Badgers. Apes. Lyle was used to the slurs that he received from others, and so brushed them off in stride. âThereâs only one time where Iâm like an animal, and thatâs-Gck!â Lyle found his comment abruptly cut off as Socie tightened her grip on his hand. Some uncomfortable crunching noises accompanied the intense pain as she removed herself from his grip, Lyleâs face doing its best to maintain its composure. When he was finally released, Lyle shook his hand out and blew on it a couple of times, shooting Socie a bit of a glare into her back before moving to follow the group. Well, it was better than what she normally did to him, so that was something. When the talk moved to drinks, Lyle quickly made his way back to the front of the group, stating his obvious support of the idea. Maybe a few drinks would help his company loosen up.
Glancing back over her shoulder as she was touched, she didnât entirely catch Cyâs attempt at silencing her initially. Giving a soft gasp, more in surprise then any actual pain, Cleo stumbled slightly to the side as Cyrille pushed past her, the shorter girl grabbing hold of her shoulder and shooting him a bit of a look before he condescendingly scolded her with a simple motion. Pouting slightly, Cleo knew better than to question it, folding her arms much like an upset child as she mumbled something about being rude. Whatever the case, she didnât entirely see why Cyrille was so annoyed at her. Were drinks really a good idea when they were on a mission? Clearly, sheâd missed a memo somewhere, and it mildly upset her to be out of the loop to some extent. She was giving this her best, so the least he could do was tell her where sheâd gone wrong.
As the talks of being tourists and the façade that Cy and Gerain were putting on became more obvious, Cleoâs understanding clicked into place and she sheepishly blushed that she hadnât recognized the need to be coy. Ugh, how could she be so stupid? This was exactly the sort of mistake sheâd chastise Socie for, and here she was making a dunce of herself. Sighing to herself, she lagged a little behind the group as they set off on their tour. Soon enough she was back to her bubbly, cheery self however. It didnât take much to act happy and like a foreigner when you werenât a local. Buying an assortment of knickknacks, some clothing and other gifts, she was certainly the one that best fit the traveller demographic, and soon enough, had completely forgotten what had upset her in the first place.
âYou know, if youâre uncomfortable, you can always hand Ash over to me.â Lyle winked at Cleo from across the other side of the van, for what felt like the hundredth conversation she was having with him. It was like every time she tried to be polite in talking with him he took that inch and turned it into several feet. Giving the boy a sceptical look, Cleo waved a hand dismissively. âNo, thatâs alright. Sheâs actually pretty light.â Looking down to her shoulder at the sleeping Ash, Cleo couldnât help but smile. She liked helping out, and beyond that, she felt obliged to protect the vulnerable girl from Lyleâs creeper advances. With Cyrille in the front with Gerain, The girls had claimed one side of the van with Lyle and Kasmir on the other. Cleo was used to the middle seat on her side, and was a little proud that Ash trusted her enough to take a nap on her. Even if there wasnât much other choice.
Socie had been quieter than usual, maybe as a result of the larger group? When they were alone, she was certainly chattier. Perhaps she was just being considerate of Ashâs sleep? Cleo found it hard to work out what she was thinking, which wasnât good considering they were supposed to be partners. Maybe she was overthinking things; there was nothing to be worried about. Cyrille just happened to tap the window at that moment, reminding them of the simplicity of their operation and the plan, Cleo giving a nod of affirmation. If there was any chance she was the leader before, Cyrille had clearly superseded her at this point. She didnât know why, but that made her sad slightly. It shouldnât have really bothered her, especially considering he outranked her, but it brought up uncomfortable memories. Gosh, why was she so uncertain all of the sudden? Maybe the fog was just making her jitteryâŠ
âYou know, it canât be good for her to stay sleeping upright like that. Weâve got a spare seat over here, so maybe we could lie her down, let her rest on my lap.â Lyle tried once again to get Cleo to relinquish Ash, the female giving a look of disgust and questioning, followed by pleading as she looked to Kasmir. It seemed he was a fan of the laissez faire approach to things, at least when it came to Lyle. Part of Cleo wished something would happen already so that she could get out of dealing with him⊠And soon enough, she got her wish. In a moment, the intensity shot from a 2 to an 11 as the shattering sound of glass filled the air, Cleo shrieking out in alarm as a bolt stopped only an armâs length away from her, the meister more thankful for their guide at that moment then sheâd ever been. "Everyone OUT!" Gerainâs booming voice didnât need to tell her twice. Hurriedly unbuckling herself and shaking Ash, Cleo was more than a little perturbed that the little meister was so casually stretching at a time like this. âCome on! We need to get some cover!â Dragging Ash with her so that she could regroup with Cyrille, Cleo followed after Socie to clamber out the side of the van, calling the weapon over to her side as she took shelter behind the vehicle. Seemed like they found the source of the disappearances.
At the same time, the boyâs had both disembarked out the backdoor, a bit more organised then the females of the squad. Despite his charming and flirtacious demeanour, Lyle was focussed enough once combat started, moving into position to follow Kasmirâs lead. âAn ambush huh?! Fine by me. How many of them are there?â Taking a couple of running strides towards Kasmir, Lyle leapt towards his partner. "Lyle! Ten 'o clock, the assailant appears to be a ranged weapon, using the fog to his advantage." Kasmir informed, ever reliable. Shifting in a flash of light into sharpened metal, the halberd spun several times before Lyle perfectly landed within the Meisterâs hand, sharpened point aimed directly at their target. âOnly one guy? Well, this should be easy.â His apparition appearing by Kasmir, Lyle looked to the rest of the team then back to his partner before settling on their adversary. âSo much for scouting. Letâs take point. Weâve got ladies to impress Kasmir, donât let me down.â