Ah beans.

There's a few different things clashing here. Azazuka's going to be safe, no response means either she needs no further information or the Dominion is under so much of an attack that nobody's watching incoming messages, and one of those is patently absurd. So clearly somebody's on their way to pick her up and escort her to safer areas. There's a part of her that still wants to stay and impress her new student, make sure she's got the personal attention to get to safety and start training properly, not just the bits and bobs from the walk. On the other hand, time and quiet to consider the offer would be both kind and traditional.

Similarly, Piripiri's had a full day. She really would like to take a nap, eat some stew, and rest up herself. But things aren't calming down, apparently, and a sip of tea in a quiet corner would be the best she got. So she gets up, patting Azazuka on the shoulder, and grabs her little satchel of ritual ingredients, before going back to serving tables. The poor teamaster has had a bad day, and the ritual will help her nerves, at least.

Finally, everyone's had tea that wants it, and she sits back down at the central table, with a nod to the unruly one and the witch. She can afford to help them out a bit, while watching to see what she can do to trip up Uusha. "I never did actually introduce myself, did I? My name's Piripiri."

Before Uusha Enters

It's funny how an age difference can change over time. When you're six and a baby's just born, the gap is so vast it's impossible to bridge. You can do a little to take care of them, but your thoughts and your life are into exploration and adventure, perhaps into learning your first real skills and you're not near old enough to get your mind around what a baby must actually be feeling.

When you're twelve and you're babysitting a six year old, their wishes and their dreams seem so simple. They can be rough and tumble and you're busy wondering about whether the Miller's girl who's almost fifteen was flirting with you or not and afraid that if you follow up on it she'll laugh at you because she's so cool and mature and she's taller and bustier than you because you haven't quite sprouted yet.

When you're eighteen and they're twelve, they're still a kid and you're not, but at least you can start to share things, you can both talk to each other and you're at different points on the journey but it's the same journey and you might start to understand each other a little bit.

And when you're twenty four and they're eighteen, well there's a gap but it's not so far of a gap at all. It's someone else who's strong and skilled and you can see the routes that you've taken and the routes that they're taking and how they've already passed you in some big important things all at once.

So...you probably don't understand all of that Han, but you might understand that Giriel's hug suddenly gets a little tighter. That when you turn and glance up at her face there's a little bit of eye watering that might just be confusing, and a smile that's definitely pride even though it can't possibly be pride because you have absolutely no reference point for what a proud smile looks like directed at you.

But then she says "you got strong, Han" and she's still smiling. She lets you out of the hug to wipe the tear from her eye, and takes a sip of her own tea and she's smiling.

And in her heart, Giri is wondering why she felt so angry just because her plans didn't work out. When here's little Han having her girlfriend stolen right out from under her and ready and raring to go. Giri's almost ashamed she was that petty. This storm was a lucky thing, really, and so was meeting her old friends.

[Comfort and support: 5+5+2=12. If Han opens up to Giri, they both get to select an option. Giri will write off Angry.]

***

After Uusha enters

Giri finishes her tea and puts the cup down gently. There's a little tension in her stance, but not so much. "I'm sorry" she says to Uusha and she means it sincerely. That spirit had caused a lot of trouble and Giriel fully acknowledges that Peregrine is a better witch than she and absurdly better when it comes to Uusha's goals. "I found quite a lot. Ven kidnapped a priestess who's at least part goddess. We're going to help my friend here gesture to Han get her back safely. And the waitress over there" Giri points to where Piripiri is sitting "overheard our conversation and apparently escaped from Kingeater Castle if you want to interview her about the defenses and all that. Also the whole tournament thing was hijacked by a Rakshasa who could be literally anyone including you, but I did stop it."

She delivers all that in a straightforward tone, then stops and refills her tea from the pot, taking another sip of the steaming cup. She's almost getting good at this. Apparently being a witch today means that everybody wants information from you. And more than just asking about how best to treat Daffodil's ailing cow. Giri's almost getting good at the delivery at this point.

"She came to stand by the foot of the red mountain whispering secrets until it slept/"
"Until at last, the land and water gave rise to vibrant flowers, that climb upwards year after year."

Kalaya adds her own verse from the chant as she accepts the cup. Breathing deeply, she feels some of her worries drain away at last.

"Thank you." she says, meaning for more than just the tea.

[Clearing insecure]

"And you're right." she says, giving Fengye a genuine smile. "On a scale of princess trying to summon demons and kidnapping people - someone messing about with magic, particularly since I'm assuming you didn't do it will ill intent, is absolutely beneath my pay grade."

She takes a sip, considering.

"And yeah, I know the Dominion has pretty strong opinions on who should or shouldn't be doing things with their lives." she continues. "I've never really cleaved to that myself. I mean, if I'd listened to people like that I would never have become a knight. You shouldn't either, so long as you're not hurting anyone your life is your own and don't ever feel ashamed of that fact."

[Rolling for Emotional support: 3 + 4 + 2 = 9]

"Soooo ... if you don't have anything better to do." she says, smirking. "Do you want to help me break into a castle?"

Fengye mulled the tea in her hands.

Her life was her own? What an unusual thing to say. It was so self evidently wrong on so many levels that it did not even merit much thought. She held up the thought delicately, and then folded it and set it aside in her mind. No, her life had been set for her by the Exam. Before the Exam, she had lived in studious service to it. After the Exam, she had been defined by its results. In fact, the only time she had stepped from the path of the Exam it was to subordinate herself to an even higher bureaucracy.

(That, too, was self evidently wrong. But the true scholar does not correct the mistaken - that might cause a loss of face, which was a perilous prospect in the Dominion. So she gives a polite smile, both to Kayala Na and to her teacup reflection, and says no more about it).

What is more relevant than the truth of the statement, though, is that Kayala Na has made it, and made it with conviction. That is curious. She had thought until this moment that the Knight was another duty-bound servant, that her misery was from likewise having no choice. But from that, the smile. The invitation. She had... chosen this. Remarkable.

It was a shame that she'd qualified her statement, though. As long as you're not hurting anyone. It turned out that what she really wanted, deep down, did involve hurting people. That perhaps Kayala Na was virtuous enough to step from the Path like an Immaculate, breaking convention in order to restore it. Her own lapse had been less admirable, and she had left a great deal of harm in her wake already.

Her reflection's eyes glittered blue. She drank it, swallowed it, hid it away deep inside of her again. But one drop remained in the cup. She measured it, as she might measure a dose of poison. After a long moment, she decided that perhaps she could allow herself this one drop.

"I do want that," she said.

[Clearing Afraid

Fengye has become Smitten with Kayala; take a string and see above for the answer to the Beautiful Lie.]

Alone With a Witch

Giriel? Is there a Giriel here? Ah, yes, good to see you, glad you could join us today. Please, take a seat. Would you like some water? Tea? Light refreshments? Thank you for stopping by on such short notice. We were just hoping to ask: What the hell?!

There is a script to this crap. Always has been. Han didn't write it, but somebody sure did, and it’s played out the same way every day of her life. See, she just did the part where she talks about doing something she knows you wouldn't approve of, with every intention of doing it no matter what you say. Now, this is a pretty loose scene here, and you have a lot of choices for what to do next. Maybe you tell her how stupid she is? That's a popular one. Or, if you're feeling less spiteful, you could always tell her that she can't actually do it, and things will go horribly wrong if she tries. Maybe with or without actually telling her that, and pretending she's not smart enough to read between the line. Then there’s grounding her, slapping her upside the head, shame upon her whole family, there's options! Loads of options!

None of those options involve hugs! What are you doing?! You're off script! She had all sorts of real great grunts and snarks ready to go, and now look. She's completely lost the plot. How’s she supposed to know what to do now?! She hears you, and she knows what those words mean, and she even knows what they mean in that order. Maybe not said to her, but still. Her mouth twitches, a big grin bulldozing all the confusion away.

"Heh. Yeah I did."

Okay, that's something. That's all the defiance and pride she been saving up, just, not directed at you. Or anyone. And, without anywhere for it to go, it settles right back down to her heart. A proud, sturdy fortress from which she can take on the whole world.

Just before you let go, her hand snakes up and gets a hold of your arm, and maybe she's not sure what she's doing, or what yo’re doing, but she gives it a little squeeze anyway. It feels right. Shut up.

And hey; she’s still got her second cup to share with you. She swirls it around, taking in the rich aroma, and a few more words sneak out of her before she can think to stop them. "It's....nice that someone appreciates it."

Don't you go asking for more, Giriel. You've worked enough tricky magic on her for one afternoon; let the poor girl enjoy her tea. Take the fruits of your meddling and be happy with that. Your little Han knows you're proud of her.

And if Giri - the coolest witch a girl could hope to know - thinks she's doing alright, well. Then it just might be true.

[Clearing Insecure]

********************

And Then There Was Uusha

(Oh gods let it be true.)

The Han who sits before you all is a changed Han. No more the out of control, raging bonfire of passion, out to destroy her foes and everything that gets in her way. She reclines jauntily in her seat. She raises her cup to the Stag Knight in respect, when Giri motions to her. She is the coiled predator. The immovable mountain, ready to erupt in unquenchable fire. She is, unquestionably, extremely cool and knows exactly what she's doing.

"Name's Han." She adds after Giri says her piece. "I'm gonna go tear down Kingeater Castle once the damn rain lets up. Nice to meetcha" And she's so confident she'll win, she takes a long, slow sip of her cup of tea.

How's that, Stag Knight?

Princess Ven of Snapdragon, Prince of the Brass City.

Everything is fucked.

The low-class bitch, that smarmy little cow? Gone, and Azazuka— intended as another of your suborned vassals— gone with her. Failure upon failure from the Laema. What you did to her and her useless demons— banishment into the Mirror-Forest— is justified. Let them wander lost and confused, let their own reflections trap them in the branches to take over their lives. If they get out, and if they are the same demons who you cast into the forest, well, it won’t be for some time. And you need time. You have to have time.

The rain has relented for a moment, but the air is thick as water all the same, and it’s clear that the wind-gods are heaping the clouds up higher and higher. Tonight, there will be a storm, one to break bridges and wash away roads. Here you stand, staring out at the growing dark, running the same circles in your head over and over and over.

Your fortress is exposed now. Ultimately, it’s an appropriate trade. You have your bargaining chit, after all, a treasure worth more than all of Kingeater Castle. It’s just that your mentors wouldn’t understand, wouldn’t be able to take an appropriately long view of the situation, would demand her be handed over instead of exploited properly. But you’ll have time, and you’ll have your leverage, and you’ll have someplace better. It won’t matter that this castle is perfect for your work; you’ll have Lotus of Tranquil Waters to hand, and her mother to control.

…you just need to make that decision of where to go. To have the Maker of Images finish your proof that you hold Lotus. To tie up the loose ends. You’re almost done with this place, and then you can abandon it. Or, even better, you can make it a trap. Let the Sapphire Mother throw some brave knights at this place, let her send them to their doom.

You just need time.

In for a leaf, in for a tree.

***

Kalaya and Fengye!

You can see it now.

It’s a low, humped shape, black against the dark clouds: Kingeater Castle. An ancient and accursed ruin, intimately connected with dark cults of the Broken King. Thunder rumbles, ominously close, and the air all about is suffocatingly thick. The stars are not visible behind the black and roiling clouds, which threaten at any moment to unleash a storm that will make the afternoon’s deluge look like a pleasant sprinkle.

The two of you are now officially close enough to be in need of a plan, and hurry: it’s almost night, and you definitely don’t want to be out here after sunset. It will be much more difficult to avoid snakes then.

***

Uusha’s Funtime Gang!

“Tell us more about the defenses,” Uusha commands. Not that you’re in the inn any more, oh no. As soon as the rain started to relent, she gathered the lot of you and told you that everyone was going to the Castle: Piripiri, Azazuka, Giriel, Han and even the fidgety priestess. And, huh, what do you know, when Uusha decides something, somehow that’s how things end up. So here you are, the six of you, surrounded by Uusha’s Hard-Ass Retinue of scoundrels and ne’er-do-wells, pushing hard into the jungle.

Torches are lit and carried all around you by said scoundrels as night begins to fall; despite the danger to you all, Uusha intends to risk marching through the jungle at night in order to find the Castle. (Not that it’s easy; it would take a miracle to just stumble across it, and even Piripiri’s directions will only give you a chance of finding it in the thick tangle.)

“What are we likely to find when we march through that empty gate, cosmopolitan?”

She’s got you going hard, and somehow she’s the one that’s still not out of breath. You might need to take a moment to catch your breath to answer, Piripiri; Azazuka is doing her best not to complain, but she’s flagging, and Victorious Vixen of Violets has somehow talked a burly half-N’yari girl into carrying her.

Giriel: something is wrong. All of the little gods and spirits are hiding or absent. In their absence, the growing twilight is more and more oppressive; sounds don’t travel like they should, and there’s a bleakness to the jungle that even Uusha’s scoundrels are picking up on. They’re scared of something.

Oh, and Han? This is great. Uusha didn’t try to posture, she just gave you a wry smile and said she’d be happy to join in (in a low and slightly scratchy voice that suggested she actually was interested in seeing your attempt at doing just that), and now here you are, surrounded by a bunch of badass punks. With tattoos! And all of them seem quite happy to show off how much stamina they’ve got as they keep up with you! This is a crew that could take on demons or N’yari and they’re all the groupies of a woman who took you seriously and didn’t try to tame you.

You should be listening to Piripiri, but, uh, Crazy Daveen just asked you what the heaviest thing you’ve ever lifted was, because he once picked up an entire bull, complete with saddlebags full of goods from Gem, and you definitely can’t beat that. And now everybody (who isn’t listening to the tactical talk, and who includes that priestess tagging along) is looking to you for an answer!

"Okay" says Kalaya, dropping back behind cover. "We really have two places to go; If Ven has really kidnapped a priestess, then most likely place for her is the dungeons. Castles all have their own layouts, so we'd have to hunt around for the location, but they tend to follow the same kind of principles. Best guess is beneath the inner curtain walls, closest to the keep."

"The other would be her chambers - not sure where they'd be but I have a guess. The real question is do we split up to cover each place individually, or stay together, or something else?"

She turns to Fengye, trying to get a feel for how the scribe is holding up.

[I never got to spend that second question in the last scene, so may as well now - What are Fengye's feelings towards Knights, Princesses and Adventure?"]

"Any thoughts? I admit my gut is to just try to start climbing. These old castles are usually more ruin than fortification - should have plenty of handholds and places to rest."

In her voice, you can tell that the idea of climbing is not laced with an implicit desire to leave you behind. If anything, the knight is probably confident that she can scale the wall with you hanging from her back.

Piripiri needs a second to respond. She's gulping air like a city girl who's never had to actually run for distance before, and it's about two parts show to one part actual distress. Poor girl's had a day and this hardened knight shows up fresh to charge the castle, again. She even debates lying, trying to trip up the knight, but that leads everyone (Azazuka included, and just why is she here still?) into the fire. So she tells the truth, sort of.

There's a balance here, you see, and it's got three edges. She needs to keep the enemy knight's attention off her, so she needs to seem like a simple maid who got extremely lucky. So give the information in the wrong way, or give information a maid shouldn't know was important, and you're now under suspicion, which is bad enough alone when there's supposed to be a rakasha around. Worse if you're already planning a well-timed trip. Now, that being said, give too little information, and they all walk into a trap and she's right back in Ven's outfits. Not that she'd mind seeing some of these others dressed up all helpless and pretty but all the same, she'd rather not. Finally, give too much information, and the knight can be prepared for everything and succeed, which is really not what she wants here. So find the center, and begin.

"The demons with the coats," ("wrack-dolls" says the witch, and good to actually have a name to put to them), "the wrack-dolls, they seemed like they were working like normal guards? Like, they were on the walls. I got lucky and kicked one down a hole, I think, but it was so dark I'm not sure. I don't know how to fight them really. There were snake ladies but Ven's probably really mad at them for Azazuka and me escaping? And the Laema herself, I think. She'd wanted me to call her, um, 'my terrible Lord' as a title." Maids track titles, right? Ignore the sympathetic flash to the poor, doomed snake who she'd counter-seduced. Maybe Ven hadn't found her yet? It could have happened. "And there was a door, a gate that felt wrong. I think it went to Hell proper. There was at least one window too, in Ven's bedroom, when they made me clean that. And there was a weird, furred snake, that ate us and that's how we somehow got to the castle in the first place? I don't know how that worked, or if Ven can use that to leave, or if it's even still around. I don't think I saw any other people other than Ven, me, and Azazuka."

She takes a few more minutes to catch her breath, before going on. "The layout I didn't see as well? There's a courtyard with an empty gate out into the jungle on one side and the Gate to Hell on the other." She shudders, and it's not fake. "I didn't get a good look beyond that, I'm afraid."

There. Enough information to not fall for the obvious traps, one hopes. Not enough information for the knight not to end up close to an edge. All she needs to do there is push. One last, bitter aside. "Did you have to take Azazuka? Or me? We just escaped from here where, you know, they captured us. History shows neither of us are much good at fighting Ven or her demons."

"Heh. Not bad."

Han folds her arms behind her head, casually strolling through the jungle undergrowth without breaking a sweat. Heaviest thing she’d ever lifted? Bigger than an ox, fully loaded? Yeah, hard to say, maybe Han couldn't beat that. Then again...

She grins, all teeth and boastful delight. "Ten of the Dominion’s finest. In full gear. And most of ‘em were still conscious"

...the Vermillion Beast sure could.

Amidst the chorus of whoops and hollers and no-way-you-didn'ts, her eyes flicked over the assembled group. Lit up by torches, tearing through the jungle, she stood on a tidal wave that’d been building ever since she arrived at Turtlehead, and now it was strong enough to topple an entire castle. That stupid Ven wouldn’t even know what hit her. So why is everyone being so quiet? Why do people keep looking around all nervous like they're afraid of the dark or something? What is with all of you? This wasn't right, and Han was going to fix it.

She rolls her shoulders. Cracks her neck. And waves for the retinue to hang back.

“One sec…”

Piripiri!

Good news! You don't have to walk anymore!

Someone catches you by the legs and hoists you up, and here it comes again, the slinging across a back, dogged by laughter as you squirm helplessly for all to see. Steel yourself. Play your role. Run through your litany of squeaks appropriate for an inexperienced maid. You are prepared for this ambush. You will endure the humiliation. They will not break you. Here it comes. Any second now. Anyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy second now.

...gosh, this sure is the slowest you've ever been slung over someone’s back. Maybe Azazuka knows what's going on, some kind of Flower Kingdom - wait, Azazuka?!

Sure enough, there she sits on Han's other shoulder - wait, other shoulder?!

Sure enough, you're not kidnapped at all. You're seated comfortably on Han's bare shoulder, her bare, muscular arm curled snug around your side, her bare hand resting on your stomach. Seated above the group, vines and branches lurch out of the darkness at you, but never so much as brush your hair. Han will not let them. She squats low under hazards without losing a step, without jostling either of you. No horse or elephant ever gave you so smooth a ride. No harness ever held you so surely or so...gently.

(Despite her perilous proximity to indecency, the hand stays still. Almost as if the thought of opportune wandering never even crossed her mind. But that'd be ridiculous. An unruly thug like her? So then why...?)

Here come the shouts from the rowdy bunch behind you, but they’re not aimed at you. They tell Han to go for it, keep up the pace, wagers of meals and drinks on how long she can carry the load. Han devours the encouragement whole and turns it into raw energy, whooping with the best of them and shouting back, "I can keep this up all night!" She meets your eyes as she says it, and you know it's as good as a promise. As long as necessary, she will carry you. Hold you. Lift you high and safe above the muck of the jungle, a treasure on par with Azazuka herself.

And when has anyone ever done so much for the fourth child, let alone a common, helpless maid? Without having a thing in it for them?

[Han rolls to Entice Piri: 6 + 5 - 1 = 10. Han takes a string, Piri chooses one from the list.]

The Immaculate of Wood said:
Fear not the ruined places.
Though they were made by tyrants, they are hollow.
Though they are grand, they decay.
Though monsters make their homes there, they cannot compete with the wolf in the forest
and the roc upon the hill.
A tower is doomed to fall but a rice field can grow forever.

Fengye takes a contemplative breath. She has been trained for this, too. In that breath, Kayala, you see the calm of the dreamless.

There's hunger, of course, below the surface. There is craving too - that fierce sapphire gleam in her eyes. Princesses, knights, adventure - some part of her burns for those things, so fiercely you almost think she'll break at any moment. But the calm rolls in, tranquil and tranquilizing, the discipline of one trained by the Dominion to never dream. The Immaculate Way promises advancement only in the next life, and so Fengye's heartbeat slows. Her eyes are cool and steady. She knows she cannot have what she wants, and so sets those wants aside to be free of the pain they bring.

"It is as you say, Lady Flower Knight," said Fengye politely. For a long moment it seems like she might just leave it at that, but then, almost by mistake, a few more words spill from her lips.

"But, as you asked, I have another suggestion. While occultism takes the primary role in this castle's architecture, this is also a military installation. This means that they will have stables, likely within close range of the main entrance. And... were I to be in a saddle..." she hesitates again, shyness and modesty in equal parts. "...then I would hopefully become an asset to you in your quest."

There is a smile on Giriel's lips and then a laugh deep in her belly. Yes, there was something to these people. Han boasting and picking up pretty girls, like it was just so much showing off. Giriel chortles. "If you get them all the way to the castle, we can add your little priestess to the top of the stack and then you can really show off!" she shouts.

Yes, this is good, the sort of laughter that cuts through tension and lets everyone ignore their paranoia on dark roads and deep jungles. This is good because it means that she can look around without setting the others on edge. She smiles a deeper smile when she sees Uusha doing the same thing, her own small chuckles hiding the way she carefully looks around.

There is something Fae in Giriel then. Perhaps the stress of the day, the myriad of troubles finally reaching the point where she forgets herself. She steps up to Uusha quietly and puts a hand on hers. She meant to say something reassuring, to offer a squeeze, but Uusha is not prepared for this, perhaps not prepared for it from anyone and her reaction to Giriel's touch is harsh, isn't it?

[Roll to entice Uusha: 1+3+2=6]

One must remember, the bending reed survives the storm a grand oak falls to.

That flashes into her mind and she doesn't snatch a knife from up her sleeve and bury it in Han's arm, claw for her eyes, or in fact do anything rash and possibly bad, at least long enough for her mind to catch up to "probably friendly don't attempt maiming". Which is... good. Yes. It's good.

She's being carried. A noble, in a tight, improper dress. No veil, nothing to protect her, in front of dozens, a witch, a knight. This isn't... it's not being done to blackmail, it's being treated as okay, it's. This was Uusha's problem to deal with, she was in charge. There is a hand close to impropriety and it's staying rock solid still, much as Piripiri is frozen in place like a cat about to panic and decided to claw or bolt.

"I can keep this up all night!"

Oh you silly, stupid girl. This is not how this goes. Not from you, not for some random maid, and never for her. None of this makes sense, and she's drawn in on herself, and she muttered all of that out loud, clutching at your arm and oh tiny gods those muscles. Breath, and center, and stop the panic and the butterflies.

"Stables it is then" replies Kalaya, rolling her eyes at the whole 'Lady Flower Knight' epithet.

"And it's Kalaya, or Kalaya-Phraya if you want to be formal." she continues, glancing around one last time. "Anyway, come on, now's our chance."

Aaaand Scoop!

The young knight is off and running, carrying you bridal style as she keeps low in the underbrush.

Giriel!

Uusha flinches away like a wild animal. For a moment, her breath is panicked. She isn’t used to being touched like that. Not any more. She rides that panic like a wild horse, however, and while she moves in such a way that she could backhand you, she doesn’t. She could have, her animal heart wanted to— but Uusha of the Holly is not an animal. She is a knight. And she is in control.

The more important thing is that you derailed her train of thought just long enough. If she wasn’t suddenly focused on you, she might have noticed the cresting wave in time.

Not all of them are demon snakes, horned and brass-scaled. Just some of them, hissing their snake-songs, commanders of the host. Every other snake is a more regular, ordinary snake, green or yellow or black, red or purple or mottled brown. But this is the Flower Kingdoms, and some of those snakes are as big as horses; some of those snakes are venomous enough to wilt grass where they breathe; some are descended from spirits, heavy and mossy and earthen, stone-eyed or rain-slick; and they are a river that has burst its banks, and will drag you down beneath the waves, and bury you underneath their bulk.

Behold, the Serpentine Hunt, led by the Messengers of the King, and you the prey.

Uusha performs an incredibly impressive vertical leap and swings herself into the branches of a tree to get a better vantage point, but that leaves the rest of you high and dry. Some of her retinue breaks, screaming, panicked into the jungle— doubtless playing right into Ven’s hands.

***

Han!

This would be a very bad time to find out you have herpetophobia.

***

Piripiri!

Oh by the wandering stars it’s more snakes. Azazuka jerks her ankles up and screams as the tide thunders towards you, likely because of her last experience with demon snakes.

***

Fengye!

This was a fortress, but (for a time) a secret one. These stables were not used by raiders on their foreign mountain ponies, but by outlanders here to meet with the cannibal-cult who raised these walls. The rotten wooden sheds have long been in the shadow of a horrible place, and it has seeped into them.

On first inspection, there’s nothing here— but if that were the case, why would the hair on the back of your neck stand on end when you gaze into the depths of the stables? Then, and even Kalaya Na can see this, two pale lights wink into view, and a horse emerges from the stables to challenge you.

No.

The shape of a horse emerges to challenges you. There is nothing there except for the marsh-lights, one to either side of the head. It consists of the motion that a horse would make, if it were agitated, if it were one of King Salamedes’ fabled flesh-eating horses.

This is one of the Hlungta, the Horses of the Children of Adorjan. Its presence suggests that Ven may have called up something that cannot easily be put down. Something that is dangerous, incredibly so, even more than the horse (which might take one of your arms off).

Here, then, is the danger and the opportunity: the Hlungta will maul you if not placated, and you risk attracting terrible attention if you choose to ride it; but there is no finer mount from here to Chiaroscuro, and perhaps you want to be a doomed distraction for the sake of Kalaya-phraya.

***

Kalaya!

There’s something there that makes your eyes kinda hurt when you try to look directly at it, because they’re telling you that there’s nothing there but also, it’s moving, and there are two pale lights higher than your head, and you can hear it breathing, wet and hoarse.

Why don’t you break and run from this phantom?

"I will respect the weak and defend them."

Kalaya steps to the side, opening up space between her and Fengye. She's not abandoning the scribe, only moving to make it so that the phantom has two targets to pick from should it chose to attack.

"I shall give mercy unto those who ask for it."

Her sword is out, held at the guard. She won't strike first; because what if the phantom is just looking for help? But if it lunges at either of them she is ready to leap in at the instant.

"I shall not recoil before my enemy and will be the champion of the Right and Good against Injustice and Evil."

Well, that one requires no explanation.

You ask why she doesn't break and run? The answer is right before you. It's a simple one:

She's sworn not to. Three times over.

What's more, she's fairly sure she can fight this thing if needed. She's done the training, for what that's worth in a real fight. But she also doesn't really know what kind of spirit it is - and is therefore giving both it and Fengye a chance to resolve this peacefully.

Snakes are just tiny dragons that never learned how to fly, breathe fire, or have legs. Kinda like little scaly puppies, except they might try to tie you up and/or eat you up if they get too feisty. And these ones? These ones are demonically feisty.

And still she finds time to snort at the silly maid. “What, you’d rather walk?” Her shoulders roll beneath you, and you could be forgiven for thinking she’d actually drop you. “Screw how this goes, this is what you’ve got. And I said.” She bares her teeth at the oncoming hoard. “I could do this all night!”

She clutches (muscles flexing beneath your fingers) the two of you tight (strong hand pressing into your stomach) and the ground cracks beneath her feet as she leaps (stomach-turning, up is down, hold onto her tight now) for a tree branch big enough for the three of you.

[Rolling to Defy Disaster with Daring: 5 + 2 + 2 = an oh-so-close 9. She takes an XP from Piri’s Help Me!!! Han will be risking Azazuka's safety.]

Fengye smiles the slightly dazed smile of someone who is screaming quite loud on the inside. Demon horse. Demon horse. She can't do this. The correct protocol is to call for one of the Immaculates of the Dominion to strike the beast down in accordance with the Way. Her role is to be far from here, writing poetry to commemorate the battle.

But she wants to ride it all the same.

Perhaps it is strange to look upon a demon steed with craving, but Fengye has spent her whole life in the orbit of horses. Oftentimes she rode nags - the cheap, the old, the sickly. Nothing compared to the titans that the Dragon Lords rode. That would have been that, but for one long summer four years ago. She was left as the highest ranking member of a skeleton crew of servants overseeing a Dominion noble's estate while she rode to war. Though she spent her nights mucking out the stables, she spent her days riding hot blooded stallions that raced like the wind and surged like earthquakes. She rode horses that knew to set their pace when they heard her draw her bowstring from their back, horses that accelerated like thunderbolts when she leveled her lance at the practice dummies. Horses that were the perfect engines of war. Horses that made even crippled she a samurai.

And she wants that. She wants that power. Blue craving sparkles inside her eyes.

On some celestial impulse, she takes a deep breath - and lets out a scream. No sudden shout, just a continuous single note, an outpouring of sound as steady and as loud as she can make it. It is not music, is not lulling, but for the children of Adorjan it does not to be. Nobody fears silence more than they for their mother is the death that is found in the quiet. They crave noise, any noise - noise is not danger, like it might be for a normal horse. Noise is safety. Noise is calming...

It gets her just close enough. She wraps her arms around the horse's neck, dives across its back, and clings on for what will no doubt be the ride of her life.

[As this is an Overcome, I have rolled an 8]

Assets: ritual materials, mostly powdered herbs; five knives, secreted away; an intact cover; a blank mask, politically important in Dominion areas, she hadn't had the time to make discrete inquiries about the legalities here; three sachets of flashpowder, smuggled from Hymair at great effort.

Piripiri takes a second, from the vantage of the trees, to mourn her misplaced umbrella. She'd had no chance to find it or fashion a replacement, and it was proof against steel and fang, the perfect sort of tool to use in this situation. Alas, one works with the tools one has. So, from the vantage of somebody's shoulder, take a look, try to figure out the pattern and who they're after, if it matters to your missions or your honor, and-whoashit.

They're in the air all of a sudden and she was not prepared.

Roll to figure them out: snake eyes. Budump-tsh.

Today had been a day for gargantuan demon generals. Raising and calming the dead. Summoning deities and reading tea leaves and so much more. Ranked among all that, demon snakes were maybe an annoyance. Regular snakes were a source of excellent potion ingredients. Did you know that snake venom is a necessary ingredient to produce snake anti-venom, and that it also forms the basis for several different kinds of witch potions and two types of divinations (one in which you take the snake venom and describe your hallucinations, one in which you give the snake venom to a goat ad then make predictions based on its path of movement)?

Oh, you weren't interested in Giri's encyclopedic knowledge of snakes? It seemed like Uusha wasn't either. That had hurt. It was understandable, she really didn't know what she was thinking trying to reach out to Uusha like that, the woman was hellbent (poor choice of words) on her mission, ready to fight a forever war against the Dominion, and had such a haunted look in her eyes. Giri had just wanted to, to reach her somehow. But instead she'd startled like a wild deer and leapt away before actually leaping away.

A vine looped into a lasso by Giri's hand lifted one of the demonic snakes from its throng, its loop tightening around the snake's throat and cutting off its hissing. Snakes around it suddenly found themselves without their marching orders and, facing many large beasts, stopped and hissed or slunk away. Giri held the demonic thing, her mind still elsewhere, thinking of Uusha and her touch. Her hand had been soft. Oddly so, she had expected all calluses, but there had been the slightest give of her skin at Giri's touch, soft and supple.

Begone the witch voiced in the language of the gods, and struck the demonic snake against a tree, which could not burn with demon's fire. When its head bashed the wood, it vanished in a puff of smoke and the vine noose was empty. Giri pulled it to herself, loosened it, and stepped towards the next demonic snake.

This she could handle, and she wanted to hold Uusha's hand again. She wanted to reach her and find some other way to keep the Flower Kingdom's free. Free to hold hands, to drink tea, and practice magic, and sit in the rain and breath in that fresh scent. Not to disrespect their ancestors and burn it to the ground just to make sure nobody else could have it. Giriel sighed and scattered the next group of snakes, making her way towards scattering the whole of the wave slowly but surely.

[Giriel is scattering the snakes by banishing the demon snakes. She rolled to defy disaster with metaphysical knowledge. She was willing to sacrifice Uusha, who could fend for herself, but she has rolled double 6s for a total of 14.]

Fengye!

You sit on the shape of a horse, and it settles in an eerie calm as you scream. One of your hands finds an ear, fluffier than you might expect, and perfect for scritchies. Finally, it turns and begins a slow trot towards the ruined, moss-veiled castle.

The only problem? Well, other than the fact that you’ll run out of breath eventually and need to figure out some way of keeping the noise ongoing? Well…

***

Kalaya!

You know what’s really good for stealth missions? Just stupidly good? Screaming. Screaming is amazing for stealth. That’s why the most famous thieves are known for howling “IGNORE ME” as they make their way into the treasure-vaults of queens. Fengye is a genius.

Nothing jumps out at you, but you’d better have some sort of second plan, because if you try to walk through that broken, empty gate, you’re walking right into the wakeful jaws of whatever evil lurks within. Just like Fengye is doing right now.

Do you help her take the reins and then try to find some hidden way inside (that will also fit a ghost horse)? Or do you let her approach the gate, or even run up to take point and meet whatever awaits you there with steel?

***

Han!

You make it up with almost everybody, and the almost isn’t even really your fault. It’s not Azazuka’s fault, either, let’s be clear: it’s the snake that headbutted the tree right when you were at your most unbalanced. If it hadn’t sent a reverberation up, shaking the branches, all three of you would be sitting pretty.

But Azazuka is jarred backwards, and slips right off your arm as you fumble her, and down she goes screaming—

Onto the backs of snakes. It’s half-comical for a moment, as if she were a boat floating on the waves of their backs. But then they start to slither over her, while she curls up and (rather unadvisedly) screams. It’s mostly a fear scream. (If you saved her, it might become just an adrenaline scream and giddy, confused laughter.)

***

Piripiri!

No, actually, because your student is in danger, because this dumb musclebound country girl dropped her. Umbrella or no umbrella, it is your duty to defend the innocent.

No, actually, here’s a question for you: when you dive for her, what gives your Hymairean training away to the keen eyes of the Stag Knight?

***

Giriel!

A Tipplebacked Hammerhead rears up, almost level with your face. This one’s spirit-touched, a child of the earth; some of the scales around its broad snout are stone. And the Tippleback has a very dangerous reaction to being startled by a human close up: it slams its head into whatever startled it after rearing up for height. It’s like being kicked by a horse.

You have just enough time to think that before Uusha dives down, grabs it by the throat, and lifts it bodily off the ground before heaving it into the rest of the Hunt with a low, animalistic grunt. It splashes. Not in a gory way, but in a “snakes flying everywhere” way.

She glances at you, and for a moment you see her eyes in the depths of her helmet, and then she looks away with— Uusha! Is that embarrassment? “Good work,” she growls, and spins her long spear, a stick good for warding off serpents.

She’s got your back, and you’ve got a String on her (on her! actually! wow!).