Zion: Light of the New Moon Part 2, Ch 2.2 Doen
Zion - Light of the New Moon, Part 2 Chapter 2.2
Doen A Very Wrong Turn
Three votes in and the party has elected to stay one more day in Fairview and see if they can help reinforce the protection for the town. Since Jasper's contributing reader did not vote Jasper loses 1 Willpower and, sadly, Doen loses 1 Favor... bummer! The current chapter will provide the following modifiers to the party: ++ Favor, + Treasure if successful or --Luck, ++ Delay if they fail. These modifiers can still be changed based on party actions/choices.
Considering how late it was when the prayers ended, and the fact that every one of the townspeople wanted us to join them for dinner, it was impossible to leave. Instead of settling on us having any one place to eat, the Waysiders instead decided to erect long banquet tables in the center of town. Each household brought several dishes of food and turned the meal into a great celebration.
It was the first real Doenian-style party I'd experienced since we started our pilgrimage. The entire night had the feeling of a revelry-- nowhere near as grandiose as back at the temple, but there was a specific country-like charm to the open square and the simple, heartfelt music the townsfolk played on their collection of old and makeshift instruments. Needless to say, Narissa couldn't help but join in, leading the band in a series of songs that were impossible not to dance to.
Taggart was as much of a star as I was, and for good reason. Though I didn't see it myself, the heroism and valor he displayed in helping defeat the Fey's attack was nothing short of Tah'aveen's direct involvement. Despite how often we were passed around from dancer to dancer, how many times we made a circuit around the hastily constructed dancing floor, I always felt he was watching me. Finally, toward the end of the night, our paths finally crossed. I held my paw out and smiled when I saw his ears blush, and his fingers slowly laced into my grasp.
He let me lead, which was quite a compliment considering the fact that I think he was one of the best dancers of the night. Laying his head on my shoulder, Taggart kept pace with me, seeming to sense each of my moves the moment before I made them and mirroring them perfectly. As the song wound down to its final chords, I looked up from the dog in my arms to the people no longer dancing, smiles of appreciation surrounding us as they let us dance amidst their circle.
Moments later they all cheered anew and hoisted the two of us up and paraded us around the square as if we were champions returning from war. The townsfolk did three complete circuits of the plaza before setting us back down followed by pats on the shoulder, hugs of appreciation, and kisses on the cheek. Laughs and smiles were the rule but, despite the sea of joy, I was still able to see the single individual not enjoying himself-- I was honestly surprised to see that it was Dillan Flynn.
Around midnight, with the Silver Disc high overhead, the gathering finally began to quiet. The townsfolk picked up their own platters, laborers began to disassemble the tables and dancing floor, and our group was hustled out of the square when some of us offered to help, 'forced' to return to the inn to enjoy the rest of our night before sleep.
Rust leaned back against a wooden support beam, "We stay." he spoke with certainty once the group was alone in the common room
"We can't keep these people safe forever." Dillan stated flatly, taking a seat at the nearest table, "They traded their children away to Fey... the way I see it, they're responsible for their own problems."
"They were tricked, Dillan." Narissa stated, sitting down next to the ferret, "They meant well, and wanted to save as many people as they could." the tigress laid a paw on top of the merchant's.
Dillan pulled it free of hers, "They signed a contract without bothering to understand it. Where I come from, that's called 'stupid', and stupid people are still just as responsible for their own messes as smart ones."
Rust moved to the table and sat on the other side of Narissa, "They need our help."
"They lost their ability to be helped when they made a deal with Fey." Dillan countered, leaning back in his chair and kicking his feet up on the table, "They mortgaged their future to save their today, and now they don't want to pay."
"Mr Flynn..." Haldyn's voice had a terse tone to it. The lion sat down beside the ferret, "No one here doubts your good sense of business, but you can't apply economics to everything."
"Perhaps YOU can't, your Lordship," Dillan responded politely, "but that doesn't mean that I can't."
"These people need help, and we can help them." Zeke spoke up. Many sets of eyes turned to the usually unobtrusive fox, who withdrew for a moment, and fidgeted until he squared his shoulders and continued, "We might not be able to protect them forever, but if we can buy them a little more time to prepare then it might make a lot of difference."
"Or even just tide them over until we get to Zion and can send for help." Jasper added, "I think we should stay too."
"For another week? A month? A year?" the ferret asked, "We don't have forever, you know."
"Suddenly you're so eager to get to Zion?" Rust chided, "If I remember correctly you thought we should turn around and run back to Doen with our tails between our legs."
"I still think going to Zion in such a small group is a fool's errand, yes." the ferret leaned back in his chair again, rocking on the hind legs, "but if we're going, the least we can do is be prompt about it."
"One day." I spoke up, unwilling to let the idea go. All eyes were suddenly on me, so I realized I had to explain myself, "Haldyn can work with the townsfolk and get a militia started."
The lion gave me a cautionary glance, "Zachary, one day isn't long enough to--"
"It will be long enough to instill a little confidence in them." I interrupted, "And a lack of confidence is the reason they've made so many poor choices."
"They've made poor choices because they're stupid yokels." the ferret scowled.
"I like the idea." Narissa spoke up with a smile, "And anyone who knows the prayers can gather tomorrow morning at the statue and help empower it with Tah'aveen's protection."
I nodded, "That's a good idea." and I smiled when she smiled. "I can lead the prayers and--"
"You should rest, Brother." Taggart interjected.
The suggestion made me pause, but I pressed the issue. "These people need help, Taggart."
"Lord Rust can lead the prayer." he pushed back, "You still but I haven't recovered from your prayer the other night."
I opened my muzzle to object, but I quickly realized I was outvoted the moment I saw more heads nodding in agreement than not. Letting out a sigh, I relented, "Alright... I'll rest... but I still plan on administering to the spiritual needs of the town while I'm here."
I'm not exactly certain what I said, but a soured look crossed Taggart's lips for just a moment before he quickly stowed it away, "Okay... so Lord Rust and Narissa and I?" he suggested.
"Zeke and I can check with the town's woodsmen to find out as much as we can about the area around the Wayside." Jasper suggested, "It'll help us get moving again when we're ready.
"And maybe give us some good ideas on the best way to avoid a vengeful Fey attack against us once we leave town." Dillan stated flatly.
"They wouldn't do something like that..." Zeke murmured, and his ears went up, "would they?"
"Good night." Dillan noted, and stood up, "Enjoy protecting the fools from themselves." and, with that, he marched off down the hall toward the rooms.
Haldyn tapped his index finger's claw on the table in agitation, "I don't think he has a charitable bone in his body."
"He'll put tomorrow to good use." I reassured the lion, "While we look after the town I'm sure that he'll be preparing our supplies and negotiating for more provisions."
"And swindle these people even more?" Jasper questioned with a smirk.
"He's already made that obvious." Lord Rust scowled, his quills rustling with agitation, "Buyer beware."
Our plans decided, the group disbursed for the night. I had my bed to myself, though I didn't feel so poorly about it; the night alone gave me time to think and meditate. I reflected on the day, on the events as they happened to us and what happened because of us. I thought about the celebration and about the town, and about the discussion we shared in the common room. Despite how small our numbers had become, there were still many different viewpoints in the group.
I awoke refreshed the following morning, rising with the sun. As one of the first of the party awake, I had plenty of time for more meditation and quiet time as I waited at a table for everyone else. Mina and Rozs had an enormous breakfast waiting for us and I was happy to partake. The group slowly began to grow as I ate, everyone showing up by the time I had finished... well... almost everyone.
"Where's Dillan?" Haldyn spoke up just as I was finishing the last few berries on my plate.
"Oh... Mr. Flynn left early this morning." Mina answered with a smile, "He took a few pieces of toast and a wedge of cheese."
"Worry about him later." Lord Rust noted, "Finish up." he told to Taggart. The echidna brushed his paws together, knocking any loose breadcrumbs from them, "I want to get started on the Divine Shield soon."
"Relax." Narissa noted, bumping her shoulder into his arm playfully, "Eat, drink, and enjoy the morning... 'for the night belongs to Tah'Aveen'." the tigress sang the last portion of her comment, a line from 'How Bright the Moon', one of her most well-known songs. I couldn't help but smile, and apparently the same could be said for others.
I excused myself and wished everyone a successful day. Taggart stood and caught up to me before I made it to the door. Ears half lowered, a hint of humility in his eyes, the dog leaned forward and touched his muzzle to my cheek, "See you tonight?" he asked, the very tip of his tail brushing back and forth on the ground with hesitant hopefulness.
"I'd like that." I acknowledged, and kissed him back. when I headed out into the town, I did so with a smile. Unfortunately, the smile didn't last long; it faded the moment I got to the stable yard.
"Excuse me..." I called to the closest stable hand, a tall, dark-skinned human. "Where is our other wagon?"
"Oh, Brother..." he turned, bowing his head, "Your ferret friend came by about an hour ago."
"Why?" I asked, not exactly expecting an answer but unable to stop myself from asking.
"He said he had to run some errands." the human responded.
"Oh... like to the dry goods store?" I inquired.
He shook his head, "No, Brother... he headed out of town." the human motioned over his shoulder toward the woods then leaned against the fence post of the stable yard, "Is something wrong, Brother?"
"Did he..." I paused, swallowing a developing knot in my throat, "...say when he'd be back?" Despite how much I was sure that there was no reason to doubt Mr Flynn's dedication to the group, I also couldn't convince myself there was a reason to believe in it.
The stable hand picked at the wooden post, "No, Brother... I assumed he'd be back when he's done with his errands." and he gazed past the post, down to meet my eyes, "Is something wrong?"
I answered in the most optimistic way I could manage, "I hope not."
* * * * * *
Welcome to the second post of Chapter 2 for Doen in Zion: Light of the New Moon Part 2.
This week the party sticks with the plan of staying an extra day in Fairview to help the townsfolk protect themselves against the still-present Fey threat. Everything starts off relatively well, until Zachary finds out someone is missing.
Reader-Contributions this week involve the party's special chapter modifier. Please review the following journal for more information:
http://www.sofurry.com/page/315803/
Contributing Readers should be sure to contribute by Thursday, December 15th.