Written Wonderland

"Hah, I do my best." Serio replied genially.

"There are a lot of unknows in what the woman may tell us, though." Serio's voice faded subtly as he spoke, his pace slowing just a touch as well. He could make out a clearing ahead, which, based on what he'd gotten out of Mizu after her visit with the crone the other day, meant they were awfully close. Was he ready? Was Ari? Serio turned his gaze to his companion, his eyebrows raised in excitement.

"Don't be shy about asking your own questions, as they arise."

He'd nearly come to a stop by then, and if it seemed like Ari would have much more to say, he just might. Depending on the crone's vigilance about such things, she might already know people were approaching, but Serio was cautiously hopeful that she wouldn't be eavesdropping before they hit the clearing. That said, if Ari seemed ready, he'd happily finish leading the way to the crone's cabin in silence.

A growing sense of anxiety had settled into the crone's chest as the sun dipped lower across the sky. It was mid-afternoon, but the hours until sundown were few, and the whisperings of the future were dense. The woman knew that things would happen--that visitors would arrive, for instance--but not when or who. And there were things she needed to tell Rutliff before... before...

Well, if he was going to visit her anyway, she didn't need to seek him out, did she? But if he wasn't the one coming, if he were going to spend another night with the goddess without her counsel, what then? Perhaps there was nothing for it but to wait.

It didn't help that she was still uneasy from having performed burial rites for the paladin not so long ago. That, and the priestess had seen the unmistakable purple dome exerting itself about the army camp. An omen directly from the goddess, it had to be, but why? And how did she manage it?

The runes Tehlunae threw only told her what she already knew--that the goddess was being deceived. And Evan wasn't the lying sort. There were pieces to all this the crone knew she needed to protect, and several of them were in question. How to tips the scales back in the right direction?

The elderly priestess was outside of her cottage when she heard a rustling in the direction of the path toward the army camp's clearing, her first indication of their presence a few birds flying off in the opposite direction and then a squirrel darting through the underbush. Finally.

She didn't, however, expect to see two captains who had not previously visited her. She recognized them from interrupting their meeting earlier in the week... why were they coming to see her now? Had something changed?

Closing her eyes where she sat in front of her cottage, her hands stopped scrubbing out the dirt from her cloths and rags in a basin.

A flash of images flooded in from the direction of the captains, and the crone could see both of their timelines laid out plain in front of them. Or, rather, she could see the bright lights of events in their lives that could not--or should not--change. Both of the captains were freer agents than most, those fixed points further apart than someone almost entirely directed by fate. They were clearly each accustomed to directing their own destinies. Interesting. And what would they want to know? For they certainly had curious, hopeful expressions full of life in their eyes.

Opening her eyes, the crone decided to make herself presentable, abandoning her washing to the basin and rinsing her hands in a fresh bowl of water to one side of it. She stood with some effort, straightening and stretching as the captains approached. The crone untied the overcloth that had been protecting her clothing and stood in an old garment constructed from the hides of at least seven different animals--rabbit, deer, squirrels, chipmunks, wolves, beaver, and weasels, to be exact. She raised one hand to shield her eyes from the sun and waited for the captains to explain why exactly they were here.

--

Ari nodded at Serio, steeling herself for the strange language and behavior she remembered of the old woman from the first time they met, though she felt ready and competent for whatever lay ahead. When she saw the old priestess of the goddess outside with her washing, the mundane nature of the action soothed Ari immensely, although watching the woman stand at her full height and taking in the homemade leather clothing she wore did a lot to deepen the mystery. Ari looked at Serio hopefully, capable of leading the questioning but trusting that Captain Kade already had something in mind.

Serio was also somewhat relieved to see the woman washing in front of her cabin--and, to see her calmly setting the activity aside upon their approach. It seemed hopeful that she'd be amenable to their questioning, then; Serio's greatest concern had been that she'd refuse to answer the door. There was still some danger that she'd only give them pleasantries, but they'd have at least that first layer of access, and that wasn't nothing.

Serio pressed his hand to his chest and gave the crone a bow, a bit deeper than the more habitual gestures he gave to familiar companions.

"Greetings, priestess," Serio said with a velvety voice, hoping it was the right call to harken back to the history she'd shared with them in the captains' meeting. He straightened up, letting both hands fall loosely to his sides, and regarded the old woman with a light, friendly smile.

"We were hoping you might be willing to tell us more about the goddess. We send more of our men to her tonight, but our understanding of her is still so thin."

Serio kept his own expression light, but watched the crone's expression keenly, very interested in any subtle hints about how much surprise his words sparked in her.

The crone appreciated both the deep bow and the naming of her as a priestess and knew at once that this captain was well and prepared to treat her as an authority. Good, she wouldn't need to convince him of that, then. Her chin rose slightly in pride, though she nodded her head slightly, allowing herself to be treated with deference. She noted that the other captain did not bow but did not read much into it.

She waited for the moment when the captain would tell of his intentions and was gratified that he wasted little time getting there. What he said as casual information, however--we send more of our men to her tonight--caused her to furrow her brow deeply. That was not at all what the crone had expected to hear, and she wasn't often surprised. What could have gone wrong such that the goddess needed more men? Hadn't the attacked men in the army camp all returned? Had Evan somehow already failed? The crone turned her head slightly off to one side in disbelief. And how exactly were they planning to send the men to the goddess? Would they be asking for her help?

The crone was silent for a few moments, keeping her expression fixed in place as she surveyed the speaking captain and the one who had not yet said anything. She wondered if asking for information about the goddess was another way to beat around the bush or if that were truly the reason they both were here.

The priestess was keenly aware that the darker captain was intently studying her, eager for as much information as she could provide. All right, then. She allowed her face to return to neutral, which even seemed to iron out some of the wrinkles on her wizened face.

"Sending more men wasn't part of the initial arrangement."

Ari looked at Serio with some concern, not expecting the crone to reply quite so matter-of-factly. Did the crone think she could control the entire situation? With as unpredictable a goddess as Dehaljadrun, Ari thought the old woman should know better. Then again, the woman served the goddess... hmm.

"Right," Ari said, pulling some pieces together and perhaps overstretching her reach. "We proposed a trade to the goddess. Some of our men for the release of the Shel'ti."

The priestess turned to the tall female captain who appeared to very much want to put her hands on her hips. The old woman did not move any muscles in her face, but behind her eyes, images of the goddess and a ritual flooded in. Yes, then it was true. The Shel'ti had been returned. And if the army hadn't yet sent the men, then... oh dear gods. That meant the goddess was alone.

"The goddess doesn't often renegotiate. How did you all manage that?" the crone asked, grateful that she was currently the one asking the questions.

Hm, Serio had been braced for surprise, but he wasn't entirely sure what to do with disbelief--and, was that concern? Well, he did his best to file it away and not get hung up on it at present.

He was still formulating the sort of reply he'd like to give to the crone's comment when Ari chimed in, and he shifted his attention to again watch the crone's expression carefully. He could tell that Ari's reply landed somewhere deep inside the woman, but he couldn't quite see the impact.

With a fresh question to answer, Serio decided to speak up more promptly this time.

"You'd have to ask Captain Rutliff, I'm afraid. Tenacity; gall; brashness, perhaps?" Serio gave a small shrug, admitting that he wasn't sure what value his reply would have to the crone, and silently asking forgiveness if there wasn't much.

"He returns to the goddess at sundown, so we don't have much time. Is there anything you can tell us about how our men should prepare? For their own sakes, and the sake of our alliance with the goddess."

All the adjectives the captain used for his counterpart felt accurate to the crone, but it gave her a lot of information otherwise. It meant that Evan had singlehandedly negotiated the deal. Although, the crone still wasn't sure that it was good sign the the goddess had released the Shel'ti sooner than she had received the men. What was she playing at? And, really, how did they all expect the men to get there? Were they all just going to march through the portal in Evan's tent? The goddess couldn't enthrall them all in a night, and she would have other things to do with Evan there. The crone shook her head a couple times. And by sundown?

"How many men are you sending?" the crone asked. Preparations, of course there would be preparations. Good grief, why had no one told her?

"Ten," Ari answered, grateful to have a question she felt wholly confident she could answer. The crone nodded and then looked to the other captain once more.

"How did you select them?"

"Volunteers," Serio replied, and paused just long enough to see if the crone reacted before continuing. "Some men have been approached directly; others will have heard through the grapevine and put themselves forward."

Serio wondered if the crone would be exasperated once she realized that they hadn't even secured all the volunteers yet, but he supposed there was nothing for it either way. He briefly wondered if she might appreciate a brief apology or prostration, as he could tell something was agitating her about all this, but decided that, no, that seemed preemptive in the very least, and also a waste of time. He simply waited patiently instead, hoping at this point that the correct course of action was to reply succinctly and look forward to when she had enough information to help them.

The old woman studied the captain as he spoke, her brow furrowing again as the corners of her mouth turned slightly downward. Honestly, it took her a few moments to fully understand what the captain really meant, so she looked deeper into the man's recent past, seeing an interaction with a soldier, who, granted, looked rather eager at the prospect of going to the goddess, but there was nothing in the captain's memory to indicate that the man had decided yet. Reflecting back on the captain's actual words, she determined that they hadn't, in fact, completely decided who all would be going. And it was already getting late in the day.

The crone shook her head, uneasy about where this was leading. If the goddess had already released the Shel'ti, she wouldn't take kindly to waiting, and there may be disastrous consequences for making her do so. If such things hadn't already occurred.

Looking toward the position of the sun in the sky, the crone sighed and pulled her washing chair around to face the captains. She then ventured back inside her cottage without a word but quickly reemerged, competently carrying two more gnarled chairs, which she set out in a moderately sized triangle a short stone's throw from the cottage. She gestured to the new chairs and waited for everyone to settle before continuing.

"I know that the soldier under your command has not yet agreed to go," the old woman said, wanting Captain Kade to know that obstructing the truth wasn't going to get him very far with her. The crone sat with a forward lean, her elbows resting on her knees. "And I'd like to know how many you still have to gather. But first, I will answer your question." The crone closed her eyes and took a long, deep breath, straightening her back as her hands grew light on her legs. Finally, she settled again and looked at the captains.

"Before the destruction of the temples, we would periodically send our own volunteers to the goddess. It was a great honor, and we carried out elaborate ceremonies to celebrate such an occasion. Perhaps you remember. We knew, as did those who went to her, that there was no telling how or when or whether they would return. But, we found it notable that, of those who did return, they were transformed in a much more positive way than the captives the goddess chose herself. Still, you have to understand, after months and sometimes years--speaking under our own constructs of time, of course, not the gods'--it was difficult for some of them to return to who they were previously. Some devoted themselves to continually serving the goddess at one of her temples, preparing others for the journey. Others became leaders or nomads or..." the crone trailed off, assuming they knew where she was going with all that and sensing some impatience on the part of the female captain.

"With the temples gone and most of the remaining priestesses held captive, I'm afraid it would be immensely difficult to prepare your volunteers in a fashion that would please the goddess. And yet, I suspect she understands this to some degree." The old woman dropped her eyes to the ground for a moment before closing them altogether, fatigue settling over her shoulders.

"A word of caution, though," the crone added, her orange-brown eyes flicking open and staring at Serio in a rather startling way, "the goddess will know exactly what each person seeks in travelling to her."

Serio was surprised and a little uneasy when the crone brought out chairs--he wasn't sure there was time for a sit-down conversation. But, far be it from him to reject hospitality, even if he wouldn't be able to avail himself of it long. He took a seat gracefully, and did his best not to flinch when the crone referenced Novelty. At first, his mind started running a calculation of whether this meant she had an informant in camp, but he decided quickly that the calculation wasn't worth running; either way, he got the message that she knew more about their situation than he'd realized, and he nodded seriously to illustrate that understanding, though he was terribly curious where the line was between what she knew and what she did not, for clearly, she'd still had questions.

The captain listened solemnly to the priestess' words, nodding where felt appropriate. He was aware that followers of Dehaljadrun would hold such ceremonies, but he'd never previously grokked their purpose, and by the time he'd become interested in the details of such things, there were few ways left to gather information about them, and even fewer reasons to bother doing so, before now.

The most striking piece of information that the crone shared, though, was the last, and he certainly didn't miss the fact that she rather suddenly stared straight at him when she said it. So, either the precise nature of his conversation with Novelty had somehow made its way to her, or his reputation simply preceded him. It was tempting to reexamine his conversation with Novelty in this light, but he interrupted that process, instead putting it on pause for a later time. For now, he owed the crone an answer to her question.

"Thank you. That is all very valuable to take into account. Unfortunately, I don't know of anyone who has definitively agreed to go yet. I believe our commander did not think it wise to start recruitment efforts in earnest before Captain Rutliff had rested from his previous night with the goddess, so soldiers have only had an hour or two to contemplate, at most. They know to decide before sunset, and at least my soldier is interested in preparing an appropriate offering, in case he does decide to go. I'm sure many more soldiers are in a similar mind, which is largely what brings me here now."

Serio was aware he was stretching the truth a bit speculating on why Mizu hadn't started recruitment efforts after the goddess had met with her that morning, but he had honestly given his best guess. Though, as he contemplated it in the wake of his own words, he supposed he had heard whispers of Captain Miller's discontent fairly early today. That prompted Serio to idly wonder whether Mizu had reached out to specific captains sooner, and those captains had just kept their cards close to their chest? Regardless, he'd be surprised if anyone had truly committed to go just yet, certainly if they all thought they had until sundown.

Ari listened attentively to Captain Kade and the crone, waiting for an opportunity to interject if and when it felt necessary, but she was currently content with the directionality of the conversation, soaking in all the information each of them had to offer. It wouldn't be long, however, before she would begin to feel like dead weight.

Listening to Captain Kade's explanation of the situation, the crone nodded and took a moment to consider the soldier, Novelty, and what sort of offering he might bring to the goddess. To this properly, she again closed her eyes and assessed what she knew of the soldier based on the captain's recent exchange with him. The man was bursting with excitement yet lonely, dedicated and yet uncertain of his purpose. He was...

And all at once, she knew how she would send him to the goddess. Without opening her eyes, she spoke and said, "After the proper washing of his body and the aforedescribed rituals, Novelty should bedeck himself in vining, flowering plants--perhaps clematis or wisteria or climbing jade; they all grow in this area. He'll need to unwind them carefully to properly wrap them around his nude body." The old woman opened her eyes and looked at Captain Kade matter-of-factly without the slightest hint of embarrassment.

"Is that offering specific to Novelty, or should all the volunteers do that?" Ari asked patiently. The crone looked at her, head slightly tilted in mild confusion.

"The goddess doesn't take kindly to repetition. The offering should be unique to the volunteer." How strange it was that such a fact was no longer common knowledge. The old woman's gaze passed to Captain Kade and then back to Captain Nicolaides. "In all the rituals I have ever taken part in, the most we have ever sent to the goddess was two at a time, and they were twins. We would sometimes go years without sending another. To ask for ten at one time..." The crone trailed off, her eyes darting toward something moving off in the distant trees. She squinted as though that would help her see and finally decided it was likely unimportant. Surely no one could really blame her for being on edge after the paladin's foiled attempt on her life.

After a moment, the crone added, "the offerings for those we chose to go to the goddess sometimes took weeks to prepare and perfect."