#cravs doesn't think any of her plans through lmao

[second-chance-stray]

(Split Ends) RP Log: Cravs, Riylli, and Rising’s friendship is tested.

(Cravendy Hound) It's not easy, but the three of them manage to hike back out of the Sylphlands without getting noticed, with Rising being dragged along on Crav's back. The trio finds their way to a Sylphic house and, with Rising's body laid out on the floor, are figuring out what to do next.

(Riylli Aliapoh) Riylli had done the talking, likely the only one here with any experience with the sylphs, and it had not been long before they had identified the plant responsible and secured the antidote. Now that it had been applied, there was nothing left to do but wait. In awkward silence. For a terribly long time.

(Cravendy Hound) Cravs taps her foot impatiently and, upon reaching the limits of the patience, whispers loudly to Riylli. "When's she gonna wake up?"

(Rising Lotus) Rising had still felt the world spin around her, even laid out on the floor with her eyes shut tight. Thing started to slow down however once the antidote was applied, eventually cracking one of her eyes open, the right amount of colors in front of her instead of every one of the rainbow. "Ugh..." she brought her hand to her forehead, rubbing it as she sat up.

(Riylli Aliapoh) Riylli had been leaning against the tree with her arms crossed, nervously picking at the dried paint on her arm. "...Should be- now, yes." The Miqo'te hopped up, stepping over to look down at Rising. "Good morning, how are you feeling?"

(Cravendy Hound) "Right. Ye think ye can stand?" Cravs fusses in the distance, keeping herself an arm's length from Rising.

(Rising Lotus) "Ngh... the dreams were the worst part..." she blinked a few times as everything seemed to be set in place instead of spinning now, wobbling a bit as she rose to her feet but otherwise looking stable. "Ngh... that's worse than when I went in that moldy city..."

(Riylli Aliapoh) Riylli pats the Roegadyn on the back. "This is why we don't mess around in Sylph territory... You're lucky they just like to mess with people for the most part."

(Cravendy Hound) Cravs tilts her head at the mention of a city, though there was plenty more she was curious about. "They're just dreams, they ain't real. But if ye've got a 'abit of stickin' yer nose in moldy places, then I've got a problem with that."

(Rising Lotus) "I 'spose so, saw some pretty neat colors  though." she glanced to Cravs. "Well that was before I joined up with Heartwood, an' I ain't gonna go there any time soon, was kinda neat though." she glanced to Riylli. "Where did we leave off before I started losin' it now?"

(Riylli Aliapoh) Riylli hesitated before letting out a sigh. "We were ABOUT to force Cravs to tell us what mess she's gotten herself into so we can help her. So... Hope you're feeling clear headed"

(Cravendy Hound) "Ye were about to do several backflips in a row." Cravs jokes. ".......don't listen to Riylli."

(Rising Lotus) Rising clenched her hands a few times as she watched them. "Honestly I feel more focused than normal, it's weird." At least the medicine didn't SEEM to have any adverse side effects. "Anyway yeah! You gotta tell us 'bout your mess!" she jabbed a finger in Crav's direction.

(Riylli Aliapoh) Riylli gives Cravs a rather unamused look. "...Y'better not try to run this time. Just gotta rip the bandage off, get it over with an' all that..."

(Cravendy Hound) Cravs lets out a tired sigh, head hung low. "Either I tell ye, or I don't and ye both'll still butt yer 'eads in my business, potentially messin' everythin' up." She sucks in air between her teeth, headache incoming. "Fuck."

(Cravendy Hound) "Last chance. Seriously, I won't care if ye leave me to my shit. There's...a lot, and I'm..." She trails off. "I'm sure ye don't see me in a positive light, but trust me, it can get worse."

(Riylli Aliapoh) Riylli lets out an annoyed huff. "Oh just out with it already! You know we ain't gonna leave you behind when you're in trouble, and unless you went on a killin' spree through an orphanage or somethin' I doubt we'll change our minds about bein' friends"

(Rising Lotus) "I ain't gonna talk to a loan shark with jus' Riylli, then get knocked out by some weird bandit, THEN get super blazed out of my mind in the Sylphwoods to back out now!" she said, almost a tinge of pride to this strange journey. "But yeah! You're my friend, our friend...and uh.." she starts to lose her steam a bit ".. I jus' want to help ya, an' don't want ya to leave, or have somethin' happen to ya.."

(Cravendy Hound) Cravs is taken aback by Riylli's earnestness, barbed as it may be. She looks between the miqo'te and Rising, frown trembling. How, and where, to start? Cravs is certain that if she speaks now, it'll come out all wrong. Instead, she reaches into her pocket and shows an empty tranquilizer cartridge to her friends.

(Cravendy Hound) The unique design of the ammunition leaves not an ilm of doubt. Either Cravs buys the same stuff as the bandit, or...she's saying without words, that they're one and the same.

(Riylli Aliapoh) Riylli just stares at the cartridge for a long moment, the hamster wheel in her head taking it's time to work out what it meant. Recognition eventually shone through in her eyes, and without a word the girl steps forward and slugs Cravs in the arm. "You ass! Y'know how long my head was achin' 'cuz of those things!? You better start explainin' or I'm gonna hit you again!"

(Rising Lotus) Rising clenches her fists as she sees the ammunition, her whole upper body starting to shake. She was gritting her teeth as she closed her eyes tightly. "Y-Y-You..." she said softly before her eyes shot open and stomped forward. "FUCKING ARSE" There were starting to get look at the tower they were in. "D-do you know how close I was to..." as she stared Cravs down her eyes were watering up as she looked to the side where her spear had hit Cravs. She turned away with a scowl as she started wiping eyes, streams of curses coming from her mouth about how stupid Cravs was.

(Cravendy Hound) Cravs instinctively moves her hand up to catch Riylli's punch. Worry flickers in her eyes as she forces her body to go slack, to let whatever hits that come next follow through. Hits, she can take. Rising crying in front of her, she can't. Worry turns to panic. "S-stop yer sobbin', alright?! Look, I can take a beatin'! Come on, show me what ye got."

(Cravendy Hound) "If it 'elps, I didn't expect any of you to be there. If I knew, I wouldn't 'ave attacked." She mutters.

(Riylli Aliapoh) Riylli changed it up upon gaining permission, kicking Cravs in the shin. "Rising almost killed you y'know! If I wasn't so busy takin' care of that kid you were supposed to be babysittin' you'd be dead right now!"

Rising Lotus seemed a bit more rattled if anything. "It would've of mattered if I got you where I was aiming!" she snapped back, sniffing hard as she kept her her gaze away from the two. "An' Riylli could've bashed your head in with a rock!" she brought her hands to her face, holding them there for a few moments to try and deal with this angry sobbing.

(Cravendy Hound) "Ow! Shit, 'ow do ye kick so 'ard with sandals?" She groans. Eyes downcast and pain radiating from her leg, she talks to the floor. "...Pah, I would've hung on. I won't die. Not until I've exposed Mindred for the bitch that she is."

(Cravendy Hound) Cravs straights back up, ready to take another hit if it's coming. "Mindred's the one hasslin' Baldur, and I won't rest till I see 'er suffer."

(Riylli Aliapoh) "'Cuz I practice!" Riylli states, quite confidently. "Wait, that's not the point! Why didn't you just tell us? We coulda all jumped her durin' our meeting if you had actually came with us and just explained she was the one behind it!"

(Rising Lotus) "Cause we would've been put to the gallow if we did that." she sniffled a bit more as she turned around, eyes still looking a bit teary but most of her crying under control. "Those types of folk have strong connections, there's a reason why they can keep gougin' people with out gettin' caught."

(Cravendy Hound) "What, without evidence?! 'ave ye two on 'er bad side too? I thought if I wasn't with ye two, she'd get the idea that I ditched ye." Cravs growls back. "She knows who 'Singing Gull' is, alright? Shits gonna spiral, and I didn't want ye both involved anymore."

(Riylli Aliapoh) Riylli crossed her arms. "Plenty of ways to get around that... Like, for starters, not givin' her our real names!" The Miqo'te shifted her glare back to Cravs. "And that still doesn't explain why you were tryin' to rob her caravan, or collecting drugs out in the Sylphlands."

(Rising Lotus) "Well we're past that..." she sighed. "Which means trouble might be comin' our way anyway if she thinks we're connected someway.." she takes a deep breath, grumbling afterwards. "So like it or not we're involved whether you like it or not. You planned this horribly." she rubbed her eyes a bit more to get hopefully the last tears out.

(Rising Lotus) Not one but TWO chances to like it or not! Look I'm tired xD))

(Cravendy Hound) "I attacked cause I needed to find some dirt on 'er, and I did...but I found the worst kind." Cravs looks to the side. "I'm friends with some bandits that get their goods illegally, and Mindred trades with 'em. So I'm was tryin' to find a way to prove 'er criminal ties -without- gettin' the bandit friends caught too."

(Cravendy Hound) "So I'm 'ere to find somethin' she can't resist. I guess ye can say I'm plannin' on plantin' evidence."

(Cravendy Hound) "There's always a bad apple in the bunch, but that don't mean the rest is spoiled. I figured...she'd think that way about 'eartwood. Shit, I didn't think this through, okay?!"

(Riylli Aliapoh) Riylli stares at Cravs for a moment, then tilts her head. "...You're friends with bandits? What kind of banditry are we talking..."

(Rising Lotus) Rising groans. "We need to figure out where to go from here.. otherwise we're jus' gonna run into more trouble... I jus' don't know what the in the hells to do, everything seems like it's in such a damn mess."

(Cravendy Hound) "Not just friends." Cravs turns away, hair obscuring her face as she crosses her arms tightly over her chest. "Ye could call me their.....organizer. Leader. Fuck, it was a mistake, okay? But when piratin' became outlawed, I was mad as 'ell!"

(Cravendy Hound) "It /is/ a mess. Oy, I warned ye." Cravs quips. She combs her bangs back with her hand and then groans into the sky.

(Riylli Aliapoh) "A bandit LEADER?" Riylli's eyes widen, though she seems more surprised than upset. She brings a hand to her head. "Alright, hold on, one thing at a time... What kind of banditry. Stealing? Killing? Kidnapping?"

(Rising Lotus) "So we got these bandits that we need to protect, while provin' that Rot is doin' somethin' bad, all while also helpin' Baldur out."  she rubbed her temple "What was your plan than with this toad goo?"

(Cravendy Hound) "It's more like a loose coalition of salt-eatin' pirates who want to relive the good ol' days. So, uh.......w-well." She puts a hand over her mouth. "What matters is that I 'aven't 'ung out with 'em since joinin' 'eartwood."

(Cravendy Hound) "The toad goo's like gold to a spice trader. So, after plantin' some kind of tracker in it...I was gonna give the goo to Dirtpatch, tell my bandit friends bout it, and wait till it got traded back to Mindred. Then, Dirtpatch could use it as proof that she gets 'er shit illegally."

(Cravendy Hound) "I was gonna take precautions to make sure Dirtpatch doesn't get raided or anythin'!"

(Riylli Aliapoh) Riylli kept her arms crossed, now tapping her finger impatiently. "You're avoiding my question... Are these really people you should consider friends..?"

(Cravendy Hound) "They're angry, they're stupid, but yeah, they're my friends. Look Riylli, I was one of them! Maybe I still am." Cravs spits out, self-loathing dripping from her words. "And if ye put two and two together, maybe ye'd know why Baldur 'ates me so much."

(Rising Lotus) "..Oh..." she looked away. "...It was in the back of my mind, from the little I knew about Wyda...but I thought it was jus' a coincidence." she let out another sigh, this day was full of long sighs. "So that's your interest in him then? Makin' up for killin' his pa?"

(Cravendy Hound) "Yeah. I set this all off. So I gotta make it better."

(Riylli Aliapoh) Riylli continued tapping her finger for a long time, indecision clear on her face as she tried to come to some sort of conclusion. "You don't... have to be one of them. Not if you don't want to be..." She offered, letting out a sigh and rubbing the back of her neck. "I know it aint that easy... Just... Don't think of yourself as a lost cause, okay?"

(Rising Lotus) Between the strange substance she had inhaled, the cure, and now all of this, Rising was looking particularly exhausted. "I don't know if it's a good idea to involve Dirtpatch, I'm sure they'd find a connection to Heartwood, an' I'm sure by now they figured out we have ties there. I don't really got any better ideas though. At least not right now."

(Cravendy Hound) Cravs blinks, touched by Riylli's sentiment, and then sends her a worn out smile. "I /am/ a lost cause. But that won't stop me from tryin' to make use outta the life I've got."

(Cravendy Hound) "Mindred already knows I'm at 'eartwood, but I'll do everythin' in my power to make sure that I'm the only one to face the music." She looks to Rising now, for the first time making direct eye contact with her. Then, to Riylli. "I'm doing my best, but it might not be enough. Might grow outta this, might not. Even still, would ye watch over me?"

(Riylli Aliapoh) Riylli frowns, then proceeds to kick her in the shin yet again. "Idiot! You're my friend, and I don't let anyone talk like that about my friends!" She shoots Cravs an annoyed glare, then pulled back to plant her hands on her hips. "Of course we'll watch over you! We'll figure this out together and get you out of this mess."

Rising Lotus broke eye contact with Cravs fairly quickly after their gazes met. " Yeah, I mean I'm involved an' all. We should probably think of a better plan, or work it out or somethin' though." she shrugs weakly, keeping her distance from the duo. "Sleep on it or somethin' I dunno... I kinda jus' wanna be alone for a bit."

(Cravendy Hound) "OW! Damnit, the same shin too?" Cravs jumps up and hugs her leg into her chest. But, despite the physical pain, she mostly feels relieved. While she wasn't off the hook yet, the fact that her friends didn't immediately disown her despite knowing about all this baggage...it was nice. It was really nice.

(Riylli Aliapoh) "You better get used to it, I'm gonna keep kickin' you 'till you learn to trust us!" Riylli said, grinning at the threat. She turned to Rising, looking her up and down. "...Yeah, you probably deserve a rest after that Sylph cocktail. I'll talk to Ava, see if she can come up with anythin' to help. I'll leave your names out of it though, don't worry!"

(Cravendy Hound) Cravs sends Rising a worried look and wants desperately to comfort her. But maybe she's the cause for Rising's discomfort? Unwilling to take chances, she just sort of stares longingly at the other woman.

(Cravendy Hound) "Bugger me, I better buy some proper leg guards then..." Cravs shoots back at Riylli. "And yeah, ye do that. No more bad dreams though, ye 'ear?"

(Rising Lotus) Rising weakly shrugged again, turning to start to leave the Sylph tower. "We can meet again soon an'd plan things out, figure out a way to get her an' everything." she sounded quite drained, but nonetheless hurried on her way off without so much as a wave.

(Cravendy Hound) Though Cravs had thought otherwise, the trio’s friendship has survived the truth. Burdens shared and a chance given - one that Cravs was determined not to squander. The three of them would eventually leave the woods with much to muse over on their own.