Pascal

Adelon: Steeling the Faith [Open!]

Adrianna saw Ethan’s face light up at the mention of the meads that the pub had to offer, as well as Nymira’s death glare towards him immediately after. Her brows furrowed in confusion, but she didn’t inquire about it. This group had been traveling together for quite a while (at least she assumed) and they clearly knew each other well. Besides, Ethan was an adult…at least, he looked like he was probably an adult. If he wanted to have a drink, that was his prerogative, and if he chose to listen to Nymira, that was his choice as well.

They made their way to a place Kensen had picked out. Adrianna had been there a few times, but the guy who was usually in charge of cooking occasionally set the food on fire and left everything blackened. Fortunately, he wasn’t the one cooking this time, which meant there was a chance that the food would be decent. “Depends on the kind of meat you like.” Adrianna replied. “I’m a fan of venison, so I would go for that. It is rich, and much leaner. I don’t care much for fat.” The loins would be quite expensive, because the cut was so good, but the steak was a fair enough price usually. The stew meat and roast cuts had already been sold off to make stew with one of the other vendors no doubt, but there were some ribs and the osso buco cuts of the venison, along with some beef, poultry, rabbit, squirrel, and other animals.

She picked out a smaller cut of venison steak for herself, since he was treating and she wasn’t terribly hungry anyway. “Why don’t you try some of my venison, and then pick out some beef for yourself, so you get to try both?” She offered, gesturing to the prime rib cut. “That one would be good, it is very tender, and works well over dry-heat like this.” She explained. Of course, he could get whatever he wanted, but she was happy to offer her opinion since it was requested.

While Ethan was still deciding, though, Nymira began to complain about laziness. “I’m sorry?” Adrianna asked, confused for a moment whether the woman was even speaking to her. “I am not sure that I understand what you mean by calling these people lazy.” Adrianna replied. “I would say that they are efficient, in most respects.” She imagined that the woman was complaining because they had someone else cooking their meat, but that was ridiculous. It was good to have specialists. Otherwise, everyone would end up being mediocre at everything. She agreed that there were problems with the Church’s control, but trying to break everyone apart and make them fend for themselves would make them all weaker as individuals.

Adelon: Steeling the Faith [Open!]

I guess that makes sense. I was thinking more that because Cecil is a Machina, he might have faster processing than humans, and would be able to come to a resolution more quickly. No worries!

Adelon: Steeling the Faith [Open!]

Adrianna quickly caught up with the group when beckoned, and raised her brows at the offer to have food bought for her by the group. She could certainly pay for herself, but she appreciated the gesture all the same. She had heard the tail end of Kensen saying he had a place in mind, but as Ethan asked her as well for good places in Mutebo, she tilted her head a little. “To eat?” She asked. Ethan looks at her a bit strangely and confirms that of course he was asking for places to eat.

“Sure, there are definitely a few places that I think give you a good amount for what you pay.” She said. Kensen already had a place in mind for now, but since they would be here for a few days. “An older man named Octonion has a food cart with meat and some fresh vegetables put on a stick and roasted. It tastes pretty great. I tend to be wary of stews because you never quite know what was put in them to make the stock, so I like that you can see exactly what you are getting. The mead at The Steep Archer is a staple worth trying. Their mulled mead is flavored with some fruits and spies, and then warmed by shoving a hot poker from the fireplace into it.” She gestured off in the direction of the building. Jerard had taken her there as a thanks for healing him, and though she had only been back a few times to try different meads, they were all fantastic.

Ethan then introduced some of the group, including the Dimuran she had thought was in charge initially, Nymira, who he described as difficult. Adrianna frowned slightly, wondering why she wouldn’t be able to talk to the woman. They had spoken fine the first time, and she wasn’t sure what had changed. “Yes, Amune introduced herself to me when we met at Norman’s before.” Adrianna recalled. She had frightened the girl by acknowledging the girl’s magic, and her over-exertion. “I could always just call you all, ‘Hey, you!’” She said, chuckling lightly. Adrianna glanced over to Kensen, trying to recall if she had gotten his name already, but figured she would just ask when she desperately needed it, or avoid using his name at all. Wasn’t there another man in their group as well? She thought she remembered seeing another when she first met up with them.

Adrianna’s polite smile fell when Ethan mentioned her being from the Church once more, and having thought it was a joke. “I was born in a city where the Church still has a strong influence, yes.” Adrianna replied. Saying she was from the Church sounded like she worked for them. Okay, well, she did work for them, but it sounded like she…actively created their doctrine and supported the practice of harming those with magic. Ethan seemed to get over whatever dark thoughts he was having, declaring that the past was best left behind them. “I suppose so.” She replied.

As they continued on their way to the food joint Kensen had picked out, Adrianna spoke up once more to Ethan. “When you asked about other places, I thought you meant just like…other shops and things. There is a neat training area if you are interested in practicing melee attacks.” Adrianna didn’t know that they were getting more formal training from professionals, and was just trying to be helpful. Someone had re-routed some trees whose branches were all removed, apart from a few that were strategically there to represent arms to practice attacks. The split bo staff she used in the area still swung on either hip. “There are some wood mages I know who fix it when it is broken, mostly by some people who practice their magic over there as well.” It wasn’t used by the guards and Taliya’s fighters so much as whoever else wanted to make sure they could defend themselves. No place was truly safe, after all.

Adelon: Steeling the Faith [Open!]

@Mogtaki I hear you. I mean, I've read all of Cecil's thoughts for the last few months, so I get why he is depressed. I guess my question was more about resolving some of those problems. Did you have character development things in mind for helping him overcome these problems that we (me, Vena, Shy) can help with. I'm not trying to be rude, but his internal thoughts are really repetitive, and I was wondering if there were plans in motion for helping him get out of that rut, so to speak.

Adelon: Steeling the Faith [Open!]

@Mogtaki hey mog, I know Cecil has been going through a rough patch, but I've been trying to figure out what character development you are hoping for though this internal battle of his. Is there supposed to be an Ah ha! moment that he has after a certain interaction? He has been in a rut for a while and I would love to help you turn the gears on getting him to a better place where he is ready to continue to adventure!

Adelon: Steeling the Faith [Open!]

Adrianna was a bit surprised by the haughty attitude Nymira displayed at the request. She hadn’t really seen too much of that before, and she stared in shock for a few moments before she recovered enough to reply. “I…No. I was simply suggesting that if you were going in the same direction, I could travel with your group.” There was safety in numbers, except for when one wanted to backstab the others. Nymira brought up the Church, and Adrianna grew pale. What the… How had she known about that? Of course, even as the question occurred to her, she knew it was Lionel. A simple punch in the face was going easy on him. How many people had he told, and how had that even come up? She couldn’t imagine any conversations from which “Oh yea, that healer guy used to work for the Church,” would have arisen naturally. He was doing this just to screw with her life.

For that reason alone, Adrianna was willing to leave the group. People with mouths as big as this weren’t safe, and it was better to travel alone. Of course, the fact that Nymira was refusing her request was another reason that she knew it was better to simply depart. “Fine then.” It was no use reminding the woman that Taliya suggested this. Clearly, the woman didn’t care.

She was already turning to walk away when Ethan came over and began to recount other people who had traveled with them. Adrianna couldn’t help but wonder what had happened to those other individuals. Had they all died? It wasn’t exactly a reassuring thought. Then again, perhaps they just went their own ways, like she planned to. Adrianna didn’t entirely understand why Ethan was suggesting he was let capable of navigating himself, but she really didn’t know him well yet. The Dimuran, however, seemed to catch his reference, and looked rather grumpy about the whole affair.

Despite Adrianna saying they could take their time and talk it over, Ethan extended a hand immediately, telling her that they would be staying in town a few days for training. Adrianna wasn’t entirely sure she wanted to travel with this group anymore. Who knows what Lionel had told them, and the Dimuran seemed rather upset about the whole thing, not to mention that it hadn’t been discussed with the rest of their group. “ummm Okay.” Adrianna took his hand and shook it briefly. He was about to say that he didn’t mind waiting, and ask what exactly they were training for, but Nymira interrupted and pulled Ethan away.

Adrianna stayed in her spot for a few moments, wondering if she was supposed to follow along. She didn’t need training, but she didn’t know where and when she was to meet them later…and frankly she didn’t have anything else better to do either. If they wanted her gone, Adrianna was pretty sure that Nymira would say as much. Initially, Adrianna thought that the woman was… stubborn, but perhaps the leader of the group. Now, she was beginning to think that the Dimuran was bitter and more than a little negative. Just before the group disappeared from sight, Adrianna picked up her step and followed them. She had traveled with strange folks before, and she knew the hard way that they weren’t going to slow down or accommodate her. She kept up, or was left behind.

Adelon: Steeling the Faith [Open!]

Adrianna had gotten towards the more common areas before she realized what, or rather, who, she had stormed past in her effort to get outside and get fresh air. Standing outside of one of the other rooms in Taliya’s building was two of the men who had been with the group Taliya recommended she contact. She had walked right past them. She rubbed the bridge of her nose when she came to a stop. She shouldn’t have let her emotions get in the way. If she had been paying attention, she could have gone straight to them. Instead, she had stormed off with a temper tantrum.

Fortunately, as she made her way back towards the building, Lionel was gone, and so she wouldn’t have to take a stab at a comeback. He wasn’t worth the breath, even though quite a few things had come to mind when her called it a love tap. Love was the last thing on her mind, and if he considered that to be affection, then perhaps that was why he came across as such an obnoxious prick.

No. stop. Don’t waste your energy.

The group was just exiting the room where the two men had been standing outside, and were coming towards her. As she approached, she realized that she probably should have tried to figure out which of them was the leader. It didn’t seem to be the ones who had ignored her (and them for the most part) and were waiting outside, so she looked to the Dimuran woman who hadn’t wanted her healing. They had interacted the most of the group, and Adrianna was pretty sure the kid wasn’t the leader.

“Hey, uh…” Adrianna realized that she didn’t have their names, apart from the kid, and frowned slightly. That would have been another great question for Taliya, had she been thinking clearly. Stop blaming Lionel and move on.

Adrianna turned to the side and began to walk along-side Nymira. “I can walk with you guys, I don’t want to hold you up. Taliya suggested I talk to you guys about traveling. I’m making my way towards Midkemia.” She looked among them to gauge the recognition on their faces. “It’s… not a nicest vacation destination, but if you were going that way as well, I was hoping that I could tag along for some of the travel. There’s a bit of safety in numbers, even if you aren’t keen on going all the way…I wasn’t sure where you all were headed, and Taliya didn’t say—just that you all were traveling as well.”

“Anyway, I…uhh…don’t need an answer now, if you all want to talk it over or whatever. But I can take care of my own rations, do a shift on watch—“ She glanced over at the Machina, they probably didn’t need anyone taking shifts on watch. How relaxing that was. “I’ve heard you guys have gotten into some trouble with the church, and I don’t know much about Machina, but I am pretty good at patching people up.” Adrianna smiled. Knowing she had talked enough, Adrianna grew quiet, waiting for someone to tell her no immediately, or that they would discuss it as a group and let her know. If she couldn’t get them, perhaps she could work for a bit of time as a healer for some bandits in exchange for an escort. Bandits, mercenaries, idiots…any of them would do, really.

Adelon: Steeling the Faith [Open!]

Hey @Mogtaki, does Cecil actually walk off, or is he more waiting for permission to go? I planned to have Adrianna come up to the group, but I don't want to miss-read the end part.
Thanks!

Adelon: Steeling the Faith [Open!]

Lionel began to tell Adrianna how much he knew about Midkemia, or rather, he boasted about knowing things without really telling her anything of use. Adrianna’s jaw clenched as he walked around her, and suddenly she found herself realizing that there was no way this man was simply a healer who had worked for the church. He was much to prideful. He much have had some sort of title among them. Was he a hunter? She doubted it. He seemed far too easily distracted for such a task. Perhaps an Acolyte? Some of them could be really uppity.

“I know a bit.” Adrianna said. Lionel told her that she would need gold. She could get that. Healing people, with magic or not, was a profitable job. She could make whatever she needed to secure passage to most places. Even savage cut-throats got hurt sometimes. Taliya chimed in, and told her to bring people, preferably scary looking ones, eliciting a scoff from Adrianna. She wasn’t going to hire bodyguards to get her in to Midkemia. So what if the place was like a giant prison? For all she knew, Finneas was in an actual prison in Midkemia. She hoped that he wasn’t. If he was free, it shouldn’t be too hard to get to him.

Taliya added that Lionel wouldn’t accompany her and Adrianna nearly snorted. No, she had no desire to continue to work with such a prick. The sooner she got away from him, the better. The latter suggestion was to ask the crazy kids who had been in earlier. “The group with the child, robot, and the woman who refuses to heal injuries? You think they are ‘bad looking fuckers’?” Now that Taliya knew she was a woman, Adrianna didn’t bother to hide her normal intonation, and her voice rose with disbelief as she repeated the suggestion to follow the rag-tag group to Midkemia.

“What the hell does the Church want with them?” Adrianna knew what the Church wanted with her, but they hadn’t seem interested enough to pursue her, at least to the best of her knowledge. On the one hand, she would be putting herself in their line of fire if she joined a group that was being actively pursued by the Church. On the other hand, at least she wouldn’t be putting another group in danger because she chose to travel with them.

Lionel was easily within distance of her right hook, but Adrianna summoned the willpower of Edos as she resisted the urge to punch him as he got all up in her face. Taliya said he had his own work to do, and a broken nose might just slow him down a bit. “I’ll pass.” Adrianna’s glare carried over to Taliya as the woman suggested she continue to talk with Lionel for more information. She would rather walk into Midkemia blind than have to pay whatever condescending price Lionel demanded for his ‘aid’. So far, he had done nothing but made her life more difficult.

She didn’t need any extra prompting to leave the room, tightening her grip on her pack as she walked out past Taliya and in front of Lionel as well. Somewhere in the back of her mind she knew that she would take whatever information she could get out of Lionel. If it would help her get Finneas back, she shouldn’t dismiss it right away. At the same time, the rest of her was screaming not to trust this man at all. Leaving the building, Adrianna paused outside, turning around to face Lionel for a moment as she made up her mind about what to say. She had thought she was relatively calm, and could tell the man simply that she didn’t need his help before taking her leave. The smug grin on his face reminded her of her anger, however, and she punched him hard in the face, her knuckles smashing into his cheekbone.

“Good luck finding a healer you haven’t royally screwed.” Adrianna said. Because even though he seemed to think that she liked just wandering around following people and healing them, she sure as hell wasn’t going to heal up the bruise she just gave him. He ruined things for her here. Yes, she had been keen on leaving, but that didn’t mean that she wanted to have her biggest secret revealed. These were magi, people she might want to depend on in the future, and he had taken that away from her. He had known her for all of a few hours, and he had already demonstrated how useless his information was, and how untrustworthy he was. Acolyte or not, he was a prick who enjoyed keeping secrets and boasting about it. “You seem to enjoy knowing and withholding things from people…so feel free to do that—far away from me.” Adrianna turned on her heel once more and stormed off from Lionel.

It wasn’t until she had put some distance between herself and Lionel, and had some time to calm her nerves, that she thought more seriously about Taliya’s suggestion to go to Midkemia with the strange group she had run into a few times. Were they even going that direction? She said it might take a while, but that would just give Adrianna more time to get information about Midkemia. Besides, she didn’t have to stay with the group. She could always leave and go her own way…that is, if they would even have her.

Adelon: Steeling the Faith [Open!]

Their previous exchanges had been fine, but Adrianna hardly considered Taliya a confidant. She had healed Jerard, and in exchange was given a sort of safe haven here for a short while. Additionally, Taliya had agreed to look into the whereabouts of a friend. Adrianna hadn’t said why she wanted Taliya to find out where her ‘friend’ had ended up, and fortunately the woman hadn’t particularly cared. Over the few weeks Adrianna had spent in Mutebo, she had only spoken with Taliya a handful of times.

As such, when Taliya made an overly obvious crack at her not actually being ‘Adrian,’ the woman tilted her head to the side. She knew she hadn’t confided in the woman. There had been a few over the years she had trusted with such information, but Taliya hadn’t even come close to such a status. She didn’t address the strange statement correctly, telling herself that she was jumping to conclusions. Perhaps Taliya merely realized that ‘Adrian’ might not have given his actual name.

As she continued to draw out the words that were more gender specific, like man, the last of the hope Adrianna had of her identity being protected fizzled away. It wasn’t so much that Adrianna was worried about Taliya in particular turning her in to the Church. She seriously doubted the woman would do such a thing. It was more that Adrianna kept that part of her very quiet, and she took precautions to protect herself, like everyone did. To have Taliya suddenly know, when she believed that she had been discrete, was unsettling.

In any case, she was summoned to get the information Taliya found. But she had found him. She found Finneas. Adrianna couldn’t help but smile, even as she complained that Adrianna wouldn’t like the answer. He was in Midkemia. Adrianna had heard of the city, and had been steering clear of it, like the rest of the larger cities. All of those places reeked of the Church. Taliya seemed to know this as well, and told her about a cult that was there, along with the Church’s dogs. “Got it. And I wasn’t going to ask.” Adrianna replied regarding asking for men to go with her. She would find him alone. Or at least find a way to send word to him, make sure that he was safe.

Still, Taliya was willing to tell her what they did know about Midkemia, which would be useful. Adrianna turned her head towards the closed window as Taliya summoned another person into the room. Lionel opened the door from the outside and smiled in an infuriatingly stupid manner. Adrianna glared at the man, the pieces suddenly falling into place as to why Taliya suddenly seemed to find her name and gender so interesting. She clenched her fist at her side, having to resist the urge to punch the man, even with Taliya’s assurance that the information had come from the man.

A few deep breaths later, Adrianna had calmed down enough to listen to Lionel’s words, though they only served to infuriate her further. She wasn’t at all worried about paying him back. Hadn’t even crossed her mind. “That…is none of your business.” Adrianna said when Lionel asked when she would go. “I’m sure I will manage better without you there.” She replied.

“Is there anything else you need of me?” Adrianna asked Taliya. The woman indicated that there was not, and Adrianna glanced once more at the annoying man who had told her just a few hours before that he would keep her secret between them. He was obviously completely untrustworthy, and she wouldn’t waste any more time chatting with him as if he was anything else. With nothing else pressing, Adrianna left the room, walking briskly out of the building. She needed to get some fresh air. Lionel was infuriating, and now she was even more eager to get out of Mutebo.

She had to remind herself of the positives in all of this, though. She knew where Finneas was. Finally. After almost seven years, she had a chance of seeing him, and making sure that he was okay. When he left Feldspar, Adrianna hadn’t understood. She couldn’t fathom why someone would want to leave the Church. It was their family just as much as their blood kin. She had been wrong, and he had left…without her. He was supposed to go out to the country—get a farm of something. But he was in Midkemia. Why? What drove him back to the cities? What drove him closer to the Church’s influence? She could speculate for days, but it would do no good. She would just have to find him, and ask him in person.