Airedale

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When Cailu entered the house he had grown up in, the place that now belonged to him, the tribe leaders house. Even if it made him feel uncomfortable to stay there since it felt like it wasn't really his, he still liked it since it made him able to stay with the only family he had left since his younger siblings had decided to travel together to study other techniques and learn more. Because he still had Ara here with him, on the upper floor and when he returned home from meetings he usually always walked up the narrow stairs to knock on her door. He didn't wait for her to open or call out that it was okay to come in because they both knew that it was, so he just opened the door and lowered his head as he walked inside seeing her sit by the small window as she usually did.

"How did it go?" Ara didn't turn her face towards him as she spoke, obviously too mesmerized with the scenery outside to bother with such unnecessary gestures. Cailu could hear how important the question was anyway, he knew it even before it was brought up that it would be the first thing she would speak of.

"I think it turned out fine."

Ara turned her gaze from the window, as did she turn her body towards him. Looking directly at him with a wrinkle between her eyebrows, clearly not satisfied by the answer. But Cailu was happy anyway because she didn't look that worn out at the moment. Even if they were concerned at the moment her eye's still looked lively. "What do you mean?"

With a small smile Cailu stroke the back of his neck, "Well... I didn't really remember what you told me to say so I improvised... But they decided to keep on trading with us so it's good, right?"

Ara blinked a couple of times, confused by what she heard, surprised even, "You improvised? Do you know what problem that may have caused us if you hadn't succeeded?"

"Of course I do, I can think for myself you know."

"This is not about you and your thoughts, this is about you almost making us lose a trading partner."

Cailu quietly looked away, he knew there was nothing that he could say that would make her believe that he could handle the situation by himself. Ever since he had told her about how anxious he had felt about the leader position being put over him, how he felt crushed be the pressure of the expatriations she had been controlling his every move as the leader. Sure, he had appreciated it at first, to get that help, to not feel like he had the whole tribe positioned on his shoulder. Getting more pressed towards the ground by every single day that passed by, but now it felt like it was Ara that pressed him towards the ground more and more by every single thing he had to do. But it was not like he could take that away from her, he knew it was the thing she appreciated the most, to feel needed even when sitting in this room every single day. Even he would try to revolt it wouldn't bring him anything more than perhaps an angry mob chasing him out from the tribe. He knew that if he displeased her so she could easily take the position from him since she had the tribe’s approval and love. She could easily take his place without doing more than just ask their tribesmen to do it for her, she wouldn’t even need to raise up from the chair.

"I'm sorry for forgetting," Cailu walked over to her and lightly picked the flower she had in her out from it just to replace it with a new one, mumbling while doing so, "I'm very sorry."

Ara waved away his hands from her face and shook her head quietly, "Fine. Even if you didn't listen to me you still succeeded and that is all that matters," As soon as she had uttered the sentence her face lightened up by a smile as she leaned back in the chair again, "So now tell me about what happened, who did you meet? How did it look? Oh, Anastasia was with you right?"

Cailu just chuckled slightly at the questions that continued to be sounded be Ara's mouth as he took the second chair in the room and dragged it over to her. When he had placed it beside her before he sat down and started to try to form some sort of answer to the questions that had always been voiced while more continued to come to life.

It was surprising, overwhelming, a shock.
It had only been a single day since the old man faded away into a lifeless bag of meat, leaving nothing but memories and a piece of paper behind. Of course, curiosity instantly causes the living to see what was written... A will.
The next day, he was dragged into the ceremony. Forced to wear the annoyingly loose ceremonial robes, robes too big to walk in without tripping. Forced to sit in the funny shaped wooden chair cut into a dead tree. Forced to speak some words which approved his new power;
"Uh... I shall continue the legacy of the old man, I shall meet his goals, I shall become the savior and guardian of this tribe. Leading the world into a new age of peace and prosperity. No flags, no lines drawn in the sand, all united. I, Vladimir Rostovii, accepts the position of Tribe leader!"
It was amazing what words he could think up in just a matter of minutes, perhaps this was a side effect of being a natural leader. Or maybe from being quick witted... Probably the latter. The improvised words which was poorly thrown out of the mouth of the new leader drew the masses to break into applause. The words somehow touched them, somehow...
Either way, the blindfolded leader was growing restless and wanted to get out of those damned robes, he looked from left to right at the elders, hoping they would take him away. And they did!

About a week had passed after the strange ceremony, the streets of the tree city of Shadowfen had been cleared of stalls and celebratory decorations. Memories of how drunk the people got and how much fun they had still lingered in the air.
Vladimir, dressed back into his usual black clothing, was sitting in his funny shaped wooden chair, resting his legs on the table pushed in front of him. His left hand lightly touched the petals of a potted flower, his right hand tapping on the armrests.

"... That's about it." He finished his large lecture he was giving the two governors which stood before him.
"I see, this all seems a bit farfetched, sir." One of the two replied,
"I don't care." Vladimir quickly replied, "It will work."
"With what you say, you will probably be killed. Plants don't exist everywhere, you can't always depend on them to see."
"Then I'll carry this potted plant with me." Vladimir gestured to the flower he was lightly touching, then broke into a small laugh which lasted a few seconds, "Trust me, I know what I'm doing."
The two governors bowed to Vladimir, "Would you like us to grab the healer, Helina?"
"Ah, that, yeah might as well... She deserves to know."
With that, the two governors quickly left to fetch the healer, both wishing they could get all of their jobs done in one day so they could slack. Too bad their new leader always had work for the people, not like the past leader who was all laid back. But that didn't matter, Vladimir knew of what he was doing, and was doing it all very well...

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Cailu had already explained how he had exchanged words with their trading partners, retelling every single word that had left his mouth and the other ones as well. Describing it all in detail, the movements and how he had felt. Ara wanted to hear every single detail, he couldn’t leave anything untold, even if he didn’t remember everything correctly he was forced to pretend that he did because he knew how much she liked to hear it.

When he had been put in this situation the first time he had been confused and not known why he was forced to do it but as time passed by he had started to get it, it was because Ara pictured the whole situation in her head. Pretending she was there to witness it, that she was the one doing it by herself. But as he started to describe the environment he had seen. All from the nearby forest to the mountains that could be seen in the distant and how clear and open the land got the closer to the sea they came it knocked on the door. The both of them got quiet and turned their gaze there when the one outside spoke out.

As soon as the name had been sounded Ara turned her gaze towards Cailu again after giving her approval to Anastasia to come inside, “Continue.”

Cailu hesitated however, feeling uncomfortable with Anastasia coming inside, he had always had a hard time speaking in front of people. Stumbling on his words, repeating the same ones again and again, which was his biggest fault when it came to being the leader. Without Ara’s guidance he would probably had destroyed many of their connections at this time. But now he felt securer in the position, he hadn’t been forced to do anything mayor yet either. So from being extremely outspoken, voicing everything Ara wanted to hear he got quieter, only mumbling out some of the answer’s to her questions. Which clearly annoyed her since she got a wrinkle on her forehead again.

“If I am interrupting something, I do apologize.”

Cailu shut his mouth tight, looking out the window, you could think he should had gotten used to his female companion by now. Even more so since he trusted her with his life most of the time, but it was only because Ara trusted her. It was her orders that Anastasia should guard him, Cailu thought he probably would be able to guard himself but he didn’t want to cause trouble by opposing Ara’s request. But most of the time he did felt rather anxious around her, mainly because he didn’t know what to say to her, they spent so much time around each other but nearly never spoke more than a few words. It was a strange relationship they had, it seemed to only circulate around Ara.

Ara on the other hand turned around on her chair and smiled cheerfully towards Anastasia as she entered the room, “No, you are not interrupting anything. We are already done with the crucial information. Cailu was just describing what he could witness with his eyes, it sound incredible indeed. I wish I could have traveled with you.”

Cailu silently patted her hand while giving her a concerned gaze, he knew how much she wanted to go with them. But he had no idea what to say to cheer up either, but in a clumsy attempt he mumbled, “Perhaps you will be able to come with us next time.”

Ara met Cailu’s eyes under silent as well, taking in his words, printing them in her mind. Next time, “Yes, perhaps I will.” She turned her head around towards Anastasia again still smiling, “Come and sit down, I want to listen to what you have to say now. Or perhaps you don’t want Cailu to be here? He can leave if that is what you want.”

Out of old habits, the moment Anastasia entered the room she extended out her powers to the two sibling-like cousins. Her air barrier covered them in familiarity, molding to their bodies perfectly and in the upmost care. Only due to how long she has been guarding the two and how often she uses it, they were the only ones who could notice the barrier. Her snow white hair fell over her shoulders as she bowed her head, bright sapphire eyes looking through her eyelashes at Ara.

“No, you are not interrupting anything. We are already done with the crucial information. Cailu was just describing what he could witness with his eyes, it sound incredible indeed. I wish I could have traveled with you.” Anastasia raised her head and gave the woman an innocent but remorseful smile, desperately wishing that Ara could come with them every time. It had only been of recent when her condition worsen that she was even prohibited to leave her own quarters. Before hand, the three of them would walk around the royals’ house but now Ara was unable to even do such things under orders of their Tribe’s best doctor.
“Perhaps you will be able to come with us next time.”

She couldn’t help but look up and stare at Cailu for a moment with a stoned face before her dark crystal eyes flicked over towards Ara who heard his words through and through. While it was a grave thought that brought a lump to Anastasia’s throat, she couldn’t help but to think that there may never be a next time of when Ara could accompany them. Anastasia kept this thought deep into her stomach, keeping it out of reach of her face and heart. “Yes, perhaps I will. Come and sit down, I want to listen to what you have to say now. Or perhaps you don’t want Cailu to be here? He can leave if that is what you want.”

With a slight nod, Anastasia gracefully made her way over towards the two, sitting down in a chair next to Cailu. She gave the both of them a small smile before resting her hands on her lap and sitting up straightly. “I have no problems with Cailu being here. I merely came to say my greetings.” Anastasia looked at Ara, examining her well being. Her barrier hardened around her as if Anastasia was desperately trying to protect her from all of the terrors of life, trying to prevent a precious belonging from breaking. “The trees are quite lovely today aren’t they? Have you seen the crows that populated the boarders,” She asked, looking out the window. “It makes me feel as though harvesting season is quickly approaching us.” A wide, crooked smile pulled tightly on her lips as she continued to speak friendly with Ara.

“Perhaps once it does approach, we could grab ourselves some Red Delicious.” Anastasia loved Red Delicious and she loved sharing them with Ara even more. The girl almost idolized the woman as Ara was the first friend, the first bond she made outside of Fantasia- after he had betrayed her and left a whole in her heart and chest.

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“I have no problems with Cailu being here. I merely came to say my greetings.”

Ara lowered her head slowly in a nod, lowering her hand as well that was just about to shoo away Cailu from the room, she was well aware of the troubles both of them had with talking in front of people. Or that was Cailu's problem, why Anastasia didn't say much was not something Ara had thought much of, she just knew it was a very obvious part of the girl. Not that Ara minded it, or well yes she did, when she finally got some other company than the doctor that came and checked up on her once every week it was these two. Ara loved them both dearly but their silence could be a bit irritating at times, she wanted to listen to other's speak. She was pretty sick and tired of her own voice since she listened to it all the time every day when she was talking to herself.

“The trees are quite lovely today aren’t they? Have you seen the crows that populated the boarders, it makes me feel as though harvesting season is quickly approaching us.” Again Ara nodded slowly as the girl spoke, listening to her words, carving them inside her head. Not because they touched her like Cailu's had done but because she wanted to remember them when she felt lonely. When the both of them were away on business and she was all alone in here she often replayed the conversations they have had with each other, listening to their voices in her head and answering them again. She knew it was a sad thing to do, but she rather did that than call for someone she didn't enjoy conversations with. “Perhaps once it does approach, we could grab ourselves some Red Delicious.”

"Yes, perhaps we can do that," With a smile Ara paused, looking out the window. She had noticed that, how that season had started to creep closer. The changes outside both made her feel extremely depressed and happy at the same time, she enjoyed that time of the year but to just sit inside and watch was not something she wanted to do. She wanted to be outside with the others. Leaning back tiredly she dragged the hand over her face, "Do you think anyone would notice if I opened the window and flew out for a while?"

As soon as Ara spoke the words Cailu jolted out from his thoughts of how he hadn't even had the time to see how the time passed by as the other two had, staring at her before grabbing her other hand, "You can't do that. I won't allow that."

Ara smiled slightly before patting his hand which was holding hers, "Dear little Cailu, you may be bigger than me in size but I am older than you. You can't command me what to do, but I know you only mean well but no matter how hard you are squeezing my hand I would still be able to get away if I wanted to."

Cailu got quiet again, hesitating at first before letting go of her hand. He knew she was right, it didn't matter how hard he was holding on to her because if she wanted to get away there was no chance for him to keep her in here. You can't hold on to air, even if he tried she would probably be able to leak out through some tiny crack. In shy manners he was staring down onto his hands which was clasped together in front of him while mumbling, "I just don't want you to get weaker again or lose control while being too high above ground. Because neither me nor Anastasia would be able to protect you if that happens."

Ara's smile died and she turned her face towards the window again, "I know, I was just daydreaming. I apologize for worrying you, you too Anastasia. I will not mention it again."

Anastasia’s hands fisted in between the fabrics of her dress as she listened to Ara. She knew that no one would ever be happy confined to her bed, hidden from world only but to watch it go by like some sort of twisted movie. For some odd reason, Anastasia could easily empathize with Ara as she too, was once held against her will and unable to enjoy her life. However, Anastasia always had her friend with her back then suffering with her through the hard times and making the bleakest situations seem bright like the sun’s rays.

Unfortunately, Ara did not have a companion to share her woes. Anastasia knew very well that Ara refrains from her dark thoughts in fear of worrying others as well as the fear that she may give up on herself too. Perhaps Ara already did give up the hope of recovering. Sapphire eyes looked over towards Ara with a silence that seemed to contain more pity than any type of sympathy or empathy yet it disappeared almost as quick as it surfaced, Anastasia made sure she was careful to not allow Ara to see her true emotions behind the mask she always seemed to wear.

Eyes closed as Anastasia reached over and grabbed Ara’s hand, her barrier quickly disappearing. “While the risks are very high,” She began, ignoring Cailu and anything that Ara may or may not say. “If you truly wish, I can allow you to accompany me to the market.” Her eyes opened to meet Ara’s. “It is bold of me to suggest something such as this but I see you as a dear friend. With a cloak and fabric face mask, it should be alright.” Anastasia watched her a little, readying herself for whatever punishments or tongue lashings she may receive.

“I believe that perhaps a little fresh air will help clear whatever doubts and worries you may have that fill your head at the moment. The exercise may even make you feel much better.” For the first time for a while, Anastasia’s eyes read her emotions. She wished that Ara lived a fulfilled even with such a crippling disease; if the woman wasn’t permitted to even arise out of bed, then what would prevent her from thinking thoughts that would eventually crush her. “I may not be able to protect you from the illness within you but I am confident that I can protect your body from the outside forces.”

Once again, Anastasia bowed her in apologies of her bold speaking but the look in her sapphire eyes told everyone within the room that she did not regret her words and welcomed whatever Cailu may say or whatever Ara may order.

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Cailu's eyes grew from sorrow into shock before turning to anger, staring coldly at Anastasia as she spoke. He was very much aware of the fact that he gave Ara expectations and hopes that probably wouldn't turn real but he ignored his own flaws and got angry at her anyway. He believed that he had the right to say things like that, being Ara's cousin and at some point seen as her younger brother, Anastasia wasn't family. She was an outsider, a friend to Ara. Nothing more than that. From Cailu's point of view she didn't have anything to say in a situation like this, and he clearly showed it through his eyes. Giving her angry looks as soon as Ara couldn't see him, he was well aware that he was acting childish but it was the only way he knew how to act. It was in his body soul.

"No! The doctor told her to stay inside until the weather got warmer, I won't allow it. She's not leaving thi--," Cailu never got to finish his outburst since Ara raised her hand. Silently telling him to shut his mouth and he listened. Even if it was unwillingly, he was still against it all and despised the suggestion. But to get Ara even more depressed then she already were was not an option.

"What I chose to do is none of your concern, Cailu. It's only me who can feel how I'm doing at the moment, neither you or the doctor can decide that for me and I feel like I'm rotting in here. I'm good today, no pain and I'm not that tired so I want to go outside," As she spoke Ara began to struggle to get up from the chair. It all ended with Cailu helping her get on her feet’s, supporting her until she had found her balance.

When she was fine standing by herself he walked over to the closet, still giving Anastasia angry glares whenever he could because of what she had done. It wasn't hard to find the cloak, even though Ara's relatives were the wealthiest in the villages it didn't show in her room. Mainly because Ara herself hadn't been able to buy things for herself in a long time, the things she owned seemed to disappear instead. Getting thrown away because of the risk that they somehow were infected and would only make her sicker by having them near her. Cailu didn't believe in such things but it was not like he could argue with the doctor.

He lightly hung the cloak over her shoulders and as he fastened it he shyly asked, "Perhaps you shouldn't walk? I could carry you."

"That's out of the question, I can walk by myself. If you are going to continue to act like this I don't want you to be presence, you probably have other things to do anyway."

Cailu adverted his eyes from hers, nodding after a while, "You can walk by yourself but... please, let me stay so I can see that everything goes smoothly."

Ara didn't respond to that, she just smiled towards Anastasia before starting to limp forward to the door. Sure, she would be able to move around a lot easier if she used her abilities. But she didn't want that, it wouldn't be the same thing as walking beside them and that was what she wanted to do. Not just be present. When she had finally made her way over to the staircase Cailu was there again, looking at her with his concerned eyes beginning to stretch out his arms and open his mouth to speak. But she raised her hand again, giving him a hard look, not allowing him to even utter the words because she was very much aware of what it was that he was going to say.

"I don't need your help, I can get down stairs on my own," Just as the last word left her lips she vanished from sight, spread by the wind. Cailu jolted as she did, feeling the breeze touch his cheek and tried to chase after it. Afraid that she wouldn't materialize as she had passed the stairs, afraid that she would vanish. Fly out the door where none could catch her. But to his delight she reappeared in front of the gate.

With a bright smile she looked over at Anastasia, "I'm sorry for being so slow but I'm really thankful that you bring me along. So where is it that you need to go?"

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Even though Airedale wasn't the most well-guarded or the most populated village in all of Imos, they still had a small but skilled force. They were loyal to the little tribe, it was their home and their family. There were no other place for them were they could belong, not because they wanted to ever leave this place. But the tribe had struggled the past couple of years, with their position being so close to the fighting people feared for their security but there wasn't much they could do. They didn't want to leave their home.

A small group of guards that was positioned to guard the village entrance noticed the company as they came closer, at first suspicious to it since it was such a large group. The Air tribe didn't get much visits from other tribes and usually it was just lonely traders, but this was a group of eleven people, it surely was an unusually large group. But when one of them left the others the small group of guards silently grabbed their weapons. They didn't take them out of their scabbard, but they were prepared in case they needed them.

“I come from Northpass hoping to trade some rugs, clothing, and hides for food. I come with ten other warriors solely for protection. May I be permitted to speak to your leader?”

The guards glanced towards the warriors, still doubting the amount they had with them. Most of them had never even heard of the place they called Northpass. One of them stepped forward towards the woman as he started announcing, "I can bring you to our leader, but your warriors have to wait outside of Airedale. If they need anything someone could bring that to them but they will not be let inside, we don't appreciate when people bring such large amounts of soldiers to our village."

As he finished speaking he held out his arm to show her the way towards the middle of the village, in front of the market, where the leader’s mansion was. It was the liveliest part of the village so it wasn't hard to find even if you had never been in the village, you just followed the sound as it grew louder. The voices shouting out their prices, people talking to each other of the news and gossip that traveled through Airedale. It was a part where most people spent their free time since you could always meet someone you knew there.

When they made their way there the guard stopped walking for a short moment, looking at the three people outside the leader’s mansion. It was the largest house of Airedale, but still not even close to those of the other tribes, it was not a castle or not even a fort. It was just an ordinary house, when it was built it had been one of the most beautiful building in all of Imos but the years had not been kind to it. It was old and torn like most of the village.

After the short stop the guard hurried forward to the three, glancing anxiously towards the woman who was leaning on the cane before he turned towards the only male in the small group, "There was a group that approached our city, they say they comes from Northpass and want to trade. This woman is the one speaking for them, the other warriors is still outside our city walls."

Both Cailu and Ara listened closely to what the guard told them, even if Ara didn't say anything about it. But both of them knew of Northpass since they had a small encounter with people from that place before. Neither one of them had harsh feelings towards those people however, they didn't have any opinion about them.

Cailu nodded quietly and slowly before turning towards the woman, "I'm Cailu Elre, the leader of the Air tribe." He glanced towards Ara who met his eyes silently, "Perhaps we should continue inside? If you come with me we can continue this talk in my office where only people who should hear will listen."

Before he left he took one last glance at Ara who still didn't say anything but as he and the woman went inside she turned towards the guard and sent him back to his position. When she had done that she turned towards Anastasia and smiled softly, "I'm sorry but I can't accompany you anymore it seems. But it was nice to get to talk to you again."

When she was done talking she molded into her breeze form and went inside, she flew back to her room which was placed beside Cailu's office so she would be able to hear what they talked about. Cailu knew she listened, he often went to her after finishing conversations to hear her opinion on how he had behaved. If he had done good or failed.

Cailu on the other hand had sat down on his chair in the room on the second floor and watched the woman, uncertain on what he should say as usual. It was a long moment of silence, he didn't open his mouth, all he did was fiddling with his hands before him on the table. As the long break came to the end he tried to look at the woman but ended up looking away instead, "So... You want to trade? Why? Oh, and perhaps you could tell me your name..."

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Cailu had been the leader of the tribe for a few months, he had met with various of people from around of Imos but this was the first time that someone had traveled to Airedale. So this was the first time he had invited someone else than his guards and consultants in this room, it felt a bit awkward. Perhaps it was because she just stood there instead of sitting down and she had that fox with her as well. There were many first times for Cailu in this conversation, he had never seen a fox like that so when she lowered it down on the floor he watched it closely. To him it felt a bit strange that she had brought it inside with her, but he wasn’t going to question her about it since perhaps it was considered rude from where she came from.

“Kalagisa. But I prefer Kala. The shapeshifter tribe has sent me as a delegate to trade for food because the game around Northpass is getting thinner and thinner. Without those animals to eat, we'll starve to death come winter. So, I'm here to appeal to you to help us by making this deal.”

Cailu nodded slowly as she spoke, he could see why they wanted to trade with them. Even though their harvest didn’t seem to be as large as it usually is they still had plenty to trade with others, mostly because the tribe had reduced in size the last year. Their people didn’t get killed in a war like the other tribes, instead they had a plague haunting their tribesmen. It had gotten better, but many of the oldest and the youngest had been lost to it.

“So…” Once again Cailu lost his words and sat there quietly, thinking through what he should be saying. He glanced towards the woman and her fox, she sure looked different than those in his tribe. She had a different appearance than most in Imos, you could see that her tribe descended from a different location. Probably far from here. He took one last glance before folding his hands in front of him, “If we now do have some crops that we can refrain from… What will we get for doing so? You forgot to mention what your people will offer in exchange...”

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“We brought an assortment of rugs, hides, and clothing. Rugs for decoration, clothing for...well, not running around naked. Now, hides are the most valuable, because you can turn the leather into furniture, more clothes, whatever strikes your fancy.”

Cailu blinked at first, surprised by the explanations, but even though he wanted to be collected and act reverently he found himself laughing lightly because of it. It had just been so unexpected, so random, he hadn't been prepared for it so he couldn't stop that tiny laughter that bubbled up from within. But as soon as it had slipped through he collected himself and pressed the mouth shut to not let any more unwanted actions come forward. As he did so he noticed the actions between the fox and the woman, how they looked at each other from time to time. It puzzled him, sure he had been around different types of animals all his life but never had he seen them act this way. It somehow felt like they knew something he didn't and it made him feel even more unsure of himself where he sat.

“And this could just the first step in establishing regular trade between our tribes. And with regular trade comes good relations, and potentially an alliance. I think if we come together, both of our tribes would be stronger for it.”

Cailu nodded slowly without answering, but as the word alliance had been mentioned he had glanced to the left side, the wall which Kala wasn't leaning onto. As if there was another person standing there and he was asking that person what to do, but there was no one there, right? No there wasn't, but on the other side of that wall was Ara, sitting on her chair, listening to the conversation with her enchanted hearing.

Just as he was going to give her an answer, declaring that he would need some time to think - ask Ara what she thought of it, Kara continued, “And I could offer my own services, as well. You see, I'm a shaman, so I know a few rituals that could...tip the balance. I can help get revenge on your enemies, help your sick get back on their feet. I even know a ritual that can help a woman choose the gender of their unborn child. Now, I'll be the first to admit that the rituals don't work one-hundred percent of the time, but I have a reputation in my tribe as someone who can get things done.”

Shaman another thing Cailu had no idea what it was, it was a word he had never heard before. It was not something they had in Airedale, but her description of it had really struck his interest. In his mind he was thinking to himself, wondering if it was true what she told him. That she really could cure the sick. From the start he had been thinking of the plague that had haunted their city, the reason to why he had been thinking to send some soldiers to the Earth tribe and ask for help - not ask for healers since he doubted that they cured sicknesses (or had the time for that matter, with the war and all) but ask if they knew something about it. Any herbs or so that could help them defeat it, but now he was wondering if perhaps this shaman thing was what they needed. The second thing he was thinking off was of course Ara, she was cured from the poisoning but she was still weak and sickly at times.

So he had forgotten about the fact that he should be asking her before deciding anything, he just bent forward, looking directly at Kala for the first time, "Uhm... Heal the sick you say... Is it true? We've been haunted by a plague this summer, many of our youngest and oldest has left us because of it... Could you help us with that?" Cailu grew quiet with another glance towards the empty wall, "There is another thing... My cousin... She suffered from poisoning a while ago... A healer from the Earth tribe took the poison out from her but she's still sick... You did say you could get the sick ones back on their feet’s... She was with me when you came, it was the one who had a cane to lean on..."

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“I hope you don't mind that we won't be going very fast. The rest of us don't use horses as mounts. Not that we're judging.”

"No, my men will walk just as you so they can help, but I rather take my horse than trouble your soldiers by forcing them to carry me."

Cailu glanced towards Ara as she spoke, he would have preferred if she had taken up on their offer to carry her instead. It somehow felt safer, but he wasn't surprised that she said no. Even though she denied it she was extremely proud or had just such a strong opinion when it came to things that she didn't care for what other thoughts as long as she believed something else. But at least she was dressed properly, and as Fi joined the group she carried the luggage. Mostly things that the town doctor had decided that they would need to have with them if Ara got worse on the way.

“We are ready to depart if you are. Northpass is not so far away, so fortunately we won't be traveling for too many days.”

"Yes, I think Mondo will arrive with my horse any minute now," just as Ara spoke the white haired man could be spotted again, leading a big silver gray mare with him. Seeing the horse brought a sad expression over both Cailu and Ara's faces, it was the last thing given to anyone of them before the departure of the former leader. It had been taken care of by others while the both of them had been avoiding it, Dee was Ara's horse. Cailu had his own which he took care of by himself. But it was also himself that had chosen that horse and paid for it.

As Mondo offered to help Ara up on the horse Cailu stepped in between without saying anything. With ease he picked up Ara from the ground and placed her upon the horse back where she sat and just dragged her hand over the horse. With a smal smile after a long ammount of silence she declared, "I'm ready."

With that the small group departed from Airedale and as they did Ara sat quiet without saying anything for the longest amount of time in forever. She was too busy watching the surrounding, taking in that she actually was outside of Airedale for the first time in a year. And it felt amazing.

Cailu on the other hand was dying with anxiety, he was walking around the market cursing himself for even letting her go out there. It was more times than once that he thought about taking his own horse to ride back after them and stop them, lead Ara back to where she belonged. There in Airedale with him. He was tearing himself apart on the inside, chewing every single piece of his mind to a mush. He couldn't stand himself and after a while he grabbed a hold of one of the glaring guards and begged him to follow the group just to see if everything went well. The guard who didn't care the slightest about what Cailu wanted or his feeling of guilt just shrugged and answered that he would, but only to ensure himself and the other tribe members that she was alright.

”Did you hear? Some say he sent her away just to get free reign over the air tribe,” the bearded man leaned closer to his companions, lowering his voice, ”everyone knows he’s a coward for a leader, after all.”

”Well, it’s the only thing that makes sense. Damn snake. Should’ve gone with the rest of his family. I swear, everything must’ve been his fault to begin with,” said a the red faced woman with long, gray hair tightly tied back in a bun. She’d had way too much to drink, that much Felicity was sure of. Even if she did think of their accusations as unnecessary, one thing was true. There was no doubt that Cailu was a weak leader and as such, definitely did not qualify as a suitable leader. She would never say it out loud, but that was one of the few things Felicity faulted him for. Not as a person, but precisely because he was the air tribes chief. Had he been anyone else, Felicity would have been able to see past it. She knew everyone had their strengths and weaknesses. Yet these kinds of weaknesses in a leader… well, it didn’t exactly make a good one.

Yet Felicity still couldn’t bring herself to dislike him. Maybe it was because he was so easily manipulated, or maybe simply because she’d developed a soft spot for him over the years. His personality was kind of cute, she supposed… and he was less boorish than most of the men she had gotten to know. Whilst many men in the village had attempted made offers for engagement, Felicity had turned down every single one of them. She was a tease and would often flirt with them shamelessly, but none of them really did appeal to her enough for her to accept. Even her father didn’t have a say in the matter, strange as it may seem. Felicity was an extremely headstrong young woman and there were some things she would not accept. Yet Cailu was different. He’d never attempted to flirt with her or seemed to have any ulterior motives when he interacted with her. Felicity appreciated that and as such, liked him. Now, that she had ulterior motives herself… was a completely different matter.

Sighing softly, she shook her head just slightly at their nonsense, handing them their glasses of mead before moving on to wipe an empty table. She was just about to head back into the kitchen, when suddenly the door to the tavern opened with a light creak, a dark clad figure shuffling inside. As though the gods have read my mind… Felicity’s lips curved into a slight smile as she headed over to the table he’d chosen soundlessly, sneaking up behind him before slinging her arms around his shoulders.

”Well, if it Cailu,” she giggled into his ear, her face almost suspiciously close to his, ”hello there, sweetie…” as she spoke in a sweet voice, Felicity withdrew her arms and moved to his side, tilting her head just slightly as she continued, ”is there anything I could do perhaps do for you, honey?”

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"You're meaning to tell me, you actually let them get away with that sort of nonsense?"

Cailu shrunk down a little where he sat, back getting even more hunched forward, as if he tried to hide from Felicity disapproval. He didn't like it when people expressed their dislike for something had done, he didn't want to hear that. He found it much easier to deal when it was the body language that let him know he had done poorly, he wanted to see such things from Ara. Because even if she was angry, she would tell him what he should be doing instead. All other's just got angry and scolded him like Felicity, "Good God, Cailu, you've got to show some backbone. Threaten to fire them if they refuse to show up! See how smug they'll be once they notice no one's paying their salaries. If you let peop-"

Once again Cailu slipped downwards on the chair, he was almost lying on it by now. If he could he would probably crawl down under the table and sulk if it wasn't for the fact that there were people around him. He was like that, when sad he always hide away and sulked. Most of the time it was Anastasia that would come and fetch him when he was doing such things, but not now. He hadn't seen her for a while and he guessed that it was because of what he had done, sent away her friend.

"I-," just as Cailu was about to explain that he hadn't had any intention to actually continue to pay those who skipped work Felicity interrupted and continued, "Wait a moment, I'll get you something warm to eat. Once you're finished, we'll have a talk with those servants."

Cailu just nodded quietly before she left the table, not looking forward to what would be happening after this at all. It was not that he feared it, but it just didn't feel good at all.

However, when Felicity returned again with the food Cailu's mood got slightly better. Having something to eat was what he had longed for and it was probably one of the tastier things he had eaten in a while. In a very long time, he had always suspected the servants to not be doing their best when it came to the food served to him but now he was pretty sure it was true as well. So he gulped down the stew faster than he had planned. When the bowl was empty he just sat there and stared down at it, regretting eating so fast. In a whisper he expressed his gratitude, "Uh... Uhm... It was delicious Felicity, thank you..."

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"Well, Cailu, no offense but you look really low. And my job description is to help people like you no matter the cost to myself. So, are you going to tell me what you need help with or is this going to be more difficult?"

More difficult, Cailu wondered slightly what the man meant by that mainly because Cailu didn't felt like answering him. Cailu had always been a man of few words and even more so when he talked to a stranger, or more like unless it was Ara which he spoke with. Everyone was so difficult to talk with and he didn't even know why. So this only lead to him sitting there with his mouth shut while staring down at the worn out tree table.

At least that was his plan all along but when he suddenly felt the warmth upon his hand he quickly withdrew it from the grasp of Bellistrad, "W-Why did you do that?!" Just as he stuttered out his concerns his eyes noticed the suspicions steam coming off the hand he now held closely to his body and in shock he let out his concerns in a single exhalation, "You're a fire bender?!"

If Cailu had remembered the man he would be more understanding, but it was obvious that the fire benders last visits to Airedale was when Ara's father was the one who run the tribe. Even though the Air tribe didn't do anything to prevent it or show their disapproval how the Fire tribe acted. But it was the fact that if there was one tribe that the Air tribe really disliked, more like hated, it was those who bent the fire. So usually they weren't allowed to enter their little village but here one was and it was a huge shock to Cailu that one of them had been able to infiltrate their land even further.

(Ignore)

There was something that had always been intrinsically comforting about the fact that a forest was always buzzing with life. The fact that everything was alive, and that even the inanimate and the dead played a vital role in existence and nothing was not essential. The idea that a forest contained everything that it should and all went where it should be created the greatest sense of belonging. Even as the small girl treaded along a well-worn path, she didn’t feel out of place, the hum of the forest floated along the breeze in bars and measures filled with the nostalgia of being played for millenniums.

The girl ran a hand softly across the moss-covered bark of a tree as she continued on her way. Deer trails were not the most reliable source of travel, but the experience of being away from human touch brought the brown haired girl closer to her gods than any ritual could possibly achieve. In the back of her mind a soft melody was being sung, it was quiet and whispered along with the forest around her. Her gods were pleased for the moment, their voices twinkles and rumbles that danced the edges of her conscious, itching for greater horizons and the leg room to stretch.

She hummed along to the faint melody, barely able to discern its tune from her surroundings. Even with her closeness to the gods, their arts and culture were still barely within reach of Meka. The tune was unmistakable though, something that the voice had been singing since it first made its presence known all those years ago. The voice had been unnaturally compliant since leaving Murtovaara, and Meka could understand why. Dark and mottled bruising still ran up and down both her forearms where the tall woman’s fist had connected. The bruises were dark and were barely yellowing around the outsides of them despite being days old. She had other bruises from skidding across the ground, though those weren’t nearly as severe as the ones on her arms. She had multiple gashes along her skin too, but she luckily had anti-infection remedies at the ready to stop them from turning into anything dangerous. The worst of her cuts appeared right above her eyebrow, it had gone unnoticed at the fight, but as the blood began to burn into her right eye she had to put it as her priority injury. The haphazard stitching done in the reflection of a puddle had not been her best work.

“If you weren’t so reckless and just let it go none of this would have even happened.” The voice suddenly snapped after days of unanswered and whispered lullabies in the back of her head. The short temper that had been lost since leaving the city suddenly gushed forward, with the force of a broken dam, that caught her so off-guard she lost her footing and nearly fell.

“Why do you scold me for defending you? I am more loyal to my gods than any we have met, I should think you’d be proud that I defended you.” Meka huffed as she stepped over an outcropping tree root. She pressed her staff into the ground for support as she moved along the path. The voice didn’t respond to her, it fell back into the soft melodious song that had been ebbing her mind for the days she had travelled.

She distracted herself by looking towards the ground, searching the undergrowth for something useful to add to her collection. The path was mostly bare of anything helpful, a patch of lemon balm grew in a wide expanse between the gap of two trees and she bent to pluck the plants from the ground. She had used the rest of her dried lemon balm in a tea for a fevered old woman; she needed to replenish her stock. The brown haired girl rummaged her satchel and produced an empty glass vile. She carefully pressed the leaves into the container making sure not to crush them with practiced fingers.

“Mekaisto, I was circling the area and there is a collapsed man on the main road not far from here.” Meka looked up as her raven perched itself on a branch level with her height. Its dark eyes were cloudy with a blindness that came with aging animals, and his feathers looked sparser then usual. Although Crow would not die until she did, as the rules of her tribe’s bond with nature, time still took its toll on her bird. It did not complain, but time was wearing away at her soul animal, and he was trapped in life until her own time came.

“Lead the way Crow.” The raggedy raven squawked and took flight in the direction of the main road. Mekaisto picked up her pace, barely able to follow the small form of the bird through the tree line until she found herself out on the large main road that lead to Airendale. Further up she could see a figure lying on the ground, the man Crow had seen, and ran forward to assess his condition. The worst of his injuries appeared to be an arrow in his shoulder, Meka considered the man luckily that when he collapsed he hadn’t fallen the wrong way and pushed the arrow deeper.

“Little One, the forest is not whispering.” Meka knew that the voice was right, that there was something else out there, but saving the injured man would have to come first. She pulled a well kept surgical knife from a pouch in the satchel, running it along the fabric around the arrow. It wasn’t deep in his shoulder, it could be pulled out and cleaned without risking serious damage to the man laying in front of her. The girl adjusted herself so she was sitting cross-legged and peered her eyes at the arrow.

“I know, I noticed the moment the forest went quiet.” She reached back for the knife, hoping the man would not wake for this moment as she pulled a jar of alcohol from the flask strapped to her hip. She poured it around the shaft of the arrow and knife before pressing it against his skin. Making the wound larger was essential to the proper removal of an arrow. She squinted her eyes, concentrating on the careful incision as she gently wobbled the arrow, testing the looseness of the arrowhead. Arrows never came out of a body easily, and she was forced to hold the wound open with two fingers and she slowly pulled it from his shoulder, feeling the tension as flesh snagged at the arrow’s barbed edges.

The stitching went smoothly though, her fingers steady and moved quickly with practice from spending years sewing wounds closed.

Mekaisto felt herself let out the breath she had been holding as she cut off the last stitch from the spool and leaned back until she was laying with her back against the road. Her antlers pushed forward so the entirety of her wolf pelt covered her face and she flexed her sore fingers. She was trying to think of something to cover the wound with, something to prevent infection, and was reluctant to use her comfrey salve since its healing properties ran the risk of sealing an infection in the wound. She sighed, bringing her hands to rub her eyes over the wolf pelt.

“Comfrey is no good… What do I use? Barberry… no. Goldenseal…” Meka sat back up so quickly her vision blanked for a moment and the world spun. Her antlers slid on her head and landed beside her as she dug into her bag and pulled out a dark colored container. She barely had any of her goldenseal oil left, but it would have to make do.

She carefully dressed the wound, “You know Crow, this guy was looking pretty bad, but I think he’s going to be ok.”

"Fel, not gonna walk comfortably anytime soon.." Meka hummed in agreement and she moved back down to the man’s discolored legs. The bruising was still fresh, but it was already settling into the nasty discoloration that her arms were in after taking the punch from the tall woman. The bruising definitely reached all the way to his bone. Once Crow returned with the parsley she could start treatment on that though, but there was nothing to she could do for his immediate pain.

“Most of my pain relief treatments need to be ingested as a tea…” She said, working through her knowledge of herbs aloud. There were many topical options for pain relief, but that was more along the lines of cramping and arthritis. Since she was going to be using parsley to ebb the gross discoloring and reduce the swelling Meka wouldn’t be able to apply another topical treatment. Judging by the state of his legs Na’ari was not wrong when he said he was going to have trouble walking, but if she could get the both of them to Airedale then she looked at least gain access to fire and a stove to make him a brew of pain relieving tea. It was just the effort of getting him there what would be the problem.

"The Air tribe! Must try to warn-Ah!!" Mekaisto was startled by the man’s sudden outburst and she moved to support and lower him back to the ground as he tried to stand. “Do not push yourself. Once my raven returns I’ll help you to Airedale and get you something to relieve the pain of your wounds.”

“Oh I’ll show you what a real curse is.” The voice spat animatedly as Na’ari cursed the gods. Meka’s whole body felt heavy as the voice continued on about conjuring misfortune of godly proportions upon her patient. The voice in the back of Meka’s head in the last few months had become extremely disagreeable and defensive against the people she had encountered and it seemed this man was no exception. When she was alone it was quiet, when she encountered others it nitpicked their personalities and appearances. She didn’t understand the sudden angry outlook and pessimism it had taken on Imos, it was a drastic change from the supportive figure the voice had been for her growing up. It even annoyed the young woman that the voice had taken on this air of pessimism.

“Don’t you dare curse my patient. Your apology is well received by the gods.” She spoke that latter statement with a worn-out smile. Always challenging the voice had become almost tiring, and Meka feared that she was creating a rift between her and her gods by constantly opposing the voice’s opinion. However; once she spoke against the voice the stirring inside her mind settled.

Crow returned just as Na’ari was introducing himself. She found it interesting that he and the tall woman both seemed to have in depth knowledge of their respective governments despite both facing turmoil. She removed herself from her thoughts of this man’s personal issues and reached for the herbs pinched between her raven’s beak. The parsley needed to be crushed, so instead of dwelling in her thoughts the young woman went to crushing the parsley.

“Usually, I don’t bandage crushed parsley onto bruises, but since we have to leave we’ll have to make do.” She moved to his legs and pressed on the crushed herbs carefully, wrapping his legs with practiced efficiency.

“You can use my staff and my shoulders for support until we make it to Airedale.” She said before offering him a hand.

"I won't forget your kindness for helping me. I got waylaid unexpectedly, and well, you saw the result of it." Meka hummed in response as they began a slow advancement towards the city of Airedale. Many of her own injuries had been caused by her stubbornness, like not backing down when that woman had insulted her. The small girl thanked her gods that she had never been mugged during her travels like this poor man. Though she supposed that travelling off the main roads helped with her avoiding any confrontation of the kind.

They walked in silence for most of the way. Meka concentrating on trying to match a pace that Na’ari set for them so she didn’t push him too hard. As they moved she focused on the severity of his limp as he stepped, trying to judge how much of the bruising actually reached the bone and the potential for hairline fractures. Granted, having him walking wasn’t the smartest choice, but she had seen how frantic he had been to get to Airedale. Trying to stop him would have resulted in him attempting to get there by himself, and he would probably end up more hurt than when he started. Plus, the silence of the forest was unnerving, she didn’t want to even step on foot into the surrounding nature for the first time in a long time.

“This land has taken a significant casualty.” The voice was small in the back of her mind, but its words were laced with an unmistakable anger. The Gods were deeply ingrained in the balance of Imos, and disruptions in that balance were not left alone. No doubt whoever had silenced that forest would face the fury of the gods eventually. She shifted her weight a little so his arm slung further over her shoulders, judging from the way he was limping and the new amount of weight she was supporting it would have gotten easier for him to walk.

As the city came into view Meka spoke up for the first time. “Once we get to the city I know an innkeeper that will lend us a room for free. I’ll let you go once I properly take care of some of your wounds.” She whistled softly and Crow opened his wings taking off ahead of them in the direction she remembered the inn being located. Her raven was very distinct looking and she was sure that by the time they arrived a room and a hot kettle of water would be ready for them.

They walked slowly to inn, the attention she normally drew from her loud appearance was even larger with an injured man limping beside her. “I saved the owner of the inn we are going to the last time I was in Airedale. Amputees don’t usually survive because of the infection that set in, but I’m very good at what I do so the owner said to come by if I ever needed anything.”

As they got to the inn the owner was standing outside with Crow on his shoulder. The round man had a large smile and waved them over with one good arm. He welcomed them graciously and ushered them into a free room without any hesitation. He hovered around Mekaisto as she rummaged through her satchel for her tea leaves to make Na’ari something to ebb his pain.

Na'ari walked slowly. It wasn't because he wanted to, it was as much as his legs were currently allowing him to do as possible. He was grateful that Mekaisto didn't let him fall or anything like that. He was surprisingly not nervous around her, maybe it was because he was hurt and she helped him back on his feet, at least temporarily until she got him to the city

They reached the city and Na'ari could tell it was different. He probably looked just as strange to them as they were to him, with their silvery hair and other things about them. But he was naturally drawn to those things, they had a certain beauty, and charm to them. But no doubt if Zianro branded him an exile and probable traitor, the air tribe would arrest him on the spot as they never want trouble from anyone.

They reached an inn and he was taken to a room immediately, he went onto the bed with a plop. He could only lie there and watch her make something as thoughts swirled in his head. He sighed as he knew he might never see Lakeshore again. However, to be honest with himself, he had no real attachment there other then his Loyalty to Zianro which was broken by Zianro. Na'ari was a man caught in whatever the water lord sunk himself into and is feeling the brunt of it.

Now that he thought about it further, the fact he was beaten up so conveniently near Airedale was strange to him too. Unless those mercenaries knew he was coming there. "Zianro must've wanted me worked over so that the air tribe can detain me more easily...is he that selfish now?? Will the Air Tribe leaders order me imprisoned when they find out?" his thoughts continued to swirl in the pits of his mind. He finally decided to ask and figure out all those answers later.

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The cousins had hurried back to their own village, startled and upset by what they had experienced. And they were clearly more confused afterwards than they were before they had joined the stranger on his quest in Lakeshore. They couldn't understand what had just happened, everything had moved so fast. Once they were safe in their own village, hiding in their mansion they had tried to figure it out together. Discussed it with their advisors. But nothing. The only thing they had figured out was the fact that the late fire lord indeed had been kidnapped by the Water tribe but why was not something they could understand. And Ara didn't want to understand. In her opinion they had already meddled too much in other's businesses.

"What should we do with this man he has exiled to our county? He asked us to put him in jail," It was Cailu that brought up the question. They were enjoying their supper after a long day of discussions and arguing, everyone was worked up by this mess. Almost everyone agreed with Ara on the subject, that they should hadn't meddled in the subject. It only seemed to bring them more trouble.

"He didn't ask us to put him in jail, he said that we could do that as some sort of compensation for all the trouble your friend brought us. So we're not going to put him in jail before we get a legit reason to do that, if the Water lord sends an messenger and letting us know what this right hand of his has done wrong and I believe it's something he should be put in jail for we will do it. We don't have cell's enough to waste them on innocent men some other tribe don't want to be associated with anymore."

Her answer was true, Airdale didn't have a proper jail like Murtovaara and Lakeshore. Their village was a lot smaller as well, their way of dealing with criminals was simply to banish them from their land. They had too much to deal with when it came to their own population that was on the verge of dying out. And Cailu only nodded at the sharp answer, because he knew that as well. He knew that they should be focusing on their own people instead, trying to survive the winter that soon would cover the land.

"But should we just ignore him? We have no idea why his leader asked us to put him in jail, perhaps we should ask?"

Ara looked over at Cailu with disbelief at first, she couldn't understand how he could focus on something so nonexistent when they had much bigger troubles ahead of them. But in the end she just nodded towards him, "Fine. But this will be your responsibility. You find him and bring him here so I can question him, while you do that I will handle everything else. Like always. You can start your search tomorrow, it won't be that hard for you I think."

Cailu didn't say anymore after that, he just nodded quietly. He agreed with his cousin, finding the water exile would probably not be that hard, he just had to look after a man with some sort of blue eyes among those that didn't look like a fellow tribe member.

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The next morning Cailu started his search, it was more difficult than he had imagined it to be. He didn't have anything to go on more than the eye color and the knowledge that it should be someone who didn't carry the snow white hair like his fellow tribe members. But he didn't know what hair color it should be. He didn't even know what the man's name was! He didn't know anything at all.

So the search went on for hours, at least it felt like it. He just walked around the land and asked every stranger he saw who they could be, but most of them ended up only being mercenaries that were passing through. Which wasn't that strange since it was what Airedale mostly survived on, those that traveled from city to city, they were lucky being in the middle of the land for that. Unlucky when it came to the war since it sometimes was taking place right outside their little village.

But after many attempts to find the man Cailu finally got a hint, someone had seen an injured man arrive the day before in the company of a woman. She had been supporting him according to the tale. It wasn't much to work on but still a little, it could just be another traveler that had gotten unlucky on his way but after all the failed attempts Cailu was ready to grasp every little opportunity. Because he couldn't fail on a mission like this, that would be humiliating.

So he followed the woman’s direction, the way she had pointed out that she had seen the two walk. As he made his way through the village he stopped occasionally to ask after directions, or ask if someone had seen the two yesterday and as he got new directions he followed them. In the end he found himself in front of one of the inns Airedale provided, he wasn't that surprised. If they didn't stay at an inn, where would they stay?

Once inside he just spoke shortly to the owner, asking the man about who was staying there. Asking for the couple and even if the man had hesitated when it came to answer the question he did since the request came from their leader herself. And not the fake one but the one that was appreciated by the tribe. and even if the man didn't know who the man that had accompanied the lady was it still was some sort of an hint, or just another one to cross from the list of suspects.

In front of the door he had been told would contain the two he lightly knocked to get their attention before calling out, "I'm Cailu Elre, a representative of the tribe leader, we're searching for a man from the water tribe. Could you please open the door so I can talk to you two?"