The Road to Tullybrook

Low and slow, Sae made her way across the river, feet digging deep into the thick silt below. It was uneven - bits gouged out by the recent swell - and where the bed dipped, sharp currents yanked at her ankles, threatening to pull her under if she kept anything other than a solid stance. Still, it was the best place to cross out of any. The water wasn't dreadfully deep, only coming up to her waist. With the currents, dangerous for anyone less skilled to cross unaided, but definitely doable with a rope.

No sharp bits either. In fact, every stone her foot touched was smooth, worn away by years of tumbling gently through the lower parts of the Wobbles.

She'd make it to the other side in easy time, finding the tree there solid enough to secure a rope, if a bit on the smaller side. Making it back would be just as easy, too, simply retracing her steps before she returned to the far shore with the now-taut rope in hands.
 
Of course she was from Fuddle. That made perfect sense to Viviane, actually, given the way Abryxia was dressed, and the way she spoke- the few times she'd left Duleis, to see other parts of the Barony, she'd never come across someone that sounded the way she did. Of course, all of them sounded different, but Abryxia was a just-similar-enough kind of different that left Fuddle feeling just right for her.

She took a slip and fell towards the river, though came to a stop short of the water. Had she been on her feet, she would've offered to help the tiefling back to her feet, but as things were... she was a lady. It would take time and effort to get down, help her, and back up, and she wanted to keep her boots and clothes clean, and her mother had said her place was on high, not treading through mud. With the slightest of frowns, and a quiet hum of disproval, she focused instead on Sae.

The elf was halfway underwater at the midway point. That usually wouldn't be an issue, but she stood taller than most all of them, with only Viviane and the shadow man above her, and Viviane was on horseback. How would her horse fare, in water that deep? How would she stay dry? This was becoming much more of a problem than she'd expected, and part of her wanted to look for another point to cross. That would only take them further from the path, though. Already, she wasn't quite sure of where they were in relation to the road. Surely it wouldn't have been difficult to follow the river back, but... one could never be certain.

Quite bothersome.
 
Rally wasn't sure about the hand, but tentatively offered their own, reminding themself that they were wearing a glove and skin and flesh over their skeleton and it would probably be okay. Layers were important. At least they could focus on Abryxia's rhyme instead of that. And Abryxia wasn't saying anything about them, so maybe it was okay.

The skipping was easy enough to follow, even if it wasn't the one that they were familiar with, and the end - where Abryxia slipped and pulled Rally down with them - was very exciting. Rally slid down the incline as well, quite muddy, as Abryxia assured them that had been the intent.

"Oh, can we do it again?"
 
Scrambling back to feet - and helping Rally back up as well - Abryxia made a noise halfway between a laugh and a groan, wiping away at the mud. Not too much worse than how she'd looked just from traveling on the road, but there was a pretty big difference between being caked in it from traveling and taking a firm seat in the stuff.

Still, she grinned at Rally, and almost agreed to try again, before catching a glance at the Good Lady's side-eye from behind them.

"Er. Prolly shouldn'," Abryxia admitted, tail curling awkwardly as she rubbed at the back of her head. "See, Miss Sae's makin' her way back now. We're best gettin' ready ta cross, aye?"

The water looked deep. Not as deep as it was upstream, but still - deep. Water up to your shin can sweep you, yeah? Wasn't that the saying? And this was all the way up to the tall elf's waist. The Good Lady'd be fine, at least, up on her horse. Horses were good at that sorta thing. Abryxia could probably manage, but it'd be a struggle for Miss Dim, and even more one for the little Miss Rally.

She blinked, taking a count of the heads. Where'd the tall one get off to? The - what'd he say. The Hat Man. Sodded off just as fast as he'd appeared. Now, that wasn't concerning at all for a fellow like that.

Not worth worrying about, though. She glanced at Rally.

"Reckon ye can hold yer breath all the way through?" she said, smirking. "Only the tippy-top o' yer hat's gonna be stickin' out. Here -"

Slipping her lute off her back, she held it out for Rally.

"Either ye can hop on my shoulders, or ye can see if the Good Lady'd be kind enough ta let ye ride behind her. Whichever way I reckon, yer gonna be a fair bit drier than me, so keep that safe for me, aye?"
 
"Oh, I could go across without breathing," Rally answered, as if this were obvious. "I just don't want to get swept away and break any bones. I like my bones."

They accepted the lute, though, and - because they had just been handed a lute - held it the way it ought to be held and strummed what they thought might be a chord. They had never actually played the lute before, but they had seen other people do it.

"Hm. I don't think that was quite right." It was not. They could hear the difference, anyway. Singing was easier. That was just moving the fleshy parts around. "Maybe you can give me lessons some time. Except I haven't got any money." That did seem to be sort of a problem, a lot of places, didn't it? Rally was not actually sure how you were supposed to get money, other than taxes and tribute, and they didn't particularly want to be on the receiving end of those right now.

"Can I ride across with you? You don't mind? It's just, I... I just..." They trailed off, and looked at the horse. The horse went up quite a lot. They looked at the Lady, on top of the horse, who was even further up. "I... don't want to be very, um, Lady-like."
 
Abryxia shrank back a bit as Rally strummed the lute - whatever noise that was, it wasn't music - but her smile didn't shift.

"I'll show ye a bit once we settle for the night," she promised. "No coin needed."

The Rally situation handled, passed on to the Good Lady, the bard fell back beside Dim. Something wasn't quite proper with the woman, what with her muttering and general nervousness, but it wasn't her place to guess. Honest, if anything, she was more concerned she'd be able to cross safe than anything else.

"Miss Dim, ye gonna be fine?" she asked. "Can lock arms with me, if ye need. Din wanna take no chance with a river."

She'd feel a bit safer locking arms with someone else herself, though she didn't say that part out loud.
 
"Oh. Yes." Dim had been dreading the crossing, truth be told. Water--big, crashing, rushing torrents of the stuff, at least--was something of a terror to her. Water had a habit of picking things up, carrying them away, and tearing them to pieces. The last few seconds had been taken up entirely by her sealing her flask, and then making very, very sure that it was, in fact, sealed. She offered her arm to the tiefling, and, once they were locked, began to proceed across the river after the others. The flask was in her other hand; it stayed high above the water.

Wait, the tiefling had fallen, as had the child. It was rude not to inquire. "Er. Are you well?" No, that was for greetings and illnesses. "That is to say--are you injured?"
 
Vivane was pulled from thought and worry by a voice, and she turned to see Rally's hat, angled upwards enough that she could see who was underneath. They were asking to ride, and her initial thought was to say that there wasn't room, and that she wasn't really all that sure how riding through the water would go anyways, but she remembered that part of her worry was height, which Rally Rose lacked.

It wouldn't be right of her, to force her to tread water, when it was so much easier for the two of them to ride across. So, after a moment's mental deliberation, she nodded and leaned down to offer a hand. "Of course you can ride with me across. You only need to act as Ladylike as you feel is necessary," she said, allowing herself a small smile.
 
While it wasn’t the thickest tree about, it was more than enough for a few loops of rope and a solid knot. She gave her handiwork a tug to ensure the knot was good and set and the tree firm, which both were, before she returned to the river. She gave some thought to shedding her pack, but didn’t seem smart to leave it on the wrong side of the bank. Back was faster than the first going, helped to know the riverbed was safe enough and the feel of the current, and soon enough she was back on the other side.

“We all ready to get crossing?” Sae asked, giving her companions a look over. Seemed Rally was getting a ride with the noble lady, which seemed good and proper by Sae’s reckoning. The horse looked sturdy enough for two anyway.

“Nothing sharp on the bottom from what I felt, so boots off shouldn’t be a problem. Feet dry faster than leather. Keep a hand on the rope as you go, and your feet on the ground. If you’d like I can take hold of the horse’s bridle and lead it across, as for the rest, it’s safer to keep your arms linked even in these slower waters.” Hopefully the new lady would be too busy focusing on crossing that she’d forget to complain.
 
Oh. The Lady was offering a hand. Rally Rose wasn't sure if they had expected that or not. They certainly hadn't thought ahead far enough to have a plan of what to do if it happened. Of course, they had sort of agreed to it, although mostly because they thought that Abryxia was going to have a challenging enough time crossing the river even without them perched on her shoulders.

They wondered if they should feel the same way about the horse. Had horses always been this large? It was entirely possible that they hadn't been - although, Rally Rose hadn't always been the same size, either. They supposed they could grow a bit, but they didn't really want to. This size had been working very well, so far.

They did take a moment to slip off their glove before accepting the hand that had been offered. The skin underneath was pale, but it was definitely there, because skin was a thing that people had. Rally Rose was very certain on that point. At least they weren't too heavy to pull up. There was a saying that went all skin and bones, but Rally was very firm on there being a fleshy part in the middle, otherwise things got very strange. The bones were the important part, anyway. The rest was just on the outside.

They seated themself on the horse, easily enough. They still remembered how to ride, after all, especially with someone else there to do all the fiddly bits.

"Um. Thank you." That was right, that was what they were supposed to say. "I think I can stay seated well enough, if you can do all the horsepersonship." Although, in this case, the horse might be doing that on its own, for the most part.

"That's a funny word. Horsepersonship. It makes it sound like the horse is a person. Or a ship! Although, if we're going across the river, maybe the horse sort of is a boat? It's not the best boat. I'm sure it's a very good horse, though. But probably not a person."

Maybe this was overthinking it. Rally Rose kept doing it anyway, but less out loud, moving to tuck the lute in close against them and keep it protected, without trying to play it again. The horse might not like that. No one else had really liked it either, including Rally Rose.

Maybe they would get better, with practice.

"I think you should hire Abryxia. She says she's not supposed to say that, but she didn't say I can't. And she's nice. And she knows some of the old songs. People forget them."
 
Their hand was cold. She supposed that made sense, with the rain. It had brough a chill, and if it hadn't been for the fact that she'd spent the night indoors, Viviane suspected that she would be quite cold right now, as well. She pulled, and helped the smaller individual atop the horse, doing their best to accommodate for the overly large brim of their hat. The Lady Allard turned to face forwards as Rally began to speak, and nudged her horse forwards, towards the water. "I will handle the riding, you only need to hold on and make sure you don't fall in. Miss Sae said the water isn't bad, but I don't fancy either of us taking a swim today."

As they moved forwards, Rally Rose kept on about the oddness of the word they had created, and while tangentially she agreed that it was indeed an odd word, she was moreso focused on if all children talked this much. She hadn't been around children since she herself was one, and she didn't recall being such an open speaker. Perhaps things were different, if you weren't being raised as nobility.

She was pulled from thought by another statement by Rally Rose, and it was one worth considering. "I... am not sure, about that. I've yet to hear her play, and I don't know that knowing the old songs is... enough. Perhaps, once I know." It was a struggle to say this in a way that wasn't rude, or cold, but she'd never hired a bard before. Why would she have? What would one even hire a bard for, actually? Duleis had kept entertainers, but bards seemed to come and go as they pleased, earning their coin from their performances and then moving on. They seemed too transient to be hired. "She is nice, though. Perhaps things will go well for her in Tullybrook."
 
"Huh? Wh-" Abryxia began, a little bit confused by the question, a little too focused on slipping into the - decidedly quite cold - water. She shuddered, but forced herself to move deeper, one arm clinging to the rope with a death-grip, her other wrapped tightly up in Dim's.

"Am I - oh!" She laughed. "Took worse tumbles on purpose. I'm fine, me, but good on ye for carin'."

Her arm somehow tightened even more around Dim's, nails unconsciously digging into the other woman. She stared lock-straight ahead.

"Miss, er. Miss Sae. Ye - ye don' think ye'd be able to, y'know. If, say, one of us slipped or summit. We're not - y'know - a total lost cause, ye?"
 
"The waters here are swift and deep," Dim said, grimly, keeping a firm grasp on Abryxia's arm and doing her best to keep her tread steady. She wasn't much taller than Rally.

If she noticed the pressure of the Tiefling's grasp, she didn't say anything; perhaps the thick fabric of her dress was keeping it from being too intolerable. Or perhaps she was simply unsure if that was what people were meant to do when they linked arms. Her own grip did increase a little, after a moment.

"No doubt we'd be gone before any of the others noticed. ... Ahem. I'm glad you're not injured!" She plastered a bright smile on her face. "Do, er... Have we met?"
 
“Fancying having yourself a swim?” Sae asked, looking down at the tiefling. She had quite the death grip on the rope, so Sae offered her and the other woman a kindly smile. “The currents aren’t so bad though here, so make sure you’re facing up river. But if you lose your footing dear, don’t worry I’ll come save you.” Sae said with a laugh as she gave her shoulder a pat of her hand.

“But, I doubt it’ll come to that, just focus on your footing and you’ll be on the other side before you know it. Alright?” She said, giving Abryxia a pat on her shoulder. She turned her gaze to Dim. “Same for you as well. We’ll be back on land before you know it.” Dim she didn’t pat on the shoulder, for fear that the woman would complain about it for the next week.
 
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Abryxia visibly relaxed a bit at Sae's words, though she still was wound tight as a watchspring the rest of the slow, trudging walk across the river - and Dim's little comment to the contrary did little much to help. Better to focus on the conversation. Keep her mind off things.

"I'm trustin' Miss Sae," she said, sounding a little unsure of herself, but sure enough. "I - er. Have we? Don' really travel much. Truth, this is the first time I've even left the Gumhills."

She paused.

"Really, first time I've not been more than half a day out from Fuddle."
 
"Oh, right." Rally Rose was quiet for a moment, wondering if there was something that they could do to distract themself, but really the horse seemed to be doing most of it. They just had to hold on and not be a horse.

"I'm sorry," they added, a moment later, somewhat quietly. "About you being a Lady, and all. No one lets you do anything when you're important."
 
And so our intrepid adventurers crossed their first great challenge - as great a challenge as any, for people as insignificant as themselves.

The young and eccentric Rally, wandering on her own for reasons yet untold,
The warm and worldwise Sae, in hunt for the last vestiges of beasts of ages past,
The polite and noble Viviane, seeking personal freedom under pretense of knowledge,
The mysterious and rambling Dim, fleeing an old life that still clings to her lips in every sip,
And the playful and naive Abryxia, ever hopeful to be worth more than her given lot.

Others, too, lurked beyond this path, hidden in wide-brimmed hat and unblinking carcass, in boistrous bellow and cold-tinged laugh. But, for now, it was these five who had found each other company, and it was these five that fate, it seemed, had chosen to walk the Road to Tullybrook together.

It drizzled some throughout the day, but as night fell, the sky grew clear, bright stars glimmering across the dark like a strew of diamond dust. The Pale Moon hung high and the Blood Moon low, casting the countryside in a gentle yellow glow. Still, the air was damp - and in the growing chill, it had a way of clinging to the body and settling deep into the very bones.

By the time the group came upon an old abandoned watchtower, crumbling and wrapped in velvety moss, it was far too cold to go on any further.
 
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Viviane stifled a laugh and shrugged her shoulders, the apology from Rally distracting her from her anxieties, if only momentarily. "There's nothing to apologize for, Rally Rose. It's what I'm supposed to do." Whether or not she felt it was dreadfully boring was another matter. "I can do plenty," she continued, with notably less conviction.

Perhaps it was better to focus on riding.

---

The time passed well. Once they were across the water, Viviane had offered to allow Rally Rose to continue riding with her, if she so desired. There was room enough, so there was no reason for her to be the only one to ride. The offer was extended to the rest of their group, though she never offered to dismount herself.

Her mood soured somewhat when the drizzle started. She'd put herself a day behind schedule to avoid the rain, only for it to be spoiled now, but it was too late to stop and head back. It likely wouldn't have even been worth fording the river again, as much as she was beginning to wish she would. It, of course, didn't help that, despite her northern lineage, she hated the cold. The five of them had been on the road for hours by this point, and she was tired, hungry, and starting to shiver.

"Miss Sae, I don't suppose you know how to make a fire, or set camp? I hate to be the one to hold us further, but I'm afraid I may collapse if we continue much longer."
 
"Gods, please," Abryxia murmured from alongside, trudging the road with heavy, fatigued steps. She'd left her fair share of grooves in the path behind them just from not having the will to lift her feet high enough to clear the ground. Didn't help that, even now, she squelched with every step.

The first few hours in, she'd done her best to keep people smiling, telling jokes and stories and even trying to get everyone to join her in marching tunes. As the day dragged on, though, the normally talkative tiefling had grown quiet, instead simply resorting to plucking idle chords with her eyes focused on the road.

At mention of fire, she shifted her lute to her side, rummaging through her satchel.

"I got... ah, nay. Rats n' crows." She grimaced, holding up an open tinderbox that dripped as she shook it. "Yea, 'm no help there."

She dropped it back in the bag and returned to plucking.

"Sorry."
 
"Fuddle. Hm." If that meant something to the stranger, she didn't seem prepared to elaborate on it.

---

The remainder of the walk turned out about as pleasant as its beginning. Lots of mud and trenches. A lot of stumbling, and towards the end a fair amount of slouching. Inevitably, a lot of horseshit. Which might have been useful, except that stopping to collect samples seemed like it might be a breach of etiquette. By the time the rest of the group was ready to stop for the night, Dim was ready to die. The tiefling and noblewoman were at least kind enough to offer her an excuse to get out of any further unnecessary walking. Other than a bit of foraging, maybe.

"If you can handle the firewood, I can handle the fire," she mumbled, retrieving one of the (waterproofed, thank the founder) flasks from her pack to show the rest of the little company. "Tar solution. Highly flammable. Sticky." The mumbling started up again. "Tastes decent, too, with the right ingredients. In a pinch. Just got to find a spot for it." Which, well, Dim had no idea what constituted a good spot for a campsite out here. There weren't any mountains around, as far as she could tell.

Something in her head twinged. She took a more conservative sip from the other, more ornate flask, which she'd kept in her hand the whole way. The tension eased. That was nice.
 
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