Of Crows and Songbirds (Part 2)

They all headed into the Keep.
"Did you run into any trouble on your way here?" Gaius asked.
"There was a farmhouse near my border that looked like it had been stepped on," Tomhas mused. "Completely flattened. It was unsettling, but there was no real trouble, no."

(Are they still with Emery?)

Ky and Tadaaki quietly walked towards the dining hall, praying to their lucky stars that they didn’t fuck this up.

(Yep)

Gaius frowned. "Was there an earthquake in the area? Or a strong storm?"
Tomhas shook his head. "We went to investigate. We...ah, found the family. A lot of pressure would have to be applied for them to end up the way they did." He shivered. "We left fast after that."

“So… um… anything we should know?” Ky asked, glancing over at Emery. There was an anxious energy to her even though she was trying not to show it.

He shrugged. "These are three of the easiest, most casual nobles you'll ever meet. Just be yourselves and everything will be fine!"

“Yessir.” Ky dipped her head. Good. A stuttered word wouldn’t get her in a lot, a lot of trouble, then. “That’s good to know.”

"Tomhas is gonna very likely ask a lot of questions. That's just the way he is; he's curious and he likes to get to know people. He won't do you any harm."

Ky nodded. “And… I’m to be completely honest with him?” Just because they were allies didn’t mean their trust was explicit. Ash had to deal with them spying on him, not Loquitur. This concerned him very little. And she was still able to give non-answers and side step questions. And she’d be here this time to be sure Tadaaki didn’t stumble into a trap again.

"Sure! He's Gaius's brother; they're best friends. The Barrasters are trustworthy as well. Gaius doesn't ally with people he doesn't completely trust."

“Okay, can do.” Ky nodded. “Just wanted to be sure.”

"Always good to check, right?" He pushed open the door. Tomhas was sitting at Gaius's side opposite Sara, Sera, and the children, while the ladies Barraster sat next to Sera.

Tadaaki firmly planted his feet. There was no chance in hell he was going in there first. No. Chance.

Ky wasn’t thrilled by the thought either, but forced herself to square her shoulders and smile and step through the door. Tadaaki shuffled in behind her with his hands clasped in front of himself and a very forced smile on his face. They both glanced at Emery hoping to god that he or someone else would tell them what they were supposed to do. It’d be entirely too stressful for them to make any decisions.

Tomhas turned and was on his feet before Gaius could even introduce them. "Hi, who's this!" He grinned as he approached, offering his hand. "I'm Tomhas, nice to meet you." His eyes flickered toward Emery for a moment before flicking away just as quickly, and a bit of color rose to his cheeks as his smile faltered for a split second.

Ky caught it. Conflict, then? Emery had seemed fond of Tomhas when he’d mentioned him a minute before. But now Tomhas wasn’t acknowledging Emery existed with anything more than a blush. Interesting.

“Ky Ruiarc sir! It’s a pleasure to meet you!” Ky grinned and shook his hand firmly, then gestured over her shoulder with her chin. “This is Tadaaki.” He gave an awkward wave.

"Pleasure to meet both of you!" He shook her hand heartily and offered it to Tadaaki next. "You two are the ex-spies, right?"