Chapter 19: A new beginning.

"Wait!" Exclaimed mink.

All eyes turned on mink as her outburst captured everyone's attention

" Explain why you aren't charred?" Mink impatiently demanded.

"I am also curious as to how you aren't... er..um... harmed.." Added Rheila.

"Brother is... for the lack of better terms... fireproof." Said Bjorn with a jolly chuckle.

"Earlier in my office, didn't you say you DID NOT have an affinity for fire?" Mystilynn asked with raised eye brows.

"I said nothing of the sort. What I said was: that's not what I would call it." Graum replied in a sarcastic tone.

Mystilynn, having exceeded her tolerance of graum for the evening began rubbing her temples in an attempt to alleviate some of her pent up irritation.

Out of the corner of her peripheral vision, Mystilynn noticed a corner of the towel that covered graum had caught fire.

"You Should get changed, before you er..um... get cold." She stated nervously.

"That's kind of you to be concerned. But I'll be alright." Graum replied, somewhat touched by Mystilynn's kind concern.

Mink and Rheske soon noticed the small flame on the towel.

"Um ... Mysti does have a point.." Rheske remarked timidly.

"I couldn't stand seeing more of you. So cover up." Mink sneered under her breath.

"Mystilynn, you said there was a room that Bjorn and I could stay in... correct?" Graum asked blissfully ignorant of the girls subtle hints.

"Oh... yeah.. I did. It's the dungeon, er..um... I mean the basement, where Niadra the Wyrm stays." Mystilynn answered turning away from him. "I had fresh haybales placed down there along with some blankets." She finished.

"Thank you, that was very kind." Bjorn remarked with a sincere tone. The smell of burning fabric reached Bjorn's nose,looking around, he quickly found the source... Graum's towel.

"Brother... are you sure you aren't cold?" Bjorn understood the girls casual statements moments prior.

"Believe it or not, the evening air isn't that cold." Graum replied... once again not getting the hint.

The fire slowly spread covering more of his towel.

Rheila being the last one to notice. Turned around without saying another word, and followed Mysti's lead back towards the guildhall.

"You're an idiot." Mink scoffed following Mysti, and rheilas lead.

"Brother!" Bjorn exclaimed "The towel!" He pointed as the flames started consuming the towel.

Graum looked down and saw the towel alight with fire. But he couldn't move without exposing his back to the last women standing in attendance: Rheske. In Graum's eyes he would rather risk indecently exposing his bits... than expose his scars to someone whom hasn't seen them.

"Staying to enjoy the show?" He asked Rheske in a sarcastic tone.

"No... sorry..." she replied timidly before turning away.

"That was rude… even for you brother." Bjorn remarked as he tossed Graum his cloths.

~sigh~

Graum knew Bjorn was right... he could've asked Rheske to look away. He was just so use to people avoiding him, that social graces often escaped him.

"Forgive my rudeness. Ms. Rheske." Graum sincerely apologized as he bowed his head. He then tossed the towel away from himself with his tail, and slipped his undergarment and pants on.

Rheske looked over her shoulder, catching a glimpse of graum finishing pulling up his pants.

"Perhaps... just this once." She whispered to herself as she began her walk back into the guildhall.

Crickets chirped in harmony with the fluttering of bat wings. The cool evening air felt a little colder after the women of the new Zennith guild returned to their guildhall.

"Brother... can I confide in you for a moment?" Graum asked, interrupting the evening ambiance.

Bjorn suspiciously raised a brow.

"Um... sure?" He reluctantly replied.

"This place... these people... that Guildmaster... there are a lot of dangerous elements here..." graum paused before his paranoid nature got the better of him. "What I wanted to say was: I'm sorry. You seem to be drawn to this place... these girls... And I don't want to ruin that for you." Graum paused again, this time he paused before his sentimentality choked him up.

"Heh. Brother.. are you feeling alright? This isn't like you." Bjorn chuckled accepting Graum's apology. "Just remember, I'm the awkward one. Hahaha" Bjorn laughed giving graum a thumbs up.

" I won't lie though... I'm feeling a little ~yawn~ tired." Graum yawned as he wiggled into his shirt.

"For the first time today, I agree with you." Bjorn smirked, poking fun at Graum's antics.

Bjorn and graum laughed out loud as they walked back into the guild hall, and down into the basement where they were expected to rest for the night.

As they entered the basement, the wyrm Niadra raised her head above her coiled body that resided on top of one of the hay piles that Mystilynn had mentioned.

"For being such a jerk to the girls earlier you sleep with the wyrm." Bjorn chuckled running and jumping onto the empty pile of hay.

Considering Bjorn's statement, graum accepted his punishment as he casually walked over to hay pile that niadra coiled herself upon.

"So be it." He muttered under his breath as he laid down on the hay, next to the monstrous Wyrm.

-krrreh-

The wyrm let out a gentle and accepting grunt.

"I'm to tired to deal with your nonsense." Graum groaned with an exhausted tone, as if he understood the wyrm.

*guise:off*

"There... that's... better.." graum whispered aloud to himself as his eyes closed against his control.

For the first time, in a long while. Bjorn and graum soundly slept through the night without having to worry about being ambushed.

Bjorn awoke first feeling well rested, While graum slept soundly as Wyrm Niadra coiled around him for warmth.

Unable to contain his anxiousness, Bjorn sprung out of his makeshift bed, he was all too eager to begin the new day as a Member of New Zenith. Getting out of bed and dressed himself, Bjorn wondered if he should wake graum up or to just let him sleep.

"Brother, are you awake?" Bjorn whispered as he quietly walked towards the basement door. "If he doesn't answer, I just go on up and have a peak around" Bjorn followed up but to himself.

The room fell silent once again. After a modest pause Bjorn opened the solid metal basement door, and proceeded up to the guilds foyer.

Bjorn expected it to be sometime in the night with only candles illuminating the foyer... he was mistaken. The guild hall was brimming with mid morning sunlight. he rubbed his eyes trying to adjust to the brightness.

"Good morning!" The warm familiar voice of Rheila greeted.

"Aye! Good morning " Bjorn happily responded

"Oh, ummm. Hello" Rheske softly greeted raising her hands in a gesture that Bjorn didn't fully catch.

"And good morning to you too little one" Bjorn chuckled " say what is that gesture you are doing with your hands?" Bjorn asked with the primary intent of starting a conversation with the twins but curiosity as a secondary motive.

"You mean this?" Rheske asked demonstrating the 'cats paw' gesture in its entirety.

Overwhelmed by Rheske's shy expression Bjorn let out a doting coo.

"~wheeeeww~ By the gods! would you mind showing Brother that?!" Bjorn sounded all too excited.

"I don't mind" Rheske replied slightly tilting her to the said whilst maintaining the gesture.

"Sweet heart, stop, I can't. That's to precious!!" Bjorn cooed rushing down the stairs to the basement.

Flinging the door open Bjorn yelled "brother wake up, there is something YOU MUST SEE"

"Brother, there better be a fire, or you're being attacked, for you to be waking me up like this" graum grunted still asleep.

"BROTHER, you NEED to see this" Bjorn was overflowing with excitement.

"Alright FINE. I'll get up" Graum's voice cracked.

Unaware that he was coiled by niadra, graum tried to sit up, but couldnt. It wasn't until niadra hissed at him for disturbing her that he realized he was being constrained.

"Ya now you know how I feel" graum muttered to the wyrm as he wiggled free from its grip.

"Brother did you just understand the wyrm?" Bjorn seemed caught off guard, by how fluidly graum answered the beast.

"There is a reason the early hours of the day are called morning,brother. It's because you are MOURNING the sweet embrace of sleep. So being awoken from such a sublime slumber is a universal language." Graum said stretching.

"It's too early to deal with your philosophy." Bjorn paused chuckling to himself.

" however that is Good to know, now HURRY up." Bjorn declared, his excitement peaking.

"What ever THIS is, it better be worth it." Graum reluctantly sighed.

After a few moments graum got dressed and followed Bjorn upstairs and to the twins

"Alright, show him" Bjorn said almost unable to hide his excitement.

Graum watched as the twin he had previously saved: Rheske, fold her hand into fists curling her wrists and elbows next to her side. Like something you see a cat do. And with an aloof expression she slightly tilted her head saying "G-g-goodmorning" in a timidly soft tone.

Graum was suddenly so overwhelmed by Rheske's cute gesture he involuntarily let out a subtle grunt

"hhng"

"That was.... that was so cute. I don't know how to react to that" graum said as blood trickled from his nose. He covered his blood leaking nose as he looked to Bjorn, who was absolutely losing his mind to a cuteness overload.

"See I told you, you HAD to see that" Bjorn's giddy voice cracked as he repeatedly and excitingly tapped graums shoulder.

Rheske, a little shy from all the attention she received from both graum and Bjorn, shyly slunk behind Rheila.

"Haha, Alright boys that's enough." Rheila chuckled, amused by her sisters shyness.

Noticing that they were making her uncomfortable, Bjorn and graum apologized "Our apologies."

"It's alright." Rheske replied from behind the safely of her sisters back.

"Any way, what do you boys plan on doing today?" Rheila asked transitioning the conversation away from her shy twin sister.

The boys, graum and Bjorn gained blank expressions, Rheila had asked such a simple question and yet… they had no idea. They did not give it a thought.

"Oh uh, well…" Bjorn began but stopped promptly.

Bjorn wasn't sure what to do, his environment was new, there was so much he wasn't familiar with.

However, Graum was curious about the guildhall and wished to see more of it. Because unlike Bjorn whom already had a slight tour of the hall, he did not.

"I'd like to look around for a bit." Graum stated, his eyes taking in the view of the foyer.

"I can show you around, if you'd like" Rheila volunteered.

"That's an excellent idea brother! I'd like another tour. There are sure to be things Ms. Tanora left out from yesterday, that I'm sure you won't." Bjorn happily chimed in.

Bjorn and graum then shifted their attention to Rheske, who still hid behind her sister.

"Will you be accompanying us?" Asked Bjorn , trying to be polite.

Rheske summoned up some confidence and stepped out from behind her sister.

"Sorry but there is something else I have to do." She managed to say without seeming nervous.

"I suppose that can't be helped." Graum commented warmly, trying not to make the young women uncomfortable.

Rheila looked to her sister,

"Violin practice?" She asked.

"Yeah."