Fantasy Uncertainty and Unease (Paused)

[Cartoonicat]

Noticing his mouth moving, Louisa narrowed her brows. "You talk now?" What, had he been talking through magic to intimidate me or something? He is just like- "Nevermind, it does not matter. Yes, we can go. Just let me a quick glance at the map, first." Polishing off the last sip of her drink, Louisa moved to examine the map. Instantly, her eyes sought out Leeside. Her lips pursed. Home.

 

[ArcticFox]

"Of course I can talk." Nyv answered, looking at her like she said something completely stupid.

As Louisa rolled out the dusty parchment she saw a crude map of the two continents. Her hometown was there, just as she expected it to be, though how it looked like in person after four years, Louisa could not know. It could be a completely different place now.

"Let's go." Nyv repeated and when they said their goodbyes to Raven who simply nodded them off and stayed in the armchair drinking tea, the elf turned left from the doors and toward a fence where two horses stood tied to. "This one is yours." He gestured at a rowdy stallion. "Might look a bit intimidating, but he's just a big softy. Doesn't have a name yet, so that's yours to choose."

"And this one is mine." He approached the light brown mare and patted it on the nose with a couple of soothing sounds. "The keep is not that far, we should reach it in four hours, providing you know how to ride."

• Ride in silence.
• Talk to your horse.
• Ask Nyv about himself.
• Ask about the keep.
• Ask something else.

 

[Cartoonicat]

Now that she thought about it, she had heard him talk through the door earlier that morning. Or had it been in her mind? Louisa rubbed between her eyes, I need to pay more attention to detail. I am falling more oblivious as the days go by. Regardless, she followed Nyv after checking the map one last time, eyes flicking towards Myrr's little icon. Logan was strong. He just needed to hold on a bit longer, wherever he was.

Stepping up to the horse, Louisa offered it a warm smile. "Of course I know how to ride," she said, though it held not the sarcastic tone it would have, had she not been distracted. She reached out to pat the horse, remembering her riding lessons as a child. Despite his athletic prowess, her father was a hopeless rider; it had been her mother who taught her. What was our horse's name, again? They'd had to sell him when income became sparse. Chewing her lip in thought, the name finally came to her. "Hello, Sullivan... but the second?" Louisa brought herself atop the horse. "Sully, for short. Hah, that is quite cute."

She stayed silent for most of the ride, not quite caring to talk with Nyv much less get to know him, but her curiosity did eventually get the better of her. "So do you know Alden, too, or are you just helping as an employee of Raven's?" Not sure if her words were clear, she rephrased. "Rather, what is your reason for fighting Alden?"

 

[ArcticFox]

The horse neighed as Louisa approached it and moved its head as if to take a better look at her. It let out a snort when she gave it a name.

They rode in dark, down cobbled streets and dirt paths, until they were on the open road finally. They left pastures and farms behind aiming for the mountains in the distance. The moonlight was starting to wane, but they would see the sun on the horizon soon, the sky was turning rosy already. Nyv rode in front, leading Louisa down the path he seemed to know well, for he kept a steady, unwavering pace.

"I don't have a reason." The elf responded at her question, his voice in her mind and his back in front of her unmoving. "I owe everything to Raven and this is my way of paying some of the debt out. He wanted me on this task and so here I am. Nothing more to it, really."

The mountains loomed in front of them already and Louisa could now see where the path curved and climbed, a serpent's road up the steep mountainside. It was more suited to goats, than to horses.

• Ride in silence.
• Talk to Nyv.

 

[Cartoonicat]

Prompted by the voice in her head, Louisa's eyes rose from the reins in her hand to the elf's back. She could relate, in a way; Alden had picked her up off her feet during troubled times and given her a means to provide for her family. Once upon a time, she'd owed him everything, too. Now that the similarities were there, she began to wonder: Is Raven as trustworthy as I think he is? She'd let him lower her guard with stories of saving the world, but that did not mean he lacked a secret agenda. "I see..."

Though, she could not suspect what few allies she had, now. At least, not fully. Louisa considered it a healthy amount of skepticism.

She leaned forward, peering at him but not able to see his face. "Also, why do you not use your voice?" Louisa found it rather irksome. "It seems equivalent to not making eye contact in conversation. Is there a reason, or are you just being lazy?"

 

[ArcticFox]

The elf burst out laughing, but not inside her mind. When he spoke, his voice came from in front or Louisa, as he turned to look at her over his shoulder. "I guess you could call it that. It is more convenient." Then with a mischievous smile he added. "I can hear all your thoughts as well." He chuckled before continuing. "I can use my voice more often if you prefer, however me exchanging thoughts with you will be much easier when wanting to keep our conversations private. So, you only need to conjure up a thought and I will hear you."

They reached the bottom of the mountain slop and the curving road. It was comprised of dust and gravel and their horses slipped on it a couple of times, before they climbed the first slope. They could just see the silhouette of the fortress as the sun rose up, when Louisa's horse dug in his hooves and would not move up the slope any more.

"It is a proud animal. You two will have to learn to compromise." Nyv smiled, proceeding ahead on his own mount, not waiting for her.

• Try to get the horse to move.
• Dismount and walk on your own.
• Call Nyv for help.

 

[Cartoonicat]

"Ah," she hummed. I cannot say I am surprised. He- Louisa froze. "Wait. You..." Did you just hear that? She certainly hoped not; how many embarrassing things had she said in her mind near him? About him? It was certainly a handy trick for private conversations but her face turned red anyway. All she'd done since seeing him that first day on the ship was compare him to her partner - if she could still call Logan that. The prospect of them being anything less since he'd been gone tugged at her heartstrings, so she banished the thought for now. Replaced it with the embarrassment of Nyv possibly having heard everything since day one.

Gods, of all people to read minds.

Her horse dug its hooves into the ground. "Oh, come on," she murmured. Leaned forward to pat the Sullivan's side. "You can make it a little farther," she cooed, "come on now." Kicked her heels gently, trying nudge the creature forward.

 

[ArcticFox]

"Don't worry, I'm quite used to people having lascivious thoughts about me." Nyv said, smirking at her over his shoulder as his horse climbed on steadily. "Please continue having them, it is boosting my ego." He winked.

Louisa's horse did not react gently to her suggestion. Like it was beneath its dignity to listen obediently, the horse did not walk up in a normal pace, but snorted and sprung into a canter almost throwing Louisa out of the saddle. Nyv laughed as Louisa passed him by on the trail, but was forced to hold onto his own horse as the mare shied away from the running stallion. Sullivan did not stop until they were at the top of the climb and Louisa was greeted with a view.

• Ask Nyv about the keep.
• Scold Sullivan.
• Proceed onward.

 

[Cartoonicat]

Mortified. Yes, that was the perfect word. She had little time to stew in her embarrassment, though, for Sullivan lurched forward in a canter. She yelped and gripped the saddle handle tight to prevent from falling.

"S-Stop!" She tried pulling on the reins, but Sullivan did not stop until they reached the hilltop. Louisa scowled down at him, "You... urgh," she glanced over her shoulder at Nyv, whose mare was still climbing. Her voice dropped to a murmur she hoped only Sullivan could hear. "I am going to consider that an attempt to help me out of such an embarrassing situation," she said, "but it was still awful."

Louisa knew the horse couldn't talk, much less understand her, but Sullivan already felt like a friend - if only because of his name. That and the fact he could not betray her.

She sat up and took in the sight ahead of her. The keep looked secure, which she appreciated. Maybe she wouldn't be surprised so on edge all the time with a safe place to fall back on. Not wanting to talk to Nyv further, Louisa proceeded forward.

 

[ArcticFox]

The rocky path ended in front of the keep's portcullis. Nyv caught up to her and passed by eventually. He stood on top of his horse in front of the gate for a couple of moments without moving, until a bulky armoured man ran up to the gate and took to working on opening it in a hurry.

"Pardon me, sir." He spoke. "Didn't expect you today." His breath was huffed as he strained with the heavy mechanism. The portcullis creaked and groaned, slowly raising upward. Once it was raised enough for their horses to walk by, Nyv nodded at the man and ushered his mare inside.

"This is Rob, he's a sort of a head of security here." The elf said to Louisa. "He's also the only guard we have here, so he does not have much to boss over." He chuckled.

"A pleasure, miss." Rob nodded and made a slight bow, but quickly turned to the elf. "I'm not the only one any more, actually. Terry arrived last night."

• Introduce yourself.
• Ask about Terry.
• Proceed inside.

 

[Cartoonicat]

Curious, Louisa eyed the man up and down. He definitely seemed battle-capable, a strong man. Her eyes fell on his hair, pulled back into a neat bun. Do most of the men in this area have nice hair, or is it just these two? She pondered the thought until remembering that Nyv could hear her. Face growing red, she drew her lips into a thin line and focused on what the two men were saying instead.

Clearing her throat, she tried smiling past the blush. "Ah, hello, Rob," she said. Would she be Sarah here, or Louisa? Perhaps it was okay to be herself, since the Raven and Nyv already seemed to know. Everyone here had joined under the prospect of killing Alden, surely, and knowing his crime - or, at least, some part of why he was to die. "I am-... wait, did you say Terry?" Louisa wondered the odds of it being the same woman from the ship. "Short haired woman, knows a fighting style from-" Oh, what was the name? Ah... "-from Nihaya?"

 

[ArcticFox]

If Nyv heard her thoughts, he did not comment on it. Rob nodded once again in greeting as she introduced herself and the elf spoke up.

"Yes, you've met her on the ship." He confirmed, dismounting. "We were both very secretive during the journey. Didn't really know what to make of you then." He looked at Louisa for a moment, as if mulling that over. "To be honest, I still don't quite know." With a dismissive shrug he turned toward the fort.

More people were starting to peer out from the entrance to the fort. Two teenage boys came up to them and took their horses to be taken care of in the stables. Nyv motioned for Louisa to follow and they entered the wide hallway, followed by Rob. It was cold inside the fort, the stone keeping any warmth at bay, despite mid-spring temperatures.

"Wow, you really let this place go." Nyv shivered, pulling his cloak closer. "Let's get everyone in one spot and make this a functional keep again."

"I'll see where everyone's at." Rob nodded, making his way through a side hallway.

"Well, you don't need to worry about servants and staff." Nyv told to Louisa. "You can go up the stairs and pick a room for yourself. Most of them are empty. Should be a bath there somewhere too. Rest up, you've had quite a night." He offered a surprisingly kind smile. "You are safe here, for the moment."

• Find a room to rest.
• Find a bath.
• Stay with Nyv.
• Go after Rob.
• Something else.

 

[Cartoonicat]

So both Terry and Nyv had known who she was on the ship. Or, at least her reason for business in Torhen. Louisa almost wanted to laugh; So that's what Terry meant by 'job', then. She wondered if her personality was naturally that hard to get along with, or if she'd been wary because they were strangers. Regardless, now that she knew she did not work for Alden, Louisa wanted another chance to talk to her. Perhaps learn more about Nihaya's fighting style, or just the place in general.

Until Nyv mentioned a bath. She would most definitely be taking a bath before anything else.

His smile both surprised her and prompted one of her own. Safe. That was something she hadn't felt in a while, yet, standing with people dedicated to taking Alden down gave her the sense of security she'd been longing for the last few years. "Thank you," she said, sincerity genuine. Then she headed for the stairs, fully intent on procuring a bath.

 

[ArcticFox]

Louisa walked up the stone steps and through chilly hallways, having to stop a young ginger haired maid to ask for directions. She pointed her to the third doors on the left, looking at the ground bashfully. As soon as Louisa proceeded she sprinted down the stairs, probably rushing to answer to Nyv's summons. Louisa opened the doors pointed out to her and was greeted with a room that was much warmer than the hallways.

​

And the cause of that was the bathroom being currently in use. Steam rose throughout the room and Louisa could hear water splashing in the tub. At the sounds of the doors being opened a head peered up from the rim of the tub, looking in Louisa's direction. A set of familiar blue eyes was scowling at her.

"It's occupied." Terry hissed. "Not looking for company at the moment." She was fully submerged in the tub, only her head popping out, hair wet and plastered to her face. A little puff of soap bubbles was directly on her nose, making her look much less threatening than she sounded.

• Apologise.
• Run out.
• Greet Terry.

 

[Cartoonicat]

"Oh!" Louisa looked away, even though she could not see anything with Terry so submerged in the tub. "I am sorry. I did not- erm, I-..." her face grew warm. Without another word, she hurried back out the door, into the hallway.

There, she dragged a hand down her face. Talk about an awkward moment.

 

[ArcticFox]

She did not hear Terry's voice, even if the woman had said anything to her once she exited the bathroom. With her pack and weapons still on and enough time to relax for the moment, Louisa was free to pick out a room for herself. She could see a couple of opened doors in the hallway and no one in sight. It was likely that those rooms were not occupied. Terry did not look to be in a hurry to leave the bath, but Louisa could wait for her to finish, or she could try looking for another bathroom.

• Find a room.
• Look for a bathroom.
• Go back downstairs.

 

[Cartoonicat]

After much debate about whether to seek out another bathroom, Louisa decided to spend her time picking a room. I am already here, so I might as well, she thought. Stepping towards the closest open door, she peered inside gingerly - the last thing she wanted was another accidental mishap with a tenant of the keep.

 

[ArcticFox]

The room behind the doors was empty. It was in a bit of a mess, but at least there was no naked person lurking on the inside.

The bed was made and the linen was cleaned and despite the mess it did not look like there were anyone's personal belongings inside. The floor was strewn with patchwork carpets and the room contained various closets and crates. Louisa did not have much in a way of belongings, but if she acquired something more in this room she would certainly have a place to store them.

"Hey." Suddenly a voice rang out in her head. It was Nyv. "Don't be alarmed. Just wanted to tell you I will need you in two hours. There's more to go over than I thought at first. So get some rest before then, you have to be able to focus." It looked like his range of communication was wider than assumed.

• Go to sleep.
• Talk to Nyv.
• Seek out Terry or Rob.
• Something else.

 

[Cartoonicat]

Stepping inside, Louisa's mouth formed a surprised little 'o'. Ignoring the slight mess, she wandered in and peered about. Pressed her palms flat on the bed. "Wow," she flopped down on the mattress, body sinking comfortably. "This is really-" She sat up, admiration cut short as Nyv's voice broadcast through her mind. She looked around despite knowing she would not find the elf; his telepathy ranged farther than she'd originally assumed. Ah, alright, she thought, where shall I meet you, then?

Rising from the bed - something that elicited a groan, because already she was quite comfortable - Louisa head back into the hallway to seek out a vacant bathroom. She didn't think she would take two hours bathing, for the water would likely grow cold before then, but she wanted to feel clean. Plus, they were relaxing. Meandering the halls, she figured once she finished a bath, should she have time afterwards, that she would seek out Terry and properly apologize for earlier.

 

[ArcticFox]

"In the library." Nyv answered briefly and then went silent, leaving Louisa to her thoughts.

After leaving her pack and walking outside into the hallways she saw that the whole upper floor consisted of bedrooms, most of the doors opened showing furniture the same as in her own. Either Raven had many siblings or children when this was his place, or he planned on garrisoning a real army inside the fort.

A door on Louisa's left swung open and Terry walked out, hair dripping wet, her body wrapped in a robe that stuck to her bare skin. She gave Louisa a lopsided smile.

"Can't go in yet, the servants have to bring in fresh water." She explained, then pointed down the hall. "Third door on the left, another bath, should be free." Then she looked Louisa over. "Went after the elf, did you?" She smirked. "Should have followed me, would have gotten you here sooner and fresher. You look awful."

• Answer.
• Leave her and go to the bathroom.

 

[Cartoonicat]

Louisa's head whipped towards the door, brows lifting. Her eyes trailed the expanse of Terry's robed figure before she could stop them. "Ah, right," she looked away quickly. Followed Terry's pointed finger, imagining the directions to the next bathroom. Felt herself smiling a bit sheepishly at having gone with Nyv. "Yes, he-... well, he looked a bit shifty coming off the boat," she explained. "Figured I would best see what he was up to and... here we are."

Feeling a bit shy at her lack of hygiene, now, Louisa glanced down at the salt-stained state of her clothes and scratched absently at a small cluster of dried salt crystals. "You are the efficient one, then?" She met her eyes once more, amusement in her tone.

 

[ArcticFox]

"And the smart one." Terry said, her smile turning into a wolfish grin as she took a step closer to Louisa, inspecting her without hiding it. "Don't know what you are yet. The best way to find out is through combat. Nothing more honest than fists." She passed by Louisa, brushing against her slightly, as she spoke. "Will be in the courtyard tonight, find me if you want to spar."

Terry left down the hallways, not waiting for a response, leaving Louisa to proceed in the direction of the bathroom, if she was still eager to do so.

• Take a bath.
• Go downstairs.

 

[Cartoonicat]

She remained speechless until Terry was gone, though her eyes never left her. Quietly, she cleared her throat to gather what pieces of composure she could; A blush had warmed her face and, though she hoped not, Louisa figured Terry had noticed. She'd be blind not to. Exhaling a sigh, she headed towards the vacant bathroom Terry suggested. Wondered whether or not she should go to the courtyard.

It is just sparring, she told herself as she slipped inside the room, nothing extravagant. Certainly nothing to get curious about. Louisa closed the door and frowned at it. Right? Much as she cared for him, she had not seen Logan in two years nor heard a word of him. The fluttery feeling in her chest was normal; moving on was normal. She knew that. Yet, try as she might throughout her bath to convince herself she need not worry, all she managed to do was drown in guilt.

 

[ArcticFox]

The bath lasted longer than she thought it would. The water was warm and there was plenty of soap, though it took her quite a while to get all those days of travel by ship off her skin. When she was done, the sun was high in the sky and its warmth could be felt seeping through the opened windows. It was time to meet Nyv in the library.

As she passed through the hallways of the second floor she started encountering other people. Mostly humans and elves, all of them young and dressed in simple clothes, hurrying about to get everything ready. The windows in the hallways were opened now and the maids rushed to dust off the cabinets and other furniture. Even some potted plants were brought in. The fort was starting to look more lived in with every passing moment.

Since the second floor was reserved for bedrooms and bathrooms, the library and other common rooms had to be on the ground floor. However, Louisa did not know where exactly, and the fort was pretty big. On the steps leading down to the first floor she bumped into Rob, who was climbing up with long purposeful strides.

"Ah." He stopped, looking up at Louisa as he noticed she was in his path. "I think that Lord Nyvean was looking for you." He said with a small smile, then moved aside to let her pass.

• Ask where's he going.
• Ask about Nyv's title.
• Ask where's the library.

 

[Cartoonicat]

She had every intention of asking where the library was, but at the mention of Lord, Louisa paused. "Lord? Nyv is a noble?" Perhaps his teasing nature had clouded her judgement of him, but even thinking back now, her adviser had never struck her as nobility. He'd mentioned owing everything to Raven, though. Between that and his title, she found herself more curious about the elf than before.