knightsoflegend | poland ♔ you keep a lot of secrets and i keep none

[Cora just nods as she follows Faye's lead, keeping her eyes and ears open for any sign of what the other people are so upset about (listen 16, spot 28). She's alert but she's quiet otherwise, wanting to take in the scene, more than interrupt it.]

[Taradiddle follows too, her gnomish hammers strapped to her back, and glances around idly.] I hope they only hate witches, not shadowkind in general. This could get awkward really fast.

It sounds to me as though their dislike of this particular witch might trump whatever ill will they feel toward shadowkind in general. So long as we're here to assist them with, it shouldn't be a problem for us.

[Ever the optimist idk. But he's following along with his entourage of hotties.]]

Worst case scenario, we team up with the Witch and teach the locals Tolerance 101. [It sounds like she's joking. Probably. Maybe.]

[Faye shoots Kenzi a quick look with the faintest hint of a smile. Either she likes your humor or she thinks that's a great idea. Your team leader, guys!

As they move through town, the heated comments get louder and louder. Turning a corner, a group of about 12 men are surrounding an older woman holding a vase. One of the men in the group steps forward and roughly knocks the vase to the ground with the truncheon held in his hand.]

You're gonna tell us where she is, Sadel. One way or another.

[Yeah, Cora's not particularly a fan of those odds. Her face melts into a glare as she makes her way closer, trying to stare the leader of the group down. She can be pretty scary when she wants to be but she's still tiny and a teenage girl, so who knows how well it'll work (intimidate 16).]

Hey! Anyone ever teach you how to say "please"?

[None of the members of the group seem all that threatened by Cora's shout, but one guy on the outer edge of the circle does turn around and gives them a harsh look.

"Who the hell are you?"]

[And she'll just glare right back, clearly not bothered by the stares she's getting. It's not as though she hasn't seen them before.]

Someone who doesn't appreciate mob mentality. Trying to scare it out of her isn't going to get you your information any faster so why don't you just back off.

[Or she'll punch you in the face. That's the part she doesn't say because that's not very diplomatic, but her diplomacy wasn't that high anyway (diplomacy 12).]

[Instead of seeming at all swayed by her attempt at being diplomatic, the thug just laughs and nudges the two guys next to him.

"She wants us to back off." He pushes up his sleeves and all three step towards Cora, looking especially menacing (intimidate 19) "I think you should mind where you stick that pretty little nose of yours."

Faye rolls her eyes and lets out a huff, muttering Jesus Christ under her breath. She's not any better at this diplomacy bullshit so she's just going to get herself ready to throw a fireball in a fuckers face if this escalates further. Unfortunately, she doesn't really know this rag tag team of hers to know if anyone else is any better at dealing with assholes with anything but violence. She wishes Lila were here :( ]

Holy crap, look at those weird witchy lights! [What weird witchy lights, you ask? Why, clearly she means the four gently bobbing spheres that are floating just down the street, that couldn't possibly come from someone as innocent looking as Taradiddle (bluff 24).] I bet there's a witch right down there! Probably a powerful one, too.

[Oh yeah, that bluff was so good that Kenzi - who probably spent most of the flight here, drinking - lights up, ready to chase those damn orbs down the street. (SM 5).]

Dude. Exnay on the aring-with-the-hillbillies-shay. [Welp. At least she helps to sell the whole, that must be where the witch is.]

Edited (I can spell) 2015-04-27 21:29 (UTC)

[Cora is not even phased by them, meeting their glares with one of her own (will save 23). When Taradiddle did her thing, she catches on pretty quick (sense motive 27), and just raises her eyebrows back at the guys in front of her in return, silently asking them what they're going to do.

Well, boys? Are you going to have Cora kick your ass or go chase a witch?]

[Don't worry, Kenzi. It's not just you gurl (sense motive 9). Aedan glances down the street in the direction that Taradiddle indicated to see them dancing lights but he's pretty sure that they're supposed to be looking for the witch themselves and not unleashing a mob on her.

But Cora is like four feet tall, and this crowd of locals don't seem to be all that welcoming. So, instead of taking off after the lights like a dog chasing a ball, he just kinda steps up beside Cora and Faye like really fellas, because I'm with these two bb girls (intimidate 21).

Step off basically.]

Edited 2015-04-28 17:02 (UTC)

[The thug who's been doing most of the talking got a sense motive even lower than Kenzi so he's just smacking the arms of the people closest to him and pointing.

"That way! We can still catch her!" He gets the attention of nearly all of the others (because the dice love you guys right now), and all but one of the thugs bolt down the road to chase after the dancing lights. The one remaining mob member was only distracted by trying to get in the old woman's face.

"--gonna find her eventually and she'll pay for what she's done. And you too! For raising a witch. Should've known bet-" He stops as he realizes that he doesn't have the same grunts of agreement following his words. Glancing over his shoulder, he realizes that his friends are all gone. And while he does his best to meet Aedan's gaze, that intimidation check is just a bit too high to beat.

"Who-? Where'd everyone go?"

Faye rolls her eyes.]

Chasing after that witch of yours. She went that way. [Her own bluff of 25 has him hesitating and taking a step back, trying to see if he can catch sight of his buddies. He looks back the woman one last time, stepping towards her and giving his best attempt at a menacing growl.

"You better remember what I said." And then he takes off after his friends.

The woman just lets her body sag, leaning against the building behind her. Relief floods her expression, even as she eyes them wearily. She recognizes that the were doing all this to help her. It's just hard to trust anyone.

"Thank you."]

[Cora gives her a small smile in return, most of the tough teenage girl melting out of her as she steps forward and reaches down to pick up the vase she dropped and hand it back to her.]

Are you okay?

[The woman takes the vase with both hands, shaking her head.

"They didn't have a chance to hurt me. But they won't stop until they find her. My daughter. "]

Is your daughter the witch? [Taradiddle's eyes go wide.] Not that we're judging! Witches are cool. When they're not... terrorizing anyone.

[Cora just ... sighs before turning back to her again.]

We heard stories that there was a witch attacking the villagers here, but we don't really know much. Is it true?

[She asks as she quietly listens to her heartbeat to see if she can catch the truth one way or another (sense motive 26).]

[The woman tenses at Taradiddle's question, defenses up, despite her declaration that they aren't here to judge.

"My Autumn is a good girl." She insists. "They're quick to point fingers, but I know it isn't her."

Faye tilts her head slightly, studying the woman.]

But she is a witch, isn't she? I mean- you haven't denied that part.

[The woman hesitates, then lets her shoulders sag and nods reluctantly. "She has the gift for it. We had no way of knowing. You see- she's not my child by blood. We found each other on this side of the Veil. She was so small then. I raised her as my own. Poor thing didn't remember anything of her parents or the life she had before. We had no way or knowing she would turn out to be-" She doesn't finish the thought, as if the word itself will bring a dark curse. "But Autumn isn't to blame for what's happened here. I know it can't be her. Please... no one here will believe me and I cannot keep her safe on my own."]

[Cora pauses, considering for a moment, before glancing back to Faye. While the woman may not be lying, even though she's on the defensive, this is also her daughter. She may want to believe the best.]

If it isn't her, we need to find the person who is. They could be trying to frame her.

[It's all hypothetical, but if it seems like they're on her daughter's side, then she's more likely to take them to her. Cora won't really know for sure what's the truth and what isn't until she talks to Autumn herself (wisdom 20 total).]

[Aedan turns to Faye and Taradiddle, since something occurred to him.]

Aren't either of you able to sense when other people are using magic?

[That would allow them track down the witch, whoever she is..]

Oh, wow, sure, just assume I can detect magic because I'm a gnome, is that how it is? [....no, that's not remotely how it is, but Taradiddle didn't prepare detect magic this morning and she'd rather get offended than just say so.] We're not just tiny magic detecting machines, you know. We have feelings.

Do gnomes generally use magic as a rule? I was surprised to learn you were a spellcaster, actually.

[Because little people = no magic where he's from. But he's not going to compare her to a dwarf. He learned his lesson when he mistook Christos for an elf ok.]

What are you on? [Faye comments, because wow Taradiddle, that was a weird reaction. She tosses her hair over one shoulder and nods to Aedan.]

Don't worry about her. I can try. [Raising her hands, she barely gets to start the spell before the older woman moves forward, a little panicked.

"My daughter is safe. I can show you where to find her. I need to send her supplies anyway, but I wasn't sure how I would get them to her. Please, don't risk your magic for something like this. If any one in town sees you use it, they'll demand that you be burned."]

...How quaint. [Faye huffs, but as mission leader, she supposes this one is her call.] Fine. We'll take her whatever you want to send.

[And question the shit out of her but Faye will leave that part out.

The woman nods and ushers them back to her home, which isn't terribly far from where they were all standing. The woman (who would eventually introduce herself as Sadel) and her daughter live above a shop on the main thoroughfare in town. She lets them in her home but immediately hurries out the back to gather some food from a small garden to send to her daughter.

The home is largely unremarkable. There's a lofted area on the far end that appears to be where Autumn must have slept, as Sadel doesn't seem well enough to have climbed the ladder up each and every night.]

[Cora follows them all into the house, doing a slow sweep as she takes in the space (spot 19, wisdom 18, listen 26). It's not much to look at, but there might be something around that gives a little more insight into what's going on.]

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