H blushed and smiled quite sheepishly. He didnt realize he was that transparent.
"Indeed I am, though i am afraid i have nothing amazing to offer. I have been working on a poem....song... words.. yes words but I'm going to look a fool...
He said quickly the words a rush. He closed his eyes for a moment and his nose scrunched up just a little.
"Perhaps its too late on the fool part I suppose. He added before smiling softly.
Hella chuckled. "Well, your still a pack mate so I will help how you can. Though I think your words make her feel good to. Just make sure they are honest. As for amazing to offer." She looked him over a bit.
"Well, what I am use too is very, what many would call primitive. But food and flowers goes a long ways I think. Maybe we can stop and get some berries before heading back. Or, if we see a good prey animal with nice fur you can give that to her."
Now that their numbers were thin she expected to meet up with the Worgs again.
"Women like knowing they're worth the effort, my friend," He advises Cerian, "I think a woman would rather have a fool with a good and loving heart than a canny fellow with naught but vanity in his."
And Nedyr nods at Hella's suggestion, "And a gift like flowers with the poem might mix well."
Aluxion thanks the chief and starts walking out with the others.
"Yeah! A good pelt is a right respect'ble gift! An' it's one I can help y'all with!" Aluxion is excited that things are going well, and seems rather enthusiastic.
Hella chuckled and nodded as they headed back to the trading post. "We will make the distance we can before nightfall. We will look for flowers on the way."
Nedyr grins, "And so, the brave adventurers gathered their forces and began their quest for flowers. Truly, there could never be a nobler cause."
After a pause, he adds, "Probably true actually. If more people in the world took time to enjoy flowers, maybe there's be a bit less conflict...or maybe not. Some nits would probably break out armies over whether roses or lilacs were better."
Hella laughed. "I can see that. Or if they should grow wild or be cultivated." She said with a good chuckle.
She would look around judging the landscape looking to see where it was likely nice flowers grew along their journey.
"Flowers?" Aluxion wrinkles his nose. "I tried that once, an' I reckon she was 'llergic or somethin'. Got all puffy-eyed an' sneezy. Never did get a second date. Maybe y'all will 'ave better luck," he suggests hopefully.
Aluxion casts Deadeye's Lore and helps look for some nice flowers along the way.
Red Wolf her companion would just run along side them seeming to ignore the conversation as he happily kept up.
The return trip home and the quest for flowers or furs befitting a storied princess became his concern now, not that he wasnt indeed trying to keep his eyes open for trouble. Their were bandits after all, and wolves and who knew what other manner of troubling things.
Nedyr likes to think of himself as learned, but in the areas of wilderness hunting, and perhaps even flower picking, he's willing to yield to the expertise of others. Rather, he seems to be listening to Mooneye, his owl.
Mikmeks knowledge of the area proves invaluable, you believe with his information you could make it back to the post just after dark. The plains have many flowers but with so many eyes watching a very impressive bouquet is assembled in good time.
The trip is fairly uneventful with nothing even stalking your trail as far as you can tell.
Hella would be fine moving on if they wanted to willing to get the flowers to the lady. But she would keep a careful eye on everyone to make sure they were okay. As night descended her eyes would pierce the darkness allowing her to take lead if no one provided light.
Hella would look forward to meeting back up with her hawk who she had left here to settle in.
eager was the word of the day, getting back to the trading post was quite possibly the only thing on his mind now. He hummed happily along running lines and snippits of songs through his head.
Nedyr keeps pace, barely. A hot meal, perhaps even a bath, and it will be worth it I think.
"Well," Aluxion huffs as they finally reach Oleg's, "Ahm feelin' mighty tuckered out. Is it alright with y'all if I go hit the hay?"
"I don't see why not, unless there's some new trouble here we don't know about," Nedyr says
The guard on the wall seems surprised at your late arrival but opens the gate none the less, calling a greeting. Even in the dark you can see that work has been done to repair the siege weapons on the tower. One of the other guardsmen meets you and offers to see to your mounts. He looks askance at the kobold with you but doesn't make any hostile moves.
Svetlana appears at the door to her home carrying a basket and heads for the tables. "Well come! It isn't hot but I have food for you!"
She looks startled as Mikmek darts forward and holding something out to her.
"He's with us," Aluxion calls out, hoping that no one will become alarmed at the sudden dash by the kobold. It occurs to him that he doesn't know Mikmek very well at all. He should take some time to learn Draconic from the kobolds and Vyk if they're to be allies.
Hella would smile and hands over Blue Moon telling him to behave before thanking the guard.
"What's your name?" she asked. She was determine to get to know at least their names if anything else.
Hella chuckled before seeing Mikmek run up to Svetlana. She quickly tries to see what was in Mikmek's hands. Guessing it to be something from Littlefang.
"Greetings Svetlana, we look forward to your cooking. Aluxion, at least grab something before you hit the sack." She advised to her tired partner and would pat him gently on the back.
Her eyes also scanned around for Benny and Reynolt. The young boy and the other man. Neila she expected would probably already be in bed and suspected the others as well but you never knew.
Svetlana appears at the door to her home carrying a basket and heads for the tables. "Well come! It isn't hot but I have food for you!"
"Music to my ears..." The silver haired elf proclaims, and sniffs the air, "And a delight to other senses as well. Thank you."
As the kobold moves forward, he makes introductions
"This is Mikmek," Nedyr says, "Mikmek, this is Svetlana."
He became quieter the closer they got, indeed even Svetlnana's offer of food pratically fell on deaf ears. He didnt understand why he got so nervous around Neila. Its not like she didnt show some return interest.
He took far too long with his horse, then far too long adjusting the bouquet of flowers. Finally he worked up his courage and went looking for Neila.
Nedyr inquires of Hella once Cerian departs, "Did Cerian just break into an open sweat?"
The guards relax a little as you all seem undisturbed, but their hands are still on their hilts as Mikmek stops in front of her. He hands the small wrapped item to her and speaks in broken common, "This taken by bad mens, stolen from thems by mites. Kobolds return as hand of peace."
She unwraps it and nearly bursts into tears. She places her wedding ring back on her hand and thanks him as she chokes back the tears. The guards look surprised but relax further.
Waving you over to the table she lays out bred and venison, "You must tell me what has happened!" She see's Cerian slink off and a small smile creases her lips as she nods in his direction, "He will be most welcome"
Looking to Nedyr she nods. "Yes, but it is good. He has courage. He will be fine. Neila is a smart wolf."
Hella smiled after she took a bit of time to figure out that the band meant something special. Once it was fully established and Svetlana seemed over joyed she would smile at Mikmek and would seem to want to do something but pauses. Shrugging her shoulders she simply pats him on the shoulder and would motion for him to sit with her.
"Svetlana, are Benny and Reynold sleeping?"
"Yes, I imagine Neila is," He smiles, "Smart enough to realize a fine fellow."
Your entrance does not go unnoticed. Neila sits up as you enter. She tries to hide her small smile at how nervous you look.
"Welcome back, it's good to see you in one piece." She welcomes you softly. "I am going mad stuck in this bed but I'm starting to feel a lot better."
Hella nods. "She would be good for him. A fine wolf pair." Her wolf nuzzled her hand and she petted him and fed him some of what she was eating causing his tail to wag. "So, should we ask Mikmek if he is staying here or coming with us as we travel? As a warrior I am unsure what he would want to do. I do think since we have so many extra horses maybe we can give him one as a sign of friendship? Though I think a wolf would be better."
"A horse might be a bit tall for him to ride comfortably,"Nedyr considers, "If a wolf didn't mind, the size might work better indeed. Yes, we should ask him. My chief concern is making sure the little fellow doesn't get attacked by someone who doesn't realize he's on our side. Best to spread word which I imagine will happen soon enough."
She nods and smiles. "Indeed. Well let us include him in our conversation and not be rude."
She smiles and hands Mikmek some of the choice pieces before nibbling on her own.
"But what about we make....something to symbolize friendship with us and under our protection. Like A band or something. Some cloth a certain color with a symbol we all recognize?"
He blushed a tiny bit and once more produced the flowers gathered.
I am glad to be in one peice although there was a moment with a giant centipede where .... lets just say I am glad I was with people who have magic handy."
He said unconciously rubbing his stomach near where the bug had took a chunk from him. He frowned at the slight holes in the leather but shook it off.
I uh... in the stories the hero always has a song to woo the maiden and so uh... here it goes."
He said sheepishly.
Pride can stand
a thousand trials
The strong will never fall
But watching stars
without you
my soul cried
I it were just you and me tonight
I would tame the stars
and save the brightest one
for you
He scratched his head and frowned for a moment then colored deeper.
Let me try that again. He began
Lying in my bed at night
The clouds drift by
and i think of you.
Whenever I'm along with you
You make me feel like I am home again.
I could stay awake just to hear you breathing
Watch you smile, while you are sleeping
I wish I could carry
your smile in my heart
for times when life seems low.
Again he shook his head and smiled sheepishly
How do bards even do this? He grumbled and knelt beside her at the bedside.
Look into my eyes
you will see
What you mean to me.
He took her hand softly and kissed the top of it. He also added a little wink.
"Green, perhaps..." He muses, "Fits the whole green belt thing."
Aluxion sits with the others and eats some food. Sleep can wait a bit.
"Green sounds good ta me. A symbol would be nice too. Maybe a wolf head, callin' out to like-minded folks? Hella likes callin' us a pack. It should be silver for our first allies outside a' this fort. A silver wolf head on a green sash?"
If no one else has yet, Aluxion will explain what happened on their last journey to Svetlana over the course of the meal, embellishing the tale a bit at parts. You know, "Hella stared down the worgs into not attacking," sort of thing.
Hella finds herself smiling a bit as the wolf's head was said to be used as a symbol.
"We are a pack. Maybe an unusual one but we are one. As for green, most would wear greens and browns here so it would blend into their clothing. That won't make it stand out from a distance. I don't know if that is a good or bad thing. Though, silver thread may take a bit I think it would suit our allies."
As Aluxion told the tale she looked at him in mild shock trying to recall the worg exchange. She didn't think she had stared them down. But it was clear she wasn't going to say anything. Just thinking to see if that was how it was perceived. She ran a hand through her auburn hair. It was a bit of a mess. She would need to bath soon. Her sunset orange eyes just looked like a dark orange in the fire light.
"So, in the morning we can decide what we want to do. The camp we still haven't dealt with but with our numbers we should keep to hit and run tactics. Also, find their small groups and deal with them as they go out to hunt. But that is for the morning. Tonight, I think a bath and a good sleep is in order after all of Svetlana's great cooking."
[B]"I like silver, very moon like... I like good meals and hot baths even better,"/B] he chuckles, and mulls over the heraldry options.
"Ah don't know much 'bout heraldry. Never figured it'd concern me. Mahself, I like brown just fine. No reason we can't have three colors. Green sashes for now, then we'll all figure out the colorin' bits later?" Aluxion smiles, enjoying the conversation. He'll head to bed shortly after eating, leaving the guards to tend to watch duty.
"Heraldry? I was just talking something to mark our allies. What is heraldry anyways?" She asked chewing on a piece of meat.
"Heraldry is in part a way to mark your allies actually, keeps folks from killing their own on the battlefield, but it is a bit fancier than that... it has elements of hierarchy, and can be a source of morale. Elves tend to play it faster and looser than humans in my experience," He smiles, "Frankly, I just think it's a lot of fun."
"Ahh, so basically the fog of battle, the markings help them not accidentally kill their own. Good enough. Well, when we decide pack Alpha I guess their can be a hierarchy. Until then I say we chose one symbol for ourselves with the colors. Maybe make one of those fancy things that people put on top of poles... flags I think they are called." Shrugs looking at them.
"But we should have our love sick pup out here to discuss that. Nedyr, since you know more you can explain it to us as we travel so we have an idea of what it is. I think eventually the ones that sent us down here will want to see something like that."
She stretches and cracks her back. "So Svetlana, can I borrow your tub to bathe?"
Svetlana smiles, "They have retired for the night. I'll fetch it for you and put some water on to heat." She goes and readies a bath for you.
Mikmek seems delighted with the tallone food and digs in, letting out a sound that almost sounded like a chirp of pleasure.
Flushing she slips out of bed and takes your hand, "That... That was... terrible... But it was very sweet and I appreciate it." She kisses you lightly on the cheek. "You have been more wonderful to me than anyone else ever. I would very much like to get to know you better, just leave the singing to the bards." She chuckles throatily and sits back down on the bed.
It wasnt ... that good at all."
he said with a slight grin still in a slightly good mood, especially after the kiss. He took his new standard seat besiude the bed and looked at her, drinking her in.
" My life isnt very interesting to this point my lady. My parents were in the dangerous field or reaqquiring stolen things, and I was trained in the family business as it were. About six months ago, they took a job here in these lands and have went missing, I intend to find out where they are.. or what befell them aside from that..."
He smiled at her and blushed the opening made it plain that she was somewhat promenent in these new plans to be sure.
Miri is delighted by the talk of banners and flags. "Green? That's so boring. How about orange? or cyan! Maybe a lovely burgundy?" She tugs a lock of her faint magenta hair absently as the discussion ebbs and flows, then retires after their late-night meal had ended.
"Orange, contrary to some opinion, is NOT the new Sable," Nedyr says mock loftily, "Cyan? well, we'll see. Oh, and eventually we'll need a motto."
"Why don't we just use the color's of our hair? That would be unique in its own way. Or put wolves on it that are those colors? She smiles and would get up to take a bath leaving them for a bit. When she returned cleaned up she looked nice and refreshed. Her golden red hair catching the firelight much like her sunset orange eyes. There was that hint of something else about her that set her apart from humans.
"So motto? What is a motto?"
"A motto is somethin' you're known for sayin', like, "Y'all get off mah lawn," would be Old Man Hessen's motto. I hear the best mottos are phrases from Ancient Azlant. They sound really important when you say 'em.
Aluxion retires for the night, choosing to sleep on a blanket on top of some hay rather than muss up one of the fort's beds. He bathes in the morning before he prays.
"So motto? What is a motto?"
"Nothing, what's a motto with you?" Miri's giggles sound suspiciously like the sound of a drum and cymbal. "I do like the idea of the colorful wolves! Brown, black, auburn, silver, violet..." The thought of a banner with the splotches of lovely colors pleases her immensely. "Though I think a burgundy backdrop would still look quite lovely."
She pats your hand an yawns, "The morning will be plenty of time to make plans, and I have much more I can tell you and your friends now that I'm not so weak. I know you stayed while I was injured, stay tonight?" he smiles weakly as she lies down.
Svetlana finishes preparing the tub for Hella and excuses herself for the night. The guards continue their patrol without paying too much attention to you.
"So motto? What is a motto?""Nothing, what's a motto with you?" Miri's giggles sound suspiciously like the sound of a drum and cymbal.
"Beat me to it," Nedyr mock laments and then smiles.
"I do like the idea of the colorful wolves! Brown, black, auburn, silver, violet..." The thought of a banner with the splotches of lovely colors pleases her immensely. "Though I think a burgundy backdrop would still look quite lovely."
"Well, painting wolves, real ones, is something I have NO experience in and I'll leave that to others. Fangs cause me to break out in wounds," He says pragmatically.