In a world where gods and devils routinely walk the earth to demand things of their followers, it's no surprise that cults are a problem. Tiamat's are particularly recurrent, springing up regularly, like toadstools in rainy weather, and usually equally poisonous. Zevlor has little fear of these things, because they're old foes. How many incursions into Elturgard was he a part of breaking up? More than he can count. Usually, though, his method was the battlefield, not spying. Hellriders don't excel at spying, they're very visible. Really, he should be proud that he played his part well enough to get away with it as long as he did. And he would be, if he hadn't gotten stabbed.
He will be concerned and sorrowful that he missed the battle with Orin, once he hears, but when he wakes now, Ea has no words of reproach for him. That in itself makes him smile and curl his fingers around hers.
"I hope that won't take long," he says. "There's more battle at hand yet. But I did take down half a dozen of the cultists, plus the demon, so at least there's that."
"He knew me. Recognized me from Avernus." He closes his eyes a moment, letting her check him over without protest.
Oh, thank gods, her quick kiss did not reopen any wounds - he is whole and wholly accounted for. And more lucid than he dragged himself here with a head in his bag, panting and bleeding and looking half-dead.
"There is always more battle ahead," she mutters under her breath, and brushes her thumb between his eyebrows to smooth away the furrow there. "I'm sorry I missed it, honestly." A little bit of humour in her voice, "You know I like watching you fight."
Competence does it for Ea Lowkey. Obviously.
Anyway, she's still recovering from her own wounds here so they're going to resist jumping right back into the fight until at least they stop bleeding. Or being poisoned.
"You know, maybe there's something to be said about letting the master thief sneak in and infiltrate cults - I had a knack for it when I was younger and all."
He's a quick healer, anyway. Most tieflings are, which is tragic if you think about the reasons for that for too long. He'd try to sit up right about now, but she's still leaning over him, stroking his forehead, every bit the nurse and protector. It's a side he hasn't seen of her before, but it doesn't entirely surprise him.
He chuckles softly. She likes watching him fight? That's flattering. "I'm getting better again. The smite is coming back to me, slowly but surely. I'm not sure what that means, but it's a gift I'm going to need, and I'm happy to see it."
He untangles his hand from the blankets, seeking out hers, threading their fingers together. "Gods know there are plenty of cults to go around. Once we put down the Absolute, I'm sure we can find more of them to fight if that's your fancy." This is optimism! They've going to destroy the Absolute and survive the experience themselves, right?
It melts away some of her raised walls when he thread their fingers together. Then again, he's been remarkably good at knocking down those walls so far.
She squeezes his hand, then leans over to kiss his forehead, drawing away with a final pat to his shoulder. "You'll live." Nurse Ea has concluded. Nurse Ea is not very professional a caretaker - if Isobel were to heal him this way, she'd have to have words with the cleric for instance - because the shoulder pat turns into a squeeze, then her hand on his jawline, her thumb sweeping over his cheekbone. Nurse Ea is a grabby bitch, clearly.
"Your smite is coming back, you said?" Not that she knows how paladin oaths work, but that's surely a good thing? "Wait, does this mean you went into the Cult of Tiamat without a way to defeat cultists?"
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timeasmymeasure
I can do continuity sometimes if I try real hard!
Date: 2024-10-30 02:08 pm (UTC)He will be concerned and sorrowful that he missed the battle with Orin, once he hears, but when he wakes now, Ea has no words of reproach for him. That in itself makes him smile and curl his fingers around hers.
"I hope that won't take long," he says. "There's more battle at hand yet. But I did take down half a dozen of the cultists, plus the demon, so at least there's that."
"He knew me. Recognized me from Avernus." He closes his eyes a moment, letting her check him over without protest.
no subject
Date: 2024-10-30 02:54 pm (UTC)"There is always more battle ahead," she mutters under her breath, and brushes her thumb between his eyebrows to smooth away the furrow there. "I'm sorry I missed it, honestly." A little bit of humour in her voice, "You know I like watching you fight."
Competence does it for Ea Lowkey. Obviously.
Anyway, she's still recovering from her own wounds here so they're going to resist jumping right back into the fight until at least they stop bleeding. Or being poisoned.
"You know, maybe there's something to be said about letting the master thief sneak in and infiltrate cults - I had a knack for it when I was younger and all."
no subject
Date: 2024-11-04 01:31 pm (UTC)He chuckles softly. She likes watching him fight? That's flattering. "I'm getting better again. The smite is coming back to me, slowly but surely. I'm not sure what that means, but it's a gift I'm going to need, and I'm happy to see it."
He untangles his hand from the blankets, seeking out hers, threading their fingers together. "Gods know there are plenty of cults to go around. Once we put down the Absolute, I'm sure we can find more of them to fight if that's your fancy." This is optimism! They've going to destroy the Absolute and survive the experience themselves, right?
no subject
Date: 2024-11-04 06:44 pm (UTC)She squeezes his hand, then leans over to kiss his forehead, drawing away with a final pat to his shoulder. "You'll live." Nurse Ea has concluded. Nurse Ea is not very professional a caretaker - if Isobel were to heal him this way, she'd have to have words with the cleric for instance - because the shoulder pat turns into a squeeze, then her hand on his jawline, her thumb sweeping over his cheekbone. Nurse Ea is a grabby bitch, clearly.
"Your smite is coming back, you said?" Not that she knows how paladin oaths work, but that's surely a good thing? "Wait, does this mean you went into the Cult of Tiamat without a way to defeat cultists?"