RP:An Unexpected Expedition (Part 2)

Synopsis: Having been terrified the night before, Nasada is urgent to leave Gualon. Unable to wait any longer for Lita, Meri tasks it upon herself to help the young necromancer get home.

Characters: Nasada, Meri

Location: Gualon Gardens, Gualon, Swamp

Date: Jan. 28th, 2016

Gualon Grogshop

Nasada//Raevyn cautiously entered the Gropshop from the south, her steps slow and methodical, careful and ready to flee at a moments notice. Visibly, she looked shaken. Her eyes were wide, beneath dull traces of baggage that would indicate the previous night's sleep was all but well. From patron to patron she glanced, looking for someone in particular it seemed.

Meri backside was presently planted in a stool at the bar, right there smack in the center. She was trying to be hard to miss in this establishment, as she was supposed to meet not one but two people here at some point today. They had not really defined when, so Meri's been here a bit. The door opens and Raevyn enters, pulling Meri's gaze straight for the woman. A slight smile forms across her lips despite the oddities of yesterday but it fades when she notes that the other woman looks a bit shaken up. Raevyn is given a head to toe glance that is coupled with a lifting of a single brow, "Everything alright, girl?"

Nasada//Raevyn makes a beeline straight for Meri's seated position; Fluid movement both threw the heavy bag she carried under a stood while her own keister made contact with a seat. "Oh there you are!" Another look was taken of the surrounding patrons. No spooky characters to be seen. "The oddest thing happened last night! When I went into the clinic to go to bed, there was this.... man. I think he was a man. His face was scary. Really scary. I'm not sure it was even real. It...it looked like a mask." Her heart skipped a beat as she recalled his eerie features. " He was waiting for me! Like, actually waiting for -me-."

Meri parts her lips as if to speak something, however the woman is drawing a blank on just exactly to how to respond to this statement. A man with a mask who looked really scary? That did not fit the description of anyone that Meri knew, but then again....there were not many that she could actually boast knowing. It makes a few seconds but Meri manages to recover from the shocked stupor that Raevyn's story sent her spiralling into, "So uh...what did he want? I mean you look like you're okay, so it couldn't have been a horrible experience...." Fingers wrap around the base of her glass of beer, pulling it closer because she has a feeling she's probably going to need a draw or two from the draft for this conversation. Drinking always made it better, no?

Nasada//Raevyn gave her head a shake, one ebon garbed shoulder lifting in unison. "That's the thing! I don't know. He seemed to think I was.. someone else." Leaning over to rifle through her bag, Raevyn removes some sort of object wrapped in a chunk of leather. "He gave me this. Pulled it right out of thin air.... told me to let the thing guide me." The young woman unwrapped that mysterious object, soon to reveal what appeared to be a dagger of some construct. Its hilt blackened, made from some sort of bone. The blade itself was the most strange, for it was also black; Yet it was so black that it might as well have been forged from absolute darkness. Any light that surrounded the blade would be distorted; as if the blade was feeding from it. Seemingly, as the edge of the weapon nearly made contact with the top of the counter, the wood beneath began to show slight signs of decay, yet not so much as to completely weaken its structural integrity. "What do you suppose it's made of?" she asked.

Meri was about to reach for the weapon that is presented, at least until the tip of the dagger makes contact with the counter. The effects go instantly noticed and Meri retracts her hand before she has the chance to touch the weapon in any place. While studying the weapon, Meri slowly shakes her head and rolls tattooed shoulders in a very far from confident shrug, "Ah, girl. I am really the wrong person to ask about this sort of stuff. I don't know anything about the different metal types...and I couldn't even begin to point you in the direction of who you might want to talk to...." She motions to the weapon with a faint lift of her chin, "You should really be careful with that thing though, put it away. Before you cause some serious trouble....What else did he say to you? Anything?"

Nasada//Raevyn blinked as it hit her. How stupid was she? Pulling this out in public? Meri was right. All it would take is the wrong person and that would be that. Burnt at the stake like her former mentor. The people here couldn't be that cruel could they? She wasn't about to find out. "Um. I'm not sure, exactly. He was really really cryptic." she replied, wrapping that eerie dagger back up in the leather casing from which it were produced. Once it was properly put away. Raevyn took a moment to think, asking the bartender for some water. How plain. "Well. There's this dragon who helped me a year ago. And he has been helping me learn some sort of magical art. Or at least I think so. Anyhow... this creature.. man.. whatever he is, told me I was stronger than the dragon. That the dragon was using me and that I could kill it without magic or steel." Pallid-blues roll, "Yeah. Sure. I can't even carry a couple of books without feeling like a want to fall over. Still. Something was off with this thing. I want to get away from here as soon as possible."

Nasada//Raevyn looked at Meri.

Meri shifts those baby blues about the tavern with the hope that a certain barefoot vampire would come waltzing in for the expedition that they had planned. Blue eyes cross themselves as more of Raevyn's story is revealed to her. Who was this dragon? It would give them something to talk about during the trek -- one that is likely going to be altered without a Lita to drag Meri off to Frostmaw. "Well then, let's get you out of here. Put some distance between you and that man in the mask you were talking about..." But not before Meri makes quick work of finishing off her beverage. "I don't know where that Lita chick is but I can get you out of here as far as um...Cenril, then you can use that map of yours to figure out where to go from there. Does that sound good?" If it does or doesn't, Meri as going to slide right on out of the stool to start this journey.

Nasada//Raevyn nodded pretty damn fast in response to the woman's offer. As much as she wanted to wait for Lita, she was too scared to stay in this swamp-city much longer. "I... yes, please. I hate to abandon that woman, Lita, but I don't want to run into that... thing, again. If you see it in your travels, I just urge you to run." Raevyn slipped off of her stool and hurriedly retrieved her backpack. It suddenly dawn on her then- swampland. Her boots are going to be ruined! Must go shopping soon. Mental check. "Thank you, Meri. I really appreciate this. I don't have much but if I can repay you, I will."

Meri starts for the entrance of the establishment, presumably with Raevyn trotting along side her. Their path would take them due north up the streets of Gualon, with Meri keeping both hands shoved into the pockets of their pants for the start of their journey. "I get the feeling that Lita can take care of herself," Meri explains, if she were able to recall some of the woman's finer details Meri would also explain that Lita is an adventurous soul with a gypsy's spirit -- just because she says she'll be somewhere doesn't mean she will be. This is a detail that Meri has learned to not take to heart, just part of having a wandering soul. Xersom was also someone that Meri was quite familiar with, though Emi had yet to provide Meri with too many details on the man. "Yeah, don't worry about repaying me. I've been trying to get out and about more anyway, rediscover places. You know." Her player moves this party a few rooms north.

Meri exited to the north.

Gualon Road

Nasada//Raevyn wrapped her cloak tightly around her frame to keep in the warmth; The cool night air grasped at the woman with its bony fingers, searching for all traces of heat to steal away. "Can I ask... if I'm not bothersome..." she paused, taking this time to settle her gaze over Meri on observation. She didn't get the best look the other night and she felt that she could probably learn a little about the woman from her features. "Well... what happened? Last night.. you said something. About having trouble remembering... everything? Did something happen?" While she wasn't the most courageous person in the world, she did pick up on the little things.

Meri snorts at the question despite herself. The blonde was striving for amiable up until that question, that's not to say that she was going to be rude for a prolonged period of time. Sensitive subject shall we say? "I don't know. I don't know and if I did know, don't you think that I would probably be trying to do something to fix myself?" Okay, maybe her tone was a bit snappy. Again, sensitive subjects. To the ground her gaze goes as she murmurs what sounds like an apology? Maybe? Meri's not going to speak up, but she does elaborate on the answer...and more politely. "I woke up on a beach one day with a wicked headache, and a few scraps, bumps, and bruises.... maybe like a year and a half ago? That's really all I know. That's the first point I remember. I woke up on a beach." Washed up, woke up, whatever. Let's try and change the subject, why don't we? "What about this dragon you were on about?"

Nasada//Raevyn winces slighty as Meri seems to grow a bit agitated. There was no way the youthful necromancer could blame her, either. If she woke up like that, with no memory of whom she had been, or how she got there, she wouldn't be the most eager to talk about it. "Oh. Wow. I'm sorry to hear that..." she stated. Before Raevyn could ask another question, Meri's seemed to catch her off guard. "Oh, well. About a year ago, this woman found me in um... Vailkrin? She sort of saved me. And through her I met this dragon. Gheneroc. He seemed..." she thought a moment. "Well, i guess nice isn't the word I would use. He was kind and offered to help me, but after that incident last night, I'm not so sure any more. He.. marked me." Lifting her freezing hands to her throat, Raevyn pulls back the collar of her shirt to reveal a tattoo- Black, seeming to be some sort of linked chain.

Meri hmms softly at the account. It's not that Meri was uninterested, there were just a lot of fine details for the woman to try and take in. Plus, Raevyn's story just seems to get crazier and wilder the more she hears about it. Red lips are pressed together thoughtfully, "I have never heard of the name Gheneroc before..." This was another one of those 'well, gee Meri' moments. Of course, woman! There was really only a small handful of people that you have heard of! She does realize this to an extent which is why she flashes Raevyn something of a sheepish grin, "Sorry, I'm sure you figured that out already though." A beat between comments. "Sounds like you've got a full plate with a lot to chew on. Do you think you are going to use that dagger to go after the dragon? Or?"

Nasada//Raevyn thought for a moment as they walked onward. is this why she was given the dagger? Was she supposed to kill Gheneroc? Was she just some damn pawn between two warring entities? "I... really don't know. I would think the dragon would be able to kill me before I even got close." Striving to be more at ease, the necromancer smiled at Meri. "You just keep adding more questions to the pile I already have. I think... I know how frustrated you too must feel." An attempt at sympathetic empathy, maybe mixed with a bit of jest. Both situations were dreadful. A little humor might at least make both of them forget their troubles, even for an instant.

Meri exited to the north.

Gualon City Gate

Meri has no real answers for the questions that Raevyn provides. Their walk continues and brings them to the gates of Gualon, with the swamps looming just beyond. Meri gives no pause, she doesn't have any concern for her boots. They've seen better days and she's made the trek through the muck a few times already. "Sorry, we both have a lot of unanswered questions, I guess. At least you have some clues to go off with yours. My speculation is based entirely on what you told me...Why would this masked man appear to you." A pause. "Give you a dagger." Another pause. "Then explain to you that you would be more than capable of killing the dragon of questionable intentions with or without the dagger. It sounds to me like an implication that yeah, maybe you could do it without the dagger...but with...." Or maybe Meri's speculation would just lead Raevyn on a fool's crusade.

Nasada//Raevyn needed something more comfortable and fitting to walk in. Priority number one. She thought these boots were beautiful! Or maybe it was a rebellious thing because her mother was one of those typical puritan types. Regardless, for long treks, these things were utterly useless. Trying not to think of the swamp as they wandered through, Raevyn kept her focus on Meri as she said, "I think he has me mistaken for someone else. I have never been in confrontation in my life. The best I know about using a dagger.. is that the pointy end goes into the bad guy." her nose wrinkled at the thought. She had a morbid fascination with death. But to take a life? Unfathomable. Suddenly a topic shift. "Hey, Meri? I'm not sure if it would help. or if you've tried... but have you considered perhaps seeking out some form of seer, or perhaps a shaman of sorts? I've heard,or read rather, that they can see things past and future. Maybe... they can give you some more clues as to what happened to you?" She didn't want to stick her nose into Meri's business, but Raevyn was genuinely interested in the ordeal. She felt bad for the woman. Raevyn knew what it was like to lose everything.

Meri frowns at the subject is shifted back to her plights. She couldn't exactly blame Raevyn for it either, they were both two troubled women and...Well Meri didn't exactly like having the topic on her the entire time. Why would Raevyn be comfortable with it either? Meri is kind enough to try and advise the woman of better places to step: here but not there or else your foot is going to sink all the way into the swamps and you might lose your boot sort of thing. These warnings and alerts come as interruptions to their conversation. "Oh...Well, I mean I guess I could..." Here comes the excuses. "But I mean I am not exactly made of gold. And I don't even know where to start with that search..." The excuses keep on coming. "Plus how do I know what they are telling showing me is real? And not made up? It would be easy to pollute the mind right now...."

Meri exited to the north.

The Swamp

Nasada//Raevyn still had a bit of her more girly behaviours in that ever-confused noggin of hers, taking every ounce of advice Meri could offer in watching where she tread. All sorts of ew's and ick's would come flying out every now and again. "This is true." she started, her smile never faltering. "I mean, you could be leading me to my death right now. Walking me right into a trap. Maybe you want to sell me into slavery? Or murder me for my..." she paused. She had nothing of value. "Well. Just murder me." A wink is offered. "Sometimes you just have to have faith, I guess." To her earliest excuses she thought. "Well. I am not familiar with much of this land yet. So I can't be sure I can lead you in the right direction exactly..." She could feel her feet being sucked into the wet swamp as she stepped, using all her might to stay above boot losing territory. "..but I know someone that may be able to help point you in the right direction. Her name is Artia, and she lives in Larket. You should look her up, perhaps. She saved my life... I know she would help you without a fee."

Meri steers their course east from here, offering the assurance of, "We're almost out of here yet. Just a bit further still." There is a general and vague motion off in the distance with a wave of her hand. There should be no doubt that all of Raevyn's 'ew's and 'gross's were the cause of this explanation. Artia, that name is met with a nod that is far more familiar. "Yes, I know her. I actually need to meet with her soon to do some work for her. Tattoo work. Maybe I can exchange that work in exchange for the fee instead...I don't like handouts." Stubborn, stubborn woman. "I'll think about it, but I mean, I don't know. Maybe there is a reason that I don't remember and maybe it wouldn't be good to force it to happen...." More excuses. "But your right...I guess a little faith...it wouldn't kill me to have some of it."

Meri does it again!

Meri exited to the east.

Recovering Prairie

Nasada//Raevyn , deep down, became a bit excited as Meri revealed that the swamp would soon end. "Faith isn't for everyone but I feel it helps sometimes." Those puritan ideals rubbed off a little, obviously. When she heard that Meri already knew Artia, the young girl smiled brightly. "Oh, fantastic! She really is a kind and caring woman. I'm sure she-" Wait. Tattoo work? She was an artist? "You do... tattoos? Like ink into skin??" Sadly, Raevyn had only heard of such a thing. It was rare where she were from that anyone would ever have one.

Meri lifts an index finger and presses it to her own lips to explain that what she was about to explain was a secret. "That's what I am told. By Simon? He is the 'tender at the Barrell in Rynvale. He tells me that I am Meri..." Which seems to ring true enough, "And that I work at SoulsKin with Lita." That also seems true enough. "Emilia said I have down a piece for her before, even shown me. And there is a sketchbook at SoulsKin that is supposedly mine..." Meri bites down on her bottom lip, "And I know that I can still draw, pretty well....But um...Well, let's just say that I am hoping that I don't royally screw up someone's tattoo....I'm thinking about doing a practice piece on myself before I make someone an accidental victim to botched ink...." Shoulders are shrugged. By the time this explanation is finished, the two women make their way to the crossing that takes them to Cenril, Valkrian, Gualon and Kelay. At the crossing Meri would gesture toward the north, "What I know is you don't want to go that way, Emi says the vampires live there." And clearly south was not the option either, "This is where we are going to have to part. It was nice meeting you, I've got a feeling we'll see each other again though."

Nasada//Raevyn looked around. Somehow this seemed slightly familiar. Had she been here before? Suddenly it dawned on her. West was Kelay! "I hope so, Meri. I would love to see you draw, sometime. I am sure you will do well with the tattoo!" Looking toward the west Raevyn offered, "I do not know where this Rynvale is, but I will surely have to go visit sometime. And if you ever find yourself in need of help or conversation, I reside in a tower to the west. In Xalious." She points far off, "It's within the mountain ranges. You can't miss it." Cheerful, smile still plastered to her face, she offers one last set of words. "keep your head up, Meri. Have a little faith. All will be right as rain before you know it. Thank you again for your help." The words were encouragement of sorts. Whether they would be taken to heart was something only Meri could decide. A farewell wave issued, Raevyn turned and began her long journey westward. She had to tell Diryon everything!