Pixel follows after the kitsune, and after Maya lays her hand on Felica's wing, he'll dive down and lay his hands alongside hers. "Fortunately, we have a little help from on high." His eyes and hands glow with a soft golden light as Taliyah channels a Cure Wounds into the wounded griffon through him. "That should be a decent fix for now, Miss Taliyah's healing can pack quite the punch if it's in the proper mood." He smiles up at Maya, before vanishing back to Taliyah's side.

Meanwhile, as Pixel flies out to help Maya heal Felica, Taliyah accepts the offered seed from Veno, tucking it into a pocket on her jacket over her heart. "Thank for this kind gift, and we're sure to meet again. She suddenly freezes, hand tightening around her staff, both her and the staff's eyes briefly glowing, before returning to normal, with Pixel reappearing on her shoulder in a burst of the same golden light not long after. "Oh, Cezar's griffon should be up now, hopefully she'll cooperate with us and help get Cezar out this nasty storm..."

Maya's healing wakes up the gryphon, but she's still dizzy and tired, Taliyah's healing fully heals her back to her previous self. Still, her wings and legs are tired.

The gryphon blinks at Maya speaking more 'gibberish' at her. "Q-qwe...? Por qwe Dane falandõ?"(1). She looks toward her wing and notices it's tied... and it seems to be raining very hard too. "Ügh... xuva. Puede dexare me—Ćećar!?"(2) She squirms, attempting to bite the ropes that tie her feet, but her neck doesn't have enough reach. "Soltar me, ahora!"(3)

At the same moment, though, Cezars also wakes up... "Ugh... my head..." After a few more moments of orienting himself and assessing the situation, he begins to chuckle. "Hahaha, you fool. Felića listens to me and me only, because we are family! Unless you have mind control spells, she will never let any of you ride her. Gryphon instinctively defends and follows their kin, not a bunch of nobody like you!"

"Ẽ pegar vengenxa un moment ẽ soltar!"(4) The gryphon screeches in response.

Cezars turns his head up and smirks, since he's lying down, the water covers about one-quarter of his body (which is still at ankle level when standing upright) "Your choices don't matter. If you leave me here tied up, I will die as a martyr and you will live as a villain for the rest of your life. Bring me to the custody, and I will get to walk free while you'll spend the rest of your life in prison since I'm doing the right thing and you're trying to interrupt me trying to enforce justice in this corrupted, filthy world!"

He takes a deep breath and accidentally inhales rainwater, he coughs and sneezes for one moment, before continuing. "At this point, I'd monologue about my life and my goals, but you dare interrupt me and knock me out again before, guess you will never get to hear it now!" He snickers, "It's not like any of that matters anyway, you lose, I win, doesn't matter which choice you make!"

Cezars is still very injured right now, if he manages to get free and get on his gryphon, he will run away. Not fly, but run—the wind is very strong, even a dragon can't handle this weather, let alone a gryphon. The next settlement, Nautrie, isn't that far away. 20 kilometres is about 4 hours of walking, you'll arrive there by the evening, and so is Cezars. Gryphons can't run that fast, they have roughly the same walking speed as all of you, their kind relies more on flying, after all.

You ever have that one person where they cannot understand each other? Well, as Felica couldn't understand what Maya was saying, it was also vice-versa.

"Rishian-kun?! Daijobu?! (大丈夫?!, Are you ok?!)" Maya asks puzzled but concerned as the now disguised Kitsune picks up 0% of what the two of them blurted out and just stared at them in absolute confusion. That's odd. Isn't this guy fluent in her language? Or at least, that's what she thought who he was. She then turns back towards the shed and... "*Ahem* SOMEONE! TASUKETE (Help me)! AGAIN!" She furiously yells after failing to comprehend what those two said. She had no idea why those are tied up either, so she's absolutely helpless in this kind of scenario... As for the Fire Genasi, she wants to badly slap him for some reason, but chose not to for now until the translators arrive.

Oh what the- give me a break, Okaa-san! I'm in the middle of helping Shugo and Alex pack up stuff! What happened to the other ladies with you?! Ugh fine... *He turns to Shugo and Alex after he rapidly packs his stuff at the speed of light* "If you guys have finished packing your things, back me up. And that fox lady too." *He then marches out in the rain with his right hand gripped on his katana sheath just in case as he confronts his hostage*

"Sorry to burst your bubble, kind sir but..." *He clears his throat* "...Number one: I missed the entire thing so can you repeat what you just said for me? Number two: This lady here doesn't know what on earth happened so why the hell are you snapping at her for something that she's trying to get through her head, huh? Let me guess: All she tried to ask you is where her son might be and you rudely dismissed her didn't you?! Is that how you were taught to behave before you became one of these so-called justice idiots spreading terror instead of honour? Number three: If your poor griffin pal has said anything, translate it for me and everyone else CLEARLY! Neither of us know what the heck she's saying, Especially this poor 'sightless' lady who tried to save her instead of  making the decision to deal a coup de grace. Oh... and did I mention vice-versa too?!" 

*Before Cezars could begin talking again though, Renar interrupts him with a taste of his own medicine*

"And last but not least: No one ever wanted to hear your Duke Elmar style monologues anyway. I knew someone who had the same behaviour and motives as you anyways so suck it up."

So it seems that using both carts is not an option after all... oh well. Perhaps it is best if Janina gets as far away from them as she can. He really doesn't want to get her anymore tied up in to everything then she already is. 

"Thanks Veno," He says, gingerly accepting the sunflower seeds. "Stay safe okay. We'll meet again eventually." He offers a broad smile, trying to stay positive in spite of the impending danger. 

Then they begin figuring out what to do with Cezars. It would be good if they could have the griffon carry him... but that might not be the best idea since then she might just take off if she manages to get free. Still they can't leave them. In spite of whatever is going on with Cezars, it wouldn't justify leaving him to die. 

"Perhaps you have won this battle," he says in response to the former paladin. "But that doesn't mean you'll win the war. Justice will come your way eventually. I'm just sorry that you lost your way." He shakes his head, knowing that nothing he says will shake the genasi. 

Turning to his friends, "Lets get going before things get worse. Any ideas for how to transport this jerk?" 

"We could put him on his mount, secure him, and then tie the mount to all of us via rope? Then they cant get away and its in the griffon's best interest to follow, or else her owner will be left to the elements."

"That's not a bad suggestion. And, seeing that... this... stupid... *Awkward silence* This stupid fellow, here, is tied up in the rain, I guess we consider taking him along with us to wherever we need to head to..." I made sure to translate everything to Okaa-san too, just so that she can remain on our level of thinking. Every time I glance at her majestic face though, I feel extremely uneasy about whether or not has she found out that I've reunited with her... nevermind the fact that that wasn't the stuff she wanted to hear... Uh yeah. Sumi nasen, Okaa-san... (sorry mother)... "But also... I'm not sure if tying the griffin to each and every one of our bodies is a great idea. I mean, just look at its size. What if actually drags us down instead? I've seen beasts that can haul up to five times their size even when they're in a weakened state. And not to mention she won't listen to anyone but our hostage here. And dragging her with brute force won't work either. That will only slow us down even more. Unless if someone can help her persuade that she won't harm us if we don't harm her master whilst we take him along and vice-versa."

Taliyah follows the rest of the group outside into the storm. "I think I might be able to convince her to work with us." She kneels down by the tied up griffon, Pixel turning invisible and flying over to the griffon to lay a hand on her side. "You care about Cezar, and you want him to stay alive, right? We need your help to bring him to safety, because there's a storm incoming that destroy and kill everything in it's path, including Cezar. Can we rely on you to help save him from the storm?"

Animal Handling: (7)

Maya hears the entire translation gimmicks from her son; Whilst this wasn't really the news she was hoping to hear, it's at least better than having no understanding of the current situation. "Renar-kun..." She was about to tell Raiden what she wanted to say when he notices Taliyah standing by her side and telling the griffin something "Tariyah-san? What you... Oh?" She doesn't know what the dragonborn is trying to say, but if she had to guess, oit would be to try and get her on her good side... so she start gently petting her wings to show that she's not hostile... and even reveals her fluffy tail to do so.

Animal Handling: 22

Pixel Animal Handling check failed.

Maya skill]Animal Handling[/skill] check passed.

Cezars laughs at Pixel's futile attempts at calming his mount down. "HAHAHA! Pathetic fly! In this world, it's either defeat or be—"

When Maya walks over and pets Felića on her wing, she calms down and stops struggling. She nuzzles her leg—a greeting in gryphon body language. She then looks up and bows down—a sign of submission, if it isn't obvious already. 

"Wait... wait, what? Impossible! This shouldn't... It's not scientifically possible!" Cezars stutters and his facial expression turns from cocky and angry to shock... and angry.

"Calesé! Fuger de xuva, Ćećar." (1) His mount looks at him with an unblinking expression. For the first time, she actually disobeyed his orders. To serve family is gryphon's instinct, but the desire to survive overrides everything else.

"YOU DARE DISOBEY MY ORDERS!? YOU DARE BITE THE HAND THAT FEEDS YOU!?" Cezars squirms, it's a good thing that you tied both his feet and his hands, because he would totally punch his own mount in the face right now. The fire Genasi coughs, it seems that the shouting he'd done earlier might be a bit too much for his throat. "You... you little... Fine! I was planning to upgrade my mount to a nightmare or a dracolich anyway, suits my power much better." 

Nightmare in this case isn't a bad dream, it's a type of fiend that resembles a horse with a burning mane and tail. And a dracolich is obvious to you already, it's a stuff of legends, a bone dragon revived through the power of necromancy.

He turns to Alex, the one who probably has the most knowledge about whatever Cezars spewed out for the past few minutes. "That's right, a dracolich. Can your God do anything to save you and your friend? No! He does not care about you or anything for that matter! I tried praying to Him every single day, praying for a better world without crime and poverty, and He didn't answer! At least with the undead or fiend, they will do anything their binder tells them to do, isn't it ironic that these monsters know more about order than the rest of the society does?" Cezars keeps rambling on about how undead and fiends are much better than people because they're powerful, they don't feel as much emotion as mortals do, and they're the only thing that will obey anything that comes out of his mount... which is basically what he said earlier, but repeated in a slightly different way. It's probably time to put a cloth in his mouth so he can stop rambling.

The gryphon looks at the rest of the party and shakes her head. "El devagar por semanas é me no ideá el qwe falando. Vamos... por favõr. Ẽ qwejer no xuva."(2)

Once you all release her from her binding, the gryphon stands still, at least she doesn't attempt to backstab you—or in this case, back-claw you. She will act on her own accord... for now, and her main goal is to find somewhere dry, which means she'll follow all of you since she thinks you might have some idea of where the nearest stable is. She doesn't consider you to be her master yet.

Alharisian transcription:

As Stupid Rixi rambles on I translate everything that he ranted about to the one person who cares about me the most. And trust me my friend... You don't want to upset her... Actually, it may be too late for that... *Smug*

Maya feels extremely relived that the griffin has calmed down after her patting. Even more so, as the latter rubs her face, she giggles lightly in response. "Uwah! Kantan! Kantan! (簡単, 簡単! Easy, easy!) Ahaha!" She laughs out loud before she quickly latches off her and notices the submissive pose the beast is doing. She then releases the rope that bound the griffin before she gestures her to wait with an open clawed hand first; The rest of the members are probably not ready yet, so it wouldn't be wise to command it to follow her or anyone else... yet.

However, as her son translates what 'Rixian' yelled out for her, the kitsune's demeanour instantly changes as her face morphs from a warm smile to one of extreme offense as she suddenly bares sharp teeth. Clenching her clawed fists, she marches up to him and prepares to give an ounce of her discipline... You mess with 'mama kitsune', and you get boned. "DAMARE BUREIMONO! (黙れ 無礼者, Shut up rude person!)" She yells out as she punches Cezars with such force she renders him unconscious (again) before tossing him to the group and tying him up even tighter before pouting. Geez. She took the pain and effort to at least trudge out in the storm and sacrifice her pretty image just to heal his mount and  all they could do to thank her is to yell at her for it?! So ungrateful of them... Maybe next time she should extract their life force and shorten their lifespans instead... In fact... as she turns back and continues snarling, she wonders if this is really the Rixian she knows today.

Alex shakes his head, ignoring the rain pelting him and the water running down his face and hair. "I'd thought that maybe, after what you'd said about saving her, you might actually care about your friend here. But it seems I was wrong." He looks sadly at Felica, "I hope for your sake that someone can talk some sense into Cezars. Lest he turn his wrath on you." 

He eyes the once-paladin, "If you had any faith, you would know that it isn't a matter of what God can do, its what he will do. The only reason we have crime and poverty in this world is because of our own evil. If He were to do anything that would erase the darkness in the world, it would rob us of our own free will. It is by our own choices that we bring these things on ourselves. Would you rather everyone have no say in their own thoughts or feelings?" He crosses his arms, "And just because He didn't answer in the way you want him to doesn't mean he didn't listen, it doesn't mean he didn't answer in some other way. All it means is that you were too blind to see it." He clutches the bloodied symbol on his tabard, "But unlike you, I have faith that He works all things for good. Even if us mortals don't understand." 

Grabbing Cezars by the wrists, he pulls the genasi to his (bound) feet, "What I don't understand is how you can be so blind to your own evil. What use is the law if you're using it to cause others pain? What use is getting rid of crime and poverty if all you are doing is inflicting a new kind of fear and suffering on those around you? Perhaps your monsters know more about order than the rest of society does, but that doesn't mean it's right to side with them." He pushes him towards the gryphon hoping someone will help the genasi get on--though he'll try and throw him on more like a sack of potatoes than a rider--that way he can't give any sort of commands aside from vocal ones. "You are the perfect example of someone trying to remove the speck from his brother's eye, all the while blind to the plank in your own. What's more, even demons know not to tun on their own kind, yet you've turned on those you seem to think you are protecting." 

Turning his attention to Felica he gives a weak smile, "At least I know you are a kind soul, even if you follow Cezars. I'm really sorry about... well what happened earlier. I didn't want to hurt you, and I know it's a little late to ask forgiveness. Please realize that I don't want to hurt either of you, I just wish your master would see that he isn't in the right here, and he's causing lots of people pain... including you it seems. Though, forgive me if I'm wrong, as... well I can't understand your language. Just know that we aren't going to hurt him, for now we just need to get to safety, and then..." His eyes flick towards Cezars again, "Well, we'll have to hope that the law is really as just as he seems to think it is." 

Then he looks to his comrades, "Alright, let's get going before this storm gets worse." 

If there are no objections, he'll start leading the way to shelter. 

*Renar winces as he watches his mother knock the lights out of Cezars one last time before Alex scoops him up* Yep. That's Okaa-san for you... Kind and gentle up until the moment you insult her, then she becomes yet another angry and disturbed fox spirit... Sigh. Speaking of which, Alex is indeed spitting facts, albeit ones I don't care to think about. *He relaxes his grip on his katana as soon as Alex tells the rest to move on; Not needing to translate this time, Renar nods to his mother as an indicator saying that it's time* "He's right. We need to move... Before one of us either drowns or catches a major cold. Lead the way. Hurry."

"Uh, guys?" Shugo says, after packing up his things and finishing helping the others pack what they can bring. The rain has started to pick up even more. They REALLY shouldn't be standing here still. However, it seems the group is more focused on that hot-headed genasi. He waits for a few moments before trying again. "Guys?" He says, only to be ignored once more. Maybe they can't hear him over the rain? Ugh, why did they wake both the bird and it's master up? Couldn't they have just gotten the griffin then slapped the jerk on it's back? This would have gone a lot quieter if they had... He stands there a few moments more as the conversation becomes more and more heated, all the while the water rises around their feet. Why is he the only one who seems to notice? He opens his mouth again, this time intending to yell. However, no noise passes his lips. At that moment, Maya erupts with anger and knocks Cezars out cold with one punch. The elf stands there opened mouthed in the poring rain for several moments. That woman is scary.

After Alex and Renar finally mention leaving, he shakes himself, adding more droplets to the falling rain. "Wow that's exactly what I was thinking!" He says sarcastically, while still wearing his usual smile, making it hart to tell if he's irritated or not. "I'm not familiar with this area, do either of you locals know where we can find higher ground and some shelter?" He asks Venet and Alex.

Taliyah turns towards the older of the two kitsune in the group as they walk away from the farmhouse. "Thank you for your help with convincing Felica to cooperate. I wouldn't want to think about how we'd get her to cooperate if you didn't. That cruel man probably would've kept Felica following him around until he threw her away for something supposedly better if we hadn't taken him down."

Here we go again... *Insta translate back and forth from Maya to Taliyah and vice-versa whilst he rolls his eyes in disgust*

"What nonsense are you speak—AAHHH!" Cezars shuts up for once after he's knocked unconscious, his mount looks at the ground as the group toss him on her back.

Hearing Alex talk to her, though, she just nudges him with her face, that's probably a gryphon way of saying 'yes,' but she doesn't say anything further. She waits for the rest of the group to walk forward, and then she follows them close behind.

There isn't that much option for them anyway, going back from where they came from means they'll have to cross that river again, and it isn't the brightest idea to stand next to water during a cyclone. They'll have to keep going forward, following Route 700, and they'll get to decide whether they want to continue on Route 700 until they reach Stučkavas or divert to a higher and drier Route 701 in Durlaururu.

But first, they'll need to get to Nautrie.

Four hours later...

The journey remains silent (and thankfully at that.) The only person who can properly talk is asleep, and the gryphon just follows the party from behind without saying anything. The water level varies from time to time, sometimes it's absent, but most of the time, it's still around your ankle. Unlike tropical cyclones, extratropical cyclones do not have an eye, it will continue to rain until the cyclone dissipates.

Eventually, you see windmills on your left and right, the majority of them have broken blades, and the ones with all four blades intact don't spin anymore, since whoever owns those shuts them off temporarily. And in front of you, to the right side of the windmills is the town of Nautrie. It's much bigger than the last three settlements you came across, but it's still much smaller than Luba and microscopic compared to Madura. At this point, the sun is almost set and everything becomes much darker, it's lucky that you made it here in time.

Despite the storm, the town is bustling with activity. Townsfolk run around, carrying crates of supplies, scrolls, and books onto the first floor of the house (The floor that's on the ground is called the 'ground floor' and the one that's above it is the 'first floor'). Their path leads to a library and a church in the centre of the town. It's relatively rare to see such a small town with a library like this, which must be why they take extra care transporting books which may be damaged by water.

There is only one guard in this town, who's carrying a crate full of books too, on a closer look—that's Maigurs, the wolf Shifter at the bridge from earlier.

Maigurs waves to the group, "Hey, guys, good to see you—WHA?" His ears shoot straight up and he drops the crate on the ground in shock, "You caught Cezars!? You—what? How?" He babbles, "Whatever, bring him into the tavern before he catches a cold and gets his mount to a stable, we'll chat there!"

The Nautrie tavern is much more crowded than usual, both because of the rain and the sign that says FLASH (FLOOD) SALE—EVERYTHING MUST GO!!! sticking out from the front. Maigurs and your group sit down on a square table in the corner, tossing Cezars' unconscious body to another seat.

"First of all—I'm really sorry you got into this situation, my kin." He says to Maya, his ears drooping. His reaction would be much, much different of Maya had nine tails out. He thinks Maya is a fox Shifter, a fellow shifter kin just like him. "I don't like getting my tail or my ears wet, yours is probably much worse since it's much more fluffy and soft. You can lend my special tail-fur brush for tonight." He smiles.

"Secondly... this sort of weather must be new to you." He looks at Taliyah, "You can probably stay in the rain much longer, since you're resistant to cold, and fungal infections doesn't do anything against scales, just like your friend over there." He points to Venet, "But you should still be careful. Flooded areas can be deeper than it looks, imagine it like a quicksand, except it covers the entire area."

"Third..." His tail thumps against the seat, "You guys are awesome! You defeated Cezars and not only that, but you shrugged off the cyclone like it's nothing! Either you guys are really insane or really talented... or both!" He scratches the base of his ears, "But... did you manage to find the three thieves we saw earlier?" He tilts his head.

On a closer inspection of the crates Maigurs carried, it's filled with thick Lancean dictionaries and encyclopedias. Perhaps Maya can make use of it.

Quote from Ace0fLuck >>

Taliyah turns towards the older of the two kitsune in the group as they walk away from the farmhouse. "Thank you for your help with convincing Felica to cooperate. I wouldn't want to think about how we'd get her to cooperate if you didn't. That cruel man probably would've kept Felica following him around until he threw her away for something supposedly better if we hadn't taken him down."

Because Taliyah's words were unfortunately something that she could not comprehend all at once, her furious snarl remains as she whips her head towards Taliyah... at least until her son translates everything that the former just so a misunderstanding could be avoided. As he does so, her snarl reverts back to a warm smile as she clasps the dragonborn's hands and bends her knees to her as an act of gratitude. "No pu... ro.. bu lemu! Thank... you... for help... me. Du... ra.. gon... right? I really... I love... like it!" She replies in her broken accent. She then puts on her disguise and turns to the griffin to signal her that it's time to go before staying in the middle of the pack (and also an uncomfortably close distance to Renar much to everyone's suspicion). Whilst walking towards a safe zone for four hours, Maya tried to lighten everyone's moods by singing an ancient Japanese melody. However, because the rain was so severe, her tunes were constantly drowned out by the horrendous downpour, let alone the uncomfortable sensation of her bare feet all the way to her lower thighs getting covered in both water and mud overwhelming her nerves. So in the end, she gave up and walked in utter silence whilst she shivers from the freezing temperatures, just like how she usually walks when near a large crowd. It was also at this point she became lost in her inner fantasies and didn't pay attention to her surroundings in the process.

Much later when the entire group finally reach the tavern and leave the griffin in a shack nearby, Maya breathes a massive sigh of relief as she mutters 'finally' in Japanese. Now all she needs is a good, warm shower, at least, until she hears a gasp and looks up to find... another animal-eared boy?! Wait a second... Upon noticing that the guard has animal ears and a tail like herself and her son, Maya gasps with delight as she attempt to... wait... no... Upon closer inspection of his ears though, she pouts when she recognises that she's a wolf and not a fox. Urgh. She was hoping to meet another one of a kind to ease her mind of her 'search'. And speaking of which, where have the other foxes gone? Or is she in the wrong place? She can't tell. Anyway, she peers towards the wolf boy as they follow him and... Hmm... she hasn't met this fellow before though. Who even is he, the one who gasped upon noticing her comrades? Either way, maybe he could be a close companion of her son. Well... she's found him, but she's just going to keep the act until she's given the signal by him. And... now that she's out of the rain, she is able to let her fluffy tail sway loose from her cloak as well as let her fox ears be shown in the open as she removes her hood.

At the table, she asks for some water with Renar's assistance. As she silently smiles at the other companions whilst watching them interact with her anxious son and each other, Maya hopes to maybe bond with them too and get to know them better at most, particularly Venet and Shugo, whom she's super interested in. hears the wolf boy speak to her which, in response, made her ears twitch.

Quote from ACNSuphalak >>

 "First of all—I'm really sorry you got into this situation, my kin." He says to Maya, his ears drooping. His reaction would be much, much different of Maya had nine tails out. He thinks Maya is a fox Shifter, a fellow shifter kin just like him. "I don't like getting my tail or my ears wet, yours is probably much worse since it's much more fluffy and soft. You can lend my special tail-fur brush for tonight." He smiles.

"Ah! No... No need... say... sorry. No need. Fu luff... boy. But... thank... you." Maya responds as she waves her hands innocently (She made Renar translate as usual much to his annoyance). "Arigato!" She also responds to the hair brush sharing. She needs to shower anyways, so when the opportunity comes she will ask where the bathrooms are so she can clean herself. But first, she needs to ask him something... "Um... Sumi masen (excuse me...)... Have you... seen... Muzuko? My son? He... yellow eyes... fox ears... tail like... mama..." She points to her ears and places her tail on the table. "...Son, name Raiden... cannot... found. Have you... seen... him?" And... as soon as the wolf boy says he doesn't know... she again pouts... just to keep the facade going; Deep inside she's so eager to pounce on him and give him a massive cuddle if it wasn't for everyone else in the way...

Quote from ACNSuphalak >>

 On a closer inspection of the crates Maigurs carried, it's filled with thick Lancean dictionaries and encyclopedias. Perhaps Maya can make use of it.

A few seconds of silence later, Maya curiously eyes (well not really, since her eyes are still shut) the stack of books. She's an avid reader and especially loses herself in the wonder of these things in her downtime, let alone when her daughter was with her. "Uh... can I... read?" She asks Maigurs before she takes a curious peek at one of them. Maybe it would be worthwhile to read some books whilst the rest of her companions are chatting amongst themselves with that wolf boy... (Investigation: 6) if it wasn't for the text being super hard for her to read. In fact, the others are probably wondering how on earth can she read something like this with her eyes closed. In the meanwhile she can visualize what the pictures are supposed to portray, but that's about it. Well... as she scooches really close to one of the others... "Renar-kun. Pu... reasu?" She asks him with a soothing tone as she holds the pages towards him with her right hand and rests her left hand on his shoulder; Her long ginger hair gently flickers over herself and her disguised son as she moves.

Sigh... this endless rain... The weather here is a lot worse than both Sword Coast and Japan, I'll admit. Having chosen to walk behind the rest as always... I made zero effort to strike a conversation with anyone else, including my own mother, well, not that I was interested in doing so... But... I'm soaking wet. And the wind too. It's... "ACHOO!" Having heard about this topic about climate change in Japan though, I wonder if this place, Lancea, has suffered worse? Either way I... hm? *Notices his mother striding really close to him for some reason* Uh... *He quivers a little* Okaa-san? Um... *He lightly taps on her shoulder just to let her know that she's too close to him* ...not... to close to me... please. We're both surrounded by strangers at most. I don't want to embarrass myself in front of them before the mission even starts... Please...

4 hours later...

ARRRRGGGHHHH... My legs... so cramped... so wet... absolutely completely bogged... I'm so thankful we made it to this checkpoint. I don't know how much lnoger I can endure getting drenched and trying to avoid hypothermia... Huh?

Quote from ACNSuphalak >>

 Maigurs waves to the group, "Hey, guys, good to see you—WHA?" His ears shoot straight up and he drops the crate on the ground in shock, "You caught Cezars!? You—what? How?" He babbles, "Whatever, bring him into the tavern before he catches a cold and gets his mount to a stable, we'll chat there!"

*Renar gives 'Wolfy' a smirk* "Well... long time no see, huh, Wolfy?" *As soon as Renar was led into the tavern, he immediately takes off his utterly soaked shoes and socks before he wrings them dry and setting them aside; He doesn't dare to take off his hoodie though, not when he's still trying to conceal his identity unlike his mother* Man... I'm... "ACHOO!" *Renar raises a hand for a waiter* "Can I have a hot beverage please? Prefarably chocolate or water* Even as I try my best to fluff out the excess moisture from my fur and my clothes, I'm still shivering like heck. If I don't have something warm, I'm gonna suffer from hypothermia soon. *He whips his head away from the others and curls up into a ball to maintain his heat, all the while avoiding potential conversations the others might throw at him* "I'm just relived we all made it in once piece." I reply if anyone tries to talk to- *Maya's tail brushes against one of his hands, causing him to jolt*

Quote from ACNSuphalak >>

 "First of all—I'm really sorry you got into this situation, my kin." He says to Maya, his ears drooping. His reaction would be much, much different of Maya had nine tails out. He thinks Maya is a fox Shifter, a fellow shifter kin just like him. "I don't like getting my tail or my ears wet, yours is probably much worse since it's much more fluffy and soft. You can lend my special tail-fur brush for tonight." He smiles.

"Yeah well, as for those three idiots you mentioned, uh... those guys... they were no match for our prowess. And now... *Awkward pause * Now they're being sent back to where they should belong, yeah." *He notices Maya grinning at him* What?! Ugh... ok fine... *Again he takes the pain* Not even the first night with Okaa-san and I'm already regretting taking the role of her translator... Can't she at least understand a single word he or anyone else is saying here?! *Once he finishes he slowly sips his hot beverage whilst he tilts his head away from everyone else and towards an empty corner* Sigh... I mean... I'm glad Okaa-san is able to make it here. But what about Rixi and Yuri? Weren't they supposed to accompany her too? I would have... well... I mean I was already prepared to navigate this world myself but even so... *And then his mother scooches really closely towards him with a thick book* Uh... Okaa-san? What are you... wait... oh. So you're interested in reading those books huh? *He turns his soaked towards her and...* I mean I would be too if it wasn't... *Feels one of her hands laid on his shoulder* Huh?

Quote from Wildland_Shifters >>

A few seconds of silence later, Maya curiously eyes (well not really, since her eyes are still shut) the stack of books. She's an avid reader and especially loses herself in the wonder of these things in her downtime, let alone when her daughter was with her. "Uh... can I... read?" She asks Maigurs before she takes a curious peek at one of them. Maybe it would be worthwhile to read some books whilst the rest of her companions are chatting amongst themselves with that wolf boy... (Investigation: 6) if it wasn't for the text being super hard for her to read. In fact, the others are probably wondering how on earth can she read something like this with her eyes closed. In the meanwhile she can visualize what the pictures are supposed to portray, but that's about it. Well... as she scooches really close to one of the others... "Renar-kun. Pu... reasu?" She asks him with a soothing tone as she holds the pages towards him with her right hand and rests her left hand on his shoulder; Her long ginger hair gently flickers over herself and her disguised son as she moves.

*Though everyone else couldn't see it, Renar instantly grits his teeth in embarrassment as he blushes slightly and furiously gestures his mother to reconsider her actions* OKAA-SAN! PLEASE! NOT IN THE FACE OF EVERYONE ELSE! *He breathes and maintains his composure as he speaks in a toneless voice* "Maya-san... kyori o oite... kudasai (距離を置いてください, Please keep your distance)." No, please. Not right now. Not in front of them. Sorry, Okaa-san... I'm aware you want to get to know me better through reading but... not when we need to stay disguised for as long as possible! *Feels her grip on his shoulder tightening as he stares at her pretty smile and concedes* "Ugh... Ok, ok fine... Honyaku O Otetsudai... shimasu... (翻訳をお手伝い...します, I'll... help you translate...)" *Renar spends most of the evening translating what his mother is struggling to read in the massive book she's holding, all the while trying to maintain his kuudere like image so that he doesn't give off any suspcious clues to his current teammates*