Somewhere in the Desolate Band – Day 5

It's several hours of tense, hard travel before the adventurers have a sense of security again. The drokkar are spent, frothing and heads hanging… even these hardy animals are exhausted from the flight away from the bivouacked forces of the Naga warlord, Beshret the Razer. Losing the raiders in the cliffs surrounding the camp was just the beginning. Their numbers made it difficult to keep up with the smaller, nimbler band of Lapi, Kirigai, and their bestial companion in the twists and turns of the canyon passes, but once clear the group could only be safe if they kept moving, until they were far enough into the desert to hide in the windswept troughs between dunes, their tracks covered by the Desolate Band's vicious sandstorms. A new, makeshift, and considerably less comfortable camp is built in some low rocks, hopefully very temporary as winds blowing over them seem intent on stripping away their flesh with airborne grit.

Kin has never felt as exhausted as she does right now. It seems like every muscle in her body burns the exertion and she is grateful when her metabolism reverts back to its more 'natural' exothermic state. She collapses against one of the boulders, her head hanging down limply and her mane draped over her face. Every now and then she strains it up to look to the horizon, searching for something. Finally, she breaks some of the silence by saying weakly, "You are all the craziest bunch of people I have ever met. You could have been killed coming into the camp like that. But … I have never been more grateful to see others; I was … terrified. Thank you for coming for me."

After arrival, Lilac collapsed on her side like a discarded sack. There she lays with her wings sprawled, legs out, and tongue lolling as she pants heavily. At Kin's words, Lilac whines a little. So tired is she, she can only manage one wag before her tail flops right back to the ground.

The old man hopped off Gibson's drokkar at some point, and crouched up by the boulder, he finds the time to dig the arrowhead out of his arm and flick it away. There's little blood involved, as if the ancient Kiriga dried up years ago. The brother and sister Lapi angled off at some point to lead a war band away, promising to regroup soon, but haven't been heard from or seen yet.

Kin's head rolls to the side in a languid motion to look to her teacher. "You are not hurt badly, Sensei?" she asks, even when she can see he does not appear so.

The brown Lapi that stayed with Kin is panting and splayed out on his back nearby. "I have sand in my teeth and my ears itch," Xander complains.

"Bah," is all Long Tooth says, waving a bony paw irritably.

Kin bows her head, taking that to mean her teacher is cross with her. "I am sorry for the trouble I have caused," she says as she looks to the others. "But, not all is lost. I was able to get details on Beshret the Razer and his troop movements. I know where they are and where the Cinder's support ships are coming from. If we can get this to the Imperials, perhaps all is not lost yet." She produces the rolled up hide on which she drew the map. "Does anyone wish to see?"

Whining again, Lilac paws at the sand towards Kin. She must want to see it, but not want to actually get up.

Xander sits up, and asks, "Support ships? You know their route?"

The old master strokes his whiskers, sidling up. "Mm… iffa jou take dis from dem, ittah worth trouble."

Granted, Kin hasn't looked at her 'artwork' since she wore the mask, so she hopes it is still readable. She unrolls it so the others can see. "I copied, I did not take. I feared that if their real map was missing they would just change all their plans. This what they would not know what I learned," she explains.

"Then why were they all chasing you like you'd stolen their manhoods?" Xander asks next.

Lilac makes a questioning "rrr?" sound, as if she, too, would like to know why Kin was chased. She also flops a wing over herself, using it like a big leathery fan.

"Because Hakuu was there and I am certain he wished to capture me. At the very least, not knowing what a spy may have seen, would you want that spy to get away?" Kin asks tiredly and pauses to rub her fingers over her eyes. "I'm not certain I can beat him," she admits, "I had not expected … what I saw. I had not expected that Hakuu was the mage."

Xander lies back down, and says, "Mage's aren't gods. Not even the ones that were gods."

Unrolled, the map looks considerably simpler than Kin might remember seen through the lens. Still, it is rich in strategic detail. Small '^' tents, along with stylized lizards surround the 'Temple of Being', nestled in its canyon not far south of the Beast Lands themselves, perhaps even on the very border. Smaller raiding parties are concentrated around the area, and spaced around supply caches. Fringing the area are notes regarding scouting parties, along with routes to relay messages back to the nerve cluster of Beshret's main army. Several ship icons are painted a distance south of the bivouac, with odd symbols next to them copied as best Kin could manage. Supply lines stretch from the staging areas in the Band back up to areas in the northwest, as well as a few from villages dotted outside the Band, several of them crossed out.

"And I had to trick Beshret into leaving his tent. I did so, but in doing such it exposed that someone was in camp. Hakuu came to investigate. They could see me. He had to know it was me. But … he didn't look angry. Not pleased, certainly, but not angry. And very calm," Kin explains again.

Slowly, Lilac crawls along the sand over to Kin, before dumping her head in Kin's lap. From there she looks down at the map, ears perked and eyes searching.

Xander gets up to look at the map, and nearly chokes when he sees the airship symbols. "Oh, that… that isn't good," he comments, pointing to the symbols. "Air, Life, Fire, Light and Shadow. They probably mean mages of those spheres will be on the airships."

"They also spoke of something called a sand lion. Do any of you know that term?" Kin asks as her head rolls a bit so she can look at Xander. "As I was saying, I … am not sure we can win this. At least if we know which ship is which they could be countered the most effective way, right?"

Breathing a huff, Lilac slowly lifts herself up and begins walking towards the remaining supplies. She seems interested in Gibson's things, pawing through his back as if looking for something.

Kin may not know what a sand lion is, but she did draw several symbols for them around the canyon. They're as close to the Temple of Being as they can be without being in the canyon proper. The symbol she chose to draw them looks like a mouth with horns.

"Err, countered… " Xander mutters. "Probably not. That's a powerful military combination, and they'll likely be master mages to boot. That's enough support to control the air and the ground, do far reconnaissance and provide defensive cover to the army on the ground."

"You could have lied to me, Xander," Kin mutters, hearing exactly what she didn't want to hear. "Is there no way the ships could be destroyed safely?"

"While they're grounded, probably," Xander notes. "The storm will keep them from flying – not even a master Air Mage is going to try and deflect a storm like that."

After some digging, Lilac locates what she'd been searching for: one of Gibson's shirts. She pulls it around the sand before wiggling her head inside one in and out the other, so that she's 'wearing' the hevay oversized garment. That done, she sits on the ground and closes her eyes.

"But there is no way we could destroy them. We would need the Imperial army to do it. I do not know if we have time. But it is all we have to work with," Kin says as she starts absently rubbing one of her thumbs along her snout. Her claw makes a faint ticking sound each time it slides over one of numerous horns. "I think I will have to go speak to the Imperials. To the Emperor if need be."

"That's a long trip, did the Razer say anything about a timetable for his attack?" Xander asks.

Lilac's back ripples under the shirt, straightening as her spine seems to bend. She rocks back on to her rear legs as the fur begins t fade from them, her upper legs becoming arms which she wiggles in to the holes of the short. Her head, too, changes. The long muzzle and teeth begin to recede, returning her features to that of the pale human woman. "RRrrrr- … ow. Gods, I'm tired!" When the transformation is complete, she flops backwards on to the sand, the long shirt more than large enough to act like an over sized dress.

"I do not remember hearing anything about him attacking. I believe his desire to to hold the lands he has now and simply wipe out any Imperials that come too close," Kin admits as she looks back up to Xander. "Do you have any other ideas? We cannot take out an army. We're a group of six people; a young mage, a barmaid, a bard, an old warrior, and a fool of a noble. We might be able to defeat Hakuu's handmaidens, but … as much as I desire it, I see our limitations."

"There could be another way," Xander notes, and points to the Temple of Being. "The Cinders are supporting this warlord so that they can have access to this Temple. Once Hakuu has what he came for and leaves, there isn't any reason for them to lend their support, is there?"

"That would depend on what they may need from the area, Xander. We cannot assume what is in that temple could be taken and used anywhere," Kin points out. "Plus, there is no reasonable way I see of getting into the temple now. I cannot use my disguise again; not that I'm sure it even works anymore. I suppose I could test it. And even if one of us made it into the temple, Hakuu's maidens can still see, and would see us. One or two of us facing seven of them? Suicide."

"A storm's definitely coming," Lilac says after a moment of rest. "It's going to light up the heavens and scour the earth. I think, this storm's very important. There's something about it. Something fateful. I'm … " she looks up at the darkening sky, frowning a little, "I'm going to stay here, if you want to go to the Empire for help."

Kin rolls her head again to look at her now human friend. "How do you know this?" she asks.

"A ghost told me," Lilac answers.

"Ghosts and lightning, hmmm?" Xander asks, noticing that Lilac has changed back to 'normal' again.

"Explain further, please," Kin tells Lilac, looking rather tired. "What did this ghost tell you?"

"Well," Lilac begins, rolling over and getting up to her knees, "she didn't say anything really. She had sort of a … well … " she makes a slicing motion across her neck, " … vocalization problem. I think she knew me, or … Well she was a korv, and she sort of … appeared here and there … and then she was right there touching my scar. Did I mention she's nice? Gods, I'm tired." She rubs her head, ears laying back. "She's like me only more … feathers and dead, I think. She can turn in to a beast like me! She showed me the storm, and then she vanished." She licks her lip, then adds, "Then I woke up, and her lesson was true."

"What seemed special about the storm?" Xander asks.

Lilac shrugs a little. "It was very intense. We ran and ran, and when she stopped she looked at it, then nodded! Nodded. As if, she were sure of something, and wanted me to see it too. I have to know what she was seeing – I have to know." She tilts her head to the side, then bangs on the side of her head as sand rolls trickles out of her ear. "I've never had a dream like that, before! It's like I have a ghost friend!"

Kin resumes rubbing a thumb on her forehead. "And now the dead are giving us answers of some sort, which do not help. Nothing but cryptic messages, visions, and sayings. All this does is make me want to break the legs of the next person who starts speaking in prophecy," the reptile practically growls.

"Hey, now, don't get mad at her! She had no neck," Lilac insists. "Besides, I don't think I could have managed the transformation without her. It's like she thought I already knew how." The human blinks, then adds, "Did I mention I can change on my own, now, Kinny?"

"I had gathered that from what happened a few minutes ago," Kin admits, "Though I had thought it had to do with our talks and not from a dream. But it is good that you can now; it will prove helpful."

Xander hmms. "Well, maybe the storm will take of our problems for us," he suggests. "It sounds like it might be driven by wild magic."

"I think maybe the talks caused the dream, or, well I'm not sure. I fell asleep thinking about how I could accept the beast side of myself, and lo, the dream came to me. Did the ghost call to me, or me to the ghost? Or did I just imagine it?" The woman shrugs again, then scoots over to examine the map. "I think when the storm hits, we'll have a moment to act."

"Pah, unlikely," Kin mutters grimly. "It might provide an opening to get into the temple … maybe. But I doubt it will just solve all our problems in one shot. Such is simply insane. And once inside, then what? We find the artifact if we're lucky. How do we get it out? Will the storm last long enough for that?"

"Well, do you think you can go all the way to Nagai and talk to the Emperor in time? It took us a long time to get where we are, by then, it may all be over," insists the human. She drums her fingers on her knee, peering at the map. "We could split up, couldn't we? I think I'll be fine out here. Ever since that dream I've felt … kind of like I can take on anything! I know I can't, but, it's like I can hunt, and fight, and, and … it doesn't bother me at all! It's weeeeeeird."

"I'd stay behind as well," Xander says. "If it's a storm coming out of the Beast Lands, there's no telling what properties it might have – and Lilac is correct in that it will be our best chance to do something while under its cover."

"And what if those feelings become more intense? What if that ghost friend of yours was really here to induct you into the army of the Raveness and in short order you will soon be her servant?" Kin points out. "Time be damned, Lilac; I was in that camp. I saw just how many people they have and what weapons they have. And now Xander was just saying they have full master mage control of the sky and there's no good way to deal with that? It's ridiculous to even think six people have a remote chance at anything regarding this."

"Um, isn't that what being a hero is about? In the stories, it's always some rag-tag group, or a exiled lord, or what-not that acts when it's dangerous to make the difference. Even when they die, they're heroes. No one writes about the safe," suggests the human. "We really don't know how much time we have, and if we run out … then will the caution even matter?"

"If the storm kicks up enough magic," Xander muses, apparently not having heard Kin's tirade, "maybe I could actually pull off Rain of Fire. Either way, there aren't enough mounts to carry us all back to Viper's Hold at speed, so some of us have to stay behind and keep an eye on things anyway. The problem is that in the canyon, there's a risk of flooding… but up here in the desert there's a risk of being struck by lightning. Hmmm… "

"Stories and reality are two different things," Kin points out as she shakes her head. "It's not even about being cautious. Whether we run out of time or run to our deaths, the result is the same, they win. At least if we're alive he have some recourse. If we're dead, we're dead. No coming back from being dead."

"You really got shaken up in there, didn't you?" Xander asks Kin gently. "Before, you wouldn't think of leaving without something to show for it."

"Yeeeah," Lilac says in a low voice, leaning over to peer in Kin's eyes. "This isn't like you at all. I mean, before you would barge in and take on five men at once, waving that sword around!"

"I was terrified," Kin says in almost a pleading tone. "I've never felt like that before. Ever. Not when I saw Lilac change the first time. Not fighting on top of an airship. Not when I stood my ground against six thugs, unarmed. I always knew that somehow I could make it. Not this time. This time I knew I couldn't. I knew that no matter how much I did, how strongly I held my ground, I could not stop the wave. All I could see was the cage. I'm not afraid to die. I'm afraid that I'll end up like them."

"You could just be suffering lingering effects of that mask's magic," Xander notes. "You didn't feel like this until Hakuu showed up and deactivated the mask, did you?"

careful, Lilac reaches over and pats Kin's hand. She leans over, pressing her head in to her arm. "Oh, Kinny! I knew I should have gone with you!" She whines, low and sad. "You, you should go to the capital. Take some time to relax, okay? I … Um, well, I can handle the rest of this. It's probably what I was made for, even! You don't need to worry about it, okay?"

"I knew before I ever saw Hakuu that without help we couldn't fight them, not after seeing the numbers and how well organized they were. I do not think it all has to do with the mask, Xander," Kin says and draws her legs up so she wrap her arms around them. "And if the storm that is coming is as bad as you say, I do not know if I could even make my way back in time. I just don't know what to do." Her jaw grits and she says, "And it makes me so angry. Gods he makes me so angry. He came into my life and practically told me it was over. What did I do? I backed down and left. I see him again in the camp. What do I do? I backed down. I am sick of having to back down. I want to hit him hard and with fury. I want him to feel what it's like."

"So, this storm may be your chance," Xander notes. "If it can somehow cut him off from the warlord's men, he'd be vulnerable. All these other lines on the map, are those underground tunnels?" he asks, pointing to the lines in question next to the temple.

"We will, Kinny, we will! It's just, we can't right now. But, he won't always have an army, he won't always have friends. He's the kind of guy to want it all for himself, and sooner or later, he'll push everyone away to take it – and we'll be there," Lilac promises, patting Kin's hand more earnestly. "I'll keep them busy here, if you want, or … " She blinks, looking over at the map. "Underground tunnels? Oh, the mischief I could do with tunnels!" He tail wags.

"The temple is not far from the warlord's pavilion from what I could make out. Cutting him off completely seems an impossible expectation. If the storm is enough to cut off the army, it's enough to make the temple unaccessible as well," Kin mutters. "Yes, the dig is underground. But no, I am not certain those markings are actually the tunnels."

"What do you think they could be, then?" Xander asks.

"I don't know. I didn't have time to look," Kin answers honestly. "And when is the storm going to hit? again, if it is as bad as you say, then the Imperial army would be hit just as hard as the Warlord's. So will getting them help? Nature does not discriminate."

"You know, I bet I could scare them. Oh sure, I bet Hakuu has nerves of ironwood – I mean, he's so crazy something minor like fear couldn't possibly phase him – and the Razer probably does too, as do his handmaidens, but I bet his soldiers don't! Some prowling in the tunnels, a bite here and there, and I'll rile them all up until they're too afraid to go inside," Lilac suggests. She rubs her hands together, almost excitedly.

"Until the handmaidens come hunting for you. Shadows can't hide you from them. Believe me, that much I know form using the mask and from how they pursued me," Kin tells Lilac with a sigh. "I appreciate your willingness … but I just can't see how it will work in the end. I'm not even sure how close you could get now with how much on alert they must be."

"They can't sneak up on me, either, though! They're all perfumed, and if they're the only women, they're more obvious. I could smell the handmaidens before we ever saw them, but I didn't know what their smell meant. Now, I do! Plus, I bet they don't run fast enough," the human insists.

"They run faster than I do," Kin notes and looks over to Lilac, "And if I were one of them, here's how I would handle your beast form. I would start by saturating the corridors in heavy scents to limit what you could sense. Second, I would have others chase you and direct you into another group. Third, by sheer numbers I would overwhelm. Just remember that they have seen you before, Lilac. If you were unknown to them I would be a lot more confident they would not be ready for you."

"Think they'd be more cautious around me?" Xander asks. "I've hurt them too."

Lilac gives out a sigh, flopping back in to the sand again. "Then what do we do Kinny? Do we leave them alone, spend a week or more getting help, or … Hmmmm." She flicks her gaze at the Kiriga, then asks, "Well, if you just told me how you'd stop me, and they're like you, then couldn't I plan to stop the ways you'd stop me? Make them create some elaborate plan to catch me, and then not be there at the last moment?"

"If I were them I would be sure to be armed with projectile weapons to deal with you, Xander. Or force you to burn your spell then strike when you are vulnerable," Kin admits to the Lapi.

"Oh, and don't forget I don't have to be in one spot for a long time, Kinny. Looking at the map, I could easily cover a different area every day, or different tunnels. If I moved around and acted randomly, they couldn't trap me, right?" The bardess gives Kin a hopeful look.

Kin nods to Lilac. "But just a few minutes ago you were ready to dash in there. I just pointed out how they could handle you. The camp made me understand under no certain circumstances are these people fools," she admits. With a glance to Xander, then back to Lilac, she asks, "What would you do if they caught Xander? Or if they caught Gibson?"

Lilac blinks at that, sitting up to look at Xander. "The same thing we just did with you, of course," she answers, like it were the most obvious thing in the world. As if suddenly catching the problem with her words, she quickly adds a somewhat sheepish, "But better!"

"You would come for them. There's another way to trap you," Kin notes and taps the side of her nose. "Lastly, where would you sleep when you have to rest?"

"Sleep?" Xander asks, the question throwing him for a loop.

The mage turns to Master Tooth, and asks him, "You're her teacher, aren't you going to give her any advice?"

"Under a rock? In a nook? Let me tell you, fur is itchy and odd, but it's really comfortable. I can sleep almost anywhere," the bardess answers.

"Lilac. If she plans to haunt the tunnels, she will at times need to rest, no?" Kin says to Xander then looks back to Lilac. "You are vulnerable when you sleep. You will not be in motion. I would advise against sleeping within the temple. Then you run the risk of slipping in and out repeatedly. There can't be that many entrances to the place."

The old man suddenly lifts his chin off his chest. "Sngk? Eh?"

"I was thinking of trying to stay above ground whenever possible, except when I'm going to annoy them. Like look here," she points at a supply point, "if I could get here, I could take their supplies, or burn them! Or here," she points at a patrol, "if they can't see in the dark, they'll be all alone. Poor them!"

Xander pokes the old lizard to get him to wake up more. "Kin. Needs. Advice. Savvy?" he says. "Oh, and can you fight an army?"

"Most of their supply points are manned by workers and not soldiers, at least, from what I saw," Kin relents. "And will be the more vulnerable points."

"I think your previous tactic of getting the desert giant to rampage across their camp is something to look into," Xander notes. "Animals can get spooked during storms, and with a little nudge, maybe we can get them spooked in the right direction?"

The old master rubs the back of his neck, squinting. "What she need know? And no man fight army alone. Not all at once. Maybe one at a time."

"I'm betting they can't be everywhere. They couldn't even catch all of us, when we were obvious! If I run around here," she points at a camp, "and here," a patrol, "and here, picking them almost randomly, they'll be all over the place. And when the storm comes, the temple."

"Mmm." Long Tooth has begun listening now, frowning deeply. "Dey ahmy. Dat how dey everywheah."

"It causes chaos, to be certain. But that camp is huge. Realize that I had been running through the camp of foot and on the back of a drokkar, for many, many, minutes before I ever got near the giants. A couple giants is not going to disrupt the entire encampment," Kin tries to explain.

The old man blinks a few more times. "Was giant scare? Looked angry."

"Oh. Hmmm." Lilac peers at the map more, frowning. "Maybe I should be more focused … " She scratches her head.

"Angry. It did not appreciate getting stabbed," Kin admits. "Not my original intention, but it worked out. I just had to adjust my plan a bit."

Xander hmms. "There's alway my original plan of running away to Sylvania and try to get the next bit before they do."

Tooth holds his bony hands up, looking like he's cleared his head some. (As clear as it ever gets.) "Wait, wait. Jou tell me now… what ideas jou haff right now?"

The old master points a knobby finger at Kin. "Umeko say, jou want get help from Empire?" Then he points at Lilac. "An' jou say, jou want stay andah get in… " He scans the map again, and pokes the center. "Jou want get in tempo."

"Um, me?" Lilac asks, pointing at herself. Her ears perk.

"If you're going to do that, you might as well also tell the Imperials about this place and give them the map," Kin points out. And when Longtooth speaks, Kin once again rubs her eyelids. "I believe we need more forces to be able to deal with this. After being in the camp, I do not see how a group of six has hope of winning. Lilac and Xander believe that a magical storm will somehow provide the route in. Lilac wants to haunt the temple."

"If someone can provide me a sane reason as to how we can handle this without going for help, I would be for it for the sake of time. I just don't see one," Kin admits.

"There's the Beast Lands," Xander notes, a bit quietly.

"How is that a sane reason?" Kin has to ask.

Lilac shakes her head. "I'm not saying we don't need help, I just think that if we don't do something here, too, they'll go unwatched and unhindered. Even if the army comes, a lot can change in the time ti takes for them to arrive," she explains. "It'd be … two weeks? And then they'd have to fight the airships, and the army too."

"Mm." The old master blows a breath out through his wide nostrils, making his long white whiskers flutter. He looks up at the sky, though it's not very easy to see with all the windborne dust. Then he shrugs again. "Jou wantah know what I tink… I been fighta lonk time. I feah no man… can beat any one man. Hm!" He thumps his sunken chest, but then raises an index finger. "But, I notta stupit. Iffa army want do someting, can I stop?" He shrugs.

"Send riders back to Viper's Hold to contact the army… or what's left of it," Xander notes. "We don't know that they ever made it there. Anyway, do that, and the rest of us try to slow them down here any way we can."

"I thought we talked about this already," comes a familiar voice. A shadow forms in the sandstorm, the tall, bulky form emerging from it, a black Lapi with a shirt tied around his face. Even with it, he's spitting grit. "Pft! Pt pt pt! Ugh. Anyway, that army's not going anywhere. They're in it for the long haul."

"Ah, Gibson, come and look at the map I acquired. Do you think it would prove useful to the Imperials?" Kin asks. To the others, she says, "Okay, you want to stay. I understand. But what do you think you can do to slow down an army of thousands? I'm not trying to be be confrontational, I want to understand how you believe a couple people can slow them in any real sense."

"Hey Gibson," Xander says. "Wasn't your sister with you?"

"But, what does the storm mean then? It has to be important, I at least want to stay that long," the bardess insists.

Gibson nods, ears flopping. He's since removed the arrow that punched through one, a stained gauze patch over the hole. "She was, but I can't keep up with her," he admits. "Even tired out, she's faster than I am. She's making another round, I think she knows where to find us."

The black Lapi shrugs, reaching over to pat Lilac's shoulder and recognizing his shirt. "What's the storm mean? It's a storm, isn't it? It means rain and lightning."

"Well, we may not have much choice but to wait out the storm, depending on when it comes," Kin admits to Lilac, "If it is going to scour the earth, I would prefer not to be out getting scoured."

"Welllll," the bard's ears flick, and she glances away, "scour is a bit of poetic license. BUT, it will be a bad storm. I'm sure if it. And, I think it's important. Maybe it's even important to their plan?"

"I am not so sure it is. I got no sense of urgency from the camp with regards to any storm or expectation of one," Kin says with a small shrug. "But, it doesn't mean it won't help us if it prevents them from digging. Or worse case, floods their dig out and they have to haul all that water out."

"The temple," Xander says. "It may be a key to opening part of the temple."

"Hmmm." Lilac turns back to the map, peering at it again. "Um, what's this?" She points at a sand lion. "It looks like a little monster … "

"So may rubbing your stomach six times and snorting out your left nostril," Kin points out, "But we have no more evidence that is the key to opening a temple than a storm is."

"I have no idea what that is," Kin tells Lilac. "It was on the map, so I copied it."

Gibson still looks a bit lost, and he rubs his ears. "You think the storm is important to their plan? Why's that?"

"Wait," Xander says, a bit confused. "Do you want to try rubbing my tummy six times then?"

"Weird." She shakes her head at the symbol, then glances at Kin. "So, the temple isn't open?" Further glancing to Gibson, she adds, "Didn't I tell you? About the ghost, bloody feathers? She showed me the storm! The whole dream was during the storm." Lilac's ears shoot up. "She nodded, as if she knew something I didn't. Maybe … she's waiting for something, too? If she's connected to The Raveness, and her power, and they're all connected somehow, then … " she blinks, "… I don't know!"

"They are digging in the temple," Kin explains again. "Hakuu and his servants are working there. In fact, Beshret doesn't care much for Hakuu from what I could make out."

"Big surprise there," Xander mutters.

"Could we pit them against each other? Maybe, I don't know, get Beshret to think Hakuu is cheating him?" Lilac inquires.

And with a sidelong glance to Xander, Kin says, "No I don't want to try running your stomach six times. I was just trying to make a point about making assumptions."

"Doubtful, Lilac. Hakuu and the Cinders are effectively paying Beshret's expenses. He may not like him, but I doubt he would threaten his funding," Kin says.

"Grr," Lilac growls, frustrated. She returns to examining the map.

Kin winces a but and leans forward, placing her face into her hands briefly. "I think I should get some sleep," the Kiriga admits when she finally looks back up.

Gibson eyes Lilac oddly. He keeps his mouth shut for now, apparently trying to figure out something diplomatic to say.

"Sand lions, sand lions," Xander mutters, since he isn't getting a belly rub. "Have I ever heard of them? There were those sand-serpent things, and the sand-tentacle-ball things… maybe Long-Shadow knows."

Staring at the map, Lilac doesn't seem to notice the the odd look.

"He might know, but I have no idea if we will see him again," Kin admits rather quietly. "His final words to me … they make me think not."

"I picture toothy Khatta springing out of the sand," Lilac murmurs distractedly.

Long Tooth rubs his arm where the arrow hit him, then nods. "Mm. Sleep, good." He pauses to think a moment, and begins speaking Imperial. "Umeko-chan, I understand you want to protect your friends. But ultimately, their choice is theirs. It is for them to face the dangers they choose, and whatever they may earn from it."

"I know. I just do not wish them to walk carelessly into their ends. If they truly believe they can somehow stop an entire army, well, I hope they can prove me wrong. But … is is worlds different to face five and to face five thousand," Kin says to her teacher with a small shrug. "I will not force them one way or another. I have spoken my thoughts on the matter and expressed my concerns. It is all I can do." Kin doesn't even move from her spot to find a better sleeping location. In the end, she just coils up a bit on herself to try and shield from the blowing grit.

The old man rolls a bony shoulder, something in it popping. "What have you chosen, then? For yourself?"

Xander yawns, the efforts of the day crashing down on him. He looks at Kin, then Tooth, then Gibson and Lilac. He somehow doubts they'd all agree to sleep in a big pile to keep warm.

"To speak with Anisa and try to understand what her desires are. Ultimately, I think I must go to the Imperials and seek help. Even if it does make me feel a coward," Kin murmurs.

Long Tooth nods, rubbing his snout. "Mm. Good then. Best to decide after everyone weighs in. Remember this, you of all people are no coward. No student of mine would be." That said, he hobbles over to Xander to snuggle up for warmth.

Xander sighs and takes what he's given, but does start up his warmth cantrip as well. "Can't light a fire and give ourselves away, so rally round the mage for warmth everyone," he says.

Lilac shakes her head at the map, sitting back. She breathes a sigh, rubbing her head. "I'm not a warrior, what am I even doing? I just can't seem to … " she dips her head, shaking it. "Gibson, I'm tired. Want to get some sleep?"

The black Lapi rests both hands on Lilac's shoulders, giving them a comforting squeeze. "We'd better. We've all been through a lot, and I'm sure emotions are still running high. Let's try to get a fresh perspective after some rest."

"I just feel a little … " Lilac shakes her head again, dismissing whatever it is. "It's nothing, I'm sorry." She slides back to lean against the buck, pulling his arms around her.

Kin ends up pushing herself back up. After a bit of a tired struggle, she makes her way over to curl a bit around Xander and Longtooth now. "Thank you, Xander," she tells him. Inwardly, she wants and fears sleep and what nightmares may come from the days trials. Somehow, she half expects to merely dream of Hakuu laughing at her. If it does come, hopefully Xander won't be subjected to her claws, at least.

"I could sleep for a day," Xander mutters, forgetting his itchy ear scrapes for the moment.