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A PLACE BY A LAKE - A TIME BEFORE NOON
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Sammi had been aware of what was going on for the last few months, aware of everything she had done wrong, and had reacted by..retreating, into her own fantasy world. Letting her own possible other life play out, but unlike Xochi..she always knew that it couldn't last, and Maxime knew as well. Still, they could lie to themselves, say that what they were doing was fine, it was to keep Xochi safe, or it was earned, but then Xochi went off and saved herself, and ended the ritual in a perhaps a much more blunt way than had been intended. This had rather unintended consequences for Sammi, and left her drifting, unmoored in whatever strange dreamspace existed out there...forever...She wasn't allowed to come back. That was the rule, firm..unbreakable. Unless....
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THE LAKESIDE - MORNING
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Narrator: The ritual had passed, Xochi had returned, and Sammi was gone. She wasn't allowed to return. However..she could still be *brought back*. Gareth, should he look over the water, could see that same cloaked figure he had seen before floating, they extend one finger. One chance. The water shimmers, for just a moment, and they're gone.
Gareth stands at the waterfall lake, a sour, if determined look on his face as he watches the figure. Once Otiax vanishes from view, he casts his gaze down to the surface of the water with a sigh. He has a plan, though perhaps one borne of desperation... or simply having exhausted all other options.
Gareth kneels and pulls out his dagger from his boot, then stands up again as he lets the sun glint off of the bare metal. He's not sure what sort of ritual specifically spirited Sammi away, but he knows from past bounties that blood magic is quite powerful, but dangerous. Having lost the immediate trail on Maxime, he's decided to take matters into his own hands, and he's devised a plan of his own. He'd found Sammi once before by almost dying, but he doesn't have to die to bring her back... he just needs to breach the veil long enough to pull Sammi back through. As such...
Gareth lifts the dagger up in one hand and lays the sharpened edge against his other palm. A moment later, he draws the blade across his hand, slicing his skin open. He pulls the dagger away and stares at the wound for another moment, then casts the dagger aside and immediately dives into the water. He dives down, wounded hand outstretched as he shuts his eyes and wills himself to just... reach through the veil and grab hold of Sammi's hand.
Sammi had never really viewed it as a veil, and any researcher would agree, that's the wrong metaphor, and not to mention, there's a bit more to blood magic than just slicing your hand open, or else shaky handed butchers would be all powerful...but that didn't matter. As he dove down, blood loss, air loss,and just everything that had happened recently came crashing in, and everything was faint, there was nothing there, but just as everything faded, he could feel it, a hand reaching out, and clasping his.
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THE LAKESIDE - NO LONGER THE MORNING
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Narrator: Gareth would find himself back on the lakeside, by a fire. His hand neatly bandaged. Sammi was there by a pot hanging over it, preparing some soup. She smiles as he wakes up "I think slicing your hand open was a bit excessive, but it was appreciated" She puts down the ladle, and heads over to sit by him, so he doesn't have to stand up, and instead leans her head on his "Really, thanks. I was lost out there"
Gareth slowly blinks his eyes open again, the first thing he sees being the blue sky above. He goes to rub his face with his bandaged hand, only to stare at the wraps on it. He then looks over towards Sammi, a bit surprised, but glad that his blind attempt actually worked. "Excessive, maybe, but... worth it fer ye, Sammi..." He slowly sits up and looks around then smiles over at Sammi, "Guessin' I'd passed out in the pool again tryin' that. Thanks fer gettin' me back out o' the water."
Sammi: "Well, it would have been silly to just leave you there, no?" She doesn't move from where she is, she's cosy here. "I got some food coming, but, uh.." She chuckles "I've never been great at peopling, so..any idea what you say at a time like this?"
Gareth sits up a little more fully, chuckling quietly. "Not much to say that ye haven't already said, dear. I'm just glad yer back and that me idiotic idea worked out like I'd hoped."
Sammi: "Well, we have a lot to catch up on then" She rubs her head against him, rather like a cat "You start! What's been going on with the Gareth?"
Gareth hugs Sammi close as she leans against him, happy to have her around again, though some part of him does still wonder about Maxime... though he'll probably ask about that later. "A fair bit, but nothin' quite on the level o' the war against the Saurs. Let's see..." He trails off for a moment to think, "An airship crashed outside o' town not that long ago, Fiora got turned into a tiny possum from some weird old lab thing beneath the house she shares with Brunilda, and I fought some ankhegs out near the forests..."
Sammi: "So, pretty normal stuff?" She smiles "I thought I was odd when I first got to Respite, but I think I fit in nicely" She idly starts brushing his fur tidier with her fingers "Do you..well, have any plans? Now that everything is going to go back to normalish?"
Gareth laughs quietly. "Aye, things have been pretty normal fer the last little while." He nods at her question, "And I do have a plan! I was intendin' to dig into it some more after gettin' ye back, and now that yer back... I was thinkin' o' workin' with Fiora, Brunilda and a few others - and ye as well if ye like o' course - on startin' up a trade company."
Sammi tilts her head a little "What, like a shop?"
Gareth nods. "Somethin' o' the sort, aye. A shop or two here on Aephix... and we'd have ships to transport goods fer the shops to sell and buy, too. We could also use the ships to ferry goods fer other shops, and charge fer the transport."
Sammi: "Well, I don't mind being out on the ocean. It could be fun!" She nods, thinking about it "I'd need a hat though..."
Gareth grins. "Not a problem, Sammi. Whatever kind o' hat ye want, we can get one made fer ye. It'd be great sailin' the seas with ye."
Sammi: "Hmm, one of those fancy triangly ones, I think" She leans into Gareth "Or something that matches yours"
Gareth warmly hugs Sammi again, a very easy smile on his face all the while. "Ah, a good ol' tricorne. That'll be easy to make somethin' out o'. Or if ye get somethin' like mine, ye can customize it how ye want, too."
Sammi: "We've got a bunch of other stuff to catch up on. I don't really have much going on, so..I want to hear about everrrything"