Re: Inching through Illsbruic - 119 4A

by **Nara-pyon** Sat May 16, 2015 10:26 pm

Lashrael didn't even pretend to understand, and she simply shook her head. "I'll take a bath, thanks," she murmured. "Just show me where to heat the water and I'll be fine."

At this point, she didn't really care. She just wanted to be clean again.

by **Kara Winters** Sat May 16, 2015 10:34 pm

Lin nodded and opened the door to the bathing room. There she showed Lashrael the runes that lit the room, as well as how to set the water to the temperature she liked, and how to drain the water afterwards. In a funny way, there was no waste this way, as the water was pulled and then dissipated back, wherever it had been pulled from.

"I'm not sure how hot you like your bath, so I'll leave that to you okay?" Lin asked.

by **Nara-pyon** Sat May 16, 2015 10:42 pm

Lashrael was absolutely amazed at everything she saw in there, and after making sure there were towels for her, she was ready to give it a try. Wren arrived with clothes for her just before Lin was ready to leave, and then both of them left her alone to wash.

She took her time, and over an hour had passed when she finally left the bathing room. Then she was shown to her room, and everyone went to bed for the night.

When morning came, Lashrael was nowhere to be found in the tent.

by **Kara Winters** Sat May 16, 2015 10:52 pm

Miyuki was bemused, because she wasn't sure where Lashrael had gone, probably out somewhere.

"What to go look for her?" she asked Ai and the other pokemon.

It wasn't her turn to make breakfast and it would be nice to have Lashrael meet everyone if she was going to be traveling with them. With that in mind, she softly walked out of the tent and took a look around.

by **Nara-pyon** Sat May 16, 2015 11:02 pm

Once again, Lashrael was at the top of the cliff overlooking the lake, but this time she wasn't sitting and looking, but standing with her hands behind her head, gazing off into the distance. She was a few steps away from the edge, but after a moment, she lowered her hands and stepped right up to it. She squatted for a moment, brushing her hands lightly along the ground, and then she rose again and rubbed her face with her hands.

by **Kara Winters** Sat May 16, 2015 11:09 pm

Suki bounced away from Miyuki and headed over to Lashrael. The pink pokemon sat on her hauches and gave that strange echoy yelp that she tended to do, waving her ribbons around. As if asking if something was wrong.

Miyuki followed quickly, mainly to keep Suki out of trouble, though Suki really just liked people.

by **Nara-pyon** Sun May 17, 2015 12:04 am

Lashrael was looking down at the lake, her eyes thoughtful, but when Suki appeared next to her, she glanced down at the Pokemon. She had seen it the night before, so it didn't startle her, but she wasn't entirely sure what to do with it.

"Just considering the jump," she murmured, almost defensively, looking back over the edge.

It was a long way down - sixty or seventy feet - to the water. The fog from the day before was gone now, and the sunrise on the lake gleamed beautifully on the ripples.

by **Kara Winters** Sun May 17, 2015 12:06 am

Suki peered over the edge and yelped that it looked like a long way down. That wasn't a good idea, because that was far too long a way down.

"What are you two chatting about?" Miyuki asked once she caught up.

by **Nara-pyon** Sun May 17, 2015 12:15 am

Lashrael looked down at the lake below. "A swim," she murmured. "I'm cleaner than I've been in ... well, a very long time, and I'm finally wearing proper clothes again ... is it worth it to jump?"

Her hesitation was clearly about more than being clean and wearing clean clothes, though. The look on her face made it obvious even for those who had just met her. Something else was bothering her.

by **Kara Winters** Sun May 17, 2015 12:41 am

"It looks like a long way down...." Miyuki murmured, echoing Suki's words, "But what's wrong? Something else seems to be bothering you."

Though she didn't know what it was, as she didn't know Lashrael that well.

by **Nara-pyon** Sun May 17, 2015 12:51 am

Lashrael glanced at Miyuki, then squatted down again and brushed her fingers along the grass, looking down at the lake again.

"I don't know that I can trust it," she murmured. "All these years, I've been living here, and the lake has been my refuge. My life, really - I couldn't have survived here without it. And now I've learned that it was the cause of my family's deaths - the deaths of everyone in the village."

She ran her fingers through her hair. "How can the very thing that's kept me alive all this time be responsible for such death? And how can I continue to rely on it?"

by **Kara Winters** Sun May 17, 2015 12:54 am

"I can't answer that," Miyuki admitted, "I don't really know how things like this work. Eron and Shiro would know better than me, probably even Khetal... this is the kind of thing they learn about and study. Especially Eron since I think he mentioned there's a volcano under the lake water, and how the earth works is really his thing."

Miyuki only understood enough science concepts to apply to her runes, and she needed a teacher like Eron to help her, or someone who had time to explain like Shiro, otherwise she would be lost. It was weird, she could understand mind bending concepts like spaces and bubbles, and abstract magic, but science was sometimes hard for her.

by **Nara-pyon** Sun May 17, 2015 12:59 am

Lashrael nodded, then sighed. "Well, I suppose you all will be wanting to be on your way," she murmured, rising to her feet. "But if its all right, I'd like to go see my family one last time before we leave."

She looked at Miyuki as if asking for permission. After a moment, she added, "It will take a few hours."

by **Kara Winters** Sun May 17, 2015 1:01 am

"Sure, we need to get down there anyways," Miyuki nodded, "Let's have breakfast first and then see if Uruloki and take us back down. We're in no rush."

And the others would understand anyways.

by **Nara-pyon** Sun May 17, 2015 1:07 am

Lashrael nodded and turned to go back to the tent.

"You plan to come with me, then?" she asked as she walked. "You don't have to, you know."

She was used to being alone; having someone with her, while it might be comforting, would also be a bit odd.

by **Kara Winters** Sun May 17, 2015 1:25 am

"Only if you want me to," Miyuki replied.

She wouldn't mind coming along, but knew that Lashrael might need time along to reconcile her feelings.

by **Nara-pyon** Sun May 17, 2015 1:30 am

Lashrael shrugged. "I don't mind," she replied quietly. "I just don't want you to feel like you have to, that's all."

They reached the tent and Lashrael stepped inside. Denis and Iorlas had prepared breakfast for everyone, and while some people were eating, others had already finished and had gone about their daily activities.

by **Kara Winters** Sun May 17, 2015 10:01 pm

Miyuki doubted she would feel like she had to go, still, she asked Uruloki after breakfast to take Lashrael down to see the village, instead of both her and Lashrael. She assumed the rest of the group would come down once it was time to pack up leave.

by **Nara-pyon** Sun May 17, 2015 10:21 pm

Uruloki took Lashrael down to the ruined village, and Lashrael promised that they would be back in an hour or so. While she was gone, the others prepared to leave the site again.

Sure enough, an hour later she was back, and after getting out the things they would need for the day's journey, they packed up the tent and set off. Mailon and Daenis both stayed inside the tent, as Daenis wasn't feeling well, but the others were happy enough to keep walking, despite the heat.

"Riding, it would be two days to the base," Lashrael told the group as they started down the mountain, "but it will be a week, walking. Perhaps a bit more, since I need to keep out of sight."

by **Kara Winters** Sun May 17, 2015 10:23 pm

"That's fine, none of us has horses, except for Ponydash and he's for emergencies... and... if we really needed to get somewhere fast, we would probably end up flying if we can," Lin explained.

They always had walked everywhere, so walking to the base didn't bother them in the slightest.

by **Nara-pyon** Sun May 17, 2015 10:34 pm

"Though a dragon might attract a bit too much attention," Kyrie cautioned Lin. "If it weren't so important that Lashrael stay hidden, I'd be willing to risk it, but as it is ..." She shrugged.

"Thank you," Lashrael murmured. "And I can lead us around villages, unless they've changed too much."

"Where are you from?" Kyrie asked her curiously.

Lashrael pointed south. "Zeilos. Sixty klicks. Halfway between here and the base." She grimaced. "I would imagine that someone else would have taken over my family's house and possessions centuries ago. I think I'd actually feel better going around it, now that I think about it."

by **Kara Winters** Sun May 17, 2015 10:51 pm

"We can do that," Miyuki agreed.

That did sound sad though, that someone had probably taken it over, but it couldn't be helped.

by **Nara-pyon** Sun May 17, 2015 11:04 pm

Lashrael saw the look on Miyuki's face, and she smiled at her. "Don't worry about it," she assured her. "There's nothing there anymore that I would want."

"What things *do* you have?" asked Shoneah curiously. "I don't think you brought anything from wherever it you were staying there."

Lashrael shrugged. "Not much, really. You saw the sword I had, dull and rusted. It was beyond saving, so I left it. There was nothing else worth taking. Bits of food that will be scavenged or rot. A hut of palm leaves. The monkeys can have it. What meat is left, the jaguars will probably take."

She tapped her temple a few times. "This is where I have anything that's important. Memories. My parents. Shalana. Jassin."

by **Kara Winters** Sun May 17, 2015 11:31 pm

This was true, as long as one had their memories that was all that mattered. Lin smiled and nodded, it was a good sign that Lashrael felt that way.

Now she just hoped that they would find some sign of Lashrael's fiance.

by **Nara-pyon** Sun May 17, 2015 11:44 pm

As Lashrael had promised, it was a week to the day that they finally arrived at the army command base. They were nearly spotted a few times, and once had to use the tent's to distract some hunters from their location, but that was the extent of their troubles. As they went, Lashrael also became more open to the others, though she still didn't speak often.

They set up the tent on a plateau on a mountain above where the base was located so that they would be out of the sight of anyone who might be watching from there, but also so that they could watch the base from a safe distance. They still hadn't come up with a solid plan for finding out of Lashrael's fiance was still there, and so they were discussing it at dinner, with the hope of putting into action the following day whatever plan they might come up with that evening.

"I still believe that Shoneah would be the most likely person to get into the base without too many questions asked," Lashrael told the others thoughtfully.

"I don't like the idea of her going in alone," Andarien spoke up firmly. He looked around at all of the others who were seated around the dining and living rooms, taking part in the discussion. "If she goes, I go."

by Sponsored content