[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/acCZCUg.png[/img][hr]Jocasta [@Force and Fury], Yalen [@pantothenic], Ysilla [@Pirouette], Zarina [@YummyYummy], Kaspar [@Wolfieh], various NPCs.[hr][b][color=7ea7d8]Event:[/color][/b] Hugo's task [b]|[/b] [b][color=7ea7d8]Location:[/color][/b] Tethered Refuge, Torragonese High Desert.[hr][hr][/center]
[center][youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m0OO6YrG8Eg[/youtube][/center]

Ayla used the opportunity to rest that night, taking a long bath to refresh the pores of her skin. They were afforded basic soaps and oils, seemingly made at the refuge as it served primarily as a self-sustaining community with little support from the outside. She always found the water relaxes her, allowing her mind to wander freely and unoccupied.

With the tales upon the sands before they got here she did hope for communal rooms, the place was not exactly the safe sanctuary it likes to masquerade as. Her thoughts dwelled on Jocasta a lot and the experiences she shared. Further thoughts on Marceline, Laella, and the others at the refuge. Those sweet innocent faces, the cries of help held behind their eyes. She shivered as she sank under the water. Looking over the surface as she watches the bubbles pop. There is a visceral feeling burning inside of her, one that wouldn’t easily be resolved by platitudes. She sighed, as she struggled to even comprehend what she wanted to do. She plunged her head under the water as she started to count. The sinking feeling takes away the heat and intensity as she feels her heart rate and blood pressure begin to decrease, slowly becoming back up for air. She resolves to do something in these moments, even if it is not much, she was going to check in on her friend.

Adorned in the simple garments of the refuge as her own being laundered, she made her way down the corridor. It was already quite late, and the wrinkled skin on her hands and feet signified perhaps she spent a little too long in that bath of hers. She made her way to what would appear to be Jocasta’s door as she knocked upon it, [color=7ea7d8]“Jocasta, it is Ayla, are you awake?”[/color]. She was met with silence. She puts her ear against the door for signs of life and gently tries the handle. The door was locked. [color=7ea7d8]“Sorry… you must be sound asleep…”[/color]. She backs away from the door as she moves down the corridor and sighs. Hoping you rest well tonight, she thought.

[hr][b]Collab:[/b] Zarina [@YummyYummy][hr]
[color=C78A2C]”Haven’t heard a peep from her room.”[/color] Zarina called out with a somewhat hushed tone, sitting on a wooden chair she had pulled from her room at the nearest corner that gave a good vantage point. She had recently bathed with clean clothes courtesy of their hosts. Nothing too fancy, but comfortable for a solitary evening, [color=C78A2C]”Can’t sleep?”[/color] she asked, arms crossed under her chest and leg over the other, [color=C78A2C]”Thought I’d keep an eye out, see if they’re making the rounds here or not. Aaaand I’ve got nothing better to do.”[/color] she sighs and then asks with a smirk, [color=C78A2C]”Hungry?”[/color] 

Ayla tilted her head as she looked to see Zaz already roaming, [color=7ea7d8]“Too much of your coffee?”[/color] she quipped with a smile. [color=7ea7d8]“There may be something edible around, perhaps something juicy and refreshing for the palette”[/color]. She approaches the Virangish girl offering a hand to assist her down from her perch, a needless gesture, but offered out of politeness.

Zarina waves her hand in a dismissive manner, [color=C78A2C]“‘Tis what they say.”[/color] she is quick to accept the hand and heave herself off her lazy position, [color=C78A2C]”So you heard about some Naranjas too? From the kids?”[/color] when she stood, her left arm was raised and then made to bend back, making her hand reach as far back as it could until she prompted a crack, [color=C78A2C]”Dunno if it was, y’know, the fruit or some game. But Something juicy sounds …”[/color] she purses her lips, clearly salivating over something, [color=C78A2C]“Good enough.”[/color] she turns her head to the nearest corridor, [color=C78A2C]“Adventure time?”[/color] her eyes peered to the side, barely glancing at the little lion. Zarina was smirking and her tone no longer as considerate for those sleeping. Finally something to do!

[color=7ea7d8]“Naranjas sound good, Laella says there is a tree in the courtyard.”[/color], as she walks along with the taller girl, the disparity between them is very noticeable, even though they were the same age. She was somewhat distracted as they approached the residence quarters, steel grates outside the different passageways for drainage, as wooden foot bridges lay alongside the wall which is used to allow passage across. She wondered if anyone had ever been trapped in their rooms by accident, [color=7ea7d8]“Hope they don’t need to leave in event of fire…”[/color] though her thoughts are somewhat muted as the building appears made of stone. [color=C78A2C]”Or, you know, a giant Wyrm crashes in and makes the roof fall.”[/color] Zarina chuckles while keeping up with a slow pace. No hurry. The next set of residences appear to have access lifts to traverse the different floors. [color=7ea7d8]“Accessibility is a priority here, Maura used to struggle rolling through the streets of Varrahasta”[/color]. They continue walking as she notices a little light on in the distance, a lantern appears to be active, [color=7ea7d8]“Appears we are not the only ones awake.”[/color]

Zarina was a bit more discreet in her observations, unless it was to add a remark to what Ayla had said. The lack of her placebo was maybe weighing on her already. She perked up at the mention of other folks being awake, [color=C78A2C]”Hmm? Night shift staff, I guess?”[/color] she tilts her head and confers a curious squint toward her noble partner, [color=C78A2C]”Maybe they have Naranjas.”[/color] she winks at Ayla, her stride unaffected by the potential encounter they may experience. They got closer and closer, until faint sounds could be heard. Mere, unintelligible murmurs from where Zarina was standing, but it did prompt her to raise her eyebrows while turning her head to Ayla to make her big fat, curiosity driven grin very evident, [color=C78A2C]”Can you hear them?”[/color] she whispers.

Tilting her head as she cups her ear, it shouldn’t be a difficult task to tease the sound towards them, though compensating for receiving rather than projecting like she normally did. She draws upon the gift to enhance the vibrations through the air, maintaining their volume, pitch and frequency as it is directed towards the pair of them. [color=7ea7d8]“Multiple inside, Attempting to increase the volume for us… sounds like they are roasting something, perhaps it is a kitchen?”[/color], turning to look towards Zaz.

[i]Sniff, sniff.[/i] Zarina blinks, furrows her eyebrows and then steps a little closer to find any sort of opening she could use to get a look, [color=C78A2C]”Roasting alright.”[/color] she could barely make out a caretaker through the crack of the door, although the body wasn’t as easy to assess, [color=C78A2C]”They’re burning stuff. Or rather …”[/color] with her lips pursed she backed her head from the opening and looked over at Ayla, [color=C78A2C]”They say anything else?”[/color] she leans in to get into Ayla’s range, given she didn’t want the sound to actually disperse or anything.

Concentrates on the voices talking, [color=7ea7d8]“They are discussing the caretakers sent to meet us. How they could not recover Caretaker Esparza, the one which was eaten by the wyrm. They say he had a heart attack before the Wyrm appeared”[/color], did pause as she mused for a moment, [color=7ea7d8]“Or the shock of his discovery could have brought it on…”[/color].

[color=C78A2C]”Uh-huh.”[/color] Zarine peeks back into the room. The mention of a dead person connected the few remaining dots in her head. Then the slab being pushed near the furnace came close enough to the small fissure that she could see the body, [color=C78A2C]”Can confirm, not a kitchen. At least I hope not.”[/color] she clicks her tongue before closing the door just enough to not actually see anything anymore, and then took a few steps away, [color=C78A2C]”Rangers having a heart attack, though?”[/color] she raises an eyebrow, [color=C78A2C]”Yeah. Happens all the time. We breed them fragile in the North.”[/color] the obvious peculiarity was ushered in via sarcasm, although it definitely did not amuse her, [color=C78A2C]”No Naranjas here, I’m afraid, little Lion.”[/color]

Waves her hands away as if contaminated, ceasing her eavesdropping abruptly as realisation dawns upon her, wiping her hands upon her outfit. [color=7ea7d8]“Remind me to steer away from a spit roast hog for a while”[/color], she takes Zaz’s hand, tugging her back upon her expedition through the halls of the refuge as they make their way eventually to the seating area surrounding a large gnarled orange tree, easily over a hundred years of age, drooping over the pool. The location is clear in its frequent use as it is surrounded by benches and chairs with a picket fence doing little to prevent those more adventurous embarking into the tree branches. The bark is adorned with what at a glance appeared to be runes, but on closer inspection are initials and small pictures, some are contained within hearts. [color=7ea7d8]“A lovers retreat perhaps, a good location for a performance”[/color].

[i]Naranjas, finally.[/i] Zarina, being at least a head taller than Ayla, had no issue reaching out to nab an orange from a more accessible branch, [color=C78A2C]”Heads up.”[/color] she tosses the juicy goodness over to the lion and then seizes a snack for herself. The night sky and flickering torches further back made it possible to admire the scenery. A deep pool and a fruit-bearing tree. An old one with many carvings dating likely many generations. She opts to take a seat over a thicker root so she could pass her hand over the markings, [color=C78A2C]”Condemned little lovelies, finding love and happiness even when they know they’re gonna die far too soon.”[/color] she chuckles, her hands now busy with the peeling of her delicacy, [color=C78A2C]”Cute.”[/color] she then turns her head toward Ayla, [color=C78A2C]”Wanna sing a little tune, to commemorate those with so little time to share their love?”[/color] she seizes a piece from the orange and eats it, [color=C78A2C]”Although I’m sure they never once took it for granted. Guess it’s something.”[/color]

Looks up to the woman in the tree, perhaps a little oversized compared to the children who most likely made use of their branches, but fortunate enough to reach the higher fruits kept out of their reach. [color=7ea7d8]“Sometimes life is scary and dark. That is why we must find the light”.[/color] She contemplates the request as she peels and samples the rich piece of fruit. Though she isn’t a songstress and her flutia was back in her room, she relies on the instruments the Pentad have given her as she starts to whistle up into the night sky a serene melody.

Whistling was fine too, it soothed Zarina’s restless mind and allowed her to focus her attention. She carefully peeled bits of the orange with her painted, miraculously still unbroken nails. After about half was eaten, she kept the fruit in one hand while the other had its digits passed over the carvings on the bark, [color=C78A2C]“Sheesh, look at this.”[/color] the Virangish girl was passing her index over the clover-shaped carving near the back of the trunk. The name ‘Amanda’ was carved on it, and the date indicated a time before either girls were even born, [color=C78A2C]“Twenty year old, or close.”[/color] she turned her head toward Ayla, [color=C78A2C]“Kind of feels weird, knowing that person’s probably dead. And we’re touching a thing that keeps their memory. Sort of.”[/color]

Starts to come to a rest as the exhaustion of the day is quickly catching up with vengeance as she leans back.  [color=7ea7d8]“They say no one is ever truly dead as long as their memory is still alive”[/color], she gazes up towards the various names, some she didn’t recognise like Consuela which was done with care, though appeared to be one with Marceline’s name within it. [color=7ea7d8]“Marceline’s name is there, we could always ask her.”[/color]. She stretches out as she makes herself comfortable, seeming to decide to sleep in the open. [color=7ea7d8]“So sleepy…”[/color].

Zarina raised a brow at Ayla’s hopeful observation, but this time abstained from raining on the little lion’s positive outlook, [color=C78A2C]“It is?”[/color] she squinted in search of the familiar name among the many runes that decorated the tree, [color=C78A2C]“Ah, yeah.”[/color] she traced the symbol, noticing its rougher state compared to many others, [color=C78A2C]“Three years ago. Huh.”[/color] a more posed mind allowed her to recall a potential issue, but the sleepy little lion ended up getting Zaz’s attention, [color=C78A2C]“Hmm?  Finally coming down?”[/color] she scoots, legs close together and her hand tapping over her lap, [color=C78A2C]“Have a break, kitty kat. I’ll just … Finish my naranja.”[/color]

Ayla uses the opportunity to snooze, curled up on the side as she leans her head upon the comfortable lap. The day has been long, tough and busy, a far cry from what her life has been like in Varrahasta. I hope everyday is not this exhausting, she thought.

As the lion sleeps tonight, Zarina began to hum the same tune Ayla had been whistling, letting her often neglected pair of lungs shine for once– and it wasn’t half bad. Careful strokes to the cub’s mane came about when she finished her orange, and a good quarter of an hour was dedicated to just enjoying the fresh air, the clear night skies and the aroma of the orange tree. When it came time to retreat, Zarina carried the little noble, keeping her head rested over her shoulder with both arms holding Ayla bridal-style.

Zarina took her time, and then gently posed the talented musician onto her bed, tucked in and safe. A final glance was given to the little lion, prompting a subtle but genuine smile from the taller lass, before she retreated back to her improvised post to keep an eye on the rooms of the squad. She wasn’t completely sleepless, with the occasional micro-sleep here and there as she distracted herself with little carvings of her own on the stone wall by her, amounting to about an hour of very, very unhealthy sleep.

[hr]
In the morning, they were treated to a hearty breakfast, breaking bread with classmates and hosts alike. The late night activities continued to take their toll as she still felt exhausted, it was reported that it took the caretakers considerable effort to wake her for the morning. She used her concealer to hide the drained look, appearing to be as refreshed as always in appearance at least. She was pleased to see Jocasta, after being worried about her the night before. [color=7ea7d8]“Hope you managed to sleep well,”[/color] said Ayla, offering her a warm smile. In response, Jocasta yawned and stretched languidly. [color=ffdead]“Eshiran, you have n-no idea how well, friend. Like death itself, hehe.”[/color] She smiled fondly back. [color=ffdead]“You too, I hope?”[/color]. She offers a wide smile back, it was nice to see such a genuinely fond look upon the girl's face. [color=7ea7d8]“Apparently sleeping till the hours of Oraff is frowned upon heavily here”[/color].

It seemed the refuge didn’t have its house in order as there was an evident space at the table. Perhaps he gets to sleep till Oraff, she thought.  The space was met with frequent furtive looks and glances from the warden and his staff, it was someone clearly of some import. As the plan was laid out before them, she yawned a little in both tiredness and boredom as the session seemed to be dragging on. In truth, it seemed there was little of substance as it seemed to boil down to ‘it is somewhere over there’. 

She allows those who wish to ask any questions to go ahead, though if there is an opportune moment, she would suggest that Marceline takes them on a tour to help them wake up to prepare for the mission ahead. 


[hider=TL;DR Summary]
Ayla checked on Jocasta, the room was quiet and locked.
Ayla and Zarina went on the hunt for a midnight snack.
Refuge has a lot of accessibility options, and purposeful non-accessibility options.
Overheard Caretakers talk about how the ranger Esparza died of a heart attack shortly before the Wyrm attacked.
Found a gnarly old orange tree covered in carvings. Some of these were four-leaf clovers, dating back over twenty years. Amanda, Consuela, and Marcelines' were noticable. Marceline's name was dated approximately three years ago.
Ayla will suggest Marceline should lead them on a tour of the refuge in the morning. This is to provide opportunity for them to talk to Marceline without the presence of the staff, and the team to do their own investigations or check on the kids.
[/hider]


[hr][hr]