outer_divide | FETTERED RESOLVE [VIDEO] (Week 31

Entry tags:

FETTERED RESOLVE [VIDEO] (Week 31 - Saturday)

[ It's Saturday morning, and the feed opens to a quiet little scene by the water at exactly eight-thirty. A little encampment, with pitched covering, three neighing horses nibbling at grass prepared for them, and the dissipating smoke of a dead fire at the center of the camp. But the ground is covered in scorch marks from what must have been fire, as the ash rings are tell-tale. The branches of the trees have burnt leaves, and one of the lean-tos of a covering looks to be on its last day, if the dents to the wood aren't any indication that it will soon snap.

The ground is covered in knife wounds and dragged lines that indicate struggles and battles that stirred up sediment and pocked the encampment viciously with scars in the earth. There are even dents in the ground, made from, what looks like, heavy forces that pounded the ground incessantly until whatever pounded the ground broke or left abruptly.

If you look closely, you will see what looks like drying red on the grasses in splatters and zig-zags. There are also several mounds in the dirt that look to have been freshly dug, most likely earlier this morning. They're already covered, with long wooden sticks stuck at the center of each. There are also several symbols written in the dirt of the mounds. Several symbols are old Nordic, and the rest of the language of Vanaheim, used to expel the evil dead back into the earth so that they may return to service to the land they scorned instead of entering the death cycle to peaceful eternal happiness. One mound, in particular, has four sticks stuck in the dirt, arranged in an 'x' to symbolize the greatest offender to the land.

Any Nordic worth his Aesir salts will know the mark of one so hated that a Vanir would expel the soul in the mound to eternal land servitude. They will also know that, because of the mark, the person buried in the ground is of no light heart.

There is a piling of supplies by the banked fire. Rough old fabrics, a dusty, roughed up wooden trunk, and several wrapped canvas bags of what looks like food and platterwares. There is an open canvas sack with shivs and rusty blades sticking out. To the left is a pile of, what looks like belts, shoes, shirts and pants all clumped together, all wet red, and all attracting the attention of a dozen flies, swarming over the mess. But, they suddenly buzz away, as the clothing spontaneously combusts and lights red and orange flames. ]

Disgusting! [ The sharp trill of a young lady's voice comes from off-screen, and then, the grumblings of a warrior annoyed follow. ] Did you not already take your fill last night? No matter, away with you. I must continue purifying what little we may take back with us. [ A resigned sigh. And then the video turns, and now you can see from the waist up, Sigyn Freyasdotter. ]

Good morn to my fellows. May you receive this blessing by the daughter of Freya. [ Sigyn smiles, eyes crinkling close -- did she not get enough sleep? -- looking content despite the purple and blue bruises that are not covered by her haphazard ensemble. There are choking bruises about her neck where someone attempted to silence her, and more bruises peppering her face (especially the bruise below her eye) and marks of a blade's attempt to cut flesh upon her cheek, neck, and forehead. There is even a bandage about her forehead, a little red at the center from bleed through, but nothing too serious that it will need immediate treatment. ]

I hope that my disappearance has not raised any cause for concern. [ As if her suddenly disappearing is worse than the marks she's sustained. ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Televised body disposal. That's novel.

I have already buried the bodies, Warrior Stark, though I should leave them to the scavengers after how they touched me.

Edited 2013-03-24 03:35 (UTC)

What happened? [Is that concern? Probably.]

I attempted diplomacy and instead of finding reason, I found lecherous men whose throats I should have slit when they first put their filthy hands on my body.

[ She folds her arms, cocking her head to the side. Her hair moves over her shoulders and another bruise along the side of her neck can be seen. ]

Foolish girl. I thought I saw decency in one man's face, but it quickly turned to vulgarity that is now buried with the rest of his appalling form in his grave.

Yeah, diplomacy with armed bandit camps: not really a good idea. Are you hurt? Besides the bruises.

Aye. But Warrior Mercy badgered me like one of my nursemaids until I relented to her applying salves to my wounds.

Edited 2013-03-27 03:40 (UTC)

Remind me to buy her a drink when you get back to the city. How did you end up in a bandit camp anyway?

[He sounds grim, even through the faint, tinny echo on the mic. Kidnapping, raids - his initial assumptions are rather more troubling than mere adventures gone awry.]

Happenstance. Warrior Mercy and I were in the forests without transportation when I saw the bandits' horses. [ Partly true. Sigyn could have ridden on Kerra's dinosaur easily, but the roughness of its back would have been far too uncomfortable. ]

What's your location? We'll send someone out to meet you.

[Because as far as he's concerned, bandits move in herds. Like angry, evil bison.]

Nej. We are well, Warrior Stark. We will be returning shortly after noon, once all supplies have been packed and our provisions are restored.

[ Last thing she wants to do is earn herself another lecture. It is bad enough that Kerra laid one into her promptly after all the bandits were dead. ]

I had no concern until just now. What happened?

I was attacked. [ She hugs her arms, cocking her head to the side, limp, wet hair spilling over her shoulders. ] Perverted men who were going to kill me. But, as you can see, they did not succeed.

You're welcome.

[Kerra rolled her eyes as she popped onto the feed, cleaning her blaster]

Mulan, she decided to try and talk bandits out of killing her. That's what happened.

[Sigyn, she's pretty convinced your a stupid, naive girl now. Magic or not, that was dumb.]

That was not so! I attempted to persuade the bandits into taking us home, first!

[ She frowns at Kerra. ]

Edited 2013-03-24 03:59 (UTC)

[Kerra facepalms and turns back to rifling through pockets for anything useful.]

Look. You can't just expect help from strangers. Particularly men like that.

I had to give them a chance to escape death by my blade.

[ She huffs, annoyed, then turns back to the video -- expectantly, to Mulan. ]

They asked of me the reason for my appearance in their camp and after refusing to listen to my reasoning, their leader ordered my death. [ She folds her arms. ] In which, Kerra helpfully blasted away his head clean from his neck. [ She loses her stubborn expression and appears contrite. ] My thanks for defending me, Warrior Mercy.

Edited 2013-03-24 06:36 (UTC)

[Kerra shakes her head, muttering to herself. But when Sigyn's back is turned she looks at the camera again, giving Mulan a knowing, somewhat exasperated look, mouthing silently This one's kinda clueless. But she says nothing, just works.]

Edited 2013-03-24 07:20 (UTC)

...In any case, I'm glad to hear you weren't alone, then, and that Mercy was there to assist you.

And that you are, for the most part, all right. That could have ended very much worse.

I have encountered far worse in the Nine Realms. If I have learned anything from my encounter with Loki's Other -- besides that he is a handsome irritant -- is that I cannot assume someone who acts surly and rude is willing to harm me.

[ Another huff. ]

I dispatched more than half the men to their graves, did I not?

Did you? You did well, then.

But maybe next time a little less hesitation before you strike.

I admit I should have cut their throats once they touched me, yet I had to attempt dissuading death. Had they been reasonable, perhaps we could have made allies for Verdana.

Are you so in need of allies, then, that you would court every butcher in the field? Hard times may make for unlikely bedfellows but not every swordhand out there is worthy of automatically being in civil company.

[ Sigyn has the decency to look ashamed. ] It is not I. It is Verdana. I only thought of peace.

Maybe you should leave the peacemaking, in the future, to the more...diplomatically suited.

I must at least try.

Why? What would it accomplish?

Stop unneeded deaths. Create bridges. I must remain optimistic, lest I fall into a state of emotional disarray.

She did what? [That gets the most bemused of stares.] You're joking.

[Kerra switches to text on her own device]

No, I'm not. Just...marched right into the camp to ask for a ride home.

[The response comes a little later, as it takes her a moment to figure out text. Mulan's been pretty much only using video for a reason. But she sees the reason to not carry on this conversation in a manner Sigyn can overhear]

she has a lot less sen se than i wouldhave thou ght

Nice girl, but about as sharp as a rubber ball.

[Kerra's glad Mulan at least saw the sense there]

She wants horses, though. Refused to take a ride on the beast I tamed.

so i am notic ing. and what kkind of beast?

Dunno what you'd call it, other than a dinosaur.

you actu ally caught one of those?

Tamed it, actually. They...aren't hard, and I get along great with reptiles.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

FETTERED RESOLVE [VIDEO] (Week 31 - Saturday)

[Voice]

[video]

[Voice]

[video]

[voice]

[video]

[permavoice]

[permavideo]

no subject

no subject

[video]

[video]

[video]

[video] + [action]

[video] + [action]

[video] + [action]

[video] + [action]

[video]

[video]

[video]

[video]

[video]

[video]

[video]

[video]

[video]

[video]

[video]

[Text]

[Text]

[Text]

[Text]

[Text]

[Text]

[Text]