Eirwen was home, she was in the back playing with some field mice ignoring the call of her friend, so it was Yule who greeted the presence of Ermir and the small glimpse of Ciel the man's dyr. The black rooster was sporting a splint of sorts on his wing as he pecked at the ground speaking to Ciel, 'Eirwen is...she's in the back, she's in a mood,' he seemed hesitant to tell them but he did, worried about Eirwen, 'She got embarrassed by a Dresmond and Adeline in the same week, the latter left her a reminder of her failure. she hasn't spoken or ate in days...'

Ciel looked up at Ermir from under his coat with a look that could kill. Not only were they dealing with the odd dyr, the girl had apparently gone completely off the rails. But this was the kind of thing that Ermir lived for. The reason he had stuck around all these years. Save one at a time, although he wasn’t sure how he was going to help Eirwen this afternoon, he was sure going to try.

Do you think it’s a good idea to- but before Ciel could finish the question Ermir had nodded his head and started walking that way. He figured his plan wasn’t going to change good idea or not so he just went forward. Really the only way you could go, no one had time to wallow these days. ”Coming round back it is!”

'Ahhh, naaaah brochacho, Ciel tell your human... Ahh man,' Yule was a frantic mess following after Ermir while pleading with Ciel, he was such a ball of nerves that he wasn't running as a rooster should but it was more like run...hop...run a little bit...hop, plead, 'like could you check your guy, harshing the vibes - fuck - Eirwen duuude,' but Ermir had done gave his warning as he walked.

Eirwen was squatting now, she had heard Ermir, had sent Yule to stop them, lot of good that did. She could hear Ermir as he approached through the back of the wagon floor so she pulled her wool burlap hoodie of sorts over her head drawing the hood over her head. The mice in her hand fell away from her hand and would flee over Ermir's foot.

"what do you want? did you just ignore my chicken?" Eirwen tossed heated toned words at the man as soon as her green eyes fell on him.

Yule’s words echoed through to Ermir, and if animals could pull of a disgusted look certainly it would be written on Ciel’s face. Instead Ermir just felt his dyr’s annoyance mixed with the frantic words of the chicken as he paid him no mind. You didn’t abandon people because it was difficult, and clearly Ermir had never been one to take the easy route.

”Yep!” Looking at Eirwen he could see why Yule was worried. She had never been the type to hide or sulk, always a proud one despite being proud of all the wrong things. It was disturbing to see, although his tone wouldn’t convey such things. ”I came to see a friend not get told to scram.” He wasn’t sure if the other Dresmondi considered him a friend, but he figured it wouldn’t hurt. Probably not a great idea to try and predict what she might say.

He wasn’t entirely surprised the Eldouirs had attempted to embarrass or belittle her. It’s what they strived for after all. Putting every Dresmondi in their place as they saw fit, in death or in servitude.

"Friend, and who is that?" Eirwen sounded gloomy and clearly grouchy but she kept her hooded face from sight, and the tears from the pain in the gash that traveled from the bottom of her chin up her cheek, from spilling from her eyes.

"Listen, right now isn't a great time...I've got to get ready for tribute," she was throwing out excuse after excuse.

Crouching down near Eirwen, still giving her a little bit of space, but also trying to show a little bit of attitude wasn't going to push him away. "Well I hoped you were my friend?"

Rocking back and forth on his heels Ermir smiled. "You'll figure something out easy for the tribute, you're smart like that. Far more resourceful than I am too." All true, although he was unsure if encouraging her about the tribute was a good idea.

"I don't know what more I can contribute Ermir," she was looking at him now revealing the nasty gash on her face and the wet tears building over the bottoms of her eyes, "But this year I'm going to take a page out of your book...blood tribute...it's all I have left to offer them."

Yule spoke directly to Ciel frantically, 'plllease ask Ermir to talk her out of that," his wings flapped against him as he pecked nervously at the wooden floors.

Ermir did his best not to react. The gash on her face, it showed just how awful things had been for her. And yet she was still trying to give up her life for them. Still trying to be the perfect soldier for people who would only see her as a nuisance or object to be used. Because they were lesser in the royalties eyes. What utter crap.

He didn't need Yule to tell him, he was certainly not going to pretend that was a good idea.

"I don't think that's a good idea..." Trailing off he shuffled a little closer in his crouch, never good at any of the healing herbs stuff but wishing he was now. "Maybe you are just looking to please the wrong person? Maybe one of the queens has a need for something?" He wasn't sure what. But anything but the blood god seemed a good idea. Or the ice princess.

Eirwen stood a strained pain on her face from the wound, but she moved away from Ermir kicking a basket of odds and ends across the room. Yule began to chill the air around them it was how he kept her from really losing it. She began to suddenly do squats, "I have to do better," she was having a moment and tears streamed down her face, "And if I can't give blood, do I give myself?"

A few years ago, Ermir would have been deeply concerned about this kind of behavior. Now though? If you were any kind of normal in Elderkeep you clearly lived under a rock. So it was worrying, but since meeting Eirwen it was obvious she liked activity to work out her stress. Certainly he had never seen anyone else skin rabbits that fast.

Rocking on his heels he took a second before standing. "Eirwen you are so much more than a body to be used. One of them has to see that?" He had found it obvious, she was a fighter, certainly she wouldn't have gotten as far without it. Eldouirs had taken everything, and she was just ready to keep giving. It's exactly what they wanted.

Hiram's words echoed in her head and Yule heard her repeating them until she finally said them out loud during her squats, "I am no one. My dyr is what is important, I am no one," more squats as she repeated the words again and again, "I am no one. My dyr is what is important, I am no one," 26...27....28..., "Learn that Ermir. We are cannon fodder, nothing but mental connections and flesh...I am no one...my dyr is what is important."

Ermir looked between the rooster and Eirwen, not sure if there was an explanation for these words or behavior. It didn't matter entirely, but it would be nice to know who to hate in particular. Walking over he lightly grabbed her wrist as she bobbed up and down in her exercises. "That's not true. You're Eirwen. What happened to your spirit?" He wanted to hug her tight to stop this madness, but also wasn't sure if it would get him stabbed. She was more on edge than usual, and holding onto her wrist seemed like enough of a risk for now.

Eirwen stopped, a second of fury passed over her features as green eyes glared at the hand around her wrist, then it was gone. She was blank but those green eyes were locked on Ermirs now. She thought about his question when she finally broke, "I'm broken Ermir! Okay, fucking broken and I can't figure out why you care so fucking much?! Why?"

She wasn't fighting his hold on her in fact she suddenly slumped against him laying her head against his chest and pulling her arms under her. She was shaking from the crying as tears flowed into the gash on her face, "My people don't want me and they could care less...but I'm broken and that's why," she went silent as her body racked with sobbing breathes.