Blackwater Islands Ten more before I get on that plane

let me know if any assumptions aren't okay, as always!

open to any/all <3 (including those tagged if you want to catch her right off)

Bridget knew it wouldn't be long before @Morgana caught wise to the fact that she'd slipped out, but the woman's constant watch over her had been a challenge she couldn't take sitting down. She had no reason to want to sneak away outside of a (self-admittedly) childish need to buck expectations, but she smiled as she stepped along at the edge of the trees. This rocky terrain was rough but she was able to somewhat manage it now.

Despite her momentary fun, she was conflicted. Since being on this island, she'd felt more useful and fulfilled as a medic than she had in years. She didn't trust them, and she wanted to return to Brecheliant someday, if only to see them again. She had a while yet to know what would come after that.

morgana had become lax.

but the listener understood. she sensed a change in her speaker, a shifting as the unnamed god's purpose took hold of her very bones.

she pondered this as she shadowed bridget's steps, silent among the shadows until the woman seemed to relax her pace. the prophet revealed herself then, watching the golden wolf's face carefully.

you dislike the speaker's presence, an assumption, not a question. it is not meant to restrict your freedom. but i see you have no need of a guardian. the madness has not returned to you. i will give morgana a new task.

using this thread to lead into morgana's rank change, so that's why she's still referred to as a speaker here <3

Bridget swung around when she heard footsteps, expecting Morgana. Instead she found The Listener. She shrugged, relaxing slightly when she knew she wasn't about to get chewed out for leaving.

She seemed keen on not letting me leave her sight. So naturally, I had to try and do it. She responded simply. It wasn't really even that she'd disliked her company (though it did get old after a while, not having time to herself.)

At the mention of the madness, Bridget's lip curled slightly. Don't worry. I haven't eaten any of your berries. The implication that she might turn on someone any second could have been funny if it wasn't such an insult.

the listener nodded, accepting her words in silence. somehow, the ritual had failed. she could only think that perhaps the stormborn had not passed faith to the woman, but doubt. perhaps she had not been strong enough. but bridget, though she did not yet know it, had been made an acolyte in the prophet's eyes.

the druids would never give up on one of their own so easily.

what do you believe happened that night? she chose to ask next, seeking to understand the source of bridget's strange reactions. she held disdain, that much was clear, and perhaps distrust for the druids following that fateful night. the listener suspected that if she had any inkling of the truth, she might have drowned herself in attempting to escape rather than stay among those who had healed her and kept her for so long. in her days here, she had made it clear that she did not simply accept fate. so what did she believe?

Bridget was a lot of things but she was no liar. She was too simple and straightforward a creature to put any stock in games, not even her own. So when she looked at The Listener, her gaze was direct, despite the other woman's rank and demeanor.

I don't know. Your story makes sense, but that doesn't change the fact that it doesn't line up with hers. Bridget indicated back towards where Morgana resided. But I can't think of any reason why you'd do what I suspected. Truth is, I don't know what to think. And it doesn't really matter now. Not really. It would only matter if it continued, if some pattern made itself clear to her and solidified a direction. Until then she had to let it go on the basis that she couldn't tell what was truth and what wasn't.

I'm a medic. I know what that shit does to a wolf, how it twists both their bodies and their minds. I don't give it unless it's necessary and I don't take it unless I don't have a choice. She didn't even like that Harka had been given it, not until she'd seen him go after his mate. After that she'd understood a little more.

She wondered what The Listener would make of that. The Faeries had required drugs for their rituals, and while she'd learned to prepare safe amounts for those purposes, she wasn't upset to be rid of that role. Was it similar here? She wouldn't have participated by choice, she was sure of it, but if she hadn't recognized it... perhaps it all was a misunderstanding. At least now things would be clear.

so it was morgana's lie which had planted the seed of doubt in her mind. no matter. the listener would see it made right, and a different angle would be pursued. bridget might not participate in their rituals or swear fealty to the unnamed god, but she was a woman of skill and few questions. there was a place among the druids for one such as her. only one.

you recovered well after we took your leg, in mind and body. the speaker and i were afraid a second tragedy would prove too much. i believe she felt her lies would soothe you until she had assessed your state of mind, a polished explanation, though the listener could not truly know morgana's mind. they had spoken less, of late. the speaker was changing. but it is clear you did not need it. you will not be lied to again.

the druids value choice. we will not ask you to take part in our rituals. but there is something i would ask of you, if you will give it. the decision is yours; the druids do not consider you indebted for your time here, debts were only owed when the unnamed god willed it; charity was one of the callings of the druids. you have knowledge of medicine. and skill. i have need of a mentor for one of the druids. if you accept, i will send my chosen to you for approval. when my scout returns from the search for brecheliant, your student will escort you there at your leisure. if you do not accept, the scout will be your escort.

Okay. Had she remembered anything, or caught any further signs, perhaps she would have driven more for answers. But Bridget wasn't the type to look for problems where there were seemingly none. She continued to take her time here at face value.

I appreciate it. They'd saved her life, whether that chose to call it a debt or not. The knowledge that she was free to go, however, made her trust in them grow again. Bridget wasn't the type to collect much for her skills either, not unless she was signing on to join a pack. She thought it was a little cheap to bargain with a wolf's life or well-being.

With an escort, it was possible she could make the trip to Brecheliant now. She'd been gone so long... was Teya even still there? And fuck, what would she even do when she got there? Sit around practicing, waiting until she was sound enough to do things that would actually be useful? They had Eljay for medicine, the girl from the Caldera too. They didn't need her there but they did apparently need her here.

I'll help to teach her and then take an escort. It might be good to have a little more time before anyway. When she looked at the other wolf again, her expression was warmer, friendly and appreciative. Thanks.