Been Dreaming
Back at The Round Table, the proprietor is... very unhappy. "I do NOT have ANY more fish!" He yells irritably at the golden dragon floating around outside the reach of his broom.
"None?" She chirps at him, as if he might be hiding a fish _somewhere_.
"None! Now begone little vermin!" He seems to realize belatedly the error of having said such a thing the moment it’s out of his mouth and the little dragon's eyes go narrow.
"Not nice peoples!" She says, irritation in her own tone. She dives down and breathes a tiny bit of flame at his broom which immediately catches fire and then watches smugly as he desperately tries to put it out.
Seems that she's been keeping herself occupied whilst you all gathered what you needed for the upcoming journey. And that she's no longer tired.
Not a great day to start a journey, to be sure, with the light rain falling. Rain is hardly a new thing in any adventurer's life, though, and so Dolan has merely pulled up the hood of his waxed woolen cloak, leaving the scarred sider of his face in shadow as he walks through the door. He seems a little nervous, a little twitchy, a pack over his back, his hands gloved against the weather and sword calluses, and a small wooden box in his other hand.
Of course, all of that flies out of his head when he sees Tanith pestering the proprietor. "Tanith, leave the poor man alone," he laughs, easing his way into the back room and pulling down his hood with his free hand. "We're going on a long journey, I'm sure there will be fish along the way."
Telamon is dressed for travel as well, his cloak wrapped around him as he comes in behind Dolan, hood up to fend off the rain. His dark eyes are somber, thoughtful, and he absently taps his fingers against his haversack nervously. Things feel like they're starting to spin out of hand, and that's never a good sensation.
When he steps into the backroom, he beholds Tanith causing confusion, and just shakes his head. "And if not," he states, "I will buy you an entire tuna from the boats when we get back." He nods to Dolan, his expression a touch careworn, but focused.
Andelena comes in after Dolan, her own pack slung over her back. She doesn't look quite as nervous as her other half does, but she also doesn't ordinarily wear much in the way of fear on her face anyway.
She looks over at the golden dragon as she steps into the room and has a look on her face, however, as the little dragon is mad about fish--something that suggests, 'Gods damn it, why didn't I remember to get her some fish?'. "Golden one, we'll get you a fishy meal as soon as we can," she says. There's always a reverent tone in her voice when she addresses the little golden dragon.
Then she looks over at Telamon. "To hell with it, I'll buy one, too," she adds. That's two tuna for Tanith--say /that/ three times fast.
Lysos is... here. There may have been some question about whether she'd show up. The last 'adventure' left her extremely shaken. Not quite hysterical, but possibly not far from. At the end of the day, though, she still believes what she told Phyrelia. And since she wasn't asked to stay behind, here she is, though perhaps the last to arrived, and devoid her previous pre-battle brave front. Or even the nervous smile. Much innocence has been lost lately.
She carries no pack, though her walking staff is in hand, and she's used the time to acquire a new mantled cloak. The hood is down, letting her hair fall free, but is otherwise worn ready for travel.
She has yet to interact a great deal with the small dragon, and even now eyes the diminutive reptilian with no small amount of wariness, but she nods her ascent of the others' offer. "Maybe we can even take you fishing."
Tanith peers down at Dolan and grins widely. Showing off her pearly white teeth. "Nice peoples!" She utters happily, winging her way down as she's promised a bountiful reward by everyone. She hums happily and lands neatly on Lysos' shoulder. "Many fish!" She enthuses pleasantly, eyeing the owner of the establishment as he finally gets the broom put out and approaches Dolan.
"I've got the back room ready for you, but NEXT time, you take your little... friend with you!"
"Understood, good sir," Dolan replies with one of his cheeky grins. "Thanks for all your help."
He turns them to face the others, all of the nervousness flooding that smile and washing it away, like a dam full of water rushes over dry banks, when he spots Andelena. "Before we go, though," he hesitates, and coughs a little. "Andie - I'd've asked your dad first, but he doesn't get a say this time."
He takes a step forward, and drops to one knee in front of the Sunguard, opening the small wooden box to reveal a platinum ring, shaped like a dragon rising, in such a way that the tooled and shaped wings make up the band itself, and the tail extends down the finger. Detailed and loving work from a master craftsman. "Can we try again?" is all he asks.
Telamon smirks faintly at the proprietor, as the man leaves, but says nothing. It's probably for the best. Once the man's departed, he looks at the others, eyebrow rising slightly as Tanith alights on Lysos... and then Dolan makes his move. At that point, -both- eyebrows shoot up in surprise.
But there's no reproach, no disagreement in his expression. Only silent approval, as his eyes flick to Andelena to see what her reaction might be. He can't help but grin though.
It is safe to say Andelena's not expecting this, even though they had a conversation about it beforehand some time ago. It's like she's frozen--and then the biggest grin cracks her face as she looks down at Dolan. "Damn it, Bry, you fucking upgraded from last time," she says, and... Well, she does reach up and wipe a tear away. "Of course I will. Of /course/ I will."
And she reaches down and /picks/ up Dolan into a bear hug, planting a kiss on his lips like there's nobody else in the room with them, even though there is. She lets go of him and holds out her hand for the ring. The Sunguard isn't much of a princess--she walked away from a noblewoman's life, after all--but she'll let Dolan treat her like one on occasion. She's grinning with all the warmth of the Holy Knight's light in her face.
Lysos stiffens when the small gold dragon chooses her shoulder for a perch and her eyes widen; a typical reaction of one suddenly aware she's come to the attention of a dangerous creature. She has to remind herself that despite how neatly and efficiently Tanith has shown herself capable of dismantling and eating fish, she hasn't, in Lysos's experience, done anything similar to a person. So she remembers to breath and offer the dragon a slight smile just in time to suck it in again at Dolan's proposal. Her eyes go even wider, and she glances at Andelena, then back at Dolan, then back at... well, you get the picture.
-Say yes, Say yes, Say yes- Lysos keeps thinking the large woman's way. Because the other possible result, well... that would make this awkward.
When the redheaded Dauesite accepts in her most emphatic matter, Lysos releases her second breath, and her smile turns into a grin, the task ahead momentarily forgotten in the moment. She even lets out a whoop, clapping her hands together, almost forgetting about the dragon on her shoulder.. and no doubt making her shoulder a little bit of unstable footing for a brief moment.
Tanith for her part is an excellent rider of people, and Lysos' sudden movement merely means that the woman gets to feel the barest edge of her claws as she clings to Lysos for support. "Yay! Happy peoples!" She enthuses further. She lets out a warm hum and allows the people a moment to celebrate the good news.
Dolan's holding his breath as he waits for the answer, but it's like there's nobody else in the room - the world - for those precious few seconds -
And then all the air is squeezed out of him as she picks him up, and a laugh born of sheer relief finds precious little breath to voice it against her lips, but it's there all the same, his world echoing with things he hadn't dared to let himself feel. Finally, she sets him down, their lips separating, and he takes a moment to catch his breath again, fumbling with the ring in the box and finally slipping it onto Andelena's finger. "Good. Because I hadn't planned on letting you go. Your parents had no taste in jewelry, either." That cheeky grin threatens to split both sides of his face this time.
Telamon lets out a breath he wasn't aware he was holding, and grins as well, dark eyes sparkling now. "Well. Congratulations to the both of you. I hope Cor'lana and I receive an invitation when you set a date." He chuckles at Lysos claps, grinning at her -- the careworn look on his face having dissipated for the moment.
He claps his hands together as well, once. "So I'll have to buy you two dinner afterward. And tell Lana the good news. She'll probably be absolutely thrilled. But..." His face forms a mock pout. "To business?"
Andelena does admire the ring on her finger for a long moment, grinning just as widely as her man. "What do you expect from rich fucks who think the epitome of the good life is eating gold-encrusted grapes off of the toes of their lieges?" she asks, looking back up at Dolan. "You have way, way better taste. That's always been for certain."
She gives him another peck on the lips before she looks at Telamon and Lysos, still grinning. "Yeah. To business. Let me tell you, good thing he did that, because I feel like I could fucking take on the entire world and /win/ right now. Let's do this."
Lysos claps again, then her grin falters as the reminder of what lay ahead settles in. Still, the energy and joy of the moment can't fade that easily, so her lips settle into one of her easy smiles of old. She hesitates, then reaches up to pet Tanith like she'd seen Telamon do previously, mindful of the winged ally's tighter, taloned grip of her shoulder. And thankful she went with the mantled cloak when given the choice. "I'm ready. I brought lots of food and water, and supplies for a long journey if it comes to it."
Interested in the change of subject, Tanith looks around at the various people. Tilting her head to get better scritches. "We go? Where go?" That is the operative question for the being taking you to your destination.
Dolan's still grinning like a fool, and probably will be for a while. The mention of business only makes that grin falter a little, and he returns that peck on the lips, reaching to wrap an arm around Andelena's waist, if she lets him. "Phyrelia gave us a drawing of where we were supposed to go. Andie, you had that, right?"
"I have it," Telamon says. He dips his hand into his haversack, retrieving the scroll easily. "Also, several vials of silversheen, if you want them..." He swallows. "Verna gave them to me. Hopefully she's all right. Maybe if this works out... she'll be okay." He straightens his shoulders. "Anyone need anything else?"
"I have the Mourner's totem," Andelena replies. "Telamon's got the drawing."
She looks at everyone in the room when Telamon asks his question. There's something in her look--it's not so much grim or sober as much as it is an awareness that what they are about to do is monumentally important. "If you don't mind, I'd like to say a prayer to the Holy Knight. It doesn't hurt to call upon Him."
She closes her eyes and clasps her hands together. "O Holy Knight, I, your Sunguard servant, ask you to aid us on this day--to preserve your daughter's avatar and save Her from the forces of evil that seek to subdue Her and unmake Her. Empower us to aid Her and defeat the evil that we will encounter. May it be so."
Lysos closes her eyes and clasps her hands together out of.. more than politeness. Respect for Andelena's and Dolan's faith, perhaps, for she's expressed no loyalty to any individual deity herself. When the prayer ends, she squares her shoulders to the task ahead. And pets Tanith one more time. "I feel like I need a glass of wine right now.. but.. maybe later. Brought plenty of that, too. And I'm sure I don't have everything I need, but I won't know until I need it, so.. I'm ready to go!"
"May it be so," Dolan echoes in affirmation of Andelena's words, quiet and heartfelt. He lets it hang, then grins suddenly at her. "Andie, I'm so proud of you. You got through a whole prayer without swearing." The artificial eye is its usual unmoving self, but the flesh and blood one alights with affectionate teasing.
There's a sudden influx of air as the door opens to let in what looks by all rights to be a drunken wizard. He toddles quickly up to Telamon and gives him the hairy eyeball. The man has a scraggly white beard, and blue eyes that are dull with age. Huge bushy eyebrow. "Fizban!" He says loudly, lifting a hand to stop the hat on his head from falling off. It's a huge purple affair. With a big feather in it. "That is to say. Here." He stuffs an orb into Telamon's hand. "Right."
He turns around and walks back out the way he came. No explanation. Nothing but the little clear orb that now sits in Telamon's palm. He disappears back out the door. Tanith giggles incessantly in his wake.
Telamon is politely silent during the blessing. While not dedicated, he has enough devotion to recognize and appreciate it -- and to be honest, they need all the help they can get. At the end, he smiles at Andelena and Dolan. "I think it's appropriate enough, though. We may be their hands, but we should ask them for help if they can supply it."
At this juncture, though, the room is invaded by... the hell? Telamon stares at the wizard as he staggers in, slaps an orb into his hand, and then stumbles out again before looking at what he's just been handed. "...Um." he says intelligently. Then he looks around. "Did anyone... uh... see that?"
Andelena opens her eyes and looks out at her allies. There's a moment where she just smiles with the grace of someone who has all of the confidence in the world, like she's got an army behind her and all she needs to do is raise her sword to have her immortal soldiers charge at the enemy and win. "He answered," she says quietly.
Then Dolan opens his mouth. "Oh, fuck you, Bry.--Which, I mean, I will, but later," Andelena immediately fires back at Dolan with a grin to match his. "It worked! Now, let's..."
She looks at the orb in Telamon's hand. And... she ponders it. "Yeah. Uh. Keep that thing safe. Maybe it'll be handy. ...Let's go."
"So.... that just happened," Lysos says, as perplexed as Telamon at the sudden arrival and departure of the.. wizard of the purple? "Was that.. was that a friend of yours, Telamon?" she has to ask, though it seems pretty clear that Telamon is just as confused about it as she is. Then she notices Tanith giggling and turns her head. It's hard to look directly at a creature sitting on your shoulder. The angle just doesn't cooperate. But she does eye the small dragon at the edge of her gaze. "Or was that a friend of yours?"
Tanith... doesn't answer Lysos beyond bumping her head into the woman's face gently and purring loudly. She's cute and she knows it. Cute enough to get away without answering? Certainly. "Time to go?"
_He answered._ And it's not the first time. He's about to reply, but there's a lot happening between the time Dolan's ears catch everything coming their way, the time his brain processes it, and the time his mouth opens slackly at the arrival and departure of the chaos whirlwind in purple, leaving behind a clear orb. He blinks, his jaw slack, raises a finger, drops it, raises it again, drops it, closes his mouth, and shakes his head in utter bafflement. "Uh. Yeah. Time to go." He reaches to pull Andelena close, if she'll let him, and grabs his pack with his free hand.
Telamon stares at the orb in his hand, starry eyes glimmering. Swiftly, he gestures with his free hand, tracing a familiar pattern. "Akar irhandi," he says quietly, wrapping himself in starlight that glimmers before fading. That done, he swiftly stows the orb away in his haversack.
"Agreed. Let's go save the day," he says with a smile. "We can do this."
GAME: Telamon casts Mage Armor. Caster Level: 9 DC: 17
Of course Andelena lets Dolan pull her close. She looks at him and whispers something in his ear, which results in an even bigger grin, before she looks back to the group. "Let's go."
Lysos maintains the skeptical glance for a moment longer, but no, she's not immune to Tanith's wiles. Not yet, anyways. So she gives the dragon another (probably expected) skritch, then nods to the others. She pull a wand from one of her pockets, invoking its magic, then puts both the wand and her walking stick away, stuffing the quarterstaff down, down, down into the pocket until it disappears. Lastly, she takes a deep breath doing her best to settle herself, then holds out her hands, remembering the last times Tanith teleported the group.
GAME: Lysos used a Wand of Mage Armor.
"Ready to go!" Tanith exclaims, clearly intent on coming with you. She fluffs her wings a little, eager to be off. Particularly after the scritches.
Dolan slings the pack over his shoulder and reaches his free hand for Telamon as they prepare to depart, but his grin only broadens at whatever it was Andie said to him. He leans over to murmur a response to her while he waits for the teleport.
Telamon takes Dolan's hand, and holds out the scroll to Tanith with the other. "Tanith, can you please take us here?" He's holding it open, so the dragonet can see, resting his arm on Lysos's shoulder. They all have to be in contact, after all.
He glances at the others, and takes a deep breath. "Brace for the jump," he says with a grin. "I never have gotten used to it, myself..."
"Touching, touching!" Tanith reminds everyone unnecessarily. The world... _slips_ around you. A wrenching sensation that feels like the pit of your stomach has moved without you. Or the other way around.
"Not there." Tanith murmurs and the wrenching gets... firmer. "Not there." She peers down at the image and you feel a distinct sensation of being in more than one place at the same time.
The moment that the wrenching sensation stops you find yourselves on top of a sand dune peering down at what looks like a crater surrounded by... something. Brambles perhaps. It's hard to tell at this distance. What is easier to tell however is that there are three encampments around the outside of the brambles. Each one with torch-bearers setting fire to some of the brambles. Hard at work trying to destroy them. They're made easier to see by the darkness of the night. There's no moon above you.
And there it is. Lysos made sure not to eat right before, this time, so there's little in her stomach to lose. It doesn't stop her from dry heaving a few times, though, in thanks to the multiple course changes in the jump. She tries to keep her footing, but the combination of her roiling stomach, the lack of light, and her own brand of bad luck has her lose her balance and fall forward to her knees and a hand. The feeling's even worse while trying to be quiet about it, covering her mouth with the other hand; they'd been warned, nights ago, that there'd be little warning on what exactly they'd be jumping into.
The multiple course changes in the jump are enough to mess with Dolan, as well. although he's taken previous sure jumps reasonably well. This one, though, jerks him sideways multiple times, and he staggers dizzily and almost falls when they find themselves on solid ground. If not held up, he'll drop to one knee, staring down at the ground and - at the brambles as well. "Fuck. That was bad," he mutters. It'll take him a minute to get back to his feet, but he does look up, and _stare_ at the brambles.
Telamon's feet hit the sand, and he stumbles, almost falling to one knee. He clenches his teeth to hold back a curse, as his stomach rolls a bit before subsiding. Then his half-elven eyes take in the -size- of it, and he whispers softly, "Gods and stars." He looks at the others. "Can you see well enough under starlight? We can probably make our way to a spot they're not working at, but I don't want to kindle a light if we don't have to."
He studies the webs of brambles, thinking furiously. "I really wish we hadn't landed -outside- it, but... we'll just have to improvise." Impulsively, he reaches into his haversack, cradling the small crystal orb in his hand like a worry stone.
Andelena looks queasy, of course, from how rough the jump was, but she manages to keep it all down and under the hatch. "Fuck," she says quietly, before she assesses the situation, eyes peering out.
"I don't like the look of those encampments," she says. "Or the fact they're trying to set the brambles ablaze. How much you wanna bet our Lady is in there somewhere?"
She takes a hand to her holy symbol, which hangs on a chain around her neck, like she's quietly thinking--or quietly urging the presence of the Knight to show her the way.
"Couldn't." Tanith says, clinging to Lysos. She sounds _exhausted_. "Barrier. Can not go inside easy way." She lolls on the woman's shoulder and looks vaguely like _she_ might be sick. "Peoples sneak inside?" She asks this hopefully.
"They're dumbasses," Dolan mutters, very quietly, getting slowly to his feet and swallowing to control his stomach. "She's right. There's enough space to sneak between the brambles. Just be careful as shit, they might be demon brambles," he hisses to the others. "You don't want to get scratched." How does he know this? He doesn't say, but once he's on his feet, he pulls his cloak off, rolls it up, and roughly stuffs it in his pack.
Lysos pounds sand. Literally. She uses the arm upon which shoulder Tanith clings to keep herself from faceplanting completely, but the other one punches the ground a few times until her stomach stops doing its tryouts for the Alexandrian Flying Circus. So she misses some of the initial things said, and is the last to actually see the encampments when she finally climbs to her feet, breathing a little heavier than usual. "Sorry," she says quietly to the dragon as she tilts her head a bit to offer support, her voice a bit cracked, before her gaze finally moves to take in what all the concern is about. "Haha. Demon brambles? Hah.. oh. You're not kidding." Steady, steady.
Lysos pulls her staff back out, taps it on the ground a few times, then nods. She is ready to follow.
Telamon shakes his head. "I wonder..." He glances at Dolan, nodding as he rolls his cloak up as well, stowing it away. "We'll have to take it slow. Hopefully their vision's so screwed up waving torches around, they can't see very well. And with any luck, a few have gotten into the brambles."
He steps closer to Dolan, and murmurs, "Any suggestions on how to avoid getting stuck by those thorns, though? I'm trying to come up with something that's not going to draw attention."
"Keep your dangly bits away from the thorns," Andelena suggests to Telamon as she follows Dolan's lead with the cloak and follows behind him. "Otherwise that feytouched girl of yours might be unhappy."
She thinks for a moment and murmurs another protective prayer, blessing the group with a slight sheen of holy power. "Let's do this."
GAME: Andelena casts Bless. Caster Level: 4 DC: 14 GAME: Lysos rolls perception: (11)+13: 24 GAME: Dolan rolls perception: (10)+10: 20 GAME: Telamon rolls perception: (8)+12: 20 GAME: Andelena rolls perception: (3)+7: 10
As you all prepare to approach the brambles, Tanith abruptly vanishes from sight. Though Lysos will still feel her weight on her shoulder, and there's a jaunty tune that is being hummed from that location.
GAME: Telamon rolls stealth: (19)+2: 21 GAME: Dolan rolls stealth: (3)+-2: 1 GAME: Andelena rolls stealth: (8)+-2: 6
"I wish he was kidding," Lysos mutters to herself. She stares at the brambles. "Black roses," she points out, perhaps unnecessarily. "Those were bad, right?" She takes a moment to keep it cool, then offers, "I think I can help us not get stuck. Maybe. Haven't used this trick before." And she begins with herself. "Liberatum." The words, along with a gesture.. fingers approximating a knot unraveling.. and nothing visual happens. Lysos, however, is aware of the power gathering and then being released. She does the same for the others in turn, and then, much like Tanith, utters another spell and vanishes.
GAME: Lysos casts Freedom of Movement. Caster Level: 12 DC: 23 GAME: Lysos casts Freedom of Movement. Caster Level: 12 DC: 23 GAME: Lysos casts Freedom of Movement. Caster Level: 12 DC: 23 GAME: Lysos casts Freedom of Movement. Caster Level: 12 DC: 23 GAME: Lysos casts Invisibility. Caster Level: 12 DC: 21 GAME: Lysos rolls stealth: (4)+5: 9
"Yeah," Dolan hisses, on further study, shouldering his pack again. "Black roses. Blue on the inside. She's in there." There is no doubt in his mind, and he starts towards the brambles, as quietly as he can manage - that is, until he trips over an outer tendril and lands flat on his face with a *clank* of armor.
"Yeah," Dolan hisses, on further study, shouldering his pack again. "Black roses. Blue on the inside. She's in there." There is no doubt in his mind, and he starts towards the brambles, as quietly as he can manage - that is, until he trips over an outer tendril and lands flat on his face with a *clank* of armor.
"Shit! Bry!" Andelena hisses, also not so stealthily, and pulls him back off the ground. Unfortunately, caring for her man is not a quiet act, and she gives him an inspection to make sure he didn't break anything.
"Did you hear something?"
"What?"
"Nothing you idiot. Just kill those blue flowers like the boss said. I'll check it out." There's a sound of boots stomping toward you in the aftermath of the conversation to your left, and it seems that someone is checking on the noise you're making.
GAME: Telamon rolls intelligence: (2)+3: 5 GAME: Lysos casts Force Punch. Caster Level: 12 DC: 22 GAME: Aftershock rolls 1d8+7: (8)+7: 15 GAME: Aftershock rolls 1d8+7: (8)+7: 15 GAME: Aftershock rolls 1d8+7: (2)+7: 9 GAME: Aftershock rolls 1d8+7: (1)+7: 8
Hearing the incoming man you all dive into the rose bushes. It's... a mess. They cut and slice and poke. They writhe around you trying to hold you down and in place but Lysos' magic does its able best to keep you free. So you run for it. Making your way through the black roses even as they fight back against you. By the time that the man reaches where you were, you're long gone through the black brambles.
A few moments of walking is all it takes to make it through the black roses and into the blue ones. These are even more a wall than the black ones before them, but you have no choice but to continue forward lest the black ones cut you to ribbons. To your surprise and relief... the blue ones allow you entry. Pulling apart and allowing you to walk through them without contest.
Telamon grits his teeth as even his reinforced 'adventurer's garb' isn't proof against the brambles stabbing at him. One hand still holding that orb, as he tries to pick his way through in a way that doesn't involve him getting poked and jabbed. When the quartet finally reach the perimeter of the blue roses, he's not entirely surprised to see them part, opening up to let them pass. "Dammit, that hurts," he mutters under his breath, but he doesn't complain any more... instead shuffling forward. "Let's keep going."
"Damn, I said I wanted a good poking later, but I didn't mean like that," Andelena grunts as they get to safe territory. Her face was torn at by the thorns, and there's probably bits and pieces in her red hair that'll come out as a 'fun' surprise for later, but she's alive, and she can't complain terribly about that. "Yeah. Let's go."
With little time to react, Lysos reaches out to the closest person to her.. which turns out to be Dolan. She manages to invoke the spell silently as she touches him, though the casting leaves her out of breath.. and then she's diving into the brambles. Well, figuratively. She picks an ally, Telamon it looks like, and does her best to keep him in sight as she trusts in her magic to keep the worst of the brambles from snagging on to her. And it almost seems to her like they try. Various thorns scratch and poke but none seem to find purchase.. a good thing, because though she doesn't look back at the investigating guard, she can well imagine him spotting them at any given moment.
And then they are past the black roses and into the blue. As they part, seeming welcoming, Lysos slows down, huffing. "Can we just... I mean, a minute.. oh, stars." She feels down her leg, just above her boot top.. winces.. but then hurries along lest she be left behind before her invisibility wears off.
Dolan dives at once for the brambles, and leading the way, he takes the brunt of the brambles. By the time they reach the blue brambles, he's at once silently blessing Lysos' spell and swearing as yet another thorn gets him, this one rather deep. He snorts laughter at Andie's comment. "I'm the only one who gets to poke you. Damn it."
When they reach the blue roses, and the wall parts unexpectedly, he just smiles - not his usual cheeky grin, but a reverent thing, and he pauses a moment to touch one of the blue roses to his lips with a bloodied hand. "Thanks, Heaven's Queen," he murmurs respectfully, then turns and heads further in, quickly. "I owe you one for that spell," he tells Lysos when they're all through. "Don't suppose we'd've gotten through so easy without that. These might not heal so easy if you try to heal yourself," he warns. "Least not if they're like they were in my dream."
GAME: Dolan rolls will: (1)+8: 9 (EPIC FAIL) GAME: Telamon rolls Will: (7)+9: 16 GAME: Lysos rolls will: (19)+12: 31 GAME: Andelena rolls Will: (12)+7: 19
You rush toward the center of the flowers. You feel as though something is pulling you in that direction. As if you are a magnet and there at the center... Is a woman. She's laying down in the sand, but all around her the sand has become glass. It looks as though she is held in the midst of a giant glass rose. You stop at the edge of this rose held by... awe. Only Lysos stands in the face of it. Only the most fearful of you is emboldened by the sense of divine power and beauty of the woman laying before you.
She wears a simple white gown, and has long pale hair like the driven snow. Her skin is ivory. She is without a doubt, the most beautiful woman you have ever laid eyes on. She makes you feel... something. Deep inside yourselves that you have never felt before. Brave. Fearless. Powerful. The way she makes you feel, more than anything else, drives you to your knees. All but Lysos.
Telamon is dumbstruck. In his eyes, the stars whirl in their endless dance, but even the stars can be drowned out by the moon, if temporarily. Then his knees hit the sand, and a cough comes out of him. Holding the orb in one hand, he places his other over his heart, trying to bow to the slumbering goddess -- she must be a goddess, after all.
In Celestial, he murmurs softly, "Be at peace, Sky-Singer. We come to help, as much as we can." His words roll out of him gently, a benediction.
Andelena kneels. Within her mind, her heart, and her soul, she knows who this is before a word's even spoken. Tears form in her eyes again, and they flow so easily down her face as she murmurs, "Holy Knight, I promise, I will protect Her. I will to my last breath."
Divine presence. Divine power. Twice in the space of a week. It's a lot for Dolan to process. and he takes about two, maybe three steps towards it before he is driven towards his knees by sheer _power_, in the best of all possible ways. His remaining eye, too, pricks with tears, and he's beyond all words. The usually cheeky Inquisitor has got nothing this time. He opens his mouth, tries to say something. Nothing come out, and finally he just shakes his head. Brave. Fearless. Powerful. And utterly lost for words, keenly aware of his place in all of this - and of all that he is, and is not.
It's not that Lysos doesn't feel what the others are feeling. Sure, she's not terribly devout. She offers prayers here and there, sure, doesn't everybody? The wonder and the awe. The tightness in her throat and chest, the lightness in her limbs. Yet she doesn't sink down to her knees like the others. Perhaps it is BECAUSE she's been under the burden of so much fear. Struggling with it nearly every step of the way. That seeing this almost lightens the load. Emboldens her heart. She becomes fascinated.
Almost to herself, Lysos says aloud, "Hey. I know this story." Then, while the others pray and promise, bask in the sleeping figure's power, Lysos walks forward. Only when she does reach the sleeping avatar does she carefully kneel, avoiding the ridges of the glass flower as best she can. "I think I know how to wake her up," she explains, not quite in a daze. And she leans down and kisses the woman.
To the surprise of everyone, the woman... awakens. She doesn't shirk from Lysos, but rather returns the kiss with one of her own and then when Lysos pulls away in surprise she lets loose a laugh that lifts everyone from their knees. It's a good laugh. She turns her eyes and they are luminous things. The moon is in her eyes and you know without a doubt if you had one before that this is whom you sought.
There's a sound behind you, and you realize abruptly that the roses didn't close behind you and that the werewolves have found their way through. You have _moments_ before they find you - and her. She urges you toward her with her fingers.
Impulse. It's always been Telamon's greatest flaw, but now... a realization. His eyes flick to the orb still held in his hand, and he smiles impishly at the goddess, before whirling and flinging it towards where he can hear the werewolves coming. "Hey, boys. -Fetch-."
He doesn't wait to watch it land and break; he runs for the goddess's outstretched hands. He can't help but muse aloud, as he takes her hand, "Rafael Prince is going to be -very happy- to hear about this..."
Andelena has one look in her eyes and face as she looks up to see Lysos smooching the avatar of her god's daughter and the woman laughing as she awakens. It's one that reads: 'I can't believe that fucking worked.'
Then the werewolves close in. No time to think about if kissing a goddess isn't some kind of sacrilege or if she should be having some sort of overprotective father moment on behalf of her god. She runs to the avatar like her life depends on it--because it does.
How Dolan is off of his knees, he doesn't know. He doesn't know much of anything right now, besides moonlit eyes and glorious laughter and the warmth at his side - and the trouble behind him. That, if nothing else, snaps him out of his daze, at least enough to reach for Andelena, and for Lysos' hands, flee at once for the safety of that beckoning hand. Time to go. Now.
Lysos isn't sure what she'd been expecting. She isn't even sure of what impulse drove her to do what she did. She was actually fairly certain that it /wouldn't/ work. Or if it did, there'd be some sort of hell.. or, rather, heaven to pay. Instead.. well, she loses herself in the goddess's eyes.
There's a small voice inside her mind, so small and distant, yelling at Lysos about werewolves. The panicked, yet also sensible part. Unfortunately, that voice appears to have been.. disconnected. While she did rise at the woman's behest, she remains quite dazed. So when Dolan's hand grabs hers she doesn't resist, but neither does she really acknowledge it.
The world explodes into light as the full moon comes out from where-ever it was hiding. All the werewolves fall to their knees as they are forced to change shape by the orb that released the moon from the cage of clouds hiding it. "Dear?" Says the woman, and Tanith hums loudly, shifting you all suddenly back to The Round Table.
The avatar looks at you fondly allowing you a moment to catch your breath. Oddly, you don't feel ill from the shift. "You have my gratitude." She says, and you hear her words like an echo in your mind. Not intrusive, but there. Lysos feels Tanith lift from her shoulders and you see the golden dragon light upon the avatar. "Tanith will take me back to where I belong. But your work is not yet done. You must seek out the Woman Between Worlds, and keep her from the hands of Corocarath's minions. Killing me would have strengthened him and weakened me, but with her... he can free his own avatar and wreck untold horrors upon this world. You must stop him."
She turns to each of you, placing a finger on your forehead and smiling. You feel warmth where she touches, and a sense of peace. "When you act in my name, you will find my blessing. It is all I can do for you now."
Her hand lifts to touch Tanith and the dragon hums again. Then, before you can ask questions - so many questions - she is gone.
-End