Angelcynn: The Myrcian Conflict - Act 5 Magonsaete Route

[Balcerzak]

When the princess had reached out her hand, Naimanzuunnadintsetseg had been momentarily taken aback. There was no hostile intent, surely, her sword had already been sheathed, so after a brief pause it dawned on her that this was likely some greeting ritual. Gingerly stretching her own hand out in similar fashion, she nodded as the woman managed a few syllables of her name.

"I am almost surprised she managed that much of it, so I suppose I should be thankful," Naimanzuunnadintsetseg snorted lightly, ever amused at Sylvia's difficulties. Perhaps all foreigners would find it too much a mouthful? "If you wish to just call me 'Naiman' that would be fine." Between that, and the privateer's amusing habit, the two of them actually almost made a whole of it, what with the one covering the number, and the other covering the flowers.

When Astaroth spoke it in full, though, she turned a little surprised and gave him an appraising look. It hadn't been his place to offer, but since she did not intend to keep it secret, she did not begrudge him for doing so. She supposed she should have expected he'd have recognized her full name from the fragment given, but part of her had still been caught off guard. Nodding to them both, she confirmed he'd spoke the right of things, "Indeed, it is as he says."

The introductions had then been cut short by the combined factor of the grievously wounded man seeking healing, as well as his winged mount making itself a bit of nuisance. A few ideas were also floated regarding pressing on, or preparing for nightfall, Naimanzuunnadintsetseg privately preferred the former, but that appeared to have been settled upon without her needing to speak up regarding it. And Sylvia indeed had the right of it, if an injury wasn't urgent, there was no sense slowing their departure from this place of battle, sure to invite unwelcome attention the longer they stayed. Thus she made no mention of her own wound, the treatment she'd given it during battle still holding up such that it didn't inconvenience her more than a little.

Following Sylvia as she made off to the carts, so they could salvage what they could, Naimanzuunnadintsetseg made sure to give a wide berth to the well-dressed man in the fancy robes who'd been slinging all those spells.

[Nanami Touko]

I see Sebastian has no issues with her name... You're far too cultured. Cass sighed. Things were good, at least, they all saw reason. Staying around here would get them killed--  Decidedly, this time. With a few heading towards the wagon, Cassandra felt she would be better off with them, than sticking around to deal with injuries... In fact, she could do both. Leaving the monster to Sebastian, Cassandra made after Sylvia and Naimanzuunnadintsetseg, approaching with just a small bit of distance. "Excuse me, Niamanzuu... I swear, once we have time to breathe, I will get this name properly. Until then, Naiman, would you like me to patch you up? You fought as well as anyone else, and took blows in return. I'd wager I'm better than Sebastian when it comes to a staff... Though, only slightly. Still, it wouldn't hurt to take care of anything now, rather than have it become a bother later." The convenience of magic. Hopefully this wagon would be just as convenient. They didn't have the luxury of time to afford repairs were any of it broken.

"You as well, Sylvia," she said ahead at the woman, "t'would be discourteous to not offer the same service. I simply hope if we remain in company through another sortie, we come out of it with more red on our weapons than ourselves." She didn't exactly mind taking a blow for the promise of victory, but that didn't mean she wanted to get hurt.

Edited January 27, 2018 by SnakeMomMelissa

[Balcerzak]

Naimanzuunnadintsegtseg crinkled her nose in distaste at the suggestion. But... it was not given in bad faith. How much fault could she place in these outlanders, if their intentions were good?

"I would prefer herb and poultice over tome and rod, but either are preferable to pus and rot," she sighed despairingly. "And I do not wish to slow us down, so if you judge it fitting, I will not fight you on this."

[Shin]

Evening of 20th May 812 - Magonsaete Plains

The unified decision of the group had been to set up camp elsewhere, a wise choice considering the number of corpses surrounding them. The wagon had just about been salvageable, some careful tinkering was enough to put it in a usable state. A few hours travel west saw the sun start to set, the endless fields gradually shifting into gentle hills. Light was becoming an issue, and the location was suitable to set up camp. Through the combined efforts of the natives, along with Sebastian, the tents were pitched. Graham had started collecting wood for the campfire, but materials were sparse in such a wide open space. He'd piled a mass of twigs and dry leaves in the centre of their camp, but the young noble wasn't exactly sure how to progress from there. Aurelio had attempted to give him some aid, but his input wasn't much better.

"We can't keep a fire going with sticks like that. Damn, don't you have anything to light it with?" Aurelio asked, scratching his head. "It wasn't easy living out here, the sooner we get back home the better."

Sebastian gave Cass a sly grin, continuing to peel the potato in his hand. "Perhaps the Princess would be able to provide some aid for either of your woes, Mister Aurelio. She's rather resourceful for a member of nobility. Unless our foreign friends were care to share their own advice."

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Edited January 27, 2018 by Shin

[Nanami Touko]

Managing to salvage the wagon had given all of them a comfortable rest to the west, for the next few hours. While not much was said, Cass didn't feel awkward. Being surrounded by people again... It was an alright feeling. These ones wouldn't know her mistakes, or judge her for them... Maybe not all of them, but most of them. She'd pointedly ignored what Aurelio had said to her before, about when they were going back. She had no plans to. Wyke was... With this small a group, it would be tantamount to suicide. A rousing the bandits... Well, actually... If we managed to curry favor with one of the larger clans around here, perhaps they would take now to invade Wyke... I'd rather it be taken by Magonsaete than used as some political chess piece. Perhaps... Cass' thoughts faded with the sun.

Their camp was rough, but it was passable. She'd slept on worse in their travels through Magonsaete previously. The issue of starting a fire wasn't much of an issue to her, though. "One moment," she sighed out, with another curious glance at Sebastian. Retrieving the training tome that Claire had left her to use, Cass knelt down in front of Graham's amassed tinder, and with gentle concentration, set the collection ablaze. It wasn't an impressive flame, but it was steady. With some more practice, she'd be using real spells.

"That should stay lit for a while. I can't fix your lack of wood, though... Perhaps some of the wagon can be dismantled. We aren't hauling any supplies but our own... Just a thought." Her mild show of magic accomplished, Cass looked about the group, then counted their tents. "Hmm. There's nine of us, and we've only managed four. I suppose the girls can stay with me, and the rest of you can divvy up between yourselves. Does that sound fine?" She was sure that some of them wished to speak of things before retiring, but it wouldn't hurt to settle arrangements before that.

[Moblin Major General]

Astaroth grew somewhat concerned. I thought they would have seen us coming down the road by now. Why are they not here, yet? He shook it off, knowing that worrying would only consume him if he thought about it more than just a little bit. Instead, he looked at his horse, who appreciated being out of the harness, but wasn't all that willing to run around, instead being content to just eat some grass and maybe some flowers. He saw Sebastian cutting potatoes, almost like he was above the feuds that sprang up just hours ago, along with some of the ones that might pop up later.

He pulled out the spice blend that he had, and smelled it. He recoiled, but then smelled it again, being less strong than the first smell. He then put it away and worked his way over to the fire. "I can take Hiero with me into one, seeing as though everyone else's interactions with him went poorer than my own. Graham and Sebastian should share one, as they seem the most familiar with one another. Alain and Aurelio could take the other, as both of them keep to themselves as far as I can tell, and at the very least won't disturb one another." He hoped that his suggestion would be at least considered.

[Vestige]

"Fine with me Chief," Alain said, looking over to Aurelio. The man seemed fairly keen to return to Wyke at the soonest possible hour. Apparently, nobody had told him that there were no plans to do so. How sad. Though, he had to admit he was surprised that Cassandra had chosen to ignore his comment. He'd expected her to clear the air immediately. Was she feeling sorry for the man, or was she herself having second thoughts? 

He walked up to the fire, and folded his hands behind him. "Impressive work there Cassandra. Good to see your control of magic isn't as horrendous as Claire's. You'd think after seven years she'd have a handle on it by now. Shame she isn't here to see your progress. It does make me wonder how our friends are faring right now though... "

[Balcerzak]

It had been a bit of a trip, their ride in the wagon after they'd fixed it up to serviceable, but Naimanzuunnadintsegtseg had found something to occupy her time, ignoring any bemused looks the others might have given her for it. There was plenty to think about, while her hands went through the repetitive motions, twisting handfuls of prairie grasses into compact bundles, and leaning out the back and a bit to the side to grab handfuls more as they passed along across the meadows. When she'd finished, the resulting bundles were each roughly wrist-width, and maybe forearm-length, wrapped tight and secure enough so as to not come undone and scatter everywhere. They almost resembled giant thick, straight pretzels, if one were familiar with such things.

As she slowly assembled a small pile of the bundles--hopefully enough to suffice, but she wasn't as certain of that as she'd like to be--Naimanzuunnadintsegtseg's mind wandered about various subjects. One of which was the matter of this princess. After more or less forcing herself on her earlier, Cassandra had backed off and kept rather to herself during the wagon ride, which was something of a relief, but without overhearing her converse with any of the other passengers either, that left her with little in the way of new insights. She supposed she should be more grateful--as absent her healing magicks, the frequent bumps and bustles of the wheels inevitably finding the roughest patches of ground to cover would have made for a much more aggravating journey, with her wound undoubtedly complaining fiercely--but it wasn't easy to just accept something so unnatural like that. Maybe enough time amongst the strangers would soften her to their oddities and customs, but as of yet she still wasn't one hundred percent sure whether or not this was where she ultimately wanted to hang her hat, so to speak.

Once they'd arrived, the matter of starting a fire appeared to baffle the poor armored knight, clearly out of his element away from more densely wooded areas. The well-mannered manservant, Sebastian she think she'd caught his name as, betrayed a level of depth that was slightly worrisome. He no doubt had picked up on exactly what Naimanzuunnadintsegtseg had been up to during the wagon ride, and her reasons why, but preferred to just slyly imply rather than state anything outright. Definitely a fellow to keep an eye on in the future, she was sure to note. Cassandra's suggestion of dismantling part of the wagon to use for wood left her aghast. She couldn't be serious! What a waste of actual serviceable lumber that would be.

Marching over swiftly, one of the bundles she'd prepared along the way in hand, she rapped the naive princess on the shoulder with it before tersely explaining. "Use these before rashly wasting resources. Whether I've made enough is... unclear, so I might as well go scout for prairie coal, though with few signs of any sizable herds nearby, it will likely prove a fruitless venture." She sighed again, when the topic of lodgings was raised, and Cassandra had claimed her as guest for her own tent. While her objection was unlikely to avail, Naimanzuunnadintsegtseg had to try. "Three to a tent may be crowding, especially for royalty, be they unaccustomed to hardship. I would have no trouble sleeping beneath the stars, as I've done many a time before. Without altering any of the other arrangements, that should make things come out a little more even too."

Edited January 28, 2018 by Balcerzak

[Nanami Touko]

"... Such a shame," she responded in almost a whisper, wondering what Alain was driving at, bringing that up right now. "I'm sure Owen is leading them all fine. He wouldn't... He wouldn't let them die." Probably... He seemed so bent on winning the war through talking, perhaps he wouldn't have the foresight to see death coming. Cass didn't want to think about that, not when they'd gotten so far so soon.

Naiman's offering of a replacement for the wood was welcome, of course, not that Cass quite understood the tone it was given with. "Of course. If we have a suitable substitute, there's no reason not to use it..." The comments on their sleeping setup painted a helpful picture at least, Cass rolling her eyes. She'd hoped her display during the battle was enough to rub away any worries over her and hardships, but it seemed not.

"Naiman, while I appreciate you worrying about me," she said, with almost sarcasm, "I am not some stuffy noble lost on the plains. This is not my first trek through Magonsaete, and if my plans hold up, it won't be my last. So, while you're free to sleep wherever you're most comfortable, do not do so as a courtesy for me... Comes across as rather patronizing, instead." That may have been rather heavy, but it did have to be said. She didn't want special treatment, much as Graham and Sebastian would give it to her anyway.

"We've only just met, and the moniker of princess is rather lofty, I suppose... But, no special treatment, please. Call me Cass, Cassandra, 'frustrating cunt'," Esclabor would've appreciated that permission, "whichever fits best. But do not think I cannot deal with life here... I simply have to learn whatever else I'm missing. Like these handy bundles of grass, to start." One thing down, she supposed. Always more to pick up.

Edited January 28, 2018 by SnakeMomMelissa

[Ether]

For how crummy this day had begun, it seemed to be turning around reasonably well. They had managed to come out on top over those brigands, despite the Princess' comment that had certainly spilled more blood than they had shed by a wide margin, and with a bit of tinkering they had managed to salvage a wagon. Sylvia's own work maintaining a ship had proved fruitful, the basics of keeping a different type of wooden vehicle up and running not lost on her... the servant, Sebastian, had also proved helpful. The man seemed to be skilled at just about everything thrown in front of him, but she supposed if he was serving royalty, he'd damn well better be capable of copious amounts of outrageous bullshit. 

Loading what supplies they could carry into the salvaged wagon, a few hours travel lie ahead of them. It was certainly some time to think. Petunia had been quietly keeping a wide berth from the magically inclined of the group, finally admitting outright her distaste for them when Cassandra offered to close her wounds. She had accepted, but it had been a reluctant acceptance borne of necessity. As they had began to move, she had begun... weaving grass bundles? That was what it had appeared to be, off in the corner of the wagon. It wasn't something she herself was familiar with, but plainsfolk and seafolk rarely shared habits, at least from what she had noticed. Sylvia herself, in their downtime, pulled out a well-used cloth from a pouch on her belt, and began to meticulously polish and clean her Culverin, having free time to do so. This had occupied most of her own travel time, putting the revolver back into it's holster not too long before they had stopped to set up camp.

A few more revelations. Like with most things, the butler's competence shone through... there was something about this man, truly... otherwise, Cassandra had shown a novice-level aptitude for magic, starting a flame with their gathered kindling. A scholar she had met once had told Sylvia that she seemed to be above average in magical potential, but that stuff seemed far too out there for her tastes. The purpose of Abelia's grass logs came to light as well... a substitute for wood to burn. It made logical sense, if you were poor of wood but rich of grass, use grass to keep your flame fed. Between the two of them, the fire seemed to be well and started at any rate, so Sylvia put away the flint she had been about to use for the occasion. When the arrangements for sleeping came up following all that, it seemed to be quickly sorted, the women to one tent, and the men to share the other three, the horseman even offering further suggestions for the men, who could take or leave at their own discretion. Abelia though? She seemed inclined to take a thinly veiled shot at the Princess, and offered to sleep under the stars. Cassandra countered her suggestion that she need be coddled, and the huntress had yet to rebut.

"Whatever is more comfortable for ya, Camelia. For what it's worth though, as I understand it, the plains can get rather chilly at night, and being out uncovered might not be for the best if you have other options. Of course, you know more about it than me, so take that with a grain a salt... tent doesn't look too tight that adding a third would leave anyone without room to breathe. At any rate, I'm fine with what y'all've suggested so far." Sylvia chimed in, chuckling at Cassandra's laundry list of names... some of them more flattering than others.

[Balcerzak]

Naimanzuunnadintsegtseg couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at the princess's peevish retort. Not her first trip through the plains? Well, Cassandra's ignorance and innocence had certainly fooled her on that point. And for her to be giving lectures on 'patronizing', when going out of her way to belittle her by treating her as just another woman, afraid to share a sleeping space with men, rather than a brave tribal warrior capable of defending herself. Ha. Royalty certainly was rich. And to go so far out of her way to take offense, when she had done her due to couch it as gently as possible. Sigh.

"Very well, Sandy," Naimanzuunnadintsegtseg drew out the girl's fitting new moniker, as she proved to be as coarse and abrasive as the namesake. "If we remain together long enough for you to prove me wrong, you'll be sure to get my apology. Till then I suppose I'll just teach what I can, when you need it, mmm?" She tossed the bundle of grass she'd prodded the woman with on the fire, to accentuate her point, and turned to leave.

In the interim, though Sylvia had happened by, and added her opinion on the sleeping arrangements to the mix. Something about her presentation of the argument was different enough that, unlike Cassandra's, it didn't rub Naimanzuunnadintsegtseg the wrong way, but she'd be damned if she could point out what precisely the difference was, which frustrated her. With a sigh and a shrug, she acquiesced. "I suppose it wouldn't hurt any," she muttered softly.

 

[Nanami Touko]

It was an unfortunate nickname, but she'd been called worse, so she mentally shrugged it off. This woman seemed to be getting rather bothered with her, and she wasn't quite sure why. Was it wrong to tell someone not to treat you special for your standing? Cass didn't want to be some stuffy royal, so why be treated like one? Oh well. If I can deal with Esclabor, this shouldn't bother me... I hope.

"Okay. Thank you." With the fire properly going, Cass shrugged and retreated to her things again. Fishing out the page Alain had given her, and keeping it together with her practice tome, Cass made her way towards the first tent, figuring they all looked similar enough that none would be bigger than the others. "I'll be in here if anyone needs me, then. Feel free to knock." Shuffling her way in and finding a generally soft patch of grass to lay down on, Cass did her best to use the gentle glow of the fire outside to read what she could. If she could get this magic nonsense down sooner than later, it could provide useful in combat. They couldn't have Alain doing all the spell slinging.

[Moblin Major General]

Once Cass closed her tent, Astaroth turned to the rest of the group. "That was a little rude of you to decline her offer, Setseg." Astaroth figured that he shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth, as he knew what happened when his tribe's spirit healer literally stuck her head in the mouth of his horse. Before retiring to one of the other 3 available tents, Astaroth called his horse back over. "Nice and full, are we? Good, then you sleep by the wagon. You can hear a whole lot better than the rest of us, so just call if anything is nearby. Hiero, we'll be in this one over here." He pointed to the one on the far end of the camp, the one furthest from the women's tent. Astaroth thought that maybe Hiero would eavesdrop on the women if they slept in the nearest one to the women's tent, and wanted him to not get stabbed in the dead of night. He walked into his tent and sat down, not wanting to sleep until the fire went out.

[Ether]

Well, the pair of girls parted before any sparks could truly fly... Sunflower had sent another venom-laced response the Princess' way, noting that if she earned normal treatment she would get it, and Cassandra soon excused herself to read in one of the tents. After the Princess had departed, Sunflower seemed to calm down a bit, whether it was being out of the noblewoman's presence or Sylvia's own words that had appeased her was uncertain. Still, it wouldn't hurt to try and address things some.

"I know she ain't yer type, I'm not exactly one for nobles either, y'know? But she's tryin', which is more than most of 'em would be willin' to do. And they did help us out of quite the bind, earlier. Couldn't hurt to give 'er the time a' day as long as we're travellin' together." Sylvia passed Amaryllis' way as she began to step away from the fire. Things were certainly gonna be turbulent even if that particular sour note was smoothed out, and heading further into Magonsaete... they'd likely need to rely on one another for protection again.

[Vestige]

"And there she goes." Alain let out a chuckle as he watched Cassandra make her timely getaway. He laughed, but it was admittedly painful watching Cassandra continue to throw away the greatest opportunity life could have given her. She was clearly unsatisfied with the status quo, but despite having the means she lacked the will to change it. It was the height of folly. He was certain Ethel would have agreed.  

"I'm not going to claim I know what's it's like to live out here, but I figure I have a better idea than most. It must be irritating hearing a girl like her speak of life out here like a mere trifle, but she's faced her fair share of tribulations as well. If you can find it within you, please indulge her fantasy for a little while longer. She'll be waking up sooner or later," he said, turning to face the tribeswoman. 

Even outside of battle she managed to strike quite the imposing figure against the glow of the fire. She and Sylvia both had a kind of intensity about them--but Naiman seemed to have the extra ardor found only among beasts of the wild. How fitting, that. 

"Naimanzuunnadin... tsegtseg, is that right? We don't hear names like that where I'm from. It's quite, er, fascinating," he said, nodding to himself. 

Good lord, what a mouthful. What had Astaroth said her name meant? Eight hundred flowers or some such? He wasn't exactly a flower fanatic, but that still seemed like far too many flowers for any one person to be carrying around. Why couldn't her parents have just settled for five or six flowers like rational human beings? And if someone was to go through all the trouble of gathering eight hundred flowers, why not go the extra step and make it a clean one thousand?  

"Something to do with flowers, yes? Any type in particular that catches your fancy? Your friend Sylvia seems conflicted about which she likes the best... it's a bit unsettling actually," he grimaced. 

[Poimagic]

“Party Pooper.” Hiero mumbled. He then sighed. Astaroth is doing this for a reason. I might get stabbed if I eavesdrop on the ladies, Hiero thought. He then yawned. “I’m gonna hit the hay. Night.” Hiero started walking towards the tent, then stopped half way. He turned towards his wyvern; and saw Michalis fast asleep. Hiero smiled, then finished walking towards the tent. He then sat down next to Astaroth. “Hey, Astaroth. Why do you Cary that bag of spices with you? It seems a little odd. Do you have it on you incase you need to cook something with spices?”

[Moblin Major General]

Astaroth, still fully awake, looked at Hiero. "A pinch will enhance any food you make by making it somewhat spicy. I sometimes use it to get ready to take a hit by inhaling it through my nose. It's painful and makes my nose bleed, but it makes one feel as they could be hit in the stomach with a warhammer and still be able to stand, much less draw breath. I wouldn't advise doing this, and the spice itself is very rare, but the adrenaline rush from it could mean the difference between life and death. I was tempted to maybe put it in a meal whenever we eat next, but I reconsidered because I felt that not everyone would appreciate breathing fire like Michalis' giant cousins in the ancient legends." Astaroth looked at the still smoldering fire in the middle of the camp. It didn't matter when it died, Astaroth would not rest until it did.

Edited January 29, 2018 by Hylian Air Force

[Poimagic]

“Hm. Sounds like some sort of double edge sword, were it has benefits, but also downfalls if it fails. Anyway, Astaroth, I have two things on my mind. One, are we joining that girl’s party? I would assume you are going to say yes, and I’d have to come with you. But can you atleast ask where she is going before she joins? I’m asking cause it feels like we’re joining something that’ll lead to something much bigger. My other thought is, where were those two with use before? They guy with the sword and the guy with the Lance? Where were during that Battle?”

[Balcerzak]

Apparently that had been enough words for her, for now at least, the princess retreating into the tent she'd claimed for her 'and the girls'. Hopefully she'd be less frustrating during the night. Naimanzuunnadintsegtseg simply shrugged when Astaroth chided her for being rude. She wasn't quite sure that was an apt description of the situation, but if it had come off that way, then surely things were now rectified after she'd relented, no? So nothing more needed to be done. Thankfully it seemed he wasn't going into a full lecture, just sharing a few words of disappointment, apparently, before he went and tended to his horse. That, at least, was good to see, truth be told. One can tell a lot about a person by the way they keep their animals. She paused a moment to ponder whether that maxim applied to the flying lizard as well, and how indeed one was even supposed to manage one properly. They were certainly a rarity in these parts, and she was less than familiar with their needs.

Sylvia hadn't finished with her though, and tried putting things in a different light. The implication was still that Naimanzuunnadintsegtseg carried more of the fault than not, though. Was that really true? Was she really so self-absorbed as to be guilty of much the same things that were upsetting her about Sandy? It was food for thought as the privateer passed by to handle business of her own.

Caught up in musing as she was, Naimanzuunnadintsegtseg had let the conjurer have an opening she really shouldn't have allowed. Startled a bit as he addressed her, she halted the instinctive reach for her knife when it became apparent that his words were mere casual speech, and not some devilish incantation. Amusingly enough, it seemed he was on her side in this matter. Yes, it truly was the princess who was in the wrong this time. Though perhaps she had herself slightly over-reacted as well. She nodded to his request, indicating that she would do her best to maintain her patience as long as possible, then actually broke into a bit of a smile as the man managed her name nearly perfectly correct.

"Very impressive, magic man," she replied, warmly at first but cooling rapidly as she remembered who she was dealing with. "Is it all those spells that have made your tongue so nimble, or were you simply born with such a gift?"

If not for the recent exhortation from her friend to give their travel companions more of a chance, considering they were to be sharing the road for a while longer, in combination with the pleasure of having finally found one of the few foreigners who didn't butcher her name, she would surely have ended the conversation there, and gone off to scour their surroundings for a few more welcome resources, before such efforts would be all-but futile due to darkness. As it was though, Naimanzuunnadintsegtseg decided to indulge him his conversation a while longer.

"And yes," she continued softly. "The general meaning being hundreds of beautiful flowers, the most feminine name my parents could think of to give, so that Death had little reason to notice me, after the misfortune that met my older brothers." It was an explanation she had given many times before, occasionally to people even less savory than a wielder of wicked arts, so there was no need for hesitation.

"As for Sylvia, I'm sure she's just teasing, but even so," the corners of Naimanzuunnadintsegtseg's lips curled upwards just thinking about it, "Her reaction is so... unique and amusing, I cannot bring myself to feel cross with her."

"Me personally, though," she paused, considering his motives for asking. A slight chill ran through her veins as she hit upon one all-too common reason for a man to discuss flowers with a woman. Maybe that was not the case this time, but should it prove to be... she would plant a sinister seed and see whether it came to bloom. "A few are more dear than others, but foremost on the list would probably be one common to the plains. In bloom it is a vibrant near-violet, the flowerhead spanning maybe most of a hand's width. As it ages, and the season nears its end, though, it turns to pretty white fluff that carries the seeds on the wind." Naimanzuunnadintsegtseg of course, kept quite quiet about the spiny bristles that thoroughly covered the leaves and stalk of the plant.

Edited January 30, 2018 by Balcerzak

[Nanami Touko]

The gentle chatter outside the tent was nice to hear, above the crackling of the fire. Cass gently set herself up and tried to angle the book just a bit better, to get a proper light. She'd been perusing the pages on and off since they'd left, taking small moments when she could to try and cast her magic and practice. Things had gotten so stable since her first attempt at lighting that candle, it was nice to know she had the natural aptitude. How far it would take her, only time would tell, but for now... "Focus, Cassandra... Focus."

Leaving her palm open, Cass took a deep breath, a gentle warmth beginning to float above her hand. A stinging pain in her left arm reminded her of what fire had done, but she didn't flinch or lose concentration. That scar was her fault, and she wouldn't let it hold her back. It would be a good reminder to not repeat mistakes again, now that she'd found such a wonderful opportunity. An opportunity... For what? Her concentration wavered, and the flame flickered out into nothing, Cass sighing.

Alain had planted a small seed in her mind, a seed of insecurity. Aurelio's constant askings about it weren't helping, either. When were they going to go back to Wyke? If Cass had her way, they never would. That would cause problems for Aurelio, maybe Alain, but did she have to care? She'd set her plans out before leaving, and Aurelio wasn't her duty... Wyke had already fallen, whatever was left of it wasn't worth going after. Owen would fix things. He had to... He...

Cass fell back onto her spot of grass, flopping her book closed. "What a mess... I shouldn't be thinking this hard." She wished for it to stop, but her mind continued, now expressing worries on if Owen failed. Who would save Wyke then? Surely not her. The country had done nothing for her, the people barely knew her, the nobles hated her, some conspired against her unbelievably directly. So to what end did she owe the country a saving...? ...If you save it, you can change it.

She almost sat straight up again, shocked at herself. She stopped just pushing herself up with her arms, resting back down, trying to fight away the idea, but... "If I did save it. If I managed to save everyone... Became queen? I... You're getting far too ahead of yourself, Cass... Far, far too ahead. Even if you could, with what army? Will you raise bandits within a few months and march on Wyke? No, that's foolish... I should drop these prattles and focus on what's possible. Finding somewhere where I can start again. That's all..." Reopening the tome once more, Cass went about trying to practice her magic again. It was calming, and improving made her feel good... That was all.

[Moblin Major General]

Hiero's question proved more difficult to answer than Astaroth had initially thought. Cassandra was very helpful, but how long would they be welcome? And was she the one going to do something, or was he? "I guess we will, Hiero, but I feel as though maybe someone would have to push her to something bigger than herself. I don't even know if she really wants all of us here." Astaroth opened his bag and looked intently at the book inside. Engel give me strength. I hope I'm not doing something I'm going to end up regretting.

As for Hiero's other question, it passed over Astaroth's head, probably due to the fact that he had forgotten about them. "Oh, they'll find us. A group this big, can't miss it." Thinking further, Astaroth came to the conclusion that maybe that isn't such a good thing after all.

Edited January 30, 2018 by Hylian Air Force
anti-meta edit

[Ether]

Having left Azalea with her piece, Sylvia mulled about for a small bit of time. The camp was set up, it appeared as though the butler was preparing a meal... the magician had swiftly moved to occupy Tulip's time after Sylvia herself had departed the conversation, and those two men from before seemed to be conversing amongst themselves. That left the sweaty armoured fellow, the blonde lumberjack and the Princess as options to speak with, shoot the shit as it were. Of the two, the Princess certainly seemed more intriguing. Royalty of a dead nation in the middle of Magonsaete, with such a small entourage at that. She was certainly peculiar... stepping up to the tent she had chosen to occupy... how did one knock on a tent? Perhaps a habitual saying of Cassandra's from life indoors with the etiquette of nobility... well, she might indulge her, at least a tad.

"Knock knock, Princess." Sylvia called out through the cloth flap of the tent, pausing a moment before entering. There didn't seem much reason for Cassandra to be indecent, but she did ask for a knock first, perhaps she had been craving a specific sort of alone time. Oh well. Stepping inside, Cassandra seemed to be clothed, a good start, and reading some sort of tome. Sitting down a small bit away from her, Sylvia looked the girl over. A definite oddity, this one was.

"Or if your offer applies to me too, Cass seems quick and simple. If y'don't mind me askin', it'd certainly a bit odd to see a royal all the way out here. If I'm to be blunt... everything about you is a bit different than what I'd expect. Most nobles relish their titles, yet you seem to want to throw yours away. Want to be treated as an equal, instead of a higher sort of folk. And you're meanderin' around Magonsaete with only a handful of guards." Sylvia began, scratching her chin with a curious expression crossing her face as her lips twisted into a grin.

"I'd love to hear the story of a woman who ended up so far gone from expectation. Colour me intrigued."

[Nanami Touko]

Sylvia... The more pleasant of the two, so far, more so because she seemed to want the group to stay amicable. Must've appreciated having a circle of people that wouldn't die the moment bandits set upon them. "Cass is fine," she replied, as Sylvia set out her interest in coming here. The whole story, was it... Cass wasn't about to get into everything with near strangers, but they were all going to pry sooner or later. She could give some of it away. Some...

"There's not much to it. I'm a rather terrible princess. The only thing they managed to make stick was this foolishly formal way of speaking, which, believe me, could I rid myself of any time soon, I would. I don't do etiquette, I don't have tea with the girls, I don't put on a good attitude in front of guests and other nobles... Much to my father's chagrin, I'd rather be spending my time swinging a weapon about with the castle soldiers. Perhaps if he'd relented, and let me study as Owen did, I'd be a different person... But my life has been filled with disobedience and hardships. I can't pretend some of it isn't self imposed, but the rest... Nobility is not a life for the faint of heart. And I..."

She sighed, sitting up a bit, closing her tome. "I'm here because I ran away from the war happening in Myrcia." She tried to smile, but it wasn't coming easily. "My brother is leading a small force, working with the Raewaldian army. And... I feared so much that he was going to get himself killed, that I couldn't bring myself to stay while he did. I was too weak for war. That's as simple as it gets... Killing bandits, fighting, I am suited for that. Subterfuge, spies, back alley dealings, I... Have had enough of those things."

Cass couldn't really look at Sylvia now, admitting most of that made her feel useless and weak. She wasn't going to go near what had happened before the campaign, that would be too much. "There you are. The story of a silly girl that didn't want to be princess. So I'm heading for Magon. To try and be 'normal', for a change. I worry over Wyke, but, I... Do not have the means, or the power, to change its fate. Not now, or any time soon."

[Ether]

Staying quiet as Cassandra relayed her story, Sylvia nodded along at points, taking it in as she went. A girl born into royalty, but without any interest in the pageantry that came with it. Rather than feeling free and empowered by affluence, she felt stifled and demeaned by the expectations thrust upon her. Truth be told, Sylvia couldn't relate very well to that part of it... she didn't know much of nobles aside from the painted faces and hair set into fantastical shapes with some sort of magic or hundreds of gold pieces worth of odd powders and creams. And then she spoke of the war... Sylvia's smile faded at the thought of it... this time it wasn't just Deira marching through her homeland, but the Raewaldens as well... what a mess.

"Well, to tell you the truth, Cass, I can't really relate to what yer sayin'. I ain't never been around nobles much... so that bit I can't say much on. I feel like past that though, we ain't so different, you and I. You told me where ya come from, so it's only fair I share some too." Sylvia began, fishing around her person for a moment before pulling out a bottle of grog, taking a swig of the beverage before offering Cassandra the chance to imbibe if she so wished.

"I grew up on the Southern coast a' Myrcia. Fisher's little girl, well, not so little. Boy folk around the village were plenty wary a' me, weren't used to a girl bein' able to kick their arse. Helped my daddy since I was a wee thing, draggin' line and haulin' catch. Weren't no war in a sense, but Deira kept sendin' soldiers into Myrcia to collect tax. If y'didn't have gold, you got beat. First time was a bit a lashin', some fists thrown. After a few times it turned to broken legs n' arms, and after that, well... a workin' man can't work proper with a broken leg." Sylvia began, a somber expression crossing her face.

"O'course, I'm sure you're wonderin' where I'm goin' with this. Y'see, there was no war front t'speak of. You couldn't do nothin' about the taxman. If y'beat him and sent him packin', he'd come back with friends. One quick way to get your ass killed. So what'd I do? Well, out on the waters talk gets passed around, away from pryin' ears. Raewald was hirin' people in secret to harass Deiran ships up North. Well I thought to m'self, thar's a way to get back at them bastards. So I did it. I left home, traveled across the bloody continent, and became what we like to call a privateer. Most'd just call me a pirate, o'course, But so long as we left Raewalden ships alone, they'd pay us and look the other way... was practically a damn soldier. But it was a lot like you, in that way. I couldn't take the sophisticated path or any a'that tripe. Didn't know the way, but fightin'? I could rough a man up somethin' fierce, and even if I wasn't doin' anything for Myrcia really... hell, my family back home probably had it worse off with me gone... it felt like I was doin' all I could." The privateer paused, taking another mouthful of grog.

"So I guess what I'm sayin' is, I get that much. Feelin' like things are outta my hands, and just kickin' and scrappin' and trying to do anythin' I could to get shots back. Sometimes I regret doin' what I did, but I learned a lot, and came out way different than I woulda had things gone the other way, and I tell that regret to take a hike. So y'don't need to look away or get all meek on me over that sorta thing... it takes a lotta guts t'make a choice and not just go along with what people expect of ya." Reaching out and clapping Cassandra on the shoulder with a widening grin, Sylvia let her hand linger before pulling back to sitting.

"You've got nothin' to be ashamed of. Yer strong, Cass. I can tell that straight away. You've got enough guts t'do what you feel you have to, even if people would tell ya that you fucked it somethin' fierce, and still proud enough to take shit on the chin and spit back. I was damn right to be interested in learnin' bout you, that's fer sure." Sylvia concluded, a hearty guffaw echoing from her throat. 

[Nanami Touko]

Cass didn't want to feed her insecurities with what was most certainly alcohol, and didn't remember where she'd asked for Sylvia's life story... It wasn't a bad one, things considered, and some of it reminded her of herself... And someone she'd known. Throw that away. All in all, a story she'd expected of a woman that had been able to tear through one of those bandits in a single heave, and survive the blowback of a gun that powerful. She almost shrugged, but this talk was going... Well? Somewhat well. She did flinch back at the touch, but that was mostly reaction, more than anything.

"I see... Pardon me if I don't take a stranger's word on whether I should be ashamed or not. I told you much, but not everything. Pray I do not have to delve further." No one would think well of her after hearing what foolish steps she'd taken along the way. Even Graham was only being strung along by wishes and fancy thoughts, none of which would ever come true. Would he still play friend when he finally accepted the impossibility of his wants? Cass certainly hoped so. When he wasn't giving her special treatment, he was a decent fellow to talk to, and one of two ties back to her old life.

She sighed again, pulling a leg up and hugging it. "Truth be told, Sylvia... I do... I want to save my country. But I don't know how, and I hate that I care. It's never given me anything, you know? No choice in life, no security, even damning me for taste in partners, but... It's still home. And for all the bad memories of these recent months, there are so many good ones buried beneath. My brother, my friends... Adele," she mumbled, somber, but still hopeful.

"And if I was the one to lead the charge of saving Wyke, well, I'd be the one making the rules then, wouldn't I? I could change everything that decided it wanted to try and hurt me, or those I care about... I could..." She stopped herself, sighing, and smiling wryly. "This is fruitless talk. I have no means to do this, it's... Just a faint wish. No army rides behind me, and tall tales of ragtag groups saving kingdoms are just that... Stories for children before they sleep. Life here will be hard, but it will be better for me..." Cass, realizing just how much she'd been prattling on about herself, blushed a faint red and looked at the woman.

"Why are you here, then? This isn't close to Myrcia, and there's no pirate ship. I can't imagine you wished to take a stroll through the continent's most welcoming country."