Private In Pursuit of a Cure

[Cadmean]

Cadmean hummed as she approached the designated meeting point. Zalra was a place as beautiful as it was dangerous, but as she was, for the time being, in one of the last remaining outposts before the land opened up into crystalline wilderness, she figured she was as safe as she was going to get. Might as well take in the sights while she was here. She did not normally have reason to cross into Zalra, after all.

At last, she arrived. "Mr. Bolton?" she called to one of the two figures that she spied. Surely one of them was the person who put out a request for traveling companions.

Sure she was a few minutes late, but the world wouldn't end over a matter of a few minutes here or there. Or so she assumed. The person hiring her certainly seemed to think differently. A red-haired human man who had been seated on a rock nearby leapt up as she drew closer, snapping shut a pocketwatch and shoving it into his travel bag.

You're late! Do you know how long I've been waiting here!? We're losing daylight!

Cadmean raised an eyebrow. "Then perhaps you shouldn't have scheduled your expedition to leave only some hours before dusk. At any rate, I'm here now. Unless you wanted to waste even more time by kicking up a fuss about it?"

Rayne Bolton, MIT researcher on a very strict deadline (though not strict enough that he appeared tempted to sit around yelling at her, apparently), dithered. Then, with a glower, he stomped back to where he had been seated to fetch his belongings.

We leave immediately!

Fine by her. Cadmean offered an airy smile to the third of their trio (@Hanno Futaba), another faerin by the looks of it. He seemed vaguely familiar, but with her ailing vision, trying to make out most of his features was an ordeal. The teal hair was striking, certainly, but hardly unique in Arcia.

"Well, everything aside, pleasure to meet you," she said to him as they began to walk. "I'm Cadmean. So you're Mr. Bolton's other hired help?"

 

[Hanno Futaba]

It has been so many years Hanno hadn't gone through Zalra, and yet, it was unsettling to notice that the few areas he noticed to be familiar from his previous explorations before the Disappearance were exactly the same as before. Of course, one should expected that a crystalized biome would remain intact no matter how many years passed, but that gave implications to his mind that made him shudder.

Taking a bite of an apple to distract himself from the thoughts, his attention soon shifted to the familiar woman that seemed to approach. 'Familiar' in a very vague sense, but still familiar enough to bring a warm smile to his lips, raising a greeting hand to her before everything was disrupted by their hire's unnecessary scold.

"Damn man, chill. She isn't late for hours or something." Hanno shook his head in disapproval to the man's reaction to the woman being late, holding back a chuckle at the fellow faerin's retort, hiding a grin behind a hand.

"Cadmean, huh? Yeah, I'm one of the hires, Hanno, Hanno Futaba. It is a pleasure to meet'cha too, especially knowing what you are capable of. I'd say we are in good hands." He grinned, taking one last bite of his apple, tossing the remains to the shield that quickly devoured it, before sticking his hand into his pocket to pull another fresh one, offering it to her. "Want one? It is good to put some natural energy running in your veins before a long trip." And hell knew when they would have time to stop and have a meal, especially since the guy was so hurried about travelling as far as they could in a single day.

@Cadmean