FC0 - CH 3: Trollbane

[HorizonsDream]

"I would offer to take you back to my home, but apparently I don't have one anymore," Tavi says with a frown. "I was kind of hoping to wash up a little bit. I don't know how long I've been in those caves, and I'm starting to kind of smell like goblin. That is just...disgusting."

[JadedDM]

"I can take you to that ranch I saw...but yeah, I don't think you'd want to see it," he says. "Plus, not much left there anyway." He scratches the back of his neck. "I've been camping out at the Red Talon camp. Or what's left of it. I did see a little pond not far from here you could wash up in, I guess. I haven't had a bath in days, myself," he adds. That was very evident. Handsome, though he might be, he smelled just as bad as any goblin did.

[HorizonsDream]

"Then I suggest we go there. I could use a little relaxation after all that I've been through. Plus, I now need to figure out what my sisters and I are going to do once I get them away from the goblins," Tavi says. She obviously had quite a bit on her mind. She wasn't quite use to making all of these decisions either, but she kept telling herself over and over again that this was something she had to do.

[JadedDM]

Barlemus conceals the net trap, then leads the way. They walk through the wilderness for a couple of hours before finally reaching the pond Barlemus spoke of. After the horrors Tavi has seen the past couple of days, this lake seems downright idyllic and serene. The kind of place an artist might paint in a picture.



======================

It is now 1 PM.

[HorizonsDream]

"This is perfect!" Tavi says as she runs up to the pond, swats down, and splashes some water on her face. Glancing over her shoulder, she smiles slightly. "I don't suppose you have any food, do you?" she asks curiously. "After we clean up, I figure we can eat something, even if that means like wild berries or something, and then probably head back to check on the trap," she suggests. Plus, if he was away preparing something to eat, that meant she could bathe in private without being completely and totally embarrassed. Even the thought made her blush.

[JadedDM]

"Nothing fancy," Barlemus admits, digging into his pack. "Just rations, really." He shrugs and grins. "Hardtack and water, the meal of adventurers," he says.

Unlike the goblins, Barlemus does not leer at her. In fact, it's almost like he barely is aware she's a woman at all. He stares at her blankly a moment, before something finally dawns on him. "Oh! Ut, I'll just...uh...go...polish my sword--err, shield! My shield. I'll go...do that. Now." Scratching the back of his neck, he turns away and walks off, giving her privacy.

[HorizonsDream]

Tavi rolls her eyes and laughs as he runs off. "He's a little different. Hard to believe that he is the guy that these goblins fear so much," she says to herself.

After stripping down, she washes out her clothing and then she jumps into the pond. She spends a good thirty minutes in there just relaxing, trying to get the smell of dead goblin off of her, and waiting for the sun to dry out her clothing.

The thought occurred to her that while she had always wanted to be some kind of hero, she never knew what that entailed. Now she was starting to get an idea. It was kind of a hard life, but in many ways it was also exciting. There was kind of this rush she felt when she got into a fight with something. She didn't much like the idea of almost dying, but that was a risk that needed to be taken if one was going to be a great hero one day.

Barlemus was kind of an interesting sort of guy too. She couldn't help but wonder how long he had been out in the wilderness, and why she was just meeting him now. After all, their ranch was sort of the middle of the goblin lands since that was why they tried to raid it all the time. All and all, right now he was her hero for agreeing to help her. She would have to pay him back for his kindness one day.

Tavi returns to where she saw Barlemus run off too, now freshly clean and with semi-clean and dry clothing. "Well, I feel a little better now at least," she says cheerfully. "I kind of miss having a brush," she adds with a chuckle as she tries to brush out her hair with her fingers.

[JadedDM]

Tavi returns to find Barlemus sitting on an old, rotted log while munching on some hardtack. When she approaches, he stands up and stretches. "Oh, so that's what you look like under all of that grime and dried blood," he says with a boyish grin.

The warrior looks down at himself and smiles self-consciously at his own appearance. He now appears quite filthy in comparison to her. "I guess I should go next," he says reluctantly. "Holler if you see anything." With that, he heads toward the pond, leaving her on her own.

[HorizonsDream]

"Funny," Tavi says as she takes over his spot. Not knowing what else to do, she takes some of his rations as she is pretty hungry and just kind of waits around. She takes the time to clean off her weapons and shield too while she is at it. It wouldn't do to have a dull blade when she was about to take on a clan of goblins. "I hope that the shaman keeps his word," she says absently to herself. She didn't want to show back up to find one of her sisters dead.

[JadedDM]

Tavi spends some time eating and drinking. It may just be hardtack and water, but she hasn't actually eaten in days and so she consumes it greedily. Her body clean and her stomach now full, she feels much better as she attempts to comb out her hair with her fingers.

It's not long after that she gets a strange feeling, like she is being watched. Glancing around, she spots movement by a tree. Staring carefully, she sees nothing else and almost wonders if she just imagined it. But then she sees it again. There is definitely someone or something hiding behind one of the trees, watching her.

[HorizonsDream]

Tavi's hand reaches for her sword as she slowly stands up. "Okay, I know something is out there," she says. "So show yourself."

[JadedDM]

Slowly but shyly, a beautiful young woman steps out from behind the tree but she does not approach any closer. But she is not like any woman Tavi has ever seen before. At first glance, she resembles the enchanting elves that she heard stories about from her father. But moss is growing on her skin, her hair resembles the green leaves of a summer oak, and her skin is as brown as tree bark.

"Please," she says in elvish. "I mean you no harm."

[HorizonsDream]

Tavi stares for a few moments. She had never seen anything like this before, and she really wasn't sure what to think. "Uh," she starts, unsure what to say. "Okay, then what are you doing watching me?" she asks curiously in elvish.

[JadedDM]

The woman flinches at Tavi's tone, which sounds especially harsh when compared to the melodious tone the woman is using. "Pl-Please," she says. "I need your help. Yours...and your companion's." She gestures behind Tavi.

A shirtless Barlemus is now walking up, having taken a rather quick bath, and is distracted due to his attempts to knock water out of his ears. His armor and shirt are tucked under his free arm. He halts in mid-step suddenly upon seeing the woman. "Ut," he says simply.

[HorizonsDream]

Tavi glances over her shoulder to Barlemus and blushes lightly before turning back to the woman. "Our help?" she asks in elvish. "With what?"