Kamille had been quietly watching Charlotte, and specially side by side with the mischievous raven, she couldn’t help but find her cute. There was some uneasiness and shyness on her end, so she prefered to let her take her time to decompress and get out of her bubble on her own time.... if she wished so.

"I'm not sure yet. I wanted your opinion on this after dinner. Gonna have to take a look at the herbs I have and the other reagents. Maybe you have an insight that I don’t."

Truth be told, she already knew what she was gonna do, but still wanted his opinion on that. The half elf chuckled softly at Caedes' remark about Zarius' sea legs.

"I guess I can’t say much on the subject. I don’t like traveling by the sea either... Sometime I should try and make a teleportation device of sorts... Or any other alternative way of traveling, really. But traveling by sea? Only because I have to. If you’re interested in speed, there's some smaller, cargo ships docked half a day from here. They usually don’t take people, but I could write a letter."

Kamille kept in touch with the sailors and merchants nearby, paying good gold for reagents straight from the Capitol. Certainly they would make an exception with her name on it.

"I can’t say I had many good experiences at the Marshlands either.... And not only on account of deadly oozes... Also came across some undead giant crocodile there while looking for the Blood Lily... Which is.... kinda unfortunate? I was hoping I could find some interesting properties about the Blood Lily that could be used, but... So far, all I could understand is that her smell has weak nightmare inducing effects. Not what I expected at all... Maybe we could try and understandit together, Beist?"

Although she would rather avoid another trip to the swamp if she could. The inns were the least of her troubles, even if the story about an ooze in the inn was also very similar to one she went through. She smiled at the thought. At the time, Bellighul was itching to blast the acidic oozes - but she would rather preserve them.

Lloyd's friendship was costly, she realised...

However, when Caedes suggested Zarius should be resting more, Kamille jumped at the opportunity, quite literally. Seeing as Zarius was done eating, she stood up, as if to help him up.

"That is actually a great idea. You're not dying anymore, but you need to rest to gather your strength once again. I'll have a note for you if you want to use the ships I told you, and everything else you might need in the morning, but for now... You need to rest."

"I see. Well, my insight is always available. After dinner sounds fine by me." Beist responded to Kamille with a bit of pride. He was happy that she wanted his assistance. It's a high compliment of one's skill to have a fellow expert in the same field ask for help.

Everyone sure had a grudge against oozes here. Everyone except the awkward beast man with a tiny oozeling in his pocket at that very moment. He hadn't had such bad encounters with so many oozes before.

"I've been through the marshes as well. They can be quite troublesome. I've had to take quite a while washing the mud out of my fur before." Beist nodded as he spoke, but then smiled a started stroking his beard. "Some very interesting plants and animals there, though... Well adapted to the environment. Bogskippers, oh they're quite adorable. Able to walk on top of water. Some smaller races even ride on them. Ah, if only..." He idly mused while staring into space. He often wished he was smaller. Maybe not as small as a Halfling, but it was still fun to fantasize about riding a bogskipper. He was brought back out of his daydreaming as Kamille said his name.

"Eh? Oh, yes! Blood lilies! They sound quite fascinating. I'd be happy to help research them."

With Kamille suddenly shooting off to bring Zarius back to bed, which Beist could agree with, he was left alone with Caedes and Charlotte again. He wasn't sure if he should keep trying to explain to Caedes, even subtly. Maybe some different conversation would be better.

"So, do you like all animals, or do you just have a soft spot for spiders?" Beist asked jokingly, wanting to keep the mood lighthearted. "I've a fondness for all sorts of animals myself. I have one of my companions waiting outside right now, actually."

Zarius chuckles at bit at the tone of disdain in Caedes' voice while remarking on the oozes and the researchers obsessed with them. He can't say he disagrees given the circumstances and past experience with both.

“I have been on my fair share of ships, though I would not say I am a seasoned sailor,” he admits before responding to Kamille's offer. “You have already done so much for me, I would not want to burden you with another favor. That said, I would not turn down the offer of the letter.”

The safer their journey back to Darkveil was, the better. It would take more than one night’s rest for the fellblood to fully recover, and he is not so sure the assassin would be willing to carry him again anytime soon.

Ah, well, it seems the group is unanimous on insisting he go back to resting. He wasn’t in any position to argue, and really, it would be a disservice to his healers to compromise his recovery they went out of their way to facilitate.

“Alright, I will try to sleep more.” He holds his hands up in surrender as Kamille jumps to her feet. While she helps him to his feet, he looks across the table at Caedes with a tired smirk. “It should be easier knowing that you are not sitting in the corner brooding like some awkward recluse.”

He looks at Beist. “In case you are gone by the time we depart, thank you again for your aid. You have my gratitude.”

Finally, he lets Kamille guide him back to the dorm. He sits back down on the bed with a sigh and he looks at the half-elf woman. She really was an invaluable ally to have, and this more than proved her usefulness and reliability. Now it was just a matter of staying in her good graces. 

“I am in your debt, Lady Kamille. I hope this has not given you second thoughts about working together in the future. I can assure you this is not a common occurrence.”

Caedes watches Kamille stand, her intentions on guiding Zarius back to the infirmary seemingly quite clear. He leans back in his chair, resting a hand on Charlotte’s abdomen when she starts to shuffle restlessly; it doesn’t take a genius to know that she wants to follow along after Zarius.

“Aww, Zarius, were you worried about me?” Caedes’ voice escapes in a chuckle; he lets his fingers fall against his collarbone— the picturesque pose of a fair maiden. “Believe it or not, I can actually navigate my way around a conversation… I know it’s hard to believe given my proven brooding expertise, but I’m sure I’ll survive.” His tone is saturated with a playful, taunting undertone; one which falls only when he’s done. “I’ll be here when you wake up— we’ll talk more then.”

It’s a simple bid of farewell as Kamille leads Zarius back towards the infirmary— but, it’s hopefully one that gets across his intent to remain— despite the weird questions from the large, fuzzy one. The changeling’s pale gaze shifts back to Beist, speaking of the devil; but his questions this time are much easier to digest than the last few had been. “Yes and no,” he remarks, offering the beast man a shrug. “I have never been in a position where I could keep many animals, as I… travel, often. But I have been graced with Miss Charlotte’s presence for several months now; she is a great help, and wonderful company.”

Charlotte shuffles her eight legs sheepishly at the compliment.

“You say you have one of your companions outside?”

Kamille chuckled softly at the back and forth from Zarius and Caedes, and this caught herself wondering.... Caedes was clearly a recent addition to Zarius' allies, since she saw no sign of him when she casted the Reveal Truth spell on him the day they met. For half a second, the thought crossed her mind that she should be wary of him - but then she remembered the kind of strain he was when carrying the fellblood up her stairs, being hurt himself...

A foolish, unexplained smile curved up her lips.

She would never allow him to forget that.

Either way, she helped Zarius up and back to the dormitory. One of the other beds on the opposite side of the room was already taken, but it was hard to say who it was because the curtains around it were closed - probably one of the Black Quills already getting their beauty sleep.

Just for a moment, the Witch sat by his bed.

"Don't worry about that, I assume one must have their reasons to stick their arm in an acidic ooze at least one time in their life..." she jested. Yes, she wouldn't let him forget that either.

"But you were lucky to have arrived here in time. You should consider at least carrying some healing potions with you in your travels, at least to buy you time to reach a healer in time when needed. You were lucky to have such dedicated company with you to bring all the way up here... How did you meet Mr. Handsome?"

It might be a low blow to interrogate the fellblood while he was down and weak, but it was right up the kind of things he would expect from the Witch. Could probably say it came with the territory. But even so, the conversation felt like it ran more along the lines of playful teasing, rather than worrying and demanding. Kamille had certainly made a lot of assumptions by now, and she probably wanted to get a feeling of how true they were.

And there was also the question as to what Caedes actually was... Yes, she would need to address that too...

Beist gave a wave and a nod to Zarius, acknowledging his thanks. He wasn't really one to hold something like this over someone, just trying to help people when he can. He preferred to stay humble. Maybe he'd see Zarius again some time and be able to ask for some small favor, but he didn't force debts onto people.

"Hmph! He should be thanking me! Without my powers, you wouldn't have been able to do anything for him with those weak potions of yours. It took some real magic to get that arm back in shape, magic that could only come from someone great and powerful such as myself, the majestic Quetza-" Pretzels started to go on until he was cut off by a strawberry candy being tactically shoved into his mouth. The tiny snake swallowed the candy whole, causing a little lump to travel down the length of the serpent, and then glared at Beist indignantly.

Beist ignored the glared and looked back to Caedes with a smile.

"Yes, my companion, Dora. Would you like to meet her? She's very friendly and well behaved, but a bit too large to be entirely comfortable inside... I suppose we have that in common. But, she preferred to wait outside. Have you ever seen a Griffon before? I travel often as well, and she's been a great help to me, pulling my wagon and keeping me company." Beist spoke with obvious adoration of the big Griffon.

"There's also Bull, but he waited in the wagon at the bottom of the stairs. Nocturnal, you know, and not very friendly. He's a Vampire Bat. Maybe you two would get along though." Beist chuckled at his own joke before realizing it was lost on the Vampire that didn't know he was one. " I mean, because you both, uhh... Don't eat much." He added a little awkwardly, hoping Caedes didn't take any offense.

Zarius smirks at Caedes before leaving the changeling on his own with the hulking animal man with four arms. Gods. 

He settles down on the bed and takes some deep breathes to start relaxing. As Kamille sits next to him, he looks at her a bit quizzically. Surely she wasn't going to sit guard to make sure he doesn't wander off again. He didn't have any intention of avoiding getting some rest if that was what she was worried about. 

"I can assure you I do not plan on repeating the experience. If I die never having run into another ooze ever again I will have had a fortunate life," he jokes.

Kamille's logic about the healing potions is sound and sane. While he has reservations about buying potions off the street, he had Kamille's expertise at his finger tips. It was about time he showed her some trust. She has more than earned it after this whole debacle. 

Zarius chuckles and shakes his head. "Mr. Handsome? Do not let him hear you say that. It will go straight to his head."

He shifts a bit, trying to get more comfortable. "I already explained that I recruited Caedes to help me with research on Lloyd's behalf. It was happenstance really, but I am grateful it worked out. I do not think many others would have gone as far as he did to aid me...I owe him my life, if not more."

"Not to say I do not owe you the same." He rests his head back and closes his eyes. "I will be sure to repay you, so long as you do not ask for an eye or other limb in return. I presume you have no interest in such things, otherwise I have severely misjudged what kind of witch you are."

Peeking one eye open, he looks at her with a tired smirk. "You would correct me if I was wrong, right?"

A tiny hissing catches the Changeling’s attention, and his pale gaze tilts towards the snake wrapped around Beist’s neck; he blinks, narrowing his eyes slightly. He can’t quite tell what is wrong with it, but the little snake that accompanies the large beast is very… expressive. His gaze shifts from the angry little serpent, back to Beist.

“Dora.” He repeats, slowly; he cocks his head, blinking at the revelation of what she is. “A griffon?” He repeats, “No, but I—” Caedes takes a sharp turn in whatever he’d been about to say, clearing his throat with a curled fist against his lips, before simply offering Beist a pleasant smile. “Uh, no. I haven’t seen a real griffon before.”

… But, his sisters had once bought him a marionette of a griffon at a festival in Darkveil when he was young; it had been crafted of a pretty, mahogany wood until he broke it at some point like the reckless little shit he’d been.

He can’t remember what happened to it after that; but it’s just another bittersweet memory to shelve now.

“…” Caedes’ pale eyes narrow quizzically when Beist continues, chatting and chuckling to himself about a bat that’s presumably waiting in his wagon at the bottom of the stairs, which Caedes is very much not about to climb up or down again so soon.

“Uh… huh.” He agrees, his tone arguably quite uncertain. “It’s the appetite, and not the ‘being nocturnal and not very friendly part’, that we relate to each other on?” He offers Beist a chuckle, gesturing lazily with a hand, as if physically dismissing it. “You’re not wrong on any account, honestly.” The changeling leans his head against his open palm, offering Charlotte a pat on the back while he speaks. “I suppose I’ve not had much of an appetite as of late… maybe it’s all the stress. It was a long way to travel, with Zarius' condition being the way it was, and the... inconveniences along the way with some of the researchers.”

What she made of it was that the fellblood himself didn’t know much about his new ally... Because after going all the way from the swamp to her house to see him healed, she could assume a couple of things, the bare minimum that they were - or would be - allies from now on.

But she couldn’t be sure if Zarius shared her suspicions about his friend. What did he know about Caedes, truly?

On her end, it was more about her dangerous level of curiosity, rather than fear or worry for her ally. If Caedes wanted to harm Zarius, he had plenty of opportunities. It was, however, good to know the kind of people the fellblood associated himself with...

"I'd rather call people by what they are. But regardless, I'm glad you're safe now. Don't hesitate coming to me whenever you need it. And as for price...."

Oh, but she couldn’t help but jest at the opportunity...

"You wouldn’t be the first to misjudge me. I'll leave it at that."

With a playful wink, it was obvious she was seizing the moment to mess with the fellblood, if only for a second.

".........Don’t worry. I don’t believe in tit for tat, so I won't ask your arm back or something. For now. If you guys are out before I see you, I wish you safe travels. I'll leave some food in the kitchen table if you want to have breakfast or take some, no additional fees. Keep me updated. You can ask any of the Black Quills for help if you need it. For now... I'll leave you recovering. Sleep well."

A gesture towards the window made it close halfway through, letting a cool nightly breeze in, while not bringing down the temperature of the entire room too much. With that, Kamille would take her leave and allow Zarius to sleep, as he looked like he needed. She had a little experiment to do...

Before returning to the kitchen, she took a detour to her office, where she took out one of the healing potions in her cabinet. Just a tiny alteration and she would - hopefully - be able to have an answer.

When she came back to the kitchen, back to Beist and Caedes, she had another healing potion in hand, much similar to the one Caedes was offered before. The Witch strutted in, placing the potion on the table before them.

"Found this one in my personal stash. It is supposed to be a concentrated one, so I hope this one would work for you, if you'd like to try, Caedes. Does any of you want more tea? I think tea always goes well with good stories.... And I assume you must have some good stories to tell tonight, right Beist?"

After leaving the potion on the table, Kamille had gone to the counter to prepare said tea, glancing back over her shoulder to eye Beist.

"I mean..... You are...... Uhm..... Different... From the last time we met. What happened?" 

Beist leaned in and looked Caedes over curiously, a hand stroking his beard.

"You're nocturnal? Interesting!" He mused. "Are your eyes sensitive to sunlight, then? Do you have good night vision? How does it work? Do you simply see well in low light, or do you see through other means? Bats use sonar, but perhaps something more akin to a snake's vision... sensing things via body heat..." He continued, idly rambling on, caught up in wanting to know exactly how Vampires worked. He pulled a small notebook from his pocket and began taking notes before Caedes even responded, jotting down his thoughts.

"Hmmm, stress. Yes, I suppose that could lead to loss of appetite.... So you only began to experience this loss of appetite after the mishap with the ooze? You ate normally before then?" He asked as he jotted down more notes.

If Caedes had eaten normally before then, that was very interesting. It was clear to see the man was a Vampire, but had he not been one his whole life? Had something happened to trigger a change into one?

"It must have been quite the journey, carrying your injured friend. I can only imagine the trouble it must have been. You're very kind to have done that despite the difficulty. Did you encounter any other troubles along the way? Did anything bite you?" He asked and looked up from his notes at Caedes.

"Oh! My apologies, I tend to get a bit caught up in my studies when I meet an interesting subject. I've never met a V- very interesting person like you before!" He hastily corrected himself. He was glad when Kamille walked back in and changed the conversation.

"A more concentrated potion? Fascinating." Beist leaned toward the potion, interested in learning how Kamille might have achieved such a feat, but then got a whiff of the contents of the bottle before standing up straight again with a smile. Ah, of course. It wasn't actually more concentrated, it simply had an extra ingredient in it that would make more effective for their Vampiric friend, just as she'd mentioned before. "Yes, this one should have more of an effect, I believe." He added awkwardly, his acting skills sorely lacking.

Beist blushed in embarrassment as Kamille brought up his change in appearance.

"Ah, right, yes. I suppose I do, don't I?" He mumbled, looking away awkwardly, his fingers tapping together in front of him. "It's not a long or very interesting story, really... A bit embarrassing... Just a potion that didn't have exactly the effect I'd expected. The opposite effect, actually..." He mumbled, his ears and tail drooping while he continued avoiding eye contact. He let out a sigh as his whole body slumped and his head drooped.

Zarius chuckles a bit. Kamille certainly was a mischievous individual. 

"Thank you, Lady Kamille. Your hospitality is rivaled by none."

He watches her leave out of the corner of his eye then rolls over as he pulls the covers over his head. Gods, he could probably sleep for a week at this point, but there was still a nagging in the back of his mind not to get too comfortable in the presence of a witch, an assassin, and a...Beist. It was almost like the start of a bad joke. 

After a few minutes, the sounds of the ongoing conversation in the kitchen fade and he drifts back off to sleep. This time, his sleep is a bit more restful thanks to having had a good meal to tide over any hunger pains. It doesn't take long for him to fall into a deep sleep and it was unlikely that he would wake up again until the following morning. 

As Beist leans in, Caedes leans away slightly; he offers the beast man a slightly puzzled once-over. “I, uh…” he trails off, listening to him ramble about sunlight, night vision, and something about sensing body heat. He clears his throat awkwardly; he hadn’t expected the sudden interest, or the barrage of questions.

… Also, it had been a joke!

Welp.

There’s no better time to fuck around than a misunderstanding.

He chuckles as he leans an elbow against the table and shrugs. “I don’t know if I’d say I’m sensitive to sunlight; just more of a night owl. Things tend to look a lot better at night without the glare of the sun, or the crowds, or the noise; no sonar or serpentine heat vision, needed.” He leans his cheek against an open palm, idly stroking Charlotte’s back as if she’s a cat, while he side-eyes Beist.

Occasionally, he looks towards the kitchen’s entrance for the witch’s return.

“Uh, sure. For the most part,” he answers his next question; that’s not necessarily true, because Caedes hasn’t had an appetite since his undeath, but he may as well continue carrying the narrative. He chuckles nervously when the questions continue, and Beist keeps dabbling between speech, and jotting into his notes. “Not really, no... Listen, is this turning into a physician’s appointment? Because if there’s a bill I’m going to need to pay, most of my coin just went to that bird, and I’m not entirely sure I want to fight him for it.” He jokes, nodding towards Mischief.

He waves a hand dismissively when Beist corrects himself, offering the large beast man a lopsided smile. “Not a big deal… I am pretty interesting, all things considered.” he continues to jest, and— holy shit Kamille’s back thank the gods.

He looks to the kitchen entrance when Kamille walks through, a potion similar to the one he’d downed before held between her hands.

He’s really none-the-wiser about the tampering, but he still offers the bottle a skeptical look when it’s set before him on the table. “Oh, you really didn’t have to— but thank you.” He remarks, offering Kamille a fleeting smile until her back has turned; and his expression quickly turns into something more exasperated.

The last thing he wants to do is offend the witch if none of her potions end up working on him.

He clears his throat, looking sidelong at Kamille and Beist as they speak together; and after a moment of listening in to their conversation, he takes the bottle and leans back in his chair. Charlotte, who had previously been looking curiously at Beist, looks to him when he uncorks and takes a drink of the potion; he hopes to get it out of the way while Kamille’s not looking, in the case that it doesn’t—

He winces slightly after swallowing the concoction, covering his mouth following the warm sensation that seems almost invasive in its spread; but Kamille’s potion is quick to wash away the bone-deep exhaustion, and makes quick work of the injury he’s been bearing on his leg. He clears his throat, vision slightly hazy. “I guess you weren’t kidding about the concentration.”

Once Kamille starts working on their tea, she doesn't keep an eye on Caedes to see the effects of the potion or if he'll drink it at all. Certainly she will be able to see the results in no time if-

Oh.

Oh... Looks like it worked..............

Interesting...

Beist's reaction to the potion was also weird, but she couldn't understand if he noticed what she did or not. Certainly, she knew Beist to be an extremely competent alchemist himself... Surely he figured it out? Kamille glanced over to Caedes, as the potion seemed to do its intended job this time - and then her gaze rested a second longer on Beist with a raised eyebrow.

"You mean this was caused by a potion? You don't happen to have it with you, by any chance? That sounds like a very interesting potion, you know... I would love to hear how you did it, if you don't mind sharing your secret..."

It came with no surprise that Kamille would be interested in such concoction, and she welcomed the change in subject for a minute, as she wrestled with her own two braincells to think of a way of seeing that situation through without making anyone feel threatened. The Witch had no reason to believe Caedes had any ill intent towards Zarius... But she also didn't know how much Zarius knew of his ally as of now.

In a couple of minutes, Kamille came back to the table with a fresh kettle of a very fragrant tea, pouring some for each of them.

"I'm glad the potion worked, Caedes. I have a reputation to uphold, you know. I can prepare one for you to take, if you wish. Regardless, feel free to go rest whenever you want - you can pick any bed on the dormitory you wish. Zarius will have a long night ahead of him, but he's okay now, he just needs his rest. If you want to stay the night too, Beist, be my guest."

With a cup in her hands, she slowly sipped on the hot tea. Beist seemed terribly disappointed that his potion didn't work the way he wanted it.

"Oh, Beist... If you think I could be of help, don't hesitate in asking. And don't worry about the way you look - I, for one, think you look rather dashing! Don't you dare telling me otherwise! Ah! I just remembered! I received an extra copy of the latest issue of the Golden Consortium's yearly discoveries and updates, I think you might enjoy it! I know it's supposed to be just for members, but... I have my ways. Hold on, I'll grab it for you."

Kamille cheerfully pranced back to the library, with her tea in hand, once again disappearing for a minute or so. Beist might've already seen how Kamille had a different way of seeing all that others could regard as "mostrous" or "beastly", which was one of the reasons she quickly became friends with his huge, beastly self. She seemed to enjoy the company of monsters, whether the literal, fanged and horned ones... Or the outcasts and underdogs.

No wonder she didn't look alarmed upon knowing one of her guests was possibly a vampire.

When she came back, she was holding two books. One of them was clearly from the Golden Consortium itself - considering she wasn't a member (yet), it begged the question how she got her hands on it. This one she handed over to Beist, a new edition in perfect condition.

"I bugged a few friends to send me a copy, and I ended up with two. You can have this one. Have you ever thought about joining the Golden Consortium, Beist? I might end up doing it eventually, you know... They sound terribly resourceful, it would be great to- Oh! Caedes, I also got a second copy of this one as well. Please take it, as my thanks for bringing in Zarius to be healed."

It certainly sounded like bad manners to refuse a gift from a Witch, but it raised more questions than answered to know she kept spare copies of books like that on her library... Be still my beating heart, was written in a flowery calligraphy over a tasteful drawing of what looked like an incredibly handsome vampire couple, if the fangs were any indication - which could possibly be a detail Kamille didn't even notice, as for some reason there were no shirts to be seen in that cover.

Kamille didn't even have the decency to blush before offering it to her guest.

Beist didn't notice at all that Caedes was just messing with him. He just wrote down everything he said, taking what he thought were genuine notes. When Caedes' words weren't exact answers to his questions, he just raised an eyebrow and wrote down what he said verbatim, hoping to derive some useful information from them later. He looked surprised when he suddenly brought up a bill, calling this a physician's appointment. His surprise turned to embarrassment as he put his notebook away awkwardly. His ears drooped and he looked down sadly, avoiding eye contact.

"No, no bill..." He mumbled. He felt a bit ashamed to get so caught up in his curiosity like that. He hadn't thought about how the subject of his study would feel, suddenly being asked so many questions that might be personal information to him. He folded his hands together and sat there in silence, not wanting to bother Caedes anymore.

Beist was just as relieved when Kamille entered the room as Caedes. Surely, she would break the silence and shift the conversation somewhere a lot less awkward. If it wasn't her potions or magic you were in need of, she could definitely be counted on to talk.

He blushed as Kamille called him dashing. He didn't think so, but it was still nice to hear. He just returned her words with a smile, not wanting to agree or disagree. He couldn't agree, but if he disagreed he knew she would insist.

"Oh, I couldn't-" He began, but Kamille had already pranced off to the library. He sat in silence, waiting for her to return, still feeling a bit awkward with Caedes and not wanting to bother him. There goes his savior from the awkward atmosphere he'd made... He was relieved once again when she returned.

He looked at the book Kamille offered him, his eyes sparkling. Oh, the Golden Consortium's yearly discoveries! How fascinating! He wondered just what he could learn from this... But, no! It's secret information for Consortium members only! He could get in serious trouble if anyone found out he'd read it without being a member! Well, he did want to become a member eventually... It couldn't hurt that much, right? Nobody would find out, right?

"You could get in trouble for having this. I'll, just uh... return this to the Consortium... Yes... And not read it... Oh, but I won't tell anyone you had it." He lied incredibly unconvincingly.

He took the book and slid it into his bag, looking around as if he expected someone to pop out and yell "Ah-ha!" at him if he so much as cracked it open. He really wanted to read it right this second, but now wasn't the time. He was still in the middle of a conversation. He'd control himself until he got back to the privacy of his own wagon where he could read it in peace.

Beist thought maybe this was what Caedes had felt like as he'd asked him questions. He didn't know how much he wanted to tell Kamille about his accidental growth, especially with Caedes there. Maybe he trusted Kamille with such information even if it was awkward to share it with her, but he honestly didn't know the pale man so well. Well, he'd told other relative strangers before. How much could this hurt?

"Yes, it was caused by a potion. Well, I suppose it was two potions at this point. Do you know anything about Werebeasts?"

Zarius snoozes soundly.

Meanwhile, far from the house of the Witch of Moonglade, across the swamps of the Marsh Flats, the plains of King's Valley, the desert dunes of Zeinav, and the burnt landscape of the Ash Lands lies Darkveil City. The urban landscape is perpetually dusted with ash that falls silently from the plumes of smoke billowing from the looming peak of Mount Drakolt. Darkened streets lined by brick buildings are softly illuminated by oil burning street lamps. All is quiet except for the distant sound of music flitting through the air from the Dancer's Den. 

In one of the claustrophobic alleyways not too far from the popular inn, there is the sudden sound of wood clattering across the cobblestone. Darting quickly away is a tiny streak of black that only leaves the tiniest of divots in the layer of ash settled on the ground. It moves fast and does not stop as it skids around the corner and continues along the back of the building.

Luckily for it, nothing pursues or seems to notice its disruption of the quiet evening. The perfect crime is one never acknowledged. 

The black creature eventually slows its pace and jogs along until it comes upon its destination. The building is an odd one, standing out from its surroundings as an eyesore with its mismatched dilapidated additions surrounding a central crumbling clock tower. It may have been an impressive structure at one point in its life, but years of mismanagement and neglect have left it a shadow of its former self.

Still, strays could not be picky.

Creeping around the back of the long abandoned building, the creature slips into a hole in the exterior wall of one of the wooden additions to the building. The interior is dark, dusty, and cobwebs accent every rafter. There is barely any furniture or other decorations, leaving each room barren and uninviting to visitors. It's eerily silent, with no signs of life aside from the little black shadow that moves through its halls. 

The little creature climbs up the stairs that descend from the top of the clocktower, having to jump from one step to the other due to its diminutive size. It eventually scales the stairs to the top where the clock's mechanisms lie rusted and immovable. The colored glass that once would make the face of the clock a spectacle to behold when illuminated at night is cracked and coated in soot, leaving the space dark with only specks of lantern light from outside desperately trying to peak through. 

Leaping up onto the broken gears, the little shadow eventually settles down amongst the rafters of the clock tower to peer down with its large saucer-like eyes.

And there it stays.




Waiting.