Duty Session 293: Convoy Escort Quest I

It is not yet dawn. No light brightens the eastern horizon, but the convoy is already bustling. A multitude of lanterns rush here and there, a swarm of disorganized, tiny lights in the distance. Horses neigh, wagons creak, and over the general din voices can be heard to yell instructions to one another. One hopes that the convoy itself is a bit more organized than initial appearances would seem to indicate, but one's hopes may be in vain.

As for Robert, he's geared up and waiting just outside Alne's gates, as indicated in his previous messages. He's killing time, productively, by checking and rechecking everything against a mental checklist. Occasionally he glances up to survey the convoy. Occasionally he frowns. Notably, the frown seems to be deepening.

Ayame looks nonplussed. Her shield is on her arm, and she's on solid enough roads and for once that means her heeled boots are fairly sensible. She even helped load things! Then when no one at all moved, she pauses, and glances around. Then she looks to Robert, sidling towards him and shaking her head "Do you have ... any idea where we're meant to be headed?" She asks in an undertone "I mean, don't get me wrong, I know landers can occasionally run into issues, but I'd assume a merchant convoy knew something about their pathing, yes?"

SpritesHero visibly grimaces, inhales sharply and leans in to keep his tones low. Hopefully this means the pair remains unheard by the others. "I believe it's down to the docks," he responds at length, his tones tense. "But I have to say, this isn't a particularly promising start. I'm geared up for security. Not this..." He trails off in quiet exasperation and gestures, as though to indicate the world at large. "...whatever this is. Fair warning, this is looking to end up being a complete pig's breakfast. Which I suppose means they need help more than ever before. But at the same time..."

"But at the same time, I'd much prefer we have at least some idea" Ayame sighs, shaking her head as she gestures towards the front "Yeah. I'm not really someone to direct things around" She says with an apologetic smile. From a lander, she gets the itinery, and studies it, thinking "Alright, I'm pretty sure we're heading ... that way. Ish" She gestures with a shield. Trying to take in a fairly narrow sweep

"Congratulations," Robert replies, flashing Ayame a thousand-watt grin that just might be properly characterized as sh*t-eating. "You're convoy lead." He at least has the grace to offer up a -teensy- bit of sympathy in that smile, but it's pretty effectively drowned out. He lifts his hand in temporary farewell, and heads off to sort out his bit of the convoy. Before long, the no-doubt ill-fated wagons, Landers, and Pekos creak their dusty way out of Alne.

And abruptly run into trouble. Really. The town is right there! What on earth are monster bandits doing this close? Shouldn't this area be cleared by the local adventurers? At any rate, there's a flash of scales in the underbrush, followed by a high-pitched whistle. Followed, in turn, by a chorus of whistles. Presumably some sort of kobold choir decided to rustle up some supplementary income through less-than-savory means. And as for the convoy? It only has time for one enterprising Lander to yell "Take cover!" before the rain of arrows starts.

Robert's back, now, having taken up a position behind a cart right next to Ayame's. "Well that was fast," he comments, ducking a bit more as an arrow lands dangerously close to him.

Ayame flings her shield up to cover herself and the others around her, breathing hard as the first arrows rain down. It's instinctive, twisting herself to the side and her arm up, as she catches the first and boucnea them off, glancing back at him with a look of amusement and annoyance

"At least we know we're going the right way!" She grins, craning around her shield to see what's there, hurrying the landers to get protection behind the wagons "An ambush would have us on the right path"

SpritesHero can only offer a rather helpless shrug, though judging by the faint twist of his lips even he can see the humor in the situation. Even if it's a sort of exasperated humor. "No doubt -they're- excited to see us, anyhow," he comments. For now he stays where he is, though he occasionally pokes his head out around the side of the wagon to get a glimpse of what they're up against. "Looks like maybe 15-20 kobolds," he assesses, after snapping his head back into safety for the third time. "You've got the landers covered? I can take a few guards through the tall grass and try to flank. When you hear my whistle...or yells of agony, I suppose...they'll be distracted enough for you to charge in."

"Feel free to take the lead on it" Ayame nods grimly, keeping her shield up to protect them as they glance and assess, and listen to the yelps and yells of the landers as arrows rain down "And hey, I'm excited to know we're going the right way, so it's somewhat mutual!"

SpritesHero's glance is almost, almost skeptical. But nerves take over quickly enough. He closes his eyes. Inhales once. Twice. Thrice. And then he's gone in a blur of movement. There's no ducking or weaving, just a flat-out attempt to get where he's going as quickly as possible. Four arrows mark his trajectory from the wagons to an obliging tree-stump, each thudding into the earth just around him.

There's no more indication of his progress after that. Not until the screams start atop the hill. They're on the high-pitched side, so -presumably- they don't belong to Robert. But that doesn't rule out having been hit in a sensitive area. There's a sharp, piercing whistle, and any subsequent charge will find a good fraction of the kobolds to be tangled in masses of thorned vines. The free kobolds are busily shooting at a rather large tree, which Robert has taken refuge behind.

Ayame follows Robert up by charging in towards the kobolds; shield raised and wand in her hand. She doesn't fling magic immediately, though; waiting for the first few arrows to flick past her before her wand rises, and she chants, intones a spell, the words flashing into life around her

And then exploding

She charges in, amidst the flashes of light, stunning and confusing the ambushers. Who are then more literally stunned by the application of shields to faces.

The kobolds, immobilized first by the explosion's light and sound, then by the impact of metal to their faces, are subsequently finished off by the dogpile of Landers and the occasional Adventurer who -didn't- ditch the moment it became evident what sort of an escort this convoy-job was going to be. It's a good, clean job, and moments after Ayame's charge lands, the former kobolds pixellate, shatter, and burst into shards of light.

For his part, Robert misses most of the actual combat. By the time he works up the nerve to poke out from behind his tree, health-bar a healthy-enough warm yellow, Ayame's clean-up is nearly complete. "On the plus side, it looks like you'll be getting plenty of practice?" he suggests, with a half-smile.

Ayame gives Robert a long, slow look, shaking her head and rubbing her shield clean absently, moving to return to the convoy as it trudges along "Well, There's practice and practice." She notes with a half smile "You're doing just fine as well. Thanks for the distraction - that trick doesn't work half as well if they target me before I get close enough to shock them a bit"

Her boots continue to tap the hardened ground as they walk, and she begins to look a little irritable "Just who set this convoy up, anyway?" She asks, with a frown, to both Robert and the landers - who shrug and get back to trying to erect tents and gather wood

It's never a good sign when you ask who's in charge, and you get shrugs. It's an even worse sign when you ask who's in charge, and some enterprising Lander responds with an ominous declaration of 'They are', then gestures into the tangled, darkened forests. Robert rolls his eyes, gives Ayame yet another apologetic look, and heads off to help set up tents, perform repairs, you name it.

That said, the evening really isn't too bad. There's fires, and hot stew. Instruments come out, and many a merry tune is played, accompanying singing and dancing by firelight. Robert's made himself pretty scarce during this time. Perhaps on watch, perhaps repairing things. By the time he returns the festivities are over. "I can take first watch if you're tired?" he offers.

"I wasn't expecting to be travelling overnight" Ayame sighs, settling by the fire, with her back to it. Her shield heats up slowly, and she rests back against it, hands folded in her lap. Instead of being slung over her back, she's reversed her jacket to be slung over her front, instead, as she settles into the chair under the thick woolen cover "But that sounds good. Wake me at half way?" She suggests "Or yell, if you need"

"Will do," Robert answers. His gaze rests upon Ayame for perhaps a bit too long, but he says nothing. At length, he tucks his hands behind his back, pivots about on his heel, and heads off to carry out his duties.

When he comes back to awaken Ayame, it is several hours later. There's a few pats on her cheek to rouse her. Maybe it's sleep deprivation. Maybe it's residual excitement from the afternoon's combat. But after a moment's consideration, he reaches out his hand to brush his fingertips over the long knife-edge of her ears. And lightly tweaks the tip.

The ear flicks under his hand, lifting and twitching, matched by the one on the other side. At the same time, the sylph lets out a little "Gyuh?" as her eyes slit open, and then she sits up straighter, from under her heavy jacket, looking at Robert with a little confusion and a tiny bit of worry. Her ears lay flat against her head, as she leans in, her voice quiet "Everything alright?" She asks in an undertone, blinking and rolling her shoulders back as she suppresses a stretch

SpritesHero suppresses a chuckle, and just barely manages to bite back a grin. Hopefully he's helped by the night's darkness. On the other hand, the fire's dying embers do mean that his features are not entirely shadowed, and they're certainly close enough to be seen as he drops to a squat by Ayame's side. "Just waking you up for your shift," he answers, under his breath. A lie that is not entirely a lie. It really -is- her shift. "How are you feeling? I can give you a few more hours if you want?"

"No, no, it's good" Ayame yawns, stretching again and slipping her jacket around on her shoulders. It doesn't seem to occur to her to wear the bloody thing. Standing, she slips her shield to her arm from her back, and holds it close, letting the ambient heat leech into her "You get some sleep. Hopefully this won't be a three day thing - two will be quite enough"

SpritesHero offers a short nod. "Stay warm," he advises, before bundling up for his own rest. Which is not actually particularly restful. Depending on whether Ayame also watches the camp itself, she might notice that he tosses and turns a bit more than expected, and occasionally sits up shortly after his breathing evens out. Come morning, he's distinctly panda-eyed. But at least he just looks tired, rather than grumpy.

After the first time he stirs, Ayame stays closer. The second time, he finds her jacket resting over him, as a weighted blanket, and if there's a third time, there's a small cup of heated wine near his hand, warm and heavy to help sleep.

But come the morning, Ayame is busy helping cook - poorly - and brings Robert his breakfast over as he wakes "Quiet night, all told" She offers with the plate "We're getting packed up to go"

The wine doesn't help. But he does drink it, and his expression when he thanks Ayame the next morning--for both the wine and the breakfast--is an even split between gratitude and shame. He straightens, pulls his clothes more tightly around him, and gratefully accepts breakfast. "Thanks," he murmurs, giving his surroundings a quick once-over. Nope. Nothing horrendously amiss there. "Any sense for when they'll be ready? No last-minute breakages?" he asks as he eats. Yes, he -does- swallow before talking.

"No, it looks good" Ayame nods cheerfully. She takes her jacket back, resting it on her shoulders and strapping the shield onto her forearm "Tents are getting taken down - badly - and animals are getting into place. We'll be good once you've eaten, I think - but no rush." She grins, nods amiably, and wanders off to the front of the convoy again

SpritesHero raises his hand as though to stop her, but reconsiders. Whatever it was that he was going to say remains unvoiced for now, and he too returns to his poition in the convoy.

They make several hours of good progress, that motley crew of Adventurers, landers, pekos, and wagons, before running up against a rather more motley, and considerably less law-abiding, crew of bandits. It's a bad situation from the start, made better only by the fact that, in spite of them apparently wanting everything (and being perfectly happy to kill first and loot later), the bandits feel a pressing need to make some sort of lengthy list of demands.

Robert is not inclined to let them finish, and there's a sudden commotion from the rear of the column where he is stationed, that is probably audible from Ayame's position.

Ayame, meanwhile, chatters away at the front, as loud noises cause distractions at the back. She actually seems somewhat in her element, there, casually explaining that their loss/return isn't going well, and the longer they try to keep it up, the worse their losses will get. She's persuasive, especially when the commotions get louder. And then quieter. And then louder. Her smile doesn't waver one inch.

It truly is an impressive bit of fast-talking on Ayame's part. But luckily she won't have to talk for long, though to her it might well seem like an eternity. Two minutes later, the bandits have vanished, pulled back into the underbrush by hands, claws, hooked-canes, tendrils of darkness...it really is a diverse assault. Indeed, all have vanished save for one. Yes, the leader, who is -still- arguing with Ayame about the economics of banditry and...predator-prey dynamics, or something. It's all rather over Robert's head, in his adrenalined state, and his lips can be observed to twist in distaste as he -finally- appears on the far side of the bandit leader. He approaches. Pauses. Arches an eyebrow in Ayame's direction, as though to say 'after you'.

Ayame keeps chattering, happy to be the point of the discussion. She Listens. She Actively Listens. She reflects. And she finishes by leaning in and gently pointing out "You've got no support left and my friend is stood behind you. If you run, really, really quickly, you might make it away"

Ayame is Helping.

At which point Robert just slides a knife into the bandit's back. Ayame may be inclined towards mercy, but he is not. Not that it's out of vindictiveness, or revenge. There's an element of cold-bloodedness to the action. Presumably he just prefers not to leave any loose ends. The bandit gasps and, as its hp hits zero, bursts into polygons. Ayame gets a curt nod, and Robert returns to his section. "Let's keep it moving, folks!" he can be heard to yell.

And aside from that, the rest of the afternoon is quite uneventful. No more bandits, just a long afternoon trek beneath the cool, grey heavens. It's a sobering trek, and both energy and spirits are low as the convoy finally circles up and begins settling down for the night. Unlike yesterday there's no dancing, no raucous celebration. Just a lone violin, plaintive and mournful, which nobody has told to shut up yet.

"Hey," Robert asks of Ayame, as he -finally- reappears. "You got a sec?"

"Of course" Ayame sighs, having settled with her back to the fire. It's not a discontent sound, her ears laid back and a mug of something warm held in her bare hands, her gloves tucked to her belt and she leans forward, watching the darkness with a thoughtful air. Her boots are off, as well, a blanket laid out, and she'd polished them up after the day's trek "What can I do for you?" She twists to look. and smiles

SpritesHero takes a seat on a nearby box, which no doubt contains some sort of critical supplies, but for now is best suited to being a butt-rest. The angle is...unfortunate. With Ayame's back to the fire, it's difficult to see anything of her save for her silhouette. In contrast, Robert's expression is fully, if dimly, lit. He hesitates for a moment. "What -does- it feel like when someone touches your ears?" he hazards at length. His manner is just a bit too uncomfortable for this to simply be academic curiosity.

The slivers of her ears, silhoettted against the firelight, flick back horizontally. It's almost comical, and she lets out a nervous chuckle "It's weird. It's - a reminder, you know? Think about someone grasping your third arm, or something like that. How do you translate it to a sense that isn't - you know, a thing, for who you are?" Her shoulders rise and fall and she smiles a touch "Why, how do you feel when people poke your wings or such?" She asks "I mean ... what was the term, dark sylphs? I heard that for spriggan. I mean, they're sensitive - it's just shocking, a little, you know?"

SpritesHero, for whatever reason, looks horrendously relieved. The tension in his features vanishes, and he twists around a bit to present his own wings. "Honestly not sure," he allows at length. "I don't think I've ever had anyone try to touch them before. Mostly they just get in the way of things like backpacks, but I have to admit I usually just try to ignore that they're there. It'd be one thing if they actually allowed for flying, but...." He trails off, his smile wry. "They just kind of feel like extra, bulky baggage at this point." A pause. "May I?"

"Sure, if you want" Ayame nods cheerfully. She grins a touch, patting her jacket "It's why I don't put it on. Just drape it over the shoulders, keep them hidden, and keep everything warm and comfortable. They're great for swimming, though - you can buzz them to get a little extra speed" With an impisu little chuckle, pouring out a few drinks and offering one across

SpritesHero accepts the cup, lifts it in a silent toast, and drinks deeply. He's not exactly beaming once his face reappears, though he does appear to be making a valiant effort to do so. "Do you know," he answers, once he's managed to swallow said drink (and conceivably there's a bit of dampness in his eyes), "I don't think I've ever tried swimming with them. I always just sort of assumed they'd get waterlogged and heavy. I'll have to give it a shot." With which reflection he sets his cup down and leans in, extending his right hand to lightly brush his finger along her ear's skyward scythe-edge.

Ayame twitches, her cheek reddening a little at the brush, and her ears flick up afterwards "Well" She clears her throat "It's a weird feeling. How about you? How are yours?" She asks, looking around the group again and finishing up her cup

SpritesHero retracts his hand sharply, looking considerably less reassured now. If anything, he looks even guiltier than before. He half-heartedly pivots, presenting her with his wings. "Wings, yes?" he asks by way of confirmation.

Ayame nods, lightly brushing them with the back of her hand, stroking from the top down "It's an odd thing. We all have the changes, but it's still - how that feeling translates? It's not a natural thing for us" She smiles a little "Right?"

SpritesHero grits his teeth, jaw tensing. But he doesn't jerk away, even as his breathing quickens. "It's...very odd," he allows at length. "Kind of like having feelings that aren't yours. Or having someone trapped inside you and sharing their feelings. Just now, it's..." A pause. "It's like every nerve being set on fire. I think it's....it's not panic, not yet. But it's like being in a place where you know you shouldn't be, surrounded by the wrong type of people. Vulnerable, I suppose? Yeah, that's it. It's vulnerability." Which perhaps says more about Robert than his borrowed spriggan form, if he equates vulnerability with borderline-panic.

"I hear that" Ayame smiles a touch, withdrawing her hand and sliding her gloves on "It's an odd feeling, things that you know aren't yours giving you that sensation. I get it" She reassures him, moving to pat his shoulder "You go talk, take it easy. I'll take the watch" She offers, standing and slipping her boots on

SpritesHero bites back a grin as he places his hand over her's for a moment. "I appreciate it. I'll see what I can do to help out around here. The place is like a morgue," he opines. He too rises, and dusts himself off. "I -do- hope they don't ask me to sing," he can be heard to murmur as he moves off.

They do, in fact ask him to sing. He acquits himself....marginally. But it's enough to raise spirits just a tad, and in less than an hour he's curled up in his nest of blankets and trying his darndest to fall asleep. With the exact same results as last night. It would appear that the sleep issues are chronic.

Ayame takes the watch, humming as she patrols the outside of the camp. She keeps moving, chattering to those landers who can't sleep, and making sure to keep watch. When it's time to switch watchers?

Robert finds the tips of both his ears pinched lightly from behind. And Ayame chuckles.

Instant results. Robert's eyes flash open, and there's a surge of panicked motion as he pops to his feet. Only to find a chuckling Ayame. He sighs, lifts his hand, and presses his palm far too firmly against his eyes. "You -knew-? The whole time?" he asks of her. He at least has the sense to keep his voice low.

"I didn't say I minded" Ayame points out reasonably, occuping the abandoned chair "It's been a quiet night. You should find it easy for the rest of it" As she adjusts her jacket and other things to settle down with her back to the fire "Wake me up when we're ready to head off. I'll eat on the road"

"Well, no, but," Robert protests. Whump. That would be a blanket flying at her, as Robert sighs and paces off to take up his own watch, which is equally uneventful. He interacts far less with the campers than Ayame did, instead opting for an active patrol of the camp periphery.

Morning dawns. He lets her sleep in, as instructed, until they're ready for departure. At which point he approaches, leans in, and lightly gives her cheek a few pats. And yes, his fingertips -do- brush against her ear. No tweaking though. "Rise and shine," he comments. "No real breakfast this morning, I'm afraid. But I've got a bag of nuts and dried fruit from supplies, if that will do?"

Ayame doesn't yelp, this time. Progress! But she does yawn and push her plumped cheek to his hand, then blinking and laughing and shaking her head as she stands, hugging the blankets to her "More than. Shall we move?" She asks, bundling up chairs and blankets and yawning as she hurries to drop them onto a passing wagon

There's a brief flicker of a smile from Robert in return, thumb sweeping over her cheek before he pulls back. Then he too is off to his duties, though as the convoy begins moving to depart she'll hear a yelled "Heads up!", as the aforementioned pseudo-trail-mix bag comes arcing through the air in her direction.

Robert essentially evaporates between then and the time they reach their destination. The sun is out. The breeze is pleasant. The escort is mercifully over. And Robert is just getting his things together when word filters through the convoy. That's right. The buyer isn't here. At all.

Ayame, by this point, is exasperated. She had gotten back to the front of the column, and when the buyer is nowhere to be found? She goes hunting.

And more or less drags a merchant lander along by the scruff of his neck "Here" She shoves him at the convoy "You said you were looking for goods like these. Buy." A little huffy, a tad pouty, as she heads back to Robert, shaking her head "Honestly" She muttered "This was fun, but I am going to go and relax. And maybe buy some flat boots" She flashes a little grin and shakes her head

And thank heavens Ayame had managed that. Because by the time she gets back, she'll find that Robert had managed to get together a less-than-successful version of some sort of prototype farmer's market. Not the best of ideas, but at least -some- of the goods have been off-loaded.

It is with notable relief that Robert registers Ayame's solution. He meets her half-way, his smile lop-sided, half-tired, half-giddy. And three-quarters sleep-deprived. "You are literally being too kind," he decides after a moment's assessment. "I do feel I owe you an apology, but it seems that things managed to end up well. Thanks to you." He inclines his head to the side. "Rest. You certainly deserve it." He tactfully does not comment on apparel choices.

"Definitely get some rest" Ayame smiles, nudging Robert. With her shield. It's like a friendly punch to the shoulder. At least there's no HP damage. She stretches, accepting the bags of coins as things are sold and dropping them into her menu, looking rather impressed at the amounts as she checks it "There we go. It was fun!" She smiles, turning and heading off, sliding her shield to her back, over her jacket, as she trots along with a confident gait

SpritesHero gazes after her retreating figure, his own bag of coins being repeatedly tossed into his air with a pensive rhythm. He catches the bag one final time, lifts his hand to run his fingers through his hair, and laughs to himself as he turns around. It's with a bit of self-deprecation, but also a notable bounce in his step that he leaves the scene, bee-lining for the nearest inn.