A Landen Village in Southern Glacia, Kaeleer [Wednesday Afternoon, Fandom Time]

[glacial_queen]

It was almost time for then to catch their portal home, but Morton had cautiously decided that there was enough time to visit one more landen village before they left. Even Julian didn't have much a problem with this, mollified by the five Blood males (and seven females) that Karla had handwavily, because cons are exhausting offered a place in her First Circle, once she'd made her Offering.

Once there, they'd scattered to their respective duties with an ease that came with having done the same thing many times within the past two weeks. Karla took over whatever building was the largest, more interested in being a Healer than a Queen, taking care of whatever ailments came her way, either with Craft, mundane medicines, or just some brisk advice. Warren sat nearby, making sure she had plenty to eat and drink, while talking to the people about their problems and their woes, making sure they felt heard, understood, and cared for. People who might otherwise have been afraid to come to Karla were set at ease by his openness and, more importantly, his lack of Jewel.

Jono and Julian were teamed up elsewhere, talking frankly about the war that Karla would be bringing to Glacia, about her plans to depose the current Queen and her Ruling Council, and making it clear that any landen who wished to fight--or even learn to better defend his village--was welcome to join with them. Jono made it very clear that the landens that joined with them would be more than simply fodder for the Blood. Their willingness to fight for a Queen that would see them as people too had even Julian offering a grudging respect.

Morton was out in the fields, delivering the Queen's Gift to nourish the crops. A cupful of Karla's blood in a bucket of water was enough to give the tiny plants new life and fullness, ensuring that the village could meet their new tithes while still having enough leftover for themselves. And Kaelas remained outside of the village, keeping watch with his superior kindred senses, which he never failed to point out to their group of tiny noses and ineffectual teeth.

[NFB, and all PCs modded with permission. Violence and dark themes in the comments, because what would a trip to Glacia be without those?]

Comments

[glacial-warlord.livejournal.com]

"Mother Night, Julian!" Morton hissed. "Not where Karla can hear you!"

[glacial_queen]

Karla couldn't respond without risking her voice carrying, but the looks she was shooting at them both suggested that this topic was not over.

[furnaceface]

It was the chill of the water spilling into Jonothon's boots, and not the teeth in his shoulder or the claws in his arm, that actually had him jolt a little once they reached the bottom of the well. He hissed slightly between his teeth, and then nodded down, frowning a little.

"Let's see how deep this goes, then. Pray there's enough room for five to tread water, if it's more'n a few feet down."

Sorry Karla, Warren. The water that was creeping up your legs wasn't anything even approaching warm.

[glacial_queen]

"Whinebox," Karla muttered.

Okay, so, the water was just as cold to her as it was to Jono, but this was Glacia, where swimming in mountain lochs was a thing that people did, even when they had to break the ice to get to water. She wasn't going to be a baby now.

Hopefully, she'd be able to keep her teeth from chattering without using Craft.

"It's fine," she added. "Up to my midriff, and I'm the shortest."

[furnaceface]

"Well, good," Jono replied, letting Karla go and then taking a moment to pry Warren's claws from his arm before leaving him waist-deep in the cold water. Honestly, now. "Then in you go. I have to go and collect the heavy ones, now."

Hm. His arms had seen better days. And he'd knocked his knee on the way down, too. It was going to sting like a mother when it hit the water. He didn't seem to worried about it.

"Now, stay quiet."

And then he was flying up the shaft of the well again, doing a far better job of not hitting the sides on his way up. He didn't speak at the top. Merely settled in place directly under one of them - Julian, he assumed, though it was difficult to tell going by just the silhouette of the man in the dark, from below - and gestured for him to push off toward him. Jono would catch him, bloodied arms or not.

[glacial-warlord.livejournal.com]

First Julian and then Morton let go, trusting themselves to Jono's strength and odd Craft.

They had barely gotten down and situated in the murky water before they heard a voice calling out for the village to come out and greet the High Priestess.