[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/uwRI6MP.png[/img][/center] [center][img]https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/998095140386242570/999069015097999410/unknown.png[/img][/center] [hr] Interaction: The Timewalker Scene: Tall Trees & Long Shadows Location: Loriindton - The Timewalker's Hut [hr] A tall, red headed woman sat at and observed this trial from a good distance. She was not a relative, or close to Merit, at least in public knowledge. And whilst she’d done a great service for her, it was to remain a secret, or her dying wish would fall apart. But the more she watched, the further she slipped into a silent rage. It did not show on her face, for she had trained so extensively to hide her expression, to keep up appearances and to appear innocent in the event of an inquest. But by the 6, she was furious. She thought that perhaps the people of Loriindton had simply forgotten what the Parrench had done to their city and needed reminding. She truly believed that this last, heroic sacrifice of their hero, that they would finally wake up to reality, but they did not. The spider persisted, fueled by emotion rather than the truth that lay bare in front of her. She persisted in her defense, asked for a trial by combat, did everything to avoid the justice that was to be put on her companion. It was as if the elder’s death did not matter to her compared to the whims and wishes of the crown, and she could not understand why. It made her head spin. It made her filled with rage. How far had these people fallen into human depravity, and why. Why!? This girl, who was almost certainly the aspect of Vyshta, was determined to destroy her own people for the sake of another, simply because of a feeling of belief in her friend. What utter nonsense. By the time the first day was over, she went for a very angry trip through the forest. Perhaps it was a feeling of futility, that nothing she did could wake them up. She saw that a lot were outraged, but those who were already lost weren’t coming back to the fold, and that stung. Maybe the city would return to neutrality, but she didn’t really care about that. That is what the Eskandr wanted, and she could give a rats ass what Hrothgar and the rest of those heathens thought. What she wanted was for her people to realize that they were a frog in boiling water, and to leap out and change things before fate closed in on them, and she hadn’t achieved that nor did Merit. She didn’t want to speak to Dyric and she didn’t even want to speak to Jyluun. One word was ringing through her head as she leapt from tree to tree, cloak firmly covering her hair and Tetsoi. Why? And as the words rang out in Eliis mind, she realized. There was a person she could find the truth from. Perhaps she’d steered away because of her latent fear of it, but the Timewalker is a name she’d heard again and again in this city. People spoke of them with fear as well, and it was for good reason. To play with time and space was to walk a path of pain and destruction. Deep down, she knew why she was afraid. Perhaps she would be weak in the face of a reality where things could be different, where she could have lived a happy life rather than one of duty to her people, but if she wanted to know the truth, she’d have to go there. She reluctantly stopped her speedy travel through the tall trees, and began to find her bearings, to find this character and speak to them. She’d brought treasure with her, only Damy knew if it would be enough to pay for what she wanted to know. It was a surprisingly humble hut, on a lower branch near the edge of town proper. It did not even have a door: more of a curtain made of heavy skins and furs. Eliis had heard of ‘darkmen’ before, though they were known by a different name in her region. Pitch-black gaps in reality taking the shapes of people or everyday objects, they only tended to appear around timewalkers, and many were the cautionary tales surrounding them. As she brushed the curtain aside, she was careful to watch her step. Indeed, a couple of them sparkled darkly in a corner. One simply appeared to be that of a man - likely a yasoi man - but the other stood out for, once she could make sense of it, it appeared to be a woman with one leg. “Ah, so the red rose pays me a visit,” rasped an aged voice. Bent over a gnarled cane, sightless eyes blank but somehow keen, an ancient woman hobbled over from a back room, reaching blindly for a stool and seating herself with a small huff of exertion. For a bare moment, there was a rush of energy and then… light. Dozens of slumped and withered old candles - their sides sculpted by rivers of melted wax - lit up the room with a flickering glow. Sticks of incense burned. A lick of wind clattered the bone chimes just outside. “Now, the question is, Eliis’qarmena’luunetar: why?” Panic immediately set into the Tar'ithan’s brain. How? What? She’d nay said a word since she stepped in, yet she was immediately greeted with her full name. Eliis had been training her entire life to be stealthy, to not show her thoughts or emotions, yet this old crone immediately got both. What exactly was she? Did the witch really hold such power? She shuddered slightly before responding, It had been a while since she had genuinely felt creeped out by something, at least like this. It even beat the blistering anger she felt before coming here. [color=D70040]“That is why I came here, Timewalker. I want to know why.”[/color] she struggled to talk, a lump forming in her throat before finishing. Why is it that she was so afraid? Yes, she knew her name. So what? She built a name for herself. Wasn’t that the point? She forced herself to be calm, as much as she could without leaning on her gift. [color=D70040]“Why does Talit reject the truth in front of her, the death of her dear elder for the likes of the huusoi? Am I the one who is blind, or is it they who refuse to see what will come?”[/color] “Hmmm,” the old crone rumbled, and she let out what could’ve been construed as a mirthful snort were one inclined to view it that way. “There are three parts to this question. You do not know the answer to any.” A gnarled old hand, the skin so pale as to be nearly translucent, emerged from a drooping sleeve and waited, palm open, in front of her. Eliis pondered for a moment. Of the treasures she’d brought with her, she liked them all. She hardly wanted to part ways with them. Yet, she knew she’d have to, for why else would the crone stretch out her hand. She hesitated for a moment, before drawing a beautiful golden medallion from her bag. She’d picked it from a corpse of some noble kid she’d killed in Relouse. Perhaps that would suffice. She placed it in the timewalker’s palm. [color=D70040]“Is this to your liking?”[/color] “All of them,” the old woman croaked, handing it back. Eliis sighed in sadness. It hurt so much to give it all up, but she knew such information could not be cheap. She placed the medallion back in the bag and handed the satchel to her. [color=D70040]”There. That’s everything I brought. I have naught else to give, unless you want me to run back to [HOMETOWN] and empty out my tree.”[/color] she spoke a little disheartened and bitter. “Hmm, mhm,” the elder acknowledged, and she spent a minute or longer in perfect silence but for the rustling of her hands through the bag and the gentle ‘clink’ and scrape of the bone chimes outside. One by one, she took objects out and placed them on the stool. First came some coins. Then, there was a pin that Eliis had received as a girl. The timewalker moved… perhaps pointedly slowly. Next, came a comb, and then a vial, and then a book - the Menanne. She lingered for a moment with that one. Finally, the old witch held in her hand a skull. Both of her hands worked their way over its surface. “This,” she remarked with a reverent sort of glee, “is exquisite.” She tilted her head slightly to one side. “I have named my price.” As she watched her treasures be pored over by the old woman, she winced every time. The pin, then the comb, then the menanne. It got worse and worse for her. Those weren’t valuable, not by the metric of the huusoi. But she supposed, that they weren’t dealing with them. Even still, they weren’t beautiful by the traditional metrics. They were merely memories she held dear to her, and oh how it hurt to watch them be handled by another. Then the skull. She hated the fact she’d put it in there in the first place. It was her purpose, her goal. She could not give that up - nay - would not give that up for a few questions. She strengthened her resolve firmly. She’d negotiated before, it was custom. [color=D70040]”The worth of that man is far more than a few questions. But, the Menanne is yours for your answers. That is a price I’m willing to pay, hurt me as it might. ”[/color] she spoke, struggling to keep her composure still. Try as she might, she cared for that book, the skull and the comb more than anything else in her trove. “It is a partial payment and will receive a partial answer. I shall make that clear.” The timewalker’s hands felt around for a moment, before seizing the book. [color=D70040]”Then the comb as well. I do not want partial answers. I want the truth.”[/color] “I do not deal in truths, child,” the old woman growled. “I deal in answers and people make their own truths of those.” She paused. “If you wish for all three of the answers, I should very much prefer the skull. You may buy two of: your own truth with the book and the comb, that of your people’s future, or that of Lady Talit’yrash. Not all of them, and I shall not negotiate further.” Eliis frowns. An impossible choice, yet she knew that she could not give the skull up. The menanne was his, and it gave her strength to continue, and the comb was a memento that she held dear, but the skull was her dream. Eudes deserved a proper resting place, not an old crone’s workshop. But what to pick. Deep down, she wanted to cry. She had always wanted to cry. It wasn’t for her to make decisions. But she had to pick. That’s why she came here. She hardened her heart, and took the skull back. Eliis had always picked duty. Today, she would pick curiosity, for once in her life. [color=D70040]”Tell me of my own future, and of Talit. My people's fate is surely not yet sealed.”[/color] “It is, and yet it isn’t, but events of significance will happen soon.” The old woman palmed the objects and set them down reverently on the table with the candles. “With Talit, I do not need my abilities to tell me much about her. She is known to me and I have…” she trailed off, still for a second. “Regrets, and yet not. For yourself, however, please give me your hands.” There was no hesitation in her mind or her heart at this point. She put her hands on the Timewalker’s expectantly, hoping to find out her own truth. The old woman closed her sightless eyes and her grip on Eliis’ hands tightened. “I hear deception,” she croaked, brow furrowing. “Not only in the future, but in the past: a deception you are aware of and one that you are not. You are being used as a tool, red rose, by people far more cunning than you are, and they lie to each other as well.” She tensed for a moment, grip turning into a vise before slacking off. “Your honourable deeds are not so honourable as you believe them to be. Merit’s dying breath was not one of gratitude but one of betrayal by her own blood.” She shook her head. “What a villain,” she murmured, “What a villain!” She paused. “Not you, child. Do not worry. You have done black deeds, but your heart is not black. Bringers, I wish he could’ve turned out differently, though I knew he would not.” She released Eliis’ hands all at once and her eyelids flickered blindly open. What could she mean by all of this? She always knew she was a tool, it did not take a genius to see that. But what deception was she unaware of? And Merit, betrayed? By her own blood? Her head spun. The dots began to piece together, and Eliis began to realize. It must have been Dyric. But why would Merit permit her to do it, if not for the cause she stated? And how did Dyric betray her. It was all too much. She came for answers and got given twice as many questions as she had prior. It hurt her, that she wasn’t smarter like one of her parents, or one of those scheming huusoi nobles, and could just figure this out in a few minutes and understand it all. She was only a weapon, and she needed time. More time than she had. Even still, she had paid for more. And she would get more. [color=D70040]”You speak of what I have done, but not of what will come. There must be more, or do I meet my end at this trial.”[/color] she spoke, becoming more panicked and anxious. Perhaps it had been a mistake to come here, though she did not realize it yet. She gripped her arm with such strength that she thought she might rip it off, though she was careful not to. Another set of strained deep breaths filled the room as she looked expectantly at the Timewalker. With a sih, the old woman closed her eyes again. “I hear a clash: a violent conflict. You fight against an ally and on the side of an enemy. A clever but cruel deception forces the hand of the huusoi and they force the hand of Loriindton’s people. The yasoi have no time. They must act or their city will burn.” She shook her head. “They are galvanized into choosing a side they would noto havve chosen.” She regarded the younger woman sightlessly now. “I am sorry, red rose, if it is not what you wanted.” More riddles. Perhaps if this was her childhood, she would have quite enjoyed herself, but she’d lost the luster for it now that she would know what was to come. Alas, this news was far less bad than she was hoping. She did not seem to die, not yet and not fruitlessly. And the people would act or die. Perhaps it meant that they were forced to fight, rather than staying well alone. It was not the fate that Dyric or many of them wanted, but it was the fate that was to come, in her mind, regardless of those who rejected it.. But she was still confused. Who would the ally be, and who would be the enemy. Regardless, she wanted to know more. Was it greed? Or was it a necessity at this point. What could be done? [color=D70040]”I don’t know if it is what I wanted. I don’t know what I want, I only assume I know what I must do. And if there is anything else for you to see, please tell me. For if this city has little time, then I must act. Poisoned as they are, they are my brothers and sisters.”[/color] “You have made your choice,” the timewalker croaked. “And I have given you more than that already, but you are still owed the other half of your answer.” She sighed. “The wounds between Talit and Dyric run deep: to the years when the King of Parrence visited as a boy. The two children vied for his attention: one as a playmate and the other, unbeknownst to her, as something more. One of them won that contest, and a bitterness and jealousy grew between them.” She scowled. “I well remember the day that Talit’yrash walked through that same curtain, though she was not yet ‘yrash’, then: a girl just shy of eleven.” The old witch shook her head. “She wished to kill a scagbiist. She wished to prove herself heroic, to shame her brother’s anger, and to cement herself as Oirase. I saw her future and, when she withheld her greatest treasure, I understood that I wasn’t to alter it, so the truths that I told were open to interpretation. She’d been chosen not as Life, but to be chaos and Fortune, and far be it for me to tamper with the will of gods.” She was silent for a moment. The chimes tinkled and the candles burned. “Talit has spent all of her life since both embracing how special she is and running from it, and so she runs into the arms of the huusoi, who have never lied to her or treated her badly and whose king she still covets. With how insular our people have become, she believes that it is poison in our veins not to travel the world so freely as we once did. She thinks that Parrence represents the best chance that we have for a secure land. Dyric, however, grew up an afterthought in her shadow and, in truth, he hates her. Ever was the love of Lady Merit the rope in their contest and, in truth, she softened greatly towards the huusoi and the Parrench in her later years, though she could not make her position public for fear of the reaction.” She stopped abruptly. “Tali will succeed, at least in part, though she shall be wounded deeply again, as may you. Now, I have said enough,” she snapped, “far more than I have spoken in years and far more than you paid me for. Begone!” Eliis paused for a moment after being told to leave. She wanted to ask more. She wanted to know more. She thought that this was the price of knowledge, to constantly desire more and more, and that is why such precious items had to be given, but she knew that she could not give more, for then she would lose her purpose. Truth be told, she was slightly afraid of the timewalker, though not as unnerved as when she first walked in. She seemed far more sensitive about the issue of Talit than the monster she initially thought she was. She bowed her head in respect. [color=D70040]”Thank you, Timewalker. You have given me much, and I hope that I can give just as much to Loriindton.”[/color] she spoke solemnly, still deep in thought but giving pause for just a moment, before exiting the small hut. Eliis searched for a place to contemplate and rest, finding a secluded tall tree a good distance off from the commotions of the city. She caressed the skull that the timewalker oh-so wanted and began to think, harder than she’d ever thought in her life probably. Were the Parrench really the best hope? The people that desecrated their religion and brought fire and blood to their people? But they were more similar than she thought. Perhaps if Eudes lived, she would have stayed the confused girl she was, rather than what she had become now. Would Arcel have to die for her to see reason? But she did not wish for this girl to suffer as she already had. Being bound by duty was already a terrible curse. Eliis thought and thought about the matter and what she could do, eventually finding herself in a deep sleep and no closer to an answer. Maybe a choice would be forced from her, but she had made one too many today in her mind.