Feeling the tap on her shoulder, and being offered the blade, Ysaryn straightened with eagerness, clutching the weapon and weighing it in her hand. The weight of it was quite different from her dual blades, the metal sturdier without being too dense. With a purr of satisfaction, she flexed her arm, stepping away from the others to test its grace in a swing. As Ed spoke, her eyes moved up to his handsome face, and another crooked grin blossomed. "[i]Oh, Wyvern.[/i]" She clicked her tongue at him. "[i]You would be lucky to have me. The fight is irrelevant.[/i]"

With a wink, Ysaryn turned her back to him, stepping beside Myka to question her about the blade; who did it belong to, how old was it, what sort of person was it created for. Her words were choppy and quick in her excitement, the elf even pointing to the other blades held by the other women to ask about them.

Ruli followed soundlessly, his eyes distant as he planned and calculated still. It was a benefit of the appearance, at least, that the Gemini would doubt his ability. They would allow him to watch without fear, even watch him work with a sneer without ever guessing that he knew what he was doing. Let alone that his magic may be countering theirs. As they approached the gate once more, he glanced to his right to the nearest of his ward stones. The wide ring of them wasn't complete, the wards not yet activated; all he had to do was adjust the one his eyes fell upon by a few inches and his magic would be active. 
First, he wanted to watch the Geminis.

Which was apparently what Kire had in mind. 

As she remained still, watching the mages work with the leer of a predator, Ruli wandered, watching them work as he circled, sure he looked like someone trying to learn rather than someone trying to overpower. He hated the hum that emanated from the gate itself, his bones answering it in a low thrum now that he'd been through the damned thing. The violence in the magic sent his teeth on edge. 
When they closed their circle of wards, Ruli felt the world grow thinner, the air strangled. He swallowed and moved toward Kire as she approached the gate.

"If I ever ask for all of your blood, go ahead and assume I'm trying to murder you and murder me first." Ruli muttered quietly, hoping to dispel the anxious look in her eye. He fished a small leather pouch, lent to him from one of the Amrian's who had accompanied him earlier. "It will be less than a dog bite." He promised, then, taking her hand gently. Her skin radiated heat, which he found oddly comforting. Opening the leather pouch, he adjusted it beneath her arm. "Last chance to back out and take my blood instead." He offered, meeting her gaze for a few seconds before he reached down and removed the dagger from her belt, positioning himself so that the Gemini's were out of the line of sight. "I hope they can't scent blood like animals." He muttered. 

Twisting her wrist, he pressed the blade to the outside of her palm, careful to avoid the tendons beneath. "Squeeze." He instructed, shifting the pouch beneath to catch the droplets. He counted silently before he gave her a nod. He slid the dagger's tip inside the pouch to mix the blood with the contents, which, as Ruli crouched at Kire's feet and reached inside, turned out to be dirt. "Put your feet where you'll be most comfortable." He instructed before he set the blade vertically into the dirt between her feet. The blood-dirt mixture on his fingertips, he dabbed at her right toe, drawing a line down into the soil, then repeated it on her left. He drew a line between them, pinching his fingers to create a rune between them, the moist dirt a single line, touching the sharp edge of the half-sunk dagger. 
Finished, Ruli straightened and stepped back, glancing her over. "Done. Just wait for a few minutes for me to set my wards. Don't move the blade until you're done. And if you feel like this is something you can't handle, shout. I'll break you out." He ordered quietly, trying not to look too overly concerned. 
But, really, he'd never tethered anyone into the center of a magical cataclysm before. 

Strolling away, he backtracked toward the stone he'd placed, turning to nudge it forward with his foot. He knew it settled into place when he saw the slight shift in Kire's posture knowing full well she could smell the trace of his magic coating the area. A useful thing to have, that ability of hers.