Noah began energetically pouring over the books. There were a few that seemed vaguely related to their destination. He noticed a few on the history of Gris, as well as a few full of folktales. He grinned as Al brought over another book. [i]The Basics of Gardening[/i]. The boy looked at the book quizzically for a few moments. He was curious how such a book was going to help them in the frozen north, but Al seemed well versed in rugged adventuring, so surely it had some merit. Looking up from the books, her turned his gaze towards Haruka. Revenge. That was right, she had mentioned that earlier. Still, the phrase 'revenge murder' coming out of the otherwise pleasant girl's mouth seemed a bit unsettling to the youth. "Oh right, you told us about that earlier. Um... your master, right? What... uh... happened exactly? Who is this person you're after?" The boy frowned, he hadn't meant to stumble into such a painful memory. "If you want to talk about it, that is." He glanced to Al with a grin as he patted their compatriot on the head. "I bet you've seen some amazing things adventuring around. I've traveled a lot, but I don't know if you'd really call it 'adventuring'. I've never really... fought or anything." He scratched his head. "Not that we never ran into trouble! But usually Miss Elizabeth deals with those sorts of things. She's pretty amazing."


   As the group in the library carried on, the sound of heavy footsteps resounded through the hallway leading to the room. A steady clank...clank...clank echoed down the hallway. After a moment, the door creaked open. "You're right Ohn, maybe I shouldn't have gotten so worked up, but the things he s-" Emilia froze in the doorway for a moment, looking over the scene before her. With a slight smirk, she spoke up. "Oh, so you all actually took Father up on his offer to use the library. How interesting." The little lady walked into the room, followed by the hulking mass of her bodyguard. The giant closed the door behind them with surprising care, turning to look at the adventurers as well. "Find anything useful? If not... I might be able to help. Ohn and I come in here to read nearly every day." She threw a thumb over her shoulder, motioning to the armored behemoth behind her. "Plus, I don't get to meet very many foreigners. A few have come through lately, but they're not usually much for talking." The girl grinned, pulling out a chair near Noah, Haruka, and Al. 







   The hooded woman raised her head slightly at Lexine's response. Her eyes remained covered beneath the shadow of her garment, but her position revealed the lower half of a very pale face and a few tufts of messy brown hair. A strange looking scar seemed to run down from her right cheek. "Welcoming committee?" She seemed to think for a moment. "Somewhat, though 'observer' might be more apt." Her voice remained flat and noninflected. All the warmth of human speech seemed to be entirely absent from the woman's words. "Things are proceeding without incident, yes? Cross has agreed to supply you?" A cold wind blew through the alleyway. In reaction to the breeze, the woman's hand snapped like a bowstring to her head, holding her hood in place. "This expedition will be difficult. It is important that you are prepared." The woman continued in her odd, seemingly scripted method of speaking. "Though... you are different from the others. Perhaps that is a good sign."


   Elizabeth watched the stranger like a hawk. She was always cautious, but something about the odd woman made her uncomfortable. It might have been her voice, the way her words seemed disconnected from their speaker, or perhaps the strange way the woman carried herself. Regardless, the way she described their expedition, and the fact that she knew Cross was supplying them only served to intensify the anxiety. Elizabeth's fingers tapped softly against the head of her cane. "Oh, are you a supplier for Cross or something?" Elizabeth desperately hoped that was the case. If she worked for Cross, her odd mannerisms were understandable. The stranger tilted her head slightly at the question. "No, I am not a supplier. Cross should be using his own stock." Elizabeth's grip on her cane tightened slightly. It seemed the woman wasn't affiliated with their odd benefactor in the slightest.





  The hammering in the blacksmith's shop ceased, and a robust, bald man with a thick grey beard walked out the door. Everything about his appearance suggested a lifetime of hard work. He held a hammer in his calloused hand, and glanced around the front of his shop, evidently looking for something. After a moment, his light grey eyes came to rest on Sage. With a deep, but fairly warm, voice, he called out. "Young lady, I saw you looking at some of my wares. Are you looking to buy something, or were you just admiring the craftsmanship?" He let out a hearty chuckle as he approached the young woman. "The name's Webb." He wiped his hand on his shirt before extending it towards the girl. "I heard we had some travelers in town. There aren't too many folks that come through here. Even less that care about good smithing."