closed.

[tender]

WHO: Derrica and Allumin
WHAT: Summary of content
WHEN: Late August, early Kingsway
WHERE: Between Wildervale and Starkhaven
NOTES: mission notes.

Days pass.

Between them is a little book passed off by the last pair to occupy this observation point; over the past few days their shared notes have picked up where the last team's had left off, filling the pages and detailing the comings and goings of Imperium soldiers. It's not exciting work. But there is some sense of accomplishment. They have done exactly what they were meant to do, and Scouting will be able to make something of this.

Derrica is not a scout, doesn't exactly understand the work, but they've more or less managed their piece of the work. She's propped her chin on one hand, attention on the river, even as she asks, "Do you need to stretch your legs, or are you alright to wait a little longer?"

Now might be as good a time as any. It's quiet. (It's been quiet, apart from what the passing boats.) And he's so much taller than she is that it is probably a real necessity for him in a way it isn't for Derrica.

Comments

[tender]

"We have to," Derrica says, so immediate that it marks out the obvious: she hadn't thought this would be a question. "Those villages won't be able to defend themselves."

Even between the two of them, somewhat outnumbered and Allumin with unreliable magic, likely had better odds than any of these small villages. They weren't equipped. They likely had no mages. They would be overrun so easily.

The soldiers sound self-assured for a reason, after all.

"You'll help me, won't you?" is a little prompting, as she looks up at him.

[voidtransport]

There's clearly some fear on his face as he thinks over the situation, her question, the consequences, all the different little variables. There's the part of him that wants to turn tail and come up with all number of rationalizations as to why it's better than him trying to help, and then there's the part of him that grapples with a differently selfish thought: what would people think if he did run away in favor of helping? The consequences of the two choices before him are both severe in their own ways...

He takes in a deep breath, and nods despite the anxieties in his expression.

As long as he doesn't die, he can reason with himself that any physical pain is more tolerable than the social consequences. Remembering the promise he'd made to Gabranth, the thought of what would await him showing up after leaving a member of Riftwatch to fight the enemy outnumbered sends a chill down his spine.

"Do you have, um, any thoughts then? Rough idea of a plan?" he asks, sinking back down into a crouch so that it's easier to keep their voices just between them. In an attempt to not be helpful and not place the sole pressure of planning on her, he says, "I have a spell that can make the area foggy, but it will make things harder for us to see as well as for them depending on how you want to approach things."

[tender]

This is given due consideration, even as Derrica tries to consider their approach carefully.

"I can strike them with lightening," she tells him, one hand coming to brace on Allumin's knee as she twists to peer through the bushes and reassure herself of the number. The soldiers seem to be assembled by now, without any stragglers to surprise them. "If you can bring fog, it might help keep them from fleeing."

Derrica wishes she could pull out her crystal and ask advice. But they are here now, and there is no time to dawdle. So they must trust their instincts.

"Do you have any spells that would harm them?" is very blunt. She might have drawn this more gently from him under different circumstances, but here they are, being very plain about what they're both capable of.

More or less. There are things Derrica isn't inclined to share, especially not with people she doesn't know well.

[voidtransport]

There's a nod a little "okay" of affirmation as she speaks. At the thought of preventing escape (or, at least an expedient one), he thinks about anything that could be done to sabotage the boats - the easiest thing would probably be to push them off the shore under the cover of fog... Hm...

The inquiry pulls him out of his thoughts, blinking.

"Yes -," he says, and while it could simply have stopped there, there's an open-ended pause. His best spell for inflicting harm is the kind of magic he's been advised to use with discretion, but this seems like the kind of situation where restraint will result in worse consequences.

"Yes, I do," he eventually says with finality. If she wants to know more, he can explain later. "Unrelated to spells that can harm but still spell-related: you wouldn't happen to have a flask on your person, would you? I didn't think I'd need to bring one."

[tender]

A flask?

Derrica's quizzical expression softens slightly as she considers the reasons a man might ask for a flask before a fight. Nerves, most likely. She shakes her head, brow pinched apologetically.

"I don't. I'm sorry."

Likely she hadn't brought one for the same reasons Allumin hadn't: they were meant to be working, observing, and anything that might distract them from that goal had been left behind.

"You'll do just fine," she reassures quickly. "I'll keep you warded with a barrier, so you can just concentrate on your casting."