Aereuer Showers

[arturiarex]

Who: Saber, Various
When: Throughout the month of Aereuer
Where: The City, the outskirts, the wild, etc.
What: Catch-all
Warnings: None (yet)

[ooc: catch-all! If you'd like to plot something, drop me a line via PM or dragoon1940

Comments

[ua_duibhne]

Convenience... that's how things began with Berserker isn't it? He's quiet for a moment, the faintest of smiles flickering if not across his lips then in his eyes, brightening his countenance for just a second or two. Even the thought of him warms his heart, bolsters his confidence in this strange scenario, and he seems more relaxed for it as he turns back to Saber.

"I hope it brings you more than just peace of mind. Truly."

There's something painfully genuine about the way he says it and, as soon as he realises, he's forced to look away, embarrassed.

"Regardless," he continues, "we have a duty to the people here."

Right. Duty. It's much easier to focus on that than their complicated emotional lives and he picks up the pace a little more. It isn't longer before the first of several barns comes into view, accompanied by a herd of grazing sheep and the odd cow- none of whom seem very concerned about being dragged off in the night. The farmhouse sits in the middle of it all, its doors open and several chickens pecking around the yard.

[arturiarex]

"I believe it will," she responds, voice soft, "Byleth seems determined to be the sort of bondmate we would both prefer at this point and she was kind enough to offer. So I will see what the future brings."

He's correct, of course. There's duty to attend to. A monster to bring to heel. She glances up at him and then regards the farmyard. It looks like any other farm to her. Nothing out of the ordinary. Her gaze darts from one side to the other.

"Let's begin by asking the inhabitants," she decides out loud after a moment and strides off toward the open door, apparently content to take the lead. Well, she is a king, after all.

[ua_duibhne]

Meanwhile, Diarmuid seems just as happy to take a more supporting role; it's where he's always been the most comfortable and, in spite of their complex relationship, he settles into it with ease. As he follows her, a few of the hens waddle around their boots- only to start squawking when they realise that Saber is very much of the feline persuasion.

If nothing else, it attracts attention. In short order, a burly woman appears from the next room, clucking at and hushing the birds before she's even looked up at her two visitors. She even pauses to pick one of them up before finally introducing herself as the owner of the farm.

"I'll wager you're here about the attacks. Want me to take you to the pens?"

"That would be gra-" Diarmuid begins, only for the farmer to dump the hen she was cradling right into his arms. The bird watches him with beady little eyes, clearly trying to decide how much of a fuss she should make about the strange man who can't hold her correctly.

[arturiarex]

Saber gives their erstwhile hostess a quick bow and a nod of acknowledgement. It's not hard to guess at reason for their presence, is it?

"We would be grateful. It might give us an idea of where to begin looking for traces of this creature."

The woman nodded, apparently very much a no-nonsense type, and absolutely willing to take charge here on her own farm, <em"Right. You two follow me. And don't mind her, she'll let you know when she doesn't want to be handled anymore..." She turns to lead them around the corner of the house toward another pen set a bit back from it. Saber shoots Diarmuid a look that might almost be amusement before she follows. Sorry, he's on his own with the hen.

fuck i lost this tag

[ua_duibhne]

Right. Of course. The slightly helpless look Diarmuid gives Saber in return goes unanswered and so he resigns himself to being this hen's personal chauffeur for the time being. With a sigh, he resettles her in his arms- earning a warning peck in the process- and follows the two of them towards the pen.

Unsurprisingly, it's mostly been tidied up but there are still a few telltale signs of the disturbance. The wood around the side has been hastily fixed with mismatched planks, the older ones still stained with dark flecks of blood where it soaked into the grain. Careful not to disturb the chicken in his arms, Diarmuid drops onto one knee to examine it more closely. The lock on the gate itself is bent out of shape- currently a sturdy rope holds it shut- and claw marks mar the area around it.

Frowning, he glances up. "How many sheep did it take?"

no worries

[arturiarex]

Saber examines the area herself, running fingers against the gate and the bent, broken lock. The woman answers.

"Took two. Which is more than we can afford to lose, but nothing to be done about that now, is there?"

She sounds grimly resigned, as if she can push through this trouble by sheer grit if she tries hard enough. Maybe she can. This could end up meaning her family goes hungry over the winter. It could mean not enough income. It could mean a lot of things.

Saber glances up.

"Did you hear anything during the night? Did you see it?"

[ua_duibhne]

"Yes but not much. By the time I got out here, it was too late but I got a look at it before it left. Big wings, hooves and glowing eyes. It looked right at me." She pauses to spit vehemently, expression dark. "Real ugly bastard."

Diarmuid sets the hen down as he rises, ignoring the way that she continues to pet around his boots even when he steps to the side.

"We'll do what we-"

He's interrupted before he can give any reassurances. The woman turns that tired, steely gaze on him and gives a little huff. "I thought they might send hunters from the Coven, not a couple of amateurs."

Now that throws him. As much as he wants to rebuke her- more for Saber's sake than his own, given not only her status but her enormous strength- he doesn't. It's understandable that she's frustrated; this is her livelihood on the line, the wellbeing of her family. Anyone would be upset.

Instead, he bows his head.

"I can vouch for my partner's skill. The beast will be dead before it can do you any more harm," he says, calm and even. You can't even tell how deeply he feels slighted by the accusation.

[arturiarex]

Saber's expression remains composed. Like Diarmuid, she understands why she's frustrated and why she feels they're not adequate to the task. They're strangers to her; volunteers and not the trained hunters she thought she'd be seeing. She doesn't know of their skills or thier past lives. She must feel abandoned. So she turns to the woman and bows her head slightly.

"As my companion says, we will make sure you are not troubled again. If you can tell us anything more, we would be incredibly grateful."

The woman snorts. She doesn't seem all that impressed.

"It went off that way," she gestures toward the edge of the barnyard, "Towards the woods."

Saber glances over her shoulder and she nods, "Thank you."