DreamLyrics™ Play-by-Post Forums Hall of Fame - Latest Top 10 completed games HWD: The Heartwood HWD: Introduction

<Lia with Bekkah, Cesare, and Elise>

"Hopefully there will be no need for your blessings and healings, Lady. Family? Yes."

She accepts the bowl that is brought to her with a smile and nod (and some small coins if needed.) "I hear that you have been traveling,Lady. Would you speak of it?"

Cesare with Bekkah, Lia and the girl

He changes position so that he can more easily see the entrances to their room. When drinks arrive with a promise of food to follow, he establishes that Daxia had ordered for them. Nice of her.

He lifts the mug of cider and takes a drink, first a sip then a much larger swallow. Rescuing people is obviously thirsty work.

"I'd be interesting to hear where you've been too - if I'm not buttng in where I'm not wanted?"

His enquiry is cheerful and it would seem his concern about interruption might well be small. He looks over at the girl, making sure she is OK.

Bekkah

She knew a conversation deflection when she heard one and let it go.

She smiled at Cesare and nodded.

"Of course you're not butting in lad. I'm afraid my travels may well bore you both. This is hardly a tale of heroic deeds.""

"I have spent the last 5 years or so traveling around from village to village helping where I could. Learning to be a better Lady of Attera." she laughed at the thought.

"Well to call them villages is quite an exaggeration. Some of the places were nothing more than a small single room home where a family slept before going out to tend to their farms."

"It was quite enlightening really. Most of the people I met work very hard, have almost nothing except each other and with few exceptions, they are happy. Even the poorest of the people received me well and when I was able to heal a youngin' from certain death they would offer me all that they had even though they needed those very things to survive."

"They touched me in a way I'll never forget Lia. I have become the person I am through interactions with various people over my years, but I don't know if anyone has had the impact that these poor people have had. With the exception of the Lady of course. Her presence in my life has no equal." she said smiling as if a soothing calm had suddenly come over her.

She thought of something else that made her face take on a sad expression before it disappeared back to her calm, contented look.

Darian and Longtooth with Daxia and Kadri in the stables

She watched with a bit of an amused expression at Daxia's outburst about the Montague. "Mikal say same. Grey Men touch many. If choice Dirkwood or Grey Men, Dirkwood better."

Then the Kadri asked about reading, and not the kind Darian did. She did not understand it's importance they seemed to place on it.

Kadri with darian and daxia in the stables.

She pauses a moment later, and the pulls our from her saddlebags a packet wraped in oilcloth first, then cloth - unwraps it, and hands a letter to her.

"I think this is important for me - but I can't - you know . . ."

Cesare

It has been a while since anyone called him 'lad' but he grins, more amused than offended, in fact in some ways it is a compliment suggesting that he is accepted. Been a while since that has happened too.

Also must be nice to move around being readily accepted by strangers, his experiences are much different but he understands why a Lady of Attera would be more readily accepted than a Rhoni.

He leans back, supping his cider and mostly listening to the two women talk. That said, his eyes are still restless, ever watchful.

<Lia with Cesare, Bekkah and the girl (Elise I think?)>

"Oh," she says witha smile, "I'm not sure heroics are always defined the same. And what of you and your travels, Cesare?" Her gaze slips to him.

Daxia
with Darian, Longtooth and Kadri in the stables

Daxia shrugged at Darian's comment. "Dirkwood. Montague mines. No one ever return from either. Yah, rather take chance in Dirkwood, too, but part of Dazi job to stand against Montague." She smiled, but it was without humor. "No choice."

She accepted the paper from Kadri and, recognizing the type of document, began looking at the words written there. First, she looked puzzled. Then she looked angry. And then, perhaps, a little ill. Finally, her face lost all expression; it was her Court face, the mask she wore to hide whatever she was feeling.

"Darian," she said quietly and evenly, "Not sure even Kadri want to know this, but sure she feel better if only her ears hear. We follow you to common room soon, ok?"

Kadri:
with Darian, Longtooth and Daxia in the stables

She blinks.

Several times.

Darian and Longtooth with Daxia and Kadri in the stables

She glanced to Kadri, back to Daxia then nodded. "Will have mead waiting for ye."

The Hunter rose then and returned to the inn's common room, Longtooth at her side.

Daxia
with Kadri in the stables

After Darian and Longtooth left, Daxia just stared in the direction they'd gone for... a fullhand of heartbeats, and then another fullhand. Finally, she looked at Kadri, her face still an empty mask. "This..." She looked down at the paper. "Who give... no. Who own this paper before Kadri?"

Kadri:

"I. . As for who gave, that is between me and. . that person. And never more will be said about it. As for who it was taken from from. . ."

She pauses, moving her lips as if thinking.

"I do not know. . but the best I can guess. . ."

another pause.

"One Lord Alhahnah. Who was chasing another who had stolen his prize mount. If it was stolen elsewhere, it was taken before any place or time of which I have knowledge."

Daxia
with Kadri in the stables

She shrugged. "How you get, Dazi not care. Who own first, Dazi might care." She then laid the paper out on the nearest hay bale. "This lineage chart. I work with Temple stablemaster many years; see many these. One for every horse, yes? Show dam and sire, back many generations. You understand this, yes?" Daxia didn't wait for Kadri's answer. "If this normal lineage chart, show lines of two horses, ok? Plan for breeding them, yes?" She pointed to a line that had been crossed out on one half. "This mean bloodline die out; something happen to dam two generation back. So no breeding one generation back, no breeding current generation, yes?"

Daxia slapped her hand down on the paper, anger showing in her deep blue eyes. "But this not NORMAL lineage chart." She stabbed her finger on the other half of the paper, on a word in the space that would be one generation back. "THIS say Lord Rikart Kierkegaard and THIS..." Her finger stabbed the word adjacent to it. "...THIS say Kadri djinn Khayriyah al'Terilanquel." She looked at her companion, and said softly, "Same Kadri call herself Kadri djinn Lisica al'Izgon now, yes?" Finally, she pointed to the bottom, blank space under Kadri's and Rikart's names. "This supposed to be your child."

She laughed, a humorousless sound that almost sounded like a sob. "Crazy thing, Kadri? Rikart pretty nice guy. But this..." Daxia snatched the paper up, and looked as if she might crumple it into a tiny mess, her jaw tightly clenched and eyes blazing. She took several quick shallow breaths, nostrils flaring, before she handed the paper back to Kadri. "This tell Dazi... too much she wish she can forget."

Kadri:

"What. . . would. . ."

She pauses, frowns. Looks again. She does look a bit bothered, but almost more perplexed.

"Honestly, what would they want with my blood? I'm the runt of the litter, the small one, the frail one, the odd one. Like Lisica, 'too small' to be proper breeding material. Too. 'Flawed'."

The quotation marks were audible.

". . so. . what would they want with my. . bloodline? Whoever 'they' are? Father have some influence in clans. Not that much. Why. . me?"

Daxia
with Kadri in the stables

Daxia could only shake her head. She sat down -- hard -- on the hay, elbows on thighs and forehead propped on the heels of her hands. "Not know, Kadri. See patterns, connections... too many, too fast... no words to explain. But..." She was quiet for so long, one might wonder if she would speak again. Finally she did, though it almost sounded as if she was speaking to herself. "'They'... yes, good question. Why Kadri? Yes, why Kadri? Exactly because Kadri odd one, maybe?" Again, there was silence before she looked up at Kadri, tears streaming down her face. "Because you the odd one, I think, Kadri. Exactly why."

Kadri:

She pauses.

"I say - you stop crying. I am not there, I am here. My name is on their chart, I am not. I am here. The odd one is faster than they. I am Kadri of no name in particular save that I chose, and no path save that I chose, I make my own path and my own lines. I make my own patterns, and break apart patterns when I do not like their look. I am Kadri."

She picks up the piece of parchment and shakes it.

"And this. . . does not define me."

Daxia
with Kadri in the stables

"Ah, Kadri... dear, dear Kadri," Daxia said, trying to smile. "You are you, you freed yourself.

"I fear the one I love is not only caught in that web, but a product of it as well. And yet..." She closed her eyes, looked at the patterns, those same paths she had been monitoring for years. Her eyes flew open. "...there is no change to the path we walk. That could mean almost anything."

Again, she regarded Kadri of No Name in Particular, testing thoughts against their effect on the paths. Finally, Daxia smiled, truly smiled, and said, "I have come out of Dawnview Vale, taking the journey every initiate of Dayala must take. But I also have a mission, and if you think me mad when I tell you I must save the world, I will not mind at all. Despite my madness -- or lack thereof -- I invite you and your pattern-breaking path-making to join me in this mission." She held out a hand, palm up, and continued, "I cannot offer you riches or glory, and it is possible neither of us will live to see old age, but I can offer you a lack of boredom, the possibility of righting some wrongs... and my friendship."

Kadri:

She shrugs - then clasps the hand.

"World always needs shaking up. To me, riches and wealth are staking out my own place, and path. Finding bullies. . .and knocking them down. Glory is in. . living for those who are the hunted. Old age is for the old. I will worry about old age when I am old."


"I think I know those who would like me knocking down bullies, and it sounds like you would help me have. . .many opportunities."

She offers an off - kilter smile.

"Besides. I think I know of someone who would think that. . the opportunity to knock. . many bullies on their fat arses would be. . a source of much amusement."

Daxia
with Kadri in the stables

"Yes? And who is this someone who would find knocking bullies on their fat arses a source of such amusement?" asked Daxia, intrigued.

Kadri:

She winks.

"Come now. A girl can't tell all of her secrets at once, can she? I have already. .told you more about myself than I have anyone since I left. If all comes clear now. . .why then there will be nothing left to pursue, and where would the fun be in that?"

Daxia
with Bekkah, Cesare, Darian and Longtooth, Elise, Kadri and Lia in the Commons

Daxia chuckled. "As Kadri wishes." She stood and rolled her shoulders. "Dinner now, yes? And a prayer for a peaceful night... or at least less interesting than our day, hmmmm?" After one last pat and a whispered good night to Fern, Daxia returned to the common room with Kadri.

Sitting down beside Bekkah, she simply patted her sister's arm, not wanting to interrupt any conversation she had been having with Lia and Cesare. Looking around, she noted that Cesare was watching over Elise, who seemed to be dozing off, and that Nessa was already heading her way with a bowl of stew and a mug of cider. After thanking the child, she settled into eating, appearing more relaxed than she had for much of the day, and happy enough to sit silently.

Kadri

Kadri followed close on the heels of Daxia, after having carefully refolded and rewrapped the. . troublesome. . parchment. Upon entering, she finds herself a seat - and then sets about finding herself some stew.

Bekkah

She gave Dazi a smile and put a protective arm around her not so little sister and pulled her closer, giving her a kiss on the cheek like she had many years before.

She didn't say anything, just looked into Dazi's eyes and she kept smiling.

"I've missed you so, little one." she said as if Dazi was still 7.

Cesare

His gaze touches Lia and for a moment he smiles, then distracted as others return, first Darian & Longtooth, then Daxia and Kadri. He nods to each in turn before returning to Lia and her question.

"It is in my blood, travelling. The Rhoni rarely stay long in any place. Wait and trouble finds you. Wait and supplies grow scarce. Wait and relationships often sour. So like those before me, guided by tides of the Fates, I try to stay ahead of trouble, dipping into the lives of others and sampling what life has to offer. Recent times have been in the Black Mountains, the Highgaard Reaches. Before many places, Third fall's keep, along the banks of the Satin river, and places I cannot remember the names of, finding work where it is offered, carrying messages from place to place. It is good to control your own destiny.. as far as the Fates allow."

Daxia
with Bekkah, Cesare, Darian and Longtooth, Elise, Kadri and Lia in the Commons

Daxia returned Bekkah's smile; though the smile was bright, even after fourteen years apart, Bekkah would know something was troubling her younger sister. "I missed you, too, Bekkah. Good to have you close again. So much to tell, even from last letter... but you exhausted, need rest." She ate another spoonful of the stew. "You eat enough? Missus Jake make good stew, yes?"