the darkest part of the woods; advanced roleplay discussion

Centuries of mortal labor has resulted in a deep-rooting mind that has provided the Summer Court with riches- especially gold and rubies. On the occasional times, the Old Mines intertwine with the New Mines. Having cleared out and then somewhat re-filled the mines go avoid collapsing, it’s often that the plans of the New Mine cross the empty halls of the Old Mines. Either way, the Summer Court is known for their quick production of resources. Whether it be gemstones, diamonds, coal, or minerals. You can find it in the mines, or in the peaks.

The moon bathed the Golden Peaks in silver light. it was the magical time when the colour scheme of these ountains was fundamentally different to the usual. Lara Sardothien stood in the shadows of an entrance into the old mines, barely a hole tunnel carved into the rock. Hid behind the boulders lying around with a good view of the terrain around several members of the revolution hid, Fae as humans, most of them armed with bows. Lara leaned on the cold stones, casually waiting, her face not seeable under her wine red cloat. Neither could anyone tell how many arms she had hidden in different spots throughout her clothing.
She stared into the night and her pointy ears twitched with every noise she heard.

Impatiently, Lara started walking up and down in the darkness of the entrance to the caves. Suddenly she stood still and looked out onto the fields before here that were sparsely illuminated by the watery moon. She walked out, her cloat floating behind her. It was a last attempt to find out if anyone might be coming tonight, she wanted to search the area before giving her comrades the sign to leave.

(Alexandria?)

((I'll have a post later today. I'm not usually on much during the weekends, and I was on limited time yesterday and unable to get to this rp.))

(alright, just wanted to make sure you saw it. see ya then!)

((Or I'll get to it today lol.))

Beforehand, Xandria had whipped her apron off at home, leaving her clad in in a long-sleeved, olive shirt and charcoal skirts down to her ankles. Her dark tresses were braided up in a nondescript bun on the crown of her head, and on her feet she wore plain, unadorned leather boots. She had bid Cassia goodbye, telling her sister she was going out for a walk, and then started trekking to the mines Lara had mentioned that afternoon. Her feet and back ached from working in the tavern so long, which made the walk more than just mildly uncomfortable. Every pebble she stepped on sent throbbing pangs up her legs, and the dusty beige cloak hanging over her shoulders felt heavier than usual. Finally, she reached her destination and took a seat on a nearby rock, rubbing her sore feet with one hand as she waited for whatever meeting Lara had invited her to to begin.

"Are you having pain?", Lara asked, materializing out of the darkness. She pulled back the hood of her cloat and revealed a smile of relief. Then she lit a small fire with a flick of her hand and placed it to Xandria's feet to warm them, but dimmed its brightness so it would not give away their position. "I am glad you are here. It means that you have thought about joining the revolution, haven't you? Where is your sister?"

Xandria couldn't truthfully say she wasn't grateful for the dim fire. Magic was not something she harbored much appreciation for in general, but presently she was in enough discomfort that she was definitely not going to complain. Any relief was welcome whether it was magical or mundane. "Maybe. I haven't decided for sure yet." She answered Lara's question honestly but bluntly, though that was just the typical way she spoke to most everyone. Her final choice would like as not hinge (at least partially) on how the meeting went and how many other people looked to be involved. If things seemed too dangerous or like they would cast unnecessary attention on either Alex or her sister, then she would certainly be declining Lara's offer.
"My sister is busy." Xandria replied simply in response to Lara's second question, offering no further commentary on the topic. She had purposely left Cassia unaware of her true destination and had let her dearest sister remain ignorant of the events that had transpired on the beach. There was no point in troubling her over something that wasn't yet set in stone, and if anything should happen or if this was a trap, Alex wanted her sister to have plausible deniability. Better for Cassia's shock to be truly genuine if she were captured, arrested, or worse.

Lara nodded having expected not much more information. "I have approached you because these are special times ahead." Her eyes began to glow from excitement as if there was a fire behind her iris. "The Queen's heir has been found and her new court state will reveal itself soon. So it is important to know which side you will be standing on when the Princes will be overthrown. There will be bloody ruins burnt down and rebuilt and I would not like to kill you", she said lowering her voice. "although I think it won't be necessary", Lara continued joyfully. "Before you decide, I guess you would like to know more about us, don't you? Therefore I have brought some friends to introduce themselves." She waved and one after the other several members of the revolution came from their hidings to say hi to Xandria. They all were more or less warriors, only some of them were in higher positions and more educated. By the time the moon was about to go down, the place before the old mines was quite crowded with people, human as well as fae and in between, almost all of a hefty physique and united by their love for the queen. Lara stood somewhat beside with a proud smile on her full red lips. "So, what do you think?"

Oh, boy... Was Alex's first thought as Lara began what sounded like a prepared speech. Her second thought was that this revolution sounded like it was going to get bloody and violent pretty quickly, and she couldn't help but take note of the threat Lara threaded into her words not-so-subtly. What kind of rebellion threatens to kill you if you don't join? It was clear to her as other rebels accumulated by the mines that this was no peaceful venture; the rebels looked to be trained fighters, and Xandria, though she had a fierce spirit, was in no way interested in involving either her or fragile sister in something as dangerous as this. This whole display begged a question that she wasn't sure she wanted to know the answer to: why was Lara interested in a pair of sisters who had never even touched a weapon before? Plus, the group was run by a faerie, and all of them were horribly prejudiced against mortals. Xandria already broke her back bowing and scraping the floor, so she didn't know why she should do it for free for this rebellion. All afternoon at the beach, Lara had talked down to her, and as she already endured enough of that at the tavern, the idea of letting people who weren't paying her treat her as little more than dirt was repulsive. But, now she had to answer Lara's question in a way that allowed her to remain living long enough to figure out what to do. "I think... this is a lot to take in. Could you and I talk alone somewhere?"

Lara saw the gears turning in Xandria's head while she observed the show. "Sure", she nods. The gathered revolutionaries sat down and began to chatter quietly while Lare led her into the Mines, only a small flame in her hand lighting their way.
"Why am I interested in you, you you may ask yourself. I am just a little human and my sister is as ordinary and fragile as I am. Well, you may be right with that", she laughed a little and stopped, turning to face her. "but that is what makes you special. You may know that information is of high value, and wherever people sit together, they talk. You and your sister are in the perfect place to gather these talks for us. You are invisible to them, and I think of you as a well trained actress. Both of you can estimate the atmosphere among the folks coming to your tavern. You are able to evaluate what people think of us and our enemies. I won't force you to join the revolution, just to decide which side you are on: The Queen's and our's or the Prince's. I promise you, that you can walk out of here and be unharmed, as long as you do not betray us." Lara has raised her left hand and touched her lips with the edge of her stretched fingers, her palm facing to her right where the fire still burned centimeters above her hand. Lara Sardothien's face was serious, the oath of a fae ment a lot. Although they might be mischieveous and take every opportunity there might be, they kept their word, even to humans.
She took down her hand again and smiled maternal. "Don't rush it, girl. Take the time you need to decide. How does that sound?"

(9)