[Game Thread] III. The Silver Cornucopia

[HenryLockwood]

"Looks like you could do with lessons as well."

Karla shares a conspiratorial grin with Amelia - if he's going to call himself a lover, let him puzzle over that! - before answering her own question.

"Each time you parry, the shock jars your arms. Each jar, and you get tired. Get tired, and you die.

"Try again, but step back instead. Gives you more room. Keep out of corners."

Karla matches her words with actions, miming stepping to one side, then swaying gracefully aside from an invisible blow, then taking three quick, light back-steps.

[Krimchee]

Nighttime conversations:

"Dan, don't you think we have enough on our plates without attracting the notice of flaming Wizards also? Bloody hell..." Silas turns to Fahd. "I've also been asking about Olaf. I don't like what I hear. I don't think we can leave th horn with him. We'll need a plan to get it from him. I don't like the idea of just cutting him down in the street." Silas was thoughtful as he said that....perhaps his own past weighed on his mind.

"I've also heard that there are more ruins to the northeast. Maybe we can find more clues as to what in the blazes is going on. I'd also like to see if we could find any clues about Isaiah and what role he and the flaming Ichvaal have in the sudden rise of all these crawlers."

Morning:

Seeing the two women sparring made Silas curious. He'd only recently come into his own sword, and had no real training in using the fecking thing. He mostly swung it wildly, counting on his natural dexterity to help him stick his enemies with the pointy end.

Silas stepped out of the barn, and addressed Karla. "Do you mind if I join you?" Silas gestured to his blade. "I'd like to learn how to use this thing properly before I get myself killed." He paused, unsure, "I'd be willing to show you what I know of the bow in exchange..."

[Tangler]

Fahd: Current HP 12/12, Spirit Healing 5/6 remaining, Cloak PSP 5/5 remaining
AC16, AC12 flat-footed, AC16 touch, Fort/Ref/Will +6/4/5

Lynx: Current HP 21/21
AC 18, (AC12 flat-footed, AC17 touch, AC22 vs OA (Mobility), Fort/Ref/Will +4/8/2-status/defenses-

Nighttime conversations Fahd sighs at Silas's assessment of Olaf, reinforcing as it does his own misgivings. "I would prefer not to take it from him, by force or otherwise, without knowing for certain whether he is likely to misuse it, but I fear you are correct. The first step, perhaps, would be to approach him and see whether he would be willing just to let us examine it."

Morning Fahd winces at Dan's double entendre, not for his own sake but for Karla's and Amelia's. Just because Karla is built like a man, he begins to think, but the memory of her warmth pressed up against him derails his train of thought. Karla might be built like a man, but Fahd's body had never responded to the touch of a man the way it had to Karla's. With a shake of his head the shaman forces himself to answer Dan. "About swordplay? I know little," Fahd replies. "I do have some skill with the aklys," he adds, putting a hand on the femur hanging from his belt, "but I mostly prefer to fling it from a distance. I can use it in hand to hand fighting, but am less effective with it." Fahd has been thinking about the potions given to the three of them by Jamie. As he watches Karla and Amelia, he says to Dan, "I think it might be possible to recreate the healing draughts given to us by Jamie. I will need the right tools to attempt it, and I will need to search the forest for the required components." The shaman approaches Karla. "Pardon me, miss. I am in need of a mixing pot, for the mixing of healing draughts, and thought you might know who in Jessup might be able to provide what I need." Fahd describes to Karla what he needs for tools, having to make a conscious effort to keep his eyes fixed on hers while he talks to her rather than letting them drift down her body, his mind imagining what is hidden underneath her clothing. His face seems, unaccountably, uncomfortably warm as he looks at her.

[HenryLockwood]

"Do I look like an archer?"

Karla gives Silas a wary look, holding her sword low and harmless. Amelia, thinking her teacher is distracted, steps forward and strikes with the flat of her own blade, but somehow Karla is simply not in the way. She grins. "Good try, but you need practice!"

Returning to Silas' question, she answers equivocally. "That's not the sort of blade I'm used to; it's more of a stabbing weapon. These" - she taps her own weapon, and indicates the one Amelia is holding - "are more versatile; you can slash as well as stab.

"I've seen those things used, though, and I can tell you what I know."

-=-

Karla tries hard to teach two students, in disparate styles of fighting: Silas relies on his greater reach, while the style Karla and Amelia use relies on faster footwork, parrying blows, and counterattacking. It is almost a relief when Fahd, blushing, asks about mixing pots. I could have some fun with this one.

"Mixing pots? For mixing things? You men never cease to impress me with your intellect."

As the shaman begins stammering even worse, Karla takes pity on him: he did, after all, likely save her life after the battle with the worm. Furthermore, he hasn't yet expected "payment" like Olaf would have done. Though that doesn't mean he won't. Can't trust them too much.

"Oh, very well. The potter - Jeremiah - survived the attack, but I saw his house was burning. Not badly. Might have broken some pots though; you'll be lucky if the right size is intact. Whatever your right size is."

[Tangler]

Fahd: Current HP 12/12, Spirit Healing 5/6 remaining, Cloak PSP 5/5 remaining
AC16, AC12 flat-footed, AC16 touch, Fort/Ref/Will +6/4/5

Lynx: Current HP 21/21
AC 18, (AC12 flat-footed, AC17 touch, AC22 vs OA (Mobility), Fort/Ref/Will +4/8/2-status/defenses-

It is a moment before Fahd realizes that Karla is poking fun at him, and his face grows warmer when he does. He doesn't really understand why she is making fun of his choice of words, but her manner seems good-natured enough. He smiles shyly and thanks her for the suggestion, then with a glance at Amelia he adds hesitantly, "When you are free, there is another matter I would like to discuss with you." He inclines his head slightly, then turns and heads off to seek Jeremiah the potter.

The other matter Fahd would like to discuss with Karla is, of course, Olaf. Given that she has had a relationship of some sort with Jessup's shaman, she might be able to offer valuable insight, but Fahd wants to talk to Karla alone, believing that she might speak more freely without other people listening.

[HenryLockwood]

When Amelia, then Silas, both indicate that their arms are tired, Karla ends the training session. "You'll need to practise," she warns them. "It's worse in a fight."

Amelia hurries into the farmhouse proper, emerging with a flask of I'm assuming that's the drink of choice in a pseudo-colonial environment, as water isn't necessarily potable.small beer. The group lounges, finding a relatively dry patch of dirt where the snow has been swept aside; fortunately, the cold is sufficient that the ground is still frozen.

That evening, as people disperse, Karla tracks down Fahd. "You wanted to ask me questions? I don't know much but you can ask."

[Tangler]

Fahd: Current HP 12/12, Spirit Healing 5/6 remaining, Cloak PSP 5/5 remaining
AC16, AC12 flat-footed, AC16 touch, Fort/Ref/Will +6/4/5

Lynx: Current HP 21/21
AC 18, (AC12 flat-footed, AC17 touch, AC22 vs OA (Mobility), Fort/Ref/Will +4/8/2-status/defenses-

Locating Jeremiah proves simple, but the negotations with the potter for a quality bowl, one which will do what Fahd needs, does not. Jessup's potter takes great pride in his workmanship, and is not too interested in just giving the fruits of his labor away, so when Fahd reveals that he has little in the way of physical wealth, the man laughs.

"Trade?" Jeremiah says skeptically. "What do you offer? I saw what you did after the fight with the crawlers, but I am not sick, so I need no healing. What about your fancy cloak? No?" He looks Fahd over speculatively. "I prefer women, but you are pretty for a man, even if your clothes do smell of beast. Perhaps you could service me in bed? Wait!" he says with a snap of his fingers. "You said that you were sent to me by the barbarian woman. Karla? So you have talked to her." His expression becomes roguish. "I heard what Olaf said about her. I had not thought her attractive, but Olaf's words make me want to taste her passions. Perhaps you bring her with you next time, yes? I would give you a fine bowl for a night with her."

Fahd is momentarily speechless, staring at Jeremiah with a blank expression. He feels a flare of jealousy, which makes him briefly examine his own feelings for Karla. He has no claim to her, certainly, and has seen little sign that she is interested in him as a possible mate. And yet... there is a flutter in his pulse when he thinks of her. Even were that not true, though, the thought of trying to sell her virtue for a bowl, even a fine bowl, would never have occurred to him. After a long pause he replies carefully, "I have only just met her, but I doubt she would agree to such an exchange. I can mention your interest in her; perhaps she would be interested in you without the strings of barter attached." In truth Fahd has mixed feelings about even mentioning Jeremiah's offer to Karla, but he doesn't want to close off negotiations by offending the potter. The shaman follows up with a counteroffer. "I intend to use the bowl you provide to mix healing draughts. I can offer you a draught once I have made them, which you can either keep for future needs or use in trade, as payment."

Jeremiah looks skeptical, but eventually, after grudgingly admitting that, based on his efforts in rebuilding, Fahd seems the sort to follow through on his commitments, Jeremiah agrees to a deal. Fahd spends some time looking over his selection, and is impressed with the quality of the man's work. None of them are exactly what he is looking for, though, and when he says so, Jeremiah nods. "The healer that left to join the Wizard, she commissioned a bowl such as you want. Thicker, capable of taking more heat, but at the same time faster to cool. I can make for you what I made for her, though it will take me a day or two to get my shop set back in working order. In the meantime, you can use this." Jeremiah reaches up onto a shelf and pulls down a bowl. "This is what she used while she waited for her bowl to be made."

Fahd expresses his thanks, shakes Jeremiah's hand, then turns and leaves. From there he heads to the forest, beginning his search for the herbs and roots he intends to use for his potion. When he feels he is far enough from town, he opens his eyes to the spirit world and sends out a call, unsure what to expect in response given the distance he has traveled since last calling upon Lynx. Surprisingly, the response comes faster than expected. A lynx comes padding up to the shaman, but it is not the animal who last answered his call. This lynx is larger, stronger, and probably faster than the animal which answered his calls in Archeebald. The same Spirit dwells within it, though, and it is that Spirit which looks out at Fahd from the animal's eyes. Fahd kneels as Lynx approaches, reaching out with his arms to clasp around the animal's neck. He holds the embrace, enjoying the animal's warmth, before rocking back on his feet and running his palms over either side of the lynx's face.

"Thank you for answering my call, my friend. I wasn't sure how long I would have to wait. Hopefully there will be no need for conflict on this day, as there was the last time we walked together." The lynx tosses its head gently, and Fahd can clearly read the reply even without a spoken word; what will be, will be. The animal then cocks its head inquiringly, clearly sensing something unusual about Fahd's manner. "Ah," Fahd replies. "Well. I have met a woman." Fahd can feel amusement wash over him. He shakes his head. "No. It's not like that." Fahd pauses, then sighs. "Well. Maybe it is. I don't know yet." Fahd stands up. "For now, though, you can help me find some calendula. I am unfamiliar with this forest and could use the help."

Toward evening Fahd finally returns to the homestead, alone once more, Lynx having melted back into the woods as Fahd neared Jessup. That is when Karla turns up, offering to answer his questions, and the flutter in Fahd's stomach returns. Fighting through his hesitancy, Fahd looks at her steadily, trying to decide how to frame his query.

"I understand," he begins, "that you have had a relationship with Olaf?" Fahd waits with trepidation, wondering whether he really wants to hear the answer to his question.

[HenryLockwood]

Karla's day, like those before it, has been mostly idle. There is little work for a caravan guard in the snows, when no-one travels between towns. Fortunately, Sabrina's welcome is sufficiently warm that Karla need not worry about life's necessities, need not worry about finding enough to eat each day, and she can settle back on her normal worries about the people around her.

Fahd has not previously been one of those worries. Karla has been sitting on a bench by the farmhouse wall, idly whittling a piece of wood, but when Fahd returns from the woods she tossed her carving into the fire. For just a moment Fahd sees Karla engrossed in her work, a frown of concentration barely visible behind the hair that hangs in front of her face. Apart from her hands, turning a piece of wood left and right and making small cuts with her belt knife, Karla is still and relaxed.

Whatever she has carved apparently did not meet her expectations. She stands up, pushing herself forward from the wall as she sheathes her belt knife. When Fahd asks his question - oddly diffident given the directness of his words - Karla flinches back as if struck.

"Does it matter?" she snaps. What business is it of his? Of anyone's? Is he another of these small-town gossips who thinks a woman should be pure and unspoiled?

"Three times, if you really want to know."

Karla's relaxed, easy manner has vanished; she stands with her left shoulder towards Fahd and her right hand on her belt knife. Every sinew is poised. Karla looks more than ever like a wild animal, half-tamed and half-cornered, looking for a way out.

[Tangler]

Fahd: Current HP 20/20, Spirit Healing 6/6 remaining, Cloak PSP 5/5 remaining
AC17, AC12 flat-footed, AC16 touch, Fort/Ref/Will +6/5/5

Lynx: Current HP 16/16
AC 21, (AC13 flat-footed, AC18 touch, AC25 vs OA (Mobility), Fort/Ref/Will +4/9/2-status/defenses-

Fahd flinches at the vehemence in Karla's response, and at the revelation that she has been with Olaf three times. "I..." he begins, then stops and collects himself. "I am sorry if my question offended you, miss," he says finally, "that was not my intention. I ask only because..." Here again he pauses, searching for a way to ask without risking further offense. "We... Dan and Silas and I... are concerned about Olaf's possession of the silver horn. I thought that... if you... perhaps, if you have spent time with him..." Fahd sighs, clearly hesitant, before plunging on. "We need to know what kind of man he is."

Three times? Again and again her words echo in his thoughts. He wonders whether he has made a mistake revealing their concerns about Olaf to someone who may well be in love with him, regardless of her behavior after the battle which suggested otherwise.

[HenryLockwood]

At Fahd's frantic back-pedalling, Karla loses a little of her tension. Even though it could be a sham, could be a trick, it's difficult to be wary of a man this hesitant.

"He's from the North, along with a few others. He doesn't break the law, and he's a healer, but he doesn't win friends. He likes himself enough that he probably doesn't care; thinks he's a big hit with the women.

"What is that horn, anyway? Olaf seemed possessive of it, and here you are worrying about it as well."