CH. 06 - Harvest Festival

[Ezeze]

Katya makes a noncommittal noise halfway between acknowledgement and agreement.

"That was Ser Walls's intention when she sent us out, I think. To let people who are not fighters get on with not-fighting. Probably she, and others, would say that the fact that nothing changed means we succeeded."

"Brakk-Ni is alive because you were there. I admit, when he holed up in his room, Ryan and Theron had me questioning whether taking him prisoner was really the best solution. If no one had agreed with me I don't know that I could have stood my ground."

"We must content ourselves with small victories. For now."

She takes a deep breath and leans her head against the well.

"Though when I said 'interesting' I meant Kohen Hedra's announcement. Now he can force those questioned to tell the truth. Another of Gonto's 'gifts.'" Nothing she says is particularly out of the ordinary, but the way she says it subtly conveys resentment.

[HorizonsDream]

"What exactly happened?" Ladonna asks. She decides not to remark that Damon has him trained as if he was some sort of dog.

[Daos]

Ladonna, Ryan and Lillian (Village Square)
"I, uh, I tripped," Tavos says.  "Tavos the Clumsy, that is what they call me."  He scratches the back of his neck in embarrassment.  "When I was falling, I reached out to grab something to steady myself.  I wasn't looking at what I was grabbing toward...I...uh, well...it was an accident, really."

Katya Mereida's Daughter (Village Square)
"Truth?  Bah!  What even is truth?  Whose truth?" Finbul asks bitterly.  "I speak truth, and nobody listens.  Maybe I should have the kohen cast that spell on me.  Maybe then people would listen to what I have to say.  But I doubt it.  People would rather bury their heads in the sand then open their eyes to truths that make them uncomfortable."

[HorizonsDream]

"Hmm, well are you okay?" Ladonna asks Tavos. "Aside from probably being embarrassed."

[Nuke]

"Well, it'll be kinda hard to adventure if you can be anywhere's near her." Ryan comments. "But Damon is a bit protective, must be 'cause he needs to be."

[notARobot]

Theron moves nearer to the group of dwarves -- near enough to overhear what's being said, but trying to remain inconspicuous enough that none of them notice him listening in.

[Ezeze]

Katya lowers her voice when she says "you should care more. Hedra is not on your side. I'm willing to put money on who this new ability is going to get used on, and it's not 'law abiding' humans."

[Daos]

Ladonna, Ryan and Lillian (Village Square)
"Oh, yeah, yeah," Tavos says, dusting himself off.  "Damon was just sending a message, if he really wanted to hurt me, he could have.  And he would have been right to do it."

Theronymous P. Wiggledigit (Village Square)

Theron moves close enough to overhear the conversation.

"You can't be serious," Coha objects.  "I've never even met him!"

"You'll meet him on the day of the wedding," her father says.  "And you'll have a lifetime to get to know him after that."

"Don't I have some kind of say in this?" Coha asks.

"The only reason it's been put off this long is because there are no eligible dwarves in Buho," her mother chimes in.  "But Keliath's son is a good man with a respectable business in Hart.  And from him you can learn a real trade, instead of this...music nonsense of yours."

"It's not nonsense, mother, it's what is important to me!"

"We're living in human lands with human values," her father says.  "Our tradition and our culture is what keeps us grounded.  And it's become clear you've forgotten that.  The only thing that should be important to you is the clan, not your own selfish wants."

"There is no clan, father!  We aren't living under the mountain like the old days.  Things that don't change, don't adapt, die out.  That's the way of the world."  She then storms off, toward the statue of Sandon.

"Well...that went well," Keliath says awkwardly.

"Don't worry about her, she'll come around," Coha's father assures him.  "This will all work out for the best in the end, for everybody."

Katya Mereida's Daughter (Village Square)
Finbul looks up at her.  "You mean like in Hart?"  He shakes his head.  "And nobody is on my side, least of all the kohen.  I know that better than anyone.  But I'm no criminal, so I have nothing to worry about."  He blinks, then his eyes light up with understanding.  "Ah, but your betrothed on the other hand...that's what you're worried about, isn't it?"

[Ezeze]

"You have no idea what I worry about" Katya reposts, a little more irritated than Finbul probably expected.

When she speaks again she's sullen. "You were right about him."

[HorizonsDream]

"They overreacted, Tavos," Ladonna points out. "In no way was any of that actually right."

[Daos]

Ladonna, Ryan and Lillian (Village Square)

"I-If you say so," Tavos says, clearly not comfortable with arguing the point.

"Oh, Tavos, there you are!"  Porrima approaches a bit unsteadily, suggesting she has already had a bit too much ale.  "Why are you all dirty?  I swear I can't take my eyes off you for a second."  She licks her thumb and then tries to rub out a smudge of dirt on Tavos' face, to his chagrin.

"M-Moooom, please!" Tavos objects, embarrassed.

Katya Mereida's Daughter (Village Square)
Finbul seems taken back for a bit.  Clearly he is unaccustomed to being told he was right about anything.  "Well...better you found out now, than after you were already married.  Is your mother going to call the whole thing off?" he asks.  "Oh, I guess that's why I haven't seen him around today, either."

[Ezeze]

Katya shrugs.

"Doesn't really matter what my mom does. The church is opposed to our union, and she isn't influential enough to sway them. She's never had an interest in politics. I think that's why she's never been resentful that Ser Walls was appointed reeve and she stays on her ranch. If I don't push for it no one else has the weight to make it happen. I expect it will collapse on its own."

"... what happened in Hart?"

[HorizonsDream]

Ladonna presses her lips together lightly as she smiles so she doesn't outright laugh at the son and mother pair. "If you will excuse me," she says to the two of them before she walks away. She starts looking for Norm Butin, but also keeps her eyes open for any other council members such as Hazel.

[GravityEmblem]

Lillian gives a brief smile, then leaves to seek out Ingot.

[Daos]

Ladonna March (Village Square)

Looking around, Ladonna can see all of the council members about at the festival.

Ethen is chatting with Sennah over by the grange display.  Hazel and her husband, Shanson, are grabbing some drinks at one of the vendor stands.  Mattin is walking the grounds while speaking with Kohen Rorak, Norm is sitting at one of the picnic tables with Kerna Kurtz while her two kids play nearby, Rebekah is sitting at another table with Gerald, and finally Jacob is wandering the grange area on his own.

Katya Mereida's Daughter (Village Square)

"Oh, they're super religious up in Hart," Finbul explains.  "They say the count himself is a paladin of Gonto.  There's a big temple in the castle itself.  So there's powerful priests and paladins running around, all over the place.  They say paladins of Gonto can look into your soul and tell if you are lying or not.  And the priests have spells even more powerful than what Hedra just got.  So they say crime has all but been eliminated.  No burglaries, no murders, nothing.  Of course, that's probably an exaggeration.  But I've never been there myself, so I can't rightly say."

Lillian (Village Square)

Lillian searches through the crowds, and spots Ingot doing the exact same thing.  He has two drinks, one in each hand, and is slowly scanning the crowds as if searching for someone.