Shar pulled himself from the floor early in the morning. As he remembered where he was, a disgusted look fell over his face. On the floor beside him was Iris, as Ciscera refused to let either of them into the bed, seeming to be under the impression that Shar had taken the Iris in order to have an escort of his own. As he was roused, Iris seemed to turn over, her eyes fluttering open slowly. When she sat up, she yawned, stretching widely and pulling herself to her feet. Shar followed shortly rubbing his eyes and cracking his neck as he glanced to the sleeping Ciscera. His back ached from the uncomfortable sleeping arrangement, but regardless, he was starting to feel much better as he sat down at a small, private table in their room. Iris sat down as well, staring at him with clear concentration; after several moments, he couldn't bare it anymore. "Can I help you, Miss Argyris?" He asked, leaning back in the chair as his fingers drummed over the table. "I've seen you before..." She said quietly, narrowing her eyes as she held his gaze, "I know it... Or rather, my father did business with you at least once... I never forget a face... But how..." The girl could remember as far back as childhood, but why was it so hard to recall the colonel's? The wolf rose to his feet and walked to the door, opening it and checking the hallway before locking and finding his seat once more. "Well... My family name is Shar and we're all strikingly similar... The name is fairly known throughout Tunay'ruk, perhaps that's how? Mere portraits and mentions?" The girl shook her head. "While I know the name, it isn't your name I'm trying to recall... I know I've seen you in person... Have you ever worked with my father, perhaps? Our tribe was nomadic, but he had many visitors from Tunay'ruk, sometimes they were quite mysterious, in robes and the like... There was one, I remember, that he met but one time... My goodness was it a strange man; for some reason, he wore a mask for a simple get toge-" Iris' voice cut out suddenly as she closed her mouth and stared even more vigorously. "He wore a mask... That's why I can't remember the face... It's your eyes..." Shar shook his head, "No. I don't wear a mask, clearly; I have no need to hide my face from my countrymen or my enemies..." He retorted, waving his hand defensively. "You must be mistaken." The man knew exactly where she recognized him from, but he would do all in his power to stop her from recalling. It would be dangerous for both of them, if she did. "No, no... Certainly not... You do not hide your face... You mask it to avoid recognition... Not by your countrymen nor your enemies, as Ciscera... But from your very own leader... even some of your colleagues in the army," She said quickly as she began to recall the details of having seen Shar. ---- She could clearly remember his visage; it was several years ago, her father introduced her to a wolf in a heavy robe and mask. It was a plain, black mask, but behind it were a pair of green eyes. He wore a falcata at his hip, but she'd not seen him use it, or even move for it during his stay. Why could she not recall what his name was...? Well, it was less a name; she could recall the title Grandmaster, though she could not remember what it was exactly that he presided over... The name was not a name she had heard before or since, as it was more of a pseudonym than a true name, that was for certain. She could not follow precisely what it was that the two would talk about when they tucked away in private, but the man was a joy to have at meals... She asked him question after question - he had seen almost every inch of the world apart from Riverslade and the stories... Oh, the stories, she could recall each one that she got from him in his short stay. He would speak brilliantly of change... Of how much her father, despite their tribe being so small, had already helped by siding with them... How much their tribe could continue to do so by simply supporting the cause. When he left, she still had questions, but her father, the chief, would not tell her who he was or why he was there... --- "You..." She started, her eyes widening... She had seen his poster since he left; but it couldn't have been him. That black masked man was intelligent, he was no traitor, he was an innovative and forward-thinking wolf. Those posters did have a name attached to them... She furrowed her brow, and Shar continued to protest and deny with logic anything she had to say, but she finally said those words. "The Masked Profugus... The Shade of Desertion..." The girl began to pull back, "You... You are him, aren't you?" Shar closed his eyes as she finally recognized exactly how she knew him, letting out a sigh. He placed a finger to his lips to quiet her down, "How the hell could you figure that out? For years... years... Not even Emperor Lyons, arrogant and stupid as he may be, noticed who I was..." "Your eyes," She said instantly, tilting her head, "I've never seen that same intelligent green since, not once... Not even close to it... Many don't pay attention to detail as I do, I see things differently... It runs in my family... My father said that we connect to it in the way that you do with the natural forces of magic... It is something that is within us, and once we have consciously decided to use it, it is just as another sense or limb," The girl explained. Shar smiled and leaned back, "Your father was a brilliant man... One of my couriers brought news of his passing to me many months ago... I was sorry to hear of it... I had assumed you were dead too, Iris, but when I heard your name and saw you... By god, you've grown since I saw you last. I am absolutely amazed that you could see me..." "Father said I was more gifted than even he or grandfather were..." She mumbled modestly, rubbing her arm. "But... You did not have it when we met, how could you have recognized me still, especially without that mask?" "My father was amazed too... After my Sight developed, all of my memories just... rewrote themselves with it... I could see inside of every person I'd met, not just those I meet..." "I never quite understood the Sight... No matter how much study in magics I did, I've never seen something so... strange... Your father was still unsure of it..." Shar stated, rubbing his chin, "I can see how you might have an ingrained ability to see what, in essence, a person is... But... How? Is it like each person has a signature, which you then read? Or do you simply read minds? Memories?" "No, no, no... it is not that simple, Mister Shar..." She stated with a shake of her head. "There is no mind reading... Well, in a sense... We know of intentions, but not of true thoughts or memories. Simply what is or what is not," The girl went on to explain. "It is as you see colour, or an expression... It is just there for us; we can choose to focus it or just let it flow, depending on the depth we wish to investigate a person." "What of me, Miss Argyris?" Shar asked with a smirk, leaning forward and resting his elbows on his knees with intrigue. The girl shook her head, "You are unique, Shar... But... I feel it is not my place to delve deeper..." She looked away, suddenly sullen, "The reason, Lykos, which I know you... Is because there is something dark within... It is not evil, it is not good, it is simply dark to me, as though clouded or hidden beneath a shadow... behind a curtain... I can see who you are, but not [i]what[/i] you are... And you very well know who you are... This is not something you've hidden, but that has been hidden within you. I believe it is why my father took to you so easily, simply because he knew you were special. And perhaps that is all which it is; you are special," She said to him, placing her hands on either side of his neck. "The dark shroud is crimson, as blood... I do not know what it is, but it is certainly a part of you... And The wolf paused and shook his head, what kind of answer was that? He then pushed forward, "And her?" The wolf looked over to the tigress in the bed, hoping she would not wake. At this Iris furrowed her brow, "You certainly are a quizzical one, Shar... While I've never seen one such as you, I... I do not know how, but she is the same. I can see that she is prideful, one of note... A true warrior... But if I try to see the [i]what[/i] of her being... She is no simple tigress... I am not sure why, but my mind is less at ease here... It is not a lack of my ability, but a curiosity... I would be far less worried now had you each had the same block, but it is not... I feel blue with her... Again, perhaps it is nothing, perhaps, as many myths are based upon truth, there is an Aura within us all, and it is just that you are the first two that I have met which have one that shows. I do not know the meaning of Auras, however, as I've always written them off as false..." Shar nodded, but something told him this was not correct... Something more existed, and he knew not what caused such a disturbance. However, he merely rose from his seat in silence... She did not know [i]what[/i] they were? What the hell could that even mean? He was frustrated, but apart from that, there was little they could do now. His voice was powerful, "Wake up, Ciscera." He placed a hand firmly on her shoulder and shook her once, twice, "Get up. We've gotta find some way to cover you, in case your hood falls back. Not to mention, perhaps it's time we adopted new identities as well... Seeing as my name was rather well-known before we arrived, as was yours, and your appearance is unique... We need stories, papers, to be able to hide in public, and a way out of here. You know the city well, where do we start?"