Time: Morning Location: Aboard The Harem Interactions: Tigerlily @Potter, Tesoro@Infinite Cosmos, Lizzie @Tae, Barboda @Alivefalling, Helio @princess Equipment: A cutlass, 2 knives and a dagger strategically hidden, a spyglass, a wayfinder, pouch of amas, various jewelry.
One moment there was the thick scent of blood and talk of amas and bounties, the next there was only darkness and pain. Just like sinking to the depths of the ocean; inescapable, disorienting, all-consuming, darkness. He thrashed and struggled against it until his lungs burned and he felt the darkness slowly strangling him.
And just as quickly as it had engulfed them, the darkness dissipated. Gone. Free. Then, everything got worse. Water filled the belly of the ship and moved in ways that were not natural. Lizzie slew Vellen, Vellen used his dying strength to lash out.
The captain fell. He followed Barboda, who carried Lizzie, and the others as they scrambled from the ship and back to The Harem. Their spoils, all soon to be lost to the sea. Their captain, soon to be lost to the sea as well. They had won and it was still an absolute failure.
“...Now he is taking those who do not even belong in this world.”
A human. He realized, his head tilting to the side as he studied Lizzie a bit closer. And one chosen by the seas. Oceanblessed. Nym wore a sad smile, as Barboda walked away, indicating there was little they could do for Lizzie now. Tigerlily tried, moving quickly to bandage the likely mortal wound. Nym didn’t know much about humans, how adept they were for survival, but Lizzie did not look good. He’d seen sailors die plenty of times, she looked no different from any of them. Nym approached Lizzie's other side, across from Tigerlily, knelt by his captain, and gently wrapped his hands around hers.
“Cap’n, I don’t know if ya can hear me, butcha ain’t alone. It don’t look good, but we’ll all see to it that ya get a proper return to the seas here. Know that the sea doesn’t give gifts to the unworthy, and you, aye the sea she took one look at ya and gave you her finest gift, made ya Oceanblessed. It is an honor to sail in your company.” He spoke softly to the human, his captain, one who controlled the seas. “Until my last breath, I’ll tell tales of yer bravery, of a Pirate Queen who moved oceans with her whims. One day little ones will sing songs of Cap’n Lizzie and you will never be forgotten.” Nym offered the sort of thing he would want to hear if their situations were reversed. He was far better equipped to inflict damage than to heal it, but this, ensuring Lizzie did not die alone, this he could do.
“Anything you can do? He asked, looking over at Helio.
Leo, as with most things he did, put conscious effort into his movements, careful not to allow any flaws to be seen by those around him. His steps were deliberate, mindful of the Shehzadi’s dress that wisped against the marble floor, and his timing in sync with the music. He hit the right marks at the right time but the in-between lacked the finesse of a true dancer. What he lacked in gracefulness he made up for with confidence. His eyes kept focused on the rich amber eyes of Nahir, rather than scanning the rest of the room as they so often did during these dances of chance.
“So, how does Caesonia stack up against Alidasht? I hope the events here aren’t too dull for your tastes.” Leo, who so rarely found himself without words, struggled a bit to find a proper topic of conversation. A situation he could only chalk up to the strange bit of nervousness that caused the echo of his own quickened heartbeat in his ears to overshadow his thoughts. He had settled on the topic of the Shehzadi’s homelands, a place he saw as being as rich in excitement as it was in wealth.
"If we were in Genasea," Nahir had placed her hand gracefully on his shoulder as he took the lead. Being this close to Lord Smithwood she could see the specks that adorned his cheeks, cute, Nahir thought. "the tanbur and the kudüm would be ringing across the halls drowning the noise of celebration." She smiled at the memory of Alidasth's lively parties always filled with laughter and joy. "Caesonia is a welcomed change to my home's festivities."
Nahir met his eyes, tilting her head with curiosity. "Do Varian celebrations differ from Caesonian ones? I've never had the pleasure of attending to your home's festivities."
“Varian is a very welcoming place, but events there are normally not as extravagant as they are here.” Leo chose his words carefully, nothing that would be an outright insult to Caesonia, but the way he spoke of Varian made his bias towards his own home clear.
“Where Varian truly shines is outside of palaces and ballrooms, deep within the forests and top her mountains, where the land is unconquered and serene. And in her people; those who have thrived in a harsher land and who welcome strangers as friends, who despite the cold carry a hearth within them. It almost goes without saying, but you, Shehzadi, are welcome there anytime.” Then with a swift motion, Leo lifted their joined hands beckoning Nahir to twirl.
She could picture it as he spoke, the lush green mountains touching the clouds. "How quiet and peaceful it must be to be surrounded by so much beauty," she twirled, the gems and decorations of her dress jiggling in the air. "I would be delightful to visit sometime," Nahir smiled, looking down momentarily, amber eyes taking him in. "To see what Varian has to offer." She looked back up again, battering her lashes as she did so.
"Of course, I would love to welcome you into my home in Alidasht. Show you some of our most exotic animals and the most marvelous temples Genasea has to offer." She remembered the way he had looked at Nala, the excitement had almost been contagious.
The brief break in eye contact as Nahir twirled gave Leo the chance to admire a very different form of natural beauty. Her dress flowed in a way that only drew more attention to her figure, the gold and jewels that adorn her only enticed more of his attention. Nahir, much like everything that he admired in the world, was built to stand out and demanded full attention without effort.
“I doubt Alidasht is in short supply of beauty,” Leo said as their hands met again and his eyes were drawn back to hers. “I’ve always dreamed of seeing such a place for myself. Somewhere so different from my own home, and there is so little one can learn from books and paintings alone. Tonight has only made that more clear.” He added. Alidasht had entered the palace with a show, unlike anything he’d seen before. From the dance to the fashion, the exotic animals that came with them; it all spoke of strength, beauty, and freedom.
“For me, it is the constant search for a new adventure, new experiences, that gives life its true meaning. What is it that drives you, Shehzadi?” Leo asked of the woman in front of him who remained just as mysterious as the land she hailed from.
"What is life if not an adventure itself?" Nahir had smiled at the question, "Admittedly, I do not know." Her gaze fell, "There had been a time when I strived for freedom- to leave my home and explore what the gods gave us. To learn more about the beauty of other cultures. Similar to you, Lord Smithwood." She often felt like a caged bird in Genasea, and guilt would wash over her every time.
"But my responsibilities and duty is to Alidasht and its people." There was a glint of sadness in her eyes as she finally looked up at Leo again.
Leo smiled in agreement at her first statement, life was indeed meant to be an adventure. Even while Nahir smiled her amber eyes held a touch of sadness. He understood the need to see the world and everything it held, a need for freedom, a wanderlust that his spirit craved just as much as his body craved breath. Her acceptance of responsibility resonated as well.
“Ever since my father disappeared I have felt like there is a clock ticking away at my freedom. One day the hour will come when I will be called to serve Stravy before myself, but that time is not now and all I can do is enjoy the time I have. I’m sure the responsibility of a royal is so much greater, but surely even a Shehzadi has time for a break every now and then? And at the very least, you have the summer here, I’m sure we could make it memorable.” He offered, hoping to return her eyes to the brighter shimmer they’d held before.
What Leo had said felt right for Nahir. She could at least enjoy this summer without worrying about everything she had to do to prove herself to her father, away from the long sleepless nights and the dread of what would become of her if she failed. Instead, all she would worry about would be her next adventure or who would be her summer romance. The thought of the momentary freedom no doubt pleased her, but that tiny voice in her head continued to pester her mind like a parasite.
Nahir looked back at him, brows raised slightly when she heard about his father. "The responsibility to our home is all the same, and we both wish the best for our people. But I suppose you are right; one summer to enjoy the limited freedom won't hurt." She agreed with a slight nod.
"All there is left is to find a suitable adventure." She pulled back before he could in time for a twirl, lifting her arm and, with a smile, encouraged him to spin this time.
Leo hesitated for a moment, the invitation to twirl catching him off guard. But rather than the concern of looking foolish or strange in front of the entire court, Leo was only focused on Nahir and her smile. He made his best attempt to mimic a move he’d only ever watched before and felt no sting of embarrassment at the awkwardness of his unpractised movements. He returned Nahir’s smile, grateful for life’s unexpected pleasures, no matter how small.
“Might I have earned your name Shehzadi?” He asked as the music began to wane and the dance came to an end. As he awaited an answer a man in a mask tapped Leo on the shoulder. He turned, his face wore an expression of confusion as this was not a masked ball. Before he could speak, however, a piece of paper was handed to him, the masked man bowed, turned around, and left. Strange. He thought but as he scanned the paper his confusion turned into a grin. Another party? He thought with amusement. The address, 420 Wicker St, the only warehouse insight, was easy enough to remember. So he folded it back up and checked that the masked man was no longer in sight before passing the letter to Nahir.
“Sometimes, with a bit of luck, an adventure finds you.” He added.
She had laughed softly, enjoying the effort he put into the twirl that made Nahir appreciate him even more. Unfortunately, it seemed that the dance was coming to a stop. "You have Lord Smithwood; my name is Nahir Aysun Kadir." She had pulled back and readied for a curtsy just as the masked man approached them. She eyed him, golden eyes looking at the masked man with suspicion before Leo turned to face her. With one raised brow and clearly intrigued, she took the letter.
As soon as she was done Nahir looked up at him, excitement gleaming in her eyes."The first of many this summer."
Time: Morning Location: Aboard The Harem Interactions: Lizzie @Tae, Barboda @Alivefalling, Helio @princess, and Ardyn @FunnyGuy Equipment: A cutlass, 2 knives and a dagger strategically hidden, a spyglass, a wayfinder, pouch of amas, various jewelry.
The air was thick and damp with the scent of blood, despite his most recent meal, the smell only made Nym's stomach burn with hunger. It was a constant struggle to keep focus, his gaze shifting between the projection that glowed and flickered with the image of Ardyn, and the darkness, looking for any potential threat. It seemed like the other elf had fled, but it remained just as possible that Vellen lurked somewhere shrouded in his element; in darkness and shadow. Was this the sort of crew Ardyn Croft employed? Weak and cowardly creatures. Had the tales of the great Pirate King been exaggerated? Ardyn’s offer was a joke, expecting them to turn on one another, hand over Helio, and kill Barboda, ridiculous. It was loyalty that made a group of sailors a crew.
Barboda’s reply contained venom just as potent as what laced his arrows. Nym’s ears twitched at the mention of the bounty on Ardyn’s head. Fifteen thousand amas? That amount of amas was more than enough to pull his attention away from blood, away from any potential lurking threat, and directly towards Barboda. Fifteen thousand amas! Nym was nearly salivating at the thought of having even a fraction of that.
His thoughts of piles of amas were broken only as Barboda removed his helmet. He really did have a face underneath the bucket. And what a face it is. He thought as he watched the light flicker off deadly fangs, reflected off serpentine eyes.
“A parley? Call it what it was, a failed extortion attempt, mate. Yer crew started something they could not finish. Weak, cowardly, pathetic, surprised the Pirate King would have such a gutless bunch.” Nym shot back. Barboda, technically, had fired the first shot but even if the bucket head had not killed the fairy the outcome would’ve been the same. “Best tread carefully, Croft, lest you too try an’ bite off something ya can’t chew.” Nym added, his mind still thinking of amas, and of the grand tale it would make, for their little crew to take down the Pirate King himself.
Time: Morning Location: Roshmi City Interactions: Yuka@princess, Aiko@CitrusArms, Xavier@Potter, Augus@Funnyguy Equipment: Sword, bow and arrows, small knife, wayfinder, fire kit, a pouch with 137 amas
Orias heard what Aiko said, their words sounding like they knew a bit about who this Pride creature was, but Orias only noted this and did not react. His face was neutral both as he watched the scene that played out and as he waited for what General Maximus would say. Watching the human drawn and quartered was a terrible sight, but not among the worst things he’d seen. But Xavier, Orias turned to look at the human in their group and wished the young man didn’t have to see it and was thankful Yuka had been there to shield the boy's eyes. He wished the situation they were in allowed him to say something more to Xavier but with General Maximus staring down at them all, he had to keep up a strong front.
What he learned from the general was that they already had the support of the dwarven nation, going there would be unnecessary. More than anything, he wanted to find Rosaria and Annya, he needed their guidance, their authority in this, and most of all to know for sure that they were still alive and well. But he didn’t know where they were, nor had he any means to get in contact with them. If Orias was skilled at one thing, it was burning down bridges rather than building them. That left the Flower Kingdom, as it sounded like the fairies had yet to take a stand in all this. It seemed the most logical destination, maybe, if he was lucky, one of his sisters would be there too.
“The River Kingdom, sir, they hold a sizable army, and they have every reason to fight in this war as well.” He stated his destination clearly, forced confidence in his decision, knowing that the Avain would not respect any signs of weakness. The fairies had seen their own youngest prince slaughtered, they had been forced to exile their other prince, and as strange as it was that they had not already jumped at the chance to seek justice, Orias suspected that they needed only a further nudge to convince them.
“From there I will work towards getting in contact with the rest of my family. I think we should arrange for transmission bracelets, to keep in touch with you, sir, before we go. And I do wish to move forward as quickly as possible, the sooner we end this war the better.” He added, his focus kept on the general, making sure to keep everything he said as transparent as possible. No lies, no secrets, at least not from him. Later, he’d have to find out what Aiko had been hiding. They shouldn’t have secrets between their group either.
Time: Morning Location: River Port Interactions: Rue @Potter, Eris and “Valerie”(Raven)@Tae, Annya @princess, and Inori @Shard Equipment: 1 hunting knife, a flask of alcohol, a backpack, small tent, blanket, waterskin, rope, fire starting kit, lightmaker, cooking pot, a bar of soap, some drugs; skaula (8 grams) and zemak (a bit less than an ounce), rolling papers, and 191 amas.
Bowyn felt the ground beneath his feet change and shift, his body reacted to the sudden changes around him. An instant hit of horrible nausea, far worse than waking up sober, and his concentration shattered along with his shield of ice. His head throbbed and he looked around utterly confused. He wasn’t even at the beach, he was back in the inn. Bowyn was absolutely certain he hadn’t just randomly blacked out and when he was finally able to look back through the portal he’d been so rudely forced through he saw Erin speaking.
“Bitch.” Bowyn muttered under his breath once he realized what had happened. As much as he wanted to run back through the damn portal he was pretty sure he’d just end up being shoved back through it again if he did. That was elves' answer to everything, wasn’t it? Push and pull whoever they wanted through these damn portals, acting like they knew better than everyone else.
Bowyn instead offered Erin a rude gesture before turning back towards both Arn and Rue. And Arn, as it turned out, was a good medic. By the time Bowyn made his way to where Arn had Rue laid out and cooling off the other fairy was starting to wake up.
“Good work. Thank you.” Bowyn nearly choked on the words but managed to get them out as he gave a nod to Arn. He then knelt down by Rue’s side and spoke with a calm tone.
“So you passed out, too much sun I’m guessing. There was another broadcast, threatening humans, this time from a demon called Pride. It, um, killed a human and set Valerie off, and caused a big storm. Since the building's still standing, I’m guessing they stopped it and you're safe now.” Bowyn gave her the quick recap, glossing over any details that would be too upsetting.
“How do you feel? Do you want water or something?” Bowyn offered but didn’t wait for her answer. The winter fairy immediately hopped back up and returned a few moments later with a glass of water, the glass frosted by his magic.
Time: Morning Location: Myriamor Plaza Interactions: Slick@FunnyGuy, Aurora@Mole, Sophie@princess, Caelen@Alivefalling, Equipment: The clothes on his back and a pouch of amas.
Leaf kept a close eye on the humans and Aurora as they seemed more than ready to leave the swimming area. For the most part, they all looked just about as afraid as he was, except for Slick, who looked a little calmer than the rest, and who shoved Caelen into the pool. There was an audible crack as water began to circle from beneath the water that began to drain.
Not good, he thought. The last thing they needed was for the humans to be sucked down beneath a pool, he knew the damn things were no good. And look at that, cracking at the bottom like that from just one person falling into it. Leaf was at the edge of the pool in flash, skittering just before tumbling into the water. He heard Aurora suggest they all leave and head back to the inn.
“Yes, we should go somewhere else, probably not the right time for a game of dice, but the inn might be a bit overcrowded, maybe somewhere quieter.” He said offering a hand to either Caelen or the very upset Sophie, in case they needed help out of the water. “Maybe later a visit to the blacksmith is in order.” He suggested, figuring Slick had the right idea earlier when he’d gotten that fancy crossbow of his. The humans were so much like elves; fragile skinned and lacking any proper hide or fur, no fangs or claws to speak of, and if they needed horses for traveling he wasn’t sure they even stood a chance at outrunning a creature like Pride.
He suddenly remembered Champ, who he was supposed to be watching, and looked back to where he’d left the horse. At least Champ was behaving himself, just standing there staring off in the direction of The Fresh Stall where they’d gotten the carrots and apples from a few moments ago. Well, if the horse did decide to wander off he’d at least know where it was going to go.
Time: Morning Location: Aboard The Harem Interactions: Tigerlily @Potter, Tesoro@Infinite Cosmos, Lizzie @Tae, Barboda @Alivefalling, Helio @princess, and a rival ship and her crew @FunnyGuy Equipment: A cutlass, 2 knives and a dagger strategically hidden, a spyglass, a wayfinder, pouch of amas, various jewelry.
Teeth did as they were made to do, ripping and tearing away at flesh. Screams of the prey meant nothing, as only the sound pumping blood that echoed within his ears drowned out all else. Chunks of meat were torn away, barely chewed, and swallowed. But the shark’s hunger still cried out for more. His wild eye locked onto Helio just as his teeth tore through the wrist of the fallen dark elf. Bones made a crunching sound as teeth turned the severed hand into food.
The part of him that was shark looked up at Helio, who floated just out of reach and only saw prey. He felt the rush of adrenalin as it desired to chase, and tear, and consume. The part that was Nym looked at Helio and saw his crewmate, seized control of the now somewhat satiated shark, and bottled it back up. He gave a blood-soaked grin at the fairy and waved what remained of Rellen’s hand at him.
“Hungry?” He asked of the fairy and the captain who had also boarded the ship. Nym covered his mouth with his free hand as he let out a loud belch before tossing the remains of Rellen’s hand aside. All at once the sensation of burning took hold, everywhere his skin had been touched by Rellen’s dark magic was left charred and raw. The sharp pain was exhilarating and strong enough to hold focus and keep the shark bottled up because nothing around him smelled of the sea, only of blood. It dripped from his teeth and coated much of his skin, pooled around the mangled elf, and clung to others on the ship, but that couldn’t be all of it.
“Do you smell that? So much blood.” He closed his eye and lifted his head high as if this was a rapturous experience. The shark wanted more of it, wanted to seek out the source of the scent and continue its mission to devour. He opened his eye again as Lizzie made her way beneath the hatch, the scent rolling up from below deck as she did so. He took a step towards the hatch as it opened, the source of the alluring scent, and a greater focus on the agony in his skin at the slighted movement.
There was the pain. There was the scent of blood. Both were strong, both pulled at his focus and tore at his natures. Nym the pirate wanted to finish the battle, to loot and celebrate. The shark wanted to continue to feed, it didn’t care who was the crew and who was the enemy. Nym trusted in his own loyalty, and kept his focus on the pain, fighting the bloodlust. There wasn’t much left to do, and leaving the captain to face whatever was down there alone was not an option.
Time: Morning Location: River Port-Beach Interactions: Arn@Omni5876, Rue @Potter, Eris and “Valerie”(Raven)@Tae, Annya @princess, and Inori @Shard Equipment: 1 hunting knife, a flask of alcohol, a backpack, small tent, blanket, waterskin, rope, fire starting kit, lightmaker, cooking pot, a bar of soap, some drugs; skaula (8 grams) and zemak (a bit less than an ounce), rolling papers, and 191 amas.
Bowyn didn’t even bother to hide his groan as Annya began trying to talk to Raven. As if talking to a storm could stop its destruction. He glared over at the light elf princess, the one who was supposedly old and powerful, who had helped summon humans here, and who was the one responsible for keeping them under control. Raven was building a tornado, causing a storm that was only building power and that with time had the potential to bring death and destruction to River Port. The fact that she wasn’t knocking the wind out of that storm, out of Raven herself, immediately was both baffling and infuriating.
And she expected him to drag Rue off, by himself, in the midst of a tornado?
“Annya. STOP HER.” Bowyn shouted, desperate anger evident in his voice. He struggled as the barrier of ice continued to warp and crack. Everything was so loud. There were so many people on or near the beach. This could not continue. This was a town, not some dark elf infested war zone and they had no right to bring this here.
Annya was out there rambling on about breathing exercises again. The strange blue guy was just standing there mumbling about how he didn’t know the demon Pride. The last thing he needed to see right now was Arn, but there the dwarf was running up out of almost nowhere.
“Arn.” He hissed under his breath. Bowyn’s concentration was slipping, chunks of ice were being dislodged and flying off and away from him. But Arn was concerned, it was written all over his face. He was also a medic. Arn had to help Rue, right, this was what medics did. And dwarves were strong, Bowyn couldn’t carry Rue out of here, but Arn could.
“It’s the heat. You’ll get her out of here, right? Help Rue.” Bowyn stood up from Rue and locked eyes with Arn. He had to trust him; there weren’t many options and time was running out. He couldn’t just leave Annya and Eris in the middle of a tornado, and with Inori who they’d yet to figure out if he was friend or foe. He couldn’t leave while so many other people might get hurt, or worse.
Bowyn stood up, looked away from Arn, gave the dwarf a small amount of trust, and continued forward in the same direction as Annya. His ice moved with him, protecting him and the elf, his increased focus barely holding it together. But it was his backup plan, to throw it at the human with everything he had if Annya couldn’t get this under control. Inori didn’t seem to be helping, and he knew next to nothing about Eris. Someone had to help and he couldn’t just do nothing.
“Heat up her air, dry it out, help stop the storm.” Bowyn spoke with more control and tried offering a way to buy more time before Raven lost all control over this.
Time: Early Evening Location: Caesonia Castle-Ballroom Interactions: Lady Thea@Tae, Prince Felix@Mole, Verrick @Aerandir, Prince Auguste @Inertia, Shehzadi Nahir @Rodiak
Leo kept a warm smile, bowed dutifully, and greeted those who greeted him. His gaze was a bit colder as he looked at Verrick, a man who had once worked for Leo’s father up until the day the unhinged man pushed his father from a window. Why Princess Beatrice put up with such a deeply disturbed servant was beyond him but he respected Verrick’s position amongst the Varian royals enough to remain cordial. He did appreciate the bodyguard's kind words to Thea, smiling brighter when he saw Thea’s spirits lifted.
It was not Verrick who displeased Leo, but rather Prince Felix. He caught sight of the grip the young prince had on his sister’s hand, far too tight for his liking. He noted the way Felix nudged his sister into bowing as well. As if any child of a Duke lacked the knowledge and instinct to offer a proper greeting? This man was insulting Thea, pecking at her the same way his mother did, and he felt his ears grow red and hot as the idea simmered in him. He kept quiet for now, as Prince Auguste approached, bowing and offering a genuine smile.
Thea appeared to have had more than enough of Felix’s heavy-handed measures. He gave her a small nod of approval as she scolded the prince and walked away. The outburst in front of the Caesonian prince was a bit inappropriate but he understood his sister's frustration.
“Certainly not, your highness, there are few things more pleasurable than a Danrose event. Though, I hope our stay here this season offers the chance to witness another of your duels. Every year your artistry with the blade reaches closer to perfection.” Leo offered the compliment he thought would most please Auguste, as he often did around those who ranked above him, this time it also happened to be genuine. Having watched Auguste spar in contests was like viewing a work of art, only far more exciting to Leo.
Servants soon arrived holding the bowls of numbers to hand out the randomized dance partners for the evening. Leo grabbed his number after the two princes had reached for theirs. Just before Prince Felix departed Leo took the opportunity to lean in towards Felix and speak with him in a quiet voice.
“Your highness, you will use a gentler hand when dealing with my sister, and I hope we do not need to revisit this conversation in the future.” Leo then held up his own paper, indicating his number had been summoned, and headed off to the front of the ballroom.
Leo soon found himself yet again in front of Shehzadi Nahir and made no attempt to hide the look of delight. He offered the traditional Alidasht bow again before offering his hand. “Shehzadi, if it pleases you, may I have the honor of a dance?”
Callum was used to being denied the random dance partner, accepting the number handed to him for a dance handpicked by his father with a defeated sigh. He’d have much preferred the chance to draw something unexpected but his father was not one to loosen his control over his sons.
Except, it would seem for his favorite son, as Prince Wulfric stood before Auguste’s watchdog Wystan. A full night of rebellion Wulfy? I suppose it’ll be nice to not be the only one getting an earful later. He thought. He wondered how Wulfric had managed to free himself from his father’s handpicked dances and entertained the idea of asking about it. Then he spotted Anastasia, giggling, and knew she was the cause of the tiny bit of unexpected chaos. He offered her a rare genuine smile, approving wholeheartedly of her tiny sprinkling of chaos in the midst of his father’s order.
He barely glanced at the piece of paper, he already knew who he was dancing with based on his father’s speech; Lady Violet Damien, whose father was already lurking about pestering the Vilkenas. He finished a glass of wine just as his number was called, and walked slowly up to the front, intentionally slow just to further irritate Edin. When he finally found his way to Lady Violet he offered a bow and soft smile. His quarrel lay solely with his father and the count, but not with the count’s daughter. He forced himself to relax some, temporarily forget his annoyance at the situation, and ensure his own misgivings did not sour Violet’s night.
“Lady Violet, fancy a dance?” He asked offering his hand.
Time: Morning Location: River Port Interactions: Rue @Potter, Eris and “Valerie”(Raven)@Tae, Annya @princess, and Inori @Shard Equipment: 1 hunting knife, a flask of alcohol, a backpack, small tent, blanket, waterskin, rope, fire starting kit, lightmaker, cooking pot, a bar of soap, some drugs; skaula (8 grams) and zemak (a bit less than an ounce), rolling papers, and 191 amas.
Bowyn only let out a tired sigh at Raven’s outburst. Hadn’t he agreed to be civil, to agree to disagree but still cooperate? The outburst, mainly the shouting, seemed more than a bit extreme. So her words grated on his nerves. Even more so when she went on pointing out his own flaws as if he wasn’t well aware of them. Mostly he was angry at himself, for thinking he could even have an open conversation with the lot of them, other than Rue, these were not his people. To trust anyone outside of his village was always a mistake. Gods, he needed a drink right now.
Bowyn remained unaware that Raven, who he knew as Valerie, was a human rather than a demihuman. Her desire to go home sounded like a bizarre tantrum, only later did he realize that he might have just pushed a terrified and confused human to her breaking point. He had been about to say something to Annya, regarding Inori, when Rue fainted.
Bowyn was immediately at Rue’s side, fear tapping into his magic with ease. He felt the frantic pulse at Rue’s neck, the heat on her skin. She was a winter fairy, like him, but he doubted she’d been this far from the north for very long, not used to the heat and sun here. Cold terror at seeing Rue fall was an easy thing to channel into his hands. Cold hands frantically began to turn both moisture in the air and the sweat that beaded upon Rue’s skin into fresh snow.
Bowyn barely watched the broadcast, only heard the demon speak and awful screams in the background as his focus remained on Rue. But it wasn’t hard to understand what was happening, and it only fed the fear and the anger that gave his magic strength.
He packed as much snow as he could create around Rue, letting it melt and cool his friend further, then willing it to lightly frost. He would’ve called for someone to grab water, but the wind picked up with violent fury. His concentration broke from Rue just as violent winds wrapped around a screaming Raven.
A human. A human with no control over emotion or magic, about to let loose enough power to devastate River Port. Wind and sand and raw power whipped and blew away the snow and sent swirling sand flying.
Bowyn dug deeper, tapping into every bit of buried rage and terror he held on to. He focused his attention on pulling the moisture from the air away from the area directly around Raven and her tornado. Bowyn raised his hands, reaching out for the water in the air and freezing it. His magic seized it, pulled it down from above Raven and towards the ground, before continuing to pull and gather it towards him. Bits of hail moved through the air and around him, combined and reformed as he began to build a shield around the group. The air around them became colder and his every exhale left a puff of condensation. His intention was to both pull the moisture from Raven’s tornado, limit her ability to intensify her storm, as well as keep Rue cool enough to gain her strength back.
More and more ice formed, an amorphous shape that took all of Bown’s effort to hold and maintain as it took the brunt of the debris and protected those around him from sand and winds. Every hit from debris knocked bits of ice from the shield, every haphazard repair left it weaker.
Bowyn knew two things, they could neither kill Raven, nor could they let her destroy this town. He looked towards Annya, as a leader in a time of crisis.
“Can you stop her?” He struggled to shout over the wind. His concentration on his magic wavered slightly both as he spoke and as he briefly considered trying to move Rue to safety and leaving the rest of them behind. But he’d already given his word to help protect them, and he couldn’t waste any energy on anything except the task in front of him.
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