faderift | Wartable: Babysitting, the mission

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Wartable: Babysitting, the mission

WHO: Kif, Amélie, Pamelia, Samouel.
WHAT: A boy has gone missing, and it's up to Kif and the Healers (a really obscure band, you probably haven't heard of them) to save the day OR DIE TRYING.
WHEN: Haring 2 and for a few days around then
WHERE: The Arling of West Hills
NOTES: Possibly some injuries? They're not actually going to die. Probably.

Dangerously close to the Fallow Mire (and by dangerous we mean sometimes there's a stiff wind that blows a stench into the area that may or may not actually be from the Mire BUT IT SMELLS BAD) lies a plot of land ruled by an increasingly ill Arl Gallagher Wulff, run by his daughter, Izot, and her husband, Lord Niall Packton, who give lip-service approval to the Inquisition while not giving permission to it to cross their lands, or any other form of support.

When Izot's only son goes missing, though, there's an opportunity to change matters around if they can find the boy in time.

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The first morning of travel Kif seems a little nervous, glancing over his shoulder fairly often as if he expects someone to come after him. Slowly, though, it dawns on him that he's not going to be forced back to wash Zapp's underthings today and he starts breathing.

Later on, when they stop for the evening, he quickly busies himself making dinner. It's something he knows how to do well and he's had to do a lot; it helps him feel a little less nervous about taking off to help the Inquisition again. Work is easy. Thinking about how he's off in the big wide world without someone giving him constant orders is intimidating.

By the second day onwward Kif is back to his usual levels of nervousness, trying to help everywhere, possibly annoyingly, because he doesn't know what else to do with himself. Need a stirrup tightened? A saddle polished? Bedroll rolled? He's there.

Edited 2016-12-02 22:31 (UTC)

Amélie recognises the elf from that time they'd talked in the tavern and it gives her a little bit of context for guessing why he might be so... tense, for lack of a better word. She sidles up to him, trying to fall into a comfortable place before noting, "I don't think he can come here and whisk you away. You're on a mission for the Inquisition."

Kif gives her a small, very sheepish smile.

"You'd think that. Truly lazy people have a way of doing some work so that they don't have to do other work, and following me would be one task while getting his meals, cleaning his outfits, fastening his buttons, and on, and on, and on, are a lot of tasks."

It's a risk, talking this openly with a human. Honestly, everything on this trip is a risk considering there are three people carrying staves here. Pam's not going to set everyone on fire for fun, but he doesn't know this mage well enough to say yet, and he's never met the last one before. But he's going to try this because for the first time he's thinking about the future, and his future no less.

Sam is used to traveling companions being nervous - being the first time being on a trip, going through some lands they aren't familiar with, etc. - but Kif seemed to taking it to another level. He was practically everywhere and constantly asking if he could help with something.

It is after perhaps the fourth time that Sam tries to tell Kif kindly that he didn't need help, that he stops what he is doing and turns to him fully. "Kif, you need to settle down."

He goes still, staring at the man for a few moments as if waiting for something. In a way, he is. Does magic tingle if it gets used on him? Does he feel a tingle? He doesn't think so, but what if he does?

"I can settle down." Maybe he should treat this one more like he does his Chevalier. "How settled down did you need me?"

Seeing Kif go still has Sam reacting in kind, going still and blinking in confusion. He thinks over his words again and doesn't believe he was being harsh or anything.

When the elf finally speaks up Sam seems even more confused, brows furrowing just a bit specifically at the question. It wasn't like he was asking for advice, it was... submissive? "More like you need you to settle down. You seem like you're about to panic."

Oh Maker, he's doing everything wrong. Including worrying or stressing one of the mages, and he doesn't know which it is or what to do about it.

"Um. I'm all right. I'm settled. Enough." There's a short pause before he abandons his futile attempt at seeming collected and spills fort the reality. "Only I'm expecting my Chevalier to be very upset and you're all mages and no one told me it would be all mages and I don't know what to do if you decide to use my blood. I don't even have a lot of blood, I'm short and small and wouldn't be much help at all."

Sam raises a brow at the 'settled enough' part, clearly not buying that considering how wound up Kif seemed to be. Course he isn't expecting what happens next. A nervous confession, or perhaps just a long inhale/exhale, that he was expecting. Kif mentioning his Chevalier being mad and... blood magic?

"What?" That's why the elf was panicking? Because he thought they were going to do blood magic using him? Perhaps that should be something he should consider insulting, but the way Kif says it... there's a bit of naivete to it all. And then Sam recalls who this Chevalier, Kif is speaking of.

Ah huh.

Any other time and anyone else he would probably be sarcastic about the blood, but that didn't seem like it would help here. Sighing, Sam rubs the back of his head. "No one is going to use your blood. That isn't a typical thing that mages do."

As they set off on their mission, Amélie seems to be holding herself with a bit more confidence than she has in the past. She's managed to rig up a way to carry both staff and bow comfortably, and is even able to give occasional advice about the land or their route if asked (though she isn't the type to volunteer unprompted, unless someone is saying something obviously wrong).

Maker, though, she will never get used to the stench.

As the days wear on, Amélie's confidence does not wane, but there are some obvious signs of exhaustion and lack of sleep; it's mostly evident in the bags under her eyes and her slightly delayed reaction times. Whether it's simply just a result of doing too much in a small space of time, or just weariness with the world in general (mages, why is it always mages) is a matter up for debate, however.

Pamelia makes tea of her own in the kitchens, possibly upsetting the help (unless they're elves, in which case....) and presents a steaming mug of it one early afternoon to Amélie.

"You look tired."

Edited 2016-12-02 21:11 (UTC)

As everyone involved is human, Kif doesn't really see a point in posing questions to the family itself. They're not going to answer an elf, even if he makes a thing of his position. It doesn't really matter.

His tactic, instead, is to speak with one of the servants who knew the boy. While he doesn't find out much, the servant does note that the boy's boots are gone, as is the boy's satchel. It doesn't have to mean much. The family isn't poor and if they were covering something up, it wouldn't be a strain to dispose of some boots. On the other hand, if the boy had been kidnapped, either less stuff or more stuff would be taken.

In Kif's opinion, this means that, for once, it probably wasn't mages. The boy ran away, or it was the family that did something. If it was the latter, it was the mother. No one who isn't guilty about something would do what rumors say she's doing in regard to her suddenly strengthened faith.

He'll say as much to the others.

Edited 2016-12-07 05:22 (UTC)

Pamelia is also on team 'talking to these people would be like addressing a brick wall on it's shakiness', being an elf; thus she's also all for questioning the help, as it were, and finding things out around the parents. Might not be the most diplomatic approach, but. Not her fault most humans are racist against her kind, is it?

"We should take a look at his room ourselves. See what's there, and maybe what isn't?"

"Okay." He's willing to do what she suggests. Kif is a natural-born follower, and he'll fall in with whatever seems to be a good suggestion.

"Do you, do you know what should be there?" He heads in the direction the servants had indicated before, looking over at her. "In a human boy's room." In a well-to-do human boy's room, no less.

"Only an idea, really." She's seen boys' rooms before after all. "But looking won't hurt."

Pamelia reaches forward and squeezes his hand. "At the very least we'll get an idea of what he's like. He's at the ripe age for an adventure; if nothing has been done to him, it may be as simple as that he's gone off to find one."

He gives her a tiny smile before squeezing her hand back. A few minutes later he's opening the door with his free hand and nodding toward the surprisingly tidy room. Or perhaps not that surprising; nobility can afford to have staff.

"Um. This is it. His boots and bag are gone, which probably mean something. I think."

"Either he took them or someone took them to make it look like he left." Pamelia wishes they knew what was in the bag, but unfortunately...

"There's books." A lot of books, for a boy his age. She goes and opens a wardrobe. "A few things are missing from here, too." She can tell by the empty hanging spaces where no empty space would normally be.

Being one of the humans in the group, Sam was left with talking with the family - the mother to be more precise. He had been hopeful that doing so would have been helpful, but instead the mage found himself mentally being glad that the woman had not registered that he was a mage - it had to be how he dressed and carried a 'sword' instead of a staff - and just nodding his head slowly as the woman talked. More like sobbed. She was insistent that this was the work of mages and their magic, and any other line of questioning ended up with the woman becoming hysterical and falling to her knees in prayer.

When Izot became inconsolable, demanding to be left alone, Sam inquired about checking the boy's room again. The permission was given swiftly, as an after thought really, but at least he no longer had to listen to the mother's rantings.

Later on Sam could be found checking Gareth's room, looking over a couple books that had been left on the boy's desk. One book was tattered with several bookmarks in it's pages - an account of Genitivi's travels if someone asks - and other book about maladies.

This is Pamelia's second time in the room, but she'd not bothered much with the books before; the title of one of them catches her eyes, however, and she frowns as she approaches the desk.

"What is he doing with this one?"

"Hm?" Looking up from where he's flipped to one particular dog-ear marked page, Sam turns to Pamelia then looks back down at the books.

"Which one? The one on maladies or Brother Genitivi? Either one is pretty heavy reading for a kid his age, but it seems like he was dedicated." All the bookmarks and notes proved that.

The muddy roads stretch for miles and miles, and travel has mucked up hopes of following footprints, but there could still be signs of the boy's passage.

Once the lot of them had spoken about their findings, it became apparent that the boy, Gareth, had more then likely taken it upon himself to go on an adventure, or rather a quest in this particular case. Based on where they thought he could be going - bringing along the map that had been marked with a relatively safe route - they headed out immediately.

Even though Gareth couldn't have gotten as far as his desired destination, it was still plenty of time for even a boy to get pretty far. And with the roads as bad as they were it was hard to tell how long ago Gareth had traveled them, or had traveled them at all.

"I'm really hoping he didn't decide to take any shortcuts."

Kif looks at the map again as Sam speaks, tracing his finger along the route.

"He doesn't know if he has much time and he's probably heard plenty of stories." He's human. They're raised on stories of winning, as opposed to stories of defeat. "He could cut off a mile here, so he probably did." It's an assumption, but one Kif feels comfortable enough making. Why would the boy fear the dark and being alone when he's on a grand quest? Kids don't think about their own mortality.

"I think we should turn."

"He'll want to get there as quickly as possible," Pamelia agrees. "Considering the state of things at home for him. If he manages this he'll be able to save the Arl."

Kids never think about their own mortality until it comes knocking. Pamelia just hopes they get there in time.

Kids think about their mortality plenty, just most differently, depending on where they were born and raised - Henry and the other children from the White Spire certainly showed that. But he could agree that Gareth would want to get to the location as quickly as possible considering the Arl's condition. Just if the boy wasn't used to these roads then he could easily get lost.

"Well we better go and hurry then. It'll get dark before we know it."

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Wartable: Babysitting, the mission

Travel chatter

Kif, Open

first morning

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Second day onward

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Amélie (open!)

as the days wear on

Narratives for question-asking and searching

Taking on missing boots and bag

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Hysterical mother and a curious book

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Searching for the boy

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Question asking narratives again!

Wrap up, heading home