Not long after leaving the Lamia's Tail, Lily's anxiety arose once again. She was not familiar with Woodmoore, so she had to rely on Ernest's help. The two made their way back to the market square, unaware of the figure following after them. A figure clad in black weaved like the wind between the passersby, on a direct path straight for one innocent girl out of her depth in this place. Hand aglow, feet silent, he made for what cash his magic would snatch for him, only for a hand on the small of Lily's back nudging her out of the way.
The piercing gold eyes of Ernest were set on the would-be thief and his other hand opened. From his palm, from a metallic glow at the center, chains erupted and the figure in black wailed as he was not only tangled up, but lifted into the air by his ankles. Everything seemed to go so quickly for Lily, her hair whipping around when the thief had made an attempt to rob her. She clutched her apron tightly, reaching underneath it to the pockets of her dress in order to feel for her money. She relaxed some, giving a nod to Ernest before she glanced over at the would be thief.

"Bet this fella had his eyes on you from the get go. I doubt he expected a mage of my caliber though!" Ernest bragged and he gently moved his free hand to Lily's shoulder. "I think I got him before he could snag anything. You okay, Missy?"

"I'm fine." She murmured, still breathing a little heavily before looking up at the elven man.
"Is that common?" She asked him, relaxing more before breaking his hold. She wasn't comfortable with a near stranger touching her like that.
"What's going to happen to him anyway?" There were so many questions she had, having never lived in a large city. 

Were people really robbed out in the open like this? Surely someone else must have seen him. They definitely saw him now, suspended in the air by golden chains that sprung from Ernest's hand. She still didn't trust him any farther than the demure girl could throw him. It was expected, that much was obvious.

"Only if you don't know who to look out for." He eyed the thief and smirked, "As for now-" With a flick of his chains, he swung the thief high over their heads and unraveled them, letting him fly off over a couple buildings.
"He can think about what he did and think twice as hard about robbing anyone else today." The Chain Mage dusted his hands off and grinned, "As long as you're with me, Lily, you're in real good hands."

Lily's eyes widened when she watched the thief fly, making her hands cover her mouth. That man could have been seriously injured, thief or not! Still, as much as she wanted to tell him how dangerous that was, a part of her deep down shook it off. He wouldn't do that to her, would he? Chains, though.. She didn't like the thought of those. It appeared useful, but it only made her a bit more reluctant. Slavers and traders used chains to capture particular races for their valuable bodies, so seeing him demonstrate what he was capable of made her all the more wary of him. There was no way he could tell what she was, could he?

"Well then.. Let's be on our way." She said softly, taking a deep breath.

A chill ran up her spine as paranoia set in. She had to trust him, she had already paid him and he agreed to keep her safe. The girl looked to him to lead the way, as she didn't know the city well enough to find her way to the southern roads. Ernest saluted, making sure to keep a close eye on his new traveling companion as they made their way through Woodmoore. Finding the southern gates was easy enough, and from there it was a straight shot outside of the city.
Actual military presence was non existent in this place. Between the multitude of Magics and the presence of both Grand Magia and the Arcanium Assembly, the need for armed forces was unnecessary in the capital city. Outside of the city was lightly wooded road, pleasant with a cool breeze blowing in from the east. Ernest stopped their pace, looking to Lily as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"Ah... Lily, uh, I kind of hate to bring it up. It sounds so awkward, but... You still don't trust me yet do ya?" He asked, unusually glum as he peered at her curiously.

Long, indigo locks billowed carelessly in the breeze, her eyes turning to him before she gave him a slightly sheepish shrug, hands upturned as she gave her answer.

"Can you really blame me? I've.. never really been to Woodmoore, and it has me more cautious than I'm used to." She said softly, a short sigh escaping her.
"I apologize. I'm just nervous." Lily explained before she loosened her shoulders, closing her eyes for a moment before looking over at him.
"You understand, though.. Why I'd be cautious about strangers, right?" She tried making conversation as she looked over at him, tilting her head somewhat.

It was still rather early, the sun having passed its highest and was beginning to descend towards the horizon. It was the middle of spring, so it didn't look like it would get too warm later on.

"Because you're a mermaid?" He said it so casually. In that moment, A much more chilling wind whipped by.
"I approached so happily, just trying to make conversation. I always come off as overly friendly, I'm told." Ernest sighed. Rubbing the back of his neck again, he continued to speak.
"And my Chain Magic, too! Why, I bet you started to think I was some slaver! Aha ha ha ha!" He laughed, though it was not at all jovial.

The laughter stopped. "Stupid little fish girl oughta listened to that instinct." His smile, once so warm, morphed and curled into something wicked.

Chains erupted from his fingertips in fast moving tendrils of clanking, seemingly endless strands. Each tipped by a wickedly sharp dagger that either hovered threateningly or made to ensnare the girl quickly. With a strong enough hold, Ernest planned to lift the girl up and walk her over to the trees a bit more out of sight. Those dark and uneasy thoughts were proven totally true. Her gaze froze on him, like a newborn deer she tried to run away, though she tripped over her skirts in her frantic panic, unable to get away.

"Hah.. Help!" She cried out, her hands coming up to deflect the chains away with water.

She had a canteen hidden under her apron, water popping the lid open and flowing out to her hands in order to keep them from being shackled. She tried getting to her feet, only stumbling even more, struggling to her feet before one chain shackled her foot.

"Someone! Please!" She cried again.

In the face of danger, she was terrified, her timid voice not quite loud enough to reach the ears of those that were still lingering around the outside of the city. Lily tried to pull her leg from the chains, trying to get to her feet once more and run away. She was trapped, though, her water unable to break the magic that kept her tethered down. Using what was left of her water, she formed a bubble around her, keeping herself safe as long as she could hold it.
The black-clad thief from before appeared, hands aglow and pressed against the dome to sap away the mana keeping it up. All the while Ernest whipped the bubble in hopes of popping it, wearing down her measly defense and so they could take her away!

"Caught a mermaid once! She was a lot more trusting, a lot less trouble! Pretty, too. She made us a pretty penny at black market auction! I bet you will, too." Both men started to cackle madly, keeping up the attack as Lily's mana was slowly being sapped, her bubble close to breaking.

Tears streaming from her eyes, Lily was close to giving up. She was so close to letting go, until she felt static in the water around her. A crackle hit their ears, like lightning preparing to snap down on this clear, sunny evening and the air grew charged, their bodies feeling the danger before it struck. Literally.
Blue bolts of lightning crashed down on both men, electrocuting them. It was over in an instant and they were left dazed and blackened, standing still until a gentle passing breeze saw to it that they collapsed in groaning heaps, preventing them from breaking Lily's defense. A small gasp of surprise escaped her as she watched her would be kidnappers fall to the ground.

"Assholes.." A hooded stranger grumbled as he walked up to the curled up girl and crouched down in front of her bubble shield. He stared blankly at her from under his hood, past its clear walls and tapped a couple times, the surface rippling somewhat.
"Oi. It's over now, girl." He called. The water had protected her from the leftover crackling, the bubble popping when the mysterious man tapped it.

"Please don't hurt me.." She said, backing up in the damp grass with tears still in her eyes.

After the scare those two had put in her, she would find it increasingly harder to trust anyone that came near her now. sure, he saved her, but at what cost? Would he extort her rescue for money? Was he a rival slaver? She was so scared now, shaking on the ground with her arms covering her face in cowardice. 

The man rolled his eye and huffed.

"If I wanted to hurt you, there would have been three lightning bolts, don't you think?" The stranger snarked to her.

He stood up to his full height and pulled his hood off, towering over her cowering form with no regard for her terror or her anxiety now. The girl looked up at him, his silhouette casting a dark shadow over her as he spoke to her.

"Get on your feet. Let's go..." He reached down to take Lily by her arm, intent on pulling her onto her feet if need be. She flinched at first, but otherwise allowed him to help her up.

"You and I are about to have a talk. You must be three kinds of insanely stupid! Walking in to that place without any kind of illusion or glamour to hide the biggest effin' tell for your kind! You waltz right in and practically shout, 'Hi, I'm ditzy mermaid! Kidnap me for slaver auctions! Maybe worse if you feel up to it!' By the All-Magic... Idiot." No malice, no pain... He just rebuked her! 

Not unlike a brother would a sister, but without the tact or familial kindness. No, this was straight chiding and no verbal punches were pulled. It wasn't so much a talk as it was a scolding. How was she supposed to know what about her was a dead give away? She had never even been to a big city like this before! Instead of simply speaking her thoughts and defending herself, Lily just bowed her head, taking his words headlong before uttering a small apology.

"I-I'm sorry.. I didn't.. I didn't know.." She explained, avoiding his gaze as he intimidated her to pieces. She started to calm down, tears ceasing as she tried to take a few deep breaths.
"Thank you for saving me." She told him, forcing herself to stand up straight and raise her head to meet his gaze, surprised to find he had one eye, the other covered by a white eyepatch.

She only hoped he wouldn't ask for the rest of her money for this. She needed to find someone else to take her to Port Hollifern. Just then, the thought struck her, like lightning struck those two! But no! No.. Why would he agree to protect her if she was a beacon for trouble? It was a bad idea, so she kept it to herself.

"Don't mention it." He turned and walked over to Ernest's unconscious form.

He rifled through the man's pockets and brought out a coin pouch that jangled some as he bounced it in his palm. The white haired stranger walked back to the downtrodden mermaid and took her hand to put two gold in it.

"I'm keeping three," Irvine told her bluntly, "One for my trouble," He proceeded to bite one like Ernest had, "One for my words of wisdom," His words of scolding? He bit down on another. "And one for taking you back home. Wise up before you decide to skip on in to situations you aren't ready for like an idiot." The one-eyed man bit the last piece before he pocketed his procured coin and folded his arms over his chest, gazing sternly at the timid mermaid.
"Merfolk have the longest hair of all the magical races. It also shimmers when wet, giving away your race. Visit a witch or druid and they can brew up a legal potion to hide that. Pretty cheaply, too. That, or learn how to deal with assholes like that and you won't need to hide. Simple. I won't charge you that advice." He told her, peering down at her with that lone, blue stare.

"My hair..?" She reached up and brought a thick handful of it over her shoulder, looking over the glossy strands. It got wet when her bubble had been popped, so it did take on a shimmering sheen. She grimaced as she realized her mistake.
"I see.. I probably should have dressed better, too." She said quietly, taking the thick locks of hair into her hands and weaving the length into a braid, letting it fall against her back before she tightened her cloth bandanna over the top of her head. His words lingered in her thoughts.. He was offering to take her home, but that was not her destination. He suggested it, so she could make a counter offer, right?
"Could you... Could you take me to Hollifern Bay instead?" She asked him outright, taking out more money from her purse under her apron, looking up at him.
"I'll pay you whatever you like if you can keep this from happening again." Lily urged, heart beating so strongly in her chest.

There was a bit of determination in her eyes, as she didn't want to be taken right back to where she started. Taking carriages to each city would only be more expensive, and would cost her a good chunk of change as the roads were often winding and cities far apart. The man's eyebrows rose, mildly surprised that she found her voice so quickly. He had fully expected her to trudge back to her home with her head down and lock herself away after that embarrassing display, but no, instead she was gungho to take this trip.

"...What's your name?" He asked, almost begrudgingly, apparently taking on her request. He watched as relief took over her face, the girl glad that he accepted her offer.

"My name is Lily." She said with a minor sigh of relief. 

Looking down, she noticed how filthy her clothes had become in that scuffle, using her magic to remove any water from her clothing as well as prevent any stains. It was remarkably easy, just threading the liquid through to remove impurities before she willed it all back into her canteen at her hip. She snapped the lid closed, looking back up at him. That icy gaze of his still made her nervous, but he seemed to soften up towards her, in her opinion. She looked back at the two that had tried to kidnap her, hoping they wouldn't wake up any time soon and come after them. All of that metal on Ernest surely must have added some pain, so she pitied him despite his intentions.

"I know it's pretty far, so that's why I need help getting there.." She told him, starting to explain her plan. "What's your name?" She asked in return, a small smile on her delicate face.

"My name is Irvine Bastio, and I gathered as much." The taller man looked over his new mermaid charge and down at her canteen. "Your magic isn't even strong enough to conjure water from the air." He sighed, running one hand through his white mohawk. Already, the lightning mage could feel in the pit of his stomach that this girl might just be more trouble than she was worth... But damn, was he such the pushover.

"Alright. If I'm going to do this, then I have two rules. One, you're going to learn how to use offensive magic and like it. I'll teach you. A single whine or complaint and I'll hand you your gold and walk away. Two, you have to take jobs on the way just like I will. What they are is your choice, but the trip from here all the way down to Hollifern Bay won't be cheap. My payment is a gold a day. Understood?" He explained, holding his fingers up in regards to the rules.

Lily looked up as he made his conditions clear, her face filling with worry.

"I.. Well, I suppose I don't have a choice, then." She said with a sigh, nodding as she confirmed that she understood. "How will you teach me, though? Water and Lightning aren't even similar." She said, lifting her hands up, looking down at the pale palms before her gaze returned to him.

"Magic is magic. The mana all mages use, their magic, are extensions of thought and will," Irvine explained almost sagely, walking over to both unconscious men and rifling through their things more thoroughly. He took an earring, each possessing a small topaz stone dangling on a single chain link, from one ear off of Ernest and another off of his thief friend. Pockets pilfered, he started ushering Lily back toward the path.

"Jobs on the way..? What kind of jobs would there even be?" She asked aloud, not directed at him as she covered her cheek in thought.

"Whatever the job boards or businesses offer. Maybe you and I will have to kill a creature or two or do a bit of hard labor. Something." He answered as he brought out his own coin and took a moment to count out his own personal bank. Thirty-one gold, two silver and six copper. A decent amount, good for meals and some cheap inn rooms. It seemed all Lily had on her was her money, her canteen, and whatever else lied in those deep pockets of hers beneath her apron. Lily didn't have a map of any kind, nor did she have any extra provisions. It was clear that she had never traveled far from home before! Lily's face grew more worried when he explained the types of jobs they'd be offered. The only thing in her life she had actually killed were fish in the lake she lived beside. Maybe traveling so far was harder than she imagined, but she couldn't back down now.