Passing through the paniced crowds was no easy task, but with some effort you follow the swift movements of Greystone. It's nothing special of an inn. Stained glass windows decorate its exterior with a couple of empty benches standing idly. Even though it's situated near the market, it's strangely quiet. Greystone stops before the entrance, a dry perplexion on his face, void of the sadness that took hold of him in the temple. He opens the door for the three of you.

"Inside, it is warm and strangely comforting. Silence seems to have taken residence inside. The old man quickly pulls a chair for himself in the parlor and asks for the three of you to take a seat around the low lying table.

"Now, tell me what happened? What did she tell you before...before she passed?"

Victor waited for the man to be seated before plopping down across from him at the table. At the old man's question, Victor shook his head and said:

"She spoke of some darkness... of protecting the people here in this village, of keep the darkness secret. She wanted you to live peacefully to the end. That's all she told me. Alpha spoke to her more than I..."

Alpha still acts surprisingly calm considering the day's events thus far. Truth be told, he has seen so much in his life, the burning of a single woman alive is almost a relief to his battle weary eyes.

And so he peacefully takes a seat and cups his hands together in front of him. Nodding when Victor mentions his name, he begins talking. "Indeed, she told us of a darkness that exists in the world today. It is an ancient evil that has struck multiple times in the history of our world. Inhabiting different races, it continues to gain power and knowledge with each incarnation it takes on.

"We left about then to go help that trapped man - your son, you said? - and we came back in time to see a cloaked figure burn Akari alive." He paused, but in the end decided that Greystone should know what Alpha was thinking. "I have little doubt that this figure is the evil that she spoke of.

"That is why we three have discussed and, I believe, have all agreed to stay here for at least a few days. In case this man returns, we shall be here to protect the innocents." He looks to Victor and Alex for confirmation on his desire for them to protect the village, then back to Greystone, offering him a reassuring smile.

"That seems fine, though... why was he there? It seems strange that anyone would want to harm Akari. Is there anything else that happened? Did you fight him?" Greystone asked, his voice still retaining its commandive tone and his eyes staring deeply into the sheikah's. He looks down a bit, clearly striken with thought. Slowly, he pushes himself off of his chair and walks to a stained glass window, his eyes staring out into the town and is voice becomes low:

"I'm sorry if I'm asking to many questions. It's just...even though I'm just an inn keeper and even though I'm old, I feel that I need to keep this place alive. Akari cared for us. She...she gave me my daughter and I feel I have to repay her some how...even if she's already gone."

Victor shook his head again.

"I don't know why he was there, and I doubt any of the others know. All he did otherwise was destroy part of the temple."

Then, as the old man began to apologize, Victor spoke up once more.

"It's no problem. This is your village, and you have every right to ask questions..."

But then, as the bard heard Greystone speak of how he owed akari, he donned a confused look:

"Your daughter?"

phantompigcollector wrote:"That seems fine, though... why was he there? It seems strange that anyone would want to harm Akari. Is there anything else that happened? Did you fight him?" Greystone asked, his voice still retaining its commandive tone and his eyes staring deeply into the sheikah's. He looks down a bit, clearly striken with thought. Slowly, he pushes himself off of his chair and walks to a stained glass window, his eyes staring out into the town and is voice becomes low:

"I'm sorry if I'm asking to many questions. It's just...even though I'm just an inn keeper and even though I'm old, I feel that I need to keep this place alive. Akari cared for us. She...she gave me my daughter and I feel I have to repay her some how...even if she's already gone."

" Actually, I wanted to fight him... a felt the necessity to do something, to avenge Akari..."

Alex again felt ashamed of himself

"Although I don't think I could beat him, even with the help of the heroes, but just watching him walking away like that..."

Alex hit the table, it made him good to release his anger on something

" But I think he IS the darkness, Alpha, he was to powerful to burn a person to ashes in seconds, and what has this temple that he is so interested on it?"

OOC: I skipped the part where I follow you to the inn, so lets say I was with you the whole time

Alpha ponders for a second at the Zora's inquiry. "I doubt there's anything in the temple he was after, Alex. More than likely he wanted to simply kill Akari, or else he would've used that power to destroy the temple as well."

Alpha sits back in his seat. "As to why he wanted to kill Akari is still a mystery to me."

“He’s probably right, zora. I hate thinking of why anyone would want to kill Akari. I’ve always told her that her quick mouth and prophecies would get her in trouble someday and now look!”

But then, as the bard heard Greystone speak of how he owed akari, he donned a confused look:

"Your daughter?"

Grey stood there for a long while, pondering the thoughts of his lovely daughter. He seemed in his own world, parallel from the sadness and torture of the death of Akari. Memories pass by him as the others speak, his mind on only her.

‘Anavi…’

With his eyes still gazing hypnotically out of the window, he speaks to the bard:

"Akari and I found her after she asked me to go with her to the desert. I...we...found the child abandoned in front of our castle's walls, weeping over, what I can only guess, her dead mother. She was a beauty. Looked exactly like her mother. Akari, took up the child in her arms and carried her to temples chambers where the child could rest. I spent nights by the girl’s side, watching her sleep. I would rake my fingers through her hair when I saw that she was having a nightmare. I guess, Akari saw how lonely I was and decided to give the girl to me. Blind and about to be acknowledged as the town's oracle, she decided that it would seem fitting that I took care of her. I argued that I wasn't capable of raising a child but all she did was smile. The next day, I found the girl in my room, tucked in nicely under the sheets. I couldn’t stop admiring the child. I knew Akari would do it but I still owe her because of what she did.

... Now...do you see why I have to repay her? She's done so much for me; I'd never feel right if I don't repay that debt...

Greystone turns around, his eyes watering up as he walks back to his red wood chair and places his hand around its rim.

“Maybe it is best if you stay. The last thing I want is anything happening to this town, let alone my daughter. This place hasn’t seen a customer in weeks; there are a few rooms upstairs if you decide to stay.”

OOC:Mid-terms suck alot. It took me like four days to have enough time to post this message. Erg...

Alex looked at Greystone, he knew what it was to loose someone, he was going to help him no matter what

"I´m staying, Greystone, I´m paying a room here, it would be nice"

Then he looked at the others, trying to say it all in the look of his eyes

"What do you say?"

"Yes... I'll stay as well. It's our duty now to protect this village. Plus, I've always wanted my own room!"

Smiling, Victor walked over to Greystone and put a reassuring hand on the man's shoulder.

"It's gonna be fine. We'll keep your daughter safe from harm..."

Alpha nods as well. "Yes, I'd also like a room. Thank you very much, Greystone." He thought for a second, then added, "I'd also like to get to know this town a bit better. Where would you suggest visiting?"

"Hmm?! Oh, our town. It was once a resting spot for an annual pilgrimage that our people once took in order to prepare for the darkness. There's nothing much to show of its importance now that our people have forgotten of this darkness, though. The only records of any importance have been archived in the temple's library." The inn keeper smiles a bit as he walks towards the door and lets the bright desert sun pierce through the room. "If your interested in the history of this town, I suggest you take a visit there." Grey says, his face hidden beneath the light of the outside. "If you do decide to leave, make sure to give notice when you return."

OOC:O.K, umm, you don't have to leave but if you do, just continue on in the temple topic. Make sure to RP your entrance. But if you decide to stay, you can RP yourself a room and wait for the time to come when ---- happens.

"A library, you say? Well, there will be time for that later. For now, I'd like to get a little rest."

With this decision, Victor nodded goodbye to Greystone, Alpha, and Alex. Walking upstairs, he chose the first room on the right as his temporary abode...

OOC: I'm gonna assume that there are rooms on both the right and the left of the hallway. Of course, I could always change it...

EDIT: OOC: Julian told me to move my room here instead, so this is it:

IC: Opening the door to his room, Victor walked in and looked around. Furnished quite sparsely, with merely a bed, table, and a few chairs, Victor was a little dissapointed. Even so, he sat down on the bed without a word of complaint. Removing his satchel, he turned it upside-down and emptied it of its contents onto the bed. Victor unsheathed his dagger and placed it on the bed as well, along with his shield and boomerang.

Digging into the mound of various odds and ends, the bard began to sort everything in an orderly fashion. In no time at all, his weapons and shield were in a corner of the room, and all miscellaneous items were neatly arranged on the table. Victor chose to put his flute (OOC: Let's assume that this is before Victor gets the harp) with his weapons, as he considered it to be more important than the various other items he had.

Finally finished settling into his temporary home, the bard collapsed onto the bed and fell into a light sleep...

Alpha sits for a while, lost in thought. Finally, though, he stirs. "A library, you say?" he asks as he stands up, stretching as he does so. "I think I'll head over there for now." He slowly walks to the doorway, pausing there for a second to look back at Greystone. 'He must be greatly saddened by Akari's death...best to let him think for a while. It always works for me...' Alpha walks outside, turns, and heads back towards the temple.

Greystone, stands there, the door now shut and his face morbid. He walks slowly to the fireplace, his hand brushing along the shelf and the pictures of his daughter and Akari, tears streaming down his cold face as the dust comes off its frame. He lights the fire place and takes his seat.

'Akari, why did you have to leave us?' The man thinks to himself, the shadows on his face dancing as the flames rise up the chimney.

'You didn't want to leave. Why'd you do it. You could have stayed and lived a normal life. You didn't have to die the way you did.' His face slouches down and he shrouds his face in the comfort of his palms.

"It's all your fault! What am I gonna tell her. How will she react. You wanted to help us but look what you've done. You've brought pain in me that I've never felt!" He rises up from his chair, anger in his eyes.

"I hate you, Akari!" In a strange burst of anger he slams his fist into the wall. He shatters the pictures above his fireplace. It's fallen figure lying on the floor. He picks it up in aner and throws it into the fire.

"I hate you! What do I do now!" He rushes around the room as he continues to cause havok, tearing the curtains from its apolstory. The chairs lie on the floor as he pushes them aside. Thrown plates and broken tea cups decorate the floor in white shards and stained spots on the carpet.

"Akari! I...I hate you..." He stands there amidst his destroyed parlor. The stained glass windows casting an out of place array of colors on the destruction. Grey falls to his knees, his hands taking their position over his face as he weeps over Akari's death. The only sounds in the room are the snaps of the fire and the muffled cries of the man in robes.