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The Heartwood
Bordertown
Sometime After Sunrise
Hasday, The Twenty-Second Day of the Month of Crown of Ice, 2623

Brief Interludes ...

Mikal and Daxia

"That ... that is your problem, Dayallan. Not ours.

"We will give you the chance, you figure out how to best use you and yours. He's a troublemaking survivor .." The Swordlord nods towards Mikal. "So you won't be all alone out there."

He then snorts,

"You haven't figured that out? What's their name girl ..." he asks, however, he is very specific NOT to speak that name.

"That should tell you when this fight will start. They may follow no laws, but you can trust them to have a certain flair for the ... over dramatic."

He then turns and continues his own plans for the defense of Bordertown.

Mikal

He listens, the corner of his mouth twitching upwards at the description of his being a 'troublemaking survivor'. He nods his head at the final comment, then glances at Shattersword, one eyebrow rising questioningly in silent invitation.

He looks between Daxia and Donner, then shrugs and says to Shattersword, "Plenty of glory for all I'd guess. Even if we get HIM......", his voice trails off questioningly.

He figures that Shattersword would do better with their group than Donner's. Old Jvrill are notorious for not being disciplined fighters and truthfully he expects Donner might be glad to be rid of him. And he really can't see how Shattersword joining their group has any downside, even if he charges off wildly on his own at some point.

The Heartwood
Bordertown
Sometime After Sunrise
Hasday, The Twenty-Second Day of the Month of Crown of Ice, 2623

Brief Interludes ...

Darian, Longtooth and Landis

They went out the east gate, the guardsmen not challenging Landis or his two wolves. For darian and Longtooth there was a reminder,

"Sun at its highest, lass, and these gates close."

He ignored them, heading straight for the woods, the Greenlands, and the treeline where entering was sure to gain one trouble, if not death. t was odd. The world's two great forests ... both of which with the same fel reputation. The difference, of course, is no one knew what turned the ancient Dirkwood. It was definitely known who lived in the Forest of Roth.

And when they entered, it was beneath a sylvan canopy. It almost seemed peaceful - and there was the sign of game and prey throughout. Tracks, the call of birds, the hints of bark gnawed upon.

And yet Landis, Landis absolutely ignored all that.

Until he stopped. In the distance was the hint of a thinning of trees, perhaps a small hidden glade.

There were three within it.

Landis did not say a word, perfectly silent. He was after something more dangerous than a fox or a hart or a bear.

He pointed at one of the three.

Two swordsmen, in rugged and mottled armor, lurked on the path. They were in discussion, obviously, with a third, trading unheard but obviously verbal coup points with the third, though the third, being mounted, simply ignored them.

The third was the one who Landis had selected as prey for Khannish.

The rider with snow white hair.

Darian

She followed the pointed finger to its target. The Easterner. Another like those with the demon. She had helped hunt the Grey as well, until Hakar had sent her away. She took note of his steed, how he sat upon it, the armor he wore and its vulnerable spots.

[ooc - is he facing in their direction, the other way, in profile? how far away? how much dead fall is there (leaves, needles, etc.)?]

Daxia
with Mikal and the Jvrillian Elders at the Bordertown Jvrillian Guildhouse
then alone waiting for everyone else

Again ignoring the Swordlord's statement of the obvious, she nods almost imperceptibly at his last comment.

Watching Mikal from the corner of her eye, head turned and canted slightly, weighing his words to the Old Jvrillian, she briefly raised an eyebrow at him. Then a pause, a heartbeat, before the redhead elbowed her Second lightly, looked directly at the Old Jvrillian, and jerked her head towards the door.

Another pause, another heartbeat, as she looked impassively at Donner.

"We'll leave you to your planning then, Jvrillian," she said as she was already turning. She strode purposefully out of the main hall, out of the Guildhouse and several paces down the street before she spoke.

"We will gather in my room at the Inn. I must clean my armor; we will discuss our plans as I work, though I suspect our plans will be fairly straightforward. I don't doubt others will be doing the same work," she said, glancing at the blood and gore on his vambraces. "Gather all who have already returned to the Inn... arrange for some food, if you would, please... and I will begin my work."

Daxia glanced at her own armor before muttering, "I seem to have more cleaning to do than the rest of you combined."

The Dayalan was content enough to make the remainder of their journey without conversation, and she went directly to her room upon reaching the Dragonstooth. After removing her armor and gathering everything she needed to clean her gear, she sat on the floor facing the door -- which she had left partially open to allow for fresh air to circulate and to watch the goings-on in the courtyard -- and began her task with the hauberk. At her side, close at hand, both her sword and dagger lay unsheathed on the floor.


[OOC: Trying to get us all to a point where as many of the PCs (and the NPCs Romana and Camelia... and Shattersword if he noticed the invitation and decided to accept) as possible can gather so no one is out there with nothing to do. If I have stepped on toes, I apologize.]

Between one time looking down at her Hauberk and the next time looking up at the courtyard, she finds a Kadri interposed upon her view, leaning against the door frame.

"Darian has gone to hunting to find herself again in her lord's favor."

Daxia
with Kadri at the Inn

"Leaving you behind, of course." The redhead paused in her work. "That's as it should be, you understand, da?"

Daxia's smile was soft and understanding. "Not all should know the sneakiness of sneaky Kadri; not all should know the fierceness of fierce Darian." She nodded to a spot nearby. "Come. Sit. Talk. Mikal is gathering the others and, I hope, fetching some food."

Glancing past her diminutive friend, she added, "I like to see what's happening in the courtyard. The town is preparing for a siege; it is interesting to watch the apparently ordinary preparation of ordinary folks."

KAdri:

"Oh, yes. I spend much time watching ordinary people -- enough to know there usually isn't very much ordinary about them. When they're 'just ordinary' is when the problems begin."

She pauses.

"Everybody has preparations to make; things to do. I find ... nothing. And that nothing bothers me."

Daxia
with Kadri at the Inn

Daxia nodded. "Yah, found that lesson a hard one to learn. All at the Temple with their assigned tasks, going about them almost like a dance, and Kassia purposefully not giving me a task. Nothing to do, required to stay on the Temple grounds, yet not even told that it was required to observe everything that was being done; in fact, told specifically that observing was not necessary." She shrugged. "It took three sessions to realize patience might be the lesson there, and another session to achieve it. I still prefer doing over not-doing."

She pointed to the still filthy vambraces and greaves. "You know how to clean leather... it's not that much different than cleaning a saddle." She grinned crookedly. "I could use the help if I'm going to have time for a bath." The smile faded. "It's not just wish to be clean at this point. I will don my Temple surcoat for this battle; it would be disrespectful -- though likely understandable in this case -- to my Lady to wear Her colors and not be clean. And..." She paused a moment to finish cleaning a particularly encrusted ring attached to the leather beneath, before looking back up at her friend.

"This battle will be hard enough; I think I would prefer to feel my best walking into it."

Kadr:

She nods and scootches over, starting to work on cleaning.

"I think my lady ... I'm not sure she would entirely care if I were clean; that is not the sort of respect she holds dear."

As her hands work she looks distant.

"Tell me, Dazi ... tell me ..."

A longer pause.

"Do you ever talk to Her? And feel like you hear her answering you back?"

Daxia
with Kadri at the Inn

"I'm not sure if my Lady cares all that much either, really. It's more... I guess, it's more my respect for Her and what Her colors mean."

Dazi looked up at Kadri's question, and then quickly back down again.

"I speak, Kadri," she whispered. "I believe she hears. But..."

The Initiate was silent for a fullhand of heartbeats as she continued to work diligently.

"...She speaks to Her Priestesses, not ones such as I." It would be difficult to figure out just what emotions were in the Dayalan's voice then. Regret? Fear? Sadness? Relief? "Such is the way of most Deities, as I understand it. Not all... but most."

Kadri:

She tilts her head to one side just slightly.

"Dazi ... "

She pauses again.

"Sometimes there is speaking without words - and if She who you serve did not approve - then she would be a fool. And I would chose to believe that she is no fool, ever were she not the one I follow, she is one I would respect."

She returns to quiet, then continues in a seeming non-sequitur.

"I have always been the quiet one and the noisy one, too serious and too much of a joker, frivolous and serious -- I have trouble finding frivolity right now, and I need to. I need to laugh."

She locks eyes with her.

"Do you understand?"

Daxia
with Kadri at the Inn

"Oh, I'm sure She would convey her displeasure if She thought it necessary, even to a small one such as me," she said, continuing her work. But when Kadri spoke again, of frivolity and laughter, she looked up and met the Amberite's eyes.

A heartbeat, and then the beginnings of smile... and finally a nod.

"Yes. I think I do."

Tilting her head to one side, she continued, "I could tell you stories of silly things I did as a child, but I suspect that will not bring as much laughter as you need, for there are few such stories.

"How else can I help?"

Kadri:

She pauses to consider for a moment.

"Dazi - do you sing?"

Daxia
with Kadri at the Inn

Daxia looked quizzically at Kadri for a moment.

"Not as well as Camelia, that's certain, but better than others I suppose," she replied with a smile. "I doubt I'd eat very well if I should need to sing for my supper, but I probably wouldn't be pelted with stones either."

She grinned more broadly. "But what I lack in natural ability, I make up for with enthusiasm.

"I do love to sing."

Kadri:

" ... good. Then while we clean, would you find it amiss if we also sing?"

Daxia
with Kadri at the Inn

"Not at all, though you may need to teach me some frivolous ones that will get you laughing," Daxia said. "Beyond a few lullabies I remember Bekkah singing to me, and a few common ballads, most songs I know are more suited to... Ah. Well, better sung in the Vale or the Temple, yah?"

"Any problems with ... somewhat less genteel songs?"

She raises an eyebrow.

"Even if you don't understand the words?"

Daxia
with Kadri at the Inn

She laughed as she shook her head and picked up a small, stiff brush to work some of the grime from the metal rings.

"No, Kadri... no problem at all. And it might even be better if I don't understand the words.

"There you are, convincing me to sing Lady only knows what... that should provide you with a bit of added mirth, should it not?"

And she starts into a song, tapping out a beat before had, somewhat a simple beat, but somewhat on the rapid side ... and them moves into singing. Her singing voice is actually surprisingly clear. The melody seems to be reminiscent of something being chased through a field, darting back and forth between two separate melodies ...

Daxia
with Kadri at the Inn

At first, Daxia picked one of the two melodies and hummed along until she felt the cadence, and then started the words themselves. After a handful, and then two handful of rings had been cleaned -- and cleaned well -- she was following Kadri fairly well.

It gets quite a bit faster and more complex with each iteration - perhaps something that was meant to be a challenge for someone drunk to try to keep singing properly? More or less a musical tongue twister. Eventually, after several permutations. . . there was going to be a flub - only a matter of when.

Daxia
with Kadri at the Inn

Daxia is good with words; she remembers them, she knows how to use them. Despite her frequent -- less frequent over the past three handful of days -- lapse into the Dawnview dialect, she is a skillful speaker. So it took another five rounds before she flubbed.

And when she did, she leaned over her half-cleaned hauberk laughing, almost as though there was not a care in the world beyond cleaning her belongings.

"Hoi! Kadri!" she managed to gasp, "Hope mess up not mean Dazi say bad thing about impossible thing between man and horse!"

She looked up at her friend, grinning broadly. "That help Kadri laugh?"

A wide grin on her face.

"Well, no Dazi. It wasn't between a MAN and a horse ..."|

Daxia
with Kadri at the Inn

Although still laughing, Daxia had a somewhat pained expression on her face.

"Tcha! Kadri right. Not genteel, not for polite crowd. Dazi not sing that at Dawnview Castle." She let out another giggle. "Maybe Temple barracks, though."

Her face cleared quickly, however, and her smile matched Kadri's. "Yah, even funnier when Dazi not know what Dazi saying!"