Plot work: Neaves Finally reaches the Goblin Village

"Damnit, I know it's close to here. Just. Can't read these damned signs. I wish Mother Afjie would have taught us common when we were growing up." The light coming off of her wings gave her away far more than the amount of noise she was making while crashing through the brush, instead of taking the path. Neaves thought it would have been better to show up on foot, but she was also paranoid about being spotted by to many humans.   Still, she tried to dampen the light, but she couldn't. Far too excited to finally be this close to the goblin homeland, so close to to the woman she had been dreaming of through Azu's visions. Though, her wings refused to cooperate, she managed to not burn the forest around her as the suppressed fire in her wings burned ever on. Her focus split, not watching to well to the world around her, she never even noticed the two following her.   Bungling her way through another thicket, trying to to tear her wings on the branches. Something flashed, the glint of purple eyes, the heavy sound of armor. One moment she was struggling through a bush, the next she was face to face with a Goblin woman holding a pistol to her forehead. A few things drifted through Neaves mind as she heard a deep gravely voice speak in the foreign speech.   The Goblin woman cocked her head as she listened to the voice, the heavy iron ring through her ear didn't seem to bother her as her wide ears lifted to hear everything around her. "She's really damn cute." Neaves thought as her eyes drifted up and down the gun wielding woman. Thinking better of retaliating, she suppressed the flames in her hands.   "..." The Goblin woman spoke in that strange language as the deeper voice, waiting for an answer.   "Y'vtril, N'sobel amarth." Neaves spoke, hearing her own words in juxtaposition to the situation. Her mind translating as she used a much older, more formal variant of her own language. "I'm sorry, I don't understand." Those bright purple eyes opened in surprise.   "I wasn't expecting to hear my own tongue from the mouth of a stranger. My name is Cori of the Skullbrood Clan. Who are you, and why are you here? What are you?" Cori spoke without removing her weapon.   "Well, if it's any consolation, I wasn't expecting that you would speak my language. My name is Neaves Emberwing, member of The Shrine Guard in service to Mother Afjie. Formerly. I should add." She responded, not moving.   That deep gravely voice spoke again, thought, Neaves didn't look at who is was. She was focused on Cori and the barrel still glued to her head. "A Mistwalker... Alright. You didn't answer one of my questions. Why are you here?" Her eyes drilled through Neaves, she had to suppress a shudder. She really shouldn't be enjoying this, but it really had been a very long time since she had spoken to anyone.   "Can you take that thing away from my face? I don't know her name, but I'm looking for a woman. I have a drawing of her in my bag." Neaves replied, looking down at the bag the fell to the ground. Cori took the gun away, but kept her hand on it anyway. Looking around she finally saw who else had been talking. A short brick of a man, a Dwarf is she remembered right.   She bowed deeply to him using the same gesture she had seen them use with each other. She missed the raised eyebrows as she dug through her bag. Quickly finding her notebook, flipping through until she came to the portrait of the woman she had made. Handing it to Cori, she added, "Do you know her? She's a goblin like yourself."   Cori slid the pistol back into the holster on her hip, popping it out as she set her hand there. Handing the notebook back to Neaves, she had a suspicious look on her face, not quite happy, though not surprised either. "Why do you want to see Illy? The village in lockdown until the situation with the city to the north of here dies down. The Dwarves are helping us patrol the area while a treaty between our peoples is being drawn up. We are not allowing 'guests' without very good reason."   "Illy. What a pretty name! My goddess has sent me visions of her! I was hoping she would be able to bring peace to my people as well! We are in danger in this coming war, and I first received my visions of her by the Ascendant Butterfly that she would lead..." She began excitedly talking quickly but was cut off by Cori raising her hand to silence her. But, when Neaves kept on talking, she snapped her fingers silencing her voice.   The fire in Neaves hands ignited instantly, reaction. She wasn't used to this, wasn't even aware there was magic that could do that. With another snap of her fingers the air around her hands froze, extinguishing her fire. "Calm down, Miss Neaves. I'll bring you to the Village, but that little out burst just got you in some deep shit with me." Cori growled, snapping Neaves attention to her fully.   "Let me correct myself. I am Cori of the Skullbrood Clan, Champion of the Village, Personal Protector of the High Priestess Chief Ilgor. You lay a single finger on her without my permission, and you'll be dead before you hit the ground. Am I understood?" The air around Neaves hands grew in intensity igniting anyway despite the silencing spell.   "Neaves, my name is Gjorn Fourth king of Dwarves." The gravel voiced man spoke in her language now too, distracting her enough that her fire went out. "For the time being, until a few things are settled and you have calmed enough to regain your composure, I am taking your fire."   "WHAT!" Neaves bleated as the heat was siphoned away from her wings in a visible flow of energy that crackled with lightning and flames until it condensed into a single bright point in the palm of his hand. She had only now just noticed he was humming.   "You must understand, Mistwalkers are not a people much spoken of. We do not know you, we do not know your full intentions with Ilgor. Nor do you seem to be as in control of this power as I would have liked to see. I have seen... a people much like you. I daresay the same people by a different name, they do this to those who need more training. After we have spoken with our dear Priestess, I'll give you your fire back. I would like to train you the same way I trained Ilgor." Gjorn spoke sweetly, his voice calming in the same way she remembered the Hierophant being. She had to admit to herself, it worked very well.   "Thanks for undermining my authority, Your Grace." Cori hissed.   "You lack grace, you lack patience, you are a Raider first, and an apprentice diplomat. The gun was unnecessary, as too was the threat." Gjorn retorted.   ***   The sight of a flame winged Mistwalker flanked by the Head of the Guard and a Dwarven king certainly turned heads as they walked through the village. The walled now looking far more proper than the wooden spiked deterrents that existed there before. Proper roads being built quickly as the Dwarves taught the Family everything they knew. Neaves wasn't expecting the amount of attention she was getting as she listened to the two flanking her argue.   "First the Necromancer, then the Heroine of the DAMNED WAR, now this! How may surprises are we expected to deal with in such short notice!" Cori palmed her face as she whined.   "Welcome to the world of politics and suddenly being on the world stage. Surprises never stop." He sagely responded, greeting another of his brethren.   "Well we can thank you for that, ever since you showed up with an actual army, the nonsense just hasn't stopped. We need time to grieve, not deal with constant bullshit." She replied in a way that made it plain that she blamed a lot of things but not him specifically.   "Need I remind you, that it was Yorm who brought this all down on you all?" Gjorn said softly.   Cori snapped her mouth shut without saying anything else. The small group finally entered an opening in the quickly developing town. Though, everything faded into the background as Neaves spotted her. Her heart fluttering in a strange way, like nothing else mattered. Ilgor turned to her the group, a strange look on her face as she noticed all of them at once.   Though, that smile. That damned smile she gave her as she greeted both Cori and Gjorn first with a wave to come over to the table filled with papers...