In the far back corner of the dining area of Rauru's best known inn sits a large table, readied for six people. Just like in the Ornery Cucco Tavern of North Castle, Alpha alone sits there, having used the Void to swiftly leave the tavern and reach Rauru before the other members of his guild.

Now, having spent enough rupees and given enough cold stares to ensure that no one sits anywhere near the table, he calmly leans forward in his chair, the one that allows the best view of the entire Stock Pot Inn, every now and then taking a sip of his Lon Lon Milk as he struggles to get rid of the headache resulting from the minutes he spent in the other realm.

Things had gotten out of hand in North Castle, but a few rupees had also gone into making sure that the Hylian Knights stationed in Rauru had not yet heard of the mess the Twilight Guardians had gotten themselves into. Not bribing - no, Alpha had no reason to bribe Knights, and it probably wouldn't help them any in the long run - but just the purchasing of information from valuable sources. The Sheikah smirks as he thinks about that. 'Good thing Cezera has a few local contacts, though I should save as many favors as I can. Though even if I run out, I suppose I can just threaten them into submission . . .' A good laugh escapes his throat at that thought, though after a few seconds it dies off and he wonders what exactly he finds so funny about it.

He brings his focus back to where this meeting should lead. This ought to merely be a nice, relaxing meeting, unlike the one in the Ornery Cucco. The Guardians will meet up here, discuss for a little while and simply talk about whatever comes to mind. In the long run, they merely need to reach Parapa; a quick trip through the Deku Woods to the north is all that that will require, and then they'll be out of the reach of the Hylian Knights. The Shrine of Spirit may be old, but Koura and her master Nyra had survived there for a long while, so establishing a base there isn't out of the question.

Casually, the Sheikah turns his eyes back to the doorway, wondering when the other Twilight Guardians will show up.

The small bell rings above the door, indicating a customer. Although he didnt intend on staying, the man casually grabbed a pamphlet off the rack. He had remembered the last time he had visited the Inn.

Suddenly, the woman turns to Dogura, and scowls at him. The tone in her voice is far ruder than it had previously been. "No loitering in the Inn. It's 8:00, and we are closing. Please reserve a room next time you wish to stay."

Dogura glanced at the counter, and much to his reliefe found another woman in her place. She must work the night shift. Dogura thought, glancing around the room. It didnt take long to spot Alpha. It was nearly impossible for the large cloaked man to seem inconspicuous. He was easily noticed, and Dogura meandered over to the table, taking his seat directly across from Alpha, who sat with his back to the wall. "Jeez... I run into trouble, and I'm still early." Dogura smiled, indicating that he had to get his hands dirty on the way to the inn. "All loose ends have been taken care of Alpha, no need to worry about the secrecy of our escape to Rauru." Dogura assured the Sheikah, leaning back in his chair, and proping his feet up on the table.

Setting his pamphlet face down on the table, he stared at the ceiling. "They really are slow you know. I would like to get this meeting started. Dogura reached into his armor, and removed his clipboard. The names of the adventurers were already crossed out from the meeting at the Ornery Cucco, so he decided to mark off this meeting with check marks. He marked off Alpha's name, and his own, awaiting the rest of the group. Tayro, Alex, Rose, and Blank still had yet to arrive at the new meeting. They might have run into trouble along the way as well... Dogura thought, rubbing his chin. Time for a shave. He thought on a different note, just before turning his gaze to Alpha. "I'll give them another twenty minutes before I go searching for them." The Vagabond said, obviously impatient. "Also, Its about that time of the month again Alpha. I need some sleep soon."

OOC: Like I've said before, I created Dogura after myself.
The creature inside of him = It takes a while to anger me, but when Im pissed, I go crazy XD
Sleep = I can go a long time without sleep, and Im sort of a night owl.
Weapon = I love swords
Impatience = yeah, Im a pretty impatient guy when it comes to certain things.
And Alpha and I cooked up some pretty goo material for the meeting.

Rose walked into the inn, muttering curses in Ancient Hylian under her breath. She quickly found Alpha and Dogura and headed over to the two men. As she sat down, she said angrily, "I hate crows. A damn flock of them decided to attack me as I'm flying. I had to shift into a giant owl to chase them off. Oh, and Alpha, this probably isn't going to make you feel good, but I didn't have anything to drink back at the Ornery Cucco."

Blank stormed though the door abruptly after Rose and stated with a quirky grin, "Well, I had plenty to drink at the Ornery." The nomad forced a belch back into his gut and plunked himself down at the table next to Alpha. He removed the flask he had refilled back at North Castle and took a sip of the high-end Hylian Ale.

He leaned back and lifted his brown jerkin just above his midriff, letting Alpha, Rose and Dogura see the gaping wound in his stomach. With a weary laugh, he told the story of how it had come to be inflicted upon him. "Damn Hylian Knights did this to me. Aye, there I was, walking just outside of the Castle Gate House when who do I see but a small platoon of them. So I decided to cover my eyes and walk faster. Well, it was about that time that they saw me and I flat out booked it for Rauru. Ran so fast I tripped and got speared in the gut by a rock, of all things. Great place for something so random," he said with a sarcastic tone.

"Kind of reminds of the time we were all locked in the Hakiems base and I got this pretty one." The Hylian produced a clear sight of a healing scar on his hip, dating back to when the Hakiems had captured himself and a variety of others. "How Din could make rocks so sharp exactly where I happen to be falling is beyond my knowledge." He shrugged and downed the remainder of his liquor ration.

"So, we just need to wait up for... Tayro and Alex. They'll be fine, it'd take a good number of Knights to bring them down."

OOC: I hadn't noticed on my first read through, but Dogura... you were quoting me up there, weren't you?

OOC: I sure was. I should actually fix that to say who I quoted. And its from the "Seven Strange Visitors" topic a while back. Dogura hasnt been here since.

Blank Fireside wrote:So I decided to cover my eyes and walk faster. Well, it was about that time that they saw me and I flat out booked it for Rauru. Ran so fast I tripped and got speared in the gut by a rock, of all things.

lmao XD

IC: Dogura couldnt help but snicker at Blank's predicament. Although he was definately a strong warrior, he seemed to be a bit of a coward until it all came down to fighting. Perhaps this is why he is always underestimated. From the many adventures Dogura had been on with the nomad, he knew Blank always had to trip over something. But never had he thought that it would wound him like that. "Well, I as well ran into a platoon! But I dont remember fighting them! All I remember is waking up on the path to Rauru." Dogura pondered, and then decided to shake the idea, gazing upon Blank's battle scars, and showing a few of his own. Nothing like a game of Show your Scars amoung weathered warriors. The samurai thought, still bothered by the thought of memory loss.

Alpha lifts his hand in greeting as Dogura arrives first, listening to his words. "Give the others time," he reassures the Hylian. "The journey from North Castle here to Rauru Town isn't a quick one, and any trouble they encounter I'm sure they can handle. If worse comes to worse, we'll seek them out, but I doubt that will be necessary." Glancing at the doorway, he grins. "And here come two more."

Rose and Blank both appear, seemingly safe, though Blank appears to have nearly gotten into some sort of trouble on his way here. Alpha struggles somewhat to restrain from laughing at the thought of being injured not by the guards but by a miscalculated step and its resultant falling, and manages to keep his humor from expressing itself. He shrugs to Rose. "I'm not picking up your tab no matter where we go, Rose, so don't wait for me to offer to buy you a drink."

While Blank and Dogura begin showing each other scars, Alpha turns back to the doorway. Frankly, his scar is already visible to anyone who wants to find it, and the Sheikah is annoyed enough at its very existence to not care to bring any more attention to it. So he keeps lookout for the remaining two members. As Blank has said, they're only missing Tayro and Alex, two capable warriors in their own right. The part of him expressing concern for their safety is a very small one.

"...nkaru ni limaken ture la korota no myara kamau stal ikto, kamu stal ikto..."
In the dark alleys, the Zora was humming a song a bout the hero Kalmec (maybe an ancestor of his) and how he defeated the Stalfish King long ago. He went on walking and avoiding the pitch black alleys.
Finally an orange light was seen around the corner. Slowly he pushed the door of the inn and felt the warm atmosphere of a place full of people (that is, hot-blooded people). Alex instantly recognized the garbs of his comrades -save for one, Tayro-.
"The kid will be fine," he thought then laughed at his own thoughts. "I'm not even 5 years older than him, yet I call him a kid."
He answered the cold stares that were given to him with one of his own, which, together with his daggers and his 6 ft. height were enough to turn them away.
As soon as he was in front of the table of Guardians, he catch sight of the list containing the names of six people who where against the King, which gave him a cold sensation through all his spine, so he snatched it before anyone could do anything and said something below his breath, then the piece of paper slowly burned to ashes.
"You'll thank me when we don't get thrown into the dungeons" and with that plain phrase he greeted the rest. He took a chair and continued, "I just don't think it is a good idea to have our names written somewhere. Think if they catch one of us and then have the list in their power, what would they think then..."

Rose watched as Blank came in, but ignored him as he and Dogura started showing off their scars. Men; always showing off, she thought, almost snorting with derision. They really need to find something better to do with their time.

Rose chortled as Alpha told her he wasn't going to pay her tab. "I wasn't expecting you to, Alpha," she said. "I don't even drink except for special occasions anyway. Me being drunk is the last thing you need to worry about. Blank, however...." She let the sentence hang, calling to mind how he had entered the Stock Pot Inn.

And then Alex walked in, snatching Dogura's list and burning it (OOC: I'm assuming ZV's going to allow that to happen). After the Zora finished talking, Rose spoke up. "That wasn't really necessary. The Hylian Knights already know who we are. If anything, that list would've only given them our names. I wouldn't be too worried, unless Alpha has anything to say otherwise."

This was not good. He had lost quite some time as he faced off that couple of Mad Dekus in the forest. To Tayro, it was still unknown how they became so ravaging and determined to kill. A mental or physical illness? Some kind of bacteria or virus? He just didn't know. What made matters worse was that they kept hiding when he tried to hit them, and when he turned his back on them to run away, they kept moving closer and spitting Deku Nuts at him. The mage apprentice's back was still sore from that encounter. Seeing he did not possess a shield, he couldn't see how he could deflect their weaponry... until it finally came to him. He decided to play a little target practice like he used to play sometimes at the orphanage. A target was set - in this case, the Mad Dekus - and then someone would throw a ball - a Deku Nut in this case. Tayro, using his staff as a bat, pretending he was playing his own little game in the Orphanage, timed the moment right as the Nut came towards him. As it was about to hit the teenager, he swung the staff, throwing the Deku Nut back at its source. After two failed attempts, he finally hit one at the third try, knocking him unconscious. The other, perhaps out of fright, decided it was time to retreat. Even if it had been some fun, the matter still remained - he had lost much time.

As he arrived to Rauru, the mage apprentice dashed through the streets, past a lady carrying groceries, a group of kids playing with a slingshot, and a dark, shady-looking individual, one of those people Tayro would probably investigate... if time wasn't so short. He had to get to the meeting fast, before he got there first. He had to warn the others about what the samurai had done a few moments earlier... else, they could be in danger. Who knew what he could do to them. After what the Hylian had seen, he wasn't so sure anymore. Ahead of him lied his target - the Stock Pot Inn, in which his fellow Twilight Guardians were helding a gathering... in which he was supposed to participate. Besides his anxiousness, he knew he was late, and the most probable fact was that the man was already inside. So, he slowed down a bit as he came by the door.

The boy inhaled a bit, and then slowly opened the door, not fully as not to create any attention upon himself, the enough to watch what was happening inside. That's when he saw that all of the Twilight Guardians - except for him - were already there, including him. The boy just didn't know what to do. He could enter and act casual, but right now, for all he knew, the Vagabond could already be plotting his friends' murder. He could just not stand there and idly watch. He could deliver him a blow... though with an inn full of people, such thing would be complicated... unless... he used a more advanced type of magic. It was quite hard, harder than an Elemental Explosion for sure, and was a trick that easily made the Hylian absolutely exhausted... but it had to be done. Opening the door slightly further, he began to spin his staff in a circular pattern, creating a black circle. Inside, he drew a five pointed star, the regular for an Elemental Burst. He placed his staff on the center, and besides channeling his energy, he also began placing magical instructions on the seal. Hit only the samurai, if someone tries to intercede in his favour dissipate so that it won't have any negative effect. Move around obstacles so that you go only for the samurai. - he instructed mentally, a black symbol appearing in the center. "Elemental Burst." - he whispered, pushing his staff backwards - "Shadow." Tayro then thrust his staff towads the center of the black glyph, who began to twist and turn into a dark energy sphere, headed towards Dogura.

Dogura laughed at some of Blank's scars, and the stories behind them. He was about to say something about his own scars, when he sensed a familiar aura... Alex had appeared at the table, and had taken a seat. It was about that time that he had smelled smoke, and began praying that the fire alarm wouldnt sound. When he noticed what was burning, he stood up and glared at Alex. "I was using that..." He muttered, taking his seat, somewhat understanding the man's train of thought. He leaned back, awaiting only Tayro to arrive. He was beginning to worry, and glanced out the window near their table.

Suddenly, something didnt feel right. Dogura knew he had tuned senses, and they had never failed him before. He turned to his right, where the the doors were placed, and noticed a dark energy wafting around the room, headed for the table. Not wanting to alarm anyone at the Inn, he placed two fingers to his forehead, conjuring mental energy. "Dispell." Dogura whispered, now standing. He somehow doubted that the rest of the group hadnt seen the spiralling ball of dark energy, but felt the need to say something anyways. Did any of you happen to notice that? Dogura telepathically asked his team, not taking his eyes off of the direction the magic had come from.

'I certainly did,' Alpha immediately shoots back mentally. He'd been chuckling at the sight of Dogura's annoyance at his burned up paper - honestly, did he really need that page to know who was in the guild? - when the sensation of magic touched him. The Sheikah quickly reaches up and brushes against his scar, remembering how just a minute or two before he had been cursing its existence. He still curses its existence - make no mistake about that! But it does have its uses.

Standing up, Alpha reaches beneath his cape and withdraws his staff, holding it like a walking stick so as to avoid attracting any unwanted attention. 'Whoever did that, they did not activate my scar's sensing abilities . . . whoever it is, he, she, or it isn't evil.' Confusing for certain, being that the attack had certainly been meant to injure someone, but if Alpha's scar isn't picking it up then there are only two other options: 1) the person isn't evil, or 2) they're so powerful that they can shield themselves even from a curse as powerful as the Sheikah's scar. And if they're that powerful, they wouldn't have needed an Elemental Burst to take out the Hylian.

What worries the Sheikah instantly is that this may be some of the Hylian Knights - they weren't all evil, just misguided in their beliefs. Dogura and Blank had both already mentioned being spotted on the way here; the chance was not terrible that those Orders had made the unfortunate mistake of putting two and two together to end up here. 'Be on your guard, everyone,' he thinks through Dogura's telepathic link. 'I'm going out there; anyone who wishes to follow do so. Any who choose to stay, so be it.'

Those words said - er, thought - the Sheikah walks casually to the entrance, hoping to confront whoever has caused this where there are less people around. He catches a glimpse of the sky through a window as he passes - good, night is falling. For a Sheikah, there is no greater advantage than darkness to ensure victory.

Blank had no special gift to foresee magic and danger. Had the Burst been aimed at him, he likely would have taken it in full force and would never have seen it coming. Sure, he did not exactly want some sort of psychic ability to sense and dispel attacks, nor did he want a scar that could tell him danger was near. Still, the fact that he was always oblivious to danger was less enticing than it should have been.

As Alpha stood up, Blank knew that a skirmish was in order. He felt the voices of both Dogura and Alpha riveting across the airwaves through the samurai's telepathic link, and groaned quietly to himself. I was hoping for a bit of relaxation..., he thought as he, too, stood and walked towards the Inn's door. The thrill of a fight beyond the door was, however, enough excitement to allow him to get involved. Tayro's going to be sorry he was late after we tell him about this! thought the nomad jovially.

As he walked, he let only one sword find its way to his palm. He was teamed up with most of the Twilight Guardians guild, and they were all reasonably powerful. There was no need for the Hylian to go all out this time; who or whatever was out there was not likely to be powerful enough to take on an entire guild.

The hell? is all that Rose can think as Dogura and Alpha react to something she certainly didnt notice. As Alpha got up, Rose stood up, intending to follow him. Her left hand strayed to where her sword was connected to her belt, ready to take it off should the need arise.

"Saw wha-"
There was no need to finish the question, as the air was densely charged with magic, even someone as inexperienced as him could feel slightly the familiar energy.
He did not react as much as the rest of the Guardians, but became more tense and stood ready to leap at any upcoming danger.
"Whoever cast that magic is going to-" and his speech became a combo of curses and zoran language.

Dogura stood up out of his chair, and walked beside Rose, as they followed Alpha towards the doorway. Dogura, like Blank, was hoping for a little relaxation. He had fought enough for one day, and wished for nothing more than to relax with friends. As he followed, thoughts ran through his mind. A Hyrule Knight? No, they wouldnt be allowed to practice shadow magic. Where is Tayro for all of this? he walked hoping that the group wouldnt make a scene...