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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[that_hedgehog]

"Hey!" Sonic, who had been about to head off in one direction, spun on his heel and caught up with Cordy in an instant. She seemed upset, but that wasn't the reason for his pursuit. "We ought to stick together while we're here, at least in pairs. No telling what's still hanging around."

She did look upset. Sonic didn't know if it was only the scene around them or something else. But he could at least guess at something that had been bothering her the last couple of days.

"I think you did the right thing, by the way," he said. "Telling Mikney, I mean."

[cordy_estwynde]

Cordelia had just heavily sat down on the burned ruins of what was either an old well or a stump or possibly a goat. Either way, the charred remains would certainly dirty her skirt, and it was a testament to how upset she was that she didn't seem to care. Just as she had sat down, Sonic zoomed up beside her. She wasn't pleased. She had wanted to be alone and calm down and being chased by someone who undoubtedly hated her was not going to make things any better. Then again, at least it wasn't Cherry.

Why wasn't it Cherry?

She didn't turn to look at him. She wouldn't, not until her tears dried. She wanted to spare herself her pride, at least. But at his words, she straightened up a bit. They weren't the words she had been expecting to hear.

She remained silent for a moment longer, but as soon as she was sure her voice was steady she asked "You do?" The question still came out a little more soprano than she would have liked.

[that_hedgehog]

"I do," Sonic answered with a gentle smile. Then he shrugged. "Two days ago I wasn't so sure, but... If you hadn't, ol' Mik would've never shown us his true colors. And we'd be out here on our own with no one to guide us."

He turned over his shoulder for a second, looking to see who might be in earshot. "I really do think he's a good guy," he went on, now more thinking out loud to himself than talking to Cordy. "Or, at least, that he wants to be. I still don't know what to think of the Elves as a whole." And he wouldn't know, not until he got to know more of them.

[cordy_estwynde]

Cordy rubbed her eyes for a moment and then looked up. In a painful contrast to her usual smiling and cheerful countenance, her face is sad and pale, as though someone smashed a puppy in front of her. "I really wasn't trying to be a...traitor or anything," she mumbled, glancing back at her calloused palms. "I thought I was doing what was best."

As she heard his thoughts about the elves, she looked up again. "I feel the same way. I do like Mikney a lot, he's been very kind, but the rest of them seem so...secretive. I don't like that."

[that_hedgehog]

"He's not exactly Mr. Talkative himself, but I'd be willing to bet that's mostly Quahl pulling the strings." Sonic thought back to the day he'd brought the sylph to Quahl and Mikney. He hadn't been sure then, and he might have even imagined it later, but Mikney had seemed just a little hesitant about something at the time. Possibly the lie he had been forced to tell.

They could discuss this further while they were walking, though. "Come on," Sonic said, offering a hand to Cordy. "We really should stick together, and there could be more survivors out here."

[cordy_estwynde]

Cordy nodded to signify her agreement with what Sonic had said. She didn't think she liked Quahl very much, and she wasn't sure why. Quahl had been just as helpful as Mikney had but--then again, maybe not. She felt that Mikney had become a sort-of-friend since her arrival, or at least a confidante, and Quahl remained aloof and distant like...something that was aloof and distant.

As Sonic offered his hand, Cordy exhaled slightly and took it. Now was not a time to panic. This was not Hyrule. These people were not her family. She had to calm herself down. She didn't have anyone to run to anymore when it felt like the world was spinning out of control. Maybe if she spun too, she'd feel like they were both standing still.

[that_hedgehog]

Sonic gave Cordy's hand a little encouraging squeeze as she stood, then let it go. For a few minutes as they started to walk through what was left of the town, he let silence reign. After long enough, though, the silence coupled with the destruction started to get to him. He had to say something, if for no other reason than to keep the mood from being all doom and gloom.

"And for the record? I guess my ears do kind of look like a squirrel's." It was a reluctant admission, but an admission nonetheless.

[cordy_estwynde]

Cordy was distracted by the destruction around her and feeling herself drifting toward another explosion of panic that was only amplified by the awkward silence. But as Sonic spoke, she turned to look at him. The corners of her mouth lifted in just the smallest of smiles. It was a far cry from her usual bright flash of teeth, but it was a smile nonetheless.

"A blue squirrel," she corrected. Her voice held just a twinge of dry humor.

[that_hedgehog]

"Or, wait... Did you call me a squirrel or a chipmunk?" Sonic thought for a second, couldn't quite remember, and shrugged. "Eh. Either way."

There was a building down a road to the right that seemed a good percentage less rubble than the rest. If someone had been in there while the battle was raging, they might still be. Sonic turned toward it.

[cordy_estwynde]

"Oh!" Cordelia exclaimed as they neared the building. She felt relief wash over her. The building wasn't in any sort of perfect condition, but it wasn't burned to the ground either. She pulled up her skirts a bit and began walking faster. Maybe there was someone inside. If there was someone there, then maybe they could be helped. Maybe she could do something useful. Or maybe she could go get Cherry and then Cherry would talk to her and they could fix things...

With that thought, Cordy turned to Sonic. "Come on, let's see what's in there." Careful not to touch the walls and accidentally knock the house over, she made her way inside.

[that_hedgehog]

It was quiet, Sonic noticed as he stepped inside after Cordy. That didn't speak well to the chance of there being someone alive in there. But it still wouldn't hurt to check.

Being careful not to run too fast- he still remembered the incident with a building back in Jhelbor- he gave the place a quick once-over. There was no one, not even hiding under the bed or what was left of the cabinets in the kitchen.

Sonic finally stopped next to a desk, but before he did, a couple of papers were caught in his wake and started fluttering through the air. Out of nothing but plain curiosity, he snatched one up before it could hit the floor.

[cordy_estwynde]

With a soft little sigh, Cordy looked around the room. There was something so tragic about this little place. It was a little home sitting seemingly untouched in the middle of all this death and destruction. She couldn't imagine anyone staying here. Just standing in it seemed unnatural. But maybe no one was staying here. If so, they certainly weren't there now. It was empty as much as the rest of the city.

Carefully, she sat down on the bed, hoping it wouldn't break beneath her. But no, it felt sturdy enough as her own bed back home. No, not home. Back in the other city. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted Sonic as he caught the paper.

"What is that?" she asked curiously. Maybe the papers would tel them whether or not the place was still occupied.

[that_hedgehog]

"Looks like a letter." Most of it was indecipherable to Sonic because of the handwriting, but a few passages were clear enough to read. It was from the Third Son to the Eighth Son. There was something about... someone (Mernails? Mermaits? Either way it was something he'd never heard of) not being happy about the latest development. And, as if by chance, one large block of text that he could read with ease:

The Elves of the East have sent no reply; the Father believes the message may have been lost in transit. I, however, am more of the opinion that they simply do not care.

Instead of trying to explain all that incomplete garble to Cordy, Sonic simply walked over and handed it to her.

[cordy_estwynde]

Cordelia took the letter and skimmed it. Like Sonic, she found herself unable to decipher most of the contents of the message. One phrase caught her eye, however.

"That's weird," she muttered, looking up from the letter to Sonic. "This bit here, it talks about 'The Father'? I'm pretty sure I've heard the elves use that before. I'm pretty sure I've heard Mikney say it before, actually. Do you think they'd be able to understand this?"

More importantly, she wondered if they should trust the elves with it.

[that_hedgehog]

Sonic considered. He too was wondering whether to tell Mikney about the discovery. But it was only for a second. If he was expecting not to be lied to or kept secrets from, it wasn't fair to start turning the tables.

"They probably will," he said. "We should at least tell the others about it."

[cordy_estwynde]

Cordelia nodded in agreement. "Good. Should we go find him? I doubt he went too far, he's worried we're all going to get ourselves killed." Now that she had seen the village around them, she had a better idea of what it was that Mikney was concerned about. "Or would you rather look around and try to find something else?"