Tally preens ant Elric's praise, but then deflates a bit as she looks over at the magnificent hippogriff.
"He is smart, and big. I had to be careful following him down," she says.
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"I guess you're right," Tally says, noticeably calmer. "Though I think you seeing her half-undressed may have as much to do with it as her age. I think she might like you, too." She stands and stretches before heading down starts. "I better go find her before she can work herself up into a panic," she mumbles before heading downstairs and looking for Audria.
"What is it with you humans and nakedness. This is worse than the time she did some live drawings," she asks, clearly exasperated with her charge.
Tally, who'd been sleeping, blinks as she hears the others talking, then lets out a trill as she sees Majenko and turns back into her half-elven form before hiding behind Audria. After a moment, she realizes that her human companion helped free the tiny drake from a life of torment. "S-sorry," she apologizes. "It's just that I try to avoid both imps and house drakes."
All Along the Watchtower (Elric and Shrike): Tally looks glumly at Shrike and nods. It's clear she doesn't like the notion, but she doesn't see any other way. "If only the wounds emotions and memories leave were as easy to heal as the ones fire does," she says. "She's-- She's my friend, Me-- Shrike. She's my friend, and I don't want to see her hurt." The songbird's head pops up as she looks out towards the sea. "I think Audria's on her way back. Should I go get her," Tally asks the others.
"And I am Talanaliel, Audria's guide and mentor," the songbird perched on the paladin's shoulder says. "You said Jessica is a dear friend? How did you two meet?"
North Point watchtower (Elric and Shrike): "In a sense," Tally answers. "I'm more of a guide that gives her a push when she needs it than any kind of guardian, especially now." The thrush looks out across the water to the landward end of the pier where Devargo Barvasi had built is pocket empire. "I know you've only just met her, but she's not exactly a delicate flower that needs protecting, physically at least. Do you remember the night the Order of the Nail came in and put down the riots raging through the city," she asks. She waits for Elric's answer before continuing. "Earlier that day, she ran into a woman that knew Yargin, one of Lamm's cronies. She attacked Audria, and Audria knocked her out. I think we were both too shocked to think about telling the guards. I know I was. It was so sudden, and the woman didn't even hesitate. She snuck behind the barricades the Sanctuary and the people in the neighborhood had put up with two thugs. They nearly killed a young acolyte, Zacharias, and setup an ambush for Audria. She didn't explain much about the fight, but she did tell me enough for me to know that she managed to fight off three dangerous people who were there to kill her, nearly killing one of the thugs, almost downing the other, and spooking the woman badly enough to send her running with her lackey." Tally flits over to the battlements next to the mounted spyglass and turns to face Elric. "That is how Bartholomew protects her, by teaching her how to fight if she needs it. What I fear for her are not the physical threats but the moral and emotional ones. Audria is capable. She's strong, intelligent, and graceful, but she is also naive and doubts her own judgement. When we were asked to go after Vancaskerkin and his lackeys, the Cow Hammer Boys, she wanted to try talking them into returning to the guard peacefully, and when she realized that she'd not only failed but raised their suspicions, she thought she'd put everyone in danger. She isn't afraid of being hurt. I first saw her after she'd been beaten nearly to death by Lamm and his cronies when she'd saved Ellie, but she is terrified of making a mistake that will cause others harm." The thrush looks down and seems to grow much more weary in the span of a few heartbeats. "I don't know what to do. I don't know how to protect her from her own doubts. She thinks so little of herself. She has gotten a little better since the night she met Shrike and Abella, but I still worry that if something does go wrong, she'll blame herself and might do something drastic. As much as Shelyn chose her to be one of her champions, Audria had already chosen to walk that path herself, at least to some extent. She focuses so much on being worthy and worrying if there might have been some mistake somewhere that lead to her and not someone better in her mind being chosen, without realizing that her actions are why she was chosen. I can tell her time and time again, but she seems incapable of seeing what I and others see, at least not fully." The thrush hops off the battlements and transforms into the young, half-elven form she'd gained the night they'd been in Castle Korvosa. She looks up at Shrike and Elric with eyes that are far, far older than she appears. "To be honest, I wonder myself if someone wiser or smarter might succeed where I have so far failed. I don't know what happened, but I know that part of myself was stripped away when I came to Golarion. I can try to guide her, but there is so much I don't know and so much I can't do. If I am Audria's guardian angel, then I am a poor one at best. I cannot protect her from the storm that Zellara sees coming. Will you two help me," she begs Shrike and Elric, hoping that she is right about where their hearts lie.
"You know that she's not going to stop worrying about you just because you tell her to, right," the thrush asks in a much more normal tone.
"Well?! Which one is it," she demands.
"Who's Mauler," she asks Elric after Shrike answers him.
"Fine. Why." "I can feel Audria's emotions, and when you two went off alone, I could feel her worry. She's worried about you, a lot," Tally answers.
Figuring that her presence might not be the most conducive to helping Elric obtain a key, Tally flits up to the lintel of the door and perches there. "Are you alright," she asks Shrike after Elric is gone.
"I guess you could say that I am, though I am weak," Tally answers. "I think something was stripped from me when I came to Golarion to help Audria. It's... It's hard to remember."
Elric and Shrike see Tally shiver and ruffle her feathers from where she sits on the marine's shoulder after finding it more than a little stifling hiding under Shrike's clothing. She looks back in the direction of Eel's End and wonders if she should mention the emotions she feels coming from Audria. The stab of fear she just felt is worse than even what she felt coming from Audria when she and the others were raiding the Old Fishery or being chased by an ettercap through Korvosa's vaults. There isn't panic or anything else that would indicate trouble, though, and she didn't want to divert them from their part of this. For now, she'll keep quiet. Hopefully this isn't an omen of worse to come.
"Let us know if she's in trouble." "I will," Tally says. After a few moments, she asks, "Why is it that you mortals never seem to know your own worth?"
Meanwhile, Tally continues to hide in the folds to Shrike's robes. After the vigilante and Elric part ways with Pava and Audria, she hops onto Shrike's shoulder. "Audria's beating herself up, again," she tells Shrike.
Tally changes back into a song bird and lands on Audria's shoulder after they are out of sight of the Citadel. She can feel the sickening churning in the young paladin's emotions after handing off Verik and his men to the night watch. "Audrie," she asks softly. "Audrie, what's wrong?"
Cat Trapped:
"Mmm. He's lucky he's adorable," Tally grumbles. Her irritation lasts all of a few moments before she's petting Pockets again. On the way back: "Is it harder to find them, or harder to show them a better path," Tally asks. "I believe that people want to be good people, but life can change them. Some learn to be monsters because their parents were monsters. Some learn to hate because that's all they were ever shown. Audria could have turned into someone like that Embercat person or like Parns and Malder if others hadn't shown her kindness." She keeps walking a few more steps before looking up at Dal. "Have you heard of a half-elf named Halvara," she asks.
Dal, on the way back to the Citadel: As Audria and Shrike lead the wagon down the street, Tally, carrying Pockets if the cat allows her, leads Dal a little ways from the group. "Thank you," she says quietly. "Thank you for what you said to Audria. I didn't hear all of it, but I know she felt better afterwards."
Tally looks up as Shrike says it's time to go, then she looks down at Pockets. It appears that Dal's warning is prescient. "Um, how do I get up," she asks.
Outside: Talanaliel nods as Dal asks his silent question. She can feel the way this whole ordeal had put Audria through the wringer. That deep abyss that had been yawning before them only seems to get deeper and wider the more they learn about what is going on. She listens to Dal, and pours out as much love and kindness as she can through the link she and Audria share. Dal is right, even if he has the unfortunate tendency to hang around with cats. Oh well, mortals can't be perfect, can they? Wa-- What?! Did that little beast just... Talanaliel blinks in surprise as she finds her field of view filled with Pocket's rear end. She pouts as she feels Audria's spirits lifting as much from Pocket's affection as from Dal's humor. "Rotten li'l beastie! I don't get... why..." Tally begins to say as she reaches up to move the cat's derriere from her face, only to find her hand petting him and, to her shock and horror, herself enjoying it! Her pout melts into a wide-eyed expression of confused wonder.
Talanaliel nestles tight against Audria's neck as she watches what's going on. The stench is almost unbearable for the little songbird. "Is this going to take long," she asks.
"I will," Talanaliel says, but she hesitates. "Will you be alright," she asks Audria. The young paladin nods glumly. Talanaliel can feel the jagged wound this experience has ripped open in her psyche, but she can also feel the determination to not give into the pain and grief, at least not yet. "Be careful," the little thrush whispers before flying off, feeling the you too, Audria sends her way as she passes through the door and up towards the windows.
"Wait!" Talanaliel chases after Dal, changing into a thrush and flying the last couple of feet. "This way if you get into trouble, I can let Audria know. I was supposed to go with Shrike, but she left before I could do anything." The little songbird seems a bit miffed about that.
Before Talanaliel can stop her, Shrike is gone along with Abella. "She's as bad as you are," she quietly tells Audria.
Talanaliel flies back to the others and shifts back into her half-elf form. "There's three of them that I saw. Two playing cards and one drinking from a bottle and twirling a silver dagger. They don't seem to be expecting trouble," she tells the others quietly, pointed meeting Audria's eyes with the last sentence. That's right, Miss Mopey-pants! You didn't mess up nearly as badly as you thought you did.
"Yep! I sure can," Talanaliel says before flying off to see what she can through the windows.
Talanaliel sighs then nods. "I'll go with Shrike," she says before her form twists and shrinks into that of a thrush. She flits over to Shrike's shoulder and settles down. "Don't worry about me, I can hop off if you need me to," she tells the vigilante.
"Does it matter whether they are trying to rob a bank or just beat people up? Both are bad," Talanaliel says as she looks from Abella to Dal. "The question is what do we do now?"
Talanaliel moves over to Shrike and stands on her toes to get closer to the vigilante's ear. "She's been like this for a while. I'm starting to get worried," she whispers.
Talanaliel watches Audria go with a worried look, but stops anyone from following. "Please don't," she pleads even as she can feel the hot spikes of her friend's recriminations coming through their link.
Moving a little to hide behind Audria, which doesn't work all that well when she's the same size as her companion, Talanaliel pipes in to add, "P-please sir. We don't mean you any harm! We're just want to do what we can to help!"
"Audrie, you're not about to do something wreckless again, are you? Sister Jenelyn and Brother Theolan aren't going to like it," Talanaliel, now a bird again having changed back before meeting with the Field Marshal, says from her perch on Audria's shoulder. "I think she's still miffed about the ettercap when you brought that group of kids in on your own." She frowns as only a fluffy ball of feathers can before continuing. "Besides, you promised you wouldn't do stuff like that on your own anymore!"
"I guess it's a trick-- Wait! You mean that infernal furball can change too? How can you tell?!" Talanaliel asks Shrike before Abella starts asking questions and closes in a little too close for her comfort. "I-I d-d-dunno. Things are a little... fuzzy," she admits while scooching back.
"Like this!" Talanaliel hops off Grau's shoulder and in a burst of light and feathers transforms into a half-elf, brown-eyed, brunette version of Audria. "See? Now I can be big like you," she says with a grin.
While Audria is ready to leave, Talanaliel has other ideas. "I think I'll stay," she says before flitting over to Grau's shoulder. "Someone needs to keep an eye on Mister Grau here. He might fall in a gutter again."
Talanaliel flits over to Grau's shoulder. "You're lucky. It seems like the Field Marshal likes you."
Talanaliel's feelings about Pockets are much the same as Shrike's. "Stupid cat's too clever by half," she grouses from Audria's shoulder.
"You're not going to introduce the cat, are you," Talanaliel asks Sabina. The way the little thrush says cat makes it sound like a curse. She glares at Pockets before turning her attention back to Sabina. "If you are, then please introduce me as Talanaliel, Servant of Shelyn, the Eternal Rose, and Mentor of Audria Lumina," she requests with all of the majesty a three ounce bird full of indignation, righteous or not, could muster.
"Don't encourage, milady," Talanaliel says from her perch on Audria's shoulder. She casts a glare down at Pockets, Dal's cat familiar still in her arms. "She's found too many bad influences already!"
I, for one, welcome our new Kitten overlords. All hail our Kitten Overlords! Traitors!
"This is all your fault, you know," Talanaliel tweets at Dal from somewhere between his hip and knee. "If you hadn't been there with this fluffy monster of yours!"
Talanaliel feels the ebb and flow of the anxiety inside Audria, and wonders if she should try talking to her charge when she notices a wave of amusement, or bemusement, through her link with Audria. It could be hard to tell the two emotions apart at times, but Talanaliel is just happy that something is helping Audria regain some sense of balance and drawing her from the dark mood she'd been sliding into earlier. "Feeling better," she asks the young priestess. If her beak had allowed it, she would have smiled when Audria nodded. "Good! No sense in being mopey when you can't do anything about whatever it is you're mopey about."
"So, you're not expecting a first kiss either," the little thrush reasons. Audria nods in agreement. "You don't want her to see you flustered like this, so you hid." Again Audria nods. "Well, why did you have to hide behind the one who has a cat?! A cat that's too smart by half at that!" A sharp, indignant trill punctuates Talanaliel's question and Audria lets out a soft groan.
"A date? When are you going on a date," Talanaliel whispers.
"Oh, she loves to dance," Talanaliel says before catching herself and leveling a birdy-glare at Shrike. "Oh, don't you start encouraging her! You're just as bad as Trinia!"
Talanaliel huffs as her charge appears to be fighting a losing battle with her sense of humor. "Audria," she says in an overly patient tone. "Are you even taking this seriously?"
Mugs and Mumblings (Abella and Audria in the mess hall): "It's been a long morning," Talanaliel explains. "Last night was not a pleasant one either. She got attacked by some crazy lady she ran into while looking for the children yesterday and a couple of thugs."
Talanaliel looks to the others and wonders if she could get away with a fib, but alas, Audria is a terrible liar as both Abella and Shrike can attest. Without any recourse, she beats a hasty retreat to the way out of the abandoned warehouse. "When did you find out," she demands as she lands on the paladin's shoulder.
"Well, you're like Blackjack, aren't you," Talanaliel explains. "You wear a mask and beat up bad guys, but you go looking for trouble. That's what Mr. Bartholomew says is the difference between someone who is breaking the law and someone who isn't. He kept telling Audria that over and over again that she shouldn't be like Blackjack when he started teaching her how to fight. She's always had a crush on him, there's even that stash of books she thinks no one but her and Eliana knows about."
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