Some people hide behind their money and think they are powerful. We stand by our knowledge and personal power and know we are powerful. We survive by being invisibly woven into this world fabric. We survive by being the unseen.
Phaedrus the elder

Betty

My senses were already fairly good, now they are too good, now at times I had to stay in a dark room far away from people just to stay sane. Now I think I could see a mama flea scratching her head, hear her ask, where did I put that. Having just found the volume knob I was able to dampen things down a bit. That still left me with the real ultra high definition I Max surround sound experience all while sitting in my office twenty feet under ground.

Fay pointed out it was important to pay attention to those little things if I wanted to live long enough to see my grand kids. I was having one of those moments now, I was experiencing an uneasy feeling of being sought after or watched, from somewhere inside the barrier, but not where inside, the barrier they were, that was still blurred. On the brighter side I knew James was soon to be coming by, this allowed me to set up a proper tray of tea and biscuits for him before he got here. Moments later came James’ polite knock on my door jamb. Bidding him to enter he took his seat on the other side of my desk placing a long red leather ornate bag close to him on my desk.

“ So lass, ye are looking a darn sight better than when I last laid eyes on ye, how was yer vacation?”

“Before I woke up I can not say, after I awoke, it was really nice. It shames me to admit, I could get used to like living like royalty. Seriously I owe you a very sincere thank you for saving my impulsive ass, if the kids knew they would thank you to.”

“Ye were more than just impulsive Betz, ye were brave to do the right thing, when it was needed. And to be certain your resurrection was a group effort , plus my pleasure, and my duty. Not only that ye are the twine that bundles things together here, Ye and ye barons are the closest thing to a family I have ever known. ”

“If we are family that makes me the crazy aunty Clara, a few door knobs short of a collection, from the second day I have arrived I have been long on reacting short on planning. Looking from the outside I must, appear like a total goof.”

“Ye have been doing a fine job patching things up keeping this boat from sinking. What ye see as stumbling about, others see as smartly ,and deliberately patching or fixing the worst of the damage. That's not making mistakes, or showing weakness, it is brilliantly clever. You came aboard a floundering ship, then with only ye bare hands saved her from sinking, ye wrestled her upright, pumped her bilge out, steering with one hand, repairing with the other.”

“How can they see that James, things have been such a bum’s rush around here I would think they see me as a bit of a flake that's gotten lucky?”

“Betty, I was talking to the Morrigan inside the shelter watching ye fight that storm. Ye cut that beast in half then popped out of view following the second half to where it was going, finding the best place to stand and stopping it, no training could have taught you that bit of instinct. That night you impressed a Goddess by ye natural talent, ability,and blind bravery. Just the thing she has been looking for, to take this job in Haven, While ye were on the gurney she proclaimed you, Haven's chosen champion, asking the source for their blessing and empowerment of you as being worthy of the post. .She gave you some of her life force not just to heal you but out of deep appreciation for what ye did that night. I can tell Ye that it was a bloody sight when me found ye in Gretchen’s back yard, ye be a real human dart board.“

“ I don't remember much of that night but I do remember pushing my self way over the top. Fay told me I popped a fuse. So my manna is limited until my body passes the by products from that Performance.”

“Betz Ye treat this like it was a willful reckless overdoing of things. Ye did what Ye needed to do to protect the innocent. Ye put your self on the front line and acted. Ye have earned a lot of respect both here in Haven and on the reserve. Ye even won over Zack's belief in ye honest intentions.”

“Oh, is that all it took, one down, a few thousand more to convince. I hope the rest goes easier on me I don't think I could bleed that much again and survive.”

“Nay lass Ye swung the heavy hitters with your actions that night. Ye put ye ass on the line for them and bled willingly for them. That's heap big medicine in any one's book.”

Groan; “That's just bad James, please good grief don't repeat that to any one.”
James was chuckling to himself when from behind his bulk came a voice neither of us expected. Greta’s.

“Heap big medicine indeed, James you Scottish lug head have you been swilling that distilled peat bog run off, you call Scotch?”

This caused James to spit a mouthful of tea all over his front, jumping up sputtering and all red in the face, James was trying to apologize to Greta.

“ You know James crimson is really your color.”

Before he could answer Greta moved in to take his seat.

"Thank you for warming up my seat big guy, for that favor, and your services hoisting some heavy wooden timbers this weekend, you will earn my forgiveness for that last brain fart of yours.”

Smiling James politely replied “My fair lady I would be honored to aid thee in ye labors.”

Greta smiled at me, then in a mocking voice “Betty White Owl, last week you do heap big medicine for my people.”

James choked and I laughed until I had tears running down my cheek’s. Greta was notorious for wrangling her way by sweetness humor and sharp whit. Within a single portion of a minute Greta embarrassed James ,'the unflappable', got a good seat. press ganged James into helping with some very hard labor, and got me to laugh. It’s good she is on our side because she can be the irresistible force.

Greta

“Betty I know you are chomping at the bit to talk to the the tribal leaders, and the standing committees people. Seriously my advice is let them see who you are, then allow them to come to you, after a consensus has been reached. Let the men do what they do best, argue, and fuss over minutia; Allow them their space, just remember you are coming with things in hand they dearly want.”

“I thought that may be the case, just like back home. But thinking that would be the case so I wanted to nudge things into motion to give them enough time to think this there idea, so they can save face when the real negotiations start. Also like you said I want them to scope me out so they are comfortable that I am a real skin not an apple looking for an advantage over them. My second reason I think there might be some thing we can do with out stepping on their turf, which might be time sensitive, like needing to be done now, before the weather turns messy.”
“Yes there is, good you picked up on that. , as with the harvest, we need a hand in finishing a bit of work on the RR track between us and Blessings. There's about a mile that is partially complete and desperately needs to get done before the weather turns. And our access our access roads become impassible, they have been neglected for to long, we just don't have the finances or time to repair them this year. So if the weather becomes as bad, as we think it will, with out the RR we will be stranded cut off from food, and fuel. Here is a list of some others that are important but not as critical.”

Greta shoved a small report folder over to me, there were about ten high priority projects that would take some time to digest, but a slip of paper marking the RR work caught my eye.

“Remember ask to rent the dance circle for our two events.”

“Ok, the main list will need some reading, and you don't need permission to rent your own dance circle. That is your sacred ground, use it as you see fit, Greta. Why would I take your money for that. We need to pay you to rent it, if it is available. if that does not effect its sacred function.”

“Betty be careful what you promise, there is a lot of red tape between you and the keeping your word.”

“Grandmother I could never take money from a skin to use their own space, if I ever did that, even from the grave, Grand father Sitting Bull would have my hide tanned and hung on his lodge wall.”

“The overseers law require that we do things this way, when in Rome, as it is said. We were just hoping that we could please have permission to have access and some privacy on those days.”

“According to county gov, I am the law concerning these issues. Better than that, you have my love and permission to take full stewardship of the said property, known as the dance circle, as yours to use, when ever you want , how ever you want. This is a religious site and we will relinquish any prior claim to that property. Are there any other religious sites you have been denied access to.”

“Betty you are a dear child, but you need to know that you are opening some old very old archaic laws governing this situation, you better read them before you commit your self lady.”

“Already have, I have fought several battles over religious or racial protective conveniences and won every one, Pres Carter's executive order concerning native religious rights set precedence concerning this type of title restrictions. Also I am not going to tell any one are you? what others don't know wont hurt us. until I have the court papers in hand, referencing this transfer back to you the rightful occupation, I know nothing.

So hold your event and we will wrangle out the details at another time. Just remember on these issues, your money is no good in this office, your friendship, and respect are more important and the only currency you will ever need here. If you still insist on payment, a pound of smoked salmon would be generous enough.”

Greta

I have been watching Betty the entire time we have been talking, and what I saw only made me love her all the more. I could not have even hoped to have such an ally before. Her real emotions were right in front of me, for me to see. She does not close herself off like most people living among the overseers community. There is a fire and spirit to make a difference or die trying.
How can I keep my feet on the ground taking this news to my sisters that for the first time in over one-hundred years we will be having our women’s black lodge dances where Grandmother Earth bid us to, during this is a time of rapid change I just hope we are in time to help protect this land. Betty has just given me the hope that this will be so.
Our conversation continued for a little while, before my sister’s son, Zak, showed up on cue to collect me to go home. Betty greeted him warmly and the goofy kid could only blush. His view of Betty has done a 180 change after the storm, especially seeing her bloodied from the battle, that one instants spoke so much to him, she bled to save his mother lodge, and the orchard. Mocking Bird also had a revelation that night about trusting us women to know what another women has in there heart.

James

I have to say when Betty sets her mind to something shit happens, I how ever would be remiss in my duties if I do not issue a warning to her concerning the path she now walks, as noble as Betty can be there are some practical issues to be addressed.
I had in my possession something of drastic importance for our two spirited leader On the surface they are just some antiques but the underlying power is when the the proper hands thy can come alive and do some exceptional things. I hope that this is the case right at this time.

“Betty, my Noble lady, I have something for ye and Alease to take a gander upon. You may find these useful for cutting all of the red tape you are about to do battle with. and I need to warn ye where you are blindly a fixing to charging into, is a land of Dragons, big ugly, unfriendly, dragons, who think that where you are going is there turf, and there turf alone.”
“I know what you speak of my Vizier, but this is territory I am well familiar with. I have met the before mentioned Dragons, and they left the arena of contest well worn, and reminded not to judge the size of the individual for the size of fight in that individual. Needless to say, I won they lost. Those dragons learn not to muck with me, if they value there hides, or have desire to live.”

James

I pushed the long leather bundle that I have been holding on to for over a millennium and a half towards Betty, she look at it like I just offered her a bag of poisonous snakes.

“So whats in the bag James I take it it can bite.”

“Not those who have the rightful intent to wield them and ye are the first in at least fifteen centuries to have the right to claim them. I took an oath back then to return them to you when the time is right.”

“Would that have been Alease.”

“Ye are Alease, remember that, she is you, and yes that is who ye were when you made me promised to do this duty.”

Betty/Alease

How can I explain to some one else what is like to find your self with two different sets of experiences which play inside of you at the same time. When I pulled the bundle to me that James had placed on my desk I had a shock like a lightning bolt which ran through me forcing me back into my seat. Thank goodness I was already sitting down or I would have been dropped like a sack of potatoes onto the floor. Again with the total immersion world where my vision was Alease's vision, as things happened then but were experiences as if it were now, and the first time.

Alease /Betty

“Tired but feeling better, mama told me my fever broke last night about dinner time. I remember Da telling the older boys that the herd will need to be ready to move to high pasture in about two score days.

“So go and prepare the high camp clean out any bad weeds from the enclosure and cut a supply of wood but be back to prepare to move the herd in one score days, None of ye fool-en around this time Conan ye stay with ye brother until we are all together. There is too mush mischief going on recently with the Roman's pushing ever more northwards. Remember that numbers are on there side and you never see all who is following there camp trying to feed on the Roman's left overs.

Our strong house will need some serious work this year, to stay there making It work through this winter, if those rats nosed Roman bastards work up the coast like they did after last years scuffle, this time Alease is in no shape to pull ye haggis out of the fire as she did for us. “

“Conan answered “ Who would think that something so small would have that much fight in her We are blessed by Chrom that she is our kin.”

Angus replied, “Ye be careful bringing that god to our table, this house belongs to the Morrigan any ye best remember that, mum would bash ye stupid for that crap.'

Da joked “to late hoe do you bash something stupid when that is how thee were born, I argued with the midwife that she must have dropped ye on ye head when ye was wee, and new, but she blamed the druid for that scandal saying when ye were named he fumbled ye into the stream onto the rocks so he named you Conan the rock. “

I had to chuckle under me covers at that one, Conan was long on strength but a we bit short on sensibility, but every one has there strengths and weakeners . That what a family is for, our personal strengths protect the weakness of our other family and their strengths protect ours.

I must have dozed off under the warmth of my furs because mum had just shaken me awake, and the men were gone to work. Next to mum was a giant bear sized man that I recognized as the Norse father of the boy I fished out of the river bay. His warm smile and smokey scent greeted me,

“Master Othburt what brings ye here.”

“To see your smiling eyes and to let you know my son, and heir has survived and has asked for you. He thinks you must be part water spirit who sweet talked the water sprites queen to allow him to leave her kingdom.”

“Don't take that away from him but it was a lost net I had to slash free, that had its cold wet fingers wrapped around his leg. If it was a water sprite I would have let them have him.“

Master Othburt gave a good loud laugh that rattled the rafters of me home. “ It is good lass Ye have nay lost your sense of humor. But onto serious business my family and I agreed to bestow on you a gift for giving our son back to us. “

I felt my eyes becoming heavier as I struggled to stay with what was happening. My mum seeing I was tiring intervened.

“Orion finish what ye came to do sir, still she tires easily. ”.

The master smith rubbed his rough finger against the side of me face and smiled widely.

“My father was from the land of the Franks where he learned from his father how to make swords from a special steel he had learned to smith far away in Cathay. None other knew his secret save for me. I had smith such a blade for my son but we decided that it is you who should wield it I can make him another when he is ready.

This Alease the Bear killer the favorite of Freya is a sword to replace the one you sacrificed saving my son, may it serve you well all of your days.”

The master smith pressed a leather bundle into my hands, then lightly kissed my head then departed. I pulled the bundle under me covers, then noticed that it was singing to me, I cuddled it to me and let it sing me to sleep.”

I opened my eyes to find my self in my office with James watching me with an unbridled intensity.

“Well look who has returned. What happened please tell me.?”

“I just experiences when this sword was given to me in Alease's time by a Norse master smith for saving his son's life.”

“Ahh good then this is the sword that I thought it was. Ye have been blessed again my fiend this sword is very special indeed, very special.”

James excused himself it was still mid afternoon and I was now alone or so I thought. I was in the middle of my meditation trying to bring all of me back into this time frame when inside of my head shouted Alease's voice.

“Well what, sister, please be more specific?”

“Betty nay answer my question with a question that's plain rude. I BEG thee open up the bundle I need to lay eyes upon them again, PLEASE I need to know..”

“Ok, Ok keep your tunic on, that package scared the living shit out of me. It took me over when I touched it not a comfortable feeling for me.”

“Ye were nay out of control sister ye was sharing an experience from me/ our past like those from a wee time ago, when ye spoke to me mum. I am sharing a bit of me with ye to prime the pump as ye would say into opening up the two way sharing of ye physical presence. Ye have promised me this and so far all I have had is crumbs. I nay know what ye consider as sharing ye physical space but the present arrangement is as thinner than a rag man's shirt.”

"Alease sister I admit I have been a bit of a workaholic as of late I apologize.”

Alease was pacing inside of my head like a caged starving wolf ravenously looking at the now world with longing and desperation. “Sister please we must be cautious so no one else knows our little secret. Can you hold out until dusk to allow for some discretion?”

Exasperated Alease interjected.

“I can get Bob to feed my kids, it is Friday night and they can spend the night with their new big sister Samantha. This gives us this evening for you to take us for a walk and work off some of these frustrations.”

A ripple of relief passed through Alease changing everything between us.

“I warn ye when ye return ye will be sore and well knackered. I am a bit of a task master with me self. Thank ye Betty for your sacrifice and ye time. But how ye people can sit still so much only working in ye head, ye could even ask a druid who would say “Don't ask me?”

“I have you know sister this harvest I did every job there was to do from tote stack cut clean, I do get my hands dirty and I do more than sit around.”

Alease's sharpness in my mind melted into a humorous chortling, letting me know that I had been skunked, by my own sister / self.
A walk on the wild side.

This time before I touched the bundle I made myself relax and open up, I pulled the bundle nearer to me on my desk blotter then taking a deep breath touched the bundle a second time.

I had a familiar sensation like I was going into a light trance where my consciousness slipped to one side allowing my guides to speak while performing a readings or a healing. I just get out of the way for their wisdom, or the healing energy to come through. It wasn't unpleasant just a bit disorienting. I had for the best description became a superimposed image onto my physical body. I could sense and see where ever I focused my attention, above , behind or around me. as if my senses vision, hearing, touch, did not depend upon my physical senses but was an omnidirectional sense of all of my surrounding. It was a good five minutes before either of us could get our bearings enough to speak to each other.

Alease

I can breathe, and feel the world on me feet again. I never thought there would be any thing so sweet feeling. Me have physical body arms and legs that move and bend when I command. The first thing me noticed after that was it was so warm and stale in this office I felt cut off from my surroundings,though the clothing Betty wore was loose fitting clothing of mostly natural materials Me could feel the deadness in the fabric as it lays on me skin.

I was stiff and felt a bit awkward when I stood up causing me to wobble on me feet and be needing to catch me balance. Thank the Goddess that Betty wore flat bottomed soft leather shoes. After I was sure of me balance I turned my attention to the familiar red leather bundle on Betty's desk. It has been a very long time since I have seen my travel bag for me weapons. Undoing the ties at the top I felt the familiar hilt of me fighting dirk then I found me sword next to it.

The flow of energy from me sword filled me with the familiar energy that it has blessed me with since the master smith gifted it to me a very long time ago. Now I need to exercise me arms and legs something I have missed for too long.

“Betty to Alease come in Alease!! They are called moccasins, Prairie moccasins, to be exact. ”

“Oh Betty I was a bit befuddled at being fully in a body again. Me didn't wish to be disrespectful to Ye in any manner.”

“I know sister I was just trying to cut through because when you touched that sword in the bundle you glowed and things got interesting in here. Duse ye know my lady, ye sword is both magical, and if ye listen just a wee bit it can speak to ye.?”

“Women are ye daft this be a fine steel blade made by a master smithy....?”.

“Betty this should not be, is thee playing a trick on me?”

“No sister I am not it would appear that the blade has been created with the ability to learn and gain wisdom as you use it. On the time it gains enough experience it would try to communicate with you.”
“Then why has it nay spoken before now?”

“I was fighting for me life, and being in fever which made it hard to stand, but ay I do remember.”

“Alease I think you have hurt its feelings it has been extraordinary patient, and on that subject so has this young Egyptian Woman , who is watching from near by, do you know who she is.?”

“Nay I know not who this be, as far as me know this is the first time me ever was aware of her.”

“Looks like Alease our world just got a little stranger, it's a good strange but strange how ever you look at it.”

“But me want to go now Betty, I need to run the rust out of me joints.”

“I need you to wait for a few hours until it gets twilight and we aren’t as visible going to the place where you can work out. If we are right that we are being watched, then we need to draw this snake out on our term's not there's. They will not strike when everyone is in the way, but if we leave a trail of bread crumbs for them to follow maybe we can trap who ever they are.”

“Ye speak wisdom my sister but how shall we manage it?”

“You walk the body I speak and gesture, we need to show our selves and get something to eat.”

Griefer

ML 09:00 hours
Still no show of target, I may need to scout around to locate her nest.

PN
I have slept in harder places but I don't remember when, the sun got me up early allowing me to do some discreet spotting. I need to be careful not to reflect any light from my position, I am not wanting to draw any ones curiosity, that would be bad.

ML 14:00 hours
It was afternoon when my target showed herself, for the first time ,where I can see her. She looked far younger than intelligence showed her to be. But Intel can been wrong. I will wait for dark to move into position to expedite this job.

PN
I watched her strut to the restaurant that everyone in this one horse town went to. She acts like she owns this town, what a surprise I will be, just like the truck bumper is to a possum.

Betty

Arrangements were made with Samantha, Louise, and Bob for the care and feeding of my precious children. I made a mental note that I needed to set some time to have a really good comfort food dinner home made with the works, it had been too long since I really cut loose in the kitchen. I really need to pull things back into our home. That would give me the grounding I need and the mother my kids needed. Some how I can't see the Morrigan's sisters changing dirty diapers or dealing with baby puke all over there feathered outfits, that image got me a giggling releasing some of the tension that has been building up worrying about who is watching me so clumsily from the bluff above town. I guess I will find out this evening, as I already reserved time after what ever Alease has planed to hunt this peeping and tom down.

About ten min into Luncner [lunch dinner ] Alease got distracted doing something, so I was back in the saddle, working on a conversation with Mia over the orange chicken Bob had made for dinner special tonight, when I had the sudden impression to get back to the office, for what I do not know. There was something I didn't have with me that I needed. Lilly came into Bob's looking for me, she sat down in front of me for a moment to let me know that I needed to portage back to the office.
In the office I found Melissa there dressed for a fight, Mel then formally informing me that Alease had issued a challenge to James for a combat match on the old power station grounds, this was to be just after dusk and myself and the two girls were to only be observers, and referees full stop. And there goes an evening knitting and swilling wine in front of the fire, dang nab it now I need to watch two people beat the ever loving snot out of each other, hell it's better than American football, not as spicy as Rugby.

“Alease you are enjoying this too much for it to be healthy. What is this thing you have with James, it appears to be an obsession with you?”

“James and me go way way back, he be the only one the Roman's had that was any challenge to me in face to face. He was an honest opponent, and an honorable one at that. Me have waited for a very long time to get this shot at him as a test of me strength and endurance. Ye just keep us from killing one another, by the goddess it shall be strange afterwards to fight by his side rather than trying to lop his head from his shoulders.”

Alease was doing the walking again,back to the office so she could get ready for her bout. Changing into some exercise clothing Alease strapped on her dirk and blade. For the first time I noticed that Alease fought left handed and preferred to cross draw her blades, this put the sword on her right hip..Before she got too far I reminded her to retrieve my gauntlet from my coat pocket, just in case we needed it.

The light has all but left the sky as we exited the building from a discreet seldom used door behind bushes. Alease was getting used to the nuances of my body and I had the strange sensation like my contents was settling to the bottom of my container. Alease walked very differently from me in that she moved with grace I never managed to achieve. There was power in her walk, which stretched my body in unaccustomed ways, part sexy slink part strut all confident but not cocky or arrogant. Alease knew who and what she was, and that was in control, thus capable of taking care of her self.
.
“Betty some thing I need to teach ye about being a leader of a cause. One of them is how to walk and act with command, your people around you will draw there strength from your certainty of power, your presences will give them courage to stand with you, and do there job. Ye walk with too much apology for ye self. Even as a baby me little sister never walked like that, none of our women would, we always ask our girls are ye a free Celt or are ye a slave to Rome. ?”

“I never thought any one I could apologetically walk, how do you do that?”.

“Ye walk with ye head slightly down and with a stifled gait like ye are a wee little thing, trying to act all weekly coy, or like a dainty fearful girl. not the warrior you are destined to be. Ye movements speak a lot to others, if ye walk like you be certain of your cause and the moral power of your leadership, ye good people will draw there certainty from that knowing, so they come to ye leadership. ”

Griefer

ML
19:34 hours Target acquired appeared out of nowhere. Subject presently performing exercise moving in the direction of an uninhabited abandoned industrial area. Subject is alone, thus available as a target. I an moving to engage designated target. Minder droid loaded and prepped for evasive action then to egress along entrance vector.

PN
If there was some thing like a female gunslinger this bitch walks like she is. Vision obscured by vegetation making it hard to ID just what she may be wearing but it looked like exercise clothing. I can not see how this women could be 60. that matters not, she can't out run my choice of arrows which is quieter than a bullet, but bullets are still an option. Arrows would be quiet allowing me to escape to spend my pay, and that's the point of this life.

ML
Time 1938 moving out to intercept, haste is required target moving rapidly to optimum location.

PN
Set my gear to the ready, checked my rapelling gear then cleared my 9s to be certain I cant be spotted, then over the edge I go. I am not superstitious but just as I started, and was committed a big ass ghost white owl silently launched from above and behind me. No time for this shit it's a dumb animal and I need to hustle my ass and get this done.

Betty

No one could see us when in the gathering dusk Alease drew her long blade with but a whisper. The darkness allowed me to see the faint glow of internal light the sword had all to its own. The glow was the most intense along the fuller of the blade where delicate runes framed in bold letters ++ ULFBERHT ++ ! Then both Alease and the sword breathed deeply, the quiet night air, relieved to be free of confinement.

Alease

Freedom to just breathe in the clean night air is so delicious it was nearly sexual for me. Betty was being such a good sport about this exchange, though me feel she is finding this as interesting as me find it liberating. To have my singing sword in me hand again me felt like a long lost friend and me are back into reality once again.

We approached the gate to the place of rendezvous when Betty with a flourish uttered a spell “Time to cue the scare music.” with out a sound an opening through the gate appeared. What those words means, me do not know but who knows the mind of a wielder of magic.

I was too preoccupied trying to locate my challenger, somewhere in this huge messy space littered with bits and pieces of some monstrosities which appear to have done battle here and perished. Some where out there is a very large Scotsmen looking to beat the tar out of me with his very sharp sword.

As I was standing behind something I could not recognize gathering my self-confidence, Betty chimed in,

“ I know he wants to beat the crap out of us and that I am supposed to keep the two of you from killing each other, are you sure that's all I should be doing?.”

“I assure you Betz he's not going to get the chance to do that, it will be the other way around. Just remember ye be a referee not a participant.”

“Alease I understand that but he is going to use his skills and talents both, are you sure I can't even the playing field a bit”

“Ok Ok this is me shutting up.”

“Ye best keep it that way, me lady really talks too much.!!”

Betty

Alease has been out of action during her dirt nap for roughly fifteen hundred years, but she hasn’t lost any of her edge validating what James and Fay has been saying about her. She was showing her skills by using my body's flexibility from yoga and Tie Che to silently limbo through the parking lot using what ever was about to mask her movement.

We ghosted through the broken terrain to the edge of the service building and paused. I had shut off any contact to Alease so I wouldn’t spoil her fun. Alease's footing changed just a bit as she eased her way around the edge of the building, my warning bells started to ring. It was after the fact I was able to figure what happened next but it was fast and fluid. Alease using one foot pushed against the side of the building moving her up and away from where she was standing. Slicing upward Alease's Sword parried
James's sword as he dropped out of the sky landing crouched onto the space she had just vacated.

The thunder clap of their swords meeting set a spray of sparks illuminating there combat. Alease did not give James any room to react but furiously beat down his defensively postured Clamor. Snaking out viper like James produced a wicked rip gut dirk trying to catch Alease unaware. His dirk was meet and Jammed to one side by Alease's countering with her own cup hilt Dirk, James took a blow to the head from the pummel of Alease's sword. Booting Alease to one side James drove forward rising to his full height. Smashing down trying to smash Alease's guard down his blade only found a parking lot stop that Alease's body was blocking his view of..

That move only pushed Alease to attack again rapidly monsooning blows onto James guard raising storms of sparks. Every time there steel meet one another, the sound was like a foundry full of black smiths working double time. Nether were rubbernecking but each knew just where they and the other was, all of this in the pitch black.

James

When Alease and I were living, during the Roman occupation of Brittany, we fought in what was then her wild Pict lands. I never had the pleasure of a one on one sparring match with Alease, she had a way of staying maddeningly out of me reach. She was brilliant as a field commander, innovated tactics, and weapons, constantly improvising, on the fly.
I am now finally fighting Alease in person, finding her blinding speed and combat skills just as challenging now as others did then. I must be rusty at this and she is as fresh as if yesterday was her last fight. By the Goddess this is challenging me, She set me up taking a blow to the face so she could strike me leg with great force nearly cutting of me foot, me heavy Grieves prevented that but that armor was ruined.

Betty

Alease avoided most of James blows, once he tagged her with the cup hilt of his sword but she had a set that up because she was able to really land a solid blow on his Greaves protecting his left shin. Cutting a very deep crease in its heavy metal this caused James to limp. I do not know how we were doing it but Alease was keeping us in the fight and not even breathing hard, neither was James. Never having been in this serious type of combat I was stunned at how fast time moves when you are trying not to flinch or yell look out, Then above me I sensed something quietly trying to get my attention. Looking up I could see the white owl blending in with the low glow of moon light.

Griefer

PN

I was making fine time to my ambush point I started to hear the sound of metal hammering against metal like a sword fight. My first thought was great competition for this job, the second thought was shit no way as I came into vision of the going on. This was a full out medieval type sword fight with each contestant working there best to kill the other. There was a giant Scot dressed man naked from the waist up swinging one of the biggest swords I have ever seen, fighting my sixty year old target who was fighting with as much skill maybe more.

It was very dark between the buildings but my night vision goggles allowed me to see them swoop , strike then dancing into another position to do it again. This was not a movie fight this was real as the blood on the woman's cheek. There skills were impressive and I could see the art of many years of training liked they lived and breathed this type of combat dancing. I put that aside I had that minder Drone perched somewhere watching so I needed to get this show on, as I prepared I felt at was a shame in another time or place this target and her companion could have been friends, My three shafts chosen two in the ground on on the bow, my 9mm auto magnum free to fire, I waited until her back was towards me and I drew steadied and loosed my first shaft automatically reaching for the second.

Betty

It was odd at first seeing through owl eyes but what I saw shot my heart rate and adrenalin through the roof, In the darkened forest below a person was fixing to shoot us in the back. My vision went into slow motion as I saw the shaft loosed wobbling just a bit as it left the bow. What I saw Alease acted, on spinning on axis swiping the air with her sword parrying the shaft away from us. That move caused her to land with out grace but still rolling as in close secession two more shafts flew over our moving form just clipping our right ear. Things were still moving like in a frame by frame examination of a movie. In my mind I could still see our shooter flow from bow to small hand gun which sprayed bullets, POW POW POW POW our way, one clipped us in the ankle, the others ran wild. Alease had managed to get us around the corner of the building which took the next few rounds scattering pieces of metal siding and insulation into the wind but missing us.

Griefer

How things went wrong is still a mystery to me, it was as if this women had eyes in the back of her frigging head, all three shafts were airborne before the first reached her. I had her dead to rights, but instead of killing her she spun like a rotisserie blocking the first shaft with her weapons then simply rolled away under the other two. She moves so fast she was just a blur to my eyes. Dropping my bow I drew my backup side arm, but I had no more luck hitting her but I did hit the giant Scot knocking him down. Knowing well the hornet’s nest had been kicked, it was time for me to hit the road out of town. Because I needed to traveling alone so I tossed a bit of dis invitation in the form of two delayed flash bang's over the fence on the general path I knew they would need to travel to catch me, then existed stage right.

Behind me I could hear the distinctive sound of large dogs coursing me down, lightening my load I dropped my equipment belt having set the remaining of my flash bangs to a very short delay. When they detonated it just about threw me in to the river, and deafened me. but I didn't need to hear to run so I poured on the speed no way I was going to slow down. Just as I was clearing the rivers edge I was batted like a ball from behind boosting me in the air , throwing me onto the rocky river bank... then . . . .every thing ….. pain , . . . . cold . . . . . darkness.

Betty

Though both Alease and I were really pissed off seeing James down holding his leg cursing. Alease said something that wasn't Sunday school material and I had to hold her for a moment so I could bounce the two flash bangs over the fence to what I thought was in front of our elusive party crasher. James had recovered into his human wolf hybrid form allowing him to run towards the explosions just over the fence. I on the other hand found my owl friend had spotted something flying fast and low the opposite way, I recognized it as a quad chopper drone trying to escape.

Using my haste spell again knackered me, but that drone was a real danger to us ,so I pushed passed my tired, with my mad, and off we went after it. Just about everything in trying to catch things runs as a vector, and such as we were running our legs off. I was trying to answer Alease's practical question of once we catch it what do we do with it. This wasn't a parked car, so I would need an Idea now, then I had one. I was just a little ahead of our madly buzzing quarry when I reached a shallow creek along its flight path, asking for help from elements of earth and water, I was able to pull a large slug of clay and mud from the creek. Then it was easy to pull that into a extra large mud pizza which caught the drone wrapping around it before it could maneuver away. Then I squeezed the mud into a ball around the quad drone snagging and stifling it in mid air. Still holding on to it as a solid mass I squashed as hard as my skill level would allow to force the mud inside of the body of the drone. That dropped it to the ground with me still holding onto it, There was a squealing sound that died down to a drone, then it thankfully stopped droning.

I dropped exhausted to the grass between two trees. I was lying on the earth looking up at the stars gasping for breath, when the sweaty face of my favorite Scot peered down from above me.

“So what was so bloody important, ye had to run off , before securing the person who tried to kill you.”

Holding my breath to steady my rasping , gasping breathing. The best I could do was point towards the stream gasping.

“look!”

“Aha ye have made ye self a wee mud ball, but why?”

As if on cue, and to my ego's relief, the mud ball sputtered and cracked open revealing the mangled mass at its center,

“ D DD Dro Drone.” I stammered.

“Ah yess, ye have caught a bug in mud, not as stylish as in amber, me does not think, lady, that it will catch on as a style. “

With that comment and my final dregs of manna I managed to toss some mud ,gifted from the river, catching James with a very proper splatting along the side of his head.