The Crue brothers didn't waste a moment in making their way to the other room. They made haste in regrouping the others, aside from Callan having to wrestle Sachi the rest of the way out of bed. He considered carrying the boy piggyback, but eventually he chose to move of his own accord instead, on his own two feet. Across the hall, the door was left cracked open, so the two were able to go in freely. The others were busy making sure they had all their supplies together, but once Callan and Sachi arrived, those endeavors lulled and focus shifted to the new arrivals. "Are we almost ready to go?" Callan asked. The room seemed relatively empty, not that their group had brought much to begin with.
"Nearly," Soleil said, before shoving a neatly folded bundle of clothing into Cal's arms.
"What's this?" He noticed then ghat she, Brady, and Erzia had all donned fresh garments.
"When we were coming to the inn last night, we bought some clean clothes from a vendor. We thought it might be nice not to as noticeably dirty and travel-worn," she explained.
Brady nodded, standing at Sol's side. "It was all her idea. Don't let her try to convince you otherwise."
"For you and Sachi both," she assured with them warmest of smiles.
Callan unfolded each piece carefully, passing the smaller set off to Sachi. "Thank you. It's much appreciated."
"Of course." Sol beamed.
It was odd, however, that unlike the others, Phoena still wore the same light armor she'd started off their journey with. Cal doubted Soleil would have been so callous as to exclude the blonde. Despite the tension between the two in the beginning, they seemed to have come to an understanding with one another, harboring no ill will. So, what was the reason?
Erzia found it an absurd choice as well, but unlike Callan she wasn't going to sit quietly and wonder. She'd make herself heard. "I still think you should swap out the solider get up for what Sol brought you." Her thoughts weren't a matter of polite courtesy for the sorceress having bought them— as she heard, Brady and Phoe had pitched it for them as well— but rather, of strategy. The telepath expected Phoena to protest, and she did.
"I'm more than comfortable like this..."
Erzia shook her head. "That's not the problem here. Common clothes don't draw much attention, but even your casual armor is conspicuous. The more people who take notice of us— and we're already plenty unmistakable as is given current events— the more likely it is that trouble will find us. I think we can all agree that's the last thing we need right now."
Trouble would find them one way or another. It was just a matter of time, but there was no point in them making its job easy...
Phoena swallowed roughly, that visible distress painting her face as she rubbed her forearm. Her hand running down the sleeve, she tugged at the end of it, the fabric unmistakably that of the Acadamy's training gear, the same gear used by the army corps themselves. "It's just that—"
The Academy was all she knew. Being a warrior was all she knew. She didn't know how to part with it. The very idea was like casting aside a crucial piece of herself, of her identity. There was a sense of security in its familiar touch that she wasn't sure she wanted to be without...
"If she wants to keep the armor—" Callan started, but Phoena stopped him.
Erzia was right. Comfort wasn't always a given, especially not for a Runeholder, and she needed to come to terms with that sooner than later. She was meant to be Bravery incarnate, after all. The least she could do was take this baby step for the sake of her comrades.
"No, she's right." Phoe exhaled heavily, asserting that resolve in herself. She could do it. She would. "It's a liability, and I don't want to make us a bright shiny target by being stubborn and selfish."
"My baby's growing up," Brady cooed, sniffling as he wiped false tears from his eyes.
His joke lightened her mood, unexpectedly releasing some of that stress that had been building within her. She laughed, crossing her arm over chest to rub the opposite shoulder. "Don't patronize me," she puffed lightheartedly.
Callan, on the other hand, was still concerned. "Are you sure?"
Phoe nodded resolutely. "I'm sure." With that, she looked to Erzia. "I'll take them."
Seemingly satisfied, Erzia set her bag down on the bed, rummaging through it to grab out the pieces intended for Phoe. She passed them over to her. "You guys get changed. There's a sixth Runeholder waiting somewhere out there for us to find." Her eyes flicked over to Callan and Sachi. "That means the both of you too."
"Got it," Callan mumbled. He didn't think much of stripping off his dirtied attire and tossing it aside. It was pretty commonplace in the training barracks at the Academy anyway, considered practical. Cal had gotten over that special brand of embarrassment surprisingly quickly back then. You weren't allowed to have much of a sense of shame as a Gwyran solider-in-training. However, he should have reevaluated that mindset in current company.
Realistically, a half-naked shapeshifter wasn't uncommon either in cases of botched shifting or lacking practice and skill, but by the look on Phoena's face, that seemed the rarest feat of all.
Sachi had tucked himself off in a corner of the room, and no one was paying him any mind. Not when Phoe was gaping at Callan's torso, the pink of cheeks practically glowing. It was as if it had entirely skipped her mind that she was meant to be changing too. Instead, she stared, the object of her attentions oblivious.
"You have got to be kidding me..." Erzia muttered, siding up to the blonde, who tensed as it shook her from her daze. "Come on now. You probably have a better physique than he does. Is that really worth gawking over?"
As Erzia saw it, he was toned enough but not exactly bulk. It wasn't like he'd built up muscle from the training that he'd shirked for years. Not scrawny and lanky like Braedyn, who probably had a few inches on the shifter, but he was hardly sculpted from marble... some godly figure to ogle. Phoena, at least, had trained day in and day out like a good little solider. Even looking at her in that moment, Erzia could see the definition in her arms and the broadness of her shoulders from swinging away with that sturdy sword of hers. She'd treated her body like a weapon and crafted it as such, but Cal just kind of was. Existed in his with enough care for it to have its own appeal... but not an ardent unwavering eye contact kind of build.
Erzia looked from Callan back to Phoena then Cal again as the blonde hissed under her breath. "I was not gawking," she insisted, cradling the clothes she'd been given to close to her chest. "I wasn't."
"So thinking about smoothing your fingertips across his skin in an explorative conquest was what?"
"I did not say it like that," Phoe protested.
Erzia shrugged. "Close enough." That also sounded like an admission to her. Brady was probably eating up every bit of it as he looked on. Fortunately for Phoena's honor, the rest were focused on other matters. By that point, Callan had slipped on the new pants and the fresh tunic. "If it helps, that neckline still gives you a little peek," she mused. They didn't dictate what was fashionable in Szhkia. They had to work with what they could get.
Phoena gave a scalding huff at the teasing, hugging the bundle of fabric even closer to her. "I need a minute." After which she holed herself up in the bathroom to change. None of them needed the reverse of that spectacle— especially not Callan— so it was likely for the better. When she returned, pensively pulling at the hem of her blouse, Cal had donned his cloak again and was helping Sachi straighten himself out. Her own cloak was draped over her arm, and for someone as covered as she was, she acted if she were naked. She glanced at the brothers for a moment, chewing her lip. Her gaze shifted to Erzia, her eyes rounded as she shook her head and grabbed her pack to stow away the armor.
"You look fine," Erzia insisted. "I think you're good enough a solider not to need that kind of reassurance."
"Right..." Phoena murmured softly, but she didn't sound so sure herself. Erzia patted her back before turning to the others. "Sun's about over the horizon now. High time we headed out, don't you think?"
They were all in agreement. It was time to go, so after Sol did a final check of the room to ensure that they hadn't forgotten anything, they were off. Like when they'd come into town, no one in the commons paid the Runeholders much mind. The change of clothes, as anticipated, helped them to blend in more. Not only that, that but there seemed an unspoken pact of sorts as well that neither group wanted to be involved with the other's dealings, if it could be avoided. Whatever criminal transactions were afoot in Szhkia, they were a distraction that the Runeholders couldn't afford, and their own quest wasn't the type of trouble that any civilians— shady or not— found intriguing. Unless Elieveta had a bounty on their heads, it wouldn't be of much interest. Money was what made Szhkia go round, after all.
"We should still pass through Cabeon," Erzia said once the group had crossed city lines, returning to rural undeveloped surroundings. "Since it's my hometown, I might know someone there than can help with our transportation issue." Her upbringing wasn't common knowledge to anyone but Callan— though that meant it was something Braedyn was likely privy too as well— but as far as Cal knew, she hadn't shared that with the others...
Just like he hadn't openly shared yet that Sachi was his brother, that he was Orin Crue.
The subtle tilt of Phoena's head and her furrowed brows pointed to her being caught unaware. Sol too, as the sorceress posed a question: "You grew up out here?"
"Yeah. Not a friendly place for a child," was all she gave in reply. "If you don't want to make the stop, that's fine."
Sol blinked at her, quickly shaking her head. "Oh! No, I didn't mean it like that. I was just curious. We should definitely see if anyone might be willing to lend a hand."
"Lend a dozen hooves or so," Brady mused with a half-chuckle. A few horses would drastically shorten their travel time, if any of Erzia's Cabeon contacts had some they were willing to spare.
"Cabeon it is," Erzia confirmed with a curt nod, falling silent soon after as she led the pack, like a lone wolf scoping out what lay ahead.
They were about halfway to their next stop when Sachi started to get antsy. "Something doesn't feel right," the boy said quietly.
Sol shuddered. She paused, crouching low to place her hand against the ground. "I feel it too. A dark energy..."
Callan's eyes narrowed. "You mean the odd prickling feeling, right?"
Sachi nodded, inching closer to Cal. The child was the most affected of the group without a doubt. If Callan had to wager a guess, he would say it had to do with him being a Manabe, given strong negative emotions were triggers for his transformations. Shapeshifters in general had impressive instincts, but the Manabe's were more sensitive simply out of necessity. So, if Cal could feel it too, he could only imagine the pit of dread building in Sachi's stomach. They weren't the only ones who felt it though, which had the shifter looking over at Sol.
She sensed it as well, which meant that it was a magical energy of some sort as her kind could sense changes in its flow, particularly massive fluctuations in its use. Soleil might've used her earth powers to confirm, but Sachi's demeanor and her own suspicions had spurred the need.
"It was a pretty massive spike, not far from here," Sol explained. "A destructive energy. From what I can tell, it's harmful to whatever it touches. Toxic." She recoiled her hand from the earth, looking like she might topple over and be sick until Brady steadied her.
"Do you think it could be—" Brady started, but it was their second telepath who finished the thought, more statement than question.
"Paraven."
Sol leaned into Brady's shoulder, massaging her forehead with the tips of her fingers. "Maybe?" she said weakly, still feeling woozy from the volatile energy that had shot through her body and mind. "At the very least, if magic users are responsible, they aren't purveyors of the light. That's for sure."
"Keep an eye on the situation." Erzia told the others. "Best case scenario, we can outrun them."
Worst case, it would come down to a fight, and none of them wanted to face the dark sorceress' followers unless there was no other option.
"I'll see if I can pick up anything," Brady offered, his telepathy being more suited to such a task than Erzia's own.
She flashed a faint, somewhat anxious smile. "Thanks. Try to keep up, guys. We can't afford to lag behind." If it was Paraven tailing them and they managed to catch up, the battle that would ensue promised bloodshed, and that was the mildest of possibilities. Paraven left a trail of bodies in its wake when their leader was threatened, and as it was, the Runeholders posed the most direct threat to Elieveta's rise to empress of Gwyrholm.
To the clan, that meant the pesty children needed to be exterminated.
"I'd say, child, that's not the only thing you can't afford."
"Fuck," a low mutter slipping out under her breath, "seriously?"
The face that appeared before her was unfortunately one that she recognized from the tavern in Szhkia. A man— one of the nosy bar patrons that had begun watching her and Callan when she threw her fit about Grand Commander je Dellal. So they hadn't left the notorious town without stirring up some sort of mess then.
"Are you Paraven?" she demanded, not that he had any obligation to answer her questions.
"No, but I knew the clan would pay handsomely for your location, Runeholder," he mused, grinning darkly as he scanned over the group. "Their envoys will be here to greet you for themselves soon. All you need to do is stay put."
"And who's going to make us, you?" Erzia scoffed.
"Why not?" the man sneered. "You don't think I can?"
Erzia gritted her teeth, taking a few steps back towards the other. "Care to test that theory then?"
"Only if I can bring some friends," he said with a wolffish grin.
"Erzia, he doesn't use magic. I don't get anything off him," Sol hissed.
"But I do..."
Erzia's eyes shot over to Callan as a frown rose on his lips. "Definitely a shapeshifter," he told her, "and he has backup..." A pair of timberwolves stalked up beside him, snarling and pacing as they appeared from beyond the trees. The man from the tavern, at their arrival, shifted his form as well. Larger than his companions and more menacing by far. Wolves, the whole lot of them. "I think he's acting as their alpha." Certain types is shifters tended to form groups of like, and wolves were especially notorious for doing so.
"Damn it!" Erzia huffed. "Any ideas? Please."
Soleil's panicked expression didn't ease the telepath's mind in the slightest. Paraven must have been drawing nearer. "Whatever we do, we have to get out of here before the sorcerers arrive."