castlenim | I saw rise in the heat settle soft and as pure as snow

I saw rise in the heat settle soft and as pure as snow

[This, honestly, took a lot of work. More work than some of the battleplans, but admittedly the machinations of the Victorian nobles are predictable. The only thing Talulah knows about the northern territories is what she's gleaned from her father's journals.

Edward Artorius apparently had a decent enough relationship with the ruler when he'd been alive, and since the wendigo race of Sarkaz live for a very, very long time, perhaps any goodwill towards her parent might be extended to her.

She has also gleaned the northerners are not unreasonable; they've crossed paths during various skirmishes at the border, and they ignore all rebel forces once their own task is complete. Talulah has made it very clear no one from her side is to engage with any other party that isn't either obviously Victorian, or strikes first, and it seems the courtesy is returned.

That said, isolationist policy is hard to overcome, and what she's asking isn't a mere favor. To be embroiled in civil war in another country is an idea most people would scoff at, but...the north has undoubtedly seen the writing on the wall for what will transpire after the dust settles. Victoria's appetite is ever unsatiable.

The Gaulish castle she walks through is a testament to that. It's nothing but ruins now, good for little else besides neutral territory. She's brought two members of the rebels with her, two with a calm rationality suited to negotiations. She'd be fine going in alone, but, well...if Talulah saw another group's leader sitting all alone during a meeting that was meant to be a peaceful talk, she'd think there was an ambush waiting.

Still, no matter how rational one is, curiosity tends to win out, and she can hear her escort party gossiping even behind their masks. They're wondering if the northern princess is as beautiful and strong as the rumors say. If she's half as strong as that Cautus she'd seen once during a border skirmish, then her alliance would be more than a boon.

By her estimation, the meeting time is near, so she supposes she'll find out soon enough.]

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[Talulah is about to come back with some remark about what Yelena's just said when the coughing starts, and she practically startles out of her chair. She does end up half-kneeling in front of Yelena, one hand on her back in an instinctual motion to soothe her.]

Yelena?! Nod if you need a medic.

[She's going to be really annoyed if the other had been injured this whole time and hadn't told her. Or, probably, Talulah will be more annoyed that she hadn't noticed at all.]

[ even with her coughing fit, Yelena's quick to shake her head when Talulah asks about a medic. she's not injured, just exhausted, and that looks different for her compared to other people. ]

It's— fine. [ she lifts her hand away from her mouth, revealing the palm
of glove soaked through with water. ]

Like you said, I'm still "defrosting".

[There’s a slightly bizarre moment when Talulah’s mind expects to see red coating Yelena’s palm only for there to be nothing but water, but it’s only a small blip. Soon, she’s sending more warmth down the connection of their arts bond.]

You should have mentioned you needed some more help with that, instead of letting me sit and talk at you all this time.

Sorry for the inconvenience. [ she mutters, managing to keep a tinge of brusqueness to her tone despite the pain in her chest.

Yelena shivers when Talulah pushes more of her arts through the incorporeal link between them, her next exhale coming out as a miniature puff of steam. the relief Talulah's capable of giving her is so immediate, part of Yelena can never completely shake the feeling that it's too good to be true. she can't get used to it, no matter how eager Talulah seems to offer her assistance. it spurs on thoughts Yelena shouldn't be humoring, not about someone like Talulah, who extends the same sort of kindness and care to everyone she meets.

there's no getting around the reality of their situation. Yelena knows this, yet still finds herself falling victim to childish impulse. ]

If you want to speed things up, pull your chair over here. Close proximity help.

It’s not one.

[Talulah pulls the chair over with her foot before sitting back down on it, now close enough she’s pressed up against Yelena’s side.

She is the type of person to care for everyone, to try to understand everyone’s reasons for living, understand their actions. But she doesn’t feel nearly the same pull as she does for Yelena, the desire to always be like this, side-by-side. That…won’t be possible with their positions. This she also knows. But she does have this moment.

Softly, she reaches out to take the other’s hand.]

Is that better?

[ it's a slightly surreal experience to get what you want, but not what you expected. Yelena's eyes widen as Talulah sidles up to her, complying on instinct when she reaches to take her hand. there was a thought she had back at the rebel camp, after she'd found her spot among the the Yetis in their tents— that when Talulah had first urged her to sleep, she could've asked to share her bed.

Yelena felt mortified in the moment, and her shame hardly improved after she discovered the assumptions her squad her squad had been working under. it was a betrayal of Talulah's generosity toward her, she'd thought, a toxic daydream that would bring her nothing tangible in the harsh light of reality.

still. it's difficult not to entertain those ideas again when Talulah complies like this, forcing Yelena to bite her cheek and banish the flush trying to spring onto her face. she can write that off as being a side-effect of Talulah's heat. hopefully. what she does next, letting her greed win out again, is harder to explain away. ]

Yeah. Thank you. [ she shifts her weight to lean against Talulah, letting her head drop to rest on her shoulder. ]

Good.

[Talulah probably should mention to Yelena that she can use the bed if she’s that tired. Even the bare-bones cots they have here should be more comfortable than Talulah’s shoulder, but she doesn’t really want Yelena to move.

Paradoxically, Talulah feels both more of the weight of their future reality bearing down and lighter than ever with Yelena so close. She really does think she can do anything at all if Yelena has her back, and the prospect of their fight she still has to face is suddenly less daunting.

It’s fine if she also closes her eyes for a moment, tips her head just enough to feel the tickle of Yelena’s hair against her cheek.]

Take as much time as you need.

That could be a while.

[ Yelena murmurs, quiet enough that Talulah would struggle to hear it if she were any further away. her ears droop slightly, velvet fur tickling the side of Talulah's face. even if she were offered the cot, Yelena wouldn't want to move— the warmth she can steal in moments like this does more for her than any length of rest could.

the comfort is addicting. rather than thinking about how they'll overcome what lies ahead, Yelena conscious narrows down to the dusty little space they've tucked themselves into. she wants to keep Talulah here for herself, but it's a futile wish— one she'll have to put away, before she truly ruins something. ]

For whatever it's worth, I'm not worried about how you'll choose to handle things. If you convinced me, winning over everyone who still wants you dead will be easy.

Are you saying you were harder to convince than anyone who'd rather see me executed?

[Talulah has to laugh a little at that. Yelena hadn't been easy to win over, but she'd never been outright hostile, either.

She doesn't mind staying where she is for a while. In fact, she plans to unless someone arrives to cart her away or there's no other choice. After this, she'll do exactly what she needs to. But for however long this moment lasts, she can enjoy Yelena being this close, can't she?]

Thanks for the faith in me, though. It's actually worth a lot.

The ones who want you dead are mostly opportunists. After we gain more ground here, they won't keep that opinion for long.

[ it's patently silly to be having a conversation in their current position, but if she doesn't say something, Yelena's mind will start wandering to ideas that could do some real damage. there's still a paper-thin film of plausible deniability over what they're doing hidden away from the rest of the encampment— the Yeti's are aware of the effect Talulah's arts have on their leader.

but she goes quiet after Talulah thanks her again. she's really, really toeing the line of appropriate behavior for a person of her status. of Talulah's status too, once they take the palace and have her stake her official claim. a different kind of chill undercuts her mood as she acknowledges this thing between them is fleeting, rendered nameless as one realization is followed by another, it's existence prematurely snuffed out by the fact that after the dust settles, Talulah won't need her anymore. Victoria, on the other hand, will need much, much more than Ursus alone can offer. ]

[Talulah will always need her. Not Talulah, the leader of Victoria, at least not all the time. But Talulah herself is a different story.]

But then I have to deal with fairweather friends. I guess that's an issue for after I manage everything, though.

[The topic of the conversation is fine. So long as they can keep talking, and so long as Talulah has an excuse to stay, she's content. Well. Maybe not content, exactly. A part of her does keep thinking about Columbian movies that have this exact scenario in them all the time, where the leads are alone for an impassioned moment before the last, important battle. Those usually end with one half dead, though, so maybe it's good she's not following the script word for word.]

That's part of the job.

[ in Yelena's head, she's making her own connections between this scene and pieces of fiction. like the fairy tales her father used to read to her, they even have their own clock chiming the end of their enchantment. someone knocks on the door and Yelena pulls away immediately— though her hand remains clasped in Talulah's beneath the table.

hinges squeak as a rebel sticks their head into the room, letting Talulah know that crew from the factory district have already made headway getting the comms up and running, and they've got an incoming message for her from the main encampment. ]

[Reality literally came knocking. Talulah gives Yelena a bit of an apologetic smile, and squeezes her hand.]

I'll go see what this is. Take a nap or eat something in the meantime.

[She's reluctant to let go, and Yelena can probably feel her hesitation, but Talulah does let go and stands up from her seat, going over to the rebel still standing in the doorway. She pauses there too, glancing over her shoulder.]

I don't know if I'll be able to get back here, but I'll get someone to let you know what's going on if I don't.

[ Yelena considers for a brief, wild moment, simply not letting Talulah's hand go. the thought passes as she trains her expression back to icy impassivity, giving a curt nod in response. ]

Okay. I'll come find you later if you can't.

[ it takes a lot not to try and insist she's fine to join her now, but she suspects Talulah's patience with her attempts to play stoic have hit her limits after the coughing fit. ]

[Talulah definitely would not believe Yelena is better off trailing after her to hear whatever the message is instead of resting, no. She does return the nod and heads out of the room, closing the door behind her quietly.

The rebels have done a lot of work in the meantime, and the comms are stable enough for Talulah to hear that the nobles still standing their ground aren’t making any moves…yet. But it does seem as though the original plan should move forward as soon as possible, in order to prevent them from making any solid preparations.

Which means Talulah has to get her own side ready. Especially since they say the comms should be completely solid with just a little more work. That means they can get an advantage if they manage to jam the opposition’s communication lines.

She loses track of time between making plans and giving instructions and fielding questions from those who are part of the strike teams. There’s not much time or thoughts to spare for anything else, but she does still hope she can see Yelena once more before she has to set off. For…what, she’s not entirely sure. Thinking anything is the “last” is dangerous for multiple reasons.

It’s worse when she does have a tiny moment to spare, like when there’s nothing to keep her mind occupied in the currently empty makeshift armory as she double checks all of her equipment.]

[ for her part, Yelena does try to get the rest Talulah urged her to. she's out like a light as soon as she moves to lay down on the cot, and doesn't rouse until later, when something tucked under several layers of her clothing begins to thrum with a steady, foreboding power.

she seeks out the communications center first to see if word has come in from Ursus main command yet. they've heard nothing about reinforcements, which doesn't necessarily mean a lot— the squad she's expecting doesn't answer to any of the generals currently standing at the front line. she gives the engineers the channel and the message she needs sent along it, before leaving to find the one in charge at this outpost.

while Yelena once insisted that web of arts she weaves between herself and her squad wasn't solely used like a tracking device ... it's not not a function of that particular technique. with the encampment's relatively small size, she can follow Talulah's trail easily, pushing the door open to the temporary armory without needing to ask anyone of it's location. ]

The shieldguards have entered Londinium. My father's going to break Victoria's inner defenses as soon as we evacuate our people from the breach point.

[ meaning the ducal forces outside the wall have been eliminated. meaning Ursus' Patriot will be at the head of his army before the day is out, and the Grand Dukes chances at victory will be ground to dust beneath his heels. ]

That's great news.

[If Talulah's surprised to see Yelena suddenly appear behind her, she doesn't show it, and merely smiles as she checks her sword is secure at her waist.]

That means we can go ahead with our own efforts. The remaining Grand Dukes are trying to fortify a last stand in the middle of the city. We're planning to strike at multiple points, jam their comms, and sow enough chaos that hopefully one of the more paranoid camps thinks the others have turned on them. If they're desperate enough to avoid a war on two fronts that they'll blockade the middle of Londinium, we'll force the issue. And give your father an easier time.

[She moves to stand at a more companionable distance, noting that Yelena's looking a little more rested. But even if she had appeared just as exhausted, Talulah knows better than to think she'd put herself anywhere besides the middle of the fighting.]

I assumed you'd go with your Yetis, but the strike teams aren't set in stone.

How far away is the main camp? Some of them should be there, and the rest will be coming in with the Ursus reinforcements. We're more effective when we're together, but I don't know how long it would take for us to meet up with either group.

[ having someone of her status slip off the radar to travel covertly again might just contribute to high command's anxiety, even if her father is gearing up to start the final march of the war.

Talulah might have qualms about predicting the outcome of this fight, but Yelena doesn't share her hesitation. as far as she's concerned, the Victorian army's last chance at success has come and gone. Buldrokkas'tee is in their city now. they have no hope at holding it anymore. ]

I'll stick it out with your group or go join up with the forerunners for the Shieldguards. This is your command point, so I'll leave the decision up to you.

I could always use your arts.

[And she really would feel some pretty unshakeable confidence if she had Yelena watching her back. Especially against Caster's notoriously formidable personal army. But, this operation has a very, very specific goal.]

The point of this, though, is to make sure they can't form a united front as a last stand. If you think you can meet up with the main camp to the north, even when the roads are this bad, and hit the Grand Dukes from another side, then that's the best option.

[ the answer isn't as decisive as Yelena was hoping for. part of her desperately wants Talulah to ask her to stay outright, to give her some excuse to cling onto, but ... maybe it's better that she doesn't. she can write that moment in the break room off as an exhaustion-fueled fantasy with no greater meaning behind it and get on with her life. ]

I can get there with a smaller squad. I'll leave the rebels we picked up here with you and take the Yetis to a different point.

[ she doesn't let her voice betray any disappointment. Yelena's feelings are secondary to the objective, and that's only going to become more and more unavoidable as time goes on. Talulah doesn't belong to her— never did, never will, and she should start getting used to it. ]

[Yelena's voice doesn't, but they've spent enough time together that Talulah can sense something is slightly off. She tilts her head to the side, evaluating.]

This isn't me keeping you out of the way, you know.

[Because she assumes the problem might have something to do with suggesting Yelena go somewhere besides the front lines.

In truth, she does want Yelena to stay, but Talulah can't think entirely of what she wants. She hasn't, from the moment she decided to take up this cause.]

You should know by now, I always feel better when I have you to watch my back.

I don't think you're doing that.

[ she raises an eyebrow, not quite sure of what Talulah's trying to say. Yelena's not a child, she's not going to throw a fit because she's not picked first for the team. what she'd prefer doesn't factor into their current situation, where acting on emotion instead of desire could easily jeopardize the entire war effort.

it does make her feel ... something, to hear Talulah puts that much faith in her. all the more reason she should pick the most optimal role for her abilities in their current mission. ]

Do you remember what I told you right before we took on Dublinn and her lieutenant? You still haven't given me a direct order. You could cash that in now.

[Talulah does remember that moment, the banter before what they both knew would amount to a fight they actually needed to use their full strength for. More importantly, she wonders if she should voice the thought that immediately popped up in her mind.

Well. If not now, when? Even if there are consequences.]

Does that mean you need an order to go where I said, or an order to stay?

[ Yelena had expected to be brushed off, more or less. some avoidant comment from Talulah that skirts around the tuskbeast in the room, leaving things vague enough between them to preserve the sense of friendship between them. this could be a simple extension of that— Talulah wanting to know how deep their camaraderie goes, looking for reassurance as the weight of her decisions begin to fall irrevocably into place.

she could be empathetic to that. it's the mature, responsible thing to do. Yelena tries to find a scrap of that emotion, and comes up empty-handed. all that fills her now is irritation, needles lancing into her skin as Talulah continues to turn the question back on her.

before she realizes it, she's stepping forward, moving into Talulah's space to glare up at her, voice turning icy. ]

I need you to give me a straight answer on what you, as a leader, need me to do. You're not in a position to care about that order hurts my feelings.

[Talulah blinks, not expecting Yelena's anger or her sudden proximity, but she doesn't back away from either. In fact, a part of her wants to hold onto Yelena's shoulders or some other kind of soothing touch in the way of an apology, but ultimately, she just lowers her gaze, briefly.]

Sorry. I know. I do need you to strike at another position. But...

[She should have learned from her mistake ten seconds earlier about saying things she shouldn't say, especially since Yelena got angry at her for it, but this one is already halfway out of her mouth.]

You can tell me if one does hurt your feelings. You're the last person I ever want to take for granted.

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