An Ill Chill Wind
Log Info
- Title: An Ill Chill Wind
- Emitter: Cryosanthia
- Characters: Cryosanthia, Braelnoir
- Place: A06: Lower Alexandrian Gardens District
- Time: Saturday, November 07, 2020, 11:36 PM
- Summary: Cryosanthia and Braelnoir are walking in the Memorial Gardens, kicking a ball about for Lily to chase. They discuss various things, the potential of witches in the Felwood, some of the other strange goings-on in Alexandria. The future, Cryo's concern about being a good clutch-mother and Brae's doubts that she'll ever be one. Magic items that Merek is making are covered, and then Brae starts to explain about a Dry Sword she found, but before she gets too far into the story, something about a grove of trees sets her off. She prepares for attack while the sith'makar gets Lily to safety and looks for more assistance.
-=--=--=--=--=--<* A06: Lower Alexandrian Gardens District *>=--=--=--=--=--=-
The city is divided, unofficially, into Upper Alexandria and Lower Alexandria. The Upper resides further up on the slope of the mountain, and rests to the east of the great river. The Lower resides to the west of it, and if the Lower could be said to have a heart, this verdant park might be its center.
Amid all the bustle of the Lower City, its Gardens District provides a peaceful respite. The warmth of Althea holds sway here, and though Daeus receives the occasional nod, this is clearly Her domain. She shares it with Dana, in the verdant green of this area. Vines and trees, remain green no matter the season and numerous flowers bloom along the park's walkways. Faerie-light lanterns hang from branches and along hedgerows.
A number of shops may be found here, most notably the city hospital, for which the park was originally built. Though now open to the public, the gardens by and large, remain underneath the hospital's care. However, in the Althean tradition, much of the work is provided by volunteers.
-=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=-
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Appearing, in Order -=-=-=-= Cryosanthia 6'9" 291 Lb Sith-Makar Female A dashingly tall, elegant white-scaled lizard woman. Braelnoir 5'11" 146 Lb Human Female A tall, pale Acanian woman, branded in silver. -=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--= -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Notable NPCs -=-=-=-=-=-=-= Lily Kobold Female A carnation (pink) scaled kobold youngling -=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=-
It's late afternoon, the sky is full of dark clouds and a chill wind stirs the tops of the trees. The leaves have turned and many of the deciduous trees have decided to start dropping them. Some are completely bare, others half branches and half foliage, and a few still hold their canopy. Each gust steals a few leaves away, orange, yellow, and brown fluttering through the air.
Except where the magical barriers of the gardens keep the vines and trees verdant all year round. It's a strange contrast, walking beneath vibrant displays on the shed leaves that have blown in.
There are the shouts of some children, playing soccer, and others, families, couples, sole strollers taking it all in.
A whitescaled sith walks beside a silverhaired merc, while a pink youngling darts about.
Braelnoir is walking alongside her sister in a furlined cloak, accomodating the baldric for her scythe. Her eyes flit about the high places and branches as they move, "'used ta be like that at her size." she remarks, "Always gettin' inta somethin'r other."
The pink youngling charges off to join in the soccer game, which is with much older children that are all at least twice her size. The ball is more her size.
"No Little Fang, come back!" Cryo hisses at her, reaching into her haversack and taking out a smaller ball, "Ssassa and Tia Brae will kick a ball for you. Their game has started and you can't join in."
There's a look between the lizards, and then the small one charges over eagerly as the whitescale tosses the ball along the path. "This one did too. Faran shrunk me down and the abundance of energy returned."
Cryo's head is on a swivel also, primarily watching for threats towards Lily.
Braelnoir glances sidelong at Cryo with her new title, smiling a little bit, then, to Lily, "That musta been somethin'." she muses, going back to scanning the high places. She watches the kobold scurry about with the ball and sidles slightly to the side to for the sake of the game.
"It was. The perspective was educational. Halflings and gobbos must have such a weird view of the world." Cryo says, drifting a little in the opposite direction to create a triangle. "This way Lily!"
"Ssassa!" The carnation kobold shouts, and the ball is tail-slapped towards the whitescale sith'mom. She catches it with her tail, waits for Lily to run most of the way towards her, then tailslips it towards Braelnoir. Lily immediately changes track.
"Feet are allowed too." Cryo says with a grin, "So, this is what I've been doing, being clutch-mom. I have a lead on some witches."
The branch watching hasn't gone unnoticed.
Braelnoir catches the ball under the toe of her boot, before she flicks her foot a bit to punt it off toward Lily. Not particularly hard, mind, but she gets the ball going. She looks to Cryo as she notes the leads on witches, "I'm listening."
"A girl has gone missing near the Mythwood, her village suspects witches." Cryo says, looking hopefully at Braelnoir, "It's close and I can get someone to watch Lily. How many witch covens can there be in the woods?"
Lily whistles and pads quickly after the ball. She's got a wide, leg-splayed lizard sort of run that involves a lot of tail-wiggling.
Braelnoir shrugs, "Too damned many, probably." she says archly and gives another look around the foliage before her eyes return to Cryo's foundling. She considers the dilemma, and, "Heard about some near a swamp, too."
"Oh? This one didn't hear about them. More than one, perhaps. There's a giant spider farm too, but I think that's normal..." Cryo says.
Lily is on the rebound, and the ball is rolling towards Braelnoir with the pink footballer a stride or two behind it. With a hiss she spins and tailslaps! It rolls slightly faster than a walking pace towards the merc.
"This one knows of some Necromancers near the Felwood, that's related to her parents. Aya is assisting me with them, we plan to go soon." Cryo informs, exhaling, "Too many evil groups. Tenoc has been helping me with Little Fang in Mictlan. Talking of the strangest things, giant turkeys and pumpkins."
Braelnoir blinks and looks at her sister with an arched brow, "A spider.... farm....?" she parrots at first, "Yer puttin me on." The sound of bouncy ball and slappy feet brings her attention back around and she gives the kobold a grin, "Oh, yer quick, luv!" and she lightly sends the ball skipping back Lily's way with a flick of her toe. She nods, "Yeah, somethin' gets in the air about this time, brings out some o'the bitty wierd shit."
Lily squeaks happily and chases after the ball again. Leaves scatter in her wake, kicked up like a small rooster tail behind her. With a hiss she circles around headbutts it back towards Cryo, then gives chase.
"This one hasn't been, but has heard. One of the spiders talks too." The whitescale says. The ball isn't close enough yet, "Any luck with the druid? I mean, the bard that's been bothering your friends? This one does not want to leave you hanging, if you get a lead, let me know. I didn't realize about the season, but you're right, it seems... off..."
And then the ball does arrive. Cryo does a little dance with it, moving it between her feet and banking it off her tail, forcing Lily to run around underneath her before chasing it back across the grass.
Braelnoir shakes her head, "Nothin' so far. Got a little backup, but not much." She shrugs a bit, "Merek made some noises about makin' something ta help me out, but he had somethin' else he had ta do. Ain't heard since." She's... just gonna skate past talking spiders for now, "It's usually when we get trippy shit. Faerie lights in the crapper, squirmin breakfast, hilts changin' colors, that kinda thing. Towns tend ta get it wierder."
"That may have been me. He made a corset for me. It heightens my draconic blood and makes it easier for me to memorize scrolls. Now I can cast without losing the scroll." Cryo explains, pulling her arms back and thrusting her chest out. She does indeed have a corset, in white with glacial blue markings. "This one is becoming the magic clothes horse."
Lily is darting back. She trips and her head goes 'wack' on the grass. This is followed by distressed hissing.
The whitescale leaps over, motherhood has not slowed her down. She crouches and embraces the kobold, thrumming at her and checking her mouth. All her teeth are in the right places. "Sssshssss, It'sss okay Lily. Breathe."
The ball rolls towards Braelnoir.
Braelnoir reaches out and flicks Cryo in the chest when she stretches that way, "Knew gals flex like that when they's tryin' ta show off the goods up top." she replies with a grin. She turns at the sond of gravity having it's way, and the merc scoops up the ball on her way after her sister's charge to the rescue, "Sh'alright, luv?" She gives a quick, paranoid scan of the locale once more, because you're only wrong when someone isn't out to get you.
Cryo, sadly, does not have goods to show off. Although her firm pectorals are suggestive. She's occupied with her foundling, making cooing noises and a deep thrum which seems to set things right. The little pink kobold stops her whistles and settles down. She's been knocked around by larger younglings, she's learning to get over pain.
"Againsss!" Lily squirms free, to chase after the ball and presumably, not face-plant again.
Cryo bounces up to her feet, "She's okay. It's... the instincts." So many sith'makar hatchlings die before a year is out that the nest-mothers are instinctively on edge and over protective all the time. She grins awkwardly.
"Trying not to be a Smother-Mother, y'know?"
Braelnoir nods, looking thoughtful, "Yeah..." she says. Her attention turns to Lily again and she crouches down, "Go git'it!" she cheers and sends the ball on it's way for pursuit. As she rises, she looks to Cryo again, "Matron used ta watch us, only got in when it got real screechy after we got t'a certain age."
"The... people's instincts can get a little strong. Mine, with Menel, Nonantziné..." Cryo says, sounding a little distant, focused on Lily almost as closely as Braelnoir watches the trees. Her head turns, she stares at her scale-sister, "The Egg-Watchers said I needed to train with them. This one smelt too much like a Nest-Mother with smashed Eggs, it was panicking the others. It... it helped."
Lily meanwhile is running as if nothing has happened. She pounces on the ball, rolls over it, onto her back, then pops up again. With a little rawr she charges it back towards Cryo.
"See? She is like rubber."
Braelnoir's lips make a bemused s curve on mention of Menel. She sighs, "I'm sorry ya been down that road, luv." she says tenderly, looking at last to her sister and giving her a squeeze, "That's a hurt goes deep..." The change in moves on Lily's antics brings a new grin and, "We're like that, too."
"She's saved me. She's truly a treasure." Cryo crouches as the unsuspecting kobold bears down on her with the ball. She is like a white tower until Lily gets close, and then she's dancing around her and with a light flick of her long tail she's redirected the ball towards Braelnoir and scooped up Lily and scooted her in the same direction as well. "This one will have eggs one day, a mate and my own hatchlings. She's reminded me it's possible."
Ball and Kobold head towards the merc.
Braelnoir starts to backpedal as the ball comes her way, and, she makes some fair moves of passing it side to side before she winks and sends the goal on a new path for Lily to chase. The pursuit engaged, she drifts closer once more and, "Yeah... mebbe I might, too. I'unno. Could probably never do right by a kid."
Lily is in the leaves, chasing the ball.
Cryo sets her hand gently on Braelnoir's shoulder, squeezing, "Perhaps you are meant only to be Clutch-Mother, an aunt? If you are meant to Nest-Mother, you'll know, feel it. When your tail grows out, the people will help you." She grins widely, nose dipped and toothy.
The terror of the roses erupts from the bushes, chasing the ball. Hissing happily and heading towards Cryo.
"Grew m'tail out... couldn't get the rest o'that on the ball." Brae replies a little sullenly. She shrugs a bit forcefully, adjusting the lay of her cloak over her shoulders, turning to watch Lily chase the ball.
Lily runs up to Cryo this time, hissing "Ssassaa!" She stops and kicks the ball, a strong kick which ends with her leg high in the air.
The whitescale catches the ball on her knee, bouncing it back. It hits Lily in the chest with a solid thump. The kobold laughs, squeaking, "Goallsss!" Kind of the opposite really.
Cryo curls her neck, looking over, "There's time, this one will help. It takes a while for some things to come together. Any other news, perhaps happier?"
Braelnoir shakes her head, "Not really. Still coming up thin on leads." There's a sigh through her nose and, "Found an old sword... wouldn't call it happy news, though."
"Oh? A magic sword? A cursed sword?" Cryo skips around, twirling, "A singing sword?"
She swoops around her kobold foundling, her tail moving like a scaled wall surrounding her, then she's backing up, "Kick, Lily, Kick!"
She's backing towards the trees. Trees which seem ominous even as they look normal.
Braelnoir lowers her eyes a bit, "A dry sword." she says softly, an odd tone in her voice, "It was forged... probably end of the Millenium Empire, near the foundin' of Alexandria. made fer some officer." She glances to the family at play, affording another look about, and she narrows her eyes a little as her hackles rise, but isn't sure why, "Cryo."
"What?" The whitescale looks at Braelnoir. Her tone switches immediately. "Lily, come here."
She moves and picks up the kobold, the ball goes in the haversack and the pinkscale into her saddle. She's hissing in draconic, a long stream, which Cryo cuts short with a quick 'hssst'.
"You see something?" She's moved closer to Braelnoir, her buckler is out. She's attaching it to her arm. The grey icicle is in her other hand.
Braelnoir frowns a bit and her spiked hand is closed into a fist, "Somethin' bout them trees." she replies, making a more concerted lookover of the flora, fauna, and folk about.
It all seems bucolic, a brisk wind blowing leaves from the trees, children playing. Flower that were chosen to be cold tolerant and a little more appropriate for the season and the magical warmth. Except there aren't as many couples. There doesn't seem to be any families.
In fact, Cryo is the only one with a young child in sight.
The soccer match continues, but the loud voices have gone from cheering to anger. A fist fight has broken out. No one has fled, the decisions to leave were made casually in ones and twos, but the Gardens have cleared out. There's a sensation, heavy air, as if it's about to rain.
Or something else is about to happen.
"Let's... go."
Braelnoir, convinced that the Enemy is about to make a move, casts a quick glance to her sister and her foundling, "Get'r scarce, luv. Think it's 'bout ta get lively 'round here and won't be nothin ya want her a part of." That said, she reaches behind her back with her less armored hand and the baldric vanishes, leaving the Scythe free to swing forward in her grip as she starts to approach the unsettling foliage.
The whitescale nods, heeding the advice, "Hold tight to Ssasaa Lily, we're moving. I'll send some adventurers, or guards."
