"Oh yeah, they're pretty common in that area. Not so much where Mister Dane's from, which would probably explain his dislike of Forest Beasts in general. Where he comes from, I bet they're the top predator." She reached the woods and led them down a narrow path until they glimpsed a campfire through the trees. "Here we are. I'm gonna apologize ahead of time in case my warriors are all asleep or singing rude songs or somethin'."
They came into the campsite and Trouble told them to wait while she went back through the maze of tents to find the Hybrid. The warriors sat lazily around the campfire, either cleaning their weapons or having lunch. They nodded respectfully at Tanrial and the others, but beyond that payed them no mind.
“This place seems pretty organised…” Tanrial muttered, taking int he surroundings and the men around them.
"I guess so," Bernon said quietly. "A far cry from the training I've seen Dane's soldiers doing all day."
Mike shrugged. "Sometimes rest before a battle is important too. It depends on your style. THey also might be working towards a nocturnal schedule so they can stay awake during the attack."
Just then Trouble emerged from the trees. "Okay, I finally found him. Meet Ruin of Dreams, or jus' Ruin for short. Say hi, Ru."
Behind her stood a positively enormous man with pure black skin, two pairs of burly arms, and four bright purple eyes that watched Mike and the others warily. He gave a little nod and spoke in a deep yet surprisingly soft voice. "Hi."
Trouble clapped him on the shoulder–or really the elbow since it was all she could reach. Ruin's ma was a spider beast, so he's part spider too. He can get more, y'know, spidery if he wants by shapeshiftin', but mostly he's like this."
Tanrial nodded, “It’s nice to uh… meet you, Ruin. Can I ask how uh… big your spider form is? You don’t have to shift..”
He shuffled his feet almost shyly. "Pretty big."
"Big as a garden shed," Trouble boasted. "Oh, and he can make things freeze! Like into solid ice, ya know?"
"Sometimes," Ruin put in hurriedly. "Not very good at that one yet."
Mike's eyebrows looked like they were going to float off his face. Bernon tried to smile politely, but he seemed a little too scared to really pull it off. "That's…great. Garden shed. Cool."
“That’ll be useful, um, thanks for introducing us, Trouble.” Tanrial gave the woman a smile before giving a slightly scared one to Ruin.
"No problem!" Trouble elbowed Ruin. "Go on ya big doof, thank 'em for coming."
"Uh." Ruin nodded quickly. "Thanks for coming. I'll do a good job tomorrow when we…do whatever we're going to do."
“I’m sure Trouble can fill you in soon. Don’t worry, everything should go smoothly.” Tanrial let out a small breath.
Ruin gave them a small smile, showing off some of his scarlet, needle-sharp teeth. "I hope so."
Bernon turned around a little too quickly. "Great! Great. Well, looks like we gotta be going, lots of things to do before dark, eh guys?"
Mike sighed, managing to keep it together a little better. "Yep. Thanks, Trouble. Seeya later."
Trouble gave a cheery wave. "Seeya! Drop by anytime!"
(brb, gotta go have supper)
(and now I'm off to bed, seeya later ^^)
"We will, you soon!" Tanrial gave her a wave before heading off with the boys. Once they were out of earshot from the camp, Tanrial said, "Okay, I know we shouldn't judge people of appearance and what not, but Ruin is actually the creepiest guy I've ever seen…"
(Seeya, sorry I wasn't on much ^^)
(that's okay ^^)
"Part spider…." Bernon shuddered. "Of course he had to be part spider. I'm so glad he has a human form, however weird-looking it might be."
Mike shook his head. "He acts like a softie. I just hope that he'll be as useful in battle as Trouble says he'll be. We can put him as melee somewhere in the middle of the attack, that should keep him busy. Unless someone thinks of a better use for him before then, of course." He paused thoughtfully. "I wonder if he can make webbing, like a real spider….."
Bernon made an exasperated noise. "How can you be so unflappable about everything? It's not fair!"
"It's easy," Mike deadpanned. "There's a control panel in your brain for all your different instincts, see? I turned all of them off except the useful ones, and left those on autopilot. You should try it sometime."
Bernon sighed and dropped back beside Tanrial. "I'm not even sure he's kidding," he muttered.
Tanrial huffed a laugh, “It’s Mike, Bernon. I wouldn’t be surprise if he’s serious,” She mumbled to him, “Although emotions can be useful sometimes.” She said a little louder so Mike could hear.
"I said instincts, not emotions," Mike called back. "Emotions are chemical imbalances. Instincts are your brain trying to correct those imbalances."
Bernon frowned. "Is that a fact?"
"Close enough. Anyway, my point is that you two are scared of a guy who's clearly on our side, which is an understandable instinctive reaction, but still less than ideal. Thinking logically is really valuable in a situation like this."
Bernon pursed his lips and stared at Mike's back. "Is it just me," he murmured. "or is he in kind of a bad mood right now?"
“Oh he’s definitely in a bad mood.” Tanrial crossed her arms.
“Who said I was scared of him? I don’t remember saying anything of the sort.”
Mike shrugged. "I don't know. You said he was creepy. Which he is, I won't deny that, but so are plenty of the other people on our side."
"Oh go on," Bernon retorted. "You were just as surprised as us when you first saw him, admit it. You're just better at hiding your feeling than us. What's the issue here, Mike? You seem like you've got a chip on your shoulder for some reason."
Mike was silent for a full minute. "Just–tired." He rather abruptly left the path and started off along the treeline, not looking back at them. "You guys go ahead back to the tavern. I need some air."
Tanrial sighed and shook her head a little, “That man… I swear one day his lack of emotions or whatever is going to be the death of him.” She said once Mike was out of sight.
(Sorry, been busy)
(no worries. ^^ I do have to go to bed now though oops)
Bernon walked slowly back to the tavern, looking troubled. "I wish I knew what was going on in his head sometimes. That mood wing seemed to just come outta nowhere. I….hope it wasn't something we said. He's right that we need everything running smoothly for tomorrow night's mission."
"Yeah, he's probably just stressed about everything that's been going on. Like he said earlier, he doesn't really… relax and with all this it is hard to do that," She sighed and pushed open the tavern door, "He'll tell us if he wants."
(All g, bye ^^)
"I guess you might be right. He always did strike me as a workaholic." Bernon followed her inside and took off his jacket. "Well, I think I'm gonna go up to my room and organize my stuff, see what I'll need for tomorrow. See you at supper."
"See you later." Tanrial gave him a smile before heading to the bar and grabbing a glass of water.
(eh, wanna fast forward to suppertime? Can't think of anything else to have happen rn)
(Same though. So yeah, good idea)
(aright) A few hours later, people started to trickle into the tavern for some food. Rick actually went out onto the porch, clearly feeling restless now that he was confined to such a small space. Bernon came down and joined Tanrial at the counter, seeming to be in a better mood.
"Hey," he said as he sat down. "I've got my battle supplies down to a list small enough to carry in my pockets. Has Mike come back yet?"
(gotta go, won't be back on till tomorrow sorry)
Tanrial shook her head and downed the rest of her drink, “Nope, he’s still being elusive and mysterious as always,” She sighed a little, “I wonder what he’s doing?”
(All good, don’t worry ^^)
"I don't know…." Bernon glanced at the window. "It's getting dark out there. I hope he's okay…." A second later his face cleared. "Oh, speak of the devil, I just saw him walk by."
A moment later Mike came through the tavern door and walked over to them. He said down and accepted the drink that the bartender offered him, nodding at Tanrial and Bernon. "Hey."
"Hey Mr Mysterious. Where have you been all day?" Tanrial asked, raising an eyebrow at him.
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