Kelda nods thoughtfully, "Ahhh...yeah, okay. I must have gotten turned around with all the different places we ended up in on our way to here. This is why I'm not in charge of making maps. While I'm pretty good at smashing stuff in the face with my hammer, I'm directionally challenged and probably couldn't find my way out of a sack." She says, being what she thought passed for funny, in her own strange quirky way.
After taking a few drinks of her beverage, Kelda digs back into her soup and bread. Having already finished the delicious salad, she enjoys the rest of her soup. Using small pieces of bread to soak up every last bit of it, she sways happily from side to side while emitting soft sounds of enjoyment.
Having obviously and thoroughly enjoyed her meal, Kelda finishes off her drink and sits back in her chair with her hands across her belly, "Well, that was absolutely delicious and super filling. I don't think I'll be needing much else for quite some time" She says, giving the others a chance to finish their food ad well. She didn't realize she was so hungry when they sat down, and had therefore practically inhaled her food, while trying not to look like some kind of savage while doing it.
Sitting there, Kelda wonders what Muriel might want to talk to them about, and if it had anything to do with her sister.
Meanwhile, in one of the rooms upstairs in the Inn, a young lady is packing her things into her bag and taking stock of supplies.
It had been nice of Basil to allow them to stay, but nothing would get solved this way. She had heard what the old guys on the wall had been saying recently, since no one usually paid her much attention, and she was not going to be left behind while they tried to deal with the multiple threats around them.
Taking a deep breath, Sapphira tries to calm her mind. She wasn't sure how Jade would react to her wanting to go with Basil and these other two people they knew nothing about....but she couldn't just sit here. She didn't think convincing her big sister would be difficult. Jade hated the goblins about as much as she did, as well as whoever was really behind all the suffering that so many had endured.
Unsure of how much time she would have before her sister showed back up to the room from talking to the people in town or whatever it was her sneaky self was up to, Sappira practices what she will say to Jade in her head. Hoping her sister would be in a good mood to listen to her.
Muriel comes out and sits at the table. She looks down at her hands for a moment before looking up at Kelda and Lysithia. "Something happened to my sister at Ardin's Tower...I saw her once after she disappeared, but before I came back to Cooperton. She acted as if she was possessed and a group of goblins followed her. Verny said she was their "queen" now...Something stopped her from having them attack me, but it's all so confusing. I'm sure you'll run into her while you're in the forest, but please don't kill her. Find some way to save her."
Hearing Muriel talk about her sister reminds her of Sophie and how she wasn't able to do anything to save her. She would be damned if she let that happen to Muriel and her sister.
Knowing that Lysithia would feel the same way about doing everything they could to save Muriel's sister that she did, it doesn't take long to give Muriel an answer.
Reaching across the table, Kelda puts a hand over Muriel's hands and gives her a reassuring squeeze while looking her in the eyes, "I am so sorry that happened to your sister. I know what it's like to lose someone so close to you to those little green bastards....but I promise you, we will make them regret the day they decided to start acting like fools in our valley. I give you my most solemn vow, on the honor of my family, and my very life, we will do whatever we have to, in order to save your sister from their clutches and restore her to herself. We will bring her home, no matter what it takes, or how many goblins we have to kill. I will not allow them to destroy anyone else's family....the way they destroyed mine. We knew there had to be a serious reason why she was separated from her familiar."
Letting go of Muriel's hands she leans back in her seat a little, "Can you just go ahead and give us a description of your sister, so we'll know who she is whenever we see her? I promise we will bring her back to you, and whatever they did to her....we'll find a way to fix it. I swear it to you."
They would not only save Muriel's sister from the little green bastards, but any other slaves they found along the way. She was sick and tired of the gobblins crap, and all the destruction and pain they were causing in their wake.
Feeling her resolve renewed with this new sense of purpose, she looks at Lysithia and Basil, "I hope you both have a change of clothes to bring with you, because this just went from a reconnaissance mission to a hunt. If it's a blood bath they want, then it's a blood bath they shall have." She says, a fire showing in her eyes again as she slams her fist down on the table for emphasis.
Sapphira hated having to just sit up in the room and wait for Jade. She didn't like sitting around doing nothing, and she had never liked sitting still for too long.
Having finished the packing, and having already double checked to make sure they were good on supplies, Sapphira sits down on the bed with a sigh, "Now what?" She asks out loud to no one in particular.
Already feeling bored out of her mind, she goes through her pack and pulls out her beloved Shakuhachi. It had been a gift from her teacher and she cherished it.
Propping herself up against the headboard of the bed with some pillows, she crosses her legs and brings the instrument to her lips before closing her eyes and beginning to play. Through her music she relays all her frustration, anger, and grief.
As she plays, Sapphira loses herself in the music, weaving a tale of heartache, loss, and survival with every note she plays.
Having finished gathering as much information as she could about the fort and the surrounding area, Jade makes her way back to the room she shares with Sapphira, noticing Muriel and Basil sitting at a table, talking to a pair of women one of whom seems very animated about something. Probably goblins given they were the biggest problem anyone had these days.
Working to release the tightening in her jaw that happened everytime she thought of the murderous bastards, she takes a deep breath as she ascends the stairs, a bit of the tension easing out of her shoulders as she hears the haunting melody of her sister's shakuhachi playing coming from their room.
It was good that she had her music as an outlet for her emotions, especially since she tended to laugh things off and act for the most part as if things didn't really bother her. It was probably healthier than her own way of venting, usually involving her axe.
Sighing to herself, she opens the door, quietly slipping into the shared room.
Momentarily lost in her own world as she plays, Sapphira doesn't hear the door to their room open, or shut.
As she plays through her feelings, a dampness gathers in the corner of her eyes.
She continues playing for another minute or two, before the final note fades away slowly. Sapphira takes a moment to breath and wipe away the wetness that had gathered at the corner of her eyes during her playing. It had been almost a week since the devastating attack on their little logging town, and she still refused to let her true feelings show. She hadn't even allowed herself to cry after seeing their home in flames, not knowing if their parents were alive or dead. There was no time for her feelings or grief right now.
Once she gets herself back under tight control again, Sapphira finally notices her sister sitting on the other bed. Looking a little surprised she says, "Oh hey, you're back. I'm sorry I didn't hear you come in." She says, packing her Shakuhachi back in her bag along with all her other things that are packed up next to her bed.
Taking a breath as she climbs back up on her bed and sits facing her sister, "I need to talk to you."
Instead of giving time for suspense to build, and before Jade has time to worry about what kind of "talk" her sister was wanting to have, Sapphira decides to just plow ahead with what she needs to say.
Taking a steadying breath, she looks up at her sister, "While I'm grateful to Basil and Muriel for letting us stay here, and even though they've been really nice about everything....I don't want to stay here. They're no better off here than we were, and it's only a matter of time before they're completely run over. I'm tired of sitting around on my butt, waiting for something to happen. I was hanging around the wall earlier and heard that old guy talking about Basil and those two chicks that showed up. Apparently, they're gonna be heading into the forest to look for those little green bas..jerks and I want to go with them. I...I want you to come with me. This could be our only chance to take the fight to them, and pay them back for all the horrible things they've done....maybe even find the jerkwads that are in charge of these raids, cuz it sure as Hell isn't the goblins. They are way too stupid to be pulling off these kinds of attacks without help."
Sapphira worries her bottom lip between her teeth, "Please Jade? I can't do this without you, and I really want to kick some goblin ass." She gets quiet then to give her sister a chance to think about what she's asking her to do.
Jade listens quietly as her sister gives voice to her thoughts, considering the danger, and merit of the idea. Gods knew she wanted nothing more than to bring as much pain as suffering to those bastards as she could, but she also had a responsibility to keep them both alive.
"If you think that eventually, they'll hit this fortified place with enough force to overrun things like they did our village, what chance would 5 people have charging into a mass of them?" she asks her sister, thinking through the idea, rather than simply reacting.
Sapphira gets that look in her eyes that tells Jade that trouble is a brewing in her head.
Getting a scary looking smirk on her face for a fourteen year old girl that is all of four feet and two inches tall, Sapphira leans forward a little as if getting ready to impart some kind of great secret to her sister.
"Why it's very simple my dear sister. There's no way all those stupid jerk faces are gonna be in one place. They been hitting multiple places close to the same times. It's a simple matter of divide and conquer. We find and take out the smaller camps first. Maybe stake them out once we find them and take them out a few at a time as they go on patrols or whatever those idiot heads do. We focus on smaller numbers first, find out where their leaders are and take them out as we can. Eventually, the little buggers will lead us to who is really in charge and then BAM!! We got their sorry asses where we want them. We just gotta whittle down their numbers a little at a time. Oh, and if we run across any of their women folk or young, we simply convince them that it would be in their best interest to leave our valley and never come back, as we will slaughter their males in front of them." Her smile gets s little wider and scarier looking, as she lays out her plans on how to reek bloody vengeance on the little green beasts, and anyone else involved with the ugliness.
It's very safe to say that Jade had never seen Sapphira this cold or calculating before, and it was obvious that she had been thinking about this for a long time now.
Getting up from her spot on her bed, she goes to sit next to Jade and lays her head against her arm the way she used to do when she was little, "Please Jade...they have to pay for what they did. They just have to....I just can't stop thinking about it, about everything I want to do to them. I just know if we team up with them, and with your sneakyness, we can do this. Pllleeeaaasssse Jade, I promise I'll never ask you for anything else as long as I live." She begs in her cutest
little girl voice she can muster. Her deep blue eyes seem to pulsate, as she turns them on her sister, with her saddest puppy dog pouty expression.
Aside from the sad puppy dog eyes look that she gives her sister, a look that she had perfected over the years to try and get her way both with her parents, as well as her older sister, there is not much of the innocent young girl that Jade remembers in Sapphira as she talks about eliminating the enemy in such a cold, detached, and calculating way.
Even though she tries her best to shove her own feelings down, the unchecked rage in the tone of her voice when speaking about the little green monstrosities, gives away just how much everything has effected her, even if Sapphira is unwilling...or unable to show it openly.
The goblins attack had taken much more from Sapphira than just her home, parents, and friends. It had taken her sense of safety, her youth, and her innocent if not somewhat mischievous and carefree nature.
Getting a look of thoughtfulness on her young face for a moment she pats Jade on the leg softly before getting up from where she was sitting next to her on the bed.
Going over to her main pack, Sapphira goes through it before finding the object she's looking for. Carrying the smallish item carefully in her hands, she returns to Jade and stands in front of her.
Holding her hand with the object in it out to Jade she says, "Daddy gave me this a couple nights before.....before the attack. He said...he said it would help us to find our way and keep us from getting lost. I'm not very good at using it...but I know you're better at that kind of thing...so, I want you to have it." She says, putting their father's compass into Jade's hands, "I'm pretty sure he'd want you to have it too." She says a little more quietly, holding her emotions tightly within her.
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Jade looks at her sister, wordlessly processing Sapphira's words, as well as the drastic changes in her sister since the goblin attacks that levt them fighting for survival. Nearly gone was her fun, playful sister, replaced by someone so filled with vengeful hatred as to be almost unrecognizable.
A part of her agrees, that part of her that was becoming increasingly good at hunting and slaying her enemies, would like nothing more than to lay waste to those that had taken their loved ones and their home from them. And yet, when they were forced to flee, she'd made a promise to their parents, to keep Sapphira safe, and part of that promise, was to keep her from tumbling down into the abyss of darkness and hate that the goblins had opened up in their lives.
Taking the compass, she stared down at it, probably the last thing she would ever hold that their father had held, a guide to help them find their way.
"Alright. If they're going to strike out at the goblins, we'll go with them if they'll have us. But no stupid reckless stuff. We didn't survive the village, just to rush in and die doing something stupid, understand?" she asks holding her sister's gaze.
Sapphira can barely contain her excitement as she jumps up and down. Getting herself under control, she makes an "X" motion over her heart, "Oh I promise to be good and not go rushing in. I promise you won't regret this Jade. We'll make them pay for every horrible thing they've done, and not just to us. We'll make them pay for every person they've killed, every family they've torn asunder, for every village they've destroyed, and just every single horrible thing they've done....we will have justice. By the time we're done, there will either be nothing left of them, or the few that do manage to escape us will be scattered far far away from here. Most importantly, we'll be doing it together."
Stepping closer to Jade, Sapphira wraps her arms tightly around her sister and hugs her longer than she has since they escaped the attack on their village. With her arms tightly about her sister, Jade can feel how hard and fast Sapphira's heart is beating. While holding on to her sister, "Thank you....for seeing how important this is to me. I promise to be careful, and I'll make you, momma and daddy proud of me." Finally letting go of her sister, she gives her a kiss on the cheek, "I know we can do this, as long as we stick together. Come on, let's tell them the good news. I can't wait to see Basil's face when we tell them we're going with them." She says excitedly, as she goes to her belongings and starts gathering them up.
After spritzing herself with a little of her favorite perfume, Sapphira grabs up her stuff and hands Jade her gear. Giving her sister a smirk, "I took the liberty of packing up all your stuff. I wanted to make sure we were ready to go, so they could see we were serious."
Once they both have their things together, Sapphira takes the lead and marches downstairs.
Heading straight for the table where Basil and Muriel sit talking to the two ladies, she stops next to them and looks at Basil, "Hey, we heard that you and these two ladies were gonna be going into the forest to look for the goblins, and I just wanted to let you know that we're gonna go with you too. Jade here is really good at being sneaky and hunting stuff, as well as navigating through different terrain. I can use a crossbow fairly decent, plus some magic ability, I can play the Shakuhachi, and I'm pretty good at cooking....which is almost always helpful. So, whaddya say? Will ya let us come with you to kick some serious goblin butt? Keep in mind that if you tell me no, we'll just track you and follow you anyways." She says with an impish smile as she looks from Basil and Muriel to the two ladies, as she awaits their answer.
Getting a look of embarrassment she adds, "Oh, I'm Sapphira by the way. Sorry I forgot to say that first."
Kelda looks from her love to the others as her thoughts are interrupted by what appeared to be a young girl, who was wound even tighter than she was. It didn't take long for Kelda to realize that she must have been through some kind of trauma recently to speak so vehemently and with such passion regarding the destruction of another race. She wondered what the connection between the two girls was, and where they came from.
Her first reactionary instinct was to of course tell her that it was too dangerous for someone so young, and refuse to let them come....but then, she remembered how much she had been hurting herself, and how much she blamed herself for everything that happened. Maybe Sapphira was here now with them, so they could help get her through this really difficult time without allowing her to drown herself in anger, grief, and regret. Maybe they could help these two young ladies, the way that Lysithia had helped her. They both seemed pretty young, far too young to carry around so much hate and anger.
Pulling up a couple more chairs to the table, she motions for the girls to join them.
"Before we agree to allow you to come with us, I think we should get to know each other a little bit. We don't know anything about you, where you came from, where your parents are. I can tell that you're angry and hurting, but we have to make sure that your feelings will not cloud your judgment while out on the battlefield. We have no way of knowing what we might come up against, and one bad decision made in haste could put us all at great risk."
Her left eye twitches slightly. It was obvious this woman wasn't going to make this easy.
Taking a deep breath, she shoves down every single feeling that she has before looking the Dwarf in her eyes, "Fine, that's understandable I suppose. Jade is my big sister, we were from a place called Wodrick....it was a kinda small logging town. Our main export was lumber, but we did have some farming land and livestock as well. Well, that was before those maggots came and destroyed everything. They simply wiped out anything and everything in their path, were setting fire to everything. Between the animals and humans, I don't know who's screaming haunts me more. We don't have parents anymore, and I don't even know if they're dead, or if they were taken as slaves. Soooo, we're pretty much on our own from now on. They took everything from us, and all I want is to make them pay for what they've done....for what they're still doing, and will continue to do unless we stop them. If....if we find anyone alive that they've taken....I want to save them, and punish the wicked. I'm fourteen, and all I have is my sister and my anger....please let me use it to help get justice for those that have been wronged. I promise you the same thing that I promised my sister. That I will be careful and not go rushing into any super dangerous situations, and that I will not allow my emotions to dictate my actions. Is that enough information, or is there something else you'd like to know?" She says somewhat sarcastically. They wouldn't be here if things were all fine and dandy at home.
Taking a moment to take in everything Sapphira had said, it was easy to see that they would most likely be unable to dissuade her from this course of action.
Looking over at her love she lets out a little sigh, wondering what her beloved thinks of all this. Looking back at the two sisters she says, "I know exactly how you feel, and I'm so very sorry for your loss...for the both of you. You're very lucky to still have each other at least. We are going to be deep inside enemy lines, and it could get very dangerous out there. There is no telling exactly what we might come across at any given moment. Jade, are you okay with your sister going down this path? It's not that I don't think you're capable of taking care of your sister, I just want to be sure that you're aware of what could happen, and that you're okay with her coming with us...that you're both ready to deal with whatever we might come across. I won't refuse the help if you're okay with it, and this is what you want. Kelda looks back at her love again, before looking back at Jade. She really was curious to find out how the young woman felt about her sister wanting to go to war with the goblins.
Sapphira's face starts turning a deep red and she slams her hands down on the table, ice spreading out from them as she does so, "I am not some baby that can't take care of itself. I'm a mostly grown ass woman that is tired of these green bastards getting away with everything they're doing and I think the time has come to do something about it. Tell them Jade, tell them I'm not some defenseless child." She says, the frustration clear in her voice from being talked about like she wasn't right there.
Kelda doesn't say anything, or react to Sapphira's display. She simply looks from her beloved, to Jade, and waits to see what she has to say, since she was technically her sister's guardian now. She also wanted to know what her love and Basil thought about the two girls coming with them, but she wouldn't say anything else or ask any other questions until Jade had a chance to share her thoughts.
Jade returns the hug, holding her sister close, sharing one of the few somewhat peaceful moments since they'd fled their burning town. She was determined to keep her safe throughout all this, but she agreed that doing something was better than just sitting around waiting for the next attack. Taking up her gear, she follows her younger sister down into the common room to meet those venturing out to deal with the goblins.
She cringes inwardly at Sapphira's blunt, abrasive approach, speaking to the strangers...of the two of them, Sapphira was the one that people usually found likable.
With a sigh, she takes a seat at the table, nodding to the rest of them, and once again cringing internally as Kelda poses, what is a perfectly reasonable question, knowing full well it would likely set Sapphira off again.
"Sapphira can handle herself. She has a gift, strong, cold magic, and a decent head on her shoulders, most of the time." she says giving her sister a look. "Besides, she goes where I go, and vice versa, and out there taking the fight to the goblins is better than sitting around waiting for another place to be overrun by them."
She speaks with the tired calm of one who'd seen much of battle, far more than a 17 year old should have at this point in her life, but also with the assuredness of a survivor.
Kelda nods solemnly, "I can understand how she feels." She says, noting the look that Jade gives her sister, and not wanting her to think that Sapphira's outburst upset her. "I'm tired of watching them systematically destroy our home too. I can't even imagine what the both of you have been through, but I definitely understand wanting to make them pay for every despicable thing they've done, and every life they've destroyed. We just have to be careful not to lose ourselves in the process." She says, hoping that Sapphira can understand what she's trying to say, as well as reminding herself that she should listen to her own words and heed her own advice. Looking back at the sisters she adds, "Whether or not you come with us isn't just up to me though."
Looking at Basil and her love she asks, "So, what do you two think about them joining us? It might help having two more people with us, and having one that can be "sneaky", and one that obviously has some magical abilities couldn't hurt."
Having the figurative wind taken out of her sails by her sister's and the other lady's calm response to her outburst, Sapphira quietly plops down into the chair next to her sister, "I'm sorry....I'm just tired of feeling like....like they keep getting away with all these horrible things they're doing. I just....I want it to stop, and if Jade and I can be a part of making that happen....then that's what we want to do." She says, feeling bad about her earlier approach...she just decides to be honest about her feelings, minus the bravado.
"I think it would be a great help to have you both along." Lysithia says as thing calm down a bit. "With the goblins acting in increasing numbers and coordination as they have been, every hand raised against them helps, and we are all safer in numbers than alone."
Kelda nods and looks over at Basil to see what he thinks.
"My sister has dark hair like mine, but she's taller and thinner than I am," Muriel says. "She also has a scar on her forehead."
Basil shrugs. "More people means it's more likely we'll get drawn into some fights, but it betters our chances for survival."
Kelda is about to ask a question regarding her sister's scar, when her thoughts are interrupted by a couple of young ladies.
Kelda nods, "I agree with the both of you on multiple points. As we have stated, having more people with us could increase our chances of survival, but could also attract more attention. I'm okay with that though, as long as we're careful and retreat when we need to. Like...I mean there might be times that we have to back off a little so we can keep fighting without risking our lives....but if we're careful, and methodical in the way we approach this....I believe not only could we make a great dent in their numbers and possibly rescue those they have taken....but we might be able to find out who's really behind all this and hopefully take them out as well."
Kelda pauses for a moment to try and figure out how to put what she's thinking into words, "So, it looks like we're all in agreement and you're welcome to come with us. Just no being reckless, and no unnecessary risks. Okay?"
Giving the sisters a welcoming smile she adds, "It occurs to me that I've asked you all these personal questions, but we haven't even introduced ourselves yet. Of course I'm assuming you already know Basil, who will be traveling with us, and Ms. Muriel. I'm Kelda, and this lovely young woman next to me is Lysithia. She's my....well, she's pretty much my best friend, love of my life, and hopefully one day....once we wipe out some of the evil around here...someday, my wife." She says in way of introduction, her eyes lighting up and a smile coming to her lips as she speaks of her love. Shaking her head to clear the more...interesting thoughts, she gets back to business. Looking at Jade and Sapphira she reiterates what Muriel had just been telling them before the sisters arrived. After getting them caught up on what's going on she looks back at Muriel, "So, you were saying she has a scar on her forehead. Can you tell us how big it is, or if it's in any certain shape? I just find that it helps to be as detailed as possible." Finally thinking that she said everything she needed to, Kelda gets quiet to give the others a chance to process everything she said, and waits to see if Muriel can describe the scar.
"Okay, we'll definitely keep an eye out for her." Lysitia reassures Muriel.
Sapphira sighs a little as Kelda just keeps talking. She really hoped that Kelda and the one she made love looks at didn't get all kissy and mushy in front of her, because that would just be gross. It would be like her parents when they would get all mushy and gross in front of her. Sapphira shudders at the thought before getting a sad look on her face.
"I'm happy to meet you both, and glad to have you joining us." Lysithia says to the sisters warmly as Kelda introduces her, giving her love a smile.
"Thanks for having us." Jade says with a nod.
Hearing her sister's voice snaps her back to the present as she looks up at the others, "Yeah, we appreciate the opportunity to go after the blighters with you. Sooo....are we ready to go now? We have all our stuff together already, and can leave at any time. Was there anything else you were needing to tell them about your sister Ms. Muriel?" Sapphira asks, wondering how far they would be able to get if they started right away.
Kelda looks from Sapphira to the others before looking back at Muriel, "Before we go, is there anything else you can think of that we need to know?"
"It's pretty noticeable," Muriel answers Kelda before giving a shrug. "But nothing unique about it."
Giving Muriel a nod, "Okay, as Lysithia said, we will definitely keep an eye our for her and do our very best to find her, fix or undo whatever was done to her, and bring her home."
Kelda looks back at Basil, "So, was there anything else we needed to get or do before heading out? I think Lysi and I have everything that we need, and it looks like the girls came down prepared to leave. I just couldn't remember if there was anything else we needed before heading out." She says, trying to make sure they weren't forgetting anything.
"I'm ready as well," Basil says, getting up and heading to the door.
Kelda nods, "Alright, guess it's time to go then." Kelda gets up and waits for Lysi before following Basil.