RP:An Enchanting Escape Plan

Summary: In search for a rare species of nightshade which is rumored to only be found in Enchantment, the group of four meets up in Cenril, discusses their plan, and takes stock of their items. Scandal is eager to retrieve the ingredient, so the witches can create a brew which will help him to easily transform from his human form into a dragon, and vice versa. Lanara leads the charge, along with Talyara, Zahrani, and an ill-mannered reindeer by the name of Rude-Off. Their adventure is far from peaceful as Taly is attacked by a winged beast, Lana confronts a pirate and is later snatched by a filthy hobo, Scandal winds up being poisoned, and Rani is left to deal with the aftermath of all of their injuries and ailments. At long last, the nightshade is recovered, and the group can head home and put this all behind them.

Talyara kept to the outskirts of the fish market clad in a pair of denim jeans, a crop top that revealed her slim stomach, and her usual pair of ankle high boots. Her unruly looks are loose, curtaining her face as she leans against a stall with a backpack affixed on her shoulders. She wrinkles her nose as the stench of fresh fish reaches her nostrils and she attempts to mask it by hiding her face in the crook of her arm. “Why had Lanara picked this place to meet of all places?” She whines to herself before sighing and crouching down and slipping the bag from her shoulders. Taly unknots the cords and begins to remove various items, taking stock of what she had packed. Medicinal herbs? Check. Healing salves and tinctures? Check. Bandages? Check. Stiletto blade? Check. Various magical items for strength and protection? Check. After repacking her bag, she straightens and looks around, waiting to see if she spied Scandal or her sister.

Lanara saunters along the docks, wearing skin-tight denim leggings, tan knee-high leather boots, and a form-fitting navy tank top, with a backpack nestled between her shoulder blades. Her long hair was pulled into a high ponytail, and then expertly braided, to swing between her shoulder blades with every step she takes. A reindeer walks behind her, his maw opening as he struggles to chomp down on the brunette’s braid, becoming more and more angered with each step she takes. Finally, his teeth delve into the strap of her backpack and he roughly tugs the leather satchel from her slender form. “Rude-Off! Cut it off! I should have left you back in Frostmaw! Can’t you ever behave!? I told you! I don’t have any of your stupid oat treats!” The deer stops in his tracks, spitting out the backpack and letting it fall to the docks as he looks up at his mistress with those big doe eyes, looking the epitome of apologetic, at least until he opens his mouth and berates the poor elf. Scoffing, his hooves clack against the boards as he storms nearer to Talyara. “Can you believe this nonsense?! The little witch didn’t pack my treats! That stupid, ugly, had-her-heart-broken-by-a-witch killer, and is now dating a freaking stalk of broccoli, clumsy, mother fu-“ He’s cut off as Lana slaps him firmly on the rear, her expression heated. “Shut. Up. Rude-Off. We don’t need to hear your vulgarities this early in the day. Now stand still so we can saddle you up!” The reindeer isn’t in the mood to be bossed around, so he mule kicks Lana, sending her sprawled out on the docks, as he sidles up to Taly, and waits for her to fix their luggage to his back. “Hey Doll. Why don’t you and I get out of here? Leave the pain-in-my-arse to wait for Puff the Magic Dragon, and we can get better acquainted?” Lana pushes herself to her feet, her hand rubbing her stomach. Was Rude-Off seriously hitting on her little sister?! Where was Scandal? The sooner they got on their way, the better!

Scandal wasn't exactly in cenril, rather he was on his way back. Having flown back from Selen islands where he had something to aqquire, namely the large sack linen sack that dangled from one his claws as he was flying back. Only 18' tall 40' long and 15' wide, Scandal flew in the direction of the docks. Circling around the city briefily he gazed upon the continuing effort to fill in the remains of his bank, and also of the work being done by Trinity in south side of town. As he pulled closer in for landing he chose an abandoned section of the dock to land on. Of course he wasn't that lucky. Splash! The abandoned dock fell under his weight leaving the dragon standing neck deep at the edge of the market. Spewing out some water from the splash he sighed to himself and audibly said in a voice so low that the dock trembled by the frequency of his voice. It wasn't loud just low, and it oscilated the wood and stone. "Figures." Reaching up to the dock he pulled himself aboard to look around at the fish market. Moving past some fisherman, and he drug the linen along in his jaw. As he moved past Old Marvin, one of the young arrogant fishers he casually walked by and knocked him into the water below with his tail. "Damn, you Scandal!" Such rivalry was perfectly normal, afterall when he had first come to Cenril Old Marvin had cheated him out of a catch and since then, Scandal felt the urge to make him remember it, the only reason he hadn't killed the guy yet, was his respect for the ladies having punched a man trying to take advantage of woman in an alley way a few weeks before. Now this bitter rivarly was alot more harmless. As soon as he found his two favorite people to be around Scandal would drop the bag, and allow them to look into it, which had enough treasure pieces for the long journey. "I apologize for this form, but its all i could muster."

Talyara cants her head to the side when her tapered ear catches the family tones of her sister’s voice. A dark eyebrow arches when she recognizes the familiar foul-mouthed reindeer who had nearly broken down her door at the inn a couple of months back. Her expression shifts to one of surprise when Rude-Off begins to tell off his mistress, babbling about Eirik and some…green guy? Naturally, the younger witch assumes he’s just spitting out whatever he can to annoy Lanara so she doesn’t pay it much mind. Suddenly though, he mule kicks Lana and sends her flying! Talyara is immediately moving off to check on Lana when Rude-Off saunters over and begins to hit on her? Talk about bad luck! The druidic witch can’t get a single guy to look her way and now a glorified mule was trying to get in her pants! “Listen here, Buddy. I’m not interested in what you’re selling!” Still, she reaches into her bag and pulls out one of her homemade oatmeal cookies and offers it to the reindeer. “You okay?” She asks calling out to her sister before a commotion on the docks drawers her attention. There’s splashing and cursing and before she knows it, Scandal has arrived—the gang’s all here.

Lanara is not amused with the reindeer’s antics, or the fact that her sister is rewarding him with an oatmeal cookie! The elf wears a scowl as she pulls her sister in for a brief hug, while giving the reindeer a gentle shove in the opposite direction. Rude-Off happily gobbles the cookie, while wagging his eyebrows at Taly in a suggestive fashion, before he snorts and with their backpacks tethered to his saddle, wanders off down the docks. “How are you doing, Sister? Excited for our adventure! I just hope we don’t run into that dragon again, or face anymore burning bodies in Enchantment. So we are looking for a flower that looks like this…” Leaning in, she shows her a drawing of what they would both know rather well, being witches and all. Nightshade. However, this form of nightshade isn’t the customary purple, it’s a yellow flower, with black rims, and has an eerie glow in the center. “It’s just as deadly as nightshade, so we will have to handle it with extreme caution, as it’s known to cause hallucinations and delirium. Rumor has it that we can find it somewhere around here…” Replacing the picture of the flower with a wrinkled map, she points to an area just beyond The Fells, which is marked in red on this particular map, and the word ‘DANGER’ is written in bold lettering. Folding the map, she smiles at Scandal as he strides down the dock, and she fills him in on the ingredient they were seeking, as well as the treacherous territory they’d be entering. “So. I really hope we can find this form of nightshade, but I don’t want us to get our hopes up. Mother’s grimoire could be outdated, or maybe that area no longer grows that type of flower. Also… Be careful. Nightshade is lethal if ingested, in any form. Merely touching the roots can cause severe mental impairments. And in order for us to even get to this supposed location… I’m told that we have to trek through forests, climb up and over a mountain path, cross a moat, and then we’ll have to, um, speak with a madman named ‘Harvey’ who supposedly will give each of us a riddle. If we answer correctly, we can move on. Those of us that don’t… We have to remain on the other side. We are only given one chance to answer, and we can’t answer for another person. There will be venomous snakes, poisonous spiders, dragons, and all the other horrors that go with this type of journey. I hope you both are wearing comfortable shoes and brought a change of clothing. We’re in for a bumpy trip!” Exhilarated, Lana looks at Scandal’s items, nods, and gives his bag to Taly to latch onto Rude-Off’s back, before she points towards the west. “There’s a short cut through Cenril, so we don’t have to head all the way back to Sage Forest. Are you both ready to leave?”

Scandal listened as best he could. It was kind of difficult between the instructions and the disturbing lethal variations of the flow, not to mention having that reindeer constantly cursing. Scandal cocked his head in the Direction of who he presumed was Rude-off, and then looked at Talyara. He kepts his thoughts silent about her, as not to venture into another friends territory. He spoke in thought to Lanara and to Talyara who he had not done so before, his words kind of being heard in the mind. But able to listen to verbal response from them. This was only from causing the deck beneath them to vibrate with each spoken word of his low pitched dragon voice. (He's a bass 19 as a dragon voice between 2-30hz, in thoughts he sounds normal) <"I am ready to leave, and the short cut sounds welcoming."> He said. <"If you have anything you need for me to carry, I kinda stuck in this form for now, so pack animal i can be."> The privately he said to Taly, "I love your choice of clothes."

Rani quietly wanders through the streets of Cenril, garbed in traveling gear and bearing her more elven appearance she had at the Lover's Ball; black fur on her pointed ears, a black tail swishing behind her, and a dark, nut-brown skin that contrasts sharply with her sharp cyan gaze. Her nose is slightly wide-set, her lips large and her cheekbones high. Even with her less-feline look, the paladin is recognizable by some of the locals. They were not far from the Cenril colony where she had spent much of her childhood, and made intermittent trips to as an adult. A young feline girl with cheetah markings on her face sprints up to see the panther and give her as big a hug as her little arms could manage. Zahrani smiles, lifting and twirling her in an embrace. An older male with gray fur and a heavily muscled build joins them. He places a big paw on Rani's shoulder, speaking in a thick accent and a grin, "Still wearing thet funny face, Rani?" The woman puts the young feline girl back on the ground, before responding, "Good to see you too, Bruiser. How's our old matron doing?" The paladin refers to the oldest female feline in the colony. "Still as feisty as ever," is Bruiser's response. "She sends her thanks for the last bit of gold you gave us. We're restoring our dwelling places after the attack from Larket." Rani nods, before her eyes turn to see a talking reindeer walking down the street with at least 2 or 3 people she recognized. Bruiser, with a raised brow, his nares flaring curiously, looks at the group of outsiders, then back to Rani, "I suppose you'll be leaving shortly, yes?" The paladin gives the big burly cat a hug, then moves to catch up with Taly, Scandal, and Lana.

Talyara lifts her shoulder in singular fashion when Lanara asks how she is, giving a noncommittal answer. She was alright. Not the best she’s ever felt but not the worst either. When the elder witch begins to recount what happened on their last trip to Enchantment, Taly wrinkles her nose and nods in agreement. “Yes, let us hope that we don’t stumble upon burning men, dying children, or dragons.” A shiver runs up Taly’s spine at the memory as she leans in to get a better look at the drawing Lanara has procured of the special nightshade, memorizing its features and committing it to memory. As the woodland witch shows the map to her sister and begins to explain all the hurdles they are about to cross, Taly cannot help but roll her eyes. “Can’t anything be easy for us for a change? Why couldn’t have been as simple as brewing a tea under the full moon?” Taly huffs out an annoyed sigh at their luck but nods her head begrudgingly. Scandal’s words echo in her mind and she momentarily seems startled but she nods her head in understanding as he explains that he can be of assistance by carrying any needed items. His private words to her alone aren’t met with much of a reaction. Taly assumed that Scandal was still speaking to both her and Lanara so she figured he was complimenting her sister. As the trio begins their journey away from the fish market and towards the shortcut Lanara had mentioned, Taly hears footfalls draw near and spins around taking a defensive stance, worried that it might be those pesky sailors from the Whaler ready for round two (or three). When she spies the familiar feline, she immediately relaxes and gives her a small smile. “Hey. We’re going on a crazy adventure. Want to come?” This is asked nonchalantly as if the trio were merely going to grab some food.

Lanara is twirling her long braid around her pointer finger, sighing and looking around the area, the sun beating down on their forms. She was bored. Already. “Alright, let’s get going… I’d like to at least find Harvey before the sun goes down, if possible. It’s bad enough we have to spend at least one night in a tropical snake haven.” She visibly shudders, and then Scandal speaks to her telepathically, and she gives a small nod. She hated when people talked to her through mindspeak, though the male was like a brother to her and Taly, so she allows it to pass without comment. The elf glances in the direction of Sage, and the shortcut that leads to Gualon. Something or someone else was on her mind, as she seems rather distracted today. So distracted in fact, that Rude-Off charges at her, nearly impaling her with his horns as he throws a flurry of curse words her way, still going on about the lack of oat treats. Suddenly the deer stops short, throws his head back, and sneezes all over Lana’s chest, the snot and slobber covering her from the neck to navel. “What the hell!? Rude-Off! Get out of my face!” The elf walks a few feet away, and snatches a bandana off some pirate’s head, using it as a cleaning cloth as she rubs the disgusting fluids from her tank top and figure. The pirate, peg-legged and with one eye, approaches, “Whattdaell? Das mie clawth.” He’s eyeing her breast suggestively, though Lana pays him no mind, and mutters, “See my sister for payment.” She’s referring to coin for the stolen cloth, however the pirate gets the wrong idea and stumbles towards Taly, his cane smacking against the planks until he arrives at her side, and extends a grubby hand, aiming to grope the woman’s chest. Lana’s head snaps up at the last second, as he nearly makes contact, and she sprints across the board and her fist jabs him in the throat, sending him flying into the water. “I always thought pirate’s preferred booty?!” Cleaned up and exhilarated from her throat punch, she catches sight of Zahrani and gives a wave. “Hello! Will you be joining us? We are going on another grand adventure! We’re trying to gather some things so that we can help Scandal to enchant an amulet so that he can transform at will. The whole dragon thing can be a real drag for him, at times.” She waits to see if the feline wishes to accompany them, and then locks eyes with Scandal. “You ready? We have to take that path over there...” She points. “And after about four miles, we’ll be near the Green Fairy. A tavern in Enchantment. We can grab a quick bite and talk with the locals when we get there.”

Bigger eyes had never rolled quite like Scandals. It was annoyance, plain and simple, but annoyance as to what, may not have been well interpreted, Between a pirate who expects groping for payments and very rude deer he hoped wasn't going to be like this for the entire journey. He wasn't sure. Not entirely sure if he would have been better to keep speaking his mind or voice, he bravely chooses his voice. "Zahrani, if you are willing I would be most honored to have another friend join our merry crew." His voice was not thundering nor was it loud, but its low frequency allowed it to be heard quite well, and the ground seemed to vibrate with it. Whatever reply which he hoped was yes, he would begin on the path with the others. For himself walking was a preferred past time, earlier life made him terrified to fly, as most flyers in his day were bullies, now though he just enjoyed walking with friends. He looked from side to side, and smiled, his brow above moving slightly up and down, and readjusting himself, he drew posture towards a two legged walking. So that he could use his forearms to be able to shoulder his knap sack and pack. Granted he was taller now, but at the same time, he didn't take up as much room on the road, and that would allow his friends to walk closer towards him. "I'd offer ride if anyone wants one, just let me know when your feet get tired." he said with a pause, as he continued to walk, very likely outside the city boundry by this point (hopefully or not this can be changed) "Those with claws need no asking, I am sure they know how to climb scales." He said this if Zahrani had joined. To Lanara he spoke, "You doing okay back there, you shuddered a bit back there, when i spoke to you."

The feline paladin stops to take in exactly what had just transpired. She watched a reindeer sneeze on Lana, a pirate try to grope Taly (prompting her to prepare another suplex for the man), stopping as Lana punches the man in the throat, and looking at Scandal as he rises to two legs. To the three friends, the panther laughs warmly, saying, "I wouldn't miss that for anything." Rani grins at Scandal as he mentions offering a ride, "You are kind as always, my friend. I'll let you know if I grow weary." Unless there was some serious healing being done, the woman would be just fine walking. She adjusts her supply satchel and weapons, before moving to walk up next to Taly. Upon reaching the lithe elf, she offers a kiss to the green-eyed witch. As they walk, she asks, "How has everyone been since I saw you last? I was just in Cenril to visit the colony I grew up in as a cub...the little ones there seem to grow an inch taller every time I visit." The cat maintains a warm smile, thinking back to Kindrah, the little girl that had run up to see her. She had been there to help tend to the child and her mother after she was born.

Talyara rolls her eyes as Lanara tells the peg-legged pirate to get payment from her, breathing out an exasperated sigh. She reaches into the back pocket of her shorts to pull out some coin, simultaneously turning to chastise her sister, when the man’s hand reaches out and brushes her ample chest. Taly’s eyes widen in appalled shock; however, she doesn’t even have time to react aside from this look of disdain for Lana is already charging forward, swinging her hand and landing an impressive throat punch which sends him flying into the water! Talyara spits after him and immediately crosses her hands over her chest to ensure that no one else gets the wrong idea and moves to follow her sister, a small scowl on her face at her assault. When Scandal makes his offer to fly anyone she gives a dip of her head. “Thank you, Scandal that’s nice of you. I daresay the three of us will probably go on foot until we can’t anymore.” The witch turns towards Zahrani when she mentions having been to the commune where she grew up and a small smile tugs on the corners of her lips. “That must be nice, going back to visit and see familiar faces. In the village where Lana and I grew up, the coven helped raise the children and when I was old enough it was my job to take care of the little ones during rituals."

Lanara walks between Scandal and Rude-Off, leading the charge, while Taly and Rani walk a few feet behind, deep in their own discussion of their upbringing. The witch can’t help but smile as the pirate is tugged from the water and several sailors proceed to empty his pockets of any coin, which was karma, at its finest! The yelling is audible, even when they are clean out of earshot, though she manages to ignore it all the same, as they head into southern Sage Forest, and search for the path that would lead them to Enchantment. The reindeer behaves for the most part, only cursing every so often when his antlers get caught in a bush or snagged onto a branch. In response to the offer of a ride, Lana’s eyes widen and she shakes her head, lifting her chin to look up at Scandal. “Thank you… But, I think we’ll be just fine. We’ll all pace ourselves and stop for a drinking and short rest at the Green Fairy. They have this one drink… It’s called ‘absinthe’ and it reminds me of your smellale.” A warm smile is given to the male, though it rapidly fades as he issues another inquiry, and she sighs, her fingers trailing through the silken fur of the deer. “I don’t like any form of telepathy, to be honest. Since I sacrificed my gift of empathy… It somehow feels –wrong- to just allow another access to my mind… I can use mindspeak with Sigrid, my white wolf, though it’s rare that she chooses to say anything. I suppose my animal empathy skills are stronger than my people skills. It’s nothing personal, Scandal.” Carefully, she watches her footing now as the path becomes steeper, more rocks are lying about, and the twigs crush beneath her boots. Dark eyes scan the road ahead, as well as the perimeter, as though she expected an assailant or creature to dart out at any given second and intercept their plans. Lana hadn’t been on a grand adventure in weeks, and though she’s eager to help her friend and excited for their travels, she can’t figure out why the hair on the back of her neck is raised. Were they being followed? Would they find this rare nightshade? Every few yards, she peeks over her shoulder to make sure that Zahrani and Talyara are still close behind, and if they were to see the caution in her eyes, she’d mask it with a small smile and say, “You two holding up alright, back there?”

Scandal would have reacted to the pirate, and he was pretty sure Taly could have handled herself, but Lanara seemed to have handled it nonetheless, unlike Taly he wouldn't spit, otherwise there wouldn't have been anything for the sailors to pull up. As he continued up the path with Lanara, his eyes full concern as he listens to Lanara's reasons for not liking telepathy. "If it means anything I can't read minds, I can only speak to them." He said aloud which while quiet was felt more than heard. "Absinthe, I will have to try it to be sure, because I did bring some of smellale with me." Scandal adjusts his gait digging his claws into the steeper path so that he climb with the incline. Scandal didn't like feeling like he was being watched, and his red spines on the back of his neck stood up, when he was anxious. Rude-offs cursing didn't make it any easier. "Lana, I promise I will stay out of your mind." Scandal said whispering his promise to her as they walked. Turning his head back to Zahrani and Taly who still looked very hot in her getup, he couldn't stress that enough. "Its a little steep, use my prints if you want a little more balance."

Zahrani continues walking alongside Taly, listening to the elf tell of her own background. "Sometimes it's nice to be part of a child's life. The best way to learn something is by teaching it...And children have a way of reaching us about ourselves." As the incline steepens, the panther offers a warm hand to hold for the witch, that they might support each other in the trek. The paladin makes occasional use of Scandal's large footprints to keep her balance. To Lanara's query, the feline waves, responding. "Everything's fine back here..." She trails off, her ears and nose becoming steadily more alert as they traipse into unfamiliar territory.

Talyara is oblivious to the conversation that Scandal and Lanara seem to be having, the witch content on talking with Zahrani and enjoying the “calm before the storm” that was surely bound to hit them once they reached Enchantment. The last time the sisters had been there things didn’t turn out so well and the vision of the dying child who’s hand she held while he took his last breath was one that continued to haunt Taly’s mind. As they continue to walk out of Cenril and towards Sage, the little witch is feeling a bit underdressed, what with her shorts and crop top, and opts to wrap her arms around her bare midriff. That is until they reach the steep incline and she is forced to take Rani’s hand for support. Her lack of eating had really taken a toll on her stamina so what was slightly inconvenient for the others was downright painful for her; still she resolved to walk on her own. Talyara likewise uses Scandal’s prints to get better traction and it at least eases the stress, albeit slightly. Lana’s attempt at a comforting smile can’t put the younger sister at ease—the little hairs on the back of her neck on her arms were standing on end and she knew she wasn’t the only one who sensed it. Taly's pretty green eyes dart around anxiously—she felt like something was watching them from within the dense forest. Still, there is nothing to confirm this except her own anxieties so the witch remains quiet as her breathing quickens, her heart beating heavily in her chest. Eventually (and thankfully!) the group crests the hill. The others continue a few strides ahead, but Taly remains back, having let go of Rani’s hand and waving her ahead so she can have a moment. She’s bent at the waist with hands on her thighs and she takes measured, deep breaths. What occurs next happens all too quickly; one minute Taly is trying to steady and slow her breath and the next she is donkey kicked in the chest, knocked over on her back by a great, odd looking beast! The thing was tall, easily towering over the witch. He stood on his hind legs which were hoofed while bat-like leathery wings sprouted from its back. Its front claws dug into into poor Talyara's chest, piercing her skin so blood begins to stain her blouse, as it lowered its snarling face close to hers. Its eyes glowed red and thick drool slipped out between sharp teeth, its breath rancid against Taly’s flesh. Its wings folded back as his mouth opened intent on clamping around her neck, and Taly, finally finding her voice, lets out a hellish scream and beings to thrash and kick her legs.

Lanara is walking along, humming to herself and enjoying their hike through the woods, as she was quite the adventurer! She’s oblivious to the fact that her sister is struggling, nor does she use the easier traction provided by Scandal, as the brunette was often intent on walking the path less traveled, and finding her own way. Rani and Taly make small talk and the dragon assures her that he won’t invade her mind again, as it makes her uncomfortable. She gives him a grin and nods, to show that no harm has been done, and rubs her hand along the flank of Rude-Off. For the next several minutes their walk is silent, as they make the trek uphill, slowly climbing until they reach the crescent, and then begin the descent that leads to the town known as Enchantment. In another quarter of a mile or so, they’d be at the Green Fairy, drinking absinthe, resting their aching feet, and talking with the locals about their next step on the journey. They had a good six or seven miles to their backs already, and they were off to a fairly decent start, as the weather wasn’t too warm or too cold, and the rain had held off. All is quiet. The calm before the storm, so to say, when an ear splitting scream breaks the silence, and Lana turns on her heel and dashes towards her sister. There was a beast, unlike any beast she’s ever laid eyes upon before, and the elf doesn’t even hesitate as she lunges at the creature that had embedded his talons into Taly’s flesh. The skin on her chest shreds as though it were a piece of parchment being torn in half, and blood begins to pool, staining her shirt within an instant, though Lana doesn’t relent as she lands on the creature’s back. Her teeth sink into its right wing, and her legs wrap around its middle, as she punches and digs her own nails into its back, fighting to pull it off of her sibling. Rude-Off, for some reason, prances circles around them and shouts obscenities at the creature, kicking leaves and dirt up and unleashing a mule kick to its chest, which sends both the winged beast and Lanara flying backwards. The elf’s back collides with a tree and she slides to the ground with a sickening thud, as the creature, realizing it’s outnumbered, screeches, and flies off above the tree line, before seeming to vanish out of thin air. It was gone. Though the damage had already been done. Lana groans, and rubs the back of her head, as she crawls over to Taly, assessing her injuries. Her left breast was completely exposed, and what remained of her shirt was bundled into a ball to the right, soaked through with blood. Thankfully, the wounds weren’t fatal, though she would need stitches and sanitation, to ward off any infection. “Hey, Taly… Stay with me. It’s okay… I got you.” Cradling Taly’s head in her lap, Lana shrugs off her backpack and pulls out a green leaf, which she instructs her sister to chew. It would taste bitter, but it would help to ease the discomfort, as she looks up to Rani, tears in her eyes. Ignoring her own injuries, she instructs the paladin to help her lift her sister, and lay her over the back of Rude-Off, so they could get to the Inn. “I’ll run ahead and rent a room. She’ll need a bed, a basin of water, and I’ll have to heal her up… Scandal, I need you to make sure no harm comes to them, as they make their way to the Green Fairy.” Feeling light headed, she doesn’t wait for an answer, as she stumbles off, getting a head start.

Scandal :: Seconds that what it gets down to, from the moment one attacks to the moment the victim screams, to the ears of ones companions, to their reactions, down to the very seconds it takes to spring into action, and Scandal to his own failure found himself seconds to slow. By the time Lanara had finished with the creature he had only just managed to turn about to roar, now forced to hold it back. The creature is gone before he has a chance to attack it. Now as he moved slowly towards Talyara so as to not further the pain should his haste shake the ground. Lanara's instructions he nods to them, while concerned for lanara, for she herself took injury she is able to both run and stand so as ruldolf is now used like a pack animal, he eyes rani, knowing full well that the feline was capable of healing as well as fighting, As soon as lanara was ahead he said to her, "If you can work a little healing not the kind that knocks you out, but just a little to lessen the bleeding, I will handle, what pray comes upon us." He turned his eyes to road, and then to woods, surely what monsters that lay in wait, must have smelled the blood in the air, they would becoming, and what came first, would get the worst case of acid, in the history of acid spewing, whatever came second would find friends in the clouds thanks to his tail, and whatever came third would be a puddle under his foot, he figured he would repeat the cycle if more than that came, because he knew if rude-off didn't survive he'd have to transport in another way, and that would have to be clean for use.

Zahrani had unslung her crossbow right as she had heard the creature commence its assault on her lover. The panther takes aim, rapidly lowering her weapon as Lanara flies by and subsequently drives the monster away, albeit while sustaining injuries of her own. The panther's face is neutral, a result of mental conditioning that kicks in when she's in combat or in a crisis. The paladin is all action and no words. She's about to extend a hand to offer healing to Lana, but the elf is moving ahead, forcing Zahrani to prioritize Taly first. With a firm but gentle hand, Rude-Off is driven forward at a brisk pace as she keeps the injuried emerald-eyed witch seated. Her hand takes on a familiar glow, her power surging forward to cleanse the wound. She dares not close it just yet; she could keep Talyara stabilized until they get to the Inn. There, Lana and Rani could work together to properly tend to the injuries (and the feline could actually heal Lanara). She guides herself and Rude-Off in front of Scandal, before speaking urgently to the dragon, "Stay close, and watch your acid." She exhales, a cloud of amber mist enshrouding her and Talyara. It conceals their forms beneath the dragon. To Rude-Off, to keep the reindeer from panicking, she speaks reassuringly, "Keep walking forward, and I'll get us to safety." She could see just fine within the strange holy fog that she musters, and it isn't high enough to affect Scandal.

Talyara was so overcome by her sudden attack, her hand having immediately coming up to press against the would and staunch the flow of blood that was oozing freely from her chest, that she didn’t ever realize it was Lanara who had literally flung herself at the beast, latching on and attacking it so that it let go. Whatever she did must have worked because the beast suddenly lets out another hellish screech and escapes into the night, flying high over the trees, leaving half the group injured, and the other half forced to act as guard and healers for the others. Talyara’s eyes are closed, but when she feels Lanara cradle her head in her lap she peeks an eye open and gives her sister a weak smile. When she spies the green leaf she grimaces, hating the bitter taste of the vegetation, but still she accepts it because it would ease her discomfort, especially if she was going to be jostled getting to the inn. As Lana runs off to secure a place at the Green Fairy, Taly relies on Zahrani and Scandal to get her placed on Rude-Off’s back as gently as possible and then moving after the elder witch. Talyara feels the familiar energy of Rani’s healing, as she quickly holds her arm across her chest to keep herself modest. “Thanks,” she says in a quiet voice with a weak smile towards the panther.

Lanara sprinted ahead, barging into the Green Fairy like a bat that had escaped the depths of hell. She’s seeing double, incredibly nauseas, and she so desperately wants to take a nap. All the results of a bad concussion. But Talyara must be healed before she dared to see after her own condition. Seeing ‘three’ of the barmaid, she focuses on the center image, assuming they aren’t triplets and that it’s her head injury, “I need a room, and a basin with tepid water. Some gauze. Bandages. And an ale.” The woman nods, before hurrying off, though not before a handful of silver coins is exchanged. She returns minutes later and escorts Lana into the room where everything has been neatly arranged, even giving her a cup of idea for the bump on her noggin. “Thanks.” Lana rummages in her backpack for some herbs, and she begins to crush some of the ingredients with a mortal and pestle, making a paste that would ward off infection and promote healing. Next, she cuts the bandages into strips, as chest wounds were a bitch to cover, and this would make it so they could be applied without constantly falling off. The elf keeps busy, waiting for the trio and the reindeer to make their appearance, and every so often she opens the door and peeks into the bar. When she finally sees Zahrani and Scandal enter the establishment, she waves, and ushers them into the room, so that they could have a brief rest and heal Taly.

Scandal would later hope that no one owned that partciular strip of the forest where he had unleashed his acid spray upon a pack of coyotes, he hoped that what remained may form a nice deep pond in perhaps the next decade if not sooner if enough rain came, by neglecting a portion of the chemical compound of his acid he had avoided creating an explosion post acidic meltdown, trouble was though that he had been forced to spit out the chemical that would have been mixed seperatly and that, well was a volitile mixture that thankfull went off once they had entered the Green Fairy, along the way there had been a few smaller bumps and monsters it was pretty safe. Entering or rather Scandal having to wait outside because of his size, forcing him to look through a window, he would watch and offer his own magic well for extra healing help. If rude off was being well himself, then scandal would likely say, "I might redin that nose if you don't shut up."

Zahrani stops Rude-Off at the Inn, the fog dissapating as she gently lifts Taly off the reindeer. The lithe elf is carried in the feline's arms with the utmost care. She turns to offer Scandal a grateful smile before entering the building. Cyan eyes rest on Lanara, taking note of the other woman's injuries as she walks carefully into the room. The paladin sets the green-eyed witch upon the bed, checking her heartbeat with a warm hand on the side of Talyara's neck. She proceeds to assist Lana with prepping the room, and even takes a second to infuse the water basin with divine healing energy. The smell of blood and herbs assail's the woman's nostrils; a familiar combination for the cat, given her duties. To the brown-eyed witch, Rani says, "When we are finished cleaning her wounds, I can help close them. Then we can take a look at yours." Zahrani takes up a washcloth, dipping it into the now-slightly-glowing basin of water and preparing to assist Lana as needed.

Talyara slips in and out of consciousness as the trio make their way towards the Green Fairy, the blood loss and pain pulling her under every once in a while. Her green eyes blink open and her pale face turns up at Rani to gives her a grateful smile before she swallows thickly. “Make sure you heal Lana, okay?” She whispers weakly to the panther before he eyes drift closed again. She’s not unconscious though, just tired and she sighs when she feels her body laid across the thick quilt on the soft, feather filled mattress. Briefly, she peeks an eye open and calls out to one of the ladies, “Can you close the curtains please?” If they were going to be working on a chest injury she didn’t want to flash any peepers looking in! All in all, Taly is the perfect patient, lying still as stone, and doing anything that Lanara asked of her, even chewing bitter leaves again if she needed to. “I’m sorry,” she croaks out to the room at large, a frown tugging on the corners of her lips. “That...that thing came at me so fast I couldn’t even react before it had kicked me in the chest and clawed at my skin…”

Lanara scowls as Scandal waits outside, though there really wasn’t much the dragon could do, as Taly was injured in a rather private spot for a woman. Zahrani is given a curt nod as her sibling is laid upon the mattress, and the elf sets to work, ignoring her own injuries as the door is closed behind them. Lana swiftly cuts the shirt off of Taly’s body, being careful not to nick her with the scissors, as she then eyes the injuries, her face blanching as one of the talons had dug deeper than the others and she would require stitching. However, Rani was a skilled paladin and perhaps her method would be less painful and leave less scarring. The blessed water is used to clean the flesh around the wound, and every so often Lana wrings the towel, before once more rubbing the flesh clean. The wound clots for the most part, however the deeper injury continues to spurt and she has Rani place her hand atop the towel to apply pressure, while Lana begins to pack the rest of the slits with a healing poultice. Her fingers move deftly, with expert precision as she packs and spreads, then applies the bandages. It’s all accomplished in under ten minutes, until she moves to the deepest of slash marks, and with this, Lana slashes her own palm, allowing three heavy streams of blood to fall into her sister’s gaping wound. A healing spell would ensue, as Lana closes her eyes and speaks in Sylvan, “Goddess please hear my plea, I need your power, send it into me. Cleanse the wound and heal your daughter. Through the bond of blood, your holy water. Heal this woman with the power of three, as I spoke it, so mote it be.” A flash of light exits Lana’s fingertips, closing the wound on her palm, and flowing into her sister’s flesh, working on sanitizing and staunching the spurting of the blood. Lana then returns to the basin and pats the flesh clean, before nodding to Rani. “Close the wound, please.” As the feline takes over, Lana leaves the room to wash her own hands and grab a few crackers, as using her magic had taken a toll, as she was already exhausted and injured. She returns to the room and washes Taly’s face with a clean cloth, before working on combing her locks, and kissing her on the forehead. She had lost consciousness in the midst of healing, “Sister, wake up… I can give you something for the pain.”

Scandal groaned. The curse of being a full sized dragon in a place built for smaller people. Walking around the green fairy he tried finding the window that Talyara had been laid in so he could help if it was nescessary but sadly he had no such luck. Scandal felt isolated, and the reindeer was certainly not comforting, Taking a seat on his back legs and stretching back he carefully leaned against a large tree near the inn. Crossing his forearms he waited. No matter how he looked he was openly concerned for those he thought of as sisters and Rani, well he knew she could take anything that was thrown at her. Finally he couldn't stand it any longer. Picking up Rudeoff, he unhooked a bag from him, and dropped him back down, perhaps slightly harder just enough to rock the reindeer, afterall he was driving Scandal half mad with his constant jibber jabber. Opening the bag, he reached his hand in between the bottle of smellale, and found the one he needed, The vial was green and glowed, it had a label which read, Works for 4 hours only. Uncorking it, he drank it back. He gasped for a second as the flavor was as usual terrible, and soon he felt the agonizing pain of his bones collasping and cracking his form shrank and morphed, until he came to rest, as 7' tall anthromorphic form of his dragon self. Reaching into the bag, he pulled out a simple red robe, and cut a hole in the back with his claws for his wings, and then wrapped himself up into it. Thereby now at the size to enter the fairy he did so, and was able to find the room, that talyara was held up in. Standing outside the door, with one leg propped against the wall he crossed his arms, and waited, at least now, he would able to be with the others, even if he couldn't go in, he saw where she had been attacked, and something were simply made for women's eyes alone, of course, not that it would have mattered had she been a dragon, since dragons don't wear clothing, at least not in dragon form. His thoughts rambled on as he pondered what he could do, other than simply wait. That had been his only vial of transformation, and so he was going to spend these four hours admist the family he had felt he had come to know. So that he could be there for them, and then he would have to sleep outside. "How is she doing," He would ask, to whoever came out, "What can i do to help, or is everything already covered." And then finally if the topic came up, "We can rest here for the night, and see how talyara is doing in the morning. And how lana is doing as well."

Rani picks up where Lana leaves off, her hand returning to the wound where she had applied pressure. Her eyes close, her mind focused and diving deep into the well of divine energy stored in her form. Silent prayer to Cyris is invoked, the meditation acting as a vehicle for the healing energy to flow, amber light traversing from her heart to her hands in wavelike pulses. The elf would likely experience a tingling sensation as the wounds close, leaving only a slight blemish on the witch's skin. Cyan eyes open once more, looking down at Taly. A warm, slightly weary smile forms on the feline's face. She then grabs a wash rag from the glowing basin, walking up to Lanara and checking her wounds. To Scandal, the paladin responds, "She'll be alright, but she needs food and rest." Honestly, all of them might do well with some sleep and sustenance. She and Scandal would no doubt be staying vigilant tonight. Zahrani's hands continue to glow slightly as she cleans Lana's wounds. Thanks to them tag-teaming Taly's injuries, she has more energy available to help Lana.

Talyara had lost consciousness somewhere along the way when Lanara was cleansing her wounds. She had tried to hang on for as long as she could, her concern being with her sister and not her own injuries, but loss of blood and the jostling from the ride to the inn was enough to make a healthy person weary. Unfortunately, Talyara was not the picture of health what with her lack of appetite so it was no surprise that she succumbed to the darkness. She wasn’t completely unaware, however; she could feel the cool poultice being spread over her more superficial wounds, the pressure of the towel the panther was pressing against her deepest wound, the combined tingles of Lanara’s blood and magic and Rani’s healing abilities. Then she is allowed a brief respite until Lana presses a soft kiss against her forehead and begins to brush her hair. “Hmm, mmm, mehhh,” she groans--never having liked being woken up. Still, a green eye blinks open and attempts to give the two woman a comforting smile. “Have you been healed?” She asks Lanara in a hoarse voice, reaching up to take her hand. “Thank you, sister.” Taly then turns to Rani and offers her other hand. “And you as well.” Taly waits for Lana to bring her the pain reliever before they hear someone (who ends up being Scandal) move around outside their door. “Rani, would be mind going to update Scandal? I think it would be best if we all rest here for the evening. Lana and I are in no condition to travel and I know you are weary from your healing.”

Lanara’s primary concern is for her sister, and for a few minutes it’s just the two of them gazing into each other’s eyes, the pained emerald hues locked onto the tired and concerned chocolate orbs. Lana heaves a sigh of relief when Taly wakes up, as she knew how fragile her underweight sibling was, and she took some hit from that winged beast in the forest. She had assumed they’d encounter a few difficulties during their journey, though she never imagined they would have a setback this soon, and to her own flesh and blood! She forgets that Zahrani is in the room, or that Scandal is lurking in his dragon form outside the window, until she hears the shrill scream of one of the patrons and she knows that he had been spotted. The residents of Enchantment didn’t seem to take too kindly to dragons of any type, since the attack during the skull retrieval last month, which many had perished from being burnt to a crisp by the dragon that had guarded the moat. Thankfully, Meri and Encara were there to protect those that remained, but surely seeing Scandal and what he was had alarmed some of the locals. “I’ll be fine, Taly. You get your rest… And I agree. It would be best if we all spent the evening here. We will head out early in the morning. I’ll go and rent the room next door, so we aren’t all crammed together, and I’ll be back with your pain medication.” Lifting her head, she peers at Rani and flashes her a faint smile, grateful that the feline had assisted in healing her sister. The paladin was always by her side when she needed a friend, it seemed. “Rani. You look after my sister, alright? I’ll be back in a few minutes.” The witch slips from the room and nearly bumps into Scandal, who is now in his humanoid form as he drank the last of his shape shifting potion, and they lock eyes. “She’ll live.” Those are the only words that Lana mutters, before she walks past him and seeks out the barmaid that had helped her earlier. Rani would fill him in, as Taly had suggested, and once the younger witch had some clothing on, he’d be able to visit. Lanara needed a good bath, to heal the wound on the back of her throbbing head, to rent another room for the evening, as well as order food for them all for dinner. She’d be back in a few minutes with everything in order, though for now she was running on the last bit of adrenaline that she had left.

Scandal eyes locked with Lanara for a brief moment, and then as soon as he was able he did enter, "Hey," He said, "Doc Rani get you all patched up?" he said casting smiling eyes to Rani, before turning back to Talyara. "From what occured I think it would be best, to stay the night, each to their own room, or to their forest," He said with a bit of a smile. Then he softly patted talyara's shoulder. "Rest, so that I can get you something to eat, that might be a little messy," Then turning to Rani he said, "I am going to go check on Lana, but I am also going to the kitchen see if i can persuade the chef, to let me cook a while, I know a good chilli recipe, perfect for mending the wounds." He waited for her response and then moved out of the room, He was about to enter Lana's room but held his ear to the door first, it would have been very bad if he had entered and she was dressing or worse bathing. He noted where her window was at so that he would sleep outside of it later, and then he went to the kitchen and after paying a little gold he got the chef to go enjoy himself at the bar, so that he could have the kitchen to himself, placing a large cauldon over the fire, he filled the pot with ground beef, and then added a variety of spices to both enhance the flavor and also to be slightly spicy, the cutting up some garlic and onions, he mixed them into the pot, stiring it well. He add alot of stuff, this was afterall his special dish. No doubt the aroma would flood the inn after a while. Moving to the cheese he began to grate it, every great chilli needed cheese, it was practcally a kitchen sin not to. "Ayiuo, azama, runai, sobez, la'casma, yamnu..." he the dragon began to sing in the kitchen like a deep bass opera singer.

Rani does her best to conceal the frustration of wanting to heal Lana as she walks away, while simultaneously wanting to stay by Taly's side. Herding elves. That's what this feels like to the cat. She stays to help Taly re-dress, before offering a tired smile to Scandal when he enters. At the mention of him paying the chef to take a break, she calls after him, "If you're cooking for the entire inn, be sure to keep up with the original menu." The panther shakes her head at the entire scenario that's unfolded in the last few hours. An attack right out of the gate, and now they're licking wounds and needing to rest at an inn. The feline looks out the window, placing a hand over Taly's and pondering what else could be awaiting them down the road. At the green-eyed elf's request to see to Lana, the paladin speaks, "I think Scandal has her covered." She takes a seat by the bed, placing an affectionate kiss on the other woman's forehead while she recuperates.

Talyara does her best to stop her sister, she moves to swipe at her wrist before she can waltz from the room; however, Lanara is too quick (and too stubborn) to do anything but her own way. She gives her head a shake but that only pulls at her wounds causing her to grimace slightly. With Rani’s help she is sitting up in bed and changing into new, more comfortable clothes which consist of a tank top and baggy pajama-type pants. She then asks the panther to prop up some pillows so she can recline as opposed to laying flat before tugging the blanket back over herself. She winces as Scandal pats her shoulder, jostling her injuries but masks it as a smile so as not to make him feel badly about it. She’s not entirely keen on the eating thing--if she didn’t have her appetite before this endeavor she certainly didn’t have one now. But she let’s the dragon go off to work his magic in the kitchen if it will make him feel better. Rani’s kiss is met with a smile, and Taly holds out her hand for the panther to take it should she wish. Soon, her sister is returning with her medicine, looking freshened up and a bit more put together. “You need to rest, Lana,” she chides with a small smile. “Always causing trouble everywhere you go,” she teases, as if her sister had attracted the winged beast in the first place.

Lanara is now wearing very little, as she didn’t want to go through her clothes so quickly, as they hadn’t expected a setback this early in their adventure. So instead of putting on new clothing or armor, the elf is wearing a bikini top and a pair of shorts that she purchased from the local market. However, the shorts were made for a child, and so the woman with the legendary derriere is now parading around the Green Fairy in little more than booty shorts and a bra. Lana was comfortable in her own skin, and she worked damn hard to remain in such a toned shape, so she ignores the catcalls that emit from the various men and slips back into Taly’s room. Lifting her gaze to Rani, she winks at the feline as she hands her sister a shot glass filled with a potion that would ease her pain. “Has she behaved for you? She wasn’t battling any other winged beasts while I was gone, was she?” She mutters this, at precisely the same time that Taly accuses her of luring the beast to their location, and the sisters share a much needed giggle. Pulling her hair into a messy bun atop her head, thus masking the neat row of stitches that she single handedly did during her brief absence, Lana looks around the room, wondering where the dragon had wandered off to, and she inhales the aroma of the cooking chili, her stomach rumbling. “Where is Scandal?”

Scandal meanwhile, "Imari non voni, jubarre, la beit," Scandal continued to mix in the veggies into the fine chilli mix, dazzling the red liquid with a mess of spices and said recipes, taking the many chalkboard menu's sitting about he examines them and also works on the variety of other dishes, more commonly served, and adding an exclusive purchase of "Lnik Lufier's Modern Chili". Scandal rarely gave dragons of his past a name, but the chilli deserved to have its creators name, otherwise Scandlous chilli didn't sound nearly as good. "Order up." He says with a smile, as the server girls dispatch carrying out food to the tables. As he moves to add the meat, he has a brief flashback and turns his head a second, "You Ari, would you mind breaking up the meat into the pot please, thank you." Taking a break from the finished chilli, he opens up some ingredents for dough, and adds sugar to the recipe, "Well with the honey available I hope people here like Sopapillias, cause you can't have a good meal without a good desert." He smiles, to himself, and tells Ari, to put a chunk of cheese in every bowl of chilli, so that it finely melts on top.

Zahrani sees to it that Taly is in a comfortable seated position. Her hand gently interlaces with her lover's when offered, the paladin smiling warmly before turning to the sound of Lana entering. As if speaking to both of them, she simply responds, "It's nothing I can't handle." The dark-skinned feline playfully sticks her tongue out at the brown-eyed witch's winking gesture, before turning her gaze back to Taly. The cat can't deny that Lana is pretty to look at; alas, she isn't about to get distracted now. Her pointed ears occasionally lift at the sounds of patrons outside, scanning for anything unusual. The only thing unusual was the sound of a singing dragon in the kitchen, accompanied by the smell of dinner. When asked about their other companion's whereabouts, Rani says to Lana, "He's decided to make dinner for us. He has quite the singing voice, wouldn't you agree?" She gives a smile, though it slowly fades when she detects the scent of blood and sutures. "I can help you close your wounds, like I closed Taly's." She's certainly relieved that Lana is able to patch herself up so quickly; it's what she would have done. However, that doesn't stop the paladin from offering help.

Talyara holds on to Rani’s hand contently, enjoying the company of her sister and the paladin, both feeling comforted and safe in their presence. Scandal’s booming singing voice is met with a tilt of her head and immediately she seeks out Lana’s chocolate hued eyes. “You know what he sounds like?” She asks her sister, green eyes sparkling mischievously. “Remember that bizarre singing you used to do when you would put on ‘concerts’ for the coven? You called it...raprah or something?” She says with a giggle, immediately wincing as it jostles her injury. When Rani offers her services for the elder witch, she gives the panther’s hand an appreciative squeeze. “You should let her, Lana. At least ensure that it’s closed up so no infection sets in. The last thing we need is for you to get sick on this grand adventure.” The smells of Scandal’s cooking make their way up to the rooms above and Taly sniffs the fragrant air. “It doesn’t smell like anything I’ve ever had before.”

Lanara flops onto the foot of the bed, mindful of not jostling her sister too much, as she pulls her ankles to her thighs and sits campfire style. She adjusts the straps on her bikini top so that she’s not giving her sister or the paladin a peep show, and she’s about to accept the offer of healing when Scandal’s booming voice echoes through the tavern. Lana pauses, listening to the dragon’s bellowing from the kitchens, and she smirks, unable to mask her amusement. The witch didn’t sing when she cooked, though when she bathed it was an entirely different story! The smell of the chili wafts through the building, and the patrons are delighted when Scandal decides to feed the entire establishment his unique dish. Hungry now, Lana rubs her grumbling tummy, and meets Zahrani’s gaze, gratefully accepting the offer of a look and possible healing to her head injury. “Thank you, Rani. You are always there for my sister and I, through thick and thin. You are a godsend.” Lifting her chocolate hues, she bows her head so that the feline could see through the parting of her hair, and she barks out a laugh at Taly’s words. “Rapoprah! Yessss! I remember that!” Lana is chuckling as her head is inspected, thinking back to the days when she mixed rap, pop, and opera, styles of modern-day music, all together. It was awful sounding, but quite hilarious, and Lana loved to play the part of a showgirl! Mischief in her gaze, she points to Taly, accusation in her finger, “At least I didn’t blast that musical orb every time I entered the room! You must have thought you were a professional wrestler and that was your theme! You frightened half of the village!”

Scandal opened the door to the seating area of the tavern, noticing a small crowd had formed, Scandal popped back into the kitchen, and handed the servers the menu's, "Pass these out tonight, this will be the special menu," As they passed them out several of them came back early, a sign that they were hungry no doubt and needed to eat. He poured the rich magically simmered chili, which apparently one needs to check the pots for runes, next time, Scandal just lucked out, and began decorating each plate, with helping of delicious sides, and a single sophillia the size of ones hand, on the plate. With a small shot glass to hold the honey. Allowing the servers to file out, he awaited their approval if it was to come.

Zahrani listens with an intense blue gaze, smiling at the two sisters as they talk about a strange style of music that Lana had apparently invited. The cat rises to her feet and leans next to the brown-eyed elf, carefully examining the stitched wound and using some of her power to gently heal any places that have the highest risk of infection. The dark-skinned woman is thorough, her fingers strong and warm as they brush against Lana's hair and skin. "You should be able to remove the stitches sooner..." The paladin offers a loving grin to Taly, before turning her head towards the door and smelling the food, "Oh..." An interjection of pleasant surprise before she responds to the others, "He's going to be sought after by restaurants and taverns all over Lithrydel, with that kind of cooking." One of the staff knocks on the door, sliding a special menu beneath the door. Zahrani picks it up and walks over to Taly, letting her look while she reads through the curious but delicious-sounding items.

Talyara is just hunkering down in the bed, wincing slightly as she jostles her injuries when Rani moves to examine Lanara’s head wounds. She smiles softly at the memory of the elder witch’s concerts which she subjected the whole coven to on a regular basis. When she slings an accusation about that magical orb, Taly’s mouth opens in disbelief and she points a finger in Lanara’s direction. “First of all, you got me that magical orb for my birthday but you only magicked it to play that one song! And then you enchanted it so it would go off in the middle of the night. I think mother eventually got rid of it…” The younger witch muses, vaguely wondering whatever happened to that ridiculous orb. The knock causes Taly to tense, because although she was attacked by a creature and not a tavern patron, she can’t help still being on edge. When Rani hands over the menu she carefully reads everything to the other two women and raises her brows. “I wonder where he learned to craft such unique dishes.” Green eyes seek out the piercing blue ones of the paladin and she grins. “One time when we were little, Lana tried to make me this pasta and fish dish. Only the fish was meant to be cold but she mixed it with the hot pasta and added this sauce which had gone rancid. It was the most awful thing I ever ate! But she was so proud of herself, grinning as she watched me eat the whole bowl. I was so sick afterwards…”

Lanara leans in and presses her lips to Rani’s cheek, giving her a chaste kiss of gratitude. “Thank you, friend. I know not what Taly and I would do without you… You are always there when we need you the most, it seems.” A faint smile is given to the feline, before Lana’s gaze lands on her sister, her expression full of humor and the usual hint of mischief, “That’s right! It only played –one- song, on constant repeat! Mother went ballistic! It was going off all hours of the night!” She chuckles, though it soon evolves into a contagious fit of giggles as Taly then informs Rani of the time she accidentally poisoned her little sister. “Hey! It was my first time in the kitchen! And I have gotten much better since that time… And if I remember correctly, it was –I- that changed your sheets after you shat the bed, as I felt so terrible!” Poking fun, she swats at Taly with a pillow, though their moment of playfulness is abandoned once Scandal enters the room, brandishing dishes of homemade chili and corn bread. It smelled delicious, and Lana quickly grabs a bowl and gobbles up, until Rude-Off sticks his head in the window and announces that he’s famished. Prancing over to the deer in her booty shorts, one wouldn’t guess that the little witch just sustained a head injury. “Here…” Holding the bowl out so that he could have a taste, she’s shocked when his eyes begin to roll in his head and he spits out the chili, casting an accusatory glare at Scandal. “There is VENISON in that! How dare you, Heathen!!!” The reindeer shakes his head wildly from side to side, trying to get the taste of his kin out of his mouth, before he trots off into the forest, deeply disturbed that he had resorted to cannibalism. Lana narrows her gaze on Scandal, though she doesn’t let the food go to waste, as she picks up the spoon and finishes her serving. Once they all have been fed, she stifles a yawn, and looks at Taly, Rani, and Scandal, her tired chocolate hues fighting to stay open. “I think we all should get some rest. Let’s head out at dawn, alright?” Nothing further is said, as she pulls herself onto the bed and lies down beside her sister, assuming the feline and the dragon would bunk together in the next room.

Scandal returned to the kitchen fetching several bowls of chili and several cakes of corn bread, he also adds several of his sophillias to the platter, and proceeds to find the room that Taly was occupying. Opening the door he offered the meal to his friends, and while watching he realizes that he forgot a bowl for the reindeer, but nonetheless watches Lana feed it as it soon spits it out. "Oh so you admit to being related to a cow is that it, cause all I put in there was beef." Scandal said, leveling his gaze at the reindeer. With everyone well fed, save for himself, Scandal nods in response to leaving at dawn and proceeds out. It didn't cross his mind whether or not he would be bunking with Zahrani, it didn't feel right it felt to much like, well like had it a long time ago, with another feline he had tried to take care of, before. He shut his eyes to that thought. He turned to Rani, "The room is yours, I will sleep outside, I fear I would get big in the night and crush you."

The feline listens quietly to the two sisters, smiling as she receives the meal from Scandal. She takes a seat near Taly's bed, eating quietly before returning the dirty dishes to the kitchen. It's bedtime. At Scandal's statement of sleeping outside, she nods, "Sleep well. We'll see you in the morning." If there's room on the bed, Rani offers to sleep by Taly and offer passive healing while they rest. If not, she could find another place to rest. Once the male dragon leaves, the cat undoes her armor and clothing, revealing a few wildly-shaped scars of her own that lay over the contours of a muscular back. Without a word, she pulls out a clean undershirt from her satchel, pulling it over her head and settling in for the evening. "Good night, you two," she says to the elven sisters, smiling warmly as she tries to let unconsciousness set in. The paladin is up just as the sun begins to rise, doing some morning exercises, eating a bit of breakfast, then gathering her things for their journey.

Talyara’s mouth falls open in horror and her cheeks redden in embarrassment as Lanara teases her and throws that pillow. The younger witch doesn’t hesitate to grab it and throw it back. “Hey now! Don’t spread lies! You know I vomited all over those sheets!” She huffs but it soon dissipates as Scandal enters the room and brings them all dinner. Taly only eats a few spoonfuls and a nibble of the corner of her corn bread. “It’s delicious, Scandal,” she assures her friend with a smile, handing over her bowl when Rani moves to take them downstairs. By the time she comes back Taly is already curled up under a blanket and drifting off to sleep. It seems like only five minutes had passed when the first rays of sunlight rouse her from sleep. With a groan she sits up, pressing a hand against her bandaged chest. She’s slow moving and denies any offer of breakfast—she didn’t think she could stomach anything. She moves to the basin and washes her face before dressing in a fresh shirt and a pair of leggings, tugging on her worn pair of boots. She whimpers when she lifts her arms over her head and when her face reappears, her skin is a little pale. The witch swallows hard and nods to the other women, determined to soldier through. “Ready to find Scandal and get moving?”

Lanara had fallen asleep in the center of the bed, between Talyara and Zahrani, so she wakes up slightly warm and squished, but she wouldn’t have had it any other way. Both women are greeted with a sleepy smile, as the witch lazy slips from the mattress and stretches. A few minutes later, Rude-Off brushes the curtains open and sticks his head in the window, complaining about how he had to sleep with Scandal when there was a perfectly good room beside ours that he could have rented. “And he fed me VENISON! I just know it! Lana, can we just forget this stupid quest and bury him somewhere in Enchantment?! I like you three just fine, but that damn dragon!” He gives an exaggerated roll of his big kohl eyes, as Lana flat out ignores him and pulls on her leggings, boots, and a thick strapped tank top. She has just about enough of the ill-mannered reindeer, chili, and birdlike beasts attacking her sister. It was high time to get this show on the road, and as she ties the laces on her boots, she looks up to make sure Taly and Rani are getting dressed. “That was quite comfy last night, the three of us sharing a bed. We must have a slumber party soon!” Seeing her little sister in pain and struggling with her clothes, the witch would move over and gently help her ease the blouse over her upper body, while eyeing the bandages to make sure they were still in place. “How are you feeling?”

Scandal had spent the night outside preferably in the forest. Or rather preferable to having to sleep near that always complaining always rude reindeer. As he was falling asleep that night he had even murmured to himself, "I swear that even if that reindeer gives me food poisoning I might just eat him if he doesn't shut up." He wouldn't of course for health reasons and because of his friendship with Lanara and her sister, and also for Rani. He hated to sleep, he always feared he'd wake up and everything he knew and everyone he had met would be oil and coal beneath the ground, just like it had been when he had first taken his long sleep. Nonetheless he managed to get some shut eye, if not for having to listen to the reindeers endless insulting remarks about sleeping outside with a dragon, despite the fact that they were at least a 1500' apart. Scandal reverted from his human form, and had reemerged as his dragon form, he was out of any more potions to keep his size and shape intact, so now he had to deal with being a 60' long 20' dragon. His black scales glinted in the moonlight until the morning, where he opened his eyes and found himself, hungry. He figured that either his friends were just starting to wake up, or they were still sleeping, if anything that reindeer was up and rambling on about having to spend the night outside with him. Scandal rolled his eyes and moved into the forest deciding to hunt, at least for the time being. He came across several creatures but being the kind soul he was no matter how many opportunities came he couldn't rationalize eating them. With a sigh and grumbling belly, he moved towards the tavern, perhaps in hopes some of his chili remained, if it hadn't already been eaten. Which of course he found out, it had. As breakfast.

Zahrani walks outside, her gear all packed up. The feline hears the grumbling of the dragon's stomach, even from a distance. ~Not you too, Scandal.~ With a sigh, the paladin takes on her more feline form, readies her crossbow, and stalks silently into the brush. She hears a deer that had initially ran from Scandal. With quiet footpads, the huntress approaches within striking distance, loosing a bolt with precise aim. It embeds itself in the deer's heart, just behind one shoulder, then exits out the other side cleanly. The creature runs a few yards before lying down. Approaching, Rani places a warm paw on the creature's head as its eyes permanently close, before she drags the carcass impatiently back to the dragon. Her panther face is neutral, hiding a look of disapproval that a mother would give to a difficult child. She's more than certain that Rude-Off is absolutely horrified by this spectacle, if he's watching. She doesn't really care at the moment. Cyan eyes turn upward to lock onto Scandal's, the cat pointing to the dead deer with a black furred finger and saying with a firm tone, "Eat. We are both obligate carnivores. Your compassion for your prey does no favors for your loved ones." Unless the dragon actually falls ill and becomes bedridden, this would be the only time she would hunt for him. Taly's appetite, or lack thereof, was difficult enough. They didn't need two starving people in their group.

Talyara cannot help but giggle at Rude-Off’s whining—usually she found it tiresome and redundant for his insistence that Scandal had fed him venison the night before was comical. When Lana comes to assist her with her blouse and check on the bandages, the witch gives her sister a small smile. “I’m okay, just a bit sore,” she assures Lana before packing up the remainder of her items and nudging her sister towards the door. “C’mon, let’s go.” The sister witches walk outside to find where Rani and Scandal have gotten off to. “Okay so we need to find this nightshade,” she says turning to Lanara as they walk. “Do you know how far away it is? I know the attack yesterday put us way off track and I don’t want to hold anyone back anymore,” she says with a small frown.

Lanara is combing her long locks into a ponytail at the nape of her neck when Rude-Off starts to bleat and pound his hooves against the ground. “Murderer! Murderer! Murderous Cat-Person and Dragon Jerk! How dare you kill my whitetail cousin! The HORROR!” Tears begin to pool from the reindeer’s eyes and Lana curses, drops her hair brush, and climbs through the window, in an effort to calm her friend. He may be rude as heck, and he may bite sometimes, and more often than not he would forget to pick Lana up at a certain location and she’d have to find alternate transportation… But the animal had feelings, and the witch is taking it personal. Casting a glare to Zahrani as she pulls the carcass into view, Lana shifts her fury towards Scandal, and she scoffs. She puts two and two together once she hears the rumbling of his stomach. A dragon needed a lot of food to survive. Of course, it was –him- acting up again! “Scandal. If you don’t start taking care of yourself, then ALL of this was for nothing! We are here to save your ass! My sister was mauled, and my reindeer is traumatized! This is all –your- doing! We are risking our lives as it is on this insane journey. The least you can do is look after yourself, since you’ve proven to be incompetent with everything else!” She’s beyond angry at the situation, as she pulls Rude-Off’s muzzle to her chest and gently rubs up and down his head, scratching him softly between the eyes. “Shhh….Shhh… It’s okay. It will all be alright, Rudy… You are safe with me, I promise…” She repeatedly reassures the reindeer, her own eyes welling with tears, before she steers him towards the entrance of the forest. Lana would spend her morning consoling Rude-Off, while Rani and Scandal and Taly had their breakfast. The witch also has a brief conversation with a few of the locals and makes a few markers on her map, before packing up her things and waiting for the others to arrive, so they could get this all over with and she could head home. Eventually, her sister comes up and inquires about the nightshade and Lana glances towards the west, “It’s a few miles that way… And we may encounter a dragon, or a nut job, along the way.” She had warned them about the deranged hobo that lived near the bridge. Sometimes he would put up a fight, ask for a task to be completed, or ask them some riddles, and unless they passed his inspection, they wouldn’t be going anywhere.

Scandal had only managed to try to speak to Zahrani when the damn reindeer was at it again. And worse, it was dragging Lanara into this. He didn't need to look at the reindeer, he knew its malevolent thoughts about him. Or even more how he assumed it had followed him. But Lana couldn't read his thoughts, she didn't know what he was feeling, and worse still this reindeer was trying to press a wedge between new found friends. He didn't know what to do. He sums it to Zahrani, and Taly, “You go ahead, I need some time alone. I will catch up with you in a little while." With that Scandal launched himself into the air. He would keep tabs on them but give Lanara and her reindeer some time alone. He picked up the deer that Zahrani had killed carried it with him. He placed down ahead of where they were going and allowed some starving wolf cubs to enjoy it. He had some anger to let out and he knew where to do it. Flying south a bit he landed on a mountain and once he was behind it, he grew in size, and planted a clawed fist on its face causing the entire mountain to groan under a thunderous boom. Scandal groaned and let out a breath of air, unintentionally not realizing that the mountain face blew away like dust in the wind. "Whoops." He was still mad, But he dared not use his breath ability, however much damage he cause the mountain with a single punch, he knew at least from a calculated guess that his breath power would have been far worse. He shrank and then flew up toward where the mountain dust was beginning to fall and used his wings redirect elsewhere, this was his mess and he had to clean it up, "I hate being a dragon, everything always going wrong, I make friends, and then others spoil those friendships. Or I do something that frightens them. Why is my heart so big, good intentions only lead to worse consequences." He took a breath and heard a stomach growl, his. He groaned and found the road he knew them to likely be on. A bit further than where he had left the starving wolf cubs Rani's kill, he sat down, and looked at the tree. It was a plant, it was a tree. He knocked against it, and said, "If you are a dryad please say so, I am hungry and there is reindeer who hates my guts and would try to find any possible excuse to get rid of me or turn a friend against me, and this unfortunately is the only way I know to resolve it, because I am an immature, stupid dragon hatchling curse with being huge and an idiot." When he got no reply he pulled the tree up from its roots and whispered to any life in the tree that it was now time to get out. What was in there was thankfully nothing. Lying back on his back up against another tree, he held the tree in his fore claws and took a bite of branch and leaves. "Just like crunchy broccoli." he said with a sigh, and continued to eat until the troop showed. He hoped that this sight and the wolf cubs before might make some difference, but this sight he hoped would leave that damn reindeer at a loss for words and hopefully looking very foolish. Sometimes he wished that people could see all possible actions he could take when he handled a situation and watch him from a third person view, that way they would know what was going through his mind, and maybe realize that he always tried to do the right thing, when he could easily do the wrong thing. "What’s up? So I got a little bit hungry decided to snack on this cedar, not worry no dryads in this one, and no birds or anything neither just these big purple flowers with little blue spots." His vision got cloudy. "Is getting dark already, I could have sworn it was..." he fell limp. He was vaguely aware of what was happening but he was sure that the reindeer was dancing about singing some damn song about, "He's dying, he's dying low and behold there is justice in the world. Hah!" Scandal could barley figure out what was going on, and worse he wished he wasn't seeing what he was seeing. Every person he grew close to before he slept every single one, which met horrible tragic ends. Haunted him. Some were elves, others were humans, two were felines, but the illusions were mixed as if he was seeing every memory of them from beginning he knew them to the time they died. "You promised, but you couldn't, you couldn't you can't." and then other things, Their laughs their cries, the hours spent begging in the street, but worst of all was single person in the midst of it, a female fox like character. “ Zanna, I..." He began but she didn't speak memories only flashed, a decade of memories together, all the times he had kept her safe and the trust they had built together. Time after time, good memory following bad memory, all accumulating to one moment of desperation a tactic that had worked so many times to save her, and then some took a hold of him and forced him to do the unthinkable. Her agonizing screams, the larger dragons hand grasping his throat preventing him from being able to save her, and listening to her death throes for an hour, inside of him. No grief could compare to that, the pain, he wanted to die rather than relive these memories.

Zahrani returns to her previous form, more elflike except for her tail and fuzzy pointed ears. Putting her crossbow away, she rejoins Lana and Talyara as Scandal flies away. Her ears twitch at the sounds of frustration the dragon makes, the loud booming in the distance, causing her to sigh. To Lana, she says, "I'm sorry about frightening Rude-off, but Scandal is the reason we're here. We can't carry him if he loses all of his strength." As they work their way up the path, she smells the scent of deer carcass, along with the scent of an wolf pack. Luckily, Scandal's would-be meal keeps them busy, allowing them to pass safely. Once they rendezvous with the stubborn dragon, Rani shakes her head slightly at 'broccoli' he eats, before her eyes widen at seeing hints of purple and blue in the tree. "Scandal, wait-" Of course, it's too late for her to warn him, as the dragon had begun to lose consciousness. Summoning reserves of spiritual energy, the cat woman turns to the elves and says, "I'm going to need your help with this one."

Talyara doesn’t really eat much for breakfast, opting to take a few nibbles from an apple she had snagged from the inn before they had gone outside. She momentarily looks towards Lanara who is still consoling the distraught reindeer but opts not to interfere until he calms down a bit. He tolerated the younger witch on the best of days and today clearly wasn’t one of them. When she does eventually approach her sister and inquires about the needed herb she wrinkles her nose. “Great. Easy peasy,” she says with a sigh in response to the trials they still had to face when this journey barely even started! Scandal’s roar while he atop the mountain draws Taly’s attention away from Lanara and she looks in direction of the noise, narrowing her gaze. “Was that…Scandal?” she asks whipping her head back towards her sister looking for confirmation. As Rani rejoins them she avoids the panther’s gaze, her green eyes diverting to the ground slightly as she brings up Scandal not eating. As if to prove a point, the witch takes another bite of her apple. As they all walk ahead on the path to rendezvous with the dragon she turns again to Lanara. “So about this nightshade. We have to make sure we don’t touch it, right? It’s an extremely potent strain and we don’t need anyone else getting s—“ Taly’s words are cut short by the fallen Scandal whose eyes have rolled to the back of his head upon losing consciousness on the ground before them. Taly frowns and it deepens to a scowl when Zahrani channels that holy energy calling the sisters for help. She quickly grabs Lana’s hand, dragging her towards their friend, and kneels before Scandal, laying her own hands on him. Her magical stores are a bit weak what with her own aversion to food as of late as well as her own attack, but she uses whatever spare energy she has to leech the poison from the dragon. The three women work together in tandem to bring Scandal back from the brink, and Taly eventually falls back panting. “What was he thinking?” She huffs looking towards her friend and then at Rani and Lana in turn. She presses her lips into a thin line before forcing herself to a stand and pressing her hand against her chest with a wince. “He can’t come with us,” she says to the group at large after a few minutes of silent contemplation. “He’ll be fine but he needs to rest and heal from this…poison. We can’t waste another minute. Time is dwindling on when we can get that nightshade and if we miss it, all of this will be for naught.” Taly runs a hand through her tousled hair anxiously as she begins to pace, idly rubbing at the wound on her chest. “Lana and I should definitely go ahead. We know what we’re looking for and how to handle the herb with care.” Talyara looks towards her sister to make sure she is in agreement with this arrangement. “Rani, we could use you with us to help but I understand if you want to stay back so Scandal isn’t alone. The choice is yours.” Whether the panther agreed to join the sister witches or not, Lanara and Talyara would turn on their heels and head deeper into Enchantment, determined to get the necessary nightshade with hopefully no more blips in their journey.

Lanara is in a nasty mood this morning, as Scandal didn’t seem to be taking this seriously, Rude-Off was traumatized beyond belief, her sister was mauled by a freakish beast, and Zahrani has the audacity to mention the reason they are all here. As if she didn’t already know that! Lana had planned this entire thing! For a second it looks as if the witch is going to hold her tongue, though being the outspoken brunette that she is, she spins and narrows her gaze on the feline. “Thanks for stating the obvious, Rani. –I- know why we are here, but clearly Scandal keeps forgetting. To him this is an outing with friends. For me? Not so much. This whole thing was so that we could get the necessary items to enchant the talisman. To save his life! Yet, I feel we are babysitting more than helping him along the way. Anymore eff-ups and he’s going to be a few items short of a ritual.” She means it, and Rani could tell by the feral smirk that replaces Lana’s usual breathtaking grin. The feline is then ignored, as she feeds Rude-Off half a dozen oat cakes, all while giving him loads of behind the ear rubs, in an effort to make him feel better. The witch feels torn. Scandal is a friend, but he has the brain power of a toddler. And Rude-Off is a nuisance, even on the best of days, but he was her friend long before the dragon came into the picture. Talyara is the bravest of them, as she walks over to Lana, first, and helps her load their things onto the reindeer. The anger slightly dissolves as the two converse in somewhat hushes tones about their search for the rare form of nightshade. “Yes, it’s much more potent. I brought some enchanted gloves so the poison won’t seep into our fingertips. We don’t need too much of it, but I figure that I will donate the excess to the Healer’s Guild, as they are always in need of this stuff and it’s not easy to come by.” The half-wit hobo is then brought up again, “We need to be smart. One wrong answer and that person will not be allowed over the bridge. I hope there aren’t any more hiccups on this journey.” She sighs, and it’s then that they hear a loud roar, see some falling debris from the mountain in the distance, and Zahrani returns and states that Scandal has been poisoned.” Lanara doesn’t look all that concerned, as with the feline’s holy powers, and Taly and her own mixed healing energy, he’d be on the mend in no time. To be honest, she’s more annoyed than anything that yet again, Scandal had managed to set them off course. This was turning into the never ending story! Hissing, she kneels beside Taly and rests her palms on the dragon, “We should just leave him here until the talisman is ready to be worn, at this point. This is –exactly- what I was talking about…” Her voice trails off as Taly mentions it’s best for the dragon to remain unconscious and just sleep off the effects of the poison, and she nods. “I agree. Leave him here. He’s save. Those wolf cubs won’t bother him, and he’s only going to delay us even further. We only have a few hours left to get the nightshade, so we best make the most of our time.” Rising to her feet, Lana walks alongside her little sister, peering over her slender shoulder to look at the feline, her expression softening. “Rani… If you’re coming along with us, maybe you can leave Scandal a note? So he knows not to follow, just in case he wakes up and finds that we left him behind?”

Zahrani had indeed left Scandal a short note, asking him to not wander too far if he regains consciousness before they come back. After her previous experiences with the two elven sisters, the paladin isn't too keen on leaving them to wander by themselves. Maybe that's overly maternalistic of her, but still. She loves them both, and Scandal can physically do just fine on his own. The panther walks with Taly and Lana, reaching into her pocket and pulling out a pair of rune-inscribed gloves. They'd be on-hand in case she needs to handle any dangerous vegetation. The look on her face is that of a cat that's just calmly keeping their annoyance beneath the surface, channeling into her next pounce if necessary. She's just as eager to get this over with as Lana.

Talyara knows better than to interrupt her sister when she is having a rant; so while she assumes Lana might be saying things she would later regret, the younger witch allows her a moment to vent before moving towards her to pat her shoulder in consolation. As she converses with her sister she crosses her arms over her chest and nods her head. Enchanted gloves were a necessity and Taly completely agreed with donating the excess potent nightshade to the Healer’s Guild to use it how they saw fit. If they were coming on this journey they might as well do as much good as possible. When Lanara mentions the hobo who guards the bridge, she wrinkles her nose. “The thing about riddles is they are logical. They are designed to make you overthink the whole thing when in actuality you need a clear mind. He’ll give us all the clues we need for the answer we just need to keep our heads about us. No distractions,” she adds with a sigh knowing that was going to be the hardest part of all. After the trio of women heal that ailing dragon and begin on their way, the druidic witch can sense that everyone’s tensions are high. Both Zahrani and Lanara seem annoyed and while she is feeling similarly, she knows that going into this next part of their adventure is going to require all their wits. Walking between the panther and her fellow witch, Taly links her arms with the other two and cinches so they are pulled a bit closer. “I have a good feeling about this,” she informs them brightly with her usual sweet smile. “We are all strong, intelligent women. We know what the task is. We are focused. We got this.”

Lanara begins to work on her stretches, knowing that she’d have to be limber, as the day was going to be trying, both physically and mentally. Her fingertips are touching her toes as Zahrani is scribbling a note to Scandal, and she focuses on her breathing exercises. The witch was running on a short fuse lately when it came to the dragon, but as quick as her anger had risen, it would dissipate. One of the wolf cubs peers at her, his tail thumping against the ground as a hunk of venison hangs from his mouth, and Lana nearly melts at how adorable the vision is, before remembering her distraught reindeer. Rude-Off stands still as their final belongings are harnessed to his back, and they are off, in hot pursuit of the hobo that guards the bridge. Scandal is left sound asleep, the wolf cubs being generous enough to leave him some of the deer carcass, and hopefully he’d read the note and stay put, so they wouldn’t have to send out a search party later. As Taly links arms with Lana and Rani, the witch peers down at her little sister and scowls. How could she have a good feeling about anything, after all they had already endured?! It had only been about eighteen hours! So far, Taly had been mauled by a flying beast, Rude-Off was traumatized, Scandal had served chili to the patrons for hours, Rani was working as their nominal healer, and Lana was behaving like a rabid dog, ready to pounce at any given moment. This whole trip was a big disaster! She blinks, about to offer up a sarcastic response, when she sees the sweet smile and the way those green eyes light up, and instead she sighs and pats her sister’s hand. “Sure.” She relents, though Rani would obviously catch her eye roll. The rest of the journey passes mostly in silence, aside from the clicking of the reindeer’s hooves, the slapping against skin as bugs land on their flesh, and the crunching of leaves underfoot. Coming up to the rickety bridge, Lana eyes the broken cobblestones, wondering how the structure remains standing. She’s on edge, her dark eyes alert, as she scans the area for the hobo guardian. Not seeing him, she pulls free of Taly, and gently leads Rude-Off onto the stones, preparing to cross, when the hobo appears out of thin air. Tangled locks of hair, a disproving glare, and a wagging finger that bops Lana on the nose, startles the three women. Where had he been lurking?! Was he a magical hobo?! The male hops from one foot to the other, much like a jester, however, he’s only wearing a loincloth and some seaweed wrappings on his feet. The white’s of his eyes are an eerie yellow, he’s drooling, and there’s a questionable blue substance that has been rubbed all over his torso. Taking a step back, Rude-Off whinnies loudly and shakes his head, though Lanara remains rooted in place. It wouldn’t do to show fear to this disheveled individual, nor anger, as he had nothing left to lose. Instead, she firmly sets her shoulders, meets his gaze, and awaits her riddle. In a booming voice, the male stops dancing around, though he points to each woman in turn, shouting the rhyming parts of his sentence. “My name is ZEKE, and though I REEK, don’t you dare PEEK behind my loincloth. If your lips LEAK the answer that I SEEK, then you may cross over the CREEK!” He pauses for dramatic effect, and his gaze narrows on them, “If the answer’s WRONG, the fiddle plays a sad SONG, and you must wait a week LONG to try and answer again. You will not CROSS, I am the BOSS, and if trifled, your life with be a great LOSS!” He applauds himself, his sticky hands clasping together, as he first turns to the feline, to give her the first riddle.

Zahrani offers a slight smile to Taly as she links arms with her and her sister. She does indeed notice Lana's eyeroll, offering the dark-eyed witch a subtle nod. The feline is grateful for the elf's effort to maintain harmony in what was left of their little group. As they approach the bridge, the paladin's form instinctively moves into a combat-ready stance upon seeing the homeless man appear out of thin air, her knees bent slightly and one hand at her belt. Her ears focused on the man while he speaks in rhyme, before standing up straight again and crossing her arms. Cyan eyes level with Zeke's crazed gaze, mentally preparing herself for the puzzle. The man eyes her up and down, before singing, "We hurt without MOVING. We poison without TOUCHING. We bear the TRUTH and the LIES. We are not to be judged by our SIZE...What are we?" Yellowed eyes wait menacingly for the answer. For a few moments, the panther simply stands there, stock-still and silent as she ponders a possible answer. Then she realizes that, figuratively, the answer is right in her face. "Words." The old man claps once more. "CORRECT!" allowing the panther to cross.

Talyara is usually not the most positive of people. Her mind being prone to anxiety she is the first one to formulate every negative outcome that could transpire out of a situation. But Rude Off’s whining, Scandal’s poisoning, Zahrani’s healing, and Lanara’s perpetual mood swings left her no choice but to by the little ray of sunshine of the group. She doesn’t mind the silence as they walk, ready to get the next leg of their journey with over with. Exhaustion threatens to overcome her early on thanks to her attack the previous day, but the younger witch bites the inside of her cheek and presses on without complaint. Their troupe slows as they approach the bridge and as Lana untangles herself from her younger sister and takes the reindeer towards it to cross, Taly hears herself whispering to the feline, “Where is he?” Zahrani doesn’t even have time to answer when the disheveled man hops out of nowhere and begins his little dance, reciting his little poem. Talyara blinks, her nose wrinkling slightly at the stench of him; however, she makes no move to cover her mouth lest she anger him. As the hobo poses his riddle to Rani, Talyara crosses her fingers and prays to the goddess she gets it correct. When she does, Taly gives a little whoop of delight before the man is pointing a gnarly finger at her. Apparently she was next and she gulps as she awaits his words. “I have CITIES, but no HOUSES. I have MOUNTAINS, but no TREES. I have WATER, but no FISH. What am I?” The hobo taunts the witch by canting his head to the side and humming an obnoxious tune. Talyara’s eyes narrow as she repeats the riddle in her mind but that incessant humming is doing a swell job of distracting her. Very well. The witch, uncaring of how stupid or childish she looks, stuffs her fingers in her ears and squints her eyes shut as her lips move soundlessly repeating his words. Don’t overthink it. Don’t overthink it. All at once, after several quiet minutes, the answer comes to her and Talyara’s hands drop to her sides and her green eyes open wide. “A map!” The man bows his head and sweeps his arm towards the bridge. “CORRECT!” Taly exhales heavily and her shoulders slump with relief. She turns to give her sister a reassuring smile and a thumbs up before crossing the cobblestones to join the paladin on the other side of the bridge.

The hobo almost looks bored as Zahrani replies to the riddle, guessing it correctly. He had clearly been hoping the feline would fail, so that he could really have some fun with the group. Still he applauds and booms ‘correct’ as his eyes remain glued to her form as she crosses the bridge, “Yeah, yeah, yeah, get along little kitty!” For some odd reason, he chooses to stand on one foot, and cross his eyes, as he mumbles the next riddle. That annoying singsong tune, as though it were sand slipping through an hourglass, swimming closer to Lana’s little sister’s demise. Was he hoping to distract Talyara? Catch her off guard so she says anything other than the correct answer? Whatever the reason, his orbs uncross; he scowls, but then regains control. “NAILED IT!” He screams the words in Taly’s tapered ears, jumping up and down like a lunatic, until his stained fingers beckon to Lanara. “Ah! One left! This is just SUPERB! Maybe she will, and maybe she won’t!!! I have saved the best for last!” He rubs his palms together, causing friction, and his eyes dart from the reindeer to the brunette at his side, his expression something sinister. He practically hisses the words, as a shadow creeps in, the pending darkness ebbing into the mind of the freakish hobo. “When I’m YOUNG, I’m tall. When I’m OLD, I’m short. When I’m ALIVE, I glow. Because of your BREATH, I DIE! What am I?” Lana thinks for a second, confusion evident in her gaze. Normally, she was super smart and found it easy to guess the answer to even the hardest of riddles. Was she stumped? A moment passes, and those chocolate hues shift to Taly, as though stating the thumbs up hadn’t done her any good. Rude-Off snorts and dances in place, sticking his tongue out at the hobo, and he blurts out the wrong answer, “Oat cake?!” The hobo laughs like a maniac, “INCORRECT!!! HAHAHA HEHEHE!” The witch glares, “Um, he’s a freaking deer! That was –my- riddle! I get a second chance! That’s not fair!” The hobo holds his hands up, as though stating ‘life’ wasn’t fair, and if she wanted to get over that bridge, she’d have to go through him first. Rude-Off takes flight, his horse-like body flying through the air and easy scaling the length of the bridge, as he lands on the otherside, between the feline and shorter witch. The three of them wait for Lana, who stands there with her hands on her hips, arguing with the hobo. She’s so irate, that she doesn’t even notice when his dirty hands reach out, grab her by her hair, and pull her to his emaciated form. Clearly, he was much more than a weak old man, because she can’t fend for herself, and she struggles in his grasp. A knife is held against her throat, as the hobo whispers in her tapered ear, “I didn’t say your deer could pass. Now, you will pay with your life!”

Scandal’s dreams seemed to waver a bit, his mind more at ease. When he did awaken it was sometime past noon. His eyes opening as he looked about. Stillness. No one in sight. He sat still looking around half expecting for his ghosts from long time past to reappear. But when none showed he realized he was fully awake. He spotted the message and read it as he could. "So they have left me." He sighed closing his eyes. He breathed slowly in and out. "Probably for the best, I seem to be a fountain of problems rather than magic." He allowed a tear to escape his eyes, no sooner had it left his eye and flesh that it froze and hardened into a diamond. He looked down at it, "Tears of dragon, I doubt it, it’s probably this god awful mana well that’s a part of me playing with my emotions. Or perhaps responding to them." He listened to his stomach growl for a second and sighed. "Don't get lost in nature, and don't worry that, reindeer is easily miles from here." Opening his wings he leapt into the sky, not sure of where his friends had run off to, but if he knew anything from their letter and how they acted this morning, they definitely didn't want him around. He flew south, and when he had found some animals he didn't feel out with his mind like he normally did, he didn't observe. He fired his breath, burned a wall surrounding the animals, and then ate them, one, two, three, four, and five. His mind closed off from the world around him, as if he suddenly put massive adamantium walls around his mind, he chose not to look into the world and recognize what beauty lay in it, nor did he interact with anything or anyone. He simply lived, for however long it took, or until something penetrated his heart and reached his mind, for that alone would open that wall. Surely then if his friends were in trouble he would come, even if it was to include that stupid reindeer.

Zahrani smiles and offers a warm embrace to Talyara once she makes it to the other side, smiling at the dear elf, "Well done." Turning to wait for Lanara, her smile fades upon seeing what unfolds. The old man asked a riddle, the reindeer answered (incorrectly), and moments after the reindeer hops the bridge, now the crazed man is holding Lana hostage and intending to kill her. Without thinking, the paladin has her crossbow unslung, armed, and aimed at the assailant. While he whispers in Lana's ear, the panther stalks along the riverbank, each footfall deliberate and careful. She dares not fire yet, for fear of hitting Lana. She adjusts her angle to reduce the risk of friendly fire as low as possible. With a swift prayer to Cyris to steady her hand, she inhales, exhales half of her breath, takes aim, and lets an sanctified bolt loose. The bolt makes a bee-line for the old man, its trajectory such that it could embed itself squarely in the man's arse. It's far enough away from Lana's vital organs, and it would surely distract him long enough for the witch to get away. "Come on, you old fart! Let's see how magical you are." she shouts after her projectile is released. Until draconic reinforcements arrive, the panther is content to keep their assailant's attention on her. No offense to the others, but she could afford to take more damage at the moment.

Talyara smiles at Zahrani, slinging her arm around her waist in an embrace at their shared victory before turning her attention back to Lanara. Her sister was intelligent, particularly gifted with riddles, and the younger witch had all the confidence in the world that she would succeed. Even as the demented man utters the riddle a cool smile spreads across Taly’s lips as she shifts to make eye contact with her sister. “That’s easy, Lana. It’s a candle,” she says in her mind. But Lanara is silent and looking almost anxious. The younger witch’s smile falters when her sister doesn’t answer right away. “Lana it’s a candle! CANDLE! We use them all the time in ritual!” she screams in her mind. Panic begins to grip at Taly’s heart as her sister’s answer doesn’t come and then all at once that damned reindeer snorts out his incorrect answer. Oat cakes?! Was he serious?! Did he not realize how important this part of their journey was?! The witch visibly smacks her forehead, her hand raking down her face, and curses the animal under her breath. She is about to utter the unfairness of it when Lana voices her thoughts which mimic her own. Unfortunately, the hobo doesn’t seem to care and that flash of the knife blade is at Lanara’s throat before Taly can issue a warning. She looks to Zahrani for help and sees the crossbow already aimed at the elderly man. After hissing at the now hysterical reindeer (who had crossed the bridge) to stay back and not say anything, Taly makes her way towards the man who was holding her sister hostage. The younger witch holds her hands up in mock surrender, to show she had no weapons, as she crosses the cobblestone very slowly in hopes of acting as a distraction to allow Rani to find her shot. “Wait!” she calls out to the man quickly, swallowing thickly. “H-how about a trade?” she asks him. “Instead of my sister you can have me.” All the while Taly shifts her body in such a way so that should he follow her trajectory, the paladin would have a shot at his back and Lana would be safe from any injury. If Zahrani’s arrow hit its target, Talyara would reach out to grab Lanara’s wrist and tug her out of the hobo’s arms, the witch’s own wrapping around her sister protectively.

Lanara is fuming. First, her reindeer answers the riddle incorrectly, and then she’s taken hostage by a filthy hobo! The feline is aiming a bow, her sister is crossing the bridge, and the tip of the knife pierces Lana’s throat, a single droplet of crimson marring her light olive flesh. She swallows, her eyes darting from side to side, as though she were looking for an escape route. Rude-Off is screaming and shouting on the other side, blaming Scandal for all of their troubles, and his hooves violently stomp on the ground. Her peripheral vision catches a glimpse of something on the ground, and Lana does a double take. There, at the opposite end of the bridge rests a small cluster of the very object that they were seeking. It was the nightshade! If only she had guessed the riddle correctly, they’d have spied the herb, collected it, and been on their merry way back to retrieve her poisoned brother. But, no, instead the deer had foiled their plans, and now she was facing possible death. Thankfully, the arrow is loosed, her wrist is snagged, and she collides against Taly’s form, hugging her sister tightly, as though she’d never let go. Free of the hobo now, she rounds on the male, though Rani’s arrow manages to hit the mark, and pierces his left thigh. He howls in pain, snaps the shaft in half, and advances on the three women. Rude-Off continues to bleat for Scandal to come and kill this man with his dragon breath, and Lana guides Taly over to the nightshade, pointing. If they didn’t all make it out of this alive, at least they’d managed to find the ingredient.

As it happened with most dragons, most did not have visible ears, and Scandal was no exception yet he heard that that annoying reindeers bleating and cursing him from the distance he was at in the forest. Small enough to have been hidden in the forest, and yet large enough to do some damage, Scandal's ears heard the change in the reindeer's tune, with a special request for fire breath, either the reindeer had flipped his lid or... He leapt into the sky as quick he could not even finishing the thought, streaking across the sky he homed in on that infernal reindeers shouting, and spied, Lana first in dagger lock, and then escaping thanks to Zahrani's well placed shot. Ignoring the reindeer at this point, he crashed on the riverbank straight in behind the dwarf of man. Believing this to be the riddle man, he said in quiet voice that was tinged with that dreadful inspiring terror inducing, moment when one knows if they are on the receiving end, it might have been best not to be born. "What is here today, and go..." Scandal didn't even finish his intent merely to get the man to turn around, his mouth open and massive inhale nearly drew the man into his mouth, so strong of an inhale the trees opposite of him down the bank bent backward some of the trunks snapping under the sudden wind, and then with sound that shook the earth, and made by far one of the loudest frothing sounds like the worlds biggest pot brought onto full boil, a blast of toxic green liquid spewed from Scandal's maw at high velocity. The dwarf of man unable to scream, his face an expression of absolute terror, so terrifying that his very cheeks ripped open, his eyes unnaturally wide as the green liquid collided and pierced through the man devouring him in a spray that tore through the riverbed, blasting the creek and sending the globs of the hideous liquid cascading down the riverbed, sizzling in harmony to the stinking stench of old pruned man, dissolved to mere stain upon the rocks of the riverbed. As Scandal turned his gaze towards the fellow travelers, he opened his wings, as the liquid downstream finally burst into a cascade of flame rising from the riverbed, uplifting and tossing boulders and dust high into the air, as the fiery plume began to darken, his wings blocking his friends from the extreme heat. As the dust begins to settle, and hearing is restored, a simple to look is given, to each and every one of them, and then a small sentence, "Are we done here?" Eyeing the nightshade in one of his sister’s hands, as he asked the question. The plume still rising and its roar growing fainter as the dragon casually blew out a burning bush that fell on his shoulder.