RP:Chicken Blood

Part of the And it Harm None Do What Ye Will Arc

The Silent Woods

Talyara had been continuing her absurd pattern; sometimes she would be fine, the regular old Taly, and others she was moody and angry for no apparent reason. She also had a tendency to wake up in places she never remembered going to. It happened once or twice in the beginning and the witch associated it with being under too much stress what with having to leave her home, raise a child that wasn’t hers, plus the constant worries of Linn going off and getting injured. However, more and more often she was waking where she hadn’t gone to sleep, getting further and further away from home. This day Taly stirs as she normally does, but instead of feeling the familiar bedding beneath her, she instead feels soft grass. “Oh no…” she whispers softly, not daring to open her eyes for a few moments. Eventually, she concedes, and does so only to look up at treetops. She curses in elvish under her breath before pushing herself to a seated position. Staring down at her skirt and blouse she notices something...odd. Dark stains soil her clothing. When she moves to pull on the fabric to examine it further, she notices her hands are coated in a sticky crimson substance. Gasping and immediately beginning to panic, she whips her head around attempting to find the source of the blood. There, some ten yards ahead of her, lays a beheaded chicken, obviously the source of said blood. “What the...but I…” Taly whimpers and without giving it a second thought covers her face with her hands and squeezes her eyes shut.

Thronnel was out searching for more ingredients for his spellwork. Specifically, a rare mushroom. The forst around Larket hadn't yielded anything, and rather than trample through Artia's gardens and risk the witch's wrath (which would have been quite an inconvenience), he headed south. He was nearing the southernmost border of the Sage Forest, when he came across a trail of blood. Curiosity peaked, he followed the trail to the headless body of a chicken... and Talyara. "What on earth?" he murmured. Okay, the girl was obviously not okay. What had led her to remove the chicken's head? And why was she covering her face with its blood? "T--Miss Talyara."

Talyara was so absorbed in her confusion that her normally keen sense of hearing didn’t even pick up the sound of footfalls headed in her direction. She started at the sound of her name, eventually lowering her hands to reveal some swipes of blood had transferred to her cheeks and forehead. “M...Mister Thronnel. How...what are you doing here?” she asks, her body clearly trembling slightly.

Thronnel assessed the situation. She seemed scared... lost? He was incorrect in his assumption that she was purposefully rubbing the blood on her face it seemed. He walked towards her, pulling a handkerchief out of his pocket. "I believe the better question is, what are you doing here?" He carefully crouched by her, careful not to step or kneel in any blood. "May I?" he asked, holding up the handkerchief. If allowed, he would wiped the blood from her face. Ah, such wonderful paternal instincts. "I was searching for ingredients when I came across blood. Needless to say, I didn't expect to find you here, in this state."

Talyara continued to sit in stunned silence, apparently unaware that there was any blood upon her face. She doesn’t answer his question, not right away. Why? Because she doesn’t know what she’s doing and how she got there. Still, she’s not about to disclose that information to a man she only met once, even if he was a powerful witch himself. Doe eyes watch Thronnel as he approaches and crouches down beside her. Taly is no longer a girl, but in her present state she looks very young and innocent, like a fawn. She doesn’t stop him when he reached out to wipe the smears of blood from her face. “I haven’t been sleeping well,” she answers quietly. “So I brewed a potion from a spellbook I found. It must have had me sleepwalking or something…”

Thronnel nodded, accepting her explanation, at least for now. Sleepwalking was one thing, sleep-ripping-apart-chickens was another. Of course, if she botched the potion, or if the potion itself was bad, it could be making her black out and act out violently. "Perhaps a different potion would serve you better. Or an enchantment." He took her hands in his and began to wipe the blood from her palms and fingers. Their hands looked so similar. His were aged and larger, but they were built the same. Slender, with long fingers.

Talyara appreciated the fact that Thronnel seemed to accept her story, whether he actually believed it or not. He didn’t press her on it, so some of her anxiety ebbed away. She remained quiet as he began to clean off her hands, also noting that the structure was similar. Eventually, a small smile finds itself on her full lips and she looks up into the emerald hued eyes which mimicked her own. “Thank you for being so kind to me, Mister Thronnel.”

Thronnel dipped his head. "It's no trouble at all, Miss Talyara. Now, would you like me to accompany you home? Or, at least, back to civilization?" He wouldn't blame her for not showing him, a perfect stranger, where she lived. But if he could perhaps learn what city she lived in, then when it came time to find her again, his search would be made much simpler.

Talyara considers Thronnel’s offer for a moment before nodding her head. “Perhaps if you walked with me to the Kelay Tavern? I wouldn’t expect you to go as far as the Destrier.” A small smile is granted before she stands. Tentatively, she takes a few steps towards the the slayed chicken, her eyes suddenly going wide. “Oh no...oh no!” She almost yells as she falls to her knees once more. She had spotted the single leg on the fowl and the particularly large talons. “Not Lafawnduh!” She wailed before covering her face once more, tears bursting from her eyes and quickly rolling down her cheeks.

Thronnel made a note of that. The Destrier. So, she lived in Xalious Village. This thought was tabled as the girl crumpled to the ground and burst into tears. It seemed the dead chicken was a pet of hers. He walked over and placed his hands on her shoulders as she cried. "I'm very sorry, Miss Talyara," he murmured. He said nothing else, just allowing the poor girl to sob. He wasn't much for offering comfort.

Talyara allows herself to sob for sometime, feeling the pressure of Thronnel’s hand on her shoulder. Eventually it tapers off and Taly lowers her hand, her face splotchy and eyes bloodshot. She quickly unties a pouch at her hip and, surprisingly, stuffs the chicken carcass in there. “She needs a proper burial,” she says in a deadened tone, perhaps offering an answer before the elven man has a chance to even ask a question. Slowly, she stands on trembling legs, wiping her once again bloodied hands on her skirt.

Thronnel kept his hand on her shoulder and stayed by her side, intending to catch her if she stumbled. "I will take you to the Destrier," he said firmly. "You are in no state to be traversing the pass on your own." Part of him wondered what use chicken parts would have for spellwork, but refrained from asking. That would hardly serve to endear himself to the girl.

Talyara quickly shakes her head, causing her messy chestnut locks to fall over her shoulders. “No Mister Thronnel, I couldn’t ask you to take me all that way, it wouldn’t be fair to you.” Taly takes a few steps and immediately stumbles, grabbing ahold of Thronnel’s arm for support. Once she regained her balance she let him go and continued on her way, only stopping to pick up the head of her beloved pet and shove it in the bag along with it’s body.

Thronnel helped Talyara keep on her feet when she nearly fell, as he suspected she would. His brow furrowed. "Then you must rest in Kelay, at least, before you continue on." He stayed by her side the entire way to the tavern, remaining silent. At the tavern, he asked, "You're sure you don't want me to come? I assure you, it's no trouble at all."

Talyara occasionally reached out to grab a hold of Thronnel’s hand or arm when she felt herself grow weak. Sometimes, she would require resting for a few moments before continuing. By the time the reached the Tavern, she wished for nothing more than to rent a room and sleep as long as her body would allow. However, she didn’t want to stay there. She wanted to get home. To Linn (if he was even there). “It’s okay Mister Thronnel, I’ve taken enough of your time.”

Thronnel didn't believe for a second that it was 'okay.' The pass through the mountain wasn't treacherous or anything of the sort, but it was long. "Allow me at least to grant you a bit of strength." He took her hand in his and murmured a short incantation. "So mote it be," he finished, and Talyara would feel a rush of energy, like she'd had a couple Red Bulls. She had wiiiiiiings. Metaphorically. "That should get you to Xalious without incident. Please, take care, Miss Talyara." He needed her in one piece.