Fendros spread a thin-lipped smile. "That would be nice," he said, putting an arm around Ahnasha and looking at the sketches. "I seem to remember you having a lot of fun with your drawings. Still, something to keep the memory would be pleasant. Perhaps like Peiter and Sabine's picture." He blew a single laugh from his nose. "Perhaps not something quite as passionate as that, though."

Thinking about the possibility of at least seeing Llarasa again began to turn Fendros' opinion towards supporting a visit. However, the obstacles on his mind swiftly returned and his smile faded. He opted to let Ahnasha go and pick up another letter. "This one's nice. It tells the story behind that dog. Its name is Ruby, they found her in the woods."

Fendros had no doubt that there were many more nice letters. Whether they got through them all that day or set aside time later, Ahnasha could at least get to know the Avarul family a little better. Fendros only regretted that it mostly hid some of the darker attitudes his mother and father held.

[hr]
Janius tried to ward off Kaleeth by feinting a jab towards her. As she stopped, he thought he had put her off-balance and moved to follow through with another strike. It was only then that he realised the incoming strike. He heard it before he felt it as it forced a high grunt from his mouth. The crowd reacted with mixed winces and cheers. Janius stumbled back and doubled over, clutching his stomach with one arm. He was halted as he was caught by a bunch of spectators.

"Come on! You've got more than that in you!" One of them shouted, before all of them pushed Janius right back into the ring.

This time, Janius took the initiative. He stepped up to Kaleeth with a twist of his torso and threw a pair of punches at her nose before ducking low and striking at her chest. He resolved to keep her tied down with faster attacks while he ducked and weaved around to try and elude her reprisals.

[hr]
Like most days, Sabine had spent most of her time up in the scholar's loft with Darahil, Marcaille, and the other alchemists. Some cursory tests of the soul-tearing gas had been done since they worked out a method of handling it safely, though there were no immediate breakthroughs. Every day was taxing on Sabine's mind, not only for all the deductions they had to make, but also for the wealth of knowledge she was absorbing from Marcaille. Now, walking through the halls, she was simply tired.

Most times, Sabine would find her friends and Peiter and take the rest of her day to socialise. However, right now, she just wanted to relax with her mate. She didn't find him with the others or any of the places that he had been occasionally assigned for odd jobs, so she was headed to Gallus' pack's room. It amazed Sabine as much as it concerned her how much Peiter tended to sleep now that they weren't travelling.