username: lady of the willow tree | audio

[aprescoup]

( Did you miss this shrieking voice as much as it missed you? ) You took dead. Of course you took dead. Why are you so... do you not have friends? You want friends this badly? No one loves you? Mother does not love you? Father does not love you? You had to find dead who love you?

( She stops. Breathes. Reconsiders: ) There is no time to waste. There never was. In the city, they say none of Unhalad’s people returned. You are half safe. Unhalad won’t know of you, at least until, those things you brought back... become as he means them to be. Speak to them before that. Find out what turned them. ( Quieter: ) They were good men once. At least, less fools than you.

But Anurr knows of you. He must. After all, you — ...you never did ask, did you? Well, go around and ask! Why do the people run from your little farm in the frozen prairie? You think, they do not like big, sturdy land, with a house on it? I heard it was Haltham who put you up here, and now he hides from me. Ha! Good. Not every open house is for the taking. And maybe ask yourselves, why do you have a body in your water, eh? You think it’s good, to swim with the dead? That’s how they raise you, where you are from? Find out who it is, at least you know his name, before you get naked with him, no?

And ask your little forest friend, why are they back? They had good life in their woods. No one bothered them. Did I bother them? No. Did you? Well, you bother everyone. But not them particularly, no?

( Huffing, puffing, easing. ) Actually... some of you, maybe you are friends now. You drank the brew, ah? What they gave you, Anurr’s little sons? How smart and brave they are, now he is back. But before? Months ago, no one spoke of Anurr. No one spoke against Unhalad. Nooooooooo, they bowed our heads then, Yes, sir, no, sir, not my son, sir, do what you want, but spare my family.

If you drank that thing... do not do it again. He owned you for a few hours. But next time, he owns you for days. For weeks. For months. Until he doesn’t let go. But you’ve already done the foolishness, maybe those idiots trust you enough to say what Anurr wants. He can’t keep the citadel closed with the storms forever.

The rest of you, focus on better things. On coin. You need coin. You always need coin.

( ooc: check out the IC results of the latest vote here, along with quest sign-ups! Feel free to talk among each other/threadjack, though Karsa will only answer very sparingly at this time. )

Comments

un: xianxian of yunmeng jiang

[weifinder]

( using the one he named to appease jiang cheng might have been on purpose, but hey )

Coin's in process, and has been. The Merchant arranging things said to keep hold on it, which has been done, and I suspect our dear Five has done the same, with an eye toward funding our leaving this region—is there a reliable means to get in contact with him again for an update on timeline, because if we're needing to move again before we're moving out, I want to handle that as soon as we can.

[aprescoup]

You... want to speak to him? The master?

It can be done, can be done. He is not always as polite as me, but...

[weifinder]

He can hardly point out anything we can't stand to hear and learn from, but yes. Knowing what we're waiting on and when the funds needed can be handed to him may help keep us focussed and on track--and less trouble.

[aprescoup]

Waiting on? You are waiting on storms, boy. You think they open the borders whenever we want? We could push through, yes, and then have half of Sa-Hareth follow us, certainly.

[weifinder]

That's more than we collectively knew, when it also sounded like an issue of funds to get the paperwork so we'd attract less attention. At this point, do you know if we're heading overland when these storms come?

[aprescoup]

That... is for the master. I assume he is... making the right hands eager to clasp, as we speak. It is his work. You are not easy merchandise to smuggle.

[weifinder]

No, moving people without eyes to witness and watch the whole has never been easy.

Regarding funds, however, there's a good fifty-thousand for handing off, and more from other parties, who are not myself. As he needs it, let it be transferred.

[aprescoup]

Why? You're afraid the others will take your money? Your coin purses are too full, they're burning?

[weifinder]

How much did I get to you for the docks?

[aprescoup]

...why, little funny person?

[weifinder]

Awh, Sasa, we're onto nicknames! Also, the biggest hole burnt in any pocket I have was for you, Sasa, trust me on that.

( Lan Zhan's second largest but we're not talking about that relative to anything else, third is EVERYTHING ELSE )

[aprescoup]

'Sasa.' You can't pronounce my name? It is five letters. One more than 'Sasa.' Come on, you can do it. You open your little fool mouth, and you say Kaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhrsaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa.

[weifinder]

Saaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaasaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa~

[aprescoup]

I'll curse you. I'm good at it, you know. You disrespect, I curse.

[weifinder]

Oh, what kind? Do the curses you know not have a bounceback that leaves you marked yourself? You wouldn't believe some of the ones back home, they're ridiculous, hate them myself, dirty and indirect, I'd rather kill a person face to face than curse them, but sure did learn a lot!

[aprescoup]

Why would my curses mark you? Why would I be so bad at my work? Why are you bad at your work? Do you consider, maybe, other work? Like cutting wood? You go in the forest, chop-chop, with your skinny arms?

[weifinder]

No, no, see that's the amazing exchange of ideas between cultures! The way your curses work, the way the ones from where I'm from work, they have fundamentally different principles, that's fascinating! Wood, however, wood is chopped in fundamentally the same way that I've seen. I'd recommend the big guy. We've got a few big guys here, exellent for chopping wood.

[aprescoup]

I am cursing you now. Very big curse for very small man.

[weifinder]

That's so kind of you, what's it going to be?

[aprescoup]

Warts! Warts on your ass! When you least expect them!

[weifinder]

... Is there ever a time you expect them?

[aprescoup]

When you have... the bad time. Between the sheets.

[weifinder]

... Nightmares? Or when ill?

[aprescoup]

You... you are like a bride.

[weifinder]

................................................ Huh?