[IC] Ashes [EliteCommander and Vesuvius00]

[EliteCommander]

As soon as Onyx requested it, Tarentek released her, then backed off. He sat down on the ground in front of her and let out a deep breath, his fatigue showing with his subsequent heavy breathing. The fight had not lasted too long, but if it had lasted any longer, he likely would not have been as successful. He already felt like he needed to rest after all of that, so he would have exhausted himself if it had kept going.

"That...was a good fight, especially given that neither of us were fighting at our best. You did well; you're fast, agile, and got in quite a few jabs on me. Luckily, I have a good grip. My scales are pretty thick, so your claws didn't do as much as you might have wanted. Regardless, that could have gone either way." He said, pausing a moment, laying down on his back, and looking up into the sky. "I'm already considering a nap at this point. That was pretty tiring."

[Vesuvius00]

Onyx sat up and stretched her wings, relaxing and soothing the pain from landing on them. "Yea, I didn't think that you would be able to keep your grip like that for so long. As for my claws, I wasn't aiming to hurt you, just surprise you into letting go." She closed her wings and stood up, offering a hand to Tarentek to help him up. "I messed up at the end though. I would have never had to think about a decision like that in a real fight."

[EliteCommander]

Tarentek took Onyx's hand and stood to his feet, feeling his joints pop as he did. "Ah, I feel sore, though I suppose I should have expected that. I didn't get hurt too badly, though, so I'll be fine. I certainly would not mind sparring in the future, if we get the chance. Once I'm fully healed and am fighting at my best, you can do the same with your flight. As long as they're is time, of course. Once I'm fully healed, I am probably going to be heading on my mission soon." He reasoned.

Tarentek began to stretch out his muscles. "Anyway, what shall we do next? I think I might want to avoid anything too physical."

[Vesuvius00]

Onyx looked up at the sky, judging how much time was left in the day. "Well, we could go to see my father. I need to tell him about last night, and I'm sure you two could find something to talk about. There's not too much time left until sunset."

[EliteCommander]

Tarentek nodded before walking over to collect his belongings. He began by fastening his sheathe for his machete around his waist as he spoke. "Very well. If nothing else, I can inform him of my progress. Given what I gathered from our fight, it should be a few days at most before I'm ready."

After putting on his robe, Tarentek began to follow Onyx's lead to her father. "I wonder what kind of escort he is going to give me for this mission? Our destination will be to the west, so I wouldn't expect to run into enemy troops there just yet. I just hope that whoever he sends isn't too...offended at having to guard an outsider." He commented as they walked along.

[Vesuvius00]

"Well, it would make sense to me if I were one of them. My father told me to care for you while you healed, so he might try to keep you with me." Onyx looked around at the Elissics around them as she led the way to Her father's den. Most of them looked warily at Tarentek still, though their looks softened when they saw her with him. "Honestly, if for no other reason, I'd probably be there because I get along better with you than I doubt any other person in the tribe could right now."

[EliteCommander]

Tarentek looked at Onyx curiously. "You think he will send you? I suppose that would make sense, now that I think about it. You could probably keep the others in line if there are any problems. Hopefully, all of the people he sends will be as open-minded as you. I can foresee a lot of problems if they aren't, and not just with me. Tel Nof is different from Amman, but our cultures do share common threads. I know how to get along with their people, but everyone that goes with us will have to listen to me when it comes to how to act. Doing the wrong things could greatly offend them and compromise our mission. Have you ever been to a city or settlement that wasn't Elissic?" He asked.

[Vesuvius00]

"I have, but it was never under peaceful circumstances... I've done a lot of scouting missions through almost abandoned settlements before too, but if I ever met another race I was under orders to kill them, so I never got to talk to them much." Onyx looked down at her feet as she walked, thinking how what she had just said might sound to Tarentek.

[EliteCommander]

Tarentek found his gaze turning towards the ground as well. "I hope that particular...warrior aspect of your people can change. It will have to if you are to survive this with your independence intact. We're going to need allies, there is no escaping that. Thank Jhala that your father is as open-minded as he is about this, but...what about everyone else? How do you think the rest of your people are going to take the news that your father is seeking out alliances with other races? Do you think their minds will ever be changed?" He asked with very real concern.

[Vesuvius00]

"I think..." Onyx started her response, but stopped when she realized what she was about to say. I can't be like that right now, or possibly ever again. If I am to be a prophetess, I must begin to choose my words more carefully and remember to think about all sides of the situation. Onyx thought for a bit and came up with something that still included her opinion, but without the anger that was in her first response.

"My father is our leader, but he has been disputed since he took on the role. Many believe some things about him and the death of our last leader that would automatically make them wary of any large decision he made. Going off of our history with other races, and the fact that we've never even gotten along with other tribes of our own race very well aside from shared historical roots and trade, I believe that it's obvious that most would not be very open to the idea. Adding the fact that some don't trust my father much, I would expect violence."

Onyx looked at Tarentek and decided to add her first thoughts to what she just said. "I think that there could be a rebellion if my father does not watch his words and explanations carefully, and at the moment I don't know where I would stand in that situation. I may gather up those who do not want to get caught up in the fighting and leave with them to find our brother tribe to the west, if I am not captured and held prisoner by the rebels."

[EliteCommander]

"Hmm..." Tarentek began as he tried to wrap his mind around what options they might have. Waging a war against their enemy would be difficult enough, but dealing with internal fighting as well? He did not know if they could survive it. Without a united force to face down the enemy, there would not be hope of defeating them.

"Do you...do you think we could find a way to prove how much danger your people are in? If they understood the severity of the threat, they might become desperate enough to try something new. It's possible there could be a way to show that your father has no choice." Tarentek reasoned. He looked up from the ground for a moment to check where they were; it seemed they were getting close to her father's home.

[Vesuvius00]

"That may be possible, very hard to do, but possible. I Think we'd have to wait until we hear from our sister tribe to the east to know for sure. That might be something to talk with him about." Onyx looked around for a moment, and seeing how close they were to her father's den decided to try and end the topic. "Or not. He might not appreciate if anyone brings up the worse possibility."

[EliteCommander]

Tarentek nodded. "Alright, I'll trust your judgment. The more we learn, the more options might present themselves. Hopefully, one of those options will help stop this potential civil war before it starts. Just...whatever ends up happening, I'll give you my support. I won't let you be captured by any violent rebels."

As the pair reached Raldel's home, Tarentek stopped in front of the door, then turned to Onyx. "Well, after you."

[Vesuvius00]

"I appreciate your support, but I hope that nothing like that will happen." Onyx spoke before she walked into her father's den. When she did not see him in his planning room, she called through the den. "Raldel? Father, it's Onyx and Tarentek. Where are you?" Onyx listened for a few moments and was about to call again when she heard her father's voice from his kitchen.

"Onyx? Come back here, both of you, I'm a little busy right now." Onyx made sure Tarentek was following her and went to the kitchen. Her father was there, cooking. He smiled as they entered the room. "Good evening. I thought you were going to be here a little sooner than this, although I suppose you've been busy as well. How are you both?"

Onyx smiled back at him and walked over to stand next to him. "I am well. Would you like me to help with anything?" Raldel started to say no, but then seemed to think better of it and passed a large bowl to Onyx, which she started adding ingredients to and stirring. "Well, I have something interesting to talk about, but if Tarentek has anything he'd like to talk about first I think I'd best save my topic for last." Onyx said to her father while she worked with the dough in the bowl she had.

[EliteCommander]

Tarentek felt more comfortable around Raldel than any of the other villagers, apart from Onyx. He both appeared and felt more relaxed as they entered his home. The smell of food in the air that permeated the home served as a good reminder to Tarentek of how many hours it had been since he had eaten, but he could wait until they made it back to Onyx's home.

It seemed that Onyx wanted Tarentek to go first, so he gave a slight, respectful bow to Raldel before beginning. "Oh, I just wanted to update you on my condition. Under Onyx's care, my health has improved greatly. I no longer feel the same soreness and fatigue, and my scars are close to healing. I was even well enough to spar a few minutes ago. It should only be a few more days before I am ready to set out for Tel Nof. I...well, we did also have a few worries about how to go about informing your people about potential alliances with other races. From my understanding, your people may not take that news well, but I do not have any solid ideas on how to make delivering it any easier. My only thought has been to prove the severity of the danger we face."

[Vesuvius00]

Onyx kept quiet as she waited for her father's response, focusing on the cooking for now. Raldel didn't look up from what he was doing while he spoke, but his tone held all the worry he didn't show. "So you've both been worrying about that too. I'm not exactly sure what I will say yet, but I'm sure of one thing." Now he did look up, catching Onyx's gaze. "You should probably leave before then. You and Opal and maybe even Topaz, I don't want you here just in case I don't say the right thing."

Now there was no way Onyx could focus on cooking at all. She carefully put the bowl down and just stood, looking at her father and thinking what she should say. After a minute or an hour, Onyx couldn't tell how long, her body moved without her consent and she hugged him. "That's not a good idea. You need to show that you yourself are confident in your decision and if you push your children away, for any reason, they will see you as weak. The only thing you have to worry about is that you may be waiting to long to tell them." Onyx had no control over the words she spoke, but after she said them she knew why.

The white mark on her palm felt warm as she lifted it to show her father. Now speaking in her own words, she told her father everything that she had experienced during her ritual the night before, while he seemed frozen by surprise for most of the story. "So, that's another reason that I don't think that's a good idea. You're going to need me here, to interact with the people and help guide the tribe." She concluded her story a little breathlessly. Just the memory of the ritual brought her joy and wonder.

[EliteCommander]

"I will follow your judgment, but...I believe Onyx may be right." Tarentek began. There seemed to be no easy solution to this problem, and he completely understood why Raldel would want to get his children out of the village before taking such a risk. It was possible he could justify it to them, but Onyx's argument also seemed reasonable. If Raldel seemed confident in his decision, then others could be more willing to accept it.

"If we can gain evidence of the strength that our enemy commands, it might demonstrate the severity of the situation. Desperation could convince them to take what they perceive to be a risk in seeking alliances with outsiders." Tarentek added after Onyx finished her explanation of the previous night's events.

[Vesuvius00]

Raldel unfroze as he began to go back to his cooking, speaking calmly while Onyx went back to helping. "I suppose we have to wait for more news from either the scouting party that left today, or from our sister tribe in the east then. I'll wait until we have more proof before I talk to them about it." He finished what he was doing with the cooking and started helping onyx with the dough she was working with. "So, let's set this topic aside for now. Is there anything else you'd like to speak about?"

[EliteCommander]

Tarentek shook his head. "I...do not think so. Well, I suppose I should mention that myself and Onyx intend to leave the village for a few hours tomorrow. I, well it is somewhat embarrassing to say, but I have a distinct fear of heights. My race is not meant to fly, so being high in the air panics me. I assume that my escort for my mission in a few days will be wanting to arrive as quickly as possible, so they will likely want to fly me there. Onyx is going to attempt to help me overcome my fear." Tarentek explained.

[Vesuvius00]

Raldel smiled a little at Tarentek as he and Onyx finished with the dough. Onyx started to line a shallow metal bowl with it while Raldel spoke. "That is not too hard to understand. You don't have wings, you are not meant to be in the sky as we are, although I think there's an easier way." Raldel's eyes glinted with laughter and his voice took on a light joking tone. "Onyx could just knock you out for the entire trip, either with medicines or her fists. I think it would be best if you two continued to work together, so I believe that Onyx will be going with you on your mission to Tel Nof, so she could knock you out if needed."

Onyx looked up from what she was doing for a moment, smiled, and mouthed the words 'I told you' at Tarentek before returning to her task. Raldel spoke again, with less humor in his voice now, but still light with kindness and wisdom. "Don't torture yourself trying to overcome a fear, you'll never heal that way. I'm not referring to your physical wounds, I mean those in your heart and soul as that's what a fear is, a wound to the soul."