Eternal questions (Ithea)

[Anastasia]

"Quite," Sage Vul'lath finishes. "Is there anything else?"

If not, note what you're doing next since you have a few things on your agenda.

[Merc]

Ithea shakes her head. "I'll talk to you later then," she says as she moves on with her day of tasks.

ooc: In no particular order
Ithea would be helping with the Glade construction (duh), checking up on Balyss, mentioning the invitation to Sylvie/Balyss, helping Tepen out on the chains research, talkign to Vul'ath to see if he had any insights into 27's words, debating permanency stuff, getting to know the new recruits, checking up on the tortles to see how their morale is doing (she'll feel responsible for them), checking up on the catfolk (which she -is- responsible for and hasn't checked up on in a while).

Moving on to visit the catfolk group first, then the tortles and then you can figure out how to get me to meet the other recruits (are we only having PC recruits or any npc ones?)

[Anastasia]

Catching up to the catfolk is easy enough. They're practicing in the courtyard, going through drills. Weapon drills in particular, setting a steady and graceful pace as they go through them. Ithea gets looks, but none of them stop what they're doing, keeping focus on the task.

[Merc]

Ithea watches for a few minutes in silence, simply observing the drills. If she notes any mistakes or possible improvements, she'll offer them, however.

[Anastasia]

This leads into Ithea correcting a few drills - then a little more, soon making examples. An hour later, Ithea is sweaty and her fur is matted. But the catfolk are well trained and chatting away - mood seems to be good overall. Nothing immediately jumps out at her as wrong.

[Merc]

Ithea nods. "Good drills everyone. Any questions before I leave?" she asks as she swipes some sweat off her face with a nearby towel.

[Anastasia]

"Yes," One of the younger catfolks, still a teenager, calls out. "You're not hurt, are you, Lady Ithea?"

An older one grunts at this, "Yeah, don't overdo it. We're lost if something happens to you."

[Merc]

"I'm fine, don't worry. Hanna looked me over," Ithea replies full of mirth at the other youth. "I promise I had no problems during those drills."

Turning to the older one... "As for you, don't say things like that. I promise you won't be lost. Or at least you won't stay that way," she says to him. "All of us catfolk are the same in that regard."

Looking at all of the gathered catfolk, she notes seriously, "Look, when Lifasa was invaded, I froze. Maybe some of you think I was some sort of hero back then, but I wasn't. I hardly remember parts of it. I mean, I was fighting too at some point, but sometimes I don't even know if I was really helping. The -only- reason I lived was because I was lucky to get pushed into a portal by some of the other defenders there. What happened with Muirfinn and Lief, it's honestly been a pretty grim reminder of that day for me."

She looks solemnly at the others. "And maybe someday I'll be the one left behind as a portal closes behind one of you. I can tell you how I felt both those times. Yeah, I was lost for a while. I was afraid. Worried. Doubting myself."

"But I don't let myself wallow in those feelings. I can't, not when those same things made me so very angry. I want justice for all those that have been lost. I need to push myself, be stronger, be better. And I want to keep on hoping that what I do matters, that there's no inevitability like that so called 'Duke of Destiny' claims. Those feelings of wanting to fight back brought me here to Aurora, and its those feelings that have brought you all here too. All of you train every bit as much as I do, because you want to fight back too."

"So okay if something happens to me, maybe you will feel lost for a little while. You'll build a nice statue in my honor, I hope? You'll train some more. And then you'll keep fighting and show those devils what you think about that. And you won't have time to be feeling lost."

She pauses again and as she picks up her glaive, she tosses the towel towards the teenager who asked about her.

With a chuckle she adds, "Mind you, if I have anything to say about it all, I plan to die an old granny back in the valley I was born in, surrounded by brats that I'll have enraptured to tales of an impossible sounding youth. So yeah, no plans to overdo anything in my day planner."

[Anastasia]

Ithea, make a diplo check with a +5 bonus. Alternately, make a perform(oratory) check if that's higher.

[Merc]

ooc:
[13:26] <Sailor_Mercury> roll d20+37+5 diplo
[13:26] <Kobot> Sailor_Mercury rolled d20+37+5 diplo --> [ 1d20=1 ]{43}
[13:26] <Sailor_Mercury> ooc: fabulous

[Anastasia]

The speech goes over well enough, Ithea thinks. Murmurs of approval follow a round of applause. Not bad.

It wasn't anything you could really fail, but you missed something. So it goes. Now what's on your agenda?

[Merc]

Tortles is the last thing before trying to meet up with new recruits, otherwise don't have anything else. *shakes fist at Kobot*

[Anastasia]

Getting cleaned up is simple enough. The baths are actually empty for once and it's a quick soak. On the way out, you find Simmer waiting by the portal. She does not look like a happy pyrodryad, a terse frown on her face. "Ithea, there you are."

[Merc]

"You were looking for me?"

[Anastasia]

"Yeah," Simmer says, "I'd like to remind all of you that I'm around to help. All this trouble would've missed if we'd just set Taelfagn on fire more."