Fantasy RPG Forum - Standing Trials

As they planned to take the big bird one Baya felt immense relief when Kali left to find Faith. The more the big one moved and attempted to communicate the more sure Baya was that something was wrong. The fear he had wasn’t normal, sure she’d scared the few weary travelers back home, who expected talking sticks? Big ones were silly that way but this was…it reminded her of things she’d rather forget and things she really should stop avoiding. But wholly it was because Pash and Kali and Faith were also big, she couldn’t help him if he couldn’t move.

She was grateful when Pash offered his shoulder, even more grateful when the commotion of them all seemed to wake Stripe enough for her to hover near and follow. Thankfully not dragging the Tunawa off to Immortals knew where, at least not yet.

“Oh yes. Am singing good. Big ones clapped!” Baya said, preening a bit then sobering as Pash struggled to carry the bird big one. Seeing Pash carrying him made the Tunawa realize this big one was a little big one. He was a sapling. A very scared sapling. Tempering her excited relief a bit was hard bit doable. Baya even shifted so she could try and give the big bird one some pats of comfort while she sang. The words were nonsense as she tried to soothe him, knowing he couldn’t likely understand her anyway, even if he was part bird.

“Hush little sapling
Don’t you cry
Bayas gonna get you a seed

And if that little seed don’t bloom
Bayas gonna get you a doctor soon

And then that doctor will fix you up…”

She trailed off, repeating the words and testing out different tones to make the chirps sound different, even switching it back and forth from Common to Tree Talk. A few times she simply sang about them walking, so long as it kept the bird big one happy.

“Faith! Kali!” Baya waved in excitement when they reached the Order Faith had told her of before, then quickly silenced herself as the bird big one was handed over. Avriel. Thats what he was. She’d not heard of them before and had certainly never seen one in Desnind. But if there was a name there were more, a whole city if what she gathered from what Faith was saying. Baya struggled to get some of the finer points of what was wrong with the bird big one but then she struggled more when Stripe accidentally dragged her off Pash’s shoulder.

“Stop it you! We’re doing important things now, behave.” It was sharper than intended, Baya even found herself jerking a bit of the sharp crack of her chirps. But it worked. Sort of. Stripe settled them both on an empty space out of the way.

“Faith is making you better. Feel better soon, can be staying with me but am no having home, is having space at inn, bed is too big for Tunawa, sleep in pot. Is knowing some herbs too, can be helping make not sick or can be staying with Pash or Kali?” Baya smiled at Mero as she spoke but her eyes took in his injuries more and she knew it was hard to hide the fear and sadness in her gaze. Echoes of threats of fire rang in her ears loudly until she had to look away and glance at Pash and Kali to see what suggestions they had. One of them would have to keep the sapling, they couldn’t just leave him by himself after all this. At least, she hoped one of them would, even if it was her and she wouldn’t be able to do much.

Pash was glad to hand the boy over wherever Faith directed, his mind tired. His was not the face to hide himself well, either. He was rubbish at cards because he wore it all so clearly, and his concern and sadness were only barely tempered by relief. The underfed boy was hardly heavy, though his wings had somewhat made the trip awkward but otherwise not at all difficult. He’d perhaps spent far longer than he should have in the winged creature’s tangle making their trip less terrifying without words to keep them both safe, for while he was used to the colors of threads for different feelings, he was not used to the new imagery that came with them. The imagery was different than a memory, more like an attachment—the source from which the thread had been made from. Brief but clear, the tall Biqaj could probably have put together all the pieces to summarize the youth’s history for Faith after he’d been the shuttle in the weft for the past half a break, but she looked quite busy taking care of his physical needs.

“It seemed t’ be a shipwreck.” He offered quietly instead, keeping faces and feelings to himself, needing for that trill to lean into Kali’s brief touch to anchor himself, “though I’ll go out on a limb an’ say they were pirates.”

His tide pool gaze shifted to the boy and lingered while he spoke, and though he was dizzy and wanted to sit down, he stood, “He’s been in a cage, it seems, m’haps his whole life,” Pash attempted to string images together, aware that the only way he would know the things he spoke out loud would be because of magic. He did not feel guilt for this, for keeping the boy calm enough to bring him here and get help, but the seafaring musician knew not everyone was as comfortable with his spark as he was slowly becoming. A calloused hand reached up to run upward over his face and curl fingers into his hair for a moment, “so, aye, he’s afraid o’ everythin’ outside ‘f it. I don’ know if anyone’s quite cared for him in a normal way, ever, but I don’ read minds, just hearts.”

Faith was a woman of many talents, clearly some of them divine. The tall Biqaj found it all fascinating, though at the same time he drifted in his own fog. She mentioned the winged boy should be spending a few trials with the Order to be cared for and he nodded, looking to Baya when she mentioned the boy staying with himself or Kali, “He’s better off here for a while. There’s no’ much we can offer that isn’t done better here—besides, where we’re stayin’s kinda’ th’ same, so, there’s that.”

While Pash had not seen clearly the face of anyone in the images that appeared as sources for so many of the boy’s feelings, he somewhat understood his coincidental connection through the inked lines on his tanned skin. He moved to grin at the winged boy,

“I told y’ Faith’s nice an’ she’ll take care ‘f you. E’eryone here will, but y’ need t’ get some rest an’ some food. So, we’ll come back an’ visit—“ He handed the boy his bag, placing it in his lap and making sure to give him a warm, gentle pat, “—To-trial’s a good trial, then. It m’haps don’ feel like it yet, but I promise it will later.”

And visit he would, if possible, in addition to offering help. His particular dislike of pirates and their ilk was strong, but he also had his peculiar kind of heart for people. While one could argue his somewhat sudden attachment was falsely fostered by magical means, Pash as the emotional creature he was would beg to differ. Whatever the reason, the boy was stuck with him now in his own way.

“Aye, well, keep us in th’ know, please. Like Kali, I’d like t’ be ‘round t’ lend a hand.”

Comments: Pash melts my heart. Such a good guy! Also, I ship Pash and Kali so hard.

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