Time: Morning Location: Forest; Near Gaurav Village Interactions: Viola@13org, Phia@princess, Darius @FunnyGuy, Dante @Alivefalling Equipment: A pack with some supplies, seeds (in his pockets), a small knife, a mask that hangs from his belt, a weapon with a shifting charm that is either a sickle or a glaive, and a shield/drum with an unbreakable charm.
The Roc was not dissuaded. Even as Viola added the thorny vines of her Blood Rose to the frey it seemed only a minor annoyance to the massive bird. As vines and branches reached for the creature's limbs, it let out a cry that left Cyrus, and likely everyone else nearby disoriented from the sheer force of the sound. So he wasn’t sure exactly when others showed up, but a pair of what he assumed, by their shape and lack of wings, to be a couple of very fit elves, managed to hurl a large rock at the bird’s chest. He had no clue how they’d managed that feat but Cyrus was thankful for it as it quieted the Roc. From what he could hear, these elves knew Phia, and the group now had a bit more help.
Then the winds picked up. Gales with force stronger than any storm he’d ever seen snapped at the trees and sent them flying all about. The Roc then began swooping at the trees, clearing away at the coverage that kept them all protected from any direct attacks from the mighty bird. Phia took off to speak with the Roc, to attempt to encourage it to seek food elsewhere. With the increase in the Roc’s aggression, it seemed like the smart move would be to try and outmaneuver the beast, to keep moving towards the deepest parts of the forests until the Roc could no longer find them. But that was his sister’s plan, and he understood her need to protect her village and anyone else who might be in the forest as well. Phia was so much braver than the child he once remembered who had been afraid to fly too high.
So Cyrus lifted his arms and pulled every shattered bit of the trees towards himself. With the winds that the Roc was producing even the smallest twig was difficult to accurately control. Wooden shrapnel tore at his skin, and his light clothing provided little protection against any of it. Several lacerations littered his body, but nothing so devastating to draw his focus away from what he was doing. Shaped almost like a wave, a wall of shattered trees now stood, covering them from front and above. The winds the Roc produced constantly tried to blow apart the fragile shield, but Cyrus kept pulling it back together.
He looked at the pair of elves that had joined them and nodded for them to take coverage with him and Viola, but Cyrus did not dare move his hands or try and shout. Every bit of his focus remained on his will, on keeping control of the bits of trees he held with that will, and on the Roc. Cyrus did not wish to harm the Roc, but if the creature moved to harm Phia he was prepared to fling every bit of wooden shrapnel he held back at the bird. He had not found his sister just to lose her again. There were no actions he would not take if it meant keeping what remained of his family alive. Cyrus knew without asking, without looking toward Viola, that she would do the same. That was what family did; protect each other no matter the cost.
Time: Morning Location: Southwest of Roshmi City Interactions: Rue@Potter, Bardulf@Lava Alckon, Bridgette@Tae, Mister Luum@FunnyGuy, and Zeva@Pink Khione Equipment:Sword, hunting knife, a backpack with supplies, and a stoat named Raze who naps in the pocket of his vest.
Finally, Mister Luum stepped up. The light elf seemed to barely break a sweat as he seared off half the owlbear’s face with a concentrated blast of light that, even without looking directly at it, left Bowyn seeing spots and his eyes stinging from the intensity. He stayed alert, they had made a lot of noise, if there were more owlbears in the area they could be on their way. Bardulf was smart to want to leave. Even though that would be the smart move, Bowyn found it difficult to just leave the owlbear carcass behind.
“Owlbear carcass equals a hefty handful of amas.” Bowyn remarked, his eyes studying the carcass. “Of course someone went and ruined a good bit of meat and hide.” He added glancing at Mister Luum. Bowyn’s mind raced thinking about exactly how much usable meat was left. Hide too, plenty of that could still be used, and the bones were perfectly fine.
He wondered how much weight a pegasus could pull because it really would be a shame just to leave all this to rot in the open. To be wasteful like that, to kill an animal and not even use any part of it; was not something a fairy was supposed to do. To just let useful meat or potential amas be left behind, for someone who’d spent his whole life surviving on scraps, just went against his every instinct. But with the human, whose safety had to be his first thought, it all seemed to amount to too high of a risk to justify it.
Bowyn only sighed and started to follow Bardulf, he was just going to have to do yet another thing a fairy wasn’t supposed to do and hope it all balanced out in the end. “You did well Bardulf. Nothin’ to apologize for.” He gave the human a rare compliment, Bardulf had fought without exposing himself to unnecessary risk, and Bowyn liked that. It would not serve their cause to lose their human to an animal attack. Bardulf was needed for fights far more important.
Leo, despite attempts to keep a neutral expression, held a glare in his eyes as Riona served the big cat while his glass remained empty. The chair incident could have been written off as incompetence, but this, like her actions this morning, was clearly deliberate. Once again the question of why dragged its way across his mind like nails scraping down a chalkboard. Additionally irritating because such a mystery was hardly worth his time. With curiosity killing him as if he were the metaphorical cat and satisfaction remaining out of reach, he intended to simply snap his fingers and glance at the empty glass but the Sultan rectified the situation almost immediately.
Now about half the table seemed to argue about who was to say grace and the Sultan gave the final word on this as well. This entire dinner did much to show how grand a leader the Sultan was as his words effortlessly held commands. As Shehzadi Layla sent her cobra to frighten Charlotte, the Sultan quickly banished his own daughter. There was no preferential treatment at the Sultan's table; family and guests alike were simply judged by the respect they showed. This was a good sign.
"...I'm uncertain if I can endure this... Should I excuse myself momentarily or would that make it worse?"
Leaving would be a mistake; a predator is bound to pounce the moment it sees weakness in its prey; this was not the place to be seen as easy prey. So when he heard Riona speak to Charlotte he’d just barely managed to stop an eye roll at what he deemed to be ruinous advice. Leo had waited until Sultan Raif had finished speaking before answering her.
“I am certain that you can handle just about anything. You have shouldered worse and carried it with grace. The only person you need to win over tonight is the Sultan, and you are doing that.” Leo spoke in a whisper, leaning just close enough to Charlotte to be easily heard and with absolute certainty as if he were merely confirming the color of the sky.
Then came Lorenzo’s speech.
“Ahem. Raif, I humbly apologize for the sidebar conversation and for making you wait on your well-prepared feast,”
Leo gave a quiet breath of relief as Duke Lorenzo graciously offered a respectful apology.
“but,”
Oh no. In a feat that Leo was almost sure only Lorenzo could accomplish he earnestly rejected Mayet’s, entirely imagined on Lorenzo’s end, romantic interest in a way that was respectful in its words but outright insulting by its implications. The poor Duke continued with a very well-said grace, and Leo bowed his head respectfully while using the opportunity to gently reach for Lottie’s hand to hold as the meal’s grace was said. He also knew Mayet’s fiery response would be heard shortly. Nothing he’d seen so far suggested she’d just forgive and forget such a thing for the sake of a nice dinner.
“Shehzadi Mayet,” Leo bowed his head when he spoke her name, “might I ask, what I assume every Northerner must be thinking; how did you manage to gain such perfect trust with the radiant Nala.” Leo was absolutely sure of two things; that anyone with a pet, especially one that demand the sort of attention a tiger did, enjoyed speaking about their pet, and that the tale of how a bond was formed between a royal and tiger would be a more pleasant dinner conversation than anything else so far.
He went to drink from his glass and found only a meager sip of wine there. Riddiculous. Riona was quickly becoming more than a minor annoyance. He suspected this was some sort of ploy to make him look like a drunkard who needed his glass constantly refilled. Well, Leo was not going to be outsmarted by a servant so useless they could not even fill a glass. He elected to wait an appropriate amount of time before signaling for a different servant to refill his glass. A refill would be requested by a glance and gesture toward the glass, possibly a finger snap if needed to secure their attention, but without words. There were people far more worthy of his attention in the room after all.
Time: Breakfast time! Location: River Port; Malachi’s mom’s house Interactions: Malachi@princess, Jun@JJ Doe, Enstille@GingerBobOh, Kenia@Tae Equipment: A halberd, (always with him) hunting knife, and half-plate armor (left in the room).
If there was a more beautiful combination of words other than ‘meat and eggs’ then Zion struggled to think of it. But breakfast was being further delayed by the commotion of the others, so against feline instinct he ignored the food, and its enticing aroma, for now.
Jun persisted with his ill-advised escape attempts. What the little guy, who hardly looked like he’d survive an arm wrestling match, thought he was going to do alone against the dark elves baffled the lion, but the fact that Jun kept trying told him enough about the man. Jun was not quick to give up, even when his cause seemed fruitless, one day he would make a fine warrior. Zion was sure of it, and once a cat’s mind was set that was that.
Zion was then treated to the sight of the human trying to escape while being trapped inside a glass sphere, like some sort of confused hampster. Enstille too had started the day practicing his own abilities, and now they all got to watch a spectacular magic show. Then the sphere popped as a knock was heard from the front door. Zion clapped for the display Enstille had put on while Malachi chased Jun down with a water-filled spray bottle. Zion immediately felt bad for the poor human and the likely confused elven woman who now stood at the door with her basket of treats that had been knocked to the ground by Jun. Zion leaned his halberd against the wall and made his way toward the front door.
“Malachi, you are too hard on the man. Look at him, practicing his stealth first thing in the morning. Wonderful dedication Jun, I barely even heard a floorboard creak.” Zion gave a nod of approval, stealth was a wise choice for the small human. His attention then turned to the newcomer, who he studied for a quick second before offering a wave in greeting.
“Please excuse Malachi, he is a grumpy old elf, that is probably why such lovely company avoids him.” Zion flashed his teeth as he bowed his head to the female elf at the door before walking outside to help gather up the spilled bread and pastries she had brought. Zion was glad Jun had not harmed the real food.
“Welcome and apologies for our clumsy friend here, I am Zion. What brings you to our door?” He asked as he, awkwardly, tried to brush the dirt from treats he’d picked up off the ground before placing them back into their basket.
Time: Morning Location: Forest; Near Guava Village Interactions: Viola@13org, Phia@princess Equipment: A pack with some supplies, seeds (in his pockets), a small knife, a mask that hangs from his belt, a weapon with a shifting charm that is either a sickle or a glaive, and a shield/drum with an unbreakable charm.
"Perhaps we check at Riverbloom too…”
Cyrus shook his head at this suggestion. “It would be unwise for us to return to The River Fairy Kingdom in its current state.” He said and Phia seemed willing to lead them to her village and her questions continued as they walked. He wondered if Phia was happy living so far removed from her people and what sort of folks resided in her village if not fairies. He didn't ask, they would be there soon enough.
“Alive and well, that is something.” He spoke in a quiet voice to Viola and glanced toward Phia as she continued her questioning. The memory loss was unexpected but Ophelia was alive, it seemed even living happily, which meant one lost sibling was at least accounted for and doing well. This was a small joy he hoped they could both share.
"Could you tell me more about your siblings? ...Where did you last see them?"
An uncomfortable question, one he wasn’t sure how to answer without knowing how much Phia knew. The unmistakable cry of a Roc in pursuit of prey cut through the quiet forest, and to hear it this close was enough to leave Cyrus’s ears ringing from the intensity of it. While the appearance of a Roc had saved him from trying to answer uncomfortable questions, it seemed that was the only favor the big bird would be doing for them.
The wind suddenly picked up, and mighty gusts were generated by the Roc’s massive wings as their flapping pushed through the treetops and an enormous shadow covered the ground. Cyrus could see the massive bird of prey that flew above them. Her talons gripped and crushed a tree trunk before hurling a treetop down at them.
Cyrus moved quickly, jumping out of the way of the falling mass of leaves and branches, his wings flapping to make use of the momentum and kept him upright. He took cover near a tree as he reached with his magic towards the remaining treetops near the Roc. Branches twisted and moved, reaching out toward the bird’s feet, attempting to grab at and entangle them.
To Cyrus, the best outcome would be for the bird to simply realize the prey it had chosen was not worth the effort, for it fly off and seek something else to hunt. It seemed worth a try, luck had been in his favor recently, and he did not wish to harm such a magnificent creature if there was any other way.
Time: Morning Location: Forest; Near Guava Village Interactions: Viola@13org, Phia@princess Equipment: A pack with some supplies, seeds (in his pockets), a small knife, a mask that hangs from his belt, a weapon with a shifting charm that is either a sickle or a glaive, and a shield/drum with an unbreakable charm.
“It is wonderful to meet you too, Phia.” Cyrus smiled as he spoke and hugged Phia back. Cyrus always tried to hug people in the same way his mother always had, with the whole heart, in a way that let others know that they were loved. So he’d hugged Phia tighter than he’d meant to, holding on for an extra second as if it could make up for all the lost years, which was probably strange for someone who did not recognize him as family.
Phia seemed so much like the Ophelia he remembered, still kind enough to offer to help strangers she’d met in the woods, full of life and exuberance, he hoped that meant the world had been kind to her since they’d last seen her. When she asked for descriptions of those they searched for he thought about his answer for a moment. He could not simply stand here and describe Ophelia to herself. If Ophelia forgot who she was there was likely a reason for that, it felt unwise to force such a revelation here and now; damage to the mind was so much harder to heal than the body.
“It has been many years since we’ve seen any of our other siblings. I could describe them as they once were, as children, but time would’ve changed much of that. But time does not change the bonds, and we will know them when we find them.” Cyrus spoke confidently but kept his details vague. Without thought, his hand reached up and patted the hand Phia had placed on his shoulder. Viola could add in more details if she wanted to but it seemed unnecessary; the hands of fate seemed already working to guide their shattered family back together.
He noticed the amulet that hung around Phia’s neck, the Millinia family crest, but he did not comment on it. The fact that she wore it so openly told him that either the village she stayed at had no knowledge of their family or they knew and accepted her anyway. It would be a safe place to go. The village seemed a better option, someone there would have a better idea of what had happened and more information would be beneficial. Or at the very least, the truth could be spoken of in a place Phia found safe and familiar.
“Instead, maybe we could help you find your back to your village, maybe someone there knows something that could help us.” He offered, gesturing to the south as she had indicated earlier. He looked over at Viola, “What do you think? A worthy detour?” He asked, wishing he could speak more freely, to ask the sorts of questions that would better help him understand Viola’s thoughts and feelings at this moment. All he’d gotten was the brief glimpse of pain that had washed over the blank expression Viola normally wore when Phia had not recognized them. He would need to find the right moment to ask her about how they should handle the situation without being overheard.
Time: Morning Location: Southwest of Roshmi City Interactions: Rue@Potter, Bardulf@Lava Alckon, Bridgette@Tae, Mister Luum@FunnyGuy, and Zeva@Pink Khione Equipment:Sword, hunting knife, a backpack with supplies, and a stoat named Raze who naps in the pocket of his vest.
As much as Bowyn hated to admit it, Mister Luum did have a point; fending off an owlbear was good training for Baldurf. A real fight was better experience than training or sparing and soon the human would be encountering things far more dangerous than an owlbear. He wasn’t going to admit it aloud though, and Mister Luum’s brief glimmer of capable leadership dissolved as the elf began rambling about his missing staff. Was this really the best the elves could come up with to be in charge of the human?
“You got this, but we have your back.” He offered to Bardulf because now, Luum was off to the side taking a call on his transmission bracelet.
Bardulf seemed to freeze for just a second, and they were fortunate that Rue had set up the ice barrier; it bought a few moments for the human to be ready as the vicious owlbear shattered through the wall of melting ice. The human launched his attack landing a few blows before jumping from the bear to behind Rue.
“I’ll have a go!” The strange elf who caused all of this now graciously offered to help.
“Well you did bring it here.” Bowyn muttered, but at least she was helping, even managing to blind the owlbear some. Which was more than Luum was doing at the moment, but then she proceed to taunt the angry and injured owlbear. Bowyn found this to be tacky, it was just a dumb angry bear after all.
Bowyn knelt down, one hand resting on the ground, his focus now set on the owlbear and his magic. Ice formed beneath his hand; the grass and dirt quickly froze and spread out from where his hand rested in a direct path toward the briefly blinded owlbear. The line of ice moved quickly, stopping its forward movement once it was directly beneath the owlbear’s paws. The ice moved swiftly upwards, sticking to the fur, wrapping around the owlbear’s feet, and making its way into the flesh. There was a distressed roar as the owlbear struggled to free itself, knocking one leg free but the ice held strong against the other leg as it worked its way up to the owlbear’s stifle and held the leg in place. Bowyns hand dug into the frozen earth, tightening the ice’s grip around the lower half of the owlbears leg as the ice began to crack.
“Someone should put this beast down.” By someone, Bowyn mostly meant Bardulf but it then occurred to him that maybe the human showing off his powers in front of a strange elf wouldn’t be the best plan. Another cry came from the owlbear as it finally tore its frostbitten leg free.
Leo sat back in his chair briefly disappointed that Duke Lorenzo had not just accepted his offer. A couple of people acting as a buffer between The Grand Vizier and the Duke could only be a benefit, but instead, Hafiz graciously let the whole ridiculous chair situation go and ended up sitting between Charlotte and the Duke. Great, now maybe they could all finally eat soon.
"Well said, Lord Smithwood. You are very intelligent. I am impressed."
And just like that, a day that had started out not so great reached a peak that could not be tarnished. Praise, from the Sultan himself, left Leo momentarily dumbstruck as he stared at the red tablecloth for a moment. Mayet too, had seemed to approve of his attempt to aid the whole situation. He hoped this would help make it easier for him and Charlotte to speak with the Shehzadi about last night's party later, a bit of good will certainly couldn’t hurt.
He had smiled at Charlotte after she’d spoken up to defend Lorenzo and mouthed a “well said” her way. The near debacle almost seemed over, until Duke Lorenzo spoke again, now gloating in a thinly veiled manner about how the Grand Vizier was again in second place. Leo knew very little about Hafiz but even he could tell those were dangerous waters. Auguste at least tried to cover the comment up as the Prince told of lessons of good sportsmanship learned in tournaments. The Sultan, truly a wise man, declared it time to eat and hopefully, that would sweep Lorenzo’s comment under the rug.
The food was brought out, the heavenly smell only intensified as everything was set upon the table. He waited patiently until the royals around the table had been served first. He discreetly studied the way the Alidasht guests ate and copied them, not waiting to move too hastily and stumble upon any sort of cultural faux pas. Seeing as how he was here as the guest of a guest, and mostly surrounded by royalty, Leo stayed quiet and simply waited for someone else to lead the conversation. The variety of new foods was more than enough to hold his attention.
Time: Morning Location: Forest; Near Guava Village Interactions: Viola@13org, Phia@princess Equipment: A pack with some supplies, seeds (in his pockets), a small knife, a mask that hangs from his belt, a weapon with a shifting charm that is either a sickle or a glaive, and a shield/drum with an unbreakable charm.
"Waiting for a rescue that never came."
Cyrus said nothing, the movement of vines went unnoticed as his head hung lower as if to study the blades of grass near his feet. The quiet voice in the back of his head whispered; reminding him that he had done nothing to help his sister. What good was there in helping others if he was the sort of man that had neglected those closest to him?
The sound of beating wings echoed through the forest as something moved towards them. One hand gripped the shield and the other rested against the mask hanging his belt. The other sounds of the forest carried on unbothered, there was no change in the chirps of nearby birds, nothing quieted or shifted in a way that warned of danger, and the air remained calm. So Cyrus relaxed again as well; if the forest did not consider what neared a threat, then neither did he.
“You are right, that home is gone from that place.” Cyrus spoke but just as he could not think of his unaccounted-for siblings as truly gone until he found proof, home would always linger as a place that might still exist until he saw it once more. Today was just not the day for it. “But home was more than just a place, and you are part of what made that place home so, for me, it is not entirely gone.” He offered his own perspective as his eyes traveled towards the nearing sound of wings.
It was a fairy who landed before them, twirling a staff and speaking with authority. "Halt!” The familiar fairy ordered, and Cyrus instinctively smiled the way an older sibling would when being given an order by a younger one.
Ophelia? Cyrus blinked as if he was seeing something that wasn’t really there and was trying to erase the mirage. But the fairy remained.
"Hello! ...You are trespassing in dangerous territory. If you continue south, you'll find yourselves in the midst of a hostile village. And trust me, you don't want to mess with them. You must state your business."
Ophelia, as bold and goofy as she’d ever been, slammed her staff into the ground. "Now!"
“You are not happy to see us?” Cyrus half stated, half asked as he tried to understand the not-entirely friendly greeting. He moved closer, there was no recognition in her eyes, Ophelia looked at them as if they were strangers. Or you have forgotten us? He wondered. Even Viola, with all she’d been through, had recognized him and Ophelia had not been so much younger that forgetting would’ve been easy. So what had this sister been through? “We search for lost family.” Cyrus offered a vague and cautious answer until he could better understand what was going on with Ophelia.
“And we are not trespassing, the forest belongs to everyone.” He added and extended a hand towards Ophelia. “Cyrus.” He introduced himself, searching for any hint of recognition from his younger sister.
Time: Breakfast time! Location: River Port; Malachi’s mom’s house Interactions: Malachi @princess Equipment: A halberd(always with him), and half-plate armor (left in the room).
The mighty lion was deep in slumber. He slept through the bright pink rays of the sun that draped over his face. He slept through the cries of gulls that flew outside. He slept through every sound that echoed through the home in River Port.
Zion was an exceptional sleeper, few things could rouse the resting lion. Including Malachi’s banging on the walls.
But the hungry stomach growled as the scent of food reached his nose; that was more than enough to seize Zion’s attention. His eyes shot open as a singular thought held his attention; breakfast time. He was dressed, caring his halberd, which was always within reach, and bonding down the stairs. He learned several days ago that Malachi very much disapproved of naked lions scavaging about the kitchen and was sure not to repeat the mistake.
His stomach growled again and the anticipation of breakfast left his tail swishing about with excitement. He nearly ran right into Malachi on his way toward the kitchen.
“Mighty Malachi! Glorious morning to you, are we ready to feast!” The lion's voice boomed louder than necessary, and a bright toothy smile spread across his face. He looked around, the others did not appear ready to report for breakfast. “Waky waky, eggs and bakey.” Once again his voice echoed through the house. Zion nodded at Malachi, helping him to rouse the others for the day’s most important meal.
“What’s for breakfast, sir?” He asked, his voice now a more reasonable volume, tail still twitching with excitement, as he sniffed at the air. The scents of freshly cooked food tickled his flared nostrils and again his stomach growled; the stomach was even less quiet than the lion.
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