This Is Our Chance

"[THREAD TITLE]" is a [SEASON NUMBER] thread written on [IRL DATE].
==Summary==
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==Full Text==
The Warden/Liam/Tulli: The air in the center of the plaza twisted inward and flashed in a storm of black and red and violet, and through the disturbance, the form of a tall demon body took shape, and stepped out onto Haligan Island, and though she was covered in mud and grime all the way up to her hips, she was flaring with energy. She bent to one knee and lowered something in her arms to the ground: a shaking, small-bodied form, a half-breed with huge furry pointed ears and a thick tail ringed with dark stripes. She looked around in shock at the rebels milling about, now staring at the pair of them in alarm as they had appeared rather suddenly.
The Warden stood, dusting off her hands. I must speak to Lila Ericson! Where–
“Stop fucking doing that!”
Someone sprinted out of the crowd and ran into Nala’s legs, hugging her tightly, and she was gratified to see Liam with his arms around her knees, squeezing her tightly. I told you I would be occupied–
“Just tell me what you’re doing next time.” His voice was quiet and muffled. He stepped back and looked at the half-breed, who trembled in what looked like filthy guard’s armor. He squinted at its design–he could make out an old High Central sigil on her gambeson. “What’s going on?”
Take me to Lila, or Grey, if she is not here. I have news. Her eyes were burning brightly.
“I think everyone’s having breakfast still…” He turned on his heel and began heading in that direction. “C'mon.”
Lila Ericson: Lila continued to strategize in her head even while eating up breakfast. But as she saw Nala enter the great hall for the first time in weeks. She quickly stood. “Nala!” She called. She quickly moved past the tables, ignoring Liam at her side. “So much has hap-” she was cut off as she noticed the Half-Breed in her arms. “Who the Hel is that?” She asked
The Warden/Tulli: Nala ducked under the door and put a protective hand on the tiny half-breed’s shoulders, who trembled more violently at the sound of Lila’s clear, demanding voice. Ease up, little soldier, the demon remarked dryly. This is Tulli. I found her…well, rescued her, more accurately…from Castaway Dungeon’s guard roster. I am sorry I was absent for so long, but this…I knew this could be of use to us. Tulli, this is Lila, of the Rebellion.
Tulli shyly waved a furry paw at Lila. Her muzzle was spotted with gray; she was moving into her older years, but her stature was still quite small. 
Lila Ericson: Lila gasps as she says this. “My God, are you alright? Do you need medical attention?” She asked, her voice surprisingly full of concern.
The Warden/Tulli: “O-oh, I’m okay!” She held up her paws in placation. She did look to be in good health, albeit a little worn and definitely just as covered in mud as Nala was. “Th-th-they treated me f-fine, I had p-plenty of–of food, and–place to live, as long as I guarded.” She tittered nervously. “B-but that was it. They do-don’t really like half-breeds…” She had a thick Wildersouth accent that, combined with her nervous jittering voice, made for difficult listening in the crowded mess hall. Liam put his paws in his pockets and looked at the Warden oddly.
I promised her safety with the Rebellion as long as she gave us everything she knew about Castaway. This could be the last stretch we need to strike it down.
Lila Ericson: She looked concerned at the Half-Breed. “You should sit and get some rest. I’m certain the journey was harrowing.” Lila turned back to the demon. “With her knowledge of the current workings of the dungeon combined with Darien’s Intel, we should be a force to be reckoned with come the raid.”
The Warden/Tulli: “D-d-d-d-darien!?” Tulli hugged herself, her eyes wide and tearful at the sound of the name. “Oh no, oh no, oh no…!”
The Warden soothed her mentally while looking in bewilderment at Lila. She honestly wasn’t entirely sure how to feel about it, but her greatest emotion was relief, at the very least. She knew Darien was no great threat, but she didn’t hold him in the highest regard. You managed to capture Darien? That will aid us greatly…where was he hiding?
Lila Ericson: She crossed her arms at that. “Actually we didn’t find him, he came to us. And we didn’t capture him, he’s helping us and we are giving him protection and a place to call home.”
The Warden/Tulli: If she had eyebrows to raised, they would be doing so. But instead, she just chuckled, patting Tulli on the shoulder. Well, it seems you’ve kept up with your father in terms of forgiving mortal enemies. In fact, you may have outpaced him. Where is Darien now? This sounds like someone I may wish to speak with. The demon looked around the room as well, seeing a few familiar faces. And what has been happening? It seems everyone that even knows the name of the old Rebellion has come here to gather on Haligan. Are they all to assist with your mission?
Grey/Brandt/Sven/Dagny/Kari: “She’s over here, Chief,” one of the men said as they led Grey, Brandt, Sven, Dagny, and Kari to the plaza. “She’s talking to your niece.”
“Thank you, Ack,” Grey replied. “Brandt and I will take it from here.” The Chief and her second-in-command ran over to the scene with their kids.
“Nala, Lila, what’s wrong? What’s going on?” Brandt asked as they approached.
Lila Ericson: She chuckled. “That was a long time ago Aunt Nala, people change. You know better than most.” She grinned before it fell again. “There is more you should know however.” Before she was able to continue however Grey came over. “Oh hello Aunt Grey. Nala was bringing us an additional informant.” She said, gesturing for Tulli to introduce herself.
The Warden/Tulli: “H-h-h-hello!” She was in between overjoyed and in the middle of a nervous breakdown. “You’re Chief Grey, right!? You’re the one keeping all the half-breeds safe on Haligan! I’ve heard of you, we all have! You’re away from home?”
This is Haligan, Tulli. Nala was struggling not to chuckle at her.
She put a paw to the side of her face, eyes huge. “Oh dear! Oh dear me, oh of course, that makes sense…”
Grey/Brandt/Sven/Dagny/Kari: Sven, Dagny, and Kari all looked at each other nervously.
Grey however simply smiled warmly at Tulli. “It’s quite alright,” she said gently. “You seem like you’ve been through a lot.”
“Aunt Nala, where did you find her?” Kari asked the Warden. 
The Warden/Tulli: Castaway Dungeon, Nala explained patiently. She used to be a guard there, though for the life of me I do not understand why any last remnants of High Central would enlist half-breeds into their ranks.
“All I did was to–to stay–to stay and survive,” Tulli said firmly, hugging her elbows and nodding once. “It was n, uh…n-not fun.”
Indeed, but we will return, and the dungeon shall be no more.
Lila Ericson: "On that note." Lila says, getting their attention. "You wanted to talk to Darien right? Follow me." She lead whoever would follow her to the house they put him up in and knocked.
The Warden/Tulli/Darien: There was the sounds of a lot of fumbling, something like papers shifting as they fell across the floor, and then quick footsteps to the front door, and as Darien popped it open a minimal amount, his eyes widened as he saw first the knees, and then the body, and the face of the Warden. His mouth flopped open for a second, and there was a brief silence, and then he quickly shut the door again, pressing his back to it, panting like he was running for miles.
The Warden put a hand to her mask and sighed, looking at Lila. Darien? A moment of your time, if you would?
Darien mutely shook his head as he stared into his front room, eyes wide.
Lila Ericson: Lila pressed a hand into her face and shook her head. She knocked on the door again. “Darien open up please. She just wants to talk, you have my word that she will not harm you.” She promised.
The Warden/Tulli/Darien: “I believe I’m rather busy, thank you!” they heard his voice squeak from inside.
Nala folded her arms and reached out to his mind, carefully taking apart his defenses, which were well-constructed, but no match for her, at this point. I do not need an open door to converse with you. But I believe it would make you feel safer to have the others with you instead of trapped in a corner, wouldn’t it? Her voice echoed with amusement.
Please go away, I didn’t…I’m sorry…
Forgiven. Please let us in.
Darien trembled in place, blown away by everything that was quickly happening, before slowly hauling himself back upright and prying the door open, reluctantly opening it all the way. “Very well,” he muttered in worry. The house’s front room had little furnishing, but through the threshold to the room beyond, they could all see a wide table with sheets and sheets of parchment covering it. There were extensive notes written across them, along with quickly-scribbled diagrams and several lists. His own writings were annotated with shorthand and question marks and various symbols. “Sorry, I was in the middle of transcribing my knowledge of…” He adjusted his glasses and tugged at the collar of his shirt, not taking his eyes off of the Warden. “Uh…”
Lila Ericson: Lila sighed as she moved in doors. “Will you relax? No one is going to hurt you. Nala just wants to talk to you. If she didn’t she could have just burnt the house down with you in it.”
Grey Bergman: “Right,” Grey said as she moved inside the house, “she’s…calmed down over the years…” she paused, “for the…most part? This probably won’t take long at all if you just answer her questions.”
The Warden/Tulli/Darien: Darien paled a little with each attempt at reassurance, but he cleared his throat and looked up at the Warden. “Well? What do you want?”
Darien Whiteland. Nala left her body outside and her essence streamed through the door and billowed up in front of him in a rather regular human-sized form, with short hair and sharp, curved horns and tattoo-like freckles. She gave a broad, amused smile, as he looked at her in bewilderment. I don’t believe we’ve met properly in a long, long time.
“I don’t believe we have,” he said cautiously. She looked him up and down, her tail swaying from side to side.
It has been a while. We’ve both changed since our first meeting. I believe my brother had a hand in this, but I do not know the whole story.
Though he was still racing with nerves, Darien silently spread his memories out before her, and she slowly moved her hand to the side, palm facing him, her eyes narrowed as she took everything in. Ahh. I see. She tilted her head towards Lila without looking away from Darien. He is helping you with Castaway? she inquired.
Lila Ericson: “That’s the first step at least.” She said as she watched the exchange carefully. “Others will follow.”
The Warden/Tulli/Darien: Others indeed. What do you have so far?
He rubbed the back of his neck. “Well, just the basics, so far, I mean…I did design…most of them. The ones that existed while I was still Magistrate, anyway. Guard rotations, renovations…any of those and my plans may be completely off. But at the very least, we’ll have floor diagrams, or what I can remember of them.”
“U-u-uh–” From the back of the small crowd, Tulli raised a paw, her ears quivering. She was still terrified of Darien, but she could see he was almost a completely different person. It didn’t stop her from hiding behind Nala’s astral form as she spoke up in her squeaky voice. “Th-that would be–be my job. I guar-guarded Castaway. But I’m here now.”
Darien regarded her in bizarre surprise. “You? Of all people they would have chosen t…wait.” He fixed his glasses, thinking hard. “Are you from the Sleipnir Squadron?”
She nodded rapidly, tugging at her dirty armor. “Y-yes sir–I–I mean–D-Darien.”
He shook his head slowly. “I’ll be damned. They’re desperate,” he murmured to himself. “I’m glad you got away from that. It was a cruel part of our plans for division.” Tulli looked like the floor had been whipped out from under her.
“Th-th-thanks!?”
Grey Bergman: The Chief nodded as she listened to Darien explaining what he remembered about the dungeons trying to take in as much as she could. As soon as Darien mentioned…the Sleipnir Squadron, her curiosity piqued. She and Lila had been gathering as much intel as possible on the dungeons and High Central, but there was never much mention on this name. 
“W-Wait, wait!” Grey suddenly said holding her hands up. “Darien, what is this Sleipnir Squadron?”
The Warden/Tulli/Darien: “The Sleipnir Squadron,” he said, rubbing his hands together, “was a terrible operation and I hope it has died along with most of High Central’s militant practices. It was a force that moved through the Wild South and gathered half-breed children, most of them orphans…terrible business…and they trained them in a militia throughout the rest of their youth, so that by the time they were fit soldiers, they thought of Central as their saviors, as their leaders, with no idea of the atrocities their captains and generals were committing.” Darien’s face was grim. “It was Brion’s doing. His solutions always involved force and weapons.” His gaze moved to Tulli and he dipped his head slightly. “I am sorry you went through that.”
“O-oh, it’s okay, I made lots of fr-friends,” Tulli said earnestly. Darien shook his head in vague disbelief, but the hint of a smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.
Lila Ericson: She cleared her throat. “We’re hoping Tuli here can fill in any gaps in your knowledge and update any info you have.”
The Warden/Tulli/Darien: “She is welcome to assist me in creating my notes,” he said cautiously.
She needs rest first. Our journey was not an easy one. Do we have any housing left for her? 
“We’ll bring her to my mother,” Grey said as the idea formed in her head. “She has some cots in her hut. Plus, I would like to see her get some medical attention to make sure she’s not injured.” She gave Tulli a warm smile. “She can rest there for the time being until Brandt, Lila, and I find suitable housing.” 
The Warden/Tulli/Darien/Milae: “Oh, i-i-if-if-if I could have some–some food,” Tulli said hopefully, tapping her paws together anxiously. “That would be–”
There was a quick knock on the front door, and then it was pushed open. Milae stepped inside, hooded and cloaked, peering inside as the sunlight fell inside the dim room. “Commander Ericson, I wanted to speak with you ab–” 
Tulli let out a sudden, loud gasp, cutting him off. “Milae!?” she squeaked. “You’re alive!?”
The goat’s words tripped into silence as his eyes widened. 
“T-Tulli?” he managed to whisper. “Is that…is that you?”
The tiny half-breed shot forward and crashed into him, hugging him tightly around the middle. Milae lost a hold of his staff as he staggered backwards a few steps, and it clattered to the ground. She was both laughing and crying without restraint. “Oh m-my gods!! It’s you! Oh gr-great Thor, oh Milae, I thought you were gone!”
He hugged her back tightly, unable to stop tears welling up into his eyes. “I am…I’m here,” he said in shock. “I’m…I’m okay.” She bounced up and down in his arms a few times and pulled back, her paws tapping excitedly on the wooden floor, but they stopped as she got a good look at his face.
“Oh M-Milae, you…” She blinked rapidly, trying to come up with something polite to say. Milae’s heart ached at her expression. “You look…you look gr-great, for…wh-what is it, what has it been, you’re…f-fo-fo-forty now?”
“Forty-three.” He held Tulli’s shoulders, smiling apologetically. “You should do what you need to do with the Chief and the Commander, first, we will catch up later.” He looked up at Lila. “Apologies, I did not realize you were occupied, Commander, I can discuss this with you another time.”
Behind Grey and Lila and the Warden, Darien stared slack-jawed at Milae. The goat caught his eye and almost unnoticeably shook his head from side to side. Not now. The demon was considering him with sharp, narrow eyes. He saw her gaze move down to his scars and back up again.
Lila Ericson: Lila’s thoughts were racing, so much had happened in the span of a few minutes, she was unsure of what to unpack first. She took a deep breath to try and refocus. “No I think we’re done here for the time being, or at least I am.” She turned to the Chief. “Aunt Grey can you please take Tulli to get some food please and set her up at your mother’s. Darien, update when you finish your notes, including Tulli’s Intel. Milae, come with me.” She said as she left the house.
Grey Bergman: Grey didn’t even have a chance to respond to Lila’s request as her niece was already out the door. She then turned to Tulli and gently wrapped an arm around her. 
“Come on, Tulli,” she said gently. “My mother is a healer. We should have her take a look at you and make sure you’re okay.”
Category:BOTGD 2
Category:Events
Category:Act I
Category:Lila Ericson
Category:Grey Bergman
Category:Yun Milae
Category:Tulli
Category:Darien Whiteland