Q'Barra: Facing Truth

[Pebele]

Classes were winding down for the day as the students left the Headmaster's office. Most of the other students were heading off for various recreational activities, so the bunks were mostly clear.

The campus was littered with groups of students and instructors. It appears that some sort of skirmish was being set up and the younger students were watching as the older students engaged in mock combat.

Everywhere there were sounds of children laughing and playing.

The group headed for the orphanage had to maneuver around the play area before they got there. The children could see them coming, and instantly began shouting for attention. It seemed Catherine was especially loved here, though Sepoto had a wide following as well.

The children didn't dare to leave the fenced play area, so there was still time for the "grownups" to finish their conversations before meeting their adoring fans.

 

[Pebele]

While Kaelan was organizing his things, someone cleared their throat behind him.

It would come as no surprise that it was Argent, who stood just inside the bunk area.

"Preparing for another mission, I presume." There was a very slight smile on Argent's face.

"I gave Goludov your name, I'm sure you're not happy about it. But you need this. I know you do."

 

[Rookseye]

Hearing the warforged behind he and Charles, Sepoto turns abruptly, handing off the giant lemon to the morose scout and reaching in to his pouch for a gift to the warforged. He pulls out a slightly dented mango, stares at it, and then offers it to the hulking metal man with a look of curious tredpidation and puzzlement.

"Err...would you like a mango, Trenchbucket?"

Sepoto was curious about the name. He surmised the 'trench' referred to his role in battle, but the bucket part was more perplexing. Perhaps it had to do with the metal man's head.

"I'Katra is the Voice in the Trees, the Thunder in the Mountain, the Wanderer of the Earth. He is, well, he is...err...I'Katra..."

Sepoto smiles, impressed with his short lecture, unaware of how the warforged took his words, as he gave off no tell-tale scent beyond a continuous odor of sun-warmed metal.

The shifter looks past Trebuchet's huge form to see Catherine and Darrick receding in the distance, and behind him to see that Charles has walked a little further away as well.

 

[Shayuri]

Trebuchet peers at the fruit in his three-fingered hand curiously, then looks back at Sepoto.

"My apology. I am unfamiliar with your greeting ritual. I lack fruit to offer in return."

"Also, I am not sure I understand; some of your terms seem mutually exclusive. Trees, for example, lack voices. Similarly, it is not mountains that thunder, it is lightning. The term 'wanderer of the earth' is similar to some names for the entity called 'The Traveller.' Is the I'Katra another name for The Traveller, of the Dark Six?"

 

[Rookseye]

Sepoto pauses, his wide eyes squinting in a rough approximation of human being pedantic, and instead only manages to cross his eyes slightly...

"Oho, Trenchbucket, yes, my master, Othos has called I'Katra the Traveller, you are understanding then. I'Katra is not twonames or even threenames, but many names to many tribes. I know of no six names that are dark, but instead many names that are dark, and many that are light. He is the Trickster too, The Teacher, and the Laugher in the Lonely Places. He may even have a name among the metal-men, though I do not know of it. Do you see?"

"That reminds me though, my friend Charles is in need of the 'good-down-deep-from-the-belly laugh', although I would like to see the children, I am thinking he needs cheering from us. Will you come with me?"

As Sepoto awaits the answer, he looks at the mango, still clutched in Trebuchet's massive grip.

"You need not give Sepoto fruit as well, it is a gift, a gift of friendship. Um...it is food, food for eating, eh?"

 

[Shayuri]

"Ah, I see. Thank you, Sepoto for the gift...although I do not eat, I shall always place it highly among my possessions. Until it decomposes, of course. I must then treat it as a health hazard to those around me." He bobs his head in a stiff little bow.

Trebuchet's head then swivels to follow Charles' progress. "I will go with you to express solidarity, if you think it will help. However, while humans do seem to find my comments at times humorous, I have yet to determine how to tell what criteria they use to make that judgement. I think I would not be much use in giving Charles a..." he paused, then recited, "good-down-deep-from-the-belly laugh' unless it was by accident."

 

[Pebele]

Catherine and Darrick continued walking until they were outside the fenced play area of the orphanage. The children were all trying to catch Catherine's attention, and some were voicing dismay that Sepoto had not come with her.

Before the scene could get too out of control, a Warforged approached. The children all quieted down and went back to their playing.

"We were not expecting to have visitors today. Is there something you require of the children?" The Warforged called Guardian looked between Catherine and Darrick, his eyes glowing softly.

 

[BRP2]

(OoC: Sorry for the late response, I'm still getting back into my old schedule, expect to see me at 100% tomorrow)

"Friend-Charles, something troubles you. Your scent is like...well, it is like the smell of caged jaguar. A caged jaguar put into foul humor because it is raining and his cage has no roof."

Sepoto puts a long gangly arm reasuringly around the scout, a broad grin crossing his face.

"Think, soon, we will be in the jungle again, helping those in need, upon a great adventure! Why does this not make you as happy as I?"

Charles makes a faint smile. I appear sad to you? I'm happy, I assure you, I'm happy. This will be fun and teach us many things.

He then drops his voice even lower, so that only Charles can now hear him, though they have traveled far enough away by now to be inaudible to Catherine and Darrick. While doing this he rummages around in his fruit pouch.

"I'Katra has spoken to me again Charles. We walk his chosen path! Fear not, he protects those that would do his will..."

Concluding with a flourish, Sepoto hands Charles his prize with a smile. A lemon.

Charles stares at Sepoto for a moment, with his face blank. He looks down and then chuckles. You are a nice guy, Sep. Maybe that's why I'm so worried, eh? Well, if I WAS worried... I'm not. Maybe what you smell is how sour this fruit is. He takes the lemon and begins to peel it.

When Trebuchet appears, he uses their conversation as an excuse to walk a little further and consume the fruit. He takes a bit and practically falls over while the Shifter and Warforged speak to each other. By the bloody Six! How does he eat these things whole?! He hears their efforts of cheering him up.

Hey Sep and... uh... Tin-box, wanna' cheer me up? Let's play a game target practice. If I'm correct, you are a spell-slinger. Let's see you blast his lemon out of the sky! He waits a few seconds to let the Warforged get ready. Fire! with that word and a big grin, Charles chucks the lemon as far as he can in a direction Trebuchet could aim at with ease.

 

[Yeoman]

Catherine smiles warmly at Guardian, "Actually Darrick and I are looking for Sentinel. Have you seen him around? We need to ask about the the trip to Havenwood."

 

[Shayuri]

On hearing Charles' words, Trebuchet perked up and replied, "More than happy to!"

As he threw the lemon, the warforged's eyes seemed to widen, and he tracked its movement with his head, even as he brought his left arm to bear.

"Charging electrical evocation, tier two." His fingers and thumb folded at right angles, exposing a small iris on his left palm. The iris opened, and an array of metal needles emerged, crackling with lightning up and down their lengths. A series of runes set into his left arm blazed with blue light.

"Charging complete. Please stand clear of firing area."

Trebuchet's left hand blazed with actinic blue light that poured into a roughly spheric area the size of an apple centered on the tip of the needle array. Then there was a barely noticible pulse that seemed to ripple the grass, and rustle hair and loose clothes. The impulse of it launched the ball of lightning away from Trebuchet at incredible speed however, and it arced out towards where the lemon was already starting to fall back towards earth.

[sblock]Lemon's touch AC is presumably 14 for a Fine object, and Treb has +4 to hit. Shall I roll? [/sblock]