[hider=Rayf meets Yanhua]Rayf walked lazily and casually through the ostentatious corridors of the palace, carefully scanning each guard he passed for any sign of curiosity or aggression. Even in the company of friends he'd become accustomed to expecting a knife between the shoulder-blades. He quickly flitted passed the gates, double-checking he had the royal seal Sir Stefan had fetched for him; it would save him another hour of bargaining with a slack-jawed watchman to get back in. The Resistance had been very clear that Yanhua was to accompany them on this mission, which usually would have made Rayf feel insulted, but in a mission of such importance he conceded they would need all of the help they could get. 

He cut across a number of alleys and eventually ended up in a well-appointed public garden, the designated meeting place. He took his place on the stone bench, running his hands through his hair. Eventually he noticed Yanhua approaching the park, observing her from the corner of his eye. He rose to meet her, bowing slightly as she approached. The Resistance were generally cordial with each other, for a lot of members the Resistance was all they had. "Ahh, Yanhua, it's good to finally meet you" He sat, indicating she should do the same. "Have you been briefed on why your assignment has been changed?"
Cobblestones gave way to grass as she strolled into the garden, hands clasped before her and deep breaths soaked in calmness. The younger though taller man rose and Yanhua gave the slightest node of acknowledgement, hazel eyes staring up at his angler face. Never had she met him before though she’d heard this and that, this sudden change of plans was strange and disorientating; her mind unsure how to approach this conversation whether to be delicate and proceed with the careful politeness of dealing with politics & higher ups or to treat this man like any other she would. 

With a single swift motion she planted herself upon the sun warmed bench and crossed her legs, hands staying clasped within her lap. “I wasn’t given anything real useful in my brief but… it’s Rayf, correct?” Her voice was an odd mix, a foreign accent dripped into her words but if one listened the Alcean still stood strong underneath the exotic beat of her voice. It trailed off though, her eyes leaving her new companion and staring off into the flowers as if her mind had been interrupted. Her head slid back to make eye contact as quickly as she had trailed off, a smile slowing taking root in her features “But, everyone has been whispering and if these rumors are correct I have a good grasp on how important this adventure is going to be”

He smiled, staring at a fixed point on the horizon, the relative calm of the environment and weather a welcome change from the frantic bustle of the palace. He had heard stories of Yanhua's prowess in Pyromancy; even accounting for the tendency of human exaggeration, the feats attributed to her were still impressive. "Correct and correct. This may be the single most influential point in the Resistance so far, the fate of the royal lineage and the kingdom of Alcea rests on our shoulders, and all hope lies with a boy too young to understand what's actually happening" He shrugged flippantly, turning to meet her eyes, "So, no pressure I suppose" He smiled in return, enjoying one of the last few moments of there being no stakes on his actions.

"From what I've been told, we are to escort her majesty and her son to Resistance HQ, which will potentially be a mighty task considering Janolf has drilled her face into the collective consciousness of his entire army. If the reports I've heard are true, you should have no problem protecting her" He massaged the back of his neck with one hand, his focus turning to a solitary man walking by their spot on the bench. He didn't particularly register him as a threat, but it always paid to be wary of his surroundings in the past. "Any questions? The Queen hasn't been informed you'll be joining us yet, this is all very last minute. She seems to respond to heartfelt monologues about how committed you are, how you'll fight for queen and country and similarly dramatic pledges" He advised in jest, a bit embarrassed about how over-blown he had been.
She listened with intent, bobbing her head slightly in recognition and letting the man prattle on. All important yet still seemed like stating the obvious for so much. Still, it reaffirmed how much weight was being dropped on her shoulders all at once. Her heart should have been fluttering, beating against its cage. This was what everyone had been waiting for. The pivot moment that would lead them down the path to either revolution, or their own demise. But her heart was calm, instead of the eager and adrenaline she had always anticipated she felt a tad of melancholy lingering at the edges of her mind that whispered fears she had never recognized she held. Whispers of smoke and blackening flesh, of creatures of Hell itself with eyes of pure malice consuming warm red meat that still clung to her bones, of a man sitting upon a throne that caused the very earth it stood on to weep for his execution. Rumors she had heard, exaggerated tenfold she had assumed but Janoff’s true power was unknown, a veritable they couldn’t truly calculate.

Strands of hair grazed against her check as she returned to reality, finding herself sitting in silence for far too long. She stood; too quickly Yanhua knew to be seen as casual. “So, the queen enjoys a show of loyalty? I’ll think of something to raise her spirits on the way. Shall we get going?” She began to walk, a slow stride as she let her mind wander further into the future. Her hands had finally left her lap, right coming to grasp a single bead of her necklace, warmth spreading through her fingers as she held it. “So, Rayf, you are what is known as a palm caster?” Her posture seemed to strengthen, her pride swelling back into her chest. “I’m sure you’ve heard but in case you haven’t I’m a pyromancer, though I dabble in other magics. So, what specialty does a palm caster like yourself hold?” Her feet were rooted into the grass as she turned her head back to meet her new companion, a hint of a smirk upon her.

Rayf nodded, rising with a slight groan that befitted a much older man than he. The gentle singing of the birds and the subtle but constant sound of flowing water the only filler for the silence that punctuated the moment after her question. He idly clenched and unclenched his preferred casting hand, closing his eyes and never letting his constant weary smile leave his face for a moment. "It's refreshing to meet another master of the peculiar. That's what my mentor called people like us, he had a funny way with words" He opened his eyes, matching her pace as he caught up and began to walk beside her.
She let herself be guided through the winding streets of the capital, let her eyes wander to the people and buildings that made up their surroundings. She found herself amused with Rayf’s choice of wording, masters of the peculiar, she scuffed at the title. “We’re far more than simply peculiar, Rayf” She mused the words out loud, her thoughts on her companion’s master were not positive so far. Her head lobbed from those they passed to the man by her side, her fingers still wrapped around her necklace.

"You, perhaps. Being blessed as I am with the magic of mediocrity, I don't quite have a speciality yet" He led them unconsciously through the series of streets and alleys he had travelled there through, mentally retracing his footsteps. The Resistance had drilled the layout of the city into his head long before he had even left the headquarters.
"My speciality is my versatility, I suppose" He mused, quickly changing course through a market square, not liking the look of a man walking down the alley they would have taken next. "What I can do off-hand, pardon the pun, is fairly limited. I can influence opinions through a handshake, make all I touch burn like a flame, I can even heal minor wounds" He stopped beside a fountain, they were only five minutes from the palace at this point. He asked a nearby stall vendor whether he could borrow the use of a ceramic tea-pot for a moment. Stooping, he began to fill the tea-pot with water from the fountain. "I can also do this funny little trick where I coat my hand in stone. Objectively useless little things, they're mainly context based. I started learning incredibly late" The tea-pot had been filled to capacity. He held it from the bottom with his left-hand, turning his gaze to Yanhua's eyes. The sound of bubbling water emerged from the pot, quickly followed by a large amount of steam. "But it tends to give me an edge, and not just in the world of hot beverages. What I have heard is that you are a caster of great skill and knowledge; I'd be honoured if you could show me some tricks of the trade, when we're not too busy saving the kingdom"

As she listened with intent, gaining information that could mean success or death Yanhua’s left hand curled onto itself, her smirk waning. While friendly, even somewhat amusing, this man… though not powerful, was one she took note not to underestimate nor touch in the future of their adventure together. Hazel eyes drifted, watching the mage’s hands go to work. Her lips formed a soft o as the steam rose, not truly impressed in the least but fawning such seemed necessary. Yanhua caught his gaze, her own eyes taking on a hard edge but as her ears caught his words they softened “I’ve never worked with a palm caster before so what I can show is limited but I’m sure there’s plenty of the world you do not know about, we’re far more than masters of the peculiar” Her body leaned closer, that wisp of a smirk returning “When one such as ourselves has learned enough, we are masters of the very fabric of reality” Her words were low, whispered and purposely on the edge of teasing. She stepped back, the wisp gone “Of course, that takes immense skill and essence to even attempt. I prefer myself to burn the world” Whether she was continuing to joke or not was hard to tell but she turned her back to Rayf before he could respond, walking at a brisk pace between the moving crowd toward the visible palace “This way, correct?” 

Rayf followed on quietly, musing on what she had told him. She was independent, self-assured and strangely merciless. She was the perfect bodyguard. They reached the palace gates, he showed the Royal Seal to the ferret-faced birk at the gatehouse and they were waved in to the entrance hall. They were greeted by the Queen's knight that had made Rayf so welcome. "I've prepped Sir Stefan for your arrival, at the very least. Sir Janolf, I would be extremely grateful if you could introduce Yanhua to her majesty at the first convenient moment" The old knight nodded, leaving to inform the queen of her newest guard's arrival. Rayf turned to Yanhua and offered his right hand, a respectful nod being thrown in her direction. "I look forward to working with you"

With that they parted, Yanhua being whisked away by Sir Stefan to be put onto the Queen’s ever expanding plate, and Rayf by the palace’s mage, a man particularly interested in the art of palm-casting. Rayf was angling for a free lesson, but he knew there wasn’t enough time.[/hider]