Helen
Already beginning to pace away, the man would swiftly turn as he heard her ask for a little more detail. Well, she seemed interested at the very least, and regardless of the fact that she may not have information to readily give, she could still perhaps serve as a second set of eyes. Even despite his typical nature to work alone, basic cooperation such as this could be heavily valuable, were she willing to offer. The man, pausing in his progression towards the cloaked individual atop the bench, turned, his eyes gleaming once again towards Tabby, as he continued.

```fix
"Hmmm..."
"Well, you see — it's an odd sort of person. I... Haven't the details, entirely."
"He would carry... A rather large weapon. Perhaps much larger than his own body."
"Oh, and he would stand about yea-tall,"```
The man spoke, motioning, as he lifted his hand to a height of about 178cm.

```fix
"No fur — or so I would think — and donning of a cloak."```

He finished his recollection of the details he had at hand. He hadn't the whole picture of the man that he sought; he only caught a singular glimpse from beyond a smokescreen of dust and rubble, clattering forth in front of him. And, even then... He wasn't a direct eye-witness. Still, he *Knew* That someone was within that forest, or perhaps already mingled into the midst of the Exile's Watch, itself. 

Whoever he was, he must have a singular goal — finding his way to the Root-Crown. The masked man glared towards the shimmering blue tower a short-while off in the distance, pondering.

*```fix
"I'll be off."```*

The man, upon confirming that she truly had no more information to share — lest she again interrupt his departure with something extra to say — would step forth, approaching the man on the bench.
Carol
"Uhm. . . Nope, I haven't seen anyone with a weapon quite like that, I don't think... I must be off, too. Best of luck with your searches, however!" She waves him adieu — not that it would matter seeing as the fellow had already turn away to the benched man now. *How strange that this man is looking for someone he can't name, nor know the details of... Perhaps he is a bounty hunter of sorts? No...* Tabby thinks that improbable as the mask would simply be too posh for any kind of bounty hunter to wear; making a likely incorrect assumption that everyone else who would potentially be affiliated with this man also would wear a similar mask. *The people here are very magic-oriented...* She notes, before coming to a bit of a realization.

*That dead man walking has a cloak.* She opens her mouth to speak once more, "Excuse me - I've just had an epiphany.. I don't know where the man is at this moment, but... Would he possibly be black-haired?" She thinks back on the brief encounters she had, noting that she hadn't really clocked in a height for him. Of course, that would be rather difficult even for *Keen Mind* With no reference point given. It is a simple stab in the dark from her, hoping she is correct.

"If not then I'm of no use — I still don't know where they would be... I had eyes on them in the forest for a brief time, but they..." She snaps her fingers, demonstrating the blink of an eye, "Vanished. Into thin air, leaving no scent."
Helen
Carried forth by the momentum of his suddenly halted gait, the man's cloak briefly fluttered, as he once more locked eye contact with the woman behind him as she spoke. It seemed that he was intent on closely watching her in every moment that she spoke, as if by either requirement, or by an intense, unbroken habit. His golden eyes glimmered as he peered over his shoulder, acknowledging her words with a slight nod.
 
The masked man appeared intrigued by her finishing statement: a man spontaneously*Disappeared,* Or so she described. Whoever she referred to could very well be the man that the masked individual was searching for... Or, he could very well not be. Many things would make sense, however, if the man who he searched for too possessed the ability to spontaneously disappear. Such would explain how he so easily managed to evade the Desecrated beasts, and crossed such immense distances within the forest before the masked man arrived within its midst after such short notice...
 
```fix
"I understand. Unfortunately, I did not catch a glimpse of the man directly. It all happened in a blur..."```
_ _

He spoke, his right hand set atop his porcelain mask, adjusting it, as his golden eyes continued to stare unblinkingly from between his digits. With his left hand, he aired his golden cape once again, finishing with a slight bow towards the tabaxi behind him. The information she provided, while vague, would make his search ever-so-slightly more convenient. All the information she provided appeared to be truthful in whole; his perception could validate that she hadn't told a flagrant lie. For he perceived not only the discreetness of the motions of her feline face, but so too did he see deeper — beyond, into something *Within.*
 
...***`?`***
 
The gold-clad peripatetic turned his gaze upwards, toward the empyrean form of the overgrown tower enshrined in the blue root. Off, far in the distance, and encroaching on the form of the false dim-green sky above, there was the appearance of something immensely subtle if not entirely imperceptible with the bare eye. Yet, with sight empowered by the golden arcana that imbued his irises, the man could see **Something...** Something hovering, about the greattower's pinnacle. There were no *Birds* On the First Floor, and yet that something was *Flying,* Clearly spotted from even the kilometers-wide distance within his striking, golden gaze. With a squint, the man readily shifted his left hand, hidden within the cover of his cape, to the handle of the holstered blade at his right hip. The slightest notion of alarm roused within his spirit; his unseen brow furrowed beneath the feminine form of his porcelain mask.
_ _

*Something was awry.*
 
The masked individual furled his left hand's fingers tightly about the pearly handle of the sheathed blade, his concerned, sharpened glare still set solely upon the figure of the hovering entity that lingered about the tower's upper levels. Without further a word to Tabby, the man would briefly glare back down at the man seated on the bench; he longed to question the individual to attain additional sources of information toward his goal of locating the man he had so briefly seen within the forest, yet more pressing matters had manifested before his very eyes. Regretfully, he would not be able to visually interrogate the hooded man atop the bench.
 
Wordlessly, the masked man invisibly mouthed the words of a short spell as his feet elegantly shifted into a tightened stance, elevating his body on his tiptoes. Taking a swift and steady, whistling breath from between his lips, the man closed his eyes, leaping an astounding several meters into the air. His cape, lingering behind him as he leapt, fluttered into a dynamic and incoherent mass of amorphous darkness, shrouding his form as he reached the apex of his leap; in that very moment, he disappeared within a hazy motion that eluded the eyes, engulfed in a strange, miraculous darkness that teleported him *Entirely elsewhere.*
Carol
"Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat..." Is the only word that comes out of Tabby's mouth upon the sudden disappearance of her questioner. *Happened in a blur..* She reminisces, *Well, he IS fast, so... We might have the same target yet.*

With that introduction out of the way, Tabby reflects on what exactly it was that she was doing before being taken aside and asked about that man's target. Her Defender taps her shoulder and motions towards the door of the only store that might potentially have what they need. *Riiiiiight. I was switching out my gear..* She bites her lip and nods to her Defender in thanks — a motion that is entirely unnecessary of course, knowing the telepathic bond they seem to share. Well... The issue is that she actually can't do that on a whim. That's simply not possible without a long, 8 hour rest... *I'm sure the churchgoer would be mad if I took THAT long, but... Hopefully there's a way to speed up the process. I wonder if channeling my Lord would help?* She questions — Tabby is not a high-enough level in Cleric to do so directly, but this world doesn't act on the same fundamentals as hers did; nor does her deity.. Asking for assistance could potentially be on the table.

With her course of action sealed — a quick in-and-out, courtesy of a bit of *Chronal Shift*Ing, she might be able to take the quickest catnap anyone's ever seen! Right? Rrright...?

Regardless, there's only one way to find out, as Tabby & her Defender step into the aforementioned building, *Hoping* That there's some way for her to recharge here and get back out there before the barkeep that the... Pastor(?) so badly wants dead. Tabby is an honest cat; she does not intend to go back on her word.

*If all I can get done are my infusions before I have to head out, that'll... Suck, but it'll work.*