DARKNESS AND FROST log

[futhark]

DARKNESS AND FROST



A message is sent on the network on the 20th, informing the Mirrorbounds about the developments regarding a quest posted earlier in the month on the board.

Word comes from the Wilders’ headquarters in Dorchacht that there haven’t been that many sightings of the Nuckelavee for a long time. Most assumed that whatever the Mirrorbounds did must have driven the ghastly creatures away for good. Clearly, not a single person missed them. It is a nasty surprise to learn that not only did they not disappear completely, but now, angrier than ever, they pose a threat to Aefenglom as well.


THE NORTHERN OUTPOST ( 21st - 26th )

---

The Northern Outpost has seen steady development since its establishment, but nothing on a scale that could make it possible to survive an attack of demonic beasts. So it becomes a whirlwind of activity. There are ditches to dig, magical wards and barriers to set up, weapons and armour need inspection and some alchemical supplies are easier found in the surrounding forest rather than back in Aefenglom, but no one should go procuring them alone. But there are more mundane tasks too! With the sudden increase in population, the self-appointed kitchen staff of the Northern Outpost is barely managing to keep all the mouths fed and all the dishes washed (and pesky rodents kept away). All help will be enthusiastically welcomed no matter the level of culinary aptitude. There’s enough work for everyone.

Not far from the Outpost itself, a new structure rises from the ground quickly, incorporating a nearby shallow cave. That’s the Enclosure, the place where researchers who intend to study the Nuckelavee plan to lure one of the creatures. The construction has barely started, and there is much to do before it can hold its captive inside. Engineers, Arachne, Witches adept in Enchantment and Abjuration - all are welcome to lend their hands (as many as they can spare) in this scientific endeavor. It could be a once-in-a-lifetime chance to further or even create a completely new field of study!

Mirrorbounds are encouraged to return and rest within the city, but should you decide to stay for the night, the moods are rather sour and tense. Still, people do try to enjoy the evening break, at least those who get it - night guards work in shifts. Someone makes a bonfire and encourages sharing stories as the night passes to lift morale. A chilling Nuckelavee scream might stop the relaxing and put everyone on edge. But it seems the creatures are refusing to come out just yet.


THE SLUMS 21st - 26th

---

Sprawling from the Other Side of the Bright Wall, the Outer City grows outward with no particular organisation or order, with buildings’ integrity decreasing the closer they are to the edge of the Wilde. While some of the inhabitants greet the aid provided with gratitude, there are many who treat it with distrust and their own fate at the mercy of yet another incomprehensible danger with blood-chilling apathy. Much work has been done by numerous Mirrorbound to help those living in the Slums but the memory of all those lost to the frost when the city shut its gates and left them to die casts a long shadow on all attempts to defend against this new threat.

Deprived of the comforts of magitech ubiquitous for the citizens of the city proper, the inhabitants of the Slums find their own creative ways to provide life’s necessities to each other. Carrying water has always been a task for younger ones in the families. A worrying number of those that go fetch water from a far away stream do not come home on time. They could have gotten distracted chasing a stray dog, roped in some mischief by other kids, or genuinely lost. With the new threat lurking in the darkness, people get increasingly nervous. What would look like harmless disobedience in quieter times now turns into an emergency. Investigate where the missing children have gone, find them and bring them home if you can.

Not all are happy for the help. There’s a certain figure frequently spoken about and often seen at the scenes of the especially vicious attacks: a man with unkempt hair and ragged clothing prophesying that those very horrors are no accident. That the beasts are a punishment for a terrible offence: accepting the foreign devils - those who came through the Mirrors - into the city. As time passes and the attacks continue, it starts to become obvious those who were in contact with the Mirrorbound are more likely to become targets of the hellish creatures, which lends credence to the madman’s words. Some denizens of the slums are just scared, but some become suspicious of the very presence of any Mirrorbounds in the area. Even those that come to help. Calm downthe fearful, convince the sceptics or find the sower of this panic and make him stop spreading his incendiary message.

Some people have locked themselves in their homes and refuse to go out. You could try to reason with them or simply bring supplies at the door. Or try to convince them to help with building a protective wall around the Slums, sturdy enough to stay. Some of the people who open their doors might show low-level signs of Cwyld infection. They wonder if you’re still willing to help them knowing that?


When the darkness of night emboldens the Nuckelavee to venture further into the Slums proper, a group of Mirrorbounds take to patrolling the streets. But they could use more help. Protect those unfortunate enough to walk the streets at that time, chase away or kill the creatures that dared to come closer, and fight to protect the poor souls they chose to hunt.


NIGHT OF THE HUNT (night between 26th-27th)

---

Are you prepared for the fight of your life? You better be!

A heavy blizzard rages on the night of the 26th, giving a strange glow to the camp in the darkness as the light is dithered among falling snowflakes. Visibility is low, but some believe that nature itself can be used to help the hunters and defenders. To those who wish to take on this responsibility, several enchanted wands are given, with quick instructions how to use them to direct the winds of the blizzard for a short time. They can be used either to protect the warriors or against the creatures. The wands have only a few charges and will break upon using them up.

Every Mirrorbound and Wilder either present from the start or joining the group through the portal connecting with Aefenglom will be given a quick rundown of the camp, where the protection wards lie, what powers the barriers, and where weapons can be found. There are two sets of barriers around the camp -- the outer one that has multiple holes for the creatures to pour into, and the inner barrier that has to be held at all cost, as it protects people within. The plan is to lure the Nuckelavee for a frontal attack, let them pass through the outer barrier, let the inner barrier stop them, and then— close the barrier behind them, effectively shutting them in a walled ring.

Then they can be exterminated safely. Stun them, kill them, use spells or pointy sticks or guns — and maybe just maybe you can capture one alive. Fortunately, they don’t seem to have any kind of natural resistance towards mundane or magical weapons. They are just tough to kill and incredibly vicious, but limiting their movement should do the trick.

The barriers and wards only last full-strength as long as they are powered so Witches not focused on fighting are encouraged to do a recharging run along the campsite. Anyone needing a breather from the fray or whose focus is better spent on support can also bring ammo, or more weapons to counter the broken (or stolen) ones. Dragging out wounded fighters into the safety of the camp and healing them is also an important task, as neither Mirrorbounds nor Wilders lack in people who would fight to their last breath.

That’s the plan. How does it go in reality, though?

The Nuckelavee attack starts with chilling shrieks all around the Outpost before they emerge from the darkness. Those who have not yet met any of them will have a chance to witness that their aggression and looks are as terrifying as the stories said. They resemble a horse fused with a rider, with sharp teeth and without skin, raw body exposed. The creatures are not infected but are vicious, hardy, and strong, and they hunger for human and Monster flesh alike. Some might pick up weapons thrown at them; others will circle and try to isolate their chosen targets. Should they be angered, while in a furious rage they gain both speed and strength, but they lose focus and lack strategic thinking. So enraging them can break the formation, but it also makes them far more dangerous up close. They are susceptible to both magical and physical attacks alike, and beheading (of either the flayed-open horse head or the screaming man's head) will put them down permanently.

Be mindful of your comrades! It’s easy to lose each other in the blizzard. Nuckelavee don’t bleed red (they don’t bleed much at all), so any red trails on the snow belong to an ally. Don’t let the beasts drag wounded away. Get them to the healers who wait within the camp enclosed with the inner barrier.

During the fight, several crystal devices that strengthen the outer barrier start malfunctioning. That means the outer barrier cannot be closed shut, meaning a change of plans is in order. Several brave volunteers are needed from among Wilders and Mirrorbounds to leave the safety of the inner barrier and take the battle directly to the creatures, while locating and exchanging the malfunctioning crystals. This is an incredibly dangerous job, and everyone willing to undertake it is encouraged not to do so alone. Once the trap is sprung and the outer barrier shut, it would also lock those volunteers out of the safety of the camp -- unless they’re willing to try a teleport spell or wait for someone inside to handle the teleporting for them. The help will come, but until it does, they are on their own and straggling Nuckelavee that did not fall into the trap might still pose a danger to them...

The fight drags for what feels like hours, and the air grows colder and colder. Meanwhile, some of the trapped Nuckelavee figure out that they might get into the camp if they find holes within the barrier -- and one makes its way inside. Through the heavy snow, it might not be obvious at first, but something is happening within the camp… The Nuckelavee that furiously breach the barrier wreak havoc behind the safe line, attacking anyone it sees until it’s killed or subdued.

Eventually, after what feels like an eternity, all of the creatures fall and the dead remain under the snow. Well… most of them. There were attempts to capture one of them alive, and while keeping them alive turns out to be even harder than just catching them (not only Nuckelavee perished that night… some might still want revenge for that, some want to end the threat once and for all), one of them remains. The battle has been won.


THE AFTERMATH (27th and later)

---

As day breaks over the horizon, the true damage can be seen. One Nuckelavee is thrashing, captured in the closed enclave. It howls and shrieks and won’t be reasoned with. It hates everything and everyone, and seems to be incapable of speech. Wilders have decided they will keep it alive for a week, and not a day longer (that is till 3rd September OOCly). Nuckelavee have proven to be cunning creatures, and the risk of it escaping is just too great.

Aside from that issue, there is still clean-up to be done, and mourning for those who have fallen in battle. The Wilders agree to give the Nuckelavee corpses to those interested in acquiring them for study/experimentation, but otherwise they plan on burning everything that’s left.

The following two evenings, there’s a victory celebration at The Sordid Shield. Everyone still able to stand is welcome, -- and drinks are free! Unfortunately, not everyone is happily drinking; there are those who lost comrades and are mourning the fallen. Others came out alive but require medical attention that on-field healers cannot give. The general mood could be described as grimly triumphant. The unexpected threat has been taken care of, but not without a cost.



OOC NOTES

---

For those interested in studying the remains or the live Nuckelavee please refer to this space for questions/plans. The results of the research will be distributed at the beginning of September.

For plotting among yourselves, please use this post. General questions about this log can be directed here.

Comments

merrin | star wars | slums only

[sisterless]

[ this is merrin's first time to the outer city - the slums, they call it. she never saw a reason to venture out too far from the safety of the inner city, and wonders now if that was too small-minded of her. the thought that anyone could live in such poor conditions when there is clearly so much resources is draining. she cannot fight with her magic so limited still, and it is frustrating to accept that, but she can still help. ]

I. The children (three responses max, specify child in subject)

[ a growing number of young are going missing. it isn't like them to take a long time, worried parents she speaks with explain, and with everything going on they fear the worst may yet come. merrin receives information on three children -- blessing, livia and hazel -- who went to fetch water from the stream when the sun was still high in the sky and have not yet returned. she will need help however, as the situation could be dangerous, and will not be shy about approaching even those she is unfamiliar with.

her ask is the same to anyone who will listen -- ]

There are children who have not yet returned home from their duties. Please, if you may come to assist me... I can pay you another time, should you need incentive.

[ ooc: i have a general set-up of the fate for each child in mind, the long-short being blessing and livia will be found, while hazel will not. what happened to hazel will be left ambiguous but the search will end on a dour note. ]

II. A patrol, of sorts

[ as the atmosphere of fear turns oppressive, people begin to rush into their homes for safety. it's a good enough plan as any she figures, and so she goes down streets to check for signs of life. a scattered few remain and merrin approaches them - only they immediately turn and rush away. well, so long as they are rushing to get indoors? she does not know why they hate the mirrorbound, but she doesn't think it really matters. she knows not take it personally, but it still stings.

along the way she slumps against a wall and lets out a tired sigh, putting her hood down to relax a little. wound up with anxiety, there has been little time paid attention to rest. however she still pays mind to the area and if she sees someone, familiar or not, she will call to them- ]

You should not wander the streets. Everyone should stay indoors to their best ability.

III. The figure

How could you say such things? People's lives are in danger, we are only here to help. [ the harsh tone that reverberates through an alley of the slum is merrin's, directed to a man who walks away from her without head to her words. she quickens her steps to get around him, getting in his path, and glowers. ] Do you have nothing to say for the fear you spread to others?

[ the man scoffs- ] I am warning people of the danger they are in, because of you and your kind from the mirror! You just come here to play savior when it suits you and then act like you didn't bring the danger with you!

I don't know what you -- [ and then the man pushes past her, causing her to stumble back. he's about to go off, but merrin turns and snatches his arm. he tries to pull away, but she keeps a strong hold. ] How dare you. I will not let your actions and words go unpunished. Your words are poison, and your warnings a wildfire of chaos to the madness of this place. You cannot be allowed to continue on.

[ the man continues to struggle, but now he begins to panic and calls out for help - get away! help! - as she deliberates what to do with him. ]

I; hazel

[arturiarex]

Missing children?

[ Arturia is instantly very serious. The last time she'd dealt with missing children they'd all turned out to be safe and sound, but she wasn't sure that would hold true now. Especially with stories of some sort of creature stalking the outskirts of the city. Her wings shift and flutter and she gives Merrin a long look. ]

I'm with you. Let me know how I can help.

[sisterless]

I thank you, Saber.

[ she smiles soft, thankful her new friend is so willing. not all would be, and this much she expects. ]

A father told me of his daughter, Hazel, who he sent to fetch water hours ago. He thought she went with his neighbor's son, but the son went in the morning and did not want to go out a second time. He must wait in case she returns, but wants someone to go out and check on her.

The poor man was full of panic. I want to help him. [ which brings them to this moment. ] I have not ventured too far out before - there is safety in numbers.

[arturiarex]

Ah.

[ Saber frowns. It's a sad story and she doesn't like the idea of a girl being out and alone without anyone else. Especially with some beast stalking the landscape. She takes a breath and then nods. ]

I've journeyed into the wilde before, but - well. Hopefully this search will not take us quite that far afield. Do you need more time to prepare?

[sisterless]

[ she bites her lip. preparation time would be helpful, but- ]

I am uncertain what the wilde holds, but I do not want to waste time. We will search around the stream and then decide. [ she crosses her arms loosely, protective, and after a moment adds- ] We should not take risk without reason.

[ she is sympathetic, yes, but it is too much to ask to endanger themselves. ]

Hazel is an older girl at fifteen years. Hopefully she knows better to not put herself in danger.

[arturiarex]

Fifteen? She ought to be able to handle herself well enough.

[ Look, she was ruling a country at age fifteen, but she's also very different. Still - she tends to think of teenagers as being capable enough. She frowns. ]

...but that also means she knows better and wouldn't necessarily want to worry her parents. Perhaps we should hurry.

[ She's ready to go. And will honestly step off if Merrin points them in the right direction. ]

[sisterless]

Yes, by that age you're on the verge of being an adult.

[ merrin, for the record, was taking care of herself by fourteen. not by choice, but still.

in any case, with saber's affirmation she will start to lead the way to the stream. the father gave her a sense of the route his daughter would normally take, so she keeps it in mind to get them on the path. ]

I am surprised the neighbor boy did not want to go with her. My mother would have never let my sisters venture out alone in the wild without a group. We volunteered if even one needed to go out for any reason.

I. livia

[gynvael]

[ Given the Coven's and Mirrorbound's ubiquitous presence in the city, Geralt leaves plans in their hands and ventures into the outskirts instead where he knows the clamoring of ambition and politics in a crisis are less likely to rear its head. It's only the second or third time he's set foot here: first time he went in, he recognized the mistrust in the eyes of the townsfolk far too well. He knows better than to overstay his welcome and risk starting some shit.

Though there's something to be said about the familiarity of a cold shoulder from everyone around him.

Fear or not, Geralt suspects there might be work to be found given what's happening. So when a woman catches his attention about missing children and payment, it's exactly what he's looking for.

He stops. Her manner of dress suggests she's not native to the slums. Neither does his, really, with a leather jacket and a sword sheathed on his back. ]

How many? [ Not her children, he gathers, from the way she's phrased it. Someone else's. ]

[sisterless]

Just one. A girl, Livia. [ maybe the fact that it is one will help persuade him to help. she hopes so at least. ] She's a young one, about ten. Her mother described her as short, brown curly haired, and wearing thick clothes too big for her.

The family has an older daughter who was meant to fetch water, but was... busy flirting. With another girl her own age. [ flirting may not be the right word, but it is the most tame if she understood the situation right. ] The sister pushed Livia to do it instead. She didn't think it would take this long, but now it has been hours since. No sign of Livia, or word of her return.

[ merrin sighs soft- ] Siblings can be cruel, sometimes. The mother is sickly and the sister said she looked all around the stream and couldn't find her. I feel sorry for the mother, and worried for the little girl.

[gynvael]

[ One? Sounds like she'd mentioned children, not a child, but Geralt chooses not to press it. Not like he can go after more than one kid at a time.

He leans his shoulder against a brick wall, listening without interrupting. Most of the information gets filed away, in case it becomes relevant later. What is relevant, for now, isn't much. Brown curly hair is about as unique an appearance as a cobblestone street. At least the slums aren't as large as the main city.

In any case, he's got a time of disappearance and a location she was meant to be at. He's worked off of less. ]

Show me the stream.

[sisterless]

[ her shoulders noticeably slack, a small breath let out as relief waves through. asking for help is not an easy thing for her, and the kindness of strangers is never guaranteed. things are hectic after all. ]

Thank you, good sir. [ she turns, walking to lead with the assumption he will follow. ] The stream is a good ways off, close to the wilde territory, the mother told me. I do hope she will be ok.

[ she remembers being young and curious, sometimes too much so. those were gentler days. ]

My name is Merrin. And yours?

[gynvael]

Don't thank me yet. I'm collecting. [ If there's a part of him that knows he'd be helping for free either way, he doesn't acknowledge it.

He follows, keeping an eye on the ground in case there's anything to track on the way. There's no reply to her thoughts. People who go missing tend not to turn up in one piece. ]

Geralt. [ He falls into step beside Merrin. He can't help but notice she doesn't refer to anyone by their name except the missing girl. If they're acquainted, it's unlikely they're close. ] How do you know these people?

[sisterless]

[ a light laugh huffs out at that, smiling with a touch of humor to the edge of her lips tugging up. she is paying him for a good deed, so she will sleep well no matter. ]

I don't. [ a bit blunt in response, it's how she was raised. ] I heard word about the people in the slums needing help over the communications mirrorbounds share. The girl's older sister was arguing with her mother out in the streets. When I overheard the commotion I offered to help.

[ a bit simple, but she thinks and then adds- ] I had many sisters growing up. We loved each other, but that didn't mean we were always perfect.

i, blessing

[usurpers]

[ she will have to ask the beast that seems to be the only mirrorbound soul nearby (the size of a large horse), but he could've been easily seen speaking to others on and off and switching between duties. if his stature and appearance is worthy of some intimidation and uncertainty, perhaps some of his features are less so— unique crystal blue horns of two pairs, talons of the same texture and scales a magnificent array of black, red, orange and purple. a sheen of sunset and two ice turquoise eyes that watch her approach and her words with careful intent. ]

There's more than enough incentive, [ his speaking wasn't as clear as her's, and his voice was deeply unidentifiable— words slip out sometimes spat without any flesh to cover his cheeks, and "s" sounds drag with the serpentine flicker of his forked tongue. ] Merrin. Do they have belongings?

[ he is not a turnskin, but he can still track in this weather. ]

[sisterless]

[ eren's appearance may intimidate others, and certainly not without cause. some locals clearly shrink away, though it may just as well be because they may recognize him as a mirrorbound. merrin approaches with eyes steady on him, a soft smile given to a familiar face behind the multicolored scales. ]

I have nothing on hand, but we can ask the boy's mother. [ if she so wants him found, then surely she will oblige. mothers always come through for their children. ] Are you thinking of tracking a scent?

[usurpers]

[ if only eren could return the smile, but, we do not want that right now. an acknowledging bob of his head suffices, dipping gently into a bow. ]

It'll have to be on foot. [ even if he had a tremendous wingspan to rely on— but either they had a bird's eye view, or they had a trail. grasping both was asking for too much, but the dragon's shoulders roll, musculature rippling beneath an array of enchanted ink etched into his hide (for warmth). ] But you can ride on me whenever you need to.

[ that, or stay by him; he's warm, like a furnace. ]

1/2

[sisterless]

Ride on you? [ that's - what? ] I cannot be so rude as to use you like that. I will stay on foot.

[ he may be part beast, but that does not mean she will treat him as one. she brings her hood down and pushes a part of her hair back, then looks over to the side. ]

Let me go back to the mother's home and see if she can provide me something. I will return shortly.

[ and with that merrin turns to go back down the street, her pace brisk and just on the verge of a run. ]

[sisterless]

[ and, in just ten or so minutes, merrin comes back up the road. eren very much sticks out, so she finds her way to him with no problem. drapped across one arm is an old shirt, the condition worn but not showing any tears. merrin is holding back a grimace. ]

The mother gave me a shirt of his. He was wearing it yesterday - she had yet to wash it, so it should do well.

[ it definitely has a stench to it, not very strong but enough that the odor is getting to her nose even as she tries to turn her nose away. maybe this is why the nightbrothers wear only pants. ]

[usurpers]

[ at least she’s— considerate of that, but eren is far above the thought. and let us say that if they must, he’ll be the first one to encourage her to straddle his back regardless, no ill feeing attached. though the dragon does wait, and in the meantime anxiously preens at his scales and the runic, skeletal tattoos that keep him warm in weather he’d ultimately fall asleep in.

being presented the shirt, the dragon’s skull shifts to a hover in front of it, a slick blue tongue with forked ends tapping and slipping in and out in rapid succession to pick the scent’s particles up, taste them (no matter how strong they were— strong, but nothing putrid or beyond the clothes he’d come back home as a sweaty boy exhausted from a day’s worth of running, tussling and getting into trouble). ]

It will— this way.

[sisterless]

[ there's a small curiosity in watching how he takes hold of the scent, quiet and passive so as not to draw attention to how she watches. once he's ready she folds the shirt up and tucks it under her arm, deciding she can give to blessing if -- when they find him. ]

Thank you, Eren. [ and so they start walking, him leading the way. ] The boy's name is Blessing. His mother said he went to fetch water with two other boys, his friends. When she talked to the boys they confessed getting into a fight with... snowballs? [ she has no clue what a snowball is, but anyway- ] They all broke off from their travel back together due to the fight. Blessing did not come back.

III

[foundfamilies]

[ leslie has not been having a great time with the fear of the mirrorbound circulating through the outer city. she’s been blamed in place of the real cause before, but the malice behind it in her world had been much more obvious. a lot of the people here seem to be more scared than malicious.

despite this, she has chosen to not hide her alignment with the mirrorbound — though her usual clothing is not so out of place in time period, they are certainly out of place in the slums and her hair is not a common sight on one so young. it doesn’t take a huge leap of logic to assume that she is one of “merrin’s kind” when she moves to stand at merrin’s side. ]

Are you going to break his arm?

[ leslie sounds unsure, but in a way that suggests she thinks that it’s a reasonable method to deal with troublemakers in some circumstances and she’s merely uncertain if this is one of those. which is true, though the circumstances she experienced this method of “warning” someone off were more extreme and from a thoroughly evil man. she doesn’t know how to judge this particular man, but the firm hold on his arm is reminding her of this particular method. ]

[sisterless]

[ merrin gaze is broken off from the man, her hateful look jerked over and targeted at leslie. it softens, angry but not toward the girl, and then turns to the man still trying to get away from her. ]

No. [ she doesn't know what she's going to do, but it won't be breaking his arm. ] It would not stop him from spreading lies.

[ an arm, after all, is not needed to go around the slums inducing fear. the man grunts, turning his body to try and push merrin off with his free hand. ] Both of you, get away! If you hurt me, I'll make sure everyone knows.

[foundfamilies]

[ leslie startles for a moment when the hateful expression turns toward her, but it's quickly clear that it is just left from looking at the man. as he speaks, she ends up looking in his direction as well, though her expression is subdued rather than angry, still not sure what to think about him. ]

Haven't you been telling people things about us whether they're true or not, though? You could tell people we hurt you even if we didn't do anything.

[ she doesn't intend to sound in favour of breaking his arm, but it probably sounds a little like it. she then addresses merrin. ]

I don't know if there's anything you can do to stop him spreading lies. People who think it's okay to blame people who aren't at fault don't change their minds no matter how much evidence there is that they're wrong.

[ as far as she knows, not having recognized that there is such strong targetting of the mirrorbound, it is a case of someone blaming an innocent group just to have a convenient scapegoat and she's met some people who truly believe in their scapegoating. ]

[sisterless]

[ her words, stated plain and simple, hit harder than they should. merrin knows she is right, of course, and so being told what is clear truth does not sting. it is the memory of a man not unlike this one... whose easy blaming and lies were trusted.

she stares at leslie, past her, eyes intense and lost. it's in this moment the man sees his chance and yanks his arm back hard. merrin stumbles forward, her grip released in her trance, and he wastes not one moment running away. she does not even turn to watch him go. ]

[foundfamilies]

[ for a moment, leslie surges forward as though she would restrain him herself, but she shakes off the instinctive reaction to him escaping before she takes more two steps. rather than abandoning the idea out of how ridiculous an idea it is for a small child who has only recently gained even what strength might be expected from someone of her size to physically stop him, though, it’s only since merrin no longer seems to have plans for him and leslie has no idea what to do about him, either.

as leslie looks to merrin to ascertain that she’s given up on restraining the man, she notices that very intense look. though she is not quite intuitive enough to recognize it as the expression of someone recalling a painful memory, despite significant personal experience, she does know it’s not a happy expression.

she approaches merrin slowly and takes one of merrin’s hands in both of her own in what she hopes is a comforting gesture. ]

Are you okay?