Tea and Tears

Dusk settles like a blanket across the land. It seeps in between the heavy foliage of the forest as the trees shift and sway from a soft breeze that leaves faint glances of a dancing aurora overhead. The party had escaped the vault but had lost a comrade in the process. No thanks to a fellow Tiefling and his new pickaxe. They had traveled deeper into the forest to escape the guards that went out looking and with a close call from their searches, were able to escape without issue. The party now finds themselves scattered around the campsite to make their beds for the night and process all that was learned within Jacobs vault. Syn drags a heavy log across the ground, placing it in front of the fire. “For your asses.” She says, looking across the tired party. A frustrated sigh escapes her. “I told you all Jacob was a monster. I was not joking. The man has done some messed up things and clearly, continues to do so. With what we know now? Tsk, he needed to be put down like…yesterday.” The Tiefling bends down to grab wraeth, walking over to a nearby tree, resting the club against the side and leaning her back against the trunk, arms folded as her eyes shift back to the party. “Eat, drink, or whatever it is you need to do to get yourselves back together but come dawn we move. Where? I don’t know. Somewhere, anywhere, so that I feel like I am productive in coming in terms with whatever the HELL that was back there.” She points not in the right direction of the vault “And whatever the HELL this is here.” She points to the white-haired boy. She hisses under her breath. “And for fucks sake can someone put some clothes on this kid?” Captios lies on the ground, exhausted from the day's exploits. He replays the day's entire events in his mind, convenient skipping over the death of a Del. Syn's words cut through his thoughts and he sits up quickly. "That back there was proof that Jacob is up to no good. Unfortunately, outside of my mind, there isn't a complete record of what we saw and heard. And even more unfortunately, it seems obvious from everything we've experienced over the past few months that Jacob has bought off most authorities including some Candles. If we want to take out Jacob, we need to do so carefully and without him knowing. Like Icarus said, death by 1000 cuts."
Captios looks over to the unconscious tiefling, who everyone has taken to calling Jimmy. He rummages through his bag and finds a worn out pair of pants. Walking over to Jimmy, he lays the pants over the young man. "I'm not sure what Jimmy is to be honest." He looks over to Solus, who has similar hair and eyes. "Jimmy was created for something. We only have theories. Alexa, could the shadow market give us more information on Jacob's actions? Is it worth talking to the doctor again, if he's willing to talk? I'd love to know why the green dragons would want to work with Jacob. And why Jacob wants the green dragons help if he has the power of the immortal white dragon." Captios shudders at the idea of how powerful Jacob is.
Alexa sits on the ground leaning against the tree, just taking the time to process everything that happened and all the information they gathered. She never doubted that Jacob was a threat, but his reach seems to be farther than she expected. "The shadow market could, but we would need to give something in return." She looks at the magical sword and shield taken from the vault, now rendered useless by Ozy's hand. "I worry about consulting with the Doctor. I'm still unsure of his intentions with everything to do with Jacob. He does not give out information for free, for all we know he'll only provide the information we want if we help further the Doctor's actions. This could be inadvertently helping Jacob." She looks at the ground and sees a line of ants carrying a large leaf away from a tree. "I'm starting to get concerned that we've started to become pawns to someone else's plan, but don't know it yet, and won't piece together who the plan holder is until it's too late."
The quiet but unmistakable sound of stifled crying is obvious, at least to Alexa's enhanced perceptions. Robin is sat with her back to the others and physically as far from Ozy as possible whilst not venturing out of view of the rest of the group, her hunched form bobbing slightly with her sharp breaths behind a tree.
She felt so alone and afraid. The entire group she had left New Haven with had gone. An abandonment? A betrayal? The last was murdered in cold blood before her while her "allies" stood by. She had thought she were safe among these new faces but Delandros was liked, if it had been her that had caught Ozy's wrath would her fate had been any different? Would anyone have stood up then? This was all beside the fact that she had persuaded him to return, and she would have to bear that guilt.
Was this the cruelty of Arhor'ha in actuality? She has felt so sheltered and safe until this point. After seeing so much hurt inside the vault from Jacob, the Doctor and Ozy, she had to wonder if connecting the world to each other such a wise choice as a goal after all.
The conversation going on around her was blurry, even as she tried to wipe away her tears and put on a brave face to contribute, she couldn't help but crack a little further and muffle her weeping into her sleeves.(edited) June 6, 2020
Captios looks over to Robin, unsure of what to do. Alexa's words are lost on him as his mind shifts and he walks over his compatriot. "You did good in there by the way. I know it's not something you are probably used to, being coddled in Upper Crystalis, but you handled yourself well in there. Helped me out a ton. Sorry about your buddy Del." He looks over to Ozy, who is off by himself, swinging his maul as if he is fighting some invisible enemies. "Ozy is a lot. And we pushed his patience to the limit. But he's good now I think."(edited)
A short scoff interrupts her tears for a moment. “Handled myself alright? I almost died twice.. but thanks” she says a little defeated. “It was nice brainstorming with someone else, I’ve been solitary researching for a majority of the year that it was a pleasant change to bounce ideas off another academic.”
She wipes a tear from her face and looks up to Captios, her eyes a little red. “What do you mean ‘he’s good now I think?’ Why on earth do you associate with a murderer like that, in fact either of these breakers, Syn practically applauded when Del died!” She shook her head a in disbelief, the conversation at least distracting her from the sadness, entirely confused as to the arrangement this party had come to.(edited)
Captios scratches his head, suddenly aware that Robin's reaction to Del's death was fully justified. "I guess I would say it's a matter of perspective? Look at all the people you are with right now. Every one of them had a really shitty life. Well, I don't know about Alexa actually, but think about the rest of us. When I look at Ozy..." Captios looks over the Ozy. "I see a kid who's been abused, sent to Avernus, and basically discarded by his adoptive father. Think about what that does to someone. I used to think the same way. In black and white. I yelled at Alexa for dealing with Gig. But I get why. In my mind things have changed. The world isn't black and white and to survive, you have to accept that."
Captios shakes his head. "Ozy has saved my life at least once. And he's ackowledged me in a way, as strong enough to be useful. I guess that's the closest I'll be to being his friend. Was I surprised he killed Del? Absolutely. I was scared shitless. But we have to keep moving and we have to trust that in the end we can pull ourselves out the good from each other to make the world a better place." Captios hesitates for a second as he thinks about his deal. "With whatever time we have left in this world."
"I don't believe any upbringing is an excuse to destroy a life, never mind over some yellow metal or perceived slight. I didn't know about his past and I can muster some sympathy despite the circumstances but I want to make it clear that I do not feel safe while he is travelling with us." She rises up to her feet and slowly brushes herself off from any loose twiggy dirt that had clung to her garments.
Her eyes are drying slightly, her hair a more unintentional style of messy compared to her usual eccentric doo. "You are right we must move forward, knowing how fleeting life apparently is only expedites my desire to complete my work. We haven't all had storms named after us yet." She jokes with a mustered smile at the thought that Captios, however unsuccessfully, was at least attempting to console her. She reaches out and embraces him in a hug, more for her benefit than as thanks.
"...but Ozy should pray his fate is never left in my hands by any coincidence. I won't forget." She says with unnerving purpose before slipping away from the hug towards the campfire for warmth and a taste of whatever exotic forest creature had been strung above it.
Ozy has been swinging that large pickaxe shaped weapon since camp was set up. He has broken a tree, a boulder, and even a fair amount of the ground that is scorched from the secondary impact of the weapon. If he has any remorse, he doesn't show it. He looks almost happy right now. A kid with a new toy.
Solus has decided it is best to keep an eye on Ozy, though she was the most concerned for Robin. The tiefling's purple eyes scan over the party like a warm summer wind as if empathy was just another color on the spectrum to her senses. Pain is a frequent note. Concern. Determination. She does not need to hear to feel the conversation in the room. She does, however, need to duck before the shrapnel from Ozy's recent explosive test pelts her.
Jimmy is enamored with the simplest of things. The existence of trees has him running his hand over them. Ants that scurry about are fascinating. Fireflies. Clouds. Fire. He spends long times watching with wide eyes. Its a whole new world he knew nothing about. Occasionally he makes a sound of quiet awe.
It is Solus who breaks away from the pattern first. She doesn't interrupt the sweet, or awkward, moment between Captios and Robin, but she certainly does clap her hands together and give a mischievous giggle. When her hands open, little fire-fly like sparks float into the air. Her pace comes over to Alexa, "Alexa," she interrupts the conversation, "Do you like tea?" That's not what she wanted to say. It was, but it wasn't. "I mean, that, yes, but also why not ask Paulo?"
Small sparks float through the air, as one crosses in front of Alexa's face. Providing a brief respite from the intense thoughts going through her mind, she is then immediately grounded to the world by Solus' words. Meant to be an honest question, it reminds Alexa of a weakness she has, one she doesn't know how to fix. "I've asked similar questions to Paulo, and it changed the future. For better or for worse, I don't know. There's something about his infinite knowledge that makes me want to ask him everything. It's for that very reason that I can't." Alexa looks to Solus, the sparks starting to burn out as the shades of white turn to an ember shade. The weight of her situation weighs heavy on her mind, once so sure of herself, she is now surrounded by 3 very powerful potential threats to the world, and she has become endeared to them. Her moral compass seems to be unsteady and it worries her. Alexa tries to form a smile, something to lighten the mood. "You probably know best, after traveling with him so long, it's all about the right questions. Choose the wrong ones, and it's like staring at the spine of a book to understand everything inside it." A quick shuffle of her feet, a small pebble rolls across the ground. "I do like tea, by the way. Black is my favorite."
"Mm," Solus responds. It is more of a sound than it is an actual reply. A determined nod that comes with it and clasped hands balled into small fists. "We like green tea leaves, though there are some that are spicy teas that I want to try," she says, enthusiastic on the topic enough to use a variant of 'We are Legion' in her way of describing herself. Given the circumstances, it is not wrong. "They taste like iron." And a little weird.
"I bet there are all kinds of loose leaves around here as we travel. If we try them out and try them, we could find out what kind we like," the silver haired tiefling says in a smile. A break in weight of the situation they are in with the way she looks at Alexa. "And read books."
As if Solus becomes aware that the place they are in isn't storytelling appropriate, she looks around once more. A stray mote of light she conjured up is clasped inbetween her hands. "Everyone here is in so much pain," she notes, "red pain and blue pain. Even some yellow pain." When she opens up her hands, the mote is made into a butterfly of prismic glass. It delicately flies away to shimmer into the night sky. "Tea helps with pain. That's what I believe. Imagine yourself having some of it. Its calming, isn't it?"
Out of nowhere she adds, "Paulo would always drink tea." Maybe not so calming. "Maybe if we have some tea he will join us and you can ask questions. Asking the right ones is a difficult challenge, but you are smart. I'm sure you can find them."
Syn remains resting up against the tree, watching the conversations unfold before her. There is so much to unpack, and it shows clearly across the faces of the party with puzzled expressions or consoling embraces. Only bits of their conversation trickle across the campfire to catch the ears of the Tiefling. She is not one to comfort others, nor would the portal user find any comfort in what words Syn musters but she speaks anyway.
“If this bothers you then I have bad news, It’s not going to get any better. In fact, I can guarantee its not going to get any better. It’s a lot easier to sit behind a desk with a book and read about it than it is to experience the bullshit that is…Arhor’ha.” She rolls her shoulders; they feel a bit sore. “Your portals saved us plenty of times and I am pretty sure …” She pauses, and through pressed lips hisses out the words. “We could use the help.” A huff of annoyance to follow. “I’ll kick Ozy’s ass if he lays a hand on you. Well, I’ll do that regardless but still.”
Eyes glance down to her bag, there lies a bloody arm that used to be attached to Del sitting beside it. “And for the record, I removed his arm in the event we needed a piece to bring him back. But sure, I’m a monster.” She sneers across the way towards Robin and Captios, kicking the back of the tree with her heel slightly and looking off into the dark forest.(edited)
It was oddly comforting that as much as one breaker was likely to kill her, the other had offered a reluctant protection. It reminded her a little of a chaotic equation being balanced out, and brought with it a similar feeling of warmth. She broke a little smile as she lowered herself to a seat beside the fire, sensing how difficult it was for Syn to imply she would prefer help and feeling an odd pride that she and her work were regarded as useful.
“I didn’t mean to imply you were a monster, this is all a far cry from upper crystalis libraries and I feel it’s fair to say I’ve been thrown in a little at the deep end.” She glances around at the others, decidedly less cautiously than before, feeling at least a small sense of comradely forming.
“...so what is next?” She asks to the group in general, with a concerned glance at the only recently clothed new ally.
The speed at which Robin hugs Captios and then wanders off puts Captios in an awkward state. He doesn't know how to react to human contact; honestly that was the first hug he had received since his mother died. He stand still for about a minute, then looking around and realizing he is all alone, wanders back over to the where Robin is now talking with Syn. He stands awkwardly far from Robin as he motions in the direction of Byle's lair. "We are going in that direction, starting tomorrow I think. It won't be fun. From what I've read about the Festered Lands, it's not a place I'd want to go twice. I'm glad to be going with Syn here. If there is one person who can definitely handle themselves where we are going...it's her."
“Well its either sink or swim.” Syn says with piercing eyes towards Robin. They shift momentarily as Captios approaches. “Shirley is next I suppose. Which as Captios mentioned, is hilariously located in a black dragon’s lair.” She folds her arms once more across her chest and leans back against the tree. Her eyes looking down to make sure wraeth is still where it should be, then she returns to the party members. “Yeah maybe Ozy and I can handle ourselves to some degree, but we are not invincible. Nor are any of you. It’s going to be dangerous and probably deadly.” A grin forms at the corner of her mouth. “So, I would highly suggest you take a seat, rest your eyeballs, find the will power to cross the Festered lands, and enter into a dragon’s lair because it’s going to be another shit show.”