Muttonhawk

Modular Pathfinder

Partway through her gregarious trawl through the tournament goers, Ming's ear tingled. She turned away from a patron, excusing herself, and laid her red eyes on the loud man challenging her friends.

>Sense motive vs. Chung Po: (12)+8 = 20

Ming smirked. This guy probably meant what he said with his oath, so none of her friends were in danger. However, he clearly had no idea how to ask Kyoumi out on a date. If you want to impress girls, you wrestle someone else, right? Right. This monk needed some help to show off. He could wrestle Ming instead.

Ming strutted across the noodle house. As she closed the distance, she wove her fingers and pushed her hands out to make her joints crack. She stopped, her feet shoulder width apart, with a stomp on the floorboards. Her bare fists were at her hips. She looked up brightly at the monk that stood at least a head taller than her.

"I'll play!" Ming declared "I'm Ming, and I know nothing about being a monk!" She brought a hand to the nine-tailed fox pendant around her neck. "I swear I won't permanently harm you, either. And if I accidentally do, I promise to heal you."

The short, weedy young woman was not convincing anyone in the noodle house. The tall, sure-handed man looked like he could pout and blow a stiff enough breeze to force her to the floor.

Ming lifted her left hand and her folded buckler with it. The same nine-tailed fox as her pendant was emblazoned on its boss. "Do you mind if I get to use my shield as well? I won't use it as a weapon. It's uh...part of my wrestling defence!"

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Rhazii's concern did not end but he did not say anything more. He watched as Meesei and Sabine quietly went on their way.

When Sabine returned to her quarters, she was not long out of bed. She asked Meesei to be on her way once it was clear that she was not getting any closer to serenity over her traumas.

Sleeping was only a secondary activity over that night for Sabine. She spent most of the time staring awake at the walls or the ceiling, unable to get comfortable. She was scratching and picking at her palms so much that her left hand had a red mark in the skin.

Unfortunately, just as Sabine's fatigue overtook her subconscious fear, she woke up with a shriek in the early hours of the morning. Some of the pack ran in to find her drenched in sweat and crying once more. Meesei managed to calm her down, even as she pleaded to have the staff so she could just sleep in peace for a while. Her request was refused and they sat together for as long as Sabine needed to lay her head down again.

---

The next morning, Sabine rose late from her bed looking like one of Ahnasha's fresher thralls for what the sleep deprivation had done to her. She shuffled more than walked, nodded off wherever she sat still, and had a constant, blank frown on her baggy-eyed face.

There was no more time for recovery before the clan leadership had to be informed of Sabine's activities.

Sabine did not think she could prepare herself any better if she had an entire week's worth of peaceful and consistent sleeps. She approached the meeting room with Meesei in front of her and idly picked at her palm. Her exhaustion allowed at least one emotion to come through to her face; misery. Misery from the dread of reliving what she had been through.

"Meesei?" Sabine asked ahead. "You are going to show the staff to the council, are you not?" Her tired voice lowered out of nervousness, even if Sabine's intent was sincere. "May I...just hold it while I recount what happened? I know I am going to...It will not be uninterrupted." A lump grew in Sabine's throat. "I want to tell it without needing to walk out every few minutes."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Sure thing. I'll skip in the next post.

Although, fortunately for your sleeping schedule, I'm going out to celebrate new years now. G'night!

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Rhazii had not been given an in-depth education on arcane topics of old gods, but his reaction said he knew enough. He was at a loss for words. Especially when his commander joined them.

Contrary to the Bosmer commander's amazement, Sabine's anxiety was not alleviated by the praise. The memories of her time in captivity were not something she wanted in her head. She deliberately breathed deeply and scratched at the middle of her palms to get the tingle out of them.

"I did not..." Sabine stumbled over her words. "It is not all like that. It is complex. Do'rhajul is not dead. I..." She lifted her head to the Bosmer. Her mouth closed. She looked at the staff in Meesei's hand. "Meesei, may I...? No. No, do not worry. I am..."

Rhazii's ear quirked down in confusion and worry. He was unsure where Sabine was even going with her words.

Sabine finally spoke with some degree of confidence. "Announcement. There will be an announcement soon. Tomorrow-...or the day after." She shook her head. "It will be clearer later."

"Are you okay, aunt?" Rhazii asked in a low voice.

Sabine curled her lips and nodded vigorously.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"Huh?" Rhazii was only more overwhelmed. "You must be joking. How did...? Why even...?" He lifted his arms over his head.

"Not on my own," Sabine said without looking up from the ground. "I had help."

Rhazii's eyes lit up. "Oh, those men you came in with? But that still..." He let his breath go. He gave up on the dragon for now and turned to Meesei again. "What is that staff about? I saw Sabine carrying it when she arrived."

Sabine swallowed and stayed quiet.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

A surprise post! Practising your late nights on the lead-up to new years, are we?

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Sabine did not respond with more than an acknowledging "hm." She felt her focus slipping only slightly and corrected as well as she could. She did not know whether her focus or her magicka would run out first. She exhaled in relief when neither failed before the dragon was through. Once through the portal herself, she rubbed her shoulder and kept her eyes downcast. Even thinking partially about how her fear disrupted her thoughts made her feel sick.

"Aunt Meesei? Aunt Sabine?"

Rhazii's voice interrupted Sabine's thoughts. She looked up to see him glancing between them both and the corpse as if at least one was not real.

"I thought you were recovering?" Rhazii's eyes settled on the still-agape jaw of the dead dragon and its stained, pointed teeth. He held one hand close to his front and pointed a finger to the corpse. "...That cannot be a dragon, right?"

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Sabine looked glumly at the grass before her. The more she focussed on breathing, the better she could remember the lesson Meesei referred to. She was excited back then. Not only for surpassing the challenge but also for finally understanding the strange, disparate workings that enabled such magic in the first place. The spell had been second nature for so long that Sabine had almost forgotten all the details. Nevertheless, she felt better about trying again.

Rising up onto her feet, Sabine once again brought her palm up towards the dragon's corpse. She took her time, closing her eyes and concentrating. The telekinesis spell glowed brightly in her hands. After a moment to be secure, Sabine's eyes cracked open and she directed the corpse to rise from the ground. She was momentarily surprised by the comparatively greater share of the weight that she was lifting from before. The staff made a difference to Meesei's magic. Fortunately, there was no outward struggle evident on Sabine's face. She simply focussed for as long as she needed to.

The dead dragon scraped against the soil as its limbs curled and slid down. Its middle very gradually came up from the scorched ground, riding on thin air.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"I know," Sabine breathed under Meesei's recitation. She repeated it again with a high sound every few syllables. "I know. I know, Meesei, I..."

The memory flashed into her mind's eye.

Sabine let her arms fall to her knelt legs. She paused to breathe. Even in her position on the ground, she was markedly less angry or upset.

"You said that to me when you first taught me telekinesis." Sabine turned her head until one of her eyes peered up sideways back at her. "Why are you saying it again?"

Mid/High Casual - Divinus: The Deity Roleplay Mk.II

So uh... how’s everyone else doing in vacation hell?

@Scarifar

I just got back from Christmas family stuff. I'll have New Years stuff next. Then I guess I'll pick up where I left off.