By The Water Cooler

SUMMARY: Acedia, Deak, Lysa and Yelrona take a break together from their efforts to deal with the Plague.

The Soldier's Defense is a place where there is -normally- some business at most times. But currently, they are pretty overloaded. Lysa spends a lot of time volunteering here. It helps that as a Paladin she is for the most part immune to disease. She's been trying to get away to investigate a clue, bht her hands are covered with black goo and blood as she moves on to a new patient. She's no super healing doctor, but mostly here as a pair of strong arms to hold down patients so that the real docs can do their work. She finds herself in a simple tunic and trousers combo, her sword resting against a nearby wall.

But.. she's just finished trying to help yet another patient who died, coughing up black goo, and her weary posture, and the haunted look in her eyes are hard to dismiss as she grabs a wet towel and starts to clean off her hands while staggering over to the clean and purified water barrel to get a drink.

Acedia has arrived.

Deak is busy about his work, seeing to the care of the plague-afflicted.

It's never a good sign when a situation requires Yelrona's healing skills... it suggests that all the _actual_ healers are dead, unconscious, or overloaded. Fortunately, in this case it's the last of those, which is by far the most agreeable... still, it's not a good time. She has been spending much of the day pitching in where she can... helping lower a fever here, treat a wound there. Mostly she's been telling jokes and trying to lighten the mood, more than anything else. Like Lysa, she is taking a break for a glass of water when she spots the Aesir. "Hey," she greets wearily, then tries again, forcing a cheerful smile. "How are you holding up?"

A pile of towels wanders through the area, though ofter a bit it's obvious that someone's under there. Several towels, steaming hot and wet, are deposited in each room and area. As time goes on, the basket holding the towels becomes visible, and the wee Gobbo holding it up. She's dressed in all-white clothing, with a little hat to hold her hair in, and a mask covering all but her eyes and forehead. When she runs out of the hot and wet towels, she begins to collect the used ones.

Glancing yowards Yelrona, Lysa forces a smile onto her haunted face. A smile that doesn't reach her eyes really, "I have been being better in the past." she remarks, in a definitive and strong Stormgarde accent. At least one of the dialects from up there. That is a more guttoral variant, used by mercs who plied the river routes.

She offers a now clean hand, "I am being Lysa Hrolfdottr, Sunblade ofi Daeus. You are being doing good work."

Yelrona drinks her water greedily, then goes for a refill, only to find the barrel empty. Rubbing her eyes, she grips her holy symbol with intent and says, to nobody in particular, "Why does the water never laugh at my jokes?" After a pause she adds "It's not fond of dry humor."

She waits expectantly, but nothing happens. She glares at the holy symbol, on which the image of Coyote is engraved. "Oh, COME ON. OK, it's not that funny, granted, but it's been a long day, you could cut a girl a break here, y'know?"

After a moment her holy symbol glows and the barrel begins to fill with water from nowhere. "Thanks," she says, sincerely.

Turning back to Lysa. "Thank you. You, also. Yelrona," she adds, indicating herself. "Ruffian of Tarien."

At the familiar Goblin's appearance she smiles and greets her with a tip of her hat. "Good to see you again. Thanks for pitching in!"

The Gobbo nods to Yelrona, and wanders off with the basket full of nastily used towels. But she returns a short time later, and simply moves to lean against Lysa. Pulling her mask down, she smiles tiredly at Yelrona. "The water never laughs because it's still waiting for you to tell a joke." Acedia sticks her tongue out at the Elf, and giggles, looking up at Lysa. "Sunblade. So. Paladin, yes?"

Observing the summoning of the water, Lysa steps back to not be in the way. She didn't notice Acedia right away, she's just that tired. She's pretty much been going with about two one hour naps since yesterday. But when Yelrona notices Acedia, Lysa turns to see whom the woman is speaking to. Seeingi Acedia, she smiles a more -real- smile, and steps closer to the Gobbo, "There you are being. I am being happy to see you return." she admits as she goes down to one knee so as not to loom over the Gobbo. She prefers to speak face to face, not feel like she's looming.

Observing the summoning of the water, Lysa steps back to not be in the way. She didn't notice Acedia right away, she's just that tired. She's pretty much been going with about two one hour naps since yesterday. But when Yelrona notices Acedia, Lysa turns to see whom the woman is speaking to. However, as Acedia is withdrawing with the dirty towels, she does not interfere. She just watches her go and smiles a bit.

Then when Acedia comes back out, just when she is about to say something else to Yelrona. "I have always been imagining followers of your faith to be being... quite fun to spend time with." she admits.

That is when Acedia comes over and leans on her. Her arm on that side reflexively reaches down and around the Gobbo's shoulders, "Aye. Paladin." she admits.

Yelrona rolls her eyes at Acedia. "Everyone's a critic. _You_ try being funny the twelfth time. And we certainly try our best," she agrees to Lysa, "though you aren't seeing me at mine. You should drop by Tarien's temple in the mornings if you really want a show. Still, you're lucky Daeus only requires devotion, not a sense of humor."

Acedia smiles at the arm around her shoulders and nods. "The plague running through her seems resistant to even holy magics. Has your faith kept it at bay? Do you know of any of your Temple who have fallen ill? Your faith, among others, compels you to help those who are weak and sick, so you are on the front line when it goes to disease.", the Gobbo says to Lysa. She looks to Yelrona then, and chuckles. "That's why you should learn folk songs and pub songs and how to tell a good story. Then you don't have to be funny all the time." She blinks slowly, her eyes going wide as she stares over Yelrona's shoulder. "What do you think of great big, hairy spiders?"

Deak chuckles, heading over. He says, "Darned inconvenient working around around that." He points with his thumb behind himself toward a taped off section of the hospital from which the sounds of active carpentry are emanating.

Yelrona grins at Acedia. "The one spider I've met socially seemed pleasant enough. The ones I've met professionally were too homicidal for my tastes. The one that's no doubt coming up behind me at this moment will have to GET IN BLOODY LINE if it wants a piece of me. As for my faith protecting me and Tarienites falling ill, yes and no," she says, then pauses and looks at two fingers on her right hand. "No... strike that," she adds, "reverse it."

Acedia giggles brightly at Yelrona, wiggling her fingers, a still image of a large, black, hairy spider appearing over her shoulder. It vanishes as she laughs all the more. She gives a start when Deak comes over and squints at him, slowly nodding. "Yes, they're repairing the damage caused by uh... ick."

Deak says, "Well, 'ick' was related, I'm sure, but a few days ago somebody had somehow anminated a bunch of men's bodies, and attacked the place with them. Good thing some adventurers were here to fight them off!"

"Ick is causing damage, now?" Rona asks innocently, then nods at Deak's explanation. "Yes, I heard about that. Too many undead," she mutters. "So unoriginal. Though better zombies than demons, I suppose."

The Gobbo nods to Deak, and then Yelrona. "Yes, a bunch of dead bodies getting up and fighting is icky." She makes a face and sighs. "Yeah, better undead than the demonic."

Deak smirks and raises his eyebrow. Says, "Maybe so. I'm just amazed that someone animated them HERE. I mean, the hospital is practically a jount temple of Althea and Vardama."

Yelrona nods grimly. "Yes, well. Vardama might be part of the problem, in this case."

Acedia cants her head slightly, eyeing Yelrona. "The Black Masks.", she says quietly. "They have an ... interesting take on Vardama's teachings." She looks to Deak. "So many people come and go, if you know what you're doing... you can pull a fast one."

Deak looks over at a table where actual black masks are sitting in a neat pile. He says, "Some blasphemous joke."

Yelrona nods agreement. "'Interesting' is one word for it. 'Heretical' is another. Or, yes, blasphemous," she echoes. "Not that I'm a stickler for dogma... as they say, ask two Tarienites about a point of doctrine, and you'll get three opinions... but the Luckbringers teach that it's not funny if it results in death or more than two thousand gold pieces worth of property damage." She finishes her water before gesturing to the masks and asking "Have we discovered anything worth knowing about them?"

The Gobbo looks away from the pile of masks, frowning sadly. "Not that I know of, but if I ever find out whom is responsible... they are going to burn.", she says coldly.

"Yeah, that's --" Whatever Rona was about to say is interrupted by a loud clattering noise around the corner. "Ah, Coyote's Teeth... all right, once more into the fray. I'll see you two later," she tosses over her shoulder as she heads off to deal with whatever that was.

Yelrona has left.

Deak looks startled, then after Yelrona dashes off says, "There are rumors that some other adventurers tracked the leader of this cult to a secret lair hidden in the sewers. I heard that they confronted him, but I gather it would have been big news if they'd managed to bring him to justice, so I guess it's still on going."

Acedia watches as Yelrona dashes into the fray, and she glances to Deak, a hopefull look on her face. "I hope that they have brought him or her to justice. It's... a terrible business. Messing with the dead. Making people horribly ill." She makes a face and huffs. "I do what I can but... it's not enough."

Deak nods. "Yeah. That's pretty much the concensus around here. Well, back to work, I guess." He heads over to check on a patient's chart.