The road to Getsemiel

[Drusia]

"I.." Eli unclasped his hands, shamed suddenly by Desiree's kind words. "..I'm sorry. It's been a very trying day. We should get back to camp. I need some time alone. To think." He finished.

I nod. "Okay," I reply.

I look around. Where... did my dress end up? Brother Tim had it for a while, but I don't think now's the time to ask.

Oh, never mind. We're heading back to camp, I can get one of my other dresses. Although... what happened to looking for Lillith? Did someone find her while we were being chased about?

Apparently so, since she's back at camp when we arrive. I hesitate - I don't want to send her off again - but I really do think she and I need to talk. I approach her carefully.

"Um, Lillith?" I ask softly. She turns towards me. Before she can speak - or react - I say "I promise I won't speak of your home to anyone. I know what it's like to fear for my home, and I would never do anything to endanger someone else's home. I promise."

I pause. She doesn't flee, which is good. I glance down at myself, and add, "I don't suppose... would you fancy a bath? I need to clean up, and it might be... relaxing." And give us a chance to talk.

-- Desiree

[Alberich]

[OOC: Tim was carrying Desiree's dress - I was picturing a robe & called it that - over his shoulders as they ran; he threw it off when he started to fight Eli.]

[Sareth]

"I was about to start working on dinner, and Brad just cleaned me up a bit." Brad blushed at the unintended innuendo in Lillith's statement. Oblivious to this (or ignoring it) Lillith glanced over to Bryce. "But it looks like dinner is covered. So... I suppose I don't have anything else to do. Let me get a change of clothes." She paused and looked Desiree up and down. "You might want one yourself. And you're definitely going to need that bath. Your hair is a mess too." Leaning over her pack, Lillith pulled out a small stack of clothes, and then added a wash cloth and a comb.

The two turned toward the tent, Lillith leading the way. "Usually I prefer a nice natural setting. But given the weather perhaps we should bathe inside the tent. I think there's a tub in there. Maduin?"

[Porcelain Fish]

"Of course, Lillith dear," Maduin said warmly. "Full size, behind the purple arras on the left. Don't worry about heating the water, the tub will do it for you. There're plenty of towels and soap as well." He made a shooing gesture toward the tent, a fond smile on his face. "Take your time - it'll be a bit before Bryce has dinner ready anyway."

He waited until she wasn't watching him anymore to let a thoughtful gaze slide to Eli and Tim respectively. With the object of their obvious mutual attraction absent - would they have it out? It might be interesting to see.

Bryce had cleaned the fish and spitted fillets over the campfire, tender pink meat juicy. Maduin returned the big redhead's smile with a warm one of his own, and looked to see just what Rose and Argus were up to.

He might as well start on that manicure since they had time before they ate, and he had a sheer, delicate pink nail gloss he thought would look just delightful on Rose's normally bare nails. If there was one thing he'd noticed, it was that the good Sister was constantly on the go - really, she needed to lavish a little more personal time on herself.

Maduin smiled. It was fortunate that he was here to help her with that.

Really, how the lot of them had possibly managed to get along without him before was a complete mystery.

[Graybeard]

"Thanks, the thought is appreciated," Sister Rose said to Maduin, politely but firmly withdrawing her hand. "That's very kind of you, but there's something a bit more urgent for us to do before it gets too late." She gestured to Argus and Eli, waving them over. (The fact that this step had the effect of separating Brother Tim and Eli was purely incidental, although she did keep it in mind.) "Tim's right: everybody should have some defenses ready for when we catch up to Father Blaise. I honestly think that if I hadn't been able to put up a Barrier with both physical and mental components when we had that final encounter with Wilbur Hamael, I wouldn't be here today." She shuddered at the memory of that thing -- she wasn't even sure it was alive -- looking back at her from the tunnel into nothingness. "I'm assuming we four know how to do that, unless I misjudge your capabilities. Brad has just the rudiments of a Barrier spell that might or might not be good enough. The others ... don't. So how do we teach them? Because I don't think our magic will suffice to protect the whole group. The magical attack I experienced was personal -- deeply, revoltingly, incredibly personal." She shuddered again. "And I don't know that anything I could have done would have protected anyone else, I'm sorry to say. They're going to have to learn to defend themselves, and it's up to us to make it so."

------------

Unknown to Rose or anyone else, the message being carried by the rider now driving hard toward the camp, an hour's ride away in the gathering dusk, would add some urgency to that need for protection ... for one party member in particular.

[Drannin]

Argus sighed. "I could enchant something... with the appropriate materials, but those are sorely lacking. We're talking some fairly precious metals and specialized tools... which are nowhere nearby. In any case, even with the right materials, whatever I made... be it a brooch, amulet, whatever... wouldn't last long against that kind of magical power. One shot, and it'd shatter."

[Drusia]

[OOC: Tim was carrying Desiree's dress - I was picturing a robe & called it that - over his shoulders as they ran; he threw it off when he started to fight Eli.]

OOC: Yes, I know. He threw it down in the woods. Desiree chased after Eli, so she ended up leaving it behind.

And Desiree wears a long, straight dress that she can slip on and off easily. I pictured a summer dress I favor when I described it.

She also has priestess vestments, but those are more revealing and fancier.

[Porcelain Fish]

"Why something that would protect against it?" Maduin asked absently, reacquiring Rose's hand since she wasn't using it at that particular moment and resuming the buffing he'd been giving her carefully filed nails. "Why not something that would redirect it, or even better, consume it?" He gave the nails a last rub. "A predator is a lot less likely to attack something if it knows it's going to take whatever's thrown at it and devour it, especially if it might well consume the attacker in the bargain." He smiled, admired his work, and went to get the nail polish.

[Graybeard]

"Not so fast," Sister Rose said, raising a tidy and elegantly groomed, but not yet decorated, hand. "We don't know enough about the threat yet to counterattack it. What we do know is that a Barrier worked once, Luminosita be thanked. And we also know that there are people in the group who'll need protection that we may not be able to give them, that they'll have to put up themselves. No, I think we'd better get ready for a teaching session." She didn't mention (yet) that it wasn't even a person, in the sense of a living thing, that had killed Professor Damyo and the investigator in Kiyoka ... and then something occurred to her.

"It wasn't a 'person' in Umbertiel. Blaise wasn't in his room when Bree did whatever she did to get herself killed. So ... what is this thing that he's carrying with him that does the killing? Maybe that's what we'd better find out when we get there."

She started to say more, but the stew (and trout) seemed to be close to ready, and it had been a long time since they'd eaten. "Let's think about this," she said, "but I think a teaching session is the right way to go."

-----------

The messenger was still a long way from the camp, but drawing ever closer.

[Drusia]

"I was about to start working on dinner, and Brad just cleaned me up a bit. But it looks like dinner is covered. So... I suppose I don't have anything else to do. Let me get a change of clothes. You might want one yourself. And you're definitely going to need that bath. Your hair is a mess too." The two turned toward the tent, Lillith leading the way. "Usually I prefer a nice natural setting. But given the weather perhaps we should bathe inside the tent. I think there's a tub in there. Maduin?"

"Of course, Lillith dear," Maduin said warmly. "Full size, behind the purple arras on the left. Don't worry about heating the water, the tub will do it for you. There're plenty of towels and soap as well." He made a shooing gesture toward the tent, a fond smile on his face. "Take your time - it'll be a bit before Bryce has dinner ready anyway."

I grab my bag - I don't really want to touch the clean clothing within until I've had a chance to wash first - and follow Lillith into the tent. She leads me over to the tub - it's just as Maudin promised. Before getting in the tub, I take one of the towels, dip it in the warm water, and use it to wash off the worst of the dirt. I don't want to turn the water funny colors as soon as I get in - particularly not since I'm sharing it with Lillith.

By the time I'm servicable, the tub is filled. Lillith gets in one side and I get in the other. The warm water feels wonderful. I sigh, momentarily contented. I take a few minutes to simply enjoy the feeling of the water on my skin.

I want to reassure her about Santuariel, but I'm afraid of upsetting her. I'm not sure the best way to broach the subject.

"It's been quite a night, huh?" I say. "How... are you feeling?"

-- Desiree