They walked through the dimly lit streets of Astelvern Town with the heavy scent of roasted meat and spilled ale fading the further they moved from the tavern district.
The cobblestone paths here were uneven, bathed in the pale silvery glow of the moon overhead.
Ren walked casually with both hands loosely clasped behind his back. He looked entirely at ease, like a man taking a midnight stroll through his own private gardens.
Beside him, Eternia was the exact opposite.
Her golden, slit-pupil eyes darted relentlessly from the dark mouth of one alleyway to the next. Her body was coiled tight and her footwork deliberately silent.
Every time a stray cat knocked over a bucket or the wind rattled a loose wooden shutter, her hand twitched instinctively toward her hip where a weapon should have been.
Ren glanced at her out of the corner of his eye.
"Why the hell are you so vigilant?"
Eternia didn't break her visual sweep of the rooftops.
