Sitting up and wiping the sleep from her eyes, Willow took in the situation in silence; watching the scurrying spriggans, and the vaguely threatening triclops sitting opposite her. Of course she recognized the woman, and similarly understood the animosity in the look being directed at her. Her own gaze shifted down to the sleeping canidear in her lap, Willow did her best to ease Phyllis onto the bed beside her before shifting out to stand up. Then after straightening her clothes she moved to sit closer to the older Maelgwyn.
“An offer I would be happy to hear and discuss, but…” Willow began, but then let her head dip in deference. “First I want to apologize. Last time we met I was rude to you. It was not my intention, and I am sorry for that.”
Lightly slapping her knees, Willow lifted her head to meet Eryl’s eyes.
“But, apologies are cheap without actions and efforts to back them up, so Eryl it is a pleasure to meet you properly. I’m Willow Fairburne, and I almost literally have a dozen questions I’ve been wanting to ask you; but time is of the essence for me these days, so I’ll have my first question be about that assistance you’d like to offer.”
[The Dorms] A Perilous Acquaintance
Re: [The Dorms] A Perilous Acquaintance
First straightening her spine, Eryl withdrew at the apology. She turned her nose up, altering her perspective of the Allomancer, trying to find some alternate meaning in her face. Her eyes looked long and far, so far that Willow could swear they had changed color in the morning light, if not briefly. The air in the conversation suddenly became awkward as her eyes began to well up with tears.
“My assistance,” she gasped, fanning herself and wiping her face. Willow knew the tell tale signs of a triclops mastering their emotions, “oh, blast it. Yes. Mr. Caxton has shown himself quite the brute this time. I am sympathetic to his situation, I am, I truly am, but there are limits. Mr. Flynn would be livid if he knew what has happened here, I’m sure. Ms. Flynn relayed her suspicions to me the other day, and I determined it was in the best interest of all if I investigated.”
Eryl took a deep breath, and regained her posture, one of pride. It was a practiced air, “Dear Percival, so desperate, to think he would go to such lengths as to practice bloodsports with a young lady under the protection of Safeholme! Indeed, Mr. Flynn would flare at the indecency, I am sure of it. So I came, from Navipolis, to the Cairn Valley, to Jotungard, to the Cairn and Jotungard again before I was able to enter the Yormundyaws. I swear, I would have gotten here sooner, were it not for the ephemeral nature of geography here.”
It was at this point she cleared her throat, “Yes, my assistance. You are dear to Mr. Flynn, Mr. Flynn is very dear to me and I hold Ms. Flynn in high regard. Above all, I worry for Mr. Caxton, and so I thought it best to come here and help you along so you can get back home. Safely.”
“My assistance,” she gasped, fanning herself and wiping her face. Willow knew the tell tale signs of a triclops mastering their emotions, “oh, blast it. Yes. Mr. Caxton has shown himself quite the brute this time. I am sympathetic to his situation, I am, I truly am, but there are limits. Mr. Flynn would be livid if he knew what has happened here, I’m sure. Ms. Flynn relayed her suspicions to me the other day, and I determined it was in the best interest of all if I investigated.”
Eryl took a deep breath, and regained her posture, one of pride. It was a practiced air, “Dear Percival, so desperate, to think he would go to such lengths as to practice bloodsports with a young lady under the protection of Safeholme! Indeed, Mr. Flynn would flare at the indecency, I am sure of it. So I came, from Navipolis, to the Cairn Valley, to Jotungard, to the Cairn and Jotungard again before I was able to enter the Yormundyaws. I swear, I would have gotten here sooner, were it not for the ephemeral nature of geography here.”
It was at this point she cleared her throat, “Yes, my assistance. You are dear to Mr. Flynn, Mr. Flynn is very dear to me and I hold Ms. Flynn in high regard. Above all, I worry for Mr. Caxton, and so I thought it best to come here and help you along so you can get back home. Safely.”
Re: [The Dorms] A Perilous Acquaintance
“I’d like to make a point of order,” Willow lifted her hand and spoke softly after Eryl had said her piece. The teen sat up straight, her frame solid and her posture precise as she sat opposite of Eryl, and her look was calm but determined. “Everything you said is accurate, Miss Eryl, but I am more than just young; more than just a lady; and I am a student of Safeholme that is on summer vacation. I am an allomancer farm hand who is volunteering her time to help in a developing country; think the Peace Corp. To speak in Caxton’s defense, I’ve been given plenty of opportunities to back down. It isn’t Caxton making me stay, it is me. And if Mister Flynn has something to say on the matter then I will allow him to offer his own assistance in helping me, just as you are, ma’am.”
Looking to the side, Willow found the hat that Smart had created for her, the saber that Noble had given her, and to Phyllis.
“I worry about Caxton too; I also worry about the Artisans; and I worry about the smallkin. I refuse to back down if I am capable of helping them, but…”
Willow gave Eryl a bright smile.
“I am plenty happy to accept help from a member of the Menagerie, like yourself.”
Looking to the side, Willow found the hat that Smart had created for her, the saber that Noble had given her, and to Phyllis.
“I worry about Caxton too; I also worry about the Artisans; and I worry about the smallkin. I refuse to back down if I am capable of helping them, but…”
Willow gave Eryl a bright smile.
“I am plenty happy to accept help from a member of the Menagerie, like yourself.”
Re: [The Dorms] A Perilous Acquaintance
An evident lag in Ms. Maelgwyn’s mind spaced out her response. It was the second time in the conversation she was found to be ill-equipped to answer Willow, and the growing redness in her face was a tell-tale sign. She curled a hand to her chest.
“Myself? You mean me?” Eryl laughed, disbelievingly, “I… Why I have… I have been of assistance to them. The Menagerie, that is. I don’t think anyone would care for hearing me as… Mr. Caxton has made me part of their work recently, as well as Ms. Smith. Oh. But oh! To say that I’m a member of the Menagerie?”
There was a forlorn sense of reluctance in how her eyes drifted, “I would not say that around anyone else. Especially not Mr. Flynn.”
Willow could see her mouthing thoughts in a way that Drysi would do sometimes, but recovering much more quickly.
“My, but I have surely shifted the course of this conversation. You have made your case, and much like your predecessors you come from stubborn stock,” Eryl continued, dismayed. “It is your time, I will credit you in this argument, but you are still young, and the intent of your education was to prevent you from walking this path… Even if Mr. Caxton would agree that you are your own mage, there are dangers to straying too far from the safe path.”
The triclops managed to find her posture again, her eyes aglow with an growing inner strength, “I lost my humanity in this place, Ms. Fairburn. I emerged from it centuries later with terrible sins and begging on the streets in Guiyang. Once you are on a path, you will feel like you have no choice in the matter, people will mock you for thinking you have a choice in your life, but you always have a choice.”
Ms. Maelgwyn steadied her breathing for a moment, once again mastering her emotions before saying, “I would like to attend you. The sickness of this world is as much my responsibility as it is yours, even if Mr. Caxton would claim to protect me from it. Let’s not dwell, though. You said you had other questions?”
“Myself? You mean me?” Eryl laughed, disbelievingly, “I… Why I have… I have been of assistance to them. The Menagerie, that is. I don’t think anyone would care for hearing me as… Mr. Caxton has made me part of their work recently, as well as Ms. Smith. Oh. But oh! To say that I’m a member of the Menagerie?”
There was a forlorn sense of reluctance in how her eyes drifted, “I would not say that around anyone else. Especially not Mr. Flynn.”
Willow could see her mouthing thoughts in a way that Drysi would do sometimes, but recovering much more quickly.
“My, but I have surely shifted the course of this conversation. You have made your case, and much like your predecessors you come from stubborn stock,” Eryl continued, dismayed. “It is your time, I will credit you in this argument, but you are still young, and the intent of your education was to prevent you from walking this path… Even if Mr. Caxton would agree that you are your own mage, there are dangers to straying too far from the safe path.”
The triclops managed to find her posture again, her eyes aglow with an growing inner strength, “I lost my humanity in this place, Ms. Fairburn. I emerged from it centuries later with terrible sins and begging on the streets in Guiyang. Once you are on a path, you will feel like you have no choice in the matter, people will mock you for thinking you have a choice in your life, but you always have a choice.”
Ms. Maelgwyn steadied her breathing for a moment, once again mastering her emotions before saying, “I would like to attend you. The sickness of this world is as much my responsibility as it is yours, even if Mr. Caxton would claim to protect me from it. Let’s not dwell, though. You said you had other questions?”
Re: [The Dorms] A Perilous Acquaintance
“Well… You walk like a duck, quack like a duck, and hang out with mystical juggernaut ducks; so at least as far as I’m concerned you’re a part of the Menagerie’s menagerie. I’ll add that to the list of things I bulldog to Mister Flynn about. And hey! If Flynn gatekeeps you from his team, then you can be on mine!” The smile Willow gave was broad and bombastic as crossed her legs on the bed and held her shins. Her look shifted to thoughtful as she considered the number of questions she had for Eryl. She took a deep breath.
“One; your name is Maelgwyn, so are you related to Drysi Maelgwyn? Two; you have feelings for Miss Smith, right? The times I’ve seen you at the ranch you tend to give some, uh, looks her way when you think no one is looking. Three; since you hang out in this realm and know Miss Smith and the others, were you involved in the big fight against the other Big Sads like Vengeance? Four; centuries? Damn, you look good for your age.”
Willow gasped for air.
“One; your name is Maelgwyn, so are you related to Drysi Maelgwyn? Two; you have feelings for Miss Smith, right? The times I’ve seen you at the ranch you tend to give some, uh, looks her way when you think no one is looking. Three; since you hang out in this realm and know Miss Smith and the others, were you involved in the big fight against the other Big Sads like Vengeance? Four; centuries? Damn, you look good for your age.”
Willow gasped for air.
Re: [The Dorms] A Perilous Acquaintance
In the series of questions, Willow got four distinct facial expressions: ponderance, horror, hesitation, and embarrassment. For her gently alien face, Eryl had an incredible range of human expression. So, when she hardened her expression, it was easy to tell it was in an ironic effort to not be so easily read. That still left the answers to be addressed, and for this Willow had to wait. A good deal of thought was needed to answer carefully.
“Ms. Smith has been a great friend to me,” Eryl addressed, through clenched teeth, before rallying with greater resolution, “and my affection for her is merely wishful thinking. I would greatly appreciate your never bringing my ‘looks’ to her attention, as her friendship is one of my most cherished treasures.”
Then came the remaining questions, Eryl’s gaze drifted, failing as she tried to find something else to look at.
“A decade ago,” she began slowly, “I wronged Mr. Caxton and his friends, trying to escape this realm. I almost took his life, and those of the Menagerie, but he spared me in the end, even going so far as to surrender his arm to buy my freedom.”
The Leaf warrior began to shift awkwardly, but made no move to leave. Ms. Maelgwyn paid no attention to their continued glances to the door as she went on, “Ever since, I have been bonded to Mr. Caxton, and I knew his gift to me was never perfect. It was killing him. Ms. Smith was essential in buying some credibility when I begged the Menagerie to return here. It was a terrible affair, the gods of this plane had degenerated into cancerous shades…”
Phyllis began to kick restlessly.
“Sorrow. Slain by Mr. Flynn.“
A brief sense of vertigo shook Willow was assailed by a vision of a withered woman in sundered armor, her mouth sewn shut.
“Doubt. Slain by Ms. Smith.”
Next was a walking, bespectacled corpse, her mouth laughing perpetually even as her head rolled off.
“Fear. Slain by Ms. Alstad.”
An oily, spider-like man blossomed in her vision next, half shadow, half horror.
“Shame. Undone by Mr. Flynn.”
The hulking form of a centaur dominated her vision, wreathed in a bloody, grafted plates and a tattered war uniform.
“Loathing, the cursed animal, brought low by no small effort by everyone involved.”
An insectoid furnace burned away everything else, writhing in its fury and madness.
Willow was torn from her visions by the feeling of two small hands gripping her. Phyllis was clutching a sleeve, her face streaming with tears as she seemed to have awoken from some violent nightmare. The Leaf warrior was crumpled over on the floor, gripping their head.
“I was there when the world died then and when it died before,” came Eryl’s next words with great preponderance, “I witnessed the first betrayal…”
Reality took a side step as the Allomancer's mind saw a hulking mass, wearing black plate, driving a sword the size of a lamppost through a girl that looked a bit like Drysi, but more like the woman that sat across from her.
“... and tried to stop the next.”
A familiar scene greeted Willow, the same she had seen while scaling the Yormundyaws. Mr. Caxton, legless and prostrate, was desperately begging something of the figure in black plate before it drove that sword through a battered woman sitting between them.
Willow came to again, with Eryl helping up the shivering Spriggan off the floor. Phyllis was clenching her teeth, trying to keep it together.
“I barely survived, Mr. Caxton supposedly ascended into what he is now,” finished the triclops, finding her seat, “Ms. Kagami lost an arm, poor Ms. Flynn lost her life and Mr. Flynn was terribly mauled in the face. It was a terrible, bloody affair. And, worst of it, I do not know if we even saved him.”
A knock tapped at the threshold, standing at it was the Leaf God, looking between the two of them with his goggled, masked eyes.
“Willow, you’re awake. Ah, am I interrupting?”
“Ms. Smith has been a great friend to me,” Eryl addressed, through clenched teeth, before rallying with greater resolution, “and my affection for her is merely wishful thinking. I would greatly appreciate your never bringing my ‘looks’ to her attention, as her friendship is one of my most cherished treasures.”
Then came the remaining questions, Eryl’s gaze drifted, failing as she tried to find something else to look at.
“A decade ago,” she began slowly, “I wronged Mr. Caxton and his friends, trying to escape this realm. I almost took his life, and those of the Menagerie, but he spared me in the end, even going so far as to surrender his arm to buy my freedom.”
The Leaf warrior began to shift awkwardly, but made no move to leave. Ms. Maelgwyn paid no attention to their continued glances to the door as she went on, “Ever since, I have been bonded to Mr. Caxton, and I knew his gift to me was never perfect. It was killing him. Ms. Smith was essential in buying some credibility when I begged the Menagerie to return here. It was a terrible affair, the gods of this plane had degenerated into cancerous shades…”
Phyllis began to kick restlessly.
“Sorrow. Slain by Mr. Flynn.“
A brief sense of vertigo shook Willow was assailed by a vision of a withered woman in sundered armor, her mouth sewn shut.
“Doubt. Slain by Ms. Smith.”
Next was a walking, bespectacled corpse, her mouth laughing perpetually even as her head rolled off.
“Fear. Slain by Ms. Alstad.”
An oily, spider-like man blossomed in her vision next, half shadow, half horror.
“Shame. Undone by Mr. Flynn.”
The hulking form of a centaur dominated her vision, wreathed in a bloody, grafted plates and a tattered war uniform.
“Loathing, the cursed animal, brought low by no small effort by everyone involved.”
An insectoid furnace burned away everything else, writhing in its fury and madness.
Willow was torn from her visions by the feeling of two small hands gripping her. Phyllis was clutching a sleeve, her face streaming with tears as she seemed to have awoken from some violent nightmare. The Leaf warrior was crumpled over on the floor, gripping their head.
“I was there when the world died then and when it died before,” came Eryl’s next words with great preponderance, “I witnessed the first betrayal…”
Reality took a side step as the Allomancer's mind saw a hulking mass, wearing black plate, driving a sword the size of a lamppost through a girl that looked a bit like Drysi, but more like the woman that sat across from her.
“... and tried to stop the next.”
A familiar scene greeted Willow, the same she had seen while scaling the Yormundyaws. Mr. Caxton, legless and prostrate, was desperately begging something of the figure in black plate before it drove that sword through a battered woman sitting between them.
Willow came to again, with Eryl helping up the shivering Spriggan off the floor. Phyllis was clenching her teeth, trying to keep it together.
“I barely survived, Mr. Caxton supposedly ascended into what he is now,” finished the triclops, finding her seat, “Ms. Kagami lost an arm, poor Ms. Flynn lost her life and Mr. Flynn was terribly mauled in the face. It was a terrible, bloody affair. And, worst of it, I do not know if we even saved him.”
A knock tapped at the threshold, standing at it was the Leaf God, looking between the two of them with his goggled, masked eyes.
“Willow, you’re awake. Ah, am I interrupting?”
Re: [The Dorms] A Perilous Acquaintance
In an odd sense Willow was accustomed to the odd visions; only now she was capable of recognizing the faces and notable appearances. As soon as she felt Phyllis clinging to her she anchored herself onto the sensation and held the canidaer close. Deep breath in, and deep breath out. Along with the sense of foreboding was the confirmation that what she was seeing was, at least, some manner of reality. Flynn, that one Miss Riley gal, and Miss Smith had all gone up against beings of similar caliber to Vengeance, except now Willow was expected to do it herself; although with the added assistance of Eryl, despite what the woman might attest to her value,
“Yes! You are interrupting,” Willow spoke brusquely, but with a candid smile that invited further involvement. “What can I do you for, Leaf? Time already my filibuster?”
“Yes! You are interrupting,” Willow spoke brusquely, but with a candid smile that invited further involvement. “What can I do you for, Leaf? Time already my filibuster?”
Re: [The Dorms] A Perilous Acquaintance
“I thought that now that you were awake, I could take care of some of my usual business,” answered Leaf, carrying a tome tightly under his arm, bundled with his staff. He gave a brief nod to Eryl, who stared back at him, quietly discomforted, “After all, you are sleeping in my bed. As for the others, we’ve had a few tribes trickling in since sunrise. Most should be here by dusk.”
With that, Leaf dropped off his tome and put away his staff, before pacing along the wall of books, gripping the filter of his mask. Phyllis’ grip finally began to loosen on Willow’s arm, and she sat upright in the bed. Her eye stared off beyond the wall she was looking at, before realizing Eryl was there.
“What is Baba doin’ here?”
“In due time,” Eryl raised a buffering hand, “I did not answer your other question. Something of a lighter topic, Drysi Maelgwyn, she is a descendant of mine, and I her ancestor. My mother remarried and started a lineage that led to Drysi herself. You could consider me her quite great aunt, and she, my niece, although I try to stay out of her life. Her family, as I understand, are refugees of the Library of Cardiff, and I am often an awful reminder to those who are familiar.”
The triclops brought a hand to her mouth to stifle a little clearing of the throat, “Ahem. Any more questions?”
With that, Leaf dropped off his tome and put away his staff, before pacing along the wall of books, gripping the filter of his mask. Phyllis’ grip finally began to loosen on Willow’s arm, and she sat upright in the bed. Her eye stared off beyond the wall she was looking at, before realizing Eryl was there.
“What is Baba doin’ here?”
“In due time,” Eryl raised a buffering hand, “I did not answer your other question. Something of a lighter topic, Drysi Maelgwyn, she is a descendant of mine, and I her ancestor. My mother remarried and started a lineage that led to Drysi herself. You could consider me her quite great aunt, and she, my niece, although I try to stay out of her life. Her family, as I understand, are refugees of the Library of Cardiff, and I am often an awful reminder to those who are familiar.”
The triclops brought a hand to her mouth to stifle a little clearing of the throat, “Ahem. Any more questions?”
Re: [The Dorms] A Perilous Acquaintance
“I was perfectly fine sleeping on the walkway,” Willow whispered to Eryl as Leaf entered and started going about his business. Once Phyllis had woken the Brit then pat canidaer’s head while listening to the rest of what the triclops had to say. Once she opened up for questions again, Willow motioned for Phyllis to hop off the bed, at which point she got up and started to make the bed.
“You should talk to her,” was the next thing Willow said; it wasn’t a question, but she felt it more pressing. “I’m faaaaaar from having any say in how to handle family, but Drysi has been working her butt off putting the Library of Cardigan behind her, and, well, it sounds like you are doing the same. Might be good for the both of you. Plus, yay for aunties~”
Willow finished making the bed and turned to wave her hands for emphasis. After that, she walked over to Leaf and patted him on the back.
“Thanks for letting me bum here, I owe ya one,” she offered before starting to collect her things.
Duster and cowboy hat on, Willow looked to Eryl and nodded towards the door as she walked towards it herself.
“Just some idle questions, but I think it time we talk shop a bit,” Willow spoke without looking at the triclops, instead trying to recall how to get back to the ground. “What kind of help are you offering? Are we talking boots-on-the-ground kind of help? Or something more insubstantial?”
“You should talk to her,” was the next thing Willow said; it wasn’t a question, but she felt it more pressing. “I’m faaaaaar from having any say in how to handle family, but Drysi has been working her butt off putting the Library of Cardigan behind her, and, well, it sounds like you are doing the same. Might be good for the both of you. Plus, yay for aunties~”
Willow finished making the bed and turned to wave her hands for emphasis. After that, she walked over to Leaf and patted him on the back.
“Thanks for letting me bum here, I owe ya one,” she offered before starting to collect her things.
Duster and cowboy hat on, Willow looked to Eryl and nodded towards the door as she walked towards it herself.
“Just some idle questions, but I think it time we talk shop a bit,” Willow spoke without looking at the triclops, instead trying to recall how to get back to the ground. “What kind of help are you offering? Are we talking boots-on-the-ground kind of help? Or something more insubstantial?”
Re: [The Dorms] A Perilous Acquaintance
“I am here to preserve you until you can exit this plane,” came a sharp answer from Eryl, erupting from a quiet doldrum after discussing Drysi. Willow’s words had inspired some contemplation, but, unlike Drysi, Eryl was decent at staying on task, “I am a Master Abjurer; a meaningless title, I’m sure, most can call themselves Masters of they gather all the tenets, but it is a school I have pursued obsessively.”
“Yer repulsive?” Phyllis assessed with uncharacteristic callousness. Eryl looked down at her with a look of contempt that the Canidaer shrank away at.
“Phyllis?” Eryl’s gaze went from something severe to a soft regard. She squatted, resting her staff on her thighs, coming eye to eye with the Sergeant.
“You remember me?”
Eryl cupped Phyllis’ cheek, caressing the ugly scar that traced to the Canidaer’s eye.
“LEAF,” boomed a thunderous voice, which shook the hut and the Leaf God himself. He had been in the middle of withdrawing a book, before shoving it back into place, “Where are you!?”
“The Horn God,” muttered Leaf in a way someone could only with contorted lips.
A shadow darkened the doorway, before a woman of great size crashed through the threshold. Shards of wood exploded outward, stopping short of Willow and her companion as Eryl extended her staff. The eight foot tall woman, clad in furs and bone, brushed off wood detritus as she entered.
“Leaf,” growled the Horn God clenching her fists, her mane of auburn hair bristling, “What have I told you about ‘talks’?”
Leaf started looking around, perhaps for words that he couldn’t find. Panic set in as the Horn God began to stomp over, and Leaf scrambled over his desk.
“Come here, little man,” she snarled, cracking her knuckles.
“Yer repulsive?” Phyllis assessed with uncharacteristic callousness. Eryl looked down at her with a look of contempt that the Canidaer shrank away at.
“Phyllis?” Eryl’s gaze went from something severe to a soft regard. She squatted, resting her staff on her thighs, coming eye to eye with the Sergeant.
“You remember me?”
Eryl cupped Phyllis’ cheek, caressing the ugly scar that traced to the Canidaer’s eye.
“LEAF,” boomed a thunderous voice, which shook the hut and the Leaf God himself. He had been in the middle of withdrawing a book, before shoving it back into place, “Where are you!?”
“The Horn God,” muttered Leaf in a way someone could only with contorted lips.
A shadow darkened the doorway, before a woman of great size crashed through the threshold. Shards of wood exploded outward, stopping short of Willow and her companion as Eryl extended her staff. The eight foot tall woman, clad in furs and bone, brushed off wood detritus as she entered.
“Leaf,” growled the Horn God clenching her fists, her mane of auburn hair bristling, “What have I told you about ‘talks’?”
Leaf started looking around, perhaps for words that he couldn’t find. Panic set in as the Horn God began to stomp over, and Leaf scrambled over his desk.
“Come here, little man,” she snarled, cracking her knuckles.