As Lilu became still, falling into Scyler’s arms, Dark panicked and reached for an arrow. They were already turning against each other and Lilu was their only ticket out of there, he needed him alive; the other not so much. Still slightly breathless from the run, he didn’t raise his bow but held the arrow tight in his hand, prepared to throw it. Even Ryo tensed after witnessing the demon’s actions, but wrapped his transparent arms around Dark, protecting him and preventing him from attacking.
Scyler explained himself and the couple relaxed. Dark returned the arrow to his quiver, feeling slightly embarrassed and looked towards the ground again. An idea struck him; the fortunate thing about being in the Wolfrum faction was the unlimited supply of natural remedies.
“Wait,” he interjected, while crouching to the ground and picking leaves. He examined the plantain leaves and placed in his mouth, wincing at the taste. He spat out the chewed green mush into his hand and held it out to Scyler. “It’ll help with the wound, trust me. Just until he can heal it himself.” Dark applied the paste to the wound, assuming it was on his leg due to the limp, and covered it with an intact plantain leaf.
Standing behind them on the look out, Ryo gently nudged the boys forward to encourage them to move. “They’re started to gain on us,” he said worried. Keeping the other three in front of him, Ryo lagged behind; his claw out ready for an attack. They rushed into the village, scouting out for the hostel that Lilu mentioned earlier. The hostel was one of the largest buildings within the village, they rushed inside and asked for a room.
The only room available consisted of three small beds and a optional cot. Ryo and Dark exchanged a look but took the room; the couple were prepared to share a small bed as the incubus need space to himself to rest. Clambering up the stairs, they entered their dingy murky room and sighed. Nightfall had come, shrouding the village in darkness. Even if the previous town’s inhabitants had followed them into the village, it was too dark to find them now.
Dark threw his stuff down and sat in the cot, he was small enough to curl into as he calmed his nerves. Ryo kissed his forehead in passing, as he headed towards one of the free beds, there he collapsed but kept an eye on Scyler and Lilu.
"How is he doing?"

Lilu groaned slightly as he was laid down in the cot, the paralysis starting to wear off. The pain in his leg had grown, becoming a deep ache, spiking into slight agony if he moved. Scyler helped him sit up in the bed, then worked on peeling away the plantain leaves in the most gentle manner he could. He looked up to Ryo, trying to smile, but half failing.
"He'll be alright after he heals himself. I think part of the arrow is still in him though. It looks like he snapped it off and kept flying," he explained. He crawled into the bed next to Lilu, wrapping his arms around his friend in an embrace, then kissed him on the cheek. It was becoming apparent that Scyler had feelings for Lilu, although the incubus left them unrequited.
It was only a matter of minutes before Lilu was capable of moving again. He looked around the room, checking his surroundings. It wasn't long before his attention went back to his wound. Diverting his attention for a moment to Scyler, he posed a simple request.
"I need you to pull the arrowhead out." That was all he said before removing his shirt, exposing more of his lithe frame. He rolled up the garment and bit down on it, then looked up at Scyler expectantly. The arthropod demon sighed, standing up and moving to Lilu's side, looking for the arrow in the wound. Thankfully there was enough of the shaft of the arrow left to hold on to and pull. Unfortunately, most of it was still in Lilu's flesh. Carefully, he wrapped his fingers around what he could, and shifted it back and forth while pulling gently in an attempt to get it as far out as possible without ripping Lilu's flesh, or any important arteries in his leg. Once he'd gotten a few inches of it out, and made sure anything important was out of the way, he wrapped his hand around the shaft tightly, looking up at Lilu to make sure he was ready. Lilu nodded, already wincing hard through the pain. With a single tug, and a muffled agonized scream from Lilu, the arrow was out, leaving Lilu bleeding profusely and gasping for air. It was a few minutes of Scyler soaking up the blood with a bedsheet before Lilu calmed himself enough to cast a spell. Without wasting any more time, he spoke quickly and concisely, commanding the Aura to aid him.
"Corpus Telumne Tutamo Saneste," he commanded, focusing intently on the injury on his leg. The flesh knit itself back together at a decent speed, closing the wound in minutes, not leaving so much as a scar to show that it had ever happened. Scyler looked incredibly relieved, hugging Lilu tightly and tossing away the bloodied sheet. They remained like that for a moment before Scyler sat down on the bed beside Lilu, looking at the other two.
"Let's get started on that crystal, shall we?"

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Feeling squeamish from the blood and flesh, Dark averted his eyes as he climbed onto the same bed as Ryo and wrapped his arms around him. Hearing Lilu’s pain filled cries, Dark could not help but contribute some sort of comfort. It wasn’t much but he sang. In fact, he sang a lullaby which emitted a sense of tranquility for whoever listened, it was popular for children in his world; remembering how his nanny would sing it for him.
During the singing, Ryo -becoming affected by the song- slipped back, his whole body relaxing. His breathing slowed and his eyelids became heavy, however he continued to watch Lilu and Scyler, ready in case any of them needed assistance. For the most part, he wanted to keep his distance, Ryo could sense something between the two and did not want to interrupt unless completely necessary.
Seeing the bloodied sheets being discarded from the corner of his eye, Dark took this as a reasonable time to stop singing. For the first time since entering the room, he glanced up at the odd couple.
“Anything we can do?” Ryo asked, finally taking the time to remove his boots and rubbing his feet with one of his transparent arms.
Dark gave a sideways glance at Lilu, his overprotective suspicious tendency resurfacing as he tucked his knees under his chin.

Lilu and Scyler made quick eye contact, Lilu then shaking his head. Lilu and Scyler spoke at the same time, Lilu casting a spell quietly, Scyler informing the others of their silent exchange's information.
"Vacuos Tenebrae Astram Famme Lucro," Lilu whispered, holding both his hands in front him. A small shimmer appeared in the air above them before the crystal he'd stashed away earlier fell out of the void into his waiting hands.
"We'll be good, there's really nothing to do. Lilu just has to track down where the crystal came from, and determine what it'll take to get there."
Scyler glanced back over at Lilu, who was now standing in the space between the beds, bent over with two fingers on the ground.
"Limus Florae Vitrea Sensas Luteus," he muttered, dragging his fingers along the ground in a large circle, about 4 feet across. A strange orange pigment followed his fingers as he dragged them along the floor. He followed up the circle with a seven pointed star. Finishing this, he sat crosslegged in the middle, the crystal in front of him. He touched his fingers to it, each one finding a different crystal from the cluster to rest on. He closed his eyes, tapping into the aura, enveloping his entire being in it, into the magical energy between worlds. While there, the separation between worlds was paper thin, and easier to see into. He focused silently, his mind somewhere whirling through magical energies as he tried to find the plane the crystal bore the strongest connection to, as that would be the one it had come from.

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The pair sat idly as Lilu worked.
Still curled up with his chin resting on his knees, Dark watched the ritual closely; this time not out of suspicion but out of admiration. He became entranced as the orange line appeared as Lilu traced a circle with his finger. To be able to practice magic was a incredible feat and watching it was soothing. Lilu sat cross-legged, seemingly meditating, perhaps shifting through worlds in his mind. Dark had many questions but held his tongue, not wanting to disturb.
Fidgeting as Ryo tried to decide on what to do; his eyes glanced between each person in the room. Unable to sit for any longer, he vacated the room and wandered down to the tavern with the aim to buy food. As he climbed down the stairs Ryo's hands rummaged through his pockets to check the sum of his wealth. There were a few coins left; enough to last them until they get to the new world, provided that they go within a few days. He wondered if the currency would be the same; would they accepted his left over coins. Granted, Ryo would give up the warrior life to earn a living but would finding employment be so easy. Would they be escaping a world of war to encounter poverty and famine. Both were proud persons; Ryo could not imagine either of them willingly begging on the streets, even though Dark could sing and dance while Ryo would juggle.
At the bar Ryo ordered stew, bread and ale. He gulped his own while he waited for the food, perching on a wooden stool and hunched over, leaning against the counter top. He dismissed his fears, now was not the time to start developing second thoughts, especially as they found a magic user.
The vectors on his back began to twitch and the hairs on the back of his neck raised; he was being watched. Without moving, Ryo used reflections and sounds to search for any suspicious people of interest. However it was not surprising he was being watched; the Wolfrum faction had defining traits, they were shorter but broad with wild hair and beards. Like dwarves, almost. Ryo, on the other hand, had prominent Western features; being tall, blonde and strong jawed. He kept his head low and his vectors on guard.
Once the food arrived, he hastily returned upstairs, pacing along the corridor in case someone followed him to the room. When he was certain that he was alone, he returned to the room and presented the stew, silently as not to bother Lilu.

Scyler remained silent, keeping his eyes only on Lilu. He appeared to be watching him intently, but really he was just zoning out entirely. He was tired enough to fall asleep on the spot, but stayed up simply because Lilu was awake. Meanwhile, the Incubus's mind hurtled through dimension after dimension. He whirled through the planes, looking at connection after connection, keeping note of the stronger ones as he continued going through the worlds. The search was getting taxing, and it was starting to show on his body. Occasionally the blond would twitch, the strain of channeling the spell taxing him exponentially more the longer it was held.
Scyler's head nodded downward as his eyes closed before whipping his head back up to keep his eyes on Lilu. He wanted to be ready to break Lilu's channel into the worlds if it became too harsh on his body.

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As dinner was presented, the scent of the stew caused Dark's stomach to growl violently. He guzzled the vegetable broth from his partner, along with the hardened bread and washed it all down with bitter ale. There wasn't much taste to any of the dinner, but it was warm and better than nothing. Finishing their dinner, the couple curled up on the single bed together and watched Lilu meditate. It did not take long for exhaustion to kick in, Ryo laid back and drifted into slumber. As Dark struggled to sleep most nights, having strangers in the room made him feel even more unsettled.
Spotting Scyler struggling to stay awake, he crept off the bed and tip-toed around Lilu. Resting a hand on his shoulder, he leaned in and spoke softly in his ear: "You should sleep. I can keep watch for you, I'll wake you if anything happens." When the demon did not move, Dark leaned in again. "I don't mean to threaten you, but if you don't go to sleep now, I will put you asleep. You'll be no help to us exhausted," he whispered sternly. Examining Scyler, it would only a few bars of lullaby until he was knocked out; but he waited for Scyler to move on his free will, he did not fancy dragging the tall man to the bed.

Scyler grumbled something unintelligible before deciding to just comply with Dark's wishes. He trusted him enough to interrupt Lilu if anything were to happen. He laid down in the bed, pulling the covers over himself.
"If his breathing becomes irregular, pull him out of the circle," he mumbled before promptly falling asleep.
Lilu, meanwhile, continued whirling past worlds, having narrowed the origin of the crystal cluster to a few possibilities. He went back and forth between several planes, checking which one had the strongest connection. He'd found two that were almost identically linked to the cluster. He decided to peer closer into the planes, trying to decide which place the cluster was from. Lilu was working rather slowly while the thought occurred to him that the townspeople might be suspicious of them. He wasn't sure what they might try to do, if anything, but he decided to begin working faster, analyzing the aspects in the crystal's connections to the planes.

_________________

Taking Scyler's spot, Dark crossed his legs and stared at Lilu. Listening out for irregular breathing was easy, he could even do it in his sleep but didn't feel that would be wise. Leaning in closer, with closed eyes, Dark shut out all background noise; the room became perfectly silent to him. He locked onto Lilu, listening to his heartbeat and breathing. Both seemed normal to him, if not a little slow.
Sitting upright again, he continued to focus only on Lilu. Right now the incubus was the most important thing to him. If the meditation goes as planned then soon Dark could leave this rotten place. He still clung to the hope that he could return to his home world, even though the crystal wouldn't direct them to it. Even if it's only to observe the ruins of his species, he wanted to see it, it was the only home he knew. With a sigh, he slumped over, his chin resting on his hand.
His eyes flickered from one part of the room to the other. Ryo, by now, had curled himself up in the bed. Somehow, inbetween sleeping and curling up, he had removed a layer of his clothes; his chest now bare and exposed to the elements. Dark was intrigued by how comfortable Ryo immediately felt with strangers in the room, or even in the tavern where the likelyhood of being attacked by other guests and staff were extremely high. His laid back attitude only made Dark's paranoia worse, as he worried enough for the both of them.

Lilu finally made the connection of the vis flowing between the crystal and a rather odd plane he found. It seemed to be inhabited by all sorts of odd creatures, from humans to djinn and elves, demons, angels, and any other creature imaginable. Oddly enough, it seemed to be completely stable, and almost entirely lacking in Telum and Ira vis, a telltale mark of strife within a world. Perhaps the creatures in the realm had managed to create peace among the denizens of the world?
Upon concluding his investigation, he brought himself back to his own world, marking the location of the new realm, called Paxaria he'd found, in his memory. His amber eyes opened, a smile cracking open upon his lips. He seemed a bit twitchy though, despite his elation, and looked exhausted, dark circles having formed under his eyes. He turned to the others after standing, his tail wrapping tightly around his leg as he stood.
"Well, I've done it," he announced. "I've found the realm called Paxaria that this crystal came from. It seems impressively peaceful. I need to rest for now, but tomorrow we should look for a good place to open the portal. We should be there within days at absolute most, possibly even tomorrow if we find the right place quickly. I'll search the aura for a good place tomorrow," he concluded, looking pleased with himself.

_________________

Leaning in closer as Lilu's eye reopened, Dark surveyed any difference in his health. He remained in the forward position, eager for any news of the incubus' findings. His eyes filled with tears from the statement that they could go there so soon.
"Yes... rest, you should do that. You've earned it," he replied, holding back the tears and smiling brightly. "Sweet dreams." Dark offered Lilu a pat on the back as he stood and returned to the small bed with his husband. The cat-like demon had sprawled out, his mouth gaped wide open as drool oozed slowly from the corner. Before getting in himself, he ensured that his arrows and bow were reachable and that the room's small table was leaning against the door. Stripping down to his cotton underclothes, forming a neat pile of leather gear in the corner, Dark attempted to wiggle his way onto the bed. With very little space to rest his head, he settled for Ryo's chest, once again soothed by his heartbeat and body heat. He kept his eyes on the door until it became a blurry haze and drifted off to sleep.

As morning dawned, Ryo awoke; cradling his partner so not to wake him as he sat up. He surveyed the room briefly as he tried to wake up. Laying Dark down, he slipped from the bed and stretched. With a slow stagger, he headed to the window to check the weather. Ryo gasped; a mob of the inhabitants of the last and this village were gathered around the tavern. He slid away from the window, rushing for his gear and nudging everyone else.
"What is it?" Dark mumbled with a yawn.
"There's an unwelcoming party outside, I think it's for us."

Lilu and Scyler stirred, neither making any rapid move to get up before processing the information Ryo had just given them. After realizing what the gravity of the situation with the unfriendly denizens, both of them moved much more quickly. Lilu stumbled as he rolled onto his feet, still feeling the effects of channeling his magic for that long. Scyler was more graceful, but it was clear his mind was foggy. The two of them quickly got themselves redressed and ready to go, Lilu already contemplating their escape.
"Do you guys want me to teleport us a distance away from the tavern? That's probably the safest option. I could also, um, 'distract' the crowd too, if you want. Whatever works," he suggested, turning to face the other three. Scyler looked at him in a silent agreement to whatever Dark and Ryo decided. Lilu look to the other two demons expectantly, awaiting an answer.

_________________

Dark immediately jumped out of bed, cursing his decision to sleep in comfort as he pulled on his leather gear. They gathered themselves quickly as they could. The couple exchanged looks as Lilu offered them options of escape, ultimately Dark remained quiet, leaving the choice to Ryo. He weighed up his options but noticed the incubus' exhaustion from the night. "Are you able to do either? You look pretty worn out," he remarked.
"I could disorient them or sing them to sleep," Dark suggested, still lacing his boots.
"And they would through a scythe at your face the moment they heard you, it wouldn't work."
"Then how about you come up with an idea," he retorted, his cheeks puffing up in frustration.
Biting his nails as he thought, Ryo examined each of his travel companions. Finally he threw his hands up. "Fine. Lilu; distract them, they're not comfortable with fire magic here, so think of something creative. Dark; when they're distracted, I want you to scream, that should slow them down in order for us to get some distance. And Scyler; if Lilu looks tired or slow, you're in charge of carrying him and bolting it. The both of you need to be a distance away before Dark screams, trust me on that." Once he gave his orders, he looked to the others for any criticism. Dark smiled mischievously, it had been a while he had such a large audience.

Lilu listened intently to the plan, already devising something that Ryo would almost certainly consider more than just a distraction. He just questioned if he would have enough energy to pull off his favorite spell, even with the easier method of casting it. He then grinned a little as he remembered something he'd read a while ago on divine speech magic; there was a type of runic system that could be used to cast spells at a lower strain to the user. However, the spell rune had to be put onto the caster's body somehow, and the spell had to be known inside and out by the caster.
Without saying anything, Lilu reached for Scyler's belt, taking one of the khukris he kept there. Scyler looked at him, questioning what he was doing, but didn't say anything until the smaller demon began cutting into the palm of his hand with the blade, slicing an intricate rune into his flesh.
"What the actual **** are you doing!?" he demanded, trying to take back the knife and stop his partner from cutting himself more. Lilu reacted quickly, stepping away and talking while he cut, pain choking his voice.
"I can cast a spell easier this way. If I use a rune for a spell I know perfectly, then it makes it much easier to cast. I read it in some book about divine speech. It'll probably work..." he claimed, his voice wavering at the end, wondering if the revenge he was planning was really worth the pain he was putting himself through. Finishing the rune, he whipped his hand in the air, spraying blood onto the walls of the motel. He then soaked up the rest of the blood with a sheet from the bed. His body had begun shaking with tension as adrenaline pulsed through his veins. He steeled himself for the risky maneuver ahead before stepping back to the end of the room opposite the decently sized window. He turned to the others, a dark grin on his face.
"Well, I'll be off now. I'll get to work before they start trying to bust into here. Try to get out before the place burns down," he warned, and with that, he ran straight toward the window, diving out of it.
He spread his wings, flapping hard. He rocketed into the air above the town, steadying himself far above the villagers. He looked toward the middle of the small town for a good target.
Scyler ran towards the window, watching his incubus partner ascend into the air and look for a place to aim at.
"Oh gods, he's not going to," he said, only halfway surprised at what Lilu looked to be planning.
Lilu identified a large building at the center of the town as the town hall. A perfect target, he thought, and with that, he began channeling the spell. He mumbled under his breath, the words inaudible until he suddenly called out the name of his spell.
"Saint Elmo's Pillar!" he yelled, a massive fireball suddenly sparking to life in his hand, raised high above his head. He swung his arm down towards the hall, the flaming orb flying with it.
"He just did," Scyler groaned before turning around to the others. "Okay, well, he wasn't kidding about getting out while we still can. The whole town could be in flames soon if the fire goes unchecked, so we should leave. Like, now. Trust me, it's for the b-"
His words were interrupted by a loud explosion before deafening silence, then an even louder explosion as Lilu's spell impacted the town hall. Upon impact, a massive explosion of fire erupted outward before being suddenly sucked back in, along with everything else in the area. Seconds after, the compacted, incredibly hot ball of matter burst, a massive column of incinerating flame engulfing an entire block's worth of buildings, setting the entire area ablaze.
"Shows those assholes. That's what they get for shooting me with an arrow," he said, smiling widely enough to make even the most despicable demons uncomfortable.

_________________

The couple watched Lilu inquisitively. Joining Scyler, Dark opened his mouth to protest Lilu's mutilation of his palm, he left his mouth slightly ajar as he watched quietly in the background, occasionally wincing for Lilu's sake. When the incubus splattered blood on the walls, a tiny droplet fell into Dark's mouth, causing him to recoil and retch. Ryo rolled his eyes but returned his attention to Lilu, keenly watching the incubus execute his plans. He followed Scyler to the window, witnessing the planned destruction of the town hall, while Dark remained back, scratching at his tongue.
"****," Ryo murmured. "We best get going then," he announced for the occupants of the room.
Dark looked up in surprised as the explosion erupted. His mouth gaped open in awe, not learning his lesson from a few minutes ago. "Wait... Does this mean I don't need to scream?" Dark asked, pouting his lips as Ryo dragged him from the window and pushed him down the stairs. They opted to leave through the back exit, concluding that the front of the tavern would be a fiery inferno. There were still two on guard, armed with gardening tools, and wearing expressions of horror on their primitive faces. Dark shot one in the foot while Ryo disposed of the other and they carried on their pursuit away from the town.
The couple ran as long as their lungs allowed; eventually when they were out of breath, they gazed back at the village -which was still in their sights- to see it completely engulfed in flames. Watching the flames, Dark could not help shed a tear; his mind immediately worrying about the children on the town. He wondered if there were any in the town hall at the time, or if any had been swallowed by the flames. All he could hope was that there was no suffering, as rested his hand over his scars. Reading his partner's mind, Ryo turned and spoke bluntly; "They were going to kill us, now is not the time for pity," still slightly breathless from the run.
"Don't you think we've just enraged them even more? That the survivors might swear a personal vendetta against us?"
"When did you pity the Wolfrum faction?"
"I don't... I just empathize with those who have had their homes completely destroyed," Dark hissed and stomped away from the group to pace around, swearing in his native tongue loudly.
Leaving Dark to cool off, Ryo turned to Scyler and Lilu. "Great job on the fire," he began. "We should probably leave and go south, if the Wolfrum follows us then they risk a territorial war. I doubt they can handle that right now." Ryo surveyed the area, they were not far from the woods in which he had traveled through to get here. It was only a precaution, so they had a safe place to hide out and rest while Lilu worked on the portal. He gave a short sigh, coming to terms that even after finding the spellcaster he had been searching for, for so long, the journey ahead was going to be just as troublesome.

Lilu did his best to smile his thanks for Ryo, feigning something much better than how he actually felt, but it came across a little strained. The smile didn't quite reach his eyes, which flicked over to where Dark was stomping around. He felt guilty for what he'd done. Not for the destruction of the town, but for upsetting Dark. The other's comment had set something off kilter inside of him, sparking memories of his childhood that he'd tried hard to forget. He looked to Scyler, his hand finding his partner's, drawing an odd glance from the Scoliopendra. It had been a long time since they'd had any contact of this kind. Scyler gave Lilu a questioning look that shifted into a gentle, comforting smile when he felt how Lilu was shuddering slightly.

Memories flashed through Lilu's mind as he grasped for Scyler's hand for comfort. Images of handcuffs, leashes, restraints, and cages slamming themselves into his psyche, causing him to tremble harder. Tears began to prickle at his eyes as more memories flooded back. The sensation of being unable to move, feeling helpless as people peered in at him in one of the hundreds of market stalls in the second circle caused his shivering to become more noticeable. Memories of person after person he'd been sold to, only to be used as a servant, treated like dirt, hit when he did something that displeased his master flowed through his brain. His wings twitched and started to open as Scyler gripped his hand harder, pulling the Incubus closer to him in an attempt to try to subtly pull him out of his own mind.
Lilu's wings began to spread open and tears poured down his face as the screams of people burning alive and other begging for their lives filled his ears. He could practically feel the fire at his fingertips, the heat licking at his body as images of igniting anything in sight overtook his mind. His final jailbreak filled his mind, the screams of the dying members of the last residence to ever buy him, the burning heat rising from the flames below him, the smell of smoke and burning flesh, the taste of ash that had worked its way into his mouth, and the sight of complete chaos and destruction of the inferno he'd caused in his darkest hour, his final escape, the last time he'd been owned by anybody other than himself.
Without warning Lilu took off into the air, yanking his hand away from his partner's. He was a flurry of black feathers and hot tears as he ascended rapidly into the sky before vanishing into the trees surrounding them. His mind was a mess, and he was bawling by now, in a state of utter mental chaos. The only thing he knew right now was that he wanted to be away from everybody. He simply wanted to disappear, leave everybody behind for a while until he could get himself under control. He landed in a fork in a tree, his face immediately going into his hands as he sobbed.

_________________

Unwittingly, Dark's pacing led him further from the group. He did not mean to move away, in fact; he hated being alone but he needed a moment to stomp out his frustrations. The beat from the pacing and the mumbled curses helped. The situation confused him; he was not angry at anyone directly, although he did disagree with the decisions made, Dark simply could not bury his past. Even though he was so young, he spent his life fixated on the loss of his family and being torn away from the world he knew and never quite been able to let go despite his best efforts.
He tried to remind himself that it wasn't any of his party's fault, the townspeople had it coming. Sighing, he turned back to face his group, slightly alarmed by how far he had gone, and was just in time to witness Lilu soar into the sky and flee into nearby trees. Even from a distance, Ryo and Dark read each other's expressions; Ryo giving Dark a look which said; 'go sort things out, missy'. Without anymore convincing, Dark turned and ran towards Lilu. While he didn't quite like the pair, Dark currently valued Lilu's life more than his own and could not leave him on his own.

Alone with Scyler, Ryo patted the Scoliopendra on his back and smiled. "They'll be fine, the bonding will do them good. How about we find something to eat," he suggested, walking ahead before receiving a reply. Running for his life first thing in the morning had worked up Ryo's appetite. And so he used it to hide his worry over his partner and the incubus, it was time for Dark to play nice with others even if he didn't like it. He entered the forest, ritually marking the trees as he continued.

Finding the tree that Lilu had perched in had not been easy, Dark panted, shifting his weight against the tree trunk and picked the broken twigs and leaves from his hair. Dark called out of Lilu but received no reply. Glancing up at the height of the tree, he gulped as he began to climb. Admittedly Dark had very little experience scaling trees, usually leaving this task for Ryo while he remained guard on the far more safer ground, and so proceeded to swear which each advancement until he reached Lilu. Hugging the largest branch, Dark groaned as he became level with Lilu, reminding himself over and over not to look down.
"So..." he began, becoming embarrassed that he didn't think of anything to say on his way over. "What are you doing up here?"

Scyler looked unsure of just how fine the two of them would be together alone. "Given Lilu's current state," he said, "the two could end up crying on each other, Dark could be pushed out of a tree, they could become friends out of sympathy, or we could have the second inferno of the day. I'm hoping for the first if not the third. Just not the other two really. But sure, let's find something to eat." He followed after Ryo into the forest, noticing he was marking the trees as they went. "Marking the path back?" he questioned, looking around for anything living in the nearby vicinity. He drew his kukhris as he scouted, wondering if they'd actually find anything.

Lilu looked up from his hands, sniffling and wiping away tears upon hearing the sound of Dark's voice. Embarrassment burned bright red on his face at being seen in this state.
"I-I wanted to be alone," he stammered out, still crying. There was a bit of bitterness in his voice, which he immediately felt bad about. "I'm sorry about what happened to your home, whatever did happen to it. I'm glad you have fond memories of your home at least," he said, forcing a smile but avoiding eye contact. He wiped at his eyes again. "I can't help but have less than happy memories of my homes," he said, the recent memories still in his mind. He was much calmer now though, but he didn't plan on saying any more about those thoughts than what he already had. He looked up at Dark, finally making eye contact, then looked at the ground, seeing how high up they were. "Uh, how did you get up here?"

_________________

Ryo chuckled at Scyler's scepticism and shrugged. "There's a chance all four could happen, last time Dark tried to comfort someone, we were run out of town the next moment," he replied, keeping his eyes fixed forward, laughing at the memory of the riot he caused. "I don't know how she does it." He carried on through the forest, treading carefully as to not make a sound. "Yes, it's also a habit so that Dark and I can find each other if we're separated. I can stop if you'd like." Ryo explained in a hush tone.
A little further along, a small rabbit crossed their path. Ryo sighed as he had hoped for something meatier, but prepared for the hunt nonetheless. He wondered if there were more around, licking his lips at the thought of eating a family of rabbits. He positioned his vectors in preparation to catch the creature, keeping low and quiet.

Ignoring Lilu's wishes, Dark hugged the tree branch tighter as he scuttled nearer. Dark had a rule; no one in the party would ever be left alone, especially after destroying a nearby town. Although that last bit was recently added. He couldn't leave Lilu alone even if he wanted too, being unable to bring himself to look at the ground and so remained focused on the sobbing incubus. "It's not your fault," Dark replied, reaching out a hand to pat Lilu but withdrew as the branch shook. "Well... I don't know about your situation, but I don't think blowing up towns is the solution," he murmured. "But I can't speak much, I deal with my problems more passively and have irrational trust issues and live in a fantasy that moving worlds will take away all the pain of my past." Dark smiled widely at Lilu, hoping that his self criticism would bring a sense of bonding. Laughing nervously at Lilu's question, his grip tightened around the branch as beads of sweat ran down his face. "With great difficulty, I've actually discovered: I do not like being this high. Can you help me, please?" Although the purpose of climbing the tree was to console and amend with Lilu, Dark was now at Lilu's mercy, he was beginning to regret the slight quip about blowing up towns.

Scyler smiled at the little anecdote, wondering what Dark might have possibly said to get the two run out of town. A number of things ran through his mind that the demon could have said, but none of them enough to provoke an attack. He couldn't really imagine her saying anything beyond mildly passive aggressive, though. He watched Ryo position himself to trap the rabbit in his vectors, fascinated by the extra appendages. He'd never seen anything like it, it was so strange to him.

Lilu let out a small laugh something akin to a snort at Dark, somewhat enjoying how uncomfortable she looked after that mention of him blowing up the town. He didn't let that comment about Dark's own problems go un-noted though.
"Here, come here and I'll bring us down," he instructed, patting his lap. This was going to be a trick, he knew, but it was easier than trying to warp them both down using magic.
His wings spread out and fluttered as Dark crawled nervously into his lap, looking like she didn't quite trust the incubus. Lilu furthered his instructions. "Here, sit like this," he said, guiding Dark to lay across his lap as Lilu hooked one arm behind Dark's back, the other one going under her knees to add support there. "Alright, ready or not, here we go," he declared as he leaned forward, tipping them both off the branch. His wings spread to catch the air and flapped hard several times to slow their descent, landing them both safely on the ground. He landed in a sitting position with Dark still in his lap.
"We seem to both have problems involving our old homes though it seems. I'll spill if you will," he offered, letting his curiosity of her past overcome his dislike of talking about his own.

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