[IC] Adelon: Steeling the Faith [Open!]

[shylarah]

Galloway

Amuné grew increasingly agitated, the longer they spent without finding any good leads. First the merchant with the machine parts didn't know anything, then the blacksmith didn't know either. Ethan suggested a Machina shop, but the girl shook her head. "I don't know. We didn't have many Machina back home. The blacksmith's brother worked with the one or two simple ones we did have. But I don't know what he did. Um...When I was travelling with Daddy I did see a Machina shop but it was like what that merchant was selling. I dunno if they'd know any more." Cecil spoke up then, saying they should leave him behind. "No!" she exclaimed. "We're not abandoning you. We're...we're a team. So we should stick together." The thought wasn't as bad as that of losing Ethan, but still it was an unpleasant one.

She was worried, very worried. Cecil had gone still to save energy and his eyes were dull. He looked like he was dying. Could a Machina die? Amuné didn't know, and she didn't want to find out. "Whatever we do we need to be fast. He really doesn't look good." By now the child was walking next to the moorcat, and she wrung her hands, fretting. Wyth pressed against her side, trying to reassure his girl. "If there was a Machina shop, wouldn't the smith have pointed us in that direction? He lives here, he'd know where it was." Being from a small town, Amuné knew where everything was in that town. It didn't occur to her that a city this size might have parts people didn't know like the backs of their hands.

[Vena Sera]

It turned out that finding someone familiar with Machina was harder than expected. With so many folks in Galloway one would think they'd be a dime a dozen, yet after asking half a dozen or so likely candidates they had been unsuccessful thus far. There had to be someone here, Ethan reasoned, they just had yet to find them yet. Scanning the crowd with his golden eyes he furrowed his brow, positive they had ran across someone and just not known it. Should they make their search more public? Again that ran the risk of people getting wind of what they were up to, people they were trying to avoid. If someone wanted to hurt Cecil then they had to keep him away from those people, however they could. Nothing had come of their search yet, but if they kept plugging away at it then they were bound to find somebody.

Ethan frowned when Cecil spoke up, looking back at his friend disapprovingly. "Amuné is right, we're a team and we're friends. Plus you saved us, there's no way we can just leave you," he said, the corners of his mouth pulling up into a smile again, "Besides, it's just going to take a bit of searching to find you someone, that's all. It's hardly a reason for us to abandon you." This worked out in a small way too, as it would mean they'd become more familiar with Galloway itself. Once they did get Cecil his help, and they would, they could get to seeing Amuné clothed and washed up, as well as Wyth. Once they were taken care of as well Ethan figured he could pick up some more supplies, as traveling with three others now meant he had to carry a bit of a heavier load.

"Now come on, let's see if we can find us someone to help," Ethan said eagerly, smiling as he gave Cecil a slight bounce before walking back through the crowd. They needed someone who looked like they worked with machines a lot, someone who showed signs of... What? Being covered in oil? Carrying tools with them? What tools did a mechanic even use? This was where his serious lack of knowledge on Machina hurt, he hadn't a clue where to search or how to even recognize the man they wanted. Rather than ask every random individual they came across, the group simply moved along and kept their eyes open, trying to spot out any likely candidates. Despite the swarms of people here however, and the number of folks who seemed to be buying parts or inspecting new models on display, not a soul seemed to fit the bill.

Ethan had to take a break before long, finding that carrying Cecil was beginning to become difficult. It wasn't that he was awfully heavy or anything, but with Cecil's arms swaying about awkwardly it made him have to adjust quite often, and as such his back was getting sore. Finding a bench on the side of the road he first eased Cecil down into the seat, placing his hands on his back once they were free. "Oh jeez... That's gonna smart for a bit..." he mumbled, leaning back and groaning as he popped it a bit. Still no luck, this was becoming really troubling. Scratching at his head he closed his eyes in thought, trying to come up with some brilliant strategy. Maybe asking around in general for someone who worked with Machina was their only option, and they could handle whatever might come from it. Or maybe they could head to one of the stores that sold the simpler sort, albeit Ethan wasn't sure if anyone would know how someone like Cecil works.

"Woah... That a new model of Machina?"

Ethan turned back to look into the crowd for the source of the voice, tilting his head seeing no one looking in their direction. There was, however, a mess of blonde hair bobbing towards them in the masses, and in short time a man emerged from the crowds, beaming like a fool as he raised an eyebrow, spots of oil and grease all over his face and clothing. Giving Cecil an uncertain glance for a moment he turned back to the stranger, not totally convinced they should reveal their friend's identity like this. "Well... No, he's uh... Well you see..."

"Oh spare me the tales kid, I know a Machina when I see one," the stranger spoke, grinning as he pushed Ethan aside and stood before Cecil, squatting down to get a closer look. "Amazing... A synthetic model with fibrous flesh covering its frame... But what's this...?" Grabbing hold of one of Cecil's gauntlets, the man turned it over and inspected it carefully, appreciating the work that went into it. "I see... So he's an adaptable model then... But why the human-like features? What was hoped to be achieved by that? What kind of systems does he have? This is very intriguing indeed...!" Hearing Ethan clear his throat the man remembered himself, letting go of Cecil's wrist and glancing back, breaking into a sheepish grin as he stood upright and extended a hand. "Of course, where are my manners? I'm Norman Dieter, engineering extraordinaire! Or I would be, if the blasted mayor would give me that grant..." Norman mumbled, shaking his head before smirking, "Couldn't help coming to see that Machina of yours. Where'd you get him?"

This guy seemed... Nice. Certainly knowledgeable about Cecil, albeit that could have all been just complete nonsense and they'd be none the wiser. Ethan couldn't see a reason for this "Norman" to deceive them though, so he welcomed the potential help with open arms. "Nice to meet you Norman! My name is Ethan-" he began, getting cut off when the engineer spoke up again. Furrowing his brow curiously at the line of questioning he could only shrug his shoulders, scratching his neck as he glanced back at Cecil thoughtfully. "Well... We didn't get him anywhere really, Cecil kind of found us," he mused, glancing over at Norman again, "You seem to know about him, or what he is at least. Do you think you could help him? I'll pay, whatever you ask for, we've been looking for help for a while now."

"Help? What with? And you named him? Interesting... Well, he seemed structurally sound," Norman replied, turning his focus again to Cecil. Reaching into one of the many pockets of his belt he fished out a small digital device, turning a knob to turn it on before holding it out before Cecil. A few low resonating beeps could be heard every few seconds as Norman moved the device over Cecil's form, seeming to be searching for something. With a minute passed he finally stopped his inspection, examining the results as he rubbed at his chin thoughtfully. "Hm... Well seems like his issue is a faulty battery. The only thing I can detect like this is a shortage in his power supply, which is an easy fix. I can of course do a full, thorough inspection at my shop, but we'll have to get him there. Ethan, was it? Can you carry him for me?" Before he got an answer edgewise Norman was already moving, pausing only when he finally realized Amuné and Wyth were there as well. Huh, he'd been so fixated on Cecil that he'd not noticed them before. Smiling politely he squatted down before them, giving a small wave before offering his hand over. "Well hello little lady! Are you friends with Mr. Ethan and Cecil?"

[shylarah]

Galloway

"Are you okay? What hurts?" Amuné echoed her mother, trying to fall into the woman's role as a healer even though she lacked most of the training. She gasped as a new person addressed them, and went to stand behind Ethan, one hand in Wyth's fur, the other grabbing a handful of Ethan's jacket. The man introduced himself as Norman, but though he was friendly, the girl didn't trust him yet. He didn't give off an awful vibe, but maybe he had some motive other than interest in Machina. Would he help Cecil, or hurt him? The man was saying stuff about Cecil, but Amuné didn't understand most of it. Probably stuff about what kind of Machina he was, and something about his arms. The beeping device he had was interesting, but unfamiliar. Nobody in her village had something like that.

At least Norman seemed to be able to tell what was making Cecil sick. That was good. She was glad the Machina was going to be okay. Amuné loosened her grip on Ethan's jacket and gave Wyth a pat to let him know she was okay for now. Still, she retreated when Norman offered his hand, her expression shadowed. Only two weeks had passed since the traumatic events in her home village, and she'd yet to get over them. It was only natural the girl was wary of strangers.

Wyth was both less wary and less interested, but he gave the proffered hand a polite sniff, whiskers brushing against it lightly before he withdrew his head to look up at his girl. She was scared. The stranger was the cause, but all he could do for her was stick by her side so she knew she wasn't alone. One night he'd got up to catch a rodent that came too close to where she was sleeping, and she had woken up while he was eating, mewling like a lost kitten until he returned to her side.

[Mogtaki]

Cecil didn’t understand, simply finding it curious that they won’t save themselves even after all they’ve been through. He was certain they would rather carry on since they couldn’t find a solution, but it seemed there was no way to convince them when both of them were saying they would never do that. He didn’t know whether this was normal behaviour for the living or if it was just these two. He was just a machine, they didn’t need to care that much about his wellbeing. He was going to endanger them and that was completely unacceptable in his eyes.

The search was proving completely unsuccessful, there was no way they were going to find a mechanic that might know how to recharge him. As Ethan only grew tired of carrying him around he raised his head only a little as he was placed on the bench, still running in energy conservation mode. He was fairly weak and could barely move himself, only raising his head to look at Ethan as he groaned in pain. He felt guilty that he couldn’t do much to prevent that, even if it wasn’t entirely his fault. Finding it hard to believe it was possible to find somebody here he only looked away from Ethan when he heard someone call out ‘Machina’, his eyes immediately searching for the source. Eventually the source appeared and no sooner was the man staring at him, a lazy stare giving barely a reaction to him.

Who was this man? He was quick to call him out as a Machina and even with Ethan’s attempt to mask the truth the man was even quicker to approach him for an examination. Staring at the man with tired eyes he listened as the man spoke fairly clearly what knowledge he had of him, even taking hold of his arm and examining it, questioning his purpose of design. The man wasn’t authorised to know what his systems were but even if he could tell he was finding it hard to speak to the man. He didn’t want to deplete his energy further by telling the man to leave off. Whoever this guy was he didn’t sound like someone who would want to see him deactivated, maybe this was the man they were trying to find after all this time.

How strange that the man they were trying to find would find them instead and what was even better was he was not scared of what he was. Staring at the man, he twitched when the man pulled out a strange device, almost as if he thought it was a weapon at first. This was so strange, he had never come across a friendly man before who was an expert of his inner workings. He felt nervous but also quite happy that he was going to get fixed up with some energy as well as an inspection. He hadn’t been seen to in many months and with all the problems he had increasing as time went on he was fine with getting an inspection. Unable to think of a reasonable explanation to decline this man’s help he looked to Ethan, hoping he would be okay with carrying him just a little bit more so he could get fixed up.

[Vena Sera]

Norman waited patiently for the young girl to introduce herself, yet she seemed positively terrified of him. Huh, he was harmless as they came and yet she was timid beyond measure, was she really just not a fan of strangers? And what was with her appearance? The child was ragged and had a wound on her shoulder, how was that any way to travel with a child? It really was none of his business, but shouldn't they be helping her out as well? "Well, you know my name little miss, feel free to ask me for anything if you need it," Norman said, smiling kindly as he stood up again, rubbing his dirty hands off on his already soiled shirt. "As for our Machina friend here, how's about we get him to my shop? Judging by his eyes alone it looks like he's barely got the power to keep running, let alone do much else. We can get him fixed up in no time." Plus that meant he had a chance to examine what made Cecil tick, and how he was different to your standard fare of Machina. There was a certain mystery surrounding how human the machine looked, and Norman was determined to uncover just what it was for and why he was created like this.

"We can go... Really? Just like that?" Ethan asked, eyes widening slightly at the news. Wow, not only had the man they were looking for found them, but now he was offering to help them even without pay being discussed. There was no way they could pass this opportunity up, it might be their only chance of getting Cecil the help he needed. The sooner their Machina friend was helped too the sooner Amuné could get what she needed as well. After that it was a simple matter of buying supplies and they could be on their way again. Moving back to the bench, Ethan reached back and eased Cecil onto his back once more, using his arms to support the other boy's legs this time. With everyone set to move again he gave Norman a nod, smiling happily as they began moving. "Thanks for this Norman, seriously. We were looking for a while for some help, you don't know what a godsend this is for us."

Norman waved his hand in a dismissive manner, looking back over his shoulder with a smirk then. "Think nothing of it kid, it's my pleasure. Besides... I'd be lying if I said I was doing this wholly out of the goodness of my heart." He might as well be up front about it, they could always decline his offer to help if they didn't like it. "I've never seen a Machina quite like your friend there, and I've been working with them for years now. The fact you have something I'm unfamiliar with intrigues me, I need to look into him more. It won't be anything invasive of course, I'll just be inspecting what I can see while I work, that's all," he added, looking back and itching at his nose with a chuckle, "Of course... If you're open to me giving him a more thorough looking at then I'll gladly do so. It is probably time for his routine inspection anyway, so I'd be doing him a service."

"If that's what you think is best then I don't see why not. You're the expert here," Ethan replied, smiling as he gave Cecil a hopeful look, "Hear that? He'll take good care of you, so don't you worry about a thing." They would remain nearby for their friend given they were allowed to, but he had a feeling they could trust Norman. He didn't have an uneasy air about him like that man on the bridge had, and he seemed to have honest enough intentions. They weren't being taken to a shady part of town either, as there were still plenty of people around when they approached Norman's shop. It was a tiny place, crunched in between a large clothing store and a meats shop on either side, built of weathered bricks and boasting a simple metal plate roof. With a wide open front one could see the workbench where he likely spent most of his time, with racks upon racks of materials, tools and parts strewn throughout. It wasn't the highest end of places to be sure, but Ethan wasn't going to raise a fuss over that. So long as Cecil got what he needed then they would be fine.

"Heh, sorry it's such a mess kids, it's been a while since I cleaned up," Norman admitted, stopping by the bench and laying one hand on it, leaning slightly against it. "If you want to let Cecil down right on here then I can get to work. Shouldn't take too long, maybe 20 minutes tops." A change of batteries would take but a few minutes itself, with the bulk of this session going to a routine inspection. Given Cecil's outward appearance he could guess that everything was fine, yet not being familiar with his design or model it was best to be extra safe. Waiting for the Machina to be laid down he again wiped his hands off on his shirt, trying to get relatively clean before slipping his goggles onto his face. "Now... My mechanical friend, are you ready to begin? You'll have to be put into sleep mode while I work, but I assure you that I won't do anything unwarranted. Just nod if you're ready to start."

[Mogtaki]

Cecil really wanted to throw some questions the man’s way as well, but he wasn’t getting to do that as his battery was proving too low for such interactions. He could do it but he’d probably be unable to finish his sentence. This man seemed to know a lot about Machina where he only knew he had a functional body and what he was, not really knowing how to use it other than to try and blend in with other people. What he did back there was something he had never done before and went on instinct instead, firing off what ended up being a possibly lethal attack if he put enough power into it. He didn’t know he could do that until it snapped into his programming, but all that meant was he was determined enough to save someone that he activated some sort of hidden ability.

Feeling somewhat relieved that they were finally going to start moving, already feeling his joints start to seize up. It wasn’t really an issue but it was going to make moving in time with Ethan’s steps even more difficult than they were before, knowing he was screwing up a fair deal when he was trying to keep in time with them to make things much easier. Feeling rather worried that he might end up having something wrong with him he could only think of possibly being deactivated behind everyone’s back, only to be told there was nothing he could do to help him. The thought of purposely being deactivated scared him as much as getting destroyed did, especially when it meant his memory would get wiped. He had learned so much in such a short time.

Allowing Ethan to take him he smiled nervously back, feeling not too sure about this man but willing to let him look at him if Ethan was happy to follow. Maybe he just didn’t trust strangers who weren’t authorised to look at his systems having a peek at his insides. Staring blankly the entire way he only looked up to see the shop that the man ran, finding the setting it was in to be rather strange but he did try to not worry about privacy. Staring at the mess before him he looked to Norman who tried to give some reassurances over his skills beyond the mess, only hoping he was the expert he appeared to be. As he was laid down on the bench he stared up at the ceiling before glancing to Norman tiredly, slowly nodding before finally resting his head back. He hoped this would be worth it, not some trap set up by the people determined to capture him for unknown reasons.

[shylarah]

Galloway and Norman's shop

Amuné stuck near Ethan as the man lifted Cecil once more. She didn't like the dull look in the Machina's eyes. She wanted him better. She grabbed a fistful of Ethan's coat again, trying to tell herself that the Machina would be okay, that Norman could fix him and make him all better, but she knew that when a person looked that bad they often didn't recover. Her mommy had told her that medicine wasn't perfect, and sometimes it was just someone's time to go. Death wasn't fair. It could take even children.

And what if Norman wasn't a good person? What if he was just pretending? He might hurt Cecil, make things worse. Amuné's breath caught in her chest. There was no way to know. Unless... But no, trying to use her magic would be a bad idea. Not only was she still weary from the encounter at the bridge, but Ethan or Norman might notice. She didn't want that. She just had to trust Ethan's less than perfect judgement.

The mechanic mentioned sleep, or at least sleep mode. So he was going to knock Cecil out to see what was wrong. But he hadn't washed his hands. It was important to wash hands before working with a sick person. Amuné struggled with not wanting to draw attention to herself, but in the end concern for Cecil won out. "Wash hands first!" she exclaimed, pushing herself between Cecil and Norman. "Mommy says it's very important to wash hands to get the bad things off because they can make someone worse!"

[Vena Sera]

It was rare to see a Machina so... Lifelike. In all his years of work it was a first for Norman, so naturally he wanted to examine Cecil more closely. The fact that the machine appeared sentient as well, never mind just having a name, and he was extremely keen on delving in. Nothing overly invasive of course, he wouldn't dare overstep boundaries here, not with Ethan and Amuné in tow. With Ethan's blessing to go ahead and work he wasted no time in getting Cecil settled, laying him out on the workbench so many other projects had shared before. First matter of business was obvious, examine his power supply and likely replace it. If he had to guess he'd say Cecil was fitted with the factory made battery, and those were only good for so long until they needed to be replaced; factory made batteries were made to burn out fast in order to force people to buy more, it was one of the many seedy reasons he'd opted to get out of the business.

With everything he needed in place, really just a screwdriver and his hands, Norman was prepared to begin. First thing was to open Cecil's chest and access the power supply, which would allow him to put the Machina in a sleep-like state and enable him to be worked on without risk of shortages or anything. Before he could even get his hands on Cecil however, Amuné had a rather silly if not well intentioned bit of advice for him. Though that rule hardly applied to machines, Norman didn't have it in him to correct the young child. Instead he laughed before smiling apologetically, holding up his hands and giving a nod. "Of course, I almost forgot! Thank you Amuné." Going to the lone sink in the entire shop he methodically washed his hands and forearms clean, a fair amount of dirt and various liquids swirling down the drain in a goopy mess. When he was finally finished he showed off his clean state, returning to the bed to get to work.

"Now then, let's see if we can't help our friend here..." Undoing the buttons and clasps on Cecil's top, the engineer opened it up and was surprised to find a very lifelike body beneath, having expected exposed machinery and whirring cogs. Whoever had created Cecil went to great lengths to make him look like a real boy, what a curious project he was. "Now, you're going to feel like your body is going to go limp, and your sensors are going to all but shut off. Don't worry, that's normal. It'll be nice and quick and I promise you won't feel a thing." Normally he'd not waste his breath on such a thing, but with Cecil apparently being fully aware he couldn't in good conscience treat the Machina like any other machine. In many ways this was like operating on an honest-to-goodness living, breathing being, and that was a little daunting.

Tracing his fingers along Cecil's torso to find the release, Norman pressed down gently on Cecil's right side, the sound of clicking preceding a door swinging open on the Machina's chest, revealing both his power supply and a bulk of his circuitry and inner workings. By simply turning a pair of switches he managed to power down Cecil, notable by the lack of light in his eyes and the obvious lack of motion. Smiling with relief that there was no damage inside, judging by his companions there was potential for that, the engineer could get right to work. To start, Norman undid several screws and loosened a handful of wires, enabling him to reach in and remove Cecil's power supply. Just as he'd expected, a standard issue battery from some unnamed factory, no wonder it was burning out. Setting that off to the side he went across the room and to a large, standing metal cabinet, pulling from it a brand new, higher end battery. "This should keep your friend running for a good long while, even if he outputs energy for whatever reason," Norman said, smiling as he brought it back over.

Before Norman had begun to place the battery back however something unusual caught his eye. A faint sparking within Cecil's chest made him take pause, and at first he thought it might be a severed wire or something. Upon closer inspection however, and by shifting some bits aside, he was astonished to find not a severed wire, but a magic gem. It was held in place by a metal and glass sheath, apparently connected to the system that ran Cecil's entire body. It was the equivalent of a Machina's brain and spinal cord, but why was the crystal there? What purpose did it serve? Furrowing his brow in confusion, Norman looked over at Ethan and Amuné for answers. "Where did you get him again...? This isn't normal..." he mumbled, pointing down to the crystal as Ethan came over, "Did you know he had this in him?"

Ethan had begun to worry when Norman seemed confused, thinking there was something genuinely wrong with their friend. Peeking over Norman's shoulder to take a look, his eyebrows raised in surprise spotting the magic crystal. "No... I had no idea. Then again I don't really know much of anything about Machina. That isn't normal?" he asked, frowning at the shake of the head Norman gave. Weird, so if that wasn't normal then why have it? Then again it didn't seem like Cecil was your typical, run-of-the-mill Machina to begin with, so maybe this was just something new with this line of them. Folding his arms he stepped back, tilting his head curiously as he watched Norman start to replace the battery. "What do you suppose it's for? I mean if it's not normal, and it's not his power supply... Then what is it...?" Maybe it was magic after all, maybe that had been what Cecil used to knock that water mage down earlier. Ethan had just assumed it to be some electricity he'd put out, but what if it was magic? Strange though, he'd never heard of electric magic before.

"I have no bleeding idea honestly, it's stumping me too," Norman admitted, shrugging as he went about popping Cecil's casing back in place, "Could be a back up supply, could be something else entirely. I'll have to ask around and do some research to see, I want to know." It seemed like a high quality gem too, not the kind some regular bloke would have gotten their hands on, meaning someone with money paid for this. Just what was Cecil built for exactly? With everything back in place, Norman took a step back and waited, smiling in satisfaction when Cecil's eyes began to light up again, showing that he was taking to the new power supply. "See, nice and quick! Do you feel better, Cecil? Anything unusual?"

[Mogtaki]

Cecil was rather nervous even if he didn’t look like it. If he could he’d probably be sweating in fear. It could be the end of him if this guy wanted and to lay down all of this trust in him was particularly risky. Not having the power to give any final opinions, he accepted that he was ready to go before bracing himself for being turned off. Silently gasping when his clothes were being opened he lifted his head a touch to see what was going on, his eyes going to Norman when he spoke to him. He was pretty worried, but he had to have trust in the man who was going to open him up. Feeling nervous, he watched the man right up until his chest suddenly opened up, almost managing a gasp before he was inevitably powered down, his head dropping back once again and life vanished from his eyes.

As Cecil remained offline Norman got to work on the battery, it all unfortunately burnt out after his last stunt. He was completely lifeless and might as well had been only good for parts at this point. Luckily, however, Norman wasn’t planning on taking him apart any further than removing the battery, only becoming a little nosey with his insides. Cecil remained quiet despite the crystal giving off a fair glow by itself. As the power supply was replaced and the nosiness ceased for now he was all placed back together, all that remained was for the power supply to kick in and for him to recover.

After a brief moment of nothing happening, Cecil soon powered back to life. Blinking briefly, Cecil slowly sat up and stared down at himself. Contemplating briefly on his situation he reached up and gave his head a brief rub before looking off to Norman, feeling a little unfocused before letting out a gasp. “I felt weird! Is that what it’s like to be deactivated? I-I-…huh…” Feeling at his chest with his fingers he tilted his head, frowning at first before smiling. “I feel lighter. It’s strange…I mean, not a bad strange! I just-…I don’t think I’ve ever been serviced. Not that I can remember at least. Why did I have such a poor battery…? I’ve been going for months and now-…this is scary. What do I do if I run out again? What if nobody’s around for me? What do I do about that…?”

[shylarah]

Norman's shop

Amuné looked at the mechanic's hands before moving aside to let him at Cecil. She moved close to Wyth, one hand tangling in his fur, the other going to her mouth as she bit her knuckle. Norman opened Cecil's chest, and then the Machina made a noise like a slight intake of breath before going limp. Was he dead? The girl prayed silently that he wasn't, but this wasn't like any operation she'd ever seen. Not that she'd seen many. Her mother insisted that she wasn't yet old enough to help with the serious stuff. This was sorta like surgury crossed with machine repair. The mechanic removed the old battery, and the girl blinked, taking half a step closer. Was that...?

Upon his return with a fresh power supply, Norman saw it too. It was a magic crystal. It made sense to Amuné if not the two adults. After all, Cecil was a special Machina, and he had magic. Maybe this was how he got it, since she wasn't sure if Machina could get the blessing of a saint, being created and not born. Or maybe they could, but he needed a crystal to access his power? Magi with weak blessings could use crystals far more effectively than non-Magi, she knew.

Amuné held her breath when the new battery was put in place. At first nothing happened, and her anxiety skyrocketted. But then Cecil's eyes regained life, and he sat up. So relieved was she that he seemed alright that she nearly went to give him a hug. But she knew better than to get in between healer and patient, so she instead moved closer to Ethan, giving him a smile. "I'm glad you're okay, Cecil," the girl said aloud, turning her smile on the Machina. "I was really really worried, you looked /awful/. Um...Mr. Norman...? Will he be okay now? Or might he get sick again?" Her voice became quieter when she addressed the mechanic, and she didn't quite look at him. She still wasn't entirely comfortable with him.

[Vena Sera]

The entire process of changing batteries had taken hardly two minutes, and just like that Cecil was fixed. Or, at least, as fixed as Norman could make him in that brief window. From just a glance over he couldn't see anything inherently wrong with the Machina, albeit something certainly had caught his eye; Why did Cecil have a shard in him? What Machina ever had a shard in their body? It was something he had never seen before, and though he wracked his brain for explanations he couldn't feasibly come up with anything. Seeing Cecil spring right back up was promising though, and it would take but a few more moments to ensure nothing was damaged that might pose problems later on.

"Well... There's plenty of reasons your battery could have been bad," Norman said thoughtfully, squatting down slightly as he began to inspect Cecil's legs, "Faulty battery from the factory, wear and tear from excessive use, a sudden surge may have caused it to short out, or..." That crystal may be having some unknown effect on the battery as well, but how to know that? They still didn't know what in the world it was for, so there was no way of feasibly knowing if that was to blame or not. After inspecting the legs for any notable problems and finding none, Norman went on ahead and grabbed his scanner again, intending to use it simply to ensure that power was flowing adequately to the Machina's entire being.

"That battery should last a good long while, so long as its not damaged or you don't draw unnecessary power from it. Given that... Unless you end up in the far North where there's absolutely nothing, or the Anko-Li Desert, you should be fine. Honestly that model is out of date but it's still brand new, and still definitely an acceptable replacement." If he could get his hands on one of those rechargable batteries then he'd be in business, but those were extremely rare and closely held by some of the top companies, he'd really need to pull strings to get one. Having finished his inspection, Norman gave Cecil a clasp on the shoulder, smiling before focusing his attention down to Amuné. "Hm? Well he wasn't really sick persay... But as I said, he'll be fine so long as he doesn't strain himself. You don't have to worry little one, Cecil is going to be just fine."

Seeing Cecil was going to be fine was great, and hearing he should be fine for a while was even better. Maybe they hadn't gotten the top of the line battery or whatever it was they had needed, yet just getting help in general was nice enough. Smiling as Amuné's fears were quelled, Ethan looked to Norman and smiled as well, extending a hand and shaking the engineer's happily. "Thanks a bunch, honestly. You don't know how much we appreciate this," he said, "We were worried there for a second, when he started slowing down and everything. Can't tell you what a relief this is." It had been quick too, who'd have thought the problem could be solved so easily? With that taken care of now they could see to Amuné, hopefully get her wound patched up and finally get her some new clothes to boot. Moving to step out of the shop, Ethan blinked when his shirt was grabbed and he was stopped, glancing back at Norman curiously. "What is it...?" he asked, pausing before smacking his own forehead, "Oh, we forgot to pay! My mistake, what do we owe you?"

"Nothing, at least nothing in terms of money," Norman answered plainly, putting a hand up as he spoke, "However, I did you a favor, and I expect one in return. It won't be anything crazy I promise, just a little matter I need looking into." They didn't seriously think they would be getting that completely free of charge? He was happy to help, sure, but this was a business and he couldn't well give away product without anything in return. Moving over towards the door, the engineer leaned up against it and folded his arms in a casual manner. "It's simple really: a friend of mine hasn't been seen for a day or two, and I was hoping to find out about her. Only problem is someone's got to tend to the shop, and I get regular enough work that I can't look without losing business. So here's the deal; ask around, see if you can find out where she might have gone, that's all. She's a Dimuran woman, and her name is Nymira."

Hm, that didn't sound all too difficult really. It was easier than paying for the battery itself at any rate as Ethan was positive he didn't have the money for it, so this actually worked out in their favor. Plus that meant what little he did have left could go towards Amuné, which was all the better. "So you want us to look into Nymira? Sure, seems easy enough," Ethan responded with a smile, "We'll see what we can do and get you an answer by the end of the day! But uh... First we need to get Amuné some help, she needs a healer and some new clothes. After that though we'll get right on it!"

"Of course, do whatever you have to do. But don't take too long, goodness knows where she might be right now. Take too long and you may lose your chance at finding her." That would be problematic, he had to make certain that didn't happen. Norman of course realized the potential risks that these kids were taking by going on this job of his, but they were the only ones whom he thought capable of it, and at the very least they seemed to be traveled, so they should be able to handle themselves. "When and if you do find out about her, come back here and let me know. I suppose a description might help as well, incase you have to describe her..."

Ethan nodded his head repeatedly as they were filled in, hanging on to every word that was shared with them. This was an easy job for them, with so many people in Galloway there had to be at least one soul who had noticed something. Waiting for Cecil to get up, the Magi went to the door and paused briefly to thank Norman again, taking to the street once more with the rest of the group. Now that they were away from Norman, Ethan took a second to let out a sigh, rubbing at his neck as he let out a small chuckle. "Welp, I guess we should have seen that coming. At least it's an easy favor though. You're good now though Cecil? I'm glad, we were worried there for a moment," he reflected, looking down to Amuné happily as he squatted down, "But first things first, let's get you patched up, some new clothes and some food. How's that sound?"

[Mogtaki]

Cecil was definitely thankful that he now felt completely energised and much better than he did before, but he also had a lot of concerns regarding many other problems he now had to face. He had so many questions and did wonder whether he was going to be able to fight for the others without that happening again, seeing how they were going travelling and this guy was definitely staying put at his shop. Staring at Norman as he gave his legs a short inspection he felt around his chest, wondering what the inside of him looked like briefly. “I-I did use a lot of power earlier…but I had been travelling for months without problems by myself. I only went into sleep mode a few times when it got really wet”, he frowned, staring down at his chest, “I’ve only done some…light stuff…”

Cecil was a little scared after being granted the knowledge that his battery can indeed run out, especially if he released far too much energy at one time. There may be a time where he would cease to exist, where he would be as good as deactivated because his battery ran out. Who would take care of him and give him a new battery when he needed it? Nervous, he frowned as he looked to Amuné with her questions, concerned when she mentioned the possibility of him getting sick again. He didn’t want to think about that, even if it seemed like a quality living beings possessed. Even when Norman reassured her that he wasn’t really sick he still couldn’t shake off the worry all that easily.

While the others seemed happy with his progress, Cecil still had concerns himself. He didn’t want to have to constantly get his battery changed, he wanted one that would always last and never burden anyone again. He was scared of that darkness he faced for just a short time and when it could mean him being taken again it made him all the more scared. Waiting for Norman to be done with scanning him, he slowly slid off the workbench and stared down at himself as he made brief contemplations over what else he needed to feel comfortable and more lifelike, trying to shake off the worry of his battery. He still needed oil, but listening to Ethan made him reconsider speaking up about it. They still had so much to do and it was his fault that he ran out of battery, costing them time and causing them to end up owing this man a lot back.

Slowly moving back he looked to Norman who decided to not charge them for this but instead ask a favour to look for some woman. He didn’t really understand the significance of this, he thought people usually returned after going away for a short time to where ever. No matter, they were probably better going for this woman instead of having to worry about anything else. Deciding he was ready to move he followed on after Ethan, looking back to Norman before they were away off on their search for clothes and whatever else they needed after his short problem. Rubbing his chest lightly he looked up to Ethan when he realised he was being spoken to, giving a quick nod. “Oh uhh, yeah. I’m okay, for now. I just-…I didn’t mean to worry you two”. He felt he should’ve asked the man what his function was and why he was built, but they seemed to be in a rush since Amuné was leaking fluid from her shoulder area and didn’t have great clothing. Any worries and concerns he had would need to be put on low priority until everything else was sorted.

[shylarah]

Norman's shop

Amuné gave Norman a shy smile. She considered about asking for oil, but she didn't think Ethan had much money, and they were already in the mechanic's debt -- a fact that he quickly made clear. Looking for a person wasn't too bad, though it meant they'd have to talk to people, something she wasn't sure was wise if there were bad men after them. But Ethan cheerfully agreed, so she stayed quiet, save to call Wyth back when he started nosing around the shop into things she wasn't sure were okay for a moorcat to get into. Amuné listened to Nymira's appearance. She was pretty good at finding people, but that was back home where she knew everyone and everywhere they might be. She hoped they'd have luck finding the woman.

Outside the shop, Amuné sighed to herself. Ethan admitted that, yet again, he had failed to think ahead. She supposed she wasn't surprised, but it was worrisome, his utterly carefree nature. Still, she probably had that to thank for him taking her under his wing, so she couldn't object too much. When he crouched to put himself at her level, she gave him an uncertain smile. She was worn out from travelling, and the gash on her shoulder was a dull ache. She desperately wanted a warm bath, and something to eat. But there were other concerns to think about. "Do you have enough money for that?" she asked, grey eyes shadowed. "Really, if I just wash it out it /should/ be okay...and the same goes for my clothes...." Yes, they were worn and her mother would have been aghast at the sight of her daughter in such rags, but they would do. "I...I just wanna wash off, really." She brushed at the dirt smudges that covered her exposed skin, a futile gesture. "I'm all dirty and it feels icky. And lunch, lunch would be good since we missed it."

[Vena Sera]

"Hm... Well the sleep mode makes sense. It's your system shutting down to prevent water damage, as that could short out your circuitry and fry you outright," Norman mused aloud, "Honestly though, I'm surprised how good of condition you're in if you've traveled as long as you claim. Rust, broken components, shattered joints, these are common ailments for Machina, especially ones who operate for extended periods. I suppose that's a testimony to whoever built you though." What kind of material was Cecil comprised of? No way it was market-grade, there were no other Machina that were as durable as he was. There was so much mystery surrounding this one, he'd have to be certain to keep an eye on him. Norman couldn't well travel with the group, but then perhaps he didn't have to. There was an alternative, someone else who could keep an eye on Cecil for him. It would mean getting these kids to do some work for him, but they'd have something to gain as well, even if they didn't know it right away. Delighted that Ethan agreed, he gave them a description of his missing friend and where to start looking, waving them off as they left his shop.

Maybe it was a bit of a mistake to accept Norman's errand so readily, but they did owe him for helping Cecil. Besides, how difficult could it be asking about his friend? Someone in this bustling town was bound to know Nymira, particularly if she was usually with this engineer. Naturally the first place that he thought to inspect was a tavern or inn, places where people often passed through and would have stories with them. He almost considered turning back around and asking Norman about their usual spots in Galloway, but he instead shifted his focus onto Amuné, rather wanting to get her wounds checked and herself washed up and changed. "I've got enough for it, sure! It might be almost all of what I have left, but that's not a problem," he replied, smiling kindly as his eyes closed, "I can work and make some more while we're here, it's simple as that. So don't you worry about money, let me worry about that." She was trying to be helpful and not seem needy, at least Ethan saw it as such, and while appreciated he had no issues with helping her out.

"Well first let's get you cleaned up and bandaged, alright? After that we can focus on finding some clothes and then finally some food. Don't you want to be all clean and fresh?" Come to think of it he could really use a bath himself, it had been close to 2 days since he'd washed up. Well, unless you counted him being soaked by that mage, but that water hadn't exactly been pristine; it had washed his clothes nicely, but Ethan himself still desperately needed a scrubbing. Finding some kind of healer would be their first job, and there were a few places that he knew of they could check. Usually in towns there was some kind of resident medicine man, albeit he was pretty sure that was only in smaller places. The church had healers as well, but that was no doubt crowded and would be a little uncomfortable. The next best thing, he reasoned, would me a small time practitioner. All Amuné had was a superficial cut on her shoulder, anyone with basic knowledge of medicine should be able to help that.

"Oh, uh... Sorry about the oil, Cecil, we probably should have asked for that too," Ethan added, now that they were two blocks from the shop. He'd been thrown off by Norman's request and that had totally slipped his mind, oops. Their Machina friend had been walking along thus far uninhibited however, so while he should get help still maybe it wasn't as pressing as they had thought. Just as well too, because they had finally managed to find themselves just what they needed for Amuné; a doctor, or a healer from the church, designated by his cleric robes, was busy closing up a small roadside shop when Ethan hurried over and introduced the group. He'd wanted to avoid heading to the church, but surely a lone cleric was willing to lend a hand. As it happened the old man was, greeting Amuné in a friendly tone and promptly removing some bandages, a cleaning solution and even a small piece of candy, evidently giving them to children for behaving. It took next to no time to patch her up, as after the wound was cleaned it was promptly covered, a pin put in place to keep it securely wrapped.

Thanking the cleric profusely for his help, and for the man doing so free of charge, Ethan now felt a bit more comfortable with doing some shopping. However small Amuné's wound might be he'd wanted to get it checked, and knowing now that she'd be completely fine took a weight off of his shoulders. There was still the matter of getting clean and new clothing, both of which might be able to be accomplished in one go; they could wash at an inn, and usually there were a lot of stalls near inns, as people came and went constantly which meant business was typically good. "We should find an inn, get settled in and then start our search," Ethan mused aloud, nodding to himself before glancing back at the other two with a smile, "We'll get you changed into some new clothes, Amuné, and washed as well. You too Wyth, if you want. I know I need a bath," he added, pinching his own nose to feign being disgusted before chuckling, "After that we can get to work, sound fair?"

[shylarah]

Galloway

Amuné gave the cleric a half-smile. She'd always been taught that the Church was good people, though now she was questioning who was and wasn't good closely. Still, he seemed harmless enough, and he didn't even want to charge to help her. That was nice of him, and very useful. Ethan said they had enough, but did they really? He probably wouldn't tell her even if they didn't. Adults were like that, not wanting children to worry, and Ethan especially seemed to want to keep people happy.

She kept her uninjured arm around Wyth's neck, biting her lip to keep from crying out when the old man touched her shoulder. It hurt bad, but injuries always did. Her father's voice sprang unbidden into her mind, telling her to be a brave girl for her mommy while Mommy cleaned and bandaged her hands and knees where she'd scraped them badly once. The memory made her eyes sting with tears. The priest mistook them for tears of pain and assured her that she was being a brave girl and that he'd be done soon, but that only upset her more. Amuné struggled to keep herself mostly composed, burying her face in Wyth's fur as the moorcat shifted closer. Fortunately the feline knew that his girl was upset because she was injured and that treating an injury hurt too, so he didn't bare his fangs at the cleric.

"All done," the priest said, digging in his bag for a piece of candy and holding it out. "You'll be fine, child. Here you go."
Amuné mustered a wavery smile. "Thank you," she murmured, taking the treat and shoving it in her pocket for later. Her mother always said that she'd ruin her dinner if she ate sweets before the meal.

Ethan seemed to think an inn was a good idea. "I don't care if it's a river so long as I can wash up," the child told him. "And we need to wash before we get new clothes! It's no good putting clean clothes on a dirty you."

[Mogtaki]

Cecil greatly disliked the thought of what might happen to him if he was to get damaged by water, knowing he probably wouldn’t have the help he needed if that ever happened. If there was so much thought put into making him and that flaw occurred he would only wonder why such a massive flaw was overlooked. He didn’t like the thought of being thought so little of by someone who created him. He only wondered if they meant to do such a thing and have him as something so temporary when he had experienced rain so often. It was sometimes hard to escape it but he eventually did find a pattern, but it was still terrifying sometimes and even more so knowing it could have a bad effect on him if he was built like an ordinary Machina but with unique features.

While he was better and thankful for it, he still couldn’t help but feel very guilty for having to get helped in the first place. He was dragging everyone into a spiral of debt with everything that he was needing just to be healthy, or at least healthy for a machine. Looking to Ethan and Amuné he frowned at the mention of their expenses and what might need to be done about it, his eyes looking back briefly before he sighed. He didn’t think it was a good idea to hang around here too long, they didn’t know where that man was and if they were needing to look for someone on top of all that they were never going to get away safely. If they didn’t find the person, he felt mildly afraid that he might end up getting dragged away by the man who fixed him because they couldn’t live up to the deal. He wasn’t a person, even if he pretended to be, and would probably just be taken and his battery removed.

Gasping when Ethan suddenly spoke to him he looked around before back down at himself, wiping down his top. “Oh, uhh…i-it’s okay. It’s no big deal”. That would be another thing that they would owe back to Norman and he wasn’t sure if he could have that building up too. If he was by himself he would’ve just taken the oil and left the town, making an attempt to flee before they could catch him. Oil was as important as their own consumption of fluids and organic matter, but only to make him feel more comfortable and need less maintenance. His comfort wasn’t an issue right now, he could last through terrible conditions probably better than the other two.

Keeping back when it came to helping Amuné he wanted to keep his distance from people who appeared to have some authority over others and this cleric made him particularly nervous. He realised anyone in a type of uniform should probably be avoided if he wanted to remain activated so precautions had to be made. Robbed men were considered to be dangerous to him by default and keeping away while Amuné was given treatment seemed like the sensible path to take. Keeping his back turned, he glanced to Ethan once they were all done with the man, becoming alerted at the call to settle in he looked around quickly, greatly disliking that idea. “Uhh, shouldn’t we search before doing all that? Finding this person is of utmost importance right now”, he spoke quickly, looking around, “That man will still be after us and might find us! We have to pay the man too for helping me. We should be searching for the person in question and leave in a hurried manner!”

[Vena Sera]

Their luck was pretty good, having come across a cleric like that. Though there was a voice in the back of his mind telling him not to go through a church healer, Ethan pushed that aside and brought Amuné forward to be treated. Though there may be some who wished them ill, he couldn't say that this man himself had done anything wrong. As such he couldn't bring himself to suspect or dislike the man, certainly not now that he had patched up their young companion. Smiling gratefully to the cleric he offered over a few coppers for his service, flushing when the man outright refused the payment, claiming serving the Saints was reward enough. Though he himself wasn't cut out for holy work such as this he was somewhat envious of the selflessness that some clerics portrayed; Ethan tried to be as considerate and giving as he could be, though when compared to someone like this priest he felt like he still didn't do enough.

With Cecil able to move under his own power again, and Amuné patched up, they might just as well find an inn to clean up in. Not only that, but Amuné needed her new clothing still, and it would be a decent place to begin their search for this Nymira woman. That made the most sense to him, yet both Amuné and Cecil didn't agree apparently. The former was content with washing up in a river, and the only one that he was even vaguely certain of as far as locations went was the one back down the road, where they had been attacked. For that reason alone it was certainly a no-go, an inn would be safer for them. Cecil wanted to get to work right now, yet if they didn't take a brief break and get cleaned up then who knows when they might get the chance? Amuné really needed some new clothes and to be cleaned, and they would work better on full stomachs anyways. "We can ask questions at the inn, it doesn't necessarily have to be by wandering around and asking," Ethan pointed out with a smile, "Besides, we'll work better after getting freshened up, and who knows what this might bring for us. We should be at a hundred percent incase we tip off the wrong sort of people, don't you think?"

It was mighty convenient to find an inn not terribly far from where they had just been. Being that they were a bit further into Galloway as well, Ethan hoped that in the event anyone did come searching they'd strike out, or at the very least take long enough that the four of them could get away. That was a worst case though, he had no intentions of letting anyone be in danger by getting caught. They just needed to be careful about where they went, that was all. From what little they had gleaned from their encounter with the water Magi, Ethan guessed he was just a single individual hired to take him out. The reason behind the attack was still a mystery, but he was fair certain it was only that old man they needed to worry about. So long as they kept clear of him, he reasoned, they would be fine. Under that assumption they checked into the inn, managing to get Wyth into the building after convincing the innkeeper that he was needed to help Amuné stay calm, almost like a service animal of sorts. It wasn't a total lie, the young girl would likely be very unease if they were to be separated.

"If you want to go somewhere else to bathe in privacy, that'd be okay." Having gotten themselves a nice enough room, two beds which should fit everyone fine, the group had gone back downstairs to the public bathhouse outside. Really it was little more than a moderately sized spring, sitting in the center of the inn as its walls wrapped around the area, affording privacy at least from the outer world. There was no separation based on gender however, and so women and men had to bathe in the same vicinity. Granted, amenities were provided in the way of undergarments for those a bit more reserved in flashing their nether regions, or for those that weren't crude. Ethan then was sporting just a simple set of white shorts, and now that he was unclothed one could see the grime that had accumulated on him over his trip. His proper clothing was being washed courtesy of a maid of the inn. What's more, prior to coming down he had even managed to pay one of the maids money to go and fetch Amuné some new clothing, figuring a woman would know better than he would. Those should arrive before they finished bathing, and while it would also mean the end to his petty reserves it would be well worth it to give his young companion something she desperately needed.

[shylarah]

Galloway Inn

Amuné chewed her lip, but finally nodded. The benefits were too much to resist. "I want a nice long bath!" she exclaimed, "and soap! And I bet it's /warm/, ooh~! Wyth you could use a wash too, I know you take care of yourself but it's been too long and you've got stuff in your fur...." Even Ethan's mention of asking the wrong people couldn't bring her down completely. "Worry about it later," she advised. "Now it's time for a BATH!"

Wyth responded to his girl's cheer by circling around her, whiskers forward in a catty smile. It was the happiest he'd seen her in far too long, and he wanted to keep it that way. And the man seemed to be the cause. To show he had no lingering hard feelings for upsetting her earlier, the moorcat brushed against Ethan's side, and would even allow the man to pet him should he feel so inclined.

At the inn, the thought of leaving Wyth behind made Amuné wrap her arms around him. "No! Wyth is a good boy, he'll behave! I don't want to leave him outside!" Panic hit her at the thought of being separated from the last of her family. But Ethan managed to convince the innkeeper, and they proceeded inside together. After putting her candy carefully in the room, along with her knife, the girl made a beeline for the bath, Wyth bounding after her. "Yay!" she exclaimed, all but jumping in. Amuné was used to communal bathing, so she had no care that she might be bathing in front of other people. The biggest concern for strangers was that they might want to hurt one of the ragtag band, and if they were going to do that it would be silly to pay for a room just to get at them.

After a minute or two, the child located a bar of soap and started to give herself a good scrub. Her hair was filled with twigs, her skin covered in grime, and it felt amazing to finally get rid of it all, even though it took a while. Because there was no current to speak of, Wyth had gone into the water up to his ankles, and when his girl called him, he eagerly came to her side. He could clean himself, but he was shameless when it came to letting someone else do the work. Besides, it would make her feel better, and he certainly enjoyed the attention. The cat purred softly as his girl proceeded to soap him up until the lather made him look more like a sheep than a feline. She giggled a little at that -- Wyth always looked so silly when he was given a bath.

[Mogtaki]

Cecil really didn’t like the idea of stopping in their search, he just wanted to keep going and get this all over with. He didn’t understand their needs and desires to have a break and was simply seeing it as another way for him to become worried that he might get caught and dismantled. “What? But…a hundred percent? Why are you wanting to overheat your bodies by operating at too high a percentage? You should be running at eighty percent at most…” He really didn’t understand what was going on or why they were doing all this waiting around, especially his use of terms. If it was him he would just move on and try to find this person as quickly as possible before anything bad happened to them, but this waiting around would mean they would be waiting around for some hours for them to get ready and the person would probably be dead by then.

Feeling all sorts of concerned, heading into the inn only made Cecil even more concerned when he had barely been inside; in fact, the first time he was inside a building was just when he was getting his battery replaced. He had avoided going inside for the longest time simply because he didn’t feel like he was one of the normal people quite yet. It made him slightly nervous to be in a place that was so enclosed and had people in it, but he was still trying to settle in for their sake. Feeling fairly worried over what could possibly be the biggest challenge for him yet, he kept back and observed how Ethan interacted and what was happening with Amuné. It was an interaction he really couldn’t see himself ever deciding upon to be good for him, especially the bath thing.

This was all so odd to him, especially for his second night with people that knew what he was. If this was common for them to take so many breaks within a day then he was going to be wondering if he’ll ever get to his destination. He still hadn’t figured out what his destination was and what might happen, but he would know once he got there and would know what to do. Looking down at himself he figured he could do with a wash as well, but all that talk about water and possibly short-circuiting made him particularly nervous about that now. He was generally pretty okay when he washed himself with very shallow water, it was rain that made him feel nervous because of the panic it gave him whenever it fell from the sky. Maybe he should try and loosen his joints some more, but not too much for his joints to fall off. He still wanted his limbs, but his lack of oil made it particularly difficult for him to be comfortable.

[Vena Sera]

Having a chance to take a proper bath for the first time in forever was heavenly. Last time Ethan had washed up had been in a small lake, and the water there hadn't exactly been clear or even clean for that matter. Feeling every little bit of grime then slip off his person was beyond refreshing, as he was sure Amuné could attest. Once he'd given himself a basic scrubbing down, just to get the bigger grime off, he sank down to his chin in the warm water, enjoying it for the time being. Cecil hadn't sounded terribly confident about taking a break like this, wanting to keep working through and find that Nymira woman; if all they did was work though they would burn out, it was best to take it easy now and again. Besides, who could argue with this bath right now?

It seemed like the bath was putting both Amuné and Wyth in high spirits, each of them making noises of contentment as they washed up. Having seen the girl perhaps at her worst, Ethan found it very refreshing that she was enjoying herself so much. After this she would get her new clothing as well, and once that was said and done they could begin their search... After lunch. No doubt Cecil was going to be impatient to that as well, and as a Machina he might not understand fully, but without eating they would "power down" like he had earlier. Maybe he should explain it in those kinds of terms, Ethan mused, and then their mechanical friend would understand. He didn't mean to inconvenience Cecil this way, these were simply things they needed to do. Giving his friend a curious glance he saw him just standing there, looking at the water occasionally but not coming in. Did he want to take a bath too?

"But you can't really just jump in, can you...?" Ethan mused aloud, frowning as he glanced down at the bath around him. Hm, what could they do to solve that? Oh, he knew! Climbing out of the bath abruptly he trudged across the room, trailing puddles of water with him as he grabbed a towel off of one of the racks. Then, dipping the towel in the water he wrung out the excess, smiling proudly as he brought it over to Cecil. "Here! You can use this to wipe yourself down at the very least. I wrung out all of the extra water so you're not going to get soaked doing it." Maybe Cecil didn't have to keep clean in the same ways they did, but he'd no doubt still appreciate a chance to wash up properly. Heading back to the towel rack he grabbed himself one as well, beginning to dry himself off.

"I'm thinking we can eat lunch while we're here, and ask some of the folks around the place while we're at it. If that doesn't pan out then we head back into town and start looking. That sound okay with you two?" That ought to appease both Amuné and Cecil, who wanted to eat and get to work respectively. He wouldn't mind a meal himself, but Ethan could understand the sentiment of wanting to find Nymira sooner rather than later too. If she had been missing two days then the chances of just happening upon here were slim, it was an unfortunate but harsh reality that no doubt he and the others had considered by now. Given how large Galloway was however there was chance she was still in town, it would only be a matter then of tracking down exactly where she was.