"Not so loud, please," the smuggler pleaded, raising a hand to shoo the paladin away. He inhaled through gritted teeth, before letting his breath slip through his nose. Nero's head still rang with the memory of the impact, but his vision began to clear. Some blood had dripped onto the pavement; it wasn't anything that indicated a major wound, but it was just enough to be somewhat worrying. It seemed as if Halone herself had saw fit to punish Nero with a blow from her shield.
"Before...before you ask, I have just managed to cure myself of all of the various ills that had been afflicting my mind...agh.." A soft groan escaped from the Hyur's lips. "A malevolent shadow was...um, mind controlling me. Which is why I spewed all those insults at your friend. Yes. That's it. That's a defense that will hold up in court, right?" The pain gradually began to dissipate enough for Nero to start making his usual quips and deflections. He slowly stood up from his kneeling position, somewhat wobbly, a hand clutching his temple. A small trickle of blood ran itself down his nose and the left side of his face, running along the prominent scars that occupied those areas of his head.
Nero briefly buzzed his lips and shook his head, an amused and pained grin cresting his face. "What I meant to say was that...um...that was a test! To see if he was really your friend. Or something. Yes. And you passed. Good job." The smuggler padded Roen's shoulder like a parent congratulated a child, even as he winced again. He withdrew a handkerchief from his trouser pocket to dab at where the pillar had broken his skin. The bleeding seemed to stop, but as the pain gave way to soreness, Nero began to seriously consider retrieving his thaumaturgy scepter just to cast a blizzard spell at his face in lieu of using cold water to soothe his aching temple.
"Anyway. Nanawa mines, and Kejin Zinjin. I personally recommend we go for the mines first. The sooner we can get those supplies to the refugees, the sooner they can find some measure of relief. And then we can turn our attention to the list." Nero's stomach rumbled quietly, causing the smuggler to glance away, somewhat embarrassed. "Though I recommend we do so after we eat supper. We'll need a plan anyway before just assaulting the place." He turned his gaze back to Roen and flashed her his trademark smirk.
"If you're up for it, I know a place. Discrete, covert, and the food's almost good enough for a dinner date," he commented idly.
"Before...before you ask, I have just managed to cure myself of all of the various ills that had been afflicting my mind...agh.." A soft groan escaped from the Hyur's lips. "A malevolent shadow was...um, mind controlling me. Which is why I spewed all those insults at your friend. Yes. That's it. That's a defense that will hold up in court, right?" The pain gradually began to dissipate enough for Nero to start making his usual quips and deflections. He slowly stood up from his kneeling position, somewhat wobbly, a hand clutching his temple. A small trickle of blood ran itself down his nose and the left side of his face, running along the prominent scars that occupied those areas of his head.
Nero briefly buzzed his lips and shook his head, an amused and pained grin cresting his face. "What I meant to say was that...um...that was a test! To see if he was really your friend. Or something. Yes. And you passed. Good job." The smuggler padded Roen's shoulder like a parent congratulated a child, even as he winced again. He withdrew a handkerchief from his trouser pocket to dab at where the pillar had broken his skin. The bleeding seemed to stop, but as the pain gave way to soreness, Nero began to seriously consider retrieving his thaumaturgy scepter just to cast a blizzard spell at his face in lieu of using cold water to soothe his aching temple.
"Anyway. Nanawa mines, and Kejin Zinjin. I personally recommend we go for the mines first. The sooner we can get those supplies to the refugees, the sooner they can find some measure of relief. And then we can turn our attention to the list." Nero's stomach rumbled quietly, causing the smuggler to glance away, somewhat embarrassed. "Though I recommend we do so after we eat supper. We'll need a plan anyway before just assaulting the place." He turned his gaze back to Roen and flashed her his trademark smirk.
"If you're up for it, I know a place. Discrete, covert, and the food's almost good enough for a dinner date," he commented idly.
