[ORP] Firestorm Manor

[Quixote]

Quixote used his sword to scythe down a few brambles on a flat spot. He laid the picnic blanket down and started dividing the food in three. He wasn't sure about the apples, whether they were meant for the people or the horses, so he just left them in the center of the blanket, figuring Nikola would know. He also didn't divide the cold chicken as he wasn't sure which piece people might prefer. He had set up the 'table' like a triangle on the square blanket so that each person could look out a different direction in case trouble came.

Despite the boar being evil, it did give off a wonderful bacony smell when it burnt. Quixote was, at this moment, very happy. Texas Knight was still trying to calm himself so Quixote didn't engage him or get too close. But he could see Nikola was either drained from using magic or melancholy or both. He looked around for some color, but it was the wrong season for wildflowers. The others were taking a few moments to reach the blanket so he collected some dandelions tying them with a vine into a bouquet and set them near the center of the blanket with the heads facing Nikola. He hoped this would cheer her; he could tell by how her manor was decorated that she liked warm colors.

[Texas_Knight]

TK watched with interest as Nikola did her thing. He raised a brow when the beast suddenly took on a mummified appearance and then slowly began to smoke and eventually catch fire. He watched as the fire danced along the body and consumed the boars body. He also watched Nikola. He watched as the armor began to glow as Nikola held the fame in check. He smiled that the armor was holding up to the use of her powers and the glow gave her the appearance of a Mistress of Fire. A legendary being that he'd heard could consume entire forests without the least of efforts if they desired.

Once the fire was out and the beast was now just a pile of ash TK saw that her strength was drained. It looked as if she'd held back quite a bit and that restraint was the cause of her weariness right now. TK knew no remedy for that kind of fatigue except for rest. So he walked over to where she was by the tree and gently placed his hand on her head. "Excellent work." was all he said and then went to find some water to clean himself off.

He walked to the lake and waded out just over waist deep. There he washed the blood and dirt off of him. It was then he was reminded his own wound. The water cleaned his leg and his Lycan blood helped the healing process. But he would need to wrap and put some herbs on his leg to help it heal without infection. He'd do that once he got back to the others. He waded out of the water and made his way back to the others. He went to Oblivion and stroked his face, pulled a pouch of herbs out of the saddlebag and went to sit to the north of the others while he doctored his wound.

When he returned he noticed that Quixote had set up a picnic area and was dividing the food up. TK wondered if he'd have to carry Nikola over to the blanket or if she'd be able to walk. He went to her and offered his hand to her.. "How about getting some nourishment to help you regain your strength. Can you walk or would you like me to carry you?" he said with obvious care for her well-being in his voice.

[Nikola]

She watched curiously as Quixote prepared a place for their picnic, a soft smile on her lips. The Knight seemed to be very happy at the moment and that pleased her. He was always making her smile or laugh, so it warmed her heart to see him happy.

She smiled up at TK as he laid a hand on her head and praised her work. “Thank you,” she responded softly as he strode off toward the lake. Soon she could hear the faint sound of water splashing in the distance and she guessed he was cleaning up. She hoped he had not been hurt, but it had been hard to tell how much of the blood and gore was his or the boar’s. He had born the brunt of the fight and she knew it was unlikely that he would have escaped without at least a scratch.

With Quixote busy with the picnic and TK down at the lake, she took a moment to examine the armor she was wearing. She had thought she would leave it behind when they rode out, cautious about how it might interact with her power after the brief test in TK’s makeshift “lab.” At the last moment she had changed her mind and gone back to slip it on, deciding it seemed only right to give it a test ride, so to speak, while TK was in attendance. Using her power with the armor had felt…different. She remembered his words when he had presented it to her. Control. Heat resistance. More power. She had certainly felt in more control of the power she had used carving the grave. The process of turning the body to ash had seemed almost a work of art as she had woven the power to perform in a manner that seemed finer, more precise, than she had been able to do before. Whether it was the armor or her growing ability to control and use the power she was not entirely sure, yet she was quite certain the armor played a part. She would want to practice with this new armor, find out what else she might be capable of now with it.

As she was contemplating the possibilities, TK returned and took something from his saddlebag before removing himself from the rest of the party. She watched his actions, curious as to why he did not immediately join them. When he finished whatever it was he was doing and walked over to where she sat leaning against the tree, she noted that his leg appeared to have been treated for a wound. He held out his hand to her, offering to carry her if she wished it. She chuckled wryly and stretched her arm out to him, placing her hand in his. She was tired, certainly, but the earth and tree had already begun to replenish her spent energy. Even that seemed to be going faster than usual, whether due to the armor’s properties, or that she was deep in the heart of this wood she could not say. “I think I can walk,” she smiled. “I have a way to go yet, but I’m already beginning to recover.” She rose a little unsteadily to her feet and waited until she was sure her legs would hold her. After all, she couldn’t let her body make a liar out of her, could she? She slipped her hand into the crook of his arm and allowed him to support her as they walked toward the little picnic area where Quixote awaited them.

As she settled back down onto the earth, her smile widened at the bundle of dandelions that the Knight had gathered and placed on the cloth. She was sure he had done it just for her. Picking up the little cluster of yellow flowers and turning them over in her hand she said, “Thank you for these, Quixote. They are an unexpected pleasure, as is this layout. You have outdone yourself, I think.”

She carefully set the dandelions back onto the cloth, attempting to replace them as Quixoite had laid them out, and then reached for a chicken leg and began to tear small bites of the baked flesh off with her teeth, savoring the flavor of the meat as well as the gift of energy from the protein rich meal. “Come. Sit,” she said to the orc who now towered over her as she sat. “We all need some nourishment after the battle,” she announced to them both. As TK settled himself, she noticed the wound again. “I hope your leg is not hurt too badly,” she told him, looking at him with serious eyes searching his for the truth of it.

[Quixote]

At Nikola's words Quixote felt the heat rush to his face and he wished he had his helmet on. He mumbled something about a knight's duty and became very interested in the corn pudding that the cook had put in the basket. He was glad that she turned her attention to the orc. He waited for the orc to choose a piece of chicken and then quixote would take whatever was left. He didn't mind really, it was all better than his own cooking by far.

[Texas_Knight]

TK assisted the Lady Nikola to her spot and then took a seat. The chicken smelled wonderful, even though it was cooked, and he took a breast and wing for his meal. He didn't want to seem too boorish so he took his time and enjoyed the flavor of the meat as he chewed. He had to admit that it was very good, definitely better than his own cooking. He smiled and suddenly remembered something he'd put in Oblivion's bag. As he was about to rise to fetch it he heard Nikola's question and saw the look on her face. He gave her a wink and a smile before rising with only a little bit of a grimace showing on his face. He paused and looked down at her, giving a short thought to minimizing the wound. No, he felt she deserved the truth, that she was worthy of the truth, and that he would never hide anything from her. "It will leave a small scar when healed completely. It was deep, and painful when it happened, but it will heal with time, and brandy" TK winked as he went to retrieve that item from Oblivion.

Upon his return he held a bottle of brandy. One that Nikola might remember seeing in his cellar, one that had a bit of a glow to it. The bottle itself was in the shape of a Lycan, with the head being the cap. As he presented it to Nikola he said "This will make any wound heal faster than humanly possible... And if you don't have any wounds, it will warm your very soul at least." TK winked as he added the last part as a quip. He looked at the Knight "Quixote, be very mindful of how much you partake of the liquid. It may have a bit of an extra additive in the mix. It won't kill you, but you might have some side effects that will disturb you a bit. If you do, they won't last for more than a day for each cup you drink." Then he turned to Nikola "Same for you m'Lady, but I think the fire in you will be enough to counter most of the effects should you experience them at all."

TK wasn't sure if it would affect either of them with the effects, but he wanted to warn them that this was not ordinary brandy. There was a touch of Lycan in it. To be more specific, There was a touch of TK's own Lycan blood in it that gave it the healing powers. Not enough to taste or detect, but enough to react with the other ingredients and give it that slight glow. Besides the healing effects, this was real fine brandy that had aged for twenty human years.

[Quixote]

Quixote took two of the three remaining pieces of chicken, leaving a thigh in the basket. There was a skin of wine which he had just partaken of when TK made his offer. Quixote watched as the sunlight sparkled on the reddish brown beverage held aloft. The wolf head on the bottle, the fact it was being offered by a lycan and TK's warnings put together were enough to penetrate the knight's slow brain that something about this beverage could impart lycan characteristics. The swift healing would be a positive, but Quixote had somehow managed to escape the combat unwounded, which was exceedingly rare for him. So it seemed like there was a lot of risk of side effects, but only the' warming of his soul' on the known positive side. He certainly did like brandy though. He decided to just nod his head sagely and wait to see what Nikola would do. She always seemed to make good choices. There was an iskir berry pie and he started to slice it, but it was not coming apart properly and the filling was runny so he left the utensil in the pie as if that is what he had meant to do and went back to eating his chicken. The forest was quiet now, no birds were singing and there was only the gentlest breeze.

[Nikola]

Her companions seemed to be enjoying the meal which did not surprise Nikola, though it pleased her greatly. Cook would certainly be pleased to hear that her efforts were so thoroughly appreciated. She listened to TK’s response to her question about the wound on his leg. She wondered at his slight hesitation before answering, but his words seemed honest. She chuckled at the mention of brandy accompanied by a wink. She well remembered her tour of his cellar, an enchanting collection of bottles containing a number of different brews and vintages. Brandy, a drink she had discovered they shared a love for, took pride of place within his collection, however, and he had gifted her with one of his prized bottles. She still had a little of that precious liquid left, being miserly with the portions and frequency with which she allowed herself to enjoy it.

The bottle he returned with caught her attention immediately. She vaguely recalled having seen something like it in his cellar and he had warned her then of its effects. But she had put it out of her mind until now. There was a hint of a glow to the liquid, something she attributed at first to the rays of the sun shining through it. That is until he turned so that the sun was hidden from the bottle and she saw that the liquid still held a slight glow and now she saw that the entire bottle was infused with it. As he began to explain how it was made and what it could do, she found that she was more curious than perhaps caution would have preferred. She reached out for the bottle as he presented it, taking it in her hands and holding it up to study the contents. Other than the odd slight glow, it looked very much like the fire brandy she had shared with him on several previous occasions.

Setting the bottle on the ground for a moment, she downed the last of her drink and then unstoppered the brandy and poured a small amount into her cup before offering the bottle to Quixote. “I think I shall try it. I have no wound, but I wonder whether it would help to speed the recovery of my energy and strength. If it does not, at least I’ll have enjoyed a drink of what I am certain will be the finest brandy in Secfenia.”

[Quixote]

Seeing that Nikola did not hesitate, Quixote reached out after she had poured her cup and took the bottle. He did not carry a cup in his kit though, using his helmet when a pot was needed. He drank straight from the bottle. He kept drinking until he felt the fire in his throat. He held the bottle to the side and exhaled, wondering if he would actually breathe fire. The feeling of heat filled his belly and he began to imagine it pulsing through him. Though the taste was magnificent, one big gulp would have to be enough he decided, as he felt like he would actually catch fire. He put the lid back on and passed the bottle back to TK. "That's quite good wizard, puts fire in your belly."

As the heat lessened he finished the rest of his meal and hoped that someone else would cut the pie, he had already begun to make a mess of it, and was confident it would go downhill from there. That's when he felt the glow. There was the buzz that one gets from just the right amount of wine, with that much he was familiar. He suddenly realized that his arthritic hip didn't hurt anymore and his trick knee seemed not to bulge. He had a terrible itch on his neck. The chafing from wearing ill fitting armor had already been healing for days thanks to taking it off and applying creams provided at the manor, but now it scabbed and flaked in a matter of a couple minutes and beneath it was skin like a newborn.

"That stuff is amazing," he said out loud to no one in particular.

[Texas_Knight]

TK watched the two debate and then decide to partake of the healing brandy while he ate his food. He was glad that they decided to have some, and was happy to see Nikola take a measured amount. This way if the effects were a bit undesired he would know how long they would last. "Thank you m'lady. I'm sure you will find its effects quite pleasing. And the taste is smooth and rich."

Despite his earlier hesitation, Quixote seemed to throw caution to the wind as he was offered the bottle by Nikola. When he saw the Knight drink from the bottle, TK raised a brow. As he watched, he saw the brandy drain out of the bottle and when Quixote finally released his lips from the bottle there was at least two cups gone from it. TK raised his brow and gave the knight a questioning look when he suddenly exhaled after ceasing to drink. "You trying to breathe fire like one of those dragons?" TK chuckled.

TK took the offered bottle and drank about half of what was left. After he re-corked it, he closed his eyes and felt the power rush through his body. The healing stung a bit when it healed his leg where he'd been cut. He felt his fatigue fade away and his mood was better. When he opened his eyes they were a rich green color and he smiled as he removed the bandage from his leg. There was just a hint of discoloring where the wound had been and he rolled his bandage up and tossed it over by Oblivion. He would pick it up before they left, but it had no place around the picnic.

He noticed that Quixote had a rather curious look on his face as he finished up his food. He smiled as Quixote complimented the brandy, although he wasn't sure if it was the taste, or the effects, that was being complimented. "Aye, it is indeed"

He turned to Nikola "M'lady, how are you feeling?" He'd noticed that she'd been quiet, and wasn't sure if it was fatigue or some other reason.

[Quixote]

Quixote had hoped someone (Nikola) would cut the pie which he had started and stopped doing. He had now waited what seemed an eternity and his non verbal cues weren't getting through; there was something amiss with her. The healing of the brandy had made him very hungry and he had already eaten all the spare chicken. His eyes cast about but always fell back on the pie. As carefully as he could, the knight sliced and served the pie with the utensils available. He passed a butchered hunk to Nikola (using his hands in the end) placing it within reach. He sawed and scooped out a giant hunk for himself and then placed the pie plate where TK could reach it. He stuffed in a mouthful off his plate and announced, "Dis pie iz dawishus"