It wasn't hard for Drusia to see that there were tear-streaks on Anfisa's face. It may well have been that she was feeling more than fear -- though fear alone would explain a great deal; inspiring that emotion had been Arman's specialty long before Anfisa's birth. She was hugging herself and looking down. Whether Drusia thought it best to explore that herself, or simply get the girl to Desiree as fast as possible - that was Drusia's decision to make.
* * *
"Why would I want to harm her? She's a friend of Rose's."
"You wouldn't!" grinned Jamie. "That's just what I'm telling you! On account of how you'd get instantly sliced to pieces, and the sliced-up pieces would get shot, stomped on, and then fed to the bilge rats and sharks and stuff." She said it with such casual cheerfulness that it sounded more like fun than threats.
"Are you guys after Blaize too? We should team up. I mean, assuming that we're all after the same bad man in the same mine... Tamina seems to think so."
"Oooh, yeah!" she said. "We wanna whack that sumbitch! Got a lead on where he is? 'cause he's not in that dirty pit they're passing off as a 'mine' up there. 'least not any more he's not. Fake ass advertising. Sue their ass, I say. Or kill 'em, whatever. Nothing but stupid monsters and boring papers and cheap-ass one-shot rifles that can't hit dick." She patted her rifle. "We meet Blaise, I'll show you I can hit exactly that."
Goriel and Beyond, Part 5
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Alberich
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Jack Rothwell
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Re: Goriel and Beyond, Part 5
Several miles north of Goriel Eli stopped in his tracks, panting. He wandered to a fallen log and sat to catch his breath.
Tracking a mark on foot was slow-progress. The last few hours had actually taught the half-elf a little sympathy for the group's pursuit of the errant Father Blaize, although the threat of a peregin attack had still overshadowed everything else.
The half-elf, for the most part, had kept off the road for sake of safety. He hadn't even deemed to strike a light as the sun travelled further past the horizon, instead a silka sat perched on Eli's shoulder, seeing the countryside on his behalf, helping the summoner pick his way past thickets, patrols and woods with as little evidence as possible.
He was damn tired, that was a certainty, with any luck he'd find the damn priest and make his way back to the sanctuary before the sun touched the eastern horizon. Eli grit his teeth, pushed to his feet and carried onwards.
Tracking a mark on foot was slow-progress. The last few hours had actually taught the half-elf a little sympathy for the group's pursuit of the errant Father Blaize, although the threat of a peregin attack had still overshadowed everything else.
The half-elf, for the most part, had kept off the road for sake of safety. He hadn't even deemed to strike a light as the sun travelled further past the horizon, instead a silka sat perched on Eli's shoulder, seeing the countryside on his behalf, helping the summoner pick his way past thickets, patrols and woods with as little evidence as possible.
He was damn tired, that was a certainty, with any luck he'd find the damn priest and make his way back to the sanctuary before the sun touched the eastern horizon. Eli grit his teeth, pushed to his feet and carried onwards.
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Drusia
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Re: Goriel and Beyond, Part 5
"You wouldn't!" grinned Jamie. "That's just what I'm telling you! On account of how you'd get instantly sliced to pieces, and the sliced-up pieces would get shot, stomped on, and then fed to the bilge rats and sharks and stuff." She said it with such casual cheerfulness that it sounded more like fun than threats.
I smile and nod. I would back away slowly, but I won't want him or her to realize how much he or she scares me.
"Oooh, yeah!" she said. "We wanna whack that sumbitch! Got a lead on where he is? 'cause he's not in that dirty pit they're passing off as a 'mine' up there. 'least not any more he's not. Fake ass advertising. Sue their ass, I say. Or kill 'em, whatever. Nothing but stupid monsters and boring papers and cheap-ass one-shot rifles that can't hit dick." She patted her rifle. "We meet Blaise, I'll show you I can hit exactly that."
I blink. "Um, actually you should probably talk to Rose about that," I say. "I don't know any of the details." True enough. Personally, I'm feeling pretty good that I remembered he was supposedly in a mine.
With the homicidal but attractive individual of indeterminant gender pawned off on Rose to deal with, I head over towards Theresa.
"I think I'll just stand next to you for a bit," I say faux-conversationally. "And no, I have no idea who these people are. But they seem... nice. Kind of." In a mildly homicidal sort of way. Still, at least they want to attack the bad guys. That's... something, I guess.
-- Desiree
I smile and nod. I would back away slowly, but I won't want him or her to realize how much he or she scares me.
"Oooh, yeah!" she said. "We wanna whack that sumbitch! Got a lead on where he is? 'cause he's not in that dirty pit they're passing off as a 'mine' up there. 'least not any more he's not. Fake ass advertising. Sue their ass, I say. Or kill 'em, whatever. Nothing but stupid monsters and boring papers and cheap-ass one-shot rifles that can't hit dick." She patted her rifle. "We meet Blaise, I'll show you I can hit exactly that."
I blink. "Um, actually you should probably talk to Rose about that," I say. "I don't know any of the details." True enough. Personally, I'm feeling pretty good that I remembered he was supposedly in a mine.
With the homicidal but attractive individual of indeterminant gender pawned off on Rose to deal with, I head over towards Theresa.
"I think I'll just stand next to you for a bit," I say faux-conversationally. "And no, I have no idea who these people are. But they seem... nice. Kind of." In a mildly homicidal sort of way. Still, at least they want to attack the bad guys. That's... something, I guess.
-- Desiree
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Drusia
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Re: Goriel and Beyond, Part 5
It wasn't hard for Drusia to see that there were tear-streaks on Anfisa's face. It may well have been that she was feeling more than fear -- though fear alone would explain a great deal; inspiring that emotion had been Arman's specialty long before Anfisa's birth. She was hugging herself and looking down. Whether Drusia thought it best to explore that herself, or simply get the girl to Desiree as fast as possible - that was Drusia's decision to make.
Drusia:
"Shh, it's okay," I tell her, using my most motherly tone. "I know this is a big change - your first time out in a big, frightening world. But you aren't alone. And, so long as you're attached to my daughter, you're family." I know Gorielian psychology - one of the scariest things for her right now is leaving her Clan behind. Family is important there - he who has no family is no one. So I want to make sure she knows that she isn't alone. She has family, even if she hasn't met them yet.
"I need a minute yet to catch my breath and finish eating," I tell her. "While we're waiting, are there any questions you'd like me to answer?"
-- Drusia
Drusia:
"Shh, it's okay," I tell her, using my most motherly tone. "I know this is a big change - your first time out in a big, frightening world. But you aren't alone. And, so long as you're attached to my daughter, you're family." I know Gorielian psychology - one of the scariest things for her right now is leaving her Clan behind. Family is important there - he who has no family is no one. So I want to make sure she knows that she isn't alone. She has family, even if she hasn't met them yet.
"I need a minute yet to catch my breath and finish eating," I tell her. "While we're waiting, are there any questions you'd like me to answer?"
-- Drusia
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Alberich
- Noble Knight Protector
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Re: Goriel and Beyond, Part 5
Anfisa looked up and shook her head quietly. Desiree could've told Drusia this was out of character. Anfisa had a talent for filling a silence with sweet, unthreatening prattle, questions whose answers didn't matter at all, observations of little weight, passing thoughts forgotten as soon as spoken - but creating a safe haven for her companions, where they had no need to put on a tough or witty "face" and could simply relax with a sweet and lovely girl. This talent was also her habit, but she was not displaying it now. Also she showed no appetite.
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Drusia
- Veteran of the Errant War
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Re: Goriel and Beyond, Part 5
Anfisa looked up and shook her head quietly.
"As you wish," I reply. I finish my rations and another waterskin, then stand up.
"Okay, let's be on our way."
I take her hands again. She's trembling. Doesn't matter, she'll be among friends soon.
It's harder this time. I'm tired, drained. But I do it. Reality bends and we're elsewhere.
We're on a road, the farthest point on the road I could see from our previous location. I back towards the city, and then out away from it, and there I see a small fire and signs of a camp. I point the location out to Anfisa.
"There," I say. "About a half an hour walk. Desiree is waiting."
I'm tired, not very steady on my feet, but I take another drink of water and start walking with her. I can rest when we get there - for now, getting there is the most important thing.
-- Drusia
OOC: I tried to be vague about the camp's location and look - hope that description doesn't go against what anyone else was imagining.
"As you wish," I reply. I finish my rations and another waterskin, then stand up.
"Okay, let's be on our way."
I take her hands again. She's trembling. Doesn't matter, she'll be among friends soon.
It's harder this time. I'm tired, drained. But I do it. Reality bends and we're elsewhere.
We're on a road, the farthest point on the road I could see from our previous location. I back towards the city, and then out away from it, and there I see a small fire and signs of a camp. I point the location out to Anfisa.
"There," I say. "About a half an hour walk. Desiree is waiting."
I'm tired, not very steady on my feet, but I take another drink of water and start walking with her. I can rest when we get there - for now, getting there is the most important thing.
-- Drusia
OOC: I tried to be vague about the camp's location and look - hope that description doesn't go against what anyone else was imagining.
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Graybeard
- The Heretical Admin
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Re: Goriel and Beyond, Part 5
[OOC: I think there may be a little misapprehension as to exactly how Jamie would be behaving on meeting this motley crew. Her dealings with others are sociable only to the extent that they are opportunistic and match her own needs, such as they are. Accordingly, I am going to introduce what appears to be a significant left turn here. Trust me: it's much less of a left turn than having Jamie continue to do as she's starting to do. And there's another wrinkle that'll be introduced as well, one that actually meets Sareth's hopes of keeping Jamie plugged in better than having her around does, although it won't look like it at first. Trust me on that one too, although it's gonna be ... weird ...]
Sister Rose was mildly embarrassed, and decidedly chagrined. She should, she thought, have been able to resume functioning after only seconds of disorientation following that dream, and deal with these unexpected newcomers to the camp. Instead, between the disturbing content of the dream and the fact that she still had significant mental cobwebs to wipe away, she stood for a moment, taking in the conversation (such as it was) and trying to get herself together. Finally, she heard a shocking phrase that did the trick of blowing the cobwebs away, in a manner of speaking. "We wanna whack that sumbitch! Got a lead on where he is?"
Rose only dimly heard the torrent that followed, although fortunately, others would hear it more clearly, and would be available in the morning to sort out the intelligence that Jamie had provided. Her own head whirled, however, as she finally got close enough to the heavily armed girl (it was, wasn't it?) to say something. "Wait a minute," she said. There's some kind of mistake here. We -- we're looking for that man too. But we don't want to kill him, we want to take him alive. There are some very important questions that he needs to be asked." She did not say who wanted to ask those questions, nor that dead-or-alive was a realistic option; given what she'd just heard, that didn't seem like something to put into play at the moment.
The effect on Jamie was immediate. "You what?" she asked incredulously, as though the idea of questioning someone slated for immediate, summary execution was so preposterous as to cause her to question the sanity of these people. She pulled back, and Rose was convinced that she heard the safety being clicked off of one of the girl's many weapons.
Rose held her hands out, displaying that she was unarmed (and also getting them into position for casting a Force Bolt and/or a Shield if it came to that). "No, that isn't our way, nor our mission. We want to take him alive," she repeated, trying to put a soothing tone in her voice, and unaware that her listener was utterly immune to soothing tones. "It's very important, believe me. Now..." But she couldn't get another word out before Jamie's face turned to utter disgust.
"Well, Luminosita dammit," she growled. "You sound just like my damn mother. Well, if you want a job done right, you just gotta do it yourself."
Without another word (and without restoring the safety on her pistol), she turned, sprinted hard into the night, and was lost from sight, with the practiced skill of someone who'd been hiding from people for most of her eighteen years. But her ears were burning.
-------------
Meanwhile, another encounter was occurring on a parallel road, most of the way down toward Goriel.
Rip and Shorty looked at each other as the woman, with a baby in a pack on her back, drew near, mumbling under her breath. It was late and they had to be back at the airship in a couple of hours, but this seemed like someone who, at the minimum, needed a little intervention, if not immediate mental care. Rip, who looked the less threatening of the two, stepped forward. "Uh, excuse me, ma'am? This road doesn't lead anywhere you want to be going, it just goes up into the mountains. And it's dangerous. If you don't mind, I don't think it would be a good idea for you and your daughter to be out alone afteULP!"
His kind, well-intentioned remonstrances were cut off as Jasmine Porter, without speaking a word, jammed the business end of a shotgun into his mouth. Another gun was trained on Shorty's forehead.
"Just shut up and keep walking," she hissed, as Nera, on her back, giggled gaily.
As soon as he had extracted himself from the shotgun, Rip nodded shakily. "Whatever you say, ma'am." The two men continued on into Goriel and the airship terminal.
Jasmine continued her single-minded trek into the mountains. "Jamie Porter, you have really gone too far this time," she grumbled to herself, for probably the hundredth time tonight. "And why are my ears burning?..."
Sister Rose was mildly embarrassed, and decidedly chagrined. She should, she thought, have been able to resume functioning after only seconds of disorientation following that dream, and deal with these unexpected newcomers to the camp. Instead, between the disturbing content of the dream and the fact that she still had significant mental cobwebs to wipe away, she stood for a moment, taking in the conversation (such as it was) and trying to get herself together. Finally, she heard a shocking phrase that did the trick of blowing the cobwebs away, in a manner of speaking. "We wanna whack that sumbitch! Got a lead on where he is?"
Rose only dimly heard the torrent that followed, although fortunately, others would hear it more clearly, and would be available in the morning to sort out the intelligence that Jamie had provided. Her own head whirled, however, as she finally got close enough to the heavily armed girl (it was, wasn't it?) to say something. "Wait a minute," she said. There's some kind of mistake here. We -- we're looking for that man too. But we don't want to kill him, we want to take him alive. There are some very important questions that he needs to be asked." She did not say who wanted to ask those questions, nor that dead-or-alive was a realistic option; given what she'd just heard, that didn't seem like something to put into play at the moment.
The effect on Jamie was immediate. "You what?" she asked incredulously, as though the idea of questioning someone slated for immediate, summary execution was so preposterous as to cause her to question the sanity of these people. She pulled back, and Rose was convinced that she heard the safety being clicked off of one of the girl's many weapons.
Rose held her hands out, displaying that she was unarmed (and also getting them into position for casting a Force Bolt and/or a Shield if it came to that). "No, that isn't our way, nor our mission. We want to take him alive," she repeated, trying to put a soothing tone in her voice, and unaware that her listener was utterly immune to soothing tones. "It's very important, believe me. Now..." But she couldn't get another word out before Jamie's face turned to utter disgust.
"Well, Luminosita dammit," she growled. "You sound just like my damn mother. Well, if you want a job done right, you just gotta do it yourself."
Without another word (and without restoring the safety on her pistol), she turned, sprinted hard into the night, and was lost from sight, with the practiced skill of someone who'd been hiding from people for most of her eighteen years. But her ears were burning.
-------------
Meanwhile, another encounter was occurring on a parallel road, most of the way down toward Goriel.
Rip and Shorty looked at each other as the woman, with a baby in a pack on her back, drew near, mumbling under her breath. It was late and they had to be back at the airship in a couple of hours, but this seemed like someone who, at the minimum, needed a little intervention, if not immediate mental care. Rip, who looked the less threatening of the two, stepped forward. "Uh, excuse me, ma'am? This road doesn't lead anywhere you want to be going, it just goes up into the mountains. And it's dangerous. If you don't mind, I don't think it would be a good idea for you and your daughter to be out alone afteULP!"
His kind, well-intentioned remonstrances were cut off as Jasmine Porter, without speaking a word, jammed the business end of a shotgun into his mouth. Another gun was trained on Shorty's forehead.
"Just shut up and keep walking," she hissed, as Nera, on her back, giggled gaily.
As soon as he had extracted himself from the shotgun, Rip nodded shakily. "Whatever you say, ma'am." The two men continued on into Goriel and the airship terminal.
Jasmine continued her single-minded trek into the mountains. "Jamie Porter, you have really gone too far this time," she grumbled to herself, for probably the hundredth time tonight. "And why are my ears burning?..."
Because old is wise, does good, and above all, kicks ass.
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Alberich
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Re: Goriel and Beyond, Part 5
[OOC: GB's post scuttles my adventure plans rather badly; therefore I ask that we not carry this plot line further 'til we've talked out some of the implications, or I get a chance to re-plan.]
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Graybeard
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Re: Goriel and Beyond, Part 5
OOC:
As will be seen, I don't think it scuttles them that badly, indeed, may not modify them at all ... although the composition of the party going forward may be different than was thought of at one time. Again, PMs are being exchanged. All the stuff surrounding Desiree can probably proceed, anyway.Alberich wrote:[OOC: GB's post scuttles my adventure plans rather badly; therefore I ask that we not carry this plot line further 'til we've talked out some of the implications, or I get a chance to re-plan.]
Because old is wise, does good, and above all, kicks ass.
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Jack Rothwell
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Re: Goriel and Beyond, Part 5
OOC Righty-o, since I'm sitting on the fence with splinters up my arse. I'll add my two pennies in the hope it helps a conclusion get drawn. True, I've not been on this story as long as gray has but I've written a lot with Sareth and read some of the earliest threads. So I reckon I've got a good grasp of Jaime's behaviour.
So... is Jaime running away from a group of pc's in character? Yes.
Is it appropriate to this particular situation? Maybe.
To me it hangs on one detail; Tamina. As far as I'm aware Jaime hasn't had a relationship (of any real significance, anyway) in her time in errant road before everyone's favourite catgi- kobold. Given how close they are; would Jaime abandon Tamina to fulfill a contract? Or, to put it another way, is Jaime still that chaos-loving hedonistic headcase or has she matured a little with time?
Better yet, Is there any way to get in touch with Sareth and ask his opinion? Whatever conclusion gets drawn is ok by me, my plans are unaffected by Jaime's presense in the group, although Tamina will cry, cry and cry some more on Udo's shoulder as he struggles to think unsexy thoughts if she leaves. /OOC
So... is Jaime running away from a group of pc's in character? Yes.
Is it appropriate to this particular situation? Maybe.
To me it hangs on one detail; Tamina. As far as I'm aware Jaime hasn't had a relationship (of any real significance, anyway) in her time in errant road before everyone's favourite catgi- kobold. Given how close they are; would Jaime abandon Tamina to fulfill a contract? Or, to put it another way, is Jaime still that chaos-loving hedonistic headcase or has she matured a little with time?
Better yet, Is there any way to get in touch with Sareth and ask his opinion? Whatever conclusion gets drawn is ok by me, my plans are unaffected by Jaime's presense in the group, although Tamina will cry, cry and cry some more on Udo's shoulder as he struggles to think unsexy thoughts if she leaves. /OOC