Fragments of Hope [Lilly/Laertes]

[Deleted]

This takes place during Iron Blue Intention, after the group has finished their introductions and briefing but before reaching the bandit stronghold.

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Well, she decided with strained optimism, at least all this walking will be good for my figure. It wasn't as though she was exactly new to exercise, but walking cross-country without so much as a horse was putting her newfound leanness to the test. And her patience, but that was more due to the rising apprehension as they gradually neared the bandit encampment. It was only the journey of an afternoon, and yet it felt so much longer. What if the ruffians had already heard of their impending doom and were already fortified, or worse, setting up a bona fide ambush?

Her mind was as active as ever, though, and even as she strained against her mortal weakness, Lilly's plots soared far above the current situation. Wandering was well and good, but she couldn't just wander the land forever as an unknown mage - were any of her dreams to ever come true, she needed to further her longer-term goals in the process. This little excursion was a reasonable exercise in self-improvement as a mage, as well as an opportunity for Linius to get back in shape, but it was also an ploy to win over the villagers, and through them further her influence in the region. Saving a couple Khathelet towns from scavengers wouldn't do much to convince anyone to crown her the god-queen of all Elibe, but the support of the people was absolutely crucial to unification - and the inevitable joining of Worde and Ryerde was only the start.

So it was that Lilly had been passively observing her companions to gauge their capability and willingness to serve as mercenaries for a longer duration than just the current mission. Linius was brave and wise and competent, but he was only one man, and she was only one woman. One well-aimed arrow would be all it took to end her dreams of conquest - permanently. She needed an army. Not to actually use on other Lycians, Lilly fervently hoped, but without true power her voice would simply be ignored. Military, economic, civil influence - she needed them all, and that would start with the initial contracts she made during her earliest travels.

Laertes, while still somewhat of an unknown, had already made it clear that he was interested in money. If he could walk his talk, he could very well prove to be a useful bodyguard - Linius was all she could ask for in a vassal, but an extra escort couldn't hurt anything. The irony of three people whose names started with L traveling together was not lost on her, nor was the alliteration. Regardless of his the naming sense of his parents, Lilly fully intended to gauge him more directly than their brief earlier conversation, to explore his willingness on the subject. He didn't need to know everything right off the bat, of course.

Falling in beside the younger obsidian swordsman, Lillianne acknowledged him with a brief smile, eyes carefully neutral. He didn't seem much of a talker, but she wagered that with some effort she could get something out of him. Where the discussion went from there, time alone would tell. "So. Been a mercenary for long, Laertes?"

[Laertes]

Quite the stumble he found himself in. An odd group of people, common folk he assumed at that. At the very least, that was the best he could surmise from some of them. Hearing the older, and broader gentleman seemed a tad bit more gruff. The leader, Lilliane was here name, spoke more eloquently and polished. Perhaps a sense of nobility? His mind curious thought of the possibility. However, that was only a small portion in comparison to the larger task at hand.

Where would be his next source of income?

He had found this one by chance. Wherever problem laid, there was always chatter. The ones scared the most seemingly found profound ways to articulate the severity of the problem. In this day and age, in any case, you couldn't be a nameless mercenary and expect any sort of large revenue to come with it. This mission at hand would probably pay small, but it would be enough to get him through the next few days. It seemed that there was one thing he needed more than anything if he wanted his constant source of income.

A name.

With titles, certain prestigious follow and with that certain benefits are acquired. The benefits he needed. It looked like grunt work was in his foreseeable future for a section of time. Nothing he griped with too much, but there was some discomfort with succumbing to lower level work that seemed to bother him.

These thoughts ceased when their de-facto leader strolled by and ask him an earnest question. He smirked a little, as his eyes sized her up before speaking.

"Hmmmm. Some odd long days really. However, I've been keen with a sword since the age ignorance, and somewhat intolerance. I assume by your disposition, you've and your large friend have actively done such liberations before, no?"

[Deleted]

Interesting. His lilting diction, almost lyrical in tone, was not what she had expected going into this - she couldn't tell whether it was completely out of place or oddly fitting for the unusual swordsman, but it certainly drove her thoughts into disarray for a moment as she considered his words and the meaning behind them. That was probably the least specific answer she'd ever been given - all she knew now was that he had used a sword for... some time. And been a mercenary for an unspecified, but lesser, timeframe. His words seemed to deflect the question rather than answer it, addressing it without revealing more information than necessary.

She could deal with that.

Certainly more interesting than trying to drag a coherent, specific answer from the terrified villagers. Or maybe she meant less frustrating. The difference was very subtle at times, balanced atop a razor's edge of - something. Lilly smiled, partially at the strange direction her thoughts had taken, partially at her companions unique way of speaking. "A poet and a pugilist, I see. An interesting combination of talents - but it takes all types to make a world worth living in." Her words were colored by a rich amusement, still not entirely sure how to deal with him but interested despite herself.

His question had been interesting, too. Probing. Whether he was making petty conversation or actively hunting for specific information was less obvious, but it intrigued her as much as it set her on guard. If he wanted to be disingenuous - two could play at that game. It was refreshing to have a discussion that forced her to use her brain after that malarkey with Alicia, to be certain. Lilly dipped down to pass under a branch, momentarily second-guessing their plan of approaching through woodcover rather than the road, but it did minimize any opportunity for them to be noticed. "Hmmhmm." A quiet, coy chuckle. "This will not be my first time fighting bandits-" Second, technically, not that he needed to know that. "-or filling a leadership position of sorts. There will be more."

Admittedly, helping her husband manage countrywide policy was slightly different than paying some backwater sellswords to kill some other cutthroats, but that was neither here nor there. "A lady must be versatile, after all, and good Linius has his own unique collection of talents." Lilly was tempted to brag about the ex-mercenary, but kept silent out of respect more than anything else; it was possible that too much information might lead back to her, but she was more concerned with his story being his own to tell. History might not be so polite, so it behooved her to let him scribe what he could of it. Watching Laertes out of the corner of her eye, she continued. "Between larger jobs, then?"