"Touch me Commander and I'll send you to the other side to check if she's there yourself," Furley had growled out, without even turning away. "YES OR NO, DID YOU SEE HER DIE? Answer me!!" He'd shouted.
"I...I don't...think so. Just so...so many...bodies," came the answer, the man trembling as he tried to recall. Altheric grabbed the sword from Furley's hand and said in a slightly more raised tone, "Give the man some room, lad!" Which, at this point, Furley did. He stood there, trembling. She saw a little bit of blood drip down from his lip as he bit through it. She hated how she had no idea what to do.
She looked at Furley, then the man. She sighed quietly before stepping over to help Ana. "C'mon, let's get you cleaned up and resting," she said in a tone too gentle to sound like her. Ana looked directly at Furley "We are going inside." Daphne did her best to avoid looking at him after that. She was too disappointed in herself. She knew he would struggle with this, yet she hadn't thought of any way to help him snap out of it. Some friend she was.
As they walked the man toward the Company house, she heard him tell Amaken to fetch his horse. She had paused for a moment, fighting the urge to stop completely right there, but continued on with the man. Once they made it inside, she'd asked Ana if her and the Commander could handle him without her. Once being reassured, she hurried out to stop Furley from doing something stupid. Something by which he, and everyone else, would be negatively affected.
She said what first came to mind, doing her best to keep her voice steady. "What are you doing?" She mentally kicked herself. "It's obvious what he's doing, you dumb goat!"
Furley's hands shook as he tried to saddle his horse. "The usual. Something stupid and reckless." He was barely keeping himself together. She continued to kick herself as Altheric stood there trying to talk sense into him. Without thinking, she'd placed her hand on his in an attempt to calm the trembling. "You know you can't do it," she'd said quietly. "We're all here to help you, but you can't just keep running off without an idea what you're doing."
He'd ignored her and demanded his sword. Altheric obliged him, but he didn't quite get a grip on it. Once the sword fell, it was as if all of it broke completely for Furley. He nearly stumbled as he walked away, stopping a little bit away and yelling something about Deorla's Elf boss. She wasn't being overly helpful.
She knew it wouldn't do much, but she sneaked the saddle off the horse and began to creep inside to hide it. It wouldn't keep him from leaving really, but it would give her time to catch him and hopefully talk sense into him. Or at least go with him so he wasn't alone. She barely caught Furley saying in a calmer voice as she went inside, "You'll lead the caravan, Commander. That's what you're here for after all." She didn't allow herself to feel relieved as she looked for a spot to hide it.
She avoided being seen by anyone as she grabbed her paper and stepped out the back door, sitting somewhat near the waterfall as she began to draw.
Suddenly, she realized it was too dark to see well enough to draw. After washing her face and removing her armour, she stepped inside, noticing nobody but Furley and Ana, who were sitting at a table eating. She set her drawing aside and stepped over, fishing into her pocket as she did so.
She remembered promising Ana she'd give her a ring to use for marrying Amaken. She hadn't been sure whether or not he could give her a ring, which was fine. She still had the one Harold (not her pig) had given her years ago, and Ana's hand seemed similar in size to hers.
The ring meant nothing to her really. It was beautiful. Expensive. But the only reason she kept it was the idea it would be put to better use giving it to someone who couldn't afford one, than selling it or throwing it away. But she hated that she owned it. She was glad Ana would get better use of it.She wasn't expecting her to jump up and throw her arms around her like that. The only person who had truly hugged her since her papa died, was Bellindah. After momentary shock, she'd hugged her back.
Ana then offered her the seat she'd been previously occupying, and when Daphne refused, Furley left his own seat for Ana, claiming he had stuff to do.
Daphne had crossed her arms, frowning as she looked at him. "I don't trust that you're not going to just change your mind and run off. So you're not leaving this room yet," she'd said, as always, without thinking. His back was turned as he studied a map. All he said in reply was to ask if she'd packed his bags, fetched his sword and saddled his horse.
She paused in her eating. When had he asked her to do ANY of that? "No...what does that have to do with anything?" She thought she heard a small smile in his answer. "Then that's the reason I can't leave yet." She scowled down at her food as Ana smirked. She was missing something. "That's a bloody dumb answer," she'd almost said, but caught herself this time.
She relaxed herself and continued eating. "So either you can't leave until I pack your bags for you, or you can't leave until we've made a decent plan and are ready to leave?" He turned and tossed a smile in her direction. All he said was "yes", which nearly made her scowl again. Frustrating man.
But somehow, she trusted him this time as he said he wouldn't just ride off. Perhaps it was that he seemed to be in his normal, more sane state of mind. Perhaps it was his eyes seeming more genuine. Whatever it was, she believed him. She grunted as she looked down at her plate. "I'm not touching your underclothes when I pack," she grumbled before finishing the food Ana had set before her. This caused Ana to laugh, and Furley to chuckle. "Oh, they think I'm joking," she thought to herself.
"Well, I'm afraid I need to leave you ladies and get some rest. Don't go anywhere without me." He said those words with a wink, and gave Daphne's shoulder a squeeze as he walked by. He left before she could actually respond, so she was left with Ana looking at her with that grin. She turned her focus to her plate and grumbled something quietly.
She didn't mind being left alone with Ana, but she felt as though with the exhaustion of the day finally hitting her, she made for a poor conversation partner. Fortunately, it seemed Ana felt the weariness as well, and she was saved from showing off just how bad at talking she could be.
As she undressed in the privacy of her own room, her mind recalled the events of the day. It felt as though it was a whole week's worth, crammed into that one day. She looked down at her bruises, beginning to feel every single one. Somehow though, it only made her mind go to Deorla. "She could be gone. Or slowly dying." Her thoughts churned as she slowly drifted off, too weary to try to help with any sort of plan.
"Some friend I am."
