She did something with her voice, and Kassia immediately perked up at the woman's speech. Aarek tilted his head, running over the possibilities in his head. Perhaps some spell allowed her universal language? Or maybe only with animals… Either way, his bird perched happily on her finger. "Hello, ma'm!" the bird chirped, though her companion couldn't understand her words.

His gentle smile faltered a bit when she touched him, but he was getting surprisingly used to her presence, and her voice had a soothing quality to it. He hummed to himself, curious if she sang at all. She'd probably be good at it. An amused grin flashed across his face when she pulled away, and for the first time that night, he let out a loud, genuine laugh. "Worry not, miss. I'm what you'd call a sucker for cheesy phrases," he assured her, reaching his hand to give hers a comforting squeeze. Then, quieter, he added, "Thanks, Tristana."

The moment he let go, Kassia flew to once again rest on his shoulder, still chirping on about something. One finger scratched at her head. "You know, the woman who gave her to me said she used to be a human. Cursed as a child to remain a bird, or so the story goes," Aarek, chuckled, his voice filled with playfulness. "But that's all nonsense, o course…" His voice trailed off when Kassia stiffened beside him, and he gave her a worried glance. "… right?" Now that he thought about it, he hadn't ever asked the songbird about it. How had he never thought to ask? He filled the silence with a nervous laugh, making a mental note to investigate further once they were alone.

Clearing his throat, he went to settle back into a playing position. Until a glint of steel caught his eye. Two… three sailors were nearing their position under the lamp post. His breathing quickened, and he recognized one of them from the bar. They'd been watching the whole time. Oh, gods. 

Aarek wasted no time removing his knife from where it was attached to his boot, though he wasn't a skilled fighter by any means. None of his spells were very powerful, either. Cautious eyes panned to Tristana, wondering if she was any good in a fight, herself. At this point, the best option seemed to run. He shot Kass a stern look, and she took off into the night, somewhere above the rooftops.

"Wh-what do you want?" he demanded with as much authority as he could muster. The sailors' laughter bellowed across the docks. Whoever was in the center raised a sword, but thankfully, the other two seemed to be lacking weapons. One did have a rope; slavers, then. None of them answered his question, and he went almost instinctively to stand protectively in front of Tristana, even though he couldn't do much.

Hearing the laugh, a smile appeared on her lips. Happiness rose in her heart as she realized that he seemed to be happy in this moment. Her eyes widened a bit in surprise when he took her hand. When Aarek mentioned the curse, Tristana became curious about that. A curse? Aarek seemed to laugh it off. But the bird was stiff and didn’t really deny it. Learning about curses was difficult since there were so many different kinds. However, if the bird had a curse and wanted it removed, then it was possible for Tristana to look for a cure for the bird.

Just as Aarek was about to play again, he stopped and was looking at something. She turned her head to see three sailors nearing them. Her hand reached into her backpack. Grabbing the greater mana potion, she took it out. Before the sailors got the chance to notice, she drank the rest of the blue liquid. A sigh escaped her lips. Mana restored. Tristana’s hands both began to glow with bits of magic swirling around them. Light blue spectral blades appeared next to Tristana and flew out to the three men, stopping at their throats before the blades could do any damage.

“You do not deserve any mercy.” She stated, “Especially if you capture people to turn into slaves. But I will give you one chance. If I let you live, you must swear to never harm another person ever again. This means that you cannot force anyone into slavery. In exchange I will not kill you.”

Another spell was being used. The gaes spell. It would bind the willing participants to their promise. Of course, they had a choice. If they wanted her not to try to kill them, they would agree. But if they didn’t want to live then that was their choice. She didn’t want to end these people’s lives. But she would not allow them to harm another person again. This was their chance at a new life and to start again.

The alternative would be a swift and permanent end. She also didn’t want Aarek to look at her poorly for killing someone without giving them any sort of mercy. Her expression was one of determination. Whatever happened, she would protect Aarek. He was her new friend. There was no way that Tristana would allow for him to be harmed. She hoped this would work. And hopefully these sailors would make a decision soon. She didn't know how long she could keep the blades in the air. 

A bright blue rushed past his head, and for one terrifying moment, Aarek thought Kassia had recklessly returned to defend them. So, once he saw that they were merely blades conjured by Tristana, his sigh of relief was evident. The two lackeys on either side of the ringleader glanced cautiously at each other, before raising their hands and nodding in compliance. The one in the center, however, was not so agreeable. In one swift movement, he'd ducked beneath the glowing blade at his throat and was rushing towards the two of them. Clearly, he was aiming for Tristana, the bigger threat between the two of them. Yet Aarek was not so helpless.

Without thinking, he quickly positioned himself in front of the woman and raised his arms. His white tattoos glowed in the night, and an invisible barrier was erected between him and the man's sword. Its tip made a shallow cut on his cheek, but otherwise he remained unharmed. Before he could even register what he'd done, Aarek's body kept moving on its own.

He plunged his knife into the sailor's gut, ripping it out just as quickly. The bulkier man stumbled back, his sword clattering onto the ground. With that, the half-elf's initial shock had been replaced with hard determination. "Don't touch her." It was a command, not a request. Though he would usually never consider committing an act of violence, he'd protect his friend with his life, if he had to.

Aarek glanced back at Tristana, allowing her to make the decision regarding his fate. The other two had already fled the docks to gods know where, so the man was all alone. Snarling, the sailor spat at them. 

"Bastards," he hissed, running forward once more, even with the wound in his belly. This time, though, Aarek's reflexes weren't quick enough to stop him. Glaring menacingly at him, the sailor tackled Aarek to the ground, easily pinning him there with his weight. A muffled grunt left his throat, and he desperately looked to Tristana for help. Still, he was immensely grateful that the man was weakened, or else he could be… well, he could be killed. That didn't make the situation any less frightening, though.

With the other two nodding, they had agreed to the Gaes promise. Meaning that they had accepted the deal. Even if they ran away, they would never be able to hurt another person again. Their careers as slavers were over. But they could find a new and better way to make money. One that didn't result in endless torture for others. She had not expected the middle one to disagree with his comrades. Tristana was unprepared when he came charging towards her. Especially since she had just used two magical spells in a short amount of time. Before she could understand what was happening, Aarek put himself in front of her and used magic to create a barrier.

The tip of the sword made a scratch on his cheek. She didn't have time to react or stop Aarek from getting hurt. He stabbed the sailor with a knife. Her energy was rebuilding. She couldn't use long term magic since her use of mana were based more on short moments of power. Like how a person in a short race will use short bursts of power to get farther. This energy could be used up quickly but could also recover quickly. It also helped that she had a greater mana potion earlier. Tristana felt honored by his sense of protection for her.

But when the sailor tackled Aarek, Tristana's eyes became strange. Her eyes held little trace of anger. She did not have any anger, sadness, nor fear. But her amber were intense and slightly wide, as though she was surprised and deep in thought at the same time. A blast of wind came from her quick hands. The wind was powerful, amplified by Tristana's focus. This sailor didn't have a chance. He was pushed off of Aarek. Shoved at a wall.

She raced towards him with complete concentration on one goal. To decimate him. Her hand raised up to the sky, calling down three lightning bolts to strike him down. The first bolt hit his neck. The second hit his face. The last hit him directly on the chest. Burned flesh lingered in the air. Stopping in her tracks, she walked back to Aarek. Her eyes were normal. The same kind attitude that Tristana normally held.

"Aarek! Where are your injuries?" She asked quickly.

Tristana didn't have enough mana to heal him with magic. Typically, she would use herbs and natural remedies to let the body heal normally. Aarek had been injured because of her insistence on trying to solve the situation peacefully. If she had just attacked first, she might have been able to prevent Aarek from getting hurt. The grey backpack she had carried came into her mind and she raced over to it. Snatching a light blue sash out of the bag, she ran back over to Aarek.

"Here. Wrap this around yourself. It has the power to heal." She explained. 

The sash she held in her hands was a Corrina's Sash. 

Aarek barely registered the powerful booming that resulted from Tristana's magic. The flashing distorted his vision, and as he tried to sit up, he felt his breathing growing shallower. Everything crashed into his mind at once. The ambush, the daggers, the feeling of his knife plunging in to flesh… He noticed the blood coating his blade and it was all too much.

He curled in on himself, heaving quick and uneven breaths into his lungs. His eyes darted quickly from each object nearest to him. Even though he logically knew that the sailors were gone, his mind kept signaling DANGER! DANGER! There wasn't a way to turn it off. He was going to suffocate. Panicking further, the man threw a hand out to reach for his backpack. There was a balm that could soothe him, but he couldn't find the damn thing, and his world was fading to black, and he was going to die.

Suddenly, his hand closed around something. A piece of cloth? Better than nothing. A lifesaver. Aarek frantically pulled it towards him, wrapping it around his neck. The strange fabric gently eased his nerves, and his breathing slowly returned to normal. His vision cleared, though it was still marred a bit by tears he hadn't even realized he'd been crying. He rubbed a clammy palm under his glasses to wipe away the wetness that lingered on his cheeks. Vaguely, he felt the shallow wound on his cheek heal, any stinging from the tears fading with it.

Fiery red hair caught his attention, and all-too-suddenly Tristana appeared before him. She must have been mortified at having to witness his pathetic outburst. A new wave of humiliation and nausea washed over him, so he didn't remove the sash just yet. Instead, he turned his head in shame to face away from her. 

"I-I'm so… sorry. It's no-not you– your fault," he sputtered, voice muffled by his own scarf. Aarek's brain could barely comprehend the current situation, much less explain his complete meltdown. So, he continued to mumble things like "I'm sorry" and "I'm not hurt". Once his shuddering eventually stopped, he mustered his strength and whistled shrilly into the night. Kassia returned, swooping in an instant to his side. He didn't even acknowledge her other than hardly turning his head a little.

At some point, he regained his composure, the only evidence of his anxiety being the lingering redness of his face and eyes. Aarek chuckled wetly and glanced apologetically at Tristana. "… it's okay. I understand if you don't want to stay here. City guards'll probably… probably be around to investigate."

Relieved to see that he was not seriously injured, she made sure he had the sash. It’s magical abilities to calm and clear the mind seemed to be helping. Shivering, fear, eyes darting from side to side, all of these symptoms were familiar to her. It was something that she had experienced before. Albeit in a different way. Hers were focused less on fear and more on containment. Panic attacks did not all happen the same way. Perhaps they seemed similar but Tristana had discovered long ago that there different types of attacks. Some, like his, were a reaction to fear or danger. She had experienced only a few of them. Mostly in the presence of…that man from before.

But they were less common for her. Fear of death or pain were the only things she could really remember from these attacks. The ones Tristana had the most were about her failures or the future. Typically they culminated when she didn’t address her stresses for a long period of time. It built up higher and higher until it collapsed upon her. Pushing all of these thoughts aside, she sat next to him. Careful not to touch him. One wrong touch might increase his panic. With the tears in his eyes, it could be difficult to see her and he might assume that she was one of the murderous sailors. Instead Tristana sat next to him. He spoke to her clearly trying to explain himself.

“It’s fine. I understand.” Tristana said with a soft smile, “You are fine.”

Hopefully her words might help at least a little bit. Kass had returned to Aarek’s side. Her eyes scanned the area for any threats. In this moment she was the protector. Anybody who dared try and harm her friend would not receive any mercy. Not this time. Eventually he was able to calm down. His composure returned. Aarek seemed to be apologetic. Tristana stood up and held out her hand to him.

“I’m glad to know that I’m not the only one who gets those attacks.” She said with a warm smile, “It would be best though for us to get going. We don't want the guards to misunderstand and end up arresting us. You said that you were planning on going to the orphanage. If you would like I could go with you. Or if you would rather, I have a room at an inn you can stay in.”

Tristana wasn’t treating him as though he was delicate. But she was careful to not be too careless either. One thing that made her extremely annoyed would be when people treated her like an injured puppy after a panic attack. Despite the fact that all she needed was somebody to be there for her. So, keeping this in mind, she was attempting to strike a balance between caring and sturdy support. 

"Thank you," he breathed, grateful that the woman wasn't going to abandon him so soon. Aarek gathered the rest of his composure and clasped her hand firmly, heaving himself up onto shaky legs. Tremors still shook his body. Despite the initial panic being gone, the aftershocks would last for a while longer. He appreciated Tristana's tact in dealing with the situation. The source of her knowledge became clear when she remarked about her own struggles with anxiety attacks, and that, at least, seemed to calm his nerves a bit. It was nice to know that she could empathize with his situation. Kassia remained at his shoulder, a constant comfort to him. Every now and then, she would rub under his chin to remind him that she was still there.

He rubbed the back of his neck, nervous and fidgety as ever. "I know… I was going to go to the orphanage, but–" Aarek inhaled sharply, squeezing his eyes shut. "I can't show up like this. So… I- I know it's improper to ask this of a lady, but- but would you mind sharing your room, tonight?" When he opened his eyes again, they fell on the woman before him. "I'll pay whatever silver, if– if that's an issue, miss." 

While he awaited her answer, he began packing up any of his belongings that still lingered on the docks. There wasn't much; just the instrument and a stray quill that had fallen out. Oh, and his knife. The sight of the blood-stained weapon still made his stomach churn, but he swallowed and wiped off the blade on his shirt, quickly strapping it back to his boot.

Exhaustion began to drag at his limbs, weighing him down like chains. That fight and the emotions bottled in him all day had, apparently, been more draining than he'd realized. And he still wasn't done for the night. Before he could get a proper rest, his body would be alert for at least a few hours more. Hesitantly, he glanced at Tristana, considering his options for a moment.

"Uhm, this might be… a strange request, but–" Aarek awkwardly opened his arms and smiled nervously. Something he'd learned over the years was that physical contact always helped to ease his nerves. So, this was one thing he could be confident would relax his mind. "Can I, er, hug you?" 

Relief flooded through her. The situation appeared to have been handled well. Aftershocks were affecting him still but he was able to function and speak properly. Kassia was being an adorable fluffy comfort bird. Pets and animal companions had helped her with a panic attack a couple of times. Chai was her version of Kassia. Only Chai was a scaly dragon without any fluff. And the dragon would probably try to eat Aarek’s songbird. She listened to Aarek as he began to answer her question.

“You can stay with me. I have a room that is large enough in the inn.” She said not really understanding why this would be an awkward situation, “And you don’t need to pay anything. Consider it a gift!”

Gifts were nice and people were less likely to deny them. When he went over to his belongings scattered on the docks, Tristana followed him, hoping to be able to help. By the time she got there, Aarek had already packed up most of his stuff. Which wasn’t much. There was a lack of energy in his eyes. Today was clearly exhausting for him. Or the panic attack drained away some of his energy. Aarek asked a somewhat odd question.

“Sure.” Tristana said.

Normally she wouldn’t have been comfortable with a hug from a person she had just met today. Although they hadn’t known each other for a long time, they just went through a lot together. And he had saved her life earlier. A strong bridge of trust had been built between them with that act. She held out her arms open for a hug. 

An exhale left his lips. He hadn't expected her to comply with his request, but he was so glad that she did. Softly, Aarek wrapped his arms around her, sure to not overstep his boundaries. They stayed like that for a while, until the thud of footsteps reached his pointed ears. With some reluctance, he pulled away and ran a hand through his messy hair. He felt a lot better, at least. Kassia chirped to make them aware of a pair of approaching city guards.

Aarek's eyes skimmed once more over the sailor's body, but he did not allow his gaze to linger. He blinked the image from his thoughts. "We'd better clear out of here. I'm sure neither of us need to be in any more trouble tonight," he murmured with a sideways glance at Tristana. She looked okay on the surface. No visible wounds, as far as he could tell. Thank goodness. Yet, the realization struck him that she could have been mentally affected, like him. Maybe she didn't necessarily break down, but the long term effects of trauma could be just as damaging. He made a note to ask her about her well-being at the inn.

For now, they traversed through the city in relative silence. Clearing his throat once or twice, Aarek wondered if he should try to strike up a conversation. What could he even say after that situation? Lightening the mood was probably the best option. Since he had no idea how far from the inn they were, he decided to keep it simple. "So…" When his voice trailed off, Kass nipped his chin in annoyance. He very nearly scolded her, but he couldn't blame her. The poor bird had had a long night, too. Still, after gathering his thoughts, he tried again.

"You're pretty good with magic, then." He'd meant for it to be a question; it just didn't come out that way. Studying the runes on his hands, he continued. "That's impressive. To me, anyways. I've never really had a knack for it, but then again I haven't ever practiced much." 

Instead of feeling uncomfortable, the hug turned out nice. Most times when a stranger hugged her she felt uncomfortable. There were only two people now that hugged her and she didn't feel scared or feel any sort of shudder down her spine. He pulled away. She gave him a smile, trying to comfort him. The sweet bird let out a chirp to alert them of the oncoming guards. Giving Aarek a nod, she followed him to the sidewalk. Tristana looked back once. Relief flooded through her. Only one person died. Perhaps the situation could have been handled better. Maybe if she had done something different then the man would be alive.

However, she wasn't too upset by the results. She'd given him a fair chance. To runaway and never hurt anybody. But he had denied it. Therefore what happened next was his fault. Nobody else's. Looking to her new friend, she was glad that he was alive and safe. Reaching into her backpack, Tristana pulled out her blue and gold wayfinder's widget. It was a rectangular flat item with a handle that showed her a map of the area. The tavern that they were looking for was not too far. A soft smile appeared on her lips. She'd found it! Suddenly Aarek spoke up.

"Oh! Thanks!" Tristana replied, "I actually think you did very well with magic earlier. I can help you practice sometime if you would like. It took me a while to get a hang of it too. Oh, and by the way this item lets me see where we need to go. The tavern shouldn't be too far now. We need to take a left turn here."

She turned left. The street was small but it led to a larger street with many people still out and about. There were no children since it was getting late. But there were groups of people exploring the town. Adeluna was relatively big and had many guards to help keep the place safe. And this was one of the more popular streets. Spotting the inn, Tristana waved Aarek over.

"Here it is!" She exclaimed, "The building with the words that says Little Inn."

The name matched it perfectly. The inn was small and made up of oak wood. It had simple windows and a simple display. However, there was warm light peering out of the windows that seemed to be inviting. Especially for weary travelers. Tristana walked across the street, after checking for any passing horses, over to the inn. She looked back to see if Aarek and Kassia were following her. She did not want to lose them.