To Soothe the Soul [Open]

[Tiz]

Tiz sighed heavily, throwing his bag and his sword against the trunk of a large tree, then throwing himself down in its shade. He had taken slightly off the road on his way home from Ilia, having been to visit for some light mercenary work. The road back had been long, difficult, and above all, draining. He was ready to sit and nap for a few hours. The road he traveled back on was one of the wider, more densely populated roads, so there was a steady flow of people in and out, since it was the road that lead most directly to Lycia's more densely populated territories. And yet, Tiz thought, it was so worthwhile because the field at the border was expansive and beautiful, a nice scene to watch a sunset or see the stars. Or even, on a cloudless day, come out for a picnic, something light and fun.

The tired man laid back in the grass, throwing his arms behind his head. He wondered about Dak, and Myscha, and wondered how each of them were. With a heavy sigh, he accepted the fact that he missed them both greatly. He looked over to his left to see a couple caravans traveling out of Lycia, with horses and bags with large families with small children. The weather was nice-- perhaps they were vacationing. Things had been relatively easy and harmless in Lycia of late, or at least in most of Lycia. With Ostia being out of consideration, and the few monster problems that Laus had, it was still a nice place to be. And pretty safe.

Standing up now, placing his hands on his hips, Tiz surveyed the grassland in front of him. He really was right on the border. Not too many feet away and he would be in a different country entirely. He wondered if he would be welcome anywhere else. If he weren't so tired, he might travel a bit. Laying back down, the man settled in for a nap under the tree leaves, listening to and feeling the soft wind kiss his pale skin.

--

A few hours later, Tiz awoke. He had slept for much longer than intended, and the sun was sinking down to touch the horizon. It was bright, heavy, and a deep orange. He needed to hurry back, for he was still probably a half hour from home. Grabbing his things, the man hurriedly picked the road back up and headed towards home.

Once he made it back into town, he saw that there was an open performance happening in one of the grand halls that graced the outskirts of Laus. Happily, the man decided he would see what was going on. It looked like, from what he could gather, there was a traveling company of bards that had come to play music. He was all in. Taking his stuff with him, he headed into the hall. He was required to place his belongings in a storage room with the city patrol on guard. That was fine-- not like he needed his sword to listen to music anyway.

The young man took his seat towards the back, in an aisle that was relatively unoccupied. There were people scattered throughout, but each seat on either side of him was empty. He was excited. He hadn't seen this group before.

[Nyroshea]

It was a lovely afternoon, Nyroshea had been traveling with some vagrants he'd so happened to meet up with on the road. Through a strange sort of circumstance, as it were. He had tripped over the side of one of the women which had led him to just about keel over when he reached outwards and grabbed onto a barrel near their campsite to break his fall, which had led to him whirling about with it and bumping into one of the caravans horses. The startled horse had panicked and ran away--now he was working with the caravan as a replacement horse, helping the loner horse drag their wagon about and -- at the same time trying to find a means to repay them for the lost steed. He so happened to have enough money on him to pay for half of a horse, but the rest of the sum was being repayed over the nights he'd spend at their various stops: whether it was performing or outright begging. He made a motley sum to repay but still had some dept left to pay... Still, in time, the vagrants became fond of his company, and he, their own. To where they would let him stay inside the caravan rather than forced to drag it.

A lovely afternoon indeed .... If you're a masochist.

Later in the day, the vagrants had stopped at Laus, where they had heard of the Grand Hall having an open performance, one of the vagrants had pulled some strings and with a short tryout -- they had managed to get a schedule to have their group and a reluctant Nyroshea to perform later in the night.

If he could perform well enough, maybe he could pay his wage and be out of there!

__________________________________________________


It was just about show time, how long had it been since he strung a lute--not very long! He had experience in both lute and harp playing from the private lessons he had acquired while in his troupe. But in front of people? Nay, he was never allowed to perform publicly before, while it wasn't true, it was mostly said to have been due to his having that outlandish hair color. Which had caused him to become recluse. How exactly does one make money playing for free anyway? Was there a donations box or something? Or did the government pay for this?

Ther wasn't point making heads or tales of it, they told him what to do, and he'd do it. Even if money weren't an issue, these people are relatively kind to him in helping him get this far, so he should help them out--he thought.

Though he had been nervous at first-- after the first strum, he felt all of the weight lift out of his shoulders. This wasn't so different from performing for GrandMysty -- it was just ... a bunch of GrandMysy's. But these people were quiet -- and listening to him -- to them. They were a good audience. There were a number of people moving about, but the ones who had been seated, he saw it fit to look them all in the eyes with his yellow hues. They appreciated the song right? So--they were fans?

'Just a while longer ... They're all so happy. I can keep this up awhile longer...'

[Tiz]

A warm smile wrote itself across Tiz's face as he saw the band appear on the stone stage at the front of the grand hall. The seats beside him hadn't filled up-- He longed for the company of Arno, his brother, or Myscha. Alas, he was alone tonight, or so he assumed. To be fair, the last time he made that assumption, he was wrong. As the performance looked about to start, Tiz folded his arms in his chair, crossed one leg over the other, and closed his eyes. He had heard this tune somewhere before, and he wasn't sure where. Or maybe he was making it up, and only thought that he had.

"Hmm," he breathed, softly. In a trancelike state, he let himself get completely lost in the music. He enjoyed it. He played it in his head. Key of E flat. Three flats. B flat, E flat, and A flat. No accidentals. Tiz was as familiar with music, likely, as the people on the stage. He had played a bit himself, back before he joined the military. Since then, he's had little time for it, and his lyre was out of shape from lack of use. He thought maybe tonight he would break it out after the concert and get a feel for his instrument again. As the song played on, Tiz found himself becoming more lost in it, more in tune with the emotions the group was trying to convey. Song after song, Tiz felt himself sink into the lull of the music, becoming entranced by the experience, as if it were otherworldly. In many cases, that's what music was. That was the purpose it served.

When the show was finally over, Tiz was grinning wide, clapping furiously. He was so pleased, and by the reactions he saw around him, so was everyone else. What a spectacular event, and one that he would have hated to miss. What a wonderful stop on his way home to his apartment. As the people began to leave the hall, Tiz followed suit, and collected his things from the town guard at the front. He waited in the lobby-- it was always nice when the musicians came out afterwards to receive thanks, to stand for signatures, that sort of thing. They did really well-- Tiz figured they ought to be congratulated.

[Nyroshea]

He found himself lost to the tune, was it what is known as being a slave to the music? It happened so naturally he couldn't even feel it--the moments passed by in an instance. With a more than humble bow, he can feel his heart sinking beneath the applause .... Goodness it was louder than he'd ever heard before. Used to only small crowds, there was an overwhelmingly large gap between the clapping sounds. The leader of the vagrants thanks the people for their time, while Nyro proceeds to the back to return the borrowed lute to the caravan.

...............

"That was a marvelous performance, even better than expected. We look forward to making business with you again."
"Thank you, sir~"
"And we look forward to performing again. I'm working on a little something somethin' for next time."
". . ."
"Well then, I'll be off preparing for the next even. Tally ho."
". . ."
"What is it Nyroshea?"
"I'm really happy we got to spend time together. It was fun, but with this..."
"...Yeah~"

............

The vagrants stepped out towards the lobby, the leader smiled and waved to his people--alongside two others, a younger man and a woman. While the more adolescent members went about to get some purveyed goods (FOOOOOOD! FREE FOOOOD!) and to sign signatures. One of the performers was missing for awhile however, the lad with the purple hair.

He had been in the back room accounting for the last funds he had to spend in his repayment, and check for what remains to see how far he would be able to go on his voyage without stopping. There wasn't much left. He would have to stock up on some supplies--and where better than at a small afterparty with free food? After a few minutes, he finally stepped out from the back room, with a mellow expression on his face. He felt incredibly shy that people would ask to stop him and have his signature. He felt like a celebrity--but he was hasty about it. Making his way to his real destination, a small food booth so he could grab some free grub and stuff his satchel. Only eating a single pastry and taking a small glass of wine. ... It couldn't hurt to stick around for a little bit~

[Tiz]

Tiz was standing around talking to some of his friends and neighbors that he'd known since moving to Laus when he overheard someone say there was a reception-style afterparty that included food. Tiz had very little to do the rest of the night, so he figured that was as good an opportunity as any to meet the group. He hadn't managed to see any of the members so far, so he thought maybe that's where they had all gone. Leaving his sword with the guards again, he followed a herd of people moving into one of the larger multipurpose rooms of the giant, cobblestone Grand Hall.

When he entered, it looked like the place had been set up to feed thousands, when really it was only a couple hundred. There was a housekeeping and waiting staff, plenty of food, tables and chairs, and above all, a nice atmosphere that felt very welcoming. Through the windows on the far side of the room, one could see the moon beginning to peak in the sky, shining through and complimenting the nice light the room was receiving from candles and other fire-lit lanterns. What a happy atmosphere, Tiz thought.

As he walked around the room trying to decide what food to get, he noticed nobility. He saw and nodded to the Marquis of Laus, who no doubt had come out because he was a friend of music as well. He saw his most recent commanding officer from his days in the League, and he saw some of the children that lived across the street from his parents in the town over. Tiz guessed the concert probably brought people from more places than just Laus, and that made plenty of sense. The group was pretty good.

Once Tiz had gotten his plate together, he was excited. He noticed the purple-haired girl that was playing lute, and she wasn't currently speaking to anyone. He was envious of her talent, and figured it would be good to congratulate her. Especially since she looked so young to have been playing a relatively large scale concert!

The young man walked up to her with a smile on his face. "Nice job out there," he said kindly, taking a bite of a cracker covered in cheese. "Haven't heard something that good in a while. You been playing long?"

[Nyroshea]

The party had a strage balance -- there were the commoners and locals with some nobility mixed in the affair; it was like an air of regal complexity meets modern simplicity blended together to create a perfect society. A little slice of heaven really, when you think of it. People not discriminating against one another regardless of social status or race - it was a constant peace. Who could possibly think to ruin such a precious moment? No one would, surely... surely...

Nyro had started with one, but by now he had been devouring two pastries at once, switching between which he'd bite. 'Om nom nom!' it was so good. The mixture of a strawberry crepe with a blueberry one, such a sickly sweet feeling for most was heaven for him. He made a loud gulp, turning about to face a man who had been speaking to him. A wide expression was in his eyes as his mouth remained engorged with more crumbs... a tiny dab of blueberry jelly had been on his chin... *chew .... chew* ... he swallowed it slowly.

Was that another fan? Speaking to him? Another one ... looking at him ... He had let his guard down ... How could he let this happen?! He stuffed the remains of the crepes into his satchel, moving towards the table he scurried around looking for a cloth, but he couldn't find one so instead he wiped the jelly off with his index finger and hid it in his elongated sleeve. Perfect!

"Ah. Yes. Thank you. Sir." he seemed a bit tense, shoulders stiffened at his side as his arms smoothed themselves against his sides, he'd been standing like a toy soldier, almost perfectly still save for a subtle breathing. His tone was a little monotonous to boot, and his wayward gaze was more as if it'd been gazing around the man rather than at him. "I have been playing... Since I was a child of four." he explained, never losing focus, "The Lute is fairly easy to learn yet it takes a lifetime. To master." he paused at the most awkward of moments, trying to process his words smoothly while under pressure made him halt to think. "If you have interests, I am unable to show you as I... Do not own the lute that had been played during the show. I had merely been an interim and my time has expired after this show. I pray you understand and... Do not bare ill feelings towards me."

In the while, three children had been playing monkey in the middle with a stitched doll, the one about to catch the doll slipped slightly afterwards, bumping into Nyroshea's side, causing him to turn and catch the child by the arms before he could fall and hurt himself. "Hey now, you be careful~ Only bad kids run in parties, okaaay? Be good or I'm telling the guards to put you in the time out box~" -- there was a distinct different in how he handled the children, he had a playfulness in his voice. The child grabbed the doll, muttering "You're not the boss of me~" before going back to his shenanigans. Nyro lets out a small laughter between his palm, smiling as he watched them, absentmindedly talking to the man he'd been responding to so mechanically until now, "They're troublesome little buggers, aren't they?"

[Tiz]

Tiz sort of chuckled as the young girl started to speak. She seemed tense, awkward-- like there was something about Tiz that was intimidating. He wondered if all people were this way towards him, and he just hadn't noticed it until now. Surely not. He eased his hand down to his hip, listening intently as the girl spoke to everything around Tiz except for Tiz himself. His gaze felt focused elsewhere, yet he seemed attentive to Tiz's question.

He laughed. "Ill feelings? Haha, no, 'course not. Happens all the time. Yeah, I used to play lyre back in the day, but never got to be in a traveling group or anything... Just a hobby or whatever." Tiz smiled at her. She was pretty good-- young, yet still put as an interim into the group that she'd played with. He was impressed, truly. "No instrument is easy to master, yet you find that most, especially strings, are easy enough to pick up. Such is the way of the art, I guess." Tiz mused, looking around the room.

The mix truly was nice. It was as if there was no social stratification, that all men and women were, because of the nature of the performance, on equal footing. He saw his old friend, the Marquis of Laus, speaking with some commoners he knew that lived down the street from him. Perhaps it was only in settings such as these that this could take place. It warmed his heart. He was happy that people could be so amicable, despite the obvious class system that unfortunately existed in most of Laus. Tiz had been with the nobility as well as the "common folk", and had never seen them interact so happily. What a moment. Could Tiz have captured it, he might have, though it could have ruined the sanctity of the moments he was witnessing.

He looked back to the young girl, who was considerably shorter than him, playing with children. How adorable. Tiz loved kids, and he was glad that such young and eager hearts had gotten to come out to hear the music. The way she interacted with them... No. Surely she wasn't their mother? She was far too young. Should Tiz have asked? She asked about kids so carelessly, as if it were obvious that she was the mother. But who was the father? Tiz looked away for a moment, blushing. No. He couldn't ask. He couldn't possibly ask. How rude of him it would be.

"How cute. Are you their mom?"

[Nyroshea]

'The Lyre is a pretty instrument. It's kinda like the harp, but smaller right?' he thought to himself; ah, a fellow musician, perhaps he could find some rapport to build with the fanatic after all. The man was at the least, well grounded. How unusual for an adult, but then, they were also children at some point, right? Maybe this one wasn't too far gone down that line. He was pretty young looking after all--

How cute. Are you their mom?

Was .... did... did that guy really ask him that? ... W..what? WHAT?! "I..." Why would he ask that? Sure, being mistook for a woman was a recurring theme in the lads life, but ... a mother? Did he really look that old? Or maybe this guy had really poor eyesight... "Ahahah...." chortling awkwardly, he wasn't sure how to respond beyond uttering a blunt "No." .... Did those children look like him? He didn't think they were all that similar to him.
....
....
There was an awkward pause, 'W-wait I should say something! I'm not like that either!' "I'm only fifteen, mister. Kind of young to be havin' kids when I'm a kid myself. I mean I know I'm pretty--" he said ever so modestly, "but I don't have a special someone yet ya know? Not to mention a lot of the older timey folks can be pretty lecherous so they're some buzzards to watch out for--" he went on, "I'm not really nobility or anything fancy like that either, but I'm not super exotic like the vagrants or anything so that doesn't help my case. I don't really have anything for me but my hair and... wait, why am I talking about this again? Hahaha... ohhh, I'm sorry! I must be wasting your time--ahah..!" why did he talk so much to this stranger? Maybe it was just the atmosphere getting to him.

He lets out a heave, scratching the back of his head, "Oh oh, well anyway... What about you, do you have kids, mister?" he thought it best to serve a small dish of awkward revenge--knowing full well that the man couldn't possibly have a child. There was no way this guy was married. Nyroshea kept the kids in focal though, incase they tried some other sort of shenaniganizing as kids would tend to do. "I bet you'd be a good pap with those Lyre playing skills~" he commented in a whimsical tone. It was not intended to come out as flirtatious or anything, but, old habits.

[Tiz]

Oh boy, Tiz thought, the girl looked really offended. This wasn't good. He had known better. His curiosity always got the better of him. Curiosity may kill the cats, but it murders Tiz. He was in a tight spot. He needed to find a way to cut out, to save this from getting any more awkward than it already was. The little girl shuffled around a bit before she spoke to him, sort of laughing it off before confirming Tiz's suspicions that she was not, in fact, the mother. Thank Elimine. She was pretty young, Tiz thought.

"Wow, fifteen? And you got in a bard troupe? I'm impressed," Tiz said, changing the subject for a second and shifting his weight over to his left side, arms still folded. Seriously, being that young and that talented was a rare gift. Sure, he had picked up the lyre a little younger than that, but he knew he wasn't that good at her age. No way. That was neat-- it was always very cool to meet fellow musicians, especially ones that he was sure were better than him. He smiled at her.She wasn't wasting his time-- he had all the time in the world! She did seem to be playing defense, though. Like she had something to hide. She talked a lot, which was saying something, because Tiz often talked a lot. Never like this, though. He was intrigued. "Yes, the hair does help you stand out, haha. It's a brilliant shade of purple."

As she asked about Tiz having kids, the young man grew a little somber, though only for a moment. He looked off and down towards the ground. "Um," he began, trying to regain himself that he might not look so depressed. He wasn't depressed. He wasn't depressed, he told himself. Immediately, he thought of Myscha. He thought of his night with her, and what it had meant to him, but he hadn't seen her since. He had heard rumblings, sure, but he knew she had disappeared for a while. Gone, without a trace... He did miss her. His heart yearned for her.

"No," Tiz said, flashing a disarming smile at the young girl. "No, I don't... Though, someday, ya know, I can see it happening." He blushed a little, a wide, teethy smile making its way across his lips. "I do really like kids." He was flattered. He probably would play for his children someday, he thought. He used to play lyre for his little brother, Arno, who still lived back with his parents. He figured he ought to do that again sometime.

Tiz needed to change the subject before his emotions got the better of him. "I'm really surprised that a traveling bard troupe like this one was willing to hire such a young girl. Typically that doesn't happen. Although I guess typically 15 year olds aren't as good as you were tonight," he laughed, trying to stifle the awkwardness. "What's your name?"

[Nyroshea]

"It was just to help pay a debt--I wasn't recruited because they sought me or anything!" he exclaimed rather excited, Nyroshea was quick to flaunt about his beauty but even quicker to dismiss the appraisal. Not that it wasn't true -- but simply because he couldn't really take compliments he didn't feel he deserved. While working to master an instrument was indeed a task that could consume one's lifetime, as he has known how to play since his youth, he didn't see it as something worth praising. To him it was simply good but not astounding. He appreciated it all the same though, smiling as he folded his hands behind of his back, occasionally bouncing on his heel in a childish manner.

'Did...' The man became uneased by the question -- perfect! Or ... was it a bit too far? It was brief, but there was a flux of harrowing despair in his discomfort. ... Did he push on a subject without knowing? Possibly ..... But it was beyond his childish comprehension to take too much note of it, so he'd merely chuckled. The man went on to speak of how he would love having kids. That was good. Adults who like kids are more likely to get along with them than those who don't, it was just common sense after all.

'The symbiotic and their hosts will pass through ...'

The conversation actually got him thinking, just what sort of adult did he want to become? The people here were pretty nice, despite their pandemic of monsters. So maybe something like them? "My name is--" as if on cue, a very plainly dressed yet noticably tall man approached, standing between the two of them. Wearing a brown shirt with a bright yellow string tying his collar in. His hair was curly and a bright orange shade, with light scruffs of hair on his chin. He was fairly toned and possibly in his 30's. "Su`cuse me, ya two." he spoke with a somewhat peculiar accent. Reaching a hand to Nyroshea's shoulder. "`Lil purp`, I needa speak to ya real pr`vate like outside." Who was this man? He wasn't one of the musicians.

"I suppose there is no harm..." Nyro mulled it over, he didn't know who this man was either. But it couldn't have been too big of a deal, in such a happy place, there wasn't much to expect... And she always had different messengers sent to deliver him his notes, maybe it was just another one of those times... "Ah--I'll see you later mister. So-sorry!" Nyroshea waved, moving along with the stranger.

Oh, he left something small on the table the two had chatted by ... A strange paper charm labeled "The Star".

.............. "Wait, I forgot to give him my name."

"An`? Wut of it?"

"We shouldn't go to far, I wanna talk to him after we're done..."

"Yeah... but see. We aren't goin` back..."

"...Huh?"

"I brought a ward fer dat curse of yours."

_________________________________________________

'.... It couldn't be ....' How did he not recognize it -- the escapee from the forest in Ilia... How? It was the beard and the modest clothing -- he looked nothing like a ne'er-do-well! He had already taken Nyroshea a good distance from the ballroom, what were the odds somebody would take notice? His reaction was calm, however, glaring towards the wolf in sheeps clothing, he muttered. "So, it's revenge for your boss is it?" "Aye lass, it was`nut hard ei`her. Yer `air kinda sta`ds out." he grinned devilishly. Ugh, his breath smelled like sauteed onions. How Nyro loathed the dread of onions.

Some other commoners gathered around, and one guard who seemed to be in on the plan. An inside man? "Izzat the kid? Pretty puny ain't `e?" "Aye. Fer brother Konny, we're `onna slaughter the lot of them." "We din`need 'em all. Just da frilly musicians." "You can't!" Nyro objected, but the man clutching him merely pushed him over, into the circle of fools. "Aye, see, killin` ya ain' enuff. Ya killed our brothers. Ya and dat wench o` yers. So we're `unna make sure ya see `em loved ones of your fall before we make yer life no lon`er worth `livin`."

Nyro clenched the soil beneath, what were they planning to do? Use him as a hostage? That was stupid, there was an army in there and a number of mercenaries.......... Unarmed mercenaries. 'Gah, that stupid lobby..' he did what only a child could and lamented his luck...

[Tamaya]

"This is lively... I just wanted a place to rest."

The Nomad clucked her tongue, looking around at the room. It was not what she had expected. She wanted a place to rest her head and to get food. The man had claimed it would be a soothing evening of music... This looked just like some sort of banquet and party. Tamaya was on the verge of turning around and leaving when she saw a man alone, who seemed to be of solid stock. She decided to stay a moment, walking over to the man with head held high and eyes bright. The bow on her back was an imposing Sacaean weapon, and the quiver on her leg bristled with arrows. But all of this external fierceness was in stark contrast to her face, which was calm, peaceful, and serene. The only thing marring her features was her furrowed brow, which lent an unmistakable air of confusion to her appearance as she approached the Myrmidon.

"Excuse me," she started, the lilt of the plains evident in her inflections. "Is there anywhere nearby I could rest the night? A man said that this would be a 'relaxing evening of music,' but it seems to me like it is more of a rousing feast. While feasts are nice, I am tired... I need to let my horse rest and sleep myself. I must leave again soon, and I am weary after a long day's journey."

The Nomad ran her hand through her blond hair absentmindedly. Blond hair was unusual for the plains - her father said it was a mark of Hanon upon her, and that she was destined for success. Tamaya was unsure. She needed to earn the last of her coin for the bow of lightning Mr. Johnson was making her... And a delay wasn't in her itinerary.

[Tiz]

As the odd man stepped in front of the two, Tiz immediately grew on edge. He had no way of knowing who this man was, but the child didn't seem to know who he was, and the odd man seemed very... forceful. Like there was a dark aura surrounding him. Tiz wasn't particularly great at reading people without talking to them, but this did seem a bit off. His whole body felt chilly, for he was worried about the fate of this child. He followed the two with narrowed, piercing eyes as they left the area, and Tiz was prepared to follow after them. Just before he started walking after them, he noticed something. "What's this?" he said, bending down to reach the table and picking up a paper ornament. A charm, maybe? For good luck? Tiz wasn't sure. He slid it nicely into his pocket before turning around.

When he did, he was shocked. A woman a foot shorter than he was standing in front of him, asking about an inn, asking about the performance that she had clearly missed. "Yeah, uh--" Tiz started, distracted. He addressed her, but his eyes were trained on the door. He no longer saw the man and the girl with strange purple hair. "You're armed, yeah? I don't know how you got in here with that but it doesn't matter. Come on, follow me. I'm worried about one of the musicians I just saw, I think-- whatever, just come on." Tiz grabbed the woman's wrist, pulling her along with him. He stopped short of the door to grab his blade and sack from the town guard, and immediately strapped it to his belt.

"Damn it," he breathed as he hurried out the door, still dragging the woman. He turned back to the guard. "Did you guys see a purple-haired girl come through him? With a redheaded guy? Would've looked pretty rough, you wouldn't have missed them--"

"Yessir, we saw them. They headed west, into the forest. With purpose, too. We were going to investigate, but we have to-" Before they could finish, Tiz was dragging the woman towards the forest. As they got closer, he let go of her, and turned to her.

"Look, um, I know this seems weird and I know the timing is poor, sorry about that, but," Tiz pointed past the treeline, where the men surrounding the girl were now visible. "You see those guys? I think they want trouble. We don't want trouble. I'll help you find a place to stay, just... just help me with this one thing. I think they're gonna kill that kid. You've got a bow, yeah? Well, stay here and post up, ready to fire, or come with me, I don't care, but we need to do something. I'm not going to let them butcher a kid."

With no more words than that, Tiz dashed off through the forest towards the group. crap, he thought, there were too many. He couldn't take them alone. He would need the woman he just met-- if she could even be trusted-- and the girl from the performance to do as much as they could. With great speed, Tiz burst through the underbrush, coming out with a leap, and landing softly in the dirt, his feet lightly touching down and creating a dust cloud as he immediately drew his sword. He pointed it towards the man in the middle.

"I don't know what's going on here, but let's settle down. We can talk about this, yeah? No need for hostility?" Tiz spoke, trying to use a tone that might disarm the situation. He could call the guard if needed, but he was afraid they might just kill the kid if he did that. He refused to let that happen. "Mind you, I am a military-trained ex-officer, and I know what I'm doing. We can end this peacefully. Just... give me the girl back, head off on your own ways, and maybe we won't have to end this with violence."

[Nyroshea]

Indeed, there were quite a few, 5 in total. 4 of which carried axes while the 5th hoisted a polearm. One of which had kicked the lad in the side of his abdomen once, their dirtied boots mudding up his once clean clothes. The men smirked and chortled as he sustained the blow. 'Gods, that hurt... They're a lot more vicious than last time...' writhing, he stifled to stand, glaring at the kidnapper, and then the one who kicked him. ". . . . . ." he huffed, grimacing a bit. They were the bad kinda adults. He didn't have to show them respect, even if he was afraid. But he would rather not provoke them into killing him if he could find... some means to escape... Just one opening. If only he could get lucky like the first time -- and with there being more this time around -- the odds were against him. But...

That guy? What was he doing here? Was he in with the brigands from the start? ... No he didn't seem to be. As he went on and explained to them-- Nyroshea's face beamed while the men began to scowl, their entertainment was bittered by a rodent peeping around where it shouldn't be. "Did he bring help?" was the first thing that came to the brigands mind, as one whispered to the other. Their plans to storm the place would be ruined if the guards were alerted to their presence.

"Talk? Wuz there to talk about?" the kidnapper said, moving a pace towards the man. "We're just `avin' a lil' fun with our friend `ere~ Harmless tomfoolery it `is. Right lads?" he looked towards them with a wink, "Aye!" they rebuddled quickly, almost harmoniously on perfect note, though Nyro's sharp glare implied otherwise. He even gave a headshake, being too short for the stupid brigands to notice the act from up close. "So, there you `ave it lad. There's a party around the corner ya`no? Ya should get back to that."

They were awfully fresh, playing coy and innocent. They weren't good men, nor were they bright.... Still! They were distracted, and that was more than enough for the elusive Nyroshea. He rushed forward, towards the hole in the circle made from the man stepping outta bounds, caught off guard, the buffoons just gasped. The kidnapper had turned about, only catching Nyro in the corner of his eye. Making a swoop for the cloak, grabbing onto the elongated sleeve. "Where d'ya think yer goin` boyo?" "That way!" Nyro he dropped his body-- with a *swooping* sound, a small draft caught his robe... and out from beneath, the violette elusively slipped, passed the mans legs and rushing towards Tiz's side. It was his favorite robe, but....... it was a loss he was willing to make.

"Hey, fancy seeing you here..~" he said whimsically, before feeling a draft. With only an undershirt and his pants on, the chilling gale of night hit him a lot harder than he thought it would. "Brrrr, is it cold here or is that just me?"

"Why ya lil'!" "He done duped us!" "Get `im!" one of the men lift his axe, a compact throwing axe-- and chuck it at the duo's direction!

[Tamaya]

"Hmm?"

The man asked no questions, simply pulled her to the door mumbling something about musicians and arms and some other gibberish. After a brief exchange with the guard, which the Nomad also didn't understand, he was pulling her towards the forest.

Tamaya instantly became alert and drew an arrow, preparing to strike at the man in vicious fury. She'd asked a few simple questions, and if he thought he could get away with taking advantage of her, she'd leave him without a -

Oh. There was some sort of scuffle. The man let go and ran off to accost the men, and Tamaya drew her bow, nocking the arrow on it before creeping nearer. Seems like the man just got a little anxious to start fighting. Tamaya could understand that.

Getting close to the group, but approaching from the side, Tamaya stopped, drew the arrow back until her hand rested securely at the corner of her mouth, and then aimed.

The throwing axe that left the man's hand was the signal she needed. They had attacked - she would respond to defend the child and the man.

"Earth... Sky... LIGHTNING!"

The arrow flew true, hurtling through the air as straight as a beam of light.

Whether the throwing axe hit the duo was unclear - what was clear was that he would not be throwing the axe again.

The man crumpled, the arrow protruding from his skull like a macabre signal.

"Bingo."

[Tiz]

Tiz had no idea what was going on. Five minutes ago, he was having an awkward chat with the girl about music, and now he was in a forest, sword drawn, and in trouble. Probably big trouble, since it was effectively five versus one. Or two, counting the archer. He hoped and silently prayed that she was of sufficient skill and could help him as he needed it. This girl he had just met was completely useless; it was too bad that Tiz's heart was too kind to let an innocent kid die. He might pay for it, in wounds, if he even survived this encounter. He would learn how skilled these men were very soon.

As Nyro dashed towards Tiz, now with less clothing, he noticed something. She was 15. Why did her figure look so... boyish? Not that he was at all concerned with the physique of a girl ten years younger than he, but still, it seemed odd. And his pants-- those were a male make. Something strange was going on. Whatever, Tiz thought. Stay focused. He shielded the young girl behind himself, just outside the circle of men. With his armed hand, Tiz brought his sword forward defensively, ready to parry as needed. This would be a defensive battle-- a hard defensive battle, at that. As one man threw an axe towards them, Tiz cursed under his breath. He didn't have a shield. He couldn't pick up the girl and dodge fast enough. It was either deflect the axe, dodge, or push the kid out of the way. He was prepared to try a deflection...

Just as he was prepared to face the brute force of the men, time froze. Tiz watched an arrow fly forth from the sky like the fury of a god, striking the leader in the head with an uncannily perfect precision. Yep, she was good. He breathed a sigh of relief in the few seconds before the axe came at the two. The other men, ready to attack after the axe finished its job, stood back, not charging. Time stayed slow. Tiz calmed his mind and his spirit. He surveyed his surroundings. He breathed. He watched. He focused. He drowned out all sound. He had done this in the military. He had been in worse spots. He closed his eyes briefly, breathing again. Time was slow. His spirit was intense and focused. He could do this.

Time returned, in his mind, to normal. His eyes opened, wild and furious, and he leaped forward with great speed. He took his sword in front of him, over his left shoulder, and as the axe came at the two, he swung downwards, hard, and caught the axe between the blade and the wooden handle. Throwing it towards the ground, Tiz landed softly, dashing forward again, using his inertia to propel himself even further forward. He brought his sword back behind him, gliding through the air with great speed, towards one of the axe-wielders. He landed in front of him, using his unarmed hand to grab the man's axe-wielding hand. He twisted it, causing the man to howl and drop his weapon. Tiz slid around behind him, his hand still gripped, and slashed at his calves, deep enough to incapacitate him, but not to kill. He looked back towards the girl.

Still safe. Although, the other men, now scared, still charged towards her. "Tch," Tiz breathed, barely having time to recover. He hoped his archer friend would protect the girl. Tiz kicked the man he had just dealt with in the stomach, then charged after the other men.