<div class="floatleft">(https://i.imgur.com/VZUTFNZ.jpg)</div><strong>Name:</strong>Cantankerous Cleric Selphie (https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=325526.msg15653608#msg15653608)<br/><strong>Location:</strong>Them Trees<br/><strong>Mission:</strong>The Satyr in the Woods<strong>CLOSED; between Envious and TheVillain</strong><br/><strong>Tagging:</strong>TheVillain<br/><strong> </strong><br/><hr/><hr/><br/>With a focus she had not yet displayed inside the camp, Selphie explored. There was no wonder or excitement in it - she wasn't truly curious, but this was a way to pass the time and she had run through all the daydreams her limited imagination could muster at the moment. She saw a round object in a tree; its exterior was brown and smooth and it pulled the branch it clung to low. It was out of reach for her hand, but with an excessively forceful<em>thwack</em>from her staff, the (fruit? nut?) object sailed several yards away and hit a tree before falling into the grasses.<br/><br/><strong>"Way to take out that aggression,"</strong>she said softly to herself, acknowledging the unnecessary effort she had used and feeling irritated for it. Now she had to fetch the object, and continued her tromping towards where it (an insect gall, but she would have never figured that out) had landed. One huffy step, then another, then a pause. Perhaps one of the most useful qualities a Hero had was a sixth sense for danger. For Selphie, the instinct was unexplainable, but also unquestionable.<br/><br/>Of course, danger was a broad term. What Selphie was more accurately feeling was the unexpected sensation of knowing she was no longer alone. No useful information came along with the instinct. Was the nearby presence a friend? A foe? Where exactly was it? Who was it? Still, Selphie always trusted her gut and right now, she was on guard.<br/><br/><strong>"Who is there."</strong>Leave it to the healer to turn what should have been a question into a demand for answers. No pleasantries, no friendly yoo-hoos. Selphie was unhappy that her scenic stomp through the forest was being encroached upon. She suspected it was a slacking Lumberer who had snuck away from the strenuous labors of preparing wood, but she couldn't help but also think of the warnings she had received at camp over some unexplained<em>thing</em>in the woods causing trouble.<br/><br/>The Foreman claimed his wife had been raped, but the wife was in perfectly good spirits and health; Selphie suspected that she was probably cheating on her husband and the Foreman was in denial. In fact, many of the women seemed to be treating the logging camp as a free pass for a little frisky fun. Selphie wasn't judging, but there was definitely a flirtatious freedom between workers that was not often seen in such a setting. Then there were stories of sabotage, but hadn't every attempt by the Guild to put up a Guild Hall been met with active resistance? Selphie was sure that a few die-hard backwater bumpkins were doing everything they could to delay and make life for the Guild difficult. It was no secret that some villagers were adamantly opposed to the Guild setting up shop and all of the politics that would come along with it.<br/><br/>No, there was no need to be weary of a made-up threat when there were plenty of real ones hiding in camp.<br/><br/><strong>"I won't repeat myself."</strong>The last warning was tinged with threat, but it seemed to do the trick. Behind the tree that the insect gall had flown into, a hand flew up and waved. It preceded a nervous laugh and a woman stepped out from her hiding spot. Her face was flushed and eyes downcast.<br/><br/><strong>"No need! It's just me, Cleric Selphie."</strong>Selphie had no idea who<em>me</em>was, but the healer relaxed; it was someone from the camp. Well, she assumed it was someone from the camp based on the clothing and how she had been addressed. Selphie had been introduced, but the Hero hadn't bothered to learn every face.<br/><br/><strong>"Why are you out here?"</strong>Her voice was pure irritation, as if she was scolding a mischievous child.<strong>"You should be at camp. Working."</strong>Selphie did not see the irony in her statement.<br/><br/><strong>"Oh, just needed a private moment. You know?"</strong>the woman finally looked at Selphie and winked playfully, but it was lost upon the healer. There was something strange that she couldn't quite put her finger on. Something in the body language. It was both familiar, but definitely out of place. Just when the Cleric was about to break the silence, the woman spoke again:<strong>"I'll get back now!"</strong>With a twitch of the hands and a jerk of the legs, the woman turned back towards camp cheerfully and started making her way through the thinned-out trees before Selphie could identify what was odd about the situation.<br/><br/>The healer watched as the woman went. Had that been the Foreman's wife? Selphie had only seen her from a distance, so she wasn't sure, but the hair looked quite similar.<br/><br/><hr/><hr/>