thebastion | [Day 206] Set my sail

Entry tags:

[Day 206] Set my sail

Who: Colin, Zulf, Tris, and Tobias
Open: Closed
When: 206
Where: On the Skyway, close to Terminal territory
What: It's time to make an offering of peace... Step one is finding the Ura group, however.
Format: Action?
Warnings: None planned, will be updated

The plague may have been taken care of on the Bastion's end, but there's still something that's been bothering two residents of the Bastion. The fact of the matter was that there was another group of survivors out there. Ura survivors. Considering the recent incident between them and a group from the Bastion, however, and it's clear that careful steps need to be taken.

That's why the group gathered for this recent expedition more or less looks rather harmless, which is just as Zulf prefers it, but can still take care of themselves, which is how Colin does. All the necessary items have been packed along with them, including a set of spare clothing for Tobias just in case and some of the cure for the plague. It's been a bit of a journey, but, well... here they are. The same place that the cure recovery group once was.

Instead of his usual attire, Zulf is wearing the outfit which a couple of the group might remember from Night's funeral. It's not his preferred wear, but... it's the most Ura kind of clothing he immediately has on hand. He'll have to rectify that for later... But for now he turns to the rest of the group. "Everyone's doing alright so far?"

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"We've got medicine for them," Colin says simply. "Medicine that they apparently need. If we don't find them, we're sentencing them to what we just went through... WITHOUT hope. I'm not going to let that happen."

He smirks, and he gives Zulf a look. "Again I say, if your people have a widely recognized banner of peace, a white flag or something, we could really use it..."

Zulf's going to want to hit him before this is all said and done, he's sure of it. That said, the dispersal pattern of the bullet casings doesn't seem to match with what they know of the events last time someone from the Bastion was here. At least, they don't mesh up in his head.

"I'd rather we find them soon, though," Colin says. "They were shooting at something from here, and they left not long after. WITHOUT policing their brass. That's never a good sign. I don't think these rounds came from the incident with the last party."

Zulf keeps his face as passive as he can as the rest of them go over their thoughts and options- a bit of a feat considering that he's generally a fairly open book when it comes to his emotions. When they all come to agreement, however, a slight smile appears on his face.

He would have set off anyway on his own if no one else had wanted to do this, but it's better to have some others watching his back.

The smile quickly drops at Colin's words, however, and Zulf gives a stiff nod. "Just keep your hands high in the air when we see them, palms out. But to find them... Tobias, do you know which way they went?"

Tobias doesn't know anything about bullet patterns so he just turns his attention back to Zulf.

<Not yet. But I will.>

He lowers his nose towards the ground and sniffs, seeing what kind of trail he can pick up. Hopefully they haven't done anything to hide their scent like run through water, because it'll be a pain if they have. Still, he lets go and lets the horse instincts do their work in picking up what he can.

Edited 2014-07-22 14:31 (UTC)

"They'll see us long before we see them," Colin says, shaking his head. "I don't even know their operational doctrine, but I know that much for a fact. All we can do is move on, and hope for the best. I'm pretty sure they headed North-east, but I'm not the best at reading tracks. And I'm betting whoever was in charge will be masking their trek soon enough."

Certain customs from back home were definitely being longed for right about now... A nice medical flag would have gone a long way towards settling his nerves. Even knowing a Red Cross on the box of medicine he was carrying would have put him at ease, but that was a Terran symbol, not even widely recognized throughout the galaxy. The likelihood of it being recognized here was practically non-existent.

He'll start after Tobias and Zulf once everyone gets moving. He suspects that there's a Ura scout out there with eyes on them already, if not a whole fire-team. But voicing THAT concern would do nothing but unsettle everyone else. There was no reason to panic the rest of the group with information they couldn't do anything about.

Edited 2014-07-22 16:31 (UTC)

"Particularly if they're hiding out of the wind.." Although that particular bit of magic hasn't been helpful so far. But Tris carefully keeps walking with glasses off just in case something useful comes up.

Tobias lifts his head and tosses it, turning to the north east.

<That way. Definitely. We should probably hurry, we don't know how fast they moved or how far they are. Let's go!>

"Have patience," Colin says gently, reaching out to pat Tobias on the neck. "If we start running after their tracks immediately, we're just going to look suspicious. Let's just move at a nice, steady pace. We'll get where we need to go, and we run less risk of losing the trail than if we're running."

The group's in no immediate danger, as the place where the Ura went is a couple hours of travel away. They will be way out on the edge of the Terminals before they come across anyone else. It seems as though whatever scared off the group of Ura before is not currently around, so that is one danger that has been thankfully avoided.

But when they draw close to the place listed in the note, that is when eyes will be upon them. There are many more that are hidden, well out of sight and silently watching the party, but one Ura is in a tree and makes his presence known.

"Halt! Who goes there?"

The words are spoken in Ura, but anyone wearing an amulet can understand it.

The entire journey, Zulf is mostly quiet. The last time he'd tried to find his kin- they're all memories that he tries to outpace, distracting himself by looking around carefully every now and then. It's only when he hears that familiar dialect, a language he's only heard spoken by himself or by Zahi on rare occasion, that something in his mind seems to click.

Ah. He knows this.

Zulf's body language shifts slightly, more confident and relaxed even as his shoulders and back straighten up. He makes sure to raise his hands up, showing them empty. Ura comes from his tongue easily as he takes the helm of the group, moving slowly and carefully.

"I am Zulf, ambassador of the Tazal Terminals. These are my companions- Tris is the daughter of a healer and Colin is an inventor. Tobias is our horse. None of them are from Caelondia. My only weapon is a machete, which I'll easily give to you if it would put you at ease." Honesty is the best policy here, so he won't make any attempts to hide the fact that he's carrying a weapon. In a fight, it's not as though it would do him much good anyway.... And he won't turn a weapon on any other Ura besides.

Colin looks around, and he frowns slightly. He hopes the others won't ruin the surprise that their amulets let them understand the Ura tongue, but who knows what the Ura already know?

Besides, Colin's got his own linguistic surprise, should he need it. Won't THAT just turn the whole situation on its head?

"Uh, Zulf?" Colin says quietly, glancing at their diplomat. "I know for a fact that there's got to be at least a half dozen more guys out there, each one with a gun that has us in their sights for the first wrong move. Can you let them know we're on a mission of peace and healing? Please? Or at least let me know if there's a reason that isn't being said yet?"

"... That many?" Tris is more thoughtful than worried. She blinks owlishly at the Ura in the tree, then replaces her glasses. "Quite a welcoming committee."

But until anything moves in a way that worries her, she's just going to stand quietly off to the side. Guns are strange things, but if there is anything other than weather that she's good at, its protective barriers.

Tobias flicks his tail, uneasy with this. He's had to demorph and remorph already, which means that he can only morph something else once today. He's already feeling the strain, and walking into what could very well be a combat situation with poor eyesight and not fantastic hearing is not making him feel any better. He can smell the Ura, but taking any action right now would be stupid.

He keeps his thought speech just to the group. No need to terrify the locals. Not yet, at least. <Just let me know if I need to bolt and do a speed morph into something. I don't like this. I want to help, but the minute this turns into a fight I'm going to be useless for a bit until I remorph.>

There is a noticeable shift in the Ura's demeanor when Zulf says 'inventor'. Because 'inventor' equals 'mancer' as far as most people are concerned, and while mancers may not be the ones fighting the wars, they're the ones making the guns.

Though Colin doesn't look like a Cael, so that's a bit helpful.

"What business do you have here," the Ura says, his glance flashing over to the rest of the party before going back to Zulf, "If you're looking for a place to stay, we don't have any space for newcomers."

Colin likely shouldn't have wasted his breath, because Zulf doesn't react. In fact, he seems to be very much ignoring any contribution he might have to offer. Tobias also doesn't get much, although speaking to him would be awkward in this moment. There's just a slow single pat to his neck as Zulf starts to lower his hands before placing them folded over one another in front of him with all the ease of someone used to speaking.

"We have shelter of our own to return to- it's not any intention of ours to burden you in any way." His tone stays steady and calm, as if there isn't any chance that they might get shot at if things go wrong. For his next words, however, he will press on steadfastly- no allowance for interruptions. "Every single one of us actually came to help. We found victims of plague not too long ago- but we also found the cure. Many more doses were able to be reproduced. When we heard that there was another group out here- yourselves- we wanted to share what we had."

Colin falls silent and he lets Zulf talk, looking between Zulf and the scout. He also takes some time to scan around the area, aiming to pinpoint all the vital signs in the area. He has no intention of fighting these people, but if push comes to shove, he wants to know where the bullets will be flying from...

"A cure?"

The Ura looks surprised to hear that. Surprised, and a bit unsure of what to do. He glances nervously over to one of the bushes nearby, inadvertently revealing the hiding spot of one of the other soldiers, who also is probably this Ura's commanding officer. But as quickly as he looks away, he looks back to Zulf, and he speaks again. "But why? Every resource is precious now, why not keep it for yourselves?"

There is also near-silent movement in the trees around the group, as the hidden soldiers move into better positions. Not to attack, but to see more clearly. They are just as confused by this as everyone else is.

The patient look on Zulf's face softens into a smile for just a moment. "Just because I left for Caelondia doesn't mean I'll ever abandon any of my fellow Ura when they're in need. The fact that it's precious means it's all the more vital to share it with you." And just like that, he's back to being calm but serious.

"We've managed to use it on everyone else who needed it back in our camp. As of the moment, there is nothing for us to fear. The same can't be said for you, especially since we did not know if you would have anyone dedicated to Jevel amongst your ranks who could deal with such an epidemic. The fact that it is precious makes it all the more important to share it with you. Times like this are exactly why we should not divide ourselves with greed or fear."

It makes sense, in a way. If Zulf's group has already taken care of their sick, and they had extra, why not share it to try and build relations with other groups out there? Since there's so few of them left, and they're all going to be using the same resources, so getting along is vital.

But this Ura isn't the one who makes the call. No, it's another, older Ura, one who appears behind the young man suddenly, who does. Nobody else would know who he is, but Tobias would be able to recognize him. He was the one giving the orders back when everyone was getting shot at.

"Give us the cure and leave," he says, calmly but firmly, "Or we will make you leave, one way or another."

That is when a handful of Ura make their presence known, stepping out of brush or jumping down from branches above. It's not everyone surrounding them, but it's enough to outnumber the four people present. A couple of them are also from the incident in the terminals, but some are new faces too.

None of them are moving to act yet, but they're standing there to make it known that they will act if the group tries anything funny.

The appearance of the superior officer is- surprising, there's no denying that. At the same time, Zulf has been expecting him or someone similar to make an appearance. You couldn't leave a lower warrior to be your representative forever, after all. After the initial slight start, Zulf gives an obedient nod to the new face. There wasn't any plan to stay around, after all-

Then the group gets bigger and an abrupt change comes over him.

Anyone paying attention won't miss the way his shoulders get tense or how his skin gets all the paler, betraying the expression on his face that can be seen from the front- a deer caught in the headlights. Colin can likely pick up the fact that his heart is threatening to go out his chest. There's a belated pause before he turns his head to nod to Tris, not saying anything- his jaw is clenched shut. His hands are shaking too, nails dug into the back of one hand.

<Give me the bag. Drape it around my neck or give it to me to hold in my teeth. I'll take it over. They'll expect one of you to attack - not the horse. Not that I'm going to attack them, but I'm less likely to.>

Tobias takes a step towards Zulf and nudges him gently with his head.

"You okay, Zulf?" Colin asks quietly, taking GREAT note of his suddenly stressed condition. "You gonna be able to continue?"

Tris was introduced as the healer, certainly, but Colin was the one carrying the case of the medicine. Fortunately, he's got the bulk to look like he's the one who should be carrying extra supplies. He crouches, opening his bag, and producing a large case which he holds out to Tris.

"You're our 'healer', so I think it's up to you to decide how to hand this over. They can take it all," Colin tells her quietly, glancing to Tobias to ensure that both of them know it.

Edited 2014-07-30 23:19 (UTC)

Wow they suddenly got so friendly. Tris takes to twirling a braid about a finger for a moment, while Colin takes the cure out. It wouldn't be any surprise that the weather witch has decided she doesn't really like how they're behaving, and doesn't want to get that close to them.

Tris places a hand on Tobias's side, letting him know where she was while crossing around him.

"Go ahead and the case closer. You don't have to put it in their hands, just gently on the ground middle or more." Offering the case in turn to Tobias.

Edited 2014-07-31 01:18 (UTC)

Tobias tosses his head a bit and bites the handle, carefully walking over towards the Ura. He doesn't want to move too suddenly and have them get spooked, but he also wants to get this over with. He nears the middle of the distance, slows even more, and carefully lowers the case to the ground before letting go.

He turns and walks back towards the others more quickly and turns when he gets there so he's facing the Ura again.

The use of the horse is...odd, but it actually is a good choice, because it seems far less threatening. When Tobias sets the medicine down and walks back, the leader Ura will nudge the younger Ura, who takes a moment to respond (as he is watching Zulf worriedly. Don't think he didn't notice how pale Zulf got), into grabbing the case. While he's out grabbing the case, he says a quick, quiet, "Thank you" to the party, trying to express his gratitude without the leader seeing. Then he hurries back to where he had been standing before.

Then, with another nod to the other soldiers, the leader Ura gives the order for the others to stand back, giving the party ample room to leave, though any progress forward will still be blocked.

But before anyone can leave, the leader speaks once more. "Before you go, I am curious: how did you manage to find us?" He is looking out among everyone, not just at Zulf, as he speaks.

There's a small jerk of a nod at Colin's questions, although the fact that his heart rate and breathing aren't slowing down any betrays that small white lie, but it's Tobias' nudge that seems to help snap him out of it. He's still pale, and his hand is still clenched into his other one, but he seems to regain a bit of his self composure at least. "Just a bad memory," he murmurs back over his shoulder before giving a smile to the young warrior. It's shaky, but genuine.

They've accomplished what they've set out to do. Now they just need to leave... and he can catch his breath.

Zulf moves to Tobias' side as he returns to the group, a hand coming to unsteadily rest on his neck again. It'll be good for both of them, actually, now that he can think a bit through the instinctive panic. They're probably running out of time for this shape... He looks up at the question, however. Ah- of course. Making an effort to think and speak in Caelondian- easy considering how he was raised- Zulf speaks in a low voice to the rest of the group. Hopefully none of the other Ura know it too. "What do you want me to say? I'd prefer honesty... I was planning to leave my amulet for them anyway, in case they ran into anyone of ours again."

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