Beslan reined in his horse and dismounted, keeping the hood of his cloak drawn low over his face. He led the stallion through the streets until he got to an inn, and paid for a room. Then, he put his horse in a stall and sat outside the inn, watching carefully for signs of a potential customer. He would scan faces, clothes, and body language; all three gave away both class and whether or not a person was looking for a guide.

People walked past without giving the ranger a second thought; he could almost fade into the background, and his cloak hid most of his face, so most of the attention he got was from young, curious children. Beslan didn't mind. It meant interaction happened on his terms.

Okay, maybe slipping away from her brother hadn't been such a good idea. She understood now that her brothers were not with her as protection, but to stop her getting lost as she had a terrible sense of direction in human towns. An hour or so she'd been in this town and already she'd passed the same building twice.. three times now.

Eventually, after what seemed an eternity, she'd finally found the inn and stopped in front of it, hands resting on her hips. She muttered something under her breath in her native tongue, a curse perhaps, before passing the cloaked man and entering the building. Elves weren't a common sight around these parts, but they weren't unwelcomed.

(XD Sounds like she has more of a sense of direction than I do)

Beslan's head turned to follow the elf as she entered the inn. He stood and followed her inside, keeping an eye on where she was; she certainly looked like a potential customer.

((xD And me. Though getting lost isn't such a bad thing, you never know what you might find.))

Ignoring the eyes on her, the Elf approached the counter and ordered herself something to drink. It had been a long day as of yet and she was quite thirsty. With the mug in hand, she ventured to the back of the room to sit at one of the smaller tables.

Beslan got himself a mug of ale and a plate of food, then came and sat down across from the elf, keeping his hood on; for some reason, it made people more likely to hire him. 'You look like you need a guide.'

Imalaya observed the male across from her with a raised brow. Of all the tables in the room, why did he feel the need to sit opposite her? But then he spoke and things became clear. "A guide? You mean to show me around town?"

'Back to whichever Elven city you come from,' Beslan said. 'There's a fee, but you'll be able to pay it.'

This man was intriguing. "You know your way to the Elven cities?" Not many people knew the way, even fewer of these were human. Though she couldn't tell this mans race, the hood was preventing it. "How do you know I'll be able to pay it?"

'One, I've been to the Elven cities before,' Beslan said. 'My Elvish isn't perfect, and I've been laughed at for my accent, but it gets me around. Two, it's easier than you think to tell a high class from a lower class person, even among Elves.'

If he had been to the Elven cities before, then he must have been known by the Elves. Quiet for the moment, she listened intently to the male. High class? "I see." Knowing her brother, he'd get the book he wanted and would return home without her, so perhaps a guide would be useful. "Very well. If you can show me the way back to my home I'll make sure my father rewards you."

'Oh, all I really need is my payment,' Beslan said. 'No rewards are necessary. Which city are you from, by the way?'

"Felosia." Home of the white palace in which the Elf royals of many generations had called home. "Have you been there before?"

'No, I haven't, but I've been near it,' Beslan said. 'I can get you there, don't worry.'

Imalaya nodded her head and took a sip of the drink she'd brought herself. "Well I'm ready to leave whenever you are."

'Maybe tomorrow,' Beslan said, picking up his fork. 'I've been on the road for a while now. I'd like a bit of rest before going back to it.'

"Very well." A night in a human town wouldn't be too bad, right? Finishing off her drink, she sighed and looked around the room, observing some of the intoxicated humans stood at the bar.

Beslan ate quickly, though he was still polite as he did. He stood up when he was finished. 'I'll meet you at the stables to the inn tomorrow,' he said, and walked to the stairs.

Hearing the males voice, she looked at him and gave a simple nod of her head to show she understood. Not long after he'd left the table, she returned her mug to the innkeeper and got herself a room.

Once in his room, Beslan removed his cloak and sat heavily on the bed, sighing and grinning a little. An elf. This would be fun.

Imalaya also left a message with the innkeeper should her brother enter the inn, it was doubtful but still. Thanking the man, she headed towards the stairs to retire to her room for the evening.

Beslan was awoken just past midnight by a sound he knew only too well. He drew his sword and crept down to the courtyard, keeping a watchful eye out, then turned sharply when he heard the noise again. After a heated argument - at least, heated on his end - the physical fight started.

It had to have been around midnight when she awoke to the sound of two large, drunken men stumbling into their rooms, singing at the top of their voices. Sighing, she sat herself on the window ledge and looked outside. Her attention was quickly drawn to the two figures in the courtyard. They appeared to be arguing. Though soon enough, swords were drawn. Frowning, she sat and watched.

His opponent lashed forewords with claws; they were long enough that a sword was unnecessary. Beslan wasn't quite able to block, and the claws left a deep gash in his forearm; however, it provided the opportunity for him to swing his sword around and sink the side of his blade into his opponent's side. There was a loud, piercing, inhuman scream; then, with a flourish of something unidentifiable in the darkness but which sounded leathery, Beslan was alone outside, holding his sword with his injured arm and holding his other hand up to his wound.

There was something strange about the hooded figures opponent, something about it just didn't seem right. The fight didn't last long, the familiar cloaked male was attacked and seemed to use it to his advantage, striking his opponent and successfully beating it. The inhuman scream that followed.. sent a shudder down her spine. It just seemed to vanish too. Frowning, she pushed open the windows in her room and simply dropped from her ledge, landing successfully on her feet. Slowly, she approached the injured male.

Beslan looked over sharply at the sound, his sword raising instinctively. He lowered it when he saw it was his client. '...Sorry if I woke you.'

(And he's not cloaked anymore =3 I mentioned that a couple of posts up.)