Nothing about Helgarval's reply makes Vigny feel any less agitated. In fact the celestial only gets her goat even more. With some difficulty she swallows the urge to get nasty right back at the helmet by reminding herself maybe there is an opening somehow somewhere to shift his attitude toward something more tolerable to be around.
"The reason I introduced you to Spivey is you both serve Desna. I figured you would have common ground with each other. After all you were both chosen, or accepted, or however that sort of things works by the same god."
Vigny then slyly pauses, as if a thought she's already had has just come to her.
"Hm, Desna wanted you both... Even with your differences. Surely that must mean they find value in you both right? So, if you're saying Spivey isn't worth even the time to talk to civilly, aren't you rejecting Desna's judgement about her? Maybe you should trust Desna to know best in the matter?"
"I just know that we met Spivey well before you and she's helped us a lot along the way. Your strengths might not be her strengths, but that also means you two don't share the same weaknesses. The way I see it, I'd rather have you both around exactly because you're both good at different things. That's actually what strength really is."
"Anyway that's my two coppers tossed in."
Rather than answering Helgarval's question, she asks the helmet one right back.
"What do you think this mission is? And what do you think its higher purpose is?"
Vigny with Sandru:
When Sandru admits he reserved the entire restaurant just for the two of them by calling in a favor, Vigny is ready to take him to bed right that instant. But she doesn't say much while Sandru and Derry bicker-banter over the lunch's details aside from smiling 'thank you's to Derry when they seem appropriate.
After Derry has gone back to the kitchen, Vigny leans in a little closer across the table toward Sandru.
"Thank you. I was nervous about other people being here. I've never been to a place this lovely before, and there are quite a few things on the table I have no idea how to use. I'm going to need some guidance to get through this without looking like a total fool."
Vigny had been poking at the various extra utensils laid out on the table, but as she says the last bit she slides her hand farther across the table to rest it on Sandru's hand.
She quickly moves on to another subject so the location of her hand doesn't become the next conversation piece.
"Derry and Dunn seem very nice, funny too. They're not much like other dwarves I've met. How do you know them?"
Vigny leaves the brunch or lunch feeling and embarrassed and very cross with Helgarval. She doesn't put the helmet back on outside, instead carrying him in the crook of her arm. As they walk, Vigny slows down a little to get enough distance between herself and everyone else to bicker with him.
"Why are you so rude all the time?"
Vigny hasn't forgotten that Helgarval has also been fairly randomly she thinks quite short with her before.
"There was no reason at all to treat Spivey like that."
Lunch Date:
The knock gets a very bleary-eyed Vigny out of bed. She takes the time to get decently dressed since at that hour she's expecting there is some sort of trouble, which is instantly reinforced when she lays eyes on the young man at her door thrusting a scroll at her.
Upon reading reading the scroll, Vigny's first impulse is to laugh. She'd been expecting a court summons or something of the like due to the trouble in the street the day before.
The laugh only is short, just enough time to release her tension. Then she panics because of the actual contents of the scroll.
Lunch! Lunch is too soon! How am I supposed to be ready for lunch in time?!
Rapidly dressing completely, Vigny is out the door on a mission within a very few minutes. First Vigny tackles her hair. She gets a light trim to take care of split-ends and a double crown braid updo. Moving on to clothes, Vigny finds a dress which she likes and also fits perfectly without needing any alterations. There is no time for alterations. She doesn't love that it's mostly black, but the front panel is a lovely deep red with swirls of vines with leaves and flowers embroidered all over it, unfortunately also done in black. She buys it since it's her best best option in a pinch.
Finally, Vigny procures a basic set of cosmetics before rushing back to her room. Getting into the dress doesn't take much time. It doesn't have a true corset, Vigny isn't sure she could survive several hours in one of those. But, the dress does have laces to draw in the torso on the front as well as the back. This means she can tie the back, slip the dress on and tie the front without having to go find someone to help her.
It's the cosmetics that take up all her time. Vigny isn't very familiar with their use or application, so it takes three face washings before she can get a result that doesn't make her look like a clown.
Vigny is at the Black Gull just before noon, very nervous again by then because she isn't sure whether she's overdressed or not for lunch and she's mentally cycling through all the various ways she will surely humiliate herself at a fancy place like the Black Gull. She should never have asked for this...
But, once she's inside, where she realizes the restaurant is empty of other diners, Vigny calms down considerably. By the time she has walked across to her table with Sandru, Vigny is thoroughly enchanted. She gets seated with only a little effort effort spent wrangling her voluminous skirt.
Vigny glances around at the room, then out the window, then at Sandru. She feels her face warming and hopes she isn't going too red. Sandru looks really good...
Ignoring the dwarves, she asks him "where is everyone else?" while leaning in across the table conspiratorially. "I'd figured the room would be packed with people?"
She quickly and a bit awkwardly adds "I like your shirt. You looks really nice."
Vigny has been some degree of distracted for most all the journey so far, lots of things on her mind.
After her first assault on the ninja fails due to what she thinks is some sort of magical misdirection, Vigny finds some focus and tries to take her down again after adding a quick spell casting to bring luck.
Attack: 1d20 + 8 + 3 ⇒ (9) + 8 + 3 = 20
Damage: 1d8 + 6 + 3 + 3 ⇒ (2) + 6 + 3 + 3 = 14
Miss Chance (done right?): 1d3 ⇒ 3
Power Attack, Furious Focus, and Swift Cast of Divine Favor added.
Back at the beginning of everything in Sandpoint Vigny wouldn't have cared much at all about who knew what in regards to her and Sandru. But, at that time, Vigny also had a very straightforward notion of what she and Sandru meant. Vigny loves Sandru and she was quite confident he felt the same about her. Once she found him and they were together everything else would be simple.
Now, Vigny doesn't find anything simple at all. Sandru isn't exactly like she thought, and she can't figure out anything about what Sandru thinks or feels at all. Given all her uncertainty, along with a pair of Sandru's siblings around, Vigny really doesn't feel like doing any sharing at the moment. It could get really embarrassing.
Desperate to divert attention to a new subject, Vigny does the first thing that comes to mind. She picks up Helgarval and places the helmet on the table right beside Spivey.
"Spivey, you really must meet Helgarval. I think you two will find you have a lot in common, like... Desna."
Vigny figures the not attracting attention point Helgarval brings up makes sense. As the party leaves to go get something to eat, Vigny puts Helgarval back on her head. She will need to work something else out later though. Walking around the city with a helmet on would be odd looking.
It occurs to her to try speaking with Helgarval using her mind. After all, if the helmet can speak to her that way, maybe she can do the same back. She thinks "Hello Helgarval, can you hear me?" really hard several times to see if it works.
After she's seated at the table, Vigny takes Helgarval off and places the helmet on the table. She takes to to position the helmet so he/she/it will have the best possible view of the table, which she supposes would be with the eye slits aimed in the correct direction.
Vigny leans in slightly toward the helmet and asks about an order in a low voice. "Do you want be to order anything for you Helgarval? Uh, can you have anything?"
It's a lot of time tending to the helmet, but Vigny can't help feeling like one does when inviting a friend to a party or gathering where they will know none of the other people there.
Vigny is simultaneously thrilled and distressed to see Sandru arrived with Ameiko to join them. She has been trying to figure out how to either steer everyone back to the caravan or detach herself to get back to the caravan solo since the morning. Sandru solving the problem for her, and seemingly because he was thinking about her is wonderful. On the other hand, Vigny doesn't doubt for a moment that she looks frightful after the events of the day.
She probably grins at him like a absolute dolt as he and Ameiko sit down with them. Vigny tries to match his oblique approach when answering his question.
"It is important to always repay debts, yes." she says agreeing with Spivey. "But timing can matter as much as promptness. It's not just about settling accounts. It's also about showing the right amount of appreciation. For example, you might happen to bump into a person you owe money to in a store and hand over the money as you bustle about with other things. But doing that way could make it seem unimportant to you. It could be better to instead ask the person to meet you the next evening when you can settle the debt with the time and attention it deserves."
As Vigny gets to the last part of her opinion, she looks pointedly at Sandru with a crafty little smile so he'll hopefully get her meaning. Vigny finds the code talking game very fun.
Back in her role as Helgarval's social chaperone, Vigny tries to catch Spivey's attention. When she gets it, Vigny uses a figure to gesture her over so she can introduce Spivey to Helgarval. She thinks the two of them might really hit it off.
Vigny decides she liked the voice better before it got all snippy about her, which isn't sexy at all. Since the voice emphasizes it only says things one time, Vigny starts trying to remember all the things it told her so she can pass them on.
Vigny raises one finger as she says "One. His name is Helgarval and he is a loyal servant of Desna. Also he means us no harm."
Up comes a second finger. "Two. He was on the funeral barge and..." Vigny trails off as she finally puts two and two together. She looks down at the helmet, her mouth open in surprise.
"Hey! Helgarval is this helmet, and he talks!"
Vigny recovers herself though and goes back to recalling what the helmet told her.
A third finger up. "Three. Um, he's been here for a long time and wants to go home to Elysium. So he started looking for a way to get attention... And he noticed the Five Storms, and they are Oni. Also the Rimerunners Guild is a front for the Five Storms."
Four fingers. "Four. The raven with the red feather is the familiar of Goti Runecaster, and this Goti is a close friend of Thorborg Silverskorr who runs the Rimerunners Guild. So, it's the Five Storms that have been messing with us since we came north."
Vigny grins, pretty darn proud of herself. She did hear all this under weird circumstances after taking a nasty blow to her head after all.
"That's everything I think."
Vigny considers asking Helgarval where the Rimerunners Guild is since he hasn't once said that, but she doesn't. It has occurred to her that the helmet might be annoyed with her for another reason.
She lifts the helmet to eye level and asks with contrition "was it rude of me to wear you?"
Cailyn's healing certainly does relieve Vigny's remaining aches and pains, but it doesn't remove the perplexed expression on her face.
"I'm not sure if I heard it with my ears or in my head. I think it was male? Really nice sounding voice, kinda sexy actually. Like, what a gigantic kitty cat might sound like if it could talk, silky and soothing."
"Um, he said his name was... uh Helgarval? I think that's right. Also said he was a servant of Desna."
Ugh, how dumb. I totally forgot about having a wand of CLW this whole time.
Vigny needs a minute (at least it seems like a minute to her) after the earth elemental is destroyed to clear her head and get her bearings. Even then, her head feels about 2 sizes bigger than it ought to and her vision is blurry.
She does notice there seems to be some new crisis and slowly walks toward where the others have gathered around something on the ground. It turns out to be a girl but apparently she okay, which is good since walking had made Vigny feel dizzy and nauseous.
Since it looks like she can spare it, Vigny heals herself. The worst of the effects of the blow she took to her head are relieved aside from a thunderous headache and ringing in her ears.
She follows the others along to the place where the priest told them they would find Uksahkka, but they don't. Vigny just leans against the wall with her eyes closed to rest for a moment while the others puzzle the situation out.
That's when she hears an intrusive voice in her head. It's distinct from the ringing she hears, but the strangeness of a voice in her head, which also says things a stranger shouldn't know, makes her doubt her wellness.
Vigny takes off the helmet and looks at it for damage, thinking maybe the helmet had been bashed hard enough to press into her head. With her spare hand she feels around her head for an injury, maybe a depression in her skull where there shouldn't be one.
"Did you hear a voice just now?" she asks the others.
Vigny reels from getting her bell well and truly rang.
Oh yeah, that hurt... she thinks blearily.
She opens her mouth to spit out the blood she tastes and a shocking amount pours out of both her mouth and her nose, which probably isn't a great sign regarding her current state.
F!&&ing Sandru hasn't even taken me to dinner yet.
Vigny suspects she's in a one and done situation now. One more chance and then she's done for. She quick casts, which turns her skin the dull gray that's starting to become a familiar complexion for her. Then she raises her sword and takes that one more shot at the rock creature.
Vigny will step 5' if she needs to for flanking with Shunsen. If it would take more than a 5' step she won't risk an AoO so will stay put. Swift action to cast Ironskin with Fervor, +4 AC. Standard action to attack with Power Attack and Furious Focus.
Vigny is SO relieved when the rock thing slips and goes down. She wastes no time taking advantage and begins whaling on it as it struggles back to it's feet. No grace is involved; it's hard enough just to get through the thing's outer shell. Vigny just swings as hard and savagely as she can.
She barks out a quick spell in between her strikes.
Vigny grimaces knowing what comes next; it's probably going to hurt. She draws her longsword and rushes the earthy creature while trying her best (which isn't stellar) at bobbing and weaving to avoid its fists.
Just before she arrives within striking range, she charges up her sword. Two more steps later, Vigny does her level best to hack off a leg.
Attack: 1d20 + 8 + 1 ⇒ (15) + 8 + 1 = 24
Damage: 1d8 + 6 + 3 + 1 ⇒ (8) + 6 + 3 + 1 = 18
Swift action to enchant sword +1. Attacking with Power Attack and Furious Focus. She's wearing the cool new helmet if that's worth anything.
Vigny is flopped on whatever soft item of furniture is available, testing on her elbow to keep her head up. She takes care of Flori's burn and any other knicks and cuts around. Maybe it's overkill but she has the energy available with no reason to think she'll otherwise need it before tomorrow. There's no reason anyone should suffer discomfort.
Channel: 1d6 ⇒ 3
"What's a ninja anyway? Why are they special?"
Vigny hadn't been impressed. She didn't want to be mean, they were dead after all and annoying as well. So she leaves her comments on the subjecy as that.
As far as the next thing to do, she agrees that delivering the token is the step most likely to help since the other two options are things they don't really know how to start.
Vigny lays into the next hostile ship-boarder just as hard as the now dead one after a quickly cast spell. She's set on carving a path to the canoes. She absolutely refuses to lose a very decent set of armor because she has to strip it off and swim.
After their talk that puts (mostly) everything out in the open, whenever Vigny sees Sandru around she reminds him he needs to talk to Tazio. Of course that is if she can do so without others hearing what she's saying.
Once Sandru has taken care of that task (if she takes care of it), Vigny allows Sandru some peace until the caravan arrives in Kalsgard. When it has, she begins a new campaign of reminding him whenever she can of their deal for Sandru to make things right with Vigny (or, as she thinks about it, their first date). Vigny drops some version of "you owe me a nice dinner" whenever she can, again if it can be done without others overhearing.
Appraise: 1d20 ⇒ 18
If nobody else has grabbed it, Vigny takes the helmet because that's a cool helmet.
Vigny is really in no mood for extra crap by now. She soon as she's up on deck and sees the situation, she plops the helmet on her head (scarier looking) and charges the nearest of the interlopers raising her longsword as she bears down on her unfortunate target.
Vigny calls out to Orchid, and she sounds like she really means it.
"Close your eyes now!"
She casts and positions the explosion of light to take place exactly in the space occupied by the undead creature.
Vigny feels sorry for the doggie. It won't understand her warning.
As the flash of light goes off, its purity and brilliance burns the undead thing.
Damage: 4d4 ⇒ (3, 3, 2, 4) = 12
Casting Burst of Radiance as a standard action. Reflex DC 14 to avoid blindness 1d4 rounds. On a successful save dazzled for 1d4 rounds
Silly me. I should have checked the map and reread the spell details before posting. The AoE is only a 10' radius. I'd mixed the AoE up with the range, which is huge. Nobody except Orchid, the summoned wolf, and old dead soggy will be affected.
Vigny catches on to the problem with going toe-to-toe against the undead thing. The problem is it's likely too late for her best solution.
Looking at Flori she asks her "can you get Orchid out of here? I have a good magic trick to use, but none of us can be down here when I use it".
Feeling that Flori's answer will be "no", Vigny goes ahead and prepares herself better to step in. Her longsword's blade begins to glow with a pilsner yellow light. After the spell casting that follows, Vigny's skin takes on a dull gray color.
Standard action to start Holy Strike (minor) and casting Ironskin as a swift action. New AC is 23.
If we vacate the hold Vigny can cast Burst of Radiance into it. Dead and drippy down there would take 4d4 damage no save, and have to make a reflex save to avoid being blinded for 1d4 rounds. On a successful save it's still dazzled for 1d4 rounds. That should soften it up pretty good. Problem is it's an OoE spell so any of us wouldn't take the damage (that's for evil only), but would still be either blinded or dazzled.
Since she doubts Orchid is listening or cares about such details, Vigny sends her a concrete warning.
"Orchid! This might be a trap. If Snorri isn't where the corpse should be, don't take it for granted Ulf is where he seems to be. Careful about those chain rattles."
Sorry Shunsen, couldn't resist playing with that double meaning.
Vigny puts a light on something convenient, so higher up, but also located toward the aft so there isn't a great deal of brightness emerging from the hatch to be seen at a distance.
Vigny takes a quick look around upon reaching the boat's deck. The only thing she notices worth calling attention to is the delayed burn device. But Shunsen deals with it so quickly Vigny doesn't bother to point it out.
When she hears the chains from down below, Vigny goes to help Orchid get the hatch open.
Vigny had been expecting Sandru to at the very minimum be upset because she had spilled everything to Tazio. Probably he would be angry with her for more than that. In preparing for this moment all her thoughts had been devoted to arguing to defend herself.
Sandru's immediate and unqualified acknowledgement of his wrong forces Vigny to scramble for a reply even if she is happy with the outcome. It's all so easy that she feels like a rug has been pulled out from in under her.
"Uh, it's alright. Really this is more about Tazio than me. I guess I didn't have to agree to do it in the first place, but I just..."
Vigny shuts up and takes his extended hand a little slowly and tentatively. The way Sandru is looking at her at her seems to project more friskiness than contrition. It's promising if confusing. But maybe she's just projecting.
"Well, you could take me to a nice dinner? I've never been to a restaurant. You know, a fancy place with wine glasses and those kinds of things."
Sense Motive (What is going on in Sandru's head?): 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (12) + 6 = 18
Vigny is more than happy to let Cailyn handle any questions or bargaining with Uksahkka. Cailyn is also certainly sharper than she is about such things.
"I'm agreeable to it."
Vigny doesn't mention anything about boats or having never been on one before, regardless of size.
Faced with confronting Sandru alone, Vigny's courage begins to melt away. Her resolve doesn't waver though. For a couple of days Vigny stalks Sandru, looking for what she could imagine would be the perfect time, nobody anywhere nearby, Sandru seeming to be in an excellent mood, not too early in the day, not too late in the evening, not too close to a meal, not too busy, not relaxing, the list of factors she could think of to consider was very long.
In the end Sandru comes to Vigny, taking her aside to ask for an update. Looking uncomfortable and a little forlorn, Vigny tells him what happened, more or less.
"I did, a couple of days ago. He didn't believe me."
It was now or never so Vigny marshals some nerve.
"You shouldn't have asked me to do that. I was going to have to lie to Tazio in some way if I was going to keep you out of it. I thought it over from every angle I could think of, but no matter what I told him I was going to have to throw somebody under the wagon wheels because how could I know? So, I chose myself"
"In the end I told him the truth, that you had asked me to tell him. I like Tazio, I couldn't just lie to him. He didn't believe me anyway. He won't talk to me now."
"It makes sense. This is the sort of thing that needed to come from you. Maybe he would quit, or maybe not. But you putting it on me to handle wasn't fair to him, and it wasn't fair to me."
Vigny asks for a nice dark beer at the bar before finding a seat, which is actually a bench at one of the tables. When her beer arrives she adds a bowl of stew to her order.
She's a little surprised by the account Cailyn gives Shunsen of evenys at the farm. It's all boast and no information. Vigny thinks it's almost like Cailyn is her, and she's Cailyn.
"Found out some really interesting things too. We freed the people held in thralldom there, and one of them had a lot to say. The big news she had was Asvig had his people ambush us at the river under orders from a group called the Rimerunners Guild."
"He's done other things for them too lately, stole a sword and kidnapped a guide named Ulf Gormundr. She said Asvig implied he was going to kill the guide at a funeral happening at dawn tomorrow. Probably by putting him on the ship, which will be burned."
"So no time for relaxing, looks like we'll be going to a funeral."
When everything is packed up and all the people are ready to move, Vigny floats a suggestion to her companions and Skalma.
"It might be a good idea to burn the house down. It would make what happened here more confusing for Asvig's cousin. It would also make it hard to figure out who might still be alive. He might be less determined to find survivors, should he be inclined to try, if he doesn't know who he might be able to find alive."
Is Vigny ever going to find Sandru. She's totally going to tell him what happened even if Tazio won't come along. :p
Vigny nods at Skalma's information.
"Thank you for the warning. We'll only need a few minutes to be ready to go. Do you all want to go to the city with us, or find your own path? I think it would be very dangerous for anyone to stay here. This cousin of Asvig's is going to be very upset I'd imagine. I doubt things would go well for anyone found here."
As everyone is packing up to be ready to leave, Vigny takes an opportunity when it presents itself to address Cailyn's complaint.
"I didn't talk to the rest of you first for two reasons. The first was it was a delicate moment. They were ready to fight for their lives if they needed to. If we were standing around squabbling over spoils we would have seemed to be in disarray. At best we would not have been trusted nearly so much because of the possibility of what we said first changing later. At worst, any disarray might have seemed like an opportunity to seize upon to save their lives. That could have gotten people killed for no good reason."
"The second was my position was immovable, like I said. I have taken vows to uphold certain principles, not just in words but in actions. I acted as I did because I could not do anything else, even if it cost us a bit of money. Nor would I have wanted to act differently if I had a choice."
Vigny also boops Flori with her wand to get her healed up enough to be fit for travel.
Vigny notices Cailyn and the less than content expression she's wearing. She carries a cup of ale over to Cailyn and gives it to her.
"It must be this way. All the things here are the product of their labor and service, which they never consented to give. If we come here and kill their oppressors, tell them they are free, and leave them with nothing more we're mocking their freedom, cutting them off at the knees, robbing them yet again because we're the ones with the weapons."
"If that's what we think we deserve, what really is the difference between Asvig and us? I think when a person justifies what they're doing by pointing at a different decent thing they've done, they know what they're doing is wrong. Freeing these people doesn't permit us to take from them. I will not budge on this."
And remember Vigny did carve out the baddies personal possessions and treasures as prizes the party would keep. We're totally taking the magical and high value items.
Before she says anything in response to the woman who is acting as speaker for the former thralls, she goes to a pantry and begins to set out enough cups for all those present. Next she fetches a keg of ale and begins to fill the cups, giving her reply in skald as she does so.
"Enginn ykkar er þræll. Við þiggjum ekki þá metfé sem þið bjóðið upp á því það er illska sem við getum ekki þolað. Ég er þjónn Cayden Cailean hins káta. Hann heldur því fram að enginn eigi að hafa vald yfir öðrum. Allir eru frjálsir til að haga lífi sínu eins og þeim sýnist."
"Þið eruð öll frjáls til að vera eða fara eins og ykkur sýnist. En fyrst takið þið bolla og drekkið frelsi ykkar."
Skald:
"None of you are thralls. We do not accept the metfé you offer because it is an evil we cannot abide. I am a servant of Cayden Cailean the Merry. He holds that no person should have power over another. All are free to make their own lives as they see fit."
"You are all free to stay or go as you please. But first, take a cup and drink to your freedom."
Vigny begins to pass out the cups of ale, also giving each "frjáls manneskja" one of the gold arm rings with the drink. By way of explanation she tells them the arm rings are their wages for their service at Asvig's farmstead.
After raising her tankard to toast their futures, Vigny adds some general housekeeping advice to orient them in the immediate future.
"Við munum taka verðlaunin okkar úr persónulegum eigum Ásvigs og fylgjenda hans. Allt annað á þessum bæ er ykkar og þið skiptið sanngjarnlega á milli ykkar. Takið það allt, þið eigið það skilið. Ásvig stal frá þér."
"Ég get ekki sagt ykkur hvað þið eigið að gera, en mér finnst betra að fara héðan. Það gæti ekki verið öruggt ef Ásvig á vini eða ættingja sem gætu komið í heimsókn. Við munum snúa aftur til Kalsgarðs. Við munum fylgja hverjum ykkar sem vill fara þangað."
Skald:
"We will take our prizes from among Asvig's and his followers personal possessions. Everything else at this farmstead is yours to divide fairly among yourselves. Take it all, you are owed it. Asvig stole from you."
"I cannot tell you what to do, but it seems to me it would be better to leave this place. It may not be safe if Asvig has friends or relatives who may come calling. We will be returning to Kalsgard. We will escort any of you who want to go there."
Vigny walks swiftly and determinedly up to the bloodied Asvig. She would have preferred him to have been the last one standing at the end so he could have watched absolutely everything of his crumble to nothing. But, now will do in a pinch.
As she nears Asvig Vigny delivers her message to him.
"Do you know why we're here? Who we are? It's important you know we we're the one's who slaughtered the warriors you sent to ambush us by the Thundering River. This is retribution."
Vigny bats away Asvig's defense with her shield and shoves her seax into his chest.
As a new opponent approaches her, Vigny sidesteps to her right. Doing so catches the warrior with either the elemental or herself to his back. She presses her with a stabbing attack from under her raised shield.
Vigny is baffled by Tazio's response. It's one thing to not believe her. But he frames the whole thing in a way that seems kind of creepy to her. And the shooing was plain wacky. It's obvious though he's not going engage with her on the subject any further.
Her lips are pursed in disappointment, but Vigny says only "I really am sorry."
She walks away to go find Sandru. As she goes she talks under her breath.
"Well Cayden Cailean Sir, do you think you could help me out with some of those 'feminine wiles' I hear I'm supposed to have? It might make things a lot easier. Just saying...
Vigny continues to move toward the door to avoid becoming surrounded. She remains engaged with the same warrior, trying to go over his shield with a chop at his neck.
Attack: 1d20 + 7 + 2 + 1 ⇒ (13) + 7 + 2 + 1 = 23
Damage: 1d10 + 4 + 2 ⇒ (3) + 4 + 2 = 9
5' step to current location on map. Standard action to attack #5.
Vigny continues to shift back, this time coming alongside the warrior who has pounced on Flori. As she does so, Vigny also recites the words to a protective ward. Upon completing the words, her appearance changes. Vigny's skin transitions from it's usual pale, slightly ruddy color to cool bluish-gray. The contours of her face, cheekbones, jawline, and such, become almost angular.
She redirects her seax, sliding it into the ribs of the warrior vexing Flori while telling Flori "make for the door".
Attack: 1d20 + 7 + 2 + 1 ⇒ (10) + 7 + 2 + 1 = 20
Damage: 1d10 + 4 + 2 ⇒ (3) + 4 + 2 = 9
5' step to new position on map. Swift casting Ironskin with Fervor. Standard action to attack warrior #5. New AC 23.
Vigny gives a litte ground, sliding back to beside Orchid. It would be very easy to become surrounded by the many oncoming warriors, and that wouldn't do at all.
She now faces a new opponent, (I think) and deals out the same treatment to him with her seax.
Vigny walks over to give Tazio a hand with the horse.
"That's a little too tight" she suggests, loosening the strap some.
When that's done Vigny takes a step back, readying to leave. In a sad but firm voice Vigny tries again to bring Tazio around.
"I didn't misunderstand. I couldn't misunderstand. I'm sorry but that was the whole point of Sandru having the conversation with me."
Vigny almost pleads with him.
"We really need to go talk to him. We both have the same problem, and the same cause of it. We have to air this with him, it can't be left to fester."
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Vigny shifts to her right, intending to hold off the group of warriors coming around the far side of the fire. She takes a more defensive approach given their numbers, choosing to use the new shield from Brinewall along with her broken-back seax.
As she blocks their way, Vigny calls upon Cayden Cailean in the name of freedom and strikes with the short heavy blade at the first among her foes to approach.
Attack: 1d20 + 7 + 2 + 1 ⇒ (13) + 7 + 2 + 1 = 23
Damage: 1d10 + 4 + 2 ⇒ (10) + 4 + 2 = 16
Using Power Attack and Furious Focus. Swift Casting Divine Favor. Bless has already been cast.
If Vigny can, she will do two things during the time they wait before the unhappy reply to the parlay request arrives in the form an attack. 1. Cast Bless on the party. 2. Is just some talking.
Vigny doesn't doubt in the least at any point along the way that there will be no talking or negotiating. Therefore, she takes a moment to quietly explain there are a number of thralls present in the building.
"They are slaves, and have no choice in being here. Don't harm them unless you absolutely can't avoid it."
If there is anything marking the thralls as such, she will point out how to identify them to the others.
Vigny is very tempted to let things break off here as they naturally could. She's hating this whole situation so much it makes her stomach hurt. But, she's built some momentum now, and she's not sure she would be able to work herself up to this point again if she quits now.
There is a new thing as well. Tazio's words are a hard smack to the face for her, even if Tazio didn't intend it. It shifts Vigny's perspective. As she gets up and walks after Tazio, Vigny isn't sure what she will say until she gets there.
"No, I didn't mean I'm sorry about how you feel. I'm sorry because it can't work. I know it can't work because I'm feeling and doing exactly the same things you are right now."
Vigny inhales and takes the plunge.
"Sandru is only interested in women. I know this because he told me when he asked me to make sure you understood this. He has noticed you, and he places a lot of value on you and the work you do for the caravan. He's afraid if he talked to you himself you might quit, and he doesn't want that at all. I agreed to talk to you for him because I feel the same way you do about him."
Vigny tries to come up with some artful way of putting it, but she just blurts out "I love him. I suppose I have for years now. So I did it because I thought if I did what he asked me to, he'd maybe like me more. We're both doing exactly the same things and it can't work. All we will ever get from it is being asked to do more things because Sandru knows we will do them."
"It's not even Sandru's fault either. It's ours for thinking there's a way to slide in to his affections without actually risking anything. All this mess is because everyone is afraid to talk. Sandru is afraid to talk to you so he asks me, and I say yes because I'm less afraid to talk to you than I am to him, and you're afraid to talk to Sandru so you do whatever he says no matter how much you don't like being pushed around by the horses. It's all miserable for all of us."
"I'm really sorry Tazio. I wish I had been braver. We should go talk to Sandru together. Doing it can't be any worse than this. Sometimes you have to saddle up and ride scared when it's the right thing to do."
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Vigny scans the area of the farmstead over and over with pursed lips.
"How do we be careful and clever here...?" she says under her breath.
Tazio's confession absolutely melts Vigny's heart. It might not be so readily apparent, but Vigny loves love. She would almost switch to his side except for the couple of problems. First, Sandru put her in this situation specifically to shake Tazio off. Tazio's hopes are doomed with absolute certainty. Second, Vigny's aims are in direct competition with Tazio's.
"Oh Tazio!" Vigny pulls Tazio into a big hug and holds him tight. "I'm so sorry!"
Vigny is surprised to find their prisoner is already gone the very next morning after his capture. But she's not very surprised. She didn't expect Orchid to be that quick about wrapping up loose ends.
I did warn him though.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Vigny is awed by Kalsgard. It may be the biggest city she's ever seen. It's also much nicer and cleaner than Riddleport, the now second largest city she's ever seen. She also finds it quite strange to blend in somewhere.
At the inn, Vigny declares her bed to be excellent, the most fluffiest with exactly the right amount of pillows. She has no problem downing approximately 3 dinners. The food is like the home cooking she'd forgotten about, except much better than any home cooking from home had ever been.
Vigny is all in on seeking out Asvig Longthews. The man is a clear danger to them and they know where to find him. The other things are important as well, but eliminating a threat comes first.
"Besides, I told than raider we'd be coming right right at his boss. Since I said that I have to do it. He invited us to his doorstep so now we must be his unwelcome guests."
Is Kelda still with us? If so, Vigny would certainly invite her to come along with them.
Vigny frowns slightly at Tazio's unwillingness to talk with Sandru about the situation.
"Sure, what he says goes in an emergency. And he could decide not to change anything if you asked. But, I'm not saying you go demand something or else. He's the caravan leader and you work for him. You can have conversations about things you'd like to see changed. That's not at all some kind of challenge to his authority. It's just a request, part of being free versus being a slave. Give it some thought."
It's about then when Vigny realizes Tazio's face has gone a bit red.
"Oh, it's nothing to get upset about... Oh wait, you're blushing aren't you? Why are you blushing?"
Sense Motive: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (4) + 6 = 10
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Vigny with Orchid:
Vigny's brow furrows with befuddlement as Orchid walks away.
Who's Sandy? Is that the name of one of the horses? No, maybe not since Sandy is taking the horses' mint... The horses have mint? Where do they keep it?
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Vigny takes the captured raider's quite rude refusal to cooperate very well, maybe. She sighs, takes her tankard, and gets up off the ground.
"Well, I've done what I can to help you. You know what you need to if you decide to survive. You might have a few days to think about changing your mind, it's hard to say. Best of luck to you."
Vigny turns to go, but then stops and turns back to add something else.
"You know, your very flowery words about how you refuse to speak to me are funny. Partially because you spoke to me in order to tell me you wouldn't speak to me instead of not simply not speaking. Mostly though it's what you told me with your spoken refusal to speak."
"If I were wrong about you having a boss who is stupid and who finds no value in you and your dead pals, and instead you all just happened by at the right time to impulsively choose disaster for yourselves, you would have told me so to make me look foolish. You didn't so I know I'm right."
"You're unlikely to make it long enough to see for yourself, so be aware of this. We know now that your boss is out there, too stupid to go into hiding or flee before us. We're not going to let an unprovoked assault on us pass unanswered. We'll be going on the hunt for your boss, and we'll be ready now if more attempts against us are made. You've seen what we can do when we're not ready, imagine what we will do now that we are."
Vigny goes down on one knee and takes the man's boots off him.
"These are for the fire. If you think we're the soft waste of dogs beneath the boots you no longer even have, be assured you and the likes of you will be the blood beneath mine. This includes whoever you made that oath to, nothing but cold, rotting meat and blood after we've rolled over them. And you can sleep tonight knowing that your stupid inability to understand the difference between refusing to speak and talking a bunch about refusing to speak is how your oath doomed the person you swore it to."
Vigny walks away carrying the boots and chucks them on the fire.
After Orchid has moved on Vigny leans in close to Taizo and in a low voice says "yikes, right?" with a smirk.
Leanings back she changes the subject away from Orchid, while filing away an observation for later.
"So, you hate dealing with the horses and you're just waiting around hoping that Sandru will switch your duties? Why don't you ask him? Can't hurt right?"
Vigny narrows her eyes, doing the clever expression again. But this time she's almost smug.
"I know Sandru very well you know. He's seems like he's all business all the time. But under the surface he's a big softy. Usually men, actually women too, who are so devastating good looking aren't very nice, but he is. I wouldn't be surprised at all if he changed you to something else if it's possible."
"Until you ask him though, I can help you out with the horses."
With Orchid:
Later in the day Vigny catches Orchid as she skulks about doing whatever it is that Orchid does. She's positioned herself to be leaning on a wagon with her thumbs jammed into her belt looking all casual.
"Hey Orchid, come here for a minute."
If Orchid complies with Vigny's request...
Vigny is smiling when Orchid comes over.
"I think I know what you're doing. You're putting the horses up to giving Tazio a hard time aren't you? If you are, can you stop it please? It's causing problems."
Vigny collects one of the armbands and goes to speak with the new prisoner. She sits down on the ground across from him very friendly and places her tankard on the ground in front of her crossed legs.
"Veistu, þessi litla árás þín var ekki mjög klár. Ég er með töluna núna, átján af þínu fólki eru látnir. Okkur megin, nokkrar skrámur."
Skald:
"You know, that little raid of yours wasn't very smart. I have the tally now, eighteen of your people dead. On our side, a few scratches."
She shakes her head sadly.
"Þetta er algjört sóun. Og það hefði mátt koma í veg fyrir þetta með smá njósnum af þinni hálfu. Þú hefðir fljótt áttað þig á því að þú ættir engan möguleika í helvíti. Þetta yrði aldrei nálægt sanngjörnum bardaga."[/spoiler]
Skald:
"It's a real waste. And it could have been avoided with a little scouting on your part. You'd have quickly realized you didn't have a chance in hell. It wasn't ever going to be close to a fair fight."
Vigny fills her tankard with ale using an enchanted word and gesture. She lifts it and holds it out for the warrior so he can sip.
"Ég ímynda mér að þú sért þyrstur. Drekktu. Allavega, eins og ég var að segja, ef þú hefðir nennt að fylgjast með okkur fyrst hefðirðu vitað að sverð mitt skín skært með heilagri blessun hins heppna drykkfellda. Þessi sem kom og urraði á þig? Hún étur sig bara í gegnum fólk meira og minna. Við höfum líka nóg af galdri. Og við getum barist úr fjarlægð. Við höfum alla mögulega kosti."
Skald:
"I'd imagine you're thirsty. Drink. Anyway, like I was saying, if you'd bothered to watch us at all first you'd have known that my sword shines bright with the holy blessing of the Lucky Drunk. That one who came by and snarled at you? She more or less just eats her way through people. We have plenty of magic too. And we can fight at range. We hold every possible advantage."
"Ég er að vera góður við þig að hluta til vegna þess að það er langt síðan ég hef verið í Linnorm konungsríkjunum og er spenntur að koma aftur. Mér þykir líka svolítið vænt um þig og vini þína og hversu illa þið klúðruðuð þessu, eða voruð klúðrað. Þið eruð öll með þessi armbönd, og þau eru ekki ódýr. Kannski tilheyrið þið öll klúbbi, en þar sem þau eru úr gulli held ég að þið eigið öll yfirmann sem afhenti þau. Og kannski varstu bara að sigla framhjá rétt þegar við vorum að setja upp tjaldbúðir fyrir nóttina. En það er ótrúlega mikil tilviljun held ég. Ég held ekki að yfirmaðurinn þinn hafi verið með þér í þessum bátum. Ég held að þú hafir verið sendur án þess að þér hafi verið sagt nokkuð um hvers konar geitungahreiður þú varst að ganga inn í. Þetta fær mig til að trúa því að yfirmaðurinn þinn sé annað hvort frekar heimskur, eða að yfirmaðurinn þinn meti þig ekki, kannski jafnvel hvort tveggja."
Skald:
"I'm being nice to you partially because it's been a long time since I've been in the Linnorm Kingdoms and I'm excited about coming back. I also feel a little bad for you and your pals and how badly you screwed up, or got screwed over. All of you are wearing these armbands, and they're not cheap ones. Maybe you all belong to a club, but since these are gold I'm thinking you all have a boss who handed them out. And maybe you just happened to be cruising by right when we were setting up camp for the night. But that's an awfully big coincidence I think. I don't think your boss was with you in those boats. I think you were sent without being told anything at all about what kind of hornet's nest you were walking into. This makes me believe your boss is either quite dumb, or your boss doesn't value you, maybe even both."
Vigny sets the tankard back on the ground and sighs with sympathy for the warrior.
"Hvort heldur sem er, slæmur yfirmaður. Ekki sú tegund yfirmanns sem stríðsmaður með sjálfsvirðingu myndi bera hollustu gagnvart. Allavega, það sem ég er að fara að hér er þetta. Það myndi hjálpa þér eins og þú myndir ekki einu sinni trúa því að segja okkur hvers vegna þú mættir og réðst á okkur. Nú, ef þú gerir það ekki getum við aldrei sleppt þér. Nú, ég mun ekki meiða þig, ég hef mín heit til að íhuga. Ég efast um að nokkur annar hér myndi gera það heldur. Með einni undantekningu. Ungfrú tennur og klær, sem heitir Orchid. Ein af okkar fólki sem slasaðist er systir hennar. Ekkert alvarlegt, en það mun ekki skipta Orchid máli. Þegar við drögum þig með okkur, munu allir venjast því að þú sért hér. Á einhverjum tímapunkti mun einhver gleyma því, eða vera kærulaus. En hún mun ekki gleyma því í eina sekúndu. Þegar þessi opnun birtist, mun hún nýta sér það. Hún mun bókstaflega opna þig og hella innyflum þínum á jörðina á meðan þú ert á lífi og horfir á það gerast. Það verður mjög, mjög sárt og ljótt. Ráð mitt til þín, ef þú vilt forðast þá framtíð, er að gera þig að góðum vini núna svo við getum byrjað að finna lausn á því hvernig þú getur losnað við þetta áður en Orchid nær að ná þér. Hvað segirðu?"
Skald:
"Either way, a bad boss. Not the kind of boss a warrior with any self-respect would feel loyalty to. Anyway, what I'm getting to here is this. It would help you like you wouldn't even believe to tell us why you showed up and attacked us. If you don't we can't possibly ever let you go. Now, I won't harm you, I have my vows to consider. I doubt anyone else here would either. With one exception. Miss teeth and claws, named Orchid. One of our people who was injured is her sister. Nothing serious, but that won't matter to Orchid. As we haul you around with us, everyone will get used to you being around. At some point somebody is going to forget, or be careless. But Orchid isn't going to forget for a second. She will be waiting and watching. When that opening appears, she's going to take advantage. She will literally open you up and spill your guts on the ground while you're alive and watching it happen. It will be very, very painful and ugly. My advice to you, if you wish to avoid that future, is to ingratiate yourself to us now so we can get to work coming up with some solution for how you can walk away from this before Orchid can get to you. What do you say?"
Vigny looks at the horse, then Tazio, and back at the horse again. She squints slightly, face serious, something Vigny does when she's trying to act clever.
"You know what I think? I think the horses know you hate them and they think it's funny. So, they're messing with you, trying to get your goat. How else are they going to entertain themselves when they just pull wagons all day?"
Walking over, Vigny starts assisting Tazio.
"I can help with the horses if you like. I get along pretty well with animals."
While she and Tazio are busy with the horses, Vigny keeps an eye out for where Sandru might be. It would help if she can find a time when he'll reliably be somewhere within sight. Bringing him up with Tazio would seem more natural if there's a prompt of that sort so the subject of Sandru doesn't come out of nowhere.
Vigny moves onward to the the next raider threatening Flori while she casts again. Upon arrival she cleaves at him with her sword, a massive overhead swing downward at his head.
By the morning Vigny has... less a plan than a vague set of intersecting theorems guiding the way she will deal with Tazio.
1. It is important that Tazio not realize Sandru has put Vigny up to talking to him on Sandru's behalf.
2. Vigny must seem to be telling Tazio whatever she tells him from a position of actual knowledge rather than opinion or speculation.
3. Meeting conditions 1 and 2 requires that Vigny present some tangible example or incident that proves Sandru is not interested in Tazio, or men in general. (Addendum, it is more likely Tazio will not react poorly to Sandru not being interested in men in general than it is he will not react poorly if Sandru is specifically not interested in Tazio.)
4. Care must be taken to ensure Tazio does not merely direct a poor response to some other member of the caravan rather than Sandru. If Sandru is concerned that Tazio might react poorly and quit the caravan if he speaks with Tazio himself, he might react poorly to someone else if they are viewed by him as ruining his chances with Sandru. This should be avoided.
5. Because she does not yet have a solution for satisfying the conditions laid out in points 2, 3, and 4. She must start with point 1 while she figures the rest out. The best way to ensure point 1 is met is to spend more time with or around Tazio so she can bring up the subject casually at some near future time. Simply walking up to him and starting "the talk" will make it seem she has either been talking into doing it, or somehow knows something she shouldn't.
With a mild headache, Vigny has some breakfast. Afterward she volunteers to do whatever will put her in proximity to Tazio that day.
Vigny moves in on the warriors who are hreatening Flori and Cailyn. As she goes, she casts another spell.
"Mam tvacham lohavat kuru!"
By the time she reaches a warrior to attack, Vigny's skin has taken on a dull gray shade of color and a rough, hard complexion, almost angular in some places like along her jaw and nose.
Using Fervor to swift cast Ironskin Current AC 22. Attack Includes Power Attack and Furious Focus. Two-handed Longsword.
Vigny is very surprised by Sandru's sudden move to hug her. For an initial instant she stiffens before relaxing into it. It feels good, like she had imagined it would.
"No need. I'm happy to help" she replies to him him.
When he's released her. She tells Sandru that she will tell Tazio something along the lines he's suggested once she's thought about how exactly to broach the subject to him.
She spends the rest of the evening before bed mulling over her approach.
Vigny holds her ground, waiting. She calls out to Kelda.
"Svo þetta er dæmigerð Ulfen kveðja? Ég man ekki eftir að þær hafi verið svona!"
Skald:
"So this is a typical Ulfen greeting? I don't remember them to be like this!"
Vigny looks for the largest clump in incoming warriors she can locate and casts a spell she hopes will soften the charge.
"Tan surya iv prakashayantu!"
As she finishes the phrase, Vigny points at the target cluster, which causes an intensely bright ball of light to appear and explode among them.
Casting Burst of Radiance. Everyone in a 10' radius must save versus reflex DC 14 or be blinded 1d4 rounds. A successful save reduces the effect to dazzled for 1d4 rounds. If any of them happen to be evil, they also take 4d4 damage no save.
Vigny jumps to her feet and draws her sword. She looks toward the river because Orchid's warning is about a boat. She stares into the darkness, starting to pick out advancing figures out in the black.
The sequence of visions Vigny experiences when the box is opened blows her mind. Aside from the strangeness of the experience itself, the implications are immense. Suddenly what had been almost a lark, a little journey to look into what might lie behind a newly discovered letter to someone she only knew recently and vaguely, has become linked to the fate of a faraway empire.
To be perfectly accurate, this had happened before. What had been a short excursion to deal with troublesome goblins had oddly brought to light a lost history of Ameiko's. But that wasn't so weird. It was a coincidence on the order of seeing a familiar face in a first visit to a faraway city, a 'huh! who would have thunk it?' episode reminding one the world can be a surprising place. This is the kind of revelation that reminds one there are gods.
When the visions have cleared, Vigny summons ale into her tankard and silently passes it around as she mentally chews on what they've seen will mean.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Spivey:
Vigny is good for some things, but handling grief isn't really one of them. She knows Spivey is grieving, and she feels helpless to act in the face of it. She doesn't know what to do or say, and is grateful there are others present who can step in.
Vigny doesn't follow Spivey, unsure if it might be intrusive to do so. Instead she finds a good spot for keeping an eye on things until they are ready to move onward.
"I'll stay here and make sure we aren't followed. We didn't completely check the castle so there might still be something we missed looking for payback."
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Heading North:
Vigny finds she's excited by the idea of traveling onward north, to what she could consider home. It isn't exactly the kind of excitement she might feel returning to Riddleport after a long time away. That feeling would include anticipation for being around people she knew, things she missed, a feeling of familiarity. She has no anticipation for the Linnorm Kingdoms because she doesn't know them.
Her memories of the place are limited to a clearing hacked out of the southern edge of the Grungir Forest so long ago now that she wouldn't be able to find it if she tried. The spot has probably been swallowed by the forest by now anyway. The feeling she has is excitement and uncertainty for a 'what if', a possible alternate life she might have had if things had happened differently when she was a young girl. She's eager to see the 'what ifs' waiting up north, although it hadn't ever occurred to her to go find out before now.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The Nolands:
The feeling doesn't apply to the Nolands though. She does remember that place, and returning affects her. Vigny's demeanor becomes more reserved, and she seems nervous or on edge after the caravan crosses into the region.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Sandru:
As Vigny returns from patrol one evening, she finds Sandru in the wagon's shadow, leaning awkwardly against the wheel. He straightens up as she approaches.
"Do you have a moment?" he asks. Once she stops, he shifts his weight from foot to foot. The behavior is unusual for the normally confident caravan leader.
Vigny turns from her original path and steps on over close to Sandru.
"Sure, what's up Sandru?[b] Vigny is puzzled by Sandru's out of character behavior. He starts to make her feel edgy as well.
[b]"I was wondering if ..." he begins, but then shakes his head and looks out into the darkness. "This is really difficult for me. I can usually handle these things without resorting to something like this." He squares his shoulders and steels his nerve.
Sandru really has Vigny's attention now. She's starting to wonder if maybe she's done something or made some mistake that's a problem.
"I've had to deal with misplaced affections in the past and it's never been as ... uncomfortable as this." He frowns and seems to consider his words carefully.
The blood in Vigny's veins goes ice cold, she practically shivers from it. Her eyes are wide.
"Could I ask something of you? This is going to be a long journey and I really need to nip this before it gets out of hand."
Vigny feels bile at the back of her throat, like she might vomit. She thought Sandru didn't know anything about it. How could he know when she'd only managed to have brief, mundane conversations with him? Vigny thinks it might be better if she broke it and stopped him, apologizing right away so he didn't have to say anything more. But she can't get her voice to work.
After drawing a couple more breaths, he blurts out, "Could you talk to Tazio for me? His is a skill that is invaluable out here, but I just don't share his feelings. This is uncomfortable, but I don't think he knows that I know, so I think it would be better if it came from someone that wasn't me."
He waits expectantly for Vigny's response.
Vigny's blood thaws and her face goes pinkish.
"Oh... Oh, um, alright. Yes, sure. Um, I can do that. I'll talk to him. And... right, I'll think of something so it doesn't seem like this came from you to me... Somehow... Uh, do you have a suggestion for how to do it that way best?"
Vigny puts her hand on the wagon to lean and look casual about the whole thing, but her knees feel weak from her emotional crash and recovery.
Vigny pauses briefly before she nopes right on out, just in case something not terrible could possibly happen. She's used up all her tricks and she has no illusions about how useless her weapons are against something without a physical form.
