"Dragon's are kings where you're from," Tatiana asks, awestruck and wide-eyed.
"Yes, but our king and his siblings mostly stay in human form. The first Dragon-King took the throne around the time your nation of Andoran was founded... that was before several of the Avistani Gods had even passed the test of the Starstone and become immortals. And our current ruler has sat the throne for well over 200 years. He wore the crown before Aroden died." She nods sagely, "Ours is an ancient lineage."
"I think I'd like to see the kingdom you hail from. It sounds like an interesting place, though I suppose any place you've never visited can be interesting,"
"Half-snake and half-human?" Soli gasps, eyes wide just like Tatiana. "I...I agree with Koya, I think your homeland and the neighboring countries would be something to see!"
"If the Gods are kind, or cruel, and I am fated to return home... I invite you to come with me. There are many interesting things to see on the long road. Though, some things will be familiar to you. You have a tree here, the Weeping Willow. It is close to a tree from home, the Lo Xiyang. But the Lo Xiyang has red leaves, blooms with bright flowers each summer, and smells beautiful. It is a very important tree in the Dragon Empire, to our people and culture. Poems have been written about it. Weddings are performed beneath her canopy and many jilted lovers have hung themselves from her branches." She concludes a little sadly.
She quotes a snatch of her idle thoughts in the condensed poetic form of her people.
"Oh sad Lo Xiyang,
Do your branches weep for me
As I do for them?"
Tatiana looks confused as Reiko finishes her poem.
"What does 'jil-ted' mean," she asks, having a little trouble with the unfamiliar word.
"Well, now you've done it," Koya chuckles as she rinses out Emi's hair, and leaving you two to explain the term in words a seven-year-old can understand.
After a moment of awkward silence, Sandru sighs and begins to spin a tale for you. It's about his adventures with Ameiko, his little brother, and a few others they had joined with. He's getting involved into the heart of the story when you hear something that causes you to take notice.
"...So there we were in this smoky tavern and Alder says, 'So what? I've got my brother here to protect my pretty face,' as he's pointing at me. This man, who's at least as wide as I am tall with about another four feet on me turns and..."
Had he always been talking about Alder and not Jerukh?
"Jilted? When one person breaks another person's heart. Or when people are in love but they cannot be together for some reason." Reiko briefly considers providing an example that would likely start a rumor in the caravan about a certain half-orc or possibly a northern woman and the caravan-master... but decides against it. That was the sort of thing she'd find funny but others might not.
Reiko ponders the question, responding slowly, "If I loved someone, and they loved me, but we could never be together... I don't know how terrible that would be."
"Soli, you remember Nualia and the Late Unpleasantness, yes," Koya asks as she finishes rinsing Emi off and points to the towel behind her.
"Tatiana, grab that please. You two," she motions to the two of you, "help me get her out of the tub and dry."
As the Caravan stops for the night, Gkirkhan seeks you out.
"Sandru seyz ve need to find sum vasser for fillink de barrels," he tells you.
Vigny interrupts Sandru's story duringthe tavern part. "Wait, who's Alder? You have another brother?"
Jerukh nods and gathers his belongings.
"Of course. If my brother requires it, best we get to it..."
The alchemist eyes the other half orc curiously as he leaves;
"A simple task. Quick. I have... things to do... to prepare."
Soliana almost loses her grip on Emiliana as she helps haul the freshly bathed woman out. However, Emi's skin isn't the only thing that has become slick and slippery. As she tries to catch her friend, Soli loses her footing in the puddles around the tub and slips. She tries to catch herself, but it seems that fate has other ideas. She overbalances and causes all four women to fall and knock over the tub, dousing them all. Tatiana saves the pile of dry clothes with some quick thinking.
Thankfully, no one is hurt, though Soli finds that Emi has landed on top of her. Koya looks at the mess and starts to chuckle, then laugh heartily at the mishap.
"Well, it seems we've all gotten a bath now," she jokes before continuing to laugh at the absurdity of the situation.
"I have several that I call brother thanks to Koya having helped many orphans in her time, but I had two brothers by blood. Jubrayl is the eldest, and he fell in with the Sczarni. Alder was the youngest," Sandru explains before frowning and looking at you. "Who did you think I was talking about, if I may ask."
You and Gkirkhan ride for several minutes before you come to a clearing with a brook babbling nearby. You swear that you can hear the other half-orc mutter "this is the place" before dismounting and walking into the center of the area. Leaves cover the ground and even though the clearing is wide, the boughs of the trees spread wide and cover the area in gloomy shadow.
"No glass, or enythink dot breaks," Gkirkhan tells you, "dis iz just between us. No tricks, no potions, no veapons."
You notice that Gkirkhan is unarmed and unarmored. He wears a tunic, a pair of trousers, and his boots, but even his customary hat is absent. He continues to wait and look at you with a hard look. It's clear that you're not here looking for water. This is about something else.
"I thought you were talking about Jerukh. I didn't know you had any other brothers."
Vigny is thoughtful for a moment, like she's weighing something, then she adds "You said 'Jubrayl is eldest', and then 'Alder was the youngest'. What happened to him?"
Jerukh frowns, questioning the other half-orcs behavior;
"I do not understand? What do you mea..."
His voice drops as he mulls Gkirkhan's intent, his own voice rising in angered concern;
"What you think to teach me some lesson?! Or is it you saw Iona speaking to me, and immediately thought the worst like the other idiots Sandru employs?"
"If Iona vanted hyu und not me, Hy vouldn't be here vit hyu. No, dis iz not about her and the talk hyu two had. Dis iz about hyu and vot kinda idiot hyu're make ov hyurself," Gkirkhan growls. He moves to the center of the clearing, his golden eyes never leaving Jerukh's.
"Hyu insult men who hyu do not know. Hyu lay the blame for all hyur ills on a goirl dot does not deserve hyur ire. Hyu push effryvun avay und den vonder vhy hyu nefer relate to enyvun. Hy do not know vot hyu past iz, bot Hy ken see clearly enuff dot hyu dot hyu are de cause ov hyur troubles now."
As the tall, well-muscled half-orc finishes, he breathes heavily. For several heartbeats, the tension sings.
"De choice ov vedder diz comes to blows iz hyurs, bot vun vay or de udder, ve are goink to sort dis out. De people in a caravan rely on each udder. Hyu ken not go on vit de poison hyu haff. At least not if hyu vant to stay vit dese people, Jerukh," he says, breaking the silence, his voice free of the anger from earlier, but no less resolute.
Sandru sighs as you mention Jerukh.
"I don't know if I can call Jerukh my brother. He's just too, I dunno, high-strung? Stuck up? But that doesn't sound right," he says, shaking his head.
"I worry for him, but he's too wrapped up in his own head to realize how he's acting to others," He adds after a moment of thought.
When asked about Alder's fate, his expression darkens.
"He died," Sandru answers, and says nothing more.
Koya sighs in mock exasperation and gives Soli a look that could freeze one's soul if she put the voltage behind it. After a few heartbeats, she grins then laughs before helping the two of you up and getting Emi up so she could be dried and dressed. All through the process of cleaning up the mess, she teases Soli relentlessly about her clumsiness and the accident.
Soon, the three of you and Tatiana are in another wagon where wet clothes are hung to dry and a pot of tea is made. Emi is laid up in one of the fold out cots while the wagon she was in finishes drying out.
"Well, that was more exciting than I thought that would be. Life is still full of surprises even at my age," she chortles before taking a sip of the steaming tea.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Jerukh listens to the other half orcs words, weighing them and grimacing as if stung by a blow when he mentions poison.
"I am a healer. Not a destroyer. And I am no idiot. The others do not understand me, the fight that goes on in here... "
The alchemist taps his head as he meets the warriors golden stare with his own of deep amber.
"You do. You know don't you Gkirkhan? You know the anger..."
The head tapping continues as he speaks, increasing in rhythm and force as he speaks.
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
"I'm old, not feeble," Koya says with a grin as she rolls an arm around. "I'm pretty spry for a woman my age. I promise I'm not hurt," she assures Soli.
Looking out over the camp as she sips her tea, Koya gives a sigh.
"Do you want to know something? I've walked this earth for sixty years. I've worshiped Desna for all of them and have been a priestess of hers for most of them. Not once have I been further from Sandpoint than Korvosa. I envy you Reiko. I envy the sights you must have seen when you crossed the Crown of the World. Tell me, did you see the Lights of Cynosure dancing in the sky?"
Koya continues looking out of the camp, sorrow and regret on her face as she tells you that.
"Und dot is vot hyu haff to let go ov! Hyu keep holdink on to dot anger und letting it eat hyu alive! Hyu tink ve are de only vuns vit problems? Vot about de half-elves like Soli? Vot do hyu tink de feel vhen humans see dem as curiosities und elves pity dem? Or vot about de halflinks dot de Chelish alvays enslave? Hyu don't tink some ov dem don't deal vit anger? Jah, hyu haff orc blood in hyur veins. So do Hy. Ve don't haff to let it control us. Und if hyu keep just bottlink op dis anger, den dot iz exactly vot hyur lettink et do," Gkirkhan replies.
"Jah, ve struggle, bot so does effryvun else. Ve ain't any more special den eny ov de udders. Hyu ain't eny schmotter den de vuns hyu are so quick to call idiots. If hyu vere, den ve vouldn't be out here vhen ve could be back vit de udders enjoyink a drink und a yarn. Ve vouldn't be here vhile hyu try figurink out dot all dot anger iz vot hyu are holdink on to. Et iz poison, Jerukh. Et iz a boil dot ve need to lance."
"Not once have I been further from Sandpoint than Korvosa. I envy you Reiko. I envy the sights you must have seen when you crossed the Crown of the World. Tell me, did you see the Lights of Cynosure dancing in the sky?"
Reiko casts back along her memories. "Yes... I did. It was very cloudy for many days as we crossed. And it was so cold to me then... I had never known such cold before. I felt the ice was in my bones so I huddled in my furs, kept my head down, and jumped in the wagon any time that the sun touched the peaks. But, there was a night after we crossed and I was sure I couldn't get any colder," she chuckles, "The winds and clouds had gone. And I saw the lights, bands of green and blue, jumping across the sky. It made the world seem very big and me very small."
"Perhaps you should go, Koya. As you said, you are spry and not feeble. Go see these things. Cross the Linnorm Lands and see the Teeth. You don't need to cross them to see the lights."
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
Jerukh watches as Gkirkhan's lips move, but strains to process his words as the pounding drumming in his head increases...
TALK. LISTEN. TALK. NOT THE WAY. ORC WAY
The healer rubs his temple; the varisian tattoos upon his face shifting as he grimaces;
"I do not care about myself. Only others. I heal. I fix. You keep poison's bottled and study them, find an antidote. I will heal this in me... If I am left alone..."
TO FIX YOU MUST BREAK.
Jerukh continues to tap his head in a off beat rhythm, his voice anguished;
"Inside me my blood boils. A voice growls and I hear drums, drums in the deep..."
Vigny had braced herself for Sandru's answer. She was almost certain what it would be before he answered. His wording had been enough. But his answer still pierces her.
She twists sideways on the wagon's bench seat and takes him into her arms with a hug.
"I'm so sorry Sandru" she says as her head rests against his chest.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
"I intend to, and Moonwing's Bough if I can manage to find it. I may not have many years left, but I'll have my journey before I die," Koya says confidently as she takes another sip of her tea.
Sandru says nothing, but you can feel him tensing as you lay your head on his chest.
With a snarl, Gkirkhan switches to the orcish tongue, his words harsh and guttural as he glares at Jerukh.
"Sagst du, dass diejenigen, die sich um dich kümmern, ihre Zeit verschwenden? Wollen Sie wirklich allein gelassen werden? Diese Trommeln, dieses Feuer, das durch unsere Adern läuft, gehört uns! Es beherrscht uns nicht, damit wir es nicht zulassen! Es verbraucht uns nicht, wenn wir es nicht tun werden! Sie können denken, dass Sie dies auf eigene Faust erobern können, aber Sie scheinen sich gesprochen zu haben, dass Sie zwei Leute sind, nicht einer. Sag mir, ich irre mich, Jerukh der Heiler! Sag mir, dass ich nicht weiß was es ist, dass wir uns fühlen! Erzählen Sie dem verdammten Chelish und Taldanes, die mit uns schade auf uns schauen! Lassen Sie die Wahrheit laut und deutlich klingen! Wir sind schlau wie die Menschen, aber wir sind heftig wie die Orks! Wir sind stolz! Sag mir Jerukh! Sag mir, ich bin falsch in einer Stimme, die nicht ein Mähen ist, jammern mir die Ohren!"
Gkirkhan's voice grows louder with every word, every sentence. As his last shout echoes out through the clearing and the woods, it is clear that he is angry, but it is also clear that he is in control. He had let his temper slip its leash just enough for him to show, but he never lost control, even as he began to bellow at his kin.
"Are you saying that those that do care for you are wasting their time? Do you really wish to be left alone? Those drums, this fire that runs through our veins is ours! It does not control us lest we let it! It does not consume us unless we will it to! You may think that you can conquer this on your own, but you seem to have talked yourself into believing that you are two people, not one. Tell me I am wrong, Jerukh the healer! Tell me that I do not know what it is that we feel! Tell the damned Chelish and Taldanes who look down on us with pity are right! Let the truth ring loud and clear! We are cunning like the humans, but we are fierce like the orcs! We are proud! Tell me Jerukh! Tell me I am wrong in a voice that is not a mewling, whining blight to my ears!"
"It is a place sacred to the Desnans of the Land of the Linnorm Kings," Koya answers. "All I've ever heard about it was that it was breathtakingly beautiful, and that mere words could not describe it. Those that sleep there are said to be gifted with visions in their dreams, and those dreams are more vivid, more alive. Did you happen to pass the Grungir Forest on your journey to Sandpoint, Reiko?"
Reiko thinks on the matter. "From Kalsgard we went south, almost straight to Jol. If I remember it right, we did travel through the Grungir... but I did not see anything so beautiful and I don't remember wonderful dreams. Perhaps Desna only gives such gifts to her followers?"
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
"Well, if today I am still a nine year-old, I will tell you a story that I remember my mother telling me." She forces crispness into her voice, trying to lighten the mood while leaving their conversation about Sandru's brother behind.
"There was once a young man named Gosti who lived in a hamlet very near the Grungir Forest. He was a goatherd, and every day he would take his goats out to browse, watching them carefully and protecting them from danger."
"On one particular day it was warmer than usual and there had been no rain recently. Although Gosti avoided approaching the forest normally, his goats were thirsty and hungry. The grasses under the forest's shadow were still sweet and lush, and he let his goats wander there to eat their fill."
"Before very long though, a bear came out of the forest looking to eat one of the goats. With his sling and staff Gosti held the bear back and eventually drove it away, but his goats had scattered, running to safety within the forest. Although he did not want to go into the forest, he could not abandon his herd. So he walked in under the great trees looking for them. As he walked a footpath searching, he was surprised to come upon a young woman walking as well."
"She was young and very beautiful, with long, fiery red hair, and the greenest of eyes. When the woman smiled at him, he knew he had never seen anyone so beautiful as her. He was enraptured, but he was also quick-witted and hardly shy. He greeted her and introduced himself. She did the same in return. He asked her why someone so lovely was wandering in the dark woods, and she told him that she found the footpath they were on a pleasant walk, and she often came this way in the late mornings."
"As they chatted, Gosti noticed something though. The young woman's skirt had snagged a low branch, which raised it enough for him to see the end of a fox's tail. Gosti realized the maiden was in fact a huldra, and he was in peril. He knew huldras were unpredictable, and that he must be very careful. Gosti averted his eyes and said to her 'Miss, a branch has caught your skirt, and I can see your lovely calf.' The huldra knew Gosti had in fact seen her tail, and she was very impressed with his manners. She adjusted her skirt, thanking him for being a gentleman, and asked him why he was walking in the forest. He told her about his search for the lost goats. The huldra replied that she had seen the goats not so long ago, and pointed him in their direction."
"Then they parted ways to the goatherd's relief. Or so he thought. Huldras are curious about humans, and can become very enamored of men who treat them politely. The huldra knew an unusually clever troll claimed the forest where Gosti was going and followed him, both to observe him more and to see to his safety."
"Sure enough, it did not take long for the troll to find Gosti. The troll snuck up on him and snatched him right up, taking him back to his cave. The huldra followed along behind in great distress. Once he had him back at his cave, the troll prepared to rend Gosti apart and cook him for lunch. You see, this troll being clever as he was, liked to put on civilized airs, and did not eat flesh raw. But! The huldra came into the cave holding a perfect red apple. She called to Gosti and told him to catch the apple as she threw it to him. The apple granted Gosti a bit of supernatural luck when it touched his hand. The surprised troll loosened his grip on the goatherd, and accidentally dropped him."
"Meanwhile the huldra rushed at the troll in a fury. Although she liked Gosti, she hated the troll more. Huldras hate trolls, and the rumor that trolls created huldras to lure men to them enrages a huldra more than anything. She slammed the troll with her tail so fiercely that she knocked him back into the flames of his fireplace. And there he lay unconscious, roasting away until dead."
"Gosti thanked the huldra profusely, and promised her whatever she wanted in return for saving his life. Again he showed his discretion by claiming he had never seen such a wallop delivered by a frying pan as she had given the troll. The huldra simply smiled her beautiful smile and gave him some instructions."
"She told him to take the apple and go back to the edge of the forest. He should then take the apple and slice it into a piece for each goat, plus one extra. He must scatter the pieces for the goats on the ground, and they would come to him. The one extra piece was for him to keep. He must not eat it though. Instead he should take it home with him and keep it. She promised that the next day she would come to him and be his wife."
"Gosti did as he was told. But as he waited for his goats he realized he was both hungry and thirsty, and the apple slice he held looked delicious. He ate it, and immediately he was overcome by the most obsessive desire and love for the huldra. He ran back into the forest looking for her, but she was nowhere to be found. Gosti never came back out of the forest. For the rest of his life he wandered there searching for her, asking anyone he met if they had seen her."
"The apple was in fact the huldra's heart you see. She had plucked it from the hollowed wood of her chest to save Gosti. But when he ate the last piece, her love for him was destroyed along with it."
"It may be that you weren't meant to find it on your journey to Sandpoint," Koya says with a cryptic smile.
"Just as Shelyn wishes to share beauty with all, Desna wishes for all to have dreams. They are not for the sole enjoyment of the faithful, Soliana is right about that. Desna speaks through many means. Her faith is ancient, even when Thassilon was new. It is also true that Desna has given some gifts to only her followers. When she blessed the Varisian people, her tears fell into their eyes and gave them the gift of prophecy. True Harrows are all Desnans, for it is she that gives them the gift," Koya replies.
Tatiana, who is keeping an eye on Emi and enjoying a cup of hot tea herself pipes up.
"Did you see a dragon when you went through the forest, Reiko," she asks, curiosity apparently bringing the question out.
"That's quite the tale," Sandru says after you finish. The tension from earlier is gone, as is the sadness that had taken him when the fate of his younger brother was brought up. "Koya would love to hear it. How come you didn't tell it to us around the campfire before," he asks.
Unsure what she said that 'set off' the consistently chipper paladin, Reiko stalls for time to consider the matter. She pats down her outer robe on its hook to see if it has dried yet. Deciding it is dry enough, she pulls it down and slides into it. As it seems the safest course of conversation, Reiko replies to the young girl's question. "Dragons? Yes, well maybe I saw one in the Grungir. I'll let you be the judge..." Reiko spins her tale.
~ The Tale of Reiko and the Dragon ~
"We had been traveling through the forest for a few days. It seemed like any other woods. There were old trees... old as Koya is wise, and squirrels, and wild pigs, and spiney bushes, birds... things like that. But I saw one strange thing on the third day as evening fell. It was the shine of a creature's eyes watching us from a thicket. I don't think I would have noted it - guessing it was a wolf perhaps - except the eye-shine was purple, which I had never seen before. I stopped and looked at it, then the creature blinked and left, so I continued on my way. And I would not have thought of it again, except for what happened next."
In a hushed voice, she continues, drawing the girl into the story. "The next day, at evening, I saw the purple eyes again - just watching. And again, they appeared the next day, but this time they were high up in a large tree. I tried to see the creature, as I could not imagine what wolf-sized beast could be on the ground one day and high up a tree the next. But the leaves were thick and the creature was clever. So, I went on my way... The next evening, the eyes appeared again this time head-high but again well hidden behind a thicket of spiney bushes. I was frustrated so I said, 'I have never met someone four times and never even exchanged names. I am Reiko Mura, samurai of Xa Hoi. It is an honor to meet you.' I expected no answer, but the creature winked at me and laughed. Then the eyes vanished." She pauses to let Tatiana consider.
As she continues her story, Reiko very, very slowly draws her hand into the sleeve of her robe. "I was determined to get more than a wink from the creature, so I made preparations. The next day, the eyes reappeared again. Thinking perhaps a gift would coax the creature out, I had collected many flowers that morning. I offered the whole bunch to it." She pauses briefly. "First a long, sniffing, alligator snout emerged from the bushes, then the whole head, then the snakey neck... and finally the whole shimmery green dragon! It must have been quite young, for it was only eight feet long. I backed up quickly, but I didn't want to offend the creature, so I offered the flowers again. It must have appreciated the gift because it smiled and batted its eyelashes at me. But not all gifts are the same for dragons and people... because to some dragons, flowers are like candy. So the shimmery green dragon ATE the flowers right along with my HAND!" Reiko whips her handless sleeve up in front of the girl's face and clutches at the 'stump' with her other hand.
She gives Tatiana a moment to react before she continues quickly, "But then the dragon said 'How rude! Pardon me.' and blew a kiss that made my hand grow back." She pops her hand out of her sleeve and wiggles her fingers - showing the limb is fine - then honks the little girl's nose.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Tatiana gasps as Reiko shows the "stump" where her hand had been, then laughs in delight as Reiko makes it reappear and pinches her nose. Koya grins from ear to ear as she watches the young woman's theatrics.
"You have a gift. Not everyone is a great storyteller Reiko," she says before checking on her clothes, then frowning as she sees Soliana's clothes still hanging to dry.
"Where did Soliana get off to," the older woman asks.
"Please be in the mood tonight. I know Koya would love to hear it, and I'm sure the others would as well. Just make sure you have more, because it's not often we get pretty girls telling stories around the campfire," Sandru says with a wink.
As you wipe the tears away and wish you had been born a human, you hear someone coming into the wagon.
"Hey, Soliana, have you seeeeEEEII'm so sorry," she says, opening the door and then spinning around closing it as she blushes. A long, awkward moment passes before you hear her voice through the door.
"Soliana? Are you okay," she asks.
"Where did Soliana get off to," the older woman asks.
Reiko frowns, "Something I said about the Moonwing Bough angered her... but I don't know why. I will speak with her."
She gives Tatiana a devilish look, "But before I do... I need to make sure my new hand works right." She grabs the little girl and starts tickling her. Over Tatiana's laughter from the tickle onslaught, she speaks with Koya on a more serious matter, "Given the dangers on the road, perhaps your apprentice here should be trained how to defend herself? It would be my honor to instruct her, IF you agree."
Jerukh meets Gkirkhan's bellowing tirade with a series of snarling grimaces as the words strike home - true and hard as any fist.
Nodding to himself, the lanky healer meets the other half orc's gaze and answers in the same gutteral tongue;
"Nein, das sind sie nicht, es ist nichts zu tun. Und ja ich fühle mich in meiner Seele zerrissen Wie kann ich Heiler und Zerstörer sein? Wie kann ich mir klar sein, wenn ich mit Wut getrübt werden kann! Ich bin kein Spieler der Klinge, wo der Arm das Eisen lenkt. Mein Weg ist einer, wo Klarheit benötigt wird. Ich habe Angst Gkirkhan. Angst, dass im Sein die Orc ich mehr Schaden als gut tun werde. Ich werde die wenigen verletzen, die ich Freunde anrufe! Wo wird der Stolz sein, wenn das passiert! Woher!?
"No they are not, no care is wasted, nor should be. And yes I do feel torn asunder in my soul. How can I be healer and destroyer both? How can I be clear of mind when I can be clouded with fury! I am no wielder of the blade where the arm steers the iron. My path is one where clarity is needed. I am afraid Gkirkhan. Afraid that in being the orc I will do more harm than good. I will hurt those few I call friends! Where will be the pride should that happen! Where!?"
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
Tatiana laughs and squeals in delight as you snatch her up and tickle her. Koya chuckles at the sight of the two of you playing, but her expression sobers as you turn to more serious topics.
"She is of the right age to begin learning, but how will you teach her to use a sword like yours? We have no knowledge of forging blades like you wield, much less ones sized for her small hands," she says, nodding to where Tatiana lays panting after the tickle attack. "I am happy that you would offer to teach her, but I feel I must tell you that it may not be possible to equip her to fight as you do. If we can't would you be able to teach her other forms of defense?"
"Dann hast du den Grund, dich zu schämen! Es. Tut Nicht. Steuern. Sie! Nicht, wenn du es Jerukh lassest! Glaubst du mir so rücksichtslos, dass ich alle Sinne verliere, wer Verbündeter ist und wer ist Feind? Nein! Ich bin immer der Kontrolle! Nicht die Wut, nicht das Feuer. Ich benutze sie Sie benutzen mich nicht, und sie werden dich nicht benutzen, wenn du nicht den Zorn und die Wut beherrschst. Wenn du so Angst hast, dass du es einfach wegfliegst und niemals jemanden nahekommst, dann regelt du dich! Du hast schon verloren!"
Gkirkhan snarls and throws his arms wide, inviting Jerukh to come at him.
The half-orcs strong voice becomes a bellow that echos off the trees.
"Or iz et dot hyu vant dem to pity hyu? Voe to Jerukh, de pitiful orc-blooded man," Gkirkhan snarls, switching back to Taldane, "or iz et too goot an excuse to use vhen hyu snap at Vigny und de odders?"
"Then you have every reason to be ashamed! It. Does. Not. Control. You! Not unless you let it Jerukh! Do you believe me so reckless that I lose all sense of who is ally and who is foe? No! I am always the one in control! Not the rage, not the fire. I use them. They do not use me, and they will not use you unless you let the anger and rage rule you. If you are so scared that you just bottle it away and never get near anyone then it rules you! You've already lost!"
"What clarity is there when you can't even see that?!"
"Actually, I was thinking of teaching her how to fight without weapons. That way she will never be defenseless. Of course, if she enjoys it and wishes to learn, blades could be added once she has learned to control her movements. I began with a wooden sword. I'm sure we could make her something similar."
Jerukh again winces as Gkirkhan's words sting and cut.
Shaking his head, the healer reaches to his belt;
"Genug reden Gkirkhan der Kluge. Du wünschst mir, das Tier zu umarmen? Um das Vieh zu begrüßen? Gut ... lass uns diese Kontrolle testen, von der du sprichst und siehst, ob die Brände kontrolliert werden können..."
"Enough talk Gkirkhan the Wise. You wish me to embrace the beast within? To welcome the brute? Fine... let us test this control you speak of, and see if the fires can be controlled!"
Jerukh downs the vial, and falls into a crouch as the mutagen takes hold, augmenting and devolving in equal measure...
As his body grows bulkier, muscles cording and brow becoming more heavy and orc-like, the alchemist chuckles - a sound rarely heard, deep and low, as he rises up tall and defiant;
"Hur-hur-hur! Also das ist, was Sie wollten weise? Bist du stolz auf mich?"
"Hur-hur-hur! So this is what you wanted wise one? Are you proud of me?"
"I hadn't thought of that," Koya says, "Of course, you have my blessings to teach her. It's good to learn new things."
Tatiana had recovered from her tickle-induced laughing fit and looks to Reiko.
"You're going to teach me how to fight," she asks, her voice a mix of awe and trepidation.
Before you can answer, there's a groan from where Emi lays.
"I was actually looking for Jerukh and Gkirkhan. No one seems to know where they got off to. I was wondering if you knew," she says as she turns.
"Soli, are you really okay? I don't think I've ever seen you cry when you weren't so upset that you couldn't hold it in. I... I know I'm not good at this sort of thing, but I don't like seeing my friends hurt," she says, closing the door to ensure some privacy.
"Dis iz vot Hy em talkink about! Hyu keep talkink like vot iz a part ov hyu iz sumting else," Gkirkhan replies, his teeth grinding together and his brow knotted in rising anger.
"Hy don't even know vhy Hy vasted my time tryink," he grumbles to himself, just loudly enough for Jerukh to hear. He turns and begins to walk to the horse he rode here on.
"You're going to teach me how to fight," she asks, her voice a mix of awe and trepidation.
Before you can answer, there's a groan from where Emi lays.
Reiko gives the girl a reassuring smile and says quietly. "When you're ready, yes. But first, you're going to learn how not to get hurt, how to protect yourself, and how to do cartwheels. It will be fun, you'll see. We'll start tomorrow."
She turns her attention to the groaning woman, waiting to see if the impromptu soaking had an unforeseen result.
As Gkirkhan turns and walks away muttering, the transformed Jerukh scowls and gnashes his own tusks as shouts his reply;
"Wieder mit weisen Worten. Sie mögen Sie nicht sprechen Gkirkhan ... aber Sie nehmen und Konsequenzen von Aktionen ... Sie wie ein alter Weiser nicht weg murmelnd. Act. Zeigen diese Sie zum Ausgleich sprechen. Wut und Kontrolle ..."
"Again with your wise words. You like to talk do you not Gkirkhan... yet you take of actions and consequences... Do not walk away muttering like an old sage. Act. Show me this balance you speak of. Fury and control..."
As he speaks, the alchemist brutish face snarls and ripples in frustration and anger at the exiting half orc;
"Oder zu Fuß entfernt. Sagen Sie den anderen, die Sie versucht. Das Jerukh war in seinem Selbstmitleid verloren. Dass er nicht verstand, sagte er, er kann nicht gespeichert werden. Sei der edlen Wilden."
"Or walk away. Tell the others you tried. That Jerukh was lost in his self pity. That he did not understand, that he could not be saved. Be the noble savage."
"Sure, I'll tell it tonight." Vigny takes an interest in a gnarled tree just off the road in her side. She watches it for a minute just in case her face has gone pink from Sandru's comment.
Then she adds something else that's been on her mind.
"I was talking to Lucas and Mari yesterday. They don't want to go back to Riddleport obviously. But they also have no idea where else they could go to start over. Do you know of anyplace where they might be able to settle down and live the quiet life? I think that's what they want really."
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
"Please be in the mood tonight. I know Koya would love to hear it, and I'm sure the others would as well. Just make sure you have more, because around the campfire," Sandru says with a wink.
Tatiana gives a laugh of glee as she hugs Reiko. Koya gives the pretty Tien woman a smile as she turns to check on a stirring Emiliana.
Shalelu shrugs when you suggest checking with Iona.
"I did, but all she knows is that something's been bothering both Jerukh and Gkirkhan. All anyone has been able to tell me is that they saw Gkirkhan readying two horses a while ago," she says.
The question about her parents takes her by surprise, and the normally graceful elf stiffens as pain flashes in her eyes.
"I... I don't remember much about my father," she says, fear and hatred straining her voice. "My mother was heartbroken when he died and it was decades before she let herself love again. I remember how sad she always seemed. Even when she was with Jakardos, there was always something bittersweet in her smile. It faded the longer she was with him, but..." Shalelu struggles to find the words to convey what she remembered, but soon her shoulders slumped as she gives up.
"I remember much about my mother, but most of it is saddening to speak of. I don't like talking about it, even to Jakardos. Why the sudden interest," she asks, and before she can stop herself, she adds, "is this about your father?"
The moment the words are free from her mouth, she clamps her teeth shut and looks away, her shoulders tensing as she waits for your response.
"Sandpoint's always an option," Sandru says thoughtfully before adding with a chuckle, "So long as goblins, giants, and the like leave it alone."
A moment passes before he asks, "do you think they'd like it in a caravan? A real Varisian caravan, not a sczarni one."