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Post by redcoat on Jul 23, 2022 9:02:06 GMT -5
The talks with Alain and Alistair had done her... some good. Alain sharing the burden of managing the prisoners, and Alistair's feeling comfortable enough to come to her when things were bothering him.
She didn't know how much she'd been able to comfort him, but... she'd tried. And she hoped she helped Alistair, at least a little bit. While Sae had a feeling that Alistair and Felix would chafe at the thought of the middle path, it was.... disheartening to see Alistair doubting his own moral compass.
Falling into step next to Ve'ra, she'd fill her in on what had happened during the mission- the infiltration, the battle, the surrender, and the journey back... but it was a drier retelling, as she wasn't ready to drop the mask of professionalism quite yet. Without depth, she'd settle for broad strokes, and get the update from Ve'ra in response to how things at the Refuge had been going.
Arriving at the Refuge, the tense meeting between Ferrovax and Telemon (during which she just shuffled their friends and allies out from between the two ancient beings with the air of a guard shuffling spectators away from a crime scene) was finished, and Sae looked to Ve'ra.
"Are you very attached to the idea of a communal dinner?"
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Post by Ancelas on Jul 23, 2022 19:02:58 GMT -5
Ve'ra shrugged. "To be honest, I have learned that the communal dinners here are surprisingly good. There is, however, a brewer in the upper city that managed to keep the bulk of her product hidden when the soldiers came raiding. Perhaps I can interest you in a drink?
"They have no elven wine, but they have several delightful flavors of moonshine."
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Post by redcoat on Jul 23, 2022 20:17:33 GMT -5
"Moonshine sounds better than wine, tonight." Sae said, moving to follow Ve'ra wherever she led. "And it's less about the quality of food and more about not being in the center of a crowd for a little bit. As one of my instructors at the Tower once said 'I feel like a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs'."
Her tone was light, but sincere- she was being open with Ve'ra.
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Post by Ancelas on Jul 23, 2022 20:30:05 GMT -5
"That on edge? I thought something was on your mind. You seem unsure whether to be happy or... professional." Ve'ra arched an eyebrow as she pealed away from the party and gestured Sae to follow, taking one of the side streets up into the Refuge.
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Post by redcoat on Jul 23, 2022 20:36:14 GMT -5
"Happy to not be in charge, for a little while. The battle was fine enough, even if I did get knocked out twice. But... we weren't ready for people to surrender." She sighed, tilting her head back as she walked. "Also, I remain claustrophobic as hell and would very much like to never go underground again."
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Post by Ancelas on Jul 24, 2022 17:11:37 GMT -5
"Ironically, the deeper underground you go, the more spacious the caves become," Ve'ra mused as they walked. "But I can appreciate your perspective. Perhaps losing consciousness made it more bearable?"
Though she joked, Ve'ra glanced over at Sae, giving her quick visual inspection.
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Post by redcoat on Jul 24, 2022 22:00:19 GMT -5
"Well, at least if I had died, I'd already be buried." She joked dryly with Ve'ra, watching the other woman look at her with an arched eyebrow.
Sae was uninjured- or at least, well enough recovered from her injuries that they didn't seem to bother her. She was also fatigued. The dark circles under her eyes had gotten worse since the last time Ve'ra had seen her, and there was less bounce in her step than there had been on their hillside walk. Normally fastidious, her hair was beginning to escape the braid she wore it in- as if she'd woken suddenly and never redone it- and her hat was missing as well.
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Post by Ancelas on Jul 25, 2022 7:58:19 GMT -5
Ve'ra reached over and put an arm around Sae's shoulders. "You, my friend, need some rest. Drink first, a bite to eat, and then rest. A hard fight, a hard march... you've done well for everyone else, but tonight, you are off duty and it is all about taking care of yourself, yes?
"And I'll hear no arguments. I know you already agreed, but I am holding you to it."
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Post by redcoat on Jul 25, 2022 8:26:10 GMT -5
Sae chuckled, letting herself get pulled in. "Yes ma'am." She joked, falling into step with Ve'ra. "I might not be very smart, but I'm not dumb enough to argue with you."
She sighed a bit.
"It wasn't the fight, or the march even- we've done worse, at more pressing speeds and even with higher stakes. I just... have killed a lot of people this week that couldn't fight back."
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Post by Ancelas on Jul 25, 2022 8:56:34 GMT -5
"That makes you smarter than my brother half the time," Ve'ra quipped as Sae side. She listened as Sae continued, and cocked her head to the side. "Were they bad people? That is... did they hurt others who could not fight back against them?"
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Post by redcoat on Jul 25, 2022 9:53:05 GMT -5
"If that is your definition of a bad person, then I am just as bad as them." Sae said with a frown. "One I executed wasn't even conscious. Luthadel was... magically frozen somehow. Then two dueregar guards and a slaver." She sighed and closed her eyes.
"It would have been more, but Alain stepped up last night to let me get some rest."
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Post by Ancelas on Jul 25, 2022 12:08:23 GMT -5
Ve'ra snorted. "Do not mince words with me to put yourself down, Sae Cairel, you know what I mean when I ask that question. Although I confess, my moral compass may not be quite as precise as yours, so... keep that in mind."
Ve'ra gave Sae's shoulder a squeeze and withdrew her arm, though she remained walking very close to the Mareki elf. "Back home, it is commonly said that the only good duergar is a dead duergar, so I have no sympathy for them. But I sense it may not be who died that concerns you, so much as how it was accomplished?"
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Post by redcoat on Jul 25, 2022 12:54:56 GMT -5
There was a shadow of a grin as Ve'ra called her out, which faded quickly as conversation took a more serious turn once more.
"Correct. If they had fought to the last, I wouldn't have any qualms about having killed them. But at least for four of them, there were unarmed and had surrendered freely. Hell, one wasn't even conscious. My hand, my decision, following my own orders."
She shrugged her shoulders.
"I don't like it, but I couldn't think of another solution."
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Post by Ancelas on Jul 25, 2022 13:09:22 GMT -5
"Mm." Ve'ra considered Sae's words as she walked. "I'm sorry you are struggling. I may not have the same feelings about what might have happened, but I can see how upset you are. Being forced to make a decision you don't necessarily agree with... it is difficult thing."
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Post by redcoat on Jul 25, 2022 13:16:48 GMT -5
"It's just a fresh injury, now. It'll scar with time, I'm sure. I hate, hate to say 'the ends justify the means'... but if we can finish this war before it spills over even more clueless and unprepared towns it will have been worth it."
Sae bumped Ve'ra with her hip. "In the meantime, tell me what it's been like with Ferrovax roosting over you like a very large mother hen."
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