Alex opened his eyes, the blanket of sleep falling away from him at the sounds of Gilly's voice at the door. "Wake up, little bird. We've things to do today." He turned his hazy vision to the window that was letting in early morning light and the soft breeze that rolled up the streets. He sat up rubbing his head in a vain attempt to remember everything up to this point. He turned and sat on the edge of the bed as Gilly walked into the room little regard for decency in her stride. She sat next to him and gave him a sweet little smile as if urging him to actually get moving.

He turned and looked at her, studying her face for a brief moment. "Gilly, would it be ok for me to ask you something?" Her smile faded but only slightly.

"You'll have time to ask whatever you'd like after you get your ass out of bed and get dressed. Besides we've got things to do, and you've got something waiting on you." She tapped his shoulder lightly. "There are clothes for you in the dresser; I had something specially made for you while you were unconscious on my bed. Wear it." That was no request... He looked down at himself then back to her.

"Uh... would you mind stepping out? I'd rather not get dressed in front of a complete stranger” He asked, she was quite pleasantly smiling at him when he asked that as well. Once again that predatory look a cat would give a mouse as it played with it.

"No." Her only response, he once more hesitated and then sighed in resignation.

"... Fine." He decided he may as well take it all in stride and stood up, making his way across the room to the dresser feeling her eyes watching him move the entire time. "I suppose its good you aren't throwing money at me at least." He tried joking at her as he rifled through the drawer. Inside he found a pair of cloth pants and a simple white shirt, and a wide leather belt that was etched with the Celtic knot he'd been so familiar with, beside the dresser was a pair of black rider’s boots.

As he was dressing he looked up to see her simply watching him with that grin. "Oh don’t be shy little bird, like I said I've been watching you for a while now, it’s nothing I haven’t seen before." Alex rolled his eyes at her and found that the clothes were perfectly fit for him. He closed his eyes and sighed at that, it was more or less how he thought it was. He reached over and pulled the boots over to him sliding them on, and they too, fit perfectly. It was as he was putting on the other that he heard the soft clatter of metal on the stone floor next to him. Alex looked over and saw a gold coin on the floor settling from its movement, he looked up at Gilly who had a more delighted look on her face and sighed again.

"What? You said you were surprised I wasn't throwing money at you. I figured I'd try to make you feel more comfortable, it’s not like I know the customs of where you're from." She did. He retrieved the coin from the ground and put it on the table turning around to grab the shirt and pull it over his head. Alex ran a hand through his hair to more or less make it look less unkempt, Then put on the belt, It was odd as it had a thigh strap as if it was used to hold a weapon as well.

"You know, I can’t help but feel naked..."

"Again?" Gilly interrupted...

Alex looked at her deadpanned. "...without my pistol. What happened to it?"

Gilly sighed and shook her head as if the fun was taken away for a moment. "It was not with your things when I went to get you. I'm sure those... people... have it somewhere."

Alex frowned as he straightened out his clothes and once more couldn't help but appreciate how well they fit. "Well, what do we do now?" She stood up and walked over to him tracing a finger across his jaw.

"Nothing, we’ve some time before where we are going opens up to the public. So for now we're going to go sit in the den, have some coffee or tea if you prefer, and discuss what is going to happen when we go where we are going. I honestly wanted to see if you'd listen to me when I told you to get up." Gilly laughed and walked to the door walking back out in to the den.

Alex clenched his jaw lightly... He was just her plaything at this point. For the time being it was best to play along and just find out everything he could this was all very strange to him; The concept of being led about as if a dog on a leash. He followed along with her and found himself in the den, Alex sat down in one of the soft chairs that rung around a small black oak coffee table. He found himself looking around the room. Large bay windows letting in lots of the morning sunlight, plants and bookcases lined with all sorts of books. Some looked downright ancient whereas others were newer. He squinted attempting to read a few of the spines but found what he could see were in some language he'd never seen before. Exactly where was he? Gilly walked back into the den with a small pot and two cups. She poured them both some coffee and placed the pot onto a small cloth on the table in between the two of them.

Gilly sat down and looked at him leaning back against the back of the chair. "So about where we are going... there are a few things you need to know." She paused for a moment and before he could ask anything followed up. "Things are... very different here compared to what you are familiar with. There will be people here that... don't look like what you're familiar with. I want to make this very clear to you before we go out today. Yesterday was a curated sort of experience, today, not so much."

Alex looked at her clearly lost as to what she was saying. Gilly rolled her eyes, and reached up pulling her light brown hair back beyond her ear. Alex watched her and could only sit in silence, her ears were long and pointed, like the elves he'd read about in books in the past. He coughed lightly and took a sip of the drink she poured for him earlier. "So, pointed ears? That’s the shock you're worried about? Gilly I appreciate the concern, but that’s not really that shocking. I mean...."

"No little bird, there is more to it. You'll see when we leave, I assure you. Just promise me you'll stay calm and do try not to get overwhelmed."

Sure, the pointed ears were surprising but it wasn't a thing he'd find distracting. "I assure you, I’m completely fine, quite whelmed." He said dryly. Gilly shook her head.

"Another thing, you are going to be going to the cathedral today, with me. When we go, you absolutely must not, under any circumstances, look into the eyes of the priestesses. Am I clear? I will not in any way be able to protect you if you do. You'd be best set on looking at the floor until we are granted an audience with who we are there to see. When we meet her, after all is said and done you can look around freely, but until then floor only. I'll even hold your hand to make sure they keep a distance. But these people are not the kind of people you can do whatever with until we have a blessing. Please, Alex, please promise me that you will do as I say."

Alex looked at her blankly. "What happens if I do look at them? The way you're hyping this up makes me curious to say the least."

Gilly frowned and looked at her coffee in front of her. "They'll take you on crimes against the priestesses and try you, and likely have you executed. You aren't from around here. They can see things you've done, and you've taken life not mandated by the Goddess so far as they know. So its murder to them, you'll need absolution before even so much as speaking with them. So just stay pretty and look at the floor." There was a note of extreme seriousness in her tone and he frowned nodding in agreement.

"Fine, fine, I promise. No words just look at the floor." He sipped from his coffee and sat back in the chair cradling his cup. "Gilly... Why me? What did I do to get your attention and protection as you put it?"

She looked at him and her expression softened slightly. "What brought this on little bird?"

He frowned slightly. "You said you've been protecting me for some time now. Why me? There could be so many others who deserve protection far more than I do, I'm just trying to wrap my head around it."

Gilly crossed her hands over her lap and looked at him as if in consideration. "You know Alex; I've asked the same question. At first, you were simply an assignment. Then I was given the choice to return here and go about my life, or follow you more. I think she knew... I decided to continue to watch over you and decide what to do with you when the time came. You were never in the line of harm from me, but I've stopped quite a few things from happening to you in the time I watched you. You're an interesting man Alex Byrne. I felt you were worth watching over to see how you'd become."

Alex looked at her questioningly "How was that?"

Gilly laughed lightly at him. "Now isn’t the time. The bells are about to toll and that is a conversation for another day, perhaps when you've earned it little bird." Soon as she had spoken the bells of the large cathedral rang out along the city. She stood up and straightened out her sundress smoothing out wrinkles and creases. Alex stood up as they both started to the doors of the house.

The doors opened smoothly as the echoes of the cathedral bells rang out over the country side, clouds cast shadows running along the hills outside of the city onto the farmland down below. The whole sight was very idyllic to Alex as he took it in. He turned to Gilly with a look of appreciation in his eyes; there was a peace to this place he wasn't used to. It went to his very core and he felt at ease. She smiled sweetly to him and nodded toward the cathedral that sat at the end of the road at the top of a hill near the town center. Alex hurried to catch up making his way to her side.