Spirits of the Earth

It had always seemed strange that she had relative peace at home. Calls at her door were rare, authorities had never visited, and yet it was not particularly hidden and was visible in plain view. Things were most commonly missed in plain sight anyway, hidden among the everyday and mundane, too often looked at in only the way it was most perceived. It had always surprised her that she had little need for disguises, as well.

Going out to the main villages or the city had never gotten her in any real trouble. Sure, people noticed, but there was never much danger to it beside the occasional threat thrown at her, the only exception being her brother's partner. Harsh words were often shoved in her face, and frequenting the markets was usually troublesome and time-consuming. Basically, there was so little to fear despite that she was almost always being watched. Most did not want to get mixed in with her for fear of retaliation, but she just saw people as lacking an open mind, lacking the ability to accept her for who she was.

Remina saw herself as normal. She lived a fairly uneventful life socially, to her great dismay, but she was working on that. She did small-time hunting to make enough to support herself comfortably nowadays, but that wasn't glamorous enough for her. Most of her time, though, was filled with daydreams instead of bettering herself in some way.

Today she was spending time in the city. As far as her own meals were concerned, pickings were becoming slim, enough that she was beginning to wonder if she would have to move to be able to sustain herself on what she wanted. She had hope for now, though, that she could scout out some new spot to hunt in as she was becoming bored of game and livestock.

She didn't think she looked so suspicious being out in the daytime like this, though, attempting to blend in as any other heading to the markets with her basket on her arm empty save for the handkerchief lining the bottom. Quite frankly she was very bored today and looking for anything that might entertain her while she went around like this, trying to blend in; even kicking a pebble around would suffice. She thought she looked as normal as any other in a long, deep burgundy dress with no frills and a black scarf tied into her hair, but she could not hide her eyes. For this she was wary of being recognized for what and who she was but besides that it was just an ordinary day with the ordinary problems that came with being herself.

The most upsetting fact about that was the loss of her cat. Again. She figured she would turn up sooner or later, as usual, but even being a cat demon herself she could never understand why the other variety never wanted to be around her or anyone else for very long. At least this one had been returning more often than not, so for that she considered her her own and she would be keeping an eye out for her today in the hopes of plucking her from wherever she'd wandered to and bring her back to the warm, snuggled safety of her home.

Benjamin Hase was not having a good day. He had traveled a very long way from his comfortable home in Fallial and his mother's smothering grasp all the way to the bustling city of Ketra only to find that his main reason for coming, a special batch of rare plants from the Draconi Forest, was not only a tiny fraction of what he had ordered but also rotted and ruined.

Now, completely enraged the gangly noble was making quite the spectacle of himself in front of one of the merchant stalls as he argued with a stout woman over the tool he had invented for her in return for his plants.

"No plants, no product! That was the deal," he intoned for what was probably the eleventh time already, banging a fist down on the stall's rickety table and making the various jars on it dance slightly.

"I provided and now you deny me! I am an honorable woman. Honorable, I say! How dare you accuse me of being otherwise!" the banshee screeched, standing on her tip toes to try and get in Benjamin's face.

The alchemist grunted, wincing as the shrill voice assualted his poor ears. "Madam, I accuse you of nothing. But I am stating the truth when I say that my request as payment for my work has not been met. I am generously offering you the chance to correct this grievious error as as you can see I have fulfilled my end of this transaction. In my hands is the-

"Give it to me you worthless penny-pincher!" The harridan lunged for the young man, forcing him to take a step back in both surprise and fear. Unfortunately though, Kia was not with him on this day and the young noble tripped over a feline that had been winding itself between his legs throughout the entire ordeal.

The cat hissed, the man fell, the table gave way, and the instrument broke. Benjamin Hase was covered in copious amounts of filth, broken pottery, and foul-smelling bogwater with an angry cat clawing his leg for having her tail caught beneath him and an irate woman demanding a guard assist her with a thieving, conniving vandalizar. No, Benjamin Hase certainly not having a good day at all.

All it took was the sounds of crashing to get her heart racing. The cries of an angry cat registered next and that was all it took for her to be off and running towards it. "Caydence?" she called worriedly, gathering in the skirt of her dress so that it wouldn't inhibit her movement as she made a mad dash for the street the market was on. Running down, she saw the frantic, jerky movements of a small animal long before she could actually see her with any detail but she had no doubts that it was her. "What are you doing out here?!" she cried, worry filling her eyes as she attempted to assess the situation she was coming upon.

The man on the ground and the scattered bits of broken things had her heart doing flips and leaps over the thought that her cat had been injured in some way, but then she saw she was caught and immediately threw herself down on her knees and shoved the man aside so that she could scoop up the puffed-up feline. "Oh, baby!" she said sadly, quickly tucking her tail in away from any near dangers and, just as suddenly, turned sharp, glaring eyes upon the man. "Watch where you're sitting, would you?! You could have killed her!" the demoness cried.

Fussing over the cat, though, and checking her all over for any sign of blood or marks quickly consumed her attention. Remina didn't even notice another man, a guard, approaching the small group that had formed. Every glance up at the thin man and the woman by the stall, though, was a sharp glare just filled with questions. "What have you done?" she demanded of them both in a short snap.

With an "oof" Benjamin found himself being shoved to the side and encountering another delightful mouth full of mud. Wincing and sputtering, he attempted to spit the muck out while also not spitting at all. The manners of being a nobleman were so firmly ingrained him that even in this situation, which was so far removed from being a normal noble occurrence, he found himself unable to bend the rules in order to properly care for himself.

He could still hear the shopkeeper screeching and a movement in the corner of his eyes told him that she was wildly gesturing to him as she squawked to the guards about his impertinence and trying to steal from her. But, it was the sound of a newer female voice that drew his attention now. Behind him, the one who had rudely cast him aside was raging at him for some cause or another.

Still attempting to wipe some of the much off his face and out of his hair, Benjamin did not at first see the woman while he turned to face her. "I assure you fair lady it was never my intention to find myself reposed in the middle of business let alone in the middle of such a busy street. I assure you no harm has come to your dear feline companion. It was but her tail that was impeded and as you can probably tell she is-"

The noble froze off for a moment as he finally caught sight of who he was talking to. The catlady had the strangest eyes he had ever seen. Give himself a shake he attempted to continue, "as I was saying she is right as rain, if you will but take a look. Not a hair out of place, my good ca-lady." He offered up a lopsided smile, only to feel it falter as the harpy behind him threw something rather painful at his head, causing him to take a stumbling step forward.

"Pardon me fair maiden, it seems that business calls elsewhere," he apologized quickly and tightly as he whipped back around, unknowingly spraying mud from his hair everywhere in the process of confronting the tyrant in front of him. "Now see here! She is at fault for providing poor quality and promising otherwise," he protested to the guards that were looking very much ready to just lock them both of up and bring peace back to the marketplace.

Satisfied that the cat was unharmed, save a slightly tender tail, Remina tucked her into the basket where the scruffy animal quickly took to hiding under the thin piece of cloth there. Only then did it register that she'd pushed the stranger into the mud. Looking down at herself as he rambled on she realized she herself was kneeling in the mucky stuff. Face twisting up in disgust at the blotches of mud ground into the fabric of her dress then relaxing for the politeness in his words that she was mistaking for compliments, the woman almost missed what this entire situation was about.

She thought it awfully rude that the shopkeeper was screeching at him, but she figured from a quick look around them that it had something to do with all of the broken things strewn about the street.

Cautiously, she rose and brushed what she could off of her clothes. Opening her mouth to speak, though, she was just as quickly cut off by a dull thump that was something knocking into this misfortunate man's head. Everything was moving too fast and she hadn't even closed her mouth before he turned his back on her. This meant she was met with both a mouthful of mud and even more of the stuff sprayed onto her front in a slash, including poor Caydence with her head poking out from the basket.

Even before she could react she heard the grumpy growls of the cat fussing over itself and retreating. With eyes wide in surprise it only took her one quick glance to see the "damage." She wanted to squirm when it finally registered that the stuff was peppering her face and, she suspected, what was exposed of her hair. She worked furiously to spit the gritty stuff out as quickly as possible. The situation, it seemed, was spiraling out of control and fast. It frightened her that the guards might recognize her, but she was curious about what the cause for this little spat was that neither party was willing to give it up easily.

Seeing how many pairs of eyes were on the little group now, though, Remina acted quickly in a moment of flight instinct and grabbed the stranger to firmly lock arms with him. Making a point of staring at a particular split in the wood on the stall, she apologized to the others with, "Please forgive him, he hasn't eaten his breakfast yet and isn't quite right in the head," then to the other woman, "I apologize for the delay, he'll be back with what he owes you. Very. Soon. Thank you so much for understanding." Then, tugging on him sharply, she set her eyes on the opening of an alley she wanted to disappear into and attempted to all but drag him there to get to the good talking to she thought he deserved.

Saying Benjamin was shocked was a great understatement. All he had wanted to do today was deliver his parcel and receive his payment before going back to the inn where had had been staying and get back to working on his current project. But of course that was too much to ask Kia for today. If this was the price for bolting the moment his mother mentioned marriage then he prayed for forgiveness from the great goddess because 'really,' he cajoled 'the offense is not as great as the punishment. This is a bit overkill.'

So deep was his surprise, he did not even struggle as he was bodily dragged away from the vendor and into a deserted alley. For several moments his mouth moved but no intelligible sound could be heard by man or beast.

Once he regained control over his tongue, the nobleman awkwardly attempted to extricate himself from this kidnapping woman. "Now see here young lady, I had business with that old crone and now you may have ruined all chances I had of acquiring the necessary ingredient for my project!" As much as believed himself to have sounded firm if not a bit disgruntled, what Benjamin really came off as sounding like was a whining teenager. All he could think about was the years worth of work he had put into acquiring the plant only to have all his plans wasted for naught and this stranger dragging him off and probably destroying his last chance at success.

"Did you mother never teach you any manners miss? One does not simply maul any person they feel like and drag them off to dark alleys when they are in the midst of conducting business, let alone ever for that matter! Now I demand that you take me back so that I may finish my appointed task!"

At the very least she had expected praise for getting him out of a bad situation. She rolled her eyes dramatically at the idea of her "ruining all chances" for him to get whatever it was he was after. Dropping the arm that had been holding him and stepping aside to stand in front of the stranger, Remina continued to keep tabs on the terms he addressed her with; each "compliment" awkwardly smoothed out the path for the insult that followed it.

She wasn't a fan of the grating tone with which he was speaking to her now, and she almost regretted helping him. Who is he to berate me at a time like this? she thought with her hands on her hips in annoyance. Her lips slowly sunk into a pout and her eyes flashed with irritation as she stood there with muck splattered all over her, which definitely was his fault.

How could he not see that he almost landed himself in jail or worse? How could he not tell that he wasn't going to get what he'd been after right then and there? It was too out of control, too escalated, too loud and angry for anything productive to happen. And he hadn't even apologized for the mud! Or dirtying her cat!

Her expression was cold, and sharp eyes fixed upon him that screamed he should take it all back or even find the courtesy to realize that she had helped him when all he seemed capable of was slinging mud around the market. A curt, "No," was all she uttered in response to this man who seemed incapable of anything else right now besides infuriating her.

"No?" Benjamin repeated dumbfounded, his face displaying every inch of displeasure and befuddlement as he felt. "What do you mean no? You can't just answer no. No is not an answer. It does not work like that. I specifically queried you several different questions. No does not suffice as a general answer. You must be more detailed. What does no even refer to?"

Running a hand distractedly through his muddied locks, the nobleman took one look at his dirtied hand and grunted before beginning a tight circle of pacing and hand waving. "No you did not ruin my chances at business? Well I can assure you that all hope of me completing that transaction is completely destroyed, thanks to you. No your mother did not teach you manners? Or perhaps no, she did? Either way it matters not as it seems you have retained nothing of any possible lessons. No you will not release me? Madam, I have but to cry for help and the authorities will rush on their merry way to arrest you. You have no idea who are what for that matter you are dealing with."

This being said, Benjamin stilled in his pacing long enough to glare down his nose at the woman, violet eyes peaking out behind ginger strands of hair. His fingers flexed, struggling not to form fists and in turn to not as well allow his anger and therefore his magic take over. Then with a huff he shook his head and resumed the pacing, all the while muttering under his breath.

"Ridiculous simpleton. Homely bint doesn't even know how to speak properly. Bet she doesn't even know what no means. Stranded out in the middle of this goddessforsaken country and this is what I have to deal with? What did I do Kia? Tell me, what did I do to deserve this kind of hassle? I don't even know her!" He vehemently proclaimed, pointing towards the strange woman in a burst of frustration even as he allowed his head to fall forward again in defeat. "S'not fair," he weakly groaned under his breath.

Remina immediately felt as though he was threatening her by saying he could have her arrested for what she had done. Unfortunately, she really had no idea who he was and had almost nothing to hold over him in return. He did, however, seem endlessly capable of throwing insults and rude words at her.

She met his glare with a sharper one of her own, but it faltered after a few moments of staring brought her to the conclusion that she wasn't looking up at him, but down. He was short for a man, and so much so that for a moment she just stood there reevaluating him, just wondering if he was younger than she'd originally thought. That really wouldn't surprise her, though, with the way he'd been whining and carrying on.

The muttering was putting her over the edge, though. She took it all back in her head; he really must not have known her to make that mistake. To think that he would say such things to her and then start with more insults under his breath. She was speechless, and she just stood there glaring at him even harder, especially as he pointed at her like she was some thing on display in the alley. Clearing her throat, she tried to rein in the frustration as she spoke as calmly as was possible to him, "Despite what you may think, this simpleton definitely understand the language, quite clearly, and I did you a favor." Straightening up even more and lowering her hands with the hope that she wouldn't appear to be threatening him at all, she continued.

"If this is how you run your business then you're lucky it's lasted this long at all. I'm not sure what happened exactly, but you can't get the guards involved every time that there's trouble! One day you're going to wind up in jail, or get someone else stuck there because of you," she huffed, struggling to keep her voice down.

"And as for not knowing what I'm dealing with, I can assure you it is you who does not understand. Don't go slinging threats around, especially ones you can't follow through with, pipsqueak! ...simmer down and then try talking to her tomorrow. The people here don't take kindly to rude individuals such as yourself, despite what your friends may have taught you. Now come on," she urged, reaching out and grabbing his arm once again as she headed for the opposite opening of the alley. "Where do you live? I need to make sure you get home to your mommy and don't cause me any more trouble today."

Benjamin yanked his arm back from the woman, just barely resisting the urge to hurl his fist forward into her jaw. "Nay, woman I do not make threats, but promises I intend to keep if my boundaries are continuously crossed by you, or any other for that matter," he stated coldly, his posture stiff and straight.

"Slender I may be, I assure you madam I pull my own weight and am not to be trifled with. There is a strength that lies within that holds a fire greater than you have ever seen. Unless you wish to burn, I suggest you pay me heed. You know nothing of my business or my person. You have no right to judge me, when anyone with eyes can see that it was the other party at fault. She attempted to cheat me out of my life's savings. You will excuse me for wishing to keep not only my reputation but also my expense account in tact.

Now," he sighed, recovering his demeanor and softening his gaze. "Where do you live young lady that I might escort you home to your father?"

Wide-eyed in disbelief that her offer of help was being shoved back in her face, Remina scoffed and rolled her eyes at the stranger's words. She didn't believe him, not for a second. She did not and had no reason to believe that a short little twig such as himself had some sort of power above her own repertoire.

Tucking Cadence back into the basket again and not giving him so much as another glance, she gathered her dirtied skirts and marched right on the way she'd been heading as if nothing had happened at all. "To my father," she scoffed under her breath as she went, refusing to address him any further because of his seemingly flip-flopping attitude; she couldn't fathom why he addressed her in such a way other than to cruelly tease, but she didn't want to admit to herself that someone would do that simply for the pleasure of being cruel to her.

Remina was too wrapped up in her angry thoughts, though, to notice that one of the guards from earlier was walking by the way they had gone in. Stopping at the sight of two people there in the alley, he immediately doubled back and began to approach Benjamin. "You there! Have you seen--" he called to him, stopping short when he caught sight of the color of Remina's dress quickly disappearing down the other end, and in a blink she was gone. Scowling, he quickly stepped forward and pointed at her and demanded, "Who is she? That woman? She was the one with you before... Who are you, boy? What is your business with her? She looks awfully familiar, don't she? I'm going to need some answers here." His words changed, dripping with sarcasm as he winded down. He was beginning to get it in his head that this man was critically involved in the mess that was Remina's descent upon the city if she, this woman whom he was almost certain was her, was willing to "rescue" him.

Unwilling to be caught following her, the nobleman had no choice but remain in place or else get more lost than he already was. Foot tapping and arms crossed, it was not until the guard was nearly on top of him that he finally noticed the larger man. He settled long enough to look the man up and down before finally choosing to answer, equally caught up in the man's heated demands.

"Now see here, I have nothing to do with her! She accosted me and dragged me off into this filthy alley. Don't you see what's going on here? I am just poor merchant trying to scrounge up a living. That demon of a woman interrupted my business with the lying cheat of a woman back in the square and then found it in her manic best interest to maul me. Sir, if it had not been for you I am sure I would be dead. I do not understand. Is this normal treatment to visitors to Adela? I am respectable member of my community. I deserve at least common courtesy! I am not asking for much. Now, if you would be so kind, I would like to return to finishing my business with that woman so that I may return on my way home. Please lead the way my good man."

The guard wasn't buying his words, truthful as they were. Though, he had no way of knowing the truth from a stranger anyhow. Still, he didn't like the vibe he was getting from this man. "Yes, she certainly is a demon," he agreed huffily, setting his shoulders straight as he glared down at the shorter man. "And I'm sure you're respected within your community, but Ketra is a respectable city. I won't have you tainting her with your sorry squabbles and seedy dealings. Disrupts the whole community, see?" he drawled, stepping even closer to get right in Benjamin's face.

"Before you do anything I'm going to need to ask you a few questions. Why don't you come quietly?" he suggested, gesturing to the street beyond the entry. "I need to know a bit more about whom you're dealing with before I can take you there," he lied, attempting to take advantage of his seeming inability to navigate on his own.

His eyes widened slightly and he fumbled over his words to try and correct himself. "I meant no offense. I come from the capital of Fallial in Serendipity. I am the head of the Hase household. My family and myself especially are devoted to keeping the peace. I assure you that I have nothing to do with any peace that has been disturbed during my sojourn here in your lovely city. Nor are my dealings anything less than lily-white. I have a name to uphold and I dare not destroy it, no matter what country I journey into."

Benjamin cleared his throat lightly and caught his breath before motioning forward towards the entrance of the alley. "After you sir, I will of course go with you and finish filing my complaints. I have nowhere else to go as it were, all considering. I thank you for your time good man. You really are being a good sport."

The man's frown only deepened upon hearing Benjamin speak again. "I don't care where or what your household is. And if you truly have a name to uphold you're doing a fine job of it," he grumbled with a roll of his eyes. Irritated that he wasn't following his orders, the guard roughly grabbed his arm and yanked him forward with him to head back out to the street.

"What's with your attitude, boy?" he demanded. "Is this how to you talk to everyone? You'd think kids these days would learn to respect their elders, especially their superiors," he ranted, keeping his free hand firmly upon the hilt of his sheathed sword. "It's people like you... How do you know her? What can you tell me about her, hm? Or are you not going to cooperate?"

"Thank you," Benjamin beamed, bowing slightly at the waist. "I take that as the compliment it is meant to be. It is always truly wonderful hear such praises from esteemed elders. Now-now wait just a moment! There is no need for this uncouth manhandling. I may be lost but I am more than capable of following instructions and of courses your footsteps. I do not need to be dragged to our destination, sir."

The nobleman was bewildered. He did not know what it was about this day but things were certainly going rather strangely. 'Perhaps it is the Adelan air. I have never seen such a strange bunch of people, with no respect for others and an awful lot of physical contact between each other. Better yet, it could be some ritual costume between them. Oh, I must be being terribly rude.'

"Forgive me, sir," he tried again, placing his own hand on the officers back. "I have been in correspondence with her for several months now about acquiring various ingredients that I need for one of my projects at home. She in turn took interest in one of my inventions and entreated me to hand-deliver it myself so that she may in turn hand over the parcels that I had been sending for. I have only just arrived in Ketra in time to receive my payment for my efforts only to find I have been cheated and the promises made to me were nothing but a pack of lies. As a working man I am sure you would understand my pains. Months of travel to obtain something to help put food on my family's table only to find out that everything was a falsehood and that I had done work that would not be repaid in any manner. It is," his breath came in a shaky rattling sound, "disheartening to say the least."

The guard didn't trust Benjamin at all and had no intention of letting him go now that he had found him, despite his protesting. His nostrils flared with a deep-set irritation, though, as he felt a hand upon his back. For a moment he let it go, seeing if it was a mistake, but when it wasn't removed automatically he roughly shoved Benjamin at arm's length by the arm he still gripped without a word of explanation. He thought he was trying to provoke him purposefully and knew it wouldn't do to react and give him what he wanted.

He was surprised, though, at the wealth of information he gave up so freely. Glancing at him occasionally as he walked him down the street, the guard began to wonder if he was right in the head or not. He must not be, to have interaction with her in such a way. Poor idiot.

"Don't be surprised by it, it is her way. She is cruel to everyone and age will not spare you from pain with her," he sighed. "What else can you tell me? What do you know about her? Where have you been sending these...correspondences to, exactly?"

The nobleman was baffled by the reaction to his friendly contact with the guard. 'Must be an elitist thing. Only those on the in, actually get to do it. Wonderful,' he thought sarcastically, rolling his eyes in time with his thoughts.

"Truly?" he squawked out in shock. "She is like this with everyone, not just me? Oh then you must understand my strife! Surely there is something you can do to remedy this? I spent months working on her order only to be cheated out of payment! Unbelievable sir, I would hate to think this is the normal of your beautiful city. It is simply ridiculous though! Please, I will give you all the information I know if it will help you bring her to justice. I cannot stand to see her do the same to some other poor soul, cruel wench that she is," he growled lowly, angered at all the time he was now considering wasted on the crone's project.

Scratching at the back of his neck, he furrowed his brow in thought as he recalled the answers to the posed questions. "I do not really know much at all about her other than she wanted an order of one of my newest inventions, a simple little thing really but works with an ease that no other but a Hase could claim to provide. In fact if you are ever in need of some work done, I would be more than willing to assist you. I am quite efficient and provide only the best for my fellow man! Why I have items that marvel the world. People from all over send me requests and on my honor I work hard to fulfill them, that I do. I'm sure you can understand and appreciate a hard work ethic, what with your own honorable occupation of keeping the peace and bringing foul women, and men of course, to justice."

He was in no mood to be dealing with this man's seeming ignorance about whom he was dealing with. A frown still creased his face as he marched him down the road and just stared off at the sign for the jail in the distance. "Well, now you know how dangerous it is to be working for someone you don't know anything about," the guard grumbly chastised, though he still wasn't believing that Benjamin knew so little and was thinking so far as to assume he was some sort of liaison or partner for the woman he was after.

"What was she after? What did the...invention thing do, exactly?" he prodded, curious as to what skills or talents others could possibly have interest in from someone so...sketchy. "And what is it exactly you do? Explain to me your business."

"It really was a simple little thing, something to make day-to-day life easier. Of course I am not permitted to tell you more as it is all in the standard merchant-customer contracts that I must keep affairs between myself and clients discreet. Our business is our own as long as both parties uphold their bargains. Then of course breach of the contract allows for third party intervention. I have no doubt you will bring her to justice and champion my case."

To punctuate his point, Benjamin smiled and brought his arm up and in front of him, fist curled in a sign of exuberant joy and good faith in the soldier. Then becoming more serious again, he allowed his bright smile to soft to gentlemanly interest as he cocked his head to look at his fellow man.

"My business? Well I am an alchemist and inventor. I attempt and many times succeed in making anything that my buyers ask for. Of course not all commissions are undertaken I do stay away from the more volatile mixtures; I do prefer keeping my eyebrows you see," he jested, chuckling under his breath. "Would you be interested in something? I am sure I could provide you with all manor of potions and tonics, something for a lady friend perhaps? Something to pretty her up for you mayhaps? You name it and will aim to please, especially with all the trouble you are going to, to assist me. It is the least I can do for a friend."

"Look, there's no hiding your information when you're dealing with someone like that. She is a great threat to the public and I don't care what you're protecting her for but you will be telling me everything. I especially need to know what she's commissioning. Disgusting how she's taking advantage of the fact that few know her outside of the city," he said, continuing to grumble as he went, then huffed, "Though I still think you're lying to me.

"I don't understand what you're so happy about, either, but you better get to fessing up soon, boy," the guard warned. "And I absolutely have no interest in wares from people who take blood money. Despicable!"

As he neared the building he finally slowed his pace. He checked his back and sides cautiously, a bit nervous to be taking someone in on his own with the possibility of an ambush, and then he began fumbling in his pocket for his keys as he brought Benjamin to an abrupt stop, still gripping his arm firmly. "Now we can do this the easy way or the hard way, it's up to you," he sighed, weary from the growing list of problems piling up for the guards within the city.

Benjamin came to an abrupt halt when the guard yanked him into place. Puzzled he pondered the words of this upstanding citizen before finally questioning the accusations he was hearing. "Pardon me but I am afraid you may have it all wrong. I never asked for money in payment let alone that covered in the vermillion bodily fluids of others. I simply wanted some plants, plants that are extremely common here in Ketra and impossible to find in my own homeland.

"And what is this you keep going on about "fessing up"? I'm telling you everything I know, not an ounce of embellishment either. The old crone requested an item that would assist her in her own business. I came to deliver the finished product as promised in return for fresh samples of a common Ketra plant and instead was offered in payment not only long since dead specimens but pest infested ones too! That, if anything, is what is despicable here! PLease tell me what I can say to make this any plainer? I have said everything there is to say. How hard is this for you to understand? You do speak common, correct?"

Finally finding his key, the guard couldn't open the door fast enough as he dragged Benjamin inside before locking it again. His expression only expressed further irritation the more he spoke. "What is the item? What does it do? How did she contact you? Where does she live? ...DON'T you speak to me that way! You're already in a world of trouble and I'm doing you a favor by not killing you just for being sighted in her presence!

"Dirty rat," he spat, turning sharply on his heel and pulling the shorter man down the hall towards the cells, his keys still firmly in hand. "How dare you speak to a public official in such a way! Guess I shouldn't expect anything better from someone like you. Now answer my questions! I'm done playing these little word games with you!"

The man was completely shocked by the guard's behavior. Here he was, reporting an incident to promote justice and this supposed champion of right was not only mauling him, 'just like that hellish woman,' his mind chimed in, but also accusing him of being less than honest. He could take the human contact, though quite odd it was in his opinion, Benjamin was not going to stand for his name, his family's name being muddied so callously.

Closing his ears to the prattling of the guard, the alchemist waited, collecting his thoughts until silence reigned once more. "Are you quite done now?" he questioned softly, crossing his arms and tilting his head to the side in a questioning, chastising manner. He let out a beleaguered sigh and shook his head.

"I have told you everything. If you want to know what it is, ask the old woman. She knows and it is her business not mine to tell. I sent her letters, she initiated the contact and I sent the paper back with my answers. I do not know where she lives, most likely someplace in town just like everyone else. For a man who claims to guard this town you certainly seem to know so little about your patrons.

"As for your insulting not only me but my family as well, I believe a timeout is in order. It would be good if we were both to proceed in these matters with cool heads. And I do mean you, not me. I am after all not the one screaming obscenities and other manner of things at the other." Benjamin offered the guard a pointed look at the end of his statement before straightening, arms still crossed and brow raised in an unspoken challenge.

Puzzled, the guard snorted his disgust as Benjamin continued to speak to him in such a way. He was in utter shock that someone would dare act as he did to someone both clearly his elder and an authority of the law. "It is certainly your business to tell me what you know, boy. A murderer is not afforded the luxury of her secrets being kept. She is a wicked, vile creature and I will not stand for your defense of her!"

Walking him further down the hall to the very end of the cellblock, the guard began fumbling with his keys to find the correct one as he tightened his grip on the man's arm. "I'm quite done with you, boy. Your rank or family does not shield you from the law. Protecting such a disgusting animal will get you nowhere in life, you know. Best to give it up now, while you still have a chance at life, at freedom," he growled.

"Now tell me all you know. Right now," he warned as he finally opened the cell door. "Or you'll be the one sitting a timeout."

Filled with exasperation, the nobleman shook his head and rolled his eyes to the ceiling before moving closer to the guard to better address him. "Sir, I have said it time and time again I do not have-wait what! Did you just call her a murderer? Now wait just a minute. I have nothing to do with this. In fact I know nothing about this, or rather I only know what you have told me, which is in fact very little, nothing in fact!"

His hands came up in a gesture of empty-handed innocence, palms facing outward towards the guard as he also took a step back, further into the cell. "Honestly my good man, I don't need a timeout I've told you everything you need to know, everything I know. We're good and in fact," he scuttled forward trying to squeeze between the guard and the doorway, "I'll just be on my way. Don't worry about filing that complaint. I wouldn't want you have to deal with her just for my sake. Have a good evening!"

"Sure you don't," the guard growled, irritated with the other man's attempts at escaping the subject and the jail. He was making it far too easy for him, though, putting himself in the cell like he was.

Putting his arms up and shoving his feet to each side of the doorway to block any possible way for Benjamin to escape the cell he'd just backed into, the guard stood there scowling with an unimpressed look. "You aren't going anywhere," he said, grabbing the other man's shoulder and shoving him back further past the bars before shutting the door. Holding it in place with his shoulder as he fumbled around for the correct key he finally got the door locked after the second try. "Now think on what you would like to tell me. I'll be back later. Or tomorrow. If you're cooperative you'll get water and food as well," he explained while still looking very unimpressed with the younger man.

"And no, your family can't pay your way out for you. Nobles don't get special treatment here," he said as he walked back down the hall, closing and locking the secondary door behind himself.

"Thank you!" Benjamin cried out in relief, missing the aggravation and sarcasm dripping off the guard's every word. He was shocked therefore at being shoved backwards into the cell and therefore fell heavily on his rump. Later he would feel the bruising and how the cold, wet concrete seeped into his trousers, but for now all he could feel was confusion and distress.

Pleadingly he looked up at the guard. "Sir, this must be all a big misunderstanding. I have been nothing but cooperative. My only aim is to be a man of humble means. I did not mean anything by my statement of wishing to rescind my earlier claim. I only sought to provide you with less trouble. If it truly means that much to you then I will by all means follow-through with the claim, however you have everything I know. If you need more I would be willing to write all down for you myself, if but a bit of parchment and ink could be spared. Please sir, this really isn't necessary if you would but let me out I-" he was cut off by the slamming of the cell door and the sound of keys jangling to be fitted to the lock.

The young nobleman scowled at the floor, legs crossed and elbow on his knee so that his head rested in the palm of his hand. 'Supposing of course we had the means to participate in such underhanded bribery. I am a man of my word and good taste. I have done nothing wrong. As soon as the warden finds out I will be free. The worst I have to wait for is until morning then this whole little debacle will be resolved. Just wait and keep calm. The good fellow always triumphs!'

The keeper never did return at any point in the evening. He was so irritated with the young man that he figured a night in jail would do him some good, serve as a lesson about mixing up with the wrong people if he wasn't lying and knew nothing about their murderer. He highly doubted that.

As fate would have it, though, his comrade brought in a man already known for passing information to the wench. All they needed was for him to talk, tell them what he's getting out of it, who it benefits to aid someone he saw as endlessly wicked and cruel. "Saul," he greeted coarsely as the guard walked him in.

The man was tight-lipped and only raised his chin upon hearing his name. Talking was the last thing he intended to do. "How handsomely does she pay you to do such evil work, huh?"

"You strip me of my dignity when you drag me in here. I have nothing to say to you, warden," he spat back. The other guard rolled his eyes and shrugged.

"I found him loitering around the brothel."

"And what were you doing down there?"

"Patrolling, as duty calls for it." This only earned him a pointed look, but with a high-value prisoner on their hands he didn't want to take any chances.

"Just get him in a cell," the guard dismissed, walking them to the door to the hall to open it.

The second guard all but dragged Saul down the hall. Not realizing his comrade had brought someone else in he was surprised to see Benjamin there and it took him a moment to realize he'd seen him briefly earlier. "Ah. Market boy. Guess you got caught after all," he greeted as he shoved Saul into the cell beside him, locking it quickly despite the prisoner's lack of interest in escaping.

"You two play nice, now. No throwing rocks at each other...or whatever stupid things you do." And with that the guard was off, eager to save face and not have to deal with the two men any longer.

As soon as he heard the clicking of the lock Saul moved to situate himself directly in front of the bars that separated them and sat down quietly. "Market boy, eh? What did I miss at the market?"

Benjamin had holed himself into a corner and crossly stared out at the cell's door, counting water droplets and the number of rat squeaks he heard. 'The moment I am out of here, I swear I'm going to report the condition of this jailhouse. This is simply ridiculous! Damn, lost count again.'

He was just about to begin again when the door creaked open and another guard came into view. "Ah thank goodness I knew this was-wait market boy? What do you mean market boy?! I didn't get caught! I-hey! Where do you think you're going? You can't just leave me here with this," he glanced at the other man and cringed, "criminal!" The young man rushed the door, clawing at it in desperation. "You can't do this!" he continued to protest, sliding to his knees in sadness before flipping around with his back to the door and knees pulled tight to his chest.

"You keep far away from me and I won't be forced to hurt you, understood? Good, glad we're on the same page," the alchemist growled, resting his chin on his knees and pouting quietly in the dark for a while. "And just for the record, I didn't do anything. It is all just a misunderstanding of a drunken warden! Idiots all of them." Several huffs and sighs later he was still complaining quietly about how soggy his rear had become and how unfair the entire situation was.

Saul could only smirk at the display the other man was putting on. It was obvious to him he'd never been thrown in jail before. "Oh, sure you didn't. Sure you didn't," he joked, waving his hand dismissively, chuckling as he eyed the high little window near the ceiling.

"And no, I wouldn't want you feeling desperate enough to hurt me, some poor soul you don't know... Wouldn't that be low for ya, boy?" he pondered, glancing over to take in the contrast of his hair and eyes.

"So what's your name, huh? Kind of rude to know mine and not share your own."

Remina, on the other hand, was waiting for her jailed friend to show up as per their weekly meeting. She had no idea he'd been captured or even what for, but she was growing irritated with him the longer she waited and was forced to think about other things that had happened that day. She wasn't accustomed to close calls and she would be lying if she said she wasn't a little shaken by the guard earlier that day.

"Low? LOW? What exactly are you trying to imply mister? I'm no different than any other person high or low, short or tall or whatever you people talk about these days. And no sir I don't know your name nor do I wish it and you can't have mine either! In fact we don't even have to talk. Add that to your list of leave me alone and stay far away. Don't even talk to me and your life will be just swimming. The less interaction, the better. Excellent, glad you agree."

Benjamin rushed his words out edgily not liking his current situation and newest companion. Every moment that passed just served to make things worse as it all began to sink in for him. He was in a jail with a true criminal. He was soaking wet and cold with no chance of this torture ceasing anytime soon, if ever. He was beyond displeased. The poor man was borderline enraged and horrified. One moment he felt like throwing stones despite the guard's warning and the next moment he felt like banging his fists on the ground and sobbing like a two year old. The only think stopping him from either was the knowledge that the first would get him in worse trouble and the second was a simply disgusting display for a man of his age and stature. His mother would surely never approve.

'Oh goddess, my mother! I'm doomed if I ever get of here and damned if she ever hears of this!'

He found his tantrum amusing, though very annoying. Saul flashed a toothy smile Benjamin's way for his fussy, whiney attitude. "Saul," he greeted, chuckling darkly as he scooted closer up by the doors just to annoy him.

"So....what are you in for? What happened at the market?" he prodded again.

Benjamin scowled and banged his fists against the floor. "You imbecile! That was not an invitation for you to give it to me!" The nobleman pouted for a while more before huffing and beginning to answer in grumpy tones.

"I had business in the town square with the herbalist crone. She cheated me, lied, and attempted to sell me rotten goods. We continued to have a heated discussion, I tripped on an alley cat and ruined my best pants in the street muck. I mean just look at them! Ruined!"

He shook his head, letting his head fall into his hands before remembering the grime that coated those as well. Wincing he tried to push away the image of what his face probably looked like before swallowing and continuing his tale.

"Anyway, this banshee of a woman started her screeching at me about the damn animal and dragged me off into some alley probably to try and have her wicked way with me. If it was not for the guard I would surely have been a sorry sight for sore eyes. I'm telling you, she was insane! I've never met a crazier person in my life. Then again I've never really met a crazy person to begin with, unless of course you count my Great-Uncle Clementine. But then again with a name like that who wouldn't be crazy, you know?

"Really though," he huffed, "this is just all a big misunderstanding. I haven't done anything wrong and the bailiff is all over my case because apparently the old hag is this big scary criminal or something. Between the two of them I'm lucky to be alive. It's a miracle. Honestly, I'm just here for my own safety and not from committing a crime. So come morning I'll be free and you'll probably still be rotting here like the maggot you are. Overall, not really all that bad of a situation if you ask me."

Saul listened with a snarky and amused expression to the other man's story, the naïvety of it all almost painful. "She does love her kitty cats," he drawled with a knowing smirk, ignoring the complains that fell to his ears. It was cute, he thought, that the young noble believed he would be released as early as next morning.

---
Once it was safe to say he was over an hour late she gave up any thought he might come by on his own, though she didn't know just where he was.

She quietly crept back into town to listen to what gossip flowed through the walls at night; she wanted to know if anyone had seen him as she stopped by his regular spots and home with no success. No leads left her to finally believe he was in trouble, again.

If she promised herself it would be the last time she saved his ass she would only be lying. She needed him and he needed her coin; it was too valuable of an arrangement to just throw away, she thought.

Heading down to the jail she observed through the door for the fellows on watch to settle in for a late night nap. The moment both were limp at their perches and snoring she made a run inside for one of their key rings. Hurriedly getting the hall unlocked, she entered and whispered, "Saul?"

The man leaned his head back to look down the hall at her form in the dark. "Here, my lady," he teased, sticking a hand out between the bars. "Thank you for coming for me, I thought this torture would never end," he added, glancing to Benjamin.

Remina stepped lightly across the floor and crouched before him as she worked the lock to his cell. "Now isn't the time, I'd rather not stay longer than I need to. If they wake up I--" She paused as she glanced to the side and recognized that fiery hair.

"What are you doing here?" she hissed at the younger man.

"Torture? Torture!" Benjamin snapped, jumping to his feet to glare at Saul. "So I am torture now am I? You practically beat information out of me and you call it torture? Well I never! If anyone is being tortured here it is me by your very presence and you, madam should know," he rattled on turning to face the woman before tripping over his own tongue in surprise.

His look of surprise soon transformed into one of disgust as he glared forcefully towards the vile cat-woman, or so he had named her privately in the safety of his own mind. "What in the blazes are you doing here?! What is this a conjugal visit or something? Where's the guard? I refuse to be here for this. In fact, wait. Where is the guard?" Benjamin repeated leaning in against the bars to peer into the darkness of the hall around them.

"Sir you cannot be serious," he stated turning to look back at his fellow inmate in shock. "You got arrested for being at a brothel so you have the brothel brought to you? How much more vulgar can you possibly be?! I mean how can you even..."

Breathing heavily in shock, Benjamin placed his head in his hand, eyes wide in shock. "I don't believe this. Not only am I here in this filthy cell for my own protection, but I am to be subjugated to such debase displays of...oh I cannot even bare to think of it," the nobleman groaned further. "I cannot belief this," he continued ranting, "I just cannot believe this. You Adelans must all be mad! Or is just you lot? Don't answer that, I'm speaking to a madman and his whore. No offense to you madam of course, we cannot always help our professions no matter how low and degrading they truly are."

Benjamin continued to sputter on, his face and hands turning red as his hair in both his shock and embarrassment. And to think, this was supposed to be a rather quick and uneventful day.

Her irritation with him was evident in her scowl and the glare she stared him down with, but the young noble didn't seem to take any of the hints. At the first hint of him calling her a whore, however, her eyes dilated noticeably, to the point Saul reached between the bars to grab hold of her collar as he knew what was to come. "Please," he urged in a whisper, glaring at Benjamin as he carried on with his loud insults. "Let's just go."

Remina was having none of it. "Quiet!" she hissed, springing away from her friend despite the rip of her clothes. Snatching up the lock to the other man's cell, she worked feverishly for but a few moments before the door was free. She was inside in a flash and leaning against the bars once she'd shut it behind her as her bright, glowing eyes stared him down. "I will not stand for your childish insults!" she warned in a hushed snap.

"Do not call me whore one moment and madam the next!" she said, mocking him terribly yet not understanding why it bothered her so much. Glancing to Saul, she decided then and there that this canary could not be left to sabotage their escape. "You do not understand just who is in charge here," she warned the younger man as she lurched across the space between them to snatch him up and block him back against the wall of his cell. "Will you be quiet now?" she crooned with sickeningly fake sweetness, her hands holding his shirt twisting into tight fists.

Benjamin's eyes widened in surprise to see the woman enter the cell. He had not been expecting that and muttered unintelligible sputterings of protest. "You don't-whoa! You-ou stay away from me! I'm warning you, Missy! You're not going to like it if you keep getting up in my face like this," the noble hissed as she pressed him against the wall.

"I will most certainly not be quiet," he shouted, balling his hands into fists and stomping his foot furiously. "You don't belong here! You're breaking the law! I will not stand for this. If you think you're getting out of here, you can forget it! Guard! Guard come quickly!"

Startled by his continued yelling and the sounds of some sort of movement beyond the door between them all and the guards, Remina hissed and flashed her fangs at the human both in fear and her attempt at appearing menacing enough to shut him up. But he continued on, and she glanced to Saul in panic who, of course, had no suggestions for her.

Facing the scrawny human again, she pressed him firmly against the wall of the cell and leaned in to crush her lips against his own to silence his squawking. Letting her sharp fangs be known against his flesh, the demoness growled angrily as she pulled back to glare at him with a fire in her eyes. Sacrificing one hand, she clamped it over his mouth as she leaned in again to stare him down as she whispered angrily, "You will be quiet. You will not ruin this for us because you're getting out too. So help me if you make one more mistake, you prissy, rude little man! Your death will follow shortly after. This I can promise you," she threatened, pressing her hand even harder against him.

"You will come with us, yes? All you need to do is nod," she grumbled. "I don't need to hear any more of your socially inept words this day. And if you don't want to come with us quietly...then you're of no use to me at all and you will die here in this... this... Well, right here," she promised, flustered in her anger.

A sharp gasp escaped as his words were silenced by another pair of lips upon his own. It was terrifying and exhilarating to him how all the breath seemed to escape him in that moment. Benjamin was shocked by the softness of the harpy's lips in contrast to the sharpness of her fangs making themselves known against his own tender skin.

The nobleman kept completely silent not in the face of her threats but due to his own breathless shock. She had stolen his first kiss! The claws digging into his throat brought him back to reality enough to realize that she was talking to him. Yet, Benjamin was too stunned to respond to her. All he could manage was to blink owlishly up at her. No trouble would be coming from him as long as he was still reeling with aftershock.

Satisfied at last for his silence, Remina relaxed her hold upon him as she released a ragged sigh. Looking to Saul, who seemed entirely amused now instead of terrified she was going to kill the shorter man, was waiting patiently for her by his door now. Looking back to the red-haired man before her, the demoness stared at him and commanded, "You better behave and not give us away. Follow me."

She let go of him and carelessly turned her back on him, exiting the cell. Crouching down beside Saul, she continued to fuss at his lock until he too was free. "Finally," he said, relieved, giving her a quick half-hug as he moved out to the hall.

"We can leave now," she said, looking to the younger man. "But we must be quiet, and we must be calm."
"Of course," Saul whispered, winking at her as he turned to head down to the door standing between him and freedom once again. Letting him go ahead to check on the guards, Remina stayed back with the stranger.

Benjamin watched the other man leave, feeling tense to have been left in the sole presence of the frightening jail-breaker. He speculated as to whether or not she would let him live after dragging him unwillingly out of the cell. 'If she did,' he finally surmised, 'I am not going to like the final outcome. She'll probably torture me so badly I will wish she had killed me. And then once I die, oh poor mother. All she'll get of me is a finger or something. That is how it's done, right? Cut off something recognizable and let that be the end of it. How she'll mourn me too. I just hope she doesn't go on tell how I was as a child in my eulogy. Oh Kia PLEASE don't let her humiliate me like that!'

The nobleman continued with his musings, unconsciously beginning to pace about the length of the small cell. He completely forgot his surroundings as he became wrapped up in the horror of his mother's mourning his foretold passing.

Unaware of the wild thoughts running rampant in the young man's mind, Remina watched impatiently as he paced within the cell. She waited for a few, heavy moments, but he didn't even seem to notice that she was still there. Knowing they didn't have much time to make their escape, she flashed her fangs at him again and growled quietly and just enough to send her usually smooth hair poofing slightly for her frazzled nerves.

"Come on," she whispered angrily, entirely breaking the sense of calm she had insisted upon just moments before. "Or do I need to drag you out? Because I will, but I'd rather not have to. What part of we're leaving don't you get? We. Are. Leaving. Now!"

He blinked in surprise at the angry woman, having completely forgotten his surroundings and the occupants of the room for a moment. Then, Benjamin stamped his foot in frustration at being interrupted. "I was thinking!" he growled back. "You don't interrupt a man when he's thinking! What are you, stupid? Can't you see I'm busy?" he grumbled, attempting to resume his pacing.

Not expecting him to act out in frustration, Remina was startled, annoyed, and then amused by his childish attitude. "I don't interrupt a man when he's thinking?" she repeated sarcastically, thinking the mere notion absolutely ridiculous for a demon to follow. "You're not going to be busy when you're dead at your own fault!" she warned him, catching the confused look of Saul through the small opening in the door.

Knowing they probably didn't have much time, she lunged at him and roughly grabbed him by the scruff of his shirt to drag him out of the wretched cell he didn't seem capable of being quiet in. "You will not ruin this for us just because you want to ruin it for yourself," she hissed, yanking him close to look him face-to-face for a moment in warning before she dragged him down the hall to the door that would lead to their freedom. "If you make one more sound, you are dead."

Benjamin could not believe that his words were being thrown back at him. Did this woman not understand the need for a man to have time to think? He was working. He was planning and plotting. No one interrupts him in that process. Yet, this wench had managed to do so twice in a matter of minutes.

He nearly protested the fact until she got uncomfortably close to his face and started to snarl at him. The nobleman could do nothing but stare there wide-eyed and slack-jawed. Even if he wanted to speak, he would not have been able to. Her desire for his silence caused a strangled squeak to escape him and he began to wonder silently if that actually counted.

Satisfied with him for now, she hissed an angry, "Thank you," before she pushed through the door, quietly pulled him across the lobby past the sleeping guards, and then slipped outside into the cool night air. She didn't stop there, though. With a glance to Saul, she peeled off to the left as he went right with the silent promise between them to meet up when this matter was resolved.

Still dragging him along by his shirt, Remina kept to the shadows as much as possible as she put several streets between them and the jail before she stopped to rest in an alley to listen. There was nothing, though, no obvious pursuit that she could hear, at least for the moment. Her worries weren't over yet, though. Turning narrowed eyes upon him, she growled softly as she tried to maintain her temper. "Why were you in jail?" she demanded.

The nobleman was far from thrilled as he was dragged from street to street by the hand that cruelly mauled his favorite shirt. His amethyst eyes glared down at it with such concentration that had Benjamin had more magic he might have been able to make it spontaneously combust as he so desperately desired.

Alas though he could only set it aflame in his mind's eye all the while cursing her lack of manners complete disrespect for other people's property. He was so intent on his thoughts that he did not notice they were stopping until he literally ran headlong into the woman's side.

He blushed in embarrassment and made to apologize before remembering her desire for his silence and her strange way of gaining it. His jaw clanked shut with a snap of teeth as his eyes bulged with repressed words even as she queried him.

Benjamin pressed his lips firmly together and scowled. There was a slight pause as he regained his composure before finally answered. "I was there for my safety," he hissed out. "Of course that is all for naught now that you have removed me from there. "Now that makes me your," he growled, jabbing a finger towards her chest, " responsibility to protect since you were so intent on removing me from the security of three stone walls and irons bars. What were you even thinking?!"

Remina couldn't believe what she was hearing. Was he truly that crazy? To think he was in jail for his own protection? Surely he didn't think her that dull. Or perhaps he was truly that delusional and self-centered. She was going to bet on the latter as she stared down at the finger pointing at her that hovered just barely away from touching.

"I was thinking you were going to alert the guards the moment I got my friend out, and I was curious about why they locked you up," she said calmly, shrugging as she turned her back on him as she began to scale the side of one of the buildings they were standing between to get a better vantage point and figure out just where they were. "What exactly am I to protect you from? Are you afraid something will snatch you up in the night?" she called down teasingly.

"Hey. Hey!" he called after her, scrambling to the wall to yell up at her better. "You can't just leave me here like this. It's all your fault I need protection anyway. If you hadn't gotten in the way of that crazy thief of a merchant none of this would have happened.:

The nobleman huffed irritably while resisting the urge to stomp his foot. "Of course I have concerns about being mugged or even murdered by being out on the streets after dark. I wouldn't even be here if it weren't for your forceful insistence that I vacate my sanctuary. It is for this reason among others that you must now ensure my safety until morning when I will readily and speedily return to the captain of the guard and explain this entire debacle with the heinous woman. Now come down this instant. I refuse to shout up at you any longer like some animal."

Atop the building she finally got a clear view of the moon and the few landmarks she was looking for. Listening out for anything amiss that might hinder their progress through the city, she winced at his highly unnecessary yelling. He certainly was not someone who belonged in the darkness, or at least she thought him far too young to even know how to properly conduct himself and avoid being noticed or killed.

"Shh!" she hissed down at him, turning to glare down over her shoulder before quickly getting her bearings again and heading down the wall to the squalling little man. "I pity your life if you consider prison a sanctuary," she whispered, praying he would accept her example and follow it. "You should learn it quickly that the jail and its guards are not your friends or you'll never survive out here. They would gladly leave you to starve and die and abuse you like some unwanted, stray alley cat along the way," she told him bitterly.

"If you refuse to let me return you to your parents then you will be remain under my own watch until you will let me do so. I don't need some foolish boy running to the guards again. Now tell me," she sighed, firmly setting a hand to his shoulder as she turned to start walking. "Where do you live?" 

Benjamin glared in silence, completely disbelieving her claims concerning the local authorities. After all, how could those meant to serve and protect be the ones to cause pain and trouble instead? This fool woman just had to have been wrong. No-good-doers usually were considering they often fell on the wrong side of the law anyway. She was probably just bitter because her client ended up behind bars. Come morning Benjamin would be sure to be on his way back to explain things in full to the captain of the guard. Surely he would understand the trying circumstances the nobleman had been through of late.

"My parents?" he sputtered quizzically, his arms falling to his sides. "What? What? You can't take me to my mother! I'm not just some wayward child that needs to be returned home madam! I am-hey! I am not a boy! I am a full-grown man I'll have you know!" he cried out, puffing up to appear bigger all the while failing miserably given his string-bean form.

"I'm not telling you where I live! The last thing I need is you harassing me and my mother with demands for money and other," Benjamin waved his hands about, unable to find a word that could truly describe what he wanted to say. Finally he gave up with a huff and a very child-like glare. "Not a boy."

Remina smirked at his protests, though his accusations did sting. She tried to keep it lighthearted as she was convinced he was nothing but a rebellious teenager. "I don't need your money," she laughed, still maintaining a solid hold on him. "Nor do I want it or anything else from you or your family. I support myself and have my own, I have no need to steal," she announced somewhat proudly.

Noticing his glare she rolled her eyes and took his partial cue. "I don't need any trouble caused by a particular young man and you will be escorted home and your mother will be informed of your misdoings, understand?

"Since you won't tell me why you were arrested I'm only going to assume and tell your mother the worst things I can imagine you'd be in for. Would you like that or are you just going to tell me the truth? Enough of this protection nonsense."

The nobleman snorted and shook his head. "As if! I highly doubt you'll walk all the way to my home and tell my mother such lies. You'd give up before you even made it a quarter of the way. Besides," he added off-handedly, nose in air and hands behind his now turned back. "It's not like my mother would believe you anyway. Her baby boy can do no wrong in her eyes."

Benjamin paused for a moment before realizing what he said. His eyes snapped wide open as he stumbled to correct himself. "Not of course that I am a baby or a boy for that matter anymore but you know how it is, have to indulge the elderly and all that." He shrugged his shoulders and made a tsking sound.

"There is no truth to tell you anyways. I already told you it and you didn't listen. Not my fault if your ears don't work. Your debt to me is to be paid off by ensuring my safety until morning. Afterwards our dealings cease and we will never see each other again, hopefully," he added as an aside under his breath.

His stubbornness was annoying, but she was convinced she could get him to crack, especially when he was already making so many slip-ups in her eyes. "I have no debt to you," she reminded him sharply. "I am merely being kind to a clearly troubled youth and covering my tracks.

"Now don't test me, alright? Things will go much smoother for you if you'd just tell me where you live. A street, a business nearby, anything," she insisted, not willing to let him off so easily. "Besides, I highly doubt you'd find your accommodations agreeable if you'd prefer my protection to your mother's for the night."

"You have a very big debt to me if you don't want your little boy-toy returning to spending his days in that cold, dingy cell! Remember that I am the victim here! You have caused me so much trouble the least you can do is repay for the damage you have cost me. I ask for so little at that!"

He huffed and puffed, shuffling his feet and shaking his head grumpily before finally coming to an abrupt stop. A slow smile formed on his lips that quickly formed into that of the Cheshire Cat. "Well if you insist I tell you. My house is in Serendipity, the Fallial province to be exact. Now if that isn't specific enough for you I don't know what is. Aren't I generous?"

She could only laugh at his ridiculous claims, especially of Saul and her supposed debt to him. "What debt could I possibly owe to you?" Silence fell upon her, though, as he told her he lived in Fallial. "In Serendipity?" she repeated, slowly going wide-eyed as she worked to map the distance in her head. "How on earth did you travel from Fallial?" she questioned, not thinking him capable enough to figure out the roads for himself.

Benjamin rolled his eyes and sighed. "Are you so daft woman that you don't understand the basic premises of travel? Or perhaps have you just never been out of the city? Well you see most people take a horse or a carriage and travel. Some even walk to where they are headed. Some go with wagons and some even fly. It all depends on which method you fancy. Personally it was a bit of a mix of everything. Although the flying bit wasn't really intentional..."

He trailed off blushing before making himself busy by brushing bits of leftover straw from the jail cell off of his coat. "It was rather simple really. Anyone can travel you know. Just need to know where you are and where you are headed and thankfully I knew both of those quite well."

Remina sputtered, trying to catch him before he carried on and on about it and inform him that she did indeed know what travel was and did so frequently, but she was unsuccessful. "I am not daft nor unfortunate enough to have never traveled, sir" she informed him, a bit offended at his explanation, though it did make her a bit curious about his seemingly strange methods.

"Thank you for that, but it is unnecessary. I just was impressed that someone so young could travel such a distance alone, or perhaps you weren't alone... But how did you fly?" she wondered. joking, "Do you have some dragon you're hiding somewhere?"

Benjamin did not catch the sarcasm in her voice, instead thinking it to be sincerity. He smiled at last getting what he deemed as the respect he deserved. That smile soon faded as a scowl and a crimson flush flooded his face all the way to the roots of his fiery hair.

"There was a bit of a mishap on the border and a change of plans occurred rather unexpectedly," he muttered, his eyes shifting to the side as he tried to avoid elaborating on the answer. "Are you done now? I would much like to get indoors if you don't mind. It's rather chilly out."

She was amused at the color in his cheeks and even moreso by his avoidance of answering the question clearly. Shrugging, she pointed at the hills above. "I'll let you stay in the spare room I have. In the morning I'll take you home, but it's too far to walk right now, obviously.

"Now...what happened at the border?" she wondered.

"I don't need to be taken home in the morning. I still have business that I need to conclude! Have you not been listening? Honestly, you really should get your hearing checked as soon as possible. This is a great concern that you would be losing your hearing at such a young age. Of course you could have been this way since birth in which case I really do feel for you."

Benjamin shook his head in commiseration. "Why do you want to know about the border? Why all these questions? You don't need to know this. It's not going to help you with protecting me. It's over and done with, long since resolved. Believe me, you have nothing to worry about from that whole minor incident."

Remina gritted her teeth as the hair at the nape of her neck bristled at his stubbornness. "I am not hard of hearing, far from it! Very far from it," she told him pointedly. "You should quit going on about this whole business thing... I don't know why you're being so hardheaded about this! I'll be taking you straight home so that your blood isn't on my hands if you decide to go and get yourself killed, understand? I'm not having that.

"And I'm not asking many questions, I was just trying to be conversational. But if you don't want to talk to me, then fine. I'll leave you alone and you can just shut up until you're out of my care."

Benjamin shook his head. "Must be selective hearing then, or stubbornness. Not your doctor so not really my business to try and diagnose it. Oh well. See there you go again!" He threw his hands up into the air, stepping closer to the woman.

"It must be stubbornness because I have told you countless times I am not going home until this whole debacle is cleared tomorrow. Besides come morning I am no longer your responsibility, so you won't be taking me home!"

The nobleman made a sound of exasperation in the back of his throat before turning to head out of the alley. "Let's just go then. There really is no need to continue this conversation anyway."

"There's nothing to clear up, you stubborn brat," she muttered. "Why am I even here? You're just a delusional troublemaker. I can't get anything from you and you only serve to annoy me with this nonsense about going back in the morning. That's crazy talk. Absolute crazy talk. You're going to get yourself killed, you know that, right?

"Fine," she agreed, sighing heavily as she turned to stare at the road ahead and up to the hill where her home sat waiting in darkness. "Just stay close so you don't get lost, there are a lot of weird streets at the edge of town."

The nobleman huffed but otherwise refrained from answering her. It was pointless what she thought of him anyway. She was not his mother nor a suitor. She was just some crazy woman he had the misfortune to meet twice now.

"Everything about this town is weird," he grumbled under his breath, stuffing his hands under his armpits in an attempt to keep them warm.

"I assume you mean even the people?" she asked bitterly, unamused by his sorry display. "Are you sick or something? You have a coat on," she pointed out, rolling her eyes.

"Aye! Between the woman earlier and your accomplice in the jail cell I don't know what to think about Ketra's hospitality. It is all very strange to me."

Benjamin shivered and pressed closer to the Alley wall in attempt to avoid a draft of air. "Yes I know I'm wearing a coat but it's sopping wet from being in that musty cell. They really need to work on their housekeeping in there. Honestly I've never seen anything quite that bad in my whole life! You might want to let them know that if you're ever in town again. A person could catch a cold in die in there from those conditions, I tell you!"

"I see," she sighed, thankful at least that he wasn't insulting her directly again, though she had no idea why he had anything bad to say about Saul. "It would probably be best for me to avoid the jail and all of its...pig guards. I wouldn't exactly be welcome to visit, or treated nicely for that matter. I don't like staying around for long periods of time anyhow. Everyone gets so...flighty," she shrugged as she led him down a side street and out a small door to keep away from the main road.

"Try not to get stuck in the brambles," she told him as she picked up the pace and began ascending the all too familiar hill on her invisible path, never staying in a straight line as she navigated the brush.

His eyebrows raised in surprise but he tried not to comment and ask why. The woman seemed mad enough that he kept talking and he really did not want to worsen his living situation for the night by further irritating her especially since she seemed to become infuriated with him at the drop of a pin.

"Brambles? What brambles?" he queried moments before walking right into said bramble bush. "Oh those brambles," he stated while fighting to extract himself. Try as he would though he could not avoid the bushes. It seemed that every attempt to do so ensured he would be ensnared. By the time he was free of one he was caught in another and watching the woman head onward without him.

The near-constant, rattling sound of him becoming entangled was slowly grating at her nerves. Whenever she glanced back at him, though, it was a truly pitiful sight to see. "Just...try stepping where I step," she encouraged him, slowing down so he might be able to follow along a bit better. "Is there not any woods in Fallial?" she wondered, ignoring the fact that it was quite dark as well and there was low visibility with the trees above blocking most of the moonlight.

When her back was turned he mocked what she said finding it completely unhelpful when he could barely see where he was stepping let alone where she up ahead of him was stepping. "Of course there are woods in Fallial! Why would you think there were not any? Just because it's not Adela or doesn't mean that the provinces of Serendipity are without resources. Are you some kind of elitist or something? Because I can assure you Fallial is every bit as good as your Ketra, perhaps even better."

"Well, you just seem so out of your element," she commented, peering back at him to watch over her shoulder. Her eyebrow shot up at his wondering about supposed elitism. "Hardly," she scoffed. "I was just asking because you don't seem very familiar with them, but Adela is quite full of them... I'm guessing you're not one for the outdoors?" she offered, gesturing at the random thorns stuck to his clothes that she could see despite the dim light.

"Ah well I do go outdoors but not usually in this particular scenery and definitely not in these clothes. Sunday best is hardly appropriate for traipsing around in the woods. If I had know I would be marching all over Ketra I would have at least worn my traveling boots this morning. I am rather unprepared for all of these nature," paused searching for a word while waving at the flora around him, "things."

"Things?" she wondered, looking around to humor him. "Well, what's your typical scenery like?" Remina chose to ignore his comments about clothing and shoes, as if it were normal to have special boots for traveling! "I take it you're fairly wealthy, huh?" she guessed.

Benjamin spread his arms out wide, managing to catch both of them on separate bramble bushes. "Well-ahh, well you see my typical scenery is of big, open spaces with some trees but more lakes and rivers. Umm a little help here?" he begged as he managed to get himself more and more tangled up.

"And I wouldn't say that I am wealthy so much as coming from a family that once had a great fortune. Time changes things though," he added in a quiet voice, his face taking on a brooding expression as he ceased his attempts to free himself.

"Sounds quite the opposite of Ketra... I never did spend much time in Serendipity. The forests are so dense here." She stopped and turned to look at him when he asked for her help, and her eyes widened at the sight as she tried to figure out how someone could become so entangled. "As you've found. Sure," she agreed, carefully making her way back to him and working to unsnare him from the clutches of the brush one arm at a time.

Remina finally started to relax her pout and smile as he showed his first inkling of a human soul in his humbleness. "I see. Rich in blood, not gold," she mused as she was finally able to free him. "I can certainly relate to that." Turning to be on her way again, she carefully wound her way up the hill at a much slower pace to try and accommodate him enough to "show" the way.

"I assume you can be civil around my pet?" she asked as she caught the gleam of a lantern ahead. "No more smushing?"

"Well actually to be honest there really is no such thing as rich blood from what I have been able to tell. From a scientific prospective it all appears to be the same. I mean if you bleed or I bleed regardless of our status does it not still bleed red? Is the viscosity not the same? Blood is blood, at least in that manner we are all the same."

He shrugged in the dark. Benjamin was trying his hardest now to keep up with her, his eyes trained on the uneven ground and her previous footsteps so that he may likewise navigate through the baffling maze of brush.

"Smushing?" he asked startled, halting completely in his paces. "What do you mean?" The nobleman had already forgotten the entire incident that had caused him to meet the woman in the first place or to realize for that matter that the cat that had started it all was her pet.

While his short speech on blood sounded interesting, the topic was unfortunately far and above her comprehension of science. Though, she certainly knew well and agreed with his claims from the findings of her own lifestyle. "I suppose you're right," she agreed. "And yes, smushing."

Continuing on towards the small house Remina couldn't believe he was asking for clarification about something that stood so starkly in her own memory. "My cat," she prompted him. "Caydence. You sat on her in the market. Well, fell, but you sat on her tail because of it.

"I'm sure she'll be quite bitter about it," she shrugged, fully convinced that the cat would recognize him for the negative events of the morning. "I'm sure she would not forget it so easily."

Benjamin hummed in reply, his brows furrowed as he tried to remember this cat that she was talking about. As he traced his memory back he finally recalled the unpleasant screech of what possibly could have been a cat from in the marketplace, although he could not be positive.

"I'm sure if your feline friend remembers the incident she will not come anywhere near me. That is usually the case with cats. They find that hiding under furniture or in high places is amendable to my presence." He shrugged weakly, shaking his head. "I have no idea why."

"That's true, she might not even bother to come out and see you," she agreed as she finally stepped onto the light semblance of a path that had been cleared to lead up to the front porch and door. "I find they're the same way with me, though," she remarked sadly. "Felines tend to not be a fan of my presence. It's such a shame, really. I adore them yet they want nothing to do with me," she shrugged with a sad chuckle.

"So strange, I think. Even Caydence seems to like other people much better than she likes me. I guess I'm just not popular with cats," she sighed, heading up to the front door and slipping inside. "How old are you anyway?" she wondered, trying to tune herself into his mind to listen for the real answer. "And just be honest."

"How old am I?" he repeated dumbly, staring her wide-eyed. "Well um, I am," Benjamin trailed off, crossing his arms with his now tattered sleeves in front of his chest while his brows furrowed in thought. His mind was a whirl with openly complicated thoughts as he used his odd way of counting and remembering things to try and answer her question.

'The Whittler experiment was three years ago making the flask explosion about four months after. Franny irritated my mother on my birthday making the whole debacle a prior because my eyebrows had finally grown back in again. Ah, but then there was the delays on the goat's liver order, so what was that, another two weeks I think, making me...'

"Twenty-two. Yep, I'm twenty-two give or take a few weeks." The nobleman smiled proudly at having remembered his age and it not taking him too long to come to that conclusion. "And you? How old are you?"

As he stood there thinking she went around the main room lighting what lanterns and candles there were before making her way over to the hearth to get the fire started again. She was surprised at what she was hearing in the silence, mostly because it made no sense yet still managed to tell some story about him. She raised a brow at the idea of his own eyebrows needing to grow back and wondered what had happened to cause such a thing.

She was pretty sure he was being honest with the answer he gave, though he thought it unusual that a human would have to think so hard about their own age, but she hadn't expected him to ask the same of her in return, even if it was only fair. "Me? I recently turned three hundred thirty," she told him with a slight shrug and glance over her shoulder.

Benjamin blinked several times in shock before licking his lips and trying to clear his throat. "I'm sorry, can you repeat that again? Did you just say you are three hundred and thirty years old?"

His mind was racing a mile a minute as he tried to do calculations of what this could mean. 'That many days is less than a year and she is far more matured than that but that many weeks is still too young about oh what is six and a half years? What could she possible be measuring time in if not years? Is she really that old? That's unbelievable! Why it might even be a scientific miracle! Alchemist across the lands will be fascinated by this discovery. Forget the fountain of youth or exliir of life, Benjamin Hase's got the woman that doesn't age. Ha! As if though, probably just some spell or anti-aging potion. Alas, the miracle of alchemy and other sciences at work!'

"Mmhm," she nodded, trying not to let on how amusing she found his thoughts on the matter. She found it strangely flattering, too, though it seemed he found it more interesting for the novelty of it. "Three hundred and thirty years.

"It isn't some potion or anything like that keeping me young... It actually isn't entirely uncommon. It's just how I am, how I've been for quite a while with very little changes," she tried to explain, though she had no idea how he'd receive it once what she thought was surprise wore off.

'Ah so not a potion, must be a spell then. Magic certainly does work miracles, or at least would let the common man perceive them as such. Wonder how much she paid for that kind of thing. It's really a shame though. You would think someone as attractive as her would be secure enough to physically age along with their timeline. I mean you can't always steal the limelight from the younger generations. At least that's what Mother keeps telling me, not that you can really believe her on these things with all the potions she tries to down,' Benjamin mused.

"Is it by choice then? Or were you cursed, in the sense that someone forced this on you?"

Remina's expression quickly began to sour, her small victory already slipped from her grasp. Even if he thought her attractive it meant nothing if it was thought to be a product of cheating nature. Once the fire was bright enough she stepped away to blow out a few of the candles she'd lit before.

"I am cursed. My age and appearance have nothing to do with it, though," she tried to assure him as she got herself comfortably seated. "This is just how I was born and how I grew to be. It's just how my family is, I guess: My brother, my father, my mother. Why? Have you met someone cursed with youth before?" she wondered, smirking at the relatively good misfortune that might be for a human.

Benjamin continued to stand awkwardly near the door where she had left him. "Well no actually but you never know. Witches are women first and everyone knows how fickle they can be," he told her with a shrug.

"Is youthfulness the only part of this family curse of yours or is there more to it?"

The witches or the women? I'm not sure I want to know, she thought, slightly bitter but wanting to let it slide for the sake of their mostly positively-progressing conversation. "There is more to it, but I'm sure someone like you might find it quite depressing," she shrugged. "Though my brother seems to have gotten the better luck of it, and much younger than I, too."

Gesturing as if to wave it off, she told him, "It's a complicated thing, but nothing harmful or anything to worry about. Life goes on and it's yet to have inhibited me. Are you going to sit down at all?"

"What exactly are the details of the curse?" Benjamin persisted. "And thank you, I was waiting for you," he added, carefully seating himself in a chair opposite her. "I mean you call it a curse and yet you also say that it has no ill effects upon your person or that of any of your family. I wouldn't necessarily classify that as a curse. Sounds like more of an enchantment or a spell if you ask me."

Well, at least he has some manners, she thought, not even realizing that he had been waiting on her approval. "I assume it is a curse because that's what it has always been called. It's what I was born knowing. It's been a part of my family for hundreds of years.

"It actually...has the potential for ill effects," she told him, continuing with a sad chuckle, "My father and brother have been lucky, but I assume I've broken the family's record. Our curse requires we eventually find our match in life, our other half, our partner, a specific, special person. I don't remember exactly how it goes, but I believe it's our one shot at a partner for life. If that person doesn't want anything to do with me then I can't do anything about it," she shrugged. "I'm guessing it would be like being forced to watch your lover get over you and move on to someone else and live their life without you, though I've been told that my grandfather suffered terribly for the loss of my grandmother."

Remina gestured that it was something she remembered little of at the moment and was out of her hands anyway. "Do you study curses and magic, then?" she inquired, wondering why he wanted to know more in the first place.

Benjamin leaned in close to listen, his eyes deeply focused on the woman before him as he listened intently. "Now that does sound more like a curse. I mean if I were to take a gander I would say that someone in your family broken some little witch's heart so that all of you must find that one perfect person for you. All of this is theoretical of course, you'll have to excuse me for classifying it so haphazardly if you will. Magic happens to be one of my interests, yes however it is not my expertise."

The nobleman did not apologize for the way he talked. Benjamin had no concept that what he had been saying could be considered even remotely offending. Social cues were certainly not his forte. While he understood all the niceties involved in human-to-human interactions, he failed miserably at knowing the right things to say and the right way to say them.

"Maybe so," she winced. "I never thought of why, really, but that very well could be it. Someone got their heart broken... But it must have been some powerful magic to last this long, don't you think?" Remina shook her head, pausing for a few moments to gather her thoughts and try to remember what they'd been leading towards with this now relatively calm conversation.

"Are you an apprentice mage, then? Or...what do you do?"

"Perhaps the witch is still alive," he suggested with a shrug. "Many spells are known to hold their strength for as long as something or someone is still alive or intact. But who can say?" Benjamin leaned back in his chair and relaxed, feeling completely within his element now that he had been given an option to talk about his profession.

What he did not notice though was the calico feline making her way across the floor towards the back of his chair. "It is a common misconception however I, madam happen to be an Alchemist. Although I do have some minor dealings and dabblings in magic it is not my primary focus. Really its more of a hobby than anything else."

"Perhaps so," she thought aloud, leaning forward to rest her chin in the palm of a propped up arm. She wondered what she should do with him now that she realized he actually was an adult even with such a boyish stature. He would probably leave of his own accord come morning, but what of the jail? She certainly couldn't have him telling the whole city that he'd stayed in the house on the hill for the night, and with a criminal at that. That would definitely disrupt her privacy and she really didn't want to move or even temporarily displace herself because of his mouth.

While she did hear the soft footfalls of her feline friend, Remina ignored it. It was such a commonplace sound to her now that it didn't even occur that she might need to pay any mind to it. "An alchemist," she mused, saying the word slowly. "What do you do as an alchemist? Is that like an herbalist?" she asked sincerely.

Benjamin winced. "Well, eh" he sighed and shook his head. "No not, not exactly. You see an herbalist deals solely with herbal remedies. I on the other hand deal with inventions and other things. I dabble in other fields such as herbology and magic but they are not my main focus with my work. Why? Is there something you possibly or in need of? I'm open for work."

Behind him, Caydence had hopped up onto the back of Benjamin's chair and was currently sitting there, staring down at his head, her tail flicking back and forth to just barely brush against his ears.

"Oh! I see," she nodded, though she wasn't entirely grasping what he was saying about the differences. "So... An alchemist does a little bit of everything, then?" she guessed.

"Could you...charm something small?" she wondered, having no idea if that was within the realm of his abilities but a bit interested in his offer. The cat's presence, while known, was of little consequence to her and she merely cast the slight movement she saw a welcoming glance. "A pendent, perhaps? I've an idea for something, actually, if you'd be willing to do it."

He sat back in the chair, completely unaware of the feline presence behind him already deep in concentration. "I cannot speak for all Alchemists but I can say that it might be possible for me to make such a thing. It really depends on what you want this charm to do though. Often times when given a task that spans many disciplines I like to do a great deal of research and consult other field experts to ensure that I can offer the highest quality product to my customers. But, what is it that you want this charm to do?" he asked, batting away the tickling irritation that kept attacking his ear.

She nodded and wondered if he might be able to make such a thing even as she envisioned it herself. "I wouldn't mind if it took a lot of time," she assured him, though she had no proof or faith in his claim to ensure a high quality product. "I would want it to be a source of calm, if that makes sense. Perhaps a lulling ocean wave within glass. Is that maybe something you could make? To be honest I've never seen such a thing, so I don't know how much magic might be required to keep it going, but it would be a gift for someone," she explained.

"A source of calm," he repeated, already frowning in thought. "I am afraid in order to do that though I would need to know the person it is meant for. What calms one human may enrage another, you see. May I inquire as to the personality and purpose of the recipient?"

Again he waved away at the incessant brushing that was going on at his ear, unaware of his new friend. "Is there a draft in here? You might want to get that fixed before it gets any colder. I'm sure being at this higher elevation means you get quite a bit of wind during the winter months. It would be such a tragedy if your house collapsed due to poor infrastructure you know."

"Of course. She's very...fiery, I suppose. Feisty and strong and prepared for a fight." Remina chuckled. "But passionate more than anything. She's sweet with tough skin, very much able to hold her own. She has a big heart, or at least I think so, and she's a cat lover like me," she explained, trying to recall as much as she could about her brother's partner.

His question about a draft, though, left her a bit puzzled. "A draft? I think it's quite warm with the fire... This house has stood for a very long time and many, many winters without any problem," she assured him. "Would you...like a blanket or coat or something?" she wondered, moving to stand as she wasn't aware that he was mistaking the tickling, prickling of cat fur for a chill.

Benjamin was preparing to respond when Caydence decided to interrupted with a quick rat-a-tat bopping of his head that let out a decidedly hollow sound. His eyes nearly bugged out of his head in surprise moments before a ball of warm fur fell into his lap.

For a moment he simply stared down at the calico-colored feline before looking up at his hostess. "Does this happen belong to you, Madam?"

Remina winced at the light, muffled sounds of paws hitting his head. Drawn to the movement, she realized Caydence was the culprit and flushed slightly with embarrassment that the cat was toying with him in such a way. "Yes, that's Caydence," she sighed as she quickly rose from her chair and rounded the table to glare down at the cat.

"Bad kitty!" she scolded her gently as she reached out to remove her from his lap. "I'm sorry about her, I guess she wanted to play," she apologized.

Caydence growled deep within her throat, puffing into a giant ball of fur and digging her claws into Benjamin's legs in order to prevent her owner from removing her from her current perch. The nobleman squeaked, his eyes as wide as an owl's as he threw up his hands.

"Don't!" Clearing his throat to regain his composure he continued, "really it's not necessary. She is find where she is as long as she does not do anymore damage to my person. Please do be seated!" He kept one hand raised for fear she would persist in her attempts to remove the feline, while the other moved to gently try and smooth down the ruffled fur.

Remina hesitated at his insistence coupled with the growling of the cat. Feeling a bit hurt for the rejection of her friend, she gave Caydence a pointed look before she nodded and went back to her chair to sit down again. "I'm so sorry about her," she told him sincerely.

"Did she hurt you?" she wondered as she watched the swishing tail beginning to deflate.

"It's but a scratch. I just would hate for it to become more given the precarious position she has placed me in. Now about your friend, is she a um," he blushed and cleared his throat, "a lover perhaps? What is the particular nature of your relation with the recipient?"

Remina nodded, glaring at what fur she saw of the small cat in silent scolding before lifting her eyes to him again and the odd blush she noticed at his cheeks. "A...lover?" she repeated slowly, eyes widening at the mere thought of the trouble she'd be in for ever making a pass at her brother's match after all the trouble they'd gone through to get together in the first place.

"No, no... Nothing like that. Not at all, she's...my brother's. Lover, I mean. My brother's lover. Match. Mate. Girlfriend. Whatever you want to call it," she told him hurriedly, not wanting him to get the wrong impression. "I just thought it might be nice to give her something at some point because I never did before when I first met her. Sort of a...welcoming into the family and acceptance as a sister sort of thing," she insisted.

He listened carefully, nodding his head in understanding all the while drawing his own conclusions. He did not doubt that the recipient of his peace was indeed the lover of his hostess' brother however he did believe the reason for the gift was a bit more important than was let on.

For one it was noted that the gift was intended to calm the user. This suggested one of two things, either the brother was abusive or the woman was. He believed it was the later as people tended to be more protective of their family than those that married in. This being said there had to be a reason why the woman was sticking around. If she was not tied to the brother by law then there was something else. He was still skeptical of the curse therefore that left only one other option in his mind.

"Is she pregnant then?"

"Pardon?" Remina blinked at him. "Is she pregnant?" she repeated, thinking for a moment and wondering if such a thing had ever been mentioned or hinted last she'd seen them. "No, I don't believe so. I actually haven't seen them in a long while so I thought it might be nice to bring a gift when I next visit," she explained.

"Why? Would it be bad to give her a charm if she were pregnant?" she wondered.

"It is quite possible it could be detrimental to the child. I can't say I know much about these types of charms and their affects on the unborn. The main reason for asking though is the point of such a gift. If your brother's lover is so abusive why does he not end the relationship? And why for that matter do you continue it?" Benjamin asked, truly perplexed by the notion.

"Abusive?" she squeaked, startled by such an accusation of Tiraris. "She's not abusive at all. They're quite in love, at least as I saw them. In fact, I'm sure they will marry some day, too! She is human so I'm sure that's something she might want to have with him.

"If I find out she is pregnant," Remina insisted, "then I will postpone giving the gift to her until after the child is born. I wouldn't risk such a thing. I can assure you, though, they have an incredibly loving, close relationship. I believe they're traveling together right now."

Benjamin furrowed his brows once more. "I don't understand then. If their relationship is so sweet and loving then why would you want me to make something that has the purpose of instilling calm? I would hate to spend so much time on something that would be inevitably useless, especially since the construction would be rather delicate and time-consuming."

Remina was a bit taken aback by his continued questioning on the matter. It bothered her that she might have to justify a gift for someone else for the creator to make it. "Because life isn't perfect," she began slowly. "Sometimes it's stressful, sometimes you need to focus. Haven't you ever had a bad day? Sometimes I wish I had such a source of calm and relaxation to lean upon and I suspect she might as well. That is why I wish to give her something like that.

"If you wish to not take on such a commission then I suppose I might be able to find someone else for it. I just thought it might be nice to ask you since I've thought on it for a while and someone with your skills happened to be right in front of me with an offer of work."

"I can't say that I ever have, although today came relatively close," Benjamin admitted quite calmly. "I would have to think on this commission quite hard. My original idea I don't think will fit your intended purpose. Originally I was looking at something that was a magical gauge if you will of the wearer's temperament. You on the other hand are desiring something that invokes calm. This a two-fold issue as I stated before it depends on what calms the specific person. Also the problem lies in that if magic is used to directly influence a person's emotions then it breaks coven contracts that magic be used for good and not ill will. I simply cannot condone the second which brings us back to the first."

Holding his hands out to the side, he proclaimed. "And this is why we have a problem."

"I believe we have a greater misunderstanding, then," she sighed. "I do not want something to forcibly calm a person. I am asking for something to be made that contains a traditionally calming thing or scene or whatever. That is why I suggested a wave, or something like that in nature, perhaps. I want her to be able to find calm and peace within it not to be forced into it while wearing it," she sighed.

"If you think that break this contract you have," she waved her hand, honestly not even knowing what that was all about in the first place. "Then I would not want you to do something you think will cause something negative. I do not wish to have her bound to some emotion by magic, I just wanted something...cute," she gestured with her fingers for something small, "and inconsequential in size that she might find useful at times."

Benjamin nodded his head. "You are right in the fact that we are having a misunderstanding. I don't think you're understanding me. The forceful use of magic is now obviously not what you're looking for so we can put that behind us. What I was trying to say though is that this a rather complicated procedure and I would hate to not make it match your specifications. I also wanted to make sure you understood what I am willing and unwilling to do."

Absentmindedly, the nobleman scratched behind the purring cat's ears. "Now you mentioned the possibility of creating a wave or something. Does your brother's um, what exactly is she?" he paused unsure of the correct term that would not insult his hostess and potential client.

"Alright," she conceded. "I did understand, though, that it would be complicated. But that's fair, and now everything's clear between us. At least I hope." She glanced down at what she could see of Caydence on his lap, her eyes narrowing slightly at the traitorous feline's purring. It wasn't fair that her own cat liked the company of the stranger who'd squashed her tail better than the one who housed and fed her!

"Oh, she's um," she startled, bringing her attention back to him. "She's...a partner, I suppose? Or mate," Remina shrugged. "They aren't married, though, so not his wife."

"Very well then his, partner," the word came out slowly as if he was still getting used to it before continuing, "does she like the ocean? Have an infinity towards it? I could create a wave like sound or even the imagery but I wouldn't want to make her sick. You're sure you don't want something that gauges her temperament? That way your brother would just have to look at it to know how she was feeling. Would probably mean less conflict for them. Women are notoriously difficult to understand at times."

The nobleman sighed heavily, reflecting on all the instances when understanding women had failed him. He also made a mental note to look further into marketing such an item as he had a feeling it could be a big seller if he could get it to work right.

"To be honest, I'm not sure of anything she likes," she admitted, feeling a bit bad about that particular fact. His continued insistence upon something to "track" her emotions, though, bothered her. "I don't know if they have any conflicts in the first place, but it is certainly not my business to impose upon something so private in my own brother's relationship.

"Perhaps it might be easy enough to make something like that...a stone, perhaps, that changes color based upon emotions. The trouble with that, though, is that he would not know what was causing it, only how she might feel. It could be something entirely unrelated to him, even just something that's on her mind. I don't think that would be an accurate representation of what a woman feels regardless of how it worked. It...changes so often anyway," she sighed.

"And I think it's a bit lazy. If you personally have so much trouble understanding women then perhaps you should spend more time listening to them instead of trying to put their emotions on display like they were meant to be an open book in the first place," she told him bitterly, not being shy about listening in on his thoughts this time.

"What do you find calming?" she finally inquired, hoping to find some common thing she might be able to relate to others and make him understand her point.

Benjamin sputtered in disbelief. "Lazy! It's not being lazy, it's self-preservation! Listening to a woman doesn't really get you anywhere except more confused than when you started. They never know what they want and the moment you give it to them they tell you how it's all wrong anyway. It's a nightmare," he groaned, slouching in his chair as he stared wide-eyed at the floor, recollecting his own mother's harping that he did not do as she had wanted.

Bringing himself back to the present though, he straightened some before continuing. "Forgive me but having it be an open display of her emotions was not quite what I had intended. It was more of something for them to share or even for herself privately if she so desired where she could look down it and realize things were getting to be a bit much for her and she might need to take her leave of her present company to re-compose herself.

"I mean everyone has need to do that at some time or another, self-included. To answer your question, I often retreat to my library because it is the place that I find to be the most calming when I don't know what to do about a present situation. I usually find my answer there anyway."

While the concept was okay, Remina was definitely offended at the thought that he might think women incapable of knowing their own limits when things get heated. A frown set in as she stared at him, a bit in disbelief of what she was hearing him carry on about. "If the user had the ability to conceal it whenever they desired that would be one thing...but such a device seems like it would be complicated and useless if she never wished to share her emotions so openly. Perhaps she isn't a very open person...I'm not sure. I would think that most women would see it as some sort of disadvantage to have her emotions out in the open like that, even if she might want others to know how she was feeling. She could just as simply use words to convey them," she shrugged, a bit disenchanted with the idea of some sort of emotion reader.

"I'm sure she would know when things might begin to be getting out of hand," she tried to assure him, a bit concerned for his opinion of females, though she felt confident that he wasn't even aware of the offense that could come of it. "I would hope most women would be able to discuss their thoughts and feelings if you would just ask them. What I would want for her would be something that might help her mimic how you personally feel when you retreat to your library," she tried again. "Something she might be able to find her own peace and calm within. Does that...make sense?"

"Actually," Benjamin began, puffing up with pride, "such a device that can conceal its nature is not that difficult to make. It would just need to be keyed to her specific person. Is she possibly capable of producing any magical signature? If so, then it would be incredibly simple to add that feature to the piece should you desire it. As for the other matter," Benjamin trailed off and shook his head in frustration.

It was becoming quite annoying that this woman was unable to understand what he was trying to say. At every turn she was misconstruing the meaning behind his statements and then was becoming equally irritated with him for no apparent reason. "I'm not saying she wouldn't be able to control herself however, if you've ever been in an argument with someone then you would realize sometimes things do get out of hand. Once a temper is lost it takes time to reclaim calm. A device that allows her both to see her rising temper and to calm her would help in reminding her she may need to reserve herself. Any man or woman would tell you that things have been cruelly said in the midst of an argument and they wanted nothing more than to recall those statements. Is it wrong to desire to give her the chance to decide whether she wants to calm down or not?"

Listening to him got her thinking that perhaps she didn't have the right idea after all. Perhaps she wasn't thinking of the right person. After all, she didn't really know Tiraris enough to confidently say whether or not she had a problem with her temper. But Caden on the other hand... She knew he could use every bit of help he could get.

"Unfortunately I don't think she has any magic," she told him ignorantly. "She's just human, and I don't believe she's studied anything. But my brother... Well, he's like me," she explained, having no idea she'd said nothing to him about her own abilities. "And I think of the two of them, at least from my limited experience with her, he is unfortunately the one who would be likely to lose his temper.

"Do you think...maybe, that you could make a pair of them? The main one for him instead, to help him see when things are getting 'out of hand', as you say? And one for her to perhaps see when things are escalating? He has quite a temper... And she's making sacrifices to be with him. I would love for their life together to be as smooth as possible," she told him, feeling quite guilty that her brother was such a hothead and thinking about how Tiraris probably dealt with his temper a few times already if she knew her brother well.

The nobleman frowned and pursed his lips. "Well that complicates things. Although it wouldn't be completely impossible. You don't have to give up on the gift being for her just because she is without magic. If you change your mind about one for her temperment just let me know. I do have a few questions regarding your brother and um thereby yourself."

Benjamin eyed her a bit confusedly. It did not make sense to him why she disparagingly referred to her brother's girlfriend as "just human." Was she not also human? What was different about her and her brother that set her apart from the other woman? What kind of magic did she posses? This last question was the most important and the one he decided to voice aloud.

"What exactly are you and your brother capable of, magically speaking? A better understanding would allow for a better fine-tuning of the gift."

"Perhaps if I got to know her a bit better I would know what might be best," she admitted, a bit embarrassed that she knew almost nothing about her brother's partner right now. The questions she heard him sounding in his thoughts were amusing, though she tried not to let it show in her face that she could hear them so that he didn't try to shut her out.

"Well, many smaller things. Heightened hearing and awareness, for one," she began as she slowly set her hands upon the table out in front of herself. Remina slowly turned her palms up in the hopes that it would be disarming about the strange action. In the blink of an eye, with no struggle or pain thanks to her familiarity with it, she'd grown the black claws atop her fingers and the lengthened the fangs within her mouth. Her teal eyes glowed in the dim light of the room and she slowly, cautiously opened her mouth to show him her fangs briefly before closing it and smiling. Looking down at her hands she flexed each pair of fingers in succession to show off her claws in case he hadn't noticed them. "And all this, though I think his claws are prettier," she mused, hoping she would not scare him off with it all.

Benjamin blinked, not really understanding how the qualities she listed were magical. However, he was immediately startled by her transformation that literally occurred in the blink of an eye. Caydence who had been sitting up in the nobleman's lap puffed up but otherwise remained still as if recognizing that this was still Remina but still shocked by her more feline appearance.

He on the other hand was morbidly intrigued by her new physique. "What parlor trick is this that you can do? This is a whole new experience for me. Being able to do that though would definitely get someone out of a scrap or two if needed." His voice was filled with the curiosity and wonder of a child and his eyes shone with the same light. Caydence sat forgotten in his lap as questions raced through his mind in a blur.

She raised an eyebrow in amusement at his words and gave Caydence an apologetic glance with her visibly startled appearance. The demon had been expecting fear, but she was surprised that he hardly seemed fazed by her. He actually seemed interested, which was certainly not something she saw often, especially from humans.

"It isn't a parlor trick," she began, chuckling at the very suggestion. "And it certainly has gotten me out of many "scraps" as you say. It's just...me, I suppose." She fiddled with her claws a bit and shrugged, continuing coolly, "I have two forms that I can move between freely, this and the one without all the sharp stuff. Does it...make you uncomfortable?" she guessed, unable to get anything from his whirring thoughts, though she assumed she was correct as it was the "normal" reaction.

"No," he answered distractedly, his brows furrowing once more in thought. 'Touch of the lighting perhaps combined with already somewhat elongated features? Mm but they weren't that pointy before, were they? Magic could allow for some physical alteration but this? I wonder if it's a full body thing. A shifter maybe?'

Benjamin eyed her up and down and then shook his head. 'Not likely. Too eccentric. Still doesn't explain all those human comments. Could be an elitist though. Definitely seen enough of those for one lifetime.'

"What's the uh," he waved his hand at her while searching for words, "point of all the sharp stuff anyway?"

Confused, she stared at him with a raised brow. His thoughts more focused now, she was certainly able to hear, but she certainly didn’t like everything she was hearing. “Not an elitist,” she mumbled grumpily while holding up her hands to study her claws as he asked his question.

“For hunting,” she shrugged, her tone as if that should be obvious. “Quick, strong… They get the job done well.

“I’m not sure what else claws should be used for,” she teased. “Maybe cutting hair or making wood carvings? Would probably be a waste of a demon’s skills,” she shrugged, unsure why he seemed so calm. Was he frozen? Panicking? He didn’t seem distressed at all, and his eyes seemed curious and at ease. It was very peculiar and had her quite interested in him.

"Hunting?" Benjamin asked, his face scrunched up in disbelief. "Why would a woman need to hunt?" The word "demon" though set him sitting up a bit straighter in surprise. For several moments his eyes unfocused as he mentally "read" through every book on demons he knew. He could almost see the pages turning as he thumbed his way through in search of a possible match for the woman before him.

Yet, search as he may he found nothing. He knew of no creature that matched even close to the description of what sat before him. Sitting back he mused, 'could be an entirely new species. Would bear more observation though. Could be an evolution though. A former human ancestor? They say our half-Fae ancestors settled in Tirial first. It seems quite likely they would spread out amongst the world especially after all these centuries.'

He cocked his head to the side and looked at her. Then, unfazed if he was interrupting her or not blurted out, "If there are three apples and you take away two, how many do you have?"

Rolling her eyes slightly for his first question, Remina shrugged. "I don't know, to provide for herself? To have food?" she answered sarcastically. Watching his face as she listened in on him as he tried to identify her, she wondered what he stood to gain from figuring it out himself and why he didn't just ask her a frank question.

She was startled by the question he ended up voicing, though. Blinking at him a few times, she wondered if he'd really just asked it as she began to speak slowly, "If there are three apples and they weren't mine to begin with and I take away two, then I have two. If they were mine to begin with, then I have one. ...Why do you ask?"

'Mm intelligent and able to see multiple possibilities. But is it luck or actual recognition of the answer?'

"Call it curiosity," Benjamin responded distractedly, his chin resting in the palm of his hand. "I have two more questions for you if you don't mind." Not even bothering to wait for her affirmation that he could continue he asked them both immediately.

"Firstly, if a farmer has twenty-four pigs and all but seven die, how many are left? Secondly, if Mary's father has five daughters known as Jana, Jene, Jini, and Jono, what is the name of the fifth daughter?"

He allowed the fingers of his hand to curl up around his chin and cover his lips as he awaited her answers. The last thing Benjamin wanted to do was give away the answer as he tested the demon. The alchemist was highly interested in thre results and dared not skew them with his own presence.

"All right...," she laughed softly, amused by the sudden change of topic and willing to entertain more of his bizarre questions if only for her own entertainment. Staring at him as he spoke, though, she found her lips slowly curving into a smile once she knew what she would say for her answers. The way he held his chin and mouth told her he thought himself quite clever. She figured he was certainly clever enough to even think of them in the first place.

"Well, the farmer has seven, of course," she told him confidently, quite proud of herself. "But I would hate to think of what happened to wipe out seventeen pigs at once. And...Mary. What a fortunate girl to not have to have a name similar to the rest of her sisters. Or maybe she feels left out," she frowned slightly in thought before shrugging. "Did you have any other questions?"

Benjamin genuinely laughed aloud. "They must have been slaughtered for a king's banquet. Although you never know, perhaps there was a flood and they drowned. Or there was a disease. Interesting that you focus on them though," he commented even as his mind added, "compassion" to his tally concerning her.

He was however disappointed that she so easily figured out his second question when he himself had answered incorrectly the first time he had heard it. Grudgingly, he had "very intelligent" to his checklist.

Pouting at being outwitted, the nobleman shook his head. "No," he sighed like a child. "Not at this time."

She straightened up with pride for the mental notes he was making about her. Most people certainly wouldn't pin her as compassionate, but she would take it. She was pleased with herself that she had "outsmarted" his riddles at least.

"Perhaps so," she mused, smiling slightly for his pouting. "But yes... I assure you I am not of an unintelligent breed. Perhaps you have heard of the Neqa'el?" she wondered as she shifted back to her human, less sharp and pointy form.

"I never said I thought you to be one, Ma'am," he responded defensively, not realizing that she could hear his thoughts as clear as if he had spoken them aloud. "The Neqwa-Neq-Neq-what? I'm afraid I have no idea what that is. Is that what your people call yourselves?"

Caydence's fur flattened and her ears once more faced forward as she settled upon seeing her "human" looking right once more. She immediately hopped onto the table and moved to brush her head against the bottom of Remina's chin in a gesture of forgiveness.

Amused by his fumblings, Remina repeated it for him slowly. "Neqa'el. We are cat demons, but not cats. It's more....an affinity?" she shrugged, though her attention was quickly captured by Caydence and her eyes lit up with joy for the voluntary affection from her.

"Thank you, sweetheart," she cooed at her, gently sweeping a hand along her back and nuzzling her cheek against her fur. "We are few now, though," she continued as though her exchange with the cat hadn't happened at all. "It's unfortunate, but it is how things are now, so I'm not entirely surprised you haven't heard of us. Though, I'm sure there isn't much you don't know," she guessed, purposefully stroking his ego with her "cheated" knowledge of his complicated thoughts.

Benjamin pursed his lips and shook his head. "I've heard of cat demons but they're nothing like what you showed me. They're more feline-like you know with the ears and the uh," he looked down and to the side of the table as if to see a twitching appendage, "tail."

He continued his sulking, uncaring of her brief moment with Caydence who upon being loved on immediately hopped back off the table to go do cat things. The nobleman simply could not believe that there was something he did not know.

Even when she attempted to praise his knowledge he could do nothing but shrug. He was too sullen over not knowing this bit of information. "You wouldn't have any books on your affliction would you?"

"Ah, I have seen them before, but yes, they are very different," she chuckled, snorting softly at the mere idea of ever having a tail. "It isn't an affliction, you know. I am one of a unique species, nothing more," Remina assured him, furrowing her brow as she watched Caydence as she left her sight.

"But I do. Have a couple of books, that is. I don't think they could tell you any more than I could, though. One is of my family's personal history and another just has details about what my kind is, what makes us unique... Did you want to look at them?" she wondered, returning her attention to him as she turned her head to face him once more.

"Yes actually, I would if you don't mind. They sound like they could be a very interesting read indeed," he declared, once more relaxing back into his chair. "They would do well to pass the time while you prepare dinner."

Benjamin smiled warmly. He truly expected to be fed as in his mind it was part of the whole her protecting him matter. The nobleman, quite to his astonishment, was finding that he was enjoying the trip after all. He was about to possibly learn more knowledge about a species he had never heard of and he had already gotten a new commission in the face of the closing of his last. It really seemed to be fortuitous that he had been having so much trouble earlier in the day now that the evening was proving to be far more rewarding.

"Alright then," she agreed, glad that there was finally peace between them as she stood to go find the books. It was a nice change from the copious amounts of bickering they'd done throughout the day. It was just as she'd turned her back to him, though, that she heard his comment about dinner. Laughing to herself, she turned her head to look back at him over her shoulder and stare for a moment.

"Wait, were you serious?" she asked, stifling any further laughter. "I really, really, really doubt you would be able to stomach what I eat for dinner. You're welcome to anything I have in the pantry, though! There isn't much, but definitely enough to piece together a meal. I didn't realize you were hungry," she shrugged as she walked across to the room to the small bookcase by the door to the bedroom. Kneeling down, she went through the small collection and plucked each of the old, worn books out as she found them before returning to the table where she set them down.

Benjamin immediately took up the books, eager to read what was written within their pages. "Thank you," he said, waving her off. "I'm sure whatever you come up would be fine ma'am. I'm not a picky eater."

He sent her a broad smile before delving into the pages. It never occurred to him that Remina had intended for him to find his own meal. The nobleman was even oblivious to the cat returning to weave in and out between both their legs and mark them as hers.

Remina just stared at him as if he were crazy. Blinking silently for a few moments, she wondered if he'd even heard her at all. "Sir," she began slowly, smirking and shaking her head as she looked down at the cat with an affectionate glance. "You are a guest in my house. I am not your maid nor your cook. I only fetched you the books because I knew where they were," she explained calmly.

"I need to hunt if I will be eating tonight but I'm not sure I want to, so it seems a bit silly to get you food, see? I would have to get myself some, too, and that would be such a waste if I'm not hungry enough for it, so... I think it would be best if you just got what you wanted. You're an adult, as you say, go get your own dinner," she told him playfully as she carefully stepped over Caydence and took her seat across from him once more.

He stared at her in complete horror and shock. "But, but, but," Benjamin chanted brokenly. "But, you're the hostess and this is your home and I don't know my way around your kitchen."

'And I don't know how to cook,' his mind cried out terrified. His eyes were pratically pleading with her to have mercy on him. 'What does being an adult have to do with cooking? I wasn't even asking her to go out and get food. She said she had food in the pantry, wherever that is. What am I going to do? She's just going to sit there and let me starve to death isn't she? The woman who is meant to protect me is going to let me die in her own home. Oh the horror! What a travesty! Oh my stomach!'

Benjamin gripped his midsection tightly, bending nearly in half as he tried to rub his grumbling middle. 'This is it. This is the end. Oh Kia, she's killed me. Oh what will mother say? What will she be told of my passing? Her own son left starving and penniless in the home of a strange woman and her giant furball. Kia have mercy! Make it quick!' With these finally thoughts, he slumped further in his chair, his face filled with utter despair at the thought that he truly was going to die of hunger.

"Then make yourself at home!" she insisted cheerfully, shaking her head as she watched the startled shock appearing on his face. It didn't make sense to her for anyone to not be willing to fetch their own food. She wasn't sure what to expect, really. As she listened to his thoughts, though, she took on a sympathetic expression as he seemed to just panic and panic and panic more.

"Hey," she said sharply, reaching across the table to snap her fingers in front of his face. "Why didn't you just say you didn't know how to cook?" she snorted. "Too proud? Does your mother do everything for you?" she guessed, trying to muffle the laughter bubbling in her throat at the

Benjamin's eyes snapped open in surprise and seemed to nearly fall out of his head with how large they had gotten. "I never said I couldn't cook!" For a moment he stared at her tight-lipped but it was short-lived as his lips quickly turned downward in a defeated pout.

"But, it's true I can't. Mother doesn't let me near the kitchen. She says I cause too many explosions and scare away the few servants we have left." He slumped further in his chair, nearly placing himself on the floor with how low he was sitting in it.

"Does this mean that you will feed me though," he asked, semi-hopefully. "Take pity on the poor starving man?"

"Explosions...?" Remina covered her smile with her hand and turned her head away slightly as she shook her head in amusement. "You must get up to some strange things. It takes a lot to cause a fire, let alone an explosion. At least in my opinion." Looking him up and down for a moment, though, she mulled over his question and gave the possibility some serious thought.

"I guess I could make you some soup," she finally sighed before warning him playfully. "But you owe me. I'm not hungry for soup, and you can't eat what I want. So...I'm doing you a favor," she concluded, a bit proud of herself for a singular selfless act as she rose from her seat to go to the kitchen. "Or if you don't want soup, you better tell what it is you'll eat."

"Fires are relatively easy to create if you know what you're doing," he grumbled defensively. "Cooking is just an unpredictable sport. No knowing what can happen at any given time. And what do you mean I owe you?"

Benjamin's head shot up in surprise. "It's not under the whole, protect and take care of me clause?" Quickly reconsidering though given that she was willing to make him food at all he hastened to reassure her. "No, no, soup is fine! Soup would be wonderful. Whatever edible thing you want to make would be wonderful. Just careful with the salt is all I ask. Too much and I smell up like a bullfrog," he informed her while imitating the reaction by puffing out his cheeks.

Remina was skeptical of the way he spoke of fires. She figured he might have had a singular unfortunate issue in the kitchen that had set him off of it for life. It probably wasn't an issue for him anyway, for he truly did seem spoiled in her eyes, so he was probably well taken care of.

"No, there's no clause," she told him, rolling her eyes. "I'm letting you stay here so that I am confident that you won't do anything stupid or upset the city's guards," she explained as she began pulling ingredients together and starting the fire under the pot. "I'll be careful with the salt, though. Wouldn't want you getting sick or....swelling up," she giggled. "Do you prefer meat or no meat?"

Benjamin watched her with mildly curiosity as she began to prepare to cook. He had admittedly never seen anyone cook before and was interested to see how it was done. "Well thank you for your consideration towards my health at least. I am extremely grateful," the nobleman thanked her honestly.

He made a noncommittal sound though at the idea of meat. It was not that he was against meat, just that he knew it could be a very wrong move to accept it both physically and mentally. It could either make him sick if it was bad or it could cause his hostess to rail at him considering meat could be quite a pricey commodity.

Slowly, as if talking to a wild animal, Benjamin gave her her reply. "Whatever you think is best."

"Hmmm," she hummed thoughtfully, truly pondering the merits and flaws of both options as she continued preparing the rest of the ingredients. "I'll go with adding meat. It'll make it heartier at least, hopefully more satisfying."

Adding everything together in the pot, she fetched a chunk of salted stag meat and chopped it up before putting it in with everything else and covering the pot to let everything simmer. "It will take a little while," she told him honestly. "But it should be very tasty for your patience. Would you like some bread while you wait?" she wondered as she looked back at him over her shoulder.

"Oh yes thank you! You're very kind," he eagerly said with the broadest of smiles lighting up his features. Benjamin was incredibly content now with his situation. Much of their earlier conflicts had been forgotten in the face of a warm meal and books full of potential knowledge.

Remembering the books, he quickly busied himself with delving within their pages. It was with great care that he slowly read the words of his hostess' family member and extreme reverence for something so cherished that it had been passed down from generation to generation. He drank the words in like a fine wine, letting them ring out clearly in his mind as if he were speaking them aloud.

His small praise of her only served to stroke her pride and confidence tremendously. Any little bit helped, but it was especially sweet to hear it coming from someone who had been throwing insults her way earlier. It certainly felt like a victory whether he truly meant it or not.

"Why thank you," she murmured as she retrieved and set out some bread for him at the table. Glancing at the books open in front of him, she wondered aloud as she walked back to the hearth and prepared a kettle, "Have you found anything interesting? ...would you like any tea? Coffee?"

Benjamin nodded distractedly, his finger following the lines he was reading. "Tea would be wonderful, thank you." He resumed his readings diligently before looking up at the woman in curiosity. "Can you tell me about the man who wrote this? I am interested to know his personality and any other attributes you might know. I have some ideas about him but I think it would be better coming from you than from speculation, that is, if you don't mind me prying of course."

Nodding and mindlessly going about preparing the tea for him, Remina glanced back to see what book he was even talking about but couldn't really tell in the dim light. "Well the green one...I'm actually not sure I remember who wrote that. I'd have to ask if anyone else remembers him. But the brown one there -I'm not sure how far in you are- but it has different handwriting? Everyone in the family has added bits and pieces to it. Although most of the more recent additions to it were done by my father.

"Did you want to know about him?" she wondered, amused as she poured and brought his cup of tea to him.

"And have you added anything to it?" he asked, flipping towards the back of the book to note the handwriting changes she had mentioned, his index finger still marking the page he had left off reading on. "Or has your brother for that matter? I would be very interested to hear about the lives of your family members especially with respect to your species. I'm sure it would help you pass the time as cook too," he offered believing that he was being quite helpful with his suggestion.

Taking the tea from her he
Smiled and blew experimentally in it. "Thank you for this."

"Mhm. A bit here and there, mostly to update things about my brother and myself, though a bit of our parents as well. I've kept the book for a while, so probably the last things before mine were what my brother and father added when we were much younger... Caden, my brother, was still just a boy," she explained, smiling a bit for his thanks. "Of course.

"About my immediate family, though... We all sort of live our own individual lives now," she began as she checked on the soup-turned-stew, unsure how to really explain what had happened to someone she barely knew, or even how much she should share.

"What did you want to hear from me exactly? Abilities? Where we've lived? Actual lineage? My father is a pureblood, but my mother came from a mixed background, so my brother and I look very different...and we really don't have many similarities, but that's alright," she rambled.

Benjamin nodded his head as listened. "Well I'm particularly interested in anything related to your uh specialness. Abilities, lineage, differences between groups, habits, anything and everything you could tell me would be extremely helpful. I cannot thank you enough for assisting me with my research," the nobleman stated, forgetting in his thirst for knowledge that he had only just acquired in the last few minutes.

"Also I am curious about the author of the green text however I think one thing at a time would be best, don't you?"

"Research?" she chuckled, curious what kind of research he could possibly be doing that involved demons he had never heard of before today. "Yeah, one at a time," she agreed, getting a bowl and spoon out well ahead of time. "There's plenty to tell for both. I think. Though, I will admit I don't know much about the other author personally. Never knew him.

"We each have certain...magical abilities, though. I suppose I actually don't know the extent to which for everyone because I haven't personally seen my brother or mother 'in action,'" she explained, making air quotes. "As far as habits go, though, there are two clearly defined groups, at least in my family. The men have strayed from tradition and the women have kept to it. Tradition being...our hunting styles. We hunt children," she told him nonchalantly, not really wishing to make things uncomfortable by going into any further detail about it when she was about to serve him dinner.

"We have very long lifespans," she offered while checking and stirring the stew a bit. "Excellent night vision and hearing, though I think I might have mentioned that already. I'm a bit of a psychic myself." She tried to downplay that as much as possible as she poured herself some tea while she waited.

"Oh so you prefer eating things like veal then?" he responded, misunderstanding what she meant by children. "Can't say I blame you, the meat is actually quite tender and if prepared right is a masterpiece to savor. Although I do admit surprise that it is the males in your family that veer away from such meals. I would have thought the women would be the more baby animal friendly and not the men. Is your society a matriarch-driven one by any chance?"

He was bubbling with questions and trying to remember them all at once so that as new ones cropped up he did not forget the previous ones. 'What does she mean a physic? Is she claiming to be some kind of soothsayer then? Long lifespans eh? How old does that make you then? I doubt you're all that old to begin with. Must be a very young member of their species, perhaps even adolescent if not then most likely just left that phase.'

"Well, not exactly," she shrugged, unsure how to explain it to him without being offensive. She'd learned through the years that humans were very touchy about the subject of eating their young. "I'm not opposed to 'animal' meat at all. I find it quite tasty and a regular part of my diet, but I meant... Human children," she finished gently.

"And no, we are very much patriarchal. My mother and I just...strayed from that, I suppose. Became more independent. Though the women have always been respected as equals. It is just the males that generally make decisions for the family. Nothing extreme, I suppose. Just engrained to have some respect for them, I guess," she chuckled. "Though it isn't difficult to listen to my father, generally. He is very likable. Just...we don't have the same goals anymore....." Remina trailed off as she listened in on his thoughts.

Puzzled as to why he was wondering such a thing after she'd already explained her age to him, she turned to look back at him with a wondering look. "I already told you I am three hundred and thirty years old. That has not changed. Though next year I suppose it will be three hundred thirty-one years. And yes...I'm fairly young for my kind. My parents are both about double my age and they probably look not more than twenty or twenty-five years older than I," she explained, not being shy about listening in on him this time.

Benjamin blinked repeatedly as his brain slowly came to an understanding. "Human. Children. Okay. Wait!" His eyes darted towards the pot of stew she was stirring. With a voice crackling like an adolescent he continued, "I'm not eating human am I? I'm not a cannibal you know! And what's all this going on about your age business? I never asked it. I know you told me before. I'm not stupid you know!"

It never occurred to Benjamin that she had read his mind and proved her physic capabilities to him all in one go. "What I want to know is about your gift and those of your family. You said you were a physic. What does that even mean? Do you read fortune cards or something?"

Remina stared at him in stern silence for a moment, trying to judge the seriousness of his question, but when she realized he was being quite serious she just smiled and shook her head. "No, I would never try to make someone a cannibal. It's just deer," she explained gently, surprised she hadn't scared him with her admission.

"And I never called you stupid, but I'm surprised you really didn't notice... I read thoughts," she tried to tell him, uncertain if he would believe her. "I was simply commenting on your seeming inability to remember what I'd told you before, though you say now that you did.

"Can I ask why you're so...curious about my family members, though?"

The nobleman sighed in relief, slumping in his chair slightly while he took a sip of his tea. He was not about to become a cannibal; all was right with the world. Briefly the thought that he could be her next meal flitted to the front of his mind before he dismissed it, judging that he was far too old for her to desire as food.

"You read thoughts?" he repeated slowly. Benjamin's mind became a windstorm of thoughts as hundreds of questions came and went before it went completely silent. The nobleman had never learned how to shield his mind however, the very idea that his hostess could read his thoughts had sent him into a mental overload.

"If you really are a mind reader then don't you already know the answer to your question? Why do I have to bother to voice it aloud if you're going to invade the privacy of my innermost thoughts?"

"Yes," she told him slowly, shaking her head and chuckling at the way his thoughts raced momentarily. The demon was a bit offended, though, by his seeming lack of understanding still.

"Just because I can read thoughts does not mean I can search through your mind independently. I can't pick and choose, I can't know anything but what you focus on. Does that make sense? When thoughts race...it's like I can't hear anything at all because there is nothing really to focus on, it gets overwhelming. Understand?

"I don't mean to invade privacy really. I actually prefer not to hear most of what people think," she shuddered slightly at the remembrance. "Not always pleasant. But... no. I can't go digging through your head to find what I'm looking for," she tried to explain, wondering if he would actually understand her or if he would ignore it again.

"Well how am I supposed to know that?" he grumbled defensively. "Not like I have such a talent or know people who do. Is there no way you can turn it off? No way you can just stop listening or ignore it? And how exactly do you read? Do you see words? Or emotions? Or hear things in different voices for different people? Do all of your people possess this?"

"Because I just explained it to you? I...can't, unfortunately," she said, shaking her head and choosing not to go into how he could prevent her from hearing him. "Can't turn it off, can't stop it, ignoring it does nothing. It's like someone whispering in your ear. You're aware of it even if you aren't paying attention.

"I don't....see anything. I just hear the words exactly as you think them. Like I'm listening with you, I suppose. With whatever emotion you may be thinking about them with. I suppose it's a sort of voice, yes. And...no. Or rather, I'm not entirely sure about others outside of my immediate kin, but neither my brother nor my parents possess the same...talent."

Benjamin nodded his head as he listened, mentally making a list and categorizing everything into certain columns. Questions that had been answered were checked off while questions to be asked were moved up the list.

"Does every one of your kin have a gift then? Or it something that passes through some generations but not others? I know among my kin some of us have magic while others do not. It's really a tossup who will and how strong that person will be. Our gifts however tend to be the same and depend on the amount of training a person has. Also you said you cannot turn off listening but is there away an individual can stop you from listening?"

Though his questions were intrusive, she didn't really mind answering him. She didn't think an eccentric young foreigner could do much more to harm her than the trouble he'd already caused, though unknowingly. She couldn't discern anything threatening from his current thoughts anyway, which was reassuring.

"Yes, we all have some sort of gift, though some are more spectacular than others. Like mine. I think mine is the best," she shrugged. "It's at least one of the most developed, so I can relate to the "training" thing. My brother never really took the time to. My father is like me...but just with emotions. It's kind of weak, if you ask me," she shrugged. "My mother is only half Neqa'el, so she's....a bit strange. And....yes, to the stopping.

"From my understanding it takes quite a bit of training, though, to recognize the ability to block that sort of thing. You'd probably need to be aware it's happening in the first place. But yes...I have my weaknesses, same as any other."

"I must ask, though," she added, distractedly thumbing the grain of the table. "Why are you so curious about my family?"

"It is not so much your family as your species. As you and your family are the only ones I know of, I am choosing to tailor my questions to what you may know. Now then, moving on might I ask what you mean by your mother is strange or is that too personal a topic?"

Benjamin paused to drink more tea, draining his cup as he thought. 'Note to self: look into mind shielding. Ask about strengths and weaknesses. Remind her that the pot needs stirring. Not in that order.'

Hearing the tail end of his thoughts, she quietly excused herself and got up to stir the stew as his thought had reminded her. "Well, last I saw her abilities were not really defined at all. I don't know if they could have been with training, but it always seemed so...fleeting? Whether she was able to do something or not and if so, what that was exactly. Every day was different, but I'm unsure how that may be now. It's been...a long time since I last saw her."

Remina set down the ladle, now satisfied with the stew, and took it down from the fire to dish up. Carefully setting a steaming bowl in front of her guest, she prayed he was not clumsy enough to spill anything on the pages of her books. "I hope that's to your liking, I don't have very diverse practice as a cook," she admitted, sitting down with a bowl of her own though she was waiting for it to cool a bit.

Benjamin paused in his musing to thank her for the stew, ever fixed in his gentlemanly ways despite the circumstances. He daintily picked up his spoon, blew on the steaming liquid before finally partaking of it as if it was the finest meal he had ever had the honor to enjoy. The food was swallowed slowly as if he were savoring it when in fact he was judging it.

"Rustic," he commented aloud. "But nonetheless enjoyable," he hastened to add, lest he offend his hostess. Dabbing at his upper lip with his hand, he continued, "are there any categorical strengths of your species or is it something that is more on an individual basis or is it simply comparable to that of a human?"

She watched him tasting the food, judging it. Honestly she was surprised he did not outright insult her cooking with her knowledge of his demeanor thus far. He seemed like a very particular man-child to her. "Thank you," she acknowledged with a nod before partaking in the stew herself.

His scientific manner of speaking was not all that familiar to her but she guessed she understood what he was asking, or at least the general concept of it. "Categorical...well... As a species we have excellent hearing and sight. I suppose it might be considered 'elevated' compared to a human's own senses. They seem...you seem to have a much lower capacity for such things at least.

"And then there are the physical aspects," she continued, setting her spoon down after more stew and finding herself full. "Our fangs, our claws. The way that we age seems the same as well from what I have seen, and it is different from a human of course. Our bodies take advantage of prime physical conditions to prolong our lives. No use in living for so long if we cannot sustain ourselves." She smiled briefly, glancing to the books upon the table. "I would venture to say I am much stronger than a human. I am built to survive. I am not...weak. Of mind or body."

"I see," he murmured softly, musing on her words while continuing to eat. "I don't doubt your strength Miss. You are indeed a force to be reckoned with as you have already proven. Pardon me for asking, I do not wish to be rude but do you have any bread? This stew would be heavenly with a good hearty crust to dip in it," the nobleman commented while gesturing towards his half-filled bowl.

The offhanded compliment was startling to her given his previous choice of language about her. She would take it, though. He at least seemed to be showing some base level of respect. "I do, but it was not made today I'm afraid," she admitted, rising from her seat to fetch it for him. She paused for a moment, unable to discern how much he'd wanted from his spoken words or thoughts. With a shrug she set the remaining half of the thing beside his bowl before taking her seat.

"Hope that's enough...? I didn't want to...judge your appetite by your size. Eat as much as you like. It does go well with stew." She stared at him for a moment, watching blankly as she thought back on his lack of reaction to the information she'd shared. "Are you quite used to the non-human, then?" the demon wondered curiously. "You didn't seem very surprised by anything I told you."

Benjamin's brow crinkled at the comment regarding his size but was soon distracted by the bread she offered him. He smiled with genuine warmth as he accepted the food like it was water in the desert. "Thank you, I'm sure it is more than acceptable."

As he tore into the food, he contemplated her query before answering  thoughtfully. "Well no, I cannot say I have met many nonhuman humanoids. I know they exist though and have certainly studied a great deal of them from my books. This will have to be my first field experience though. I have to say it's pretty miraculous from a rather inexperienced individual to come across a very likely unidentified species or subspecies though depending how others would class you. I'd say I'm doing pretty well for a first time though, what do you think?"

Remina nodded thoughtfully, though it seemed a little odd that such a self-proclaimed scholar might not know much about her kind. "For a face-to-face conversation, I believe so," she answered, smiling slightly with her amusement. "I'm not sure others would take it so well, but I'm curious; what other "species" do you know of?" she wondered aloud. "Have you never seen any of them before? Ever? You must not get out very much." She pitied him a little. To her, it was quite obvious for the amount of time she'd lived and had opportunities to learn about their world. She didn't quite realize that not everyone was afforded her life experience.

"Oh many species actually, nearly all the known humanoids at least as well as a few of the other types. Granted you're the first of the humanoid types that I've knowingly met, which is quite fascinating actually. But no you're correct I don't leave home very often. I much prefer to conduct my studies and experiments from the comfort of my own home. I'm quite lucky in that respect I believe. Not many people have the opportunity to spend their days doing as they please and right in their own home," he stated proudly, with a pleased smile.

"Quite true," she purred, though it had always amused her how so many sought professions and monetary gain. She was content to live off the land, as it were, her small, hidden home a perfectly comfortable place. What few human comforts she desired were easily obtainable from the naive and gullible.

"And where is home?" she asked, still fully intending on escorting him there come morning.

"My home?" he repeated, swallowing his bite of food slowly. "It's in Fallial," Benjamin stated matter-of-factly before pausing in thought. He leaned in and looked at her over the rim of his glasses. "That's in Serendipity. You do know where Serendipity is, correct? You're not completely isolated here are you? Do you are kind even care about country borders for that matter? Do you have your own set up perhaps? Or territories, is that a better word, do you have territories then between your kind or even other species?"

"Fallial?!" Remina stared at him in shock, teal eyes blinking as if waiting for him to name the correct place. Surely he was only teasing and he was native to one of the towns of the forest, right? The more he talked, though, the more obvious it became that he was not joking and not lying. What she could make of his thoughts seemed true and unfortunately not the elaborate prank she'd hoped.

"Yes, I know where Serendipity is," she mumbled distractedly. It was a far-flung memory since her last visit but she could not easily forget the country nor its people. Her heart secretly keened at the idea of returning.

"I don't think territories would quite be the word you're looking for, but we each have our own place to call home. Usually separate from the rest. There is no reason for us to not recognize the borders the humans have established, though, they are completely legitimate," she explained patiently, if a little regretful for what she'd gotten herself into so stubbornly. Regardless, she couldn't let him go freely without risking her own exposure.

"If Fallial is where we must go then we will go. And quickly. Because...that's an awfully long way to be traveling," she sighed in defeat. Surely this eccentric alchemist would be the death of her.

"The cat will be joining us," she announced after a moment's pause for thought. "She'd be lonely if I left her."

Benjamin listened avidly to her explanations as he polished off the last of his meal and sit back feeling full. "How fascinating!" he declared even as his mind spun with a thousand thoughts. 'A society built not that far different from our own! And to think I'm the first to hear of it. I will definitely need to conduct more research on this matter as soon as possible. I wonder if they're only located in Adela or if they've spread globally.'

"Wait did you say the cat would be joining us? I beg your pardon madam but the cat most certainly will not be joining us because there is no us. I will not be rushed home when I clearly still have business here to attend to. I have yet to acquire the money I am owed for my product and at this rate I will need to make a new one thanks to you and your cat. I frankly do not have the time to be bouncing back and forth between countries when there is far too much work to be completed. I'm sorry but I'm afraid I cannot be your guide. You'll have to find someone else."

The corners of her lips twitched with the briefest fake smile as she stared at him. No, he would not be the decision-maker after all the inconvenience he'd caused, not while she was alive at least.

"I think it would be wise to forget your product and your money," she warned him. "You're a wanted criminal now. Stay away from the city if you want to even be able to return home." Of course, Remina planned on ensuring that would happen. She would leave nothing to chance when it came to the bumbling idiot before her.

"We leave at dawn," she announced firmly, ignoring the rest of his concerns. "I would cooperate if I were you. Unless you want to be dragged there the whole way."

"I am not!" Benjamin protested in horror. "On the contrary, I am a law-abiding citizen that has been completely caught up in a massive misunderstanding which I will be fixing promptly in the morning. I will not stand for my good name to be smeared so unjustly. Now whether you will help me or not this will be remedied and properly. Now I will gladly leave your humble abode by dawn but I really do have my own business to attend to just as you are free to go about yours."

She heard him, she just didn't agree.

Remina raised her hand for silence and shot him a stern, cold look. "This isn't up for discussion. This is as much about me as it is about you. You can't just go back. You have information. You've seen me. I entrusted you with my family."

She heaved a heavy sigh and hung her head slightly. The demon was willing to try anything to appeal to the human emotion she knew he had somewhere in that muddled brain of his. "Do business elsewhere. Anywhere but here. Your 'good name' is already ruined so just- Just give up!" she hissed, lifting her eyes to stare him down.

"But first you're leaving. Lie low or you'll just be right back in jail." Surely the stubborn nobleman had to see reason in that. It was the truth after all and if he exposed her she'd be right there with him.

Benjamin huffed and sputtered in indignation at her gall to order him about and tell him what to do in a matter so serious and sensitive to him. "Yes, in jail where I was supposed to be come morning and thanks to you will now have to face charges that have nothing to do with me! I do not understand why kidnapping me makes you believe I would actually agree to go anywhere with you. Frankly the only reason I've stayed thus far as traveling at night is highly ill-advised given the sort of people that lurk about in alleyways. You cannot tell me what to do and that madam is final!" he shouted, completely red in the face. The nobleman was on his feet with no idea when he had even stood up and his chest heaved with the effort to draw air back into his starving lungs.

Remina watched his rant with a curious glint in her eyes. Somehow he was still under the delusional impression that he'd been there for his protection rather than assumed crimes associated with her. But she actually felt a bit guilty for upsetting him, ridiculous as it was. The demon had no reason to feel anything for a random human she was saving -for selfish reasons but still saving-, and yet she did.

"Settle down," she spoke evenly, gesturing at where he'd been sitting before. "You're right. Traveling at night is not a good idea around here. Your life isn't worth getting where you're going, is it?" She tsked gently and shook her head as if scolding a small child.

"We'll go in the morning," she announced, purposefully vague to try and calm his sudden flash of anger.

He exhaled sharply, the wind effectively taken from his sails as he realized how rude he had been, yelling at his hostess. Benjamin bowed his head respectfully, a quiet murmur of apology upon his lips as he once more resumed his seat and attempted to regain his composure. Only once he had accomplished that did he resume conversing with her. "Very well then. In the morning I will be off and can resume my business in town and you can do whatever it is you're wanting to do," he said with a slight dismissive wave of his head. "You're right there is no need to get all uppity about it. It is best to stay indoors at these hours anyway.

"Very good then, now if you could be so kind would you mind pointing me to my bed kind hostess as I believe I am quite ready to retire after such a day and evening. I am rather unused I must admit to such rigors and excitement. Gives one quite the shock if I do say so myself."

She gave a small, knowing smile to see that he'd mostly calmed down, quite pleased that it seemed his fire was both quick to spark and easy to put out.

"Bed?" she tilted her head slightly in confusion, looking to the small couch in the next room over that was really barely any wider than a chair. "You can sleep there. The only bed here is mine," she explained, feeling no shame in it. It was her house. She had no reason to trouble herself with a second bedroom for guests that would be so few and far between.

Benjamin pursed his lips in displeasure at being told he would be made to sleep on the couch instead of a proper bed. Ever the gentleman though, he refrained from complaining when there was a lady in the room and who would be better suited for sleeping in a bed. "Perhaps then do you have any extra bedding or blankets at least? I've heard tell it gets quite cold in Adela in the evenings. If I am to start out early in the morning then it would be best to get as much sleep as possible and the best at that, no?"

Best sleep? She highly doubted he'd be able to get a good night's rest with such a setup but she wouldn't deny him the tools to try. "Yeah, you can borrow a blanket...and I suppose a pillow as well." She had two of each, after all, though she had half a mind to continue her comfortable norm instead of sharing. It probably wasn't worth another temper tantrum from the spoiled brat, though.

Rising to stand, she scooped up the books to put back in their places on her way to the sole bedroom of the house. It took a bit of effort for her choose which of her blankets was the least comfortable (to give to him, of course) but she emerged at last with one folded on her arm and a pillow under the other.

"Hope these will do," she muttered, padding across the living area to deposit them on the little couch. "Anything else you need?" She raised a brow at him, hoping he wouldn't make her regret asking.

"Thank you, madam," Benjamin responded with all the courtesy had been ingrained in him since birth. His eyes though spoke volumes of his displeasure and distaste at being provided with such meager offerings. He took it all in stride though as he quietly reminded himself that he was in a rustic setting far removed from the more civilized creature-comforts he was accustomed to.

The nobleman attempted to fluff the limp pillow before setting it down in defeat. "Actually now that you mention it," he called after her, raising a finger for her attention even as he sank down to sit upon the couch. "Some hot tea to break the morning fast would be lovely. Thank you kindly and a pleasant rest for you," he bid as if his request was nothing out of the ordinary.

Tea. Well, it wasn't too unusual for a human to request but it wasn't something she made often for herself. Too much work and too many small, easily broken things involved in the process. She'd crushed a few tiny teacups in her time, but tea as a whole was not unpleasant. It was a small favor to ask, she decided, and one she was at least capable of meeting with what she had on hand.

"I think I can manage that," she agreed, turning to continue on her way back to the bedroom. If it would give her a bit of peace before he figured out her plans it seemed worth attempting.

"Pleasant...rest," she repeated, finding the rather formal manner of speaking a little awkward. Bowing her head slightly, she at last disappeared into the darkness to settle into her own bed for the remainder of the night.

Benjamin smiled after her before sighing tiredly in defeat. The couch looked far from comfortable and the pillow was an even worse state as far as he was concerned. But, he attempted to reason with himself, it would be completely ungentlemanly of himself to oust a lady from her bed and force her to sleep elsewhere.

"At least there'll be tea in the morn," he muttered under his breath as he began to meticulously remove his boots and outerwear for as comfortable a sleep as he could manage. Each article of clothing was carefully folded in a most exacting manner before being placed ever so precisely on a chair beside the couch.

With a tired sigh he finally sprawled out on his back, his arms crossed loosely over his chest. His body was exhausted beyond belief but his mind was very much awake and active. Benjamin, ever the persistent researcher was cataloguing the bits of information he had already gleaned from the woman as he also began forming even more questions. His mind practically buzzing with his excitement to the point that occasionally he would utter his thoughts aloud as they bounced and rattled about loudly within his mind. It was a wonder therefore he fell asleep at all several hours later from pure exhaustion.

As much as she'd intended to get some much-needed rest, her houseguest kept her very much awake without even being in the same room. She silently cursed his "loud" thoughts, the babbling nature of them practically swarming her with Benjamin being just in the other room. Worst of all, none of it made sense to her with all his sleepy, broken half-thoughts that were confusing without any context.

By the time the storm calmed enough for her to sleep it was already almost morning and she only got a few hours of rest before the sun was waking her with its blinding light. With a snarling growl the demon crawled from her bed, determined to give her human guest no reasons to complain. The quieter he stayed the easier her life would be, in the end.

Pulling on a fresh dress that still left very little to the imagination she shuffled out towards the living area, casting a curious look at the makeshift bed of her guest to make sure he was even still there. Continuing on to the kitchen, she sleepily struggled with the rather simple task of starting a fire in her hearth and heating the water for tea.

Once she managed to get it going she rummaged through her cupboards trying to find a pair of matching cups that didn't seem to want to make an appearance. Nearly every set she knew of she could only find one for so with a growl of frustration she finally settled upon the two that looked the nicest even though they weren't matching and set to dusting them out before setting them at the table, one on each side.

Realizing she didn't really keep enough human food around to offer him any real variety she settled for setting out a few slices of staling bread on a plate between cups in case he was hungry for breakfast at all. The last thing she wanted was to have to deal with a human's whining for food.

With the water heated she added leaves a few flecks at a time, quickly realizing she'd forgotten how to measure such a thing as a pot of tea. Remina stopped once it seemed she'd added enough, perhaps too much in her mind, but in reality it was far too few and would leave their drinks with very little taste besides warm water.

The nobleman slept fitfully, yet heavily through the night. The storm bothered him none but the sounds of her moving about eventually brought him to his senses. He sat up with a groan, his neck cracking after having been dangling off the sofa for hours on end. For several moments he sat there, blinking mindlessly while he tried to slowly realize what had woken him up in the first place.

When at last Benjamin noticed Remina, he yanked the covers up to cover himself as if the thought of her seeing him in his underclothes was the same as seeing him nude. "Forgive me milady. I did not mean to oversleep. Was your sleep restful?"

Remina turned her head to look at him over her shoulder, a brow quirked in amusement at the sudden niceties spilling from his lips. "Not really, but thank you. Your mind races quite a lot at night," she pointed out, pouring their tea carefully.

Giving up on the table idea she scooped up the two cups and moved to take a seat beside him, holding one out in offering and thinking nothing of his state of dress. "Tea, as I promised."

"My apologies," he murmured with an apologetic bow of his fiery head. Her comments regarding his own mind went completely over his head as he struggled to wake up beyond the act of being physically up.

Benjamin smiled genuinely though as he accepted the tea before resting it daintily on his knee. As he slowly began to fully regain his facilities he at last realized that he was not in an appropriate state of dress. Embarrassed, he attempted to drag a blanket back over top of him and upwards to hide his inappropriate though fully covering under clothes from view. He glanced out of the corner of his eye hoping that she would not notice his relative discomfort and ungentlemanly behavior.

He sipped at the tea wincing slightly as his mind registered flavorless water. "Hmm what tea might this be? It's rather...delicate in comparison to what we drink further north."

Remina watched him expectantly, hoping it was to his liking. At his wince she frowned and took a small sip from it. Too light, far too light. She licked the flavor from her lips, watching him closely and tensing as she waited for his true thoughts to assault her...but they didn't come. Strange when his mind had been so open the previous night.

"Let me fix it," she offered, reaching out to try to pluck the cup from his hands so she could remake it. "I didn't use enough. It's just a simple black tea, with some blackberry flavor. But I definitely made it wrong, I'm sorry. " His state of dress and hiding behind the blanket were noticed but were not her primary concern. Ensuring he had nothing to be upset over was. "Would you like some bread while you wait?"

"Ah," Benjamin replied, flushing darkly in embarrassment. He had not meant to insult his hostess by implying that her tea was terrible. Mentally he kicked himself for his stupidity cursing his inability to understand social cues. "Bread would be delightful if you have it yes. Butter to if that isn't asking too much," he called back to her.

He waited until her back was turned before scooping up his pile of clothes and hurrying to shimmy his way back into them. The last thing he felt he needed was for her to throw him out before she had brought him back to jail where they could explain the entire unfortunate situation that had occurred thanks to her kidnapping him.

"How soon will you be willing to leave this morning after eating? I believe the sooner we go the better, don't you?"

Remina hummed distractedly in affirmation, emptying the pot and filling it with fresh water to heat over the fire. While she waited she got the plate from the table with an almost-stale piece of bread and set butter beside it along with a knife that she almost didn't include. It wasn't too sharp, there wasn't that much risk of him using it as a weapon. His thoughts didn't seem violent anyway, only...some form of embarrassment. Over what she couldn't quite pinpoint, not really seeing a connection with the blanket and clothes until she turned around to face him again and there he was looking all disheveled.

His eagerness surprised her, but then she hadn't really told him how serious she was, that she intended on returning him to his home and to his mother so that he couldn't cause her any trouble. If he was really from as far away as he'd said the guards wouldn't care or remember his little incident by the time he managed to return. It was no grand crime, they'd just think he was crazy.

"Here," she offered softly, holding out the small plate to him expectantly, eyes dilated wide with alertness. "We may go whenever you're ready, there's no rush." Tilting her head slightly to eye the bread her lips curled into a half-smile as she lifted her eyes to stare at him again instead. "I'm not really hungry, but I'll have tea with you when it's ready."

After a too-long stretch of silence and staring Remina snapped her head to the side to eye the steaming pot. No whistling yet. She had a few minutes at least so the demon took a seat next to the nobleman, not really sure how or when she should give him any more honesty about her intentions. There was no way he was going back to the city. At least not her city.

"You don't have to be polite. You don't really like it here, do you? Out in the middle of nowhere, old house, bad tea... You didn't sleep well either, did you?" she wondered aloud, careful to phrase her words in a way that would be difficult for him to navigate without inadvertently insulting her. Unless he was careful. She couldn't quite admit to herself that she liked seeing him stumble over his words a little.

Benjamin accepted the plate gratefully with a polite nod of his head. He ate his food in silence, pausing only hen she broke the silence again to ask after the state of her hospitality. The nobleman wiped his mouth carefully before smoothing out the lines of his clothing and sitting up straight.

"I find your home while older, quite charming," he replied carefully. "I have always found that a more lived-in place creates a greater sense of home than some fancy new facade. You should not besmirch the merits of having such a lovely property. As for sleep, if you're truly asking, no it as not the best I've ever had but it was far better than sleeping in that awful cell. I'm afraid though I am a gentleman who much prefers his own home and bed though so it is no fault of your own that my picky standards could not be appeased. I did not honestly expect you to try and yet you have and I am eternally grateful," he stated with a sincere bow of his head.

"Thank you truly for all your hospitality."

She was impressed with his honesty and how he'd managed to navigate her questions, smirking to herself as she poured the remade tea and brought both cups with her as she went to sit down beside him. Only once her own was balanced delicately on her lap did she reach to offer him his cup back with an uncertain, "Try it now."

Once she was settled and satisfied with trying her own tea she lifted her head to speak again, feeling somewhat compelled to continue their conversation and keep his thoughts occupied away from returning to the city. There was something soothing about his honesty anyway, at least when it seemed like good things. "I can respect that, I'm sure everyone feels similarly about their sleep. But- Thank you. I know you are being honest and I appreciate that. I don't think it's picky to like things a particular way. Everyone has their own standards, don't they?"

Remina shrugged softly, sipping at her tea thoughtfully. "At least they should if they want to ever get what they want from life. Or at least strive for it. I'm sorry- I've gone a bit further than furnishings and blankets... Where did you say you call home again? North somewhere?"

"Oh thank you kindly," he intoned softly as he accepted the cup form her with both hands. He blew gently on it before taking a tentative sip. "Much better thank you." Benjamin smiled genuinely to her before allowing the cup to rest in his hand to cool further. As she attempted to derail his thoughts from one direction he ended up having them flip from where she was headed as well. "There is no need to thank me for honesty. It should not be considered something special but an expected norm. It is those that lie that are abhorrent," he told her with a firm nod of his head.

Benjamin sipped daintily at his tea, draining the cup with a soft hum before setting it back down. "Aye and I know my standards are higher than most people's, no offense to the kind hostess of course. But, ah yes home! I'm from Fallial. That's in Serendipity you know," he told her leaning in slightly as he explained like he were talking to a young child. "That point is moot though. I still have to finish my business with the tradeswoman or I won't be able to afford the travel back home. ON top of that there's that whole jail misunderstanding," his mind circled back to his reason for being there. "So when are we leaving then? I really would like to get my name cleared before I head on my way. I can't exactly continue to do business here without doing so." He laughed weakly while worrying his hands in his lap.

"Um thank you for the tea and your hospitality again. Quite refreshing and not at all what I expected. So yes, thank you."

She'd watched closely as he'd drunk his tea, tense and waiting for some complaint. When nothing came and he'd drained his cup the demon was able to fully relax and enjoy her own, pleased at least that her hospitality was being appreciated and enjoyed.

Pleased that he was finally telling her where he'd come from she nodded along, letting him speak about the silly fantasy of returning to the city while she made a mental calculation of how long it might take to make the trek to Fallial if he was being truly honest. As far as she was concerned they needed no money to travel besides the occasional stop at an inn, and she had coin enough for that. There would be no comfy carriage nor swift horseback for the naive child as long as she had any control over the matter. He would eat what she hunted and not cause her anymore trouble with the locals.

Not wanting to lie to him outright she simply nodded along and smiled at his musings. "You're welcome. I don't receive guests often so I'm glad this was to your liking." It had kept him quiet at least, no moping or whining.

"We can leave whenever you're ready, do you need time to gather your things?" she asked, standing to take their cups away to the kitchen. There she filled a bag with what little food she had that would keep well for him on the road, mostly breads and fruit. She would hunt whatever else he needed when the time came. Stuffing the cat into a bag would certainly be the last item on her list, and would be done in secret if she could manage it so as not to alert Benjamin to her plans.