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Post by 𝘨𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘶𝘯 on Nov 30, 2016 15:32:54 GMT -5
( I could start, that makes for less redundancy. I'll get something up in a moment! )
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Post by ƤαƖƖαѕ ✧ on Nov 30, 2016 15:34:41 GMT -5
[Alright, sure! Thank you! I'm so excited for this XD]
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Post by 𝘨𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘶𝘯 on Nov 30, 2016 15:37:27 GMT -5
( yeah, same! )
Cassius had slept since sunrise, when a young man he'd never seen before came to relieve him of his guarding responsibilities. He'd fallen asleep moments after reaching the carrige he'd spend his morning in, exhausted after both a battle and a night spent watching a sleeping Celt. There were more interesting things to do.
When he woke up, the army had packed up and was on the move, having moved what he estimated to be nearly five miles. He contemplated faking sleep but decided against it. He dressed and left the carriage at the next stop, a mile or so down the road, before connecting to his company and century, greeting friends as he went.
Soon he was falling into step with them, mindlessly marching in heavy armour. There was very little talking, marching was a show of power as well as a way to move around, so conversing was not tolerated. The only sound that could be heard throughout the massive army was the clanking of shields against armour and the muffled stomp of boots on the ground.
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Post by ƤαƖƖαѕ ✧ on Nov 30, 2016 15:47:28 GMT -5
The time since Elowen had woken up had been relatively uneventful, if a little harsher and rougher than the time she had spent with Cassius. She was strategically placed in the centre of the marching legion, so that if anyone decided that Elowen was worth recapturing, it was not going to be an easy fight.
She was settling into the rhythm of the Romans' march, with an acceptable pace. But she looked completely out of place, with her long red hair and the fading blue war paint from yesterday, which was semi-permanent and simply had to fade on its own. She didn't like to think about what poisons were potentially soaking into her skin whenever she applied the dye for battle.
The clashing sound of the soldiers' armour and boots had faded to white noise, her ears gradually growing deaf of the sound, when this perceived silence was interrupted by the whistling of an arrow, which whipped right past a startled Elowen's head, striking a tree-trunk the legion had been marching past.
It was the first hint, the first warning of an attack.
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Post by 𝘨𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘶𝘯 on Nov 30, 2016 16:29:40 GMT -5
A loud el came from one of the men right behind Elowen, and the message was quickly carried to each centurion and, eventually, the legionaire. From there, orders of vigilance were spread through the army.
Cassius rested his hand on his swords hilt, looking around with a frown. He saw no attackers, but he knew better than to let down his guard just because of that. He'd been attacked while marching many times, as most considered an ambush to be the easiest way to recapture captives or reclaim their lost land.
Still, nothing broke the silence. After filtering out the repetitive clank, clank, clack the army generated, the road was silent.
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Post by ƤαƖƖαѕ ✧ on Dec 2, 2016 14:23:45 GMT -5
Elowen walked on as expected, but remained hyper vigilant. She knew how her people fought, and this was classic. A warning arrow, then a booby trap. And amid the chaos of the booby trap would come the attack.
That was when Elowen spotted the thin, but rather strong, piece of wool thread stretched across the path. She could alert the legion to it, who would probably not be looking for the same things as her and would likely not notice. Or she could let them walk into it and take this moment to escape.
But escape to what? What was possibly left for her? Disgrace and judgement?
It did not take much deliberation.
"Stop!" Elowen called to the legion. At first the soldiers didn't take her seriously enough to stop, but when she picked up a large stick, with her tied hands, and whirled around so that she could get enough momentum to throw the thing, the soldiers stopped, confused. Once she had enough momentum she let go, letting the stick fly towards the string and activate the trap - one of he trees which the string had been tied to toppled. They must have uprooted the tree but left it looking stable. The moment someone's weight pulled the string, the tree would topple
(Lol sorry this seems to go slightly against the laws of physics but I got stuck so allow XD)
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Post by 𝘨𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘶𝘯 on Dec 3, 2016 6:53:26 GMT -5
( why are laws anyway if not to be broken? )
Who did this captured warrior think she was, ordering a roman legion around like this? The men simply rolled their eyes and kept on. Until she brandished a large stick. Suddenly faced with a captive warrior holding something that could easily be turned into a weapon, the legion stopped still, hands flying to their own. But she wasn't turning it on them, she was turning as if to throw it.
She let the stick fly, but not towards any of the soldiers. It flew over their heads and then, a few moments later, a tree fell onto the road where the legion would have been walking only a short while later.
"She's blessed by Terra," Cassius heard a man beside him whisper, wide-eyed and seemingly afraid. "No, fool, she triggered a trap," Cassius hissed back, shooting the man, who seemed to be a new recruit, a harsh glare.
It seemed that when he came to this realisation, so did the rest of the army, because they all eyed Elowen suspiciously. Cassius was no exception. Why would she do that, when it was clearly her people who'd set it? The centurions debated among themselves, confused, but at least the marching did not cease. After a few short moments of stunned silence, the legion set off again, walking around the tree.
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Post by ƤαƖƖαѕ ✧ on Dec 3, 2016 7:03:04 GMT -5
Elowen could relax a little after that - she had heard some faint sounds that suggested to her than any small group of warriors produced to attack this legion had known what she was doing.
The Romans thought she was helping them, when in reality she was doing her people a favour. There weren't enough warriors in her tribe now as it were and she saw no point in allowing that group to likely be massacred by this legion in their attempts to recapture her.
It seemed to her that if she could give them a warning, they might give up. She knew that there were many warriors in her tribe who would make more capable leaders than she had been.
It was also partly anger and frustration that she felt she had to release. She was concerned now that they were trying to recapture Elowen to bring some kind of comfort to her ailing father, and she wondered if perhaps he was close to death. Perhaps she would not know for a long time yet.
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Post by ƤαƖƖαѕ ✧ on Dec 3, 2016 7:03:39 GMT -5
(Also, hey, how are you?)
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Post by 𝘨𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘶𝘯 on Dec 3, 2016 7:17:01 GMT -5
( hey! I'm pretty good, I'm getting ready to a 'julbord' (lit. Christmas table, basically a Christmas buffet) which I'm definitely looking forward to. how about you?)
The legion kept moving, and after a few minutes Cassius finally felt as though he could relax again. But he was curious. He understood that Elowen had no warmth for any Roman, and especially not when it was them or her people. She had to have done this for her own gain, or the tribe's, in one way or another. Or maybe it was just shame that kept her from wanting to return. He'd seen that often in captured soldiers, a shame that came from being what they perceived as weak, and not wanting to face anybody because of that.
As he couldn't very well talk to her about it now, he just kept walking, rolling the thought over in his mind. He'd have to find her later and ask her about it, because he wasn't likely to just accept this as how it would be.
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Post by ƤαƖƖαѕ ✧ on Dec 3, 2016 7:19:17 GMT -5
(I'm good, just lying around in my pajamas. I think we're putting the Christmas tree up today in my hoise)
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Post by ƤαƖƖαѕ ✧ on Dec 3, 2016 7:38:40 GMT -5
It would not be long now until the legion had reached their next station, a camp next to Hadrian's wall. She suspected that the group would be gradually moving past the wall and to the next frontier, the Pict tribes in Caledonia.
They would fail in Caledonia, Elowen suspected. The Picts were stronger and more resilient than any tribe the Romans had encountered, more resilient and determined even than the northern British tribes like the Voted in I.
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Post by 𝘨𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘶𝘯 on Dec 4, 2016 10:37:47 GMT -5
( I just realised that we haven't actually officially decided on a time, and since the Roman empire lasted for centuries, that might be useful. the votadini were ruled by romans from around 140 AD, so this should be around that time, correct?)
The legion would likely spend a night outside of a camp and reach their next station mid-morning the next day. Another legion was already waiting at Hadrian's Wall, defending it from the Picts that were still attacking. Maybe the construction of Antonine's Wall was provoking them. Cassius wouldn't be surprised if that was the case.
The sun was beating down on them that day, but nobody complained. Maybe that was having marched down in Rome where the sun reached temperatures the Britannian sun never did, but it was more likely to be years of being taught discipline that kept the legion from saying anything about the gruelling heat.
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Post by ƤαƖƖαѕ ✧ on Dec 4, 2016 10:55:52 GMT -5
(Yeah, so maybe like 138 or 139 AD x That's okay for the timing)
It was uncharacteristically hot, and it wasn't long before Elowen was sweating. She didn't complain, as she figured evening would soon begin to close in and the temperatures were cool, but the Romans certainly seemed more used to the temperatures than Elowen.
It was definitely usual for Britannia to reach these temperatures, but it was probably not unusual for Rome. Not only that, but these soldiers were hardy and trained to deal with the extremes of temperature across the Empire, from the heat of Egypt to the coldness of Britannia.
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Post by 𝘨𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘶𝘯 on Dec 4, 2016 11:22:02 GMT -5
( alright, great! how are you today? )
The day went on, and the march continued. The legion had stopped to eat around mid-day, but after that they stopped only once, and that was to set up camp for the night. By the time they did, the sun had set past the horizon and night was quickly setting in.
Each cohort started to work on their tents as soon as they arrived. The forum wasn't to be set up, but they wouldn't sleep under an open sky. This was the Roman army, they valued a good night's sleep more highly than anything.
The legion talked among themselves as they worked, and just an hour later there were no tents left unraised. With eight men working on each one, that was hardly a surprise.
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Post by ƤαƖƖαѕ ✧ on Dec 4, 2016 11:30:26 GMT -5
(I'm good, my house is now Christmassy as heck and I love it)
Elowen had watched the camp being raised, impressed with the speed and efficiency of the army. She'd made herself useful when instructed to, but other than that she was mainly just told to keep out of the way so she didn't hinder their progress.
Night was officially starting to set in, now, and the air had again cooled to what was a comfortable temperature for Elowen but would probably be cold to these Romans. It was strange, she thought, how she could be so comfortable and these men so uncomfortable, and vice versa.
She always thought that the environment in which one grew up didn't have that much effect on a person, but this difference was proof to her.
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Post by 𝘨𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘶𝘯 on Dec 4, 2016 11:54:58 GMT -5
( nice. my house is slowly getting more covered in Christmas decorations as well and it's great. )
As soon as the tent was raised, Cassius excused himself from the other men and left to track Elowen down. He had been curious about her actions all day, and he intended to get some answers.
Finding her wasn't hard. After asking another soldier to point to where he'd last seen her, it was just a matter of finding her, which, given the way her hair stood out, was quite easy really.
Cassius walked briskly over and grabbed her by the wrist, dragging her a short distance away in a particularly unceremonious manner. "You don't seem like the type to change loyalties so quickly, and you certainly didn't want to come with us back on the battlefields, so why did you trigger that trap today? What could you possibly gain from it, other than avoiding a brief period of shame?"
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Post by ƤαƖƖαѕ ✧ on Dec 4, 2016 12:04:31 GMT -5
(Hehe. Gradual Christmasification)
Elowen let out a surprised exclamation as she was suddenly grabbed by the wrist and pulled to a quieter area "I don't need to explain myself to you" she'd responded, clearly a little angry, but when it was clear that he wasn't going to drop the matter until he got an answer she decided to explain "I didn't want to draw my people into a fight they were bound to lose. My tribe's warriors were decimated in the last battle and I saw no sense in allowing more to be killed for my sake. And I wanted my father to put his faith in someone else. Someone better than me."
That was the root of it. She wanted her father to stop seeing her as someone better and more capable than she actually was. Her father had always perceived her as being more skilled than she actually was, and she'd been stupid enough to believe him when he said that she could actually lead the tribe.
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Post by 𝘨𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘶𝘯 on Dec 4, 2016 12:21:02 GMT -5
( indeed. it's been going for about a month now, so it's definitely Christmassy by this point, but we still have a few things to add before we are truly in the season. )
Cassius nodded slowly. This made sense, he supposed. He didn't doubt that she was right, even with the confusion and chaos caused by the trap, the legion would have run the remainder of the Votadini without much trouble, or loss from their side. They'd beaten the strongest the tribe had to offer already, they would certainly be able to do it again.
"They came to fight for you, so clearly they thought you led them well enough. Or at least whoever gave them orders did." These words were said matter-of-factly. They were an observation, not anything intended for comfort.
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Post by ƤαƖƖαѕ ✧ on Dec 4, 2016 12:30:34 GMT -5
Elowen shrugged "You saw the battle. Like I said, I'm not a leader. Are you satisfied now? I'm trying to preserve what's left of my tribe, not plan some big attack against all Romans or something. It's the least I could do for them"
She had, neither of them could deny, not made a great leader for her people. She'd failed them, and she felt that she owed it to them not to fail them any further.
For all she knew, they hadn't come to recapture her. With how close the arrow came, she could have thought they were there to kill her. She couldn't blame hem for being angry, though, with how many had died in that battle.
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Post by 𝘨𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘶𝘯 on Dec 4, 2016 12:47:50 GMT -5
Cassius had to agree. She wasn't a leader. He'd said so from their very first conversation. She wasn't strong enough to lead, at least not where it counted.
"Yes, I'm satisfied." He was. He'd gotten the answers he'd been looking for, and he hadn't expected even that to be this easy. He didn't move to leave though, instead he just chewed on the inside of his cheek, as though he was thinking about something. Truthfully though, he didn't know what, exactly, he was pondering.
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Post by ƤαƖƖαѕ ✧ on Dec 4, 2016 12:55:04 GMT -5
Elowen detached her wrist, which they both appeared to have forgotten was still in his grip. He looked like he was wanting to say something, so she waited almost expectantly to see what he wanted to say.
She was a little fed up of his questions. She understood why he was asking he these things, but she was already doubting herself and her leadership skills enough, thank you, without this Roman questioning everything
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Post by 𝘨𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘶𝘯 on Dec 4, 2016 13:06:08 GMT -5
Cassius frowned at their hands, bringing his back to his side quickly. He stared down for another moment then looked back up at her. There was something still nagging at him, but he couldn't see what he was missing. So instead he just started dumbly for a while as he tried to figure it out.
Finally, he said, "Were you not raised into the role of a leader?" He was wandering into questions seeking private information now (as though he hadn't been there before) and he realised this, but he was curious. He was always curious.
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Post by ƤαƖƖαѕ ✧ on Dec 4, 2016 13:20:15 GMT -5
Elowen shook her head "my father fell ill quickly. He has always had elevated views of me and elevated expectations. I was still doing warrior training and hadn't started preparing for a role as leader. He insisted I could do it, that I was ready. I tried to tell him that he should name someone more experienced in leadership than me, but he wouldn't listen. That's why I was an awful commander. Not because I'm a woman,but because I had no training and no experience. I'm a warrior, not a commander"
She wondered about his questions but she saw no harm in answering them. He was just curious, but if she didn't answer, she didn't know if that curiosity would turn into anger.
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Post by 𝘨𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘶𝘯 on Dec 4, 2016 13:29:38 GMT -5
It seemed to Cassius as though her father wasn't a very good leader either, if he went ahead with naming someone so inexperienced as his stand-in when they had the Roman army at their doorstep. He had the sense not to say this, though. He didn't think Elowen would appreciate it.
"Your turn," he said after a moment. "If you have a question, it's only fair that I answer it now that you've answered mine." He'd acted like this yesterday, too, as though answers and comfort was to be traded like livestock or fabric. He'd been raised that way, to assign everything value and not give anything without receiving something of equal value. Debt was important to him, as it was to many Romans, and he didn't enjoy feeling as if he were under it.
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Post by ƤαƖƖαѕ ✧ on Dec 4, 2016 13:51:16 GMT -5
"Fine," Elowen replied with a shrug "What is it about our land that makes you want it so much? I mean, have you need of our tin, our people for slaves, or just the pride of saying you've conquered another piece of land that you insist you need?"
It sounded like a confrontational question, but at its heart was a desire to understand what these people really wanted. She could never understand what these Romans wanted with their tiny island and she wanted to. If she could understand, she could learn. And if she could learn, perhaps she could make these Romans understand the Celtic point of view, even if they didn't want to.
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Post by 𝘨𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘶𝘯 on Dec 4, 2016 14:05:35 GMT -5
Cassius had expected something like this, but that didn't stop him from being completely taken aback by the question. He blinked, gathering his thoughts silently for a few moments. "I'm not the person to ask," he said. "I just follow orders."
He would have left it at that if it didn't feel like such an out. He frowned, then added, "Rome is a great city. You'd agree if you'd ever seen it," he insisted. "Those living there take great pride in it, and those in power even more so. It's a mixture of ambition and determination, I believe. They want to be remembered as great and powerful men, and Romans want to be remembered as part of a great and powerful empire. By conquering lands, your own included, we are able to gather taxes, which please everyone. The upper classes for their cut, and the rest of us because much of it goes towards improving out empire and city."
Truth be told, he wasn't sure how much of this was true, but it was the way he thought of it at least, and what else could he give her?
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Post by ƤαƖƖαѕ ✧ on Dec 4, 2016 14:16:54 GMT -5
Elowen shrugged "Sometimes ambition is a good thing, as long as it doesn't cost others. Then it just becomes greed. That's the way I see it, anyway. The borders of our tribes have been set for years, and we have never wanted more than what we have. And we are very peaceful, only arguing about things like religious matters or ethical transgressions. We don't take, is my point. I know you're not the one to be saying this too, and none of this is your fault," Elowen admitted "but..."
It was a frustration that she wanted to release, and she had nothing to take it out on. Nobody to be angry at but Fate. She was angry, but she wasn't being angry at Cassius, just near him.
He was showing her some kindness, and she was grateful. He as trying to help her understand even if he didn't seem to understand himself.
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Post by 𝘨𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘶𝘯 on Dec 4, 2016 14:40:14 GMT -5
( lots of telling and very little showing regarding Cassius' past and personality in these last few posts. sorry about that. this is what happens when I develop a character during rp. )
"Maybe it is greed," Cassius allowed with a shrug, seemingly unperturbed by the frustrations she was venting. He wasn't a peaceful man by any means, but at least he wasn't defensive or easily hurt. "But society depends on a hierarchy. Where would anyone be if we were all selfless?"
He didn't enjoy having these kinds of discussions. Having a politician for a father meant that he knew how to debate, it had been the only way to get something as a child, but it wasn't engaging for him. He had his opinions and accepted that others had theirs. Why it couldn't just stay that way he'd never understand.
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Post by ƤαƖƖαѕ ✧ on Dec 4, 2016 15:01:50 GMT -5
(Hehe don't worry I do that a lot)
"Where my people were before yours came" Elowen replied "we were fine. But anyway, it doesn't matter. What's happened has happened and there's no point getting frustrated about it,"
She saw absolutely no point in getting angry about what had happened, so she decided to leave the topic at that and try and forget about what was happening. This situation she was in obviously wasn't the best, but she would make the bed of it if she could. She had to, because she didn't have a choice. She couldn't sit there and be negative about all of this, because it would get her nowhere. But perhaps trying to think positively might help her.
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