rain, rain, go away [lance]

If it was just that a stranger appeared in her moment of need, the young princess of Heim might actually take comfort in the sudden appearance. It was the fact that he referred to her as a faerie that immediately sent a jolt of worry throughout her entire body. At the age of fifteen, her wings were forever destroyed. The ability to change forms or even produce the magical faerie dust became lost with her natural powers of flight. She might have found some ways to take to the skies through magic, but it would never be the exact same. Being called out on being a fae meant one of two things - either this stranger was one of the people who recognized her and knew enough about Heim to know she took after her father's heritage instead of her mother's, or he had been watching her and caught her doing some magic commonly associated with the fae race.

With wariness sticking close to her, Lycoris found it difficult to relax in the man's presence. He made no movement to further her injury, appearing quite capable of helping, and spoke with a tone that didn't further her uncertainty. Besides that, it wasn't as if she was a helpless as people assumed she was at first glance.

After a moment of remaining silent, she pulled her hands up to her lap to let the man - Lance, as he introduced himself - get a better look. Swollen as it already was, walking would definitely be an issue for a bit of time. At least it wasn't worse.

"My name is Lycoris." Giving her last name felt unnecessary when one of the possibilities already was that he knew exactly who she was. Biting back a sigh, she shook her head a bit. "I am on my way to the forest in order to do a bit of investigating. Because of the rain, traveling needed to be put on hold for a bit of time. Firewood and fresh water are things that were needed, but the ground is muddy here, and you can see the result of that. Even as a wanderer, though, is it not strange for you to be out in this weather as well?"

Information-seeker, wanderer, odd jobs worker, hm? A real jack of all trades by the way he described himself. Another word that popped to her mind was 'overly nosy.' No, that sort of thinking would just meddle things up further. He went out of his way to help her and continued to offer help, so giving him the benefit of the doubt was the least she could do.

"Lycoris tends to be easier to say when the alternative is Princess Lycoris Marina Sotiris of Heim." The way he wrapped her ankle didn't make the pain any worse, so for that she felt grateful. Considering she had mud on her dress and barely able to move without cringing, it still raised a question on how she would be able to return to the abandoned house that acted as a temporary camp. Such things could be thought of later on. For now...

The way the sky grew darker and the rain heavier made her shiver. "While you, Lance Rayvis, may be accustom to being out in this sort of weather, I am not, nor am I much for conversing about secrets and rumors while rain falls down around me." A sneeze drew itself from her, causing her to flinch a bit. "I hate to have to ask for further assistance, but in this case my pride will have to come second. About half a mile down the path is the cabin I am staying at for now. If it is not to much trouble, would you help me return to there? It is warmer and dryer, and an easier place to speak freely."

There were some things that she would never get used to even if she lived to be a full four or five hundred. One of those things was allowing herself to be picked up and carried. Color threatened to flood her face, barely being suppressed by her attempt at maintaining some semblance of dignity. What little she had left would be leaving her once they reached the cabin anyway. It was with that thought in mind that Lycoris wrapped her arms around Lance's shoulders to keep herself supported and to make it easier for him. If nothing else, she knew that she wasn't that heavy, having a naturally slender frame and fast metabolism.

"Fayt might know of some herbs, but..." The ones that grew in Ilusia were not as easy for her to recognize as the ones back home. The safety of the cabin offered shelter from the rain as well as a few supplies picked up from a nearby town the previous day. It wouldn't be a lot to work with no matter how she tried.

"He and Xara should be back in a bit. If you are able to cook, it might be a good thing to do, for they will most likely be hungry as well once they return. I did manage to get some stream water." A tired sigh escaped her as she pointed to a bag near the fire dying in the fireplace. "There is beef, onions, potatoes, carrots, milk, flour, salt, and pepper in the bag. If you can make a soup or stew out of those, there should be enough to feed four people."

Another sneeze caused her to smile very faintly. "There is a little wood left for the fire. You might be able to increase the strength of the flame enough to cook and warm yourself."

As the beastman took to work on preparing the stew, the princess began hobbling across the floor to the best of her abilities. The walls of the cabin were close enough that she could use them to help her move without using her injured ankle. It might have looked slightly weird to see her bounce on one leg like that, but all things considering, she already figured appearances were lost entirely on her end.

The bathroom of the cabin provided temporary sanctuary. Some spare water was used to wash herself off before the mud could get fully caked on her skin and in her hair. A spare dress that reached her knees worked as well as anything else for the moment. One final glance at her appearance proved she looked at least somewhat presentable now, allowing her to return to the main room just in time to see Lance finishing up putting everything in the pot.

"Curiosity killed the cat." She sat back down against the floor, using her clothing bag to act as a temporary cushion for her leg. The little quip had been impossible not to eventually use, all things considered, and it brightened her mood.

"The queen believes that there are some people of interest in Ilusia. She sent me, my bodyguard, and my maid here to investigate. In particular, she believes there are people who belong to the Royal Family of Ilusia, as ridiculous as that notion is. Still, it is enough to warrant the trip here. Since arriving, it has been difficult to find anything, and nothing substantial was found in Asgard. As such, we are going to Meridell and Volos, and then returning home to let the queen know that her suspicions were inaccurate."

"I have spoken to the inn keeper and his wife. They were the first people I spoke to. Make no mistake, I was thorough in my investigation, for the queen would be quite irate if I returned home without even trying." Lycoris allowed her eyes to slip shut for a moment, following it up with a quick shake of her head. "I also spoke to the mayor of Asgard while present. He is a man of interesting character, though I would rather not have to deal with him again for quite some time."

Never would be too soon.

"On the mention of Avalon, it will not be a place I visit now. That is quite a long ways from Ilusia, Lance, and it is not a place one can easily go to. ...I am very surprised that you lived in Avalon for as long as you claim. The faeries and elves are secretive and not the most open to outsiders meddling with their affairs. Granted, you could have lived on the outskirts in one of the human settlements, so perhaps it is not that difficult to imagine after all."

She hummed thoughtfully, pressing one finger to her lips. "The King and Queen of Avalon have currently departed from the land and are staying in Romuda with the leaders of the island. There is something strange brewing in the forest country. Heim has been investigating it lately for different reasons." Even though Romuda, Avalon, Cen, and Ilusia had their own leaders, all answered to Heim, the one to keep them under grips.

"Tempest Riveria may be one to ask, yes. For now... it is just finishing up and returning home."

Lance's recommendation of thieves had gone ignored for good reason - those sort of people brought more trouble than they were worth. If she was someone else, someone of a lower station, it might be possible for her to find their reasons sympathetic. Ilusia might have softened her a bit, but teachings were ingrained in her from a young age and that would be difficult to melt without more time away from Heim, and more specifically, the ruling monarch of the land.

"The King of Thieves of Ilusia is little more than a myth." Lycoris scoffed, pausing to take a bite of the stew afterwards. The flavor had developed as good as it could with limited ingredients and not hours to blend together. She would at least feel full after eating a bowl of it. Enough left for Xara and Fayt would ensure they felt the same once they returned.

"From what I've heard of the man, he is a person with an ego far too big, as he feels it necessary to have a title. A thief is still a thief no matter how you look at it. He steals things that do not belong to him for his own personal gain. Perhaps if he acted as some Robin Hood-esque figure, I would feel more drawn to the idea of seeking information for him. As it is, a petty man, or woman using a man's title, holds no interest of mine."

The brunette grew thoughtful for a moment. Something said did strike her interest, if nothing else, and it warranted a bit of debate. "The cave is not a place that interests me much of now. It is just some silly old cave, is it not? Why do you assume there is something more to it?"