[hot springs]Finally the stench is gone.(closed)

[Ximal]

Sitting silently in the waters, his eyes shut firm. A deep breath pulled from the air filled his lungs as he exhaled blowing away the steam. Then he heard another new man's voice. He recognized it but couldn't pin it from where, sitting quietly in the waters he allowed the new voice to finish. Then it struck him like a bolt of lightning mainly because liro piped up. That voice, he's the one who set the mob on you. Oh please, please, please let me kill him! Xi let the new person completely finish all of what he was saying. Him a coward? Not likely. But such petty japes wouldn't get a rise out of Xi. Not now at least. Liro possibly, but not Xi. So the other man's name was cade ? Opening his eyes slowly he glanced over wren. Daggers, fantastic. But then again he looks barely half the size of the other man. But he has skill with those daggers. "I recede because i meant no disrespect. That and i'm not enough of an idiot to fight a battle i couldn't possibly win. I can tell just by looking at, Cade was it? That he knows how to use that sword beter than you know how to use thsoe daggers at your waist." Focusing his next point of reason upon cade now he switched back to myrian to mask what he was saying from the other man. " As far as the lady is concerned. You have a fine woman there. I meant no disrespect, as i did not know she was with someone else. I apologize for even talking with her."

What are you waiting for? Let me ouuut. I could take them both. Still fervently ignoring liro he let those dar eyes of his take in everything he could. about the new opponent, he was small but small meant fast. He could be faster than even the brute, but not as strong. If only If only Xi had his armour. "As for you voice in the crowd, are you only brave enough to step forth when a stronger man is by your side ? Or when you cannot be seen ? Either way i wish to avoid a fight. And as for that business at the docks a week back. I'd rather not duplicate that incident." Right now your digging your grave with your tongue. Stop your your gonna get us both killed. Not listening to liro still Xi took another deep breath as if to clear his head. "If i have caused you any grievance, I apologize. If there was a way i could make amends. I would be willing to. As far as special powers go i don't know what your talking about." Flipping back to myrian again he paused to let cade finish with shi. That was not a way to treat a woman. But right how survival came first, he could do little good, if he was a dead man. "Those with strength deserve respect, the way you hold that blade. Tells me you have strength. An i doubt those skulls upon your arm are just there because you like them. So if i can make amends by running a task, or doing a job of some sort please let me know. And as far as the skill i have goes, i would need something to show you, seeing as if we started a brawl here, all of us could die, i'd rather nobody faught."

Xi, ivaks breath your not making a good cause for yourself. You stand to get us both killed. Stop this madness and kill them. Firoght now you have the suprise if you launched... Shut up you idiot, the smaller of the two has an unnatural feel about him. And the largher could kill me before i even stood up. Your just trying to get us both killed now shut up and let me think. Then he remembered something he viewed watching cades face as the smaller spoke. Cades face betrayed the fact when the smaller mentioned the abilities xi poossessed, His face lit up like a torch. He could use this. "I could teach you this ability as a way to make amends. But there is a high chance of your own power killing you. And it puts the body under great stress, misuse could break bones or completely render limbs useless. If would still like me to show you, i will but in return i humbly ask we forget all of this."

Xi didn't know what was going to happen now, after all he had no choice but to try and stop this madness before it escalated into blood shed. Liro was determined to get them both killed. And between the two of the other men, Xi knew he stood no chance in a fight with wither alone, but together, he was a dead man. Right now he was cold in the midst of all this warm water he felt as of ice, you wouldn't even need auristics to feel the chill about him. This was just his luck, meet a beautiful lady and then have all hell break loose. Still Xi wouldn't be rustled. RIght now was neutral ground, out in the street he would have probably been killed long ago, but here there were foes more powerful than all of them put together, guarding this place. Simply walking out of here want an option, so he'd have to bargain away a piece of his freedom, fora short while to make sure he still could be free. And he hated every second of it.

[Shishi]

Hazel eyes darted between the two men in confusion. Their eyes pierced into each other’s like ice on ice. But, then another set of footsteps made themselves known. Shishi’s eyes fell upon a man who was fully dressed. He was intimidating dark hair and even darker eyes and he didn’t come here for the water.

The man didn’t address Shishi though he addressed her new friend. His voice was taunting, but at the same time intimidating. He spoke of slavery and magic which were both things the woman was unfamiliar with. Perhaps because they overlapped with political matters that the woman had no care about. But all the same, Shishi wanted to be far away from him.

Steam enveloped the area and Shishi panicked. She wanted to out of the water and away from all the things she did not understand and made her uncomfortable. She started to move towards the wall as she envisioned herself pulling herself up. But, something snaked out and grabbed her.
Her body cut through the water, pulled by the force. She was going to struggle. She was prey and that was wrong. Her body started to glow as her towel lifted. She was going to change. Then, she locked onto his eyes. His bright blue, the water cooling her panicked golden fire. She stopped her transformation before it started.

Her heart pounded as her skin touched his and adrenaline coursed through her. His hand ventured up and the warm trail left goose bumps. She lost herself in the moment forgetting everything. She was pulled into a kiss and she kissed back, passionate, hungry for more. All she saw was Cade.

Then he pulled back for a moment and pecked her on the lips again. But the look in his eyes, it was different. Her shock paralyzed her body’s instinct to pull her back. The woman stood there, overwhelmed for a moment as Cade spoke in a foreign language to her friend. His hand was on his sword and his voice was harsh, but why. Who was this other dark haired intimidating man? Why was Cade not himself? The woman didn’t know what to do. She was overwhelmed by the situation around her. It was like being caught in a sea of waves. She needed everything to slow down, no stop. Her hand snaked out for Cade’s as she held the hilt of the sword. She felt so helpless. The hair on the back of her neck went up as her eyes darted towards everyone around her. She felt trapped. Her body began to glow, she was beginning to shift.

[Wrenmae]

He spoke clumsily, a sort of stilted intelligence that stiffened his words and made interaction almost...annoying. He hadn't yet moved from his retreated position, but Ximal spoke with a kind of languid cowardice. He wanted no part of a fight, obviously, and was quick to apologize and offer services of condolence. What bothered Shroud most was his habit to slip into a different tongue after speaking in common. Cade seemed to understand, or at least made no mention of the strange babbling, and that put the murderer on edge...especially since Cade had yet to explain. He reached out with his Djed, tickling both men with brief emotional surges, more micro managing a situation he didn't have control of, rather than dispersing it outright. Ximal could feel the trickle of annoyance curdling at the base of his brain, feeding any other emotions of indignation at the interruption of him and Shishi, coupled with whatever inadequacy he felt for playing the penitent. Pride, that most potent sin, it was that avenue the Hypnotist took the emotion, small seeds of sedition, anger and venom at being so easily overcome. From what Shroud knew of the man, which was precious little, he could draw one of two conclusions. The first was that he was a self-styled hero, standing up for the defenseless when no one else would. That took pride and a sense of confidence that might be shaken to hear the girl referred to as 'mine' by Cade. The second possibility was that the man was simply stupid...a headstrong and impulsive sort of muscle-bound idiot that leaped on stages without thinking, playing the moral high ground to grasp a sense of importance in himself. In either of the two cases, the position he was forced to speak from was derogatory, even insulting...and he played those emotional strings with a subtle layer of indignation. Cade was a man Shroud already knew...perhaps not as well as Mok, but far more than the Ximal fellow. The Berthian barbarian was a man of blood and action, not words of diplomacy and pandering. He seemed to hate deceit and manipulation, preferring to know things without guises, or at least not to be made a fool. The emotional surges Shroud sent into Cade followed his words, weaving emotions of doubt toward Ximal while subtly feeding the flame of anger and jealousy for the possession of ShiShi. The way Ximal spoke, with such highborn and impersonal words, it might already be enough to seed the barbarian...here was a man akin to himself, strong and of blood and flesh, who backed away from danger and took the position of the penitent without even attempting to put up a fight...it simply didn't fit with his physique. It spoke nothing of the 'nobility' he showed to free the slaves. So he was a coward. "I am not under scrutiny," he reminded Ximal, tapping the dagger hilt, "What's more interesting is what we know of you." His voice was layered with the hypnotic Djed, seeding the emotions subtly, slowly. "You're a man with a misplaced sense of justice, poorly executed plans, and a disregard for life that doesn't fit with your shown moral code. You chose the moment when slaves were being sold in the middle of auction, in full view of a crowd, to use some sort of power and leap onto the stage, killing the auctioneer and presuming the people would rally with you. From that we can infer you're either stupid or fatalistically naive." He took a breath, looked to Cade, and frowned, "Do you understand that...babble, he's speaking after his words? You have not commented, so if you do...I'd prefer to know, at least that I might be aware of this conversation in entiret-" but he stopped speaking. ShiShi started glowing with a sudden vibrant light, shifting her, warping her. Shroud stepped back a series of hurried jumps, nearly slipping on the slick stones, drawing out his blade and holding it between the light and himself, wary. "Petch!" he hissed, staring between the two of them, "What is she doing?"

[Cade]

The barbarian’s anger had spiked again at the pompous ass that sat across from him. He once again wanted to run his sword through him, but it wasn’t his words that were driving him just a sudden urge driving him for violence, but the half blood myrian was very interested in what Ximal had to say and offer. Cade could tell that Ximal did not trust his associate and that his associate with good cause did not trust him.

Before the barbarian could reply, a familiar light was radiating from his Shishi, his full attention was now placed upon the truth of her and Cade was in aw and shock. He has seen a kelvic transformation in the past, But it was mind boggling that the very creature of beauty had hid such a big aspect of who she was from him. His heart sank, in the lack of trust but the barbarian was not mad or enraged, for this was a world full of uncertainty and the two have only spent a few days of passion together. Not exact grounds to breed absolute trust, not Like a battle brother who you depend your life on and vice versa.

Now Cade was very interested in her being as he stepped back to get a better view of what was happened. Out of his peripheral vision he can see wrenmae reeling form the site in fear, dagger drawn and quickly Cade realized the danger his girl was in. Instantly the barbarian drew his sword stepping forth keeping a combat arc on both Wrenmae and Ximal. Shishi had a pull on him, strings attached to his heart and he would kill any of those that would dare draw danger and harm upon her. He was not disgusted at all that she was a kelvic, Cade held no such discrimination or standards to what he would fall for, and he has fallen hard.

“WREN!!!! STAND DOWN!!” The savage voice was a demand before looking upon Ximal “ You just stay where you are!” He did not need to make threats; his sword was doing all the talking which whispers of death.

He looked over his shoulder at the beauty in the light fully curious on what she was transforming into. Cade was realizing this was brought upon by the situation, the hostility and the potential of violence had scared her. “Calm down shishi....Calm down. Everything is alright!” he tried to sooth, not wanting her to leave, though his words were in contradiction to his sword drawn realizing that he was putting more of a scene on then anyone else was.

He took a deep breath to calm himself, sheathing his blade and tossing it off to the side of the pool, fully trusting those around him not to take the chance to kill him. He turned his back on Ximal, his full undevided attention was on Shishi, waiting patiently for the transformation to happen. He had questions he wanted to ask but maybe more a private place would be best for such conversation.

[Ximal]

Xi broke his gaze with the mirrored mountain of muscle across the pool to leer at the impetuous pretender at the edge of the pool. Insulting him was one thing but now he could feel liro ripping at his mind. He was trying to get out which meant that his attention was now split, but over what, then he could feel his anger rising with every word he spoke. the smaller of the other two was starting to annoy him and from that position if he blasted his flux he could silence him. Permanently. Wait what was he thinking, he was with the guy across the pool. And that one he did not want to cause anything with hell he didn't want to fight. He'd come here to relax, not starta bloodbath. What am i thinking, and why am i so angry? I had it under control a few seconds ago. Xi let me out i can feel your emotions bubbling over, let me out. NOW. XI could feel the tension rising through him, but he showed none. instead he spoke slowly and with a very cold. "I give Cade respect, that i do not give you. He seems like a man whose willing and possibly more than able to cut through fifty or more men to get to her. Whilst you hide, i remember your voice from that day. but i did not see you. I respect strength more that i respect cunning. For that reason i apologise to Cade in regards of anything to do with her. But in lieu of the fact that both of you here know each other i'd rather not fight either. Seeing as it would be two on one, and i've seen enough fights in my time here to know that those are petching awful odds at the best of times. And with the way i'm perceiving cade to be. Even worse now. So i make an offer of my self to do something in some way to right any wrong i may have done. Just to avoid the fight. Whilst cade, could fight me on equal terms without that sword, and still have a very high chance of beating me."


Then a light shone, blinding almost. And it emanated from her. What was she? What was going on. Then cade made a scene. Telling both Xi and His slyness not to move. Xi wasn't likely to move he didn't need too. Once he saw the care cade had for Shi, Xi had a moment of deep regret. Even as cade threw his sheathed blade to the side and his slyness jumped back. Xi could only think od what he'd seen in her eyes. It's simple enough Xi. You could kill cade now, whilst hi's backs turned and then kill the weak one to the side. Xi shook his head to clear his thoughts of liro. and then set his eyes skywards. and spoke slowly and witha hint of anguish in his tone. "Cade, you have my word i did nothing with shi. I give you my word as a man of honour. If you don't believe me you can even ask her. But to settle any issues i'm willing to do any job you ask of me. I see you genuinely care for her. So i am truely sorry for setting any thoughts into your head."

With a slow turn of his head he leered at his slyness, and thought. Petching coward, hiding behind others as a means to gain his own advantage. Even if he dose have some powers i'm not aware of i still doubt that he has any form of defence other than those daggers. Feel the emotions surging go for him if those are all he has you could kill him and be rid of him. DO IT! Xi slowly took a breath, cooling any form of rage he held with grate difficulty. Pride heals, egos can be repaired, but the loss of life or limb cannot.He did not move from his spot, as requested. He didn't look at anything now taking a slow breath. The cold tone in his voice thawed, and the anger in him was slaked, as he looked towards cade and shi. He wished no harm towards them. And would rather avoid it if at all possible. Still holding that towel around his waist he stood there warring internally with Liro. And Liro was winning...

[Shishi]

Shishi lost her cool. She was too far into the transformation. There was no stopping herself now. She was covered by the light and before she could even blink her human eyes, they were the lionesses’. The lioness found herself “dog pattling” in the water, looking at Cade. Her eyes locked on his and even as a human the lioness would of said nothing. The man would hate her now she knew it. Just like how her father ended up hating her mother. The lioness let out a roar as she cursed herself.

The sound of metal hitting the floor broke Shishi’s dwelling. The sound was louder than it would have been and on instinct she broke Cade’s gaze and located it. It was Cade’s sword, looks like he didn’t hate her enough to run her through. Or maybe now that he saw she wasn’t just a human he’d think twice?

That intimidating man, he was thinking twice. The lioness turned as she caught the flash of his dagger in the corner of her eye. She heard the man curse. She could sense his fear and his anger. He didn’t know her he wouldn’t understand. Well there was plenty she didn’t understand either. What was this eerie feeling she got off him? It was as if he was doing something that violated the laws of the world. Why did he want to hurt Ximal? Ximal wasn’t an evil man, he was harmless really as far as she could see.

Her gaze went to Ximal for a moment. He spoke some gibberish to Cade. What did he tell him? Surely he was trying to clear his name. There was just too much the lioness couldn’t understand. So she tried to focus on what she could understand. Shishi felt out of her element in the water now. Her gaze lingered on all three of them as she slowly made her way towards Cade’s sword. She jumped out of the water, grabbed the blade in her mouth and tossed it in Cade’s direction.

Embarrassment flooded through Shishi now that she was farthest away from all the possible threats. Fight or flight what to do? Her instincts chose flight. At full speed she covered the distance between herself and her things. She grabbed them with her mouth as her tail flicked in embarrassment. And then she took off.

Shishi flew as she bumped past the guard of this place. If she was human her cheeks and ears would be burning. Her heart was pounding in her chest. She wasn’t being such a brave lioness today, but instincts told her that when there were multiple threats you ran. When you were a lioness you were not a human and you wouldn’t be treated as one. Her money jingled as her bag swayed in her mouth. She hoped Ximal and Cade would be ok. She was about thirty feet from the building now. The lioness stopped and roared for them as she mourned her loss.

[Cade]

Shishi had made sure Cade had been re acquainted with his sword just before she too off, hell bent to be from their company. The barbarian stood their, aw struck as the girl of his dreams transformed into a lion, a beast of power, royalty of nature and a predator to respect a fear. The barbarian found a new love for the girl but before he could snap to it, she was gone leaving the three men behind i her wake.

The half blood myrian thrusted himself out from the pool, about to give chase but before doing so he turned back to Ximal " We will continue this conversation at another time and date". He then turned to Wren giving him a respectful nod " I will meet you back at camp once I sort this issue out".

With that, the barbarian was afoot, quickly changing into his dark hide pants and buckling his sword belt around his waist before shouldering the rest of his belongings while running in the direction of the Lion's roar. Shishi needed to know that he was not about to give up on her,, not even if she was a kelvic. There was a deeper connection then just race and Cade new all about racial bigotry for being a half breed that spent the first ten years of his life in Taloba in paranoia and constant state of abuse for not being pure blood.

The barbarian rushed out into the forest, noticing that the Lioness was lingering thirty feet ahead. He slowed his advancement down, keeping his hand away from the hilt of his sword showing that he was approaching in peace. His svefran blues were glued to the hypnotic gaze of the lion, a form that his shishi was in will take time for him to get use to but he can still see and sense her with in. Eyes were gate ways to the soul and only if should could see into his as his very essence was an eruption for her companionship.

"Shishi!" Her name rolled of his tongue in such smooth and calm that the barbarian could muster. He did not want to provoke her into flight or worse into fight. "This does not change a thing" His statement was truth, short and direct. "Please, don't run away from me!" He continued to plead to her senses, as he slowly gained the distance to her, his eyes never leaving hers.

[Wrenmae]

Cade, proud and able leader, dashing off after a Kelvic and leaving a self righteous idiot alone with his accuser. The implications were staggering, simply staggering. For the sake of physical comfort, the nobility of the great 'love', Cade had abandoned a far less physically capable team mate alone with a fool. Shroud only watched him go, bounding steps taking him beyond the door and away. He let out a breath, tapping a finger against the sheathed dagger and taking a few more steps backward. Even with his superhuman powers, it would take Ximal too long to get to the opponent to kill him without challenge. Shroud was wary of his surroundings, the steam, the water of the baths, the wet ground. The barbarian had not explained the language between them, had simply run off without an explanation...only a vague promise to expand when they met back at camp. If they met back at camp. Ordinarily careful, the entire situation made the storyteller uncomfortable. From rage to understanding and finally to escape without explanation, all he had was the dismal feeling he had been left out of a conversation, denied information. So....Cade was not trustworthy then? It was regrettable, but perhaps best that it had come now rather than later. It had never occurred to the young man to plan an exit strategy if things in the CE turned ugly. He'd assumed that letting Cade know his talents as a mage had been an investment in trust, mutual understanding. The whole situation in the hotsprings spelled differently however, and certainly a leader who could so easily leave a comrade alone with a far more physically capable and far less restrained individual was not a leader concerned with an aspect of 'family'. No, this man was lovestruck by a morpher, a petching lion, one that had done NOTHING but warmed his bed since her arrival. Where was her recruitment? Where were her innovations? If the man would bleed for the curves of a woman but not the progress he needed to make himself a bloody petching leader, then so be it. Shroud would not be so foolish as to walk that self destructive path. "If you were going to kill me," he said to Ximal, Res pouring from his hands and seeping around his fingers, "I suggest you do so while you have the chance." The hiss of steam between them was a silent sibilant language, drawing in, out, in, and out again. "You are a mage, and an untrustworthy one. You speak in two languages, you have no intellect to back your strength, and you will die in this city." He took another step back, just to be sure, gathering the Res around both hands and preparing. "The Crimson Edge is not for you, and I will not call you brother so long as I live within that cadre...so" He was quiet. "Kill me or petch off, you have nothing you can offer me, you are a liability, and I vow to do all in my power to ruin you if you so much as ask to join what we have here." Mage or not, offering him power or not, Ximal was a dangerous liability. He had already shown his face, his ability, in the slaver markets...he was a marked man. Other gangs could use his involvement against them and Cade couldn't seem to see that. Fine. If the Berthian barbarian was so keen to let misguided fools into their ranks based solely on acquiring power...Shroud would have no more part of the Crimson Edge...they would only destroy themselves in the long run. Shroud pushed more Res in his cupped hands, holding them at his side and breathing slowly. He was capable of physical superiority, this much was certain, but he would have to be a god to cover the distance between them in an instant. A full on fight was pointless, and Shroud brought Djed into his eyes and mouth, a whirling dirvish of energies, prepared to wreak havoc with what magic was available to him to stop Ximal. If he escaped after a confrontation, Cade would be forced to consider that the man had tried to attack Shroud...and if forgiven for that offense, well. That would be deceit that should be reciprocated in kind. "You don't belong in Sunberth," he finished, taking another step back toward the door, "You belong somewhere where stupidity doesn't have a price."

[Ximal]

XI sat back in the water, the steam filling the room with a humid stickiness which had begun to make his skin grow cold. Sitting back in the water he looked oddly at his slyness. no interest to fight, no reason to go after him. After all he just wanted a night of peace. Looking at the situation, cade had fled after her, xi was left in the state he had been found. And his slyness was still edging his way towards the door. Xi looked at his slyness now and oddly felt no impulsively strong urge to beat his head in with a gauntleted fist. No instead he spoke calmly, chilly, event the water around him felt colder as he spoke. " For your information, i dotn speak just two languages, i speak three. I was talking to cade in his native language. Sign of respect for the stronger warrior." Xi felt his tenseness flow out of him once again back into the waters of the pool. Still he couldnt help but laugh mentally at the display wren was making.

"You speak strongly, 'if i was going to kill you, i'd do it now ?' The Crimson edge is not for me, sunberth will kill me. You say this whilst your still slinking out for the door. At lease cade had the stomach, and more than likely in his case the will to do something. Your just an observer, you don't have the strength or the ability to act. So you hide you make up for it with plots and plans. You put up a façade of power. You use the intelligence you have to try and get around others. You use your cunning to attempt to get people to follow you. I wont be manipulated like some puppet." His voice froze as he rose and walked towards wren, not attempting any sort of violent field about himself. He looked towards wren, he was lithe, he could be fast. Still Xi didnt want to fight. "Now if you'll excuse me, i want to get dressed, you happent o be in my way and unless your are some what perturbed and rather inclined towards men. i request you leave."

He walked over slowly, no malice, no anger. Giving wren plenty of time to leave. then he heard something amusing and let out a slight laugh. "You insult and threaten a naked man as you can see he holds no weapon other than his own. i am no mage, if i was i could have attacked both you and cade. And i'm not stupid either. ive seen enough fights to know when the odds aren't in someone's favour. And right now there stacked against you. So please if you'd kindly leave, i only wish to dress and leave this place myself." He stood thirteen paces away from wren now, and didn't show even the lightest fleck of emotion. "You call me, stupid and tell me that sunberth is not for me. Sunberth is a place where only those strong both mentally and physically survive. I've survived almost two weeks of beign chased and hunted by a lynch mob. I've survived and thrived. Whilst you've kept your self cloaked in shadows. Hiding from i dont know what. Xi walked around to the side where he'd hidden his clothes secretly to hide them being stolen. Ans started to dress throwing the wet towel to the side. He pulled on his clothes and sliced his beard down to sides with his razor. Now feeing some what fresher he turned back to face wren, steel on his shins and forearms. He looked back across the room at wren. "Stay clear of me, and i'll stay clear of you. I don't like you much, and i can tell you already have a fair bit of hatred for me as well. Now if you'll excuse me." Strapping his body pack to him and swirling his cloak about his shoulders. The distance between them, eighteen paces. He could close that gap in a moment if he had too, block the blade and knock him out if he had too. He had no will to do so though. "I'd like to leave." Liro became sullen. Bored within him, Xi didn't care right now all he wanted to do was go home and leave this mess behind him. So without missing a beat he leapt onto the roof useing a flux powered jump and started to head for home. Walking across the roof of the building, he spotted Shi and cade in the trees and headed the opposite direction so as not to intrude upon them.

[Wrenmae]

He kept his distance, letting the hulking brute move past him and out the door, leaving Shroud alone in the Springs. The murderer followed XImal with his eyes, a rueful snarl frozen on his face as the man left and was gone to the outer area of Sunberth. Taking a brief glance to make sure no one else was in the area, Shroud converted all the excess res into a blast of wind and sent it skyward, a hissing reproach for the man who left. It dissipated invisibly far from him, somewhere above, no doubt mucking up the flight pattern of some wayward bird. Ximal, a monster of brute strength, awkwardly intelligent words, and a strange second sight for measuring the skills of opponents who hadn't drawn steel. He was dangerous, a mage no doubt, and a creature of measured self preservation. Worst yet, Cade's behavior had done nothing but shattered the confidence he had once held for the brutish Myrian. Nothing had happened, but if it had it would have been on his head...frankly the threat of it was enough to measure and correlate the possible results. Mok, that man wouldn't have run off, tugged by his manhood to leave a comrade behind. Neither would he have suffered the fool to live. Grinding his teeth together, Shroud waited several more minutes, making sure he was confident Ximal had left the bath house to continue on his disastrous forward path. It was prudent, perhaps, to take this information and prepare it somewhere...he had a name now, Ximal, and he spoke a language Wremae did not understand...these two facts would be vital in compiling a profile on the man. He was foolish, well spoken, but poorly thinking. It was a combination, that, combined with their double talk, made both Cade and he a dangerous combination. Striding from the bath house, glaring against the high noon sun, Shroud stalked back toward the CE camp, his mind meddling in dark places. If Ximal would not be expunged conventionally, perhaps it would take the efforts of a concerned 'citizen' to finish the job. He grinned, the first real spark of joy he'd felt all day. Yes...just doing his civic duty.