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Shalelu starts gathering up the treasure the party collected and putting it into what appear to be improvised saddlebags on the horse next to the bridge. The horse seems much calmer now, and better fed. However, there's still one matter remaining... "Eostre, how do you plan to get this... giant helmet of yours across the bridge?" Orik asks. "I don't think I can carry that by myself, and the horse sure as the Hells can't..."
Shalelu pulls away to look you in the eyes. "I promise to be the same, stór." Elven: "Darling."
She tenderly strokes your tail, feeling the soft, downy fur between her fingers. "I think I might like to experience it."
Shalelu chuckles and runs a hand along one of her ears. "It was." She runs her other hand down your back, until it reaches the base of your tail.
Shalelu gives you a bit of an awkward look. "Well..." She clears her throat. "...it was my first time with a kitsune, darling. I've only had one other, and that was a long time ago."
Shalelu tenderly strokes your head as the two of you lay together. "...I didn't think it'd be so... ticklish." The ranger whispers into your ear.
"It isn't, I promise." Shalelu whispers as she pulls you close and presses another kiss to your lips...
Shalelu leans into you, staring at the floor. "Indeed. And part of me is wondering just how likely it is that we will..." She turns to look at you, her eyes half-closed. "But for now..." ... ... She leans into you...
Shalelu nods. "It was." "We tracked the elves to where they made their stronghold--an ancient, ruined elven city called Celwynvian." The ranger's face turns grim in remembrance. "We had them bottled up in there and were preparing to start flushing them out... and that's when some mercenaries from Riddleport came rolling in. The gnome was polite enough, but there was something about the half-elven warrior that put me off..." She shakes her head. "Anyway, they volunteered to explore the city and drive out the elves inside." She drums her fingers on the bedspread. "And to their credit, they did an admirable job of it... even when the dragon the enemy struck a bargain with intervened." "It took all of us to bring it down, but we did it." Her face adopts a look of triumph. "And, long story short, once we took the city back, I decided to go on my own way back to Sandpoint." "And it was on my way back to Sandpoint that I found you, my little fox."
Shalelu settles in on the bed and sighs. It's a sigh of relief and contentment--you get the impression that this might be the first time in a while that your mentor's allowed herself to just take a load off. "It was back in the summer of '10... y'know, that season where there was that weird Blot over Riddleport?" The elf gives you a quizzical look. "I left Sandpoint for a few years because I was asked to come home to Crying Leaf--they needed my help with a military skirmish of some sort." "The unit I was attached to was a scouting one--our job was to locate enemy encampments and report back. Our foes were quite strange to me... admittedly, I didn't know what I expected at the time. I mean, I'd expect my hometown's armed forces to be able to take care of goblins." "As it turns out, our enemies were a band of elves, except they had skin blacker than the night sky and a streak of cruelty that'd give Chelaxians pause." The look in the ranger's eyes turns distant. "We clashed with them several times, each time getting closer and closer to discovering where they were striking from..."
Shalelu helps you gather your things and leads you up the stairs. "I do. And every time I watch you in action, I feel proud to have helped you along." She doesn't say much until the two of you find your room--"Room 339". This room is furnished with two beds, with a curtained window giving you a view of one of Kalsgard's side streets. A simple desk is in the corner with a chair before it, and on the wall between the beds is a painting of a snow-covered pine forest. Strangely, the room smells like soap--it must have been cleaned just before you arrived. Shalelu sits down at the edge of one of the beds and kicks her boots off. "Hmm."
Shalelu checks her coin purse. "Hmm... I suppose we could afford to earn ourselves some extra coin. In case of emergencies." She gives Haru a knowing look. "I would love to watch you perform, Haru. But I'd recommend asking the proprietor if he's alright with it first."
"Just... said something stupid. In front of... you know." Haru whispers as her gaze turns towards Shalelu. "Oh, it's alright, Haru." Shalelu gives Haru a gentle hug before turning back to the table.
Shalelu snickers at the memory. "Yes. That was rather funny." She pushes the doors of the Hunting Serpent Inn open, revealing a common room packed with people from all social strata of life. Seated at a table in the back of the room are Friday, Kavell & the others. Zaiobe in particular seems to be cuddling up to the silent warrior with her back turned to the doors.
Shalelu glances over at Haru and arches an eyebrow. "Really?"
"I can't speak for my whole group, my brother and our friend Ameiko are in charge,but I'd like to help you find your partner." Shalelu nods. "I would as well. We require his services to continue our journey." "Well..." Uksahkka looks visibly relieved. "...thank Desna for that. Finally, someone who takes me seriously."
"He didn't break when Eostre shoved his lover's severed head in his face. I doubt cutting off body parts would've made any progress, Conner." Shalelu says as she bundles Tsuto and Lyrie together. "And, another tip for the future--don't try scaring someone with bodily harm when someone who's already been traumatized by it is nearby." She gives Conner a scowl as she starts dragging one of the unconscious felons out the doors. Orik moves to assist her with the moving. "We'll meet up with you once you've dealt with this 'Malfeshnekor'. Best of luck."
GM Rolls:
Tsuto's response to Eostre's scream is a brief smirk before his glare reasserts itself. Shalelu turns her eyes from Tsuto and moves in front of Eostre. "Eostre. He's not here. He can't hurt you. Look at me." She says, trying to calm the distraught dwarf down. DC 26 Perception: Though Eostre's panicking is quite distracting for you, you notice out of the corner of your eye that Tsuto is trying to work the bindings on his feet loose.
"Have you ever been this far north? The climate is very different from that in Sandpoint." Shalelu shakes her head and wrinkles her nose as a cold breeze blows past her. "No, I never have. The closest I've ever come is Varisia's northern border. Even then, the chill winds weren't as... harsh as they are now." The trio is currently wandering the streets of Kalsgard's Ivory Quarter, the dwelling of the city's numerous trade guilds. Large, elaborately carved oaken guildhalls are scattered among the many residences here, and even with their size, stand out from each other; some of them are decorated with murals of grand Ulfen warships, others show their wealth by having dozens of armed warriors stationed as guards around them. Word on the street is that trading expeditions and voyages are organized here.
"I don't reckon any of us will need to, as long as we don't overspend here." Shalelu gives Haru a small smile. "I was planning on looking for a guide to get us over the Crown, and Kasha asked to come with me. Do you want to as well?"
Shalelu takes in the tour with her usual reserved interest, admiring the many art projects your family has completed. The nude paintings of you in both your forms seem to catch her eye, but it's difficult to tell aside from an arching of her eyebrow. She doesn't say much as your father returns, but she finally smiles when the conversation ends on a happy note. "I'm glad to hear it, sir. And, rest assured, if anything does happen to Haru while we're away, I'll..." She clears her throat and wrinkles her nose. "...well, I won't let that happen."
Shalelu shrugs. "If you'd like, I'd be happy to stick around. Perhaps your mother can show me around the home?"
Shalelu bows once as you introduce her to your mother, and listens as you explain your upcoming journey to her. When you begin to tell her of your preferences for women, she tenses up slightly, but relaxes when she sees Kairi's reaction. She awkwardly clears her throat when your mother starts talking about potential... alternative methods regarding grandchildren.
Shalelu steps next to you and takes your hand. "Come along. We shouldn't keep your parents waiting."
"I may have." Shalelu shrugs. "And don't worry--I don't see you as just my student anymore." "But I think we should save this conversation for later--we should be coming up on Sandpoint shortly." She gets up and starts walking to the head of the caravan.
"Are we just teacher and student anymore? I'd like to think we're more than that..." Shalelu looks up from her bow at you. "After a trip like this? I thought that much was obvious." She says, arching an eyebrow in slight confusion. GM Rolls:
Haru:
"Dangerous? I don't think they'd be, you know, violently angry, just disappointed..." "Good." "Thanks, Shae. I can't imagine what I'd do without you." "You'd probably get lost in the woods somewhere. And then I'd have to find you." She smirks. "In all seriousness, I could do no less for my student."
Shalelu's expression turns a bit grim. "Hmm. A potentially dangerous line of thinking." She finishes restringing her bow and starts testing its pull. "It's courageous of you to consider doing so. I'll support you if I can."
"Well, I didn't say I was going along with their plans, now. Finding the kind of mate my parents want for me doesn't interest me at all, whether it's here in Sandpoint or in Minkai, Absalom, or anywhere. I guess I'm what the Varisians call a 'firefly', you know? Men, whether they're human, kitsune, or something else, just don't interest me." Shalelu's face brightens considerably. "Oh." Her smile doesn't last for long--it gets replaced by a concerned look directed at you. "Do they know?"
"They'll be thrilled with the idea of me going to Tian Xia. They've been trying to figure out how to get me to somewhere with more kitsune men than my dad and my little brother, so I can 'find my mate'. They were talking about going to Absalom, ever since Ezren mentioned there's lots of kitsune in the Pathfinder Society." "Hmm." Shalelu looks back down at her bow and sighs. "What's wrong with finding a mate in Sandpoint?" She pauses for a moment. "Aside from the whole kitsune part of it, I mean." GM Rolls:
DC 9 Bluff: As much as she tries to hide it, she sounds... disappointed.
"Well, nothing so exciting as that, really." Shalelu slides an arm around Haru's shoulders. "Just hunting for enough supplies for the trip home."
As Ameiko wanders over to the spirit of her grandfather, Shalelu walks over to Haru & Friday as they start talking. "So, would you two mind telling me what the hell went on in there? Ameiko just suddenly came to, saying something about 'duty being complete', or something like that. Now, she said she's had some sort of weird dream involving people getting murdered by demons and herself waking up on a throne."
""Anyway, yes, it's as Conner said. They knew it'd end in death if the fight persisted, and these goblins didn't have much loyalty to this tribe's cause in the first place. Once they learned Ripnugget was dead and Tsuto and his wizard friend were our prisoners, they realized this was probably the best deal they were gonna get. Or, at least, Chuffy did, and he looks like he can keep the other three in line." Shalelu wrinkles her nose, but doesn't say anything else. "So! Bruthazmus, your archnemesis, is dead by your hand, and humiliated to boot. Congratulations! But...if you're down here, Shal, is someone else watching Tsuto and that wizard girl?" "Oh, don't worry about them. A couple of boots to the head and good knot work were enough to keep them from moving for a while." Shalelu kneels down and takes something off of Bruthazmus' neck--a necklace lined with elf ears. She gives a disgusted snort. "His favourite pastime. I'd consider taking his, but I don't need a trophy to feel good about killing him."
When Shalelu hears the whole story, her face contorts into an expression of somewhat uncharacteristic glee before she bursts out laughing. "AHAHAHAHAHA! Seriously? Well, that's... well, if that's not irony, I don't know what is." Her mirth dies when she remembers what else Eostre told her. "Wait--how do you know the goblins had a change of heart? And more to the point, how do you know they'll honour it?" She picks up her bow and puts her bloodied short sword away.
Shalelu stops stabbing the bugbear corpse as Eostre calls out to her. "Oh, hello again." "Care to explain what, exactly, happened? I'm keeping watch, then I hear screaming, then Bruthazmus comes running past me stark naked and runs into Evelyn."
You hear the sounds of footsteps coming up behind you as you swing at Bruthazmus with your knife again. Shalelu twirls her short sword before lunging at the naked bugbear...
...and burying it in the beast's throat. He topples over, and Shalelu starts stabbing him again and again and again. The rest of the party arrives in time to see Shalelu violently stabbing a bugbear corpse and Evelyn looking on.
Your strike cuts a shallow wound in Bruthazmus' brow, but he appears to be too angry and focused on Shalelu to notice. The ranger ditches her bow and yanks her short sword from her belt. "Get. Off." She growls before she stabs at the bugbear...
...and stabs him in the chest. Bruthazmus is heavily wounded, but he refuses to release his grip on her!
Unfortunately for him, the blood on his hands causes his grip to slip, and Shalelu manages to wrench herself free.
Shalelu blinks in confusion as you speak. "Excuse me?" She doesn't say anything else as she snaps off three quick shots at the naked bugbear down the hall...
...two of which hit the bugbear in the chest, and one in the stomach. The bugbear responds by roaring in rage and charging Shalelu, trying to grab her!
Before the ranger can react, he grabs Shalelu's shooting arm and starts trying to wrench it behind her back. Shalelu starts struggling, fumbling for the short sword at her belt...
Zaiobe shifts uneasily from talon to talon and shrugs as if to say 'None taken'. "Haru & Valeria put it better than I could." Shalelu replies, her tone evening out. "See, Friday, what I've learned about most groups of people is this: a PERSON is smart. They're capable of making well thought out, informed decisions when confronted with a new experience. PEOPLE, on the other hand, are dumb, panicky & dangerous when it comes to things they don't know. Get a lot of them together, and they stop thinking for themselves and simply act on whatever emotion they feel at the moment." "But..." She sighs in resignation. "...if you're so insistent on letting her come with us, I won't object. Just be aware that she'll likely need to stay in one of the wagons when we get back to Sandpoint, for her own safety as much as other people's." Zaiobe squeezes Friday's hand. Friday: <Well, that's better than I thought I was going to get. There might be something I can do to disguise myself...>
"I wouldn't stir them up. She'd--" Shalelu starts, but stops when Friday mentions that Zaiobe can't sing. "--wait, what?" She looks rather surprised at this piece of information. Friday:
You can feel Zaiobe's discomfort through the telepathic link. <I, uh... can't really blame her for being... well, paranoid.> The ranger shakes her head. "Anyway, no. I helped get Sandpoint off the ground by keeping them safe from goblin attacks, so the townsfolk didn't react the same way. And folks see people carrying around weapons everyday." She looks over at the other party members. "What about the rest of you? Do you trust her?"
Shalelu looks up as Friday approaches, and her eyes widen as she sees who Friday is bringing with him. Her hands move to pick up her bow and nock an arrow in it, but the man is able to speak before she can do so. "...what." Shalelu's face hardens into a glare before she screws her eyes shut and puts a hand to her temple, rubbing it. Sandru seems torn--on one hand, he seems to be quite surprised (and perhaps afraid) that a harpy has willingly walked into the caravan's midst, her hand being held by one of their members. On the other hand, he seems to be eying Shalelu to see what her reaction is. Zaiobe just smiles sheepishly and waves hello. After what seems like an eternity (or more likely, ten seconds), Shalelu exhales and looks up at Friday. "...let me get this straight. You met this harpy, Zaiobe, in the castle. She likes books. And apparently, she didn't charm you with her song or anything like that." "And you want to bring her to Sandpoint." "A small, coastal town with a population who's likely to have only heard of harpies from rumours and hearsay, and will panic when they meet her." "How's that sound? Does that sound right to you?"
Shalelu quirks a half-smile at Evelyn. "Smart girl. The time for questions has passed."
Shalelu looks back down at the unconscious criminals at her feet. "Are you sure you have time to question them?"
Shalelu unlimbers her backpack and digs out a length of hemp rope from it. "Here you go." "If you need me to keep an eye on them, I'll do so."
The party turns back and starts retracing their steps through the Thistletop fort, dragging the bloodied, unconscious Tsuto and his wizard cohort with them. When they return to the fort's entrance hall, they're greeted by a surprised Shalelu. "...hmm." She arches an eyebrow and looks at Tsuto's unconscious body, fingering her bow and arrows.
Once the party leads the malnourished, battered horse back to the front of the fort, they see Shalelu on the other side of the bridge with an arrow nocked in her bow. She arches an eyebrow in surprise when she sees what Nicat is leading behind him.
Shalelu listens with a small smile breaking out on her face. "Heh. Glad to hear it--maybe now those goblins will start thinking twice about raising trouble." "I bet there's a good safe place to rest around here, right, Shalelu? Have you found a spot like that?" "The closest spot I could find was in old Gugmurt's den, if you can believe that." The ranger points down a dirt passageway to the southeast of the goblin tunnels. "It's a lot roomier than I thought it'd be--also rather typical of goblin behaviour, with the strongest one in the area taking up the biggest personal living space they can."
As the party returns to the entrance hall and the bridge leading into the fort, they notice several goblin corpses strewn about the bridge. Each of them has an arrow sticking out of them--at least two of them have one in their necks, one has an arrow through the gut, and another has two in both eyes. Crossing the bridge, the party is greeted by Shalelu. Her quiver is a little emptier than before. "Well, that alarm sounded pretty loud. How'd you guys do?"
Shalelu turns to the party and sighs. "Well, here we are. Koya?" She looks over at the ambling priestess. "How's Ameiko doing now?"
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