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It was early morning when Alexander got his order to see the Grandmaster. He was thankful for the diversion, honestly, since before it he was sitting in on a 'dangerous magic class' - one deemed necessary to keep a Templar around for. The only risk of that class, being a Life Mage's class, is one of them fainting from pushing themselves too far. And, really, in such a situation he would be reduced to little more than a water boy. So with a quick explanation to the mage teaching the class, he slipped out to find the nearest rookie that he could rope into watching over it. He found one within minutes, and was off down the halls toward the Templar's Village.

The second tier of the Spire was occupied half-and-half between the College and the Village, with the headquarters of the Templar being seated in the middle of the village. It was an old stone building, one of which Alexander didn't know the history of. Only that it had been standing in Griss long before Starke ever came to carve out his Empire, and it was still standing long after his line was wiped out.

It was bare, with only the banners of the Templar hanging down from the stone walls, and very old. Alexander could see it being used as a defensive structure at one time; perhaps even a fortress. The Templar used it as a barracks now for trainees to the Order. The culpeo shook his head at the sight of it and made his way inside, into a familiar and yet foreign sight. He hadn't been within the walls of the Hall for years, since his own trainee years. He now only entered when called upon, and the last time that happened was two years ago when he was promoted to his current rank. All other situations could be handled in the village, after all.

He still remembered his way to the Grandmaster's office as well, on the second floor of the old fortress and the west wing. He also remembered that familiar scent of burning pine that came from within, a fire always burning despite the city of Griss being stuck in a constant summer ever since the Sundering. Magic and the Spire alone kept the population from starving, since no crop could exist outside.

When the fox stepped within the office, he quietly came to a stop and stood still, waiting to be addressed. The Grandmaster of the Order was hastily talking to another being, a well-dressed raccoon. The fox had never seen him before, but irritation was rolling off of him in waves as he talked. "We're being stone walled. My last three requests before the Council have been over ruled. Lord Avori is up to something, I'm telling you!" He grunted and turned around and the culpeo barely managed to keep his expression still.

The raccoon was one of the Lords from the... vision? Dream? He hadn't come to terms with it yet, but he recognized that muzzle. He brushed it off as having just seen him once before, "Calm yourself, Francis," the gruff bear behind the desk spoke. The Grandmaster of the Order, John Spellshatter was no small creature. While the Head Magi could get away going unnoticed within a room, the Grandmaster never could, and not just because of his imposing 6'8" of height either. The man practically radiated power and authority, and looking at him, the fox could believe the rumors of being immune to magic.

"Francis DuFrane, this is Alexander Ravenwind, the Templar I was telling you about earlier. Templar Ravenwind, Lord Francis DuFrane, of the DuFrane family," the raccoon offered his paw and Alexander took it, giving a firm shake. The raccoon burst out laughing.

"No formal manners, you Templar. I hope he can do what you've promised, John."

"He can, Francis. Don't worry about that."

The raccoon nodded, but clearly he was far from relaxed; pacing back and forth and rubbing his paws together. Alexander got the odd feeling that they were waiting on something or someone, and that feeling was answered when the door behind him opened and an all too familiar soul stepped through. The Chaos Marked, Elise. "Hello again, ma'am."

"Templar Ravenwind... G-Grandmaster," she bowed, doing a faint curtsy that seemed overly practiced and nowhere near fluid. "And..."

"Lord DuFrane, at your service ma'am; we don't have time for niceties, so John, please - if you will."

The bear snorted but slowly stood up from his desk, moving over to one of the large windows that overlooked the wall and the ground tier. "Your first journey into the outside world is today, Elise. Normally, you would be escorted by a mage and then allowed to do your own thing after twenty-four hours. But you're special, due to that mark on your body."

The bear turned toward them, facing the pair as the raccoon stood off to the side, clearly eager to get this out of the way. "So you'll be escorted by a Templar instead. And you are to go to the ground tier as well, understood?" The gazelle whimpered, which almost came out like a soft squeak, nodding her head.

It was Ravenwind that spoke up, "Why the ground tier? She is legally allowed to go anywhere within Griss now." The bear glared and the culpeo had the decently to flush.

"I was getting to that. Now, technically, you are to be there to ensure she is safe and that her magic doesn't flare up after her trial. Some mages can have that happen, as you well know. That is your official reason for being there. The unofficial is that Francis here has heard some startling reports from the ground district. Reports of a rogue mage, specifically a blood mage," Alexander understood, but that didn't explain the secrecy - the ground tier meant it was a commoner, not a noble or someone important. So why all the sneaking around?

His question was quickly answered, but not by the Grandmaster; rather it was DuFrane that spoke, "I tried to get it sanctioned, to have a Templar hunt down the mage. Your training and natural ability to detect magic would have made it fairly simple on you, even if you have to guard your..." He waved a paw toward the gazelle, "your charge. But the Council would have none of it. 'Why send a Templar when you can send an Emperor's man', some of them cried. They're tired of your claims of neutrality, John."

"But we Templar are neutral. If it wasn't for the state of this being a magical concern, I wouldn't even attempt to go against the Council's wishes," there was a faint smile tugging on the bear's lips, saying otherwise, "but as it is, it is a magical concern, and thus I have no qualms about going behind the Council's back. But you need to keep my man safe, Francis. If he gets caught..."

"I won't, Sir," Alexander spoke, shaking his head, "And if I am, I will claim independent action; that I heard about it while escorting my charge."

"See? Your Templar knows what he is doing - it seems you picked the right man for the job, John," Francis gave a satisfied nod of his head, before looking out the window with a sigh. "I need to be going. The Council is having another meeting; Avori is petitioning to move more troops into the other districts, and I'm afraid that with the unrest against our current Emperor, he'll get his wish." The raccoon rubbed at his muzzle exhaustedly before turning toward Alexander and Elise, "Pleasure to meet you both. And thank you again, John."

The raccoon made his exit, and shortly after Elise was excused to collect her personal belongings. However, Alexander was kept behind. "Templar Ravenwind, as you know - I can't allow you to be found operating under the title of a Templar out there. If you do, the Council will come down on our head, and perhaps force the issue of early retirement and putting one of their own in charge. They've been pressing for months now to get me replaced with a Noble who will 'obey the Emperor', but I have a feeling it is more of 'obey the nobles," the bear spat into an urn.

"So, I need to do something I don't want to do, Templar. I need to strip you of your rank here today, so I can claim you went rogue long before you left these walls. It isn't something I want to do, but it is something I need to do to keep the neutrality of the Templars," Alexander nodded at that, though his shoulders slumped, "Step forward, Templar."

The culpeo stood up straight and stood before the larger male, although the bear stood barely six inches taller, and yet Alexander felt like a child being pushed into the trainee program all over again, "Templar Alexander, you are hereby removed from the Templar Order. Your name shall be struck from the records and no Brother will be allowed to aid you, under pain of death. You are no longer welcome within these walls, and nor are you welcome under the shield of Emir." It was all the fox could do to keep from wincing.

He knew it was for show, but it still was crushing; it was meant to be, "Hand over your armour, Templar." The bear asked, and the fox slowly undid the armour, piece by piece, until he stood in a plain gray tunic and brown pants. He knew what would be asked next, so he started to work on the straps of the crossbow on his right wrist, "Relinquish your weapons, Templar."

He passed the wrist-mounted crossbow toward the bear, who placed it carefully on the table, and then moved to hand him the sword at his hip. The bear raised a meaty paw, stopping Alexander with a quiet shake of his head, "That blade was made for your paw and your paw alone. We do not strip our outcasts entirely."

That was a relief, at least; he would have felt absolutely naked without his sword. "Is that all, Grandmaster?" The bear nodded and moved back toward the desk, sitting behind it once more as he opened one of the drawers of the desk. "Here, Te-," he frowned, "Alexander. Catch," he tossed a plain brown bag toward the former-Templar, who snagged it out of the air. It was heavier than he expected, and within he found silver shining back out.

"Grandmaster?"

"To save ourselves I have had to declare you a Templar gone rogue, but we both know that you are merely doing your duty to the Order. Make a stop on your way down to the ground tier, in the craftsman's quarter of the first tier. Buy yourself something nice. Then head down and toward the eastern section of the ground tier and rent a room at the Dried Hag. It's one of the," the bear frowned, searching for a word. He shrugged, "I won't lie, it's a fucking pit. But it's a pit that gets plenty of customers and plenty of gossip. The woman in charge knows me, so mention you are staying on 'Old Fuzzbutt's' tab, and she'll know you're one of mine. She'll be discrete, too; no mention of you."

"Thank you, Sir," Alexander bowed, "Am I dismissed?"

"Almost; I want you to know that if you succeed at this, there is your position here back and a promotion to Commander both," the culpeo nodded and made his way toward the door, opening it and having stepped half-way outside before the bear cleared his throat, "Good luck, Templar."

The culpeo smiled, "Thank you, Sir."

The culpeo returned first and foremost to the room he had been staying in for active duty within the college, gathering his belongings, few as they were. He stuffed them into a pack and slung it over one shoulder before returning to the mirror in his room and looking at himself. Yesterday he had stood before the mirror drenched in sweat, but with a purpose. Now he stood in front of it calm and collected, and yet completely lost.

He rubbed his muzzle and stepped outside, heading for the mage's dorms. He knew the specific dorm that the Chaos - that Elise resided in, and made his way there. Several of his Brothers paused and looked at him oddly, but continued with their tasks. Word of his 'banishment' wouldn't be announced until after he and Elise left, that much he could trust the Grandmaster for.

He came in front of a solid oak door, housed within a long hallway of similar doors. The only identifying feature of it was the number on the door, 163; a total of two-hundred and fifty odd dorms resided in this wing of the college. He lifted his paw and knocked on the door, and a younger mage answered, looking up at the former Templar with confusion. "Yes?" He asked.

"I'm Templar Ravenwind," it was technically no longer the truth, but habits die hard and he still needed that authority, "I'm here to escort the Chaos Marked into the city," he added.

"You don't look like any Templar I've ever seen..." The young male's eyes narrowed and he looked up at Alexander as if he could chase him off with that look alone. Alexander might have found it amusing if his day hadn't been so frustrating already. Still, Jazmine, the Head Magi came to the rescue.

"Templar Ravenwind? Please, come in," the older mage's voice called from within, and even the young mage knew better than to disagree with the word of the Head Magi. He stepped aside and opened the door, showing off the door. Usually, there were four to a dorm, but it looked as if Elise had been bunked by herself until very recently. Perhaps because of her unique standing as the only mage that could use Elemental, Arcane, and Life all at once.

The fruit bat frowned at sight of the former Templar, and shook her head, "Politics," she mused, with a tiny smile on her lips as she helped Elise gather the last of her equipment. "Now then, I don't know what the Templars have planned for you, but after twenty-four hours you are within your legal rights to leave, Elise. You understand that, don't you?"

The young gazelle rolled her eyes playfully, smiling, "Yes mom, I'm fully aware." Then she did something that Alexander had never seen another mage do: she wrapped her arms around the thin bat and gave her a hug, "Thank you, for everything." The Head Magi only smiled.

"I hate to ruin this moment, but we need to be out of here and soon," Elise frowned but nodded at the news, grabbing her own pack that looked a lot heavier than the culpeo's, "I promise to keep her safe, ma'am," he added, facing the fruit bat. The Head Magi laughed.

"I don't think it is her that will need to be kept safe, young Templar. But, I appreciate the sentiment nevertheless." The fruit bat grinned before turning to her student one final time and whispering hastily to her. Afterward, the two parted ways; and so too did the former Templar and mage from the college.

The first tier of the Spire resided just above the ground district and beneath the second tier, where the college resided. While both Alexander and Elise had seen it plenty of times while wandering the grounds of the college, neither had actually been in the bustle of the tier before. It was known as the craftsman's tier, though it housed plenty of taverns, markets, and other such locations.

Alexander was unsure of the change in the coin purse that the Grandmaster had given him, but he imagined it was enough to replace some of his armour; perhaps not of the same quality as his old gear, but functional. That was all he needed right now: functional. He wondered if the gazelle accompanying him would care to purchase anything, but he pushed the thought away; essentials first and luxuries later.

He came first to a quality armour smith, or so the culpeo judged based off of the materials outside anyway. Armours gleamed like gems in the sun that beat down on it, and the designs engraved were quite eye-catching. Sadly, it offered all the protection of a wet paper bag, not that Alexander knew that. Equally thankful for him was that the cost for the blacksmith's productions were entirely out of his price range.

Seemed half of the smiths on the tier were purveyors of the finest junk; armour that would look good in a ceremony, but not in actual combat and they all had a price tag to match. It was with building frustration and the darkening of the tier that he asked the next 'fine smith' where to find a functional smith. The man laughed softly and pointed toward the ramp way down toward the ground tier. "Thems serve the Wall's boys, and thems can make you what you need," the male spoke. The fox thanked the smith and took his leave.

At least it was on the way, though by the time he had navigated through the maze first tier, the sun had set and the sky was dark; the moon and the lanterns lining the street providing the only light until he got closer to the ramp leading toward the lower tier. The glow of a working forge caught his eye, and he had a good feeling about it to boot.

The first smith he walked up to was large, at least 6'5" and twice his weight, most of it muscle. The equine's hands were scarred and charred from the tools of his trade, and Alexander had a good feeling about him from that fact. "Master Smith, I am looking for workable chain armour," the culpeo stated, all while the gazelle with him stared up, wide eyed and amazed. She had had that look all day, then again...

The smith looked at him blankly, and the culpeo repeated himself - unsure if he had been ignored or misunderstood. The large equine rolled his shoulders and stood aside, showing a much smaller figure bent over the forge, "I heard ya, now hold your horses..." the figure paused and laughed, "but not mine, eh? Bit too big for you," the voice was feminine, and so too was the body that stepped away from the forge. She was a rabbit, and was perhaps half the size of the horse, but he seemed to follow her unspoken word by taking the tongs, and the red-hot sword caught within from her.

"I'm the Master of this forge, so what can I get ya?" The culpeo was confused for a second; certain that he was being played for a fool. Elise had no such woes, stepping forward and producing a small bag of coin that she had for herself.

"I'd like a silver or bronze bracelet, if you are able to make one," the 'Master' of the forge looked on blankly and then laughed softly.

"Oh, so he is just your bodyguard then? I can do that, sure. Five coins for bronze, eight for silver." The fox reddened at that, growling softly.

"I am her bodyguard," technically speaking, at least for the next few hours, "but I am also a customer," he held up his own purse and the female whistled softly, "I'd like something light yet functional designed, and I'm willing to pay for the quality put in." The female rabbit nodded her head.

"I can do that. I'll start with hers, since it won't take me long at all to do a bracelet... and for you? I think I already have something in progress for that," she nodded her head again, moving back to the forge. The horse, who apparently was her assistant, urged the pair of them out of the forging area and pointed at a bench nearby.

"Sit. Wait. Will fetch."

They waited in silence for a moment before the gazelle giggled, "I like him," she nodded, reaching in her pack and pulling out a small cake. She set upon it and almost as fast as the fox could blink, it was gone. He had to look around, making sure she didn't toss it; and magic couldn't make something like food just disappear.

"How did you-," the gazelle grinned and giggled a bit, and then waited in silence for the time being. The culpeo sighed and did the same, admitting that that may be one thing he never learned.

He didn't remember falling asleep, but the culpeo was jerked awake by a paw shaking his arm, and it was the face of the rabbit he saw next. Her fur was a little worse for wear, singed in places as it was, but she was beaming, "Come, come see." She urged, almost dragging the fox along toward the forge. Elise was already inside, it seemed, admiring the silver around her wrist. It was plain and yet pretty.

But what stood out to the fox was the armour sitting nearly on the rack. At first, he thought it was clothing; but looking at it, he saw the armour woven in. The only parts that stood out as plain armour were the leg-plates that would rest over his thighs, and the arm guards that would cover his wrist and the back of his paws.

He didn't expect a lower-quality craftsman to produce armour of this quality, after all; all Templar blacksmiths are in-house, and thus of their own high quality. But this? If he ever became Grandmaster somehow, he would keep this in mind for future purchases. "It's..."

"Fifty coins."

The fox paused, "Say what?" She repeated herself and he paled, opening the bag handed to him by the Grandmaster. He didn't know how much was in there, but it couldn't possibly come out to the fifty coins she was asking for. "I..."

The rabbit laughed softly, "I'll lower the price to forty; this was intended for the commander of the Wall, but rumor has it he died in last night's attack. So you just saved me the time of having to scrap it," she nodded, "but that is as low as I will go."

The culpeo frowned but counted out the coins within. In total, it was fifty-five coins. With a sigh, he handed over the forty for the work and pocketed the rest. Hopefully that was enough to last for as long as he needed to be down here. The Grandmaster said that he'd be covered at the tavern, but searching for someone in a populated area could cost quite a bit of money.

"Well? Try it on." The fox hesitated for a moment before approaching it and running the tips of his fingers over it. It still radiated the heat of the forge, but was cool enough to both touch and wear. He unbuttoned the plain white tunic and shrugged it off, to a playful whistle from the rabbit. He was torn between agitation and embarrassment, and his body settled on the latter; ears darkening.

He hurried to put on the armour, finding it lighter than what he wore before and thus unsure of its strength. If it was so light, it obviously couldn't provide the same protection, could it? He put the last few straps in place, sealing the armour and the clothing in place and finding it fairly comfortable as well. It took him weeks to get used to the armour of the Templar from the stuff he wore as a trainee.

And yet this felt as comfortable as his clothing. He frowned, "Are you sure this wi-," he didn't have so much as a moment to flinch before he saw the sword held in the horse's hand.

A sword that wasn't properly made was brittle, but could still cut and do quite a bit of harm. Not only did the armour take the impact of the blade, but it proceeded to shatter, coating the area in shards of the sword. "It work." The horse grunted, much to his boss' delight; the rabbit in hysterics.

She recovered quickly enough and thanked the pair of them for their business, and told them to get indoors soon. It was late - and the moon was now dominating the sky entirely. Elise thanked the pair of them for their hard work while the culpeo grunted and nodded toward the rabbit for her hard work. He turned and quickly made his way down the nearby ramp.

It was flanked to either side by a mixture of destitute shops and homes, though the closer they got to the bottom tier, the poorer it got; until the homes at the top of the ramp looked almost wealthy. At the bottom of it, the homes were little more than mud, brick, and sticks. Elise voiced her thoughts first, and it echoed Alexander's entirely, "How can anyone live like this?"

He shook his head and led the way down a side street, heading in the direction noted by the Grandmaster. What really got to him, though, was the state of the homes but rather the stench. It was like a cesspool and it nearly made him sick the longer he stayed in it. And yet those he passed didn't seem to notice. What they did notice was him, and the large majority gave him and Elise a wide berth.

He didn't mind exactly, since it meant less confrontations; but he did mind the fact that minutes were ticking by and he had no idea of if he was getting closer to his destination or not. He should have asked for directions, or perhaps spent a bit of coin to ask to stay at the rabbit's forge. As it was, he felt as if he was going in circles and it was with a defeated grunt that he came to stop against some building or another.

Elise seemed to have an idea of her own, stepping across the street toward three huddled-together males. One of them, a black wolf, looked up and whistled while the other two filled in beside him, "Well now, look at this pretty thing." He lifted a paw and then dropped it with a scowl when he saw the culpeo step up behind her and place his paws on her shoulders.

"She yours, brother?" He asked, before reaching into his pocket and pulling out four coins, "I'll pay for her. Don't even need to go far - I'll just take her 'round back," He nudged his head toward the building his three men were standing alongside. Elise looked on confused, but thankfully the former Templar wasn't quite that naïve.

"She isn't for sale. But what might be is information. Do you happen to know where the Dry Hag is?" The Templar asked, tightening his grip a little on her shoulders.

"Yeah... I know the place. But my mind is having issues remembering. I mean, I have coin. What I could use is a little... flesh, you get what I mean?" His voice was thickly accented, but the culpeo understood every word. He also understood the movement of his fellows who were fanning out. If he didn't agree, this would turn into a bloodbath.

"Stay calm," He whispered into Elise's ear, before letting go of her shoulders, "We'll play your way. But I want my information first and you can have her when we get indoors."

The leader of the group grinned, flashing teeth, "Nah, I want her right here. Dirty her up, y'know? She is far too clean for living down here. Got to put some dirt on her or she'll attract all kind of... lowlifes."

The culpeo tensed, but didn't reach for his sword. "Fine. Give me the directions now and she is all yours, deal?"

The wolf thought for a moment before stepping forward and placing his paw on the gazelle's cheek. She shuddered, "Mmm... deal. Go right here, then walk down three blocks and make a left. It's tucked up against a guard post." The wolf's paw slid down her front and cupped a breast... and he got an unexpected surprise.

The reason there was never a reported mage rape in the history of Griss; in her shock and disgust, her magic flared and a rock about as big around as her fist shot up from between the wolf's legs; slamming home in his groin. He yelped in a very unmanly fashion and stumbled back, ass-first into the mud. His buddies were momentarily in shock, unsure of what had happened; after all, no one had moved.

"B-bitch kneed me! What are you two standing around for?" They both leapt into action with daggers, but Alexander was faster; parrying one and kicking him into the mud. The other moved back a step to avoid a similar fate while his eyes danced back and forth, between the culpeo and the gazelle. He decided the female would be the easier target.

"I wouldn't tou-," too late, the other male's paw clasped around her wrist and all at once it was chaos. The culpeo didn't even remember much, only that when his vision came back into focus, the third male was sprawled in the mud, little more than a husk. There were rumors of Life Mages being able to reverse their abilities to harm; to draw out the thin magicks that kept a person alive and leave them nothing but a husk, but the fox had never known it to be true. Until now.

What was worse was that his arm was itching uncontrollably, and he couldn't do anything about it because of the armoured bracer he wore. He grabbed Elise's arm, a risky thing in hindsight, and tugged her in the way instructed before the other two could recover for their own embarrassment, shock, and injuries.

The rest of the trip was done in peace, and the pair arrived at the Dry Hag without being harassed again. The culpeo all but tossed his bracer into the mud to get at his arm, seeing it with a mixture of revulsion and horror. It had grown; the oily substance now a tad bit further up his arm and the tendrils of 'corruption', as he liked to refer to it, now snaking up toward his elbow. What is worse is that he was having flash backs of the fight as the shock wore off.

Elise setting her paw on the third - some kind of feline's chest, and making him wobble... and then a flare of magic. Not from her specifically, but from him; from the mark on his arm. And all of a sudden her magic surged; draining not just his energy as she had intended, but him entirely. Drawing out who he was in a rush and leaving him a veritable husk.

He frowned at the mark on his arm. It was twice now that it had acted oddly around her magic, once during her trial and again here and now, during that fight. Sure, it got them out alive, but at what cost?

The fox didn't want to think about that, "Are you alright Elise?" She nodded in return, but the shock of earlier hadn't truly worn off yet it seemed. It was the best he was going to get for the moment, and he slipped the bracer on over his arm and stepped into the tavern.

The scents of vomit, stale beer, cheap perfume, and day-old sex reeked in the room, making him nearly turn back and catch a breath from the equally horrible outside. He opted, instead, to stay in the doorway for a moment and adjust as best as he could before making his way inside. The moment he did, he made a beeline right for the counter, finding a plump looking female behind it.

He put two and two together the instant he saw her, "Old Fuzzbutt sent us... we need two rooms," the female across from him laughed softly and shook her head. He made the connection based off of species; she was a bear as well.

"I'm Tabitha. I guess John finally wanted that night alone with me, huh? Shame he sent such a skinny thing in his place," she grinned and for a moment, Alexander couldn't tell if she was serious or not. Elise went a shade paler as well; not quite as innocent as she was a few minutes ago.

"I'm joking, I'm joking... you're one of his Templars, huh? Well, we got two rooms that were formerly availed, and are now occupied for the foreseeable future," she set two keys on the counter with a grin, "Enjoy. Dinner is served every night at 10 and breakfast at 7 in the morning. Its slop, but it's the best slop you'll get in this district. Welcome to the Dried Hag."

Alexander was tempted to try and get information from her, but he decided that it could wait until morning. He took one of the keys and slowly made his way upstairs, finding the door marked with the same number as his key and forcing the door open. He stopped just long enough to murmur, "Night Elise," before closing his door.

He barely stripped off his armour, leaving him in just the plain brown pants he wore, before he flopped muzzle-first onto the bed and was out like a light. And he would have stayed like that all night, too, if it wasn't for the knock at his door. He groaned softly, looking toward the window when he frowned.

Right - tavern in the ground district; there were no windows. He groaned and nearly fell out of bed while attempting to get up, making his way over to the door and unlocking it after some clumsy fumbling, finding Elise on the other side of the door. The gazelle looked away for a moment before mumbling, "I can't sleep... by myself," she whispered.

"What?" He asked, rubbing his muzzle - sure he misunderstood or didn't hear her.

"I've never slept by myself..." And it made sense. Separate beds, yes, but no mage was ever truly by themselves. And with the tavern being quiet as the grave (by some miracle, since Alexander assumed that it was quite noisy outside his bedroom walls), it might make the mage uneasy. Not that the fox was thrilled with the idea of sharing his room. He grunted and opened the door further regardless.

"I'll sleep in the chair," he spoke as he took a shirt from his pack, unfolding it and making sure it was big enough for him to sleep comfortably under.

"That... you don't have to. The bed is big," she murmured, looking at it. "I mean, if you want to sleep in a chair, I won't argue, but," she flushed, fiddling with the hem of her nightgown before she made her way toward the bed. She lifted up the covers and quickly slipped within without another word, making the culpeo sigh softly.

He knew that if he slept in the chair, he'd wake up sore and most likely with very little sleep. He shook his head and decided that the bed was his best option, even if he had to share. Plus, it was a large bed. He made his way over to the other side and had the awareness to lift up the covers this time before rolling onto his side.

She was at least two arms lengths away, so he felt comfortable as he drifted asleep. The quiet, the darkness, and partially her scent lulled him to sleep and before long she joined him, too. And at some point in the middle of that night, the pair ended up moving closer and he ended up holding her to him as they slept. But, at least he did sleep; for while she was free to go tomorrow afternoon, he still had plenty of worries on his shoulders.

And at the top of those worries was the rogue mage plaguing the district.