GLoG 93: Something something something babies

[Murkus]

[Giant Slide]

Lucy gives a genuine squeal of surprise and delight. Well that's just like a pirate's treasure map isn't it? She throws herself down the slide on her belly and lands in a cloud of mulch, coughing as she's scrambling to her feet. "I know one way to find out!" She says, brushing little chunks of wood off her shirt. It's still all over her and sticking in her hair, though.

[Gullara]

Hawthorn Cabin

"Sure, sure." Sekhmet replies. Her tea is drained, a lot of biscuits are eaten, and everything else seems to be finishing up. "I should, uh, probably bring you two back to your mother, shouldn't I? She's probably worried by now." They've been gone for what, a half hour now?

[Hawthorn Cabin]

"Oh, I guess so." They did wander off a bit, even considering they get more flexibility here than other places. Lucy drinks some more of her tea, and then takes another drink. She's rushing it so she can finish before she's forced to leave. Russell prepares by taking a biscuit in either hand.

[Giant Slide]

Tuskfang is on the bottom when Jillian calls out. He's not quite as excited to use the slide, since he sees it every day. He turns to look in that direction.

"It must only be visible from up there! That's clever. Where is it pointing?"

[Giant Slide]

Lucy gives a genuine squeal of surprise and delight. Well that's just like a pirate's treasure map isn't it? She throws herself down the slide on her belly and lands in a cloud of mulch, coughing as she's scrambling to her feet. "I know one way to find out!" She says, brushing little chunks of wood off her shirt. It's still all over her and sticking in her hair, though.

[Giant Slide]

Jillian slides down far more carefully, though being more careful than Lucy doesn't require any effort. She then hurries to keep up with the other girl's frantic pace. "It's somewhere buy the buildings." She answers Tuskfang over her shoulder.

[bc56]

Hawthorn Cabin -> Daycare

As soon as Lucy's finished with her tea, Sekhmet stands and gathers the children up. "Come along now, it's time to get you back to your mother." Then, if they don't object, she'll bring them back to the daycare. She makes sure to lock up properly this time.

Ellie stays behind.

[Morty]

[Giant Slide]

Tuskfang looks over in the direction the arrow is apparently pointing.

"Yeah, it goes right to the middle of the camp. We should go there and keep looking." He looks between the two girls. "Unless you wanna slide some more first."

[Gullara]

[Hawthorn Cabin => Daycare]

The kids get up from their spots, Lucy grabbing a biscuit to go, and they'll lead the way back to Sapling Cabin. It won't be hard for Sekhmet to spy their mom. There's not a lot of other people with a pile of flowers for hair, and she's standing out in the open area in front of the cabin. Her head whips toward the group immediately and she walks forward to meet them. "Where have you two been? I told you not to go far." The dryad scolds. Her kids look at the ground and answers are not forthcoming.

But they're not alone. Sakura looks up at Sekhmet, her expression softening. "Thank you for bringing them back. I don't think we've met. I'm Sakura."

[bc56]

Daycare

The fiendling smiles back. "I'm Sekhmet." She gestures with her tail to the children. "I found them off exploring on the other side of camp. I, uh, had them for tea. I, uh, hope you don't mind." She doesn't spill what the kids were actually doing. No need to get them in trouble, they're just doing what kids do. She remembers wanting to sneak off like that. "No harm done, uh, right?"

[Gullara]

[Daycare]

"Oh that's nice. I hope they weren't any trouble." Sakura glances down at her kids. Lucy leans against her mom's leg while Russell crouches and picks at the grass. Surely not any trouble at all. "Glog is a safe place for them to wander, but that doesn't mean you don't talk to mommy." Uh oh, there's some guilty looks.

"Do you come to Glog often, Sekhmet? I'm trying to meet more people when I come by, but my kids keep me so busy it can be a bit tough."

[bc56]

Daycare

"I, uh, live here, in Hawthorn Cabin, with my husband." Sekhmet looks at the two kids again and smiles awkwardly. "No children, uh, yet, but I'm hoping for one soon." They're a young couple. They have time. "What about you? You work here?" She remembers the kids saying something about that. She's been thinking about finding a way to help out around GLoG herself.

[UncleWolf]

Spoiler

Show

[Ironoak Cabin]

This seems to mollify Tuskfang somewhat, enough that he leaves with his mother after lunch. Reelshka isn't happy about any of it, but protecting this well is something they need to do, so there's nothing else to it. Sophie goes to her office and returns promptly with... a shotgun. Not just any shotgun; its barrel is made out of some kind of golden metal and ends in a stylized eagle's beak. The stock is fashioned out of dark red wood and covered in runes and patterns filled with the same golden metal.

Ironoak Cabin

Anika looks to the others who suddenly seemed in such a hurry which in her mind meant she had to hurry along as well. "You think the demons already back?! Yikes, I got to hurry then! Meet me at the well, Domhnall can take you there!" With that she turns into a large red hawk and flies back towards the well.

Ironoak Cabin

Domhnall returns after a few minutes with a sword strapped on.
”Wait, where is everyone?” he asks Pathfinder.

Ironoak Cabin

"Likely waiting for us at the well. The tall one that smells a bit too much like a bear mentioned you could take us there." Pathfinder explains, gesturing before him to allow Domhnall to lead while more than willing to take up the rear himself. Even though he was more than happy to guide with his strong senses, he didn't know the way after all. "She wonders if the demons might be back already, but my concern is more of how long it will take to set things up rather than their presence. These things take time is all."

[Morty]

[Ironoak Cabin]

Sophie returns soon after Domhnall, carrying a shotgun. Its barrel is made out of some kind of golden metal and ends in a stylized eagle's beak. The stock is fashioned out of dark red wood and covered in runes and patterns filled with the same golden metal.

"I really hope I won't need this, but here it is, just in case."

[Gullara]

[Daycare]

"Mommy's the boss." Lucy declares, prompting a laugh from her mom.

"I wouldn't say that. I just helped set up the daycare and I try to get here to help out as much as I can." The dryad puts a hand on her rather large belly. "I'm probably gonna be too busy to do as much as I'd like right away, but I'm going to try to get here anyway. The kids love it here, especially with all the other kids around."

The dryad looks at Sekhmet with eyes alight. "You say you're planning to have a baby? That's wonderful." She grins. "You should considering volunteering with the daycare. It'd give you some chances to get a feel for parenthood."

[bc56]

Daycare

"Maybe I, uh, will." Sekhmet has a lot of other responsibilities though. But she can volunteer once or twice, right? "If I want to do that, uh, where should I sign up?"

[Deathkeeper]

Ironoak Cabin

Dom nods.
"Yeah, I wasn't gonna bring up the smell." It would really just be rude.
Domhnall leads the exalt and the wolfen down the forest path back to where he met Anika, whistling all the way. He's very good at whistling. The giant redundant lungs help.

[Gullara]

[Daycare]

"Well you can come by right here at Sapling cabin and see who's around." She gestures to the 'cabin' behind her. It's a bit more than a regular cabin. It was expanded for this purpose and now it's the third largest building on the grounds after the main cabin and the infirmary. "There's a schedule there that'll have any time spots where we really need people. Though you can help out almost any time otherwise. An extra pair of hands won't be turned away. Me and Reelshka are technically in charge, though, so if you want to talk about it you can come to either of us. When I'm here I'll usually be at sapling cabin or in the area."

[bc56]

Daycare

"I, uh, think I'll do that then. Not now, uh, I have somewhere to be, but soon." Sekhmet looks at the cabin. In some ways, she's dreading this. But Sakura is right. It would be a good way to get practice parenting, and she needs that. "What is your busiest day most weeks?" She can't come easily on weekdays, she has work, but weekends are fairly open to her. And she can always come in the evening. Of course, right now she's on honeymoon leave, so if she does it soon, she could make it there easily.

[Gullara]

[Daycare]

"Oh, don't feel pressured at all. It's just a suggestion." Sakura tries to reassure. She doesn't want to make anyone feel obligated. "We usually get the most traffic on weekdays, but really we need hands on all days. You can fit it into your schedule however works best."

The dryad leans over and picks up Lucy, with a bit of effort, the girl isn't getting any smaller. She grabs Russell's hand as well. "But if you're busy I won't hold you up anymore. Hopefully I see you again soon."

[bc56]

Daycare

Sekhmet waves farewell. "Bye! It was nice meeting you all!" Then she runs off towards the exit of the camp, taking to the air a few seconds later.

[Shadowcaller]

Ironoak Cabin==> Moon Well

As Anika said, she will be meeting them at the moon well, not anywhere else.
Of course, there don't seem to be any demons around here. Only Anika herself as she seems to be patrolling the perimeter of the little island the well is located on.
"Who goes th-" She exclaims as she points her staff at them. "Oh, it's just you guys!" She rubs the back of her head. "Sorry, just a bit on the edge on the moment. I keep hearing stuff moving through the underbrush but it turns out to just be animals."

[Morty]

[Moon Well]

Sophie is nonetheless on lookout and any immaterial spirit coming nearby will immediately draw her attention.

"Well, that's promising. If we can take care of things without any demons appearing, that would be ideal."

[Purple Eagle]

[Karasu and Cheasadh]

It's sometime before the Thanksmas party, and Karasu's come to GLoG to meet her girlfriend Natalie and discuss their upcoming birthday party on the 28th. She changes course when she spots Cheasadh in the distance, wishing to talk to and spend some time with the little gnome.

It's been quite a while since they last spent any time together, after all. Deep down, she's also seeking to make sure her encounter with Zara didn't have any negative effect on her.

Not that she expects it to have much of one, Cheasadh is a fighter.

"Hi, Chea!" She greets with a rather uncharacteristically wide smile.

[Earl of Purple]

Karasu and Cheasadh

The gnome girl today is sat on a small chair, one sized for people of her stature, and drawing a picture. She looks up when Karasu calls her. "Hi, Karasu." Cheasadh frowns. "How much did you tell Zara? About me, I mean." The picture is folded and put down, the paper weighed down under a reuseable drinks bottle to stop it blowing away.

[Purple Eagle]

[Karasu and Cheasadh]

Ah, she knew this would come up. Right on cue anyway, one thing Karasu and Cheasadh have in common is how direct they can be. It's just one of the many reasons why Karasu sees the little gnome as a little sister, and thus why she feels a sense of pride anytime she hears about how far Cheasadh has come.

If only Zara could be that way... though she already is that way. Zara is a role D-37 has had 6 years to perfect, back when the girl was just an amnesiac girl who seemed 'too happy'... and that's talking less of the signs she'd shown over the years of being more than who she said she is! Now, it turns out there's a reason for Zara referring to herself in the third person: Zara is a different persona from the original personality. It's a good thing that both Zara and D-37 like Abi, though she's quite sure that Abi doesn't know the half of what D-37 is capable of.

Karasu sighs and sits down on the ground, licking her lips. "Chea..." Perhaps by now, Cheasadh has realized her name's supposed to be pronounced Kay-suh. However, she could be very used to pronouncing it Chee-a-sad... but that doesn't stop Karasu from pronouncing it the way she feels is the 'right' way. Thus, it comes out as 'Kay'. "I told her the basics about you: you're a gnomish girl who grew up in a speciesist family that was into some dark stuff. She found out the rest herself." She smiles to herself and closes her eyes for a moment.

"Zara's been my friend for the past 3... or now 4, years now... even before I met Natalie." She continues, opening her eyes once more. "... so of course she told me about your encounter. Back then, she was still trying to figure out just who she really was..." Her facial expression turns serious. "Sorry you had to go through that, Chea."

"Ever tell you my backstory, Chea? I was a little girl in a happy family, until a villainous character robbed me of my parents. It was the first time my big bro Mirai killed someone, and all to protect me. I've killed some monsterous creatures, but never a sapient being... not yet, anyway. Being a ninja in Raptor Island means you're police, and you'll need to kill a lawbreaker that can't be pacified anyway." Why's she telling Cheasadh that? She's about to explain further, which should shed some light on the statement. "Zara on the other hand, she was trained and sculpted from a young age to be a killer... I heard you told her what you thought, and it didn't stick..." She humbly gets on her knees before the little gnome. "... that's why I'm apologizing on her behalf, Chea. Her real self is too far gone to learn the error of her ways, indeed she'll probably never 'come around'... but Zara is on the side of GLoG. They both are."

[Earl of Purple]

Karasu and Cheasadh

"I don't want her apology. Or yours. I want her to be better. To see that anyone who sculpts a child to be a killer is not a good person, regardless of what they say about their motives. To accept that some- maybe all- of the people she's killed didn't deserve it. Death is final. So long as somebody's alive, there's hope. Hope that they can be better than they were, hope that they can make up for it, hope that they can convince others to do the same." Cheasadh frowns a bit more, averting her eyes.

"I... I really hope you're right. That Zara- even as she is- is on the side of GLoG." Cheasadh fears the worst, however. She's not convinced that Zara is on the side of GLoG.

[Gullara]

Daycare

Sekhmet waves farewell. "Bye! It was nice meeting you all!" Then she runs off towards the exit of the camp, taking to the air a few seconds later.

[Daycare]

"Bye bye!" Lucy calls and both kids wave after her.

[Purple Eagle]

[Karasu and Cheasadh]

Karasu sits down on a block of solid stain-proof ink she generates, and nods in agreement. While a part of her thinks Cheasadh is being rather preachy, who can blame her? Considering her past, anyway. "I know, Chea. Me too. But..." While searching for the words to say next, she shakes her head in a manner that indicates that it's highly unlikely that'll happen. "... not gonna happen, and we have to accept that. 'sides, I know Zara. You'll never get through to her if you insist on getting your way before you give her the time of day. She's still my friend, despite who she's become."

Karasu ruminates a little on Cheasadh's idealist words, and how naive they sound to her. "Hear what you're saying, Chea, but it's not that simple. Life's more complicated than that, and you'll eventually have to accept that there are some people you just can't reach. You can say this now 'cause you've improved - very proud of you, by the way - but you're young. The older you are, the harder it is to change. Zara was sent to kill some very bad adult criminals, and I can safely say that they all deserved what they got." She raises up a finger to stop Cheasadh, in case she wants to interject. "Had a friend once. Was abused in many ways by her father, over and over again, until she snapped and killed him. Will you tell her she shouldn't have, that she should've waited for him to be better? Some problems are best solved by ridding the world of certain people."

Looking at the small gnomish girl, it's obvious she thinks of Zara as some sort of evil villain who'll screw over GLoG if given reason enough. D-37, who can say? Even if she wanted, Zara wouldn't let her. "Look over there, Chea." Where she's pointing leads to Zara in the distance, watching over a group of young kids playing. She joins them in the fun, and seems quite genuine as she giggles along with them. "Can you do something for me, Chea? Spend sometime with her, without trying to get her to change. Ignore your first impression of her and give her one more chance. Will be hard, I know, but that way you can see for yourself whether she truly is a danger to GLoG."

[Earl of Purple]

Karasu & Cheasadh

"This is the Good League of Good. If we don't help other people get better, who will? Zara only knows what she was told, about the people she killed. My father told me that the people I helped him kill were evil, that humans were all murderous psychopaths because they didn't get enough air with their noses so high in the air. You can't know the people she killed deserved it because you can't trust the person who told her to kill them. She could have killed charity organisers, pioneering doctors and orphans, because he told her they were people smugglers, slavers and worse." Cheasadh sighs. She wasn't expecting to be more cynical than Karasu.

"I wouldn't say she was wrong to kill him. She was a victim of his, she had the... not right, that's not right. Nor responsibility. But... she had the opportunity, and she took it, to save herself. None of my father's victims ever had that opportunity. If they had, and they took it, then he would have deserved it. He never was going to get better." Then Karasu's request, and she sighs and grimaces.

"I'd rather not. She's... I was where she is, and... it brings back stuff I'd rather not be brought back. I can try, though. I'm not worried about her being a danger to GLoG, actually. She wouldn't harm a child. What I'm worried about is her thinking killing's the easiest and best option for every situation, and not give chances to those who could get better. Bandits whose farms had failed, forcing them to raiding to feed their families." Cheasadh really thinks killing should be the last option, not the first.

[Purple Eagle]

[Karasu and Cheasadh]

It's quite clear that Cheasadh's personal experiences have coloured the way she sees the world. Again, who can blame her? "Chea... you're assuming that what's true for her is also true for you. Your parents were racists who justified harming innocents by calling them crazy people. Far as I can tell, Zara was raised by some sort of assassin order, and made into a remorseless killer via training and what she calls 'treatment'. Guessing chemicals, hypnosis, that kind of thing. I agree that no child should be made a weapon, but she's described her kills to me, and they were all bad people. Secretive mercenary organizations don't make a habit of whacking innocent civilians, it brings too much heat."

Then Cheasadh says more, and Karasu points it out. "You just said 'he never was going to get better', and that's exactly what I mean. Zara..." She looks back at her friend, playing peek-a-boo with a little kid. "... wwish she'd get better. Wish she'd wake up one day and vow to never kill again, like Svetka-hime did, but... that's not going to happen, unfortunately." She looks a bit sad at that, but has accepted that it is what it is. "At least, she's promised not to kill for no reason."

"Read all those stories where a very nice person has two personalities, and the real one is a killer? That's Zara. The day you spoke was the day she got back her memories, so who you met wasn't Zara. She was creeping me out throughout the day, too." Somehow, Abi took her back despite her behaviour, which probably means that both personalities like the half-elf so much that she wasn't shown too much of 'the other persona'. That's just a guess on Karasu's part, however. "That's why I'm suggesting another chance. Agree with you, by the way. Killing sapient beings should always be a last resort. As a trainee ninja, I can tell you that. Better to subdue them and lock them up, than to kill them. Even my big bro, who's killed a lot of people while adventuring, agrees."

Hmm, has Cheasadh met Mirai? "Don't think you've met him. You should, he's fun. He has a baby now, too!"

She takes a moment to look admiringly at her little friend. "You've come so far, Chea. You've grown and you've improved. You're strong... want you to keep being strong. Know you will. Who'd have thought selfish little Chea would become so empathetic? I'm so proud of you." Karasu'll hug her too, if Cheasadh allows.

[Earl of Purple]

Karasu & Cheasadh

"I still have my doubts. Anyone willing to train a child to kill for them is not the sort of person who cares much about their targets." And she doesn't consider Zara a reliable source of information on whether the people she killed deserved it. "And if you're right, and chemicals and hypnosis were used, then Zara could have been hallucinating or even have false memories implanted afterward, about who she killed and why." Then Cheasadh shakes her head. "Don't say that. She's vowed not to kill for no reason? That's a step in the right direction. Have hope that some day, she will be better. Hope is the one thing that can't be taken away from someone. If you lose hope, nobody took it- you gave it up. And you've given it up for Zara." Cheasadh sighs and pauses a moment.

"So I will give her another chance, and hope she gets better. Because if I do that, maybe you will start hoping again, too." Cheasadh accepts the hug, and smiles. "I'd like to meet him, then. How old's the baby?"

[Purple Eagle]

[Karasu & Cheasadh]

Karasu nods at that, she agrees that no one should kill a child for their own purposes. However, she doesn't agree... not everyone who turns a child into their personal weapon doesn't care about targets. "Agree, a little... but that's a bit reductive, Chea." Cheasadh is clearly passionate about this, and she can respect that. However, she's a bit worried that the gnomish girl is going too far in the opposite direction, exchanging a set of biases for another. Or maybe Karasu's just letting her amount of info on the subject - which is greater than Cheasadh's (thanks to not just real experience, but fiction genre savviness) - blind her to Cheasadh's insight...?

When Cheasadh mentions hallucinations and false memories, the black ninja girl goes into deep thought as she reconsiders the things Zara's said to her. The 'false memories' make far more sense than 'hallucinations', and is thus a cause for concern... but is that really possible, considering they come from the same world?

Cheasadh seems determined to force Zara to see things her way, but while Karasu'd like Zara to see things her way too, forcing her could very well have the opposite effect. Nonetheless, when the gnome girl says such encouraging words, she smiles a little and nods. "Thanks, Chea..." She trails off, silently thinking "...but I'll believe it when I see it.

Of course, she won't get better despite Cheasadh's hopes, and Karasu senses that to be the case.

"Don't give her another chance all because of me, Chea... She's my friend. Do it so you'll get to know her beyond that horrid first impression." She smiles and happily hugs the gnome, but when she pulls back, the smile is completely gone.

Did the girl just ignore her, without so much as a 'thank you'? She said all that not just to make Cheasadh feel better, but because she meant it, and it's going to just be ignored like that? No, it's not like Cheasadh didn't hear, she just didn't deem it worthy of a reply, but why?! That was heartfelt! Ugh, this is the last time she compliments the girl. How dare she?

At this point, Karasu's outwardly glaring at Cheasadh... no, more like at something past Cheasadh. She's so consumed by her thoughts that she doesn't hear the rest of Cheasadh's words.

She suddenly snaps back to reality, looking straight into Cheasadh's eyes. "Didn't answer me. Why? Was from the heart, that was, yet you just ignored it. Why?" She doesn't mean to be glaring at Cheasadh so much, but that's what she's doing. No one likes having their heartfelt compliment just straight-up ignored!

[Earl of Purple]

Karasu & Cheasadh

"No child should be used to kill. Doing that is not something that is ever justified. Anyone who trains a child to kill- and not like you, who are trained in how to fight but won't be sent out to kill until you're an adult, but someone who trains a child and sends that child to kill someone- is a monster who'd do anything. Children are innocent, and Zara's lost that and she doesn't even know it. You haven't, not yet, and you won't until you choose to. Or you might not choose to lose than innocence, and become a police officer or something who arrests criminals instead of murdering them." That's why Cheasadh thinks Zara's old teacher isn't trustworthy. She thinks sending a child to do your killing is worse than killing someone yourself.

"I don't want you- or anyone- to be proud of me. I've not done anything to be proud of. Just... many things I'm ashamed of. I'm trying to be better, but... This thing with Zara... It reminds me of where I started, and it looks very close to where I am now at the minute. That's why I didn't answer. I don't feel proud of myself, I feel ashamed. And a little scared, that if I feel like this, and that's where I came from and here's where I am now, how will I be better? I don't want to slip back there." Hearing it felt... awkward.