Chapter 2: Out of the Frying Pan

Ember pauses, trying to do.....something with her favorite cantrip, but, having no success, she moves on.

It would be nice. So, are we camping here? It's only midday, but I do agree that we need to plan more before going to the Citadel. And we moved everything here. And we heard something shatter. And it's been a while since we've seen Yelnar and Elora.

"Can we even afford to wait?" Viani sits down on the cart, legs dangling off the side. "If we want to find out more about Yelnar's mom, we have to get close to the Crows but this Eldemor said unless we join them this morning at the citadel, they'll attack us if we're not gone. If we want to talk peacefully with the Crows, we probably have to go as soon as possible, before they decide we rejected their offer."

Ember shakes her head.

You're right, but I've got a bad feeling they're looking for a fight anyway. Think about it. If they really do work for Disos, they'd surely recognize at least one of us is a caster. So they'd probably like to take us down either way.

Or they're total idiots.

"I'm not a caster. At least not a real one. And neither is Verrian, or Yelnar. We could talk to them and say we're on their side.", Viani suggests. "Why would they offer to let us join them if they didn't mean it?"

Ember sighs sadly. Because people lie, Viani. There's a thing some folk do where they say kind supporting things and give you "options," so when they act on what they really wanted to do all along, they can claim the high ground.She shakes her head and counts her crossbow bolts as she walks away from the cart.

I'm gonna go hunt. I won't go far.

"I know what lying is, Ember. I'm not a child. I'm just wondering what they would have to gain from lying to us about this!" Viani jumps down from the cart. "Do you mind if I join you? We wanted to go together, didn't we?"

And I simply told you what they have to gain. And sure. Power in numbers and all that, I guess.

She strolls off across the keep's gate to see what may lie behind it. She doesn't wait for Viani, but she doesn't rush, either.

Viani picks up the crossbow she was examining earlier as well as a quiver with bolts, then she hurries after Ember. She follows her and looks around for any traces of wild animals they could hunt but she doesn't speak. She has picked up on the fact that Ember seems to be annoyed at her for something again, just after she thought they had resolved their issues for the moment. Maybe Viani shouldn't have asked to come but she had thought it would be a fun activity for them as friends, not an awkward chore done in silence.

Ember lets out a weary yell.

Find anything yet, Viani?

Ember used the crossbow a couple times, but tried to stay far enough away from Viani to use her frost more often. She does avoid killing any bunnies, gathering a healthy number of squirrels. A shot of ice to knock them out of the tree, a smack with the mace. There's something rhythmic and cathartic about it. She tries not to think too hard about the violence. The physical exertion and the small bursts of magic help her calm down. When she returns, she smiles.

Thanks for the help.

"I will go check on them then. You never know what they might encounter out here. Please, only hunt for survival and not for sport."

Krav, seemingly more dubious about the sound of shattering glass than the others, begins to make his way to the out-building where Elora and Yelnar have gone. He does not hurry however, but strolls somewhat casually, inspecting the grounds as he goes.

Verrian watches the girls get into, inexplicably, yet another argument, then flounce off together to go hunting. She knows that she should have said something, but she's still feeling detached, and she's tired of playing referee for those two anyway.

Krav, apparently concerned about Yelnar and Elora, heads toward the storage building they saw them enter a short time ago.

She has a very unsettled feeling about the whole situation. So much doesn't make sense unless you take note of how astonishing a coincidence it is that Yelnar's family estate apparently stood for three years before being raided - and his mother kidnapped - just two or three weeks before Yelnar was released from Meriava to investigate.

Verrian turns to Froak, who has been strangely pensive since the discovery of all the bodies. "Froak, you spent time in the town where the Crows and Jug-Lovers live. You probably know things about the layout that we could use. You know the big castle structure in town? That's what they call the Citadel. What can you tell me about that, and the area around it?"

Yelnar is still pondering what to do about the ice on the door beyond bashing it with his weapon when Keaveney walks in.

"Hi Krav, we have a bit of a maybe living Ice problem, any ideas?"

Ephwrath, who was also drawn by the strange sound of breaking glass, arrives a few moments after Krav. He looks to Yelnar with an excited look on his face, "Did you say ‘living ice’?"

Viani doesn't avoid shooting rabbits like Ember does. She notices the girl sneaking off occasionally to hunt with magic but, unwilling to start another argument, she doesnt say anything, although she thinks it's an unnecessary risk. What if someone sees her?
She returns together with Ember. "No need to thank me. It was fun doing something together with you." That last part is a lie. Viani had wanted it to be fun but with the tension between them, it wasn't really.
She puts the meat down on the ground by the cart and returns the weapons and ammo she borrowed back on it.

Yelnar looks at Ephwrath and Krav, shrugs, points at the ice covered door and says "The pulses on the floor joined up, made a pillar and moved towards me, so I smashed it with my Bardiche, then it fled over there like it was alive. I’d like to get through but don’t want to just kill it if it’s alive.