The road to Getsemiel

[Alberich]

The latest developments seemed right to Tim - the naked half-elf was out of sight and would reemerge dressed and made up and perfumed and twice as alluring. Rose was happily turning to the issue of training, instead of inquiring too closely about what had happened in the woods.

Back in town, this Tsuirakuan "funny boy" had appeared to keep his ways properly out of sight. Out here, he seemed to be exaggerating them. It was acceptable in this group. Tim would hold his tongue.

More interestingly - well, it ought to be more interesting - was the way he talked with Rose. He seemed to be trying to draw out her "girly" side - Tim wasn't sure how he felt about that [OOC: But I think it's hilarious]. He was thinking he himself might have to steel her courage a little, given how far she had gone on this mission without telling them all just what they were facing. If she was afraid to talk about it, it was going to be hard to lead the rest into battle. She might need her mannish aspect for that.

When Rose talked business with Maduin, he and she both seemed to take him very seriously as a magician. That could only be good news - whatever else he might be, this Maduin seemed ready to take part in the fight. Tim knew far too little magic himself, but if Rose had held off this enemy alone, and Maduin and Argus were stronger mages yet, the lot of them standing together should be able to take on whatever it was and beat it, just the way Maduin was saying.

The thing to do was to keep quiet, have supper, thank Corporal Bryce very kindly for it, and concentrate on the training. And hope that Rose would be very open about what she'd seen and what they were facing. That private talk with Eli would have to come later.

[Sareth]

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

-- Desiree

Laying back in the bath, Lillith sighed quietly. "I've had better days. I just..." She shook her head, clamping down on what she was about to say. Instead she rose up to reach out of the tub and grab the comb she'd brought with her. Glancing past Desiree she quickly perused a well appointed bench next to the tub.

"Please hand me that bottle there. It'll help leave your hair shiny and smooth. Then you can turn around and I can work on your hair."

[Graybeard]

Brad picked this moment to approach Sister Rose, Eli and Argus, as Maduin turned away toward his nail polish. "R-Rose?" he said timidly. "Are you sure -- Lillith and Desiree are all right?"

Rose rolled her eyes; of all the times to interrupt. "Yes, they'll be fine," she answered. "Now if you'll excuse me for a minute --"

Brad didn't let her finish. "No, I don't mean right now," he said. "I mean when we -- when we get to Getsemiel and run into that man. I --" He went pale. "I want to defend Lillith with my life ... but I'm scared."

That took Rose down off her high horse, at least a little. Her gaze softened. "I know," she soothed her cousin. "So am I. Anybody who isn't scared of the prospect of running afoul of what may be an elven death god isn't paying attention." She let out a slow, deep breath. "But Luminosita be praised, we know we can defend -- we don't know that we can counterattack, but we can defend. I'm still alive because of it."

Brad's eyes got bigger, but some color came back into his face. "Then I want to learn how to defend, too -- for Lillith's sake."

Rose smiled. "We're all going to have to learn to defend, Brad. It's not our bodies that need to be defended, it's our souls, and that has to come from within each of us. So we're going to work on that tonight. Okay? Now let's get some dinner, and then get to work." She tried to muster all the encouragement she could in her face and voice, hoping it would be sufficient ... and hoping that it would be true.

[Graybeard]

[OOC: Please excuse a twofer, but there's a dangling loose end that needs to be tidied up.]

"You go get something to eat," Sister Rose shooed her cousin away. "Argus, Maduin, Eli, you too. No reason not to enjoy that stew."

Rose herself, however, wasn't very hungry. She contented herself with one of the rolls that the group had picked up in town, and decided to use the break in the action to finish reading the diary of the ill-fated Sister Bree. It was good, she thought, that she'd picked up a couple of those Tsuirakuan light globes back in Kiyoka; they came in handy at times like this. She stepped off a short distance from the campfire ...

... And it wasn't long before she saw something that confirmed her fears. "Argus?" she called. "You'd better come look at this."

[OOC: the last little bit of the diary is found here.]

[Drusia]

"I've had better days. I just..."
"Please hand me that bottle there. It'll help leave your hair shiny and smooth. Then you can turn around and I can work on your hair."

"Of course," I say, turning around. I sigh happily as Lillith begins washing my hair. The whole thing is very sensual - I haven't been pampered like this since leaving Snamish. It's very nice.

I wait a very long while before asking "You just... what?"

-- Desiree

[Sareth]

The hands combing Desiree's hair paused. After a second they resumed their gentle ministrations. Matter of factly Lillith spoke. "I just can't forget who you are and where you are from. What happened there."

[Drusia]

The hands combing Desiree's hair paused. After a second they resumed their gentle ministrations. Matter of factly Lillith spoke. "I just can't forget who you are and where you are from. What happened there."

"I understand," I tell her. I do. It was awful. Necessary, but awful. I don't think I could have done it.

I pause. Well, no easing into it I guess.

"I promised before that I won't mention your town to anyone," I tell her again. "And I won't. But, you should know... I already knew the name. Everyone in Snamish knows it. We all learn the story growing up. When the Elves first attacked the half-elves after the war in their original town, there was a group of Elves who snuck in the night before to warn the half-elves about the attack. My mother was one of them. She and those like her helped those they could to escape - to resettle and start anew. Your town... it's what gave my mother the idea to found Snamish, years later when she had a half-elven child of her own. To the people of Snamish, your town is... legend."

I am careful not to mention the name. I promised I wouldn't speak of it to anyone, and unless she tells me otherwise, I won't even speak the name to Lillith. I keep my promises.

There's more to tell - like my mother's visits to Santuariel, and the other half-elf friendly elves who patrol around those parts and skillfully don't mention Santuariel in any of their reports - but I think it's best to see how she takes this revolation first. Besides... she's still washing my hair. Or possibly massaging my scalp. Either way, I don't want her to stop.

-- Desiree

[Sareth]

"It's not tr..." Lillith forced herself to stop and think. No matter what she wanted to believe, too many people from different backgrounds knew the same story for it to be fake. She still wasn't satisfied, however. "Even if it is true, so what? If they had really wanted to help they could have stood up against the murderers. No, their 'warnings' were sops to their consciences while they stood by and watched it happen."

[Drusia]

"It's not tr..." Lillith forced herself to stop and think. No matter what she wanted to believe, too many people from different backgrounds knew the same story for it to be fake. She still wasn't satisfied, however. "Even if it is true, so what? If they had really wanted to help they could have stood up against the murderers. No, their 'warnings' were sops to their consciences while they stood by and watched it happen."

I sigh. This isn't going to be easy. But... at least she's listening.

"There were only about a dozen of them against nearly a hundred others," I reply. "They protested. They tried to convince the others not to kill everyone, but... the leader of the expedition was a Cimmerii. The Cimmerii were the most militantly anti-half-elf during the Errant War. She refused to listen. If my mother and the others had stood against her, they'd have been killed as trators. So instead, they slipped away during the preparations. It sounds like you already know part of what they did. What you might not know is that my mother and the others 'spotted' half elves in abandoned parts of town - led attacks on empty buildings - to give the half-elves more time to flee. And, afterwards, a few of them left the group to 'hunt for survivors' - and escorted them to where your town is now."

I dunk my head under the water to rince my hair. When I reemerge, I turn and look at Lillith, my eyes sad.

"I know Snamish... wasn't what you hoped for," I tell her. "And I know you're angry with my mother. That's okay - she upsets me sometimes too. You can dislike her and still acknowledge that she's part of your history - that she's done what good she can, even if it wasn't enough."

I look away. If the world wasn't like this, if the elves didn't hunt us, then Kenny would still be alive. If my mother's side had won the war, then we wouldn't be hunted now.

"Cause it's never enough," I say, tears in my eyes, "It never could be."

-- Desiree

[Sareth]

"You're right. It wasn't enough. And it will never be enough." Lillith let the comb drop into the water. "Not for those who died in the last Sanctuariel. And not for an innocent baby girl with a hairlip."

Standing, Lillith stepped out of the tub and picked up a towel to wipe herself down. "Maybe she felt she couldn't move to stop what happened in Sanctuariel. But she chose what rules to enforce on the town she founded. And you chose to follow her rules." Dark, sad eyes contemplated Desiree. "And that's what I can't forget."

She reached for her clothes and began dressing. "My best friend growing up, one of the very few I had, was a girl with a hairlip. Did you know that?"