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The Heartwood
Afternoon, the Town of Cragside
Restday The Last Day of the Month of Raven, 2623

Longtooth

Camelia's words do garner a response.

For his ears, while they may be old, they are sharp.

He stands and his head drops. Ears flatten and his lips curl back to bare his namesakes - he has been Longtooth all his life.

The snarkhoud growls, deep and dark.

An obvious warning; continue ... and he will hunt.

<Camelia>

Camelia paled at the growl and bowed her head as she briefly ran the past bits of conversation through her mind. She'd offended. The snarkhound was obvious in his warning and a blush replaced the wan coloration as she tugged on one of her honey-colored locks.

"I'm sorry," she said in a conciliatory tone meant to carry not just to him but her erstwhile companions as well. "I'd like to blame it on the travel, shock, attire, or lack of knowledge but...I guess I can't now, can I?" She trailed off and merely repeated the apology this time including them all, not just the irked snarkhound before briskly asking, "any thoughts on the next moves?"

They would accept it or not, but each new journey began with steps. She’d see where these went.

The young woman knew she'd feel better with proper items on her and maybe that was some of her upset too, but Camelia knew she couldn't blame it on that either. It was her. At least the 'hound had given her another chance. Maybe the others would too. She'd follow where they went.

And tomorrow was a day she might be able to fix the lack of things as well.

Daxia
with gang in front of Atteran Hospice

When the large ruff rose and growled at Camelia, Daxia instinctively shifted ever so slightly to shield her sister from the animal... despite the fact that she knew there was no need to protect Bekkah from Longtooth. She looked at the young Imperial again; the calculating gaze that lasted several heartbeats was pure Allaine. Then she blinked and turned back to Darian and Longtooth. "Would ask if Longtooth and Darian think it worth trying to track girl."

Kadri:

She looks over at Camellia.

"We still do have one bit of leverage; the key. And. I know what lock it fits into and where that lock is, and at least have an idea what it is guarding."

Mikal

"Again I suggest we return to the inn for this. It is too public." He stresses, trying to gesture the others to follow.

Bekkah

The elder sister wasn't so certain that she was safe from the ruff. A hardened killer, yes, an animal no matter how intelligent, no. She didn't think they believed in her Goddess. So Bekkah let her sister protect her, which still seemed quite surreal to her.

She listened to the childlike one talk about a key and a lock and it meant nothing, Then the handsome man mention not talking in the street and she was bewildered by all of this.

"Yes, inn, good thought." she said reverting back to a Dayalan accent for a moment.

"Then please explain." she said moving to follow Camelia, pulling on Dazi's sleeve.

Squire Lord Conrad Shannon

He had the grace to blush a bit and bow to Lady Alice.

"I can assure you that they did. Fair day to you milady." he said and took his leave, going outside to end up next to Mikal and overhear his comments. They brought a slight quirk to his lips but he refrained from laughing as he meant no insult to Daxia.

And then Conrad listens to those about him, the question from Daxia and the rushed introductions. He nodded politely to Bekkah when she is introduced to him.

"An honor to meet you Lady."

Finally he turned to Daxia and Mikal and the others.

"One thing we can all agree on is that any conversation needs to be done someplace in private and not the street here. The inn common room is hardly private either. If we are to talk further on this, it would be best to do so in one of the rooms. If on the way to the Inn, good Longtooth might find the trail, then I am for following the scent to the girl but I suspect that is unlikely."

He looked from one face to the next.

"Let us go."

Kadri:

Kadri pauses, looks to COnrad, and nods.

It was a practical suggestion, and mirrored her thoughts and those of others. So she followed it.

Darian and Longtooth

"Be she worth finding?" Darian countered Daxia's question. "Be best plan?"

Bekkah

If Daxia came along, she'd keep moving towards the inn.

"Who is the girl everyone keeps mentioning Dazi?"

Celi

Darian's reaction to Celi's explanation of how tracking scent worked made her frown. She had in no wise diminished Longtooth's capabilities. In fact, she had been touting them.

ANd tracking was one of the things Celi knew better than most. And had they not told her to call him a Ruff so that they wouldn't get in trouble, when she had named him as a Snarkhound? These people couldn't even keep their own lies straight.

She had never said he was a tool; she had merely tried to ... well, show off a bit of knowledge for Mikal. Explain something she knew about for Mikal, She wasn't insulting anyone; she was trying to be helpful.

Of *course* Longtooth would track when he chose. But she had just rubbed the girl's clothing in his face. What was he then expected to do ,.. sneeze and forget it? Or perhaps he was supposed to wake them all up in the middle of the night and announce he was now ready to track, and in the meanwhile let the scent trail get colder and older.

She shoved her hands in her pockets and decided to ignore the reaction. Darial was just being protective of her hound-companion, and Celi understood the feeling. If she continued to berate her, Celi would try to explain what she had been doing. Failing that, she would tell her to take a long walk off a short pier. The job was hard enough when you were out of your element and trying to impress your companion.




Not for the first or the last time she wished they were on the prairie or in the forest, where her skills would have some demand.

Daxia
with Bekkah, Cesare, Darian and Longtooth outside the Atteran Hospice
as the others wander off towards the Inn

Moving closer to Darian and Longtooth, so she could speak more softly, she whispered to Bekkah, "I tell. Not yet," then nodded once, sharply, to Darian. "Very much yes," she said. "You and Longtooth Hunters. You say best way to find, yes? You say best way we..." Daxia pointed to herself and Bekkah, nodded towards Cesare, and gestured in the direction of their departing comrades. "...help Hunters. Talk at Inn? We do. Something else? We do." She glanced back at those heading towards the Inn, then turned back to Darian, a worried look on her face.

"Sharing information... yes, important. Finding girl... also important." Her voice lowered even more. "Finding girl before wind up like father most important, ok?" Daxia looked down at the ruff, and spoke to him as she would Brighteyes. "Very tangled web, human greed, make town very dangerous place for girl. Maybe she know how dangerous, maybe she hide. If she hide good, you know." She looked back up at Darian. "Maybe hiding place safest. Maybe Inn safest. Hunters will know, yes?" She regarded the pair for another couple of heartbeats. "You say. We do."

Darian and Longtooth

She knelt b the ruff and spoke softly to him.

[ooc: continuation of previous post]

Darian and Longtooth

The moment between hunter and hound stretched out as they conferred. His big head turned, eyes flowing down a certain path then back to the human with whom he ran. The corners of her mouth turned up in a small, toothless smile, and she gave a short nod.

Darian stood then and turned to Daxia.

"Offer be kind," she told her in a conversational voice, "But noon meal we ate. We walk some more, enjoy Her warmth."

Cesare

Interesting. There is more to this relationship between Darian and Longtooth than he thought.

But he is much in sympathy with her (or Longtooth's) wishes, to be doing something rather than talking, especially if that was going to be posturing in some leadership bid.

"OK if I join you again?"

He smiles at both Darian and her four-legged companion before glancing back to Daxia.

"Daxia, could you just whisper your findings in case it has any bearing?"

He is interested in hearing her news, though not necessarily trudging back to the inn for a drawn out conversation to find out. It is not Daxia, he would be happy to spend time in her company but there are things to do right now and he is more use out here.

Daxia
with Bekkah, Cesare, Darian and Longtooth in front of Atteran Hospice

She looked between Cesare and Darian, biting her lower lip, not saying anything for a fullhand of heartbeats. Finally, she sighed softly. "Beside what already said, girl rightful owner of key," she whispered. "Merchant Guild, Thieves Guild... all same, trust none. What in warehouse worth uncountable crown; lost lives no matter to those who want merchandise." Daxia regarded them again, including Longtooth in her plea, "Be most careful, yes? Come back safe, please."

Taking a step backwards, her manner changed completely and she smiled brightly. "Enjoy walk; may Her light guide you. Will look forward to sharing evening meal together."

After taking their leave of the Hunters and the Rhoni, Daxia walked with Bekkah towards the rest of the group, her warm cloak wrapped around both of them. Daxia did not seem intent on catching up with the rest, just on keeping them in sight.

"So, Bekkah... I see boots Lady Catherine give you not on your feet," she said, almost chuckling. "Tell that story first, maybe."

Bekkah

She wasn't really sure what had transpired, but she was fairly certain it wasn't something trivial.

"Not much story there little one. I wore them out. I've done a good amount of walking the last 5 years. A =good= amount of walking."

She accepted Daxia's sharing of the cloak and noticed the sword at her sister's hip. She remembered her letters about learning to use one, but she had pictured something not much bigger than a dagger. A short sword was more what she was had imagined.

"And you, you really use that sword." she asked looking down at the sword between them."

Darian and Longtooth with Cesare

She offered a nod to Daxia's wish for them to be careful then turned to Cesare.

"Walking company well come."

Darian scritched between Longtooth's ears. "We ready."

Daxia
with Bekkah, following those heading towards the Inn

Daxia laughed. "Oh, yah!" She was quiet for a few paces. "Remember you write maybe Kassia so hard because she see potential? You right." More quiet for another handful of paces. "Telling story backwards, but when I sitting on Fern waiting to leave Vale with Gilly, Kassia give me her sword." Her voice was full of emotion. "She say to Gilly, 'If she not figure out by now she my last, my best, student then she really dumb as cobble-block.' I... I knew about being last. Kassia very old. Said she only had another season, maybe two. Maybe she with Sisters already; by end of Storm season certainly." She shook her head, and realized she had tears in her eyes. Again. "She not even let me say final good-bye, or thank you for gift. Just walk off." Daxia wiped the tears away with her sleeve. "Did not ever once think, since going to Temple after Mama and Papa die, I would miss Kassia. But miss her very much, Bekkah. Surprise me from Vale all way to Cragside, still surprise me how much I miss Kassia."

Bekkah

She listened, not saying a word until Daxia had finished. When she did finish, Bekkah, took her hand and stopped her, turning her to face her. She reached up and wiped a tear from Daxia's cheek, then pulled her close and kissed her cheek as she hugged her tightly.

"It's okay to miss someone real bad. She was like a mama to you. Raised you. Trained you. She was there when me, mama and papa weren't. Never forget her. Remember her, but always making her proud." she said, kissing her cheek again before letting her go.

Mikal - with Celi then with Celi, Daxia, and Bekkah

Glancing behind and seeing the conversation continuing between Daxia, Darian, and Cesare, followed by the two with the ruff turning and leaving, he slows to allow Daxia and Bekkah to catch up to he and Celi. The group is strung out a bit along the street, but it doesn't seem too bad to him and at least they're headed back to the inn together.

**Well, almost together.** He amends mentally.

When Daxia and Bekkah reach he and Celi he turns to walk with them and says to Daxia, nodding his head towards the departing Darian and Cesare, "I see you decided to be in charge then. Perhaps when we reach the inn you should ask others if they wish to follow?"

Celi

Celi did a little hop-skip to readjust to Mikal's new direction. She felt like things were going in something like a positive direction. She just wasn't sure what it was. But there was a positive aura that emanated from Mikal like steam from a softpad on a snowy morning... And it touched her much the same way as did Stormrunner.

Maybe she was just lonely. Or maybe...

She followed quietly.

Daxia
with Bekkah, following those heading towards the Inn, catching up with Mikal and Celi

She smiled and hugged her sister. "You always say right things, Bekkah." She looked over Bekkah's shoulder to see Mikal and Celi waiting for them. "So many things to tell you, but have to wait until later. Wrote letters to send when I hear from you again. I have at Inn; you read later. Now, need to know web you fell in, yes?" She took a breath to settle herself, her emotions, then wrapped her cloak around Bekkah again. "Kassia always be with me, in heart... in night sky. She never lie to me, Bekkah. If she say I her best student, then must be true." Daxia smiled as she started them walking again. "Remember you write I be legendary Dayalan? And I write back, no, not for me." She chuckled. "I make Kassia proud, then maybe you right after all."

Upon reaching the waiting pair, she smiled and nodded to them. At Mikal's comment, she shook her head. "I not in charge, no. Gave Darian and Longtooth choice to go, to come to Inn." She frowned, brows knitting together. "I not explain right. Hmmm. I tell Darian she in charge, decide if they can... do what Camelia ask. Say she need tell me best way to help." She nodded. "Yes. Better. So they go... Hunting. We go to Inn and talk."

The walked in silence a handful or so of paces before she answered his final question. "Don't know, Mikal. But ask you now... you follow Dayalan? No point asking others if Jvrillian not follow, yes?" She looked across at the young country girl who seemed attached to him by a spring. "And you, Celi? You follow Dayalan?"

Kadri:

Kadri walked. . .quietly. Not saying much of anything and looking lost in thought. . or as if she is plotting, and trying to think several steps ahead.