When Aiden looked at Thalia before, he generally found himself seeing her more as a silkworm than a spider in terms of animal comparisons.
However, seeing just how cocooned and hog-tied Liora was beside his chair at the inn, he was starting to reconsider.
Maybe she was more spider-like than he had thought.
"Okay, fine, fair, whatever," Liora said, trying to roll herself into something resembling an upright sitting position. "But at least let me eat food!"
Her entire body was wrapped in threads.
Only her head was uncovered from the neck up.
Aiden doubted she could even look down to see just how thoroughly wrapped up she was.
It was a bit awkward to eat like this.
But food was food, and no one was going to let Liora's predicament stop them from eating.
Lunch was basic.
Cooked pork with potatoes and greens.
Still filling.
Still warm.
Liora was eventually freed to eat after Selene pleaded with Thalia, and she scarfed down her meal like a prisoner who had just been granted visitation rights with gravy.
As she did, everyone looked to each other.
"Okay," Jax said. "We need to do a few things before we do too much else."
He raised one claw.
"Someone needs to turn in the quest paperwork."
A second claw.
"Someone needs to make a reservation at the inn."
A third claw.
"And we need to meet up to discuss travel plans and stuff."
Everyone nodded.
Thalia turned to Jax.
"How about we divide up?" she asked. "Jax, you can take Beatris and show her how quest turn-ins work. Aiden and Selene can grab our inn rooms for the night. I can go with Liora."
Liora spit up a bit of her drink.
She looked over at Thalia.
Thalia was giving her a rigid, hostile smile.
Liora immediately began making frantic gestures with her hand in front of her neck.
No.
Absolutely not.
Do not allow this.
"I think that works," Aiden said. "Sorry, Liora. You brought this upon yourself."
Liora gave him a tearful look as her fingers dragged along the floorboards.
Thalia walked away, dragging Liora by a string around her ankle.
"I ALREADY SAID SORRY!" Liora sobbed as she was dragged out.
The rest of them sent a silent prayer for her survival.
Praying for her safe return seemed too optimistic.
Jax and Beatris headed for the door while Aiden flagged down the waiter to pay for the meal.
He turned back to Selene, who seemed to be staring at a nearby corner of the restaurant.
Aiden glanced that way.
There was not too much of note.
Just a simple copper water tank, not unlike the one at his home in Hopestone for the bath.
"D-Doesn't that look a lot like the one at your house?" Selene asked, pointing at the tank.
Aiden shrugged as he finished his cup of water and pulled out the sixty gold for their meals.
They began heading for the door.
"Well, they're a pretty well-known brand," Aiden said. "I'm not surprised places use my parents' water tanks and elements."
Selene nodded as they continued down the road.
The repetitive sound of their footsteps invited thought.
Aiden's mind drifted back to the necromancer dungeon.
He had thought he was strong at the time.
And in some respects, he was.
He could keep pace with Jax.
He could even outperform him slightly in damage.
But the cost for that was actively cooking himself alive.
Even then, Aiden had thought he could at least hold his own against Jax for ten seconds.
He had to be saved by the third second after rushing in.
It was humbling.
Infuriating.
Several other things all at once in a way that made him want to grind his teeth.
He had a solution.
But it came with its own problems.
He could practice and learn more of the Accel spearmanship techniques.
But there was something holding him back.
The potion Selene needed as a cure was not some run-of-the-mill potion.
It required specialized tools and eight different ingredients.
To even have a chance at brewing it correctly, Aiden would need his Alchemy skill to be C-rank at minimum.
But in his rush to get stronger, he had been practically ignoring that fact.
So while Selene was unaware of it, a throbbing guilt sat in his chest.
He was split between wanting to become a better alchemist to help her, which was the entire reason she had traveled across three continents and stayed with them this long, and getting stronger so he could face Ymer and his group at the tournament.
You need to be stronger.
You can cure Selene when you're not actively in danger.
Plus, Jax showed you just how fragile you are right now.
We need power.
One side of his brain argued.
The other answered.
Two months.
Selene has been traveling with you for almost two months in the hope that you can help her, and so far the only thing you have to show for it is a suppressant.
There has been no progress on a cure at all.
At this point, we are using her more than she is our patient.
"A-Aiden," Selene said. "You're walking past the door."
Aiden blinked.
He looked up, jarred from his thoughts, and realized he had walked straight past the large inn.
Apparently, it was called the Motel McLean.
He quickly doubled back, and both of them walked inside.
Selene looked over at him.
"A-Aiden," she asked, "are you doing okay?"
Aiden looked back at her.
She had a worried expression on her face.
Then he noticed she was using her skill to hide her arm.
Something that constantly drained her already lessened energy because of her condition.
A small twist of guilt tightened in his gut.
"Hey, Selene," Aiden said.
She looked at him.
"I'm…" He swallowed. "I'm sorry I haven't been able to make more progress on that cure."
Selene's eyes widened slightly.
"You came with us to get it," Aiden continued, "and we've been running all over the place, and I want to help you. I want to make sure you're in top form for the tournament, but I also don't want to be dead weight at the tournament, and—"
Selene cut him off by putting a finger to his mouth in a shushing motion.
"I-I know, Hallowcreek," she said. "I was there, after all."
Her expression softened.
"Besides, you have made more progress in three months than even experts back home did in five years."
Aiden wanted to say more.
To ask if she did not feel used.
But before he could, Selene turned toward the desk.
Behind the counter, a half-blood alligator man was cleaning a set of spectacles with a rag while looking over what seemed to be paperwork.
His scales were dull and scratched with age.
When he looked up, he gave them a wizened smile.
"Welcome," he said. "Are you looking for one room or two?"
"T-Two, please," Selene said. "And can they be three-person rooms?"
"Of course," the man said. "And what name should I put these rooms under?"
"H-Hallowcreek."
The old half-blood stopped.
He had turned around to grab a key, but now he slowly turned back.
"Ah," he said. "You must be the others with the twins upstairs. I will let them know you're here."
He held out one hand.
A small gust of wind floated up and blinked at him.
"Tell the guests in room 341 that their entourage has arrived."
The little ball of wind flew away.
Aiden raised a hand.
"Uh, no," he said. "My last name is Hallowcreek. I'm not associated with Hallowcreek Aquatech."
"Oh," the old man said. "I am so sorry. Let me see if I can call back—"
He was cut off by the sound of boots descending the stairs.
A higher voice, like that of a child no older than ten, came from the stairs to their left.
There were a pair of kids.
Both wore casual clothes that showed wealth, though in different ways.
The girl on the left wore a navy dress. Circular glasses sat on her face, and a thick book was tucked under one arm.
The boy on the right did not have the glasses his sister wore.
Instead, he seemed more disheveled, mid-yawn as he scratched the back of his wild, unkempt hair.
The pair were practically opposites.
But the most striking thing was their familiarity.
Maybe it was the hair color.
The same sandy light green Aiden's dad had.
Or the circular style of glasses his mom insisted worked, worn by the girl.
Aiden ended up standing there stunned.
Then the boy turned the corner.
"Finally," the boy said. "I was wondering who Mom would send to come fetch—"
He stopped.
Then he stared at Aiden.
"Dad?"
A twinge of annoyance shot through Aiden.
DAD!?
How old do I look, you little shit?
He expected Will to comment.
But Will seemed to be laughing too hard to breathe.