Bern Under Siege! (CLOSED TOPIC)

[Wyatt]

OOC:  To spite the name, this is a topic for all those who were in the city when the rebellion began and did not escape during the confusion.  Characters that did not leave Bern instantly after the Arena fight would be stuck in the city, for a time.

IC:
In the days following the attack at the Arena, the state of affairs in Bern had taken a huge turn for the worse.  The various rebel splinter groups inside the city had taken the assassination attempt as a sign to strike, and the chaos instilled by it had been staggering.  Thanks to the quick response of Ilian forces, they managed to keep the entire city from degenerating into chaos, but there were now parts of the city firmly in loyalist control.  The battle lines were drawn, and it had become almost a war zone in the city.  The further one wandered from a fortified location, the more dangerous the city would become.  Ilians and Bern loyalists either apprehend or execute suspicious individuals in pursuit of their own ends, while thieves and opportunists do what they do best, taking advantage of any unwary marks.

The arena was firmly in Ilian control, and had been converted into a field barracks and hospital.  Civilians injured in the fighting were relocated.  Some of high notoriety had been taken to safer places, but many of the injured had been left to their own devices, as busy as Ilian forces were with trying to restore order in the war ravaged city.  As a security measure, the gates in to and out of the city had been sealed.  Passing through them was strictly monitored, to try and keep the chaos as contained as possible.  Those in Bern would likely be stuck here for some time unless they found a creative way out.

Wyatt, thanks to the circumstances of his injury, was actually afforded transfer to one of the few good healing houses in Ilian control.  He'd regained consciousness for the first time since the fight the evening after.  He'd known then that the damage done to his body was more then he'd even considered.  The burns had begun slowly healing, he felt some strength returning to him but...he could barely feel his legs...and moving them was limited to the tiniest motion.

The doctor had been polite, but honest, expressing his doubt that Wyatt would ever recover.  Stating it a miracle that they boy had even lived this long.  Their healing magic just could not compare to the depth of the injury, and the doctor theorized that it would be another day or two before the damage to his legs would probably kill him.  The death and decay would spread from his legs, and likely take his life from him.  Wyatt didn't understand a lot about medicine, but he knew that this wasn't something he could simply beat by being stubborn.

Like that was going to stop him.

Mana had been the near constant.  She'd stayed with him, talking about how he had to recover so they could have the fight.  Teaching him her prayers to the Father Sky and Mother Earth, and refusing to leave his side, to spite how Wyatt would ask her too.  He really wanted to be remembered as the strong mountain his reputation had earned him, not as the broken body that would slowly waste away in a healers bed.  But she refused.

He'd asked the doctor to not tell her the truth of his injury, but he had no way of knowing if that promise had been kept or not.  Either way, she'd know soon enough.  The next morning had come, and he felt weaker every time he leaned up in the bed.  His legs, already useless, were sapping the strength out of his body.  Day by day.

Every few hours, Wyatt would see a Bern soldier enter the house and talk to the doctor.  At first, Wyatt thought he was talking about another patient, but today he knew better.

"How long now?"

"It'll probably be today.  Maybe tomorrow at the latest."

"Good, I'll be back later to collect that axe."

And Wyatt understood.  He wasn't a citizen of Bern, and so if he died here, all of his belongings became theirs by law, since Mana had no real connection to him.  They wanted his axe...and they were simply waiting for him to die to collect it.

He felt the strength leaving him as he thought hard, wondering what he could do now?  Was there even anything he could do?  Magic wasn't his thing, and he had no understanding of it...but he knew his body was weaker and weaker.  Every time he tried to lean up, it took more and more of his focus...

So...this is how it ends, eh?

[Elias]

"Did someone order a miracle!?" In barged the incredible, undeniable, disgustingly awesome Crimson Mage! The women swooned, the men also swooned, everyone stared at the perfect storm of red and the most awesome of all magics! He strutted through the room, each step filled with confidence and unparalleled swagger. He casually strode over to the sick, dying Wyatt with a devilish smirk. He grabbed his staff with both hands and with a quick bat of the staff Bam Bam! Wyatt made a complete recovery! He was even better then before! Like, ten times better. Mana gave him a triumphant high five as Elias dramatically posed while the fanfare blasted in the background. Everyone from everywhere flocked to his incredibly visage, his notoriety blasting through the roof! On a scale of one to five he was easily a seven! Athos himself showed up and announce that Elias was the new archmage of all Elibe!

Yeah... that's exactly how it's going to happen.

He barged in, a wild fire in his eyes and grinning like a madman. His crazed gaze took his latest masterpiece in his sight, he saw him lying there, Wyatt. The look in his eyes died. His smile slowly fading from his face. There he was, a pitiful man who looked as though he should have died long ago. Mana was ever at his bedside, just as the visions had shown him, but his mind had no place for her. He could do nothing but look upon the frail man before him. Hesitantly taking a step inside the room, the doctor came to him and stopped from entering further. He didn't waste a second before barking, "You can't come in here. This man is in a severe condition and he-" Elias pushed past, the man unable to stop the mage from advancing.

As he neared his breathing became slow, steady, as if he counted the seconds before each one. His hand wrapped tightly around the artifact in his hand. "Wyatt you.idiot. You need to stop touching things you shouldn't. First it's fire, now lightning. How you're still alive is beyond me." The Crimson Mage laughed, but it wasn't true. It was not that 100%, certified, Elias laugh that people grew to love, then to hate. It was caught in between a sigh, even if he made his best efforts to make it sound real. The smile on his face was just as faulty, Elias was never one to hide how he felt. Now, however, he was trying his best to wipe the concern away. If he wasn't confident, who could be?

As Wyatt laid upon the bed before him, Elias stared. He didn't want to, it was painful to even see, and the more he looked the harder it became. He couldn't stop though, he needed to see exactly what happened. Exactly how he was hurt, where he was pained, and the gruesome severity of it all, even as it made him want to cringe.

He wasn't alone here, Mana was near as well. Just within arm's reach. The doctor didn't even seem to be trying to stop him, perhaps he was intrigued? Or maybe he didn't even care. "Your eyes aren't playing tricks, it's really me. The Crimson Mage, in the flesh."

[Wyatt]

Wyatt was barely awake when he heard the commotion. Something was going on outside...or was it? It was getting increasingly difficult to determine what was his head messing with him, and what was real. His grasp on reality had been tenuous at best for the last few hours...hearing voices with no bodies, seeing flashes of people in front of his eyes. It had been frightening at first, but now he found it oddly peaceful. He saw motion more then anything else, as a new figure entered the room. Even in his delirious state, Wyatt was aware of who it was. Hah, he hadn't changed a bit from when he'd died. Guess that made sense.

Hey wait a minute...he remembered something like this. When his grandma had died, he was very young when it happened. He remembered she'd been carrying on a conversation with her husband when she left. Problem was, Wyatt's grandfather had died before he was even born. Was this so? Did the dead come back to help the living on their way? Even so, why Elias? Was it because he felt so guilty for having killed him? I mean...he'd felt horrible about his entire family dying...but he hadn't actually killed any of them. Even cutting down his sister's animated body, as traumatizing as it had been, he knew she was already long dead before he got there. Elias though...him and that blind swordsman...they had died. The first friends who died by his hands. Maybe that was why he saw him now.

Wyatt chuckled weakly as he looked at the mage.  "Heh, yeah.  I caused a lot of trouble by that stuff..."  He was feeling odd, not quite as weak as he had before.  Almost refreshed.  Heh, so death was relaxing?  That made a bit of sense, he supposed.  They did say that the dead always seemed very peaceful.  "...For what it's worth, and I know it isn't worth much now, I am sorry I killed you."  He spoke to the mage.  Elais' last line seemed to miss him totally, as he was still stuck in his delirious state.  He even seemed to have forgotten Mana was in the room with them, as he spoke the next line.

"Hah...Mana will be...mad at me.  We never did get to have our match...  I just keep thinking...on what I should have done when I had the chance.  Everything else just seemed so damn important."  He finished.

[Mana]

This had been a few days since the tournament ended in chaos. Because of the war inside the city and Wyatt's injury, they couldn't leave the city. Like it or not, they were forced to stay in this chaos for some time. It had been difficult since the rebels managed to take some vital points of the city from the Ilian. Provisions and supplies weren't easy to get and some area became dangerous.

Mana followed Wyatt when he was relocated to a better "hospital", staying with him almost all the time. She wanted to see him recovered, not knowing if that probably wouldn't happen. The girl didn't want to leave her friend alone, who had become very important for her. There was some time when she became suspicious about his condition, though. The doctor kept saying he would be fine but his condition didn't seem improving, which made her questioning the doctor's words.

Today was another quiet day...Well, not too quiet, actually. There was always new patient brought to this place everyday, most was gravely wounded. She could also hear faint sound of metal clashing and battle roar in distance. It seemed this city had become a real battlefield, after all. "I wonder how it's going...Which side is winning?" She didn't have favoritism for either side but if she had to choose the girl would pick the Bernese rebels. Their motivation and feeling of wanting freedom for their country was easily understandable. This point of view might put the Ilians as the villain in this story.

Mana wasn't aware of the soldier's intention when he came in and talked to the doctor. If she understood what those two were talking about, they would certainly experience hell. Anyway, she kept sitting on the dge of Wyatt's bed, polishing her sword. The girl's peaceful expression showed that she hadn't known about Wyatt's real condition.

And then the peaceful day ended by...Bandits??? Wrong...It was Elias suddenly barging into the room. Well, she did feel happy to see him again but it was surprising to meet him here of all the place. Also, he began scolding Wyatt to stop touching things? What had he done anyway?

"...For what it's worth, and I know it isn't worth much now, I am sorry I killed you."

"Okay, someone has to explain this...." Mana thought.

Mana had to resist her urge to hug the Crimson Mage, she needed to think about what happened. Elias sudden appearance? No need for explanation, she liked it anyway. It was Wyatt and Elias' conversation didn't make sense for her. Wyatt did look very bad in his current state but Elias was speaking as if the blacksmith was dying. Wyatt too, he spoke about things he regretted, killing Elias was one of them. Maybe he was kind of daydreaming?

"Hey you two...You talked like dead man," she cut off their conversation, crossing her arms.  "Don't talk like that, Wyatt. It might bring bad luck, you could die for real if you keep talking like that..." As happy as she was to see Elias again, the girl seemed in bad mood for now. She sighed before continued speaking, "I think you two owe me some explanation..."

[Elias]

"Oh no, he's not a dead man. Well not if I can help it." Elias showed a smile, Mana somehow cutting through the tension and to the heart of the matter in that weird way she always had. His toothy grin assuring his self more then he probably assured Mana, whom seemed a bit lost on the severity of the man's condition. It wasn't surprising that he didn't tell her, Wyatt struck Elias as one of those stupidly prideful types that would never want to let another person see that he's in pain. Elias brought a thumb up to his chest in a show of bravado, laughing all the while. His momentary lapse of composure was felled in an instant as soon as everyone else began to talk. "Your friend Wyatt here blew up Ostia." He gestured at the sad sack. "Of course I hopped up on my horse and bolted right out of there with the blind dude." He began to talk as he bent over to check out Wyatt more closely, clicking his tongue as he shook his head.

"He fell into a cavern, and just as I was going to go look for some rope, the entire city began to sink into flames. I had to get out of there, but I knew Wyatt would get out safely. That would be such a bad ending to his story, you see. Gotta keep things interesting." His brow furrowed as he stood straight, crossing his arms with a grumpy face. His hand held the divine and ancient relic bequeathed to him, looking unlike anything any of them had likely ever seen. Then again, most people don't pay attention to staffs. On his back was two other magical staves strapped to his back, looking less like a Crimson Mage and more like some kind of strange warrior monk who beat people up with sticks. "Then all kinds of stuff happened, blah blah, I wound up here to find Wyatt had got into a fight with a dragon. Which I find incredibly unfair, I've always wanted to fight a dragon and I miss it by a few days. Got himself messed up pretty bad, zapped by lightning. Though you were there and you probably know better then me, eh?"

"Now stop acting loopy man, you think you could put down the unstoppable force that is me, Elias, the Crimson mage? I'm tempted to say you need to get your ego checked if you think a little lava is gonna do me in. it takes more then an exploding nation to take down the Crimson Mage, you know. You need at least, three nations or something." He laughed, as though he was invincible. "Now then, if you're alright with it, I'm gonna fix you right up. Actually I'm going to do that even if you aren't alright with it, so you're just gotta deal with it."

[Wyatt]

Wyatt was having a hard time following what was going on now. They were talking, of that he was sure, but the words were starting to sound almost foreign. Them, very slowly, he began to feel a warmth spreading over his body. Like someone had torn the roof off of the house and the sun's rays were filtering across his skin. It was a...soothing feeling, relaxing even. He felt his mind starting to slip off when a vision passed before his eyes. A figure was in it, this one he knew he did not recognize. An adult woman, the shape gave that away, with long flowing blond hair as she looked won at him. Though he could not see the face, he somehow knew that she wore this sad smile.

"Child of Roland with strength and valor, giving ones life for thy allies, courage be thine blood." She was speaking in an odd tone, and the meaning was hard to grasp. "Might and passion shall be tempered with wisdom, lest they lead to destruction and sorrow." She continued. Intention was not enough, if by his action more loss was made.

"Be your mind, mended and whole."

And the vision seemed to fade, with it an odd feeling returning to his body. A soft and...smooth feeling? It took Wyatt some time to realize that it was the rubbing of the bed sheets against his skin that he felt, something he had not been able to feel since his injury. What he could not see, but the others would, was probably more miraculous then what he'd just seen in his minds eye.

As the staff neared the broken body, a soft light flew from the tip of it to him, surrounding him much like a cocoon. The reddened and burned skin faded to it's true tone, the scars caused by his armor seemed to fall away, like they were simply made of dust. His eyes drifted back open, and he blinked twice as his body and mind adjusted to all the new sensations.

And then he leaned up, placing his feet on the floor as he looked around the room. Mana...and Elias...and..wait.

"I...wow, I thought I was going to die but...what?" He looked to Elias, clearly confused. "You're...alive? I didn't think you made it out of Ostia...hell I didn't think I'd make it out of Ostia." He spoke, starting a normal conversation, as if nothing had changed at all.

His eyes stole a look at Mana for a brief moment. "Hah...I told you nothing like that would kill me. After all, you were right. We still need to have our match." He said with a dumb smile.

[Elias]

Wyatt was too busy healing and junk to miss the fact that using the staff had taken a great deal, and then some, out of the allowance of Elias' gusto. In fact it took such a buttload, that he found himself slumped back in a chair like someone who just ran for fifty miles without stop. Seriously man, he went through a giant long winded mental exposition involving character development and all that good junk. Whoops, looks like everyone missed it, oh well. "You're welcome by the way." He was sarcastic, but not spiteful. More of a joke as his exhausted body was all grumpy and dumpy and kinda peeved at him for using that staff anyways. He was, like, not that good at it. Not yet at least. Eventually he'll be bring people back from super death like it's no thing, but right now it's super duper pooping him out. Also his lip was bleeding for some reason.

"Like I told you. Bring more lava next time, you missed me." He laughed through ragged breathes, putting a hand on his knee and letting out a deep whistle of a breath with eyes wide open. "I'm the friggen Crimson Mage. Did you think a little apocalyptic event could do me in?" Using the staff as a glorified and super fancy walking stick, he used it to leverage his body out of the chair. Sweaty and junk, seriously it was gross. "I used my super awesome incredible magical powers and junk to save you from dying and stuff. Also this staff. Some dude gave it to me, pretty cool guy all in all, but really self-depreciating." Elias had a cheeky grin as his entire body was hunched over, and his staff digging deeply into the ground supporting his full weight.

He looked at the super fancy walking stick, he knew what it was. Of course he'd be an idiot not to know, but he still couldn't fully grasp the reality of it. Elias was a silly silly man, but he was by no means an idiot. You know, despite all the evidence to the contrary. The doctor dude was completely flabbergasted, not that he could blame Mr. High and Jerklike. (Like he didn't see that little exchange before he came in, what a creep) It was definitely a blessing to see the Crimson Mage working in his natural habitat, many cannot withstand the full force of such a sight and promptly go blind. Say lahvee. Or whatever.

Pushing on his back, he forced himself to stand up straight with a crack of the spine. "I should probably share my incredible healing talents with everyone." He looked at his staff, that was taller then him. Curses, his height has betrayed him once more. Still the gem adorning the top lost quite a bit of it's luster. "Aw man, this happened yesterday too." He grumpily grumped. "I'll probably have to wait a while before it recharges or whatever."

[Mana]

Mana seemed a bit confused now. She thought they were making fun of her. Blowing Ostia? Like one person would be able to do such thing. This didn't satisfy her curiosity, in fact, it made her even more irritated. Well, maybe it was because Elias. He narrated the explanation casually like telling a bedtime stories, just like him. This made Mana fail to understand that he was telling the truth. Mana glared at him, part of her was glad that Elias didn't change from what she remembered but she wasn't in mood for a heartful reunion. "I asked for an explanation, not this..." she thought, gritting her teeth. She wanted to trust Elias but that kind of explanation wasn't easy for anyone to believe.

And then miracle did happen in the small room they were in. The staff of the Crimson Mage let out some kind of light, probably magic. Not sure if she had to believe what presented before her eyes or not, the girl could only look with amazed, and thankful, expression when Wyatt's condition gradually recovered. Looking at his body, it was like the scars were never here. Was such thing possible? This continued for a few seconds before Wyatt got up. Wait...He moved? He wasn't able to do that before because of his injuries! Mana watched in awe when the man completely recovered. He seemed confused, as did her, maybe only Elias who understood what just happened.

She had mixed feeling. Wyatt had been saved, he was recovered, but his casual response and the whole Ostia stories made the girl slightly angry. Did he know how worried she had been? All of these happened to fast that she couldn't sort out her feeling. "Idiot..." she muttered, tears gathering in her eyes. Was it because she felt happy? Probably. "You two...I get enough of this...How could you continue joking...making up some stories. Ostia, Ostia, Ostia....Can't you at least consider my feeling?" She was happy to see Elias, she was happy that Wyatt recovered, she was grateful for what Elias had done to him. But she still believed that they were making fun of her with Elias sudden appearance and ridiculous story about Ostia and Wyatt had killed Elias. Well, who would believe such story right away? 

Mana turned her face away so they couldn't see her tears. She didn't want to cry in front of them. Well, Wyatt had seen her cry in Sacae, though. The girl then approached the patient after wiping her tears. There was some anger mixed with happiness and many other emotion in her eyes as she walked toward him. And she suddenly slapped him, without understanding the reason for her action. "I...I...was worried...Don't you at least realize that?" The maiden of the blade then hugged him, almost pushing him down into the bed. "Don't ever do that again...I meant it....I have experience too much loss..." And then she failed to hold her tears. Although the doctor hadn't told her the fact, it was easy to realize that those kind of injuries could kill anyone. That might be the reason why she exploded now, she was simply overcome by her feelings.

[Wyatt]

Wyatt happily rolled his eyes at Elias' attention grabbing, of course he would need to thank him properly...but he was alive! The reality of it was still sinking in...alive! After being at death's door, to think he would be brought back this far, it was without words.

And then he heard Mana, almost a whisper, but his attention flew to her now. She looked on the verge of tears, and not the good kind. She didn't understand the story, she thought they were lying to her. Granted, he had a hard time believing it too. She turned away from the both of them, and Wyatt looked to Elias sheepishly and with a good deal of guilt.

"Mana..." Wyatt began, but he didn't get the chance to finish it. She'd dried her first set of tears remarkably quickly and approached the bed. Wyatt paused for a moment, preparing to try and explain it to her.

*CRACK!* Her palm drew across his face, stinging his cheek sharply as the pain registered with the young smith. The girl practically broke down after that, nearly tackling his still weak body. Wyatt winced slightly, as his body was still rather tender from the injury. Thankfully, he was able to remain sitting up, with her sobbing into his chest. Wyatt was, for the first time in a long time, totally lost. What could he say? What could he do? How would he fix this?

"Mana I... I don't...I'm sorry. I'm sorry I made you worry, I won't leave you alone here. I promise." And he knew he meant that promise. "You two...you both saved my life. It's a debt I'll never be able to repay. You kept me going, long enough for Elias to help. You two are the best friends I could ever ask for." He said, wrapping his arms around Mana. "For now...we're all alive and healthy. Whatever comes, tomorrow or the day after that...we''ll face that together until this damned nightmare ends."

[Elias]

Elias was a little lost. Feeling like he was watching a scene that he shouldn't have, like he really didn't belong in this little happy group. Mana was getting all emotional and upset, like an angry kitten, and Wyatt was holding her tight and patting her head, like someone soothing an angry kitten. She seemed especially upset with Elias. He frowned, with a sigh, but decided maybe it would be best to not get involved. Those two had a much deeper whatever this is, then Elias had with anyone. Sure he popped up from nowhere to bring Wyatt back from the door of death, but all of this is making him feel like he really didn't do a thing. Then Wyatt goes and make it worse by calling Elias one of his 'best friends' out of, well it wouldn't be pity. No reason to feel bad for Elias right now, perhaps appreciation for his act, but it wasn't a heartfelt thing to say. Nothing like what he was speaking to the crying Sacaen girl.

His frown was quick to fade, replaced by general Elias enthusiasm, unlikely anyone even saw it. If they had he'd deny it with every bone in his body, and some of the bones from other people's. "Well then." He said with that cocky grin that made people just want to punch him. "You're better now Wyatt, but obviously whatever you did to get like that was really bad. Even magical intervention isn't enough to make it like it never happened. You need to take it easy for a while, your body and muscles are still recovering from the shock." Hah. Shock. It was awkward to talk to them while they were doing... er... this. Still these were words that needed to be said, and he wouldn't be around to tell him later.

"I want you, specifically, to remember that Mana. So you can make him follow those rules. Knowing Wyatt, he'll go tearing off the second you take your eye off him and you have a way of pacifying." She probably was in no mood to hear this, or anything really because she was busy being super sad and stuff. "I'm gonna... go now." He said with a grin, pointing out the door and slowly sidling away. "You know, lots of people to help and I... I'm good and junk? Whatever." He didn't even bother boasting.

[Mana]

While sobbing on his chest, she heard Wyatt's promise to not leave her alone. Good! It was about time. Even though she was crying and letting herself wrapped in his arms, the girl was actually confused by her own act. She had noticed how she made herself look weak and vulnerable in front of them by spilling some tears, something she usually hated. Well, this moment seemed like a right time to cry, though.

"That's a promise...And a man, a warrior, shouldn't break his promise..." she said as she raised her head in a quick manner, the back of her head hit his jaw strongly. Her eyes stared straight at his. Mana didn't seem to notice that this position was quite embarrassing...for her. But her mind was too much occupied by Wyatt and Elias to think about that. "I will kill you if you dare to die and break the promise..." she said, looking serious. Actually, she might be looking more like sulking rather than being sad now. 

"And you!" Mana pointed her finger to the Crimson Mage. "We haven't met for a long time and you are going to walk away like that?! Come here, Elias. I need to make sure it is really you," she said with a serious tone. And yes, she glared at him. Elias might be not in a danger, but he was certainly going to get some trouble. Mana just didn't like how he wanted to leave like that, she simply missed him.

[Elias]

A voice called out to him as he walked away. It wasn't the rough tones of Wyatt, but rather the feminine and softer sounds of Mana. It made him smirk, despite himself. He was didn't like feeling sorry for his self, but really all Elias wanted was for someone to stop him from going. To give him a reason to be there, where he didn't feel he belonged. It was a little bit too much to expect Wyatt to try and stop him from leaving, as Elias already knew, they weren't exactly friends or anything. He didn't regret coming, he had saved a life. Not just any life, a life of a man he knew. Not to mention Mana! Mana wanted to speak to him, how was he supposed to turn her down? Still, sometimes it just kind of sucked, you know.

Damn it, that stupid ruin got to him. Again.

Elias shook it out of his head. This wasn't him, to dwell on things. Elias was happy! Happy happy, all the time. They probably never saw him frown, because by the time he turned around he was already wildly grinning. Remember always to smile. "Oh Mana, how could such a magnificent and beautiful creature such as moi be anyone else? I mean, maybe there's some copycat out there with impeccable fashion sense, but there's only one Elias. The Crimson Mage. Super incredible mage and otherworldly healer dude." She glared as he smiled at her. Still, it wasn't a glare filled with venom or spite, just the glare of a girl who was annoyed at an eccentric man's antics. "Still, it's been many a day super secret agent Mana. I still have your gloves." He held up a hand clothed in soft white silk, but then instead laughed. "In fact they're in my pack, I bought my own pair after finding civilization. I didn't want to ruin a gift, you see."

[Wyatt]

Wyatt felt...odd as he met Mana's gaze. Her eyes still slightly moist from her tears, and she still looked incredibly upset, imagine that. Something about that gaze was just...burning into him. It was almost uncomfortable, but he found he didn't terribly mind it as he looked right back into her silver eyes.

And then she turned her head to snap at Elias, bringing Wyatt back to the world as the 'Crimson Mage' entered the room. Wyatt still had his arms around Mana, though not really holding her anymore. More like a combination of laying across her back and keeping her from falling all over him...again.

At Elias' return to usual type, Wyatt had to laugh. "And here I thought he was a fake! Trying to dramatically leave a room without a flash of fire or jumping out a window, but by using the door? That is too boring for the Crimson Mage!" He shot back at Elias. "It really has been a long time since we saw each other, eh? It's been kind of crazy. Broke into an Etruian prison, totally by accident mind you. Rescued a hero of Ilia, got beaten up by his unarmed second in command." To which he added. "Seriously, if you ever meet a Pegasus Knight named Clair, don't start with her...oh..." Wyatt paused, remembering what had happened to set this melee in motion.

"Right, she got attacked during the riot in the arena...I hope she's ok...and Richter too." He mused out loud, before shaking himself out of it. "But forget about that for now, how have you been? I see I'm not the only one with a new toy..." He said, eying the staff that had just saved his life.

[Mana]

"He certainly haven't changed..." Well, the eccentric mage was still same. He always had a unique speaking style and tone that captured the girl's interest. Although, she hoped he could behave more normally in this situation. But the term "normal" in her mind wouldn't describe Elias correctly, right? This was just how he was. "No one can copy you...I am sure of this. Absolutely..." The swordswoman sighed when she looked at his grinning face. It was a sense of relief, somewhat mixed with many other feelings that made it complicated to express it. Her eyes then fixed on the gloves he was wearing, which were pretty similar to the pair she gave to him. "It's nice to know that you keep my gloves. Although you should probably wear them, those gloves wouldn't be any use if you just keep them inside your bag," she said, smiling.

Wyatt then cheerfully joined he conversation, it seemed being healed from those deadly injuries had made him quite happy. A good thing, of course. However, she couldn't imagine how if Elias did exactly as Wyatt thought he would have. She understood the joke but...he was Elias...he really could have done it. "Don't give him strange ideas," she protested. Somehow the atmosphere in this room wasn't heavy anymore, Mana's mood was getting better and the two men seemed happy as well.

"Clair, how is she now? I hope she survived that attack." Mana didn't forget about Clair. Although they hadn't known each other for long this girl had added the older woman into her friend list, she worried about her safety. The things might be a little complicated because she had taken a part on her friend's death, that dragon, Marcus. But she didn't known about it, yet. "Yeah, that's a truly amazing staff you have there. There are almost no traces of his wounds left," she said as she brushed Wyatt's neck with her left hand to check if the scars had completely disappeared. She had to admit that it was like a miracle.

[Elias]

"Well yes, they're my fancy gloves you see. A distinguished gentleman would never tarnish his fancy gloves. Also I need to wear these so I don't catch my hands on fire. They're made from some crazy thing that I don't understand." He crossed his arms with a grin. "I can't go about blowing up every time I enter a room, the property damage is really starting to add up." Was that a joke, or was he serious? That was the magic of Elias! You could never tell. "I should of gotten some doves ready, but it was a last minute thing." He waved it off with a laugh.

Wyatt mentioned something about some Clair and some Richter. It was lost on him, but give him a break, he just got there. "Hey I met Richter before." He mused aloud. "It was like a million years ago, but it was back in Sacae. I had just started being a messenger with some dragon riding dude, and then there was an exploding church and tons of villains who wanted to kill everyone and stuff. I helped blow them up, but I met Richter. I think I talked to him for a second or two. Don't remember a Clair though..." He touched his chin for a moment, looking up in thought. "He's... like... some big deal in Ilia right? I dunno why, he didn't seem to special to me." Shrugging, he decided to drop it. He didn't really have an opinion, it was so long ago. All Elias could remember was he was super broody.

"I've been fine though. Killing bandits and healing sick people. I decided to pick up staffs after around the time I left Ostia. Turns out I'm really good at them. Not surprising, since I'm good at everything naturally. Though lately I've noticed I've been more boo boo then pshew pshew. Not that it's a big deal, I actually really like healing. It's a good hobby." He tapped his staff on the ground a few times, turning it and looking at the gem fitted at the top. "I've also gotten over my horse hatred. I mean, I don't like them still, but I don't hate them anymore. In fact Demon's outside right now. Oh Demon's my horse now. You'd probably remember him Wyatt." He hasn't really done anything... big. Well besides the ruins, but that might be something best kept to his self. Not that he thought it should be secret, but because he was kind of embarrassed about it.

"A sage named Lumino gave me this thing. It's really cool isn't it?" Holding it up into the light, letting it catch the intricate head, sparkling in the sun. "Awesome too. It has crazy stuff about it. I mean it's like Woah, What? Awesome! Y'know?" He didn't really know much about it, but it kind of spoke to him. He had a general idea of what he could do with it, and knew how to do it like it was inserting the information directly into his mind. "I mean, some stuff is harder then others. I'm carrying it well, but I actually really friggen pooped after healing you." His face was still a bit sweaty, and his body slightly hunched in exhaustion, but for the most part you couldn't tell. Elias was good at hiding he was tired, to the point people thought he never lost any energy. "Then again you were really messed up because you thought it'd be a good idea to fight a dragon. I could probably heal anyone else much easier. S'not like normal staffs though. I can't use it over and over, I can only do a few things without before it gets pooped and takes like a day before it can do them again. So if you have any friends who are dying of dragon related injuries, they're just gonna haveta hold on to their britches another day."