Some destruction is a good thing though. Those vines. they were a Bad Thing and seeing them dead is going to help a lot of folks. The trees they wrapped are recovering mostly, especially here near the charms. And the air smells better too. All the more restful. Especially with her nice warm pouch to keep her comfy.
Oddly enough, it's well into morning before the sound of an enchanted cart hauling off the gear from the camp along with pretty much everything but Tolliver, his personal gear, and his axe that wakes her up. He's waiting with a portion of a porridge with dried fruit in it for her and sharpening his axe until she wakes. "Good work, Nieve." He says in greeting, his tone cheerful and easy, as usual.
She yawns and stretches before looking up at him. "Mmm... thank ya...an' good mornin'." A couple of blinks and she opens her bag, checking on the little fire and feeding it more of her 'snacks'. Once the fire is tended to Genny pushes to her feet, accepting the porridge. "This smells good... I take it things 'r gettin' better now?"
Tolliver's eyes move to the fire as she tends it and he smiles faintly. "Looks like it. I'll know for certain soon." He goes quiet as he claims a seat and let her eat. After a little, he begins to speak again at last. "I sent Tomas on. He's got no part in what's left to do." he tells her before he reaches to draw something that looks almost like a medicine pouch from under his tunic and holds it to study. "How are you, Nieve? Are you pleased with your life now? Is your vengeance complete, even if you never fill all your memories to know you killed all your prey? Are you... happy?"
She finishes up the food, licking the last bits from her fingers. The echo of her name brushes against an unease each time, but not with enough discomfort for her to correct him. "What's left ta do?" She seems curious and then he goes on with his questions and the satyr woman chuckles. "Ain't got nuthin' ta be unhappy wi'. I’ve maybe undone a wrong here, an’ I have a Trueheart waitin' fer me. An' I'm pretty sure I've claimed what we need ta make our house what we want 'f it. Don't mean there ain't other trials ta come, but I'm satisfied wi' where I'm at an' the hopes fer the future."
Tolliver nods and his hand tightens on the pouch, then tosses it to her. Once he loses contact, his form shimmers and flows, revealing the sidhe below the guise of a common boggan. "A wise answer for one so young. I have a gift for you." he says then with a nod to the pouch. "Look if you wish. It's not necessary." As he speaks, he turns more fully to her, revealing scarring covering one side of his face, like might be left behind by someone kicked in the face by a hooved being. "I have lived too long in this place. It's time for me to return to Arcadia, one way or another. Once you have decided on which gift you want Nieve, I'll know my way." Which gift? That's an interesting way to phrase things, huh?
Huh...now that's an interesting phrase. She blinks a couple of times and wipes some dirt off her cheek. Oh, her kingdom for a proper bath in really hot water...or a hot tub, that would be even better. She catches the pouch and weighs it in her hand for a moment before opening it. Yeah...curiosity kills cats, but satyrs just have to know.
Tolliver doesn't say a word as she opens the pouch. He hardly moves even. He does shift slightly further from the old campsite and settles where there is nothing at all at hand to use as a weapon if she decides to act against him.
The pouch... that's the clencher more than anything. The scars might say a lot, but the badge of station within the pouch that marks him of -that- household says it all. His scars came at her hands... er... hooves. Looks like one gift being offered is himself if she's not quite pleased with her vengeance.
As she looks at the pouch, there's a notable wash of glamour in the area too, although no obvious effect comes with it. Perhaps a failed cantrip?
Genny dumps the badge out onto her hand, just studying it for a moment. For a change, her gaze doesn't go wild...instead it's more, sad. "Ya know...I'm na sorry fer what I did ta the Baron. He an' his inner most circle, those that did the deeds...they deserved ta die. What I am sorry fer is the madness what followed. When yer ragin'...it's so -hard- ta see the forest fer the trees. All ya know is pain, an' all ya want is ta keep hurtin' others until yer own pain is settled." She looks up at him. "My Trueheart worked for a bastard 'f a troll. Mean, abusive, almost as bad as what I'd seen here, but Chago didn't support him. He was jus' tryin' ta find his own way an' Eric was a means ta an end. Chago an' I made it right in the end. Maybe if I'd been less crazy, I would have found allies here instead 'f jus' rippin' it all ta shreds." She puts the badge back in the pouch. "So there ya have it."
Tolliver nods once and rises, then moves closer. "Very wise for one so young. I hope your Trueheart is worthy of who you're becoming, Nieve... or I should say Genny." He steps closer still, angling toward her pack with the bale. "I always believed the beast that replaced you found our banked bale and was using it." he explains as he holds his hands toward the pack. "You deserve it more than that thing, or those of us that did what was done to you, ever did." As he speaks more glamor flows and he ages visibly, standing slightly stooped and his hair gone pure white. "Take it with my blessing. Perhaps we will meet again in Arcadia someday." He turns and walks off on those words, heading into the forest instead of along the trod.
"Perhaps..." She's quiet as she watches him amble off, having some idea of what he did with all that glamor. Either way time waits for no one...at least not for very long and once Tolliver is well and truly away, she turns back towards the trod. Time to go home...where hopefully it's not been so many weeks gone that there's nothing worth going back to.
Weeks, yes, but not so many as to be too late. Even with avoiding the city that might take her arrival a bit worse on the return trip for any number of reasons. When she gets closer to their new home, tales of the Redcap who has claimed an area of the Barony arise. A sharp ear can gather information too of at least a key portion of it: there's an old law that requires military enclaves like Chago’s growing Keep to either be totally self sufficient or to be sworn to the barony and thanks to that law, most of the locals are staying out of things until the matter is resolved. The time to establish proof of self sufficiency is fast approaching too, so the group may be forced to leave the Keep or face a full assault instead of siege and skirmishes.
This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.
Genny snorts as she listens to the tales, keeping to herself even as she moves through the Baron's lands. She keeps her bag of balefire close at all times, not trusting it to be away, and not wanting there to be any chance that it's lost. She stops briefly at a tavern when she needs food stuff, but doesn't stay the night, everything a push to get back. As she approaches the new Keep, she turns her efforts towards finding Chago's new symbol and a chance to let someone know she's back.
Well... not that new. They have used such things before. It does take some hunting to locate it though, getting into some of the bad parts of the town and the fae equivalent of the sort of places Eric's groups always set up. In other words, places a normal sidhe would never be caught dead in and a redcap would be right at home. Well, a redcap or a creeper.
Eventually she finds the mark she’s looking for, roughly carved into the lintel of a wretched little hovel. Once she finds the mark, there's a couple living there that could use a couple of better meals more for a bit of color to their skin than for weight gain. On seeing her, they offer a room for a fair price if she needs it and pointing out it takes a fierce heart to travel such paths.
Genny chuckles at the comment and inclines her head. "Mmm...indeed." It's been a while, but she's amused by the set up. "Fierce indeed." She fishes out the last few coins that she has, hardly the most important thing she's carrying, and tosses them over to cover the price with an extra which should get a message to the right ears. The bale bag still never leaves her protection, no matter if she's sleeping or visiting the little satyr's room. She's not taking any chances of losing it.
After one such trip, she returns to her room to find a note, in small and precise writing with a carefully sketched map below it. The note is written on the back of one of the Baron's postings of just why Chago needs to surrender the keep or swear fealty, as well as veiled suggestions he's kidnapped the Baron's niece without exactly saying it. Yep. The fellow is smart enough to leave himself wiggle room if something goes wrong. While the page it's on is informative, the note itself is much more interesting. In short, it's directions to a pick-up location on the roof of a building in sight of the siege force and the wall beyond, along with a time to be there and a 'Good to have you back. He's getting unbearable. -E' at the end. Leave it to the creeper kin to sneak in and leave a note when he could have simply met her and told her everything.
The next day, at the appointed time, Chago is on the Keep walls, throwing things down at the siege force to keep their attention until she appears. She feels his magic wrap around her, the grasp of travel magic and he makes a yanking motion, much like she would with her whip. It leaps her over the group and she lands in the waiting arms of one of the troll brothers, who grins before setting her down.
She grins back. “Good catch.” Then she gets a good look around. Everyone is on the walking wounded list from one point or another and she shakes her head before marching over and kissing Chago. It's just the right length of kiss...greeting without going overboard, that'll be saved for later. She leans back then and snorts softly. "I go away fer a few weeks an' look at the mess ya'll make."
Chago snorts and shakes his head, brushing off some bits of folks that got on his jacket instead of his Gauntlets and rolling his eye. "Ain't my fault. Should have heard what Shova's nockers said about trusting a redcap's cooking. I almost hadda eat one of them t'shut 'em up." He explains as some distant grumbling over how the group treats their gear drifts by, with a level of profanity that suggests either a truly angry nocker or one looking forward to more tinkering. Hard to say with them sometimes.
There's welcomes from the other familiar faces and eager watching from the newer ones as they look over the latest arrival. Well, most of the new faces. One of the new folks did have to run when she kissed Chago. Too many images of a goat with no face to bear risking seeing it. Chago takes a moment to look her over and pops his neck after, finally relaxing enough to show how tired he is. "Looks like you done alright." he notes, looking her over and seeing the brightness of fur and smooth skin. Of course, traveling with a bale can do that for a person.
Genny chuckles and nods, "It were interestin'. An' ya know ya shouldn't eat knockers, they give ya gas." Yes, because she's ever so respectful of the Witch King Chago when he's in front of folks. She looks over the kids then back to him. "I even brung ya a present from the travelin'." She hands him the bag, handling it gently and letting him take a peek. "Ya can decide if ya want ta share it wi' everyone now 'r later."
Chago nods to her teasing, lips curling slightly with amusement. "Yeah. And they're tougher'n Maxim's jerky too." he points out. When she hands the bag, he takes it as carefully and his eye widens at the feel of it. He sniffs the bag a few times and nods slowly before peeking in and going still. It's a long look where the only movement seen is in that amused curl of lips turning into a wide and toothy smile, like the Grinch, perhaps, but with teeth sharper than razors.
He finally closes the bag and looks back up at Genny as he hands it back. "I don’t know how you got it, but you got it. You get to place it. I need to figure on schedules and need and how we're gonna show the Baron and all. We just beat back his latest try, so I gotta figure what's coming next too." Still tired, and still looking at how to take care of everyone. Some redcaps. At least he seems to be in high spirits, no matter what Evan suggested in his note.
"I have guesses 'bout what he'll do next. Been ponderin' it since I saw the first notice, an' I got a few ideas we can talk about later." She loops the bag back over her shoulder. "I'll go see our bale chamber and what else needs doing there. Sweetcheeks can help me. Then I'm gonna see what kind 'f mess ya made out 'f my kitchen." There's a growl there as though she expects they've ruined something...or at least she's teasing them about it. "An later I plan on showin' ya that I missed ya, an' anyone who interrupts gets kicked in the face." Yeah, they have a lot to talk about later, but she keeps it to the public face stuff for now.
Chago nods to her suggestions and then gives a throaty little growl. "They get kicked in the face if they're lucky. Otherwise I reached 'em first." he says before looking around with just enough of a scowl to back up all the newcomers and to get various gestures of total lack of respect from those that know him. Then, as she goes to deal with the bale she gained them, he goes to see about some of his list of things while he has time he's willing to devote to it and not her. Business first. For now.