Maya knew that Alek wanted to speak to Renar; To speak with her too. The footsteps coming from his heavy armour was enough to rattle her hidden fox ears. Yet... on the way towards the inn, she chose to keep silent about it, not even moving to say no to the young boy invading their privacy; She knows he has a lot to say, as much as she wants to say too, on her own accord. Sure it may seem odd for her to do little things like this on the spot. But as Renar said, every little action she has done so far, despite being a clear outsider, despite being from a world where brutality and murder is common, she hold no malice. No sense of hostility. No thoughts of violence. And she makes it clear with her actions.

Having deduced that the paladin has seen her true form already, Maya finally takes off her black cloak, revealing her accentuating red and white kimono along with her obvious fox ears and tails to him; It has mostly dried up ever since she got soaked last night, but boy she needs to take a quick shower badly when this is done. When Alek speaks up about their current situation, Maya couldn't help but hold her palms to her large chest in sorrow and wag her tail solemnly. She wasn't even bothered by the fact that Alek correctly identified that she's speaking Japanese. This poor boy. He must be feeling so much emotional pain for her and her son. And she couldn't help but absorb the radiating fears herself unlike her son who finds it difficult to do so. Small streaks of tears come out in response. This paladin must be a special one. Maya desperately nods as a clear sign of wanting to answer his questions like there's no tomorrow, though she's still aware that she needs to hide her true identity whenever possible, just like what her son told her a while back. After all, coming from Japan and the Sword Coast, she and her son will need to tread carefully too.

At least, until her son spoils the mood again and especially hers when he suddenly and finally loses it on the spot. To hear him finally crack under pressure after keeping it under his aloof face is... something that she too just does not want to hear, especially when Alek is doing so much to befriend two legendary fox spirits that he might not be able to see again. Immediately after being forced to listen to Renar's unreasonably sour rant, the kitsune mother clenches her fists in annoyance, her stiffened single tail pointing upwards towards the ceiling before moving out to keep her son from clawing the friend that she dreams he will train with in the future. Without hesitation, despite knowing that Janus does not want her to take it off, she gently does so with the amulet, walks forward towards the young boy and slips it around his neck without doing anything more than that. She steps back and clears throat. 

"Omae… rikai dekimasu ka? Kōka arimasu ka? (オマエ…理解できますか? 効果ありますか?)" She asks him, hoping that the amulet works for Alek. If it does, then he can hear her soothing, youthful voice repeating her words except in Lancean, his own native language, because it also seems that she has a lot to say for herself if he can:

"You... Can you understand me? Does it work?" (TBC)

Two red lines appear on the test kit, right on the section that's labelled C and T... the problem is you have no idea what C and T are supposed to represent, which means you don't know if you're infected or not.

You might need to find another test kit down the road and test it on someone else, someone you can confirm is either infected or not infected with the ALTIS virus.

When Renar punches the wall, his fist easily goes through it, even though he didn't put that much force into it, and when he pulls his hand back, he realises his fist penetrates this room into another—he can see the other unoccupied bedroom from the hole.

The amulet does not work for Alex, he still hears Maya speaking in Japanese. But Janus did say that the amulet would allow Maya to speak Lancean immediately without having to learn it first. All she needs to do is to will that she speaks in Lancean, then speaks.

After a while, you can hear the door of another bedroom open. You see Janus sticking his muzzle through the hole Renar had made earlier.

"That will be 40 gold, you can leave the money with Astra, pay me by the 40th of April." He says, his voice is monotonous—which means he's furious. "After you're done talking with your friends, we need to have a chat." With that, Janus walks out of the other bedroom.

Realising that the amulet is doing the young boy any favours, the kitsune sighs in defeat. It seems that she'll need to rely on her 'guardian' to accompany her until she can finally speak Lancean properly. She sniffles a little and prepares to speak her heart out nonetheless, but then, as she turns to Renar, the next thing she sees with her blindsight is... him accidentally breaking Janus wall... 

Wait... did he just... break something... that's not even his?! "RENAR-KUN?!" She snarls in anger and horror. First he lets his stress get the better of him and blows up in front of Alek, and now he breaks something that he doesn't rightfully own?! Oh goodness... already the nightmare has been exacerbated just because Renar decide to use a tad more strength than he normally had. Not even Janus speaking the untranslatable Lancean to her was enough to deter her from the fact that the one she trusts, her son in disguise, does something dishonourable like that. Even if the damage doesn't appear to be a major one. How dares he!

Furious and panicking, she lunges at him and grabs him by his shoulders, her claws painfully digging into his shoulder blades as she grips with triple the force than she normally used when she held onto Renar to prevent him from escaping. "Ikuradesu ka?! IKURA?! (いくらですか?! いくら?! How much is it?! HOW MUCH?!)" She yells out, before she abruptly releases him and sends him reeling in pain. Desperate, she then checks her purse and makes sure she has enough funds; She's has 120 gold which is more than sufficient, seeing that she hasn't spent it on anything of value yet (OOC, when I first joined I didn't know what the starting gold was so I kept it to Maya's original value). But then she swivels back to Renar. And then to Alek. And then back again. How much does her son have?! Turning back towards Alek, she quickly nabs the amulet off him in panic, slips it back on her neck and holds out her purse. Well, not that she wants him to steal her money, but she's trying to ask him how much money does he have, and will it be enough to cover the repairs? Feeling that he's (Alek) not getting a single hint of her gesture, the kitsune turns to Renar again with the same, furious snarl. "Baka! Kare ga dore dake okane o motte iru ka oshiete kudasai! Ima sugu kare ni tsutaete kudasai! (バカ! 彼がどれだけお金を持っているか教えてください！今すぐ彼に伝えてください!, Idiot! Ask him how much money he has! Ask him now or else!)" After screaming her portion of stress, her tail suddenly goes limp whilst she hyperventilates for 30 seconds. Her expression does not even change a Though she does have enough, she feels like her son needs to take responsibility for this matter himself. 

Actually... speaking of which she goes over her spell list too. She doesn't know how to repair stuff via magical means, and glancing to the damaged wall, she deduces the crack he made seems small enough to be able to return to its original appearance, so can either of the two boys cover it for her? Even so, she's still not optimistic at the slightest. After wasting a full five minutes getting to address the current scenario to the two boys, she decides to behave how a true mother behaves when their child gets into trouble. She crosses her arms and shakes her head at the two, more so at Renar since he's the one at fault. 

"Hmph. Konkai wa anata jishindesu. Gomen nasai. (今回はあなた自身です。ごめんなさい, You're on your own this time. I'm sorry.)" She huffs in disappointment as she abruptly leaves her son and Alek be; Her tone as monotone as Janus, though she does stop for a moment and gently pats Alek on his head to reassure him that she's okay. Now that Janus has called them in, looks like she won't be able to improve on her Lancean anytime soon. All because her son made one, careless mistake that pretty much turned this potentially meaningful meeting upside down. 

When Renar accidentally punches a hole in the wall, Alex flinches slightly but doesn't say anything, recognizing that Renar isn't finished speaking. 

Alex looks a little hurt after Renar's outburst, but that expression quickly changes to just sadness. Slowly he says, "Janus told us... remember? So... it's not really changeling language. It's from wherever Maya's home is. Right? I'm sorry if I've been getting on your nerves... I wish you would have told me sooner so I could fix whatever I've been doing wrong."

"But... why do you think that anyone in our group has anything against you or Maya? When has her language barrier ever been a point of conflict between us? Sure, we thought it was odd, but we weren't even aware of the language law until we met that old lady in the under dark. We just wanted to help her find her son." Renar had perhaps inadvertently let it slip that he realized Maya is in fact an outsider, which in Alex's eyes is the loose thread of a whole tapestry preparing to unravel. "So you also figured it out.... that she isn't Lancean?" The fact that Renar is so flustered and defensive about his own origins is enough to make even Alex wonder how much of his words are truth. Renar even slips up by saying 'your planet' instead of 'our planet' when referring to Lancea. Plus he's still confused as to why Renar would so easily trust Maya when he's supposedly known her for less time than he's known Alex. The only logical answer is that he was lying when he said he'd never met her before. The two clearly are more than comfortable with each other, and Alex isn't the only one who's noticed that. 

He very nearly says or asks something else when Renar tries to piece back together his changeling facade, but falls silent as Maya steps forward and puts the amulet over his neck. It's pretty obvious what she's asking, even without Renar asking the same thing--can he understand her? He shakes his head slowly, "S...sorry. I don't think it works for me..." Then he flinches again when Janus pokes his nose through the hole in the wall. Oh great... hopefully they didn't just make him mad. Plus, if Alex figured out what's going on with Renar and Maya, then that can only mean one thing if Janus wants to talk to them. Clearly he's pieced it together too. 

He looks to Maya quickly, and hands her the amulet back, slightly surprised when she snatches it away only to hold out her purse. What? Is she asking about the amount Janus just said? But... she wouldn't have been able to understand it without the amulet... "It's supposed to let you speak Lancean without having to learn it. I... I get that you want to learn it, and I'd be more than happy to help you if you want... but I think Janus just wants you to have a way to speak the language without having to worry about being found out by others before you have time to properly learn it. ...He's... well, kinda looking out for you in that regard." Well, in spite of the fact that he had threatened to tell the authorities if she refused to wear it. But still, he doesn't really understand why she's so dead set against using it to speak to them. She's using it to understand them already, so why not use the item to its full extent? "Oh... are you asking about uh... the damage? Maybe... maybe Mira has a spell that can help?" Maybe that's not what she was asking, and clearly she gave up on trying to convey her meaning, leaving Alex even more confused about why she doesn't just use the amulet. Does it not work properly for her? Or does she just not understand how to use it to speak in their language?

Unfortunately, after Renar's accident and Janus's sudden invasion of their privacy, it seems that Maya is no longer in the mood to talk. Alex raises a hand, not wanting her to leave just yet since they'd just barely started talking. He still has so many questions, and he wants to make sure that she feels unthreatened by him and the rest of the group. What sort of relationships does she have with her home world? Obviously all this talk of war and bombs hasn't been sitting well with her, so... 

When she pats him on the head, he lets his hand fall in defeat. How is he supposed to fix this? How did this happen to begin with? She's acting like she's alright, but... 

He slowly turns his attention back to Renar, "I... really want to just take your word Renar but... I just can't overlook the evidence. If you really don't trust easily, which I do believe, then why do you trust Maya so much? Why swear to protect her when you've known her for less time than you've known us? If you could offer some sort of explanation that adds up... explains how you know her language and why you seem to trust her but not the rest of us... rather than just say that you don't trust easily, then..." Then what? Well, if Renar could actually explain everything that Alex has noticed in a way that makes sense he'd believe him. If Renar really is a Lancean, then he should be able to explain how he knows the language as well as everything else without getting so worked up about it. Clearly these questions leave him flustered, and Alex clearly feels really really bad about making Renar so uncomfortable, but... how are they supposed to work as a team if they can't even ask and answer questions like this?

"I'm sorry if jumping to the conclusion about you guys being slaves was rude... I'm just grasping for answers. It seems awful convenient for a kitsune to show up right before we start finding all this out about a potential war. Not that I'm blaming your or accusing you of anything. You both seemed just as surprised about the whole war thing as we did come to think of it but..." He sighs,  shaking his head, "If you want me to keep pretending that you are who and what you say you are I will. I really, really want to believe you but... your words aren't adding up or making sense."

He rubs his arm, a look of defeat clear on his face, "I'm sorry if my questions have made you upset or uncomfortable. I hope you understand why I'm asking these things, and... I'm sorry you still don't think of me as a friend."

Someone else might have just left at this point, but Alex stays. He hopes that Renar will decide to open up and just share the truth... whatever it may be. But if Renar isn't ready to do that then that's that. It's clear that the thing that bothers him the most, foolish as it may be, is that Renar doesn't even consider him a friend. 

After waiting the required five minutes and seeing his results. The pounding in his chest is simply replaced by that suffocating feeling of dread. That kind of dread that dulls the senses enough to make one practically unaware of one's surroundings. Thus being the reason he doesn't notice Mira's presence even when she calls out. Looking at the kit with the C and T, he falls back on his pillow and puts his hands over his eyes and forehead. Why didn't he think of that? He knew he hadn't know what those letters would mean. 

After several moments, he lets his hands fall away from his face. He stares at the ceiling. Janus knew that dark elf. Maybe he knows something about this virus. He continues staring at the ceiling....then he sighs and shoves the item back in his pocket. If Janus doesn't know, he'd have to hope he could find another kit...or talk to the bastard who created the virus in the first place. 

Standing, he slowly rises and walks back to the door. Opening it quietly and seeing none of his companions outside, he starts looking for Janus. The demon had said he'd be upstairs, so that's where he'll look first.

Looking back at where i made a dent on the wall, I realised I've done it now. Before I can even explain my actions, I felt Okaa-san's brute strength crushing the life out of my lungs as I choked in pain, before she suddenly sends me spiralling back, gestures to Alek in a weird manner and then looks back at me in disappointment. "M... Maya..." I tried to call out, but then she left me and Alek in the dust. I sank my head to the floor again. What have I done?

"I..." I couldn't even explain to Alek about what she wants me to say when she storms out in disgust. I arch my head down in anguish. Crap. Janus did mention that he knows where our home is. "I... I didn't take that in mind. I'm sorry. As much as I want her to speak Lancean, I... our low sense of trust is what..." I stop mid sentence, thinking that I would end up confusing Alek even more with what I say. And then he tell me about the amulet and how Okaa-san might not be interested in using it. I blink twice. I don't she even knows how it works in the first place. I don't think she knows... "She... she doesn't understand how to use it. I don't think I explained it clearly to her myself. If she did, she would be able to speak Lancean... properly... She doesn't know it works both ways. And right now, she's mad at me, not at you. I don't want to hear you hurt yourself for what I've done. I kind of deserve it for my stubbornness anyways..." I explain with an unmotivated voice. I'll need to clarify with Okaa-san that she can speak Lancean through the amulet itself, even if she thinks it's broken; The amulet will supposedly work for her normally. 

"Also, I didn't say that I never wanted to be your friend okay? To me... finding a close friend is the same as finding the artefact on Lancea; A hard-won treasure; Maya is no exception. It's not that we don't like you. The two of us grew up not having friends, so we find it difficult to bond with others besides us two; She told me when we met. I didn't care if she behaved differently. I just knew, from the day I swore to protect her, I knew she can become a close friend if our understanding of each other grows overtime." I pause again, taking care to prevent the earlier mistake from repeating; I know I probably am not making sense but... I suppose I could loosen some strings as of this moment, slowly. "You probably are oblivious to this but... you already have a potential friend yourself. Maya-san... she... she's always been wanting to be one for some time already. I don't know if you notice but... she's been showing some kind of affection towards you for now. If she does, you know she likes you. She never does that to people she doesn't know well. She also told me one time, if there's anyone she want feel safe with in this planet other than me, it's you. You appear to match everything she hopes for in a friend: Kindness, selflessness, courage... Did you know that she wishes for her son to spar with you every time, should she ever get the chance to reunite with him again?" I'm not even wrong as I couldn't help but fold my fox ears downwards. I in fact want to test out Alek and find out on areas that he can improve on; Alek can also teach me stuff in return too. As much as I can't do it right now, I would like to show my warmth, my generosity and my knowledge, as much as he wants to see and learn from the best in me. He and the rest have a lot of hidden potentials that I hope to draw out when the time is crucial to defending Lancea and Sword Coast. 

"When we met, I already knew she was an outsider. Just by her appearance and the way she speaks alone. Being a kitsune too, I knew she was from somewhere; Toril, she eventually told me. Were both not slaves, Alek. I just came from Priyeh; She came here of her own will to not only unite with her child, but to also prevent a disaster that would potentially destroy her world and the things she holds dear... whatever they are, without anyone guarding her. That's why I vowed to protect her. Because clearly, for an outsider, she has shown no malice, no sense of bloodthirstiness, and is dire need of peace. And to bravely venture into an unknown space without the need for help? I wouldn't have done that myself. She's the type I'd want to protect, and a benevolent outsider like her... that's not something you'll see every once in a while. If she was hostile towards me, let's be real. Would you have seen me to this day? Would her son also be happy to find out the person that could rescue him and bring him back has turned into something hideous? I mean... it'd be a shame if we were to lose another royal so soon..." I cough a little before I put my hands behind my back (and, much to Alek's cluelessness, right where my tail stands). Not to mention, if Maya does indeed die, we'd be short of a queen in the Sword Coast too.

"If you really want to be her friend and mine as well, the least you could do is keep her secret safe. As much I'd like to tell everyone else in this room too. Don't forget that she still has her lost child outside somewhere waiting to be reunited and brought home, waiting to avert a disaster that he doesn't want to fight in." Except that I can't anymore. I'm dragged into this with no way out. "But you're the only one right now that I can meet. So, all I ask you is, do your one job well, and we promise to open up over time; I promise we will also listen when you want us to explore your personal boundaries too. And... Be honest..." I couldn't help but give off a forced smirk; I can't believe I'm saying this about my own mother, for crying out loud. "You always think, when you lay your eyes on her, she's friendly and gorgeous, don't you?"

Just before I could further clarify on what I meant, I suddenly hear the door bursting open and jolt. I turn around to find with crossed arms... oh crap... it's her again. The pushy queen.

"Mira... d-did you hear everything?  I can explain..."

"Alek... Renar... I heard Maya screaming about something from below before she stormed past me and Liivi. What the heck happened?" She asks in a monotone voice and her arms crossed and her palms glowing bright green; She's still outside in the corridor, so she cannot see what has happened. She gazes across the corridor. Where is Janus? Does he know what happened? “Look, if you need to holy boy, just go downstairs and I’ll sort things out with the other one. I heard Liivi wants to know more about you in the meanwhile.”

She can definitely tell that the two boys are in a worse mood than before; She actually heard that Maya is from Toril, but for some eerie reason, she doesn't say anything. But as she hops over to see Renar withdrawn in a corner, she turns to her right and sees the crack he made. She lets out a deflated sigh in response. "Right. So you punched something that wasn't even rightfully yours and now you need to cough up 40 gold pieces in exchange. Big deal." She hops over to examine the crack that the hoodie guy himself, before her spectral clock reappears when her paws glow an even brighter blue. "I can't fault Janus there. If this was my property I'd be furious as he is. I'd also ask you to pay up if it was mine. But... all things considered... there's always stuff that cannot be repaired with gold alone." Before either of the two could protest, Mira blocks them off with an invisible barrier before she aims her aura at the crack.

"Before you two ask what I'm doing, I'm doing this for free either, I know. If you want to repay me for covering something that cannot be easily repaid, for the love of our planet... get your stupid acts together, please. I don't care if you have to scrap the last of your funds to Janus, leave us be in the dust, speak more Japanese, become heries of justice or serial murderers or whatever! I just want all of you to get along again. Repay me with your cooperation. Your generosity! Your respect! All of you! That... That's all I ask...!" She says, her voice raising in volume with every sentence she forces out of her lungs up until the last one where she tones it down drastically, with numerous chokes in her voice; Her spectral clock turns yellow whilst she waves her arms; As if she's rewinding time and putting the fragments of the wall back to how it was, completely undamaged. "You really do remind me of my hot headed brother; I can't tell how many times I had to waste my energy repairing the most expensive walls that he has punched when he goes into a mental breakdown when my mother's away on diplomatic duties. In comparison to what I've seen, this is nothing. Be damaged, no more." (Since this crack is less than 1 foot, it should be able to repair to its original state without any problems)

"And before you asked... I heard everything. Your door was slightly open."

Well, it seems like Renar is softening up a little, but he still isn't elaborating on how he knows Japanese... Well, that must mean that he does want Alex to just pretend to believe that he's a Lancean. At least he seems sincere about wanting to be friends. Though his comments about Maya further confirm Alex's suspicions that they met long before they ran into her during that storm. But then Renar asks a question about Maya that catches him completely off guard. 

"H...huh?!" Alex says, confused by Renar's last words... well, confused by a lot of things but mostly those. It's... well, it's not like she isn't... uh... those things. But... he hadn't really thought about... well, she has always been super friendly but... His face goes red. Why would Renar ask him that? Unfortunately Alex doesn't get to ask anymore questions about any of Renar's statements before Mira storms through the door. 

Alex gapes. Mira heard EVERYTHING? He looks to Renar in utter shock, clearly having had no intention of bringing any of this up to the rest of the group without Renar and Maya's approval. Now it seems like Mira just got all the information, and knowing her, she likely came to the same conclusion that Alex did--Renar is lying about his identity. He's an off-worlder too. 

At least Mira fixed the wall, that should hopefully save them some money... hopefully Janus is alright with the fix. Well, why wouldn't he be? Mira literally just turned back time and made it as if it never happened. It had been completely unnecessary for her to put up a barrier, considering Alex was going to ask her if she could fix it anyways. He knew that magic users often had spells that would let them do this so he'd figured it would be a way to get Renar out of paying for the damage. But he doesn't really say much, falling quiet as Mira suddenly goes off on a rant. 

"Uh... Mira..." Alex says slowly. "You really heard literally everything?" How would she unless she was standing outside the door listening in this whole time!!! What happened to being trustworthy?! This was a private conversation for crying out loud! 

Granted he can't really blame her. She's been the sharpest of the group in terms of picking up on the smallest details and catching on to things way faster than Alex could believe. Yet... why would she do something like that? 

He doesn't pose the question, but he is very flustered and looks like he's been through an emotional roller coaster today. Well... he kinda has actually. What with Cezars and Leevi and Janus and Paulis and all the drama with Renar and Maya, not to mention losing Venet and then gaining Liivi (who he really wants to get to know more but feels like he has obligations to sort this mess out first). It isn't fair to Liivi to get onto a team only for it to end up so strained it falls apart shortly after. There are just so many things going on. Alex has mentally been through the wringer and back. 

That's not to say he isn't doing a little better after Renar calmed down, though he still wishes he would just be honest. If this is as far as he's willing to go right now then that's all Alex will ask. Mira on the other hand.... eavesdropping? 

"Even if the door was open... this was kinda private..." he says slowly, not angrily or anything. He shakes his head, "I don't think you need to sort things out with Renar. Right now this is between the two of us, so it kinda has to be me talking to him. We almost had things sorted out... Maya just got a bit upset about the hole in the wall I think..." He looks to Renar as if to confirm both statements. "I want to talk to Liivi too, but this is something that I wanted to take care of sooner rather than later. In private." 

Mira might be trying to get Renar and Maya to 'get their acts together' but Alex feels like her approach is a little to blunt. Plus the invasion of privacy isn't the greatest way to begin a trustworthy relationship ---especially with someone like Renar who's frequently mentioned his trust issues. Alex might be willing to forgive, but others might not be. 

After a while of searching, you see Janus standing on a balcony, looking at the night sky. His ears twitch in the direction of where Shugo is heading, "Need something?" 

I flinch a little when Mira suddenly screams at us whilst she repairs the wall. Geez what is wrong with this heck of a diva? First she tries to rile us up in conversations I don't want to hear, second she's hell bent on finding out on who we were and now she just yells out indiscriminately in front of our faces just because she feels the need to do so? I honestly don't understand this queen's behaviour. But more importantly, she heard everything that we just discussed? I grit my teeth unknowingly as my tail stiffens again. If I wasn't on her side, I probably would've slashed her clean and ended her life; Part of me wonders why we even rescued her in the first place down at the frozen cave.

"That was really dangerous, what you did there. And I'm not even talking about fixing the crack I made." I scowl at the future queen, who has started panicking for no reason. "That and especially with your desires to talk it out amongst others; One of these days if you're not careful, you'll pretty much blow all of our covers, not just mine and Maya-san's. What if we weren't on your side and your stealth is downright terrible? Then what are you gonna do if you get caught? Fight back with magic? What if they shrug it off with ease? Ironic how you say you value peace and honesty when you still end up doing something against your values."

Alek appears to be flustered just like her as he protests back, and he isn't wrong; My expression doesn't change though my ears immediately perk straight back up underneath my hood. "So you heard where Maya-san is from and what her motives are. Big deal." I fold my arms as if I had already expected this to happen; And it did in a way. But thankfully at least it hasn't been leaked to the whole of Lancea, otherwise we'd be screwed. Still, that doesn't mean I'm extremely cross about her trying to peep on us two. "I've got nothing else to say though. Just be thankful I'm not in a mood to go rampant. And neither does Maya-san. But I need to warn you: You all almost pushed us to our limit today." 

I don't say much even as she apologizes for what she did and as she leaves us be. Hopefully nothing else major comes up in the meanwhile. "And this Alek, is why I don't trust others easily. You never know what some people would do behind your back." I huff in disappointment as I sit back on the table. Well, I'm thankful she took the initiative to help us repair the wall for zero gold but i just couldn't help myself think of trying to recover in peace, though I have this feeling that I blew my chance to help Okaa-san learn Lancean too... I tilt my head towards the small beds as I think of how to repay Mira for her kindness... only to realise as I widen my eyes... someone had left their black hooded cloak behind when she stormed off. And... there was someone she doesn't know down there.

"Wait... she forgot...!" 

Mira immediately turns beet red when Alek thinks she was stalking them. Why would she want to do that?! That wasn't what she meant! She never intended to spy on them in the first place and only overheard them on her way to their dorm. "Uh- what?! I- Wait no! T-t-that's not what I meant, you two!" She hastily defends with flailing arms. "That's not the message I'm trying to- Uh I mean... when I heard everything, I m-m-meant from the point when Maya stormed out of the room and you two kept talking. Whatever you guys talked about, whatever cause one of you to smash a hole in the wall... that and beyond I didn't hear anything else! J-j-just after I... I...." She falters mid defense as she contemplates what she said. Is this what Renar was talking about trying to keep his mouth shut? Goodness. Now that she'll be running for a royal position, this entire drama might have her on knife's edge a lot earlier than she thinks.

"Ugh. Listen. It's not what you two think. I... what Renar said about Maya wanting peace... wanting a friend... and Alek knowing that Maya is in fact, from Toril... it was just this point forward that I could hear. What I meant was... I could hear from where I was standing in the living room after Maya stormed out; The door was left open until one of you shut it suddenly. By the time... I hopped over to check what was going on I... you guys seemed to have finished. I had zero intentions to peep. I just... I just wanted to help, I wanted to understand why she was angry, if I can." She feels her stomach lurching over this entire drama. Man, if this queen role is a huge weight just as she predicts, she can't afford to create any major scenarios like this in the future, it seems. Looking back at the two boys with defeated eyes, she sighs and prepares to leave.

"You know what? Even if you think otherwise, I apologize for the misunderstanding but, I wanted to tell you that I was never against Renar and Maya coming from a different planet. I wanted to tell you two that I plan on maintaining your disguises to the best of my ability... but nevermind for now. I'll kindly eat what I just said after I repaired the wall." She grumbles as she hops down the stairs and back down. Maybe it's best she shuts down her silver tongue for the time being, seeing that Renar and Alek are already becoming more volatile than she thinks, after the former explains that this is what causes his distrust to grow. But she is serious on hoping that the rest of them can get their acts together to save Lancea nonetheless. I hope they're at least thankful that I've repaired the wall for no cost though. This might the only time I'd do it for their sake. If not, those guys are on their own.

Rubbing the back of his neck, Shugo walks over to Janus. He's still not sure how he feels about the guy, but he definitely feels confident in the choice of joining him over Paulis.

"How do I say this..." He starts, "Well, to start please don't repeat any of this to my companions. I've only come to you because you may have some answers. While we were at Paulis', we learned that you two were friends with a dark elf named Vujica... Earlier we ran across an underground laboratory and she was clearly the one in charge there." He'd been trying to keep calm, but his voice quivers as he finishes his sentence. "Were you aware of the experiments she was conducting? Specifically, the manufactured disease meant to target elves... called the ATLIS virus? Basically she created a weapon with which she can murder other elves without actually betting blood on her hands." He clenches his fists. "Do you know anything about it?"

(OOC: Is... Mira lying right now? She did go up the stairs and listen in on the conversation for a while... lol, either way Alex is going to take her word for it.)

"Uhhhgggggg," Alex groans, leaning back against the wall and putting both hands over his eyes as Mira leaves. Now both Mira and Renar are in bad moods. He wasn't trying to make her feel bad, and... maybe he shouldn't have jumped to conclusions. "Nothing I do makes anything better." 

He stays there for a minute or so until he hears Renar exclaim that "she" forgot something. Upon hearing this Alex removes his hands from his eyes to reveal a look of confusion, "Who forgot... oh..." He realizes what Renar is talking about... Maya left without her cloak so now both Liivi and Mira are going to know about her. Part of him thinks that's for the best, but... well it isn't for the best if it isn't what Maya wants. 

"Where did she go? Maybe... maybe she hasn't been seen yet!" He opens the door, "Uh... I can be a distraction if needed. Maybe if we hurry and find her we can prevent... well, Liivi from finding out." 

"Your secrets are safe with me." Janus nods.

"Vujica technically didn't create the virus, she found it inside human bones, then she extracted it and refined it to suit her needs. If you've been through that underground lab, you probably knew what's going on." He says.

"I don't have time to explain everything about Vujica, but let's just say me, her, and Paulis graduated from the same place—the University of Baskent. When the USL formed, the first thing they did was kidnap Vujica and torture her for a few years until she joined them—they tortured her so much she went insane." Janus gestures, "You already knew what she did during the war, so I'll skip that part unless you want to know more." He pauses, then continues, "After the war, she seemingly disappeared from the face of Lancea. I don't even know if she's still alive or not."

"ALTIS is a lentivirus, this type of virus specialises in destroying the immune system of one specific species, and there is nothing you could do to stop it... no cure, no immunisation." He holds up a finger, "But... maybe the artefact might have some answers. The artefact can do anything you wish for, after all." 

"There is one more thing I want to tell you. If the sun bombs, threats of war, invasion, and all else fails, ALTIS is the last weapon we can use to beat those savages." He turns away from Shugo, a grim expression on his face, "ALTIS can't be removed by magical means, because magic can only remove curable disease, which ALTIS is not. Once the virus starts to spread, everyone on that planet will die within the next 25-30 years, that's how long it takes for the virus to incubate."

"We are better than those barbarians, we have more resources than those barbarians, we have more manpower than those barbarians. If we lose to them, it would be akin to a dragon getting slain by a bedbug—by all means, we must win this war, and they will bow down to us."

In the second to last paragraph, Janus might be referring to ALTIS Type III there. According to the notes, ALTIS Type III can be spread through blood and saliva, and it affects every race, not just elves. Akari might be infected with ALTIS Type II, and that can only be spread through blood and to elves.