Lily had been washed back towards the trees, downed by the miniature flood. When he came over to help her up, that would be a problem. Due to the amount of water that had soaked through her clothing, her involuntary magic activated, her boots and stockings pushed off as her legs changed into a thick, glimmering tail. Aquamarine scales lined the fish tail, a light blue fluke curling idly as she struggled to gather her footwear back into her grasp. Her eyes came up to meet Irvine's one, an embarrassed blush washing over her pale cheeks. 

"I.. Can't get up." She admitted, brushing damp locks from her face. 

Using her magic to dry off was pointless, as the rain had yet to cease. The only option would be to get that tarp up and dry off slowly. Lily's bodyguard stood over her, one eyebrow quirked up rightfully so when faced with this new development. So it was true, she was definitely a mermaid Considering that they had just met a few hours prior, she was a meek thing and merfolk fetched notoriously high prices at the black market for their scales and tails and tears, and slave trade typically for their natural beauty... He could understand her worries. Irvine reached out and petted her head gently.

"No worries," He told the mermaid girl.

There was an automatic flinch when he reached out to touch her, though she relaxed when he told her not to worry. He lifted her, as dragging her undercover, especially her tail, seemed rude and probably painful. Despite her looks, Lily was surprisingly heavy with that thick tail of hers, so she hoped he wouldn't be taken off guard by that, as well. She hung on when he picked her up, pale fingers curling into the cloth as if she'd slip right out of his hold.
He set Lily down, moving to realign the pitons to anchor the tarp over their heads once more, with a little tilt to it to allow water to run off. They now had reprieve from the downpour and could dry out. While he had readjusted the tarp, she took to slowly ringing out her hair and clothing, taking off her apron and ringing that out, too.
He went to collect Lily's boots and stockings for her as well. With some extra rope, he made a clothesline to hang up said stockings as well as his soaked jacket. He shrugged off his boots and let a bit of water dribble out. Lily handed him the garment to hang up, looking over at him when they had finished hanging up clothing.

"Despite this, I still love the rain.." He said offhandedly, looking out of the grassland under the rain.

"I do, too. Even when I was confined to staying inside, I liked to watch the rain fall." She said in agreement, pulling her skirt up to about hip level to allow her tail to dry out. It would take a while, however, as she had no towel to dry with, and using her magic to dry would do more damage than good.
"There's something soothing about the sound of rain, and the smell afterwards. It's calming." She murmured, curling up and hugging her tail close like anyone would their knees.

"Agreed.." And he took a moment to enjoy it.
The constant heavy patter of rain mixed with the water filtering through the treetops didn't bother him in the slightest. He simply reclined against the opposite tree and brought out a cigarette just to hang lazily between his lips.
"Never seen a real mermaid, didn't think you actually were one to begin with. Some milquetoast house girl who spent her days inside more than out, yeah, but not a mermaid.." He eyed his charge up and down, lone eye lingering on her tail.
"Just thought you were imitating the race for fashion.. I can see why you don't get out to meet people.. The vast majority of us are jerks." He said, taking a long drag before blowing away from the tarp.

Lily looked over at him, noticing his gaze. It made her only slightly uncomfortable, as she wasn't used to exposing her tail to others, so she shifted a bit where she sat.

"Wouldn't make much sense for a gardener to stay inside all day, would it?" She said with a slight smile, the scales drying off in due time.

As it did, the scales started to glow every so gently, beginning to fade and evaporate away from her toes up. The fluke faded into nothing, her toes and ankles slowly reappearing, then her shins and knees. More and more scales disappeared, the girl covering up her legs with her skirt. There would be no need for him to see her blindingly pale skin, as it would only embarrass her further. Still, despite having legs again, she had to wait for the bones and muscles to realign and settle before she could stand, otherwise she'd break or tear something as soon as she tried.

"You're not really that bad.. Better than others, I'd say." She told him, pulling a small comb from her skirt pocket to brush her hair.
He had shown some of his colors, but she had yet to see if they were true or not. Unlike herself, Irvine didn't seem to wear his hear on his sleeve.
"Could we build a small fire? Something to keep warm?" Lily asked, looking around for some sticks to dry and make a campfire, wanting to warm up while the rain was still coming down. 

Without a word, Irvine leaned in and began to dig a hole in slightly sodden earth. Their spot had not been long for the soggy weather to soak in deep, so he dug until he had reached a dry point and made a small pit. He took the relatively dry bark and created something of a nest, then brought out a red crystal. The crystal's lighter center glowed and danced like an encapsulated flame, the edges warm to the touch. The mermaid tilted her head when he brought out the crystal, eyes captured by the dancing flame. Fire was another thing she enjoyed, in moderation, as the small flames were warm and comforting.

"Ever seen a condensed bit of mana? Mainly forms in an elemental way or its pure magic energy. I like to carry a few around. Small ones are pretty cheap since this stuff can be found in the wild if you look hard enough." Irvine explained as he let it fall into the pit, the stone starting to glow.
 It immediately ignited and created a cozy flame that swallowed up the bark, remaining bright and lively. Hearing this, she wondered if water crystals existed, her hand reaching up idly to touch around her neck. Was that something like her heirloom?
"Good for a few hours. Only water magic can put it before then," Irvine told her. "It's gonna burn, burn off all of that magic energy.. I'ts so packed with the stuff that natural water takes longer than most to put it out. You know, throw a fire or lightning crystal hard enough and it explodes," The lightning mage said with a smirk. It was quite the morose fun fact, which may explain why Irvine knew such a thing in the first place.

Lily, however, was so lost in thought, spaced out until she heard him mention exploding crystals.

"That sounds.. really bad if you fall on one hard enough." She told him, looking a little uneasy at the thought of exploding crystals and the shrapnel that would produce.
"Do you want something to eat? We can roast some of the meat, if you're hungry." She asked, scooting over to open up her recently bought bag.
She dug around to get some bread and a little bit of that cheese, only a small amount to eat so there would be more later. She also got out some of the dried meats, as he seemed like a carnivorous guy.

"I'd uh... like that.." Irvine seemed... uncomfortable now. It might have been a stray drop of water coming down his brow from what had soaked his head, or perhaps a bead of sweat as the usual straight-faced bodyguard brought out a small satchel and stared at it for a moment before gently, very gently, setting it off to the side. Odd how he had never considered that before, not that he was ever knocked on his ass to ever run that risk... but it made him sweat. That movement didn't go unnoticed by the mermaid, a slight smile on her face as he seemed newly wary of the crystals. It was a bit amusing, to say the least.
"I'll take some of that meat. Pass me some fruit, too.." A little fireside meal with some chat might be nice. Pleasant, at least... Hopefully. Maybe. 

The two of them were quite the contrasting pair. As long as his charge trusted his judgement and his words when it counted. Lily passed him some of the meat and a few pieces of fruit, passing that as well before beginning to make her own meal. A little bit of melted cheese on bread made for a nice snack, she found, and would really warm her up in no time. Irvine had used a stray stick to impale his bit of meat to cook over their open magic fire while peeling the rind from his orange. Meat and fruit, better than most meals that crap hole pub served up to him as half-assed payment for keeping the drunks at bay.
He offered a couple wedges to Lily. The mermaid reached out and took the orange wedges, popping those in after eating her own food. The salty taste of the cheese and nearly sour citrus made for a strange yet exciting flavor in her mouth.

"I wish I had bought some tea... Tea goes so nicely with rainy weather." She lamented with a sigh, tying her bandanna back behind her ears to get her hair out of her face. The full force of the storm seemed to have waned, the rain ceasing only slightly in severity.

"You wouldn't guess it by the look of her store, but Zara, the woman who ran the apothecary, sells some great tea. Lots of flavor.. Kind of a gamble whether you get hallucinogens or not, though." It was a note worth sharing, Irvine however murmured under his breath to avoid scaring Lily. She seemed the easily startled type.

He gained her attention by speaking about the kinds of tea that strange old lady sold, and that he guessed right that she would've been startled by that. Being in her right state of mind was definitely preferred.

"It's a little after noon, so when the rain let's up, we could probably keep moving. Do you have that map?" She asked, unsure if he had kept it with him or put it in the bag. Regardless of his answer, she'd look in the bag anyway.

"Map.. map..." With no room to roll it out and Lily still grounded for the moment, he sidled over to sit next to his charge to unfurl the map across their legs.

She did little to no protesting, as it was necessary for them to look over the map. Road markers connected every town, mountain ranges lay to the far west and north, thick forests scattered about, but little in between. Lily looked it over, recognizing where her own home was, though it wouldn't be home after so long. Hollifern was her new home, a place where she could be safe and with her own kind.

"Woodmoore is over here.." The mermaid could not gave been further from any ocean water, though Woodmoore did have its small lake to the east outside of town.
"We left from the south and have been following the road. Not terribly far, though.. If we continue then we're going yo see Bardale off to the side.." He rubbed his chin.
"Hm.. We'll stop there. See if we can't by coats for the rain or umbrellas. If we have to stop whenever a strong rain pops up, you'll be broke before long." Irvine said. An umbrella sounded useful, or even some sort of waterproof cloak to keep most of Lily's hair under wraps with a hood.

She had spaced out once again, daydreaming now about all kinds of magically waterproofed items they could find in order to keep any accidents from happening. Irvine rubbed his chin again, mulling over a couple things. His lone eye drifted to his partner, his charge, as she seemed to drift away into her own happy thoughts. When the time came that she ran out of funds.. Just what the Hell was he going to do?! No doubt the girl was worried about that herself, what could a gardener selling flowers really make?
His hand migrated to the back of his head and rubbed it, the bodyguard heaving a soft sigh and deciding to deal with that when it was necessary. This girl would be eaten alive! A yipping puppy might just scare her out of her skin if she wasn't paying attention! He looked out in to the rain and it had lightened up some. Probably not enough to keep the fish tail issue under wraps, but soon enough.

"Oi," And he gave Lily's temple a poke to get her attention if his voice wasn't enough. "How much gold do you have on you?"

Lily was shaken out of her thoughts by the poke, having tuned the world out, not listening until he made that little bit of contact. She looked up at him, head tilted as he asked her about her funds. She pulled out her wallet out, pouring the contents into her lap and letting her skirt catch the coins. She counted it out: eight gold, two silver, and seven copper.

"This is all I have." She said quietly, eyes drawn back up towards his face, an unsure look crossing her own. Did he not have his own money? Was that why he asked her to pay for all their supplies? She only hoped he wouldn't extort her for more by upping the price now that he knew her secret.
"Will this be enough to get to Hollifern? I don't have anymore flowers to sell, so I can't make anymore money. All of my savings went to traveling to Woodmore, even my rent." She said, looking down at the money in her lap, gathering it back up to put into the wallet.

"Depends on how many days it takes us." Irvine shrugged his shoulders, giving his charge the simplest and most factual answer he could.

The rainy season could be rough, thunderstorms and monsoons aplenty sure to assail the land in time and soak their particular part of the country to the core. Given Lily's race and the side effects of her getting too wet, well, her tail suddenly appearing could be a hindrance. Slavers on her fish tail wanting her for their auctions, even worse. He gave her damp head a couple pats and reclined against her tree.

"Don't worry about it. You'll get to Hollifern. Plenty of towns have jobs open if you're ever in need of cash." He said, relaxing now that the danger was gone and he had a snack.

So long as Lily had her magic, rain wouldn't be too much of a problem. Buying some sort of waterproof cloak or raincoat would help keep her dry, and her boots would keep water off her feet for a good while. The idea of doing oddjobs along the way did give her a bit of hope, however. Her skills were meager and common, so she could do just about any job that required cleaning or cooking. She'd even help out with gardens and stocking stores if she had to!
She had rested long enough for her legs to stabilize, using a bit of magic to withdraw water from her hair and clothing, refilling her water pouch with it. She reached over and grabbed her stockings and boots, looking over at him for a moment. They were the type that went all the way up to her waist, so putting them on in front of him would be a little embarrassing.

"Could you.. turn that way, please?" She asked meekly, still holding the barely damp hosiery and her boots.

Irvine heaved another soft sigh and sidled off to the side. He turned his back to Lily while sitting just under the edge of the tarp.

"Make it quick." He told his charge as he turned his gaze to the sky.

She took that precious moment of privacy to pull her stockings on, glad there was no resistance and that the rain didn't damage the thin fabric. She laced her boots up before patting her skirt down, making sure it was dry enough before slipping her apron on, tying it into a neat bow behind her back. The clouds were starting to thin out, and rain lightened up to a gentle sprinkle. It likely would not last, but the issue before had been the flood brought on by that... thing. Oh, right. Those monsters.

"Ever seen creatures like that before?" Irvine asked, knowing it was a definite gamble to ask, but he had doubted her before.

"Those monsters? No, not really.. They sounded familiar, though, like something out of a nightmare." She answered, making sure the bag was tightened, secured so none of their food or supplies jostled out. With everything checked, she tapped his shoulder to let him know she was done, though it was gentle and light, as if just touching him would shock her. He turned and nodded.

"Figured I would ask. I've never seen anything like that either.." Irvine couldn't help but shake his head thinking about those monsters.
"As far as I know.. There is no natural born creature, with magic abilities or not, capable of doing... all of that." He just gestured a bit, the image of those creatures evolving at such a rapid rate to defend against the damage they take was... Interesting. Her bodyguard ultimately shrugged his shoulders.
"I don't even know of a magic that can summon like that. There wasn't anyone nearby... My opinion doesn't matter. I dunno why I'm thinking on it so much... but those creatures, I think they were made of mana. Pure magic energy. ... That's as far as my educated guessing goes," He said as he lit his a new cigarette.

"Whatever they were... I'm sure they wren't the only ones." Lily murmured, lifting up the bag, the straps snagging her hair again. She gave an annoyed sigh, dropping the bag down on a rock before reaching up and braiding her hair into a thick braid down her back, keeping it all in one place to prevent the straps from pinching and pulling at it. The bag was not that much heavier than she had originally thought, so carrying it wasn't a problem.
"Pure magic? Hm.." She murmured, thinking back on it. It seemed that the more magic he used, the bigger those things got. They absorbed the magic, but it seemed not all magic was a good combination. The lightning completely tore through their water based bodies, and water could remove the mud quite easily. A cycle of the elements, it seemed.
"If it helps, I could use the tarp as a wrap to keep dry." She suggested, looking over at their cover. Sure, she'd look like some kind of ragamuffin homeless girl wrapped up like that, but at least she'd stay dry. Irvine nodded in agreement.

"Better than nothing. Wouldn't want that fishtail popping out out of nowhere," He told his charge. He really did not want to deal with hunters and slavers.Gradually, the rain lightened to a degree that should have been safe for Lily. Luckily, he was down to his last drag and he snuffed out the cigarette butt with a quick, firm stamp of his boot.
"I'll throw it over you if need be. Let's get a move on.." He got out under the misty rainfall and tore down the tarp quickly, folding it up and keeping it under his arm for quick access. He took the bag as well. It wasn't heavy, but he didn't want to burden Lily.
"We've got another mile... mile and a half, before Bardale. We can definitely make it before night." He said, looking down at her.

Lily looked up in return when he had taken the bag from her, not complaining as it made her walk easier. Puddles from the rain had formed in the pock-marked road, the mermaid couldn't resist stepping in a few, playfully splashing like her kind was meant to do. Her boots were water resistant, all the way up to her knees so there was no threat of water getting to her feet. It was a little fun, and definitely took away the thoughts of danger and hostility that the world had no control over. With the rain nearly gone, the sun would come out to shine, a faded rainbow across the northern sky. Lily hardly glanced up when rays of sunshine came out, a smile on her lips as she happily tapped Irvine's arm and pointed up at the sky.
When she was relaxed, it seemed her childish nature came to the surface, the mermaid coming out of her shell now that she felt safe with him. Irvine's gaze followed her eager finger and he eyed the arc of light, and he nodded. Quite the sight, but that was of little interest to him compared to the the little mermaid that had been so meek before. She skipped and hopped into the light puddles, splashed him a bit, but it wasn't like that was of any consequence to him. It was actually pleasant, a breath of fresh air, to see his charge actually having some fun. The child-like wonderment came as no surprise to him. Hell, he gave his cute charge a couple pats on her head she was so cute. Would he admit that? Hell. No.
Lily happily accepted the head-patting, as it gave her a sense of security. There was no flinch or even a recoil, the mermaid's trust now in his hands. It was clear to her now he had no intentions of harming her, so her guard was completely down. A couple field mice scuttled out of their muddy homes, as wild as wild rabbits whose fur was dark and matted, sticking up in stray directions. They hopped about in the sunlight, bouncing across their path. One took a sharp turn bounced around Lily even, but it went on its way as well. The quick movement of small woodland creatures caught her attention, making her stand absolutely still. Not in fear, but to keep from scaring the animals. It wouldn't be right for them to scare the little things back into still flooded grass, so she would prefer not to spook them.
It still brought a smile to her face to see them bound across the path, and once they were safely out of the way did she continue walking. With abundant sunlight and cleared up weather, the walk to Bardale would be much more relaxed. The rainy season brought its fair share of strife, but there was no denying the change brought on after rain. Something was washed away for a new moment, the air cool and fresh. It was definitely his second favorite time, after a nice rainstorm itself.