Having recently made it to the village of Thunderhoof, a package of great importance to one of the Fighter's Guild's sponsors within their care, the pair would manage to secure a method of overseas travel. Their ultimate goal was to deliver this package to the patron themselves within Eclipse City. While they could have continued along their overland path, Sylvari had thought that it would be best to continue the journey overseas. Seeing no reason to stir up any further debate, especially with how tense things had been with them, Videl had easily accepted this fact. It was thanks to this that the pair would now find themselves either within or beside a ship that was heading to Eclipse City.

Their task this time around was more or less the same. Whilst protecting this package and escorting it to the desired location, the pair was going to need to defend against any and all dangers that might appear. Thus far, a few days after their departure, the pair hadn't really run into any sort of issues. It would likely have been a bit relaxing for the pair if they hadn't had such a disagreement only a few days before.

There was another reason that this trip hadn't been all that relaxing for Videl of course. Given his lack of experience with the subject, Videl had been rather seasick anytime he had found himself physically riding on a boat. The stir of the waves had simply been too much for him and more often than not resulted in him puking. Hoping to avoid that, Videl had been sure to spend the majority of his time out on the waters instead. Thanks to his Frigid Steed and her capability to frost over liquids beneath her hooves, Videl had spent the majority of his day riding about on Lumi as he might when they were on land. It was only at night, or when he felt that she needed to rest, that the pair would return to the ship itself.

While he wouldn't exactly mention it, Videl honestly didn't even really need the ship itself. Thanks to the slipstream bridle that Lumi had worn, if he really had wanted, the pair of them could have arrived at the city within a few days time. Rather than bring this up though, Videl had rode things out as he was doing now. He needed time to think over everything that has happened. How he had reacted. And how Sylvari didn't even really discuss things with him before casting blame his way. The longer it took them to arrive at Eclipse City, the more favorably things worked out for Videl. He truly needed this time to think.

---

SPOILER: Click to show

First Part of Chained Quest: Link

Quest Name: Why is Everything Wet?
Chapter: Two
Description: With transportation secured either overseas or overland through the marshes, you’ll have to come to the realization that the item is being targeted and not just opportunistic robbers looking for easy loot. The job has gotten harder now, not only do you need to finish the trip, getting the item to its owner, but you must defend the caravan from whatever decides to halt your progress.
Requirements:
- Requires at least two people (you and one other, the other does not need to be interested in the guild)
- You must make at least 6 post with each post being 150 words to complete the mission.
- Safe delivery of the undamaged item
- Gather intelligence during the journey on who could be targeting the item
- Have at least one kind of assailant attempt to damage or steal the item
- Once you complete this mission you have finished this quest line

Sylvari stood at the prow of the medium-sized trade vessel. It was the smallest that could accommodate the caravan, and the largest valuable at the small fishing port that they departed from, a convenient joining of supply and demand. Sylvari wished they didn't have to continue to escort this package over water, given Videl's penchant for seasickness, but it was the most direct route and avoided the dreaded marshes, which held uncomfortable memories for both of them. The sea was the lesser of the evils.

That seems like all I do these days: pick between evils. Greater, lesser, middling, it doesn't matter. My heart is aggrieved that I must acquiesce to evil at all. I'd rather not choose. Sylvari chuckled at her juvenile wants. The world, she had found, cared little for her ideas of how things should be. Hers was a path of pain, of constant anguish and discomfort, a fact exacerbated as she looked out to the waves, seeing her friend rides his icy mount over the rolling waves.

She wasn't sure where the pair stood. She had forgiven him for his mistakes, but it appears he had not done the same for her for pointing them out in the first place. Her heart wept where her eyes were forced to remain dry: crying would only lessen the sense of security for her wards and make Videl feel worse.

Therefore the justiciar bottled her feelings, an all-too-common occurrence these days, and looked west, towards their destination of Eclipse City. She was never patient in her youth, but practice in the virtue was forced upon her in her mission after exile. If Videl was not ready to speak to her, she would remain steadfast and stoic until he was, though it felt like her chest was being excavated.

"I just don't understand it.. Why can't I do anything right? After months of having been apart, we have finally reunited, and yet I continue to make things worse somehow. At this rate, I can't tell if she'd be happier with me by her side or apart.." A heavy sigh would depart from the T'saya's lips as he proceeded to vent his frustrations to the Frigid Steed that moved beneath him. When things had gotten rough for him, emotionally speaking, Videl had developed a tendency to complain to his mount. It wasn't as though he could discuss these things with anyone else. Of course it probably helped that Lumi couldn't berate him for speaking his mind so freely. Even if he had found a way to understand her, whether it be through a spell or an item of magical tendencies, he was sure that she would still offer him comfort. Despite that possibility, Videl had still appreciated the fact that he could at least get these things out.

Over the sound of the rushing waves, it was very likely that no one had heard these words of his. Even Lumi probably hadn't quite heard everything that he had just said. Still.. It felt good to be able to get it out. If only he could speak on these things with Sylvari. It wasn't as though the thought hadn't occurred to him. That was why, despite being down on the water the majority of the time, he had continued to gaze off in her direction from time to time. He just didn't believe that she would listen to him if he had tried. That she might brush this off like she did so many other things.

The longer that he sat with these emotions, however, the worse things would get in the future. As emotionally unintelligent as Videl might be, even he had known that they would have to discuss things at some point or another. If he hadn't, the two would likely drift further and further apart, until there was no coming back. It was actually as he had thought about speaking with her that another fate would befall them.

It might have been a bit surprising but there was actually a small group of individuals that had been making their way towards the vessel that held their precious cargo. From afar, it would appear as though these individuals were gliding across the water with an increased pacing. The truth behind their movements though had been solely due to the creatures that they had tamed. Just beneath these individuals had been an aquatic creature known as Manta-Gliders. More often than not, these creatures had actually been relatively docile. It is only when the Manta-Gliders believe that their homes or bodies are in danger that they usually act aggressively. In respects to being used as tamed mounts though? Well there wasn't much that the world had known about this. Not until now that is.

"Yeeeeeee-oowwwwww~," one of the individuals had begun to shout whilst drawing ever closer to the vessel that Sylvari had stood upon. "The package should be on this ship, boys, so hold nothin' back and claim it!" Such words had left Videl with a rather clear indication as to what these people had wanted. Much like one might expect, they were a threat. Not only that but they had been searching for the package that Sylvari and Videl had been transporting.

Something that might catch the attention of the pair had been the clothing that this group had worn. If one were to pay attention to such a thing then they would come to notice that this garb was exceedingly similar to the outfits that the bandits from before had worn! This had left Videl with a vast amount of irritation but, in order to try and keep his word to Sylvari, Videl had immediately begun to suppress it. Rather than allow for this rage to consume him, Videl would channel it into his next moves. "Lumi, close in one one of them." With that, Lumi would head towards one of the bandits that had been closing in on the ship. Said bandit would proceed to pull out a trident whilst attempting to hit Videl with it. Not intending to lose here though, Videl would thrust his spear forward twice whilst channeling his magic within it ^{[Spear, Double Strike, Thrust]}. His first strike would pump an aura of cold within the trident, freezing it over and leaving it exceedingly brittle ^[Shatter]. His second strike would shatter the trident whilst pushing past it and into the mans shoulder, knocking them off of the Manta-Glider that they had been riding.

Seeing the commotion on the open waters, Sylvari looked sharply to the captain of the vessel, who was nearby with a spyglass, likewise looking at the approaching trouble.

"See that everyone gets below decks. You and yours needn't worry. My friend and I will handle these ruffians. Bar the door behind you and don't let anyone, save for myself, in. Once everything is clear, I will knock in code for you to know it's me: twice in quick succession, then once more after a pause."

Whether it was the imperious authority of her command, the supreme confidence with which she spoke it, or the simple fact of her obvious strength that imparted a sense of ease in others, the captain quickly hopped to and began an orderly retreat of the crew and passengers to the interior of the vessel where they would be safe from the bandit's predations. Sylvari was happy to see the man's efficiency allowed for all non-combatants to be safely away before the first bandits leapt aboard the vessel.

"Alright, lads, tear this ship apart looking for the package. Boss wants it found by any means necessary!"

Sylvari stepped forward in stoic defiance and spoke out to capture their attention, her voice calm and low, but carrying over the din of the roiling sea. "I cannot allow you to do that. Surrender your arms, depart from this vessel, and I shall allow you to go in peace, to reflect on your choices. If you remain committed to this foolish course of action, however, by my oath as a justiciar and my position as guardian of this vessel, I will strike you down without remorse."

Despite her menacing tone having a staying effect on some of the minions, the leader merely laughed at Sylvari's warning.

"And who's going to stop us, girl? You? The boys and I will have to show you that fancy armor don't make you a fighter." With a silent look at his compatriots, the man rushed forward towards the vampiress, his minions close in tow. In response, Sylvari let out a war cry, bolstering the strength of her spirit and of her arm ^{[Knight, Battle Cry]}, as she got into a defensive stance and prepared to weather the charge.

From how things had been playing out, Videl could easily identify the fact that these bandits had no intentions of giving up. Not only had they come all the way out here, atop of uniquely water-bred mounts, but they had come here with a goal in mind. One that they would stop at nothing to succeed in. It was truly a shame that they couldn't simply accept Sylvari's offer. If they had then they likely could have escaped the wrath that the pair was about to descend upon them.

Having already taken care of one of the bandits, thankfully having knocked him into the water already, Videl would turn his attention towards the remaining crew that had been making their way towards the ship. For some, they had already managed to close in on the ship and were about to descend upon Sylvari. As for the others? They had been foolish enough to turn their attention towards Videl.

A singular crossbow bolt would soon find itself flying through the air and headed directly towards Videl's forehead. He had seen the individual that had thrown it towards him but chose not to react on his own. Instead of allowing for the crossbow bolt to pierce through his skull, Videl would simply call upon his dancing chain. As he had done so, the ice coated chain would animate itself, unfurling a bit from around his waist to deflect the arrow, before returning back to its inert state within his belt loop. And as for the individual that had just shot this crossbow bolt towards him? Well Videl would level his spearhead directly towards the man, from afar, before pumping his mana through the base of the spear. Shortly after doing so, a thirty foot long, narrow beam of freezing energy ^{[Frost Pulse]} would burst forth from the spearhead and slam into the chest of the aforementioned bandit. This burst of energy would knock the man off of his Manta-Glider as well, sending him back into the waters below. Once that much had occurred, Videl would cease the mana that he was pumping into his spear.

The world would continue to move about as Videl had focused on this singular opponent of course. Given that there were still two individuals atop of their Manta-Gliders, and how they had just seen their companions get knocked into the waters below, both of these bandits had decided to rush towards Videl to try and get in a good attack of two upon him. With how distracted he was, they had certainly managed to succeed in their tasks. A blow to both of his sides would occur as these people reamed their spear and trident respectively into him at an accelerated speed. This was enough to actually knock Videl off of his own mount, sending him into the waters below. The wounds that he had just sustained would likely even prove fatal if it wasn't for the fact that his spear was preventing such a thing from happening. Rather than allow for Videl to die from such a fatal blow, his spear would begin to channel its own magic into him ^{[Spell Blade, Sharing Essence]}. In doing so, the weapons would find themselves pushed out of his sides and the wounds would patch themselves back together. All that was left was for Videl to remount Lumi... Which would take a moment for him to successfully do.

Every combat master would tell you, as even a novice could intuit such: five against one was only good odds if you are among the five. Despite Sylvari's nearly unparalleled mastery over her physicality and combat knowledge, even she was hard-pressed when finding herself accosted by a coordinated effort of several skilled opponents. Indeed, it was because of her proficiency that she had a chance, however slim, of claiming victory at all. Though her blood screamed for release, to take aggressive actions against them, consequences be damned, her tactical wit overruled sentiment. The justiciar knew she had to play a waiting game, a war of attrition.

Her armor was whittled down, what little got past her active guard was absorbed by her shield and armor ^{[All hit preventions lost]}. In the initial rush, the strength of numbers had been nearly enough to overwhelm Sylvari. Now that she had weathered the primary assault however, the gaps in their coordination began to give the vampiress openings. A crossed set of tridents here allowed for one of the bandits' skulls to be impaled by the wicked spike on the back of her hammer. A fumbled step there led to a sudden rush and a savage bite that ripped open an enemy's throat ^{[Fang Graft]}. 

In this manner, slowly the justiciar turned the tide, diminishing the number of her foes until only the leader remained. He had hung back in the engagement for the most part: taking full advantage of witnessing his underlings' fatal errors to safeguard himself for the final engagement.

"I must say, you're quite skilled... for a little girl playing at war. But now that those weaklings are out of the way, it's time for the true battle to begin." At his words, the bandit threw his spear to the ground, and withdrew a wickedly curved blade, dripping unceasingly with a dark liquid. Without aplomb, the criminal rushed into combat with Sylvari, his blows coming hard and fast.

Hells. He's strong. This will be a hard fight without backup.

After a moment of struggling beneath the waves, Videl would break past the surface of the water and reach out to Lumi. The Frigid Steed had begun to look around for him in the moment that he was knocked off of her but was having a hard time locating him at first. Once his hand had poked out of the water, however, Lumi was sure to grab a hold of his sleeve before pulling him up with her teeth. Utilizing this momentum, Videl would clamber back over her, ultimately coming to rest atop of her. This whole ordeal had been exhausting.. This was why he preferred to stay on land.

With little time to regain his bearings, Videl's gaze would run wildly over the area, scanning it for any sight of the two bandits that had just harmed him in such a way. As he had done this, his gaze would fall upon Sylvari beating back the group that had faced her on their own. While he wished for nothing more than to climb aboard the ship to assist her, he still had a couple of individuals that he had to face down on his own. That being the case, he would continue to look around until he eventually spotted the pair. It would seem as though they were using the Manta-Gliders to move about just beneath the surface as well.

With the pair falling within his sight, Videl would launch himself back into action. The first and foremost thing that he felt as though he needed to deal with was the man that still stood beside Sylvari. Three individuals had remained at this point and only one of them was facing off against the vampiress. If Videl could help her remove her threat, she could repay the favor by helping him take out those on the water.. Right?

His first instinct had been to call upon his ice elemental. Give what transpired the last time around though, Videl had felt as though it was too soon to perform such an act. Instead of taking such an unnecessaries risk, Videl's desire to not be yelled at by Sylvari only growing stronger, he would instead take a different action. "Lumi. Take care of the remaining two by trapping them beneath the waves. I have to go and assist Sylvari." It was another cold and calculating action but one that he deemed necessary for this moment. Given that the pair were on Manta-Gliders anyways, Videl didn't believe this to be enough to remove them from play. If nothing else, it would buy them a bit of time.

Having given his command to his frigid steed, Videl would lower himself to the surface of the water before placing a single foot upon said surface. In doing so, Videl would pump his glacial mana into the waters below, freezing the surface of the water itself in the direction of the sailing vessel ^{[Ice Over]}. With a bit more leeway in terms of movement now, Videl would lower himself completely until he was standing directly atop of the ice. He would then proceed to rush forward a few feet, slamming the butt of his spear into the ice the moment that he felt as though he was slipping. With this momentum, Videl would throw himself onto the surface of the ship ^{[Vaulting Style]}, behind the bandit that was currently facing off against Sylvari.

As this had been happening, Lumi would follow through with the commands that she was given. Whenever the Manta-Gliders and their partners had attempted to resurface, Lumi would bellow out a bone-chilling frost that would freeze over the surface of the water temporarily. This would prevent the bandits from resurfacing, forcing them to attempt to break through the surface elsewhere. And when that hadn't worked after awhile? They would take to forcibly breaking their way through the ice with their weapons.

The fight was not going well for Sylvari. For as quick as she was, even moreso, now unburdened by her armor, shed as it crumpled to uselessness, her enemy was just a little faster, dodging and parrying her blows mere moments before they lasted and riddling her with cuts and wounds with his blade all the while. She was quick enough to prevent the cuts from being very deep, but he continued to nick her here and there, contributing to a profuse bleeding that was gradually wearing her down. She had also used all of the residual energy within her weapon ^{[Spell Blade, Sharing Essence 2/2]}, leaving nothing left to heal her, with no openings to summon one of her servants. Sylvari's one point of comfort was the man's deepening scowl as she continued to fight, unbothered by the presumably poisoned blade, given her undead nature ^{[Necromancer, Lord of the Undead]}.

Sylvari saw Videl vault up onto the ship behind her foe, and her brief elation at seeing the backup her friend would provide turned to ice as she worried for him. This enemy was a cut above the normal chaff they dispersed and Videl would not have the blanket immunity to the poison this criminal's blade carried that her cursed blood afforded her.

"V! Stay at a distance! His blade has poison!" The justiciar's hopes for her friend's safety were quickly dashed as her opponent turned to face her friend.

This was both an insult and a tragedy that she would not brook. The vampiress shouted a challenge to the man, that inexorably drew his gaze back to her ^{[Knight, Challenging Mark]}. Through gritted teeth, he engaged her again, fighting all the more fiercely and continuing to wound the justiciar in his flurry of blows.

With Lumi still running about on the waves and trying to keep a couple of the bandits trapped beneath the surface, Videl had found himself currently standing atop of the vessel that was transporting their goods. He had seen that Sylvari was in need of assistance and decidedly joined up with her so that he could ensure her safety. When he had successfully managed to gather his bearings, he had immediately begun to survey the scene. From what he could tell, Sylvari was far worse off than he had expected. This was worrying to say in the least, given how overwhelmingly strong Videl thought Sylvari was.

Several thoughts of worry had begun to overtake the T'saya, his emotional numbness always defrosting when it came to the one that had earned his love. He had wanted to rush on in and attack the man from behind but felt as though Sylvari would yell at him for such a cowardly act. He had even considered frosting over the surface of the ship so that the man would have a harder time standing. All in all though, he couldn't quite trust that this would get him out of the doghouse. No, the only way that he could come out on top here was to work alongside Sylvari in a respectable manner.

In hopes of trying to fix things with Sylvari, whilst keeping this fight more or less above board, Videl had begun to reach deep into his mana reserves. A wealth of mana would find itself poured into the silver circlet that wrapped around Videl's wrist before the man himself would raise it into the air. As he had done this, a small snowstorm would begin to encompass the area surrounding the vessel ^{[Sheer Cold]}. The temperature within this area would rapidly drop as the snow had begun to descend upon the vessel. It had become so cold that it would be difficult for many to move around, hold their weapons, or even just function overall. Thankfully Videl had developed a rather stringent bond with not just his spear but his magic as well. While he might struggle to respond properly whilst nigh frozen over, his weapon would at the very least stay within his grasp. And from what he had known about Sylvari.. The same would be said for her.

With the advent of Videl's magic, though it slowed her as surely as it hindered the bandit, the vampiress began to slowly fight back from the disadvantage at which she found herself, used to the cold as she was around Videl. Her foe's exasperation with the ineffectiveness of his poison continued to grow as the man audibly growled in frustration.

Finally Sylvari got a solid blow in: an across-the-shoulder strike to the man's non-dominant arm, causing the limb to dangle uselessly by his side. Were her strike not slowed by the ambient frosty arcana, such a strike would surely have continued well into the man's chest. The criminal bared his teeth in pain.

"I must say, I'm a single partner kind of man. I'll let you two continue this lover's entanglement without me." The bandit looked around, seeing his companions either absent or felled, before touching a small white stone affixed to his belt and vanishing. Sylvari smelled the telltale scent of teleportation magic just before the criminal disappeared ^{[Chaos Touched]} and lashed out in a feeble attempt to interrupt his escape, too slow by half with the sudden blizzard.

Drained of motivation and still heavily bleeding, Sylvari slumped forward and fell unceremoniously face-first into the deck.

A single partner kind of man.. This much was deemed false by the T'saya, given that he had come here with so many others. Not only that, but it was clear that they came here with some kind of purpose. A purpose that Videl had deemed important enough to try and uncover. Or well.. Something that he was hoping to uncover before the man stepped in and claimed that the pair were having a lovers spat. Was that really how their situation seemed? And even if it was, how would this man know of it? With everything that had gone on with Azazel, Videl had already been feeling relatively paranoid. The fact that these people might have been watching them for awhile now as well.. It was too much for the T'saya to bear at the moment.

Then there is the fact that the man had simply teleported away. Rather than face off against them, he had activated some kind of object and disappeared in an instant. Thanks to Videl's own magics, Sylvari had been incapable of getting off the attack that was needed to stop the man. It was relatively easy for Videl to see how this entire ordeal was his fault.. A disgusted feeling had overcome the T'saya at this point. Much like he said to Lumi earlier on.. He just can't get anything right.

A heavy sigh was priming itself to escape from Videl's lips but died in his throat as he watched Sylvari hit the ground face first. That sense of worry from before had retook its position as the foremost emotion within the T'saya and he had immediately proceeded to fall to his knees beside her. The moment that he had, Videl would snap the string of his necklace before snapping the pendant itself in half ^{[Essence of the North]}. The ice-cold, sparkling waters would wash over Sylvari at this point, attempting to mend together her wounds whilst filling her with energy once more. The odd thing about all of this though..? Despite the highly restorative properties of this liquid, none of Sylvari's wounds had been affected whatsoever.

Tears would begin to streak down the mans cheeks as he watched on as nothing had transpired. "..why isn't it working? This is the only manner in which I can help and it's not working.." The thought of losing Sylvari had begun to grip his heart, leaving him practically trembling. "Why aren't you doing anything?! I only got you so that you could protect her! Do your damned job!" Yelling at the liquid wouldn't exactly yield any results of course. It was then that the mans words from before would hit him. "..some partner I turned out to be.."

Sylvari's vision was going dark. Unconsciousness was a frightening enough prospect for most people without additional riders to accentuate its terror. Sylvari, however, knew that an unthinking mind would be handed over to the beast within her. Videl, as the closest source of vital essence around, and the most potent, would be an obvious target.

Fearing for her friend's safety, Sylvari mustered all of her willpower to push herself onto her side to look at Videl. He was crying and pouring a strange liquid on her. As much as she wished to reach out to comfort him, with her tenuous grasp on control, she dared not. She merely fought to make herself heard over her gasps of pain and the still-roiling blizzard around them.

"V... Videl- I need bl-BLOOD. Please... my pack... so I don't-DEVOUR YOU." It was clear to see the justiciar was on the verge of frenzy: the occasional bouts of energy indicative of the barely-restrained monster within. Her eyes streamed with tears of fear, even as her mouth drooled at the prospect of the tasty meal of her friend. Sylvari could only curl into as tight a ball as possible, pray that Videl got her emergency stash of blood she always carried in her bags, and wait for the horrible experience to end.

As was a custom whenever Videl had begun to lose himself, his magic had begun to flare up in ways that were nigh unpredictable. The storm had continued on, several inches of snow beginning to coat the surface of the ship as time had gone on. It wasn't until Sylvari had pulled him out of his inner thoughts that he had realized what was happening. In an instant, the snowstorm would cease to exist. The snow that it had expelled would remain but that was only for a matter of time. Thankfully it hadn't done any damage to the ship itself.

"R-right.." Realizing just how bad Sylvari's condition had been, Videl had took a moment to wipe away his tears before doing exactly as he was told. In a moment of worry, Videl would climb over Sylvari's prone form and reach around in her pack. His hand would ruffle around within, sorting through the bag itself in an attempt to locate a blood bag, before ultimately settling on one. Once said blood bag was within his grasp, he would remove it from the pack, tear open the blood bag with his teeth, and proceed to feed it to the vampiress directly.

How he had done so might have seemed a bit awkward from an outside view. He was more or less straddling her waist whilst whilst handing off the blood bag. A small part of him had even begun to consider what the next steps here would be if this wasn't enough blood for her. Would he have to offer himself up to her to stave off the hunger? While she always brushed off the idea, claiming that it was too dangerous and that he might find the process highly addictive, he was still more than willing to do so if it had meant ensuring her wellbeing. Hopefully it wouldn't have to come to that.. but if it had, he would make himself readily available for her.

It took every shred of willpower the vampiress possessed to avoid grabbing her friend and forcibly sinking her teeth into his tender flesh to feed her urges, but luckily, she did not have to hold herself back for long. Blessedly, Videl showed no hesitation in collecting her supply and feeding her.



Drinking the blood was a sublime experience that shielded Sylvari from the obvious embarrassing factors of the situation: Videl sitting atop her and how she greedily drank and, careless of proper manners, splattered the blood all over her face. The blood reserves were meant as a stopgap measure: an insurance policy against losing control. As such, the paltry amount of vitae stored within did not fully heal her wounds but did stop the excess bleeding, at least.



Returned to her senses, Sylvari delicately brought an armored glove to her mouth, wiping away the remnants of her drink, and surreptitiously licking it off her hand. Gradually, the crimson of the blood was replaced by the scarlet of her cheeks as the justiciar, averted her eyes and spoke in a halting tone.



"My mind is returned to me, V. You can let me up now..." Sylvari dared not look at her friend, afraid and embarrassed of the emotions she might find housed there.

A wave of relief would wash over the T'saya as he watched a bit of color return to the vampiress' face. While he didn't quite understand why his liquid grace hadn't assisted her, he had at least been aware of the fact that she was feeling a bit better now. The fact that she had the wherewithal to point out her returned nature had made this much evident. Despite her return to a semblance of health, however, Videl had still been burdened by a sense of guilt. From how he had seen things, it had been his fault for her ending up in such a state. If she had been just a little bit faster, just a bit more careful in his selection of spells within that moment, Sylvari would likely have come out on top and the bandit would likely have not escaped.

While Videl had wanted to bury these thoughts deep within himself, never to face them again, he knew that such an action would be foolish. Especially after having resolved himself to be more forthcoming with Sylvari. No, if he wanted things to work out in the future, he was going to have to address things with her soon. Once they had completed their task, most likely. Only then would they have the peace to speak with one another without something else getting in their way.

That thought would linger in his mind for a moment as he remained firmly seated upon Sylvari's lap. It was only after he resolved himself once more that he would return back to the present. A soft smile would adorn his face at this point, albeit it was a rather faint one. And to make matters all the more complicated, despite the smile that he currently wore, his eyes had contained that sense of guilt that he was hoping to put off. "..I'm really glad that you're okay, Syl.." One of his hands would push forward before softly resting against her cheek, his thumb gently brushing against said cheek for a moment before his hand would ultimately retreat. "..I just hope that you can forgive me.."

At this point, Videl would rise from his previously seated position. He would then step to the side, no longer lingering over Sylvari's form. His gaze would then turn out towards the sea, to the point in which Lumi had currently stood, before turning back towards Sylvari. From what he could tell, in that instant that he had looked over his Frigid Steed's position, those bandits had yet to resurface. If they hadn't resurfaced by this point than it was quite unlikely that they ever would. Another horrid crime had been committed by his own ineptitude. He could only hope that Sylvari wasn't aware of this one. Especially considering that, somewhere in the scuffle, those bandits that he had knocked into the water had activated runes of their own and disappeared from the overall location.