[b]Ruby and Liam[/b] 

A stray ray of sunshine hit Ruby’s face as she paced underneath a shaded tree. Word had come out about these mismatched fools that called themselves the Sacred Blades. The name alone irked her. They’re going around the realm taking out rapscallion bandits and such, but what worried her most was that they possibly possessed the ability to take out the Grimleal and their sacred plans, she could just feel it. Ruby also happened to discover that her “dear” sister had joined the pitiful group, she could tell simply by the description. But that didn’t faze her one bit. If she had to kill to brat, so be it. 

Ruby plopped down onto the ground, avoiding the troublesome sun as she resumed the mundane task of sharpening her blades. It had been a rather uneventful morning as she awaited whatever the other Grimleal decided on next. In the meantime, the pink haired girl would busy herself with menial tasks; with no action going about the surrounding area seemed dull.

Pulling out a stack of logs, she readied herself as if in a one on one battle. Gripping her sword tightly, Ruby attacked the imaginary opponent with all her might. After awhile, standing back, the girl admired her handiwork- the logs were coated with scratches and dents. [b]“Good, but not great…”[/b] she stated to herself in monotone. If she didn’t continue to train herself, what good was she in the battlefield? She continued to pressure herself until satisfied with the halved log in plain sight, a menacing smirk appearing on her face. With exhaustion at last settling in, Ruby leaned against the tree trunk, panting, allowing herself to slide onto the ground. Although she was ready for battle, there were many obstacles to overcome. But soon everything would be perfect, for now all she could do was dream of such a day as she gradually dozed off.

[i]Meanwhile...[/i]

[b]"Here you go ma'm!"[/b]

An old woman hobbled away with a small child at hand, their cuts and bruises a thing of the past. They had been travelling for days, after their home was ransacked by a ruthless gang, barely escaping with their lives. They happened to come across a cleric, who graciously healed the pair without asking for anything in return. All he needed was their smiles. The tall red-head smiled as he gazed upon the two figures, loneliness glazed in his eyes. He turned around, heading down the beaten path as the morning sun began to peek out form the horizon. 

The cleric, Liam, was quite bored. The Grimleal weren't moving much, staying in the shadows as the plotted their next move against a rising threat; the Sacred Blades. He already studied everything he knew about one of the members of the Grimleal, following the guy around for a whole month as Liam learned all of his personal secrets. In the end, he got kicked out after he was found snooping around in the guy's house. He took his strange hobby very seriously, to the point where it was considered stalking. Of course, the young man didn't think it was stalking. It was just to satiate his curiosity. 

After walking around a bit, he caught the sounds of whacking - like a blade against wood. Now, who would be hacking away poor trees this early at morning? Liam wandered around till he caught the sight of a pink-haired girl. He stood there for a moment, trying to remember the girl's name. Was it Rose? Rosanna? No... It was the name of a gem - Ruby! A smile plastered on his face, he walked up to the sleeping girl, watching her breathe in and out. 

Hmmm. Ruby was fairly interesting. He had seen her a few times when he was occupied with another person. Perhaps he could get to know her well... [b]"Goooood morning, Ruby! Beautiful day, isn't it?[/b] he cheerfully said in a loud voice.

Ruby's eyes fluttered open in an instant, awoken by someone's voice. Glancing upwards, she already had her hand gripping tighthly onto hilt of her weapon. Realizing who it was, she quickly released her sword and sighed outwardly. [b]"D-don't do such things! I could've killed you..."[/b] the girl factually stated.[i]"Ugh...too much happiness...[/i] she thought to herself after studying his facial expression. [b]"Anyways, there's too much sun today, so I do not agree with your statment,"[/b] Ruby stated with a scowl before pulling her sword out once more to re-sharpen it. She thought the boy would leave her be but he still remained by her side. [b]"So what is it that you're exactly seeking...?"[/b] she questioned after time, eyes unwavering from her current task.

A light chuckle escaped from Liam's lips as he continued to stay by Ruby's side. She was very amusing and interesting, even if she was sharpening her sword. He hummed once, before taking a seat as he thoughtfully gazed at the soon-to-be-sharp blade. So far, this was all he knew about this Ruby. A myrmidon, female, and part of the Grimleal. He required more information... Her question then broke his train of thought. That was when he decided that Ruby was going to be his next friend. [b]"I want to know everything about you,"[/b] he honestly said, staring straight at her. [b]"Everything."[/b]

She was taken aback by his ridiculous request. [b]"Everything?!"[/b] she repeated, cautiously facing towards the boy. [b]"Why do you wish to know everything about me...?"[/b] she questioned in a monotonous tone. Ruby brushed off the unnerving feeling she'd gotten and returned to sharpening the blade in front of her, awaiting an answer all together. She still couldn't understand his question and that bothered her deeply.

His smile widened as Ruby questioned his actions. [b]"'cause I think you're very interesting,"[/b] he answered back. Not really asking if it was okay for him to ask questions, Liam shot away. [b]"So, so, so. First question, what's you favorite food? What kind of foods don't you like?"[/b]

At first, Ruby was going to shoo Liam away, but, after thinking it over, she assumed that if she answered his silly questions he'd leave her alone. [b]"I suppose if you really want to know, I enjoy consuming both sweet and spicy foods. I dislike anything too sour,"[/b] the pink haired girl cooed before lifting up her sword to examine the blade. [i]"It appears significantly sharper than before, I suppose."[/i] Sheathing her sword, she turned fully towards the redhead. [b]"Any more questions? If not, I'll be taking my leave right about now. I'm terribly hungry..."[/b]

Liam nodded, repeating what Ruby had said twice in his head. In his case, he was prone to forget such general details. However, this was Ruby, the object of his fascination. He wasn't going to forget anything for a while. After she had sheathed her sword and stated that she was hungry, Liam jumped up in excitement. [b]'Yeah, I got loads of questions! Let me go with you!"[/b] he pleaded. [b]"I'm pretty hungry too and I'm useful!"[/b] The girl groaned internally but stayed silent for a moment before hopping to her feet. 

[b]"...Come if you'd like, I'm not making any attempt to stop you,"[/b] she stated subtly before turning. [i]"Hopefully he doesn't distract me too much."[/i] Ruby began to head towards town.Liam began to follow Ruby to town, trailing her as he looked around the scenery. [b]"Thanks for letting me come with you! You're pretty nice, y'know? So, got any family?"[/b] he asked. As the pair walked, one could see the town's outline from a distance. Ruby heard a compliment and ignored it, then she heard something that she'd never liked to think about. Family. Even thinking about the word almost made her gag.

 [b]"No, I do not have any family,"[/b] she lied in a nonchalant manner. Making the city gates in only minutes, the girl stopped to ask what has been floating in her mind for awhile now. [b]"Exactly how many questions do you intend on asking me?"[/b] she inquired, a scowl creeping up her face. No family? Liam's lips pulled down into a frown. The way she said it almost made it seem she didn't really care for any family members. However, he didn't ask any more questions about it. The two reached the gates and Ruby suddenly stopped, a scowl on her face. The red-head gently smiled, tilting his head slightly to the left. [b]"Till I learn everything about you!"[/b] he casually replied before heading into the town. [b]"C'mon, let's find something to eat! Say, that reminds me, what kind of animals do you like?"[/b]

His answer only made her sigh, a sigh filled with remorse. It was going to be a long day and she could already sense that as she slowly traipsed down the now stoned path. [b]"I don't particularly care for animals. But if you [i]must[/i] know, I do admire ravens,"[/b] she replied, stopping by a fruit cart to admire the delicacies. Ruby allowed her hand graze over a peach before gently taking it into her own possession, paying the owner of the stand what she owed him. She turned a corner before stopping by a small stream to wash her hands and her food. How she hated interacting with commoners- it disgusted her to a certain degree.

[b]"Hmm, ravens! Good choice."[/b] The two passed a fruit cart and Ruby bought a peach. Liam crinkled his nose at the selection, knowing full-well that all of them were sweet, juicy, and ripe. Well, fruits were healthy so it wouldn't hurt to eat one. He picked out a crisp apple, paying for it before running after Ruby. She had stopped by a stream to wash her hands and food. [i]"Very hygienic,"[/i] Liam thought as he took a bit out of his own fruit. He chewed and swallowed, his mouth bursting with sweet - yet distasteful - flavors. [b]"So, what do you not like?"[/b] he asked, blinking a few times.

[b]"Your questions..."[/b] she said boldly, voice profuse in a monotonous tone. Standing straight up, the girl brushed herself off before taking a careful bite into her peach. She was already getting fed up with this game. Ruby took note of Liam's reaction when he ate his own snack and let her mind wonder, only for a brief moment, why. Not so long after did the girl with rosy pink hair spot a messenger making his way directly towards the two. [i]"What does he need?"[/i] This time she became wary of what was going on, as if there was something they were trying to do. That disconcerting feeling took no time to reappear.

[b]"E-ehhh?"[/b] Liam paused for a moment before setting down his apple, almost disappointed to hear that Ruby disliked his questions. [b]"I-"[/b] Then Ruby had caught sight of something. Curious, Liam also looked around, spotting a messenger coming towards the pair. Once the man reached the two, he delivered his message. 

[b]"Commander Zayn requests Liam's presence. You shall be travelling with him."[/b]

[b]"Commander Zayn? Who?"[/b] Liam echoed.

[b]"Commander. Zayn."[/b] 

[b]"...U-uh...Ohhhhh. Aww."[/b] A long sigh escaped his lips as he stood up, glancing at Ruby. Why did that man even need him? Certainly there would be a lot more candidates worthy for this trip. Yet, Liam didn't argue against it, since he was kind of scared of Zayn. His orders were law. [b]"I'll be back!"[/b] he brightly said, completely forgetting what Ruby had said about his question-asking. 

Ruby scoffed at what he said. Finishing her peach, she then made her way back towards her favorite tree, leaving Liam with the messenger, sitting down on the other side of the wood, the girl then began to think an intense sort of thinking. [i]"What were they planning and why does it seem so secretive?"[/i] They probably didn't want many people to know if they haven't announced anything at all, not even once, yet. She could pester someone about the fact, however, she decided to wait and see how things played out first. Leaning onto the bark, she slowly reverted back to her slumber.

Once Ruby left, Liam and the messenger were off. In a few short minutes, he had a sack filled with necessities at hand and his staves renewed. Although he felt honored to be chosen for this journey, he couldn't help but wonder why. He had no offensive spells (he would certainly like to have some)...Maybe he would be used as a healing meat shield? Liam shrugged, running a hand over his staff before slinging his sack over his shoulder. Once the cleric was ready, he was led to Zayn's room. He exhaled once before knocking on the door. [b]"Hi!"[/b] he brightly said. [b]"I'm ready!"[/b]