Interregnum- Curses

[redcoat]

Sae's hand gripped the bottle Alistair had given her so tightly that her knuckle turned white.

Well, white except the parts that were stained black from a curse.

Her face burned dark and her eyes felt itchy. She wanted to cry- she'd been cursed, feeding information to an enemy. All their plans leaked, because she'd been so excited about the palontir. Two secret, hidden cities with limited abilities at defense now revealed.

Her throat was closing up, and she opened the bottle and took a swig of the wine in hopes to push the feeling back a bit.

She'd put her gloves on, but Ve'ra was holding her hand, pulling her... somewhere.

[Ancelas]

Ve'ra didn't say anything as she led Sae up and out of the common house, then through the gates of the town square, down into the town itself. The morning mountain air was crisp, the sky bright and open, almost spiteful of the dark mood Sae was feeling.

Ve'ra seemed to know where she was going, leading Sae down one street and then turning down an alley, then another, coming to a dead end with some worn barrels stacked in the corner where wall met the back of a house. With a few quick movements, Ve'ra had bounded onto the barrels and up against the wall, launched herself across the alley to grab the edge of the opposite roof, then hauled herself up and over without visible effort.

Kneeling on the edge of the rooftop, she turned and held out a hand for Sae.

[redcoat]

Ve'ra seemed to know where she was going- and that was plenty enough for Sae, who felt like her vision was closing in and all her energy was spent on just not crying.

She was shaken from her dark musings as she watched Ve'ra easily climb and jump to a landing- which even prompted the ghost of a smile on the gunslinger's face. Taking Ve'ra's hand, she'd easily scale the side of the building with the help of her mantle, still loosely holding Ve'ra's hand to be guided.

[Ancelas]

A faint smile cracked Ve'ra's serious expression as she helped Sae up and turned to lead her further across the roof. A few houses down, there was a lower rooftop linked two houses, which created a gap under one of the eaves. It was here Ve'ra moved to, sitting down on the gentle incline. The Refuge stretched out beneath and ahead of them, the grassy mountainside extending beyond the walls, the Queen's Gambit hanging at rest in the sky above. It was a breathtaking view.

Ve'ra looked up and over at Sae and motioned for her to sit beside her.

[redcoat]

Sae stood, looking over the view for a moment.

Beautiful, and likely doomed due to her negligence. What could be done? Move everyone? To where, even? Thornwall as well- equally as fucked.

It took her a moment before she noticed Ve'ra's motions, but she did join the other woman, sitting down close to her and handing her the bottle.

"It doesn't seem likely that will help, right now."

[Ancelas]

"What, sitting and brooding?" Ve'ra asked as she took the proffered bottle. "I generally agree. But I think the circumstances call for it." She took a swig of the drink and then passed the bottle back.

"It's not every day you learn that you're involved in something terrible. Even if you were an unwilling participant."

[redcoat]

Sae shrugged her shoulders, taking the bottle and a swig from it. "You're saying involved- past tense. Palontir or no, if they can scry on objects, then I remain a liability. I doubt that my hat, or shirt, or belt have the mental capacity to avoid being scryed on." Sae frowned, taking another swig before passing the bottle back.

"I've given away this place, likely Thornwall as well. All of our plans for the next month- the location of the Lord's Alliance meeting. Everything is compromised."

[Ancelas]

"Mm... probably. Might be the drow in me, but I kind of always assumed our enemies knew more about us than we did about them," she admitted. "They beat that paranoia into us during training... they think the obsessive suspicion gives us an edge." She held out her hand for the bottle again. "Just encouraged more scheming, backstabbing, and sleepless nights."

[redcoat]

Sae sighed.

"I am a liability. And I'm not sure if I'm more help than hindrance, at this point."

[Ancelas]

"Oh? And why's that? Was it mobilizing the Mareki to invade a major enemy port that did it or the slaying of the mad god?" Ve'ra turned a faux-curious expression to her. "In either case, I may have to adjust my scale of morality to compensate."

[redcoat]

Sae gave Ve'ra a flat look, shaking her head. "It's the fact that the enemy can scry on objects- and since they've seen me, it doesn't matter if the palontir is in the bag of holding. Unless I start doing all war councils in the nude."

She snorted and drank the wine.

"I doubt the Maeth'ir would like that very much."

[Ancelas]

"Likely not, although it would be very interesting." She leaned over, bumping her shoulder against Sae's.

"So... the palontir can scry on objects. Anyone of sufficient skill with one could turn its gaze upon anything they wanted - provided they had already seen something they can focus on. That's the gist of how it works, yes?"

[redcoat]

"As far as I can understand it. I can't be scryed on, because I'm attuned to it. But my hat, my shoes, my belt, my shirt, my breastplate- all fair game, at ten minutes per. And that's assuming it's not Matzos... because he knows every part of my gun, and that ass would likely be able to scry on each visible piece individually... with my luck."

She returned the shoulder bump, holding up her blackened hand.

"And, this is still like it was."

[Ancelas]

Ve'ra took Sae's hand, gently, to inspect it. "Didn't you say that Zychni saw all of you through his avatar, when you burned him out of the First Shrine?"

[redcoat]

"You might have a point there." Sae said, watching Ve'ra take her hand. "Assuming it's him doing the spying and not Matzos, well..." She shrugged.

"Burn everyone's clothes and start over, I suppose. I've been looking for a reason to torch Alistair's jacket..." She joked, lightly. It was a joke, but also a good sign.