Val was wary, but eased as the other Lupin wove her tale. She was a bit of a softy, especially for fellow Lupins. "Hey, no worries," Valla said, waving a paw between them to metaphorically clear the air.

(I couldn’t resist- I had to add one of my other favorite boys, Azurity!)

Name: Overcast Azurity

(hehehehe...)

Astra is much too preoccupied with her rambling (and whatever else she's doing...) to pay attention to the scene going on.

Huh.

(and that's my alibi for probably only reading the posts and kinda checking out until we get going (or one of you tries to get Astra's attention)!)

"Pleased to meet you, Val," Oleander said, though she maintained her somewhat depressed disposition. "And the rest of you," she added, glancing over the one called Doom and then Astra. "The Lupin I am seeking out is not an adventurer. A homebody rather. I hope we do not find him out here," she added, her teeth gritting together as she tried to repress the shudder that tried to worn its way through her.

The shadow of dark memories and sharp teeth threatened to infringe further on the scene. She quickly turned away from her failed mark and the black Bracchus that looked too much like the ones she had fled, and instead focused on the lavender-colored wolf, the one supposedly called Astra.

"Do you know where we're going?" she asked. Now that she thought about it, perhaps an adventure would be good. More eyes to seek out food and shelter were always beneficial, and after so long on her own, Oleander would appreciate not having to stay awake every night, wondering if there was something out in the trees.

Valla excitedly greeted the new Bracchus, having determined that the new Lupin wouldn't be a threat. While the Lupin turned to Astra to plot their course, Valla began to chatter: "Hello RC! Great to meet another adventurer. Astra here is plotting our course into the mountains, but honestly I'm just excited to get started. I like to leave the important thinking to others."

Her tail was wagging gently and there was just a hint of tippy-tappies in her back feet. "I'm usually the brawn of the situation. What sort of skills do you have RC? Will we be fighting alongside each other?"

Azurities tail wagged slightly. "I'm a scout, or tracker. Whatever the situation calls for, really! Doom here says I'm the best tracker in the pack." He liked this excitable Lupin! He was glad he had decided to come after all, even just meeting his companions!

There was a squeak from his side satchel. Ness poked his head out, blinking sleepily. He spotted Heo on the bar counter and hopped out of the bag, skittering over to join the little bird.

Meanwhile, Dooms head was tilted. The Lupin, her name still unknown, seemed uneasy around him. She had also quavered the slightest amount- was that fear that tinged the clouds of unbotheredness? What an odd fellow. "So, uh, you never told us your name?" He tried to keep his tone conversational to not scare the she any more than he already had.

Valla slapped the floor with her paw, bangles jingling noisily. A tracker! Oh they would be eatin' good on this journey. "Great to meet you, RC," Val said again. She hailed a passing barmaid and ordered a drink for the Bracchus. Doom had turned away from the pair to speak with the other Lupin and Astra, so Val set her attention on her new companion.

"So, are you from around here? Familiar with the area?" Val asked, curiosity plain on her face. Then she flushed furiously and grimaced. "Oh! Not because you're, uh, snowy-looking or anything." She shook her head. "Just... 'cause Doom seems to know what's going on, and if you're with him...?"

The barmaid reappeared with a drink and set it down for RC. Val had ordered mead, the standard drink at the tavern it seemed.

Azurity laughs it off, accepting the drink with a nod and a thank you. "You're fine. Yeah, I'm familiar with the area. I was actually born on the other side of the mountain- left about 2 years ago. I explored for a while, then came across my new pack!" He grinned at the memory, sipping the mead. Murkberry- what a nice flavor.

"I guess you can say me and Doom are informed... Our scholar, Sonne, you might have heard of him? He's second in command at the Scholars Institute. This has been his hyperfixation since it started, according to Amethyst. He made me and Doom study with him sometimes, and made sure to give us both a lecture before we left. I think we know more than some of the Scholars at this point!"

Valla was enthralled by RC's tale. This just kept getting better and better. "Wow, so this mission will be cake!" she bellowed, tail thumping rhythmically, then realized her volume. She flushed briefly and grimaced, then looked sheepishly at the Bracchus. Val took a sip of her own beverage.

"I've traveled in Icerun a few times before," she said calmly, regulating her volume carefully. "Never so deep into the mountains, but I am eager to prove my strength! I survived a small avalanche before... the Zerda who was guiding us helped us escape into a burrow he was familiar with. Another Lupin and I had to dig us all out after." She chuckled at the memory. "But we were lucky to have someone so experienced. I'm glad that's the case here too."

(okay, here again!)

Astra looks up from her... whatever she was doing, because it only seemed passingly similar to navigating, with a small noise of surprise.

"Sorry, didn't see you there. And- of course I do, I've been designated navigator for a reason!" Astra tries to make a joke at that point. She isn't sure if it landed or not, but...

"According to what I've seen- and some helpful notes on this map..." She places a paw on a dot, somewhere on one of the mountains (Lunar, you can decide where, since you're the host here). "This is where we're heading first," she taps another dot labelled 'Glowing Mushroom Inn' "This is where we are currently," She traces a path from the inn to the place where they would probably head out first, "And this is the most optimal path to take. Still has its dangers, but there should be less of them."