Smuggler's Vale - Silencing

[§~Samwise~§]

Taliesin left the makeshift pub with his drink only half finished on the table. He wasted no time in taking long strides to grow the distance.

Long deep breaths. Waves coming in, waves going out. Silence the storm.

He reached up to his right ear and removed the unmatched earring, the magical earring. Pocketing it he broke into a jog. Any time he had steps to climb he leapt to clear more than one at a time.

Breathe in time. Breathe it out. The storm may come, but it doesn't need to take me. Batten down against the wave. Silence the storm.

He was silent outside of the noises made to move as he did he hurried to the communal building. His first stop was to return to the room and check on Mirrai. No one outside of Shepherd Drummond might know what specific room to look for him in so it was virtually a guarantee that he would avoid the rest of his party until possibly joining for the ritual.

 

[Ancelas]

Mirrai seemed unchanged since he visited her earlier. She remained sleeping peacefully, though it looked like her covers had been straightened and adjusted. Her face had been cleaned as well. She remained still, breathing softly, as Taliesin sat to keep his vigil.

After about ten minutes, the door opened and the elderly Shepherd Drummond poked his long, serpentine neck into the room.

"Ah!" he exclaimed, shuffling in. "I thought you would end up here with your friend. No changes, I presume?"

[§~Samwise~§]

Taliesin inhaled sharply and looked over to the sudden entrant. "Uh, oh, yes. No changes since I got back." He said somewhat frazzled. "I was just about to head downstairs to grab some dinner."

He looked to Mirrai on the bed, a frown showing through the facade he was trying to keep up. "We're coming up on a full day asleep ... that seems ... too much."

[Ancelas]

"It's the work of the curse," Drummond said as he shuffled over to Mirrai, resting the back of his scaly hand on her forehead. "Quite a potent one... It seemed to have triggered suddenly, though I could not tell you what that trigger was. Thankfully not so dangerous, as far as curses though. Your friend is sleeping... occasionally dreaming, it seems. Perhaps pushing against the condition that has befallen her."

[§~Samwise~§]

Taliesin frowned more looking down to Mirrai. "A curse ... she had a curse on top of having mottled memories ..." He sighed and grabbed the bridge of his nose. "I ..."

He moved his hand and looked back to Shepherd Drummond. "You wouldn't happen to have a diamond worth 100 Gold on you would you? I could give exchange the gold worth. Then I could lift the curse and she could wake up." He figured the answer would be no so he quickly continued. "Or is there some ... cure ... thing to lift the curse?"

[Ancelas]

"Oh, I've already removed the curse," Drummond said with a chuckle that ended in a sigh. He turned to regard Taliesin from beneath bushy brows. "The problem, it appears, is that she did not have the strength to face whatever this curse was. So, she must rest. If she does not have the strength to recover, then she must be given the opportunity to build that strength. All anyone can do now is wait for her to wake on her own time."

[§~Samwise~§]

Taliesin blinked and was surprised that Drummond had known and already taken care of things. "Oh ... thank you ..." He looked back to Mirrai. "Thank you very much.I need to get some food ... and I don't want to deal with my companions for a while."

He set down his bag and took off his cloak. He removed the crown and bracers and tucked them into his Cloak and then into the bag.Then he took off the over shirt leaving him in a loose shirt. "I'm going to borrow her face while getting food and returning. If anyone asks if you've seen me ... don't say where I am, please. You could say you watched me change forms and leave."

The sound of falling leaves and a winter wind preceded Taliesin's form shrinking slightly and taking on Mirrai's appearance and voice. (Alter Self cast) He grabbed a hair tie from his bag and pulled back the hair and re-situated the clothing to look like carefully worn borrowed items. He waited for a response from Drummond before moving any further

[Ancelas]

Drummond frowned, still watching Taliesin. "Hrm... Are you... playing a trick? I'm afraid I don't quite see the gain you're hoping to acquire with that..."

[§~Samwise~§]

Taliesin blinked for a second and then realized he probably could have said things in a better way. With a soft sigh he replied. "I have stepped away from my companions, and I would rather not have to handle speaking with them for a while." He said as he closed distance to the door.

"One of more are likely to be heading to dinner not far behind and it will be easier to just be an expected face that is not my own." He grabbed the handle and began opening the door. "I'm in pain, but not in a way that they can help right now. Being near them or talking with them is only going to make it worse."

[Ancelas]

Drummond looked at Mirrai, and then back to Taliesin, still visibly puzzled. "So you are using her face because your friends expect to see her at dinner? If she is expected, would they not have question her health and wellbeing?"

[§~Samwise~§]

Taliesin shrugged. "I never told any of them where I was last night nor what had happened. And none of them had even asked about Mirrai through our joined movements and activities earlier today." He wiggled his hand side to side.

"The only person who spoke with Mirrai and might again would be Sae. And she is ... busy ... distracted ... however you want to put it."

[Ancelas]

The dragonborn furrowed his bushy brows, as though struggling to comprehend. "So... you are adopting the face of someone expected, even though... no one is expecting her?"

After a moment he shook his head and chuckled, gesturing vaguely with his hands. "I will never understand the minds of you adventurers. At any rate, I should check on the others you freed from those mines. This young lady is not the only one struggling with exhaustion of one form or another."

[§~Samwise~§]

He flashed a small smile. "It is more about being an expected face around here in general." He said softly. He moved through the door and stopped to see Drummond out with the door closed behind.

"I'll keep a watchful eye while you tend to the others."

[§~Samwise~§]

As Shepherd Drummond moved on to others Taliesin thought again on his choice. Perhaps choosing a specific person was a bad idea, especially one that had moved close with the group. While the hallway was still empty save for Drummond he leaned forward and changed appearance again. His hair shortened up to just a short tussle with the color shifted to brown just like his eyes. His skin shifted in tone and his build was more akin to that of a farmer.

His appearance was close enough to a few at the Refuge following their last recovery from the mines that he could both be recognized and yet not quite if someone chose to look really close.

He worked through the food line retrieving a meat pie, a large cup of tea, and some bread. He returned to Mirrai's room and set down the food on the small end table and sighed. He was tired from trying to focus on centering himself and keeping up a mask.

He looked down at Mirrai. "If you were awake ... I don't know ..." He sighed and shook his head. "Why do I keep holding out hope?" He asked, knowing she was still asleep. "I thoroughly ruined everything and no amount of trying to clear things up will work. It doesn't matter that she pulled the trigger ... just that I agreed."

He slumped into a chair beside the bed and watched for any reaction from Mirrai.

[Ancelas]

Mirrai did not respond. She lay still, breathing softly...asleep.