Kaite was thankful that Tiberius was aware of the orc, easing herself back down in a slump as she figured no harm would come to the man, reinsured by the sounds of metal being stripped from the woman who had affronted his claim.
Having heard one of the young elves crumple with the audible collapse of Zenovia, the knight fought all the harder to be about her wits. Simply knowing a single body fell painted her consciousness in a lens of harrowing twists and turns.
The fight never really ended, not for those who still fought.
The knight felt faint, like at the edge of a steep slope as she forced herself to take a deep breath and let it out, slowly.
To mask the groan of a sigh, Kaite took the letter, skeptically watching Tiberius until he walked away as to make it clear that she was next to read. Having never actually read the first note, she was skeptical, though was curious about a few other entries such as the ones addressed to The Storyteller who she was cripplingly disappointed to hear nothing in regards to. Another note was to read the bit for Tiberius; Kaite, tilting her head in agreement with the mention of his conduct with Laina, searched the letter for mention of Dionaea.
She was not mentioned.
Kaite grew highly skeptical, for refutable reasons on top of common sense which the knightress expressed as she laid back down, simply holding the letter for someone else to take. "Sir Gorman...Where is this from?" she asked, assuming it to be some kind of cryptic answer. There may not be any reason for him to know the answer, but it was still worth a shot.
Who would write a letter to everyone while knowing who would be missing?
Why would this person write a letter to express consolation for...whatever they saw in another?
I mean, it would take a week with good sources to find the messenger going to the right location. How would they know?
H-how would they know?
"Wh...er..." Kaite stammered, looking back at the note a few more times before shuddering and easing herself back down while holding the note up for whoever to take, next. "Jus...hn...someone take it" she growled with solemn indignation, rejecting the words of perceived pity and chiding encouragement.
Even while she handed the note away, Kaite's eyes looked down. She had no clue who this 'old friend' was, but they were certainly wrong. Whoever the letter was addressed to was in more dire need of words than herself.
Nope...
Kaite's expression relaxed back to a broken, confused indifference after handing off the letter. Her brows twitched has she looked down, accented with an elevated breath as she noticed Vert claim 'her' ring and note.
Part of the knightress was shaken by letting go of the note, curious if they could glean more from the message.
'A little longer' -- until what?
'-Not just from enemies'
The thoughts made Kaite coil, resenting the idea of anyone assuming they knew anything about her. Curling up into the fetal position to a side, the black knight of Ispar groaned an inelegant whimper of a growl, sinking the fingers of a hand into the soil just to grip a handful of it.
"Where...wuh-Where did you find such- ...hm...Gorman?" Kaite softly asked the Orc after a moment to herself. Her eyes looked up under the bridges of her brow, though her expression was confused and default in how their glint seemed accusing.
Something within the knight seemed to crumble in this instant like a sandcastle against surf as the knightess's question came once more. "Please...who gave y'this?" she asked without looking up, still shaking from the dull ache. Sensations pushed through the over-washed tattered rags that now made up Kaite's attire, and past her own blood that soaked it.
Her eyes narrowed, and even the dirt and blood-soaked figure of Kaite could remain intimidating to those who knew the name. However, there was something extra in how she seemed limp of power. If Gorman hadn't known her from before, he would have simply seen broken and beaten knight without enough energy or will to lift themselves to stand.
This was not even to mention the hunks of shed armor around her.
agentmanatee,
Riaxh,
Lord Zee,
Lumiere
