Goriel and Beyond, Part 5

[Jack Rothwell]

"Erm... who they?" Tamina asked from cover. "Bad?"

[Graybeard]

"Bad?"

"Dangerous," Sister Rose whispered back. The whispering didn't really seem necessary; the party wasn't coming that close to the campsite, and she'd taken the precaution of putting up the Damping spell as part of the concealment, just in case. Still, it couldn't hurt to be on the safe side.

Damn. I really wish we could find out more about them, she thought. Approaching close enough for the Empathy seemed too risky, though, and she wanted to preserve her spell-casting energy for offense and defense ... just in case. (They're curiously naive about such things, she decided. Armed to the teeth for conventional combat, yet so close together that any halfway decent combat mage could blow them all away in a flash ... and we have at least two and maybe more people among us fitting that description. Well, we just don't want to fight.) If they could only find some way of staying in touch ...

... And then her gaze fell upon Harker.

"Get out of that coverall," she told him, getting a head nod from Argus as he realized what she was thinking of. "You're going to be an innocent wilderness creature for a while here ..."

[Alberich]

Udo bit his cheeks to suppress a grin -- a good-looking woman was telling the Great Hieronymous to get naked! But would he look so "innocent" if he did that?

(Udo had laid a reassuring hand on Tamina's shoulder when she asked about the bad men, and knew he wouldn't look innocent if he got an order like that. Such was the burden of a Noble Knight Protector. Not that anyone here was giving him orders, not that he'd actually mind obeying that one...)

[OOC: Assuming Harker does this, it would help me to know some details - what he's doing, how well he's hiding, how far he means to follow them, etc.]

[Graybeard]

OOC: Unless overridden by Argus (or ignored by Harker), Rose's instructions would be to keep a safe distance, and scurry along BELOW the party, in the undergrowth -- when on a trail with horse traffic, you always get off-trail below the trail, not above it, because if spooked, horses will bolt uphill. ('Struth, and real-world experience from my S&R days speaks.) Even though he's basically indestructible, his safety will take precedence over getting close enough to overhear everything -- why push it? And the idea will be: move into a secure position well ahead of the group; get quiet and listen until they pass; move to establish a new position, maintaining a safe distance from the trail; repeat. All else equal, this should work well. He's demonstrated excellent sneaky-skills on previous occasions, and in this kind of terrain, he should be able to move more quickly in short bursts than the horses. The only complication, and an opportunity(!?) for some role playing, might be if seeing a small critter scurrying through the brush triggers Tamina's hunting instincts ...

[Drusia]

We seem safe enough - relatively speaking - for the moment. Rose and Argus are instructing Harker as to how to approach the riders. Anfisa is with Lillith farther back. I, called out to identify riders, wait beside Therese.

Why pass up such an opportunity?

"Since we seem to have a few moments to talk," I say softly. Rose or Argus have some sort of anti-sound spell up, so I'm not particularly worried about my voice carrying, but like the others I speak softly out of instinct. "I wanted to know... where do you take the women you rescue? Not to your homeland, obviously. I ask because I want to know if the place you take them would be somewhere that Anfisa might be happy. I don't think she's suited for this sort of lifestyle, what with the death mages and all, but I also won't leave her somewhere that lesbians aren't accepted." If that means I take her home to Snamish, then I will, but... well, I'd rather not. For many reasons.

"I asked about your homeland before because I assumed that was where you took those you rescued," I add, rather suddenly. "I didn't mean to pry. I'm rather protective of my homeland as well, so I understand that you don't want to talk about it. Although I would love to talk comparative religion at some point, if that's okay. But, first things first, while Anfisa is elsewhere... I wanted to know if you know of a place where she could live openly and safely."

-- Desiree

OOC: Since the Harker thing looks like it will take some time, I thought this might be a good opportunity to have this conversation.

[Alberich]

[OOC: That leaves only one question - how long is he going to keep it up? Minutes, hours, etc.? Short version - it'll be at least an hour before he sees/hears anything interesting, be it for good or ill; therefore, as Desiree suspects, there is plenty of time for the group to discuss/do other things in the meantime.]

[Jack Rothwell]

OOC Tamina'll behave, she's not an animal with no higher brain function (as hard as that is to believe at times)/OOC

[Graybeard]

[OOC: Hey, it was just a suggestion. Harker would be playing it by ear -- he would be unable to start the eavesdropping for a while yet, since he'd have no cover to conceal himself in until the horsemen start down off the pass, and would then keep it up until they're beyond the party and out of earshot, unless he heard something that urgently required intervention, in which case he'd give up the listening and hustle back to the encampment. So yeah, there's time for some talk, and he'll have time to learn quite a bit. So on to other things...]

"I'm going to take a quick nap, to get some strength back in case it's needed when that party gets here," Sister Rose announced. (It had been a long night, not just for her but for others, after all.) "Wake me up when they're five minutes away." She was sawing wood within seconds; the hard night and stressful morning had indeed been tougher than was really good for her.

Therese was tired too, but Desiree's line of questioning instantly perked her back up again. "I wanted to know if you know of a place where she could live openly and safely." Not lost on her, not at all, was the fact that that question was couched as third-person-singular, not first-person-plural.

"Such places exist," she answered calmly, "and some are within our reach." Including Refuge-Nouveau itself, but I'm not ready yet to commit to this girl living there ... although she has possibilities. "When we finish here, I'll have a word with one of my colleagues. Surely something can be done."

Her quiet, appraising gaze became just a shade more direct. "But what of you?"

[Alberich]

Tim took it upon himself to watch the riders through his spyglass and wake Rose when it was time. He would be glad when he could get a little sleep himself. Two of the strangers who had been out to "whack" Blaise were still here, and who knew? They might have information worth hearing. And, indeed, hearing them out was part of Rose's reason for wanting to stay the day here. At least that was his understanding. For now he waited in silence.

Before it was time for Hieronymous to move, Udo casually asked whether he'd be needing that sketch of Tamina. With the right signature, it would be precious in certain quarters. Including any quarters occupied by Udo himself.

[OOC: The horsemen aren't talking as they ride, at least not much. My point was that Harker might have to follow them quite a long way before they say or do anything significant. There shouldnt be any pause in the action at the camp to wait for him, not even if Argus is getting real-time direct observation through Harker's ears.]

[Drannin]

(OOC: Don't really have anything flashy to write here... just assume that Harker's stalking the group, and make note if he hears anything special, I huess?)