@Jorimel Iktomi sat comfortably with his promised, Yareli. Sharing in the food and provided drink. Unlike most times Iktomi drank, this time the Felarch kept it in moderation. Simply enjoying the sights and sounds of being on solid ground. That and the pleasure of Yareli's cooling presence. "Nothing like a restful night for an active day." As the eating finished and they began to settle, their fellow Corsair made a wonderful suggestion was made. Lysandriax "To go with wine, we need a story." "Agreed!" 'Huh? Who said that? Must have been Alo.' Iktomi mused. Smiling with the promise of sharing tales to come. 'Almost sounded like a clown.' "A story of survival and courage!" @Avenging-Angel "Huzzah!" Iktomi shouted in pride at the mention of Eldar Void naval superiority. With a little creative licences, Iktomi imagined himself flying a Phoenix fighter through the vile orkz crude vessels, with Lysandriax as a co-pilot. The thought made Iktomi feel abashed, remembering that Yareli was literally right next to him. Thinking Quickly, he decided to add to the story. "The only naval strategy an Ork understands is that of a comet. Flying without direction, waiting to find something big enough to crash into. If not for that damn resilience, they'd never survive orbital reentry. Stubborn pests." Iktomi laughed at the last part of the tale. "Of course they will still be fighting. If not each other, something else. Mon'Keigh enjoy fighting them at every turn. So long as it doesn't gather too many at one time, they'll only devolve into ferals or be collected by a future Ork Migration. Or as they greenskins call it," the Felarch cleared his throat, "WAAAGH! Hahahaha." Iktomi shouted to everyone's surprise.
"Thank you." Avrielle sat closer to the fire and wrapped herself up in the offered blanket. Not one to overlook practical aspects, the little radiotech had brought some bedding from the ship, but with the communications array she couldn't carry as much as she might like. So she was happy for the extra warmth on the mountainside. She snuggled up under the woolly cover and listened to the tale, smiling across the fire at her friend as Yareli moved with such animation and enthusiasm. She was quite wrapped up in Astarielle's tale, seeing the epic narrative unfold before her eyes as only an Eldar could. Truly, it was a gift to be one of the Eladrith Asuryas. She jumped as Iktomi gave his best Ork impression. Sitting by the fire, with a little wine and good company, she had become a little sleepy. Still, it was time to rest, and she settled down to sleep. Talis handed her the warmed rock he had prepared and took one for himself. The young Exodite seemed quite at home on the moutainside, curled up under a sheltering awning of something like canvas or some other thin, waterproof material. Faenkon could recognise the technology as the primitive ancestor of something many Rangers carried. "That's quite a story," Lysandriax nodded appreciatively as she downed the last of her wine. "It makes me miss my time in the stars. But no doubt we shall be there soon enough!" The group made to sleep or watch, taking turns to guard the camp. Faenkon's drone settled into a basic watchful mode as a backup, though it lacked the driving intelligence of an Eldar. Alo stalked the shadows of the broad ledge angrily, the thoughts in his mind swirling like his cloak as it moved in the air behind him, yet he saw nothing in the night sky or on the path to trouble him beyond an errant night bird or two, chasing smaller prey under a pale moon. He was not given a restful night - it was cold, and the situation was one of some tension - but the Winterheart was not one to give in to mere nature. He awoke first, before even Talis was up to fan the embers of the fire. He could see the last watch - Lysandriax - taking a perimeter walk, looking out the way they had travelled. The sun wasn't over the lip of the mountains yet, and the air was cool, but lit up with a glow that told that it has risen over the horizon. The Pirate's attention was directly away from him and he could stay motionless and not alert her if he wished. It also meant that he was the first to see the mittens. A soundless pat of the ledge and the first poked over and took a better hold on the top of the rock. The second gripped in the same way. They were small, of thick hide insulated with fur that fluffed up around the wrists. Child-sized. They were followed by the slightest puff of warm breath in the cold air, as the top of a hood, then the rest of the childish figure followed, climbing nimbly up the rock ladder that Faenkon had posited lead below. An Eldar child, wrapped up well against the cold, making a beeline for the alcove where they had found the doll. Kneeling, intent on some purpose and unaware of the sleepers, the small form picked up the doll and spoke to it in a gentle whisper, then froze. A group of sleeping Eldar may be genteel and elegant in sleep as in waking, but still their powerful psyches are hard to miss by those close to nature. And Lysandriax had turned, kicking a small stone as she did so. But whatever had alerted the child from her focussed mission, she looked up in alarm, the doll forgotten. Pale blue eyes stared straight at Alo's own and the girl's expression of shock was total. @kanila @MetalDog4 @DaKaptin @Avenging-Angel @Wata
"Don't you dare move a muscle." Alo stared back at the girl, harsh look on his face and stood up. "Where did you come from? Where's the rest of you tribals?" It hadn't been a good sleep for Alo and he had returned to his usual abrasive self, it was a wicked cycle. Whatever he said or thought was colored by his inner mental plight, when he realized what he sounded like it angered him more. Since he was bitter and angry he lashed out to anything in sight. "Answer me, whelp!"
Faenkon woke up to the commotion caused by Alo, one of the newest arrivals. He quietly took in all that was happening before moving. By what he could see Alo was yelling at a small child, the very same one that had left the doll that they had found. And if a child was here then the laughter he heard last night could have been the village. "What do you think you're doing? She's a child!" Shedding his cameoline cloak Faenkon slowly approached the child. "It's ok young one, we are just explorers. Can you take us to your village?" As an after thought he reached into his pack and produced some of the jerky they had made before. Taking a bite he offered some to the young Eldar. "Would you like some?"
The girl froze, as she was shouted at by Alo, and in the same instant Lysandriax turned around and noticed the child even as Faenkon was alerted to her presence. The young Exodite did not know whether to advance or flee, but the wild worlds breed tough children and she gathered her courage. Climbing up over the lip of the rocky shelf, she skirted a wide path around Alo and took a cautious step towards Faenkon. Meanwhile Lysandriax was not idle. She ran to the edge to see if anyone else was following the girl - satisfied that they were not, she rounded on Alo. "What in the name of Khaine are you playing at? Is this how you think to treat a child?" It was not really possible to sleep through this any more. "What's going on?" Avrielle was getting up from the other side of the dying fire's embers, her face alarmed. Talis, thinking quickly, moved to Faenkon's side. He wasn't as young as she was, but he was closest to the girl in both age and culture. The girl didn't take any of the jerky yet, but she sized up the Eldar present and decided that the Ranger and the Exodite youth were the best option. Faenkon could see that she really wasn't very old - on a Craftworld. she would not be allowed out by herself like this. Of course, that would assume that the girl was allowed, rather than that she had come out by herself without anyone's knowledge. "Where are you from?" the child asked Faenkon, very quietly. She kept glancing back to Alo. @kanila @MetalDog4 @DaKaptin @Avenging-Angel @Wata
With the grace only an Eldar could possess, Faenkon sat cross legged on the ground in front of the child. "I am Faenkon, we are from one of the Craftworlds." Looking back towards Alo, "Pay him no mind. We truly mean no harm. This is Talis, I will let him introduce himself, he could explain it better than I." Faenkon looked as the others were still waking, he wouldn't rush them. Pulling food from his pack he slowly ate some, offering everything that he ate to see if anything would entice the scared child to open up. "Where are your parents? I'm sure they must be worried about you." It still surprised him how young the child appeared to be, if she was a craftworlder she would still be hiding in her mother's shadow. (Forgive me if that is not lore appropriate!) Perhaps the villlage was closer than he had originally anticipated.
Alo's face was a snarl of anger. He met Lysandriax's eyes with an angry stare and was at a loss for words for a moment. "I-I don't know." He looked back at the child, then back at Lysandriax, confused by himself he just tsched disdain and turned his back walking away. He took some distance away from the child, he just wanted some damn answers already so they could get moving, curse it all. If he stayed close to the kid he might snap again in annoyance and anger, trying to pry answers out of the child. This way, with some distance, was best for all considered.
The child moved a little closer to Faenkon and very gingerly accepted some dried ploin. She nibbled at it cautiously, but she obviously had a sweet tooth. It was not too much longer before she was talking to the Ranger. She looked up as Avrielle brought her some tea and managed a shy smile as she saw that not everyone was out to shout and threaten. "I am from the village," she said, taking a sip of the tea, "but - well, I am ... am not meant to be up here. The man ... we aren't supposed to come back to the old places." "Thank you for the food." In hushed tones, for the benefit of the group, Talis confided to Astarielle that it was Exodite custom to offer food as a sign of hospitality. Once the stranger had accepted, they were under the hosts' protection. They were also under a duty not to outstay their welcome - typically three days. "... that's ... uhm, there's more," the shy Exodite added, trailing away, "but, well, I do not want to take up too much time ..." "Did you ..." the girl looked around, and Faenkon could follow her gaze to the doll in its niche. "Oh. He's all right." She seemed relieved. "I wanted him to be up here. He'll be happier here." She finished her dried fruit, solemn. "There is a good way down if you are careful with your feet. I- think it would be all right to show you." The subtle nuances of the Eldar language meant that while she certainly intended Faenkon and the others, on Alo she was not so sure. Lysandriax watched Alo pace away for a moment and watched him, her eyes narrowed. Then she took a decisive step forward, closing the space between them and moving the duo further away from the camp and the skittish girl. "Winterheart," she said, coming to stand beside him. "This needs talk. But not now. Now I just have to - stop you from alienating a whole tribe. Primitive or not, an arrow hurts." "I'm a Corsair. Out in the space-ways, there are a lot of us with a past. But - trust me on this, I travelled with Traevelliath Sliscus and after that preening popinjay you are a model of Eldar citizenry." "If there's something you ever want to get off your chest, you won't shock me. And if there isn't - well, then I can suggest a therapeutic bout of unarmed combat. But not in front of the child."
Alo's face was showing visible struggle in not snapping back at Lysandriax. He wasn't an idiot and understood why he would need to shut up among the exodites. He sighed deeply and resignation played about his features. "Fine, I get it." He turned a bit to walk away but something pulled him back. "Lysandriax, I..." His words froze in his mouth and he could just nod in thanks, her offer of listening was appreciated. Alo then turned and walked away without waiting to see her reaction. Part of him wanted to shake that kid so afraid that she would lead them to rest of the exodites already. Standing around useless made his thoughts wander.
