The Kingdom - Born on the Bayou

Gatac 2015-04-30 00:31:42
"I did," Martin says. "And it was altogether quite easier to assume the tiger's shape and abandon it again than to return to my human form. I can only surmise that this is an ability inherent to the Rakasta, which is a much more comforting thought than the notion that I am become the plaything of wild magicks beyond reckoning."
Admiral Duck Sauce 2015-04-30 13:20:48
"All right," Ozzy replies. "Tiger's a handy thing to have around and make no mistake. Makes people think twice, it does, and when they're thinkin' twice, you kick 'em in the boys and that's sorted."
CrazyIvan 2015-05-07 21:41:18
Ana frowns softly, returning her weapons to their place, but from her expression she doesn't find Martin's explanation at all comforting.
punkey 2015-05-11 21:30:23
"Uh," one of the workers held in bondage squeaks - a field mouse-man. "We..." He gives Martin a wary glance - it seems that the presence of a predator has put the prisoners on edge, all of whom seem to be merged with prey animals. Fortunately, Martin is feeling quite sated at the moment. "We were taken from our farms? We lived on the border of Descoteaux and Beauleiu land, growin' crops and whatnot, but then...well...we got taken. Woke up with a damn tail and whiskers, and then these...these...jerks took us here." He gestures towards the surviving coyote-men. "Think I recognize one of -" he gulps again. You get the impression he wasn't a particularly strong character even before being crossed with a field mouse. "- one of the ones your friend there ate. Descoteaux toughs, came around roughin' people up to do business with Narcisse and Narcisse alone."
"The tablets!" a possum-woman hisses to the nervous spokesman for the prey.
"Yes! Olivier - the...the guy your friend ate," the field mouse continues, "he was shoutin' about findin' more tablets, somethin' about a Mistress and keepin' them all to themselves, that Pops Beaulieu wasn't gonna get a single one." He looks nervously up at Ozzy. "That good enough? Can...can we go?"
"Yeah!" one of the coyotes yips. "That's what we were gonna say!"

Lucius looks at the coyote-men, then back to Red. "Go ahead and unlock them. If one of them shanks you, I'll step in."
skullandscythe 2015-05-11 22:42:55
"I suppose that's all I can ask for then," Red replies dryly, before setting about freeing the captives, and shackling their old masters.
Gatac 2015-05-12 10:39:18
"And since when is this a competition between the two families?" Martin throws in. "That's the first we're hearing of the Beaulieu being after the tablets." Noting Red's expression, he quickly adds "Of course, that competition might have just been in Olivier's head. He clearly wasn't all there, mentally."

Martin manages not to follow that up with "And now physically". The situation does not seem to favor such gallows humor.
skullandscythe 2015-05-16 08:35:30
Red's expression is one of contemplation; he hadn't considered that possibility before. It's true that Olivier wasn't the best source on whether his family is also chasing after the tablets - it sounded more like Olivier just wanted to get the tablets out before Pops found out they existed- but Red didn't need to confer with anyone else that there was a competition between the two families. The tablets might become the new focus in the feud.

"Should let Pops know what we've found out, anyway," Red says as he looks up from his work unlocking the manacles. "How many have been found?"
punkey 2015-05-19 21:18:44
"Just the one!" one of the coyote-men yelps.
"At the manor!" another says.
CrazyIvan 2015-05-21 14:42:37
"At last, a target for the gross application of violent force." Ana sounds oddly satisfied, having apparently lost patience with the idea of her current companions managing anything requiring more nuance than blunt force trauma. "Lets go to the manor, recover the tablet, and quit this god-forsaken swamp." She smiles apologetically to the captives. "No offense."
Gatac 2015-05-21 15:27:10
"Much as I hate to be the source of another complication," Martin begins, "but where exactly in the manor is that tablet? I like to think we did a passable job of searching the place and turned up nothing more ominous than cursed tubers and such." He thinks for a moment. "Unless you count the horde of animals we tried to scare off by setting the house on fire." He looks to Ozzy. "We're leaving that part out when we tell the tale to Master Rollins. On this there must be consensus."
CrazyIvan 2015-06-02 19:19:23
Ana nods slightly. "Or at least the temporality of events should be...altered."

She considers for a moment. "But Martin is correct. But a Manor implies land. Holdings. Beyond just the home - if I recall my father's holdings as well as I hope, I can think of a dozen places outside the great hall to hide a thing of great but illict value. Perhaps a more careful search of the surrounds, now that we are less concerned about the...local wildlife?"
e of pi 2015-06-09 00:03:52
Anton throws a slightly nervous look at Martin. "Well, maybe they've got cause to be more than a bit worried about us, too," he rumbles. "I figure he had to have had it handy, so having a poke around the rest place sounds good to me."
Gatac 2015-06-16 14:21:21
"I'm all for giving Asenath and her lackeys something to be concerned about," Martin says. "But yes. Another search of the manor and its grounds seems the prudent course of action."
skullandscythe 2015-06-17 15:47:53
Martin figured he was in for a talking-to when Red told him that the two of them would take point, and pointedly did not ask. What he wasn’t expecting was for the archer to wait for him to be the first to speak. Red hasn’t said a damn thing in five minutes, though he glances back at Martin every now and then to make sure he’s keeping pace.

“So,” Martin begins. “Crazy day we’re having.”
Red nods. “Yes. Though you are contributing, in your own way.” There’s a pause, and Red turns to look back at Martin. “Tell me about what happened.”
“Well,” Martin says, “ever since my...consorting across the species line, so to speak, I’ve been a Rakasta to various degrees, and achieved some measure of control over the transformation between shapes. Considering the opposition, I thought I could go a bit farther, call more power, get stronger and faster, purely on a pragmatic course. I did not expect to turn into a tiger. I didn’t even know that was a possible outcome. But I would also like to stress that, ah, none of you were in any danger during that time.” He smirks awkwardly. “I know, so very reassuring.”
Red’s face could’ve been hewn from stone. “So, you intentionally drew on the magic, and ended up transforming. You were going to attack. Why?”
Martin considers that for a moment. “...I’m not sure,” he admits. “I’m not as...patient as I used to be, I’ve noticed. I dare say I’m actually enjoying the fighting. Isn’t that how you live, Renard? The thrill of the moment, trusting yourself to the hand of fate?”
The corners of Red’s mouth twist up for a second, then fall back down just as swiftly. “Why did you attack, Martin? Or did you just rush in for ‘the thrill of the moment?’”
“I saw Olivier kill one of his prisoners,” Martin says. “The time to wait was over. I had to do something, and I had to even the odds somehow. I can’t say I was only thinking about the innocents...I was angry at Olivier, angry like I’ve...like I can’t remember ever being before. So I pounced. I’m sorry, I should have found some way to warn you…”
Red nods. “Something besides screams next time, please. Were you angry with the henchmen? Or just Olivier?”
“I was just angry,” Martin says. “The part after that...well. I really wasn’t expecting that.”
Red looks over at Martin with trepidation. “What? You mean you...didn’t mean to...Eat?”
Martin looks off in the distance a bit before answering. “I need to be very careful with my words here,” he says. “To reiterate, I didn’t know I would turn into a tiger, or what the consequences of that would be - some of those consequences being an appetite and a taste for...whatever Olivier had done to himself. When I went forward to scout, none of that was my original intention. But when the transformation did take hold - I did feel the urge to feed, and I didn’t fight it.” He sighs. “I don’t wish to mislead you or to brush off the weight of my actions there, I just want you to understand that this was not calculation, just the rules of nature.”
“I see.” Red’s shoulders are still tense, but his expression is much more calm, and he nods as Martin explains. “So, the attack, the shape-change, the...meal...was all impulse, which you followed, though not blindly. Correct?”
“You’ve the right of it,” Martin says with a nod. “It’s still...there’s still part of me in that form, but...I don’t know. I’m not sure how to keep dealing with all this, except that we cannot back down from this fight against Asenath, and I would be a fool to try to bottle up this savage strength.” He sighs again. “I’m not sure if I’ve lost clarity or gained it.”
Red smirks. “Likely both. People change, as they grow older, and not always for better or worse; being able to accept those changes and foster them is just part of life.” There’s a rather more pregnant pause than Martin’s expecting, as Red’s face slowly hardens as they walk. “So, then, I suppose the question is, is your condemnation of the henchmen a change to you? Or would the Martin of yesterday have said much the same?”
“I don’t see anything wrong with how we treated them,” Martin says. “The Valorous Sword is as-”

“They will die.” Red’s voice is soft; he’s glaring now. “They might have been transformed into something a little more durable, maybe less. But they’re not trained fighters. They’re farm boys. And if we hand them over, either they’ll get put on the front lines and ground up against Asenath, or they’ll just execute them just because they look - beastly.” Red pauses. “Or maybe examined by Wizards, to study the transformations. Didn’t think of it. Still not pleasant. I won’t excuse their actions, either, but I don’t see a point in killing them.” Red’s face grows dark, but he’s not focusing on Martin now. “‘Sides, it’ll just make the feud more bloody. Less of that, the better.”

Martin ponders that for a moment. “So what would you do with them?” he asks. “They threw in with Olivier. Who will stand watch over them, who will see to them after their transformation is reversed?” After a moment, he adds “Maybe we should consider that, instead of trying not to aggravate that feud, we ought to be ending it. And forgive me for saying so, but it is too rare that I’ve seen kind words make for change. I trust that Brandon and Master Rollins will intercede to check any unjust punishment if we ask them, but punishment there must be, and it should best be administered by a power that has no stake in the feud as the sides here see it.”

Red opens his mouth for a moment, then closes it, and blinks a couple times. The he turns over to Martin. “Would the Order take them? I was thinking I’d turn them over to Auntie Cia - her land’s been hit pretty hard by the fighting, and they’ll need the extra hands to rebuild, and she’s never struck me as terribly invested in the feud. But I still can’t guarantee that Pops wouldn’t pressure her, or that someone at Auberry might take matters into their own hands. You’re right - an outside party would be best. But I don’t see Valorous Sword handling this well, especially not in the current...climate.
“As for ending the feud...don’t think I haven’t thought about it, since I got back. But the only way it’ll end will be if one -or both- of the families is dead and gone. Both sides have too much pride, too much history.” Red sighs and scratches his neck. “Best to just avoid rocking the boat. Especially since I don’t want to massacre an entire family, no matter how fucking terrible they are.”

Martin nods. “I understand,” he says. “I can’t speak to the particulars of your local situation, and I’ve no right to be making choices for the people here; it’s just that, to my eyes, it looks like this is a bone that needs to be set before it can heal, and that’s going to hurt.” He shrugs. “We could appeal to the nearest Order monastery, but this...may not be what they will assist us with. We’re not keen on imprisoning people, both on a moral dimension and also because we have no use for the added discontented mouths to feed and violent hands to watch.”
“I was thinking less ‘imprisoning’ and more ‘accepting new acolytes.’” Red takes his hat off and shakes something off of it, and tries adjusting it. “I can trying convincing the henchmen it’s worth a shot, but I’ll leave the choice to them. Still not a pretty one - whatever way you look at it, it’s exile or death.” Red puts his hat back on and swallows. “Didn’t exactly want to play the law when I came back.”
“The way I see it,” Martin says, “we’re not playing the law; if we’re making decisions and people follow them, then we are the law. That’s something to ponder, not to run away from.”
Red harumphs. “If you’re trying to cheer me up, you’re doing shitty.”
“I’m trying to put us on the path to making a good decision,” Martin replies. “You know, for a change.”
Red chuckles. “Truth be told, Martin, no choice looks like a good one. Some just look less...regrettable than others.”
“I know,” Martin says. “Should we put the question to the others, then?”
“Might as well,” Red replies. “And, Martin? You know where to find me if you need to talk.”
punkey 2015-07-13 23:32:40
In contrast to Red, Ana finds Martin. Or, if one were being particularly pedantic, lets him find her, having waited in the quiet, unobtrusive way she sometimes does until they’re alone for a moment.

“You know I don’t give a fig about the fur. Or the tail. Or the claws.”

She smiled dryly. “There’s a certain clarity to my position - if you think faintly ill of everyone, the differences between them start to fade away.” The duelist waved her hand, dismissing her own tangent.

“The Rakasta are a proud people - they call themselves an Empire and they mean it. Noble too, in their own way. What they aren’t is particularly kind. They play with their food. I fought one once...a Captain. He had me dead to rights. Took a hard blow to the side. Broke a rib, my fingers went numb…” the sound of the woman’s voice sounded more like regret than anything else. “Could have just opened my throat and been done with it, but he wanted me afraid. Let me drag myself away and...well, it cost him.”

She sighed, shaking her head. “You’re a good man Martin. And that back there, what you did...that’s something Lucius would do. Something I would do. And we’re not good people Martin, we haven’t been for a long time. Just...are you sure you still know who you are?”

“I know I’m not still who I was,” Martin replied, bitter smile to go with the twisted words. “I’m not sure that guy deserved to be flattered as ‘a good man’, even if there’s no ‘but...’ attached.” He stared off into the distance for a moment. “I’ve tried. Nobody can honestly say I haven’t tried. I tried to be a good man, a good novice of the Order, I tried to help and to heal, and for a while there there was a bit of me that thought it was better than you because I held back in fights, as if fighting with open hands was better than with closed fists. But I think that’s not enough anymore. I’ve crossed lines I never imagined I would, yet I can’t find it within me to hate myself for that. I can’t hold back anymore, I can’t...not use what I have if it means that I let people get hurt for the sake of my pride and my restful sleep. And you know what? This is our fight, all of us. We’re all in this, we’re all after Asenath and her followers, we’re all risking our lives for this. I can’t stand over here and pretend that I’m good and you’re not when we do the same things. But that’s not cause for me to try to give up being good. It means we need to redraw some lines. We’re all good, Ana. That doesn’t mean we’re always right, it can’t mean that...but it does mean we’re all trying, and considering our opponents, maybe we can all afford to feel a bit better about ourselves.”

Ana gave him a thoughtful expression for a moment, before she smiled sadly. “I understand - and I won’t judge you for it. It’s not in me to judge anymore, not really. And if this is the path you want to walk, Vaetl knows there’s room enough on it for another. Just know if you’re walking on it, make sure it’s a choice. Because a war needs healers as much as it needs swords, and even if we win this, the world is going to need mending.”

She clapped him on the shoulder. “But I’ve lectured you enough.” She turned, tracing her way back into the swamp. “But Martin? We’re not all good.”

Martin leaves Ana to her conclusion and stands back as she wanders off, her state of mind made obvious and not for him to change. Still, as she gains distance and is perhaps too far away to hear him, he feels compelled to add a response.

“But you are,” he whispers.
punkey 2015-07-14 22:53:07
By the time the party arrives at the outskirts of the Descoteaux plantation again, night has well and truly fallen. What was merely disconcerting before is now downright fucking creepy - the moon is blood red and low on the horizon, poking through the trees lining the road to the Descoteaux plantation in vertical slashes that carve up the group as you sneak along the road. What was dead silent during the day is now anything but - yips, yelps and howls sound from the other side of the trees. Martin’s nostrils fill with the same animalistic decay scents that sent his whiskers and tail twitching before, just with the proof that there’s something else going on than just some dusty root veg and a creepy house.

“Fucking hell,” Q says. “Sounds like a shitload of ‘em.” His sword glistens in the light. “Rollins said you’re in charge - so take charge. Where do you want me?”
Lucius grunts. “Gonna be tough to get eyes on.” He looks at Ozzy. “You want me to give it a shot, or do we just walk up to the front door?” He smirks. “Or do you and Anata want to do another graceful somersault through the trees?”
Gatac 2015-07-15 14:58:42
"Given recent events," Martin comments, "I think it might be best if I...bring up the rear, so to speak."