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Sorry I’m being slow to catch up. I have a deadline on the 20th and I did not get great sleep this past weekend due to people launching fireworks all night from the field by our apartment. Plus my family is visiting this week. I will catch up as soon as I can
Cam taps the side of her helmet. Stop that. ”Trying to get your attention, Ira. Thought maybe you’d be able to have heart-to-heart with the nice ghost, seeing as you two seem to have similar circumstances.” I don’t do the talky stuff. ‘sides, he looks like some sad stiff. I used to punch guys like that just to get ‘em to stop looking mopey. I could try punchin’ him if you like?” ”’spose I’ll pass then.”
Camellia sleeps well the night before. This whole new endeavor certainly feels exciting, even if she’s still not quite sure of what the endgame of it will look like. She sleeps in her armor, as always. You would think it would feel uncomfortable, but she would liken it more to a warm embrace. Ira always ran a little hot. ”That’s quite a house. One bad tide and a rainstorm away from being a houseboat.” She glances to the others. ”Need me to go in first? Or this a bit more casual of a visit?”
Cam tosses a casual salute. ”Howdy. Think we got what we were lookin’ for. Most notable of the bunch we got is some fancy gauntlet thing and an invisible chest.”
Cam shrugs as Esmi’s question. ”Eventually, sure. That sounds like divination though, and I ain’t got any a’ that yet. Be awhile before that changes, if at all.” She taps the top(?) of the invisible chest with the flat of her sword. ”We got time to figure it out. Thieves’ll have a hard time finding it, too.”
”Don’t you worry about helpin’ none, Esmi. Should have her popped open in a jiffy.” She sheathes her sword and takes out her crowbar, snapping the planks off as though they were not even there.
Cam stays back with Kiley. ”Girly, you have got to be less down on yourself. Don’t do nobody any good, least of all yourself. The worlds full of shits and you aren’t even close to being one of them.” Her voice takes on a harsher tone with that last sentence, and her drawl disappears. She laughs. ”See, even Ira agrees, and she don’t like nobody.”
Cam and Kiley: Cam holds out a hand for Kiley to halt, sensing the younger lady would be a bit to eager. ”It’s really easy. Hear all these words I’m throwin’ at you? I haven’t let ‘em get stolen outta my head. Trust me.”
Cam and Kiley:
Cam smiles at the little goblin. "Don't look at 'em while you touch 'em. They can't steal your words if you don't look at 'em."
Cam and Kiley: Cam shakes her head at the poor goblin’s question. ”We ain’t gonna hurt you none, like Miss Kiley says.” Gag me with a rusty fork before I die of sugar poisoning. ”Ira.” You know I don’t like this sentimental crap. ”I’ll just have to appreciate it for the both of us.”
Cam and Kiley: Cam helps out Kiley with the breaking down the wall.
Cam and Kiley: Cam keeps calm and measured as she tries to talk the goblin through the process. ”Hey little bud, you can definitely get out if you touch those runes back there. Why dontcha try closing your eyes before you do? The important thing about writing is seeing it, after all.”
Cam and Kiley: Cam muses on something for a moment before sheathing her sword. She gives Kiley a knowing nod as a thanks for the introduction. ”Pleasure to meet ya, Munkle. Now, looks like you’re stuck here pretty bad, like a hungry bear in a rabbit hole. Let’s see if there’s anything I can do to help getcha outta there.”
Cam nods as Tellanya comes back out, satisfied that her patience was rewarded. ”Alrighty, my turn to give it a go. See if it’s a point to my theory about capacity.” Cam heads on in, trying out the teleportation for the first time.
Cam stretches and yawns. ”I wouldn’t be so hasty. Wherever it takes you might be at capacity, and we just have a situation like seven chickens trying to fit into a six chicken hen house. Just gotta wait for someone to come out. Least we can do is give ‘em a few minutes, if you ask me.”
I think it’s fine to have a phobia on your character. I also think that in such situations it’s a good idea to have a sense of how your character could be motivated to continue. I think characters are capable of more than we expect and we should resist easy impulses to pin the down. A phobia might pull a character back, but what else is pushing them forward? People are dynamic messes of motivations and shifting priorities, so calling upon that in characters is both true to life and allows for more flexibility. I bring this up because a bit of flexibility is required with a group of other players. While in fiction you right on your own, you can always write other characters as stopping to comfort someone else, you can’t make that assumption in pbp. With the current situation as an example, Cam would be just as fine shrugging and saying she could stay behind, as she doesn’t see a need to force her. This is dangerous work and the stakes at least appear comparatively low at the moment. Now, as time goes on and we build more rapport and cohesion as a group, that might change. She’d happily take up a mentorship role in that regard. Full disclosure: I like self-possessed, independent characters. They are just the most compelling to me. And vice-versa, shrinking violets just do nothing for me. It’s a perfectly fine character trait and I don’t have a problem with it, but it doesn’t get me invested or excited. So if you notice any ambivalence on my end towards that aspect of Kiley, that’s why.
Esmaralda nods and smiles at Tellanya, having no clue what she's talking about. She turns to Kiley and Cam, and quietly says "Your friends here... are they all right? should we take them somewhere for some help? and what say you about the next step? Sir Roderic or straight to the Peacock Manor? after a well-deserve night off at the inn, of course..." Cam leans the flat of her longsword against her shoulder. ”Telly here makes a lot more sense than y’all give her credit for, if you ask me. Just gotta listen to people right. Some people you just gotta listen to harder’n others is all.” She nods towards the weapon rack. ”Anyways, got a bit of a psychic reverberation from that weapon rack. Sir Roderic had the sword with no blade that was here, which sounds like our Baraket.” Regarding the question of what to do with the gauntlets, Cam shrugs. ”Don’t match my armor. Don’t have a magic bag, either.” Awww, you’re just worried they will make me get quiet if you put ‘em on. How sweet of you. Cam smiles at something only she heard.
Camellia’s first instinct is to check the sword stand for anything of interest or note, running her gauntleted hand lightly over it.
Cam rests her gauntlet under her chin. ”If she’s the Runelady of Wrath, then the order and such is probably related to somethin’ about her being the best.” It’s cause she *is* the best! Like I wouldn’t even call wrath a sin; it’s just good fun. ”Given your name, I’m 100% unsurprised you’d be a fan, Ira.”
Cam folds her arms and shrugs. ”I talk to my armor. Anybody gives you trouble, Kiley, I’ll teach ‘em a touch a’ respect.”
Camellia sheathes her sword and sighs before beginning to help look the dead foe over.
Cam winds up for another overhead slash. Finish him! Right on the soft part of the neck and down across his body. She brings her sword down as Ira suggests, a powerful and precise swing
Camellia growls as she takes the full brunt of the fire, too. She stomps forward and slashes in retaliation at the dwarf alchemist.
Cam finishes circling around into a flankwith Henric, bringing a slash down on the head of the alchemist.
With Kiley taking the front line, Cam begins to circle around to the other side to catch the foe in a flank.
Cam sets the flat of her blade one her shoulder. ”Well how ya doin’ there, buddy. Now, seems to me that—“ Oh no you don’t, Cam! This one looks like an alchemist. ”Quiet, Ira, trying to talk here. Now, as I was saying—“ You owe me! After all those roadkeeper chumps. I didn’t complain when you let those run off. So gimme this one. ”Uh, just a moment. Having a bit of a domestic here.”
"Nice trick there, Hen. I can do that one, too. Just with armor and weapons, though."
Cam peeks over Esmaralda's shoulder and spots the name. "Oh boy, those like to set and maintain traps. Better watch ourselves."
Cam rests the flat of her longsword on her shoulder. "Sure thing. See, there just ain't any sport in killing you and there's even less in you dyin'. Just stay skedaddled and we won't have any problems. It's the best you're getting."
Cam rests the flat of her sword on her shoulder. "Not sure what Miss Tellanya is talking about, folks, but I do think the implication is that she would like y'all to put a stop to fighting. I do hope y'all'd take that advice to heart."
Eh, these guys are a snoozefest anyways. Not worth my time.
Camellia keeps up the pressure on the closest roadkeeper. She happily leaves the other frontliner to get blasted by Henric and the others.
"I know a bit, Miss Kiley, but not that much, tell the truth. I wouldn't be much of anything without Ira here." Damn right. I'm going to quote you on that one.
Cam strides past the first roadkeeper and into the throng. She waves towards herself with her sword in a "come and get it" gesture before slashing at the second roadkeeper in line.
Cam steps forward to the front. "Sure thing, Miss Kiley. I could take of that for ya."
Camellia takes her time searching around the room. One of these days we'll get something really worth our time, Cam. Not these small fries.
Cam gets distracted listening to Esmaralda's song and manages only a probing swing.
Cam advances into the room, slashing at the westernmost Roadkeeper. "Y'all are better off standing down, ya know."
"I think it's better than not to let him be. Keeping a man charmed for longer'n necessary just don't sit right with me. Ironic as that is."
"Ira appreciates the compliment, Ms. Tellanya. Best not be too friendly though or she might get ideas." You say that like we don't know every bawdy house in Varisia, Cam. Don't act like you're so chaste Cam quietly laughs. "Ms. Tellanya, I'm quite well protected already, so I'd say pass it on to Kiley. She did get hit a couple times, after all."
Cam's arm continues onwards to slash down on the downed crone, but not of her own accord. "Enough, Ira." She swivels around and the slash embeds in the ground instead. Tch. Fine. Cam sheathes her sword. "Well that sure was something. Guess we need a few minutes to get people up again." Unable to contribute much to that matter, she begins sorting through the items.
"She's castin' a big ol' nasty color spray, y'all! Watch out." Her warning does not have much of a chance to have an effect before the crone's blast of colorful energy shoots out.
Cam herself avoids the blast of colorful energy, quickly looking away from the blast and steeling herself. When she turns her attention back to Mama Nightthrush, a resolved expression has come down upon her face, though it is hidden by her helm. "Well, darn. Why'd you have to go and do something like that? Now I'm gonna have to really take you seriously." She suddenly pulls down a massive overhead slash on Mama Nightthrush's shoulder.
She's lucky that I'm not driving, as I'd tell her exactly where she can stuff those orders "Good thing you ain't, Ira. She's just trying to help." Cam raises her head to speak back to Esmi. "I've got Mama Nightthrush right here, and I'd rather not give that up, ma'am."
These Roadkeepers couldn't keep a shithouse with such weak blows. "That type gets in a fight with a woman in full armor instead of moustache-waxers with overstuffed purses,, they've already lost." Camellia keeps her focus on Mother Nightthrush, slashing across her midsection again.
"Appreciate it if you give me a warning next time, Esmi."
Camellia launches another probing slash at Mother Nightthrush. Even though the crone is clearly a villain possessing no mean power of her own, a part of Cam has difficulty bringing herself to strike a older woman, and that touch of hesitation slows her blade.
Camellia taps her sword against her helmet. ”You might think the big lady in the armor is an easy target for your magic, Ms. Nightthrush, but I can tell you now that you’d be better off not trying.” Not expecting the crone to relent, Cam slashes up along the line of left hip to right nape.
Damn! That little one is strong. Makes me wistful for bashing skulls in with the two-hander. Cam actually flinches at how hard the other roadkeeper gets hit, but she keeps her focus. "You're gonna drop soon, bud. Best stay that way." She throws out a basic, yet proficient slash, hoping it will be enough to drop the poor bastard.
Cam gives an unimpressed glance to the Roadkeeper between her and Kiley. He leaves a big ol' opening for her to slash right across his midsection.
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