That Which Separates

[InsanEleven]

Liam had been sitting on the bench for quite a while waiting for his bugs to find and gather everyone, so he had more than enough time to chat up with his ghostly friend. People in town had started to catch up on who he was though, the rumours about his figure going around like running liquid. By the time Emmalia came around, he'd already been asked twice by the more brave citizens what he was doing there and if he was alright. Despite them clearly disapproving of him, or giving him misplaced pity, he always was kind and passive enough for them not to believe he was a threat. Hence why they still tolerated him sitting there.


It took him a while to recognise Emmalia was even standing there, as he was too busy talking with his usual enthusiasm. At the time he had been explaining how he made the Bugsies, to the man, having a few on his hand and showing how the release mechanism worked so they could draw fine lines, and more importantly, how they could fly using magic power. It was only when he send one flying towards the tree that he noticed Emmalia standing there, even if she had been in plain sight the whole time. With a slight surprised delay, he smiled brightly at her. Not too long after Cade appeared, and though the man carried such an heavy air with him and had squashed on of his Bugsies, Liam just decide to smile just as brightly anyway. Now all they had to wait for was the girl with the antlers, but he'd know once she had received the message. Just like he had known with the other two. But usually he'd forgotten by the time they arrived again.

 

[BookWyrm]

Cade looked over at Liam who was, of course, smiling like an idiot. The first thought about the child being slow came back to mind as Cade narrowed his eyes and shook his head. Anyone who smiled that much was either stoned or dim. The world was a much less cheery place than children tended to make it out to be. As per his usual routine for passing time, though, Cade laid his pack down and pulled his lute out. This time, though, the music was far darker in tone than what he had played in the town hall. The thought of bloodworms and the Order had stirred up some nasty memories that Cade would have preferred to have kept buried. It didn't help that he knew the group was fixing to run head on into a hunt that could possibly kill two of them. Of course Cade knew assuming wasn't a safe practice, but he figured that at least two out of their group had no idea what they were really hunting down. Maybe it is good that they don't know of the darker sides to this world we live in.

 

[Dragongal]

Emmalia returned Liam's smile, though to a far lesser degree. She watched as Cade approached, taking careful measure of how he shook his head in response to Liam. What was this guy's problem, anyway? Why would he not lower his scarf? An why was he so somber toward Liam? Admittedly, Emmalia was basically a pessimist (something she had forced on herself since she was a natural optimist) but even she couldn't brush off Liam. The kid was innocent and nice. There was no reason to be rude. Not that any of that was any of her business. She could just sit in the background until she was needed. That suited her fine.

 

[InsanEleven]

Liam's smile ever so slightly faded when he saw Cade's dark expression, and in his eyes a glint of clarity and intelligence showed up in the form of the realisation that his kindness wouldn't be answered. Though it was never enough to even get him to stop smiling fully, and he was fast to shake off whatever darkness came his way. Instead he silently sat back on his bench and watched as the man took out his lute again, taking out Mouse so he could hear too. Occasionally he glanced over to the hangman who seemed to enjoy the company, even if only one of them actually knew he was there.


However, Liam being his usual self, couldn't really sit still and silent for longer than five minutes. The music kept his mind occupied for another five minutes, but after that he required something to keep him busy. Which evolved from staring at people, talking to Mouse for a while, and eventually ended with him taking out a piece of paper and drawing possible rune combinations. Every once in a while he'd show Mouse and ask for his opinion, as in the end it would be very likely that some of those runes ended up on the mouse once he got new parts. The metal body being in a constant state of renewal, either through wear or rust. Liam took good care of his friend though, actually, to all appearances he took better care of Mouse than of himself.

 

[Marianne]

Milana hadn't had anything to pack up besides the things she had kept in her sack, and so off to the "hanging tree" she went. Her steps were slow, and patient, yet she still made it to the tree a minute after everyone else had officially gathered. Her eyes ran over everybody, and she wasn't quite sure how to address any of them, and talking first was never something that Milana was okay with. Looking over at the boy, Liam, she walked his way and stood in front of him, staring down at his 'Mouse' contraption of sorts. The existence of the slightly disturbing machine, for real mice were way better company, confused her greatly. Bending down to Liam's level, Milana looked at him with her brows raised. She was quietly inquiring that she would like to see it, this . . . peculiar being. Unintentionally, when Milana cocked her head, her antlers brushed a low, stray branch as it positioned itself between the crevices of her crown. Tangling with her iridescent strands of hair as she hesitantly reached for the 'Mouse' before pulling back.

She knew this was simply holding them back, however, if they wanted to get anything done in a cooperative manner, companionship may be necessary for a steady flow regarding this mission, and more if they were to come.​

 

[Dragongal]

Emmalia watched the fae-mix girl closely. Another silent type. Good thing Liam had more than enough energy for all of them. While she considered suggesting that they start moving, she wanted to see how this played out. A little lost time couldn't hurt, right? And this girl wanted to interact with Liam and Mouse, so why not let her? Again Emmalia looked over to Cade to see what he was doing. Though the music in the air told her enough, she liked to be extra certain. The thought crossed her mind to suggest he play a certain song, but she decided against it. That could prolong their time spent dillydallying. While a little interaction was fine, it would be prudent to get some distance before nightfall.

 

[BookWyrm]

Cade continued his song until the final cord was struck. He let the notes linger in the air almost reverently, like they held some kind of internal power within them, some life of their own. When he had waited for the appropriate amount of time he stowed his lute in his pack before sorting through the vials he had fished out earlier. As he stood again he caught Emmalia looking in his direction. He was curious what the shieldmaiden thought of him, but perhaps not enough to ask. For the first time since he'd entered the village he slid a finger into the top of his mask and pulled it down to his neck before uncorking the vial. He downed the contents of said vial in a single gulp and grimaced as he swallowed the thick fluid. He needed the extra boost at the moment, especially with dusk only being a few hours off. If they could close the distance between themselves and the beast before nightfall they would stand a better chance in the morning.


Cade slung his pack over his shoulder and returned his mask to it's previous place before walking over to stand by Emmalia as he watched Milana and Liam. "What are they doing here? Neither of them strike me as the fighting type, and if we are being honest I fear that they are walking into this hunt blind to what we are truly facing." Cade felt the elixir take affect as his pupils dilated. He cracked his neck and rolled his shoulders before sighing. Sometimes he forgot how powerful these potions truly were.

 

[Dragongal]

Emmalia glanced over at him. She spoke quietly, so the others couldn't hear. "Haven't you realized yet? The lad's a spirit mage. A ghost talker, arcane pymarist, what-have-you. That's what the little mouse is, he can work with souls. That's why he keeps talking to nothing. And I doubt any fae - raised don't know how to fight. And even if they are inexperienced, they know what they're walking into, at least to some extent." And I can protect them. I'm pretty sure, anyway. Emmalia looked over Cade for a second. She could smell the enhancement elixir from the vial he'd just emptied that was in his pack. They weren't likely to get into a fight that soon. He was definitely an odd man. But he seemed to know what he was doing. "If I may ask, why the mask?"

 

[BookWyrm]

Cade shrugged. "Aside from keeping dust out of my nose I'd rather not have people become familiar with my face." Cade looked over at Emmalia, letting his enhanced sense take her in fully. She was hiding something behind those eyes. He could sense it, but it wasn't the only thing. "I've known about the lad since we were all in the townhall together. It doesn't make me feel any safer around him knowing that someone as simple as he seems is gifted in that area. The fae, on the other hand, at least holds that much of an advantage, but I fear what we are going to find is more severe than anything either of them has seen before." He wondered what Emmalia was thinking about him, or about the potion. He figured he owed her an explanation for that at least. "I've had a rough couple of nights here recently. The potion is simply to help keep me...level."

 

[Dragongal]

Emmalia shrugged. "Hey, I'm not judging. Use potions all you want. I don't think the kid's simple, though. Not the way you're talking. More like selective acceptance, I think. Mayhap we should just wait until we can see them in a fight, no? We have some time to travel with them, after all." There was a consistent level of education in her speech and tone. The perfect mix to tell nothing of her past except that she was educated, and that was something she didn't mind people knowing - dark hunting required a good education. Past that, though, there was nothing that could be concluded by her words. Nothing in her phraseology, no accent, nothing.

 

[InsanEleven]

When Milana arrived, Liam smiled just as wide at her as he had done to the others. Even more so when she seemed to be interested in him, or well, Mouse. Gladly he held up the mechanical creature, and the mouse seemed even more proud to get watched, striking a flattering pose. It didn't appear like the girl watched Mouse out of innocent curiosity though, she seemed nearly mad at him in her silence. Though he could sense that much, he stil felt showing her how his friend existed was the better option. It might ease her mind knowing that the mouse was happy with his body.


When her antlers had caught the twig, he had simply smiled at her with nothing but warmth and friendliness. Mouse appeared to get ready to dodge her fingers though, as he was particularly finicky to getting lift up. For a short moment Liam's eyes grew wide, and he gave the creature a disapproving tap.


"Don't say that Mouse! That's not nice, you don't even know her name so you can't say that yet." Despite not allowing Mouse such things, it was more like he was mimicking an adult saying those things. He never truly appeared disappointed or disgruntled, more like he knew that was the correct response and that was how he should feel. However, when he looked up at the girl with antlers the shame in his eyes was real.


"I apologise on behalf of Mouse. He didn't mean it miss. My name is Liam, and Mouse is Mouse. Do you have a name? If you don't know you should look in the tags of your clothes. It's usually in there..." It could have been a joke, but his eyes remained dead serious like he was giving solid advice. As if forgetting your name was a thing people did, and he wasn't inquiring if she was stupid in any way. Merely trying to help like you'd help someone carrying too much bags.

 

[Marianne]

Milana frowned, confused when he Mouse fidgeted her hand came closer. She decided against picking it up, but she still pet the strange thing's head quickly, yet she still savored the moment. When she looked down at her hand, she was strangely surprised, a reason unknown. "Don't say that Mouse! That's not nice, you don't even know her name so you can't say that yet."

Huh? Say what, she thought.

"I apologize on behalf of Mouse. He didn't mean it miss. My name is Liam, and Mouse is Mouse. Do you have a name? If you don't know you should look in the tags of your clothes. It's usually in there," his voice trailed off, indicating that it could be a joke although he appeared strangely serious. Attempting to lift her head in order to sit up straighter, a lock of her hair and antler was tangled to the stray branch, and she naturally cocked her head back down. "My name," she began with an amiable smile. Milana's body practically hummed as she felt a quiet power surge through her, like an invisible string calling what she had wanted: a gentle wind brushing her person in one quick moment that one would have thought it was natural, if not for the transitional wind current when her hair was detangled.

"is Milana. Nice to meet you, Liam." Although it wasn't, it felt as though it was the most natural thing in the world.
​

 

[BookWyrm]

Cade watched Emmalia quietly for a few moments as they continued to watch the other two. "If you say so.", he finally said with a shrug. "My only worry is if this is a case of bloodworms. The last thing we need is someone contracting them. Judging by your demeanor and knowledge so far I'd say you understand what it means if someone gets infected, and what needs to be done to them." There was only one truly effective cure for bloodworms, and that was to kill the host and burn the body. Some crack doctor had tried to operate and remove the worms individually. It ended in disaster.

 

[Dragongal]

"Yes, well, luckily bloodworms have never had any interest in me, so I can cover them if needed." She could move fast enough to get between the beast and Milana or Liam too. One of the advantages of her "advanced" bloodline. In honesty she knew Cade would ask, as there was practically nothing to prevent bloodworms, but she didn't feel like explaining if he wasn't going to ask. Really she was watching Milana and Liam interact. At least now they knew the fae girl's name, and that wind seemed unnatural, so she was likely an elemental mage.

 

[BookWyrm]

Cade raised an eyebrow as he looked over Emmalia in a different light. She smelt different than the others. Of course, not a single one of them smelt normal, but that wasn't the point. "They don't like me either." That wasn't a lie. Most of the things he hunted feared him immensely. As they stood around the hanging tree Cade found himself thinking over times when life had been simple, only to have a familiar pulsing ripple through his body. He had finally caught the trail of the beast. He raised his head to the wind and closed his eyes, letting his senses guide him towards the right direction. "I've found the trail. We need to be moving soon."

 

[Dragongal]

Emmalia looked at Cade with surprise evident on her face for only a moment. Well, that was easy enough. She was worried that they'd have to track it by conventional means. As heightened as her senses were, there were no guarantees that she could find something like the beast they were tracking by scent, and at this distance there was no chance of it. So, what was Cade that he was able to sense it from this distance?

 

[InsanEleven]

Liam's eyes grew wide at Milana's entrance, and a soft 'hooooo' escaped his mouth. After which he was nearly bouncing on his toes with enthusiasm.


"Look Mouse! Magic!" Never to forget that Mouse in itself was magic, Liam was still impressed by anything of another kind and nature. "Are you supposed to use your magic when introducing? Because then I did it wrong..." His thoughts trailed off again to something else that wasn't talking to Milana. And his eyes fell on Cade, to whom he had only introduced Mouse. Would the man mind if he introduced himself with magic? Moreso, would the man mind? Though Liam was perhaps unbound in enthusiasm and the belief that everything had something soft, fluffy and good... some things were best left alone in their fluffiness. Cade seemed like he enjoyed his own good best; he wasn't quite yet stupid enough to provoke a man like that.


Now he looked things appeared to have changed though. The man seemed focussed, eager for something perhaps? So Liam decided that now would be the best time to say goodbye to his hangman friend, possibly for forever. Clearly he was very aware that he could die, but never seemed to mind, as if it was just as little a setback as rain. Whether that was a good thing or not, had to be left in the middle. Liam didn't seem to be any less happy for it, but then again, he was never less happy for anything. Neither the face of Death nor the Devil could make him stop smiling; and they had tried their best...

 

[BookWyrm]

"Let's go.", Cade said loud enough to stir Liam and Milana from their conversation. "It is only a few miles away towards the," Cade looked around as he got his bearings. "East.", he said as he pointed off towards a distant mountain. It wasn't especially tall or striking, but it was close, maybe ten miles away. Close enough for something to hide from people yet still be close enough to attack. Let's hope the Order isn't hunting in the area. Kill the beast first and let them clean up afterwards. "We still have a few hours of daylight left. If we move now we can close the distance." And hope to some power above that it doesn't ambush our camp during the night. Then again, that might be fun. Cade ran his thumb over the sheath of his sword in anticipation. "It won't be long now."

 

[InsanEleven]

Liam heard Cade yell, and immediately grabbed his pack and went over to them, perhaps slightly too eager. It seemed more like he was going on a field trip than to hunt a dangerous beast, a joyous smile still playing around his lips and his eyes filled with a desire to prove himself. To make people proud of him. Perhaps all he really longed for was a pat on the head and someone saying he did a good job, or more so; he was searching for some form of approval no matter what it was he did well.


Yet at the same time he most certainly knew he was too lonely to get that approval. Too distanced from the norm, hence why he just got distracted and did what he wanted; there was none to correct him and he couldn't become any more stranger than he was to strangers anyway. But now he'd found people to look up to, even if they seemed to dismiss him too. Any lie he had to tell himself so he could keep himself in line was justified. So instead he believed they all expected him to perform exceptionally well this mission. Which pressed him into focussing on the task at hand.

 

[Dragongal]

Emmalia shouldered her pack and checked over her weapons before nodding to Cade. She looked down to Liam and smiled a bit. Now was the time to smile after all. Reassure him and show her own cobfidence. And besides, she was ready for the hunt.

 

[Marianne]

Milana's body stiffened when she heard Cade's voice. Pushing herself up and off the ground, she recollected herself and double checked her pockets to make sure nothing had fallen out before tucking them securely into her sack. Of course, Milana thought to say something along the lines of: "I'm coming," however it wasn't necessary, so she shut her mouth before the words could escape her lips. Following suit, Milana heeded Cade's informative words and stayed within favorable walking distance alongside the trio.

Off to go hunting, Milana thought to herself with a feeble smile gracing her pink petals.​

 

[BookWyrm]

The troupe covered a wide swath of ground before the light began to fail them. Cade called a halt when there was at least two hours of daylight left. The last thing he wanted was to pitch camp in the dark with that thing on the lose. When it was all said and done Cade had sat down by the fire and pulled out his bag of herbs, his sword on his lap as he sorted through the thick leather satchel. He pulled out a bundle of dried herbs of foreign origin before tossing them into the fire. The smell was sweet and spicy, yet it held a bitter after taste. Once he stowed the satchel away he laid his hands along his sword, holding it almost possessively as he watched the fire.

 

[Dragongal]

Emmalia sat next to the fire and glanced at Cade. "I can take watch. All of the watches, actually." Simply put, she could go about three nights without sleep, unless she did something crazy. Sometimes she could go longer. She glanced down at the fire and wrinkled her nose. To her enhanced senses, the smell nearly burned. Then a gain, a lot of strong scents did when she got too close. Or perhaps it was the mix itself? Didn't matter, it wasn't pleasant. She pushed that out of her mind and looked to Cade again. He was holding hid sword a bit... tightly. Was something wrong? Well, more wrong than hunting a beast and camping near where it could be and having two potentially unskilled youngsters with them.

 

[InsanEleven]

Liam was busy quietly doing his own defensive work, running from tree to tree sticking pieces of paper on them. Intricate circular patterns were drawn all over, and though he was enthusiastic, he was very careful not to smear the lines. It seemed nearly impossible for Liam to have made such clear, detailed drawings, going on how messy and disorganised he himself looked, but there was no other possibility for him to have obtained such charms.


"No Mouse, this goes this way, I know for sure." He mumbled as he turned the paper a few degrees, and none of the other papers he hung up actually hung straight. "Or... I did... am I sure?" Quietly he stared at the paper and turned it around again, clearly stuck in thought. "No... I'm pretty sure I was sure." And then he hung it back in it's original position, which changed little but the orientation of the runes. That was perhaps the only clue that he had actually drawn those circles himself; any sane person would have drawn with the orientation of the paper in mind, but Liam just started drawing not quite caring exactly where it was as long as the circle in itself was right.


Once all the papers surrounded the trees he took out the last piece of paper required, and sat on his knees in front of the tree he started with. Carefully he laid down the paper at the base of the tree, on the ground. Quietly he closed his eyes, and it appeared as if he was in prayer, but he wasn't talking or making any sounds. Instead he was focussing on the Bugsies, which came crawling from every open gap in his clothes. When they made their way over to the paper, they started leaking ink, drawing similar circles, but bigger, on the ground around the paper.


Then, things just got silent for a long while, perhaps appearing longer because nothing was happening. The mechanical bugs had vanished within his clothes again, and except for the occasional breeze rustling and the sounds of the others around the fire there really wasn't anything going on. When he finally did talk, it was quite anticlimactic. "I'm not sleeping Mouse... I just don't like the smell..."


Trying to focus on his spirits was quite hard with the herbs Cade had thrown in, and he wasn't sure if it made him drowsy because the smell was heavy, or if it was affecting him beyond that. In any case it complicated things, but he was confident he could pull it off. And after some even longer moments of silence they finally appeared to him. Like moonlight reflecting on insects, oddly contrasting with the golden last light of day. The hidden ones were unveiled in his presence. Glowing softly like fireflies in summer, except with that eerie blue haze. The same blue haze he breath out, and it accumulated around he paper like white mist. Gently swirling around, drawing in the revealed spirits which spiralled up and dropped down again after five feet.


Never uttering a word in all the time this happened, not even moving until now, Liam put two fingers in the centre of the circle. When he opened his eyes, the same glow shone in his blue eye, and flashed brightly for a moment. Immediately the spiral collapsed in itself, nearly imploding. For a split second a blue orb of light centred above the paper, floating three feet high in the air. Then, it shed its light, a soft blue wave running through the trees and the campsite, leaving a quiet calm in its wake. It wasn't bright, but just powerful enough to give everything a cobalt glow for a moment, until the sunlight won again. As the light reached the other papers, it was drawn to it, and burnt it. Leaving white glowing circles marked in the trees. Between the trees lines of similar white mist started moving up, like opaque barriers.


"There, now you're safe Mouse, no more complaining." As he got up, he seemed awfully unimpressed by what he had just done, like it was something everyday and ordinary. With a little smile on his face he turned back to the others, about to sit down next to them, when his stomach loudly growled. Had his magic been treated as ordinary, he now looked at his stomach as if it had done a backflip, eyes wide and in disbelief. "Hungry..." Immediately he scurried over to his pack and took out the first thing he found, which was a tomato. Then started eating, not quite minding that it was raw or uncooked, not even seeming to know that it shouldn't be like that.

 

[BookWyrm]

Cade looked up at Emmalia curiously. It wasn't a claim most people would be willing to make, so what made her readily accept it? No secrets can hide in the blood. I'll know soon enough. Once again he looked down at his sword and rubbed along the sheath almost tenderly before laying it at his side. For once Cade pulled off his hat and lowered his mask before pulling his lute out and tuning it. The song was slow but melodious and calm, a fitting tempo for a cool, dark evening. As the song carried on the music became more hypnotic, and it seemed like the fire and shadows around the camp suddenly began to dance in time with the music.