[h3][u][b][color=fff200]Aerarius[/color][/b][/u][/h3]
Aerarius watched from afar as the others approached the gate.  He did not see them enter the town, but the lack of sounds of battle reassured him that everything had gone smoothly.  He himself had chosen to remain outside the town, out of view.  His mechanical body stood out too much- at best it'd unsettle the locals, at worst it could draw unwanted attention to the group.  He was, to his knowledge, the last of his kind, and if the Volstanians still remembered Aerarius (assuming they themselves still existed), it wouldn't be hard for them to figure out that he'd returned once rumors of a brass mechanical man reached their ears.

It wasn't like he'd gain anything from entering the town.  He trusted most of his companions with his life, and was confident in their ability to gather information, exercise discretion, and not draw too much attention to themselves.  Besides, someone needed to stay behind to greet and update the sage when he, or she, made it here.  And sure enough, he heard the patter of the footprints of someone diminutive approaching from behind.

"Ho, so you have been left out here to greet me?" asked Efander, in her new voice.  Aerarius turned around.  In theory, he could have simply rotated his head, but it wasn't like he had anything else to be pretending to be paying attention to.

"That, and because I sort of stick out." he answered, looking over her makeshift clothing.  "How's the new body feeling?"

Aerarius knew how difficult it could be to adjust to a new body, even one that was arguably a vast improvement in most respects.  Of course, Efander's teething troubles (possibly literally, considering her apparent age) would be far different from his own.  Efander's new body was still human, but of a different biological sex and apparent age from the previous one.  There were still several unanswered questions, though.  Will the new body grow up or is it frozen at this apparent age?  And will the new body affect the sage's mind in any way?  Would Efander end up going through puberty a second time?  Only time would tell.

[@Raineh Daze]