Two For You, and One For Me. (Blink, or if invited)

[Wrathwyrm]

Serendipity is, without a doubt, some of the most colorful and beautiful countryside around.  It lived, it breathed, and it goes without saying that it's full of magic.  Many Serenians were gifted with magic, and unlike those in Connlaoth...they allowed the free proliferation of such talents.  For those who had lived a little oppresed in their life, this was a breath of fresh air, to be sure.

Here, in the North-Eastern bit of the province known as Jadenshire, in a county known locally as shadowmire - but we can't express any further details at this time - it was raining.

Yes, rain.  Jadenshine is #1 in its level of fertility, it being a riverland in Serendipity and all.  So saying, when the weather deemed it so, it turned to rain.  Currently, this was not a torrential downpour, but enough to get a man wet.  Specifically, a man in black clothes with dark metal armor over his torso, wrists, and shin areas.  He was black-haired and red of eye, clearly human, but somehow...off.  Off enough to really wreck his life, in fact.  That much was in his past, but this man - Sano - had present issues, as well.  That is, indeed, why he was traveling, and currently just a bit irritated with the rain.

"It's times like this that I wish Keefe had sown a hood on this thing."

He was referring to the rather nice black mantle that his friend and mentor had given to him, which was protecting him from nine-tenths of the rain.  His head remained exposed, however, leaving him getting soaked in that area.  However, our boy has a rather decent talent: He has power over metal.  So saying, he pulled a coin from his pocket and it became a helmet to match the armor.

Now, is there a town around here or what?

This path he was on had to lead somewhere, right?

[Blink]

The last few months had been 'busy' for Nashya to say the least. With moving to Shadowmire, a small county in the top corner of Jadenshine, she had been constantly keeping herself aware of as much as she could reach. And today it was raining... the perfect forecast to create more shadows than normal, extending her reach within the county further than before. So just outside a small farming village Nashya stood under a tree, shielding herself the best she could from the rain falling from above whilst leaning against its trunk.

Even with the canopy above some rain managed to snake its way down, droplets of water hitting the hood of her cloak and rolling down. For the most part her long dark hair was tucked within the  grey cloak preventing it from getting wet. She probably looked quite silly... a girl standing there seeming to be just relaxing as she waited for the rain to pass. Part of this was true, and to anyone passing that is exactly what they should think. But in reality Nashya was doing so much more, her eyes closed as she concentrated on reaching shadows miles away. She was listening... watching.... waiting for anything valuable to take back to her leader.

Her eyes were everywhere within the county, all unbeknownst to anyone except those within her alliance. They had to know that was why she disappeared today, knowing the impending rain clouds would multiply her abilities ten fold at least. Demagogue would have to find another day to 'face' society... she knew Cyn would understand. "Someone is coming..." The never ending voice in her head whispered, causing her crimson eyes to snap open. "Male... dark hair...." the eerie whisper paused as if witnessing something itself remarkable. "Has ability to manipulate metal."

From the shadows cast all over from the clouds Nashya was able to see the man turn a coin into a helmet.... "He's smart" the whisper beckoned again. By now Nashya had grown used to the whisper always taunting the back of her mind, and so she hardly even reacted. "He's going to walk right past us at this rate..." The whisper in her mind growing more excited at the thought.
"Best we get going then" Nashya sighed as she finally moved her arms to tug at the edges of her hood. The last thing she needed was a distraction and so her plan was to move along into the village, to blend in with the crowd and continue with her work. However, the man was soon in her sights and she realized he was closer than she initially thought. "Just stay here... maybe he will just keep walking." And so Nashya for once agreed with the whisper in her mind, staying put under the tree hoping he would pass by without even noticing her standing there.

[Wrathwyrm]

As with many a wanderings like this, Sano's thoughts were cast in two distinct directions.  The first was of his surroundings.  Though he was a man moving long-distance on foot, pack on his back, he was highly-aware of what was going on around him.  The sounds, the sights, and even the smells would give away something, if there was something to give, at all.  He did not have as keen a sense of things as his mentor, but he was still well-trained, and that training was not for knighthood.  It was the cunning and the clarity of an assassin.

So, his training kept him cautious, and thus he watched this rode and felt something was off...in the dark.  Sano could see in the dark, better than most.  It wasn't that his eyes saw things lighter.  They just saw into darkness and all the things within it.  This, darkness, though...  He felt that there was something there.  It reminded him of the Draconi Forest, closer to the beginning of his journey, where a half-phoenix man attacked him.  He was able to move the shadows.  This didn't feel like that, per se, because it just was the shadows at the time.  It bothered him for a minute, but he took no action because Serendipity was a magic land, and it could be throwing him off.

As for the other thing that was on his mind, that pulled him in another direction: Planning.  He was on this journey to a purpose, and that purpose was in execution.  So, without even knowing it from the start, his time with his mentor - Keefe Zarla - turned out to be very handy.  There was a creature that needed to die, and he needed help in order to carry out this undertaking.  He had gone from La'Marri to Adela, to Essyrn, to Adela again, and finally up into Serendipity.  There were some potentials, some possibilities.  Those whom he felt he needed the most, he'd call on to meet him at a time of his choosing.  He'd owe them, but it'd be worth it.

Now, at this time, Sano had a sword at his side and his helmet was one of those flip-up visor varieties, which would certainly keep the damn rain out.  He was, indeed, coming upon an area which appeared to have farmland.  That meant there were actual people around.  He spotted a village - nothing fancy, but ultimately livable - and decided to get his bearings...or at least ouf of this rain.  The possibility of both approached on the right, as he noticed a large tree with a great deal of leafy coverage, and a girl in a hooded cloak below it, mostly protected from the rain.  So!  Because of his current need, Nashya's hope that he would merely pass on by was somewhat dashed, for he now approached.

"Excuse me-"

He stopped abruptly, surprised by the echo in his helmet.  He flipped up the visor so that he could be seen and not have to talk and listen through the echo of vibrating metal.

"Okay, that was loud.  Anyway, would you happen to know the area, at all?  I'm not sure where I am or what town I might be headed for.  The most I know is that if I hit the Kilanthro Mountains, I've gone too far."

He'd never been in Serendipity before now.  Only his general knowledge of Connlaoth's borders helped him with this one fact that he knew in regards to the placement of things.

[Blink]

At first she wasn't sure if she should even answer him, as if her silence would just make him go about his business. "If you don't say something he is going to know you are up to something" the whisper in her mind countered, pushing her to speak up despite how badly she wanted to remain silent.

"You are in Jadenshine... more specifically the county of Shadowmire." Her answer was short and to the point, no further need for him to prod her with anymore questions. Her eyes shifted back and forth from the man to the village ahead as the whisper in her mind spoke up once more. "It's raining.... he is not just going to leave the cover of the tree because you answered his question." Just as before Nashya showed no sign of the voice in her head, but instead cleared her throat. The whisper did have a point... it was raining... there wasn't really anywhere else to go... she was stuck.

"So....." her eyes trailed towards him once more, it had been a long time since she was forced to make casual conversation with someone. "Where are you headed to?" Her voice was so unsure even the whisper in her mind was maniacally laughing at her. "Are you serious!? That was pathetic! This is is why Demagogue does all the talking!" And then she caught herself nodding in agreement with the voice, but too late after she realized sane people don't nod to themselves often.

Nashya played it off as nothing as she turned her body a bit from him, as if that would make this any better... "Just curl up in a ball on the ground while you are at it" the voice taunted as it grew louder in her mind. Nashya had half a mind to tell herself to shut it... but then that would leave her looking more insane than she probably already did.

[Wrathwyrm]

He knew that he'd been in Jadenshine.  He'd been walking in miles and miles of it.  Had to take it slow, unlike the Draconi Forest when he avoided the phoenix-man by tossing himself via his metal armor.  There was alot of development in Serendipity, alot of people with talent here.  He needed to comb through it carefully to find what he was looking for.  And so, he'd effectively taken the long way 'round.  Still, knowing the county was helpful.  For now, he gathered his thoughts, since he had temporary refuge from he rain and all.

I suppose I could kick about the core of Serendipity before going along the outlying provinces until ending at the coast, then maybe Thanat-

There was a cough.  The woman he'd been talking to was curious about his destination.  the funny thing is, Sano took absolutely no notice of what she thought made her look crazy.  No, what she looked like to him was perhaps a bit nervous around someone who is very obviously a stranger to the area.  He'd asked for directions and admitted he had no clue where he was, in relation to other things.  It seemed perfectly understandable, at least in his mind, for her to be a little wary of him.  Sano just answered normally, having picked up on effectively natta'.

"Well, that's kinda' the problem.  It's not that I'm going anywhere, except to find some people with enough power and talent to help me out on a mission."

He then smirked and said...

"I don't suppose you know anyone really dangerous, do you?"

Funnily enough, she might.  It's just that...the answer was herself, wasn't it?

[Blink]

"What kind of question is that!" the whisper in her mind torted, blown away almost as much as she was by it. Once again Nashya found herself tripped up on her words, struggling to say and do the 'normal' thing.

"I guess you could say that here in Serendipity there are 'dangerous' people all over." It was funny that the first person to come to her mind wasn't herself at all, but instead another member of Golden Gear. "I don't suggest you go around asking everyone you walk up to that questin though. I fear it may draw more attention than someone like you would want."

And there she had a point. Nashya knew if he kept this up eventually he may actually end up starting rumours... rumors she didn't have time to filter out of the chatter she already listened to on a daily basis. "Perhaps it would be better if you instead said you were looking to hire." She shifted her light crimson eyes towards him before averting them once more.

"What do you need a dangerous person for anyways." From there Nashya shifted her weight against the trunk of the tree and folded her arms over her chest under her cloak. "Yes.. just like that.... act casual"

Another odd occurrence being that the voice in her head wasn't chastising her to scream from the mountaintops that she was strong. Normally that side of herself was looking for every excuse imaginable to express it, but now it seemed as if for once Nashya was in complete agreence with herself. Yet through all of her talking to the man she never really answered his question, completely and masterfully averting it.

[Wrathwyrm]

Well...yes, Serendipity had all kinds of people.  That was without a doubt.  It was something he'd known, even in Connlaoth.  Actually, it was on his father's list of things not to become, like those terrible people in Serendipity.  Idiotic man.  Sano hoped never see him again.  If he did, he might just kill him without a word.  So anyway, the woman had suggested that he not ask the way he just did, and say that he was looking to hire people.

"Actually, that is what I've been doing.  I try to hire them."

He wasn't stupid about it, after all.  He was just...  Sometimes, he made a faux pas.  It happened.  He was human, and humans make mistakes.  Sano wasn't excessively smart, either.  He was just a guy trying to do a thing, hoping that he had the right approach and that he could get the right people to do it.  Do what?  Well, as he shifted his weight slightly, he answered that one.

"I need a bunch of people to overpower a strong vampire in Connlaoth, and I mean a real piece of work, dark powers and all.  He's sitting there, letting the Mordecai make it easy for him by weakening the magic around the country.  It's just a big feeding ground for him."

The civil war didn't help, either.  If this guy was as bad as he sounded, he could wade into combat and come out of it stronger from all the bloodshed going on.  Sano seemed irritated by the things he said, but then he looked back at he woman.

"I don't like Connlaoth.  In fact, I hate it, but I don't think they deserve that.  Besides, he hurt someone important to me.  That's more than enough reason to go off and kill 'im."

[Blink]

Nashya reached up and pulled the hood of her cloak down as she listened to the man explain why he was looking for someone 'strong'. And then it happened, the whisper in her head no longer able to contain itself. Except unlike before, this version of herself had managed to push its way beyond her subconscious.

"We are strong" the words flying out of her mouth at recordbreaking speed. It wasn't moreso the statement of being strong that threw Nashya off, but the way the other half of her said it. 'We' ... as in more than one. But then the voice was back in her mind, stuck behind imaginary walls Nashya had just built up in a matter of seconds. "You let your guard now... I didn't have to push so hard that time" the whisper in her head laughed, reminding her of how it was always there... even when she wasn't paying attention.

In an attempt to recover what was just said Nashya tried to add to her previous statement. "Umm... We as in Serendipity. We are strong... I am sure you will find someone here." She smiled in yet another attempt to smooth over the situation. "I think as long as you tell anyone that story they would want to help."

Nashya even wanted to help a little, but she knew she couldn't leave Shadowmire for a while. When she came here she knew she would be here for the long haul, carrying out Golden Gear's mission was her top priority. Cyn took Nashya in despite her flaws, and honestly Nashya seemed the most normal out of the entire group. For once she felt like she belonged, and she wasn't about to go messing that up chasing down some vampire with a stranger who happened to cross her path.

[Wrathwyrm]

Before, it seemed as though the two of them were just two people idly chatting, the traveler and the local making conversation.  She had been waiting out this rain and her had been lost, basically.  She was curious about him and he had no reason to hide his mission.  So, they talked.  And then, there was something of a shift.  taking down her hood, Sano got a better look at her just as she spoke.  Between taking in her significantly-attractive look and hearing her stronger - if unexpected - words, he was quite surprised.

He blinked at her use of the word 'We', though he assumed that she was part of a group local to the area was strong, like a guild.  Closer to the mark than he knew, really, but the woman corrected herself by indicating that she was speaking for all Serenian people.  That...wasn't quite as helpful as what he thought she meant before.  If she just blatantly knew a group of people who'd like to put the hammer down on a deadly vampire's head, that would've been easy.  He'd work up the money to hire things, and he could sleep easier, knowing that the only person to ever harm Keefe was dead.

"Well, you might say that, but people have lives.  I definitely need people for whom fighting is basically a living, and definitely get some magic in there.  Maybe alot."

He found himself puzzled over the woman for a second.  Why had she been calm before, abrupt suddenly, and once more as calm as morning dew?  Had he offended her without knowing it?  Because it didn't sound like civic pride.  Sano began to think maybe he had gotten under her skin, like with Allaeya in Essyrn.  Well, he had no idea that that was basically untrue, and...he had no way to know that here either.  Ugh, what a mess.  He just couldn't seem to figure people out, sometimes.  Sano looked up at the gray sky.  Still lookin' stormy.

"I guess I'd better head inside before I catch a cold or something."

He was curious about her, because of what she'd said and how she'd said it, but you couldn't go prying based upon that alone.  It's not like he could read her like he had Allaeya, knowing that she had significant troubles on her mind.  Sano began to head for the village, for now.

[Blink]

April Fools... I didn't really post ^.^


P.S: I will work on getting all my posts caught up by the end of the day.

[Wrathwyrm]

[OOC: Dang, you got me.  Okay, good to know.]

[Blink]

She merely smiled and nodded as the man stated he was going to head into the village before he got sick. "You creeped him out. Way to go!" At this point Nashya wasn't sure if that was the voice in her head, or her own true personal feelings.

Nashya went on about her business, expanding her reach with the help of the storm brewing overhead. So far other than the short conversation with the mysterious man her day had been uneventful... nothing really to take back to Cyn. There were of course a few different occurrences a few miles away that could have used some more looking into, but Nashya's reach was only so far.

"We are soaked. Perhaps its best we head into the village to dry off..." Again Nashya not sure if it was her own personal thoughts or that of her other half. Either way she nodded as if she were responding to someone standing right in front of her before finally leaving the cover of the tree, but not before pulling her hood back over her dark locks.

Finding solace outside of a local tavern/inn Nashya stood against the building, allowing the extended roof to keep the rain off of her better than the tree. It was here she pulled her cloak completely off revealing a simple dark grey tunic with black leggings and brown leather boots. Taking the cloak she draped it over her bag at her side as she ran her fingers through her hair in an attempt to comb it out a bit... she actually looked quite normal.

"Perhaps we could have some fun today?" the whisper in her mind beckoned, an attempt to push the boundaries of Nashya's will. "No" she answered aloud, not really paying attention on if anyone was looking at her or not. Usually in crowded places like this she did not worry about talking out loud to the voice in her head, only because people usually had other things on their mind when they passed by... for all the knew she was talking to someone standing near.

"If you keep denying me like this I am going to push through...." The voice took a long pause. ".... you know I can."

"Can we not do this right now? Cyn will not be happy if you go running crazy here. We are supposed to gather information... not create it." Her voice carried an irritated tone to say the least. Nashya hated it when her other half started threatening to surface, making it harder for her to concentrate on anything else.

[Wrathwyrm]

Because Nashya was completely capable of perceiving what Sano and everybody in town was doing, she knew exactly where he was and what he was up to at this time, should she desire to learn these facts.  That being the case, things on his end went thusly...

He was, as he often was, going over the journey in his mind.

The more he traveled, the more he needed to go over things.  It wasn't exactly a great start, he will say that.  Maybe some potentials in Adela, though he had had to wear himself out escaping from that phoenix-man who terrorized the Draconi Forest.  He had thought that Allaeya could help, not as a dragon...but as an alchemist.  It's just that it seemed like they left on bitter terms because he found out her secret.  Of course, what he didn't know was that she had found out his little secret.  Go figure.

Well, that was enough review.  It'd been a long way and he wanted to wet his whistle on something that isn't water.  Too much water about right now, as it is.  He stepped over to the local tavern opened the door.  Some eyes hit him and some eyes didn't.  The owner behind the bar did.  She was that breed of strong and hardy woman that outpace any man under her roof, especially if they're drunk, the kind that...if you were impolite to her...you would find yourself hurting, like twisting-your-codpiece-off-and-finding-out-there-was-still-a-cod-in-it hurting.

Sano didn't wear a codpiece.  Those things were silly.  That said, the owner was rather surprised by his appearance, anyway.

"Oh, what brings you to a little old shack like this, Sir Knight?"

"Knight?"

There was a moment of confusion there, for a second, then it dawned on him.  Chestpiece,  backpiece, shoulderpads, wristguards, shinguards, helmet - the trapping of a knightly figure, if ever you saw one.  Sano shook his head.

"I'm no knight, just a guy in armor."

"Well, you might give people the wrong impression, traveling like that."

"Maybe, but the roads are dangerous, and it's raining."

A round of "No kidding!" and "Really?" hit him like a wave, followed by laughter from everyone else in the tavern.  Okay, yes, he was stating the blitheringly obvious.  Sano removed his helmet and sighed.

"Smartasses.  Gimme a drink."

Having set the mood at the bar, Sano was given a beer to get the blood in his body moving again, a warm sensation filling his body.  Someone said in another tavern that beer and ale and wine and such don't really warm the body against cold weather, but actually cool it.  He was laughed off, of course, because he was talking about it at a bar.  Of course, he was drunk, so he also didn't care.  About the time Nashya was outside the tavern, Sano would be asking if anybody knew someone for hire that'd be able to tear apart a vampire.  There were the usual boasts, but Sano's ears perked up at one of the answers from a bearded man.

"Ah, ya want ta' head west through Falial, towards Zefras, and see the Goldswiths.  Longstanding tradition of hardy swordsman in that family back to the ancient times there!"

"You're sure.  This isn't a wind-up?"

"Gods sake, man!  They're only Magistrate of the land and the mines!  Isn't that a enough?  Who IS this vamp a' yours?  Garlock The Destroyer?"

"Garlock The whatnow?"

"Hah!  Ya hear that?  The wee man doesn't even know about ole' Garlock!  He's only the darkest magus to ever walk the Earth!  Destroys whole towns!  What'd this vampire a' yours do?"

"He's bested someone I know to be supremely skilled in her arts.  Damn near killed 'er, if not for me.  If I thought it'd do me any good, I'd even take this Garlock with me."

This time, the bartender spoke up, speaking in caution as she refreshed his drink.

"You don't want anyone like that, traveller.  The man's not boasting about Garlock.  Several years ago, they say the town of Claris was laid waste in minutes, then another and another, the survivors saying it was a magus calling himself Garlock The Destroyer, tearing 'em down because people lived there.  A scary thought, him coming here.  Don't even joke about that."

"Er...sorry."

He was quiet from then on, drinking his drink as he considered that maybe...he was just not picking up on the fact that other people had problems, and that he just wanted to ram any bastard that could throw down against the vampire, regardless of the consequences.  When he thought about their worry about this Garlock, he understood.  But when he thought about Keefe's body trying to burst from the inside...

...he didn't.

Feeling at least somewhat refreshed, with his mind suitably buzzed, he finished his drink and decided to set off.  Where?  Out, he supposed.  The Inn, around town, whatever.  He opened the door and found...well, if he hadn't seen her properly back under the tree, he'd be more surprised by her appearance, but even still he was caught off-guard.

"Oh, hi there.  Took your advice.  I think it helped."

Again, he normally spoke plainly about these things, in the proper manner, but he was half-joking conversationally.  Sano began to wonder, though...  She seemed to be doing alot of hanging around and not much of anything else.  Was she a town guard or something?  Serendipity was a nation of equality, after all...

[Blink]

"Cyn is the only one who understands me" The whisper in her mind countered in a childish way.
"Cyn tolerates you... not understands you." Nashya torted to herself in an effort to silence the battle ensuing in her mind. She could feel her other self trying to push through despite how she warned her against it.

Her concentration though was broken by an all too familiar voice. It was that man again, and of all places he had just walked out of the tavern she had stationed herself out of. It took a moment for his words to sink into her mind, as if she had to recount what advice she had offered him only a short time ago.

Plastering on a smile Nashya pushed herself away from the wall, all an attempt to make herself seem more casual than she had before. "I am glad it helped." Her eyes then shifted to the right as if she was looking at someone walking up when in reality it was the presence of the ever annoying voice in her mind going on again. "You sound like me when you try to be nice." Rolling her eyes Nashya's patience was beginning to wear thin.

The voice in her mind was more pushy than normal, and it was beginning to take its toll on her own sanity. Before she knew it or even had a chance to process what she had done Nashya found herself yelling at no one. "Why don't you just shut up for once!" Instantaneously the reality of what she had just done hit her. She had all but forgotten about the man whom she had already had a close call with earlier that day.

"...never"

[Wrathwyrm]

We have to wonder what the coincidence here is, just for a moment.  After all, Sano went there first.  It seemed more likely that it was Nashya's action, by coming there, that was out of place.  Well, perhaps.  However, it mattered not, at the moment.  At this time, he was having just a pleasant conversation with the woman he had mistakenly assumed was a town guard, when she began to look in a direction.  Sano glanced subtly, and listened.

That's funny.  I don't hear any footsteps.  Don't see anyone either.  Is it somebody cloaked?

Because of that look, and his prior assumption, he also assumed that someone sneaky was moving about, like maybe someone who did magic.  Fresh from a tale of Garlock The Destroyer, that worried Sano.  And then, suddenly, the woman shouted!  For a instant, he thought she might've been talking to him, but she said 'for once' and they'd only just met!  That meant...

Chance it!

His arm whipped out without warning as he flung a swift throwing knife in the direction the woman had been looking, expecting it to embed itself in an invisible target.  What he got...was a house, a rather nice-looking cottage, in fact.

"Umm...what?"

Sano blinked at this, a little confused, before turning back to her.

"Sorry, was there somebody back there...or did I just kill a house for no reason?"

[Blink]

Despite how mortified Nashya was for openly arguing with her inner self she couldn't help but giggle at the man's attempt to attack whatever 'threat' that could have been there. In fact the feeling of joy like this was so forgotten to her that her giggle quickly turned into a bit of a laughing fit. She did however quickly recover, but now held a more genuine smile on her face.

"If there was someone there... I am sure they are dead now." Again completely evading the question beneath. "...not dead..." her inner voice chimed in, causing her eyes to flicker again, but only for a second.

It was habit and a bad one at that. Usually how people discovered her abilities was the uncontrollable urge to look to her right when she heard the dark whisper in her mind. This was why she usually wore her cloak with the hood up, the brim of it usually covering her eyes enough from others seeing her eye movements.

"So did you find anyone for your task yet?" She was genuinely interested in this bit, not only because she felt a bit of concern for the man, but also because if there was anyone else in the area with abilities to match her own she would need to know.. so she could avoid them.

[Wrathwyrm]

The mirth of her laugh and the embarassment of him 'killing' a house brought a smile to Sano's face and he began to chuckle, as well.  Laughter is infectious, and she was genuinely amused by the whole idea.  She had to be joking about someone being dead, because he definitely didn't hit anything but that house.  He knew the sounds, the reactions, of someone having taken a thrown dagger.  That knife would be clean, as it had flown unhindered to the house it now stuck out of.  Can't kill a house, anyway.  It was a close cousin of the gazebo.

The renewed flicker of motion in Nashya's eyes went unnoticed this time, because Sano was now focusing on the knife and reaching out with his hand.  He couldn't just leave that thing there.  Some one would complain, and he would be down one knife.  Not that any common metal object was hard to come by, with his power, but it's just a waste.  It's like when he sat down and turned bits of steel into useable coppers for payment.  He could easily shunt them back into swords and such, but it cut into his spending money.  The knife came flying back into his hand and he pocketed it, just as the woman asked him about his quest.

"Well, I may have a couple of potentials and a bit of potion support, between Essyrn and Adela, but it's not guaranteed.  The locals recommend a fighter called Goldswith.  Since it's taking me a while to get a look around for people, I've kept them in mind and promised to call on them when I'm actually ready.  They keep doing whatever it is they're doing, and I keep going until I have enough and I have the money ready."

Because if you want good help from a random bunch of people to help you take down a dangerous target, you're footing the bill...with both feet.  Now, if Nashya's group kept up o date on Falial at all, they might know that the Goldswith family did have a young successor who took jobs from people.  In any case, Sano found he was rather enjoying her company, talking about it like this.  The locals of Serendipity were certainly warm in nature.  He decided to introduce himself.

"My name is Sano Alistair.  What's yours?"

[Blink]

"Belvedere... Nashya Belvedere" her last name not a prominent one in Serendipity. Originating from a small farming village just outside of Arca where she grew up with her 'parents'. Of course she did carry all the features of a true Serenian with fair skin and exotically colored eyes she had always assumed her biological parents were from this land as well but never knew for sure.

"Money is a fickle thing isn't it?" Nashya knew this all too well. Before Golden Gear she was barely scraping by. Always buying, selling and trading whatever she could get her hands on for some extra coin. She had tried the merc for hire route at one point, but that only ended up in disaster. It was funny really, how she used to have such good morals. But then again... this was all before her true abilities had manifested.

Now in Golden Gear she did not have to worry like before. The funds provided for her to do what was required of her were more than enough to survive on. "If it weren't for me you would still be struggling to survive." Once again Nashya's eyes flicked to the side as she listened to the voice taunt her. She did however resist rolling her eyes in reaction to what the voice was saying. That part of her was right, she would still be doing whatever it took to survive it had not been for her darker self emerging. However... her life may also be more worth living if it were gone.

"... and it is a pleasure to meet you Sano." Nashya gave him a warm smile before bowing her head a bit in respect. She wasn't even worried about disclosing her real name to him, for in Golden Gear she was known as something different entirely...

[Wrathwyrm]

Her name wouldn't be anymore recognizable than the Alistair family line.  The Alistairs had - due to having some oddities about them - attempted to keep quiet and out of the limelight, so to speak.  Sano's father was heavily in denial, and Sano himself would rather not be especially well-known because of him, as well.  It was one reason for why he liked the quiet life, to be fair.  Nobody bothered him about his past in La'Marri.  Nashya may not have been anymore important than he was, but she seemed very nice.  He nodded at her question of money.

"Always is.  I'll manage, once I'm ready."

He wasn't going to explain that he did technically cheat with his magic, there.  Alchemists have poured over the secret of transmutation all their lives, but the right birth and...it turns out you can transform lead into gold if you have all day with nothing to do but stare at it until it turns bright...and then pass out, but it DOES work, at least.  Sano decided that, now that he and Nashya had introduced each other, that he'd indulge in a bit of curiosity.

"So, are you a town guard or patrol for Serendipity or something?"

Her hanging around places and keeping a watchful - if darting - eye seemed to indicate this.

[Blink]

His question caught her off guard to say the least. "Ha ha! He thinks your a guard!" the voice in her head louder than it had been in quite some time. "Not a guard...." she paused trying to formulate the correct statement in her mind. "... I can't really talk about what it is I do. But no not a guard.."

Her answer was more honest than she had intended for it to be yet left out all the important details. No she was not a guard, but yes her actions did have a purpose. Little did this man know that he was instead talking to Nashya Belvedere... Shadowfeeder and main information retriever for Golden Gear. The eyes and ears of Serendipity, particularly this region in Jadenshine. Her job was to listen, watch, and report anything useful to Cyn. Of course that was when she was alone. When with Demagogue her job was to create the illusion that he was just as human as the next person... creating a face to fool the masses.

Nashya suddenly felt uneasy, as if her answer would lead him to probe for more questions than she was prepared to answer. If she had to fight eventually she would, as she was more than capable of defending herself. But the last thing she needed was to draw more attention to herself, wanting to keep her face as inconspicuous as possible.

Wanting to change the subject as quickly as possible she instead opted for a different conversation... again. It seemed as though the sun had decided to finally come out, leading to the rain coming to a halt from the sky and to the clouds retracting in the sky. "Have you any other plans for the day?"