Chapter Two: In An Elven Way

Sigurd had just finished finished fastening his breastplate when Ashwyn had asked him outside. He grabbed his gauntlets and followed. Once he was outside he saw her sit on the steps and sighed "Yes?" he asked as he put his gauntlets on, trying to optimize his time.

Ashwyn looked up at him as he approached. She propped her hands behind her so she could turn and see him better.

"Is there something you'd like to say?" She asked, trying her best to keep her face neutral.

Propping himself against the wall of the staircase he pulled the clasp of his bracer tight "If I had something to say, I'd have said it." he said curtly "if the gnome was trying to bolster morale by committing to an impossible quest then he's a fool for his age." he made sure to keep his voice low.

"Can you honestly say that we'd be able to find a woman who doesn't want to be found? After we're doing this quest? I'm sorry but my people are priority... If Zane wants to go on this fools errand when we're finished here then fine, he can. But by the time they even get a lead I'm sure her mother will be dead by then. if she hasn't been killed before then. Lo needs a better home and she'd be better off with us at ThunderKnoll" he growled.

Ashwyn nodded, looking down at her feet for a moment. When he asked the question she shrugged. "No, I can't that she could be found. It's close to impossible. There's several mountain ranges around our area and they span miles. And who's to say she even stayed in the mountains? You're right, it's an impossible task."

She stood up and stood next to him. "I don't believe Zane is a fool. Well...not because of this anyway." She smirked a bit, hoping to lighten the mood. Then she sighed. "I think it was just trying to comfort her. Let her know that she isn't alone. That she doesn't have to go back to that place."

She placed her hand on his forearm. "Do you really want her to come with us to Thunderknoll after this?"

Sigurd paused not realizing what he had said "Ultimately it would be her choice... but I think she'd be happier there." he said simply. Perhaps he was growing too attached to his team... He made a mental note to bite it back a bit he had only known them a few days. "I just want this to be finished so I can focus my energy where it's needed..." he sighed.

Ashwyn smiled at him he really was just a big softy. She moved herself around his arms until she could wrap her arms around him.

"I know you do." She pulled back and looked up at him. "I promise you. We will find a cure for your people. I don't know how. But we will. I will never stop looking with you."

Smiling at everyone's encouraging words, L:opiena watches silently as Ashwyn and Sigurd leave with a puzzled expression on her face. Turning back to Zane, she smiles again and shakes her head. "The only time I ever tried following Mother into the mountains, I slipped on some shale and fell into a ravine with half the hillside falling down on me. Mother was furious...of course, the fact that I broke my leg on the fall certainly didn't help...but no, I don't think trying to find her is a good idea. As badly as I would like to see her again, if she doesn't want to be found she won't be..." she pauses and almost laughs. "We used to play a game of hide and seek where she would literally walk into stone and completely disappear. Even when she told me exactly where she was, I could never find her. So unless she wants to be found, I don't see the purpose. Thanks for the thought, though." Leaning back, she considers. "I honestly don't know why anyone would want to come back to a lifetime of painful memories. The only thing drawing me back home is the fact that Gramma would starve over winter if I'm not there to help with the harvest, or gather acorns, or chop firewood..." she shakes her head. "We disagree on many things, but she's still family and...she's all I have." Looking back at Zane, she smiles again. "But travelling with you and Ashwyn and Sigurd has been such a wonderful experience. I would love to see some of the places you've seen, and keep travelling as long as I can." Looking back at the map, she nods to herself. "But Sigurd is right, we have much to do before that can happen. Hand me that pile of scrolls, would you Zane? Those are the ones that mention 'water resources.' Also...there's a spell in my mother's journal that can actually create water. I'd better start practicing that."

Zane nodded to Lo. "Yes, of course. I'm sure you're right. Well, if you ever want to go traveling I'm always up for it." He smiled.

When she asked for the scrolls he nodded. He reached over to the stack and pulled them over. "These?" He asked as he handed her a stack of scrolls.

Smiling at Zane, Lopiena nods. "I will keep that in mind. I just wish...well, Mother used to leave on short trips to the mountains all the time, for days or even weeks. It wasn't until weeks stretched to months that we realized she wasn’t coming back, and she could have been anywhere by then. If I'd known where to look, I would have done so long ago."

Picking up the first of the scrolls and reading it, Lopiena laughs. "I found the scroll for tentacula...it's a plant that bites. 'Most varieties are venomous' ...figures."

Sigurd kneeled down on the stairs and pressed his forehead against hers "I know you will... we'll get to it" he got to his feet and headed back up the stairs taking her hand and walking back into the room, he had to finish putting his armor on.

Ashwyn followed behind Sigurd, but she knew he was still upset. She hoped that she'd be able to cheer him up. Though she had no idea how at the moment.

When they entered the room it was to find Lo and Zane pouring over scrolls. As Sigurd went back to his armor, she figured she may as well get ready too. She let go of his hand and walked to where her armor was piled. She removed the fancy elven clothing and began pulling her regular clothes back on before putting her studded leather over it.

Zane looked up at them. "Hm? Are we leaving soon?"

Ashwyn looked up at him as she fastened the armor at her side. "Just getting ready. I'd imagine our weapons will be arriving soon."

Sigurd looked over to Ashwyn as she changed, it was a quick innocent gaze at his mate that cheered him up slightly. It would probably be some time before they had the chance to be alone again. His eyes flicked over to Zane and he went back to assembling himself "Given the awkwardness of what happened in that dungeon, I still need to perform a bonding ritual with my sword. That way no matter where it is I can summon it to my hand when I need it."

Ashwyn was already feeling better getting back into her own armor. It was comforting to her.

Zane turned to Sigurd. "Oh? A ritual you say? Intriguing... What sort if ritual is this?"

"a simple bonding ritual some fighters learn" he said as he pulled the las strap of his armor making sure everything was in place. It was the closest to home he was going to feel for a while and he doubted very much that he would be out of it for days to come. "I shouldn't be caught unarmed again"

Choking back laughter...and then actually choking, Lo turns away from the others to hide a private giggle.  Right...he's bonding with his sword!  Somehow her mind had heard something else entirely!  Too much talk of family and all the requirements and duties that comes with it, most likely.  Grabbing another piece of fruit and munching it thoughtfully, she watches Sigurd fiddle with the various straps and catches on his armor.  "So...you can basically call your sword to you from anywhere, any distance, even through solid walls?  That sounds very useful, though I wonder what happens to whatever it's passing through."  Turning to Zane, she adds "I also have a ritual with my staff, mainly to refocus my energy within it.  It certainly can't pass through walls, though...it's more of a mental thing.  And considering the revelations of this morning, I can't help but wonder which rituals are actually useful and which are just for show.  Sigurd's sounds remarkably useful, but mine?  Not so much."

Leaning back with eyes half closed, Lo watches Ashwyn and Sigurd out of her peripheral and ponders traditions and rituals. One thing about suddenly learning that your entire life is a lie is that certain freedoms arise; many of the rituals she'd been forced to endure might actually have no merit. Very probably, in fact.  Which means that instead of having to go through the fertility ceremony, she could potentially find someone to keep, someone to hold...maybe even find love someday.  It's...all very liberating, and more than a little terrifying.  As emotionally distraught as she'd been earlier that morning, she couldn't help but notice the feel of Sigurd's muscles pressed against her in that hug.  It had been easy to ignore at the time as an absolute impossibility, but now?  ...well it's still an absolute impossibility, Sigurd and Ashwyn belong together and there is no way Lo would ever intentionally hurt or anger either one of them.  Other than occasional thunderwaves, of course...flinching out of her reverie, she turns back to a scroll only to get distracted by thoughts of wolves in packs. Sigurd hadn't talked much about the social structure of Thunderknoll, and...no.  Absolute impossibility.  Shaking her head to clear such crazy distractions, Lo scowls at another scroll without really seeing it.

Finally back in her armor and feeling much more like herself Ashwyn settled on the edge of the bed. She picked up a strip of leather and began gathering her hair together. She put a couple of braids on either side of her head and then pulled them together with the leather tie. Pip hopped over to her and curled himself into her lap, causing her to smile. She reached down and scratched behind his ears causing him to purr in happiness.

Zane nodded to Sigurd's explanation. "Hmm...fascinating...I've heard of similar rituals before but never seen one. Is it terribly involved? Can we do anything to help? Or is it something you need to be alone for?"

When Lo mentioned her own ritual for her staff Zane brightened even more. "Oh? Well, that's very interesting as well! I've read about druid rituals before." When she spoke of her ritual not being important Zane shrugged. "Well, I'm sure there is some pomp involved, for tradition sake. But I wouldn't say useless. From what I understand, a druids connection to their focus is quite serious. Until you know otherwise, I'd say go along with tradition for now."

Sigurd nodded to Lopiena "more or less, it'll pass through a different plain of existence and materialize in my hand from anywhere. I could leave it here and in an instant it'll be wherever I need it." He walked to the mirror on the dressing table near his bed and shifted into his Hybrid form, Checking different parts of his armor to make sure they were sitting properly. Satisfied he shifted back and turned to Zane "Not very, it barely takes any concentration once it's started, the weapons just needs to stay with me through the duration which wont be an issue."

He looked at Ashwyn with a warm smile, seeing her with the child of the fox made him equal parts happy and sad, Happy that the Noble Fox's legacy was secured but sad because of the way he reminded Sigurd of his own father. He walked over to the fox and gave it a quick scratch behind the ear before heading back to the table still full of food and helping himself to some of the dried meats.

Sigurd was just sitting down when there was a knock on the door. Ashwyn looked up at the sound and stood. She carried Pip with her till she passed Sigurd. She plopped the pup onto his chair and he immediately nuzzled into Sigurd's chest, sniffing curiously at the meat in his hand.

Ashwyn continued on to the door and opened it. The two elven twins stood on the other side with their arms full of shiny silvered weapons. "Oh! Hello." Ashwyn smiled at them and then stood back to allow them entrance. The twins bowed their hello and then quickly rushed in to place the weapons on the nearest bed.

Ashwyn followed and began looking them over. She found her second dagger and picked it up, looking it over carefully. "Very well done." She said at last. Then she picked up her bow. It had been enhanced with a beautiful silver inlay that twisted along the whole length of the bow. And her arrows were all silver tipped. She smiled as she ran her hand along the inlay. "Beautiful." She muttered. Her falcata shined brightly with silver as well. She took them all and tucked them in their proper spot. It felt good to have the weight of her weapons with her again.  

Zane had jumped up as the weapons were piled on the bed and walked over to them. "Beautiful craftsmanship!" He praised. He turned to the twins and bowed his thanks. "Please thank the alchemist for us. He has done very fine work."

Sigurd had a strip of what tasted like dried deer meat, finely salted hanging from his mouth as Ashwyn dumped the pup into his lap. Breaking a piece off from his mouth he fed it to Pip and then put him on the floor with a gentle pat on the head. When the twins appeared at the door with their weapons he made his way over to inspect his own.

Picking up his sword by the hilt he lofted it in the air and swung it carefully. There was the shimmer of silver blading now where there used to be a dull steel edge. Out of curiosity and rhetorical wisdom he touched his finger to the blade and pulled it back quickly at the loud hiss from his flesh. He figured that would be the result, but always nice to make sure..

Pip happily tore into the meat that Sigurd gave him. When Sigurd got up to leave, he watched him and then jumped up into his seat, stealing another piece of the meat and gnawing on it with soft yipping growls.

As Sigurd's hiss, Ashwyn's head jerked his direction just as he was yanking his hand back. She smirked and walked over to him.

"Well what did you think was going to happen?" She asked with a chuckle. She pushed herself up to her toes and kissed his cheek before walking back over to where Pip had settled himself. She picked him up and sat down before taking him back into her lap. She stroked his back while he ate and smirked at him as he tugged at the dried meat.

Intrigued by a method that would enable an object to traverse a different plane of existence, Lo watches Sigurd with interest. That might be useful to learn, but it sounds like something that requires a great deal of setup at the start. A long setup would allow additional bonding to take place later in a much simpler method, so it would make sense that anything Sigurd needed to do at this point wouldn’t take much.

Looking over at Zane's interest in her focus ritual, she tilts her head slightly, considering. "You're probably right, traditional is the way to go until I learn otherwise. I'm just not sure what is part of the traditional Druid ritual and how much is my own family tradition...we used to perform rituals with all three of us, but after Mother left Gramma altered it fairly easily. So...as long as there is someone to act as the Elder...you could do that if you want, Zane...some natural spring water and moonlight, it should be pretty simple. Though we usually perform the ritual in the nude." Her face is completely serious....not a word of that was a lie...but there's a sparkle in her eyes as she waits for Zane's inevitable reaction.

When the twins arrive with their weapons, Lo jumps up and smiles at the twins. "Thank you so much for everything you have done for us. You have worked very hard, and we have not made your lives easy."  Quickly turning to the weapons, Lo retrieves her staff with almost a sigh of relief. Holding one end to her forehead and leaning on it slightly, she murmers softly. "Missed you, my friend." Looking at the silvering, she gasps in awe. The alchemist, recognizing the Druidic staff, had not silvered the entire length of wood; instead, one end is capped with a sleeve of silver, ending in a point for additional strength as a weapon. From the silver sleeve extend silver wires forming loops around the staff, following some of the preexisting runic etchings. Silver leaves occasionally accent the wire, and an alchemal process has bound the silver into the wood so it almost looks as though the tree had grown in a spring of silver. The wire only goes about halfway down the staff, leaving one half still pure solid oak. "This...this is beautiful."

Zane perked up when Lo said he could help with her ritual. "I would be honored to assist. I'm sure I could handle being your Elder." He started ticking off the things she listed, Natural spring water...moonlight...When she mentioned nude his eyes widened a bit.

"Oh...uhm....right..." He blushed a bit. "Well.... I'd imagine that... isn't strictly necessary.."

Ashwyn smirked a bit at Zane's embarrassment. "Oh I don't know Zane. You better stick with tradition until you know for sure." She said, repeating the advice he'd given Lo just a moment ago and trying to keep from laughing out loud.

"Oh well...yes... but...I..." His face turned bright red.

Rubbing her thumb against one of the leaf-shaped bits of silver embedded in her staff...the cold feeling of the metal will take some getting used to...Lopiena manages to keep a straight face even with Zane's spluttering. "Absolutely. The primary purpose for the ceremony is to create a bond with mind and focus, and that is accomplished by the natural spring water, the natural moonlight, and natural bodies. Any covering would only detract from the ceremony. But don't worry, it's usually done during the full moon so you'll have time to get used to the idea. Plus, if Ashwyn and Sigurd also want to be a part of the ceremony, you know that Sigurd at least will be covered in fur." Turning away from Zane in an attempt to hide her rapidly widening grin, Lo looks at Sigurd and Ashwyn. "If that's ok with you, I mean. I'm not assuming you'd be interested, but it's always better with more participants."

Sigurd gave Ashwyn a look and then smiled "Just seeing if it was still dangerous." He walked over to his bed and laid the sword across his legs before biting the tip of his thumb. He had to work quickly before he healed again. Down the broad side of the blade he scrawled a line of runic symbols in his blood. When the final rune was set they started to glow a light blue. Sigurd took the sword by the hilt and rested it against the wall. "There, in an hour it'll be done"

He walked past the food table and grabbed a handful of grapes, slowly popping on into his mouth at a time. Sitting back with Zane and Lopiena during their conversation of rituals. When Lo had mentioned doing rituals in the nude Sigurd laughed "There are a few rituals we do in the nude as well, but you're probably too young to understand" he said with a deep chested laugh, slapping Zane on the back.

Sigurd smiled when Lo mentioned including himself and Ashwyn in her ritual "Of course, I'd have no problem being there and I'm sure Ashwyn would love to be involved as well, wouldn't you?" he said craning his neck back to his mate.

Ashwyn smiled over to SIgurd as he twisted around to look at her. "Of course." She looked over to Lo. "Anything we can do to help. I believe the full moon is in three days. So if what the ArchDruid said is right, then we shoiuld still be in the forest at that point. it sounds very interesting." SHe nodded.

Zane had turned away from them all and was looking down at the table. "Oh well...yes...yes of course..." He hadn't even noticed SIgurd starting his ritual in his own embarasment.