Sort of things

Femi did not know how he felt as he walked the busy street of Rouris, on one hand, he knew he had a job he had to complete– bring the Master battle Sage to the Webmaster and on the other hand, he wanted to know what the schooler had to say.

He warred with himself as he smoothly moved between the mass of people on the street, the town Rouris was not the biggest in the Western Domain, far from it in fact but it was a traveling town, a town that connect other towns and a stopping destination for most people traveling to other cities and towns in the Western Domain. It's a town that always pulled people and business was always booming– it could be seen as different shops and stalls lined the street and hawkers calling out to people.

He was pulled out of his thoughts by a hand that moved too quickly down to where his pocket was, Femi's hand snapped out like a striking viper and caught the hand with his left hand while his right hand had already half drawn his dagger before he stopped and returned it to its sheath.

A thief? He thought and stopped suddenly almost stopping traffic but it was as if people could feel the cold aura coming from him and they walked smoothly around him. He turned dark eyes on the pickpocket and was mildly surprised, he had expected a young person and not this grown man that was dressed in the velvet of such bright blue he almost looked like a preening bird, the man struggled with his hand but Femi wasn't moved and instead tightened his hand.

He looked the man over– the man almost look like a noble, he dressed like one and carried himself like one but a noble wouldn't be wandering around on the street alone without any escort, right? Unless he's a very poor one but Femi didn't think so, even a poor Nobel won't pickpocket on the street.

The man laughed as if he had not just tried to steal the little cowries Femi had In his pocket, "Such quick reflex you have, good sir. You caught my hand," he smiled at Femi, his eyes a shade of gold that was not common among the people of Asala, "I can't always control the nerves in my right hand you see, the healer placed me on a potion that suppressed the jerky movements. I ran out recently."

Femi raised a dark brow, this was new but it was also quite creative, he thought. The man seems... colorful and it was not just his clothes but everything about him seems flamboyant the type of man that would talk his victims into giving up their hearts because he had asked. But Femi could detect a hint of danger too, subtle but he could tell this, it clung around himself after all.

He shrugged and released the man's hand, the man smiled at him and with a little wave of his hands he was gone, his ponytail disappearing among the crowd.

He thought about the man the rest of the way to the inn.

The inn was less crowded than he expected but what surprised him was the sign of a fight, he could tell it was not an ordinary fight because he could see the mark of fire as it marked the floor and there, where the innkeeper stayed was the mark of sword or knife been driven deep into the wood. And is that the sign of a wood explosion?

He didn't know what went down here but he could bet it had to do with the woman that interrupted his kill last night. Talking about the demon, he could see her in the corner sitting alone with a plate of food and drink.

"So, what did you do?" He draw out a chair and frowned at her before he sat down. She wore baggy trousers and a tunic dress while her dark cloak covered the chair she was sitting on.

"What made you think I did anything?" She asked as she shoved small balls of food into her mouth with her small fingers.

"First, this is the type of thing you would do and second you slept here and you were the only one with the power to do this type of damage."

She paused from putting another food into her mouth, "You were following me? How do you know I slept here."

He narrowed his eyes, no need pretending, "Yes I followed you last night to know if you were indeed working alone," he folded his hands on the table and leaned in, "And yes, I did not trust you."

She blinked at him, "Of course, you don't trust me, I don't trust you either. Anyway what happened this morning is that somebody wanted to kidnap me he's a mercenary and he was after me before a bounty was put on my head."

Femi stiffened, a bounty? Somebody had put a bounty on her hand? He was sure it was not from the Webmaster, then who? The black fangs? He did not like this because it would get in the way of his mission.

"And you killed the person?"

She gave him an odd look, "No I don't. We royal Sages don't go about killing people, the magistrates decide that," she continued reluctantly, "although there are some I should have arrested and reported to the headquarter at Grisa." She gave him a look sharp as her sword that had been put on the table, the look that HE was part of those she should have arrested.

Femi was mildly amused, arrest him? "What do you say about...the Irin mountains? Are you still interested?"

She looked him straight in the eyes, "Yes, I'm going with you to know what that schooler had to say."

"Good," he did not feel bad about using her and betraying her by forcing her to be the Webmaster, it's all business, "But I'm thinking, we should find...more people to go with us. As much as I'm sure of my capabilities I still would want some more people."

He has given it some thought and he was sure finding more people was the best decision, he just was not sure who to find.

She thought about it, "I see the wisdom behind it," she pointed a small finger at her, "no one would want to go willingly unless we pay them to."

Femi understood, "we should hire a mercenary?"

She smiled and her blue her sparked like blue embers, "yes and I know just the gang."

Femi suppressed a sigh, no good would come out of that smile of hers, he was sure.