join the cause.

[Athul Rorondum]

"You'll be wanting to speak with mistress Dusk. She's probably in the headquarters."

The guard pointed at a shabby looking pavilion near the center of the camp. It wasn't a particularly impressive structure; It wasn't even the biggest in the camp. Marcus thanked the guard and started into the camp. He heard the elf speak again behind him:

"There's a plague in the camp, by the way. You enter at your own risk."

Marcus crossed the camp quickly. The place was desolate and empty; not a sign of life anywhere, besides the occasional sentry. This was somewhat depressing. Even Recklesz the parrot was quiet, sitting on his shoulder. Perhaps joining the Rebellion wasn't such a brilliant plan. But then, these were his own kind. They probably needed all the help they can get. Marcus had always shown a good perception for strategy and planning. Perhaps they would put that to use.

Marcus was so wrapped in his thoughts he hardly noticed that he had been standing in front of the headquarters for several minutes. He looked around to see a soldier standing in front of the opening staring at him oddly.

'You have business...?"

Marcus cleared his throat.
"Ah... Yes. I want to speak to Dusk."

The guard stepped into the tent, presumably to get his commander.

Security sure was lax, though Marcus. The guard hadn't even questioned him to see if he was a spy.

Marcus waited for the guard to return.

[Dusk Nightshade]

• Complex strategical problems were not the very best of things to do in the morning, Dusk had already figured out. Ways to get into Roheir's establishment were easy, but ways to get out? The large diversions were well enough with Rosewing at her disposal, but ones that were done in the shady parts were quite a bit harder. The elf shook her head ruefully as a rather silly idea popped into her mind unannounced. Folly.
  
• "Dusk? There's a man outside who's wantin' to see you."
  
• "Who is he?"
  
• "I-I didn't really ask."
  
• "Thanks, you've been a great help," she replied sarcastically, mentally reminding herself to beef up security. "Send him in."

[Athul Rorondum]

The guard returned, looking slightly chagrined.
"She'll see you now... Um... What was your name again?"

Marcus looked back, already starting into the tent.
"Marcus. Marcus dar'Cairnshadow." He stepped into the tent and looked around. What first caught his eye was the beautiful elf maiden standing in the middle of the tent, staring at him with a stony expression. Marcus tried not to stare too hard.
The rest of the tent consisted of a few large tables and a rug, with a flap leading into a second room, probably the leaders personal quarters. Marcus tried not to stare at that too hard at that, either.

At last, his survey done, he turned again to the elf, working up the courage to speak. Recklesz the parrot did not help, fluffing up his crest and preening himself unselfconciously.
"Marcus dar'Cairnshadow," He repeated.
"I'd like to help you. The Rebellion," He added hastily, turning a faint shade of red.

[dar'Inder]

Narym walked towards Dusk's makeshift headquarters. She had been able to enter the camp without being challenged and there were few guards in sight. This was dreadful. A group of children could come into the camp now and take it over. She shook her head in frustration. Enough time had gone by to weed out the sick and dying and to mourn the dead. Time now to get themselves back into the semblance of a fighting rebellion again.
She walked up to the guard outside Dusk's tent.
"Hello dar'Inder," he greeted her cheerfully.
dar'Inder shook her head.
"What?" he asked.
" Nothing," she sighed and went inside.

[Dusk Nightshade]

• Dusk tried not to smile at the man standing before her, as dar'Inder walked into the tent. She nodded her head to the other elf, and gazed at the parrot with obvious interest.
• "Greetings, Marcus, dar'Inder. Well, you want to help. How do I know you're not a spy?" She didn't quite think that this Marcus fellow, was, in terms, a spy, but one could never be certain. "Do you have anyone who could vouch for you, that you are trusty, reliable?"
• "Dar'Inder, you want something?"

[dar'Inder]

" Greetings Dusk," dar'Inder replied. " I'm sorry, I did not realize that you were with someone. I can come back later if you wish."
She eyed the man standing before the rebellion leader with a colourful parrot on his shoulder. She quirked an eyebrow at Dusk and grinned.

[Dusk Nightshade]

• Dusk smiled at dar'Inder, secretly wondering what her friend meant by the eyebrow twitch. I mean, he looks nice enough. she thought, of course, the parrot might be a diversion...
• "It's all right, dar'Inder. You may stay if you wish." And possibly help me interrogate him? she sent in the elfin mind=speech, wondering if she would receive the message. She had gotten rusty in that area lately.

[Athul Rorondum]

Marcus swallowed quickly and started chattering rapidly.
"Rahzoor the dragon could vouch for me, because I was in his employ for three years. Actually, I came to Significance with the rest of the elves, I just got sidetracked by a dragon. I wouldn't-

"Spy! Spy! *Expletive*!" The parrot suddenly shrieked, and flew up to the ceiling of the tent and hung upside down, flapping his wings to keep his balance.

Marcus turned another shade of red.
"Don't mind him. He just... does these things," He explained to the two elves. Why couldn't they stop looking at him? It just made him embarrassed, like he had done something wrong. And why couldn't he stop looking at Dusk?

[Dusk Nightshade]

• Dusk looked Marcus over with scrutinizing eyes. He looked all right, she supposed. She sort of liked the parrot too. It added.. something. She couldn't tell quite what. There was something attracting about this dar'Cairnshadow, she just couldn't put her finger on it.
• "All right, since Razhoor knows you, I will check with him later on this, you can stay until we sort everything out. As you can see, we aren't in the best of shape. Would you like a tour?"

[Athul Rorondum]

For some reason, this sounded like an excellent idea.
"Yes! I mean, that would be appreciated." Marcus cringed at his odd enthusiasm. What was wrong with him? He turned to the parrot, which had settled down a bit, though hadn't come down yet.
"Get your stupid feathery tail down here!" It was the only command Req would respond to, as he had spent most of his early life as a dwarf's pet, which also accounted for his disappointing vocabulary.

"Shall we go?" Marcus lifted the tent flap.
"After you, my lady."

Req cocked his head.
"Spies, my lady! Spies!" He shifted position on Marcus' shoulder and pecked him on the head.

[Dusk Nightshade]

• Dusk stood and stifled a giggle as the bird pecked its owner. For some reason, she wanted to smile.. She shook off the feeling and walked out the flap, murmering thanks.
• "Which would you like to see first? There's the kitchen, the barracks..."

[dar'Inder]

dar'Inder stood in the middle of the tent, realizing that she had been forgotten. She had caught Dusk's mindspeech request to help interrogate the newcomer and then Dusk had gotten in a flap over him and left to show him around!
Hmm, interesting, she thought with a smile. She went to the flap and looked out, watching them walking around, the parrot still squawking. " I'll just wait here then, shall I?" she murmured.

[Athul Rorondum]

"Barracks," Marcus replied to Dusk.
"Kitchen!" Req shrieked at the same time.

Marcus poked the parrot in the beak, resulting in a bite on the finger.
"Barracks," The elf confirmed, sucking on his now bleeding finger. He wanted to see the state of the Rebel army, though he didn't have high hopes. Dusk struck him as a peacetime leader, rather than a wartime leader. The state of security was the first sign.

Marcus also could not help looking at the desolation of the camp. It was horrible; plague bloated corpses lay in large piles waiting to be dumped into mass graves, or to be burned. The camp was coated in a thick smog of ash and smoke, and the air hung with the ever-present stench of death.
The elf carefully stepped out of the path of an emaciated dog, whos ribs showed all to clearly, as he and Dusk walked across the camp.

This disaster needed to be turned, and quickly, if the Rebellion were to survive.

[dar'Inder]

(( Are we not in a makeshift camp now, away from the plague and the sick people? I seem to remember the old camp being quarantined. It wouldn't make sense really for the rebellion to be near the sickness.))

[Athul Rorondum]

OOC: Oops. I guess I missed something when I was reading through the old threads. I crossed all the useless space-filler out. Ignore it.