2019.04.19: Troy's Fostern Challenge

Troy's Fostern Challenge
Troy completes his challenge for Fostern for Lleutrim, with a group gathered at Smoke and Barley
IC Date	April 19th, 2019
Players	Erin, Johanna, Khol, Lleutrim, Miguel, Nascha, Paul, Rhea, Sahara, Troy Jameson
Location	Outside the Bawn
Spheres	Gaian Garou Shifter
Theme Song	Journey "Don't Stop Believing"

Sahara leads the way into the back room, heading down the stairs with a light skip in her step. When she gets to the bottom she heads over towards a table that has space for them all, looking around at the little group. "We all doing shakes?"

"I'm doing shakes, sure." Troy says as he follows after, sliding his guitar off as he slips into a seat, putting his instrument down at his side with a gentle thud. He plucks the menu up. "Maybe some fries as well. I like a bit of salt with my sweet."

Rhea laughs and shrugs. "I *really* just want a bowl of fruit but... I guess I can explain the guilt away with a strawberry shake?" she says, sitting so there's plenty of room for Sahara and Troy to sit as they please, trying not to intrude. "I hope you like that oil. It really helps with lower back and areas with more sensitive muscles," she says with a smile. She watches as the fire owl... thing continues its fancy appearance, waiting for someone to come and take her order.

Sahara shrugs as they settle in at their table, "Maybe they can do a fruit smoothie? Those have less sugar, don't they?" She waits while Troy looks the menu over, but as staff comes over to check on them, she's not shy about saying what she wants, and it's got calories. "Caramel shake please." A grin given to Rhea, "If you haven't, I recommend surfing as a great way to burn things off. There's nothing like the thrill of fighting the ocean for your life."

His motorcycle parked outside, Lleu pushes open the door and comes on in. No guitar this time but he does have a rucksack slung over one shoulder. He hooks his motorcycle helmet up on a peg by the door and reaches up a hand to remove his blue mirrored ballistic shades. The Fianna turns and gestures to the barkeep, "Hey, Michael. Bottle of Talisker when you have a moment." Hmmm. It always smells so good in here. Maybe he'll order supper as well. First, Donnachaidh gives a nod to the fire elemental for greeting with a hint of a smile and then makes his way towards the others. "Even'n, Troy, Rhea, Sahara. She's right about that. The Surf will give you a workout, especially if you go out to George's island and frolic in the water with Cypha. She's a water dragon."

Johanna opens the door and walks in holding Khol's hand. "It seems like a weekly thing with this one having some issue. It isn't going to be fun the next few days, but this is my role." She looks to the others here and waves. "Good Evening!"

"Hey Jo!" Troy calls over as he lifts a hand to his sister figure, plucking up his guitar once he gets comfortable. He starts to strum the instrument with a stroke of his fingers, building up a gentle rhythm. "Good evening, Lleutrim. I think I'm ready to tell my story if you wish to hear it, if now is a good time."

Khol nods to Johanna as he comes in with her "Well its good you are handling it." he answers her, then spots the others in the room and smiles "Good evening everyone."

Nascha comes down the stairs, a light spring to her step as she descends the stairs with a little bounce to her step.

"Strawberry milkshake if you have it. And a green salad," Rhea says. It cancels it out, alright?! To Sahara, she laughs. "I'd rather the training at the spa. We Logos girls keep a strict regimen," she tells the other kinfolk. As Lleu comes in, she waves politely. "Hey, Lleu! No, I'm not a fan of drowning to death. Bad experiences in Fiji before I got picked up and moved to here."

Johanna grins, "Mercy's Wings! This sounds like perfect timing for us to arrive." She squeezes Khol's hand. "Let's find a place to sit and listen to this. Then maybe some food?"

Lleutrim sets his rucksack down and claims a chair reasonably close to Troy if one's available. The older Galliard takes the seat and nods, "Sure, that was fast. If I think it needs more work I'll give you appropriate feedback." Lleu opens up his ruck and takes out a folio filled with notes he's made though he doesn't open it as yet. The barkeep sends out a server with Lleu's bottle of Talisker scotch and a scotch glass. "Starchaser'rhya, Khol good evening. Hey, Nascha. Come hear Troy's story?" That bouncy step is noted and a brow raised.

A faint upnod to Rhea, "As you like though Cypha wouldn't let you drown."

Khol smiles to everyone but nods with that smile to Johanna "Absolutely, let's get whatever you want, and we can listen. " he motions "where would you like to sit?"

"Of course," Nascha says, coming to take a seat near Lleutrim, if one is available. When someone brings Lleutrim his drink, Nascha holds up a finger. "Me too, please." And she takes that red circle near her and turns it over to green. LET THE MEAT BEGIN

As he strums the guitar, Troy reaches over to pluck up a glass of water as it is passed along, taking a long sip. He gives a nod of his head and rises up slowly, carrying his guitar in his hands.

Sahara puts her elbows on the table so she can rest her chin in her hands, looking to Troy with a warm smile. Her head turns and the smile grows when she sees Khol and Johanna, fingers wiggling in a wave without moving her hand, and a curious glance to Nascha. Her attention returns as Troy gets up, focusing on him as he gets ready.

Johanna gestures to a table and takes a seat. She wiggles fingers back to Sahara, and includes Rhea and Nascha in that. Lleutrim gets a nod of the head with respect.

Khol holds the chair for Johanna, before taking a seat himself. He gives a nod to Lleutrim as well but he focus' mostly on the music, readying himself to listen, while getting menu's for himself and Johanna.

Rhea laughs softly. "I'm sure. I can safely say I've not drowned yet," she says with a laugh. "But I generally prefer stiller waters. Lakes. Ponds. Swimming with friends and family with a nice Greek cookout..." A sigh. Seeing Khol and Johanna, she smiles and waves, seeing the 'roo and the loving kinfolk care for each other. She gives a smile - a distant, missing smile. "Glad to see you two are doing great." She nods politely to the new people, not saying much until spoken to, kind of fading into the background.

Lleutrim opens the bottle of nice single malt scotch and smiles when Nascha requests a glass. Soon as it's brought he'll first offer to Johanna who is highest ranked though she probably doesn't want any. If she does, he'll pour her some first, then offer to others and pour some for Nascha as well. Lleu'll pour some for himself last, never mind the bottle is fairly expensive. He inhales the scent of it and takes a small taste, savoring it as his icy grey gaze follows Troy.

xxxxxxxxxxYou all know the story that I told at moot around the fire, that of the Sept of Mozambique Falls and how it fell to the combined forces of Pentex and the local hive, all led by the legendary Red Salamander, trickster for the Black Spiral Dancers. You all know that after the fray, I was whisked away by the talons of crafty Hfran the Raven as Defies the Storms Rhya of the Get of Fenris ordered him to carry me away from final fight so that I could live to tell their stories of glory so that no one would forget their names.” Troy begins as he settles into a seat next to the fireplace, letting the warm flames dance off his face, casting shadows as he strums his guitar. “You all heard the pain that I went through, how I lost my pack, my older brother, everyone that I loved over the last three years. You heard me tell the story of what happened when I got home... but ... there is a story that happened between the two chapters, one that surely your ears must hear.”

xxxxxxxxxx“I was tasked by Battle Singer Rhya for my Fostern challenge to tell a story that is to lift the spirits up and to help bring joy and morale. As the final days creep closer and closer, those who have been fighting the longest have begun to feel the fatigue, the weight of seeing those they love go before them, and the pain of which their scars remind them of every battle fought. Our warriors need to be reminded..” As Troy gives a glance about the room to each figure, he starts to play Don’t Fear the Reaper by The Blue Oyster Cult, though he doesn’t sing the lyrics. He just needs those chords to ‘strike’ a chord within the audience.

Miguel comes down into the back room accompanied by a much smaller young man in khakis, who is speaking to him softly and a bit soothingly in Spanish as Miguel looks around a bit vigilantly.

Nascha smiles at Lleutrim and remains quiet as she sits, though she wiggles fingers at Johanna in return. She takes her drink, sliding it closer, but most of her attention is on Troy. When she hears the murmured Spanish, she looks that way, giving Miguel and his friend a quick once-over

Nascha slips out of her seat and moves over to politely, quietly speak to Miguel.

Coming down the steps is the redheaded known as Erin with a baby in her arms looks to be no more than 6 months old. The baby is making all kinds of happy babbly noises as they make their way in.

A slow nod from Lleutrim as he leans back in his seat with his scotch glass not far from the pleasant fire. Battle Singer listens to Troy begin his tale, his own scarred face unreadable. He looks relaxed and attentive, giving the younger Galliard his attention. A flicker of his gaze goes to the new arrivals yet then back to Troy who's begun his story.

xxxxxxxxxx“Hfran delivered me deep into the forests of Africa, so far away that I had no clue where I was. I could no longer see the smoke above the trees from the fire which rained down from the sky, those which burned us as we fought and tore at our flesh and scorched our bones. I could no longer hear the tanks as they sought to trample us. I could no longer hear the screams. For the first time in three years since arriving, I was alone, injured, terrified and stricken with grief. I remember the words of Hfran fade away as he took one last flight .. ‘Gentle Rain, save yourself. You must believe. Don’ t stop believing.’ It was the first and last words that crafty raven said to me before he disappeared into the umbra, the pack he followed no more, now free to ride the umbral winds and seek out a new path.”

xxxxxxxxxxAs Troy speaks, his fingers continue along with the chords of the guitar, his voice somber as he paces along in front of the fireplace so that the shadows are forced to leap and dance about his body, flickering. “For three weeks I wandered those deep, untouched forests, most of the time in my wolf form so that I could track down food and water. I tried my best to focus. To push myself. To believe. I can do this. I can survive. I can ... I...” His voice cracks as he sucks in a breath. “.. I’m fooling myself. I don’t know what to do. Help me!” He cries out loudly, his voice straining. “Gaia, please help me! Show me the way, give me strength! Don’t let me die out here alone!”

Miguel is stopped near the bottom of the stairs, having moved out of the way as he's looking around. When Nascha approaches he steps almost reflexively steps to put his companion behind him but makes himself relax some as she addresses him. He nods and looks over to his companion and addresses them briefly in Spanish. The smaller man offers a polite nod and then leaves, turning to explain to Nascha he says, in English this time "He has school early. I am Miguel Hernandez of human name. Jaguar Warrior of the Tenochca."

Rhea listens with polite intent, eating her salad and sipping her milkshake with rapt attention to the man's valiant and harrowing tale. She looks concerned, then looks to Sahara. Is this a performance or is he legitimately in sorrow and pain? Sometimes, the two mix, but either way, it has the kinfolk more than worried.

Nascha nods to Miguel, giving him a smile, still speaking quietly. "Of course. Please come and be welcome. Mercy's Wings is telling a story. Come and listen." Her English AND her Spanish is perfect. "And we'll get you some food." She motions back toward the tables where people are gathered and then if Miguel is cool, they can walk over there together.

Lleutrim remains silent, appearing impassive, listening as Troy's tale unfolds. He slowly sips his scotch and gives no sign whatsoever if he is thus far pleased or disappointed in the story. Another glance to Miguel, studying him as he continues listening.

Johanna is giving her focus and attention to Troy, although her eyes move to see Miguel and waves to him. There will be a time for further intros later, but for now, she listens to Troy.

Sahara watches Troy as the story starts, her smile fading to something more somber. A soft sigh slips out, her shoulders slumping down a little as the story goes on and she watches him reliving the memories.

Khol quietly orders, for himself and for Johanna, when the waitron comes over. It's done quickly and quietly so as not to interrupt the story, which is holding his attention as well.

Looking at all the people about Erin takes a breath and moves to a table a bit away from everyone trying not to disturb the story telling. Ana waves her hands to people as they move, she seems like happy little baby.

xxxxxxxxxx“As I screamed to the heavens, for days on end, I felt that cold, empty tug on my soul. That of the ice cold grip of Harano around my heart. The only thing I could think of was my brother. My older brother. My best friend. Dead. My pack, Mercy’s Wings. Dead. Defies The Storm was dead. Dove was gone. I thought the louder I screamed, the more I screamed, someone would /finally/ hear me, but alas, no one came. I was alone. “

xxxxxxxxxx“I remember how bad the weather was during those days I wandered in circles. It was as hot as balefire and the rain was as sticky as cotton candy as it clung to my fur, causing my paws to sink in swampy mud and I’m sure I smelled as bad as a warthog’s backside. At that point, I stopped eating. I just dragged myself along the ground, shambling, as if I was a zombie, with only the screams in my head.” Troy’s voice quivers here, looking as if he is on the verge of losing his nerve. He takes in a deep breath, sucks it up and clears his throat. “And that was who I was now. Gentle Rain? That Garou died out there in those woods, nothing but an empty shell, soon to join those that were too weak to keep fighting. Why bother, right? Why keep fighting.” He rasps out to the crowd. “After all, I just witnessed one of the greatest atrocities that our records will ever remember. How can any Garou come back from that?” Is he polling the audience? His eyes search a few times before he continues on.

xxxxxxxxxx“Gaia .. she finally heard my last whispered scream ... that’s how.”

Paul wanders in from the kitchen area munching on a piece of cornbread, with a glass of sweet tea in his other hand. He glances around the room, but doesn't interrupt as he realizes a story is being told. Instead he just grins a hello and nods to those that look his way, and settles down behind the bar to listen.

Miguel nods and follows Nascha, speaking quietly so as not to disturb the storyteller "Eduardo assured me there was many good meat dishes here. He is a distant cousin of mine come north to study at your great school."

Nascha nods, still listening to the story, murmuring to Miguel during pauses, speaking just barely above a whisper. "Very good food here, as much as you'd like." She nods toward the little red circle on the table. "Just turn that over and they will bring food until you turn it over to red. I think I've met Miguel before. He comes out to Sun and Moon on occasion."

Donnachaidh catches site of Paul's arrival to relive Michael's shift. Lleu lifts a hand to lightly touch his brow in a very casual two finger salute to the Fera kin. There's also a faint nod for Erin with her baby. Most of his attention is for Troy now that Nascha's speaking with Miguel.

Ana notices Paul and she starts to call him as she raises her hands towards him as she gets louder. Erin blinks and tries to quiet the baby and looks apologetic to the others as story time is going on but the baby has her own agenda.. Kids.

xxxxxxxxxx“I remember the last things I whispered to myself as I closed my eyes for what I thought was the final time. .. ‘Please.. Please Gaia! /Please/. I’m begging you! I’m /begging/ you ..’ I don’t know if I recall finishing that thought...maybe I was going to beg her for death, maybe I was begging for a second chance, but then I caught something on the wind. My nose twitched, my ears perked. Food! It was a rabbit. A delicious, fat hare! I found the strength, just a tiny bit left in the tank, and I was on my paws, racing through the woods blindly. All I could do was follow my nose. Follow, follow, follow!”

xxxxxxxxxxAs Troy plays the guitar, he leaps up on to a chair, then steps on to the top of a table as his fingers begin to rock along the guitar at a faster pace, frantic. He goes quiet for a full minute as he plays, his body swaying back and forth as he finds the rhythm of his song. It’s A Flock of Seagulls, I Ran, one of those classic eighties hits from the radio. He plays the song a bit faster though, his fingers rapidly bounding each note and chord as his guitar /sings/ to the crowd.

xxxxxxxxxx”Up ahead, I didn’t find the hare though .... I found something else!” He says, holding his breath in anticipation.

Sahara listens quietly as Troy goes on, watching him with concern during parts of his story.

Rhea relaxes as he's clearly not having a public mental breakdown after all. Whew! She listens with intent and stays as the nice little background furniture piece, nibbling her salad and sipping her shake.

Johanna tilts her head, and listens to Troy further. She reaches for Khol's hand as she hears this story that is obviously important to her to hear.

Paul grins back to Lleu, and is listening intently, but as Anna starts to fuss he stuffs the rest of the cornbread into his mouth and quietly moves over to Erin to wiggle his fingers at Anna, grinning at her. He watches Troy from the corner of his eye, and still listens though as he tries to help quiet the baby.

Ana takes Paul's hands and holds onto him looking happy as can be as Paul comes over. Erin grins "Your fault she loves you and wants you" the baby gives a happy laugh and seems to have calm now that Paul is close by.

Khol takes Jo's hand in one of his, as the other arm goes around her to comfort her. He listens closely as well though, supporting both his Mate and his friend as best he can.

Lleutrim is quiet, sipping his drink now and then. His attention upon Troy and still his own scarred face giving no expression away.

Miguel takes a seat and listens to the story as he flips the marker to green as Nascha explained, and he nods in confirmation as one of the servers brings him meat.

xxxxxxxxxx“Up ahead, I saw what was a small grove of buildings, and that was where I could smell the hare. Freshly caught and cooking over an open flame. I could hear voices! People! There was people there!” Troy jumps off the table with a thud of his boots, the fire behind him roaring upwards to cast an array of shadows along at his feet as he continues to play the guitar. “I shifted to my homid form and I took one glance at myself in a rain puddle. I could barely recognize myself. My beard was thick, my hair was wild and I was caked with dirt and mud. My clothing barely clung to me because I lost so much weight and for a moment, I thought I forgot how to walk on two legs as I took my first few steps forward.”

xxxxxxxxxx“I found the doors and pushed through in a stumble and surely I must have looked like a wild man. My wild eyes looked about at those gathered and I felt my heart stopped. I knew them! I recognized them all! They were a handful of Fera, Bastet and Ajaba that fought with us during the Sept. They made it out. There! There was Strongest Of Heart! Elder for the Children of Gaia, Philodox, so wise and brave. She was missing her left arm and her face was burned badly, but it was her! She took one look at me and I could feel her love for me across the room. Everyone started to talk at once!”

xxxxxxxxxx“It’s Gentle Rain! He saved my life two nights ago! He healed me and my brother!” Troy cries out loudly. “Yes, yes, it’s him! I recognize him! The American medic!” As he speaks, his voice cracks again as he pauses to reach up to wipe at his face briefly. “I was so overwhelmed. I thought... I thought maybe it was a mirage, that I was hallucinating, but it was real! They were there, and they all looked .. so happy... there was music.. there was dancing.. there was food! I couldn’t believe it.”

xxxxxxxxxx“How!? I cried out to them. How are you so happy!? Why are you dancing? We lost everything! We lost our family, we lost our friends! We lost the Sept!” He squeezes his fists together. “And that was when Strongest of Heart came to me, she touched my face, and .. what she said to me ....”

Nascha smiles at Miguel and her thinger is ALSO green, so she gets meat too. She picks up the tongs and takes a few bits, while her attention goes to Troy and she listens quietly.

Now with Ana being quiet with Paul's help. Erin turns to actually listen to the story that Troy is telling and she blinks and wow softly as she seems hooked and waits to hear more.

Paul whispers to Erin, allowing Anna her hold and gently squeezing the tiny hand back, "Sorry 'bout spoiling her." He gives her a wink, and then his eyes widen as he listens to the story. He does love a good story.

He may not know Miguel, but he knows Nascha. So Lleu reaches over and snags a slice of meat off /her/ plate and pops it into his mouth with a grin. Like a big brother being a brat just to jerk her chain and dare to see what she might do about it. He waggles a brow at her ere his attention goes back to listening to Mercy's Wings put his heart into his story.

Johanna sniffs a bit. No not crying! Swear! It's just.. condensation! Her eyes not leaving Troy while he Galliards.

Nascha was reaching for that piece! She peers up at Lleutrim and there is the faintest, teensiest, tiniest little smirk on her face. Mm hmm. Big ole mean jerky face! That's Lleutrim. She cuts each and every piece of meat on her plate, roughly in half, and slides all the bigger pieces to one side, closer to Lleutrim. Nascha is also a cold hearted bitch, so crying isn't a thing she does, but she's certainly listening and respectful. UNLIKE LLEUTRIM THE MEAT STEALER!

Sahara keeps her eyes on the Coggie as he plays and tells his tale. A soft expression on her face, and even as the story picks up there's still a note of worry in her eyes.

Rhea, on the other hand, is sobbing. Such a sad journey! Such a cathartic resolution... What was said, though... What was said?!

xxxxxxxxxx“Gentle Rain.. that is true. We did lose the war. We lost a lot of our friends, we lost our family and we lost the Sept. But what we /still/ have is stronger than anything. Look around you. What do you see? Bastet. Ajaba. Corax. Nuwisha. Garou. All together. Brothers and sisters of Africa, brought together, instead of against each other for the first time in five hundred years. This is Gaia’s love, Gentle Rain. Do you understand? We can either choose to let sadness and pain define us, and go back to being bitter, jaded and angry, or we can come together, learn from this, and then come back stronger, a force to be reckoned with. We do not celebrate the fact that we lost, we celebrate the fact that we are still alive! That these wounds will heal, that we will learn from these lessons taught, and we will return, stronger of heart, stronger of spirit!”

xxxxxxxxxxTaking in a deep breath, Troy lets it out slowly, as if he is standing there before his mentor. He mulls the words for a moment, then gives a shake of his head. “But Strong of Heart! What if... what if ... “

xxxxxxxxxx”Oh, that old woman shook her head at me, she laughed. She knew what I was going to ask her, and she already had the answer. She reached over to the radio and turned the volume up.... that radio, it was playing my song...” Troy says as his hands return to his guitar, starting to play a familiar tune that everyone in the room should know.

xxxxxxxxxx“She told me... Troy.... Don’t stop believing .... the Journey isn’t over for you yet.”

xxxxxxxxxxHe is grinning now, Troy is grinning as he starts to sing out the chorus loudly, motioning to the others in the room to join in with him, his guitar wailing on that old classic as he feels the warmth of the fire behind him.

Khol listens closely but there isn't an emotionalism to his response, perhaps sobering a bit, as he does so. Food is delivered for himself and for Jo, along with two beer. But for the moment the food and drink are secondary.

Adjusting Ana so that she can clap as the story seems to come to an end "That was awesome!" she says out loud and since Erin is cheering Ana joins in because making noise is always fun for babies.

It's true that Lleu is not a touchy feely sort of fellow. Maybe that makes him less of a Galliard in his story telling, harder to get emotionally invested in your tales than Troy is doing, and yet everyone has their own style. It would not due for former Marines to be gushy sorts or they don't last long. Nascha's antics get a smirk, then a very faint silent laugh out of him before his attention goes back to this tale. Still, something about this next part sobers any hint of playfulness out of him. A turn of phrase Troy uses - like throwing ice water in his face. Not shock, merely a quiet .... frown.

Rhea joins in the applause and winks to Sahara, whispering something playful and laughing, winking at her mischievously. As the applause dies down, she rises up, making her way to quietly escape the raucous bar.

Paul had literally frozen in place as all the pieces fell together in his head about the story, and finally nods his head to Erin, "Yeah, it sure was. Wish I had come in at the start of it, instead of the middle." He seems impressed and claps his hands together loudly when Troy finishes the song.

Miguel frowns slightly when Lleutrim steals food from Nascha's plate but Miguel looks to her reaction before he reacts and he settles down as she portions out meat to share. Refocusing on the story and the song, Miguel doesn't seem to recognize it but he applauds politely none the less.

Sahara takes a moment to move, a deeper breath stirring her out of the focus she'd settled into. Her milkshake has already started turning to soup when she finally reaches for it, looking over at Lleu. A small furrow of her brow as she watches him, letting go of the straw without taking a drink.

While he doesn't join in the singing at the end with Troy, Lleu does give his fellow Galliard a nod and moves to stand. "Well done, Mercy's Wings. You clearly have a talent for investing your audience into your tale and mixing it with music. I find it suitable." Battle Singer turns to look at all of the others gathered here this evening, "If none shall raise objection, I believe Mercy's Wings has fulfilled my requirements and is ready to move up to the rank of Fostern. Are there any objections?"

As he waits to hear if there are any, Lleu picks up the bottle of scotch and pours Nascha a little more, then himself. The bottle is set down and Lleu skims his gaze over each and everyone present.

Nascha gives Miguel a reassuring little smile, but glances up at Lleutrim. She also doesn't sing along, but she offers a smile, then nods to what Lleutrim says, but now she's watching HIM more carefully. "I agree," she says softly.

Breathing heavily, Troy finishes the last verses of the song, then gives a short bow to the applause. As he shifts the guitar to his back along his shoulder, he waits patiently as he looks over to Lleutrim. As he hears his Elder speak, he takes in a deep breath, then reaches up and wipes at the corner of his eye, biting on his bottom lip.

Johanna shakes her head, "I believe he has shown he is more than ready. I am proud to serve alongside Mercy's Wings, the Fostern." She smiles to Troy, her eyes maybe a bit wet... maybe...

If this was a challenge for rank Paul knows he can't vote in it, but he does give a thumbs-up and a smile for Troy at Lleu's words anyway.

Sahara smiles softly, her eyes growing glossy as well. She doesn't say anything, for those that it matters with, she's pretty biased on the issue. But the look she gives Troy speaks volumes for how proud she is of him.

To Troy his gaze eventually returns. Lleu studies the other, "Tomorrow at dawn's first light, come to the Caern to the Ritual grove. There we'll see the Rite of Accomplishment performed before the eyes of the Sept of any who wish to witness, Fostern Mercy's Wings. And then you and I shall discuss your duties." Lleu lifts his glass of scotch and gestures with it towards Troy, "Tonight we shall drink to you. You look like you could use one yourself." A smirk and Donnachaidh knocks back his own glass, then resumes his seat.

"Thank you for the honor and blessings, Battle Singer Rhya." Troy says with an emotional voice as he sinks down into a chair, unsure of what table he is at now. He looks wound up and twitchy as he reaches for a glass of water, hopefully it was his, taking a long sip from it. "Thank you everyone for listening." He glances to Johanna first, giving her a wide smile, then to Sahara.