RP w/ Everyone - Tale Telling

By the time the party makes it back to the Soaked Hound, it's probably... pretty late. Looking for Delebean all day, the warehouse fight, rescuing Delebean and Ample Harvest, and then making sure they get back to their friends and caravan family safely. At the Hound there's actually a table open, for once.
 
Amity pulls back one of the chairs with a shaky hand and sits down, not looking at anyone. As soon as she does, Prim takes off with a flap and a small huff, retreating to one of the rafters above. After a moment, Amity casts Prestidigitation and uses it to draw aimless scrawls onto the tabletop in front of her. She still doesn't say anything.

Variel is impeccably calm. Used to pranks and unintended fallout, managing the results, etc is a regular part of Fey life, and honestly this is silly. She sits down next to Amity, making sure she's aligned on her side in support. She doesn't say anything either, and keeps her arms folded, occasionally glancing at Amity to see if she'll be the one to open

Swindle takes a seat farthest away from Amity, but not across from her so that he doesn't have to look at her irritating pouting face. He half-collapses into his chair like a sack of potatoes and lets out a tremendous sigh. His clothing is still stained with Ample's tears and his own blood. Cuz lmfao he doesn't know prestidigitation and he wasn't gonna ask for one.

Maxwell: (Right behind Variel)
(Looking for a very stable chair)

After sufficient awkward silence, and glancing imperceptibly back between Swindle and Amity, Variel almost has trouble hiding an inappropriate smile. Like the laughing at a funeral kind of inappropriate, not lewd.
 
//Children the both of them... she thinks.// Feeling her age for once.
 
"Not to spoil the mood, but..." She begins a little too snarkily, and adjusts, making her voice as gentle as possible, while trying to avoid being patronising. Which isn't ENTIRELY possible, but it's obvious she's at least attempting it. "Amity, you know it's probably better if Rhogkun hears what happened from you, yes? Rather than..." Her eyes dart to Swindle, despite no one being able to tell. But you know.

Amity continues drawing on the table.

Swindle: "Oh yes, I very much agree."

Variel shoots Swindle a warning look - Rating 3/10. Sharp but not intense.

Rhogkun walks into the main room, hood back, hair mussed. He seems relaxed, maybe after a soak or cleaning himself thoroughly. His mustache finely trimmed and waxed, most of belongings elsewhere, he sees the group seated at with a smirk hastens his gait. He pulls out a chair right next to Amity and takes a seat before we even really notices the group. "Hey everyo-" he stops, appraising the everyone. "Whoa, wait, what happened?" Rhogkun is clearly concerned.

If Swindle begins to speak, Variel is going to cut him off

Swindle is frowning probably harder that Rhogkun on a good day--and has been the entire walk back.

Variel puts her arm around Amity's shoulder and gives her a little hip nudge and supportive shoulder squeeze.
"First of all, we're okay. But." And she gives Rhogkun that look that the way too lenient art gives the parents when the kid has done a bad thing? Like listen, they KNOW and they FEEL BAD, there's no need to go CRAZY, but... prepare yourself for some SHIT.
 
"Amity? Are you okay to tell Rhogkun about it? Do you ne- does anyone need a drink or anything?"

Rhogkun looks about at the group, appraising wounds and demeanors. He's breathing heavier but not saying anything.

Amity, trying to ignore Variel, but definitely not looking at Rhogkun or Swindle, says, "I uhh. I... we couldn't find Delebean so I took everyone to see... my friend Treya."
"But uh... she took us to a warehouse, and tried to kill everyone. And it's mostly my fault."

Rhogkun's lips tighten. He looks about at Swindle, Variel, Max... and Amity. "You're all okay? You sure?" If he heard the thing about it being Amity's fault, you can't tell.

Variel just nods.

Swindle: "Amity's not finished talking."

Variel nods again but slower.

The goliath looks tense, but remains quiet.

Amity blanks the table drawings with an angry looking hand gesture. "Why don't you just tell him. And tell him that we're all gonna go different ways, and that'll be faster."

Rhogkun: "Amity."

Variel: "Amity..."
She squeezes her shoulder again, and begins pulling her closer, then stops herself.

Swindle jusssttt waits.

Amity: "Variel, you heard Treya. I"m a garbage person. Why do you even care."

Variel: "Having done bad things does not make one a bad person. If you were a "garbage" person you would not feel the slightest bit remorseful and wouldn't be struggling so." She snorts derisively "Besides, you're what? 30? No offense, dear, but you're a child, and children do terrible things. Dealing with how our mistakes pan out is important, and I believe once this nastiness unfolds you will be a better and happier person for it."
 
"Goodness, if you judged me by the things I did when I was in my first CENTURY of life you'd all probably find me despicable..."

Rhogkun watches Variel talk, nodding slowly. When she finishes, in a quiet tone, he says. "Just explain to me what happened Amity."

Amity sighs. "Okay. Fine. Fine.. so I. So when I came to Riverpuddle, I didn't know anybody. It was okay. I like meeting people. For awhile I just crashed with whoever but Treya was... really nice. Her family let me stay with them. Even when I didn't have any money. Um."
 
"We were best friends for a long time. Like years. We used to uh... get into trouble. But not a lot. Nobody got... nobody got hurt. We got caught sometimes, but we were pretty young so they weren't too hard on us. And we'd uh... get things to dress up fancy and sneak into rich people parties. Treya was really good at it. Anyway that's when we met Seven Wishes."
 
"And I liked him too. He was fun. Not afraid of anything at all. You know? We got into more trouble. And I got that job at Ozma's. And I was good at it, so I liked it. So you know, I was really busy and... I was never around. I didn't see Treya for a long time. Until I needed help to get Jorra back."
 
She looks at Swindle.

Swindle isn't watching her, but he is waiting to hear more.

(MAxwell scoots a little bit closer to the talbe)

Amity scuffs her feet. Glances up at Max, surprised by his movement. She looks over at the ale drake lounging on the counter.

Variel shows no sign of her curiosity (but she totally is).

Rhogkun is stone faced listening and waiting.

Amity: "Some people stayed here and had a lot of money. They wanted to buy him. Brooklyn said no. They didn't like it. So they took him. Their boat was leaving soon and I knew where it was and..."
 
"Treya said she'd help. She got some of her other friends together. And Wishes brought some of his friends. We thought it was gonna be great. It was pretty great.... " Amity stares at the table. "I brought Jorra back and almost right away Wishes' dad as there with... some scary guys."
"And he said he was tired of me getting Wishes into trouble, and I had to leave Riverpuddle and never come back or he'd kill me."
 
Amity starts wringing her hands together. "So I did. I didn't come back. And I didn't really think about... everyone else."
 
She stares up at the ceiling, maybe looking for Prim. "And that's why Treya was so mad."
Flatly, "No one was supposed to get hurt."

Rhogkun: "So what exactly happened to everyone else then, Amity? And what happened tonight?"

Amity looks at Rhogkun, "The people that took Jorra came back. They're not stupid. They found everyone. I don't know who got hurt or or more than hurt. People I don't remember anymore, probably. And Treya. She said they had to work for them, now. And that's why.... they took Delebean and Ample Harvest."

Rhogkun: "Wait. Delebean and Ample Harvest? They took them?" He looks around at everyone, beginning to rise. "Are they okay?"

Variel: "They're safe now. Shaken. But alive and home."

Rhogkun sits back down, staring ahead for a moment. Thinking.

Maxwell: "We were most fortunate..."

Swindle draws in a deep breath for a sigh, but it gets stuck in his throat a little bit and he turns his eyes away from the group. "It was luck."

Amity swallows and nods. "Yeah. Anyway, she had some new people and... they trapped us in the warehouse. It caught on fire. I pushed Treya off the rafters and she almost died..."
 
"She said I'm an idiot, and lucky. She said I'm okay because Wishes' dad was helping me and I should have been there to get FUCKED
with everyone else."

Maxwell turns his head slowly, "It is clear though that it wasn't your intention to abandon her yes?"

Rhogkun finally turns his head to look at Amity. He opens his mouth to speak, and as Max speaks up, closes it.

Amity looks at Max, "I abandon people all the time. I abandon EVERYTHING."

(t's good that no one can tell when Variel is rolling her eyes because she does a massive one at that)

Rhogkun breathes out a heavy sign. "Amity..." his voice is soft.
"You aren't responsible for whatever those people did." He looks her in the eyes.

Swindle holds up one finger. Quietly, he insists, "She's not done talking."

Rhogkun looks over at Swindle, a kind of a "buh?" look, like there could possibly be more?

Swindle: "Amity, why are we going North?"

Amity gives Swindle a vicious, steady glare.

Swindle's looking at her in the eyes.

Maxwell lifts a finger, "To rescue her sister yes?"

Amity breaks first. She looks at Maxwell. She sighs. She starts drawing on the table again, and this time it actually looks like something. After a moment it resolves into some sort of symbol. Like a mountain, and the same shape reversed, over top of it. With a a star watching over it.
 
She reaches down for her spellbook, and unclips it from it's belt. She places it on the table, and runs a finger down one side of it's pages, flipping it open when they snag on something sticking slightly outwards. There are two pieces of parchment sitting on the open page, where they had been tucked inside. She pushes the book into the center of the table, and doesn't say anything.
 
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1kKLHKl7XmhdpvQXtIAZY19Kawh2cfHB8wTnDZvm9bW8/edit?usp=sharing

Swindle: "And why is he so interested in you, Amity? Were you his student?"

Rhogkun still has that "buh" look on his face, looking from Swindle to Amity to Swindle.

Amity glares at Swindle, unhappy, uncomfortable. "No."

Swindle: "And so..?" (AAHA)

Amity, sits back, ignoring Variel. "You're all stupid..." she says. "You should be getting Max to cast the Truth Spell but you can't even do that right." She looks at the warforged across the table, but not upwards enough to meet his eyes, "And you don't have that one today, do you, Max?"

Variel tuts. "Amity.'
"Not the time"

Swindle: (I mean, as far as swindle's concerned, she's not wrong. erryone's stupid for not punting this sassy child outtaaa heeeereeee)

Swindle presses, "Why is he interested in you, Amity?"

Amity: "Okay. I'm not..." her mouth twists, and she looks at Swindle. "I'm not a crystal witch." She looks at Rhogkun. "And. I'm not a wizard's apprentice. But I knew a wizard. I worked for a wizard. And he had apprentices. And... and he made them do a lot of stupid, boring things too. So that's basically the s-
it's almost exact-
...they're similar."
 
She looks away. She's thinking.
 
"My mom worked in the kitchen." Amity rubs her nose. "Me and my sisters did, sometimes. And washing and cleaning and mending. That kinda thing." Her hands sit motionless in her lap now, and she stares at them very hard.
 
"I don't know. But that person- that Amity. That's not the truth, okay, because that person isn't me. That person wasn't good for anything besides scrubbing wizard toilets for the whole rest of her life. And... and that will never, EVER be me."

Swindle is stone-faced waiting to hear the rest.

Rhogkun's confusion has settled into a stern silence. He can tell this is big stuff.

Amity: "You want me to tell you, tell you for real? And then what, what do I get, when you know?"

Swindle: "A scrap of trust, perhaps. But perhaps that's not of value to you, so who's to say."

Variel tilts her head confusedly at her question. For the first time actually looking at her, not just looking forward with her, she asks "Wh... what do you mean, "what do you get?" What do you want for telling the truth?" She looks around a bit confusedly at everyone now "Is this not the way of things here? You get caught in your misdirection to this extent, you reveal the truth, everyone is satisfied, congratulates you on your deception and moves on?"

Amity laughs, shakily.

Rhogkun lowers his head, staring at the tabletop. "Damn it Amity," he whispers quietly.

Maxwell: "There's no shame in domestic duties. It does not negate the fact that you are a powerful magic user... although I'm not too sure now what type." His eyes start to drift...

To Variel, Swindle replies "Oh, no, no. Her style is more--deflect with self depreciation and self-pity, and leave when accountability is unavoidable. It's a familiar flavor."

Variel looks around again, particularly at Rhogkun then landing on Swindle as he explains Well..."- and I mean no offense Amity - but yes I can tell that... but that's why... isn't that why we're talking? To help her grow? She shares, gains our trust, grows, and we now know she is an even more adept adventuring partner than we thought before, with social skills we didn't know of?"

Swindle: "She doesn't have to grow if she openly admits she's just a rotten person. That's the point, that's why she does it."

Variel takes her arm off Amity's shoulders to gesticulate properly at Swindle "No. No, you know that's just going to force her to be defensive, that's not fair."

Swindle: (WHY ARE YOU BOOING ME, I'M RIGHT)

Variel: "If she doesn't WANT to change, that's up to HER, don't bait her into doing what you want her to do to justify your being pissy with her"

Rhogkun: “Swindle." He sounds angry. "Just let her speak."

Amity rubs her eyes with the heels of both hands, hard. She takes a deep breath, and then another. She says, "You're both the worst." (Swindle and Variel obvs)

Swindle sits back.

Variel frowns "Wh... Amity I'm on your SIDE here... I don't understand."

Amity: "It's... it's not a good side, Variel. And you're not helping. Just... just let me tell the story."

She opens her mouth to object, catches her breath, and folds her arms, slouching back and facing Amity more to listen.

"Okay. Okay." Amity sits for a minute. She smells like warehouse fire and fear sweat.
"I was in the library," she says quietly. "I was cleaning in the library... well I was supposed to be cleaning. I was reading in the library. But one of the doors... one of his doors not the normal ones, it was open." Amity looks like she would rather be literally anywhere other than here, telling this story. "They go different places. Anyway, it was open. And he wasn't there. So I went in it."
 
She shifts around in her chair like her skin is crawling, and scratches her arms over the sleeves.
 
"I don't know what it was. It was.... a bunch of circles. Inside other circles. Overlapping. Magic words. Candles. I don't remember.There were some old books. With papers and notes and stuff stuck on them. I don't know. I skipped to the end of one that looked... new. One that was his writing."
 
"I think it was for going somewhere. Or calling something. I don't know. I think it was done. Mostly. Maybe. Anyway. The last part looked easy so..."
 
Amity's voice sticks, comes out in a croak, "So I used it."

Rhogkun: "... and?"

Maxwell looks up at the rafters for Prim
 
Amity shakes her head, pale pink curls falling in front of her face. She looks down at her lap and says, "You don't understand. I can't... I don't know. I don't know how to explain it."
 
"I was somewhere else, and it was something else. I thought it was a dragon but it wasn't... really. It said I could go back and I could have magic if I just..... took a little piece of it with me."

Variel frowns... a lot... "A... a piece of it?"

Amity: "Yeah..."

Variel: “Like... Your crystals? Are they a part of it? Or..." glances up into the rafters looking for Prim also… "...or... is that why you have those dreams? You've got something's mind in yours?"

Amity says, "I don't know, okay? It's... I don't know."

Maxwell looks back down at Amity, "...A patron? Of sorts?"

A lot of the tension has left Swindle's body. He's not happy, nor even wholly relieved. He just didn't want to be the one to tell people all this garbage lmfao.

Variel: "That's FASCINATING... It sounds like you accidentally bonded with a powerful being... Like Swindle's people did with mine, to share power... "
 
She looks straight at Amity, all pretenses of not being insanely curious GONE "Did it tell you its name? Does the Wizard serve it too? Is this why you have to go back??"

Swindle begins to face palm in frustration, but stops himself and only flinches.

Amity glances at Variel, says, "I don't know." And then looks at Rhogkun.

Rhogkun is just silent. Then, "How many more lies, Amity?"

Variel remembers that's what we were talking about and tries to regain composure

Rhogkun: "... when does this ever end with you? You and I just talked about this! " He pauses, then you know what, keeps going. "Not just lies. Lies aren't all of it anymore. Irresponsible, childish, reckless..." He grits his teeth, and slams his fist on the table - about medium hard, not enough to make a scene but enough to make a point.

Amity flinches.

Variel frowns and leans forward, about to defend her then stops

He looks over at her, his face saying one thing clearly - I'm waiting for an answer.

Maxwell prevents a cup from falling off the table, puts it back in place.

Amity says, "You're right. Treya's right. Swindle's right."

Variel tuts again and rolls her HEAD.
"Then prove them WRONG, dear, and do better."

This time Rhogkun's fist on the table is loud enough to make a scene.

Amity jumps.

Variel makes a weird 8I face.
A smirk curls up on Swindle's face for the first time all evening. He quickly covers it with his hand, pretending to stroke his jaw thoughtfully lmfao

Rhogkun stands quickly, his chair almost tumbling off behind him. "I need a moment." Barefoot, Rhogkun makes his way to step outside.

Variel waits, wide eyed until he's gone, then - for the first time leaning over to swindle - whispers "Is it just me, or is he a little bit sexy when he's angry?"

Amity puts her whole face on the table.

SWINDLE POINTS AT VARIEL, with his eyebrows raised in mutual agreement.

Variel absent-mindedly pats the back of Amity's head / shoulder area vaguely, still looking door-wards "There there, Amity. Do TRY and get all your wallowing and self pity out of the way before he gets back, won't you? I'm afraid it's not ACTUALLY that useful..." She's a bit sassier than she probably intended, mind momentarily elsewhere

"What if he's just leaving?" Amity asks the table.

Swindle: "Oh, that would be very wise of him."

Variel: "Well what if he is? What are you going to do about it?"
"And your answer had better not involve mentioning how awful you are or how you always do this or something similar, because my goodness I'm sorry but even I was getting ready to slap you for that."

Amity turns her face up towards Variel, a little shocked, frankly.

Variel realises she's being harsh and takes her eyes away from the door to look at Amity again. "Oh... sorry darling, it's just... Well my people, when we're in the feywild we're not able to lie, so we take great pride in our misdirections and subterfuge. But equally once caught in one it's expected we come clean immediately and carry on with our lives. This is getting a little too dramatic, even for me."
she leans in and whispers….

Amity blinks. She says, ".... okay."
She looks at Max and Variel and... Swindle. Then she pushes herself away from the table, and goes looking for Rhogkun.