Spring 4995, 09 Buromoth

The team took another gate to an eerily quiet lakeside village in Lenare. The previous autumn the town had been hit by a magical storm, and now held only a handful of Mages studying the lake in an attempt to prevent a repeat disaster.

Though the town's structures only suffered minor water damage, the unnatural storm had triggered a natural disaster, something the Mages called a 'limnic eruption.' The lake that had been this town's lively hood had exploded, releasing a poisonous gas from its depths that suffocated every living thing for miles.

The team arrived in the solemn ghost town in silence and said very little as they immediately rode out from it. Tristen had his mount, Kelvar, gated ahead of him while they'd been in Swailand and commissioned horses for the others.

Ebonwing refused her mount and instead took the form of a deer to walk along with them. Tristen was just glad the Druid hadn't chosen to take a form that would discomfort the other's horses. They weren't Paladin Warhorses, magically intelligent mounts bonded to their rider's hearts and minds.  

Being away from civilization, they wore their armor. All except Ranito, whose spells would be disrupted by armor, and for some reason, Shon. Oswall and Ebonwing wore light leather, while Alena had half-plate and Tristen full platemail. The Paladin watched Shon as he rode behind the others, easy in the saddle and with Ryuuko curled around his shoulders. As a former Squire, the man would've been trained in armor, and as an experienced adventurer, he would know the dangers of the roads outside the kingdom cities. So why... 

"Mast... Shon." Tristen called, bidding Kelvar slow without needing to pull on the reigns. Shon arched an eyebrow at the Paladin to acknowledge him, and Tristen pointedly looked him over, from boots to head, before asking, "You're armor, soldier?" 

Shon shook his head, looking forward again. They were a few hours out of the dead city, and the others had started talking amongst each other as they rode, but if anything, Shon had gotten even more quiet today. Tristen hadn't realized it was possible. 

"You received training..." He started but stopped as an angry cloud passed over Shon's face. 

He cleared the expression a moment later however, and said, deadpan, "I don't wear armor." 

"And if we're attacked?" Tristen asked. Shon just shrugged, and Tristen scowled. Was Shon further gone than Tristen had presumed? Perhaps he would have to divulge the man's history to Alena after all. "We have three people capable of healing on this team, but that doesn't mean we can afford to be reckless, soldier." Shon didn't answer. 

As if summoned by his fears, Ebonwing's crow swooped down to her, cawing a warning. The Druid shifted back into the form of a woman and cawed back, then gestured for the others to stop, hissing, "Draken." 

"Where?" Tristen demanded, urging Kelvar forward and squinting in the direction the crow had flown from.

"Two hillocks over, heading towards the river." the river they were following towards the last known camp of the Laughing Pony Tribe.

Shon, Oswall, and Alena all dismounted. Ranito looked around at them and asked, "Can't we just go around?" 

Shon arched an eyebrow at the Mage, Alena blinked in disbelief, and Oswall scoffed, "You honestly believe this lot is just gunna pass by and let draken live?" 

Ebonwing huffed, "Draken are monstrous abominations, Ranito. We can't let any of them live if we get a chance to kill them." Tristen nodded his agreement. When the Druid said 'can't,' she meant it literally, at least for the three of them bound to the gods. 

"Hobble the horses," Tristen ordered, also dismounting, "Kelvar will keep them safe and together." He patted the Warhorse soundly on the shoulder, and Kelvar neighed his agreement, trotting around to circle the group as the others removed the hobbles from their saddlebags and did as instructed.

Ranito rolled his eyes but didn't argue further and dismounted while Tristen himself moved to help the Mage with his mount, doubtful he had much experience.

Ebonwing and Shon sent Neg and Ryuuko to scout ahead while Shon took point, stalking forward in the direction his familiar indicated through their bond. They moved carefully, Tristen and Alena staying further back with Ranito, their metal armor clanking as they walked. At Shon's prompting, he, Ebonwing, and Oswall climbed the last large hillock, dropping to their bellies to crawl at the end to spy over the edge. 

Tristen could hear the draken speaking their growling bestial language and doubted they would be able to hear his armor, but moved carefully anyway, joining the rest at peaking over the top of the hill. It was an entire tribe, though a relatively small one, only twenty-five members give or take, and no apparent children that he could see. That was good at least. Tristen didn't enjoy killing the young of any species, no matter how necessary. This tribe of large lizardmen had muddy brown scales painted with bright green swirls and stripes. He couldn't tell the males from the females, only Rangers and Mages generally could, and the only ones who cared were the latter, for study. 

Tristen nodded to himself. This would be a perfect opportunity to see how the team worked together in combat. He crawled back down the hill, the others following. Once at the base, he addressed them, "We'll go around to the east to flank them, pinning them against the river. Ranito, you stay in the rear. Ebonwing and Shon can guard you. As the most heavily armored, Alena and I will take the lead and-" 

Shon crossed his arms and lifted a palm towards Tristen, saying, "I work best at the lead and have more experience than Cleric Alena." 

Alena actually scoffed, not something Tristen had seen her do before, "I have plenty of-" she started, but Shon interrupted, 

"I have more." He shook his head and continued, "Ebonwing should be more than enough to protect Archmage Ranito. There are twenty-three draken, we'll want all three of us up front to keep them away from the others."

"You're not even wearing armor," Ebonwing said, waving a dismissive hand at Shon, "and I'll have more than enough in my bear form." 

Shon made a sound between a sigh and a growl and argued, "If you don't trust me to hold my own, then you need to find someone else for this team." 

It almost sounded like he hoped they would, but Oswall just shrugged, "If the soldier boy wants to get himself killed, then that's on him. It will be a trial by fire." Tristen narrowed his eyes at Oswall. Had the Rogue already figured out Shon's history?

"Trial by fire..." Ranito whispered, patting his lips in thought then snapping his fingers, "All of you are melee fighters, and this is a large group. You should all engage to be most effective. You can keep them from me while I prepare a spell that can take most of them in a single blow."

"You-" Tristen started,

"Am an Archmage, good knight. It will take me time to cast the spell, however, draken are not only bloodthirsty but stupid. They want to die in honorable combat and will attack you first and foremost. By the time they notice me, it will be too late for them." 

Tristen opened his mouth to argue, but Owall clapped him on the shoulder, "I'll keep the old man safe, Tris," He shouldered a heavy crossbow Tristen hadn't noticed him take out, "I'm more of a ranged fighter in daylight anyway." 

Tristen glared at the lot of them. He wasn't used to being questioned, he was used to being obeyed, especially as the ranking officer of a draken hunt. How did these people think those of his Temple gained their combat experience? But he'd built this 'team' from a group of individuals, accustomed to working in their own way. They would all have to learn each other's strengths and weaknesses, and to do that, they would need time and experience. And their first bit of experience was right around this hill. 

"Fine," Tristen told them, "We will each make our own decisions, for now, but if things start to turn against us, my commands take president. Understood?" 

Ebonwing and Oswall shrugged but nodded with Alena and Ranito. Shon saluted sharply. Ranito turned to Shon, "You insist on not wearing armor, so you'll be the fastest," Shon arched an eyebrow at the Mage but nodded. "Listen for my signal, or have your familiar pass it to you when I give it." He offered no further explanation, and Shon furrowed his brow at Ranito but nodded again. Ryuuko circled the team with a gleeful twitter then landed on the Archmage's shoulder with a whistle.

Ranito and Oswall climbed the hill together while Tristen and the others moved around the base. Ebonwing began to shift as she walked, dropping to all fours and taking the form of a grizzly. Walking ahead of the Druid, Alena had missed the transformation, but noticed when Ebonwing snuffled at the back of her head before she put her helm on. 

The Cleric jumped with a surprised "Eep!" then bopped the Druid on the snout as she gave an animalistic huffing snicker. 

Tristen shushed the pare of them, while Shon just rolled his eyes and inched around the edge of the steep hill. He looked to Tristen for the signal to attack, and the Paladin eyed the crown of the hill and their ranged fighters. They were ready. He waved them forward. 

Ebonwing charged, Tristen and Alena close behind. She had nearly reached the closest draken before they noticed her and started sounding the alarm. Her roar drowned them out, and soon the entire tribe was reaching for the weapons the violent species kept at arms reach at all times.

Tristen leveled his mace and called out to Saint Giorgos. The weapon glowed violet and grew, going from a one-handed weapon like Alena's to a massive two-handed cudgel. Tristen swept the blessed mace before him in great archs, catching draken weapons and limbs. Breaking scale and bone, he spared a glance at the others. 

Alena had her shield up to protect her left and front, swinging her own mace with her right hand. Beyond the shield, floating in the air, was a glowing copy of the weapon, hammering down on the draken who attempted to flank her. She would make a fantastic shield sister, her youth outweighed by the experience of her traumatic early awakening. 

Ebonwing stood on her hind legs, even larger than the seven-foot draken, batting them around like rag dolls with massive paws and sharp claws. The first that got close enough had its neck ripped out, blood washing down her maw and brown fir. Not all the blood coating the Druid belonged to the draken, but this form's thick hide and layers of fat prevented their attacks from doing much real damage. She would do best at one of the defensive edges of a linear assault, Tristen decided. 

Heavy crossbow bolts flew down from the top of the hill as Oswall took aim at the archers in the back of the draken horde. He was a hell of a sniper. It would probably be best to leave him to his own devices in battle. The resourceful Rogue would know best how to position himself to be of most use and stay safe. 

Ranito cast his spell from the back lines, the only place for any Mage -except perhaps a Battlemage- so the Paladin turned to look for Shon. And stood in shocked awe for a split second too long.

The man was a whirlwind of attacks, and not just with his sword. He attacked with his feet as often as his hands, kicking out draken knees and tripping attackers as they lunged. Shon used his bastard sword in both hands and either, slashing with his left across a draken's chest, then taking it in both to thrust through its mouth before letting go with the left and attacking another with just his right. 

As Tristen stood transfixted, a draken with a greatsword attacked the distracted Paladin. He started to lift his mace, but it would be too late and he braced for the hit. But Shon was there in a flash. Double stepping with speed Tristen had never seen before, Shon lifted his left hand and caught the falling sword. Tristen watched as blood pooled in Shon's palm, but the fighter didn't flinch and stabbed the draken through the neck. He could have parried with his sword but had chosen to take the wound and thus the kill. 

Those eyes... Shon flicked his sword out the side of the draken's neck and clean in one motion. As if he were merely brushing aside a fly. And not even a particularly annoying one. Did he feel anything at all?

Tristen managed to get his cudgel up in time to parry and counter another draken, this one with a pair of hand axes. They had each killed at least two, Shon three, so eleven of twenty-three down, give or take. What was taking Ranito so long? 

Then Shon's blue eyes lost their focus and glazed over...

***

Shon was pulled away from the fight and saw it from above, through Ryuuko's eyes. 

"Gather them together, soldier," Ranito's voice sounded in a whisper beside him, beside his familiar, "away from the others. Try not to get killed before I get this off..." 

Shon's vision cleared, and he rolled forward between two attacking draken. He lashed out with his sword as he stood, cutting one's thigh and kicking the other's shin, not enough to drop either of them but more than enough to keep their attention on him. He sprinted around the backlines of the battlefield, letting the others continue with those they had already engaged but pulling the attention of all the other draken as Ranito instructed. 

He kept his pace slow enough that they would think they could catch him, occasionally pivoting around and rolling between them again to engage those in the rear. It didn't take long before Shon was surrounded, with five of the eight remaining draken attempting to attack him at once. He took a hit to his side to avoid one aimed for his back. Letting the ax slide along his ribs, cutting through shirt and skin but stopping before it could dig too deeply into his bones. He grabbed that ax with his free hand and wrenched the draken down, so its fellow's sword slammed into its back instead of Shon's head. 

"Go..." Ranito's voice sounded again in Shon's mind and he felt as Ryuuko took off from the Mage's shoulder, something squishy in its foreclaw as it flew over the battlefield. 

Shon managed to spare a fleeting thought for what spell the Archmage might be casting. A sleep spell, perhaps? That one had an area of effect that would require Shon to gather the draken to be most effective. He would be affected as well, but it didn't really matter. The others would wake him before slaughtering the sleeping draken. Or they wouldn't, and Shon would finally be allowed to truly rest. 

Ryuuko swooped, dropping the sticky something as Shon ducked another two-handed sword swing and smelled... sulfur? 

*** 

Tristen dispatched his draken and watched in horror as Shon's eyes went wide. He tried to roll but even he wasn't fast enough. The wad of sulfur and guano exploded in a ball of fire that killed the closest draken before they could even roar. The rest burned along with the blazing fireball.

Tristen had to shield his face from the heat and light, but a moment later, the fire died, its explosive energy spent and leaving nothing but a pile of burned husks.

Alena screamed, sprinting toward the dead. Ebonwing shifted back into a woman, the shallowest of her wounds closing and leaving only a few scratches on her skin. Oswall stood from where he lay on his belly, one of his smokes falling from a slack jaw.

Ranito sauntered down the hill, brushing his hands off on his robes. "You..." Tristen growled. He stormed towards the Archmage and roared at the man, the murderer, "What have you done?!" 

Ranito wasn't the least bit intimidated. He scoffed, "Calm yourself, Sir knight." He waved towards the pile of burned corpses, and Tristen pulled his eyes away from the Mage to see Alena fall back in surprise as Shon groaned, pushing a dead draken off him. 

Smoke curled from Shon's singed pants and leather sword sheath. His shirt hadn't survived the blaze, revealing a mass of soot dusted scars on pale skin. He drove his sword into the ground and used it to heave himself to his feet, its pommel blue but nearly transparent. 

"You..." Tristen whispered as Ranito came to stand beside him. He shook his head to try and clear it, "A protection spell? Before we attacked?" 

The Mage snorted, "Why waste magic on something like that?" 

"But..."

"He's an ice Sorcerer, Sir Tristen," Ranito said, waving at Shon again as Alena lunged forward, her hands glowing, to rest over the man's bleeding ribs. Shon pulled away from the Cleric, though not before Alena touched his side. The wound began to close as the healing power washed through the soldier, and Alena flinched. 

Ranito rubbed his chin in thought, "Though I did expect at least minor burns, nothing worse than a sunburn mind you..." he hummed and took out his notebook, "Perhaps he's stronger than I thought..." 

Tristen left the Archmage to his scribbling, sheathing his mace -now returned to a standard single-handed size- and approached Shon and Alena. The Cleric had brought her hands forward again but didn't touch Shon as she let her magic light heal him from a few inches off his skin, whispering, "So many scars..." Shon just grunted, stepping away from her once his wound closed. 

"Don't miss his hand, Vicar..." Tristen said, eyeing Shon and his scars, "You should wear armor, Master Sergeant." 

Shon shook his head, but as Tristen glared, he said, "I can't move as quickly or effectively in it." 

"At least leather..." Alena started, but Shon just sighed, saying,

"It chafes." 

Ebonwing and Oswall joined them. Oswall's jaw still hung open, and he managed a strangled, "How?" 

Shon looked away, but Ranito called from his position, still writing, "Ice Sorcerers are mostly immune to fire..." 

"Well, that ought to come in very handy," Ebonwing said, eyeing Shon's bare chest and smoking pants. "Might end up costing you in clothes, though..." she grinned, "You could always fight naked, that might scare off the baddies even more than your eyes." Shon ran a hand through his hair, but that just made Ebonwing snicker. Alena blushed. 

"Don't," Tristen pointed at Ranito, then at Shon, "Do that again." 

Shon arched an eyebrow, and Ranito stuttered, finally exclaiming, "He's fine!" Ryuuko flew down to land on Shon's sheath, twittering its dragon giggle. Shon pushed it off with the edge of his blade as he sheathed it but didn't argue with Tristen. Had he even known about the Mage's plan?

"Don't do it again," Tristen repeated, "He had eight of them on him before you got that spell off." And Shon hadn't hesitated to gather them, letting himself be completely surrounded. Though the way he fought... Tristen had to wonder if the man could have defeated them, even without the fireball.

"How?" Oswall said again, then shook his head and managed to find more words, "You fought with that sword but moved like a..." 

"I've trained under a Master Monk since I was ten." Shon interrupted. 

"But your hair..." Oswall started then shook his head again, "You're enlisted with Hengist, not a Monastery." 

Shon sighed, running his hand through his hair again, but explained, "My teacher is a Grandmaster of the Ryukyu Monastery in Oane. I wasn't required to swear their vows." 

"Damn..." Ebonwing said, eyeing Shon again, "There're stories in the Southernwood about a Monk from there. Used to adventure with one of our best Rangers." Shon just nodded, but then Ebonwing grinned evilly again, adding, "They say that particular Monastery requires a vow of celibacy. Is that why you didn't join, big guy?" 

Shon didn't blush or roll his eyes, though he did look away again, saying only, "No." and leaving it at that.

But Tristen knew. Shon hadn't joined the Monastery because he'd been training to be a Paladin. But then why didn't he join after he was denied? Why enlist instead when Shon clearly chose to continue fighting much like a Monk? Though with a knight's sword... The Paladin eyed Shon's sword. The pommel was growing darker as Tristen watched. Was that why? If he'd left the Temple that was vouching for him, Shon would've needed to get a sealing tattoo, or train the magic. 

Without another word, Shon started back toward their mounts. Tristen sighed and gestured for the others to follow. He wasn't going to ask the man now, not in front of everyone. He doubted he would get a straight answer anyway. And they still had an investigation to do. 

*** 

Alena watched Shon as he dug through his bag of holding and pulled out a replacement shirt. He had to wait until they retrieved the horses to put it on, stripping off his singed scabbard and hanging it off the staddle's horn to keep the sealing item in reach.

Well... he didn't have to wait, he could have asked one of them to hold the sword for him so he could dress as they walked. But the man seemed unable to ask for assistance from anyone for anything. Alena couldn't tell if it was pride, distrust, or just ingrained habit. 

As they continued the long trek down the river -looking for the Barbarian Sorcerer that would be living and training somewhere along its twisting banks- Alena continued to watch Shon. And though he had his tunic back on, the long sleeves rolled up to his forearms, she could still see in her mind's eye the multitude of scars that marred his chiseled muscles. She squinted to see if she could make out those on the exposed part of his arms. But the pale scars on his pale skin made it difficult from a distance. 

She'd gotten close enough when healing him to see details though. Most were like the one she'd closed, minor flesh wounds that were only a danger if they weren't magically healed and became infected. But some could've been life-threatening... Too many of them. 

Ebonwing's voice inserted itself into her thoughts, "Like what you see? He's pretty hot. For a guy." she whispered loudly enough to carry and snickered, walking as a woman beside Alena's mount. Oswall, on Alena's other side, snorted but didn't comment. 

"Hot..." Alena mumbled, letting her eyes trail up Shon's back to his sword with its swirling pommel, now navy blue, "His skin was cold. I was afraid he'd gone into shock, but..." 

"It's the magic," Ebonwing said with a shrug, "Fire Sorcerers have a higher body temperature and ice a cooler one. Water Sorcerers are constantly damp, and earth are unusually dry. The weirdest are the air Sorcerers, I hear you can feel a slight breeze around their skin." 

Alena shuddered, "It wasn't just cool, Eb. It was cold. It actually hurt to touch. Like he was carved of ice." Oswall snorted again, taking out one of his smokes and lighting it in silence but staying close enough to listen. 

Ebonwing just shrugged again, "Maybe because it just saved his tight ass from an Archmage's fireball." 

That reminder had Alena scowling over her shoulder at Ranito, who was riding behind them with his nose in his notebook.

Oswall grunted and finally chimed in, "Effective though." he took in a deep breath of smoke and let it out in a billowing sigh, "Eight draken with a single fireball? Even if you lot could've gotten them bunched together enough, it would've been a risk to you to try something like that. But even without the fiery ball of death from our Archmage..." Oswall hesitated, like he was looking for the right words, and took out another smoke, probably to do something with his hands, "I doubt you guys could see well while trying not to get killed, but that man... he was terrifyingly brutal. I've never seen anyone move that fast, and-" 

"It's because he doesn't wear armor. You should know even light leather will slow a man down," Ebonwing interrupted. 

Os just waived her explanation down, "Yeah, a little, but it's not just that, he caught the blade of a sword. Caught it! He could have parried it or at least caught the hand, I saw, but instead, he used the time gained to execute the thing. Then the old man..." He thumbed over his shoulder to Ranito then changed smokes, talking around his new one as he used the old butt to light it. "... started talking to himself. Well, to the little dragon pest. Telling Shon to gather up the rest. I swore he was going to get cut down gathering all those leftovers, but he didn't hesitate at all. At first, I thought his arrogance might get him killed, then I thought he might actually win! Even without the fireball." Os flicked the butt towards the river, "I'm just glad he's on our side." 

"He takes needless risks..." Alena mussed, back to watching Shon with Tristen ahead of them. The wound on his hand had been deep and could've been much, much worse, he could've lost his fingers, and there was only a slim chance that Alena had the skills or power to reattach them. 

Ebonwing just shrugged again, "He knew the old man had a plan." 

"Still..." but Alena didn't elaborate on her worries. 

"We have three people able to heal, Al," Ebonwing argued. "Even if he had only a hint of a pulse left, together, we probably could've stitched him back together." 

Alena looked in shock at Ebonwing, "Druid Ebonwing!" she chastised, "You should know it does not work like that. A healing too intensive will tax the body beyond its limits. We are not our gods to tie someone's soul to their flesh." Ebonwing had the decency to look at least a little ashamed of herself, and Alena continued, "We can't justify risks like that. Tristen was right. They should never do something like that again." 

On her other side, Os repeated, "Effective though." with another shrug he continued, "If the man wants to die that badly it's none of our business." 

"Please don't say things like that, Os..." Alena whispered.

"I'm not serious, Al," Oswall waved his smoke in the air, "He's just arrogant. I wonder how old he is... Most young men seem to think they're immortal. Maybe a few more scars will teach him his own limits."

"Not sure he can fit any more scars." Ebonwing chimed in. 

Alena let the two banter past her, not listening anymore as she drifted in her own thoughts. She wasn't convinced that youthful arrogance was what caused Shon to take risks. He was hurt in a way she couldn't heal. Tristen knew it too and had told her to watch out for him. That made her afraid that Oswall's idle comments might hold more truth than the Rogue realized. But what could have hurt him so severely that he would risk death without hesitation? And more importantly, how could she help?

The team continued until just before sundown, then set up camp beside the river. They had three tents, one for Alena and Ebonwing, another for Tristen and Ranito, and the last for Shon and Oswall. They sat around a magical fire cast by the Mage for dinner and debated watch assignments. In the end, they decided to divide the team in half and have a three-man watch rotation that would alternate nights. The first night would have Alena on first watch and Ranito on last. Shon would take middle watch as he didn't need uninterrupted sleep to replenish spent magic. The following night would see a similar pattern with Tristen taking the first watch, Oswall in the middle, and Ebonwing at the end. 

Most of the team continued to chat as they finished their evening meal, but Shon hadn't spoken as he ate and cleaned his plate immediately. Standing and retreating away from the rest of them, he sat with his back to the fire, leaning against the only tree they'd seen for miles. Alena watched him as he pulled out a leather-bound book locked with a key.

Glancing around at the rest of the party, Alena noticed Tristen narrow his eyes at Shon's back until Ranito moved to sit beside the Paladin, talking about something to do with the mission. Oswall and Ebonwing seemed utterly oblivious as the Rogue produced a set of well-worn dice and offered the Druid a challenge. Alena steeled herself and stood, walking over to join Shon. 

She cleared her throat, and he looked up, arching a black eyebrow in question. Ryuuko twittered and dropped from the branches to land on his shoulder and whistled a greeting to her. Alena smiled at the little dragon and sat. Careful to keep her robes tucked up under her, she brought her knees to her chest and hugged them. Shon switched his arched eyebrow to the other side but said nothing. 

"How are your wounds?" She asked. He shrugged.

"Fully healed then? No pulling or stinging when you breathe?" He'd pulled away from her healing before she could get a good idea of how extensive the damage had been. He shook his head. 

Alena sighed in mild frustration. The man was so damn quiet. He'd gone back to his journal. "What are you writing?" She tried.

Shon ran his fingers through his hair. It was blacker than the night sky and long enough that it often covered his eyes. He was clearly frustrated with her attempts to get him to talk, and that made her blush, ashamed. Still, she wanted to get to know this mysterious teammate and didn't know any other way to do it. 

Then he turned the book around to show her, and Alena was thoroughly distracted. The page did contain some writing -in a small neat hand- but most of it was drawings. Beautiful life sketches of things they'd seen today filled the visible pages, including one of Ebonwing in bear form snuffling Alena's hair. Alena felt herself gasp and actually reached out a hand to brush the page. Shon didn't pull back from that, but he did turn the book back around after her fingers had fallen away. 

"They're beautiful," Alena said, finding her words again. Shon shrugged. 

This time Ryuuko chittered angrily at him and actually bit his ear. He slapped his hand over the ear and glared at the little dragon, a look that could freeze blood, yet it just chittered again. Shon growled at it but then sighed, and looking at Alena, said, "Thank you." 

"It's true!" she exclaimed. A small amount of pink showed in Shon's cheeks, but he just shrugged again. 

He went back to his drawings, and Alena watched him, not sure what to try next. Maybe tomorrow... She thought.

"What do you want, Alena?" Shon finally asked. 

"I..." she hesitated, looking back to the group where Tristen spoke with Ranito, and Oswall and Ebonwing played dice, "I just wanted to talk to you. To get to know you better." Shon snorted, and Ryuuko bit him again. 

This time he picked up the pseudodragon by the neck and threw it. The little familiar spread its wings wide before it would hit the ground and glided back up into the tree to chitter at him from above. 

Alena gasped, and Shon sighed, "It's fine." he grumbled.

"You're bleeding..." Alena started, kneeling and reaching out to touch his ear. 

Shon jerked his head away, "It's fine," he said again, "Save your magic." 

"Even something minor can get infected if we don't clean it, especially animal bites." She tried to argue, reaching again. 

Shon met her eyes with his, and she stopped, transfixed. "You don't want to touch me, Alena," He whispered. 

Alena sat back on her heels. Being kind wasn't working with this one. Well, perhaps blunt was better. She would at least try, "So you think you can read minds now?" The intensity in his stare changed to curiosity as he arched an eyebrow at her again. She sighed, "You don't want me to touch you, fine. I'll try not to be offended, but don't presume you know me well enough to know what I want when you won't even talk to me." 

Something changed in his face. His eyes crinkled ever so slightly, and... did his lips twitch the slightest amount? Was he... was he smiling? Could something so faint it would've been missed if she hadn't been staring him down, even be called a smile? 

Ryuuko whistled, and Shon actually closed his book. Setting it aside, he asked, "What do you want to talk about, Cleric Alena?" 

"Well, we can start with you bleeding all over that clean shirt. Come here," She gestured for him to lean forward, then added, "I don't need to touch you to heal. Just get close." 

Shon pulled his back off the tree and leaned forward, putting his head down and trailing tiny droplets of scarlet over his shoulder and onto his pants. That pseudodragon had bitten him hard. She whispered a prayer and let her fingertips hover just over his ear, able to feel his cold even from here... Her hand glowed with soft golden light, like the sun at dawn and she watched and waited as his skin knit itself back together, leaving yet another scar, then sat back again, resting her hand in her lap while Shon leaned back against his tree. 

"Will you tell me why you don't like being touched?" She asked quietly, then, realizing how insensitive that question might be, she added, "You don't have to. I know we haven't known each other very long, so I understand if-" 

"I'm cold." Shon answered, running his hand through his hair again, then down to finger his healed ear, "My entire life, people avoided touching me. I got used to it." He looked away, towards the others around the crackling fire, his voice dropping to a low whisper, "Most people anyway..." 

"I'll try to be respectful of your boundaries, Shon, though when I'm healing, I may need to touch you." 

Shon huffed, that small, barely perceptible smile showing again, "Be sure to brace yourself then, Cleric." 

Picturing the scars hidden below his shirt, Alena brought her knees up again to hug against the chill of the early spring night, and quipped, "It would help if you wore armor." 

He rolled his eyes and looked down at his journal, but Ryuuko chittered at him from above, and he sighed, "It chafes." repeating the weaker of his two arguments.

"And you're covered in scars," Alena countered, "I thought Monks knew how to dodge and deflect."

"They do," Shon grumbled, "And I do. Most of these were intentional. They..." 

"Intentional!" Alena shouted, then glanced at the others who'd looked over. 

Shon ran his hand through his hair and leaned his head back on the tree, looking at the sky instead of her. "Most fighters don't know what to do when they expect a parry and instead land a hit, and it lets me trap their weapons and end a fight faster. It's... it's a bad habit I've had for a long time." Ryuuko chittered again but didn't drop back down to land on him, probably aware that it would just get thrown again. 

"Soleil's mercy, Shon... please break that habit." 

He rolled his eyes, "I'll see what I can do." but she could tell from his tone he had no intention of doing anything different than he'd always done. 

"And if you misjudge?" Alena snapped, "One fatal wound too far for me or Eb or Tris to reach, and it would all be over." Like today. He'd been surrounded. If he'd taken something worse than he had... there was a good chance none of them would have been able to get through the draken before they'd killed him. Shon shrugged. 

Alena felt the blood drain from her face, "You... But Shon... Why? Your life, it's... it's sacred, a gift from the gods. You can't just throw it away." 

He wouldn't look at her. Alena opened her mouth to continue arguing, but Tristen called from the fire, "Master Sergeant, you have middle watch. We should turn in." 

Shon grabbed his journal and climbed to his feet. He saluted the Paladin and moved for his tent with Oswall without looking back at Alena. 

***

Shon hesitated before entering his shared tent. Oswall had unpacked all his camping equipment, armor, and clothes, and had it piled haphazardly at the foot of his bedroll. It hadn't yet spilled over into Shon's half, but it was a precarious thing. Shon arched an eyebrow at the mess, and someone cleared their throat behind him. 

He turned to see Tristen looking distinctly flustered. The Paladin met Shon's eyes, then pointedly looked in at Shon's tent, then over at his own open flap. Ranito's half of their tent was even more of a mess than Oswall's. Tristen cleared his throat again and muttered, "Mast... Shon. I think I may have made a mistake in the sleeping assignments..."

Shon nodded, not needing more of an explanation. Ryuuko hissed at Shon, and he could feel the little dragon's reprimand at his lack of words. Pest. "It might be better if we share," Shon grumbled to Tristen. They at least had similar standards and preferences for neatness. 

Tristen sighed, his frame relaxing in relief, "Thank you. I think we can survive one night, but tomorrow..." 

Ryuuko whistled encouragement, showing Shon a mental image of Veon-Zih cracking some unheard joke and laughing with a faceless companion from their past. "Assuming you aren't smothered under all those books and clothes... Sir." Shon managed, not wanting to be bitten again. 

The Paladin blinked in surprise at him, then for some reason looked towards Alena, then chuckled, "I pray I'll be fine." He moved as if to pat Shon on the shoulder, but Shon ducked into his tent, dodging the touch. Tristen clenched his hand into a fist, then shook his head and walked away. 

Shon unpacked only his bedroll -everything else could stay nice and neat and organized in his bag while he slept- and thought about the events of this evening. And the one before.

After being told they would go to Clearhelm, Shon hadn't wanted to talk to anyone at all. He realized in hindsight that that had made him downright rude to Alena when she'd attempted to speak with him, again. Usually, he would give at least some verbal answers if something couldn't be answered with a nod or shake of the head, yet he'd avoided even that. No wonder she'd gotten snippy with him.

He felt himself smile at the memory of her uncharacteristic bluntness. It reminded him of Lily. Honestly, most of the interaction had reminded him of her. He sighed, laying down to stare at the canvas ceiling, seeing another scene that felt like it had been years ago, though it had only been months. 

Shon had sat against a lonely tree on the way to these same Barbarians. Only Lily had been the one to visit him and compliment his drawings. She'd even sat the same way, knees up against her chest beside his outstretched legs. She'd also talked to him about wanting to communicate clearly, though her subject and intent had been different.

He sighed, bringing his forearm up to rest over his eyes, missing her in more ways than he'd expected. Lily often acted as a social buffer for Shon. She would like this team. Well... three of them at least. He knew she would like Ebonwing and suspected she would be amused by Oswall as well. She might get annoyed at Alena's protectiveness, but he suspected the young Cleric's patience and kindness would win his fiery love over in the end. If they would just give her a chance...

Instead, he found himself alone in a crowd, with only Ryuuko to encourage him to be sociable, when that was the last thing he wanted to do. The pseudodragon gave a tired whistle and curled up beside his head. Shon sighed, reaching across with his other hand to pet the pest. It was trying the same way that Veon-Zih sometimes used to. He couldn't blame it. 

"I'm sorry Ryuuko..." He whispered to it, "I'll try harder."