[ open & closed | july & august ]

[thedreamer]

Who: The Doctor + Others
When: July & August
Where: Free Cities | Nocwich | Horizon
What: Monthly Catch-All
Warnings: None for now, will update if needed!




[ ooc: please feel free to ping me if you'd like to plot a custom starter of any sort, i'm open to anything!
hit me up on plurk or PM | also happy to match prose or brackets~ ]

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[thedreamer]

It's a lovely decorative item, that axe.

[ — and nothing more.

He speaks with such certainty if only because he wants that to be true. No fan of weapons, of course, he understands sometimes things are dire and they're necessary, but that's an absolute last resort and he'll probably look away while trying some clever possibly foolish diversionary tactic.

Mostly he doesn't want Hilda accidentally in harm's way and needing to use it. He finishes the rest of his own food, rubs his hands together, and grabs light hold of the horse's reins. ]

You want to hop on and we'll head north?

[theidlemaiden]

[ The Doctor's distaste for violence and the weapons that come with it isn't a secret. But she wouldn't have come out here without a weapon and she knows that he wouldn't ask her to. She had spent too much of her life around them but knew that it was how someone used it that mattered the most.

And if they encountered things that required them, they would be prepared. Because there was no way that Hilda would be able to live with herself if something happened to him. ]

Ready when you are!

[ For once she had packed light. Or lighter, rather. You never knew when you had to be prepared for the unexpected after all! ]

I know it's been a while but...how have you been since we came out of that dream?

[thedreamer]

I'm ready yesterday and an hour from now.

[ It's said with a cheeky grin, though. He can't help it, it's the energy that's always present and demanding attention in him.

He's eager to get moving, like an itch under his skin when they've been in one place for too long, and so he's quick to lead the way as they walk. Even when he appears to be sitting or standing still, he's always watching, listening, observing, studying. There are various objects he's collected and tucked into his pockets even now, things from the desert that he wants to look into more closely when they return. What can be learned, if anything? Perhaps nothing at all, but that's hardly ever shut his mind off regardless. ]

Oh, that dream! Well, since then I've been very glad to be awake. Love it, actually, big fan, trying to pack full every waking moment I can.

[ That's not what she asked, he knows, he knows. Watch him shift it back quickly, though — ]

Were you okay?

[ In a certain definition of the word... ]

[theidlemaiden]

[ The cheeky smile is met with one of her own as they start off for the last leg of their journey. The ever present ready to go energy is one of the many reasons they got along.

It doesn't go unnoticed however that he doesn't really answer her question in his usual Doctor way but she doesn't press him on it. She can't blame him; they had all dealt with it in their own ways. But if there is anything to glean from his answer it was that he had been distracting himself from it and putting distance between himself and what had happened to them. ]

Okay as I can be, I think. I'm just glad that most everyone else seems to be moving on from it in their own way.

[ She'd go on to say more but the horse whinnies drawing her attention. Her posture astride the horse immediately straightens as she squints out into the distance. ]

I think we might have company.

[thedreamer]

[ He wants to ask her more about that later, not wanting to let that thread go, at least as it pertains to her. But everything suddenly takes a turn on their little jaunt. With all the things this world has taken from them, how it's changed them, granted them powers beyond his own imaginings, and even at times altered the fabric of his own memories — there are some things he's thankfully never lost. Here, that proves to be invaluable, when he can lift his head towards the same direction and see so far ahead he might very well be hefting around binoculars. ]

You've always wanted to be right in the middle of an action adventure story, right, Hilda? One with daring suspense, thrills at every turn, a real page turner. Small group, no more than 10. Weapons, yes, in abundance.

[ They're blocking the path, of course, but there are always alternatives. They can't be certain there won't be an ambush, though. He's careful, at least, not to move and draw further unwanted attention towards them. ]

Good news! They might not have spotted us and we can take that other path just behind us, through the canyon walls. Bad news! They might have already spotted us and have reinforcements ready to ambush us, but good news again, we can absolutely manage whatever happens. Let's backtrack a bit. Slightly longer way 'round, but if we can avoid them entirely, all the better.

[ He's not naive enough to believe it will be that simple, but he'll always try for the most direct way to avoid a fight if he can. ]

[theidlemaiden]

[ Despite what is clearly reading as a little bit of a concerning situation for them, Hilda can't help but let out a slight titter. ]

I don't know about that. I'd rather read about it if I'm being honest.

[ Her mind is already going through the paces, working a muscle that she hadn't had to use in a very long time. Strategy on the battlefield was hardly her forte. If she wasn't complaining about wanting to be on the sidelines, she was being pointed in a direction and told to fight. Or at least, that was her perception of herself.

They're outnumbered in both bodies and weapons, so in that sense they're at a disadvantage. But she's taken down more men on her own. If it comes to that she'd do it again. That's merely a cautionary mindset though, especially when she's more than happy to take up the Doctor's suggestion. Her voice is still light despite the slight edge that begins to creep into it. ]

Of course we can manage it. We're together with our valiant steed Juniper.

[ At this she gives the horse a reassuring pat and urges her to turn wasting no time at all.

The Doctor is right of course and it isn't that easy because there is, in fact, another check point awaiting them when they eventually do arrive between the canyons. Spotting the sight of at least two men up ahead Hilda lets out a huff. ]

What do you think the chances are that if we just ask nicely they'll let us through?

[thedreamer]

A lived story is always worth it, Hilda, even — and especially — with a few bumps along the way.

[ Evidently, to him, potentially running afoul of bandits equates to merely a few bumps. Easily overcome! He's faced far, far worse. This is simply a plot twist in the story of their little adventure. Just another Thursday. There haven't been enough of those lately...

He's quick to smile at her and Juniper, though, finding himself not the least bit ill at ease. There's no fear for him here, not yet, no, it would take a lot to conjure those feelings in him. Being outnumbered — on the surface of it, he's hardly worried about that, either. It's only that people with nothing left to lose, who survive out in the wilds at any means necessary — people with weapons — they tend to be unpredictable. If they can very simply take an alternate path around them, it's their best option. The most boring yes, and that call of the unknown is something he can never quite shake. Danger or not. But danger is its own thrill. Especially when you're the Doctor and you always know you'll find a clever way out without anyone being hurt.

Of course they will. ]

Us? You mean the three of us, the most amazing trio that ever roamed this well-loved little stretch of land? Can we talk our way through it? Not a single doubt!

[ He makes it sound good, right? Completely confident, this one, even if it's half delusion. He fondly pats Juniper's snout for a moment, speaking a few words of reassurance to the horse before striding forward with like this is an ordinary day and they're out for a stroll. ]

Hello! [ He calls out, with a smile to boot. ] Absolutely splendid, crossing paths like this! Good you're here, looking after things. You won't mind us passing through?

[theidlemaiden]

[ The finer points of living a lived story versus hearing about it can come later - because it turns out they're about to do just that.

(But for the record she's lived plenty of stories already. Everything that happened in Fódlan, arriving here, surviving a dragon attack and now this. Hilda doesn't really have a leg to stand on.)

They approach and while Hilda's posture is relaxed and lackadaisical as ever, she's acutely aware of where her axe is in relation to her hands and where all of them stand in accordance to them. She hasn't been in a situation exactly like this - but there have been enough that she knows what to do. And would frankly try to talk their way out of it if they can.

Their leader she presumes because he steps up in front of them offers them both a slimy smile that she immediately equates with the slimy salesmen in the markets. So he was one of those types, huh? Still, her smile doesn't budge, giving them a somewhat shy, hesitant smile to counter the Doctor's bright sunny one.

Of course. But the thing is we've recently instituted a fee in order to keep these parts safe for travellers like you. ]