"Let's get started shall we?" He turned to face the monolithic ruins as the sun cast shadows in front of them. He could see Koda's shadow affirm his request. "Hmm," Silas mumbled out loud, "I'm fairly certain that my skill's can't help us here." What was worse was his awful sense of value; to him, old and ornate seemed identical. All he really wanted was performance out of his possessions, not rot and decay for the sake of 'rustic' appeal. Passing through the wall with Koda, who seemed electric, perhaps with all the lore and art in store, Silas observed his fellow contestants rather than the musty, dim, and crumbling surroundings. While it was elaborately intricate, he wished to save his awe for a non-competitive moment. It seemed to be that everyone had groups, save a few. Perhaps it was a good idea to make allies in the early sections of the exam. "I know, a lot!" he heard from ahead. A woman with a strikingly red hat, and an individual whose only defining feature was catlike and roguish eyes. "Art has its roots in history after all." Silas paused before grinning widely. This should be interesting: we'll either have a rival or a comrade. He turned and grabbed the sleeve of the seemingly oblivious Koda before dragging him along. "C'mere, I just got an idea of what to get." Silas fought his objections with silence. "Hey!" *he called to the group, but pointed to the girl. "Are you an artist? Meet Koda; he shares your passion," Silas said as if this was a social norm. An awkward silence stood for a few seconds, so Silas interjected gladly. "Well, no matter -- Let's cut straight to the case. It seems would could be allies here," he stuck out his hand and accompanied it with a cheeky smile. "Your choice, but either way, we'll be targeting the same artifacts." He couldn't help, but beam at the reactions he was getting. "Do we have a deal... Partners?" /u/TelFyr /u/ahgck /u/RsTc_paralyze