Hakan groaned, pulling his clothing on. He normally went shirtless with a skirt, but outside of Essyrn was a bit more modest. He redressed himself, keeping his Essyrni sandals, and glanced at Darkhor with a slight smirk. Sexy beast, he thought to himself, chuckling breathily. "We should probably meet up with the others. The daylight's fading."
Walking down from the room, Hakan chose not to press into Darkhor's past because everyone deserved their own secrets. Everyone had a past, and no one had any right in judging another for it.
They rejoined Raukaas and Taiga in the tavern. The little drakkollis' eyes lit up, while Taiga suddenly covered her eyes with a frown. Hakan grinned and hugged his sister tightly. "Oh, no!" She shouted, shoving away from him. "Ugh... Hakan, you stink."
"Of manly conquering," he added, chuckling.
"Oh, just..." She stood up, shaking her head. "I can't unknow what I now know." Looking at Darkhor and Raukaas, she huffed and spun her braid into a tight bun in the back of her head. "It's getting darker out, so we should probably get going."
The four of them walked outside, seeing Strinti, Calconirr, and Kaeligar waiting patiently. Hakan climbed onto Strinti's back, then laughed to himself, knowing he was clever, and looked at Darkhor. "I can give you ride, in a different way," he said with a wink.
"Shut up!" Taiga shouted, squeezing her eyes closed. "And seriously, when we get to the river, both of you are going in because you guys wreak."
Darkhor climbed onto Strinti's back behind Hakan, and Raukaas climbed with Taiga's help onto Kaeligar's saddle. The girl swung onto the massive horse's back, putting her boots in the stirrups and gently making sure Raukaas wouldn't fall off. Hakan fastened his harp back onto Strinti's saddle and began following Taiga to the river.
By the time they reached the riverside, the sun was almost completely set. Kiron and Rima were already there. Hakan and Darkhor dismounted, then Taiga and Raukaas slid down from the eight-legged mountain of a horse. Taiga could tell the instant the drakkollis' stench hit Kiron and Rima. She grimaced and put up her hand. "Oh, don't even ask," she said, scrunching her nose. "I don't want to relive it."