A tense, standoffish atmosphere hung around the small group. That was until a low cough brought them out of the tense stare down. The four of them turned to look at the source of the distraction, leaving Dust looking off into the distance with beady eyes.
A tank dressed in light chainmail armor stood awkwardly, rubbing his neck as he withstood the intense gazes of two highly alert women, and a vicious beast.
"Err... Hi." He waved, "I'm Noah, the guy you saved back there, during the monster wave." He spoke, directing his friendly gaze towards Abel. Abel himself looked a bit confused before it suddenly hit him.
"Oh! You're that guy! Erm, nice to meet you, I guess. Didn't think you would be on your feet so soon after that." Abel gave a wide smile, his eyes crinkling at the corners.
"Yeah, I should still be resting, but I just wanted to thank you for saving my life. I don't know how my younger siblings would have coped without me." He said, his smile straining as he touched upon the subject of his family.
"Well, it's a good thing I was there, then."
"Yeah. Well, thanks again, see you around!" The Tank waved happily before turning around to leave. The group remained quiet until Noah went out of visual range. By this time, the tense atmosphere was already creeping back between them, and it was grating on Abel's nerves.
"Hey, hey! It's okay. What happened was in the past. Even though I know it wasn't easy on any of us, there's nothing we can do but move forward." He stepped between them, trying to act as a mediator. Just to act as a further measure, he recalled Breeze into his Sea of Soul, hoping that the absence of the huge Gnoll will help ease the tension.
The absence of Breeze immediately alleviated at least half of the tension that surrounded them, and Aileen let out an audible sigh of relief.
"Thank God..." The Healer whispered lowly.
"Are you okay?" Abel asked, placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder.
"I'm fine. But more importantly, what are you doing with that beast?" She nodded, before directing a scrutinizing gaze at him. A hint of disbelief could be seen in her eyes.
"Um, well, its Core contained a Beast Soul when I retrieved it, so I obviously retained it. Every single bit of help is useful in the Tower, especially when it comes from such a strong source." Abel shrugged lightly, thinking over his words carefully before speaking them.
"But, that thing nearly killed us! Abel, you nearly died! It killed Hank and Nick!" Heather cut in, her voice sounding high pitched and a tad bit raw with emotion.
"Look, Heather. I get that you were close to them, and of course, I can understand why you would be angry for Hank, but Nick tried to use you as bait so he could get away. I don't see why you're still hung up over him."
Smack!
A solid palm flattened itself against Abel's face, stunning him momentarily. The force wasn't enough to cause pain, but the shock was still present. A few people who were nearby were also drawn in by the escalating drama.
"Don't talk about him that way! He was my fiancé." She glared daggers at Abel before abruptly turning and walking away, leaving Abel and Aileen standing in the middle of the field.
"...Abel, I'm so sorry about that..."Aileen hovered closer to Abel, her hands automatically cupping his red cheek.
"It's fine." Abel smiled at her. "I guess I was too insensitive to her trauma. Also, I didn't know how close she actually was to Nick, and rubbed salt into her open wound. I guess I'll have to be more careful around her from now on, then." He rubbed his neck as he spoke.
"Heal." A small glow shone from Aileen's palm, soothing the reddening cheek.
"Thanks, Aileen. I guess I'll head back home for now. See you later." He turned away, climbing onto Dust's back and turning away.
"Oh, um, see you later, Abel." She waved, her cheeks reddening somewhat before she turned to catch up to Heather who had made her way into the distance.
'Forgive me for failing you, Master.' Breeze's gruff voice echoed through Abel's mind as he walked away.
'It's fine. She's still probably hung up on he prick that tried to sacrifice her for himself. I guess it's going to take a while for her to get over it.' Abel shrugged his shoulder as he replied.
'...' All he got was silence from Breeze in response. He didn't really take it to mind, focusing on Dust taking them back to he entrance of the Tower.
Soon enough, the white swirl of the portal leading out greeted them, along with the guards stationed there. This time, it was the guards he was familiar with that were stationed there, making him smile the moment he saw them.
"Oi, Abe- Whoa! Is that a Beast Soul?!" A younger guard called out. His name was Ian, and he had been in the guard job for roughly a year now. His yell caught the attention of the other guards, their heads swiveling in the direction he was looking at.
"Abel?! Since when did you get your hands on that beauty?!"
"Don't tell me you robbed someone!"
"Hey, hey, hey! I didn't rob anyone!" Abel laughed, coming to a stop at the side of the gate where the guards were seated. Of course, their exclamations drew a few odd glances, but it wasn't as though Abel cared for those.
"Damn, kid. It's not everyday I see such a nice looking mount. It's been much harder to get mount Beast Souls lately." Ian stroked his short beard as he spoke.
"Don't call me a kid, Ian. You're barely older than me." Abel laughed, patting Dust's head. The Ground Rat let out a deep rumble from its chest, raising its head to rub against Abel's hand. "This is Dust, one of my travelling companions."
"Oh, you gave it a name? Not everyday I hear that." The oldest guard, Samuel, spoke up, a small frown etched on his slightly aged face. "And, 'one' of your companions?" He quirked a brow. "Where's the other?"
In response to the older man's question, Abel summoned Breeze. The Towering Gnoll quickly left the guards slightly breathless, his shadow obscuring most of the light above them.
"Wow. That's one big Gnoll there."
"Yeah, he is. That's why I don't want him walking around in the open, y'know?" Abel laughed awkwardly as he recalled Breeze. Normally, he wouldn't have brought out Breeze if he didn't trust the people around him, but as he had known these guards for quite a while, he was completely comfortable with letting Breeze show himself around them.
After chatting a little bit more with the guards, Abel soon bid them goodbye. He had other things to take care of before his next Tower Run.
Stepping through the portal, Abel was once again subjected to the usual spinning wave of dizziness that attempted to turn his head over on itself. After returning to the normal plane, he set off towards his house, ready to start counting his profits from this run.