"You can utilise magic?" Emma asks in surprise, but she keeps her voice down as Bryn does. She seems a little sceptical, since most in those areas who claim they utilise magic are either conmen or Druids from Etana, and the latter group is rare enough to encounter that most people never do.
Once she hears Bryn whispering, she seems a bit more convinced, though not entirely yet. After all, they're right next to each other. It could still have been a trick. "Was that..." unfamiliar with magic, Emma speaks the words both aloud and through the spell simultaneously, but she seems to realise that and stops. By the time she resumes, the spell had ended, and she continues in a hushed voice. "Was that really...?"
But she stops abruptly once she hears Arren approaching. Which, Bryn notices, is a sound so faint at the moment that he wouldn't have noticed if she hadn't stopped. As Arren gets closer, the sound becomes louder, but Bryn still thinks he'd have noticed him only later. Bryn can be sure that Emma has many questions, but for the moment, she keeps them to herself.
Arren would not have heard the two talk before Emma went silent.
Sergeant al-Nasrid arrives to find no one in sight at first glance, before quickly realising that both Emma and Corporal Peite are inside the tent and that everything is in order.
He gives them both a short nod, sets his backpack down just inside the alcove, and informs them, "Commandant Nattensbarn and Lieutenant Tireur have accompanied me. They'll be arriving shortly. I came ahead so they wouldn't take you by surprise, Emma."
Since the Corporal had already been told this was likely to happen, Arren simply waits for Emma's acknowledgement before continuing, "I've informed them of everything that happened last night, but they'll probably want to speak to you directly and ask their own questions."
He gives them both a moment to respond, in case either Emma or Tace have something they wish to say. If not, he'll return to meet the Commandant and Lieutenant, and escort them so they can finally speak with Emma.
Once the group is assembled—and assuming Commandant Nattensbarn takes the lead, as she usually does—Arren will remain nearby, silent at first, keeping a close watch on the exchange and positioning himself a step behind, at the Commandant's side.
'Tace' nods as she questions whether it really is magic, before once again whispering, "A minor piece of magic, but magic yes. You have excellent hearing".
By this time the Sergeant has made his way to the alcove, and he return the nod, listening as Emma is informed of the arrival of the Commandant and Lieutenant.
"Perhaps it is best to move out of the tent, where there is a little more room", he says, and motions for Emma to move outside. He has started to feel a little more comfortable in her presence, and is a little more relaxed around her.
Careful, who knows what will happen when Emma comes face to face with the Commandant. I need to keep my focus.
Lieutenant Tireur listens to Arren as he describes Emma, occasionally interrupting to ask for further details or add a remark. "Then I'll make sure not to startle her, if I can." He muses once Arren is finished. Beyond that, he doesn't talk much during the short walk to the forest.
When Arren informs Emma of his superiors' arrival, she nods in acknowledgement. "Thank you for letting me know," she answers. She'll then follow Bryn outside the tent and stand where instructed.
It takes but a few moments for Arren to walk back to where he left his superiors and call for them. When he arrives, he finds the Commandant still observing the messages on the trees. She has her wooden writing board in one hand already, and she writes something on a sheet of paper with her reed pen. When Arren arrives and informs her that they can proceed, she stops writing and follows him to the alcove.
"Greetings, Emma. I've heard much about you. I believe it is time we become acquainted." The Commandant starts once she stands in front of her. "I am Commandant Miyako Nattensbarn, the direct commanding officer over these two soldiers. I hope they have been treating you well in my absence?"
"Yes, they have," Emma answers readily. "As much as they could, given my... situation."
The two continue to talk for a long time. Commandant Nattensbarn is very thorough in her questioning. Although Arren can tell she's trying her best to be compassionate, she still dissects this problem in the same cold and sharp manner she always does, forcing Emma to recount the entire story as she had experienced it, starting from when Hector and her only first tried to conceive and without skipping anything. Naturally, this leads to Kone Peite too.
"My subordinates told me they've read your letters. From my understanding, based on their reports, it was only after they'd talked to you once already. I hope they got your permission first?" This was not the first time the Commandant had asked such a question during this questioning. In fact, she had made sure several times whether the two had been acting according to military standards. Once she gets Emma's confirmation, she continues: "In it, they mentioned they saw you confided in her with your problem, something I understand you didn't do often. Why is that?"
Emma shifts her eyes momentarily towards "Tace", a movement which the Commandant seems to catch but misinterprets. She turns towards him briefly, saying, "I do apologise for intruding on your privacy, but I have to make sure I have the complete story here." She turns back to Emma. "Please continue."
"Well, as I... as I told the Sergeant over there," despite remembering their names, Emma had soon started calling the two by their ranks, following the Commandant's example. "I met Kone when I studied in Pyorre. I didn't have the luck to meet the Corporal back then," she quickly adds, "since he was always away. Kone runs a bakery there... 'Knead a Break' it's called. I found that she had good hands in baking and was pleasant to talk to. We became friends, and I suppose she once told me about the fact that they had tried for a long time before they... managed to conceive. When we were struggling, I... I recalled that and... despite not keeping in touch, I decided to write to her. I had some hope she could tell me her secret, but in the end, there was nothing special. For them, it just... worked, eventually."
They continue to talk, the Commandant writing notes on her paper as they do, for a pretty long time. However, despite the Commandant's thorough questioning, she doesn't manage to extract any new information from Emma that Arren and Bryn didn't already know.
"... don't remember how I got there or what had happened," Emma answers one of the Commandant's questions regarding her 'turning'. By now, Lieutenant Tireur had found a nearby tree to lean on, and Emma with the Commandant are also sitting. Having been speaking for so long, there's no reason to stand. "Or sometimes I remember only fragments of it, and they too aren't very clear. But there are other times, as I've said before, when I fe-" She abruptly gags for a moment, and then yells thunderously to everyone's surprise: "GET AWAY!"
Emma falls on her back and spasms for a moment. It had been just a fraction of a second, but her face and arms had already changed their form, giving away that she had turned. Commandant Nattensbarn, who had been sitting about a metre away, crawls back in horror and struggles to stand before retreating away. It seems, however, that the turned Emma finds the manacles restricting and of more importance than the Commandant or anyone else. She tries to break free from them with brute force, but the metal holds and sinks into her arms, causing her to bleed a little.
Then, Emma arches her back and screeches loudly. Her whole body shudders, and she seems to be in great pain, when suddenly, with a roaring wail and a sound of cloth tearing, her dress rips from behind and through a hole that is formed, a spiny, lashing tail that's almost as long as a person extrudes itself.
The grey area is a small cliff that's ~2 metres high. The various stumps represent the pine trees in the area, such that the one at E-10 is where Emma was manacled the other night. The entrance to the alcove is in C-8, and the entire alcove is only B-8 (where you can stand if needed). The bushes are all thorny and uncomfortable to pass through, but you can (difficult terrain). Except for the cluster in M-9, rocks aren't very large and so have no special meaning here. The cluster in M-9 can be climbed on (5 feet high). The translucent green line around the K row is a small yet steep descent of about five feet and counts as difficult terrain. The tent can be entered from both C-8 and F-8, though passing through it counts as difficult terrain due to its low height.
"You can utilise magic?" Emma asks in surprise, but she keeps her voice down as Bryn does. She seems a little sceptical, since most in those areas who claim they utilise magic are either conmen or Druids from Etana, and the latter group is rare enough to encounter that most people never do.
Once she hears Bryn whispering, she seems a bit more convinced, though not entirely yet. After all, they're right next to each other. It could still have been a trick. "Was that..." unfamiliar with magic, Emma speaks the words both aloud and through the spell simultaneously, but she seems to realise that and stops. By the time she resumes, the spell had ended, and she continues in a hushed voice. "Was that really...?"
But she stops abruptly once she hears Arren approaching. Which, Bryn notices, is a sound so faint at the moment that he wouldn't have noticed if she hadn't stopped. As Arren gets closer, the sound becomes louder, but Bryn still thinks he'd have noticed him only later. Bryn can be sure that Emma has many questions, but for the moment, she keeps them to herself.
Arren would not have heard the two talk before Emma went silent.
Varielky
Sergeant al-Nasrid arrives to find no one in sight at first glance, before quickly realising that both Emma and Corporal Peite are inside the tent and that everything is in order.
He gives them both a short nod, sets his backpack down just inside the alcove, and informs them, "Commandant Nattensbarn and Lieutenant Tireur have accompanied me. They'll be arriving shortly. I came ahead so they wouldn't take you by surprise, Emma."
Since the Corporal had already been told this was likely to happen, Arren simply waits for Emma's acknowledgement before continuing, "I've informed them of everything that happened last night, but they'll probably want to speak to you directly and ask their own questions."
He gives them both a moment to respond, in case either Emma or Tace have something they wish to say. If not, he'll return to meet the Commandant and Lieutenant, and escort them so they can finally speak with Emma.
Once the group is assembled—and assuming Commandant Nattensbarn takes the lead, as she usually does—Arren will remain nearby, silent at first, keeping a close watch on the exchange and positioning himself a step behind, at the Commandant's side.
Peindre l'amour, peindre la vie, pleurer en couleur ♫
Auriel | Shenua | Arren | Lyra
'Tace' nods as she questions whether it really is magic, before once again whispering, "A minor piece of magic, but magic yes. You have excellent hearing".
By this time the Sergeant has made his way to the alcove, and he return the nod, listening as Emma is informed of the arrival of the Commandant and Lieutenant.
"Perhaps it is best to move out of the tent, where there is a little more room", he says, and motions for Emma to move outside. He has started to feel a little more comfortable in her presence, and is a little more relaxed around her.
Careful, who knows what will happen when Emma comes face to face with the Commandant. I need to keep my focus.
Lieutenant Tireur listens to Arren as he describes Emma, occasionally interrupting to ask for further details or add a remark. "Then I'll make sure not to startle her, if I can." He muses once Arren is finished. Beyond that, he doesn't talk much during the short walk to the forest.
When Arren informs Emma of his superiors' arrival, she nods in acknowledgement. "Thank you for letting me know," she answers. She'll then follow Bryn outside the tent and stand where instructed.
It takes but a few moments for Arren to walk back to where he left his superiors and call for them. When he arrives, he finds the Commandant still observing the messages on the trees. She has her wooden writing board in one hand already, and she writes something on a sheet of paper with her reed pen. When Arren arrives and informs her that they can proceed, she stops writing and follows him to the alcove.
"Greetings, Emma. I've heard much about you. I believe it is time we become acquainted." The Commandant starts once she stands in front of her. "I am Commandant Miyako Nattensbarn, the direct commanding officer over these two soldiers. I hope they have been treating you well in my absence?"
"Yes, they have," Emma answers readily. "As much as they could, given my... situation."
The two continue to talk for a long time. Commandant Nattensbarn is very thorough in her questioning. Although Arren can tell she's trying her best to be compassionate, she still dissects this problem in the same cold and sharp manner she always does, forcing Emma to recount the entire story as she had experienced it, starting from when Hector and her only first tried to conceive and without skipping anything. Naturally, this leads to Kone Peite too.
"My subordinates told me they've read your letters. From my understanding, based on their reports, it was only after they'd talked to you once already. I hope they got your permission first?" This was not the first time the Commandant had asked such a question during this questioning. In fact, she had made sure several times whether the two had been acting according to military standards. Once she gets Emma's confirmation, she continues: "In it, they mentioned they saw you confided in her with your problem, something I understand you didn't do often. Why is that?"
Emma shifts her eyes momentarily towards "Tace", a movement which the Commandant seems to catch but misinterprets. She turns towards him briefly, saying, "I do apologise for intruding on your privacy, but I have to make sure I have the complete story here." She turns back to Emma. "Please continue."
"Well, as I... as I told the Sergeant over there," despite remembering their names, Emma had soon started calling the two by their ranks, following the Commandant's example. "I met Kone when I studied in Pyorre. I didn't have the luck to meet the Corporal back then," she quickly adds, "since he was always away. Kone runs a bakery there... 'Knead a Break' it's called. I found that she had good hands in baking and was pleasant to talk to. We became friends, and I suppose she once told me about the fact that they had tried for a long time before they... managed to conceive. When we were struggling, I... I recalled that and... despite not keeping in touch, I decided to write to her. I had some hope she could tell me her secret, but in the end, there was nothing special. For them, it just... worked, eventually."
They continue to talk, the Commandant writing notes on her paper as they do, for a pretty long time. However, despite the Commandant's thorough questioning, she doesn't manage to extract any new information from Emma that Arren and Bryn didn't already know.
"... don't remember how I got there or what had happened," Emma answers one of the Commandant's questions regarding her 'turning'. By now, Lieutenant Tireur had found a nearby tree to lean on, and Emma with the Commandant are also sitting. Having been speaking for so long, there's no reason to stand. "Or sometimes I remember only fragments of it, and they too aren't very clear. But there are other times, as I've said before, when I fe-" She abruptly gags for a moment, and then yells thunderously to everyone's surprise: "GET AWAY!"
Emma falls on her back and spasms for a moment. It had been just a fraction of a second, but her face and arms had already changed their form, giving away that she had turned. Commandant Nattensbarn, who had been sitting about a metre away, crawls back in horror and struggles to stand before retreating away. It seems, however, that the turned Emma finds the manacles restricting and of more importance than the Commandant or anyone else. She tries to break free from them with brute force, but the metal holds and sinks into her arms, causing her to bleed a little.
Then, Emma arches her back and screeches loudly. Her whole body shudders, and she seems to be in great pain, when suddenly, with a roaring wail and a sound of cloth tearing, her dress rips from behind and through a hole that is formed, a spiny, lashing tail that's almost as long as a person extrudes itself.
Please roll for initiative.
Varielky
Arren's initiative: 1+2 = 3
Peindre l'amour, peindre la vie, pleurer en couleur ♫
Auriel | Shenua | Arren | Lyra
‘Tace’s’ Initiative: 14+4=18
The grey area is a small cliff that's ~2 metres high. The various stumps represent the pine trees in the area, such that the one at E-10 is where Emma was manacled the other night. The entrance to the alcove is in C-8, and the entire alcove is only B-8 (where you can stand if needed). The bushes are all thorny and uncomfortable to pass through, but you can (difficult terrain). Except for the cluster in M-9, rocks aren't very large and so have no special meaning here. The cluster in M-9 can be climbed on (5 feet high). The translucent green line around the K row is a small yet steep descent of about five feet and counts as difficult terrain. The tent can be entered from both C-8 and F-8, though passing through it counts as difficult terrain due to its low height.
Initiative Order:
Varielky