[Haven/Faldrass] Into the Badlands

[Balthazar Black]

20 Ashan 721

"Is everyone ready?" Balthazar asked the small group that had agreed to accompany him on the first real journey into the Badlands. They were going to move along the northern coast towards the volcano where Balthazar would use his memory to get them into the Heart. Elisabeth was coming with him though part of him thought it would be better for her to remain behind to look after the settlers while they went into the unknown. In addition to his initiate, he was taking one of his three Flame Trooper shadows who'd agreed to take a longer shift, Balder, and about five other settlers equip with what they though they would need to endure the journey. The settlers were not armed but Balthazar, Balder, Elisabeth, and the trooper were. Silk, Ronan, and the other two Flame Troopers remained behind to maintain order in the settlement while the small party went east to gather supplies.

Balthazar got a few confirming grumbles and nods to indicate everyone was ready to go. He waved to Silk standing off a little in the distance, watching them prepare to leave, and then turned towards the ashen waste before them. What would they find in this strange, strange place? Balthazar remembered the resort and the marketplace but they would not be walking over that area intentionally. They were to keep the northern coast in view as much as possible while they walked towards the volcano looming over the island. Balthazar addressed the group once more to ensure they all remembered the plan. "It'll be a bit of a journey to the volcano and once we get there I want everyone to keep their eyes peeled for a metal that looks somewhat like a black glass. If you see it, call out and we can try to collect it. If you see anything else on the path from here to the volcano that is worth bringing back to Haven, call out and we will collect it. Should we encounter danger, everyone fall behind Balder, Elisabeth, my shadow, and I. We will keep you safe. Alright, let's go." He began the long march, slowing slightly so he'd be walking beside Elisabeth. "How have you been?"

[Elisabeth Black]

20 Ashan, Arc 721

Elisabeth checked and rechecked her gear. They were headed towards the volcano on a resource-finding mission and Balthazar had asked her to come along. She knew that it had to have been a hard decision for him to make and she appreciated it.

Double-checking her sword, she had decided to secure it on her side this time instead of her back. Carrying it on her back was a simple way of having it close by in case of need but out of the way in situations where she really didn’t feel it would be necessary to draw - drawing a sword from the back was a bit more complicated. As they were headed into unknown territory, the side was much more practical.

Throwing her pack on her back, the young woman glanced around, waiting for the others to be ready. Balthazar gave final instructions and the group headed out. His steps slowed and she found him next to her, greeting him with a soft smile as he spoke. “I’m good. Better. I really like this place. I feel like I’m doing something important…and I’m with you.”

Nodding at Balthazar’s current shadow, she gave him a quick smile before returning her attention to Balthazar. She was used to the shadows by now and while they always followed their orders to keep him in their sight and within earshot, they seemed to understand the need for a bit of implied privacy between the couple, staying at the outer boundaries to fulfill their duties. It wasn’t true privacy…but she would take what she could get.

Sapphire eyes glanced around at the area. Elisabeth was observant and she didn’t want anything sneaking up on them…but Balthazar was important too. She remembered his first words to her when they had been reunited after holding. I love you too. I will always worry. That had been the first time he had expressed the idea that he always worried about her and would always worry. While she had been overjoyed hearing the words, she didn’t want to add to his stresses.

“Truly, I’m alright. Things were rough at first. I spent a lot of time thinking about what had happened and unsure what to say to you. I was trying to not make things worse…but I think in doing that, I did the opposite. I’m focusing on what is important now. The settlement. My abilities. You. Not necessarily in that order.” A soft grin formed, nudging him gently with her body. “But, I think when we get back, there are a few things I’d like us to change in our tent.” Well, one thing really. One important thing.

Her entire life, there had been a search for purpose. How could she help people? Truly help people. On Faldrass, in Haven….she finally felt like she was.

[Balthazar Black]

20 Ashan 721

While Elisabeth wore only her sword, Balthazar carried a great number of weapons with him. His sword on his left, his hammer on his right, two daggers in his vambraces, and two daggers at the back of his belt. Why did he feel the need to be so well armed? Well, partially because he didn't want Ronan playing with his weapons while he was away and partially because they were going into the unknown. Without his magic, the hammer was one of his more reliable weapons and it was the one he knew the least about how to wield. He wore pieces of his armor and a black leather satchel with the strap across his body. It was a strange satchel that he'd been sent by an old friend when she heard about his imprisonment. Her notion being 'if you want to get away from them, this will have all you need to hide forever.' However he did not run. He did not enjoy fleeing from trouble. So he endured it and put the gift to use helping his people rather than himself. She'd understand and one trial she might even visit, but she had decided to lay low for the time being. With all the eyes on Balthazar, he didn't need an old smuggler paying him visits.

"We are doing something important, it should feel like you are." Balthazar pointed out to Elisabeth with a small elbow nudge in return to her predictable body nudge. She did that quite often... one trial he'd have to sidestep her and sweep her foot to test her reflexes... or to a be a brat. She was one of the few people he still felt he could do that around and as long as no one else saw he could convince them the Flame Trooper was lying if the shadow was so inclined to tell on him. He noticed how she'd stressed that it was their tent and he gave her an odd look before seeming to agree. He could let her mess with the interior design of the tent if she wanted. He would not let her mess with the design of his lair when it was done being built though. He liked it exactly as Woe had laid it out. "What are you going to change?" They had plenty of time to talk, finding nothing immediately in their path but ashen soil and dead trees. There were a few spots where some wood seemed to pierce through the ash but it was almost always dead.

[Elisabeth Black]

20 Ashan, Arc 721

Grinning softly as he nudged her with his elbow, Elisabeth laughed gently in response. “Well then, we are in agreement. Always a good thing.” She, as well, had chosen to wear certain pieces of her malorite/tienite armor, mainly for torso protection. The young mage didn’t want to be constricted any further than that but had understood the need to protect herself.

She was very aware of how her comment would hit Balthazar…and that had been the whole point. He was asking a lot of her and while she was still struggling to understand some of his thoughts and reasons for current behaviors, the raven-haired woman had decided that there were some battles not worth fighting him on. Balthazar, was complicated. In many ways, the way he thought about things was much, much different than most other people and she accepted that. He had very clearly indicated that no one – other than the pair themselves - was entitled to an ounce of his relationship with her. This put them at odds with each other’s beliefs because Elisabeth believed that despite their shadow, it was imperative that she show the man she loved what he was the most important thing to her.

But…it was their tent. His and hers.

Smiling again as he asked the question she knew would come, Elisabeth glanced over at him, shrugging her shoulders gently. “Just one thing. A bigger cot. Namely, us moving into one.” The others were a bit ahead of them and the shadows, well, they had already overheard enough in the previous trials to realize that the pair were actually a couple. In her mind, they had been seen sleeping in separate cots. What was the big deal about them sleeping in the same one? It had been the normal arrangement before the arrests, so it was nothing new for either of them.

Balthazar was asking a lot of her. She was asking for one thing.

Glancing around, she noted all the same land features he did, and thus, their conversation could continue. “I’m not much for things…possessions. I have very few things I treasure – I can probably count them on one hand. You saw my house in Rharne. I’m not much for decoration or anything like that. I'll never be sentimental to that degree about collecting things.” Moving just a bit closer to him as they walked, she continued, feeling the silver band on her finger, tossing a grin at him. “But I would like that one thing. I probably will be even a bit stubborn about it.”

[Balthazar Black]

20 Ashan 721

"Uh, no." Balthazar said rather bluntly when Elisabeth said that she wanted to move into a single cot with Balthazar. He did not like sleeping on the cot already, he could not stand sleeping on it with a second person even if he adored that second person. "Cots are the worst, but we could shape a little bit of the sand on the floor of the tent, throw some blankets over it, and sleep on that instead." Even without his magic he found himself inclined to sleeping on the floor. He'd bee a traveler for so long and slept in so many different places that he found the most reliable bed was the floor. The sand beneath the tent was warm too, which would probably either feel nice or incredibly too warm when they were together. He looked forward to finding out which it was.

"Eventually I'm going to have to have the crew build a house for us. Can't keep sleeping in a tent forever with the number of storms we've been having. We'll need more resources but I have something in mind for that." Balthazar mused as they walked. He had more than a little something in mind. He'd already begun to act on it with a few letters he sent from the island whenever the ship had to come by for the guard's reports or his therapist's visits. He turned and peered back at Haven, still a sizable blot in the distance but he did not know exactly how far they were. He missed knowing. It made things easier. Then again perhaps the point was to prove he didn't need it to be easy. Perhaps he could measure with his eyes and mind alone, no spark... if he had to guess... they were about a hundred yards away.

Haven had come a long way in a little time while he was back. Nine trials and they all had shelter, they were beginning to work on a farm, windmills, and soon they'd look towards a better defense. The clams Elisabeth had discovered presented a unique and valuable opportunity but they needed just a little more settling before they could look towards starting any real business. At least Balthazar thought it would be a better idea to secure a food source. Still, most of that would have to wait until they returned. With both Elisabeth and himself going, there were only the guards to run the operation and they would always end up waiting on Balthazar to really make the final decision. In a crisis, the guards would do though.

[Elisabeth Black]

20 Ashan, Arc 721

Honestly, she had been prepared to argue with him on the matter. Elisabeth had her arguments laid out as to why it was important to her that they sleep in the same place…together. She had been thinking about it ever since arriving in Haven but only seriously once the guards moved into their own areas. Outlines and lists of persuasive reasoning filled her mind.

She was ready.

As soon as she heard the ‘no’, the fight was on. She began to open her mouth when all of a sudden, Balthazar made the suggestion about the sand. To say she was surprised was an understatement. He had fought her tooth and nail about almost everything else, leading her to meticulously prepare the case for her request…only for him to completely undercut everything with a better idea.

Well...shit…


Elisabeth wanted to be angry that she hadn’t gotten a word out…but she couldn’t. Lips slipping to a smile, she gently nodded her head and laughed. “Agreed. I didn’t even think about that. You just dismantled trials of careful preparation to argue the point with you. How dare you...” He even continued, explaining how he wanted to have a house built for them. Arching her eyebrow gently, the smile lingered. Her eyes continued to scan the area as she listened. It would be nice to have a house, although truthfully, the young mage didn’t much care where she was…as long as he was with her.

But a house, eventually, would give them privacy. The cuffs wouldn’t be on him forever and soon, the guards would go away. It could just be them again. “I like the sound of that. A house in Haven would be nice.” Elisabeth wanted to say more but she was still a bit shocked that he had been thinking such things. Balthazar had asked her to stay with him but sometimes she still managed to experience a bit of surprise at the thought that he planned things for them. Future things.

“Have you picked out a spot yet that you think might work?” Being on the water, Elisabeth couldn’t think of any bad places to put the house, but she was curious what he was thinking of. It would be nice just to sit in a house and watch the storms roll in off the Hollow Sea. It sounded…peaceful. Then again, almost everything she had seen of Faldrass left her feeling that way. They were headed into the Badlands though and if they lived up to the name, well, it might not be as peaceful as the rest of the island.

[Balthazar Black]

20 Ashan 721

"Of course, all I do these trials is think, Elisabeth." Balthazar pointed out to her. She of all people must have noticed it. Even now, nine trials later, he was still far more quiet in his movements than before. He put on the face of leader, smiled and spoke to people as necessary to achieve his ends, but when not speaking to her he did not speak much. He watched, he listened, and he answered in shorter ways. Thinking the guards would be gone soon was generous. Thinking the cuffs would be off soon was even more generous. Balthazar had doubts about both of those things that had only worsened with his first therapy session a few trials prior. He was stubborn and he knew it. He both wanted to obey because he knew he was just being stubborn and he refused to give in because he didn't like the idea of being analyzed. He didn't think there was anything the Order's hound would tell him that he couldn't have figured out for himself. That was somewhat his problem- or one of them. He had to do everything himself.

"I thought about the beach first, just putting it up in place of the tent we're using now." Balthazar said, "But I don't know that I want to be that close to the water. I thought about the garden, but I don't know that I want to disturb it. The windbreak is nice but I've essentially promised it to the Munny's and anywhere in the middle of Haven is... unremarkable. So yes, I've thought a lot about it but I haven't quite come to a decision about where to put it yet." The problem with a house was it would be remarkably stuck in place once they did decide where to put it.

[Elisabeth Black]

20 Ashan, Arc 721

She had hoped her smile, laugh, and admission that he had undone her entire argument would have made him at least smile. He so loved doing that to her. His comment about thinking did strike her a bit. “To be fair, love, you never stop thinking. You never have. I can look at you and always, the wheels are turning.” The pair were similar in that way although Elisabeth enjoyed finding ways to calm her mind. Snow, stars, darkness – all were effective.

Elisabeth listened to his musings about where he had considered putting the house. “Well, what about putting it right outside the garden…with the back of the house against it, facing out towards the water. It would allow for a little bit of separation between the house and the other houses in the settlement…but still be not on the water, but near. A little bit of everything?” The young woman wasn’t a builder and knew nothing of the process, but she certainly could extrapolate what Balthazar wanted from the words he said.

There were lots of things she wanted to say. Lots of things she felt…but didn’t verbalize. She wanted to tell him how much it meant to her that he was thinking about her and considering her thoughts, but she couldn’t. The words were there, begging to be spoken…but every time she did try to start, they died on her lips. Elisabeth knew how he felt about their relationship being on display for the shadows. He hated knowing that their every move and word was reported….but she had bigger concerns.

He was used to doing everything himself. The young mage knew that…and she often tried to remind him that he wasn’t alone anymore. He didn’t have to do everything himself. Balthazar generally didn’t listen to her when she said that, but she did try.

What he did tend to listen to, however, were new words she said. Maybe it was time to try something else….

“And that love isn’t always words, it’s actions.” Elisabeth’s voice was soft, remembering the moment she had said those words. Glancing at him, she gave him a small smile. “Vri. I told him that. I listed off all the lessons I had learned from you by being with you. So, I guess what I’m trying to say is…thank you for what you do. I do notice and appreciate everything you do.”

[Balthazar Black]

20 Ashan 721

Did he want it near the water at all? He furrowed his brow in thought while they kept walking and didn't immediately address what Elisabeth had suggested because he didn't want to shoot it down. He'd already considered the different distances he could put it towards the garden but he really didn't want to alter that land at all. He knew that sooner or later he wouldn't have a choice. Sooner or later people would get comfortable and want more than they had. If he made his house the barrier between the settlement and the garden he could use it to keep people from 'accidentally' expanding on their own while he was away... to an extent. "We will see, for now we should focus on the Badlands, I doubt it was given it's name ironically." Balthazar decided as they walked. He was responsible for the settlers he'd brought with him and if they got hurt, he had to explain it. If his explanation was 'I was distracted because Elisabeth and I were talking about houses,' which is certainly how the trooper would report it and likely how Rand would see it based on his appraisal of Balthazar's last arc in the trial, it would look bad.

Then Elisabeth spoke of love after a short time and Balthazar glanced first at his shadow, then at her while she said she appreciated the things he had done. He didn't feel like he'd done much, not for her. He felt like if anything he was letting her down each trial by not being the affectionate person she seemed to clearly want him to be. Then again that was the sentence wasn't it? Be a good leader. Elisabeth would never ask him to, but he still had to make the choice- on some level. Who did he put first? Her or the settlers? If some danger came for them in the Badlands, who would he protect first? There was only one way to really know. For now, it didn't matter. All that mattered was they were all together and he could keep them all safe... and she still liked him. "It is actions. You'll see when we get back." Balthazar said cryptically, giving Elisabeth a small grin before turning and looking towards the unexplored waste before them.

[Elisabeth Black]

20 Ashan, Arc 721

It wasn’t as if she wasn’t watching the landscape. Rolling her eyes a bit with a grin, she nodded and let him end the conversation…but not without a final comment. “I’m always watching. Haven’t you figured that out yet?” Indeed, the young woman had made it her business to watch and listen to everything she could. What better way to learn about people? Landscape was no different.

The trip they were embarking on was serious and she knew that. Her value rested in her mind and sword. Her skills were improving with Defiance but their detainment in Almund had slowed down her training. Realistically, she was training every trial. Unarmed, Defiance, blade, meditation – the work was endless. Elisabeth didn’t complain because that was exactly what she signed up for and truthfully, she put more pressure on herself than Balthazar. If you had skills, you also had the responsibility to know what to do with them properly. What was the point otherwise? At least that was their shared mindset.

She knew her comment about love would irk Balthazar a bit, but surprisingly, he simply gave her a grin and comment back. He, not unlike her, liked information. He did not enjoy information he already knew so by giving him something different, an unknown tidbit of her time in holding, it had a different affect on him. In a small way, Elisabeth was telling him that she understood the situation they were in. She always had…but some trials were harder than others. Once the shadows left and they could speak freely, she would explain. Whether he understood the meaning, she didn’t know…but it really didn’t matter.

Her takeaway from the conversation was simple - he was thinking about their future on Faldrass. That’s all she really needed to know.