Salticiel and beyond

[Drusia]

Lillith's eyes widened. "You're a..." She blanched. "<You... a ...felf?>"

I blink. <"How did you miss my ears? I covered them with an illusion in that nasty, racist town yesterday, but before that you must have noticed them. And, for that matter, I hid your ears too, after you fainted."> An answer that neatly avoids one pitfall of her question. That's okay, I'll get back to it later. After Brad is farther away.

<"Anyway,"> I continue, <"The plan is to fake your death. I have a drug that, with a propery measured dose, will put a half-elf into a death-like state for several hours. Maudin is skilled at stage makeup. Put this together with a rather public collapse, with lots of witnesses, and Argus deciding to 'take you home' to bury, and when the Elf ranger arrives she'll hear from everyone in town how the half-elf she was tracking died. Then, Rose smuggles you to Snamish, where you'll wake up safe and surrounded by your own people. And, once the ranger has left the area, you can continue traveling with Rose and the others."> If you still want to.

<"So that's it,"> I conclude, <"Our best plan for getting away from the elf that's following us. Everyone has a role, even if they haven't been told about it yet."> Even Brad. Best not to mention that either.

-- Drusia

[Graybeard]

"Ah, thank you," Sister Rose smiled as the cook brought an ice pack. She resisted the urge to bonk her cousin over the head with it, instead applying it to some random spot on his scalp, and intoned a quick, ritual blessing, not of the injury or the ice, but of the woman. No magic was involved, just kind words from a church figure; the cook looked like the kind of person who might respond to that.

As she did ... but not exactly as Rose had hoped.

The woman's open face lit up with pleasure. "Oh, thank you, ma'am!" she said, in a surprisingly strong voice; maybe the reverberating hallway amplified it. "This is shaping up to be such a wonderful day. It isn't every day that I get a blessing from one of Luminosita's Own, you know. And did you see that over there, we're having the privilege of serving -- an elf?"

Crap, Rose thought, as the cook indicated the conversation between Drusia and Lillith. Why does this place have to employ the one woman in all of southern Veracia who can see through illusions...

[Sareth]

"<I don...ike it, but I gue... f we have to, then I'll>"

"we're having the privilege of serving -- an elf?!"

Lillith's thoughts cut off as the loud woman's voice bowled through the room. Her eyes narrowed, and she peered at Drusia. Her senses reached out, touching the spirits about her. They probed the room, feeling the spirits of the people about her, the crush of humanity. She could feel Sister Rose and Argus, both familiar from previous times she'd cast outward, and very human. She could feel Brad, familiar from last night, and also quite human. She could feel Drusia...

With a shriek, Lillith through herself backward, her chair tumbling onto its back as the girl rolled and began bolting for the door.

[Porcelain Fish]

Fayna, Maduin reflected with a bit of amusement as he gathered his magic, probably would have pegged the half-elven girl square in the back with a force bolt to knock the wind out of her, and then sat on her until she saw sense.

He smiled and caught the gaze of a middle-aged farmer in his mid-thirties close to the door, just getting up from having his own breakfast. For Maduin's subject, the single moment stretched out even as he drifted, unawares, directly in front of the door, hazel eyes filling his mind, utterly arresting his attention.

[Graybeard]

OOC:

He smiled and caught the gaze of a middle-aged farmer in his mid-thirties close to the door, just getting up from having his own breakfast.

For those of us who really are middle-aged, this was an incredibly low blow.

[Drannin]

Argus saw Lillith react to something. Some message of Drusia... and that was all Argus had time to think before Lillith yelped and bolted for the door.

"Crap..." Argus muttered, and got to his feet. "Lillith, wait...!"

[Drusia]

With a shriek, Lillith through herself backward, her chair tumbling onto its back as the girl rolled and began bolting for the door.

I spare a very angry glance at the stupid cook before turning back towards Lillith's fleeing form. Fortunately, Maudin's put a villager between her and the door. Argus is beginning his pursuit, but I'm rather concerned that he's about to do more harm than good. I'd wait for Rose to interject sanity, but she's likely occupied with Brad at the moment.

<"Of course I'm an elf,"> I think at Lillith, strongly enough to break through her fear haze. <"You saw my ears. Full elf ears. Yesterday. If I wanted you dead, why would I wait? I could have killed you any time yesterday, or last night while you were asleep. But I didn't. Instead I protected you from those towns people yesterday. Why would I do that if I wanted to harm you?"> Is that a flicker of confusion I see on her face? Come on, think about it.

<"I founded Snamish as a place to hide my half-elven children,"> I continue, <"And to hide other half-elves. Rose can confirm - she was married to my great great grandson.">

I stand up and draw my blade - my metal dagger, not my dueling blade. I flip it around and hold it out to Lillith, hilt first. "Take it," I say aloud, "Hold it to my throat while I talk to you. I don't mind. But we need to have this conversation. There are things you need to know." Not taking my eyes from Lillith, I direct my words to Argus, Rose, and Maudin. And, fuck it, Brad. So much for keeping him in the dark. "That all of you need to know."

-- Drusia

[Sareth]

Seizing the blade, Lillith held it before her in shaking hands. She pressed her back against the wall. White skinned, she looked wildly around the room. "You were just trying to lure me to a false sense of trust! You... You're an elf! You're all.." Her head rolled wildly, looking around, anywhere, but the doorway was blocked by the rather shocked not-middle aged man standing in it. Finally, her eyes fell on Sister Rose. "Rose..."

[Drusia]

Seizing the blade, Lillith held it before her in shaking hands. She pressed her back against the wall. White skinned, she looked wildly around the room. "You were just trying to lure me to a false sense of trust! You... You're an elf! You're all.." Her head rolled wildly, looking around, anywhere, but the doorway was blocked by the rather shocked not-middle aged man standing in it. Finally, her eyes fell on Sister Rose. "Rose..."

"Rose is welcome to join us," I say, taking a step forward, "But it's me you need to deal with right now." I hold my hands out, at my sides, showing her that I'm not hiding anything there. I take another step, bringing myself closer to the knife blade. I let my illusions drop, revealing my ears, my silver-green hair, let all the little tricks go.

"I only want to talk to you," I tell her. "You've spent your life being hunted, but do you really know why? Do you know what happened between the elves and the half-elves that started all this? No, you don't. And right now, that ignorance is your biggest liability."

I step forward again. She holds the knife in trembling hands. I could take it from her, but instead I let the tip come to rest against my chest. Her shaking hands vibrate the knife, and it parts my cloak and draws out a drop of my blood.

"You hold my life in your hands," I tell her. "Kill me, and become a monster, become what you hate. Or listen to what I have to say. The choice is yours. Make it now."

And, just in case, I get ready to teleport myself outside.

-- Drusia

[Graybeard]

Leaving her cousin holding his ice pack (and, of course, looking bewildered), Sister Rose took a deep breath and padded over to where Lillith and Drusia stood. "Now, now, this will never do," she said softly ... as she gently took Lillith's trembling hand and moved the dagger tip from Drusia's breast to her own.

"If you think you have been betrayed so badly that someone has to die, let it be me," she said. "I'm the one who made the decision to have Drusia join us, and to trust that she's sincere in wanting to save your life, rather than end it. I know so many things about Drusia's family -- my family -- that I'm sure about that. If I'm wrong, I wouldn't want to live anyway. I know I'm not wrong ... but I'm willing to offer myself to atone for it if I am. But first, be a dear and do hear her out." She smiled gently, serenely ... and winked.

That was all Brad could take. "Rose! Lillith! NO! I said I'd give my life for you, and I will! Let me OOMPH!"

There was a clattering noise as Brad once again tumbled to the floor. Rose was facing the wrong way to see exactly who'd tripped him this time, but there was more than one candidate...