There was joy in the Hall, but Ciel struggled to feel it. After delivering her report to Kin, she shuffled off to her quarters and closed the door, allowing silence to reign even though she didn't hear it. Her mind still swirled with the sights she and the others were confronted with, the cries of the survivors, the taunts of the Reaver Captain and his men. The smell of sickness and death still clung to her attire, something all too familiar from years before. It lacked the same notes of fire and ash, but no matter how many different ways the smell presented itself, it was never any less stomach-turning.
We weren't fast enough for some of them... if only we had gone sooner. As soon as we knew where they were being taken, we could have saved just one life more. Several more. But no, we were biding our time, enjoying ourselves as others suffered. I cannot abide this to happen again. Next time, I will give chase and...
The songstress drew a long breath which gave way to a shuddering sob as her own thoughts confronted her again with more of the same images. Most of the captives had been women, some of them children, and how many of those children had endured the same or been forced to watch as the pirates had their way with their mothers? Their sisters? And the piles of bodies in the Deckhands' Quarters. How many of them had still been abused even after they had gone cold?
Cut any bonds on the captives, and cut the throats of any Reavers we find along the way.
Her own words came back to her. She had ordered the other members of her party to kill their enemies, not just disable them. Surely if the Reavers were all Drowned thralls to Leviathan, death was a kindness, more of one than they deserved under the circumstances. Although she had met plenty of admirable pirates during her many travels, there always existed tales of those who were anything but, and who thrived on greed, lust, and violence, and the Order had met them all in Sastasha. Surely no god, no Primal, would drive men to such ends. No, these things were deeply rooted in their hearts even before they were Drowned. Cut their throats, cut them free of their thrall, and let their souls burn in an unmarked grave for eternity and a day.
Ciel shook her head to momentarily silence the chaos. Her bow, Starcrossed Serenade, was shrugged off of her shoulder and placed on her bed along with her hat. The rest of her attire was peeled away piece by piece and dropped unceremoniously to the floor, only to be shoved into a corner with a now bare foot. All of it would need a soak, but perhaps several days of soaking, soap, and perfume wouldn't be enough to take out that damn smell, and with it, the memory. She would still feel it even if no one else noticed.
Leaning, she turned the handle to start filling the bath. It had to be hot, as hot as her soft skin could bear, enough to wash away the unseen blood which still clung to her and had soaked in deeper than the skin's surface. The incensory on the counter was also set alight. She hadn't changed out the oil drops recently, so it still gave off an aroma of clove and lavender, soothing enough but she felt unsure of just how much it would help to settle her.
Mish is fine, at least. She is a bright, brave, strong girl, with such a future ahead of her. I pray she never has to relive anything like this. And hopefully she doesn't go running off alone again...
She reached over again to cut the flow of water, and fumbled to open a small glass phial of lilac oil. Just a few drops would be enough to fill the room, and mingle the floral scent with the gentle wisps of incense smoke. Capping that, she lowered herself into the bath and sank up to her chin. Ciel would have even closed her eyes if not for the images which still waited behind her eyelids.
Dozens of lives saved, even if some might never be the same again... that must count for something. And we all made it back to the Hall in one piece. Even Captain Arashi was kind enough to lend his ship to transport those who were from Thanalan, and Kale met them in Vesper Bay with some of the other Immortal Flames. If these are all the blessings we can count from this, then that will have to suffice.
We weren't fast enough for some of them... if only we had gone sooner. As soon as we knew where they were being taken, we could have saved just one life more. Several more. But no, we were biding our time, enjoying ourselves as others suffered. I cannot abide this to happen again. Next time, I will give chase and...
The songstress drew a long breath which gave way to a shuddering sob as her own thoughts confronted her again with more of the same images. Most of the captives had been women, some of them children, and how many of those children had endured the same or been forced to watch as the pirates had their way with their mothers? Their sisters? And the piles of bodies in the Deckhands' Quarters. How many of them had still been abused even after they had gone cold?
Cut any bonds on the captives, and cut the throats of any Reavers we find along the way.
Her own words came back to her. She had ordered the other members of her party to kill their enemies, not just disable them. Surely if the Reavers were all Drowned thralls to Leviathan, death was a kindness, more of one than they deserved under the circumstances. Although she had met plenty of admirable pirates during her many travels, there always existed tales of those who were anything but, and who thrived on greed, lust, and violence, and the Order had met them all in Sastasha. Surely no god, no Primal, would drive men to such ends. No, these things were deeply rooted in their hearts even before they were Drowned. Cut their throats, cut them free of their thrall, and let their souls burn in an unmarked grave for eternity and a day.
Ciel shook her head to momentarily silence the chaos. Her bow, Starcrossed Serenade, was shrugged off of her shoulder and placed on her bed along with her hat. The rest of her attire was peeled away piece by piece and dropped unceremoniously to the floor, only to be shoved into a corner with a now bare foot. All of it would need a soak, but perhaps several days of soaking, soap, and perfume wouldn't be enough to take out that damn smell, and with it, the memory. She would still feel it even if no one else noticed.
Leaning, she turned the handle to start filling the bath. It had to be hot, as hot as her soft skin could bear, enough to wash away the unseen blood which still clung to her and had soaked in deeper than the skin's surface. The incensory on the counter was also set alight. She hadn't changed out the oil drops recently, so it still gave off an aroma of clove and lavender, soothing enough but she felt unsure of just how much it would help to settle her.
Mish is fine, at least. She is a bright, brave, strong girl, with such a future ahead of her. I pray she never has to relive anything like this. And hopefully she doesn't go running off alone again...
She reached over again to cut the flow of water, and fumbled to open a small glass phial of lilac oil. Just a few drops would be enough to fill the room, and mingle the floral scent with the gentle wisps of incense smoke. Capping that, she lowered herself into the bath and sank up to her chin. Ciel would have even closed her eyes if not for the images which still waited behind her eyelids.
Dozens of lives saved, even if some might never be the same again... that must count for something. And we all made it back to the Hall in one piece. Even Captain Arashi was kind enough to lend his ship to transport those who were from Thanalan, and Kale met them in Vesper Bay with some of the other Immortal Flames. If these are all the blessings we can count from this, then that will have to suffice.
