Valence and Everen
Valence walked in silence, concentrating on the thrumming of magic in the air. It was a difficult thing to do so close to civilization, here where the Consolate of the Rose worked their magic every day. The air was polluted with magic, and while on another day he might have found the sensation pleasant, now it was simply irritating. How was he supposed to locate a single person's signature when there were thousands of names scribbled in the air?
He lost the trail in the central square and stopped moving, a hiss of frustration escaping his lips. It didn't matter, in the end - the Consolate had already tracked the offender far beyond this place, and he was now familiar enough that he could pick the trail up again with ease. Still, Valence hated imperfection, and that he had lost the trail was more than enough to annoy him.
"Is everything alright?" Everen asked, stepping up behind Valence with a look of concern in her large, innocent eyes. She looked so much like a child... it sent shivers down Valence's back. He hated children.
"Fine," he answered shortly, then turned back to the rest of the party. "If there is anything you need in town, get it now. We may not return to civilization for quite some time."
And he left it at that, turning and striding off once more towards the exit of the city. He seemed to have no intention of waiting for the others. Everen smiled after him almost sadly, before turning back to the group.
"I apologize," she murmured, bowing slightly to all of them. "My superiors warned me that he does not enjoy being near so many people. If you could please tolerate him, just until the end of our journey... I promise that he was summoned only because he is best at what he does. You do not have to spend any more time with him than it will take to kill his brother."
"I heard that," Valence called back over his shoulder, but kept walking. He did not want to answer any stupid questions that might have been brought up by the cleric's choice of words.