only one way up

“Ah, fuck.”

The words left his lips in a strangled breath of frustration as he turned his back to the tree he had been using as cover. His shirt snagged the prickly bark, only adding to the collection of little snags and holes and tears he had peppering his clothes. He was starting to get used to it all, though the clothing had been the worst part. He was used to snug vests and collars, perfectly tailored coats, smooth slacks…

Certainly not wrinkled jeans, heavy boots, and brown plaid shirts with sleeves too long and fabric that caught onto everything... Gods, he wanted to burn it. Burn it all.

But that was the least of his worries now, with the sound of voices floating through the air. Some were curious, some were frightened, most were pissed. He had caught a glint of the badges of Order officials, too, and the sight of them guarding pretty much any access point had made his heart sink.

The beast had only just been slain, and once he had made sure Lasair was safe to be on her way, he had immediately trekked back to the jungle. Perhaps the monster’s grave could lead to answers… a cure, maybe, for whatever it had bestowed on her (something he had told himself over and over to keep the possibility of corru-- no, he wasn’t even going to think it). He certainly hadn’t expected to be met by a tower in place of a corpse, nor did he expect the entire godsdamned Order to already be there.

Before he had a chance to truly start putting a plan together, the sound of a twig snapping caught his attention. Instantly, his gaze snapped toward the sound, muscles tense as he prepared- to run, to fight, he wasn’t sure. He seemed to be doing a whole lot of both in the past few months and honestly--

He was so damn sick of it.

But his guard slowly lowered as long, braided hair and silken skirts came into view. A woman, staring at him… and he stared back. His gaze searched for anything- an Order pin, a witchfinder badge, anything that could lead him to believe that she was dangerous-

-but he found nothing. Nothing on the surface, anyways.

Finally, Sebastien held up his hand, offering her a small wave before motioning for her to come closer rather than calling out (he didn’t need attention on himself- hers alone made him twitch). But still, perhaps two of them working together would bring more results, so he moved to meet her in the middle.

Hands in his pockets and golden gaze seeking out her own, he paused with a simple, quiet question. He was rarely one to waste time.

“Are you wanting to get to the tower too?”