Nimue walks slowly towards the temple they'd visited the previous day. She keeps glancing down at her amulet, and it seems to have taken on a permanent glow, the symbol inside pulsing faintly with the familiar blue-white energy. She keeps her face blank, though she looks around nervously for Nikolai to make himself known amongst the pilgrims. She was not looking forward to that particular conversation. If it would even be a conversation at all. She's sure that the Tiefling would have no issue trying to kill her, but coming to blows wouldn't solve anything.

Aralath give me strength. You said I need them. Show me why. 

"That's right, Melda. You do need them. All will be revealed in time. For now, trust yourself. And trust those around you." 

Quote from Sphynxyy >>

The morning hush is cut through by a squawk from Ghoul, already circling above and relaying details to Caio about the charges now under the protection of his troupe as he scans them himself. Like a specter he hangs in the vicinity, waiting for the others. If he is still perturbed by the earlier revelations and accusations, his face doesn't show it.

The vast majority of the crowd is the truly wretched poor, but there are also some closer to the temple who are better equipped and many look prepared to travel.

Quote from sansasnarke >>

Elodia turns toward Shiva with a brilliant smile and briefly lays her hand atop the tiefling's. "Thank you. I already feel safer knowing you're here." At the mention of her husband her expression turns playful, and she squeezes Shiva's hand. "I will. With this news to preface it, you may even receive the same." Looking back at the others with a final nod, her fingers fall delicately through Shiva's as she draws up the hood of her cloak. "I will meet with you soon. I hope you find the answers you seek."

Alaris swallows, watching Elodia leave. Their golden eyes glisten with worry as they call out, "Meet us at the Temple of Vida, and be careful!"

"I don't trust her husband... will she be alright?" the paladin murmurs to Nik and Shiva. "Come... we must gather our gear and make our way to the Temple."

Shiva smiles at Alaris' concern. "She'll be fine. Better than fine, probably. From what she's told me, he can be alot sweeter than you'd think. The whole 'powerful underworld boss' thing is likely something he puts on to keep them safe. Which is also very sweet, now that I say it out loud. Anyway, let's go grab our stuff."

As they walk, she playfully nudges Nikolai with her elbow. "I think you were right earlier, Nik. Ling is more than capable of taking care of herself. She made it to us, after all. I bet Valentine will be begging us to take her by the time that we get to her." She can barely contain herself as she finishes speaking, and throws back her head with hearty laughter.

     Astrid arrives at the temple on the back of a large, shaggy hog with an ivory coat marked with blueish-black splotches. Waddling through the square, the dwarf gives pleasant smiles to the pilgrims as she guides her mount to join the rest of her companions. 

     "I did not expect so many," she says after finally making her way through the crow to Caio and Nimue. "We are not going to be in any hurry with this group."

Caio regards Nimue and Astrid with nods as they approach. "Certainly not. Given the situation I'd be inclined to make a hastier journey to Littlewood but a job is a job, and we've already agreed to this."

Nimue barely reacts to Astrid's approach, seemingly lost in thought. Her lips are pressed together in a tight line, and her eyes are flicking quickly through the crowd. After a brief moment, she returns to the moment, looking between Astrid and Caio. Another moment passes. "What do you think he's going to do?" From the way her mouth twitches and eyes narrow, it's clear she's talking about the altercation with Nikolai earlier that morning. 

"Nothing. He'll calm down eventually and until then we'll likely get the cold shoulder but I wouldn't worry more than that. If he does continue his scolding I'll put my greatest effort into not provoking him further." Eventually Ghoul swoops down from his patrol and lands on Nimue's shoulder.

Nimue merely crosses her arms across her chest, but the slight smile creeping onto her face dispels any illusion of stoicism she may be projecting. "I never said thank you," she turns her dark eyes first on Caio, then Astrid. "I couldn't have gone into that place alone. I know it's not easy to be at odds with those you consider family." She turns her gaze back out to the sea of pilgrims before them. "But it's even harder to lose family. Maybe your volatile friend will understand that. That he and I are not so dissimilar." Her fingers brush the edge of her still-glowing pendant.

As Alaris whispers to Nikolai, he glances over at them. "I do not trust him either, but for now I think we at least have an ally in our war against Valentine. If there even is one there, I do not know. I am unsure as to what grievance he would have against us. For the life of me, I cannot even recall a time." He shrugs. "For now, we must use those whom would work with us against someone that appears to be our enemy." His voice trails off as he takes in the throngs of unwashed pilgrims before them and he turns to look at Alaris with a deadpan expression. "This... is not what I was expecting. A dozen or so, yes, but this?" His hand washes over the mass of people. He sighs heavily before shrugging. "So be it. I must meet our contact. I'll meet up with you all shortly. One can hide among a crowd much better than many." He says as his sharp eyes quickly pick up his target, hiding near the temple walls. 

His fingers trace the arcane gestures of a newly mastered spell he'd been practicing from Shahar and he simply disappears from view. He then quickly casts another spell to allow him to see if there any other invisible people among the crowd as he makes his way quickly to Jonathan. He steps up next to the man and whispers quietly before tapping him on the shoulder. "Jonathan, I am here. What do you have to say to me?"

Jonathan is stood besides a bench with his back to the temple wall, surrounded by pilgrims vying for a spot to sit. The pale half-elf has a dirty white hood pulled low over his face and is all but staring at his feet.

"Good morning, Nikolai," Jonathan murmurs quietly, without turning around, when Nikolai taps him on the shoulder. "I'm impressed - I didn't see you coming. I take it that you received my message? I'm very sorry to hear about Ling. It had been my wish to offer this task to her, but in whisking her away my father has forced my hand. Did she tell you much of the job that I offered your Trio Infernale?"

As Nikolai listens, flashes of something ghostly and translucent catch his eye from across the square. His attention is drawn to Alaris, Caio and Shiva. Each has something barely-there trailing them like a shadow.

Nikolai grunts as he speaks about Ling. "Yes, well, there is a good chance you brought this fate upon her, Jonathan, but maybe not. She indicated we were to travel to Five Towers and meet someone. I won't speak the name aloud for fear of prying eyes and ears, but they are supposed to be able to provide us with some very interesting information apparently. I can appreciate your patriarchal hatred." His eyes scan over the crowded area while he speak with Jonathan, taking in everything his eyes can spot. As his eyes fall upon his companions he stops suddenly and lets out a slight gasp as he notices something following three of his companions; Shiva, Alaris, and Caio, but strangely not Nimue and Astrid. He tries to get a closer look, but the distance is too great and whatever these things were kept phasing in and out of focus... 'Incorporeal.'  A thought strikes him and he spins around to look behind him! Nothing. He glances over his shoulder, but again... nothing. Except...a growing sense of unease as if something was there... like when you see something from the edges of your vision, but when you look it is gone. Nothing he can do about it right now, he had a job to do. He still had plenty of time on his spell and he could examine them from up close if need be. 

He turns his attention back to Jonathan. "Tell me, Jonathan. Are you able to use magic to see beyond the spectrum of your normal vision? To see that which is normally invisible? If so, please do... And tell me quickly what you called me here to tell me. There is something that needs my attention very soon."

"You can thank your Elven friend for Ling's 'fate'," Jonathan notes, nodding towards Nimue. "Ling walked into Haus Sternental of her own free will. Without the Undómiel girl, she would never have known where to go... but that is what it is. Know that, if you carry out this task, I will uphold my end of the bargain struck with Ling - one thousand mark for each of you."

The half-elf's eyes flash silver and he turns his head slightly to glance over his shoulder at Nikolai.

"I suppose that, in some ways, our fathers are not so dissimilar." Jonathan pauses for a moment, before adding, "...you seem to have a passenger."

Nikolai sighs loud enough for Jonathan to hear. "It is as I feared. This complicates matters. I thank you for letting me know what happened with Ling. If you see her... tell her we will come for her when she needs us. I will be in touch with you both. I will have questions for you that I'd prefer to not ask aloud with so many prying ears about us. Is there anything more than you need to tell me before we set out?"

"I believe that Ling is considered a guest... for now," Jonathan explains cautiously. "As long as she remains that way, her life is not in acute danger. My father lives by his own set of rules. As things are, he will not harm her without what he considers 'due cause'. Our cousin, on the other hand, has drawn his attention..."

Jonathan pauses, glancing across the square towards Nimue before continuing.

"Carry out your mission to Paragon. Invest yourselves in whatever you may encounter along the way and think not of me or my family. We will speak again when your task there is complete. Perhaps by then his attention will have wandered."

The half-elf turns back to Nikolai's shimmering invisible form, golden eyes meeting white.

"Know this; the key to Ling's safe return lies in Five Towers. Until then, any other endeavour is foolish to suicidal. Good luck, Nikolai."

One of the pilgrims vacates a space on the bench besides them and Jonathan slips in to take their place. The hooded man sits and a moment later his his cloak slowly crumples in on him. A pale breath of silver and gold shimmering between the folds like frost on the morning air is the only trace that he was ever there.

After picking up their belongings at the Black Sheep, Shiva's mount clops towards the temple at an even pace. The steady bobbing of the horse's gait soothed her, the stress of the morning leaving her body and allowing her a clear mind to contemplate the road ahead. Upon approaching the gathering around the carriage, Shiva pats the back of her animal's neck and dismounts to appraise the scene.

As Nikolai slips off into the crowd, Shiva shifts her weight on her feet, also uneasy with the large crowd surrounding the carriage. Not in the mood to wait, she raises her arms. "MAKE A PATH, PEOPLE. DON'T CROWD THE VEHICLE." Hoping that the message has been received, she spots the others nearby. She puts a hand on Alaris' knee as they sit atop their shining mount, then walks over. "Hey, ready to get moving?"

Alaris Forien moves forward slowly, carefully. Zadkiel's hooves ring out as they strike the cobblestones one at a time in a stately, implacable advance. The crowd eyes the aasimar and their shining mount with various expressions of awe, wonder, and cynicism. It wasn't often, even this close to the Temple of Vida, that a bogatyr in full regalia upon a mighty warhorse appeared in the streets. The knight carries Hope's Edge in its own saddle-mounted scabbard, and their other hand holds the reins lightly. Zadkiel guides herself towards the carriage, then comes to a halt and tosses her head with a quiet snort.

"Never been more ready for anything..." Alaris murmurs to Shiva, before calling out to the crowd, "Hail, and the blessings of the Lady upon you all. Brother Ludomir, are your companions gathered, or do they need a winding of the horn to stir them from their warm and fluffy beds?" 

This is not the Alaris Forien any of the companions have seen before. Not the awkward wallflower struggling to find the right words in a conversation, nor the violent warrior unwilling to see any of them hurt. This Alaris fairly glows with personal magnetism, exuding strength and confidence from every pore. But if they see their friend's eyes, they see the same compassion as ever, but wrapped in the costume of the Lady's Hero.

The pilgrims part before Shiva, revealing the priors' coach standing centrally on the cobbled square, just outside the passage to temple's inner courtyard. Two powerfully built horses have been harnessed to the front and a cart loaded with supplies is drawn along behind. As Alaris announces themselves, Brother Ludomir leans out through the side of the carriage in greeting.

"Good morning, Bogatyr Forien," he declares, before glancing up at the crystal blue sky, "and a fine morning it is indeed! The Commander said that you would be here to escort my companions and I to Paragon. Please forgive us the crowd; Vida's relic draws the faithful like the Lady's light itself. We ourselves are but three in number. I travel with Prior Beinidict and Prior Branok. We thank you for your service to the temple."

When one peers inside the carriage, two middle-aged men can be made out sitting inside with Brother Ludomir. They nod their heads towards their escorts and smile kindly in gratitude. Between the three, on the floor, stands a gilded, ten-sided box, the lid of which is topped with a single pearl.

Caio prowls along behind Alaris and Shiva. He stands like a stark shadow cast by Alaris' brilliance, but overhearing Ludomir's words he steps forward. "Are we to expect the same sort of attention being drawn to this relic as we travel as well?"

"Why, good day, young man!" Ludomir greets Caio warmly when the Elf addresses him, looking down from the carriage at Alaris's sullen shadow. "Well, that depends. You see, Piotrgrad is the beating heart of eastern Tanem, but only the most devout will commit to travelling far from their homes. As we journey east towards the Gap of Hirn, we will mostly pass farms and small, rural communities. A few will follow, but fewer and fewer as we head into Ostroga forest and towards the border."

The cheerful, bearded man pauses for a moment, choosing his next words carefully.

"Of course, so far from civilisation, the Lady's light can also draw the attention of more sinister forces. The darkest depths of the wilds are said to be home to many beautiful horrors that might seek to claim the relic for themselves..."

His piece said, Ludomir's serious expression breaks into another beaming smile.

"...but that's why the Commander has assigned us such a capable escort. I'm sure that we'll all be sipping eggnog in Littlewood before we know it!"