isleofavalon | dragon in the dark

Entry tags:

dragon in the dark

🧙 WHO: Barbara and thee
⚔️️ WHAT: October goings-on
🕒 WHEN: Throughout the month
🗺️ WHERE: Around!
⚠️ WARNINGS: Violence against dread creatures

a. into the woods

[The Forest of the Felled is still unsettling enough that Barbara doesn't enjoy being here, but. There is a task to be done, and things to clean up now that the outlanders have contributed to this disaster. She doesn't trust that the forest is free of danger, so she speaks to her companion in a low voice.]

Be wary. No noise.

[When the fell creature chitters in their ears and appears to confront them, Barbara finds herself horrified for a brief moment at its hideous, deathly appearance.

Then she unslings her spear from her back and plunges towards it with a dragon-like snarl. Finally, something she can fight.]

b. don't lose your head

[Celliwig is in ruins, and Barbara feels responsible. Yes, waking up Kymbyr was the fae's idea, but the outlanders could have asked some more questions before going along with it.

Now Celliwig is full of the dead, and people are needed to move them--or protect the death-carts from a dread apparition. Barbara follows one party of retrievers, eyes darting to and fro. Then she hears it: a sound of hooves.]

Enemy here.

c. coming in from the cold

[The days are getting shorter and colder. Barbara can survive many things, but she knows a human going up against winter is going to lose.

Even if she wanted to move into the city for the winter, there isn't any room to do so right now. Instead, she's claimed a disused shed in the farms. She's busy shuttling things from her camp in Brocéliande to this winter lodging. Or perhaps she's looking for fleece or firewood, or collecting wild apples, or herbs to dry.

She might even be in a store in Camelot, trying to figure out why there are so many different types of blankets and pillows.]

d. Wildcard

[None of these suit your fancy? Hit me up with a prompt or get in touch by PM / on plurk @

compassinks!]

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[Shopping itself is hardly foreign to Balthier. He's been to more shops and bazaars than most, being as well-traveled as he is, but usually with a specific list of items in mind— and, back home, if he didn't steal rather than purchase, he paid with stolen gil. Here, things are a touch different, including the fact that he now has an actual living space beyond an airship cabin that he needs to make, well, livable.

His minimalist additions to his flat have gotten him by so far, especially given that he's been staying with friends, but once he's done recovering from the injuries he'd sustained in Celliwig, he'll be returning home— and it might be nice if the place were just a little less empty and impersonal than when he'd left it.

However, in this particular shop, it would seem he's not the only one feeling out of place. In fact, compared to Barbara, he thinks he may look downright at ease.

He clears his throat as he turns into the aisle where she seems to be examining a wide assortment of pillows.]

You look a touch lost.

[Barbara turns her head quickly at the throat-clearing and looks Balthier up and down. He doesn't look like a native to Avalon.]

Not lost. In shop. [in location, at least, she's perfectly confident.] Need bedding, for winter.

Too many kinds.

[Ah— well. She's very straightforward, at least.]

Perhaps a fish out of water, then?

[She certainly knows where she is geographically, and he folds his arms across his chest as he turns to look over the wide array of bedding available.]

We are a bit spoiled for choice here, it would seem. It can be nice to have options, but a bit overwhelming, yes?

[One of them talks too little, the other, perhaps, too much. This will go swimmingly.]

[Barbara doesn't want to admit to that feeling to a stranger, but, yes. Overwhelmed is exactly how she feels when faced with a pillow display that takes up an entire shelf.]

What options need? Sack, stuff with down, pillow. Easy.

Pillow not have memories.

[she gives an irritated jab at one tag, which boasts of "top-tier memory foam."]

[She does have a point, and a smirk gently tugs at one corner of his mouth.]

Well, if you'd like to keep things dreadfully simple, yes— that would be all you need. However, this place offers a great deal more than the bare minimum.

[He cannot imagine laying his own head on a stuffed sack, even when he'd been roughing it out in the wilderness with the Princess and her 'retinue.' They had still managed clean linen for the pillows and bedrolls they kept among their supplies.]

I believe 'memory' in this instance refers to the fact that the pillow conforms to the shape of your head when used, actually.

[Barbara narrows her eyes a little. This man is using far more words than are necessary to convey his point. He wouldn't be the only person like that Barbara knows, and has even grown to respect, but that doesn't make the habit any less tiresome when she meets yet another wordsmith.

But in the interest of investigation, she picks up the pillow and--still in its wrapper--presses it against her face to test the theory. When she pulls it away, yes, the shape of her nose, forehead, and chin are all there.]

Why need hold shape so long?

[Apologies, Barbara. He's like this.

He watches the display with some amusement, raising a brow in the process.]

I'll admit, I'm not entirely sure. It hasn't been explained to me, either. Perhaps some find it to be more comfortable as a result?

[What other purpose need a pillow serve, really?]

[Well, if he can't give a better justification, Barbara's going to shove the pillow back onto the shelf. She tugs at another one with high density on the label and raises her eyebrows in surprise at how heavy it is. Firm, extra firm, high density, Continuous Support, "Down Alternative."

She might as well just find a goose and pluck it herself.]

Stranger have name?

[She's a little bit stalling as she tries to find a label she can entirely parse, but also, who is this guy anyway.]

Balthier.

[That, he gives freely— and as such, he's no longer a stranger anymore, is he?

He props a hand against his hip as he looks up and along the towering shelves. There's something to be said for being spoiled for choice, but half of these words do read like nonsense.]

Worry less, perhaps, about what's on the labels, and more about what feels right to you, hm?

Barbara.

[No longer quite a stranger, no--although whether he is someone she can trust remains somewhat to be seen. He doesn't have the hardwearing look of a warrior that she's used to.

It is probably sensible advice, though. Barbara reaches out and tests a few pillows in succession by squashing them between her hands, but she stops as soon as she finds a familiar enough one--if she tested them all she'd be here till spring.]

Balthier also find winter supplies?

I wouldn't quite put it that way myself, but near enough. Having finally found a place to rest my head beyond the hotel, I find myself needing a few things to make it feel a bit more like home.

[What many of those things may be still escapes him to some degree; he'd never wanted for anything on the Strahl, but he'd never needed much there to begin with. His cabin had been small but well-appointed; having an entire flat to make himself comfortable in was quite a step up in terms of size.]

Everyone points to this being the place to go for such things.

[Hm. What is more like home, Barbara wonders? For her, it's mountains and wind drakes. She's comfortable in the woods beyond the city and hopes that she'll be comfortable in the shed she's making snug against winter, but she doesn't want to start mistaking it for where she is actually meant to live.

What's 'home' for someone as obviously cosmopolitan as Balthier? Maybe somewhere like Camelot indeed. Maybe even something as strange as Celliwig had been.]

Balthier home, maybe. [With a pillow selected, she starts looking around the bins for other, apparently essential home goods. Towels seem to be very important.] All this familiar?

[He follows her gaze, as well as her gestures, pausing for a moment before he offers a nod in response to her query.]

It is. A bit more modern than some of what I'm used to, but some things simply can't be improved upon— towels, linens, these things are much the same as I remember from home.

[Archadians always were spoiled for choice— at least in the upper city.]

I take it you're used to things being a bit more... rustic?

[Rustic? Not a word Barbara uses much. True, probably, but she's never thought of it hat way, it's just how it is. How she's comfortable being.]

Simple fine. Barbara warrior. Not need fine luxuries.

Admirable, but a shame all the same. You're missing out on some of the finer things in life.

[Fine linens are a simple but truly worthwhile pleasure, for one.]

It wouldn't hurt to indulge now and then— even a warrior such as yourself might be surprised by how much you enjoy a change of pace.

[Perhaps. There isn't anything wrong with getting into a clean bed at the end of a long day, or a soak in the hot springs after a grueling battle, she'd admit. But silk shirts are just going to get snagged, and fancy shoes are going to get ruined, so... not those. No point.]

Maybe Balthier try rustic. Might like.

Oh, I've tried it out of necessity many a time. Can't say I care for it.

[To a certain degree. Camping and the like are often unavoidable in his line of work, but it does make him appreciate a soft bed and a hot bath even more when he finally gets them.]

You don't tire of living in such a way?

[Barbara tilts her head and lifts one shoulder in a shrug. What's to get tired of? It's how life is, and it mattered more that she had her family of wind drakes, and her moogle neighbors.]

Barbara have family. Family make comfortable.

[Literally, even. There's nothing quite like sheltering under a dragon's wing during the mountain winds.]

[ Xiao has taken both lives and dreams from innocents before. Hence is the reason he had elected to become a guardian yaksha: some form of atonement. ~~It doesn't matter to Xiao that he had no control over the situation~~ Thus such a large failing has left him with quite the twist of complicated emotions.

One thing is certain though: he would not allow for those sacrificing their time to retrieve the dead or attempt to restore the town to come to harm.

When the sound of hooves is heard in the distance, he pulls out his spear. ]

Let it come.

[A grin spreads over Barbara's face at the response. It isn't a happy expression, more like satisfied--this is someone speaking her language. Not surprising, since he is a fellow lancer.

She nods, ears pricked for the direction, the closeness--it's coming from their left. She gives Xiao a nod in that direction. Then, with her own spear ready, she plunges towards the horseman as soon as she hears it break into a canter.]

[ He very much is the type of person that would rather fight a common enemy rather than engage in pointless conversation.

Xiao follows her direction. He dashes to the left, falling back behind Barbara. As the horseman becomes visible, swinging its own blade around, Xiao intends to provide a follow up swing to Barbara's initial attack. ]

[Barbra ducks under the horseman's attack, trying first and foremost to go after its horse. But the muscles and sinews of a supernatural creature are not like that of a real horse, not so easily severed. It strikes, and the horse screams, but it's more enraged than in pain.

But Xiao's attack keeps the horseman itself too occupied for instant retaliation, directing its next thrust at him.]

[ In this manner, they very much can keep the creature occupied. Ever since a conversation on the network, he has wondered how he could better put his magics into combat. So he breathes in and out, allowing for the Healing Magic to enhance his strength - it won't last long.

Though now his thrusts and swings carry a bit more power to them. Perhaps the other could attempt to help Xiao create a balance issue. ]

[Barbara can feel the swell of magic from her comrade-in-arms and notes with approval how it seems to be strengthening his attacks. That keeps the horseman's attention on him for another moment, wanting to deal with the more potent threat.

It's a good opportunity for Barbara to unleash some potency herself. Stepping back a pace or two, she inhales deeply and then lets out a blast of winter air from her mouth, directed right at the horse's feet. Frost covers the ground and ice crawls up from its hooves, freezing crystals into its legs to pain it and hinder its movement.]

[ Well. He's never seen anyone breathe ice out of their mouths before. That, however, is going to help out a lot. At first, Xiao needs to back off lest he gets caught in the icy blast.

Then as the creature starts to halt, Xiao reinforces his spear with his own blood ( he'll likely need a rest after this but doesn't see an issue with it ). Then he is, unfortunately, just going to go straight for the horse itself.

It's a supernatural beast too, right? So it will also have to go. Step one is to rid the horseman of its, well. Horse. ]

[Ah, now that is a interesting way to use blood magic, and Barbara might ask him about it after they take care of the headless horseman.

She has no objection to him going after the horse; she's still used to horses being monsters and enemies rather than helpful domesticated beasts. And its reaction to being attacked doesn't alter that--it screams like a demon and lashes out at Xiao with its hooves.

And now the horseman is distracted by the double-barreled assault on its mount. Barbara takes advantage of its confusion to leap, aiming to knock the fell creature bodily from its saddle.]

Barbara?

[now here's a peculiar sight - as to how peculiar is really anyone's call, hardly hers. and to be fair, Cecelia can't say she'd expect to see the semi-feral girl trying her hand at carpentry on such a ramshackle shed.

and so a modest trek for fresh grains has become...possibly a thing. as she ought to expect.]

That is you, yes? What are you doing?

[Oh, it's Ardenbury. Looking from the outside not the worse for wear. Well, it's been a little time since all the chaos at Lestari and Celliwig, that's time enough to brush one's hair ~~unless you are Barbara herself of course~~.]

Barbara need winter shelter. [She waves a hammer at the gap in the shed's wall that she is currently trying to nail a patch over.] Fix drafts.

Edited 2021-10-15 20:59 (UTC)

[Cecelia frowns.]

Was there truly no more room in the city that you have to repurpose abandoned sheds this far out?

[Barbara matches Ardenbury's frown with a stare. What's wrong with a shed? It's not so different from the huts she ran around in growing up--it needs better insulation, but it's nice and snug and if she opens up the roof a little she can have a firepit in it, like a proper village house.]

Fae used to houses like Camelot. Families, need bigger space.

Shed like hut. Fine for Barbara.

[well and true about the Fae, but...]

'Fine' is one thing, but... [hm.] Well. Is such a thing comfortable for someone like you? Especially estranged and alone.

[Well... that's an interesting take on the situation. She's been comfortable enough in the woods. The fresh air and the company of nature have been a familiar balm--even though she is on an alien world with strange creatures, trees are still trees and beasts are still beasts, even if some of them have unfamiliar shapes.

Ardenbury's words make it sound so isolating, all of a sudden. Barbara didn't feel lonely in the woods. And she never felt lonely in Dragon Roost or Drakenvale, because the wind drakes were there to be her family. But there won't be any wind drakes to share her shed.]

More than Camelot. [...] Camelot noisy. Strange. Full of humans.

[...well, she can't argue that.

with something of a sniff:] And other such things, of late, yes. I suppose ferreting one's self away from the masses isn't that unusual, given the odds of trouble greatly increasing as the numbers grow...

[so it's clear she was imposing a kind of broad-strokes assumption on a woman who definitely doesn't fit most molds. that's on Cecelia.]

...All the same, was this the best you could find? Surely there are farm houses in better states whose residents wouldn't mind such an expert warrior as something of a sentinel...

[Barbara hadn't considered that angle, but it's definitely true. Humans aren't good at getting along with other humans, as she well knows, and it may only be a matter of time before their sympathy for the displaced fae wears thin.

Hopefully it won't get too bad in the city. That's work for people whose skill is talking, not lancework.

As for the prospect of staying with one of the farming families... she hadn't considered that, but although it's less daunting than living in Camelot, it's still--well it would be difficult.]

Barbara not live with humans for long time. [She holds out her hand, about waist-height, to demonstrate how small she was.] Different rules than wind drakes.

[so it would seem. Cecelia hums a soft note of thought before pressing:] And just...how long ago was it that you were cast from humankind to survive with these creatures? Do you recall?

[Barbara recalls very well the day Ceres came for her, to bring her back to be raised among the dragons, to take up her father's calling rather than live under the yoke of imperial occupation. Not what she would describe as being cast from her people.]

Humankind's fault. Human empire betray. Kill, cripple all dragoons.

Father's drake rescue Barbara. Barbara... [She thinks back. Recording dates and other information isn't nearly as much of a priority for the drakes.] Young. Five summers, maybe.

Mm. Quite young and impressionable, but not entirely helpless. I see. [that explains away a few of the problems that come with a species lacking thumbs trying to tend a child from a species whose young are quite helpless for a long, long time.

...she has a feeling she's read a book like this before. wolves, though, not wyverns.]

So that means you've more than a few tricks for survival even on this isle, mm? Did those naturally built-up resistances come with you from your homeland, are you likewise starting from scratch?

Avalon different from home. [Celliwig was even moreso.] But wind drakes teach Barbara how to hunt. Barbara learn how to live outside. Not so different.

...But winter also same. Too cold outside.

[Even with fire breath. She isn't a furnace like a dragon is.]

Indeed. And you're not an elementalist... [head tilt.] You've secured enough provisions and materials to keep safe for when the weather turns foul?

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