Kaleissa followed Jyuuzou into the establishment, her eyes scanning the interior of the tea shop with interest. It was small, secluded shop a little ways away from the main road that had clearly seen better days, if the faded sign and weather-beaten storefront were any indication. Inside, however, it seemed business was thriving; already the small room was nearly full of patrons, seated around low tables on the worn carpeting and filling the small space with the sound of their conversations. A warm, floral scent tickled her nose, mixed with the aroma of unfamiliar spices. Her gaze lingered on the elderly proprietor who stood behind a counter in the back, quivering hands deftly brewing tea with the practiced movements of a master.<br/><br/>It was a pity that Ariana was no longer with them. Kaleissa had a feeling that the younger woman could use a good cup of tea after what had happened, but the last that she saw of her, the brunette was stumbling in a dazed fashion off towards an alleyway as if stunned. Although she<span style="font-style: italic">had</span>called out to her, there had been no response; it seemed that the shock of the 'living zombie' not living up to her expectations had killed off her lively attitude. As for why Ariana did not want to wish for wealth, Kaleissa really could not fathom, but it was not her place to interfere in the girl's affairs. For all that the younger woman reminded her of her sister, it was simple fact that Ariana was not Maya. Kaleissa already had her hands full with one little sister. And so she only watched as Ariana wandered off out of sight.<br/><br/><blockquote class="uncited"><div>The younger woman had thrown a fit earlier after she'd shot the imposter Seraph. In the long, angry tirade that followed, Kaleissa was able to make out the words "Seraph", "zombie", "Adaephon", and "Hello Clementine". Unfortunately, she couldn't quite piece together the rest; Ariana's train of thought was most definitely running above safe operating limits, and it would surely require an incredibly skilled individual to keep up given what little information there was to work with. From what she could tell though, Ariana was at least aware that the real Guilford was already dead. However, she seemed to be enamored to the idea that instead of being a fake, the man that appeared before them was some sort of living zombie of the dead Gil, like something that the necromancers of Jakuuzoku childrens' tales reanimated from corpses, except improved. As for where "Adaephon" and "Hello Clementine" fit in, Kaleissa wasn't quite sure; she had heard of the brand name Hello Clementine before from Maya, but who, what, or where "Adaephon" was, she had no clue at all.<br/><br/><span style="color: violet">"You know, Ariana, if he's really a zombie then he should be getting right back up."</span><br/><br/>Kaleissa found a break in the outburst when Ariana took a breath to interject with a sentence of her own. The younger woman froze, a look of realization appearing on her face, before she whipped her head around to glare at the fallen body. Motioning for Jyuuzou to wait, Kaleissa stood there as well, quietly observing as Ariana fixed the corpse with an intense stare, as if willing the body to rise. After about a minute of waiting, Kaleissa instead turned her gaze to her companion, looking the other girl over with her head tilted in thought. Ariana's gaze was unchanged, still attempting to reanimate the corpse by force of will alone, her lips moving soundlessly in what could very well be some arcane mantra picked up from who knows where.<br/><br/><span style="color: violet">"Now that I think about it, Ariana."</span> Her voice was thoughtful, her brow slightly furrowed in contemplation. With a quiet "excuse me", Kaleissa placed both hands on the younger woman's hips. As Ariana turned to look at her in surprise, her eyes conveying an unspoken "Don't bother me I'm concentrating", Kaleissa slid her hands gently up the girl's sides, pausing to cup both very full breasts. She gave the heavy handfuls a firm squeeze, eyes widening in appreciation. <span style="color: violet">"I think you may be in the wrong profession."</span><br/><br/>In the next moment a fist swung through the empty space as Kaleissa leapt backwards to avoid Ariana's furious right hook. She raised a hand to gingerly touch her left cheek; the force of the swing alone had been enough to leave a light bruise, even when it missed. She quickly continued before Ariana could press her attack.<br/><br/><span style="color: violet">"My younger sister is about your age, and she has every Hello Clementine collectible released in the past ten years."</span> Kaleissa raised an eyebrow at Ariana's surprised expression. <span style="color: violet">"If you're interested, I can introduce you to somebody…"</span></div></blockquote><br/><br/>She let Jyuuzou lead the way to an empty table in the back corner, where he set his blades to the side in plain view before settling down on the carpeting. Kaleissa took her place at the opposite end of the table and mimicked his actions, placing her bow and quiver on her right side, though she left her sheathed dagger in place at her back. It was not as if she didn't trust Jyuuzou; in Jakuu, one did not simply put all weapons aside and magically start playing nice. It was probably worse in the capital, but even among raiding groups nobody went around unarmed, even when sleeping or bathing. While it had been two years since she was living the lifestyle of a raider, old habits certainly died hard. Besides, Kaleissa was more worried about those around her than about the man sitting before her. She gave her companion an apologetic smile in a silent request for understanding.<br/><br/><span style="color: gold">"This one does inquire...how shall we proceed?"</span><br/><br/>She raised a finger to her lips before she responded, her gaze sweeping quickly over the neighboring tables. From the looks of things, everybody was too engaged in their own conversations to pay attention to anybody else. Although what they would be discussing wasn't really confidential in any way, Kaleissa had no desire to advertise her intentions to the world. She leaned towards Jyuuzou, keeping her voice low as she replied.<br/><br/><span style="color: violet">"First, let us just clarify our objectives. We both are looking for the same thing, correct?"</span>She was answered with a single nod. They had briefly discussed this the day before, and when the disgustingly long name of the treasure they sought was revealed to be identical, there was no choice but to agree that they were after the same thing.<span style="color: violet">"I think we both agree that searching individually has been a...less than fruitful endeavor."</span>The woman made a face, recalling the atrocity that they had encountered in the ruins. A moment later though, her expression turned serious once more.<br/><br/><span style="color: violet">"As such, I propose that we join hands in our search. Legends say that there are three wishes granted to the possessor of this artifact. There are two of us. We can each take one, and the last…"</span>Kaleissa trailed off, dark eyes studying Jyuuzou's expression for any changes. Had Ariana been with them, a fair division would have been easy, but with one wish left over, it was more difficult. Even if she had yet to decide on what she might use a second wish for, the woman was loath to concede the opportunity now that it had presented itself. Chalk it up to human greed.<br/><br/>At that moment, the old proprietor placed a porcelain teapot billowing with steam in the center of the table, prompting her to straighten. Shaky hands, wrinkled with age, laid out a pair of simple white ceramic saucers and a matching pair of cups, artfully decorated in a complementary seashell motif. Despite his apparent frailty, his hands held the teapot with surprising strength and steadiness, and he poured out the first cup for the both of them, the amber liquid making graceful arcs without a single drop spilling out onto the table. Kaleissa nodded her thanks, a small smile on her face, as the old man retreated back behind the counter to prepare tea for his other patrons.<br/><br/>The tension broken by the interruption, Kaleissa looked down at the cup of tea before her, inhaling the fragrant aroma of flowers she had never seen from a land she had never known. Her reflection stared innocently back at her, quietly watching and judging, making her feel a little bit self-conscious for her worrying. She smiled down at her teacup, and her reflection smiled back. Lifting the steaming hot liquid to her lips, she blew on it gently, sending ripples across the surface, watching as the other her flickered on the waves and then stabilized once more.<span style="color: violet"><span style="font-style: italic">'This issue can wait, I suppose.'</span></span><br/><br/>Kaleissa brought her gaze back up to meet Jyuuzou's, a wry smile on her face.<span style="color: violet">"Well, we can decide what to do with the third wish later. For the moment, though."</span>She set her teacup back down, her finger idly tracing circles around the cup's rim.<span style="color: violet">"Are we in agreement?"</span><br/><br/><div style="text-align: center;">~ . - . ~</div><br/><br/><span style="color: gray">"How many guards are still with us?"</span>The man's voice was authoritative, his tone hinting at irritation. Long strides took him down the main street as his two personal attendants kept pace on either side of him.<br/><br/><span style="color: gray">"Six, young master. Three younger ones from the Bakashi Clan, known for their spearmanship, and a pair of warrior monks from the Shumoku. The last hails from the Kazari in the far north of the United Territories, and has been with us since before this trip to Khalem-Dol. That devilish old crone...we fought together several times under your esteemed grandfather, Nil-Waseem, many years ago."</span>The older of the two attendants, a veteran from the Kounai Clan, recited the list from memory, his voice gaining a hint of nostalgia at the end.<br/><br/>The young man frowned, mentally doing calculations of some sort in his head.  Counting his two attendant bodyguards, he had a total of eight mercenaries. To go up against a Jakuuzoku raiding group would need at least double that number, perhaps more. He unconsciously gripped his right arm, the concealed scar a souvenir of his last disastrous brush with raiders.<span style="color: gray">"So few…"</span><br/><br/><span style="color: gray">"We were coming from Tur Alei'ven and Ii'kariem after all, young master.The northern lands have been calm of late, so there was no need to travel with a large contingent of guards."</span>The older man smiled patiently, his words a gentle reminder.<span style="color: gray">"That is why we have come to Khalem-Dol, is it not? To hire some more hands before we make our way south to Sal'al'thien with this caravan of silks and blue steel. Besides, young master, even if the one you seek really is here in Khalem-Dol, there is no way an entire Jakuuzoku warband could casually stroll into a Kanzemite city this far north uncontested. At most, she will have one or two companions."</span><br/><br/>As if reassured by his companion's words, the young merchant nodded, concerns eased for the moment. Turning to the second of his attendants, he issued orders in a crisp, clear voice.<span style="color: gray">"Gather the mercenaries that are currently on contract with us, and have them split up to watch the south and east gates for a female archer. Notify me at once if anybody meeting that description is seen leaving the city. In the meantime, hire another eight to ten guards; we will need them for our upcoming trip anyway, but it looks like we may have a use for them sooner than expected."</span><br/><br/>The two attendants bowed, acknowledging the orders. The younger of the two departed without a word, but the elder replied with the predatory smile of one anticipating a good fight to come.<span style="color: gray">"As you wish, young master."</span>