Muted Betrayals

[Guppy]

Whenever she made this trek through the forest, her path varied. Elliot was resourceful when he wished and she did not want to risk leading the Knight to her injured friend. He made no promises to her. Her steps through the underbrush were soft, picking her way carefully. There was no rush - she had hours of daylight left. The heat was stifling despite the thick foliage - she could not wait to feel the relative chill of the cave where Niall healed. She thought back to the day when she had taken a dip in the lake, yearned for the chill against her skin. Already, sweat soaked the back of her neck and between her shoulder blades where the heavy pack of supplies rested.

She was careful never to wear her uniform on these visits. That seemed an uncommonly cruel reminder of what had been lost. Wearing expensive leather pants and a flattering top, the hunter gave a sharp little whistle to let Niall know of her approach. At the mouth of the cave, the wildling eased the heavy pack from her shoulders and took a moment to press hands to the small of her back to stretch it out. A deep breath puffed from between pursed lips and her head lifted to peer inside. "Niall? Are you hungry? I need to check your wounds today," she called.

[Jirai]

Niall was not in a good mood.

This was only to be expected, of course. Niall was rarely in a good mood, after all, and being run through by the one person she actually cared about only made things worse. Exacerbating matters was the fact that two people knew of this particular hideaway where the scarred young woman had retreated to heal and that was two too many as far as Niall was concerned.

Despite that, the tension in the young woman's shoulder's relaxed slightly at the sound of the whistle. The girl - or rather, not the girl - was no less dangerous than the northerner, but this one was a danger Niall knew how to handle. The Dauntless man? The tattooed young woman hadn't a clue.

"My wounds are fine," would be the irritable answer the whelp would receive. The young woman was sitting on the floor of the cave with legs outstretched, leaning back against the wall. A small knife and a bit of wood were in her hands, a weapon against idleness. Her middle was still bandaged - while the cuts on her hands had healed swiftly, the other wounds were more stubborn.

[Guppy]

Niall was not often in a good mood these days, which Noura could well understand. It informed her, with more than a little scorn, that the girl's mother-henning likely was not helping matters. Not to mention the fact that the minute Niall came into view, Noura teared up in remembered distress. The wounds that she could see were healing well enough, but Whelp assumed that the emotional ones were still festering.

Niall's snapping retort was met with a slight nod. "I brought some bandage material in case it needs changing," she remarked, not appearing to be stung by the tattooed woman's response. "More food, some cider, a small amount of whiskey," she rattled off as she slipped inside and kneeled with the pack in front of her. She pulled out the objects that she was listing, one by one.

Suddenly, shoulders slumped and hands came to rest upon her thighs. "Do you still want to go home?," she asked, remembering her conversation with Elliot, the mention of banishment.

[Jirai]

Mother-henning and tears were met by a scowl from the tattooed woman. She set the small things she was holding aside, though, and reached cautiously for the cider, careful not to stretch too far.

"I can change the damned..." she started, only to be taken by surprise by the girl's sudden question. Words trailed off and she closed her eyes for a moment, fingers briefly seeking a mirror shard that was no longer there. She was silent for several long moments.

"...I don't know."

[Guppy]

The scowl was regarded, noted, and ignored. The young woman could not smother her worry. Not after seeing the blood. She had to admit that she had been slightly surprised it was as crimson as her own, she had thought hoped it would be the same color as her runes. The blood that was covering Niall's front, Gloria's hands. Dripped so carelessly down the path, splattered across the underbrush. Niall was infallible. A stalwart force that could not be felled in just any wind. She stood against It, the most powerful force in the girl's life, and laughed in It's face. That was a powerful moment. And to see her hero razed by so primitive a method ... that was life-shattering.

The woman watched the other mutely when she found herself startled from her thoughts, from her anger. That moment when her eyes closed and the vulnerability was written plainly upon her features, Whelp wanted to learn forward. Wanted to embrace her friend. She would never presume such a comfort. Niall's magic had likely returned, though Noura did not test it.

Silence fell between them and they both considered the question and the answer. Finally, "He says that he will consider banishing you." Hesitant, she sighed. "Niall, please. Tell me what to do. Tell me how to fix this." Her eyes were pleading.

[Jirai]

Niall was invulnerable, rendered so by the tattoos that covered almost every inch of her body. Tattoos that made touching the young woman a painful experience, save when she actively repressed the magic.

Except for Elliot.

No, Niall had not been razed by so primitive a method... unless it was the most primitive of all - caring.

The cider was set aside, one arm folded protectively over her bandaged middle and the young woman was silent again for several moments before answering.

"She is the problem, ultimately. I know little of mind-magic." And how it galled her to admit to such a lack. "We need someone who knows more. She has a brother - where does he stand?" A shake of her head, a brief press of her other hand for the smaller wound just above her heart. "I cannot talk to him. Not until we have found some solution. You must make sure he stays safe."

[Guppy]

The cider was set aside. Appetite forgotten as they spoke, as they planned and they plotted. Niall's arm across her belly, the touch over her heart - they provided pale comfort. The actions were not missed by the whelp.

"Her brother. Ser Kals. He saw Elliot and was alarmed. He looked and saw the changes. He told me that he would struggle to fix everything, but he has not his sister's skill," she admitted. Despite the fact that it was cautious hope, it was hope nonetheless. "If she manages to capture him, I suspect she will be able to overpower him. That she will be able to change him, as she has the others." Perhaps family warranted some restraint, but the Lady had every reason to not wish her plans to be altered by meddling sibling.

"We are trying our best. Gloria, Cherny, Catch, Myself. I feel as if we are useless few against the tide of her power," she admitted. There was a moment when guilt flashed across her features when Niall bid her protect the boy. That was interesting, and perhaps a little foreboding.

[Jirai]

"Then she must not capture him." Niall said bluntly, leaning back against the wall. As simple as that. "Whatever it takes." Speaking of, the girl frowned. "I am reluctant even to ask it, but what about Catch?"

The guilt on the girl's face was interesting, perhaps, but moreso it was confusing, brows furrowed for a moment. "And Nova, is she alright?"

[Guppy]

Then she must not capture him. It was simple, but the details were more difficult than Whelp could imagine. Perhaps she could seek the Wolf Woman, his mate. Maybe the two of them could lead the tiny band of rebellion. "Whatever it takes," she repeated, quietly, thoughtfully. "When you recover, Niall," she began, "you could mean the difference between success and failure." To the little whelp, it appeared as if Niall were hiding away from the truth of things. "We need your magic to survive." And Myrken was all about survival, Giuseppe told her. Not happiness. Never happiness.

Niall asked after Catch and the girl nodded. "He will help when he can, but he says that he is limited. Everything that he attempts to correct just fractures further," she summarized her conversations with the addled man. "Do you think this a waste of time?," hesitantly asked, though she needed that answer. Her words revealed that others did. Considering the topic of conversation, it was likely Catch himself. "My attempts to gain information from both sides have been limited. I can not fully understand. I am not as intelligent as I would like." She was disappointed in herself, brows furrowed and fists clenching.

Mention of Nova made her brows furrow and her stance shift to confusion. "Nova? I - I think I've met her. The one with the tail, right?," she questioned, storm gathering over her brows suddenly with recollection. "The one who took the ring from Elliot?" Nova was a victim, as much as any of them. Possibly more. Still, she made an easy target to blame. A grunt sounded. "I have not seen her."

[Jirai]

She did not ask after Nova for blame. "Mama-bear," the whelp had once called the tattooed girl. That was horribly incorrect and utterly perfect at the same time. Nova was on the very short list of people whose well-being Niall actually cared about. The whelp was also on that list, she'd found.

"If I thought this a waste of time," the scarred young woman answered, "I would burn this place to the ground. Who thinks that?"

She shifted slightly, looking away and then back at the girl. "You have magic, too." She pointed out. Not the whelp, exactly, but still. "I will do what I need to do. Give me a full day here, with no one entering."

[Guppy]

Mama-Bear. That was a title that Niall had earned. A title that she was called still, in secret. Niall was the stalwart protector against the tide that threatened to overwhelm the young brood of the tavern. Whether she liked it or not.

Niall's revelation that she did not feel that what they did was useless made the whelp's shoulders slump in relief for a moment. "Catch. Giuseppe. They both seem to think that this is predetermined. Giuseppe is trying to appeal to It's sense of preservation. Best to work with the Lady than to be forced to change, he says," she lamented, still unclear as to where It's loyalties lay. "Do you know him? What do you think of him?" A beat of silence. "He does not think that we will both survive Lady Olwak's purging. He hopes to secure It so that, of the two of us, It will endure. I - I will be swallowed whole."

At mention of her magic, she blinked. "It has magic, yes. It understands the rising army against our smaller numbers." The creature was not a coward, but was all too aware that whelp was not invulnerable. It had to be cautious. Niall pleaded to be given a day with no one entering and whelp struggled valiantly to hide the disappointment and slight hurt she felt. "You have enough supplies?," she questioned as her eyes touched upon that which she had brought for the scarred woman. She seemed ready to comply with the request.

[Jirai]

"Giuseppe. The man in black? The one that used to work for Glenn?" She questioned. "No. I don't know him. Not really. And Catch... We must be careful involving Catch in any way." Some things were inevitable. Catch was one of those, not Rhaena Olwak. "...I will speak to this Giuseppe." She added on, eyes narrowing in disapproval.

"And will It work with me?" She asked. But then the whelp struggled to hide her disappointment, and Niall waved a hand dismissively. "I do not need supplies for this. Nor do I need an audience for what I need to do. ...But the supplies have been appreciated." That last bit added on awkwardly. Niall was not used to such things.

[Guppy]

The young woman gave a short nod at Niall's questions. "Yes, him. He and It share counsel, but neither trusts the other." It was a relationship that she did not quite fathom. "He radiates death." The scarred young woman assured that she would speak with the man and worry stole across her features. "Be careful. He belongs to Rhaena." She hesitated as the other made mention of Catch. "I have... I have already involved him. He and Gloria and Cherny are the only ones who appear to be fighting against her. They do not trust the Dark One."

As she spoke of the creature, those brows furrowed. "Of course It will work with you. It thinks you are special." In ways that the whelp was not special. The awkward thanks was met with a wide smile. The whelp rose and darted forward, hesitating as she neared Niall. Slowly, so as to not startle her, she moved to reach out to brush hand against Niall's check. She would regret it if the magic scorched across her flesh, but she would try all the same. "I will come when you are done?," she hazarded, uncertain.