Katie watches Trista with concerned eyes as the woman approaches.  She relaxes though when she sees the first aid equipment.  "No worms.  Good, I don't like the worms.  Mam says they drink blood."

She gazes curiously at the dressing Trista places on one of the smaller cuts, but looks up sharply as Trist asks about the bogeyman.  "I seed him.  Like a man, 'cept not really.  And he was covered in knives.  Lots of knives, all walking round on his skin.  He was scary."

"I runned away, and I looked to see if he was after me.  Then I falled, cause I didn't look at where I runned.  He looked at me from up there, but I stayed still, and he never seed me I think.  His eyes looked like they was on fire, but he never seed me."

She pauses then, as a new thought comes to her, "Or maybes he thinked as I was dead."  And another idea, adding a note of panic to her voice, "If he knows I ain't, he'll look for me!"

Lexy moves closer, laying a hand on the girl's head, "I'm sure he's gone.  Maybe he was scared that he would fall down too, so he gave up."

Worms?

Leeches, most likely. The idea tickles, but Trista keeps a serious face, taking the girl's dislike seriously.

The description of the bladed man proves more disconcerting. A man, not a wheel. Trista listens with a neutral face, nodding at appropriate intervals, finishing up her work as the girl talks. After Lexy seeks to reassure the girl, Trista gives Katie a proud smile and a wink, “Personally, I think you out-smarted the bogeyman.”

“Now, will you let me see your arm?” If the girls allows, Trista gently examines the small arm, looking for breaks or other problems she might be able to splint.

As she does so, she quietly continues, “After we get you back home, I'll do my best to make sure the knife man doesn't come back, okay?” After all, Trista is the Childward as Berd put it.
This message was last edited by the player at 12:09, Sun 08 June 2008.

With a gasp at the sudden movement, Katie holds her arm out for Trista to examine, but her gaze turns to Lexy, which is, perhaps unsurprising.  It's not every day that you get to meet a lady that you generally only see as a statuette, nor one with a halo of live fish circling her head.

The arm is very badly bruised, and the child winces several times, as Trista examines the limb.

The break, which is readily apparent, is at least a fairly clean one, about half way along the ulna, with especially severe bruising to indicate the location.  To Trista's eye, it looks as though Katie probably struck something with her arm on the way down the cliff, and the impact was hard enough to fracture the delicate bone of the child's forearm.

There are a few pieces of driftwood at the water's edge.  Branches mostly, any of which would work as a splint.

Lexy's expression grows distant for a moment, "He is riding along the bank of a stream which flows into the lake.  I believe I can reach him."


Miles away now, Chance rides in the cart with the surprisingly friendly Eben.  Suddenly, the black-clad man finds his attention drawn to the brook that they are currently travelling beside...

Chance lounges as much as he can in the wagon with Eben, arm slung over the back of the stiff wooden bench that creaks with bump and bounce of the sturdy wagon. He smiled. For once, he didn’t have to be all the entertainment. He enjoyed listening to stories as much as telling them, and it was also a bonus to add a few more pages to his mental notebook.

It took a few moments to realize what had happened. Eben was distracted by the babbling brook, and Chance soon realized the brook really was babbling--speaking to him.

“Stop,” he barks and bounds off the bench.

Guitar clutched to his chest he trots over to the water and looks down. Was Trista in trouble?

Relief soothes his features moments later, and he nods in understanding.

“Maybe,” he says. “From the tales Luke told me, I remember a few shapeshifters encountered along the way. The blade and fire ones, I know they change sizes and have extreme control over their bodies.”

He shudders at the memory of letters carved into a desk, sawdust flying, and he trying to remain calm. Those blades could slice the flesh from a man and leave the bones standing without a knick.

“But I don’t think they could appear entirely as a man, the way the shapeshifters could. At a distance, through a child’s eyes, one of the wheels could perhaps get close enough to a human form to pass under those circumstances. Why? What have you encountered?”

He glances over his shoulder to see if Eben has run off in fear yet.

Behind Chance, Eben stretches and halls a satchel out from under the seat.  From this he takes a green glass bottle, holding some clear liquid, and a sandwich that could choke a fair-sized dragon.  The teamster takes his lunch, while waiting for his passenger to come back.


Back at the lakeside, Trista continues to tend the child's wounds...

Utilizing a cloth from her pack and the driftwood from the beach, Trista gently splints Katie's arm. She gives the girl a few tidbits of advice and warning on how to care for her injured arm, but otherwise, her attention wavers.

Chance turns and offers a smile to the wagon drive and then returns his concentration to the water.

Katie nods amiably as Trista explains the things that she should, and should not, do with her injured arm.  Her eyes are still fixed on Lexy though.  Suddenly she laughs, and says, "Thirteen!"

"Yes, there are.  Do you know what else there are thirteen of?" Lexy replies quietly.  The child grows thoughtful, screwing up her face in concentration.  Lexy's own face becomes sorrowful, as does the voice echoing in the minds of Chance and Trista.


"Thirteen friends for the Lady!" Katie exclaims, triumphantly, bringing a smile from Lexy.  "That's right, Katie, thirteen fish to remind everybody of my thirteen Companions.  Your mother will be pleased that you remembered that."

As her fingers finish their job, Trista follows Katie's laughing gaze to Lexy. Perplexed, the woman takes a moment before counting the fish herself. Thirteen. She gives the girl a wink and a grin and proceeds to stuff back into her pack as the girl considers the puzzle put to her.


An eyebrow pops up, “Thirteen friends?” She glances at Lexy as she stands then turns back to Katie, “Why don't you tell me about them while I walk you home. Do you think you can lead me back to your house?”

Katie starts to get to her feet, struggling a little, but refusing to ask for assistance.  "We can go that way to climb up."  She points along the shore with her good arm.  "Some rocks and dirt falled down there and maked a... a... "  Her face screws up in concentration, and her eyes close tight, as she tries to think of the word, and then, "A ram!"

"We can walk up there, and then go over the South Three, to the house.  But you'll need to keep up."  She starts to walk slowly along the shingle, in the indicated direction.

"The Lady had thirteen friends, except they was called something else.  That word she said, the big one that starts with a C... "

"Companions." Lexy interrupts, and starts to follow the child. 

"Yes, copanimans.  There was John, with his swords in his hands.  And the Beast, that is a kind of magical cat.  And the hunter with the wolf, but I can never 'member her name.  And Ares, and Jack, and the singing lady, Sky-Anne, and she could make magic pictures... "

Chance spends a few more minutes facing the water, nodding here and there. Finally, he turns and heads back to the wagons with a friendly smile. "Sorry about that; I thought I heard a voice in the water there."

There's a touch of confusion in Trista, but she shakes it off as she takes after Katie and Lexy, drawing up alongside the little girl. She listens amiably as she discusses the various companions and realizes she must be talking of those who have gone before when Lexy traveled with Berd.

Magical cat? I need to remember that one. No doubt, Berd would be amused. Or insulted, which could also be amusing. After all, the description comes from a child.

The woman keeps alert, her ears on both Katie as well as their surroundings. Her eyes scrutinize everything on their way, looking for signs of the creature's passage. If not the creature itself.

Lexy stops in her tracks, just for a moment, and then hurries to catch up again.

She seems to avoid the child, walking instead on the opposite side of Trista, though that might be because it allows her to walk at the water's edge.  Still, she studies the child as she walks, with eyes which seem less friendly than previously.


Katie continues talking as she walks, stories of battles against monsters, of deaths and terrible injuries, of kindness and sorrow, of a ship as big as the moon, and women with snakes in their hair.


Finally they reach a point where part of the cliff has tumbled, producing a ramp to the area above, which is barely higher than Trista's head by this point.


Eben chuckles at his passenger.  "Well now, I's heard o' them as have started to hearin' voices where there's none to be heard, on account o' loneliness, but I always reckoned as how it'd take longer'n an hour or two to break a man's mind."

"Hop up, lad, an we can be on our way."

True to his word, the wagon starts moving almost before chance has had a chance to sit down again.  The road continues, gradually climbing away from the stream, though never quite getting out of earshot of it.

After a little while, Eben gives Chance a curious look, "You don't live in these parts, do you?  What makes you want to help with the road?"

Though she schools her face to nothing but keen interest in the child's stories, Trista's eyes darken slightly as she scrutinizes the child on one side of her and keeps aware of Lexy's every motion on the other side of her.


The little group come to the fortuitous ramp and Trista halts, a hand coming out to gently stop Katie's movements. The woman lowers herself to be at eye level with the girl, a reassuring smile on her face. “Katie, before we go up, how about we play a little game?  It's a guessing game. You think of something, anything at all, and I will try to guess what it is. Then you can try and after we'll go up the cliff. It'll be fun!”

And with that Trista's mind gently, so carefully, so quietly, seeks to touch Katie's mind.

Chance smiles softly at the question, but his eyes remain distant, as if looking through the trees and hills to some distant horizon. After a few moments, he says, "That's an interesting question. What makes any man want to help? I mean, don't we naturally have great interest in our own prosperity? You and I both know I'll gain nothing from helping but a sore back. Yet, I've gave my word and I intend to keep it. Well, in this case, the offer is not so noble. The godspeaker showed Trista and I considerable hospitality today, put us in touch with someone that can help us in our quest, so I asked if there was a way to return the favor. It's those that help without a stake in the helping that are really crazy."

He smiles, knowing there is more to it than that, but waiting to hear the man's answer before adding to it.

"What about those who hear voices when they're near water, especially if it connects with the lake? You reckon they're crazy too?"

Katie looks back, straight into Trista's eyes, and smiles proudly.  "I'm good at guessings!"  She closes her eyes, then, and he brow furrows in concentration.  "Ready!"



"Oh, aye.  Daft as they come." Eben replies, chuckling.  Then his expression grows more thoughtful, "It'd be a special kind of daftness, mind you.  Folk in these parts have a lot of faith in their Lady.  I respects that, even if I's never seen her, or spoke to her myself."

The wagon moves on, slowly but surely, climbing up and away from the stream.

"There's few in these days'd stay true to such a promise, made to strangers as it was."

"I's not from here neither, but they've all been good to me.  Right from the start, they acted like I's always lived here.  Good folk, all."  Smiling, he looks in Chance's direction, and then past him, as his eyes widen and the smile becomes a frown.  "What the bloody hell's that?"

Further up the slope, to one side of the road, is a large boulder, perhaps ten feet tall, jutting up from the earth.  Near the top is a hole, a little less than three feet in diameter, and perfectly circular, bored straight through the stone.

"That hole weren't there yest'day."

It doesn’t take long; in fact, the little girl’s mind unabashedly opens to Trista. Guilt envelopes Trista for the non-invasive intrusion and she quickly withdraws. Although she can’t stop a smile from edging her lips up. The image she found in Katie’s mind was pure childhood innocence. But perhaps it would be best if Trista didn’t guess correctly.

The woman faux concentrates just as Katie does, then opens her eyes and cocks her head to one side. “Hmmm, could you be thinking of a pig?”

Once Katie confirms she’s wrong, and they both laugh over it, Trista allows the girl to guess. And perhaps… give her a little edge. “It’s your turn; what am I thinking of?” A small smile remains as she hopes Katie can guess correctly…

Katie laughs, "No, not a pig.  A sheep!"

Then she focuses her eyes on Trista's, and says, "You are thinking about a...  No, no... you are thinking about a cow that jumps."  Nearby, Lexy laughs and continues up the ramp.  As she reaches the top though, the look of amusement fades from her features.  She turns to face back down the incline, "Katie.  I had a magic red pebble once, and I think I lost it just down there, near the water.  Can you see if you can find it.  You are very clever, I'm sure that you can find it for me."



Eben steps down from the wagon and walks a little way off the road, carefully watching where he puts his feet.  A little way off, the pierced stone stands, mute witness to some mystery.

“Impressive,” Trista gives the girl an appreciative nod and a wink, “Exactly what I was picturing.” Infectious good humor eases the woman’s soul, yet not for long.

She tightens again at Lexy’s faded smile, pauses, and imperceptively nods.


Keeping an eye on Katie as the girl goes to fetch the pebble, Trista makes her way up the ramp to draw slightly ahead of the watery woman, her hand automatically going to the hilt of the knife strapped to her thigh.

Katie starts searching at the water's edge and starts searching for a pebble which matches Lexy's description.  She doesn't seem to be having much luck, as the pebbles down there are fairly uniform pieces of grey, black, or light brown stone...

As Trista reaches the top of the ramp, Lexy says nothing, but nods towards something sitting on the ground, a short distance away.  Even seated, it is clear that the creature would stand taller than a man, and the breadth of its shoulders  is impressive.

Its skin appears to be composed of bands and plates of steel, most of which have jagged blades and spines projecting from them.  The blades themselves are not fixed, and seem to slide across the skin, creating complex patterns of currents and eddies.

The thing's eyes are dead black orbs, as it glances at the two women, and then returns its attention to a spot on the ground.  It reaches out a metal sheathed hand, and one of the blades slides to the tip of a finger, where it stops.  The finger, tipped by the blade, touches the grass.  Then the creature raises it close to what could probably, since it is the location of the eyes, be referred to as its face.  It seems to peer intently at the fingertip for a moment, and then it speaks, in a voice like the sound of knives being sharpened.

+ WE ARE CALLED TRGIAOB.  FEAR NOT, FOR WE WILL NOT HARM YOU.  YOU MAY BE ABLE TO SATISFY OUR CURIOSITY.  TELL US, IF YOU CAN, WHAT IS THIS CREATURE? +

The finger which it had been studying so closely is held out towards the two

Trista prepares herself for anything. And yet, somehow the roughly humanistic bladed creature catches her completely by surprise, stopping the woman’s breath. Shoulders. Finger. Sitting. Eyes. Human-shaped. A frown mars the woman’s forehead and her hand grips the machete more tightly as she pulls it from its leather casing.

When her breath comes back, she takes a protective step forward. The creature sees them, but pays them no mind as it studies something on the ground. A ruse? Yet, she remembers what the others have said concerning ‘good’ wheels. Then she remembers Katie’s description of the human-shaped creature she saw. And here it is in the flesh. Or metal, as it were.

Completely confused, Trista merely stands there, eyes riveted to the blades in constant motion. It seems almost child-like in its curiosity. Don’t be fooled.

The grating sound if its voice comes and Trista lifts an eyebrow toward Lexy.


The woman lowers the blade so as to not appear threatening and purposefully walks forward until she can see what might lie on the thing’s ‘finger.’ As she does so, she takes the polite path, “I am Trista. You appear a long way from home.” If the creature allows her to draw close enough, she stops when she is able to see what resides on the blade.

+ YES.  FAR FROM HOME. +

The creature's voice seems to change, less like the honing of blades... more like the polishing of them, + IT HAS BEEN LONG SINCE WE WERE HOME.  WE CAN BARELY RECALL IT. +

The harsh clashing tones return, + YOU ARE NOT LIKE THIS THING.  IT IS HOME, BUT YOU ARE NOT.  IT APPEARS THAT WE HAVE A CIRCUMSTANCE IN COMMON. +

Interesting. An eyebrow arches as the Archon seems to grow nostalgic over its home. Not a trait Trista would have equated with the creatures. She had only ever been in contact with one of them, aiding James in a fight against a large wheel of fire. The bladed wheels had been in the sky, but one which resembled a human in shape… and emotions?

Interesting, indeed.

The woman draws near until she makes out the little red body and 8 thin legs. She stops, there. Her chin juts out toward the little creature, “That’s a spider. Most are harmless to creatures our – size.” It sounds vaguely silly to equate Trista’s smaller frame to that of the metallic Trgiaob. “They make silk,” just an added thought.

Shifting her gaze up to the black orbs representing eyes, she cautiously asks, “Why do you think this is not my home?”

Simply put, Trista’s at a loss.

+ SPIDER.  INTERESTING, THAT A THING SO SMALL CAN BE SO COMPLEX. +

The Archon extends its hand, and carefully returns the tiny arachnid to the grass.  + WE CAN TELL THAT YOU DO NOT BELONG HERE, EITHER OF YOU.  THERE IS A MUSIC TO EVERY WORLD, AND EVERY THING VIBRATES IN HARMONY WITH IT.  IN YOUR CASE, THERE IS A DISCORDANCE.  NOT AS GREAT AS OUR OWN, AND NOT AS SUBTLE AS IN THAT ONE, + it indicates Lexy, + OR IN THE SMALL HUMAN, BY THE WATER.  YOU ARE NOT IN HARMONY WITH THE WORLD AROUND YOU. +

+ THE SPIDER IS IN HARMONY WITH THIS WORLD.  WE SUSPECT THAT THERE MAY BE A MINGLING OF WORLDS HERE.  PERHAPS THE WORK OF THE SERAPHIM. +

+ DO YOU SERVE THE SERAPHIM? +

Chance had really hoped to ignore the hole in the boulder. Not out of some silly, they're-more-afraid-of-me-than-I-am-of-them thinking, but so he could come back later, alone, and investigate. That wasn't possible now.

He sighed. Where was Trista when he needed her? He felt downright vulnerable without some kind of assuring presence at his side.

"Yep," Chance says, "that's a problem, alright. Sorry Mr. Eben, but things are likely to get a little weird now. If anything scary happens, get as far from here as you can. In fact, get yourself to the lake, or water that connects to the lake. I know this'll sound weird, but tell the lake what happened, alright?"

He hops out of the wagon. As he does, his clothing shifts to chain and leather armor. The guitar melts into a hefty blade.

"It ain't superstition," he adds.

Moving at a slow pace, he checks his surroundings as he approaches he boulder and seeks a way to look down into the hole.