05-05-2018, 05:51 PM
Kaleigh was having a bit of trouble following the different language, a language that she was pretty sure was French, so she only caught about half of what Myst was saying. Despite that, she was pretty sure she understood the meaning behind it all. The paths led to gates, the gates led to… Mondays? Somewhere different, anyway.
She stared down the path that Myst had been pointing, folding her arms and taking a moment to think about the situation. She was still convinced that moving forward was their best option, the addition of one other person didn’t change that. Before she could act on that thought, however, another thought came to her head first. She turned to address her newest companion.
“So, you with that intimidating mask… are you evil?” she asked seriously, setting a hand on her hip as if to punctuate her sudden distrust of him.
There was a pause as the gentleman in the golden armor seemed to consider the question. To Kaleigh, that was suspicious, although it was difficult to gauge just how suspicious without being able to see his facial expressions. Finally, he answered.
"Evil?” The man questioned, an eyebrow raising far enough that it almost looked like it raised on the mask itself, “I am an Ordinator of the city guard of Vivec, upholder of Imperial law and protector of the Tribunal," the man responded sternly as he adjusted his stance, moving as if he was being called to stand at attention.
Kaleigh nodded knowingly at his answer, as if he had just explained something deep and meaningful. Truthfully, it sounded like more French. She was getting the feeling that he was in some sort of military, but what side he fought on wasn’t clear by any means.
“Right… but are you evil?” she asked again, just to be sure.
There was another long pause before the man answered again, this time deciding to use a more familiar phrase:
“No.”
Even with his mask on, Kaleigh had a feeling the question had annoyed him, or at the very least the way she had asked it. There was a sudden tension in the air that anyone would recognize, except for someone incredibly oblivious maybe. However, his answer satisfied her enough, and she smiled at him as she clapped her hands together.
“Well, then we can travel together to help Myst.” she decided, ready to get going before he could argue otherwise. Unfortunately, her master plan was foiled with the arrival of someone else, someone a bit more demanding.
Kolvo was preparing himself to respond to the girl, mentally readying himself to deal with a second distressed female, when he felt something brush past him. Before he could properly react, Kaleigh stepped past him and embraced the new girl, leaving him standing there staring.
“Whatever happened, you’re safe now,” Kaleigh assured her, squeezing her tight in a hug, “I will keep you safe, promise,” she added, not fully knowing why she was saying what she was saying. It just felt like the right thing at the moment.
Kaleigh held the hug for several seconds, trying to squeeze the fear and uncertainty out of the girl. She had only known the girl for a few moments, but everything that Kaleigh had observed about her had silently told her story. From her distraught look to the pain in her voice, the girl looked like she had been through a hell that most people couldn’t even imagine.
When she finally pulled away, Kaleigh grabbed one of her hands and gave it a squeeze, cementing them together with a firm grip. She was still reluctant to fully let go, but they needed to move.
“Come on, we’ll find a place more comfortable to relax,” she suggested, pulling the girl along. As she passed Myst she took her hand too, leading them both away from their pasts and into the future. A few steps later, she twisted her head back to call out to their last companion, “You too. If you ever want to find a way back to your Vivec, you gotta start somewhere.” she suggested.
Kolvo considered his options carefully, weighing the pros and cons of traveling with this group. On one hand, he was completely lost, and this was the only direction he had. On the other hand, it felt like he was getting into something troublesome if he went along. Truthfully, there seemed to more cons than anything, but his duty pushed him to assist those in need.
Finally, he made his decision, the heavy footfalls of his armor bearing a stark contrast to the lightweight females in front of him. He would travel with them, for now.
***
It was a two-hour journey to their destination, one that was filled with an awkward, uneasy silence. Despite that, however, no one verbally complained at any point. Whether it was because they were used to long trips without knowing their destination or because they had no better plans, Kaleigh couldn’t know. She was just grateful they stuck together; having company was something she wasn’t used to, and it wasn’t something she wanted to end too soon.
As the walked closer to the snow ice covered archway that made up the gate, Kaleigh turned to Myst, searching her face for the recognition that would show that this was the right direction. Instead, she found the familiar uncertainty that seemed to be running rampant in their group. She sighed and brought them all to a halt, examining the entryway that they would soon be passing through.
“Man, I wish we had some camping gear or something, we could just relax here for now,” Kaleigh announced out loud, turning to the group expectantly. She went from face to face, hoping someone would speak up and say they had some.
“Ah, we could faire venir some?” Myst suggested helpfully, “Um… Summon them, yes?”
Kolvo grunted at that.
“I’m not sure whether your foreign tongue or your English is harder to understand.” He exclaimed, “How would we summon equipment like that? Are you a mage?”
“Non,” Myst frowned, remembering now that the armored man was new to Omniverse, “It is done with the Omnillium. You just think about what you want and voila,” She finished explaining, moving her hands in a theatrical motion to emphasize her point.
There was a pause as the group attempted to comprehend this, each of them struggling in their own way. Kolvo seemed to dismiss the idea as outrageous, while Kate seemed too distracted to really care. Kaleigh, meanwhile, was trying to figure out the specifics of what Myst was saying, like where she was supposed to get the Omnillium to summon stuff with. She remembered the rainbow-like stone she had been handed, but it had disappeared as soon as she had taken it…
Before she could be too lost, however, Myst stepped up as their savior once more. With a practiced hand, she started to summon something right before their eyes, the usual rainbow-colored shell drawing catching the eye of her companions as they watched with interest. A few minutes later, and a pink tent with white frills decorating it suddenly appeared before them.
“Zee? It is that simple,” she said with a smile.
***
Sometime later, the quartet sat around a summoned fire pit just off the path headed to the gate. Each of them had practiced summoning in some way or another, learning first hand just how simple it was, and now they waited for the food that was slowly cooking above the fire.
“So, now that we’re all relaxed… this is a good time for introductions and stories.” Kaleigh decided cheerily, “Anyone want to go first?”
She stared down the path that Myst had been pointing, folding her arms and taking a moment to think about the situation. She was still convinced that moving forward was their best option, the addition of one other person didn’t change that. Before she could act on that thought, however, another thought came to her head first. She turned to address her newest companion.
“So, you with that intimidating mask… are you evil?” she asked seriously, setting a hand on her hip as if to punctuate her sudden distrust of him.
There was a pause as the gentleman in the golden armor seemed to consider the question. To Kaleigh, that was suspicious, although it was difficult to gauge just how suspicious without being able to see his facial expressions. Finally, he answered.
"Evil?” The man questioned, an eyebrow raising far enough that it almost looked like it raised on the mask itself, “I am an Ordinator of the city guard of Vivec, upholder of Imperial law and protector of the Tribunal," the man responded sternly as he adjusted his stance, moving as if he was being called to stand at attention.
Kaleigh nodded knowingly at his answer, as if he had just explained something deep and meaningful. Truthfully, it sounded like more French. She was getting the feeling that he was in some sort of military, but what side he fought on wasn’t clear by any means.
“Right… but are you evil?” she asked again, just to be sure.
There was another long pause before the man answered again, this time deciding to use a more familiar phrase:
“No.”
Even with his mask on, Kaleigh had a feeling the question had annoyed him, or at the very least the way she had asked it. There was a sudden tension in the air that anyone would recognize, except for someone incredibly oblivious maybe. However, his answer satisfied her enough, and she smiled at him as she clapped her hands together.
“Well, then we can travel together to help Myst.” she decided, ready to get going before he could argue otherwise. Unfortunately, her master plan was foiled with the arrival of someone else, someone a bit more demanding.
Quote:(Repost of Kate’s dialogue for ease of reading.)
[spoiler]Kate focused on breathing, calming her fears, and approached the group. She tried to speak, but her voice caught in her throat. Thankfully they didn't hear her break, and Kate was able to gather herself for a second attempt.
She managed a deceptively strong and confident tone. “Hey! Anyone mind telling me where we are and what the hell is going on?”
The taller one turned first, a golden mask covering his expression. Kate blanched internally, but she kept her outer facade strong.
“Yeah, I’m talking to you!”
She rolled her shoulders, feeling the weight of a rifle on her back. Kate remembered dropping hers, when the Reavers had first attacked, but she wasn’t complaining as some semblance of confidence filled her chest. Then the other two turned, both girls. One look about Kate’s age, wearing an alabaster hoodie and a determined expression. The other wore a sad expression behind her glasses, seemingly caught just as she had found something to cry about. Kate instantly regretted her forward approach. Her voice softened.
“I just… I don’t know what’s happening…” Her tears had worn out back by the cemetery, but her voice still broke with sorrow. “Please... Help me.”[/spoiler]
Kolvo was preparing himself to respond to the girl, mentally readying himself to deal with a second distressed female, when he felt something brush past him. Before he could properly react, Kaleigh stepped past him and embraced the new girl, leaving him standing there staring.
“Whatever happened, you’re safe now,” Kaleigh assured her, squeezing her tight in a hug, “I will keep you safe, promise,” she added, not fully knowing why she was saying what she was saying. It just felt like the right thing at the moment.
Kaleigh held the hug for several seconds, trying to squeeze the fear and uncertainty out of the girl. She had only known the girl for a few moments, but everything that Kaleigh had observed about her had silently told her story. From her distraught look to the pain in her voice, the girl looked like she had been through a hell that most people couldn’t even imagine.
When she finally pulled away, Kaleigh grabbed one of her hands and gave it a squeeze, cementing them together with a firm grip. She was still reluctant to fully let go, but they needed to move.
“Come on, we’ll find a place more comfortable to relax,” she suggested, pulling the girl along. As she passed Myst she took her hand too, leading them both away from their pasts and into the future. A few steps later, she twisted her head back to call out to their last companion, “You too. If you ever want to find a way back to your Vivec, you gotta start somewhere.” she suggested.
Kolvo considered his options carefully, weighing the pros and cons of traveling with this group. On one hand, he was completely lost, and this was the only direction he had. On the other hand, it felt like he was getting into something troublesome if he went along. Truthfully, there seemed to more cons than anything, but his duty pushed him to assist those in need.
Finally, he made his decision, the heavy footfalls of his armor bearing a stark contrast to the lightweight females in front of him. He would travel with them, for now.
***
It was a two-hour journey to their destination, one that was filled with an awkward, uneasy silence. Despite that, however, no one verbally complained at any point. Whether it was because they were used to long trips without knowing their destination or because they had no better plans, Kaleigh couldn’t know. She was just grateful they stuck together; having company was something she wasn’t used to, and it wasn’t something she wanted to end too soon.
As the walked closer to the snow ice covered archway that made up the gate, Kaleigh turned to Myst, searching her face for the recognition that would show that this was the right direction. Instead, she found the familiar uncertainty that seemed to be running rampant in their group. She sighed and brought them all to a halt, examining the entryway that they would soon be passing through.
“Man, I wish we had some camping gear or something, we could just relax here for now,” Kaleigh announced out loud, turning to the group expectantly. She went from face to face, hoping someone would speak up and say they had some.
“Ah, we could faire venir some?” Myst suggested helpfully, “Um… Summon them, yes?”
Kolvo grunted at that.
“I’m not sure whether your foreign tongue or your English is harder to understand.” He exclaimed, “How would we summon equipment like that? Are you a mage?”
“Non,” Myst frowned, remembering now that the armored man was new to Omniverse, “It is done with the Omnillium. You just think about what you want and voila,” She finished explaining, moving her hands in a theatrical motion to emphasize her point.
There was a pause as the group attempted to comprehend this, each of them struggling in their own way. Kolvo seemed to dismiss the idea as outrageous, while Kate seemed too distracted to really care. Kaleigh, meanwhile, was trying to figure out the specifics of what Myst was saying, like where she was supposed to get the Omnillium to summon stuff with. She remembered the rainbow-like stone she had been handed, but it had disappeared as soon as she had taken it…
Before she could be too lost, however, Myst stepped up as their savior once more. With a practiced hand, she started to summon something right before their eyes, the usual rainbow-colored shell drawing catching the eye of her companions as they watched with interest. A few minutes later, and a pink tent with white frills decorating it suddenly appeared before them.
“Zee? It is that simple,” she said with a smile.
***
Sometime later, the quartet sat around a summoned fire pit just off the path headed to the gate. Each of them had practiced summoning in some way or another, learning first hand just how simple it was, and now they waited for the food that was slowly cooking above the fire.
“So, now that we’re all relaxed… this is a good time for introductions and stories.” Kaleigh decided cheerily, “Anyone want to go first?”