Three Things Bothering Rune

Log Info

• Title: Three Things Bothering Rune

• Characters: Rune, Jacob

• Place: A08: N. Bridge Over Tornmawr River and Shipping Channel

• Summary: Jacob stumbles upon Rune at the bridge and she attempts to get him caught up on recent events.

The day is warm, with only a few clouds flitting across the sky. Much of Alexandria carries on as it always does, oblivious to the threats that lurk both within and outside their walls. For Rune, it has been a trying few days. The rogue is standing on the overlook of the bridge, leaning slightly against the railing, her hood up, her eyes looking down along the river.

People pass by, largely giving her space since it isn't polite to interrupt someone so clearly introspective. However, there seems to be more to it than that. There is a slight bit of padding around her belly that suggests bandages underneath. Her hands seem to be fidgeting with her mother's necklace, toying with the loose pieces.

Rune is... unsettled.

Many people pass by.

The shadows that may flicker at the edge of her vision come and go until one seems to slow to a stop. Hooded and robed, Jacob seems to move closer to Rune, resting his wrists on the edge of the railing as a slow hum leaves his throat, a soft sound.

"A troubled mind is oft the killer of hope." His voice rumbles from him like quiet thunder, yet friendly all the same as mismatched eyes regard her with a deep fondness.

"Rune."

He speaks her name, eyes drift to her midsection where padding seems evident. "I would ask you what troubles you...and what enemy had been lucky to wound you."

The sound of a voice draws Rune's attention, causing her blue eyes to look over almost immediately. There is a brief look of surprise that passes on her face before her lips curve upward in a faint smile. "I must be out of it if you were able to sneak up on me." This is followed by a gentle laugh. A laugh that then causes her to wince and take a slow breath.

"It was a man the size of a mountain, with more hair than your average werewolf. I think someone told me they're called Firbolg." Rune explains, reaching a hand down to touch that area of her belly, "Had a giant axe and nearly cleaved me in two. Not my finest of moments."

She makes a soft sound, then, "Besides, my mind is always troubled these days. Things don't seem to really ever ease in that regard."

Jacob's observant. He can see the troubled look in her eyes, the unsettled nature of her spirit in this very moment. Some...urge and impulse in him wants to slay everything and anything that's ever harmed her.

A dark urge quickly laid low.

"Daydreaming is common, especially if your mind is racing to distant shores." Jacob comments with a chuckle. He reaches to gently place a hand on her shoulder. "Would you like me to look at it?" The wound. Though Jacob seems surprised at this news of a 'Firbolg' and the description she gives him. She was almost cut in twain?! Unacceptable.

"Would you share these troubles with me?" He asks her, his voice soft. "I would choose not to allow you to carry this burden alone."

"If you insist." Rune is used to dealing with healers. They never did trust the work of someone else. Turning her back to the railing, Rune lifts first the layer of patched leathers, and then the light shirt of mithral chain beneath it, revealing the layers of white bandages. As she starts unwrapping it, all that is revealed is a long slash of dark pink skin just above her belly button. It has already been healed by magic, that much is obvious.

It also gives him one new tidbit of knowledge: Rune's tattoos don't end at her arm. They seem to go down along her side as well. "See? Nothing to be worried about. A couple more days and a bit more tending and it'll be like nothing happened." Magic is good like that. Still, she lets him examine anyways.

"Where do I even start?" Rune sighs, leaning weight back against the railing. "Should we talk about Fey nonsense, Werewolves, or the tower in the Felwood?"

It's not so much that Jacob distrusted the work of others, but rather he didn't much like it when people who have been successfully treated seem to still be in mild pain. So he's just planning on checking it to make sure her wound didn't manage to become infected.

"Hmm...a clean cut. Good work on the healing...Harkashan's work, I presume?"

He sees the true length of her tattoo as it runs down her side as well, though he seems to reach into his belt to take out a small bottle of salve solution, applying it delicately to her wound. "That should help with the pain. It will help keep you functional for a few hours at least." He takes the time to reapply bandages and keep them tight to her form. Better a salve than maggots, one might assume.

Then the mithril shirt and leather armor is brought back down to keep contact from him to her flesh. "Hm...that does seem like a lot. Let's start from the bottom and work our way up, hm?"

"Guild healer." Rune replies, "Harkashan was off in Mictlan at the time so I took what I could get. He's... had his own troubles to deal with." Just from her tone, it's obvious that the girl isn't going to get further into that matter. Whatever is troubling the other Cleric is his business to discuss with people, not hers.

When he applies the salve, there is a wiggle and a sound from the rogue who murmurs, "That's cold..." It's a quiet complaint, met with a hint of embarrassment about the whole ordeal. "I'm fine. This is nothing compared to..." Trailing off, Rune just shakes her head. She is not going to elaborate to anyone what the experience of dying was like.

"Okay, so which thing is the 'bottom' then?"

"Troubling news." Jacob looks at Rune's eyes before her tone can take its full effect. He knows enough from that small thing that she's either not too happy about it or she's respecting Harkashan by not unveiling his business to others. "But I won't ask about it." And in turn, Jacob respects her decision. He's not much a gossip anyway.

Amusement leaves him in the form of a soft laugh. "Cold, but it'll warm with time." His work complete, he finishes her sentence. "Dying?" He asks with a chuckle. "I don't know if anything really compares to dying. In a way, you have a leg up on all of us."

She asks which thing is 'bottom'. "I suspect it's the thing that troubles you least. Or we can simply discuss what you feel like discussing, as much as you're comfortable."

Oh the expression that Rune gives at his comment on dying. Her brows raise and she side-eyes him hard. Taking a breath, she schools herself to not jump off that particular cliff. Instead, she just shakes her head and turns around again, looking out towards the water.

"Least troubling, huh?" She murmurs, throwing her mother's necklace back around her throat and tucking it under her shirt before taking out a dagger. She just starts to play with it, as if it were a toy rather than a weapon. It's tossed, flipped, and occasionally she just runs her fingers along the flat edge. "So, we took a job to help investigate that tower in the Felwood."

Her eyes look over to him, not knowing how much he really knows about that situation, "So, we ended up coming across this clearing, with a table and food set for exactly the same number of people as our party. Turned out to be mimics. The table was a big momma mimic and the jars of jam on the table were babies."

She smirks then, "I got tongue grappled by the big one, and nearly got my arm bitten off by one of the smaller ones." Rune pulls down one of her gloves to show a very faded white scar on her wrist. "After that, we went to the Mythwood to try to get some answers. That was a whole mess." Without elaborating, Rune gets to the point, "Seems like the tower has something to do with the Sky-singer, and only can be approached during the full moon."

Aaaaaaaand that's a good place to stop talking about /that/ particular subject.

Rune had a Mile-long death stare that could rip the soul out of a man. His eyes briefly shift to the necklace she plays with, the one that swiftly goes around her neck while her knife is drawn and toyed with. If she seemed irresponsible, Jacob doesn't point it out. He just listens.

"Felwood...terrible place." Jacob /hates/ that forest. He looks at the scar on her wrist and he frowns. "Mimics? Deceptive and cunning. You're lucky to be alive. They've taken many an unsuspecting adventurer. "The Sky-Singer? What would Eluna wish for a Tower paved by moonlight?" Jacob brings a hand to his bearded chin. "I suspect foul play."

"I'm not sure I understand the hows and whys of it. It seems like the tower might be something very old." Rune lifts a shoulder, her expression uncertain, "You know my relationship with the Sky-Singer is a confusing one, at best. But... I started on this so I have to see it through, even if it means putting myself right under her watchful eye."

She looks towards him, then, "So, I'm going to keep chipping at that mystery. Seeing what sort of information comes of it, but I suspect whatever the Tower is now, it is no longer a place blessed by the Sky-Singer. It seems like a much darker thing."

And that is the /least/ of Rune's concerns. Oh gods.

"So, following up on that... That woman we rescued from the Cultists? She goes by Asphodel. She's a Llyranesi noble. Someone my father worked with." And yet this doesn't seem to be the problem, only the precursor. "She held a party in the Theater District and these two men showed up. One younger, one older. They were asking for Telamon. Acting really suspicious, too."

Rune taps the handle of the dagger against the railing, "I'm not sure I follow most of what happened the other day, but the younger one seems to want something from Asphodel. He mentioned needing clothing for 5000 people who seem to be his 'workforce'. That doesn't sound like a workforce to me, it sounds like an army." But Rune may have misunderstood some of that. "He seems to be involved with the Blue Moon Ale company."

Then, as if to add to this, "Harkashan apparently had a run in with the elder of the two. They were identified as Marsward Seraquoix, the leader of one of the were-wolf factions." And this is likely why Rune would rate this one higher on her concerns, "Apparently he can turn invisible and is quite powerful."

(OOC: This log is incomplete. Awaiting continuation.)