[The Dorms] A Perilous Acquaintance

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Kokuten
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Re: [The Dorms] A Perilous Acquaintance

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The shade withdrew as the gas spread, her form slowly withering away as the smoke bomb went off. A wisp of yellowish green whipped by, and Willow saw just a knotted tree standing where the avatar of her enemy once stood. Vengeance’s wraiths dove in, but stopped short as they entered into the space. Their howling and screaming cut out into ethereal gags and coughs. Each one that flew in, flew out almost immediately, unable to stand the smell of the gas.

A drum beat out in the distance, and more smoke began to roll over the brush. Green, blue and yellow lights sparkled like stars between the leaves, highlighting little silhouettes. Over the sounds of grunts, coughing and howls came a song to the thumping beat being pounded louder and louder.
Fresh leaf and root tossed in the bowl,
Spread thin with care, prepare the coal.
Then, dry and press and cure and steep,
A mixture ground, to make you sleep.

Now, burn the wood, and fan the smoke,
And, breath it deeply, take your toke.
Green gas and air makes it begin,
To tickle lungs, and itch your skin.
Willow could hear the song far away, but she could also hear it close. The Spriggan that had landed with them was singing it too. He stabbed himself with some vial filled with a green liquid, and heaved Pebbles carefully on his back. As Bjorn began jabbing anyone remotely sleepy with his knife, a new, fresh haze came in, tingling in Willow’s skin and making it hard to breathe.

The chorus came loudly over the rest of the noise, as it sounded like every spriggan in the forest was singing.
Leaf, leaf, watch it burn!
When you breathe there’s no return.
Leaf, leaf, make it smoke!
Take it in and soon you’ll croak.
Leaf, leaf, boil it down!
With our poison you will drown.
Leaf, leaf, heal the pain!
We will rise, again and again!
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Straken
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Re: [The Dorms] A Perilous Acquaintance

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“Alrighty, Miss Carrie, trusting you on this one…” Willow thought to herself as the fumes thickened, remembering back to an explanation Caoranach had given her shortly after discovering her allomancy; namely Pewter’s resistance to poisons and toxins. Shortly after Gideon had been introduced to her the other week, Willow had actually suggested letting the snake bite her a few times too test said resistance as well as Gideon’s toxin output; Drysi had said no pretty quickly. So now it came down to live field testing, and while she couldn’t be sure about how literal the spiggan song was she wasn’t taking chances. Pewter burning strong, Willow moved to pick up Helen and get the others moving with some Zinc Rioting.

“Ya did good, Helen. Thank you. As a reward I’ll carry you personally,” the words were muffled a bit under the mask, and between that and her goggles the Brit’s smile was tougher to read as well; but Willow burned Brass just for the golem to Soothe any fears she might be feeling. Cadre in tow, Willow moved beside the spriggan carrying Pebbles.

“Gonna go out on a limb and guess ya’ll are Leaf Tribe, so let’s kick up dust and get ou of here.”
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Kokuten
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Re: [The Dorms] A Perilous Acquaintance

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Helen could only raise her arms, the twinkle of her gemstone eyes sundered by the gas and smoke. She was much heavier than the rest, but she buried her cracked, stone face into Willow’s shirt. Bjorn had managed to wake up the others, but then slopped onto the Allomancer’s shoulders, unable to go on. His eyes were filled with tears, and he could not breathe.

The Sergeant of Maple Company trailed behind, with her halberd in her teeth, Curie in one arm, and Horst tossed over her back. Her normally bright eyes were clenched shut, and her face was almost as red as her hair.

And, of course, Ghyslain came with the chair, carrying the comatose gordalisk.

The buffed spriggan gave Willow a double take, before stopping. He seemed to be making some rapid calculations, before breaking off into a run.

“Eyes of glass is a friend with class! Come Come!”

The group pressed into the dark, chasing the warping silhouette of the spriggan. Distant stars of light became warm glows, of burning fire. Willow’s lungs were beginning to burn, but the Pebble’s carrier was not stopping. A few masked spriggans watched them quizzically, fanning flames and smoke into the dark, still chanting their songs. Yet on they went, running through a winding dirt path, meant for smallfolk.

Just as reds and blues were flashing in the edges of her vision, Willow could make out a bright glow ahead. The group broke through a brambly clearing into an open field at the edge of what looked like a village reathed in moonlight. Structures of wood and leaf hung suspended from the ground, emanating warm, comforting light.

“Willao… I cannae…”

Phyllis coughed, dropping her halberd and bumping into a standing torch that seemed to be part of a picket line around the village.

“I cannae breathe…” the Sergeant wheezed, trying to drink in any fresh air she could.

“Friend with class, must drop off god-friend,” the buff spriggan was beginning to lose his physique, and sound hurried, “Rest in grass? Safe here. Very safe.”

Willow’s head swam, her skin stung and her pewter infused body roiled trying to resist the chemicals in her system. A hand of armored metal grabbed the hem of her shirt, Phyllis wheezed the last of her strength, then fell. Ghyslain was the only companion still standing.
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Straken
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Re: [The Dorms] A Perilous Acquaintance

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With Pewter reserves low and what she did have burning hot, Willow was still panting by the time the group came to a rest. Once she’d sat Helen down the Brit went about helping to get the others positioned. All the while she looked grim; mostly due to the stinging she felt despite her Pewter, but in small part she was still reeling from the unexpected encounter with the B.B.E.G. Even with separation and time, Willow still felt on edge, but the scary part was that it wasn’t the sense of fear that scared her.

Sure, she had felt the same anticipation she’d felt when facing down the hag and the Librarians, but what really scared her was that she had felt disappointed about it. A part of her had felt bummed out that the others were with her, bummed that she couldn’t throw herself at her biggest challenge yet because she needed to watch out for the small folk. Willow’s worst qualities were still alive despite her best efforts. Hell, those qualities had even been reason Vengeance showed up. Mister Caxton might have had confidence in her for her allomantic abilities, but as far as she was concerned, she was a terrible match up. The only person Willow could think of who was more vengeful than she would be Drysi back when she had been possessed by the hag.

“Ghyslaine, you should get some rest if you need it,” Willow said as she popped a couple more Pewter bearings. Standing a little taller, Willow’s teeth were grinding as she removed her goggles and mask; her hat followed suit as she let her hair loose for bit.
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Kokuten
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Re: [The Dorms] A Perilous Acquaintance

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Willow had to wink away some tears as her eyes caught a fresh dusting of what they had gone through.

A small thud shook the ground as the chair was laid to the grass. Ghyslain seemed struck by a rare moment of lucid thought. Being a quarrid, he was naturally very tough, and resistant. So, he made a noticeable thud when he tilted over on his toes and teetered over like a standing log.

Once again, Willow was alone, even Bjorn was still tucked over the back of her shoulder. All that accompanied her was the sound of the plipping sounds of the nearby pond. The large cantons swayed gently in the breeze, and a bittersweet smell wafted over the clearing. She could see spriggans going about their evening, traversing rope bridges, climbing ladders, and ascending ramshackle lifts. Several were beginning to make their way down the path ahead, arrayed in robes flowing off shoulders and wide hats.

One stood above the crowd, wrapped in a long cloak, a tall version of all the spriggans that walked in this place. It carried a staff like the one Willow had been trusted to carry.

“There they are!” beckoned the tall figure with the voice of a young man, “Hurry!”

The throng of snowy white, Leaf tribesfolk descended on the group. Their tallkin leader directed them, pointing and warning, “Get as much off as you can with the cloth before scrubbing, you’ll reactivate the mixtures. Make sure the water is cold.”

Finally, he looked at Willow, with a face occluded in a drawn leather mask, two cloudy lenses taking her inn. His gaze lingered on her for a moment longer than was suited for the situation. Then, he sunk his staff into the ground and placed a hand on her shoulder.

“It’s okay,” he assured her with a voice that made her feel confident she could bully this young man, “you’re safe now. Oh, but you should really wipe your brow and face off. Sweat will reactivate it. Ah… Um…”

He looked to the other Spriggans, who were all busy trying to clean Willow’s companions. They were trying to get them moving or moved to the cantons.

Seeing no other options, the stranger reached under his cloak with the free hand.

“Here,” he produced a tattered piece of fabric with a faded patch sewn into it, “I’m the Leaf God, by the way. That’s what they call me here, at least.”
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Straken
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Re: [The Dorms] A Perilous Acquaintance

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For the most part, Willow sat and silently watched as the gaggle of newcomers worked on her group. This silence continued as the Brit simply looked at for a few heartbeats as he addressed her, and once the cloth was offered, she didn’t respond for a few beats more. Finally, she sighed like an inconvenienced old man and rocked forward in a smooth motion to stand up and face the newcomer god. As she reached out her hand towards the offered cloth, she instead shook Leaf’s hand; taking the cloth as her hand withdrew before bringing it up to wipe her face.

“Name’s Willow; ‘m not a god,” Willow spoke as she brought the cloth down. “I need to ask directions, think you can help.”
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Kokuten
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Re: [The Dorms] A Perilous Acquaintance

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“Of course,” the Leaf God answered with a graciousness that was rare in first meetings in this land, “If there’s anything I can do, just say it. The Pebble God wrote that she was bringing her whole tribe, so seeing as it’s just you… You brought her through something her tribe didn’t survive.”

This revelation was a cue to an evident lull in the care of Willow’s companions. Goggled eyed spriggans swapped glances with each other in grim glints. Nevertheless the choir of motion carried on, with one of the caretakers downing another hulking potion to carry the gordalisk along for further care.

Something came over the Leaf God in the silence, and he shifted, before taking his staff and pulling it close to his chest.

“But,” he raised the haft, to point with his finger, “you clarified not a god. Then… You’re from the middle-realm. You have to be. London?”

A hopeful sparkle glittered in the Leaf God’s lenses, as his way of speaking revealed what would have been a southern heritage to Willow. “I thought you were American, walking up with the cowboy look, but your accent is hardly American at all.”
Last edited by Kokuten on Thu Feb 06, 2025 8:57 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Straken
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Re: [The Dorms] A Perilous Acquaintance

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Rocking back on her heels, Willow damn near forgot about the ambient discomfort that penetrated even the numbing effects of Pewter. Suddenly she felt herself rubberbanding back to the reality of her position as an outsider. After months of being seen as just an oddity, it felt curiously revealing to be called out with a spot on guess; and sure enough, now that it was brought to the forefront Leaf’s own accent was recognizable. Hooking a thumb through a belt loop, Willow settled into a friendly stance.

“Well, how ‘bout tha’,” Willow’s voice hummed with appreciation. “Sorry to gaslight ya with the outfit. It’s a case of hero worship rather than a cultural display. And Y’r spot on; grew up in West End south side of the Thames. Are you from the... uh... middle-realm?”
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Kokuten
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Re: [The Dorms] A Perilous Acquaintance

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“Anyone that looks like us are from the middle-realm,” nodded the Leaf God, the charms tied to the edges of his hat wiggled along with the movement, “I’ve learned that much in my time here, but it sounds like you haven’t been here long enough to forget.”

He beckoned Willow to follow along, but waited for her to see if she would. His spriggans were shuffling along, helping Phyllis to her feet and dragging Ghyslain along as well.

“I’ve been here the least, but I have forgotten a lot. But I do know I’m from Wales,” Leaf tapped at his temple, “Smells. Sights…”

He pointed at her, “Sounds; they jog the memory. It’s why I keep that little rag around.”

With a gloved finger, he pointed at the rough, worn rag in her hand. It was thick material, a little abrasive to the skin and resistant to shaping. She could tell the limp nature of the fabric was only from years of use. There was a sewn patch on the tattered edge that depicted a vial with lettering around the rim.

ALCHEMIST, CLASS-B, BANGOR
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Straken
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Re: [The Dorms] A Perilous Acquaintance

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Willow regarded the cloth, and her headspace itched with various questions, and she handed it back to Leaf with a certain reverence. Even if it was just a memento she didn’t want to go spoiling for Leaf. Before following, she made sure all of her littles were being taken care of, save for Bjorn in his usual spot; and Helen, who Willow was still honoring her promise to carry the golem personally. With her charges accounted for Willow fell into step beside Leaf as they started walking.

“Why are you here? How did you end up here? And do you have any memory of a stodgy Welshman in a purple vest, named Percy?” Willow’s tone was even as she tried to settle on questions to ask.
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