Farewell

    It is just before sunrise that the tired group of landers and their wagons arrive. Some two hundred souls, held together by the unbreakable will and love of their Baroness. She leads the column, now, with the same calm smile she so often wears.

    In the shadow of the Tower, many of her people were uncertain, some quite scared. But here they are, at the end of their journey, where rest and safety was promised them.

    The Baroness wears a gown that glimmers with diamond dust in the pink light of the sunrise. It is not what one might consider a normal traveling kit, but it doesn't slow her down, and it has ensured that she is always in her people's view.

    "We have arrived," Wake says softly, lifting a hand to call a halt to the wagons. "Here, we are welcome. Here, we will be safe."

    Rizadoman was here not due to the progression from Castle Eas, no his presence was more due to something a certain alliance mate had said about taking two arrows to the head and having not experienced any vital problems. So here he was trying to get a moment with the doctor when he sees the Baroness and company and realizes what he has arrived in time to see. For a moment he hesitates moving away from the clinic door but then again any brain damage has lasted a week whats a few more hours. Stepping towards the Baroness he raises his hand, "Greetings Baroness Wake. I see you arrived safely."

    It's been days since Fuka was last seen by anyone in Baroness Wake's entourage. It's not like she just ran off though. She had work to do, and in this case that involved going elsewhere and making deals with an Enchanter who had undergone a similar project in the past. Better than being stuck in a wagon, certainly. Productive and essential and time-saving. She promised to keep in touch and remember to bathe and eat and sleep, and exchanged chimlink channel codes so some people can call her and give her regular reminders, and so she can meet them where they're going rather than follow where they've been.

    It should be little surprise she had beaten the caravan to Tolbana, given that she hadn't actually gone far from their travel path in her own misadventures. Fuka's been in town long enough to begin some of the work on the new techniques she'd learned, using alchemy to create efficient mana crystals from base stock. And of course, since she actually learned this technique in the baths and she needed a bath anyways, it should be no surprise whatsoever where she is when doing this first experiment.

    There's a high-pitched shout of excitement, coming from the bathhouse. Something that sounds like a battlecry, or possibly "Eureka!" And then Fuka slams out of the bathhouse entrance, arm raised high, clutching a mana crystal in one hand and a towel in the other. Oh yes, and she's wearing nothing but that towel. Decent, if barely so, she's particularly fortunate in that there's little of her that needs covering.

    "Oh, hi!" she greets the group unashamedly, seeing them as she bursts out. "I heard you'd be arriving today. Great timing! I solved the battery problem!" she claims to Riza and Wake, holding out the mana crystal vaguely towards the both of them.

    Wake is not certain if Prophylaxis will be here to greet her and her people, but she trusts his word to be enough, and she trusts the Scale Emblem enough to remain on friendly terms with her. So, she waits to be greeted.

    Seeing Rizadoman is a surprise, to be sure, but the Baroness doesn't miss a beat. She glides into a deep curtsey, her head bowed. In that position she remains, as if suspended by strings.

    "Greetings to you as well! I did not think we would meet here, Rizadoman. I am delighted to see you safe and on your feet. Have you been healed here?"

    This is when Fuka comes storming out to meet everyone. Being something of a wingwoman for strange mood mmoments, Tae doesn't miss a beat, sticking her head in a wagon, plucking out a large cloak, and very casually moving over to cast it about Fuka's shoulders.

    Before she can start asking if Fuka's been eating properly, Wake speaks, "You made excellent time, dear! And that is wonderful progress! Also, I must say, it is good to see you bathing." A pause as a few snickers break out at that comment. "I mean it is wonderful to see you paying attention to your hygiene."

One of the Silver Sword Artificers left, similar to Fuka, to handle another situation. It could have been the theme was weighing on him. Haru didn't have a lot to say amongst the larger topics of war and politics, after all. He made it a point to excuse himself when an opportunity presented. Yet he returned at he last leg to check in on how it was all going.

It is strange that the first visit is under such circumstances. Haru tightens his jacket against a breeze. Simple and clean outfit, fit for a town, not for travel. Seeing Fuka burst in full Fuka fashion interupts a hand raised to wave to Wake. He stares. He blinks. He addresses the crystal, "Made any progress on that?" Its all he could think of.

Does the sun really rise in the tower? It certainly does have day and night, each one approximately twelve hours long, which to-date have never failed to follow in one another's wake. But how does it work? This is supposed to be an enclosed space, after all. Where is the light coming from? Where does it go? Is it simply a big lamp in the sky that gets turned on and off...?

It doesn't matter. There is a group of refugees due to arrive in Tolbana in short order. They will, as it happens, be the only ones who the Tower will accept for the next while, if the guildmasters have any say about it. The clinic's door swings open and the doctor slaps an ice-pack on the lizardman's noggin. "You'll be fine. Don't get hit by more arrows." He glances toward Wake, Fuka, and their entourage, looking every bit like he's spent the last several nights slaving over a half-dozen projects and subsisting entirely on crystalline consciousness-boosting drugs and health food. "Ah good. You've arrived. Hold on for a moment, mandatory health check."

Because that is absolutely a thing the doctor wants to get a handle on in case anyone is bringing infectious diseases anywhere. Though he might just notice something else as well.

"Welcome," he says to the landers, "We've got some room here, but a number of fresh residences at the fifth floor. We'll do our best to house you all, but not entirely for free. There's land to till, crops to harvest and jobs to do, just like anybody else, but I trust we'll all get along fine. I am Prophylaxis, doctor of Tolbana, it's a pleasure."

    Healthwise it should be noted that Fuka is clean, tired, and hungry. Not starving, not exhausted to the point of damage. She's been neglecting herself somewhat, but generally has been kept healthy and going strong by repeated pokes of those around her. She is also towel-clad and now cloak-clad. She only seems to realize the cold *after* Tae wraps her in that cloak, which she huddles into with a smile of gratitude.

    She casts Proph a dubious look when he mentions checking her health, and her posture goes stiff and defensive. She pulls the cloak about her more tightly. "What kind of doctor examines a maiden in public?!" Fuka protests, though there's a hint of teasing laughter in her speech. Maybe a little embarassment too, though it's possible that's at her current state of health rather than anything about her body which, let's face it, isn't all that worth staring at. Besides, she seems ot have little shame.

    After a moment she hands her crystal to Haru. It's a fairly ordinary crystal, though it's specifically attuned to Water, engraved and capped with little bits of metal. It currently contains a decent charge, but nothing to blow things up with or anything. No sign what has Fuka so enthused over it.

    Rizadoman is about to answer before he hears Fukaziroh and turns to check on her and figure out what she is so excited about before suddenly turning back around and does his best to keep his back towards Fukaziroh. "Fukaziroh, clothes!" The headache that is oncoming is fortunately helped by the sudden application of the ice pack and he presses it to the bottom of the back of his skull, a spot that neither arrow had struck a week and a half ago. Finally the lizardman answers the question asked, "Yes well after all the times on boats and arrows in me I thought a health check to be a valid idea. "

    Wake notices Haru and manages not to laugh at his reaction to Fuka's sudden appearance. Certainly not everyone is as accustomed to taking care of strange moods as she is. And yet.. she's facing off with some serious wanderlust of her own. Soon she must move, but first, she has to see...

    "Prophylaxis! I'm delighted to find you. And fear not, the people of Eas are hard workers of the land. We are grateful for both the safety you share with us and the opportunity to give something back in return." The Baroness again curtseys, but this time she doesn't do so alone. All her people follow suit, with curtseys and bows, even the children.

    Rising, the Baroness focuses her attention. She can sense her mind wandering, but she's no time for that kind of self-indulgence just yet.

    While Wake focuses on the major needs of the moment, Tae focuses on Fuka. She's already off to get food. "I think we have some left overs from the last time we camped, this will only take a moment!" she explains to no one in particular.

    The white haired artificer doesn't give the threadbare dressed Fuka eye contact during the exchange. It could be embarassment or being respectful. "If you are the standard of a maiden," Haru teases as he gets the crystal, "then we are all in trouble." Of course he doesn't get the strange mood syndrome. He could fill a book with the things that are a mystery to him. But that book will be one page less today. He holds the gem up to the light and focuses on it with his monocle.

    "This is fairly economical," the young man says, "synthesized in some way?" He turns to face Fuka, handing it back with a scholarly curiosty about it.

Prophylaxis affixes Fukaziroh with the stare of the thirtieth cup of coffee.

It is a terrible, withering, soul-bereft look indeed.

"You two," the doctor gestures vaguely at both Wake and Fuka, "Are presently under the effects of a Strange Mood. Moonlight and Yugen, it seems. Fascinating. I'll have to add this to my notes." At that, the doctor pulls a small book from his pocket and scribbles something down inside. "Incidentally, I am suffering one presently as well. Symptoms are rather awful right now, I'm afraid. But that's what medicine is for."

Medicine, such as 'crystals that let me still multitask a war while also doing this entire crazy mood thing.' Prophylaxis huffs and shoves his notepad back into his pocket. "Well, that's a side topic at best. Lizardman, you're healthy and some kind of were fang, but I assume you've figured that one out by now. I trust otherwise you have no injuries from the trip back across the sea? How is Shibuya preparing for our imminent... conflict?"

    Rizadoman simply looks back at Prophylaxis and then to the people of Eas and stays quiet for the moment as even if there is shenanigans happening there is also something that is almost depressing and several times Rizadoman seems to teeter forward about to interupt the bowing. If anyone should be bowing and apologizing the lizardman feels he should be, holding several good helpings of guilt over the situation. Looking over at the doctor at the mention of Shibuya, " We have done similar , all our non combatants are being moved to Fort Ouph. We are also working to go check in on a few our other problems around Yamato, to make sure they stay on the sideline. Some talks of building up defenses and such of course, taking the fight to them, and so on. Then, of course, there is the headache of other issues, but its probably not best to go into that in the open. "

    Fuka eyes Haru, her glare rather lacking in heat, but she sort of makes up for it with intent to seem menacing. "Lucky for you I don't seem to be wearing my gauntlets right now or I'd throw one down at your feet for disparaging my maidenness! Or smack you with it!" she claims, but once again there's laughter in that voice. She's pretty shameless, it's true.

    Fuka's quickly distracted by Proph's baleful gaze. "I know that." she agrees. "What's that mean? Moonlight and Yugen? Explain please!" See, she said please!

    That's only a distraction, however, from her current obsession. Which is currently sitting in Haru's hands! She spins back to him, cloak flaring around bare calves in a display sure to shock the most victorian of sensibilities. Like, say, Rizadoman. "Yes! Powdered basic mana crystal, altered and reformed using alchemy and several ingredients to attune it specifically to water, making it much more efficient than its raw ingredients at storing mana for my work!" she says enthusiastically.

    Wake regards Prophylaxis evenly. "That.. explains much," she manages after some time. "It is why I know I must go into danger again. Immediately. But I am relieved to have a path. My people are going to be safe here, but others are not so lucky. I will find them and show them how to be strong together. They have more power than they know."

    Tae hears all this and accepts it. She knew that there was no chance that Wake would hide in safety with a war coming. That doesn't shock her. What does, however, is what she feels and says about it.

    "Make them pay for their betrayal. I want them to regret this forever." Tae's voice is steady, with just the slightest hint of heat. "Wake, I release you from your promise. Their is a higher calling now. Our people need you to fight without your hands tied behind your back."

    Whatever that means, it is enough to catch Wake off-guard. No fancy speech or replies. She can only nod in response.

    Tae seems satisfied. In any event, she's already moved to Fuka's side and prepares to force her to eat and drink.

    "Processed from powder to compressed crystaline," Haru says like he knows what he is talking about. He knows a fair amount about Enchanting and Water. The words from Wake are not lost on him. It seems into his ears like a dark discord. The topic with Riz adding like a stone dropping in a well. He spends a lingering time staring at the gem as he climbs back up from it. Smile.
    Haru hands the crystal back to Fuka, "its a beautiful thing you have there. I think the world needs more of those. So. Good job." He snaps his fingers. SHIVA SNAP! "Can you make one from Air as well? If you had two, it could potentially be used in a precision tool that forces high pressure air into a precise location." And thus Haru embarks on the quest to create a pressure washer.

"Good, good. The more fires we can, collectively, put out before events get to be too heaed, the better." Prophylaxis seems satisfied, for the time being, with Lizardman's answer. "Unfortunately we can't exactly set fire to any ships at the moment. Moored in ostensibly allied harbors as they are, it might be seen as an act of war against the kingdoms." Though that may happen sooner rather than later *anyway.*

"Yugen and Moonlight are two kinds of Strange Moods," Prophylaxis explains. "They tend to happen when an adventurer is at a threshold of growth in a particular non-combat skill. When they occur, we are gripped by an unnatural obsession that overwhelms all others. Thankfully, I find that I can still discharge my normal duties if I avoid sleep and take quick meals. Otherwise, things might be... particularly problematic in general."

He's not quite sure what happens between Wake and that other lady, then. He just shrugs and shoves a little sugar drop into his mouth. ~Emergency glucose.~

    Rizadoman looks at the doctor and nods his head with a frown that seems to slowly be making more and more appearences as of late. " We don't even know where there ships are. If we set sail there is nothing saying we would find them , unfortunately I fear we are in the middle of the waiting game. "Removing the icepack he looks at the Baroness and then Prophylaxis, "You both are acting strange, I have an interesting request that is strange from one of my alliance members. They wish to go over and try to talk to the palace landers. They are sure this is all a misunderstanding. I am letting them go if they wish, but I fear I must at least let it be known that someone is trying that. "

Someone going to try to negotiate with the Palace Landers? "Is it Merek?" Prophylaxis asks, because somebody has to.

    Wake gives Rizadoman a look. Not the kind that one gives when considering a reasonable suggestion. Still, she manages to eventually take on a more calm expression.

    "I can tell you this. It is no mistake. They scouted our lands for invasion and they were secretly against us from the first. Perhaps some do not seek this, but clearly most of them do. If someone goes, ensure they know nothing of our plans or-better yet-feed them believable lies. They will be taken and they will share their every secret before they are allowed to.. escape."

    See, Wake says escape but she means be allowed to die. Assuming the enemy doesn't have some horrible way to permanently enslave the poor fool who does this. Or just keeps them for eternal torture. That'd be what she'd do in their position. You know, if she were evil.

    "In any case.. I have entrusted the guidance of my people to my fiancee, Tae. It is time for me to make haste, I fear. I do not think I can hold this back much longer, anyway."