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I'm in the same boat - we had a pet in the hospital over the weekend, so I'm a bit more focused on trying to make sure she's eating and comfortable and all that good stuff. I'm still here, just might not have super amounts of brain power to add to things.
Bertrade helps with tidying and cooking, trying her best to make sure that everyone gets something to their taste, even with the likely limited trail supplies they have on hand. "So, then. Anyone else hail from Absalom, or am I the only city girl in this crew?"
Bertrade chortles with delight. "That sounds great! I'll run up ahead and start tidying up." She carefully clambers down the wagon, armor jingling as it rumbles, and dashes ahead of the caravan to the clearing.
I'm still here, but I worked 16 hrs night before last, and 12 tonight, and I truly can't think of anything Bertrade might add to the conversation at this particular point. Hopefully I'll get some restful sleep today, and work won't be so crazy tonight.
Bertrade does laugh Braggi's jokes, often encouraging Svala to join in. She even tries her hand some wordplay in Skald, though it being her second language, it...doesn't always work so well.
Bertrade sits on top of the cargo of the front wagon. While she does keep her eyes open, she retains an almost no-mind state of Zen, simply watching for disturbances in the natural world...which is occasionally pleasantly interrupted by the jollity taking place on the wagon behind her. Sbe seems to be taking her job seriously, but most often daydreams romantic fantasies of pairing together a couple of her caravan-mates.
For all that she likes to play matchmaker, she's not actually very good at determining what people want; no ranks in Sense Motive will do that! I'll have to figure out if it's more fun for her to notice it or give the "audience" the UST of the will they/won't they arc. She's very service-oriented, though, so she often tries to actively fade into the background in social situations, or else provide her services as being "useful" in a crowd; i.e., she'll offer to cook for the group, or clean dishes, rather than engage in heavy banter or conversation. One-on-one, she gets surprisingly deep and philosophical.
Hi there! I honestly hadn't expected to get in, shows what I know. :P My posting schedule will be kind of weird. I post in Pacific Time, but I also work graveyards 7pm - 7:30am doing a week on then a week off. I'll post from work as time allows, but the nature of my job is unpredictable. I'm also less like to make long/good posts on the days that I flip my sleep schedule around. For the character, Bertrade took the whole idea of "self-perfection though continuous self-improvement" and married it to the idea of "people can't become better versions of themselves if they're dead". Hence her focus on healing and attacking only with unarmed strikes. This may lead to some instances of her stabilizing (or even healing) fallen foes, though she'll cheerfully sock them in the jaw if they act up again.
Sarabian here, submitting Bertrade Kistna, wandering healer (and possible caravan guide) to join! She was originally built for a Reign of Winter campaign, but her campaign trait (Restless Wayfarer) can work pretty well in just about any setting; I can pretty easily map that over to one of the campaign traits in the player's guide.
Ugh, unexpected double shifts are unfun. Anyway, here we go. Turning Point:
Shishya Bertrade stood in a street corner shadowed from the sun's glare, and watched with her guru Chakota as the two gangs of homeless youths battled for turf. Chakota had spoken at great length on personal strength and perfection - often of his own personal strength and perfection - and the young shishya had learned much from him regarding self-improvement. Sadly, she had learned little else from him, aside from ways in which she did not wish to behave. One of the first sutras of [u]Unbinding the Fetters[/u] spoke of how each person must find their own path, though it be illuminated by the actions of others; most often, her guru spoke and showed her the path she did not wish to walk. This day was no exception. "Behold," proclaimed Chakota, "how the youths pit their strength against each other in a battle for supremacy. The losers will see their imperfections and attempt to improve. The winners, if they are wise, will realize this and also improve. Conflict is a method by which our flaws may be revealed, so we may burn them from ourselves and continue our path to perfection." Bertrade said nothing. While she realized there was an element of truth in those words, it mentioned nothing about those too weak to survive conflict, who would thus be unable to improve. She could not simply gainsay the older man's words, though. So she watched the gangs scuffle and bleed, and held back tears so her teacher would not think her weak. As the brawl concluded, Chakota motioned for Bertrade to follow him. "We have learned all that is useful here. Let us move on." She was about to leave when she saw another pair emerging from concealment. Also dressed in Irori's blue and white, the older of these two began to step carefully among the youths, bandaging wounds, while the younger stood back with a petulant scowl upon his face, flexing his callused fists. Bertrade began to walk to the other pair, when a hand on her shoulder stopped her. "The lesson is done," barked Chakota. "We go now." Ducking her shoulder, Bertrade quietly rejoined, "The Unbinding states each person will determine their own path," before stepping briskly to the side of the other couple. Chakota followed, his glower more than a match for that of the scowling initiate. The other healer appeared to be of Keleshite descent, with his tattoos marking him as Qadiran. He glanced up at the newly arrived pair, taking in Chakota and Bertrade, and a wry grin flashed across his face. "Chakota. I suspect our shishya are both done listening, and are ready for actions that neither of us is prepared to take. Perhaps a change is in everyone's best interests?" Chakota looked at the other student, sizing him up, then nodded; the two departed in short order, leaving Bertrade and her new mentor to their work. Once blood flows were stanched and bruises cooled, Bertrade introduced herself. "I am Sohrab, and I shall be your archya for as long as is needed," the Qadiran replied. "I imagine Chakota brought you here to see the value in conflict?" She nodded, and he continued. "Conflict is an inevitable part of life for most. But appropriate conflict is needed for growth. We would not ask a trainee who is weak in limb to hold the weight of five men over their heads the first day - this sets them up for failure, not growth. My path is to support those who are not yet strong enough to handle the conflicts life throws at them. Perhaps this will be a similar path to yours, Bertrade?" For the first time that day, Bertrade smiled.
I'll make that happen when I get home from work tonight! |