To Oakvale

--== New Scene, On the Way to Oakvale ==--
After a long day of travel, the party settles within the underbrush of the darkening woods of Arhor'ha. As the sun begins to find its way beyond the horizon, the beauteous array of multicolored Arhor'han lights begin to fill the night sky. Tired from a full day of enchanting the group with stories of his accomplished past, Orion kneels over a small campfire, throwing in log after log to bolster the flames.
With the fire properly maintained, Orion stands up, triumphant with a smile across his wrinkled face. With a look down to the lightly glowing gem within his machination of an arm, he declares, "See Ethel?! I told you I could start up the fire with nothing but a rock and a couple of sticks!"
He pauses for a moment, glaring at the gem with a confused face before continuing his conversation to noone. "What do you mean my fingers can make sparks at will!?! What does that have anything to do with this?!" With a smile and a hearty laugh, he suddenly turns his gaze to Aldebrand (@Aldebrand) to speak as if nothing were odd about his situation. "Can you believe this, my friend!? The missus is accusing me of cheating!"
Seeing the look of confusion spread behind that strange, illustrious mask, Orion looks back down to the gem within his arm before scratching the side of his balding head. “Ahh, yes, I forget that my talking to Ethel does not make for the most ordinary of circumstances. My apologies, perhaps some further introductions are in order?!?! I find it much easier to take in whatever strange phenomena one may have gone through after some simple introductions. Here, I’ll go first!”
Clearing his throat and grabbing a seat next to the campfire, Orion waves the rest of the group over to sit with him. “Hello all, my name is Orion Vengryn, once Arbitor of Duodecim and current Vanguard of Gears/Surveyor of The Fuckery That Is The Continuity of The Universe Itself. That’s all proper nouns, just so we’re all caught up!” With a hearty laugh he holds up his large metallic gauntlet of an arm and smiles once more. “And this is Ethel, my beloved wife and companion throughout the cosmos themselves! I could of course bore you with more details, but no one needs the tall tales of a crazy old dwarf, at least not tonight.”
Looking around, Orion keeps the gem encrusted into his arm held aloft as he looks around to the group expectantly.
Cass had noticed the dwarf talking to his gem, something she just wrote off as a quirk, but now is making more sense. "Does she feel any pain while in there?" It seems like an odd question, and Cass herself almost seems surprised that she asked it. She looks as if she tries to correct herself, "I mean, is she safe in there? Is she happy?" Cass sits down on a log, not making eye contact with anyone. "I sometimes wish I could have Troy with me... But a life in a stone... I don't think he would have wanted that. You can't fight when you're a stone."
Still with the look of confusion on his face, which has been plastered behind the mask since they left the cavern that held every childhood memory he had. "Not to add to the personal questions, but I know that you like to talk old friend. Don't know if I would get the chance if I let you start up again. In regards to Ethel, do you" A hesitation holding him hostage for a moment "intent to revive your dearly departed once we solve this mess, or simply make sure that you two go off into the cycle of life at the same moment?"
Orion looks to Cass with an understanding look, taking in each word as she remembers this Troy figure. His gaze remains set upon the stoic paladin as Aldebrand's additional questioning is added to the conversation. Moments of crackling fire pass before his gaze finally breaks and his boisterous self returns to the campsite.
"Ahh well, it's all quite much to unpack." Resting his metallic palm upon his knee, the aged dwarf stared solemnly down to the small gem that holds the soul of his loving wife within. "It wasn't too long ago that I could hold her in my grasp, though I guess she went by Bethyl then." With a sigh, he rubs his temples, clearly struggling to keep his thoughts and memories in line, though those at the campsite would have no insight to the various timelines of Continuity flowing throughout his consciousness.
"All that aside, no, she's not in any anguish when she's with me and I know in my heart of hearts that she's happy. For as long as our souls are tied, our joy will shine through the cosmos." The gem glows faintly as if to confirm his statement. Pausing to lightly pat the gem with a loving smile, he goes on. "Yes, her soul resides within this gemstone, however it does not confine her, not truly. None could do such a thing with her. Not Elo, nor the Zodiacs, not even the ire of the gods themselves could calm the wrath of one Ethel Vengryn. Not when you've messed with her loved ones." ‏‏‎ ‎ With a chuckle of remembrance, Orion's arms seem to encapsulate himself, almost in hopes of holding onto his love once more. Staring into the fires, he continues his thoughts of the past. "Still, she chose a life of aiding those in need over making use of the fire that we all knew was in her. She passed long ago doing just that."
Turning slightly to meet the gaze of Aldebrand, he smiles, finally recognizing his question. "And no, dear Aldebrand, resurrection isn't within the realm of possibilities as far as my aging mind is aware. Nor is it necessary." Sitting back slightly he stares up to the night sky, as the gem glows once more. "Like I've said, our souls are forever intertwined. Soon enough I'll be able to hold her within my grasp once more. Patience is a difficult skill to learn, but it is one of the few perks that comes with age."
A small smile forms on Cass' face as she listens to Orion talking about Ethel with such passion and love. "She really seems like a woman worth fighting for, I'm glad you've found a way to stay with her." She looks over to Elara, who probably is processing all the information that they just learned about Celestian. "It reminds me why I fight, and what needs to be protected" Cass walks over to Elara and sits down, grabbing Elaras hand. "Love can make you make decisions you might not always make, but it's always worth fighting to keep."
The red-haired high elf leans her staff up against the tree behind her. Blue eyes look across the group, listening closely to the old dwarfs tales with a warm smile. Hearing stories of the world from the perspective of others left her intrigued and somewhere deep in her soul, she yearned to keep wandering.
“Well, please be sure to tell Ethel that it is a pleasure to meet both of you. I look forward to our travels together, and hopefully some more stories!” Another warm smile grows on her face towards Orion, but it seems to fade as the conversation shifts to somber notions of love and death.
Her head tilts upwards, gazing between the canopy of the forest to catch the faint glimmer of the Arhor'han lights and the stars that accent it like fireflies twinkling over a flowing creek in the summer. The presence of Cass makes her shift her view to her side. Cass has traveled with her for some time now and has been a good friend through the chaos of the world thus far. Solidified even more so as she takes Elara’s hand and offers comforting hope to a foggy mind trying to process the information given to the party in the Phoenix’s cave.
“It can make you make decisions you might not always make…” She repeats her words in a soft, breathy voice. “I suppose…that is true…” She trails off in thought for a moment before returning with a weak smile. “And you are right, I have not given up hope. I still have reasons to fight, even more so now than when I did leaving Elohim. ---
"This world is threatened, your lives are threatened, and if what the Phoenix said is indeed true, I have this overwhelming feeling of responsibility even if I do not remember. I want to protect what you all love just as much as my desire to chase after my own feelings. I hear it in your voices, I see it in your faces. It’s clear that love is painful but It has given you all a reason to press on, given you all something to fight for. Troy, Ethel, Clyde and his wife Alcina.. and maybe even you, Aldebrand. We all love someone, something in this world, and I refuse to see it destroyed.”
Her hand grips Cass’s tightly, as if to return the comfort back to her friend. Knowing her mention of Troy might be painful to hear. “Thank you.” She whispers and tosses a smile her way and then turns her gaze back to the party once more. “Oh, I started on a ramble…” Her cheeks fade into a soft pink hue. She always struggled speaking out, always so awkward and nervous in doing so.
Cass watches Elara's face as she speaks of love and sacrifice. "I think the big question is where do we go from here?" She looks at Clyde in his new robes, protecting his wife with everything he can. "We can imagine as much as we want why these actions were made, but I think we may need to go straight to the source. Maybe Celestian has an answer we gave thought of, or a way to help Atlas through this tough journey ahead."
The hopeful blue eyes of Elara fade ever so slightly. “I…I don’t know if that’s even possible.” She states. “Or…safe.” She eludes to their encounter with Sagittarius. “There are people that do not want to see Atlas succeed. If I were to hunt an Astral Dragon here on Arhor’ha.. well, I imagine the first place I’d look would be Starset Lake.”
Her fair hands fold at her lap as her fingers coil together with uncertainty. “And I don’t know if Celestian would even be there. I mean, yes he…uh….in a way would be, but I don’t know if he would speak to us willingly or have the energy to do so.” The corners of her mouth fall to a frown as she continues speaking, quoting the words he had said to her before. “"Even now the strength I have to remain here with you is...fading.” A painful pause before continuing. “Is what he had said. I only had a short time to speak with him. It would be a trek through the wilderness with a lot of unknown. I do not want to brush over the idea, but if that is something you all think we should try, just know it might not work.” She looks over to Atlas. “Unless… Atlas has a way to reach out to him perhaps.”
Looking towards the still Atlas, Aldebrand rises to get himself another drink. "Today certainly has taken its toal on us, but there is no need to fear my young starling." After pooring himself some water, he turns towards Elara. "I have delt with dragon hunters before mam, dragon-slaying arrows do not hurt as much as they say." Waving a hand back to atlas. "Though I do recommend taking the arrow out quickly as they tend to rend your insides with times. Perhaps we can find answers there but even not, I feel as though the trip would not be wasted. As I can only imagine what a cosmic water dragon can absorb from the starset lake."