Carte Blanche, Let's write a new chapter with it...

[Fenrir Kerori]

It felt oddly weird to be walking again, probably because he'd been sleeping for days. Fenrir yawned as he stumbled around outside the inn in Izlude, then collapsed on a bench in the main square. He was still a little dizzy, and he hadn't regained all the blood lost in that encounter yet, but as far as near-death experiences go, it'd been a pretty smooth recovery, Fenrir thought. Most of it probably had to do with Riko's quick thinking and the Ygg berry but hell if he was going to /admit/ that.

Most of the group was still inside the inn. Fenrir had just needed some time to himself and some fresh air, was all, and the crisp breeze of the Izlude night certainly helped. He didn't feel any more energetic, but he did have a slighter sense of clarity staring up at the stars.

Okay so maybe he owed more to Riko than he ever wanted to. She did, after all, save his life, and that was /something/ of mention. It's just - Fenrir frowned as Cairo flew from her perch into the air above - if he let her know that she'd never let him live it down. There was no way he was compromising his pride like that.

Speaking of Riko... Fenrir looked up when Cairo screeched to see the other Sniper heading out of the inn too. He considered catching her to talk, but he couldn't think of a topic of conversation so he just let her go. It wasn't really worth getting up, despite how his conscious nagged at him for it.

Fenrir decided on the next best thing. He sent Cairo to follow her. He doubted she would mind, she seemed to like that other falcon.

[Riko Kizzy]

Riko couldn't sleep.

It wasn't like she was having nightmares. And she wasn't particularly worried about anything... like Fenrir, or Jack, or the fact that she was now without a ship. Fenrir was recovering, Jack had probably just decided to run off his own, and the now-wrecked ship was stolen in the first place.

She was just restless.

Really fucking restless.

It didn't help that she could smell the sea on the wind, and it didn't help that her bow had gone unused since the Sniper battle back in Payon. The inn was already driving her crazy. Even being cramped on a boat was always better than small-town inns. Always.

And so, finally, she threw herself out of bed, dressed again and grabbed her bag. She wasn't planning on going anywhere, but Riko detested leaving her bag behind at inns and on ships for long, simply because she liked being prepared for anything. So even though she planned to stay with the group at least long enough to see Fenrir make a full recovery, she wanted to be ready to leave (or to fight) at the drop of a hat.

Once outside, she could smell a storm coming. The rain clouds had yet to hide the stars from view, but... the air was heavy. That only made her more restless and drove her farther from the inn, in search of the sea.

She knew a spot to the west, along the cliff overlooking the sea. There was a statue there... probably commemorating some dumb knight long-dead who had protected his castle valiantly for his guild during War of Emperium. She didn't care about that, either. But a little farther out, right along the edge, some genius had placed a wooden bench...

Their lips met for the first time, drawn together by strings unseen. She didn't know who started it. She didn't remember leaning forward. All she knew was that the wild world was suddenly crashing into the ordered one... that all her restlessness was being channeled into kissing a knight--one that had been ordered to hunt down and bring and end to her brother's escapades... ... and that Rain tasted just a little like the strawberries she'd brought with her from Ayothaya...

After taking a deep steadying breath, stopping her memories before she got carried away. She did not need to make herself even more restless, or lonely, or, ya'know, horny.

Aden was stretching his wings up ahead, well aware of where they were headed. This inspired Riko to release Fenfi from his egg, and when the fat little bunny looked up at her questioningly, she only muttered a playful "You could do with some exercise."