About two hours had passed since Cyrus and Odette began their research into the abridged version of From the Far Reaches of Hell in earnest. Neither one of them had stumbled into something that could even vaguely pass for a lead yet, but Cyrus was certain they had to be getting close. That was his hope, at the very least. If he and the rest of the travelers were still planning on leaving Quarrycrest the following morning, he didn't have as much time as he would have liked to solve this mystery. That meant finding out as much as he could about the binding of the book while he still could, and while the stress would have weighed on most others, Cyrus did his best to push it aside. He wouldn't work any better if he was panicking, so he allowed the familiar rhythm of searching for more information to overcome his body and mind as he looked at the stack of books Odette had set aside for him. He hadn't been given many opportunities to enjoy himself this way since heading on the road, so he was going to milk this chance for everything it was worth.

Or, at the very least, that was what he would have done had he not found something just a few moments later.

"Eureka!" Cyrus declared as he launched himself to his feet. He couldn't help but smile at the sight of a new lead as he glanced up to Odette.

She pulled herself away from her bookshelf to approach him carefully. "Did you find something?" she asked of him even though the answer was clear as could be based on the look on his face.

Cyrus held up the book that had caught his attention, and he began to examine the page before him. The tome discussed bookmaking as well as the process of binding each printed volume, and it also just so happened to be the key to everything Cyrus had been searching for since uncovering the abridged version of the disappeared book. "The thin yet sturdy pages are characteristic of paper made from the finest pinewood..." Cyrus began as he glanced across the page before him. "The texture of the vivid red binding reveals it as unmistakably tanned lambskin. There is only one place in the realm where both can be found in sufficient quantities... Stonegard. I am certain of it."

Odette took the book from Cyrus and read over the page about bookmaking before striking gold upon everything he had just paraphrased. Once she was finished, she glanced back up to him with determination in her eyes. "So that's where you will travel," she concluded.

"Where else? I must track down this tome, Odette," Cyrus insisted. It was certainly a shame that he and the other travelers had been in Stonegard not long ago, but Cyrus knew it would be fine. As long as they had the Warp Staff on their side, all would be alright. It wouldn't take even a moment for them to arrive at Stonegard, and from there, they could teleport out and be right back on their ways without missing a beat. After the tournament and the travelers' adventures in Victors Hollow, they would be able to go wherever they so chose, and that included returning to Stonegard. It was just a matter of time before they went back, and when they did, Cyrus would ensure that the truth made itself known to him.

Of course, Cyrus wanted to travel to Stonegard as soon as he possibly could, and he glanced down at the abridged version of From the Far Reaches of Hell where it sat on the nearby table. The cover seemed to taunt him, looking back at him ominously. "And I must do so before any other horrors can be unleashed upon our fair realm," Cyrus went on. He knew he would never be able to forget what he had seen in the sewers beneath the city, and he was confident that none of the other travelers would forget it either. How could they? Something like that would live within their memories forever regardless of how desperate they were to banish the truth.

Odette closed her eyes in a moment of contemplation. "I wasn't asking, you know," she said after a few moments of heavy silence had passed between them. "I already knew this was where this was going to be headed the instant you decided you want to learn more about that tome."

"Then you understand what I must do," Cyrus nodded to himself. "In the beginning, I simply wished to feed my curiosity following my temporary dismissal from the Royal Academy. Now, after having seen what was transpiring beneath the streets of Quarrycrest... I cannot abandon this quest. There are too many people in danger because of the secrets of that tome. For all we know, the mastermind is conducting experiments elsewhere. There could even be other abridged copies of this book in the wild somewhere. I refuse to simply stand idly by knowing what I do about the atrocities that tome contains."

Odette sighed to herself before shaking her head. "Always searching the truth... It's a noble passion, Cyrus. I just hope it doesn't get you into any trouble," she muttered. "Still, I suppose there's nothing I can do to stop you now. When you set your mind to something, nobody has even a chance of holding your back. I know better than to waste my breath."

"Thank you for all you've done to help me today, Odette. It truly does mean the world to me," Cyrus told her with a polite bow of his head. "I should be off to prepare for our departure. As of now, we are planning on setting out from Quarrycrest come morning. I believe the others need to be made aware of my plans to set out for Stonegard though. I have no doubt that they'll wish to accompany me to uncover the truth behind the tome's whereabouts."

Odette shrugged to herself, and while she said nothing on the matter, Cyrus could still see the worry in her eyes. "I would tell you to be careful, but I think we both know that doesn't fall under your list of priorities. How about this then? Come back to me alive to tell me everything you find out about that book," Odette instructed. "I've gotten pretty invested in this search of yours myself, and I want to see how it ends. Don't die before you can come back to tell me all about it. Am I understood?"

Cyrus smiled and nodded. "Of course. I have no intentions of falling along the way to uncovering the truth," he assured her. "If I can, I'll come back to see you tomorrow morning before we set off. I'll return whenever I've finished this journey and have answers about all that we've been seeking."

"I'll be looking forward to it," Odette nodded. She walked up to Cyrus and pulled him into a hug, and he simply allowed himself to be pulled into her grasp. Odette was hardly the touchiest of people, something Cyrus could completely understand on account of being much the same way. Physical contact beyond a clap on the back or a shake of the hand was rare from her, and Cyrus was more than happy to indulge in it as long as he had the chance.

When the two pulled apart, Cyrus set his sights on the door, tucking the abridged version of From the Far Reaches of Hell into his bag along the way. He left Odette's home behind with a light sigh, preparing himself to return to the inn and share his newfound revelations with the other travelers.

Or, at the very least, he would have done that had they not been waiting for him a few feet away.

No, that wasn't entirely accurate. Not all of the travelers were there. Primrose, Alfyn, H'aanit, and Olberic were though, and all of them watched Cyrus carefully as he noticed them. Cyrus felt like he was going to be launched free of his own skin from shock, but none of them were surprised in the slightest. The scholar pressed a hand to his chest as he let out a heavy, deliberate exhale in an attempt to calm himself. "Gods above... You certainly have sharp timing," he murmured.

"My apologies for startling you," Olberic told him solemnly. "We spoke with Tressa, Ophilia, and Therion, and... We have a few changes to our original plan of leaving Quarrycrest tomorrow."

Cyrus' stomach twisted at that, all of his thoughts of sharing his triumph dissipating immediately. Olberic's tone and expression wouldn't have been so serious if this wasn't something heavy and dark. "How precisely did you change our plans?"

"We're going to be leaving in two days instead of tomorrow," Primrose replied. "Tressa said that she wasn't feeling well after everything we saw in the sewers, and after talking it over, the rest of us agreed. After what happened... We need a bit more time to try and move past it."

"I hopen this does not interferen with thy previous plans," H'aanit frowned. "Still, we finden it prudent to remainen here longer than anticipated."

Cyrus thought about her words for a long moment before he shook his head. "No... I would be alright with lingering in Quarrycrest for a bit longer," he agreed. "I simply hope Ophilia is alright with staying... Her concerns with Morlock were the primary reason we wished to depart so soon."

"That's true, but Phili said it was okay," Alfyn assured him with a shake of his head. "She's back at the inn with Tress right now trying to help her relax. Seein' all of that... It was a shock to all of our systems, but Tress is takin' it a lot harder than the rest of us."

"I understand," Cyrus nodded. He chose to not say that he couldn't help being haunted by the imagery of the experimentation as well, knowing it wouldn't help to mention in the slightest. However, when he closed his eyes for too long, he still remembered the way the man on the wall had crumpled to the ground, dead and gone long before the travelers could ever arrive as salvation. There were still a few of the blood crystals in his pocket, weighing him down with all the strength in the world and trying to suffocate him along the way. In a word, it was nauseating, though Cyrus had a thousand other descriptors for it as well.

"We should do our best to prepare for the next leg of our travels while we're here," Olberic suggested. "The crags of the Cliftlands only grow more hostile the farther you travel from the Central Sea, and I imagine the monsters between here and Victors Hollow will hardly be kind to us."

"Of course," Cyrus agreed happily. He was more than fine with trying to get his mind off all of this, truth be told. He had thought about the horrors beneath the city streets for long enough, and perhaps shopping and preparing for their travels with the rest of the party would help to divert his train of thought. Tressa was normally the one who handled such matters of inventory, but as long as she was still stressed over having witnessed so many atrocities in the sewers, Cyrus didn't want to put the extra weight on her shoulders. It wasn't much, but it would at least help to ease her burden a little bit.

Primrose lingered for a few moments longer even as the travelers started towards the main area of the town, her eyes glossing over Odette's abode. "I'll catch up with all of you a bit later," she said after a long, wary pause. "There's something else I need to take care of for now."

"Stay safe," Olberic told her. Primrose nodded before starting towards Odette's door, and Cyrus' mind was cast back to their previous conversation. Primrose and Odette knew one another, and the dancer was no doubt taking this as an opportunity to try and catch up. Cyrus was glad Primrose was taking the initiative, and when he gave her a gentle smile in response, he hoped she understood that she had his full support.

While Primrose spoke with Odette, the other travelers started down the stairs back to the main area of Quarrycrest. Alfyn, who had been at the back of the party, slowed down as the group continued their travels. Cyrus fell into pace at his side, a frown creasing his features. "Alfyn, my friend. You seem... Melancholy," Cyrus began slowly. He could already imagine easily enough just what was on the apothecary's mind, but he didn't want to intrude too much. He at least owed Alfyn that much with regards to privacy.

Alfyn snapped to attention, seemingly shocked that he was being addressed at all. He glanced over to Cyrus with thinly-veiled paranoia in his eyes before calming himself down by force. "It's nothin'," Alfyn told him with a shake of his head.

"Yet I am worried that it is, in fact, something," Cyrus countered with a frown. "If you wish to speak, I would be more than happy to listen. The choice is yours."

Alfyn considered his words for a long moment before he let out a heavy sigh and shook his head. "Well... I can't stop thinkin' about the people that got sacrificed," he admitted. "It's awful to think about. People ain't tools to be used!" Alfyn's eyes were filled with rage and terror at the same time, a blend that had last been seen across his face when he encountered the darkness found in Vanessa's actions. She had sacrificed others for the sake of her own greed and selfishness, and in some ways, that was similar to what had happened beneath the streets of Quarrycrest. Of course it would still bother him. The wound with Vanessa was still somewhat fresh, and Gideon had torn it open all over again.

Cyrus immediately recognized that guarded insecurity, the fear and the defensiveness, so he decided to change course. "Knowledge is a tool that can serve noble ends or wicked, depending on who wields it," he began. "What matters is the nature of the person who uses the tool... The disposition of their heart." Once again, Cyrus paused, knowing just how unsettled Alfyn was regarding the events in Goldshore when he faced off against Vanessa. Back then, he had wondered if there was a difference between them even though all others knew better. Still, it was a base that needed to be discussed, so Cyrus gestured toward the apothecary with one hand. "Yours, for example, is full of goodness, and I believe that any knowledge is safe in your hand."

For a long moment, Alfyn's expression was filled with shock. He seemed surprised that anyone would even think of addressing him with such kindness, blinking a few times to try and banish both his tears and his anxiety. He wound up rubbing at the back of his neck with as much nervous gusto as he could, no doubt trying to distract himself from everything else racing through his mind. "Shucks... I'm just tryin' to do my best to help people," he confessed softly. "No need for the flattery."

"What flattery? I'm simply speaking my mind," Cyrus said earnestly. He smiled to himself, pretending to not notice the flustered heat quickly coursing across Alfyn's cheeks. "I would not have paid you such high praise if I did not think you had earned it. You're an incredible individual, Alfyn, and your sympathy for others is beyond admirable."

Alfyn shook his head at that, clearly struggling to find the words needed to properly respond to Cyrus. "Ah, um... Thanks," he murmured, smiling gently from the compliment. "I appreciate it a lot, Cyrus."

The scholar simply nodded. "Of course," he replied. He hoped this would at least do something to ease Alfyn's fears, though Cyrus doubted there was much else he could say beyond what he had already told the apothecary that would help in earnest. Still, it was a step in the right direction, and Cyrus was willing to take it.

The travelers arrived in the main area of Quarrycrest soon afterwards, and Olberic let out a careful breath before turning to his companions. "Perhaps we should begin our preparations," he suggested. "We can split up and try to find everything we've been searching for."

Cyrus nodded his agreement, but when he looked a bit closer, he could see that Olberic was stressed. It was like Olberic wasn't ever quite looking at anyone, and Cyrus frowned at the sight. He didn't know what could have been bothering Olberic, but as far as the scholar was aware, it was likely an entirely different beast from what had been holding Alfyn back. It was only a guess on Cyrus' end, of course, but he sensed something was off. He would have to address it when he got the chance.

"I should try to get a few more supplies for my concoctions," Alfyn suggested, speaking quickly to no doubt rush off and hide his embarrassed blushing. "I'll see you all again later." He scampered off soon afterwards just as Cyrus expected, but nobody bothered to call out Alfyn on his own anxiety.

From there, Olberic branched off to investigate the weapons shop, leaving Cyrus and H'aanit alone together. Cyrus glanced up to the huntress, curiosity in his eyes. "What do you believe we should start with?" he asked.

Linde purred from her place at H'aanit's feet, and the huntress chuckled to herself. "I thinken it woulde be best to given a certain someone some time to runnen as much as she so pleaseth," H'aanit replied. "I am going to take Linde outside of town to relaxen. Would thou like to joinen me?"

Cyrus thought about it for a moment, realizing belatedly just how stressed he had become given the events of the day. Between the experimentation and subsequent search for information, there was a lot on his mind, and he needed a few minutes to himself to try and get the steam off. "That sounds lovely, H'aanit," he smiled. "I think we could all use a few minutes to ourselves after all of that."

H'aanit nodded her agreement, and with that, they started off to the entrance of town. Cyrus did his best to breathe carefully so he didn't drive himself over the edge from concern regarding a million different subjects he barely understood. He was going to be fine, but only if he took everything one step at a time. He would be able to set out for Stonegard soon enough, but until then, he had to be careful with himself.

Hell only knew what he was getting into.

Primrose stood uneasily outside Odette's home, her hand raised toward the door without bothering to knock. Anxiety was pulling at the edges of her core, and no matter how much she tried to calm herself down, the fear remained. It had been a great many years since she last had the chance to speak with Odette-not since she was still living in Noblecourt. Odette had left even before that, and visits from her were scarce at best. Primrose had heard that Odette had settled down in Quarrycrest, but she hadn't ever been given the chance to visit. She simply hadn't possessed the strength to go and visit her sister figure of sorts after her father passed away. It was out of the question.

Still, she had the chance she was looking for now, and Primrose knew that she had to take advantage of it. She finally forced herself to rap her knuckles against the wood of the door, steeling herself for whatever might wind up coming her way. She had no idea how Odette was going to respond to all of this, and Primrose could only hope it went well.

Hell, she hoped that Odette recognized her as well.

When the door opened, Odette was looking over her shoulder at a stack of books on the central table she and Cyrus had used as the center for their research earlier in the day. "Back already, Cyr-" She cut herself off as soon as she turned to look at her guest, and her eyes went wide at the revelation that the newcomer was, in fact, not Cyrus.

"It's been a long time, Odette," Primrose smiled weakly. It was a pathetic way to start off a conversation, but it wasn't as if she had any other ideas as to how to introduce herself to Odette. She hadn't spoken with the older woman in well over ten years at this point, and anxiety was twisting in her stomach with all the force of a hurricane.

"Primrose!" Odette exclaimed, a bright smile immediately spreading across her features. "What are you doing still standing out there? Come in already!" She opened the door wide, giving the dancer the chance she needed to walk inside. Primrose hesitated for a moment, almost shocked at the warm reception, before she followed Odette's instructions.

As soon as the door had been pulled closed behind them, Odette turned to Primrose and threw her arms around the young girl. Primrose was frozen on the spot for a few heavy beats before she allowed herself to return the favor. Primrose smiled to Odette gently even though she knew the other woman couldn't see the grin from where it was nestled against her shoulder. Primrose hadn't felt this way in a long time, like she was coming home to a place where she could truly feel welcomed. She hadn't even felt this way when the group returned to Noblecourt. Back then, she had been too paranoid about being recognized the same way Ariana had remembered her, but now, Primrose was happy there was somebody who still remembered she was alive.

"It's been a long time, Primrose," Odette smiled as she pulled away from the hug, keeping her hands braced against the dancer's shoulders. "I never thought I would see you again, much less here. What are you doing in Quarrycrest?"

"I came with Cyrus," Primrose replied, a smile starting to spread across her features. There were tears welling up in her eyes, but she blinked them away through forceful ignorance. "If you can believe it, the two of us have become rather close over the course of our recent travels."

"Ah, so you're in his group," Odette murmured with a loose nod. "I didn't get any introductions for the members of your party, and I'm starting to regret that now... Still, I'm glad that you're here." She paused for a few beats, a smirk starting to spread across her lips before reaching up and crawling into her eyes. "Do I want to ask why it is that you're traveling with Cyrus the troublemaker? Are you one of the women he's recently charmed? If so, I'm going to need to have a talk with him about cooling it with the compliments."

"That's not it at all," Primrose assured her. "Cyrus has been a perfectly fine travel companion. I suppose... Circumstance brought all of us together, and we're taking advantage of the chance we've been given to continue our journeys as a team."

"I see... I'm glad to know that you've found a nice group over the last few months," Odette began. She took to making tea as Primrose settled down at the table, desperate to do something with her hands. Silence fell heavy and firm between them, and Primrose watched Odette with a light smile on her face. It had been much too long since they were last able to speak at all, much less with smiles on their lips.

Odette had been a constant in Primrose's life from the time she was young up until the death of her father. Geoffrey had taken Odette in after she was orphaned, and he practically raised her as his own. When he and Dahlia broke the news about having a child on the way so many years ago, Odette had vowed to do what she could to aid the young girl through life. Despite the difference of more than fifteen years between them, Primrose had always thought of Odette as an older sister. Odette had left for the Royal Academy in Atlasdam when Primrose was still young, though she made frequent visits back to Noblecourt to visit her adoptive family. Primrose had always looked forward to her adoptive sister's visits whenever they were announced, sending off letters to Atlasdam whenever she could asking when Odette would next be setting her sights on home.

That all collapsed when Geoffrey died though. Odette didn't return to Atlasdam again after that, and Primrose couldn't bring herself to reach out to her sister either. She didn't know how she was supposed to explain that she had been there in the room when Geoffrey died but had still been powerless to save him. Primrose had sworn her life to revenge ever since then, but fear yet lingered in the back of her mind that Odette would blame her for not being able to save their father. Primrose wouldn't have even been able to blame her; she saw the scene play out most nights when she closed her eyes, and she could only assume Odette felt much the same way in some form or another.

Odette sat down across from Primrose, snapping the dancer out of her thoughts. Odette set Primrose's teacup down before sliding it across the table, and the dancer smiled at the smell of the tea-fruit with a dash of vanilla. Even after all these years, Odette still remembered her favorite blend. "So, Primrose..." Odette began, her eyes narrowing as she began to rotate her teacup in her hand. Her drink began to swish gently around in its confines. "What are you really doing here?"

Primrose immediately faltered before she could even speak. She had known this question was coming in some form or another eventually, but she still didn't know how to respond to it. "I... I'm here traveling with Cyrus and a few others," she replied simply. It was a safe answer, and that was exactly why she knew Odette wasn't going to take it.

"Why did you team up with them to begin with?" Odette inquired, clearly seeing she was going to need to push a bit harder in order to find the answers she sought. "It's not like you would have just decided to join a traveling party of such unique characters without reason."

Primrose swallowed dryly, her mind casting itself back to Sunshade. All of that had been in the name of utility and finding her father's killers, and in the end, Yusufa died there. Helgenish had died there too. It all felt so distant now, but Primrose knew that was where it had started. That was where she had met the other travelers save for Alfyn, Therion, and H'aanit. It had been one of the most important days of her life for all the right and wrong reasons. How was she supposed to explain all of that to Odette? It would take at least three hours, and even if the travelers were planning on staying for another day, Primrose didn't know if she had that sort of time.

"I..." Primrose began, fumbling desperately for words. She knew that she had no reason to be so nervous. She had known Odette for her entire life, and even if they hadn't seen one another in years, Primrose knew better than to think that Odette would be dismissive of anything she said. Primrose still recognized some of the Odette she had known so long ago in the older woman's eyes, and she was confident that she would be able to say anything to Odette without judgement. If only she could bring herself to actually speak the words.

"Take your time," Odette told her as she took a sip from her teacup. "I want to hear all about it though. Cyrus' story is fairly simple-he was in the Royal Academy of Atlasdam all this time, but you're a bit different. I never heard what happened to you after... After he passed away. I thought you had gone missing along with most of the others from House Azelhart, but here you are."

"Missing..." Primrose began, the word tasting unfamiliar on her tongue. "I suppose that's one way to put it." She swallowed dryly before forcing another sip of tea down her throat, glad that the taste was just as perfect as it always had been when Odette took to brewing drinks for them both.

"You've seen a lot over the last ten years, haven't you?" Odette asked, already getting right to the heart of the matter. Primrose didn't know how Odette had figured out so much about her in so little time, but she knew that there was no point in asking questions. Odette had her ways of uncovering information the same way that Cyrus did, and on second thought, Primrose couldn't help seeing so much of Odette in him and vice versa. Of course Odette would still be able to see through her after all these years.

Primrose nodded stiffly, uncertain as to what she could even say in response to that. Odette simply crossed her legs and leaned forward over the table, her hands cupping at her chin. "Well, we've got more than enough time if you want to talk," Odette continued, though Primrose already knew it wasn't really a question of if she wanted to share the events of the last ten years. Odette was going to find a way to hear the truth somehow; Primrose just got to decide if she wanted to spare herself the humiliation of forcing the other girl to figure it all out herself.

Primrose took in a careful breath at that, exhaling carefully through her nose. "Alright," she finally forced herself to choke out. "If you want to know all that has happened... I'll tell you everything."

Odette's expression shifted to dark curiosity. "I'm listening."

And that basically wraps up everything from Cyrus' chapter two!

Well, I say that, but it's not quite accurate yet. The farewell scene with Odette at the edges of Quarrycrest are going to wait until after Tressa's chapter two right now, so this is the most we're getting from Cyrus for the time being save for the Cyrus and H'aanit travel banter in the next chapter. I really like how this is going too.

The main thing I want to discuss here is the ending scene. I always thought it was criminal that Odette and Primrose didn't get the chance to talk after all they had been through. Given their relationship through House Azelhart, I thought they were a perfect pair to chat after the events of the story. Since we couldn't get that in the game though, here we are with Odette and Primrose in Cyrus' chapter two. This is only the first half of their interaction from this segment of the story, and I'm really looking forward to writing out the second part of it. I hope you're all excited for it too, because it's going to be a bit of a wake up call for Primrose, to say the least.

Next week, we'll handle more of the aftermath of Cyrus' chapter two along with the second part of the Primrose and Odette conversation. Until then, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Feedback is appreciated as always. Have a nice day, everyone!

-Digital