You all thought Alfyn/Primrose was a rare pair! Well here I am, one-upping myself in the obscure pair department with this doozy. I'm a sucker for a good opposites attract pairing, and boy do these two count as that. Also I'm a dumbass for starting two chapter fics at the same time so uhhhh, hopefully my short attention span having ass will be able to update both at least semi frequently . Also, also, if you couldn't already tell, I'm piss poor at being creative with titles (and my summaries are atrocious) Anyway, I hope y'all enjoy the fic!

"Wow! This place is amazing! Look how cool the academy is!"

H'aanit cracked a smile at the raw enthusiasm radiating off of Tressa as the younger woman spun around, eyes wide with wonder as she took in the sights of Atlasdam. They had stopped here to restock on supplies, and the group of travelers decided to take some time to relax and do some sight-seeing. Alfyn had gone off to find a merchant who sold ingredients for his various medicines, and Primrose had decided to accompany him. Therion had wandered off on his own, and H'aanit tried not to think about what kind of questionable activities he was getting up to.

"Indeed. I've heard that many scholars travel here to study. The collection of books in their library is supposedly unmatched." Olberic, their newest companion, responded as he nodded at Tressa. The seasoned warrior was mostly stoic, but was also easy going and had already bonded well with the rest of the group. H'aanit felt safer traversing the wilds with him along for the journey.

H'aanit's attention was pulled to her side as she noticed Linde jerk her head up and stare at the crowd of people in front of them. She stared silently ahead for a few moments before she suddenly took off running.

"Linde!" H'aanit called after her, quickly giving chase to her feline partner. It was not like her to just run off like that, so she must have had a good reason for her actions. H'aanit lost sight of her for a moment as the crowds of people parted to let the snow leopard pass by, and when she saw her again, she was stopped in front of a man.

"Oh? What's this then?"

H'aanit stopped, her eyebrows furrowing in confusion as she watched Linde purr as she rubbed against this random man's legs. Her gaze moved up from her partner to the stranger. He was tall, adorned in robes, and holding a book, and H'aanit wondered if he was one of the scholars prevalent in this city. She looked back down at Linde and frowned.

"Silly leopard. What hast gotten into thee?" H'aanit said, crossing her arms over her chest as she stared her partner down. Linde purred before rubbing against the mans legs again. He watched her and chuckled.

"My, my. It appears that your friend here has taken a liking to me." he said, smiling as he looked at H'aanit.

"It seems so. It is most curious. She doest not normally seek out strangers so." H'aanit mumbled as she eyed the man curiously. He seemed like an ordinary man, so she was perplexed at Linde's strange behavior. "I apologize for her behavior."

"It is no trouble at all." he said as he reached down slowly to pet the snow leopard's head. Linde let out a pleased growl as she nuzzled his hand, and an amused smile crossed H'aanit's face.

"Ah, but how rude of me! I should introduce myself. My name is Cyrus." the man said, extending a hand towards H'aanit.

"I am H'aanit." she said as she took his hand and shook it firmly. "And this is my companion, Linde." Linde meowed in approval and returned to H'aanit's side, sitting down as she watched Cyrus.

"It is nice to meet you both. But I'm afraid I have a serious matter to attend to." Cyrus said, a frown crossing his face. H'aanit saw a troubled look appear in his eyes, and she could not fight off the urge to offer assistance.

"Doest thou need help? I haveth some other companions that could assist as well if needeth be." she said. Linde purred in approval.

"Oh, I wouldn't want to drag you into this mess. It might get...violent." Cyrus said, shaking his head. He eyed the bow on H'aanit's back and a thoughtful look crossed his face.

"Although, judging by that bow on your back, you must have combat experience. If you are offering, the backup would be nice if things did go sour." Cyrus said. H'aanit nodded and sent Linde off to find Tressa and Olberic. She returned shortly with the two in tow, and the three listened as Cyrus told them of his predicament. A book had been stolen from the Royal Archive and he had figured out who the culprit was. All that was left to do was to confront them, and H'aanit knew now why he was worried that his task would not end peacefully.

"...And so I have taken it upon myself to investigate this suspicious scholar." Cyrus said to conclude his tale.

"Oooh, sounds exciting! I'm in!" Tressa said, beaming as she looked at he other two companions. Olberic laughed and nodded in agreement.

"Indeed. I will lend my blade to you." he said, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Splendid! I cannot thank you all enough for offering your aid." Cyrus said. He turned and pointed to a rather sketchy looking hole in the wall, under the staircase leading up to the academy. "Let's get right to business then. No doubt we'll find Russel in his laboratory down below." Cyrus took the lead as H'aanit, Tressa, Olberic, and Linde followed closely, and they were confident that they could win if they worked together.

They were right, fortunately, and Cyrus was able to take the rouge scholar into custody. He bid H'aanit and the others farewell as he went to take care of the aftermath and to return the stolen book. Noting how late in the day it was, the trio agreed that staying the night at the inn would be their best option, so they stopped by and grabbed a couple rooms before heading to the tavern to regroup with the others.

"Well shucks! It sounds like you guys had an exciting day! Kinda wish I would have been there too." Alfyn said with a laugh before taking a swig of his ale. Tressa had just finished excitedly recapping their adventure to Alfyn, Primrose, and Therion, while Olberic and H'aanit interjected at time to add their own thoughts.

"Yeah! I'm glad we were able to help Cyrus out! I hope he was able to return that book without any issues." Tressa said. H'aanit nodded in agreement as she finished off her mug of ale, and she excused herself from the table, heading to the bar to get another drink. It had indeed been an eventful day, and she couldn't keep her thoughts from straying back to Cyrus. She admired his commitment to truth and justice, and she hoped that his future endeavors would go well.

"Ah, most fortuitous! I had hoped to catch you before you left town!"

H'aanit's eyes widened as she turned to find Cyrus standing next to her at the bar, as if on cue, smiling brightly at her. She returned his smile with a small one of her own and nodded.

"Yes, we meeteth again it seems. How goeth the rest of your task?" she asked, as she waved down the bartender, who offered her two mugs of ale. She offered one to Cyrus, who quickly accepted.

"Thank you kindly. I'm afraid the events that transpired after we parted ways give me plenty of reason to want to drink my sorrows away." he said, frowning as he sighed deeply.

"Prayeth let us rejoin my friends, and you can telleth us of your troubles if you wish." she said as she made her way back to their table with the scholar in tow.

"Cyrus! Good to see you again." Olberic said, lifting his mug as Cyrus and H'aanit approached.

"Oh, hey! How's it going?" Tressa chimed in happily, "Did you get that book returned and all that?" Cyrus sighed in response to her question as she sat down next to H'aanit. Linde immediately looked up from her place under her partner's chair and meowed happily when she saw Cyrus, and she wiggled out from under the chair so that she could nuzzle against his legs. H'aanit chuckled as Cyrus was pulled from his dour mood for a moment, laughing as he reached down to pet Linde gently.

"Well, yes Tressa. But unfortunately that wasn't the end of my eventful day." he said, looking back up at the six faces looking at him curiously as he told them what had happened.

"Well shucks, you sure do attract trouble, don't you?" Alfyn said with a chuckle.

"Yes, it appears that way." Cyrus said as he shrugged his shoulders. "But, as I need to embark on a journey to find this missing book anyway, I guess this rumor is a blessing as well as a curse."

"Well, why doesn't thou join us, then?" H'aanit asked. He was a very smart man, as well as being gifted in magical combat, so she knew that he would not be a hindrance to them. Rather, H'aanit concluded that traversing the wilds would be much easier with him around.

"Ah, I was hoping you would ask! I did not want to seem pushy by asking myself if I could join you." Cyrus said with a laugh. "I would be honored to travel with such a grand group of people as you all."

"Haha! Good, the more the merrier!" Olberic said, clinking his mug against Cyrus's before downing the contents. "Let's celebrate our new comrade with another round of drinks!"

The rest of the table cheered in agreement as another round of ale was fetched, and Cyrus turned to H'aanit as he handed her a full mug.

"I would like to thank you again for all of your help today, H'aanit. I am most looking forward to traveling with you all." he said, holding his mug out to her. Her eyes met his and she smiled, clinking her mug against his.

"Likewise, Cyrus. Linde here will enjoyest your company, I feel." H'aanit said, smiling as the snow leopard purred as she rested her head on Cyrus's feet. "I am still most curious about how much she seemeth to like you. She hast never acted this way before."

Cyrus scratched his chin thoughtfully. "Well, I do seem to have a way with cats. The strays of Atlasdam started to follow me around one day, and so I started feeding them every night. Now I seem to run into cats everywhere I turn. Maybe Linde here can sense how well I have treated her fellow felines." He laughed again as Linde yawned and swished her tail back and forth, and H'aanit could tell that she liked the attention.

"That must be it. She is a smart girl. She sees how good of a person you are. As do I." H'aanit said. He stared at her for a moment with wide eyes, as if perplexed by her words. It was the truth. H'aanit saw how he rushed into danger for the greater good, not thinking about his own well being. She liked that about him.

"Well, I am flattered that you already think so highly of me. I also think that you are rather upstanding yourself. Anyone who is willing to help a complete stranger in need is indeed someone pure of heart." he said. She found herself blushing at the statement; she was not accustomed to receiving this kind of praise.

"And if I may be so bold as to say, you wield a bow with a mastery that I have not seen before. You are truly a force to be reckoned with. I am fortunate to have met you when I did." he continued, smiling as his eyes met hers. H'aanit was in the middle of taking a drink and she almost choked on it. He was really laying it on thick with the praise, and she was feeling embarrassed by it. He heart was racing and she found herself unable to meet his gaze.

"Ah, yes, well, I thanketh thee...for the praise." she said awkwardly as she took a long drink of her ale to distract herself. Cyrus looked like he wanted to say more, but H'aanit caught a break when Olberic grabbed his attention by asking some questions. She sighed in relief, and caught Primrose's eye across the table, and the dancer raised an eyebrow at the huntress curiously. She just shrugged and turned her attention to Tressa who wanted to discuss the big fight of the day, and she was able to push the scholar from her thoughts, at least for a little while. The night went on and H'aanit enjoyed the camaraderie, and she was excited to see where this journey would take them next.