Just outside the cave and a few feet away; Youkio crouched atop a rock, hand gingerly probing his shiner. Wincing he stopped; his ears twitching as he strained to overhear the conversation between the two women. Up till this point it had been easy to follow Siha's scent but being closer to the sea had masked her smell...that and the other woman she was meeting with but it was still her; that was clear when the other woman called her by name.
Rocking his head left and right; Youkio cracked his neck with a satisfying pop before settling onto the rock in a more comfortable sitting position. He could go ahead and announce his presence now, but waiting might prove to be more informative since Tempest was keeping her mouth shut on the details. Youkio wanted to help her, but it was difficult to provide much help if she didn't tell him what exactly was going on. Blowing a puff of air through his lips silently; Youkio rolled his shoulders as he listened, antsy to get this over and done with so he could return to his current house.
Just as quickly as the parrot had left, he returned; landing atop the roof. "Boss says ya'll are alright." He cawed, moving from the roof to Siegheart's head with more of a calculated jump than glide. Tilting it's head to the side; Skittles cocked an eye at Cliodhna.
"We're alright huh? That's good to know..." She murmured, reaching up to hold out her arm to the bird.
"No thank's lady, he's comfy." Skittles replied, hopping on Sieg's head a couple of times for emphasis.
Shrugging, Cliodhna lowered her arm. "Fair enough, but you seem to be a new friend to your boss, don't remember him having ya last time we met." Guiding Pepper to a hitching post by this point and removing the saddle bags in order to stash them in the house, though it was more busywork than anything. The more time Cliodhna was stationary, the more time she had to worry about things. Her main concerns were Siha's well-being, the quickly slapped together plan, Erik's safety, and if the Keeper in Flame's hands would break and reveal where the rest of them had scattered to. As it was now; no one was aware the three of them were still near Limsa, but Osric and his group were. If a team was dispatched this way; it was only a matter of time before they realized they were still here as well. Or if an escape to the Shroud was made; they could be walking into another ambush.
Closing her eyes and hands gripped tightly on Pepper's reigns, Cliodhna forced herself to calm down. What was with the sudden wave of uneasiness? This was rarely a problem for her when a mission went array before. Sieg's words echoed in her mind. Emotions, stupid emotions. They were starting to creep in and dig roots in her, making her think of the others, making her feel things that should not be felt when in the middle of a situation like this.
Biting her bottom lip hard, Cliodhna frowned. She had gotten comfortable waking in Erik's arms each morning, gotten used to seeing the rest of the unit each day and how they functioned more like a family, even the building would bring a calming sense of familiarity when it would appear in her line of sight.
"Hells...." She murmured under her breath. Family was not important, friends even less so, the most important thing should always be the task at hand; the objective required to get the job done and get out alive. That's what was needed right now. No, it wasn't the Red Wing's way of doing things; it was the years of Imperial training that surfaced, that screamed at her; get your job done and SURVIVE.
"Someone's gotta watch out for 'em. Fool'd be strung up by now on his own." Skittles sniffed, raising his beak in the air self importantly.
The parrot's words drawing Cliodhna from her thoughts, forcing her features to smooth, she gave it a wary smile. "Ya ain't lyin bird, ya ain't lyin." Though hollow to her own ears, Clidohna knew it was the proper response in words and tone that would put the bird at ease and make herself appear to have a grip on the situation.
They didn't need her as she was now; they needed the Imperial solider and that's what Cliodhna would garb herself in. Her mask, the child prodigy that could kill a man without a backwards glance at a young age, eager for the praise it would get her when the mission was over, the mask that would let her blend in and adapt to any situation, the mask of perfect confidence and poise, precise planning and razor sharp execution. Cliodhna took a slow breath and started to brush the road out of Pepper's feathers; she wasn't quite sure when she had lost herself, but now was the time she desperately needed Nightshade back.
Rocking his head left and right; Youkio cracked his neck with a satisfying pop before settling onto the rock in a more comfortable sitting position. He could go ahead and announce his presence now, but waiting might prove to be more informative since Tempest was keeping her mouth shut on the details. Youkio wanted to help her, but it was difficult to provide much help if she didn't tell him what exactly was going on. Blowing a puff of air through his lips silently; Youkio rolled his shoulders as he listened, antsy to get this over and done with so he could return to his current house.
Just as quickly as the parrot had left, he returned; landing atop the roof. "Boss says ya'll are alright." He cawed, moving from the roof to Siegheart's head with more of a calculated jump than glide. Tilting it's head to the side; Skittles cocked an eye at Cliodhna.
"We're alright huh? That's good to know..." She murmured, reaching up to hold out her arm to the bird.
"No thank's lady, he's comfy." Skittles replied, hopping on Sieg's head a couple of times for emphasis.
Shrugging, Cliodhna lowered her arm. "Fair enough, but you seem to be a new friend to your boss, don't remember him having ya last time we met." Guiding Pepper to a hitching post by this point and removing the saddle bags in order to stash them in the house, though it was more busywork than anything. The more time Cliodhna was stationary, the more time she had to worry about things. Her main concerns were Siha's well-being, the quickly slapped together plan, Erik's safety, and if the Keeper in Flame's hands would break and reveal where the rest of them had scattered to. As it was now; no one was aware the three of them were still near Limsa, but Osric and his group were. If a team was dispatched this way; it was only a matter of time before they realized they were still here as well. Or if an escape to the Shroud was made; they could be walking into another ambush.
Closing her eyes and hands gripped tightly on Pepper's reigns, Cliodhna forced herself to calm down. What was with the sudden wave of uneasiness? This was rarely a problem for her when a mission went array before. Sieg's words echoed in her mind. Emotions, stupid emotions. They were starting to creep in and dig roots in her, making her think of the others, making her feel things that should not be felt when in the middle of a situation like this.
Biting her bottom lip hard, Cliodhna frowned. She had gotten comfortable waking in Erik's arms each morning, gotten used to seeing the rest of the unit each day and how they functioned more like a family, even the building would bring a calming sense of familiarity when it would appear in her line of sight.
"Hells...." She murmured under her breath. Family was not important, friends even less so, the most important thing should always be the task at hand; the objective required to get the job done and get out alive. That's what was needed right now. No, it wasn't the Red Wing's way of doing things; it was the years of Imperial training that surfaced, that screamed at her; get your job done and SURVIVE.
"Someone's gotta watch out for 'em. Fool'd be strung up by now on his own." Skittles sniffed, raising his beak in the air self importantly.
The parrot's words drawing Cliodhna from her thoughts, forcing her features to smooth, she gave it a wary smile. "Ya ain't lyin bird, ya ain't lyin." Though hollow to her own ears, Clidohna knew it was the proper response in words and tone that would put the bird at ease and make herself appear to have a grip on the situation.
They didn't need her as she was now; they needed the Imperial solider and that's what Cliodhna would garb herself in. Her mask, the child prodigy that could kill a man without a backwards glance at a young age, eager for the praise it would get her when the mission was over, the mask that would let her blend in and adapt to any situation, the mask of perfect confidence and poise, precise planning and razor sharp execution. Cliodhna took a slow breath and started to brush the road out of Pepper's feathers; she wasn't quite sure when she had lost herself, but now was the time she desperately needed Nightshade back.
too sexy to keep unhidden