[crow]

And considering the three of them were here to have a good time, as Suvi had put it, he wasn't going to concern himself with the details. Once upon a time, maybe he would have investigated further, but... Now he had no priority beyond protecting his family. If a threat appeared, then he would deal with it, but as it was, he was content to leave it to those two researchers and whoever else was working with them.

"You're just in time," Suvi said, grabbing onto his arm. "The show's about to start. Come on! All the good spots are probably gone already, but---"

[crow]

A roar shook the air. Suvi's eyes widened. Rhodes' fur bristled as the cat stood suddenly, body tensed and alert.

Sivain's hand went to his sword once more, his mouth set in a grim line. There, up on the stage that Suvi had been tugging him toward, was a massive reptilian monster. Sivain assessed it calmly, thinking about all the creatures he'd fought since coming here. There had been a rampaging monster tearing its way through the war front too, once upon a time.

It had killed him once, though he had come back to finish the job. He wondered how long he would be able to hold out against this one.

[crow]

"Go," he said to Rhodes. "Take her with you."

"What?" Suvi stared at him. "But--- It's part of the performance, isn't it?" She had seen him reach for his blade, and on some level he was sure she knew what it meant. Her hands clutched at the hem of her shirt, white-knuckled.

Whatever he was going to say to her vanished from his mind when he saw another armed party close in on the creature, waving away the rest of the civilians with an evacuation order. Sivain watched them for a moment, then turned his attention to the beast itself, frowning slightly.

[crow]

Sivain had been in the business of hunting monsters much longer than he had been a soldier, and even though he wasn't familiar with this particular specimen, he could read something of its intent from its body language. And this one... seemed more as though it meant to flee than to fight.

That was none of his business, of course. But it did reassure him that the beast, at least, wasn't going to attack anyone in the crowd unless they got in its way. "We'll do as they're told and evacuate," he said, in a tone that brooked no argument from Suvi.

[crow]

He could never deny her very well in other circumstances, but when it came to her safety, he would not compromise. She understood this, from long acquaintance if nothing else. The armed men had unsettled her too, and she didn't protest when he took her hand and led her away.

"We... We can still come back next year, can't we?" she asked him in a small voice, as they filed out with the rest of the crowd. Sivain was still keeping a wary eye on their surroundings, in case anything else went awry.

At her question, he nodded. "Next year," he said. "Let's hope it will be better then."

[Evacuate]