[b][i]Collab Post between Letter Bee and FamishedPants[/i][/b]

Alistair closed the book he had been reading, setting it on a nearby table. "Alright," he looked to Irene. "I could certainly use some fresh air." he took the bag and list, then gave it a lookover. It wouldn't take too long to get everything she wanted, and even though he was ecstatic to have learned many new things since he began his stay here, he was getting a bit burnt out on reading. This was the perfect reason to take a break.  "I'll be back." 

As the young man made his way out, he turned to Odessa. "Well, are you coming?" 

...

.....

.......

It had been a short time since Alistair and Odessa had left, and he'd managed to pick up a few items off the list with no complications as of yet as they walked through the market. But there was a lot going through his mind. Over the course of his stay, he'd essentially been giving himself tests every few days and did his best to retain as much information as he could. The importance of this world's common sense, basic knowledge, could not be overstated. He'd learned the laws of the land and most of what any normal person occupying this world would know. That not only meant he could potentially formulate plans with confidence, but it eased his anxiety in being in an unfamiliar world. While he wasn't a person to blindly trust everyone, having any allies was also something that eased the burden on his mind. For him to meet Captain Crunch and then to be allowed to stay with Irene and be given the opportunity he was, luck itself must have sided with him.

But cynical as he had become, he was not deluded into thinking his problems were gone forever. No amount of fortune would rid him of those witches, and with them came misfortune in the form of repeated deaths. 

"We don't have many things left to grab, lets finish up and return. Breakfast sounds great right about now" he voiced to his companion, who was hopefully doing as he asked. It was not as though he could turn her invisible, so he gave her guidelines to follow. Keeping a low profile, sticking relatively close, and keeping her head down. These were all starts. And in the event someone approached her, she was at the very least suppose to point in Alistair's direction if she could manage not spooking and fleeing outright, but Alistair tried to keep an eye on her to prevent this from ever happening, if only because it would be a pain to calm her down. 

[i]Have I become a babysitter?[/i]

[quote=@Letter Bee]
But Flame didn't voice his thoughts; Ashton knew those anyway. So he whispered, "You do know you're charged with murder, right? So the circumstances have to appear dire enough that your 'crime' would be overlooked. Otherwise, there won't be an alliance."
[/quote]

Ashton smiled, “Exactly, which is why we need Alistair; our last Isekai-er ally. Then we can find Chieko and persuade her not to kill me, and then attempt to see if Aerith has become irredeemable. So...” He leaned closer, “Where exactly is Alistair? Or rather, where are Captain Crunch and Irene?”

Flame got up and said, “I’ll guide you to them; follow my lead and do not de-transform.” But before he could go out of the door, he saw a glimpse, a glimpse of someone outside the eatery window. “Actually, I think I can bring him to you; stay right here and keep discreet.”

And with that, he ran after someone whom he knew to be Odessa; the Goat-headed Spirit...

Naturally, when he had noticed someone approaching Odessa, Alistair placed himself between them. He was about a second away from telling the person off when he then recognized them as Flame. Of course, that didn't mean Odessa didn't continue to hide behind him. She'd only been introduced as someone else living in the mansion, at least for now, mostly because Alistair didn't like speaking of her in public places, and she didn't like being the focus of conversation, he'd learned. 

"Flame, yes? Was there something you needed?" he questioned. 

A nod, before the young man said, “Yeah,” before his voice lightened into a whisper as he looked around for any listeners, giving a side glance to Odessa that he hoped would convey a plea for help detecting them. “A certain murderer has returned. Please hear him out before giving him over to the authorities. He’s in disguise, by the way.”

[s]"GUARDS!!!!"[/s]

Odessa wasn't exactly known for her social skills, so she avoided Flame's gaze, and probably wouldn't have picked up on what he was hoping for anyways. However, since she preferred to avoid people, it just so happened she was already on the lookout for anybody getting too close to them, effectively serving the same purpose. 

Alistair, however, raised an eyebrow. He'd been made aware of what had supposedly happened when they were separated, right before being pulled into the void with the witches. He was, of course, rather skeptical about meeting Ashton. "I am busy" Alistair said. "I don't have too much time to spare, so make it quick." but the least he could do is listen to what they had to say. There were a limited amount of people from the same world as him, after all. 

Flame nodded, and said, “Follow me,” as he pointed in the direction of the Demi-Ocelots’ eatery, before walking slowly towards it, gesturing Alistair along. Once he was inside said eatery with Alistair again, he would go towards his’ and Ashton’s table and say as he looked at the now-silver haired youth, “Our compatriot, in disguise.” 

Ashton dared to goofily wave. Flame sighed and pulled up a third seat for Alistair and waited for him to sit. Once the latter was securely on his stool, Ashton would look the upper-class youth right in the eyes and say, “I didn’t mean to kill Hiro for good; I thought it’d trigger a reset if I stabbed him.”

"You can wait outside, I won't be long." Alistair instructed Odessa, then following Flame into the eatery. 

Once he was brought to the table, he eyed the man sitting at it. Being introduced to this being who looked much different than Alistair remembered him, Archibald couldn't help but wonder if this was a unique sort of magic. Magic that disguises oneself didn't seem like the easily accessible type. "Glad to see you're doing fine." he said, not bothering to return the awkward wave. Alistair glanced around before taking a seat. He listened to what Ashton had to say, and nodded. "That's not a hard story to swallow. I would be lying if I said I hadn't at one point pondered trying that out at some point." but his tone did not suggest complete understanding. "Still, we're down a boxer, and I haven't heard of any way to revive someone that doesn't include what we've already experienced." 

Ashton caught the look in Alistair’s eyes, and Flame saying, “Keep it short.” So his next words were just that, brief.

“An avatar of Od Laguna came before me and Flame before we came back here. He said Hiro’s soul is intact. Sorry if Flame hadn’t had time to tell you before.” Ashton then finished.

Three sentences, that should be enough. It was then Flame’s turn.

“You’re with Mono and Crunch and that Irene woman,” the Fire Mage said, “They’re at the forefront of the Cultist investigation. Tell me; do they know the term ‘High Council’?”

"Curious." Alistair wasn't sure what to make of that. "Then does that mean there's a way to retrieve him?" Archibald felt the chance was high that they weren't sure, but asked anyways. It wasn't often enough they got the entirety of the pie, merely pieces of it. "And as for what you just mentioned, Flame, I haven't personally met this Mono yet, you're mistaken. But the other two have no mentioned that particular subject, at least not around me." 

Ashton said, “There probably is; Od Laguna’s Avatar also said that we can eventually defeat Talus and [i]get what we desire[/i]. Note that this is the slimmest of hopes, but I’m willing to work to bring Hiro back, because even the slimmest of hopes is better than what we had before.”
Flame, meanwhile, said to Alistair, “So just to make sure, you know [i]nothing[/i] of the High Council and who they are? I admire you quite a bit, but part of me is skeptical about your word choices, which do not preclude you knowing who the High Council are.”

Ashton raised his hand in a placatory gesture, “Flame, let’s not make any new cracks in our already-shattered fellowship. Besides, I have a deduction of who the High Council are; they’re those ‘Witches’ we saw in that space during that fateful day.” A pause. “They don’t match up with the existing legends, though; the Witch of Envy was supposed to be white-haired and blue-eyed and with elven ears, but we didn’t see anyone like her.”

"Rather perceptive." he rubbed his chin, thinking to himself before speaking again. He wasn't particularly trusting in the information he was given, but relieving it to these two wasn't the worst thing he could do. His voice lowered just a bit to make sure he wasn't being eavesdropped on, and then he continued as he leaned in. "I'm taking this with a grain of salt, but someone informed me that the council is a cult hellbent on artificially creating witches, and those ones we've met are the result of their obsession with doing so." he sat back again. "The person who told me this knew what we've been going through, but wouldn't tell me everything. It's hard to say if it's all true, or lies mixed in with the truth at this moment. So I advise you to do as I do and only keep this in mind for now."

Flame nodded, his trust renewed.

Ashton said, “If that is so, then one last thing: Od’s Avatar told me that the High Council is planning something and it’s about to reach a head soon. This city will be met with calamity afterwards.” A pause. “We need various major factions prepared for this eventuality, at the very least, and you’re the best prepared to do it. So… Where can we meet next? This place won’t be relatively safe forever.”

"You've got a lot more confidence in my influence than I do currently." Alistair admitted, standing up. "I can't really give you a new location just yet. I don't intend on attempting to impose on Lady Irene any more than I currently am. Perhaps for now we can reuse this location at a later date to discuss a better place to speak of such matters. If you've spoken to any of the others, maybe even see if they've got a good place. But if that's all, I should get going." 

“That’s all,” Flame said as he got up, “I should be going back to Gris Art Fortye.”

Ashton got up as well, then remembered something, “One actual last thing; if you guys want credibility, you can give the location of a few illegal gladiator trainers at…” He leaned in and whispered closely, “[Insert Bellrigger’s Location Here]; I’ll be there as well most times, though, so give me an opportunity to escape if you must use it.”

And with that, he began going; so did Flame.