A rolling chorus of thunder sang in the sky, clouds darkening over the shore of the fjord. Bjorn was a silent patient, if not stubborn. He refused treatment at first, scratching Willow's hand with his talon, but her natural insistence broke through. There were a few stiff reeds that made for good splints, and could be shaped well enough to keep Bjorn's wing in place.
As she set it, she saw the gnarled state of his wing. At best, the splint would keep it from healing painfully. Thanks to the wraith, the odenkine would not fly again, not without help, or the expertise of a healer.
"Ouka te," said Bjorn, gruffly. He didn't seem too proud of his current state or his feeble assistance, but he found it easier to bounce on his talons.
The crest of the hill breaking the line of trees on the fjord showed little where she stood. Willow could make out what looked like the other end of the valley, but the towering clouds of the realm were like walls blocking sight beyond that.
[The Dorms] A Perilous Acquaintance
Re: [The Dorms] A Perilous Acquaintance
“Caw once for yes, twice for no. ‘Kay, Bjorn?” Willow said as she finished field dressing the injury. A cursory glance around the area revealed Clever and her golems were gone, the other odenkine had gone, and Willow was alone with the injured Bjorn. To top everything off, it seemed a storm was rolling in. Clever, a knowledgeable individual that Willow could actually understand, was gone and there were still more questions. Focusing back on Bjorn, Willow thought through some yes no questions. “Should I expect more run-ins like this wraith? So I need to get to the Floating Islands? And, not saying I don’t appreciate the company, but is there any way to get some of your kin from the other side of the lake to take you back? The sooner you get your wing tended, the better.”
Re: [The Dorms] A Perilous Acquaintance
Bjorn narrowed his grim eyes at Willow as he was asked to caw for her. Despite the pain, he could still manage to look irritated.
"Hoghkh gha te," said the odenkine, urging her toward the green, a talon pointing toward them.
"Agh!" cawed Bjorn.“Should I expect more run-ins like this wraith?"
"Agh!" he cawed again."So I need to get to the Floating Islands?"
This wasn't met with an answer as much as a lot of noise, flapping, and an errant talon scratching at Willow's hand. Bjorn scrunched his face up into something resembling distaste, and began to look around. Then, he pointed off toward a ridge near the path, lined by some low, flowering bushes.And, not saying I don’t appreciate the company, but is there any way to get some of your kin from the other side of the lake to take you back?
"Hoghkh gha te," said the odenkine, urging her toward the green, a talon pointing toward them.
Re: [The Dorms] A Perilous Acquaintance
Yup, I deserved that. Pulling her hand back along with a sharp breath, Willow grumbled as she cradled the scratch. These were the situations she wasn’t a fan of. The Drysi and Kat situations. Talking and not insulting locals. Perhaps she was too British to be trying to do this kind of thing. Trying to help, she brought Brass back up and soothed Irritation. Then she followed Bjorn’s urging and moved towards the shrubs. Once closer, she gave them a look over, wondering if they were the ones with the weird berries.
Re: [The Dorms] A Perilous Acquaintance
Bjorn guided Willow to let him get close enough to the bushes to pluck a berry from one of the branches. On closer inspection, the odenkine's talon was much more dexterous than a normal bird's talon. It resembled something akin to an owl's talon but one of the appendages operated much like a thumb. Using this talon, he popped the berry in his mouth. Then he grabbed and popped a couple more.
He sat there, perched and chewing. It was hard to determine exactly what he was doing, as he wasn"t swallowing the berries. His amber eyes looked at Willow's, stony and grim.
If she bothered to look more closely, Bjorn actually looked much younger than his gruff, severe nature projected. Were an odenkine's lifespan like a human, he would probably be a bit older than her.
He sighed, through his nose, and kissed her.
It would be a strong presumption on the part of this story to assume that Willow would enjoy such a thing. It wasn't the affectionate kiss of a family member, nor was it like Drysi's awkward advances. This was something more like an unpleasant kiss of life with a small harpy. The allomancer could taste berry sludge on her tongue, and besides the sour taste, it shook her mind in an almost hallucinogenic way.
"Sode je goika le–," started Bjorn, speaking his obscure language, before his voice attenuated into something Willow could understand, "--if the legends aren't true, then learning the stories was really for nothing."
He sat there, perched and chewing. It was hard to determine exactly what he was doing, as he wasn"t swallowing the berries. His amber eyes looked at Willow's, stony and grim.
If she bothered to look more closely, Bjorn actually looked much younger than his gruff, severe nature projected. Were an odenkine's lifespan like a human, he would probably be a bit older than her.
He sighed, through his nose, and kissed her.
It would be a strong presumption on the part of this story to assume that Willow would enjoy such a thing. It wasn't the affectionate kiss of a family member, nor was it like Drysi's awkward advances. This was something more like an unpleasant kiss of life with a small harpy. The allomancer could taste berry sludge on her tongue, and besides the sour taste, it shook her mind in an almost hallucinogenic way.
"Sode je goika le–," started Bjorn, speaking his obscure language, before his voice attenuated into something Willow could understand, "--if the legends aren't true, then learning the stories was really for nothing."
Re: [The Dorms] A Perilous Acquaintance
The allomancer swayed and almost toppled backwards, and Pewter attempted to raise itself back up to an innate defensive burn until Willow forced it back down as though she were fighting off nausea. Immediately following she did fight off nausea. The act, the sensation, and the taste were all unpleasant and unexpected, and when Willow found her feet again she already had a metal brace in her hand ready to clobber the odenkine.
“Ah don’ caer ‘bout legends or stones, but Ah’m fixin’ ta bust tha’ o’d’er wing o’ yours. Kennit?” Willow fumed as she grew red in the face. A few moments passed, and Willow’s face showed that she was processing the fact that she’d just heard, no, just understood Bjorn. Looking a little sheepish yet still indignant, she gestured with the scrap. “That was gross. Ask permission first.”
“Ah don’ caer ‘bout legends or stones, but Ah’m fixin’ ta bust tha’ o’d’er wing o’ yours. Kennit?” Willow fumed as she grew red in the face. A few moments passed, and Willow’s face showed that she was processing the fact that she’d just heard, no, just understood Bjorn. Looking a little sheepish yet still indignant, she gestured with the scrap. “That was gross. Ask permission first.”
Re: [The Dorms] A Perilous Acquaintance
With his good wing, Bjorn wiped his mouth, just barely wincing at the threats.
"I'll apologize for what I did," he said unapologetically, his voice and cadence a bit like Creative's, just somehow drier, "but if you can figure out a good way to convey, 'Is it fine to swap a tongueberry' without words, I'll be impressed."
The odenkine made to fly off for a moment, eying a near-by branch, before painfully reminding himself he could not. So, he settled for Willow as a perch, as much as one could feel settled with someone angry enough to start swinging struts.
He sighed, "First oath, first fight, first kiss. Nothing goes well for a kin that does not sing his lore. The artisan had me swear an oath to guide you until you were no longer lost. You were supposed to find your way when you left the boat, but you are still lost. So I will stay with you, until you find your way. Going back now would make me an oathbreaker, atop proving to everyone I could never be a warrior."
"I'll apologize for what I did," he said unapologetically, his voice and cadence a bit like Creative's, just somehow drier, "but if you can figure out a good way to convey, 'Is it fine to swap a tongueberry' without words, I'll be impressed."
The odenkine made to fly off for a moment, eying a near-by branch, before painfully reminding himself he could not. So, he settled for Willow as a perch, as much as one could feel settled with someone angry enough to start swinging struts.
He sighed, "First oath, first fight, first kiss. Nothing goes well for a kin that does not sing his lore. The artisan had me swear an oath to guide you until you were no longer lost. You were supposed to find your way when you left the boat, but you are still lost. So I will stay with you, until you find your way. Going back now would make me an oathbreaker, atop proving to everyone I could never be a warrior."
Re: [The Dorms] A Perilous Acquaintance
“Swapping a tongueberry? That what kids’re callin’ it these days?” Willow glowered a bulldoggish look at the odenkine. What was worse was he was also implying she didn’t know where to go. She knew exactly where to go. The Floating Islands. The details were less important. No wonder husbands got annoyed at their wives on roadtrips. Grumbling, she pocket the strut once more and moved to collect her boot that she’d kicked at the wraith.
“Point me in the right direction, and BAM no longer lost. Saves me needing to worry about you the next time a wraith comes along. Or is this a Valhalla situation? Need to be a warrior so you can live the good life? Pretty sure going back with a wraith-mangled wing is proof positive of warrior status, just saying.”
“Point me in the right direction, and BAM no longer lost. Saves me needing to worry about you the next time a wraith comes along. Or is this a Valhalla situation? Need to be a warrior so you can live the good life? Pretty sure going back with a wraith-mangled wing is proof positive of warrior status, just saying.”
Re: [The Dorms] A Perilous Acquaintance
"Odinkine aren't warriors. They are poets, singers, musicians, artists and writers. The legends say that when the world was made, the odinkine gave it color. Our kind's gift to Navipolis was its beauty," explained Bjorn in a grumble, "But… I don't want to be a poet. I don't want to be some curator for history. I want to be a warrior. I want to fight like a canidaer does. Like a harpy of legend."
The odinkine looked at his wing, and his expression sank, "But in my first battle, I was nothing but an obstacle, and now I cannot fly. Now I may have no choice but to be a curator, and take the path my ancestors demanded of me."
In an avian turn of the head, he looked at her more seriously, without remorse, "Until then, I have my oath. You would not know what the floating hills looked like even if you saw them. Worse, what if this rain turns you around?"
The sprinkling of rain and the assent of thunder came from above.
"Will you just wander the valley until you join the ground? You are human, Metaleater. Your kind are as a tornado in this land, blind and destructive, if unguided."
The odinkine looked at his wing, and his expression sank, "But in my first battle, I was nothing but an obstacle, and now I cannot fly. Now I may have no choice but to be a curator, and take the path my ancestors demanded of me."
In an avian turn of the head, he looked at her more seriously, without remorse, "Until then, I have my oath. You would not know what the floating hills looked like even if you saw them. Worse, what if this rain turns you around?"
The sprinkling of rain and the assent of thunder came from above.
"Will you just wander the valley until you join the ground? You are human, Metaleater. Your kind are as a tornado in this land, blind and destructive, if unguided."
Re: [The Dorms] A Perilous Acquaintance
“I’m going out on a limb and guessing the floating islands look like islands that are floating. Can’t imagine those would be hard to miss,” Willow didn’t try to hide her sarcasm as she moved the big coat over her head to try and keep Bjorn and herself at least somewhat dry should the rain pick up. Beginning the next leg of her trek she moved with a dejected slouch, set jaw, and a scowl. “Fine. I won’t leave you sitting in a shrub, but I’ve ne’er been a fan of escort quests. Next fight comes along, you tuck tail. You can try and become a warrior some other time when I don’t have to see you die.”
Grinding teeth. That sounded mean.
“Besides, between getting me the oar and making the wraith let me go, I think you’ve done plenty of warrior stuff. Don’t press your luck so you can heal up and keep at it.”
Grinding teeth. That sounded mean.
“Besides, between getting me the oar and making the wraith let me go, I think you’ve done plenty of warrior stuff. Don’t press your luck so you can heal up and keep at it.”