"You think? Does that mean you spoke goblin at some point or did you just hit someone with it?"
"Uhm..sure. I'll meet you back at the fort love?" Sādhanā says rubbing her hand along Clara's back.
"Well, this one goblin was warning us about a trap and I barely understood it, so I thought it'd come in handy," Ylrhea explains.
Clara nods. "Don't take too long."
"I won't." Sādhanā says with a smile, love and appreciation flooding through to overwhelm the uneasiness that seeped through before.
"Saved your life certainly qualifies as useful." Cyna agrees. "Did you come across anything else besides cash when you were with tall dark and broody?"
Clara heads back to the fort, uncertainty about the other Anizari lurking in her mind. She trusted her wife, but she could not trust Umina. There was something unsettling about her, but she couldn't put her finger on it. Usually, she was open-hearted, but the blacksmith's skittish nature for one so muscular was incongruous. With a heavy sigh, she returns to her room and sits on the bed, trying to clear her thoughts. She knew Sādhanā would feel her trepidation but she couldn't shake it.
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Ylrhea counts on her fingers. "Bandits, bugbears, a buried city, a stupid necromancer who liked to talk about suffering, zombies, ghouls, goblins, half-fiend ogres, Drago's brother, some stirges, Aliethia, Nicatha, some scared merchants, treasure maps and a link between our world and the shadow plane."
"I wanted to ask if you've been back to see the Anizari," Umina says to Sādhanā plainly.
Sādhanā could feel the concern and trepidation coming through the bond from her wife. She knew Clara trusted her but there was a strong sense of mistrust that must have been directed towards Umina. Odd since Clara was usually so open and compassionate. Oddly enough the idea of Clara being jealous made her feel more in love with her.
"I have, today actually. Went there this morning." Sādhanā replies walking along with the blacksmith.
"You didn't tell them about me, did you?" Umina asks softly.
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"Well s!!@! That's impressive. Almost makes dying, going to hell, meeting three gods, killing two necromancers, and surviving a shipwreck seem like a vacation." Cyna says. "This whole place is just stacked full of crazy isn't it?"
"Not a word. I promised you I wouldn't say anything. I never break a promise, ever. You can trust me with your secret Umina." Sādhanā says reassuringly.
As they walk for a bit Sādhanā looks at the other woman "What are you afraid they'll do if they know where you are? Take Hope from you?"
"Well, this was on Alarion, so it's not just Zahvroma that's crazy."
"You weren't born Anizari, so you might not understand it completely," Umina starts, panic and relief echoing in her voice. "They won't take Hope from me, but they'll destroy everything I love to make me their soldier again. I'm not using Hope to rebuild the world to watch it burn down again. I told you that much. I just want a normal life. If I could scrub off these tattoos, I would..."
"I get it. You want to be able to put fighting behind you, but the entire Anizari culture is based on being bred for a war that you're always training for. There's no point to fighting if it means you can never take the time to enjoy the tings and people you love. I kind of only learned that in the past year myself." Sādhanā looks at Umina with empathy, putting a hand on the other Bladebearer's shoulder.
"If I can help you accomplish that I will, even if it's just by remaining silent. There's definitely a war that needs to be fought, but there's more to life than fighting and more to fixing this land than war."
Umina nods. "So your wife...seems nice."
Her face flushes a bit, but she remains where she is.
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"She's an amazing woman. When we were gone for what felt like a week to us, two months passed on the outside. When we got back she asked me to marry her and, well in some small way, you declaring your...feelings made me realize that I couldn't live without her. I'm sorry. Especially knowing that you've exiled yourself from the Anizari. She just....she fills a hole in my heart that I didn't know I had."
Sādhanā blushes. "I'm sorry. I'm babbling, we've only been married for a little more than a day."
Umina chuckles, a mere feint. "It's good. You found a life outside of war. Maybe I'll find someone."
She steps back from Sādhanā. "I better go back and check on Zeph. Have a good night."
"Well, this was on Alarion, so it's not just Zahvroma that's crazy."
"Your right. It's probably just us."
Ylrhea walks into the fort. "Of course it's just us! So, where's your room?"
"I certainly hope so, have a good night Umina. I'll see you at the wedding celebration." Sādhanā says quietly. As Umina heads off to find Zeph she makes her way back to the fort, heading straight to her room.
Cyna leads the girls to her room so they can unpack their belongings and get settled in for the night.
Clara looks up as her wife walks in. "I hope it was nothing bad."
Sienna tosses her bag in one of the corners and flops on the bed. "Ahhhhhh. Today was a long day."
Ylrhea unpacks her bedroll and sets it up on one side of the room. "Maybe we need to invest in a partition. You two might not mind seeing each other naked, but this..."
She gestures at her body. "...Ain't for you."
"Alright then I'll see what I can find."
With a chuckle Cyna leaves the room in search of a temporary solution. An unused sheet or the like.
Cyna finds some curtains in a drawer.
"No love it wasn't. Umina has distanced herself from Anizari society because she's tired of their emphasis on the collective over the individual. She's tired of war and would rather live a peaceful life. She's also the wielder of the third blade of Aroden, Hope. She heals rather than destroys. She wanted to know if I told the Anizari about her.I promised her I wouldn't" Sādhanā says walking up to the edge of the bed and kneeling in front of her wife.
"Hmm, you like to pose tough questions. You hardly know either of them, so I wouldn't get too personal."
"So what would you too personal?"
As they were making their way to the roof of the fort, they passed Skaar's room just as Corda opened the door. Her eyes were all red and her hair slightly disheveled, she looked an absolute mess. "Oh, hey. Has there been any news of Skaar? I'm worried *sniff* he's not *sniff* coming back." Almost immediately, she burst into tears and collapsed to her knees, burying her face in her hands.
Arista looks at Alethrio before letting go of him to kneel in front of Corda. Arista takes the distraught woman into her arms and cradles her there.
"Shhhh, it's okay." She strokes her back while holding her, trying to convey her understanding while comforting her. She continues to hold her and let her cry, "It's true, he did disappear after the others accidentally released some shadows....but, he has Nicatha with him and I'm sure he'll find a way back. He's Skaar, he loves you and that baby, and there is nothing that will be able to keep him from either of you for long. It just might take him some time to find a way back, that's all."
She looks up at Alethiro, her eyes are full of emotion as she tries to comfort Corda. She loosens her arms that are around Corda so she can look her in the eyes, "He didn't go through everything he did just to lose you now. For now you need to try and relax, all this worry isn't good for you or the little one. We were going to go up to the top of the fort to look at the moon. It's full and beautiful tonight...so, why don't you come up there with us and get some fresh air? I think it will do you some good."
Arista strokes her hair and back while talking soothingly to her.
Clinging to Arista like a scared little girl to her mother. After regaining some composure, she answered, "It just might at that. *sniff* Lead on."
Cyna returns to the room and sets up the makeshift partition. "G'night."
Holding Corda gently, Arista helps her stand back up. She puts an arm around her and leads her up to the roof of the fort with Alethiro following behind them.
Once they get up there she has Corda take some deep cleansing breaths, "There....that feels a little better doesn't it?" With Alethiro next to her she stands there with Corda and rubs her back.
"Good night," Ylrhea says as strips out of her gear and runs a finger down a scar across her breast. Maybe it'll be better now.
She pulls an old nightgown that she hadn't worn in years out of her backpack. She kept it for sentimental reasons, but something just told her to wear it instead of sleeping in her regular clothes. She lies on the bedroll and stares at the wall for a moment before closing her eyes. Ylrhea succumbs to a thankfully dreamless sleep.
Sienna crawls under the covers and wraps her arms around Cyna. "You've got a bigger heart than anyone I've ever met. I love you."
Clara looks into Sādhanā's eyes. "I'm glad that you can help her. She seemed so lost."
Elena shrugs. "Anything you wouldn't want to receive from a stranger."
She smiles. "Since Arista liked the pins I made, maybe a couple of those."
Cyna rolls under the covers to face Sienna. "Anyone? Even Arista?" she says in jest. Cyna runs a hand through her partners hair. "I can't imagine what I'd do without you, Sienna. I love you too."
Sienna chuckles. "Ah, but I love you not Arista. I'm not going to say anything like that to her."
"Good. I'd get super jealous if you did." Cyna says with a smile.
"Sweet Dreams." she says with a kiss.
"Good night, Cyna...my love," Sienna murmurs before falling asleep.
"She did. Hmmm, what do you have on hand?"
"A variety of things. Mostly animals though," Elena answers. "We'll have to go to the shop."
"That is better. Thank you Arista." Looking up at the moon, her face turns serene, "She is beautiful tonight, isn't she?"
"Is it still open?"
"It truly is amazing what the moon does to any landscape."
"Yes, especially with another wedding tomorrow."