Finn's expression went cold as the man cocked his head.
Freed, Kira shifted so she was out of the man's reach.
He was good. She'd give him that. He'd been much faster than she'd expected. If he'd meant her harm, she would have been in a little trouble there.
"I mean, really, what are those?" the man asked, his focus entirely on Finn.
Kira discreetly took a step away.
The blonde saw her movement and her lips quirked.
"None of your business," Finn told the man coldly.
The stranger reached out, plucking at the fabric of Finn's hoodie only for his hand to be knocked away by Finn.
"Where's your synth armor?"
Finn's frown grew more pronounced.
"Is this a disguise?" the man asked like it was the most ridiculous thing he'd ever seen.
"It's none of your business," Finn snapped.
The man responded with a sage nod. "You don't want to talk about it. I wouldn't either."
Their interaction pointed to a history between the two—one that wasn’t entirely antagonistic given Finn hadn't already tried to kill the other man yet.
"Maksym, are you quite done?" a feminine voice asked.
A woman clad in the same dark blue synth armor as the other two appeared at the end of the stepping-stones, the archway of the house framing her.
Soft-looking, brown hair framed a pretty face that had a small smattering of freckles scattered over the bridge of her nose and cheeks. Unlike many Tuann, her hair was short, only about chin length and formed a soft halo around her head.
Her gaze was chiding as she regarded Maksym. "You'll scare our junior if you continue down this path."
Maksym looked away, the picture of guilt as he rubbed his neck with one hand.
The woman ignored him, aiming a friendly smile at Kira. "I apologize for my friend's enthusiasm. He gets a little carried away sometimes. When we heard Wren had taken ayer'se, we were all curious to see what kind of person they would be."
The termyer’seroughly translated to disciple as Kira knew from her studies of Tuann.
The woman nodded at the oshota next to her. "That's Auralyn and I'm Zoella. Maksym, you're already acquainted with."
Kira's nod at the three was cautious.
Maksym and Zoella both smiled. Auralyn watched her with an expressionless face that still managed to convey boredom.
A moment passed before Zoella looked beyond Kira to Amila and Noor. "We'll take it from here. You can return to your sword."
The words were polite, but the dismissal was clear. Zoella had just laid a claim on Kira. One that made it clear the other two were considered outsiders.
Amila hesitated, her gaze shooting to Kira before she nodded and spun on her heel.
"Amila," Kira said softly, stopping her.
Amila paused and gave Kira a questioning look.
"Thanks for everything and sorry for the trouble,” Kira eventually said after some consideration.
