Not long after that sign was hanging, the bell rang and Grem loped in, small paper bag in hand. As he glanced around, he pulled the cinnamon stick from his lips, set it to rest over one ear, against the bottom edge of his red cap. He waggled fingers to Lydia before pulling the strap of his messenger bag over his head, soft steps taking him toward the counter, where he sets the bag to rest on the floor, to lean against it.

Hearing the bell ring, Lydia turned her head that way about to remark that the store was closed. Sometimes they did get a customer or two that didn't see the sign, or simply didn't care.. but? Spotting Grem, she grinned and wandered his way, returning the finger waggle.

Next came the paper bag, set down on the counter top. He smiled to Erin, who he saw had her own lunch out already, before looking back over to the green-haired elf. "Got a spare BLT if you want it, darlin'." And with that, he dug into his bag to withdraw the first of the sandwiches.

"And nothing for me, Smokey?" Erin mock pouted, laughing a little as she snapped back to reality. "Not even some cake?" her eyes moved to Lydia and she winked at her sister. "Aw, and here I was hoping you loved me too." An exaggerated pout from the Englishwoman as she leaned over the countertop to tap the bill of his hat.

"Guess you were right." That was said to Lydia with a smirk as she settled herself back on the stool she had been perched on and unwrapped her sandwich. Without another word she chomped into it, taking a bite much too big for her mouth and chewing slowly, cheeks puffed out.

"Thanks love!" On tippy toes first, she pressed a kiss to his lips before digging into the bag to pull out that spare BLT. "And of course I was right Erin." Aside. "Besides, you're dieting, yeah? You can't eat cake. Or cupcakes.. Or anything good.." Grinning, she started on that BLT, not looking quite the chipmunk Erin did though.

Grem blinked at Erin, wondering when she was going to come up with a more up-to-date nickname or simply use his actual name, then shook his head with a smirk. "You've got more'n I've got for myself as it is." He blinked again. "And why would I bring cake?" When she tapped his hat, he tipped his head to the side a touch and tugged it off, set it on the counter.

When she spoke to Lydia, he raised his brows and looked that way, just in time to smile into that kiss. "Right about what?" Glancing between them, he unwrapped his own sandwich and took a bite, which he swallowed rather quickly as Lydia continued. "Dieting?" Brows furrowed a touch. "...why?"

"I'm getting in shape." She said as she chomped into the apple. "You know, not getting high blood pressure or anything." She patted her tummy. "Eating nothing but cupcakes and grilled cheese is bad for a girl's heart." Erin snickered as she munched away, watching the pair with a smile. She had been bulking up a little-- gaining muscle, toning, getting stronger. And she could even run a mile now without huffing and puffing.

Didn't mean she didn't want a cupcake, though. "And sometimes people bring cake?" She shrugged. "I was dreaming." She laughed a little, and switched back from apple to sandwich.

Content to listen for the moment, Lydia nibbled at her sandwich. Truthfully, she'd probably chow down like Erin if it was just the girls, but she wasn't much for stuffing her face in Grem's proximity. So nibbles and normal bites it was. "Changing diet might not help much with blood pressure." Almost murmured, but not quite. The obvious addition of it being Rhydin and the activities they had to put up with on a near daily basis was kept to herself though.

Pale blues to Grem, she smiled faintly. "I think it's for the duels." Another bite of her sandwich taken, chewed, and swallowed before canting her head towards Erin. "I hear you're getting better at them though." Smile was somewhat supportive, but hardly enthusiastic. She still wasn't entirely thrilled about Erin getting pounded on like a punching bag.

"What's the point if you can't enjoy what you eat?" Grem was apparently not a fan of the noble peanut butter and jelly. "I can't imagine going through life counting calories and sucking down tofu." He shrugged, then took another bite from his sandwich, listening for a moment or two.

When he swallowed that bite, he leaned down to pull a bottle of water from his messenger bag's side pocket. "Ah. The duels." He nodded to Lydia, then looked back to Erin. "I still don't really see the appeal in that. But, then, I was never really a fan of boxing, either. At least pro wrestling is all an act, not people really trying to injure each other." That said, he twisted open his bottle and brought it to his lips for a sip.

"I just like the competition." She said as she popped another piece of apple in her mouth. "That and it's fun to know I can defend myself." She nodded and smiled to Lydia then, "Thanks, I am. I won one the other day."

If Lydia was ever worried about unhealthy foods and Grem she certainly wasn't anymore. A mental note was made to avoid tofu, something she'd not have a problem with. Almost like solidified water, that. At least to her. She didn't worry much about counting calories either, just ate whatever she wanted, be it 'healthy' or not. She's even ate more than she should at times in an effort to *gain* a little weight to her small frame.. never really worked though.

"I think the Duels could be fun if people didn't take them as seriously as they did." And far too many took them way too seriously, thinking that a silly title gave them more rights than others. It was her stance on it at least. The mention of pro wrestling got a curious look, as she was unacquainted with it.

Erin's face went white as she handed the paper across the counter to Lydia. She was breathing a little heavy and suddenly? Her hands were clammy. She almost wanted to pull the paper back to read it again, but she didn't. Just held it, hand shaking, for her sister.

As Lydia watched Erin's reaction to reading the letter she frowned. That frown deepened when the letter was offered over. Hesitantly, she reached out to take it and held it so that she could read it. Seeing just what was written, her frown faded, lips parted, and pale blues widened quite a bit as her expression became one of disbelief. Her mind split in quite a few different directions, wondering the how, the why, still trying to process the contents...

"This... it..." She couldn't make sense with thoughts or words it seemed. Lydia looked lost almost as hand holding letter fell somewhat, and pale blues slowly shifted up towards Grem. She looked like she wanted to say something, anything, but nothing came. Instead? She'd let the letter speak for itself, and offered it over to him.

"Kidnapped..." Erin muttered as the letter was handed over. "Ivy's kidnapped..." And with that, those saucer-like eyes turned to watch Grem read the letter.

Brows knotted at Erin's reaction to the letter, and Grem set his sandwich and water down as he stood straighter, turning toward the women with a frown. "What's...?" He reached for the letter, took a brief look over it, and scowled. "For a ransom? She from a wealthy family or something?" He flipped the letter over, glancing at the blank back, then looked over the scrawled words once more.

And then he lifted the letter to a space near his nose, nostrils flaring as he took a deep breath with mismatched eyes closed. He swallowed, once, exhaled through his mouth and under the paper, then took another slow breath through his nose. He disregarded the scents of the store; himself, Lydia, Erin, clothing and fabrics and clay, along with the general miasma of the city. The paper was a fairly standard sort, and didn't stand out much. Ink was fainter, though not quite as standard, but was ultimately just as useless.

He could pick up a scent along with all that, though; anyone not used to kidnapping is awfully likely to have palms at least a bit sweatier than usual, and paper absorbs such well. However, he frowned as he laid the letter on the counter between them all. "I've run into him before, but I can't put my finger on when," he muttered with a scowl.

Lydia's lost expression faded into something a little more thoughtful as she watched Grem. She hadn't thought of him trying to pick up the scent of the letter or... anything. She was no good for situations like these, either she'd succumb to panic or shut down. That'd be no good to do now though...

She swallowed hard at his words. If Grem'd run into him... was it a casual acquaintance? A friend even? For the moment at least, questions would have to go unanswered, and for the moment, that probably wasn't what they should focus on. Pale blues lowered towards the letter on the counter, lips in a frown once more. "What now?" Voice not much more than a whisper, her gaze lifted to drift between the two.

"I... I..." Erin was still blinking and frowning, a hand went to rub her neck. "I don't know." She frowned and looked to Grem. He seemed to be in control all of a sudden. "I mean... I have the money..." It was quietly said. She knew you weren't supposed to capitulate with kidnappers, but what else was there to do? She wasn't one that had a lot of experience in this vein. "We could just go... and hand it over... and we'll get her back and..."

Erin's mind was reeling. She should have checked on them! It was her house this happened in... Erin had thought it was safe, thought no one even knew she was living there earlier, save Jordan and Storm and maybe... "Oh my god, what if it was supposed to be me all along?!" It just came out of her mouth. Ivy didn't have a lot of money, Erin on the other hand, did. Not to mention she was much more rife with enemies. A bent finger was placed in her mouth and she bit down on it. "We have to get her." Though the last part was muffled by the finger in her mouth.

The cinnamon stick was back in his mouth, worried between teeth. Grem looked between the women as he listened, frowning, then nodded slightly. "Don't see as there's much choice. He didn't really give us a lot to go on." A gesture to the letter, at that. "Can't really track him with that, and dispatch doesn't usually keep any real records for stuff as small as letters." He rubbed the back of his neck as he let his head tilt forward, mismatched eyes narrow as he considered their options.

"I can pretty much guarantee that the Watch wouldn't be much help. They're not equipped to deal with this sort of thing unless it goes bad; the scryers they go to are fakes or just plain bad at what they do more often than not. And they don't even have time to put up signs and let him know we went to them." Speaking as though he'd had dealings with the Watch before, he shook his head. "Might be able to do something about it after she's safe. Follow him or something..." Then he looked at Erin, shrugged. "Doesn't make much difference now whether it was supposed to be you or not. We do what we have to do to get her back, just like we would if it was you." He paused, frowning.

"I don't like the idea of either one of you going to this alone." He looked between the two, apparently not having seen who the letter was addressed to. "Depending on who it is...what they can do... I don't know how well we'd be able to hide someone else there...not a whole lot of time to scout the area, either. Might be able to find a building with a decent view, but he'd probably be watching already..." He trailed off, scowling once more.

Lydia listened, brows furrowed as she rubbed at an arm. Her gaze drifted over that letter once more before lifting. "It's just money... if she'll be okay if we pay whoever this is... I don't mind." She paused, mind starting to wander, just briefly, to a best and worst case scenario. She frowned as she tried to push the latter from her mind. "I know it's important to find out who this is... but Ivy's safety is more important. If he gets away, he gets away... just as long as she's safe." Of course both would be preferable. If this person got away, what would be stopping him from doing this to someone else?

She nodded faintly, then moved behind the counter and towards the register, movements stiff, rigid. Lydia usually struggled with the thing, but somehow, even in her current state of mind, she was able to open it with ease. "I agree that... that the Watch wouldn't be much help." She stared down into the register, golds and silvers and coppers a blur. "And no one should go there alone. Not when we..." She trailed off, taking in a breath. At this point, it was a bit of a struggle to 'keep it together' but she was managing, if just barely. "Gods..." Pale blues shifted aside towards the letter now out of her reach. "...how much did it say they wanted?" That wasn't one of the details of the letter that jumped out at her when she read it.

"Something like two thousand pounds?" Erin had just used the British term for money for the first time since she had switched out her money. She was confused and upset and just a little off. She scratched an itch under her eye with one hand and grabbed for the letter with the other. "Three. Three thousand pounds." Nodding as she looked it over and discarded it on the counter again. Erin picked nervously at her sandwich, rolling the little pieces into small balls and then popping them in her mouth to chew vigorously and start again. It clearly resembled the nervous tic it was.

"We all go... maybe Lydia and I could go give the money and you could be somewhere?" To Grem, brows raised. "If he got the wrong person or something, he'd be expecting both of us... Plus two heads are better than one and how threatening can we seem?" Erin used the word seem because she knew that alone and as a pair, the two of them were no porcelain dolls. Erin had been training, and Lydia was just a bucket of surprises in tight situations; Erin wouldn't have been shocked if she were even the best shot in Rhydin(though she would be surprised if Lydia had tried).

Grem watched as Lydia moved to the register and opened the till, then nodded to Erin. "I don't know if he'll be expecting the both of you, but you're right. You two wouldn't look dangerous to someone who doesn't know better." He paused, considering that. If whoever it was did know better, there could be a problem. "Want to be careful, even so..." Trailing off, he peered at the closed curtain over the front window, then nodded again. "Alright. You've got a little time to get there. We can't go at the same time; he could be watching the place." If the store was watched, whoever had done this could easily have seen him go in. He rubbed at the back of his neck again, head tipping forward as his eyes darted about.

"Alright. I should go now, so I have a little time to find a place out of the way I can watch from. See if there's a building I can get into or something, yeah?" He pulled the cinnamon stick from his mouth, dropped it into his pocket. "Alright. Back door, or... Hm. There a window I can go out, that's not on a wall with a door?" He looked between the two women, weight shifting between his feet. "Down here or upstairs, whichever. Hopefully even if he's watching he won't see me go, then." He left out the possibility that, if he was seen leaving a window, it would immediately arouse suspicion. He was hoping he hadn't gotten rusty enough since his time on the run, on Earth, to miss noticing someone watching as he left.

Lydia looked a little perplexed at the mention of 'pounds'. It wasn't the first time she had heard about Erin's native currency, but the green haired elf certainly didn't know anything about it. Not wanting to spend time dwelling on that or asking questions about money conversion, she picked up a finely knitted bag that was stashed with a few other miscellanea behind the counter. Straps were tugged to open the bag so she could wrap the opening about the register till.

There was a pause in her movements then, as she picked up Erin's suggestion. It wasn't a bad idea, the plan made sense, but her stomach turned to knots. There was that small part of her that wanted to object to it, object to Grem going somewhere alone, or even getting involved. But another more logical part of her knew that was ridiculous. That this was something she and Erin might not be able to handle alone, and there was really no other she trusted more with her own life or the life of a friend.

Till pulled out of the register, Lydia tilted it to quickly dump the contents into the bag. There was quite a bit of money in there, so she figured the chances of it being more than needed were good. Till set aside rather than returned to register, she gripped the handles of the bag tightly as somewhat heavy steps brought her back around the counter, pale blues flickering between the two.

"Upstairs." Lydia spoke it quietly, nearly murmured it before swallowing hard, her mouth and throat suddenly feeling very dry. "Past the bathrooms and office at the end of the hallway... there's a window in the workroom." She usually kept it closed, as the view wasn't particularly scenic since the window led into a side alley. Nor was the aroma from the dumpster pleasant. Pale blues flicked to Erin a moment, then back up towards Grem. "You can go out there without anyone seeing you I think. And we-" Another glance cast to Erin. "-can leave in about fifteen minutes. It should give you a little time." Not much, she knew, but they were working on a deadline here. She bit at her lip and shuffled her feet just a touch, uncertain what else to say. A 'be careful' at this point seemed a little... redundant.

Erin nodded at what Lydia said. She was stuffing what was left of her lunch into her mouth in that nervous balling of food. "How do we stay in contact of something happens?" Erin wanted a cell phone. A walkie talkie. To be James Bond. Erin hadn't noticed her hands were shaking. It caused her to frown down at them for a long moment.

Grem looked the stairs, then back to Lydia, and nodded. "That'll work." Then he looked to Erin. "Don't know if we can..." Leaning toward the counter, he glanced over the letter again, to commit the drop point to memory. "I'll find somewhere I can watch from, so I'll be able to see if something happens. If there's no where for me to hide, I guess I'll have to be walking by or something." He frowned, then stepped away from the counter and toward the stairs. "Be careful. I'll see you there." Mismatched eyes rested on Lydia for a moment before he ascended.

Lydia watched Grem as he moved for the stairs, only able to mouth out 'you too' to his words. Frowning, she gripped the handles of the 'money bag' tighter, causing knuckles to pale a bit. "I guess we just wait now." A whisper directed towards Erin as she looked that way.

When Ivy had appeared, Grem had blinked and nearly stood, until he realized that if her captor could make her seem to arrive from nowhere, he could easily do the same himself. So he waited, until the unknown green-haired elf appeared. So that was their kidnapper. Scowling, he pushed away from the edge of the roof and moved inside the building, where his descent might take a moment or two longer but would allow him to dart down without fear of being seen or, given that he didn't know this new player's capacity, heard. Once in the stairwell, he leapt from landing to landing, getting downstairs as fast as gravity would take him.

Erin, mouth covered, gave Lydia a reassuring look with her eyes. It only took a moment to get the panic under control-- there was something about how unreal this was that made it less frightening. Stay calm, Lydia , she willed. Stay calm and think.

Outside, Grem darted glances down the street. He couldn't just rush down there, not with Erin held so tightly, but he couldn't waste time either... Spotting a small storefront with secondhand goods in the window, he had an idea. He took a step inside and pulled a cloak from a stand just inside. "I'll be back." That was said over his shoulder to the startled man behind the counter as he stepped out. Luckily, the man had not been prepared for such blatant thievery, and simply gaped. Not the best disguise, but he didn't need it to work for long, and didn't know if it would even be needed, as he'd not seen the kidnapper before and thus may not have been seen in turn. Better to be safe, though. Cloak thrown over his head, not worn properly but covering enough, he hunched down and moved toward the trail that led down under the bridge. And he started to hum, barely audibly.

As Grem was approaching, Fahl continued his talking to Lydia. "I need you to come with me. We need you. It's a shame you don't just know that. That you *made* me do this." He couldn't hear the humming yet, not over the pounding in his ears, the murmuring of the girls and his own voice.

Lydia was unaware of the world, barely aware of herself, Fahl, and Erin. Pale blues locked with Erin's hazel a moment, her own glistening faintly before snapping up towards Fahl. There was frustration there now, anger. Trembling still, her words were nearly shouted. "I made you do nothing!" She gestured towards Ivy and then Erin with a shaky hand. "Whatever... whatever this is about! It doesn't involve them and.. and.." She trailed off, teeth clenching together tightly. Even if there was nothing to be done for the moment, her eyes still glowed a faint white, powers brimming towards the surface.

Grem could hear them getting louder as he stepped onto the trail and began to sway, just a bit at first, side to side. He took a sidelong glance from under the cloak, then set himself swaying more as he mumbled along with the tune, voice not quiet but certainly not clear. His foot caught a rock, and swung into the air once, when he was within view of the quartet, but he rocked on his other foot for a moment, set the first back to the ground, and resumed his song. "?Biddy, she gave 'er a belt on th' gob...an' left 'er sprawlin' on th' floor!...Then th' war did soon engage...?" He descended into mumbling once more, as he faced the water. One hand moved to the front of his pants, apparently working a zipper or buttons.

Ivy looked up at the man and tilted her head, the noises she was making were stopped for the moment as she watched in awe. Did he see what was happening? She didn't know Grem enough to know who it was, or why he was there, so really it just added to the surrealness of her past two days. She looked to Erin and Fahl, then to Lydia, then back to the man there.

Erin noticed Ivy's noises stop and that was when she heard the singing. It sounded a little familiar... but she couldn't turn her head to look. Eyes moved to Lydia's face. They went wide, then moved to the side. It was as if she were asking... Is that him? Her breath made a hissing noise through the hand that was holding her and it tightened down a little so that it was a bit harder to breathe. She squirmed against him, throwing an elbow back, but it was stopped by one of his much stronger hands.

Fahl's eyes glistened once Lydia's did and he watched her silently. "You need to be at home or all your people will die." It was quiet, almost defeated; an admission he'd rather not make aloud, but had to. "It's best to just end this quiet--" And the noises changed. The hairs on the back of his neck prickled and he took a moment to debate. Turning around could be lethal, but not could be worse.

Fahl hesitated.

Lydia's features almost relaxed, simply out of complete disbelief to the addition to the scene. It was... ridiculous, something she'd expect at the inn, but it only took her a couple seconds to realize this was no random passerby. Pale blues snapped back to Fahl, noting the hesitation. If there ever was a time to react, this was certainly the time. While magic was a no-go, it wasn't the only weapon she had at her disposal, and Fahl's toppling height over Erin might give him strength over the mad Englishwoman, but it only made him a bigger target for Lydia. Her gaze caught Erin's. She needed her to trust her.

Or forgive her if she missed.

Lydia moved quickly, a blur of celadon and turquoise as she dropped to the ground, hand slipping into a boot to pull out one of three throwing knives she always kept with her. Legs straightened so she could stand as her arm shot forwards, throwing the instrument towards Fahl. She wasn't aiming to kill, simply wound, distract, disarm, hurt... anything that would prove beneficial to her and the others. Practice proved perfect as silver drove itself into the flesh of Fahl's shoulder, mere inches above Erin's head.

Fahl cried out. His arms let go of Erin without thinking as he stumbled back to curl fingers around the blade. Erin, of course, took the moment to bolt at Lydia as fast as she could, stopping just behind her, cowering. Now, now she was scared. Fahl pulled the blade from his arm and held it out, pointing its bloody end at Lydia.

"That was foolish. You know my magic is stronger than yours." Though now he was down his right arm...

Grem wasn't watching the scene unraveling, but hoped that he would be able to hear when it was safe for him to turn. He heard the other man pause in his speech, then heard him cry out. That was cue enough for Grem, and he threw off the cloak and turned to rush forward, his hand moving across from the front of his pants to the opposite side. He still carried his skinning knife, and the steel glinted in the midday sun as he rushed forward. He made no attempt to bring the blade to bear, at least not yet, but rather stretched out his free hand for the man's outstretched left wrist, shoulder driving toward his elbow.

Lydia knew Fahl's magic was considerably stronger than hers. He had years of age and experience on her, more knowledge of the tomes that once resided at The Sacrosanct's library. However her priority wasn't her own safety and well being for the moment. Whether he could best her wasn't what concerned her. Lydia resisted the urge to turn and check on Erin and hug her, because they weren't out of danger yet, instead, the sight of Grem running in from the side towards Fahl had her mind running in fast forward, as she had to act, just couldn't stand there.

"Erin. Get Ivy." She didn't turn to look at her sister as she spoke the words, quiet so that only Erin could hear. A leg lifted so that Lydia could draw a second knife from her boot and a few steps were taken closer to Fahl and Grem, blade of her knife grasped gingerly between thumb and forefinger. She positioned herself so that she was between them and Erin and Ivy, should Fahl try to go after the girls again. But for now, and to her dismay, there wasn't much she could do for Grem. Jumping in the fray would cause more harm than good, magic would take them both out, and there was too much movement for her to throw another knife.

Lydia could only wait for an opening.

Erin moved the second she was spoken to. It was as if Lydia's words controlled her legs. Get Ivy. Get Ivy. And she creeped across the opening, headed for where the bridge met water. No one paid any attention to the small creeping Englishwoman. Not when action was taking place right in front of them.

Fahl didn't expect the drunk man he could not readily see to come tearing at them. Just before he was pushed to the ground, his knife flying, he saw the glint of mismatched eyes.

Oh.

He had forgotten about the lunch visits of the courier boyfriend. One overlooked detail and everything was laid to waste. As the larger man tackled him to the ground, a small red stone tumbled from his pocket and onto the gravel. Flesh ripped, pebbles crunched and Fahl found himself under the man with the mismatched eyes.

In the meantime, Erin had gotten to Ivy and was silently working on her binds. Nimble fingers were working as quick as they could, but it was hard with the thin kitchen twine and her longer nails. Ivy muttered against her gag and Erin took a break from her arms to undo the gag, causing the woman to begin gasping for air.

"Oh... god... oh..." She was muttering to herself.

"It'll be okay, Ives. Just hang in there." Erin murmured softly against her friend's hair. "We're going to be fine." Finally, finally! the twine pulled through and she untied Ivy's hands, leaving her to untie her own feet. Now both Englishwomen were free.

Grem knew that the other man had magics at his disposal. He heard what was said to Lydia and knew what it would mean for this other elf's magical prowess to be greater than hers. However, he also knew that all the magic in the world wouldn't do any good to one who didn't see something coming, and he was counting on it.

As the two men went down, he kept his knife hand out to the side. He'd no intention of killing the elf, and certainly didn't want to fall on his own blade in the tumble. He did try to keep a grip on the man's wrist, and bring the blade within view of blue eyes once they'd settled. Not quite a threatening gesture; it was more a simple reminder of the steel's presence. "Now, let's discuss this like civilized people..."

Lydia frowned as Grem and Fahl went down, watching to make sure the former was unharmed. Pale blues flickered back to Erin and Ivy to check on them a moment then back towards the men. If Fahl were willing to stop the fighting, that would be preferable. Eyes caught sight of red then, widening when she processed just what it was she was looking at. A very small step was taken backwards from the red stone, almost as if she feared it.

Fahl relaxed into the gravel as the larger man pinned him. "Civilized?" He almost grunted, but at the last moment, attempted to make it sound more, well, civilized. He pressed his hands against Grem's shoulders as if to hold him up. In actuality, he was just insuring that the man couldn't get any closer to him to head butt or stab him.

Erin and Ivy stayed pressed together by the water, talking to each other softly. It was unclear what they were saying, but it seemed to be calming the older, saner woman down. She was careful, wrapping one arm around Erin and the two started a slow walk to the periphery of the conflict, ready to jump in if need be, but away enough not to be a liability.

Fahl grunted again, the weight of Grem being too much to hold much longer. "You don't know what you're getting yourself into. This doesn't concern you."

Grem, for his part, knelt over the slightly smaller man. Starkly mismatched eyes were narrowed as he glared down at Fahl. "You threaten people...my friends...*her*...and it doesn't concern me?" The last few words were spoken through his teeth. "Doesn't matter what else it concerns. It also concerns me. You made it concern me." Nostrils flaring, he straightened just a touch, to give the man a scant bit more room to breath. And, perhaps, to make it easier for himself to not lash out more.

"I'm warning you. Move." He gave one last shove with his arms to shoulders. A warning. He didn't want to hurt anyone, not really-- Fahl wasn't evil, but he was prepared to do anything he could to achieve his goal. And his goal included that stone and that half-elf. "Now." And his eyes went from blue to a glowing white.

Catching sight of glowing eyes, Lydia shook her head. She knew what that meant. They all would. "Fahl... don't!" Words were laced with frustration as she all but forgot about that red stone and moved closer to him and Grem. They were still too close together for her to do much of anything to help. Hand holding the throwing knife dropped lightly to her side as she spoke. "You're outnumbered.. just.. stop it. No one has to get hurt if you just stop." A hint of desperation to her voice as her gaze flickered between the two men.

Grem saw those eyes starting to glow, and he knew from seeing the same thing with Lydia what it meant. His eyes darted to the side as Lydia spoke, and he considered options. Something about a man kidnapping helpless women as pawns made him less inclined to think that speaking reason would do much good. So he did the first thing that came to mind.

Grem straightened, moving as if to stand. Away from the other man's hands, at least. Then he came back down, twisting his body to drive his empty fist into the side of the elf's jaw. With any luck, that would prove distracting enough. Just in case it wasn't, he was prepared to be on his feet in an instant.

Fahl's head hit the ground as it turned from the force. He grunted and his eyes flickered back to normal. Before he could call on the magic again, Grem was on his feet, and the confrontation was over. For now, at least. Fahl scrambled to his feet, bloody knees through ripped up pants now visable, the arm that was stabbed hanging limply.

"This isn't over." Then Fahl muttered a word under his breath, only Lydia would probably get the meaning. And just as he appeared? He disappeared. Into thin air.

Lydia winced faintly at the impact of Grem's fist against Fahl's face, brows furrowed faintly as her gaze focused on Grem as he stood. She almost looked as if to say something before Fahl stood up, then she took a half step back, knife raised slightly. At his words, she shook her head, wanting to object to him leaving, but then? He was gone. Just like that.

For now at least.

With danger no longer imminent, knife slipped away from her fingertips and to the ground. Lydia's gaze wandered amongst the others, but she couldn't find any words for them, couldn't find an apology for them being involved. Pale blues lingered on Ivy the longest though, gaze rather apologetic before falling towards the ground to rest on red. She was quiet, allowing the reality of the situation to sink in, trying to push the images of her previous dream from her mind.