✦𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐥𝐝𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐬✦ 8/8pm if interested

[_humblebumble_]

🌧 𝘔 𝘈 𝘙 𝘌 𝘕...𝘛 𝘈 𝘓 𝘐 𝘈


WATER HERALD | tags. the heralds | location. the desert



Maren absolutely cannot stand the unyielding heat of the desert. This is nothing like what she’s used to, and it makes her feel, for lack of better terms, dried up. Maren has spent almost her entire life in Hydris - barring a brief stint in Terris she doesn’t talk about - so she’s more accustomed to that sort of atmosphere. She misses the water dearly, the fresh breeze in the air. Right now, traveling through this desert she feels weaker than she’s ever felt. She’s used to being surrounded by water, able to use her powers at a moment's notice. Now, in the sweltering heat, Maren feels like she’s overly aware of every single drop of water her party has, focusing all her energy on it. She can’t waste the water by using her powers, but it’s like an annoying itch she can’t shake off. Maren keeps finding herself absentmindedly swishing the water in her container around in circles. She only feels marginally better after restocking in the village they’ve passed through.

Maren had been even more nervous before, when they were running low. Maren has trained for so long to become efficient with her power, but she doesn’t have a physical weapon at her disposal like some of the others. If danger comes around, Maren is sordidly aware that she’d either become a liability or waste their resources using her powers.

The constant, unending heat and the unpleasant thoughts are getting to her, making her angry, but she refuses to allow herself to succumb to this anger. Her face is schooled in a calm, serene facial expression. Her faint smile does not drop no matter how much she wants to scowl. She moves gracefully, ignoring the fact that she doesn’t like traveling on foot. Just because she’s used to traveling via the rivers in Hydris doesn’t mean she’s going to announce how tired she is. Or how she feels slightly nauseous. All her negative feelings are ignored and pushed down.

Especially in comparison to her traveling companions. Maren cannot stand most of them. Naoki and Kazuki especially, their almost careless nature absolutely ticks Maren off. She cannot begin to process how they are supposedly on her level. Maren has never met them before, but she cannot imagine they’ve worked as hard as she has. The only one Maren mildly approves of is Primrose. She seems at the very least competent.

Case and point, the four of them are taking a break, and Naoki is mumbling to himself about what Maren thinks may be eating bugs, despite the fact that they just restocked in a village. Kazuki she doesn’t even want to acknowledge. He’s laying in the sand for reasons Maren can’t begin to decipher. Tiredness, maybe? Maren can’t imagine having sand everywhere is going to help anything. The very thought of getting sand in her hair makes Maren shiver.

Despite her internal monologue, Maren is still smiling. She has an image to protect afterall.

Primrose, graceful break from the insanity Primrose, gives Maren a look that perfectly describes her thoughts. They’re idiots. She really appreciates someone having her same opinion, even if she would never make it so obvious. Instead of agreeing and rolling her eyes with Primrose, Maren gets up from her inclined position against the rock and walks over to Naoki. He seems to be doing the worst out of everyone, afterall.

“Naoki, would you like some of my water?” Maren asks, keeping her tone light and kind. She offers her water in time with the words, even as she feels annoyed at herself for offering. She’s had years to train herself to hide her feelings though, so her smile does reach her eyes, even if it shouldn’t.

Before the offer can be responded to, Maren spots something in the distance, a second or so after Naoki does. Something is moving in the distance, and Maren can’t make out what it is. Frustration comes first, followed by annoyance. Naoki’s comments make it worse. She drops her arm back to her side, wondering how dangerous whatever that is will be, if it comes for them.

“Whatever it is, we can handle it,” Maren responds, glancing at the other three before turning back to whatever it is in the distance. She hates the sentiment, even though she’s the one to say it. All she can think about is the waste of water if she has to handle it.

[fortissimo]

✦ 𝑵𝑰𝑵𝑰𝑨𝑵 𝑻𝑨𝑩𝑹𝑰𝑺 ─────────────────────── ❝ the shadows betray you, because they belong to me. ❞
〈 shadow heretic 〉〈 tags: the heretics 〉〈 mentions: the heralds 〉〈 word count: 1,309 〉


Traversing the desert was no laughing matter, even for one so darling, so talented, and so vaunted as the lovely Ninian Tabris. True, she was the very essence of a self-assured, certified veteran heretic (at least as far as she was concerned), but even she was not infallible when subjected to this unwelcoming terrain, where the sun either beat down too hard on the lot of them - her and her comrades, that is - in the light of day or, bereft of its warmth, the nights dragged on in bitter cold even for someone like her, who always felt at home in the dark, enveloped in shadows. At the very least, the goddess had given them dear Ezbeharra - Ezzy - who, angel that she was, freely used her gift to transmute the sand beneath them into smooth, hard rock. After all, some among them were currently wearing very open-toed, highly fashionable gladiator sandals that simply could not be ruined.

Frankly, had it been up to her, Ninian would have entirely forgone this tedious means of travel in favor of the ever-comfortable underground she and the other servants of the forgotten goddess were so familiar with… but alas, the entire point of their current mission was to find the heralds (really, such self-righteous appellations for a group of people who willfully chose to remain mind-numbingly subservient to pretenders!) first, and they weren’t very well going to accomplish that whilst hidden beneath the earth.

So there they were, the four chosen by the goddess herself, trudging across this desolate, arid landscape of nothingness, searching for any signs of herald activity… and continuously coming up with absolutely nothing. Ninian was honestly beginning to wonder if the intel they’d received in town was completely inaccurate, or if the heralds were so utterly incompetent that they’d done nothing more than wander around like blind, helpless babes for the better part of the entire day, because she and her companions had not seen hide nor hair of a single other person since setting out! This wild goose chase of theirs had yielded a spectacular, grand total of nothing thus far, and that was irritatingly rare for someone of her caliber, thank you very much, so while she normally might have liked to fill the void of silence with chatter (aka her own lovely voice!), she was hardly in the mood for it this time. Even so, she continued to present herself as unbothered and phlegmatic as ever; it simply wouldn’t do to let on that she was affected in any way… unlike Wolfie, who by this point had asked at least five times if the heralds had appeared yet.

No, Wolfie, and I’m sure you’ll see them at the same time I do—— She bit back the instinctive, sharp retort as he asked for the sixth - sixth! - time, instead opting to ignore him (it had become markedly easier as he asked the same thing over and over). Good goddess, grant her the patience she would need to deal with her youngest associate! Oh sure, she knew that he meant well and was only trying to make nice, but he was really just wasting his energy at this point. So, as he babbled to Ezzy, Ninian instead focused on the sounds of the desert creatures skittering across the ground — they were starting to grow more active now that the temperatures were reaching tolerable levels, the sun setting along the horizon as it streaked the sky in vibrant hues of violet, pink, and orange. She was happily inclined to continue blocking him out… until he suddenly scarpered ahead with a lackadaisical cheer of “Thank the stars!”. The sudden outburst and flurry of movement disrupted her train of thoughts (thoughts which she had been using to distract herself from his palavering, mind you!) and she snapped to attention, burgundy eyes following his disappearing form.

“Wolfie! What do you think you’re doing? Don’t just run ahead!” Her brain caught up to her mouth a moment later, realizing that it was pointless to warn the brunet about something he’d already done. Huffing hotly, she shot an exasperated look at both Ezzy and Zev, the latter of whom was characteristically chewing on a straw. Alright, which one of us is going after him? was the unspoken question in her expression… but both of them seemed content to maintain their slow but steady pace. Fine, then. Feeling a flash of annoyance, her eyebrows furrowed disdainfully as she declared, “I suppose one of us should make sure he doesn’t get into any more trouble.”

What had gotten the ice heretic so excited, anyhow? A rock?
… They’d clearly been in the desert too long if a single conveniently placed piece of stone was all it took to rile Wolfie up.

Storming on ahead at a brisker pace, Ninian briefly mourned the loss of the comfortable stone paving provided by Ezzy as it turned back into uneven sand underfoot (oh, and look at that, there were granules getting into her shoes now, just as she’d feared. Ignore it, Ninian. You are better than this!). Leaving a trail of footprints in her wake, it didn’t take long before she caught up to the brunet and the outcrop that had caught his attention in the first place. “You need to stay with the group, Wolfie. Otherwise we won’t be able to back you up if you land in a spot of trouble. You know there are bandits that roam the desert,” she chided as she slowed to a stop, trying not to let annoyance strain her voice overly much. She didn’t want to sound too much like a nag, after all!

Sighing and turning away from him, Ninian then took the opportunity to survey their surroundings as she waited for the others to catch up; there was no way she was continuing without Ezzy’s irreplaceable pavement to make the walk a little easier!

Nope, nothing but sand, sand, more sand, and… huh.

Squinting against the darkening horizon, Ninian was fairly confident that she could make out shapes from afar. Humanoid shapes, for that matter. There looked to be about four people and… was one of them just laying there? Hm, maybe they were sleeping. Or unconscious. Or dead. It was too difficult to tell from this distance, and, from where she stood, it was virtually impossible to decipher their identities. Were they outlaws? Traders from - goddess, please no - Hydris? … She’d rather take her chances with criminals than anyone from Hydris. Or perhaps… well, she didn’t want to get her hopes up quite yet, but could these people be the heralds they had spent all day searching for?

Well damn, she had to give credit where credit was due. His idiotic antics aside, Wolfie might have been onto something after all.

Hearing approaching footsteps from behind her, she half-turned to see Zev and Ezzy had finally caught up. Zev, in particular, seemed on edge, and from the looks of it he had also spotted the silhouettes in the distance. Putting one hand on her hips, she asserted to the other heretics, “We definitely need to investigate whatever’s ahead, but let’s not use any of our elemental gifts just yet. If they’re just ordinary people, we don’t want to scare them away by showing off our powers, at least not before we determine if they have any useful intel on the location of the heralds.” And if somehow it’s the heralds, we don’t want to go in weapons first. Almost as an afterthought, she glanced at the ground beneath them, then back at Ezzy. “Unfortunately, that will mean having to forgo the sand shifting, at least for now.” Ninian had never been fond of participating in unnecessary fights — but if the other party turned out to be unfriendlies… well, she didn’t like to start fights, but she had no such qualms about ending them.

[InfectedHau]

Ezbeharra Priyani||Stone Heretic||She/Her||The Desert|| Tagged: The Heretics, The Heralds (Mentioned)

Ezbeharra stopped at Ninian's recommendation, allowing the stone platform to disperse into sand. Locating the outcrop again, she pulled a spyglass from her pocket, holding it up to her eyes. The spyglass was one of Ezbeharra's own design, similar to the ones used by Fernian sailors, but adapted to be used with her abilities. Glass, after all, was simply molten sand, and though it took a bit more effort it was still possible for her to manipulate it. It was unique in that it featured two sets of lenses, side by side, designed so that she could look through it with both eyes at once. It provided superior visual acuity and magnification potential, the drawback being that it lacked any way to focus the lenses outside of manipulating them directly. She'd been working on a version that was usable by non-stone wielders, but it was slow going. The outcropping blurred in and out of focus in her vision as she manipulated the lenses into the right shapes, Finally resolving into a clear image.

"I count four individuals." The heretic's voice, muffled slightly by her layered headdress, was deep and rich, the voice a mountain might have if it were not a mountain at all and instead a tall blonde woman. "Two men, two women. Varying garb. They do not appear acclimated to this environment." Someone else might have simply said that these were the Heralds they were searching for, but Ez never made statements unless she knew them to be true. These could, after all, be four random travelers, seeking to brave the desert for whatever reason. Either way, they would need to approach, whether to render aid or to complete their mission, but either way Ninian was right in not using their abilities until they could be certain. The Heralds would find out rather quickly, but if they did happen to be random travelers it would not do to let their reputation precede them.

Ezbeharra stowed her spyglass back in the myriad folds of her robe, pulling her staff out of the sand. Without another word, she set off towards the rock, gliding over the sand almost effortlessly even without the aid of her powers. The others would follow, certainly, although perhaps not with as much ease. The heretics were slightly more accustomed to the desert, but not by much, and Ninian would doubtlessly be bringing up the rear with those shoes of hers. Wearing open sandals in a place like this was asking for sandy feet at best, a scorpion sting at worst. Ez probably would have said as much, had she thought the shadow-wielder would listen, but if there was one thing Ninian would never do it would be to sacrifice fashion for practicality.

[vash the stampede.]

█ ████ ⸻ ✦ 𝐾 𝐴 𝑍 𝑈 𝐾 𝐼 ✦𝑀 𝐴 𝑇 𝑆 𝑈 𝑆 𝐻 𝐼 𝑀 𝐴
✦✦✦✦➥ flame herald || he / they || location - desert || tags - the heralds || mentions - the heretics

kazuki sat up, whilst his companions were talking, shaking sand out of his copper locks before amber eyes scanned
their current surroundings. pushing himself up off the ground and moving a bit closer to the females. he coughed b
riefly in order to clear his throat and managed out a sentence, his gaze flitting onto maren, "i know you offered th
e water to nao, but could i possibly get a sip? gods, my throat feels dryer than this desert-" he ran a hand through
the strands of his hair as he placed his other hand on his hip, swiping his tongue over his chapped lips. just as he a
sked maren for some liquid sustenance, amber eyes landed on the horizon a bit from where they were, and he pla
ced his hand over his eyes to shield them from the lowering sun. "you guys see that too right? or am i possibly going
delusional from this desert?" the latter was a possibility, a high possibility. though... kazuki couldn't actually tell yo
u if he was delusional or not.

what was more important was the figures in the sand, and how they were seemingly getting closer. he had half the
mind to just summon a small ball of flames, but then again - better not. so kazuki grabbed his bo staff, tightening
his grip around the wood. not always the best weapon, but it served him well. and who knows? maybe he wouldn't
have to use it. maybe. "i'm gonna go check it out." kazuki announced as he started to divert from the other heralds,
keeping his staff close before he furrowed his brows. "maybe they're friendlies." maybe not his smartest idea, but i
t beat laying in the sand, and potentially getting eaten by flesh eating spiders. or scorpions even. he trudged out a
little further than the group, his garments kicking up sand as he walked, to which some got in his mouth, and kazuk
i immediately stopped to spit it out. "it got in my mouth!!!"

[Stargazer3000]

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tagged Kazuki| mentioned Maren, Primrose, Heretics| location desert, halfway between two outcroppings
────────────────────────────────────

Nao’s tinted eyewear slid down his nose, their descent hastened by the sweat beading on his brow and by the intrigued tilt of his head as he observed the hazy lines of the horizon. In typical fashion, he grew clareless with distraction, only moving once they were seconds from falling off his face, hands rendered sluggish in the heat as they pushed the glass back into place. He should have accepted Maren’s offer - anywhen else and he would have accepted it and been quick to share some of his dried veggies in return. The kindness of his companions was always mirrored by kindness of his own, but Nao was distracted.

Distracted, and uncharacteristically still. The glare of the sun against his glasses obscured his eyes from view, but as the distant specks shifted, smeared, then solidified into distinctly human forms his expression was clear enough. Nao’s lips pinched and turned down at the corners, and a wrinkle appeared between furrowed brows. Uncharacteristic.

And then Kazuki moved - “I’m gonna go check it out, - and like hot water poured over ice, Nao’s stillness cracked, shattered, and dissipated. All at once Nao became a flurry of moving limbs torn in two directions; for a few feet he followed Kazuki away from the outcropping of rock, caught in the riptide of the flame herald’s excitement, before it seemed that reason prevailed and he whirled on his heel and returned to his pack, casting continuous glances over his shoulder at the form of his retreating companion.

As he opened the pack, digging through its contents, words poured out of Nao’s mouth, tumbling over themselves in a frenetic jumble. “I’ll go with him - I know we’re only a half-day out at most from the town, but the desert doesn’t seem like a great place to go anywhere alone. And besides,” he beamed, triumphantly producing a slightly squashed bag of dried berries from his bag, before grabbing his water gourd and uncorking it to check the contents, “they might be looking for travel companions. Twice the rations!” His tone was cheery enough, but a tremor had entered his voice.

Nao slung the gourd over his shoulder, turning to face his remaining two companions in full. “And even if they’re not looking for new companions, Maren is right as always - we can handle it.” The smile he flashed them didn’t quite reach his eyes, but with a wink Nao was gone, hurrying after the form of his friend.

Nao moved hastily through the dunes, his feet pushed forward by gusts of air that sent sprays of sand in his wake. Effective as it was, Nao had no desire to shower anyone with sand and slowed the technique as he reached the flame herald, greeting him with a jovial bump of shoulders and a warm smile. “I brought snacks,” Nao beamed, “Figured it might make a good ice breaker. Er…sand breaker?”

By now, the figures on the horizon had become four distinct forms, as if he squinted Nao could make out another outcropping further behind them - a safe haven of their own. Instinctively, he turned to glance over his shoulder, suddenly wanting the assurance of his other companions, Maren’s gentle kindness and Primrose’s solid resolve. Still, Nao’s brilliant smile was not dampened as he raised his hand in greeting, calling out a simple ‘hello’ over the dunes, breaking the quiet whisper of the desert.

[bohdi]

xxxxxx
❄xxxxxxxxxxx𝐖 𝐎 𝐋 𝐅 𝐑 𝐀 𝐌 𝐄 𝐋 𝐑 𝐈 𝐂
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​🇮​​🇨​​🇪​ ​🇭​​🇪​​🇷​​🇪​​🇹​​🇮​​🇨​ | ​🇹​​🇦​​🇬​​🇬​​🇪​​🇩​ - ​🇭​​🇪​​🇷​​🇪​​🇹​​🇮​​🇨​​🇸, 🇭‌🇪‌🇷‌🇦‌🇱‌🇩‌🇸‌ | ​🇹​​🇭​​🇪​ ​🇩​​🇪​​🇸​​🇪​​🇷​​🇹​

The sand seemed not to want him to reach the outcrop, it pulled his feet out from under him many times, and he almost crawled to the safety of the shade. He stayed down upon reaching his destination, his face pressed on the cooling sand and his breath blowing it away from his lips. He did not care that he would pick sand out of his hair for days; he just held his eyes closed and relished his blissful moment of peace. Wolfram hadn't paid attention to what his companion had yelled after him; she would give him twice the earful whenever the group caught up to him. Ninian was an important lady; they had not met before this mission, but her reputation and ingenuity preceded her. He liked her despite their almost constant bickering. He let out a hum. Perhaps it was simply a teasing sort of bickering, some fun badgering. And, he furrowed his brow; it was more one-sided than actual bickering, so did it even count? One-sided from her side. He wanted to placate her and soothe ruffled feathers, but occasionally, he couldn't help poke the bear. A tiny ginger teddy bear.

Wolfram giggled to himself, rolling onto his side as Ninian ran up to him. He flashed her a toothy grin, rubbing the sand that stuck to his face away. He quickly sat up, nodding solemnly as she chided him for running off. "The goddess would have helped if trouble came knockin', fret not." He understood Ninian's worry, but he tried to make light of it to lessen her sharp tongue. He picked himself up, dusting off his pants and readjusting his hood over his head, noticing a few grains of sand falling out of his hair. I'll clean that later.

"Now we got bigger fish to fry." He added, shrugging off Ninian's gripes with ease as he followed her gaze to the figures on the horizon. Zev and Ezbeharra had rejoined them, finishing their slow crawl over Ezzie's creative cobblestone. He tapped his chin, once again mystified by Ezbeharra's abilities to control her element, especially through something so manufactured like her spyglass. Despite her callous exterior, Ezbeharra often lent him an ear, especially to run by his up-and-coming jokes with her. He enjoyed her company and was glad she was chosen for this mission. This ragtag team may have just formed, but he found them all endearing and held them in high regard.

Ninian and Ezbeharra seemed to take the lead with these mysterious figures, and Wolfram was happy to let them. He wasn't the best at developing game plans; his expertise lay elsewhere, with wholly nefarious schemes, not arranging for everyone to stay secret and wiggle information out of these strangers. Maybe they were some freaks.....People that had got lost in the desert and went mad. He had to giggle again, partly because the thought of finding some madmen before the heralds were amusing and partly because it was an uncomfortable giggle. Who knew what these folks were capable of if they were mad?

Wolfram heaved a sigh, leaning his head against Zev's shoulder, and looked up at him sorrowfully. It almost looked comical and caused him to slouch in an uncomfortable way. "No fighting," he jested with a wiggle of his finger. "No powers, gotcha. Are we going to ask them to join our caravan? " A pathetic little caravan but entertaining nonetheless. "Ninian and I can go drag them over, and we can pick over them then; how's that?" He straightened with a jolt, rubbing his hands together. He had all forgotten his earlier tiredness; the brief rest in the shade seemed to have reinvigorated him entirely. New people could be fun, and everyone knew Wolfram wasn't shy.

Ezbeharra startled him with her sudden movements. "Hey, wait for us!" he called after her, stifling a little laugh. Maybe this was some sort of karma from his goddess for leaving the group earlier. He mumbled a quick prayer, hoping for some forgiveness. It would be a slippery trek to catch up, and while he was excited and anxious to greet their sandy visitors, he had taken some heed to Ninian's scolding. Perhaps it was best to stick together if these were the heralds they had been searching for.

The heretic tugged his remaining two companions along, hoping his buzz would transfer to them, hastening their step. The other group seemed to split in two, one half remaining by their protective rocks, while two approached. How....friendly. One of the folks approaching seemed to carry a large stick. At least Wolfram hoped it was just a stick. Many people needed aid walking; maybe this fiery little man needed such a thing. Not every stick is a weapon, he reminded himself and made a mental note to get his own. If this encounter went south, he could steal this stick from these travelers. It could help his balance in this godforsaken desert. "Oh look, they waved." His arm lifted in response to the generous gesture, his mumbles more to himself than his comrades. As they caught up to Ezbeharra and the two newcomers, Wolfram beamed a disarming smile at the pair.

"Hey there! You guys look a little lost."

[daifuku]

✧ ─── 𝗣𝗥𝗜𝗠𝗥𝗢𝗦𝗘 )

𝗣𝗟𝗔𝗡𝗧 𝗛𝗘𝗥𝗔𝗟𝗗. 𝗟𝗢𝗖𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡 𝗗𝗘𝗦𝗘𝗥𝗧. 𝗧𝗔𝗚𝗚𝗘𝗗 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗛𝗘𝗥𝗔𝗟𝗗𝗦.

───

primrose was never one to be an optimist. she rose to her feet, slipping her scabbard on to her back. a chill ran through her body as she tuned into the hum of the earth, preparing at any moment to engage in combat. she had already been on edge, but now she was absolutely prepared for the worst.

as much as she hated to admit it, she was at a big disadvantage, and possibly one of the biggest compared to the other heralds. the scorching heat bit into her focus. her mind felt slow, like each of her thoughts had suddenly tripled in weight. not only was she physically and mentally encumbered, but she was also out of her element. in a barren place like the desert, few plants could survive, thus, she had few plants she could summon. even cacti proved to be unfeasible - their fleshy bodies were comprised of mostly water, of which she had very little to work with. the most she could summon was thistles and thorns, which, although painful, were brittle and easily broken.

aside from her, she was sure each one of them was feeling the pressure of their environment. whatever it was in the distance, there was still a chance they couldn't handle it - especially not with the approach they were taking.

she shook her head as naoki and kazuki pranced away, one after the other. was this truly who the four most talented heralds were - a bunch of blundering fools, sidling up to strangers like naïve puppy dogs, donating their limited rations with their powers on full display? even if the new people proved to be friendly, did they really need to rely on the company of mundane wanderers? sure, they were unprepared, but adaptability was part of their job description. it wouldn't do them any good to have to take care of random civilians while on their mission. it would simply be an extra sink for their energy and time, if not a complete waste. the world was relying on them to ensure their peace and safety. they couldn't take unnecessary detours.

she bit her tongue, holding back her snippy remarks. after all, the only remaining herald to hear them was maren. the water herald was most definitely not the source of any of her complaints. fortunately, maren was the only one having a positive impact on rose's sanity. if maren had turned out to be like the other two, rose would have long set off on her own.

with an exasperated sigh, she swung her bag on to one shoulder and naoki's onto another. her legs threatened to buckle against the sudden weight, but she hid her struggle. keeping her wobbling to a minimum and her pride intact, she managed to kick kazuki's bag in front of maren's feet, covering it with another dusting of sand. it's not like he'll care. he's practically a sand dune himself, she thought with an unapologetic shrug.

without taking her eyes off the horizon, she started off towards the faint figures in the distance. "we should go too. there's no world where it's smart to let those two go by themselves."

she had barely made it a few steps away from the rocky outcrop when the two groups met, appearing to exchange greetings. clearly, she was the lone cause of the tension she felt in the air. up ahead, naoki, kazuki and the strangers interacted with what seemed like friendliness. masking her surprise, she picked up the pace, glancing back to see if maren was following.

───

[_humblebumble_]

🌧 𝘔 𝘈 𝘙 𝘌 𝘕...𝘛 𝘈 𝘓 𝘐 𝘈


WATER HERALD | tags. everyone lol | location. desert



Maren doesn’t have time to process Kazuki’s request before he interrupts himself. At least more people have noticed the approaching shapes and they can come up with some sort of plan… or, Kazuki could charge forward on his own. Maren doesn’t allow her annoyance to show on her face, but internally she’s yelling at him to slow down. They don’t know anything about the approaching people, although at least they are people instead of whatever Naoki said. Giant spiders? Either way, these people could literally be anyone. Sure, there’s a small chance they’re friendly, but there’s a huge chance they’re not friendly. Or maybe they were friendly at one point but being lost in a desert made them desperate and they’ll try to take the group's supplies. Maybe they are scavengers of some sort and this is all a ploy to get people within range. Of all possibilities, the worst yet is that they may be the cause of the unnatural events the heralds have been tasked to investigate.

Maren has to take a very long, and hopefully silent as to not draw attention, calming breath as Kazuki yells about getting sand in his mouth and Naoki declares he’s going with him. If those two used their brains for just a moment maybe they would’ve thought to wait and come up with a plan of action. They shouldn’t just be running up to strangers in the middle of nowhere hoping things would turn out.

Even if Naoki’s suggestion is true, twice the rations, it could also mean having to share their own rations with the strangers. Maren won’t voice that particular thought aloud any time soon, as it sounds incredibly selfish. If it comes to that, Maren will be among the first to offer, much like she had just offered Naoki her water, because she needs to be perceived as nice. Even if she really really doesn’t want to.

Maren decides to stop thinking about the possible dead weight they would be acquiring, or the much more likely fight they’re about to get themselves into, otherwise she might just break and start yelling.

Maren is thankfully distracted from her angry thoughts as Primrose kicks Kazuki’s bag. A quick glance at the girl allows Maren to understand the reason behind the action, so she grabs Kazuki’s bag. After a very brief attempt to swipe some of the sand off of the bag she realizes it's futile and slings it over her shoulder, ignoring the sand that immediately clings to herself instead of the bag.

Again, Primrose is a breath of fresh air. She always seems to voice out loud what Maren is thinking.

“I agree, we should all stick together,” Maren responds, falling in step with Primrose. She speeds up as well, hoping to get to the interaction sooner rather than later. Any damage those two can do in the brief moment it takes her and Primrose to arrive can hopefully be undone.

As she approaches, Maren studies the people a little bit more. The closer view is good, even if not all four of them have approached together. Maren assumes all groups must have those types and doesn’t question it. Much like their own group, there are two women and two men. There doesn’t seem to be anything too outlandish about their group, although Maren doesn’t allow herself to relax just yet. One of them stands out to Maren a little more than the others, only due to his attire. Although clearly not entirely from there, parts of his outfit reminds Maren of Hydris. She can’t help but wonder if he’s from there, there’s no doubt her own clothing reveals her home plain as day.

Maren can’t see that person up close yet, but there’s something about him that Maren can’t place. A strange feeling in the back of her head. Decidedly ignoring it, she puts on a warm welcoming smile and tries to appear as non threatening as she can, approaching the group with Primrose.

[Stargazer3000]

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tagged Wolfram| mentioned Heralds, Heretics| location desert, halfway between two outcroppings
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Nao’s headache was getting worse, steady pressure building at the crown of his skull - and he was not sure how much of it he could blame on the heat. Sweat rolled down his spine as he stared down the approaching figures, tension pressing his shoulder-blades together despite his friendly wave. When the gesture was returned from across the dunes the tension lessened, though he made no attempt to step aside and stop partially obscuring the flame herald.

Nao’s smile never faltered.

As the distance between the groups closed steadily, the haze of the desert lifted, revealing fresh details of the strangers with each step they took. One of their number was wrapped in the cloth of the Great Desert and seemed to be gliding, rather than walking, through the sand. Perhaps she was a native of the area. A man dressed in Terris garb with dark tousled hair came sharply into focus next, and Nao squinted against the light to make out his face. Yet the moment he did, Nao glazed away - something in the stranger’s gaze made Nao’s skin prickle. Then came a woman in richly hued cloth, whose beauty shone even amongst the dunes. She looked immaculate, stunning, and entirely out of place. And the last Nao studied was the one who had returned his gesture - a slender man dressed in the style of Hydris, but lacking all the rich hues of the region.

It was an odd group indeed - and one Nao would prefer to not turn his back to.

“Hey there, you guys look a little lost.” By way of introduction, the Air Herald had certainly heard worse, and all at once Nao became conscious of his scrutinizing gaze, even obscured as it was behind his tinted shades.

In response, Nao chuckled good-naturedly, sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck as he returned the glowing smile of the man. “I guess in some ways, you’re not wrong! It’s far too easy to get lost out here - and while I’m not sure exactly where ‘here’ is, I do know where we’re heading - that must count for something!”

As Na chattered on, he heard rather than saw his group-mates approaching, and he continued, somewhat bolstered by their presence, “You are actually the first group we’ve run into out here - we’ve come with gifts of good-will,” he paused to push forward his bag of dried fruit, and a wink that was almost certainly lost behind his shades, “in the hopes you’d like to rest with us and talk. I love my companions dearly, but we’re short for new stories out here - and you all certainly don’t seem lost - where are you headed?”

[Ashton_99]

《✧𝓩𝓮𝓿 𝓣. 𝓛𝓪𝓼𝓴𝓪𝓻✧》
《✧Lightning Heretic ✧ He/Him ✧ Tags:Wolfram/Everyone ✧ Location:Desert✧》

XXXForgoing Ezbeharra's sand shifting was already a pain in the neck. And though it wasn't the fault of the approaching group of strangers, it certainly did not help tip Zev's mood in their favor. Around him, the other Heretics began to move, but Zev was half ignoring them. The lighting that was so inherently a part of his being was buzzing under his skin. The thrum of it stirred something in him- made the hair on the back of his neck stand on end. He worked the piece of straw between his teeth, jaw tensing as he forced the feeling of power to stay well beneath the surface. While he heard the others speaking- Ezbeharra's estimation of their numbers and such- and recognized what they were saying, for a moment Zev was too deep in his head to do anything with that information.

XXXHis expression hardened as the heretics began to move. With the other group having spotted them, there was nothing to do but keep moving forward. Running off in the middle of the otherwise empty desert wouldn’t exactly be subtle. He kept himself in the middle of the group of heretics, not wanting to tempt himself to rush headlong into the situation. A blonde-haired shape called out first from the other side, an orange-haired man at his side out ahead of the rest of their group.

XXXWolfram sidled up to Zev’s own side, and perhaps surprisingly Zev allowed the man to lean on him without open complaint. He'd never been very touchy-feely- he'd wasn’t good at it- but in the moment having the other heretic close wasn’t altogether unpleasant. He hummed noncommittally at Wolfram’s jest, letting the energetic ice heretic pull him along. Half-heartedly he attempted to avoid the sand the other man kicked up in his wake.

XXXComing face to face with the two spearheading the other group’s approach, Zev made the executive decision to say nothing at all. Wolfram was friendly enough for the both of them and Zev wasn’t exactly eloquent himself. He hovered at the ice heretic’s side, studying the other group. From the blonde dressed in Ghalis garb, the ginger, and the two trailing behind them he quickly committed their appearances to memory. Such an eclectic group had to be more than regular travelers. The lightning heretic looked past the blonde, and a feeling of familiarity struck Zev as his gaze passed over a Hydris woman. Compared to Terris, Zev had always been inexplicably fond of Hyrdis, and at least for the moment, he could convince himself that her origin was the only reason there was a nagging sensation in the back of his mind at the sight of her.

XXXOnce, a follower of the goddess had likened him to a snarling stray dog. And that wasn’t altogether untrue- Zev was all tension and distrust. Then the blonde man offered food- and that changed things. At least temporarily. He snatched the bag of dried fruit, only grunting out a thanks to the man after he peaked in the bag. Despite his many rough edges, food was the way to Zev’s heart- or at least what was left of it. As much as he was ‘anti-strangers’ the lightning heretic was very ‘pro-food.’ He fished a piece of dried fruit out of the bag before offering some to the other heretics some if they wished.