Morning comes to Haven, though you can only tell that by it getting lighter outside. A thick, gray layer of clouds hangs over the peninsula, trying to decide if it's going to become one of those nasty spring storms or not. As it makes up it's mind, it playfully blows gusts of wind haphazardly about town. At the "embassy", Copernicus has left word he won't be able to come by till much later. Stuffit has woken up early and is once again exploring every nook and cranny, as if he hadn't just done that the day before.
Delachiel, has found the kitchen of the embassy, and taken the liberty to feed herself, a pleased air about her as she eyes the grey weather.
Simtra grumbles and gets up to try to stop the wind from making noise as it blows thru a crack on the bottom of the window.
The gloom outside seems intent on staying for the time being. There is a small *crash* from the main living room, where Stuffit has been exploring.
Delachiel walks, or almost floats, out of the kitchen towards the racket.
Simtra jumps a the sound, "Stuffit! Are you making trouble again?"
Stuffit, looking innocent (of course), chitters a negative as he sits amidst the gory remains of a once potted plant.
Simtra sits down and looks over the mess. "What am I going to do with you. Chasisty will not be happy with how much you are breaking around here."
Delachiel appears at the door, still veiled.
Stuffit chitters something about it being gravity's fault, not his, with little success. He sees Delachiel and waves happily. He has the typical attention span of a 3 year old.
Delachiel nods at Stuffit. ~~I'll get the broom.~~ She vanishes into the darker hallway again.
Simtra picks the broken pieces of pot out of the dirt, "Thanks Delachiel."
Stuffit tries to ponder why Delachiel would want to steal a broom, then, thought passing, bounds onto Simtra's foot and snugs it, wanting to be picked up.
Simtra looks down at Stuffit, "You want up? I don't know why I am going to let you."
The dark woman soon returns with a broom and a dust pan.
Simtra reaches out and picks up Stuffit to put him on his shoulder.
The ferret kind of oozes into place and watches Simtra work.
Simtra looks up seeing that Delachiel as returned, "Ah good. I will take care of it. Stuffit is kinda my responsibility."
Delachiel remains quiet, handing the equipment to Simtra. Something seems to suggest that she is not used to tasks such as cleaning herself. There is also again a somewhat amused air at the comment of Stuffit being Simtra's responsibility.
Over at Michael's place, a cowled figure sneaks up to the front door, places a small sack and a small globe on the steps, then moves off, quickly disappearing in the early morning gloom. After about 5 minutes, the small globe breaks open with a loud *POP*, and disappears.
Simtra says, "Thanks Del." Sim takes the broom and starts to clean up the mess.
Stuffit, from where he rests on Simtra's neck, chitters to Delachiel, wonder how business has been?
Delachiel angles her hand in a gesture of 'so-so'.
Stuffit nods with a sigh and chitters in that odd language again, complaining about there being so very little worth stealing.
Delachiel lets out a quiet chuckle and nods a little.
Simtra continues to clean the floor and wonders what Delachiel is chuckling about.
Stuffit coldwetnoses Simtra's ear and then chitters in a mostly understandable version of the local trade language, *Food good though. Some fun too.*
Delachiel says, ~~Do you intend to continue to pursue the mystery of the crystals?~~
Stuffit hides a bit deeper in Simtra's hood at the mention of the crystals.
Simtra erps at the cold nose, "Gee I think you do that intentionally. The crystals? I don't know. It is gettin a bit dangerous lately."
After some time, Michael opens the door of his shop and peers out, clad in his ever-present gold and a thick leather apron. he looks around, holding a pair of leather gloves, and soon enough, he notices the small sack at his feet.
It's a plain cloth sack, big enough to hold a small cantelope maybe. It looks mostly empty, and a bit lumpy.
Simtra says, "But if the others want to go after the crystals, I will help them out if they need it."
Delachiel says, ~~I'm somewhat confused on what the political situation here is. Where do the felitaurs come in in respect to the local government?~~
Michael picks up the sack and bounces it gently.
One hard lump, about the size of a baseball is inside, and some rustling of paper.
Simtra hmms and keeps working, "The taurs? They are tolerated in the most part. But I believe in general that they do not want them around."
Delachiel nods. "And what known enemies do the local stags have?"
Michael blinks and peers inside the bag curiously.
Simtra blinks, "Enemies? I have not heard of them having problems with anyone. They have been nice to me in general."
Simtra says, "Why? Is there something up that you know about?"
Simtra starts up sweep the last of the dirt into the dust pan.
A chunk of bluish crystal, with silvery spider web like traces is partly wrapped in a folded piece of paper.
Delachiel shrugs, ~~Just curious. Are there any other realms with dreams of grandeur?~~
Michael ponders the thing for a few moments, then puts on one of the gloves and pulls out the crystal and paper.
Simtra put the dirt into the trash can, "Oh the 'stags' I am sorry I thought you meant someone else. Well the other group that works against them could be the scholar mages. They don't don't see eye to eye on most things.
As Michael unfolds the parchment, the following message is scrawled messily upon it. "Your friends are in danger. Show them this, and let them know that the two groups of stags are not the only ones involved. A friend."
Delachiel says, ~~Ah. So the scholars and the more 'secular' politicians have drifter further apart. Hmm. Would the mages resort to such dirty methods?~~
Michael blinks again, peering at the rock.
The "rock" is a crystalline blue, translucent, with a spider web of silvery traces inside. It seems quiescent in the cool gloom of this day.
Michael pulls off his glove and traces the air, his eyes glowing blue-green as he peers into the stone.
Simtra walks back and sits down on a chair, "I don't think so, but know very little about them. The young ones come out from time to time and seem ok, but you almost never see the older ones. They stay inside their area mostly.
Michael shakes his head and hand, nearly dropping the rock in surprise.
Stuffit shifts slightly, so as not to get too squished.
Delachiel nods thoughtfully. She knows she has some contacts there, although for various reasons would prefer not to use them.
Simtra feels Stuffit moving and lays his hood over the back of the chair to give him more room.
Simtra studies the veiled Delachiel and notices a break in the questions, "I hope that you don't mind me asking, but so far I have always seen you behind veils. Is there some reason that you hide your face?"
Michael ponders what the note meant by 'friends' as he places the rock by his doorway and picks up the bag, tracing on it with his finger.
One of the felitaurs flies overhead, probably figuring he won't be as noticeable on a gloomy day.
Michael nods emphatically as the sack glows with yellow patterns. He grabs the rock and drops it inside.
Delachiel stops for a moment, then nods a little. ~~Yes. My kind... I am not liked.~~
Michael looks over at the embassy, glances at the note before sticking it in the pocket of his apron, and heads in that direction.
Simtra tilts his head to the side thinking if he should ask the next question, and decides to ask it, "Not liked? I can't think of any race off paw, that everyone dislikes. What are you?
Delachiel says, ~~I am a Xardeth. If you have not heard of us, that is good.~~
Simtra shakes his head, "No I have not heard of a Xardeth race. I take it you are like the others and not from my world either then.
Michael raps on the door of the embassy, idly noticing the 'taur up in the clouds.
Simtra does not wait for a response from Delachiel and gets up to open the door.
Delachiel shakes her head. ~~Not from this world, now. I come from... Far away, but either my race or related ones are known widely.~~
Simtra opens up the door and looks out, "Hello?"
Delachiel follows Simtra quietly.
Michael stands there with his smiting attire still on, holding a glowing yellow bag. "Hello!"
Simtra blinks seeing the glowing bag and then sees Michael, "Oh hello Michael. What do you have here?
Michael smiles and waves. "If you have a minute, I have a question."
Simtra smiles, "Well if I want come on in. But what question do you have?"
Delachiel remains in the shadows of the far corner of the room.
Jenora suddenly steps out from behind Michael, and grins up to Simtra. "I might ask the same question, Michael."
Michael says, "Do any of you know anything about gangs of male deer?"
Michael smiles and nods to Jenora as she steps out from behind him.
Simtra jumps from the sudden appearance of Jenora and waves to her, "Gangs of male deer'? No, by that name but it sounds like the stag nobles. Is that who you mean?"
Jenora says, "Gangs? Is that what they're calling themselves now? A bit more accurate than politicians, anyway. Just one big happy Family."
Michael hrms, "I think male deer. you know, like this?" He puts a hand up on his head, imitating antlers.
Delachiel just listens quietly, not moving.
Simtra chuckles, "That would be the nobles. But is there anything that you want to know? In general they rule around here."
Michael furrows his brow. "Yes, something about there being more than two male deer around here...Even _I_ knew that..."
Michael pulls the crumpled note from his apron and offers it up. "And you're supposed to be in trouble, or something like that."
Michael says, "I'm not very good with those letter things yet."
Simtra drops his ears, "Trouble? I did not make a delivery for them, but I thought that was cleared up."
Simtra takes the note and reads it.
Jenora says, "Um, Michael, could you do me a favor?"
Michael shrugs. "And whoever wrote it left this rock, too. Rather odd...Very intriguing."
Michael says, "What's that?"
Jenora smiles to Michael. "Actually step into the house so I can get off the steps out here?"
Simtra finishes reading the note and steps aside to let them in.
Michael steps into the house some more to let Jenora by.
Jenora grins, and almost bounces in, circling around behind Simtra to get a peek at the note.
Delachiel waits until the door closes before stepping forward and looking the visitors over, now that they are inside from the blinding daylight.
Simtra hand the note to Jenora, "You should read it too since I think you would be considered a friend.
Jenora picks up the note and looks it over. "Hmmm..."
Michael leans against a wall.
Simtra turns to Michael, "You were saying something about a rock?"
Delachiel continues to observe, quietly.
Michael nods, showing the glowing sack before opening it and reaching into the unnatural darkness inside to pull out the odd blue stone.
Jenora says, "Aha... one of those."
Simtra steps back a bit, "Ack! Not another blue crystal."
Simtra says, "Whatever you do don't touch the crystal."
Michael holds it a little distastefully. "A really peculiar thing...You should see what it does."
Stuffit's little nose peaks out, sees the crystal, and with a *poit* is hanging from the small chandelier up on the ceiling.
Jenora says, "We already have, thanks."
Michael smiles, having had his forging gloves with him. "Could you say why not?"
Simtra says, "One of the last people to touch one of those started to change into the crystal. He lost his arm to it before it was stopped."
Michael hmms, peering at it. "It must have been much bigger...This one seems weaker."
Michael holds it up to look at it through the light. "This might be a person?... Intriguing."
Jenora says, "Well, if it were a person, it would be larger. It might be a part of one, though. Those things seem to stay connected somehow, or at least the previous ones like that did."
Simtra shakes his head, "No the one that changed the guy was just a little smaller then this one.
Michael looks at it for a while longer, and drops it back into the glowing bag.
Simtra notices the Stuffit is not in his hood and shouts out, "Stuffit, where ever you are, he put the stone away. It is safe to come back now."
Jenora says, "But that one hasn't been charged up much. Remember the one that ate the guy had been sitting in a solar cooker for several seconds, and had soaked up a fair bit of energy."
Michael sits and listens thoughtfully.
Stuffit chitters as he dangles from the chandelier, stating he's quite happy up here, even though it's clear he keeps slipping.
Simtra nods, "That could explain the difference."
Simtra hears Stuffit above him and looks up, "Stuffit?"
The ferret is holding on as best he can to the chandelier, but he's slowly losing his grip.
Jenora sighs up at Stuffit, and shakes her head.
"Excuse me for a sec you two. I need to save Stuffit." as Simtra walks under the chandelier and hold his cape out in fount of him to catch the ferret.
Stuffit finally gives up, and with a *poit* reappears on top of Simtra's head.
Michael chuckles.
Michael says, "So where did this thing come from, and what does it have to do with male deer?"
Jenora says, "The male deer in question were trying to use a previous generation of this stuff as some sort of power ploy; but that stuff was more easily controlled. This type they're trying to get rid of."
Simtra eeps and carefully removes Stuffit and puts him on his shoulder, "Stuffit, that was not quite what I meant when I said, come down. Ah well."
Simtra walks back to the pair, "Good thing too if you ask me. I would not want this stuff around either because of what it can do."
Jenora says, "Though this says 'two groups of stags'... sounds like there's some internal dissension in the nobles. Not surprising; some of them probably want to keep using it despite the danger."
Simtra says, "But I wonder who this third group is that the note spoke about. Could that be the second group of stags? "
Michael says, "So someone created this thing?"
Jenora says, "If that thing was created, it was a very long time ago. Some sort of quasi-organic computer or something. It's not something the people around here could have done."
Simtra nods, "I agree with Jen. No native could make something like this."
Michael says, "How much of it is there?"
Simtra says, "I don't know. There was two bags of it that I knew of. One of those bags was destroyed and the other is in the sea."
Jenora says, "I have no idea. There was a whole cave full of the previous version of the stuff before, but that was far north of here."
Simtra says, "Therefore there could be a lot of it left somewhere."
Michael nods absently. You could practically see the wheels in his head turning.
Jenora says, "A whole other 'colony' of the stuff."
Jenora says, "This stuff is a different color, anyway."
Michael says, "What color was the other stone?"
Simtra seems to be thinking too, "Amber."
Jenora says, "More of a golden amber color."
Jenora says, "Had the same silver lines running through it, though."
Michael says, "Have any of you seen this cave?"
Simtra says, "The cave with the amber crystal? Ya but I am not sure how much might be left of it though."
Jenora says, "I was at the first one. There's not a lot left now, it sort of collapsed."
Michael says, "Could you take me there?"
Jenora says, "About the same time that all of the crystals that had been brought out here from it crumbled and fell apart."
Simtra says, "I could, but it is a very long trip there. It will take some time to get there."
Michael waves a gloved hand. "I don't worry about it."
Jenora hmmms. "Could be done a little faster this time, as we're not trying to be quite so secret about it..."
Michael smiles. "When can we leave?"
Simtra says, "I don't have anything keeping me here, but we would need to pack and then we would have to wait for the next boat heading in that direction."
Michael looks at Jenora.
Jenora hmmms to Michael. "How much of a hurry are you in?"
Michael says, "Not in a hurry, but I have nothing else to get done."
Jenora hmmms. "Well, depending on how you're interested in traveling, we could get there a lot faster without the boat."
Simtra blinks, "Without the boat? How?"
Michael says, "Flying is usually fastest..."
Simtra the color drains from Simtra's ears, "Flying? On what?"
Jenora nods. "Flying can be quite fast. Don't worry, Simtra; I can show him where it is if you'd rather not."
Simtra takes a seat, "Oh, ok. I will have to see what you might go on. I have not wanted to ever fly again since being on Kai's ship.
Michael scratches his forehead.
Jenora grins to Simtra. "Well, to be honest, I don't need a conveyance."
Michael cocks his head and looks thoughtfully at Simtra.
Simtra hmms and looks for hidden wings or something on Jenora? "You don't need a ship?"
Jenora says, "Exactly."
Michael says, "Given some time, I can find a way for Simtra to fly."
Simtra shakes his head not understanding, "Well I don't know how you would get there then."
Simtra erps, "Make me fly? Wow!"
Michael smiles.
Jenora turns to Michael. "How are you with flying?"
Michael says, "I can."
Jenora nods. "So the two of us could probably just fly out there, check it out, and be back in a few hours."
Michael says, "That depends how far it is."
Simtra says, "It might be best. I would just slow you down if I come along."
Jenora smiles to Simtra. "All right. I don't like leaving people behind, but we probably should have someone here who knows where we've gone. Here." She hands the note back to him. "Keep this in case anyone else comes by."
Michael hangs onto the glowing bag himself.
Simtra nods and puts the note in a pocket in his cape.
Simtra says, "So you two are going to leave now? In this weather?"
Michael looks outside. "It doesn't look so bad...It is not raining yet. If we go before it rains, there won't be a problem."
Jenora says, "I'd expect so. We can go above the clouds anyway."
Simtra stands back up, "Well, I wish ya the best of luck and be careful up there. I will let the others know what is going on while you are out."
Michael smiles, "Thank you."
Jenora bows to Simtra. "See you later."
Simtra wavies goodbye to the pair and heads for the kitchen, "Hey Stuffit, Lets see what we can eat."
Jenora pads out of the house with Michael. "You familiar with the Northern Reaches much?"
Michael follows. "Not very. Were we to leave now?"
Jenora says, "Sure."
Jenora says, "I have nothing better to do at the moment. I was just seeing if anybody else had any information about this."
Michael says, "It will take me a moment or two before I am ready to leave."
Michael says, "Who did you want to see?"
Jenora says, "All right."
Jenora says, "Whoever was here. Just a matter of sharing gossip."
Michael heads towards the his shop, locking the door. "Where, right here?"
Jenora says, "Well, back in the embassy, anyway."
Michael heads to the front door of his house. "So you've checked your gos-sip, then?"
Jenora nods. "As much as I need to, yes."
Jenora says, "So... how fast can you fly?"
Michael blinks, looking a bit lost. "Faster than walking?"
Jenora grins. "Well, let's start with, can you fly faster than sound travels in the air?"
Michael blinks, looking even more lost. "Eh?"
Jenora says, "Tell you what. I'll lead the way. If you can't keep up, I'll slow down until you can. Sound good?"
Michael says, "Of course not!"
Michael nods, "I had assumed you would be leading anyway."
Jenora nods, and looks around to see if anyone's watching. When she doesn't see anybody (except Michael) she looks up, and just starts rising straight up into the air.
Jenora hovers in mid-air, and looks down to Michael to see how he's doing.
Michael smiles and waves, "One moment," as he disappears into his house.
Jenora hangs in the air just next to the smithy.
With a muffled groan and a slight glow, the glass panes of Michael's windows rattle slightly a few moments after he enters.
Jenora blinks.
Michael opens both large doors to his home and walks out, his features now concealed by a dully glowing yellow light. He walks several steps out the doors, then turns around and walks back to close them, almost as if he forgot. The stone building shakes slightly as he climbs up its face.
Jenora floats up a little more, watching.
Michael ascends to the top of the wall and stands upon it. Nodding to Jenora, he leaps off and does not fall, great gusts of wind flowing all about him.
Michael circles slowly around Jenora, slowly ascending.
Jenora grins. "Not bad." She shifts up, using some of Michael's wind at first, then boosting more under her own power using gravitational effects. "Can you get above the clouds with that?"
Michael's glowing figure smiles faintly, and raises faster, accompanied by stronger gusts of wind.
Jenora nods, and turns to fly upward, leading the way across the sky.
Michael glides gracefully along, obviously making for the clouds as the strong winds buffet him about somewhat.