Masquerade Part 2.2: Klaatu, Barada... Necktie

[Nanami Touko]

Lethargy

Apathy was taking over Makin entirely. That heavy feeling settled in her gut, and it was stopping her from getting a fire going, helping anyone do that; helping anyone do anything. She didn't bother stirring until Raith and Maja made their way over to try and get her to move. What do they want? I can't do anything... I can't solve any of these problems, so why do they care? I'm weak... I'm not cut out for this. We're mercenaries, death should be something we're ready for, but I... I-I can't... Not again... She curled up tighter as Raith touched her shoulder, weakly sobbing. It was at this point that Kendeall's speech cut through the air, compounding those feelings. Every time he shouted a line, about being ready for this, being able to handle it; they were weak, they weren't cut out for this life, they couldn't do anything. It just drove those anxious, apathetic feelings home quicker, faster, and harder. She couldn't take it.

Not until people started to speak up against him. She didn't move, she just listened. They didn't agree with him. But why not? He was right... They had been too weak. If they were strong enough they would've stopped that from happening. She sighed, and finally began moving, picking herself up to sitting. She stared at the floor. While most of her didn't care, some part of her didn't want to look at Raith. She didn't want him to see how weak she really was, right now. But... Maja's voice, why is it getting quieter? Maja was starting to chase after Ken. Maja, no... You can't run off like that. Maja... Maja! Something broke that dam and Makin moved after Maja, pulling her into a hug and holding her back from going any further. "Maja, y-you can't run off again," she managed to whimper out, holding her tighter, and biting her lip. The girl had already put herself in so much danger on the bridge. If that was what Ken wanted to do, then they had to let him go... It was clear, even to Makin in her depressed state, that he didn't want anything to do with them anymore. And keeping him there would tear them all apart.

Do Something

Ingverd wanted to. But he was tired. He was exhausted, mentally, physically, and he couldn't do anything to stop the argument from taking place, nor stop Kendeall from rushing off. He sighed. It seemed like everyone's nerves were shot, and that things were getting tense. There had to be something he could do to take his own mind away from it all, so he didn't lose himself in it like Ken had. He turned to Tristram, after Valha went over to Lanos, forcing a half smile onto his face. "Lots of drama, huh?" he asked, managing a spurt of a chuckle, but it stole his smile entirely, as it felt like such an empty attempt at a joke. "Let's, uh... Tristram, let's you and me get ourselves a fire started, in one of these houses. We might get lucky, and they might have fireplaces. Help me check one out, would you?" He didn't wait entirely for a response, making his way into the only other house with a roof, and giving the interior a once over... Though, he didn't really like what he saw.

He didn't know the state of the other houses, but... This one was trashed. The furniture broken and tossed aside, windows cracked, glass shattered-- it was even still on the floor. What was the most worrying was the stain of blood in the corner. It had dried a long time ago, as it was no longer the sharp red blood tended to be, but a rather deep burgundy, faded and worn. But the fact that there was a stain of such sort there meant something awful had happened in this house... At the very least, there was a fire place. Some solace. "Better get started on getting that going..."

Agreement

Isabelle was fully in on what Kendeall said. She didn't say anything, of course, but she agreed heartily that they were mercenaries! This was their job! And if the death of one little tag along was enough to shake them all, then perhaps they should have stayed in Felson and lived out hapless lives with menial jobs, doing nothing but wetting their beaks with gold and laziness... But at the same time, she sighed. Maybe she was just jaded. The death had barely phased her, but was that right? Was it right to feel so emotionless, over the death of someone so young; someone who was even half of her own race? She grit her teeth, trying to toss that stuff out of her head. I figured I'd gotten over all of that long ago, but I guess not... Still soft, deep down. That's you, Isabelle. Always has been. She was so upset with herself that when Ferd mentioned there was a fireplace, she nearly snapped at him.

She opted for a glare instead, taking her little workings of wood and furniture, and tossing it inside. She still had the flint on her. "I suppose we do," she said at length, a spark knocking off of the stone and catching on the dried fuel immediately, starting up a small fire. They'd have this thing going good, smoking out that chimney in no time. "Hey, you. Ferdinando or whatever. Lead my wagon over here. I'm going to fix up this house a bit... I have a few things in there that Makin doesn't know about-- nothing illegal, just... Some tools. I'd like to board up these windows, if I can. Some of them are broken. Want to keep the wind out." If they were going to get warm, she wanted them to stay warm.

Help?

Could she help Isabelle with the fire? Well, she could. Part of her was thinking, though. I know I asked if Makin was alright, but it's you I'm worried about, Raith... I wonder how long you can keep going like that, without cracking... Alicia sighed in time for Kendeall to blow a gasket, keeping that whole discussion out of her mind. There was something she wanted to do, now that she'd finished thinking about it. While people exchanged banter and insults, Alicia made her way over to the house Lanos and Valha had snuck themselves into. She poked her head into the door way for a moment, slowing moving over to them. "Hey there... I won't ask how you're feeling. I have a pretty good idea. You wanna talk about it?" He was already sobbing, but, she had to try. They were all from the slums. Alicia knew how hard life had to have been for the both of them, so she felt a bit... Connected. She sat down next to them, and finally-- the only one to do so --managed a smile, amidst everything. "I'm a good listener."

Alicia glanced at the clouds through the busted roof. They looked rather dismal, and the view from the missing wall provided little, but a wall of slowly encompassing grey. Looks like visibility's going to get shot, soon. I hope the storm leaves us alone long enough to get something set up with these houses. Despite that she still held that smile, hoping it would do more good than bad.

[algae]

In spite of appearances, Sonia was very much aware. But what's the point if we're all likely to die from something that we just can't fight against? Are we even safe now? Regardless of the answer, she found herself focusing on Kendeall's rant purely because of its volume, until to the point where he started to storm off. The words stung more than they should have, and her own ineptitude only a short while before added salt to the wound. Is he wrong? We all knew the risks, didn't we? Surely nobody expected an easy trek through the snow. Nobody except you, miss "adventurer" Vriska probably wasn't going to be the last, but if they were more prepared... When that time comes, am I going to fall apart again like I did on the bridge?

What's the point of thinking about it? She's still gone and we couldn't turn back if we wanted to, and we have to do whatever it takes to survive. How could I have forgotten? That would mean finding shelter that would last until they were ready to move on, and the house that Isabelle and Ferdinand had chosen looked promising. At least in the sense that three people would almost certainly be able to make it habitable in a reasonable amount of time: it would still be a mess, and probably more than a little bit cramped, but still far sturdier than what they had been camping in for the last three weeks. "Is there anything I can help with? Maybe the glass on the floor?" She asked, voice not betraying just how drained she was. Don't show any more weakness.

Edited May 16, 2015 by algae

[eclipse]

Meredith HATED being ignored. When Kendeall stormed off without addressing her, she didn't give it a second thought before following after him. "HEY. If you have time for speeches, you have time to answer my question," she said sternly.

[riariadne]

Valha couldn't help but snarl as Kendeall continued to speak. "Then GO!" she shouted, letting go of Lanos and darting out to confront him, brushing past Alicia in anger. "I dunno if you've noticed, but nobody cares to hear you if you're gonna be a useless idiot 'n can't even show some respect! If you're so tough, leave nothing of yours behind. Get goin'- we don't need you!" She pounded her fists together. "Or if you're gonna talk big 'n stay, then back up what you're sayin'. If Ferd's weak, where does that put you, then? You've got almost a foot on me, but I could still wipe the floor with you!"

Edited May 16, 2015 by Reinfleche

[charlie_]

"If anyone knew what was here, nobody would take the job." he replied, bluntly. If they made it out of here, he'd have to try and find out who exactly wanted Karstell to be investigated, and why. "Do you think that Cedric knew about this, or-" He stopped himself suddenly. "No, if he'd known he probably wouldn't have sent Lanos out here, would he?" he sighed. No, Lanos' father wouldn't have knowingly sent him to a frozen wasteland where monsters came from the ground and caves all around them that would probably kill all of us and-

He tried to snap himself out of the thoughts. It was pointless thinking about that right now, the last thing they needed was to be even more pessimistic about the situation He ran his hand through his fair, trying to compose himself again. Unfortunately, Kendeall didn't seem to share his sentiments and stormed off into the distance after his rant finished. Angus stood there, stunned for a moment. Some others seemed quick to object to what he was saying, either calling him out trying to call him back to the group, but Angus just didn't know how respond to that.

Kendeall would probably die out there if he went out on his own, but at the same time, he seemed fully intent on leaving them. And forcing him to come back would probably just cause more arguments, which they could scarcely afford considering how upset and on edge everyone was feeling. Eventually, he came to a decision, and walked off in the same direction as Kendeall. "He won't listen to us." he told Maja, stopping behind her. "His mind's made up about going. Don't follow him out there." It felt like he was admitting defeat by telling her that, but it was true. There wasn't really much they could do about Kendeall now - they just had to worry about getting themselves to Karstell in one piece, which seemed easier said then done by this point.

[Xinnidy]

"Maybe so, but that would give us more reason to amass a bigger force rather than sending scattered mercenary companies to their demise. All it would take was to bring this information to the whole council." Kadin answered, taking a moment to think over Angus' suspicion. "I don't know. I do not know Cedric that well." He frowned, "But I think something is happening within the Council of Five. I believe somebody is trying to keep these matters in the dark for a reason." It was so easy to trail off in his theories, yet quite foreboding...

----------------------

Maja would continue to follow Ken until the moment Makin snared her into a hug. "Huh, wha?" Maja was in shock over that, turning back to meet a concerned Makin's face. Why... are you stopping me? She didn't have such a strong feeling of self-preservation as Makin held for her, and struggled to break free.

One can't easily escape the grasp of a coiling snake, less so a young girl without particular muscle strength.

Stubbornly trying to free herself, one leg ended up crossing the other, and Maja fell backwards. In the turn and twist, she turned to fall face-first to the ground, pale face diving an equally pale layer of snow. She turned to spit the flaky ice and look back at Makin, giving up her struggle. "Is it really ok to let him go? We already... we lost Vriska. What if everybody just starts leaving?"

"Maja, you should listen to Makin and stay." Kadin spoke up, approaching Maja with slow steps. He calmly looked at Kendeall's way, as if assessing the situation. "If that is Kendeall's wish, then let him be. Although that reduces our chances, we still have a mission to do. Our efforts should stay in surviving and helping each other with the mission, not force a man against his will."

"But... Kadin..." Maja was unwilling to yield that loss, "This is just a dumb argument, he shouldn't make this decision, we just need to--"

"--We need to sit down, rest, and let our feelings lie." Kadin sternly cut Maja off, "He has one point --this group should not have morale drop so low over one death. While it is true that this is a small mercenary group, and close-knit for that, everyone accepted the risk when joining. They can pay their respects, but not let regret eat them whole." Saying his peace, Kadin let out a deep breath, and his tone mellowed and softened. "What Angus said is true. Ken let his own morale affect him, in the form of anger. The team is too worn out to work this out. Let him be, before we promote some in-fighting."

Edited May 16, 2015 by Xinnidy

[Vestige]

Maja, still pure at heart, had found the wherewithal to call out to Ken and try to persuade him into staying back. He almost wanted to run after her, in case Kendeall decided to turn back and harm her just to spite the rest of them. He hardly had any trust left for the man, and wouldn't put it above him. But Makin had already dashed ahead, pulling Maja away and keeping her from pursuing any further. Exhausted, bitter, drained, and now aggravated, Raith receded back into the withered house.

"Unless you're already wrapped around the boss' little finger," the words resonated through his mind. Tch. He threw his staff against the wall, and watched it bounce off and idly roll away. He silently cursed himself, and slumped down onto the floor. Where would he be right now, if he'd taken a different path? Walked a different road? If he'd kept at his studies, perhaps he'd have been back at Bau Berg, helping his mother with her clinical work. Failing that, maybe he'd be somewhere in the mines, toiling away alongside his father. If he'd never gone to Griberge, perhaps he'd never had grown a lust for "adventure". If he hadn't been saved by Ophelia, maybe he'd already be dead, and he wouldn't be worrying about these things. The snow was starting to set, but he didn't even care. On the contrary, it had a numbing effect that he found quite comforting.

[Oersted]

Lanos tried to calm down as Valha tried to comfort him but knowing that he'd never see, hear, or do anything with Vriska again made his heart ache so much. He'd never actually lost someone who he cared about before so this entire experience was all that much more overwhelming. The closest he'd been to his current state was three years ago when Valha and Leiha fought each other but even then it'd been more panic and fear than sadness. He finally calmed down a bit, no longer sobbing, but he couldn't help but feel completely vulnerable; the last thing he wanted right now was to be left alone. But then Kendeall happened.

Don't leave, please, he thought as Valha let him go to dash out of the building and yell at Kendeall. He would've been mad, perhaps even furious, at Kendeall too if he wasn't already emotionally exhausted. While he resumed his bird ball he remembered that Alicia had entered asked if he wanted to talk about Vriska's death. He didn't know her at all other than as the armorer Raith invited and wondered why she cared; she should be trying to keep herself warm or something, like everyone else not yelling at Kendeall.

"T-talk about what?" He sniveled and wiped his tears away with his arm. "About how she's dead and I'll never see her again?" There was hostility in his voice and he was clearly fighting back tears. "About how it feels like there's a hole in my heart now that she gone? About how it feels like it was my fault even though I know it wasn't?" His voice softened. "About how much I cared about her?"

[Sandalphon]

Vesta nodded as she followed Ferdinand inside. She had originally intended to pass out in the snowbank, but a dry, fairly warmish interior seemed like a good option too.

She picked up a three legged chair and started dismantling it to use it as scrap firewood. Destroying things seemed like a fairly good way to deal with any angry feelings at the moment. She waved vaguely at Miss Isabelle and whoever was in there with her.

"Y'all doin' alright I hope?" She asked in a slightly hazy voice. She was so exhausted. "Don't mind that guy, he's prolly havin' a bad day. Ain't no need ta spread that sorta thing around..." She paused to take another swig of liquid therapy. It occurred to her that it might be rude to hoard all the booze to herself. "Anyone else want a sip when we're done fixin' this place up for the night. I mean, it might lighten up the mood a l'il..." She added clumsily.

Social interactions were difficult and the snowbank was suddenly looking a lot more comfortable...

[Bluedoom]

Ferdinand complied to her request and lead the wagon which is a bit away from the house to its entrance. The horses were well trained to follow his orders, but even if they weren't, Ferdinand had a lot of experience as a traveling merchant to know how to handle them.

"Ah, Sonia, you're alright... sort of, I suppose! Just pick up some furniture and throw it into the fire place. Also, I did as you asked, Isabelle. Is there anything else you need?"

[Nanami Touko]

Handle With Care

Makin was surprised that Maja was resisting her so much, trying to keep her stable until the girl ended up tumbling into the snow. She slowly helped Maja back to her feet, and kept her in that hug, hand gently resting on her head. She really didn't want to let Maja go right now. She was sure she'd run after Kendeall, with that thinking of hers. While it did hurt to hear Kadin agree to the part that had affected her the most, he was right. Makin had her own reasons for taking it as harshly as she was, but he was right... They all knew. It just... Something so uncontrollable... It wasn't a mistake, or something they could've avoided. It was nature, and it was unfathomably strong. That was what hurt the most. That no matter what had happened, Makin-- anyone, wouldn't have been able to do anything but replace Vriska with their own self. She sighed again. She would've added to what Kadin had said, but it was very succinct. All she said was, "it's an adult thing, Maja," though that wasn't much more than a whisper.

"C-Come on. I'm freezing, out here," she said, trying to get back into her regular, jovial self. It would take some digging, but she was sure she could get back to it, if she spent some time with Maja. The girl was a proverbial fountain of enthusiasm, even in such a trying time. Surely she'd be able to keep up the positivity and help them get things set up. "Maja, h-help me set up a fire in that house, o-okay? Raith--" She turned, but he was already gone. Did he go back to the house? She slowly let go of Maja once she was sure she wasn't about to dash after Ken, leading her gently by the arm towards the house. Unfortunately, the sight of Raith on the floor wasn't reassuring. "R-Raith?" she croaked out, as she stood in the doorway. She cleared her throat, after hearing herself talk. She really was ready to burst into tears. Come on, come on, keep it together... Come on, Makin.

Work

Well, now she had a crew to order around and get things set up to that this place was at least comfortable to sit in. "Sonia, right? You, just start cleaning it up. Under the floor in the cart, it's where I keep all my tools and things. There's a little clasp, pull it up. Should be a broom in there." That was one thing done, at least. "Vesta, mhmm... Keep doing that, start loading them up into the fireplace. We should have enough wood in there to get things warm, soon enough. And yes, I think I will. I could use some liquor to numb the senses. I almost started crying with the rest of you, hah. What kind of stone cold merchant would I be then?" She actually did laugh, her posturing only partly a facade. Isabelle was good at pulling herself back together. "And you, Ferd, get the top of a table, once the legs are off, up against the windows, and start nailing it in place. We'll keep the snow and some of the cold out, that way. Should probably hit all the good houses, before nightfall. Perhaps this won't be that bad... I wonder if there are any animals living on this forsaken ice cube." It was a thought. Isabelle still had enough rations for another meal in that wagon, but after that they'd be needing some new meat. Don't suppose those creatures are edible, hmm? Probably not...

Talk About It

Alicia was quite surprised to get a reaction. She was expecting hostility, but more passive. Lanos was being pretty direct. "Yeah," she said, sitting down, a bit away from him, "about that." She offered him that smile. It might've felt condescending, but she meant it sincerely. "I grew up in the slums too," she said, looking for somewhere to start. "It might have been better than yours, but... I know what you went through, for the most part. And I know what loss feels like too." There wasn't a comfortable way too approach something like this. Even if it hurt now, in Alicia's mind, you had to hit these things like a hammer hitting a nail. That said, you didn't have to hit them hard. "It's going to hurt for a while, Lanos. You won't want to accept it, and even when you do, it'll still tear at you... Don't try to rush past it, and seal those feelings away, alright?" She nodded, resting against the wall. "That's what I did. It doesn't work, trust me. You lash out at others, you get more mad at yourself... You keep blaming yourself, for things that could have gone differently. You..." She looked at him again, seeing the tears hiding in his eyes. That was enough to get her smile to quiver, but she sighed through it, keeping it going. "You can cry. Don't let anyone tell you you can't, y'know? The best way to deal with these feelings is to let them out."

[MRDRHAWK]

Kendeall ignored the others; both Meredith's apparent hounding him, and someone else yelling at him to try and fight - while he'd love to at least take one of those morons out, he had a job to do. And so, he kept heading north, searching for the cave that he was told of in his fortune a while back.

One of the few good things to come out of those travels, Kendeall thought grimly as he continued his trek, far away from his former allies. Friends, they were not, barring maybe Angus.

[Bluedoom]

"Very well. That shouldn't be hard at all. And no thank you, Vesta, I'm good. But it'll be quite boring here...bah, I think I'd prefer fighting to being holed up in a deserted village in this cold region! One of you should come with me after we finish our business here. There were some things around here that I wanted to investigate. The more, the merrier, as they say!" Ferdinand replied before scanning the place, looking for some broken tables. He soon spotted one, and took his time to remove the legs of the table. Some of them were still sturdy.

Why do the young ones join a ragged bunch like these? What do they hope to gain? They'll lose out on a lot of the joys that they could've experienced if they didn't choose this life! I know Kendeall is right but...Vesta, Maja...did they even know what they were getting into? I...must speak with the boss about this! Finish our mission, get back to Felson, and maybe leave them there! Its for their own good.! I'll have to convince the boss to do so, somehow! he thought to himself as he pulled out the legs of the table.

[eclipse]

Meredith's senses began to tingle. Why would he walk out, all alone? If this was an emotional outburst (like she'd assumed), then he wouldn't go THAT far away. . .right? I wonder if he did this so that no one would follow him? Naturally, it meant that Meredith HAD to investigate. Over at the bar, she'd overheard some trackers who mentioned how the managed to keep themselves on track. Well, I suppose this is as good a place as any, she thought, as she scratched an arrow into a tree trunk, and broke off a couple other branches. Her curiosity piqued, she continued her course, which led her further away from her charge.

[riariadne]

"Hmff... stay gone, then! You aren't worth the trouble," Valha concluded, turning back towards the camp with a huff. Why can't he have gotten snapped up by the snake instead? Trying to let herself cool down a bit, she walked aimlessly around the houses before walking into one of them, glancing at Makin and Raith briefly before curling up against the wall. "How'd we get stuck with such a heartless guy in the first place... what an idiot. Shows how much he really knows what he's talkin' about, sayin' we'll have a hard time survivin'. Well, we're not the ones goin' alone into the tundra... I won't miss him 'n if he's that dumb he probably won't make it. He'll get what's his... especially if we do run into him." Sighing, Valha clawed at the floor for a few moments before speaking again. "Boss, did you see her back there? White wings with black tips... Leiha's after us, 'n Ertel too. I dunno how they got to be a team, but... we gotta try 'n keep an eye out for 'em."

[scorri]

"Huh, what? Oh, uh, yeah, sure." Trist grabbed his flint and tinder from his saddlebags and tied up his horse outside the house Ingverd had indicated. Following in after him, he was still in a daze, barely paying attention to his surroundings. Picking up some wood, he started getting it set up in the fireplace.

[Vestige]

Not much time passed before Makin had slithered back to the house. And only to find that she and Raith had ultimately switched places. She called out to him, a quiver in her voice, but Raith simply returned her call with a blank stare. There wasn't much he could say to her right now--there wasn't much he wanted to say to her right now. But still, he tried to force some sort of verbal acknowledgement, if only to momentarily quell her worry, but much to his chagrin Valha walked in a few moments later and he dropped the effort. He lowered his gaze back to his feet, and made no other movements. As distant as he seemed though, he hadn't entirely tuned himself out from the conversation that was beginning to unfold. He plans to take us on with just two people? He must be crazy... He recalled Ertel bragging about some sort of magical potion, but surely even that couldn't give him the strength of ten plus mercenaries. But perhaps even more worrisome than that, however, was the fact that he was still pursuing them even after witnessing everything that happened on the bridge. Maybe he just didn't care. Maybe revenge was all he was seeking. And revenge was a poison to which one could seldom find a cure.

[algae]

"If you're offering, maybe he should have stayed. It's one way to get through a bad day, right?" A brief (and awkward) attempt at levity might help. Maybe. Hopefully. As long as we're all stuck in here... In any other situation, finding out that the surly merchant hid basic cleaning supplies under the false floor of her cart would have been more than a little bit disappointing. Not having to rest on a bed of broken window bits would always trump defied expectations, though, and the chore did give Sonia some time to think about their surroundings. Which, of course, meant paranoia. Broken from the outside, so maybe the monsters did this? Whatever the case, we're only really safe from the cold. Don't stay any longer than we have to, don't bother sleeping, they might show up again, assuming the fire and noise doesn't draw them over. Maybe they would just happen to step into the quickly growing pile of glass when they inevitably came to murder everyone, that would be convenient.

The conversation took a more surprising turn after that though. "Investigate what, exactly, Ferdinand?" He hasn't seen enough of this place yet?

[eclipse]

Meredith continued her dutiful tracking duties, despite the fact that her master had insisted that she stay front and center, "where you can cause the least amount of grief". She froze when she heard a twig snap to her left. Something that was most definitely not Kendeall, or any other human, shuffled in her general direction. She caught a glimpse of a human skull, at about her own eye level. That was enough to convince her to turn around and head back to the village. Her foresight saved her; had she not taken the time to mark her trail, she would've been lost for certain.

Once she stepped back into the village, she returned to Isabelle's area. Luckily, no one commented on her absence. I may need to leave the group in the future. Perhaps laying low wouldn't be a bad idea.

"Yo Isabelle, you still need help?"

[charlie_]

Come on boss, keep it together... Angus gritted his teeth as Makin slithered away. He didn't really know what to say to make her feel better, so he just hoped that Raith would be able to handle it. "I'm gonna go see if I can help out with something." he told Kadin, leaving the man to his business and making his way over to the building Isabelle was trying to set up a fire inside, managing to catch the last part of the conversation as he stood in the doorway. "I can go out and hunt if you want." he offered. "I used to do it a lot while I was younger, so if there's anything out there to be found, I'll get them." It was a better idea then sitting around and moping, anyway.

[Sandalphon]

Vesta grunted in acknowledgement as she kept on smashing the chair. She tossed the broken chunks of wood into the fireplace until the ex-chair was no longer. She moved onto something that may or may not have been a bedside table at some point, but was now a single leg with a chunk of wood poking awkwardly out of the top.

Something about it made Vesta chuckle to herself. So utterly broken that it had reached the point of being ridiculous.

Somehow, she had never really pegged miss Isabelle as being the crying type. Then again, who was she to judge though, vesta wasn't exactly the type to get weepy either, prefering to get angry at herself and run away like the coward she was.

"Careful though, 'might be a bit stronger than anythin' yer used to." She said, realizing that the turpentine-like subttance she was currently nursing might not be iin the cultural experience of the more... Hoity toity? Fancy shmancy? Wherever he current company sat, this stuff was pretty wild...

[Juliette]

Riding in fear behind Tristram, Heather accepted his help off of Amira when a hand was extended to her. "Thank you..." She walked about in a daze, seemingly oblivious to the struggles around her. Am I going to die out here like this? All because I decided I had to have a taste for adventure? The thought still mulled in her mind as she nearly walked into Meredith. "Sorry, just... distracted." I need to pull myself together...

[Xinnidy]

Maja bit her lip. She didn't like it, but there was no way she was arguing with Kadin. But... we just let him go... like Vriska. Why is this happening? She remained silent while Makin lifted her up, Why aren't we acting? Why are we letting people go... Frustrated, Maja just kept her head hung low, until the words Makin whispered sunk in her.

..."it's an adult thing, Maja,"...

Maja bit her lip again, frowning and turning her head away. "...Why?" She mumbled, "Why is it adult things never make sense..." Maja still let Makin lead her to the house, but was fairly unresponsive otherwise, distant from the other mercenaries in mind. It's part of the job, they say, but... Maja just couldn't wrap her head around it, she couldn't point it. Maja didn't quite know what the problem was, just that there was one.

Reaching a stop at the doorway of a house, Maja raised her head again to see Makin nearly tearing up over Raith, whom seemed pretty down as well. While Maja observed their depressing silence, a newcoming Valha made her way to a wall, whose words made Maja's mind wander further. Saying we couldn't survive... was that what mattered to him? That we were not strong, we crumbled too quickly? Her breaths were heavy as she took in the negativity around her. Just like we had no chance against the serpent...

It's as if dots started to connect in Maja's mind, creating a more pessimist picture to her hopeful yet unsavvy self. It's all about strength, is it? If we're not strong, we lose friends. If we're not strong, we die here. Huh... Maja felt her hand ball up in a fist, some more frustration at this 'adult world' that she tried to understand, and disliked every time she did. To top it off, now they had news of that thief guy, and another person whose name she did not recognize, after them. We lose friends, but we don't lose enemies...

"Sorry, I need a break." She spoke up in a tired voice after a few minutes of silence passed and broke from Makin's light grasp, leaving the house's surroundings. It was slaying her soul to stay on that negative tune, though now the damage had already been done. Kicking up some snow as she walked around another vicinity, Maja spotted more mercenaries at another house, though moreso busy than weeping. Angus had just walked to them, and offered to go out and hunt. That got Maja's heard working.

"Can I go hunt with you?" She suddenly spoke as she approached them at the house's entrance, "It's safer with a healer around, right? I can throw a hunting spear, just give me the pointers." Maja reasoned, and then lowered her voice, as if pleading to Angus: "And, uh, I'd rather not be here right now, when everyone is feeling down."

--------------------

Kadin sighed as Makin took Maja with her, perceiving how affected they still felt. They might not be all that different, bodies aside... He subsequently nodded at Angus' words, "You do that, help is what they need most at this time." Perhaps I should, too... Feeling a bit pensive at the moment, Kadin wandered until near a house that seemed to have lost some of its roof, spotting Lanos and Alicia as he reached the entrance. One of them was tearing up, the other was on the verge of such, with their quivering smile. Kadin immediately turned back on his trail. Dear Him. Even with a body proper, I have awful timing. That was not the proper time to barge in and share his words.

[Oersted]

Hearing Alicia was also from the slums made Lanos briefly lower his wall he'd built. "What do you know?" Lanos asked and then dismissed it with a muffled sigh before he could say anything else. He'd hardly experienced the slums when he lived there, Valha doing most of the work. Sure he helped a bit from time to time but to him it felt like he'd done almost nothing. Vriska's death was bringing up issues he thought he'd buried well enough. And as true as knew Alicia's words were, he didn't like what he was hearing. "But I don't want to hurt." Why do I have to hurt? His voice cracked and even more tears gathered at the already near bursting dam that was his eyes, if it was even possible. He refused to cry again, when no one else was. But when she told him he could his resolve flew out the window. "Sh-shut up," he said as he wiped at his eyes again. The dam had broke. "Wh-why do I ha-have to be the o-one who cries? N-No one else is." He was being selfish now. He knew other people were hurting like he was, maybe less maybe more, but he was the only one crying and for now that's all he focused on.

[Nanami Touko]

Active

Quite suddenly, Isabelle felt like she was the one running this show, which was really annoying. But like the glass being swept up by Sonia, she swept that under her proverbial mental rug. She may have felt like Ken, but she had way better facilities for dealing with it. She stopped herself for a moment to register all the questions. One at a time... "Hunting, right... Okay, Angus, you take Ferdinand with you and try to round something up. Ferd, you said you wanted to go and investigate something, so it'd be best if you two went together--" then there was another voice hopping onto the hunting train. Maja's. That was rather surprising, to the elf. "Really? You're sure you can handle that after losing your friend?" She knew that would cut deep, but she had to be sure. If Maja had a mental breakdown out there, where she'd be needed for her healing, then she couldn't be counted on. "If you are, then you three, go hunt something. See if anything even lives on this iceberg." She groaned again, ready to deal with the next person.

And that person was Meredith. I could tell her to go hunting as well, but... "Well. I'll have myself and Sonia working on this house, once these three leave. I suppose you could help me cover the windows, since that was Ferd's job. Or..." She looked out of the doorway over to where Tristram's horse was parked. "You could go and help the rest of us work on another house. We'll have this one ready to sleep in soon enough, I should hope. I'll have the fire going strong in a moment, actually." With all of that said, she pulled one of the longer legs out of the fire, and started using it to poke at the already burning logs, keeping them going. "This fire's all ready to stay burning, so maybe if you three actually catch something, we can clean it up and cook it up. Wouldn't that be a lovely change of pace?" She smirked, but it was the most wry smirk anyone would have ever seen.

"And don't worry, Vesta. I've had my share of swill in life. I'm sure your concoction isn't going to knock me over. I'll probably be able to handle it better than you will, hah." If Isabelle had room to do anything in her mood, she had room to humbly brag.

Dazed

A stool cracked over Ingverd's knee, as he snapped it to get it set up for the fireplace. It was nice to see that Tristram was working well enough to get a fire started. At least... He looked like he was. All in all, having been in the same boat as Makin, Ingverd was taking this pretty well. Sure, he didn't feel like a ray of sunshine, but he felt well enough to tackle the next tasks at hand. Like getting that fire going. Once he'd snapped enough wood, he threw it in with what Tristram had already set up, looking around for-- "ah, nice." They had a fire iron still in this house, resting on top of the brick that was making up the fireplace. "We can keep it going with this, so start it up, whenever you're ready. This stuff's so dry, any spark'll catch on it... Tristram." He changed his tone really quickly. "How are you feeling? I'm going to ask, and get into it now, because for whatever reason I'm really lucid and I'm dealing with it pretty well, but... You seem pretty dazed. Pretty out of it. D'you want to talk about it, elf to elf? It's better to try and work through these sorts of things than have them hit you all at once." It sounded like good advice to him, but he didn't know how the man would take it. Either way, they were one striking of flint away from warmth, so something was looking up.

Comfort

The look that Raith gave Makin made her whole expression drop. She barely registered what Valha said when she came in, something about her sister and Ertel... That just added to the worry, the worry still festering and boiling over in her head. That fool really did follow us, all the way out here... Is this all real? Maybe I'm dreaming... Maybe I'll wait up in the inn. What a Hel of a nightm-- It took Maja pulling away from her grasp to get her to come back into reality, only able to turn around and weakly grab for her before she walked off entirely. E-Even Maja... That was the only thought that went through her head. Makin slowly, almost lazily, crawled over to Raith, and slumped next to him. With shakey hands she carefully took his between them, forcing a small smile and staring at him with all the hope she had left in her head. "Hey... Hey, Raith... I really need you, right now." The words croaked out; she felt like she'd start sobbing if she said anything else. But there wasn't really anything else to say. That feeling of loss wasn't going away, and he was the closest person she had right now. "I just... I just, n-need... Please... ...lease, Raith..." She started whispering again, biting back tears and resting her forehead against his shoulder. Please... I didn't have anyone last time, but this time I have you, so, so please... Please, be strong for me, because I just... I just can't... Not right now...

Tears

Well, that was enough for her. That quivering smile stopped quivering. She stayed smiling, sure, but she started crying with him, ruffling the hair on his head gently. "Hey... It's okay. See?" She smiled wider, unable to stop herself from continuing to cry. "I might not know all of you very well, but I know what that pain feels like. You're not the only one going through it right now. You're not the only one crying, so it's okay. Just cry. Let it out, and even if you don't feel good, you'll feel better. Things will get better." Alicia glanced at the missing section of the roof again, seeing some smoke float through the air. "Look," she started, as she brought a sleeve up to wipe away her own tears, "they've got a fire going on one of the houses. Things are already getting better. We'll cook up some food, and we'll fill all our stomachs, and we'll start to feel better. We can... All tell stories around the fire place, and make each other laugh. We'll get out of this. Believe me, Lanos." She gently nudged his shoulder with a fist, unsure if a hug would be fitting right now, as she really hadn't spoken to him all that much before this. But she'd give him one back if he felt he needed to give one.

Edited May 20, 2015 by I have opinions