Hikari didn't even glance back again, and now she really did feel like she was made out of glass. She was half afraid that he was going to see her blushing through her thick flowing hair. She continued into the forest silently, looking at the ground. After a food ten minutes of deafening silence she finally turned her head back slightly to glance to him. She cleared her throat quietly, "So...do you know where the others are?"

Nanashi looked between the two of them for a moment and then sighed softly. He had no idea what the mark stood for...so he doubted that many others did either. "...I don't see what there is to be embarrassed about..." he said softly, tilting his head a little, "It's...pretty." He offered, trying to get her to her her head out of the dirt. It was clear he didn't know the meaning of it, it just looked like a very interesting mark to him.

Kyran silently followed after Hikari all the way up until she turned her head slightly to look at him. He had kept a short distance behind her the whole way to he took the chance to close the gap when she looked back at him. He smiled. "You started walking in such a hurry I didn't get a chance to say anything to you..." He paused. "I doubt I could come up with as many nice sounding words as you did, but for the record; I think you're caring, intelligent, witty and beautiful." He uncurled his tail rather quickly and used it to grab hold of her arm to get her to stop walking; Since his hands were still full. He smiled warmly and leaned down a little to kiss her nose gently. Almost as soon as he pulled himself away his tail let go of her arm and returned to it's curled position. He then turned and started walking, he knew where the others might be and figured he'd just go to the lake first. He didn't look back to see if she was following him, he knew she would eventually. "Come on, don't stand there too long. Wouldn't want you getting lost." He laughed softly adjusting his grip on the bags in his hands.

Aamori sighed softly hearing that Nanashi thought the mark was 'pretty' By that she could tell he didn't know what the mark was for. She tilted her head back so that she was staring up at the branches of the trees. "That mark may look pretty... but it's not a good thing" She mumbled cutting herself off. She didn't want to go and tell everything she knew about the mark. That was LaRae's job; Not to mention she wasn't sure how much Nanashi knew about LaRae so she wasn't about to go blurting everything out.

LaRae's ears twitched a few times and she too sighed at the comment that he mark was pretty. Sure it looked neat and was indeed pretty but it wasn't something to be proud of. She finally lifted her forehead from the ground and in exchange rested her cheek against the dirt so that she could see Nanashi. She brought her hand to her face and brushed her hair gently around her ear. "...I was trying to avoid this topic again..." She mumbled shifting her eyes to rest on him as best she could from the angle she was at. "...The mark is something I was branded with when I came of age; By the Elder in my adopted family..." She paused exhaling her breath. "It's a magical curse mark for lack of better words... I've had it for nearly seven years. The fact that it has gotten larger, isn't a good thing..." Her tone wasn't really sad, more mellow then anything; Nearly emotionless.

Hiakri smiled weakly, blushing slightly when he complimented her. "...Thank you." she said said quietly, rather than argue with him to the contrary as she had been doing. She looked ahead again, though she paused when she felt Kyran's tail attach itself to her arm. She looked down at it and then back up to him and was nearly taken aback by the kiss to the nose. She blinked, looking up at him as he walked off, her face turning even more pink. She just stood there for a minute, until he mentioned her getting lost. "A-ahh! Wait!" she called as she scurried after him, catching up to him shortly, though she stayed a bit behind.

Nanashi sighed softly and shook his head, "...I could guess that it wasn't a good thing form her reaction..." he said, pointing down to LaRae while her face was still in the ground. He looked back to her as she turned her head and told him what it meant. Again, he listened silently to the story, giving her those same sympathetic eyes. He closed his eyes and shook his head, muttering something under his breath in the native language of the fire clan, though in the common language it probably would have translated to something along the lines of 'thoughtless bastards.' When he opened his eyes again he looked at LaRae again and gently combed her hair back with his fingers. "...I doubt that anyone would know that...unless you told them." he said softly, still trying to make her feel better, "I would have thought it little more than a tattoo if you hadn't acted the way you did."

LaRae sighed heavily. "There are a few other types of people who can tell what the mark is. People who have studied the ancients, most Clan Elders, any Earth Clan Dragon, and some people of Royal standings." She paused trying to smile, just to lighten her mood that was slowly starting to sour. "Most who have seen the mark and understand what it means, usually try to avoid me and others with it... Like it's the plague... or something."

Kyran continued to walk until they reached the area where the lake was. The trees themselves stopped about seven feet away from the edge of the lake; Which was where he had stopped. He glanced over to the others who were near the lake. He didn't think they had noticed him yet; He quirked a brow coming into ear shot of their conversation at the last minute. He shook his head softly and stepped out from the brush and moved closer to them, setting the bags down on the ground then looking up at them. "Whats with all the long faces?"

LaRae nearly jumped out of her skin when she heard Kyran's voice. She threw her hands under herself quickly and forced herself up into a seated position with her back towards the water. She reacted so quickly and without really thinking about it that she had not realised how moving like that hurt her wings. She set her hands down on the ground in front of her so she could arch her back slightly. She shut her eyes tightly and bit her lip through the pain until it subsided. She slowly opened her eyes once the pain was gone. "..."

Aamori smiled when Kyran stepped out from the tree line. "Welcome back." She stated glancing down at the bags he had set on the ground. She then shifted her eyes to LaRae when she noticed her sit up quickly. She shook her head softly. "I told you that you needed to lay down until I could re-wrap your wings... At the rate you're going you're just going to make them hurt more, if not make the breaks worse."

Nanashi looked at LaRae in silence as she spoke and then sighed softly. "...I stand corrected." he said simply when he realized how many people would know what that mark meant. He shook his head slightly when she mentioned the way people avoided the mark. "...Well...it doesn't bother me." he said simply, placing him hand on her head again.

When he heard Kyran's voice he jumped and jerked his hand back, more from LaRae's reaction than from the unexpected arrival . He looked back to him and blinked once and then turned his attention back to LaRae. "Be careful..." he told her, shaking his head as he glanced back again. "..." He wasn't too sure how to answer his question.

Hikari was only a couple of steps behind Kyran, but she missed the remainder of the conversation. She stepped through the trees and smiled at everyone, though it didn't take her long to catch onto the gloomy mood. She sighed softly and walked over to join the others and sat down on the grass. Her eyes wandered around to each of them curiously and then finally settled on LaRae, "...How are you doing?" she asked softly, "We brought back some bandages for your wings....hopefully these will hold up a little better." she offered. She doubted that LaRae was going to be too thrilled about that, but a s long as it kept her wings from hurting too badly, she doubted she'd want to complain much.

LaRae merely smiled softly when she heard that the mark didn't bother Nanashi. She'd say he was the first person to ever say that to her, but Aamori had beaten him to it. Aamori was there when the mark was administered; So she knew every little detail that went a long with it. Her eyes fell to the ground when Kyran and Hikari moved closer to them. Sighing softly she started to lift her eyes to Hikari, avoiding direct eye contact. "...I'm doing alright. I'll be better in a while, once the bandages go back on..." Her voice got soft when she admitted in a round about way that she'd needed the wraps back on. She then shifted her glance over to Kyran who had set some bags down. "...Did you guys by any chance bring back some clothes too? I could kind of use a change..."

Kyran glanced at LaRae when she spoke, then looked down at the bags below him. He knelt down and started to rummage around in the one from the general store. He stopped once his hands took hold of the bandages, he pulled those out and held onto them. "You mean you didn't plan on wearing what you've got on until they fell off?" He laughed, joking completely. He then looked back down in the bag sighing slightly. "I'm not sure what is what; So Hikari will have to give you the clothes" He paused and looked back up. "Once you and Aamori get changed and what not, we can eat; I guess."

Aamori climbed to her feet when she noticed Kyran take the bandages out of the bag. She stretched her arms up over her head but quickly threw her arms back down to her skirt to pull it down, hiding the base of a pole that was rather shiny; attached to the side of her leg. Once she had hidden it again she looked down at LaRae. "Well, we should probably get your wings wrapped up now before it gets to dark for me see properly." She turned to Kyran, walking over and grabbing the bandages from his hands.

Hikari smiled and nodded when LaRae asked about the clothes. "Uh-huh!" she said brightly as she snagged the bag from Kyran once he'd gotten the bandages out. She dug around for a moment and pulled out the halter top and pants then passed them to LaRae before pulling out the skort for Aamori, "Here, this was as close to your top as I could find. I didn't think you'd want to wear what's left of that skirt too many more nights." she said simply.

Nanashi sat there silently while everything was being handed out. He sighed and looked off over the water again. He was glad that LaRae was at least getting some more bandages on now.

Hikari looked into the bag again and blinked, "Oh, right..." she pulled out the herbs that they'd gotten for Celestine and then looked up to Aamori, "and we got these for Celestine... Not sure I'm bare enough to go looking for him just yet. " she said with a soft laugh. He'd still seemed pretty agitated even after they'd gotten here. "And if you want, Aamori, I can help you with those bandages."

LaRae didn't get up right away but took the clothes that Hikari handed her. She didn't even look them over, just set them down in her lap and looked over at Aamori. She was all too uncomfortable standing up and moving considering her back was exposed. She didn't want anyone else to know about the marking on her back; If she could avoid it. She sighed softly hoping Aamori would get the hint that she wanted her to help hide the mark until they were out of sight.

Aamori took the skort she was handed and smiled. "Thank you" Then she glanced over noticing LaRae staring at her. "What is it.. Oh.. yeah" She chuckled softly and moved over to her friend and waited for her to stand up. Once she did she gently placed her hand over the marking and acted like she was pushing LaRae away from the others. Her hand covered the mark well enough; She continued to push on LaRae's back until they were a few feet away from the others and then looked back at Hikari. "Um.. Sure, I'll need someone to hold her while I wrap her wings again... And I can't very well have a boy do it if we're going to change too" She chuckled again and started to push her friend again. "I'm just going to go behind the water-falls rock formation. That should be far enough away." She stated and started walking again. She had also made note that they had picked up some stuff for Celestine. She might have to go look for him once she was done taking care of LaRae.

LaRae sighed heavily once they got behind the large rocks of the water fall. She pulled herself away from Aamori and then sat down on the ground, arching her back a little again. "I'll try to sit still this time..." She mumbled slowly looking up to Aamori.

Kyran reached for the bag that Hikari had taken and started to fold it up since it was now empty. He set the folded bag inside of the bag with the food in it and then glanced over at Nanashi with a slightly quirked brow. "So..." He paused and smirked a little. "...You and LaRae seem a bit closer now."

Hikari nodded to Aamori, "You're welcome." she told her and then stood when she started to push LaRae back toward the water fall. She followed silently behind them, clasping her hands behind her back as she moved. She watched as LaRae moved away from Aamori and laughed softly, "Well that's good to hear. I'd probably have to sit on your to hold you do--" she faltered slightly when she caught sight of the mark on her back, "--own." she finished. He furrowed her brow at the mark for a moment and then shook it off as she went to sit beside LaRae. She clearly recognized it, just judging by the way that she stopped mid-word, but she didn't mention it. She was a bit curious as to how had put it there and how long it had been there, but she wouldn't ask her that. It was absolutely none of her business, and that wasn't something you just out and asked someone. She wasn't even sure how much LaRae even trusted her yet. "Alright!" she said, looking determined and then cast her gaze back to Aamori as her ears fell back a little, "What am I doing?"

Nanashi just sat there silently until he heard Kyran speak to him. He looked over to him for a moment, his expression completely unreadable. "...She talks to me..." he said simply, "...And...I guess I'm warmer to sleep against than the rocks..." He wasn't going to give it much more than that. He wanted to say that she loved him,but he didn't think she was even sure of that yet. "...I like her." he said simply. That about covered it as far as he was concerned. He didn't know what Kyran wanted to hear.

LaRae's ears twitched and she picked up on Hikari's pause while speaking. She sighed softly knowing full well that Hikari had seen the marking and probably knew what it was. For now, she felt like she'd said enough by telling Nanashi. She wasn't ready to open up like that to Hikari; Whom she had not even spoken to that much to be begin with. She looked over at Aamori trying not to be upset about the bandages. "Can we get this over with?"

Aamori started to unravel the bandages slightly so it would be easier to start binding LaRae's wings. "If she can manage to sit still long enough, you may not have to do anything." She stated smiling softly. "Though, as soon as she starts to fight me with this, she'll need to be restrained. As for how you do that, I don't really care." She laughed softly walking closer to LaRae's back and knelt down. "How do you want me to do this? Do you want to change into the other shirt first?" She asked as she looked over her friends wings for a moment.

"I should probably change my shirt first.." She mumbled as she picked up the shirt that Hikari had given her. Her eyes widened slightly when she noticed it was a halter top. "Umm..." She paused and looked over her shoulder at Aamori. "..." She held it up so that Aamori could see it; Hoping that she wouldn't have to say anything more.

Aamori looked over at the top as she held it up and rested a hand on her shoulder gently. "So we'll just have to wrap before you put the new shirt on" She stated setting the bandages down on her lap and then grabbing hold of either side of LaRae's shirt where she'd previously ripped it and pulled hard until it ripped the rest of the way. "...You didn't need this anymore anyway..." She paused. "And this way you won't hurt yourself trying to take it off" She stated defensively; Sure that Hikari would look at her like she was wired for doing such a thing. She lifted her hands up and parted LaRae's hair and pushed it in front of her on either side of her neck so that it fell and covered the front of her body; Since the shirt had fallen off when she ripped it. "This shouldn't take too long..." She mumbled picking up the bandages and started at the base of her friends right wing.

LaRae's eyes widened even more when she felt her shirt fall from her body and quickly wrapped her arms around herself. She felt some relief seeing as Aamori was nice enough to push her hair in front of her so she could hide behind it. She sighed softly and leaned forward a little; Hoping that nothing more would be said of her tattoo-looking thing on her back. She was ready to go back to forgetting about it. She couldn't help but think to herself 'Thanks Aamori... For helping me hide this... Again'

Kyran leaned back on his hands and relaxed a bit, stretching his legs out in front of him. He was rather tired from all the walking they'd done today, plus the extra trek to the town to get the stuff they needed. He laughed softly "I'd hope she talked to you, otherwise you two would have been walking together in silence all this time... Which would seem very odd considering how well you two seem to get a long" He glanced back over at Nanashi hearing the last thing he said. "Like her? How?" He was rather curious about what type of relationship that those two had; He remembered asking Hikari about it once and she didn't even know. Not to mention he never thought that a Fire Clan and an Earth Clan dragon could ever get along, let alone have any type of relationship; Be it friend or romantic. Though, he didn't see very many inter-clan relationships as it was. They were practically sin to the highest degree.

Hikari smiled weakly when she sat LaRae's reaction to the shirt. "Sorry... I thought that would be easier to get on." she said softly, "I would have gotten something else if I'd known to. ...Even still your hair is pretty long." she pointed out, "and thick." She blinked when Aamori literally ripped her shirt off and then smiled as LaRae tried to hide, "Hehe don't worry, I'm not going to stare." she said lightly, "It's nothing I haven't seen before." She watched as Aamori started to unravel the bandages and started on the wings. "Hmm...LaRae, when we're done with this.........can I braid your hair?" she asked with a smile. She didn't say a work about her mark, but she was eying her hair now, "I just want to see how it looks...I think you would look cute with a loose braid."

Nanasi blinked and looked at Kyran for a moment, remaining silent. "...I don't know...I just like her...she's nice...and she doesn't care what I am." he said simply, "......is that bad...or something?" He asked, fidgeting slightly where he sat. He didn't really care that LaRae was from the earth clan as he didn't really consider himself from any clan really. His mother was a fire dragon he knew, but he was wanted among that clan no more than among any other. "...I just...like having someone to talk to..."

LaRae flinched when Aamori started to bind her wings. She did her best to sit still, but her mind was racing already and she had started to fidget. She wasn't exactly sure what made her so uncomfortable with stuff like this, but it was clearly visible that she'd developed a fear of any part of her body being bound. She started to relax a little when she heard Hikari speaking; Something to distract her. She thought for a moment about the comments that Hikari had made. Sure, she didn't come right out and say it but it sounded like she had an idea of what was bothering her. Considering she'd offered up ways to cover her back. She sighed softly and looked down at her hands which she was fidgeting with in her lap. "I take it you know of the thing on my back..." She said quietly, almost incoherently. She figured wording it the way she had was good thing; This way she could find out for sure if Hikari knew of the ancient marking or thought it to be a mere tattoo as Nanashi had at first. She winced for a moment as Aamori started to get the whole right wing bound and then started to tighten it to her body, wrapping it around the front and then to the back again. "...As for my hair... I guess... It's never been done before"

Aamori continued to work on the bandaging; Half listening to the ensuing conversation and half ignoring it so she could work fast, and efficiently. She by this time was already working on the left wing and had moved to the left side of LaRae's body.

Kyran shook his head softly. "So she's just someone to talk to?" He paused. "Hikari is nice, I'm sure you could talk to her too. She doesn't seem to mind what Clan you're from, or the fact that you're a little different" He tilted his head back and stared up at the sky through the tree branches. It would be sunset soon. He sighed softly. "As for it being bad that you like her, I guess it would depend on how you like her. I mean, friendly relationships like what LaRae and Aamori have are tolerated... As long as the two Clan's aren't at war." He paused and shifted his eyes back to Nanashi. "But anything beyond that is considered taboo. You know that right?"

Hikari smiled slightly and nodded, "Mm-hmm... I know." she said softly, "I've read about it." she put her hand on LaRae's shoulder for a moment and then leaned a little closer to her ear, "Don't worry about it." she whispered as she rubbed her shoulder. She pulled back after a moment and then gently combed her fingers through her hair for a moment. "Hmm...I may need to dig out my brush before we attempt braiding this." she said with a slight smile, "I hope you aren't tender headed." She wasn't going to stay on the subject of the mark if she could keep LaRae distracted. She could tell just the fact that she knew bothered her, and she could see why.

Nanashi looked at Kyran blankly as he spoke to him. "...Hikari is always with you." he said simply. That was true enough, Hikari practically glued herself to Kyran most of this trip. She was only ever away from him once really. He gave Kyran a shape look when he started getting into the whole clan thing. "That's all anyone cares about." he muttered. "Clans don't mean a think to me, I'm not a part of any of them." He was a bit irritated...which was easy to tell by the way that he didn't stop to think so carefully about what he said. "Just because the Fire and Earth clans don't get along, I don't see what that has to do with me and her. I hate the way clans and pedigrees dictate everything that goes on between anyone." he shook his head as he stood up. "...It's just as taboo to be involved with a human." He muttered, "...I'm well aware that you people capitalize on your heritage. I am not going to 'taint' anything...so don't worry." He grumbled before starting off. He knew that was the way more say any half blood, they were commonly referred to as having 'tainted' blood. As far as most all dragons were concerned, he was no better than a human. He'd had it drilled into his head a long time ago that a mate was nothing more than a stupid fantasy for him, if it was a dragon. But then what human woman would want something with scales, anyway? He was just screwed either way he went.

LaRae's ears lowered slightly, she wished that so many people didn't know of the mark. But it was such an old thing that how could they not. Though she was at least a bit happier knowing that Hikari was at least trying to change the subject. She lifted her eyes from her hands and looked up, at nothing in particular. "I don't think I'm tender headed..." She had more she would've added to that sentence but stopped herself seeing as she didn't want to continue to sour the mood. She looked back down briefly noticing Aamori was wrapping the other wing tightly to her body already, making sure to have the bandages pass across her chest lightly and then covering her back a bit at the same time. She was surprised to see Aamori was nearly finished already and yet she had not needed to be restrained. She smiled slightly and picked the skirt up in her hands again rubbing the leather fabric.

Aamori tried to finish up as quickly as possible, finally pulling the last part around to the back. She brought the bandage up to her mouth and tore through it with ease before she started to knot the bandage much like she had before; Just out of LaRae's reach. She sat back for a moment once she had finished and sighed softly. "There, I'm done." She paused. "I'm surprised that you were able to sit still for that long. Oh, and most of the mark is covered. But like Hikari said, you're hair should hide it." She started to climb to her feet and snatched up the skort that she was given. She looked it over once and smiled softly. "I'm just going to step behind those bushes... to change" She said quietly; Then went to hide herself so she could change.

Kyran sat up straight and crossed his legs under him once he noticed Nanashi starting to walk away from him. He had not expected such an outburst over something so small. He wasn't trying to upset the guy, merely ask a few questions that might help him to better answer the first question he had asked. He wasn't nesscarily one to abide by the rule of inter-Clan relations; Hell look at the way he acted around Hikari. Ordinarily he probably could have been punished by another of his clan had he been seen when he kissed the girl on the nose. He let out a heavy sigh and hunched his bad, dropping his shoulders. "Come on now, don't be so touchy." He paused and looked over at Nanashi. "I didn't mean anything by what I said, I was just asking questions." He paused tapping his finger against his knee. "Though, by the scale of your reaction I suppose I can guess how you must feel about the girl." He moved his hand to his chin as if he was thinking about it more, though he already had pieced it all together. "I've got nothing against you if you like LaRae like that. I mean she is really nice, and kind of cute too." He set both of his hands back down in his lap and looked out over the lake as the reflection of the sun starting to set came to view. "I really meant nothing by what I said; I'm a Diplomat for my clan so you have to understand that I'm practically spewing with rules and guidelines; That doesn't mean I believe them or wish to follow them myself..."

Hikari looked up to Aamori when she finished and nodded, "Alright." she said and then glanced back to LaRae, "He he well...I guess if I accidentally jerk out a wad of hair we'll know." she said playfully, "Don't worry i"ll be careful." She stroked LaRae's hair again and smiled, "You have really pretty hair. I'd love to trade you." she said with a soft laugh, "Well anyway, I guess I'd best let you put a shirt on, hmm?" she started to stand then looked back down, "Oh...do you need any help with that or have you got it?"

Nanashi paused nearly to the trees, but he didn't look back. "...It doesn't matter either way how I like her..." he said quietly, "Once this trip is over...we'll never see each other again." He said quietly. "...You may not care for the rules...but I know nearly everyone else does. The fire clan would kill me before they let me embarrass them any further." He said simply. He never referred to the fire clan as his clan. He knew that they were some of the most proud among dragons, and they were the absolute hardest to live among being half human in their clan. Nanashi had been referring before to the fact that LaRae was probably going to die after she'd completed this mission, but he also knew that if the fire clan suspected him of mating with another race of dragon, especially the earth clan, they would probably try to kill him. He honestly didn't see what it would matter anyway. It wasn't like he was going to mix races any further. They'd made sure he was incapable of that a long time ago."

LaRae looked down at the clothing in her hand when Hikari asked if she'd need any help. She smiled softly. "No, I think I might be able to do this on my own." She paused and started to climb to her feet. "Thank you for offering though." She held onto the clothing and moved behind Hikari a few feet. She wasn't quite as embarrassed as Aamori was when it came to changing in front of people. Not to mention that you couldn't really see anything because of the bandages and her hair; She sighed a little and set the new jeans down on the ground and started to put the halter top on. She struggled with it for a few minutes before she got it on. She adjusted the top a little so that it wouldn't screw with her bandages, then started to unbutton her jeans. She wasted very little time getting those torn up pants off and then tossed them to the side; Then used her tail to pick up the new jeans. She held them up for a moment looking them over; Seeing the ties that ran up the sides she merely quirked a brow. "...Well... That's a snag waiting to happen..." She mumbled and proceeded to slip the jeans on rather quickly and then buttoned them. This was probably the first time she'd ever worn pants like these. The strings running up the sides would be such a hazard in her territory because she'd easily get caught on something. Once she finished changing she used her tail again and picked up her old jeans. She took them and started folding them up; Out of habit. She then walked back over to Hikari and stood there for a moment. "Thanks again; They seem to fit alright."

Aamori came back out from behind the bushes not too much after LaRae had finished getting changed. Aamori took so long because she had to try and hide her holster for her staff under the skort. She tried her best, but due to the length of this new skort verses her old one you could make out the bottom of her staff. Not to mention it shone silver. She sighed softly and walked back over to the other two and smiled a bit. "Mine seems to fit too..." She said quietly wishing that her weapon wasn't visible. After all as far as she knew none of them suspected her to have a weapon and now it was almost painfully obvious.

Kyran shook his head slightly. "And here I thought you didn't care about the Clans. So why do you care that the Fire Clan would want to kill you? Sounds to me like you're kind of contradicting yourself..." He sighed softly and reached for the other bag with the food in it. He dug around in the bag and pulled out the wrapped up bread that he loved so much and took a couple slices from it to stuff in his mouth to keep him from saying anything else that might upset the guy. It seemed like the more he tried to fix what he said, the worse it got and he wasn't exactly sure why. "Ya' know if you like the girl you shouldn't go saying you'll never see her again, that's like giving up..." He finally took the bread and stuffed it in his mouth, biting down on it. He didn't eat it, merely let it hang from his mouth; Smelling the aroma. He then let himself fall back onto his back and put his hands behind his head staring up through the trees. He couldn't help thinking he should've shut his mouth sooner, but he had every intention of pursuing Hikari after all was said and done; That is if anything developed over the course of the trip. So he didn't understand Nanashi's logic. Kyran was a diplomat and a rebel all rolled into one lazy-bum wrapped package.

Hikari grinned weakly and lowered her ears slightly when she heard LaRae muttering about he strings. When she came back she smiled "Sorry about the strings...I was in a bit of a hurry in picking." She then glanced over to Aamori when she came back and smiled, "Well, that's good... I was a little worried about yours...I was having to pull off a bit of guess work on that. She blinked and looked down when she caught a glimpse of the shining silver object under Aamori's clothes and tilted her head. "...Um?" She shook her head and then looked away. I'm not sure I even want to know... Aamori with a weapon is a little scary...if that's what it is.

Nanashi sighed and finally looked back to Kyran. "...That was almost a stupid question... If it were just a matter of them wanting to then I wouldn't care... what I am saying is they will probably try and if they do they will probably succeed. Contrary to popular belief, I have as much right to live as anyone else... I don't want to be murdered." he said simply. He sighed when he saw the bread in Kyran's mouth, which only reminded him that he was hungry. It was going on five days since he'd last eaten...or maybe six; he'd really lost count after three. He just shook his head and ignored his last comment. That was already decided before he even got a say in it it seemed. "...I just...don't like to talk about things like this... I don't expect you to understand or care why." He just resumed walking, pausing long enough to snag his coat from the ground. He didn't even feel like going bag to grab his sorry excuse for a pair of boots, so he left them by the lake where he'd sat them down before. He'd get them before they left.

"The strings, they're alright. I just have to get used to them..." She wasn't completely put off by the detail in the pants, just afraid of getting caught on something. She stood for a moment longer before hearing a small growl come from her stomach. She placed her hand over the stomach trying to quite the grumbling. "I think I'm going to go get some food from Kyran... Before my stomach decides to do me a favor and eat itself." She mumbled side stepping Aamori and heading back to where Kyran was. When she reached Kyran she stopped, looked down at him and then scanned the area briefly. "Where'd Nanashi go?" She dropped her eyes back down to him staring at the food in his mouth. "You didn't say something mean to him did you?" She then knelt down and pulled the bread out of his mouth. "And why are you eating without us?" She sniffed the bread a little, surprised by the sweet scent and then took a bite out of the other side of the bread.

Aamori noticed Hikari looking at her staff, or rather what you could see of it. She sighed softly and reached down lifting up part of the skirt to reveal what seemed like an extremely small pipe resting in a holster on her thigh. It was silver, and adorned with many different sized blue gems. "It's an extend-able staff..." She paused. "Handed down in my family." She smiled and then lowered the part of her skirt to hide the staff a little again. "Well... I think I'm going to follow LaRae's lead, I'm rather hungry myself" She stated and waited for Hikari before she'd start to head back to the others.

Kyran didn't bother looking over when Nanashi finally walked off. He figured he'd probably annoyed the guy a little. He shut his eyes and started to relax once it got quiet, but that was soon interrupted by LaRae's voice. He opened his eyes in time to see her pull the bread from his mouth. He started to reach for it to take it back but she'd already taken a bite out of it. He sighed softly and his hand dropped back down to his side. "He just left, I probably upset him..." He paused and started to sit up again. "And don't worry, I didn't eat that much; Only a bite" He gave a weak smile.

Hikari nodded to LaRae, "Alright," she giggled softly, "Be with you in a moment." Her eyes wandered back to Aamori and she looked at the staff, "Ah, I see." she said with a smile, "That's handy. All I have is this thing," she said, motioning to the bow that was tossed over her shoulder, "Thrown at my face by my best friend before I left." she said with another laugh. She realized the bow probably looked pretty useless considering that she didn't even have a quiver of arrows with her to shoot. She smiled and started back toward the others with Aamori, "just don't hit me with that thing, that's all I ask." she said with another soft laugh. She glanced around once they got back as well, and only barely heard Kyran mention upsetting someone. Considering his absence, she guessed he meant Nanashi. "...Kyran...you know that probably doesn't take a whole lot." she said, crossing her arms.

Nanashi just sighed as he struggled back into his coat, having the usual difficulty fitting his wings through the slits in the back. He wasn't paying too much mind to where he was going exactly, he just wanted a nice quiet place to sit down and clear his head. He always got rattled when things like that were mentioned around him... He hated even thinking about the clans' different taboos and whatnot because that always led to him thinking of other things. After a few moments he found a nice shady area and flopped down under a tree, closing his eyes as he laid back and watched the last bit of light leave the sky through the leaves.

Kyran sighed when he heard what Hikari said. "I didn't know he was that touchy, I barely said a thing that I thought would set someone off." He paused looking up at Hikari. "I even explained myself and tried to make him feel better, though he appears to be stuck on the original things I said." He exhaled heavy and reached for the bag with the food in it again. He started to pull out the different wrapped breads and set them down on the ground, opened up a little. Then pulled out the croissants and the cream-puff things he'd asked for also. "I'm at a loss of what I can say to him..." He said quietly before motioning for the others to go ahead and eat. "Ya' know, I wish now that I had not opened my mouth and tried to make small talk with the guy..."

LaRae watched as Kyran pulled out more food and wasted very little time grabbing a little of everything. She didn't take too much, but enough to keep her hunger at bay for a little while longer. She didn't bother saying anything when Kyran explained himself, she merely stood back up and moved away from the rest of them. She wandered over to the tree where her boots were and sat down; She set the food in her lap and started to pick at it slowly. A bit annoyed that Kyran ran Nanashi off, even if it was unintentional. She paused, set the food down in her lap and sighed heavily. Kyran had just pulled out the food, and here she was trying to stuff her face and wondering if Nanashi had left before he could get some food too. She looked down at the food in her lap and slowly started to eat again; Though she felt bad because she figured he had walked off without asking for the food.

Aamori stopped when they reached the others and watched as Kyran set out the food. She completely ignored what Kyran was saying and started after the food once LaRae moved away. Her nose was sensitive to the smells, and she avoided the bread that Kyran loved so much. She grabbed some of everything else and then much like LaRae had done, she moved away. She went and sat down next to the edge of the water and started to munch on the bread.

Hikari shook her head as she took her seat beside Kyran, "Different things hit different people different ways. It's hard to explain yourself after you've offended someone. Just give him some time, I'm sure he'll get over it." she said as she snagged another piece of the sweet bread. She seemed to have taken a liking to the stuff, though she wouldn't eat a whole lot since she knew it was Kyran's favorite out of what they had. "What did you say to him, anyway?" He asked, tiling her head slightly as her ears perked up a bit. She could understand Nanashi being a little touchy, seeing the way he was around people. He seemed like he thought everything was either a threat or meant to be an insult or accusation, she she wasn't too far from right. The world was unkind to half bloods, and after a while it seemed only natural that one would start expecting some form of insult to be hidden under anything.

Kyran extended his arm so that he could grab another piece of the sweet bread, since the piece he had was confiscated by LaRae. He took a bite from the bread as he tried to think of exactly what he had said that upset the guy first. He sighed softly; Then took another bite from his bread. "Hmmm... Well, the first thing I asked was his relationship with..." He paused, changing his voice to nearly that of a whisper. "...LaRae" He continued to eat the bread until the piece he had was gone. Then let his voice go back to normal. "I didn't think that was a sore spot, but it apparently brought up other thoughts; From what I gathered from his reaction." He sighed softly again and looked over at Hikari. "I can't even begin to imagine what was going through his mind, but it seemed to depress him slightly."

LaRae continued to pick at the food she set in her lap until she was down to the last piece of the croissant that she'd taken. She was still hungry of course; She had only taken enough food to quiet her stomach even though it looked like there was enough food to feed everyone. Her ears were low and she stared at nothing in particular. She wasn't paying attention to a word that Kyran was saying, let alone she couldn't make out every word. She was too busy thinking quietly to herself; She must have looked like she was in a daze.

Aamori finished up the bread that she was eating and had snuck back over to the food to snag a little more. Then she returned to the edge of the water to eat again. She was half listening to what was being said, but almost didn't care. She started to look up to the sky, seeing how dark it was made her think of the other two who weren't here; Nero and Celestine. "...wonder where they are..." She mumbled quietly before putting more food in her mouth. She half hoped that Celestine would find them sooner or later so that she wouldn't have to go hunt him down herself. The likely hood of that, slim.

Hikari looked back to Kyran again and then shook her head slightly. "...Well...it's hard to say..." she said softly, "...There could be things he knows that we don't, or...he could just be mellow dramatic." She shook her head slightly and then glanced around. "Hmm... You think one of use should go find the other two and let them know we have food?" she said, tilting her head. "They shouldn't be too hard to find..." She finally ate the piece of bread that she'd been twirling around in her fingers and then picked up another few pieces and started to stand. She cast a glance over to Aamori and smiled, "Hey, Aamori, you want to get one and I'll get the other?"

Kyran sighed heavily after finishing off another piece of bread. Then let himself fall back again, placing his hands behind his head. "I've got no clue with that guy..." He paused looking over at Hikari momentarily. "I think I'm going to give up trying to converse with these guys. I'll end up offending Nanashi; Nero doesn't talk much and Celestine is short and to the point." He shut his eyes softly and tried to relax. "At least you ladies like conversation..."

Aamori looked over her shoulder towards Hikari, a piece of bread hanging out of her mouth. She lifted her hand quickly and pulled the bread away, swallowing what she had before she spoke. "...Um... Sure." She finished her last bit of food and stood up, dusting herself off lightly. "...Who do you want me to look for?" She asked as she walked closer to her; She had a pretty good idea of who she was going to be asked to look for, but thought she'd ask just by the off chance she was wrong.

LaRae took her time finishing off the food she had; She'd actually forgotten about it while she was thinking and noticed it still in her hands when she looked down. She sighed softly resting her hands on her legs for a moment before reaching for her boots and setting them down in front of her. She lazily started to put them back on; Lacing them up and tying them tightly. She then got back to her feet and glanced over at the others briefly before starting to walk off herself. She had started off in the direction where she and Nanashi had been previously in the day.

Hikari looked down at Kyran and smiled slightly before looking over to Aamori again. "Well...do you honestly want to look for Nero?" she asked with a smile, "I'll take the big grump, you can take the little one." she said with a soft laugh. She knelt down again and snagged the herbs that she'd gotten for him as well, offering them up to Aamori. "And here, you can give him these. It would probably be better if we had something to boil them in, but they'll work just as well if he eats them." She smiled slightly, "You may want to give him those first...and then the bread so he'll have something to get the taste out of his mouth." She knelt down again to snag some croissants and just regular bread. She made sure to avoid the sweet bread after what Kyran had told her about it. While she was down there she lightly patted the side of his head and finally answered him. "And of course we like conversation. We're girls. I'm surprised you talk as much as you do."

Celestine had not moved all day once he was settled in the tree. He really wasn't all that far away from the lake, barely five minutes worth of walking. Even in the dark his white clothing stood out, as did his pale green hair. He was perched on a thick lower blanch of one of the larger trees, one leg drawl up on the branch as the other hung off the side. His hair and the tails of his shirt hung freely over the edge of the branch and his tail was hanging limply beneath him. His head was leaned back against the tree, his eyes closed. One arm was resting on top of his knee while the other was draped across his stomach; his pipe held loosely in that hand. At the base of the tree his swallow was leaned against the trunk. He'd been asleep like that for nearly an hour.

Nanashi wasn't all that far away from where he'd pulled LaRae to a stop earlier...or for all he knew he may have stopped under the same tree. He was just sprawled out in the grass with his eyes closed and his arms stretched out to either side of his body.