Family's Witness

Elizabeth

Take a step back, evaluate what is important, and enjoy life.

Concerned that the package may not be delivered correctly, Elizabeth had followed behind, doing her best to use every bit of stealth in her body (she has maybe an ounce). She'd secured a shopping bag purely for disguise purposes and let her hair loose in a curtain that hid half her face when angled correctly. She'd even dressed in inconspicuous colors, her scarf a dark maroon over her brown coat and black boots. It made it easy for her to blend into the crowd, eyes glued to the courier as she trailed from a distance. Most people shuffled by, eager to escape the chill that billowed through the streets, so it was even easier to keep track of the lone figure carrying a large crate. 

There was obviously risk that the Family knew she was in Stormbreak again so soon after her overstep, but she still held the belief that they wanted something and killing her didn't seem like the way to get what they wanted. The possible negotiations still lingered in her mind, despite Deimos's decision not to pursue that avenue. She obviously wouldn't go against his authority, but her perception of the matters hadn't changed, and she figured the list of ideas may come in handy sooner rather than later. 

Elizabeth watched as the delivery entered a large structure that she suspected to be Dahlia's office. If she followed inside, she was guaranteed to be discovered, leaving her with the decision to linger outside. She settled against the wall, twirling a piece of hair in her fingers as she waited to observe the courier leaving empty handed.

NOE

But I got smarter, I got harder in the nick of time

Noe was out and about in Stormbreak as she normally was, running here and there on errands for either herself, her new business, or her family. On this particular afternoon, it was a combination of all three, and she carried several bags of LongNight preparation goodies, a few boxes of supplies for the office, and some potions and tinctures for her father balanced precariously on top.

As a result of her overburdened arms, she didn’t see the woman standing in her way until it was too late. ”Look out!” she yelped, right about the same time as she ran into the stranger and her boxes and bags went flying. ”Shit!” she cried as everything fell to the ground, immediately turning to the woman with an apologetic grimace. ”Oh, gods, I am so sorry. Are you okay?”

Honey, I rose up from the dead, I do it all the time

Elizabeth

Take a step back, evaluate what is important, and enjoy life.

She'd just barely spotted the gangly courier leaving the building when she felt something crash into her side. Her vision had been so tunneled in focus, she hadn't noticed the woman's approach. Box edges and boney limbs jabbed her in the side. Elizabeth gasped, instinctually moving away from the assault before seeing the objects fly through the air. Her own hands were full of shopping bags, but she reached out a tendril of telekinesis magic, able to keep a box and one bag from hitting the cobblestones. 

Letting out her breath, she shook her head. "No no. I'm fine. That was all my fault. I shouldn't have been standing in the middle of the street. Are you okay?" Elizabeth slowly guided the assortment of goods to a nearby bench with her magic before turning to take in the stranger. She didn't immediately note any injuries, but she couldn't tell beneath the armfuls of packages. Tilting her head, she smiled warmly, a twinkle of amusement in her brown eyes. "Do you need some help?"

NOE

But I got smarter, I got harder in the nick of time

The stranger somehow managed to catch some of the goods that Noe had dropped, for which the girl was grateful. The potions and tinctures, at least, were in breakable containers, and she could only imagine how painful it would be to have to retrace her steps and repurchase them all. ”Oh, I’m totally fine,” Noe responded, setting down the remaining boxes and bags in her arms to begin gathering what had fallen. She checked the box with the potions to find that they were all intact. Thank the gods.

She looked up at the stranger. Her eyes twinkled with amusement, matched by Noe’s own good cheer. ”Oh, you don’t have to do that!” she said as she began to gather up the items that had fallen. ”I just need to stack them properly.” And then she began to rearrange her boxes on the bench, hoping to stack them in a way that made them easier to carry.

Honey, I rose up from the dead, I do it all the time

Elizabeth

Take a step back, evaluate what is important, and enjoy life.

Happy to see the woman without injuries, Elizabeth shifted her own bags and moved to the bench. Now she took in the assortment of goods, biting her lip as she asked, ”I didn’t break anything, did I?” Deimos would be furious if he found out she’d not only followed the package, but had ‘assaulted’ one of Dahlia’s citizens and destroyed their property. With any luck, she could make it out of the situation without much more difficulty. 

Smiling, she gave a warm laugh as she shook her head. ”I really don’t mind. I can help with magic and I don’t have to be anywhere for a while.” Hopefully, she’d covered any polite excuses the stranger might give for refusing her help, but it was still within her right to refuse. Although there was still the matter of being strangers. ”My name’s Elizabeth.” Unable to offer a hand, she just offered a polite dip of her head and a bright smile.

NOE

But I got smarter, I got harder in the nick of time

”No, no, it’s all good,” Noe assured the stranger with no small amount of relief. If she’d had to go back through town with all of her bags and boxes to repurchase what she’d already gotten… well, she might have been more than a little peeved. As it was, though, she just needed to stack this here and that there, and maybe she’d be able to actually see where she was going without running into any more strangers.

Although this one seemed determined not to remain a stranger for long, and Noe looked up from her stacking to stick out a hand in greeting. ”I’m Noe,” she said brightly, more than happy to make a new friend and more than a little pleased with her rearrangement of her many boxes and bags. ”Alright, if you insist, you take these…” And so she arranged her goods between the two of them so that neither had too much to carry. ”My house is just down this way,” she said. ”And, just because my brother would want me to say, you should know that he’s a dragoon, in case you’re actually a creepy stalker or a thief or something.”

Honey, I rose up from the dead, I do it all the time

Elizabeth

Take a step back, evaluate what is important, and enjoy life.

"Nice to meet you, Noe." Her smile warmed, happy to have met someone in Stormbreak despite her reasons for being there. Without complaint, Elizabeth easily accepted the directions, using her telekinesis to lift the indicated packages. They floated next to her as she made to follow Noe. 

The blunt threat had the therapist laughing, a playful grin appearing as she said, "Thanks for the warning." Because she may not have any negative intentions, but she appreciated the heads up whenever protective big brothers were involved. Tilting her head, she asked curiously, "Do you encounter a lot of stalkers and thieves here?" It seemed unlikely given the 'terrifying' leadership, but Noe's jump to suspicion certainly made her wonder.

NOE

But I got smarter, I got harder in the nick of time

Noe bounced along, her load lighter now that she’d made a new friend, and was more than content to chatter aimlessly. She was nothing if not friendly, and it was easier now than ever before to engage even with strangers. ”Oh, no,” she said of thieves and stalkers. ”Or at least, not any more so than you’d find anywhere. Well, I guess Torchline might be worse,” she added thoughtfully, taking a left and leading the way down a side street. ”But I don’t think we have a lot, anyway.”

Sticking to the busier streets (just in case Elizabeth was lying), Noe made their way towards the Carpenter residence, her steps and voice bubbly as she rambled on. ”What about you? Is there danger where you’re from?” Noe hadn’t traveled enough to even hazard a guess as to where that might be, but she could at least assume based on the woman’s previous question that it wasn’t Stormbreak.

Honey, I rose up from the dead, I do it all the time

Elizabeth

Take a step back, evaluate what is important, and enjoy life.

Following Noe, she took in the city. Elizabeth should probably have focused on keeping track of turns and landmarks so she could find her way back, however, she wasn't the strategic kind that thought of such things. If she got lost on her way back, she'd just make a new friend to guide her back to the skyship. 

Knowing that there weren't many criminals in Stormbreak eased her conscience, and she smiled to talk about her own home. "I live in Halo. Most people out there are too focused on survival - or helping other people survive - to really have the time for nefarious business, and what with recent events..." She shrugged her shoulders, certain Noe would have heard the broadcast regarding the attack on Halo. "That doesn't mean there's not the occasional outlier, but they're not very common." Deimos and Evie were good Wardens who made it a relatively safe place to enjoy living. 

She tilted her head to look at a particularly tall building as they passed. "So you like Stormbreak then?" Elizabeth wondered if it was hard for people to live in the city when their leadership was so obviously part of the Family, or if most of them walked around completely oblivious.

NOE

But I got smarter, I got harder in the nick of time

The city was a maze, but Noe was used to its twists and turns and found her way through the streets easily, chatting with Elizabeth as she went. They passed through a market square, walking by vendors selling various wares, calling out prices to the passing women even as they went past with arms full of boxes and bags. Noe shook her head at their audacity - or was it desperation? They were certainly eager to make sales, she’d give them that.

”Oh, yeah, I heard something about that,” Noe said as they walked. Privately, she didn’t really understand why people were making such a big deal about the Void and the Family, but that seemed rude to say when someone had just died. In any case, Noe was content to think of other things, and as talk turned back to Stormbreak, she brightened. ”It’s my home,” she said, loyal to the region even if she had considered leaving it in recent seasons. She couldn’t really remember why she’d wanted to move to Torchline now, but she remembered having the thought. ”There’s so much to the city, and there’s always something new going on. My favorite is usually Pacifist Plaza, when all the vendors are out,” she added, nodding towards the boxes in her hands. ”It’s so lively. I’ve never seen anything quite like it.” Not that she’d explored much beyond Stormbreak’s borders, but that was neither here nor there.

Honey, I rose up from the dead, I do it all the time

Elizabeth

Take a step back, evaluate what is important, and enjoy life.

Ignoring a particularly insistent shopkeeper selling what looked like... bugs?, Elizabeth made sure to stick close to Noe. The woman certainly seemed to know her way through the streets, and it was almost a struggle to keep up. Luckily, the conversation was a great motivator as she thought on the events of the past few weeks. "Yeah. I saw the aftermath of the second battle. With the giant purple titan leaning against the wall, it was quite a sight to behold." She quickly adjust her magic to guide the packages around a group of children that had decided to run through the crowded street. "There wasn't a broadcast about that one. I think it's because it ended so quickly, but people were still pretty shaken up about it." 

Noe's praise for Stormbreak was obviously biased, but it still made Elizabeth smile. "I've heard mostly good things about the city, although I hadn't been able to journey here until more recently." She'd been too young to really know what it meant to be excluded from the city for her magic, until her parents had to leave her for a business trip to the area. Then she'd felt somewhat hurt. It wasn't like she'd asked for magic, but then again, she wouldn't trade it for anything. However, when the city final opened to her kind, Elizabeth hadn't felt the need to flock to the floating island. She came for therapy sessions, but that was about it. 

Tilting her head, she studied her new companion more closely. "Well, Noe, other than shopping and vendors, what do you usually do for fun around here?"

NOE

But I got smarter, I got harder in the nick of time

Oh, right, the bug guy. Noe had forgotten that he liked to set up shop this way. Rolling her eyes at him and making a face at his wares, she continued on, barely giving Elizabeth a chance to see the sights. If she wanted a tour, Noe would be happy to oblige, of course - once her arms were free of packages.

News of a second battle in Halo had Noe raising her brows at Elizabeth, though, even as she turned down a final street. They were in a residential section now, and the Carpenter house was just down the way. ”I’m sorry to hear that,” she said, because it seemed like the right thing to say. ”Seems like Halo’s not the safest place to be. We haven’t had any issues like that here.” Not since Dahlia had taken over; the last monster to attack Stormbreak had been the Mothman under Sohalia’s rule.

In any case, they’d arrived at Noe’s home, and she balanced her packages while she unlocked the door. Once everything was in place, she turned back to Elizabeth. ”Oh,m there’s so much to do here! Do you like food, or drinking, or dancing?” she asked brightly. ”And then there’s the sightseeing. We have some beautiful architecture, if you’re into that kind of thing. And the Celestine is always fun to visit. Have you ever met Lena, the Caretaker? She’s so nice!”

Honey, I rose up from the dead, I do it all the time

Elizabeth

Take a step back, evaluate what is important, and enjoy life.

She stepped in between two charming houses with cute little planters and balconies that made her smile. Even if she knew Dahlia was the leader of the region, she had to admit that it was charming. What Elizabeth couldn't quite tell was if Noe was being facetious or serious about why Stormbreak hadn't been targeted. Curious, she asked, "Why do you think that is?" 

Meanwhile, she followed diligently behind her guide, shifting the packages in her own arms as she walked. It wasn't necessarily heavy, but it would be nice to take a break from carrying it all. At least she had a great distraction. Once Noe finished her very thorough list of Stormbreak's amenities, Elizabeth smiled. "I have met Lena! We were both in King's End. She was very sweet." They'd watched unicorns and talked for a while before parting ways. 

Since they'd appeared to have arrived at Noe's residence, she controlled her magic to move the packages forward, offering them for her to take. Laughing, Elizabeth tilted her head. "I'm not very good at dancing, and I can't really hold my liquor; but I like being around people, so I end up frequenting bars. Although I usually bring a book or a journal." It said a lot about her personality and interests, even if she'd love to be that carefree party girl type. Warm brown eyes twinkling, she said, "I'd love to go someplace though. How's the dating pool?" Because what smut-reading young woman doesn't dream about romance?

NOE

But I got smarter, I got harder in the nick of time

Noe hadn’t really stopped to think about why Stormbreak hadn’t been targeted, but it was clear to her all the same. ”Well, we have Dahlia and the rest of the Family,” she said. And the Family didn’t seem to have any interest in attacking the region that they had claimed as their own. ”I think they’re protecting us.”

Noe put the packages inside the door and out of the way, then closed and locked the door. Taking a step forward, the girl linked arms with Elizabeth and began to steer her out of the yard. ”Oh, we have the perfect place, then! You should check out the Silk Houses. I mean, as long as you don’t mind passing by a few brothels.” Noe giggled. ”But there’s a ton of taverns and things, and there’s a few little hole-in-the-wall restaurants that have the best food. I can show you, if you have the time.”

Honey, I rose up from the dead, I do it all the time