The Knights' Roleplay - Silverkeep Sorcery

[Deleted]

It didn’t take him long to find the physician. It was more like the physician had found him. As he rounded a street corner, Sarn collided with a little wheezy man with an unruly mess of graying hair. Sarn’s exceptional balance kept him upright, but the little old man toppled like a sack of potatos, spilling his armload of what appeared to be medical supplies.

“Renkin?” Sarn asked, smiling as he took the man’s hand and helped him to his feet. Two younger boys came scooting over and collected up the bandages and pastes the man had dropped.

“How did you know?” the man asked, almost shocked.

“Just a hunch,” replied the Feberi with a sly smile. The two boy’s eyes widened in what might have been considered awe. The old man quirked an eyebrow but said nothing more on the topic. Instead, he took a bundle of supplies offered him by one of the sandy haired boys and lumbered past Sarn.

“Well if you’re after medical help, you’ll have to wait. I’ve got an emergency up at the mines, if you please, sir. And in any case, I don’t treat men of an avian disposition.”

A tinge of hot anger flared up, but his pride wasn’t’ stupid enough to get in the way of his wits. Taking the bundle of supplies from one of the boys, Sarn spread his wings in a flurry and made his way swiftly to where a large collection of lighter grey blobs stood out against the dark grey cliffs. He landed just near a crowd, quickly spotted three of his fellow knights, Burns among them, and then shouldered his way to the epicenter.

Someone shouted and the crowd parted to let a few figures through.

“I’m sorry sir, I really am! He just took it all outta my hands and flew off!” wailed a boy, advancing shamefully behind a strange sight. There was Renkin, the old physician, being lugged up the steep slope by a brawny miner. No wonder he got here so quickly. Sarn chuckled to himself, before stepping forward and dumping his load back into the boy’s arms.

The second boy came running up behind the first and both stared at him in certain awe, this time. “How did you know we were coming to the mines?” the chanted together. Sarn grinned his cheeky grin, forgetting altogether the seriousness of the situation. “I’m a seer.”

“Boys!” Renkin shouted in his crusted voice, “We’ve got work to be doing.” The boys ran to assist their master and Sarn was finally given a chance to study the object of all this confusion. He thought the man looked vaguely familiar, but dismissed the thought swiftly. Why would he know a common miner from Silverkeep? Absently, he wandered over to Burns.

[Tam]

Tamia decided that as much fun as bumping around in a clammy mine all afternoon sounded, she could probably make herself more useful in the village -- particularly if what Dragus had told her was true, and the men were all at risk of getting their brains scrambled by some enchantress. Maybe it would be a good idea to keep a female presence around the Feberi while he was wandering. Of course, that was assuming a Feberi even counted as a man.

She resolved to keep this question to herself.

Letting the reins fall to the grass under Misty's chin, Tamia swung herself off the horse and grabbed her backpack. She could count on Misty staying where he was; she had helped with his breaking herself, and she always made sure to train her favourite steeds to be ground tied properly. Oran stretched -- a little painfully, Tamia thought -- and leapt to the ground beside her. The two went off after Sarn, who, by the looks of it, had already managed to bowl over a hapless little man on the street.

Worried that she might have to offer up some sort of apology on his behalf, Tamia broke into a jog, but the Feberi seemed to be taking care of the situation by himself. As Sarn flew off up the hill, closely followed by the disgruntled man and his two youthful flunkies, Tamia slowed to a halt, breathing heavily. She raised an eyebrow.

This is what happens when you're always late, said Oran, eruditely.

The young knight's mind was still trying to come up with a suitably scathing reply when she noticed something shiny winking up at her from the spot where the man had fallen. "And this is what happens when you take the time to watch, instead of trying to be in all places at once," she said quietly, glancing at the scattered villagers on the street. She made her way over to the object casually.

That was our village doctor, then, I would assume, Oran said as Tamia bent to pick up the tiny healer's vial from the cobblestones.

"I guess so," she murmured, squinting at the vial. She sighed, and began to wend her way back through the street and up the hill after the rest of the party. "But this isn't normal medicine. Whatever's in here is completely magical."

So we've got a village witch doctor.

"Either that, or someone who's really used to healing magical ailments."

The crowd around the mine, which up until now she had assumed was just an off-work mining crew, seemed a lot larger now that she was right up against it. And the people there were certainly not all miners -- it looked like a good portion of the village had gathered to see whatever it was at the mine's entrance. She scanned the crowd for Sarn and found him standing next to Burns, and she began to squeeze through the crowd towards them.

Before she could get to her fellow knights, however, she found herself standing right in front of a man. He was half-sitting, half-lying in front of the mine, bruised and muddy, wiping the dust off his sleeves. His long black ponytail was caked with dried mud and who knew what else, but it was there.

"Blacktail?" Tamia said incredulously.

[Strife]

"Blacktail?" echoed the sound of a young voice through the chatter of the crowd.

Blacktail wasn't exactly sure how he remembered his name, but the sound of it as it traveled through the air struck a certain chord of familiarity with him. Instinctively, he stopped dusting himself off and looked up at the girl, a certain sense of surprise hidden in his eyes.

Where has he seen this person before? He couldn't quite remember. As a matter of fact, he wasn't sure why he didn't just ask her himself. The crowd was probably getting to him. Whatever the case, he didn't want to stay here much longer and be looked upon like some strange spectacle at a town faire.

"I," the word squeezed out of his mouth like a rusted door hinge, so he cleared his throat before continuing, "I've seen you before."

Determined to find out more, he tried again to pull himself up, but stumbled. One of the villagers rushed up and caught him before he fell in the dirt, then helped him return to a seated position. Now that his face was clear of any dust, and embarassed blush could be seen in his cheeks.

"I, erm, we..." Blacktail struggled to find words as the villager who helped him gave him some space. "We should go somewhere else. To loud... Can't think..."

The noise of the crowd was, in fact, fairly quiet, as the citizens were currently talking amongst themselves in light voices, almost whispers. The pain throbbing through Blacktail's head was amplifying his senses, much to his dismay.

[Shadaras]

No peer of Burns’s. That was a relief, at least. Jay had almost written the man off as a wandering tinker of some sort when Burns made his second comment. A knight. A smith-knight. Jay frowned, looking more closely at the dusty, dirt-covered man. Had he heard of a smith-knight before? He thought so, but he couldn’t recall a name, simply a few phrases strung together to form a more complete whole, an idea of a person more than the person himself. Not enough for him to care about at that time. Jay’s frown turned into a momentary scowl, but he soon smoothed his face. Best not to let the townsfolk see a displeased knight in their midst.

One of the afore-mentioned townsfolk knelt down by the man and dripped water onto his face. Jay watched, still silent, as he sat up and began to cleanse himself, glancing around. His now-clean face offered no more hints of who the man could be. Frustrating, but unsurprising. The sound of wings in the air made Jay look up just long enough to identify Sarn. Jay shook his head slightly, but he couldn’t help smiling; the Feberi knight made for enjoyable company, much of the time, even if his sense of propriety wasn’t always the best. Not that Jay’s was either, when he had too much time on his hands.

Soon after Sarn made his way to the center, so did the physician and his assistants. Jay raised his eyebrows at Sarn. “Nice of you to fetch them here so quickly,” he said, a slight grin on his face. “I hadn’t expected that, ‘specially with his age.”

If the physician noticed Jay’s words, he didn’t react. One of the boys turned and made a face at the Harlequin Knight, however, and Jay just smiled more. Before the boy could do anything else, Jay heard Tamia’s surprised voice, and a name. “Blacktail?”

Jay blinked. Then, as the man – Blacktail – responded, he blinked again. Then he swore under his breath and strode over to the knight to help him stand upright, reaching him about the time the Indigo Knight complained of noise. Jay slipped his arm under Blacktail’s, supporting him. Then, taking care to keep his voice soft, he said, “I’ve heard of you, smith of the color guard. Come on, let’s get you out of this crowd and see if we can give you something for your head.” He raised his head and glared around, starting to walk towards a reasonably clear area and hoping that one of the other knights, or some of the townsfolk, would get the idea.

Many of the Silverkeep’s people had already begun wandering off; the man was alive, and that was enough for them to know, as they had their own lives and their own duties. As the area cleared, Jay and Blacktail reached a pile of rocks, the physician trailing along behind them. Jay sat Blacktail back down and sat next to him, saying, quietly again, “Is this better?”

[Rikku]

Burns nodded a greeting at the other knights as they joined them, not bothering to conceal his slight amusement. This how splitting up works now, is it? Ah well.

“Blacktail?” the girl Tamia asked. She seemed to have acquired a small something with the glint and gleam of magic to it; interesting. Burns smiled some more. Blacktail, that was it. But he hadn’t been seen in … how long now? Years, surely. What was he doing here?

The Harlequin slipped his arm beneath Blacktail’s, murmuring something. He lifted his head and glared around, then started walking to a clearer area. It made good sense, getting Blacktail away from the crowd, where the dazed smith-knight could think more clearly, and, the more cynical side of him added, where they could talk more freely.

A number of people wandered off, their own lives more pressing now than some stranger’s. Some stayed, though, and Burns studied their faces and sighed. Young folk with more curiosity than sense, mostly. There were a few exceptions, though; gnarled men with wary eyes, the kind who knew when things went wrong.

“Knights,” he heard one of them say, a man with a grizzled beard, an eyepatch and a stoop from mining. “Thinking they can stride in like they know aught of—”

Burns walked up to him, smiled and asked pleasantly, “Would you have a mind to be interfering with the King’s business, good sir?”

The miner opened his mouth to say something, looking far from intimidated. Burns rested his hand on his arming sword and grinned all the broader, and the miner spat on the ground and walked away, the last few lingerers following.

Burns smiled, and walked over to the rocks where Jay had taken Blacktail, whistling slightly.

It did make good sense to confuse Blacktail as little as possible, so instead of addressing him directly and getting him all muddled by the number of people, Burns crouched briefly beside Jay, counselled quietly, “Don’t ask him of sorcery outright; ask him what he remembers, else he’ll remember whatever you ask him to,” and stood again, striding a short distance away to stand and look menacing for the sake of any lingering villagers.

Like as not Jay knew that without being told, but hey, if he did, being told his business would likely irk him, and that was worth the effort, surely.

[Deleted]

((Crap post is crap. xD))

Jay smiled at Sarn as the Feberi approached and Sarn had to wonder how much strain his muscles had to endure to maintain the expression. The man looked as if he hadn’t smiled since his 10th birthday party when the hired entertainment got trampled by his father’s goats. Or perhaps it was just Sarn’s imagination.

“Nice of you to fetch them here so quickly, I hadn’t expected that, ‘specially with his age.”

“The bulky miners had to carry him up the hill. But I am rather fond of his apprentice lads.” Sarn grinned back, his eyes flashing mischievously. But the grin died quickly as Jay’s expression turned foul. The man wasted no time in helping the injured man over to a quiet spot further away from the crowds. Burns took up the charge and shooed many of the villagers away, but there were many stragglers among the crowd who loitered innocently, making every excuse to be as slow as possible. One man even made a show of tying a shoelace. A closer examination would have revealed that his boots did not have laces. Nevertheless, Sarn took initiative. He flared out his wings as far as they would go and started ushering the remaining townsfolk away back down the mountain path.

Having seen the last of them off, Sarn plucked at Burns’ arm and led the way back to the small group of Knights. He paused next to a woman he knew was called Tamia, but with whom he had never spoken. He smiled at her, his usually sharp eyes totally missing the small object she clasped in her hand. The Feberi turned back to face the middle of the group and waited.

[Strife]

No sooner did Blacktail complain about the noise of the crowd when one of the supposed knights walked up to him. The good stranger knelt down and extended his arm out, sliding it under Blacktail's. He then pulled him to his feet as carefully as possible, helping him balance his weight.

“I’ve heard of you, smith of the color guard,” spoke the knight, taking care to keep his voice at a low volume. “Come on, let’s get you out of this crowd and see if we can give you something for your head.”

Color guard? Smith? Blacktail was surprised at these words, but then again, this day was full of surprises for him. He tried to put the pieces together in his mind at he was carried further away from the mass of people around the entrance to the mines.

Soon enough, Blacktail felt his body slip out of the knight's hands, resting on another pile of rocks in a relatively quiet area. The wind was picking up slightly, and he felt a breeze slide across his face. It would have been enough to make him relax from the pain, but the shadow of the knight hovering beside him reminded him of the unusual situation he was trapped in.

“Is this better?” inquired the knight, seating himself next to Blacktail.

Blacktail merely looked at him for some time with a dumbfounded look. His mind started drifting to another place... No. He forced his attention back into reality. "Oh, yes, well... Yes. Thank you."

He let his head fall back, gazing up at the sky for a few seconds. It was a bad idea, though, as he winced from a sharp pain in his neck. He raised his head again, and the pain subsided.

"Blacktail... Smith of the Color Guard..." he whispered to himself. He then glanced at the knight beside him while raising his voice to an audible level. "Where is the girl? The one who called me Blacktail? And who might you be?"

[Draco]

Dragus watched as the crowd departed, and Burns scare away the last few who lingered, before joining up with Blacktail. Looking around he spots some kids down the hill, still trying to get a look at what was going on. Smiling he walks down to see what they were up to.

At first the kids seemed a bit reluctant to come near him, and actually tried to run away.

"Don't worry, I won't do anything. I just want to talk."

The kids come over as he sits down on the ground and start asking Dragus questions.

"Are you really a knight?"

"Why are you here?"

"What's going on?"

"Is that guy a bad guy?"

"Can I play with your sword?"

Dragus laughs at the bombardment of questions.

"Yes, I am a knight. We were just traveling through the area. That man was hurt in the mine, and a member of our group might know him. No, I don't think he's a bad guy. And no, you can't play with my sword."

He looks around, and notices a old dead tree, and walks over to it. He breaks off several low, small, branches and hands them to the kids.

"But we can play with these. Just be careful not to hurt each other wit- Ow!"

The kids begin to swat at him laughing, and he begins to swat at them back with his own stick.

"Get him!"

"We're the knights, and he's the bad guy!"

This goes on for a few minutes before Dragus decides to ask a question of his own, while still playing.

"So, knights, is there any strange happenings around here recently that the knights should know about?"

The kids stop playing for a moment and think.

"The adults have been quiet about it, but something is going on."

"My uncle disappeared a while ago, and when he came back he was acting strange."

"A lot of the older folks talk about it in the tavern, but we aren't allowed in there..."

Dragus gives the last boy a look.

"And how do You know what they talk about?"

The boy laughs a little while scratching his head.

"My mom was scolding my grandpa about hanging out there and gossiping about enchantments and red haired women."

Dragus nods his head, and holds his wooden stick out.

"Want to learn a few small sword exercises?"

The kids nod and begin to mimic Dragus.

[Deleted]

The physician hadn’t finished his work properly, not even close, and he hated the guilty feeling it gave him every time he had to do less than he normally would for his patients, or do a botched job. He knew he could’ve done much better with a little more time, but a man with two masters must always be divided, and he knew he had more important things to do. It was one thing to save another’s neck, but quite another to risk his own for their sake, and, physician or no, he wasn’t prepared to risk it.

He left the two boys with the group of Knights to finish up his cruddy job and bandage up the man’s wounds. They were good lads. One was his nephew, the other was from one of the farming homesteads out yonder and had been dumped on his doorstep by his grandmother who insisted that Renkin take him in and teach him to be a physician. He had agreed only because the severe woman had threatened to use her “sharp things” and he didn’t much care to find out what they were.

The man hurried down the mountain, his arthritis causing him to stumble and his age making him slow, but he reached the bottom mostly unscathed and hitched a ride on the back of a wagon. Being the town’s only doctor meant he was guaranteed a ride from any of the locals when he needed it, no questions asked. He was a good man at heart, with an earnest desire to help people, but that didn’t stop him wanting to help himself as well. Still, the guilt gnawed at him.

Should he tell her? If he did, others might get hurt. But if he didn’t, he might get hurt. Maybe he could feign ignorance when she asked him, but the last time he tried that … he pushed the memory aside, slid off the wagon and hobbled over to his door. It stood ajar, just as he had left it, and nothing inside had been touched. He closed the door softly behind him, yanked the curtain over the only window and lit a lamp.

Rummaging through an old chest, Renkin pulled out a little wooden box and unlocked it with a key which hung around his neck. He’d only opened this box twice before, but he still feared it, though he wasn’t sure if it was the contents, or what they showed him that caused his insides to turn over. Nevertheless, he steeled himself and lifted the lid. Immediately, a faint silvery light filled the room, casting long shadows over the walls. The source of the light was a little orb, the size of a tennis ball*, sitting in a velvet case, pulsating slightly with what was the unmistakable aura of magic. The physician shivered and tried to remember the words his mistress had taught him.

“Ostendo mihi meus era”

A sound, which could only be described as a hiss, slithered from the orb and the silvery cloud within the orb parted to reveal large hall with a polished black marble floor. No figure was visible in the face of the orb but Renkin knew she would be there.

“Mistress?” he whispered tentatively.

There was a long pause before her reply came. “What is it?” murmured a deep female voice. Renkin shivered.

“My lady ... some knights have arrived in Silverkeep bearing the King’s crest and claiming to be here on his behalf.”

“How many, and where are they?” came the voice again, with only a hint of a melody to it.

“They are currently on the mountainside up by the lower mines. There are many of them, my Lady. About five or six that I saw, but there could be more.” He gulped back a wave of fear and waited.

“You have done well, Renkin. I thank you.”

The image in the orb began to fade and Renkin squeaked before he could stop himself, “what should I do?”

“Nothing.” The image faded entirely and the orb subsided to the same dull glow. The physician closed the lid, locked the box and replaced it. Do nothing was always the prequel to doing something.

[Shadaras]

Jay glared at Burns; the man seemed like he was being condescending for the sake of being annoying, not because he really had anything to add. He bit back a comment of ‘I know that’, as Burns had already started moving away. Jay shook his head slightly, not giving any more heed to the thief than he had to; Sarn should be able to take care of the squire, and Burns was technically the Feberi’s responsibility anyway. Blacktail spoke again, seeming in better mind than he had been before, and Jay gave a mental thanks to whatever spirits were listening; having the man coherent helped immensely.

“My name is Jay, and Tamia is the one who named you.” Jay glanced around for her; she had been nearby, and hopefully she still was. If she wasn’t, hopefully either Sarn or Burns had heard Blacktail’s question and would go fetch her. “Do you remember how you came to be here, Blacktail?” He refrained from mentioning that their present location was the mines of Silverkeep, that there was a sorceress who had been playing with minds, or anything else; as Burns had so irritatingly said, it was better to learn what Blacktail already knew and then fill in the details of what he didn’t.

-=-

The Sorceress stroked the sphere in front of her. Its polished black surface had brought her Renkin’s unnecessary message; the flighty knight’s magic had already drawn her attention. The knights had finally seen fit to come investigate her, and it had only taken them a few months. Messages moved slowly when there was no magic involved in information’s transmission but hers, and she was trying to contain her presence, not shout it to the world. She tapped the surface of the sphere, and the black mist parted to show the mines; there was no sound, but she had learned to read lips for just that reason.

The knights there had certainly found some interesting things. A man with no memory, a trinket she had forgotten about –the Sorceress made a note to pay attention to that girl and her cat; they seemed to know more than they let on – and perhaps they had even noticed Renkin’s nervousness and his worry about being found. None of the village knew that it was his potions, as much as anything else, that kept the men from remembering what happened to them; they all came to his apothecary for something to cure their memory, and instead he gave them concoctions that buried them further.

Soon, perhaps, she would have enough of the men’s energy to pull off her little trick; the keep’s hidden rooms had long since been ready for her magics – all she needed was the power, and a good subject for her spell. Perhaps she would use one of the knights that were so eagerly investigating; they were a good source of power no matter what, and it would be a delicious bit of irony to use one as the host for her spell. The Sorceress smiled, allowing the mists to cover her seeing orb once more. Soon, the time would come and all the pieces would be in play.

[Strife]

“My name is Jay, and Tamia is the one who named you.” Jay glanced around for the girl, but didn't appear to spot her among the other faces. “Do you remember how you came to be here, Blacktail?”

Blacktail had another one of his silent pauses, trying to gather his thoughts. "Bits and pieces," he finally said. "I am almost certain that these are not my clothes. I remember water... a lot of water... maybe an ocean. A few buildings made of stone... They didn't look like the ones in this village. And the cavern, of cou... of c..."

Blacktail turned his head and let out a giant sneeze. After wiping his nose with his sleeve, he continued. "The cavern... It is too dark in there for naked eyes. I wasn't alone though... I felt the presence of others. Maybe they were workers... I'm not certain. I felt nervous... felt the urge to run away from something, or someone... and then the ceiling collapsed above me."

He dipped his head back, gazing into the sky with a blank expression. "This is some sort of weird dream, right?"

[Tam]

"I... I've seen you before."

Tamia wasn't sure what she was about to say, but regardless she started, "You—"

Fortunately, what would have inevitably turned out to be a lot of embarrassing stammering on her part was interrupted by a brief clamour of movement around Blacktail, who had just tried rather unsuccessfully to stand up. A villager caught him before he could fall and helped lower him back down to a resting position.

Looking embarrassed, Blacktail muttered, "I, erm, we... we should go somewhere else. Too loud... can't think..."

Tamia didn't answer, but kept a wary eye on Blacktail as Jay swooped in to help him to his feet. Whatever perceived noise he was hearing seemed to have distracted him from the girl for the time being. She frowned slightly, lost in thought.

Anticipating a few specific questions from Oran, she decided to hang back as the villagers began to dissipate. Those who did not dissipate quickly enough were assisted by Burns and Sarn, both of whom Tamia suspected were rather enjoying themselves. When the area around the cave entrance was completely clear of both knights and villagers, the question finally came.

So do you intend to explain just who this Blacktail is and why you know him, or are you not quite done feeling smug that you know something I don't?

"There's nothing to be smug about," Tamia said, sighing. "It's really rather mundane. Blacktail was a knight, back in the days before the first demon war. I know him because I was a knight alongside him."

Oran sat down, flicking his tail in a decidedly bad-tempered way as he watched the small group of knights a short distance away. I still don't understand how you remember him and I don't. I've been with you since you were still a squire, after all.

"I'm not surprised at all," said Tamia, with a hint of amusement. "I doubt you care enough about any of the other knights to remember their names."

I remember the demon and the demon-lover, Oran said petulantly.

"That's the Lady Shade and Sir Kit to you," Tamia said. "And you only remember them because you think they're conspiring against you. But anyway, it's not important that I remember Blacktail. The important thing is that he's back. He's been missing for years... presumed dead, in fact. No one's seen him since the day he left."

Until now, said Oran.

"Until now," repeated Tamia. She squinted. "Dear lord, I think Jay is trying to lie him on a mound of gravel."

He's a born healer, that one, Oran said sarcastically.

At that moment, a large, feathered being appeared next to Tamia, who immediately closed her mouth and tried to decipher whether or not the Feberi had heard her speaking to her cat. But Sarn just smiled kindly. She smiled back awkwardly, not sure whether the gesture was conclusive one way or another.

"Looks like the doctor left Blacktail in a bit of a hurry," Tamia said to Sarn, hesitantly. "I'd better go over and see if I can help."

As she began making her way over to the place where Blacktail was resting, Oran commented, About that vial in your hand.

Tamia glanced sidelong at him, questioningly.

I wouldn't open it.

She pocketed the vial, but decided to ignore the rest of the cryptic pointer for the time being.

"Hullo again," she said as she approached the former knight, whose head was currently tilted back as if he were studying the clouds. She decided not to ask. "Hope you don't mind..." She touched his forehead with the back of her hand. "But I know a bit of medicine. I might be able to help a little more than the last guy did."

[Rikku]

Burns followed Sarn back to the little group gathered around the former knight. Unless he was still a knight? Once a knight, always a knight, something like that? He certainly didn’t seem to remember much, or at least not much of any use.

Sarn left when Jay mentioned Tamia, presumably to fetch her. Blacktail talked a little about what he remembered. Fragmented nonsense, as best as Burns could tell: A lot of water, maybe an ocean. Buildings of stone. A cavern … Makes sense. These hills are riddled with caves. Even the keep’s built on one, isn’t it?

Blacktail concluded, blank-eyed, that it was a dream, and Burns snorted softly with amusement. If he was charmed, yeah, he’d be dazed. All the same, it was amusing to see someone as practical as a knight – a smith knight, no less – deny reality.

Sarn returned with the girl, who immediately set about being useful and competent. See, there. That’s how knights are. This slightly trivial thought was followed by another: But why does she need to be? Why didn’t that physician finish his work?

He glanced around. The physician had left a couple of boys to finish his work, laden down with bandages and suchlike; they were hovering awkwardly a little way away. It made sense. They’d probably never seen so large an amount of knights before, let alone knights of the Colour Guard. (… And one squire of the Colour Guard, of course. But they weren’t to know that.)

But why would a healer leave before his work was done?

Burns frowned.

“Sarn,” he said softly, the ‘squire’ thought reminding him that he really ought to ask permission before gallivanting off on his own investigations. “I’m thinking maybe something’s odd with that physician, dashing off with his work halfway done. Would you mind if I sought him out? Asked a few questions of the pointed kind?” He grinned. “If you like, you can escort me to make sure I don’t walk off with my pockets full of silver. Having all these faces ‘round that addled knight’s not going to make his memory come back any faster.”

He made sure to say 'addled knight' fairly quietly.

[Deleted]

"You could be a good thief if you weren't such a stuck-up jerk."

Ro's normal pensive expression deepened at the thought as she quietly observed her surroundings. She was in a fouler mood than usual--not that one could really tell--for reasons she couldn't decipher and didn't really want to. On top of that, even though she was used to riding, she'd already fallen once from the saddle through no fault of her own and had a splitting headache for most of the last night and part of the morning. She hadn't even opened her mouth in speech for a long stretch of time, preferring to watch instead. At least she was surrounded by mostly-sensible people. Mostly.

The knight straightened as they came to a stop by the Keep, and listened to the exchange about deciding where to head without throwing in an opinion, glancing between the two thoughtfully. A good thief... Speaking of that, there was that squire, wasn't there? She thought she'd heard something about him at some point.

There was the commotion at the mine, and Ro dismounted her horse and left him there with a short word and a stern glare. Something in one of the lady knight's hands caught her attention, and after a short while, the crowd by the mine dissipated and several of the knights walked back with a ragged man between them, the lady knight and her cat trailing behind them.

Now where have I seen that before? That wouldn't be a Felyr, would it--

This isn't Tirann, she thought, cutting herself off. All in all, there were some things that didn't sit well with her...

She glanced off toward the town. Though not quite so adept at gathering information as...certain others she didn't care to think about, she figured she might as well try. Unknownst to her, the same thing that bugged Burns also pricked at her--the old man had clearly been tending to Blacktail, and had left him there instead of taking him back or continuing to treat him. Was the man beyond the physician's skills?

"I should stable my mount," she muttered. Even packed lightly, the horse was still carrying a fair amount of weight, and Ro didn't want to just leave her sword and shield hanging there all day, nevermind lugging them with her. To the town it was. "Anyone else?" she asked to the air as she took the horse's reins, gesturing to the town.

[Shadaras]

((Oh, hey, look! A revival!))



Jay stepped away from Blacktail as Tamia began taking care of the knight. The Orange Knight knew about herbs and healing, and that was what was needed right now. Jay felt extraordinarily useless, in fact, watching the competency. His own skills were much better suited to the forests in which he usually dwelt, or to criminals. He was an investigator, a guardian of the people before they were hurt, or someone to hunt down the one responsible for hurting people. This... place was strange to him. The magic, the meddling, the missing knight returned from nowhere... too many things unknown, too many things that couldn’t be rationally explained.

He shook his head. The physician had left without saying much of anything, though his apprentices were still here. He hadn’t done much to help Blacktail; all the guards learned how to bandage wounds, if nothing else, and it hadn’t seemed like the old man had done much else, and he hadn’t done much of a job of it, either. In a way, he felt bad for leaving when Blacktail hadn’t answered his last question, but Tamia could fill him in later. He turned abruptly and began walking towards where he had temporarily left Snowfall. He wanted some answers. He suspected that the old man would give him some, with a little encouragement. As he passed Sarn and Burns, he said, “I’m going to head back to town and see what I can learn there; there are enough of us here as it is.”

He didn’t wait to see if either wished to follow him. He suspected Burns would; the thief had the right sort of absolutely irritating personality to decide to. Jay chose to ignore that for now, walking towards the horses as quickly as he could without seeming to run. He mounted Snowfall, and glanced at Ro. “I’m going to head for town.” A statement of purpose, an acknowledgement that they had to know what each of them was doing in case something untoward happened. “Going to talk to the physician, if I can.”

He didn’t wait for her reply, but gently signaled Snowfall to begin walking back along the rocky path to town. He didn’t need to hurry; he doubted the old man could walk back to town more quickly than Snowfall could move, even carrying Jay and all the gear he’d thought necessary to bring (which wasn’t much). Even so, he would much rather talk to the physician in his shop or home than on the road, and for that to happen, he had to allow time to pass or suffer through riding past the man and perhaps arousing his suspicions. So, as much as he would like to go faster, Jay sighed and suffered the slowness with which he rode.