Elanna's eyes widen as she opens the coffer's lid and does her utmost to not snag a little diamond dust for herself.
"Huh, so much arcane stuff." Elanna says, uninterested in anything but the money. "I'm sure someone here can use it right?" She stands back up to let the magic users at it, and walks over to Hope whilst they are distracted, wanting to address the little outburst earlier.
"So what you said back outside Hope..... You know I was only doing that because we needed to distract those thugs don't you?" She says, trying to ensure that this whole situation doesn't get too ugly. "We just had a little fun last night didn't we?" She reaches over to place her hand on Hope's shoulder. "I know I certainly had a lot of fun."
Looking at the wide array of arcane scrolls, Triel can't help but playfully poke Fi. "See? What'd I tell you--the Vision came true."
With the fighting over Hope found her desire to destroy something thwarted by the defeat of the mushroom thing. She struggled with the voice again when Ela spoke to her and focusing on the woman's words helped Hope push the voice away and she felt better, at first, and better still when Ela's hand rested on her shoulder.
Hope's comfort changed at Ela's next words to one of confusion, she didn't understand what Ela meant and she said, "y-y-yeah, it was a lot of fun." Hopes currently black eyes looked up at Elanna's as she asked hesitantly, "B-b-but was that all it was to you? It was nothing more than...fun?"
Elanna's heart sinks for a second.Oh please no. Why did I have to like the clingy one. I need the ground to swallow me up right now.
"Well, that's what it always is, isn't it? A bit of fun? Considering we just met each other, Hope, I think it was a great night, and it would be great if we could enjoy each others' time a bit more I suppose." Elanna says, shooting a 'Please save me' look at her sister, hoping that she will notice.
Fioralba is no help to her sister at the moment, she is sitting on the ground pouring over the cache of magical items! She pulls out each scroll one at a time, looking over it in great detail before pulling out the next one. Awestruck, she cannot believe her luck in finding all of these arcane items. "This is ... AMAZING! This is a lifetime of spells I would have never had access to!"
She finishes going through them, tucking them all into her pack neatly before standing and approaching Triel. When she gets in front of her, she takes a knee and lowers her head as she pays homage to the Goddess of Visions "I am humbled by your word! Everything you said has come true, time and time again! Please continue to guide me along my quest, oh magnificent one!"
Hope was hurt to the quick as it became readily clear to her that the voice was right! Ela didn't want her, she just wanted to use her for fun and discard her. Hope warred with conflicting impulses, one wanted to let the void take Ela, crush her into an infinitely small point and keep her forever. Another just wanted to curl up and sob from the hurt of learning what she thought was something more wasn't. The last impulse was to take what was offered and nothing more.
It wouldn't be so hard if Hope hadn't gotten so attached to Ela but she had, No one was nice to Hope, and here this lovely woman was not only nice to her but slept with her, something that Hope was taught meant love. If she was loved by this woman Hope knew that she had some value but now, now it seemed that wasn't the case?
Some force exuded from Hope's body seemed to repulse Ela away from her as the stricken woman turned away. Hope's shoulder began to shake as she quickly went to Screaming Moon and through her arms around him to clutch tightly as she began to sob brokenly.
Ela stumbles backwards as she is buffeted away and is lost for words at Hope's very unexpected reaction.
She stands and stares at Hope and Screaming Moon for a minute, before turning back to her sister. "Well, I think I just burned some more bridges." She says, unsure of how else to react just yet. Elanna doesn't usually have to deal with the aftermath as she has usually skipped town the next day.
Not knowing what the issue might be, Screaming Moon never-the-less simply opens his arms as Hope approaches and wraps her in a warm embrace.
Smoothing her hair, he murmurs soothingly, "That's fine, Hope. Let it out. Allow yourself to feel sad, or hurt, or whatever it is. All emotions are a part of living, and are not to be feared or suppressed.
To allow yourself to feel is to heal. If you want to talk, we can talk. If not, that is fine too. There is no judgement here."
Tsu-la's small body presses against her legs from the other side, completing the circle of warmth as he looks up at Hope with sad eyes.
Triel looks down at Fi as she kneels before her. Oh for the Redeemer's sake...
"Fi, please don't kneel before me." She helps Fi back to her feet before leaning in to whisper in her ear. "At least, not here."
She was about to say something else when she hears Hope breaking down--and a bit violently at that. The drow's masked head snaps up and she watches as the girl cries in Moon's arms before glaring at Elanna through her hawk mask.
Fi rises from the ground and begins to take stock of what's happening around her. She looks at Hope bawling on Moon and then turns a quizzical look to her sister. She motions her sister over to her and with her hands on her hips whispers "Ela. I suppose this is related her proclamation above of her being yours?" she asks. "I suppose there may have been a more appropriate time for setting the unbalanced, chaotic girl loose rather than in the middle of our quest, don't you think?"
It took her several minutes to calm down enough but eventually Hope cried herself out for a while. She got out her water skin and wet down a scrap of cloth so she could wash her face off and then put it all say. She said quietly to Screaming Moon, "Thanks." She turned and faced whatever direction they would be traveling with her eyes most definitely not going near Elanna.
After patting her on the shoulder, Screaming Moon helps Hope straighten her hair, looks her in the eye, and gives her a warm smile.
He then turns to the rest of the party, dismissing the entire incident until Hope is ready to speak further.
"Let us go then. Have we fully investigated the room beyond the door?"
You have fully explored the formerly boarded-up room, so you return to the archway leading to the colonnade. Unfortunately, it seems your loud fight and conversation has drawn attention, as the hall is now occupied by four Roadkeepers! "There they are! Get 'em!" one shouts!
Instead of rushing into melee, Elanna hangs back, drawing her crossbow and firing a bolt--right into the far wall!
The thugs hang back as well, taking cover behind the columns and hurling daggers at the twins! Fortunately, all of their attacks come up short as well.
"Rude!" Fioralba says, "That's not how you welcome a lady!"
Fi casts touch of fatigue and moves in to deliver it with her rapier, setting up flanking for Ela.
+ Touch of Fatigue DC13
Screaming Moon focuses on the raiders' healing energies, encouraging them to get a good restful sleep.
Elanna, giving up on the idea of a crossbow, drops it and rushes over to flank with her sister. "I think they're just jealous Fi, they're just trying to get our attention!"
Triel sighs and twirls her spear before moving to engage.
When the sounds of the Roadkeepers charging them came Hope found she felt keenly the need to hurt someone. She stayed behind the front line of their group and, when she had a target she sent a ball of compressed gravity flashing out at her chosen target.
Triel takes down one of the Roadkeepers with a spear thrust to the throat! The twins both stab another one, wounding him but not taking him out. Hope misses as her target ducks back behind a column.
The remaining thugs draw shortswords. One swipes harmlessly at Elanna while the other two move in on Triel. The drow takes a sword to her side.
Screaming Moon completes his lengthy spell, and all three Roadkeepers fall asleep!
Triel glares at the unconscious Roadkeepers, holding her wound. "So, shall we kill them now?"
Screaming Moon rushes up to Triel and starts applying his salve to the bleeding slash.
Looking down at the bandits, he shrugs. "That seems excessive, but we also don't want them to steal the wagons or lie in wait for us on the way out.
Perhaps we could board them up in the room where the mushroom was?"
"You're very forgiving Moon." Elanna says, resisting the urge to give one a good kick in fear that it would wake them up. "If it were up to me, then I would absolutely off them now, but if you insist..." Her voice trails off as she grabs some rope and starts tying up a couple of the thugs.
"I've had enough experience tying people up, that this should do well enough. Come, on help me out." She says, with a wink to Fi.
While the twins get to work tying up the unconscious men, Triel sits down and bows her head.
Aw, come on, really? I was having the nicest nap!
Yes, I'm sure you were. But we're dealing with a nest of bandits, and I need you to come out and help--
What, you need me to hold your hand or something?
No. I need you to help us root them out.
...so, you do need me to hold your hand.
Vindir, for f!#*'s sake--
Ah, relax. You know I'm only teasing, right?
...you're impossible sometimes, you know that?
So I've been told. Now, you sure these surfacers won't start panicking when I appear?
Well, Hope might take an exception to you...
Riiiiight. The mixed-blood with poor aim.
Vindir!
What? Am I wrong?
Just--shut up and get out here, will you?!
Fine, fine...
A faint blue glow is starting to surround her.
Shrugging, he replies, "Forgiveness is not the word I would use. We came into their home and started attacking them. We have no legal authority to prosecute them for their thefts, nor is that our intent.
In a very real sense, they were defending their home from invaders. Should we expect them to act otherwise?
We have disarmed them and they pose no further threat. We just want to keep them from mischief until we leave."
Fi sticks her tongue out at Ela when their ropework is discussed and helps position the men for her sister to tie off off. Once done, she declare "There! Now you boys sit her nice and cozy like while we finish up here."
Wiping her hands together, she says "Alright. Everyone ready to go?" Looking over at Triel she asks, "Madame Hawk, are you quite alright?"
"I think she's looking a bit off colour?" Elanna says, with concern for her own safety, stating the obvious. She takes a few tentative steps backwards, pulling her sister with her as a precaution.
"Are you about to have a premonition or something?"
Triel's eyes snap open once her communion is complete, and she slowly rises to her feet. "I've just got one more truth to tell..."
She starts walking a few steps forward--and the blue glow around her becomes brighter with each step. Triel turns in one direction to walk--and the glow turns sharply in the opposite direction. Emerging from Triel's body is a ghostly blue elf, his features bearing a sharp resemblance to her. His shirtless chest bears a massive scar from his collar to his belly.
The blue elf-ghost makes a show of stretching. "FINALLY! Do you know how cramped it can get in your head, Triel?"
"I suspected." Triel responds.
"Everyone, this is my twin brother, Vindir."
"Your....twin brother? You keep him inside you? Thats....unusual." Elanna says, eyeing up Vindir distrustfully.
"So, do you see and hear everything your sister sees?"
"Well, she can't exactly have me out and around normal people, right? Especially not after that Roderic's ghost started acting up." Vindir shrugs. "And, no. I can't do that."
"Not yet, at least."
Fi staggers back a step at the sudden appearance of a ghost from Triel's body "What is this?!" she gasps, "This is your brother?" she asks Triel.
The magus looks over at Elanna's question, she had been wondering the same exact thing before turning back to the newcomer. "Well, hello Vindir I'm Fioralba, but I suppose you already knew that."
"Why have you decided to make you appearance now? Did you decide or did your sister?" she looks over at Triel, wondering why she did not share this information when they were discussing her brother last night.
"I chose to summon him." Triel steps next to her ghostly twin. "I thought we could use his assistance--and that he would appreciate a chance to stretch his legs, as it were."
"I wanted to summon him for the fight against Mother Nightthrush, but that kicked off before we even had a chance to talk..."
Vindir just points at Triel as she explains things.
"Do you keep him trapped ...in your head?" Elanna says, eyebrow raised.
"Admittedly, I'm still trying to figure out how that all works, myself." Triel gives Vindir an apologetic glance. "As far as I'm aware--"
"Hey, relax." Vindir holds his hands up. "Whenever I'm in her head, I'm not trapped. If anything, I do some of my best work protecting her in there."
Jumping back in surprise as the spirit emerges, Screaming Moon's mouth gapes open
Looking at the spirit, and the scar, he grows concerned. "So, Vindir, is... dead? You summoned someone who is dead? Does that make you a necromancer?"
Fi has no clue what's happening here and raises her rapier defensively when Moon brings up Necromancer. "Now, now. I'm sure there's a perfectly good reason for her undead twin to have just manifested himself that doesn't make Triel a necromancer... Right?"
"It's... complicated." Triel admits. "I'll try to explain. You know when someone mortal experiences significant emotional trauma, their spirits can be dragged down into undeath? Well, some mortal souls are strong enough to resist such a pull, and return to the Prime Material as a... well, like this."
"The two of us were practically inseparable while he was alive. After he..." She winces. "...died, the bond between us was strong enough that he refused to enter the Boneyard."
"So, no. Triel's no necromancer." The joking look on Vindir's face turns into one of fierce determination. "The two of us always had each other's backs in life, and I sure as the Hells am not about to let something like death stop me from helping her."
Fi grins and looks to Ela, lowering her blade. "Aww. Does this mean when you die that you get to be inside of me all of the time too? How sweet. That's love right there."
Turning back to Vindir, she tilts her head and studies him for a few seconds before saying "I wonder...". She then walks up to him and leans in towards his face, as if one were going for a kiss. Once she has his attention all proper like with the distraction, sticks quickly raises her rapier and presses the end in between the cracks of his armor to see what happens.
"Uh... what are you--?" The ghostly drow starts to say when Fi tries to poke him with her rapier.
The tip of her sword goes right through his incorporeal body.
"...so, normally, I'm not one to say this, but are you in yet?"
This phantom has certainly caught Fi's attention as she intends to study it to learn more. "Hmmm." she says, holding the blade through his body and then leaning through to the other side. "Neat."
She pulls the blade out and wipes it on the side of her pants, just in case there is Vinder-goo on it. "So does this mean you cannot interact with the real worth then?"
She tries to stick her hand through his face to see what happens.
Fi grins and looks to Ela, lowering her blade. "Aww. Does this mean when you die that you get to be inside of me all of the time too? How sweet. That's love right there."
"Hang on a minute Fi, who said I was going to die first?" Elanna says with mock outrage before coming very interested in her sister's experiment.
Triel watches and shakes her head in mild amusement when Fi starts poking and prodding Vindir in earnest.
Fi's hand goes through Vindir's face--and for a moment, it feels oddly cold. The phantom actually flinches away out of reflex.
"Well, if I need to manipulate the real world, I can manifest a physical body."
"Oh relax, Ela." Fioralba says as she continues to poke and prod the phantom a few more times before she rubs her fingers together to wipe away the cold feeling. "Very interesting." she concludes, finished with her science for now.
Turning to the spiritualist, she asks "Alright. Well. Welcome, Vindir. Shall we all move along now or are there more surprises you'd like to tell us about, Triel?"
Triel shakes her head. "Nothing else that's relevant to our endeavours. Shall we proceed?"
Vindir floats to Triel's side.
Unable to really understand Triel's explanation, Screaming Moon just shakes his head. "So it is more like he is haunting you? As long as the situation is a choice you are both comfortable with, I don't see any issues, though it doesn't seem natural.
Do I need to worry about channelling energy while around him?"
"Nope. But if you could do it while I'm injured, I'd appreciate that."