RP:The Dirty (not to mention Frosty) Dozen

Summary: Thamalys is on his way back from Sage, where - he thinks - he just left some twelve Frost Giants hidden in the woods. An ominous request from none other than the Guild Leader brings him to the basements of the Larketian's fort, where Sabrina and Meri have been investigating the suspicious claims of Emilia, presently behind bars following her summoning of the recent snowstorm. The Spellblade, despite clear evidence already, is not willing to accept that the above mentioned Giants never existed - as claimed by the two lady detectives. Hence, he brings the two of them to Sage - only to discover the bulky creatures apparently disappeared into thin air. As such, the Elfess sends the much confused Avian to Frostmaw in order to inform Hildegarde of the worrying news. The Queen of Frostmaw, ever so kind in terms of a much welcome hospitality, confirms that no Giants ever made it to Frostmaw recently enough - thus shattering the last hopes of the Blue, left with a lot to ponder, and an Ice Genasi still in jail.

Larket: Basement Landing

Meri has come a long way since the day that she and Sabrina initially met. She's improved upon her grammar, lost that accent that Sabrina found to be so horrid and hard to understand, but she was still a work in progress. A sheepish smile for Sabrina at the correction of Thamalys' name. That would be a horrible first impression to make, butchering his name. "Yeah. These are all very valid points." That letter is taken, examined, and then handed back to Sabrina. "Well shoot, I think we are at a dead end here. Is Thamalys meeting us down here in the cells? Is there another meeting point?" Meri was hoping there was a secondary meeting point, she did not want to lurk around down here in the Larket cells for another hour or so while they wait for this lead. "Illusions are all very different, you are right, and you are also right that it is hard to get the better of Emi." Meri did not count herself amongst the people that underestimated Emilia, but she was still perhaps overly protective of the ice princess.

Thamalys stormed down the staircase, those massive, silver-clad wings thrashing against the murky bricks - he did not care at all. And yet, the muffles thuds accompanying the Avian’s descent into the basement came to abrupt end, a loud, thundering voice reverberating instead: “Get off me, you tiny piece of wingless meat… sod off I said, or I’ll have you right before a God of your choice in seconds! Move, you bloody fool… move!” remarked the Blue, shoving away a rather unlucky guard that just happened to be right in the way of the Spellblade, presently making his entrance into dark, ominous space. The knotty mass of the ivory white dreadlocks on his head was unevenly distributed across shoulders and face, the latter a mask of fury and pain, actual streaks of blood painted on those bony cheeks, there where the lower branches of the way too thick Sage’s trees left a rather unwelcome gift. Ragged pieces of fabric sort of covered a tiny portion of his tattooed chest, and the leathery black pants tightly wrapping those impossibly long legs did not look much better. Nothing on his feet, the Avian did sport however his most sharp companion, the towering shapes of the Gossamer Halberd perching on his back, right in the middle of his huge, cumbersome wings - neatly folded. On his shoulder, the bulky shapes of a Red Kite, presently intent at casually pecking the pointy ear of the Avian - much with the annoyance of the latter. The Spellblade was plainly directed to the Cells, were if not for those two hurdles in between - one of which being the Guild Leader herself. As such, he came to a halt two steps away from Elfess and Human alike, not wasting a single instant. “Your raven found me soon enough, Ma’am… where - is - Emilia? And…” he added, his head dipping slightly toward the Tattooed One, “… and who would - you - be, if I may?” not exactly politely inquired the Blue, his index finger of the right hand actually pointing toward the Human, a faint blueish hue dripping from his pale skin.

Sabrina had grown accustomed to the Avian in the time she had grown to love him like one of her own. Hell, for all intents and purposes he was as much her own, as Emilia was. She stands with her arms crossed over her chest. Always so noisy, but Thamalys never did anything half-hearted. She was dressed in full garb and formally to boot. “Emilia has been arrested for a snowstorm she swears you and a dozen tortured giants were privy to… problem is, there are no Giants and so… we need you to tell us what you know. Were you with her when she set the snow storm upon Larket?” She’d obviously wait for Meri to make herself known, the last thing this woman needed was introductions, Sabrina liked that about her. She would cast Tham a look of warning though, Meri was here as a courtesy to a mutual friend and she would not have him tossing bad manners around while representing as a member to the Healer’s Guild.

Meri was just leaving the cells with Sabrina, conversing about various things related to Emilia and her current situation. While Meri could not write for Sabrina, the tattooed blonde certainly did not look pleased with the lack of information that was found within the cells. The commotion coming from above cause Meri to fall silent, waiting to see who was descending down into this dismal place. Ah, an avian. Meri has had the pleasure of encountering two others prior to Thamalys. His haughty attitude really does not come as a surprise. The avain's attire and weapon of choice are noted in a scrutinizing look that goes from head to toe, and yes her baby blues do linger upon those bare feet. Bare feet in cell that has not been cleaned in how long? Meri tries not to shudder at the though. Of course, Meri should not be placing judgement for she does not look like she is royalty herself. How many layers of dirt did she have on her boots? She finds a smile across ruby red lips, trying to keep the sass out of her time to voice. "Meri. Long time friend of Emi. Did her tattoo piece." Neither here nor there, so let's get into it. "Yeah, she was saying that you were there with her. So I am rather wondering how come she is in jail while you get to roam free? If you were there like she said? How come you were not the one sounding the alarms about her being in trouble?"

Thamalys dropped his jaw, not in awe indeed, just to muster the full extent of his self control before setting the whole place ablaze. Absolutely fuming he was, and yet the look of the Elfess did not go unnoticed - the Guild before anything else. As such, he would lower his hand, producing instead the stiffest of the bows directed toward the Blonde, something similar like a tired smile forcing himself to carve across those thin, grey, broken lips. “Meri. Most delighted to meet your acquaintances indeed. Nevertheless….” he grumbled, barely able to maintain his not-so-legendary poise. “What to you mean there are no Giants? Twelve! Twelve of them I personally brought safe and sound to Sage - all thanks to Emilia. Yes, I was with her the moment she summoned the storm - such a might in that tiny one… anyway. What is this madness? I discovered those poor things myself, locked and battered over there…” he almost yelled, a mighty effort going into avoiding any sort of impoliteness while pointing at the Cells entrance, panting, almost out of breath. “I listened to their story, about how they were captured and tortured, kept in there for months, beaten and bruised… we had to free them! You would have done the same, I am sure… the two of you! The Wind knows who brought there and why… arrested?!” Eventually, he digested the Elfess’ words - as well as the ones from the Human, talking about jail as well. “What do you mean arrested? On which basis? Who… who - dared - to lay a hand upon her?” he roared, the ivy-shaped ink covering him glowing fiercely in the murky air.

Sabrina looks at Meri when Tham addresses his version of the events and it stands to reason why he wasn’t arrested… he was in Sage with these apparitions. She steps aside from the door so the Blue Avian can investigate himself, no activity within the cells had happened in months, if not years. There was zero evidence of any Giants being in this vicinity at all. “My Great friend… please understand we are just trying to piece this together, no citizen or Larket authority has witnessed or corroborated this story. So far it is just You and Emz.” She is trying to draw evidence that even he, tall as he was, wings included, had a rough time of it fitting down those stairs… but twelve giants? “Thamalys, try to be reasonable… tell me what you saw, smelled, take me through it step by step.”

Meri tries to process all of the bits and pieces of Thamalys' story, but Meri still had many questions. Some of which were already voiced by Sabrina, so Meri does not revocalize the need for as much detail as possible. "That is right. The law officials of Larket are saying that she acted alone, no one else was to be found. Not you. Not any giants. They claim that no citizen saw any giants attempting to flee the limits of the city and they are also claiming that there was not even basic evidence of their existence here -- like footprints in the snow. Right now it seems that they believe Emilia perhaps acted on behalf of Frostmaw, attacking Larket to further escalate the tensions between the two cities, but that she acted alone. They are not willing to do the leg work to prove her innocence because they are happy with the evidence they have and are more than willing to let her take the blame -- no frost giants. Just a crazed ice woman attacking the city and making up lies.”

Thamalys struggled to keep his eyes focused onto anything - marching through a magical snow storm always takes some toll. He would have briefly perched beyond the Elfess’ shoulder into the Cells, immediately noticing that she appeared to be right - everything appeared to be spotless. So tired and confused he was, he barged the Red Kite away - piss off, Nebb, I’m not in the bloody mood… -, shortly after taking a sit onto the dirty floor, legs crossed, the ridge of his wings twitching slightly. Within this stance, he would have - for once - been able to look into the ladies’ eyes - which he just did, his gaze darting back and forth from Elfess to Human, eventually though ending on the very balls of his feet. “Very well, then. I was in the Hall upstairs - playing around with flames, in fact - when I heard some awful noises coming from the basement. I ventured into the Cells, and there I found them. Twelve of them, chained on the walls, in horrible conditions. I even wasted my most potent tonic on them, pouring it down those frozen lips… you should have seen their faces. Their faces…” he said, his voice lowering into a soft whisper. “Anyway. A single, purple candle was burning in the dark, lavender scented I believe. Yes, in fact… the smell got me very sleepy indeed, almost as if some magic was at work…” he would pause for a moment, pondering that last statement, only to continue shortly after with double the intent. “But then Emilia led us outside, fearing a setup or some sort of treachery, and conjured the snow storm to allow me and the Giants to clear the City unseen… this is what I saw. And touched. And smelled. How can you even think we made this up? Emi is - not - a crazy ice woman…” he muttered in the lowest pitch amongst clenched teeth, his head turning sharply tower the human. “She has no interest in shattering the peace between Frostmaw and Larket. And neither do I. Do you want proof? Come with me to Sage, and see for yourself! Rooms can be fixed soon after, footprints can be hidden, or swept away by the storm… you would forgive me, the two of you, but I trust my senses - and Emilia’s.” And with that, he would have concluded, staring intently at a rather useless pebble close to his feet.

Sabrina sighs. He is as sure as Emilia of what he not only saw but experienced. “Lavender.” She turns to Meri as if to share a mental note. She enters the Cells to confirm that not even the evidence of melted wax was present on the aged and unkempt conditions of the room too small to house a dozen Giants. Not even miniature ones. She comes out again, sure that not even the most expert cleaners could manage to clean wax, blood, or even the smell of month-long captive excrement’s from the old death that riddled the chamber- if it were as spotless inside as it was in these halls there would be some questions left unanswered, but it wasn’t. It was all old filth. “Take us to the Giants so we can ask them how we are to make sense of this, and in doing so, free my poor Emilia.” Gods knew the Ice Genasi would be losing her mind in such captivity. It was beyond the power of the Guild to simply have her released with no evidence. Even one giant would do. She was ready to follow Thamalys to scour every inch of Sage if it meant finding a more solid lead. No thing of this grandeur could leave all routes without something being left behind. “We’ll get her out.” She reassures him.

Meri does not have much to offer in the way of words this go round. The note about the scent is committed to memory, as well as several other details the tattoo artist deems important. The few words she does speak are meant to be reassuring, "If neither of us believed you guys or even doubted Emilia's sanity? I doubt we would be here asking questions." Though that does not mean it has to be easy for Thamalys to cope with being asked these questions. This event was unsettling for everyone. Meri's willingness to see the evidence Thamalys would like to present is demonstrated by taking a few steps toward the exit where she gives pause and casts a look over her shoulder like 'you guys coming, or what?’

Sage Forest: Northern Sage Forest

Thamalys nodded gratefully, although a brief, childish remark he could not help to utter: “But… but I want to see her… she is not meant to be behind bars…” he moaned. And still, the Blue trusted the Elfess more than his very self - if she said they were going to get the Wintry Lady out of jail… that would have just happened, no matter what. Time to have yet another walk, then. Beside, the Tattooed One was already halfway through the hall, ready to leave. “That’s the spirit…” he would have acknowledged the Spellblade before slowly raising on his feet, not even gifting Nebb of a single nod, but just following the lead of the Human, up and out that sodding place. Their way toward Sage would have been quite unremarkable. The Avian was quite anxious about being possibly pointed at as an outlaw, and yet had no way at all to conceal those massive wings - hence he just took the lead of the trio in absolute silence if with a rather swift pace - those slow, puny creatures with no wings… how annoying ideed… - through the City, up the Bridge, and into Sage. Once well below the lush branches of the forest trees, the Avian would have explained: “They are over there, within that opening in those fir trees there is a small clearing… I explicitly told them not to move for whatever reason, and to just seize anybody but for myself - let me go ahead…” he noted, his pace if possible accelerating even more, his patience stressed to the very limit, eager to demonstrate the truth once and for all. With a final, momentous stride, the Blue would have set foot into the clearing, the two ladies hopefully right behind him, announcing their arrival with a: “Fear not, my friend, it’s me! I come with news, and hope, and…” - he froze mid-sentence, the very instant he realised, nobody could be found within the sodding place. His eyes widened in awe, his arms he dropped, both, alongside, legs trembling, mouth ajar. Even Nebb protested with a loud squeak. “What… I… I don’t understand… where are they? I thought… I mean, I am sure left the whole dozen of them in here, I told them not to move… I…” he paced furiously across the clearing, his eyes darting here and there, looking for something that it just was not there. Eventually, utterly defeated, he turned his head toward the Human first, and then to Elfess shortly after, all manners of confusion - and shame - already surfacing within those bony lineaments.

Sabrina was growing irritated. Both of them had longer legs and her half-stride had to be double-timed to keep up. Speed walking looked sophisticated on no one. She is relieved when he offers to go ahead and ‘hangs back’ out of courtesy, not the fact that she needed to catch her breath from the several-mile sprint. She heard him announce himself and then break off mid-sentence. Despite what Meri would do the elfess rushes into the clearing to find just that- a clearing with tracks upon tracks of footprints… but not a single set large enough to merit a giant or twelve. “It’s okay, Tham… we’ll figure this out.” She could put money on what her idea was but… to Meri. “There hasn’t been someone with this kind of power since Redhale.” She had no reason to believe that Tham or Emilia were liars… or crazy… well, maybe crazy. She shakes her head of it for the benefit of the doubt. The peaceable mind of the Elfess is quick to jump to all the wrong conclusions. “I remember Reinhardt saying the youth of Larket was fraught with pranksters, maybe…. Maybe this one just went too far?” Even that didn’t answer half of the equations.

Meri was right behind Thamalys, though her steps halted right as his did. Surprise is not the reaction that Meri gives because some how, some way, in the back of her mind she knew that this was going to be what they found. Based on how every other lead Meri and Sabrina had gotten was going? Not surprised at all. A frown does weigh upon red lips and there is a frustrated shake of her head. "I am going to scout around in depth and see if I don't find some clues." Not that Meri has the expertise of a ranger, but she had done enough traveling to be able to spot signs of disturbances in the forest. Plus we are talking about giants here. Of course Meri would find nothing, but this gives Meri's player the perfect excuse to vamanos. "If you guys hear anything, send word to Gualon or to SoulsKin in Rynvale. Either way, I will get it.”

Thamalys just stood in the middle of the clearing, in silence. Above anything else, he would have loved to be regarded as one to entrust - not a madman. And yet, he had very little options. He sidestepped till he found himself within the reach of a massive tree trunk. To that, he rest much of his weight, his back brushing unpleasantly against the mithril of the halberd, the silver on his wings, and some patches of naked skin as well. He witnessed the Human vanishing into the tangle of bushes nearby, the not exactly at ease Elfess only remaining. To her, then, he voiced: “I… I do not know what to say - to think even. I trust you don’t think I lied to you? I would never!” he cried aloud, a broken yelp, a disturbing sound. “Did I dream? Did - we - dream, the whole of it? But how? Oh…” he groaned, burying his face into his hands. He thought his mind was whole enough to be trusted - maybe that was not the case after all? And what about the Icy One? “I am sorry… I wasted your time. I shall talk to Emilia - we shall seek to convince the King that we meant no harm… we did not, we never did. I hope you can still trust my word about that…” he would have raised his head, a mighty disorientation in plain sight across that bony face. Not so far away, Nebble keep pecking at some tree branch, the sharp sound dictating the rhythm of that bitter comedy unfolding.

Sabrina nods to Meri as she is quick to depart, the Elfess had an idea what was running through the woman’s mind. Her own personal thoughts took a similar path. It is when Thamalys begins to speak that she hushes his audacity. “You will do no such thing.” She seemed pretty convinced of this. “You are not a liar or you would not be one of my own. Thamalys, I know you love Emilia but what you suggest puts you in a cell right next to her and that will do none of us any good.” She thinks for a time. “You are going to Frostmaw, tell the Queen what you know… surely there is some explanation.” She doesn’t need to remind him. “What Emilia is accused of is cause for war. No one needs that. Not even the Silver.” She walks up to him like she is seriously going to lay a hand on his shoulder, but she does not. “I trust you, Thamalys. Or I would have killed you already.” She was so very serious. ”No one takes my Emi from me…”

Thamalys recoiled, taken aback by the swift command gifted by the Leader. “To Frostmaw?” he genially inquired out of pure surprise. He would have gladly added that he desperately wanted to at least have a glimpse of the Wintry Lady before leaving, but he knew better. The order was crystal clear, and he was not one to disobey the Guild. Beside, the Elfess has been transparent: he still had her trust, and that notion, that very awareness he cherished so much that he found himself eager to action - despite the shame, and the confusion, and the fear. “Thy will be done, my lady. Nebb will find you with a missive of mine as soon as some progress I will have accomplished. Farewell…” he concluded, the Red Kite already into the sky, he would have just followed. A few steps dashing toward the middle of the clearing, he suddenly outstretched his wings, so heavy now with silver, and yet still more than enough to propel him into the chilling air. With a single swooping motion, the slender shapes of the Blue would have leaped into the air, clearing the tree tops soon after, those silvery hangings spreading against the clouds, already disappearing into the distance.

Frostmaw: Frozen Throne

Thamalys glided without any grace at all into the frosty sky towering above the Fort, a tiny part of him hopefully remembering where the walled courtyard was. Piercing the thick, greyish clouds, the Avian plunged head first toward the ground, seconds only before the impact outstretching the full extent of those huge wings to shove away the overwhelming majority of his momentum and - with a single, powerful swooping motion - connecting with the bitterly cold soil, heels first. He would have taken an instant to take stock of the situation, squatted, those feathery hangings furling swiftly, eyes fixed on some pebbles, head down. Panting, his breathing heavy and laboured, he eventually resorted to raise on his feet, gazing all around till he located the obvious access to the throne room, secured by a menacing pair of Frost Giants - how apt, given the reason of his visit. Eager to proceed, the Spellblade paced toward the massive blueish door, stopping the moment both of the bulky creatures pointed a long, sharp pike to his chest, demanding a well-deserved clarification. “D’ya think you can just fly into the Fort and speak with the Queen? Who are you? What business do you think you have in here? Quick!” one of the two hastened, eyes flashing already with a hint of not-so-well hidden fury. In return, the Blue would have exhaled first, a long, painful sound, his hands patting on his legs, as to gain some time. Finally, he spoke. “I go by the name of Thamalys. I flew here from Larket… no, hold your horses. I come with troubling news, the sort that the Queen only should know about. She knows my name, and I daresay she will still welcome my presence…” he sort of pleaded in a soft voice, arms wide, the portrait of weariness. Maybe it was that tone, or maybe the fact that the Avian looked rather battered indeed, that convinced the two to pull the doors on the hinges. The Blue did not really care. Without a single nod of gratitude, he just walked - trudged, that is - into the round space, long strides taking toward the throne itself. No footwear, just a pair of ragged leathery pants, black, and a very scarce remaining of the fabric of a shirt that once should have been blue - much of his tattooed chest utterly bare in the freezing cold. Long streaks of old blood on his face, the mass of his dreadlocks swaying across his shoulders, brushing against the tall, deadly features of the Gossamer Halberd. Still rather far away from the throne, his tired eyes could not even figure whether the Queen was actually somewhere in the room. He just went on, head low, pushed by duty and sorrow alike.

Hildegarde had been perched upon her throne dealing with some kind of royal business until she heard the commotion by the door. Never far from her trusty weapon, the Silver lifted her halberd and descended from the throne – dismissing her company should they need to get to safety – to walk towards the grand doors to the throne room. As they swung open and the weary avian trudged inside, Hildegarde felt sorry for the poor soul. “My friend,” she tells him, reaching out to him in an effort to gently coax him towards her for some support. “You look dog tired,” she tells him. “And hurt,” she observes with a frown. “Come, let’s get you a seat,” she tells him, hoping to guide him towards one of the benches that had been brought in for guests to sit upon and visitors who would beg the Queen for her favour or for justice. “What brings you to Frostmaw, Thamalys?”

Thamalys would have usually dreaded any sort of help from anyone, Queens included - and yet, he was too drowsy to put up any kind of resistance. He duly followed the Dragon till he reached that pew, heavily sitting on to it with a loud thud. “Yes… and yes. O’ Silver, I have some disturbing news from Larket - Sabrina sent me. But first…” he added, his eyes raising to meet the ones of the Queen, “… thank you for seeing me without any further ado. Your kindness is much appreciated. So, where do I start?” he asked almost to himself, an hand bringing to his forehead, pushing dreadlocks away. “No more than… one day ago, yes. One day only…” he would have muttered, he himself taken aback by that short stretch of time that nonetheless managed to twist the fate of many. “I discovered by mere chance a dozen of Frost Giants, held in awful conditions down into a murky basement in Larket’s fort. They told me they have been captured, and tortured - a dreadful tale, o’ Silver. Thus I swiftly sent word to Emilia, whom kindly hastened to those horrible cells. She as well could not withstand the horror of those creatures, suffering from months into the darkness - and beside, we feared a setup, some treachery, some shadowy dirty business going on there. Magic was surely involved as well, as we all started to get eerily sleepy…” he paused for a moment, shaking his head. “Anyway. We had to flee, to free those Giants and bring them back to Frostmaw, possibly unseen - you never know these days. Hence the Wintry Lady summoned a mighty snow storm, that sent the city into chaos allowing me to lead the Giants somewhere safe into Sage. Only… Emilia got arrested for having brought that havoc on the city, and I… I met with Sabrina, and Meri. They… they say the Giants were never there, and… and in fact… they are not in Sage anymore. Did they reach Forstmaw themselves, maybe? Yes? Have you heard anything of that sort?” he inquired, his last shard of hope nested into those very words.

Hildegarde did not seem to mind his thanks or thrive upon it. She merely smiled as he thanked her and told her as to why he was here. “Do you need anything?” she asked him before he delved into the nitty-gritty of the situation that had brought him here. If he required something, a giant would ‘scurry’ off to fetch it. If not, all would be silent and still as Hildegarde settled in to hear his tale. As he speaks of giants – her own people – being held prisoner within Larket, her face contorts into one of worry. But there is not only worry in her face, anger lurks there too. She does not take kindly to the mere idea of her people being held prisoner by a country that so recently waged war with her own. Yet she remains silent for now, wishing to hear more detail on this story and try to better understand the situation but the plot twist has her all the ore confused. The giants never existed? How can that be? But… well. It must have been true, for surely, any giants that had been held prisoner in Larket would have been released with the signing of the peace treaty? “I…” she frowns, as if thinking for a long moment. “I think Lady Sabrina is correct. I do not believe these giants existed, my friend, otherwise I would rightly know of it.” And would have been marching to Larket at her earliest convenience.

Thamalys dreaded such an answer would come. The very last handhold he could possibly hope for, the Silver just shattered. Those Giants just - never - existed, and that was at this stage, hard evidence to be embraced. The full weight of that revelation eventually landed on the tired mind of the Blue, breaking what did remain. He buried his face, a mask of dirt, frost, ink and blood alike, into his bony hands. He would have cried - he just did not remember how to. As such, he limited himself to sigh, his shoulders shaking, the edges of his furled wings, wholly clad in silver, shivering and bringing an ominous peal into the room. “Am I insane, then? So utterly demented that I just dreamed the whole of it? And yet I could swear I talked with those Giants… Baloss, that was their leader’s name… and they were wounded, and tired, and I pour them some tonic, and soothed them… how could I have just imagined all of that? How could - we! Emilia will surely confirm what I just told you, word by word! By the Wind, she brought a full snow storm upon Larket for the sake of those Giants! I refuse to believe it was all in our heads…” He said so, but his head was nodding in defeat already. All of their efforts, in vain. The Icy One behind bars - for no reason, the whole sodding reputation of the Guild in danger, a snow storm to deal with… all of this, for nothing. A irrepressible rage was building into the Spellblade, the ink on his skin glowing already with a faint blueish hue into the dim light. “You asked whether I needed anything. I do, o’ Queen. I need answers. I need to know… to understand what happened in those cells, or I shall lose what does remain of my already broken mind. Poison or drug, it was not. This Avian and Emilia reached the Cells from different locations, and yet the two of us saw, touched, felts and smelled the very same things. No, it was something else… ah, I think I’ll lose myself into this madness!” he yelled leaping to his feet, for a split second forgetting to standing in front of the Queen of Frostmaw herself. “Oh… I… I apologise for that. Please do forgive me, I am impossibly… confused, yes. It’s just… that I don’t know what is going on… and Emilia, she is jail, because of me call… the mere thought of her in prison is unbearable… but then.” He pulled himself together, eventually. “I did what Sabrina asked me. These are the news, o’ Silver. What do you make of them? And, if I may be so bold to ask… what is this Avian supposed to do about it? Answers, I desire, and above all to have Emilia out of jail…” he went on, ranting, his speech foggy, his words unclear.

Hildegarde did not attempt to prevent Thamalys from expressing himself, from questioning himself or from leaping to his feet. These are all natural responses. The Silver Queen remained seated and watched him explore his feelings. As he apologises for his outburst, Hildegarde rises to her feet and lifts her hand as if to dismiss his apology. “You need not apologise. I do not think you are losing your mind, Thamalys, there could be anything that might have caused this. Magic, hallucination, illness, anything and more. Things we may not even remember,” she tells him. “But I shall go to Larket. I will ask questions and I will soothe the peace between my people and the people of Larket, lest there be another war. Emilia… she is not my citizen, I cannot demand her freedom,” she tells Thamalys with utter honesty. “But I can petition your King. I can reason why she should be free and I could perhaps reason why she is a woman of my city and thus under my own jurisdiction,” she reasons. “It might work.”

Thamalys listened carefully, each word pondering. He was a being of air and flames, prone to catch fire - sometimes literally… - within a moment only. The calm poise of the Queen marvelled him greatly - but that he would have not revealed. Instead, he just nodded, a hand passing across his face, sweeping away a good portion of dirt, the latter slowly falling toward the icy pavement. “Can you - can you really? I shall thank you for just even trying to convince the King. But, if you succeed… well, then I would utterly be in your debt, o’ Silver. And a hefty one as well - the Wintry Lady means a lot to this Winged Beast. In fact…” he added thoughtfully, his eyes darting toward the doors already, “… now that I brought the news to you… I… I would make may way back to Larket, immediately.” He did not look like he could handle the trip, in fairness. He needed a bath, and some food, and above all some rest, for body and most importantly mind. And yet, he refused to listen to himself - he just had to go. “I hope you will grant me permission to leave, o’ Silver? I do enjoy the quiet of Frostmaw much more than the busy streets of Larket… but I have an errand to deal with in there. One that cannot wait. Why, I would ask whether you would fly with this Avian toward the City, but I shall guess the Queen of Frostmaw would have other plans for her journey?” he inquired with the last bit of manners he could possibly muster.

Hildegarde did not really enjoy referring to Macon as King, it implied he had a certain honour which she certainly felt he was lacking. “I can only try,” she told him with a little smile, “and we can pray for the best result. I will not let them think Emilia guilty of something ill, I promise you,” she told him sincerely. As Thamalys asks for her leave to go, then her plans for venturing to Larket, the Silver shook her head. “I insist that you at least wait an hour before leaving. I have some spare clothes you may have, along with a bath, some food and some supplies for your journey. Us winged types don’t always need to worry about rations, but… let it not be said we are poor hosts in Frostmaw,” she tells him kindly. “I know you wish to hurry, but an hour will not change things, my friend. I will go to Larket when I can. I must let them know I intend to journey there, lest it adds to the tensions and only worsens our case.”

Thamalys knew he could have never refuse such an offer - not from the Queen. By the Winds, how absolutely desperate he was to leave… and yet, he forced himself to crack something not too dissimilar from a smile on this broken, grey, thin lips. “I will gladly accept your kind offer, then. A bath… the mere idea sounds like a dream to me - I must look awful. I shall make my way back to Larket soon enough, though. I would never abuse the kindness of Frostmaw - may your beer be forever blessed!” he added with a stiff, and yet plainly sincere bow addressed to the Silver. “I will eagerly wait for your arrival in Larket - if it ever existed one to be able to talk through the King… oh, well. I will bother you no more. I have so much to ponder, to try and make sense of. I shall thank you for your hospitality - and more, for your help in this dreadful matter. The whole Guild thanks you, o’ Silver.” And with a last bow, he would shortly after meet the gaze of the Monarch, as to guess where exactly he was supposed to go - Frostmaw geography after all was everything but clear to him.

This RP is linked to: RP:A Snow Storm in Larket and RP:Fits the Profile