Shots Fired

Kesra and Leona take some downtime in Val Zara. She spends some time with Aureo, and then also spends some time singing and selling off some spare equipment to put together some money. She also contacts Soren to check in. He tells her there have been quite a few devil sightings.

When she returns back to the room with Aureo, he gives her a whittled dove, and sits her down for a talk, asking her if she's happy with him. He tells her he sometimes doesn't know what she sees in him, and she happily gives him a list of his good qualities. They also discuss some of the things on their to-do list. Leona goes and donates the money she made to an orphanage, and tells some of them a story.

Kesra spends some time sleeping and drinking for a few days, but then does go and do some training too.

At dinner one evening, Leona gets a Sending from Alexander, asking about the state of Kesra's defense, which she updates him on. Later that evening, she steps outside to try to contact Zanelor. Afterward, she turns to find a human man behind her, who greets her by name. It takes her a moment, but she realizes that this is Reese Delaney. He walks into the bar while she sends a message to Analena.

Inside, Kesra is having drinks with Reese, whom she's been drinking with unknowingly for several days. Aureo comes down in disguise, and Leona introduces him to Reese as Jack. "Jack" asks Reese what he's doing in Val Zara, and he says that he's just looking for work. A very awkward, and tense conversation ensues between Aureo and Reese. It's clear that Aureo doesn't like Reese, and Reese suspects that "Jack" is in disguise.

The tension builds, and eventually Leona takes Aureo for a walk to get him away from it. He tells her that he got a Sending from Analena a few hours ago, and all it said was that she loves him, and that Evan and Synestra are dead, and he should stay far away. He suspects that Reese could easily be working for the assembly, and partly responsible for the devil incursion into Senmarria.

Aureo comments about having been in the library all day, and she is surprised, reminding him about the conversation "he" had with her today, but he says it wasn't him. Leona and Kesra head upstairs to pack, and Aureo turns and continues his earlier argument with Reese. Their argument escalates, with Reese shooting Aureo point blank, and then moving to leave, just as Kesra and Leona come downstairs. Kesra throws an empty glass at Reese's head, and Leona rushes to Aureo to heal him.

Reese goes for the door, just as two other figures come running in - a woman named River, and a human man named Elden. The woman immediately points another gun at Reese. The patrons of the bar are panicking, and River orders them all out. Kesra moves to comply carrying Aureo, but Elden tells her that Aureo isn't going anywhere without him. Elden, Aureo, Kesra, and Leona all leave.

They weave their way through some alleys and find another tavern, called "The Busted Jug". They ask Elden who he is, and he tells them that he was sent to find them, and that there is a coup brewing against the Empress, and the people behind it want to bring him back to take his rightful place. He is a Staff Sergeant with the Imperial army, and Aureo recognizes his name as having been at the battle of Wolfecrest. He tells the others that Elden can be trusted. They ask Elden about River, and he says that he hired her to help him find Aureo, and had no idea she had a gun.

River and Reese also make their escape, and she puts her gun away, demanding to know why he's there. He tells her that he's just passing through. Eventually, she just lets him go, telling him he'll be in big trouble if he gets caught with a gun.

Back at the Busted Jug, Aureo tells Elden that he doesn't have an answer right now, and it may take some time. He then passes out from his injury, and Leona and Kesra get to know Elden a little. Eventually, River enters the bar and sits down, telling them that she leet Reese go. She tells them that she found them by talking to an old woman in Quan'Mal who did a tarot card reading. River and Kesra hit it off.

They get some rooms, and River decides to get a room, too. Kesra carries Aureo up to his room, and Elden refuses to leave his side. River invites Kesra to her room, which she accepts, and Leona plays some music for the bar. Aureo tells Elden that he's not sure he's going to be able to go with him, and Elden says that he wouldn't presume to tell Aureo what to do. Aureo also tells him that they are right about the Empress being corrupted.

After Aureo falls asleep, Elden reports back in with his Captain, Valerie Donnohart. After Leona finishes playing for people, an old man in the crowd beckons her over. He tells her to take care of the dove, and the prince, and then walks out. She follows him out, demanding answers. From the conversation, he's clearly Reese in some kind of magical transformation, but he doesn't give her many answers.