Nostrum: Tales of Valor

Spinning Yarn

Briar awakens to the sound of sprung bells overhead; A routine occurrence at sundown. Rolling onto his back, he looks up at the loudest of them all. It continues to sound out for an estimated quarter of a minute before finally silencing itself and leaving nothing more than a hum in his ear. Taking a slow and groggy breath, he clears his throat, pulls himself up, and tosses his legs off the edge of the bed, where he sits for a short while. Soreness in his muscles tells him that he has yet to recover from their prior journey, but it is not, and never has been, a reason to linger behind.

"Rough night?"

Peeling his eyes off the floor, Briar looks over his shoulder towards where Cronn's voice had come from and gives him a dazed grunt.

"Me too." Placing an arm beneath his head and pulling up his covers, Cronn stares blankly at the ceiling. "Not that I couldn't sleep or anything. Just... strange dreams."

"Aren't they always?"

"Indeed." Cronn chuckles a bit, hops out of bed, and makes his way to the foot of it, where a large, wooden bed chest rests. Lifting the lid and knocking it against the bed frame, he begins sifting through different articles of clothing. "Seen Belial yet?"

Briar turns towards where he had last seen Belial the night before only to find an already made bed.

"Not yet. Oddly."

"It isn't the first time he's ventured off before anyone else."

Letting his eyes fall shut for a moment, Briar accepts this as fact. Then, proceeds to get ready, as well. Once they're both properly accoutred, and most other Purebloods have done the same, the pair head out.

Leaving Cronn to scour a crowded Great Hall from its entryway for Belial and Yuler, Briar navigates through the narrow passageways that are left between many other busy feet, attempting to reach the Convener, who continues to assist in reorganizing parties, as she had begun to do the prior night. Passing many disgruntled men and women, he finds himself being knocked in the shoulders more than usual, as their lack of compassion for those around them in such times shows itself. Murmurs and unsettled arguments resume in full force, having not been quenched earlier on. Just as he reaches the last step of the platform and The Council's table is in full view, he spots Achlys leaping to her feet and stiffening her spine. A clear look of disappointment engulfs her face and those nearest to her immediately silence themselves. In doing so, they unintentionally cause a wave of silence that spreads even further outward, affecting anyone and everyone who has been paying attention to their surroundings and noticed the peculiar change in vocalizations.

"Nostrum, please!" Pausing for a moment, she looks out at those who have not yet noticed an arising issue and continue to speak amongst themselves. Once she has their attention as well, she continues. "I am aware of your concerns. I am aware of your arguments. I am aware of your distaste and dissatisfaction. I. AM. Aware." With each of these words, she taps her shaking index finger against the table and leans towards the crowd. "Now, you must work towards becoming indifferent about these changes for the time being. Understood?" Many heads give no more than a silent nod as a response to this, whilst others remain entirely deaf to the words they are hearing. Briar remains neutral, knowing already that the clause does not affect him, or his party. "Good. Now, one at a time, in single file, I will give you your newly assigned compeers."

As the others trail away from the table, being forced to find a spot amongst one another and creating a line that stretches far beyond where Cronn has posted himself, Briar remains grounded. Noticing this almost immediately, Achlys looks towards him and her eyes speak of both pleasure, and blame.

"Good morning, Nostrum Briar."

"Convener." Giving a hearty bow, and speaking softly, he awaits her engagement.

"Surely, you're aware that...?" Looking in the direction of the next nearest Nostrum, then Briar once more, she raises her brow. Briar turns back to them for a moment as well, picking up on what it is Achlys does not wish to say in their presence.

"I'm aware. We're nearly ready to set off. We've no need to linger and watch this assembly unfold."

"Excellent." With a smile, Achlys collects a few parchments that had been previously placed against the table and stacks them into a neatened pile slightly off to one side. "So, what is it I can do for you?"

"We're having trouble locating two of our own. I thought, perhaps, you may have seen them already?"

"Belial and Yuler?"

"Yes."

"Well, I can't speak for Yuler, but I can say that I've seen Belial recently." Waving the Nostrum who stands just beyond Briar forwards, she takes in a fresh breath of air and wets her lips before continuing. "He was headed towards the infirmary."

"The infirmary?"

"That's correct. Though, I can't say he is still there. I'm struggling to relocate a few of my own at the moment." Achlys pauses for a moment as if to be getting lost in thought. "Where, Devough, have you found yourself now?"

"Thank you." Briar runs his bottom lip against his front teeth for a moment as concern leaks into his thoughts. Then, begins to step away. "I suppose I will be going now, then."

"I don't have anything to be worried about, do I?" Achlys questions in a demanding fashion. As a parent would with their mischievous child.

"Nothing that I am aware of, I assure." Briar tips his hat and with a responsive nod from Achlys, he steps off the platform and heads back to Cronn.

"Any ideas?"

"Belial is at the infirmary. We should head there ourselves and see what's the matter."

Not wanting to waste any time, Cronn does not respond to this. Instead, he simply follows Briar's lead through The Keep. With the infirmary being no more than a few rooms down, traversal time is kept short and their eyes come to rest on four rows of examination tables. To Briar's surprise, the infirmary is fairly empty. In times such as these, it is not uncommon for the infirmary to be overflowing with the injured and sick. Spotting a nurse as she leans back from behind a cabinet door with an arm full of gauze wrappings and a hand-balancing two large, glass bottles of brownish liquid, Briar waves at her. As she notices the newcomers, she distractedly offers them a wave in return, but as she does so a bottle falls free of her grasp and shatters against the floor. Thick medicinal fluids spread across it as she places the rest of the items she had obtained onto a lower shelf and pulls out an absorbent cloth to lay out over the spill.

"My apologies." Walking across the ward, Briar collects a second cloth he had spotted at the foot of an unused bed and lays it across what the first could not cover.

"No need for that. It was my own clumsy mistake." Giving a foolish giggle, she scrubs at what remains of the substance, which has rapidly coagulated. "Is there something I can assist you with? Any injuries, or others that need tending?"

"No, no. That's quite alright."

"We're looking for our third, Belial. Convener Achlys tells us he came this way."

"She told you correctly." Coming out from behind the corner of a small storage room just ahead of them, Belial can be seen pocketing several small bottles of liquid sedatives. Along with a handful of meticulously wrapped orbs.

"I- I don't mean to be rude but, nobody is permitted in there besides those on the medical team."

Looking back at the nurse- who was clearly unaware of Belial's presence prior- Briar places a hand on her shoulder.

"Forgive him. A harsh history can make rational thinking difficult." Standing upright, Briar faces their lost companion. "As for you; Might I ask what it is you're doing here?"

"Stocking up. Isn't that obvious?" Belial grins at the others and rattles the orbs in a closed fist. "Some candies for the road?"

"So, you're fine then? No unspoken injuries, or...?"

"Course not. Do you think I'm mad?"

"'Course not.'" Briar mirrors the expression and looks around the room one last time. "Have you seen Yuler anywhere?"

"Not since this morning."

"This morning?" An overtly puzzled Cronn butts in.

"That's right. She headed off to bathe while we were all laying in bed."

"Did you see her come back afterward?"

"'Fraid not. I was snoring by then, I'm sure." Stuffing the wrapped candies in the opposite pocket as his sedatives, Belial walks over to the others and picks up where Briar left off with assisting the clumsy nurse.

"Yuler? Is that the one who lost her brother to a turned Nostrum?" She asks, seemingly more aware of the goings-on than any of them expected her to be. Noticing this, she quickly darts her eyes about them and returns to feverishly scrubbing the floor. "Th-there's a lot of talk amongst the staff."

"That's no trouble." Cronn assures. "Have you seen her?"

"No... but, if I were in her shoes, I'm sure I'd like to be alone for some time. Perhaps, she's just clearing her mind and doesn't need the distractions?" Collecting both cloths and climbing back up off her hands and knees, the nurse folds them over one another. Ensuring that the contents do not spill out.

"I'd say she's got a pretty clear mind already." Belial intrudes with a shrug. "She seems the type to get over things quickly."

"She does?" Cronn questions, intently staring at Belial. "I always took her as the type to grieve. As one should."

Belial falls silent for a moment and blankly stares back. Then, blinks rapidly and shakes his head with a sigh.

"Unfortunately, we can't all see things the same way."

"Nonetheless, we should try to find her." Briar states firmly.

"Alright, fine." Putting his hands up and his head down, signaling defeat, Belial speaks again. "She headed off to Chatswen Borough."

"Chatswen?" Cronn exclaims as if the thought of such a thing alone is too much to bear. "What business would she have in going to a place like Chatswen?"

"It's where her family resides." Belial confidently states. "Didn't you know?"

"How would we?" Briar retorts.

"I suppose you should have spoken with her more." The other men look to one another briefly without speaking before returning to the conversation. "It's no matter. This must stay between the three-" Belial glances back at the nurse, who remains awkwardly standing in place with all of the contents she previously collected now held tightly against her chest. "Four, of us." With a firm gaze, he steps aside, allowing her to return to her duties. Which she does with haste. "She doesn't want anyone knowing she left just yet. Just felt it was her obligation to inform her family of Gro'gu's passing."

"Understandable." Briar presses the pad of one thumb against his lips and rolls it around for a moment. Then, turns to Cronn. "Can we keep this to ourselves for the time being?"

"Of course." Cronn confirms with a stiffened spine. "In the meantime, it would certainly be best for us to continue on our way. Yuler's absence will only become more obvious if we insist on being spotted without her from this point on."

"Agreed." The others state in unison.