Hotaru’s lips were sealed tight from the very beginning. She obviously objected to Raedin’s orders but that didn’t bother her in the slightest. At the corner of her eye she caught Xiu infuriatedly storming into the kitchen. She could hear an old man that he was approaching pleading his innocence to Xiu and she let out a cool smirk. Rae acquired the room and started marching proudly up the stairs with Hotaru. As she did so the tension was palpable and she knew it was about to break.<br/>‘You wasted precious time bartering when time is not our friend, we have no idea how the herd will react with Akami’s body.’ At that Rae could’ve smacked the living daylights out of the Shuesi right then and there, however she contained herself. ‘You should know better as you are a Shoudai.’At that Raedine only shook her head in bemusement with a tang of annoyance. There wasn’t tension anymore, however the mood wasn’t friendly per se.<br/>“It is the fact that the effects of the herbs on Hotaru are unknown that we need to take him to a private, quiet room where anything that happens can be concealed. The less stimuli in the surrounding environment, the better for his recovery. I know time is not our friend but I couldn’t have taken any less time. I only have so much money in hand and it would’ve also taken me much longer to gather up some money from my horse or to see how much you had. We have to think ahead think of other costs that may occur on this mission as well. “It was that kind of thinking that got her the reputation that she had acquired. She was a thinker and honest. She had logic behind her decisions, maybe sometimes they seemed frivolous in the short term but they always had a point to them. That was why she would a Shoudai. “In any case, let us not argue in this time, we must think about Akami now and devote our attention fully onto him.”<br/>When they got into the room via a creaking door a slight tremor went through Akami and Hotaru picked it up instantaneously. ‘Raedine, the herb is reacting to his powers. This isn’t good.’ Apprehension clawed at her bones and fear filled her face. Vexation took over as she knew of a few men, new to the order, who went out into the field with her, like Akami, and never came back due to herbs reacting with their powers. It was long ago, however the memory of the men trembling beside her at the will of the flora troubled her. It replayed in her mind as Akami laid there. Raedine shook it off and knew that if the memory had anything to tell about this situation, it was that she had no time to waste recollecting on the past. She had to be 100% in the present.<br/>“No. it isn’t. Hope is not lost yet. We need to know what herb was used or we can’t do anything. Xiu is our only hope at the moment. “It was then that Rae’s ears picked up crashing in the main hallways of the inn and she stiffened unhesitatingly and stood up from Akami. “Hotaru, If Xiu is in trouble down there I must go help him. It is our best shot of finding out what herbs Akami has ingested, and therefore saving him. It is best to keep him out of site. I think at least one should stay with him. I will knock on the door twice if you need to hide, three if you need to run out and follow me. Four if you need to escape but can’t leave the room to do so.” She heard the baritone voice of a bandit. She heard every word he said with the snarky voice that oozed pride. She waited upstairs, hiding and looking at the action. She trusted Xiu to hold his own down there. She wouldn’t go down, into the action, unless it was necessary. She was keeping post in between the room and the halls.<br/>Her armour fell fittingly against her body as she crouched and stalked, remaining unnoticed. She prayed Xiu would figure a way out. ‘We need another way out of here and fast. Is there a back door out of this tavern?’ She lip-read. She looked around and found a fire escape stair case that would lead right out the back of the tavern. Now she needed to communicate this with Xiu. She went to the corner where he was in view but the bandits weren’t. She skilfully began to manoeuvre to a place where she could catch Xiu’s attention and signal him. It was imperative that she did. Then she would run, knock three times and head down the fire escape and get out of this godforsaken tavern. She began signing.  Fire escape up here.