Cael's return to the Riviera was not met by exclamations of joy. Even his friends, before they could be happy to see him, had to ask about what happened to his hair.
Others had much more hostile opinions.
He and his group descended from the skies near Riviera and entered the city on foot. With Cael hiding his wings under a cloak, they didn't look too different from a group of any other humans. Powerful, rich foreigners—which created a slew of questions for guards on the city gates, questions that they didn't dare to ask.
As Cael walked towards the Royal Tower-Palace, his eyes caught the changes that had happened to the city since he last was there.
Priest-mages patrolled the streets together with guards. A mad prophet preached about the end of the world on a corner of the street, and people listened to him instead of throwing rotten eggs. The people looked gloomy and stared at Cael's group with wary eyes.