#93 - Chaos [Palmacosta]
Title: Disaster
Prompt #: #93, Chaos
Character(s): Neil, Clara, Pietro
Rating/Warnings: offensive capitalization
Word Count (if a fic): 450
Author's Notes: There's no real way to know how long the journey took in game for most people, since you can rest as much or as little as you want. My guess is, I think, generous, but whatever. Also I totally explained how Holy Bottles work. Tell me of any NPCs you're interesting in giving cameos too-- I'm going to be sticking as many in these as I can, no matter how likely it is that everyone Neil runs into is someone we know by name.
This is part 3 in the Disaster series.
I had no idea how much I missed working under Dorr until Pietro recruited me as his own assistant. For the first few weeks, things went alternately between extremely smooth and really chaotic. The world seemed to be in flux, but we didn't understand how or why.
The biggest effort we had to make was the extraction and burial of the citizens of Palmacosta who had died in the Disaster. We called it the Disaster because we had no idea what else it could have been. We heard rumors of a tree, but we also heard rumors of salvation. No one quite knew what to believe.
No one wrote the word Disaster down for fear of somehow jinxing us all. It was the pronunciation of it that it made it obvious that this was no run of the mill disaster, this was capital D Disaster.
Pietro had the good sense not to send me to help with the mass graves of my friends and family members and instead sent me as an emissary to Iselia.
It was a walk that would take me about two days followed by two more on a boat. Pietro offered me a guard, but it was easier to spare a few gels than a few potential workers, so I decided to go alone.
- + -
Pietro and Clara met me on the way out. Pietro struck a strange figure in the morning light-- he was tired, obviously. The dark lines under his eyes made me feel like I was looking into a reflection of myself a few months previously. I was sure that he felt as much guilt over the destruction of Luin as I did over my failure to notice the betrayal of Dorr.
"The gels you requested," he said, "And some other provisions. Good luck. I'll see you in two weeks and hopefully hear from you sooner." He handed me a backpack.
"Thank you," I said.
"And I brought you some holy water for luck," Clara said, handing me a couple of bottles with crosses on them. "They're supposed to ward off monsters if you pour them over yourself. That should be enough for the journey."
I awkwardly shook Pietro's hand, but he pulled me into a quick hug. "Thanks for all of your help," he said with a smile. Clara hugged me tightly and when she pulled away she put her hands on my shoulders, looking me straight in the eyes.
"You've done so much already. I'm proud of you." I smiled as best as I could and she kissed me on both cheeks.
She and Pietro waved me off. I still was a little bothered by Pietro's expression, but I shrugged it off, ready to take the longest journey of my life.
Prompt #: #93, Chaos
Character(s): Neil, Clara, Pietro
Rating/Warnings: offensive capitalization
Word Count (if a fic): 450
Author's Notes: There's no real way to know how long the journey took in game for most people, since you can rest as much or as little as you want. My guess is, I think, generous, but whatever. Also I totally explained how Holy Bottles work. Tell me of any NPCs you're interesting in giving cameos too-- I'm going to be sticking as many in these as I can, no matter how likely it is that everyone Neil runs into is someone we know by name.
This is part 3 in the Disaster series.
I had no idea how much I missed working under Dorr until Pietro recruited me as his own assistant. For the first few weeks, things went alternately between extremely smooth and really chaotic. The world seemed to be in flux, but we didn't understand how or why.
The biggest effort we had to make was the extraction and burial of the citizens of Palmacosta who had died in the Disaster. We called it the Disaster because we had no idea what else it could have been. We heard rumors of a tree, but we also heard rumors of salvation. No one quite knew what to believe.
No one wrote the word Disaster down for fear of somehow jinxing us all. It was the pronunciation of it that it made it obvious that this was no run of the mill disaster, this was capital D Disaster.
Pietro had the good sense not to send me to help with the mass graves of my friends and family members and instead sent me as an emissary to Iselia.
It was a walk that would take me about two days followed by two more on a boat. Pietro offered me a guard, but it was easier to spare a few gels than a few potential workers, so I decided to go alone.
- + -
Pietro and Clara met me on the way out. Pietro struck a strange figure in the morning light-- he was tired, obviously. The dark lines under his eyes made me feel like I was looking into a reflection of myself a few months previously. I was sure that he felt as much guilt over the destruction of Luin as I did over my failure to notice the betrayal of Dorr.
"The gels you requested," he said, "And some other provisions. Good luck. I'll see you in two weeks and hopefully hear from you sooner." He handed me a backpack.
"Thank you," I said.
"And I brought you some holy water for luck," Clara said, handing me a couple of bottles with crosses on them. "They're supposed to ward off monsters if you pour them over yourself. That should be enough for the journey."
I awkwardly shook Pietro's hand, but he pulled me into a quick hug. "Thanks for all of your help," he said with a smile. Clara hugged me tightly and when she pulled away she put her hands on my shoulders, looking me straight in the eyes.
"You've done so much already. I'm proud of you." I smiled as best as I could and she kissed me on both cheeks.
She and Pietro waved me off. I still was a little bothered by Pietro's expression, but I shrugged it off, ready to take the longest journey of my life.