Block 1: Finoan, Inniska
Block 2: Blue wolf, caustic wolf
Block 3: Drake, Baradim
As the wolf near Baradim goes down to a pouncing attack from the automaton, the caustic wolf Strides closer to the group and lets out a haunting howl, a discordant melody working to wiggle fear into your brains.
The remaining mangy wolf snarls and charges toward Finoan, snapping his parasite-ridden teeth at the construct.
Finoan rips a huge gash in the side of the wolf. "Hah. Never send a dog to do a cat's job."
His gloating is cut short by the continued attack of the rest of the wolves though.
"Yow. Hey now," Finoan growls as the second wolf breaks skin on his shoulder.
"Nothing. Everything. I'm not quite sure." Baradim replied to the man after a long silence. When the wagon is ready to begin moving, Baradim finds his way just behind it and plods carefully to avoid losing his footing in the ruts it leaves behind in the soft, freshly wettened dirt.
Studying the departing half-orc a moment, the ranger scratches the side of his face in thought before eventually walking away.
She smiled, seeming oblivious of his inner thoughts, far as he could tell at least. "If you do so right after, yes, you can reply to my message, and I'll hear it." Glowing again, her words entered his mind. "Would you like to try? Go ahead, think anything back at me that you want."
She did not have anything to pack up, really, so she didn't mind spending the last few minutes in friendly conversation. She was honestly having fun using her abilities in a harmless way, for once.
With a crooked smile, "Really? Yeah, sure, okay. Oh, wait! I was supposed to think that." Taking a deep breath, ::"Okay, here goes. Um, wow, this is weird.":: His smile widens. ::"You can actually hear this, Niss? Wow. Um, okay, that 'glow' that you do. What is that?":: he asks, unable to take his eyes off her and that amazing glow.
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Combat
Taking in the scene, Drake quickly draws a hammer and launches it at the one attacking the cat-machine.
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-----Earlier, With Drake--------
She explains that whatever emotion she's harnessing to use her power tends to manifest in some way. "Glowing is new, but then...I'm not usually quite so happy." She realizes she's straying towards sharing too much with folks she's only just met, and hopes Finoan didn't catch her slip.
------Scary Wolves-------------
Having a firm grip on one's fear did not mean one was immune to it, and the wolf's howl spooks her. She spins to face the thing and does not argue when Baradim moves to place himself in front of her.
Baradim takes a swing at the corroded wolf, who stares the half-orc down until the last moment, dodging his blade by a fraction of a second. It lets out a long, low growl in response, readying itself for another attack.
Likewise, Drake's hammer goes just the slightest bit wide, landing not too far from the mangy wolf.
Fin watches in a calculating manner as the hammer comes sailing towards the wolf. "Hoo, pretty quick on your feet, aren't you?"
"Maybe a bit too fast," he says. Realizing that attacking this wolf head-on isn't going to work so well. He takes a couple of quick steps back, but keeping himself between the wolf and Inniska.
He looks behind himself briefly at Inniska. "Well, princess. That debris blast worked pretty well. You got any more tricks ready to go?"
Fear was a powerful emotion, but a dangerous one. Wielding it was like grabbing a crocodile by the tail. Let it go, and it could turn back on you. Inniska was not going to let it get the better of her. She finally had something akin to friends, and she would not let harm come to them.
Finoan asked if she had any more tricks ready to go. "A few." Her eyes glowed with power as she let the torrent of terror within her build to dangerous levels. This would hurt later.
"You think you're scary?" she asked the wolf rhetorically. "Run, little pup." Dark tendrils rush from her to the caustic wolf, wriggling into him like worms.
Her eyes move to Baradim and her can feel her in his mind. It's not words. Just an urging to stand tall in the face of the danger. All would turn out alright.
The caustic wolf tenses up for a moment, staring down Inniska, jaw slackened and acid dripping from its maw. It shivers from the effects of the spell and attempts to fight it, staying in place and trying to take a bite out of the psychic woman.
The remaining mangy wolf chases Finoan (Stride) and attempts another bite, skin dancing with bouncing fleas.
Unfortunately for the wolf, the bite glances off the automaton, and it growls with frustration.
The caustic wolf will snap at Inniska two more times, trying futilely to get a hold on the psychic.
The mangy wolf tries one more snap at Finoan.
Baradim can't really place what it is in his mind that is comforting him but he feels a surge of confidence that should not be there, especially as the beast digs its teeth into the psychic. Yet as it does, anger pumps through the warrior as he heft his blade up once more into the air and swings hard.
As he swings through, the warrior keeps his shield down and puts all of his effort into his backswing. The longsword comes back with a brutal weight behind it.
The wolf, if it was still alive, wisely ducked underneath the devastating blow.
Inniska screams as the wolf's teeth sink into her, acid from its maw burning deeply into her flesh. I should have done as Baradim said and stepped behind him... she lamented. But she'd wanted to help. The thing releases her and she's bleeding heavily, and staggers from the pain.
Eyes going wide as he snaps his attention over toward Inniska, What the...?! Dammit! Drake draws a hatchet, leaps down, and positions himself to at least try and block the wolf from doing any more damage to the psychic. He swings at the wolf but misses wide. "You know what, wolfie, nobody really likes you. I certainly don't. I know you don't understand me but you soon will," he vows.
Inniska did not make the same mistake twice. She withdrew a short distance, clutching her mangled arm to her chest.
She didn't want the canine making a meal of either of the men who'd stepped up to help her, either, though, so with one final push she regained control and launched a heavy rock towards the thing's head, simplifying her spell with everything she had left.
The rock smashes into the wolf's face like a cannonball, pushing the beast away from her companions to buy them time. With that, the glow fades from her eyes. A trickle of blood runs from her nose as she overexerted herself and she winces from the sudden pain in her head that she knew was coming. She clutches her good arm to the wagon to remain standing.
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Finoan asked if she had any more tricks ready to go. "A few."
"You think you're scary?" she asked the wolf rhetorically. "Run, little pup."
Finoan waits expectantly for a couple of seconds. When (apparently) nothing happens, he remarks, "I could be wrong, but I don't think giving it a stern talking to is going to make it go away. Maybe tr--"
"Whaaho. Watch it bud." His critique of Inniska's fighting style is cut short as the other wolf moves up to him again and nearly takes another bite out of him.
Fin takes a moment to plan his attack.
At that point, Niss launches a boulder the size of Fin's head at the other wolf, bringing it down and knocking it away. "Now that's more like it. Maybe I should just try something like that..."
Finoan suddenly body-checks the wolf and while it is off balance rolls under him. Then launches the wolf quite a distance using his back legs. "And you'll stay there if you know what's good for you."
He then moves to the side of the wagon. Again trying to keep himself between the wolf and Niss.
The remaining wolf whines against the shove, several things dawning on the creature at once: its leader is dead, its pack is dead, and... it is alone. With whatever semblance of intelligence left floating around in the parasite-ridden creature's teeny-tiny brain, it turns tail and bolts back into the forest whence it came.
Bort and Gregor make their way to the group while Tamli, Grunda, and the twins finish calming the horses and inspecting the wagons. Bort casts a critical eye over the group, his gaze landing on Inniska's heavily injured form. He looks to Gregor and nods, jerking his chin toward the group's resident Princess. "Got your supplies, Gregor? How are the rest of you doing?" Gregor nods, his kit in hand, and moves over to Inniska.
"Let me patch some of this up," The wood elf says with a smooth, buttery voice, smiling comfortingly at the psychic and beginning to gently and methodically clean and bandage her bites.
Tamli calls from the front, frustration tinging her deep, gravely voice: "Problem, Bort! Wagon's stuck in the mud. Could use some help getting it out."
For a few moments, Inniska's vision is full of blinding white light as her head feels like it might split in half. She slides down to the ground next to the wagon, sitting with her good arm pressed to her forehead and wincing. The headache soon passes -- she's used to them, when she overreaches, but it doesn't make them any less painful.
Of course, as the headache fades the pain in her arm returns to the forefront. She nods to Gregor when he approaches and presents her wounds, wincing but otherwise stoically accepting the necessary but painful cleansing. "I'm sorry for being a burden." The apology was not just for Gregor, but to the group as a whole.
Gregor's skills at healing were impressive, and she was soon patched up quite well, only a bit of soreness there to vex her a bit. Her dress , on the other hand, was fairly ruined. The arm was a mess, and blood had stained it badly. She excused herself into the privacy of a covered wagon and changed into the only other outfit she had -- the one she'd worn when Palina needed her to play the part of a noble, not a scullion. I suppose I will look more like the nickname Finoan bestowed upon me now, she thought wryly. She emerged from the wagon a few minutes later in said attire, hood hanging down behind her.
"I'm sorry for being a burden." The apology was not just for Gregor, but to the group as a whole.
Finoan chuckles a bit at that. "Heh. Save the apology for when you don't single-handedly kill most of the enemies we are facing."
When Niss goes into the wagon to get changed, Finoan approaches Gregor as well. "Mind doing that for me too?" He pulls his arm out of the light armor he is wearing to show the small bite mark he got from the one wolf.
Gregor shakes his head at Niss' statement, not dignifying it with a response. He turns his attention to Finoan when she leaves to change, grinning widely at the cat. "Happy to. No problem." He inspects the small bite mark, applying disinfectant and a bandage.
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"Thank you," Finoan says to Gregor as he puts his armor back in place.
He goes over to the pack leader wolf and begins examining it.
He pulls out his medical tools and examines the wolf, looking for anything out of the ordinary - but especially for what is causing the acidity of its bite.
▸ What's in the Etran's Folly box.
▸ Why is this Caustic wolf caustic?
Finoan gets a very concerned look about him. He sits in the dust on the roadside next to this dead wolf and just stares at it, pondering things.
"You fought well, Inniska. Do not let yourself feel ashamed." Baradim said firmly, a nod of respect following as he sheathed his weapon and shield back upon his back. "Next time though; behind me." When the call that the wagon was stuck, the orc would move to where it sat in the mud. Putting his back against it and slipping his arms underneath, he pushed with all the might that he could.
The pain in his arm is too distracting though as he pulls away with a growl of frustration.
-----Earlier, With Drake--------
She explains that whatever emotion she's harnessing to use her power tends to manifest in some way. "Glowing is new, but then...I'm not usually quite so happy." She realizes she's straying towards sharing too much with folks she's only just met and hopes Finoan didn't catch her slip.
Crossing his arms, he smiles at her. "Well then, Niss, if that's the case, I hope you glow more. Forgive me if this is too forward but it is very becoming. Not that you need it by any stretch but it suits you well," he smiles, nodding. "Looks like we're about to head out. Guess we'd better get going." Just before he takes his first step, a wry smile forms before looking back to Niss. "If you will allow me, milady, I'll gladly escort you to the caravan that's twenty feet away. It's what a proper gentleman would do. And having said that, I'm guessing right now you're probably thinking to yourself... wait for it..." He puts two fingers on his temple, looks directly into her - Bronze-colored? Or just a trick of the light? - eyes, and says, 'Where IS Cooky by the way?' before giving her a wink.
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---------Earlier, Before the Fight-----------
Inniska laughed brightly at Drake's joke, accepting the offered arm. "A good question. But I supposed you will do in a pinch."
Why had she been so nervous around these people before? Because you're nervous around everyone, she answered herself. Almost everyone you've interacted with has only wanted to use you, hurt you, or both. Drake learned about her talents, and just... marveled at them. He wasn't scheming ways to manipulate her into using them to his advantage. And Finoan? He only seemed to care about her baggage insofar as it endangered the group. She didn't have a good read on Baradim, yet. He was even quieter than she had been. But they weren't like the people she was used to dealing with. She liked them.
She didn't let Drake's arm go once they were sitting in the wagon together. Were she to use her powers just then, she was fairly certain she'd glow so brightly she'd blind him.
---------After the Fight-----------------
Inniska nodded to Baradim. "Don't worry. I don't intend to repeat that little mistake again. And thank you." She gave his arm a squeeze. "You put yourself in danger on my behalf. I won't forget it."
For a few moments, Inniska's vision is full of blinding white light as her head feels like it might split in half. She slides down to the ground next to the wagon, sitting with her good arm pressed to her forehead and wincing. The headache soon passes -- she's used to them, when she overreaches, but it doesn't make them any less painful.
As the projectile shoots by him right into the wolf and drops it, Drake quickly turns and moves to check on Inniska. Kneeling beside her and seeing how bad she's injured, the concern on the ranger's face is obvious. In an attempt to take her mind off the pain, "That was a helluva shot. That wolf didn't know what hit him. I think I made need some lessons from you if you've got the time. I can't seem to hit a wall if I was leaning against it," he grins.
As Gregor approaches, Drake moves out of the way but watches to make sure she's alright.
Of course, as the headache fades the pain in her arm returns to the forefront. She nods to Gregor when he approaches and presents her wounds, wincing but otherwise stoically accepting the necessary but painful cleansing. "I'm sorry for being a burden." The apology was not just for Gregor, but to the group as a whole.
Shaking his head and looking at her incredulously, "Are you kidding? If it wasn't for you, we'd still be fighting that thing and more than likely it's probably eaten half of me by now," he says matter-of-factly. "Well, unless Baradim finishes it off first. Don't sell yourself short, Niss. Never do that. You did well. Really well."
Gregor's skills at healing were impressive, and she was soon patched up quite well, only a bit of soreness there to vex her a bit. Her dress (which had resembled this minus the bonnet), on the other hand, was fairly ruined. The arm was a mess, and blood had stained it badly. She excused herself into the privacy of a covered wagon and changed into the only other outfit she had -- the one she'd worn when Palina needed her to play the part of a noble, not a scullion. I suppose I will look more like the nickname Finoan bestowed upon me now, she thought wryly. She emerged from the wagon a few minutes later in said attire, hood hanging down behind her.
Catching sight of the newly attired psychic, Drake finds himself fascinated. "Wow. You look...," he starts before quickly pausing, managing to catch himself. Placing a fist over his mouth as he quietly clears his throat, "Well now I see why Fin keeps calling you 'Princess'. That's a nice outfit. It fits you well. But if it's no bother, I think I'll stick with 'Niss'," he winks.
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"That was a helluva shot. That wolf didn't know what hit him. I think I made need some lessons from you if you've got the time. I can't seem to hit a wall if I was leaning against it," he grins.
Her teeth were clenched in pain and her face was sweaty but she forced a smile and nodded her appreciation for his attempt to keep her mind off it.
Shaking his head and looking at her incredulously, "Are you kidding? If it wasn't for you, we'd still be fighting that thing and more than likely it's probably eaten half of me by now," he says matter-of-factly. "Well, unless Baradim finishes it off first. Don't sell yourself short, Niss. Never do that. You did well. Really well."
Despite all the attention he'd been heaping upon her, and all the sweet things he'd said, this was the first time Drake saw her blush. "I...thank you." She looked as though she considered saying more, opening her mouth to speak, but then closed it again and just smiled softly and nodded at him.
Catching sight of the newly attired psychic, Drake finds himself fascinated. "Wow. You look...," he starts before quickly pausing, managing to catch himself. Placing a fist over his mouth as he quietly clears his throat, "Well now I see why Fin keeps calling you 'Princess'. That's a nice outfit. It fits you well. But if it's no bother, I think I'll stick with 'Niss'," he winks.
She smoothed out a few wrinkles from it being stuffed into her pack and used as a pillow these past few days. "Not the most practical travel attire. Let's hope that we don't run into any more wolves, though -- if I ruin this one I'll have to go about naked." You didn't say that out loud, did you? Oh, gods. You did. "So! Etran's Folly! Good old Plaguestone. Better get going. Let's go see if we can't get the wagon unstuck." She quickly turned away to hide her embarrassment and made her way towards the front wagon. She could not lift something quite so heavy, with her mind and wasn't that strong physically, but sometimes all it took was numbers.
---------Earlier, Before the Fight-----------
Inniska laughed brightly at Drake's joke, accepting the offered arm. "A good question. But I supposed you will do in a pinch."
"Thank you, milady" he says properly, smiling and giving a proper nod as he proceeds to escort her to the caravan properly.
Why had she been so nervous around these people before? Because you're nervous around everyone, she answered herself. Almost everyone you've interacted with has only wanted to use you, hurt you, or both. Drake learned about her talents, and just... marveled at them. He wasn't scheming ways to manipulate her into using them to his advantage. And Finoan? He only seemed to care about her baggage insofar as it endangered the group. She didn't have a good read on Baradim, yet. He was even quieter than she had been. But they weren't like the people she was used to dealing with. She liked them.
She didn't let Drake's arm go once they were sitting in the wagon together. Were she to use her powers just then, she was fairly certain she'd glow so brightly she'd blind him.
Sitting down next to her, Drake notices she won't let go of his arm and for some strange reason - a real mystery that is - he can't seem to stop smiling as the butterflies within his stomach seem to be giving him fits.
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She smoothed out a few wrinkles from it being stuffed into her pack and used as a pillow these past few days. "Not the most practical travel attire. Let's hope that we don't run into any more wolves, though -- if I ruin this one I'll have to go about naked." You didn't say that out loud, did you? Oh, gods. You did. "So! Etran's Folly! Good old Plaguestone. Better get going. Let's go see if we can't get the wagon unstuck." She quickly turned away to hide her embarrassment and made her way towards the front wagon. She could not lift something quite so heavy, with her mind and wasn't that strong physically, but sometimes all it took was numbers.
Eyes going wide, he mindlessly cuts his attention to her body before quickly turning his gaze away and feeling rather ashamed of himself. Okay, that was about as smooth as broken glass, Drake. Did you HAVE to visually take in her entire body like that? Why don't you just go ask her to strip for you while you're at it?! By the gods, man, that was just..., He shakes his head at himself, feeling his face going beet red. "Um, yeah! That's a good idea, Niss." He makes his way over to the wagon. "Let's get that wagon unstuck. Can't get anywhere with a stuck wagon. Yep. No siree. We can't." He pushes against it. "Nope. Stuck wagons are bad luck, you know. Yep. They sure are. It's because you can't go anywhere and you're, um, you're stuck, see?" Oh gods what in the hell are you talking about?!?! Shut up for crying out loud!!! Berating himself mentally, he sighs heavily and wisely decides to take his own advice.
So flustered as he keeps hearing her say the word 'naked', he slips in the mud, bangs his head on the cart, and hits the ground. Grabbing his forehead in pain and covered partially in mud, "Oh gods."
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Finoan breaks out of his contemplation of the wolf. "Shouldn't this sideshow be on the road by now?"
He heads up the line of wagons and finds the one stuck in the mud - along with Baradim and Drake. "Ah. That would be the problem."
Fin looks at the wagon in the mud for a moment. "Perhaps if it was lifted from below and not just pushed through the mud. Drake, since you are already there, give it a push once I get in position." Fin scuttles his way through the mud underneath the cart and shoves upwards on the floor of the wagon near the wheel that seems the most stuck.
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Seeing the wagon was a struggle to dislodge, she winced on Drake's behalf as he fell in the mud. Wonder if -he- has another outfit. The amusing thought distracted her from her own momentary embarrassment and she glanced around the area.
Using a simple bit of her power, she levitated a handful of gravel over in front of the stuck wheels for traction. As she helped push, she did what she could to mentally lift the worst of the wheels.
Fin looks at the wagon in the mud for a moment. "Perhaps if it was lifted from below and not just pushed through the mud. Drake, since you are already there, give it a push once I get in position." Fin scuttles his way through the mud underneath the cart and shoves upwards on the floor of the wagon near the wheel that seems the most stuck.
Sighing, "Yeah, yeah, okay." He then flings some excess mud off his hands before finding some solid ground to set himself - at least he hopes - before giving a strong shove, hoping it's enough to aid the automation.
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"It would if this one wasn't thinking with both heads at once." Baradim muttered, returning back to the mud and the grime. Bracing against the wagon and trying to lift with his back, he pushed hard.
Your combined efforts to move the wagons handily dislodge the stuck wagon while Tamli and Grunda immediately get to work getting the horses situated to get moving.
Bort approaches you all, grinning widely, and stands with his hands on his hips in front of you. ”Well, well! Looks like it was worth it to take y’all on for that discounted rate, eh?” He chuckles a little bit, glancing past you all to see Gregor treating Ulf and Olf for minor injuries sustained from trying to keep the horses calm. The twins are being predictably dramatic, and Gregor just shakes his head, quietly treating their wounds. ”Looks like we’re about ready to get goin’. We’ll be in Etran’s Folly in about an hour and dinner’ll be my treat tonight, as thanks.”
The caravan, now safe from wolves and muddy pathways, trundle into Etran’s Folly just a few hours before dusk. The caravans make a beeline towards the Feedmill, the only inn, tavern, and general store in the small community.
Along the way, you are treated to the sight of the town itself: a neighborhood of simple wood-and-thatch homes, all in similar states of disrepair. Several of the homes look completely abandoned, their roofs caved in. The rest of the town is a mix of turnip fields and small pastures. There are few people out and about at the moment. As the caravan passes through the middle of the town, almost to the Feedmill, the wagons pass a massive, moss-covered, cylindrical rock that stands 2 feet high with a hole in its center. It is clearly ancient and clearly important to the town.
When you arrive at the front of the Feedmill, a large establishment that is as run-down looking on the outside as the rest of the town, Bort takes his leave to conduct some business around town, promising to return before the night was over for dinner and merriment. Erda Wythe, the Feedmill’s stablehand, approaches with a single-minded worry over the state of the horses, who are a little worse for the wear after the wolf attack. She spends her time murmuring over the horses, offering them little treats as she gets them stabled and taken care of. Tamili, Ulf, and Olf head into the Feedmill, gesturing for you all to join them.
Finoan approaches Baradim while they are hopefully out of earshot of anyone else. "You mentioned being a soldier in Lastwall. You may be the best person in the group to talk to. Something is bothering me. That wolf pack leader was not any ordinary wolf. You saw how its bite burn Niss's skin? I don't think that is just genetics. It appears that the wolf had surgery done at some point. I can't really tell what the point of the surgery was, but I do know that wolves don't normally perform surgery on each other. Add to that the fact that there are several crates of alchemical supplies being shipped to Etran's Folly. What does that indicate to you?"
"Now, I don't think that anyone in the caravan is doing anything shady. Alchemical supplies on their own are a common trade commodity. I have no real evidence of this, but I suspect that something off kilter is going on in Plaguestone. Just keep your eyes open for now."
----Traveling----
Feeling like a bit more caution would not go amiss after the encounter with the wolves, Inniska chose to walk instead of ride the rest of the way. She didn't avoid Drake, but as she was still mildly embarrassed by her earlier slip of the tongue and subsequent thoughts, she did not initiate further conversation.
Once Finoan and Baradim finished their hushed conversation, she wandered over to the orc while they traveled, curious to know more about the quiet man.
"So, Lastwall, hmm?" she asked quietly. She didn't want to pry too much or to dredge up potentially painful memories, knowing the state of things in that region of the word to be faring poorly, so she turned the topic towards the future. "Have you got plans, once we reach Almas? Or do you intend to travel beyond the city?"
-----Arriving in Town-----
She looked around at the quiet, run down little town. Dreary. Maybe if they gave themselves a more cheerful name... she thought to herself.
When Tamli, Ulf, and Olf head into the tavern she smiles to the group. "I'll be along shortly."
Innika greets Erda, the halfling stablehand, once the others leave the stables. "Poor things had quite the fright," she explained, regarding the horses. She pet the side of one's neck. "We had a little run-in with some very angry wolves. One particularly nasty unnatural one." She held up her bandaged arm. "Thankfully this was the worst of the casualties. I'm Niss. You're very good with horses! They clearly like you. I've found that animals are excellent judges of character." She finds a spot to sit and talk while the woman sees to the horses, a hay bale or barrel or somesuch.
"It would if this one wasn't thinking with both heads at once." Baradim muttered, returning back to the mud and the grime. Bracing against the wagon and trying to lift with his back, he pushed hard.
After finally releasing the wagon from the mud, Drake brushes off his hands and looks at the half-orc. "Did you say something, Baradim?" he genuinely asks. "I'm sorry I didn't hear you if you did. Too busy concentrating on getting this thing unstuck." He places his hands on his hips and politely awaits a response.
Seeing Inniska deciding to walk, Drake decides to do the same. Keeping behind her for a bit due to him allowing his nerves to enslave him, the ranger rolls his eyes at himself. My gosh, McClain, what is wrong with you?! Just go! Taking a deep breath, he jogs to catch up with her. As he nears, "Hey, Niss, I hope you don't mind a somewhat filthy guy walking with you. I'll stand enough away from you so I don't touch your dress. I don't want to mess it up. It's too pretty." He smiles at her. "I gotta say, nice work with the wagon back there. It took the rest of us a couple of tries to get that thing to budge at all but you got it moving on your first try. Which, I firmly believe, is what was needed to get it out the rest of the way. You are just full of surprises, aren't you? It seems like when all else fails, there's Niss doing something amazing. So what other talents do you have up that 'sleeve' of yours? Unless, of course, that's all hush-hush. I totally understand." He shoots her a wink, grinning wryly.
She smiled at Drake and chuckled softly. "Nope, that's all of it. You now know all there is to know about me," she joked. "A shame really. I sort of wish I had a bunch more to show off, since it appears to entertain you so. Now that you've seen it all, you'll discover I'm really not that interesting." She winked.
-----Arriving in Town-----
She looked around at the quiet, run down little town. Dreary. Maybe if they gave themselves a more cheerful name... she thought to herself.
When Tamli, Ulf, and Olf head into the tavern she smiles to the group. "I'll be along shortly."
Innika greets Erda, the halfling stablehand, once the others leave the stables. "Poor things had quite the fright," she explained, regarding the horses. She pet the side of one's neck. "We had a little run-in with some very angry wolves. One particularly nasty unnatural one." She held up her bandaged arm. "Thankfully this was the worst of the casualties. I'm Niss. You're very good with horses! They clearly like you. I've found that animals are excellent judges of character." She finds a spot to sit and talk while the woman sees to the horses, a hay bale or barrel or somesuch.
Erda jumps a tad and drops the brush she was using on the horses, unused to being addressed by anything other than a farmer's mouthy goat. She bends down and scrambles to grab the brush, then offers a small smile to Niss, pleased that someone was acknowledging her skill. As Niss speaks, the expression slowly transforms into a slightly open-mouthed look of shock at the news of the wolves. She resumes brushing the horses, suddenly looking thoughtful. "Noala had mentioned that the animals in the forests were starting to act weird..." She murmurs, mostly talking to herself. She pauses and taps her chin with one finger, obviously lost in thought. After a moment, she cuts her eyes to Niss. "You should tell Noala next time she's in town. She's due any day now."
Niss smiles. "Noala. Got it. Is she the sheriff, or..? I'm new in town, and don't know anyone here, other than you." She made a show of mulling her own words over. "For that matter, I'd gladly take any advice you had for a newcomer to your quiet little village."
Laughing, "Okay, fair enough. But just so you know, Niss, I am a curious fellow so I guess I'm just gonna have to figure it out for myself. Which, to be honest, is perfect for me. And I'm a terrible liar so honesty is all I have." He grins, shrugging. "By the way, if you ever feel the need, don't hesitate to talk to me with your thoughts. I don't mind. Just so you know."
--------------------------
--------------------------
As they make their way in town, "Boy this place could sure use some fixing up," he comments to no one in particular. "I can't believe they're not doing a thing to fix anything around here."
When Tamli, Ulf, and Olf head into the tavern she smiles to the group. "I'll be along shortly."
Nodding, Drake moves into the tavern with the others and finds a seat, glad for the rest.
Laughing, "Okay, fair enough. But just so you know, Niss, I am a curious fellow so I guess I'm just gonna have to figure it out for myself. Which, to be honest, is perfect for me. And I'm a terrible liar so honesty is all I have." He grins, shrugging. "By the way, if you ever feel the need, don't hesitate to talk to me with your thoughts. I don't mind. Just so you know."
She looked at him for a long moment, almost searchingly. Then she nodded, smiling softly. "Thank you, Drake. I'll remember that."
----Traveling----
Once Finoan and Baradim finished their hushed conversation, she wandered over to the orc while they traveled, curious to know more about the quiet man.
"So, Lastwall, hmm?"
As Inniska approaches, Fin mentions things to her as well. "I should probably let you know as well. Something is off with that big wolf that took a bite out of you. Normal wolves don't leave chemical burns like that." He gestures to her bandages. "I don't have much more than lingering questions at this point, so keep your eyes open."
Niss nodded at Finoan with a frown. "Yes...I cannot say I have been bit by very many animals. Not like I am a connoisseur of bites. But that one hurt much worse than it should have. I'll stay alert."
Niss smiles. "Noala. Got it. Is she the sheriff, or..? I'm new in town, and don't know anyone here, other than you." She made a show of mulling her own words over. "For that matter, I'd gladly take any advice you had for a newcomer to your quiet little village."
"Noala...hmm, it's not official, but she's like the town ranger? She keeps an eye on the local wildlife and the forests. She's the expert on the area. She's the one to talk to about all that." Erda bites her lip, chewing on it with worry. She glanced back at Niss, barely registering the request for advice. "Hmmm...advice." She ponders for a moment, wracking her brain. "Steer clear of the shrine north of town. There's monsters."
Niss didn't want to push this skittish woman too much, but thought she'd ask one more question. "Monsters? My goodness, thank you for the warning. Do you know what sort of monsters? My companions will doubtless ask when I warn them."