Selena waits on the trail, near a tree. She watches with a look of curiousity. Her stance is tall, befitting noble raising, but it lacks seriousness, instead seeming more excitable.
If someone looks her way, she holds her hands up empty and open in a gesture of peace.
Bulvi looks dkwn the path and notices the stranger. "Lovely day for a walk? Are you going to try to kill us?"
Selena smiles Bulvi's question and in an amused tone "No. I am merely investigating the strange weather as I head north. It bodes ill. Have you found anything to lead to whoever is behind the weather?"
"Perhaps there is a growing pile of dismembered undead and strange monsters. I am glad you're not going to immediately attack us. It would a shame to add you to the pile. What of you, what have you seen? "
"Not much. I heard some winter creatures had kidnapped some noble, a Lady Malsene, no Malassene it was, though no one could really tell me much beyond rumor, nor where it occurred. I've encountered a few fey creatures myself. Sprites I believe."
"Mind if I tag along? We seem headed in the same direction for the moment, and I'd rather have companions for the next batch of things that challenge me." She was about to say something then decided against it.
"By the way, I'm Selena, and this is Winter." she says with a chuckle as she gestures at a silver fox peeking out from behind the tree, though it seems it shoot her a glance that clearly speaks it's mind about being found funny.
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Ibona looks up upon seeing someone new in the clearing. Not just new, but hiding from the group. The new person, female she thinks, has distracted her enough that while she jotted down the Glyph of Warding, she doesn't tell the group what it means.
"Bulvi, slow down, for just a moment. So, you have been stalking us? People have died on this journey, and you hid? Why? 'Encountered' them! Hah! You probably hid while they passed by on their way to assault and ambush us. No, Bulvi, she would rather be by herself. If she had wanted to join us, she would have done so already, or, at least, announced herself so as for us to NOT think of her as an enemy."
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"Huh, for once Booksie and I agree on something." Quasit mumbles to herself. Her head tells her to stay hidden and keep the crossbow ready, but since when did she ever listen to her head?
Quasit steps out into the open, crossbow in hand but pointed away from Selena.
"You'll have to excuse us for being a bit skeptical of your tale, hon." she says. "For one thing, how long were you standing there, watching us fight for our lives? See, either you were hiding and watching us fight and did nothing to help us, or you just happened to stroll up just now as we're leaving, which seems like a big coincidence. And I don't tend to believe in coincidences."
"And a bit more to chew on here. That thing we were fighting was some kind of magical sentinel thing. We destroy it, and then here you are. How do we know it wasn't your sentinel? This forest is the most dangerous place in Golarian, and me and my companions have been nearly killed a dozen times in the last two days. But you're able to stroll through here with your pet fox with no problems? That seems a little unlikely."
"And I'll just throw one more thought out there. Our cleric, who was highly motivated to avenge her fallen fiance, just suddenly changed her mind and walked out of here just a couple minutes ago. Almost like someone had messed with her mind. And then here you are, standing on the opposite side of some sort of magical trap. Give us one good reason why we should trust you?"
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Sakitu gasps as she suddenly notices the stranger. For the last few days everything that was unexpected has turned out bad. Her initial alarm fades quickly though when she sees the other's posture. And then she notices the tell tale signs of a Kitsune. A timid smile forms and she waves at her. She is about to beckon the other Kitsune to join the group when Ibona and Quasit start talking.
She scowls at the two "What are you guys talking about? Have you forgotten how to be nice?" She moves towards Selena. "Of course you can come with us." Sakitu shoots another dark look at Ibona and Quasit.
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"Sorry, Sakitu, but there is being nice and being cautious. If someone who hid, which even I don't do, wants to join the group and expects no resistance, well, no. At least we could trust Carianna, having been captured. I showed up a day late, to late honestly to help Yu. But, I showed up HONESTLY." Ibona annuciates that word - honestly - quite clearly. "She admits she hid, and how long would she have stayed hid? Who knows? Her story has a heck of an odor to it."
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Fin shakes his head. "If she'd have followed us for long, I think I would have detected her presence before now..."
The Elf bows to the newcomer. "You can call me Fin...for my part, you're welcome Selena...but as my companions have told you, 'ware the unexpected. We've not only lost three companions, two by death, one to despair, we've had many close calls where we nearly lost others..."
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She scowls at the two "What are you guys talking about? Have you forgotten how to be nice?" She moves towards Selena. "Of course you can come with us." Sakitu shoots another dark look at Ibona and Quasit.
Quasit shrugs. "I'm willing to be nice. I'm just curious to hear what she has to say for herself beside 'Here I am, mind if I tag along'. I need to be able to trust the people I go into danger with."
"I like how people somehow got an invitation from an expression of hope we wouldn't have to fight. A good thing you introduced yourself Selena, if I asked your name they might think I was inviting you into my tent."
Selena visibly relaxs and addresses Ibona, with Winter eying the group cautiously, "Don't be so hypocritical. You are skeptical of meeting a stranger in a place like this, so why should I not also be skeptical? First I saw of you, was an ulfen with friends milling about a cabin in the middle of a magically induced winter. Would you have waltzed out into the open alone against several strangers? And I didn't hide. I've been standing here since I first saw you. Truth be told the biggest reason I believe you are not in the employ of whomever created this issue, was that your approach to the lines on the ground, a likely trap, was cautious and wary rather than relaxed and familiar."
Addressing Sakitu, "Wariness is prudent. If your friends did not raise concern over trusting me, I'd have taken that as sign that they were merely wanting me to drop my guard so they could kill me without a fight."
Leaning up against the tree, tracing her finger up and down the carvings of her darkwood longspear, "I am headed north because I live up there. I came south hunting a thief and murderer. However, this winter seems like someone from up north is seriously up to something. I feel I need to investigate and report these incidents back home, as it seems likely to be affect us, possibly even drag us into war. Whatever their aim is, my family and people should be prepared and forewarned that something dangerous is brewing. I don't need to go with you, but if you also are investigating this mess, then we will likely run into each other again anyway, so getting to know one another is a good idea."
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Selena visibly relaxs and addresses Ibona, with Winter eying the group cautiously, "Don't be so hypocritical. You are skeptical of meeting a stranger in a place like this, so why should I not also be skeptical? First I saw of you, was an ulfen with friends milling about a cabin in the middle of a magically induced winter. Would you have waltzed out into the open alone against several strangers? And I didn't hide. I've been standing here since I first saw you. Truth be told the biggest reason I believe you are not in the employ of whomever created this issue, was that your approach to the lines on the ground, a likely trap, was cautious and wary rather than relaxed and familiar."
Quasit seems to relax a bit at this. It made some sense.
Addressing Sakitu, "Wariness is prudent. If your friends did not raise concern over trusting me, I'd have taken that as sign that they were merely wanting me to drop my guard so they could kill me without a fight."
"See Saki? Not mean. Prudent." says Quasit with a bit of playful triumphalism in her voice. Then she remembers that she's being prudent and snaps back to vigilance of the newcomer. She frowns a bit, as if she's just been tricked somehow.
Leaning up against the tree, tracing her finger up and down the carvings of her darkwood longspear, "I am headed north because I live up there. I came south hunting a thief and murderer. However, this winter seems like someone from up north is seriously up to something. I feel I need to investigate and report these incidents back home, as it seems likely to be affect us, possibly even drag us into war. Whatever their aim is, my family and people should be prepared and forewarned that something dangerous is brewing. I don't need to go with you, but if you also are investigating this mess, then we will likely run into each other again anyway, so getting to know one another is a good idea."
Quasit cocks her head in surprise at this.
"So, you're going to give up on your fugitive? Are you a bounty hunter of some sort, or was it some personal thing? And just how far north do you come from? It seems like the only danger is to the people around here. I mean, if you go even a few miles the snow pretty much disappears. I assumed it was just some sort of weird fey mischief. Nothing world threatening."
She looks toward Ibona and Findurel. "Hey, can we just go around the magical trap, since we know where it is? I don't see any reason to fiddle with it if we can just bypass it."
Selena answers Quasit quite readily, "I haven't give up on the fugitive. Rather, I was headed north because I'm done with him." the last bit was said with quite a bit of passion, and it seems unlikely the fugitive survived given her tone, then with a quick breath, she is back to a nice and polite tone of voice, "As for the details, it was a family matter."
After a sigh and looking around "I don't know about world threatening, but doing this sort of thing," gesturing all around, "is some powerful stuff. Generally that means those powerful enough to do it, are those generally busy with politics and therefore, the conclusion is that someone normally focused on politics is causing trouble around the southern regions, and that someone is most likely a northerner, or trying to pin blame on a northerner. Whatever the reason, someone down here is going to take offense, and that means a potential for war. And if it isn't war, it will still have impact on the politics back home, which can easily affect my family."
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Quasit clearly finds this all a bit befuddling. All this talk of politics and war. Not to mention the tang of ruthlessness from what appeared to be a teenaged girl who apparently hunted down and killed some criminal who'd victimized her family. And it was hard to really pay attention with that creepy fox staring at her. Her eyes narrow a bit, just before the wind kicks up and blows a blast of snow flakes and frosty air into her face. She forgets her vigilance and turns her back to the wind.
"Possible I guess. Might explain why they kidnapped that Lady." she offers, a bit lamely, as her attention is now more turned to pulling her cloak tight and keeping the cold from slithering down her sleeves and collar.
Selena doesn't seem bothered by the cold breeze"As my mother says, that the nature of those with great power is to strive for more than everyone else, and get so consumed by the chase that they forget why they needed power in the first place and the chase itself becomes their sole purpose. Of course, it might not be anything like that, but until I know for sure, I have to assume the worst. This is why I am investigating." Selena looks towards the cabin.
"So you mentioned a sentinel thing. What kind of sentinel thing was it?"
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"I'm not telling you. I don't trust you. In fact, I blame you for Alexis's death, but my near death as well. Think about it. If you have been following us, as you say, then you heard the sound of battle in the house, yet you did nothing. That makes you either indifferent at best, or a coward at worst. You admit you wouldn't have revealed yourself, which makes you a liar."
Ibona looks at the group, especially Quasit and Sakitu, "You want her in the group? Fine, you can have her. Until she proves her trust, completely and utterly, I won't trust her at all. Period. Quasit, Sakitu, she is one of the reasons that Alexis is dead! She could have helped but didn't! To welcome her so openly, no. Not I."
"You heard a rumor Selena, where did you hear it?" He looks at Ibona "Details are very important, so I would like more. Ibona raises some good points but they are based on filling in a lot of blanks."
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"I'm not telling you. I don't trust you. In fact, I blame you for Alexia's death, but my near death as well. "
"Wow. Harsh. I mostly blame the stupid zombies and that miserable cleric who sic'd them on us." comments Quasit flippantly.
Ibona looks at the group, especially Quasit and Sakitu, "You want her in the group? Fine, you can have her. Until she proves her trust, completely and utterly, I won't trust her at all. Period. Quasit, Sakitu, she is one of the reasons that Alexis is dead! She could have helped but didn't! To welcome her so openly, no. Not I."
Quasit's flippant attitude gets slammed aside as she becomes a target of Ibona's tirade.
"Wait, what? Why are you going after me? I was giving assassin girl over there the third degree a second ago! Cripes Ibona!"
"And let's not get carried away with things here. It's a little weird that she was standing there watching us fight monster doll, but I do find it plausible that she might have kept out of it since she didn't know anything about us or our intentions. But I think it's over the top to say she's responsible for what happened to poor Alexia -- there's no reason we can assume she was tracking us yesterday. I take Fin at his word that if she'd been following us before this then he'd have seen her. So you need to take a chill potion and be rational. Skeptical yes, hysterical and conspiratorial not so much."
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"You may be right about that Quasit. However, I have one final question for Selena. Ibona walks right up to her. "If you hadn't been spotted, would you have revealed yourself to the group? It doesn't matter if you answer yes or no, I also want to know why. You all," Ibona gestures her hand to her companions, "should want to know the answer to that question as much as I do. She even said that she doesn't need to come with us. So why now? Why reveal yourself?"
Selena seems quite offended at first, then seems to realize something, "Your grief is not an excuse to blame others. I already told you that I never saw you fight. Not that it matters, cause if I had, I wouldn't have known which side to support. I don't have a spell to tell who is in the right, or who is good, or who is better to ally with. And you need to face your emotions. It's so easy to blame others, and find to keep that anger going, but it won't make you feel better." taking a breath before continuing more calmly, "Besides, you won. That means you can bring them back. It isn't like death is that bad. You kinda float in the darkness with the whispers. It is rather boring really. Even the pain was quick and done. When I was dead, the only thing I could think about it was how lucky I was, that I was dead instead of captured by the kid-stealers across the border."
Taking a step and with a bit of steel in her voice, "You need to face yourself, you anger and grief, or you will become the monster you hate. I've been there. I grew up watching people die, starve, and disappear. I've had my mentor die right in front of me chasing that thief. There is nothing you've experienced today, that I haven't been through myself." with a sense of sadness she turns and walks downs the path a ways before sitting under a tree and staring upwards.
Selena seems quite offended and angry at first, then seems to realize something and becomes calm and unfazed by Ibona, "I did not see you fight. Even if I had, I would not know who to help. As fof revealing myself, I had no specific plan. I watched to determine if you were working with the folks causing the winter. But you didn't think of that because your anger and grief blinded you to it. That is not all your anger will do. The more you give in to it, hating whomever you can find reason to blame, the easier it will be to blame them for ever smaller reasons, and the more you will want to because no matter how much you yell, scream, fight, or even kill, it will never ease, nor satisfy your anger, instead only making you more angry and hateful. I know. I lived it myself. This is what is left of my mentor." she fingers a braid of hair worn around her neck like a necklace. "I know what it is like. My friend Sophia is even worse off, having been taken. They never found out what happened to her. But I would not be here if I didn't face and deal with my feelings." with a sense of sadness she turns and walks downs the path a ways before sitting under a tree and staring upwards.
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Several times Sakitu starts to say something but then pauses and in those pauses one of the other ladies jumps in. Finally, when Selena walks away, she turns to Quasit and Ibona. "You two! First you're fighting each other, then you're fighting a newcomer. Someone who might even become our friend." She points a finger at Ibona. "I know you're scared and don't know how to respond but accusing everyone of bad things just cause you are upset? Really?" She turns to Quasit. "And I know you have dealt with people misunderstanding you. Huh! What about what Ibona said about you just five minutes ago?" Sakitu huffs then turns and follows Selena.
"I'm sorry about my friends," she says quietly. "They really are very nice. Under normal circumstances." She places a furry hand on Selena's arm. "I'm sure that once everyone calms down we'll all be great friends."
After a tentative pause she starts with a even quieter voice. "I don't mean to pry, but as you can see, I'm a kitsune. If I'm not mistaken... Well, you have the look."
Winter tenses as Sakitu reaches down, Selena doesn't move, already tense, but ignores it, "Not quite. Not too far though I suppose. That is something after I came back though. This trip has shown me a lot of things I think many adults everywhere seem to be missing. She mentioned a doll thing that you fought. Sounds a lot like the stories of the possessed dolls that guard the border. No idea how much is true though."
Selena's last statement shakes loose a few old stories his parents told him and he shakes his had. "I keep thinking this can't get any worse but I keep finding out how wrong that thinking is."
Bulvi gives Sakitu a sideways glance "I'm not just very nice, I am a treasure and a delight. Lightening hearts wherever I go... not at all known for pragmatic honesty and valuing truth even if it hurts. You are all surely better off with me here for without me our spirits would be lower than a drunken goblin full to bursting with pickles." He puts a foot up on a nearby rock posing heroicly before giving Ibona a wink. "...and don't forget how humble I am if you are writing this down."
Selena practically faces palms, but hesitates to move forward until she sees the other's reactions but she does chance speaking, "Are you okay? I have healing."
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"I did not see you fight. Even if I had, I would not know who to help. As fof revealing myself, I had no specific plan. I watched to determine if you were working with the folks causing the winter. But you didn't think of that because your anger and grief blinded you to it. That is not all your anger will do. The more you give in to it, hating whomever you can find reason to blame, the easier it will be to blame them for ever smaller reasons, and the more you will want to because no matter how much you yell, scream, fight, or even kill, it will never ease, nor satisfy your anger, instead only making you more angry and hateful..."
"Oh, I think I might like this girl after all." quips Quasit.
Then Sakitu starts scolding her, and Quasit just throws up her hands and turns away. Somehow Ibona thought she was welcoming Selena with open arms and at the same moment Sakitu thought she was trying to drive Selena away. Best to not say any more.
Then the glyph in the snow goes off with a loud bang, and Quasit whips back around to see what just happened. Once she understands, her shoulders slump and she just shakes her head. "Unbelievable..." she mumbles to herself wearily.
Bulvi stands covered in hoarfrost "I really hate these guys, have I mentioned how much I hate them."
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Picking herself up from the snow bomb thing (man, how did she forget that???) Ibona quickly pulls out her wand and heals herself. She turns to the group "You notice she does nothing but pass the blame, and yet still hasn't answered my question. 'She had no plan'! Deceitful, liar. Trust her if you want, I won't."
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While Ibona continues to make her case, Quasit pulls out the flask of applejack again and makes her way over to Bulvi and offers him a swig. "This is as close to a healing spell as I get," she says.
She glances over toward Selena, and speaks more quietly to the warrior. "What do you think? I actually believe her. Her story is too cockamamie to be a lie. Not crazy about her creepy pet fox -- I swear every time I look at it, it's staring at me. Maybe we should huddle and take a vote. I don't like just standing around here, especially after we set off that trap."
"How about this we make it very clear to her if she turns out to be leading us into some evil trap whatever happens we'll make sure she wont escape."
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Sakitu jumps up when the trap explodes all around Ibona. "No!" She rushes forward to her. "Are you ok?" The drama and the conflict and the tension finally gets to her and tears start to flow. "Come on! We've had enough of this already. Don't you think?" She turns an appealing face to Quasit and Ibona. "Can't we just try to get along? Sure, there is risk. But right now we're just tearing ourselves apart." More tears stream down her fur covered face. She steps towards Ibona and reaches for a hug. She looks at the smirking Quasit and gestures her into a group hug. "Stop stroking Bulvi's chest and come in here!" she says with a grin.
"Let's be friends again."
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She steps towards Ibona and reaches for a hug. She looks at the smirking Quasit and gestures her into a group hug. "Stop stroking Bulvi's chest and come in here!" she says with a grin.
"Let's be friends again."
Quasit looks back toward Sakitu with a bemused expression. "Uh... you aren't serious, are you? Saki, you're too sweet for your own good." She gives Bulvi a little elbow in the gut. "And don't knock Bull stroking till you try it. It might just bring you luck. Okay, that didn't come out right." The silly smirk on her face suggests that perhaps it did. She glances back up at Bulvi. "Think very carefully about the next words you speak."
Selena rolls her eyes. She just couldn't help it. Winter sniffs the air and looks around, both wondering if anyone heard the trap.
"The only person placing blame is you. It is so easy, isn't it? You want to rage and hate, and hope that there is fight so you have someone to beat up, maybe even kill. And naturally, they'll deserve it, no matter who they are or what they did. It is easy to justify too, to talk about how horrible and evil they are. But you will never find satisfaction that way, it will never end that way. You will only find new reasons to blame, hate, and rage at new people, for lesser and lesser offenses. Heck, you are already turning away and blaming people who offered to help. I get it. I've lived through it. Now, your friend has the right idea. Listen to her."
"See and she hasn't even tried it." Bulvi rolls his neck.
"Creepy dolls and exploding ice traps, we're definitely still on the trail and maybe even getting closer. We should start trudging forward again, we can be bitter and make recriminations while we travel if needed. Though if someone wants to use one of those delightful magical wands to remove my newfound frost bit I will not object."