Glaw

The EarthGiver [Nem & Glaw]

Ah, brilliant! I'll be working on something in response. :D

[Casual - Advanced] Hunting the Potent and the Peculiar (ignore post count)

Bump!

The EarthGiver [Nem & Glaw]

Ooohh, spooky! So let me make sure I understand: anything that is stone or gem-related in close proximity to the statue is shuddering -- or glowing if it's unable to shudder? How violently? As in, should Agatha fear for her life, or is this a subtle thing she won't notice right away?

St. John Ambulance [PlayItPerfect & Glaw]

Oh wow, moving!! I've been there, it's the most awful awful that ever awfuled. Every thought of moving out of my apartment always ends with "but then I'd have to move all my stuff" and I just stay here another year to avoid the hassle. XD But yeah, much luck to you! Have some pizza n coke and don't worry about writing. The RP will be here when life's calmed down. ;)

Just a Fairy Tale | Glaw & carsgovroom

"Liam!" Dorothea whined, wriggling pitifully even as she was handed over to Sam. She yowled dejectedly, staring after his back, though she knew that there would be plenty of opportunity to be close to him as the night progressed. There was one thing about being a cat: she could go where she pleased and no one would look twice. It horrified her to realize she was starting to think of herself as a cat.

She sighed heavily and looked up at Sam with big yellow eyes. "Isn't he amazing?" She blinked. "Don't get any funny ideas about him -- he's charming and handsome and wonderful and he's mine." Her eyes narrowed in fleeting suspicion -- Liam had been rather friendly with Sam just now -- but it didn't last. Surely Sam was completely not his type. "I don't think I have to worry about Raquelle, though," she said her sister's name like it was a vile thing, "Liam can't stand her and he never will. He has excellent taste." She laughed quietly, so very much in a better mood after spending a few hours with Liam.

"Hey, I'm sorry you're going to be stuck with her all night, but I really can't sleep in there too -- I really will claw her eyes out, and then they'll blame you and it won't be very good for anyone." She spoke logically, without the slightest hint of a joke. Of course, she assumed Liam wouldn't mind if she happened to curl up in his bed roll tonight. "You'll be all right," she continued, "just smile and nod, she'll talk herself to sleep eventually. And by the way, do you think that's the horse farm Alphonse was taking us to? You know, if you and those three dwarves got together, you could convince Liam that I'm not a cat. He might think you're crazy, but four of you would be hard to argue with." She paused, and her ears pressed back. "What were you and the Marshal talking about?"

The Marshal, meanwhile, dismounted and went to reclaim his status among the other soldiers, who he felt had become lazy under the good-natured prince's lax orders. Within a few minutes the campsite was running like clockwork: the tents were set up precisely, the supplies were set out in a simple organized fashion, and a watch perimeter was maintained in case of attack by human or otherwise.

Raquelle waited impatiently for her own tent to be built up (by her own servants, of course, for she didn't trust those soldier boys to touch her things) and she spent a good hour setting up her sleeping space -- with an extra bed roll, reluctantly, for Sam. As soon as she was finished she glided out of her tent and attached herself to Liam's side, with the purpose of soothing his worries and his weary head.

Just a Fairy Tale | Glaw & carsgovroom

Raquelle was livid -- in other words, she was holding her chin so high she could barely see over her nose. "You certainly can make her sleep in the guards' tent," she said crisply, "but I don't intend to sleep in a tent at all. Not when there's a perfectly reasonable house not fifty paces away."

"Raquelle," the Marshal snapped, "the Verinians in this area may very well be hostile --"

"I assure you they're nothing but farmers and peasants," Raquelle interrupted him. "I will go myself." She gave Samantha an appraising look. "And Samantha will go with me. Won't you like to accompany me to the farm house and beg a proper meal and a bed?"

August knew very well that Doc Jolly would probably welcome the entire caravan with open arms, given the assurances of the dwarves -- feed them and all -- but it was out of the question. He wasn't sure what, exactly, would happen if Liam were made to believe Dorothea had been turned into a cat, but the queen might just show her fangs earlier than expected. It wasn't worth the risk.

"Princess," the Marshal growled. "I forbid it. Even if those people are friendly they have no obligation to house royalty of a kingdom that is not their own! It is an act of impropriety to --"

"Marshal." Raquelle gave him a cruelly sweet smile. "I order you to shut up." She looked over at Liam, and decided she must have been defeated after all. "Ah, well, if I must sleep in a tent, there will be no room for ..." An idea occurred to her, and she looked Sam up and down. "Well, wait, sure, all right, she can share my tent. Yes, excellent! She could use some grooming, too -- and I've brought the most wonderful servants. We'll have a grand time, won't we?" She giggled, leaning toward Sam, while August stiffened with silent rage.

Just a Fairy Tale | Glaw & carsgovroom

Raquelle rode with a straight spine and a winning smile, proud of herself for finally turning Liam's mind -- it was evidence that he was noticing her, that he did care about her health after all. Dear, dear Liam! Truly, he had been secretly in love with her all along, and only Dorothea had been so adamant and cruel and sharp-tongued that he merely bent to her will. In Raquelle, however, he would find safety, kindness, comfort and beauty. She was determined to drive this point, to show him what he had been missing all those years under Dorothea's thumb.

The company bumbled down the ditched path, stumbling sometimes and rocking constantly over uneven rocks and soil, but Raquelle merely straightened her hair every five seconds and smiled on. Ahead, finally, was an open field with low fences and rock walls and whitewashed stables and a barn. At the far end of the path was a squat but reasonably wide house, its windows glowing by firelight within. It wasn't an inn.

August scanned the fields and the stables, and he snarled. "Shit, we can't be here," he hissed, and he kicked the horse forward with no warning for Sam. He brought up alongside Liam, squeezing between the prince and Raquelle, his expression grave.

"Your highness," he addressed Liam crisply. "Need I remind you that we are presently in the kingdom of Verinia, whose subjects were the cause of my and Princess Dorothea's abduction. The people here are loyal to the Verinian throne and may be hostile to our regiment -- especially in the dark we have the appearance of sieging this place."

August was almost certain this had to be Doc Jolly's horse farm -- and those three dwarves might be here or nearby. Their story combined with Sam's testament would completely destroy Narissa's plans.

Just a Fairy Tale | Glaw & carsgovroom

August didn't bother looking up to know whom she was talking about. "That's Princess Raquelle," he said in a flat voice. "Narissa's daughter and Dorothea's half-sister. I don't know how much she knows -- we should probably keep an eye on her." He hadn't expected Raquelle to be among Liam's party, but he supposed it made sense -- especially if she was aware of her mother's goals. He doubted Raquelle had been trusted to play any important part in Narissa's goals, however -- the princess was far too flighty. "Part of getting Dorothea out of the way was to force Liam to marry Raquelle, thus giving Narissa a direct line of power to both Eldonia and Itelia. Raquelle herself is notoriously lacking in just about every social skill."

"Oh, Liam!" Raquelle was halfway standing up in her side-saddle, precariously balanced among her flowing skirts, and she pointed into the woods. "There's a path just there -- do you see it? I spotted it not five minutes ago, just there by that knotty old tree. I think I see wagon ruts. That means there must be some kind of dwelling on the other end of that path, right? The wagons have to go somewhere." She smiled, extremely proud of her logic, and she bit her knuckle in excitement. "Maybe there's an inn! Oh, let's go down that little road for awhile, and see if someone there will give us beds and hot soup. You look weary and irritable, dear Liam, you could use a better rest than a tent could afford you." She brought her horse close to Liam's, and she leaned forward to look into his face worriedly, while Dorothea stiffened and contemplated how many times she could sink her claws into Raquelle's pretty face before Liam could stop her.

Just a Fairy Tale | Glaw & carsgovroom

August was quiet a moment, listening to the soft clop of hooves on the only safe passage through the forest. He tried not to think of how comforting it was to feel Sam against him and unafraid, to have someone to confide in -- he felt relaxed for the first time in years. "Keep talking like that and I might start to think you cared." His smirk was small and fleeting -- and then he had an idea.

"The queen of Verinia." It dawned on him while he watched the princess Raquelle making sweet hollow smiles at Prince Liam. August laid his hand on Sam's arm for her attention, and he turned his head, brows furrowed. "Narissa is trying to start a war with Verinia -- her sister's kingdom -- there's got to be bad blood between them, right? If the Verinian queen were in on this plan, she would've kidnapped Dorothea herself and had an actual reason for war, instead of relying on me to convince Liam to believe a lie. No, I don't think the queen of Verinia knows what Narissa's up to -- and she sounds like a powerful ally, don't you think? Maybe as powerful as Narissa herself, if power runs in the family. She'll know Narissa better than I ever could -- maybe even the way to defeat her."

His grin turned a bit dangerous, but he remained guarded -- there was a chance this could backfire severely. "She has every reason to ignore whatever I say -- but she might trust you. What do you think, Otherworlder?"

Just a Fairy Tale | Glaw & carsgovroom

August was quiet while she spoke, and he kept his expression carefully neutral, staring out at the trees beyond the road. Her quiet voice sank in, and he was uncomfortable and warm and confused -- until she finished, pressed close against him, essentially calling him a fool.

For a moment he scowled, while something dark bubbled up out of his memories -- the look on his comrades' faces when he struck them down for the sake of appearances, for the sake of taking Dorothea alive. There was blood on his hands that would never wash away. He sighed wearily, glanced back at Sam, and he gave her a small but honest (if saddened) smile. "So what you're saying is I'm a victim of my own ego. Don't need anyone else, I can save us all alone, is that it?" He paused a moment -- then snerked as a thought came to him. "You make it sound like I'm playing the martyr." He paused again, and groaned quietly. "I am, aren't I? Hell. But hey, it's not that simple. You tell me I should trust people, but who would you trust? The queen could have got into the heads of everyone here, and one false word from me could send my head rolling. So all I've got to trust in is you." He flashed her another smile, a bit kinder. "Are you saying that's not enough?"

While Raquelle sat with a prim frown and a puffed chest, Dorothea stuck her tongue out at her half-sister and proceeded to bask in Liam's attentions.

"I'm sure you're right," Raquelle said prettily, with a smile to match. "The poor dear has had such a trial. Did the Marshal say why he was captured? And how did those Verinian bandits know about my dear sister's capture? Why, they were on the opposite side of the kingdom! You don't think they were involved, do you?" It was becoming apparent that the Marshal was going to be preoccupied -- and though Raquelle had heard only very little of her mother's plans, she knew enough to be aware that war with Verinia was a very good idea indeed.