The corners of my lips turned up a bit, "It wasn't that we wanted to kill them it was we were hired to kill them. No need for motives just a payment. And even if I wanted to enter that business again it would just mean the end of me." My eyes went cold as I stared at the fireplace.

"Sure Anora." Sy smiled, and pulled out the blender. She quickly mixed the drink.

Naida didn't know how to respond but just nodded and said "i see.." Naida then went up to Kesiko and wrapped her arms around her and gave her a hug. Naida was unable to understand her feelings but she wanted Kesiko to have comfort.

She smiled as she took it. "Thanks Sy." She had a little, smiled, and glanced up at Sy again. "Doing well today?"

Maerlin did his weekly prayers, for his fallen comrade he had killed the few year's ago, at the closest cemetery he could find. He was on one knee, slightly bent over with his other knee almost touching his forehead, and it would if he forearm wasn't rested on his knee and head at the same time. His one in an empty patch at the cemetery, whispering the prayer the elves had taught him when he was just a boy.

After he was finished, he got up, picked up his bow and strung it over his shoulder, then picked up his sword and sheathed it at his waist. He let out a low whistle and a bird that was perched on a tombstone flew over to him and landed on his shoulder. He pulled some seed out of his pocket and fed the bird before walking away. He noticed a large brick building with a fiery bird spray painted on the side, so he walked over to it and went inside. When he shut the door and his eye's adjusted to the lighting, he spoke in a voice that only an elf could have,"Hello, is anybody here?"

Sy shrugged, leaning her elbows against the bar. "About as good as I usually do." She smiled. "A tad hungery, but not enough to actually go out and feed."

Sy looked to the door. "Hello Stranger! Welcome to the Phoenix Inn. I'm Sybella, what can I getcha?"

Maerlin smiled at the warm welcoming. He walked over to the bar and sat down at one of the stools, taking off his bow and leaning it against the bar. He rested one arm on the table and his bird hopped down off his shoulder and onto the bar top. He pulled some more seed out of his pocket and placed it in a pile in front of him, then watched as his bird pecked away at the seed. He looked back up at the woman who had greeted and gave her a warm smile,"Some water would be nice."

Sy's eyes opened with surprise. "Now thats a liquid request I don't hear often." she gave him a warm smile, and got him a glass of water. "So, whats your name?"

Maerlin grabbed the glass of water and took a sip of it. He felt the cold liquid go down his parched throat and satisfy his thirst. He didn't drink all of the water though, he placed the cup next to the pile of bird seed so his bird could drink something as well. After a long pause, he looked back up at the woman who had greeted him,"I'm Maerlin."

Anora looked the newcomer up and down. A Elf, warrior or ranger by the looks of his bow and light armor. She sipped her smoothie and smiled. Kind of cute, too. Maerlin, eh? Well, at the very least he probably had some interesting stories.

She put her elbows on the counter, putting one hand on the other and resting her chin on the backs of them. She glanced at him again out of the corner of her eye.

Sy looked him up and down. 'he's so cute' she thought 'and I am hungry.... no stop it Sy.' She shook her head, trying to calm her succubus instinct. "Welcome Maerlin."

Maerlin leaned back and sighed,"You know, it's not polite to stare." As he spoke, he turned to look at Anora with a warm smiled. His bird flew over to Anora and perched itself on her shoulder, nibbling at her ear.

Anora turned to look at him, matching his smile. She held up her finger for it to nibble on instead. "You'll have to forgive me. Politeness isn't exactly a training course for the Knights, and I couldn't help but notice your armor. A warrior, per chance?" She glanced at Sy, raising an eyebrow at her. 'Is she all right?'

The elves who had raised Maerlin never focused on a specific type of training for them. They were taught to be prepared for anything, so each one carries a sword and a bow. The size of the elves blade determined what their position in a battle was. Maerlin had always been in the middle of the elves battle formation, he wasn't a ranger or a warrior, more a mixture of both,"No, I'm not what you consider a warrior."

Anora shrugged, sipping her smoothie again. "Well, it was only a guess. Don't get many elves up North, or at least as far north as Asgard." She looked him up and down again, then glanced at the bird nipping at her. "Cute. Does he have a name?"

Maerlin nodded,"Well, I don't follow all the customs of most elves. I also like to explore new places." He had no intention of telling why he had actually left. He didn't know if there were more elves around, and if there was he didn't want to risk it. He sighed,"Yeah, his name is Narath."

"Narath, eh? Very Nice." She rubbed the top of its head gently with her finger, then put it forward again incase it still wanted something to nibble on. "Well, I wouldn't reccomend going that far North right now anyway. Valhalla's at war right now."

Maerlin let out a low chuckle at the thought of a war,"You know, war doesn't scare me as much as it should. I've seen death, I've seen my comrades fall to the enemy of our clan." He let out a low whistle and Narath flew off of Anora's shoulder and perched itself on a beam above them.

Anora smiled grimly at him. "I see. A pair of Veterans, then? Sitting in a bar, thinking about those we have killed and seen killed. Though," she sipped the smoothie again, "it's the one I didn't kill that still haunts me to this day." She looked down at the smoothie with a look like it had wronged her in some way.

Maerlin cocked an eyebrow,"So, in other words, you broke the first rule of war? Never let your enemy live." He turned on the stool, so his back was now against the counter of the bar. He rested both his elbows on the bar and looked around the Inn.

She sighed. "Yeah. Not much of a Knight, if I can't kill the best stratagest the Rebels have, when he's basically standing defenseless in front of me." He went to take a sip from the smoothie, stopped, and then set it down a little harder then necessary. "I could have ended that war... but I couldn't."

Her tail quivered as Tabitha slid back into the Inn, her red eyes were the color of her face. She took a quick look around and her ears flicked she slid to the stair case and up the stairs.

My thoughts had gotten the better of me again and I flinched at the contact as it snapped me to reality, it took a lot to not reflexively attack her, the only thing that stopped me was the strong smell of pure water that filled my lungs. I relaxed and hugged her back although hesitant and unsure, I can't remember the last time I was embraced like this.

Naida felt Kesiko sort of flinch and she came back to her senses. She didn't know why she hugged, yes she wanted to comfort Kesiko but it just happened. SHe pulled back and said sorry. "i don't know why i did that but you seemed in pain."

I forced a small smile, "It's alright, pain is a part of life, without it people wouldn't learn certain things. Shifting in my seat I laid on the couch with my head in Naida's lap, the rest curled up into itself. My ears twitched a bit, as if encouraging scratching.