4e ePoL

[hewligan]

Karothen finished the meal. It was good food. Simple and good. Like gran's, only more palatable. He realised he had, despite his reservations, managed to relax a little.

He address Eldan's questions. I just wanted to return something I should have returned a while ago. That is all. Perhaps when everyone is finished, when we have a quiet moment, I could speak with Jeillia ... and yourself of course. He stammered this last part, not sure if it would have been rude or not to exclude Eldan. Things were so difficult.

 

[Redclaw]

Eldan listened to Karothen's awkward response, and began to wonder if his mother was right. Was the fixer here to call on Jeilla? It didn't really make sense to him, but he determined then and there to do what he could to help make them both happy, if that was the purpose behind the visit.

Of course, he replied to the suggestion. Everyone else will go outside after supper, so that my grandfather can smoke and father can scowl at him. He didn't even notice the ridiculousness of the pattern anymore. That's just the way life was for his family. We can stay here and clean up while we talk.

Glancing over at Jeilla, Eldan saw that his cousin hadn't registered any of the conversation. Hardly a surprise, that, he thought to himself. She has become more and more lost to her own thoughts and visions recently. I hope Karothen can do something about it.

 

[hewligan]

karothen was pleased to finally be able to help. When the meal finished, the family slowly filtered out of the room as if on a course of action so ingrained that no words were necessary. They moved to the front porch, where a gentle rain was falling lazily beyond the safety of the timber porch roof. He could smell the soft smoke from Eldan's grandfather's pipe filter through from the front of the building, but heard no noise, no conversation, no idle chatter about the weather.

I am going to get wet on the way home, thought Karothen.

He noticed Eldan was moving now, clearing plates. He moved to help, lifting items and scraping what small scraps remained into the empty potato pot. The pigs would eat the scraps. That was the way. Nothing would be wasted.

He moved automatically, shadowing Eldan, noticing that Jeillia had risen, as if to help, but had then just stood there, looking towards the front door. Her face a mask.

The two young men moved together, laden with plates, to the kitchen. A bowl of water sat atop the wood burning stove, warmed with the embers of the spent fire that had been used to prepare the meal. Eldan lifted it with two wrapped towels, and placed it near the back door. One by one he dipped and scrubbed the dishes, handed them to Karothen, who shook and wiped them dry, before placing them together on the central table. Soon the work was done. Neither man had thought to speak during their labour.

At last Karothen spoke. Jeillia is quiet. Is she still angry with me?

The crease of confusion on Eldan's face made Karothen realise that he probably knew nothing of her outburst.

She came to me, to repair something. A thing ... I don't know ... a ... thing? He creased up his face in frustration, unable to express himself. I tried to fix it, but I must have done it wrong. It was difficult for me. I didn't know what it was meant to look like. Well, anyway, I wanted to return it to her. That is all. She left it. It isn't mine. I need to return it to her. Should I go talk to her? he asked, shrugging his shoulders helplessly.

 

[Redclaw]

Glad for the help, Eldan worked quietly beside the other young man. He always felt stronger, more at peace, when sharing a task with others. THe cleaning took no time, not that he minded the work, but he found himself noticing the natural, almost automatic, way that he and the fixer moved out of each others way and anticipated each other's movements. As he watched, Karothen stumbled and seemed about to drop a plate, but a quick word from Eldan guided him to right himself before disaster struck.

It was in that moment that Eldan once again became truly aware of his surroundings. He shook his head and noticed the sounds and smells of his home, and regarded the unusual visitor. Somehow he knew that this conversation was more significant than most. With that in mind, he encouraged the other to speak, and listened to what he said.

He walked to the other room to check in on the subject of Karothen's questions. She stood where they had left her, looking at the door but making no move toward it. Once again, Eldan could see her lips moving, but no sound was coming out. Sadly, he turned back and spoke. I have not heard Jeilla say anything about her visit to you, he assured Karothen. In fact, she hasn't said much for quite a while now. I wonder why nobody has said much about that. She was always quiet, but it has gotten well beyond that now.

He thought for a moment about Karothen's problem, and although he didn't understand it all, he felt sure that this...thing...was connected to her treasures. I don't know what it is that she brought you, but I do know that she has collected a box of odds and ends. She truly seems to care about each and every one, and regards them the way a child does a geech-gift. There's even something more to it than that. She also spends a fair amount of time at the big building with the windows, talking to some old broken statues. She's a kind, gentle soul, but I don't understand her actions. Maybe if you tell me what you fixed for her, or show it to me if you have it, we can figure out what's wrong with her.

 

[hewligan]

Karothen moved with Eldan to the table in the kitchen, now cleared of dishes. His hands moved to his cloak pocket, feeling inside for the soft bundle that contained the broken statue. He placed it gently on the table.

She brought me this. It was broken when she brought. Perhaps a bit less broken than it is now. A little statue things with wings ... it confused me. I could tell she thought it was precious, and she asked me to fix it. I can fix things. I have a gift for it. I fixed a belt today. I fix tools. I can even fix leather and mend wood. It is what I do. I am the fixer.

He paused, perhaps realising he had become a little passionate.

I tried. Really I tried. I put everything else aside and I focused on it. I did try and mend it, really, I did! But when she saw it, she was sad, and she threw it down and ran from me. Nobody is ever sad about my repairs. Nobody ever thanks me, but that is okay, because I know I have helped them, and that is enough. But with Jeillia, I really wanted to help, and I wanted her to smile, but she cried, and threw it down, and broke it even worse than before. I didn't try and fix it after that. I collected all the pieces. I knew I had got them all because I had spent so long fixing it the little thing was known to me. I could have placed the pieces together in the dark, I knew it so well. And then I kept it wrapped up, nice and safe. I thought she would come back for it. But she never did.

He paused, looking concernedly at the living room.
Do you think she is listening? he asked. Eldan shook his head. Karothen took this as a signal to continue.

I guess I would have carried it around for a while, until eventually I forgot why I was carrying it, but then today, when I was working, I found another piece of the statue. But not a piece that I had just failed to find. No, definitely not. I knew I had found all the bits. This was a new piece, and in a drawer I use all the time. I don't know why it was there, or who put it there, but it was there, and I thought that maybe this was important. I thought ... I thought ... a bit of me thought that maybe Jeillia had put it there are a message for me. I guess I hoped she had. It seems clear now that she didn't. But more importantly, I need to let her know. This is her statue, and it was broken, and perhaps I messed things up, but I want to make them better again, and now I have found this new piece, perhaps that will make things better. I hope....


He paused. Should we go talk to her?

 

[Graf]

Jeillia comes into the kitchen. Her face is resolute, her jaw set. The last time Karothen saw this look he was dragged around the city for the better part of a day in looping confusing circles. Eldan knows this look is usually a precursor to some inane, late night activity.

In one hand she's holding a rock; in the other she's holding a small helmet, sized for a child.

She pushes the rock into Karothen's hand. It's unusually spherical, but otherwise normal.

She takes the helmet and tries to push it onto Eldan's head. It doesn't fit. At all. After several hard shoves, she frowns in frustration and pushes it into Eldan's hands. Then she latches on to each of your forearms and pulls you toward the back door of the house.
She's strong for her small size and, as she does when she's in this sort of mood, pulls with the sort of wild force people don't customarily use on each other.

[sblock=OOC]The two of you can dig in your heels and keep from moving of course.[/sblock]

 

[hewligan]

Karothen makes a quick grab to roll up the little broken statue in its cloth from the central table and stuffs it back into his belt. He just has time to do this before Jeillia has him pulled towards the back door. He turns a quizzical look at Eldan, but does not resist.

 

[Redclaw]

Eldan is still struggling to understand everything Karothen has just told him when his cousin rushes in. After several painful attempts by Jeilla to return his head to the size it was when he was eight, he takes his Geech-given helmet in hand and shoots an apologetic look at the fixer. Rubbing his bruised head, he is about to explain Jeilla's tendency to enter this driven, insistent state, when she drags him bodily out the back door. He shrugs at Karothen and does what he always does, tries to keep up with her. Her mother would never forgive me if I let something happen to her, he thinks to himself. For that matter, neither would mine.

 

[Graf]

Jeilla moves purposefully away from the house, towing the two men with a firm grip (though she's stopped hauling).

The night air is cool, you're keenly aware of just how quiet it is; no-one in the town goes out after dark and most work to keep their children inside.

You slip down to the bank of the river, beneath the shadow of the castle and Jeilla releases you, only to dive in and begin to swim toward the far side.

The castle looms silently above you against the starry sky. It's very dark and very quiet. Beyond it you see a purple glimmer, the telltale dark lights of the "ghost town" on the far side of the castle.

Jeilla is swimming purposefully toward the little stone jetty on the far side of the river. One set of stone stairs leads up from it to the castle proper.

[sblock=Eldan]She's heading directly for her "stash". The strange old lantern and the tattered cloak she keeps buried under one of the lose stones that make up a step.
She's probably found some more of that foul smelling white stuff she puts in the lantern. If she has she'll want to go into the castle for sure.[/sblock]
[sblock=Swimming the river]The river is deep here, but slow and wide. Neither of you will have any trouble swimming across.
The water is cold but not freezing. A few minutes won't chill you much.
[/sblock]

 

[Redclaw]

Eldan hurries after his cousin, following her through the streets of the town. After a short while, he begins to suspect where she's headed. He glances down at his clothes, relieve to see that he's not wearing anything that will be spoiled by the water, and then warns Karothen, It looks like we'll be swimming.

Sure enough, Jeilla drags them up to the banks of the river and begins swimming. Eldan spares the fixer a quick glance, then dives in after her, knowing that he doesn't dare return home if she's not with him.