Without a routine, he felt a bit lost. Sure, not having a commander barking orders all day was a nice change of pace, but there was no structure, no goal, no motivation behind his actions other than boredom. Still, Fennel wiped the sweat away from his brow, having helped start clearing out one of the ruined houses from the battle. The field outside the walls had been cleared a few days prior, though the ground was still stained with blood and littered with pieces of clay, and the focus had finally shifted to clearing up the ruins inside the city. There were about twenty people around him currently moving rubble from the lower levels of the flattened house, though right now he needed a break. Weaving his way through the crowd, he sat down on a nearby crate, and enjoyed a moment of brief respite from the arduous work.

Leaning back against a cool stone wall, he watched the work for a while, but eventually watched the people of the city. There didn't seem to be a main race of people here, unlike practically everywhere else he had ever been, with Keidrans talking with Basitins, humans carrying materials through the streets with the lizards, and no one seemed to really pay any attention to him. "You really should stay resting. Hard work could cause some of those wounds to open back up."

He turned to see a lizard walking toward him, a waterskin in her hand. His blood pressure shot up for a moment, but he closed his eyes and sighed. "I… was given a clean bill of health a few days ago. I thought you would have been told."

The creature handed him the waterskin, which he took gladly. "I was told, but I also know how bad it was when you were brought in. Even after I accelerated your healing, you were still in rough shape. I only wanted to remind you to be careful."

"I'll be fine. If anything, having my hands busy is better than keep them still."

"I know exactly what you mean. Barret can't stay still either." she smirked, and cautiously took a seat nearby.

Fennel tried to smile, but he couldn't help it. "I'm sorry. I'm sure you're kind, and I am grateful you helped me, but I can't help but see you and think of those machines. Every time I look at any of you lizards, all I can see are those glowing eyes, all I hear is the pounding footsteps, all I feel is anger and pain."

The lizard was quiet for a minute, clearly thinking. "Well, I can't say I blame you. Seeing the mountain every day would make anyone anxious. I've never even seen it, but from everything I've read about it, I can only imagine what it must be like. I've only seen one Sentinel, and I can understand why you are cautious."

"It's unnerving, seeing all of you lizards. The way the Sentinels are shaped is unnaturally similar to…" His voice trailed off as she turned away, frowning. "I didn't mean to offend you, it's just the way they're built is so much like-"

"I'm not a lizard." she said curtly.

Fennel was quiet for a moment. "I'm sorry, I've never known your kind to be anything else. Everyone I grew up around always called your kind that. I don't know any other name for your kind, or even know your name, and you're the one who saved my life."

"You never asked." She sighed, but then put on a brave smile. "My name is Haelith. It's a pleasure to officially meet you."

A clawed hand was held out to him, which he tentatively grabbed. "Fennel. Thank you again for saving my life."

"I don't want to have to do that again, but I'll make sure that you get all the care you need if it does happen." He couldn't help but smile back at her. She seemed genuinely friendly, which was something he was not used to. "Now, I know that I speak for all of us when I say that being called a lizard is very offensive. Our kind is called Ishtaer, and we are not lizards, but dragon-folk."

"Dragon-folk. Interesting." Fennel looked her up and down, and suddenly he could see it. The claws on her feet, the way her scales lay so close together and her tail that hung behind her, it was like he was looking at her for the first time again. But what really changed was the way her maw looked, far too draconic in nature. "I never considered that. I've only ever seen your kind twice before I came here. Most of what I assumed about you was what I know about the Sentinels and what I heard in stories about Nemurnal."

"Well, you can't judge everyone the same. I know plenty of Templars, both past and present." She leaned back as she spoke, smiling gently. "Take Trace for example. I'm not his closest friend, but I trust him well enough. He used to be a murderous monster who was bent on purging the world of everything not human, but now he couldn't be more opposite. I could judge all humans or all Templars the same, but even just looking at you, none of what I would assume would be correct. Sure, I might not know you very well, but I've seen you helping around here. You might not talk with a lot of people, but you're not being an active hindrance."

Fennel took a long drink of water, happy to have the cool liquid running down his throat. "It's the only reason I'm not going mad. I wouldn't know what to do with myself if I wasn't helping clean up the town."

"Didn't you have a job before you joined the Templars?" He held out the waterskin for her to take back, but she didn't reach for it. "Surely you could go back to that?"

Fennel shook his head. "Sure, I had a job. I was a grunt. There's a few small warehouses in Uian that I worked in, hauling crates and materials for them. It was hard work, but it was work."

"Oh. Did you keep track of inventory?"

"No. I just moved things. A hauler doesn't question what something is, they just put it where it belongs. When the Templars came looking for recruits, I was the perfect candidate for them: uneducated, strong of body, followed orders blindly, and wanted to get away from where I was. It didn't take much convincing to get me to join. After I joined, I wasn't a very good soldier, but I learned quickly enough. I didn't excel at any particular task and wasn't a great leader or tactician, but I managed to make it through. One of the instructors in Durlon took a liking to me, and helped me out. Pretty sure he's the only reason I didn't get kicked out."

Haelith was quiet, unsure quite what to say. "Why do you think they liked you? People don't just get attached for no reason."

Fennel rolled his eyes and shrugged. "Who can say? Maybe he could just tell that I was struggling, maybe I reminded him of someone else, maybe it was just Fate."

"Whatever their reason, it seems to have worked out for you in the end." The two fell to quiet for a few minutes as life moved past them. New materials were being carried into the ruined structure as the last chunks of rubble were being cleared out.

"Thank you." Fennel said with a heavy voice. "It's… nice having someone to talk to."

"I will always be ready to listen. I have been told it is one of my strong suits."

…

Barret wandered through the streets, some becoming quite familiar to him. It was the most curious thing, being able to see the same things from day to day. From the little shops that lined the courtyards and wagons with merchants selling goods, to the faces that were growing familiar when they smiled at him, it seemed like he could be happy here. But his wanderlust wouldn't let him stay still for too long, and he often found himself wandering through alleys and side streets he never had wandered. He wasn't afraid of anyone here, his reputation preceded him usually, and if they didn't know who he was, everyone certainly knew what he was. He didn't wear his cloak or his ranger's garb, instead donning simple clothing, but keeping a dagger ever nearby.

Still, he was more than content to just wander. It at least got him away from Trace. They had talked briefly that morning, and Trace told him how sorry he was, and while Barret knew he was genuine, the words still stung. "Forgive and forget" he had heard so many say. Forgiving was easy, forgetting was the hard part.

"You aren't very good at staying hidden." he said suddenly very loudly as he glanced over his shoulder. Flora froze as she was spotted, and he grinned back at her. "Why have you been following me?"

"I haven't been for long. I wanted to talk with you this morning, but you left before I was awake." she said, shuffling her feet, clearly holding something behind her back.

"I needed to get out for a while. Clear my head. You know me, I'm a man of the wilds, a ranger. I can't sit still for too long."

"I know that, but I also know that you and Trace aren't on the best terms right now." She walked over next to him, keeping up as he slowly resumed walking.

Barret rolled his eyes and frowned. "Yeah, I know. I'll get over it, but I just… I thought that we were friends. I know it was just the two of you, but what he said was mean."

"Oh, I promise, he knows. He got an earful from me after you walked away. I didn't let him sleep well either, and told him that he has to make it up to you somehow." Barret chuckled, shaking his head. "He has some ideas, but I'm not sure if he settled on how exactly yet."

"Well, I'm curious what he's got now, but more curious about what you have there." He glanced down at the pad of paper and string that Flora had forgotten to hide from him. "What is that for? You were trying to hide it earlier."

"Kathrin wants to make you and Haelith some nice suits for when you get married, but needs new measurements. I thought I could measure everything she needs before you left so she can start working on it while you're gone. Oh! But she wanted to try and keep it a secret, so can you please act surprised when she gives it to you?"

"She doesn't have to do that, but who am I to turn down a properly tailored suit? Why does she want it to be a surprise?"

Flora was clearly not ready for that question, stumbling over her words for a minute before finally responding. "Well… um… she… wanted to make it a gift for you two for the wedding. It's also just her passion to make nice suits, you should have seen the one Trace wore. And she took all of the leftover pieces from all the other suits she made and made a really nice dress for herself."

Barret chuckled, shaking his head. "Alright then, I won't let her know that I know. And I won't tell Haelith either." For a while they walked together, though Barret had to walk slower than usual for Flora to keep up with him. His stride was so long he could have easily outpaced her normally, but she was also being slowed by the child within her. He didn't mind though, and they talked for a while about nothing in was nice for both of them, and they eventually made their way back to Keiren's place, where Barret had been staying since he returned.

After a small lunch, Flora stood up and clapped her hands. "Alright, I've got a whole list of measurements to go through, so let's get started!" It took a while, and Barret was patient as she struggled to reach up to his height. From his arms to his wrists, his tail and his legs, his waist, his neck, his ankles, his jaw, his fingers…

"Wait, why do you need this? Is she making a suit of armor or something?" he finally asked as she went to measure his head.

"Oh, I have no idea, but it's on the list of measurements she wants." Flora said with a grin. Barret rolled his eyes and let her do what she wanted, and questioned it no more. After what felt like an eternity of holding his limbs in various positions, she finally stepped back, satisfied with her work. "Done. She'll be so happy."

Barret grinned, shaking his head. "I hope she has everything she needs. I'll be heading out in a few days with Trace to go to the meeting. Speaking of which, I should go make sure I have everything I need. Trace mentioned having some Ishtaer as a way of putting people off guard with unexpected things, and I have an idea for how I can take that a step further."