She hummed along with @Raid's every response to her comments, surprised as she found comfort in the way he hadn't deemed her efforts in changing the subject to a lighter topic entirely futile. To delve much more than necessary into a battle they'd barely won would not serve her current purpose, which was to get her injuries mended as soon as it was possible, and it might also earn her the scorn of fellow adventurers. That was to say if only half the people who escaped the ordeal hadn't wasted their energies and anger first on the remaining objective that came to everyone's mind: the Brotherhood. If there was something Portia could say about this faction, is that she knew nothing else the rest who weren't a part of it didn't, but what little she had seen of their so-called ''accomplishments'', she liked none of it. Players and NPCs alike, all of those who had entrusted their safety to the mages had received what they asked for: utter disappointment. And it was time for everyone to head home with the vivid images they witnessed flashing brightly before their eyes. In that regard, she was no different. ''I will need some time to put some order back into my head and heal these wounds, but it shouldn't take more than a few days,'' she commented as she threw a glance to her battered armor and the many injuries she had sustained, her mind instantly taking her to her first Aristocracy mission, where she had willingly allowed a group of bandits to beat her up for the sake of realism on their facade. Her body had been covered in filth and bruised for a few days after, her recovery aided by her faction's healers. But even those wounds could not be compared to the ones she now had. Terrasphere had quite the giant community as far as she already knew, and to find someone amongst a sea of unfamiliar faces, different cities and landscapes to search on, the task would undoubtedly be the biggest waste of time in all history, and Portia was uninterested in having her name jotted down in a book for such a stupid accomplishment. Clenching her hand and quickly letting go of it allowed the menu to appear on sight, offering the woman a few choices which she already knew and understood. A series of light taps on the screen allowed her armor to disappear, a lower tier version of the items she wore brought to replace the missing pieces. For the gauntlets it was the same, letting her sport the same bandages she wore around her knuckles during her early days. At last, she came across the little friendship list she kept, typing in the name of her new acquaintance and sending the invitation right away. It didn't matter much, but it would surely help whenever they had to message each other in-game and couldn't meet face-to-face due to some adventure or anything like that. ''There wasn't much for you to do other than barge in the fight and give it your all to these new experiences. Should you want anyone to teach you the basics and explore with for a while... I'll be happier to oblige, I always train in the forest nearby the Beginner's Cave.'' Maybe ''train'' was an exaggerated term for what could be better described as ensuring people didn't end caught up in the unpredictable weaving on her magic, which she still had to work on. Without much to add to their conversation, she made an effort to stand back up and seek one of the healers in charge in the immediate vicinities of the little group that had chosen to escape Titanius' grasp. She turned on her heels and looked at the man she left behind, raising her hand mid-air to offer him a little wave of it and a playful wink. With a promise to take him on a little exploring trip with lots of hunting and, maybe, camping involved, she left.
[After the events of Harshness of Reality] Madison emerged from Lucia's portal, and the somberness of reality immediately killed her buzz. It was a scene of quiet desolation. She expected a celebration, and walked in on a funeral. All around her were the wounded and dying, their discordant wails scraping at the inside of her noggin as she made her way through the camp. Mages from the Ynglar Brotherhood and anyone else with a working mind and body moved from tent to tent, dragging away the dead and tending to the injuries of those who barely survived the battle against Titanius. No hero's welcome for the support squad, Madison sourly noted. Blood, acid, and Titanius guts--the evidence of her participation was still caked into her hair and staining her cloth armor. Most of her cuts and bruises--not to mention the extensive damage caused by the dissonant tentacles that burst from her skin late in the battle--were patched up quite nicely while she was with Lucia in Synra's domain. She could've joined the relief effort. The briar witch had long since regained her strength. Titanius's corruption had seeped into her deck of cards during the battle. She could feel its power coursing through each member of the court, and was itching to try and tap into this well of energy. Instead, she could feel her extreme dislike for the way the evacuation was handled bubbling back up in her gut. Maddy was never good at giving up grudges. The woman approached the nearest official-looking person and asked, "Can you tell me where I can find Juliette?" The Brotherhood member jabbed a thumb to his right, and resumed his frantic duties. Madison thanked him and immediately made a bee-line towards a tent that looked just a bit bigger and better than the others in the makeshift camp. Along the way, a familiar figured limped into view. Madison stopped in her tracks. "Portia?" The silver-haired brawler looked up. Her ear was missing, half her face was covered with dried blood, untold numbers of injuries written in cuts and bruises underneath her armor. Madison's gazed flickered back towards the tent where Juliette certainly lurked, and then back at her friend. Setting aside her simmering anger for the time being, the witch decided to do the right thing for once in her life. Sliding up next to @Portia Ahrens, Maddy gingerly draped the injured woman's arm over her shoulder and supported her with an arm around her waist. "Come on, friendo," she said softly. "Let's find you a seat so we can get you patched up, yeah?" Maddy led the brawler to a couple of upturned crates nearby, slowly and cautiously helping her sit down and get comfortable. The witch produced a playing card from her sleeve, which began pulsating with bright green energy the moment it hit the open air. Thick leafy weeds began growing from the trampled earth at their feet. Madison snatched a length of it, the waxy surface of the leaves sticking to her hands, making her fingers tingle. She offered them to Portia. "Here. Slap these on the cuts on your head, they'll glue you back together in no time."
One thing of importance to note about the differences between the Bandit King mission and this particular one was the state her body found itself in after everything had been said and done. At least she had managed to take few steps on her own during their little trip back to the fortress now belonging to the Lions, but here, as she looked to and fro for a healer that wasn't tending to the many fighters wounded, it was impossible for anyone not to notice the way she hobbled around the camp. And such was the situation in which she found a familiar face amongst the crowd. The soft sound of a voice she could recognized anywhere in the realm scrapped past her ears, causing her steps to halt and look around for its owner. ''Madison, holy... You're alive!'' Her brows furrowed and she felt her cheeks flush with what little embarrassment she could muster at the time, not sure whether those words were the appropriate ones to tell a friend who had survived the very same ordeal as she. As her friend recognized her situation, her arm was slung over the slim shoulders of @Madison Freebird, allowing to rest some of her weight against hers. And for the first time, she felt somewhat grateful for her character's stature, which put her at a similar height to the witch. If it hadn't, Portia was certain the walk to the crates would've been quite awkward for the two of them. ''It wasn't easy for you either, no?'' She asked, then pointed to the side, wordlessly instructing her friend to take whatever seat she could find and rest for a while. No sooner had she finished motioning to the raven-haired witch, her attention was pulled by the magical items offered. As if she awaited permission, she looked up first with quite the apologetic look in her eyes before taking each of the leaves in turn, sticking them to each of the scratches at each side of her head. The woman felt herself relax back in her seat, expression returning to a steady smile at her friend's words, at the woman who was currently taking her well-being as enough cause for concern, at the magic that vibrated with distinctive energy as it soothed the scratches and stopped the bleeding. However, and to the people who saw it from the outside, the brawler was probably looking like one of those soldiers trying to blend in the background, all dirty and with plantlife strapped to their bodies. ''That already feels much better... Thank you,'' she said with a brief smile being flashed towards the person who worked her healing on the beaten adventurer. By the time the words had left her mouth, she wasn't sure how many times she had pronounced to different kinds of people, just as she wasn't sure when had she lost count. Perhaps those were the effects of the battle's aftermath: expressing gratitude for every kind gesture offered, little as it might be, because there were others who could've been on that same situation had they not perished during the fight.
"Easy?" Madison laughed so hard she snorted. "No, oh god no. Not at all. I spent the better part of several hours being reminded how much of an asshole I am." Despite the memories still fresh in her mind, the witch's face twisted into a smirk. "That Dissonance... Hell of a drug, innit?" For reasons covered elsewhere, what the eldritch horror put her through had long since been cast aside. Instead, Madison focused every fiber of her being on making sure her punchbuddy was going to be alright. The last thing she wanted was to see her succumb to her multitude of injuries and be given another reason to plant a boot between Juliette's legs. "I'm just glad it's all over," she continued, a bit of the mirth in her voice burning away in the brisk evening air. Madison sat in silence, her eyes drifting towards the ground while @Portia Ahrens continued to dress her wounds. She absentmindedly cut her deck of cards over and over, trying to think of something else to say. It had been... gods, how long now since they both spawned in Terrasphere? They appeared around the same time, their paths crossing on multiple occasions as they grew from newbies to experienced adventurers. The witch was all too happy to catch up with her old friend, but... after the half day of hell they went through, what was there really to talk about? "Man, those cultists went down like a bunch of nerds, yeah?" "I swear, I never want to see another tentacle as long as I'm logged into the Internet ever again." "...so I think we've figured out what kind of tumblr accounts the developers follow..." Instead, the woman decided to sit in silence. This wasn't the time, nor the place for casual talking. Not while those who weren't lucky enough to have a support at their back suffered from their wounds. Not while adventurers both of the PC and NPC variety mourned the loss of friends and lovers. Not while there was still work to be done. Portia thanked the witch, snapping her out of her sudden funk. Madison cleared the fog from her mind and flashed the brawler a quick smile. "Hey, yeah, no problem, anytime," she said, fumbling over her words. "Not sure what else of yours might need healing, but if you need any more of the plants, just let me know, okay?"
