Episode 56
Isaac adjusts the blue scarf around his neck and relaxes his white haired head onto the driver's seat headrest. Maintaining the wheel near the center, he watches the long road ahead and taps buttons through a number of radio channels. Minutes of surfing the few stations coming through in the remote section of forest highway, his gray eyes squint towards a number of stopped vehicles ahead in the distance. Driving his sedan closer, the Chrome Crusader logos grow large enough to view upon the many cargo and military vehicles. A uniformed man holds up a stop sign and signals Isaac's car to a halt. Isaac slowly brakes the sedan, cocking his head curiously at the parked convoy. Idling a minute pondering the situation, he rolls down his window, leans out, and waves for the man's attention. The uniformed Chrome Crusader walks up to Isaac's window and politely bows. "Hello, sir. Apologies for the delay. Once another truck passes through, we'll hold it clear for you."
Isaac nods understandingly and aims his query towards the activity ahead, squinting. "Oh. That's perfectly fine. Thankfully, I'm not in that much of a hurry today. But... I must admit I am quite curious as to what is going on..."
Lifting an inquisitive brow, he politely glances up from his car window. "If I might inquire?"
Acknowledging the request, the man thinks for a moment and visibly sorts through the information in his head. He stands up straight and points out both forested sides of the highway to Isaac. "Yeah... Last night the convoy was attacked from the forest. Fortunately, the threat has been dealt with by our forces. So, you are not in any immediate danger."
He bows forward towards Isaac's window, a bit of concern slipping out in his tone. "Though, I would highly recommend NOT stopping in these woods, until we've fully completed our investigation of the area. The quicker you can get to your destination the better."
Isaac's eyes widen in surprise, and he frowns slightly. "Oh my! Well, I do hope your group fared well against such an attack."
The uniformed man nods appreciatively with a bit of sadness sneaking out into his professional facade. "There were some injuries, but thankfully no one was killed. Our medical staff and nearby clinics made sure of that."
Pondering the new information in a moment of silence, Isaac focuses an inquisitive gaze upon the rear guard. "Good. Very good. That's excellent news to hear. I do hope everyone recovers fully as soon as possible. Admittedly, that must have been a quite significant threat to have done anything to your sizable, well-armed group."
Narrowing his stare, he glances out into the depths of the woods between the tight spacing of trees, telegraphing hints of paranoia. "Is there anything I should be on the lookout for?"
The man searches his mind for a moment and sighs with tinges of uncertainty. "I'm sorry. I am not authorized to release much information, sir. BUT, the attack involved magical beings. So, if you notice strange magical phenomena..."
Pausing a moment, he summons up an official, well-recited cadence. "First. Evacuate to safety, as quickly as possible. Then, please contact local authorities with as much detailed information as you can provide. Apart from that, I can't say much more, at the moment. Hopefully, an official release will be made public with more details soon enough."
Isaac nods in agreement, presenting an appreciative smile to the man. "Very interesting. If I am ever so unfortunate enough to see anything strange, I'll be certain to report it as soon as I get to safety. But, let us both hope fortune is on both our sides today."
The rear guardsman acknowledges and turns his attention to the large truck rolling through the last stretch of the roadway near the convoy. The huge cargo truck passes on by. Glancing out a large window, a wiry man with short white hair nods to the uniformed Chrome Crusader, and a head bandanna wearing fvalian woman waves energetically. The cargo truck clears out. The rear guard confirms the clearance on his radio and motions for Isaac's attention. "The way is cleared for you, sir. Try to keep it on the slow side, there's still a number of personnel about. You have a nice, safe rest of the day."
Isaac nods, rolls up his window, and accelerates his sedan into the open lane. The vehicle rolls through the corridor on the highway at a modest, cautious speed. Taking moments away from the clear passage ahead, Isaac glances at the various Chrome Crusader vehicles around. His attention settles upon a black sports utility vehicle in the middle of a group of "Next Adventurers of Nexus" vans. Next to the black vehicle, a brown haired man in a "Flames of the Phoenix" breastplate stares in a mix of frustration and resignation at the massive hole in the rear bumper of the sports utility vehicle. Noticing the number of camera crews in the area, Isaac gently accelerates his sedan and moves through the rest of the route quickly, keeping his face angled away.
Near the exit point, he spots a large flatbed truck and strange debris upon it. Unconsciously slowing his car down, he watches another heavy utility truck's crane hoists up the mostly intact remains of golem over the flatbed. A few power armored Chrome Crusaders stand at the ready to assist, maintaining a protective perimeter. Isaac gawks in disbelief, recognition over taking him. His eyes search and wander between the familiar construct components. Situational awareness calls him back to present surroundings, and Isaac remembers to drive his sedan. Clearing the exit checkpoint, Isaac stares out his windshield distantly, eye searching his mind. A mix of thoughts telegraph their struggle upon his face. Minutes later, determination overtakes his face. Isaac reaches a hand out and rummages through his backpack. Balancing his attention between driving and searching, he finds a collection of maps, flops the mass of papers upon the passenger's seat, and focuses his gaze at the road ahead. Spotting a few road signs indicating an upcoming intersection, a frown grows upon his face. Along a clear straight section of road, he snaps his stare to the map and rests a finger upon the spot. Tapping upon a highlighted spot in the middle of a dense forest north of an access road, he scans the remote intersection signage and slows for a turn.
Through the windows of the two-story house, traces of late evening moonlight fills the front living room with a faint ambient glow. Dim outlines of unloaded adventuring equipment contrast against the shadowy shapes of furniture in the room. A faint, constant drone of water drifts down the stairwell from upstairs. The waterfall rhythm occasionally fluctuates behind the upstairs bathroom door with the sounds of movement. Behind a frosted sliding glass shower door, Tassilda stands under the constant spray from the shower head. Her hands propping herself against the tiled wall, she releases a long, despondent sigh, staring distantly ahead. Her light blue on black eyes blink once and shift downwards. Shower spray raining upon her, the flow of water streams through her long, straight, raven black hair, drips down off her swirling horns, and runs off her gray, patterned skin into the drain.
Over the stagnant minutes, Tassilda darts her eyes through a maelstrom of thoughts and blinks hard into pained winces. Long moments later, she grits her teeth, curls her long, black nailed fingers up into her balling fists, and lifts her face into the shower stream. Water immediately obscures tears and washes away the forming paths upon her cheeks. Drawing in a long, shaky breath, Tassilda reaches down with both hands and quickly shuts the water off. The drone of water fades into a scattered chorus of wet patters upon the shower floor. Blinking out of her still stupor, Tassilda glances up at the late evening sky through a small skylight and slowly slides the shower glass door open. She plods sluggishly and sways spiritless towards the bathroom vanity. Her hands feel around aimlessly, barely securing a grip to either side of the sink counter. She gradually angles her face up and levels her head at the mirror. Moments pass in silence. She refocuses her sight ahead, away from some distant point in her mind. Tassilda makes full, unbreaking eye contact with the person in the mirror.
Painful confusion infiltrates her gray face fully, and she stares harshly into the light blue on black eyes of the other. Her lips twist into agonizing frowns. Her reluctance gives way to the reality, forcing her to acknowledge. With each passing minute, she tightens her grip upon the counter, grimacing, and painfully recognizes herself. A swell of shame washes up regrets to the front of her mind. Closing her eyes hard, she averts her stare away from the mirror, dropping her head down. She squeezes heavy drops of tears into the sink between a curtain of raven black hair. Despite her best efforts, the sounds of sobbing trickle faintly through the bathroom door out into the dark upstairs hallway.
The humvee rolls to a stop within the lines of a side parking spot outside the main entrance of the Amaranth Valley clinic. Glancing over her shoulder from the driver's seat, Cideeda perks her furry ears at Aristespha. "You sure you don't want us to wait? It might take us a while to get back here."
From his rear passenger's side seat, Bach smirks and rolls his blue eyes amused. "I mean, we are going to the game shop after we get supplies. There is a very high chance we are going to get purposely distracted in there."
Cideeda smiles in guilty acceptance and shrugs her shoulders. "Yeah... There's new releases... We'll probably take forever to gawk at everything new they have."
Upon the back bench seat, Dretphi sighs in agreement and bites her lower lip. "Series with new installments... I need to buy."
With a calm smile, Aristespha nods and opens her rear driver's side door. "It will be fine. This chore might take some time, anyway. Along with the regular supplies the clinic can sell, there are a few materials that require authorization..."
Wrestling down a frustrated tinge in her frown, she sighs. "Which can take a LONG while."
She glances over to Sotalia, smirking. "Also, I will be showing someone else the process."
Sotalia smiles proudly and pulls her handle, opening the front passenger side door. Glancing over to Cideeda mid exit, she directs a whisper. "Remember to get me ALL the latest issues of Tinkering Tina."
A toothy, mischievous grin widens on Cideeda, and she playfully winks back to Sotalia, hinting sarcasm. "Oh... But of course."
Pausing a moment, Sotalia narrows her golden gaze at Cideeda's sly smile, twisting her mouth to a pout. "You better..."
Cideeda presents an aura of innocence, waiting for Sotalia to leave the vehicle. Aristespha steps out of the humvee onto the sidewalk leading to the entrance, pats her side, and momentarily startled. Snapping a glance back into the cab of the vehicle, she calms down with her embarrassment, spotting the sword at Bach's side. Aristespha shakes her head at herself with a sigh. Bach nods reassuringly to Aristespha. "Don't worry, I got it for the moment."
Aristespha smiles appreciatively to Bach and rolls her violet eyes at herself. "Do not mind me. I am just so used to checking for it."
Sebastian's ethereal voice resonates from the sheathed blade next to Bach. "Don't worry. I'll make sure he doesn't lose me."
Sotalia closes her door, skips quickly around the front of the humvee, and waits next to Aristespha. With slight hints of unease, Aristespha nods thankfully and pushes the vehicle door closed. The humvee shifts into gear, and Cideeda accelerates with a wave out the window. The vehicle rolls off through the mazes of lanes and parking spaces towards the main road. Sotalia visually follows the team and winces against a flash of late morning sunlight. Stretching her shoulders with a roll, Sotalia follows behind Aristespha's lead and adjusts the shoulder strap of the carrier at her side. "S... Anything in particular we're shopping for?"
Aristespha pulls out a tablet from her backpack and flips through a few menus thoughtfully. "Mostly general medical supplies. But there are a few controlled substances that I need to get to refresh my stock."
Nodding, Sotalia wanders her gaze along the main clinic architecture. "For all the potions and compounds that I'm not allowed to make?"
Aristespha sighs, brushing stray locks of her silvery blue over her long, pointed ear. "Indeed. I really wish you could assist me. BUT, they have gotten ridiculously strict these days about who can handle what substances. It seems a few backwood alchemists have caused a lot of trouble with whatever questionable concoctions they keep making."
With a nonchalant wave of her hand, Sotalia smiles contentedly, laughing. "Oh, don't worry, girl. Anything with THAT much paperwork surrounding it..."
Resting a hand on her chest, she smirks contentedly. "I'm perfectly happy letting YOU handle. Gods know, you went to school to get THAT privilege."
Aristespha snorts sarcastically, rolling her violet eyes. "Yes... Quite THE privilege. Nothing like your license being on the line whenever you purchase certain compounds, and there is that surprise audit always lurking around the corner."
The automatic doors of the clinic entrance open. Sotalia shakes her head slowly and gazes at Aristespha respectfully. "You handle all that FAR better than I could ever attempt to. If they tried to put that regulation crap on my higher power spells... GODS, I'd lose any license in the first month out of spite alone."
An amused smile graces Aristespha ivory face, and she chuckles. "No offense, but I doubt you'd last a week."
Sotalia shrugs her shoulders and sighs. "Well, can't take offense to what I damn well know would be the truth."
Aristespha leads Sotalia through the public hallways of the clinic, and the duo reach a large counter space in front of a huge storage area. A uniformed woman greets Aristespha and Sotalia. "Hello, I'm Dr. Ricketts. How can I help you, today?"
Showing the display of her tablet to Dr. Ricketts, Aristespha directs the woman's attention to a number of items on a neatly arranged, bulleted list. "I am refreshing and restocking medical supplies for my adventuring group. I was curious if you had anything on the list available for sale at the moment."
Carefully examining the list, Dr. Ricketts sways her head side to side and mulls over the options. "I could have probably helped out more Monday. But, we had to pull back quite a bit due to recent events."
She narrows her eyes upon a few things and nods her head confidently. "But, I can definitely help you with a few things. I should be able to discount the overstock a little bit. And, I should have plenty of the controlled substances in stock."
Aristespha retrieves her medical professional identification cards and presents them to Dr. Ricketts. With a quick nod, Dr. Ricketts scans the information at a nearby computer station and begins typing. "This will take some time depending on how long the release authorization process is today. So, have a seat and make yourself comfortable."
Glancing around the area, Sotalia spots a few chairs and pauses in thought. She feels her stomach, frowns with a twist of her mouth, and gazes at Aristespha. "Hey, do you know if there's a snack machine or something around here? I'm going to need something to keep me until lunch. That plain coffee didn't do it for me this morning."
Aristespha thinks a moment, checking her surroundings, and points down the hallway. "If I remember right, it is most of the way down the hallway on the second left from here."
Dr. Ricketts overhears the conversation and nods in agreement. "Correct. You have to try out that new fancy coffee machine. It makes damn near anything. And, it is all good."
Sotalia perks up, rests the carrier off her shoulder into a seat, and departs with a hint of excited anticipation in her step. She disappears down the second left branch.
Pacing with long stretching steps, Aristespha hides the occasional yawn over the next few minutes. Deedri rounds the corner of a corridor down the opposite end the main hallway and slowly walks down the path, gradually collecting her thoughts. Aristespha pivots around, gazes down the hall, and notices Deedri. "Deedri?! Why are you-"
She snaps briefly to another thought. "Is everyone okay?"
Blinking to attention, Deedri's mood lightens swiftly. She picks up her pace and steps closer with relief. "Yes. Everyone is, relatively, okay in my group. I'm here to check up on a few patients I assisted in stabilizing, before they were medevacked here."
Aristespha's eyes widen ,and she concentrates her concern upon Deedri. "Medevacked? Oh, gods. Whatever happened?"
Deedri sighs uncertainly and grimaces, trying to gather the words to explain. "It's quite the story, really. All has happened in a very short amount of time. I'll TRY to sum it up the best I can, but I don't want to take up too much of your time."
Aristespha smiles comfortingly at Deedri, rests a hand on her shoulder, and directs her attention to a row of chairs with the other hand. "I am waiting for a controlled substance release authorization on a few compounds."
With an understanding smirk, a chuckle escapes Deedri . "OH... You have PLENTY of time, then."
Dr. Ricketts nods with a confirming hum and carries a list into the labyrinth of medical shelves.
Sotalia steps into a small lounge area littered with chairs, tables, and vending machines. Surveying the vicinity. she locks her golden gaze upon the prominent, new, fancy coffee dispenser. Her attention immediately wanders across the gamut of colorful options, gradually scrolling across the large touch on the front. Sotalia stands in awe before the advanced coffee machine and studies the seemingly endless options with great interest, analysis paralysis reaching for her.
Her mind slowly assembling an appropriate caffeine concoction for manufacture, a sad, soft sigh tickles her pointed ear. Blinking away from her task, Sotalia notices the long skirt covered, gray, patterned legs of someone sitting in the chair row, immediately next to the machine. Sotalia leans to the side. Her eyes open wide in complete recognition, and she narrows her stare upon Tassilda. Sitting silent and unaware of anything else in the area, Tassilda stares down at the cold, black cup of coffee resting in her hands. Sliding in front of Tassilda, Sotalia crosses her patterned arms, aims a glare down, and hems. "Hi."
Stirring sluggishly from a stupor, Tassilda slowly inspects the floor before her and notices someone standing. She gradually lifts her head up and reveals her gray face to Sotalia. With a distant, disconnected stare, the overhead lighting showcases the regret and shame evident. Sotalia's gaze softens, stark familiarity surfacing old memories, and her empathy forces recognition. A surge of ire swells up within Tassilda, twisting her grimace. Trying to summon up spite, she falters, focusing upon Sotalia's golden eyes. With painful wince, Tassilda drops her head down and bows her distant stare towards her rippling reflection in the cold, black coffee.
Two remain in silence. Their reserved, awkward body language telegraphs the lack of any clue in addressing the situation. Uneasy seconds later, a slight frown curls the corner of Sotalia's mouth, and she sighs. "Started hating the person you see in the mirror?"
Tassilda's light blue on black eyes open wide in sheer surprise, and she cautiously lifts an inquisitive gaze to Sotalia, peeking through stray strands of raven black hair. Seconds of studying Sotalia's intent later, Tassilda bites her lower lip and nods with a hard close of her eyes. "Yes... I- I mean..."
She pulls back her hair over a swirling horn and unconsciously hooks it with a finger. "H-How do you know?"
Sotalia dons a sad smile with a genuine tone. "I've seen that same look before in my own mirror... Gods... More than once."
Averting her uncertainty around the small lounge, Sotalia settles her focus back upon the awaiting Tassilda. "Okay... This might sound odd, but..."
She draws in a long breath. "Would you like to talk to someone who has been... Well... THERE, before?"
With a nervous squirm in her posture, she twists her mouth, her awkward sincerity baring itself. "Listen. I know I'm probably the last person you want to talk to about anything... But, as someone who has been through some serious self-reflection... I just..."
A frown softens her gaze, and she sighs. "I just remember always wanting someone to talk to each time."
Tassilda blinks her stare away and fidgets with the cold coffee in her hands, pondering quietly. Seconds later, she nods her head appreciatively with a hint of hope. "Y-yes. That... That would be really nice right now."
Sotalia relaxes her tensed shoulders, smiles sympathetically, and leads Tassilda's attention. "Okay. Well, first thing, let's get you some fresh coffee. My treat. Then, let's find somewhere nice to talk. I think they have a garden or courtyard around here."
Tassilda rests her back against the courtyard bench and tilts her head reflectively, her eyes searching through her a flurry of memories. "And... After that... Well, I have been mentally tracing it all back since Monday night and spent most of Tuesday in a haze."
She exhales and slightly shakes her head. "Without it becoming a LONG, SAD tale, I think it all grew from when my father didn't renew the marriage contract with my mother."
Slowly sitting up straight, she glances over to Sotalia on the other side of the bench and sighs. "At first my mother was devastated as to why he would ever leave her. Then, a few months later, she found out he was dating a human woman. That's when her devastation turned into... Gods... Absolutely irrational hatred."
Taking a long sip of her extravagant cup of coffee, Sotalia nods understandingly with a slight smirk. "Yeah. No offense. But, I don't think anyone born and raised in Laski, of all places, would take THAT news nicely."
Tassilda rolls her light blue on black eyes and groans with begrudging agreement. "OH, most certainly NOT. I was only six years old, but that didn't stop her from ranting about her feelings whenever she felt like it. I guess if you hear it so much, that young, it just STICKS in your head."
Shaking her head slowly, she grimaces and sighs. "When my half-sister was born... That is when she shifted her targets from mixed couples to half breeds. Well, more accurately anyone who wasn't pure Emin, in her eyes."
Lifting a puzzled eyebrow, Tassilda sips her warm, black coffee, blinking thoughtfully. "To her credit, she never said anything directly about my half-sister. Unfortunately, that didn't stop her from offhand comments in general."
Tassilda remains silent for a few seconds and sighs regretfully. "Gods, I should have asked for equal time with both my mother and father. Maybe then I wouldn't have fallen completely in line with whatever she wanted for me."
She grits her teeth, tosses her raven black hair back over her shoulders, and mulls out loud with a conflicted tone. "The sad part is that my step-mother seems really nice, and I truly miss being around my little sister. And, my father seems so happy being away from my mother. But... I don't know... I just wanted to make my mother happy... Despite how miserable it was at times."
Biting her lower lip, Tassilda twists her mouth into a grimace and exhales deeply. "Gods. I hate to admit it... But, I mostly took the contract with the Next Adventurers of Nexus to avoid having to live with my mother again after graduating."
Sotalia chuckles lightly and shakes her head with a smirk. "Well, don't feel too bad about that one. No one really wants to head back to their parents after being on their own."
Curling a quick smile, Tassilda nods. Rifling of emotions plays out on her gray face, and she stumbles around for an appropriate expression in vain. "It just feels so weird to... finally examine it all... And, realizing what's happened... Fully, I guess?"
She winces and furrows her brow. "I had been going along with it for so long, I guess I forgot to check to see where I was going?"
Sotalia nods slowly and adopts a commiserating smile. "Yeah... Admittedly, you got to this point a much different way than I did, but it's the same situation. You've come to a point in your life where you look around and realize... You really don't want to be on THAT path anymore."
Turning her head, she meets the gaze of Tassilda and sighs. "It's a really strange place to be when you sit down and figure out why you are what you are..."
She struggles briefly with a swallow, sips some of her elaborate coffee, and frowns slightly. "So, you can stop being what you are."
Tassilda nods in dramatic, absolute agreement and tightly grips one of her horns, sorting through her thoughts. "I KNOW. I mean... You know you need to do something else that's NOT what you are doing right now. But... How? And, what?"
Sliding her hand off her horn, she holds her coffee with both hands and gazes over inquiringly, appreciatively at Sotalia. "Do you have any advice to share?"
Sotalia pours a bit of her fanciful coffee into her mouth. Swallowing, she ponders the question and shrugs her shoulders uneasily. "Not really. Truthfully, you just have to take it a day at a time and remember what you are trying to accomplish. Well, or at least what you are trying to NOT accomplish. And, then, try to do what you can for those you've wronged."
Tassilda searches her thoughts in between sips of coffee. She furrows her brow inquisitively. "Did you ever make things right with that old group you were a part of? The one you mentioned?"
Grumbling in frustration at herself, Sotalia snarls her upper lip unsatisfied. "Well... I don't really know. I mean, they basically left me behind with note explaining and paperwork to fill out."
With a long, head tipping back sigh, Sotalia squirms uncomfortably and grimaces, stumbling around relating her feelings. "As much as you should try to make things right... Sometimes that's not really possible. Sometimes the best thing you can do is give them the distance they want and deserve."
Rolling her shoulders and working out the anxiety, she tilts her head to the side thoughtfully. "I made an honest attempt, at least. I sent a message to them to let them know they were right about me. I apologized, and wished them the best. Then, I left that whole area. I occasionally look them up, and they all seem to be doing just fine. And..."
Summoning up a weak smile, Sotalia glances over. "I'm okay with that."
Tassilda blinks a bit surprised and shifts her focus to her current thoughts. Sotalia smiles, lifts an eyebrow, and narrows a gaze at Tassilda. "You have to understand, my situation was different. I think you have a good chance to make amends with someone here..."
Focusing her stare upon Tassilda, she leans slightly close. "The one you came here for anyway."
Anxious energy floods Tassilda, and she squirms in her seat, a wave of unease passing through her. Weathering her nerves, she nods in agreement with a hint of a smile. "Yes. The least I could do is apologize in person to him. And, at least, leave it on a decent note."
Pouring back the last half of her coffee in preparation, Tassilda turns her head and faces Sotalia. Noticing the fiery orange, wavy hair, another recent memory rises up to the front of Tassilda's mind. She bows her head ashamed and sighs. "Um, before that... Thank you for talking to me despite my past behavior. And... Also..."
She grits her teeth briefly and sighs. "I'm very sorry for putting that dispelling charge in the hot tub."
Sotalia sneers briefly, draws a breath in, and exhales out the animosity with an accepting groan. She summons up a surface smile and nods. "Apology accepted. Admittedly, that wasn't the worst prank ever played on me, but it was quite the clever one."
Hints of pride slip into Tassilda's smirk. Sotalia dons a genuine smile and lightly chuckles into a sigh. "And, I guess since we are trying to clear the air... I'm sorry for mocking you at the convention... AND... Teaching Veevi all those annoying tricks."
Grumbling to a similar acceptance, Tassilda rolls her eyes away from the ire. "Well... It's not like she wasn't going to learn them at some point. I truly wish she would stick to those instead of trying whatever half-formed versions she's learning off of random aethersites."
Sotalia shakes her head and gazes at Tassilda with a tinge of pity. "Still, it's already a bit cruel to have to teach such a fucking brat anyway. Gods, no one deserves having that job made any worse."
The two spend minutes silently watching the courtyard and the wildlife wandering among the landscaping. Tassilda draws in a deep breath and exhales reluctantly. "Well, I guess I need to start on my path of self improvement and redemption."
Nodding, Sotalia stands up from the bench. "One thing at a time. One day at a time. Just remember why you want to be better, and go from there. If nothing else, just tolerate the change enough so you can complain when no one else is looking."
Tassilda rights herself up from the seat and quirks her brow at Sotalia. "Yes. Speaking of which, would you be against keeping up some appearances with the camera crews that often stalk me at the moment? It'd be one less thing to contend with, for right now."
A sly grin emerges on Sotalia's light tan, dark gray edged face, and she chuckles with an eager tint. "OF COURSE. I'm not against a little professional competition. I quite enjoyed our match up at the convention."
A smug smile graces Tassilda, and she giggles confidently with a bit of excitement in her tone. "I would not mind another such event. Might be fun to drum up the theatrics for the cameras."
The two walk down a concrete path through the clinic architecture encircled courtyard. Approaching an entry door, Sotalia furrows her brow and inquires. "So, a bunch of small magical constructs attacked everyone?"
Tassilda eyes Sotalia with a twist of her mouth. "Well, I certainly would NOT call them small. They were quite substantial from my experience."
Sotalia grits her teeth and grumbles. "Well, we've run into a far bigger one lately."
Blinking in surprise, Tassilda snaps her attention to Sotalia. "Really?!"
Aristespha blinks her violet eyes in utter astonishment and shakes her head slowly in disbelief. "Gods. That is unbelievable. I am ever so glad no one was killed in such an attack."
Deedri releases a long sigh, relaxes her shoulders, and droops her furry, tufted ears. "It was pretty scary overall. I'm just glad Modoran helped me evade that one, and I got to Paladin Daedrican to stabilize him long enough for the medical team to ready him for transport."
Sorting through a surge of thoughts, Aristespha lifts a curious eyebrow towards Deedri. "I think we really need to compare notes. We recently encountered a massive, well-made war golem during the exploration of an ancient site. Judging from how you described the ones your team encountered, they are very likely to be related, somehow."
Leaning close to Deedri, she whispers cautiously. "The site seemed to have been a manufacturing facility, and we found signs that parts had been looted."
Deedri's auburn eyes open wide, and her furry ears flick up, glancing at Aristespha. "Wow... I actually... Oh."
Furrowing her fair brow, she straightens her posture and tenses. "I actually wouldn't be surprised if THIS was some kind of crude test run. Despite how badly put together they seemed, they were still very hard to fight. Incredibly dangerous."
She gazes down the hallway, shifting her attention. "Oh! I should really check on Tassilda. I totally forgot about her. She really should hear all this, too."
Sudden worry widens Aristespha's eyes, and she hops up out of her seat, searching the area. "Tassilda is here?!"
Deedri cocks her head confused. "Yes. Why? What's wrong?"
Staring uneasily at Deedri, Aristespha grits her teeth and softly hisses. "Sotalia is here, too!"
Covering her mouth and opening her auburn eyes in surprise, Deedri meets Aristespha's stare. "Tassilda went to the lounge down the hall and-"
With realization plain upon each other's faces, both stare down the hallway at the branch from the second left. They ready themselves to move out. Sotalia and Tassilda round the corner, casually conversing. Sotalia postures confidently, recounting a story, and Tassilda grins, delightfully amused. The two continue their exchange of tales and prideful boasts. Aristespha and Deedri gawk in complete bewilderment. Remaining wordlessly flabbergasted, both watch the peaceful interchange between Sotalia and Tassilda. Seconds later, Deedri shrugs her shoulders with clawed hands out to the sides. "Okay... I have no fucking clue how this has happened. No, really, I got NOTHING that could explain THIS."
Contorting her ivory face between variations of confusion, Aristespha settles upon a clueless stare. "Gods. I am glad I am not the only one. To be quite honest, I would have expected a LOT more blood."
Glancing over, Deedri nods quickly. "Yeah. Me too. And, FIRE. Quite a lot of fire."
Dr. Ricketts lifts an intrigued brow, studies the two groups momentarily, and shrugs. She hoists up an assortment of medical supplies in bottles, packages, and bags. Arranging them neatly upon the counter, she directs her voice towards Aristespha. "Not to interrupt, but I have your order ready."
Afternoon light filters in through the blinds of a large window and onto the clean, tile floor of the clinic room. Medical equipment lines the wall upon rolling stands and screens display vital information quietly. A few bundles of thin cables and tubing slip underneath the covers of the single hospital bed in the room. An over-dramatic gasp of an actor on the current television show sounds out and wakes Daedrican from slumber. Fluttering his eyes to consciousness, he surveys his surroundings. Recognition reminding him of recent events, he apprehensively eyes the show on the television mounted on the wall across from him. A long grumble escapes him, and he searches the area immediately around him.
Spotting the remote on a nearby table, he pulls his left arm out from under the covers and reaches his hand out, shifting himself on the bed. Stretching forth until his right side moves, he winces against the sharp reminder of his recovering state. With the device of his entertainment freedom out of grasp, he carefully resettles into his bed, sighs, and checks himself. Cringing from the flits of pain, he curls his right forearm up and flexes the fingers of his hand. He gradually lowers his arm back down and lifts the blankets upon him, casually examining the series of bandages and dressings wrapping up his chest and right shoulder. He hums unamused and replaces the bed sheets over him. Glancing around the room, he eyes his horns upon the nearby nightstand and frowns slightly.
The door cracks open, and a male evuukian nurse peeks in. "Oh, good. You are awake."
Smiling Daedrican chuckles lightly and fights down a yawn. "Well... Just awake enough, really."
The nurse nods, glances behind him briefly, and returns his gaze to Daedrican. "Awake enough to have a visitor?"
Cocking his head of long silver hair to the side, Daedrican's interest piques. "Certainly. Honestly, a visitor would be very welcomed right now."
The evuukian nurse bows slightly and pulls back into the hallway. "You may go in. There are a few chairs along the wall you may pull out and unfold."
Daedrican watches the entry door curiously and waits, furrowing his dark gray brow. The door opens wider, and Tassilda steps in slowly. She vainly attempts to keep her shame and embarrassment from influencing her posture. Tilting his head to a side, Daedrican lifts an intrigued eyebrow, puzzling. "Hello."
Tassilda musters the courage and meets Daedrican's gaze meekly. "Hello."
She awkwardly walks forward and stops close to Daedrican's bed. "Um... I don't want to take up too much of your time... But..."
Drawing in a shaky breath, she concentrates upon her words and gazes into Daedrican's golden eyes, with a genuine, deeply apologetic tone. "I am... So terribly sorry for how I treated you in the last few days. You did not deserve such treatment, especially from a superficial, bigoted idiot like myself."
Closing her light blue on black eyes for a moment, she contorts her gray face and sighs sadly. "I also wanted to let you know... That my experiences with you have made me question a lot of things and review many aspects of myself. Quite a deal that I should have dealt with long before this point."
She grits her teeth and grimaces against the self-reflective pain. "To say the least... I have a lot of personal issues to work out, in time. But..."
She swallows hard and summons up her courage. "I wanted to make sure that... Well... Um... Thank you for allowing me to accompany your team and assist you in your assignments."
An appreciative, happy expression swells upon Tassilda's face. "Thank you for the many fun, fascinating distractions during those assignments. I truly enjoyed them all."
A regretful mood weighs heavy upon Tassilda, and she frowns ashamed at herself. "And... Thank you... For coming to my aid when I needed you the most... Even after how disrespectful and mean I was to you."
Daedrican blinks, only partially hiding his pure astonishment. The stun wears off, and he slowly nods. "I greatly appreciate your words..."
Pausing a moment, he watches Tassilda. "... My lady."
A smile sneaks out of the corner of Tassilda's mouth. Daedrican smirks and draws a long breath in. "And, while the circumstances leading to it were quite dramatic, I must say I am very hopeful about you reexamining things in your life. Despite what I experienced, I do believe you have many wonderful, redeemable qualities that I have enjoyed experiencing myself."
Sniffing a bit, Tassilda wipes a tear from her eye and nods graciously. "That's very kind of you. Thank you."
She fights off nervous energy and glances back towards the entry door. "Well. I don't want to bother you any more than I have to. You need to recover and all. So... I'll take my leave."
Tassilda turns to walk away, and Daedrican coyly pleads to her, smirking. "If you must... BUT, surely a fine, young lady as yourself seeking to turn over a new leaf would not leave an injured man to suffer the horrors of daytime television?"
Stopping in place, Tassilda pivots around and blinks in confusion. Daedrican points his finger at the remote control just out of reach upon a nearby nightstand, next to his horns. A humored smile graces Tassilda, and she walks next to Daedrican's bed. She picks up the remote, hands it over to Daedrican's awaiting hand, and glances over to the television. "I do hope this isn't the only thing they receive here. Then, again, it might be their ploy to encourage patients to go home sooner."
Grinning, Daedrican aims the remote, hovering a finger over the button to change the channel. "I believe it was the attending nurse that changed it when I was sleeping. I recognize the show. The other evuukians in my group seem to be absolutely hooked on this one."
Scrutinizing the dramatic interaction of the characters and elaborate set design in the scene, Tassilda rests her hands on her hips and cocks her head to the side. "It looks familiar... But admittedly, a lot of evuukian shows as of late seem centered around that re-imagined late First Period or early Second Period."
Nodding in agreement, Daedrican rolls his head over and faces Tassilda. "They have a name for the genre. If I remember correctly, it literally translates to... Knifeblock backs contest."
Tassilda meets Daedrican's golden eyes and blinks with a humored twist at the corner of her mouth. "OH. I must admit THAT seems strangely descriptive, and probably very accurate."
Her gaze wanders over to the nightstand, and she notices Daedrican's horns. Examining their condition, she frowns and spots a number of nicks, scratches, and marks all over. With a disheartened sigh, she leans over to study them closer. "Oh my. It looks like your horns have seen far better days."
Daedrican flicks his eyes over to the table and chuckles carefully. "Yes, they have, my lady. Thankfully, they found both relatively intact. Unfortunately, I think they had to pull one out of a tree. I haven't decided if they used channel locks or a pry bar to get it free. It surprisingly picked up quite a bit of velocity when it sheared from my helmet."
Stepping away from the bedside, Tassilda picks up a folding chair along the wall and sets it up next to the bed and nightstand. She sits down and rummages through her side satchel, retrieving a small glass bottle. Grumbling dissatisfied, she stares determined at the container. "This won't take care of everything, but it'll at least treat the unsightly blemishes. I'll have to bring the rest of my..."
She pauses herself, a wave of embarrassment filling her face. "Um... If you don't mind me mending your horns..."
Daedrican smiles happily, nods, and focuses upon Tassilda's swirling horns. "I am not going to turn down such a gracious offer. Especially, not from someone who seems to be quite the expert in horn care. Then again..."
He perks an eyebrow. "You may not need to do much at all."
Tassilda blinks momentarily, traces Daedrican's gaze to her own horns, and blushes. She coyly brushes back some of her raven hair over her horns and presents a flattered smile. "I'll claim the latter, but demonstrate the former."
A dialect of Evuukian plays out loud, heated exchange happening on the television show. Daedrican watches the scene transpire, smirks, and speaks a phrase in a form of Emin. Tassilda snickers, slips out a snort, and shakes her head. With a bit of embarrassment, Daedrican glances over to Tassilda and rolls his eyes at himself. "What did I mispronounce?"
Tassilda smiles with a giggle and recites a similar phrase of Emin with a slight difference. "Still actually appropriate, but it might get you strange looks in proper company."
Daedrican nods into a sigh. "My apologies, I've never gotten a chance to practice the Laskian dialect."
A slight frown forms on Tassilda, and she picks up one of Daedrican's horns. "Well... That's certainly no fault of your own. As someone from that region, I can assure you that many would very likely not bother to talk at length to you due to their own misconceptions and biases."
He gazes over to Tassilda and smiles pleasantly. "Would you mind helping me practice? It's actually a very lovely form of Emin. If it's not too much to ask of you, my lady."
Biting her lower lip, Tassilda smiles and shakes her head slowly. "Of course not. It's the very least I could do for such a brave, noble Paladin."
Daedrican smirks and chuckles softly. "Still very much Junior Paladin, technically."
A grin grows upon Tassilda, and she flutters her eyes towards Daedrican. "Oh, I most certainly would hope a promotion would be in order after such demonstration of bravery and strength in face of such danger. If Senior Paladin Maxon is any example of what the Chrome Crusaders desire in their Paladins, I doubt Paladin is that far away for you."
Smiling with a snort, Daedrican lifts an amused brow towards Tassilda. "Well, I can't rightfully claim to have taken on such danger alone. I'll have to split that honor with you."
Tassilda chuckles, tosses her hair back, and postures with a bit of pride. She articulates a few graceful sentences in the Laski dialect of Emin and smiles alluringly. Daedrican grins smugly, and replies back in an elaborate sentence of similar Emin. Vainly hiding her blushing cheeks, Tassilda continues the conversation, applying the bottle of horn fixer.
Tassilda works on mending the surface blemishes on Daedrican's horns, and both converse in Emin, often pausing to laugh and comment about the drama on the television.