Que Remedies Camp Pair Dadeni's Understaffing

Que Remedies Camp Pair Dadeni's Understaffing
Date of Scene:	26 October 2013
Location:	Golmore Jungle
Synopsis:	Queegmaa goes to the hideout of Avira in the hopes of regaining his magic stick, only to be offered sincere empathy after he confesses his own worthlessness, the former of which makes him uncomfortable. In turn, he beats a hasty retreat while bestowing them with a parting gift, of sorts, hoping never to have to encounter Maira or Avira again.
Cast of Characters:	Avira, Maira, Queegmaa

---

Avira has posed:
The location of Camp Pair Dadeni is not something that is openly advertised. When the location had officially first been stood up, it's precise coordinates were only distributed to the most trusted of allies. This particular precaution was not something that could last terribly log, especially as more and more people had to be brought on to the gummi engineering projects that were ongoing here. While it wasn't openly advertised, those looking to take up work at the camp (woodworkers especially at the moment) were given its location so they could report for the job.

The camp has been built around what is known as a "void point," a mysterious anomaly in the fabric of reality that opened to the "Lanes In Between." This was also known as "gummispace," named so after the colorful ships that were required to traverse it successfully. The void point is located in the center, clearly marked off by a low fence and several warning signs. Sprawling out from that point, what had been a mere collection of tents at one point has developed into several small buildings and staging areas made of wood and stone. There is at least one large shed big enough to house one of the vaunted gummi ships, half a dozen cabins, and an elaborate bathhouse with an outdoor man-made hot spring. The spring itself was heated by a combination of coal and crafted fire-magic enchanted items.

Outdoor tables have been set up around carefully contained fire pits and spreading towards the outside of the camp are tents and tarps set up by the less permanent employees of this effort. Most importantly, the camp is surrounded by a well-fortified wall that is twice a man's height tall. The base of the wall is ringed by sharpened poles and muddy dirt. The wall itself is wide enough to have people safely walking along the top on patrol. At all times there are archers on duty, carefully scanning the woods beyond for anything hostile. The wall has two entrances to it-a large gate in the front covered by a set of heavy double doors and a smaller single door that blends in to the wall on the opposite side. There is a well-worn road leading up to the camp's double doors.

For a while this camp was under a constant seige of undead. Even now they find themselves accosted by a fel creature or two, though hostile wildlife and whatever is percipitating the mysterious disappearances of the woodworkers in this camp have both become more of a problem as of late. Mecenaries or members of VALKYRI patrol in pairs around the perimeter outside the camp every now and then, right up to the treeline, which now sits at about a hundred feet from the outside wall. Treestumps at the edge suggest that the activities of the camp had expanded that treeline though judging by the aging of the stumps, it'd been some time since they chopped down a tree outside the walls. There are still some trees within the walls of the camp themselves, one of which someone's built a lookout tower in upon the studiest, highest branches.

Throughout the surrounding jungle, Arthur Drover has set up a number of traps, mostly meant to target the undead through creative application of holy water.

Activity in the camp is pretty high. Avira had returned to it a few hours ago, filled with renewed vigor to complete a gummi ship of their own. Unfortunately, they were still battling with the problem of 'not enough gummi blocks.' Presently, the scarred huntress had seated herself at one of the outdoor tables andn was listening to Maira talk about going on a trip. A bowl filled with stew sat in front of her, half-eaten.

Queegmaa has posed:

No, the gummi camp was not easy to find, even after it became more publicized to the populace, but in Que's case, this was because he wasn't even exactly sure /where/ he was going to be going, to begin with; he'd lost his staff in the muddy, boggy area within the Phantom Forest, and someone had taken the liberty to steal it for themselves! The water-imp was good at sneaking around, and manipulating people, but he was far from having the kind of skill required to track down where-ever Avira went. Enter Shadow.... the expert subterfuge assassin and detective, in some respects-- this particular ninja had been hired many a time on both sides of the war, and more recently, he'd fed Que the information required to get him to where he needed to be: Camp Pair Dadeni!

Taking into account that the main barricade encircling the enclosure was roughly twelve feet steep, and that the main road was beaten-down from much use, there would be little Queegmaa could do to try and stealthily fly under the radar to retrieve the object of his affection, which meant that he expended not the mildest effort to try anything sneaky. Beyond that, he and Faruja had just battled Rosemarie not too long prior, which meant that the water-imp wasn't in prime condition, in defiance of the fact that the majority of the damage was taken by Faruja and Sebastian, while Que pointedly cowered and cringed at every opportunity, allowing them to take his blows in his stead! Avira was not a shirker, allegedly, so unless a marine hellion like Queegmaa was in the best of shape, attempting covert infiltration was a serious liability, yet, because he hadn't officially been implicated as having any connection with Rakassa, the amphibious urchin gambled that there was at least a slim chance that he could hold council to regain what was rightfully his; else, why would folks at Valkyri be able to reclaim from Rakassa what was rightfully theirs'?-- Maira!

At the front gates, expecting there to be at least the smallest degree of precaution by way of a security check-point, Que stated his business, "I com'ere ta git my walkin' stick. Somebody dun tuk it from meh, 'n I wan' it back! I fig're that if ya'll are fencers, den I might hafta pay a few munny-bucks, but dere's gotta be sumthin' I ken do ta get it. So who do I gotta talk tuh?" Proclaimed the aquatic reptilian, in his strange dialect.

Avira has posed:
Sneaking into Camp Pair Dadeni is something achievable-for someone of Shadow's skill. Thus far VALKYRI and friends have been lucky in that sentinent beings with an intelligence higher than a lich haven't tried to infiltrate the camp. The mercenaries here have plenty of experience fighting a variety of undead now. Armies and ninja? Not so much.

Queegmaa would have found that as he approached the camp, several well-hidden lights within the trees would suddenly switch themselves on. Someone had taken the care to install a few motion-sensitive light spells it seems.

The main gate doors are actually currently open! Though a careful inspection of the ground beneath the gates and where the grooves are suggest that they can be shut extremely quickly. Flanking either side of the gate atop the wall, of course, are a pair of sentries. One is a male hume in light leather armor. A quiver of arrows rests on his back and a bow hangs over his shoulder. The second is a viera, also possessing similar, but far more ornate-looking, weaponry. The male hume squints down at the kappa, then looks to his fellow guard.

"Did you get any of that? His accent is kind of thick."

"He comes in search of his walking stick." The viera says with a hint of condensation towards the hume. The tall woman looks down upon Queegmaa with not much more warmth than her fellow guard received. "What lead you to this place? You are not the one making the delivery today."

The still-frowning hume disappears. Seems he dropped down from the other side of the wall.

Queegmaa has posed:

Que scowls a little, as the taller woman questions his motives; from the outset, Queegmaa didn't like women who were taller than him, because in his mind, it undermined his masculinity, so when one rendered a cold, almost-abrasive tone to his simple request, this caused him displeasure which was tossed right back at the viera, "I jus' tolja what I wan'ed! I wan' my staff. I was min'in my own biz in da wood when some dizzy dame ask me fer help ta git outta dere.... then sud'ly, this nasty rabbit b*tch and 'er buddy pop out 'n 'r shootin' arruhs at meh and the girl I jus' met, named...."

He scratches his head, as if trying to remember clearly. He's well aware of her identity, but for the sake of perpetuating the notion that he's more ignorant than he looks, rivaling more along the lines of what he sounds, the goblin needs to feign indolence; calling one of the viera's ilk a rabbit b*tch might not've earned her respect, at the same time, however, there were bad apples in every orchard, so mayhap *that* particular viera deserved it! Finally, he conjures up a name "Miruh.... or sumfin..." he folds his metallic arms over his chest indignantly, "I tried zappin dem' uglies with my wand.... den it falls into the mud." He waves his arms, while retelling the story in his dramatic, emotionally distraught fashion, as if to portray a victim who has been wronged in the worst way, "I run away cuz those Vec'trites seem like dey might want my skin, since they wan' Mir's.... Come back later, 'n my staff's poofed.... So outta muh own pock't I gotta pay dar scout tuh track down da thief, and that person brought it here!"

Queegmaa holds back a snarl, but traces of it still surface upon his lips and in his inhuman eyes, as he points at the guard who -dares- to cast aspersions on his motives, "Ya been cavortin' wif bandits, have ya? You youngins ain't too corijeal tuh amputees who been troo hell *n back a dousand times 'r more....."

Avira has posed:
As Queegmaa explains his tale of woe and staff-misplacing to the remaining viera guard, he'll notice that the sentry is starting to look less and less amused. Though likely no relation to her, she probably doesn't take too kindly to the vulgar way that Queegmaa refers to a member of her race. Still, the woman keeps herself poised and outwardly 'listening' to the kappa.

Unsettlingly, the viera does not say anything.

Roughly around the time Queegmaa tries to "guess" at the name of the girl he was semi-protecting in the woods that day, the male hume sentry returns. He doesn't, however, return at the wall but instead appears walking out of the double doors to the camp. Walking alongside him is a short woman with a body decorated with old scars. Jutting out over her left hip is a strange-looking sword hilt that seems to resemble a human pelvic bone.

Avira stops and stands there, arms folded over her chest as this...creature explains a piece of the tale of Maira's capture. As he goes on, he might hear the faint creak of leather as the fingerless-gloved hands of Avira tighten.

"That person would be me." she finally speaks up before the viera can say anything about cavorting with bandits. "That staff belongs to you, does it? How interesting. Come in, I think we need to hash out a little misunderstanding, here."

Without much time spent waiting for him to follow, Avira turns on her heel and marches back into the camp. The hume male lingers, though, ready to serve as an escort for Queegmaa into the camp.

Maira has posed:
Maira had been resting a good bit. She is not fully recovered, and it might be some time before she is. She needs a place to rest where she feels safe--a place she has a connection to. Funny, the first place she thought of it is certainly not what she'd expected. So, she is ready to embark on a journey soon enough.

After Avira's question on the radio, Maira made haste to exit her tent and make her way to the gate. She's bathed in the hot springs her and Arthur colaborated tcreate and dressed in a purple silk gown--the nicest thing she owns besides her fire proof outfit, which she'd spent a week a tube in. She's not eager to put it back on just yet.

Maira appears and moves toward Avira, looking tired and a bit thinner, a cautiousness in her mien that hadn't been there before. An undercurrant of fear. "Queegmaa. I'm glad to see that you're alright," she says upon seeing him, smiling softly as she moves to stand beside Avira.

Queegmaa has posed:

Evidently, nobody is happy today, but when the viera doesn't respond to anything the kappa says, he narrows his eyes, wondering if she thinks she's 'too good' to talk to the likes of a short-statured 'male' figure such as himself. Nevertheless, after talking about how he'd been put through the wringer, he spies a woman coming around the bend with a macabre-looking blade, which causes him to step back a little, "Dat'd be you.... eh....?" He points at Avira's weapon, "Where'd ya git that lil' trinket frum? Am I gun be da next guy to be worn on yer scabbard?"

It is true, Avira is shorter than Que, but he learned long ago not to under-estimate anybody, regardless of who they were, and had a suspicion that either this woman had kept the armament as a trophy as a symbol of her ferocity, or it was merely something she assembled from a vile beast, and she was paying respects to the thing by not allowing it to go to waste-- some cultures wouldn't just skin the animals' hides which they hunted, they'd use their meat, and bones alike! The staff Que sought wasn't extremely valuable, but it was costly enough that he was willing to 'negotiate' for it, even if he had to walk right into the *lion's den*, where he wondered if they'd all pounce and crucify him the moment he was in their gates; he didn't like being on their turf one bit, but if these individuals were at all protagonistic, then so long as he didn't incite violence, he hoped they would reciprocate. The maritime monster might be escorted out at the end of the day without his property returned, but it didn't hurt to /try/ to get it back!

Better to argue with these folks than to try and convince Rakassa to pay for a new one to be constructed, since she was already in a bad mood from having been pummeled during the invasion on Vector! "Misundrastendin'?.... Dunno what we need to work out, if ya got it.... you ken eider give it t' me, sell it t' me, 'r just send me on my way. Dun like gittin' inta yarns, if't can be helped." Peering apprehensively at the himan male, Queegmaa finally relents, and his angsty attitude dissolves a little, decidedly having to play both 'good cop, bad cop' all by himself, since he had no allies helping him on this day, "Fine. I'll come in.... But if yer fixin' on gittin' me liquor't up, wun duh no good.... Piesen dun mean nofin' ta me!" Seeing Maira in a frail condition, Que's heart sank; he wasn't as genuinely 'evil' as his mysterious sponsor, for she had victimized him, too, and practically in the same way she'd done to Maira. His lip quivered for just a moment as he struggled not to allow his guilty conscience to provoke a break-down, for he knew precisely what pain she'd gone through..... and he'd done to another what had been done to him, when he was once an innocent.

Clearing his throat, his voice became raspy for a second as that lump in his throat was being abolished, he remarked, "Glad tuh see yer not too bad.... either.... Guess they f*cked ya up big time? Well.... Dat's what those folk do. Dey did it before, and thull do't 'gin!" When he says this, whether intentional, or accidental, he lets on that he knows something of what happened, but then.... his race /did/ originate from The World of Balance, so maybe the empire was quite notorious, in its own right, long before the Heartless eclipsed Gestahl's villainy. "Yer bird shud be safe.... Saw the vara take off wi' ya as I was fleein'." He nods, hoping that's -some- comfort to her. For all he knew, she'd already been reunited with her trusty chocobo!

Avira has posed:
Now were Avira feeling a bit more charitable, she might share the true origin of her strange blade. Only...the truth had been explained to only a half-dozen people, all very close friends. This guy was some stranger that managed to find their camp in a quest for a walking stick. The fact that he's expending so much effort on the trinket, nonetheless, strikes Avira as a little suspicious. "Where?" she says, one side of her mouth tilting up into a smirk, "Don't you mean who~?" Not a further word of explanation is said.

Within, the camp is well staffed. There are a lot of people here, though not all are the tough mercenaries that line the walls and patrol the forests. A good number of people here are craftsman of various stripes. Still, the impression that raising a stink within these walls would attract immediate and ferocious attention is certainly there.

It didn't help in Queegmaa's favor anything surrounding Maira's last capture had made Avira a little prickly. Still, seeing her friend as she emerges from her tent and approaches the short huntress draws a smile from the woman's face. "Hey there, Maira, you're looking a lot better today." she holds out her hands and, as the fire mage approaches, Avira embraces her best friend in a tight hug.

Upon releasing her, she turns around to face the kappa, her hands perched upon her hips. "Oh, I wasn't planning on offering you a drink or anything. Nothing besides a nice glass of water so you don't get dehydrated." Dehydration being a sticking point for kappas, if Avira recalled her Japanese mythology well. She didn't see a dip filled with water on this guy's head, though, either due to his metal prosthesis or World of Ruin kappas being different.

"But I'd be glad to hand it over once you've finished answering a few questions for me about Maira being taken. I managed to capture one of those involved but not the other. Can you give me anymore information about that viera that had accosted you two?"

Maira has posed:
Maira's exression becomes pained momentarily, her brow knit together and pulled tight. She takes a deep breath and raises her chin slightly, schooling her expression. "Not to me they won't. Not to anyone else if I have a say in it," she informs him. "It will take more than that to break me. I knew my friends would come," she adds, taking Avira by the hand and returning the embrace with a stronger smile. "Yes, my bird is recovering. He's been well taken care of." Hopefully, he is up for a ride.

Maira looks between Avira and Queegmaa, chewing her lip slightly. "He was leading me from the forest when we were attacked. They attacked him as well...he did try to help me," she explains, ever charitable, if still a bit on edge. She won't condemn a man for not liking her chocobo, but she will be a little cautious! Animals have great instincts, after all.

"Well...if we're going to talk...I could make some tea. I need to get supplies ready to go, too," she mentions, turning and moving inside and toward the fire. It would be nice to do something useful.

Queegmaa has posed:

Queegmaa could get into a philosophical debate about the fact that identifying a person as a 'where' instead of a 'who' could have merit, if one considered that organisms were a breeding ground for micro-organisms and cellular parasites, but that would definitely clue both Avira and Maira to the fact that the kappa was not dim-witted, so instead, he grumbles when she 'corrects' him by mentioning that she might not've gotten the Spine from a place, necessarily, so much as a person! "Fine... whate'r ya wanna call it.... dat thing don' look too invitin', so it's weird yer offering to let meh in yer place, but you go struttin' aroun' with somebody's vetebare...." Hopefully, Avira will see fit not to correct him on the fact that the thing should be called a vertebrae, but then, she's already been charitable so far, since the lake-devil had probably committed a hundred atrocities against Webster's valiant efforts to educate the world at large; well, at least, Webster was partially responsible for helping out those in Manhatten-- how other worlds also coincidentally spoke the same language was probably an enigma that was being worked on at that precise moment!

Adorning a slightly more satiated countenance, when Avira promised to offer Que a guzzle of good-old, plain, liquid-hydrogen, he remarked, "Well... 'spose I cud take y'up on dat...." He didn't know if she was actually educated as to the nature of kappa or not, but in Queegmaa's case, he was exceptional as his intelligence was concerned, whereas even some other breeds, they were often depicted as monsters who were proud, given their tremendous strength, and preyed on humans like cattle, which sometimes led them to being less developed in their cranial areas; they were renowned for playing tricks on one another, and even humans, to a degree, but not typically intricate, finely calculated ones. But Avira is no more a fool than anyone else, and just as Que isn't letting his guard down around her, she may not be wholly deceived that this fellow is quite the country bumpkin that his deliberate charactertization would suggest. The accent was superb, even so.... because that aspect of his persona was entirely true to his identity, he'd not mastered the language, having lived either thousands, or millions of years away from human civilization, with only a few hundred or less in contact with the 'hideous land-dwellers'.

When Maira refrains from mentioning that he abandons her, Que waves his hand dismissively, he owns up to at least one thing about himself he won't try to hide, "Go'n and say it.... I'mma craven.... I'm yelluh. I knowed it. Dun hafta hide dat from yer friend here..... Gon' be honest with somebody, might as well tell da truth to her 'bout me. I ran 'n left her...." He folds his arms, and turns his head to the side, indignantly, "But I seen what dem boys does ta peep they get. You think you ken stop 'em? Dey's capable of wipin' out entire races....." Referring to his own, although, as the events of the World of Balance never coalesced into what would've brought it total ruin, did not actually amount to the extermination of moogles, as it might've, had Kefka done his song and dance with the Warring Triad-- Que can only speak for his own people.

"Da vara....? Dunno... Saw da other guy, 'n he looked Vec'trite tuh me. Din rec'nize duh other thing.... dat bunny bimbo." It should be transparent by now that he has no love for viera. "Her arruhs had piesen in 'em.... but I cud tell the mom'nt dey poked me dat my resistance was gittin' to work, 'n they din make me sick t'least....." He side-glances at Maira, "I kinna knew what'd happen ta her, dough...." Que raises a finger, punctuating his next declaration, "Once I figged where dey tuk her, I 'sumed maybe they stolt my staff s'well. Thuh...., since I knew Mira needed help, I made sure dat.... Shadow charc'ter wud make he'self easy tuh find, suh he cud be hired to infiltrate Vector.... Ya see...." The kappa grins connivingly, "Everybody in da World o' Balance knowed Shadow. 'n I knowed he cud help eider find Mira, or muh staff, or both!"

Avira has posed:
"It's my weapon." Avira says with a frown, then pauses, realizing that he might not be able to tell such with the Spine sheathed. With a fluid motion, she draws the Spine with her left hand and carefully catches the end with her right. Upon closer examination, it is definitely a sword, but an unusual one in that the blade is not flat but triangular. It is serrated, each spine made from one of the three bony protrusions that each vertebrae posses. The very tip where the vertebrae end has been modified to add a sharpened spire of metal that seems moulded perfectly to the last segment. With that, she could stab with the weapon if she wanted.

"Even in this camp, the Spine always on me at all times. Don't take it personally, this forest is pretty dangerous. You're lucky you made it all the way here alone."

Since Maira had offered to make everyone tea, before she walks off to do that, she adds, "And just a water for our visitor. Queegmaa, is it. Sorry to skip the formal introductions. I'm Avira, though you probably already picked up on that."

When it comes to other races, Avira isn't quick to judge them based on mythology-especially when she's seen that mythology turn out to be wildly innacurate or completely incompatable. Still, inwardly, she half wishes she had a cucumber on hand to placate Queegmaa in case he got too rowdy. It wasn't that she didn't think the martial force of she herself and the mercenaries in the camp wasn't enough to pacify a single kappa. It's moreso that the cucumber method would allegedly resolve a conflict with a kappa without violence.

People with this particular accent tended to get more incoherant the angrier they got-and Avira didn't want THAT.

"After what I saw in that facility in Vector, I'd believe it." Avira says grimly as she watches Que. "They might have snatched you up and drained your magic as well. Regardless, the viera was the rabbit woman you fought. The same race as my second sentry."

By now, the male human has returned to his post.

As he continues, Shadow is mentioned and Avira's eyes narrowed. She was familiar with the ninja-in that he could be hired for his services and his services were obtained for getting into Vector. So from the sound of it, Shadow was the one to locate this guy's staff in the middle of camp. The thought of that left her rather uneasy, though it did give her the idea to contact that ninja at a later date and maybe arrange a contract in which he wouldn't take such jobs in the future.

...that...might end up ridiculously expensive though. Come to think of it, how does this bumpkin afford Shadow's services? Kind of suspect. Though there was one other thing she could use Shadow for, come to think of it!

"So you're from the same place the Shadow and Vector are from and or in? I can't say I'm terribly familiar with it but I did do some background research on Vector before storming it. I'm curious to hear what you know about that place."

Maira has posed:
Maira shakes her head. "I understand. I wouldn't call you a coward. You barely know me, but you did at least try. I certainly don't expect you to have stayed and died for me--no one would blame you for that," she replies, putting a kettle of water over the fire. Luckily, it was already lit. Maira was still feeling drained. It was difficult to even get a spark. She says she thinks she will get it back. She doesn't want anyone else to know that she is worried that may not be the case.

She looks into the flames as she decodes the man's thick speach, frowning deeply in thought. When he is finished speaking, Maira mouth settles into a thin line of determination. "All the more reason they need to be stopped then. The things...I saw...th-the things they did...I'll stop them," she continues, her voice growing firmer with each word she utters.

Those who had been in camp with her since she returned would know that she'd been having violent nightmares. It wasn't really a new phenomenon, but they'd grown worse. She was sure they would settle down in time. They all had their nightmares, didn't they?

Once the water is heated, Maira makes the tea and pours it, offering a cup to Queegmaa and Avira, though she has a cup of water ready for the kappa as well. Who knows? He may like tea. "Shadow?" she asks, looking up from pouring. "He must have been the one I didn't recognize...I'll have to thank him--and thank you Queegmaa, for finding him to help. You didn't have to do that. You didn't owe me anything," she adds, flashing him a kind smile of appreciation.

Queegmaa has posed:

How did Queegmaa afford Shadow's services was something that he didn't want to elaborate on, given that he didn't want to make himself look like Mister Moneybags-- even a hillbilly knows that once he starts advertising his riches, kidnappers and con-artists appear in droves, and Que had no way of confirming that Avira wasn't about to try and hold him for ransom. But if he had access to the watery depths, he could've been a river, lake, or sea-kappa, in which case he might've been able to do plenty of diving for pearls in his eons of life, if he himself didn't plant sand in an oyster's maw and simply wait until it ripened, which Que might've had the longevity to do! The more feasible reason would've been that Rakassa paid well, but since the imp kept his employers' identities relatively anonymous, it was yet to be said who he worked for, unless he was self-employed.

One thing was not faked in the slightest.... when he spoke with malice on the subject of Vector's genocide of 'whole races', there was nothing at all about it requiring contriving. Upon receiving the water, Que will automatically begin to dip his fingers into the glass, then apply the water to his skin, which may seem odd, if not a bit digusting to others, but internally, he was still well-moistened, while on the outside, he definitely could use a little dampening. But Avira was not mistaken that her forces were capable in taking down Queegmaa, for his realm of warfare was actually more attuned to the realm of the mind, as well as politicking; his martial skill was so pathetic that despite his monstrous, bionically-enhanced strength, it would take less than half a dozen everyday troops to tackle him, whereas some kappa, in the old legends, were known for standing up against dozens, even a hundred men, if.... and only /if/ the water inside the bowls in their heads was intact.

With that strange saucer grafted to the top of Que's skull, it was anyone's guess whether he had superhuman vigor without the augmentation brought on by his prosthesis.

"Hmm.... Wut I know o' Vecder's dat it takes anything that an't human, er dat raydaytes strong magic..... 'n bleeds 'em dry. Nobody who I seen who ever goes dere, human or not.... comes back da same. But I'm not no expierd on dis kinda stuff, cuz I dun like bein' around dat place.... so if you wanna gadder a buncha intel'jence, why don'cha hire some spy or sumsuch? I ain' no wizard at dis stuff....." He sips his water, and glances around, when Maira thanks him for his help, nervously, "Even if ya did know meh, I would'na stuck up fer ya dat much. I'm no woyer 'n I knowed it...." He ponts at Maira, accusingly, her frown cluing him to some things that he would've suspected even without the personal experience, given his 'sinewy sighted' capability, which allowed him to get a sense of how people felt, "....I know you an't been sleepin' right. I know what dey done make ya sweat. Do yerself a favor....." He furrows his brows, "Dun go beck. They gotcha once.... dey's prolly gon' set deir sights on other folks from here on out. They din take me a second time, so I dun dink dey'll take you 'gin. Stay away.... dun get yerself hurt for nothin'....."

When she flashes him a smile of appreciation, he gets a sick feeling in his stomach, once more.... the internal shame arises, that he's being praised for something he far from deserved; the fact that he could /feel/ guilt meant he was not Rakassa. Holding his stomach as his expression becomes distorted, he stands from where he's sitting, "Luk..... If you all's gonna fight 'em.... den you ken keep my staff. Use it ta get a better understandin' of their techneoloagee, 'r just pawn da dang thing fer some cash. I'm not feelin' swift, and since you tuk care 'o Meera, here, I reck'n dat you deserve some re'mbursemend.... or sumthin'. I really gotta go....." With that, unless stopped, or encouraged, he'll saunter towards the doorway from whence he came at a slow pace, and a bit more unsteady than when he arrived.

Maira has posed:
Maira nods a little. "You take care then Queegmaa. I am sorry they got you, as well...I'll think on what you said," she tells him. She knows though, that she will have to face Rakassa. She will never rest well until she does.

Maira bids their guest goodbye, then grabs her stuff and looks to Avira. "They're meeting us with an escort a little ways from here," she explains. Yes, Maira was careful not to give away the location of this camp. Whatever her opinion, caution was always needed it would seem.

Avira has posed:
Avira repositions herself in a way that gives her one eye on Queegmaa and another on Maira. It doesn't go unnoticed how she struggles to light that tiny spark and seeing that breaks Avira's heart. She hopes she was right about magic-that for Maira, it could just come back after time, kind of like how hair grew back or magical energies were slowly replenished after resting after a fight. Still...the methods they had used on Maira were extreme.

Avira's no stranger to pieces of her being taken either. Manhattan's world heart was a testament to that.

The Spine is returned to its sheath and Avira takes the offered cup from Maira's hand. "He was the ninja. Guy in black. I'll have to get in touch with him again later."

Queegmaa's reaction and use of the water is actually watched with fascination from Avira. It quickly veers into the territory of 'rude staring' before she herself realizes what she's doing and adopts a more polite gaze elsewhere. Part of her wanted to ask about the covering on his head. Was it a way of protecting the bowl hidden beneath, she wondered? It would be an intelligent way to cover an obvious weak spot and a clear demonstration of ingenuity amongst his people. Out of politeness, she doesn't ask.

"Mmm, that sounds about in-line with what I've heard. A spy? Nothing that elaborate. This clan-we VALKYRI-don't really have the strength to mount a campaign against a whole Empire. Our issue boils down to that foul-mouthed Admiral that was holding Maira." She smiles a joyless smile as she doesn't seem too inclined to let Queegmaa know what she planned for that horrible woman.

(Mostly because as of yet she had no plan.)

Much to her surprise, though, Queegmaa suggests that they keep his staff and excuses himself very hastily. This draws a concerned frown from her face, "Are you sure about that? You spent all this time to...hm. Well. If it's Vector technology, then how about this-how about I hold onto it for a little while and let my synthesist friend look at it. Once we're done, you can have it back, alright?" Another pause. Just look at him..!

"Hey Queegmaa." Avira calls out, "If you wanna spend the night here instead of leaving now, feel free to, alright?" She clearly remembered him saying that they took /him/ once. He'd been through the same thing as Maira and this conversation probably served to open up old and unpleasant wounds. Old and unpleasant nightmares. "If you want to take me up on that offer, go talk to Barnaby, our second cook. Tell him I sent you. He'll set you up, okay?"

Maira lets her know that their escort's arrived. "Okay, good, I'll meet you in a moment, I need to go grab my pack." And she's off!