RP:A Frosty Reception
Part of the Larketian Fault Lines Arc
Summary: The evacuated witches are brought to Frostmaw to rest and recuperate after the long flight from Larket. Pilar and Hildegarde discuss the future, and Pilar apologizes for her behavior.
Northern Outpost
The operation couldn't have gone any better. Without the need for secrecy, the Eyrie had been able to fly into Larket and evacuate over two dozen witches. Twenty-six was the exact count, if Pilar remembered right. They were mostly young, single women, with no children or significant others tying them to Larket. Many had chosen to stay, refusing to be chased out of their rightful home by foreign rulers. Odhranos had led the rescue, and Pilar thought he did an excellent job of it. Now, hours later, the Eyrie and their passengers were landing back in Frostmaw. Here, the witches would choose where they wanted to live, and fresh mounts would bring them there. Pilar landed her borrowed wyvern and looked over her shoulder at the witch clinging to her. The poor girl had been terrified through the entire trip, gripping Pilar so tightly around the middle it was a good thing the vampire didn't need to breathe. “We're here, miss,” Pilar said. The witch opened her eyes, saw that they had, in fact, landed, and sighed heavily. She climbed out of her saddle and took a few tentative steps. Her legs felt like jelly. Pilar climbed down and patted the wyvern's side. The witch returned to get her things (a single bag stuffed with clothes and strapped to the back of the passenger's saddle) and asked, “So... what now?” A handler came from inside the outpost to bring the tired wyvern inside. “Now, you take some time to rest, and decide where you want to go from here,” Pilar said. “Go inside, there is food and drink for you.” “Thank you... thank you,” the witch said. Clutching her bag, she turned and followed the stream of witches into the outpost.
Hildegarde had been at the very top of the outpost, in the main office with Mistral trying to plan out the next step. This was a tender political move and she knew she would need to encourage people to leave Frostmaw rather than stay there, even if she’d rather invite people to remain and bolster the population a little bit with adept magical users. Alas, politics once again had her hands tied. Upon receiving word that the first witches were arriving, Hildegarde gave a little nod of her head and descended the spire in order to quietly greet the witches she so happened to encounter: instructing those who passed by to speak with members of the Eyrie in order to receive their care package, which would include insulated clothing and a small stipend for their short stay in Frostmaw. The Silver didn’t want to talk to them all too much or seem like a saviour. She hung back, greeting only those who passed her by or wished to speak to her. Her work was done largely through others.
Pilar tended to the animals, removing their saddles and giving them food water. They'd flown long and far and deserved some R&R. Some tables and chairs had been set up in the main room of the outpost for witches to sit down and have a small meal. One of the older witches was making the rounds, speaking to her younger counterparts in hushed tones. What she could have been saying was uncertain, but those she spoke to seemed to receive her words positively. Just as Pilar was finishing her work and coming in, the witches all got up in unison, stood in a circle with joined hands, and began to hum. The older witch's voice rang out, invoking the spirits of nature to give blessings to Frostmaw and its people, who had been so kind to them. Pilar moved around the perimeter of the room, so as not to disrupt the ritual. Despite how much they'd been hurt, the witches refrained from taking this moment of safety to curse Larket. They were spending their energy only on the positive, today. Pilar came to a stop near Hildegarde, on her left, only nodding in greeting if Hilde happened to look her way.
Hildegarde does not seek to interrupt the ritual, but she makes a quiet note to Mistral to see if the shamans can supply the witches with some herbs and basic equipment for their future potion making. A mortar and pestle, that sort of thing. Handy tools that are easy to acquire, really. As Pilar comes to a stop near Hildegarde, the Silver offers her a little nod of the head in return. “Good work. I trust you and Odhranos had an easy time of it?” She didn’t expect any trouble coming from Larket, given that she was able to come to an agreement with Macon about it, but it was wise to check.
Pilar shook her head. “We did. I... I would have liked to have been able to convince more to leave, but Larket is their home.” Also, Hildegarde had told them not to make a big deal of it, and arguing with someone about whether she should leave or not would have been making a big deal of it. “I hope things improve soon. I'm afraid of more violence, or... I don't know. I had a bad feeling inside the whole time we were there. Seeing these women here gives me some hope, but...” She sighed. “I don't know, it's all so complicated. But you probably understand complicated.” Pilar looked down at her hands. “I wanted to... apologize. For how I've been acting lately, with this witch thing. I've been taking it so personally, I didn't see the situation you were in. I'm sorry.”
Hildegarde shrugged her shoulder, “Like trees and their roots, some will not be moved,” she cautions gently. “They might hope for better times or seek to change things from the inside, we just cannot say.” That and she had promised the Larketian monarchs that she would not take every witch, she would only take those who wished to leave: putting it as Eyrie Airways and transporting those who felt it was time to go and not portraying it as a rescue effort. Politics, yay! When Pilar speaks of things improving; her fear of future violence and finally an apology, Hildegarde is not sure what to think. Indeed, when Pilar began to speak of future violence and having had a bad feeling, Hildegarde had to remind herself to keep her shoulders square rather than let them sink as she so sorely wished to do. She had tolerated the bad attitude of Pilar and the harsh words for far too long, the apology seemed to come a little late and only after Pilar had gotten a result she wanted. Would it have come without a result such as this? “Thank you for the apology. As for Larket… well, only time will tell what will happen.”
Pilar would have to work hard to make up for her behavior, she knew this. But it would be worth it. She'd lost too many people, she didn't need to start chasing them away. She just wished Odhranos had talked sense into her sooner. “I wish there was more I could do,” she said of Larket. “I want to believe things can end well, but... the city is going to be scarred, no matter what happens. Larket could reverse its anti-witch policies today, and there's still going to be fear, and anger, and hatred.” The witches ended their ritual and returned to their seats. “I guess... I should focus on helping the ones who got out... right?”
Hildegarde shrugged her shoulder once again. She couldn’t really speak for Larket, in truth. “It is possible, but only Macon and Josleen have any understanding on what might await Larket. Even then, us monarchs have very limited foresight with these things. Larket may reintegrate the witches into normal society or it may well eliminate them, there is no true way of knowing what will happen until it is at our door.” When Pilar says she ought to focus on helping those who had left, the Silver nods her head. “Further interference might not be for the best, really. It is good to have a vested interested on matters, but if you interfere too deeply the consequences could be severe. The witches who chose to leave Larket,” a very careful and specific phrasing, “will have some time here to decide where they wish to settle in future and we will do what we can to make it a smooth transition.”
Pilar swallowed hard when Hildegarde said, “eliminate.” It hit too close to home. While the queen warned against further interference, Pilar couldn't help but wonder what she'd do if that was the route Larket took. Could she stand aside and do nothing, or would she try to save them? And in saving them, how far would she go? Pilar pondered these questions in silence as her eyes moved over the witches. When she looked at them, so tired and beaten down, she saw her people, and it stung.
Hildegarde sighed softly as she watched Mistral and the other Eyrie members chat to the witches not involved in a natural ritual, keeping her hands clasped behind her back. “The future is hard to predict. But I trust that Larket feels the eyes of its neighbours and peers upon it,” but whether it cared for the judgement was another thing altogether.
Pilar nodded. “Hope for the best, prepare for the worst... My parents used to say that a lot. I guess that's all we can do right now.” She shuffled her feet, then looked up at Hildegarde. “Um... there's a, uh, festival coming up in Chartsend in a few weeks. If you have the time, you should come.”
Hildegarde nodded at the invitation, offering Pilar a polite and civil smile. “Thanks for the invitation,” she replies, “but I’m usually kept busy by my duties. I’ll think on it, though,” it’s the polite way of saying ‘I don’t really want to but maybe because it’d be rude otherwise’.
Pilar didn't press the issue. She did hope Hildegarde would come (otherwise she wouldn't have mentioned it), but she'd understand if Hildeharde couldn't. “Okay. I, um... I should probably get back to work. Take care, Hildegarde.”