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... the dark haired girl leans in to whisper quietly to Kadri ...

Cesare

There is something eager.. no, over-eager about Celi. And that is something that others could exploit. Of all of them in the group.. with the possible exception of Camelia.. Celi still seems the most at the fringes. Makes him curious.

Anyway he gathers the rest of the pots and leads the way to the flat rock he found earlier that evening.

[Moving to PM so conversations don't get mixed. ]

Darian

The Hunter has not moved from her guarding position though she does shift occasionally. Her eyes briefly watch Cesare and Celi as they go by.

She leans back and looks at her, and raises an eyebriw that would neither confirm nor deny what was just whispered.

The Heartwood
After Dusk on the Brementown Road
Hasday, The Twelfth Day of the Month of Crown of Ice, 2623

Daxia, Mikal, Darian, Cesare, Bekkah, Celi, Kadri, Dean, Camelia and Romana

" ... boredom."

The word rolled off of Romana's tongue like it was the most natural, most obvious thing in the world.

Daxia
with Kadri and Romana at the camp

Daxia looked up, her impassive Court face turned towards the Eastern girl.

"Boredom? The Eastern people have come to our land killing fullhands of fullhands of fullhands of fullhands of people out of BOREDOM?"

The Heartwood
After Dusk on the Brementown Road
Hasday, The Twelfth Day of the Month of Crown of Ice, 2623

Daxia, Mikal, Darian, Cesare, Bekkah, Celi, Kadri, Dean, Camelia and Romana

Sitting wrapped in her cloak, the dark haired one took a sudden interest in her stew.

"Folks like something, they do it. Is right way of world - if makes you feel good, then doing is good."

"When all folks do what they likes, all times, life is always interesting. Thousand Princes in a Thousand Towers of a Thousand Colors all doing what they want, when they want, life always different, always changing, exciting, like watching stars sparkle on a rippling sea, never the same twice."

Still looking down, Romana tapped a potato with her spoon.

"Never had a potato like thissis. Life is good."

She scooped it up, smiled ... for a little while.

"Works well until ... until what one prince likes another doesn't ... Prince with biggereest power, biggerestus friend, they get to choose what happens. other Prince doesn't like .. so they fight. Fights always happen, all the time.

"Still, every day differents, everything aways changing, always exciting, always interesting, always new ... life is good.

"Except ..."

She looked into her bowl.

"Sometimes Prince most powerfuls. Biggerest armies, biggerestus magics, biggerestus friends ... eventually so powerful all Cohrlayans must do what Biggest Prince says ...

"But is only so much one can do in one city, one ocean, one land ...

"Eventually everything gets done ... stories just repeat ...

" ... nothing new to do."

Romana paused, her words falling off.

" ... nothing left to do but invades The Heartwood.

"Happens rarely, Prince so big. Happened twice before."

Daxia
with Kadri and Romana at the camp

The Dayalan stared at Romana, jaws clenched tightly, her breathing rapid and shallow. She stared for a fullhand and a fullhand more of heartbeats. Finally, she stood and looked down at the Easterner.

"Daxia'al'khasten'daylna'khorran is a fine name, thank you, Romana," she said, her voice flat and emotionless. "Your precious princes who have slaughtered countless innocents, as well as so very many of my Sisters, all in the name of boredom... they are contemptible." She spat on the ground.

Then, tears streaming down her face, she turned and walked into the night, collapsing in a heap about a handful of horse lengths from Darian.

The Heartwood
After Dusk on the Brementown Road
Hasday, The Twelfth Day of the Month of Crown of Ice, 2623

Daxia, Mikal, Darian, Cesare, Bekkah, Celi, Kadri, Dean, Camelia and Romana

"Say everyone does what makes them happy ... folks like something, they do it. Is right way of world.

"But what if Romanas likes hurts someone else? Should Romanas do it?"

The girl's soft words follow Daxia into the dark, crisp and soft in the night air.

"Romanas thinks nots.

"Romanas thinks all that makes is world of folks hurting each other."

She is quiet, quiet for a beat.

"Is truth. Starbred killers massacre Cohrlayans. Not just story.

"Dazidazidazi ask Romana not believe Dazidazidazi like this."

A second beat, before her singsong of broken Colonial continued.

"Romana's Princes?

"Did Dazidazidazi not hear? Not Romana's Pinces. Princes want to marry Romana to Friend. Big honor. Much power. Short marriage.

"Dazi not want Cohrlayans to stay on Cohrlayans side of mountains?"

"Romanas give up everythings to be where all folks want her dead.

"That what Romanas do.

"What Dazidazidazi do?"

Kadri:

She speaks quietly.

"Let it be for the moment. . this is a. . very sensitive thing, to her people. Let me just say. . I can understand. You are not your people, as I am not mine. I am myself, and I happen to have been born where I was born. But birth is not. . . who you are."

Darian

No matter how quiet she had she was, the sound of her sorrow reached the sharp ears of the Hunter. Darian look to her furred compaion and spoke a word of guarding to him. He did not move but gave indication that he would and had been.

She went to and knelt by their defacto leader then put a hand to her shoulder. "Dazi. Darian listen if need, or keep company only."

It was statement, not question. Dazi would do what she would do.

Daxia
with Darian near the camp

Daxia knelt on the ground, arms crossed over her chest, fingers clutching the opposite shoulders of her tunic beneath the warmth of her heavy Kierkegaard cloak -- looking so much like Kadri's formal greeting, but for the fact that there was no ease, no grace in the posture, only a deserpate clinging... looking almost as if she was trying to hold herself together in one piece. Eyes closed tightly with fresh tears washing down her cheeks, the only sounds were her ragged breathing and an occasional moan or high-pitched wail.

After a long period of time that could not be measured in such tiny increments as heartbeats or breaths, she opened her eyes to the darkness around her.

"Darian?" she whispered.


[OOC: The last thing Daxia heard Romana say was "Happens rarely, Prince so big. Happened twice before." She did not hear anything Romana said after she walked off.]

Darian

Holding still for many marks of the candle was something not unknown to the Hunter. Patience and waiting were part and parcel of any hunt, whether one be chasing a meal or an answer.

"Aye, Dazi?"

[OOC: It's not a 'choosing', it's an inability to hear much beyond the pounding in her head and her own screaming thoughts.]

Daxia
with Darian near the camp

"In days of old, at the end of the First Age, came the Easterners," she whispered, reciting a tale handed down through generations of Dayalans. "At the Port of Lys, known now as the Battle at the Water's Edge, stood a fullhand times a handful of Dayala's Children, holding back the hordes from the East. And though our Sisters killed a handful of Marin's avatars upon this plane, the Daughters of Dayala were shattered, and scattered across the sky... these, our Sisters, who have gone before us. That day, the piers and waters at Port of Lys ran red with the blood of Her children."

Daxia looked up at the sky, at the countless number of stars shining brightly. "So many, many Sisters," she said softly, her voice filled with pain and anguish, "all because some Eastern prince was bored. Not greedy or cruel like the Montagues, not sly and devious like the Kories. Just... bored."

Bowing her head again, she implored, "Dayala, please help me. Please."

Darian

She did not understand all of Dazi's words, but she understood enough. The Easterners were like those who hunted not for food but for fun, showing no respect for the creature that gave it's life to provide. Those kind were Hunted from the Pack's territory, given to become Prey by the word of the Great Hunters.

She stumbled over her words as she sought to offer comfort. "Loss of many ...Sisters makes heart sad... but Sisters ... die for what believe, aye?"

Bekkah

She sat alone near the fire, watching all around her. She saw Dazi and Romanas talking, then Dazi got up, heading for Darian. She could not tell what was wrong, but something was. She would talk with Dazi later if Dazi wanted to talk. She was getting tired. Healing took strength. Not as much as when Darian had been hurt but still took some. She ate alone, keeping warm with the gift from Darian wrapped around her neck.

Daxia
with Darian near the camp

"Loss of Sisters always make heart sad, Darian," she said quietly. "Sadness that Dazi carry every day. But Dazi proud of Sisters for protecting people of Heartwood." Daxia sat silently, head still bowed, for a fullhand of heartbeats. "Always we think... oh, Eastern people want something we have, come to take. Or Eastern people hate Heartwood people very, very much... just don't know why. Sisters understand theses things, Sisters protect all they can."

She looked up at Darian, tears in her eyes. "But Sisters die because Eastern people want new game to play? That hurt Dazi heart, Darian. It hurt very, very much."

The Heartwood
After Dusk on the Brementown Road
Hasday, The Twelfth Day of the Month of Crown of Ice, 2623

Daxia, Mikal, Darian, Cesare, Bekkah, Celi, Kadri, Dean, Camelia and Romana

Daxia had asked for a sign.

But why did it have to be this one?

It must have dropped from some cart many years ago, a small thing, forgotten. Freeze and thaw over many years had shattered it, but it was still identifiable.

There, caught in the firelight, a bit of ancient debris.

A broken cobble block.

Darian

She frowned, trying to piece it together. "But...others..."

Darian looked around at htere hodge podge group.

"...even here...all us... not same...not same wants...why what others want make heart sad? Sad for Sisters Darian understand... Darian miss teachings of Hakur, even Hakur too...but died as lived, as Hunter not Prey."

"And...and must take many handfulls of handfulls of handfulls of years make Easterner forget. Else come many handfulls times, not just three."

Kadri;


"I will talk to her - I have a thought for you though - long names are good, but why let their name define you? Why let the ones you left - that would have fed you to a demon for his service - define who you are and your place in the world? You are Romanas - let the rest of your name start new here, along with you."

Mikal

He nods to Bekkah in agreement, though he isn't sure what he can offer a Lady of Attera in return. He'd never actually traveled with one for any length of time. Every previous time the Troop had traveled to where one was and took advantage of her help then left.

"Well, I expect we'll be headed towards Bordertown in the morning. Perhaps we can talk along the way?"

He turns his head at the exchange between Daxia and the girl, Romana? He isn't sure if that is her name, among the way too long string of letters she uttered earlier, but at least that much he can remember.

As she describes what sounds like an explanation for why the Easterners invaded the Heartwood at the end of both the First and Second Ages he finds himself nodding. He understands why Daxia moves off, obviously upset. Her order lost many, if not most, of it's members during those incursions, and whether she knew them or not they were sword-sisters to her, as odd as that term sounds in his own ears.

Still, from a practical standpoint, and he is nothing but practical, it makes sense. Seeing Darian sitting with Daxia, Cesare with Celi, and Bekkah looking tired, he approaches Squire Dean.

"Squire? Do you mind?" He asks before sitting down next to the man. As the only other military person, besides Daxia, present, perhaps he has a take on what the girl is saying.

Bekkah with Mikal (earlier)

"Of course. Anytime." she said with a smile.

Dean

Dean has been carefully watching the people in this group, trying to understand the dynamics and relationships. He is, coming from an agrarian past, well suited to patience and contemplation. He hopes he manages to understand enough not to fail Lady Bekkah and in turn, Knight Kevin and all of the others who brought him to this spot.

He gives Mikal a friendly, silent nod when he asks to join him.