of parchment that Lasair had given the two of them. Just as the child-like woman had said, in beautifully scripted handwriting were the locations of all the items they needed. The mana dust seemed relatively easy. Apparently all they had to do was shake a Fae and collect it as it fell from their wings.

“Most of the list seems relatively simple. The three crystals I need can apparently be found in a cave behind the waterfall in the shopping district. I didn’t notice a waterfall when we were there, but I wasn’t exactly looking for one either. While we’re still in Donnalaich we should collect that mana dust stuff, it apparently falls off the wings of Fae... so as long as they’re friendly that shouldn’t be too hard. From there it looks like we’ll have to take a trip into the woods and to some ruins...”

Faelynn rolled up the pieces of parchment and placed them back within the safe confines of her bag. “Oh, by the by... I can’t keep having you running around calling me Reine, that’s just the name I use for thieving. My actual name is Faelynn.”

-------------------------------------

Morning came slowly the next day. The skies had not changed during the night and remained covered in a dense, grey soup that began to linger towards the ground. Fog rolled in from somewhere and settled within the forest and the city of Donnalaich, making it nearly impossible to see more than twenty feet in front of one’s nose. Faelynn sat on the ledge of a balcony looking out over the city. She couldn’t see the sun, but she was rather sure it had risen just a short while ago. Though she had slept well that night something had awakened her early in the morning and prevented her from slipping back into blissfulness. Jared still slept calmly in the next bed over, and not wanting to disturb him, Faelynn had retreated to the balcony. The thin undershirt she had worn to bed was now dotted with tiny beads of water, as was her skin. Her hair felt slightly damn and pleasurable shivers occasionally slithered up her back and down her arms and legs, an explosion of goose pimples which soon followed it.

The day was not overly cold, but the air felt cool with moisture and she was not wearing enough to be sitting out here for this long. But it felt so calming she couldn’t bring herself to move, even when the wood dug into her thighs in an uncomfortable way. She’d wait until Jared finally stirred. They had no deadline and she felt no rush, especially on a day like this that just made her want to curl up by a fire and forget about the world.

[Lavinian Ambition]

Jared had awoken after a couple more hours of rest. While he had tried to be one of the more productive members of the thief's guild, he had come to fast learn his body didn't care what he thought he could do at dawn, he wasn't getting up to do it. Even when he had others try and rouse them, he found that he continued to sleep blissfully, after assailing his would be alarm clock with a pillow about the head and shoulders.

After the second incident he just gave it up for a hopeless cause.

So when he awoke to find Reine, or Faelynn as she had told him to call her, sitting upon the balcony he almost did a double take. The girl was positively glowing that morning, and without her usual gear in the way, Jared got a rare look at her. He saw the side of Faelynn that he was more than certain she reserved for family.

Not that Jared blamed her, family was the last bastion against the cruel world. In a world where everyone wanted to be first, they would chew you up spit you out and charge you for luxury of having being used as their pawn. It was part of the reason he had decided to wholeheartedly become a thief, well that and the fact Darith had taken a keen interest in him.

Finally the magic of the moment was broken, as she seemed to glance at him, and immediately the shields were up. Jared's own came up as they prepared for the day, and promptly left the inn seeking the first object on their list, the crystals behind the waterfall.

~*~

"Well, that was disappointing," Jared quipped. He shook his head sending water flying about the area as he crawled out of the waters. A sigh escaped his lips before he grabbed an extra shirt and began drying to clear the excess water off, before he began dressing once more, "All those caves and not one had a damn shard of a crystal. Must have been picked clean a long time ago..."

"No worries..." Faelynn said, even as a slight frown pulled at the corners of her lips. It would have been far too simple if they'd found so many ingredients in one place. But, they were off to a good start. With her back still to Jared, to tossed two crystals at him, one black and one clear all the way through. "Catch."

Jared deftly caught the gems and carefully placed them within his pack, making sure to place them inside the now drying shirt at the top of his pack, so as to not crush them under some of his gear. Having pulled on his pants he finally said, "Alright I at least got pants on." Pulling on his shirt he made sure to cover up the nasty scar on his left forearm. He then began to arduous process of buttoning up before he finally pulled his boots on. Once again feeling somewhat clothed he looked about the caverns, “Still, not a bad place for a date eh?”

[Reine]

Faelynn sputtered and coughed. “A-a-a a date! How the hell did this become a date!?” The words echoed along the walls of the large, cavernous system. It bounced around the cavern, swallowed by the darkness and the roar of the rushing and crashing water a mere ten or twenty feet away from them.

They had not gone very far into the cave. Neither of them had a light and it took no more than ten feet into the space before the darkness swallowed what meagre light filtered through the thundering waterfall. Faelynn couldn’t exactly see how large this place was, she couldn’t see in the dark yet. But she got the feeling of it being monstrous. Just a space thing, when she closed her eyes, it felt like the room expanded around her into infinity. In all reality, she doubted it could be that big.

Jared let a soft snicker cross his lips before he shook his head, "What's the matter afraid of me or something? It was just a joke, no need to get flustered by it..."

Faelynn felt her face flush as she balled her hands at her sides and practically yelled, “I am not getting flustered! Besides, if this were a date I certainly would not be in some dank cave and I certainly would not be—wherever I would be—with you.”

"Someone's feisty this morning. And here I thought that we'd have a nice enjoyable day, get to know each other before the candlelit dinner. That is what you wanted right?" The smirk widened into a grin as Jared continued his teasing.

Faelynn stared at Jared in absolutely shock, or maybe horror. The look on her face was hard to identify between the two emotions. “What I... who said I wanted this? You think you’re Mr. Suave now and you can just wine and dine me and get into my shorts? Ugh! Well keep dreaming, Red, this girl is not that easy!”

Jared let out a derisive snort before he picked up his bag walking by the girl, "Alright, play hard to get, I hear that’s a great way to start a relationship."

Her jaw dropped. Just where the hell was all this coming from? He’s the one who’d followed her here, not the other way around. And there had definitely been no talk of dating, she would have remembered that. Sure, she’d flirted with him when he’d saved her life, but hell, after a few blows the head anything will look good enough to flirt with.

As he walked by her, Faelynn felt her anger reach the boiling point. With her fingernails digging into the palm of her hand, she pulled her arm back and let her fist fly. A jarring shock ran through her hand and arm as her fist connect with the side of his cheek. Pin exploded across her knuckles and fingers, but she was rather sure it hurt him much more than her. As he stumbled to the side, she reached out and grabbed him by the shoulders. Her finger dug into his skin as she shoved him back until he hit the rough, wet wall of the cave.

“All right, Cesarino, just what the hell are you trying to play at here?” She growled at him, her golden green eyes ablaze with fire.

[Lavinian Ambition]

The blow connected, and for a moment, he had almost pinned her against the wall. For one second Jared Cesarino had almost turned the tables on Faelynn, before he could realize what had happened. Had she known what she had done, perhaps she would have chosen her actions a bit differently. It wasn't that Jared was mad, it was just Kyo had shown him something he was partly embarrassed about in this matter.

He liked it when the girl got rough.

Sure, the punch was a bit over the top, but the shove into the wall, the yelling at him. It was a bit of a turn on for the thief. So, when she asked him what he wanted, for a brief moment his desire was left exposed, before it was tucked neatly behind the facade of the cool thief from Lavinya. Looking her in the eyes a brief glimmer of mischief was in them before he spoke, his tone holding a dryness that was unfitting the moist atmosphere of the cave, "Play? You make it sound like a bad thing. Am I missing something here?"

The glare he received in response showed him how much trouble he was in. Looking into those eyes he showed no fear, despite the pinpricks of pain assaulting his shoulders. He let that mischievous smirk light up his face again before he began, "Well, I know not to tease you too much anymore. That certainly takes the fun out of it, and here I thought I could push you a bit further."

Her eyes narrowed, and he spoke up before she could object, "Listen, when you saw me, I was in a bad mood, and I had an elder thief looking over my shoulder. If you honestly expect that to be who I am, you're crazy. I was more thrown off by the fact Hawk was there than anything. Couple in the fact I wasn't prepared to be dealing with a girl in even a semi-intimate matter, and you got what you saw in Radasanth."

He shrugged moving her hands from his shoulders. Checking them he shook his head slightly seeing no broken skin, yet. He then dusted his shoulders off before he continued, "So here I am, the sarcastic loud mouthed Lavinian Jared Cesarino. Just be glad I didn't decide to go with my first retort, and we'll call it even. I poke, I chide, I tease, that's who I am. I'm trying to move on, because you certainly didn't want a moping fool. I'm just trying to get a feel for where I stand with you, and now I know."

[Reine]

Faelynn took a step away from him. She felt embarrassed. She could feel the heat of it across her face, so she tried to hide it by looking at the floor. Her comfort zone felt ripped apart. Fae was not used to becoming embarrassed around others; she was used to embarrassing them. She was not used to her anger controlling her and causing her to do something so ungainly. It was not easy to rouse her anger, but she’d let Jared do it. She’d let him. She could have just ignored his taunting, even played along with it, but she hadn’t. Maybe it was this whole crazy situation. The original meeting in Radasanth, where he practically saved her butt and now here in this foreign place. Maybe she felt on edge. She kept reliving those moments when feet and fist had bombarded her body and she’d been so caught off guard she hadn’t been able to protect herself.

She felt exposed and weak. A thief she never feel either.

“I’m sorry... I lost my temper. I...”

Faelynn turned her back on Jared. She drew in a single deep breath and slowly let it out, allowing all her walls to slide back into place; one after another. One other crystal needed to be found before they could leave the cave. After that it might be a good idea to collect a few more things in town before heading out. She only needed to walk about five more feet into the cave before she found the second black crystal. It was only two inches long, but Lasair had not specified size, so she figured it didn’t matter.

Using the blunt end of her spear, Faelynn broke the crystal off then slipped Amalia back into the sheath on her back. Kneeling down, she scooped up the crystal. It felt cool in her hand, cool and comforting. Moving it around between her fingers, Faelynn turned back to Jared.

“All right, we’ve got all we need here. We should probably collect a few more things in the city before we head out into the forest.” She tossed the small item at him, before she went to walk by.

"Look, perhaps we both got off on the wrong foot this morning. Perhaps I should have been a bit lighter on the teasing, but don't think that this is your fault, it takes two to tango as my mother always said.”

She needed the apology in a way. It allowed the tension to ease out of her shoulders. “I thought we got off to a good foot, for a while there.” She gave him a lop-sided grin as she brushed some of her hair behind her ear. “But it seems like no matter what we do, we continue to dance around each other. Why can’t we just be ourselves?” She sighed, shaking her head and holding up her hand to cut him off. “No wait, you’re being yourself. I’m the one being defensive. I’m not used to someone knowing me as a thief and a person, as Reine and Faelynn. It’s... new for me.”

"I have problems too; I didn't expect to come back here. Look, I'll try not to step on your toes too much, and I'll try not to oust you for who you are. I can understand how awkward it is to live a dual life. Especially when I can't tell my parents, yet my sister knows."

“Heh, funny... I can’t tell my parents either, but my brother knows.” She smiled. If not for Ferynn, she might not have made it this far as a thief. “Anyway,” She looked Jared directly in his stormy grey eyes, and for the first time, initiated contact by reaching out and gently resting her hand on his shoulder. “I don’t want you worrying about stepping on my toes. Friends are supposed to step on each other’s toes, no? I just need to relax. You can try to lay off on the teasing though, next time I’ll pin you against the ground, not the wall.”

She gave him a genuine smile and then turned towards the mouth of the cave and the crashing water.

[Lavinian Ambition]

"If I had known I could have gotten that, I'd have paid the extra shot," The words hung in the air as he collected his satchel, slinging it over a shoulder. THe words echoed in the cavernous space, and he moved dutifully to follow Faelynn. He didn't even realized they had slipped out before she sresponded in kind;

Faelynn rolled her eyes "Consider your options closed, it's too late now, Cesarino."

"Hey, its not my fault, well technically it is, but its half my ex's, she's the one that found out I like it rough," His hands were brought up in a defensive gesture as he explained the situation a bit more. He was more than certain he had revealed too much information given their current relationship, or lack there of.

Faelynn raised a single brow. "Ky---that woman that Lasair mentioned, I take it is your ex? You know, if this journey was too hard on you, you could have opted not to come. The last thing I'd want to do is cause someone who saved my butt unnecessary pain, emotional or otherwise. Unless of course he deserves it.. or wants it, apparently."

She had almost said the name. Part of him winced in a knee jerk reaction, but it wasn't as strong as it used to be. That was reassuring to say the least. As they carefully made their way out from under the waterfall, Jared contemplated how to answer the question. He could lie, and possibly just anger the girl. It was obvious Jared had some kind of relationship with Tetsoma Kyosku.

It wasn't until they hit the humid air of the town that he realized just how comical the situation had grown to. Shaking his head Jared let out a laugh, "No, its alright, I needed to get over her anyways. At least thats what Hawk told me, and a few other things that I don't think merit repeating." He then gave Faelynn a wink, "But trust me, you don't want to go shoving me into things, or pinning me...I can't exactly guarantee you'll like the repercussions. Though, if I'm as good as Kyo made it sound, you just might..."

Faelynn's face flushed and she turned her head slightly to the side. "I'll keep that in mind. But I'm glad I didn't drag you here against your will... besides, it's never healthy to dwell on love since past."

Didn't he know it. "You almost sound like my first ex there...." He froze before a shadow crossed his face and he said, "Yeah, never mind that. I keep talking about my exes and I'm going to wind up sounding like more of a playboy than I am...no need to subject you to that. I'm sure Hawk gave you enough of that to last a lifetime..."

She laughed at the thought of Hawk. Despite his age, he was an attractive man and she rather liked him. But he was probably old enough to be her father. "It's probably because you just need to get some things off your chest. I don't mind. Especially considering I just punched you in the face. I'm sure hearing about your exes is the least I can do to make up for it."

"I don't think you want to hear about Kid, that is an earful you just don't need. Kyo though, I think I could talk about. But before I go about boring you, why don't we figure out how to ask a Fae for some Pixie Dust. Then, we can go about dredging up the past. Sound fair?"

[Reine]

She was a little curious to know just how many exes Jared had. It made it sound like he was hiding a whole closet full of them. He wasn’t a bad looking guy, but he was not playboy either and he seemed rather young. Just how many women had thrown themselves at him, or how many had he become attached to? From the sounds of it, this Kyosku had not exactly stuck around long enough to become attached to him, but he had certainly felt something for her.

Faelynn shook the thought aside. None of it was her business. If he wanted to talk about it, he could, but she needed to stop prying into his life like it was an interesting book. These were real feelings he had, real memories and real pain.

The path from the waterfall and the cave took them to the Marketplace, where the day before they had met Lasair and acquired their ingredients list. It looked even busier than it had yesterday. Groups of Fae and Draconian walked through, laughing, talking and mind their own business as they shopped. The clouds covered the sun and a haze and humidity had settled into the area and the clothes, but Faelynn didn’t mind too much. She still found this place incredible, with its ornate architecture and cute little lamps with glowing crystals that took the place of open flames. It was like a fantasy land, so different from the other areas of Althanas she had seen.

A group of Fae went to walk by Faelynn and Jared. Their tony little frames hid behind flowing dresses that shimmered even on this dreary day with tiny little inlaid crystals. They were beautiful, gorgeous, stunning, any word she could come up with to describe this group of women casually walking by her just didn’t seem to do them justice. Maybe she dwelt too much on their beauty, but it wasn’t just in their looks alone. T was in the way they carried themselves, so gracefully, they glided effortlessly along the stone ground as if they could float.

“Excuse me...” Faelynn ventured, taking a step towards the group.

They stopped, laying curious eyes upon her. She watched as the wings of one fluttered on her back, creating a blur of strange colour she bet was unbelievable in the sunlight.

“Umm, I was wondering if we could perhaps get some mana dust off you?”

The moment the words left her mouth, she could see the interest in their faces leave as well.

“W-we don’t need very much, just a little.” Faelynn said with a small smile.

It didn’t seem to matter though, without even saying a word to them they turned and walked deeper into the market, disappearing in a small crowd. Apparently Fae did not like parting with their Fae dust. Maybe Jared and her should lure one into an alleyway, tie it down, shake off as much dust as they needed and release it back into its natural inhabitant.

As tempting as that seemed, she doubted it would go over very well with the locals.

She sighed, glanced at Jared and then did the only thing they could do without getting arrested, nicely asking until someone actually let them. She was rejected another five times before she finally found two Fae that would even contemplate the idea. Oddly enough, it was an older couple that actually stopped and listened to Faelynn, at least the oldest looking Fae’s she’d ever seen before. She honestly contemplated the idea that Fae just didn’t age until she ran into them. But they had gentle lines along her faces, laugh lines as some people called them. Their skin did not glow like the other Fae, their wings seemed more translucent and fragile. In all honestly, they looked about the age of her parents.

“We just need it to synthesize a few items from the synthesis shop, and we can’t get it done without them.” Faelynn said to them, a little desperately. If someone didn’t help her soon, the alleyway was going to start looking a little too good.

“The Synthesis Shop? You mean the ol’ Anubail girls? Ha! They’re still doing that? I honestly thought they would give up after a few years, but I guess if they’re busy...” The man said, a soft smile crossing his face.

The woman smiled and gently laid her hand on what Faelynn assumed to be her husband’s arm. They certainly seemed like a couple. They exchanged a look and then the husband gently shrugged his slim shoulders.

“All right, we don’t see anything wrong with it.”

Faelynn practically jumped for joy. Slipped her rucksack off, she took out her coin purse and emptied the coin so she could use it as a pouch. She offered to help collect the dust, but the couple declined stating that it feels weird for another person to touch their wings. So they collected it for them, gently running their fingers along the fine skin of the wings and collecting the dust in the cup of their other hand.

“Thank you so very, very much!” Faelynn exclaimed as the woman handed her the bag full of Mana dust.

She laughed such a soft, beautiful laugh. “It was really no problem. Just be careful with that stuff, it’s potent, and those Anubail girls... let’s just say they’ve made some interesting things.”

With more thanks, the couple left and Faelynn turned back to Jared, who had been patiently waiting to the side. “Two down!”

[Lavinian Ambition]

Part of him wanted to help her, really he did. However he knew better than to ask for Fae dust. The main problems with such things were that the Fae didn't like parting with much. Especially when what they were to give up was something as personal as Fae dust. So, when Faelynn started getting upset over the lack of progress, he certainly couldn't blame her. Looking up at the sun, as it began to back the streets Jared took the time to wipe the sweat from his brow, watching his erstwhile companion.

Jared then began to think about what he wanted. Kid had been a lark; even she admitted she had slept with Jared just to get some help on learning the ropes. Not that he could blame her, Sarah Dahlios, her adoptive mother had been a famous thief. While whispers of Kid's love being more than platonic whispered about the guildhall, it was obvious the girl had not wanted to let her adoptive parent down either. It just angered Jared that he hadn't realized it when the relationship had begun. He had invested himself emotionally in Kid, and when she cut it off abruptly, he was left rather sore in the return.

Then there was Kyo.

He wasn't sure the ninja-ko had even meant to hurt him. Yet she was missing now anyways, and he definitely had been hurting. To the point he had even avoided Dheathain, and this land as well. Even now he could feel a bit of ache when he looked about, but he quickly shook his head and cleared it of the depressing thoughts. That was for when he drank the ale, not for when he was with a cute girl, in the maiden next door kind of way at least.

So, when she came bouncing up to him, holding the small sack of Fae Dust he raised an eyebrow and looked deeply into the eyes of the fellow thief. He had not even been paying attention to her before she was already talking of two of their required items being completed. Nodding slowly he finally managed in a voice unused, "That's great. I'm happy for you!"

A smile even lit up his face, and he was more than certain it held a bit of a roguish grin behind it.

Looking up at the sky he finally said, "So, should we grab something to eat? Or are we going to go exploring the jungles before we grab a bite? My treat?" He certainly was hungry, and if she wasn't sure of the fact, his rumbling stomach would certainly be a dead give away.