Those sad eyes only got sadder when the male spoke, and Ikori looked down at himself, frowning very deeply. "..I.." He began but didn't get far, the female had spoken and his attention went to her. All traces of the light smile were no longer on his lips, still the male had a point. Perhaps he should wear a shirt? Did he even have any? That first remark, it had made some of that longing for cruelty ease a bit.

Ikori turned abruptly towards the keys, grabbing two, a pair of rooms right next to each other and then he handed them to the girl. Ikori watched her move off to most likely check on the rooms they had been given. When he turned his attention back to the male, the man was leaning towards him and sliding far too many coins his way.

Ikori blinked at the coins. Should he take them all? No, Mahira wasn't like his former master, she didn't try to cheat people out of their money, and Ikori truly had no interest in the currency. He listened to the other's words, nodding slightly, though now he looked very uncertain. "..I'll..I'll do my best." The words were spoken sincerely, and Ikori counted out enough coins to cover both rooms based on Mahira's new price before he shoved the rest back towards the man. "We don't charge that much for the rooms..." The fact that the man had been trying to bribe Ikori with extra coin was completely lost to the dog.

Arius couldn't believe it, and the surprise had him starring at the young man quite hard. No one refused bribes, ever. "Damn idiot, do you even know what a bribe is?" He said the words loud and clear, though Arius didn't really expect an answer. It seemed like the bartender was a simpleton, or something of the like.. Just inviting trouble running around without a shirt like that.

Improper, is what that was, not to mention it made the inn look like more of a brothel. If the others working there dressed anything like that, then that's probably what it was. One good thing about that idea, and this appealed to Arius greatly, was how unlikely people would be to think of looking for a pair of runaway siblings in such a place. Shaking his head, he shoved the extra coins forward. "Look just use the extra coin to get yourself a few shirts, alright? I don't want my sister staying someplace where the staff go running around half naked."

Ikori had flinched slightly as the other called him an 'idiot'. Again the harsh way the other spoke to him seemed to lessen that odd longing in his heart. "..Bribe?" Oh, so that's what the other was trying to do. Still it didn't make much sense to Ikori at all. Why did the other think he needed to do that? Ikori didn't really understand why this man wanted to bribe him. When those coins were shoved back towards him, Ikori pushed them back towards the man.

"Why would Master Mahira and Hikari only be half dressed?" That head tilted to the side slightly and glanced in the direction of the rooms for a moment. Almost contemplating. They wouldn't be. For several reasons, they were girls and girls always seemed to want to cover their bodies up, and secondly they were people and clothing was mainly a people thing. Still his former master had often made Ikori act as a bed warmer for the few guests they had gotten on occasion, so brothel could have been an accurate term for the Inn, but not anymore.

"Please stop trying to give me so many coins." He said the words politely. Ikori didn't know what to do when a customer acted like this. He knew he couldn't take the coins, he had counted out enough for the rooms already and put them in their proper place. These other coins, what was he supposed to do with such things. Go buy shirts the other had said, but that wasn't something Ikori could do..was it? He shook his head slightly.

Hikari stood where she was until she heard a shout from downstairs. Startled, she headed down just in time to hear the man calling Ikori an idiot, and insulting all of them. Ikori, sweet as he was, was not reacting too much. Hikari felt heat flash underneath her skin, a familiar feeling. She stepped forward. "That will be quite enough." She said to the guest, her voice firm but polite. For the first time since she had gotten there, she was not stuttering. "There is no reason to insult Ikori. He does not need any sort of bribe. If anything, you should be happy that you get to keep your money. And as far as our clothing, we are all quite decently clothed, as you can plainly see. Ikori just woke up, which is why he is not wearing a shirt at the moment. Now, if you would like, I was just about to make breakfast." She offered, now standing next to Ikori. "However, if you continue to treat any of us so badly, Master Mahira will probably ask you to leave." She warned.

The man ... was so infuriating! He could feel the thing inside him reacting to his true frustration, reaching out and sending treacherous whispers into his thoughts. No, he shoved it aside again even though it's presence only made his frustration all the greater. "You're the one whose half-dressed! My sister's a lady, understand? A lady, who though she may be traveling on the road with her brother still should be treated as one, which means you, simpleton that you are, need to dress properly in her presence. Got it?" He didn't think that was going to make enough of an impression.

With much grumbling, the young man bent to the packs he'd carried inside with him and plucked three shirts from the collection he'd brought with him. Somehow he'd managed to pack a lot more clothing then he'd though possible when Kalli had kept pestering him about dressing as befit his station. He flung the clothing onto the counter, and shoved these at the man instead of the coins. "Take the damn things, and put one on right now, or I'll put it on for you! Understand?

By the end of his tirade, another of the staff had arrived. The young man turned his pale gaze to her and frowned at her words. His sister needed someplace like this to stay. It was true, sleeping on the hard ground was not for Kalli,and this respite from that was much needed. Even so, he couldn't bring himself to stop his wayward tongue from lashing out. It was much better then letting the demon within him take control ... "Listen here, wench, my sister's a lady and she deserves a whole lot better treatment then being greeted by a half dressed man. This place might as well be a brothel, with a sight like that being the first one when you walk in! I don't care what excuses you come up with, the staff of a proper inn are always clothed properly. The boss can throw me out if she damn wants, so long as I know Kalliope is well taken care of." He wondered how his sister was faring upstairs. She'd probably heard all the commotion by now, but ... after growing up with him she knew that his horrible attitude was the only safe way for him to vent.

Ikori's shoulders had begun to slump now. He was being a bad dog, apparently. Doing nothing but making this person frustrated at him, though he hadn't meant to. He hadn't meant to be a bad dog at all. He had lowered his gaze, expecting to be slapped, though the other never made a move to get physical with him.

Then the man was pulling out shirts from his own pack and Ikori blinked. Staring wide eyed at him now, and the shirts. "..I can't take your shirts." He spoke the words softly and pushed them back across the counter, towards the man they belonged to. Then Hikari had come down the stairs, and for a few moments Ikori was sure she would yell at him for being a bad dog. She didn't. Instead she was fussing at the guest.

Those eyes blinked, not quite understanding. Ikori was obviously being bad by upsetting the guest somehow and Hikari was fussing at the guest. Though Ikori didn't like it much when the other called Hikari a 'wench' and he even growled low in his throat. No, Ikori might not stand up for himself, but he was a dog, it was alright for people to show him his place, through whatever means they thought best. It wasn't right for other people to be mean to each other. Right? Wasn't that how it worked?

Ikori wasn't sure, but a sudden, primal desire to protect Hikari from this man had suddenly overcome him. He moved, making sure to place himself between the man and Hikari. "Hikari is a lady too.." Ikori didn't realize the other might be referring to the title of 'lady'. Ikori was just going by gender and it was obvious to him that Hikari was a lady. "So if your sister deserves good treatment, because she's a lady, then so does Hikari. You can call me names and yell at me, I don't care, but you can't do that to Hikari, because I won't let you."

The dog stood a bit straighter, those eyes narrowed. "You can't lecture someone on treating ladies right, when you aren't even treating a lady properly yourself!" There was another growl in Ikori's throat, and his eyes were wary now. Still sad, but also wary, and loyal. Ikori was very loyal to his friends and Hikari was definitely his friend so it was his duty to protect her. Even though she had come down to protect him.

A bark of laughter left his throat, raucous and loud, before he could stop it. "So you have a spine after all!" Shaking his head, Arius plucked one of the shirts he'd placed on the counter and then shoved it into Ikori's hands. "Well then let's make a deal. You take those shirts and wear the damn things, and I'll be on my best behavior with the staff. Easy enough, right?" He shot the girl a look, defying her to step up and meddle in things now.

His best behavior was not the best of most, but it was still better then he was had been acting presently. He knew he could do it, if he tried very hard. And if worse came to worse ... Then he would run to the forest and let the demon in him destroy trees until it collapsed into unconsciousness.

Hikari narrowed her eyes. She was about to bitchslap the man when Ikori stepped up to defend her. She was surprised, to say the least, but also happy. She saw the look the man gave her, and raised her chin in defiance. "Yes, easy enough, as long as your best behavior is better than what we've seen so far. We'll treat you kindly if you show us respect. This is a respectable business, not a brothel, and I for one expect better from our customers. Now," She looked at Ikori, and placed a hand on his shoulder. "I will go and prepare breakfast for everyone. If our guests have any requests, please let me know." She said with a smile. As she walked towards the kitchen, she whispered to Ikori, "Thank you. Don't worry, you're a good dog. Sometimes there are just bad humans."

Ikori seemed confused and uncertain when the male laughed at him. He was frowning though, and chewing his bottom lip, Ikori's body had tensed without him even realizing it. When the other moved, his body tensed a bit more, but he found only a shirt shoved into his hands and he blinked. His body seemed to relax slightly though he was still frowning. That frown seemed to deepen a bit as the other male spoke.

The dog felt trapped. He wasn't collared or in a cage, but he was trapped all the same. Take this person's clothing or he would continue to be mean to Ikori's friends. It wasn't a choice. Not at all, not for Ikori, it was a trap and he didn't even hesitate. "Alright..You absolutely have to be nice to the others then." He held the shirt a little uncertainly but he didn't move yet, he kept himself between the male and Hikari.

He glanced back at Hikari behind him, she was being so fierce. Usually she was so shy seeming, he didn't mind at all and he would still protect her because she was his friend. When she touched his shoulder he tensed the slightest bit, but quickly relaxed, nodding at her words. As she whispered the other words he smiled a bit. So he hadn't done anything bad at all? That was good, but also confusing. People were only mean to him when he did bad things, even if he didn't know he was being a bad dog, right?

He did know that some humans were bad, his former master had been a bad person, but still..those kinds of semantics confused the dog so he preferred to think about it in simpler terms. Once Hikari had disappeared into the kitchen, Ikori held the shirt out in front of him and stared at it for a few seconds. Then it was brought to his nose and he sniffed it. It smelled like the male in front of him, though he knew it would. He wasn't sure he liked that.

He sniffed it again, then sighed lightly and began to put the shirt on. His movements slow, as if uncertain but it only took a few seconds to put it on. Ikori didn't like it. It made him feel trapped. Almost as if he were collared with that terrible collar his former master had put on him. Ikori frowned deeply and tugged at the shirt.

He wanted to start railing at the woman again but he had given his word. Arius bit back on the retort and tried to breathe, to calm himself down. There were only two ways he knew of to control the thing inside him, one was venting his anger at every turn, and the other was to remain calm, serene, at all times. It was near impossible for someone with such a volatile temper as Arius to do the later. He had to, he just had to, or there was a chance his sister would get hurt, and he would break his word, something he never did ... so long as he could help it.

The other man's odd behavior distracted Arius from his own thoughts for a few blissful moments. Odd, how he sniffed at the clothing and pulled it on, as if he weren't used to wearing such things. The dark haired man really did seem uncomfortable. "I keep my word, and here try this," grumbled Arius. He reached out to push up the sleeves of the shirt, up past the man's elbows so he wasn't quite so covered up.

Arius turned from the man quickly when he heard a familiar set of footsteps pounding down the stairs. He smiled indulgently as Kalli grabbed his hand and tried to pull him to one of the tables in the dining area. "Anything the cook decides to make is fine!" Somehow he managed to slip the information out as he grabbed the coins he'd left on the counter quickly, before his sister finally succeeded.


Once they were seated comfortable, Kalli leaned forward to peer at her brother with worry. "What happened?"

"I promised I'd be nice if that man dressed decently while we stayed, mumbled Arius.

"Arius! That's how you control that ... thing, being angry. What are we going to do if it breaks free?"

He slammed his hand against the table, but not nearly as hard as when he'd banged against the counter. "You run Kalli while I try to get control of the demon again. I won't have it hurting you, I won't hurt you!"

Kalliope looked down at her hands, now folded demurely upon her lap. "Alright, alright ... Maybe we should warn them, the people here..." Then again, one of the staff was still there. She hoped he'd heard, because she knew Arius well enough to understand he wasn't going to march up to someone and tell them he truth about his condition.

This way, if the staff found out by over hearing their conversations, he could save face somehow. She reached out, and placed a hand over her brother's comfortingly. Everything would be alright, she was sure. Kalliope had to be sure enough for the both of them.

No, Ikori didn't like the shirt at all. It smelled like the other male and it felt constricting, even though it fit loose enough to be comfortable on anyone Ikori's size. He was frowning and still tugging at the shirt in places when the male reached over for him. Ikori froze, eyes on the other, his body tensing as he flinched slightly, expecting some kind of pain inducing action from the other. The male only pushed the sleeves up for him and Ikori relaxed, blinking and looking at is arms as if they had just appeared out of no where.

It did help with that trapped feeling, though not completely. He shifted on his feet, still uncomfortable in that shirt. He was tugging on it again as the other one's sister came down the stairs to drag her brother off to a table. Ikori sighed softly, looking at the shirts the male had left on the bar top. Where could he put them? Certainly not the basement, they would get dirty down there. Ikori was frowning so very deeply as he moved to pick the shirts up.

He put them on an empty shelf beneath the bar top. Out of the way and in a place where they shouldn't get dirty. That frown was still on his lips, as he ran a hand through his hair. Ikori caught pieces of their conversation, they weren't exactly being discreet but he was trying not to listen so only caught bits and pieces. Those pieces didn't make to much sense to Ikori and he shrugged it off. For the most part, Ikori wriggled about in the shirt, and tugged on it here and there almost constantly. It was such an odd feeling, so much fabric against his skin. The rolled up sleeves did help some.

Mahira had started downstairs when she sensed something, with a smile she let the other two attend to the customers as she waited. Her purpose in helping the costumers would take another route at the moment. She could sense a negative spirit in the inn now... it happened sometimes. A necromancer and spiritualist of her power often attracted such things, wandering spirits. Whether it was their hunger to destroy or their unconscious need to be healed so they could move on was often debatable as once they got there... they had to do what was in their nature to do. So she let the other's pass without a word and would soon move to the middle of the room. A quick spell of necromancy would call the spirit to her.

"Hello my dear..... You're hurting, aren't you?" Mahira said softly as the rather twisted creature appeared in her room and became solid. It looked like a corpse that had been skinned as well as half baked in the sun and reeked of decay to those with spiritual sensitivity, with a few extra limbs sticking out of it's body as if the bones had been jammed in like spears for good measure. It was an ugly bloody mass that many would have found frightening.... and it expected to be feared judged by its response of 'not as much as you will'. It charged her as her spirit guide wrapped itself around her form almost like a decorative boa.

Mahira raised a hand and turned her body with a sigh, she focused all her powers and cast the spirit magic without a word. Light shot from her palm, streaking out like a ribbon. It wrapped around the creature and with a burst of sparkling light it would be 'cleansed'. For a moment the man it had once been became visible, his jade eyes rather sad and almost apologetic. He was one of those spirits who had been wandering the earth so long that they lost their original reason for vengeance or anger and degenerated into mindless monsters seeking only the desire to kill. His mind restored and his ties, his curse, forgotten the spirit passed on without a sound reaching for some lost love whose death may have caused his fall. She shook her head as the smell of roses filled the room, a sign of a successful cleansing.

With that she would exit the room, still sensing a dark presence. Demonic? Perhaps it had to do with their guests. She would stand at the top of the stairs a moment as she quickly found the source of the feeling and saw them speaking to one another. She debated a moment before she walked to the two. She gave each a warm smile, her hand touching the table gently just to get their attention. She nodded to each, no malice in her gesture or warm expression.

"Hello, I'm Mahira the owner. Seems you've made my staff a little nervous. If you have any complaints please bring them to me instead and I'll help any way i can. If you have any questions or want help with anything feel free to let me know"

(Hope you don't mind I join ^__^)

A faded blue scarf held tightly around Akakios head, hiding much of his ears and horns, adorning many trinkets around his neck, wrists and belt. Wearing what could have mostly been just rags he'd sewn up together to get such colorful outfit. It wasn't a hidious outfit, maybe if another person tried such style but they would most definitely fail. But for Akakios his appearance would make others believe he could tell you their fortune in a quiet setting..Of course that wasn't true, he was just a traveler taking what he could with the family of gypsies he came across. They have tolerated him and his strange ways, they hadn't fully trusted him for he was a demon. He could be kind and he dealtIn trying to help the sick. He favored potions, elixirs of sorts...little did he talk about poisons and it was his secret he kept them. His part in protecting the traveling group was to rid bad spirits orsuch that try cling to any one human...the bad souls, his way of doing such task had been to ingest those small little particles...Maybe that was the reason the group didnt trust him, he didnt want to believe it himself... those dark desires. He was a demon himself! How could he not have such feelings, no, they were just spouting their fears onto him.

He wouldn't deny being a demon, he just wouldn't show it...There was another thing strange with this person as he walked along, a yawn passing his lips as dull grey eyes dreamily peered forth ahead of him. A child like expression full of wonder, curiosity, not a care he kept walking further and further away from the group of travellers he took his voyage with. This had been the first soul Akakios ingested, it was another demon, but a young one...he could never be dangerous and this one Akakios kept dear to his heart, his brother, twin....He couldn't allow him to die, he couldn't allow his soul to belost in that raging river...So he took him, ingested that soul before it could become lost.

The childlike eyes caught sight of a butterfly, entertained before some fear struck at him and the demon was racing through the forest, struggling, stumbling before tripping onto the floor boards of the Inn. Quickly he scrambled up against the wall, back hard against the wall as he peered out to thedirt path, unknown of where he was. To this young soul he was I a dreamlike state, but dreams could easily turn to nightmares. What was he running from, him and his brother always ran, stuck in a cycle. He slid down the wall, sitting cross legged and begun to hum to himself... or was it the older twin humming the soft tune to calm the childs soul.

"Actually," started Kalli before falling silent. Her brother had begun fidgeting, making a face before standing up and mumbling something about getting some air. A frown crossed the young woman's delicate features. This was far from usual behavior for Arius, then again he had given his word that he would be nice ...

Dismissing her worry, she turned to the Inn's owner with a tiny smile. "My brother is, you could say he's a risk to everyone around him, including himself. He usually uses anger to control the darkness inside him, but now that he's given his word to be kinder, I'm afraid he'll have a much harder time keeping a hold on his shadowy side. I would appreciate it if you warned the staff about the danger. He would hate to cause anyone harm." Kalliope didn't know why, but she thought the other woman would understand what she was getting at.

Her brother wasn't demon possessed, but he could easily become so if he let his mind slip into its grasp. Help was something they both needed, but they had no one to turn to, and nowhere to go. All they had ever relied on was each other.

Arius stepped outside, feeling more agitated then he cared to be. The thing inside him was all riled up, and the young man had a hard time understanding why, until he tilted his head and turned towards the sound of someone humming softly to themselves. This man was different, strange in the way the being huddled in his soul was strange. No wonder the thing inside Arius had been writhing for some way to break free all of a sudden.

Quietly, the young man moved to kneel beside this demon, so like and unlike the thing crouched inside him. "Excuse me?" He supposed he should extend his promise to all the guests and potential guests. Better not to make any mistakes, thought Arius, when his sister needed shelter.

Mahira nodded, briefly an almost conspiratorial smile crossing her lips as if to confirm she knew. So they were both aware of it and controlling it... well that meant it probably wasn't a possession in the typical sense... more like the violent temptations of a half demon. Perhaps sealed demon? Or a demon pact? Oh well, that wasn't any of her concern. Her staff and costumers safety was the only thing she really needed to be concerned with. She thought a moment as she slid into the seat opposite the girl, it was definitely a puzzle. Still, she was an experienced adventurer and fear did not come easily to her...

"Well... we all have a little darkness I suppose though not quite like his. Tell you what, He can unleash all the anger he wants at me, just not in front of the staff. They're all... wounded in some ways so I'd prefer they be treated gently. I'm pretty hardy though so his yells won't bother me. Just tell him that hmm?" She said cheerfully finally as she gave the other girl a playful smile. She knew she was inviting pain, and possibly misunderstanding about her nature, but it would at least keep Ikori and Hikari safe. They brought a bit of a motherly streak out of her...

She pushed away the thought, rolling her eyes meanwhile at a comment made by her spirit guard, and turned her eyes on the woman in front of her. She seemed like a noble born of some sort... Just what was she doing out here? And with a man who seemed rather dangerous? My my what odd costumers seemed to arrive here. It would be interesting at least, perhaps a new adventure in and of itself! New people often were.

The young woman shook her head quite vehemently. "No, he'll refuse. He gave one of your staff his word that he would treat the staff with kindness, and that includes you. His word is sacred, and once given my brother wouldn't dare break it." Kalli bit her lower lip nervously. This woman didn't seem to mind the implied fact that her brother housed a demon within him. Perhaps she could help them gain a better understanding of the second soul within her brother's body? No, it wouldn't do to ask her for such aid without speaking it over with Arius first. The risks were all his, after all.

"It would be wonderful if ... another solution could be found." The blonde girl leaned an elbow against the table and began drawing small designs on the wood with a slender finger. A permanent solution would be ideal. She missed her kind, playful and considerate, older brother. It had been so long since he'd simply smiled and been happy. Small tears welled up at the corners of her eyes. She could still remember the day when Arius had been taken away ... It had taken forever to find him again, and by then he'd been so changed.

"Staff? I'm a adventurer and necromancer among other things, I just acquired this place by accident. Don't even suggest i have such a respectable position, You'll ruin my reputation ." She teased the other lightly with a wave of her hand as if to cheer her. She then gave her a warm smile as she reached down to give the other woman's hand a comforting squeeze. It was a simple gesture, but filled with the warmth that genuine kind souls seemed to have. Mahira then casually passed the other woman a handkercheif for her tears and leaned back in her chair so she could cross her arms behind her head. She gazed up at the ceiling then, giving the woman space to cry if she liked without being watched. She began to study the butterflies absently as she thought.

"I suppose I'll have to find a maid and manager of this place eventually if I don't want to work though! Still, while I'm here I'll need to keep in shape. I'd hate to get slow. Your brother wouldn't happen to mind smashing zombies for me with his anger when I'm practicing my skills would he? It's hardly permanent but it's workable. If I knew how he'd gained his ....darkness it'd be easier to help too." She said conversationally, as if she hadn't noticed the other woman tear up despite the handkerchief. She saw no reason to draw attention to such things. It generally only embarrassed people...

With a nod of silent thanks, Kalli accepted the cloth and dabbed at her eyes for a few moments. Smiling a little she put the handkerchief aside. She thought over her skills, cataloging the things she could do quietly in her mind. Though she was no head maid material, surely she could manage the Inn. That was what her mother had trained her to do after all. An Inn couldn't be all that different from a grand lord's household, and that she knew without a doubt she could handle.

"I've been taught all my life how to manage a household, including keeping accounts and ordering the things necessary for a manor to run smoothly. Surely an Inn wouldn't be so different? I could at least give it a try, and I'm sure my brother would love a chance to smash things." Kalliope couldn't help but giggle a little at the thought. Her brother would be more then happy to let his anger out on mindless creatures who were no better then fleshy puppets animated by magic.

Ikori brightened visibly when Mahira came downstairs, his lips parted as if to greet her, but the words stopped before they started. Mahira had moved towards the new guests. That was alright, he could talk to her later, though the only thing he had been going to say was 'good morning' and tell her about his new shirts. His new shirts that he didn't like very much. He watched them for a few moments, almost warily, just in case that male decided to be mean to Mahira.

Those fears were unfounded as the young man soon rushed out of the Inn. Ikori sniffed at the air lightly, he thought he had smelled something when the young man had opened the door to go outside. It was probably just another guest, or nothing. He could have been imagining it. He didn't think he was, besides if it was another guest, they would come in. Right? Unless that rude man scared them away..Ikori sighed softly. All the while his hands had been tugging at various parts of the shirt, frown on his lips once again. Honestly how did people stand this? Truthfully Ikori didn't like pants either, but he was so very used to them. He had been wearing pants for years and years and years. Shirts..well he had been wearing them for minutes and minutes now and he absolutely hated it.

The expression on his face turned to a slightly sour one, almost grumpy. A near pout as those eyes turned to Mahira. She didn't seem too busy, just talking to the girl. The girl who seemed far nicer than her brother. That near pout still on his lips as Ikori moved from behind the bar, he made his way a bit uncertainly towards Mahira. Those fingers still tugging at that shirt, mostly at the collar area. When he reached her, he sat down on his knees right next to her chair and leaned his head against her thigh.

That near pout had turned to a full pout, as one of the sleeves that had been pushed up past his elbow, came slipping down to his wrist. A soft sigh of annoyance passed his lips, but he had to endure it. He was keeping Hikari and Mahira safe from the male. That odd longing for cruelty in his heart had eased greatly at this uncomfortableness that he now had to endure.

He had continued to hum softly to himself...Until the voice broke through the sound and the humming had stopped before the male tilted his chin and looked over. Peering up with innocence and daze within his gaze. A smile slid across his face, but he seemed cautious as the man knelt down closer, his smile edged away as his gaze grew stern, leaning just slightly forward. There was an oddity to this stranger but something very familiar. Quickly he reached towards the man, grasping his jaw as he peered even closer into the mans eyes. "He's a difficult one isn't he... Someone I wouldn't want to play with...But Kio might like him!" he laughed as he let go of the stranger. The child like gotten distracted, watching humming birds before his arms swung out. "Did you follow it to....the butterfly with blue wings...vast blue wings...like the river...."he softly spoke eyeing the man, eyes squinting as if he were trying to see clearly...trying to look further into this person.

He fought not to wrench his head away from the odd man before him when he was grabbed so suddenly. Arius couldn't help the unexpected sense of familiarity he felt, as if there was something shared between them. The demon in him kept trying to rear it's head and take over, but for once in his life the human was able to stay calm enough that it had no chance to do so. Instead, he focused his attention on catching the clipped, cut off, meadering sentences of the stranger.

"No, I followed no butterfly here." The other man's eyes had seemed so strange. It seemed like the only word he could find to describe his conversation partner. "Who is Kio?" And who was the person he spoke to? There was a story here, one he wanted to know almost desperately. Arius did take a moment to notice the colorful rags that served the man as clothes, and the swatch of cloth covering some of his hair.

He seemed rather drab beside such an array of color in his dark leather vest, with arm guards of the same material protecting his forearms. The cream colored tunic was courtesy of his sister's taste, and his dark pants were the same. His well worn boots on the other hand were his choice alone, and still quite servicable at least.

In the kitchen, Hikari was completely unaware of what was happening out front. She lit the stove with her fire, and started cooking happily. She had said bacon and eggs before, but now that they had guests, she felt like making a bigger breakfast. So she made bacon and eggs, and sausage and pancakes and fruit and french toast and home made syrup and fresh squeezed orange juice and milk. It didn't take her too long, and when she was done she poked her head out from the kitchen door. "Breakfast is ready!" She called, pushing a cart with all of her breakfast preparations on it. She saw the girl who must have been the sister of the rude man from before, and gave a smile. "Take anything you like." She offered.

He frowned towards the question, then rummaged through pockets before coming out with a locket and clicking the preciius item open to reveal a small mirror. He peered into his reflection. "Kio! Akakios..."he pointed to the mirror as he handed it over to the man, almost crawling over the slight distance as he held the precious item not fully wanting to give it up. A demon Akakios could feel it, it was in this man and the safety of his brother worried him, Akakios was always protective of his sibling, but at the moment he found it difficult to gain back control of his body.

Still, he couldn't allow himself to sit back in idle. The demon closed his eyes, giving a cough and releasing the small locket pushing away more distance from the other man as he wiped at his now bleeding nose. "Scuse me...I would have allowed him the longer freedom but I do not know his company." Kio glared, now standing up right and not carrying the innocence of that child in his eyes any longer but a stern look as drew his hand away from his nose once the bleeding has stopped. Kio was more cautious and showed it in his stance while trying to figure out where he was and just how far his brother had taken him from the group of travellers. ah, i'll figure that out later he thought. "So I've been introduced... can I get your name..."he muttered, examing the man.

"Then you're hired on a trial basis. Now I just need a maid and I can go back to loafing." She responded cheerfully, glad that it seemed all that was taken care of. She really didn't need to practice... her magic was in her blood, but it wouldn't do to get complacent and lazy. She couldn't practice her thievery here though.... it was rude to her guests even if all she'd do is take it and put it back. She had more then enough treasure at this point... She mused about this lightly a moment when she felt Ikori approach. She had suspected he might. She glanced at him and began to stroke his hair like you would a dog's head absently as she figured he was likely wanting a little attention. He was pouting and wearing a shirt now... had a costumer complained?

" You know, in this human form you should really sit in a seat next to me. Otherwise people will think I'm some sort of dominatrix I already carry a whip. You okay pup?" she teased him lightly even as she asked him with some genuine concern. She glanced up then as she heard the offer of breakfast and as Hikari came near she would take mainly fruit with a little bacon and eggs. She wondered absently if Ikori would listen to her or if he would crave her attention and cuddles like many a real dog would when they liked heir masters. She'd taken care of a little chihuahua once that was down right possessive but devoted.

Kalliope turned with a smile to the woman who had carted breakfast to the table. "Thank you! I really appreciate it. My name is Kalliope, but it's such a mouthful I'd rather people call me Kalli." As she spoke the young woman piled bacon, eggs, pancakes and a smattering of fruit onto her plate.

She ate the food with the manners of a lady, but she ate more then any lady would. It was traveling on the road, she knew what being hungry felt like now and couldn't imagine passing up a chance to eat well. One some of her hunger was sated, the blue eyed woman lifted her gaze to focus on Mahira and the man sitting by her feet. "I'll do my best, and what do you mean .. In this form?" Could this man possibly be even a little like her brother?

The other man acted much like a child. Arius tilted his head as a locket was extended his way. For a moment, the mirrors within puzzled him until he understood. This Kio was the person he spoke to, but perhaps not quite. It was quite the puzzle, though soon enough it seemed like the one he spoke to changed completely.

The pendant was snatched away, and crimson dripped from the pale man's nose. He could recognize what had happened, and knew it was so the moment the new soul spoke. Arius righted himself to face this new man, and tilted his head in a slight bow of acknowledgement. "My name is Arius, and I carry a demon within me, I suppose that's why I was drawn here, because it knew another of it's kind was nearby, though you seem to have two souls as well ... Something you wanted to happen I suppose. I had no such choice." It felt so good to speak freely about what plagued him with someone who could understand, at least a little.