[PQ] out, out, out

BARTIE

alone
at last

Hovering at the gates of the Citadel, Bartie double-triple checked its inventory. Some small scrap of self-preservation had prevented it from packing only notebooks and field guilds, rations packed in among the pages upon pages of books. Having rarely left the warmth and safety of the Citadel proper, Bartie had rarely had cause to wear its warmest clothing. It felt awkward and unmoored in its tundra-friendly kit, bone snow goggles sitting in its hair only to slide down every thirty seconds thanks to its nervous jiggling. Everything was on the verge of being ready to go, but for now, it was forced to stand, idling, waiting, anticipating.

No one could accuse Bartie of being a cheerful person. Even now, she wasn’t even sure she was happy. Giddy, yes. Exhilarated, absolutely. But the helter skelter starting in her ribs and plummeting down her stomach wasn’t exactly joyful. The thought of going out into the tundra to finally see in person some of the lifeforms she’d studied so much from the comfort of a quiet library honestly had her feeling sick. She wanted it, yes, desperately so. But so much pressure rested on this expedition, even if, to account for her own inexperience, it was not planned to be a particularly daring or lengthy one.

Standing by the gates, she hugged herself, watching the surroundings like a hunted animal, even though she was on the cusp of escape, of finally getting out of the Citadel she’d known little more than.

1. Bartie
2. Soleil
3.

terribly, completely
alone

and the only solution was to stand and fight

Under present circumstances, Deimos had a difficult time letting many of his guild members, inexperienced or not, wandering out one their lonesome. They’d often been traversing and hunting in pairs or multiples, scouring the vast tundra for the far more aggressive legions of flora and fauna, and with Bartie’s inclination towards exploration and knowledge, the Sword situated himself into a role as well.

With notice given to more constituents, and some portions of his role filled out for the day, he advanced upon the meeting spot with Belial, jumping around at his heels, and Zuriel, haughty enough to look as though she’d rather be anywhere else along behind him. “Hope you do not mind if I join you,” he gave by way of greeting to the scholar, situating one of his gloves further down his hand and shouldering his bag of holding. “What were you hoping to see?”

DEIMOS

Soleil

Soleil practically vibrates with excitement as she makes it to the meeting point, hands wrapped around her backpack straps and curls pinned and corralled into a top-knot on her crown. It's her first 'client' as an adventurer, and she's eager to prove her worth and exemplify her knowledge. The pressure is both lessened and worsened by Deimos' presence; he will surely keep them safe, and his knowledge is far greater than her own, but considering the way she looks up to him she can't help but feel a small pit in the center of her stomach that someone as self-confident as Soleil doesn't often contend with.

Bartie looks like she's about to be sick, so Soleil goes to her first even though she knows Deimos best, shooting them a bright and comforting smile. "Thanks for reaching out for this! It's gonna be great," she assures, rocking on her toes and spreading a few of her fingers without losing grip of her backpack straps. Turning to Deimos, her smile turns cheeky. "You know we can't say no to our Warden joining," she simpers, as if she has ever seen his title first and the man second. Swinging her head back around to Bartie, Soleil takes the first few steps outside of the gate to encourage them all to move so that Bartie won't have to. "I brought extras of everything, so don't worry if you forgot anything!"

You'll never leave me if I'm already gone