The Irishman came back to a tense environment -- eyebrows raised as NPCs filled him in on the gist of recent days.  With the cold front damaging resources, the pirate would have suspected nobody would want a conflict; nobody in their right mind that is.  Old Pittian values conflicting with new or not, it wasn't sensible.  Gael's probably livid.  The small wildcat would not be surprised of that in the slightest.

He had been intending to make this visit a relatively brief one; a check-in so to speak, on his cousins, but the faerie could not help but decide to stick around a little longer.  Just long enough to see the matter resolved; hopefully with no one else hurt.

This is why I hate politics, he mused, setting up a small spot to sit among the marketplace.  The rusty spotted cat found it the perfect place to catch gossip while working.  His jovial smile remained in place despite the uneasy atmosphere, humming a tune as he did some woodcarving -- someone had to keep their spirits up after all. 

Aided by his ability to manipulate water, he used sharp shards of ice to whittle a piece of wood into the shape of a small sailboat, sea-green eyes narrowed in fierce concentration.

The faerie raised his head a little, smile still in place.  He knew his cousin liked to say he was too nice; an optimist who believed in others a little too much.  He didn't mind though, since he was a proprietor for second chances.  Besides, the wildcat knew the hybrid was seeing a lot of dirty glances thrown his way -- Kian would not be part of that, regardless of his personal opinion on the issue.

"Woodcarving," he explained brightly.  "Just a little hobby I picked up a while back -- 's good for practice," he added, making a small adjustment with another slice of ice.

Satisfied, the pirate set the sailboat down and nudged it towards Aine so she could have a better look at it.  "That's right.  I often just carve the first thing that comes to mind; today was a boat.  I have more wood set aside, if either of you want me to try my paws at something else?"

Considering the years the two have known each other, there would be no surprise from Gael about Kian's suspicions.  The vulpine felt little more than fury and frustration with the matter of Dante Northwest -- doubling his daily patrols and observing the tunnel entrances in precaution for any vigilante moves by Tanglewood.

A previous incident led a former Luminary to attempt an intimidation patrol and give demands -- nothing that impressed the faerie, and while he preferred to deal with matters civilly, it would not surprise him if a Tangler went off-book from previous habits and leapt straight for violence before words.  In the end, he knew Aurum better for his anger than his ability to be civil.

Consequently, the Ardent felt tired by the time he returned to camp; only trotting into the marketplace after he felt satisfied that the borders were clear and the tunnels safe.  His hazel gaze quickly flashed past Dante onto Kian -- unaware his cousin had decided to stay for another long visit.

"Good to see you staying sharp, Kian," he observed, studying the woodcarving quietly.  His cousin possessed water elementals since birth -- Gael hardly suspected he required any further mastery, but the diligence was worth respecting.