[ one on one; adoraтιon and espedιna ]

[espedina]

||Evanthia Lombardi||

That troubled look etched onto Cerise's face struck Eva with the urge to somehow reverse it, despite the complete lack of resources to do so at the moment- there were few subjects to bring up currently that were relevant, and not just spouting off random nonsense. Now wasn't exactly the time, anyways, to invest in a personal conversation. Maybe later she'd have better opportunity to try and bring some cheer into both their moods.

Turning her head ever so slightly to allow her gaze to focus on the other set of relatives here, Eva took in the blunt fact that Lionel threw out into the open. There was no denying it, she supposed, so it was for the better to accept it. Other than the deaths, Eva didn't find these unforeseen circumstances utterly dismal and wretched- she wasn't going to be quite so dramatic as to claim that. Then again, she wasn't the one being intruded upon.

With this in mind, she did try and simmer down her normally almost obstinate attitude, exchanging it for a slightly more agreeable one. Thus, as Lionel took the prerogative to reinitiate the introduction process, she was careful to her expression become pleasant, allowing a grin to appear on her face. Mulling over the names, her eyes flipped from one to the other, imprinting the name with the face in her memory.

"Pleasure to meet you," Eva mused lightly, nodding her head respectfully a moment, as she'd been taught. "I go by Evanthia, or Eva, if that comes easier." She honestly had no preference, though understood the ease of two syllables opposed to four. Even if it'd seem fairly minor in any other setting, she supposed tussling with a longer name would be verbally annoying at the moment, something they didn't need to add on by any means.

||Daniel Luveau||

Reality was often said to have razor bladed teeth, and now it seemed keen to prove that old saying in Daniel's mind. The inevitable almost made him wince, cursing fate for being so coy and mean-spirited. If you discounted the fate that the very magic they previous employed was unlawful, they'd lived a fairly decent life- devoid of any huge crimes to humanity. What sort of karma was this? Whereas the brothers so openly welcomed change when they brought about their transformation, Daniel greeted this change with silent resistance.

"Nice to meet you as well." Daniel made himself murmur back, though I'd much rather of never made you acquaintance. Nothing personal. It wasn't that these two woman were intolerable persona-wise, he'd probably of responded with the same resentment no matter who stood before him.

Now that this name business was over with and he'd contributed his bit to sociability, he glanced towards Lionel. Something told him that the second they were any distance from these two women, that he'd be receiving a glare or word sharp enough to impale him. "East wing?" He suggested simply, a suggestion on exactly where to place these two.

It was far enough away from their rooms in Daniels mind that there would be few accidental run ins, which would allow them a small sense of normalcy. Yet, it was also within a good enough distance that they hopefully wouldn't have to worry about two strangers running amuck in their home unsupervised.

[adoration]

{ Just a curious question; does Evanthia have any clue about the two being beasts? Seeing as she is from the one organization that prevents the use of forbidden magic, you'd guess that she knew a bit about them. Or was she just not told much, or something of the sort? I've just been wondering about it for a bit. c: }



"It's a pleasure to meet you as well, Miss Evanthia," Lionel managed to get out, though it felt like he had to utter each word while in a choke hold. And such a feeling was not a gratifying one, not at all. He'd rather have been stuck out in the sour cold rather than be stuck with the two that had managed to make their way into their home. Not that they'd become anything of moral concern to them-- at least, he hoped.

Looking in between the two, he added, "I assume you two are relatives of some sort?" It was an obvious question, but a reasonable one at that. He had to seem as if he had some intent of staying a part of the conversation, though he really did not. Even if it was already decided that they were going to stay here, it didn't mean he had to pay extra attention to either of the two.

The good thing was that they both seemed more on the reserved side-- at least, the black haired one did. Cerise hadn't said anything more after listening to Evanthia, though she did remain keen on the conversation. Though, her eyes, on the other hand, kept traveling off to objects that lined the corridor, before she'd look back at one of the other three. She also seemed to be biting the inside of one of her cheeks. An annoying and almost distracting pattern, if Leon had any say in it. Even so, he couldn't really tell if it was out of discomfort, or just shyness.

Turning back to his brother, he nodded at his meticulous suggestion. Nodding, he said, "That would be best." His brother's decision was well-thought out, he had to say. He wanted to be at a distance from the two, but it wasn't like he was just going to be fine with letting them explore their manor on a whim.

Taking a step forward, the blonde man returned his gaze over to the two cousins. "Before we discuss the matters at hand anymore, it'd be best if we let the shock of the recent events wear off a bit--" He wasn't exactly thinking about the two, but more instead about himself and his brother. The stress that was taking it's toll on the beast was almost overwhelming. "So, if you two would follow us."

Not tinkering around anymore with the placement of the hat on his head, the beast turned his back to the two as he started to make his way down the corridor, in the direction of the east wing. He didn't make any move to call upon his brother to follow, though he did give him a glance as he passed by. This whole pandemonium was mostly his fault, through his eyes, but that'd have to wait for later.

Cerise watched as Lionel turned, before looking over at Evanthia. She did pause for a few moments, though she soon enough started to follow after the blonde. Standing around in the entryway would do nothing, and she had to admit, she was wearisome after the carriage crash. Her leg was also bothersome, though she hadn't uttered a complain about it even once. After all, it was tolerable; just, not in any way enjoyable.

The winding hallways of the chateau were almost mesmerizing, in a way. Most of them were lined with glass panels, giving glimpses of the land around it; though, from inside, it seemed as if the forest was a whole separate world. However, the ominous feeling that came with the enchanting factor was inevitable. Not just only because of the manor, but also because of the two that resided in it.
They weren't in one way normal, anyways. Even if the two hadn't a clue of this yet.

[espedina]

((I was debating in my mind just how quickly I was going to have her catch on too. xD I suppose the beasts faces wouldn't be terribly well known, so I didn't have her realize things off the bat. Little peculiarities are adding up, and she'll start trying to read them more as time goes on, so I'll probably have her put two and two together pretty soon. c: ))

||Daniel Luveau||

Following the ebb in tide of the conversation for once, Daniel let himself withdraw slightly as Lionel stepped up to speak for the time being. He wasn't sure if his brother was going through the same internal issue as him, but he was finding it increasingly necessary to bite his tongue. As Lionel would've learned well by now, Daniel's way of venting included speech. A few loud words, laced with any varied level of mean intent, usually did the job nicely when he had anger or frustration to dispel.

Without needing to be beckoned, Daniel was the first to make a move to follow. Lionel had said 'follow us,' after all. Even if he had invited this incident into their lives, he was still feeling very much possessive of this home. Until he felt reasonably secure with the women's presence, his thoughts would never be far from wondering exactly how the duo might compound the current predicament.

After a stride forward, he turned to glance back towards the now empty doorway. He moved to check the locks upon it, assuring himself that the door was shut, without any hope for yet another person to slip inside. The idea of someone entering without permission was revolting. With his fears settled, he left the locked door behind and hurried himself to catch up with the rest. "Come on now," He tried to encourage gently, though there was no guarantee it'd come out anything close to welcoming.

In a fleeting moment of reflection, he realized just what could of happened in he'd refused to venture outside in the first place. Cerise, quite possibly, would've stayed aside the carriage. Eva would've come along, as she already had, and probably stumbled upon the woman. She'd still have her horse in her possession at that point, and the two could've left without so much a glance towards the manor nestled deep within the woods.

||Evanthia Lombardi||

Even if Lionel didn't make it undeniably obvious how uninterested he was in the answer to his question, Eva could deduce that much by his response afterwards. If you actually wanted an answer, you tended to wait for it. Eh, this wasn't terribly thrilling for her either, if she compared it to some of the other exchanges she partook in. Call it nosy at its worse and delightfully inquisitive at its best, but she liked to hear about other people opposed to divulging facts solely about herself.

If words wouldn't be the source of information, then she'd rely on her eyes just as well. From working in business transactions with her father, and simply from passing through often crowded towards, she'd refined a 'humble' talent of reading people. It wasn't infallible, or course, but it often was reliable enough to be fairly accurate if she put her mind to. "How perceptive; we're cousins." Eva murmured back, not terribly devoted to keeping this subject matter alive- that was the last bit of breath she'd breathe into it.

Her countenance now reflected silence, a pleasant expression resting on it as she eyes each man in turn as they encouraged them to set foot deeper in the house. Returning Cerise's gaze, she offered a small smile, willingly following aside the one familiar face she had here.

While Cerise seemed to let her gaze wander to the spectacle of the house and grounds around them, as any normal person would, Eva didn't bother. The only thing she did was tap into her memory, memorizing enough of their walk to know how to get back to the door if need be. Other than that, her pale eyes watched the brothers. Had they forgotten to leave their winter attire at the door? One still had a hat, the other clothed with a scarf covering every inch of his neck. The feel to their presence was... odd, and not even that was the right word. It was a peculiar aura, for sure, one that prodded her mind ever closer to a firm conclusion.

[adoration]

{ Alright, that makes sense. c: I was just thinking a bit about it, since I'm guessing that if Evanthia told Cerise about who they really were, she wouldn't fully believe her until she saw it for herself. }



Cerise stayed alongside Evanthia as she followed the two brothers; the trek to the east wing they had been talking about only made her discomfort grew. Still, she kept her mouth shut; she knew better than to complain about the aura the manor gave off when the two brothers didn't necessarily have to offer them shelter. Then again, she had never been a complainer since the start. She rarely had cried as a child, and she had learned to accept the feeble body she had been given. So, mustering up whatever good mood she could, she tried to return her cousin's smile after hearing her mumble, even if it was the smallest one that she could.

Returning her gaze to the unfolding hallway they were being escorted down, she barely payed attention as Lionel paused every now and then, contemplating which rooms the two would be best off in. It barely even occurred to him the whole time that they had a whole different problem; they didn't have any clothes for the two. At least, for what he could recall, they didn't. And with one glance at Cerise it was easy to tell that the clothes she had now wouldn't be fit to wear for a few days longer. Her dress was tattered and torn-- stained with grime off of the forest floor. And it wasn't like she had some closet along with her full of things for her to change into.

Disregarding the thought for later, it wasn't long till he reached the east wing. It wasn't too luxurious, but it was just as nice as the rest of the manor, if you didn't count his and his brother's rooms. The decor wasn't anything to impress though, in the first place. He couldn't help but let out an inaudible, arrogant scoff under his breath. If the two behind him focused more on how the house looked rather than the fact that they were helping them in the first place, they could be damned, for all he cared.

Holding back a grimace for what felt like the millionth time, he soon managed to find two appropriate rooms across the hall from each other, after opening and closing many doors. It made him wonder why they had decided to prosper in such a monstrous manor in the first place. The place seemed more fit for an entertainer, who slept through the day and threw wondrous soirees when the moon shone bright. It must've had at least ten empty bedrooms, in the least. But, it had been a place of inheritance that their father had owned, so it wasn't like they had to go to the trouble of getting it.

"These two rooms should be suitable for a short stay," he said, though it was more to himself than to the two he and his brother had been leading. Heading into one of the two rooms, he turned on a small oil lantern, before continuing on to the other room and doing the same. Since they weren't too close to any other villages or towns, it wasn't like they had some infinite energy source. So, they had to do with candles lighting the place. It made the place dimly lighted, but he himself rather enjoyed it.

He could only guess that the rooms hadn't been used in a while, so dust had to been hiding in the nooks and cracks, and on shelves here and there. Hopefully the two wouldn't go off complaining to them later; that'd only increase the headache that was starting to make it's way into his head. They didn't seem to be too chatty though, which he was grateful for.

Cerise didn't say much as she went into one of the rooms, glancing around. It wasn't much to gander at, but it was at least nice. Running her hand along the wide closet in the place, she pulled her hand away only to see some dust had easily gathered on it. She was hesitant, but she soon enough wiped it off on the skirt of her dress, seeing as it had already gone to waste long ago.

"You two can gander around the rooms for a bit, if you want," Lionel said as the black haired girl came back to stand in the doorway of the room. Glancing over at his brother, with eyes that lined just the smallest hint of annoyance in them, he added, "Me and Daniel should discuss a few matters at the moment, anyways."

Not giving the two much time to reply, he soon enough had turned on his heel and headed back down the hallway, towards one of the many offices in the place. He knew Daniel wouldn't object to conversing for a bit, since he doubted he would want to stay around with the two women much longer, anyways.


{ Sorry if my posts are being a tad bit on the lengthy side right now. I keep worrying about putting too little, but before I know it, I've gone and put more than I had thought I would. ^^; I'm just moving things along a little bit more. }

[espedina]

((No worries. I'll try and keep up with the length as best I can, though. ouo ))

[[Evanthia Lombardi]]

She was so engrossed in the task of finding every piece to this puzzle, that she hardly cared about the stop-start method of finding the 'correct' rooms to place them in. All it gave her was more time to try and pair expression, murmured words, odd mannerisms with potential explanations. It was always good to have a healthy knowledge of those around you, right?

It was like checking off a list of similarities with the recent assignment given to her.... Two brothers? Check. Living outside of the normal reach of society? Check. Acting in a manner that suggested they'd rather conceal something? Well, if the hat and scarf oddity didn't fit the bill, then their persona's did. Check. Magic present? Now that she thought about it, the semi-familiar, swirling aura she sensed upon first arriving was rather mystical... Similar in quality to the ones presented to her in her brief training. Say, weren't animals supposedly much more perceptive of these matters as well? To think, that poor mare had bolted the first chance she got: what did that speak about what the manor contained? Check again.

Slowly, a satisfied smirk began to edge onto her face, her eyes glimmering with this influx of information. This was, for lack of a better word, almost hilariously ironic. The organizations goes through all this trouble of trying to track down two beasts, of working tirelessly to get just one lead... and here they are. Tossed haphazardly onto the lap of their estate by fate itself, welcomed into it's doors, albeit begrudgingly.

Assumptions were dangerous business, and she for one wasn't going to confront either of them just yet. She'd maybe make Cerise privy to her little chain of thoughts, but only once solitude was gifted to them. Which shouldn't be to much longer: these men seemed ready to bolt for cover, they certainly weren't going to any length to converse. Such silly creatures they were, wanting to run off like avoidant children.

Letting herself stroll in the room opposite of Cerise's, Eva didn't appear to be too bothered by the slightly derelict room. It had a roof, it held warmth, it'd serve it's purpose. Listening to the sound of the two brothers leaving, she made no move to call them back. This was their house, they weren't going to just run away and disappear back into the depths of this world.

Once their footsteps faded, and she could only hear soft birdsong filtering in through the closed windows, Eva moved towards where Cerise was. "How are you holding up, Ceri?" Eva asked gently, awaiting an answer before she just dove into more serious matters.

||Daniel Luveau||

Daniel looked on impatiently as his brother peeked into door after door, as if they were in some fun house. Wouldn't just any old room that had suffice? At this point, they'd all be equally musty; so what was he doing, choosing between different types of dust? Not able to fully voice his disagreements, he simply exhaled irritably and tried in vain to distract himself. With their entire life contained in this one structure, it pretty much held no newness anymore- so there wasn't much of anything interesting for him to rest his attention on.

In a bit of an irresponsible moment, Daniel gladly let his brother talk with the two and sort through whatever he was occupying his mind with. If Lionel was going to shoot glares at him out of the corner of his eyes every so often, then Daniel's retribution would be this. It was petty, but it let him blow off the slightest amount of steam to ensure he wouldn't go completely insane.

As Lionel detached himself from the situation finally, Daniel faltered. His mind recalled the notion of how it'd be polite to tell the guests to simply find them if any need arose, but he didn't actually find that idea all that appealing. If they seriously managed to cause a problem amongst themselves in two quiet rooms, then they deserved whatever they got.

Hurrying to catch up as Lionel motored off, Daniel waited until they were a fair distance away to remove the shield he'd had over his words. "I don't see how you ranting to me could possibly qualify as a needed discussion." He murmured plainly, fully expecting to be at the receiving end of a 'rant' within the next few minutes. The damages to their carefully built up atmosphere had already been wrought, and his pride certainly didn't want to be reminded that he was the cause of it.

[adoration]

{ Don't worry about it too much! c: I'm not too picky when it comes to the lengths of replies, as long as I have something to work with. Quality's always better than quantity, anyways. n w n }

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Lionel didn't utter a word on his trek away from the two sisters. He didn't even spare his brother one glance until the two were out of his earshot. Even then, he kept on going in solitude for a while, thinking to himself. Being farther away from the two women wouldn't hurt, either way. And the burdening acrimony he was harboring at the moment would be better off sizzling down a little bit more, anyways.

Soon enough, after his brother spoke, he let out a forced breath. Halting, he turned around to look at his brother, as he put his hands in the pockets of his pants with a small grimace. "I'm not here to go ahead and rant about our problem at hand," he scoffed. It would be such a childish and ignorant thing to do, anyways. Nor would it even help them at all. "Seeing that we're stuck with these two for a while now, that's as good as a punishment that anyone could give."

Trailing off into silence, he soon continued down the hallway with the small click of his tongue. "Right now, all we need to do is figure out what to do. It's not like some helpful person is going to appear at our front door, to take these two off of our hands." Though his brother had guessed that the temperature would die off in only a few days, the possibility of such a thing was low. It had been such a prolonged and frigid Winter, anyways. It wasn't like they could just will away the bitter flakes of snow that fell practically every night.

While his footsteps echoed off of the large walls, his gaze never drifted from the direction he was heading in. He'd looked upon all they had in the manor millions of times, anyways. The only one time he had really been too interested in the antiques it held had been when he was a kid, many, many years ago. He'd always gander at the dark yet comforting colors, when it had been more lively. He must've outlined every object in the place with his hand at least once.

"For all we know, they could be one of... them," The blonde had to actually put massive effort into holding back a sneer of disgust when he said 'them'. He was referring to the organizations all around the world that prohibited forbidden magic, and he was sure his brother knew very easily of what he was speaking about. They had a few runoffs with them before they had laid the curse upon themselves, anyways.

Stopping, he looked back at his brother. "That's not the complete point though. I can tell you're just as glum about this as I am, so we best think up a way to get them out of here soon, before they get under our skin. Or worse; figure out more than they already know about us."

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Cerise let her gaze travel over practically every object in the room, as she tried to keep her expression as calm as possible. The growing vexation she had though had already become evident long ago, even before the brothers had left. The absence of the two had actually helped her calm down just the slightest, in the way. The two were too ominous, gave off an unwelcoming feeling that just made her long to be invisible.

Her eyes finally came to a halt on her redheaded cousin as she came over though, as she twiddled her fingers back and forth out in front of her. "I'm still... a little bit shaken up; I can't deny it," she admitted quietly. Her clothes weren't helping at all, either. They were distressing and just plain out uncomfortable, the more she moved. It felt as if she didn't get the mangy dress off soon, the dirt would stain her porcelain skin; not that she cared much about her appearance. It just seemed that everyone else that laid eyes on her did.

Reaching up and twirling a curly stray piece of her black hair, she averted her eyes off to the window as she questioned, "Don't you find these two rather... odd?" Pushing the strand of her hair back behind her ear, she took a few careful steps until she stood in front of the wide glass lookout.

Outstretching her hand, she gently rested it on one of the glass panels. Frost lined the edge of it, which wasn't such a surprise, and even though it was uninviting, it definitely was beautiful. It travelled across the hard surface like the roots of a tree, outlining little patterns and coming together at small crevices. It was a disappointment to know that she couldn't see the full fledged beauty of the frost. It probably all looked like a million crystals close up, for all she knew. It was funny how much an uninviting thing could be so beautiful. On the outside or inside-- she couldn't exactly tell.

Biting her lip, she let out a small sigh. "I know I shouldn't be complaining though-- I'm just lucky to have been found, or else who knows what would've happened," she said, as she gazed out upon the forest outstretched in front of the large manor. "But, I can't help but think about how strange it is to life in such a beauteous place, so dejected from society."

Her hand recoiled away from the crisp surface of the glass before she turned around to look back at her cousin. She had gone off babbling her thoughts once again, hadn't she? She really had to learn how to bite her tongue, sometime. Especially if she was now a soon to be wed woman.

"Not to mention, they aren't the most normal people I've met..."

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[espedina]

((Thank you. ouo))

||Daniel Luveau||

Even if Lionel assured him that he would not be subjected to a rant after all, Daniel couldn't help but feel the words that left his brothers mouth grate against him slightly, denying him all chances of settling down into a more content state just yet. Maybe it was just stress, maybe it was just a side of him that hadn't been tapped into lately, but he was feeling particularly volatile at the moment. It probably wasn't even rational- logically he should be viewing his brother as nothing but an ally in this situation.

At Lionel's mention of the need to work out a solution, Daniel's mind sputtered into motion again, momentarily leaving the grumpiness behind. Maybe anticipating warmer weather had been wishful thinking. Either way, they couldn't just wait until spring, could they? They thought of such a long stay made him nearly shudder.

"If left with no other option, we should try and make contact with one of the neighboring farms." Daniel suggestion. Contact meant walking, at this point, unless Eva's lost pony decided to come trotting back. Bundling up with a vast assortment of layers should be enough to survive a one way trip, right, granted they offered to drop them back here. "They should be more equipped to ship the two back wherever they need to go."

So far, the course of their conversation had been fairly predictable: expressing their mutual animosity towards things, and stating the obvious need to resolve it as quickly as possibly. Thus, Lionel's sheer mention of the organizations jarred Daniel out of his present chain of though, a low hiss escaping his mouth to show his immediate displeasure. His mind didn't even want to consider the notion that one of the women could be aligned with a group as problematic as that.

"That is a horrible thought." Daniel stammered. If it proved true, then murder would never be so tempting an option. But wouldn't that edge them back onto the spectrum of suspicion. After all, their lawn ornaments of the moment consisted of one very badly damaged carriage. "Detaching ourselves completely from them wouldn't be so wise, then. We need to know exactly how much they know, if anything."

||Evanthia Lombardi||

Eva genuinely wished she had some solution to offer to Cerise to remedy her condition, she really did. But alas, there was no grand proposal within her reach. There was no improvisation that could miraculously make needed clothes and possessions appear, or else the world would be much easier a place to survive in.

Continuing to lean in the door frame, she purposely chose to give her cousin some space, following only with her eyes when Cerise trailed towards the open windows, evidently admiring the artisan crafts-work of winter. To be entirely fair, winter was really not so wretched a season. Eva figured most of the dislike for it stemmed from the natural human condition of wanting what wasn't yet yours- people spent the blistering days of summers wrath praying for cold to descend upon them. Once it finally did, their fickle spirit would immediately revert to longing for the sun's generous warmth yet again.

As Cerise's opinion oft he men came into light, however, thoughts of the seasons were the last thing on her mind. Eva could help but to coyly grin in silence as Cerise explained herself, and felt secretly pleased that Ceri was coming much to the same conclusion as herself. The woman had not been introduced to magic in the way that she had, so naturally that wasn't the explanation her mind conjured up. It'd just take a little gentle leading, per say, to get on the true course.

"Their eccentricities haven't escaped my notice," Eva spoke finally, tilting her head back to glance down either stretch of the corridor behind her. Empty, as it should be. That meant she wouldn't have to mince her words or put them off until later again. For good measure, she strode forward a single pace, to ensure her voice wouldn't be echoing down the hallway. Yet, she still kept relatively close to the doorway, so if anyone was to return, she would be able to notice beforehand.

Trying to judge just how to approach this situation, she began calmly. "Say, Ceri, what are your thoughts about magic?" She paused, before clarifying herself. "Beyond the simply storybook examples, of course. Actual magic." This change of subject would probably seem like a random jump, even if it was quite applicable.

Luckily, Eva was fairly firm willed, so felt little embarrassment over what Cerise could possibly think of her for mentioning this. "Given the guess, I'd say our hosts are afflicted by exactly that, don't you think?" Eva questioned, half rhetorically, trying to coax Ceri's thoughts on this out into the open.

[adoration]

{ No problem! c: }

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A small scoff slipped past Lionel's lips as he listened to his brother's suggestion; there really was no other way, was there? That's all they could do-- they had no horses, no carriage to lead damsels in distress off with, not even someone to deliver a simple telegram. And-- even though he would've found any of these things repulsive in any other situation --it infuriated him. Even so, it was easy to keep his anger in check; the only sign of his anger was the narrowing of his eyes. His words, on the other hand, were venomous and hung dead in the air.

"That's really the only choice, huh?" he mumbled to himself, having to actually remind himself not to start pacing back and forth. Rubbing his neckline with one hand, his grimace turned into a blunt scowl. At least he wasn't having to linger around the two women anymore at the moment. Later, though, such a thing would be inevitable. "One of us would have to walk... How far would the nearest one be?" Too far; he knew that much, but the answer remained crisp and unsaid.

Complaining would do nothing; keeping his anger to himself wouldn't, either. The first best thing for them to do would be to figure out more about these women, anyways, as much as a revolting choice it was. The daunting thought of two women they knew nothing about running amuck in their manor was definitely an unwelcoming one. If they were going to be here, he wouldn't rest till he could be assured that they weren't sent by them.

"Even once we figure out who they are, we can't let them know anything more than they do," he mumbled, turning his head to look in the direction they had left the two. Soon enough, he continued on down the hallway, putting as much distance between them and himself as possible. For all he knew, they could've been following and listening in on the two. A paranoid thought, but a possible one at that.

"We can't make ourselves any more conspicuous than we already are while figuring out more about them, either." It would most likely be hard, but doable. "Nor can we let them think that we're too curious about who they are. That'd just lead to further problems."

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Cerise turned back to the window after speaking, looking closer for a while until she noticed the small smudges her hand prints had made. Leaning over, she gently fogged up the panel with her breath, before using the arm of her dress to wipe away the marks. At least a few parts of her clothing hadn't become derailed after the carriage crash.

Now that she thought about it, the carriage was actually seeable from where she stood in front of the windows, if one looked close enough. It looked misplaced, and was both a horrid sight and memory. The broken branches surrounding it didn't help at all, either. There had probably been a few animals inhabiting those branches, but now it was all torn up. Not a pleasureful sight, indeed.

She finally took a step away from the open window as her cousin spoke, confirming her suspicion about the two brothers. So, it hadn't only been her that felt they were rather odd. Maybe not some of the strangest, but usually the ones who were were drunk civilians, or traveling entertainers. People of the sort. And these two were definitely not categorized anywhere with them. They were more intellectual; poised, in a way. It almost made her itching with curiosity, though she had enough sense to be somewhat timorous when it came to the two.

When her red haired cousin brought up magic though, that left the Lesune woman doubled with confusion. What did 'magic' and that nonsense have to do with any of that? She'd never even spared a thought to such foolery ever since she was a little child, when fairytales were whispered into her ear before her eyelids dragged shut and led to a long slumber. Though, she had never been much of a fantasy gal. Even if she had daydreamed a lot, it had been more about the outside world and what awaited for her in it.

"Magic...?" she echoed, as she put her hands back down on her sides. With a small, almost amused smile, she shrugged. "Well... I guess I might've enjoyed thinking about it when I was young, but it hasn't crossed my mind in forever. I never was one for fairytales and all, anyways."

What really caught her off guard was when her cousin suggested that their hosts were under the influence of magic itself. She couldn't help but let her jaw drop open just the slightest at the comment. She wasn't really thinking that they were, was she? It was such a childish possibility, anyways! No one else but young infants would ever suggest that someone was afflicted by magic.

Shaking her head, she continued to speak, "That would be impossible-- there's no such thing. Maybe it was fun to joke about with magical idealism as children, but this isn't the time, Eva. Even if our hosts are odd, it's not like we can just assume that their under some childish spell, and then use that to wash all our worries and doubts away."

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