Realistic or Modern Bastard's Tale

[Obsidian]

"Do you have information on raids?" Ethan said, an edge of tone in his voice that he could quite curb, "A group of nobles... raided a village to the East of Denver. They massacred everyone there, even the women and children. I want to know who they were and where I can find them. Grey uniforms. They used spears and shields along with guns. Sound familiar?"

 

[TheAdept]

"The time of chaos, raiding and pillaging should be left in the past. At least that's what Lord William believes. The other Nobles not so much. We are allies with some, however. We need to be. The Inquisition is not our only problem. Right beside us to the East is Daimyo Irushi. Hear all that distant gunfire? Thats them." The commander turned to Ethan "The Nobles you are thinking of is Lord Todd in Springs. We don't agree with their methods, but we are allies with them. We need them to keep the Sultan busy in the Castle of Rocks."

"The other Lords are only out for themselves. I actually lived under Lord Bob. Moved South when I saw the pikes accumulating along the highway. Pikes and the corpses on them. Lord Williams realm is one of law and order. Anyways, if you accept our offer, we are planning an assault on Boulder in three days at noon. Meet us in Superior." He said, and Jesse nodded.

As they walked away Jesse remembered the color the Nobles in Superior were wearing. Purple. He smirked. The almost killed him on a number of occasions. They destroyed his gang. And now he was playing them like a harp. What was a harp anyway? Some kind of flute?

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It was roughly 2am when Jesse and the others finally returned to the Cistern.

"Shisa." He called out "You missed all the fun." He was still in a good mood. His attitude about this temporary alliance got better and better as he and the rest traveled back to the Cistern. This assault would be his chance to kill Santos.

 

[Lexico]

Aurora was visibly upset. "why the hell Jesse, you stopped Shaun. You are selfish." She would then walk

 

[TheAdept]

"Look, Aurora, we still gotta stay under the radar about who we are. Begging for someone's release is a dead giveaway." He said "But if we are attacking the prison in Boulder soon, there is a golden opportunity to free this Mos person."

This was all still a lot for Jesse to contemplate, so he sat on where he would be sleeping and thought some things over.

 

[Corvid15]

Shisa was still in a bad mood. She had made a pot of stew with some of the peanuts, jerky she had, and some herbs and vegtables. That way, everyone could have a good meal. The stew was done, staying warm over a fire Shisa had built.

Shisa was in her tent, brooding. Her normal clothes had dried, but she had left her "laundry day clothes" on. Still full coverage. Morrigan chirped at the others coming in. Shisa had gotten her used to the scent of the others.

Flying out of Shisa's tent, the red-tailed hawk landed near Shaun. In her beak was a note, reading:

"Made stew for you all."

Back in her tent, Shisa was still brooding. She used her stored food to make the stew, but even with that gesture, she probably was still useless to the group. She was hated by some, and just a tool for the others. There was almost no evidence that Shisa had left her tent, save for the stew, bowls, and spoons.

 

[ScalpelsNSaws]

"You'd not believe the shit we've had to deal with today..." after the way the stache pickup went to shit, he was glad to see her face still around
"And who is this?" Asked shaun, seeing morrigan

 

[Corvid15]

Shisa glanced up from her intense stare at her pilr of stuff. The tent flap closed behind Shaun, Shisa wasn't wearing her mask.

"Morrigan. She flew into the tin cans. Falconry bird. She seems to like me. Feather Keeper taught me falconry. New hunting companion."

Shisa scratched Morrigan's head, still somber. Shisa hoped Shaun wouldn't notice.. well, everything. That he wouldn't notice something was wrong.

 

[ScalpelsNSaws]

"These sorta birds weren't exactly common place before the collapse y know?" Shaun says, petting morrigan, he then noticed.

"You've got your mask off...sober?"Shaun asked, he was confused as to why Shisa wasn't wearing any of her bone attachments

 

[Obsidian]

Ever since learning of Lord Todd, Ethan had remained quiet, staring into space all the way back to the Cistern and even now he remains entirely occupied only with his own mind. If he was hungry, he could not feel it, nor could he register it or anything else going on around him. Ethan simply walked over to his own nook of the Cistern, laid down, and closed his eyes.

 

[Corvid15]

"I haven't taken my mask off infront of you before."

Shisa was slightly confused, but quickly tried to hide the jar of newt before Shaun could see it. What should she say. She didn't want to bother him, or any of the others for that matter. Once they went to sleep she could just go off into the night, forever. Shaun probably had better things to do than to be talking to a monster like her.

He already saw her face, its not like putting it on now would do any good. She could probably throw it into the cooking fire with her other stuff. Maybe herself too. She was a monster, a witch. Witches get burned.

 

[ScalpelsNSaws]

"No, you haven't, but you didnt put it on when you heard me approach." Shaun says,
"Somethings bothering you, I can tell because you really didn't want Aurora to see your face in the woods the other day, now you've been hiding away and not bothering to hide your face. Aside from the stew of course." Lifting his bowl for her to see he took one.

 

[Corvid15]

"Why are you even talking to me? You have better stuff to do. I'm.. a monster."

"I didn't want anyone to see my face, it's cultural. Modesty. But, i should just give it up. Aurora almost killed me because I'm a Bone Speaker. Ethan probably would too. Jesse wants me to give it all up, and stop being a freak. No one likes me here, maybe I was the wrong one for this quest. Ethan was right earlier. What if I turn on you.. what if I'm just like the Crystal junkies the other day. I'm just an animal, a freak."

Shisa scooted away from Shaun, knees to her chest. She didn't want him near her. She'd just hurt him. She should just. Tears began to roll from her eyes. She was overwhelmed.

 

[ScalpelsNSaws]

"Those junkies in the wastes didn't feel anything, no fear, no remorse, no guilt. You are, how can you be a monster if you regret what you do. I understand why you did what you did to Ryder, you felt obligated. The others don't see that, they thought you were doing it for you. You're no animal, animals don't cry like that..." Shaun says, lifting her chin with his finger, making eye contact with her.
He was trying his hardest to comfort the woman.
"You're a human person, we all have our flaws. I dont hold yours against you."

 

[Corvid15]

"It's not even just Ryder, no matter what, I'm different. I eat people, I believe in old gods, old superstitions. I have runes made of human bones. Even if I burn all of this and act like you guys, I still won't fit in. I.. I can trust you. You remind me of someone, of one of our gods."

Shisa wiped her tears with a free hand. Morrigan snuggled into her shoulder, trying to help.

"As a rite of passage in the Bone Speakers, once an individual is 187 moon cycles, or 16 years old, they make their first human kill. The first step into striking down evil. Kill them, eat the heart, then cut off the hands to make bone runes, and some other bones to make your first bone jewelry."

"Aurora dislikes me because her father was killed by Bone Speakers. He was my rite of passage. I remember her. Her screams. Her yelling, crying. The Bone Guard held her back while I harvested him. Ate his heart in front of her."

Shisa pulled out her bone runes, and a bracelet of teeth.

"This is his hand, these are his teeth. I was told that he was an evil man, a truthy worthy rite of passage to kill him. But... was he truly evil, or am I. He had a wife, Aurora. If I can't shed who I am, what I have done. Then maybe, I can still make it better"

Shisa forgot Shaun was there, wrapped up in her emotions. Pulling out the jar of newt, she relaxed her posture. The jar popped open with a click, and she plucked out the newt with a thick protective cloth. One lick would do it. One bite. Then they would be free of her.

 

[ScalpelsNSaws]

Shaun saw the Newt and had to act, he knew what she might attempt to do and he needed to prevent her from killing herself.

To stop her from bringing the Newt to her mouth, he kissed her. And held that position while slowly closing the cloth in her hand.

"You felt righteous at the time, you may have been lied to, tricked even. You're not what you think you are..." Shaun whispers as he takes the newt

 

[Corvid15]

What the. Shisa sat frozen as Shaun put the newt back in the jar. She didn't know how to react. Morrigan gave a trill, her job as wingman being complete.

Shisa was stunned, unsure of what happened. Even for Shaun to be seeing her without her mask was intimate. But this was.. Only officially paired couples saw eachother maskless, let alone kissed. This was fully out of sorts.

Shisa pulled Shaun close, crying onto his shoulder. Unprecedented, yes. Unwelcome, no.

She could sense the gods watching, despite her sobriety. They seemed confused. Granted, so was Shisa.

 

[ScalpelsNSaws]

Shaun returned her embrace with his own. He wouldn't let anything happen to her here, as long as she was in his arms.

A smile crept onto Shauns face, it was a long, long time since he cared this much about somebody.

 

[Corvid15]

Shisa exhaled, calmed, listening to Shaun's heartbeat for a minute. The embrace was broken up by Morrigan, who wanted attention. Cockblock. Shisa let go of Shaun, putting her mask back on.

"Lets go out with the others. I need some filling in. And, thank you. I liked that."

Shisa stepped out of her tent, Morrigan perched on one of her horns, the leash around her wrist.

"I made stew, figured y'all would be hungry. Did I miss anything big?"

 

[ScalpelsNSaws]

"Anything big?" Shaun asked, and proceeded to give her the run down on the days events so far

 

[TheAdept]

Contemplating their next move, Jesse decided to lean back in his makeshift bedding. Not meaning to , he quickly passed out.

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He woke up once again earlier than everyone else. No dream about Azrael this time. Good. He didn't want to yell everyone awake today, and figured it was a practice better abandoned. Knowing nothing of Shauns discussion with Shisa, he figured he would have to tone down his asshole behavior or risk everyone staying home and brooding.

He spotted a cauldron of some type of stew, and remembered all they had was peanuts and potatoes. Where had Shisa gotten the jerky from? He saw it was in there. So he figured Shisa had made this. It was no sand-witch, but it was better than his other options. He consumed a ladle of the soup, some with the jerky. It tasted a little off.

As he did, he heard chuckles. Deep, guttural chuckling. Azrael. He gave a sigh, as he was sure it was a sign of going mad. He shrugged and decided to read the history book he was on as he waited for everyone to wake up.

 

[Corvid15]

After Shaun gave her a run down of the days events, Shisa was going to talk with the group. But they all fell asleep, so she did too.
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Given Shisa had slept a good amount the day before, Shisa woke maybe 45 minutes to an hour after Jesse did. Seeing her stew was still there, she dipped back into her tent to change into her usual garb.

Joining Jesse, Shisa stopped infront of him. Even sober, she could sense a presence about him. A dark god, a demon one would say. Morrigan was perched on her horn, staring at Jesse.

"Jesse, are you alright? You aren't alone. I mean, there is a dark spirit about you."

Shisa grabbed a bowl of stew for herself, giving Morrigan a piece of meat. Shisa would go hunting with her later, maybe one of the others could come along.

 

[Obsidian]

Ethan would awaken shortly after Jesse, walking over to find a cauldron full of stew, then looking over to see Jesse awake. "Looks like you made breakfast for us all." Ethan says, seemingly recovered from his strange trance from yesterday, taking the ladel and scooping up some stew, bringing it up to his mouth for a taste only to pull a face, "Though, honestly, not your best work."

The archer took himself a bowl of the stew and went off to his nook to eat, then returned just as Shisa got herself a bowl of stew, giving her a suspicious look before moving over to Jesse.

"We've got three days, right Boss?" Ethan asked Jesse, "Three days until we attack Boulder. Got anything planned?"

 

[TheAdept]

"I think it was Shisa that made this." Jesse said, correcting Ethan "And I don't know about any evil spirits, I feel great!" It never crossed his mind she might be talking about Azrael. Jesse wasn't even fully convinced he was real.

"Anyways we don't seem to have a whole lot of meat, so I think we should go hunting today. My plan for the next three days is to stock up, see what we need. But in the mean time don't kill any of William's Nobles. That means the ones wearing purple. Which reminds me." He looked at Shisa's outfit "When we go to meet William's men, you can't wear that mask or any of your other tribal things. Not trying to be an asshole, but we saw a woman about to burn at the stake for witchcraft."

 

[Corvid15]

"Ah, did you like my stew? Made it last night, but you all fell asleep. So, I let it simmer till morning."

Shisa gave Ethan a cheeky smile. Not like Ethan could see it, due to her mask. She was quite pleased. He may not have liked her stew, but he finished a bowl.

Morrigan screeched at Ethan, flapping her wings angrily.

"Shaun filled me in. I can stay back. I am not removing my mask. And Morrigan and I can go hunting, I'm a bit rusty on my falconry, need practice. She'd like it too."

"And Jesse, I'll talk to you about it later."

Shisa stroked Morrigan, calming her.

 

[Obsidian]

"Y-You made the stew?" Ethan asked Shisa, physically paling, "It was human, wasn't it?"