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[Theoboldi]

"Miss Anarose! You can't be serious about this!"

Bryce's speech patterns returned to normal as he turned towards her.

"Came just out of nowhere. No idea where she's from. Might use it for evil purposes."

[Skyrunner]

"Good enough. Quickened Geas! And yes, I do know that that is not legal. I merely named my spell 'Quickened Geas'. "

Anarose pointed at Ikkeeliou. Ikkeeliou feels something glow-y in her.

"Now, you go help the others blast through the Tomb. After that, maybe I'll give the book to you."

She smiled sweetly.

[The Fool]

She sighed at the spell. "You could have just asked you know. If you really do have the book I probably would have ended up doing something like this anyways. Now I don't exactly have a choice." She motioned to the portal she came out of. "I'll be waiting by the portal once you're done wasting time here."

[Dwarmin]

Tali had one hand around Raes wait, and was leaning up against her side as they exited the bunk together, smiling.

"Rae, it's so... Tali caught her fathers stern visage at that moment, losing her nerve in a cold blooded instant. Her free hand went to the comfort of her axe. But she didn't leave Rae's side, nor remove her other hand.

"Da? Been a long time..." She shook her head. "You said you never wanted to see me again, Da. So...let's not make a scene-we'll do this proper. Supposin', that I know why you're here, first?"

Upon seeing them, Kald didn't turn red, or bluster. He merely became still as stone.

"...ya know why, daughter. You need to come home." he said flatly. He jabbed a stubby finger at Rae. "With, er without yer...Elf friend, here. They're calling us all home. We've got to defend our home."

Tali shook her head even more forcefully. "...S'not a home to me, anymore...and, I like it here...I've got friends here. We're on a mission...ain't none of yer problems bigger anit' Dad, and if you'd listen for a moment, you'd figure that out.

And, this here's is Rae, and shes..."

She took a moment, gathering courage.
"She's more an my friend.

I love er' dad."

Tali said, squeezing Rae's hand.

She took a moment to think. Tali didn't have anything she owed the Dwarven nation...but, she also knew duty-every Dwarfs duty. She knew her Dad wouldn't have come unless he was desperate...which meant, they needed her. She wouldn't be disappointing them.

"Not saying I won't help...I know my duty...and, ye can drag me back wit ya, but we gotta get this done first...but, it's either both of us, er none. I'm not budgin' on it. Not an inch. If she dont wanna go, neither do I.

Between my duty and my...uh, heart....my heart's is gonna have to come first, Da. Can' say it any more flowery than that. Don't make a warrior choose, or yer apt to get bloodied.

Ma used to say that to us, remember?"

Kald stepped forward, and Tali stepped forward as well, disengaging from Rae to meet him.

They began to stare down each other down, with typical Dwarven obstinacy, like two brick walls. They gave the impression they would continue to do so a long time.

[SeriousConcentrate]

Rae blinked as someone unexpected but not entirely unfamiliar appeared outside their room. She recognized who it must be before Tali said it was her father, and when the dwarf's hand tightened on her hip, she placed her hands on Tali's shoulders to show support. She remained silent while Tali and Kald spoke, thinking it best if she let them speak first. Apparently Toman, Drake, and Anya (who were all in the same area) thought so as well, since they didn't say anything either - except for another depressed sigh from Drake at a certain trio of words from Tali. When Tali stepped forward, Rae did as well.

"Mr. Blackstone... We're on an important mission. There are powerful weapons being held that we need to find and purify, so that they can be used against the... thing that's responsible for the shift in the stars." She looked to Toman; he nodded and held up the Flowing Hammer. "Tali has one named Winterer, and Toman has the Flowing Hammer. There's still a few left to go." She placed her hand on Tali's shoulder again for support. "If... if you're not going to budge on this... then we'll go with you. But come with us, just once, first. See what we're doing for yourself. If you still think Tali needs to come home after that, then the three of us can go to your mountainhome."

"That is your decision, Rae?" Toman asked, returning the Flowing Hammer to its place on his back. The elf nodded to him. "...I see. Ser Blackstone, do you agree with her terms?" he asked the dwarf next, turning his attention to Kald.

[Dwarmin]

Kald didn't respond for a full 30 seconds. Then, slowly but surely...

"Time?

I guess I owe you that, Tali. I'll...give you some time to make your decision. I'll go with you, for now. Got a few months, anyway. Day's getting shorter, though-can't say how long I'll stay.

Like you said Tali-Don't make a warrior choose. Don't make me choose between you and them."

With that, Kald sighed and rumbled off-looking for the captain of the ship, to barter his way on board. It looked like he was going to be staying for awhile...

----
Tali watched him go. She ran a hand through her hair, and spoke, facing her.

"Rae...that was brave, what ya did...but, are ya sure you want to go with me?

Even if we do this...my Da wouldn't have come unless...it was almost hopeless. It's...not something we'll be coming back from, most likely. I doubt any Dwarves will be left, after..though, if we change the stars back, who knows. Things could change. Maybe.

Just, I need you to know Rae-this is the Dwarven way. I should stand with my people, even if me and my Da hate each others guts, even if the whole Dwarven nation frowns on me for being with you. It's my blood. All I got left, aside from you. An' old Toman over there, but he don't count for much."

She chuckled quietly.

"Trying to say...just not sure if I can go down, knowing you'll go down with me. Yer got a longer life than me, Rae. Not entirely comfortable you losing it on my behalf.

It's a hell of a thing, and I don't see no way to balance the scales."

[SeriousConcentrate]

"Tali..." Rae leaned over and crushed her in a hug. "You know I'll follow you anywhere. And... if you went without me and died... I don't think I could stand it. You have a long life ahead of you, too." The elf indicated Winterer; if it acted as the Flowing Hammer did, then it would extend her lifespan. "And I believe in our clan here." She gave a mischievous smile to Toman. "If they fail, well... there's nowhere I'd rather watch the end of the world at than by your side."

The black knight merely sighed, sounding a lot like his younger brother when he did. Apparently some aspects of the Fears family - beyond looks - were inherited. "It's true. I'm not worth much. I'm the dumb muscle of my family, I'm just another axe in the clan here, and my life for the past ten years has been dominated by a stupid mistake." He stood, put on his helmet, and went down to the hold, probably to busy himself tying things down against the storm. Drake scratched the back of his head nervously.

"He, ah... I don't know. He's not as dumb as he wants to think he is, I mean... I wanted to be him when I was younger, y'know?" He smoothed his hair back. "Hey, um... I know you didn't ask my opinion, but I think it's good the pair of you are so close. I mean, if I had someone I cared about like that, I'd want to be by them no matter what, too." He stood and shrugged. "Just sayin'. I'm, ah, gonna go check on Toman. See if he needs any help or things like that, you know." Drake went downstairs as well.

Rae turned back to Tali. "He's right. And I want to come with you for a few other reasons, too. I want to see your former home... and, I want to fight for you. I feel safe with you, Tali. I want to return that."

[Dwarmin]

Tali smiled hesitantly, looking up at Rae.

"Eh, suppose that's that. No changing yer mind, then?

Is my Rae getting a touch a Dwarven stubbornness in her blood already? Never had thought it. Elves are all supposed to have spines full a jelly, I thought?"

Tali gave a trademark grin.

After, she glanced down the hold, where the Fears brothers had departed.

"Oh, Toman didn't understand what I was going with what I said...he'd have stuck around, I'd of told him being a friend of Tali Blackstone don't count for much, but I appreciate it more an than anything-not many people brave or dumb enough to stick by me.

Eh, I know Toman's my friend...even if he don't know it himself.

Not that we'd ever admit that to each other, no way, no how." She trailed off...her thoughts flowed to the Winterer, which Rae had subtly gestured too when the specter of their respective lives length came into the discussion. She stared down at it, grimacing.

Tali had thought of it. Before she and Rae had been honest with each other, Tali has truly wanted nothing of it's promise of 'immortality'-and, had hoped she could find a way to destroy it, seal it away forever-or pass it someone else.

Now? An impossible choice. She could buy lots of happy years with Rae with the Winterers help-but at what cost...what cost, indeed. Heavy, bleak thoughts. Was she willing to lose her soul for Rae? She knew that was possible. As the years rolled on, it would become harder and harder to resist that call. One day, she might wake up...changed. Death was better than that-since, If the Winterer took her over, it could steer her body like a puppet-it could even make her hurt Rae, if it wanted. Somehow she knew, it would let her watch.

She knew. She knew.

Her wish granted-what is she watched Rae die before her? What then? Perhaps the dark and cold spirit of the Winterer, in it's eternally cynical existence, merely was waiting patiently for the day...love was strong, and love was tender...

Things like the Winterer were, at their essence, pragmatists. They understood love. They knew how to use it as a weapon, how to corrupt it, how to destroy it. That was the thing Tali feared the most-all she loved, being carried away...with nothing but an eternity of cold to look forward to...

She shivered, and found herself seeking Rae's warmth again. As good a counter as any, she supposed.

[Skyrunner]

<<Let us interrogate Sanddancer from now, right here.>>

[SeriousConcentrate]

(Let's see, where we left off I was...)

Toman turned to Ria. "Well, she's not going to tell us what she was looking for. You were there. Did you see anything?"

[Dwarmin]

Ria thought for a moment, running a hand through her hair.

"Aside from the two staffs and the pearl, I saw nothing else. She may have been after something the King had, perhaps.

I can't hazard a guess."

[Theoboldi]

Owlen just rolled his eyes. Interrogation! What did that ever help with?

"Dominate Person!"

He pointed his finger at sanddancer, casting the spell.

"Now tell us what you were searching for."

[Skyrunner]

((Okay, things to ask.

1. Weren't you standing right next to Sanddancer? That means you provoke. And get hit by a monk, who just happens to be unarmed . . .
2. What's the save DC of that spell?
))

[Theoboldi]

((1. I wasn't standing next to her, if I remember correctly I was at least 10 feet away from her. Also, I totally forgot that no one tied her up. Oh well.
  2. If she is flatfooted against me, the DC is 26, otherwise it's 25.))

[SeriousConcentrate]

(Toman made everybody back off a few minutes ago, game-time-wise. I think only he and maybe Kanesbael are standing within 5 feet of her, but I'm not certain.)