(no subject)

[tortallan_npc]

There are many wounded after the first assault. Abigail may not have had much success with Raph's katana sword and she may not be a healer by trade, but she can fetch water, clean wounds and bandage with the best of them.

When the dragon shakes the walls and rattles their friends on the observation deck, she's helping the healers with Sarge. They send Farant, a trainee, to ask Numair what's happened; their spells aren't working again. The large man is one of the worst hit, and would count as one of their worst losses should he die.

Soon thereafter they bring someone into the baron's study and gently place her on a cot. It's the strange girl, the one who has speech with animals -- Daine. She's unconscious. Exhausted. Wiping her forehead, Abigail grimly thinks that she's not alone.

Time passes. Abigail catches a brief cat nap in a chair. She bandages a head wound, treks to the kitchen for bread and fresh milk. As she passes the study on her way back to the main sickroom, she hears Onua talking to Daine. Feeling no shame, Abigail listens.

"The Swoop's animals are in the same trap we are," the woman says. "Men broke into their homes, killed their families, threatened you -- and you won't let them do anything for fear you'll be hurt. That's selfish. How would you like it if I took your bow and said I cared too much about you to let you fight?"

"I see your point," Daine admits.

Outside the door, Abigail frowns.

"You've made your friends helpless, just like the bandits made you helpless when they killed your family. Of course the animals fight you. We have no choice in being hunted -- not animals, not humans. That's how the world is. The choice we do have is to take it -- or fight. Why don't you show them how not to get killed, and let them decide?" Onua pauses. "I'll be honest with you. We need all the help we can get."

Abigail starts. She moves away from the study and down the hall, considering what she's just heard, and walks right past her original destination and up the stairs. The bread and milk are forgotten.

It's been some time since she saw Raph and suddenly that's not at all acceptable.

Comments

[mnt_raph]

Raph's line is taking its mandatory time off from the battlements, and so he's seated amongst other archers preparing both themselves and their quivers to return to the fray.

[tortallan_npc]

There's not much of a fray now that darkness is settling about the castle. The moon doesn't shine as brightly as it had on the eve of the battle, and clouds -- nice natural, non-magical clouds this time -- dot the sky. It seems both sides have opted for a break in the wake of the dragon, though the Tortallans remain very much on guard.

Picking her way over discarded weapons, resting warriors and a puddle of something suspiciously like blood, Abigail scans the wall for Raph. Spotting him not far from the observation deck (the first place she looked), Abigail exhales heavily, puts the milk in the hand of a nearby guard and approaches.

"Thank you?" says the guard, blinking. Water is what they truly need.

Abigail continues on and stops in front of Raph, staring down at him.

[mnt_raph]

With so many people milling and standing about it takes Raph a whole good count of ten before he realizes there's something looming above him. He looks up tentatively, before doing a double take at seeing Abigail there.

"What's the matter? Has somethin' happened? Are you okay?"

[tortallan_npc]

Abigail says nothing for a long moment, just stands there and stares. Then:

"I'm not mad anymore."

[mnt_raph]

Raph blinks up at her in confusion. Not only does it take longer than this for his mind to downshift from PANIC to problem solving, but for a time he doesn't have the slightest idea what she's talking about.

"What?"

[tortallan_npc]

Catch up, Raph.

Abigail does an eyeroll and scolds, slightly embarrassed, "It's a marvel your arrows ever find their mark, the way your attention wanders."

A glance around shows her that, with the exception of the guards on watch and several trainees, no one else is standing. She drops down, tucking her skirts around her, and focuses again on the man she came to see.

"I'm not angry anymore. Thought you should know."

In case the enemy deems his bald head a fine target.

[mnt_raph]

Hey now! That's a lot of OUT OF CONTEXT THEATRE she just dropped on him! Cut a guy some slack!

"You're not."

Without breaking eye contract he picks up his arrows and moves them off of his lap.

"I'm forgiven?"

[tortallan_npc]

Lifting her chin, she nods once. Not that she's been acting particularly mad as of late, as there hasn't been time, but they haven't exactly kissed and made up, either.

There's no sense in depriving herself of that, is there?

"Aye, seems so." Abigail looks at his hands when he moves the arrows, notes the rough skin and the inherent strength; she likes his hands. "You trusted me with your sword. Not everyone would."

To be honest, her thought process is a bit disordered to even her own mind, and is all caught up in Onua's words.

"Each of you tried to say, tried t'tell me how it was. T'was only my pride making it difficult. Pride and what I know of the world." She looks around. "But we're all in this one and the same, noble and commoner."

A breath escapes, like she's suddenly winded, but it's a sound of acceptance. She loves Raph, a condition that comes with many peculiarities, his friends and family included.

[mnt_raph]

And to think, she hasn't even met Mike yet!

"Thank you. That's real nice to hear, an' not just 'cause I know how hard it was for you to say it."

The last bit might have been delivered with a bit of a smirk than was entirely necessary. There's been a day of fighting and that always tends to put Raph in a good mood. Now if only he could get someone to approve his going out on a couple of raids under the cloak of darkness...

"You know that goin' forward I'm gonna be more mindful of the whole...you know, social situation. Right?"

[tortallan_npc]

Just wait until she does meet Mike, Raph. Just you wait.

Abigail sniffs, ignoring the smirk. "Sayin' it's no trouble."

It was the realizing that came hard.

"Aye. You learn," she concedes.

[mnt_raph]

"Eventually. Just takes a little longer to sink in, is all. But yeah, I can be taught. You a'right? Or...did you really come all this way to tell me this?"

Then he reaches out for her hand.

"Not that I'm complainin' or nothin'."

[tortallan_npc]

She was worried about him.

This, however, she keeps to herself. There's only so much brutal honesty she can stand right now.

"I've been helpin' with the wounded," says Abigail, gripping his hand. "We're in a bad way?"

[mnt_raph]

He half shrugs.

"Been in worse ways, been in better."

Your view of war and warfare is skewed when you're used to being four against hundreds.

"That what they're sayin' down there?"

[tortallan_npc]

Did you see all their mages?

Any more dragons and we're through.

Quick, stop the bleeding or he's lost to the Dark Lord!

"Aye, among other things. The healers had a rough time of it when Master Numair's shield fell. Grace and even young Kally are givin' what they can."

Kally, at five, already shows signs of being a natural healer; so says Maude. Grace does what she can.

[mnt_raph]

"Shhh," he warns, looking around at the rest of the men in the hall. "voices low. bad for morale, for soldiers to hear that, no matter how true they are."

He gives her hand a reassuring squeeze.

"We're gonna get through this."

[tortallan_npc]

Abigail meets his eyes and holds them, not sure what to say. I know feels wrong, given her superstitions, but anything else would be courting trouble.

A return squeeze does, for now.

"I overheard Onua talkin' to the young mage," she confesses.

'Young mage' is how she refers to Daine. It's the simplest explanation.

[mnt_raph]

Raph does his best not to freeze. He'd been giving her an extra wide berth even before the trouble started brewing. Thankfully the rigors of battle have kept her focus else where and out of his head for the few times they've been in close proximity to each other. Still it took more willpower than he'd admit to override her broadcast messages to keep calm.

"Oh yeah? She okay?"

He knows she's not. She's exhausted, and he could feel it the whole time.

[tortallan_npc]

She shakes her head.

"No. The lass has been keepin' a hold of all the animals around us, so they don't fight," Abigail tells him, unaware that he already knows.

There's a trace of wonder in her voice. Such power the gods have given that girl.

[mnt_raph]

"An' I take it this Onua ain't too pleased about that?"

Raph can't say he blames her, seriously...any help would be good help right about now. Plus, it's a lot easier to concentrate on dispatching enemies when one doesn't have a soothing background voice to contend with.

[tortallan_npc]

"It's their home too, she said. If they want to fight it's selfish to stop 'em. To make 'em helpless."

Beat.

"I think we all know the young mage might be our best hope," Abigail whispers.

[mnt_raph]

"I don't think you're wrong. There ain't an army alive that expect animals to rise up an' start fightin'."

He knows from first hand experience on that one.

[tortallan_npc]

Not even in Tortall.

Pursing her lips, Abigail moves to his side and leans her head back against the cool stone of the wall.

"How fare things here?" She angles her head, listening. There's no hum of arrows in the air; no cries from the enemy.

That's ominous.

[mnt_raph]

He grunts his displeasure.

"It's too quiet. I always did hate this stopping with the stars style of fightin'. Ninja's best ally is the shadows."

As Raph continues on his train of thought, he turns his head to keep Abigail's face in his periphery.

"Thinkin'bout going up the command chain to see about some night time recon assignments."

Little does Abigail know that she's at the top of that chain. He won't go if she doesn't want him to.

[tortallan_npc]

The only way she'll mind is if he decides she can't help, but Abigail thinks that unlikely after all she's said up until now.

He gave her the sword, after all. The significance of that act hits her anew.

"What would you say to helpin' the young mage with whatever she's decided t'do?" Abigail asks at last.

[mnt_raph]

He'd like to say that if Daine asked him directly to do something, he'd be hard pressed to say no. The girl has a charisma about her that's hard to say no to.

Raph swallows hard.

"I'd say I ain't missed a good fight yet, an' ain't lookin' to start now. What've you heard?"