[Valan Quinn]

Valan shook his head and sighed. He reluctantly accepted the leash from Elmaryia, but he didn’t return her smile. Instead, he just looked at her with a smirk of disdain. “Okay, sure, Elma. Do what you want. Me and Arria here are going to shovel and do some practical good. Go have fun getting yourself killed for a complete stranger.”, Valan remarked with heavy sarcasm in his voice. Rolling his eyes, Valan turned around to face the opposite direction and started to walk towards the firewall.

It was only a few steps before Arria began to tug on the leash. She made a few short barks, and in a way, one could take these as a plea to be with her owner. Valan stopped abruptly and turned his head to the side far enough that his right eye met with Elmaryia’s. “But really, be careful, would ya?” His tone was somewhat uncharacteristic of himself. It was genuine concern; so much so that it seemed that the words he spoke were not his own. But, careful not to linger, and not bothering to even hear a response, Valan continued walking towards the firewall.

Once there, Valan looked at the group of townspeople, most clad in their eveningwear. It might’ve been quite funny if not for the current situation. He stopped and shouted amongst them. “Alright, whose got a shovel? Let’s do this, already!”