Black, White, and Red [Issac; open]

[Jin NPC]

Tania had felt her sister telepath as soon as she had come more near to the town. She was traveling with two men--one who had been worrying about facing future dangers and the other had been pondering a painful childhood. Tania hadn't bothered to read the woman's mind--she made it a rule not to read the thoughts of other psychics unless it was very important or they were guilty of some crime or another.

It had been her fault--the accident on the trail. She hadn't meant to scare the group's horses that badly; she had only wanted to create a mental apparition that would slow them down she had only gotten a bit overzealous. But her goal had been achieved; they had stopped in the town, and how she would get to meet one of her own. it had been a long time since her had stopped by, and Tania was excited to see someone new pop into the small town. She would show them the best hospitality!

She rushed from her home--almost tripping over her doorstep, rushing through the almost empty streets--tripping over her dress a few times, making her way to where she knew the newcomers were going to be. When she saw them, she jumped, and she skipped, almost falling even as she did that.

"I'm so sorry!" she said immediately, getting on her knees and lying prostrate before them. "That thing in the woods--it was my fault! I just wanted to grab your attention! I hope that no one was hurt, and I'll pay to fix the carriage!" She peeked up at her guests, waiting for their judgment.

[Issac Verro]

Issac reached down to help the young girl off her knees, both uncomfortable to have someone kneeling to him as if her were some pompous nobleman, and relieved that the horses were startled by her and not some would be assassin. Extending a hand, the scruffy looking Issac allowed a grin to form on his face, "Come on now, there no reason someone as cute as you should be kneeling." Issac said casually, looking quickly back to his traveling companions as he turned back to the small girl. "My names is Issac, that pretty lady back there is Miss Kaori and the gentlemen to her side is Mr. Matthew. You wouldn't happen to know where we can find lodging for the evening would you Miss?" Issac said to girl, inquiring as to what her name was.

Issac looked around and from thew sight of thing, nothing was amiss in the bustling town. He felt it important to look as if they were under the assumption that nothing happened to them on the road, not mentioning it since he could not figure out how in fact the girl caused the commotion on the road, allowing for either Matthew or Kaori to handle such subtleties.

[Moriteruze Kaori]

Matthew said nothing, glaring at the girl in front of her. After traveling with Kaori for so long, he just knew that this had something to do with magic.

This was why he did not use it. He couldn't handle going through escapades like this; accidentally endangering people with magic--he couldn't stand it at all. Miss Kaori was good at using her magic, to be sure, but then again not everyone else could be trusted to complete their magic successfully. For example, Issac was a nice guy and all, but Matthew always had to be prepared to pick up slack from whatever havoc his magic might wreak. He had never suffered any particular maladies as far as magic went, but then again with magic something could happen at any time. On the other hand, Matthew had never used magic himself, and so he figured it would be best to keep his mouth shut about this particular situation.

Kaori could sense the magic coming from the girl, mind magic that resonated on the same level as hers, and she couldn't believe that such a young girl had such a talent for it. It must have been a trick of the mind, one that had also affected Matthew because he was not magically gifted. The kitsune-jin could already see the look on Mattew's face as he pieced it all together, giving the girl a glare of disapproval. Kaori, on the other hand, seconded Issac's words, and a slight blush fell to her face as she listened to him speak to the young girl. He was so kind, even after her mistake. It just made her grow even more fond of the inu-jin.

"I'm just relieved," she said, "that it wasn't someone trying to attack us. Yes, please; direct us to a place where we can stay comfortably. Doing this as well as taking a look at the carriage for repairs will be ample compensation. Do your parents work in this town? Perhaps they can help." While Kaori didn't approve of taking advantage of anyone, the truth was that the girl did damage their carriage a bit, and they needed the cheapest place to stay as possible. Given these two factors, she had no choice but to depend on the girl for help, even if she was just taking advantage of her a little bit.

[Issac Verro]

It seemed that Kaori had indeed gained a positive rapport with the young girl, her charms working well with whomever she met caused Issac to wonder what, if any trouble could she have had with her family. Walking over to Matthew, who was obviously displeased visually, Issac placed a hand on his shoulder, "Let's let the lady work her magic here, the cart is fine and we have all are valuables on us. Let's go to the bar, grab a drink, and if that's not your thing, you can watch me indulge." Issac said, a smile forming on his face barring his canine teeth.

Eying the surroundings in a bid for safe double checking, Issac couldn't sense anything out of the ordinary, no straggling on lookers, no shifting of curtains in any windows or sudden noises from passersby. With a light shove in the other direction, Issac was strongly suggesting that they depart from the scene, their presence could have only hindered things, seeing as Kaori was the best suited to deal with the nuances of conversation. Spying a small pub in the distance, Issac turned their direction toward its ostentatious sign.

"Come on Matthew, she won't be that far away, and there's a window that will allow us to view everything in the area." Issac said in a persuasive tone. With his weapon out of sight, Issac fished in his pocket for some coinage to pay for their beverages. "It's on, so let's go."

[Human NPC]

[Just for clarification, this is the appropriate account for Tania. She's a human. I posted with the Jin NPC account before; sorry if that was a bit unclear.]

"Yes, please," Tania chirped happily. "Let the men beguile themselves! We can prepare accommodations for your party." She grasped the hem on the sleeve of Kaori's robes, unafraid of repercussion, pulling her in the opposite direction of the pub. "It will be fine. You are much more skilled than me, Lady Kaori. If it pleases your guards, I can allow you to magically scan my home before you enter. After everything that's happened, it's well deserved." She really wanted to make up for her mistake--she hadn't meant to make them so concerned. She wondered briefly, for a moment, if someone was after them, but whether or not that was true was currently not her business, and she'd promised herself never to permeate another mind reader's mind.

However, she did pull the kitsune-jin with her to the home, leaving to men to do whatever they would do. Tania was rather traditional, and she didn't delve into the lives and hobbies of men.

"By the way," she added, "I'm Tania."

[Moriteruze Kaori]

Kaori didn't really have an objections. It had been a while since Matthew had been around friend male company, as they were usually only together. As much as she liked Issac, she couldn't keep the inu-jin to herself. They would have to hang out and talk at some point, or else Matthew would never get the chance to trust him. A longing sigh escaped her lips as she allowed Tania to pull her away, saying, "My scanning your home isn't necessary; I don't sense anything wrong." Of course, she didn't respond to the compliment of her being more skilled at magic than Tania. "I'm sure it's a lovely place to stay."

Matthew didn't say another word, nodding to Kaori to acknowledge her words first, and then moving to nod directly to Issac, following him into town. A drink sounded nice. It had been a long time since he'd had any. A nice warm beer for the trouble of traveling was something that he didn't get to enjoy every day. And while he was a bit wary of the girl with whom Kaori was traveling, Kaori would have made an objection if she felt that anything was out of place. They would only be across the way, and even Matthew could see the large window on the side of the bar. They were going to sit there. He gave a glance back at Kaori as he followed Issac into the bar, to satisfy his small feeling of separation.

Kaori, in turn, went her separate way with Tania, heading into what looked to be a two story cottage across the way from a line of connects shops and restaurants. This town seemed like it was from an old western almost, with so many people scuffling about.

[Issac Verro]

Stepping inside the bar, Issac took a large breath, inhaling all the smells he could from the quaint tavern, the salty food, smooth and harsh spirits, and the overall pungent odor of the usual bar staple beer, fresh in his nose, licking his lips as his keens senses taunted him so. His travels with Kaori and Matthew were liquor less for the most part, his same cache of alcohol long since drained of its contents, Issac felt like a fish back in water, having falling out his glass metaphorically speaking. "Come on Matthew, let's try to find a seat by the window..." Issac said, letting his nose guide him.

The pair found nice booth by the window, the glass moderately clean giving Issac the impression that either the owners of this bar in particular cared about upkeep, or this spot among all the other had not receive as much attention as the rest of the bar, it was in fact away from a majority of the establishments televisions. Seating himself there anyway, he nodded to Matthew to follow suit and waited to be service by one of the patrons. His eyes were focused on a slender redheaded Kitsune, her ears were a dead giveaway to her origins, who was dress in a tight short sleeved top and denim bottoms, her apron around her waist as she caught Issac's glance, she sent what appeared to be someone of less rank to their table to serve them.

"What will you gentlemen be having this evening." The eager young man said to them, much to Issac's disappointment, he didn't even need a menu to know what he wanted, and kindly passed on the opportunity to receive one.

"I'll take a pitcher of the houses strongest beer and spirits, and some large pretzels with cheese if you carry them." Issac said, clasping his hands together as he looked out the window, the attractive young women in the bar far across the room tending to other customers, Issac's attention gone with her as the young man turned to Matthew, handing him a menu and waiting for his order as well.

[Human NPC]

"This is my humble abode~!" Tania said loudly as she tried her best to be as cheery as possible. She had caused all those people so much trouble, and the least that she could do was provide them with a place to stay.

Her home was pretty spacious, and very traditional. The floor was wooden, with a fire place on the far right from the entrance. There was a large, plushy rug in front of the fireplace, and large, ornate couch a bit farther back from that, with a table between the two. In the back hallway on the right side, there was a bathroom and a partition into the kitchen. The stairs, which stood on the left side of the living room, were also wooden and led up to two bedrooms that existed in the home. The stairs also led downward into the cellar. There were candle holders all around the house, and one lamp in each room. She wasn't sure how they were going to like it, being primitive as it was, but it was all she had to offer.

"Unfortunately, I only have one lamp in each room. I use them sparingly, as I like candlelight a lot!" She said happily. "You can use the electricity if you want, just don't be surprised if you walk in on me cooking in the kitchen by candle." She paused. "Also, I only have two rooms. I can sleep in my work room in the cellar if necessary, but someone is going to have to sleep on the couch or in front of the hearth here. It's very comfortable in either place, I assure you. I'm sorry I don't have better accommodations for you..."

[Moriteruze Kaori]

[I'm godmodding the NPC a bit here ]

Kaori felt at home when she stepped into Tania's home. Not only was her mage's aura very comforting (although the kitsune-jin couldn't tell if she was exuding the aura on purpose or not), but the rustic feel of her home reminded her of her own, and she loved the fireplace there. The candles wouldn't bother her at all, and Matthew was used to them; but maybe Issac...

"You like him, don't you?" Tania said softly.

Kaori allowed a blush to gracefully flow to her cheeks. "I--"

"No--" Tania interrupted. "Wait--don't answer that! I didn't mean to read your thoughts! I just...I'm so sorry..." she seemed very upset about it, and Kaori could only guess that she was very early on in her training, even as powerful as she was. She didn't seem to have too much control over her craft.

"It's fine," Kaori said, her voice amplified by her own magic, a soothing feeling concentrating themselves into the words. "Calm down. I was not guarding my thoughts, child." Kaori was very curious as to where this girl came from and who her parents were for her to be so potent in mind magic. But she didn't ask, the mental curtain rising to conceal those thoughts in particular. "When thoughts wander, it's impossible to ignore them. It took some time for me to become used to it as well. It takes effort to learn to shut out the thoughts of others."

Tania seemed to listen very intently, and she said in reply. "But you learned it eventually?"

"Yes. you can't let the thoughts of others control you. They'll drive you mad." she changed the subject, "and...I am very fond of Issac, anyway. I have not tried to hide my feelings for him, and he has indeed grown on me." It simply made her a bit sad because she knew that he would be departing on his own way soon. He had his own tasks to complete, his own goals to meet, and Kaori was going to hold him back in any sense of the word. They would both see each other again, gods permitting.

Tania, not privvy to these thoughts, smiled. "does he like you?"

Kaori thought briefly about the short moments they'd spent together, at tht emple, and even on the ride into this town. "I have tried my hardest not to read him, but I believe he has made it clear that he does."

Meanwhile, Matthew was very much enjoying Issac's company. it was not very often another male traveled with he and Lady Kaori--or anyone at all, for that matter--and despite his own demure demeanor, Issac's lively nature encouraged him to loosen up a bit. They were in a bar, after all.

"It's been a long time since I've had anything alcoholic," he said to Issac, then looking at the waiter. His eyes followed Kaori out of the window until she had gone into the cabin with the girl, but he hadn't wanted to lose track of her. "I'll take whatever beer you happen to carry here, and tonight's dinner special." He turned to Issac. "Do you think the Lady will be alright?" His ears strained, leaning in the direction of the window and Kaori, but the noise of the bar and the sights and smells were all distracting, and none of his senses could perceive her. He was simply nervous considering their last encounter. If Kaori grandmother would dare risk shed blood in a holy shrine, she could get her hands on someone in this town as well. He was trying to rid himself of his worries, but it was difficult. However, it seemed that Issac was a much more experienced warrior than Matthew had given him credit for initially, and it would actually sooth his suspicions to hear Issac's opinion on Kaori's safety.

[Issac Verro]

After placing his order, Issac listened to Matthew's concerns as to Kaori's safety, giving the fact that those that would seek to harm her lack the scruples to avoid violence in holy places. "Who ever is after he, wants her disposed of pretty bad. I didn't want to pry, seeing as its not my way, but her safety kinda directly affects my safety, so would you mind telling what exactly is going on." Issac asked in a frank, but non confrontational manner.

Soon, the sever returned with their food, placing the food and drink onto the table, alongside several frosty mugs, shot glasses, and wine glasses. Looking at the food for only a moment, Issac nodded in approval and handed the young man a substantial tip, alongside the money required to cover their food and drink expenses. Nodding in acceptance, the server carried his tray back to the kitchen and went about his business. The smells were now too powerful to resist, and Issac cracked his knuckles as he prepared to feast on the delights served to them.

Taking one of the pretzels and biting into it like a starved mongrel, Issac smiled as the licked the warm cheese left on the side of his mouth. Grabbing his pitcher of beer, he poured himself a tall, frosty glass, and sipped it and exclaimed his enjoyment of the establishments food and drink. "Sometimes you have to dive right in Matthew..." he said, still chewing the pretzel, his canine teeth not built for such food, but not stopping him fro taking another bite after dipping the other non bitten end.

[Moriteruze Kaori]

Although Issac's question was definitely a serious one, Matthew was also very glad to have the time to relax. He knew that he was still a bit concerned about Kaori, but it had been years since they had not been in the same area together so it was going to take a little time for him to get used to unwinding. As the food was delivered, he began to eat slowly, in a more refined manner than Issac himself. He personally envied the ability to simply "dive in" as the other canine had put it, but such behavior was just not in his personal fashion. Just the appetizers alone looked delicious, and Matthew was rather happy to have a proper meal since they had left.

He had a few handfuls of pretzels, poured himself a glass of wine, taking a rather large gulp in his attempt to relax before settling comfortably into his sitting space, shoulder's slouching, ears leaning forward in a resting state. The red wine was excellent, sweet with a sharp curve to the taste--the way that he liked it. Now that he felt comfortable, he attempted to answer Issac's question. He normally did not speak very much, but this answer was going to be rather complicated.

"It's her grandmother who wants her dead," he said with a sigh. "Kaori's been in Aledo for quite some time, and her grandmother was fine with her living there, not doing anything important. Whenever we go on the move, we face spies and assassins. The Lady does not go out very much anymore, as I'm sure you can imagine, but we used to. Many times we'd get threats, petty fights that didn't end in any bloodshed, but recently she's grown more aggressive. The incident in the temple back there, I believe, is the most violent she's ever been."

He paused, clearing his throat, taking another gulp of wine to wet it. "Her grandmother likes to kill Humans. Her family is a group of related jin who hate humans, and they protect jin cities from human influence. By the same token, they hate cities where the two intermix, and sometimes send messengers to kill human as a warning to their activity. Kaori refused to learn lessons from her when she was younger--as Kaori is her successor to the family name--and her branch of the family was cut off. I'm guessing that Kaori either has to be a hermit or dead for her grandmother to name another successor; it could also be that she simply hates her granddaughter. I don't know. Kaori's read her mind about it, but she doesn't speak to me about her grandmother's actual intentions. She'd just prefer to live.

"Kaori had a dream recently, and she's traveling to a temple to have it confirmed by the priestess she saw in it as true. It was some type of warning of a huge conflict between forces of good and evil or something like that. And so, we're traveling to...somewhere very north. Egypt is our next traveling goal. We might have to go farther up than that, depending on what happens in the shrine there." He sighed, leaning a bit to the side, deciding not to refill his glass of wine and to eat more instead.

The waiter returned with his meal of the day as he finished speaking, and Matthew was pleasantly surprised to see that chicken was on the menu. It smelled even more delicious than everything else on the table, and as he was hungry, he began to eat after saying a short thanks to the waiter.

[Issac Verro]

"Kaori's grandmother sounds like such a wonderful bitch, pardon my french." Issac said, tipping his head in a short thanks to the waiter as he took a gulp of beer and finished listening to Matthew's story. Issac had seen the greed and hate that many Jin held inside there heart for humans, dating back to arguments between his own father and his closest colleague Sajud over human influence on their cites, and whether it was right or wrong. Issac's father taught him that all life was sacred, and you are not supposed to take what cannot be given back but in lieu of Kaori's family, and Matthew's duty to protect her, he understood Matthew's methods and definitive action in the temple.

"My apologies for back in the temple, I had no idea the seriousness as to your situation." Issac said, beyond the understanding required to willingly want to commit the act of murder especially to a blood relative, carrying the shame of being known to have murdered his own mother, he could only try to disguise his contempt for Kaori's grandmother. "I understand how far she is willing to go to put Kaori in harms way but why, why would she murder her own granddaughter Matthew? Issac asked rhetorically, all the while helping himself to the remainder of the food at the table. "I've never been to Egypt despite all my travels, hopefully I shall still be around to accompany you there."

[Moriteruze Kaori]

Matthew continued to eat as he evaluated Issac's reaction to his story. The information that he had emparted to the other inu-jin was rather heavy and depressing but he found it hard to be consumed by his feelings from the past with such great food around and compatible company. More than anything he felt rather warm inside, glad that Issac knew the reason behind his actions in temple. His reaction to the assassin had only been natural consider the situation that he had been in. Although he was happy about the idea of having an extra person with his party in Egypt, he was not a very expressive dog after all of these years of lack of companionship and so he tried his best to sound cheerful as he responded.

"I'd like that. Warrior or not, it's very difficult to find trustworthy traveling company." He also knew that Kaori had taken a liking to this new addition to their group, although he kept the opinion about that to himself. Kaori wasn't a very soft-spoken woman and he was sure that Issac would find that out soon enough.

Music began to play loudly in the bar, and a kitsune-jin dancer appeared, juggling fire in her claws. The fire was not attached to anything, and so Matthew was left with no other conclusion than that she was utilizing magic. A scowl appeared upon his face for a moment, and he went back to eating. Let me know when you've finished, Issac, and we can get out of here.

---

In Tania's home, Kaori was settling down for a nap. She was very weary, even though her journey had just begun. Being attacked, going through the emotions of knowing that someone who shared your blood was hunting after you was very draining, and as much as she hated to admit it, she was already hiding from both Matthew and Issac--especially Issac--her fatigue. Her grandmother pursuing her was nothing new, right? She should have been used to it by now. It shouldn't bother her.

However, Tania had showed her the first guest room, and after thanking her, Kaori attempted to use her own magic to lull herself to sleep. Otherwise she wouldn't be able to. Her own doubts were too much for the kitsune and self-delusion was the only thing that would help. There were too many questions. What if Tania was a spy? What if her grandmother found her again? Worse, what if she killed Matthew, or Issac? What if there was nothing that she could do about it? She had been out of practice with combat for so long...

Again, she tried to put herself under the influence of her own magic, and her fears, conscious and sub-conscious began to melt away as she forced herself into slumber.