Jovian turns back to Siege, and his tone is as close to apologetic as it would be seemly to allow, given the revised dynamics of the relationship. "Siege, what we are is...complex. It is not as simple as saying we're regular people. It is also not as simple as saying we're gods, in the sense most people seem to mean that. If you find you simply must treat us differently than you would have a minute and twenty-eight seconds ago, let it only be that you trust us a little more and decide there's no use in being anything but honest with us. It's Vianis' followers I want to impress; I need you to be immune to the effect so you can act quickly if things go sour."
Jovian looks levelly at Siege, gauging his reaction with care. "Do you think they will be persuaded?"
"I apologize for not recognizing you before. Prince Jovian, Princess Robin. While I am but a soldier and not well versed in the unmanly arts, I was unaware that Prince Julian had children. As to your question about the Heretics and Apostates, I do not know. Some surely would try to sacrifice you, returning you to your heavenly bodies in the Holy City in order to do more damage to The Lady. Some would be persuaded because of your powerful army, assuming you helped us militarily. Some might want to test the stories of your immortality with steel.
"But these questions are not fit for a man. Avis or the Lady could give you better counsel, my Lord and Lady."
"Hey, no apologies needed, Siege." Robin punches the Danu companionably on the uninjured upper arm with a grin. "So yeah, me and Vere are first cousins, I guess." The Ranger rolls her eyes and snorts in laughter. "Can you imagine?!?"
"Ah well. Avis and the Lady. They get along with my kin, right? We not going to have to explain to the Man about how we helped his arch-nemesis out of prison or anything, are we? I mean, the paperwork alone!" Robin's eyes glint with humor. And if Siege hasn't gotten to his feet yet, Robin will a-hem aid him upright.
"So the men fight and the women study," Jovian ruminates, an aside to L'tarn and, not far off, Kourin. This gets both a Julianic eyebrow and his own distinctive twist at the corner of his mouth.
L'tarn replies, "That's not what's odd. Our man Siege is plenty brave, even opinionated, but it's like he's conditioned not to make any decisions. Did he say J'lin came from here?" L'tarn sounds slightly dubious.
"Not conditioned, Wingsecond. Careful." Robin smiles fondly to Siege before looking back to L'tarn. "Vere does this too. No assumptions, no flights of fancy, just the facts as accurately as can be presented. And observe, observe, observer and then at the right moment - nudge." Robin makes a mischievous little pushing gesture with one hand. "Horribly, horribly effective." She ends with a chuckle.
"And J'lin does not come from here." Mock indignation.
"No, and Gerard his brother doesn't either," Jovian confirms. "Apparently he sired a son here, though."
Returning to the matter at hand, Jovian smiles at the interplay between Siege and his sister. "All right, back to the direct approach, only we're clearer about whose side we're on in the broader conflict. I trust you'll excuse my earlier skepticism, Siege; I was unaware Prince Gerard had...ties to this land."
"Prince Gerard is husband-consort to the Lady and represents the Gods. Until a few decades ago, he was here frequently. On the last occasion, he took his son Vere away with him. It is the last we have seen of him."
Robin turns a serious face to Siege. And draws a breath. "If it's the same Vere when last I saw him -- he... was well. Surrounded by those who valued him. Using his talents to their best. And a key figure in the Holy City or whatever." She finishes with a wry smile.
He looks behind him momentarily at the dragon-sized cave entrance, squinting at the night sky. "Avis is due to be sacrificed tomorrow night, right? So if we want to get anything done under cover of darkness before then, it's got to be tonight." Again he turns to the other dragonriders. "How much firestone have we got left? And how many ships has Vianis got in one place?" he adds to Siege.
L'tarn shakes his head. "Not enough to fight a war. We haven't exactly been back to the Master Miner's halls this sennight."
Siege crosses his arms and replies. "Avis could be sacrificed at any time, if she is a prisoner. For best effect, it will be done at noon in front of a large crowd. Or at night if they are going to burn her alive. Tomorrow is a propitious day for it, that is true, but it is not required. The reason my group was here was to determine if the rumors were true. Vianis was supposed to be building up a fleet here to attack the Lady. We were to determine if it were true and disrupt it if possible. If it is there and not a feint. I would expect it to be magically defended."
Robin looks back to Jovian and shrugs. "Siege saw the fleet beginnings six months ago and I didn't get to the harbor before I was clonked. If I can get out of this dung-ridden cave and maybe get some time, I can probably get you a ship count. Annnnd maybe I can swing a confirm of a new gallows or pile of firewood or something. Course that'd proooobbbably..." she checks with Siege, "be near The Temple. Which could get tricky."
At the words "get some time," Jovian gets an odd, troubled look on his face. "We'd have to be careful you don't--" He cuts himself off, getting the look of someone listening for a faint sound while doing long division in his head. He shakes his head, dissatisfied with the answer. "Probably too risky, we'd better stay in the present. Do we need to assume magical sentries, that can detect, say, an intrusion by air at some distance?"
L'tarn says "Vocabulary word number two: Magic."
Siege says: "If they don't have magic in whatever hell you found your great beasties, then count your blessings. It probably means you're the top fighters in all your world. Imagine a woman who can turn your blood to water in your veins, at a distance. I've seen the Witch-Queens do that to a man, on the mainland. If she hadn't been alone, my patrol, including Prince Vere, would have been wiped out. As it was we lost half a cohort that day."
He turns to Robin. "Grandmother would be pleased to hear about Vere, Lady. She always said that he should decide if he was to be a man or a God. Not that she wouldn't want to sacrifice him, but she'd be pleased he came to a conclusion. The Lady will want the news of her son and husband as soon as we can get it to her."
Robin nods, her lips in the flat line of a repressed smile, her eyes twinkling. Yep, this is definitely a Vere place.
"Understandable. But let's get back to her daughter -- are we likely to run into any Witch-Queens while busting out Avis? And what can 'Priestesses' get up to? Know of any convenient limits - line of sight, silver-allergies or such? And the aerial question is valid for me as well." Robin crouches back down by the drawing, grinning at Jovian. She shrugs.
"A priestess, Lady, is a woman of great wisdom who has studied the ways of the Goddess and devoted herself to the betterment of all through the careful and judicious uses of her magical powers, granted as a sign of favor for her deep knowledge and commitment. Our people venerate our Priestesses, who rise from all classes of the populace to become members of our ruling elite.
"A Witch-Queen is a woman of great foolishness who has perverted the ways of the Goddess and devoted herself to personal aggrandizement through the reckless and harmful uses of her magical powers, taken unwilling from the Goddess. The enemy is enslaved by their Witch-Queens, who place themselves above the wise and the noble.
Siege snorts, and there is clearly some strong emotion in his voice. "This is something I would not have told you a decade ago. I would not say this were any of my brotherhood with me, for it is not a happy observation and unmanly as well. But a decade ago, I would not have thought of my grandmother as a Witch-Queen.
"Vere might say that the difference is only in person. Our Priestesses are not like their Witch-Queens. Except in the particulars of what their powers are, of course. Grandmother always said that Priestesses were only limited by their imaginations. She used to claim that she had almost none, but I no longer think that is the case.
He looks across the fire, unseeing. "Forgive me, I should not be so free with my tongue. I think your medicines were very strong."
Siege does not look to be at his best, now that he mentions it.
A sympathetic cluck of the tongue comes from Robin. "Yeah. It's been a long night. Look, Siege, I'm planning on bunking down near the entrance. If you can stand the fly-by watch changes, you're welcome to scrounge up a bed-roll... or do you think you might want a quiet chat with T'dor?"
Having been around a fair share of men who would try to 'walk off' a broken leg, Robin keeps her voice friendly and reasonable, hiding the concern in her eyes from the dragonriders. Though the Ranger is well aware that her brother is probably going to pick up on it.
Siege shakes his head. "I'll be leaving this world shortly, Lady, but I shall come back to it. I'm not that badly off. Your friends have been feeding me. I could sleep on a demon if need be." The word 'demon' comes out of Siege's mouth as 'dragon'.
The corner of Jovian's mouth twists at this, wryly amused rather than annoyed. This is not, for a change, accompanied by the hereditary brow workout.
Whereas Robin looks confused, and shakes her head. "I don't under..." the ranger breaks off as she is distracted.
There is something of a commotion near the largest entrance, and you all see Kourin coming towards you. L'tarn looks at Jovian sharply.
//Hoshith says that Kourin wants you by the entrance. The watchriders see someone who is not there.//
At L'tarn's look Jovian unfocuses for half a moment, then snaps his head around, his eyes gleaming hawkishly at the large entrance. He straightens up and covers the distance from himself to the senior queen rider. "Kourin, what've we got?"
She falls in with Jovian and L'tarn, heading back towards the entrance. "A semi-transparent woman floating in mid-air, who is not visible to dragons." She says this in a remarkably rational and cool voice, as if she has lost the capacity for rational thought.
"Oh, Shit," says Siege.
The Ranger sighs as she straightens to her feet once more. "And me without my poker. Okay, Siege. What is it and how do we cause it a world of hurt?" Her grin is grim, but there is a spark of something... deep in Robin's green eyes.
Rather than wait for the answer, Jovian closes the distance between himself and the entrance rapidly, peering into the darkness. Prepared for the worst, he reaches into Canareth's mind for the level of rapport that lets them share vision....
[Note:This is a really hard task that is seldom accomplished in the main body of works from which these dragons are taken. In this particular case, it isn't happening. The up side is you avoid seeing through a different set of eyes and falling on your face into a pool of your own vomit...]
Siege says "There!" and points, rather unnecessarily, to a floating, translucent woman in a long white robe. Her kinky red hair is spread out in a corona around her face and she is looking at the cave, but not moving. She seems utterly unaware that she has been spotted. She has her hand over her eyes, shielding them from the rain. She is leaning forward and you get a feeling of anticipation, dread, and immense distance.
Siege looks confused. "That's not a witch-queen."
"Damn," says Robin blandly. "I knew I was in someone's snowglobe." Her face wrinkles in disgust and she barely holds herself from spitting to the side.
The Ranger's bright eyes dart to the other entrances of the caves. And she moves toward the closest of those. Just to make sure that they are only dealing with one floaty ghosty woman and not an surrounding force.
Robin heads towards another entrance, If anyone were looking in her direction, they would notice that Kourin's eyes become unfocused. The cave is a hive of busy activity and as Robin reaches the side entrance, so does a middle aged rider. He is slightly stocky and reminds you vaguely of Eric.
"Good Evening, Ma'am. I'm T'lon." He is also looking out the cave entrance.
"Well met, T'lon. I'm Robin. I guess we're on flank guard." Robin grins and winks to the dragonrider. Quick strong hands tear a strip of fabric from around the bottom of Robin's tunic. And slip a handful of conveniently round and sturdy stones into her pocket. Though one of the stones is slipped into the Ranger's makeshift sling.
Bright green eyes dart over the rider, checking how he's armed.
He's armed like most of the male dragon riders. Belt knife, of the serious 'I sometimes work on leather harnesses' type. Stiff leather boots that could conceal anything shorter than his calf, (although T'lon doesn't walk like he has that much steel against his leg.) Large, Telepathic Dragon in constant mental contact. Vast Ego.
The Ranger represses a quick laugh. Surrounded by 'bigger is better' men, ah well, could be worse. The girl turns her twinkling eyes to the outside.
You hear nothing but the activity behind you and you do not spot any floating women from where you stand. You could exit the cave and possibly see the one near the big entrance, but not from the cave opening.
The Ranger slides nearer the opening and sends her senses out into the night. Keen eyesight searches among the greenery for the tell-tale of armed men. Nostrils flare as Robin tests the night winds and the hearing of a creature of the wild brings the song of the world back to the Ranger.
Quiet, Quiet, Quiet. Without is silence, and creatures gone to ground.
A quick breath of consternation blows out of Robin's lips. Of course, if she were a forest creature, the storm, the crowd of mighty loud dragons, the plethora of men... yep, she'd go to ground too. Well, that just means she'll have to be extra quiet.
Robin looks over to T'lon and carefully lies her hand over her lips in 'quiet, being sneaky now' gesture. Then she lowers the lids of her eyes to cut down on the reflection from the whites of her eyes, seals her lips and breathes through her nose to hide the glinting teeth. Nothing to be done about the 'unnatural' yellow hair right now.
With eyes narrowed, Robin slips the sling stone from its nest and pops it into her mouth. The taste of dirt mixing with her spit as unspoken curses begin to move along the girl's tongue. Then comes the sudden sense of absence as one of Julian's best Rangers slides out into the darkness.
Robin the forest creature moves silently into the trees on the hill's eastern slope. She quickly ascertains that there are no people in the area and that the scrub woodland of this seacoast is, indeed home to some small, quiet birds and animals. Perhaps on a nicer night there would be more.
Robin moves a bit away from the cave entrance and looks around the outcropping to where the floating woman should be. The woman is there, floating, perhaps bobbing in the air currents just a bit. The only difference is that while before she was looking past you in the direction of the cave entrance, now she is looking past you in the direction of where you are standing.
The feeling that she's being tracked brings a scowl to Robin's face. And a deep flicker to her emerald eyes.
Spitting the cursed stone back into its sling, the Ranger begins swinging loosely before stepping clear of the outcropping.
And releasing.
Not a killing shot backed by a scion of Amber's strength. But a stunning blow aimed at the translucent shoulder.
A perfect shot that flies exactly as Robin desires. It passes through her shoulder in a way that reminds Robin of her crossbow bolt passing through Laurel's Uncle. The rock splashes into the tide and is lost.
She floats there, placidly looking into the distance. The only connection between her and this world is that her hair is blowing slightly in the rising breeze.
A frown furrows Robin's brow. The girl isn't sure she likes being ignored any more than she likes being tracked. At that thought a wry grin twists the ranger's lips -- with some women, you just can't win.
But standing there looking at the apparition, Robin finally gives in to an impulse she repressed before. And turns around to folllow the floating red-head's gaze behind herself.
Robin turns and searches in the direction that the apparition was apparently looking. She searches for a few moments and sees nothing. the line she draws would, she supposes, eventually intersect the east coast of the island, if Siege's geography lesson was correct.
The sky darkens and T'lon gasps.
[If Jovian goes with, T'lon will greet him, too...]
Jovian does not. He keeps an eye on the woman directly, standing a little back at the edge of the entrance to avoid direct eye contact to the extent possible. "Do you recognize her, Siege?"
"No, Jovian, I don't," Siege says. "I was hoping you did."
The woman continues to hang in the air, neither apparently seeing nor responding to Jovian and Siege.
So...kinky, red hair, hanging out there all astral-like....does she bear any resemblence to a certain aunt I've seen (Dad secretly mooning over) a picture of?
Vaguely. Maybe.
But not enough to take seriously I suppose. Damn.
"If all the people can see her and all the dragons cannot...it's either something about dragons' physical ability to see, or...."
A look of tightly contained anger hardens on Jovian's face. "Clear your minds, all of you," he directs in calm but firm tones. "Try to think of nothing at all." For his own part, his mind reaches into the weave of the shadow, not yet sure what he'll do with it, hoping to find some tweak that will disrupt the concentration of whomever is manifesting the redhead in his mind or vision. To test reactions only, he begins by building energy back into the mostly-ebbed storm, stirring up the wind again.
The shadow of this place is strong and there is much to grasp. The redheaded woman continues to float, oblivious to attention or inattention from riders, dragons, or children of Julian.
As the breeze rises, Jovian notices that her hair is blowing slightly in it.
From the east side of the cave, a rock flies out, passing through the woman and splashing into the water behind her. She takes no notice and continues staring at the cave entrance, as if she is on a widow's walk watching the sea for signs of her lover's ship. There are no sounds other than those made by a cave-full of dragons and riders.
Jovian and the dragon riders watch her for a few moments more. The fickle storm comes closer to the shore and the clouds come up, crossing in front of the moon. The woman fades, a wash of glimmering sparkles, as they watch. At no time does she take notice of it, anyone here, or the returning storm front.
Jovian releases his hold on the storm front, letting it break up... then, with a puzzled, thoughtful look, wills a shift in the wind to let the moonlight through dispersing clouds again, watching intently the spot where the woman's image had hovered.
Nothing. She's gone.
"Siege," the dragonrider beckons in a low voice. "How did you know she wasn't a witch-queen?"
"Aside from the fact that she wasn't carrying a staff or wearing any of the normal attire, aside from the fact that we weren't blasted by lightning until we were black and crispy, mostly it was that she didn't look like a witch-queen."
Jovian slips for a moment into a language that isn't Thari or anything local; anyone watching the other dragonriders' reactions might well deduce that he's cursing in their native tongue.
"With that assessment, and neither of us recognizing what our visitor was, I suppose we'd best be ready to move out again. Is that sort of behavior," Jovian continues, hiking his thumb back at the entrance, "something you wouldn't find unusual in one of your Lady's priestesses?"
Siege thinks for a moment, parsing the question. "No, but then I didn't expect gods to show up riding flying dragons today, either. I haven't seen much that is usual since I met your sister. If I did not hurt so much and in such specific places, I would wonder if you all were hallucinations I was having in my cell."
L'tarn laughs. "We think we're real, like almost 100% of the people we've seen today."
"But please note that he had to specify 'today,'" Jovian hastens to add.
The wingleader peers into the night, staring intently at something no longer there. "We just don't have enough information. But for the fact that the wings haven't gotten enough rest, I'd really love to hit that fleet right now, on the assumption that Vianis knows we're here but can't prepare instantly."
The Ranger moves quickly and fluidly for cover behind the rock outcropping and slides another stone (non-cursed variety) into her sling. At the same time, her green eyes dart to the dragonrider to see what startled him, and skip skyward for the cause of the yet more darkness.
Clouds cover the moon and the woman fades from view. The cloud cover clears as quickly as it rose, and the moonlight returns, but not the woman. Robin suspects that the clouds were not natural weather.
The Ranger makes no sound as she waits for a moment to see if more funkiness develops. As it seems not to, she makes her way -- a shadow herself -- back to the cave mouth. With final look around and a come-along to T'lon, she strides inside.
"Was that your stone that sailed through our guest, Robin?" Jovian asks good-naturedly, without a hint of a dig. "What was your impression of her?"
Robin snorts. "Yep. See something strange? Throw a rock at it." She grins. "Was that your storm?"
"Thought I'd kick up a wind and see if her image reacted. Apparently it did - she faded out of existence as soon as she lost moonlight."
"Moonlight... yeah. I was noticing that too. Otherwise..."
The Ranger shrugs. "I didn't get much of an impression, Jove. It reminds of some of the stuff I saw on the Black Road." Robin's definitely not happy about that, but letting it slide until more information becomes available.
"I got the impression that she was kind of... off-watching me. Like she was tracking an emanation or some such?" She shrugs again. "But I'm not sure."
"Oh, and hey," her eyes get mock sly, "do you think we could... steal that fleet instead of hit it? Or maybe get it as a ransom? I know someone who would really like a fleet. Especially one from here."
Jovian gets a sly grin at this thought. "Kidnap Vianis and ransom her for her own fleet. The idea is definitely attractive. And historically validated, even," he adds with a wink to Kourin.
"But," he reflects, Robinward. "She was 'off-watching' you, you said? She never took her eyes off us, or through us as may be."
At the 'kidnap/ransom' plan, Robin's green eyes light up with delight. "Thanks, Jove! You're the best." And the wingleader is treated to a quick hug.
Then, with one arm around her brother's waist, the Ranger considers the rest of his statement. "Maybe it's like one of those paintings where the eyes follow you? Because when I was out throwing stones I had the distinct impression that she was looking past me. Not into the cave anymore."
"No such luck," Jovian responds ruefully. "It doesn't look good for keeping our position secret. Which may mean taking some risks I am none too happy about."
The bronze rider turns to draw Seige back into the conversation. "What do you think, Seige? Do you still know enough of your grandmother's habits to gauge our chances at a smash-and-grab?"
Siege seems a little dubious. He looks at Robin and speaks, slowly at first, then at a more normal tempo. "If it were me and I catch her, she's either going to die quickly or be taken to the Lady. I would not trust her enough to bargain with her, but you might be able to do so. I prefer to be a direct fighter, I'd just go in and start smashing them up while a few of us hit the temple. At least we'll decide when we're fighting that way."
"Hmmmm." Robin crosses her arms while she thinks about it. "Jove? I don't think that floaty lady had anything to do with Vianis and crew. Which doesn't mean that we shouldn't be on guard. But I think it's a different set of problems rearing their ugly heads."
"And Siege? Is there anything else we can smash up as a distraction? Other than the fleet?"
Siege says, "There's the fleet, the Temple, and the citadel. If we're trying to rescue Avis from the Temple, we hit the fleet or the citadel, of course. But the real problem is the defenders, and they'll come up no matter where you strike, Lady."
"I agree that the airy redhead's likely a separate problem," Jovian begins with a nod to his sister, "but I don't believe strongly enough in coincidence to count on it. I'd prefer to hit the fleet as our diversion; the citadel's going to be a harder target for a force of flyers, and damaging the fleet is on our objective list anyway, which the citadel isn't." His knitted brow forms a deep shelf, darkening his eyes as he stares intently at the milling saurians.
"Oh, alright. But if there's any fleet left, I want it." Robin gives in good-naturedly. And then scrunches up her nose like a hound who's found out just what is in that hole. Boats! She's asking for a whole lot of boats! There's definitely something not right in the world.
"The dragons could use more rest, and they're about due to feed. Not in top form. And hardly any stone, damn it...we need to buy...." The bronze rider's voice trails off, gazing at the senior of the three golden queens.
"Time?" He pauses, peers into the middle distance as if studying calculus equations etched into the cave walls. "Damn. I don't like the idea of letting a day pass. On the other hand, if I time it tomorrow night back to tonight, and whoever's trying to sense us finds us in two very different places at once...that ought to screw 'em around, make them uncertain enough not to know where to hit right away...." Perhaps surprisingly to outsiders, the dragonriders within earshot of this musing do not seem to think their leader has taken leave of his senses.
Jovian's green eyes go argon laser sharp and bright as his head snaps round toward Seige. "Limestone. Do your people quarry it?"
Yep. Robin keeps quiet. She knows better than to interrupt J'rim when he gets all sharp and green. Most of the time. Well, okay some of the tim... how about this time. :)
L'tarn, who has been listening to his leader's noodling, stands, looking off into space for a moment. His eyes unfocus and he sits down, rather quickly. "Hmm. I, uh... I think we're following your plan, J'rim. I think we're probably keeping them too busy over there to look for us over here..."
Kourin looks closely at him, then up at J'rim. "OK, if that's the way it's going to be, put the sentries back up and lets those who can sleep."
"Nng," Jovian articulates, wincing a little at L'tarn. "I had thought only to steal time to pick up some limestone, but then...you said noon tomorrow would be an auspicious time for Vianis to kill Avis. Looks like we're committed. As you were, people," he calls out to the riders generally. "Looks like we're in for double duty, so get your rack time while you can."
He turns back to Siege and Robin. "I've just ordered something risky enough to be barely tolerable. Siege, these dragons need limestone so they can breathe fire. About...." He looks the warrior up and down. "Half your weight per dragon, in chunks a little smaller than a man's head. If the battle isn't too protracted that should be plenty.
"The risky part is that we're going to be in two places at once. I'll need to stay put until tomorrow night to have a good enough feel for this place to do it, but we are then going back in time - back only to tonight, to grab the stone and then hit the fleet hard. While you, Robin and whatever support you can raise quickly get into the temple, find Avis and retrieve Robin's...property." He spares a quick smile for his sister. "As long as we don't get too close to ourselves along the way, we should be fine."
As L'tarn sits down and J'rim winces, Robin's eyebrow raises in a movement that proves her and Jovian's shared heritage. The Ranger's green eyes dart to Kourin noting her stoicism. Hmmmm, it seems that, for male dragonriders, thought itself is uncomfortable.
The girl's face remains quiet throughout J'rim's planning speech, though her brows furrow a little in thought. And she crosses her arms over her chest as she listens. In the end, she just clears her throat, perhaps a little nervously and says, "'We' who?"
"That's a problem, isn't it?" her brother replies. "I don't really like to propose something with these risks, but with noon tomorrow a likely time for the sacrifice...if we wait and do this normally, we could be too late to save Avis, and with the kind of force and weirdness we're up against, the attacks have to be coordinated. Unless you have another idea, we're all going to have to cheat time, together."
Jovian looks over at L'tarn and studies the lines of the younger man's troubled face. "And it looks like some of us at least already have. Are. Will."
He sighs, shaking his head. "He's time-stressed, that's all; fatigue is probably the worst of it. I'm not positive we're standing to battle right now, but the signs point that way. It may just be a milk run to pick up the limestone. Suggestions?"
"Straight and steady on course, weyrleader." says M'hall.
"Short watches, so nobody gets too twitchy." puts in Kourin. L'tarn nods at this.
"Rest." says Siege. "Mayhap we'll stop seein' things, even if they're there."
Robin notes the consensus around her and drops her arms with a shrug. "Hunh," a non-commital grunt is followed by, "I'll certainly vote for the 'rest' part. As for the other bits, can thee and me parlez en privé, mon frère?"
Robin smiles sweetly at Jovian-which from her is not necessarily a good thing. There are flickers of green fire deep in her eyes. She's a little angry, and a little scared. And probably a little angry at being scared.
Jovian arches a brow at the phrasing, working on it a moment, but getting the point even though they don't have French (or, fortunately, Frenchmen) where he's from. As the others set about settling in, he guides Robin with a nod over to an out-of-the-way nook.
"You're right, Robin," he pre-empts. "I should have consulted you before making the call, but the circumstances do seem to demand the extreme measure. If you're dead-set against messing with Time yourself, fine - but the dragons need at least a full night's rest before taking on a battle fleet, and I don't want to be late for Avis' execution. And I'm not sanguine about staging this raid in daylight. Still, that call for suggestions was meant to elicit your views on the plan, not to round up support."
He takes a deep breath, blows it out in a sigh. "So what's your take on this?"
Robin opens her mouth, her eyes flashing. Then closes it and rethinks. She blows out a breath, strides around a little and shakes her arms out. She starts again. And stops again. Eventually, she asks quietly, "Jovian? Are you fresh from the field or something? Because you are really jumpy. And this is coming from me!" A half-smile pulls at the corner of her mouth, though the twinkle in her eye is tinged with concern.
"Thanks for noticing, Robin." The edge in the dragonman's voice is softer with her than it would be with anyone else, of that she can be certain. "I am on my way home from Chaos, see, where two of our godlike relatives got very dead and a whole mess of barely describable horrors tried to kill a lot more of them. So yeah, I'm still thinking like a battlefield commander. It's a survival thing."
"Ooooh, J'rim." A croon of worry lifts from Robin's lips and she steps forward to envelop her brother in a warm embrace (if he lets her, that is.)
"I..." She squeezes him tightly. "Welcome home, J'rim. You're back. The only indescribable horror here is a bratty kid sister with her stubborn up." The Ranger keeps hugging Jovian for a long as it seems he wants to be hugged.
"If you're the worst I have to deal with here, kiddo," he admits, "I think we'll get through this." He does let himself be hugged for a suitable while.