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 Posted: Sat Apr 13, 2013 8:50 pm
Harveer had been forcing himself forward for quite some time now. He really wanted out of this place. The pale angel could just feel the urge to take wing and get the heck out of here. Somehow, it brought a smile to his face. It meant they were in the right area. The Guardians wouldn't have sent them here if they weren't sure they could handle it... Right?
Genesis was speaking his mind. This place did feel tainted. Like the marsh... But a lot worse. A lot. "Yeah..." He nodded, taking the time to learn the feel of such a heavy taint. He'd missed it with smaller creatures that had been... Tainted. The first time he hunted. He didn't like the thought of messing up. It felt like he was failing The Guardians. They deserved better than that.
"It feels... Really tainted. This is worse than the marsh..." Harveer's voice was weak. He hated that as much as he hated failing The Guardians. It showed weakness. A weakness he felt had no right to be there while he performed to their words.
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Posted: Sat Apr 13, 2013 9:07 pm
The combination of reactions was a bit alarming. Takeko took a step back from the trio in response, shooting a look at Texas. Well, something was more than it seemed here. The nymph seemed desperate, the leaf-winged one...exasperated for some reason. And the Naiad was giving her a bad feeling, despite her benign words. The look Takeko shared with Texas was enough to say to keep alert, as she kept her own expression neutral towards the trio.
"I'm not a healer, as such," she answered, moving towards the leaf-winged Pae'il. "But, maybe I can help a bit." She set down the basket in her hands, tossed back the cloth cover, and started rifling for something near the bottom. In a few moments, she pulled out a leather satchel, undid the clasp, and unfolded the pouch to reveal a series of small vials, corked bottles, and pockets filled with various leaves and herbs.
"I can't do much for broken bones," she said apologetically to the female, shaking her head. "And I'm afraid that might be what we have here. Can't tell without touching it, but if that is the case, i won't be able to do much anyway. You'll really need to have the fairies at the Healing House take a look at it as soon as possible." She frowned. "That's quite a journey from here though. You'll need help. But, perhaps, I can at least do something for the pain. How bad is it?" she asked, already looking through the vials and herbs in her pack.
She trusted Texas to watch her back, just in case the bad feelings she had were justified. Something was odd about this group, that much was for certain. However, she couldn't turn her back on an injured Pae'il, and the ankle seemed swollen and puffy. Hard to fake that.
Removing two vials, she held them up to the female. "Choose your medicine," she smiled. "I've got a potion that will ease the pain, all you have to do it drink it. Though, it's going to make you very sleepy, so you might need one of your friends here to take care of getting you to the Healing House. Or, I have a salve I can put on your ankle. It might hurt while I put it on, but it'll dull the pain afterwards and help bring some of the swelling down, if temporarily. Your choice," she offered, letting the other decide which she'd rather have.
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Posted: Sat Apr 13, 2013 9:59 pm
Gypsy's walk was interrupted by the sound of...well...she wasn't sure so she made her way toward the noise wondering what was going on "weren't forests, for the most part, meant to be quite?" She said softly to herself, wondering what all the commotion was about and hoping that she wasn't about to step on someones toes by being there but the way things were panning out it was just too much for her curiosity to just ignore.
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Posted: Sat Apr 13, 2013 10:21 pm
As assumed, Lailah had taken a forward point, though in a discrete manner, resuming her normal method of slipping into the shadows and moving from one to the next. The feelings of doubt and despair that the others had begun to feel did not avoid the blood-stained angel either.
This mission was already a complete debacle. Those idiotic Fae had thrown her completely off her game. She should have silenced them instead of trying to deal with them. There would have been less trouble and she probably would have been forgiven for acting rashly once she explained her reasoning. But no, others had to be brought in, dragging things out, and wasting time as well as destroying any secrecy they may have had. She'd ruined everything...failure was imminent, and it was all her fault. Her heart hammered against her rib cage, the stress making her border on panic. Everything she lived for, everything she'd striven to do for her beloved Guardians...and now they'd be furious with her failure...
Despair caused many to panic, to flee, to escape the fear. Lailah's reactions were a bit different. Fear, panic, despair, all led to another emotion. Anger. When the angel began to feel as if everything was collapsing in on her, crowding in, blocking off all escape; she didn't give in, she didn't curl up and cry like a child. She got angry and she fought back. Growling, she drew one of her blades and pressed it against the inside of her off-hand palm. As the blood began to well, she focused on the pain, and with it, a sort of clarity seemed to come over her thoughts. She had sworn to her duty. She would complete her mission no matter what. She hadn't failed until she was dead. That wasn't happening any time soon either, if she had anything to say about it.
As she had halted to deal with the darkness that had settled on her heart, the others had caught up to her and she overheard their murmurs. Yes, she had felt it too. But they could fight it. "The Guardians give us strength to focus and fight the darkness with their Light," she quoted, then shot a look towards Genesis and Harveer. "It means that we have the right place, and that the heretics don't want us here." She flashed what might have been a smirk, before slipping away again to take a look ahead now that she felt at least a bit more confident to proceed.
The group ahead gave the angel pause. So many Pae'il here...and many of them heretics. The Faun things, though some of them looked quite odd...well, in comparison to the ones she was used to seeing at least. They had...wings. Her stomach twisted, dreading what this might mean. She took note of a few others in the area, an angel, a demon, some others she wasn't as familiar with, and another fae, she noted with a sneer. Well, the first two could be of some use possibly...still no signs of the cave, but it must be just beyond. The brownish female faun seemed to be trying to get the others to leave. Taking note of this, the crimson-haired angel slipped away, returning to her own group to report.
"Heretics, lots of them, not far from here," she explained to the group upon her return. "Mostly Faun, but some of them...they have wings," she whispered, still unsure what this meant. "I still didn't see the cave, but it must be close. The evil grows only more strongly in that direction, so we must keep our guard up." Infiltration was one thing she was good at; tactics and seeing the 'big picture'? Not so much. Lailah would leave that to someone else.
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Posted: Sat Apr 13, 2013 10:47 pm
Eligor hung back, letting some of the more 'physical' Squires lead the way. If they stumbled into trouble, they'd be ready to defend themselves more readily than the mage. Of course, this was still supposed to be a reconnaissance mission, so perhaps he should be taking the lead, rather than some of the more hot-headed Squires, he thought, eyes drifting over the angel with the blood-stained wings.
Though, she had proven herself less rash and prone to violence than he would have expected, given earlier events. Perhaps their lessons on Knightly behavior were taking effect.
They weren't the only Squires hanging back, as he noticed both Katya and Dante nearby as well. They were just near enough that he caught some of what Katya said, nodding in agreement. He'd felt it too. A heaviness that gripped his heart, casting doubt and fear into his soul, and dragging it downward until his feet seemed to gain weight, making it harder and harder to keep moving. He'd kept his hand on Alethea's arm for reassurance, suspecting that she'd felt it too.
"Indeed, very powerful magic," he agreed, glancing up to see Lailah had returned to the group. Presumably from some scouting effort. He was proven right as she gave her report, and the demon frowned. "Perhaps we need a few more scouts," he muttered, letting go of Alethea to back away and start a different sort of murmuring, focusing on his familiar.
The small concentration of light focused and solidified in the shape of a small, cat-like creature. It glanced around, then seemed to shake out its 'fur' before settling down on its haunches. 'Eligor. What's the situation?'
"Scouting mission, Amaros," the demon answered, looking ahead. "We've got heretics in the area, and they're using dark spells to keep us away. Or to try at least. They've got some sort of secret weapon, according to our intel, and they're hiding it in a cave near here. We can use all the eyes we've got, as the situation could be hostile, but no moves have been made yet. Just would like to have you here before things get started, just in case."
The cat gave a very Pae'il-like nod, keeping itself at Eligor's side until otherwise instructed. Meanwhile, the demon moved forward to address all the Squires at once. He wasn't some grand leader, however, they needed a plan before proceeding. "I think we need two groups. One to run interception with the heretics, keep them distracted, and the second to see if they can slip by them and find this cave. They must be guarding it." He looked at the angel who had just returned. "Lailah? You said there were others in this group? Non-heretics, perhaps? Maybe we can just blend in. Keep things discrete, pretend to be just more lost Pae who have wandered into the area. Ask some questions. Be subtle, play dumb if we must. Just keep them busy. The rest, keep things quiet and just try to get in without being seen, take a look around, and see what can be found out about this cave. Sound good?"
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Posted: Sat Apr 13, 2013 11:07 pm
The response the nymph gave was very ... enthusiastic, almost to the point of causing alarm just on its own. Why was he so happy to see people? Usually, that kind of relief implied that there was something that needed helping, and it didn't necessarily seem to be the exasperated one with leaf wings in this case, though it did look like she had an injury.
He would let Takeko handle the injury. She may have been no healer in the strictest sense of the word, but Texas was not built to deal with physical injuries at all, his ability to heal on a much more metaphysical realm than that.
He decided to channel some of that energy, eyes going a bit glazed for a moment, body temporarily going a bit slack as he focused strictly on the idea of calm. Something seemed off here, in someone's mood, and he needed to get to the bottom of it... but perhaps it would be easier if he was not concerned that the naiad was not of some kind of threat. He wasn't deaf--he had heard her displeasure, and the way she slipped into something so sickeningly sweet simply came off as false. Texas was having none of it, and the reaction of the nymph only assured him there was issue here.
Sincerely, Texas hoped the leaf-winged chose the salve option that Takeko had suggested. That would eliminate some of the worry there was an issue letting this group stay together, because they wouldn't really have to. Everyone could go on their way, or they could get them out of the way if they had to.
He needed to figure out why, exactly, this woman was flipping on a switch.
"Takeko can handle her. I was wondering, though, what brings the two of you out here? This isn't exactly the most populated area of the Forest, and so close to the Falls, at that. It's rather dangerous out here."
The gnawing on his spine only reminded him of that, the calming aura he was forcing out something that couldn't really override whatever it was, not to any completion anyway.
"And are you alright, ma'am?" That was pointed at the naiad, tilting his head very slightly as a show of curiosity. He was not making it obvious, but he was attempting to watch her closer, watching for any other weird cues like growls and the deep inhale. What was she doing, preparing...?
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Codebreaking Conversationalist
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Posted: Sun Apr 14, 2013 12:20 am
The striped demon was growing increasingly twitchy, his tail lashing back and forth much like an angry cat's. This whole area...it felt bad, driving him away almost willfully. Like Dragnid...though he'd never ventured deep enough for it to seem quite this forceful. And this was different...where the darkness of Dragnid seemed to seek out any anger, fury, violence and draw them to the surface, this seemed to target doubt, fear...sadness and despair. Normally the rebellious type, Kane would typically take this as a challenge to push forward and investigate whatever was trying to drive him away, natural curiosity combining with pure stubbornness.
He felt no such inclination right now.
"Faroth! Let's go!" he snapped again, eager to get moving away from here as soon as possible. He spared a glare towards the strange-looking white Faun with wings throwing orders about. Like he was going to listen to her. Besides, what other demons were around here anyway? He didn't particularly care if there were any...but there were some here that he knew and well, he wouldn't go so far as to admit 'cared for', not even to himself...didn't particularly wish them harm. Yeah, that.
Turning from the grey, dappled Faun for a moment, he looked at the two young adults, frowning. The shetani seemed the more reasonable of the two, so he shot him a look as he addressed the pair. "You boys need to get moving too. Whatever the hell it is you're looking for, the Falls seem a better option than this place." He looked them both over for a moment, pausing longer to look at Mikasi. There was no mistaking it, despite the oddity of his behavior earlier. This had to be his son. But this wasn't the time. Instead, the demon made a note that perhaps...after all this time...it was time once more to make a journey to Texas' house. Later.
Faroth waved a hand dismissively at Kane, though he noted the demon's concern was alarming in itself. Something very, very bad was here if it had Kane that unnerved. He turned as Princess Luna addressed him, nodding and trying to force a smile, but failing. "I'm always around somewhere, Princess. Still, I'm not sure how much information I can provide. I sort of ended up here by accident...Kane and I were in the area," he gestured towards the twitchy tiger demon. "But something near here is giving everyone the creeps. If Earthmother says we need to leave, I say we get everyone out of here though."
He turned back towards the elder Faun matriarch, frowning. "Of course, ma'am," he nodded, but looked to her in concern. "We can clear the area, but, if it's dangerous for any Pae to stay here...what about you?" There were a number of Faun in the area it seemed, which was odd, but the Princesses could easily help in guiding them back home. If there were some reason she needed to stay...maybe there was something he could help with? Heck, he was a fast runner; it wasn't like he couldn't get out of here quickly enough on his own if need be. He seemed willing to stay if there was some reason to do so, despite the anxiety that ate at him.
"The woman said to leave, Faroth! Maybe you should shut up and move your tail!" the demon snapped, earning a glare from Faroth.
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Posted: Sun Apr 14, 2013 8:44 am
Genesis paused and narrowed her eyes in deep thought. It had seemed to Genesis that Lailah was suggesting that the taint and the heretics were related. She had never thought of it like that, but now that she thought back to all the times she had encountered taint... the heretics had been present for all of it. The Queen, the strange faun, and now here where the heretics were trying to keep them away from. Genesis' eyes shot open as she came to the realization, it was too much to be a coincidence.
With this new discovery Genesis felt an urging to go on, no matter what her gut was telling her. "I have seen these strange fauns before..." she mentioned to Lailah and the rest of the group, "I was not sure if they were heretics. They are different in more ways than being winged. I had wanted to do more inquiry to find out what their origins were... but now I am convinced that they are heretics the same as the faun." She turned to Harveer and gave him a reassuring pat on the back and then turned to Eligor who was speaking, Genesis tried to think of which group she would better fit into, she wasn't as subtle as someone like Eligor when she spoke. "I will seek out this cave with whomever wishes to join me." She nodded assertively.
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Codebreaking Conversationalist
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Posted: Sun Apr 14, 2013 1:21 pm
Heretics...
"If they are heretics, and the heretics are related to taint, then, they must be properly dealt with. Ignore their attempts to drive us away; we must find what is in that cave." Nephi lifted an arm, pointing in the direction that he had seen it from up above.
If they wished to blend in with the locals, though, they looked a bit overprepared. From what he had seen from up above, no one was dressed in armor, even if they were clothed, and it would make them stand out if they attempted to simply merge into the already forming crowd. There were angels and demons in the area, so surely, blending in would not be difficult, but as it was, they would only stand out.
If he was a heretic, he would be suspicious of armored Pae'il wandering into his environment himself.
"If I may make a suggestion?" Nephi brought his voice down a bit further, knowing that the darkness had ears. They could not let anyone present hear them, lest they become even more on alert than they already were. The pervading sense of doom he felt only seemed to grow stronger the more he stood. "If you wish to blend in with those already present, I would recommend lessening how prepared we appear. We will automatically look suspicious if we are this well-prepared amoungst those wearing no armors at all."
It was a risky move, especially if things turned hostile, but it might have been necessary if this was to stay a reconnaissance mission. It might have also been mildly insane, all things considered. What if the doom was not just magic driving them away, and there was truly something they would not want to confront, waiting in the wings for them to arrive before it showed themselves? They would not be safe. He would be dead meat, he certainly knew. His combat training had not been as extensive as his fellows', his knowledge mostly learned from books and sheets of paper of summarizations.
But bravery in the face of danger was something he was capable of, and he bit his lip. He would blend in.
For his part, Nephi pulled his leather chestpiece off, leaving himself with only the shoulder bracer, the arm bracers, and his bottoms. He unhooked his leg bracers, too, dropping them with the chestpiece, before looking forward.
"I will attempt to blend in. I'll gather some information, report back."
Hopefully nothing would go too badly.
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Posted: Sun Apr 14, 2013 3:29 pm
Was this woman seriously giving them orders? What authority did she have over him? Perhaps that was why she didn't bother addressing him, figured the nymph, but he knew that she had no level of authority over Ignatius either, who bristled at the fact that she turned to him as if to order him anywhere.
Unlike Mikasi, though, Ignatius was better at swallowing down reactions, his offense fading quicker than it appeared, a barely noticeable jolt of alarm in the end. Instead, he looked around, eyes trying to spot other ones like 'him' as this winged faunness was unable to properly identify. "I am a shetani," told Ignatius, as his eyes turned back to the woman who seemed to consider herself the leader of the 'faunies,' Were those similar to the faun? He had never heard Vangelis mention them, but then, Vangelis had not been to the tree in many seasons. It was likely he didn't know of them at all. "I doubt there is another like me in the area; we're a rare bunch."
As if to demonstrate this, Ignatius briefly unfurled his wings, letting the feathered spines show themselves fully, before he drew them back in.
To Kane, he slightly shook his head, rejecting the suggestion to leave, even if he did appreciate it. "This place is dangerous, but someone should make sure everyone gets out safely. I can get out quickly if need be."
Despite his brave words, though, Ignatius felt more nervous by the second, hands clenching and unclenching as he attempted to keep himself calm. This wasn't necessarily successful, bouncing up and down on his heels as a way of channeling the nervous energy making its way up and down his spine. He didn't want to be here. Something was horribly wrong, and it only wore on him more the more he remained. But if there was something truly wrong here, someone needed to stay to ensure everyone else left.
That being said, Mikasi thought he was utterly insane.
"We should go!" Everything that was happening here was just more to make him want to leave. They should have never come out here. The whole quest for gold was stupid anyway. They had other ways to get things to exchange; they didn't have to do it by one-upping their uncle at his own game. In fact, that seemed to only lead them into more trouble. He knew coming out here was a bad idea. The forest wasn't meant for someone like him. He would do better resting in bed, as he was that morning, as he had never left and never come out here in the first place where he felt like some monster threatened to consume him at every corner, whether it be whatever this was or simply some kind of animal that lurked here, and it felt like it was hard to swallow, hard to breathe, and he wanted nothing more than to get out of here faster than he was even capable of moving.
He needed to leave. They had to leave. There was no question. Something bad was lurking here, and he knew Ignatius knew it too. He knew the blue striped demon knew it, and Faroth certainly seemed to be aware of it. Even the "Earthmother," as she was called, seemed to be aware there was a problem, encouraging them to leave. Though why was she out here in the first place? Wasn't their home across the isle--
Did it even matter, they needed to go!
"Ignatius, let's just leave!" The stress in his voice was so uncharacteristic that it caused Ignatius a bit of alarm, but he didn't seem to be backing up, either.
Why wasn't Ignatius listening?
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Codebreaking Conversationalist
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Posted: Sun Apr 14, 2013 4:32 pm
"Nephi has a point," Eligor conceded, nodding. "Those that want to run interception need to look the part of a lost traveler. Meaning, not going in looking like an armed fighter looking for trouble." He glanced down, shrugging, as all he'd picked up from the armory before had been his staff. And that could be easily mistaken for a mere walking staff, not a magical channeling aid. "Guess I'm on the interception team," he chuckled. Amaros could hang back, keep an eye on the proceedings, watch his back and be ready to call on if things went badly.
"Alethea? What about you?" he asked the angel at his side. He was sure that he and Nephi wouldn't be the only ones to run the distraction, but they could probably handle it if they needed to. Well...as long as they kept it to talking only at least.
As the Squires started sorting themselves out, Lailah was quick to make her choice before someone tried to make it for her. It was an easy one to make. "I've had enough of dealing with idiotic heretics today," she sneered, stepping towards Genesis. "Count me in for checking out the cave." It was what they were here for afterall, and she felt more like doing something of purpose and worth, something with a bit more possibility of action rather than talk.
She clenched her fist, the pain there still allowing her to focus and gain clarity against the darkness that tried to press in on her, though the blood had begun to clot.
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Posted: Sun Apr 14, 2013 4:57 pm
Alethea did not like this plan. She would rather have her armor, and be thought of as a jester, should those at the cave be simpletons or heretics. She would also rather exert her authority over all of them. She (and her fellow squires) was meant to be here, not them. Let them die from lack of preparation. After all, Andrei sent them to the armory for a reason, right?
But, it was Eligor suggesting it. So of course she complied. He may not be much smarter than her, but you don't win points with your crush by contradicting him. "I'll go up ahead with you guys." She removed her chest piece as Nephi had, but opted to keep the arm and shin guards. She couldn't fly, so if she had to run, she at least wanted some form of protection from the trees and brush. Oh I hope this isn't a bad idea.
She kept her pack with the various recon and cave scouting gear. "Maybe we can at least pass as cave spelunkers? You know, if anyone asks?" she hated this. A bunch of idiots ruined their first important mission.
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Posted: Sun Apr 14, 2013 5:13 pm
Kane growled, shaking his head at the foolish boy. "If everyone stays here to make sure everyone else leaves, no one is going to get anywhere. Fine, stay here then if you want," he snapped at Faroth and the shetani boy. At least in this, his spawn seemed to be the only other one with a brain here.
He didn't even know the kid that well yet, but Kane could hear the note of panic creeping into the nymph's voice. Snarling, he grabbed Mikasi by the wrist and tugged to snap him out of it. "Come on. If they wanna' stay here and be stupid, that's their choice. Let's do our part by being smart and getting the hell out of here." He got the feeling that whatever they'd been here for had been completely forgotten, or at least, had become much less important than previously thought. Time to get out of here. Forget the Falls, they were heading in the other direction; south, as far from this place as they could get, or at least until that horrible feeling went away.
"Come on, kid," he urged in a quieter voice, but still laced with urgency. "Home seems like a much better option than here. Move." He tugged the boy's wrist once more to get him moving, then started off, hoping the kid had the sense to follow.
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Posted: Sun Apr 14, 2013 5:46 pm
Actually, Ignatius agreed with the blue demon. If everyone just stood around and waited for everyone else to leave, no one would properly leave, but what it sounded like from what everyone else was saying, the winged faun..y?, Earthmother, and everyone else involved were working on gathering people up to get themselves out. They were likely leaving, as well they should. This place seemed to just emanate danger, and it made him more and more uncomfortable by the moment.
"People are talking about how they will be leaving, or gathering people to leave. Everyone should be leaving soon," stated Ignatius, in response to the blue demon, wondering why he even needed to bother justifying himself. He didn't need to justify himself to anyone, especially when he was doing to to protect others. No one needed to know what he was doing or why he was doing it, only that it would help out in the end. No snappish demon that was almost as snappish as Mikasi could make him move.
Though the danger he felt made him want to.
Mikasi's instinct was to hiss at the blue demon when he grabbed his hand, and indeed, he did, attempting to yank his wrist away--albeit unsuccessfully--when the demon wanted to drag him off. Who did this guy think he was?! Sneaking up on him, breathing over his shoulder, asking what he was doing he, acting like he had some kind of authority over him for some reason and now he was attempting to drag him off? Why would he even go with this guy? How was Mikasi supposed to know he was any safer than being paralyzed here?
Well, Faroth seemed to know him, but what difference did that make? He was quickly learning that Faroth seemed to know everyone; he had known everyone who had shown up here somehow.
Maybe if he could get Ignatius to come with him. He looked over at Ignatius, who shook his head and murmured a sharp, "I'll be fine. Just go," at Mikasi, jerking his head to follow the blue demon.
And so Mikasi followed, but not without the spare thought of...
Wait a minute, how does he know what home is?
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Codebreaking Conversationalist
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Posted: Sun Apr 14, 2013 5:51 pm
Thara was pleased the two angels heeded her warning. She didn't want them to get hurt, even if they were angels. They appeared innocent, not part of the Guardians army. Maybe just in the wrong place, at the wrong time. Still, was odd for so many random Pae to show up. Nothing was calling or leading anyone here that she was aware of, unless something else is working against her now too. She wondered if she'd have a chance to work on new spells to hide the cave or scare people off. The thought of a real dragon illusion was a pleasing idea, bringing a smirk to the teens face.
She noticed Earthmother trying to shoo off all the interlopers, and suddenly something came to her. She approached Earthmother from behind, holding her arms out as if trying to "herd" the gathered Pae. "You all need to leave. Now. Stop trying to be heroes. There's nothing here to be a hero for. Although I'm sure some of you would make great dragon food," she said. Since the other Pae bought it, why wouldn't these ones, right?
It was also a chance to try and convince the Faun that Earthmother wasn't involved, and it could save her reputation for now.
Earthmother nodded towards Princess Celestia. "Yes, that could easily explain what led you here today. We really must not let anyone linger around here. I wouldn't want anyone getting hurt."
She didn't turn towards Thara, but she knew exactly what the teen was doing, and while the thought of leaving with some extra Pae'il lurking nearby not making themselves known didn't sit well with her, she needed to get these others out of here. She also needed to do some meditating to find out how so many Faun ended up here today, and find a way to better disguise this location if countless others even knew it existed.
Dishonesty was not a trait the Earthmother valued, but you don't live to be thousands of years old being one hundred percent candid. Gotta keep some secrets, and the art of deception is a handy survival tactic. It did pain her a bit to lie to Faroth's face. "I was out for a walk, like everyone else, just ended up here. Maybe for the same reason as the Princesses; to help others leave the area. I seen this young lass here and inquired if she needed aid, but she said she had things under control. At first I thought maybe I was to come here to help her, but I don't know what I could do against a dragon." She not only stretched the truth, hiding the real reason for her presence this far from the tree, but downplayed her own abilities and power.
"Let's go. Everyone let's leave the dragon protecting to the Faerie." Earthmother straightened her cloak to cover herself and used her staff as a walking cane, walking slowly, belying her true physical condition.
She only turned to look back towards Thara once, as if to offer an apology for leaving her alone. If she could find a way to break away from the others, she'd return. But it was unlikely considering the amount of Pae'il that "randomly" showed up.
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