Iliana refused to stay unarmed. Despite how lacking her knowledge of Nightmares happened to be, even Iliana knew they were more active at night. So, as darkness took over the world outside her cabin, she stepped over to the kitchen and systematically went through the few cabinet drawers until she found a few dinner knives. They were flimsy things-- Iliana doubted they'd be able to cut through the thick hide of a sea serpent-- but sharp enough that holding one in her hand made her feel safer.

Knowing that walking around with it in her hand might not be a good idea, Iliana wrapped the blade in a scrap of fabric from her old trousers, then used another scrap to tie the blade to her thigh. After spending several minutes practicing pulling the blade from beneath her skirt and nearly slicing open her leg, Iliana decided that her make-shift sheath only worked as long as the knife stayed in place. Once she'd pulled it out, Iliana would need to stand still and secure it again if she didn't want to risk making herself bleed. This in mind, she tied a second to her other leg and walked around until she felt comfortable. Hopefully, they wouldn't fall down during the trek to the waterfall. Sending a half-hearted prayer to the gods about it, Iliana returned to the front window.

She chewed her lip, her fingers idly tapping her leg as she stared out into the dark night. It was almost midnight, she was certain. The moon sat high in the sky, urging her to step out of her cabin and set off to meet Callias. She would wait a few minutes longer, however, as the lantern in the cabin across from her own had gone out only a few moments ago. As she watched, waiting for any sign the sirens were still awake, Iliana's mind continuously dredged up worse-case scenarios of what could have happened in the hours she'd left Kain alone.

The merpeople could have changed their minds about the risks-- whatever they were, Iliana hadn't quite understood them, just that they existed-- of keeping Kain in the cave. They could have abandoned him. Nightmares could have attacked. Kain could have sustained an unseen injury while in the water that killed him while she was gone.

Her heart skipped a beat at the thought. She'd just got him back--Iliana wasn't about to lose him again. 

It was time to move.

Within moment she'd slipped out the front door and began her careful, quiet trek to the edge of the village. Luckily, nothing seemed to go wrong and she soon stood just outside the willows, looking around for any sight of Callias. Instead of his blonde locks, however, the longer she stared into the dark woods, the more certain she was that only a dozen feet away, his back against an old tree, stood Aran. In the dark, his semi-transparent figure was even harder to make-out as he seemed to blend into the shadows.

His eyes trained on her, the gatekeeper cocked his head to the side. She had the distinct feeling he was questionin her presence. Well, he wasn't the only one confused.

"You..." she murmured. "Why are you here?"

"We agreed to meet, did we not?"

Iliana nearly shrieked in surprise. Just barely suppressing the noise, she spun around to face Callias. He was watching her with a raised brow, his lips just barely turned up at the edge. The amusement disappeared rather quickly, but in the split second she'd seen it, Iliana realized that Callias was strikingly handsome when he smiled. Of course, she instantly dismissed such a thought as completely unimportant in the current situation.

"We did," she said, then spun around. "I was ask-- where the fuck?"

Callias sighed. "Your language.... Must you talk like a sailor?"

She shot him a glower, before scanning the forest around them. It wasn't her imagination-- Aran truly was gone. Unless... unless she'd imagined him in the first place. In which case, mentioning him to Callias would only cause needless worry. Then again, if she wasn't imagining him...

"I am a sailor. Can merpeople see ghosts or gatekeepers?"

Callias frowned, his eyes searching her, then the forest. No doubt he was wondering about the reason behind her seemingly random question.

"We can," he said, then hesitated. "Well, to a point. We've experienced death, so we all hold the ability to see ghosts. But, we aren't close to death. Not like... certain sirens, the undead, and some other races. So, like humans who've had near death experiences, we can only see gatemasters when they wish to be seen. Why?"

Was that it? Had she been right about guessing that Aran might be a gatemaster? In which case.... Why was he letting her see him? As far as she was aware, she'd never seen the man before. None of this made sense.

"I thought I saw someone," she answered, pointing towards where Aran had been standing. "A man, standing right over there."

Callias frowned at the spot, studying it for a moment. Then, he shook his head and turned towards the direction Iliana guessed the waterfall laid in. The dirt trail didn't cut through the thick undergrowth like the path to the beach, but she managed to follow behind him easy enough as he started walking.

"Then it's best we leave now," Callias said. "Nothing good comes of seeing a gatemaster."

"They're bad luck, then?" she asked, remembering the chill she'd felt at seeing Aran. Perhaps the fear that'd frozen her in place initially wasn't unfounded. Rumor did say the same thing Callias had. As if reading her thoughts, Callias hesitated.

"From what I've heard," he admitted. "I've never spoken to one myself, so I don't know how true any of it is. Still, I'd rather not find out. I've always heard that the goddess of death isn't fond of those who cheat their fate. If the gatemasters share Shinnah's feelings..." He shrugged.

"The gatemasters cheat death, though," Iliana pointed out. "Isn't that a bit hypocritical?"

He was silent for several seconds as they trekked through the black forest, their path lit only by the faint moonlight trickling down through the overcast trees. Then, he sighed.

"I've no idea how much you know about the different 'children' races. So, I may just be repeating things you already know, but... gatemasters are different from the rest of us. You know what becomes of a soul after it dies, right?"

Iliana nodded. "They're collected by a gatemaster, then released into the Lake of Souls in the valley to await Doroi."

"Right," he confirmed. "Doroi calls the soul out when it's their turn to be reborn into the world. Gatemasters, however... their souls won't ever be reborn. In return for being 'rescued' by Shinnah, they're tasked with collecting souls for as long as theirs' roam. Little ever kills a gatemaster given that they're basically dead already, practically invisible, and can't age, so their soul is never collected. I've heard that for Shinnah, the fact that they may never be reborn makes up for their never completely dying."

Iliana committed these details to memory, unsure of why they felt so important. Perhaps it was Aran's repeated presence. Perhaps if she learned more about him, she'd know why he'd showed himself to her. It wasn't as if trying to talk to him would do the trick. Even she knew that the living, at least, the living of the human sort, couldn't hear the voices of the dead.

The rest of the walk was spent in a comfortable silence. Callias seemed to have his own matters to think about-- or perhaps that serious, unreadable expression was just his default face-- and Iliana was content to leave him to it as she mused over hers. When they arrived at the top of the waterfall, Callias instructed her to wait as he jumped down, then moved to the cave opening before waving her down. This time, she didn't need rescuing as she moved along the narrow ledge and slipped in.

Her heart nearly stopped at the sight of a certain sailor sitting up and chatting amiably with Melitta, who sat cross-legged on the other side of the small cave.

"Kain," she murmured.

He stiffened, then turned to meet her gaze with equally wide eyes. Then, he grinned. "Quite a situation we've got ourselves into, huh?" 

In that single second, Iliana had the strangest urge to either punch him, or start crying. It was as if all the fear, confusion, and worry she'd been feeling over the past couple days dissipated at the sight of his lax grin. As a tidal wave of relief replaced these emotions, her hands curled into fists at her sides.

"Uh... Iliana?" Kain prompted, grin dropping away. Instead, he eyed her with concern. Perhaps something about her expression must have clued Kain in on her feelings. The two merpeople seemed to pick up on this as well, as Melitta followed his words with a laugh, Callias simply taking up his usual spot against the wall a few feet from where Iliana stood.

"You're such an idiot," she said, before lunging forward.

Kain flinched back. Ignoring this, Iliana curled a hand around the back of his neck and dragged her best friend into a hug. He yelped-- she must have touched an injury-- but didn't try to jerk away. Perhaps a bit stunned at her show of affection, he stayed still as they sat like that for several seconds. Then, he chuckled.

"I thought you were going to--"

She smacked a hand across the back of his head and released him. "What the hell were you thinking?!"

"Shit, Ili--"

"You could have died," she stressed. "I thought you did die."

"It would take more than that to kill me," he replied, rubbing his head.

She glowered as she considered hitting him again. Melitta, her bright smile a stark contrast to Iliana's expression, laughed once more.

"He's right, you know," she pointed out. "Ume doesn't hurt his own."

Kain stiffened, shooting Melitta a warning expression. Confusion fluttered through Iliana as she glanced between them. His own?

"Still--" she began.

"You know..." Kain cut in, his tone a purposeful drawl. "As interesting as it is to talk about me, I have a feeling there's a much more interesting topic here."

"More interesting than how you escaped death?" she challenged. "You're deflecting."

He shrugged, then gave a grand gesture in her direction. Iliana narrowed her eyes, apprehension sending tension to her spine.

"There's an abundance of things more interesting than me--such as, Melitta here told me you've been hanging with sirens."

Of course he chose to focus on the one topic she wanted to avoid above all others. Iliana bit her lip, mind racing for her own deflection. A completely disconnected thought occurred to her in that moment over how Kain seemed to pronounce Melitta's name with that same, careful accent on the letters that Callias gave it. So, she purposely ignored his statement and focused her attention on the siblings.

"Where are you two from?"

The smile on Melitta's lips grew stiff, Callias's expression turning even less inviting than usual. Kain, on the other hand, simply groaned and dropped his head against his palm.

"You and I need to work on your social abilities," he grumbled. "Aren't ladies of class supposed to have some understanding of tact?"

Even more confused about the matter than before, Iliana shrugged off the rebuke. In her opinion, it was worse to try and say something in the guarded way the court ladies did, than to be straightforward like she was. Sure, she might hurt a few feelings, but at least she'd never be misunderstood. No one who knew her would ever be able to label her as another "misleading little girl."

"What's so wrong about asking?" she countered. "I'm curious."

Callias was the first of the siblings to open his mouth. "You've no need to--"

"Nubella."

Silence reigned over them for several seconds as Melitta's answer slowly connected the little information she had on the siblings. The moment it clicked, Iliana sucked in a breath and looked away. Kain was right. Sometimes, tact was best.

"Oh," she muttered after another heartbeat of silence. "I..."

Melitta waved her off. "Don't apologize. You couldn't have known. It isn't as if many people know how to recognize one of ours anylonger."

She wasn't wrong, Iliana knew. Nubella wasn't exactly a country any longer, and hadn't been over two decades. Iliana hadn't been born when the capital fell to Reotak and had never even stepped foot in their territory. Still, she should have guessed. Their blonde hair and light colored skin was typical to that country-- and was now mainly seen in slaves.

"So, you two were..."

Kain groaned. "Iliana!"

Melitta waved him off. Her lips were tight, every part of her body reading tense, but there was a smile on her lips that reflected in her eyes. Callias's body language read quite similar-- minus the smile. In fact, his expression was about as pissed as Iliana'd ever seen it.

"It's no trouble," Melitta murmured, then raised her tone. "We weren't slaves, actually. My mother and I were taken in by an... interested third party who had no need for more house workers." She paused, giving Iliana a considering look.

"That's enough," Callias said.

Ignoring him, she continued. "Have you heard of the term 'Bella?' Not as a name, but a title."

Iliana hesitated, then shook her head. She was beginning to realize that bringing up their origins as a way to escape talking about the sirens was perhaps a very rude decision on her part.

"It's..." Melitta trailed off, as if searching for the right words.

"Just means you've been running with the right crowds," Callias interrupted, tone stiff and irritated. His eyes were settled on Melitta, but Iliana was certain the anger wasn't directed towards his sister. "It's not used by the sort of people you want to know. It refers to the women taken as human trophies when Nubella fell. Many of those bastards consider our pale coloring exotic, and it became a measure of status to have a 'Bella' in your house."

"That's..." she said, then shook her head. Nothing she could say quite seemed to measure up to her feelings towards the picture his words had begun to paint in her mind.

"Right..." Melitta added, seeming to recover. "Exactly. So, we weren't allowed to do housework, or anything of the like, really. Our... our family--" Callias scoffed. "--preferred we not chance injuries that could detract from our... beauty, I suppose."

Iliana was struck silent for several moments. Then, a realization came to her and she looked to Kain, eyes wide. "You've heard of this before?"

He shrugged, looking distinctly uncomfortable as he reached for his missing cap in that familiar habit. Given that it happened to be missing, he settled for tugging on his white locks.

"Captain spent a lot of time teaching me about different countries," he said. "I've more knowledge about the unseemly habits of nobles everywhere then perhaps even these two."

Melitta perked up slightly at this-- perhaps viewing it as a challenge. "Really, now?"

"Well, yeah," Kain replied, a grin appearing. "I bet you guys are far behind on the court gossip, anyway--"

Iliana put her hands up. "Please stop. This is confusing enough without you two bonding over it."

He rolled his eyes, but fell silent. His expression-- a mixture of thoughtfulness and amusement-- grew in strength as he glanced between her and Melitta. The mermaid looked even less put out by Iliana's words. Still, she didn't regret them until Kain opened his mouth.

"If all of this is too difficult for you-- how about something simpler? The sirens." She tensed, then scowled as Kain's grin returned. "What, did you think I'd just let you get away with changing the topic?"

She'd hoped.

"I don't see what there is to talk about." she replied stiffly. "It isn't as if I had a choice. Everyone was gone, I was hurt, and the sirens had a bed."

Kain cocked his head. "I didn't say you did anything wrong, Iliana."

"Neither did I," she retorted.

Kain studied her for several seconds, his amusement falling away. Unfortunately for her, it was replaced by that thoughtful look he wore sometimes-- one that was nearly impossible for her to read. This put her on edge, as she hated not being able to guess what he might be thinking.

"Could we be alone?" Kain asked, looking to Callias and Melitta. The first seemed hesitant, the second instantly nodding her agreement and stepping towards the back of the cave.

"C'mon," she urged. "You know you could use a swim."

"You could check on that thing I mentioned," Kain added.

His words seemed to clear up whatever hesitation Callias had, as the merman nodded and pushed away from the cave wall. "Call if you there's trouble. We'll hear."

This seemed to be directed towards Iliana, prompting her to shoot Kain a raised brow. He shrugged, seeming disinterested in the reason behind the obvious discrimination. Whatever the cause, the siblings disappeared into the water within seconds. If anything, this only served to heighten Iliana's tension. What did he want to talk about that couldn't be said in front of them? Perhaps he wanted to tell her exactly what he thought about her hanging with the people who'd caused the deaths of their crew. Or had Melitta told her about the other part? What would Kain say if he knew what she was doing in the morning?

What expression would he wear if he knew she'd decided to trade her humanity for a guarantee of his safety? She knew without a doubt he'd disapprove. Kain was about as far from self-serving as she could picture a sailor.

"Are you okay?"

She stared at him, his question seemingly startling her into silence. Kain offered that wry smile of his, fingers tugging on a lock of his hair.

"I know you heard me. Are you okay?"

"Fine," she said, tone stiff.

He laughed. "So, not fine at all."

"I said fine," she stressed.

"Translation: life sucks, and you're far too used to hiding the hurt."

Iliana glowered at him. "I thought I was the rude one."

"We take turns."

It was her turn to study him. Was this what he'd wanted to talk about? Typical Kain, asking to be alone because he knew how she felt about this sort of thing. Complaining wasn't her thing-- she'd had enough rough turns to learn that words changed nothing. The thought was nice, though.

"If you know the answer already, why'd you ask?" she challenged.

He shrugged. "Everyone deserves a chance to vent."

"Not everyone needs one," Iliana replied, then stood. "I'm glad to see you're okay."

"Running away?" he mused.

"No," she lied, eyes flicking to the back of the cave. She wouldn't be able to leave that way without Callias. Was it worth risking her neck to escape this conversation? "I'm just thinking of how unfortunate it would be for someone check in on me, only for them to find me missing."

That amusement returned to his expression. "You expecting to be spied on in your sleep?"

"Oh, shut up."

He laughed. "Alright. Let's make a deal. I'll quit prying into your personal feelings, you won't dive too deeply into what happened in the ocean. Fair trade?"

"No more questions?" she verified, pursing her lips when he nodded. "... fine. Deal."

No doubt she'd get her answers later. Kain had a habit of revealing things when he was ready and not a moment before. Until then, it'd be nice to not have to worry about him prying into how she felt about... everything.

"Great," he said, clapping his hands. "Now, let's talk sirens!"

"But we agreed--"

"On the personal stuff! Doesn't mean you can't tell me other things. Are the stories true? Are they as beautiful as the legends say?"

"Kain!" she groaned.

"What! I'm curious. How about their voices? Worth drowning for?"

Suddenly, spilling her guts didn't sound so bad.

"I'm not talking about this."

"C'mon!"

A/N: A bit of a short chapter, but that felt like a good place to stop! Next chapter begins the fun~ After all, Iliana has quite a morning planned...

So, there's not much to ask about in this chapter... hm... what are you thinking about everyone so far? I know, I know, I've asked this a lot. Oh! What about Callias and Melitta's story? How about how reluctant he was to talk about it? What do you think the deal is there?

Then Iliana and Kain... I'm curious, are they your ship? Or are you still looking?

Um... think that's it! See you next time~