act complete Angelcynn: The Myrcian Conflict - Act 3 Reunion

[Vestige]

"And so death has come back, and will one day find me again," she'd said. And Cassandra was right, though perhaps sooner than she'd imagined. Perhaps sooner than she'd hoped. There death looked like Arteria, a wicked woman with no regards for life. Not hers. Not anyone's. Here death looked like Scuttle, a distraught woman with a hidden agenda. Back then Cassandra had stood firmly, ready to battle death. Here, she stood defiantly, inviting death with open arms. As one might invite a neighbor.

But Cassandra wasn't alone in this battle. Not this time. For better or for worse, Alain was there. And Alain had told her not long ago not to worry. That if Owen wasn't there, if Angus wasn't there, if Adele wasn't there, if nobody else was there, he at least would try and keep her safe. Had he meant it though? Hadn't he just been saying whatever he thought would comfort her in the moment? Was he willing to have to make good on a promise like that so soon? For someone he barely even knew? A noble, who might turn on him the second she learned his heritage? The moment she understood the proud lion as a mere rat?

"Move," Scuttle had commanded.

So he did.

In his heart, he felt a pang of regret. He was a diplomat in name, but time and time again it felt like he'd failed to quell disputes with words alone. Had he chosen more honeyed words, would Scuttle have been swayed? But what could he have said? He didn't know Scuttle. He didn't know Susan. He didn't know about Susan. He didn't understand why she was driven to such madness. But it didn't matter now. There was no time left for hesitation. The failures had to stop somewhere.

Scuttle was the lead and the playwright.

But the crowd was waiting for their maestro.

In one fluid motion he brought out his tome. Snap. A precursor. The first and final warning sign before the erupting crescendo that resonated above, drowning out the drumming of his own beating heart. Threads of electricity surged overhead, dancing to an unheard rhythm, a wild tempo, a drunken beat. In an instant the dancers coalesced, shining one final spotlight on Scuttle Thames. He turned away.

It was time to write the epilogue.

Edited October 14, 2016 by Vestige

[Juliette]

Freya frowned. The cavalier attitude of the lone guard struck her as a careless way of going about an important duty. Nothing is too much effort for a good guard! Guarding is all about effort. "Fine... between the market and library. Thanks," she addressed him rather briefly.

With a mission in mind, she headed off to the location mentioned, looking for a strange figure. A turban is definitely not very usual around here, especially if that's all I get for an indicator of who this is. Some sort of foreign person then, probably? Maybe they're not at all hostile and their mannerisms are just different...

[SB.]

Claire's hearing slowly became clearer and clearer as Cass gathered her courage, although what the mage heard did little to alleviate her worries. "Be careful, Princess..." she managed, watching Scuttle apprehensively. Did the others understand that the bard was far beyond reason? That they didn't need provoking in order to attack them? What Cass had done was brave, but Claire feared that it would only make things worse.

Of course, Emmet already had a habit of making things worse - although him swallowing the elixir in a grandiose display of defiance took things to another level. "Emmet, what the-" She didn't have the words for it. Claire had already admitted that day that she was worried about Emmet and his obsession for the liquid, but she never expected him to use it the first moment he had it to himself. For a moment, Claire wasn't sure who scared her more - the scholar or the bard.

A bolt of lightning landed on Scuttle before she could decide. She glanced nervously at Alain, then looked back at her attacker. Had it been enough?

[Frostivus]

He’s a god, you fools. It will take more than one hit to kill him.

~Princess Mononoke

______________

A wall of solid sound turned the world white. For a perfectly lucid moment, it hit Susan with an exquisite new pain: nothing but wildfire and static, all else meaningless.

Then the world came back sharp and painful but still ringing, and she realised she wasn't breathing and her lungs burned without her brain sorting what she saw and her ears were ringing and useless and for some reason the entire world tasted like chapped skin.

Breathe, Susan.

She took a breath. The cold burned. The world faded back into clarity.

Breathe.

Like a lens adjusting focus. She saw smoke rise from her eminence; ember fell from her sleeves to pelt the charred crater underneath her.

To someone who had just been struck by lightning, Susan felt the change like the drizzle of a clear sky, a howl of a most disagreeable wind, or the scrape of thistle thorn on one’s knee:

She brushed it off.

She had bigger things to focus on.

“The world will know. ALL OF ANGELCYNN WILL KNOW!” she yelled furiously, picking her gattling bow back up from the ground.

This was her only chance to see if the vial worked. If the rest were to stand in her way, she would make sure they didn’t. Lightning. Wind. Staves. Princess spit. Susan would face them all and a hundred more.

She only realised she was smiling when she felt the pain tugging at the corners of her mouth.

“Thank you, Emmet, for volunteering.”

Scuttle attacks Emmet with her Gattling Bow x3

Edited October 14, 2016 by Frostivus

[Nanami Touko]

Everything moved too quickly for her. Her eyes followed, but her body could not react in time. Emmet had done the unthinkable, and proudly proclaimed it, taunting further. What did he truly know about this magic? Would it actually work on him? Was it even enough?

Cass didn't have the time for that. Thunder struck, the deafening sound sending shivers through her body. Would this be enough?

It was never enough.

Whatever demon had grasped Scuttle Thames was strong. Too strong. A conviction more than Arteria's, more than Malaphar's. It was terrifying; but what hadn't been? Now was not the time to stand down on idle words and bravado. Actions spoke louder. Who was she if she let Emmet step in after such a speech?

Nothing but a coward.

She didn't want to test his theory. Not like this. Not ever, if it could be helped.

"Let them all know! LET EVERYONE KNOW!"

Hasty hands pushed at Emmet, the strength of her words behind her. She would move the frail archer and save his life.

She had to.

Edited October 14, 2016 by Narmaya

[Jotari]

Emmet didn't think Scuttle would actually attack him. He expected her to break down and give up after seeing the source of her desire squandered. It's what he'd do. Unfortunately for him she was more manic than he expected. At least it proved to the witnesses that she was dangerous and not thinking about the good of the world. That still didn't help the fact that he was under attack. Her weapon fired three arrows at once. The first hid him in the shoulder. The second flew wide. The third hit him on the hip. With a cry he fell backwards into the Princess' arms. However instead of catching him, she pushed him forward causing him to trip and fall. He landed dead on his face, the arrow in his shoulder snapping with part of the shaft protruding deeper into his body. Of course the pain was absolutely immense. Probably worse than anything he had ever experienced. But all he could think about was how completely embarrassing it was after the grandiose display he had put on mere seconds earlier.

Edited October 14, 2016 by Jotari

[Xinnidy]

Perhaps by Engel's graces, or whatever forces entrusted the seer, Owen could spot a familiar shade of red hair only a few minutes from getting to the Market.

"Adele!" She was the first person from the group he'd spotted, and that worked just fine now, the less time he wasted, the better for his growing curiosity. "Thank goodness. I... have you heard of this town's seer?" Owen blushed, realizing that his request would probably come off as naive. What kind of person believed in readings so much to go to this extent for its sake?

"I've... If you don't have anything else to do, could you come with me? It might sound off, but..." He scratched the side of his neck, his tale would probably sound taller the more he worded it. "...It'd put me more at ease to have you at my side." Perhaps that would be enough?

[Shin]

Overdue Return

A lot had happened outside the library, the scene was less that of a tranquil village and more of a battlefield. Between Scuttle's mad outbust and the forces fighting to stop her, it was hard to believe that they'd actually escaped from the maniacial plans of Malaphar. With Emmet on the floor and Scuttle ready to continue her rampage, the atmosphere was so thick it could be cut with a knife.

And that was precisely what happened next.

A pair of daggers came hurtling from the library entrance, one striking Scuttle's bow, sending it sliding across the ground. The other whizzed past Scuttle's face, sticking into a nearby tree.

"I've never seen Master Javier disappointed, Susan..." Sebastian lectured, stepping out from the library. "But for one who tells such grand tales of the heroics of others, it is shameful that your own stories reek of treachery and disgust. Master Javier told me of you, but I would have thought there was another, less pitiful, Scuttle Thames that he been describing instead."

Sebastian approached Emmet, reaching down and plucking the vial from his fingers. Giving it a shake, Sebastian shook his head. The butler then placed it with his jacket's inner pocket - a location he deemed far safer. "Princess Cassandra raised a valid point. Is this the Scuttle Thames that you wish the world to remember?"

Morganna had hidden herself behind the shelves again, leaning up against it as she slid to the ground. "These people are mad... were they really willing to kill each other?" she muttered, her vast knowledge of magic useless in understanding the situation. "Will I even make it to Raewald?"

-

No ofFENCE

"Boss..." Larissa began, unsure how to respond to Serge's sincerity. Was he really that honest... or was he an idiot? It didn't really matter, they'd gotten this far with him and still survived. If he was willing to paint a fence to keep them warm at night, she was ready to paint it with him. "It'd be nicer to do some actual work than trying to deal with wizards who can fly through the air." she added, sticking out her tongue. "I'll be taking regular breaks though, I'm more used to getting people to do the hard work for me!"

Emily's eyes with welling up with tears, Serge had done nothing to dispel her delusional beliefs about him. If anything they'd been reinforced. "Boss, I'm with you all of the way. You'd have to drop dead for me to stop following you, and even then I'd still hang around your grave a few hours a day." Emily assured, her morbid compliment noticeably amusing Larissa. "I think Hans and Lars went to the market, we could go there and look."

Turbulent Winds

As soon as Freya approached the market stall, it became clear there was a man with a turban on his head - although he looked a little unusual, he wasn't particularly menacing. If anything, he was simply running a stall and selling things to the villagers. None of them were particularly bothered by him.

There were two men that she could recognise though, they were from the mercenary group with them - the twins with the axes. One of them gave Freya a wave, prompting the pair to walk towards the guard.

"Seen any of the others, miss?" Lars asked, looking around the market place. "It's like they've all vanished, probably wandered off somewhere. You up to much? We've been trying to find weapons, this place ain't got much though."

Redemption

"My, that's one I haven't read in many years." the woman replied, impressed with Sidney's knowledge. "Engel can touch us at many points in our lives, how we respond will differ as we grow and learn about the world around us. I was far into my fifties when I came to fully understand myself, my only wish is to aid those around me find it for themselves. You probably have other things to attend to, thank you very much for keeping me company, my dear. If there is anything you need, please come back whenever you please."

Sidney may embrace Engel if she so wishes!

Edited October 14, 2016 by Shin

[Jotari]

The pain struck too deep for it to really be described as agony. Shock had set in and numbed most of it pretty quickly by giving him the gift of delirium. He couldn't even be sure if this was naturally how the body reacted to getting shot. It was too hard to focus. "The vial" he murmured as he was dimly aware of someone taking it out of his clenched fist. "Need it...Need the vial." By the gods I'm dying He realised with sudden clarity. Somebody heal me! There were no more thoughts after that.

Edited October 14, 2016 by Jotari

[Vestige]

Alain turned back to face Emmet, beside himself with seething rage. Emmet's act of absurd defiance had not gone unnoticed--not when he'd so proudly announced what he'd done. "You," he hissed, reaching for the man's collar. He fell short however. Arrows hurtled passed him, all but one striking true. Cassandra had managed to come out of it unscathed, and for the moment, he cared little for Emmet's condition. He had become "immortal" now, after all. The more present concern was Scuttle, who seemed possessed by Belial himself.

How was she still standing?

It didn't matter. She'd made a mistake. A fatal miscalculation. A typo in the script. Emmet was unarmed, and the true obstacle in her way was Alain himself. Had she taken it upon herself to spare him? Considering him an outsider to her affairs? He didn't want to give her the benefit of the doubt, not when she could notch another arrow and hit Cassandra this time instead. He prepped another spell, one more rapturous ballad for nature to dance to. But he'd suffered a lapse in concentration.

Knives flew past Scuttle, disarming her. It was just as well, he might have actually succeeded in killing her this time.

The man towards the side was Adele's steward, Sebastian. Javier? He didn't understand, but he standing around idly wouldn't help. "Cassandra, do something about that fool on the ground!" he called out, unsure of whether she still had her wits about her. He ran over to Scuttle's bow and swiped in off the ground. He didn't want her lunging for the bow one last time. Enough was enough. He joined the audience now and looked onward to Sebastian, curious to know how this would all play out.

[Nanami Touko]

She was brave.

But she was only human.

Want, tenacity and fervor could not outspeed an already drawn arrow. Much to her dismay, Emmet's body crashed to the ground after being shot, the sound of the arrows driving themselves further into him causing Cass to visibly tremble. "No, no no no...!"

With the same strength as her shove she flipped him over, desperately trying to tear the arrows out. "Just, breathe, or something, just... Just stay alive, dammit!" They weren't deep; Scuttles was weak, and as much as her aim had been true, her strength was beginning to waver. These were unlike the arrow stuck in Claire, and came free easily. Still, they had been deep, deeper than they should have been and-- "It's my fault, fuck... Why can't something just go right, for once in this Gods forsaken world?"

Her plea would go unanswered as she healed Emmet, to the best of her ken. She didn't know if the vial's properties would do anything to him. All she knew is that she had to try, what else could she do?

Then there was Sebastian. She desperately hoped he'd only just arrived, and had not been watching this play out. She would have more than stern words for the butler if that had been the case, but given how quickly he'd stepped in, she gave faith that it was only his being tardy.

Still, the topic he brought up was odd. "Wh-What does Jeeves have to do with any of this, Sebastian?" It was painful to think of him, her last memories being his last moments. Javier, though... That was not a name he had been called in a long time. She'd only recalled it due to circumstance. Tobias had spoken out of turn and called him in in front of her, only once, but his quick correction left a lasting impression. Why did the name Javier matter?

And what did Scuttle know of him?

Her powers focused on Emmet, but her eyes looked to their disarmed crook. "What could you possibly know about him?" Her question was defensive. This monster of a girl knowing the kind man Jeeves had been made her feel uneasy.

Edited October 14, 2016 by Narmaya

[Dandragon]

"Haha...Well, if that's how it's gonna be, then I think we got ourselves a job. I'll go find Emmet and Morganna so I'm gonna have to ask you two to find me Hans and Lars. See if they found anything interesting. First thing's first, though." With that Serge headed back inside. "Sir, you got yourself some painters. I'll meet you at your house later, I just need to go get the rest of my people." With a small salute, Serge walked out of the tavern, satisfied with his duty. He had gotten a job that didn't involve any killing.

"Right, I think Hans and Lars said that they were going to see the blacksmith so you can start looking there. I'm pretty sure Morganna said something about the library so I'll start heading that way. Remember, the old man's house is next to the Chapel." And so, he began walking towards the library, leaving the two ladies to fend for themselves for a while, unaware of what was awaiting him.

[SB.]

Claire wasn't particularly confident that she could stop Scuttle in her current state, but she had reached for her tome all the same. Sebastian's appearance could've come a whole lot earlier, but watching him disarm the bard with such finese relaxed the mage somewhat. The bloodied book began to slide down her robes once again, leaving visible marks, but she was too exhausted to care.

Is it finally over? Claire's shoulders slumped and she breathed a deep sigh of relief. Emmet was hurt, but they had two healers around, even if he did consume the vial. That was a cause for concern, but not one that they could do anything about now. Still, it didn't stop her from half-expecting the scholar to go beserk like Balleros, or something as equally horrible.

She winced a little as she leaned back against the wall. The fear, adrenaline or numbness, or whatever had possessed her had finally left, and despite Cass and Emmet's best efforts the pain in her leg was still very real. Even though the wound was gone, the mark from Scuttle's boot pressing into it was still clear - and she could still feel it sting. But it was bearable now, and she doubted they could do much more to stop it, and Emmet was in pretty dire need of attention himself.

Instead, she focused on the conversation at hand. The name Javier meant nothing to Claire, but the princess bringing up the Herman's deceased butler made helped her make the connection. "Is that what this was all about?" she asked, eyes fixed on the road next to Scuttle's feet. She didn't want to look at the bard right now, and it was far easier to imagine her as nothing more than a monster after what she'd put her through.

Edited October 14, 2016 by SB.

[Terrador]

If Perroy could offer an agreeable nod, he could sure as hell get one in return. "Arright, Perroy, we'll be outta your hair then. Firs' thing tomorrow, I'll be here." It seemed as though the farmer wouldn't have a man young enough to be his son lording over him, and appreciated that nobody attempted it. Fine by Angus, that was for sure. A short detour to the barn later, he departs with only his furry friend in tow, a destination already in mind. After all, they wouldn't have much time to play while Angus did as Thomas dreaded! If the older man didn't seem to have a temper, Angus might have considered asking him to bear-sit, if only for the look on his face.

"Arright, li'l buddy, you wanna go for a swim? Play with th'duckies?" Angus chuckles warmly, teasing his pet slightly by tapping his nose or waggling fingers in front of his jaw. "Be rude t'let you have one, but we'll have some good food tonight, I promise. Er..." The mooncalf pauses, scooping up the bear to speak to it a hair more seriously. "...can you swim?" He studies the bear at arm's length in jest, lifting it over his head at one point. "Hrrrrrrm. We'll have to see 'bout that, won't we~?"

[Frostivus]

Susan felt her every reserve of stamina expended, but the battle was coming to a close, she felt it. She barely flinched as the knives flew past her, partly because they were a non-lethal technique familiar to her. Mostly because her speed and reflexes had long since decayed in her fatigue.

“My story? Disgusting?” She threw her head back in a guffaw, “The Princess of Wyke resents her sheltered life, but refuses to face tragedy. Lady Adele would sacrifice the strength of her house for her own selfish pursuits. Prince Owen crumbles from mere words. Angus charges recklessly into battle without concern for his allies’ wellbeing, because that’s all he knows how to do. Serge is a paranoid, incompetent mess. Doug barely even realises what’s going on half the time.”

“We’re all pitiful and disgusting, Sebastian. You may wear his clothes and use his moves, but that can’t hide that underneath all that, you’re still Good Hope’s shill. We’re all living lies. I just chose to stop hiding mine.”

Susan grabbed her shiv from her belt, nothing but sheer will stringing her muscles to move in tandem. Two hundred yards. If she could bop a hat from an urchin’s head from two hundred yards, so fatigue and open wounds be damned, she could most definitely put one between Sebastian's eyes in the blink o this is not you.

She might as well have been hit in the guts. She might as well been renamed her bow ‘guilt trip’ and whacked herself on the head with it. Because Scuttle suddenly had a voice she couldn’t ignore.

It was a failsafe of sorts that Susan lost power whenever the situation got too personal for her to handle, and this time Scuttle knew what was happening, whereas Susan did not.

My name is Scuttle.

My name is Susan Thames.

Now was not the time for self-doubt.

She felt the two egos trying to stifle each other, wresting for control. Somewhere along the way, between an unexpected rescuer and a noble self-sacrifice and a voice of reason, Scuttle had taken over, the change so incomprehensible and quick Susan had barely noticed it. That must had been why she had hesitated to kill the princess when she had the chance; some minutiae of Scuttle still clung to her, like some slogging worm.

“Not yet,” Susan muttered under her breath, “Not now.”

You nEed me. I’ll bring Him bacK.

And then what?

Susan glanced at the staff the princess was wielding. It had seen much and served more, lovingly polished but at the same time stained with blood both fresh and old. Crests and etch marks carved into its woodwork reminded her of a time long ago by the hearth’s fire, when she had studied its nebulous tip working its way across her near-skeletal body to soothe the pain.

It was the day Susan had deemed it safe enough for Scuttle to live.

Scuttle took her shiv before she could think twice and smashed it into the wall, watching it burst into riven fragments.

She looked up to meet their gazes, a haze lifting from her eyes. ". . . it's the hair, isn't it?"

Several days’ worth of sleep debt slammed into her in a deluge that Susan had till now curtailed, and the bard dropped like a rock.

Edited October 15, 2016 by Frostivus

[riariadne]

"Well, thank you very much. It's been helpful for me to think things over like this," Sidney told the elderly woman. "I'll see what I can do about coming tonight. It was nice to meet you!"

Feeling refreshed, Sidney made her way out of the chapel. Without any money on hand, her options were somewhat limited. She opted to head off towards the library, though what she saw wasn't exactly what she was expecting... A mess of blood and injury, several of her companions gathered together. "What... what happened?" She couldn't find a better way to phrase the question, being at something of a loss for words.

[Toogee]

Love Broadcast

The woman pulled Doug in closer, wrapping her arm around his shoulders as she showed him a small silver pendant. "All the girls will go nuts over you with this. Even if you're not the most handsome, they'll feel the purity of your heart and soul, your love will shine through!" she whispered, making sure nobody else was in earshot. "I only have one, so it's a little expensive. Three grand will net you the admiration of every woman you see."

Doug looked upon the pendant with some skepticism. How could such a small trinket be so powerful?

"Gee, I don't know," Doug voiced his doubts, "For that kind of money, I'd like to try it out around the village." Surely if complete strangers could be entranced by him, then the night out with Decima would surely go well.

[Nanami Touko]

Answers would have to wait. Scuttles collapsed, and Cassandra breathed a well held sigh of relief. It was over, for the moment. She looked to Sebastian, then to the bard's fallen form. "Sebastian... You're going to have to tell us a lot. About Susan... Waiting this long-- tell me, you had no idea this would happen, right? None at all? Because if you had some worry and didn't mention it... I will not be pleased." An understatement. They had brought this bard into their group under the hopes that she would be a worthy companion. And she had been. Until now.

I refuse to face tragedy, is it... Yeah. I have. And not just in that moment. For a while... But no more. I have Owen. I have Adele. I have my strength, now. She looked at Emmet, not knowing if he was still awake, but hoping her healing had done well enough for him. "Sebastian, please take care of Emmet and Lady Claire. I have tended to their wounds, but someone here has it a bit worse off."

She picked herself up, her legs felt weak. How scared had she truly been? A small laugh accompanied her standing, now amused by her weakness. "Like a poison..."

More company, but this time, pleasant. "A lot, Sidney," was all she could muster as she made her way over to the bard's body-- her corpse, maybe? The magic had been immense, but Susan had taken it on the cheek, fighting them despite that. "What a terror," she mumbled, beginning to heal her. Not with a smile, nor out of pity, but for want of answers. This business with Jeeves-- with Javier; something had made her do this. And Cassandra was going to find out what.

"You will not get away from me for threatening her, bard. That is my mistake, and I will bear it."

[Ether]

On her way cutting through the market, Adele had a rather... odd encounter. Nothing was that strange at first, just Owen approaching her. He seemed a bit urgent about it, but that aside, it was fairly standard... until he asked her of the seer, fidgeting in a fit of embarrassment over asking... how odd.

"I have, actually I was heading that way now. I met a... delightful older gentleman on the outskirts of town. It seems he caught my lingering grief, over Jeeves... and recommended the town seer to me. I'm surprised you're asking me of it, though. You never seemed to much the type, yourself."

[SB.]

Claire's discomfort grew as Scuttle went down her list, shaming everyone on it. She waited for her name with bated breath, but it was all for nothing. A small, hollow smile was on her face as she repressed a bitter laugh. Not even you can know how much of a mess I am. Claire had escaped the bard's list, but it didn't feel like she'd escaped anything. Watching her collapse was a small solace to the mage, although part of her wished that the princess would just leave her there.

"That's a good question." she replied to Charlotte, feeling honestly pretty clueless despite being at the centre of it all. Scuttle had tried to kill them, and everyone else had fought back. But why? She looked over to Sebastian expectantly for answers, hoping that he would comply.

"I'm fine, I think..." she insisted, even through the ache in her leg. She wasn't feeling great, by any means, but she felt like she could get up and still walk (admittedly through a lot of discomfort) if it came down to that. And besides that, she wanted to find out what was going on sooner rather than later.

[Vestige]

"Thank Engel that's over," he muttered, slipping his tome away. He hadn't realized what being a "diplomat" actually meant, but if he knew he'd had to be dealing with stuff like this on a regular basis, he might have tapped out a long time back. Resurrecting twins, an all powerful mage, a crazed bard, and all this in just short while that had passed since they had departed from Wyke. In his heart of hearts, he found it all so very thrilling, though he dared not to admit. Oh the stories he'd have to tell Daniel once he got back.

If I get back.

Hopefully the worst had already come to pass. He couldn't imagine it getting any worse, but sometimes reality managed to exceed expectations. He slung the bard's bow over his shoulder and made his way over to Scuttle's collapsed body, peering over Cassandra's shoulder as she worked her healing. "How does she fare?" he asked, his voice dripping with apprehension. In the moment, he'd been ready to kill Scuttle if he had to--or at least try, but he didn't exactly enjoy the feeling of staining his hands with the blood of his supposed comrades. It was just as well, they were severely lacking in answers.

[Shin]

Shared History

"Of course, Princess Cassandra, thankfully their injuries do not seem too grievous." Sebastian replied, casting a pitying gaze at Scuttle. "This wasn't the Scuttle that I remembered, I would have followed her closely if I knew she were capable of this."

Kneeling down to the recently awoken Claire, Sebastian was rather impressed with Cass' work on the wounds. He had expected that he'd have needed to tend to it himself, but that was one task he could strike from his list. Emmet seemed relatively stable, it was probably better that he were unconscious for the time being. "I feel that a full explanation would be better fit for when you've had a chance to rest, Lady Claire." Sebastian replied, not entirely sure what exactly had gone on himself. "Are you able to stand? I retrieved a strange vial from Sir Emmet... I cannot say why, but I feel it's key to the events that happened here."

Different Fish

The ducks at the pond were very wary of Geoffrey, clearing away from the bear and its mother. Geoffrey seemed fairly content at Angus' promise, or the fleeing ducks were too much effort to be worth pursuing. The afternoon had progressed, most of the villagers had cleared away from the villag centre. However, one individual was still at the pond, sitting on the bench and looking into the body of water. The rider's outfit made it rather obvious, it was one of the Valter sisters.

But it was Nona.

The woman was oddly focused, the whimsical expression she normally sported markedly absent. She hadn't even noticed that Angus had arrived at the pond, without so much as a diversion of her gaze to the baron.

Dougistan's finest bachelor

Eager to ensure Doug made the purchase of a life time, the woman was visibly contemplating his suggestion. "I'll let you try it out, but don't go running off with it." she warned, deadly serious in her words. "You seem like a decent guy, but it's really not easy to get hold of these. These are straight from Wihtwar's academy. There's a high flying sorceress who's into the more obscure branches of magic. It's a friend of a friend of a friend thing."

Placing the charm in Doug's hand, the woman held his hand firmly. "I have faith in you. Only the most repulsive ill-mannered brute could fail with something like this." she added.

[Dandragon]

Serge had passed by the path the blacksmith to wave off Emily and Larissa in their search of the axe twins, and continued down the path towards the Library. However, he stopped in his tracks to see most of his companions just outside the Library in some...interesting positions, most notably Scuttle, who was unconscious and with multi-colored hair, which explained the turban from earlier. There was Emmet, so that was half of his current objective done, but right now he had one question on his mind.

"So...Does anybody feel like telling me what's going on here?" He asked, looking at each of his comrades, hoping one of them would answer.

[SB.]

"Alright..." Claire had half a mind to protest, despite her tiredness, considering whatever had set Scuttle off had nearly gotten her killed. But considering everything that had happened, she wasn't in the mood to argue anymore. She wasn't looking forward to standing up, but she supposed it was better to make sure that the damage wasn't permanent sooner rather than later.

Slowly, she gingerly rose to her feet, despite her muscles screaming in protest. "There." There was a pained look on her face as she pursed her lips after speaking. Things were a bit better after she'd got her balance, but she didn't really want to stand around for too long. "You're probably right." she agreed, ignoring Serge's arrival entirely. "Did Scuttle know Jeeves, before all of this?" If he didn't want to answer, that was fine, and she wouldn't wait around to argue with him - but the bard going on a warpath to revive the butler... as strange as it sounded, kind of fit together.

[Shin]

Family

"They knew each other very well, their bond was almost familial." Sebastian replied, readying a hand in case Claire were to fall. "From what Master Jeeves told me, he'd known Scuttle since she was a little girl. She must have been at one of the orphanages in Hull, he-... I don't know why or how they met, but she must have seen him as his health began failing. Him never returning after Prince Owen's last campaign may have been too much for her."

Giving Claire a quick scan, Sebastian was content that she wasn't too badly maimed. "There are a few hours before the sun will set, I would strongly recommend finding somewhere peaceful to rest. I think you've had enough excitement for a lifetime this journey." he chuckled, giving a polite bow. One of the mercenaries had approached the scene, completely out of the loop. There were other things to take care of, Steve(?) would have to find out from one of the others in the party - preferably someone who had actually been there.