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Post by Jack on Aug 7, 2021 20:50:28 GMT -6
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Post by Nadia on Aug 8, 2021 8:44:10 GMT -6
Nadia was coming to realise how exhausted she was. It had been one thing after another since they'd set foot in the mansion - fire creatures, poison, sinister trances - with barely a moment to rest, and it was beginning to impact her, making her posture sag under the figurative weight. She didn't think she could take any more. Still, that was not the main object of concern. Sarv looked worse for wear, even in what little she could see of his expression, and it was her priority to help him recover in whichever ways he needed. Anything else could wait. Even Dylan, whose sandy nose was wet at the back of her knee, pressing as he made curious whimpers. What could she say, when the knight sank low before her, and spoke earnestly? It was almost embarrassing; she had done little other than shriek at him... "Please, sir, rise," She settled with murmuring. "I did nothing that you would not have done for me." [25]
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Post by Èdan on Aug 8, 2021 9:11:01 GMT -6
The knight doesn't rise, not yet, but instead lifts his head to look at her, "My lady continues to be kind, but she should not have needed to do so, had I not.." and it trails off, still unsure how to properly describe the whole thing. The whole idea is to be here to protect her, rather than the other way around. (Kind of defeats the purpose of having a knight if it brings more trouble than it's worth). The helm lowers again, staring in front of himself, perhaps in a kind of embarrassment of it's own. The hand holding hers tightens a moment, "It is my task to guard you. If what befalls me is equally responsible for endangering you.. Then that task is failed either way." (The manor can play many types of tricks, and like as not, he's grown to like her presence, intermixed with nervousness as it is. He'd rather hate for it to pull something to truly endanger it).
There's a deep breath and a hollow sigh, muffled by the helm. "In saving me, I owe you a debt that cannot easily be repaid, but if you permit me a presumption, I only ask that you be careful.. and kind to yourself in regards to worry. What I endure, can be endured." (Not that he wants to, but the ol' body's been through a few different things over the years so some discomforts are more familiar than others. Some things do get easier with 'practise').
. 55 . August: 26
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Post by Nadia on Aug 8, 2021 12:24:34 GMT -6
Nadia shook her head. There was no blame to be given, no responsibility to assume; the mansion had sprung wickedness on them, and they had responded in the most appropriate ways that they could manage. "Knights too are made of clay," She said. "You do your duty admirably, but there are forces outside of your control that cannot be avoided. Please, do not think upon yourself badly. You have not failed me today." It all looked innocuous, with the absence of a threat. Waves lapped at the sand, frothing with foam, and gulls wheeled and screeched overhead. The breeze brought with it the heavy scents of salt and seaweed. Even the creaking shipwreck was fading into the peripheral. Dylan at last sat, apparently also exhausted by their nonstop adventures - he was just a baby, after all. His muzzle split in a wide yawn, and his tongue lolled out to pant. "I'll heed your words, sir. Now... please, rise." The hand in his squeezed, warm. "We have a glaive to find." [27]
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Post by Jack on Aug 8, 2021 14:34:03 GMT -6
All is as it seems, for one moment. The next, the ground is shifting - you get the sensation of standing out at sea, watching land retreat away from you. But you're not moving... are you? Your stomach turns, uneasy with the peculiar motion. By the time things have slowed to a halt and you've regained clarity, you realise that the strange experience has separated you from your pet!
[Your pet is lost! It cannot be roleplayed for the next 5 posts while you find it!]
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Post by Èdan on Aug 8, 2021 14:37:24 GMT -6
There's a raise of the head, looking at her and trying to search for further meaning. Or perhaps fearing to see well-veiled reproach, hidden behind appropriate words. But the warm touch dispels such suspicions, and there's a sense of appreciation. "I am glad to hear so, my lady.. But I only wish to convey the truth. We're all fragile, in our ways, but where my lady is porcelain - brilliant and fine - a knight remains but clay. Common and expendable. It is how we serve. Why we can." (And even clay came in various flavours. The rigid, easily shatter-able baked clay was a useful tool, but the most potential came from one not yet moulded or fired).
He could not deny the request a second time (For to leave a lady asking more than once would be most inappropriate), so he slowly rises back to his feet, unbothered by the water soaking part of a boot and most of the tabard's bottom fringe. There's a moment where he's unsure if the hand should be let go, so he relaxes the grip slightly, to read her lead.
..Only for the world to decide to take another turn, quite literally. He feels the world begin to spin, having that single solitary moment to think 'Oh not this again..' and brace his feet more solidly in the sandy ground, free arm out to counteract while the other tries to support Nadia. But aside the imbalance, there is no sudden pressure, no push, (no song). Just.. a momentary swing of gravity. (Ugh. Ships.. He remembered the motion and was neither a fan then nor now, much less with the headache on top to contend with).
. 56 . August: 28
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Post by Nadia on Aug 8, 2021 15:20:26 GMT -6
How could things have gotten any worse? Did they not deserve a rest by then, after overcoming the string of hurdles thrown at them by the mansion? Had they not passed the test? Nadia had barely a moment to regain her senses before the world was moving again, and she clung to the knight for dear life, terrified that they would be separated. Yet somehow it ended in a worse result than she anticipated. When the motion halted and her stomach was churning, she looked down to retrieve her houluh, on impulse - and found him gone. “Dylan…?” She could barely speak. The intensity of all that had occurred flooded her senses at once; her knees wobbled, threatening to betray her and let her fall. What had happened? After all else, the mansion would take her puppy from her, too? “Oh, please, no…” She had been fiercely determined not to weep, but in the terrifying absence of her companion, it was difficult to hold back. [29]
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Post by Èdan on Aug 8, 2021 15:38:51 GMT -6
The other hand reaches to support her, and when the world stabilizes, he helps her to stand on her own. "That was.. strange," he murmurs, giving their surroundings a suspicious look. (And very much joining on board with the train of thought where the manor seemed to be just one thing after another.. Of course it was like that the last time as well, but at least it left breathing space in between eventually.. At this time point he'd much rather they went back to the brazier and the bowls of food, in the hopes one of them might be even vaguely coffee-flavoured - Not likely to help the headache, but at least something). He tries not to think too much about the subject of food, however. Despite a more trained constitution towards balance issues, he's still recovering from whatever thing scrambled around in the mind, so the grasp on reality is still quite fresh.
And then he heard her call out the name.. and the jaw set as there is a silent, inward sigh. (Faex. Not again). There's really no need to even turn to search, because he suspects the dog to be gone long before the fact is visually confirmed. (The manor's timing continues to be.. on point). There isn't much time to let this fact settle in, as the effects of it are already causing consequences.
He tries to turn her face to him, one hand still holding onto hers - both support and anchor - as he tries to catch her gaze, "My lady.. My lady, look at me." (It's not a situation so easily mended, so all pretence of appropriation have long since flown out the window). "Listen. You're alright. He's alright. He likely just wandered off chasing a bird." The gaze is insistent, "We can find him. We've done it before."
. 57 . August: 30
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Post by Nadia on Aug 8, 2021 15:49:33 GMT -6
What terrible curse had befallen them? Nadia was quick to spiral into anxiety at the best of times, but this was something else - the endless stream of misfortune was pushing her down a dangerous slope. Her vision was clouded with tears when she looked at the knight. "What wickedness is upon us? It isn't fair!" She knew how childlike it sounded, how petulant, but in her despair she couldn't stop herself. "I am tired of these games! He could be in peril, sir-- he could drown, he is just a baby!" If Sarv had been close to succumbing to an unknown magic, then it was impossible to know what grave effects it could have on a puppy. The thoughts swam in her mind. Was he suffering? Had he been snatched by another adventurer? She simply could not bring herself to believe that it was something as trivial as him wandering off. "I would have seen him - I would have heard him! Something has him!" [31]
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Post by Èdan on Aug 8, 2021 16:04:51 GMT -6
Oh, this is certainly much worse than he thought. The despair before was part anger, part fear, but it had a determination to it, something that guided her steps to keep going. This is more a breaking point, that last straw before the snap. (And unlike clay, you couldn't really powder down the shards to make a new batch of porcelain. Not quite the same way, at least). "It is indeed not fair," he agrees, "But you must remember.. The manor is many things. It can trick, it can goad, it can deceive. But it does not kill.." (It was a lot to bank on, but despite everything that happened this time and last, it had never really done anything to directly injure, as far as he knew. And a manor out for blood would make quick enemies of the City and its denizens, one would assume..)
He then takes both of her hands, holding them firm with assurance, "If he's wandered off, we shall find him. If he's been taken, we shall find him. But we don't know until we begin to look." There's an insistence in the tone that would have been insolent under any other circumstance, "I hope you can hear my words true, my lady.. We won't find him, until we begin to look."
. 58 . August: 32
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Post by Jack on Aug 8, 2021 16:19:16 GMT -6
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Post by Nadia on Aug 9, 2021 8:37:10 GMT -6
The mansion does not kill. Nadia clung to that, whether it was true or not - certainly she had never been injured by it before that day. Even so, it was hard to surmount the knowledge that their respective perils had felt very real. Equally difficult to overcome was her general exhaustion with the non-stop tirade of unfortunate events. One shaky breath, and then another. She did her best to focus on her hands in his, even if the rest of him was blurred by her teary vision. They would find Dylan. Whatever had happened, they could face it, like they had faced every other obstacle. At least they had one another. "Yes, right you are..." No handkerchief was available to her, so she released the knight from her grip in favour of dabbing at her eyes with her sleeve. Etiquette be damned, politeness be damned. "We should proceed, of course..." Yet she didn't move. Looking at the stretch of sand around them was simply too overwhelming. [33]
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Post by Èdan on Aug 9, 2021 10:07:05 GMT -6
This is progress, though that particular internal battle is far from over.. (And might not be even close to the end of the war itself). One step at a time, one task at a time, give something to focus on to distract from the reality, for as long as the distraction lasted. "Good," he says low, watching her carefully, "There's a lot of water, but also sand. We can try to locate his tracks and see where those lead. It can help to call out to him as well. He knows your voice and is likely to respond, if out of eyesight. Where did you see him stand last?"
With luck, that will give her mind a purpose to latch onto for a little while longer, but he could not deny the strain is certainly greater this time than last. (At least the last time the worst he had to contend with was a wayward silver noodle and a slimy shadow entity that liked games. Arduous, not-quite-pleasant games, admittedly, but at least his head wasn't ringing like a ship's bell after). There's a pause as a hand goes to one of the pouches for a moment, a thought occurring. He pulls out a piece of cloth from before, back when he had intended to use it to cool her brow, (Though how it didn't disappear with the rest of the market was a thought for another time) and he crouches down to rinse it clean in the pool of water, wring it dry and stands to offer it, "To avoid staining your dress."
. 59 . August: 34
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Post by Nadia on Aug 9, 2021 13:42:00 GMT -6
Nadia accepted the cloth gratefully. The cool dampness on her face was bliss - what with the wicked spices having rocketed her temperature up, and the tears making her eyes sore, she was feeling worse for wear and in need of refreshment. Or a strong drink. For someone who had barely indulged in a few daiquiris in her lifetime, she had a fierce hankering for anything alcoholic. "Thank you, sir." It was kept clutched in her hand as she sought the courage to look around. Wet pawprints could be spotted in the sand now that her senses were returning, leading away from them; it was a relief, and an avenue to immediately pursue. "This way. It would appear he walked away himself, at the very least." Whether he was forced or lured remained to be seen. The hem of her skirt was sweeping through the tide pools and sand, but it was long forgotten. Nothing that a wash couldn't cure. A missing houluh was more urgent, as told by her speedy walking pace. [35] [Logged - 60 posts]
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Post by Èdan on Aug 9, 2021 14:10:59 GMT -6
There's a nod as the knight turns around to allow her the privacy of tending to her appearance. In many ways, this type of situation wouldn't have ever escalated to the degree it did under normal circumstances, for a servant to bear witness to such an outburst would have been more unseemly than the outburst itself - There was almost an obligation to avoid seeing it. So while she touches up, he keeps his back turned, likewise pulling off the gloves to quickly wring them dry (or, well, less soaked) and put them back on. A series of quick mental and visual checks (Tabard, sleeves, gloves, collar, helmet..) assures that whatever happened during the daze hadn't really compromised the appearance, at least nothing that a little adjustment and smoothing wouldn't fix.
He only turns back around at her words, a clear enough signal that she's ready once more. "A promising sign," he agrees, seeing the paw prints wander off across the low dunes and shallow puddles. And just like that, before any further comment could be made, she is already off, chasing after with a spring and a quickness in her step. A promising sign, indeed.
There's a snap of fingers and a displacement of air, as the glaive reappears into his hand, and he jogs after her to catch up.
. 60 . (added) August: 36
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