Until next time...

[Pierre]

[Time stamp: Monday morning after October game]

It’s morning as Pierre can be heard inside his tent. He tends to the care of his weapons and armour. After, he checks his personal supplies, he comes to the conclusion that several things are missing, things like his antidote and stall potions. “Must’ve happened during Nero’s damn games” he mutters to himself. He sighs and continues on his morning prep. Once finished he steps outside to wash his face.

[Verbena Domitia]

"Morning, Pierre." Verbena nods as she passes on her way back from Ardin's hut. "I trust you're well?"

[Pierre]

Pierre finishes up a small RP moment with Dimitri just before Verbena greets him.
“Good morning Verbena” as he looks to her. The slightest pause before he replies again “Yeah, all ok here” nodding his head. As if he had to be sure before he answered, but answered confidently. “Just getting ready before I head out” he cracks a small smile of assurance.

[Verbena Domitia]

Verbena freezes and fixes Pierre with an intense and agitated gaze. "Head out? Where?" Her tone is brittle and snappish. "Not for good? You're coming back, aren't you? You can't just abandon Holdfast!" She stands with tension in every muscle, like a cornered cat deciding whether to swipe or bolt.

[Pierre]

Pierre is taken back a bit and raises an eyebrow. Once she finishes, his face relaxes. “Easy there Verbena. I’ve got some personal business I need to attend to. I need to go to the Mists and keep a promise I made to a friend.” Some sadness could be heard in his voice. “I don’t know how long I’ll be gone or when I’ll return, time works differently there somehow. But I’m not leaving for good, no.” Pierre kind of drifts off a bit, before regaining eye contact with Verbena.

“You know, I get that a lot of others aren’t too happy with me, and that’s never been a problem for me. What others thought of me. But these last few days have definitely hit me a little. I don’t even know why I’m telling you this. I know I’ll bounce back from it and I’ll move on from it eventually.”

“When you got captured by those pirates and turned against us. We all slowly got on the same page to do whatever we could to get you back on our side. It’s not the most poetic story, but we did try and work together to help in the end. When the cataclysm happened, we all worked together. We all put aside our differences, hatred and issues. We held our own just enough. I’ve got this really strong feeling that we need to do that again with this ‘Ascension’ problem. I’m not saying we all have to be best friends through this, just, don’t go adding unnecessary friction.”

“You don’t owe me anything, and I can’t make you do anything you don’t want to. You can say whatever you want to me, I can take it. But you have this amazing ability of communicating to others. How you construct your sentences and use your words. The way you talked about Father Francis during his trial, you speak with heart. I really think you can play a key part by helping Holdfast come together again. The more people we have working together the easier it’ll be. So what say you? I’ll be away for some time and I’m doing everything I can. I’ll take as much help I could can get right now.”

Pierre extends his hand out… hoping.
[Sorry for the very long delay in responding]

[Verbena Domitia]

Verbena relaxes slightly at Pierre's reassurance that he won't be gone for good. She listens attentively as he speaks, then fixes him with an appraising glance when he pauses. She does not take his hand. After a long beat of silence, she turns, staring into the middle distance, and replies:

"Holdfast is a place on the edge of everything, isn't it? Men who wouldn't trust each other with a rough will fight side by side in perfect confidence with their lives in each other's hands. Secrets are guarded and blood is shared. Lawlessness runs roughshod over the common good, yet the law is often strict and harsh when enacted. Unity and division, self-interest and altruism, catastrophe and victory. These volatile forces buffet Holdfast all at once and in equal measure, leaving it perched on a knife's edge. It is never quite one thing or another, but all of them at once. It is constantly in flux, but not truly advancing or regressing."

The cloud of bemusement passes from her face, and her expression becomes more open. Almost hopeful.

"And yet... I can imagine it. Despite Holdfast's stubborn refusal to be defined, and its roughness, and its inchoate nature... There's something worthwhile at the core. Through everything, all of it, I remain convinced of its presence, underneath all the grit and blood. It's like an uncut gem only half-glimpsed in the firelight, or a precious coin that glints as it sinks in the sea. There's... a glimmer." She stops and lifts her hand almost absent-mindedly, as though reaching for something unseen. "One day, the sun will break through, and Holdfast will catch the light, and it will shine so, so brightly. It may only be a brief moment, like a snowflake alighting on the waves, or the breath after the music stops. But I will be there for it. I will see Holdfast when it shines."

The breeze stirs her hair and the moment passes. She drops her hand and turns back to Pierre, smiling self-consciously.

"All of this to say... I'm staying. And I'm glad you are as well. We are people of Holdfast, and we have work to do." She locks eyes with him and extends her hand.

[Pierre]

Pierre shakes hands with Verbena. A small smirk seen in the corner of his face. “I look forward to seeing you in that light as well.”

He lets go of her hand. The smirk becomes a full smile. “Good luck my friend.”

Pierre gives one last nod to Verbena before turning and makes his way towards The Hanged Man. Approaching the entrance, he knocks, “Hello? Sylvie? Are you in today?”

[Sylvie]

Deep in meditation, Sylvies ears perk up and shift towards the door. Psychic energy can wait. She hurries to her feet and throws the curtain open.

"Monsieur Pierre! What a rare pleasure it is to hear you knocking at my door. I wasn't planning to take visitors, but I just can't say no to you." she smiles, coyly.

"Please come in! Can I fix you a tea?"

[Pierre]

Pierre enters with a gracious smile. “A tea sound wonderful. I hope I’m not interrupting anything. I was just hoping to have a small chat with you” He looks around and realizes this is his first time entering The Hanged Man. Unsure, he still stands, not knowing if he should sit or wait to be seated.

“This is quiet the cozy place you have here”

[Sylvie]

"oh this old place?" she muses "You flatter me."

She retrieves an old kettle from the stove and pours into 2 small cups. The competing aromas of wood smoke and incense and floral tea overwhelm the small tent.

"Please, make yourself at home" she wraps her tail playfully around his shoulders, guiding him towards the decorative pillows on the floor.

She places the small cups on the table between them, and sits. Resting her chin in her hands, her milky eyes fix themselves on her visitor.

"So. What would you like to talk about?"

[Pierre]

“I might be completely out of line. It might not even be my business. But I’ll cut straight to the point”

He takes his seat on the cushion. He looks straight into her eyes.

“I genuinely want to know how you’ve been holding up. I’m sure you’ve had closer friends or ally’s checking in on you. I know the pressure of putting on a brave face amongst your peers and I know how much of a toll it can take on the body, mind and soul. The whole thing with Godo was terrible enough, then there’s the council responsibilities. Even the personal care for Mirisi and what he’s been through.”

Pierre kind of backs off a bit.

“You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to. Like I said, it might not even be my business. I just want you to know, that if you need someone to talk to, you can always come to me. If this topic is too personal, we could talk about something else.” Pierre starts stumbling over his sentences, almost like he’s embarrassed or pushing the boundaries too far. “Or I could leave. I just wanted to see if help was needed”

[Sylvie]

The romantic gaze in Sylvies eyes fades away as he speaks.

She's silent for a moment, before clearing her throat and smiling once again.

"Oh, don't be so silly. No need to worry." her voice cracks a little

"Council is more of a nuisance than anything, but representing Holdfast makes me feel...whole. This is my harem, no matter how dysfunctional."

She lifts herself from her seat and retrieves an old linen purse from across the room. She begins to dig through it.  

"Mirisi is tougher than he looks. Even if he does like to nap" She continues, darting a sideways glance towards a softly snoring pile in the bed.

"I won't pretend those days were easy. I certainly won't pretend that I'm the same person I was before. Some days I am scared, or enraged, or broken. But a life lived in fear, anger, or sadness is no life at all. I have to live in the moment I am in. And right now, I am in my tent, surrounded by friends. I am content."

A moment of quiet is shared between the two before the crisp shuffle of a deck of cards breaks the tension.

"You on the other hand, I am worried about." She cuts the deck in two and riffles it back together.

"Am I wrong to think it is perhaps you who needs to get some things off their chest?"

[Pierre]

A look of sadness can be seen on Pierre as he looks down to his tea. “You know, I was held captive by Jenny’s minions. Tested on, studied on. Mind fucked and had teeth pulled. Turned against the people I wanted to protect, even plotted against them. I was held captive by Nero too, before he ascended. I was beaten to the edge of my life and was brought with a knife across my throat to be a barter chip against Holdfast. I could’ve escaped at anytime but I knew the consequences were too high. The people here recklessly fought for my life and succeeded. But Nero slipped away and killed another captive he had. Pendergast. We sought revenge on him and we got it. But the damage was done.” He wraps his hands around his cup and steadies his breathing. “I don’t blame anyone for how things turned out. I just wished there was a way that no one had to die. And I just wished that neither you or Misti had to endure what you did.”

A small pause and he looks back at Sylvie. “I am glad that you and Misti are pushing past this, whatever ways you need to. I’m willing to bet there are others here that have something the haunts them or holds them back from healing on a spiritual level. With the threat of these ascended looming, we can’t afford to just live in the moment anymore. We need to start banding together, to help one another in need. The shaman that was here yesterday said we needed to be united to get past this thing. We need to lend a hand to our brothers and sisters here. We could’ve held a hand out for Zarr but didn’t. Pendergast paid for that again being in the wrong spot at the wrong time. But it’s something that could’ve been avoided if we offered a helping hand. I hate to put you on the spot, but with the scars that you’ve endured and the position you have with the council, you’d be a perfect candidate to start this movement. To spread good word and spread comradery amongst us. Your business is an easy way to interact with others. We can’t sit on our hands and expect good luck to fall on our laps. We’ll need to work hard and I’m sure this daunting task of ascension will become solvable.”

[Sylvie]

Sylvies face grows mournful as Pierre relays his experiences to her. Shes quiet as he pleads his case, and takes a moment before responding.

"Its not for lack of trying that this town is still so divided." she sighs. "I still regret I couldn't do more about Herrs execution. We displayed a level of cruelty second only to our enemies."

She retrieves the kettle and pours herself another cup of tea. Before returning to the table, she peaks outside of her tent, searching for any obvious onlookers. She sits again, only now, she speaks softly.

[Pierre]

The soft conversation continues as a deeper voice can be heard talking now

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