"Bandits in Moonglade? Do you mean the Clasp?" Eameia asks.

She had heard a fair amount about the group since they were the prime suspects in the disappearance of the Fighter's Guild's leader, Athena. Most of what she knew all came from her brother since he is in the Fighter's Guild, but she did do as much looking into the group as she could from the safety of home.

The Clasp sure have been active and it's been surprising how much of a threat they have become over the past year. Clearly the authorities had underestimated their numbers and resources. But their motives for targetting the Fighter's Guild leader are still a mystery. 

"Kamille is surprisingly fierce in combat," Zarius agrees.

He remembers a situation wherein he had to fight harpies with the mage and she easily destroyed their nest by summoning a flaming rock from the sky. He's done his best to stay on her good side to avoid such destruction being directed his way.

Though, despite his best efforts, there was a situation that likely damaged their partnership. An encounter with an Arcuila had taken a turn, and while he doesn't remember what happened exactly, he had been informed by an ally that he had lost his mind and attacked the witch. It was distressing news, and he hasn't seen Kamille since. He needed to apologize to her, even if what happened apparently had been something out of his control. 

The fellblood is snapped out of that train of thought by their arrival at the bakery. The smell was incredible, and enough to make one's mouth water. Too bad Zarius' sense of smell and taste were perpetually plagued by acrid brimstone and smoke. 

Eameia, despite not being able to smell anything as a projection, is beyond entranced by the spectacle of all the beautifully crafted pastries. While no stranger to the finer things in life or luxuries that only nobility can afford, there was still something so exciting about the array of delicious baked goods on display. She's particularly drawn towards some fruit tarts with their glistening fillings and golden brown crusts. 

Zarius watches her out of the corner of his eye and when Beist asks what he would like, he gestures towards the tart. "One of those I think, hopefully it will survive the journey home."

He doesn't argue with the man about paying for the tart even though it really was not necessary.

The large man with a bald head and a thick mustache behind the counter didn't seem at all phased by the four armed monkey ordering pastries from him. He just smiled and nodded with a quick thumbs up. Beist came to this bakery often when he was in the city, so the two of them were used to each other. The man didn't speak much and didn't look the type to be running a bakery, but he was very good at it. From the small tidbits of conversation Beist had had with him, his name was Sven, and he was the owner. He made all the desserts there himself. He had quite the passion for baking. Beist saw him as a sort of kindred spirit.

Beist handed over the coins and Sven put the danishes and fruit tart carefully into boxes to go. Beist usually got them to go anyways. He'd gotten them and ate them in the bakery once, forgetting just how significantly smaller his stomach is while transformed into a monkey. He wouldn't make that mistake again, but his true form definitely wouldn't fit inside the small bakery, so taking them to go was just the best option. And besides, he wasn't sure if Eameia could sit in a chair as an illusion and it might be strange for her to stand while Beist and Zarius sat down.

Beist took his box of danishes in two hands and lead them back out the door, a small bell on the top of the doorframe tinkling lightly as it opened and closed. Sven gave the group a wave as they left.

Zarius and Eameia follow Beist out of the bakery. At this point, Zarius is pretty done with putting up posters and he just finds a few more spots to slap up the last few. 

At this point, Eameia's attention is drawn towards Beist's giant fuzzy companion. She hadn't seen such a creature before and it looked far too cuddly to be real. The temptation to pet is enough to make her forget she's just an illusion for a moment as she attempts to give it skritches. 

Zarius snorts a laugh as he sees her do this and her face visible darkens in color. 

"Do not laugh," she huffs.

He grins. "My apologies, but if you want to pet something fuzzy just go find Ebony."

"No thank you, I rather like having my fingers intact. That cat is some sort of evil monster."

"You are overreacting."

"I am not," she retorts. "Caedes shares my sentiment."

The fellblood shakes his head. He wouldn't waste his breath defending the tiny terror that now was living in his family's home since the Rookery got busted up. The creature definitely caused trouble and had a taste for blood and preference for violence.

He looks at Beist with a smile. "Thank you for showing us the bakery, it was very impressive."

Beist stifled a chuckle at Eameia and Zarius arguing again. He felt a little bad that the illusionary Eameia couldn't pet Sorbet. She is incredibly soft and fluffy, but he didn't think saying that out loud would help the matter.

"Ah, I'm glad you liked it. If I should ever visit your home and have the opportunity to see you in person, I'll be sure to bring some more sweets from there and I'll bring Sorbet along so you can actually pet her. Maybe she will get along well with this Ebony of yours." He chuckled, giving Sorbet a few rubs on her back. From the sounds of it, Ebony was a bit of a rambunctious cat, but he believed Sorbet would be fine around them given her size. "She seems to like you."

Sorbet really did seem very interested in Eameia now. After having her hand pass right through her, the big moth-cat was sniffing at her and getting no scent. She went for a slow, experimental tap on the girl with her paw and found it also passed right through like she wasn't even there. Having never seen an illusion before, Sorbet was fascinated and started playing with the untouchable girl like a cat drawn to the uncatchable red dot of a laser pointer.

She pounced and swatted, all of her attempts to touch Eameia completely fruitless, but she looked like she was greatly enjoying herself. Beist felt both incredibly amused at her playful antics and horrified by them at the same time, putting a hand over his mouth to stop himself from laughing, but also holding a hand out and calling to the playful cat.

"Sorbet! Stop it, that's rude!"

Beist suddenly undid he animal transformation, turning back into the hulking giant, and grabbed Sorbet around her sides like a cat owner simply picking up their normal sized feline to pull her up into his arms.  She didn't resist or struggle, but even comfortably in Beist's arms, she stared down at Eameia and purred happily.

Beist let out a sigh and looked at Eameia apologetically. "I'm terribly sorry. I didn't expect her to do that."

"Ebony is the worst," Eameia states firmly. The little kitten seemed to have it out for everyone and everything. Chaos incarnate. 

Though that was true for many cats and cat-like creatures. Case and point given Sorbet's attempts to flatten Eameia under her giant fuzzy paws.

Seeing Sorbet's reaction to Eameia's spell is too much for Zarius. The fellblood breaks down laughing as the moth-cat swats and pounces through the illusion.

Eameia doesn't seem to mind, equally entertained but she does shoot her brother an unimpressed look for his outburst. She smiles up at Beist as he wrangles the cat-moth. 

"It is alright, Mister Beist," she reassures. "She is doing no harm. Though if you want to unleash her on my brother, you have my permission."

Zarius catches his breath, recovering from the bout of laughter. "Please do not. You are more than welcome to visit us in Darkveil should you find yourself in the area. I hope to repay you for your aid with my arm. Do let me know if you need any assistance with anything in the future."

Beist doesn't seem like the type to need Zarius' specific skills, but it felt necessary to voice the offer regardless. Beist did basically save his life after all. 

"I have a few rare alchemy books you may find interesting," Eameia adds. "Potioncraft is not my strong suit so they are just gathering dust currently. But perhaps you may find them informative."

Beist smiled. "The worst? How bad could one little kitten be?" He chuckled, not knowing the depths of Ebony's chaotic nature. All of the animals under his own care were well controlled, even if a few were still a bit mischievous sometimes, like Sorbet was being now. He had a good influence on them, as if just being around him made them more friendly and happy. He took pride in just how much his companions seemed to adore him. Mostly. A couple still had a very grouchy attitude, but he didn't mind it. Going around and changing their attitudes wasn't what he wanted. He loved them as they were, grouchiness and all.

Sorbet's wiggling paws trying to reach Eameia stopped and her face turned toward Zarius, her eyes glinting with a dangerous sense of wanting exactly what Eameia had said, for Beist to let her loose on the Fellblood. She let out a small mew and Beist looked down with another chuckle.

"Yes, well, it's not her permission you would need."

Beist looked back to Zarius, Sorbet's paws now wiggling in his direction.

"There's really no need to repay me for that, but I'll keep that in mind should I need some help. By the way, how is Caedes doing? I haven't seen him since that day either. Is he... eating well?"

Beist wasn't sure if Zarius knew about Caedes' secret, so decided not to directly state it. He worried though that the man might still be unaware of his Vampiric nature. It couldn't be healthy for him to go so long without blood. How he might be getting that blood was another concern though.

"Oh, alchemy books? Hmm. Well, I wouldn't mind paying your home a visit. I would also enjoy meeting Ebony." Beist looked back to Eameia, tempted by the allure of rare books on one of his favorite subjects.

Zarius takes a large step back away from Beist and Sorbet as the giant cat-bee's attention turns to him. He's not too keen on being pounced on by a pet that could easily smother him to death. Though, to be fair, it probably would be the least horrific way to die given his line of work. 

His tail twitches at the mention of Caedes and he glances around for anyone listening in on their conversation. Dammit. Seems Caedes didn't think to tell Beist not to talk about him in public spaces.

"He is fine," Zarius says curtly. "If you do come to Darkveil, please do not talk of him openly. There are people who would wish harm upon him should they learn of his whereabouts."

"Do not worry, Mister Beist, I am ensuring his dietary needs are met," Eameia reassures which just makes Zarius give her a bit of a look.

Seems like he was the last person to figure out that Caedes is a vampire even amongst his own circle.

"Perhaps if you get along with the demon cat you can provide her a new home." The thought is highly tempting to the young female fellblood. 

"That is a bit extreme," Zarius retorts.

Eameia just stares at her brother with a forced smile. Silent communication that she's at her wits end with his uncontrollable pet. 

Zarius ignores the look and addresses Beist once again. "Feel free to reach out. An ally of Kamille's is an ally of mine." So long as they aren't a pompous vampire necromancer with terrible rhythm and an even worse attitude. But he wouldn't say that out loud. 

Beist was flustered to hear people were after Caedes. His ears twitched and then drooped in fear. His imagination took hold for a moment and he feared someone might have overheard him and would attack him and Zarius out of the blue just for mentioning the Vampire. At least, from Zarius's reaction, that might be the case. Thankfully no attack came and his shoulders that he hadn't realized had suddenly become so tense relaxed.

"O-oh, my mistake. I didn't know. He didn't mention... well, I suppose that's not something one shares with someone they just met... I'll be careful from now on not to mention him by name then." He said in a low voice, looking around to make sure there was no one eavesdropping.

It was a bit disconcerting to hear an acquaintance of his was a wanted man. He could assume it wasn't average city guards keeping an eye out for him either. How he suddenly found himself involved in such a dangerous circle of individuals, Beist could only blame Kamille for bringing him in to save Zarius's life. Well, it wasn't as if he'd have refused to help if she did tell him Caedes was a criminal. Wait, was Zarius also a criminal? He had to assume from how much he knew, Zarius might be one as well. Was Eameia a criminal!? Maybe he should have declined the offer to visit their home after all.

"Oh, no, I could never take away someone else's pet. I only take in animals with no home of their own or that truly wish to stay with me as a companion, like Sorbet here. And you know the old saying, you don't adopt a cat, a cat adopts its owner. I'm sure Ebony loves you both even if she is a little troublesome."

He tried to hide his worry as he looked to Zarius. "Yes, I'll be sure to reach out." He said with a nod. Sorbet was already doing just as Zarius asked and reaching out to him. With her paws.

"Thank you, I appreciate your understanding. It is a...delicate situation, and I would hate to see any further harm befall him."

Eameia looks disappointed as Beist refuses her offer to dump Ebony on him. Finding someone else with such a love of animals to even overlook their troublesome behavior would be difficult. Perhaps she would have better luck getting Lady Kamille to take the chaos kitten off their hands. 

Zarius chuckles. "Love is a strong sentiment. I think it is less Ebony loves us and more loves terrorizing whoever dares to cross her path."

The fellblood notes Beist's worry, but does not draw attention to it. He can understand that Beist is likely drawing conclusions about him and Caedes with only the limited amount of information he has. The fellblood hopes the conclusions the large beastman is coming to are more favorable to them, but given his reaction that is less than likely.

Nevertheless, Zarius has no intentions of causing any more trouble for Beist, nor involving him in any of his schemes. Best if their relationship is kept purely transactional and the healer is not compromised further by affiliating with him. 

It was nothing personal. It was just business. 

He then stares at Sorbet as she reaches for him. He takes in a deep breath and lets it out through his nose. "Alright. Just this once." He braces for the inevitable impact. 

Beist couldn't help being a bit paranoid. He tried to see the best in people and assume anyone could be a good person, but his fear of getting involved in something that might bring him or any of his animal companions harm often overrode his good nature. His mind going immediately to the danger of criminal activity was just part of that fear.

"Of course. I can't imagine why anyone would want to harm him." Beist lied. He could imagine plenty of people that might want to hunt a Vampire. Oh, wait, was that it? Were they hunting him because he was a Vampire and not a criminal? Had he overthought it all again? Now he felt a little guilty jumping to the wrong conclusions. Maybe he should apologize for thinking so negatively of the man and even his companion. Though, wouldn't it be strange for him to apologize for something he hadn't actually said out loud? Ah, he was overthinking things again. There was no harm done, as far as he was aware. Best to just let it go.

Beist raised an eyebrow and smiled, amused at Zarius's invitation for the fluffy feline in his arms. Sorbet wiggled more excitedly, ready for the moment he released her. Beist glanced at Eameia and then shrugged before letting her go.

Sorbet pounced right onto Zarius, the oversized cat's weight easily knocking him onto his back and smothering him in white fluff. Six legs pressed against Zarius as she lied down on top of him and let out a happy meow.

"Yes, he is solid." Beist agreed with a nod as Sorbet purred loudly, practically vibrating the whole body of the Fellblood beneath her. Despite the fur being so thick, it was actually pleasantly cool. Cooler than the hot summer air around them.

"The world is a dangerous place." Zarius responds.

He wouldn't go into detail about Caedes' situation out of respect for his personal business, but also because Beist seemed like the type to prefer to stay out of any messes if he could help it. The fellblood wouldn't drag the druid into their struggles and complicated circumstances. 

Despite bracing and fully anticipating what fate he had just brought upon himself, Zarius is still knocked onto his back as Sorbet's full weight impacts him. He grunts from hitting the ground but then is quickly smothered by the thick poof that covers the creature's underbelly. 

Eameia cannot contain her laughter and doubles over losing her absolute shit over the scene. She doubles over laughing, the spell maintaining her astral form flickering as she struggles to keep her concentration. 

Zarius just lies there, accepting that this is just the situation now. Sorbet, however, may notice that her floofy paws are quite warm. It's not enough to burn, but there is an unexpected amount of heat radiating off of the fellblood's body which is accompanied by the scent of smoke and sulfur.

Eameia catches her breath and wipes her eyes. "I am never letting him hear the end of this," she chuckles then smiles brightly at Beist. "Thank you for making this day very memorable. It has been wonderful spending time with you."

There's a couple of muffled words from Zarius, but they're impossible to make out through the sheer volume of floof in his face. 

"Oh, it's been wonderful spending time with the both of you as well. I don't think I'll ever forget... that." Beist responded happily, looking at the oversized cat happily crushing Zarius beneath her. His day had been tiresome and he'd basically been bullied into being a walking advertisement, so it was nice to meet people who wanted to spend time with him and not just stare at his strange appearance.

He glanced down at what little he could see of Zarius poking out from beneath the white fluff of Sorbet and looked to Eameia with a slightly concerned expression. "Eh, do you think he's alright down there? Maybe I should pull Sorbet off of him. Oh, but she looks so happy..."

Beist was conflicted. Sorbet really did look very happy with her new bed. She really enjoyed how warm it was. She laid her head down, her tail flicking back and forth in the air behind her, continuing to purr like an engine. Of course, it wasn't like she could lie on top of Zarius forever, but as long as Zarius didn't mind it, he didn't want to ruin her fun.

"What did you say? Are you alright down there?" Beist asked in a louder and more concerned voice than usual, leaning down and trying to communicate with the buried Fellblood. "I can't understand what you're saying... Do you need some assistance?" He mumbled, shaking his head.

"Aw, you are so sweet, Mister Beist."

The comment is genuine with no hints of sarcasm. Eameia encounters so few truly kind and gentle people in her life, so Beist is a refreshing breath of fresh air. She genuinely hopes that Beist will reach out should he ever be in Darkveil as it can be quite dangerous for those who are earnest and generous. She would not hesitate to raise hell if she found out anyone tried to scam or bring him harm. 

She looks at Sorbet who looks absolutely content with the current situation. Oh, this was just perfect. She could tease Zarius about this for days. 

"MRRRRPH."

"He is fine, no need to worry," Eameia replies. 

Zarius just barely manages to inch one arm out from under Sorbet and he pats the ground to signal that he's tapping out before he's smothered to death by the giant cat-bee creature. 

From the tapping his hand on the ground, it looked like Zarius was struggling. Despite Eameia's reassurance, Beist was getting a bit worried for the man.

"Maybe I should-" Beist began, but stopped as Sorbet rolled onto her side and splayed her six legs to the side. He tail swished across the cobblestone contently and she fluttered her large moth wings.

"Awwww, isn't she adorable." Beist cooed, forgetting for a moment that Zarius was still buried beneath the fluffy creature who was acting cute and innocent as she slowly smothered the Fellblood to death. Sorbet was really enjoying herself, and Beist didn't want to stop that.

But, the continued tapping and muffled shouts from Zarius convinced Beist maybe he needed some help down there. He reached down and picked Sorbet up, pulling her into a comfortable position in his lower pair of arms where she nestled in sleepily. It looked like she'd started a nice nap thanks to Zarius.

"She must really like you. She's never snuggled with anyone else like that." Beist said, smiling innocently and offering him a hand to help him stand back up.

Beist's last hand was held in front of his mouth to stifle a laugh. When he pulled Sorbet off of him, she'd left quite the mark of her presence behind. Zarius was covered in long white hairs all over, shed by the fluffy feline.

"I wonder if any of my other companions would take such a liking to you. Would you like to meet them?"

"So adorable," Eameia nods in agreement, though her shit-eating grin is definitely a result of her brother's torment rather than Sorbet's cuteness. 

Once Sorbet is picked up off of the fellblood, he gasps and coughs up a mouthful of fluff. Sitting up, he's just covered head to toe in hair. Gods. He'll never be rid of the stuff now. He's also incredibly grateful that Ebony just so happens to be a black cat so her hair does not shoe up on his dark clothing. 

He accepts Beist's offer to help him up onto his feet. 

"I appreciate the offer but I do not think-"

"He would love to meet your other companions," Eameia interrupts. 

Zarius shoots her a stinkeye and she just winks in response. She was enjoying herself far too much to let this end so soon. As much as his sister gets on his nerves, it's rare to see her smile so brightly. He wouldn't cut her time 'outside' short just because his ego is taking a few hits. He sighs. The lengths he goes to for his family. 

"Very well."

They follow Beist's lead. Along the way, Zarius tries to pick off all of the white hairs covering him with little to no success.