Lullaby followed the others. Sighing, she realized that, unless she wanted this little mission to be boring, she may as well strike up some kind of conversation. Lonliness was something that she simply could not tolerate.

Walking faster so that she was striding just behind Kuzo, she asked curiously, "So... Kuzo, your name is? You seem so confident in your knowledge of the army. You must get into a lot of trouble with them, hm?" Although it seemed that she was trying to be irritating, Lullaby was merely attempting to make small talk.

"I was actually Just wondering that myself." The man in the yellow Suit said before falling face first onto the dessert sand takeing in a mouthful

((Tis from Sweeney Todd!*happy chibi*))

Kari stopped and turned around,and then laughed a little and she walked over to him and bent down poking him slightly and asked raising her eye brows

"Hey mister,you want some help?"

Kuzo bothered to turn his head enough to glare at her from the corner of his eye, he had nothing against her, but grouping with these strangers did not suit him. Jago was the more relaxed yet unpredictable of the duo, who might have wished to have engaged in the conversation, but chose to remain silent.

"They took everything from us."

Kuzo stated bluntly, there was no dramatic pause nor heavy sigh, a simple flat statement that did not ask for a shred of pity. Jago grinned and let out a forced sigh between his teeth, he knew how Kuzo could be with strangers and the paranoia was not unfound sometimes. Yet sometimes Kuzo`s attitude was more harmful than useful, which is why Jago usually was the one doing the talking.

Kuzo didn`t bother to talk anymore as Jago gazed at Lullaby in turn with an apologetic expression on his face, he even chuckled briefly, but realized how inapproriate it may have seemed.

"Kuzo is not to talk much, least of all to strangers.... he`s... a bit cold, nothing personal, but we our lives haven`t been what you may describe as `easy-going`. Tough if you are curious as to how we know the army... well we are not frequently in trouble with them, more or less, we`ve seen how they operate from the inside.

And we have seen enough to say that once you give the army a chance, they`ll squeeze the life out of you, especially if you are a part of a clan..."

He said with a slightly annoyed tone, but attempted to keep up a friendly mood in the conversation.

"Ah yes. Everyone loves the Army. but i suppose that vaugelly explains why he seems to have a Bug up his a$$" said the man in the yellow suit. "By the way,I'm the Treasurer Pleased to Meetcha" he said to Jugo

"It's alright. I used to be a bit shy as a kid too," Lullaby replied surprisingly amiably, recalling her childhood with fondness. Oddly enough, Lullaby's lonliness was strong enough to keep her mouth running, even if the people she was speaking to happened to be the objects of her frustration only a moment earlier.

Lullaby strode briskly and stared up into the sky as the sun beat down on the dry earth. The sun always made her happy, because it never burned her skin. This was another reason why the history of the Hawk Children included the myth that they were the direct and favored descendents of the Sun God.

"Well, knowing that the army doesn't approve of clans is a no-brainer. Not to mention, clans aren't too fond of the army either," Lullaby stated, shrugging casually. "But what can you do about it? I just try to outrun them."

"Clans? I was in one of thouse once. then everyone died but still I was." The Treasurer said sighing. "They gave me this Jacket Ya know." he said

(DNA technology is medieval so no, there aren`t any washing machines forgot to say that earlier)

Jago grinned at her words as she spoke of Kuzo being shy, which really didn`t cut it, Kuzo was anything but shy when he wanted to. He could be hostile, bossy and angry at the same time whenever he wanted to, ignoring someone was a mark that he did not like them a bit.

"Outrun?... Well you don`t have to outrun them, if you are a legal clan member, even semi-legal clans are tolerated. Usually they leave us be, well except when we haven`t paid for our food, equipment... and a few others things... Well we are always a bit tight on money nowdays..."

Jago said, attempting to smile, but was silenced by Kuzo sudden, uncontrollable chuckling that clearly showed off his amusement.

"What about the three full pouches of gold that you carry around?"

Kuzo said past his own chuckles, causing Jago to sweatdrop and mutter something angrily beneath his breath.

"Fine, but may I remind how you wanted to spend it all straightaway? Oh and may I ask how you came by those very same gold?" Jago shot bacl at his brother with a slightly venomous tone.

"Hey that was a legimate business transaction!"

Kuzo retorted and shook his fist in defiance, continuing their argument over money. Where Kuzo was swilling to gain money in anyway Jago shunned and in turn when Kuzo wished to spend the money Jago was not willing to give anyone a dime. It was an eternal, inevitable conflict between the brothers.

"Don't fight over money. I have a Bunch." He said as he took a Handful of Sand and turned it into Gold Coins. "In a straight line please." he said

(Don`t mind the violence part in this cause it`s not a fight etc. just for slight amusement.)

Simultaneously Jago and Kuzo stopped to stare at The Treasurer with empty, disbelieving eyes, in silence. The next second both of them jumped into the air and kicked treasurer in the face, sending him rolling to the sand.

"Blasphemy!" Both of the brothers declared in defiant anger whilst pointing blaming fingers at the treasurer. "You make gold just like that so you can laugh at other people`s hard fought efforts to gain their own wealth? You ought to have been executed."

They said with clear pride as they knew how hard life could be and how such a flip flappant attitude could easily anger normal, hard-working people.

Lullaby watched with an amused smile as the brothers shouted at the Treasurer.

"So, Lizardmen... What exactly makes you angry; the man's talent or the way he exploits it?" She laughed slightly, as her irritation towards the brothers started to return. "Just because someone is born luckier, born with a talent, born naturally 'better' than you, then you can justify your envy by saying that that person is mocking you? If someone is in fact born luckier than someone else, they should have every right to show off." She finished her statement with a malevolent smirk.

Lullaby turned to the Treasurer and said sharply, "And as if anyone else here needs your 'magic money' in our current situation. Money won't get us to Aten any faster, will it? Money won't help us all cooperate during our little trip, will it? Money won't do anything for us right now."

"I was trying to be a peace keeper..without a Boot in my face." He said as he got up. "I was offering it to you...Not mocking you." He said sighing. "But you have a good point." he said to Lullaby

"All your useless fighting wont get us to Aten faster either" Bjorn muttered coldy
-speaking for the first time- as he just kept walking. Jillian sweatdropped as she shighed lightly.

The brothers grinned slightly before they began to walk again after they were reminded that bickering with the treasurer was not going to help them to get to Aten. Kuzo took the lead again, silently staring beyond as he walked forward and Jago walked behind him, near Lullaby. He recalled her words and thought them trough before giving an answer.

"Jealous? No, offended, yes? Because `better` people, in their arrogance, don`t even considering the feelings of those `less-fortunate` people. The very fact that he can flip-flappantly offer us gold and in a place like this is a slap against the face, not just against us, but everyone who might desperately need it in this empire.

Let`s say you are working hard to feed your family, desperately and feverously you manage to do so and you may get a piece of happiness. Then you see a nobleman, even a sheik, flaunting with their wealth and buying the most expensive, unneccessary things for his own amusement and personal gain.

I ask you where is the justice in that? None, so to even the odds you`d do well to take what you needed from that noble by force, if you must. Yet alas there is `justice by laws` and justice by truth."

Jago said with a slightly bothered expression shadowing his face whilst his slitted tongue occasionally slipped past his teeth, in addition the exposure to the heat of the sun began to crack his skin or so it seemed. At closer inspection parts of his skin began to look like scales.

"In other words Mr.Treasurer,keep your damn gold to yourself since we don't need nor want it since that's cheating the game of life."

Kari said bluntly to him rolling her eyes and helping him up and she shrugged at the two and said with a simple and blunt tone as before,she still had that mellow and go with the flow manner but with an annoyed expression towards the suited man as well and the thing she said would make most people start laughing

"You have a cool tongue Jago."

Jago was confused by the comment and sweatdropped as he could not come to a decision whether she was complimenting him in order to change the subject of the discussion or whether she was actually mocking him.

"Eh... are trying to make fun of me? Or my race?"

He inquired, continuing his bothered expression as he could not tell the left from right with these people.

"I'm not mocking you or the lizard people,I really do think it's cool."

Kari said sweat dropping now realizing that it did somehow end up to be either a compliment like it intended to or an insult,that was unintentional.

"And why should the luckier people care about the feelings of the unfortunate ones?" Lullaby asked with a guise of genuine curiousity. "That's the nature of humans- to only think of oneself. Do you ever walk by a gravesite and think of all the families who have mourned for their departed family members? Have you heard of a war that was fought thousands of years ago and think of the hardships that the soldiers or innocent people slaughtered faced? Most people would say 'no'. Even now, you could be considered 'fortunate' to a person who is on their deathbed. It's a matter of perspective. Those who have nothing to worry about simply don't want to waste their time worrying about others." Lullaby said nonchalantly as her argument regressed to a muttering.

"I've also heard that every few seconds, a person dies," She mumbled to herself thoughtfully as she walked. "That's unfortunate for those people, but if you're not one of those people, I guess it doesn't matter, does it?..."

Lullaby started to laugh as Kari said the strangest thing. "I thought she was making fun of you, Mr. 'cool tongue', because I honestly don't find your tongue very interesting," she said between laughs.

Bjorn sweatdropped as he poked his own forehead, he just didnt undertand those guys "Basically both of you are right and wrong at the same time" Jillian said as she looked at the others her hood still hiding her face "You could call it the two faces of the same coin" She added.

"Oh yes..."

Kuzo suddenly interrupted the conversation with the few words that were followed a quiet chuckle that he eventually smothered with a cough. He gazed past his thick hair at the others, showing off the same changes in appearance as Jago, and showing off a quirk smile.

"And it does fit, does it not?... Hawks soar the skies, free and majestic to snatch their preys, yet completely ignorant of the earthly truths that most wingless beings are aware of. Then on the flip side.... Lizards that slither across the ground, devouring their meals after killing them, but envying the heavens for not having wings to carry them and thus blissful of such a privilige..."

He explained, creating a comparison between the two philosophies presented earlier, but soon afterwards his eyes nailed onto the two hooded figures, who had remained most silent and had not taken part in the debate.

"And you? What would you make of it all? Based on your own experiences, of course."

He inquired, attempting to learn something of the most omnious and mysterious members of the group.

Jillian shurghed "We have soared the skies, we have felt the dry earth under our feet. You could say we have tasted both flavors" She said "You couldn´t call us lucky but you coulnd´t call us the opposite either" She mumbled as she smirked lightly.

The Treasure would have Punched Jugo and his Friend in the face for there comment on him flashing around hisgold. but that passed. "Idiot. How could you possiblly judge what I do and How I live from that? I was doing what I do every day. try to resolve a situation. this time I attempted to tap into simple Human Greed before your Situation got ugly. I did not flash any weath in your face and call you pathtic or anything of the sort." he said. "And Just so you know, I'm a Damn Wanderer on the Streets Spreading the Weath." he said as he walked forward toward there location.

As she walked, Lullaby looked up at the sky and groaned. "I can't believe it's barely past noon and I'm already sick of you people. Don't tell me it's seriously going to take us two weeks to get to Aten..." Her tone was unenthusiastic, almost irritated.

She groaned again, then took out the canteen provided by the officers at the prison, and took a small sip of water.

"I still can't understand why those army guys would sentence unreliable criminals and gang members to be alone together, unsupervised, for two weeks. It's as though this trip itself is a death sentence-" Lullaby's words cut short as she uttered them. She almost started laughing at the dark irony. 'Who knows? They might've been counting on our conflicts and fighting amongst each other... and they might've counted on our fighting to result in deaths. It's not like they care about what's going to happen to us out here. So maybe the army isn't as careless as I had thought...'

".....Please don't finish that sentence,you'll jinx us."

Kari said in annoyance,it was a natural thing for her to get so irritated so easily with the hawk girl,hawks and ravens were generally enemies,even in wild life.Hawks were always bright and happy and loud and heroic creatures,ravens were believed to be unlucky and evil and quiet so it wasn't surprising that Kari got annoyed easily with the loud jinxing girl.

"Well considering the strained relations between clans and the imperial authority these days, our mission does not seem all that odd. They lost someone and must investigate, but being stretched thin because of the clans they are able to bend the laws to their own advantage. Use the pawns of your potential enemies in order to carry out the dirty work for you, should they succeed everything will be fine and should they fail everything is fine."

Jago reasoned with a faint smile as he gazed into the horizon, taking the whole matter lightly and not even thinking whether their lives were in danger. It did not matter, the two brothers had smelt, breathed and lived death since their youth. It was not a stranger, more like an ever clinging companion that would eventually reach them, one way or the other, but for now they would deal it to others.

"This will work as long as the status quo remains however, should something cause a fraction... well... they there will be a split and I think we all know what that would mean.... war, chaos and death."

He said, finishing everyone`s trail of thought and took the issue a bit further than what currently concerned themselves.

"In other words,keep status quo at all costs."

Kari said bluntly sighing some while she was tieing her hair up in a high ponytail,her nearly knee length black hair was starting to annoy her and the sun didn't help.And off they started on they're new journey while the sun was slowly starting to set she asked Jago curiously,raising her hand as if he was a teacher rather comically.

"One question,are we going to sleep at day time and walk at night or the other way around?If we walk by day we risk being dehydrated and over heated and getting sick,if we walk by night it'd be cooler and less likely to get burned alive by the sun."

"The nighttime is cooler?" Lullaby retorted, "How about freezing?"

To Lullaby, traveling by day was ideal; being a Hawk Child, her skin could not be burned by the Sun. However, Hawk Children were just as immune to freezing temperatures as average humans were. In other words, Lullaby saw cold weather as an inconvenience to her, because it was something that she was not immune to.

It seemed ironic and irritating to Lullaby that her preferences of temperature were completely different from the raven girl's. With the indirect clash of views, Lullaby started to feel somewhat threatened.

"But go ahead and tell us, Mr. Lizard," Lullaby mockingly praised Jago, though her frustration was showing as she spoke, "how we're supposed to survive under these conditions."

"Ningen travel the desert at night,they just put on layers of clothing."

Kari said bluntly and irritated,already having a nice ruby red sun burn the back of her neck and her forearms and she added rubbing her temples and pointing out the obvious to Lullaby as she would notice there wasn't a single lizard that wasn't covered by a rock or in a hole around since it was around 5 pm.She clearly had no patience for 'stupider' people,then again she had no patience period.

"And if Jago and Kuzo are anything like lizards then they'd preferably want to go out by night as well,you haven't seen a single lizard anywhere have you?"

Bjorn eye twitched as he poked his own forehead trying to calm himself down, the hawk and raven girl constant fighting was getting in his nerves, he couldnt care less about travelling at day or night, heat nor cold was a problem for dragons, but the constant bickering was something he couldnt stand. Jillian looked at the others, as she wondered if they would be able to "keep the status quo" for 2 weeks "It'll be deffinetly interesting" She mumbled.

"If you have a problem hawk girl, then do not point your sarcasm at us, but think for yourself and shut your trap. Then if you do have a problem with us specifically then I wouldn`t be a problem for us to arrange your unfortunate demise in the hands of a wild beast."

Kuzo threatened, clearly annoyed by the course of the conversation before turning away to lead the way. The mountains were still, unfortunately, farther away than he had expected thus they would have to make camp on the desert. Providing shelter was not a problem however, Jago`s earth magic could create a cover for them and keep it intact so that the sand would not fall upon them.

Tough it seemed that the group was almost split between those that prefered travelling by day and night, either way, they would have to cope with the situation. Jago stomped his foot in the sand, using a bit of his magic, throwing a small wave of sand into the backs of Kuzo and Lulaby, both of whom were the most hostile members of the group. Kzo grinned, muttering curses, but did not act upon it. Jago simply smirked as an apology to Lulaby.

---------

After a few hours of travel the group arrived to a change of terrain, the desert sand began to harden and every now and then there were actual stones in the midst of the sand. Jago stopped the group and grabbed his sword, swiging it over his shoulder and hitting it against the ground, adding magic to the strike. The earth seemed to stick onto the blade and as Jago pulled it up, a mound of sand and rocks took form of a suitable, almost cave like, cover. It would in the least give protection above them and behind them from the wind, thus making a fire would be easy.

"We camp here."

He stated briefly, not expecting any arguments from anyone as they had already travelled enough in his opinion. Kuzo took out some suppplies, including wood, and began to light a fire inside the cover created. It was sizeable enough to hold everyone inside so that they would not have to be too close to another.

"I'll cook,won't wash dishes though."

Kari stated bemused as she sat down with Kuzo taking some dishes out of her bag and pulled out a PAPER bag or two out of her bag which contained some sort of meat.She definitely was nearly always prepared when it came to food as she took out a pan and started cooking it over the fire humming to herself,she had a feeling her Kuzo,Jago,and two cloaked thieves would get along properly,the hawk girl and the 'treasurer' not so much.

((Edited))

(eh hate to interrupt you... plastic has not been invented, it`s medieval technology and I hardly think it fits to have marinated chicken... eh it`s more like going to be dried meat and bread. nothing modern.)

((XD sorry,*goes to edit*))

Bjorn leaned against a wall ready to take a nap. Jillian sat down and she opened her hand were a small flame appeard, she kept it close to keep herself warm, after all she still hadn't been able to change into her dragon shape, so she would still feel the cold humans felt. She shighed softly, she envied Bjorn for that, he had alredy changed into his dragon shape.

Lullaby sat on the desert floor as she looked around at the cave Jago had created. "It's nice..." she said quietly and slightly awed as she patted one of the cave walls. It may have been the overwhelming relief that she felt, since she hadn't been in a proper shelter for days, or the fatigue she felt from a restless day, but Lullaby really did like this feeling of protection.

"Dinner's nearly done,Jago you think you can make a table in here for us?"

Kari said/asked the lizard boy as she flipped the meat expertly over the fire so it wouldn't burn and turn black and taste terrible.Oh dear god no,Kari would be thoroughly ashamed of burning something since she hadn't burnt anything other than toast,the one time when she was attacked from behind by surprise,for the past couple years.She had pride in being a good chef and a good thief.

"I MADE SPOONS!" Exclaimed The Treasurer as he Threw newlly made Golden Silverwear on a newlly made golden Table. "Done. the Teenaged Angnst Master won't have to lift a finger." he said

Kuzo snatched whatever food be needed and sat on the sand, staring out to the desert, eying the surroundings keenly. For a moment he sneered at the annoying requests of the raven girl, apparently she wanted a house out of sand to go along with the shelter. Jago was about to do as she asked, but stopped as Kuzo raised his hand up suddenly.

"Save it, Jago, you might need your magical powers to fight instead of wasting them on superficial comforts. By the looks of it, we are not the only one`s out in the desert and I am not referring to anything remotely human."

He said as he stared out into the desert and bit into a piece of bread. Jago nodded quietly and remained seated on the sand near the bondfire. To the brothers even a table sometimes seemed something required out of pointless need for comfort, they`d rather sit on the sand as anyone could hold a plate in hand.

Meanwhile the desert began to `awaken`, predators set out of their holes and hideouts, looking for a suitable piece of flesh to bite into.

Kari shrugged,she didn't care.She just had a feeling the hawk girl would start whining,then again if she wanted a table then she could use Mr. I-Make-Gold-Out-Of-Nothing-While-Disturbing-The-Law's-Of-Physics table. Kari sat down on the sand watching the lizards and snakes and rodents come out of they're holes in bemusement as she ate some bread listening to everybody talking.

Jillian chuckled softly, all those guys were pretty amusing, she grabbed some food and a piece of breath. She then lightly kicked Alexander "Wake up food is ready" She said, Alexander opened his eyes and yawned as he got up.

Lullaby leaned against the wall of the cave. Strangely, she found more comfort being near the wall than by the fire. The support of the wall made her feel somehow secure. It reminded her of when she stood by the sides of her brothers and sisters, her fellow Hawk Children. Suddenly, the sadness that came with her silence was overwhelming, so she walked to the others, and grabbed a piece of bread.

"It's weird enough that you need a table, a table of all things, in the middle of a desert, to eat at, but now you need a golden table?" She muttered, smirking as though she was going to laugh. She was not trying to pick a fight; it was more like she needed to make a comment in order to entertain herself.

Then she turned to Kuzo. Since Lullaby had no experience traveling the desert by night, she asked curiously, "Hm? What do you mean?"

"Well..it's my thing.Would you preferr Silver Bronze, Iron, Copper?" He listed as he put his hand on the table and it changed to thoughs metals as he listed them off

"Hmh?"

Kuzo said muttered as he turned his head, a piece of bread hanged between his teeth and there was a slightly dumstruck expression on his face. However, he quickly regained his cold composture and took the bread out of his mouth to talk.

"Uninhabbited regions tend to be more.... feral by nature and I do not mean those little lizards that wriggle along the desert sands every now and then. Shall I say that anyone can be eaten awhole by somethings that travel in inhabbit these lands..."

He said with a slight smile on his face as he was wondering whether anyone would actually get eaten, as long as it wasn`t him or Jago, Kuzo had no qualms with it.

"You must get along with them quite well for you to be smirking about it." The Treasurer said as he Put his elbow on Kuzo's Shoulder. "I mean, You need to warn these trained Warriors about them, they must be Touffies and for you to warn them about it. And you must have some secert Weapon aganist them, or kick some Major a$$, whicth would be very Scary, as your explosive temper Dictated." He said

"Mr.Treasurer please try to keep from making our guides mad.Since they're pretty much in charge and will probably end up killing you if you keep up annoying them."

Kari said bluntly to the suited man before putting another forkful of meat in her mouth and rolling her eyes at how one man could be so annoying to horrible tempered people,like herself and Jago and Kuzo.

"Since when are they in charge?" Bjorn asked to Jillian, she just shrughed basically saying she couldnt care less.

"Exactlly. The Navagators are usally never the Commanding Officers on a vessel. On land, I belive the same is true." he said as he yawned