RP:Talk of (Re)exile

Part of the Thy Kingdom Come Arc

Summary: Pilar and Linn meet out in the Xalious mountains in the aftermath of Hildegarde's Revival. Pilar expresses her frustration about the direction the rebels are taking with the city, while Linn condemns it as unstable. The two share a bit of their own previous exiles in relation to what happened before Pilar went back off to try and convince her friend to leave the city behind.

Mountain Path

Linn came from the path to the north out of the mountains in his usual gear and pack. For the first time he actually showed signs of fatigue, his alert gaze weakened and softened as he had other things on his mind. His irises were tinted a slight, faded green right now for whatever reason he might have, though he didn’t possess the intense focus that lead to the purple shift in his right eye the other time Pilar had seen something like that happen. Regardless, he continued on with a determined pace, unwilling to let the recent events and needs get to him too much. There was still so much left to do for him.

Pilar was finding Frostmaw to be insufferable. Not that she ever particularly liked the city to begin with, but the giants' behavior was bringing back some painful memories. Their growing hatred for outsiders reminded her too much of the worst of her former life. It was getting harder and harder to stay, but she had to. For her friend. But she could manage a trip down the mountain, couldn't she? A brief reprieve from the strife would do wonders for her. As she headed down the mountain, she realized she was catching up to someone. A little closer, and she recognized who it was. As if anyone else had that kind of armor. "Linn!" She hadn't seen him for some time, and with the unrest in Frostmaw, she had been worried. She hurried to his side. "Linn, are you alright?"

Linn froze in his tracks the moment he heard Pilar’s voice from behind before slowly straightening up and turning around, a warm, tired smile on his face. His home had crumbled to the forces that took his old one, but at least this time he had friends to be with, and that’s all that mattered now. “I’m fine. Taly and I left Frostmaw a couple nights ago. After the whole thing with Hildegarde and the city falling into chaos, I know we aren’t going to be very welcome there anymore. Especially after some of my antics there…” he blew out a sigh with a sideways look. “How’s it been going with you Pilar?”

Pilar hugged the enchanter. "I'm glad you two are safe..." She released him and took a step back. "It has become unbearable. I must stay hidden from sight all the time, it seems. The way the giants look at me... I'm surprised I have not been attacked, yet." There was sadness on her face, and conflict. Could Linn be trusted? She thought so, but decided against speaking further of why she was staying. "I have been trying to piece together what has been happening. There are rumors that the Steward is alive again... Are they true?"

Linn returned Pilar’s hug, though he took care not to tighten it too much just because of the armor he wore. It was good to be reminded that he still had people with him. When she spoke of the giants he nodded, “Yeah, they’ve been giving me quite a few looks before everything went crazy. They began trying to drag me into fights right before we left.” He shook his head in disgust, “I wouldn’t hang around there if I were you. It’s only going to get worse as time goes on.” When she spoke of the rumors he smiled again, “I haven’t seen her for myself yet, but likely. If anyone could pull it off, it would be Leone and Alvina. And that roar gives me a good reason to believe she’s around again. I just have to find her now.”

Pilar said to Linn, "Would she not be in Frostmaw?" Surely Hildegarde would have stuck around after her resurrection to quiet the chaos, right? "And how is... Taly? The elves had been getting the brunt of the hatred, and she couldn't imagine a half-elf faring any better. Especially since humans like Linn had been getting harassed, too. She couldn't imagine being forced from her home was easy on the elf. "Is she alright?"

Linn pursed his lips in thought at the question of where Hildegarde would be, “I went to the fort just after the huge uproar to see what was going on. She was gone and so was Leone. The giants were looking for something, probably them. They were too quiet to be anywhere in Frostmaw with everything going on.” The question of Talyara brought another slight sigh, “She’s fine. Not long before all of this exploded some of the giants thought it would be funny to start harassing her. She’s got a black eye from a tomato… Besides that she’s fine. I found a place for us to stay and take care of Bachias but I’d rather keep quiet about it for now.”

Pilar set her jaw, outraged on Talyara's behalf. Oh, how she wished she was stronger, so that she could have protected her friends. When Linn mentioned keeping quiet on the location of where they were staying, Pilar felt a little hurt. Couldn't she be trusted? -Look who's talking, you're the one who won't tell him about Aira- a little voice reminded her. Pilar looked down and sighed. "This is such a mess..." Her hand curled into a fist. "Frostmaw... Perhaps the giants should be allowed to have it to themselves. Let them sit in their ignorance and hate until it destroys them." Strong words from such a gentle soul. It seemed the situation had touched a nerve.

Linn at least had a small caveat to his secrecy. “Once we have everything settled again and I’m sure Bachias will be okay with some people coming to visit we can sort something out. I’ll see her about it.” Pilar’s statement about the whole mess of everything was met with a nod, her addition about letting the giants have Frostmaw to themselves prompting… a grin? “That’s probably the best thing to do. They won’t get much farther trying to shut the world out. It’s only a matter of time before they collapse without anything to keep things in balance.” Detached as the words there, a sure steel marked his voice, evidently he knew this situation as well, and he was very disappointed in it.

Pilar 's anger was growing the more she thought about it. "I thought Frostmaw was better than that, but these, these hateful thoughts have been there, all this time? It's so, so... argh! I cannot stand it!" Pilar rolled a stone beneath her foot. "Even if Hildegarde is alive and returns to the throne, this will not stop! They may be too frightened to say it out loud, but the hate will still be there. Frostmaw is hopeless, lost!" With her vampire strength, Pilar crushed the stone easily.

Linn pursed his lips as Pilar went on about Frostmaw, the crushing stone causing a flinch. “Easy Pilar.” He tried to call to her, his voice stern but not hostile. “They’ll learn. Whether or not they’ll be crushed beyond repair by their actions is to be seen though. They think isolation is a solution to whatever problems they thought up, and they’ll find it leaves them vulnerable to far bigger ones.” He paused for some while, lost in thought. His voice suddenly softened greatly, the impersonality behind his judgement vanishing into recollection of an old memory. “Chances are most of them are just swept up by the mood… they worked together willingly under Hildegarde, and now just going with whoever’s looking to push everyone out… It’s not the city. It’s the damn people afraid of the world who are trying to take it over.”

Pilar sighed heavily. It wasn't often that the woman could feel anger, true anger, and left unchecked she could, perhaps, become a force to be reckoned with. Linn's voice, however, managed to calm her. Or rather, get her to bottle up her fury for the time being. "I'm sorry, it's just... I spent my whole life being hated for what I was, ignored or treated badly because I'm Romani. I hate to see it happening again, and in a city I thought was better than that."

Linn cast Pilar a knowing look and smile at her explanation of why she got so angry. “I know what you feel. More than you’d think. Hated for being a little different from everyone.” He rolled his eyes, “Okay, maybe I was more than a little different. Either way…” he broke off with a shake of his head, “I’ll spare you the story for later if you want to hear it. What I can tell you is a simple matter of fear, and whoever’s making their grab at leadership is playing on it to make the rest of the giants do things that they’d never do…” Try as he might to suppress the sad disappointment that threatened to overtake him it filtered through every word he spoke.

Pilar could hear his sadness and looked at him with sympathy. She had met few people outside her family who knew the pain of ostracism. "I would like to hear your story, but only if you want to tell it. I do not want to cause you pain." Her anger was dying for real, now, to be replaced with sorrow. She look Linn's hand in hers. "You are a good friend, Linn. If there is any way I can help you settle into your new home, let me know."

Linn released a sad chuckle and nodded slightly as Pilar posed her request and offer of aid. “Yeah, I’ll let you know. I’m sure if we have to stay there much longer we’ll have some serious building to do. It’s not a problem. In a nutshell, my first home was a town that had similar issues. The people there were afraid of what they didn’t really know. And if you haven’t figured it out yet, I’m the kind of person that’s pretty drawn to those kinds of things.” A soft huff, “It was pretty bad. We had a lot of friction because of it. They’d get mad because I would run off and always poke and prod, I’d get mad because they’d try to keep me from meaningless things…” he waved it off apathetically. “It was bearable until I went a bit far with my curiosity. Messing around with places where magic has done extreme things has pretty well… unknown results.” He locked his gaze on Pilar’s eyes with a knowing look, the only color in them a faded green right now in contrast to the complete lack of color they usually had.

Pilar nodded in understanding. He was a magical person, she felt it in the air whenever he was near, and some places didn't like magic all that much. And for him to go off in search of it... She squeezed his hand, then let it go. "I understand." She looked forlornly up the mountain. "I wish I did not have to, but I must return to Frostmaw." Oh, she really didn't want to go. She was beginning to hate that city as much as it seemed to hate her.

Linn ‘s mouth spread into a mischievous grin when Pilar said she understood, “Maybe. If you want the details I can share some other time.” When she sent her gaze up to the upper regions of the mountains that contained Frostmaw he followed it as well, his lips pursing when she mentioned returning, “For what?” he asked. “If you really need to head back, I might be able to help you dodge around some of the more crowded areas if you don’t have to go specifically there.”

Pilar thought for a moment. To tell, or not to tell? "A friend needs me," she said. That was all the information she would provide. At his offer of aid, she shook her head. "Thank you, but no. I can manage." With a smile, she held up her hand. Slowly, it began to fade from view. "A useful spell, yes?" Her hand came back and dropped by her side. "I can do more than just my hand, of course. It just takes more out of me."

Linn released a slow sigh through his grin before a slight chuckle at the secrecy, “A good reason.” His grin widened itself when she began to turn part of herself invisible, “Not bad at all.” He complemented with a nod. “Well, if you need some help getting around places that aren’t so easily traversable, I’m always up for it. I tend to uhh, cheat a little bit making my way around the cliffs.” His own offer completed he sighed again, “Well, good luck finding whoever it is you’re looking for. Probably best to get him or her out of there as well if they’d be a target.”

Pilar said to Linn, "I appreciate it, and will let you know if I need help." At the suggestion to get them out of there, she chuckled. "Oh, I am trying, believe me." She hugged him again before heading up the path. "Be safe. I will see you again."

Linn cocked a brow when Pilar mentioned –trying- to get whoever her friend was. He knew a couple people who were crazy enough to not leave… Returning the hug he let her go. “You too, good luck getting her out.” Before she could say anything about his growing specificity he was already moving to leave himself, though if she decided to call back to him he’d stop and entertain whatever she wanted to say.

Pilar was surprised when Linn said 'her' but after a moment's thought, could only smile. Oh, yes, good old predictable Aira. She headed back up the mountain, hoping tonight would be the night she got that damn stubborn elf to leave.