1861/10/15 Meeting Goose
Scene Meeting Goose
Characters Mercy Hena'e
Place Cheyenne Camp, Praire
Date Oct 15th Midday
Scene Theme <Song>

As nice as the sun's been the last few days, today brings a chill in the air that reminds the Goose of her winter birth-season on the wing toward her. But it's nothing that requires any drastic measures, no bundling up or building up the fire, which remains at its low-fervid simmer in the fire circle. She's gnawing the toughness out of the most recent buckhide, sitting cross-legged by the fire and twisting the skin in her hands before chewing on the collected skin. One with no idea what she's up to might think she's hungry, rather than simply rendering the skin the more supple. She's alone at camp, presently, her counterpart gone fishing, no doubt, or on some other needful errand.

Mercy wasnt raised in a tribe, though, her mother did teach her a few things before they got arrested, and even then, Mercy did keep up with the language, since she knew that her people.. if she can even call them that, should convert to the catholic faith, or some form of christianity. But that's not exactly why she is here, she heard about Cheyenne in the area, and knowing the current state of the Navajo and Cheyenne, she figures that making friends might be a good idea. Riding her horse twoards the camp, she stops a bit away and makes a whiporwill call with her hands, and then announces herself in a greeting, clearly a cherokee accent, but the plains talk is there. "Cheyenne, I come with open arms, may I come forward."

Hena'e can see the horse coming from a ways away. She flips the hide out away from her and lays it on a frame set above the smouldering fire, leaving gaps to let the smoke out while a puddle of it gathers up against the skin and helps to tan it. She stands and moves to the flap of their plains tent, where she lowers herself to take up the handle of a heavy stone axe, uncertain who's arriving, but knowing that those clothes belong to Spider's Children. She's not about to attack, but she's ready to defend herself and the camp if need be. When the whipporwill call sounds and the address comes in Cherokee, she slackens her grip, eyeing the woman as she comes closer, and especially eyeing the gun that changs from her belt. "Alright, she finally assents. "We come to this place without malice to you, or to any of Spider's children."

Mercy dismounts her horse and hangs the lead onto a bush, letting the beast graize the grass at it's lesure. She turns to Hena'e and smiles. "If you mean no malice, then why was your first reaction to grab an axe?" She asks as she steps forward. "I'm not here ot cause trouble, I'm here to see for myself that there are actualy Cheyenne that have come this close to town. I'm called Mercy." She says as she looks to the girl, looking her over she notes the build as someone who is used to work. "But a better question, why are you here? and where is your Mate?" She says figureing that the small hunter that is with her is probably her mate.

"I mean no insult— you, yourself, are armed," Goose points out, fairly pragmnatic and plain-spoken. "I did not know your intent," she explains, and leaves it at that, stepping closer to their visitor at the edge of the campsite and slipping the handle of her axe into her belt, where it can sit at ease. "Hena'e," she introduces herself. "My brother and I have come to bring gifts of hide and baskets to Grimwood, and are to make overtures of peace in our father's name. Some of Spider's children do not know that we are not Navajo, and they persecute us for crimes we have never committed. We wish to be known, and to have ties to Spider's children."

"Not calling them Spider's children might be a good start, they don't care much for spiders, and calling them such might insult them, just like how they call you savages." Mercy says and smiles. "Of course I'm armed, the Navajo want me dead for killing a warparty, as well as one of their war shaman." Granted, they started it when they killed the town priest. "But I knew you were Cheyenne the moment I saw you, Hena'e, so he is your brother? Did you come along to make sure the white women didnt take him as their own?" She asks with a smirk. "Oh well, a good way to have peice is for him to marry one of them, or help drive off the navajo."

"Spider is clever, and his children are clever as he is, and have invented many things to aid them," Hena'e points out the praise in calling the white men children of Spider. "I came to help Hiamovi keep camp, and to gather for him as we travel— to tan hides and weave baskets for gifting to Grimwood when we ask for peace. Father will have more to say about his marriage than I do," she remarks with all practicality as concerns the prospect of Hiamovi taking one of Spider's children as a bride— though it would do well to make a family bond between the two groups, she has to admit.

Mercy smiles and nods. "I suppose, but still, most white people don;t like spiders, especially the ones that poison." She says. "My sister left for australia ten years ago, she sent me a few letters, one of them was about spiders that eat lizards, and gators that are twice as long and strong." She says, glad her sister is there and not her. "Tell me Hena'e, how open are you to the ways of the white people? Our way of life, and our views on the 'spirits'" She says as she reaches into a pouch and pulls out an old leather bound book, yes it's the bible, and probably somthing she cherishes more then her shotgun.

Hena'e doesn't know where Australia is, but the stories of distant animals are at least impressive. When Mercy presents her with the visage of some artifact of Spider's, she smiles dimly but without malice, "I like to hear tales of spirits. I think they're very meaningful, and tell a great deal about the world. Perhaps I may tell tales of Spider in Grimwood, and then they will not dislike him so much," she curls a slow twist of an impish smile. "And I will look forward to hearing takes that they tell of spirits in their own families."

Mercy smiles as she looks down at the book. 'It's a very different view point from your's, the world was created by god, it took him six days to create the world, and on the seventh day, he rested. Eventualy, he had a son, you was able to die for our sins, and keep us from eternal damnation so long as we follow his path." She says as she looks up at hena'e. "It's about being nice and welcomeing to people, to give them a cance to make amends not just with world around them, or the spirit of god, but also within themselves." She says before stoping herself from preaching anymore, even that little bit there, one could tell how passionate Mercy is about her beleifs, how much she beleives them, and in them, and the conviction in her tone of how much it means to her. "His sons name was Jesus, and his light saved me from a very VERY bad time in my life…"

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