As Arin left the spot, he nodded at miss Mira, who seemed to be trying to lie back down and go back to sleep without anyone noticing.
Prudent. And also brave, considering what she'd just woken up from.
Either way, he had a feeling she wouldn't be narrating any more tales of his 'heroics' anytime soon. The lady seemed to have been frightened into silence for the near future.
Good.
But thinking about all the trouble they might've faced…
There were a few more things he could think of, that needed dealing with promptly.
As he strode away, he cast his gaze around in search of Siel.
He'd noticed quite a while ago that the younger tower magician had made himself scarce from whatever had been going on by miss Mira's bedside.
He might've assumed the boy had been uncomfortable with the hostility, if he hadn't known how resilient that kid really was.
So, no. That wasn't it.
Arin guessed that Siel had probably been called away by someone else.
And the person most likely to do such a thing was -
There!
He spotted the cloaked healer's tall figure from a distance. Right beside him, looking child-sized in comparison, stood Siel.
The younger tower magician was nodding at something the older man was saying.
They were standing in a secluded corner, and those fervent healer fans who had been crowding the man earlier were nowhere to be seen.
'Brother Rin!' Siel called, upon noticing his approach. 'Was there much trouble?'
'None,' Arin answered.
The boy sighed. 'I am glad to hear that. Part of me was readying to make a hasty escape upon one of your dragon's back. I was truly afraid we'd be forced to escape...'
Arin raised a brow.
Clearly, he couldn't have been that worried, considering the way he'd casually waltzed away from the conversation.
'…and forego any claims to the reward money.'
Oh. There it was.
Arin cleared his throat. 'We'll need to speak to madam Seren again,' he said.
'We should,' Siel nodded. 'In fact, I really should've done so sooner, while you were away.'
The boy pursed his lips. 'Although, I suppose it's fine that we're going now. She really ought to be told.'
Arin didn't quite understand what Siel was saying. 'Uh, told...?' he asked.
'Oh, right! You weren't here at the time - you wouldn't know! My apologies.'
Siel gestured towards where the villager's deceased were laid, lowered his voice, and said, 'Amongst them are two who've been mentioned in passing to us.'
'First, sir Grif's elderly mother, who was already at the twilight of her life before the distortion struck. And second, the head caretaker; he was her personal carer, and also madam Seren's husband.'
'Ah...'
Arin sighed.
'You're right. She ought to know.'
'Where's she being kept? Let us go at once... unless?' he glanced up and raised a brow at the cloaked healer.
'We were discussing the details of what he owes me,' came the man's hoarse voice from underneath his hood. 'I've said to him what I had to. He may leave.'
Good to know.
Clear terms make for sound dealings.
...
Anyway -
'Right, c'mon kid.' He turned to leave, before turning right back around and looking at the cloaked healer.
He just couldn't help his curiosity.
'How did you get them all to leave?' he asked the man.
Yeah, he wasn't going to question him about their deal. He'd much rather learn about that from the kid.
But this...
The man seemed a little confused for a moment. Then, he tilted his head slightly and said, 'Aching heads and tired eyes - the lot of them. It seems the exhaustion from the night's work caught up with them at last.'
'...Sure, yeah. Makes sense.'
Arin exchanged a brief glance with Siel, before the two of them set off for where the old maid was being held.