Zack/S1Lude18

Five_Pillars is off to one side, talking to the Village Elder. A series of tents for the refugess are up already, and the endes of the shsadowland seem to be receeeding from the life there.

The salted ground of the village itself has been levelled, and burned, and is now a flat, salted plain.

It's noon.

Soran has helped a bit with this, but after a while he excuses himself to go hunt down a certain deathknight. For once it isn't Laria.

Silence is by the edge of the village, watching a group of villagers go about their work across the way. She stands with arms crossed and hood up, keeping a sharp eye on the slowly, slowly thinning cloudiness above. Sunlight ouchness is bad.

Soran heads over to her, managing a faint grin as he glances at the sky. Finally the sun will shine through. Once he gets close enough, he clears his throat. "A word, deathknight?"

Silence drops her eyes from the sky and looks at the Exalted in front of her. She slowly uncrosses her arms and lets them rest by her side as she nods to Soran.

Five_Pillars looks up, and finishes his words to the headman, sending him off with a horde of children to begin the task ahead.

Five_Pillars looks over at Soran, for a moment, and approaches, though he remains respectfully out of whatever business, the two already have, as he waits. He begins absently practicing the Hungry Ghost style, as he waits, observing and perfecting his technique in the shadowland while he can.

Soran nods slightly as he considers for a few moments. "I'm curious to why you decided to raise your blade against Solitude during the battle, and to who your master or mistriss is."

Silence considers Soran for a few moments, then inclines her head slowly. "I gathered that," she whispers.

He grins slightly. "So, are you going to say? I'm guessing it isn't the Mask of Winters, considering you helped beat back two of his minions."

Silence shakes her head slowly.

Soran mms a bit as he considers, walking around Silence. "Location makes a few of the others a bit difficult... Ah well. What are your current plans?"

Silence turns her head to follow Soran as he walks around her. "You know. This and that."

Soran shakes his head. "I'm sure. What I'm worried about is what this and that might entail for my friends."

Silence looks Soran in the eye. "If I were going to harm your friends, they would not have slept soundly last night."

Soran manages a faint grin. "You're pretty confident. Probably not completely without reason, but still."

<Silence> "I am."

He nods once as he grins. "First and Forsaken Lion, perhaps?"

Silence says, "Does it matter?"

Soran shrugs. "One can never know."

Silence smiles vaguely and leans close to Soran, whispering conspiratorily, "I'm actually spawned directly from the Malfeans, who have a personal interest in providing a thorn in your side."

Soran eyerolls. "And I'm He Who Holds in Thrall given shape. Just don't do anything stupid, alright?"

Silence shrugs. "If I were prone to stupid things, I would not have survived this long since entering the service of my leige."

<Silence> "You should know that, Solar, if you're so familiar with how the deathknights work."

Soran chuckles. "I'm more than familiar, my dear deathknight. Trust me." He glances over at Five, hming a bit. "If you'll excuse me." He bows ever so slightly before heading over towards the old man.

Silence narrows her eyes once Soran's turned his back, giving him an appraising glare. Nosy son of a bitch.

But he's a nosy son of a bitch from the First Age!

Five_Pillars finishes with a brutal thrust, his hand waverign between the two worlds, neither living nor dead, and almost impossible to follow with the eye, let alone block.

Five_Pillars stops, frowning, as he looks up at Soran. "Soran." He nods.

Soran comes to a stop not far from Five, grinning slightly. "Five. You're getting better."

Five_Pillars says "You think?" He spins, with a leaping slash of his bare hand, as he strikes a wooden wall. Each and every ring inside the wall shatters, as for a brief moment, every line of sap, and every bit of water inside the board reverses direction.

Five_Pillars stops his practice, standing up. "Saw you and the girl."

He nods once, letting out a low whistle at the results. "Mm. Keep an eye on her for as long as you're together. She doesn't seem to be trouble, but can't be too sure."

Five_Pillars says "Speaking of girls who are trouble." His wrinkled face frowns, as he looks at Soran. "What are your plans?"

Soran frowns. "As before. I will go with you to Gem, get you in contact with a friend of mine who will keep an eye out for you all, inform him about what happened to Diamond, get a location for Camel. Then I'm going after Laria and Ciel."

Five_Pillars says "The way to Gem is not that confusing." He lays a hand on Soran's arm. "And each day you delay with us, only allows them to gain more time. Do you think I haven't seen how you stare at the horizon?"

Soran manages a faint grin. "I know, friend. There are promises that need to be kept, however."

Five_Pillars says "You can go. Do you think us so incompetant?" He says "You need not feel obligated to stay. Camel, Scarab, And now Bull and Silence. If you needed a trial by fire, Laria was enough. They will not be easily set aside."

Soran manages a faint grin. "I know. But I promised Camel the location of his parents at least. I intend to deliever before I go to settle things."

Five_Pillars says "You have to do as you think is best, after all."

Five_Pillars looks at Soran for a few, long moment. "So how are you feeling?"

Soran closes his eyes as he remains silent for a few moments. "Better than I did when Ciel snatched Laria out of our grasp. Not by a wide margin though."

Five_Pillars says "And since the Ursupation? How have you been holding up, old man?" Five kids, but there's a more serious intent. He remembers the escesses of the Solars of the First Age. All too well.

He opens his eyes, managing a faint grin. "I've held up alright over the times. It was rough after the Unsurpation, but survivable while keeping one's head intact."

Five_Pillars says "It's amazing no rumors of you got out. Even in the immaculate order." He notes, mildly. "Certainly nothing like Joqain."

He nods slightly. "At our height we fell under the hordes of Terrestrials. While they've been reduced a fair bit, so have we. I know my limits, and I know I can't bring down the Realm single handedly. Especially in my current condition."

Silence re-appears from a walk around the village and, finding them still talking, comes up and pauses nearby, to see if the subject matter is anything worth bothering with.

Five_Pillars says "Ah." He considers. "Well. Alright then."

Five_Pillars says "What about Laria?"

Soran raises an eyebrow. "What about her?"

Five_Pillars says "What, exactly, do you intend to do?"

Soran grins slightly. "That should be fairly obvious. If I manage to catch up to her and Ciel, take her back. If they get to Thorns before I can, I'll have to be a bit more careful about it. The seals make doing something like marching on there anima ablaze more than a tad suicidal."

Five_Pillars says "You wouldn't be the first Solar to become so."

Silence smirks a little as she moves away again. It would be amusing to see Soran added to the ranks of the deathknights, but she doubts he has the balls.

Soran shakes his head. "I need to pick up my gear from the same friend I want you all to keep in touch with in Gem when we arrive. I might delay my movement, since I think Scarab is considering hunting down the other gems that have the seals still attached to them."

Five_Pillars says "I'd still recommend caution." He considers. "I doubt even at the hights of your power, you could have handled Juggernaut alone."

Soran nods once. "As I said, I plan to be careful about it. Worst case scenario, I wait until Laria is deployed again and grab her then."

Five_Pillars says "Not to be an ass, Soran. But she's unleashed at least a few of her own seals."

Five_Pillars says "I fought the two of you close enough to judge. Whatever else it may have done, her transformation has done nothing to weaken her blade."

Soran manages a faint grin. "This is true. If it comes to waiting until she's deployed again, I plan to make the circumstances as unfair for her as possible."

Five_Pillars says "Fair enough." He considers. "I want to try something, in perhaps two hours. You avaliable?"

Soran raises an eyebrow as he motions towards the wall. "It doesn't involve ending up like that, does it?"

Five_Pillars says "You'd be fine." He grins. "No. Something I recall about How Demense, manse and other places can absorb some of the energy of the type of charms used there."

Soran tilts his head. "Oh?"

Five_Pillars nods. "When the Imamculates want to shape a demense, before they cap it with a manse, they channel the charms of the dragon they want to harness. I think it might not hurt this place at all, to pick up a Solar vibe."

Soran raises an eyebrow. "To help with dealing with the shadowland's effects?"

Five_Pillars says "I can't quite figure out how there's one here at all."

Five_Pillars says "Not more than a few score people died. And they died running, not ritual slaughtered."

Five_Pillars says "Probably the necromantic aspect didn;t help. But even so, this shadowland is small, and weak."

Five_Pillars says "Barely here at all."

Soran shrugs. "Possibly Ciel's magic. The way they dealt with Diamond's body couldn't have helped things." He nods. "That is good, at least."

Five_Pillars nods. "I'm going to see what we can do, before we have to go." He says "Anyway. Call it two hours, and see if the others are interested in helping." He says "I need to go talk to the girl." He nods, and sets out after Silence.

Soran nods as he brings forth his own blade and begins practicing.

Five_Pillars heads off, looking for the quiet girl.

Silence has apparently decided to follow the recent trend, and is on a deserted side of the village, her cloak tossed to the side and her swords gleaming dully in the dusky light of the young shadowland.

Five_Pillars considers her a moment, as he watches. Beautiful in her efficienc, and almost too fast to see.

Silence doesn't appear to have spotted him at any one particular point, but a few moments later, she moves from practicing to sheathing the soulsteel weapons in one smooth movement, turning to face Five.

Five_Pillars says "Unnamed Daughter of Beautific Silence." He bows, slightly. "If I might have a word?"

Silence nods, approaching him. She clasps her hands at the small of her back and tilts her head at Five, quirking a brow.

Five_Pillars says "I wanted to apologize for Soran. He's ... got some issues."

Five_Pillars takes a seat on a nearby piece of a wall, now in ruins.

Silence eyes Five. "No kidding."

Five_Pillars says "Also, we're going to be doing a geomantic working, in about an hour. You can feel free to watch, if you want. But I've noticed you don't find the golden light of the sun to be a comfort."

Silence shakes her head. "I'll probably pass."

Five_Pillars nods. "As I thought." He considers a moment. "If you have any problems with Soran, or any of the others, you'll let me know?"

Five_Pillars says "Soran in particular, has Laria on his mind alot, lately."

Silence asks, "This Laria... She is the one from before?"

Five_Pillars says "Yes. He's in love." He shakes his head. "With someone who died a long time ago."

<Silence> "How quaint." She busies herself with adjusting one ofr her gloves, though it doesn't particularly seem to need adjusting. "As for the others, I doubt there'll be cause to trouble you. Your Soran is curious, but not overly so."

Five_Pillars nods. "Fair enough." He considers. "What do you know about the Fair Ones?"

Silence reacts fairly strongly, disgust crossing her features.

Five_Pillars says "Any actual experience dealing with them?"

Silence shakes her head.

Five_Pillars frowns, but nods. "Here." He passes her a nail, on a thin leather cord. "Make sure this is touchign your skin, somewhere, when we head South from Gem. Cold Iron."

Silence takes it and examines it. She shakes her head a little and winds it around her leg, tucking it into her boot. "You expect to deal with them."

Five_Pillars says "That depends on what you mean 'deal with'" He smiles, and not very pleasantly. "I intend to remove a few of them from my way, and bring back someone they've laid unrightful claim to."

Silence nods. "All I have are rumours," she says with an apologetic shrug.

Five_Pillars says "And I not much more, though I think I saw one once, he was far from the edges of the world, and he ran from us."

<Silence> "A rare show of wisdom."

Five_Pillars smiles again. "I was with no less than three dragon-blooded immaculates. He had tries to posit himself as a student."

Silence frowns at the mention of the immaculates. "Mm." She glances around her and notes, "We should move from this place before too long."

Five_Pillars nods. "We'll leave in the morning."

Silence nods. "Good." She frowns.

Five_Pillars says "What is it?"

Silence shrugs.

<Silence> "Well. You're not comfortable here, obviously," she says, albeit a bit evasively.

Five_Pillars says "I'm fine. What's your hurry?"

Silence looks at Five. "This place is small and warded against the dead. Yet that doesn't make the living who dwell here any more proof against the forces of the underworld."

Five_Pillars nods. "And that's what you're worried about isn't it?"

Five_Pillars says "Is there anything we need to know about who you're running from?"

Silence sets her jaw, turning her head to look out over the desert.

Five_Pillars says "... right." He sighs. "I figured as much."

Silence turns to pick up her cloak, studying the decorative plate that holds the garment in place. "You already know what you need to know." She looks up at Five. "They're in such a position as to actually force a deathknight to keep the company of Solars to evade them."

Five_Pillars says "So I see." He considers. "Can they follow you here?"

<Silence> "... yes."

Five_Pillars nods. "What kind of threat are we talking about?"

Silence sighs. "One that has better things to do at the moment than bother. Since we're leaving here in the morning, it's about to not be an issue."

Five_Pillars says "And that's why you're eager to leave the shadowland behind."

Silence nods.

Five_Pillars considers. "Fair enough." He considers some more. "And how about the living?"

<Silence> "What about them?"

Five_Pillars says "There aren't storied of a pale woman with stagmata, and armor made of blood, moving too fast for the eye to follow going around, are there?

Silence looks puzzled. "Not that I know of."

<Silence> "Why?"

Five_Pillars says "Just making sure. The last thing we need is a Wyld Hunt."

Silence reaches up to brush her flawless forehead, then shakes her head. "You needn't worry. It's been years since I've seen anyone living." She pauses, then adds, "Aside from here."

Five_Pillars says "That's ... oddly reassuring."

<Silence> "Why?"

Five_Pillars says "Is there anything you're going to need from us?"

Silence shakes her head.

Five_Pillars says "Tell me. Is it true that the Deathlords are as learned as powerful as the stories say?"

Silence allows a hint of a smile to cross her features. "Yes."

Five_Pillars considers. "And is it true some of them are willing t make concessions with the living? That not all of them are as conquest minded as the Mask of Winters?"

Silence tilts her head. "What sort of concessions?"

Five_Pillars says "It would seem to me. That the plains of the underworld are kingdom enough for the dead."

Five_Pillars says "And goal enough for the battles of mighty armies."

Silence says slowly, "Some of them seek... more personal power than conquests of land."

Five_Pillars says "All that lives will die, and pass into their sway, given time. It seems to me a patient course would be more profitable than the Mask fo Winters, and his war upon the living."

<Silence> "Your point, old one?"

Five_Pillars says "If you knew one such. Surely, they could profit from reasonable allies, who yet live. And we in turn, could profit from the wisdom of the dead."

Five_Pillars stands. "But that, I think, is a discussion for another time."

Silence watches Five stand without answering.

Five_Pillars says "We should be done wit our geomancy in an hour or two."

Silence casts her cloak aside and draws her blades once more. "I'll be here."

Silence looks down at the soulsteel thoughtfully, contemplating the traces of familiar features in the depths of the blades.

Five_Pillars nods, as he examines the blades for a moment, before turning to go.