Larel nodded in agreement with leaving the forest as soon as possible, he wanted nothing more than to be away from the eyes he could feel on him already.
He glanced back at Alari who let out a small sigh which caused the feeling of being watched to fade from him, he noticed Alari glance north as Mera mentioned the village but he just offered a smile showing he didn't mind if they went there.
"That sounds fine," Alari said before going quiet again.
The only thing there was the presence of Ai and he had erased it before he left so there was no need to be concerned about it now, her distance was far enough away where it wasn't an immediate problem.
Alari closed his eyes knowing that wouldn't be the situation for long, for now there were more pressing matters so he decided to take care of those first.
After a brief moment Alari opened his eyes as he felt a faint stir in his mind, the feeling reminded him of opening a door and standing in the doorway.
[i][b]So any reason why you decided to speak with me?"[/b][/i]
Zenmaru's voiced echoed in the mind of Alari as he folded his hands behind his back and followed behind Larel whose attention had moved to Mera and Hotaru as they spoke about 'foolish samurai' and the north.
It reminded him that Larel had another bounty alongside his previous one that he had gained attacking the samurai in the past, Alari made a mental note to address that later.
[i][b]"You can feel her gaze as well can't you?[/i][/b] Alari responded. [i][b]"Larel can't hear us so speak freely."[/i][/b]
[i][b]"Fair enough and indeed I can but she's keeping her distance thanks to Mera and Hotaru. They're outside forces, having them see her would be unfortunate and against the rules. Well they're involved enough she can appear before them but she's definitely going to avoid it."[/i][/b]
[i][b]"Without Kaori around she's going to approach me the moment I separate from everyone, that bribe I gave you...don't let your presence show itself in exchange for my blood.[/i][/b]
[i][b]"She won't approach while Larel's in control, he's just the vessel after all. She's going right for you Anata.[/i][/b]
[i][b]"I'll distance myself later just don't come out or she may appear.[/i][/b]
[i][b]"Well you did take the time to contact me yourself so I suppose I can do that. Still I can't help but smile at this...won't you tell Mera this? I believe there are more than enough secrets here.[/i][/b]
Alari's eyes moved to Mera at this, he wanted nothing more than to do so but he of all people knew that wasn't an option, not without forcing more problems on her.
[i][b]"She has enough to deal with, I'll take care of this. She just wants to speak with you and me anyway.[/i][/b]
[i][b]"True because of our bond It's kind of romantic isn't it? Something only the two of us share."[/i][/b]
[i][b]"It's a curse not a bond and I'll seal you so you can't talk should you compare it to anything else again."[/i][/b]
[i][b]"It was a joke, a joke Anata. Anyway when are you going to speak with her?"[/i][/b]
[i][b]"Once we reach the next village and I'm positive everyone's okay. If I step out she'll come to me. Don't back out on your end Zenmaru."[/i][/b]
[i][b]"After you gave me such a delectable treat how could I? I'll be on my best behavior just give me more later."[/i][/b]
Alari cut the link between them and put his hands in his sleeves, he came back to reality just to catch Hotaru mention the strangest admirers, his glasses immediately glared over at this and Larel felt a chill before looking back at Alari.
However Alari's glasses had returned to normal and he just offered a smile as he stared at him.
[i][b]"Problem Larel?"[/i][/b] Zenmaru asked as he turned back around.
"Could have sworn I sensed malice for a second there," Larel mumbled. "Extremely intense for an extremely brief moment."
"Must have been your imagination," Alari said looking at him. "I don't feel anything."
Alari reached up and adjusted his glasses as he spoke having caught up with their conversations.
"Whether or not that's the case it wouldn't hurt to practice caution just in case," Alari said. "It seems there may be an abundance of people north who may dislike us."
"Seems we have more enemies than allies," Larel said crossing his arms.
"We have allies up north, just...very...very few," Alari added. "Besides the number of allies isn't important, more the value."
"I'd prefer numbers," Larel said shaking his head.
"Well Mera and Hotaru are high valued allies right?" Alari questioned. 
"That's...I-" Larel cut himself off and just hung his shoulders unable to respond to that.
He ended up giving a small nod in response and Alari returned a nod of his own before taking a step back entering the shadows, returning to his duty as an observer though he made sure to stay within earshot as always.