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Cesare

He nods his thanks to Mikal for the explanation, seeing the sense of it. He may not have the experience of battles and tactics but scaled up, even some of the brawls he has been involved in would apply.

He lends a hand with the beasts, having recovered his daggers, working hard but somewhat subdued. This night is in complete contrast to the day and night before when he and Darian indulged in each other's company. This is about survival and that has to be the focus if there are to be more pleasant times ahead. So he focuses on what has to be done, sharing the work and the first watch, finding exhaustion brings sleep readily once he settles into a corner.

The Heartwood
Bordertown
Sometime After Sunset
Rameday, The Twenty-First Day of the Month of Crown of Ice, 2623

In the West Temple with Mikal, Darian, Cesare, Dean, Bekkah, Daxia, Kadi, Tashka and Linette and Romana

" ...for we wish to make mischief without witness."

There is an answer, there is a response, from the shadows, from the darkness, from down the central corridor, out of sight, out of mind.

A deep lizardous hiss ...

A clandestine hiss of sudden and absolute frustration.

Blinded, deafened, in the darkness, unseen there is a scrambling of talons.

Then silence.

Then a splash.

Funny.

After the initial splash there is silence again.

No sounds of any thrashing in the water.

KAdri looks up, raising an eyebrow, innocently.

"It sounds like someone slipped and fell in the well. How clumsy of them - and yet, it also seems they kept swimming. Perhaps the only way out through the well is not up?"

Daxia
with the Gang minus Darian, plus Tashka and Linette in the Temple On The Border West Chapel

Daxia had stopped to listen after the splash, and looked at Kadri with a quirk of a smile.

"Swimming, or simply..." Whatever smile that had begun to form evaporated then. "...simply sitting. Or..." She could not help but glance at Celi's still and silent for, just for the briefest heartbeat. "...something else entirely."

The redhead shrugged, looking at her friend, thought the question was for all in the room. "Is it important to know what does not make noise in the Well Room?"

Kadri:

"What does nto make noise yet should ... is it not always important? Can I have light down there, Dazi? I want to see."

Daxia
with the Gang minus Darian, plus Tashka and Linette in the Temple On The Border West Chapel

She nodded. The chapel was still lit with the brightness of Tashka's spell, so bright and white compared to the softer blue light of the usual Starlight spell.

Daxia started down the corridor towards the Main Hall, calling her light spell as they reached the periphery of Tashka's light.

"Tashka's spell is one that had been lost to this Age," she said softly to Kadri as they entered the Main Hall. "And now... well, I'm fairly certain I could create light as bright if we needed it." She tilted her head, an amused look on her face. "Though it supposed it would be more accurate to say the light is called rather than created."

She shrugged as they reached the edge of the well. "For this purpose, though, I think a softer light is sufficient, yah?"

Crouching at the edge of the well beside Kadri, she started the light on its journey down.

Kadri:

SHe whispers into the depth of the well.

"My lady - give me sight where I do not see, so I may see what is unseen, and know what lies in shadows."

(POV, down the well.)

The Heartwood
Bordertown
Sometime After Sunset
Rameday, The Twenty-First Day of the Month of Crown of Ice, 2623

In the West Temple with Mikal, Darian, Cesare, Dean, Bekkah, Daxia, Kadi, Tashka and Linette and Romana

The walk to the well, through the darkness, is funereal quiet.

The darkness soon swallowed the chapel, behind Kadri and Daxia.

Where Romana just turned around, suddenly very interested in the wall. Downcast suspisious.

Tashka closed her eyes, teeth pressing her lower lip until it turned white and bled.

Linette just looked at Tashka, forever out of reach.

Kadri turned. . .white. Then a vague shade of green.

And said nothing for a very long time.

This before she turned. . . red.

She is. . shaking slightly, with what looks like a tightly bound ... rage.

"It is. dead."

She said in a completely even and ... calm ... voice.

"It will not again trouble us."

Quieter still.

"Its time to go a-hunting."

Daxia
with Kadri in the Temple On The Border Main Hall

As Kadri's anger seethed, Daxia put an arm around her friend's shoulders. "Anger not help now, Kadri."

When her rage transformed to an icy calm, Daxia leaned her head against Kadri's, red hair contrasting with the darkness of the Amberite's -- reminiscent of days when red waves mingled with straight red strands of another friend's -- and whispered, "Tell."

Kadri:

She pauses, a long while, looking at the wall across from her. When she speaks again her voice is still eerily calm and even.

"Dazi --"

She pauses again.

"Trust me when I say that there are times to tell the truth, there are times to tell a lie - and there are times to tell nothing at all. This is a time to tell nothing at all. This is a thing that would do no good at this time and may do harm. Later, it will be a time to tell. Now, it is a time to plan. And it is a time to end this. It is long past time to end this."

Daxia
with Kadri in the Temple On The Border Main Hall

Dazi, too, paused... not moving, only breathing slowly and listening to the ever-present soft metallic sounds as the implements all around the room moved eerily in the still dark air.

Finally, she stood and guided Kadri to the same as she called her Starlight back from the depths of the well.

"Now Kadri know what Dazi know when Dazi first see Verchovai alive.

"Must end curse.

"MUST. No choice."

Though hushed, her voice held an edge as deadly as that of her Ironsilver sword.

The light began moving back towards the chapel, and Dazi followed it; she did not stray far from her friend's side as they walked. Though she was alert to every sound, to every motion within the sphere of light, she appeared to be relaxed and unconcerned.

In truth, at this moment, only Kassia or Kisa would be able to divine Daxia's current emotional state.

When they re-entered the Chapel, Daxia's eyes took in scene against the back wall... especially Romana's studious examination of the wall and Tashka's bloody lip.

From across the room, the redhead just watched the Starlord -- exactly as she used to watch those in Court.

Daxia
with the Gang, Tashka and Linette in the Temple On The Border West Chapel

As the time of Her rising neared, Daxia finished her quiet conversation with Tashka, then gently wrapped Celi's still form in one of the blankets before waking her still-sleeping companions.

The remaining daggers she split between Cesare and Kadri; she paused a moment before passing Celi's knives to Cesare as well. Darian had gathered all the extra arrows, so Daxia had only to sling her own quiver and bow across her shoulders before picking up her cloak and wrapping her sister in its warmth.

"Too nice for Dazi to wear when so messy, yah?" she said with a hint of a smile. "Dazi rather be cold than ruin fine Kierkegaard cloak. And not cold as Dawnview, yah?" she said with a wink.

Surveying her small troop, she said, "Some of us have preparations to make; the majority of us need considerable cleaning." She looked down at her own armor and clothing, then around at the others. She had borne the brunt of the slaughter, but none of them had escaped without some amount of blood on their clothing and armor. "Mikal promised to present himself to his Guild leaders this morning; if he believes my presence -- especially in my current, less than pristine state -- will help sway the Jvrillians to aid us in our mission to break this foul curse, I will accompany him. Dean, I doubt many merchants outside the Vale would be eager to sell a shield to a..." She paused, the corners of her mouth twitching in some small amount of amusement. "...Dayalan," she concluded, obviously choosing not to use the more commonly-used pejorative. "I will give you some coin, and would be grateful if you would obtain a replacement for me," she said, nodding to the partially-chewed shield on her left arm. "Break your fasts, accomplish your necessary tasks, and let us meet halfway between dawn and Her zenith in my room..." Again, the corners of her mouth twitched, as she looked sidelong at Kadri. "...that I share, of course, with Kadri and Camelia. Ah, and if someone could privately outline our situation to Camelia, I would be appreciative.

"Bekkah, Kadri... if you would climb up first and fetch Lisica and Talia from Lady Kay's most gracious hospitality, I will follow so I might make my morning devotions as She rises, while the others follow."

Turning to the captive Priestesses, she met Tashka's eyes and inclined her head respectfully, doing likewise to Linette. "Verchovai... Lady... we will return as soon as possible. We bid you a day of peace," Daxia said, pausing a heartbeat or two before turning to Mikal.

"Would you bear her up to the surface?" she asked, nodding to Celi's still form. "More than any of us, she considered you her friend."

Cesare

"I'll talk to Camelia."

He has no big preparations to make so he might as well do something useful. He does look across at Darian enquiringly, silently asking if she has plans that might involve him.

He has already said his goodbyes to Celi but he'll stay with the others until everyone disperses.

Mikal

He nods to the request, bending down to easily lift Celi's slight form in his arms. Looking at Darian, he asks, "Can you show me the way outside? I'd prefer not to lift her up the well like a sack of meal."

He then turns to Daxia. "Come with me, but stand in the background unless they address you. Else they may accuse me of having you speak for me. And do not clean up, as I will not be. It will emphasize that we are fighting their battles for them, and even worse, they now have women fighting where they won't. Maybe the shame will prod them to action."

Darian

"That way take many steps, spend whole day only reach gate," she told Mikal.

"Show if really want. Or lift like litter, like do for Healer coming down."

Daxia
with the Gang, Tashka and Linette in the Temple On The Border West Chapel

She nodded her thanks to Cesare, before addressing Mikal's and Darian's comments.

"We have plenty of blankets to create a litter. Despite wanting to honor all Coven beliefs, I find I can't disagree with your desire to respect the shell of the person who was once Celi. But let us do as Lady Linette asked when we have reached the top of the ruins... leave her shell where Nature can reclaim it. Despite our own beliefs on how our dead should be treated, let us do our best to honor Celi by adhering to her beliefs in that." She looked around at all of them. "Please."

Daxia paused a moment before focusing on Mikal, and shaking her head, a wry smile on her face. "Your reasoning is sound, Mikal, and if I simply look at the encounter as another day at Court, there's a fairly good chance I'll be able to hold my tongue." She raised an eyebrow, her smile growing slightly. "But you should know me well enough by now that I can't promise that."

Cesare

"I'll go ahead and climb up so I can help pull at the top."

He heads out towards the well leaving the others to create a litter, loking forward to getting out of this place.

Daxia
with the Gang, Tashka and Linette in the Temple On The Border West Chapel

Again, she nodded her thanks to Cesare, then stepped closer to her sister.

"Bekkah, would you mind going to the Market with Dean?" Daxia looked down at her clothing, a pained look on her face. "It will be hard enough to clean my armor. I don't think this tunic will ever be clean." She looked back at Bekkah. "It was my favorite, but maybe something blue instead? I feel like I would think of these hideous creatures every time I wore green again."

Darian

The Hunter pulled a couple of the long branches from the barricade and untied the rope that had made her platform to create the litter.

"When Celi above, Hunter go town, see Hunter. Then Hunt," she said as she worked.

Kadri places a number of throwing blades in variosu spots around her body for easy access, and then gets up.

"I'm coming with you."

She said, to Darian.

"Things to do."

Mikal

"If you can pull me up. Or use Talia to pull me, I'd like to hold Celi on the way up, if you don't mind?"

He looks to Daxia, "After that we can head to the guildhall. By the way, how would you like me to introduce you?"

Daxia
with the Gang, Tashka and Linette in the Temple On The Border West Chapel

She looked at Mikal for a heartbeat or two, confused.

And then a grin began to spread across her face, one that reflected both mischief and cunning.

"You may introduce me with the title Verchovai Dandelion gave me...

"Lady Daxia Yurisdotter, Knight of Dawnview Castle."

Bekkah

She smiled, wondering if amongst all the chaos, her sister wasn't just trying to give Bekkah a chance to be alone with Squire Dean. She showed no hit that she may have guessed her sister's motives and nodded.

"Of course sister, although, I don't know how I'm going to explain so much blood on my clothes when I re-enter the town."

"Squire Dean, would you care to accompany me back to town?"

Whether he was going to come or not, she would go. She quickly climbed up the rope, possibly surprising some of the people here.

Cesare

He looks over at Darian and Kadri.

"If you need help with the hunt, let me know. Assuming Camelia is at the inn, I shouldn't be long."

[OOC as you probably remember I'm off to Italy this weekend and will be missing until after 12th July. So if it is more convenient to leave Cesare at the inn, please do so, but equally, if you want to make use of his skills, please take him along and ghost him as you wish. I entrust him to Ividia's care. ]