It's easy to see the city from her perspective. Like every city in Charon one must look past the outward appearances of the nobility and the political folk. The true condition of a city lies at its bottom, at the foundation built by the common citizen. While oppression existed everywhere, there is at least some semblance of order in the other major cities. The city guard would prevent the lower class from tearing each other apart. If you were a citizen of Darkveil, you weren't so lucky. The only thing keeping others from taking what's yours was how much they would receive in retaliation. If you weren't capable, you couldn't expect to hold onto anything; or keep food in your mouth.

Vail tried to communicate this to Zarius, but he couldn't shake the feeling that his upbringing detached him from this struggle. Perhaps that was partially why he wanted to head back there; to help the city have a future, in spite of his past.

"Yeah. I'll help too." he added softly to the moon elf's statement.

While he was happy to see Cirice eager to protect the library, something still felt off about this. Something in the young woman’s words hinted to a form of coercion similar to what she demonstrated with the guards. The sinking feeling inside his stomach was growing; and the blood from these runes definitely wasn’t helping to alleviate his unease.

His eyes widened yet again at the sheer amount of food Cirice was able to produce so easily. He examines the assortment with a curious expression, looking for any form of alcohol to help soothe his nerves. A white bottle catches his eyes as he crouches down to read the label.

Alcoholic eggnog. Bingo.

He holds the bottle over his shoulder as he looks back to the moon elf.

"There might be a bit too much for the two of us. I'll probably be having this mostly. I don't have much of an appetite at the moment."

He grabbed a small bit of cooked meat with his free hand before he walked over to the darkest corner of the room.
Sitting down with a slight groan, he looked over to his companion.

“So, what do you like to read? I’m not much of a reader myself. Before, I was too focused on pushing myself forward to slow down and read much. Nowadays, I try to read when I find a quiet moment, but more often than not I’m writing in my journal instead. I guess you could say writing is more of a hobby to me.”

That was a strange way to put things. Calling his journal something as trivial as a hobby was something he’d never done before. If anything it was a necessity; the only way to keep his memories static.

Cirice’s eyes light up at the question and she pokes at some of the food. “Yeah this spell is meant to feed a few people, its a bit overkill with just us, but its a blessing I like to share. I read all kinds of things! Books about magic, biographies, romance novels, cookbooks, fairy tales, manuals and guides on various subjects, academic papers… All kinds of things really! If you write can I add your books to my library?? A journal is just an autobiography in the making!”

At the mention of books her attention is wholly diverted and her demeanor is even more bubbly and excitable. “My favorite author is Isklad, he’s written many romance books and I hope to one day meet him. I also have a really wonderful book about muffins and the best places to get them all over Charon!”

She reaches impossibly deep into her bag once more and pulls out a blanket with sleeves and a book, curling up and making herself comfortable. As she unfurls the blanket a small glass vial with a cork stopper that appears to be filled with small colorful rocks of some kind falls out of the bundle and rolls across the floor. Cirice gasps a little as the improperly sealed cork pops off and the rocks tumble out onto the ground. After a moment the open tiny eyes and begin scuttling around curiously, playing in the food and being a general menace. A couple of them scoop up some dried jerky from the feast and bring it over to Vail, waving it at him like a prize.

“Oh my sorry, I didn’t realize the bottle was in my snuggle… The konpeito-lings are harmless if a little messy. They have an obsession with making people eat…”

Vail’s nervousness returned as Cirice mentioned adding his writing to her library.
"It's for my own eyes more than any others at the moment. I'm afraid it wouldn't make much sense to anyone but me. Someday though, I'd like to write an autobiography like you described. Maybe then you could add it." He replies as his eyes wander away from her.
"If I can still call my memories non-fiction at that point…" he whispered under his breath.

Not letting his wayward thoughts get the best of him, he looked back at the moon elf with a smirk.
"Sounds like you'll read anything you can get your hands on. I may need to drag you out of here when it's time to leave."

He idly tightens the bandages on his right arm as he listens to her talk about her favorite subjects and authors. It was nice to hear someone talk about their passions for once, too often did he find himself in the company of those too uptight to relax when need be, whether it be a naive shut-in, an automaton, or an overly secretive fell blood.

“I’m not big on romance, it’s not in the cards for me. By the time I was the age to show any interest in it, I was already dragged into the Darkveil’s black underbelly.”
He pauses for a brief moment.
“I could use a muffin though.” He adds jokingly.

As Cirice pulls out a blanket, Vail wonders to himself what exactly their would-be arsonist would do if they found her sleeping in here. Would they hesitate, knowing that they may take a life with their actions? Something deep inside him told him no; that a bit of collateral damage meant little to someone using mortal blood for their runes.

Wait… That word, it was just like before… Quietly sneaking its way in… Mortal…

His self-reflection is interrupted by the rolling of a vial across the floor. Out of the glass ran several little stone-like creatures, not dissimilar to the sootlings he once borrowed from Zarius. He watches as they scurry about grabbing various bits of food, before they carry it over to him. He was honestly surprised that they could see him in the darkness.

"It's no issue." He replies to the moon elf, smiling as he takes some jerky from one of the konpeito-lings.
"Charon would be a better place if people were as generous as these little guys."

His eyes peek through the library window as the sun begins to hit the horizon. If this place was going to be targeted, there was no doubt it would be at the dead of night.

“I look forward to having a signed copy of your memoirs to add to my collection!” Cirice winks at him, “You won’t have to drag me out… but I will be sad to go. I do love reading and I’ll read just about anything. This library is much bigger than mine, one day I’d love to have a collection this large.”

She looks over at him skeptically. “‘Not in the cards?’ Why not? You’re still young, I think, I’m nooooot great with human ages but you seem older than Gerhart… It’s not too late! You can have both a muffin and a family! I’ll help you, I know lots of people, maybe I can set you up on a date!”

Her grin is playful as he jokes around with her. Its nice to be cozy and comfortable with her new friend in a quiet, cozy place like the library. As the konpeito-lings harass Vail to eat she giggles a little.

“People can be very kind and generous at times, if they feel so inclined. I wish more people felt inclined… Its sad to know that so many people suffer in places like Darkveil and Sol City. Where I’m from the community cares for one another and helps each other however they can.”

She yawns. “I don’t think anyone will be coming for a while, maybe we can sneak a nap before things get interesting. I’m going to try. And I have someone who can watch over us as we sleep.”

She lays her hands on the ground and a small circle of violet light forms on the ground and a large moth flies out of it, perching on her shoulder¹. “Crepesculum can be lookout!”

---

1 pet pocket

A rare blush came over the unscarred section of Vail's face as Cirice questioned his aversion to romance. The past seven years he'd lived in fear of both his own past and Darkveil. Looking for a relationship was impossible in such a state. While his fear might be dissipating, his condition certainly wasn't. Her words had the unfortunate side effect of reminding him that he didn't exactly know what to consider himself, or how long he had left in this world. One day his right arm might go limp and his body might give out from his previous damage. That would honestly be a merciful death, rather than dying while his body was out of his control.

He tilts his head backwards as he looks to the ceiling, doing his best to hide his embarrassment as he begins to talk.
"There is something… beyond that. I'm not afraid of being hurt, I'm much more afraid of hurting others. I don this dark attire not just for my work, but to also keep people away. If I do ever meet someone, they would need to be capable, able to handle me at my worst."

His self-reflective state continues as the moon elf talks about her community.
"I've found that culture, as well as luck, often plays an important role in determining a person's generosity. Darkveil is a culture of violence and lawlessness but there are those who are born into some manner of fortune, people like Zarius and myself, who are willing to reach down to those below them."

As he sits in the darkness, he watches as Cirice summons a massive moth. At this point he wouldn't be surprised if she had some manner of dragon hidden away to deal with these vandals.
“Well at least I know I’ll be in good hands, or rather wings in this case.” Vail remarks as he shuts his eyes.

The gesture was merely a facade, meant to put Cirice at ease. In truth, the sense of dread he felt earlier was still present, restricting him from any rest. He sat motionless, observing the strange moth the moon elf had summoned. He hadn’t realized how much time had actually passed before the moth gently moved its wings, signaling their target’s arrival. The sun had long since set when his eyes caught the slightest of movements near the library’s entrance. A figure cloaked in dark robes walked in complete silence, approaching the rune painted on the library’s far wall. Vail would have taken him for a rogue spirit had it not been for the person's pale hands, twisting and contorting in some bizarre manner of spell casting. When the intruder arrived in front of the rune, they lifted their hands.

Whatever they were planning, Vail wasn’t going to allow them to go through with it. He dashed^[1] forward from the shadows, tackling the figure to the ground. As the person struggled beneath him, he looked up to his companion.

“Cirice whatever you’re going to do, do it fast.”

---

[1] Bare hands:Dashing enchantment

Cirice had wanted to pry further into Vail’s life and thoughts, but it seemed he was getting embarrassed and so she leaves it there. She’s only fallen into a shallow sleep and the sound of Vail tackling the vandal startles her awake.

“You got him!” She cheers, getting to her feet and hurrying over to them. She lays a hand on the struggling man’s head as he tries to wriggle out of Vail’s grasp and shushes him softly, “Shhhh… Its alright, we won’t hurt you. Calm down and talk to us¹.”

The man’s thrashing falls still and he lies limply in Vail’s arms.

“You can let him go now.” She smiles. As the two untangle and sit up she gets a good look at their vandal’s face, pushing back the cloak. It was a younger man, with sandy brown hair and dark eyes. He looked at her with a dazed smile and she supposed he might be a little handsome. “I’ll get all the information I can out of him.”

Once more the runes flare to life under her silken glove as she touches his cheek gently. A wellspring of information flows into her². His name is Julius, he was a street urchin in Zeinav before the beautiful and charismatic Ava Yasmin found him and took him into her fold. He’s been working with her for three years and he’s secretly in love with her. He learned as much magic as he could to impress her and she’s utilized his new talents well. The Scorched Ones in the area are currently holed up in the basement of an abandoned home on the outskirts of the city and they come and go via the sewers which they tunneled into using earth magic. There are currently three other members there and they’re skilled warriors, though they only fight when they must. The plan was to burn down the library and send a message to the elites of the city that the common man will rise soon. Cirice learns all this and more in a moment and pulls her hand away.


“Here, will you put these manacles on him?” She asks Vail, passing them to him. “I know where they are and how to get there.” She fills him in on all the information that’s relevant. “Shall we go smoke out the rats?”

---

1 Be Jolly
2 Reveal Truth

Vail watches as Cirice speaks to the vandal, in a way that would normally be calming, if you weren’t tackled to the ground of course. He releases the captive slowly, carefully watching in case he makes any sudden movements. Much to his surprise, the intruder was a young man, probably younger than himself. Whatever this organization was after, it looks like they had no problem sending such inexperienced members on such dangerous missions.

He begins to pace around the room as Cirice holds the young man’s cheek, her hand aglow with some form of magical power. Nothing felt right about this, the contrast between the blood used to make the rune and this young man was too great for him to remain calm. Whatever Cirice was looking for, he doubted this man would be able to give her the whole truth.

He binds the man on her request as she relays what she gathered from within his mind. The limited nature of his knowledge was more concerning to him than anything Cirice told him. This young man was likely kept out of the loop regarding the organization’s dark aspects. Love can blind a person to many things, but atrocities are not one of them. He considered waiting for the effects of the moon elf’s spell to wear off so he could interrogate the young man as to the origin of the blood used for the rune, but the Scorched One’s would no doubt realize something was wrong after such a long wait.

He looks to Cirice with a concerned expression.

“I’m ready to go, but I need you to promise me something. If things go south there, I want you to run. Don’t worry about me.”

“What?” Cirice asks, looking up at him, “What are you talking about? I wouldn’t leave you, you’re my friend.”

She stands, mirroring his concern back at him. “We’ll leave him here, let the guards outside know and go flush the rats out. Don’t worry, I’m stronger than I look. We’ll both be fine. That’s what I promise.”

Meeting his gaze with a determined look in her eyes, confident that they can handle what’s ahead of them. She holds her hand in front of her face and her sword appears in a soft flash of violet light¹.

“We got this!”

The pair head outside with their captive and a new pair of guards have taken over the watch. They’re just as effective as the first two considering the rat got in under their nose. Cirice surrenders the young man into their custody and summons Hitia, her demonic reindeer². She helps Vail up into the saddle with her and they take to the air, heading for the hideout. Its nothing special from the outside, completely unassuming and not an obvious rat’s nest. The roof has crumbled in on itself and the door has long since rusted off its hinges. The only part of the building that could be useable is the basement, where Cirice knows the others are holed up.

---

1 Spellblade: Always there
2 Summon Mount