[center][b]Veyati - Chapter 1: Keen Interest[/b][/center]

Sir Iroas treated Veyati and Caslin to a novel breakfast in town, working to get both of them more accustomed to life on the Sphere; that, and Veyati's proposition earlier meant they would need to frolic openly in public. What better way than to converse at an eatery?

The plan was to convey to the ones pulling the strings on Garude that Veyati had lived, and to do it in such a way that her combat skills were never put into question. Iroas was the one who saved the day, it would be told, and Veyati survived only barely. No one would postulate Veyati was at all capable of felling the dark creatures sent after her.

Iroas gestured to a bakery, but quickly realizing his mistake, retracted his hand and waited for Veyati and Caslin to usher him in instead. They were treating [i]him[/i], given what a [i]hero[/i] he was for Veyati. The tables situated outside would be a good spot to gossip given how many people were up and about in the morning hours there. Somehow the morning hours felt much calmer, even with how active the streets were. 

The three were shortly after situated at their table. Veyati scanned their surroundings. Nobody familiar, but the crowds in the streets were [i]very[/i] dense. Good. To believably pass the time as Iroas waited for his order to come up, Veyati decided to speak first.

"I certainly must thank you again, Sir Iroas," she said with a short bow of her head, "I shudder to think what would become of me had you not arrived to trounce those beasts." Veyati had no problem selling it. When all she had to focus on was the tone of her voice, sounding genuine wasn't an issue.

Iroas leaned back in his chair, a grin on his face he slung one arm over the back of the seat, as if basking in the glory. With a dismissive wave, he tried passing the honor off as having little excellence.

"It was nothing, Veyati. I've dealt with ghasts all the time. I truly do appreciate the generous offer here though. A long way from home means I need to spend my money carefully. I forgot to ask though, what were you doing out here so late at night anyways?" he asked.

Veyati perked up and smiled at him beneath her mask. Well played, Iroas. She fidgeted with her hands on the table as she explained, sounding surprised at the outcome of her night. "I attended a party hosted by the mayor last night. I was simply returning home. I- I... I didn't expect to be followed by a [i]ghast[/i]-- let alone two."

"-Neither did Almere," Caslin interjected. He appeared forlorn, even against the crooked smile his mask bore. His head was hanging down, his hands on either side. "I'm glad he escaped, if only narrowly, but his injuries are testament to the lack of security and safety within Garude. Strange that we haven't heard other incidents like this..."

"You're new here, right?" Iroas leaned forward, "It would explain why you haven't heard of other incidents like it. Abductions, murders... They happen all too frequently here on Garude. It's come to the point where no one is sure whether reports are true or just a rumor." Faking suspicion, Iroas glanced about the citizens. "It's worst when they're disappearances, cause' then no one can really confirm it if the only witness was the victim. Luckily, I hate to say it, your friend Almere lived to be able to tell the tale. This one won't go down as myth."

Caslin huffed out in frustration and shook his head in his hands. "Outrageous," he said, "I was right to hold everyone back but... two from the same trading caravan in one night?" Caslin let his hands drop on the table and looked to Iroas, "I would not be surprised if someone was [i]targeting[/i] us. But, why?" Invoking sympathy might help the gossip on its way to the right people, but Caslin was genuine in his indignation. All the more to sell it.

"There are many dark things that pull the strings around here. I don't know what they see in you, but it could be the pure strangeness behind your people. They might see you as a religious group, or explorers that poke their nose too far into their business. They're powerful enough and terrible enough that no deed is below them. They'll do anything if it means self-preservation. Unfortunate that they'd ultimately end up targeting your people," Iroas explained.

Veyati made one last point to drive it home.

"But... with champions like you in Aurora," she said, "Perhaps a place like Garude has hope of being safe from what lurks in the shadows." She was setting Iroas up to look like the hero, and make sure it was cemented for anyone that heard it-- that the night had something to fear and his name was Iroas. Something ridiculously poetic like that, perhaps.

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With their foray into the world of Garude gossip finished, Iroas, Veyati, and Caslin motioned for the next step in their goal. If things could always go his way, and he were truly a [i]champion[/i] as Veyati put it earlier, he'd have vied to waltz straight into the home of the biggest, baddest vampire household he could find. But he wasn't, and he was merely dreaming of glory and greatness when he imagined it otherwise.

For now, they could only observe in secrecy. The town they resided in and the immense expanse of forest and marsh was separated by a large mountain which had to be circled around to reach any of the truly aristocratic homes. Iroas suggested a camping trip, then, to loiter around the home of a well-known vampire family (at least, [i]he[/i] knew they were vampires) and scout out potential next-steps.

Castle crashing required finesse and careful planning, brutish as it sounded. When they had a better idea of what they were dealing with, they could properly assault an establishment and question its 'noble' occupants. Surely some sort of information could come out of it.

Iroas required very little in the way of camping, it seemed. Beyond a sack of long-lasting food and a flask of water, he carried few items. A lantern, some simple bedding, a map... He was clearly used to staying out in the wilderness for some time. Veyati and Caslin carried the same essentials with them, save for any light source. It was just extra weight not worth carrying. Their weapons would be far more useful than a source of light when someone was already carrying one.

The road was broken and cold, surrounded on either side by a thick wall of white-colored trees bearing a pathetic number of leaves. Only the numerous, spindly branches and the beds of ivy and moss that coated their surfaces created the darkness that pervaded it.

The trio kept on the path for a time, heeding Iroas's words that, "every minute in the forest increases your chance of encountering something nasty." It sounded like an interesting challenge to Veyati, but Caslin urged her to stick with Iroas' plan. They would stay on the well-worn road until they came much closer to the household Iroas had in mind before turning into the woods. A certain "Belias Family" owned a villa out in the woods, which they would come across off-road and out of sight.

Despite the dreary atmosphere, Iroas appeared unperturbed, maybe even [i]cheerful[/i] as he marched alongside the other two masked figures. It had been a long while since he did anything of this sort; long had he awaited the familiar sense of danger, and he wasn't the only one. Veyati shared the excitement as they advanced onward, the prospect of a confrontation with some nefarious creature of the night right ahead of them. Iroas turned back to his partners during the walk.

"I don't suppose I could get a [i]hint[/i] of what kind of place you guys come from, huh?" he asked.

Caslin and Veyati looked at each other, exchanged a couple almost inscrutably subtle gestures, then turned back to Iroas. "I'm quite sure Veyati already gave you a hint last night," Caslin said, "You must understand, Iroas, that we have many reasons to keep our full identities and origins secret. Garude's nature has only given us more."

"You haven't seen very much yet," he said, looking away from the two, "and Garude is but one of many Spheres. I wouldn't go so far as to make it a deciding factor. Unless of course, you think there's only so many Spheres out there..." Iroas mumbled, practically accusing them of ignorance. Laughter followed, and it seemed moreso that he was joking. Veyati and Caslin only responded with silence as they waited for him to finish his private moment of enjoyment. While he was busy being amused with himself, Caslin and Veyati exchanged another few almost inscrutable gestures and supposed looks. It ended with Caslin giving her a subtle nod, and then a nudge of his head in Iroas' direction.

"Iroas," she said, "It's not so much for our sakes as it is for the rest of our people. That and... who would believe us if we told them?"

"I wouldn't know, considering I have no clue what it is I'm expected to believe," he responded. Pausing along the trail, the group came upon a diverging path going left and right. At the foot of the separation, a rotting post sign stood like an old hermit.

"Belial Residence" was printed on the single directional section of the post. The other arrow was simply blank, likely leading further into the heart of Garude's forested region. Iroas took out his map and scanned it over a few times before folding it back up haphazardly.

"Here's where we head into the woods," he said, throwing thumb into the forward slice of trees created by the roadways, "We need to keep as quiet as possible inside, so before we do, you have anything that needs saying?" Well, at least he wasn't outright asking about their origins again. Veyati shook her head and gestured for Iroas to lead on.

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[center][b]End of Chapter One[/b][/center]