[Boolean]

Boolean sat back and sighed contentedly, a few empty plates before him the only remnants of the sumptuous meal he'd consumed. The expression didn't draw much attention, if any -- in fact, nothing he'd done since describing his recent past had stood out in anyone's mind.

Oh, he'd listened politely to the banter about him, and responded where appropriate. But the lanky feline got the distinct impression that the light dinner and after-dinner conversation was a thin cover, a veneer put up by each individual diner, to cover for something else.

Everyone seemed preoccupied, distant, to some degree or other. Given the quest ahead of them, hanging above them as ominous as a guillotine blade, the lion-cheetah couldn't blame them in the least. It was a sombering prospect, unpleasant to even ponder, much less to discuss.

Boolean frowned slightly at that. Were they indeed pondering... that? He started to wonder. It was true that Yume and Aidan had stepped aside to discuss strategy and duties, or something of the sort, and Ancolyte had reflected on the fate that would unroll before them just before he'd started his solitary pacing. But the werewolf's and prince's eyes, and for as much as he could read the alien expressions, perhaps even the Elite's, all seemed to be turned inwards.

A rounded lion ear twitched amongst a loose thatch of unruly mane, and the rest of Boolean's head soon followed, to watch Aidan return... alone, with a slight amused grin on his face. Boolean's eyes widened with concern -- what had happened to the only one of the group he knew and trusted? -- but before he could voice it, Yume returned as well. The slender reptile was walking calmly and her expression was even, but the tip of her tail was twitching irritatedly behind her. He'd known and worked with her long enough to know that she was tense over something. Just what had transpired?

As if anticipating questions along that exact vein, and not wanting to deal with them, Yume sighed and addressed the group. "Awright, folks, I dunno 'bout you all, but I'm turnin' in. You all get ta figger out who's watchin' when if you wanna do that, I don' ever bother. Anyone got any questions left, keep 'em fer mornin'. An' put th' fire out when yer done decidin', I can't sleep with a light on." She promptly laid herself down to sleep.

Aidan moved a short distance away, as if nothing had happened, and reposed for what appeared to be some sort of meditation. Perhaps it was the closest he came to sleep; Boolean had gathered the man to be a monk of some sort. Ancolyte started to softly hum a hymn, and Galen reposed on his back, staring up at the faintly-visible smog overhead.

Almost nobody seemed to be sleeping, and yet, nobody seemed to be in a watchful state of mind.

"I'll take the first watch," Boolean quietly volunteered, reluctant to break the uneasy peace. "This land is a few hours ahead of my schedule at the pub," he explained to unlistening ears. He stood and took up the long pipe he'd claimed as a weapon, and started pacing slowly around the camp, eyes cast outward.

The moon was full and bright, but veiled as it was in smog, only a faint gray light was let through to pick out the edges of the rubbish around them once the fire had been extinguished. The feline's keen eyes reflected a very faint yellow-green from the light, helping him to see the details around him. There was no breeze, and almost no ambient noise to interfere with his watch, though an occasional creak or groan from some debris cooling and contracting in the night caused him to spin around more than once.

Boolean didn't mind the false alarms. They helped keep him alert and focussed on his watch duty. He couldn't afford to let his mind wander into its own introspection. His new companions' welfare depended on it.

That, and he knew he wouldn't like what he saw.

The group didn't actually depend on his watch duty, he realized with a slight grimace-smirk. All of them carried themselves with the self-assurance of someone who can do anything they want or need to do, and with the calm poise of a soul who has existed for centuries. Mortality wasn't something that concerned them as it did him. They didn't seem limited by the fragility of flesh, the weakness of --

Another noise brought Boolean's head about. It was footsteps, perhaps running footsteps. He jogged forward to meet it, moving silently on feline grace with his makeshift staff held in front of him, ready to strike if needed.

He stopped short when he recognized Lycrios' big frame, moving toward Aidan's place of repose. In the calm night, his ears easily picked out the hunter's warning: they were not alone.

Boolean pursed his lips and moved to the nearest mound of refuse, trying to gain a higher vantage point. If there really were more than a few beings approaching them, he wanted to be able to see them as early as possible, to parley or to fight or just to awaken the others.