Balgrim

Balgrim indicates his desire to return to the farm, sits back and enjoys the ride back.

Barna nods as she listens, still looking back deeply into his eyes, trying to understand what he's been through.
"So, you're like a boiling pot, and strong feelings are like the flame... if it gets too hot, your lid pops off, and that's when you freeze up." she says, trying to find an analogy that fits her understanding.
"I can somewhat relate, but in the opposite way. I can't... NOT feel. I feel everything so strongly, and trying to hold in what I feel is smothering. It's hard to not just act on my instincts all the time. I don't WANT to be what everyone EXPECTS me to be, some brawny simpleton like the act I put on when we first met. That's why... that's why when you decided to help me even when you had very little to gain, it... it meant the world to me. You accepted me. So... if you'll help me learn to keep myself a little more under control..." she says, stepping closer.
"Maybe I can help you learn how to feel... without popping your lid." she murmurs, her arms dropping down to his waist. She doesn't want to push him any further than she already has, but she is really holding herself back from acting on her impulses, as she said previously. 

"Read or leave, no flirting in my collection, you two." squacks the pewter bird. Barna visibly jumps and glowers at the bird, grinding her teeth but unable to find a reasonable retort.

Sister Daar thinks upon his vision, putting a finger to her chin.
"That wasn't just some herbal fever dream. You COULDN'T have known those things about yourself. And... I highly doubt Raia would send you such a vision without at least communicating with you about it... it seems awfully personal for Baha to send you such a vision. How curious." she says, folding her arms as she slithers along with the other two.
"And Kallista's vision... I can't even begin to guess. I didn't even know there WAS a titan beneath Guiston. That's worth looking into." she murmurs. "I'll research what I can in the Hearth."  

Balgrim finds out that the labour can't make it all the way to the farm. The life lines expire where the roads are no longer paved, but the walk from the last street to the farmland isn't too much of a bother, and on the way, he connects again with Aelar, Kallista, and Sister Daar. Seems they're missing a few of their number. 
The Goodwins are happy to host the group for another night, having already prepared a dinner for them. It almost feels festive, were the troubles of the past few days not nipping at their heels. Sister Daar excuses herself once she knows that the 'kids' are safely to their destination, but lets them know that they're always welcome at her mission. 

Aelar enjoys the food and catching up with his friends, but it's been a long day and he's tired and tomorrow he'll be hard at work at the farm again.  Giving his friends all a warm smile, he thanks their hosts and head to bed.  He disrobes and carefully folds his new clothing, figuring that in a few days he'll have enough for a nice set, something that will help him charm his way into the ritzy section of town.

Kallista also thanks the Goodwins for their hospitality again, glad to be somewhere she considered 'safe'. When she finishes eating, she also changea back into her nightgown... if it could even be called that anymore. She was anxious about not being up on time, but trusted her body to know when to get up.

She does take a while getting 'comfortable' though, wings making it a challenge to sleep in any position she would prefer and the hay making it harder to sleep how she would back when she lived in a house. Eventually she takes one of the coata and puts it on, forcing her wings to stay closer together and finally managing to properly got to bed.

Hyre listens to Barna. He'd met several people who would say the same about themselves. Though they were a riddle to him, it was always an interesting one. When the voice speaks, Hyre is reminded why he's there. Time doesn't wait for anyone, he knows this already. He takes a few steps towards the exit and tries to assess how much time had passed.

"I think we should go." Hyre eventually says. He speaks to both Barna and the magical bird. "I don't think there's a point in starting to learn something new this late. I've already learned... a lot today. Now that I'm waiting for this egg to hatch, I'm in no rush." He picks up the egg and turns to the bird first. "Thank you very much, sir. I owe you a lot for letting me use this place. I'll probably come here tomorrow too." Then, turning to Barna, "I'm heading out."

Walking through what he assumed was the nicer part of Guiston, Lazlo hoped they were headed towards someplace familiar. He was sure that the rest of his friends got safely back to the farm- but he allowed himself to worry over them for a bit. Worrying made his head start to hurt, but they were worth it.  Each of them, in turn had suffered a loss he felt he wouldn’t understand unless something happened to them. They were his best, and until now- only friends.

Of course there were people in Hon who were kind to him. There were even people who had taken him in for a spell- especially when he was much younger. Lazlo suspected that while some of them felt that their charity was the right thing to do, his antics were often enough to allow them to divorce themselves from that notion. Like the pup you take in off the street who turned out to have fleas (or howl all night long, or eat the harvest ham off the table)... he was tolerated until inconvenient. 

 The longest place he stayed- and the closest to kin he had in Hon was Old Man Coggins (who called him ‘Goat’ but fed him when he was hungry and let him sleep in the barn when it was cold.) who lived in a run down shack on the poor side of town. Old Man Coggins had a delightful propensity towards orneriness and a vocabulary that would be the envy of a sailor. Some nights he would get his cider jug out and sit on the porch, sipping on it and playing his fiddle. The old widower even let him try it out a few times (the fiddle less so than the hard cider). 

Coggins had passed the summer before last- which was a mercy considering the fate of the rest of the villagers. Afterwards, the bank came and took mostly everything (even the fiddle, which he tried hiding in the barn and got a beating for) and condemned the property. They did leave the empty cider jug- which made its own delightful sound. He had been sad when the Old Man died- he had even wept for him… but afterwards he had felt raw, empty- and like he had lost something he’d never get back.  He even kind of missed the old man calling him ‘Goat’, after a while. 

His friends, Leon, Aelar, Hyre, Kallista, and Balgrim- were the only real constant in his life.  When they were younger, they were all inseperable. The days seemed long and full of mischief and play. The games of children were lost to them as they grew up, each of them getting more responsibility or education.  He saw them less, but when they were together they fell into the easy pattern of old friends.  When they weren't around he passed his time doing odd jobs or daydreaming. 

While he noticed things about them he thought he should bring up- Aelar’s losing his parents, Hyre’s strange disconnection .... he was unsure of how to talk about serious things with them. He tried to, a few times… and just as when he felt himself thinking seriously in the room with Carrie- he had in nervousness reverted back to his japes. His friends, however- were worth more than that. He resolved to try, for them. 

He looked at his new friends, the Satyr siblings… and at Leon- confident, full of a sense of purpose Lazlo surely always lacked. Then he looked down at the weathered violin in his hands. He would find a purpose, too- and by the gods he would have fun doing it!  He thought again of Old Man Coggins, allowing himself to remember- hoping it would help him be a better friend. Drawing the bow along the strings, he tries his hand at playing one of the folk songs the Old Bastard loved so well.  It was a melancholy tune but not without a certain humor. 

Performance 7

“I could really use a cider…” he sighed. 

((Not to be that person, but Kallista was living with a completely different family and never talked about her birth parents. She only ever mentioned running away from home and not wanting to go back.))

Oh sorry. Edited.

Leon is very cheerful and talkative at the evening's dinner, and he seems to have a skip in his step. He enjoys wearing his new clothing, and he also hangs his wooden practice sword to his belt. 

Before he sleeps that night, he rehearses some of the longsword techniques that Edna taught him. While he may feel strong, Leon knows he has a long way to go if he wishes to become an accomplished fighter. He knows that he needs to find a teacher, someone willing to mentor a hot-headed teen in the ways of combat. But who could teach him? 

((Post soon! I suffered my first ocular migraine tonight. I literally could not write anything because I couldn't see what I was doing. That was super freaky.))

ooc: Ouch!  Take your time.

 Hello.  I hope you all have a healthy and happy holiday season!

You as well, man. Happy holidays everyone.

(Merry Chrimbo one and all! Finally felt up to typing. Friggin weather.)

(That's 3 successes to performance Lazlo, you now have proficiency! Also, another 10 points towards bard. Just 10 left)

(We're a tad discombobulated when it comes to the current time. Lazlo and Leon spent the night separated from the rest of the group and are already on the next day. Hyre's evening still isn't up yet, and Aelar, Kallista, and Balgrim are at the farm, just having ended their day.)

Barna reaches out and grabs onto the bottom of Hyre's tunic as he turns to leave.
"I'll be at the mission, as usual... if you need to find me." she says softly, then hugs him from behind once more.
"Goodnight, Hyre." she says, letting him go. Hyre's able to meet back up with the others after they return from their day and reconnect at the farm, where he too has a good meal and a decent night's sleep.

It's now the next day for everyone. The group's combined wealth is some 29 silver thanks to Lazlo and Leon's escapades. Everyone is in good condition, and able to attempt to gain a success towards a skill or ability score. I'll post a progress recap after the holidays!

Carmine turns, looking questioningly at Lazlo as he begins performing such a tune.
"What's wrong, luv?" she asks, "What's got you playing such a bittersweet melody? We haven't even had breakfast yet, and you've never had to suffer through my cooking, so it couldn't have been 'a stomach's lament'." she tries to joke. 
As Leon leaves for work at Duncan's smithy, seemingly bypassing breakfast, she gives him a wave, but stays by Lazlo's side, now curious.

Aelar spends some time writing in his journal before turning in.  He writes honestly, but obliquely, wanting to get his thoughts down but not wanting just anyone to be able to know what he is writing about.  Maybe I should work on a code or something.  My father told me wrote his silversmithing secrets in....what did he call it...oh, yeah, a cypher.  The journallilng session sort of morphed into trying to figure out how to write in a cypher, in creating one.

ooc: I'm thinking Investigation is the skill (since it is INT based and Deception is CHA based) for this so, 18, DC 13.  If you think straight INT, then the DC is ? and the roll is the same.

After making some attempt to write and create a cypher, Aelar goes to sleep, dropping off almost instantly.  His dreams are, mercifully, perfectly normal and he feels refreshed when he wakes.  Anxious to start the day and move on to the dwarfs' books, he nevertheless is curious about what happened with his friends the day before, the ones who did not go to the bathing place.  Particullarly Hyre and Lazlo.  He made a mental note to ask them each later in the day.

ooc: Firecat, SrDeebs, please consider that at some point during the morning Aelar would take a few minutes to ask you about your time the day before. Please answer as you will.

After a quick breakfast, Aelar got to work on the farm, chopping more wood, helping with the animals.  He noticed Leon's sword-lessons and wondered if he could get some himself and then laughed.  Working on the farm, helping at the mission, reading with the dwarfs, and trying to con his way into the Hawk's Nest or whatever the ritzy part of the city was called, he was a busy elf.  During lunch, he amused himself by finding a decent sized piece of scrap wood and trying to carve the man who had trained him during the vision he'd had.  It was good practice to keep his fingers nimble and exercise his memory.

STR check: 3, DC 11
Animal Handling: 2, DC 13
Artistry/Carving: 10, DC 13

At the end of the day, as Aelar was getting clean and collecting his day's wages, he decided to ask the farmer's advice [ooc: Sorry...don't recall his name].  "Sir, I've been told some information I need may be found in the public library but I've also been told they don't really like, well people like me in that part of the city.  However, someone told me I might be able to charm my way in.  Any advice on that?"

ooc: Merry/Happy Christmas (depending on your geographical location :)

When Hyre returns to the farm, he greets everyone who is there but other than that stays mostly quiet until he goes to sleep. It's been a long day with so many things happening in it after all. Just before going to sleep, he takes out the journal he was given. It can be a good exercise for organizing his thoughts. After just staring into the empty page for a while, unable to write even a single word, he eventually gives up and closes the book.

When Hyre wakes up, the first thing he wants to do is to go to Geoffrey's house and study. However, just before heading out, he reconsiders. When the egg hatches, he'll need to feed the bird. Geoffrey said that minced meat will be enough, but minced meat costs money. Hyre will need that money. Besides, he didn't want to use the farm's owners kindness for free. If he's sleeping here, he'll work for them. At least until the egg hatches. But his mind isn't really busy with the work, rather he keeps thinking about all the knowledge in Geoffrey's collection, and about Barna. Besides, he's now carrying the egg everywhere he goes, and some of his attention is always turned towards it. (OOC: Not pushing himself, so not rolling dice.)

When Aelar asks about the other day, Hyre responds: "We went to that place Barna told us about. It was marvellous." Aelar can definitely hear the excitement in Hyre's words. He doesn't hear the excitement as he would in anyone else's speech, but he already knows Hyre good enough to know that when he speaks the way he does now - like a child, not his usual politeness - that means he's excited. "There were books, there was a magical armour, and there was this magical bird through which Geoffrey saw us, even though he wasn't in the same room." Realising Aelar doesn't know who Geoffrey is, Hyre explains: "The place we went to is a cellar below someone's house. That someone is named Geoffrey and he was a knight once, but he wasn't mad when he found us. Instead, he helped us and told us what this egg is." As he speaks about the knight, Hyre remembers Leon. "I wanted to tell Leon about him. Where is he? Anyway, he told us about the bird the will hatch from this egg, and offered to help me train it once it hatches. And then, he asked us about us and then I..." When he gets to the part about his confession, he manages to stop himself just at the last moment. It almost slipped his mouth. He did NOT want to tell this to anyone. From Aelar's point of view, Hyre just suddenly stops and his face turns red. "I mean, ah... What about you? What happened to you last night? And do you know what happened to Leon and Lazlo? I don't think I saw them today..."

After he's done with his farm work, Hyre will head to Geoffrey's house. He considers to visit Barna first but eventually decides not to. Meeting her now after the previous day would be too embarrassing. When he gets there, he knocks on the front door. When the door opens, he says: "Hello there, sir. I've come to study your books. In particular, I'm looking for ones about magic, if you have any. Specifically, ones that teach magic or that can help me learn that later."

Aerlar listens with fascination to Hyre's story.  So exciting and books.  Maybe books about warlocks and magic.  He knew Hyre was interested in magic too.  Aelar carefully avoiding reacting to Hyre's sudden reticence, which undoubtedly involved Barna, and instead focused on his excitement.  It was good to see Hyre excited about something.  He so often repressed his emotions, though Aelar doubted Hyre thought of it as repressing them and maybe it was suppressing them.  But he knew that Hyre actually thought he simply didn't feel things the way others did.  Well, maybe that was true, but Aelar doubted it.

"That is quite the day, my friend.  I'm glad you found what you were looking for and I'm very glad you're so excited about it.  That egg sounds very interesting."  He pauses then, considering how to proceed.  He decides to start by telling Hyre about his own day and his vision and what happened in it.  All of it.  When he is done, he says, "Can you believe it?  My parents knew Raia from before, from who knows when before!  That's amazing.  And I never knew.  I wonder if my cousins knew...know, I mean."  He stops at the awkward reminder of what happened.

He pauses again, then proceeds diffidently.  "Hyre, I really am glad you found someone and those books.  I know how interested you were in that.  And I don't want to intrude on your special time or place.  So, if you are uncomfortable with what I'm about to ask, you just say so and that will be fine with me.  I promise you, Hyre.  I will understand."  He gives his friend a moment to digest that, then, "If you are OK with it, I was wondering if you could ask this knight you've met if I could come too, not today, but sometimes, and look through his books.  I need to know all I can about what's happening to me.  I'm going to try to charm my way into Hawk's Nest to get to the public library...Sister Daar says I've got a good chance at that...but anything I can learn that can help me understand what's happening will be good.  But, like I said, if you're not comfortable asking or you need this time and place for just you, I get it.  We all need stuff like that.  Whatever you decide will be fine with me.  You take your time and let me know when you're ready."  Aelar looked his friend in the eye to make sure Hyre understood that he was being completely sincere when he said whatever decision Hyre made was just fine with him.  Then, with a nod and a smile, Aelar went to finish the day's chores.

Hyre doesn't quite understand what Aelar is saying. Why will he be uncomfortable? Unless Aelar actively tries to interrupt his reading, he doesn't think there's a way he can bother him. "Umm... sure. I'll ask him. I don't mind you coming with me and I doubt he will, but I'll ask."

Later, at Geoffrey's house. Continuing Hyre's previous sentence: ("Specifically, ones that teach magic or that can help me learn that later.") "Oh, by the way, one of my friends has expressed interest in coming and studying here as well, sometimes. He asked me to ask you for permission to come as well. If it helps, I can vouch that he will do no wrong and will take responsibility in case he does."

Kallista is up before dawn, getting changed and hustling to Grimbuld's shop so she was a little earlier than he wanted her.

“I was just thinking about the people of Hon, and about the families of my friends who are lost- somewhere out there in the world… and then I thought about how lucky I am, to have everyone I hold dear here with me. My friends, I mean.  I joke a lot, but I think maybe sometimes they need me? Need me to be… able to say a serious word with them once and a while (and I’m bad at that).  All that got me thinking of the old codger who pretty much raised me… you see I wandered into Hon, and they took me in, in their fashion. 

I remember my folks in the way a young one can, smells, and words- the scrap of a song my mother used to sing, how impossibly big my father was... the brook in the glade we lived in…  I try and put the memories back together but they fade, like a dream and now years later I’m not sure what I know and what I’ve invented to fill the gaps. 

I know something horrible happened, in the dark one night- and being told to run. I remember being afraid and hearing screams… and then wandering, for what seemed like a long dark night and days after. Eventually I stumbled into Hon a starving, bloodied foundling.

The song I played was his favorite- the old man. Coggins was his name. He never did tell me his first... I think I love music because sitting on the porch with him listening to his fiddle was the nearest thing to family I had- except for my friends. More so because he was mine-  it didn’t seem like he liked another soul in the whole town...he would chase my friends away when they came ‘round. He was rough around the edges (and he smelled like an old man), but in his way he cared for me.  So when i thought about their loss… My friend's loss, it made me think of his song. It's a bit sad, but still a song.  Maybe it’s not so bad to hear a sad song now and again.. But let’s not make it a habit!” Lazlo says smiling broadly at Carrie. “Let’s let our song be one of never ending laughter. And more soft beds than we can count!” He puts his arm around her waist, drawing back if she resists.  

Lazlo notices Leon depart for his meeting at the blacksmiths. “Bye, Leon....” he waves. “Anyway, all this thinking has made me want to be better at understanding them. My friends. I guess I thought I was making their road easier by not taking anything too seriously… I think I’m telling you all this because I… want to know more about you, as well. Were you born here in Guiston? How did you learn to move the way you do? Why are there so few satyrs… You three are the first I’ve met.. “ 

He waits eagerly for her answer- wishing to know all about her.  

Ooc: Aelar (Lorrdwolf)- can’t wait to tell you about my day- PC interaction is the glue that ties any adventure together. Thanks for facilitating that!