"Um, excuse me?"

Shepherd and Squire both turned around to find a woman about their age, standing a little taller than Alisha and clad in white with silvery accents. Her shirt and pants had turned grey from dust and were a little dirty. Blonde hair close to gold in colour fell down to her shoulders openly, framing a heart-shaped face. Sorey blinked at the sight. The woman glanced between them with a soft if hesitant smile. "I just happened to overhear your conversation. Would you mind if I joined you?"

The mayor injected himself into the conversation there, eyeing the new arrival just as curiously. "My, another traveler. I don't think I saw you in town before, lass."

"I just arrived an hour ago."

Her gaze already went back to Sorey, who shook his head to her request. "Sorry, but I don't think that's a good idea. It could be really dangerous in the museum, so..." He trailed off, unsure how to finish the sentence without being rude. The woman merely smiled and tapped her scabbard.

"Not to worry, I can defend myself if need be."

He knew this was not a good idea but she seemed eager. Still, Alisha appeared to have similar thoughts. "I am not certain this is appropriate, and I would certainly not want to drag another into such issues."

The stranger's attention had gone to Alisha and she seemed confused, head tilted ever so slightly. That was when Edna poked Sorey's back with her umbrella. "She has a seraph along, you can stop trying to dance around the subject. Maybe try hula next time, I hear that might be more your style."

"Wait, really?"

Mikleo's murmured "what is hula?" went ignored while the mayor's confused attention alternated between them all; Sorey had turned his head to Edna and the stranger seemed to regard empty air as well. Alisha talked to him quietly then: "Please be at ease, the gentle shepherd is speaking with one of his accompanying seraphim."

The older man's eyes widened at that and he quickly bowed his head. "I see, my apologies." After another glance at the situation, he inclined his head. "I believe that with everything in good hands, I should take my leave now. There is still much to do, I hope you understand. I would not want to presume to tell the gentle shepherd how to do his work."

"Oh, uh, sure. Take care, sir."

"You as well."

And with that, the mayor left them alone with a woman who suddenly smiled a little brighter, eyes on Sorey. "You're the shepherd? That's incredible, such a small world we live in!" She eagerly stepped forward and shook his hand with a lot of enthusiasm, which had Lailah chuckle. "I'm Margaret, nice to meet you."

He needed a moment to gather his bearings, a little flat-footed from the cheerful reception. "Yeah, nice to meet you, too. I'm Sorey." He then motioned for his companions. "This is Alisha, Mikleo, Lailah, and Edna over there." The earth seraph had made to lounge on a nearby bench, apparently done with standing around. She did not greet Margaret like the others did, simply looked her over.

Before their conversation could go anywhere else however, mana seeped out of Margaret and quickly solidified, a cheerful voice already speaking before the seraph took form: "Now what did I just hear?" True to her feminine tone, it was a girl quite similar to Edna in height and shape, if dressed a bit more sinister and with black hair instead of ochre. Her clothes were a lot more provocative, too; Sorey could see her belly button and a good bit below her collarbone, almost more skin uncovered than covered by her breezy vest. The shorts were much the same, leaving her thighs free, though she wore purple thighhighs that covered most of her legs. Before either of them could comment, the girl had darted over to Edna and examined her from up close. Uncomfortably up close, Sorey noted by himself. "Edna, yes?"

"Yes." She was handling this better than Sorey would have, tone remaining flat and composed despite the other girl's face being but a hand's width away from her own.

"Hm. Curious. Did you use to live on a mountain?"

"Yes?" There was some inflection there now, curiousity or confusion mostly. "How do you know that?" Sorey wondered as well and a glance to the side showed how everyone was watching the exchange by now.

The other girl grinned and retreated out of Edna's personal space. "Small world indeed. You're cute enough to draw Crowes, aren't you? Both of them, at that." She giggled when Edna's posture changed at the mention, though its meaning was lost on Sorey. He had seen no birds around the Spiritcrest.

"Ah." Margaret sighed and shook her head, then turned to Sorey and Alisha. "It seems those two have mutual friends. Please do not mind Symonne trying and failing to be clever about it."

"I can hear you, you know?"

She stoically ignored the comment, though Alisha took the chance to step forward with a critical stare at the now named Symonne. "Be that as it may, I have to insist you cover yourself properly. Dressing like this is inappropriate."

Symonne turned her attention from Edna and to the scandalised princess, then looked down at her attire. Sorey had seen a lot of people walk around like this and saw no real problem, but Alisha probably knew better than him what went for human customs. Symonne, however, merely put her hand on the bits of string keeping her top together. "I don't think it's inappropriate, really. As far as I recall, Hyland's only requirements for public decency are to cover your chest and your crotch, which I am. Everything else is my choice."

Alisha's mouth opened and closed as she tried to come up with some kind of rebuttal, but the fact she had none told Sorey that Symonne was right. Margaret sighed. "Of course she read the legal code just in case." Shaking her head, the other woman walked next to Alisha and softly tugged on her jacket. "Please drop it. Knowing Symonne, she will just go in the nude if you keep insisting."

"...you're no fun, Maggie."

The pair exchanged looks, one flat and the other amused, while Sorey continued not to see a problem. The other seraphim appeared as nonplussed as he was, though Alisha seemed to be out of it still. A few deep breaths were what it took for her to calm down. "Very well. I will not say anything, but please do know that I disapprove."

"So noted." Symonne even saluted at the princess, a wide grin displayed for all to see. Lailah shook her head in what may be fondness by this point.

Sorey took the opportunity to address Margaret in the ensuing silence. "Anyway, I'm happy you want to help, but this is kinda sudden, you know? And I'm not sure if I should involve others in my duties like that," he added with a glance to Lailah, who nodded gently.

The other woman made a thoughtful noise before shrugging. "I can understand that, but I want to help these people nonetheless. And as I am neither a herbalist nor a doctor, all I can do is investigate the Malevolence in this place."

"Meaning," Symonne piped up from Sorey's other side, "she will get herself in trouble either way, you just get to decide whether you can keep an eye on her while she does." The seraph girl put on an innocent look while her partner threw her another flat stare, their interaction bringing a smile to Sorey's face; it seemed that humans and seraphim could live together just fine, even outside of Elysia.

"You two seem to be good friends," he could not help but note. Both turned to him at that, then glanced at each other. Then they both shrugged and Sorey continued with a quick look to Lailah. "But I guess it's fine if you come along for a bit. I want to have this cleared up as fast as possible, so thank you for the help."

"Alright, then off we go," Symonne cheered and pointed in a direction. She immediately led the way and Margaret followed without comment, so Sorey did the same; everyone else fell into step around them, though Alisha and Lailah exchanged amused looks at the side. He could understand that, the girl's cheer was a little infectious despite the dire situation.

After some thought and a mental push to actually make conversation, Sorey made some faster steps to catch up with Margaret and tapped her shoulder. "I'm curious, how long have you two known each other?"

She looked from him to Symonne at that. "Oh, well, about a month? I did not keep an exact count, but we met shortly before I left home." Margaret glanced back at Sorey, who could not really hide his surprise.

"Just a month? I didn't, I mean, uh... how to say this?" He fell quiet and tried to come up with a good description while Margaret waited patiently. The others around them seemed to listen in, everyone being quiet; yet he could not find the right words and it became increasingly embarassing.

Surprisingly enough, it was Symonne who came to his rescue after a while: "You mean we act too familiar for knowing each other such a short time?"

"Yeah, exactly." He nodded and smiled at the seraph girl thankfully, then motioned for his companions. "I mean, it's like, Mikleo and I are like that but we're brothers. And I've had Lailah and Alisha around for a few months, but, uh, it doesn't really feel like we're half that close?" The women appeared to think this through, though both of them nodded. Symonne and Margaret shrugged once more.

"Perhaps it is the different circumstances," the human woman offered. "You already had someone you are close to, so there was no real need to forge a closer bond with someone else. Symonne was all I had for company for a month in the wilderness, so we talked a lot to pass the time. We are both lost souls of a kind, too."

Symonne huffed but did not deny the last comment; she turned around to walk backwards though, to look at them all. "It was probably that we only had each other for company, yes. There was a lot more focus on the respective other and thus, a stronger bond. But I think we have a good synergy, too." Her gaze raked over Sorey and Mikleo, then Alisha and Lailah, then Edna. "And you guys look more like a ragtag group to me, right now. Because I see five people who are a little too skittish in reaching out to others."

Sorey could not help but avert his gaze, which made him fail to see how everyone except Edna did much the same. He tried to be more outgoing and he enjoyed talking to people he already knew, but it was not that easy. Thankfully, the museum's looming structure came into sight to distract them, all sharp angles and dark wood. He could not tell if the colour was due to Malevolence, though; mutated bats and birds populated the roof and streamers of liquid darkness ran through every opening. A cold wind ran over the group as a whole and made most of them shudder. Symonne, curiously, remained unaffected.

"I was curious how a shepherd works anyway," Margaret muttered and stepped back with a nod to him. Sorey took that as his cue and pulled on the heat burning close to his heart.

Lailah taught him how to harness the silver flame, how to draw it out and spread it wide. It was an easy power in itself, point at hellion and make sure the flame can reach all the Malevolence. For something this big however, he decided to start big. "Lailah? Do you think we can clear the roof in one swipe?"

"Hm." She put a finger to her chin, porcelain skin wrinkled the slightest bit in a frown. "I believe so. If you would, Sorey?"

"Alright." She became immaterial and returned into his body while Sorey felt for their bond, another thing Lailah taught him. There was familiarity there between them, but different to the open friendliness between Margaret and Symonne. He took a deep breath, let Lailah's mana circulate through his body, and pulled out the blade she gifted him when they first met.

"Fethmus Mioma!" His call of her true name would not reach the ears of anyone but himself, lost amidst the roaring of flame that engulfed him, her, them. A seraph's spirit and wisdom and will, a shepherd's body and strength and heart, turned into one, bound together by the the seraph's true name.

When the light faded and the others could see, their whole body was alight in an ethereal glow. Their hair had grown long and wisps of flame danced around it, the catalyst transformed into a greatsword twice the size of any human. Their heart sang as they focussed, mana pulsating like a volcano on the cusp of eruption. But it would follow their order, flowed as was demanded. They harnessed the gentle, silvery warmth from within and then made it flow through a blade held high. Flames engulfed their weapon, silver and full of hope. Purification was afoot, though the sprawling building itself would require to be entered for a proper cleansing. It was no matter, that they knew. The result would be the same.

With a shout, they brought the sword down in a mighty swing, releasing its burning shroud to lash out, race up to and over the rooftops before descending in a graceful arc. Malevolence was set alight and burned, quickly becoming fuel as the silver flame spread like any regular one. It did not pass through the heavy roof, but quickly covered its entire surface from the large tear in the darkness their initial strike created. Some birds took flight out of instinct, but most of the rest remained and were returned to normal. Where the fire faded, there was no trace of Malevolence left.

"Says they aren't close, but they can armatise."

They glanced at Symonne, who was eyeing them with an arched eyebrow. They had known, but also not known, that armatisation required a certain level of familiarity. Although... "A shepherd who can not trust their firekeeper is no shepherd at all, which makes this a moot point in regard to our previous conversation." After saying these words, their voice carrying an odd echo from combining two, they gently split apart into their components. Sorey and Lailah they became once more, the experience a little bit unsettling as it always was; it felt like he had not truly been himself in the aftermath.

They watched the flames spread and engulf the roof fully before fading out after they consumed all of the Malevolence. Margaret observed until the very last moment, eyes wide and obviously in awe; the others exchanged lenient smiles over that, all of them having been much the same the first time they saw such a spectacle. In the end, they entered the museum together and Sorey pushed himself to ask another question: "Say, which road did you take? We didn't see you on the way to Marlind... and Griflet Bridge was still destroyed, come to think of it."

It only occurred to him now and their companion averted her gaze for a moment. Mikleo made a thoughtful noise and addressed Symonne, who was glancing between them all: "What element are you?"

"Hm? Water."

"Ah, I see!" Lailah clapped her hands. "So they could have crossed the river at any spot!"

Symonne nodded and Margaret agreed with a soft nod of her own. "That is true, we could have. I'm not sure if the road we took has any name, really."

. .

. .

It amused Symonne a great deal how happy Margaret was not to be found out; she hid it well, but seeing how chipper she became after the subject was mentally marked as done made it quite clear. Not even too surprising, seeing how the two realms were currently at each other's throats. For now, at least. Once Laphicet or Velvet willed it, those hostilities would cease. Likely after Heldalf was... taken care of.

Their own work here was rather boring, too; mostly just watching the shepherd at work, seeing how the silver flame made non-issues out of hellions and Malevolence. Margaret took to guarding the rear just in case, her blade held steady if at ease. Symonne simply spent her time gliding around the bunch on a thin rail of water, exploring the exhibits; art was not one of her preferred things in life, but she could still appreciate a good painting.

What she could also appreciate, once the girl remembered their previous conversation, was Edna.

"You know Laphicet?"

She acted and sounded nonchalant, but there was an eagerness to her body language that her face hid far better than the rest. Symonne almost grinned and turned to her fellow woman. "Yup, we met by chance a little while ago, and now he's my friend. Same for you, isn't it?" The confirmation was taken in stride, though her question made Edna hesitate. Curious, was she unsure about their friendship like Symonne was deep down? Did she know of Innominat? Or was it simply her not wanting to admit something personal like that?

"...yes. He and Velvet stopped by a year ago and kept visiting since."

"Heh, I can definitely see why they would. You're such a cute one. I needed a mysterious old lady to beckon them back most of the time." She leaned forward and gave the befuddled girl a pat on the head, receiving no answer and thus continuing. "Then again, you have to be more than just cute to get visits from those two. So that would make you..." Edna stiffened a little and Symonne grinned wider. Too easy. "Super cute!"

She giggled, as did Lailah and Princess Alisha who were apparently listening in. Edna's surprise became blankness once again and the girl took a step back from her, then turned around to study another painting. She slowly rolled the umbrella on her shoulder, obstructing Symonne's view; the water seraph quickly reached out with her blessing and weaved an illusion of herself still standing where she was while hiding the real her from sight and sound, then snuck around to see what she did. Only to find a little surprise: stoic Edna, beet red in the face and with quivering eyes.

Symonne blinked and almost slunk back on instinct. She expected a blush or something, but not that the girl was on the verge of tears; that one was on her, she underestimated how susceptible this one was to teasing. Or perhaps to compliments, now that she thought about it. It might have been the fact others were listening in on it, too. Either way, Symonne was left feeling a little guilty as she returned to where her illusion stood and replaced it. Edna turned around a few moments later, no trace of her previous state still visible. She was good at hiding it, the casual obstruction of view with her umbrella a well-planned maneuver to hide herself away.

When their eyes met again, Edna grinned in a faintly amused yet mostly smug manner. "I think he's more interested in me being so down-to-earth, being an earth seraph and all. Or he's taking pity because he's too nice for his own good. Velvet is more grounded, but she just sees a sibling-substitute and plays big sister."

Add low self-confidence to the list. Or self-deprecation, perhaps. Symonne shrugged either way. "Sounds about right. How many more earth-related terms can you weave into the conversation?"

"Don't know, that depends on which grounds you take. Could be a few, could be a mountain." The grin was growing wider and Symonne felt she got the idea of interacting with Edna. Just don't try to have a heart-to-heart, and pretend she does not emote in most of the usual ways. Shy but trying to hide it, perhaps. So she just smiled back.

"That does sound like a solid reasoning, yes. So, what brought you to leave the mountain I was told about?"

Edna shrugged softly, but averted her gaze for a moment before forcing it back. "Felt like it." Lie by omission. "But I seem to fit in, so I try not to rock the boat." It took her a moment to catch that one; she only did when Lailah started laughing, which led to a rather confused werewolf ahead of them being bathed in purifying flames. The creature turned back into a very confused man who was apparently staff and quickly went to the main entrance hall like all the rest.

Edna idled away at that point to help out elsewhere, and next it was the princess who approached her. By charging in and deflecting an animated armour as it made to strike at Symonne. Empowered flesh held heartless steel at bay without much trouble and a gout of flame from Mikleo turned the golem back into an exhibit. Symonne mostly watched, having been ready to dodge just in case. "Thank you," she told Alisha politely.

"Think nothing of it." The other woman smiled and made to walk by her side; it was obvious she had something to say, but she hesitated for a while. "I was meaning to apologise," she finally started, though not meeting Symonne's gaze. "My earlier behaviour was out of line, I should not have presumed to criticise a seraph's choices."

A gust creeped under Symonne's shirt and made it flutter, as if the very building was laughing at Alisha. The seraph girl shrugged. "I'm well aware I'm toeing the line of human sensibilities, but this is who I am and I refuse to pretend being anyone else." The subject was over with that, in her opinion; Alisha seemed to think the same because she nodded thoughtfully. A princess who always kept up appearances despite it all, she probably had different ideas on this.

They fell quiet and listened to other people talking; Sorey and Margaret were discussing their respective sword styles, the former being self-taught and the latter telling the story of how her teacher-to-be just walked into town one day and then agreed to teach her in exchange for room and board. It did sound like what she remembered of Velvet Crowe, too; the fact Margaret did so well in utilising Artorius' style, she had gotten used to over the last month.

"Actually, I was meaning to ask," Alisha finally piped up again, a curious gaze lying on Symonne, who gave her a nod. "I heard that most seraphim do not look their age, so I was wondering about that." Not an actual question, but what she wanted to know was clear enough. Symonne shrugged.

"I think I completed my first millennium a few years ago, but I didn't really keep track." She noticed the other seraphim glancing her way and raised an eyebrow back as best as she could with them being in different places. "What about you three?"

"I wonder," Lailah began in an attempt to sound mysterious, Edna just kept quiet entirely.

Mikleo did not seem bothered, though. "Twenty, same as Sorey. We grew up together." She had half a mind to pity him; he was still so young and already had a human he felt so close to; Sorey's death, be it in a year or sixty, would devastate him.

"Oh my." Alisha looked from Mikleo to Sorey, distracting people for a moment. "I had no idea you were a year older than me."

The shepherd just scratched his cheek with an awkward smile. "It kinda never came up."

Right now however, Symonne had found better targets. She did not let the two humans distract her from that; she could tease Margaret about being far younger, but this sounded like a better surprise to come up later. No, her eyes were on the other seraph women. "What is this, I wonder? Are our resident grandmas too shy to say their age?" She giggled when both of them turned their attention to her, then crossed her arms and looked back. "Well? We're waiting."

With everyone's attention on them now, Lailah sighed softly. "It would have been nice to create a bit of mystery, but alas. I should be a few years younger than you." From which she gathered that Lailah had not lived through Innominat's reign; Symonne herself was not even five when she was tethered.

"About sixteen hundred years," Edna finally added, surprisingly subdued. "But I might have lost a few decades, I don't really keep track either." She immediately kicked a mutated rat in the face as if to ward off any commentary.

"So all of us are still fairly young, with one baby," Symonne concluded with a grin in Mikleo's direction. He glowered at her but said nothing, probably having seen Edna's smirk returning.

"My, then, if I may ask: at which point would a seraph be seen as an adult?"

This time it was Margaret to speak up, holding a soft smile for Alisha as she answered the question: "Mikleo is an adult, even if the others tease him for being young. I am surprised you never asked the seraphim that before, really; it was one of my first questions once I found out they live so long." Alisha grimaced ever so slightly, but Symonne was likely the only one who noticed it. Margaret went on gently, explaining to nods from Lailah and Sorey: "You can not determine the age or maturity of a seraph based on their appearance, as it shifts based on their own self-image and the image others have of them. Symonne and Edna are petite like they are not due to youth, but because either they themselves, or others, have that appearance tied to the idea of Symonne and Edna. You have to watch how they behave to figure out if they are mature."

Margaret then turned her head to look between the scattered seraphim; they had stopped at this point to talk this out. "Although I am still unsure about one thing. I know your appearance changes if your self-image does. But can you change gender?"

No one answered her. Truthfully, Symonne had no idea; from the look of it, none of the others knew it either. Margaret shrugged at that and dropped the subject, turning back to Sorey. "Now, you were telling me about the Celestial Record?"

"Oh, right." They got to walking again, the experience less clearing out a large area and more a casual stroll with some battle. Sorey smiled and presented a well-read copy of the popular book. "I'm honestly surprised you haven't read it before."

"Indeed," Alisha agreed from further behind them, now taking up the rear. "I read it a decade ago for the first time, though I did not understand it entirely at that age."

Now Margaret was the one embarassed; she fidgeted and it took Symonne a moment to figure out why. Her realisation came at around the same time her partner explained: "I, uh, couldn't read until last year."

And from there, it only took a split-second to understand what likely happened. Symonne could not help but ask: "Laphicet?"

Margaret nodded. "Laphicet. He was really surprised when I said I couldn't and took to teaching me the same day."

It was not too surprising with how helpful that boy always tried to be, but Symonne still had to smile over it. She could not really continue on that track, though; Mikleo muttered a comment of his own, probably louder than intended: "This Laphicet seems to be everywhere. Lailah knows him, Edna knows him. He was there the day Sorey woke up, too."

"Mhm, you have a point there," Lailah agreed thoughtfully, one eye on Symonne. The water seraph did not notice anything like distrust, but she also knew that secrets were best kept where nobody knew there were any. Standing out bred curiousity, even if it was inevitable for a god who walked amongst men.

Sorey chimed in next, visibly confused: "Wait, most people can't read?" He got dumbfounded looks from Alisha and Margaret both, which made him wilt a little and start to justify himself: "It's, uh, sorry. Gramps taught me so I just thought everyone learns it somehow. I can't imagine not being able to read."

"I concur." Alisha sighed softly and observed at the area around them, not a hellion in sight for now. "Perhaps we should take a short break before sweeping the rest of the building?" There was general agreement and the group as a whole settled around the room; only then did the princess continue: "But to get back to the subject of literacy, it is... not deemed a necessary skill for the peasantry. Marlind is a town of scholars and getting educated is easier here, but even then it is not universal. It does not help that learning to read and write takes a good amount of time for comparatively little gain outside of scholarly work. Which is, I admit, a little confusing; do you desire to become a scholar, Margaret?"

The girl shrugged and mulled it over for a moment, which made it quite clear to Symonne she still had no idea she was talking to a princess. "Well, I think it was just a general quality-of-life thing. Being able to read can earn you money in the right circumstances, but it is also helpful to acquire knowledge, which is important for one who wants to travel like myself. Though, admittedly, they probably mostly did it because my resonance is strong and I need every advantage I can get. So I am not surprised the two of you are literate as well, seeing how we share this quality."

Her smile did not last for long when Alisha averted her gaze almost immediately; Sorey and Mikleo began to look away sheepishly as well while Lailah's bright expression dimmed.

"I am afraid you misunderstand," Alisha offered softly before Margaret had to ask. "I do not possess any natural resonance. Sorey made me his squire and granted me the ability to see what you always saw."

Symonne kept quiet from where she sat next to her partner, simply watching the princess sitting by herself; Edna was doing similarly, though she rather explored the various exhibits in the room. The other three were sitting together, with Lailah and Mikleo flanking Sorey. Perhaps the shepherd's group was not as united as it appeared.

Margaret, however, was looking between the other two humans. "I am... confused," she admitted. "I was not aware one could just grant another resonance. A Great Lord I could believe doing that," at which point Symonne almost snorted before realising that Margaret knew. She missed the rest of the sentence, going over what they talked about the past month. Never once was Innominat mentioned or so much as alluded to, both of them apparently trying to not let the other know.

Shaking off those thoughts, she watched Shepherd and Squire trying to explain how the practice worked and failing. Lailah did not seem willing to speak, so the water seraph rolled her eyes; trying to keep the truth under wraps, the firekeeper was. Clearing her throat to get their attention, Symonne leaned her head back against the wooden wall, explaining mostly toward Margaret: "The shepherd does not grant any resonance that wasn't there before."

Alisha blinked at that, but Sorey seemed suspiciously aware. Symonne continued: "It is a trick similar to the sublord's pact that allows even someone of weaker resonance to bond with several seraphim. In effect, what the squire's pact does is sharing Sorey's resonance with his squire; think of it like pooling the content of two glasses, then equally distributing it to both." She created an orb of water that she split into two smaller ones for emphasis, then turned to Sorey. "I hope for you that your resonance is strong enough to be shared with someone who has none. You're going to feel it soon if it isn't."

She could tell the others all fell somewhere between curiousity and confusion, but Sorey himself said nothing. No one but her noticed during the ensuing discussion, how the man in question appeared to hold back, obviously unsure of himself. To Symonne, it was obvious he already felt the consequences of spreading his resonance thin. She even felt a little sorry, though for Alisha rather than Sorey; the princess would receive another harsh disappointment in the near future. Perhaps the last one needed to break her.

Then again, she had thought Alisha Diphda would break years ago, yet whatever they threw in her way only made her try harder.

At this point however, Symonne noticed something else; Margaret had taken off her shoes and was rubbing her feet, trying not to grimace. So Symonne simply interrupted the ongoing discussion: "Looks like the two of us are heading back early. Maggie is too proud to admit her feet are killing her," she added as an explanation to the confused looks that brought her.

Sorey took the distraction immediately and snapped his fingers, an understanding smile on his face. "Right, you probably walked since morning."

"Odd," Mikleo chimed in with a glance to Symonne herself. "Don't you know any healing artes to help her with?"

She shrugged at that and Margaret shook her head. "Symonne and I both know basic healing artes, but I would refuse them every time. This pain is transient, so no one should waste mana on it." She got to her feet with only the slightest grimace.

Now Edna interjected herself in the conversation though, a smug grin pointed right at Margaret. "Imagine having to walk the whole way. Humans sure have it hard."

The other girl rolled her eyes back and shrugged again. "No harder than having to bind myself to people or objects for safety."

"Though hardness depends on the who and what," Symonne added with a grin. "Maggie is softer than the eternal ice I dwelled in a few hundred years ago. And she is a girl, so not that hard."

...huh, since when could she mention and think of Melchior without shuddering? Thoughts for later, it was playtime. Margaret played along after all, an eyebrow raised at Symonne: "Isn't that just different parts, though?"

"Like your head?"

"I wasn't thinking of that, but yes."

They both broke into giggles when they saw the expressions surrounding them. Edna's smile was still there if dimmed, Lailah appeared mock-scandalised, with a hand in front of her mouth, and Alisha frowned the slightest bit over their subject of conversation. Sorey and Mikleo were looking at each other, confused. "Do you know what that was about?" the human boy asked his brother, only to receive a shake of the head. At that point Alisha was staring at those two instead, now dumbfounded.

After a few silent seconds, Sorey seemed to put the subject aside and tried for a smile in Margaret's direction. "Anyway, it's fine if you head back now to rest up. You two were a great help, thank you."

Margaret already opened her mouth to argue, but a sideway glance to Symonne made it clear this would not be tolerated. So she simply nodded and smiled back, easier than the shepherd had. "Always a pleasure to assist. I wish you all good luck."

By herself, Symonne thought they would definitely need that luck.