The young mage swallowed, nodding. “Okay. Okay,” he murmured, crossing his arms as he glared up at the roof. “We’re getting him back. No matter what.” Gavin had a hard time falling asleep, his mind going through that moment when he let go of Envy and the visions began. Gods, that poor girl, who was she? And why did his gut fill with dread and sadness at the sight of her? [i]Ignore that voice in your head[/i], he chided himself silently. [/i]Envy wouldn’t want you to think you’re worthless. He wouldn’t want you to give up. He wouldn’t blame you for this.[/i] But he couldn’t completely shut out the voice that reminded him of his enslavement, the voice that told him trouble followed him everywhere. [i]Blood always follows.[/i] He shut his eyes tight and turned on the cot he had been provided, wishing he could push all these omens and voices out, get rid of them or replace them with something else. [i]He turned to see the swish of a travelling cloak as she slung it around her shoulders. “D’you have to go?” he asked, his voice still small. “You know I do. But I’ll be back by nightfall, like always.” She always had such a stern face, but every time she looked down at him, saw the sadness in her boy’s eyes, she would soften and bend to kiss his forehead, ruffling his hair. “You know I will always take care of you, Gavin. Everything I do is for you.” “I don’t wanna go tomorrow,” he said quietly. “I don’t wanna move again.” The woman paused, then crouched down again, nudging his chin. “You know we’re running from the bad shadows, my son. We have to keep moving. But—someday, you won’t have to run anymore. You’ll be safe, and taken care of. I will make sure of that. Now, be a good lad and stay here, alright? And when you see Briar…” She paused again, her voice trailing off as her lips twitched. He didn’t quite understand the look that had come over her. “You obey him, no questions. Alright?” [/i] When Gavin opened his eyes, it was just before dawn. He hadn’t had that dream in a long time. [i]Mother—no, Carina. She stopped being Mother when she left.[/i] Somehow, it didn’t seem like chance that he would be reminded of her now. He didn’t know either whether to feel guilty for not having thought of her all these years, or even what he should be feeling at the sudden resurfacing of the memory. The young Gemini rubbed the sleep from his eyes as he sat up, thinking about how he had never really had the proper time to think through what had happened to him when he had been abandoned. He had to survive as a little boy under a cruel man, only to be later brainwashed by a blood mage and his doll. He looked down at his calloused hands for several more minutes before he sighed and shook his head. [i]Envy has done more for me than you ever did,[/i] he thought stubbornly as he got off the cot to get ready. With an almost furious determination to forge ahead and get these thoughts out of his mind, he went over to where Ruli had been resting and nudged him. “Hey. Let’s stuff ourselves. And then, time to tear apart Amria and the gods, right?” he said, then paused, looking up. “Wonder if there’s a way to tear a god apart, literally. Would you know? I’ve been thinking, if the sun goddess is worming her way into Amria, where’s the moon god gone?” He looked at Ruli again, then shook his head. “Yeah, coffee would be good. And we better check on Rab.” Without waiting for Ruli, Gavin turned to make his way to where breakfast was served. -- Kire was a little disappointed that the portal didn’t completely shake Zeltzin’s composure and so didn’t feel compelled to return her small grin. The Paladin tried to force herself to think objectively, that Zeltzin at least truthfully believed that she, and Solaralai, were acting on everyone’s best interest, whether or not the result was bad. Taking a deep breath to calm herself down, she watched as the priestess observed the trees in awe, wishing she could see what the woman was sensing, if she was even sensing anything at all. When Zeltzin asked if she could step closer, Kire nodded in assent, following closely behind her as the priestess explored. [i]Signatures change[/i], she thought, clinging to this thought. She [i]knew[/i] this, had said as much to the others. Had seen it in Gavin. Had sensed it in the boy. What if that had happened to Envy? What if she couldn’t feel him now because, at the moment, the goddess’s own aura was masking it? Even as she didn’t want to get her hopes up, she clung to this idea, deciding she would pursue the matter later with the help of the others. Solaralai’s presence was overwhelming, her signature everywhere, but maybe Kire could learn to separate her influence from weaker traces. “Are you seeing or hearing anything?” she asked as she tried to see if there was anything in the air, a change in the signature, any sort of sign that could tell her anything new. Just hearing her own voice aloud within proximity of the forest was disturbing, as if the trees sought to blanket every sound she made and stifle her into silence. -- When the pirate caught sight of the healer’s grin and unruly hair, she had to suppress a laugh. [i]Oh no, she’s adorable[/i]. With Narda’s jest fresh on her mind, Myka shook the thought free from her mind, though she did take a moment to stare as Sid laced her boots before grinning in apology. “Yeah, sorry about that. You’ve had a bit of a whirlwind first day here.” She gestured for Sid to follow. “Come on, let’s get you a proper Amrian breakfast.” Gavin was already there in a tent inside the camp, with a frown on his face as he stuffed himself like the demons were urging him to hurry. “Er. I know we make a mean breakfast but I didn’t know it was [i]that[/i] good,” the pirate chuckled, before going over to pile sausages and mash onto a plate for Sid. “So I’m thinking,” Myka said, handing Sid the plate before beginning to fill her own, “these people, with their new powers and such, they’re gonna need some help to cope. I’m not a healer myself, but I remember Elva, Kire’s cousin, saying something about how you have to heal both the mind and the body a lot of the time. They’re confused, and this goddess’s voice is, I guess—like this constant blaring noise in your head. So. Gotta find some way to steady the head so the body follows, until they wouldn’t need these wards. Everyone else is thinking about the magical side of this problem, but maybe there’s something that the healing arts could help with better.”