• Closed • Errand of Mercy [Mistral Woods]

[Pepper]

[img]https://i.imgur.com/jx9TbSr.jpg[/img]

73 of Ymiden, 718
Mistral Village
Stormlands, Rharne

She needed to figure out a way to get some riding practice in at the city. Or she needed to come home more often. Pepper surreptitiously rubbed her thigh muscles, trying to ease the soreness. The pot of salve from the village herbalist had helped a lot, but it'd take at least a trial or two before the soreness went away completely. Well there was always something that needed to be doing, and she'd come to realise this held more truth the older one grew.

We may have come on a fool's quest.. she said almost to herself. She glanced apologetically at Noah, who was lounging on the chair opposite to her. The village pub wasn't crowded at this time of the day, but someone new would enter every once in a while, and someone at the bar would have enough, and exit. It's middle of Ymiden, and those flowers may very well have been seasonal, only flowering in that brief window of time mid-Ashan... She wasn't sure she was convinced about Noah's reasons for coming along, but she had been glad of the company on the long ride from the city. Fidgeting a bit in her chair, she clasped her hands in front of her, resting them at the table, Do you think we forgot anything? The woods are friendly again, I checked with grandma Iris about that...

Her thoughts flashed to her aunt's latest bout of headaches. They were getting much worse, needing her aunt to spend most of a number of trials in her darkened room. Her uncle had been visibly upset, but the healers could only give the diagnosis of migraine headaches. The typical herbs, salves and the like were clearly not working much. She had heard her aunt, a grown Biqaj woman, weeping from pain as she walked the corridors at night, unable to find lasting relief anywhere. The next day, she'd met Noah by chance, and while telling him about all this, had suddenly recalled the glowing purple flower which had cured some substantial injuries in the mistral woods near the middle of last season.

She'd immediately decided to try seeking that flower, half afraid it'd turn out to have been a seasonal flower and already past flowering. And that was how they both found themselves here.

Let's finish up here, and then start? She asked Noah.

[Nightshade Eld]

The half-breed wandered into the pub mostly out of curiosity. The woman wasn't much for drink, but while she was out and about in a new area why not take the chance to explore? Though, considering where she was presently it was almost laughable that she had no taste for alcohol. No, no, it was definitely laughable. Especially considering the fact that the woman never even had the intention of stopping in Rharne. On her return trip from Scalvoris she ended up getting just way too tired, which had resulted in her having to make... let's call it an emergency landing. There was no doubting the fact that Night was a master of winds and could fly for days on end. But the return trip she'd ended up pushing herself just a little too hard and that resulted in her being too tired to finish the trip. She was gonna be late returning, which worried her. She had no idea the damages that might have been caused within the short span of her absence. But she knew if she pushed herself any harder than she already had been she was going to regret it when she got back. If only there was some other kind of way back...

At least while she was taking a rest it gave her another chance to explore another new city, something that was always good in the mind of the half-breed. She wanted to learn everything about this new area that she'd managed to find herself in. So she'd spend a good amount of time wandering, mostly on foot, and sticking her nose in anything that wouldn't outright chop it off. Figuratively. The pub had caught her interest for one reason or another so she found herself wandering inside. The air was interesting, it was a far different scent from any of the pubs or taverns in Etzos. Her memory brought back the scent of smoke and blood and wood rather easily, it's presence practically scorched into her nostrils. It was different in this pub, and she wasn't absolutely certain how to think or feel about it.

As she entered the half-breed came upon a curious sight, taking a couple moments to process as she stared. Was that Finn? No! Certainly not? She was entirely uncertain and was having issues catching his eyes, so she couldn't be entirely sure. It would be embarrassing to charge up and then be wrong. But how many kids looked that much like Finn? She'd only seen him a couple times, so again, she wasn't certain of the issue. Her biggest mental hurdle was the fact that the last time she saw him he was all the way in Etzos. That had been some time ago though... It wasn't too little time to be impossible. But at the same time, it was too little time to not feel strange. Hesitantly she tried to decide what to do with herself. Lingering near the door of the pub and obviously looking very lost. She felt way too much like a lost little tourist too feel an infinitesimal amount comfortable. She also suddently became extremely aware of how much of an outsider she looked like. And felt like. And with that awareness came an overawareness to the existence of her wings, which made her feel even more awkward.

"Common"

"Ith'ession"

[Finnegan O'Connor]

ERRAND OF MERCY

73rd Ymiden, 718

Finn puffed his cheeks. He’d steeled himself for many things to be different in Rharne than they were in Etzos, but one thing he hadn’t prepared for was the early onset of blistering heat which was usually limited to a few sweltering days in Saun. It was no wonder that Ilaren’s city was also jokingly known as the drunk’s city for the air had turned so dry that he thirsted for a refreshment just moments after he’d gulped one down.

“Maybe a fool’s errand? Maybe?” He pointed an accusing finger at her “It was your bloody idea to bloody go look for some bloody flowers in the bloody middle of this mosquito-filled, man-eating shithole you call a forest. We’ll find some shriveled bones at most if we’re lucky…”

Though they were enjoying some shade and drinks now, the road there hadn’t provided the same comforts and he’d grown increasingly irritable because of it. “It’s great to hear the woods are friendly again,” he started in a mock voice. “Yeah, last week they were munching on some bones but this trial it’s all fine, we only got a couple disappearances and a bunch of big huge ravenous animals trying to tear the flesh of your bones… But yer old folk had a look at her tea leaves and said it’d be alright. Pepper, do you even hear what you’re saying? Honestly...” He let out an exasperated sigh, knowing full well that once Pepper got something into her head, she was going to persist. Why oh why had he offered to help out?

Oh I know why, a little voice in the back of his head said.

You like her.

No I don’t. She’s not even that interesting! She thinks going out of town on horseback at a snail’s pace to look for some cunting flower is an adventure!

And yet you agreed to go.

... only because it seemed important to her…

You’re in love.

No I’m not!

Then why are you blush-

The heatwave had granted him one mercy at least: the red on his cheeks had been rendered invisible by the steady barrage of sunlight. Maybe you shouldn’t pick a fight with her if you want her to like you back…

“Alright,” he sighed before gulping down the remainder of his drink in a single swig. “Let’s get this over with.” The stool he’d sat on scraped over the floor and he barely waited for Pepper to catch up with him as he marched outside with his foul mood and unkempt hair in tow. He nearly kicked the door of its hinges and had every intention of making this expedition as short as possible when he was forced to a sudden halt.

“Night-?”

He would recognize the half-breed anywhere. She was hard to miss, really, though she had a knack for remaining quiet and unseen when she so desired. One of their few commonalities, truth be told. Perhaps it was the heat, or perhaps it was the suddenness of her appearance, but he was too slow to recognize the danger of her presence and merely stared at her sheepishly, even as he felt Pepper coming up behind him.