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A Rock and a Soft Place

The beautiful city of Valor, just as lively in the Ambassadors' absence as it was on their return. They reunited with the trader's hub after another day's worth of travel, and another boat ride that left Rosellia and Andrés both feeling ill.

The group knew that they hadn't too much time to waste before they would be needed in Servus. But as Alikath explained, acts of charity and service to the people of the Land District were as important to their jobs as the negotiations were. So they would be remiss to hurry too much, and pass up someone in need. And as it happened, they found just that someone while meandering downtown

Dez was the first to hear her, a teenager calling out for help in the middle of the street. Her legs and hands were scraped, but she didn't look to be in danger.

"Hi there!" Dez waved when they reached the girl. "I heard you yelling, are you okay?"

"I'm okay. It's my Dorodor! Something scared him, and now he's blocking the street, I can't get to him!"

"Dorodor?" Fletch scratched his head. "Oh! It's putting up a force field, then? What scared it?"

"A crack in the floor caught it off guard- it's better if I show you. Can you help me?"

"Absolutely," said Alikath. "We'd be happy to see about your pet. Lead the way."

The girl nodded, and started walking uptown.

"I think what happened is that it saw a crack in the cobblestone that looked like a snake," she explained as she walked. "His vision isn't the best, and you know- animals. It put up its field out of nowhere and sent me flying, which is why I look like this. But since there's no actual snake, it's stuck holding up its field."

Fletch shook his head. "Dorodor are stupid, but so annoying to hunt. We used to take advantage of them by hitting them with scented pellets. They'll put a field up and sit there until the scent is gone, so you can use them to block off exits for other animals."

The girl held one arm and frowned. "Turk's really jittery, but he's got a lot of stamina. If he thinks he's in danger, he might block the road for an hour, or more. If there's something you can-"

She was cut off by the obnoxious screaming of a newsteller, wildly ringing a bell and prancing through the street.

"THE DEBATE IS STARTING!" He shouted. "TWENTY MINUTES! IN TWENTY MINUTES, GOLDHEART TAKES ON GOODMAN! IT'S HAPPENING IN TOWN SQUARE- FOLKS, DON'T MISS YOUR CHANCE TO SEE VALOR'S FUTURE CHANGE FOREVER!"

Alikath groaned. "Ugh, that's right. It's election season, isn't it? Keep your heads down, let's keep moving."

Despite his best efforts, the newsteller caught sight of Alikath, and recognized him immediately.

"You there!" He cried. "You're with the Ambassadors!"

Alikath kept walking. "Yes, but we're a little busy at the moment."

"Nonsense! You, follow me! Someone like you can't miss this, it's the debate of a lifetime!"

"Not the first 'debate of a lifetime' this month, I'm sure," Artemis snickered.

"This would be the third," The newsteller nodded. "Now come, please, the people need to know the Ambassadors will be there!"

Alikath sighed, and shoved his hands in his pockets. "I guess we should see this. Whoever wins, the Mayor's gonna be an important asset to us."

"But we still need to help with the Dorodor," said Dez.

"Why don't we split up?" asked Rosellia. "Surely we aren't all needed for both tasks."

"Works for me," Alikath pointed to half of the Ambassadors. "Dez, Roland, Amira, you're with me. The rest of you can figure out the Dorodor problem."

Fletch saluted Alikath, and the group went their separate ways.

"So what's your name, love?" Rosellia asked the girl.

She stiffened up, forgetting that she hadn't introduced herself yet. "-Ah! Sakura Kondo, I'm sorry. Are you really the Ambassadors? I haven't seen any of you before."

"We're new," Fletch shrugged.

"And this one isn't one of us. Just here." Artemis pointed at Andrés, who nodded reluctantly.

"We're almost there," Sakura guided. "He should be just around this corner."

And sure enough, a moment later, the group came up to a small crowd of agitated people, blocked vehicles, and debris. In the center of it, with nothing but empty space in a 10 foot radius, was a frightened Dorodor, standing straight and staring at a large crack in the road.

"That's Turk!" Sakura exclaimed. "He's taking up the whole road, we need to calm him down!"

The four adventurers studied this strange creature from a safe distance. The Dorodor looked something between a Tortoise and a Sheep, at a size akin to a Buffalo. Its skin was dry and smooth, but very little of it was visible under its heavy wool, which covered its entire back and up to its forehead. Even the poor thing's eyes were obscured by a sort of afro atop its head. Its legs and its tail, however, were bare.

The wool on its back was shaped in a very unusual way: instead of puffing out, it was flat, and segmented into plates, also akin to the shell of a tortoise.

Andrés walked up to the wide curve of collecting dust that had piled up on the ground, and scratched his chin. He poked the air in front of him, and sure enough, his finger stopped as soon as he shadowed that curve.

"A force field, huh?" Andrés huffed. He reeled his arm back, and punched the field, bouncing his arm back just as fast as he swung.

"Nothing's getting through that field." Fletch shook his head. "You can't even teleport inside of it. But we could take Turk outside, if we had the right spell."

"I'm afraid my abilities in teleportation are lacking." Rosellia shook her head.

"Same here," said Andrés.

"Don't really do magic," Artemis shrugged. "It gonna keep the field up until it passes out?"

"Not exactly," Fletch drew his finger through the dust accumulated at the edge of the field. "Wall of Force only lasts up to ten minutes, then you have to cast it again. Even if Turk casts it right away, that gives us a few seconds where the field is down."

"How do we know when that happens?" Andrés asked.

"Its wool will puff out." Fletch pointed at the Dorodor's back. "When it's calm, it looks more like a sheep. The hard-shell texture is a sign that it's holding its field."

"Someone shoot that damned bull already!" A halfling shouted from the crowd. "I can't get in my house!"

"No one's shooting this poor thing!" Rosellia waved down the crowd. "Okay, here's the plan. Andrés, I need you to wear down the force field. Get the Dorodor to recast it as soon as possible."

"As you wish," Andrés bowed.

"Huh?" Fletch cocked his head.

"Artemis," Rosellia continued, "can you climb to the top of the field?"

"Gonna be hard, if it's a perfect sphere. But if someone lifts me up, sure."

Rosellia nodded. "Fletch and I will do that. Once you're on top, wait for the grace period between spells, and wrangle the Dorodor- keep him from casting again for as long as you can. When you do that, I'll run in, and fix the crack in the floor."

"You can do that?" asked Andrés.

"It's a simple mending spell. It won't repave the street, but I can handle a small crack."

"Uh, Rosellia-"

"Oh, right! Fletch." Rosellia clapped her hands together. "When the crack is fixed, we'll still need to soothe the creature. You're the animal expert, so you should help Artemis calm it down so they can get off. In the meantime, let's clear out some of this debris. Alright, everyone ready? Let's go."

"But-"

Before Fletch could finish his thought, he and Rosellia were already hoisting Artemis up by the ankles. After a little slip, Artemis carefully crawled their way up the sphere, and sprawled themself out above the Dorodor.

Not a moment later, Andrés was swinging his fists and feet into the force field with reckless abandon. He braced his arm and tackled it, eating enough pushback to send him on his ass.

"Whoa-! This thing is bouncy!" Andrés laughed. "Think I'm gettin' it, though."

"You can wear down a force field? Huh." Fletch pondered, admittedly knowing little about the subject.

Andrés stood up and continued wailing on the empty space, clenching his jaw to hide that this was really hurting him quite a bit. He wound back his right foot and gave a fierce roundhouse kick straight into the force field.

The pushback sent him spinning, and sprained his ankle in the recoil, collapsing on the cobblestone with a yelp.

"Ah! Shit, my- gods! Ow!"

"Please don't hurt yourself, Andrés," Rosellia teased. "We're only wearing the poor thing down, not hunting it."

"Oh, was self-mutilation not the goal? And here I thought you wanted my help." Andrés laid on his side and smiled.

Within the invisible sphere, the Dorodor's breathing picked up, and its wool shook. Fletch saw the signs, and panicked.

"It's happening! Artemis, get down!"

"That's the idea!" Artemis shouted from above.

The Dorodor's wool shivered more and more, then it stopped and froze. With a light poof, the shell disappeared, and the animal's back fluffed out like it had been released from a net.

The field vanished instantly, and Artemis was free falling. Even though they expected this, they were still caught off guard, and flailed on their way down to land on the beast's back. They frantically wrapped their arms around the creature's neck, and their legs around its back, managing to keep from slipping off.

"-Oof! Gotcha!"

"Yes! Good job, Artemis! Keep him there!" Rosellia cheered, running in after them.

Fletch tried to grab Rosellia's dress to stop her, but missed.

"No no no no no- stop! Wrong!" Fletch shouted, letting Rosellia run off without him.

Artemis got a better grip on the Dorodor, feeling its soft wool brush between their fingers. But just as the frightened animal stopped bucking, Artemis felt the wool they were sitting on shrink, and condense. Artemis looked down, and realized that despite their interference, the Dorodor's wool had already reshapen into its shell form.

Artemis' heart dropped.

"Wait, don't-!"

The Dorodor recast Wall of Force, expelling everything within a ten foot radius of it. Rosellia, confidently marching to repair the crack in the road, was hit with a sudden smack of force that swept her off her feet, and tossed her some fifteen feet in the air, before she crashed into a wall and tumbled down to the floor.

Andrés watched Rosellia fly, shocked at just how far the spell sent her- but it was nothing compared to Artemis. There was an audible THOOM as their hands and feet were ripped off the animal, taking little clumps of wool with them, and their body was flung away at catapult speed. They were launched so quickly and with such force that Fletch couldn't keep an eye on them as they took to the sky, and disappeared behind a building at least a block and a half away, screaming the whole way up, up, up, and down.

Fletch blinked, awestruck by the scene of his companion becoming a makeshift cannonball. But after that quick pause, he turned around, and ran to check on Rosellia.

Rosellia pushed herself up by the arms and coughed, shivering and numbed by shock.

"Rosellia! Are you okay!?" Fletch squeaked.

"I- I'm alright," Rosellia winced, and shakily forced herself up to her feet. She let out a deep breath. "That hurt."

"I tried to tell you that wasn't going to work! Dorodor are very fast casters!"

"I see that now," Rosellia brushed off her chest and stomach. "Perhaps something subtler is due for this one."

Rosellia limped back to Andrés, leaning on Fletch as much as their height difference would allow.

"That looked fun. Don't hurt yourself." Andrés jeered.

"Hilarious," Rosellia crossed her arms. "So, we can't just wait to strike it."

Fletch shook his head. "As long as it's afraid, we treat the field like it's always active."

Rosellia pondered the puzzle in front of her. After a few moments, she had an idea.

"What if it wasn't afraid?"

"Well, yeah, duh," Andrés bopped his head. "But we can't get to the 'snake,' remember?"

"Andrés, you're a bard, aren't you?" Rosellia asked. "Your music has arcane properties that affect others' moods."

Andrés picked up her meaning, but shrunk away. "Uh- yeah, I guess it does. But my songs usually energize people, y'know? Besides, would that work on an animal?"

"It's worth trying," said Rosellia. "Just play something soothing, alright?"

Andrés shrugged, and held his palms up. In a wisp of smoke, two hand drums made of some translucent deep green material appeared at his torso, as did a lanyard holding them about his shoulders.

Andrés looked ahead to the frightened Dorodor, still shivering at the motionless predator slithering by its feet. He took a deep breath in, fixed his posture, and tapped his drums.

The love of my life kicked me out on my ass,

And if I'm being honest I was relieved.

She had an angel sewn to her shoulder

Who told me I was bound to be deceived.

Wish I could say that that sounds like her.

At first, only the sound of his drums and his voice bounced around the empty street. But after the first verse, the hum of strings snuck into the party's ears. Where it came from, they couldn't tell; it was like someone was playing from just around the corner, out of sight. The rumble of bass joined in a few measures after.

Andrés had a sort of moody swing to his sound, a little edgier than jazz, a little smoother than rock. That mood was mirrored in his movements, as he playfully leaned around and posed between words- all the while trying not to lean on his sprained ankle.

The quiet of the city used to be so sweet-

I was dacin' deaf to the beating hearts I- never cared to meet.

I guess that's how you caught me off guard.

But now I hear you in every step I take.

I see your manipulating eyes in every- heart I care to break.

So tell me what I got to give?

If I could block you out…

Would you still block me in?

If I left you for good…

Good riddance all I can-

As Andrés got into his performance, a familiar aura of red energy waved in around him, spreading in the Dorodor's general direction. Rosellia, Fletch, and the crowd were entranced by his performance- his presence and charisma made what he was doing look effortless, careless even. It looked and felt like he was screwing around in the street, but for some reason they couldn't take their eyes off of him- and his bare stomach.

Sweet talk me down, talk me down-

I'll ruin you to keep you around.

The cutest voice in hell's got a leash around its neck! Ha-

Sweet talk me down, talk me down-

You'll break me just to keep me around.

I'll ignore the screaming- long as I can't hear a thing!

The Dorodor, still concentrating on its spell, twitched its ears and grumbled as Andrés kept performing. It darted its eyes up to him, and a little pink glitter twinged in its pupils. But it wasn't enough; the Dorodor shot its head back down and stared at the more imminent threat.

"It's working!" Fletch realized. "We need more!"

"Think we need some voices to back me up. Wanna give me a hand, you two?"

Fletch backed away, not daring to get roped into singing, of all things. Rosellia looked at the Dorodor one more time, and nearly leapt out of her own skin in excitement.

"Wait- yes! Fletch, you need to help him!"

"No! No no no! I don't sing!"

"We don't need you to sing, Fletch. We're soothing an animal- we need to speak to it! Mimic a Dorodor, Fletch! Get its attention!"

Fletch's beady eyes widened. "What? I- I don't- um- like a mating call? That- that's-"

"Come on, Fletch. You said you've hunted them before, right? You know what they sound like!"

Fletch shook his hands out from his chest. "That's really embarrassing, can't we just wait for Andrés to finish his song?"

"Oh no we can't!" Andrés said, leaning back over Fletch and sweeping him closer to the Dorodor, away from Rosellia. "This is happening, little guy."

Fletch yelped as Andrés shoved him forward, and started dancing around him so gracefully he almost thought the Wood Elf was floating.

"Come on, camelista, harmonize!"

What do I got to give?

Body like an angel with a heart of fuckin' sand.

You told me I never felt a thing for you-

But what I promised wasn't love.

When the hourglass drops, it feels like I'm fuckin' sand- ha!

What do I got to give? What do I, what do I-

Sweet talk me down, talk me down-

I'll ruin you to keep you around.

The cutest voice in hell's got a leash around its neck! Ha-

Sweet talk me down, talk me down-

You'll break me just to keep me around.

I'll ignore the screaming- long as I can't hear a thing!

Fletch stood awkwardly still as Andrés serenaded in circles. He cleared his throat, and let out a whisper, too nervous to vocalize. Hearing that, Andrés bumped Fletch again, knocking him onto his hands and knees.

Fletch yelped and caught himself. Looking ahead, he saw the Dorodor standing in the same position as him. He sighed, closed his eyes, and mimicked the call of the Dorodor; and because he was a Kenku, it was a perfect mimicry. A wobbly and varied song of growls and bleats that Sakura recognized immediately.

Fletch even mimicked the creature's movements and mannerisms; ruffling his feathers where their wool contracts, twitching his head like their ears often do, and tapping his hands and claws on the ground to help get into character. Whether any of this was necessary to sell the imitation remains unclear; again, the sound was perfect by nature of his unique voicebox.

Too late to cower out, Fletch kept pulling from his memory of Dorodor, doing everything to replicate the mighty animal. The beast raised up from the crack in the floor, and looked around curiously, seeking the source of the noise. But try as it did, it couldn't find another Dorodor anywhere- it was hard to pinpoint the calling behind this strange music…

The glint of rosy light sparkled again in the Dorodor's eyes, lingering a little longer this time.

Why don't we just find a quiet spot and sit still?

I never wondered how you sound inside a vacuum.

Why don't we find a quiet spot and just sit still?

You never wondered how I sound inside a…

The Dorodor's wool, once compressed into the shape of a shell, puffed out again. With it, the force field was dispelled. Not missing her chance, Rosellia rushed back in, and dove to the Dorodor's feet, where the crack in the floor was. She slapped her palm on the hole, and channeled her focus onto it. With a small stream of golden light, the nearest pebbles rumbled, and fell into the crack, fusing together and becoming a whole stone, though the color and texture were both still off.

Rosellia sat up, and watched the Dorodor expectantly. Andrés let his music die, and Fletch picked himself up to his feet. The Dorodor stared into space for a moment, looked down at Rosellia, and stared at her, with its funny-looking snout and afro-covered eyes.

For a stretch, nothing… then, the Dorodor snorted, and twitched its ears.

Rosellia let out a sigh of relief and stood up, waving to the crowd to address that all was well. The now dozens of passerby let out a collective cheer, as Sakura ran up and bear hugged her friend.

"Turk! You're okay!" She laughed, burying her head in its hair. "You did it, thank you so much!"

"Of course, darling!" Rosellia curtsied. "A little frightened pet is no trifle for my friends, nor I. The noble Lady Roselle is ever ready to mend what you cannot. Just, um, maybe do a little nerve training with Turk, alright?"

The tardied common folk finally pushed through the intersection, and made their way wheresoever they had to go. An embarrassed Fletch and a limping Andrés caught up with Rosellia, and got a grateful hug each from Sakura.

"You guys are incredible- I won't forget about this!"

"Just doing what we can," said Andrés. "It was worth it to get to see this big guy in action, I think!"

Turk leaned in, and got right in Fletch's face, blowing air into his feathers and prodding him curiously. Fletch jumped back, and picked at his feathers.

"Hehe, I think he likes you!" Sakura laughed.

"Mm- we need to find Artemis!" Fletch avoided looking at Turk.

"Oh! That's right," Rosellia gasped. "Sorry Sakura, this is where we leave you."

"Hope to see ya soon!" Andrés waved.

Sakura bid the Ambassadors goodbye, as they rushed off in search of their missing ally.

They eventually found Artemis in an alley, bleeding and crawling on the dirty floor. They looked as angry as they were relieved to see their coworkers arrive.

"There you are!" Rosellia exclaimed. "Are you okay?"

"Can't… walk." Artemis grunted. It was clear they were barely hanging on.

"Alright, I've got you covered, hold on."

Rosellia knelt down, and lightly pushed down on Artemis' back, forcing them to their stomach.

"Oof. Thought you didn't use healing magic around me."

"You were hurt following my orders. It would be unbecoming of me to let that stand unresolved," said Rosellia. "Now, ask me nicely."

"Excuse me?"

"Ask me to heal you, Yuan-Ti."

Artemis grimaced. "Fffuck you."

Rosellia rolled her eyes, and checked her nails.

"Now Artemis, that's no way to talk to a lady. My time is very valuable, you know. You should be thanking me for even being here, but I understand the urgency of your situation."

"If you understand the urgency, then just-"

Artemis tried to push up, but Rosellia shoved them back down, and sat on their back, with a satisfied smirk.

"Beg me, Artemis. Beg Lady Roselle to heal your lowly, broken bones."

Andrés spoke up. "You know, I could just-"

Fletch put up his hand, and stopped him from finishing his thought.

"Grrh…" Artemis winced, their broken legs screaming in pain.

"P-please…"

"Please what, Artemis?"

"Please… heal me… Lady Roselle."

Rosellia giggled, rested her hand on the back of Artemis' head, and healed them. Artemis wriggled and writhed as their legs snapped and bent back to their correct shapes. Rosellia stood up, and Artemis rolled onto their back, exhausted.

"Y'know…" Artemis said, through tired breaths. "Been thinking about something."

"About what?" Fletch asked.

"The Dorodor was scared… because it thought it saw a snake."

Artemis paused, and stared at the sky.

"Why'd we make me get on its back?"