WWB Henri's Staying for a Cliffhanger

[13:37:00] <~Oxford> The sharp crack of a rifle splits the idyllic springtime afternoon, sending a flock of small birds airborne with a flurry of beating wings. At the far end of the orchard, an overturned wooden basket with three glass milk-jugs atop it gains a new hole.
[13:39:50] <~Oxford> "Better, better Lily," encourages Col. Vaughn, crouched beside the prone girl holding the rifle. "Make sure your left leg is bent slightly - like so," he says, tugging her knee out to one side a tad, "for stability." From behind them, Loewin and Bridget watch, waiting for their turn.
[13:40:22] <Bridget> Bridget is relaxing, eagerly awaiting her turn.  She's always been a fan of the nitty weapons but she's pretty good at the shooty ones too
[13:48:50] <~Oxford> The rifle is a heavy weapon, made of stained hardwood and steel, which is all blackened aside from the bolt. It is longer than Lily is tall, and clashes incongruously with her gray-blue school pinafore.
[13:49:24] <Lily> Lily adjusts her leg, taking her time to make sure she has PERFECT stability as she reloads the rifle.  "Gotcha' Kernel!"  She takes aim again, carefully making sure the rifle's handle isn't too close to her face so that it doesn't kick back into her face and give her a black eye, before firing.
[13:50:07] <Loewin> Loewin regards the firearm with a frown, though she waits patiently alongside Bridget.
[13:55:35] <~Oxford> The milk-jugs once again avoid harm, but a puff of dust kicked up from the sandy backstop dune indicates a near miss. Col. Vaughn grunts appreciatively at the improvement. "You're getting there, certainly. Loewin, Bridget, you two were paying attention to my instructions, weren't you? Particularly on matters of firearm safety?"
[13:56:18] <Loewin> "Of course, sir."
[13:56:34] <Bridget> "Aye! Whaen Mister Saeftae nae aen, tha goon is nae yer fraend"
[13:59:05] <~Oxford> "Good, yes. And where should the rifle be pointed at all times?"
[14:00:10] <Lily> Lily reloads the gun again, resting her hand along the long barrel to steady her aim, making sure she has good support on the rifle as she aims, smiling.  Her tail twitches in anticipation as she aims.
[14:00:15] <Loewin> "Away from anything you don't want to shoot."
[14:00:33] <Lily> She hasn't shot quite yet, not quite satisfied with her aiming...
[14:00:38] <Bridget> "Aye! n' always thank tha' goon is loaded!"
[14:01:34] <~Oxford> "Even when you know it isn't, yes. Before going down to check your targets, what do you need to do?"
[14:03:10] <Loewin> "Um...make sure the gun is loaded?"
[14:05:08] <~Oxford> "Make sure it /is/ loaded?" the Colonel asks skeptically, and looks to Bridget for a correction.
[14:05:46] <Bridget> "Maek saer it is unloaded.  Neaver lake down the barrel."
[14:07:23] <Loewin> "Ah...right...that's what you meant..."
[14:08:26] <Lily> Lily, finally satisfied with her aim at the unsuspecting bottles of milk, finally pulls the trigger.
[14:09:30] <~Oxford> The jug explodes in a shower of glittering glass shards. "Unloaded, bolt opened, magazine empty," says Vaughn, not skipping a beat. "Then call out 'cease fire!', even though it's only you three here. Better to learn good habits early."
[14:12:00] <~Oxford> He smiles down at the girl laying on the wool shooting blanket. "Nice shot. You three keep practicing here. I'm going to go fetch Henriette. Make sure she gets a chance as well. You're done when all four of you can hit the bottle from this range."
[14:12:32] <Lily> Lily nods as she unloads the rifle, opening it up to empty the inside of it, before gently setting the gun down.  "Cease Fire~!"  She backs off to let another girl take a shot (teehee) at it.
[14:16:59] <~Oxford> Col. Vaughn nods and takes a step back, disappearing behind the row of peach trees. A few late blooms still cling to the branches, petals swaying and fluttering down in the intermittent breeze, but peak blossom has passed, and most of the orange-pink flowers sit in damp clumps on the ground.
[14:20:21] <Loewin> Loewin motions for Bridget to go ahead and take the next turn.
[14:32:06] <Lily> Lily sits down by the trees, admiring the remnants of the peach petals as they slowly die, a beautiful last hurrah for the trees.
[14:38:36] <Bridget> Bridget does so, walking up to the rifle and setting herself down.  It's with military like precision that she checks the gun, ejecting any round inside now and inspecting the chamber and the magazine to make sure that it isn't loaded.  She keeps the barrel pointed down range at all times, having loaded the weapon a few moments later.  "Beginning tae faer!" calling out as she sets herself into position.  And a moment later, the milk ju
[14:38:37] <Bridget> explodes with a loud crack.  The girl's been doing this since she was young, it's expected.
[14:39:41] <Bridget> "Caese faerin'!"
[14:42:02] <Loewin> "I do not know why I expected anything less from royalty." Loewin grins at Bridget.
[14:42:54] <Bridget> "'s nae mast rayealte.  's jus me Pa." she smirks, getting up and relaxing by Lily.
[14:48:16] <Loewin> Loewin gets up, brushing any rogue blades of grass off, and takes the rifle. She displays a similar level of expertise with the firearm, though more from a connoisseur than from a trained shooter, including rubbing some dirt away from the gun. After confirming the previous round was ejected, or doing so if it wasn't, she loads it carefully and takes aim. Unable to find a comfortable position, she unties her tail and tries once more. Not long after, a third jug finds itself an absolute wreck. "Cease fire." Though she says it without any sort of enthusiasm.
[14:49:32] <Bridget> "Ha! Yer' praety aged yourself." the horned girl grinning like a loon.
[14:51:12] <Loewin> "Unfortunately, it's in my blood." She opens the bolt, removes the spent shell, puts the safety on, and sets it aside.
[14:53:37] <Lily> Lily claps.  She seems to be the only girl inexperienced with firearms here!
[14:59:02] <Bridget> "Whutcha'mean blood?"
[14:59:46] <Loewin> "Family."
[15:01:26] <Bridget> "Aye, baet why?"
[15:02:18] <Loewin> "I come from a family of warriors. Or rather, they used to be, I understand. Now...we just sell guns, mostly."
[15:05:28] <Lily> "Oh, so guns are your trade?"
[15:05:34] <Lily> "Like how plants are sort of mine~!"
[15:05:52] <Bridget> "n'…uh…" Bridget shrugs a bit, haplessly
[15:06:25] <Loewin> "If you're killing people with plants, I suppose so."
[15:07:46] <Lily> "
[15:07:58] <Lily> "What, you think that isn't possible?"
[15:09:25] <~Oxford> Whether the question was rhetorical or not, their conversation is interupted by the return of Col. Vaughn.
[15:10:03] <Bridget> Bridget waves
[15:11:32] <~Oxford> "And how are my- oh!" he exclaims, noting the broken remnants of the milk jugs scattered at the far end of the orchard row. "Well done, well done. I suppose it's only you left, Henriette," he calls over his shoulder.
[15:12:36] <Henriette> Trailing somewhat behind the Colonel is the faintly glowing Henriette, who has chosen to exchange her normally flowing skirts today for a stiff, tan jacket. "Oui," she says without emotion and diligently waits for instruction.
[15:13:01] <Bridget> "Oi yer'self" Bridget walking up to the girl and smiling at her.  Friendly.  A hug perhaps is given.
[15:14:52] <Loewin> Loewin carefully retrieves the rifle from the ground and solemnly hands it to Henriette, making sure never to point the barrel towards anyone.
[15:16:55] <~Oxford> "The three of you seem to have the technique down," Vaughn remarks pleasantly, "so perhaps you can walk Henriette through the proper methods? Good, good," he confirms, practically to himself.
[15:19:07] <Henriette> Movements rigid and prepared, she submits to a hug, but without a smile, she takes the gun and sinks into a relaxed crouch. Despite certain parts presenting an annoyance while firing, her stance is textbook, eyes trained on the target.
[15:19:58] <Loewin> "It would appear as though she needs no assistance."
[15:20:05] <Henriette> "Is this correct?" she asks slowly in her best accentless Albaean.
[15:20:50] <Bridget> "Aye! yer' doin' well!"
[15:22:38] <~Oxford> "Since all three bottles have been broken," Vaughn remarks, "you can just aim for the basket there. Hit it thrice in a row, and I'll be satisfied."
[15:24:47] <Lily> Lily frowns and watches Henriette, tail twitching idly.
[15:24:58] <Lily> Although it seems to be moving faster than usual.
[15:25:31] <Henriette> With a curt nod, Henriette focuses on the basket, her breathing even and deep. As she exhales, just before she inhales, a shot fires off. A moment later, another. The stock of the weapon is braced against rather uncomfortably against her collarbone, a product of her build more than anything else. The look of discomfort on each shot is apparent on her face.
[15:26:36] <Henriette> Still, a third shot rattles out of the barrel of the weapon and into the sturdy wood. "Satisfactory, Colonel?"
[15:26:41] <Loewin> Noticing Lily's, Loewin's own tail quickly coils back around her waist, hopefully before Vaughn notices. She notices Henri's discomfort but says nothing.
[15:27:29] <Bridget> Bridget lacks a tail for now, and horns aren't really expressive, the pink haired girl watches her friend though.
[15:30:40] <~Oxford> From behind the small group, Colonel Vaughn frowns as no one corrects Henriette's stance, and he makes a mental note to have a compress ready for the bruising once they get home. "Satisfactory," he nods impassively, his eyes flicking downrange.
[15:32:28] <Loewin> "Henri...where did you learn to shoot? Pardon my presumption, but you did not seem the sort to have had any experience."
[15:33:34] <Lily> Her frown deepens, until her eyes widen and she gets up, her face now neutral.  "Ah, Henriette, wait a moment!"  The now-catgirl gets up and walks carefully towards the emotionally dead girl, although a little hesitant to finish approaching.  "Your stance, ummmm...doesn't that hurt?"
[15:34:15] <Henriette> She rises to her feet and nods passively. "Thank you, sir." She stares not at his feet, but somewhere distantly beyond them, rigidly. At first, she doesn't notice Loewin's question, but then, "Hmm? Oh, I... I do not know. It was just simplement logique et... I am fine, Lily."
[15:34:42] <~Oxford> "I know this little training seems superfluous," Vaughn continues, "given your abilities, but I hope you all appreciate the necessity of being prepared. Now," he says, clapping once, "you four get this orchard cleaned up. The Carraways were gracious enough to let us use their property, so we can't very well leave it covered with rubbish. I'll be back at the mansion."
[15:35:06] <~Oxford> "When you've finished, you're all off-duty for the afternoon. Oh, and Henriette," he adds, in a quieter tone that's undoubtedly meant to signify the words are for her alone, but which is nevertheless clearly audible to everyone present, "remember that there's something you need to tell your wingmates."
[15:36:32] <Henriette> "Oui..." she responds, but the guilt in her voice is apparent. Her gaze remains at his feet, unable to rise to his face.
[15:39:45] <~Oxford> He steps silently backward, through the swaying peach branches. A light gust of wind sends the last pink petals of the season spiralling downward, from the endless blue sky to the soft green earth.
[15:40:07] <Loewin> Pausing briefly with a puzzled glance at Henri, Loewin walks over to retrieve shards of glass, stopping only should Henri truly begin to speak.
[15:40:35] <Lily> Lily hurriedly grabs Loewin.  "Wait, she didn't say 'All clear!'"
[15:41:14] <Loewin> "You must be joking..." Loewin tugs away from Lily.
[15:43:25] <Henriette> Working silently, Henriette picks up pieces of glass away from the other girls. The light shed from her form casts strange oblong shapes through the shards and onto the ground. Holding a piece to her eye, she looks out towards a nearby rise through the warped lense.
[15:45:48] <Lily> "Not at all..."  She sees Henriette slog off on her own though and eventually lets go of Loewin, going to the gun HERSELF and unloading it by hand, before setting it down and giving the others an "All clear!"
[15:48:29] <Loewin> With a roll of the eyes, the Sachslass sets to carefully picking shards of glass from the ground by hand with nary a glance towards Henri.
[15:48:32] <Bridget> Bridget follows the winged girl, looking nervously almost as she does so.  Apprehension doesn't come easily to the Highlander, but when it does, it's clearly written on her face.  "Hey, Henri, you doing okay?" a few words, a worried glance.
[15:50:55] <Henriette> "... I am fine, ma belle," she responds, none too convincingly. Similar to her compatriot, masking emotions doesn't come easily to Henriette and though she attempts to keep her back turned to the others, a trained eye can catch her straining to remain calm.
[15:55:00] <~Oxford> The air is cool but dry, despite how close they are to the coast. A piece of glass hidden in a pile of orange blossoms catches Henriette distracted, and her finger leaves the petals speckled with dark red droplets as she quickly pulls it away.
[15:56:56] <Henriette> The prick on her finger is enough to send her over the edge as she starts audibly sobbing, tears flowing all too easily from her eyes. Irritably, she grabs again at the glass, and continues working more vehemently than before.
[15:57:03] <Lily> Lily instead picks up the shattered pieces of the basket the milk jugs were in, quietly in thought for a while before finally saying something.  "Ah!  Henriette, your finger!  Lemme' get something to fix it!"  She looks around...around...for any herbs that could help, like yarrow.
[15:58:35] <Henriette> "Non. I am fine, Lily," she responds, just shy of shouting at the other girl. "Let us just nettoyons le verger déjà, ma belle."
[16:01:46] <Bridget> "…." Damnit.  Bridget looks at the Gaulian girl and wraps her up in another hug.  Not bone crushing but present, clearly trying to calm her down.  "Oi, oi…'s aelraet."
[16:04:23] <Henriette> She shoves the other girl away. "I am fine! S'il vous plaît l-" She stops speaking with a huff of frustration and says in an attempt to be calm. "Please leave me be, ma belle?"
[16:04:45] <Loewin> Loewin continues ignorantly picking up shards, her eternal smile having diminished significantly.
[16:04:54] <Bridget> Bridget will not be shoved away by such puny efforts! She does withdraw the hug though after a moment.  "Faen."
[16:05:45] <Lily> Lily runs off to grab the yarrow she quickly finds, yarrow plants sprouting up behind her, and then turns around after harvesting, blinking in confusion at the plant she was looking for having been all over the place.  Oh well!  She heads up to Henriette.  "Got it!  Hold still, okay?  You wouldn't want an infection, would you?"
[16:09:43] <Bridget> "Aye, 's nae gaed. Waer waerried about ye."
[16:09:48] <Lily> She takes the leaves from the plant, tying them together in a pseudo-bandage, and then carefully puts it onto Henriette's cut to staunch the bleeding
[16:10:18] <Henriette> Except that the cut has already started to clot up, it seems! "Lily... I do not need your help, ma belle. I..." She falters, her voice suddenly catching in her throat. "I am leaving Wightshead."
[16:10:29] <Henriette> And with that she bursts into tears once more.
[16:11:20] <Lily> "Huh?"
[16:13:09] <Loewin> There's a muted clatter as Loewin's collected shards fall to the grassy floor, though the girl simply leans over and begins picking them right back up without pause.
[16:14:48] <Lily> The words sink in, her expression faltering, but then she resumes her cheerful expression, gently clasping Henriette's non-cut hand and gently guiding her to sit down on the ground with her.  "Come on, sit down for a bit, I'll make sure your cut's fine!  Where are you going to after you leave, then?  Is it a nice place?"
[16:16:50] <Henriette> "I mean that... I am quitting," she says, reluctant to follow Lily anywhere. She tugs her hand away and tries to resume collecting the glass. "The Colonel said... I must tell you m-myself. I... I did not want... I mean... I did want to leave; I do want to leave, but..."
[16:17:04] <Bridget> "Yae dannae wanna leave us, jus..."
[16:17:07] <Bridget> "Tha military?"
[16:17:31] <Henriette> Rambling and vision blurry, she tries vainly to grab at a shard only to find it's actually just a peach petal.
[16:18:12] <Lily> Lily puts her arms around Henriette's shoulders and gennnntly guides her down onto the ground.  "Sit down a little, you'll feel better."
[16:19:00] <~Oxford> The damp petal sticks to her finger, clinging like a round, pink parasite.
[16:22:39] <Henriette> She finally submits to Lily's guidance, but she shakes off Lily's physical contact as she sets her pile down. It's sizable, but cluttered with petals between the shards. "I... do not know anymore, but... these... magical mutations will only get worse, non? Until what? We die? Worse?"
[16:25:24] <Loewin> Finally, Loewin joins them, dumping her own pile atop Henri's. "If you're leaving...then leave." She dares not make eye contact at the girl seated before her, but her gaze is cold.
[16:25:47] <Lily> Lily sits down beside Henriette, some of the grass and other plants around the two girls growing slightly larger, as if to give them a little shielding from the outside.  "Maybe I'll turn into an actual cat!  That wouldn't be so bad, I think. Or maybe I'll become a nymph of the forest!  I'd be okay with that too.  Um, you wanted to become a seamstress, right?"
[16:26:22] <Bridget> "Wael...Ae ain't maendin' mine"
[16:26:32] <Bridget> "'s saemthin' Ae 'spected."
[16:28:43] <Henriette> Loewin's words cause the main character to visibly flinch. "Is... is that okay? I didn't know it would happen, et now... Margarette hates me. I have not seen Dirk in some time. The Colonel... he dislikes me as well..."
[16:29:17] <Henriette> "How can you be so courageux? Aren't you scared?"
[16:31:01] <Loewin> "Of course we are. You think we know any more than you? We do not." She begins picking petals from the pile and organizing it to make it ultimately easier to pick up.
[16:32:56] <Lily> Lily looks down.  "Knowing that I have to deny people's lives, that they're not really all that different from me, it hurts every time I fight..."
[16:33:36] <Bridget> "Aye. 's...nae saemthin' Ae laek, baet...Ae gotta gaev aet mae all!"
[16:36:21] <Henriette> "Is that what you wanted, then? I... I wanted to do right for Albaea, to show that I care for my home, but... no one told me about these... mutations."
[16:36:28] <Lily> "But Stranahan taught me that you don't fight to kill.  You...you fight to protect!  There's a difference.  I know everyone in this town is counting on me to make sure they can keep living, to make sure that their lives can continue on without loss, which is why I fight for all of them and I mean I haven't been able to really know ANY of them but I know that that way they won't be as
[16:36:29] <Lily> hurt when I'm gone so I can keep fighting without worrying what I become or what happens to me!  Of course...I know it's not the same for you...you actually have someone to worry about you..."  Sniff.  "I...I wish I had someone to worry about me..."
[16:37:51] <Loewin> "Lily, you idiot..." Sniff. "...does it not count when we worry for you?"
[16:40:40] <Lily> Lily opens her mouth to say something and then closes it, entirely at a loss for words for once.
[16:41:35] <Henriette> Henriette nods in agreement with Loewin. The tears falling down her face haven't stopped since she sat down. "I never wanted to upset Margarette... I don't want to make anyone hate me, mais... she was right. I... stole Dirk from her, et we are putting them all in danger by being here! Et... they know that, so they must want us to leave, non? I can barely keep myself safe from these...
[16:41:35] <Henriette> things, et I want to protect Dirk?"
[16:43:03] <Loewin> "They...they would be in much more danger were we not here." This probably isn't completely true, but it's a very nice lie to believe.
[16:48:02] <Henriette> "The worst part is... I am too much un couard. Stuck between err... a stone and... or however the saying goes."
[16:51:43] <Loewin> "I would not fault you for leaving. But know that we are no less scared than you. For me it is...simply that I can do much more good here than anywhere else."
[16:53:01] <Lily> Lily stays quiet, staring off into space.
[16:53:12] <Bridget> Bridget remains mostly silent
[16:56:20] <Henriette> "I..." The silence settling over the group is stiffling, like trying to breathe underwater. "I don't have a choice anymore. Now the Colonel expects me to leave... I do not know what to do."
[16:56:32] <~Oxford> A sudden gust sweeps in from the sea, carrying with it the scent of salt and seaweed. For one transient moment, the occasional flurries of peach petals become a blizzard, a beautiful dance of soft yet vibrant flecks. Then it is gone, and the orchard is still, and the trees are left in nothing but their dull greens.
[16:57:09] <Loewin> "If he wanted you to leave, you would already be gone."
[16:59:07] <Henriette> "I did not say 'want'. I said 'expects'. If I stay, he will think I have no... err... that I do not keep my word!"
[16:59:28] <Lily> Lily nods.  "No, I think he wanted you to tell us so that you would reconsider."
[16:59:45] <Loewin> "And why would he have you wasting ammo if he expected you to depart?"
[17:03:19] <Henriette> "Mais... I was already unsure after I told him at first. I have always just done what I was told. I do not know when it is my décision."
[17:04:06] <Loewin> "Always. It is always your decision." Her resolve falters a tad. "Although, sometimes the options are not the greatest."
[17:06:08] <Henriette> Exasperated, she grimaces and attempts to reword her sentence. "I mean... I do not know what to do when it is mine. Stranahan made it sound so simple. Dirk supported me too, et all of you do not want me to leave. I do not know what Vaughn wants, though, et, Margarette wishes I had never come."
[17:10:21] <Loewin> Loewin chuckles softly. "I would be lying if I said my reasons for preferring you here were not completely selfish. For matters such as this...it is best you choose as you want. Not how you feel. If we chose how we felt...we...well, I, would also leave this place and never look back. But I wish to protect people, and thus I do."
[17:13:08] <Bridget> The girl nods, still quiet.  Her own feelings on the matter are mostly silent.
[17:14:22] <Henriette> "Mais... I want... I do not know," she says, burying her head in her hands.
[17:21:02] <Loewin> "We can not take that hesitation to the battlefield, as we've learned all too well...if you do not know, do not fly. But that doesn't mean you need to run." Loewin begins gathering up the glass shards, making a makeshift pouch of her uniform to deposit them in. "You might talk more with Dirk, the Colonel, and...even Maggie before deciding what it is you want. Just remember, not everyone can protect people as we do."
[17:23:04] <~Oxford> Even though the sun still sits a litle ways above the horizon, Lily can feel her goosebumps rise as the temperature begins to drop. The shadows lengthen as night's first tendrils steal up on the orchard.
[17:25:18] <Henriette> "I know... I still want to protect them, et I feel selfish and stupid..." She stares at her shoes, pragmatic thick-soled work boots, and says, "The Colonel said things I still do not understand, as well. I am sorry to worry all of you. I... I will stay. I have a duty that only we can do, non?"
[17:26:40] <Lily> "Right! And me and Bridget and Loewin and even Marina when she's not sick will be here to help you do it!"
[17:26:55] <Bridget> "Aye! Ae ain' gonna laet ye' suffer alone!"
[17:27:45] <Loewin> Loewin nods and departs ahead of the rest, eager to rid herself of a rather dangerous amount of glass as well as seek out the Colonel.
[17:32:40] <Henriette> "Merci," she says, a small smile breaking through the confused look on her face. Her concern for others takes back over as she says, "Is... Loewin alright?"
[17:41:14] <~Oxford> The land between the Carraway orchards and back to Wightshead takes a short while for Loewin to cross, and the sky is beginning to turn a deep purple as she arrives at the looming manse's front entrance.
[17:51:01] <Loewin> After relieving herself of the shards, and bandaging any cuts from the process, Loewin heads for Vaughn's office, rapping her knuckle on the door should she find it closed.
[17:52:50] <~Oxford> Col. Vaughn is storming  out of the office as she knocks. The officer's wrinkled face is bright red, as if from exercise. His eyes dart desperately from one side to the other, as if still looking for something he knows is long gone. He nearly bowls her over, and his head snaps to face her, but after an instant for recognition it droops, and his mouth opens and closes wordlessly.
[17:54:37] <Loewin> Hopping back a bit out of reaction, she snaps to attention, giving the most enthusiasm to a salute that she's ever done. "Sir." She waits silently for a command, expecting a dismissal given...whatever this is.
[17:54:57] <~Oxford> "It's Marina," he stammers, his voice sounding distant and vague despite their physical closeness. "She's gone."
[17:54:59] <~Oxford> /session