((Will be joining you in a bit))

((We're picking up from the Storehouse. As per the forum rules, I'll be starting with the assumption that we went to the storehouse the next morning)).

Daemon squinted in the sunlight, the tavern's yard was busy, with travelers bustling too and fro in the dawn and the dew. He shifted his bag, and felt his wings threaten to stretch from underneath his skin. It had been too long since his last flight, and given some of the ups and downs of the night before, he was looking for the chance to spread his wings again. He envied Ire the ability to do so when he wanted and without fuss. He chuckled at his own downward thoughts. 'Enough o' tha', Ishtari. Mopin' gets ya nowhere ya want ta be.'

As he watched the various other groups bustling to get ready, he couldn't help thinking outloud, "Ah s'pose we're nae the only ones who wanted to get an early start.

Kyla grimaced at the early-morning light. She was anything but a morning person and envied Ire his ability to continue sleeping in her pocket. She shuffled tired over to Serena and Dae, being too tired to notice the others who were also leaving.

"Hey. How's it going?" She asked blearily. She had packed everything last night so that she wouldn't forget anything in her semi-sleepwalking.

"A'course I came," Dae returned. "Ah promised, didnae?"

He noticed the Selkie rubbing her arms. "Ya forgot a coat, didn'ya?"

"Good mornin' Kayla, Ire," Daemon nodded to his two companions. "Ye've got a map, correct? We should see where it'is we're headin'."

Kyla nodded tiredly as she fished the piece of paper out of her bag; joggling Ire as she did so. The imp poked his head out into the open air with a look of irritation. He was too tired to be enraged.

"Here." Kyla handed Dae the map. She swayed back and forth a little as she tried to keep awake.

She shook her head. "Ire! Kyla! It'll be warm soon...ah, the direction is southeast of here, but I do not know how to say exactly where. It's on the opposite coast of where I came from. All I know is that there is a dirty sea we must cross and chicken lions...hmm, and bacon that should be broken...? Oh, I'm forgetful. This is irritating! I just know the direction to go. To be honest, this is my first time on land since it's not advised..." The selkie wrinkled her brow as she tried to recall what it was she was told exactly. "From there, we should be able to see Bre'fallon and find the Vatn Hnif. This tavern is connected to all dimensions and worlds, so if it were to drop us off where I came from, that would be nearby a small area of wooden boxes like the Tavern."

Serena shifted uncomfortably with an embarassed look. It was shameful not to remember what exactly her source of information had said. Would that cause the three to leave?

Dae grabbed the map from Kayla, and looked towards the eastern half of it. "So we'll be startin' near a town, have ta go past," he swallowed hard, choking a bit on the words he'd never thought he'd say, "griffins? Lion-birds? and... Ah'm sorry, wha' is tha Vatn Hnif? And, uh, Bre-fallon?" He didn't even wait for Serena's answer, noting Kayla's slight sway. "Ya know wha'? ((yes he used know, not kin)) Le's jus' head out. We'll find a place ta grab breakfast and maybe some coffee and make our plans o'er breakfast." He winced as a passing horse's tail swatted him upside the head. "Instead o' in the yard o' a tavern."

"Sounds good to me." Kyla said. "Do you think I could sleep while riding a horse?"

Ire had pulled his head out of view again, and a slight snoring came from her pocket.

Dae grimaced a bit. He couldn't help it, it had been a long time since he'd ridden a horse.

"Ah'm sure ya could if ya be willing ta take tha risk. But, better question," he started, when the though occurred to him. "Serena, can you ride a horse?" He turned to the Selkie to see what her answer would be.

"Horses...?" Her eyes widened as she took the reins of one and awkwardly climbed up. It took a few tries until she got on the horse. It wasn't quite on the saddle, more like the upper most part and nearly perched near the neck. She straddled it strangely. Serena blinked and pointed in the direction. "That way, horse?" It seemed the horse would listen a bit. It neighed as she wiggled around. The nudging and wriggling seemed to prompt the horse to move. It trotted off in the direction. Her face paled as the horse moved on. She seemed frightened and she rode it awkwardly with her feet tucked beneath her as if she were nearly sitting on them, but her knees clung to the sides of the horse and wrapping her arms around the neck tightly. She leaned forward so much she seemed more like a koala bear clinging to a tree trunk rather than riding.

Serena simply nodded to the trio and waved her hands at them as she started to move quickly in the direction she entered. A strange feeling as though the world was changing rapidly was felt. The landscape changed rapidly as Serena emerged out in a dull world. She stopped and glanced up at the sky. The sky had a fiery tinge to the blue and yet the sun seemed dull. Far off were the shores, but an eerie silence hung over the areas. The waters were murky and pungent as well as still. No waves or movements were visible in the waters. Closer was a bustling little village nearby the shores. From afar it seemed inviting. It was within walking distance.

"Vatn Hnif stands for Water Knife, I think. It's supposed to be a nice boat. Maybe a luxury one perhaps. Bre'fallon is the city ships sleep at the most and uhm, chicken lions are something I know little of." She finally spoke.

Dae approached a horse as well, decidedly more nervously. He cursed himself for letting Kali's teasing keep him away from more recent horseback lessons.

"Um... he pulled the ogre-boy from the night before aside. "Here, if this doesn't cover the horses and tack, put it on me tab. Ah'll pay the rest when I get back... somehow..." Thankfully the boy took his money, so Dae assumed that was the proper action for renting (or did he just buy?) the horses. He turned back to the horse he had purchased. Surreptitiously, he checked the gender. Male, but neutered, that meant it was a... gelding? Yes, that sounded right. It gave him a placid look before attempting to bite his shirt. "H-hey! None o' tha!" Dae walked around its side, keeping a wide berth until he reached the saddle. With a bit of hesitation he swung up and into the saddle. He settled himself and slipped his satchel into a saddle bag. The half-ogre untied the mount and handed him the reins. "Thank ye."

He turned to look at Kayla, then the direction Serena was heading. "Ah guess we're leavin. Uh," he looked at his horse and dug his knees in a bit. "Giddy-up?"

(ah, double post on accident.)

Serena noticed Dae appear and grimly gave a shaky smile as she clung to the horse awkwardly. She dared to release one hand from her grip to point ahead at the village. "It's up there. Maybe we can get better directions?"

Kyla climbed easily up into the saddle of her white mare and galloped after her two friends. Her mother may have been the village magician, but her father had been a horse trainer.

((I'm sorry, I've been writing Kayle this entire time)).

Dae couldn't help the flare of jealousy at how easily Kyla sat in the saddle. He knew he'd have saddle sores before this was over. And anything faster than a walk made him nervous. But he turned to Serena.

"Exactly wha' Ah was thinkin'. Le's orient ourselves and figure out where we're goin' first. And breakfast," he added as he felt his stomach growl. He cursed his heritage and the insane metabolism that came with it. "We should defini'ly get breakfast."

((I thought Serena was terrified of fishermen?))

Kyla climbed off her horse, a little less gracefully than she had climbed on, and held the head of Dae's horse so that he could climb down without it biting him or being skittish.

"We had best not eat at too expensive a place." She said. "Our money won't last forever, and neither will our supplies."

"Nah, tha's... tha's actually kinda cheap." Daemon looked over the selection. He self-consciously ran a hand through his hair, settling the disorganized waves so they hid his blue-tipped ears. Then he set himself to the task of picking the highest calorie items he could find. With a wry quirk of his lips into an almost smile, he cursed his mixed heritage and the metabolism that went with it. If he was to be of use during this trip, he had to be ready at a moment's notice, and that meant satisfying his large appetite. With an afterthought, he picked up an apple for the horse. The less chances at animosity, the better.

Kyla looked over the wares with a cautious eye, then slapped her pocket to wake the still-slumbering Ire. She knew only a few kinds of fresh-water fish, but Ire had gone to sea in one of his former lives, and might be able to help her make a selection.

"Hmmm." Ire grumbled. "We're not travelling alone, you know. Why don't you ask daemon to help you instead of waking me up?"

"I'm a herbalist." Kyla told the woman in a mind-your-own-business tone of voice. "The only magic I deal in is watching plants grow." This woman seemed a lit-tle too interested for her tastes. She wasn't about to mention Master Ferlow aroudn her.

Dae's ear twitched at the question and relaxed a bit at Kyla's answer. So she had noticed, too. The merchant wasn't asking Serena, the girl with gills, but himself and Kyla. With the exception of his eyes, which could be written off, and his ears, which were covered, neither one of them looked more out of place than the average tourist. So why had she asked that? He wondered if he should have brought a hat and sunglasses with him.

He hummed noncommittally and shrugged as he looked over the pastries. "Jus' passin' through." He opted for a semi-honest answer as he continued. "Ah'm jus' a carver. Ah make trinkets out o' wood, stone, or crystal." He grabbed several of the buttery looking rolls and jelly stuffed pastries before adding some fish and fruits. He gave his plate a quick once over, felt his stomach growl, then added a few more of the sweet-breads.

"Well," Daemon remarked, after they had payed and were searching for a place to sit. "Tha' was weird. If ya want help, ask for it. It's easier to decline than ta guess why they're askin' about magic." He fought back the guilt. They were here to help Serena. If she wanted to stop and interfere, he'd be completely behind her. But there were a few too many people 'interested' in his magic in his life for him to want to risk exposure like that. His heart was still pounding from the anxiety the woman's question had produced.

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