"You're tossing out blame, drunk on this pain, crossing out the good years"
Nikolai Lantsov x fem!OC
[Storm and Siege- ]
Storm and Siege (Complete)
Ruin and Rising (Ongoing)
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The services were quite a spectacle but Olysia couldn't remember a single thing that happened.
Everyone traded their keftas for ordinary traveling clothes and met at the Chetya's Well, a natural fountain at the crossroads of four of the major tunnels considering it would be harder to track but there were so many pilgrims crowded the small space was making it difficult to leave.
They were reaching out to touch Alina's sleeve or hand. Some pressed little gifts, the only offerings they had: hoarded bread rolls gone tooth-breakingly hard, polished stones, bits of lace, a clutch of salt lilies. They murmured prayers for our health with tears in their eyes.
Olysia found a dark corner as far away from them as she could get without being away from the group. Genya seemed to feel the same way and they stood together.
"This is ridiculous." Olysia muttered.
"Let people have their faith." Genya chastised her.
"They're making this process longer than it needs to be." Olysia rolled her eyes.
"They're praying for our safe travels."
"Not ours." Olysia corrected.
"Safe travels by association." Genya waved a hand. "They fear what they do not understand but in time they will. They are survivors just like we are."
Olysia grumbled in disagreement.
They were both surprised when an old woman actually approached them.
"Not black," A woman placed a dark green prayer shawl around Genya's shoulders. "For you, not black."
"Scars are only stories." The old woman turned to Olysia and placed her weathered hand on her arm. "I will pray for you."
The woman did not wait for a response and left just as quickly as she came.
Olysia didn't know how to react, normally she would have said something about the useless nature praying did but this was the first time anyone hadn't cowered in fear at the sight of her.
She didn't have time to dwell on it and because their little group of misfits were on their way.
Mal took the lead. Tolya and Tamar brought up the rear, scouting behind us to make sure that no one followed. Olysia ended up closer to the rear with Bastian.
Through David's access to the archives and Mal's innate sense of direction, they'd managed to construct a rough map of the tunnel network. They had started plotting a course to Ryevost, but there were gaps in their information. No matter how accurate they'd been, there was no way to know what they might walk into.
