"Come and get some sleep," Emi answers taking the stranger's hand and gently pulling him back into the bed. As he lays down she wraps her arms around him, covering him in the blanket, and snuggles up against him. "Eferyvun needs company some nights," she mutters as she drifts back to sleep.
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"You're right, so let's see if we can find Miss Andosana and see what kind of mischief the three of us can get up to," Ameiko chirped as the two of you headed out into the cool night.
"I regret that happened," Koya mutters as Reiko stands, "at least you seem to have recovered well from that."
The old woman stands, a grimace she can't quite hide betraying the pain she felt in her knees. Before Reiko can take more than a few steps, the Desnan wraps her arms around the young woman in a motherly embrace.
"Pleasant dreams, Reiko," she murmurs into one of Reiko's ears before letting her go into the night.
The journey isn't terribly long, but the night is growing long and fatigue is starting to set in. Haru's grave is much as you left it, though it seems another visitor has come this night.
"Hello, Reiko. Needed to get away too," Shalelu asks from the branch of the tree that stood over the grave that she'd laid herself along, her eyes looking out at the lights of the small town.
Raul perks up a little at that, and by the time he's returned, his good spirits have as well.
"If you liked the story about the griffon, perhaps you'll like the tale about how I was kissed by an angel," his grin threatened to take in his ears, but it lessened as he asked, "So, are you going to be joining Sandru's caravan now?"
After Reiko leaves, Koya lets out a sigh.
"'Indiscreet wounds,' eh? How badly did you blush treating those," Koya asks with a devilish grin. After a moment, she sobers and returns to her seat by the fire and you.
"They all seem like nice girls, aren't you even a little interested, Jerukh," she asks more seriously before taking a sip of her tea. Her tone and expression both showing some concern for her adopted son.
"You have the same hair she did," the man says, the words slurring a bit. "Carmen was all the family I had after Chopper killed our father and the fires took our mother. She would have been your age too," he mutters, his voice trailing off. He doesn't move, only sits on the edge of the bed as he stared at nothing with his haunted eyes.
Vigny takes a pull on her ale. "I am, when it leaves. Yes."
"But it won't be right away, and if the rest are still up for it we still have a few things to check out in Brinestump Marsh."
She doesn't like the feel of where her conversation with Raul seems to be heading. It's like a faint tugging that could become a pull on the lightness she feels in her being this night.
"We've caught our breath now. Time to dance again" she tells Raul as she stands and pulls him up from the table by his hands.
"And afterward, I'd like to hear that story about how you were kissed by an angel."
Jerukh winces as the talk turns to the inevitable;
Ach. What do I say now?
The alchemist sups his tea, rolling his shoulders in a noncommittal shrug;
"They are all pretty enough Mamă... and far too nice for me."
He watches the embers with a hint of melancholy in his voice;
"They are all gifted. Why would any of them look upon my brutish features with anything other than pity or polite friendship."
The ronin pulls up short at the voice coming from the tree. She bows politely, and gives the elf a wry smile "Good evening, Shalelu. This night has not gone - in any way - as I planned. It seems my karma is to get caught in unexpected conversations." She shakes her head with amusement then approaches the small shrine and sweeps the loose debris from the flagstone with her foot. "I was going to pay my respects to Old Haru here... unless that will disturb you. I can visit him tomorrow if you'd rather be alone."
"I am not her..." Emi answers beginning to weigh her compassion against her desire to fall back asleep. "vould it comfort you to fall asleep in my arms, or should I go?"
"Yes ma'am! Far be it for me to argue that point," Raul says as he follows Vigny's lead. As they pull close to begin, he whispers in her ear, a grin in his voice, "and if I'm lucky, the angel will kiss me again."
"A woman who only looks at the skin rarely finds happiness, Jerukh. You might be surprised what they think of you. Reiko, for instance, seems to have a very high opinion of you, more than any polite friendship can explain," Koya says before she sips her tea and letting the words settle for a moment.
"There will always be those that judge you for your appearance or blood alone, and not the heart that beats in your chest and is filled with love and kindness. The Sczarni can fleece them for all I care. They don't matter. You are a kind man Jerukh, and I hope that I can live to see the day you find someone who will be by your side and love you for the talents you have."
The old woman takes a long pull of her tea, letting the warmth fill her and fight the chill in her bones.
"I think you are doing those girls a disservice to believe that all they will see is how you look and not how you live, but I also know that such things are not easily overcome," she tells you, reaching out a hand to lay it on your shoulder, "I know that from experience, Jerukh. People do look beyond your appearance, but you have to give them the chance."
Shalelu gives a snort of amusement at your statement about how the night has been going although when you mention leaving, she blurts a very quick, "No!"
She is looking down from her branch and even in the dim light, it's clear her cheeks are blushing in embarrassment, but it's also clear that she's too deep in now.
"No, please, I... I hope I wasn't intruding or... I'll just...," she stammers, unable to put how she feels into words.
"The goblins took her," he continues, apparently unaware that you have said anything. "It was during the raid on the day of the Swallowtail Festival and I watched all happen. She was just in the wrong place at the wrong time, right in the path of one of their riders," he says, pushing the words out even as tears silently fall.
"I'm sorry, I thought I... I was past it, but..." his voice trails off as it breaks into grief edged pieces.
"Oh crap! I didn't even think of that," Ameiko says once Soliana brings up Shalelu's habit of privacy. She gives a frustrated groan, obviously frustrated by something.
"I'm starting to go crazy. I need to get out of here, at least for a little while," she mutters as she continues to lead Soliana on the hunt for Shalelu.
As their heads part and they begin to move, Vigny says "Some say that luck is fickle. It's never been like that for me. I'm lucky because I believe. I don't hope luck will come, I know I always have it with me."
She looks at Raul with narrowed, appraising eyes. "Hm, you seem like you might be the lucky kind, but that "if" of yours is troubling. How lucky are you?"
Reiko cocks her head, curious, trying to imagine what has Shalelu so... flustered. She raises a hand to stop the elf from digging herself into an even deeper verbal grave. Then she bows to the shrine. Forgive me, my master, our chat will have to wait.
The ronin takes a step back, wipes the dirt from the bottoms of her slippers then leaps. She springs onto a knob at the base of the tree, rockets lightly to the top of the shrine, then does a leaping-spin that lands her in a swirl of silk robes onto the branch within a few feet of Shalelu. She smooths her skirt with a sweep of the katana's scabbard and wiggles her dangling legs experimentally like a school-girl. Her improving skills cause a momentary smile of satisfaction to creep across her face.
She turns her attention fully to Shalelu. "May I make an observation? Avistani people are crazy." She taps her skull with a slender finger to emphasize her playful point. "When in groups, you want to be alone. When alone, you want to be in groups. You like what you are but wish you were somehow different. And when you are different, you long to be the same." She gives the elf a friendly grin. "So, what sort of Avistani craziness burdens you this evening?"
Jerukh sips his tea and listens... his mother's words were always a salve to him. They calmed his inner turmoil and always made sense of the senseless.
The alchemist turned to his mother, smiling;
"Ah Mamă... you always know best. For me. For us all..."
His brow furrows as he mulls her words;
"Reiko is very polite... and an artist with her blade.... Truly mesmerising..."
How strange that I the healer can find beauty in death...
"... but she seeks answers, not love I think. Of the others..."
Jerukh searches for the right words, then continues with a shrug and a sip;
"Emi. Ah Emi is like a sister... She is like a firework... pretty but explosive yes? Vigny is determined but she is Ulfen... I try to look past that, but Desna knows it is tough. Soliana is still a puzzle. Did you know she has elf sânge ..? It makes her elegant I think."
His frown turns to a scowl;
"Better than orc sânge... Better than North sânge... Fate is unkind I think Mamă. I care for all life's blood except my own I... Ironic no?"
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"So far," Raul answers as he dances with you, "I've been very lucky, but I'd not assume she'll want to kiss me again, you understand, though I hope very much that she does."
He brushes his cheek against yours, his breath teasing the skin of your neck.
"Would I be wrong to believe she will," he whispers, almost teasingly before pulling away and sweeping you through a dizzying spin and dip as the song ends.
Shalelu blinks in surprise as she looks form where you were a moment ago to where you sit now, her mouth agape. It takes her a moment to overcome that shock with a shake of her head.
"Sorry," she mutters again, sitting up against the tree trunk and curling her legs against her to make more room on the branch. The posture makes her look younger, more uncertain.
"I can't blame you for thinking all of us are crazy," she says, mostly into her knees, but clear enough to be understood, "I'm sure there's elves out there that would think I am crazy, for that matter."
Dark eyes look up, wide and gleaming in the warm lights of Sandpoint.
"I've protected Sandpoint since it was founded. To you humans I am old, ancient even, but for an elf, I am young, almost absurdly so for what I've done, and now, in a very short time, the town has grown capable of defending itself. It doesn't need me anymore." A wistful note colors her voice, sad, but happy and proud.
"I've been thinking about leaving for awhile now, going on a journey, maybe find an adventure of my own, or at least one that doesn't involve creepy elves with white eyes and black hearts. I just... I don't want to be alone."
Shalelu falls silent, her eyes once more looking at some place between the two of you.
"No, just typical," Koya says softly before wrapping an arm around you and patting your shoulder.
"Jerukh, healers often value the lives others deeply, more than themselves. It is our curse. We care. We take on the hurts, both seen and unseen. We take them away, and we do it because we believe that we must to make the world a better place," she explains to you, her eyes fixed on the fire.
"In any case, you're a wise man for being cautious of Emi. She is a firework, beautiful, but dangerous if you don't know how to handle her. I think Reiko might surprise you. She may be seeking answers, but that doesn't mean she must put her life on hold. I know you're trying with Vigny, so I shall say no more on the subject, but as for Soliana, she's sure to see you for what's in here," she says poking you in the chest, "not what is on the surface. Shelynites know better than any that it is the heart and not the skin that truly matters. Unless you're hoping for some nice half-orc girl to come strolling your way," she finishes with a sly smile.
Ameiko gives you a speaking look for a moment before letting out a long sigh.
"I'm feeling restless. Even the Dragon's become stifling to me, and the Glassworks and my duties as a noble are even worse. The old toad must be laughing his ass off wherever he is now," she says, her voice turning bitter with her last sentence. She pauses for a moment before turning and grabbing you by the arms.
"I need to leave! I need to go on some adventure away from here! Away from Varisa even! I want to see more than the small sliver of the world I've seen. I want to get away from ever merchant's son (and some of the daughters) that come propositioning me every other week! I want to sleep under the stars far from the lights of any town or city. I need to get out of Sandpoint before I get stuck in a nice, safe, boring life and wind up marrying some dullard who is only after the gains I can give him or her. Hells! I'd be happy to not have the same love life as one of those loonies that take those chastity vows!"
The man sits there for a long while, silently weeping. He stands and fetches another heavy blanket from the rack and lays it gently over you before leaving as quietly as he can manage.
Reiko gives the elf's words a respectful silence before responding lightly but decisively. "So... let's go! I would enjoy seeing more of this land and more crazy Avistani people. I may even have a cryptic and difficult mission to offer... unless you want to set your own course. In that case, choose a direction and give me time to pack." Despite her almost whimsical tone, it is clear the Tien woman is completely serious.
Jerukh does not shy away from his mother's arm, instead leans against her; a melancholy look playing across his features as he digests the wise words.
"No slečna , half-orc or otherwise, for me Mamă. Affairs of the heart are not my forte... Repera bones and healing wounds is. Best I stick to what I know..."
The alchemist sleepily blinks as he watches the glow of the fire, his words almost sounding like those of someone else.
Emi rises and puts her shirt on. "My presence is not comforting for you," she says with a frown. Draping her scarves around her neck she quietly heads for the door. Glancing out the window, she spots Ameiko and Soliana walking away from the inn. "I'm sorry for your loss, I hope you find somevun who can gife you comfort," she says stepping out of the room. As soon as the door closes she rushes down through the tavern and out into the street to catch up with her best friend and new companion.
"Iko! Soli!" she calls out as she trots up behind them. "Vait for me..."
The question had been decided some time ago. Really this was all an observance of formalities, mostly on Raul's part. But, Vigny must admit that he probably doesn't know the question has already been decided.
His approach is kind of corny, but he's playing it well. This is either country boy sincerity and he's REALLY good at it, or half-decent Callistrian seduction and he's still doing a pretty good job.
Vigny just can't see a Sandpoint Callistrain in front of her though, and that's what's bothering her. That sincerity could get messy down the road. Her mind could perhaps change course, reversing her decision because of it. But her body says otherwise.
Yeah, he's very lucky.
As the dance ends Vigny takes a step back and puts her hands on her hips. She looks at him playfully and tilts her head slightly.
"There's only one way for you to find out. You'll have to follow me upstairs."
"I tried... it didn't go to plan," Emi answers stepping between the two other women and intertwining her arms with each of theirs at the elbow.
"So, what were you talking about? Anything juicy?"
"Okay," Shalelu says quietly, a smile beginning to spread across her face, "but I think I need to see if Ameiko wants to come too. She'd never forgive me if I left her behind, now that I think about it."
She climbs down the tree, stopping at the shrine to wait for you to get down. As you turn back to Sandpoint, she asks, "so what's this dangerous mission of yours?"
"Ah, but that is because it takes practice to learn anything worthwhile. You were not always skilled in the healing arts, no? It took you time to learn and hone your talent. It is the same with learning to love and love freely. You will be hurt, but someday, you'll find yourself a girl that will fill you with joy and make you're heart and loins burn with passion."
Koya finishes the tea before smiling at Jerukh again.
"Now, the night's still not over," she says as she stands, "let us see if we can't find you a lovely young woman to while away the hours with."
As you pass the bed on the way out the door, a gentle hand stops you. The man stands up, pain in his eyes, but a flicker of humor as well as he gives you a wry smile.
"It is not you," the man tells you, before you pulling you into a hug, "it is the ghosts that still haunt me. I am sorry for how I have been acting. Please, don't think ill of me."
With that, he lets you go and gently closes the door after you leave.
Raul grins as he follows you up the stairs. Once the door is closed, he holds you close, his lips barely an inch from yours.
"And now," he asks, a slight note of wonder in his voice, "how lucky am I, my angel?"
Ameiko begins to answer, but Emi's arrival has her raising a questioning eyebrow, until she hears about things not going as planned.
"Emi, did one of the men you, ah, entertained mention something about a sister," she asks, a curious look on her face that mingles worry, curiosity, and hint of exasperation.
"So what's this dangerous mission of yours?"
The Tien walks along with the elf, having no difficulty navigating in the dark woods. "I said 'difficult' not 'dangerous', but it may be both. There are two possibilities. The first is that I'm hallucinating and possibly insane. The second - which is preferable - is that an eldritch sword is speaking to me and it has a task to complete. I need to determine which possibility is true. If the second one is correct, I need to determine how I can assist the sword in fulfilling its task." She offers the scabbarded katana to Shalelu. "What do you know of mystical blades?"
Jerukh places his empty cup down, then rises up from the fire. He smiles ackwardly down at his mother;
"Thank you Mamă but I must decline... I have some strălucire de noapte moss to harvest for my alchemy.."
He reaches out offering her a hand;
"I will escort you back first... For I may be a bad romantic, but I try to be a good son."
why aren't they really answering my question... were they talking about me...
Emi's face scrunches up for a moment, nearly imperceptibly in the dark street. Putting on a playful smile she explains, "I only danced for them, then took a hot bath vhen the drink took them. I vas already asleep vhen he voke up... I tried to comfort him but all he vanted to do vas cry about her..."
Giving her oldest friend a nudge she adds, "You could hafe varned me if you knew he vould get like that."
"Sorry Emi. I didn't get a good look at who you were wooing. You do look a lot like Carmen, though, even if she would have only been your age just now. I was hoping that Javi'd gotten past his pain. It's... It's hard losing all your family like that."
Ameiko's eyes grow distant for a moment, as if she was looking at something that wasn't there. She shakes herself out of it, and the young tien woman grins at both of you.
"But, to answer both your questions, While the journey is something to be enjoyed, I enjoy seeing new places, new people, new art and dances. I love to hear a song I've never heard before. It feels like my heart's soaring when it does. I don't know where I want to go or what I'll do when I get there. I may just start walking out of Sandpoint and see where my feet take me," she says, her eyes on the stars as she leads the two of you north.
"I think Shalelu's this way," she adds as she gives her back a stretch.
"Not a lot beyond the basics," she says a flicker of something in her eyes as she takes the scabbard and holds it. After a moment, she stops in her tracks and her eyes widen in surprise.
"Y-you said this was whispering to you," she stutters.
"You are a good son, and a good man," Koya says as she takes your arm and pats your shoulder. "Anyone who tells you different is an idiot," she adds matter-of-factly as she walks by your side. Once you've made it back to the Dragon, she bides you a good night and heads in, the noise of the celebration having not abated in the least.
As you approach the place where the moss grows, you find two figures sitting against the tree, fast asleep, their fingers intertwined between them. As you approach, you recognize them as Ioana and Gkirkhan, and even in the dark, the blush of too much drink is plain on their cheeks.
"Yes. I heard a woman's voice in my head reciting a type of Minkaian poem. She said: A message he bore / To protect a son he swore / Thought lost to the sea. I think it has to do with the katana's or her samurai's mission." She stops to look closely at the elf. "Is she speaking to you?"
"The goblins, vhen they attacked the svallowtail festifal," Emi quickly answers before turning her attention more fully to her Tien friend. "Iko, are you really thinking about hafing another adfenture?!? I'fe just gotten back from my first adfenture and hafen't efen gotten to tell you about it yet, really--it vasn't at all vhat I expected, a fery different kind of journey than heading north in the carafan, much dirtier and more dangerous, but exciting in its vay for sure--but maybe ve could go together? It vould be like old times... remember vhen ve sneaked into your mother's room to steal her make up and you painted my face like a geisha girl? Ve could be partners in crime again!" In her excitement, the young Varisian's speech has accelerated considerably, and there's a positively mischievous grin on her face as she implores, "Oh, Iko, tell me ve can hafe an adfenture together, promise me..."
Jerukh holds from his harvest, looking upon the sleepers for a short time.
He smiles, mindful of the potential words his mother would say if she was there... How Gkirkhan - a half orc can find someone as fair of heart and face as Ioana... How he can too.
I am happy for them Mamă. Truly, but I am not that man.
Carefully he picks some of the moss, then stealthily moves away - mindful not to wake the pair;
:
"She was in the wrong place at the wrong time," Ameiko adds softly before pushing away the memories of those few months and focuses on something more cheerful.
"You still owe me the whole story," Ameiko tells Emi at the mention of the recent trip into Brinestump, "and don't remind me about that! I still feel the blisters on my bum that stunt earned me. If we do partner up, you're taking the fall if we get caught this time, Emi!"
The young bartender grins as she sneaks a little closer to you and there's a glint of mischief in her eyes.
"Or, I can just take my revenge now," she cackles before spinning you around and stealing one of your scarves. "Catch me if you can," She taunts as she goes running off, holding the stolen scarf up to let it trail behind her like a banner.
"Is that what she's saying now," Shalelu asks as she holds the sword out for you.
To answer Shalelu's question, yes and no. The sword has added a few lines of verse, to seem a little less terse.
A message he bore
To protect a son he swore
Thought lost to the sea
Life, he did forsake
Death, he did deeply partake
His blood did flow free
Lost, I was for years
The message, safe from Sea's tears
In hilt I carry
The pair does not stir as you carefully go about your work. From the looks of things, their dreams are pleasant.
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Do Not Disturb
"So I'm not hallucinating." Reiko concludes, taking back the sword. She listens to the blade, frowning. Then she looks at the hilt closely, from the habaki to the kashira and tries to manipulate each part. "She has added more verses to the poem. And the last suggests there is a message hidden in her hilt."
With his moss harvested, Jerukh collects his kettle and cups then makes his way back home - happy with his lot.
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Emi begins giggling and charges off after Ameiko. When she catches up she leaps on the stronger girl's back. Wrapping her legs around her friend's waist and her left arm around her friend's shoulders, she half-jokingly flails her right hand at the scarf that remains just out of reach. "Soli," she calls out, louder than she probably should at this hour, "help me! This bully is too strong for me. Come in the name of the Eternal Maiden and fanquish my oppressor!" Her giggling does not subside but rather intensifies as things progress.
The pommel twists loose, revealing a small scroll tube secreted away in the hilt. Once it is out, both of your can make out the character for Kaijitsu on the end.
You can also make out laughter and shouting coming from around the bend just ahead of you.
Ameiko manages to stay just ahead until all three of you come to a blind turn in the road. Emi manages to grab a hold of Ameiko and the tavern-owner has all she can do to keep her feet. Her laughter rises with Emi's until she sees Soliana joining the fray as you start to make the turn.
"Whu-HAHAHA! H-hey! N-no fair," she laughs as she stumbles through the turn. As she looks up to continue the chase, she sees two figures standing barely three feet from all of you and right in the path you are taking.
Ameiko with Emi on her back makes the turn. One hand holds a scarf just out for Emi's reach and Soli is close behind, tickling fingers aiming for the tavern-owner's sides and belly. All three of them are laughing, though as Ameiko looks up, her laughter dies as her eyes widen in surprise. Unbalanced and barely keeping her footing as it is, she falls as she tries to divert her momentum.
Shalelu, still holding the sword, swiftly raises it over her head to minimize the danger it could do to everyone. He barely gets it out of the way as Ameiko, Emi, and Soli slam into her and all four of the women fall to the ground.
"Shalelu! You alright?!" Ameiko sounds winded, but she seems to have recovered the most quickly.
"Just peachy," Shalelu wheezes from her position at the bottom of the dog pile.
Reiko raises an eyebrow at the pile of women and says in a passable Emi impression, "Is this the Farisian Inferted Double Quilt I'fe heard about?"
She quickly tucks the pommel and scroll tube in her robe then helps the women up while mulling what to do. While Reiko didn't move in Ameiko's family's social circle... she knew the Kaijitsu family name. And the courier being here, on the other side of the world, bearing a scroll with that name, could not be a coincidence.
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Emi lets out a sound somewhere between a grunt from the impact and a chuckle. "No," she teases from the bottom of the pile, "you need at least vun man for any fariation of the Farisian quilt."
"'Salright, just winded," Shalelu mumbles as Soli and Ameiko help her to her feet. She gives both of them a nod of thanks as she regains her feet and starts catching her breath.
"What the heck is an inverted quilt," she asks looking at Reiko and Emi.
Ameiko, now busy dusting herself off, looks like she's about to tell a joke, but closes her mouth as she hears the phrase "Varisian Inverted Quilt."
"Oh dear," she lets out a surprised snort of laughter as her eyes widen and the lights in them dance wickedly.
"Vell..." Emi says in a playfully wicked tone as she stands up, "its just like a normal Farisian quilt, only upside-down..."
She giggles at Ameiko's snort and brushes herself off as well. "Vhat are you two doing out on the streets at this hour?" she asks Reiko and Shalelu.
"We were discussing travel plans... and Shalelu thought they might interest Ameiko. And it seems the fates agree." Reiko looks at the other Tien woman earnestly, "We need to talk."
"Uh oh," Ameiko mutters to Emi, though it's loud enough for all four of the others to hear, "looks like I'm in trouble."
The mirth in Ameiko's eyes helps soften the words to just a gentle tease.
"Certainly Reiko," the tien woman says out loud, and much less flippant, "is this something you want to talk about now, or after we've made travel plans?"
Shalelu, meanwhile, manages to catch her breath and check the katana for damage from the fall. As would be expected of a mystic weapon, even a minor one, it's untouched.
Reiko pulls the scroll tube from her robe and offers it, with an explanation. "This bears your family name. I believe it was carried from the Dragon Empire by a group of samurai who died making the journey."