Barrel, clean. No dents No scratches No cracks Plenty of power. A lot went into the first few seconds after the Seer walked away, as Amriel checked his weapon for any signs of damage. Once again, superb Eldar craftsmanship meant that the weapon, already meticulously maintained, was flawless. A soft chuckle escaped him, and he slung the weapon back over his shoulder, and waited for the rest of the group to keep moving on.
Morvan attended to Yareli's wound, the subtle meditations of the Seer sealing the cut closed not from the surface, which might have caused infections or dirt to remain inside, but from the deepest part first. It was fascinating to watch. The process itself was private to the Seer, and he kept his own counsel as always, forcing his mind to remain disciplined. He could do this without loss, but not without effort. The Crone, as well the Iybraesilite knew, always demanded a sacrifice. Around him, the scout force still did not have the shape he desired, and disparate parts of it attended to their own ways. Faenkon knelt to take some of the fresh meat from the corpse. Such is the way of the Ranger; at least some on the Path that some whisper is no Path are close to the teachings of the Exodites, and always respect the kill by not letting it go to waste. Amriel checked his gun. Lysandriax watched the path ahead. Astarielle, having offered to teach Yareli to use her pistol to better effect, retired to a short distance and stood ready. She was keen to stay alert - where there was one rock-serpent, there might be more. Valandil also scoured the path ahead but, unlike Faenkon, he was silent and stood stoically by. Iktomi went to clean his void sabre, which had cut the beast's hide with ease, but it was already spotlessly clean. "Do we go on, or report back?" Lysandriax was impatient, her nature not one to sit still in moments of council. Calmer minds would be needed to balance her in the coming days, no doubt. But she was as yet untempered, and went so far as to nudge Morvan. Llyr looked up, surprised at the affront to his friend, but the little gyrinx soon read her lack of hostile intentions to his satisfaction and went back to cleaning his paw. "So what now, bold Seer?" "We have a mission, and it is of paramount importance," the Warlock said, his white-faced helm looking up at the tall raider. "This has not changed." He paused, addressing the group. "Do we have radio communication with the Chance and the Arcadia?" "No," Lysandriax said, "we do not. The little radiogirl has a set, but I do not believe that anyone else has." "None on the Arcadia, unless Reevia made more alterations I may have temporarily mentally archived to allow for a more certain focus on the current mission," supplied the Felarch, airily. "This will not stand." Morvan spoke sharply, yet he was not rude: merely to the point. "We must have communication. What use such an endeavour if we become lost, or separated, or we cannot make ourselves heard to the ship in orbit? We might find the sword and fall at the last gate, if we are unable to bring it home." It was plain that he had some plan in mind, though for the moment, he did not yet speak it aloud.
Faenkon finished the cuts and placed the meat away for safe keeping. He stood and cleaned his knife, "Well we should keep moving." Returning the knife to its sheath he began to move towards the explosives to get a better look. He wanted to ensure their safe passage and wanted to identify and remove the device. "But ultimate that falls to you, our leaders. Let me just clear this path real quick before we continue."
< @Jorimel @Wata @ItsTime > Talis growled under his breath at this 'Artarsi' once more. Whatever had happened in the past for him to treat his own as he was - Talis saw them all as Eldar, albeit some were quite more intimidating than others - he felt that it was unnecessary. And yet, he tried to put that out of his mind and focus on teaching Avrielle. While the tea was prepared, Talis showed the maiden to the side how to remove the guts, or giblets, from the fowl. And then he laid down a tough pad - that he kept rolled up and cleaned as a prep board - on the stone, followed by the bird. Then he let her hold the knife, taking up position kneeling behind her, and wrapping his hands to gently hold hers and help guide. "You always want steady hands, don't want to cut yourself." he said softly to her, as he help her saw out the backbone. "If you cut it this way, you can cook this all on a pan, flat and faster."
@Jorimel | @kanila | @MetalDog4 | @Avenging-Angel | @DaKaptin "Thank you Morvan." Yareli said as she exited her trance and faced the harsh reality of the cold air on her skin once more. She inspected the wound and the only reminder of a fight was her robe which she would need to sow once back on the Arcadia. Luckily one of the few things she learned from her older sister who wandered the Path of the Artisan and specialized in Tailoring. She shook her head, thoughts of home kept invading her, forsaken ice world reminding her constantly. "What ways of communication would we even have? I am certain Talis could teach us some basic smoke signs for at least outdoor communication, limited by vision, but a communication way nonetheless. Another idea that comes to mind would be telepathy if you are capable of long-range telepathy, Morvan. Because The Chance's own vox-gem receivers are most likely not powerful enough for our needs either." The Diplomat thought out loud, putting a finger on her lips, thinking. "Well... If we could find an Exodite settlement.... Perhaps they would have an avian species dedicated to carrying messages. Similar to the role of a Scourge in the Dark City... If the rumors are to believed." The Noblewoman ultimately shrugged, as it was a mere possibility based on whether they could find a settlement or not and even then if they had such trained birds. If Faolchu was here, this endeavour would be much easier.
Avrielle first took a tea-vessel from the shuttle, and then filled it with clear water from the lake - reasoning that it was to be boiled, anyway. She set down cups and brought some tea out of a pouch on her belt, ready for when the water was hot enough. As she passed the door of the Chance, the little radiotech was careful not to show any signs that would give Talshin away. Her eyes met his and slid off them as if he were part of the decor, and yet, knowing that he was there, she did see him. Her mind spoke the gentlest of whispers, we are safe enough, keep what watch you may. Then she turned to her lesson from the Exodite. She first tied back her hair and washed her hands, then settled into paying close attention. She let Talis guide her hands, holding the knife securely and following his instructions. "My father always says that it is better to have a sharp knife; it is the blunt knife that will slip and cut you," she said, carefully removing the bone with as little waste of the meat as possible. The waterfowl was a good, dark meat, having lived a life free and wild. "And to always honour the kill that gives you life, as Kurnous taught."
At first, Morvan eyed Yareli almost with a dark hint of suspicion. Had she invaded his mind? Had she, while in the trance, somehow come to share his thoughts? Warlock dismissed the notion. Yareli was not a Seer. She would not pry into his mind, surely she was unable to do so. He shook his head faintly, faint images of another face, outlined in crimson hair like a pool of blood. "That would be a great strain for a mind unaided," Morvan said, speaking slowly, while he stood and watched the Ranger gather meat for their journey. Red hands, yet a warm heart. He banished the memory. "I may raise communication with the Void Dreamer, and then with you," he said, and his tone was not one of discussion. "It will take great strength. But I will have aid." his gloved hand strayed to the small white shape of the gyrinx at his side, ruffling the soft fur with his fingertips. "And not only you, little one." "When we are back at the ship I will set up a relay there." He did not speak of how he would accomplish such a thing, but the expressive body language of the slight Seer told that he would make it so.
@Jorimel "Did your father have experience in cooking?" Talis asked conversationally as he helped her bend the bird, hearing the bones crack a bit as he continued the lesson. "You always want your knife sharp, that is true. I'm lucky to yet have my whetstone. However, if one has their hands in the wrong place, or hurries, such wounds can happen as well." He hesitated a moment, looking at Avrielle as they were. He allowed his mind to wander just a moment before working some more. "And yes, always honor your meal. Always waste as little meat as possible.. I was taught to bury left over bones if I could not save them for a later soup. Nourish the planet that nourishes the beast. Which in turn nourished you."
@BadDo9 @Jorimel Alo broke out of his thoughts and watched the two handle the bird and interact with each other. His lips sneered in slight disgust, part what they were doing to the animal and part how they talked to one another. "So, exodite, kill any great beasts in your time. Or is that bird your greatest catch?" Alo had a straightforward mind. Not a lot of patience for anything else but his warrior skills and instincts.
@Jorimel | @kanila | @MetalDog4 | @Avenging-Angel | @DaKaptin "Then I assume we all can agree that heading back to The Chance would be a good idea? Now that we know of the potential threats here we can better ready ourselves for our journey. Too bad that these ruins don't reveal anything regards the population..." Yareli said in general to the entire group, walking over to a larger rock, brushing the snow off - just to confirm to herself that there was no true meaning, no explanation of who lived here, if anyone. Any hidden drawings, runes or other indication.
