Kry did not take offence to her words, but the way her voice had changed. It intrigued him. He watched her closely as they walked, as if watching her in such a way would yeild to him all the answers he sought. He knew it would not. Perhaps one or two answer, if he were lucky, but he didn't expect that either. He had nodded, agreeing with her.

Then her voice was playful again. As if it had never changed at all. She was more than she seemed, but he already knew that, he just wasn't sure what exactly she was. "My master does have many faces and many names. I call him Suzaku, for he is very fond of that name. Others call him Feniksas, and some refer to him as Hinotori. But there are other names for him, some I do not even know." No feathers had been ruffled by her words, in fact, it took a lot to anger Kry or ruffle his feathers. He licked his lips to moisten them, no longer watching her carefully, now he looked ahead. Watching the distant horizon.

"Hm," she replied evenly, then giggled again, at a private joke only she seemed to hear or understand. As Fae clasped the cloak about her neck and shoulders, she turned to look up at Kry, a mischievous smile dancing on her lips at seeing his eyes focused ahead of them. Suggestively, she asked, "Simply walking like this is boring, isn't it? Wouldn't it be more fun to do something else while we travel?"

There was no breaking into it, no sudden jolt or speeding up. She was simply running a moment after she finished talking, a soft giggle flowing behind her as she ran, with all the grace and dance of a doe, her method of running seeming inadequate to the movements she made, as if she shouldn't run on two legs but four. Fae didn't bother looking over her shoulder; this was play, a game, and she knew her long-limbed companion could easily keep up with her. She simply wanted to do more than simply talk now.

"What do you-" Kry blinked, the woman was already running. As soon as she had finished speaking she had begun running. The change in actions had been seamless though, as if there had been no change in her pace at all. For a few moments, all he could do was watch as she ran. Her movements graceful, yet, not quite complete. It was as if, this form she wore did not quite fit the way she ran.

Kry didn't puzzle over that. There were many things about this woman he did not know. Though, he had, a while ago, come to the conclusion that she could not possibly be human. Maybe. The corners of his lips twitched, as if he were about to smile, he didn't. A few moments longer he watched Fae, his brow furrowing slightly. She seemed a playful creature. Very well then. He would play as well.

His stride broke from a walk to a run. His long legs closing the distance between them rapidly. Despite the head start she had gathered while he had simply hung back and watched. Still he did not try to outrun her. Merely catch up to her and match her pace.

Fae could hear Kry behind her, however soft he was, matching her pace again. She laughed, thoroughly entertained that she had someone following her so intently, so closely, but not questioning, not overly or inappropriately curious. She could not make the same claim; she wanted to know more, able to hear how there was so much more to be said, but was left unspoken. She had considered many ways of finding more, of trying to make him say more than he meant to, to move past his guard. But that was not her concern at the moment; there was the game that needed attention first.

The trees before her opened up, and a small river became visible, only a few yards wide; a branch of the river she had been in earlier. It rushed steadily, plowing through its space, a sharply cut valley many yards deep. The sound of the rushing water had filled her ears for a while now, but all she did in response was to speed up, her zigzag dance becoming as straight as an arrow as she raced to the riverside. Instead of stopping or even pausing, she leapt across the river, the move made possible only by the long slits in her dress enabling her legs to stretch out, landing on one delicate booted foot on the far side, resuming her run as if the river had never been there. Beyond this little stretch she knew was the town; she would slow once she saw it, but not until then. The game was still on.

Kry ran, and chased. Matching her pace almost effortlessly. Though he had a lot of stamina, he was sure she could probably out last him, he wasn't entirely sure how long he could run like this, then the sound of water entered his ears. No doubt water from the river he had found her in earlier, or at least a branch of that water.

She moved faster now, and no longer zigzagged. She ran straight, straight for the rushing water. Kry's cloak already swirled around his legs as he ran, though like Fae, he did not hesitate at the water's edge. To hesitate would only end in getting swept away by the rushing water. Though there was that possibility anyway. He leaped, throwing his cloak out behind him as he moved through the air. For a moment. A brief moment, one might think his cloak had taken the shape of wings. Kry glided easily over the water, landing on soft feet, he continued running. The game was a rather enjoyable one.

Almost regretfully, Fae started to slow down, finally coming to rest while perching on a log that she would have otherwise leapt over, her cloak flapping against her for a few moments as it too came to a rest. Just visible through the trees was the outermost building of the town; the blacksmith's, the hammering of metal audible for a good distance around. She watched the building, her expression as lifeless as her eyes, for several long moments.

"The game is over," she said softly, in that same voice she had spoken in earlier, the one that was void of life. She let the wind blow through her hair a little, the long locks still damp from her time in the river. The dry halo that sat over the wet curls danced in the wind, however slight it was. She looked to the side to watch Kry, the emotionless expression fading into a smile, however regretful. "Looks like we're here already," she said lightly, but still disappointed.

He came to stop next to the log that she now sat upon. Sometime during the game, his hood had fallen back from his head. Now he reached up and pulled it back over his head, tugging it down a bit in the front. Once again, effectively hiding his features. He listened for a few moments to the sound of metal being hammered before turning his eyes upon Fae.

Kry seemed only the slightest bit winded, he didn't try to hide it. He watched her a bit, smiling some in the concealing shadow cast by his hood. "Such a game...it is good for the body though." He looked towards the town. She had seemed rather disappointed.

"Is it?" she asked, giggling, as if he had just said the most amusing thing in the world just then. Her legs curled up to her chest as she laughed, stretching out as she hopped off the log, a sudden purpose to her walk.

"I'm thirsty," she said, as if finalizing a plan. Fae began to walk towards the blacksmith's shop, soon passing out of the trees and into view. The man had paused from his work on horse shoes and happened to look over, smiling at the woman as she walked by. "'Ello again," he called in a friendly, if gruff voice, returning to his work as she looked over at him, giving him a slow nod with a gentle smile. Indeed, he had been one of the ones who had requested her help with the demon; the storm from that night, along with her return to the village, suggested everything was settled. And at her request, the matter was acknowledged, understood, and forgotten.

He had nodded slightly, the gesture almost lost in the shadow of his hood. He was a patient creature and did not rush her along as she sat on the log. Nor had he needed to. She hadn't sat for very long. When she was moving, he was moving, reaching up once to make sure his hood stayed where it was before smoothing his hands down the front of his cloak. Making sure it stayed closed.

When she spoke of being thirsty, his hands strayed to the water skin at his belt. He hesitated. Having an odd feeling that, that wasn't what she was talking about. Perhaps it was the way she had said such words as she moved. Kry was silent, glancing towards the blacksmith as they passed him, when the man called out his greeting to Fae. Kry offered no greeting, no words at all. For now he silently followed Fae.

She regarded the blacksmith as he paused in his work. Her warhorse needed careful handling, so the young noble woman stepped forward to take hold of the reins. Blythe's dark blond hair fell about her shoulders, barely restrained by a single white ribbon as she moved. Her brown eyes regarded the two new arrivals, and her curiosity was piqued. The young woman began speaking small reassurances to Crescent, and patted his shoulder to assure him that all was well.

The young woman didn't want to be noble. It was the reason why she owned a war horse, and ran away from home all too frequently. Glancing over her shoulder she made sure no one was searching for her. Her parents always sent people to track her. Brown eyes wide, she turned to the two new arrivals with an uncertain expression. Perhaps the trackers were getting even better. Shaking her head, Blythe bent down to check the shodding of her horse and was glad to see the blacksmith had finished the job admirably. The gray dress she wore, with no special adornments of an unflattering cut, rustled as she moved to hand over the payment to the blacksmith. Ignoring the strange woman speaking with him, Blythe returned to her horse quietly.

Despite the sureness in her step, Fae suddenly stopped, her mostly-dry hair continuing forward for a few moments before falling back again, her head tilting to one side, as if considering something deep and quite profound that she had just realized.

"Which tavern should we go to?" she asked her companion, her question out of the blue to her composure and serious expression. She turned to look up at Kry as he approached again, either not noticing or not paying attention to the woman in the blacksmith shop.

Those purple eyes hadn't missed it. The female at the blacksmith's, though he paid very little, if any, attention at all. His features remained carefully hidden by his hood and cloak and when Fae asked which tavern, Kry shrugged. "Aren't they all the same?" At least, in his experiance they were all mostly the same. One might have slightly better service or food, but the crowds were more or less the same.

Kry shrugged again. Really, such a thing didn't matter to much to him. When she had stopped, he had stopped as well. Or rather. He had stopped once he had gotten beside her. Those hidden eyes of his were watching the blacksmith's shop almost carefully as they stood there, side by side.

(Ok, well, I'll go again since PapillonCameo hasn't replied in so long...)

Fae giggled at Kry's question, as if it was the strangest thing to ask. "Of course they are," she said, surprisingly enough considering the laugh, "But they're not." She started to walk again, in the same way as before, where she moved as if she had been walking the entire time.

She held her hands behind her back, under the cloak, as she moved, studying the signs and ignoring the few people wandering about, a few of whom seemed to react the same as the blacksmith. A look of surprise and pleasure, but they went on their way, resuming paused conversations. Fae soon began to drift towards a sign with a boar on it, the animal being backed by what looked like a green shield. The words read, "The Wild Boar," but the picture seemed rather tame.

He licked his lips a bit to moisten them some, blinking a bit at Fae's response. Kry shook his head just slightly and once again moved when she did. Walking beside her, maybe a step behind. He watched her carefully for a few moments, once again watching the way she moved. Ethereal. Her entire being seemed so ethereal. Of course, he kept those thoughts to himself.

He glanced at the sign, proclaiming the name of an establishment. That nose wrinkled slightly but he made no complaint. The image on the sign did look rather tame and he found himself wondering how tame the inside of such a place might actually be.

Fae finally reached the door, her pace slowing; the timing seemed perfect, as the door opened to allow others out, holding it open for her so she did not need to stretch out her hands to enter.

The interior of the building was dim and smoky, reeking of alcohol and people. It wasn't overly crowded, the noise a pleasant hubbub in the background. Fae moved to the counter, unfastening her cloak and draping over a stool before sitting on it, waiting patiently for both her companion and the bartender, conversing with someone farther down the bar.

Kry was only a few steps behind his companion as she entered the establishment. The look of disdain that flickered across his features briefly was hidden by the shadow of the hood he had not yet once pushed back since entering this town. At least the place wasn't extremely crowded. It was probably still to early for alot of people to begin their excursion into an alcohol induced stupor.

He slid easily onto the barstool at Fae's right, putting the girl on his left side. Hidden purple eyes flicked this way and that as he looked up and down the length of the bar, that tongue slipping out to gently moisten his lips as glanced upon the bartender. Then he had turned slightly to his right, glancing around the room almost warily for a moment from over his shoulder. These kinds of places, he did not like them much. They made him feel very ill at ease. Satisfied that no one was coming to stick a knife in their backs, he turned back to the bar.

Fae's lips were playing with a smile, toying with it like a cat with a mouse. She watched her companion sit, looking about as if expecting something. She had never encountered a reason to be suspicious of such things that worried him, and so she did not guess that was what he was expecting. Then again, she might easily misinterpret such a situation as being something not to fear, and so not expect it anyway. With her odd manner, that seemed a very likely case for why she seemed so relaxed, perched on her seat, one leg crossing over the other, tucked in neatly, with her wild hair falling in long ringlets about her.

Seeing new customers, the barman came over, asking what they wanted. Rather than speaking, Fae pointed to another patron, the barman confused, until he suddenly, and quite obviously, recognized her. It was a mix of surprise, and fear, since he shifted back a little, as if she would suddenly attack. But there was reverence in his posture as he recovered from the small start back, subconscious and quite possibly caused by her rather than the barman seeing her as anything but an odd woman. "Ah, I'll get you one of those then," he said, waiting for the man's order before moving off to fill their casks.

Kry relaxed a bit, everything seemed fine for now. He would stay alert, very alert. If something did happen he was sure he could react fast enough. Or rather, he hoped that he could. He would hesitate to use magic in this place, using it in such a small space was never good, especially when a lot of people were around. More harm than good could be done. He pushed those thoughts away.

When the bartender came over, he was silent for awhile. When Fae pointed, he looked to see where she pointed before his purple eyes turned back to the bartender. "Water.." His voice was quiet, his lips barely moved and his words were meant only for his companion's ears and the ears of the bartender. No one else in the place would hear him, no matter how close they may or may not be. Yet to the bartender and to Fae it would seem he had spoken the word just slightly above the quietness of a whisper.

It was simple magic a bit old but not very old. It wasn't exactly a spell. No incantation needed reciting and no runes or symbols or movements of the hand were necessary. It was a magic that had always been within him. An ability he'd had since before he had ever learned what magic was. It happened when he wanted it to happen, but it was second nature to him. It required no effort for his voice to be heard by only certain people.