Tala had totally forgotten that Hitomi wore a mask, and she had to be honest that it was a little saddening that Hitomi bothered hiding such an adorable face behind it to feel safe.
...not that Tala was any different.
She touched her glasses cautiously, thinking about how they blocked most of her face and her eyes. 'The witch with the midnight blue eyes', was one of the things she was labeled as back in the day. Not that much of her get-up separated her from what she was before, but practically no one would ever know who she was here. That the Expiate had been disbanded in Eisleyn was a plus, too.
Despite the worrisome thoughts, she looked at Hitomi and offered another smile.
"Guess we should start going then," she said.
The two would exit the tavern and back into the cold. The wind had picked up considerably and a flurry of snow had started blowing towards their east. Tala would hoist up her hood, covering half her face. She'd glance warily at Hitomi, wondering if she'd handle the cold.
"Are you going to be okay after earlier?" she asked as they walked.
They wouldn't make it past twenty feet from the tavern until they reached a soft hill of snow leading to a brush of evergreen. What Tala hadn't expected were two individuals sitting atop the hill.
The two were pale, even by Eisen standards. One wore a white robe that ended in a skirt with two black boots. The other, a modified white military outfit that ended in shorts. Standing atop the snow, their skin almost seemed to blend with it. Both looked rather young. Petite in size, neither looked taller than 5'2" and were rather lithe in figure. Their faces were identical, though there were some key differences. The one in the robe had sleepy, almost dreamlike eyes. The other had sharp eyes and a sense of stoicism about them.
Their hair was a silvery white, gleaming like glass as it blew in the wind. The one in the robe's hair covered one of her eyes while slivers of white hair trailed in two thin twintails. The other wore their hair short and choppy.
Upon seeing them, Tala would stop walking and instantly place an arm in front of Hitomi.
"Wait," she said quietly.
The two figures would notice Tala, and upon doing so, the one in the robe would let out a small, pleased laugh.
"Well, it seems we don't have to go too far, do we, Fie?" she said, her voice sleepy and delighted.
"It seems not, Kari," the other said, their eyes slowly moving towards Tala and Hitomi.
Tala gritted her teeth. While she had no idea who they were, she was not getting a good vibe from them.
And, as her gut had predicted, the one with short hair drew a toothed obsidian sword and pointed it at them.
"We've come to apprehend the individuals who polluted the waters earlier by beheading a Frost Eater," the one with the short hair said in a low voice. "Give yourselves up now, or we shall retaliate in honor of the princess."
Tala arched an eyebrow and glared at them.
"Apprehend us?" she asked. "We did no crime. We merely helped a series of ice cutters when a corrupted beast came by."
The one in the robe was staring at her nails casually.
"Mm, yes, no, you helped them, but you polluted the water with corrupted beast blood," she said. "Contaminating the environment is punishable by the princess' law."
At this, Tala's eyes widened in disbelief. "Contaminate? Do you hear yourselves? It was a corrupted beast! That blood won't last a day!" she said. "And is that more important than your citizens almost being killed!?"
"Mmmmm...maybe?"
Tala narrowed her eyes. If Hitomi looked, she'd notice the woman's grip tighten on her scythe.
"Hitomi, get out of here. These people are with the princess. You don't want that."
...not that Tala was any different.
She touched her glasses cautiously, thinking about how they blocked most of her face and her eyes. 'The witch with the midnight blue eyes', was one of the things she was labeled as back in the day. Not that much of her get-up separated her from what she was before, but practically no one would ever know who she was here. That the Expiate had been disbanded in Eisleyn was a plus, too.
Despite the worrisome thoughts, she looked at Hitomi and offered another smile.
"Guess we should start going then," she said.
The two would exit the tavern and back into the cold. The wind had picked up considerably and a flurry of snow had started blowing towards their east. Tala would hoist up her hood, covering half her face. She'd glance warily at Hitomi, wondering if she'd handle the cold.
"Are you going to be okay after earlier?" she asked as they walked.
They wouldn't make it past twenty feet from the tavern until they reached a soft hill of snow leading to a brush of evergreen. What Tala hadn't expected were two individuals sitting atop the hill.
The two were pale, even by Eisen standards. One wore a white robe that ended in a skirt with two black boots. The other, a modified white military outfit that ended in shorts. Standing atop the snow, their skin almost seemed to blend with it. Both looked rather young. Petite in size, neither looked taller than 5'2" and were rather lithe in figure. Their faces were identical, though there were some key differences. The one in the robe had sleepy, almost dreamlike eyes. The other had sharp eyes and a sense of stoicism about them.
Their hair was a silvery white, gleaming like glass as it blew in the wind. The one in the robe's hair covered one of her eyes while slivers of white hair trailed in two thin twintails. The other wore their hair short and choppy.
Upon seeing them, Tala would stop walking and instantly place an arm in front of Hitomi.
"Wait," she said quietly.
The two figures would notice Tala, and upon doing so, the one in the robe would let out a small, pleased laugh.
"Well, it seems we don't have to go too far, do we, Fie?" she said, her voice sleepy and delighted.
"It seems not, Kari," the other said, their eyes slowly moving towards Tala and Hitomi.
Tala gritted her teeth. While she had no idea who they were, she was not getting a good vibe from them.
And, as her gut had predicted, the one with short hair drew a toothed obsidian sword and pointed it at them.
"We've come to apprehend the individuals who polluted the waters earlier by beheading a Frost Eater," the one with the short hair said in a low voice. "Give yourselves up now, or we shall retaliate in honor of the princess."
Tala arched an eyebrow and glared at them.
"Apprehend us?" she asked. "We did no crime. We merely helped a series of ice cutters when a corrupted beast came by."
The one in the robe was staring at her nails casually.
"Mm, yes, no, you helped them, but you polluted the water with corrupted beast blood," she said. "Contaminating the environment is punishable by the princess' law."
At this, Tala's eyes widened in disbelief. "Contaminate? Do you hear yourselves? It was a corrupted beast! That blood won't last a day!" she said. "And is that more important than your citizens almost being killed!?"
"Mmmmm...maybe?"
Tala narrowed her eyes. If Hitomi looked, she'd notice the woman's grip tighten on her scythe.
"Hitomi, get out of here. These people are with the princess. You don't want that."