Welcome to Gaia! ::

"... Hey, are we... there yet?" Manga sighed at the voice's weary inquiry. "Almost. It should be just beyond this hill." Almost instantly the voice behind her spoke again. "Should be? What do--" "I've never been here in person, but the information's good. If you want to avoid going into Avandere, this is the best place for you." Her companion went quiet, which was a blessing for Manga. It was a rare occurrence, to say the least. Finally her feet brought her to the entrance of the farm she'd sought out. "We're here." She sighed when Tkal slid off of her back. "Are you sure you'll be alright walking? Your wounds are nothing to sneeze at, even with my assistance." The midget swordsman nodded, though he accepted Manga's support when it was offered. He was missing his shirt, allowing the bandages around his chest and torso to be seen. Manga's long coat was draped around his shoulders, sheltering his frame from the sun. His face seemed unnaturally pale, but he didn't seem worried or frightened in the least. "Are you sure... this is the right place?"

The artist nodded, her eyes scanning her surroundings for any humans--or Azrien, for that matter. Even if it wasn't the person they were looking for, a message could easily be sent to fetch them.

Whoever was plowing was too far away to call to. As Manga completed her full-circle scan, her eyes locked onto a shock of red hair. She raised her hand to try and wave him down. "Excuse me," she called. "Do you think you can help us?" She lowered her hand, however, when she felt Tkal loosen his grip on her other arm. The artist quickly moved to catch the now unconscious halfling. Great. Now he passed out.

Manga put a hand on Tkal's chest when he was picked up, as the halfling's eyes had shot open. "It's alright. He's here to help." Tkal's eyelids fluttered and he muttered something before losing consciousness again. She pulled her hand back, frowning when it had blood on it. At the twin questions, she sighed. "Treatment first, then stories. His wounds are severe, and unfortunately my medical treatment was only short-term."

Manga was uncomfortable leaving Tkal alone with anyone, but since he was unconscious was willing to go with the woman. She fidgeted slightly while on the horse's back, but didn't complain. "... I am Manga. The injured one is Tkal."

Manga stood nearby, frowning as she watched. "... Is there... anything I can help with?" she asked finally. As agitating as he was, she didn't want to just watch Tkal suffer.

Manga sighed, wordlessly pulling one of the red-head's fingers back until her arm was released. She glanced towards Tkal once more, lightly scratching just below her mask. "It'll be best if he doesn't wake up while she's working, then." With that, she went outside as requested, drifting along the paths aimlessly. When she started feeling the heat of the sun on her, she took of her hat and produced a hair tie from her wrist, pulling her hair up into a simple ponytail. Then she continued walking, absently spinning the hat around on her finger.

"Manga. Manga the Artist." The information broker stopped twirling her hat and put it on her head as she spoke again. "And I could make three educated guesses as to you are." She climbed up and sat on a fence post, pulling a sketchpad from her bag and removing her left glove. The scars on it were clearly visible for only a moment as she put the glove away. The next moment the charcoal was in that hand and it was moving rather quickly as she sketched the landscape in front of her.

"The cook at the inn I like to frequent, Sebastian Leowe. I've never heard your story, so I wouldn't know, but considering what I do know about you..." She paused to carefully craft a detail in her sketch. "Putting it into context with prior knowledge, I'd say you're trying to avoid someone or something. The fact that you're here would suggest that you were almost caught at the inn."