The Unfinished Duet, part 12

Log Info

• Title: The Unfinished Duet, part 12
• Emitter: Delilah
• Characters: Ashes, Elyanna, Merek, Donna
• Place: A11: Festival Grounds
• Time: Monday, December 14, 2020, 9:04 PM
• Summary: Ashes and Elyanna are at the Festival Ground, practicing headshots. Merek and Donna arrive and caution her not to do that. Merek states he will investigate Norrington and try to save Ella. Ash, Elyanna and Donna attempt to disuade him from this, saying Norrington or the Family would easily frame him and are hair trigger; Merek states he's unconcerned and untouchable. Ash ane Elyanna express their dissatisfaction with Alexandria law, nobles. Ash suggests Donna's plan of humiliating Norrington is pointless, he's been humiliated by the sisters before and look where that got everyone. Fired or beheaded, are the only options. Donna says she's unwilling, he might have family, demonstrating more concern for his than he had for hers. Elyanna agrees to help Donna spring Delilah, but cautions she's not known for wacky distracting hijinx, only death, and very recognizeable. Her last prisoner escape having over a dozen casualties. Merek seemingly loses interest. Ash attempts to reassure Elyanna that all the dead are happier in Vardama's embrace. Everyone parts ways.

=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--<* A11: Festival Grounds *>=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=-

The Festival Grounds, for much of the year they are the practice grounds for training knights. At other times they are filled with coloured tents, full of performers for some of Alexandria's many festival. At any time, groups of children will pick-up games along the sidelines, stickball, football, and Guards and Goblins.

Permanent bleachers are set along one side, at either end of the sweeping field sits an archway. Each archway is arved in the style of a grand entry and marked with images of Daeus, surrounded by prearing horses and flying pennons. Daeus stands depicted in his roles of defender and knight. A select few of these orders, the Daeusites, Navosians, Gileans, take pride in the upkeep of the grounds. Recently, the Lancers of Serriel have taken to practicing here, joining the other knights and warriors.

A few times a month the outer track of the field is used for riding sport. Popularized by the Arvek Nar, the reigning champion's name is displayed on an upright lance at the end of the field. It stands as a silen challenge for the next month's contender. In between uses, the track is littered with archery ranges, set up for target practice.

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"I have the shot."

It's uttered in monotone, from a grey figure lying prone on the grass. She blends in, the desaturated light of the day draining all colours. Cradled in her hands is a beautiful crossbow, dark wood, silvered and blackened metal. It looks like it was built for assassins, although it's owned by a different sort of dealer in death.

In the sights, a silhouette. A human in a helmet, one matching a certain issue, for a certain rank, in a certain city.

"Take it?" Ashes asks again.

"Between the breezes." the redsish woman intones, again in her cloak, arms folded beneath. As Elyanna's locks starts to settle to gravity's guidance she intones a simple, "Loose."

Merek would be coming upon the party and to the fair, while he notices the crossbow along with Ashlee, and blinks a bit in owlish thought. He does take a look to the targets, the hood pulled up about his features while he speaks, "... This is just practice, ya? We're not planning anything?" Then he's about to find a place to wait for Donna and anyone else with information.

"Dafuq?" is Donna's initial question, as she ambles across the practice field to the 'nest' the Arvek are using, nodding a greeting to Merek as she closes. "Uh... I'm'a just assume this's lettin' off steam, otherwise I ain't inviting you to the party. There's gonna be a party, by the way, if I got anything to say about it."

It's a slight squeeze of the trigger...

>>THOCK<<

The bolt strikes, off centre but still in the head. The silhouette bursts into flame. The flame starts to spread to the straw butt behind it.

"It's satisfying, but it's not real."

The ashen Arvec stares at Merek, "You know hobgoblins freed themselves by killing their vampire overlords, right? That it remains illegal to refuse to let them drink your blood in Bludgun if you're marked? Laws are made up Merek."

The hobkin's eyes narrow slightly as the urge rekindles a moment on the man's words, but, "Excercise." she intones offhandedly, a subtle thread of discontent in her voice. She twists to look over her shoulder to Donna, a considerate gaze, then, "We have time." Her attention returns to the target as it goes up, to Ashes as she speaks, "Blud law is little different than here." is her counter, a darker, almost resentful undertone to her words.

Merek nods a little bit to the two, then he takes a look along to Donna, "What do you think? We infiltrating parties for information?" he asks.

"Naw," Donna says, dropping to sit cross-legged on the dirt, and slowly twisting the first knuckle of her middle finger into the earth, as if seeking to eventually -- over the course of years -- drill a well into the dirt. "I mean *I'm* throwin' a party. At the execution. Been invitin' folks as wanna see D an' I off, an' maybe puttin' on a show before we hightail it. A public farce sounds like a great way to start a vacation."

Her head rises, eyes falling on Merek, then Elyanna, then Ashes. "Gonna ask for help, but, I got a couple conditions first."

"I know." Ashes says, pushing up to her feet. She strolls over to the target, crossbow at her side, and waves her hand over it. Water appears in the air, then more water, then another conjured bucketfull. The fire goes out. She takes what's left of the paper target, mostly a rectangle with the centre burned out. She walks back to the group that has shown up. "That's why we're shooting Bludguni officers."

She holds out the target, "I think I got him. Your turn?"

Next she faces Merek, Donna, her skull face as expressionless as her words. "I don't do well at parties. What conditions?"

Elyanna nods some, considering the burn and, "/You did well./" in Goblin, "/Perhaps later, thanks./" then turns more fully to Donna as she lays things out in response to Merek. Given what she knows, the mood the other day, a 'party' is not the expected response, and 'conditions' brings another dimension to the enigma.

"If you wish to escape with her, we will assist, although I would probably wish we solve the whole thing," Merek notes, nodding a bit to the party. Then he seems to think about it, "Evidence, we need evidence. I would like to make pretty sure that Ella's family will be safe. We should investigate that, then look at Norrington's place, to see if we can find anything."

"My thinking is," Donna says, "If we couldn't solve it in time for court, we ain't solvin' it in time for the execution, an' there's no promise that it'd even stop it if we did. An' I want the real killer found, but..." Donna shakes her head. "I ain't gonna let my sister die for it. So that's my priority, right now. An' I plan to make it as embarrassin' for Norrington as I possibly can."

Looking back up, she lifts a shoulder. "The conditions're pretty easy, cos they got benefits. One: No body count. *None.* Not even mentionin' as there's gonna be a crowd of innocents there, killin' folk to get a murderess out doesn't do anyone favors. Two: Y'all don't get tumbled as part of it, an' if you do an' get arrested, you got someone you can hand your work off to."

"Thanks." Ashlee maneuvers her crossbow into her satchel. It's a lot larger that it, so there's obvious magic as she wiggles it in and the whole stock disappears. She nods once at Elyanna, "Horses next time."

The two humans receive her stoney attention next. "Ella lied. She choose her family over Donna's."

The sister's comments get further consideration, the ashen Arvec bobs her head slightly. "I agree. They didn't read the evidence. I don't see the point in embarassing him. Get him fired if he's incompetent; get him beheaded if he's corrupt."

Elyanna's lip draws back from her fangs in a sneer, "We -had- evidence!" she snarls, in a brief flare of what stirs beneath the skin, before she turns away and draws rein on her bearing once more. Her eyes flit between the others, from Donna on her 'conditions' to Ashes on her return. A silence, A bow of her head to Merek in silence, then a look anew between the trio, but she says nothing further.

"You all do what you like. If you want to free Delilah, well that's fine, I will assist. Still, we have three days while she waits there, and I'm going to find all of the woman's family, then I'm going to look into what Norrington was doing," Merek notes, while he nods a bit.

"Yeah *I know,*" Donna says, just as heated, grinding her knuckle into the dirt. "I was *there,* an' it didn't matter a whit. There's just one problem with doing your digging, now," she says, turning to stare at Merek. "You're gonna have to do it on the quiet, cos the case is *closed.* Bethany's family catches wind of you digging after the courts put it to bed, an' there ain't no Guild investigation to cover you... Well, who's to say you're not just out to get revenge on the family? An' that's a hole that's *hard* to dig out of. Ain't sayin' don't do it, just... *Understand* you're walkin' across a room fulla sleepin' attack dogs, an' every inch of bare floor's covered with dry sticks."

The brawler turns to look at Ashes, clearly waffling against the cleric's sentiment. "Maybe... but I don't know that he ain't got kids too, an' I'm all for humiliatin' the man, but... Iunno. There's lines as I ain't comfortable crossing."

"And you worry about my target silhouettes." Ashlee says in monotone, "after that courtroom, Norrington will invent charges. He wants an excuse."

Next the mourner turns and stares at Donna. She doesn't blink, there is no happy bee added to her skull. There are a lot of slimy, crawling, dark worms, painted to come out of her eyes, ears and nose. "He's been humiliated before. It did not deter. A smug man, it will make him worse. He can find a new job. One where he doesn't accidentally or on purpose sentence people to die. Shovelling the night soil. Picking cherries. He doesn't have to be an attack dog on a chain. You shouldn't worry about the choices he makes."

Elyanna continues to keep her own counsel on whatever is going on in that head of hers, though her arms finally unfold, at least. Her expression is the stoic side of grim, and the tracking of her steely eyes to each speaker hints that she's still paying attention.

"That's no problem for me," Merek notes then, "I can tell you, I'm in a unique position that the law would need to do a lot to bring any problems," then he nods a bit to all of them, "I need to at least make sure that Ella's family will be alright." Then he looks from the hood to everyone, "If you don't want to come with me, that's fine also."

"...I don't blame her, y'know," Donna says quietly, after a long pause. "She's in a spot, an' she's got her own to protect. If you can get her and her kid safe, Merek, tell her that for me, yeah? Ain't no bad will from me, there."

Letting out a long breath, the brawler falls silent for a bit. "I was gonna ask, if I was gonna break Delilah off the block with a crowd around, what y'all could do to help that out. Cos startin' a riot I can do... but I ain't sure if I can get out with'r all my own."

"We'll slow you down Merek." Ashlee states, "I do not have a comforting face. I accused her of lying in the courtroom. She will answer you, or the Silverguard, not an Arvek Nar. I don't care what she has to say. We already suspect the guards pressured her, and which ones. Knowing, won't help. Evidence, won't help."

She exhales. She doesn't like talking. Not to live people. She'd like to talk to Bethany, that's a desire she's already expressed. She shrugs at Donna, "Minor spells. Fog, darkness, silence. Merek can plane shift. Blessing of Fervor. Teleport. Could get a haste and an invisibility scroll, do it all."

"Even if the whore had a change of heart, it would change nothing. Obviously her word would be worthless." Elyanna remarks distantly, looking at the burnt and soggy pile of straw, "If there were still doubt their position was secure, she would already be feeding scavengers." Donna's question brings a faint rise-fall of her cloak, "I can capture the attention of a couple of people, nothing that will hold from the spectacle of combat. What magics I do have are short lived, and single target. Otherwise, I have main force, and you want no bodies."

Merek listens to all of the people, nods a little bit, then walks on to his mission.

He turns back.

Merek looks then to Donna and nods a bit to the woman, "Well, I can teleport, if you can bring her to me in some way. I'm not sure, I do know that there are ways to make distractions," the man notes, then he takes a look to the two Arvek Nar.

"A couple people works too," Donna notes. "An' hey, if nothing else... I can guarantee there's a pissed-off farmer with a cartful o' rotten produce that'll be there. Point is... Norrington ain't the whole power here. Yeah, he done carved out his own lil' fiefdom, but, he ain't the one who says the law in the City. Turn 'im into enough trouble, an' he'll answer for it. Th' old Magistrate, Ironblood, he's a good guy. Useta be a Guildie, 'fore he retired, an' you can bet Norrington kept him deaf to everything that wasn't just what was needed. You get proof, an' you get it to him, I will bet hard gold he can show you how to make it stick."

The ashen Arved sighs, adjusting her hold on the satchel strap. She stares at Merek "If you're willing to kill, why stop at one, if you're willing to frame that death, why stop at one. Norrington will find out you have dragonspitter and magic missiles and they could run that farce of a trial again. Please be careful."

Ashlee looks around, brushes at her hair. Her familiar, her comfort earring, don't seem to be visible. She returns to staring at Donna, "I can keep people from dying. I can listen to the dead. Nan Mocht taught me how to ruin someone's day."

She nods once more, "Yes, it was clear an ex-adventuring Magistrate with half a brain was necessary, and deliberately avoided."

Elyanna nods without looking back, her eyes holding to the target as the gears turn behind them, "She speaks truly. It could be an oppurtunity, be careful, Seer. I doubt any of us have garnered fond yarnings in that circle."

Her arms fold again, though her bare hand parts her cloak to gently stroke her chin in thought, "Loose a swine herd in the streets, or perhaps make sheep stampede. Swine would end badly."

Merek looks between the three and nods a bit, "Well, we can see about what we can do, as for me... I'm not worried about it a lot," he notes, "I want people to be safe."

"That's not a bad idea," Donna muses. "Even if we get Delilah out, unless you can teleport us to the Redridges, we still gotta get out the city, an' a stampede would do a good job holdin' folk up..." Rubbing her jaw for a moment, she looks up at Elyanna. "Actually if you wanna set that up, I know who you can talk to. There's an elf in the Lower Markets, runs a produce shop. Name of Lauriel. See if he knows any herders he's friendly with, who like the idea of startin' some trouble. If he don't know any, half-orc name of Drumlin runs a pie cart, he'll be tickled at the idea. Tell 'em both you came from me."

"An' Merek," she says, looking to the priest. "How far *could* you zap us? An' how well would y'need to know the place to do it?"

"Oh." Ashlee says suddenly, then, "No. Nevermind."

She could find a few ghosts in the catacombs that were tricksters in life and wanted to be in on a post-mortem jape. Perhaps even a few corpses that were together enough something could be done. She would certainly enjoy seeing a large scale skeleton dance, but she remembers the first entry on the Vardama pamphlet, the one she consults often, titled 'how to act like a normal person'. It advised, Remember, no matter how good an idea you think it is, don't use the deceased for public displays.

Elyanna turns some, then as Donna sounds to be speaking directly at her. Her brow arches, lips parting some in likely query, but she stops and completes the turn, stepping closer, "This plan, even successful, will leave a trail, and I am..." she makes a show of examining her bare hand for emphasis, "Rather conspicuous. Without some sort of magic, perhaps the hat Ser Padaryn used in court, it will not take long for the Guard to recognize my hand."

She glances at Merek on his protests, then, considering, and, "I came to Alexandria to attone for a grossly misspent life, Seer, then, I was crippled by the arcane plague, and later still by wounds from the Fae Queen, and I could do nothing to balance the debt that still hounds me. If you care little for the self, remember still that what constrains you shall keep you from your goal as well."

Merek seems to think about that a little bit, while he nods, "I am aware. Though what I went through, well... I can't let this go like it is, I will need to do what I am able to, in fixing that." The man sighs while he begins adjusting the gloves which he wears, "The Iron Hells taught me things. About the world."

"...All right then," Donna says to herself, levering off the ground. "Hadda ask. Sorry I can't help more, I guess. Someone let me know when it's safe to go back in the city, yeah?"

"There are other spells. Levitate, Reduce Person, summon things. I can even summon a horse." Ashlee says in her flat monotone. "Charm person. Nothing that really distracts a crowd."

She shrugs, "All very situational. Levitation is great is she passes by a building with a good roof. Not, if there are archers around. Glitterdust, Fog Cloud, blind temporarily, but only in very small areas. Watchers on the rooftops will see her. I can try thinking about things a bit, but my spells are generally healing, and something unpleasant."

Elyanna shakes her head at the responses she's getting. She is.... not the patch of sunlight, it seems. "No was never said, Donna, merely that I will need things to do this is a way that will not lead back to me... who is known to associate with you. With all of you." Back to Merek, "Do so, just consider all of the outcomes, is all I was trying to say."

Ashes's repetoire is noteworthy. It's good to serve the Fieu of Tears, it seems.

Merek nods a bit to the three, while he seems to think about it, then he watches the skies. There's a lift of a flask which he keeps with him to take a drink from.

Donna rubs her face, squeezing her eyes shut before turning to face Elyanna. "Okay, but like... Since apparently I *don't* got any good ideas, I could maybe use some help thinkin' about *how to keep my sister from losing her head?* Right now all I got's a little bag o' tricks, runnin' feet, an' a crowd willing to make noise an' throw vegetables. *Gimme something I can use,* okay?!"

"Oooooohh......" Ashes says, actual inflection in her voice. Mostly, the tone dropping. Despair, somehow. She blinks once. "I can cast enthrall."

This is excellent news! A spell that affects any number of creatures, within a medium sized area. Their attention will be rapt, and undivided!

"They won't be able to look away." Ashlee says, sounding flat and hollow once more as she explains its useful effects, "Except I have to keep talking."

Which... could be an issue.

Elyanna's spine goes rigid as her eyes flare briefly in surprise, narrow swiftly into irritation and the halfbred just barely manages not to snap back, though from the contortions on her face, it's a trying thing for a couple of seconds. She slowly opens her mouth to draw breath and respond, "Breathe." She could be advising herself, but she continues in another direction, stomping off several paces.

She whirls back then, eyes intense, anger(guilt?) within then, "The first time -I- sprung prisoners, before we met, ended in a bloodbath, did you know that?" She lowers her eyes, shaking her head and her voice loses fire, volume, a somber tone even as she speaks is fighting against the halfbreed drawing rein, "Dozens of slaves, a dozen guards, and weeks of ducking and hiding, and I will never know if all of the prisoners managed to escape, after all. -I- live with that because I failed to account for everything. We want to do this."

Proud, even haughty Elyanna von Diesel, hangs her head, "We need this to succeed.... I can not fail your sister for lack of consideration, Donna. I... will not."

Merek looks between the three and nods a little bit, while he seems to think about it, "Alright," he notes, then he takes a look from the hood along to the skies.

"Hey," Donna says, voice quiet. "I get it. I'm scared too. An' I appreciate that it matters enough to make you scared, y'know? So okay, you ain't got ideas now, I get that. Give it a think, we'll talk about it later. An' Ashes? That sounds like it could help... Keep it in mind, an' remember; it ain't just the execution, but the chase; I heard a whole lotta that repertoire that'd be a great bag o' tricks for ditchin' a tail."

Pausing for a moment, she brushes some probably-imaginary dirt off the skirt of her armor, and straightens. "We got this, guys... She's gonna be okay."

With that said, the brawler turns to trot off the field, and find that alchemist she was pointed at...

Ashlee turns at the outburst. Her eyes widen a little. She listens, and she thinks. Her friend... yes. Elyanna is a friend, and she's not dead. She needs consoling. Raw Grief is there in a very old wound. The sort Mourners are trained to deal with and face very day. She brings out the most comforting thing she can say, reaches out, and pats Elyanna on her shoulder. "There, there. Everything will be ok."

The ashen Arvec suspects this will not be enough, but what else is there to say? Fieu of the Tears, what should I... ?

"The Fieu of the Tears will have taken them into her careful embrace. Prisoners, guards, the roles of this life are meaningless to her. Everyone dies. Everyone is lovingly tended. She will bring them to peace."

The Mourner keeps staring at her friend, a talking skull with a face full of worms, behind it a person bound. "The living suffer. You should not. Let those memories go. Use them for focus, as you are, without the feeling. Put it in it's box."

Hobgoblin advice. Perhaps even good advice.

Merek seems to think about it, then he looks to Donna, "We'll make sure that she's safe." Then he takes a look to Ashlee and Elyanna. He has no idea what to say to anyone, "I'm not useful in all of this. All I know is learn more, and... Work with that."

It wasn't for any of the gathered. Those are her brambles to flog herself with, not theirs.

The red woman, somewhat rosier, even, than usual, is hard pressed to bring her head up to face Donna anew. The conciliation is little comfort in the moment, damn her highborn pride, but it -is- a comfort, nonetheless, and as the brawler moves to depart, she can only affirm, "I will." in a troubled tone.

The touch to her shoulder, her friend's ingrained response, inspires, then smooths, tension in her frame as the crest of a wave and the halfbreed turns the veiled storm in troubled eyes sidelong to Ashes and she nods, "/You're right... thank you./"

She dabs at her eyes with a knuckle, just in case, before lifting them to Merek, then Ashes, and back, "We... will need to explore our means. For the sisters."