Written Wonderland

Lance's own grin widened considerably, giddiness lighting up his eyes as Novelty spoke. He could hardly help slinging his arm over Novelty's shoulder by the end of it, his whole body playfully bumping into his friend as they walked.

"Something happened, didn't it?" he asked excitedly as he detangled and bounded forward a step or two, planting himself squarely in front of Evan's tent before pivoting back around to face Novelty, his expression positively exuberant. There was little more Lance loved than trading tales of these sorts, and that this involved someone like Pemberley was exceptionally juicy.

It did cross his mind that Evan might be present, though, and that Novelty might be feeling a bit private about that. With a light sigh, the lieutenant pivoted again, and said to the tent,

"Yo Rutliff, you here?"

When not a peep echoed, Lance turned back to Novelty and raised his eyebrows expectantly.

Novelty was a little disappointed when no sound came from Evan's tent, though his body was still tingling from the ways Lance had bumped against him. The soldier was grateful that Lance and he were on these terms.

Novelty's first inclination was to childishly say, "Nothing happened," but Novelty knew that wasn't true. And, in reality, how risky was it that anything would get back to Philip if Lance and Novelty would both be leaving for the goddess?

Deciding a direction to take, the soldier put a hand on his hip and sobered up a little. "Pemberley hadn't been talking, and no one had seen him in the mess tent. I brought him some food and... We had this very serious conversation and..." Novelty realized that the humor of the moment was difficult to convey and suddenly switched directions.

"He's sitting there on his cot, terribly down on himself, and in parting, he looks up at me, shaky and unsure of himself, and promises me he'll eat." Novelty looked down at the ground, embarrassed. He really hadn't imagined he would tell anyone about this. Looking around one more time, Novelty continued.

"Maybe it's just that I don't know if I'll be coming back or maybe it's that I don't want to leave anything undone, but... I couldn't help it. He made me laugh, and I kissed him. I kissed him, and I left." Novelty looked at Lance, somewhat worried that Lance was going to reproach him, but the soldier managed a small, sad smile and hoped that Lance would be able to keep it playful as ever.

Lance listened to his friend, absolutely enrapt in Novelty's tale. He wanted to know more about this 'serious conversation'--had it been about the goddess? Was Novelty holding out on more tea about what they'd be getting into? Good gods, what even had someone like Philip gotten into there? Lance might well pay money to see Lieutenant Pemberley loosen up.

Novelty pulled Lance into a particular moment though, painting a vivid picture of Philip in all his self-loathing glory looking up to Novelty--Lance couldn't help adding the image of glassy, pouty eyes--and promising he'll eat. Yes, Lance saw the humor in that, though worried it wouldn't be in good taste, so he crossed an arm over his chest and brought his other hand to his mouth, at least pretending to hide this smile, even if the amusement absolutely made its way to his eyes. There was a certain sort of worry beneath it--staring into the reality that at least one person who had been with the goddess was struggling pretty badly upon his return--but Lance was a pro as brushing over things like that, for better or worse.

Then Novelty continued, and Lance's eyebrows shot up with delight. He waited a beat, wondering of Novelty would give him any more info about how Philip responded, but instead the soldier seemed to be waiting for Lance's reaction, so he reacted.

"Ahhhh, and?" the lieutenant spread his arms in playful exasperation, dying to hear more. "How was it? Did he kiss you back? Was it steamy? Did he like it? Did you like it? C'mon, you gotta gimme more than that!" That said, Lance's eyes were full of delight, and if Novelty wanted to leave it at that, Lance was likely to tease or pout briefly, but would ultimately leave it alone, at least for now.

"And nothing," Novelty said bashfully, waving one hand toward Lance in a shooing gesture and placing the other on one burning cheek. "It was just a peck, and then I left. It was... wholesome, if anything. I don't know if he liked it. I don't know that I particularly cared whether he would or not in that moment, to be honest. And I... well..." Novelty looked up Lance, dropping both his hands to his sides, knowing he was about to give Lance what he wanted, "I did like it. There was a moment when it seemed like Pemberley might act--one way or the other--but... I was gone before he could even catch his breath."

Novelty reached up to rub at the back of his neck and looked around, a sigh of relief coming out of his mouth when he saw Rutliff coming down the path. Granted, the captain was still a ways out, but that meant that Novelty wouldn't have to put too much effort into getting Lance off his back.

Something swelled nervously across Lance's back when Novelty pushed back initially. He might not have thought anything of it--hell, it might not even have happened--except for this newfound vigilance about how in the hell he'd know the difference between playing with the goddess and going too far. Had he gone too far with Novelty just then? The soldier certainly was bashful, but he continued talking, giving Lance answers despite his shyness. That was all an enjoyable part of the game, then, yeah?

By the time Novelty brought his gaze back up to Lance, the lieutenant was relaxed--or at the very least, he'd let go of his playful exasperation. His smile was perhaps a bit nervous, as bubbles of play and care and oh-god-so-Novelty's-leaving-unfinished-business and nicely-played-though ricocheted around in his chest. Lance examined Novelty's expression, trying to figure out how much of the soldier's bashfulness was just because Lance was a person to be bashful about these things with, and how much was because Novelty was actually uncomfortable with something about the situation with Pemberley. It was kind of a big thing to leave open-ended, potentially, but then again, it was also kind of the perfect one-off experience with a smooth if dramatic exit, which Lance could certainly appreciate.

He caught Novelty looking down the row of tents, though, and when he followed his friend's gaze he saw that Rutliff was approaching. Lance shot Novelty a playful smirk with a reinvigorated confidence, his eyes narrowed to convey a perfect, all right, you're off the hook, for now.

---

Evan was glad to see two soldiers already gathered by his tent--Lance and one other, presumably ready to commit. Lance waved to him with a shit-eating grin, and Evan answered it in kind as he closed the distance. Truthfully, he'd miss the lieutenant, and he felt somewhat sorry for Ari loosing him, but, well, Evan felt he understood completely why Lance wanted to go.

"Glad to see you didn't get cold feet." Evan greeted Lance with a light smack to the shoulder, which Lance happily returned in kind.

"Tch, as if I would."

Evan might've bantered more, but for the other soldier present. He regarded Lance's companion, taking a moment to place the soldier's face.

"Ah," he said with a warm smile and an outstretched hand. "You're Kade's soldier, right?"

It was only at this moment, when Evan walked up to greet them that Novelty realized how few opportunities Novelty had had to interact directly with Captain Rutliff. Sure, Novelty had tailed him plenty--it was obvious that Evan was frequently the most common source of intrigue--but it had always been as subtle as Novelty could manage, from a distance. Shaking Evan's hand now felt... incredibly intimate in a way that took Novelty off guard. He smiled sheepishly at the captain, and his blush only deepened when Evan recognized him as one of Kade's soldiers. Had Novelty been less subtle than he had thought?

"I am," Novelty said, after using a few seconds to recover. "I'm here to volunteer." A whirl of questions and curiosities whooshed in Novelty's mind--how were he and Rutliff going to interact from this point forward? Well, only one way to find out.

--

Ramanujan spent the rest of the afternoon in deep meditation. Though he had already made up his mind after his conversation with Ashleigh, he still wanted to sort through the memories the goddess had instilled in him--to whatever degree possible--and steel himself for what he was about to do. He understood, perhaps better than anyone else, that going to the goddess' realm in the flesh would be much, much different than going in dream or in spirit. And, besides, he had few goodbyes to offer; it wasn't as though he had spent much time making friends in camp.

When Ashleigh came back to tell him that he should meet in front of Captain Rutliff's tent around sundown, Ramanujan thought briefly about asking her again if she was sure he should leave, but he didn't want to draw things out longer than was necessary. No point in having yet more circular conversations. He simply nodded and filed the information away for later.

After seeking food and determining what, if anything, he should bring with him on this journey, he settled on the least stained of his clothing, a few small charms that reminded him of home, and--in the last moment--the bottle of desi daru that he had, somewhat miraculously, kept with him all this time. He knew that many of mystical beings appreciated offerings, frequently of spirits, and he had managed to use the contents sparingly enough to have half left. He hoped it would be enough for the goddess as he put it into a small satchel. The rest of his belongings would become the army's, he supposed, and that was probably all right. He had little to his name.

Just before the sun hit the horizon, Ramanujan headed out and approached Captain Rutliff's tent. There were already two men in addition to the captain there, and Ramanujan could not help but wonder what their reasoning for volunteering was. Perhaps they were also on some kind of spiritual quest, although, from the expressions on their faces, Ramanujan doubted it.

"Captain Rutliff," Ramanujan announced neutrally when he fully arrived, "Captain Brede informed me of the situation, and I would like to offer my services as a volunteer. Having been to the goddess previously, I know what awaits me... what awaits us."

Evan watched the soldier's face as they shook hands, and absolutely took note of the bashfulness present. He wondered how much of it was because of what the soldier was volunteering to do, and how much was because of who Evan was in relation to it--hell, maybe even outside of it. He realized he did like to think it was at least a little bit of his own doing, and he let his smirk glimmer just a bit to show it.

Lance saw that glimmer--how could he not?--and a small prick of jealousy tugged at his stomach, urging him to say or do something, either to knock Evan down a peg or somehow join in on enjoying Novelty's bashfulness. The first thought to come to mind was naturally not a good one--to somehow boast about Novelty and Philip's little kiss. But, even without all this talk of humility and worship or whatever, Lance knew that'd be a low blow, and not even really accomplish much aside from being an asshole. Better to be helpful, if he was going to interject.

"Novelty said that there'll be a ceremony to send us off tomorrow," he said with a slight nod to his friend to clearly indicate who he meant.

Evan blinked to Lance, his expression softening as he took in the bits of information Lance had offered. The soldier's name was Novelty; Lance knew the soldier's name was Novelty; and they both knew about the change of plans. He nodded, letting a fresh glimmer of amusement light up his eyes at Lance's territoriality, however subtle.

"Yup, that's the plan," he replied warmly. "The hope is that folks will still gather here today so we can get a head-count and I can update anyone who hasn't heard."

Lance nodded and crossed his arms, at least glad to have confirmation that Evan was on the same page. He contemplated whether he wanted to use this time with just the three of them to ask more questions about the goddess--about worshiping her--but he saw another soldier coming down the path.

"Looks like we've got at least one more," Lance said with a renewed smile as he nodded towards the approaching soldier.

Evan turned to see who was coming. The soldier took him a second to place, but quickly enough, flashes of memories surfaced--this soldier leaving the infirmary tent this morning with purple eyes; this soldier holding Evan down on that metal table the other night. Evan's heart thumped loudly in his chest, simultaneously pleased that a soldier who had been taken would indeed be returning--presumably--and also terribly anxious about, well, things he really didn't want to put words to.

He was relieved when the darker-skinned soldier greeted him neutrally and respectfully, neither shame nor derision in his expression, at least not that Evan could see. Muscles the captain hadn't realized had tensed relaxed, and he was able to give the new soldier a warm smile as he'd given Novelty before, his hand likewise outstretched to welcome him.

"Glad to have you," he said, though once he said it, he realized it didn't sound quite right. He was treating this like a mission they were all signing up for enthusiastically--hard not to do with Lance at the forefront, he supposed--but that might not be what this was for all of them. He certainly had no read on this soldier just yet, but he supposed all he could do was let his welcome stand in earnest, see how it landed and go from there.

Novelty studied the next soldier to arrive and quickly realized that he was one of the attacked men who woke up this morning. He could not help but be impressed that the soldier looked as put together as he did, all things considered, and was surprised that the soldier could have made such a quick decision about matters. Was he that eager to return to the goddess? If he were, it wasn't showing on his face. There was a determination that Novelty found both reassuring and intimidating.

The soldier also found himself wondering how Captain Brede had caught wind of the situation, though, from the sight of the new soldier's satchel, Novelty didn't think information about the plan having changed toward a ceremony the following day had reached the soldier. There was an urge to tell him, but Novelty figured it would probably be best for Evan to address all of them at once.

And, yeah, Evan. Watching the captain grapple with the men he was sending with the goddess--not to mention smirking at Novelty himself--did set a warm fluster through the rest of Novelty's body, and he found himself uncomfortably eager to get to where all the action would happen. How would he spend an entire day knowing that he could be doing any number of untoward things with these other men in a matter of hours? Novelty suppressed a giggle thinking of the ways that perhaps Lance would help with that situation in the meantime.

--

Gavin left the conversation with his captain feeling all sorts of tangled and confused, but there was a tightly wound ball of giddiness in the center of him. He walked as normally as he could until he was fairly certain he was out of Evan's line of sight before the soldier broke into a full run in the field near the forest. He didn't much care what anyone else thought of this action--Gavin just needed some time to sort things out for himself.

When he arrived at the eastern part of the river, he sat down, completely out of breath, and made a squeal sound into his hands. The goddess was a shapeshifter! The goddess was a shapeshifter! What did that mean? Would the goddess be able to change him? Or others? What was the limit to her abilities?

And then there was the relief of not being expected to... well...

And Evan had enjoyed that the goddess had appeared to him with...

Gavin squealed into his hands again. If there was ever a question in his mind whether or not he should go to the goddess, that had all but disappeared now. He was too intrigued, too hopeful, too full of curiosity and wonder at such a being existing, not to mention the reality of being in her presence.

It was a long while before he calmed down, but finally, he picked himself up and went back to his tent to collect himself more fully and prepare for the journey ahead.

When he decided he was ready, the sun was much lower in the sky than he had hoped, and he was rushing to complete everything. He did wish that he had a little more time to say goodbye to Hannah and Roe, but he suspected they would understand. And Lance would be there right alongside Gavin. Oh boy, what a thought.

Gavin hurried toward Evan's tent with little more than the clothes on his back and the sword strapped to his side. He didn't imagine he would need much else. The goddess would... feed them... right?

When he arrived, he saw there was already a crowd around Evan's tent, and Gavin breathed a sigh of relief that none of them had left yet. It was only then that he realized that his "bunkmate" wasn't going to show up with him, but he shrugged the thought off, figuring that Lance would probably be the only one to make a comment about that, and Gavin could surely come up with some kind of excuse.

Gavin saw Lance in the group and was surprised to be grateful that there would be at least one more familiar face in the goddess' realm. The other soldiers... they looked so foreign to Gavin. Would he have time to get to know them? He didn't know.

When he was close enough that Evan would hear, Gavin said, "I'm here, Captain," and did his best to settle into the background to wait for whatever was to happen next.

The darker-skinned soldier had accepted his handshake, but didn't give Evan much else to go on. The captain couldn't help sobering a bit as he tried to make heads or tails of the soldier's expression--the stoicism he found there was reminding him of Lieutenant Pemberley, which wasn't exactly endearing.

Evan gently released the soldier's hand, in good enough spirits not to let his discomfort do much more than turn his expression a bit more neutral--and his warmth returned quickly when he heard Gavin's voice, and turned to smile at his soldier.

--

Lance was also watching Evan and the darker-skinned soldier closely, curious about this new arrival. He was heartened that this was one of the men who had been with the goddess before. It seemed like a good sign that one would choose to return, and it sounded like he might be happy to share some insight into what they were facing--certainly happier than Lieutenant Pemberley had been, at the very least. He couldn't help sliding his eyes over to Novelty, still giddy and curious about the interaction those two had had. Now, wouldn't it be something for Philip to show up tonight? If Novelty felt his gaze and turned to look, he'd probably catch sight of a quick, knowing grin, before Lance hid it away in favor of welcoming Gavin.

"Moretti, you made it!" Lance gave Gavin a wide grin and a casual wave.

Evan gave Lance a warning look before returning his smile to Gavin and giving the soldier a nod. It was honestly quite heartening to be amongst multiple volunteers--four already, and that wasn't counting Trevor whom Evan deemed pretty likely. So they were at least halfway there. He surveyed the gathered soldiers, wondering if he should go ahead and update those present about the plans, or fill the time with something else while they waited for more arrivals. But, what would he even fill it with? He supposed, he was curious about the soldiers he didn't know here, but would it be appropriate to ask them about who they were, why they were here? No, that all felt a bit intrusive right now.

"Plans have been updated somewhat," Evan decided to go ahead and say, figuring it was a bit pointless to keep them thinking they were about to leave when they'd still have another day in reality. "The commander wants to wait and send you the goddess tomorrow evening, with a proper celebration."

--

Nick had spent some time in the woods after talking with his captain, needing space from camp to let his body digest what he was considering. He cried a lot, walking slowly through the trees. If he had to say, it seemed like the tears were mostly over what he'd miss out on: supporting his fellow soldiers, joining in on their celebrations once the war was done. He'd made several friends here, and some guilt certainly tore at him at the prospect of leaving them to battle shadows and kinsmen alike, while Nick spent time with divinity.

The more he cried, the clearer he felt about his choice, though. While the emotions that tugged at him about leaving were very real, and absolutely needed this space and acknowledgement, they slowly but surely gave way to a certainty that, yes, Nick wanted to go. He'd found great purpose in being a part of something during this war, grim as it had been, and he felt an even greater purpose calling, though it was difficult to put into words. Had he been able to put the rebellion into words when he'd decided to join, though? He hadn't been a soldier when this all started, and he'd had to leave friends and family to become one. He'd cried then, too. Maybe now was no different. He hadn't regretted that last choice, so perhaps it was perfectly reasonable to believe that he wouldn't regret this one, either.

By the time Nick came out of the woods, he was practically glowing with excitement, albeit also with rather pinkened eyes. He started searching for his captain to tell him, and he told practically everyone he knew who crossed his path along the way. He told them with a joyous serenity that some seemed to understand clearly, while others made light of or disbelieved. That was okay. Nick had to get to his captain to tell him, and he pursued that goal with a steady calm. He shared countless tears and embraces, perhaps with his captain most of all, before he stopped by his tent to prepare himself and then set off towards Rutliff's encampment.

He paused when he rounded a bend and saw Captain Rutliff gathered with a few soldiers in front of his tent, a fresh anxiety starting to buzz in his chest. It was one thing when some of the soldiers he'd told had regarded him skeptically, but it'd be another if the captain in charge of this endeavor did. He tried to remind himself that he'd been regarded skeptically before joining the war effort, too--that he'd once been seen as small and weak and assumed to be cowardly and fragile, but he'd known that none of that was true about himself, and he'd been right. He was certainly worried that Rutliff would see him as meek and virginal and unassuming and--while some of that might be true--he knew in his heart the goddess would see why he was there, even if the captain couldn't. And, who was to say that Evan wouldn't see him? Just because he had pink in his eyes? Nick stepped back behind the corner tent just to shake himself out for a moment, give that buzz of anxiety somewhere to go. Then, he set a hand on his chest and drew in a long, quiet breath, and finally, bravely set off towards the group of soldiers who had gathered.

((OOC: I'm imagining that there'll be a chance to reply to Evan's comment before folks see Nick approaching. Feel free to either have Nick arrive in your post or just reply to Evan and we'll have Nick arrive in ours.))

Gavin balked a bit when Lance called his name, but it made him happy when Evan gave Lance a look about it. Maybe Evan would be keeping an eye on Gavin, which made Gavin feel happy and welcome. He smiled even through the unwanted attention.

He looked at Evan as the captain began speaking, attentive and ready. What if this was all of the volunteers? What if they were leaving now? His stomach started doing intense backflips, and it was everything Gavin could do to keep himself calm. He shifted anxiously from one foot to the other.

But then Gavin processed Evan's words, and it sounded as though they would be waiting another entire day before going to the goddess, albeit with a ceremony to attend and be presented at. Gavin didn't at all like the idea of being on display for the rest of the camp, and that's definitely what it sounded like would happen. Oh gods, did this mean he didn't want to go? No, he could do it. He could put on show, even, if it meant going to meet the goddess. Gavin was determined.

--

Ramanujan had been looking around at the other soldiers--quite a ragged group--and pondering curiously about what the goddess saw in Evan. She was clearly taken with him, and he had a clear authority about him with regard to the situation. How much had he experienced with her that Ramanujan did not know about? The memories he had of Evan in the goddess' realm were, in all honesty, trite in comparison to the wonders the goddess had taunted Ramanujan with, but he sorted through them now, remembering being commanded to hold Evan down, watching as Lieutenant Pemberley chased Rutliff into the woods.

Fuck him, and make it hurt. Wasn't that what the goddess had commanded? Yes. While Ramanujan was grateful that she hadn't told him to do that, he had to believe that the goddess, in her divinity, had some greater plan in mind. And Evan didn't seem worse for wear on account of it. He was, after all, willingly leading others to her and continually going back himself. Yes, Ramanujan didn't feel the need to linger too much on those details.

When another, somewhat effeminate man--one that the loud-mouthed man knew--joined their group, Ramanujan despaired somewhat. Was he in the right place? Would he really find the answers he was seeking amongst these men? He consoled himself with the sensations of the memories the goddess had given him and determined that he must push forward.

He snapped to attention when Captain Rutliff spoke, and he was surprised to hear both that they would have one more day here and that the commander planned a ceremony to see them off. That did seem rather out of character based on what Ramanujan knew of her, but he could instantly see the appeal. Perhaps that would make all of them seem more palatable to the goddess. Maybe they could salvage this situation after all.

A small soldier started coming down the path next, and Ramanujan made a count of those who had already arrived. Four others, five if he included himself. Only half of what they needed. Yes, perhaps it was a good thing they weren't going tonight--this might not be enough. Then again, the sun hadn't passed all the way below the horizon just yet. Maybe others would still be joining. Ramanujan liked the look of this new soldier. While he had a slight stature, there was a curiosity about his eyes that Ramanujan felt he recognized. Of all the men assembled as of yet, Ramanujan suspected he would get along with this one best.

--

Novelty assessed the new arrival with curiosity. Yes, this was going to be altogether too much fun. He also paid keen awareness to the mood shift after Evan made his announcement about the delay and the ceremony. It made sense that there were some mixed feelings--Novelty had some mixed feelings himself. But then he remembered that he would be naked except for flowers in front of the entire camp and... yes, he could certainly wait for that.

The soldier again perked up with yet another one of the attacked men made his way toward the assembly--the third to be attacked if Novelty remembered correctly. That was two of the five who were going to return, then. Interesting. It made Novelty think of Philip. Would Philip be coming? No, that seemed almost impossible after their earlier conversation. Philip had tried to talk Novelty out of it, after all.

Novelty couldn't help but clock the new soldier's muscled figure. Would there be no end to the attractive men who wanted to come with him? It appeared not. Then again, Novelty was attracted to most people, so the odds were good and made Novelty buzz with thrill and excitement. If only there were a way to begin now.

--

After Trevor's conversation with Yukiko, he felt lighter. He knew that, if he weren't to come back, Yukiko would keep her promise to the best of her ability. He hoped his sister would understand. He still hated to think of the horrors she was undergoing--if she was still alive, that was. But, now, Trevor had new things to worry about. Going to the goddess. Going... to the goddess. He ached terribly at the thought of it. Of course. Of course he wanted to go back. Every limb ached for her embrace again and again and again. He hoped there would be no end to the time he could spend with her.

He didn't change his behavior much, even though he knew he was leaving. He sparred, slept, ate, sat in silence. Sundown was consistently too far away. Until suddenly it wasn't, and he found himself walking the short distance toward Rutliff's tent.

He recognized Ramanujan even before he fully arrived and nodded toward him, but he didn't know--and didn't really care to know--any of the others. Did they know what they were getting themselves into? Trevor doubted it.

With a nod toward Evan, Trevor took his place among the crowd.