Fire Emblem: Curse of the Goddess [IC / Conditional Acceptance / PG-16]

[Wind Rider 10]

Eventually, Sienna had finally finished cleaning up the small hut. She breathed a sigh of content as she admired her handy work. Amas seemed to be happy too, but there was still the matter of his chimney and bow. Amas had assured her that the bow problem was fine, as he was apparently carving up a new one. The chimney was really the main issue.

"Tell ya what. Here," he handed Sienna a few furs. "If it helps, these aren't fox pelts. See, that's rabbit," he pointed at a gray one, "that's beaver," he pointed to a brown one, "and that's pine marten," he pointed at a darker brown one. "That should be enough for some stones and some lime. See if'n you can get some from Theusido. He's the local quarrier, supplier o' rocks and stuff. He'll be over thataway," he waved toward the other end of the square. "Over there's where all the shops are. The ones that ain't stalls, anyway. Theusido's probably busy, but if ya tell him Amas sent ya, it should be fine. I'd go meself, but I want to get this bow done afore dark,"

Sienna nodded her head as she tucked the furs under her arm.

"Remember, we need chimney stone and lime. Tell him exactly that. 'Bout five pounds worth maybe. Oh, here," the hunter pushed a small wheelbarrow over. "If ye can't carry it all, just put them in here. Git going then,"

Sienna nodded and left the man to finish his bow. She had only just entered the square when she heard something following her. She looked to see that it was Icleias was following behind her, nose still sniffing her scent. She tilted her head and watched the little puppy for a minute before shrugging and continuing on her way. Curious little dog.

She soon arrived at the quarrier shop and entered it. "Uh... Excuse me? I'm here about Amas's chimney? It uh... Needs lime and stone for repairs." She said, adjusting the furs under her arm.

[Sethera 290]

Alois, Penelope, Gunther, Edrick, and Abdul

"No, you're right, being there isn't a crime. Yet I would question it still. I will be upfront, sir, but I believe your companion to be of the shady sort. And I would think a man such as you would want to investigate so as to not have such a person at your side. But we have plenty of time to learn the truth. And we will that much is certain."

"Shady?! Perish the cerebration!" Pylauses exclaimed. "As for comprehending the legitimacy, I will not halt you, for there is nothing to disguise!" the man laughed.

"As it stands I would, personally, prefer to go with this lady. And that is where I shall go. I won't stop anyone from taking you up on your....generous offer but I will not be one of them."

"What?!" the noble reared back, mouth agape. "You would turn down my most benevolent offering...to visit some roughshod shack?!"

"Now, wait just one minute, Pylauses," Mene replied. "My home mightn't compare with yours, but it's got four walls, a roof, an' a warm bed fer this feller," she nodded at Edrick. "An' that's what he really needs right now."

The man was about to retort when the others, including the one who had accepted his offer earlier, gave their goodbyes, some with more decorum than others. Pylauses spluttered in confusion, as if the very idea of refusal was a foreign concept.

As they left the two behind, the noble regained his ability to speak, stomping his cane against the ground as he did so. "Why the nervitude of them! They don't recognizate just what they declined!"

"Er...Lord Pylauses, sir...what was that man over there saying just now?" the squat man asked, scratching his head. "Like, ee-nah-tay something?"

"Not now, Hanikap," the man dismissed. "I'm occupied."

"But it sounded funny! You think he's, uhh, funny inside too?" he coughed. "In the head?"

The noble was about to say something when he paused. "...Perhaps. Or it could be disparate." He stared after Edrick with some intrigue. "What modulation did you say you descried again?"

Meanwhile, Mene continued to lead the group through the village. Every so often she would stop and respond to the cheerful greetings that came her way from fellow villagers working to repair their homes. Yet at the mere sight of her son, grinning teeth and upturned eyes melted into thin-lipped stares and heavy, hanging brows. The rest of the group caused a strange, almost animalistic reaction. Shifting onto the balls of their feet, knees slightly bent, eyes rolling slightly to show their whites. It was as if they had encountered a wild beast. And then the villagers relaxed, recognition lighting up their faces, and they were people once more, adjusting their worldview to the presence of strangers in their village as they sent the group wary nods and careful smiles.

If Mene noticed, she didn't show it. "Did you hear that Alois?" she beamed. "Dorosid says we can have some of the new carrots he's grown!"

Said man shot Alois a glare while the woman's back was turned.

Eventually, Mene stopped next to where the wall opened up into another gate, though this was much simpler than the one they had seen at the front of the village. It was but a simple stone arch with two stout pillars at its sides. Beyond the opening the group could see a field where fluffy sheep grazed within the boundary of a wooden fence. A single black-and-white dog rested beneath the shade of a ramshackle lean-to, a boy with a crooked cane sitting beside him. Yet the woman paid no mind to this, gesturing toward a simple wooden hut with a straw roof. "An' we're here. Sorry fer the walk," she seemed to mostly be addressing Edrick and Abdul. "As ye see, we live on the edge o' the village, 'gainst the back wall. I heard it was cuz me great-something grandda herded sheep, so he wanted to live out in the fields, but me great-something grandma put her foot down. She refused to live outside the village." The woman laughed. "So they settled on this location as a compromise."

"All righ', now, come in, come in. Sorry fer the mess," she opened the door and beckoned them inside. Despite Mene's warnings on the "mess," the place was rather tidy. The wooden floor had been swept clean, and the entrance, as well as the area next to the beds, was covered with rush mats. The beds themselves were a pair of simple wooden frames stuffed with straw and draped with coarse linen. The kitchen was a homely affair consisting of a stone oven and a stone counter with a pail of water nearby. Those with sensitive noses would pick up the faint whiff of something sweet coming from the oven. The only sign of wealth was the single glass window on the far wall, as well as a couple of books resting on top of one of the beds.

Mene didn't waste any time before moving her attention to Edrick. "Now, let's lay this boy down 'ere in Alois's bed. I'll move these books here first though," the woman said, picking them up and glancing at the titles. "Oh, yea, Alois Reinhardt," she spoke up, her voice taking on a familiar tone. The tone that the boy had only heard when he was in trouble with her. "I found these books underneath yer bed. They look mighty familiar. Mightn't I have seen these in Mayor Dresogon's house before?" She turned around, still smiling, but her mouth was twitching downward, eyes narrowed into slits as she stared down at the fighter.

For a second, it seemed that she would start scolding him then and there, but her eyes flicked back to Edrick, her lips pursing as she turned away from the fighter pointedly to concentrate on the Pontic instead. "Let's get you settled in now," she said, attempting to help him into the bed. She was surprisingly strong for her frame, but still struggled to get the lanky boy fully situated.

--

Link and Citron

Pheodea nodded in satisfaction at Citron's reply. "Yes, good good. I thought you'd say so. Much better than playing housemaid for a month, I'd say. So long as you don't jostle your arm, I don't think we'll have problems."

Link, however, had other ideas. And while Citron tried to protest, the villagers themselves had no issue with it. "Yeah, 'm fine wivvit. So long as ye keep yer demon wolf away," Thile muttered, glaring down at the wolf while at the same time backing away to stand behind Achos, nose wrinkling much like a hare would.

The bulky man laughed. "I don't think we'll 'ave much issue there, right?" he moved to slap Link on the back, though he wouldn't take offense if the other avoided it. "Not if'n the way he handled tha' there wolf earlier means aught."

"Yes, yes, the more the merrier," Pheodea gave a gap-toothed grin before clapping her hands together. "Now, less yapping, more working!"

With that, the group began to work on repairing the stall. Or, to be more accurate, building a new one. The old stall was little more than split wood and ripped canvas at this point, and the new one little more than a couple beams planted into the cobblestone of the square, held up only by the villagers. Fortunately, Achos had brought up most of the lumber they would need from the local carpenter. "I gets a discount cuz I'm the one who's supplies the man," he told them. "But..." he frowned. "Looks like we need some cloth."

"Well, that's what I'm here for," Pheodea replied. "As the village weaver, I always plan ahead," she held up a long sheet of canvas cloth she had brought up with her, staggering somewhat under the weight.

"Ey, lemme grab that," the brawny man said, grabbing the cloth and setting it down on the ground nearby. "Now..." he looked over the stall. "I ain't no carpenter, but I'm thinking we need more wood too. And some rope. Didn't expect the damage to be this much."

"Didn't expect?!" Thile cried. "Not when I's told ye there was a winged lizard tha' crashed into me stall?! Wut, ye thought'd was a mere salamander?!"

"All right, all right, calm down now," Pheodea cut in, much to Achos's relief. "So it looks like we need some wood and some rope, right?" She turned to Link and Citron. "Do either of you have any of that?"

--

Sienna

Sienna's journey through the village would be fairly short. She didn't have to go far from the plaza to get to where all the merchants had set up their storefronts. Finding the right one was more difficult, and asking the villagers came with its own difficulties. She was a beacon of white and red in a village of muddy grays and browns, and her fox ears drew lingering eyes wherever she went. Upon approaching one man, he leaned slightly away from her like a tree reaching for the sunlight, but here it was more like he was reaching for an escape. His eyes quivered in their sockets and his voice came out in a nervous stammer. "G-Go that way," he pointed down the road, turning and fleeing as soon as the Protean had been sufficiently distracted.

Yet many stood still and watched her, postures stiff but eyes wet with gratitude as they bowed their heads briefly.

Eventually, the girl reached a store built of a mixture of wood and stone. Unlike some of the others, it was in good shape. In front, a man wearing a dusty apron chipped away at a piece of stone with a pick. Despite his age, his movements were swift and sure, untiring as he shaped it into a block.

"Old man Theusido," one of the villagers pointed out helpfully, to which he looked up with a grunt, wiping away the sweat from his brow.

"Aye, that's me. What business do ye 'ave wiv me, miss?" he asked, setting down his pick and turning fully to face Sienna.

--

Tsetseg

"Tsetseg..." the militia girl said slowly as if getting used to the sound of it, before giggling. "I've never heard of a name like that before!" She clapped a hand over her mouth in horror immediately afterward. "I-I mean uhh, sorry!" she squeaked. "I didn't mean to say it that way. It's not a bad name, not at all!" she shook her head so hard it seemed she would grow dizzy before she stilled, mouth agape. "Ehhh?! Never fished?! Not the right person?! Are they daft?!" she punctuated each phrase with a comical widening of her eyes, till it seemed as if they would fall out of their sockets. "Fishing is one of those things that anybody can do! It's like, uhh," she paused to think, "like a universal thing! That's it!" she nodded. "So them telling you not to do it, why, that's just dumb. They probably just wanted to keep all the fun to themselves." By now, the last of her tears had dried.

"I caught and dried some fish this morning, before everything went uhh, south," she said. "So they won't take long to cook! You really gotta try some! Or if you want, we could go to the river or the pond so you can try fishing some yourself!" she cheered, face lighting up, before sobering slightly. "Uhh, that is, if you're uhh, fine with that," she said. "I-If you're not, that's fine too. I know you're probably, uhh, busy. Being a hero and all."

---

OOC

Spoiler

No Catriona part this week. Probably won't post more for her until Ciela wakes up, so just assume she's chilling in the town hall for now.

Also let me know if you guys want me to increase the pace on these posts, or if you're fine with how interactions are going right now.

And of course, if you need information, message me or Cow.

Edited June 24, 2020 by Waluigi

[Cheshire Toon 139]

Link ignored Citron’s protests, side-stepping away from the lumberjack’s attempt to smack his back. “I’ll keep Rohns under control, ma’am,” he assured the nervous villager. With that they all set to working on building a new stall. Link mostly did as he was directed, though he finished anything asked of him rather quickly, as he had spent most of his youth working with his hands. He had even built Epona’s stable with some help from his grandfather, which in comparison, was much more complicated than a merchant stall.

He did have to stop semi-frequently to scold Rohns. The wolf cub seemed to enjoy tormenting Thile; Link caught the pup creeping toward her in a hunting crouch every time he turned his back, and each time the woman saw him and shouted, the wolf seemed delighted, frolicking in circles and running off.

“Rope?” Link repeated. “I have some. It’s taken a beating the past couple days, but it’s sturdy stock, so it should hold up for this,” he said, dropping his backpack onto the ground and rummaging through it before pulling out a long spool of hemp rope. “Feel free to cut it into smaller strands as you need to. I’m needing to replace it anyway. As for the wood… Hmm…” He scratched his chin. He really had no idea where he would go about getting more lumber. 
 

Edited June 6, 2020 by Cheshire Toon

[Tiamat's Circus 116]

Initially, Citron would have to admit that she was somewhat disappointed; after all, she had hoped to be of at least some help to the townsfolk, especially considering it was her mess to clean up, but… As Lincoln got to work, and the Townsfolk accepted his help, she quickly found herself simply following them around and doing what she could to help, which was rarely anything of note. At most, maybe moving a cloth, or dusting off where wood had been to remove sawdust, but that was it. On one hand, this served to only further her guilt - here she was letting a guardsman she hardly knew do her work for her. On the other hand… Well, she didn’t exactly have another hand to use, so she wouldn’t have been much help.

It was only after this routine of following them around had just been started, that it soon became apparent to the man leading them around that they’d need more supplies. One of the townsfolk was quick to supply a cloth, and Lincoln the rope, yet there was still an important factor missing: Wood. Bringing her good hand to her chin, Citron winced a bit as she thought for where she could find wood… and settled on only one, possible place.

“It’s, probably a long shot, but,” Citron spoke up, gesturing vaguely with her hand. “Could we take the wood from my stall?” She paused, turning to look for her stall, pointing with her finger. “You'll know which one it is, because it's the one that’s been made not only shoddily-” she coughed, shaking her head as she gestured over to a particularly simple stall that she had set-up when the townsfolk were still… Well, townsfolk, just in animal bodies. “-Er, simple, enough, to be able to be disassembled and packed onto an animal’s back for travel, but also sturdy enough for said beast to land on it…” She trailed off, cocking her head to the side. “...That is, if they’re going slow enough…” She muttered beneath her breath, before continuing; turning to face Lincoln and the burly-man. “Do you think that could work, for at least part of the wood?”

[Skaia 578]

As the group made their way past the stuck up noble and his stooge, Alois simply said, "man, and I thought he'd never leave." Leading the way to his house alongside his mother, Alois glanced at the fellow villagers but didn't seem to retain eye contact with them for any extended period of time. It was pointless as he already knew what kind of look they were giving him. If anything it was probably worse than he was imagining. As his mother made a comment about carrots to him, he simply said, "yeah, yeah, that's great." Clearly not paying attention to what she said and simply walking on. 

When they made their way inside Alois kept to himself and was generally quiet until he heard his name called. Freezing in place, gulping at the sound of his mother's stern voice. Though his body was definitely facing her, his head was turning to not and his eyes similarly were doing their best to look as far away from her as they could. Nervously, the boy said, "well uh, how about that. Guess we have similar tastes?" 

The boy let out a sigh of relief as she seemed more focused on Edrick instead, Alois for once was glad for the man's penchant for practically dying in every combat they faced. "Don't bleed on my bed, it takes forever  to get out." Even still, Alois could never resist the opportunity when it presented itself. Looking away now, not wanting to see his mother's face at his snide comment, he instead turned to look at Penelope. Gesturing to his house he said, "well, it's no royal palace, but here it is. Enjoy, I guess."

Tsetseg, of all people, was taken aback and surprised by the girl's sudden outburst of emotion at fishing. However, as the girl finished her rambling Tsetseg smiled brightly and eagerly. "Of course! Fish are suuuper tasty so I'd love to have some! Oh and of course I'd love to fish! After all, fish are great and hunting is the best so mixing the two together is like wow! I bet it'll be amazing!" The girl paused for a moment and seemed to calm down before saying, "I don't know how to fish though."  Smiling again, the girl started to pat Phai's head again before saying, "oh, but if you're the town fisherman you must be like some kind of master at fishing. And cooking them. I bet it'll be delicious!" 

[LordCowCow 839]

Gunther wasn't happy helping along Edrick, especially when he kept speaking in that foul language, but he felt he had to put up with it for now. It would be worse to get scolded by Penelope and it wasn't as though he wanted the young man to bleed out. He just wished that it didn't have to be him doing it.

As they came up to the house he had a pang of nostalgia. It was roughly similar size to his old home. Though it looked like the roof was much more intact. He led the way, and as he entered said "Thank you again for this ma'am." The house looked clean and didn't have much in the way of furnishing. Which meant it was easy even for his size for Gunther to spot and lead Edrick towards the bed. Where he was helped, despite his insistence it was fine, by Mene to lay him down onto the bed.

He straightened up awkwardly and opened his mouth to say something to Edrick but paused. Instead, to Alois's mother, he said "Sorry I'm not skilled in first aid. If you need help moving him again I can do that but I won't be of much help otherwise."

The Knight considered walking away then. Leaving Edrick to whoever could actually help. Yet instead he stayed near the bed and looked at Edrick's injuries. Wondering if he himself had been able to move faster would there have been no such injuries? Or would it be him laying there and potentially bleeding out.

---

She didn't believe that this nobleman caricature was entirely free of guilt. She was certain there was something that he, or his companion, were hiding. She wasn't sure if he was protecting himself or his ratty friend by denying it but something felt off.

Though there was no point pursuing it now.

On the way to Alois's house Penelope took note of how the other villagers reacted to him. She began to wonder if it was due to something he did while living there or if this was just the response to someone leaving the community. Truly a place like this needed as many hands as possible but it felt strange that they would be this hostile. It made her think of a cult. Or a religion.

"Oh, it's a lovely home." Penelope said as they came to their destination. She truly did like the look of the place. The roof in particular was rather unlike she was used to and she started to think over what the purpose of it would be.

She was so engrossed in it that she almost missed what Mene had said. But the sacred word broke through it. Books.

Penelope listened in from there and realized the implication of the scenario. She smirked and thought back to the library. "I see. So that incident wasn't your first time. You're experienced in such things. I must say I'm rather shocked."

"As for that," Penelope said in reference to Alois's words, "I like to think that those two things aren't as far flung as you'd imagine. A home is a home after all."

[Wind Rider 10]

"Aye, that's me. What business do ye 'ave wiv me, miss?"

Sienna respectfully bowed her head to the stone mason. "Uh... Yes sir... I come on behalf of Mr. Amas... I'm helping him to repair his house, but I'm not exactly good with uh... Repairing a chimney." She explained as she took out the furs that Amas gave her. "He needs stone and lime... And uh... Said that these would cover the cost." She set the furs on the counter and backed up a bit.

"If the furs are enough, I have a wheelbarrow for the stone." She said pointing behind her. Hopefully Amas's word and furs were enough, Sienna didn't want to be the one to come back empty-handed. Her ears twitched just thinking about it.

[Asriel Dreemurr 38]

To say Edrick was in no position to refuse Gunther's help was putting it mildly. He was basically walking out of nothing more than sheer force of will at this point, and even Penelope putting a hand on his chest was enough to have him cringing and flinching in pain. Between that and the renewed discomfort from their strange Isaurian compatriot, Andal he thought he'd heard his name was, attending to his chest he had to take the offered arm just to keep himself from falling on his face. Something that it seemed the knight was just about as comfortable with as he was. He knew the other boy didn't like him, and while he'd at first attributed it to simply professionalism in terms of keeping the princesses safe from a stranger he had reason to suspect otherwise. All the shouting in his native tongue, the way Gunther none-too-subtly cringed when he looked at the devotional icon around his neck, it made sense. A few months ago, Edrick probably would have felt the same about Gunther, but he had to admit he'd found a certain amount of affection for him. And more than a little envy for his equipment.

Probably on account of the blood loss, Edrick didn't notice much of the journey until he ended up being mostly laid out into a bed. For his part he didn't really fight it, but his limbs were starting to feel like full sacks of grain. Heavy and scratchy. Not to mention that his chest was still in quite a bit of pain.

"Thank you..." he slowly managed, looking up at the vague shape that had spoken to him. He wanted to be strong, to get through this and not have the others worry about him, but right now all he could really do was admit he needed rest. And then he managed a laugh as Alois told him not to bleed on the bed, which he regretted immediately. "Oh...oh it hurts to laugh." His tone still seemed to be mostly in good humor. Though maybe that was the delirium setting in. Though eventually his gaze turned towards the bulkiest shape in the room.

"Gunther..." he had to speak slowly if he wanted to get enough breath in him to be particularly audible, and to brace himself from the pain of breathing deeply enough. "I'm... sorry. I know... I've been... pretty bad towards you. No wonder you don't like me..." And from there he had to stop speaking and just focus on figuring out how to breath without hurting his chest too much.

[Otaku-sama 31]

Abdul let out a quiet sigh as he followed the princess’ entourage, wringing his hands within his sleeves. He hated having to burn a bridge so soon after meeting, but the chance to ingratiate oneself to crown royalty came only once in a lifetime, if at all, not to mention that the kindly matron would certainly offer more enriching conversation.

“What the heck is that thing?”

Abdul turned his head to see that a small group of villagers were following his camel, which had escaped the hastily tied knot and was now grazing on the weeds that grew in between the huts. One of the younger villagers gave it a poke with a stick, provoking the camel to spit in his direction, showering the group in spittle. Hoping to stop his surly steed from causing a scene, Abdul broke away from the group, grabbing the camel’s reins and leading it away.

“My apologies! It must have escaped!”

“Y’all should try to keep your...horse-thing in check! We don’t appreciate no roaming animals in this village, especially a traveller’s animals!”

Abdul gave a sheepish smile as he tugged at the reins of his camel, which groaned and grunted as it stubbornly refused to end its meal. After a short contest of wills, the camel eventually complied, chewing noisily as Abdul led it towards Mene’s hut, tying it more securely to a nearby hitching post. With a command, the camel folded its legs under itself, lowering its burden so that Abdul could retrieve a wooden box from one of the bags.

"An' we're here. Sorry fer the walk, As ye see, we live on the edge o' the village, 'gainst the back wall. I heard it was cuz me great-something grandda herded sheep, so he wanted to live out in the fields, but me great-something grandma put her foot down. She refused to live outside the village. So they settled on this location as a compromise. All righ', now, come in, come in. Sorry fer the mess."

“A fine compromise to complement a fine abode!” Abdul replied with a polite smile as he entered the house, clutching a carved wooden box in his arms.

Upon entering the house, Abdul immediately identified the smell of baked goods coming from the stone oven, reminding him of the public bakeries that flanked the great bazaars of his home. Despite the simple construction, he found this house to be more tasteful than Pylauses’ gaudy affair. Laying the box down on the ground next to the door, he then returned to Edrick’s side, helping Gunther and Mene lay the boy down on the bed. Once settled, he gently moved the boy’s arm from his side to check the dressing. Luckily, the dressing had only been moved slightly during his transit. With a slight adjustment to the bindings, the wound stopped bleeding.

“The boy will need to rest for a while here, at least until the wound closes,” Abdul said to Mene, “Many thanks for your help and hospitality. Please, allow me to repay this kindness.”

Abdul returned to the box he had left by the door, opening it to reveal the silk-lined interior, with several small silk bags and a large teapot in the centre

“I believe some tea to end the day is in order!”

 

[Sethera 290]

Alois, Penelope, Gunther, Edrick, and Abdul

Upon first entering the house, Gunther, Penelope, and Abdul spoke up with their thoughts on their host and the house itself.

"Oh, think nuthin' of it," Mene smiled at the knight. "And thankee," she bobbed her head at Penelope and Abdul. "It don't hold a candle to Pylauses's place, but it's home."

Later, after being confronted with his deeds, Alois froze. "Well uh, how about that. Guess we have similar tastes?"

"I see. So that incident wasn't your first time. You're experienced in such things. I must say I'm rather shocked."

Mene's smile twitched further into a frown then. "Oh? So he's done this more than--" she cut herself off as she struggled to get Edrick set down in the bed.

"Don't bleed on my bed, it takes forever to get out."

The lancer laughed at that, though he seemed to regret it immediately. "Oh...oh it hurts to laugh."

"Shh, it's okay," Mene told him, turning around to send Alois a disappointed look, missing what Edrick said next in the process. "Now, Alois, don't be bothering this boy too much, ya hear?"

Eventually, they did manage to get the Pontic situated in the bed. Mene draped a gray woolen blanket over the boy. "Despite what my boy said, you don't need to worry about no bloodstains," she told him. "I'll wash it all out later." The woman stepped back, placing her hands on her hips as she nodded to herself. "Phew, what a workout. I'm startin' to get out of shape, I think."

"Sorry I'm not skilled in first aid. If you need help moving him again I can do that but I won't be of much help otherwise."

“The boy will need to rest for a while here, at least until the wound closes. Many thanks for your help and hospitality. Please, allow me to repay this kindness.”

"No worries, you two did more than enough," Mene's turned away from Edrick. "Wouldn't have gotten him situated if t'weren't for the two of you," she smiled warmly at Gunther and Abdul then. "Such polite young men. Alois could stand to learn a thing or two from you." The woman didn't spend too long talking, however, turning the bulk of her attention to Edrick.

"I have some vulneraries 'round here somewhere. One of 'em got crushed after I turned into a deer, dear me," she chuckled, turning to a rough-hewn wooden chest next to her bed. "But there is still a couple 'round...here! Got it!" she held up a small, familiar brown pouch triumphantly, setting it down next to Edrick and opening it up. Taking a handful of herbs and mixing them into a poultice in a wooden bowl with some water, she began to apply it to the boy's wounds. She was extremely gentle, though her hands trembled slightly as she took in the extent of the damage done to the boy.

"I hope ye don't get into fights like that often," she said. "It's not good for such young children to have to fight like that."

“I believe some tea to end the day is in order!”

Mene tapped her chin quizzically. "Tea? What's that?" she stared down at the strange container and the silk bags with blank eyes. "It smells...like herbs? Spices?" she looked back up at the Isaurian with a smile. "Oh, that's far too expensive to waste on the likes o'me."

In fact, many of the group might not have heard of tea, as it was mainly drank in Isauria, though Locris had their own variety that involved yak butter and salt.

--

Link and Citron

Thile didn’t seem entirely convinced by Link’s assurances on Rohn’s behavior. “Ye’d better,” she said, giving the man the stink eye, shuddering slightly when she caught sight of the wolf at his side. Her attitude soured further over the course of the work as it soon became clear that Rohns would take any opportunity to torment her. However, even with the threat of a wolf nearby, the woman managed to keep at her work for the most part.

When Link managed to procure some rope, however, she had calmed down enough to smile. “Looks good ‘nuff fer the job.” She took the rope from him, stretching it out and musing over its length while to the side, Citron began to speak.

“It’s, probably a long shot, but,” the wyvern rider gestured. “Could we take the wood from my stall?” She paused, turning to look for her stall, pointing with her finger. “You'll know which one it is, because it's the one that’s been made not only shoddily-” she coughed, “-Er, simple, enough, to be able to be disassembled and packed onto an animal’s back for travel, but also sturdy enough for said beast to land on it…” She trailed off, cocking her head to the side before muttering something under her breath. “Do you think that could work, for at least part of the wood?”

“I think so,” Pheodea replied. “What’s good for one stall should be good enough for another one.”

“I’ll be grabbin’ the wood,” Achos said as he walked toward the stall.

Eventually, with the help of Link and Citron, they managed to get the new stall built in about an hour. It was simplistic, matching the style of the others in the square. There was no roof or walls, just a framework of wooden boards with canvas cloth attached over it. Thile stood, hands on hip, nodding to herself as she looked the stall over. “Aye, good thing as I had some crates an’ barrels fer this,” she said. “Now t’looks good as new! Though I’ll hafta be taking me fruit back fer the day…s’gettin’ toward evening now.”

“And we couldn’t have gotten it made half so fast without these two young’uns,” Pheodea smiled at the two visitors.

“Aye, thanks fer the help. Much obliged,” Achos said.

“Guess ye did good,” Thile muttered, squinting at them before relaxing.

Pheodea clapped her hands together. “Well, now that that’s done with, what say you we all take a bit of a celebratory drink at my place?”

“Ye got any o’ dat Dragon’s Breath, then?” Thile asked.

“Of course, of course, who do you take me for?” the older woman smiled, before turning to Link and Citron. “You two are invited too, of course. As thanks for all you did.”

--

Sienna

The man looked up at the strange fox-eared girl from his position kneeling on the ground before getting to his feet and walking toward the open entrance of the store from Sienna's side, hefting himself over with the energy of a much younger man. "Aw righ' then. I've been a mite busy lately, whit wiv aw the repairs needin' tae be done, but I can spare some time. Specially if'n Amas sent ya, an' I'm sure as sure he did, from the looks o' these furs," he gestured toward them. "I know's old Pheodea's been askin' after em fer a high price, so's he must really need the stone if'n he's comin' to me first." He chuckled, eyes glinting, "Specially knowin' I'll be the one to give her these 'stead. I'll finally get her to look me way!" he pumped a fist, before pausing and coughing with some embarrassment.

"Pretend y'didn't hear that, lass," he waved a hand. "In exchange, I'll give you some extra stone." He said, before going into the back and coming out with a wheelbarrow of his own filled with stone and lime. Transferring them to Sienna's, he waved at her. "Aw righ', we're all done." He paused for a moment to stare at her ears. "Tae think I'd see not just one, but two fox people in one day," he shook his head after a second. "Though I was a fox meself not too long ago. The world's full o' strange things." He backed off then. "Sorry tae keep ye. Give Amas me thanks."

--

Tsetseg

Phai's face lit up at Tsetseg's response. "Really?! Uhh, not that I was doubting you or anything," she blushed. "And thanks! Well, I never did manage to become the village fisherman. Old Man Polantho's the one with that title. But I was gonna become his replacement! Not anymore though, since I'm a militia girl through and through!" she nodded proudly, puffing out her chest. "But I already said that! Argh! Acantha's always telling me I repeat myself too much, and talk too much," she drooped slightly. "A-Anyway, umm...let's go then!" she turned around and began marching off, only to stop. "Er...I mean...let's go...this way!" she turned around once more, this time heading the other way.

The two would pass by multiple villagers while walking, who greeted the two with bright smiles. They looked wary of Tsetseg at first, but many relaxed after a second, eyes softening as they took in her youth and spirit which seemed so similar to the girl beside her.

"Oi, Phai, who's that with you?"

"Oh, this is Tsetseg! I'm taking her to have some of my fish!"

"What, really?! Lucky girl. Save summat fer me when yer done."

"Ehhh?! But Dorosid, didn't Nausa tell you you needed to lose weight though?"

"Well, just don't tell me wife then! She nags too much anyway!"

"Oh, hi Nausa!" Phai waved cheerily at the woman who had exited the house the man stood in front of, hands on her hips as she scowled at him.

"What did ye just say, Dorosid?!"

"Oh?! D-Did you hear that, honeybunches? I uhh, I meant uhh, that yer a kind an' thoughtful lady who's concerned for my health?"

They continued on past the couple, though they could hear the woman's angry shouts for a while yet.

"Heheh, they're so funny, aren't they?" Phai grinned at Tsetseg. "Anyway, we're almost there."

After some time, the two approached a house with a camel in front of it, and began to walk by it, before Phai stopped in her tracks suddenly. "Ehh?! What's that? Is that a horse of some kind?" she seemed to have just noticed the creature, approaching it with the innocent curiosity of a child. "Have you ever seen something like this before, Tsetseg?!" She turned to the archer, eyes sparkling.

“I believe some tea to end the day is in order!” a voice could be heard coming from within the house.

"Oh! Mene's got guests! Let's not bother her! Unless..." Phai's eyes widened. "Are those the friends you came with?" She bit her lip then. "Do you uhh...need to return to them? Sorry if I kept you...or anything."

---

OOC

Spoiler

Misunderstandings, invitations, new information, and possible reunions, oh my!

Anyway, respond with reactions and stuff. There are multiple things people can do, but specifically for Link/Citron and Tsetseg, there are choices to be made.

And again, if you need information, message me or Cow.

Edited June 13, 2020 by Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd

[Skaia 578]

Alois's posture stiffened as Penelope had made reference to their trip in the library, his mother having picked up on it and seeming ready to give him an earful. He gave a sigh of relief, yet again thanking Edrick's prolific talent at losing blood. Looking towards Penelope with an expression that said she wasn't much better than he was, in regards to book thievery, he then looked back as Edrick seemed to be in pain from laughing. As his mother told him not to jeer the boy anymore, Alois let out an over exaggerated, "fiiiine." 

Looking back to Penelope as she had made her comment about their homes, Alois gave a wry smile. "Is that so? Well fine then. I can't wait to see your place and see how "home" it is in comparison to this." 

Tsetseg cocked her head to the side and stared blankly at Phai as she continued to ramble on about fishing and the village fisherman, a lot of it going over her head both from unfamiliarity and the speed at which she talked. However, as the girl pointed in the direction to go fishing and seemed to take the lead, Tsetseg as well pointed in that direction echoing, "let's go!" As the two began to march through the town, they eventually came across a couple - which Tsetseg waved to when she was introduced - that seemed to have some little argument. Tsetseg nodded at the man as he seemed to want some of their catch saying, "we'll be sure to get tons of fish." 

As the two walked away from the ensuing argument between the couple, the girl looked at the strange horse along with Phai. She figured there was something fishy- strange about it. As she was trying to figure out what was up with the creature, she then looked back towards the house as Phai had as well pointed that out. The girl frowned as she heard the specific voice coming from it, saying, "let's go fish." 

[LordCowCow 839]

Gunther smiled in thanks to Alois's mother. She was quite the kind woman it seemed, and was quick to say that he had been helpful, which while he was still uncertain if that were true he couldn't help but feel a bit better about it.

Something about Abdul being the one to help out Edrick was amusing. Or perhaps fitting would be the better word. The most mysterious among them gaining the gratitude of one of the more...problematic members.

"I'm... sorry. I know... I've been... pretty bad towards you. No wonder you don't like me..."

"Ah." Gunther said. He was at a loss for what to say. "I don't..." He had hoped it wasn't so obvious but of course it must be. He wasn't sure how he felt about the way Edrick said that. It gave the young Knight a feeling of guilt in his stomach which twisted around the core of anger. He wanted to think 'how dare he say that'. After all he was justified in disliking the Pontic. He shouldn't have to feel guilty about it! And yet here he was.

Yet what could he say to that? With all these people around? It wasn't as though they had any sort of privacy. Likely they had all heard the words which made Gunther out to be a cruel, or at least rude, person. Part of him wanted to defend himself. "That's not...why..." He stopped himself.

This wasn't a conversation that he wanted to have here. He didn't need his uncertainties aired right after he failed so much not long before. "There's nothing to worry about. Except getting healthy." Gunther said, somewhat stiffly. He then turned away and moved towards the other side of the house. Awkwardly examining the same few pieces of furniture over and over again as he tried to ignore the awkwardness.

---

Penelope could only partially ignore the rather uncomfortable feeling that she could feel coming from Gunther. Her little trap, to see how Alois's mother would react, had not given much results. She was, rightfully so, much more focused on helping Edrick. Which in turn reminded Penelope of the incredible tension on Gunther's end.

Abdul's offer piqued Penelope's interest. Tea was not something they had brought along with on their journey and as such it wasn't something they could easily get. It was quite interesting to see him offer it so readily. Surely he only had a limited stock with. She started to gravitate to it, "Did you know that in the past there was a tree that tea leaves grew from? But no one knew what they were for until it caught fire and landed into a river. Turning the entire river to tea along with it?"

Of course it wasn't a factual story but she was interested to see how people would react to this "fact".

"Is that so? Well fine then. I can't wait to see your place and see how "home" it is in comparison to this." 

She turned back to Alois and gave a wide smile. "Oh I'm sure it would be a lovely visit. I'm certain that my father would absolutely LOVE to meet you. For so many reasons. And I'm rather interested to see you try and make comebacks in his presence."

[Cheshire Toon 139]

Link pushed himself to his feet and dusted his gloves off, taking a few steps back to admire the stall. The finished project wasn’t anything impressive; a simple stall without anything flash. He had always been of the opinion that there was something charming about simplicity, though, and the stall reminded him of childhood trips into small markets on the outskirts of Nalbina, coaxing a small smile from the soldier. It feels good to do something positive with my hands. To create instead of just destroying, he thought as he watched the villagers moving about, discussing how they were going to celebrate. They went so far as to offer him an invitation to go drinking with them.

“Afraid I’ll have to pass. No time for a soldier to rest when there’s work to be done,” he said, offering the smallfolk a tired smile. Rohns made another attempt at jumping toward Thile as he did. Link scooped the wolf cub up for the umpteenth time, and the pup hung in the air and whined. “Plus I better get this wolf outta here before he gives Ma’am a heart attack. Thank ya for such a kind offer though. Have a drink for me.”

He turned and started to walk away after that. He still had to search for Licorice; who knows how far she could have gotten while he was helping rebuild. On top of that he hadn’t seen Princess Catriona in a long time either, and that always preyed on his fears. Too much to be done and too little time.

“No rest for the wicked, huh, Rohns?” he said. The wolf cub whined again. “Fine. I’ll put you down. Just don’t harass anyone.”
 

Edited June 12, 2020 by Cheshire Toon

[Tiamat's Circus 116]

Smiling, Citron couldn’t help but feel proud for what they had done. Sure, it was just fixing what she had broken, but all in all, what they had made was a much more official looking stall than anything she had ever run or been a part of. Simple as it was, it was also… Permanent, which is more than what could be said for her general work. And to hear everyone praise it - even the owner, in her backhanded way, brought her spirits up a bit more at the same time. Her grin only widened as they went so far as to invite her and Lincoln to go drinking; to which the soldier quickly denied.

Now, Citron wasn’t exactly sure what the kind thing to do when offered drinks was, especially when you were only offered drinks for fixing a stall that you were, ultimately, at fault for breaking. So for this one, she was going to have to follow Lincoln’s lead; especially when this might mean owing the villagers more than she already did, if she wasn’t careful. “Thank you for the offer, but I’m going to have to decline as well. I have a few things to do, including going back and checking on Peaches when I’m done, but I once again want to thank you for the offer, and your understanding natures in this situation.” Citron gave a quick bow, before rising, and following Lincoln’s way.

She wasn’t exactly sure where he was going, but she at least owed him an apology, if not some sort of monetary compensation; no matter what sort of excuse he gave to helping her earlier. “Thank you, Mr. Lincoln,” she’d smile; watching as he talked to the wolf. While it was a far cry from how she treated Peaches, she couldn’t help but sense a similar level of friendship between the two. “Rohns? Is that what you named him?” She eventually asked, as he agreed to put the wolf-cub down.

Rohns scampered ahead of Link as soon as his paws touched the ground. "Yeah, his name is Rohns," the soldier said. "And there's no reason to thank me. I did nothin' but my duty."

“Well, your ‘duty’ helped keep me from being in indentured servitude for over a month, so… Thank you.” She smiled, watching as the wolf-cub ran ahead. “Also, if you don’t mind me asking, what’s next on your agenda? And do you mind if I tag along?” She paused, bringing her good hand to her chin. “I’m not really sure where to go, or what to do now, so...”

Link glanced over at her. She was older than most of their ragabond group, but still couldn't have seen more than seventeen or eighteen harvests. She obviously hadn't been exposed to the violence much of the world had to offer. "That is... not my place to discuss, and not my call to make," he said after a moment's hesitation. "The princesses will have to decide that. I was headed to meet with them now if you... if you would like to tag along." Socializing was a strange, foreign affair that he could not believe he had once found very natural. It just tired him out now.

“Alright, then I’ll be tagging along with you for just a little bit longer, then.” She smiled, nodding. “Hope you don’t mind, but I figure they can at least give me a bit of advice on where I should go from here, since they at least seem a bit more knowledgeable about the world than me.”

[Wind Rider 10]

"Aw righ' then. I've been a mite busy lately, whit wiv aw the repairs needin' tae be done, but I can spare some time. Specially if'n Amas sent ya, an' I'm sure as sure he did, from the looks o' these furs," he gestured toward them. "I know's old Pheodea's been askin' after em fer a high price, so's he must really need the stone if'n he's comin' to me first." He chuckled, eyes glinting, "Specially knowin' I'll be the one to give her these 'stead. I'll finally get her to look me way!"

Sienna felt nervous at first, not knowing how the man would react to her, seeing as how all the villagers behaved, but in the end, she gave a slight giggle at the sound of a man trying to impress a lady.

"Pretend y'didn't hear that, lass," he waved a hand. "In exchange, I'll give you some extra stone."

Sienna stood and watched as the man loaded up the stone from his wheelbarrow to hers. She gave a slight smile at the thought of finishing her task for Amas, but quickly lost the smile after what Theusido said next.

"Tae think I'd see not just one, but two fox people in one day," he shook his head after a second. "Though I was a fox meself not too long ago. The world's full o' strange things."

Two foxes? Did he mean...

"W-wait! You saw another fox like me? Did she have black hair and a tail? Did you see where she went? If you know anything I'd really appreciate it if you told me... Please .." Whether or not Sienna got her answer, she would still have to bring Amas his stone. She was worried about the well being of her friend, but she still had a task to finish.

Edited June 16, 2020 by Wind Rider

[Otaku-sama 31]

"Tea? What's that? It smells...like herbs? Spices?"

Abdul was initially shocked that Mene had never heard of the heavenly drink, but smiled after realising that such an isolated village would be deprived of such an essential part of life.

“Indeed, tea is truly the most sublime king of the herbs!” Abdul said gleefully as he retrieved the bag labelled ‘chai masala’ from the box as Mene inspected the bag labeled ‘orange’, “It is an honor to be the one who would first introduce you to it!”

"Oh, that's far too expensive to waste on the likes o'me."

“Nonsense! One has not truly lived until they have experienced tea, not to mention that we are in the presence of royalty,” Abdul exclaimed while gently gesturing towards the curious Penelope, “I would be remiss if I did not share some of my finest!”

"Did you know that in the past there was a tree that tea leaves grew from? But no one knew what they were for until it caught fire and landed into a river. Turning the entire river to tea along with it?"

Upon hearing the old tale of the tea river, Abdul smiled as he placed his kettle over the fire.

“Ah, it is no surprise that you also know the old tales as well your Highness!” he replied as he added a pinch of the contents of the silk bag to the kettle, “The many legends of its origin could fill many tomes, enough to fill an entire bookshelf. I believe it befits such a noble beverage!”

Laying out small cups onto the table, Abdul filled each one, filling the room with its exotic, spicy aroma as columns of wispy steam rose from the amber liquid. Gently picking up one of the cups, he raised it, gesturing everyone to partake.

[Asriel Dreemurr 38]

"There's nothing to worry about. Except getting healthy."  That had Edrick laughing again as soon as Gunther managed to get the response out, which thanks to the work Mene was doing on his wounds hurt much less this time. And thankfully for both of them it seemed the time and treatment he'd already gotten had done enough work that he didn't start bleeding again too quickly. Though the slow ooze of blood from such a severe wound would also have been a result of blood loss. It did sound like there was a drum in his ear after all.

"It's not good for such young children to have to fight like that." Now that caught his attention enough that he tilted his head towards Alois's mother with a tired expression. Truth be told he was actually quite angry, but didn't have the energy to really express it at the moment,

"Well then let me assure you," he managed to get out in spite of considerable wincing, "that I've seen sixteen Winters in my life. I'm old enough to fight." And that bit of protesting was just about all the energy he had for anything right now, apart from a quiet "thank you for your help" in an effort not to come across as rude. So he fell back onto the bed, considerably less bloody now, and let his eyes shut while he tried to ignore the largest part of his pain.

[Sethera 290]

Alois, Penelope, Gunther, Edrick, and Abdul

"Sixteen winters!" Mene had replied to Edrick disbelievingly. "Yer even younger than Alois!" she shook her head disapprovingly. "You boys, always goin' off to adventure and fight. Alois is like that too."

“Nonsense! One has not truly lived until they have experienced tea, not to mention that we are in the presence of royalty,” Abdul exclaimed while gently gesturing towards the curious Penelope, “I would be remiss if I did not share some of my finest!”

Mene looked a little surprised at Abdul's enthusiasm. "My, my, ye do seem enthusiastic about it, young man," she smiled, moving to set down the bowl of poultice. "If'n it's that good, I might as well--" the bowl slid from her hands to clatter onto the floor, leftover vulnerary poultice splashing onto the wooden slats. The smell of medicine drifted around the group, mixing with the scent of the tea to form a slightly overwhelming aroma.

"O-Oh my, ahaha," the woman laughed nervously as she grabbed a rag, stooping down to clean up the spill. "Pardon the mess. Ye caught me off guard with yer joke." She rose up from the floor, stuffing the rag into a pocket of her apron mindlessly, though it still dripped with the poultice. "I'm not very good at jokes, y'see. That was more my husband's thing. Could have the lot o' us rollin' on the floor from the wit of 'em some days." She smiled fondly before turning to Alois. "An' Alois here is the very spit o' him in that respect."

The woman moved to the kitchen then, opening the oven to take out a stone tray covered in small bars. "As if royals would come here," her voice shook slightly. "Not to this little village, oh no." She turned around then with a trembling smile, though it disappeared when she heard the way Abdul addressed Penelope.

"I...er...made some pasteli earlier. So they're not hot anymore, but I thought t'would go well with the tea." She set the tray down to grab a handful of clay plates, setting a couple of bars down on each, and passing them around to everybody, including Edrick, though she laid the plate close beside him so he could grab it without much trouble. "S'not much, especially for, erm, folks like yourselves, but enjoy."

On closer inspection, the bars looked to be made of small seeds mixed in with some nuts and held together with honey. Since they had been allowed to cool, they were hard enough to pick up without worrying about sticky hands but soft enough still that they were chewy rather than crunchy. Alois would recognize them as her famed sesame-seed bars, the honey taken from local bees that had gathered nectar from plants such as clover and thyme. Depending on what was available, she would add extras. This time she had put in pistachios, their mild flavor mixing with the honey for a gentle sweetness that neither underwhelmed nor overwhelmed the palate. It would also combine well with the tea, softening the drink's natural piquancy to create a more balanced flavor that would be less of a shock for those unused to spice.

Mene, herself, seemed captivated by the tea, momentarily forgetting the events of earlier. "Why this reminds me of that wine o' the mayor's!" she exclaimed. "Though it's got a certain difference to it. It's..." she paused, lips pursing in thought. "It's got a certain earthiness to it the wine lacks. And the flavor is different, but it still has a way of stingin' yer tongue like nettles do." She smiled at Abdul. "Thankee much for this, young man. I would love to hear what all goes into this. That is, if'n ye'll allow it," she winked. "I understand if'n ye want t'keep a gem like this secret. The mayor never lets any o' us know what goes into his wine, after all."

--

Link and Citron

The trio gave Link and Citron understanding nods, though they all looked a little disappointed, even Thile, though, for her, that disappointment was mixed with relief as she jerked back reflexively at seeing Rohns jump toward her.

"All righ', well then take care, ya hear?" Achos waved at them. "We'll hafta drink together another time, maybe."

"Yes, that sounds like a fine idea," Pheodea gave a gap-toothed smile.

"Aye, another time fer sure," Thile mumbled, still staring at Rohns.

The three left then, Achos lifting up multiple crates of fruit with ease as they followed Thile out of the square.

The two would find their way back to the town hall easily enough, where they would find Catriona sitting on one of the long benches, Ciela lying at her side. Adel was gone, but Acantha was still there, watching over Peaches. The wyvern's injuries had closed up for the most part, and her green eyes, which had been clouded over with pain, shone in a brighter hue. Her scales, which had been a dull pale rust color from the marble dust, were now a glossy burnished apricot.

"You're back," Catriona said, tone flat as usual. She glanced at Link with a confused blink, but said nothing more.

"Hmph, I thought you'd never come back. You sure kept your wyvern waiting," Acantha huffed. "Next time, be a bit quicker, why don't you?" She looked at Link. "And weren't you supposed to be with the others?"

--

Sienna

"Oh, ye know her? Should've known, whit wiv ye both bein' foxes an' all," Theusido said. "Aye, I saw her. Was a while back though." He closed his eyes, head tilted up toward the ceiling as he mulled it over. Eventually, he nodded, looking back down at Sienna. "Aye, she was black all righ', an' big. Bigger than any normal fox. Seemed in a right hurry too, besides. I wis down the street from the town hall at the time. She almost ran me right over, tha' she did." He shook his head. "Hrrm...thought I was a goner fer sure. Didn't see where she was goin' though, only that she wis goin'."

He turned to a young man nearby who looked to be around Catriona's age. Like most of the villagers, he was dark-haired and dark-eyed, but he wore clothing similar to that of Cora and Acantha, with bandages around the head, neck, and waist. "Oy, Melesus, did ye see the black fox?"

The man shot Sienna a venomous look. "Ain't seen no foxes sides that one there. Don't be fooled by her looks; she's a hells-born horror, is what she is. I was almost burned to death cuz of her."

"Ach, stop whining, lad. From what the mayor said, ye'd still be a beaver if'n it weren't for her an' her friends." Theusido shook his head. "An' you'll be right as rain in a tennight or so, more's the pity." He turned back to Sienna. "Ignore him. He's me sister's grandson, but he was born with more brass than brains. Now as fer yer foxy friend..." he closed his eyes again before opening them with a blink. "I dinna know where she might be, but Amas might. Or leastways he can find out. His dog's got a sense of smell tae put the hounds o' the seven hells t'shame," he stared down at Icleias, who had followed the Protean all the way to his shop, pointedly. "An' since his dog likes ye, an' yer doin' him a favor an' all, he might be inclined tae help."

"If'n I were's him, I'd toss her out on the streets--ow! What was that for?!" Melesus whined, holding his head and glaring at Theusido.

"Why'dya think, ya eejit?!" the man retorted, turning to Sienna then with a wave of his hand. "Anyhows, there ain't much else I can tells ye. Ye'd get more from Amas, methinks. Thanks fer the furs, by the by." With that, he turned away from the Protean to get back to his carving.

Melesus tossed Sienna a glare, but said nothing more, stomping away from the woman with a huff.

Were Sienna to return to Amas, she would find the man in the same place she had left him at, still whittling away at the long piece of wood in his hands. "Oh, yer back." He commented flatly. "Looks like ye got a good deal. I knew Theusido'd like the furs." He nodded toward a space in front of his house. "Ye can just leave 'em there for now."

--

Tsetseg

Though Tsetseg seemed to recognize the voice, it was clear it was not very welcome as she replied, "let's go fish."

Phai cast the girl a troubled look, biting her lip slightly as she gazed at the house. "O-Okay," her voice firmed as she clenched her fist. "Let's do that then! And instead of eating the dried fish at my house, you'll get to try freshly-caught fish! It's even tastier!" her voice rose higher and higher in excitement. "Come on then!" in talking about fish, the last of her sniffles had died away, and the crying girl of before seemed nothing but a lie.

The girl then proceeded to march on past Mene's house. "The pond where I like to go isn't actually in the village, but it's not far outside either. Or at least, not that far. Not for a pro fisherman, anyway," she jabbed a thumb at herself. "And Mene's house is right next to the village wall, so we'll get there even more quickly!" she skipped on through the simple gate, the cobblestone beneath their shoes giving way to dirt and grass. Phai made sure to provide a running commentary on everything they passed. "And that's the shepherd's boy, Timotheos. His father's the one that actually owns the sheep, but he watches over them during the day. Over there is his dog, Lassie. Everybody knows she's the one that really keeps the sheep in line. Why, one day, when Timotheos fell down the well, she let us all know about it. We all think she's probably the smartest dog there is."

As they entered the forest that encircled the fields, the girl continued to ramble. "--and Acantha always told me not to go into the forest, but I kept doing so anyway. Alois was worse, though. He was always getting into a lot of trouble with her, especially because her little siblings would always try to use him as a reason to go out themselves. She'd always get really mad," the girl giggled. "And I know she was just worried, but I couldn't just stay away! Not when all the fish were waiting to be caught!" she nodded.

Eventually, the two would reach a large expanse of water, as still and reflective as a mirror. "This is it!" Phai beamed. "I call this place Fish Pond because it has fish! And also, if you look at it from above, like from a tree, it's in the shape of a fish too!" she approached a rough lean-to nearby. "This is where I keep my fishing rods, and where Polantho keeps his too. We'll leave his alone, but I've got an extra rod here, see?" she held up what looked to be a long stick at first glance, but upon closer inspection, Tsetseg would see that it was sectioned into three parts, each with three different kinds of wood. The first and longest section at three meters was about as thick around as the girl's arm, the handle wrapped in iron bands, the other end tapering slightly with a hole drilled in. That and an iron spike connected it to the second section at one meter, which was also connected to the one-meter section at the end through glue and twine. The last, and thinnest section, was made of a darker wood than the other two, tapering to a fine point with a loop made of cord at the end.

"The line snapped last time, so I gotta tie up a new line to it," Phai said, opening a wooden chest and taking out a long loop of glistening grayish-green twine. "Our lines are made of catgut," she smiled. "The shepherd's nice enough to give them to us when we need new lines. And now I attach a cork for a float, and then a hook to the end like so...and...there!" she held up the rod proudly before handing it over. "When I first started, I just used a long bendy stick and attached a line and hook to the end, but Polantho taught me how to make a real rod, so I use these now. He was grumpy about it at first, but I think he actually likes the company." She looked around. "He's not here now though. Too bad."

"Anyway," the girl dug around in another chest, coming out with two wriggling earthworms. "Attach these to the end of your hook. Here," she handed one over to Tsetseg. "Now that's done...it's time to fish! Watch me first. I'll show you how it's done." She moved apart from Tsetseg. "You gotta make sure you're not super close to anybody first, but you just lean back and swing the rod in an arc...like this!" she threw her weight forward, the line whizzing out into the distance before landing in the water with a soft splash. "Now you just wait for a fish to bite! You can tell, cuz you'll feel a pull on the rod."

--

OOC

Spoiler

You can probably see in the writing where I'm influenced by Brian Jacques. I can't help it. Food is good.

Also, this post made me nostalgic for when I fished as a kid, though I'm by no means an expert on it. Speaking of, Skaia, I leave it up to you how Tsetseg's fishing journey is going to go.

Edited March 7, 2022 by Sethera

[Cheshire Toon 139]

The walk was a silent one. Link preoccupied himself with preventing Rohns from getting too far ahead of them, and watching the villagers as they passed for any signs of suspicious movement. Some things still did not add up as far as he was concerned. Who was the woman who had spoken to them just after the destruction of the statue? What about her had scared Licorice so much, and where had the protean fled to? Why had that chubby little man fled so quickly after being restored to his human form? The soldier’s head throbbed painfully just trying to keep track of all the strange things going on. The most pressing of issues remained making sure Princess Catriona was not left alone; she was every bit the warrior he was, but anyone could be overwhelmed and her safety was of the highest priority.

It took no time at all to make it back to Town Hall. Link dropped to one knee when Princess Catriona saw him, pressing a fist to his heart in salute while simultaneously pushing Rohns down to the ground in what looked like a mock bow. “Your majesty,” he said. The other villager--the sassy one from before, Acantha, if his memory served--greeted Citron behind him. Then she addressed him. “They have all gone off with Alois’ mum to rest. I thought it best to find her majesty and, er… check in,” he finished weakly. “Citron came with me to ask your majesty a question, if you would hear it.” He kept his head bowed as he spoke.

Rohns, on the other hand, wriggled free of his grip and darted over to Peaches the Wyvern. Yip! Yip! The little wolf bounced on his haunches and barked playfully at the creature. Play with me you big lizard! he seemed to say.
 

[Skaia 578]

The boy raised an eyebrow at the princess, as she told her story about the tea leaves. He didn't really know much about the history of tea or it's magical water transforming properties, but he was certain that she was actually just making this up. Though, with how their adventure had been shaping up thus far, he wouldn't have been entirely surprised if they ran into such a tree and river along the way. Alois then seemed to pause for a moment as the princess made her comment on him visiting her home. Specifically about her father. He wasn't sure why something about meeting Penelope's father, more so then any other title he might possess, made him feel so uneasy but he couldn't deny it was there. At least inwardly. Outwardly he could deny all he pleased.

Clearing his throat Alois simply looked towards the girl saying, "well, doesn't matter who he is or how royal he might be. If he's got something to make fun of you better believe I'll take my opportunity." Looking back, he saw his mother present everyone else with some of her homemade sesame seed bars. Taking one for himself, a small look of joy could be seen on the boy's face as he started eating it. It was certainly one of the very limited things he could say that he missed about home, and he would have to remember to take some with him when they left. The boy then heard his mother's comment about the wine. Scoffing at the mention of the mayor's recipe the boy said, "yeah, he sure likes to keep things close to the chest. That's for sure." The boy silently took another bite of his bar, ruminating about his village as he did. 

Tsetseg continued to smile and nod and laugh as Phaidra continued to give all of her descriptions of the people they passed by as well as others in the village. Though she didn't really internalize anything that was being told to her, she couldn't help but feel a small sense of nostalgia cross over her. She thought back to the people in the patrol and how different yet fun they all were. And then she thought back to her own home, wondering how everyone back there was fairing. As she thought more on her tribe her train of thought was eventually interrupted as the duo came across the pond. "Whoa, that's a good name!" Tsetseg nodded as Phai explained the origin of the name "Fish Pond." Tsetseg then watched the fishing genius get to work as she explained everything about the fishing rod that she would be using. 

Tsetseg herself had never held such a rod before, but her expression seemed to be awed at the wooden marvel. As Phai then gave her a worm, Tsetseg grabbed it for a moment and stared. She had used bait for traps before, but hadn't ever actually used worms before. She didn't even know that fish liked worms to begin with, which just showed to her how much of a fishing genius Phai really was. As she attached the bait to the hook as instructed, Tsetseg briefly thought about the idea of attaching carrots to her arrows when hunting rabbits and wondered if that would make the rabbits more likely to simply run into the arrows themselves. 

Her self questioning and introspection didn't get very far however as they instead moved to fishing proper. Stepping a good 10 feet away from Phai as per her instructions, the girl reeled back her line and cast it into the pond. From there, she stood still and waited. Waited. Watching. Looking. Patiently. Until she saw a shimmer move under the water. Seeing the form of a fish moving through the clear watered pond, the girl was able to clearly see its movements. And as it approached her hook, seeming tempted by her bait, the girl snapped it back. Tossing her line out of the see, the girl smiled as she looked and saw...there was nothing on the line. Her smile turning into a frown, she cast her line once more. And once again, she saw another fish approach. The moment it got close enough to the line, seemingly ready to take the bait, the girl snapped her line out again. "Fishing sure is hard." The girl mumbled before casting her line out yet again. 

[LordCowCow 839]

"well, doesn't matter who he is or how royal he might be. If he's got something to make fun of you better believe I'll take my opportunity."

The princess giggled. "Well, that would certainly be an interesting scene. Suppose I'll have to bring you there after all just to see what you come up with." She glanced to the side after, thinking on it, and added in "I doubt you could find anything though."

“The many legends of its origin could fill many tomes, enough to fill an entire bookshelf. I believe it befits such a noble beverage!”

"Mm." Came Penelope's noncommittal response. Abdul's claim of knowing the story struck the girl as bothersome. After all she prided herself on knowing things others didn't. She didn't like the idea of this man trying to piggy-back on her words.

She decided she didn't like him very much. "Yes, they could. In fact they do. I've read said bookshelf as it happens." She said, keeping her voice light. She wasn't too concerned when it came down to it. Penelope understood how much she knew. And if there was someone who didn't understand they would in time.

"As if royals would come here,"

Her first instinct was to giggle once more. This time at the woman's words. Yet she wondered if perhaps the woman was too adamant in her denial. Several options came to the girl's mind. Some of them more conspiratorial than others. She saw no reason to correct the woman however and just flashed her a smile and accepted the bar that she was giving out.

Though she passed on the tea with a polite no thank you.

"These are rather delicious." Penelope said. "I'm impressed that such simple ingredients can make something like this."

She listened to Mene's question and smirked. Staying silent she found a seat and put a hand to her chin.

It wasn't as though Penelope didn't know the answer. But she was curious if Abdul himself did. Was he just carrying the tea around after buying it or did the man actually know about the product he had served them?

---

It seemed that his near outburst had been larger in his head than it really was. Edrick merely laughed it off for which Gunther was thankful for.

Gunther made sure to be the first to take a cup of the tea. And the first to drink some. It was almost a natural reaction to do so when the princess was presented with an unknown drink. He didn't even realize until he had taken the drink what he was doing.

He was quite glad it wasn't poison that's for sure.

Gunther wasn't much of a tea drinker, even when he lived in the palace, but it was fairly pleasant. The treat making it even more so. He looked between Abdul and Penelope as he quietly snacked. Having known her for so long he knew there was something wrong here. But it looked like Penelope was keeping that to herself so he just silently took another bite as he observed them.

"I understand if'n ye want t'keep a gem like this secret. The mayor never lets any o' us know what goes into his wine, after all."

Wine...that reminded Gunther vaguely. Didn't they learn something about wine? "Excuse me, ma'am, but what's this wine you mean? What makes it so unusual that the mayor needs a secret recipe for it?"

[Otaku-sama 31]

"Mm. Yes, they could. In fact they do. I've read said bookshelf as it happens."

Abdul nearly choked on his own tongue as the princess’ remark and refusal of the tea struck him like an icy dagger in the back. He had been careless with his words in his enthusiasm, falling into old merchant habits of not challenging the customer. He should have known better than to blindly go along with what she says. He was still an outsider, and she would be wary of potential charlatans. Resisting the urge to grovel and correct his rash speech, he gave the princess a polite bow, turning his attention to Mene who was taking her first sips of the tea.

"Why, this reminds me of that wine o' the mayor's! Though it's got a certain difference to it. It's...It's got a certain earthiness to it the wine lacks. And the flavor is different, but it still has a way of stingin' yer tongue like nettles do. Thankee much for this, young man. I would love to hear what all goes into this. That is, if'n ye'll allow it, I understand if'n ye want t'keep a gem like this secret. The mayor never lets any o' us know what goes into his wine, after all."

“There are no secrets for me to hold!” Abdul replied, giving the princess a quick glance, “I am one who greatly appreciates tea, but unfortunately not one who grows it.”

Abdul paused to take a sip from his cup before continuing.

“The earthiness comes from the fermentation of the tea leaves before they are dried, giving it a very distinct flavor from different preparations which are not fermented, which have a more herbal and floral flavor. The distinct warmth on the tongue comes from the ginger, cinnamon, and black pepper that are mixed with the tea, as well as some herbs that the tea master decided to keep to himself. This preparation is called masala chai, or mixed spice tea.”

Abdul then took a generous bite from the bar, smiling as the sweet and nutty flavors danced across his palate.

“Your pasteli is delicious as well madam! You are definitely correct in your assessment of the pairing! A little sweetness complements the tea. A wonderful pairing!”

"Excuse me, ma'am, but what's this wine you mean? What makes it so unusual that the mayor needs a secret recipe for it?"

The talk of secret recipes perked Abdul’s interest, especially from that knight. As he silently listened to hear what Mene had to say about the village wine, he gently picked up an unclaimed cup of tea and carried it over the ailing boy, placing it on the bedside table before returning to his seat.

 

[Tiamat's Circus 116]

Silence was in a bit of an odd place, really, for Citron’s tastes. On one hand, it was a blessing when she wasn’t quite sure what to say; silence could be golden, important to give her some time-off from being personable. On the other hand though, silence was also often tense in her experience, mainly when someone else was involved, and this time was no different. While Lincoln hadn’t really given many signs of the stress he was feeling, the way he side-eyed, and kept track of every villager told her everything she needed to know, in that he wasn’t relaxed. Wasn’t relaxed at all. And all that did was transfer his tense aura to her, even if she didn’t want to suspect anyone…

Yet, as most silent moments did, this one too ended fairly quickly, as they reached the town hall. The first thing Citron would notice, would be Peaches; and how the wyvern seemed to be doing better. Grinning, Citron began to wave with her good arm towards Acantha and Peaches, the beginnings of a "thank yo-" even coming from her lips, before she cut herself off; as  in her peripheral vision, she caught Lincoln fall to his knees, in reverence of the princess, and his boss. Stopping her wave, Citron cleared her throat as she followed suit best she could on such short notice, giving a bow rather than full-on dropping to her knee as Lincoln explained the situation. She rose as Lincoln explained that she had a ‘question’ to ask, bringing her good hand in front of her to fidget with the front of her dress; the effects of a serious conversation setting in almost immediately. “I, uh… I, er…” She stammered, laughing nervously. “Y-Your Majesty, I wouldn’t call it a question, so much as, um…” She paused, wincing as she glanced away.

“I… Don’t really know where I’m going, yeah?” She paused, her tone growing a bit less… Formal? Or rather, less forced; less forcibly cheery - less sales-woman-y - and more ‘adult having an existential crisis’-y. “I left home to explore the world, like my grandpa did, but… There’s no guidebook to that kinda thing. Maps are hardly even a help when you’ve got the kind of navigation skills I do,” she laughed, doing her best to deflect with humor. “But, um… Because of that, I figured I’d ask you guys, since… You’re some of the first real, genuine people I’ve really spent some time with during my journey, if it would be okay if I tagged along? Or at least, asked for some advice on where I should go next?” She paused, moving to scratch at her neck with her hand. “Bec-Because, I’m not… Really sure what your journey is, but to have all these people gathered together around you, it’s… Got to be one that’ll take you to some crazy places, right?” She paused, smiling. “So, I guess I figure, even if I can’t follow, you can probably tell me where to go…” She trailed off, stumbling over her words like one would a log. "Um, that is, if you would deign to do so, given that you don't... Deign... To allow the initial requst, I mean." She tried to explain, to the best of her ill-equipped vocabulary and abilities.

---

All the while, as everything had happened, Peaches, who had drifted off into a peaceful slumber, slowly rose her head and body; the incessent barking of the tiny-wolf, led by the man who smelled like a wolf, rousing her from her sleep. Letting out a muffled screech, the lizard blinked a few times, emerald eyes scanning the creature, as if sizing them up, before playfully 'swatting' at the wolf with her snout: an attack obviously telegraphed, and slow enough for the wolf-cub to dodge, and soft enough that it would only send the wolf flying a few inches if they were to be hit.

Edited June 22, 2020 by Feral Pistol

[Wind Rider 10]

"Aye, she was black all righ', an' big. Bigger than any normal fox. Seemed in a right hurry too, besides. I wis down the street from the town hall at the time. She almost ran me right over, tha' she did." He shook his head. "Hrrm...thought I was a goner fer sure. Didn't see where she was goin' though, only that she wis goin'."

Sienna's smile disappeared as Theusido explained that he didn't see where Licorice went. Why had she run so frantically away from the fight with that statue? Sienna never took her for the paranoid type, unlike the rest of the village. She pulled it over until Theusido asked another guardsman looking villager about Licorice.

"Ain't seen no foxes sides that one there. Don't be fooled by her looks; she's a hells-born horror, is what she is. I was almost burned to death cuz of her."

"Ach, stop whining, lad. From what the mayor said, ye'd still be a beaver if'n it weren't for her an' her friends."

Wait... Beaver? Burns? "Oh! You're that beaver I hit!" Sienna finally realized it. In her head, she was breathing a big sigh of relief. So she didn't end up killing him after all. Though, now it seemed she was not only being avoided by the villagers, now she was hated. Her ears flattened and she had a sad look on her face.

"An' you'll be right as rain in a tennight or so, more's the pity." He turned back to Sienna. "Ignore him. He's me sister's grandson, but he was born with more brass than brains. Now as fer yer foxy friend..." he closed his eyes again before opening them with a blink. "I dinna know where she might be, but Amas might. Or leastways he can find out. His dog's got a sense of smell tae put the hounds o' the seven hells t'shame," he stared down at Icleias, who had followed the Protean all the way to his shop, pointedly. "An' since his dog likes ye, an' yer doin' him a favor an' all, he might be inclined tae help."

After a bit more back and forth with the guard, Theusido let Sienna be on her way. She nodded and left with the wheelbarrow of stone in tow. She had left the stonemason in a more sad outlook than she had arrived to him. She didn't even pay attention to the weight of the wheelbarrow as her mind was all over the place. She soon returned to Amas's house, the old man was still carving away at his future bow when she got back.

"Oh, yer back." He commented flatly. "Looks like ye got a good deal. I knew Theusido'd like the furs." He nodded toward a space in front of his house. "Ye can just leave 'em there for now."

Sienna quietly brought the stone over and sighed. She left it where Amas wanted and took a deep breath before walking back over to him. "Uh... Mr. Amas... I wanted to ask a favor... I was wondering if you could let me borrow your pup for a minute... I need something... Someone... Tracked." She asked as she bowed her head to him. If what Theusido said was true, Icleias might be her way of finding Licorice.

Edited June 23, 2020 by Wind Rider

[Sethera 290]

Alois, Penelope, Gunther, Edrick, and Abdul

"There are no secrets for me to hold!" Abdul replied, "I am one who greatly appreciates tea, but unfortunately not one who grows it." He paused to take a sip before continuing with an explanation of the tea's contents.

"Oh? What a shame, then," Mene said. "But e'en so, ye knows a lot fer one as has nothing to do with the makings of it." She shook her head. "And e'en if I can't get the recipe from ye, I can still enjoy this..." she paused, "...what'd ye say it was called again? Tea? Aye, I can stills enjoy it here and now."

"Your pasteli is delicious as well madam! You are definitely correct in your assessment of the pairing! A little sweetness complements the tea. A wonderful pairing!"

"These are rather delicious." Penelope said. "I'm impressed that such simple ingredients can make something like this."

The slight stiffness in Mene's expression faded, her shoulders dropping back to a relaxed slump. "Oh, yer too kind. They're just a little old thing I whip up every now and then," while her tone was bashful, the way her eyes crinkled at the corners as she smiled betrayed her delight on the compliment. "I'm just glad they go with yer tea and all."

Sitting there, in that homely hut that smelled of baked goods, earth, and tea, the door slightly open to keep the air circulating, it felt as if the group had reached the ending to a long, long day. Indeed, the sky that peeked in through the glass window had deepened in color--no more the careless blue of midday, instead the richer hue of late afternoon. That time just before the showy purples and golds of true evening, where a person can still conceivably call it "day," but only for a short while yet.

Perhaps it was that cozy atmosphere that led Mene to say what she did next.

"It's the mayor's famous wine. The Dragon's Breath wine," the woman stated in reply to the questions that came her way. "Nobody knows what's in it, though some can hazard a guess from the name. Which would make sense, after all, since we're the Dragon--" she paused, eyes widening. "Oh, but I've said too much. Listen to me, gossipin' away like an old biddy," she waved a hand in dismissal as she gave a nervous chuckle. "Pay no mind to me. I can really get to natterin' away if I gets the mind fer it." She began to check on Edrick as if to distract herself, hands shaking slightly as she checked the boy's temperature. "Now, now, seems to me like ye all might need a place to stay fer the night. I don't have enough beds fer the lot o' ye here, but this boy, Edrick, can stay here if he wants. Alois, ye might have to sleep on the floor, sorry," she shot her son an apologetic look.

The woman wrung her hands. "Really, the mayor should've found a place fer ye all himself, but I doubt he's remembered it, what with gettin' the village up and runnin' again. Aye, and he might be aimin' fer another feast. He does like his feasts an' all."

"That I do," a familiar voice could be heard from outside. Soon afterward, through the partially-open doorway, the group would see the rotund form of the mayor of Phar walking toward the house.

"Aye, yer finally here then, mayor?" Alois's mother asked with a wave. "I was wonderin' where ye'd be."

"Organizing the village, of course," he replied as he opened the door further, though he did not step inside, perhaps mindful of the number of people already within. "Is that your famous pasteli? Did you save some for me?"

"Afraid not. You'll just have to wait till next time."

"Curses. Next time, then." He shook his head. "Well, that's not what I'm here for anyway. You all," he looked the group over--eyes narrowing when he met Alois's gaze--and paused, "oh, there are even fewer of you here than I thought there'd be."

"A couple stayed behind, an' some others went off somewhere," Mene replied.

"Yes, yes, I know. Regardless, I thought it best to drop by and let you all know that you're welcome to stay the night here at the village. We'll also be holding a fete tomorrow around lunchtime, which you'll be invited to. I was planning for tonight, but there was more to get done than I thought. Doesn't help Amas broke his bow either," he grumbled. "Luckily, Dorosid told me he saw young Phaidra heading to the fishing pond with one of your friends just now--I think he said her name was Sessegg? So we'll at least have plenty of fish if that girl is anything like her usual--" he cut himself off as a small brown-and-black blur whizzed past, followed by a larger, white blur. "Oh? I think that was your fox friend just now. Wherever could she be going? And in such a hurry too."

--

Link and Citron

"Your majesty."

"Rise," Catriona said to Link. "You need not be so formal in these settings. We are not in Galtea, and I have just given away my signet ring. Henceforth, unless it is needed, I am Catriona, and nothing more." She waved her hand imperiously in odd contrast. Though her words were humble, her bearing was every inch that of royalty, prompting a disbelieving snort from Acantha.

"Yeah, right. Some advice to you, Catriona nothing more," her tone dripped with sarcasm on the last words. "Talk a little more humbly if you want to try to pull that one off."

The princess frowned. "I am unsure of your meaning. I do not believe that I am--"

"No, no, no, no, no! Not like that! Like, uhh, one of us. Put some more ain'ts and don'ts in there. You talk like a freaking stiff."

"I...I see. I thank you for your gracious advice," the woman's brow furrowed in thought.

Acantha rolled her eyes. "Another thing. Say thanks instead of thank you. Things like that."

"I...thanks, then." Catriona dipped her head to the girl before seeming to mull over what had been said, though as Link continued speaking, her head snapped back up, cobalt eyes flicking toward Citron and staying there as the other began to stammer her way through her speech, narrowing in on her with a single-minded intensity. Gone was the confused princess navigating her way through the straits of commoner speech. Now she seemed more like a commander assessing a potential recruit...and revealing nothing of her thoughts on them.

The lord nodded. "I believe I have grasped the essence of your words." She gazed at the merchant, face largely shadowed from the light that shone through the high windows of the hall. Her eyes were dark holes cut from ivory skin, so still they were, like a painting's rather than a living being's. "You need not stand on ceremony around me. As I have told Link, it is unnecessary while we travel like this." And then she blinked, head tilting slightly, the angle allowing the light to shine over more of her face, and she was human once more. "You ask to join us, but do you know what this journey entails? It will be dangerous, and as you said, it will take us to 'some crazy places' and more. There will be a very real chance of death where we are headed. That statue we fought earlier...shall be the least of the things we face. Things even a trained soldier will have had little preparation for, let alone a civilian fruit merchant." She shook her head, her gossamer hair glittering like molten gold underneath the late afternoon sun. "Knowing what you know now...do you still wish to join?"

As the last echo of her words died down, there was no more sound to replace it. Nothing but a silence which weighed heavily down upon the occupants of the building. Eventually, however, it would need to be broken by Citron's reply, whatever it was. And not long after that, further so by the loud bay of a hunting dog, ringing out clearly even through the thick stone walls of the hall.

--

Sienna

Amas paused in his whittling then, turning toward Sienna with a gimlet stare. One second, two seconds, and then, after three, he nodded. "Aye, and I think I know what ye want t'be tracked as well," he set down the stick. "It's that other fox, ain't it? I saw her meself, gone toward the eastern gate. Icleias here actually started chasing her fer a bit afore I stopped him." He paused to get confirmation from Sienna before whistling, prompting the puppy, who had been previously sniffing around the Protean's ankles, to sit down where he was, ears slightly lifted, head tilted to the side.

"Now, do ye have summat of that fox's fer Icleias here to catch the scent? Actually," Amas shook his head. "Never mind. We won't need that. Be gettin' daft in me old age," he grumbled to himself. "Follow me," the man told them both, stepping down from the barrel and making his way through the square toward a specific spot. "This is where he began to chase--yep," he nodded to himself as the dog whined, sniffing the ground in a circle, tail standing straight up like an exclamation mark. "He's got the scent." Immediately afterward, the dog let out a hoarse bay and began to run through the plaza, coincidentally taking the same path that the main group had earlier. "Best follow him if ye don't want to be left behind," Amas warned.

Icleias would run at top speed through the square, every so often letting out another bay, a sound akin to a howl but different. Whereas a howl was one long, mournful note, a bay was a mixture of notes of varying lengths. And while the dog's cries caused no small amount of attention from nearby villagers, none of them blocked their way as the hound raced through the streets, stopping every so often to sniff the ground. Eventually, the two would make their way to where the wall opened up into a gate. Sienna would recognize the rounded form of the mayor standing in front of one of the houses, but the puppy paid him no mind, streaking past the man to the eastern exit. There, the Protean would see large fields of fluffy sheep, a shepherd's boy resting beneath a tree, and a herding dog lounging beside him.

But not even the presence of sheep or another dog was enough to break Icleias from the hunt. The pup bounded across the fields with untiring energy, not stopping even after entering the forest ringing the village. Here and there Sienna would catch signs of Licorice having come this way. A broken branch here, a few black hairs there. It was enough to prove to her that Icleias was everything Theusido had said and more.

Eventually, the two would reach a large clearing with a still pond. Two girls were there with fishing rods, though only one was fishing at the moment. A bucket of fish stood between them, the buzzing of insects a soothing drone in the background. A peaceful atmosphere, but one that was instantly broken by Icleias, who ran between the two with a loud bark as he overturned the bucket. He stopped then, circling around the area with his nose as he struggled to find the scent again.

One of the girls, a brunette in similar armor to Cora and Acantha, seemed to recognize the dog, introducing him to the other girl, who Sienna would recognize as Tsetseg, before catching sight of the fox. The militia girl jumped slightly, staring at her with wide eyes. "Oh! Who are you?" She flushed slightly. "I mean, uhh, that was rude, sorry. But I don't know you are. Unless..." she brightened. "Are you one of Tsetseg's friends? I think I remember seeing you at the battle earlier!"

--

Tsetseg

Phai watched Tsetseg fish with a grin, though it faded somewhat at the other's mumble of the difficulties of fishing. "Yeah, I had a lot of trouble too at first. These fish can be really, really smart. Then again, they can be really, really dumb too. But," she stopped talking suddenly, body straightening as if she had been hit by an electric shock. With a focus that seemed almost unnerving compared to her earlier garrulous self, she tugged on the rod. Not a lot, just enough to cause the cork floating atop the surface of the pond to move slightly. And then another tug, and another, until finally, she snapped back with a sudden pull that lifted the line clear of the water, a wriggling perch attached to it. With an enormous surge of strength, she pulled the rod back further, causing the fish to land on the grass.

And just like that, the focus was gone as the girl picked up her explanation right where she had left off. "You just have to make sure not to tug too hard too soon. It's all about timing! But when it is the right time, then ker-blam! Pull! Just like that!" she nodded. "And that's how you fish! Now let's do this again! We're not quitting till you get yourself a fish!"

As time passed, Phai would get much more fish, but after collecting a sizable amount in a large wooden pail, she stopped her fishing to focus on Tsetseg's progress. "Come on! You can do it! Just give it a bit more oomph! Except not too much. Um..." she paused to think, "What is it that Polanthos told me? Uhh...try to know the fish? Yeah!" she nodded. "Think like a fish. Be the fish. You are the fish." She flapped her hands to the sides as she spoke, though she looked more like a bird than a fish that way.

Eventually, however, the brunette stopped speaking, watching Tsetseg's rod with quiet intent. The stillness of the area, with nothing but the steady buzzing of insects and the occasional quack of a pair of ducks bobbing in the reeds on the far shore, was suddenly shattered by a loud thumping noise as a small beagle jumped between the two with a loud bark, overturning the bucket of fish in the process. Its tail wagged happily at seeing them, but it also seemed more preoccupied with the ground at the moment, nose to the earth as it circled the area.

"Icleias?!" Phai asked. "What're you doing here? Oh, yeah, this is Icleias," she introduced, pointing with a grand gesture toward the puppy. "He's Amas's dog. Amas is the village hunter. Not sure what he's doing here though unless Amas is trying to hunt or something." She turned then, catching sight of a familiar-looking fox girl, excitement turning to surprise and embarrassment as she addressed the other.

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OOC

Spoiler

Thought it'd be cool to write Catriona as she generally comes across to others instead of how she thinks she does, aka NPC Catriona instead of PC Catriona. Let me know if you want to see more of that sometimes.

Also I am letting it be known that anybody from the first two groups (aka APGEA and LC) can chase after Icleias after hearing/seeing him, and thus be part of the whole "crashing Tsetseg's fishing party," but you will have to run to keep up. You can also choose to stay where you are and continue conversation. I assume that Sienna at least will be following the pupper, but if she doesn't, I'll edit my post.

If any of you need further information for your post, message me or Cow. If in doubt, choose Cow. He's more reliable.

Edited March 7, 2022 by Sethera