GET YOUR TOWELS READY [Closed]

[mikney]

Who: Mikney, Cordy, Cherry, Sonic, other NPCs
What: Team explorer'ing
Where: South road, outside Redinn
When: Thursday afternoon

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[cordy_estwynde]

Cordelia was thinking.

Emerald green was definitely a good color for me, it brings out my eyes, but a nice forest green does such good things for my skin tone. Then again, forest doesn't look so good in a silk color, but it's wonderful when it comes to velvets. And that emerald velvet cape I had always kind of looked like grass to me. So maybe in the future, I'll stick to emerald tones on silks and satin and a nice forest hue for anything velvet. But what about cotton? Pastel? Pastels wash me out.

Cordelia was distracted from her very important thoughts by the sound of Mikney's cry. She had noticed the smoke ages ago, but she'd thought someone had just been lighting a campfire. This was no campfire. As she looked out at the burned, destroyed village, an ice cold wave of deja vu came sweeping over her, nearly taking her breath away. Instead of running closer, she remained firmly in place, simply staring. It wasn't for a good thirty seconds that she was able to lift her feet and slowly begin making her way over to the ruins. This was all too familiar. It was terrible.

"What...happened?" she finally asked pathetically.

[mikney]

There was only one thing that could have happened.

River Royal must have made it this far West.

Only thirty Elves lived in Redinn, but there was no sign of anyone...

Mikney took the path straight to the center of the village at a run, ending in a central circle, a marketplace set around a fountain - and the fountain was cracked, not functioning, and there were bodies --

Mikney's war experience took over and he scanned them, reflexive dispassion shutting down his panic. Seven bodies, all definitely dead, and in battle, too. No slaughter here.

Forming the symbol for hearing, he listened --

There were no demons nearby, he'd bet his own life on that.

The symbol for loud, then, scratched in the dirt to save energy. Mikney whistled, piercing and amplified by the spell, audible even in the forest hills outside the village.

[that_hedgehog]

This was war, alright, even if the method seemed somewhat base and crude to Sonic. Robotnick had rarely resorted to something as simple as fire. He'd been more into bullets. And lasers. And turning people's friends and family into robots.

He trotted behind Mikney toward the ruined town. He'd gotten used to keeping pace with the rest of them over the last few days. Not that he wasn't ready to go full speed when it was needed, but that wasn't now.

He stopped a few feet behind Mikney, and surveyed the wreckage as Mikney's whistle echoed between the hills. When it died down, he spoke:

"I'm guessing this wasn't what we were supposed to find."

[cherry_reyer]

Cherry didn't wait for Mikney's answer. Immediately, she knelt down by one of the bodies, pressing her fingers to the neck. It occurred to her, through a haze, that she couldn't possibly know where an elf's pulse point was, but somehow, she knew all the same that it was hopeless. Dead. They all probably were. Nevertheless, she crawled from body to body, checking just in case.

Her breath was heavy in her chest. She had seen a lot of horrible things before, but somehow, this was different. Worse? Maybe, maybe not. But the impact was definitely felt. She knew that sound Mikney was making. The sound of a heart-broken man. "I'm sorry," she murmured.

[cordy_estwynde]

Cordelia looked around. It was an awful scene. Worse still than the horrific sight was the feeling of hopelessness that washed over her. Just like before. "Welcome home," she murmured to herself quietly. Slowly, she made her way over to Mikney, studying him. Normally, she would say something, but it was clear there was nothing to stay. Instead, she placed her hand on his arm and squeezed it gently.

For the first time since they'd left the city, she felt ashamed that she had told Mikney about the expedition. If she hadn't told him, he wouldn't be here. Wouldn't have to see all this.

[mikney]

"The war should have been farther East," said Mikney. "Not here." But his shock was rapidly turning purposeful, to a hardened battle-worn competence. The echoes of the whistle were dying down - he didn't hear a response, but that didn't mean that there weren't survivors.

"This isn't big enough for a full army," he caught himself saying. "He must have split his forces."

[that_hedgehog]

Sonic just kept looking around at the wreckage, and at the bodies. Yes, this was definitely... messier than he was used to. It didn't make him frightened, exactly, but it was a pretty clear sign that things here wouldn't be the way they'd been back home.

"How big a force are we talking?" he asked.

[rowantree_npcs]

"Fifty," said Tamber, from the rooftop of the stone City Hall. "No more." He dropped down, over the ledge, landing light on his feet, despite the one-story fall. He appeared to be very young - in his teens, perhaps, but no older, but the set of his eyes bespoke to something much older, either by nature of circumstance.

"They were on horseback. Mikney," he greeted, with a bow, and turned to the others. "We weren't expecting you this far South."

[cherry_reyer]

Cherry stood up slowly, examining the newcomer. Her very first instinct told her that he was perhaps no older than any of her students back home. But she shook her head, correcting herself. There was no knowing just how quickly elves aged. He might well be older than her. But that was a debate for a different day.

"Life is full of little surprises, isn't it?" Her voice was thick from shock and grief and she cleared her throat as quietly as possible. Taking on an airier tone, she added, "Such as yourself." She tilted her head. "Who's leading this illustrious slaughter anyway? I heard something about how HE must be splitting his forces?"

[cordy_estwynde]

Cordy watched the man fall down from the ledge, expectantly waiting for a loud crunch. No crunch came. Interesting. She stepped away from Mikney and took a few steps forward to peer at the newcomer. He was very stealthy, hiding there like that. She wasn't sure how she felt about it.

"Right. Who is he and if I may be so bold, who are you?" She glanced back at Mikney. "I take it you two know each other?" Either that or the man was a mind reader. Then again, anything seemed possible in Rowan.

[mikney]

"Ah," said Mikney. "Yes, we do. Tamber is a scout, with the Elven army."

He shook his head. "'He' is River Royal," said Mikney. "A particularly nasty tactician of the enemy's. Brilliant, but ruthless." And a plague on the Elven race ever since he took command, four years ago.

He paused. "We should tend to the fallen," and, in that, his voice was very soft.

[that_hedgehog]

Sonic had no idea how the Elves tended to their fallen, but he figured something that sounded so like a ritual didn't leave much chance for talking. The details could come later- he'd make sure of it. "If you two are doing that," he said to Mikney and Tamber, "I can take a quick look around. See if there are other survivors."

[rowantree_npcs]

"Wait!" called Tamber. "There's one survivor that hasn't fled to Birdsong. Are any of you talented in healing, or in witchcraft? Because, if so, we require your services, or she will die."

He looked to Mikney. "The wards on the City Hall have been weakened. If you could strengthen them...?"

Though phrased like a suggestion, the sentence sounded suspiciously like an order.

[cherry_reyer]

"Well..." Cherry drawled slowly. "Everyone seems to keep calling me a witch. But I'm not sure there's anything I can actually do." She offered a watery smile. "Sorry."

Her hands had crept into her pockets again and she was fingering some of the stones. Hematite is for fortitude. Amethyst is protection. Her fingertips brushed against the various textures and surfaces. She felt something softer. It wasn't a rock, but somehow it had fallen in with her collection. A bean, she supposed. Some kind of bean...cacao?

She pulled it out of her pocket and stared down at it. "I..." But what was she supposed to say? 'Nothing,' she told herself. 'Just shut up and go with it.'

[cordy_estwynde]

Cordelia was finding it difficult to breathe. The more she looked at the burned wreckage, the more she thought about the burned down farm, and the tighter the feeling in her chest got, and the more certain she was that she was about to panic. That was ridiculous. This was not the same situation. She didn't know any of these people, she didn't know this place, this wasn't home at all. Somehow, that didn't make the feeling any less painful. What was it Maurice had told her to do when this happened? Count to twenty and think of her favorite color? Or was it count to fifteen and spin in a circle and list fifteen of her favorite sweets?

As her heart fluttered, so did her hand. She began digging her nails into her palm, tighter and tighter until she felt her skin pierce. It was painful, but it was the distraction she had needed. As she broke her skin, she felt as though all the air that was building up in her chest had found a way to rush out. She pursed her lips to stop from crying out. As tears formed in her eyes she cleared her throat and managed to mutter "I think I'm going to go look around too."

Quickly, she turned on her heel and began walking away, not in any particular direction. Where was there to go? She didn't know what she was trying to get away from.