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Post by Lady Kamille Verlithax on Dec 8, 2022 18:01:10 GMT -5
The lava shifts and turns, living rocks piling up on their own accord to form limbs, first some legs, then a huge torso and long arms. Finally, a small flaming head appears on top of the lava golem, fiery eyes burning beneath a mask of stone in the shape of a skull. Mayhem stood some good ten feet tall, roaring enraged at the icy dragon. The golem had barely assembled himself, however, when an icy breath made contact with him. Putting one massive hand before him to protect himself, the icy attack was strong enough to freeze his entire arm made of lava - if not for Astrid's diversion, the dragon's breath would be able to freeze the entirety of his body in time, but instead he lost an arm: it froze, and the blackened sterile stone fell off. This seemed to enrage the golem wildly, as he roared and closed in the distance between them with two large steps, making the ground shake everytime his feet hit it. With his remaining arm, Mayhem tried to grab the neck of the dragon to pin it down, taking advantage of the moment when it faced away from him to focus on Astrid. While he remained that closer, he wouldn’t be taking his icy breath. And as Kamille is focusing on her spell, she sees as Astrid is giving Frok some hell of a trouble, and couldn’t help but feel something akin to pride welling up inside. That little one would go far, no doubt.
And then, with a swish of the tail, Frok sent Astrid flying back into the snow.
"ASTRID!"
Frok had a moment of victory, but there were too many damned flies!
Finally making her apperance and taking advantage on the fact Mayhem was trying to hold Frok's neck, Poe took a jump forward to hit the only spot she could see that wasn’t protected by his thick, sturdy scales: his eye.
Frok's roar was loud enough to wake the dead as the woman’s katana stuck into his eye. For just a moment she tried to hold onto it, but the dragon shook his head with enough force as to make Poe's weight break the blade. As she rolled to the ground, she was caught in the swing of his massive wing that was still intact, and was also flung several yards away, holding only the handle of her katana.
The blade still stuck out of the dragon's eye socket.
Kamille, in the meantime, was running back to Astrid, ready to protect themselves with her Sand Shield in case Frok decided to breath ice on them again.
"Astrid! Astrid! Are you okay? Can you get up?"
Mayhem roared in annoyance as Frok tried to squeeze out of his one-arm grip, the wound to his eye just making him extra angry - and the anger, in turn, lending him extra strength. Kamille tried to think quickly. She remembered seeing Astrid's hammer cracking with electricity, and an idea formed.
"Could you hit him at the eye? The metal inside would conduct the electrical charge from your weapon. And I can make you faster to bypass him."
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Post by Lady Astrid Stormstone on Dec 9, 2022 23:36:20 GMT -5
Sitting up, Astrid rubs her chest a little. Her magical armor did well to protect her from anything more than bruises luckily. "I'm alright, I'm alright," she says through a grimace. "Just fine. Could've hurt more, but I'm fine." Oh, it hurt a lot. It hurt just about as much as getting struck by lightning, but this time the pain lingers quite a bit more. Pulling on the cord attached to her battle hammer, she reels it back to herself then she stands up and flares her wings out a bit to shake the snow off her back. They won't last much longer.
In the distance, Frok grows frustrated with Poe's distraction and roars in pain when the blade finds itself in his eye. There Poe lies on the ground, but as much as Frok wants to run her down and tear her to bits, his body won't move to strike her or Mayhem. His glowing blue eye pierces through the blizzard, trained on Astrid. Once again, the dragon roars and tries to break free of Mayhem's grip to charge Astrid and Kamille.
With her hand held out, her war hammer zips back into her grip from wherever it got knocked in the snow. Frok's footfalls are thunderous, slamming against the ground and struggling against the golem's grip. Astrid squares her shoulders, shaking off the last of the aches. "Hit him in the eye, huh?" she asks. "I think I can do that."
Astrid squats down then launches herself into the air to charge the dragon full force. Her wings catch the wind and pump hard to divert Frok's attention away from Kamille's direction. A brilliant blue light glows in his maw. Will she be able to dodge it in this wind? With the snow swirling around her, the blue light is the only thing making it possible to even see the dragon. A gust catches her and throws her off just as the icy beam fires off directly where she was. Her war hammer wasn't so lucky to avoid it, and were it not bound to her, it would be knocked from her hand. The dragon's breath blasts the head of the hammer, covering it in frost and threatening to make it feel heavier.
The half-dwarf's warcry matches the dragon's roar as they finally meet. Frok's head thrashes about in an attempt to hit her, slowed down by Mayhem holding him down as best as the golem can. "Tiny mortal, you will not be the end of Frok the Fell Frost!" he shrieks. Sharp talons rake through the air and kick up snow and rocks beneath as Frok tries to knock the girl from the sky, and Astrid burns more magic to Bullet Dash away from danger. One final spell then she can go all out!
Slamming her hammers together, Astrid casts Charged Object through her war hammer onto her battle hammer, and with both of them electrified, she goes in for the eye pouring blood. With Frok's movements, it's hard to get in there, but Mayhem grips his neck tight once more and Astrid finds her opening! With all her strength, she slams both electrified hammers into Frok's eye, bashing the broken katana farther into the socket and crackling electricity through the other metal and into the dragon's head. The force of the blade being smashed by Astrid empowered by Kamille's potion drives the broken katana through the bone and straight through the skull to Frok's brain.
Frok the Fell Frost then fell. His body falls limp, and with a final whimpering roar, the dragon collapses heavily. Astrid lands weakly beside the dragon, panting hard and out of energy. She plops down in the snow with an exhausted huff.
It doesn't take long for the blizzard to subside, its source laid dead and fallen on the ground.
Challenging Mark [post 3/4] Bat Wings [post 3/3] Bullet Dash Charged Object
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Post by Lady Kamille Verlithax on Dec 14, 2022 5:23:34 GMT -5
This girl's bravery was remarkable! She might've called it "maddness" instead, but "bravery" sounded better...
Kamille was afraid to launch another attack and have it accidentally hit Astrid just as she plunged for her own strike, so she ran towards Poe instead to help her get out of the way. The dragon seemed completely fixated on Astrid, so she shouldn’t worry for herself or Poe right now, but she still gave the other woman a healing potion in case she would need to act fast soon. The fighter seemed a bit dazed and in pain from Frok's strike, but sustained no major wounds - none that a healing potion couldn’t handle, at least.
Mayhem roared, struggling to keep Frok in place with just one arm. His grip was strong, but the lava made the dragon struggle more. It would've been easier with his two arms, but he would have to make do. As Astrid flew around, Kamille was able to cast one final spell that would make her faster and easier to dodge Frok's breath [1]. Mayhem's flaming body acted like a lighthouse amidst the snow and wind, giving Astrid a point to guide herself in the whiteness of the storm.
And in a last, powerful swing of her hammer, Frok the Fell Frost let out his last roar as little Astrid dealt the final blow. The lava golem roared with Frok, possibly also feeling the electrical charge of Astrid's spell - but he never let go of the neck of the giant beast, even tightening his grip on the dragon. The storms of the tales were defeated by dwarven blood and hammer, leaving a residual, fine cold mist around the weapon that finished the dragon. The ground shook as Frok's body went limp and fell, his last breath marking the end of the storm that swirled around them. Her ears still rang for a moment longer with Frok's dying roar, but the silence that followed was one filled with relief. Mayhem dropped the dragon's neck as it went limp. He looked a bit confused as he also felt the electricity from Astrid's hammer. How come something so small could defeat something so massive? His flaming eyes turned to Astrid, and he seemed to have some kind of thought process going on in that skull filled with lava.
".....storm...... breaker...... 'ello."
Almost as surprising as his very own existance was that Mayhem was not a mindless golem. But Astrid would have just a split second to register that, as Kamille came running to embrace her, throwing her arms around her neck and pulling her closer.
"You did it! I can’t believe it, Astrid! You killed Frok! You-"
She stopped, her eyes suddenly widening in terror as she pulled Astrid back by the shoulders to face her.
"OH MY GOD ASTRID YOU KILLED A DRAGON! YOU'RE A CHILD ASTRID! BELLIGHUL IS GONNA KILL ME! You can't tell Bellighul about this! Oh my God! Come, drink this! We should be able to escort the merchants back now, but first you'll need to rest."
Kamille handed Astrid a healing potion. It seemed to have only recently dawned on Kamille that children shouldn’t be out slaying dragons. Maybe it was for the best that the Witch didn’t have children of her own. At the same time, she couldn’t help but feel enormously proud of what Astrid just did.
"And I'll tell you this, but please don’t tell other people I said it, specially Bellighul: You were amazing! I'm so proud of you!"
[1]Quicken
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Post by Lady Astrid Stormstone on Dec 16, 2022 23:24:02 GMT -5
No sooner does she have time to process what's happened does the big lava golem speak to her. Stormbreaker, huh? That sounds kinda cool... There was a point in time she wanted a cool hero nickname. That one's super cool! "Didn't know ya could talk, big guy," she says in a friendly tone. "Ya were a real big help out there. Nice ta meet ya."
In her bleariness, Kamille's shouting comes in a blur. "Huh? Wha? Yeah, we killed a dragon!" The half-dwarf seems super pleased with this. "Wait, why can't we tell gramps?" she asks, confused. Grandpa Bellighul gave her a hellhound and magic wings. She really doesn't think he'd be too bothered about fighting a dragon. Besides, it's not like she got hurt, and they won!
It's at that point that Kamille's chattering says those special words:
"I'm so proud of you!"
Most of the tiredness leaves Astrid's body, and a big grin spreads across her face. A fuzzy warmth spreads throughout her limbs. She may have just had a hand in killing a dragon, but now she really feels like she can do anything. Another dragon could show up in this moment, and she'd feel like she could take them on, too! Without warning, Astrid throws her arms around Kamille and gives her a big hug. It ends up smearing Kamille in the dragon blood that's coated on her armor, but it's fine. It'll wash out. Probably.
"Thanks, Kamille," she says, nuzzling into the embrace.
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Post by Lady Kamille Verlithax on Dec 18, 2022 16:45:36 GMT -5
To see her light up in a big grin like that, all the weigh of the battle suddenly lifted by the simplest of words, and then... the most affectionate, warm and sticky hug Kamille had received in a while. She felt the tears stirring in her eyes, but took a deep breath as she tried to contain them, wrapping her arms around this incredible child who just took down a dragon, returning the hug.
"You are amazing, Astrid... Let me just... Ease the idea into Bellighul...... "
Kamille still didn't know how that happened, but to think Bellighul was attached to this child gave her a warm feeling of hope. Her excitement was almost as contagious as her fearlesness, and she wondered if the world was ready for this little girl she embraced so strongly.
The ground shook, as Mayhem approached. The golem didn't seem bothered by the absence of his arm, but looked about curious, now that the dragon laid dead.
"Oh, I'm sorry... Astrid, this is Mayhem. Mayhem, this is Astrid. Mayhem is not his actual name, but I couldn't, for the life of me, say his name... He agreed to be called Mayhem while he's with us. Interestingly, I found him here, in the Frost Gale. He might be able to help us with the dwarves before he goes back home..."
It was interesting to notice even a lava golem like Mayhem had someplace to come back that he could call his "home" - namely, the plane he came from. Kamille gave Astrid a little pat on the head and leaned in for a kiss on the forehead. Then, she turned to Frok. The storm. She couldn't help but wonder....
"Hold on a moment..."
The Witch searched for something on her pouch as she approached Frok's body. With a small vial in hand, she took a sample of Frok's blood and a scale of one of Astrid's strikes, next to his head. Few people could say they got to study Frok's blood... She hoped this could wield interesting results.
"Let's go back to the dwarves. You'll be a hero for them!"
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Post by Lady Astrid Stormstone on Dec 20, 2022 2:21:32 GMT -5
How could Astrid feel even better about herself? How could she feel absolutely loved and adored? Two words: Forehead kiss. In this moment, Astrid utterly commits to protecting Kamille with every fiber of her being. No wonder Cantio likes her. No wonder Bellighul wanted her to meet the witch. No wonder they get along. They're all so nice and amazing to be around! The child feels like she's on cloud nine.
But they have things to return to. She will be demanding snuggles later, however.
Getting to her feet, Astrid considers offering the hulking lava golem a handshake, but considering how hot and frothy the big guy is, she thinks better of it, so she waves instead. If he's sticking around for a while, he'll definitely be some help with the dwarves. With the storm settling, the journey will be much easier. She can finally see the sun and the horizon!
Kamille goes over to Frok's body, and Astrid follows after her. There's no way she's killed a dragon and not going to take a trophy. A few teeth, a couple of horns, maybe the thing in the gullet that lets it breathe magic... Her hammer's still quite frosty, and looking at it then at the dead dragon, she gets an idea: Lil Icy Shock. She's got the shock part down, what about the icy bits? The creative gears turn in her brain, and she goes over to yank the blade out of Frok's eye and then she... gets prepared to be quite messy. If only they could bring the whole dragon with them. Actually, she should ask.
Before getting too deep into the process, Astrid looks at Kamille. "I wanna take magical bits from this guy! Make somethin' neat with his horns and stuff! What'dya think?"
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Post by Lady Kamille Verlithax on Dec 22, 2022 9:59:06 GMT -5
Kamille didn’t think of herself the kind of person that has that talent for handling children, but there was something about Astrid that just felt... familiar. The young girl fell into a place in her heart with the naturality of things that are meant to be, without struggle, without hurt. Instances like that made Kamille believe in fate, and she silently thanked Amílcar for introducing her the girl.
And more than that, she seemed to think more or less like Kamille.
"You know, Astrid... While I don’t like the idea of beasts so wonderful as dragons dying like this... It would be a waste to not take something home..."
Kamille had said it before she had a special place in her heart for monsters and beasts, and it was true. looked at her broken blade somewhat sadly, but still kept it - it would be a memento of the time she helped killing a dragon, for sure, hanging on Kamille's wall behind a glass case like a proud mother would keep her children's trophies. The Witch asked Poe to go switch places with Edgar and tell everyone what just happened and assure them the group would soon be back. Edgar was also the one skilled with the blade, whatever it was that Astrid was planning, the big man would surely be the most apt to help.
Poe left to tell the tale, and Edgar arrived rather quickly, probably already aware of what just transpired. Regardless, he did look a bit surprised at the dead dragon for a moment. Kamille had already filled all the flasks she could with Frok's blood.
"Come help us Edgar.... Can you help me get a bit of his hide and maybe some scales? Astrid could also use some help, I assume..."
Just like Astrid, neither Kamille nor Edgar looked afraid of getting their hands dirty.
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Post by Lady Astrid Stormstone on Dec 23, 2022 0:54:41 GMT -5
With Edgar coming back, Astrid steps back and watches with great interest while he works on more or less butchering the dragon. She of course helps however she can. The girl is very hands-on about learning things and isn't afraid to get a bit dirty. After living as a street urchin for a good portion of her life, dirt and grime don't bother her. Everything can be cleaned.
Eventually, they get plenty of good material that they can carry with them. If only the carcass could fit in their backpacks, they would bring the whole body back as a trophy. Sure, it's a shame that they had to kill the dragon, but to be fair, the dragon tried to eat them and was generally being an asshole.
With her hands and pockets full of draconic goodies, Astrid heads back to the dwarves with Edgar and Kamille. Upon their return, Thargun and his gang let out a raucous dwarven cheer for their saviors and mob them instantly. They did it! This tiny beast and the witch felled a dragon, just the two of them! What an incredible display from the both of them! While the girls carved up the dragon with Edgar, the dwarves started a fire and put on a meal and some water to help them get cleaned up. Suddenly, they're showered with dwarven hospitality as the men warm up to Astrid and Kamille in a way they wouldn't have previously.
After some time, Thargun looks to Astrid, warm drink in hand. "Ye said yer name's Stormstone, right?"
Astrid, who has rarely been so showered with praise, especially from dwarves, is at this point cleaned up and cozily wrapped in a blanket with a piping hot drink of her own in her hands. Without the wind buffering the group, the cold is much more bearable. "Aye," she says with a nod. There's a murmur from the dwarves, and she looks around with a furrowed brow. "Why? D'ya know somethin' I don't?"
Thargun's head tilts from side to side while he considers. "Hm, not really sure 'bout that, per se. Mostly superstition an' legends."
Looking into her cup, Astrid murmurs, "Well, that's more than I know."
"Where's yer clan home?" he asks. Astrid shrugs. "Ye don't know?"
"No, me mum didn't tell me nothin' bout me heritage," she says. There's a bit of grumpiness in her voice, but she doesn't mean it to be that way. Of course, she wants to know more, but she's not sure how else to tell them she doesn't know anything. To distract herself, she runs a hand along the warm body of the hellhound laid beside her.
"What happened te yer mum?" Thargun asks. His question isn't gentle, but it isn't meant to cause harm. Astrid only shrugs again, and his heavy brow furrows.
"Haven't seen her since I was seven," Astrid says in a small voice. It still hurts to think about, so she usually doesn't think about it.
"Odd thing, ain't it?" one of the other dwarves says quietly. "Little devil dwarf runnin' 'round Frost Gale. One from Clan Stormstone, even! Thought they all died out."
"Devil horns're probably why her mum ain't around," another dwarf murmurs to him, hoping the girl won't hear.
Thargun's voice comes as sternly as his expression. "Watch it, the girl's a hero. Saved yer arse, didn't she?" When the other dwarves shy away, Thargun turns back to Astrid. "I think yer clan left fer Dragon's Cradle a few centuries ago. Maybe ye'll find somethin' there. Seems yer plenty capable and in good hands." With that, he nods toward Kamille. Though he doesn't have a full understanding of their relationship, the two of them seem close.
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Post by Lady Kamille Verlithax on Dec 27, 2022 9:05:36 GMT -5
Mayhem would probably not be needed anymore from now on, so Kamille bid the giant lava golem her farewells and, after he waved them goodbye, the magic that held it together seemed to slip away to whatever plane of existance it came from. The lava stopped burning and the arrange of the rocks became loose and fell off - and what once was a giant, talking golem turned into an amorphous pile of stones.
They made their way back, and though she expected Poe to have told them the tale of their fight, she knew the woman was one to spare her words and not be the kind to flourish and make great flights of purple prose. And yet, the broken sword told a story of its own, and they were received as heroes. Kamille stood behind for a moment, grinning to herself as Astrid was swarmed with warmth and dwarven hospitality. Kamille wasn’t raised in an elven household, but the courtly sternness and cold approach of her upbringing did make for her to shy away from dwarven traditions, that kinda scared her. Even so, she approached the dwarves, even if a tad sheepishly, accepting their offerings of food, warm beverage and good conversation.
With most of the dragon's blood washed away and the tiredness of the day setting into her bones, she took a seat besides Astrid. Her knowledge of the dwarven clans was very limited, so she remained listening for the most part. Kamille stirred when the whispers started to get more venomous, but Thargun had already jumped to Astrid's defense. Kamille brought an arm around Astrid's back for comfort.
"Don’t mind what people say... If you wanna learn about where you came from for your own peace of mind, I can help you. But regardless of what you find out, what defines you is what you do right here and right now. And, as of now, I can only see you as a hero."
There was an understanding in what the girl was feeling right now, which steemed from Kamille's own undisclosed background. Her elven heritage was a mystery for her, and she didn’t have any hope of ever finding out about it unless she could find her father, who was.... still out there. Wreaking havoc, more likely than not. Kamille could sympathize with Astrid's plight. And having lost her mother, to whatever fate it was, at an age when she could still remember her enough to miss her, only added to it.
"It serves us some good to know where we came from, so it may help we envision where we are going. We can go to Dragon's Craddle to do some research if you want."
Kamille seemed to give it a thought for a moment. Far from taking a parents place, she wondered if there was a place for her in the little one's life. Astrid had carved a place in her heart with the subtlety of a flying hammer - no wonder the girl had conquered the Necromancer's heart as well!
"Sleep on the idea. If you say you want to do the travel, we'll arrange it after we escort the dwarves back to safety."
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Post by Lady Astrid Stormstone on Dec 27, 2022 23:43:16 GMT -5
With Kamille's arm around her, she can't help but snuggle in close to the woman's side. It's a comforting position, one that helped her feel safe around Cantio (and one that attributed to her confidence in her daring him to be a father). It's obvious to her why Bellighul introduced the two of them. In her opinion, they get along great.
"Aye, I don't think much of it," she says somewhat thoughtfully. "If I listened ta what most other folks thought of me an' abided by that, I'd still be a crummy lookin' girl on the streets." Her eyes glisten in the fire's light while she watches the flames flicker. "S'pose it's natural ta wonder where I came from, why I'm such a...weirdo. But I don't dwell on it much 'cause I can't do nothin' ta change it."
"Ya know, when I met Cantio, he said he thought I was brave. That meant a lot ta me. That got me here." She adjusts the blanket on her shoulders and settles into Kamille's side a bit more. "So," Astrid's voice gathers some gusto, "I got some idea where I wanna go, who I wanna be. At least a better idea than I had wanderin' the streets of Sky Peak. I'm gonna stick ta me dreams. I'm gonna be the best blacksmith there ever was."
"Buuuuut if we find a few clues about me origins and me dwarven roots along the way, I don't s'pose I'd turn me nose up at the opportunity." With that, Astrid grins up at Kamille. "If yer not sick of me after alla this, I'd gladly stick ta yer side. Just like this. This is cozy." She snuggles her head into Kamille, careful not to jab her with her horns.
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Post by Lady Kamille Verlithax on Dec 30, 2022 8:37:31 GMT -5
Astrid had such youthfull enthusiasm, it surprised Kamille how she sounded like an old soul - or at least, much more mature than she looked. Suposedly that's what happened when one lived at the streets, at the mercy of one's own witts. To not hold it against people? Easier said than done.... But still, the little one did look like she lived life one day at a time, unburdened by her past. The Witch envied the child for that, still attached to the past, to people and to her own memories and the fantasies of what could be. Despite her gentle temper, the Witch was known to hold grudges and take old offenses to the grave.
Kamille embraced her a bit tighter, allowing Astrid to snuggle closer. For the longest time, she had considered herself to not be one of those people who had a natural way of handling kids. But Astrid didn’t feel just like a kid - and she couldn’t help but wonder if that warmth in her chest had something to do with it. A moment of quiet thinking later, Kamille spoke up again.
"Far from me to want to take the place of your mother, but........ You know, I'm not sure I'd make a good mother, regardless. But how would you find the idea of having a grandmother?"
She chuckled at the idea.
"Mothers are supposed to scold you when you arrive late, but grandmothers are the ones that help you sneak back into the house through the window... It's with the grandmothers that you do the fun stuff with, you know? Like.... Sneaking boys into your room at late hours, or... Cheating at card games......... I could teach you a few fun stuff, you know? A few spells, maybe....."
She interrupted herself, then looked back at the girl, with a kind of sheepish smile.
"That is, if you want, obviously..."
Kamille brushed a loose strand of her hair away from Astrid's forehead.
"How could you say that? Getting sick of you? That's impossible. Did you see what you just did? You slayed a dragon! I hope the world is prepared for you..."
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Post by Lady Astrid Stormstone on Dec 31, 2022 16:17:18 GMT -5
For a moment, Astrid sits in silence, staring at the fire. Really, she's just processing, puzzling things out. Upon her first meeting with Bellighul, he said they were basically family, but she didn't have a full understanding or context for that - she just knew he liked Cantio and considered him family in some odd way. There's some kinship between Kamille and Cantio, she thinks she recalls from the conversation at the Sludge Pits, and as she's learned, family is more than blood.
She looks up at Kamille. Something about that is a little odd. She thought grandparents were supposed to be older folks, but then again, there are a lot of people who don't look their age. Bellighul doesn't look old, and he's gotten to be a grandpa - gramps, grandpappy, whatever comes to mind. It's fun to say, and the juxtaposition feels satisfying. And she thinks Kamille and Bellighul have something together.
Finally breaking the silence after connecting some of the dots together, Astrid asks, "Aren't ya basically already like me grandma?"
Of course, Kamille could never take her mother's place - in fact, Astrid's still not sure she necessarily wants anyone to, but... Well, she never knew of any grandparents if she even had them. For all she knows, it could be totally true that she's some devil spawn who just showed up one day. She definitely feels like her mother did a lot of scolding, and she knows nothing of what grandparents would do normally.
Astrid decides it doesn't matter. A big smile crosses her face. "Of course, I want that! I mean, I'll definitely take any family I can get!" It feels good to be wanted, honestly. That's a hard thing to put into words. Kamille won't ever get sick of her? That idea makes a warmth bubble in her chest, and she feels tears welling up behind her eyes. She blinks them away, keeping her smile. Kamille's someone else she can let herself rely on. The list seems to be growing.
"I'm happy ta learn whatever ya wanna teach me. So far, I've already had a lotta fun with ya. We could get into all sortsa trouble, the two of us." Her smile shifts into her signature grin complete with pronounced canines and a gap tooth. The chaos of the two of them together could be incredibly fun. "Though, I'm not sure how much more trouble we could happen upon that's grander than killin' a dragon together. Whatever it is, I'm lookin' forward ta it." There's some triumph in defeating a dragon, but that's only a small part of this memory and moment here and now.
The girl snuggles in against Kamille again, into her new grandma's arms. Astrid spent a lot of time in Sky Peak hoping for tomorrow to be a different kind of day, and ever since she met the kind group of strangers, tomorrow has always been kinder. They might have all gone separate ways, but she's seen them again since. It's taken some time for her to realize that the people who want to be around will put in the effort to do so. In that time, Astrid has built some relationships that last over time and distance, and she'll hold on to them and do what she can to make them stronger.
Grandma Kamille. Someone new becomes a part of her family.
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Post by Lady Kamille Verlithax on Jan 4, 2023 17:28:06 GMT -5
Kamille would allow Astrid to ponder over it without pressuring. The remark about her already being her grandmother confused Kamille for a moment. Did she notice anything between her and Bellighul? They weren't trying to hide anything but... The Witch shook her head when her cheeks started to feel a bit warmer, betraying her thoughts. Better leave that discussion for another time.
Family had... never been something Kamille had much thought about. Despite being surrounded by people, she only remembered having only one person to call family throughout her whole life. And look how that ended...
The thought was pushed away as Astrid flashed the cutest, most warm smile she had seen before - and it was that moment Kamille knew this was the right thing to do. Not because Astrid needed it, but because it felt right in her heart. Because she wanted to do it.
"I'll definitely take any family I can get!"
Her eyes burned for a moment. Astrid had such an upbeat temperament, and yet the scars of being left alone in the world still managed to show themselves from time to time, even if the girl herself didn't fully realise it. Kamille smiled back at Astrid, squeezing the fierce warrior against herself for a moment.
"I'm sure we can find much more trouble than this... Frok will look like a fly next to what we'll get next!"
And she probably should feel irresponsible for this, so she quickly added:
"............Just don't tell Bellighul."
Bellighul would be appaled, she assumed. With the warmth she provided and the ale and food from the dwarves, plus the tiredness from adventures of the day sinking into their bones, it would be a quick stumble upon sleep for both of them. Her feathery cloak wrapped around them both, enveloping this crazy child in her arms, Kamille had a peaceful sleep.
The next day wouldn't be nearly as exciting as the day before. No dragons attacked them, no storms caught them, and all they had to do was to escort the caravan of dwarves back into safety. Kamille managed to give Astrid a sip of the dwarven ale - a tiny sip! - before they would part ways with the caravan. When it came time to say goodbye, Kamille felt a bit uptight for the loud dwarves that squeezed and shook her hand with enthusiasm. The dwarves have warmed up to Astrid in a way that wouldn't be possible before she showed what she was capable of, and as Kamille watched, a few steps back, the dwarves shower her with their generosity and swarm her with well wishes and compliments, the Witch couldn't help but wonder...
I hope the world is prepared for her...
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