Narda grinned, pleased at his eagerness. “Eh. I am at the Empress’s beck and call,” she joked. “And yes, to pluck her out of trouble too, whether she wills it or not. But I’m staying for this. She had asked my help, something to do with pursuing some vague clue about the visions Daryll had yesterday.” She smiled fondly when he asked about joining her at sunset. “Now that is a capital idea. I would very much enjoy that.”
--
Kire glanced at him as he stammered through his response. It was…strangely comforting, both the way he flustered and what he said. At least it wasn’t outright rejection. “’What comes after’? Do you mean…getting hurt?” She sighed. “I understand. I’m not rushing you into anything you don’t want, I promise.” She rubbed her nape, looking ahead. “And no. I don’t blurt that out with just anyone. Just you. Or, I don’t know if ‘accident’ is the word; that seems to imply I didn’t mean it.” She turned to him as she said that, a small smile on her lips before tilting her head towards the caves. “Better fetch them before the food gets cold.”

Gavin met up with them just as they entered the caves, the lad stretching and yawning. “We goin’?” he asked, peering at the two. 
“Yup.” 
“Good. I’m starving,” the lad replied, grinning at them mischievously. “Don’t you just [i]love[/i] getting a great nap before a meal?” 
Kire narrowed her eyes. “Don’t push it. Want me to shave off all your hair?” she asked, patting the sword at her hip. Gavin raised his hands in surrender, though he did still have a smirk on his face. 

--

After everyone was ready, they crossed over to the Tower, where Daryll was waiting, groggy from his own nap. “Wards?” he asked simply, not bothering to fix his hair.
“Lunch first at the Palace,” Kire clarified, withholding her comments on how disheveled he was at the moment. 
“Alright. And after, we could talk about looking for the Glenn family?” 
Kire raised her brows. Like a dog with a bone, her cousin was. The vision must still be bothering him greatly. “Yes, we will. I promise.” 

They walked out towards the Palace grounds, where, outside in the orchards, a large tent was set up for them, with the food ready and laid out for the guests. Gavin watched Envy closely; while he knew the charm worked, he was still nervous for the elf, stopping short of outright asking if he was feeling okay every few steps. Though the orchards were definitely not back to their former glory, the grounds had been cleaned and pruned enough to be a decent sight. In the light of the afternoon sun the Palace, too, stood, still proud despite the wear and damage from the war. Gavin gawked; like Ruli, he hadn’t really been given the opportunity to have a proper look, and the last time they were here they had gone straight indoors. He now noticed the older sections of the Palace joined with its newer wing, and he made a note to ask Kire about it later while they ate. 

“So, with regard to payment,” Kire said after everyone was seated. “We don’t really have a benchmark for how to pay sorcerers, though we did managed to find some records for the High Sorcerer’s salary back in the day. How’s thirty gold for each of you, plus supplies? Silks to keep Risa happy, tobacco, coffee, cheese.” Kire grinned. 
“Did you say thirty gold pieces [i]each[/i]?” Gavin clarified, brows raised.