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"This is. Perhaps. This is..."
Thresh stood in the long ago abandoned field of Schild. A scant collection ofr debris still lingered. The heavy foot steps of Blackwood mercenaries having made their marks. The small traces of circular patterns, indicating a dance. Maybe a noble's flight of fancy... maybe a pair of commoners, in the revelry of fine food and wine, in cakes, and in for just one day not having to open the tin of a ration.
"Perhaps? ... maybe."
Everything had been so lively. The elf had hidden herself away when the ceremony came to close, and though she had though several times to do so, decided best not to write apology to the Hellstrom Manor. It didn't need to be said... it was River's big day. And though Thresh had fled, and watched like a yellow eyed deer from her invisibility, nestled where few would see her... she wasn't sad, today. Though she'd fled to avoid the awkward nature of drifting through crowds, forcing herself to be one of them. She could not be any happier recalling the day, planted down in the grass with knees tucked to chest, and arms hugged about herself.
Watching the night sky often had a unique effect on her thoughts. On some days, it reminded her the cosmos were vast and quite possibly endless. That astrology, even in its infant stages, reminded her that the sky was no mere drapery around the world, and as such meant that even Toril might be just a speck in something far grander. And therefore, its inhabitants, but mere germs across that speck. Until smaller, and greater still, the picture she'd been looking at looked completely different...
Then, there were nights like this one. Where she felt a sense of belonging with the night sky reflected across her big, pretty gold eyes. Where that same sense of being small followed with togetherness... that maybe. As in all matter. Composed quite often of other things. Maybe they were all stars, and not truly so small. As individuals, yes, but a night sky that didn't begin with a single star, until another braved to peer through dusk would be quite the boring picture.
"A busy day. Very busy. So busy. ... a good day."
Thresh began to derail her own thoughts, as her finger absently traced the dimple where a bench had once seated and pocked the dirt beneath. Thoughts leading to a circle of three druids. Being surrounded by faces, both familiar and friendly, as well as unknown and hostile. About feeling a instinct she'd not really ever known in her guts, telling her to come. Not unlike a bird's instinct to seek warmer climates when winter's fingers grip the trees and rob it of leaves, she'd followed, and found them. Found answers. Finally, found answers.
Answers in the fashion of a shadowed dragon. Come to kill the druids that called them all... come to destroy. Everything? Everything.
How much did everything suffer, truly? What could spawn this beast, and what's more, why did the pieces suddenly fit together as it spoke?
A shadowed beast of scales and claws. Wings, and eyes that could see things the rest of its proposed prey could not. Standing taller then an inn, and in a voice that briefly filled the entire world with terrible vibrations.
'Light. I must consume. Light.'
And for a moment, she could tell everyone thought of fleeing. Even the wise, aged sages of the earth behind them, would have given quite a bit not to be right there, the target of living siege engine biting at flames behind its own lips already. Salivating like a beast that had its appetites made physical, just past. That gathering. Of druids, rangers. Elves, and shamans. Even a mercenary, even a mad-man. As all prepared for war... even that small elf with furrowed brow behind her glasses. Her usual pouts transformed into a scowl of challenge, with wand in right hand, and scroll in the left.
In elven, she screamed.
'For the people!'
And in elven, they did so reply.
"For the people!"
Briefly Thresh wondered who was it that had shouted something to rally. Uncharacteristic passion in her veins, and lungs burning as arrows sailed over head and elementals battered their forms of living energies and stone across its fore.
From her seat in the grass, Thresh briefly mimicked the clawed hand of casting Bigby's grasp. The hand that took the dragon by the tail, and wrenched it back alongside the onslaught of nature's allies.
Tracing the stars with two outstretched fingers, recalling the freezing rays that made the dragon's scales glisten with a sheen of frost. The energies of death that coursed her thumb, and ring finger as avasculate tried to rob its breath.
How powerful she felt in that moment... even if they'd all died right there, she was ready with her wands at their backs, healing, shrouding, blessing and cursing, burning and freezing, crushing and slashing.
And then it was gone. And everything became a little fuzzy after that. The high of combat slowly faded to whispered murmurs, and praise to the heavens. Everyone's voices collectively sighing, while Thresh could only find herself puzzling further and further the attributes of such a thing to exist. The repercussions, the whys, the whos, the hows... how?
And then an amulet within her hand. And a question lay before her. Of who among them would stand with the Tuatha, and save Sundren from itself.
Many hands clasped a talisman to their chests, and the elf did so as well. She'd worked with tired evenings leading into sleepless mornings, and cracked eyes studying bits of grass and dirt beneath magnifying glasses, pondered and even threw herself before people to try and get them just to sign a damn paper.
The question wasn't even needed. She'd just been waiting for a long, long time. For the right place. To be this.
Thresh stood up from her spot in Schild. Still posing with the same grasp that held a weapon of devastation, a presence of evil and hunger at bay with eyes aglow in arcane fury. How she smiled now, though.
"I'm no druid. I'm no mercenary. Not even. Particularly good at. Being a elf..."
Her feet quietly retraced the steps she took down the aisle before River. The smile she'd held, proud of even Byrun in his shining moment. He was a handsome man, to be sure. But what mattered for Thresh, was how happy he made River, and River him.
How proud she was today. As her hands dropped down, and reached to her sides. In one hand, Artemis' fingers laced in hers. In the other, Maine's tight grasp. Imagining their smiles, like hers, and like his. Imagining the lonely benches. They wouldn't need anyone to witness. No one but themselves.
She imagined the sermon, from start to finish, and the question proposed.
And through a toothed grin, and wide gold eyes.
"I do."
As birds began to sing with the coming sun, Thresh departed her imaginary wedding. Glancing back with a giggle in her chest just recalling River's speechless state, and Byrun's shoulders tall and proud. Speaking it once more, just to try and taste the flavor of the occasion through close mimicry of the scene. Maine's shoulders. Artemis' breathless smile.
"I do."
And her, between them. How she might look, she couldn't fathom. Not today.
Thresh stood in the long ago abandoned field of Schild. A scant collection ofr debris still lingered. The heavy foot steps of Blackwood mercenaries having made their marks. The small traces of circular patterns, indicating a dance. Maybe a noble's flight of fancy... maybe a pair of commoners, in the revelry of fine food and wine, in cakes, and in for just one day not having to open the tin of a ration.
"Perhaps? ... maybe."
Everything had been so lively. The elf had hidden herself away when the ceremony came to close, and though she had though several times to do so, decided best not to write apology to the Hellstrom Manor. It didn't need to be said... it was River's big day. And though Thresh had fled, and watched like a yellow eyed deer from her invisibility, nestled where few would see her... she wasn't sad, today. Though she'd fled to avoid the awkward nature of drifting through crowds, forcing herself to be one of them. She could not be any happier recalling the day, planted down in the grass with knees tucked to chest, and arms hugged about herself.
Watching the night sky often had a unique effect on her thoughts. On some days, it reminded her the cosmos were vast and quite possibly endless. That astrology, even in its infant stages, reminded her that the sky was no mere drapery around the world, and as such meant that even Toril might be just a speck in something far grander. And therefore, its inhabitants, but mere germs across that speck. Until smaller, and greater still, the picture she'd been looking at looked completely different...
Then, there were nights like this one. Where she felt a sense of belonging with the night sky reflected across her big, pretty gold eyes. Where that same sense of being small followed with togetherness... that maybe. As in all matter. Composed quite often of other things. Maybe they were all stars, and not truly so small. As individuals, yes, but a night sky that didn't begin with a single star, until another braved to peer through dusk would be quite the boring picture.
"A busy day. Very busy. So busy. ... a good day."
Thresh began to derail her own thoughts, as her finger absently traced the dimple where a bench had once seated and pocked the dirt beneath. Thoughts leading to a circle of three druids. Being surrounded by faces, both familiar and friendly, as well as unknown and hostile. About feeling a instinct she'd not really ever known in her guts, telling her to come. Not unlike a bird's instinct to seek warmer climates when winter's fingers grip the trees and rob it of leaves, she'd followed, and found them. Found answers. Finally, found answers.
Answers in the fashion of a shadowed dragon. Come to kill the druids that called them all... come to destroy. Everything? Everything.
How much did everything suffer, truly? What could spawn this beast, and what's more, why did the pieces suddenly fit together as it spoke?
A shadowed beast of scales and claws. Wings, and eyes that could see things the rest of its proposed prey could not. Standing taller then an inn, and in a voice that briefly filled the entire world with terrible vibrations.
'Light. I must consume. Light.'
And for a moment, she could tell everyone thought of fleeing. Even the wise, aged sages of the earth behind them, would have given quite a bit not to be right there, the target of living siege engine biting at flames behind its own lips already. Salivating like a beast that had its appetites made physical, just past. That gathering. Of druids, rangers. Elves, and shamans. Even a mercenary, even a mad-man. As all prepared for war... even that small elf with furrowed brow behind her glasses. Her usual pouts transformed into a scowl of challenge, with wand in right hand, and scroll in the left.
In elven, she screamed.
'For the people!'
And in elven, they did so reply.
"For the people!"
Briefly Thresh wondered who was it that had shouted something to rally. Uncharacteristic passion in her veins, and lungs burning as arrows sailed over head and elementals battered their forms of living energies and stone across its fore.
From her seat in the grass, Thresh briefly mimicked the clawed hand of casting Bigby's grasp. The hand that took the dragon by the tail, and wrenched it back alongside the onslaught of nature's allies.
Tracing the stars with two outstretched fingers, recalling the freezing rays that made the dragon's scales glisten with a sheen of frost. The energies of death that coursed her thumb, and ring finger as avasculate tried to rob its breath.
How powerful she felt in that moment... even if they'd all died right there, she was ready with her wands at their backs, healing, shrouding, blessing and cursing, burning and freezing, crushing and slashing.
And then it was gone. And everything became a little fuzzy after that. The high of combat slowly faded to whispered murmurs, and praise to the heavens. Everyone's voices collectively sighing, while Thresh could only find herself puzzling further and further the attributes of such a thing to exist. The repercussions, the whys, the whos, the hows... how?
And then an amulet within her hand. And a question lay before her. Of who among them would stand with the Tuatha, and save Sundren from itself.
Many hands clasped a talisman to their chests, and the elf did so as well. She'd worked with tired evenings leading into sleepless mornings, and cracked eyes studying bits of grass and dirt beneath magnifying glasses, pondered and even threw herself before people to try and get them just to sign a damn paper.
The question wasn't even needed. She'd just been waiting for a long, long time. For the right place. To be this.
Thresh stood up from her spot in Schild. Still posing with the same grasp that held a weapon of devastation, a presence of evil and hunger at bay with eyes aglow in arcane fury. How she smiled now, though.
"I'm no druid. I'm no mercenary. Not even. Particularly good at. Being a elf..."
Her feet quietly retraced the steps she took down the aisle before River. The smile she'd held, proud of even Byrun in his shining moment. He was a handsome man, to be sure. But what mattered for Thresh, was how happy he made River, and River him.
How proud she was today. As her hands dropped down, and reached to her sides. In one hand, Artemis' fingers laced in hers. In the other, Maine's tight grasp. Imagining their smiles, like hers, and like his. Imagining the lonely benches. They wouldn't need anyone to witness. No one but themselves.
She imagined the sermon, from start to finish, and the question proposed.
And through a toothed grin, and wide gold eyes.
"I do."
As birds began to sing with the coming sun, Thresh departed her imaginary wedding. Glancing back with a giggle in her chest just recalling River's speechless state, and Byrun's shoulders tall and proud. Speaking it once more, just to try and taste the flavor of the occasion through close mimicry of the scene. Maine's shoulders. Artemis' breathless smile.
"I do."
And her, between them. How she might look, she couldn't fathom. Not today.