Xenofos — Not Dead Yet
????, Storm Season, Season/Disorder Week
Context
Storm Season/Disorder Week/Wind Day/Late afternoon at Raven hill. [[[s02:session 25|Session 25]]]
Events
The fight has just finished and everyone is looking around to assess the current state of affairs. Varanis comes seeking Xenofos, urgency in her stride. “You alright?”
“Aching all over, rapier dulled, helmet dented but patched up. That was a close one.”
Xenofos tunic is bloody and he is looking at his blade, shaking a bit.
“When I saw you on the ground with those… things attacking you…” She shudders. “I was almost too late.” Her eyes are gleaming in the low light.
“Without that Eirithan I would probably be gone…” Xenofos looks around “I saw Berra fall down in the beginning and thought…”
“She’s fine. She took on the skeleton that looked like a dragon and walked away from its pile of bones.”
Xenofos nods quietly. There is relief on his face as he sits down.
Varanis sits next to him, unhooking her water flask and passing it over. “Just water. I wish I had something stronger to offer.”
He takes a swig and returns the flask.
“Thanks cousin. And thank you for aid. I was quite overwhelmed for a while.”
She nods. “Xeno… you won’t just…. give up when she dies, will you?” The words are spoken very softly, hesitatingly, as though she’s afraid to give them voice. She is watching him closely.
Scholar is quiet for a while. Mechanically he takes his sharpening stone and starts working on the dents on his still naked blade. “She is a warrior… If she… dies in battle those who are left behind… must just carry on.” Answer comes quietly, with pauses. Tears are dropping from his eyes.
His cousin leans into him, her shoulder against his. She doesn’t seem to care that she’s interrupted the flow of his task. “We must,” she agrees simply.
Xenofos is left looking at the blade and it’s dents.
After a period of silence, she rises with long-limbed grace. She offers him her hand. “C’mon. Let’s get back to camp. It looks like the others are ready to start moving.”
Xenofos looks at the sharpening stone, puts it carefully back, wipes blood off his face, takes her hand and gets up.
As he reaches full height, she wraps a hand behind his head and pulls his forehead to hers. “Thank you for staying alive. I can’t lose you, cousin.”
Xenofos leans on her “Only Ty Kora Tek knows the day, Varanis… But until that day I intend to stay.”1 He passed truth so he can’t say to Varanis she will not lose him.
- 1He passed truth so he can’t say to Varanis she will not lose him.
