From the Wild [open]

[Coba]

There seemed to be a collective sigh of, if not relief, release of tension from the party of four. Coba herself continued to go about her business around the area, picking up her pack and sword sheath, slinging them across her body in preparation for the now imminent walk. She glanced up to see Sasin exhibit magnificent Viper speed as he flashed past Jonathon, and for a moment Coba felt herself tense to spring, thinking someone had really decided to perform idiocy. But he passed as quick as he had sprung, flitting past and into the wood, and she relaxed slightly. Coba did not take Jonathon's hand, purely of out principal. She did not touch people, not out of real dislike for the stranger, but to feel skin against her own made bile rise in her throat and innate panic creep into her brain. It interested her to see Sanibelle sniff and turn away from it as well. She gave Jonathon a curt nod of the head and a ghost of a smile. "I would say nice to meet you. . . But I don't lie. Your efforts are. . . appreciated, I suppose." "Normally, I don't ask other's business. But what were you up to in the woods?" When Sasin reappeared, she let out a sigh of relief to see that he had clothes to dress himself in. It had occurred to her that Dhani shifted like Kelvic in terms of clothing, and it had crossed her mind that he would have to take her up on her offer as well. She wasn't sure exactly how she was going to explain not just one but two cases of nudity. She laughed a bit to see a creature that not long ago had emanated cool grace hop out of the woods and fall on it's behind. It also humoured her that such a behemoth snake could turn into a humanoid shorter then she was. She started to walk towards the city, pausing and turning her head to look up into Sanibelle's face as the horse drew along side her, reaching out with a hand to scratch the handsome creature's shoulder, running her hands through the silky white pelt. She resumed pace, making her way down the road to draw up to where Sasin stood, finishing his last dressing details, and then continued past. They seemed to all have taken her offer, and for that she guessed she could be glad.

[Jonathon DuFraine]

Sanibelle's golden eyes stared straight into Jonathon's; almost the same color as the hunter's, too. Jonathon watched as Sanibelle rebuffed his handshake and mounted her horse; of course, forcing Jonathon to look away rather quickly to avoid seeing... anything. No need to be stamped a pervert on top of everything else. Sometimes, you try to help... this is what happens. Racist, inept fool, stubborn jerk... Jonathon ran a hand through his hair.

"...I took a stroll. Got tired of the city, thought I might catch something..." Jonathon mumbled. He considered ditching the two frosty women and the Dhani and getting back to the calm woods. Perhaps, but... But what? I suppose there are too many questions. Who are these people, Sanibelle, managing to be frosty and condencending without any clothes? Coba; the Dhani, Sasin?

Jonathon stayed quite through the walk towards town, which seemed slow enough for a death march. Then again, the march wasn't exactly a rollicking laugh, was it? Not unusual to stay quite.

[Nyahna Sasin]

When he got up, his clothes all finally on, they were already a little ahead of him. He caught up to them easily, and grimaced as he realized that yet again, he was quite a bit shorter than all of them. Eh. That was the price he paid for being poisonous, he supposed.

"I wouldn't worry about the guards, by the way." He remarked to Sanibell. "There seem to be no shortage of Kelvic's around here. I'm fairly certain you're not the first to forget about clothing."

As they walked through the main gate, he nodded at the guard. They knew him by sight. He would leave the city for a few days at a time every few weeks, after all.

[Sanibelle]

Sanibelle flashed her glare at Sasin, then back at the road. She had wanted go say something that would bite. She refrained and kept her mouth shut. Even the slightest amount of discourse with the two men seemed.... Well, below her. She remained adamant that she would not allow them to create a social circle out of her. She did not agree with this whole idea of, "Let's all be friends and forget it ever happened."

On the other hand, she knew she couldn't hide from people forever. That was no way to find a place where she belonged. That was all he had wanted... A companion...

No... She thought. That was quite enough. She blocked out her thoughts of love and happiness for another day. For now, she would remain on task: Follow Coba. Over and over told herself this is what she would do until she felt it was time to split ways.

Then again, she liked this Coba. This far she had proven herself to be rather trustworthy. She liked this. But anyone who felt the need to put the aim of a bow and sword to another being must know what they were dealing with... Unless of course they were loud and clumsy in announcing they were doing so.

Sanibelle sneezed, then hook her mane of auburn hair. The hunger was truly beginning to set back in. The rodent had been very meager. Almost as he thought so, her stomach growled. She hoped no one noticed.

[Coba]

Even if everyone had agreed to go eat, it hardly seemed a willing party, full of brooding silence and discomfort. Eh, they could be that way. Coba's diplomacy was spent, zip, no more. So she just fell into step beside Sanibelle's mount, drawing some residual body heat from the great beast. The peppiest of them all seemed to be Sasin, quite at home as he nodded to the guards and other whatnot. It seemed odd that a creature so reputed to be fond of violence and other such things to be comfortable in a city like Syliras. As much as everyone was welcome here, it didn't just seem to fit some people as much as others. They moved through the city, heading for the Rearing Stallion, three on foot, one mounted, but first: clothes. Sanibelle might be forgiven for nudity at the gates, but she needed more then Coba's coat to attend lunch in, as much for her own protection as anything else. Not every man that attended the tavern would be as honourable as Jonathon, averting eyes when her loose overcoat was not enough. For reasons Coba did not want to think about, she had vested interest in the Kelvic. She did not understand how, or even why. But for now she'd stick around and attempt to ferret them out, protecting seemed necessary to do so. Even then, she wondered: what interest the these other two have? Was it purely the bribe of hot food that had to men that didn't seem overly happy to be in each other's company, or were their interests similar to her own, trying to find what is was that had the others ticking. She glanced up and Sanibelle, "What do you want to wear?"

[Jonathon DuFraine]

Jonathon noticed,after they had entered town, that Sanibelle and Coba were starting a conversation, effectively shutting Sasin and him out. Jonathon waited a few seconds, then decided he might as well try. "Sasin. I would like to apologize... It was rather foolish of me to assume you were, um, hostile." Jonathon immediately felt better, and also a sight less foolish, even if the Dhani put off his apology. This was all more trouble than it was worth...

Jonathon refused to shake his hand though; whether by a few things the Dhani had said earlier had put him off, their strange way of meeting, or plain racism, Jonathon still felt very, very uncomfortable around Sasin. Still, Coba didn't exactly make him feel all warm and toasty on the inside, and Sanibelle... Jonathon was genuinely worried this trip to the inn may end in a fistfight. Worried or hopeful?, said the sneaky voice in his head.

[Nyahna Sasin]

Mm. Lovely. Scorned by a naked kelvic. How wonderful.

It occurred to him that he really could just leave now. There was almost nothing for him here. A kelvic, and two humans, none of whom he really liked. It would be fun, of course, watching the Kelvic and Coba ignore the hunter, but that was just a little bit of fun, and he really needed to get warm.

He raised an (finally existent) eyebrow as the hunter apologized. It sounded very forced to his ears, but, well, squeezing blood from a stone wasn't something he could be bothered to do. He merely nodded at the man.

To be honest, really, what kept him with this little group was little more than curiosity. And curiosity had gotten him into trouble quite often. It had gotten him into this mess in the first place.

Well then, he decided finally. Might as well see it to the end.

[Sanibelle]

Sanibelle looked down at Coba from the corner of her eye. Her question had been simple. What had she wanted to wear? She knew how pathetic it was that she couldn't remember the last time she wore clothing of any sort. She almost almost laughed out loud. No embarrassment shone on her face, but she realized how awkward it was to be naked with four strangers, another woman and two men, mounted on a horse, barely covered by a coat.

For the second time in what felt like ages, she spoke. In hushed tone she replied, "I believe if you could direct me in the way of the nearest place that offers clothing for sale, I could pick something out and return shortly."

And she would do just that. She was hungry, just as much as she sensed Sasin was. With a quick shift she looked back down at the Dhani. For a second she felt sorry for the little being. The feeling didn't last long, though, for she averted her gaze back to Coba, awaiting a reply.

[Coba]

"Uh," she offered lamely. She was no excellent shopper, lacking the funds for extravagance even if she had the taste for it. Racking her brains, she recalled bits of chatter among the women in the market. . . Eloquence, no. Elephant? Certainly not. She tried to get her brain away from making up random words that began with el-, even if she secretly found it amusing. It was elegant, wasn't it? "Elegant. . . something or other," she looked to the men, grasping at strings. She did not know why the boys were sticking around. Curiosity, she supposed. The same reason she had even looked twice at a naked woman atop a white horse. If she could attribute it to pure curiosity, her particular interest in Sanibelle. It occurred to her that the two others with them could be equal regard, seeing as they'd come after she'd had a sword pointed at one of them though clearly expressed equal distaste for the other when they'd met. She often took such things for granted in others, the ability to forgive having someone threaten you on professional purposes, though inept threats annoyed her. In a city like Syliras, where you were supposed to be sheltered from such things, this quality should not be over looked. You should have killed them, or been so altered trying. This city is making you soft, Coba. You leave in this condition and you will be killed. Whispered the snaky and half present voices in her head. Her expression became slightly distant as she listened to them, frowning briefly before detaching herself from the complicated life she led within her own skull. She couldn't listen to them while she was within or in earshot of these walls, though in part she enjoyed having a thick oaken door to her apartment separate her from a population that did not quite wish to kill her out of mere spite. This train of though brought a clamour of protest from those voices. To distract herself, she started to study the two men with piercing intensity, as if she figured if she would see their insides as if they were glass if she looked hard enough. The Jonathon man was just a bit taller then she, the Dhani. . . Sasin, rather, was just a bit shorter. She wasn't quite sure about the former, his motives or his goals. She wondered what possessed him to become involved in the confrontation in the first place, for he didn't seem the war mongering sort, though she could be wrong. It was not uncommon, when trying to identify motives that weren't blood, lust or greed. She distinctly respected the bow he carried. However much long range weapons might try her patience in the waiting game, they were deadly effective if the wielder had half decent eyesight. She wasn't sure whether to read Inarta from the red of his hair and proficiency with his weapon. He could be. And then again he might not. There were enough bloodlines among the human populace to produce such hair. And Sasin. Sasin had the distinct air of trouble. He might be sociable, she might even call him peppy, to a point, but there was that underlying edge to him. His bloodlines were rather long lived, were they not? She knew very little about them, other then what she'd heard with disinterested ears. She made individuals her enemies, not races. But did it not take them some time to learn to walk as a human? She wasn't sure, and didn't care to ask. They both seemed to be acquainted with the city, more so then her. So she offered up a smile, masking her scrutiny with a new emotion; an attempt at conversational attitudes. At best it could be described as distinctly faked out of her lack of skill in the complicated twists of speaking with others. "When she's dressed, which of these establishments do you figure to be the best in food, service irrelevant?"

[Jonathon DuFraine]

Jonathon nodded back to Sasin and turned away. Well... whatever. This will all sort itself out over food. Jonathon turned at Coba's question. "I know the Rearing Stallion quite well; it serves good food. It may be a tad crowded at this time of day... If we can't think of anywhere else, it's a solid choice."

Jonathon noticed Coba's eyes examining both Jonathon and Sasin. Jonathon was eerily reminded of his own attitude towards strangers. It really is rather disconcerting. Maybe I shouldn't stare with such intensity...