Its the End of the World (as we know it)

"Hey," Thistle holds out a hand to slow the group, then knocks a bunch of stuff off the mule. "Pick that up slowly," she instructs.

"Listen, we can't let Commander Grath take Daktani in. He'll throw him in a deep cell, or worse, and we'll never get his story out. I'm gonna have to say hi to Bireal, I can tell her what we found, but I'll try not to talk much, you guys should just try to go through into the city. Um...say Daktani is an old friend of... uh, Zashier's, who, um, turned up at the farm? If they ask about it, you can talk them into circles, right, big guy?"

"Then, what, maybe we take Daktani to the Sanctuary? Try to get him a fair hearing there? I don't know where is best, exactly. I'm afraid Lord Markelhay will be swayed by Jagrin Grath's opinions, but I'm really new to this town..."

She continues slowly picking up the stuff she knocked off, looking to the others for their thoughts.

Is Yokini one of the things Thistle knocked off Gomol? :)

No, but I assume she has bags, or panniers, or something, right?

I was kidding. Yes, Gomol carries saddlebags. It's possible Yokini's pack was resting on the back of the mule as well. The gnome says a heart-hearted "Hey" as Thistle brushes Gomol's bags onto the ground, but then she realizes what is going on and quiets down. "I agree," Yokini says. "We could say he needs medical attention, so we're taking him to my office for me to look at him." She gives the half-orc a look that is a little more pitying than she means to.

"Uhhh.... uhhh.... uhm..." Is all about all Zashier can muster while scratching his head. So confused was he, he hadn't even know if he was supposed to feel insulted or take her thoughts of his speechifying as a compliment. But given at least a solid thirty seconds or so to fully compute her request, he finally finds some semblance of an ability to talk again. "First of all, the Sanctuary might not be such a bad idea. And since you're gonna talk to Biri anyways, which I much appreciate, you can have her meet us there."

"And secondly, uhm.... I think its best I don't see anything. Not sure you heard my story about my father. You know, the whole there being no point in pretending to be something he wasn't? Really inspiration, you know. Makes me wish I had a few nuggets like that under my belt, as it would certainly be nice to pass them along. But, that one really sticks with you, you know. And as his son, its perhaps not hard to imagine that I am all you see."

"I would even go so far as to say that I wear my heart on my sleeve. But as that is medically impossible, and I don't currently have sleeves, that's perhaps harder to imagine." He actually drifts off in thought for a moment, before shaking his head. "So, lets hope they don't ask anything, and if they do, which as guards I would hope they do properly, I will do my level best to say... nothing." He said, and tried to give a comforting smile.

A flash of annoyance crosses Thistle face, but she looks to Yashiera, "Fine, can you do the talking then?"

Loading the last of the stuff back on Gomol, she looks to the others. "Are we good? I'll find you guys if I fall behind, don't wait for me. Get him somewhere safe."

While not necessarily annoyed, Yokini looks at Zashier as if she is listening to the ramblings of a crazy person.

Lem sees Yokini's look and actually nods in understanding, amazed he's picked up on a social cue. He sighs, and tries to speak quietly.

"We have to get word to get word to Markelhay about the invasion, tell Bireal and the guard about Skreed and the murder, and look for the graffiti to ascertain the threat. Oh and Daktani probably shouldn't be able to run back to Skreed to tell all he's learned about us."

He looks up at the conversation between Bireal and Grath, toggling back into Moon's head, to see if he can hear better. Then he toggles back out.

"I can go tell the commander that we've found out what Romeo's murderer looks like, show him the illusion, which might distract him enough to let the rest of you get him through?" Lem looks at Yokini with a semi-helpless 'will that work' sort of expression. 

“I’d rather not show the picture to Jagrin Grath, because we’ll have to explain how you got the description. Then we have to lie, and I won’t lie to Bireal.” She sets her jaw firmly.

Yokini gives Lem a very mother-is-proud look. "As usual, you've thought of everything." To Thistle, she says, "I can lie. I don't like to do it, but I think it's better than throwing our new guest to the wolves."

“What? Wait, you want to go up to Commander Grath and Bireal? With Lem? And lie to them?” Thistle thinks maybe she should have knocked Yokini off the mule after all.

"Keeping the half-orc a secret is one thing, but we need to relay everything else we've learned," Yokini says. "Skreed has already murdered one person. Who knows what else he might be planning. The guard need to be made aware immediately. With their help, we should be able to figure out what those markings mean more quickly as well."

A sound like a groan comes out of Thistle. “Uuughh... yes, fine, but I can’t just walk past Bireal without stopping! And we can’t get Daktani near Jagrin Grath. So... do you propose we just leave Daktani and Zashier to sneak through the gates? And Yashiera, of course,” she acknowledges the other woman with a nod.

"We should decide soon. Can't set up camp here by this donkey. What if we called Bireal over here right now, told her what we found, and asked her advice? She'd know what we can and can't tell Grath. I barely know the man, but she does," Lem says.

Thistle's head comes up. "That's not a half bad idea, but he might come over with her... still we're already looking suspicious. Daktani, don't speak if you can help it. Let's go towards the gate, I'll wave her over."

Clearly ready to move on, Thistle starts towards the gate again, "sees" Bireal, and half jogs towards her, waving her over. She'll slow to try to get Bireal to come towards her, and watch for whether Jagrin Grath is moving to come with her, or if they seem to be finishing up their conversation. (She's also cognizant of the fact that Bireal may not want her... relationship, with Thistle to be laid out to her father, and in fact plans to use that as a reason she didn't come over, if Bireal asks.)

"Leave the distraction to me," Yokini says, pulling a vial out of her bag. The potion's clear liquid floats at the top of its container and has cloudy white impurities drifting in it. She pulls the stopper and drinks down the potion of flying. Releasing her held breath in a sigh of contentment, she smacks her lips and then rises up off of the donkey's saddle. She grins at Lem. "Look after Gomol." She turns toward Bireal and Grath and flies straight at them, intent on plowing into Grath. Part way there, she starts making noises like she's out of control. If, after plowing into Grath, Bireal acts like she's going to stay, Yokini says, "Oh dear! Oh, hi, dear. Thistle needs a word." And to keep Grath engaged, she continues to lift off fly crazily around him acting as though she has no control and needs his help.

Deception: 5

She's not the best actor, evidently.

As Yokini flies past her, Thistle performs a poorly concealed facepalm.

(And so it begins... :)

What began as such a well thought out plan has now diffused into what can only be surmised as chaos. 

Lem sends Moon ahead as you travel. She lands on a parapet near Jagrin and Bireal, but is too far away to hear anything. Lem mentally communicates to Moon to get closer, which she does. She begins to make lazy loops in the sky, getting closer and closer the two sharing a conversation. The both look up, but take no notice of the bird. As Moon swoops lower and lower, Lem starts to pick up on pieces of their conversation - (Discussion of Romero, where Jagrin has been (out riding, processing his thoughts), plans of a funeral pyre later that day, Bireal's concern about it not being suicide, and concern about her father not processing the events well.)

As Lem is focused into what Moon is hearing, he is stopped suddenly by Thistle, who knocks Yokini’s personal possessions off of Gomol, to which Yokini is a bit taken aback, but quickly understands that Thistle is buying them some time before making any decisions at the gate. Much discussion is had, to the point of it getting awkward that you are still standing 60 feet from the gate, just chatting. The soldiers atop the wall have lowered their crossbows, and are more curious now as to what is going on, but they have too much respect for the heroes of Fallcrest to come out and interrupt.

Daktani looks to the group, during the discussion, under his hood, pleading in a soft voice - “Don’t let them take me. Don’t let them put me in a dungeon to rot. I can be helpful, I can! Just don’t let them take me.”

Thistle presents the plan that she will take to Bireal, and the group should try to get through the gate quickly, then make their way to the Sanctuary. Yashiera agrees to do the talking if they are stopped at the gate. Everyone agrees to this plan, until Lem reminds the group of what is at stake, the immediacy of finding Skreed, and warning about war. 

Thistle moves up to call Bireal over, hoping Jagrin does not come with her.

As she does this, Yokini downs the potion of flying, and takes off int he direction of Jagrin and Bireal. 

11

Jagrin barely manages to pull his horse out of the path of the flying Yokini, but it separates them enough for Yokini to communicate to Bireal that Thistle wants to tell her something. Then Yokini proceeds to fly around Jagrin Grath, an an attempt to pretend she is out of control, but it feels very much like a.... modern break from the fantasy world - it feels like B-movie horror flying effects....and Jagrin signals for the archers to aim at you. He yells up at Yokini, apparently not having much of a sense of humor, "Come down now, or I will have them bring you down"

Thistle moved up the road, and Bireal is making her way to meet Thistle, but something about her seems much more reserved and professional than the Bireal you have seen in private.

Behind Thistle, Zashier, Yashiera, Lem, Gomol, and Daktani are moving forward, attempting to pass by...

Thistle what do you say to Bireal? What you say will determine if she tries to stop Zashier to catch up with him and the others as well, or if she focuses on you and lets them pass by towards the gate...

OOC > No pressure. :) You didn't tell me how much talking I could do, so I talked a lot...

Thistle matches Bireal's professionalism, at first, stopping a few feet away from her. "The guard should send a well equipped patrol to the Plague House, probably a priest, too, there are haunts, and a jelly cube monster we left barricaded, a tunnel being dug... all signs of a larger conspiracy at work here..." but she can't keep it up.

Her eyes soften, and her hand twitches, like she wants to reach out, but then her eyes flicker to where Jagrin Grath is, then back to the woman. Thistle lowers her voice a little, so it is obvious she is saying this for Bireal alone. "Biri, we found a witness, a half-orc, not the murderer, but he knows him, and he's willing to talk. Zashier... did something to him, and he wants to talk. It was murder, Biri, Romero didn't kill himself. And there's signs of a new war, trolls and orcs in the north, working together..." She looks at Jagrin Grath again, behind Bireal.

She hurries on, making eye contact with Bireal. "It's not safe, Biri, we need to protect him until he can tell the full story. We think if we get him to the Sanctuary, we can keep him safe from any of his conspirators in Fallcrest, including the man who killed Romero, and from... anyone who might want to get revenge for Romero. We need your help... I need your help. This man, he's the only link we have to it all, Romero, the war, the conspiracy."

She pauses to give the woman a chance to react.

"What?" Yokini yells, bobbing up and down in the air while turning a circle around Grath's head. There's laughter in her voice, but then she looks at the archers, and the laugh dies in her throat. She stops bobbing and spinning, but remains in the air just a few feet above. She puts her hands on her hips. "Do you know who I am? I'm one of the ones who stopped the dragon cult. The ones Lord Markelhay thanked in front of the whole city. You're going to threaten to stick me with arrows simply because I'm having a little fun?"