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Axel walked to the barracks with Rio, and suffered the silence of the trip. He was almost glad, yet he thought he'd have gotten a tongue lashing for making her mad, too. As they entered, and Rio commented about being put to bed, Axel couldn't help but smirk. "But you are naughty." And when he showed his jealousy with his next comment, Axel just laughed. "Doubt she'd want some lowly mouthy cursed to sleep with her. But yeah, I got it." He let Rio get settled, and nodded, before turning away to return to the temple. "Yeah. I know."


Leaving the barracks, Axel made his way back to the Warrior, to see what she wanted him to do. She said retrieve something... what was it? Some item important to a god, maybe? He did like sneaking around, even though he liked fighting more. Either way, once arriving at the temple again, he entered and awaited her orders.

Axel followed her in the maze of halls without comment, or complaint, and once they reached the war room his eyes widened. "Wow..." he couldn't help but whisper, trying to take it all in. When she addressed him, he snapped out of the reverie and walked over to where she was standing. Eyeing the map of Antar's camp, he snorted. "Unfortunately," was all he managed to spit out.

All he could think at her first comment of them being enemies was 'duh', but he kept that to himself. He lights up a little as she describes what she wants, and who he'd get it from. "Bookworm..." he breathes, an nasty glint showing in his eyes. He idly wonders if he saw it when he fought him for the first time, and just didn't realize it. Probably. "My pleasure..." he replies, not even thinking about how difficult it may be to get it out, he'd worry about that later. He looks up at her as she makes the deal, and shakes his head. "Nope... no questions." This might be more enjoyable than he first thought....

Axel rather hoped it wouldn't be in the city, he'd heard no one could get past the darkbeasts unless they were invited... though attempting it might be kinda fun. Either way, he planned to check Rill's tent at the outpost first, seeing as there had been some books in there. Not that he'd really paid attention to the types or sizes of them, but it was worth a shot. He headed back to the barracks after being ushered out, and pondered how he was going to bring this thing back. He rooted through all the supplies he could find and grabbed a sleeping bag, rations and water for his trip. He really didn't need any weapons, as he usually just used his knives and brass knuckles...but he did grab some dark clothing for better sneaking. He hemmed and hawed a bit, and threw some belts, straps and ropes in there anyway, though he wasn't sure that was gonna work. Figuring he had all he need, he doesn't even stop by to say goodbye to Rio, figuring he'll just get distracted and waste time that he probably didn't have.

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With his pack o' stuff secured, Axel double-timed it in the direction of Antar's outpost camp. He figured it'd probably take him a day, and he planned only a few brief rest stops along the way. Enough to keep him energized in case he had to beat a hasty retreat from the outpost. He'd only do that if he got the book, though. He wasn't going to leave without it.

It took a good chunk of time but he finally reached his destination. Axel timed it so he arrived at night, to make it easier to sneak in. He had to make sure he wasn't seen, so he'd made sure to wear a hood over his bright red hair, in addition to the dark clothing he was wearing. He walked right in like he was a traveler with his pack, hoping his cursed vibes weren't enough to alert anyone. Once inside, he'd stick to the shadowed areas (likely abundant in an Antar camp) before heading towards that large fancy tent that he found bookworm in the first time he came here. Adjusting his pack, he kept an eye out for bookworm's annoying priestly hubby, and seeing no one, went up to the tent flap to peer inside. No one appeared to be inside either, what luck! He snuck in and started investigating the tent. It didn't take long to find the book -- it was huge! -- on a big writing table. As tempted as he was to rifle through the rest of the stuff in the tent (there was probably a lot of valuable stuff), he went right for the tome, seeing as it was why he was here. Maybe if he got it secured, he'd snatch a few other things before getting the hell out of here....

Axel had been eyeing the book and pondering the size of it in relation to what he'd brought with him, and was figuring he could maybe fit it into his sleeping bag if he had to, when he heard someone enter. He didn't turn around immediately, but when he heard that familiar voice, he grinned and glanced sidelong behind him. He didn't want to scare bookworm away to go warn people...so while Rillian put the tray on the table, and before he turned around, Axel had already started to move to block his exit while surreptitiously moving closer, still hidden under his hood and dark clothes. When Rillian realized his mistake, he moved in swiftly, attempting to grab him from behind and put a hand around his mouth with one hand, and the tip of his butterfly knife up against his neck with the other. "Hey honey...I'm home....." he whispers nastily in Rill's ear.

Axel's hand went numb from the collision of elbows and his knife dropped to the ground. He growled lightly in Rill's ear and grabbed at his wrist with his now free hand. "Be good, little bookworm, and I might not leave you a bloody mess for your hubby to clean up when he gets back. You're going to help me pack up a few gifts to take with me, and we're gonna start with that big fancy book of yours. If you don't cooperate, I might have to get violent." He chuckles humorlessly. "I almost kinda hope you resist."

Axel expected him to struggle, he let him twist the wrist out of his grasp but he kept his other hand firmly planted over Rill's mouth, not allowing the shoudler to push him back, while he used his own now free hand to try and wrap around his waist to keep him more still. "Oh this is gonna be so much fun..." Without a proper wall to ram him into in this tent, he tries to push him into a table, hoping to stay behind him and pin him to it, while he fishes in his pocket for a cloth piece he brought along in case he needed a makeshift gag.

Axel tried to push Rill against the table, while bracing himself in case the bookworm pushed back again, but he didn't expect him to crack the table to force their weight further forward. His balance is compromised, and he decides to use it to his advantage, by shoving them both forward hard, hoping the table buckles all the way under them. He doesn't care if they fall to the ground, or get skewered with splinters, as long as he falls atop Rillian, and keeps his advantage.