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#920170 Sun 08/04/18 22:13 UTC
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The Heartwood
The Flowered Path
Marketday, the Twenty Fourth day of Crown of Ice


Lyric, Cesare, Keiko and Bekkah ... and Tomomi and Hinata Cat.

"Don't know."

That was Hinata's reply. It was simple, straightforward and in two words answered both Lyric's and Cesare's question.

"But only one way, to find out."

And that was the pragmatic truth. The answer to their questions would not be found out here in the fields but within the town's walls. The big cat person took a few steps forward, looked over his shoulder, and gave Cesare a why-aren't-you-coming-along-already look before continuing on.

Tomomi blinked, once, and then twice and sprinted after Hinata. She tugged on his travel cloak, pointed to his hood and there was some animated conversation before he, with a wrinkle of nose and whiskers, pulled his hood up to shelter his most obvious differences from everyone else.

"Renyard says every day is marketday in Bordertown."

While the little Mouse had never been there or seen this place, she did have her mentor's teachings to fall back on. So she - in her simple way - was prepared for Bordertown. In a way. It was, however, Bekkah that suddenly snared her attention - she had only gotten three steps forward with Hinata before stopping and turning around, eyes all wide and surprised and more than a little shocked!

"The Dragonstooth ... uhm ... tavern? Renyard has told us what a tavern is, ja? It's like a small Home that you can visit for just overnight? Though you have to keep your travel-cloaks on because all sorts of strange not us folks are there too. But the Dragonstooth?

"They have a dragon's tooth? Every now and then the Old Masters would want a tooth and those that had to get one usually never came back! Poor dragons, missing their teeth!"

Then, suddenly, the blood drained from her features, the pale-skinned mouse-girl almost turning perfectly white.

"Do they have mines here?"

Even when assured that there were no mines in Bordertown, Tomomi would let Hinata stride forward on his own - the big cat having never been in the mines himself - and stick very close to Keiko.

Getting into the town was a small adventure in itself. Hinata didn't understand what a toll was and needed to be kept in line by a tugging Mouse. Tomomi had Renyard's storytelling to guide her so she knew about staying politely in line before entering the town and that if they asked for coin you politely gave it to the guards. The gate chosen would, naturally, be the closest one; the one on the town's western side.

None of this would be unfamiliar to Cesare, Bekkah or Keiko. Bordertown was a place where Rhoni caravans resupplied and both Bekkah and Cesare had been there before. They knew who the important people were - the Emeraldsson family, the Marrennens and the Hysthainians. Garrick, Harry, Lord Random and his Lady, the flighty and brightly dressed Priestess of Krysta, they were either known or were actually folks they had kept company with from their previous visit. They also knew the best - and most expensive - tavern was the Dragonstooth, where the Guildhalls were and that while the Eastern Gate Tavern was not a bad place, just unfortunately named. Brandreth's tavern was the one you needed to stay away from.

The only ones who were not familiar with this place were the two Forest Folk and Lyric. Tomomi was a curious soul and Hinata would never let anyone know that anything - be it a town or farmer's house - be something that he would ever slink away from.

(Small yapping things were a completely different matter altogether)

For Lyric this was something never seen before. But things never seen before, that was exactly why she had left her small village from far far away. It certainly was very different from the small village she came from and the manors of folks she had once visited. Those places were much more like Home, respectful of the lands they were set in, fitting with their surroundings like clasped hands. Bordertown was so different, with its stone walls in straight lines, the martial nature of the wall's parapets, the houses in their ordered blocks. It was definitely a crafted place, a built thing imposed upon the land.

In its own way, it was a symbol of strength and control far stronger and more blatant than any prince's declaration. A monument to Order.

Passing through the gate, however, was something much different. Outside the town, those waiting to enter stood in their prescribed lines, waiting to be handled one by one by one.

Inside, stepping back into the light, it was the exact opposite.

Many folks, moving this way and that, in what at first glance was a simple, stormy chaos. Walking here, creating small spontaneous groups for conversation there, bound for sure destinations and others seem happy to be destinationless. Through these un-planned currents, their little group made their way down the main street, heading towards the center of town. They could see their destination, the Dragonstooth being one of the taller buildings in the town and most imposing. A two-story structure of stone, which could serve, if the need ever be, as a small castle all by itself. That was still ahead, however. Upon entering and to their immediate right they passed another set of buildings. The Jvrillian Guildhall. This place snared Hinata Cat's attention and there he tarried. The signs of martial practice, training, and trade held his attention like tassle on a string might a small domestic slink. He flexed his hands, taking a step towards the group of buildings. That, now that garnered a mote of attention from the soldiery that passed in and out of their Hall. Not because he was a mysterious figure in a mysterious cloak - though that helped - but more because he stood at least a head taller and a few hands broader than most.

"This where they give burnt fish for being tough and eviscerating things?"

Eviscerating was one of the few big words Hinata actually savored.

A hand waved his companions off.

"Make them give me fish."

He strolled towards the guild house.

"Bring some back dinner for Rhoni lad."

He was, truly, of a mercenary bent, so that guild might just be a good fit for him.

"Maybe."

But he was still a cat.

And thus it was a parting, a cat-like parting unless someone decided to try and make him stop. Tomomi wouldn't. She'd just place her face in the palms of her hands. But then, Hinata-san wasn't what he was when he was locked in a cell.

He was a person now. He could make his own decisions. That and he actually was pretty good at eviscerating things.

For the rest, that took them to Bekkah's requested destination. The priestess had set them on this course and that was where they were bound. And thus she could take the lead, this once. This time was different than when she was here with her sister. They had no Squire, no Amber Noblewoman and certainly not a Dayallan warrior to draw the attention of the townsfolk. In fact, for once, they appeared exactly as they were. Travel-weary folks who, bedecked in heavy cloaks against the Storm Season cold, looked like any other traveler that sought hospitality in one of Bordertown's inns.

Now the entrance to the Dragonstooth was not on the street. It was through the sturdy archway that lead into a small courtyard. It was a not a large courtyard, but one not small either. It was large enough that one could ride a horse in a circle in a comfortable gait. On the far side of the court, there was a pair of large doors. They had been thrown open and from them came the familiar sounds of a large stable. At least three stable hands bustled in and out; if this place was expensive at least the crowns paid for a substantial staff. Being almost midwinters the central court was mostly empty - while patrons could choose to take their drink and meals here, the dark weather drove them indoors.

For Keiko, it did remind her of the better taverns of Trundle. Not the ones visted by her kin and certainly not those who lived in the grim Trundle Alley. But it was a fine descendent of the few taverns that looked out upon the square right before entering the Imperial Keep.

Inside, a set of stairs lead upwards to a gallery that overlooked the courtyard, surrounding it on all four sides. At the top of the stairs was the entrance to the commons hall proper - and it was certainly welcoming. Warm and bright, a fine place to be as dusk crept across the sky.

The main hall of the Dragonstooth matched its reputation. The floors were polished wood, the space divided by fine mortise and tenoned beams. From the rafters hung a great variety of tavern-like things. Nets of fruit and vegetables, polished globes of stained glass; lamps that sparkled like a rainbow. Wagon wheels circumnavigated with pegs from which hung pewter mugs and ceramic steins - some obviously personal and there to be taken by the tavern girls for any patron's use. The stone hearth against the far wall wasn't any stone but honey marble. Across the room was the bar itself. Behind it, heavy barrels and rows of bottles displayed the tavern's primary wares. From somewhere close, perhaps behind the bar or maybe seeping up through the floorboards came the most delicious scents - spiced meats, spiced cider, warm bread, and cinnamon.

On the walls were hung shields, each bearing a different horsemark. They were set in a regular order - but it did appear that within that ordered row one shield was missing. In a place of prominence behind the bar was mounted a gigantic fang. This dull white bone was from no ruff or slink. One could stretch one's arms and still not reach from tip to root.

At the sight of it, Tomomi wrapper her hands around Keiko's arm, very tight.

The tables in the commons were both small and round and simple squares, a collection scattered about the room and easily separated or pushed together to form informal groups. There were no benches, however, there were actual chairs, one per person. The evening patrons were quite a mix, ranging from plump merchants to fierce looking swordsmen, to dark and rugged teamsters.

But mostly, as the group stood on the balcony and looked inside, what set the tone of the night was its entertainment.

A bright and lively song welcomed them all.

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Keiko
[pronounced KAY-ko... do you think the GM has memorized this yet? Nope, not yet...]

Although Tomomi was content to let Hinata leave in a very Rhoni, or even cat-like way, Keiko tugged on his cloak, causing him to pause a moment as she rummaged in her pack.

Then she held out her last two ribbons to him — one red, one black. “A parting gift for a friend who has made me smile,” she said. “If we meet again, it will be a happy day. If this is our goodbye, I will think of you fondly.”

Then the Rhoni lass impulsively hugged the tall Cat Person. “This might be a very fine home for you, Hinata.”

Without a backward glance, she hurried after Lady Bekkah. Such was the Rhoni way.

There were many things to see in Bordertown, and the grandness of the Inn seemed to be at the center of it all.

A honey marble hearthstone? It could only have come from the rubble of the nearby temple, she thought. The room, though... oh, my! How grand and large! Such glorious scents in the air.

She and Tomomi saw the dragon’s tooth at the same time. Keiko didn’t like it any more than her Forever Friend did. Some old dragon was missing a tooth. Hopefully, that particular dragon would continue sleeping peacefully for a very, very long time. She could only imagine how annoyed a waking dragon might be upon waking to discover one — or even more — of its teeth was missing.

“There are no mines near here,” she whispered to Tomomi. “We must bear this reminder of the Old Masters with bravery, ja? Look! Look at the people and listen to the music instead.”

She turned to Lyric. “Do you recognize the song being sung? I don’t. Oh! Do you think it’s a new one?”


"Everything is bad except unicorns." -- Phoebe
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Some of the Patrons in the Dragonstooth Inn

The song was lively indeed. When the group stepped into the commons, they could see the performers — two men with gitars flanking a dark-haired woman who was seated with a small lap harp, and another woman with hair the color of sand standing behind the first. They were a pretty sight, obviously more professional than most musicians. Their ribbon-bedecked tunics were patterned almost identically, primarily in shades of blue and green.

Have you heard the song of that winter’s cruel night
Of the Chaos Riders, of the death and fear
Have you see the stars watching from the Dark Patch
As a testament that Order triumphed there

The men looked similar enough to be brothers, with light brown hair and pale blue eyes. It would be a reasonable conjecture, after observing the group while not performing, that the women were their wives... or girlfriends, at any rate.

Have you heard the news that a Curse was broken
On the rocky hillside beside Bordertown
Starry sword wielded by a Warrior, hair of flames
Aided by the White Ghost
Avatar and Demon were brought down

If asked, any of the locals would have told the newcomers that the song was called Battle of Bordertown. They would reassure the newcomers that, although it recounted recent unpleasant events, and although the raids coming out of Roth were more frequent than they had been prior to last Midwinter, most of the town was quite honored that the foremost minstrel of the Heartwood had written a song about their town. Why, the man had written the incredibly popular Legend of Dall Gwynn — if Talesian of Trundle-on-the-Hill wrote a song about something that happened right outside your town, it was a great honor! And that was the end of the debate.

They had come with strength in midwinter’s darkness
Like a fearsome blizzard on a stormy night
They were courage-blessed like the First Age heroes
Filling somber halls with radiance and with light

It wasn’t often that the Dragonstooth hosted an entire group of musicians; performers and patrons alike were taking advantage of the situation. Well... most of the patrons, anyway.

When the Thing met then to declare a verdict
Every faction voted as they had before
But that night Michael’s Mark sold their swords
To the Korie, so the Thing spoke:
‘We cannot say Nin here anymore’

In the farthest corner of the room, four people sat around one of the smaller rectangular tables. Bekkah and Cesare would, of course, recognize them. Garrick sat nearly sideways and leaned his chair against the wall so he had a view of the entire room. That didn’t keep him from glancing frequently at Camelia Koromov beside him, or she at him. Ah, there was real love between those two!

From the Forest Roth came the Red Scarf Riders
Following their Master on his steed from hell
Cutting down the men fighting for their families
As he rode to stop the breaking of his spell

Camelia had joined the Thing after the fallout of the Dark Mark breaking their Contract with the town to work for the Kories last winter — that alone had shifted the balance of politics and power in the town. It hadn’t been until after Midsummer when word had reached them of the Koromovs’ return to Imperial status, that the shift had become a tilt. For her part, Camelia did try to keep a low profile — or as low a profile as an Imperial possibly could.

In the fields below hard against the town wall
Was the towering demon and the fiendish shouts
Walls were crushed, Krysta gathered Her souls
Demon snared twixt the will of White Ghost
And the Sorcerer that called it out

The other two seats were occupied by a pair of redheads. One of them had claimed the chair across from Camelia, one that would give her a good view of the room as well. However, she was not taking advantage of it at the moment. It would be impossible for Bekkah to not recognize her little sister, even with her head buried in her arms.

At the dark night’s end as Her light was dawning
All the townsfolk gathered, Riders died alone
There were those who knew of the night’s true greatness
But too many hearts were heavy as a stone

Kisa was tucked between Daxia and the wall and had snugged her chair as close to Daxia’s as possible. As close as possible meant that she wasn’t quite as close as might want to be, so as not to impede Dazi’s movement toward either sword or dagger — not that there was any danger of a fight in the common room of the Dragonstooth Inn. That sort of behavior was not acceptable here, as evidenced by the watchful eyes of the Innkeeper and the Jvrillians near the door who were under Contract with the Inn. That was a new development, it would seem.

Have you near the news that a Curse was broken
On the rocky hillside beside Bordertown
Starry sword wielded by a Warrior, hair of flames
Aided by the White Ghost
Avatar and Demon were brought down

No, Kisa had simply known Daxia for nearly two handful of years... had watched her train... knew how Daxia reacted, how she moved. Dazi was Kisa’s dearest friend, which brought another level of understanding. She merely rested a hand lightly on Dazi’s shoulder. It was impossible to tell if Kisa was amused by Dazi’s reaction, but there was no mistaking the fact that the Allaine cared very much for the swordswoman.

Unicorn and rider watched the town

It was Kisa who noticed them, or at least was the first to mention their presence, and waved them over as the song ended.

“Dazi, your sister is here.”

“Don’t lie to me, Kisa,” came the muffled reply. “I’ll ask them to sing The Snowqueen again.”

“She’s not lying, Daxia,” Camelia said after waving hello to Bekkah and Cesare. “And they sing The Snowqueen so well that even Kisa couldn’t be bothered by it.”

“Besides,” Kisa added, ever the pragmatic, “I’m not the Snowqueen, am I? You’ve been telling me that since the Council. You’re being silly, Dazling.”

The Starlord merely turned her head to look at her liege. “She stares at me the whole time she’s singing.”

“Who does?”

“Ruby. The rest of them engage with their audience. She just stands there and watches me. Grinning. She thinks the whole thing is a joke.”

“If I didn’t know better, Yurisdotter,” Garrick interjected, “I’d think you’d had too much to drink. How do you know she’s not looking at Cami and me because we’re members of the Thing?”

She rolled her eyes toward the town militia’s Captain without actually moving her head. “Because I’m the one with the pain in the backside Unicorn?”



[OOC: Battle of Bordertown, 4:22, words by Kelly Naylor, music by John Rutter (Angel’s Carol), Vocaloid arrangement by Kelly Naylor; singers are Vocaloids (v4) Ruby Natural (Soprano aka Ruby), Cyber Diva (Alto aka Cindy, who plays the lap harp), Cyber Strongman (Tenor aka Trevor and Bass aka Terry, both of whom play gitars).]



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Cesare

It is good to be in an inn again, his tongue tingles in anticipation of a good ale as his nose breathes in the scents and his eyes look over the place. Then he recognises the words in the song for what they are and grins. They did a good job that day and he had been glad to be a part of it, even carrying all those rocks ready for the battle.

He catches the movement in the far corner and his grin broadens as he returns the waves.

"You knew she'd be here didn't you?"

It is not an accusation and he looks happy enough with the circumstances.

"Best we go say hello, yes?"

He thinks Bekkah will likely beat him to it anyway.

"Friends of ours."

He says by way of explanation to the others.

"Come we'll introduce you."

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Bekkah

"I had an inkling." she said winking to Cesare. She knew Kisa had seen her, so she could not completely surprise her sister. She turned and rushed down the stairs into the commons. She made her way through the crowd towards the table in the back, her blond hair shining as her hood had fallen back from her head. To many, it would be foolish to rush towards a Dayalan, but in typical Bekkah fashion, she feared nothing. She also knew that even if she startled Dazi, her sister's reactions would let her instantly recognize the person rushing her before she would strike.

She had a big smile on her face as approached the slumped form. If she got close enough before Dazi stirred, she'd throw her arms around her and hug her tightly.

"Hello baby sister. I've missed you."

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Lyric, the struggle is real

She could feel the mixing of emotions as they came closer and closer to the 'massive city' of stone and wood, cut and hewn, buttressed and bent to to will of the crafters who imposed this fortification upon the land in this crossroads of a place. A place she could assume meant they were on the border, betwixt one place and another, where these roads meet, where this Path ended... or rather, where it began. Lyric wanted to explore, and see everything, touch everything. To feel the cold harsh stone and see if there was life from the land within it still. She wanted to wander the trail that would lead them to those ruins, for there was the beginning of the sad story she had felt these past many ... Days? Weeks? Months? The measuring of time was such a thing that was more about the need to have Order and keep one moment from looking like the last moment. Whichever and Whatever. Those moments that came before brought them to a moment Here and Now.

The Path... And no matter how sad the story, no matter how heavy the sorrow and pain, Lyric wanted to feel it through. To know it, understand it, bear what weight of it might still linger. It was her way. To know a story was to 'live it' in whatever way they story allowed her to do so.

In many ways, it was how Lyric viewed life in general, to 'live it' meant that she be a part of it, accepting it and the world around her and finding her place in it... not cutting and breaking and hammering the world into some shape that simply served a function. The Minstrel wanted to take her boots off and feel the Land beneath her feet, and let her feet feel the Land. To live with something was different than living upon it.

The mixing of emotions, remember? Ja. This was not her land. These were not her people. Even less her people than her time in Wave Riders Reach, and so much lesser than those of Home, wherein Lyric felt a kind of comfort and peace that eased her tired spirit and renewed her. No this Bordertown was harsh and cold, and it deepened her trepidation. It added to the grit in the energy that she felt when she was near natural things. She knew she would have to be wary in this place. There were just so many people. Maybe too many. Lyric would have to breathe deeply and take her time to let all of this become the Way Things Are.

Forward they travelled, closer and closer. The Order of the line at the Gate, the exchange of coin for the promise of security within the walls (at least this was the goods and services transaction Lyric believed was taking place, and then the Chaos within the walls of the 'massive city' itself came as quite a shock to her. She could appreciate it to some extent, but there were just TOO MANY people, TOO CLOSE to each other all the time. Lyric's eyes were constantly darting back and forth, and scanning the harsh angular structures, trying to see everyone and everything. But it was as if even their chaotic actions still had an underlying Order of the individual. Maybe all life did... Even in her own village. It was a bit of perspective though and maybe she learned something seeing so much of it all at once.

She had made offer of her few meager coins, if it helped them all get inside. She really didn't 'know' how much she had since her coins were given to her upon her exile. It wasn't much but she had few needs that required coins. Well, until now it seemed.

Lyric opted to shuffle along, almost on the balls of her feet with the soles of boots scuffing the cobbled stone road. It gave her an odd gait, but it also kept her tightly tucked behind and between Keiko and Tomomi. Maybe that felt safe and secure. The Minstrel did draw her hood back up once they had come close to the gate entrance and she kept it that way on the street within the walls.

Bekkah and Cesare seemed to have direct experience with this town. Maybe Keiko as well, or just through he people's travels, or even from other places like this one... but whichever it was Keiko seemed content to follow. Hinata ranged about them as though he were taking it all in, facing it all and then moving across them to see all he could see on the other side of them.

When the Cat made notice that he would seek his own path, Lyric remained quiet as he stated his intentions, and while Keiko moved to him to say a few words, possibly in parting, Lyric slipped around to say her own words once he turned back around to head for this 'guild' building.

"To each of us there is a Path we must walk," Lyric said quietly from the depths of her hooded cloak. "It is this 'Journey' we take to discover where the Path might be found that teaches us who we are. I remind you of the Path you have already walked. That Mouse and the Rhoni Girl found the courage to free you from a terrible place. They believed in you. The Lady of Home believed in you. Remember the Rules. They not only protect you, but they also protect Tomomi, and all of the Forest Folk still at Home."

Maybe these were were something of the truer, wiser, sager part of Lyric, or maybe it was the fact that she was part of the Pack, and even far from Home, the Pack had a duty to those in its company.

"Lady sent you to see the greater world and to learn, but she also sent you to watch over Tomomi while she did the same. But you know this. You remember this. So be careful in the decisions you make because they might affect more than just yourself. This place is not a field and a forest and a race and a chase with Ruffs on your heels. Aye?"

She then hugged him as well and whispered her final words in that embrace.

"Thank you for the time you have journeyed with us. Among my people, we do not say "Good Bye. Life is such that we are always certain we will see one another again. We wish each other a 'Good Journey'... So, 'Hyvala Makaa' Hinata cat. You are always welcome to walk along with me and share my journey."

*****

Lyric moved to the edge of the gallery, shifting her hood slightly back to reveal her face and to allow herself a better advantage to hear the music. This setting was more formal than a 'session', but it wasn't quite an 'ajuhla' either, though maybe it could be. There looked to be room for dancing, if a few tables were moved. And there were enough people, but it didn't seem the kind of place for such a thing given there were other taverns in this town... so this might not be the center of all social activity among the clans or factions. Or maybe it was such a place. Maybe it was the most prominent of places and all those of importance came to this place above any other.

And there was this thought, they had arrived in Bordertown at Midwinter. That alone was worthy of a question or two for Keiko, but for now Lyric accepted that it might be a chance to see a festival perhaps. Yes, a real festival.

Lyric stood there, hands upon the banister rail but leaning slightly forward. There was music and she could smell the 'sin o man' in the air and she remembered her first taste of that bread.

The waifish Minstrel seemed lost in a state of rapture, her head tilting left and then right, sometimes twisting slightly to favor one ear or the other, but never taking her eyes of the ensemble of musicians who held court on the lower floor of this common room. This was their common hall so long as they held their audience in captive thrall. Lyric listened to the song, it's music, melody, harmony, the voices in part and in total. The meter and rhythm... the Order of it, but also the playful Chaos as well. She listened to the story. No one else down there in the common room was of importance or relevance.

All of that considered though, Lyric had to believe that these musicians were here to entertain and were in the hire of those who owned this tavern. Lyric understood this well. She was grateful that she kept the mandola wrapped and out of sight, beneath the cloak. She could feel the bowl of it at the small of her back. It would be rude to come bearing an instrument openly into a tavern where someone else was playing for coin or board.

"No," she replied with a small shake of her head, which was exaggerated by the cowled hood resting back a bit from her wide eyed face.

"I have not heard this song before..." Her eyes never wavered from what she watched. She tilted her head again and even mouthed the chorus before speaking sidelong to Keiko again.

"It might be new. But many songs are new to me..."

Lyric shrugged, "So probably I don't know."

She heard Cesare's voice, saying something about knowing people below in the crowd.

But... But, this was such a good place to see and hear everything.

Lyric glanced sidelong to Keiko and Tomomi. The spell had been broken and the anxiety she had staved us thus far was starting to take over. There were so many people, different people. Yes, she had been sent to learn and experience new things. This was going to be new to her. That much was a certainty. She tried to remember her own advice, any of it, right now.

"...introduce us?"

She looked helplessly to Keiko and Tomomi. Bekkah was already bounding down the stairs to the lower level with Cesare beckoning them to follow along.

While every moment was a chance to make a mistake, she also knew that she couldn't succeed if she didn't accept the risk and try. New friends? Yes, that was the way to see this. The friends she had would help her. New places, new experiences, new friends... find a song to save her people.

She followed after the Priestess and the Rhoni boy.






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Daxia Yurisdotter... Kisa Allaine, Camelia Koromov, and Garrick of Bordertown

Only a crazy person would try to run across the common room. And yet, Daxia heard footsteps doing just that. And not just any footsteps — very familiar footsteps.

She grinned at Kisa. “You weren’t lying!”

The Dayalan was standing even as she turned her head to see her sister rushing toward her, and she had to make a concerted effort to remember that she was a Starlord Priestess of Dayala, the Knight of Dawnview Castle, and the Lord Protector of Her Noble Personage Kisa Allaine. She should probably at least try to be a little dignified. But nothing could stop her from lifting Bekkah off her feet in a hug and twirling her around once before setting her down again.

“Oh, Bekkah! It’s so good to see you! I’ve missed you too. That rapscallion didn’t know when you’d arrive, and I’m glad to see it’s in time for the Festival. Hi, Cesare,” she said as she finally released Bekkah... although she did keep an arm around her sister’s shoulders. “You’ve made new friends! That’s so like you, Bekkah. And stop giggling, Kisa. Yes, Bekkah! Kisa has begun to giggle! Oh, ja, da... it’s a rare enough event still, but you can see that she smiles a lot more.” She bent her head so she could rest her cheek against Bekkah’s hair for a moment. “I think she has a very pretty smile and she blushes when I tell her that, which means she believes me.”

Daxia looked back at the entry for a moment. “Are Kadri and Mikal with you, too? It would be good to see them again.” She finally let go of Bekkah and gestured to the newcomers and those at the table as well.

“Come, sit, sit! Make room for them, Garrick. Grab another chair from over there.”

Garrick stood up and laughed. “It’s good to see something can cheer you up, Yurisdotter. But you know damn well it’s time for me to make my rounds.” He touched his companion’s shoulder. “Feel free to stay with the crazy woman, Cami.”

She smiled up at him. “Bekkah is here. Sisters have a calming influence on most people. Not mine, of course, but Daxia’s does.” She turned to watch him walk away, but then her eyes fell on the newcomers, and she froze. She paled considerably before grabbing her cloak and standing up.

“Kisa... Daxia... I’m sorry,” she said, looking at her friends, “I have to go. Sorry, Bekkah... Cesare...”

“Well, that’s—” Daxia began as she stared after Camelia.

“Daxia.” Kisa’s voice was hardly above a whisper, but it held a tone that definitely implied You should know better than to think that was peculiar.

The Starlord looked at the three people who had arrived with Bekkah and Cesare.

“Oh. You’re right,” she said to Kisa as the young woman with midnight black hair...

“It does make sense.”

...and a red blaze in a shade Dazi had never seen except in flowers or fabrics...

“I hope she’ll be okay.”

...and violet eyes turned to watch the Imperial lass walk away, following Garrick.

“I think so,” Kisa said, “Give her time, Dazi.”

Daxia nodded.

“Well, the rest of you sit down,” she said cheerfully. “Tell me about your travels! Nope, you first, Bekkah. I’m sure your story will be much more interesting than mine.” She patted her sister on the back. “After all, *I* haven’t performed any miracles lately. And despite what half the Tarn seems to think, breaking a curse is old news.”

She pointed to the chair Garrick had vacated...

“Cesare, come on, sit, sit! I know you’ve built up a thirst, da? Lori will be by in a moment.”

...then to the other chairs that she’d pulled around the table...

“Friends of my sister, do come join us.”

...and finally patted the chair she’d pulled up beside her.

“Right here, Bekkah. Hopefully, no foes will need to be vanquished quickly. I will either have to knock you right off your chair or climb over the table.” She winked at her sister. “Neither will put me in good standing with the locals — causing a ruckus in the Dragonstooth? Bowling over a Lady of Attera?” Daxia laughed. “I don’t think they’ll find it an acceptable excuse that you’re my sister. Did you get the letters I sent you? Is Dominic’s little keep as magnificent as he claims it to be? Introduce your friends around and then tell me how you met them all!”

“Dazi?”

She turned to the other redhead. “Yes, Kisa?”

“I believe you have said more since your sister arrived than you have all week. Save some air for the rest of us, da?”

Daxia sighed. “Da, Kisa. As you wish, Kisa. By your command, my liege.” She chuckled when Kisa rolled her eyes.

“Although if I take all the air,” she murmured, “they can’t sing that infernal song again.”


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Keiko
[pronounced KAY-ko... do you think the GM has memorized this yet? Nope, not yet...]

She blinked in surprise as Lady Bekkah practically bounded across the room like a hart and accosted the redhead. That had a sword hanging from her hip.

THAT was Lady Bekkah’s sister?? She didn’t look fierce or intimidating or, well, anything like Keiko imagined a warrior would be! She had thought it had just been Lady Bekkah’s love that caused her describe Lady Daxia in the way she had.

Well. This was certainly an interesting wave!

The Rhoni lass reached out and slipped her hand into Friend Lyric’s as she wrapped her other arm around Tomomi.

“I like new songs. We can learn it together, Lyric.” She smiled at the minstrel. “I’ve only ever heard the stories about Bordertown. Experiencing it for myself is...” She chuckled. “There are a lot of people here. I think I expected that, except I’m not sure I really did... if that makes any sense. I should have, of course. I believe there are fewer people here than Trundle. Surely, there must be!

“Maybe if we start with just a few people — just Lady Bekkah’s and Cesare’s friends — it won’t be as overwhelming for you and Tomomi.”

She kept up her cheerful chattering until they arrived at the table, knowing that it would help ease Tomomi’s nervousness... hoping that it would make this new experience easier for Lyric. There, it appeared that Lady Bekkah and the swordswoman were enthusiastically greeting one another.

Although she studied the other three people at the table, she waited for Lady Bekkah or Cesare to make their introductions. However, it didn’t appear introductions would be coming very quickly, given the whirlwind display of the sisters... well, mostly Lady Daxia.

It wasn’t quite Chaos, it wasn’t perfect Order...

However, when the blonde woman hurried off after the only man at the table, Keiko stared after her in surprise.

What was that all about?

Then she turned and peered at the redheads as they seemed to have a conversation that could only be understood by the two of them. She narrowed her eyes at them, watching them suspiciously as Lady Bekkah’s sister urged them to be seated. And then talked even more than Keiko herself did. And made sure — again! — that they knew they should be seated.

And then the swordswoman teased not only the Lady Bekkah but a High Noble Person, as well.

Keiko glanced at Lyric and shrugged as she felt a gentle tug on her arm.

“She’s very different from Verchovai Kassia, isn’t she?” Tomomi whispered when Keiko bent down.

“Ja,” Keiko agreed. She wondered if this whirlwind Dayalan actually comprehended the nature of her Lady and understood that, like her sister, she embodied the essence of the Goddess she served. Well, no matter. Her role here was to be a friend to Lyric and Tomomi, to help them learn the ways of being among many people. She pushed aside the chairs and pulled over a short bench — just the right size for three young women who were not very big — and sat down.

“Sit by me here, Friend Lyric,” she said, patting the bench so that she was across from the serene Lady of Attera.

Tomomi climbed up on her other side, to sit between her and Cesare. With her cowl up as it was, Keiko had to imagine the shy smile of her friend as she looked around as best she could. Her small hand reached out to take Keiko’s.

Keiko looked over Tomomi’s head at her kinsman and smiled nervously before looking at Lady Bekkah.

The correct and polite manner of introductions should begin with the Lady of Attera. She was the highest ranking among them — Keiko was reasonably confident of that.


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Cesare

He is grinning as he follows Bekkah, catching her excitement. And arrives in time to catch some of the chatter, though his smile fades momentarily as he sees Cami move away abruptly.

**What was all that about?**

But it returns as Daxia makes him welcome. He takes the seat indicated, nodding as she says that someone will be along to take orders. A good ale really helps to wash down the travel dust.

Never one to stand on ceremony, he makes the introductions.

"Daxia, Kisa.. may I introduce our new friends? This is Tomomi, Keiko and Lyric. And yes we have some catching up to do.."

A shadow crosses his face for a moment.

"But maybe after an ale..?"

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Bekkah

She hugged Dazi fiercely, taking her time to let go.

"I was hoping you'd still be here. I know you said you would in your letters, but all it would take would be a village or town in trouble and you'd be gone." she said smiling.

She gave Kisa a bow and smiled.

"Lady Allaine, good to see you again."

She watched as the one called Cami suddenly departed as if she'd seen a ghost, but her attention was brought back to her sister in a flash.

"Me, I have little news, but these people and many others have a wonderful tale of righting a great wrong and rescuing many. A tale as wondrous as breaking a curse I would say."

She was about to introduce the others but Cesare did it for her.

"Friends, my sister Dazi. Sorry Dayalan Knight Daxia if we're to be proper, but she'd think I'd lost my mind if I called her anything but Dazi, my baby sister."

She sat and like her sister encouraged others to sit as well.

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Keiko
[pronounced KAY-ko... do you think the GM has memorized this yet? Nope, not yet...]

Keiko immediately saw the wave Cesare rode in his reluctance to speak of his missing friends. Allow the joy to crest, then will come the time to talk of more solemn matters. There was no need for this wave to crash hard against the rocks. It merely needed to arrive there.

On the other hand, Lady Bekkah seemed not so much to be riding a wave but basking in the sunshine on a beach.

So she glanced at Cesare, not even trying to hide her teasing grin as she winked.

Verchovai Daxia Yurisdotter,” Keiko said for the benefit of Lyric and Tomomi, “As Lady Bekkah has so kindly pointed out — as it would be difficult to tell from their dissimilar appearances — they are sisters! And even their greeting would not be evidence enough, for I have seen your littlest kin, Tomomi, greeting both Broke and the Young Master just as enthusiastically.” She chuckled. “And indeed, she would be a knight just as Verchovai Kassia is — and as our friend Broke might be one day.”

This time she looked right at Cesare and grinned, before tipping her chin toward the redhead tucked in the corner. “Dama Kisa Allaine, the Heir of Allaine, the Noble Family of Dawnview Vale. It is well-known that she is quite clever.”

The Heir had an expression that could rightfully be called No Expression. Keiko had heard the stories about the Allaines — this was fascinating! The fact that the Dayalan seemed almost exasperated — but was hiding it much better than most would — prompted Keiko to prop her elbows on the table, rest her chin in her palms, and just watch Kisa.

The Rhoni was vaguely aware that Lady Daxia was talking to Lady Bekkah and her friends. Keiko needed to memorize every aspect of the Heir as she demonstrated her talent of reading patterns.


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Daxia Yurisdotter and Kisa Allaine

“Bekkah!” She shook her head but smiled fondly at her sister, and then she sighed. “I can never tell which of us dislikes it more, this getting credit for the good things we’ve done. I suppose it depends on who’s been doing the most good things, da?”

Dazi looked at Cesare and smiled as his friend Keiko performed full introductions, although she raised an eyebrow when the girl mention both Kassia and Broke. She was fairly certain that the Young Master would be that scamp, Dominic. It was good to see that he was held in high esteem by his people — as well as random Rhoni, it would appear.

But then the introductions set Kisa off. She recognized that look... the Court Demeanor of the Heir.

“Bekkah...” she said, pointing to the youngster who was staring at Kisa, “where in the world did you find this one? She’s broken the Heir. Do you know how long it takes to get her to stop reaching for her tiles? They’re all up in our room — at least as far as I know — and she’d have to crawl over or under the table, which she isn’t going to do in this state.”

She grinned at her sister and then glanced at Kisa.

“Oh, well.” She shrugged. “Mistress Tomomi, Mistress Lyric... it’s nice to meet you.” She looked at the petite person between Keiko and Cesare. “Mistress Tomomi, you have a name that sounds very much like a Rhoni name yet I suspect you are related to Lady Emerald. I’m sure that must be a fine story. When your friend and my liege return to the conversation, perhaps you’ll share it.”

Then the Dayalan fixed her bright blue eyes on the final member of the party. “Mistress Lyric, I do so hope your name conveys some measure of who you are. A singer, a musician of some sort? It’s a name I’ve never heard before, and I find that so very interesting. Now... while I find it interesting and will be happy to hear any story you wish to tell, I should warn you against visiting the Lord Random.”

She gestured in the direction of the tower atop the old Temple.

“He has an obsession with names. He may even go as far as insisting that your name cannot possibly be your name. He did that to me.” She grinned and shrugged. “He’s a bit dotty and confused, I think.”

She looked once more at the Rhoni, who was still watching the Heir, who was still trying to Figure Things Out. Rolling her eyes, she nudged Bekkah with her shoulder.

“My sister is quite correct. Daxia or Dazi is just fine. Cesare can vouch for my disinterest in formality unless it’s necessary. Alas and alack, sometimes it’s necessary... although if Bekkah ever finds the need to be formal, well, I would indeed fear for her sanity.”

She giggled as she waved to the serving girl, who barely looked to be in her teens.

“Ruby would like to know if it will be as much fun to tease you now that you have so many more friends with you,” Lori asked with a gap-toothed grin.

“Oh, is that what they’re doing?” Daxia asked. “Tell Ruby — again — that I will sit on her and whichever one of those lads she’s married to. Or I’ll get up there and sing the Dayalan version of Jeminy’s Hill! Ha! That will send them running! I don’t always land those high notes very well.”

Lori laughed. “I don’t think they’d care, Mistress Daxia, and Ruby is married to Trevor. Now, what can I get for all of you?”

“My parched friend at the end of the table will have a tall mug of ale,” she said, winking at Cesare. Then she looked at Kisa’s mug and shook her head, then looked at the Rhoni lass and sighed. How long was this going to go on?

“If you like cider,” she said to Tomomi and Lyric, “they put a bit more cinnamon in theirs than most places. Personally, I think it’s wonderful! But it surprises some folks.” Then she smiled. “I believe I have enough pennies to buy a drink for everyone.”

Lori snorted. “I’m sure you do, Miss Dazi. And if you don’t, you’ll just pick through Dama Kisa’s pouch again.”

Daxia sighed dramatically. “I’m that transparent, am I? Well, it’s a good thing I decided to take up the sword, for I’d starve to death as a thief.”

“Or someone else with a sword would run you right through,” Lori said cheerfully.

“Have I mentioned today that you’re a gruesome child? No? Consider it mentioned.”

“Yes, ma’am! Would the rest of you like cider? Or ale? Beer, kavass?”


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Lyric, the reluctant Minstrel

Lyric had stared at the seating accommodations for a moment of time, maybe a minute. Whichever. It was one of them and it really didn't serve her any use as a point to ponder now, save that it further distracted her from the true task at hand and the surrounding conversation about titles and introductions and such.

The latter was something she really should have been paying attention to more carefully and might have been able to except for the trouble she was having with the former. Lyric twisted around to try to arrange the hidden mandola about herself so that she might find a way to sit in a tavern chair that had a back... and not have to sit on the edge. She didn't dare reveal the instrument though because that would be bad form. The tavern already had performers who were working hard to earn their wage and entertain the crowd, and the patrons should not be distracted from that effort. These performers were good and they shouldn't have to feel there was competition.

So, she twisted and pulled to get the instrument to her side, and turned the other way to figure the best way to sit and still look inconspicuous. But failing through the effort itself obviously. It was only then that Lyric noticed the Keiko had drawn a bench across the floor a short distance to allow for the three of them to sit close together. That warranted another sigh. She knew she was not doing very well at this whole meeting 'friends and family' thing.

Lyric moved to stand alongside the open end of the bench, trying to decide if she should straddle it or sit this way or that. She heard the quiet words of Keiko who was acting as a guide for her and Tomomi, but she couldn't focus on themt because she had gotten her tartan cloak twisted a bit and off kilter from her shoulders. She was now at risk of actually getting the cloak turned fully around and not moving the instrument at all.

She chuffed in mild frustration and Keiko would have noticed this except her own sense of 'reckless' curiosity brought her to staring at the noble companion of Bekkah's sister... Dazzle... or something... Daxana... No.... and she sighed, chuffed again, and just gave up. She surrendered it all to sit awkwardly on the bench's edge and tried to straighten her cloak from a seated position.

She had a question for Keiko, but it would have to wait until a more private moment to ask.

With wide eyes, and the fervent hope that no one noticed her 'fight' with her own garments, she tried to focus on Daxia. But her words were quick and hard to follow. But the woman's attention turned to her...

Miss-tress?

Another question for Keiko.

It was a formality, no doubt. Not quite a title... which was good since she was exiled from her own homeland and the only one she might offer on her own behalf would simply raise more questions than answer. So Miss-tress it was.

Lyric nodded politely, "I am honored to meet you, Sister of the Priestess of Aterra."

"This random Lord would be correct," she replied, careful to use the words that were spoken to her in her reply. "It is not my name... well, not exactly." Lyric paused and thought for a moment about how to describe this better. "It is.... how my name sounds. I like it, so it is my name now."

Lyric glanced at Keiko and shrugged. "Truth. But it never came up and no one ever asked before."

Concerning the willingness to listen to a story? Lyric nodded, but demurred with a glance to those on stage. "I am grateful you would listen. But, perhaps at a time when others are not plying their trade and craft. That would be the right thing to do."

Daxia called over the serving girl and offered them all drink on her coin. Lyric considered stating that she wasn't thirsty, but that might come across as rude. It was an act of hospitality and such a thing as that was not to be turned away lightly. It all became a moot pondering though when she heard the magic word. The Minstrel's eyes lit up and and she smiled and nodded. "Ja, please.... sinn-o-mahn in the cider. Danks." Some of those words just sounded very odd and unfamiliar coming off of her tongue.

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Daxia Yurisdotter and Kisa Allaine

From Daxia’s smile, one might have thought Lyric had given her a festival gift with her few words. She waited for Lori to get Tomomi’s whispered order and then watched the youngster head back to the kitchen before she spoke.

“You see, Bekkah! All is right with the world, and your lovely friend Lyric recognizes it — I am but a sword in your much more prominent shadow. ‘Sister of the Priestess of Attera.’ I believe I might just add that to the string of nonsense people keep adding to my name. Romana will be so proud of me.” She chuckled. “I forgot to ask her to translate all the various additions to my name into her language, but I’m quite sure I’d find her explanation of just how rude it all is to be delightful.”

She leaned back in her seat and regarded Lyric.

“Your name is not exactly your name, but that is how it sounds. It has the makings of a riddle there, you know.” She paused for a moment, and continued more slowly and thoughtfully. “Hmm. It’s likely less confounding that Kisa’s riddles. The best answer is that you grew up somewhere Colonial was not spoken. And in your language, your name is said in a different way? Or perhaps the meaning of your name is Lyric in Colonial? You have an accent, a way of saying things that is different from anyone else I’ve heard.” The Dayalan nodded. “Well, the important thing, of course, is that you are happy with your name! Does it help to understand if I speak more slowly like this?”

It wasn’t quite a drastic change in the redhead’s speech patterns, but it was unquestionably noticeable... more deliberate, excellent enunciation. It was, as Bekkah and Cesare would know, the proper way she was taught to speak in Court.

“I usually do. I’m just excited to see Bekkah again.

“And I will try to not speak with the Jambles accent.” She glanced sideways at Kisa. “I’ve been told it’s... difficult to understand.” She shrugged. “Darian always understood me,” she mumbled.

“I understand you, too, Dazi,” Kisa said.

Daxia raised an eyebrow at the Heir. “Ah, you’re back. Were you trying to see all the way back to the beginning of time and a fullhand of generations into the future?” she asked just a little sarcastically. Not too much.

Kisa merely smiled enigmatically. “No.”

“Uh huh.”

The Dayalan looked once again at Lyric, noting that the Rhoni had also become re-engaged with the goings on at the table. “I hope Bekkah and Cesare have made it clear that we don’t mind where our friends have come from. Friends are friends are friends, to paraphrase a friend from a faraway place one does not mention.”

Daxia leaned forward and spoke only loud enough for those at the table to hear her.

“We met a Broke — I don’t doubt she was the very one this one mentioned,” she said, pointing to Keiko. “Now, she was a different sort of...” She reached over and poked Bekkah. “She wasn’t a Person exactly, not then. But she must be a Person now if Kassia is interested in her.

“And Bekkah had something to do with it because we felt it all the way out at whichever inn we were leaving that morning.

“This one,” she said, tilting her head toward Kisa, “says Broke is an ally. That is how she thinks — as a leader of a Noble Family. I would just say Broke is a...” She paused and shook her head quickly. “No, no, no... I would have said she is a friend in the making, but Kassia is involved. That makes Broke my Temple Sister, a sister in arms.”

She sat back again and glanced at Kisa. “Did you factor that into... Oh, why do I even ask? Of course, you did.”

But she smiled at her sister’s new friends. “It implies obligations and responsibilities even more significant than those between friends or allies.

“But it is festival time! I should not be so serious!” Daxia chuckled.

“I see that you are unaccustomed to entertainment in taverns, Mistress Lyric. They perform with the hope that patrons will listen and appreciate their efforts. But as you can see...” She looked around the room. “...the important matters of dinner and conversation do not always stop. It’s normal.”

Daxia glanced at Lyric’s side and raised an eyebrow. “I glimpsed an instrument you are trying so very hard to hide. You needn’t fear that anyone here at the Dragonstooth would steal it from you — not even if it’s quite valuable. Oh, I suppose if you had one of those... hmm... fiddle things? Well, folks might be interested in seeing it and hearing you play it, for they’re rare. But I think you do not have one of those, for I’m told they must be carried about with great care, in a hardened leather case.

“So I hope you would feel comfortable enough to relax. It is difficult to truly enjoy spiced cider when one is tangled up in their cloak like that, lass.”

Then she nudged Bekkah again. “Oh! Remind me to share with you later the message I have from Finn.”

Her eyes sparkled with mischief as she looked at her sister.


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Lyric, a soul of wit and banter

"A Sword in the Shadow," mused the Minstrel to Keiko and Tomomi, although she did speak just loudly enough for others to hear whilst Daxia teased her own sister. "It sounds like a fine title for a song. Perhaps in the right time, when a moment of 'What Will Come' is finally the 'Here and Now', the right words will come to me."

And the Dayalan warrior fixed her attention on Lyric again. Yes, there was little doubt she trying to solve the riddle of the enigma that was Lyric.

"I speak this language well enough, I sing it better. It just flows easier for me that way, but Yes. Slowing down helps, and accents trouble me... I sometimes have to translate things in my thoughts when words escape me. But All of it is important to me and I will learn. And I am sure that my accent and the way I speak intrigues you as well."

Lyric cocked her head a little, bringing more light to the fullness of her features that she kept partially concealed by her hood. Her eyes were blue, deeply blue, a blue that seemed to draw the ambient light in and reflect it back in azure. What she heard was Daxia, or was it Dazi... The Swordswoman also had many names it seemed. But that was a digression and Lyric couldn't afford too many of them in this place. For one this place was fun and there was much to see and hear and smell, and soon to taste, and for two, it could be dangerous... and yet again she was wandering along a path in her imagination. What she wanted to focus on was the mention of the Allaine Heir and how Daxia asked her if she was 'seeing' back to the beginning of time or into the future. It was a curious question to ask anyone. An intriguing one, because no matter how teasing or playful it might have been, it hinted at something more.

But the conversation moved quickly on to other things.

"...a friend from a faraway place... that one does not mention," she responded as she pondered the statement structure, eyes narrowing, thoughts churning, brow knitted, staring at the table in front of her. She looked up at the swordswoman, "But... you just mentioned it. I do not understand. Forgive me that."

***

The talk of Broke... Lyric felt a small hint of defensiveness stir at how Daxia described her understanding of the Guardian. She glanced at Tomomi, trying to read the Mouse's reaction despite being well hidden in her own cloak.

"Forgive me again. I do not want to be rude in my interruptions. Broke is Broke is Broke," Lyric said using the form of a phrase the Keiko had taught her. It should be noted that her words and tone carried less whimsy than before, and those that knew her could recognize that more serious side of her personality showing itself.

"She is many things, and many things she is not. But she was always a Person. Regardless if a Person was crafted by powers of Order and Chaos, or by the evil hands of Dwarves, She and her kin are Persons... People. They were People then and are People now. The difference you speak of sensing is that she now has a soul. A Gift from a Goddess. And Yes, Broke is an Ally, or could be to those who she deems worthy. And I too understand 'obligations more significant'."

"I am her pack-mate... But that is another story altogether."

And then the moment of seriousness was gone, as quickly as it came. Lyric tugged again at the clasp to twist it around one more time to finally right it about herself. The mercurial Lyric was in charge again and she laughed at her ability to best the heavy cloak, or was it the effort it took against something that did what cloaks do, wrap and conceal.

"A festival?" She was as bright and excited as a preteen child might be at hearing this news.

"Oh, I am not bothered by the tavern entertainment. I have been in music halls and other such places, since I was very young. But I must admit this one is different. It is big and everyone is close together. Many people in here. That is different for me. And No, I don't worry that anyone would steal anything. Such a thought wouldn't cross my mind. Even now, I find it strange to think that someone might want to take something they probably can't use from someone else. No, theft is not it, Miss-tress Dama Warrior Daxia. I worry that my presence and the revelation that I carry an instrument would reveal me to be a Minstrel in a place where other musicians and performers are already engaged to play. To me, that would be rude. This is their hall, their evening. I am a patron, a guest, here to enjoy, not to take up anyone's attention."

"Am I making sense. Sometimes I say things that don't... Just ask Friend Keiko."


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Keiko
[pronounced KAY-ko... do you think the GM has memorized this yet? Nope, not yet...]

She didn’t pay much attention to anything other than the Allaine as Friend Lyric spoke with the Dayalan. She didn’t even pause her observations when the serving girl asked about beverages, trusting Tomomi to know how very much she liked cider.

They see everything...

Well, if not moving in the slightest and appearing to observe everything around her without actually looking at anything was what that part of the Lore meant, then the Allaine was doing just that.

...and they evaluate everything.

The redhead did have that enigmatic look that the oldest of the Grandmothers showed when they were, well, being wise old Grandmothers. Or when the best of the Card Readers were asking the most difficult questions. It was when she blinked, however, and looked right at Keiko, merely giving the impression of smiling, that the Rhoni came closer to understanding the Lore about the Allaines. She certainly didn’t comprehend everything there was to know, however.

It was somewhat disappointing, of course, for she had no new Lore to pass to the Caravans. On the other hand, she was supposed to be avoiding the Caravans, so maybe it was a good thing?

Reader and Reader of Pattern and Card
Together will simplify that which is hard


But she did have questions, so many of them. None of them were well-formed, though. It would take time to decipher the Reader Riddle — to find the correct questions and ask them in the best way. Ah, but that was a wave to ride later!

Lady Bekkah’s sister gave out so much information that it was hard for Keiko to know what to ask first — or even what would be appropriate to discuss further. She had to assume that Lady Daxia was willing to share more information, or she would have said nothing at all. Yet she hinted at things rather than coming right out and saying them.

She smiled and nodded to Lyric... A Sword in the Shadow could prove to be a most intriguing song. But this too, as Lyric pointed out, was a wave to be ridden later.

“Oh, I believe she means that her friend is from somewhere I have spoken of, where only the Caravans travel. Folks west and south of Trundle do not like to hear the name of that place,” Keiko whispered to Lyric. “It is speaking of something without saying its True Name — it is what most people will do when mentioning anything of the East.”

Keiko had a somewhat better understanding of what the Dayalan meant about Broke, but since she did not know the woman’s mind, it was not her place to explain what she might mean. But the Dayalan’s words did make her wonder about other things.

If she and the Allaine had met Broke, well, it could only have been when Broke went to the Big Village. That had been right before Lady Bekkah and her friends had arrived at Waverider’s Watch and before Lyric and Squire Pietro had come. And yes, that had definitely been before Lady Bekkah had performed the miracle of bestowing Attera’s Mercy on the Forest Folk and giving them souls.

Keiko glanced over at Tomomi; that had been a good day, but for the two of them it was not quite as momentous as the day Keiko had saved Tomomi from being Lost in her Homesickness.

But Broke was now... the Rhoni’s brows furrowed slightly as she worked out the significance of the relationships between Broke and the Allaine, between Broke and the Dayalan. It was almost like puzzling through one of Renyard’s questions — and Renyard wasn’t even here!

She did miss him, perhaps even more than the other Forest Folk.

If Broke was an ally to the Allaine, it meant the Pack was an ally. Perhaps it even implied that all of the Forest Folk were allies of the Allaine, for they were One Family.

But Broke alone was a sword-mate to the Dayalan, for only they both served the Lady Sun.

That made sense, as far as it went.

Then her eyebrow twitched as another thought occurred to her.

Was the Dayalan the representative of the Allaine out in the greater world when the Allaine remained in Dawnview Vale? If so, how could one person serve both a Family and a Deity? What happened when the dictates of one conflicted with the wishes of the other? Oh, now that would be an interesting lesson to learn.


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Daxia Yurisdotter and Kisa Allaine

“You are wise, Mistress Lyric, and there is nothing to forgive,” Daxia said earnestly as she rested her arms on the table. “It is exactly that thing we call a soul that I saw Broke lacked when Kisa and I met her. Both Order and Chaos can bestow such a gift, but these Dwarves of which you speak could not.”

She shook her head slowly.

“One hears stories as one travels that there are abominations in the Forest known now as Dirkwood. I have met the Person Broke, who is my Sister, and would have deemed the evil to be those who created Persons without Souls, not the Persons themselves.

“So, yes... Keiko is right. Broke is Broke is Broke.”

The warrior grinned.

“That’s something Romana would say... Romana is Romana is Romana. And I think it was good that my kind and generous and gentle sister who serves the Lady of Mercy was there and not me. I fear I would have been quite angry at those who created such...” She seemed to search for just the right word to describe what little she knew of Broke and her people. “Perhaps there is no word in Colonial to describe what they did. Despite what little I have understood of the Fates Cesare has mentioned and the waves one should ride that Camelia and even Captain Koromov speak of...”

Daxia shrugged and looked at the young Rhoni. “I would be honored to learn more of your ways, what little you are allowed to say, of course. Camelia is hesitant to speak of her mother’s family and teachings.”

She looked sadly toward the doorway through which Garrick and Camelia had exited and sighed softly before bringing her piercing blue eyes back to the Rhoni.

“You remind her of her mother, lass. It’s the violet eyes, I suspect. Very rare among your people I understand.”


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Keiko
[pronounced KAY-ko... do you think the GM has memorized this yet? Nope, not yet...]

Keiko broke from her reverie when the Dayalan addressed her. She was startled at her own surprise regarding the girl who had fled.

“Oh. Well, there is very little that should astound anyone when it comes to Madoka kha’Ayanna kha’Kame kha’Chikato khal’Homura Akemi.” She shrugged. “Although perhaps the truth of that statement is something only a Rhoni can understand.”

What she didn’t say was that it was likely only the Grandparents and Card Readers who could appreciate the apparent Chaos that seemed to surround the Rhoni Who Had Married a Gaija. The Homura Family was known to have some of the very best Waveriders — those who rode the waves with such skill that it appeared they slid through the waves themselves. Keiko had always seen it as skipping and dancing from wave to wave, but the effect was the same.

“I would be happy to share what I can about my people if you will, in exchange, share what you can about yours.” Keiko did not elaborate on the meaning of that — did she mean Dayalans or the Allaines?

Dama Kisa chuckled. “You walked into that trap, Dazi.”

“I did not! A fair exchange of information is, well, fair.”

Oh, but then the topic turned to the Festival, and what could be better than Festival Time? Keiko laughed with happiness at Lyric’s excitement.

“I think that is not how the entertainment works at Midwinters, Friend Lyric. Surely, the performers will need to rest, to have their own dinners. Perhaps at another time of the year, it is possible they would have the exclusive right to play in this room. But now?”

She reached over and took Lyric’s hand.

“I think that today if you were to show your instrument, it could be seen as an offer to add to the happiness of the evening rather than a threat to their... territory? Oh, the Pattern Reader—“

“Readers,” Kisa said with an enigmatic smile, her eyes barely shifting to look at Lady Daxia.

“Huh,” was all Keiko said before returning her attention to Lyric.

“—could say with more certainty, but I would not even ask the Cards about such things for I suspect they would find my question foolish.”

The slightly surprised intake of breath from the Dayalan did not go unnoticed, although the Rhoni did pretend to not notice. She felt a tug on her sleeve and bent down, listening to the words Tomomi had to say. Then Keiko grinned at Lyric.

“If I am right and you would be welcomed by the performers tonight, Tomomi would be very happy to hear your music.”

Keiko squeezed her friend’s hand just a bit, a plea to trust that this Path, this Wave was the best Journey to take right now.

“I would be happy, too. You played at Home and for the folks at Waverider’s Watch. Hearing those tunes again would bring back fond memories of family and friends who are still there, and help us remember those we might never meet again. You could give the gift of your music to everyone in this hall, but for those who have journeyed with you, it would be a far richer gift.”




[OOC: Writing for two characters and doing my best to keep them separated into different posts per the GM’s request means y’all get three posts in a row from me. And I’m just going to let mein Herr GM know that when it comes to the point where I’d be running 15 or 20 short posts all in a row just to keep them separated, I’m going to consolidate and put that conversation in a single post. I’m not quite there yet. But I’m very close!]


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Lyric, the Minstrel's Music is her own Addiction

At Daxia's pronouncement of her own feelings with regard to the horror and evil that Mad Princes and Evil Dwarves summoned from within themselves to undertake, not only the blessings that were the Forest Folk, but also the foul purpose for which they were created and cruelly set to the dark and grim goal, Lyric studied her face, hearing her words, understanding their meaning, feeling the connection between them and the emotion that generates them. It was a thing Lyric knew and understand... how to connect to those she sang and played, feeling their feedback. And so, she used that now. Listen, feel, understand.

"Then please accept my words as a promise of truth, when I say that many brave souls fought for their freedom, and many brave souls summoned great courage and resolve to break a thing thought unbreakable, and brave souls, perhaps too many, were lost but never forgotten, in the effort."

It still weighed on the Minstrel, given her role in all of it. She leaned forward, shifting her posture to sit at the edge of her seat. She would tell a story. A quiet one, for this was not her place to entertain everyone. This story was not truly about entertaining anyone, but rather to explain that the Swordswoman's sense of anger could be released free of consequence because Justice prevailed.

"But in the end... Good outweighed Evil on the Scales of Justice. Great and Terrible Wrongs were made Right. I bore witness to bravery unmatched by any deeds in any tales I have ever heard..."

"From the simplest acts by the smallest of those who, by right of their design would never have been expected to rebel, summoned the will and strength to be as mighty as the deep dark slumbering Ancients themselves... to the greatest sacrifices that a hero could offer so that another might have a chance to see and feel the light and warmth of She who crosses the Sky for the first time in all of their lives."

"The Pack who fought, and were ready to die, in a final desperate stand against so many Evil Dwarves just so others, who had never known the freedom they themselves had experienced, gained another minute of hope in the desperate race to escape the consequences of a terrible plan devised to end a terrible foe. Or, the Horse who could hold up a wall while his body was in danger of being crushed so that one more Mouse could drag the body of a broken friend a few more feet and a few more steps closer to safety in the hope of seeing Her Light. Or, a Travelling Girl and her Friend of Friends who took on the most dangerous of tasks within that terrible and deep castle, rescue a young 'Princess' created to be a tool that was harshly used and designed to mine not the Earth, but rather the infernal and cruel malevolence of their own terrible lust. They did this by challenging the Mad Princes within their own lair of depravity. Or the young man, born of the Travellers, lost and separate from his kind and their ways, who gathered so many different hands and found a way to unify them to one purpose so that they could turn the dark machine upon itself and enact the plan that so many more below them depended upon if there was to be any hope of surviving. The Daughter of a Goddess, tasked with a Quest to Right the Wrong at it's most perfect Core, already having served as a vessel to bring Life to a People, now committed to standing before the maddest of the Princes... the Prince of Princes... Twisted in his Evil and obsessed so wholly by his sense of Order and the poisons that he consumed to make himself unnaturally Immortal that he no longer understood there was a difference between Good and Evil... and only understood that his will was all that should matter. He challenged his Gods, and A Goddess sent a true servant and bearer of the will of the Deities to rebuke him in her name. And that she did, with a brave and kind Squire of Rames at her side. She stood face to face, before a dark and fell Prince, with stone and wall crumbling around them. All so that others could escape from his evil fortress, like sand through his bony grasping fingers."

"Of course I must mention The Rogue of Rogues, and his Lady of Grim Design turned Escort of Souls to their Rest. Nobility within his blood, outwardly allowing others to believe he scoffs at heritage, but knowing that he too was a tool to be used by others, determined his own Path and how he lived a life more Noble in act and deed than any ruler in a keep on high with proclamations and edicts. He lived his life among his people, for his people, and with his people. Loved by his People. Rescued by his Lady, loved by his Lady, Rescued and rescuer... which really was which... together they were both to one another. Without him, none of what was achieved could have ever begun.

"But lastly, let me tell you of a renegade princess from a faraway land of horses who danced her last dance in the halls of darkness below the waters. She and a brave archer... and a lowly and foolish girl who bore a burden in this effort that she could not carry, all who got separated from other brave warriors sent to race to the deepest darkest parts of this grim and foul place where forges twisted blood and flesh into things that were to be sold and used without regard for the cost it took to make them, nor the cost it extracted upon those who were used in the artifice of evil. Separated and then face to face with the teeth and claws of creatures so fast and so driven to kill that death for all seemed impossible to avoid. This Princess gave her life and drew this enemy away on a chase she had not hope of returning from alive. That is the consequence of being a hero, that one might give her life so that others might live... without regard for equating worth or need... for all are worthy of Hope and Freedom and Life... A Hero understands these things have a price and come at a cost that others must bear."

"I learned this lesson on that day and bore witness to all of this that I have told you so that you might know and understand... Evil was defeated with great prejudice and Good triumphed..."


*****
Of Keiko and Minstrels playing in Taverns

The warmth of Keiko's hand was a comfort to Lyric.

"You are a good friend to me. Thank you for that. If invited to play, then I would be honored. I would be happy to share the music you have heard in a place you remember fondly."

With considerably more grace and dexterity than her earlier fumblings, the Minstrel slipped the wrapped instrument around her body on the looped lanyard. She unleashed it at the neck and layed it upon her lap. Slowly she unwrapped the the layers of fabric, oilskin first and softer blankets after, to reveal a mandola with it's stringed neck, tuning keys and richly toned wood bowl. It was a beautiful instrument, one worth y of the care the Minstrel gave it. It looked Old. Very Old. The way the wood was polished and yet had absorbed the years of light and air to temper the grain and give resolution to the art that had gone into it's crafting.

She looked to Keiko, who had seen the mandola many times, but never with this much seeming 'ceremony' of presentation, except for that very first time she brought it out to play for the group in Waveriders Reach.

"There. I have revealed I am a musician as you suggested. But I still feel that until I am invited to join or follow those who hold the stage and floor, it would be rude of me to do more than enjoy this evening from where I sit. Fair? Ja?"

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Keiko of the Family Nakano and Starlord Priestess Daxia Yurisdotter

As Lyric spun her tale, Keiko closed her eyes against all the emotions that had very nearly overwhelmed her that day. She felt Tomomi’s hand slide into hers, and it felt as though the two of them together rode the wildest of waves — fearing that they would be dashed on the rocks of a high cliff and yet knowing the wave would lead them gently to the start of another.

Lyric had a True Gift, for it did what the Great Stories that made up the Lore always did. Keiko felt as though she could see the actions of the others despite having been nowhere near the bridge where Lady Bekkah and Squire Pietro had stood, or near the ancient machines that Cesare and the Forest Folk had manipulated, or with the Pack except at the end.

But she remembered, too, touching the wound of the Dragon. Knowing beyond the shadow of any doubt that the resonance she felt in that moment was Beyond human understanding. Hoping that the words she had spoken in a language that approximated the Oldest Language had been heard and had helped to soothe the Immortal back into slumber.

And more than any other rescue, it was Hinata’s that stood out in her mind. Although the liberation of Girl had been just as significant, it had been less profound. Lady’s gentle comfort... the grief of the Pack... and the welcoming of new Kin — all of it pooled in tears behind her closed eyes.

Thus, when she impulsively leaned over to hug Lyric, ever mindful of her beautiful mandola, she couldn’t see that the Dayalan across from her had closed her eyes as well. She did note that Tomomi had Moused herself to Lyric’s other side to hug her as well.

The Starlord Priestess recognized the minstrel, too, as one with a gift many singers and storytellers lacked. As Lyric spoke, she watched the Patterns build themselves out from this moment and back to the day of the... Rescue. Although she rested her head on Bekkah’s shoulder, she could feel Kisa’s hand lightly grasp hers.

Ah, but this was not one of the more complicated patterns to see. Daxia didn’t need grounding, for she had no fear of getting lost in a maze. Lyric wove her spell so adroitly that there was no maze in which to get lost. There was only the Path of the labyrinth to be walked from beginning to end — or in this case, from the end to the beginning and back to the end. She saw the possibilities that each of them could have taken. She saw the misstep Kadri had made and knew that her correction had come too late to save her — even as it bought time for others.

Puzzled, however, she looked back even further. Where was Mikal?

“Not now, Dazi.” Kisa’s whisper was hard to ear even for her sharp ears, but Daxia heeded the advice and stepped along the Path more slowly from Then to Now.

When she opened her eyes, she saw the Rhoni and the Mouse hugging the Minstrel, and she smiled.

“You are truly gifted, Mistress Lyric. Kadri was no more interested in being a hero than I, and yet... she died as she lived — daring to attempt the righting of the greatest wrongs. Thank you... for the tale, and for sharing the knowledge that Order and Chaos have, in one small part of the Heartwood, been rebalanced.”

Daxia looked at the two young women, Rhoni and Mouse, who hugged Lyric while taking such enormous care for the minstrel’s instrument.

“You have moved your friends mightily as well, I see.” She glanced at the performers for a heartbeat, noting them laughing and talking to patrons as requests were being made for more tunes. “When they tire, and the brothers see your instrument, I don’t doubt you’ll have your invitation.”


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The Heartwood
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The Dragonstooth Tavern
Marketday, the Twenty Fourth day of Crown of Ice


Lyric, Cesare, Keiko the Yurisdotters Sisters, Kisa Allaine, Tomomi, a minstrel group and a cameo by Hinata Cat.

Outside the New Jvrillian Guildhall

"Rules?"

Hinata paused, the tall cat person looking down at the smaller minstrel.

"Bah. Too many Rules. Wuff-person has One-Rule? Silly.

"I ..."

There was a distinct emphasis upon that single syllable.

"... I have First Rule. Simple."

Turning, he once again started towards the sprawling stone building, but not without a last glance over his shoulder.

"All sunbeams mine."

Burnt fish and sunbeams. As far as mercenaries went, Hinata was reasonably inexpensive.

Dragonstooth Tavern Commons Hall

"Well look'at that ..."

"Told you! Of course, she's a Hero, look who her sister is!"

"Sisters?

"Sure as sure, got it straight from Daniel who heard it from Karl, who knows Geoffrey who is in the Heavy Horse and he said it was something he overheard Garrick and Harry himself say while he was doing doorpost watch one night.

"Must run in the blood or something ..."

"Ja, but that one is prettier ..."

The conversation that followed Daxia and Bekkah's greeting proved that - at least for a moment or two - that tales of breaking curses and Avatar slaying could be interrupted. Not that it would stop the song, but it did shift attention from the songsmiths. The reunion also brought a smile to the Dayalan's companion. Kisa Allaine had many smiles. Enigmatic, formal, polite, considerate, wise and she chose them like she chose what she would wear for the day; as befits a proper noblewoman. They were, however, all honest. They were never disingenuous. This one was the rarest of all. Her happy smile. For right now, these few heartbeats, her most precious friend was being herself. No duties, no responsibilities, just being the one person she could not even imagine being without.

And that made her happy.

She did turn her attention to the others, taking each in turn, a quiet scholars gaze. And aye, she did tarry quite a while on the out-of-place Rhoni. The one with violet eyes and a small leather cloaked companion. The Allaine heir did make one proclamation upon her introduction. Her words were soft, very softspoken, as if she were, perhaps, a simple librarian and not one of the most powerful people upon the Mainland.

"Today, tomorrow, the day after, I am just Kisa. I wear my titles for one reason only, in duty to others."

Those words brought a tug on Keiko's sleeve. From beneath her cloak's hood, Tomomi whispered.

"Is that just like why we wear our cloaks?

"Is that snowsilk?

"Her sleeves have no scallops! How can that be?

"And she looks at Lady Bekkah's sister just like the Young Master looks at Miss Emerald!"

That statement came right out of nowhere, catching the Patterner by complete surprise. Fine Allaine features suddenly went a shade far deeper than her hair as green eyes widened, the size of, well, Miss Emmi's namesake. Kisa wrapped both her hands around her wooden goblet of cider, on the table right before her, deciding that her drink was the most fascinating thing in the world.

Eventually, it was, serving to focus her and mentally build a new chain of stone tablets in a new pattern. If one ducked their head - or were short, like Tomomi - one could see her lips turn upward into a much smaller smile.

"So. He finally admitted it. Good. Good for you, Dommi."

It was another happy smile. For her far-off childhood friend. That one thought she found so very comfortable. It was one that kept her warm throughout the rest of their talk. Lori returned with drinks, that and a bowl of bread and cheeses and to take orders for dinner if anyone wanted something else. Their words then turned to music and then to songs and then to the night of Lady Yurisdotters Quest.

Tomomi didn't speak at all, she simply wrapped her arm around Keiko's a little bit more. For her, it was not a story.

It was a memory.

She knew it was the same for the others who had been on the Aterran Quest. She tilted her head one way. Interestingly, Kisa Allaine did the same, just the opposite way.

One, an heiress, was listening to the depth of the words, to understand more than the narrative, to get a hint at the meaning of the words. She understood the meaning of the titles given to those who were here and those who were not here.

" ... why does it always have to be that way?"

Kisa whispered, quiet enough to not disturb Lyric's story.

Why does it have to be that way? That it is their titles that are remembered. The Pack. The Travelling Girl. The Young Man. The Rogue and Lady Grim.

For her, it was a very different story, when one replaced the titles with names.

But was it so that those who listened could identify themselves as part of the story, to close their eyes and imagine themselves taking on one of those roles? To be a Hero too, if only for a heartbeat or two?

Was it so that it would be remembered?

How many people in the world ... know the Snowqueen's name?


The other, a Mouse, looked to the Minstrel, and once again she was where she didn't belong. In Loch Faast Keep. She knew they wrote songs, they told stories, about important things. It was just, it was just that she had never imagined being someone in the tale, in the song, and the words bringing it all back.

Is this how Mistress Lyric deals with the hurt? To turn it into something that will never be forgotten?

So that it just might, just might never happen again?"


It was not just those gathered about Lyric who heard, but those at the surrounding tables too. In fact, all the while that Lyric was being embraced, it was in a little bubble of silence.

"Cor ..."

And those who were near, who also heard, realized that there was another story, another gift, come to this midwinter's festival. Then followed a confirmation, from one of the patrons sitting near them.

"They are going to stop for dinner once She vanishes below the horizon; maybe then we can hear you play something on that odd, small gitar of yours, missy? Like a song that goes with your story? We haven't even heard a whisper of anything like that from the merchants coming in for the festival.

"Something new for Midwinter's - that the Marrennen don't even know? That'd be a gift that'd be long remembered!."

Technically, Midwinter's Day was still a day away. But the folks at the tavern seem to not mind starting early. Kisa nodded and added, with a slightly playful grin, her own observation.

"And it might distract them, for at least a little while, from a certain other Midwinter's ballad."

Then Tomomi spoke up once more.

"You know ..."

She folded her hands in her lap.

"We have Midwinter's Day too.

"Back at Home. Mister Renyard told us it was a time where, for Real People, there were no laws and folks did whatever they wished. But we, being who we are, we can't do that. Our Three Rules make us who we are, keep us safe and we have enough trouble holding on to ourselves to let it go. Folks would get Homesick without them, even for a day.

"So when Home was made, before I was rescued by The Pack, Lady made a festival for us. She said there are other kinds of rules, those we put on ourselves, that drive us apart, that makes it hard to be us, The Forest Folk. Like when one of the Raccoon Sisters gets the last muffin and you were thinking about a muffin breakfast since before sleeping and you even dreamed of muffins. Nice warm delicious muffins. Or when a Deer drops a big piece of firewood on your toe and doesn't notice and that's because he's so big and you are so small.

"So on Midwinters we go to everyone and break those bad rules we made. We say our we are sorries or we understand or did you know you did this and because its Midwinter's it's a given that we will be forgiven and everything will be set right once more.

"Since this means everyone is in the Commons Hall it's all nice and warm with ourselves. We have cider and juice and bread and a real hot stew. Stew is important because it's like us, made up of everything. And when it's all over, well, Broke, being big and clumsy and always doing something important and has a tendency to surprise us, she goes 'Mouse' and we all pounce on her so she knows we understand and forgive her and that she's still our protector always.

"Actually, I think she just likes being Moused, but Broke being Broke would never say so."

She then looked at each of her companions in turn.

"Lady Bekkah ...

"Mister Cesare ...

"Forever Friend Keiko ...

"Kisa just Kisa ...

"Mistress Dazi ...

"Mistress Lyric ...

"What does Midwinter's mean to you?"


Last edited by Wolf; Mon 16/04/18 01:24 UTC.
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Daxia Yurisdotter

She looked at the little one named Tomomi and smiled.

She looked at her dear sister on one side of her and hugged her tightly again once more.

She looked at her liege and love on her other side and placed a soft kiss on a fair cheek.

And she looked at the little Mouse Person once again.

“Snow and toboggans and icicles thicker than my arm, longer than I am tall. It’s laughter and teasing and the smell of cinnamon and cloves and fresh bread. It’s hearing the tink-tinkling of tiny bells on cloaks and hats and muffs. When I was old enough, it was a chance to see the castle lit with more candles than there are stars in the sky!

“Most importantly, Mistress Tomomi...”

Daxia, the young woman from Dawnview Vale who dared to be brave enough not to go running back home at her first opportunity, smiled more broadly as her blue eyes glittered with happy tears.

“Most importantly, Midwinters means family... however your heart wishes to define it.”



[Starlord Priestess...
Knight of Dawnview Castle...
Companion to the Magnificent, Handsome and Pragmatic Font of All Knowledge Wise and Wonderful, Magnanimous Seer of All and Listener of Innumerable Nuances, He of the Majestic Flowing Silky Mane and Charming Disposition Known as Morning Star...
Sister of the Priestess of Attera...
Lord Protector of Her Noble Personage Kisa Allaine...
Her Ladyship...
Verchovai Daxia Yurisdotter...
kindly requests that henceforth all people will spell the name of her Deity and her Order correctly: Her Name is Dayala, and those who serve Her are Dayalans.]

[The player might just be a bit touchy about this because, unlike certain other people who grew up with A Very Common Name, spent the first half of her life with a most uncommon name that even her siblings misspelled. Then the player legally changed her name, and the problem diminished considerably (but did not stop). The scars remain. Go raibh maith agat! Vielen Dank! Ahéhee’! Domo arigato! Bol’shoye spasibo! Thank you!]


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Cesare

He nurses his ale, sipping it slowly, savouring it but also using it as something to occupy his hands, as a barrier to contributing to the conversation. He had made the introductions and then left everything to everyone else, the getting to know new people occupying most of time. He didn't even say anything when Lyric spoke of their rescue of the Forest Folk. But he was grateful that at least Kadri's tale had been told.

It is only when Tomomi asks her question and addresses it to him by name, along with the others, does he feel that he must answer.

"It reminds me of my mother.."

The words are quiet, full of meaning for him but not expanded on.

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Bekkah

She blushed a furious red when Dazi mentioned having a message from Finn. The color stood out on her fair complexion and blond hair. It also put a fond smile on her face as she remembered a night a while back.

She listened to the conversations as they flowed back and forth as the group got to know each other.

She smiled at the question put to her.

"I'm a simple person Tomomi. All festival's to me are a time to forget troubles and be alive. To laugh, to dance, to enjoy the company or family, friends and strangers."

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Lyric,

She had never expected to commit so fully to telling this story. In truth she really didn't tell it as a story should be told. And yet, with each word, she slipped deeper into the role of storyteller and performer. Why tell it at all if one does not evoke emotion in it's hearing, Ja?

But it was a personal story, to many sitting around her, gathered close, hugging her, weeping with her. But especially to herself. A warning that there is a price to pay and a burden to bear when Good and Evil clash. It was a story about heroes, but more than just those who might look the part in such a tale. It was about everyone who found courage and strength, even in the smallest ways to help someone else do the same.

She hugged Keiko and then did the same for Tomomi, kissing the top of her hooded head. And then she realized she had gathered an audience and she blushed, nearly as crimson as Bekkah had earlier. it was the oddest feelings, revealed upon her cheeks, despite her belief that she could control such things.

This was not what she had wanted to do, become the center of attention in the middle of the tavern(or over on one side as the case may be).

"Perhaps," she replied. "I am honored you have taken heart in my telling of a tale for friends. I must admit, I have not truly prepared the story for a larger audience though, and certainly not as a song yet."

"But I have some songs, one or two that might not have been heard. And I can play my Mandola... But only if granted leave by those who own this place AND only until the Inn's true performers are ready to return to their stage. I am a guest like all of you and I too want to hear tales and songs."

"Is this fair," she asked of the patrons who were gathered around in anticipation of her reply.

***

Tomomi's question dovetailed perfectly and allowed Lyric to 'surrender' her audience back to the room and narrow her own attention on her friend's again. Let the other patrons decide how eager they were to hear from the Minstrel by favoring the owners with their custom and then their request. That seemed to be the fairest thing she could offer them.

Lyric looked to the Mouse, who just told a beautiful story, personal and touching and even revealing. Tomomi might have the makings of a Minstrel, and maybe one day... a Bard.

Midwinters... What does it mean to me?

Lyric listened to the others answer in turn. Their responses were not long but they felt real. Each one conjured an image in Lyric's imagination. And there was quiet among them and Lyric realized that she might be expected to add her own experience to the sharing.

Lyric looked at everyone, brilliant blue eyes tracking around the group. What could she say to this? She loved a festival. That much was true. Any festival. But that wasn't the question. What did Midwinter's mean to her?

Lyric pursed her lips tightly, eyes directed at the table, but unfocused. Her thoughts turning over in a jumble. She shrugged and looked helplessly back and forth between Lyric and Tomomi. The Mouse deserved the Truth. She was a friend.

"I don't know," she said meekly. "I've never had one before."

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The Heartwood
Bordertown
The Dragonstooth Tavern
Marketday, the Twenty Fourth day of Crown of Ice


Lyric, Cesare, Keiko, the Yurisdotters Sisters, Kisa Allaine and Tomomi ...

"In some ways, your Minstrel friend and I are quite alike, when it comes to Midwinter's day."

The quiet redhead's reply was both soft-spoken and serious.

"When I was very very young, Midwinter's was an adventure. We had a fosterling in the Keep then, and he'd steal me away to do the most outrageous things, knowing it was the one day of the year when Mother could not take us to task. Now of course when I was that small, outrageous means things like making an unbelievable mess in the kitchen trying to bake a cake or sneaking into the stable to pet the destriers that were sent by this young Mikail bloke from far away. That fosterling - he must have spent days conjuring up what he would say to convince me to do these things - because even then I kind of knew what would happen if Mother found out.

"Which, of course, she always did."

Kisa managed a small, soft and somewhat sad smile.

"Later though, when I was old enough to understand who I was, what I was, Midwinter's became everyone else's. You wear your leather cloak, the one I wore was that of the Princess Allaine, heir apparent, someone the Vale would see and take for their own, to be the young noble lass that they could take pride in. Midwinter's was their festival ...not mine.

"A first it was fun play acting.

"Then it was hard - why should they have a holiday and I should not?

"Finally this old witch of a Dayalan came up and whapped me upon my head and called me an ungrateful toad. She made me look at them and asked me where did their smiles come from? When I just blinked she whapped me again, told me to think and told me my Mother figured this out when she even younger than I.

"It took a third whap before I realized that I was the reason they were smiling. I was their Kisa Allaine, and my job, my best and only job, was to make my people happy."

"That Dayalan witch ruffled my hair, said I was a good toad and that she had lied about my Mother figuring it out before me."

Kisa gave her Knight a very understanding look. They both had been under the same Priestess' tutelage, each in their own very different way. She leaned into her Knight, just enough to gently touch shoulders.

"And today? Today I am just Kisa. I want to know what their Midwinter's is like. I want to experience it, understand it, so I can be a better Khorall for them."

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Keiko
[pronounced KAY-ko... do you think the GM has memorized this yet? Nope, not yet...]

[OOC: Because this has been a week from hell and because there are too many data points in both the GM’s initial post, Phoenix’s post, and the GM’s follow-up post to address coherently, I am simply focusing on Tomomi’s question: “What does Midwinters mean to you?” I have at least another page of snippets regarding things said by Daxia, Lyric, and Kisa that may or may not ever come into play. In my attempt to address everything, I found myself unable to address anything — so I am falling back to what should have been my approach in the first place: Keiko is a Sidekick. While she is an incredibly complex and nuanced character, she is not and should not be the one in the spotlight. Both Phoenix and Wolf have brought up important and interesting points that I would like to pursue, but that isn’t something that can be done in a single post. I hope we can find a way to circle back to some of it.]


As each person spoke, Keiko watched, listened, and smiled. Her smile changed as memories — or in Lyric’s case, lack of them — were shared.

The fullness of the Dayalan’s answer — one that, in some ways, mirrored Keiko’s own experiences — the brevity of Cesare’s answer, the complex honesty of Lady Bekkah’s reply gave her pause.

Watching Verchovai Daxia with Lady Bekkah and Dama Kisa gave her a glimpse into the woman’s almost playful aversion to the song that, one must presume, was written about her and her companions.

She nodded slowly. There was a common theme there. All Rhoni, perhaps more than most people, understood the freedom of having rules set aside for a day.

For the Rhoni lass, Dama Kisa’s answer might possibly have been the most telling, giving Keiko a glimpse into a life about which Lore was passed down from generation to generation.

It was Lyric’s simple admission that gave her the most pause, however. No matter how different Dama Kisa’s perception of the holiday was, there was still a foundation she shared with the others.

She felt oddly like both Lyric and Dama Kisa at the moment — an outsider looking in, but without the foundation of experiences that the Noble had as a child.

“It...” She looked at her Forever Friend and then Friend Lyric. “It is difficult to say what Midwinters means to me. There is much that cannot be said because these things cannot be said to those who are not Rhoni. It is a Rule, a Law, given to us by the Ancestors and we abide by it even more dutifully as the Folks at Home pay attention to Broke’s One Rule.”

Keiko drew a deep breath and let it out slowly.

“For a Rhoni, Midwinters is measured by the seasons and the position of the stars, for any time two or more Caravans meet, it is a celebration. When a Lone Waverider comes across a Caravan, that is a reason to celebrate. Any time a Caravan stops where the local folks are kind enough to allow us to dance and sing for them — that, too, is a celebration. When one of our Lost Ones returns to us...” She looked at Cesare with a smile. “...that is most certainly a reason to celebrate.”

She reached over to pat his knee again. “Careful, though, kinsman,” she said with a laugh. “While the Grandparents might be happy to help you rediscover your Family, I should warn you that the Grandmothers will be looking for the perfect wife for you.” She winked before turning to the rest of the group.

“Midwinters and Midsummers are days when nearly everyone welcomes us. That is cause for celebration, too. It is the release from the ordinary customs of the society around us that gives us...” Keiko tilted her head to one side. “...a sense of being part of something Other, I suppose. We are, we have always been, outsiders. We ride the Waves around the tumult and strife of Families, of Chaos and Order, or the changing Ages.”

She looked again at Tomomi and shrugged. “So, Friend Tomomi, I think the answer to your question might be that Midwinters is a reason to dress in my finest robe — which I did not bring with me — and Dance, and sing, and perhaps practice finding the most joyous and peaceful interpretations of the Cards that is possible.”

Finally, she looked around the table at the others. “We value Family,” she quietly said, “and we treasure our friends. And this is a time of year when most people celebrate that.” The Rhoni lass smiled wryly as she reached out to rest a hand on Friend Lyric’s shoulder. “I do that every day. Midwinters is the same as any other day in that respect. But it is also a day when I am allowed to be less of an Outsider than most of the year.”


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The Heartwood
Bordertown
The Dragonstooth Tavern
Marketday, the Twenty Fourth day of Crown of Ice


Lyric, Cesare, Bekkah, Daxia, Kisa Allaine, Tomomi ... and the other patrons

"A chance to be part of something Other."

Tomomi smiled a little bit at that. Or, at the least, her hood ducked the littlest bit forward. Keiko did not have to see the smile to know it was there, the others, well, by the gentle tone of the Mouse's words they could surmise as much.

"I think Lady would be happy with that. It is very much like Home. She used to say that when we were tools, we belonged in a toolbox. But if we are not tools any longer, where do we belong?

"With each other."

Small arms folded together, rested on the tabletop, and then Tomomi gently placed her chin on them. She became a cute little bundle of patchwork leather cloak.

"I don't think you are a toad. Us Forest Folk know these things."

It was a quiet and gentle joke. Tomomi was smiling again. To be part of something Other.

"Toads go ribbit. You'd sound silly, going ribbit."

It gave you worth.

"Ribbit"

Kisa had to reply. It was a moral imperative. And, as it turned out, Tomomi was right.

The young Allaine grinned for a moment, before she shifted, just enough to let her head rest upon her Knight's shoulder. She was still, for a very long while. All about them, that Other, that simply by being in the Dragonstooth they were now a part of, it swirled and tumbled all around them. There were bits and pieces of conversation from farming to trading to the local gossip. Lori and the other barmaids wove through this pleasant chaos like needle and thread, delivering drinks and dinners. The minstrels, well that was a welcome respite. Since they had already done That Song and The Snowqueen was far too sad for a celebration, they instead turned to more common tavern fare, such as the Dall Gwynn and followed that up by a set of bright jigs that folks could dance to.

Finally, Kisa spoke again.

"I remember, one sunset, and I was looking up and he was looking down, well because he was hanging that way from the branches, handing the apples down to me. If the Castle groundskeeper had caught us, we would have been in so much trouble. And he said that stealing apples with me was the greatest thing. And when I said I didn't understand he tapped me on the head with one. He told me ...

" ... my Brother counts his riches in books, my other Brother counts his riches in coin. My Sister in fancy tunics and jewelry. My Father, he counts his riches in Knights ...

" ... now I'm poor, poor like I was from a really really small village.

" ... my treasury may only be a stone's throw from empty, but that's only because it contains one ... but that one is one Kisa.

" ... I'd rather come from that little village because one Kisa makes me richer then all of them combined."


Kisa wrapped both her arms around Daxia's, holding tight.

"One Daxia. One Mother. One Dandelion. One Miss Mouse ... and a Bekkah and a Cesare ... and now a Keiko and a Tomomi."

She nodded, looking across the way.

"And you too. One Lyric."

"One day I may be as rich as he. But this is a good start."

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Cesare

He has been lost in his own thoughts, wandering through memories of past Midwinters, something he has not done for a long time. Then Keiko brings him back to the present as she talks of the Rhoni. He laughs.

"Then I am probably quite safe as that task would probably be most difficult. I would not be much of a catch for a Rhoni lass, kinswoman, as I would be like a child struggling to learn first lessons among my people. But they might be lessons worth learning."

He is shaking off his reminisces, regaining the prevalent mood of the inn and present company.

"It is Midwinters and I think I need another ale."

The first had slipped away far too quickly. So he signals the barmaid and orders another, asking who else would like a drink.

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The Heartwood
Bordertown
The Dragonstooth Tavern
Marketday, the Twenty-Fourth Day of Crown of Ice


Lyric, Cesare, Bekkah, Daxia, Kisa Allaine, Keiko, Tomomi, and the other patrons


Ale, of course, was brought to the table at Cesare's beckoning. It was brought with a smile as if Cesare's continual requests had made him Lori's newest best friend. It was a midwinter's ale, not the stock that was normally sold day to day. But that was to be expected. Even if Midwinter's truly didn't start until tomorrow's sunset most large towns, manors and keeps started their celebrations early. A little bit before true sunset a call for dinner was made, the barmaids rushing from table to table to hear what everyone wished for that day's final meal. Their food, when it was brought, was of extra large servings. It was hot, it was delicious and it was a repast fit for both common folk and noble.

The tavern performers broke after the evening's meal was served. That gave Lyric a chance to perform.

"Hoi, that's not right!"

One of the patrons spoke out in the middle of her first song. There was a little bit of bustle until a wooden bowl was skid along the floor, coming to a stop at her feet. When she was finished, it was full of pennies, more than a little number of half-crowns and even a few crowns. It also held an apple, a cinnamon muffin and a pair of very nice buttons.

By then it was deep into the evening. The windows were dark squares and tavern patrons who walked the courtyard gallery had a beautiful view of the night sky. High above the larger moon chased the smaller across black velvet. The stars danced, like scattered diamonds, filling the sky from horizon to horizon. And while it was cool there was not a cloud in the sky. It was as if the winter storms had decided to take a vacation as well.

There were two momentary problems. The first came from the barmaid and required a bit of leverage to solve.

"But we have no rooms."

That got a response from Kisa. She just tilted her head and asked.

"Are you sure?"

Lori nodded her head, biting her lower lip.

"Ja, ma'am."

Kisa reached into her pouch and brought out a small stack of five dull grey coins.

"Are you sure there is not one room that has not yet been claimed?"

Lori caught her breath. She paused for only a heartbeat before sweeping up the coins with a swift hand.

"Well, I guess that's now your look-out Dama. I'd certainly not want Her angry at me. That could get someone hurt real bad."

Kisa Allaine smiled.

"That's fine. She works for me now."

The second problem was a bit more pragmatic.

Midwinter's Ale had a cost that had to be paid in more than money, be it common copper or noble platinum.

Together they had to lift Cesare's head out of his stew bowl and carry him back to their room.



The Dragonstooth Tavern
Restday, the Twenty-Fifth Day of Crown of Ice


Lyric, Cesare, Bekkah, Daxia, Kisa Allaine, Keiko, Tomomi, and Blue the Street Urchin

The morning was bright. And bright was an understatement. The skies were still clear, the breeze still soft and She shone down from above in a spectacular brilliance. It was a wonderful morning for all.

All, perhaps, save the one who had had a little too much to drink the night before.

For those with a drumming headache, it was far, far too bright.

The scent of a homecooked breakfast drifted from the kitchen, through the commons and down the hallway that wrapped around the building. On each side of the long hallway were the rooms for the tavern's patrons. The nice thing about staying at the Dragonstooth was that they were able to make their way to the commons well before the townsfolk arrived. This made finding a place to claim for breakfast, right next to the warm hearth, quite easy. Several of their small group had reason to be up even sooner. For example, sunrise was a special time for Dayalans, marking Her rising and ever watchful gaze. A certain heiress still had a hard time getting up that early, but then Knights were good to lean on.

Breakfast was fresh from the oven pastries, hot kavass, spiced bread, cheeses and bits of leftover meat from the night before.

As the tavern slowly filled, it appeared to be the start of a nice, normal, day.

That lasted until Lyric took her first bite out of a delicious piece of cinnamon bread.

"Scuse."

The words came from a little girl. She was clothed in a rough, dirt-stained tunic. It was belted with a piece of rope and her feet were bare. Her eyes were soft brown, like a little ruff, when they could be seen through a ragged mop of pitch black hair.

"Scuse me. My name is Bluebell. But most folks just call me Blue.

"I was told to look for..."

She closed her eyes tightly, very tightly, as she tried her best to remember the important words. She swallowed, opened her eyes once more, and looked at all of them.

"I was told to look for more folks than I can count, but that it was really important. But I'd know them because one would a Lady in white with the kindest eyes. A girl with red hair and blue eyes who was fierce but the very best. Another girl with red hair that would be quieter than a mouse and needs tickling every now and then. I don't understand that part. It seems very silly. There would be others, and I got something for everyone, but they would be how I'd know I got the right folks."

Drawing herself up, Blue looked from one to the other to the other. She stopped at Lyric.

"I was told to tell the pretty minstrel that it had to be her. Her and her gitar-thing. When She kisses the Sea of Opals. And. And. And that it has to be magical."

The waif's attention then turned to Lady Bekkah.

"For the Lady in White, I'm supposed to tell her, make sure no one dies. Especially me. Well, not me. But the me who told me this. He seemed really, really scared."

Chewing on her lip Blue rose to tiptoes, looking and looking until she finally settled upon Cesare.

"For the boy, it's complicated. But I was told to tell you this. When Miss Lori calls for dinner. Last Door. Last Room. Open it. No sooner or later. A life depends on this.

Blue then turned to Kisa.

"Miss Quiet Red Hair, he said this should not be solved by thinking. He said, if you thought it was safe, he would give me a coin for every season I am old if I tickled you if I think you are starting to think. The other Miss Red Hair."

Bluebell summoned all her courage and faced Daxia.

"Miss Other Miss Red Hair. He looked so sad! He said to tell you he is without a Mouse! It seemed rather important to him. And that you are the only one who can fix it. That the Other, the Other is worse than death. So it must be you who is there and does it."

Finally, she fell back on her heels and she turned to Keiko.

"He said I would know you because you would have a shy friend who always wears a cloak. So he says to both of you. Midwinter's Hill. That is the location of everything. It just has to be. Warn Grandfathers."

Hugging herself tightly, Bluebell looked down on the floor, falling silent. There was a moment, a long set of heartbeats, of very awkward silence.

Until the tavern's doors were slammed open. It was rough, it was violent. The mugs on the tables shook and the door's sturdy wooden leaves shook in their hinges. In the doorway, there was a single figure. A person tall, lightly built, with short light hair in complete disarray. It was a waifish figure, so much like a farmgirl and yet, also, the spitting image of someone they had seen the day before - just a touch older. Her brigantine hauberk hung open, over tunics sable and silver. At her side was an absolutely black sword and in her other hand was a crumpled piece of parchment.

Kisa Allaine's mouth fell open in shock.

"WHERE IS THAT LOUSE?"

Captain Dandelion Koromov looked as if she could kill someone.

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Cesare

He is sitting staring at a pastry in his hand. He is not sure how it got there. Actually he is not sure how he got here. Worse he is not sure where here is.

But when he can turn his head.. slowly! away from the bright light he is sure he recognises all of the people around him. Names, maybe not. But faces, yes, he is sure he knows them all.

Apart from her!

He starts as a small girl swims into vision. A blue girl.. but aren't girls pink? He starts to shake his head but very quickly decides that it is not a good idea. Si instead he keeps his head still, rigid, his eyes fixed on the little girl.

She is talking but not in any words that make sense. He blinks. Tries to fasten his mind onto some of the words.White dinner room. Red mouse death. Shy cloak grandfather.

Another blink. No sense. Nothing.

Ahha. He must still be asleep. It is a dream.

He puts the pastry back on the plate. No point in eating a dream pastry.

Then there is a crash and a shout. Uhho. Nightmare trying to get in. Close eyes. Think of something pleasant.

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The Minstrel
The Dragonstooth Tavern
Marketday, the Twenty-Fourth Day of Crown of Ice

Lyric played and sang, enjoying herself, and even losing herself a bit. But there was a moment of apprehension in the very first set of her chance to play. The voice of the man nearly interrupted her, but she considered herself composed enough to handle a heckler. She smiled and nodded. Give him a chance...

The bowl sliding toward her across the floor. She didn't know what that meant, but as she played people slipped forward to deposit things in it. She just focused on playing, but offered a nod and smile to each person coming forward.

Were they 'paying' her? She hadn't been hired to play and so she wasn't offered anything by the Tavern itself, no cut of the night's custom, no room and board, and certainly no offer of patronage. She was familiar with the latter, patronage, and had performed for room and board. Those were things that could be negotiated but she had never played for coin before. The truth was, she didn't need money in her own village. And didn't even know how much money she actually carried since leaving home.

When her time was finished, and her music was played and heard, and the hired performers returned to close the night, she gathered the bowl, pausing to bask in the appreciation of the crowd. She looked at the contents of the bowl and felt an emotional wave from that symbol of acceptance. The food offerings were something that gave her a moment of reflection, but it was the two buttons that touched her the most. As she considered this realization, she thought back through memories to understand why this meant so much to her.

There was a story told to her when she was very young, a small child in fact. It was a parable of sorts, a lesson taught to children about the nature of kindness and compassion.

A powerful Prince felt so removed from those who served him, from the simplest subject to those who gathered around his own feasting table. It was a realization of emptiness in his life. And so, he disguised himself to move freely among the people. Very few would ever have known what he looked like because he seldom ever left his private chambers, even to join his chieftains at council. But now he decided to learn the heart of his people and maybe discover the nature of his own heart. Dressed as a pauper, the Prince wandered among his people. He knew that his people would bow and grovel before him because of who he was but he wanted to see whether or not his people would take notice of someone who was the lowest of the low when they had nothing to offer anyone. He begged for indulgences and favor from those he wandered among. There were many who ignored him in his disguise and this troubled the disguised Prince. It angered him, but he kept himself focused. He wanted to find the true nature of his people, and if he could find a heart of Compassion then he might be able to find that very thing in himself as well. So he continued. He went among his chieftains, wandering from clan to clan. He wandered among the peoples who served them as well. There he found those who offered some favor to one such as he pretended to be, but in their hearts he saw that they mostly did so to assuage their own heart so that he might leave them alone again. There were those who had riches beyond measure but offered little to anyone, and if they did, it was hardly an act of compassion, but rather of selfishness. The Prince had traveled the length and breadth of his realm and his heart was filled with sorrow for he realized that the nature of his people was not one of kindness and compassion, and that was a reflection of himself. If only he might find one person among his subjects to show him mercy, true generosity of spirit, then he felt he himself might have hope. And when he thought there was not another person left in all his realm whom he had not already tested, and he felt resigned to the acceptance that his emptiness was a thing he would never redeem, he met a young woman who was truly in a state like that to which he pretended. She was a sorrowful creature, living off the meager charity of others. He had witnessed how meager this charity was, and lamented the dire nature of her circumstances. She was a terrible thing to behold, weak and broken... with a bowl that held everything she might call her own. Scraps of food and a piece of fruit. A few rocks dropped into her bowl as a taunt or prank. But she kept those rocks all the same. Her saw her for the first time and he realized that he had seen her many times before, but only just now did he truly open his eyes in understanding. In his disguise he had still ignored her all this time. She smiled at the Prince when he approached her. She offered him everything she had in her bowl if only he would share it with her in return. That was her heart... That was his hope...

Her companions were gathered about their table. She felt grateful to have them. She could have been left to wander alone in a land so vastly different than her own. She could have been left to navigate dangers and perils by herself, but these companions accepted her, even though her story had not yet been told... and maybe it never could be told... For she left behind perils equally as dangerous as those she set out alone to face. Dangers that might easily have followed her to render a judgment different than exile.

She looked at the bowl as she slipped away from the Tavern's stage and for the first time in her life, so far from home, she finally understood the meaning of the Prince's Parable. There were those who had nothing to give but food or maybe a weathered and worn coin that might buy bread to last another day and night. But they gave it to her because she had given them something from her own heart without expectation of reward. She played music because she loved music. She loved to see how her songs touched the hearts and souls of those who heard it. It was as though she played her music in the hopes that she could find a way to fill an emptiness in her own heart,

Lyric took her bowl and moved through the crowd, to find those who came to the tavern looking for an evening of happiness on this eve before a festival, before difficult months were to come. The musicians had resumed their playing and singing, and the mood was lively and bright, and most everyone focused on the fun of the evening. Lyric, moved with grace through the patrons. She sought those eyes who gave so much of themselves, offering hope while in search of hope. One by one, table by table, maybe family by family. She offered them the coins she had been given. With that came words of encouragement and grateful thanksgiving for coming to listen to her play. She offered the coins as a gift, and let it be known there were no conditions attached. Just a gift from her heart to their hearts.

Lyric had little use for coin. As she noted, she didn't even know the denominations of them, so she didn't have any clue how much she had. But those with children might receive a larger shinier coin or two. But everyone whose heart touched hers as she drifted through the crowd received something in return from her. She would even offer coins from those few she had brought with her from home as well. What good where the coins to her? But to some here, seeking a bit of warmth and hope, these coins might mean everything.

This was a festival right? Where kindness and compassion would show the true heart of those who offered it and those who received it.

She slipped the buttons into her purse and tied the strings again.

****

OOC: I felt I needed to divide my post into two parts since the GM's post was in two parts, an evening and the next morning. In my next post I will continue with the morning. But for this one, I felt it important to take a moment to develop the character because I felt the simple details of the contents of the bowl would touch the Minstrel deeply.

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The Minstrel
The Dragonstooth Tavern
Restday, the Twenty-Fifth Day of Crown of Ice

The next morning...

It seemed Cesare was so much worse for the wear he inflicted upon himself the previous night. He did enjoy a festive atmosphere, no doubt. Lyric watched as her companions and those she had just recently met began to gather in the Tavern's common room. As was her custom, Lyric had been awake some time before the first hint of a glow peeked up from an eastern horizon, and well before the first rays of light from She Who Crosses the Sky broke the darkness of night. It was something her companions would have been accustomed to by now. Lyric's early morning schedule was unwavering and unfailing.

She sat in a quiet corner, meditatively stilling her thoughts and calming her spirit. She wore the heavy tartan cloak to ward off the morning chill while she waited for Keiko, who was often up as early as she, and Tomomi to make their way to the big room. Lyric would let others choose a table.

And when the gathering began, even Cesare was among the 'living'... though not by much it seemed. She smiled softly. She understood his plight though. Too much fun came at a dear cost, one that demanded payment from him this morn.

More people arrived, and food was being delivered. Lyric had found the delectable she had hoped would and made claim to some of the sinno-man' bread.

One bite, one divinely inspired taste, the scent of bread and spice, the warmth of the freshness, made her close her eyes and a small shiver passed through her. Lyric tried to make that feeling last...

...but the magic spell was broken by the voice of a child standing so near. Lyric, with bread in hand and to her mouth looked to her side to find the source of the voice. her eyes widened at the sight of the ragamuffin girl and she immediately made to offer her food to the ragamuffin child.

"Blue," she repeated as the girl was speaking.

Bluebell... It was a flower name she had heard Keiko mention along the Path. And often such names were chosen or given to those in service to Dayalla. At least that was what Lyric could remember in this awkward moment.

The girl said many things to several of her companions. She heard them all, but the words spoken to her dominated her thoughts and cast a shadow over other pieces to this girl's plea for assistance and warning of events to come.

Lyric was confused. it was a puzzle of sorts, a message delivered in a prose to a child who was desperate to remember all of it, and in the order it had been given her. Her talent for the delivery was remarkable though, even if Lyric could not understand anything she heard.

"Magical," she repeated quietly.

When She kisses the Sea of Opals. And. And. And that it has to be magical.

But the mention of last doors and and last rooms... A place called Midwinter's Hill... Something, or someone called Other... no place for thinking... warn the Grandfathers... Let no one die... especially not me... him... not her, but the me that was him... Missing a Mouse? Dommi... Emerald? Which one in trouble? Both of them?

Dommi was giving them a plan to help. A puzzle. He had begun to suspect that his own magic, albeit powerful, was tied to the Nature of the deity he followed. While it might have been easier and more useful for him to describe his predicament more clearly that probably couldn't happen unless they were in his presence. And, well, It was Dommi... He didn't do anything without some flair for the dramatic. So, to use his magic he had rules to follow. Lyric understood magic. Another of her giftings, to see magic and to understand it. She had to give all of this some though to gain clarity, but for now her assumption would have to dictate her thoughts and actions.

The me, but Not me, a he... yes, Dommi. She had a thin grasp upon this connection because of other things she heard.

The girl fell silent, but there was only a heartbeat and breath of time before the doors to the tavern were roughly thrown open.

And Lyric froze in fear at the sight of the woman she saw. Not so much her in appearance for Lyric had seen this face upon another, younger, the night before without recognition. No, it wasn't the face, or even the voice... But deep, near paralyzing fear gripped the Minstrel. The bread in her hand fell free to the ground. If it were a crystal goblet it would have shattered.

Lyric summoned her strength and turned herself away from the warrior woman and drew up her own cloak and cowl to conceal herself. She was seated with her companions well across the tavern's large room. From the door to the hearth, and it would take the warrior woman's eyes a moment to adapt from the bright morning to the darker confines of the tavern's interior.

Lyric tried hard to mask her own fear and regain her composure. The warrior woman was searching for the girl who stood beside her at their table. Instinct told the Minstrel that she needed to escape this place, but there was no where to run. No place to go that wouldn't bring a chase. Lyric didn't like being hunted...

She forced a calm over herself and slipped her arms around Bluebell to embrace her.

"Does she mean to harm you," Lyric asked in a whisper in the girl's ear.

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Daxia Yurisdotter and Keiko of the Family Nakano
[Daxia serves DAYALA (get the spelling right); Keiko’s name is pronounced KAY-ko]

(OOC: Since the GM changes the description of the Inn’s layout with each iteration, I figure it doesn’t matter what it really looks likes. This is called “progress” by some. To me, it just means I’ve set Super OCD Woman on other tasks, and the issue won’t come up until later. Of course, we do run the risk of incurring her ire. There’s no telling what might happen then. Be afraid. Be very afraid.)

Most mornings, the Heir seemed happy enough to join her Knight in their morning devotions. This had not been one of those mornings. Fortunately, Kisa’s desire to remain bundled beneath blankets reminded Daxia so much of Romana and her distaste for mornings and the Starlord merely giggled.

“You’re laughing at me again, Dazi.”

“Not so, my liege. You are acting very Romana-like this morning and, although I miss my friend, you are reminding me that she is probably just as cheerfully crawling out of bed for her morning devotions with my Squire. And that my Squire is likely having less fun than I in rousing sleepy princesses.”

“I’m not a princess.”

Daxia snorted. “Close enough.”

The colors of this morning’s sunrise were more muted, something that presaged a bright and bold appearance of their Lady. Despite the cold air, Dayala’s priestess smiled from the warmth of her heavy Kierkegaard cloak. Dayala blessed the world with Her light; an Heiress leaned against her side.

It was a glorious morning.

As had been their custom this past week, after morning devotions, the Dayalans reached the common room before any of the Inn’s patrons. Settling beside the hearth, Daxia was not surprised when Kisa’s head rested on her shoulder. After thanking the Innkeeper’s youngest daughter for their basket of muffins and breads, she grinned as she set a muffin in front of Kisa.

“Muffles.”

At the no longer inscrutable look she received from Kisa, Daxia just laughed.

She watched as the other patrons began arriving, mostly because the enjoyment of watching people was something she and Kisa had in common. Her sister’s minstrel friend chose a table in a far corner of the room. Cesare... Dazi bit her lip and lowered her eyes to the cup of kavaas in front of her. His discomfort wasn’t funny, except that it was. Just a little. She had always been astounded by the amount of ale he drank. This morning was, apparently, the one in which all that ale finally caught up to him.

It was bound to happen sooner or later.

Both he and the Rhoni lass with her diminutive cloaked companion joined the minstrel in the corner.

“Should we join them?” Kisa whispered.

“We have the hearth. They have a dark and dreary corner of the room.” The Knight raised an eyebrow. “What do you think?”

“I don’t think the corner is either dark or dreary and that you were happy enough to sit there last night.”

Daxia shrugged. “Fair points. We still have the hearth.”

As she and Tomomi crossed the common room, Keiko once again shuddered as they walked by the large Dragon’s tooth above the bar. It would be nice to sit by the hearth where it was warm — Lady Daxia and Dama Kisa were already sitting there. On the other hand, she’d rather be as far from the reminder of the mines as possible. And Friend Lyric had already claimed a table in the corner!

She sat down beside her friend and peered at Cesare.

“You look like Krysta is standing over your shoulder, kinsman.”

The baskets of pastries and breads caught all her attention then. She could have sworn she saw Tomomi’s whiskers twitching at the wonderful smells. Keiko wasn’t surprised that Lyric chose a slice of cinnamon bread, nor was she surprised at her friend’s reaction to the flavors.

Keiko smiled. Taking joy in the simple things — it was yet another reason she felt close to Lyric. She wasn’t Rhoni, no. But she seemed to look at life much the same way a Rhoni would.

For herself and Tomomi, Keiko chose a blueberry muffin, breaking it in half and giving part of it to her Forever Friend.

Daxia blinked at the urchin when she stopped at their table. She exchanged a glance with Kisa. And then she sighed.

“Where might I find this scared lad, Blue? That would be a useful thing to know. Oh, and if you count to a fullhand three times, that should be enough time to wait before tickling Miss Quite Red Hair again.” Daxia lowered her voice and whispered to the child. “She hardly ever stops thinking.”

Then she watched the youngster head to the table with Cesare and his friends.

“I wonder what game Dominic is playing now,” Kisa mused.

Dazi looked at her with a piece of muffin halfway to her mouth. “I’ll tickle you myself if you don’t stop, Kisa. And Dominic’s games give me a headache, so I’m going to finish my breakfast before worrying about it.”

Keiko, meanwhile, stared at the child named Blue after she delivered her cryptic message — a message that made not the slightest bit of sense. She felt a tug on her sleeve and automatically leaned over to hear what Tomomi had to say.

“What does she mean?”

The Rhoni let loose a lyrical string of syllables that sounded oh so pretty, although the tone of her voice was utter confusion.

“What does that mean?” Tomomi asked.

“It doesn’t really have a translation. But in the language the Young Master asked me not to speak, it indicates that...”

She blinked. “Wheel of Chaos. Snow and Dagger. Unicorn Reversed.

“It means I’m powerfully confused.”

When the Dayalan Knight slammed open the door and yelled, Keiko could see that Lyric was more upset than she had ever seen her friend. She scooted closer to Lyric and wrapped an arm around her friend as the minstrel tried to protect the child.

Connections... connections... remember the lore.

She wasn’t certain who Dandelion of the Family Homura and follower of the Sun Lady was looking for, but Keiko would protect her friends if it came to that.

“Lyric,” she whispered, “she isn’t looking for the child. Dandelion kha’Madoka kha’Ayanna kha’Kame kha’Chikato khal’Homura Akemi would NEVER hurt a child.”

Daxia looked up as the door crashed open and groaned. “Wonderful. Just wonderful,” she muttered. She stood up almost reluctantly. As she trudged over to the doorway, she gave the appearance of one being led to the Executioner’s block. The only comfort Dazi took from this situation was the knowledge that her sister would be able to heal her of whatever damage the Captain might inflict. She was reasonably certain Dandy wouldn’t start a fight in the Inn, certainly not this early in the day.

The younger Dayalan stopped just outside Dandy’s reach. Not that it would help her much, of course. Dandy was fast. Dazi just pointed at the crumpled parchment in Dandy’s hand and waggled her fingers as if to say, hand it over.

Dominic really should have known better. He’d known Dandy long enough to know the Captain couldn’t read.

Then the priestess looked at the very, very, very angry face of Captain Koromov.

“I pray to Dayala that we’re both looking for the same louse.”

(Also, despite what the GM might want us to believe, since the group is split and it’s a busy morning in the tavern and none of us has Super Hearing that’s good enough to compensate for that, I am going with the assumption that not everyone has heard the entirety of Bluebell’s message. Unless we all have Super Hearing, of course, which would be awesome and will definitely come in handy in the future.)


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Kisa Allaine

Kisa listened as Daxia explained the waking rituals of Squire and Princess. She slowly sat up, shook out her hair, ruffled her fingers through crimson locks before suddenly stopping.

"Oh. My. Is that why she had a black eye one morning?"

That thought brought a smile to Kisa's lips. A soft one and a one that was almost gentle. She folded her hands in her lap, peeking out the window to see how long it was before the sun rose and silently calculating just how long she could remain wrapped up in warm blankets.

"Despite her brash nature, she seems to have a great depth of patience. As deep as your kindness. No one else would have let me go to the sea. Standing with you, watching Her set over the sparkling flame-touched waters is something that will forever warm me against the coldest of fates."

Then it was time for her to rise.

Dandelion Koromov

Upon being approached, the Captain of the Wild Horde came to a sudden and complete stop. She blinked, shook her head and muttered three simple words. Oddly, the words were not angry, nor were they spiteful. They were more exasperated, the dead even tone of someone who had just discovered that it was not certain louses who was in trouble, but themselves.

"Krysta's frozen socks."

With a long exhalation of breath, Dandelion simply handed over the bit of parchment.

"Of course we are. Dark hair, frustratingly adorable smile, short and should be hanging from the rafters by now. Oh. I bet crowns for stars that not only did he know you were here but he planned what ever this is around you being here."

Looking past Daxia to Kisa Allaine there was the slightest drop in the sword woman's shoulders.

"I know this looks bad. But i swear, the Korie transition is going well and between Rafe and Barris everything is well in hand. Then I got this message from our favorite troublemaker."

Uncrumpling the parchment, Daxia was able to read the message that had summoned a Koromov.

Aunt Dandy, how often have I ever begged a boon from you? Fine. Beer, a dinner, a dance, your pillow. Admit it, you weren't using it at the time. But really, truly, on my knees? Fine. When it was something that wasn't a joke? It is vitally important for you to be in Bordertown. At Midwinter's Festival. It is a matter of life an...

The parchment was ripped, leaving the rest of the message an unknown.

"No one calls me that.

While Dandelion Koromov's reading skills might be wanting, the other members of her command didn't have the same handicap. That didn't mean that she couldn't still be annoyed.

"Makes me feel like an old woman. Louse."



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Lyric

Keiko's reassurance of the Dayalan Warrior's intentions notwithstanding, Lyric kept the girl close for a few more moments. She turned her head, swinging the cowl about so she could see her Rhoni friend.

"Are you sure of this? She seems to have quite a temper."

Looking back to Dandelion Koromov, Lyric lowered her and kissed the top of Blue's head. "If you are safe, then I will not hold you child."

This was a complicated moment for Lyric. Holding the child, seeing the Warrior for the first time, knowing the stories, hearing and seeing how she entered. Lyric wanted to slip away from here, but she didn't know where to go, nor how to do it without drawing more attention.

"Young one," she continued. "Remember the words... keep them in your mind..." Lyric would rely on the distance in the room. Keiko and Tomomi and Cesare were all nearby her.

Slowly she turned the girl around to face her directly. She smiled. Her face, so young, her features so small. "Repeat them all to me, just as you said them to each of us, and I will learn them and you will be freed of the burden you were sent to deliver us. Ja?"

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Cesare

He might be close physically, but mentally?

Currently he is sitting with his eyes closed, seemingly unaware of anything going on around him.

Someone might have to remember his words.

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Verchovai Daxia Yurisdotter
[Daxia serves DAYALA... the GM ESPECIALLY should get this right]

“Ja, same louse.”

After reading the note, Daxia smoothed it as much as possible, then folded it up and handed it back to Dandelion. “Anything more to it that I need to know besides ‘a matter of life and death’?” Then she tilted her head in Kisa’s direction.

“Might as well join us. The urchin over there,” she said pointing toward a table in the corner where Cesare was looking more than slightly green, “came by with a bizarre message that made no sense. Something about a missing Mouse, which — if I understand anything at all about his lovely friend — seems suspicious.”

She sat down again next to Kisa and gestured to a seat opposite them.

“The suspicious part isn’t that she’s missing, it’s that our favorite mischief maker claims that she’s missing. Also, the urchin is to tickle this one...” She nudged Kisa’s shoulder. “...whenever she appears to be thinking.”

Daxia looked at Kisa and grinned. “Quick, do your thinking now while she’s over with Cesare and his friends.” Then she laughed.

However, when she looked back at Dandy, she sighed. “He and Lady Emerald met us on the road between Talesan’s Village and Talantal to mention that my sister and her friends would meet us in Bordertown. So, yes. He knew we were going to be here.”

She broke off a small bit of her muffin and popped it into her mouth before nudging the basket toward Dandy.

“If that isn’t an honorary title he uses to annoy you, then your family is even more complicated than I can imagine. Therefore, I believe it would be wise for me to not be interested in said complications. Also, it makes me glad to be the daughter of a simple swordmaker and the love-struck daughter of a Starwatcher.” She gave Kisa a side-eye glance. “That’s not a complicated family, is it? Of course not. I’m glad we all agree on that.

“Also, since you’re near enough my sister’s age that it hardly matters, it could explain why he does it. Bekkah doesn’t need help. She decides to feel like an old woman all on her own just because she doesn’t have a brood of children. Since neither of you is old, I can only surmise that you got knocked in the head one time too many. I have no idea how to explain Bekkah.

“And don’t give me that look.”

Then the Starlord looked up at the rafters, imaging a certain rapscallion dangling from them.

“I wonder...” She tilted her head to one side and then the other. After a few moments, she looked back at her muffin, resting her head in one hand while breaking the muffin into smaller pieces with the other.

“What if...” Daxia looked at Kisa on her muffin hand side, then tilted both head and hand to look at Dandelion across from her.

“What if we declined to play his festive little game? What’s wrong with a cheerful but thoroughly ordinary Midwinter Festival? Last year was not cheerful, nor was it ordinary. Midsummers was...” She sighed, then tipped her chin at Dandy. “Well, you were there.

“Can’t we just enjoy a Festival like common folks without a diminutive, dark-haired reprobate with a frustratingly adorable smile trying to make it all far too interesting? And if he’s designed his game around the fact that we’re all here, and we simply refuse to play, he’ll have to come out of his Shadows. That’s when we grab him and hang him up by his belt.”

She saw the look on Kisa’s face.

“What? Hanging him by his belt means he can’t consistently stare down the blouses of our blonde friends. And why those with blonde hair are more buxom than those of us with red hair is something you’re welcome to think deeply on later. It’s just something I’ve observed.”

“That wasn’t...” Kisa began before clearing her throat. “I question the wisdom of not participating in Dominic’s game.”

Daxia furrowed her brows as she looked at Kisa. “You said yourself that you could never manage to say no to any of his outrageous schemes when he fostered with your family. That? Right there? What you just said? He’s counting on that, you know. Even if he realizes the fullest extent of my exasperation and stubbornness — possible, but unlikely — he can count on you to make the case to continue to play along. I love you, Kisa dear, but every so often you are predictable.”

However, she did smile at her lady before turning to Dandelion again.

“And what gave you the impression that his note was anything more than just another one of his jokes or games? There had to be something that made you at least suspect he might be serious.”

Then Daxia shrugged again. “Telling Kisa not to think is the same thing as telling her not to look at the Patterns. It’s also like telling her not to breathe. Of course, he didn’t say I shouldn’t think or look at the Patterns, but he likely knows I think too much — something I am proving this very moment. Also, I can’t see the Patterns as well as Kisa does. But as much thinking as I do, I can’t reconcile the fact that his message was quite literally a collection of words that make no sense taken as a whole.”

She paused and finished off her mug of kavaas.

“Something that I — of all the people on the Mainland — I am the only person who can ‘fix’ whatever it is that he’s broken? You will both pardon me if I find that beyond laughable.” Her voice dropped to barely more than a whisper. “And to mention some ‘Other’ that is worse than death? It puts me in mind of last Midwinters’ events that have minstrels up and down the Highland Path singing. And reminding me of that night in something other than song is a fine way for the young scamp to get his neck wrung before he’s hung from the rafters.”

Kisa knew full well that facing the Avatar was something Daxia prefers not to contemplate much. She had spent the past year working through her complicated feelings about the entire incident and being reminded of it...

The Starlord was resigned to being semi-immortalized in song. To be reminded of that which was worse than death? Well, it was more likely to get her to spend the whole day trudging up and down the path from well to Temple top, bringing bucket after bucket of water to Lady Kay, as it was to engage her in the young Korie Lord’s nonsensical games.


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The Heartwood
Bordertown
The Dragonstooth Tavern
Restday, the Twenty-Fifth day of Crown of Ice


Lyric, Cesare, Bekkah, Daxia, Kisa Allaine, Keiko, Tomomi, Bluebell, Dandelion Koromov and a very slowly growing influx of tavern patrons.

Bluebell let herself be tucked up close. Not that she wasn't nervous, or a little skittish, but even so she let the minstrel wrap her up in protective arms. The kiss on the top of her tousled hair was, however, perfect. That was when she relaxed, swallowed, and raised herself on tiptoes so she could see what the loud woman was doing. The little girl blinked, cocked her head and made a unique comparison to the Captain's arrival and her own experiences.

"She don't look mean anymore. She looks like Juli when Maki puts a toad down her tunic. They are brother and sister and Maki says that's what brothers do. He says it's a law. Juli always gets him back later."

Turning around Blue looked to Lyric and gave her a most serious nod. As serious as little kid could ever be. Closing her eyes Blue carefully repeated each and every one of her instructions, pausing momentarily now and then to make sure she was telling things straight and true. There was a long hold, however, when she came to the request made to the silent Bekkah. Slipping even closer to Lyric she gave the priestess a very worried look.

"Is the Lady in White mad at me? She is all quiet, like the women at the well when we run past. The only time they talk to us is to tell us to go away."

After that, Bluebell immediately continued with her recitation, shifting from one subject to the next as easy as creek water around rocks. She let out a long breath when she was finally done.

For Cesare, his morning pains did not go unnoticed. Fairly loudly, two big pewter mugs were thunked down on the table next to him. The barmaid looked upon him with a definite smirk. She seemed to know exactly how he was feeling and just how he had gotten there. That was, most probably, due to her having to deal with the tavern patrons since she was old enough to carry a platter.

"There laddie. You got a choice."

One mug contained festival ale, the other ice cold kavass.

"The hair of the ruff that mangled you or something with more kick than a shaggie with thorns in two paws."

When the barmaid slipped away to fulfill her other duties, Tomomi spoke up. While her features were hidden by her travel cloak, one could just imagine her nose scrunching up and brow furrowing.

"Wheel of Chaos. Snow and Dagger. Unicorn Reversed. That means confusing? The Young Master is always confusing. If Broke was here she'd shake him and cuff him but then at the end of teaching him, she'd sit him in her lap because she says he's the perfect height for a chin rest. Lady, however, says something different. Like he never ever spoke about us being people or not or being worthy of living. But by not speaking of it, it was like he was yelling at the top of his voice that we were just like any other folks. Lady says what he doesn't say is more important. Like he doesn't say why Miss Emmi is missing. Like he doesn't say what is in the room at the end of the hall and why it's important to be let out only at a specific time."

Tomomi nibbled at her breakfast.

"Maybe it's like lace. Each stitch is kind of plain by itself, but when you put them all together they make pretty scallops.

"And I still believe Miss Kisa needs some pretty lace."

Elsewhere, another conversation continued. Captain Koromov simply crossed her arms. It wasn't because she was angry at Daxia or Kisa, but perhaps it allowed her to ground herself when considering the mainland's most disreputable rake. She opened her mouth twice, as if she was going to start speaking and then thought better of it. It was more a case of not knowing exactly where to start. So, to begin with, she chose the most volitile.

"No. We are not related. Thank the stars. I have one nephew and only one nephew. That said, my name, properly, is Dandelion Alyssa kha’Madoka kha’Ayanna kha’Kame kha’Chikato khal’Homura Akemi-Koromov. Now that's quite a mouthful, but if I like you, you can call me Dandelion. If I don't, then it's Koromov. But I am not a Dan, not a Danni and most certainly not a Dandy. My name does not rhyme with candy.

"Louse. He knew that wouldn't get me here, but that if I did decide to come it'd get me here fast. And why? It's right there. The first thing he wrote. Rafe said he had to read it three times because even he didn't believe it. How often have I ever begged a boon from you? That's right. Now that Korie always asks for silly things, in conversation, to make a joke, to play, to tease, but anyone with half a mind knows he is just playing - and it is always a harmless, good-hearted game and more than half the time he not only knows but expects the answer will be no.

"But he almost never, never, never ever comes straight out and said, can you do me a favor? That this is important for me. This is Dominic Korie. Think about that. He doesn't asks for favors for himself."

Kisa spoke up, looking to Daxia, having known Dominic Korie the longest.

"Dandelion is right. Dominic does favors for others. Not the other way around."

"And you are right. He knows he's gotten me. And he knows that I know that. He knows that I stopped being able to say no to him when I realized that no matter how much trouble we got in if I didn't play along it would be something I'd regret for all time.

"I also think the key is in what he told me. This is Dominic. Life and death? It could be life and licorice for all we know. This may not be a mystery of patterns, logic or intrigue with high stakes affecting the entire mainland. It may be something I'm not very good at. He told me to stop thinking.

"What if it's not a matter of the mind but one of the heart?"










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Cesare

As the two tankards thud down, the sound reaches into Cesare's consciouness, at last as much as existed at this time. He opens one eye. The nightmare figure in the centre of the room has gone!

It worked!

Dream back on track, only possible explanation. He eyes the two tankards, his hand almost grasping the ale but at the last moment he changes his mind and takes the kavass. Grasping the tankard securely, not an easy task, he downs it in one.

A shudder passes through him.. and then he opens the other eye. Both now seem to be gaining some focus.

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Lyric

Sometimes it feels like the line between Order and Chaos is a sharp edge.
-Somebody important, long ago, and farther away


"No Child," reassured Lyric as she kept the girl near to the protective circle of her own presence. "The Lady in White is not mad at anyone. I'm not sure she can really be mad at anyone. But yes, she can be quiet. Hers is a life of Order and Serenity I think. I believe your Ladies at the Well are also serene and they value their quiet."

Lyric framed the girl's face in her hands, leaning down to meet the eyes of the child, so very close to her own. "But the very nature of being a child is at odds with such things I fear. The Wheel turns..."

There were memories, so many of them, flooding her thoughts. Had she only now just remembered a simpler and freer life herself.

"A time and a place for everything Blue. No matter how much you grow up, no matter how many years you live, never forget to find a moment to chase butterflies and whimsy. Ja?"

Lyric kissed the girl on the forehead, and that too stirred a memory. As though she was imitating a moment in her own life staring at the eyes of a mentor who taught her the power of her own voice. The memory threatened to bring her to emotion though, and so she turned the girl back around and encircled her arms protectively around Blue.

Together, faces side by side, they would watch the scene in the Tavern's common room reveal itself further. Lyric kept close to Keiko and Tomomi, Bekkah and Cesare. These were her closest companions... friends...

"Blue," she whispered. "You said that the 'Me' that was not 'You' who told you these words to tell to us was scared and missing his Mouse... How did he talk to you... as though he were speaking from the darkest shadows of your room last night? Could you see him? Could you see anything around him?"




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The Heartwood
Bordertown
The Dragonstooth Tavern
Restday, the Twenty-Fifth day of Crown of Ice


Lyric, Cesare, Bekkah, Daxia, Kisa Allaine, Keiko, Tomomi, Bluebell, Dandelion Koromov and a very slowly growing influx of tavern patrons.

"A matter of the heart."

Dandelion Koromov kept her arms crossed as she looked to her patron. After a bit of consideration, the Horde's captain closed her eyes for a moment. As she did one hand slipped lower, until they traced over the pommel of her sword, tapping out a slow even rhythm. Her nose wrinkled and when she opened her eyes once more she spoke.

"You are probably right. We are all probably overthinking this. This is like planning a campaign with Barris. Barris is the best tactician between the mountains black and the opal seas. But he often gets lost in the details of things. Fine. This is Dominic Korie we are talking about. We all know he is a mischief maker and spinner of tall tales. Fine. Short tales. We also know the more important something is the less leeway he has when talking about it."

Kisa just nodded quietly, as she took in Dandelion's words. She had, of course, already confirmed her position in this matter. Koromov's gaze fell squarely on Daxia, for they both shared something very basic in common.

"We serve a relatively sane goddess. This is probably as straightforward as he is allowed to be. So he said you are the only one who can do this? Break it down. How many Dayalans does he know? What's the difference between you and me? Just one. I can't be a priestess.

"So let us forget the trees and look at the Forest.

"Just what did he ask the rest of you to do?"

This was Dandelion Koromov, strategist, at work.

Meanwhile, Cesare looked as if he had been struck by lightning. Cold frozen lightning. It didn't stop his headache, no. That pounding went on and on and on. However, the kavass did well when it came to clearing away the cobwebs and the murk. On one hand, he could think again. On the other hand, he still felt like he had been run over by a herd of shaggies and he could hear everything folks around him were saying. And they were all, at least as it seemed to him, speaking very loud.

He knew he had been given a task, to open a door at a certain time. Something like that. The little kid would know.

Lori breezed by, setting a glass of something clear in front of Bekkah. At the Aterran's silence, she drew herself to a stop.

"Are you well missus? you don' seem to be yourself this morning. Shall I send someone up to the ruins and fetch our Lady to look after you?"

Tomomi leaned back, nibbling at her morning meal.

"What if it's just simple? We have a time. We have a place. What if it's nothing more complicated then that? Well, except he asked you to make sure that it's a good place and that no one will get in trouble being there. Maybe it's like borrowing Lady's room at Home after you've had a long day looking for just the right shade of purple."

Just a little bit away Blue looked up to Lyric.

"Oh. Shadows and voices. I don't understand. He found us this morning when the Market opened. We go there because it always smells nice. I mean, there were shadows, but that was just because She hadn't gotten above the rooftops yet. He was nice though very strange. He gave me and Juli and Maki fishcakes. Juli and Maki had to go do chores so I was the one who got to do this. But he was just like Juli' and Maki's mother. She's always rushing about because she says there's never enough time to do everything she has to do. So he was here and gone and he said he trusted me.

"So please help him?

"It feels good when someone trusts you.

"I don't want to lose that"

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Cesare

That was worse than a dunking in the middle of winter! He tries to focus his eyes through the pain in his head. Some of it seems to work. But why is everyone shouting?

"Ssshhh.."

His eyes find the little girl.

"You said something to me earlier. Can you say it again.. but quietly?"

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Bekkah

She looked up at Lori and gave her a smile.

"No lass. I was just thinking. At times it takes me away from here and I become distant. I apologize, but there is no need of worry. I am fine."

She turned to Bluebell if she was still there and gave her a smile as well.

"I will make sure all are as whole as possible. I always do." she added with another smile.

[ooc: I apologize for my absence, but it was unavoidable.]

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Lyric

The Minstrel held her embrace. Before Blue could respond Lyric pressed her cheek against Bluebell's and spoke softly.

"Shhh. You have already carried your share of this burden, Little One."

Lyric looked over the girl's shoulder to the table where her friend sat, struggling with the after-effects of last night's drinking.

"Friend Cesare, listen close now..."

She waited until he made eye contact with her before speaking. But when she did, she revealed another talent of hers. While her voice wasn't loud, nor carrying far, she spoke in the same intonation and cadence as Bluebell. In fact, Lyric sounded as nearly identical as the young girl did when she spoke the same words to them all just a little bit ago. Chose your eyes and it very well could have been Bluebell speaking.

"For the boy, it's complicated. But I was told to tell you this. When Miss Lori calls for dinner. Last Door. Last Room. Open it. No sooner or later. A life depends on this."

After the words were spoken she smiled at the young girl and kissed her on the top of her head again.

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Cesare

Ooohh but his head hurts. But his ears seem to have unclogged and his brain is functioning behind the pain.

He focuses on Lyric as she asks and even manages a smile, albeit briefly.

"When Lori calls dinner, open last door last room."

He repeats it to show he has heard and understood, though not completely..

"And that is dinner tonight? And this door, is it here in the inn?"

He tries to recall the layout but can't remember very much of last night. He will need to investigate.. but maybe later.

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Lyric

At his further queries, Lyric mildly shrugs while holding the girl.

"I do not think she knows more than what she was told," came the first part of the reply. "But, Yes... My thought would be that the door to a room that must be opened at a very specific moment, no sooner and no later than the a call to mealtime issued by a woman working here, would be in this very Inn."

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Bluebell

Leaning gently back into Lyric's protective embrace, she lets her attention be easily stolen by the comings and goings of the tavern. It was like everything was new to her - and it probably was - as Bordertown's less advantaged could never afford the Dragonstooth's cheapest drink let alone dare peek in the door without a Very Good Reason. Every so often she would rise to her tiptoes, all wide-eyed, as an unusual patron pushed their way through the commons hall door.

She does, however, pay a bit of attention to the words shared between Lyric and Cesare.

"Oh! It gots to be tonight, right? Because tonight is Midwinter's and that's when everything special happens. Folks are nicer to each other and we can usually get a fish cake for a smile, at least until tomorrow night.

"I wish it was like that every day."

Her nose scrunched up again, as she thought very, very hard.

"It must be tonight because he said he had lots to do and no time to do it."

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Cesare

He tries a smile at the little girl. At least he hopes it's a smile.

"OK I think I have that. And would you like a fish cake now?"

He knows what it is like to be poor. There were times when his small family unit struggled to get work and times were hard. He knows hunger and the dreams of having a taste of luxury, even for a moment.

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Lyric

As Cesare occupied the attention of the child with any to procure some kind of delectable that she craved, Lyric tried to garner the attention of the others gathered closely to her... without too much outside attention.

She leaned around the girl, "Keiko, Tomomi?"

"Bekkah?"

Cesare was right there beside her, his attention was already focused , albeit a bit... fuzzy perhaps. She kept her voice low. More people were coming into the common room and the background din was increasing. Furthermore, Bekkah's sister and her conversation in the middle of the room, with the other woman should serve to focus attention in their own direction. She spoke quietly, as if leaning forward also helped to lessen the chance of being overheard.

"Given what we know or surmise about our friend in need, having seen how he speaks important things to people, then we can assume that he has given us everything he can, and that things he has sent Blue to say to each of us might also apply to all of us.... Parts of it, that is."

She looked around her and continued, "Each a task, but bits of important information that applies to us all... First we must decide if we will help him. I would think this is an easy decision. But some might be hesitant because we what have been told leaves much unrevealed... as plans go. BUT, let me restate. He was told us what he can, what he felt the girl could remember...AND, it is his plan, not ours."

"Things we think we can know... Something terrible is happening or could happen. He is scared, worried. Emmi is not with him. Either he is in danger or she is... or both. Her special talent would allow her to find him no matter where he is, unless she is unable to do so... His talent allows him to move through the shadows. Something is keeping them apart. Our friend has seldom expressed his fear despite the very dangerous nature of what we recently undertook in the great Forest of the World. This is important, and he is telling us everything he can. He has a plan. We don't know it yet. But I can tell his words make the frame of a plan and he needs us to be his hands in this."

"Do we need to know more at this moment? Or is it that we would like to know more? The latter is true. Of course we want to know more. BUT, we don't need to know more as long as we TRUST our friend."

Lyric looked to each of them.

"You trusted me when I created a plan to help free the Forestkin and end the evil and cruelty of the Dark Masters and their Dwarven Minions. You didn't know me well at all. You didn't know if I had a talent for plans and strategy or not. But, you trusted me."

"So now, I ask, among ourselves... Do we trust Dommi? Can we accept that he has a plan, as I believe he does, and that he has told us all he can for this moment. My answer is easy. He trusted me and so, I trust him. We can take what we know, what he has told us already, and ready ourselves as his plan dictates..."

"We are friends... He is our friend. He needs help. Now is not the time to overthink things we can't know yet. But, instead, we will do the things that he needs, and understanding will be revealed..."

"Do we trust Dommi?"

Lyric's answer had already been given. Her asking sounded more like a rallying cry, delivered low and softly.

****

(OOC: to save time I am breaking this up but continuing. Real life has slowed some folks in posting, but I feel we can get deeper into this plot if we take a few steps as granted here. so I am adding more in terms of what would come after our fellowship coming to agreement that we act to save a friend.)

****

"Has anyone seen Hinata Cat? His aid might be helpful in this, if he hasn't gotten himself into too much trouble already, that is."

Lyric adjusted which of Blue's shoulders she was speaking overm "Lady Bekkah? Would you be willing and able to speak with your sister and her companion. Guide them and steer them to join us. Dommi has included them in his plan and thus it is important they know what we know... and the other way around around."

Back to the other shoulder, "Friend Keiko, your lore knowledge seems crucial here. A mention of something or someone called the Other? A Hill where 'every' happens? How far is it from here? Dommi's instructions are clear on timing marks... Dinner call and the the first moment of Her setting."

"And the task you have been given... warn the Grandfathers. This sounds very important if we are to succeed. These Grandfathers might very well have the knowledge we lack, and it could be Dommi's way of giving us a way to know the things we need to know and spare him the words passed through Bluebell."

"Cesare... Yours sounds like a task of simple timing, but I imagine there is more to this. No sooner, no later. Precision. Dommi knows you commanded that kind of strength in the gear room. Even when things became... unpredictable. I imagine that something unpredictable will happen there and then."

"It is morning now and so we know the amount of time we have left to us to prepare ourselves before actions outside our control begin to happen around us. How do we get the info we need, without getting lost in trying to sort the things we don't need to know... Yet? One of the first things I can think of needing to know is 'Where is this Hill'. That tells us how long it will take us to get from here to there, and knowing that can allow us to act in accordance with the amount of time there is from Lori's call for dinner and the first moment of sunset."

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Cesare

Whilst still waiting for Blue's answer, Cesare listens to Lyric. He already has respect for her grasp on situations and her ability to apply tactics as needed.

"Mine sounds a simple job but we do need to work out which door.. an early recce will solve that hopefully.. and whether or not I will be able to hear Lori from that location. We can test that too. Plus we need to be sure that all the doors actually lead to rooms in order to work out which is the last valid one."

He is squinting whenever his eyes move slowly towards light but it sounds like he is thinking again and has already accepted his role as a given.

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Bekkah

As Lyric spoke, she couldn't help but wonder about the girl. One moment, she seemed like a naive teen, then other times, she sounded like a veteran strategist. Either way, she seemed like a good hearted soul so she'd ask no more questions of her and take her at face value for now.

"Oh there are many things, I might hesitate to trust Dominic with, but in this case, I trust the message we have received and I will gladly help him although, I'm not much on planning. I tend to go where needed and share my Lady's love. I only take major action when she guides me. So let me know how I can help."

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The Heartwood
Bordertown
The Dragonstooth Tavern
Restday, the Twenty-Fifth day of Crown of Ice


Lyric, Cesare, Bekkah, Daxia, Kisa Allaine, Keiko, Tomomi, Bluebell, Dandelion Koromov and a very slowly growing influx of tavern patrons.

"So, no one's going to answer my question?"

Half-Rhoni, half-Imperial eyes narrowed at that, a reminder that Dandelion Koromov carried not only powerful blood, but also passionate blood. It was not a familiar situation for the slender blonde swordswoman and she did not seem happy at all about it. Her voice had drooped, a touch cooler now. Kisa Allaine blinked, suddenly caught off guard. She just looked at the two Dayalans, one then the other, folding her hands in her lap before speaking.

"Dominic asked me to follow my heart. So I shall. When it comes to such thing he's never lead me astray. Into a stern talking to every now and then, when we were fostered together, but never astray. As for the others? They are sitting over there. Most you know, I believe. They have acquired a few more friends; they seem nice."

Dandelion's response was a simple chuff of breath, looking past Kisa to the others.

"Then you don't mind me moving forward, Dama?"

It was a very polite and proper request that the Koromov made, considering how much of her allowance Kisa had paid for her services.

"Of course not."

Having been given leave, Dandelion took sturdy, disciplined steps around the Dawnview contingent and towards those who had come from Waverider's Watch. While she didn't claim a space at their table, she did snare a chair, flip it around and sat in it backward, so she could cross her arms and rest them on the chair's back. That she could was an advantage of quarter-cut tunics, originally meant for riding. She grabbed a tall mug of kavass from one of the passing barmaids, taking a sip as she first took in their continuing conversation.

Tomomi tilted her head, her expression lost in the shadow of her travel cloak hood.

"Hinata Cat? He's at the big building where all the soldiers were. He said he was going to join them, remember? That means he's probably in all sorts of trouble and enjoying it immensely, ja?"

The little girl followed next, her eyes wide.

"Fish cakes for breakfast, that would be all wonderful. Excepting that they are sold down in the market. Which is a good run away and would be bad because it is usually raining nowadays. Except for today. Which is nice. What is that? Is that a muffin? With blueberries?"

Without a break, like a young child often do, Blue easily switched from one subject to another.

"Oh! Oh, I know that. Everyone knows that. Midwinter's Hill is just outside the town. We can't go there because we are little. It's where the Rhoni spends their festival since all their wagons would just fill the squares right up. It isn't far at all, just on the other side of the ruins. When I get older I want to go see it because folks say it's really, really pretty, so pretty it's magical."

If what Bluebell said was correct, that placed their final destination not a short but a middling walk from the town center. Certainly not long. It also made one of Dominic's requests sensible. If it was someone else's festival encampment, it might be wise and polite to warn them that something was up come sunset. Blue was also correct about the weather; Her light was warm, the winter winds almost non-existent and it was certainly shaping up to be a grand day out. A day which passed, at least as far as they were concerned, fairly uneventfully. Not that there weren't things happening between breakfast and the approach of sunset. Come the midday meal the talk in the commons hall was all about the Jvrillian Guildhouse.

"It was like out of a minstrel's tale. This huge guy comes into the hall, speaks about burnt fish and when everyone laughs at him he just picks up Gregori, raises him over his head and tosses him all the way to the room's other side."

"Did he really say what they said he said? That Gregori was sitting in his sunbeam?"

"I don't know, I was dodging bodies and breakfast. The brawling was still going on when they summoned the Lady from her tower and all the captains, you know what they were doing? They were standing back arguing with each other - they didn't care who or what he was, but they all wanted him as a skirmisher."

"I heard that Daffyd finally hired him on. Got one up on Harry, he did, when he pointed out that a brute with claws would probably scare his horses!"

By that time Cesare's question would also have been answered. It was a tavern matter, so of course, Lori could easily explain.

"The room at the end of the hall? You mean the one the young rake fellow paid for and as far as know it's just sitting there empty? You know - Domine - Garrick and Harry's friend. At least it was empty when we took care of the beddings this morning. But he paid in good coin and more than we normally charge come festival, so who's to gainsay that? I can show you if you wish."

And that she did. The room was exactly that; down the stairs, down the hall, and at its very end. While you could not hear anything from the commons at the room's door - and vice versa - the distance between the two was not very far. One could get from the commons hall to the mystery room in but a handful of heartbeats or so. Lori blinked, however, because something was new.

"What in the Merebeast's Name are you doing here?"

A pair of guardsman stood on each side of the door. They were both in light armor, with shield and sword. The shields bore the horsemark of Hohlkavin's troop. The two looked at each other.

"We got hired to guard this room."

The first guard spoke and was answered by the second.

"We stay out here and make sure whoever is in the room doesn't leave until they's fetched for."

"We don't need to do anything, apart from just stop this person from entering the room."

"No, no. Leaving the room."

"Leaving the room, yes."

The second guard looked at the first.

"You got that, right?"

"Right. Oh, if-if-if, uh, if-if-if, uh, if-if-if we..."

"Look, it's quite simple."

"Uhm ...

"We just stay here and make sure anyone doesn't leave the room. All right?

"Right."

"Until they's fetched for."

"Right."

Lori just crossed her arms.

"You two were hired by a short guy with black hair, I take it.

The two guards looked at each other and then spoke in unison.

"Right."

The barmaid threw up her hands, turning to Cesare.

"There's your door. It's guarded. So it's not going anywhere. I am though."

Lori marched back towards the commons and the sanity of working through the festival. As she did, the first guard immediately took up after her. The second guard quickly reached out to catch him by his sword belt.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm going with her!"

"No no, We stay here and make whoever doesn't leave."

"Oh, I see. Right."

"Until they's fetched.

"Right."

Obviously, Cesare was supposed to be the fetcher, come just before sunset.

That left the remainder of the day for undertaking whatever business needed or desired. For most it would be quiet afternoon, passing the time in the tavern or the town and being well able to return to the Dragonstooth before the allotted time. One thing, however, would occur that day. Tomomi would finally not stand for a certain matter anymore. Standing up, the young mouse-woman took up her pack and marched over to Kisa Allaine and commanded.

"Sit.

"Oh, you are sitting.

"I need this."

Reaching out Tomomi took up Kisa's sleeve and pulled the other woman's arm straight and to a place where it could be easily reached by a sitting Mouse. Then, sitting next to the Allaine Tomomi would make herself comfortable and empty her pack, taking up needle, thread, and lace. Kisa watched, both amused and bemused, as her sleeves were properly scalloped, setting that matter right.




[OOC note: We are pausing here to allow folks to talk amongst each other (Nivek, did you miss Lyric's previous request?), ask further questions or take whatever actions you wish to between morning and sunset. Simply put, unless you folks act differently, the time between breakfast and Lori calling for dinner would pass by without any further outside event. Hinata is quite happy where he is and unless you have further questions for Dandelion she'd spend her day mostly watching and be accessible to you folks - while she might go off on other business, she will be at and then return to the Commons hall with ample time to interact with. Unless something drastic happens both Kisa and Tomomi will play along with Dominic's requests.]

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Cesare

He reaches out and takes a blueberry muffin and passes it to the girl.

"This will have to do until we can arrange fishcakes."

The words are solemn but his eyes are twinkling. He greets Dandy, chuckles at the antics of Hinata cat and then excuses himself as he dutifully follows Lori to =the= door and its strange guards. He cannot work out what Dommi is up to but reckons he can fulfil his part of it this evening.

On his return he speaks to Keiko.

"Kinswoman, Blue has said there are Rhoni camped outside the town and I think you are going to visit to fulfil Dommi's request. I have to be back here tonight but I would very much welcome an opportunity to visit with you, if you would provide introductions?"

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Lyric, a Minstrel for the flowers and the walls.

The Military Woman, with dark black soulless blade at her hip, who was called by a rank and and a name of noble value approached the travelling group and took up a a chair. She didn't so much as join them, but rather she found a way to loom over them from the seated position. perhaps that was a result of how she approached, and then how she turned the chair around and straddled it as though it were a tavern destrier. She said nothing, but her eyes were watching them all. Her next few hours had been interwoven with their own and Lyric imagined that this woman wanted to know, not only why, but also who... with Whose lives was she becoming entangled at the behest of Dominic Korie, a Trickster Noble in Trouble.

Tomomi spoke, and then Bluebell, and then Cesare. Hinata the Cat at the Guildhouse, but not what of that... And fishcakes for breakfast that were sold too far to get in the here and now, and the muffins with Blue Berries for Blue Bell. yes, there was something oddly fascinating about the child and the things she said and how she 'worked' the people around her. A Gift for engendering empathy while navigating the rolling drifts of Chaos.

Maybe Lyric would have been more attentive to all this going on around her, but she couldn't. The hooded minstrel sat back, even further than before, even closer to the wall, and regarded the Captain Koromov from the shadows of her own space of concealment. She held her mug of warmed cider closer to her face and sipped from it. And she felt the emptiness in front of her. It was like staring into Entropy, save that it was a defined lack of Chaos or even Order. It was a nothingness, a void. It made the Minstrel uneasy. Her sensitivities to such things was acute and this sensation was like a cutting to the quick of that.

Her attention was focused, but the Minstrel was keenly subdued and self-aware. She was a consummate performer and could hide her tension in a placid calm facade. Those who knew her well enough would sense that this exterior calm was not how they would expect to find their friend though. An outsider to their little travelling bad might never notice anything except what the Minstrel wanted and needed them to sense.

But there was one word that focused the Minstrel's attention away from Dandelion Koromov. Blue was talking about Midwinter's Hill, and Lyric was soaking in the words she heard and strategizing the timing. They could get the mystery guest from the room, and move as a group to this Midwinter's Hill. One word, and Dommie's words to her through Bluebell gained clarity. Had Dommie seen what she had done in the depths of the Evil Keep on the Lake? Or had he heard about it from Emerald? The latter was likely, and more inline with her own remembrances of those chaotic moments where Desperation and Hope clashed. Where she refused to let the former defeat the latter. Where she summoned the strength to do things she had never tried in all her life. Where magic was bent to her will and need.

The Magic of those terrible vault doors and the mechanism of Dark Steel, forged to serve a foul purpose, became a servant of the Minstrel.

Blue said that the Rhoni Camp at Midwinter's Hill was so Pretty it was Magical. Magical. Dommie's words to Lyric were that she would have to play and that it had to be magical. Dommie wanted Lyric to do what she did before because Magic was going to be used. If there was magic there, then whoever or whatever the Other was, it might be looking to use that magic as well.

Or it meant nothing at all.

Lyric would find out when the last ray of light said farewell to the Sea of Opals.

"Yes, we will need to warn the Rhoni... Be it the Grandfathers or the Grandmothers... Whichever is most proper... Anyone who will take us seriously when we speak of an impending Trouble and disruption to their festival time," she said softly, with clutched mug in front of her mouth. "We will need to do this now, so we can be back here for dinner's call."

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The Heartwood
Bordertown
The Dragonstooth Tavern
Restday, the Twenty-Fifth day of Crown of Ice


Lyric, Cesare, Bekkah, Daxia, Kisa Allaine, Keiko, Tomomi, Bluebell, Dandelion Koromov and a very slowly growing influx of tavern patrons.

- Great Hall, Talantal Keep, evening, two days ago.

Khorall Dorian Korie sat alone in the expansive and grand hall. He had banished his court, sent them packing, at least until the morrow. He sat in his chair, elbows on his knees, chin in his palms. He looked to the side, to an empty chair, one in which no one had sat for uncounted years. Uncounted save by himself, the Khorall of the Mainland's most powerful keep knew the number of years, days and bells between then and now.

It was his only regret. In all his life, all his power, all his glory, his only regret. His was a marriage of political convenience. Duty to family always came first. He had let that blind him, so very long ago. Blinded so well that he did not realize that it had stopped being a marriage of convenience until it was too late. Perhaps that is why he could never be close to his youngest son. Perhaps it was not that he could not forgive Dominic. But, perhaps, it was because he could never forgive himself for being so blind.

His youngest son had surprised him. That he had the savvy to tell him the truth about the Amber girl. It was odd to share a secret between his youngest and himself. She would become a Hero and her death would bind the Families Korie and those of Amber closer. But he knew the truth of things. And that was critical in what came next.

It was the girl who had shocked him. Of course, he knew her. He knew everyone who lived within his halls, or at the least, he had believed so. But in one simple motion, she proved him wrong - he did not know her at all.

He looked to the empty chair beside him.

He was the most powerful Khorall in all the mainland.

And in all his years, that one quiet, soft, and gentle action, so simple, so plain, of all he had ever heard, sung or seen with his own eyes, it was the most brave.



It was an odd group that approached the Rhoni encampment that afternoon. A much smaller group that one might have expected. It was Lyric the minstrel, Cesare, Captain Koromov with Blue as their guide. The others had decided to remain in the Dragonstooth, to manage their own affairs. Tomomi seemed the happiest of them and Kisa most amused. A simple country mouse had captured a Noble lady for the purposes of lace. In an odd way, it was an excellent matched set of Midwinter's gifts, one a gift of giving and the other the gift of receiving.

Bluebell's guidance was a bit shaky, having only heard of the place. But she was obviously trying her best for them. Her kindness had been bought by a breakfast muffin, which set Cesare high in the little girl's ranks. She had even saved half of it - a not uncommon practice among those whose next meal is but a hopeful wish - and that last half she nibbled on as she pointed the way around the ruins.

"It's supposed to be around there, on the other side of the all the broken stones and everything. There's supposed to be a trail that leads up to where the Kind Lady and the Crazy Brother lives. Oh. Uhm. Ah. Wise Brother. Wise Brother lives. But its all brambly and twisted tree-like. It's kind of scary. So there's got to be a better way, I think, right?"

At that Dandelion was the one who crouched down, looked in the direction that was pointed, narrowing her eyes in concentration.

"You mean that little hint of a trail, where the ground is hard and the grass has forgotten to grow?"

"Aye-yup! That's it!"

Captain Koromov stood, ruffling the girl's hair.

"You are one smart lassie."

The earnestness of both Blue and the Koromov's words was surprising. One did not often get a chance to see a gentler side to the Dayalan swordswoman. Captain Dandelion Koromov was, after all, a familiar Bordertown visitor and thus it should not have been a surprise that she actually knew where Midwinter's Hill - and also the Rhoni encampment - was. That she let Blue lead them there, well, that was something new for everyone.

It was a nice afternoon; cool but not cold, not even cold enough to need cloaks or heavy winter gear. And once the group made their way around the base of the old temple their destination was both clear and relatively close. It was on the other side of the Flowered Path, far enough beyond the ruins that it could not be considered a part of them, but not far enough away to be a long walk. It was, as described, a nice little hill, set within a half circle of the High Tarn's boulders, which gave just enough cover to provide a comfortable level of privacy.

The hill itself was capped in a small copse of trees. Oddly it was still swathed in green, not the usual storm season brown. About three-quarters of the way up a fairly steep slope, there was a spring which happily fountained from between two small grey rocks. A little creek then cascaded down the hill, wrapped around the hill's base and then made a second, much larger, loop before disappearing into the surrounding fields. The Rhoni encampment was on the other side of the creek, set within the bounds of the stream's second loop. A bit further away, on a second small hillock, there was a pair of large rocks. Between the rocks was a simple wooden structure, constructed of two very tall posts and a pair of cross beams. It was painted red.

The Koromov nodded to the stones and structure beyond.

"That's called a pony gate and it's special to the Rhoni folks. I've seen a handful of them scattered across the mainland. But what they are and how they are special, you got me."


- Rhoni encampment, Red Pony Gate, Bordertown, this morning.

Shino Khal'Yuri Akiyama looked down upon the cards before her. As the eldest, just as the sun also rose each day, so did she took out her deck, to look through the window and see what the weather was like. It had been strangely warm the last few days, but, as the human-folk were wont to say, it does no good to look a gift horse in the mouth. The cards too seemed to have caught the weather's pleasant tidings. And then she blinked.

Two days ago it had been Forest, Holly, Mercy. Yesterday it had been Forest, Holly and the First of Shattering.

And today it was Forest, Holly, Dragon.

Were the cards taunting her? Had they gotten stuck? Often, day by day, the readings were similar. That was when the world's currents were strong and their changing something only accomplished over time. But for three days, the two lead cards had been the same, and today not there was not just a new card third, but a Dragon, one of the deck's wildest and most potent cards.

"Yui ... did you cast from your deck this morning?"

The eldest grandmother questioned the youngest of the two families' card readers. Yui Khal'Shinju Tamarimizu. The young lass was strong and had skill interpreting the Deck's sometimes whimsical, sometimes mysterious moods.

"Hai. Forest. Holly. Dragon."

Forest spoke of beginnings. Holly was a card of completion; things coming full circle and promises being kept. The Dragon was an older card, with powerful meaning. One did not disturb a resting dragon, whatever was coming to completion was something that was meant to be.

Shino looked to the other card reader.

"What do you think it means?"

Yui tilted her head. Shino wrinkled her nose. Yui was often as inscrutable as her Cards; hard to distinguish when she was speaking forthrightly or metaphorically.

"We may have guests. Guests that come with the Dragon's blessing."


"Something, something that you don't know what, will be happening on Midwinter's hill this evening?"

The Rhoni leader they were speaking to was a tall, gruff and handsome older man. He didn't look like a grandfather, per se, but he was the one who met them when they reached the little stream. They stood on their side of the stream, while the Rhoni stayed on his. He was not alone; two other men, who could have been brothers, stood on either side of him. Last, standing a bit apart, was a woman. She had long black hair, deep violet eyes and was probably the same age as Keiko.

On their side of the creek, Lyric, Bluebell, and Cesare was one group, with Dandy the one standing a bit apart.

"Yes sir!"

The Rhoni raised a brow when it was Bluebell that answered first.

"And why should that be a matter for the Rhoni?"

The Koromov spoke.

"Because it is a Dominic Korie thing. He may be one of your lesser, more disreputable cousins but he seemed concerned that whatever he is planning might disturb you. As for me, I'm just curious. Curious enough that I might, if pressed, ask a boon from my Mother's side of the family."

The Rhoni man started. He gave the Captain a sudden stern look. While there were many half-bloods - even powerful ones like Dominic Korie and Kisa Allaine - they were still just Festival born. Dandy was different. She traveled in no Caravan, had strange ways, but there was no denying she was still Family. Her Mother's marriage was recognized. That was when the girl, the one standing apart on their side of the stream, spoke up.

"Hiroki, it seems the Dragon has spoken. Midwinter's Hill has never been just ours. It belongs to the young."

The Rhoni man considered his relatives' words. Then finally nodded.

"We shall take your warning for what it is. Bring no harm to ours who might share the hill. But you will stay away from the other hill tonight. The Pony's Gate is ours."

Captain Koromov simply shrugged her shoulders.

"If he brings harm, you can be sure I'm the one who will end that manner of mischief."


- Waverider's Watch, The Korie Tower, just after lunch.

"I am going to thrash that boy within an inch of his life."

Atop the little tower, the Korie guardsman turned to the very disgruntled priestess beside him.

"Oh. You really do know our Young Lord, don't you?"



The three returned to the Dragonstooth well before dinnertime.

"I think I shall take my leave of you folks for a bit. Places to be, people to meet, and if we have to chase that louse tonight we are going to need folks skilled in doing just that. Midwinter's hill at sunset. I will be there."

Dandelion Koromov parted from them at the entrance to the tavern. She turned, walking down the street towards the Sheriff's house and the Jvrillian guildhall. That left the rest to gather at the commons. It seemed to be the place to be; as the afternoon grew longer more and more folks started to crowd. The minstrels were back and perhaps it was good that certain other folks had their own business elsewhere, because a certain song seemed very popular with all involved.

"I shall go. In case he calls mouse. It would be sad, if that happened and there were no mice to mouse him."

Tomomi made the decision, herself. Which was actually an interesting turn of events. Perhaps traveling did suit her, perhaps she had learned well from her forever friend, that sometimes, friends can make their own decisions. Kisa too was there. She wore her warm Kierkegaard traveling cloak, ready for whatever the night might bring. The cloak, however, hung open. Perhaps that was a little bit of vanity. To show off her scalloped sleeves. Perhaps it was not just for not just for her own sake, but also for her seamstress' sake too.

Finally, as Her light started to cast long shadows, Lori called out for dinner. That was the signal for Cesare's personal quest to begin. The one he had agreed to. So down the hall he went - along with anyone else who desired to come along. That included an Allaine and a Forest Folk, at the least. The guard, of course, was there waiting.

"Oh! There you are! Can we go now? There were all sorts of noises from inside and they did not sound happy at all. Usually, come Midwinter's you know what is being done behind closed doors..."

As if who or whatever was in the room could hear what was being said, the guard's midwinter's comment was followed by the sound of something very heavy hitting the door, like a shoulder, rattling the bar that held it shut. A familiar voice growled back, loud enough to be heard clearly, even with a distinctive accent.

"Nin bh'oodly way!"

It was hard to tell what had disturbed the room's occupant more; being locked in the room or being accused of partaking Midwinter's pleasures.

"I think it is time for us to leave."

The second guard added a single, but just as earnest, syllable.

"Right."

The voice was familiar enough to warrant lifting the bar and opening the door. Standing in a rather distressed looking room was a very tall figure in a patchwork leather cloak. Dark words made a single demand.

"W'ere kin I find t'at bh'oodly wuffess-napper?"

It was Broke.

At least they knew the answer that question. It was almost sunset after all.


- High Seneschal's Chamber, Talantal Keep, late afternoon.

"Marcus, Marcus, Marcus, I'm not stealing him, I'm just borrowing him!"



They made it to Midwinter's Hill just before sunset, just before the twilight between day and night. Bekkah, Cesare, Lyric, Tomomi, Broke and Kisa. The hill was not empty, not empty by far. Sitting on the stones were people the original travelers knew. Captain Koromov, of course, and her friends Garrick - Bordertown's sheriff - and Harry Mohlkavin. If they did need to capture a Korie, they were the three most skilled at it. While both wore dangerous looking swords they were, for all other purposes, unarmored.

At the base of the hill was a very pretty woman, very brightly dressed. She bounced upon her heels, like an excited little girl. Dressed in white and blue and red and gold, she was a vibrant rainbow splash against the fading light. She was also smiling, the brightest and friendliest smile that one might ever imagine. She looked about her constantly, as if she was waiting for someone to arrive that hadn't yet.

There were some Rhoni too; a set of young lads and lasses, sharing the beauty of the hill. They came in pairs and their expressions varied. Most of the girls were curious, at what might bring an odd collection of folks to this place; the lads were curious too, but it was a curiosity of a slightly different flavor - what was this event disturbing their favorite courtship spot. There was a slender lass all alone sitting in one of the tree branches. Her legs swung playfully back and forth, her pretty features shaded by the fall of long black hair.

Near the top of the hill was a tall, slender man in very nice and regal tunics. Again he was a familiar face to all but Lyric and perhaps even to the sheriff and mercenary. As they approached and began their climb to the top of the hill it was Kisa who called out first, rushing up to give the older man a welcoming hug.

"Tray Korie, what are you doing here?"

Just as surprised as Kisa was the Korie lord. He just shrugged his shoulders philosophically. Technically I suppose I was kidnapped, but it could also be my own fault.

"One of the days I was bedridden, I suspect, I must have told my brother I was jealous of his adventures. This, I suspect, is then my midwinter's gift."

"Fine."

A gruff voice from beneath a travel-cloak hood spoke up, as the rest of the little group made it to the top of the hill.

"Fine. We both get to cuff 'im. I get to cuff 'im first. Bh'oodly wuffess-napped I was."

"It's almost sunset."

The quiet words sliced through Broke's rough ones. They were spoken by the girl on the branch as if it was something important, something that they needed reminding of. Indeed, the shadows across the world were at their longest now, slashing black patterns across the landscape, slicing over Midwinters's Hill. Her light burned the western horizon in glorious purples and blues, and for a moment, just this moment, it was as if time suddenly stopped and stood so very still. Even a matched pair of wild critters, playing hide and go seek amongst the tall grasses and between the trees, with pointy ears and long lush tails, came to a pause in their play.

"That's a right pretty sunset, isn't it?"

A shadow swooshed, like the sweep of a cloak, and then, as if it was perfectly natural and expected, one Dominic Domine Korie stood next to a travel cloaked Broke.

"You know, you won't be needing this anymore. And I won't have it, not today."

And with a single smooth motion, Dommi stood as tall as he could, sweeping off Broke's travel-cloak hood.

Broke suddenly was frozen in place, caught completely and suddenly off balance. And so was everyone else. Even the Koromov was taken aback, at the tall sturdy swordswoman, who not only had tall black ears and a snout, but wore a silver star just like she did.

"W'ye ..."

Broke's question was a single confused chuff of breath.

Dominic smiled. And he pointed to the base of the hill.

Dominic's dramatics had been a very successful distraction. All had had their attention focused on him and Broke. And thus the arrival of the evening's most important guest had been missed.

She was dressed in white, tunics full and bright. The finest Dawnnview silk, with hems decorated in silver thread, wide bands of key patterns and playful knotwork. Small, slender, slight, and while her cheeks didn't really know how to blush the inside of her wide round ears were definitely pinking. Green eyes sparkled like their namesake gems, long whiskers accenting fine features. Long silver hair cascaded over her fine shoulders. She could not help but smile, holding her bouquet of wildflowers. She would never need to wear a travel cloak, never again.

Of course, Miss Emerald Mouse had been taken from Dominic.

"Why? Because I need you to be my best wuff, Broke."

The groom was not supposed to see his bride in her gown before their wedding day.


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Bekkah

She traveled with the others to the Midwinter's celebration. As always she was calm almost as if she suspected something.

She saw Tray Korie and and went to greet him, smiling up at him.

"You're looking much better my Lord." she said approvingly.

Then her appearance was drawn to the newest to appear. Dominic's appearance made her smile and the smile grew as he removed Broke's hood. She heartily agreed with the sentiment. The last surprise of all brought the biggest smile to her face.

Of course, only Dominic would dare to do something like this in this manner. He'd made them all worry, but considering the circumstances, she'd forgive him. She hoped the others would as well, although she was pretty sure some would have words for him.

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Cesare

He had performed the part allotted to him, never guessing that it would be Broke in the room. He is still puzzling the issue as they approach the hill. Then he is distracted by the presence of several Rhoni. Apart from Keiko these are the first Rhoni outside of his family that he has come across. He is not sure what to do and wishes Keiko was here to ask. Should he introduce himself? Should he wait for them to make the first move? Would they know him as Rhoni?

Then other events occur that steal his attention back to more familiar faces. Dommis brother is here too. He likes the young lord, remembering the castle and his and Bekkah's interference in his strange imprisonment. Then Dommi too arrives. And then Emerald, who he had also met at the castle the first time. But she looks so radiant, so different and suddenly all becomes clear. They are here for a wedding!

He chuckles. Dommi is such a rascal.

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Lyric the Minstrel

So, there they all were, a reunion of sorts. Upon the Midwinter's Hill. Lyric, with her cloak and hood, concealing her armor and her swords, at the ready with the ancient mandola slung over her back. She stood staring at Dominic from the depths of her hood. A wry smile played at her lips, seen only by someone who looked directly into the shadows of her hood. There was much she needed to say and much she wanted to say, and the two were not exactly the same words. So as others said their words, Lyric reflected, for just a moment in the Here and Now about That Which Came Before.

In all earnest honesty, Lyric would rather not have worn her cloak at all, but she had taken to 'needing' the comfort of it. It felt like a precautionary measure that brought her a sense of peace. Travelling among friends might not have been an issue, but this first trip to the hill had been in the company of the ranked Rhoni with the Imperial family name, and the Captain was a woman that Lyric found to give her pause and unease. Walking a path and trail through what seemed a purposeful thicket brought them all much closer together than was absolutely necessary. Again, were she travelling with just her companions than it wouldn't have mattered if she had gone without the cloak on the cool afternoon adventure, except maybe to shield her soft skin from the brambles,

Dominic was a showman of sorts. He enjoyed the spectacle of his own mischief. It seemed to be a part of the package. Kadri had a bit of a flair it as well, though hers was presented with a need and cause for Justice. To that end maybe even now he did things here on this hill that honored Justice as much as Mischief. Order and Chaos finding balance. He revealed Broke for all to see, even the new jewelry which Lyric had seen worn by other's now among them. Broke had accepted the Path presented before her by the Goddess of Order itself. That made Lyric smile. It was not Lyric's path, but Broke deserved a path, as did all the Forest Folk. And now Dommi had removed her cloak and presented her to the world as a revelation. More Mischief... and Justice.

Meeting the older Rhoni man, a Master or Lord of sorts, as if Lyric had any understanding of the social structure among the Rhoni, was a little intimidating. He carried himself with Authority, but maybe not the final word of such since a younger woman offered a reassurance of their purpose as though she had the knowledge and wisdom that belied her youthful appearance. Yes, Lyric sometimes gave people that impression of herself. A curiosity indeed. One that Lyric watched closely. She had passed within a 'seeing' distance of the thing he called a Pony's Gate. It was a solitary thing, revered and important, and Lyric looked at it intently for a moment or two as they first walked into the hidden glade, and again at his mention and warning about it. Pony's Gate indeed. Some gates were more dangerous than others, especially those that lead to dangerous pastures.

The light was waning as She settled low against the horizon. The Hill offered a few more moments but slowly and inexorably, the rules of Order would dictate She yield to the darkness of night and rest Herself for her next rising. Those same rules determined that nothing, not even Chaos itself could stop Her. Well, since when did Lyric become so philosophical about things she actually knew very little about? Those thoughts were calming though but soon she would have to take a dangerous path of her own and complete the task to which she had been assigned by the Lord of Mischief.

"I am so happy for you and Em," she whispered as she leaned in close to Dommi. With his face against her own, he could see her better than anyone here. There was more truth in that than anyone else might realize.

"But you gave me a terrible worry. I am travelling with that dangerous woman now because you pulled at a lot of threads. You know she is dangerous to me and you know why." While it might have sounded like chastisement, her tone was softer and her smile was genuine. "I am wearing my armor and carrying my swords... BUT, I know that there is a nature of Chaos that you must follow, you willingly follow, and I understand that. It even pleases me to watch you do what you do. And I willingly take these risks because you mean a great deal to me and one day you will once again be in a grave danger and will need me... and perhaps, one day very soon, maybe even tonight, I might need the same from you. While my words are not Oaths nor Promises, because those things are binding, please know they are important words of Truth to me. I wish you and Em great happiness and endless adventure together and know that I am but a name and a shadow away."

"I have my Mandola and now I must do something magical. The last light touches the Sea of Opals as we speak."

With that Lyric slipped away, passing through a few others, some she knew and some she didn't. She flashed a smile for Dominic's brother as she slid by him with a graceful and fluid step, her eyes lingering on his just enough to make her head turn a little before she was by him. Unslinging her Mandola, she found a place upon a rock that lifted her above the others, but just a little removed so as not to become the focus of attention on the wedding ceremony that was about to take place.

With her skilled, delicate hands, she drew the energies about this place to herself, just tendrils. This was a place with great magic, and it sat so near to the borders and edges of places where magic was even stronger. That first note hung in the air, like an announcement of the moment at hand. That note hung in the air suspended in magic and as it did the Minstrel began to tap the mandola to create a rhythm. She beat the rhythm out and it to was spun out from her hands and mandola and then repeated itself as she moved on to play a layer of rhythm and that too was woven into the repeating beat, and then another layer and another... and when all these layers were set loose and played about the glen and the Hill Lyric added a counterpoint lead that was as playful as Dommi and as refined and beautiful as Emerald.

The music was woven and spun out from the minstrel to serve serve as a backdrop for what was to happen next. This was also, by far, one of the more elaborate magical efforts that Lyric had ever revealed to anyone since leaving her home. But she was taking a risk on the Midwinter's evening. It was one thing to weave magic in the dark depths of a Mad Prince's Sunken Keep where life and death dictated that everyone do everything they could to survive and succeed, and quite another to perform 'Music and Magic' not only before strangers friends, but also in the presence of some who weren't quite strangers, that might decide they couldn't be a friend either. It was a risk...

But...
The choice had been made...
The magic was woven...
The music was played...

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Keiko khal’Nakano Hoshiko
[pronounced KAY-ko... do you think the GM has memorized this yet? Nope, not yet...]

Although she had hinted last night that visiting the Caravans with Cesare would be a good idea, this morning the thought was less appealing. Between the confusion that the Young Master was causing — not surprising, given the Lady he served — and the Caravan markings she’d glimpsed earlier, Keiko felt that she need to go there alone. She made her apologies but still felt a little guilty about it all.

She took the long way around to the camp, not following the others to Midwinter Hill. She wrapped her cloak around herself more closely, despite the fair weather of the day.

Should she be visiting the Caravans? The Elders had said to avoid them. But it was Midwinter, and weren’t the rules set aside at the Festival times? Surely that must apply to her quest as well. Especially when one of the Caravan Families was khal’Akiyama Yuri.

Keiko saw the youngster who went to fetch one of the Grandparents. It brought a pang to her heart — she was once that child, watching at the edges of the temporary camp, running to tell the elders of an approaching stranger. It was a task for all the children. It reminded her that she missed her family more than she had allowed herself to miss them in many, many months. She felt underdressed, wrongly dressed, wearing the tunics of the Gaija. Yes, they were more practical for a lone Rhoni when traveling. She missed her colorful robes nonetheless.

As she approached the brightly painted wagons, an elderly woman followed the youngster from between two of them. Keiko smiled.

“Grandmother Shino, it is a more joyful day for having seen you!”

Although elderly, the woman stood straight and proud and was dressed in robes of a deep reddish orange. It was just barely possible to see the embroidered patterns on her clothing, for it was just a shade lighter.

“Rusui Keiko, it is an honor that you bestow on us by visiting our humble Caravan.”

Keiko blushed deeply. “Please, Grandmother, just Keiko is more than enough.”

Shino chuckled. “As you say. But you do know that the Cards have said many things.”

The young woman ducked her head and smiled. “Perhaps that is true. But what the Cards say and what I may say are not the same.”

Shino reached out and hugged the girl. “Ah, your Family possesses so much wisdom to see your excellent traits bursting forth so young! And our Family is honored to bind ourselves closer to yours.” She held Keiko at arms’ length. “You have come to see Michi, haven’t you?”

Keiko nodded. “It is so.”

“Well, then! Come meet our new foster, Yui khal’Tamarimizu Shinju,” Shino said, linking arms with Keiko. “She reminds me of you, at least a little. Michi is still working with his uncles at the forge. Come, come! We shall have tea and speak of all the things you have seen that you may share.”

# # #


“There, you see?” Keiko pointed with the hand not holding Michi’s. “That is the Lady Bekkah, and Cesare, the Lost Cousin I spoke of. Oh! And there is Lyric, and the small lass in the cloak is my friend Tomomi.”

Michi leaned down so he could whisper in her ear. “Is she really a Mouse Girl?”

Keiko nodded. “And a Forever Friend.”

“Such wonders!” he replied. Then he looked around at everyone else. “Who are all these other people?”

“The pretty girl with red hair... that’s Kisa Allaine.”

“No!”

Keiko grinned at him and nodded. “Yes. Her knight is Lady Bekkah’s sister. Did you miss that part of the story?”

Michi chuckled. “I might have missed quite a bit of the story, Keiko. I was too busy being happy to see you. Who is the... Wait, let me see if I can figure it for myself.” He studied the man with Kisa for a moment. “Those are Korie colors, and the Noble Family’s pattern. Too old to be the youngest. Too kind looking to be the Heir. So that must be Lord Tray.”

She giggled. “That, too, is my guess. I’ve never seen him before.”

“Well, we’ve camped here before, so Sheriff Garrick is familiar, as is Captain Mohlkavin. The swordswoman must be Captain Koromov then. It’s well known that the three of them are friends.”

As Broke’s words floated over the hill, Keiko grinned. “That’s Broke, the Guardian I mentioned.”

“Yes, ‘fierce’ is definitely an excellent word to describe her,” Michi murmured.

“But good and kind, too, don’t forget.”

“I promise that I will do my best to remember that.” He nodded to the lass in the tree. “And her?”

Keiko shrugged. “I don’t know. Nor do I know the flouncy, bouncy, joyful lass farther down the hill. Although, from her attire, it would not surprise me to learn she serves Krysta.”

Michi looked down at the young woman at his side, an expression of surprise on his face. “Yes, I believe that is Lady Kara. Ah! You did say that you are training to be a Lore Master as well as a Card Reader, didn’t you?”

She nodded. “I did... when we first met two years ago.”

He squeezed her hand when the Shadowlord appeared beside Broke and gasped as the young man swept the Guardian’s cloak away. His eyes grew wide.

“I thought you were teasing us,” he managed to say.

Keiko just patted his hand. However, when the Young Master pointed down the hill, it was her turn to gasp. Emmi was so beautiful!

“Lady Emerald?” Michi asked.

Keiko could only nod.

He peered further down the hill then, brows drawing together in confusion for a moment before his expression cleared and his eyes widened again.

A Unicorn! The Caravan khal’Akiyama Yuri had never camped here in the spring, so he had never been granted the honor of seeing the Unicorn and Rider who dispatched the griffins along Skaefla Plateau. The last time their Caravan had traveled as far west as Talesan’s Village — an area where another Unicorn and Rider were said to reside — he had been but a small child. And this Unicorn... this Unicorn’s Rider had flaming red hair.

Legends were coming to life and being formed right before his eyes. Then he looked down at the woman at his side as her arm wrapped around his waist. For an instant, he was almost lost in those violet eyes. He returned her smile, and when she looked back at the scene in front of them, he realized he was very nearly as lucky as today’s groom, for he was betrothed to the most brilliant woman in all the Caravans — not that he would tell his Grandmothers that. If not for her bravery and knowledge of lore, if not for their Elders’ decision that they would make a fine husband and wife someday, if not for Keiko of the khal’Nakano Hoshiko, he would not be standing on the edge of history.


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Verchovai Daxia Yurisdotter
[Daxia serves DAYALA... the GM ESPECIALLY should get this right]

When the little Mouse Girl came over and started stitching lace onto Kisa’s sleeves, Daxia tried very hard not to laugh. The thought of her ever so serious and exceedingly bookish friend wearing something lacy was so new and so different that... Well, it was right up there with having an Eastern princess as a dear friend.

Still, this whole nonsense with Dominic was unsettling. She watched as Dandelion left with the others before turning back to Kisa.

“Please don’t get into any trouble, my liege. There are things I need to do...” Daxia shook her head. “I can’t quite explain it, Kisa. I just know that I need some perspective or time or peace or maybe just a good thrashing from one of Koromov’s men. Except they’re not here. Anyway, if I don’t at least take a very long walk around the ruins, I’m going to still feel the need to tear Dominic into component parts come sunset. And that’s bad form at Midwinters.” She sighed. “Well, at any time, really, what with him being a Noble and me being a commoner, or whatever the heck it is that my title means. But it’s lower than Noble, and now I’m actually babbling!”

Tomomi giggled at that last, causing the Dayalan to sigh again. But she kissed the top of Kisa’s head when she stood up. “Enjoy setting a new Dawnview fashion trend, m’lady. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you or your mother adorned with lace.”

# # #

She climbed the hill with Morning Star, arriving at quite the auspicious moment. The Captain, Garrick, and Harry were, of course, waiting to wallop Dominic soundly if such actions proved to be necessary. And if such measures had proven to be necessary, Daxia hoped they would have left a small piece of the young Shadowlord for her to pummel. Maybe a finger to step on. Something small.

It wasn’t necessary, though. The rest of the tableau on the hill was a study in contrasts. The two Nobles, Kisa and Tray, balanced against the bemused Rhoni, one of whom was her sister’s and Cesare’s friend. The colorful, joyful, and bright countenance of Lady Kara balanced the dark travel cloak that must contain her latest Temple sister. Wuffess-napped? Oh, yes. Definitely Broke.

Sunset. Goodnight, my Lady. I will share the wonders of this night with you on the morrow.

Daxia was tempted to smile at Dominic’s arrival. But she didn’t, more out of respect for Broke’s discomfort than anything else. Fine, it was the look of surprise on the Koromov’s face when she saw Broke. Hmm. She probably should have mentioned that to her. Well, there really hadn’t been much time for such things, had there?

She had to blink twice when Lady Emerald appeared out of thin air a handful of paces in front of her.

Daxia swallowed hard and clenched her teeth. Damn it, Dominic, can’t you do anything like a normal person? But then she relaxed. No, he couldn’t. And given half a chance, she’d probably even forgive him for this nonsense.

She turned her head to give her companion an exasperated look, but then she smiled as she patted his neck.


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Restday, the Twenty-Fifth day of Crown of Ice


Lyric, Cesare, Bekkah, Daxia, Kisa, Keiko, Tomomi, Bluebell, Dandy, Harry, Garrick, Michi, Kara, Daxia, Morning Star, Tray, Dominic, Emerald and associated hill top guests.

"Paaaaaaaaash ..."

Dominic smiled as he shooked his head, coming to a certain disagreement with Bekkah.

"Who cares what I look... look... oh my word..."

Upon Emmi's arrival, Dominic's attention was completely stolen as he looked at his bride.

"... sweet sugar in the morning with berries and muffins and candied apples."

And in a way he was completely right. It didn't matter what he looked like, all that mattered was the little Mouse in softest white. Who was, at least for one person here tonight, simply the most beautiful person in the world. Miss Emerald, she both smiled, a smile that was truly humored and happy, and blushed. That blush was amazing; who could have ever figured that big soft mouse ears could pink even deeper?

On their gray rock, Harry also just shook his head. Garrick rolled his eyes. And Dandelion Koromov just snickered. She held out a hand and very reluctantly Harry and Garrick dropped a few coins her palm.

"I certainly am."

Tomomi spoke. That was probably a surprise to Michi, the Rhoni lad attached to Keiko. When, next to Keiko, there was a small figure who hadn't been there the heartbeat before. Tomoni then hesitated. She hesitated and then looked to Broke - who was glaring at Dominic - and then to Emmi. Tomomi then drew down the hood of her travel cloak. And yes, just like Miss Emmi, she too was small, frail, so perfectly crafted and her ears and whiskers were definitely mouse-ish, but it was like, well, that was just the way things were supposed to be.

"Forever Friend Keiko taught me that it was fine to be a Mouse Girl."

She then looked up into Keiko's eyes.

"Is he your Family? Should I scallop his tunics too?"

That, that shattered a stoic's calm demeanor. Kisa Alliane actually giggled. And aye, Kisa was definitely going to make a fashionable statement at her first official Court.

For Cesare, this was indeed a new thing. Not that Dominic wasn't a rascal, but that Cesare was in a place where there were more than one of his kin-folk about. That Keiko showed up with a companion, that was a surprise, but it was the kind of surprise that he felt he should have expected. She had tried to tell him how important their concept of Family, Rhoni and Gaija were and here was the proof of it. That they had customs that were as strict as any Imperial law. But, it seemed, they didn't have to be bad ones. He was in a between space - he was not a Gaija but he had little experience of what it meant to be Rhoni. That could be looked at in two ways. That he was lost, or that he had the chance to, truly, begin his own journey back to his kin.

Tray Korie waved to him.

"Come. No need to stand alone."

Lyric's music, that swept over the hill like a blanket. It tugged at the hearts of the Rhoni who had brought their own courtship to Midwinter's Hill this night. In the camp, it slipped in and about, reminding the married folk just why they were together. There was magic in it, yes. But all she had to do was look at Dominic and Miss Emerald and realize that he was right. That he had the truth of it. The music tonight needed to be magical. Perhaps that did not mean simply filled with magic, this was not something that had to do with power and strength. But magical, something that Miss Emerald would remember for the rest of her life.

Today, that simple phrase, for the rest of one's life, came with a new meaning. Only the very best for Emmi, that was what Dominic had whispered back to her. And turning her attention to the bride, could any coin or drink or accolade she had been given for her songs match the smile Miss Emmi offered Lyric in return for the minstrel's kindness tonight?

Until...

"OW!"

Dominic winced as he was almost knocked off his feet. His best-wuff had just taken the ball of her hand and cuffed the back of his head. Hard. The fierce Forest Folk Guardian suddenly had everybody's attention. To which she just put her hands on her hips, looking back as if she were surprised that they were surprised.

"What?

"Somebody had to do it."

Miss Emmi smiled. Dominic rubbed his head. Broke crossed her arms.

"So.

"Just what is a best-wuffess supposed to do?"

Dominic Korie blinked. And of course, he replied.

"Oh! Well, traditionally, the Best Wuff is supposed to protect the Bride and Groom, right? In case a very jealous previous lover, the house guard of a Rival Noble House shows up or some troublesome rake decides to come to kidnap Miss Emmi."

Broke tilted her head.

"Dominic.

"First, Emmi has always been head over heels in love with you. Only you. Second, the Noble here with a Guard is Kisa Allaine and her knight Daxia. If they decide to kidnap anyone, which I doubt, I'd be bound to help them. Third, the only troublesome rake here is you and last, look down that hill. Don't you remember who that is? Did you forget her Name? That's right. Is there anyone in the world who can kidnap her if she doesn't want to be kidnapped?"

The young Korie lordling just blinked.

"Oh."

To which Broke had but a simple response.

"Dommi..."

**CUFF**

"You are an idiot."

The girl in the tree had to bite her lip to keep from laughing so hard she might have fallen. Dominic rubbed his head and philosophically shrugged his shoulders. He also, however, grinned mischievously. To the side, Dandelion looked to Harry and Garrick, leaning closer, whispering very conspiratorily.

"Oh, I like her."

Of course, Dominic heard that. Most theatrically his eyes went wide with well-practiced shock, a hand coming, which he placed on the center of his chest. It was a simple, obvious, pantomime. You too? You wound me.

"Thank you all ..."

That, however, was what he said. His gaze then swept over those upon the hill. He paused when his eyes met Miss Emmi's as if they were sharing some secret missive. He continued on, next to Kisa, and then, then finally to Daxia. That was where he stopped.

"We talked long and hard, deep into the night, that last night at Waverider's Watch. We had so many choices. Her Lady. My Lady. The Court. My dearest childhood friend. I admitted I get lost in the sparkle of the morning's light in her pretty green eyes. At night? When our paths first took us apart and we hadn't realized just what we were feeling, Emmi was afraid of the dark. So I asked her to look up at the stars before she went to sleep and she would know that I, too, was looking up to the same stars.

"The answer was then obvious.

"If we could, we'd like it to be Dayala to marry us. The spring can be our well, yes?

"But I only know two Priestesses of Dayala. One of them is probably really, really mad at me at the moment."

Broke grinned.

"Aye, but the look on her face when you took me? Bloody priceless."

Dominic tried to look innocent. Lady Kara cornered her mouth with both hands. Dominic and Emerald both nodded to Daxia.

"Would you do us the honor?

"Please?"


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Bekkah

She smiled at Dommi and then stared in wonder at Lyric's music, which was clearly far more than just notes. When Dommi looked at Emmi, Bekkah's face changed to a sad smile. Not for the couple, but for one of the few times, she was thinking about herself. She was starting to accept that she'd never know that look from another. The thought passed in a few moments as she let her heart fill with the joy she saw in those two.

[ooc: Boss, the comment Bekkah mad about looking better was to Tray, not Dommi]

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Ceasre

He does indeed feel as though he has maybe part of a tentative foot in both camps represented here, stranded in the between but maybe with an opportunity to draw both closer. But all of that must wait. This moment is not about him, it is about Emmi and Dommi and the very special relationship and love they have for each other. When he compares his memories of the timid Mouse in the castle to the.. woman he sees standing before them all, he smiles, happy that she has made her journey to this place and that he had been privileged to be able to play a small part in that journey.

He hears Lord Tray call out to him and turns to smile at him. He manages a short bow.

"Lord Tray."

The words may have formality but his grin takes that away. With a few running steps and then a spring, he grasps a branch and hauls himself up into the tree.

"Pleased to see you here. You are looking much better that the last time I saw you. I'm glad of that."

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Lyric, playing music, on a rock, at a Hill, for a wedding, during a festival night

That alone nearly sums up the current moment for the Minstrel. And living in the the moment, each and every moment, is a part of who she is. So, while she sees things that might interest or amuse her, like Dommie's brother, or the wondrous and magnificent creature accompanying the Dayalan Swordswoman... or maybe gathering Keiko up as an escort and host and visiting among the Rhoni... or, maybe 'And', spending time with Bluebell to see the world through her eyes, a child's eyes.

All of those things appealed to the Minstrel for different, though quite possibly overlapping, reasons as only the personal whimsy of Lyric could define. Lyric is Lyric is Lyric. But then again, everyone was everyone was everyone was also probably true. Hmmm... Anyone was anyone was anyone? It was probably best to keep that phrase more defined and personalized because it made more sense that way.

Lyric continued playing and watching the events unfold around her. A Handfasting Ceremony or a Wedding was not what she expected when she first heard Bluebell's words, but the Quest for a friend was important. Friends were important. Lyric didn't really have anyone she could call a friend before starting her Journey and now, suddenly (at least to her it seemed that way) she had several friends who had other friends who also had other friends. It was humbling and awe-inspiring and the feelings she experienced from being a 'Friend' were powerful.

Lyric felt happiness. She was doing something that she loved, something that gave her great pleasure and contentment, and she was among friends, given the honor of being a witness to the confirmation of Love. More than a witness, she had been asked to participate in the ceremony itself. That was a Gift of the Heart and it was a magic all on its own.

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Keiko khal’Nakano Hoshiko
[pronounced KAY-ko... do you think the GM has memorized this yet? Nope, not yet...]

Keiko was pleased with Michi’s outwardly calm reaction to Tomomi’s appearance. He didn’t seem startled, nor did he make any sounds to indicate surprise. He did, however, almost reflexively squeeze her hand again.

He even smiled at her when she pulled back her hood. He might have said something at that point, but Tomomi’s question to Keiko prevented that.

“What? My sleeves?” He looked at the wide sleeves of his Festival hefu that was already embroidered with bright, colorful designs. His preference was for birds, but there were also several spiral patterns as well. Now he did sound frightened.

Keiko laughed and patted his arm. “Do not worry, Michi. It is Tomomi’s way of gift-giving. She is the very best lace-maker I have ever seen.”

She turned to her friend and smiled. “Michi is not yet Family... not quite. When our elders determine the most auspicious day, then we will be wed. Then we will create a new link that ties his family to mine. Our Families are a bit like your lace in a way.

“But our hefu and yuyi — our robes — tell stories and have quite a bit of tradition surrounding them. There is a certain way they should be made, especially the hefu. There are certain patterns to be embroidered for each Family. There is a ritual for folding the hefu properly, and for putting it on. We ride the waves of the world, and our rituals handed down by the Ancestors are the crafts in which we navigate the currents.”

She chuckled. “All of this, I suppose, is a long way of saying that lace isn’t a part of our traditions.” She gave Michi a mischievous glance before adding, “But that’s not to say an exception couldn’t be made for my wedding finery when the time comes for such things.”

Michi smiled almost wickedly. “Oh, yes. Put it all over your headpiece.” At the astonished look he received, he laughed. “What? You’re from an important Family! Why not add lace to the flowers and jewels and pins and whatnot a bride wears on her head?”

Keiko shook her head and smiled. “I think our elders were very wise when they decided we should wed. And I am beginning to believe that my mother will have no worries about my happiness.”

“Good.”

They took some notice of the events happening around them — Daxia’s arrival, Dominic’s arrival, Emerald’s arrival — but Michi had another question before Daxia began her... ritual? Ceremony?

“Miss Tomomi, Keiko tells me that you are able to find a place you’ve been before with ease. Would you...” He hesitated, looking at Keiko for an instant before turning back to her Forever Friend. “If I were to invite you to my parents’ wagon, would you be able to find it even if we move on in our journey? It would ease my heart a great deal to know that Keiko is doing well in her journey.”

Keiko’s eyes went wide, and she bit her lip. To have such a thought and speak it aloud was audacious! But she had never been particularly shy, so would a match between a bold woman and an audacious man not be flawlessly logical? She was beginning to suspect that her clever grandparents were matched by Michi’s and had taken their personalities into account at least as much as anything the Card Readers had advised.

“It would be nice to be able to send small paintings to Michi of the places I will visit,” she mused. “But would that be considered having contact with the Caravans?” she wondered aloud. “That is something I must not do.”

“If your Forever Friend only brings word that you are well, then I do not think so,” he replied. “It would be Miss Tomomi who would have contact with you and with our Caravan.”

She narrowed her eyes at him. “I believe that is escaping the spirit of the command while adhering to each word of it.”

“Only if Miss Tomomi is able to visit our wagon,” Michi noted. He glanced at one of the other couples before smiling at Keiko again. “It would make my sister jealous. Anything I can do to tease her makes me happy.”

Keiko rolled her eyes. “Now I am suddenly glad to only have an older brother.”

He shrugged and smiled unapologetically before pointing to Dominic and Emerald as they clasped hands, apparently at Daxia’s direction.

“This is more important right now — it is a time for reverent stillness rather than our usual dancing between the waves.”


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Verchovai Daxia Yurisdotter
[Daxia serves DAYALA... the GM ESPECIALLY should get this right]

She stared mouth agape at Dominic for several seconds before audibly snapping her jaws shut and shaking her head — almost as though she was trying to clear it after being knocked hard on the helm with the pommel of a sword.

“Dom Dominie, are you...” She sighed as she closed her eyes for a second. “Never mind. Clearly, you are a madman.”

She muttered something that might have been a prayer — something that only Kisa would have understood, something in which Dayala was mentioned several times — before she took a deep breath, opened her eyes and looked at the two people closest to her.

“Good evening Lady Emerald, Lady Kara,” she said as though nothing at all was amiss here. “You both look lovely. That’s Dawnview silk, isn’t it? Why yes, of course, it is! Don’t tell her I said this, Miss Mouse,” she added, knowing full well that Kisa could hear her, “but I believe you are shining with more beauty this evening than even the Heir of Allaine.”

And it was a truth even her beloved Kisa could not contest — a bride is always the most beautiful person at a wedding.

She looked over at Dominic again. “You have the strangest customs in that little village of yours, Dommie. Hello, Broke! It’s a joyful occasion just to see you again, and to see that our Lady has taken notice of you. Anything else going on here tonight only adds to that joy. And thumping our friend Dominic once more for me would multiply the joy by a fullhand.” Daxia winked at the Wolf woman before unclasping her warm Kierkegaard cloak and draping it over Morning Star’s back. “And I’m sure Verchovai Kassia will express her ire appropriately to young Lord Korie; she’s quite talented that way. Please convey my greetings to her when the scamp returns you to her side.”

Daxia patted the unicorn’s neck then. “Perhaps you’ll be happiest, Your Magnificence, standing beneath the tree over there. You’ll be far enough away from the Koromov, I’ll wager. And perhaps the young lass...” She glanced at the individual sitting cheerfully in the tree and smiled. “...will find a way to shake loose an apple or two, despite the fact that the tree looks more like a scrub oak than an apple tree. But I’ll admit to having less expertise in the topic of agriculture than Father Canna.”

The two of them stared at one another for several heartbeats. “Yes, thank you for not arguing with me,” she added with a grin.

Daxia blinked and stopped for a moment, staring at Cesare as he swung into another of the trees near Kisa and Tray.

“Hey! Cesare!” She didn’t exactly glare at him — that would have been hard to do — but she did attempt a frown. “That counts as upstaging the bride. If I’m going to prohibit the Magnificent Font of All Knowledge from doing that, it’s only fair that you refrain too, ja? Da.

“And you...” she continued, smiling and shaking a finger at her sister, “...none of that mopey ‘oh, woe, I’m so old that nobody will love me’ silliness of yours. I’m no expert in these things, but Finn’s eyes were awfully sparkly when he spoke your name. I don’t think that was indigestion.”

Then she planted her hands on her hips and addressed Dominic once more. “Do you even realize what you’re asking? No, probably not. I’ve never even been to a wedding, Dommie, so don’t expect anything as fancy — or even as dull and dreary — as the weddings one might see in that itsy bitsy teeny tiny village of yours.” She gestured to her clothing — ordinary tunics in various shades of blue, the trim matching the color of her eyes. “I’m not even wearing my robes of office. Well, no matter. You’ve asked a boon, and you know very well that it’s close to impossible for anyone to deny you anything.

“Brat,” she concluded with a smile that made the word sound more like she ought to be saying ‘dear friend’ or even ‘brother.’

She looked around at all his friends who had gathered here and nodded as she clasped her hands behind her back.

“Well, get yourself and your Best Wuff over here. I imagine there’s some sort of rule that says the bride and groom ought to be standing beside each other, nin? If there isn’t... hmm... There is now!”

While waiting for Dominic and Broke to make their way down the slight incline, Daxia looked up at the stars. Her Sisters. Was the thought so outrageous? Dayala herself watched the world during the day, and all her Children watched over the night. Any priestess of Dayala — more accurately, any Dayalan who had learned the spell — could clear away cloud cover to ensure that the world could be seen... not that such a spell was necessary tonight. But there was another spell that was appropriate.

Dominic and Emerald had wanted Dayala to witness their pledges, in the presence of the stars that were nearly as important to both of them as they were to her. That was a magic easily accomplished.

Daxia closed her eyes for a moment and whispered, “Sesht’doshka’k.” When the light showed even behind her closed lids, she opened her eyes and smiled as emotions threatened to overwhelm her. “You both came,” she whispered. “Silly me for thinking otherwise. Thank you both for witnessing and adding the light of your love, our Lady’s love, Tashka, the Mother’s love to this night, Linnette.”

Once more, the Starlord’s eyes roved over the small gathering. Shadows that were once soft and indistinct in the evening light were now the deeper shadows of full day, so bright was the light from the two invited Stars.

“The Gods and Goddesses are among us and magic is afoot.”

Although she was merely paraphrasing a common enough expression, it felt more true tonight than it ever had before. Perhaps it was yet another dimension to being a Priestess of Dayala.

The Rhoni had a magic that was more clearly felt tonight. Was it because tonight was Midwinter’s Eve? Was it because their Caravans were so close by? Did it matter? The minstrel, too, had a different sort of magic around her. It wasn’t just the magic of music either. No matter. These were Dominic’s friends and distant kinfolk. That was what mattered.

“I have been told that some folks of the Tarn solemnize this sort of relationship by leaping over a broom, which certainly seems to be an interesting balance between serious and silly. We’re outdoors, and goodness only knows where the nearest broom might be. So. No brooms!”

She crossed her arms and then tapped her chin with a finger. “Still, something is not quite right here.” Something not... quite... balanced? “Ah ha! Lord Tray, if you would step closer, I think a delightful symmetry can be achieved here.” Dazi grinned and motioned for Dominic and Emerald to face one another and clasp hands and nodded approvingly as Broke stood at Dominic’s back and Lady Kara took her place as a guard for Emerald — not that she needed a guard. Then she pointed to a spot across from her for Tray to stand.

“Oh, yes, this is much better. Dominic has his family represented by Tray, Miss Mouse has her family represented by Broke. Broke is Dom Dominie’s friend. Tray has been a true friend to Emerald. I know you love creating little whirls of chaos all over the Mainland, Dommie, but Order is so pretty!”

The Starlord became solemn then and slowly drew her sword, setting the point on the ground and resting a hand on each side of the crossguard.

“Ironsilver is not magic or magical per se, but it represents the magic of Dayala and her Children.” Perhaps she fudged a bit on the description of the metal, but it was close enough to the truth. Only those who were in Dayala’s service could truly appreciate the degree of holiness the metal represented.

“The Stars witness and the Stars participate in this ceremony. This sword was given to me by my teacher who was also my foster mother after my own mother found shelter in Krysta’s embrace. It is not only a formidable weapon but a symbol of faith — Kassia’s in me, her teacher’s in her, all the way back in Time to the moment it was first cast. It is a symbol of our faith in our Lady. It is a symbol of our reverence for our Sisters.

“Broke carries a sword of Darksteel, the symbol of mystical magic. My sister has hinted that it is a magic mightier than anything I could have ever imagined... that it is the reason some of you exist, and that it is the reason you two stand before us tonight with hearts overflowing with love.

“Dandelion carries a sword of iron, a symbol of decisiveness, of cutting through the fogs of uncertainty to reveal the truth that no magic can hide.

“This is what I believe and, thus, my Sisters and I stand around you to represent faith and magic and truth. These three things are all present in and make up the thing we call Love.” Daxia smiled crookedly at Dominic. “You’re quite clever, you know, to have gathered so many Dayalan friends.”

She closed her eyes again for a moment, allowing the Minstrel’s music and the Stars’ light wash over her. The Patterns didn’t tug at her to follow any particular Path, and so she could see that all Paths led to the same place. Nodding, she opened her eyes and looked at Emerald.

“I have been told that Krysta wishes for people, and especially Her priestesses, to live their lives with joy, to dance and sing and laugh while they are still walking the earth, despite all the obstacles we must face. Emerald, will you make a promise to always find joy with Dominic and to bring him joy?”

Emerald Mouse looked up and, for the very last time as Miss Emerald Mouse, offered a quiet answer to her Dominic.

“Ja.”

Daxia smiled at the beautiful Mouse Woman she had first mistaken for a young girl. That had been some sort of magic, no doubt. Then she looked at Dominic.

“I have been told that Arilys has said to her followers to run, to hide, to never be caught.” Daxia glanced over Tray’s shoulder in Morning Star’s direction; in doing so, her gaze crossed that of the lass sitting in the tree. Then she grinned at Dominic. “But there is a time for being caught, and you, dear Dominic are well and truly caught. Will you make a promise never to run or hide from Emerald except in jest, and remain forever caught in the warm shadows of her love?”

“Ja.”

One syllable, then silence — there was no grand flourish, no tease of words and wit, or no stories about a village too small. The girl in the tree looked like she had been caught by complete surprise, her jaw slack and her eyes as wide as saucers. Dominic just smiled.

And Daxia... well, her eyes glittered with happiness as she glanced at Kisa. Then she smiled broadly once more at the couple in front of her.

“Well, then... what else is there to say? You have declared your intent before the Deities, beside this holy wellspring, with your family, your friends, an Immortal Being, a Goddess, and the Stars themselves as witnesses.

“May you love all the days of your lives.

“May your days be long.

“And may your love last until my Lady gets bored with this whole idea of Time. She’s quite steadfast, so I suspect the astrologers would need to work out a new calendar before that happens.

“So. There you go! You’re married. Congratulations.”

She slid her sword back in its scabbard then gestured to the newlyweds. “I believe there is supposed to be some sort of kissing that’s appropriate in public. Yes, you should do that. And then one or both of you are supposed to say some magic incantation that begins with an ‘M’ and rhymes with ‘house,’ after which there will be a period of general frivolity. And hugs. Many, many hugs!”






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Lyric, on a rock, at a Hill, for a wedding, during a festival night, playing something softer and more poignant

A tale as old as time...

There is a truth in how the mind works. You like one kind of fruit above another. You sort things by shape and size and color. You have a favorite color. You look at a table of foods and judge them by your first initial senses. These things that your mind does are part of the mechanism that helps keep you alive in more dangerous circumstances. Snap decisions on instinct, preconceived opinions, gut feelings, and a bias against the unknown. At it's simplest, you do all this to understand everything your senses present to you.

Song as old as rhyme...

It is the heart and the soul that can lead you astray with regard to these things that the mind does. That is, when you prejudge something based on these categories after filtering them through emotions... fear or love. Not all berries that are pleasing to the eye and nose and tongue are safe to eat. Nor is it a wise thing to shun all berries because you know that some berries kill and you know nothing else about them. A judgement without experience or knowledge is just as harmful as a willingness to ignore the instincts.

Tune as old as song...

It takes courage to set aside fear so that love can spark curiosity. It takes wisdom to know that fear must not be ignored... and, as sure as Night balances Day and Order balances Chaos, so too must Love and Fear find a balance so that the Heart and Mind are in balance as well.

True as it can be...


Lyric stilled the layers of her magical music, releasing them like gossamer threads to drift away on the wind as the last light of She Who Has Crossed the Sky paints a darkening horizon in a glow of rich love and warmth. All that remained now was her, on that rock, playing a single thread of music while the Dayalan spoke words of binding. Both Emerald and Dominic made an Oath to each, before witnesses. This was something Lyric understood very well. It was it's own kind of magic and did not need any thing more than just an accompaniment to spread its magic far and wide.

The simple melody that she played might have sounded something like this:




Yes, perhaps something similar to this. A song of simple construct, but powerful in its beauty, using the simplicity itself to evoke emotion. Her fingers delicately plucked at the strings, and the emotion she felt in watching something she had not seen in her own village since she was a child. And, as such, it was fitting that she play one of the very first songs she learned when she was a child. Her heart's attachment to the song and the feelings she remembered when she heard it, played it, lived it gave the song life now as a backdrop for the words spoke by Daxia and the commitments made by Em and Dom. The tears she shed were her own joy. Remembering something she thought she had lost was a gift given to her by this moment, by Dom and Em.

Nothing else mattered.

The ceremony made her emotional and the song served to frame a story of two lives forever entwined. The song made her emotional because the ceremony restored a feeling and a hope she thought forever lost.


Ever just the same
Ever a surprise
Ever as before
Ever just as sure
As the sun will rise


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Cesare

As Daxia calls him out, he settles on the branch which gives him an excellent view over everyone gathered and waves back to her almost cheekily. He is happy to see her here and accorded a deference befitting her place, something that was maybe missing when she had lead them as a group. But he would never forget her. In many ways she was his inspiration. That recognition of things that were wrong, unjust, cruel, things that definitely warranted changing but also showing that courage and belief could actually move mountains and change things that had been woven into the fabric of time, so much so that most had just accepted that this is the way it is. Daxia has vision and courage. He admired her for that and for showing him that even he could play a small part in making a real difference. That is now a part of his life and had shaped him more than anything else had.

He stays in his branch, happy for Dommi & Emmi, pleased to be here to this the culmination of their story and again to have played a small part in the waves that finally deposited them both here on this day. This is their day. And he is content to observe it and maybe to play a small part in its celebrations.

Today is a good day.

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The Heartwood
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Restday, the Twenty-Fifth day of Crown of Ice


Lyric, Cesare, Bekkah, Daxia, Kisa, Keiko, Tomomi, Bluebell, Dandy, Harry, Garrick, Michi, Kara, Daxia, Morning Star, Tray, Dominic, Emerald and associated hilltop guests.


- Midwinter's Hill, at the moment of sunset.

"The Forest Rune has three sides ..."

That was Broke's noncommittal growl as she nodded to the Dayalan Verchovai and whapped the back of Dominic's head the third time.

"Hey!"

Broke just shrugged her shoulders and gave her best friend a toothy grin. The third bop was definitely a lot lighter than the first.

A very different conversation was being concluded just a little away, where Tomomi spoke with Keiko and Michi.

"Well, lace should be! It's pretty and light and can be simple and fancy and, and, and, and..."

Tomomi's small nose wrinkled as she thought and concentrated.

"It shows that someone cares. And for that caring, there has to be a someone behind it, and that helps that someone remember that they can do something nice in a world that is very often not very nice. And that maybe, maybe one day, something nice will happen to them too."

The little Mouse-girl turned then, as Keiko reminded them the true reason they had gathered together. Tomomi looked to the two who stood with her and then at the two they had been gathered to share this night with. Her look was dreamy, wistful, a little sad, but sad in a very happy hopeful way.

... maybe one day.

And if for a Mouse, maybe for Lady Bekkah too.


- Midwinter's Hill, a little while after sunset.

Emerald Mouse-Korie took a half step forward.

Dominic smiled, smiled and did something very strange. Without a word he reached out and placed a single finger on the center of his bride's chest, holding her at that little distance apart. Emmi looked a bit surprised until she tilted her head, met Dommi' gaze and nodded. In response, Dominic just turned his head and nodded, once, to the Guardian besides him.

"I need my Best Wuff right now ..."

Broke blinked.

"I am NOT ... oh wait ... ja ..."

The girl in the tree giggled.

Broke, however, put on her fiercest look and strode over to Tomomi. It was her turn to look confused because she knew that Broke would never hurt her but why was the wuffess looking so serious? That was answered when Broke reached down and very firmly covered up both of Tomomi's ears. That made everything perfectly clear.

Dominic met Emmi's happy gaze and whispered a single word.

"Mouse."

Tonight and forever more there was only one Mouse for him.

Then it was his turn to be surprised. Not that he suddenly had an armful of Emerald, that was expected from a Mousing, but that he was the one being kissed first, deep and long and most certainly not the other way around. Kisa blushed deeply as she watched the couple embrace - this was most certainly not a chaste appropriate for public view kind of kiss but then again this was Dominic Korie, her childhood friend, at his happiest.

So how could she not be happy?

So she let the stone tiles fall.

One shy girl shared a small but so very honest grin with her most precious friend, and she was. Happy.

The perfect moment was broken by three simple words.

"Where's the beer?"

Of course the most pragmatic of them was Captain Dandelion Koromov. Her brows raised, however, when both Dominic and Emerald decided to ignore her.

"Louse! Where's the beer!"

Ignored.

"Dominic Dominie Korie!"

Fine. Dominic freed one arm and pointed in the general direction of the top of the hill.

There, just beyond the crest was a collection of interesting things. No wonder Dominic wasn't to be found earlier in the day. He had been a busy lordling. There was a good sized barrel of Rory's Amber beer. A pair of smaller casks with fancy, far away runes upon them. Keko would recognize them and they would even feel a bit familiar to Cesare - from his vague childhood memories. Wine from the orchards of Trundle-On-The-Hill. Warm bread, cheeses galore, some hanks of roast beast, and one really big slab of meat obviously set aside for a certain Best Wuff.

Finally, bride and groom, husband and wife, came up for air.

Emmi rested her head upon Dominic's shoulder and smiled to Lyric.

"Dominic promised me magical music - thank you so very very much."

The brat nodded to Daxia.

"Who cares about silly songs. This we will remember forever.

"That's why it had to be you."

It was the girl in the tree who chose then to interrupt.

"There's something missing.

"Well besides hugs!"

She smiled at the Rhoni gathered. The Younglings looked back and forth and back and forth between each other until one of the girls jabbed one of the boys in the ribs. The boy blinked and spoke up.

"Dancing! Minstrel please!"

The black haired girl smiled in approval.

"Dancing. I love dancing! I never ever get to dance! Well, sometimes I do ..."

She gave Lady Kara an odd look.

"... though that's kind of creepy.

"I'm going to dance with everyone!"

She hopped down from her tree and looked to the imperious laddie who had been sent to stand beneath her tree.

"Starting with you, Sir Snooty-horn!"

It was supposed to be a party after all.


- Talantal Orchards, sunset, years from now.

Marcus Korie was Khorall now. And that was good. He, the previous Khorall, had taken a hint from the Allaines and let his son take his place when he was ready, not when he had grown jealous of an old dying man.

Old he now was and gray but he definitely did not want to die. Not for a long while more. Dorian, now plain old Dorian Korie walked the apple orchards and realized how lucky he was, to have this time. He closed his eyes as two children raced between the trees. They were playing a game called 'Best Treasure Ever'. It had been invented by the girl. She was the image of her mother and he still could not believe how pretty she was; green eyes, silver hair and ears and a tail that he could not even imagine her not having. The lad she ran back and forth with was her cousin. A year younger, but even so, the lad would be the one to grow up and rule these lands.

He could also not even imagine a world where the two children would not be the best of friends. How did he manage to teach them that?

Dorian Korie smiled.

Eyes closed he remembered that day, years ago, when Dominic had asked his blessing for his marriage. It was not Dominic's words that had convinced him. It was hers.

"I am just a Mouse. But my whole life has been a journey to prove my worth, my reason for being. If you welcome me into your Family, you can be assured, for all your long days, that I will strive my best to prove my worth to you and yours."

He had laughed and said that was a shallow promise. That he was an old man, life almost finished, with but few years left ahead of him, so such a promise had very little worth. But then the priestess of Krysta - he had forgotten that this girl was indeed Her Priestess - looked him in the eyes.

"My Lady says to tell you this. Some men are born into this world with a task to do and may not leave it until it is finished. You are one such man. And while you may think your work here is finished, it is not. That task, the one that truly fits your soul, has not even begun."

When he opened his eyes, he looked down at the lad, who looked back up with the widest smile.

With a whumf the girl hopped - he didn't think he'd ever get used to that - into being behind him, wrapping her arms around his legs in the warmest and so innocently passionate hug.

"Got you! Best Treasure Ever, Grandfather!"

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Lyric of Kethy's Woods... or was it Faraway Hills? Or, was it right here at Midwinter's Hill that she called home? Even if for just a night...

"The honor and privilege is mine," Lyric replied with a deep nod of her head. There need not be any more words than that from the Minstrel. Her task was complete, the Quest resolved, the Heroes victorious... and now, all that was left was for a Song to be written.

She moved through the gathered folks, smiling and wondering, but there was no particular thing that kept her attention for anything longer than few moments. The Magnificent Black Unicorn. A rare creature and a portent of good tidings. And there was Tray Korie, rakish in his own way and handsome as well. It had been some time since she had those kind of thoughts though and maybe a couple moments of thoughts became three or four before she found Bluebell twisting and turning and trying to see everything there was to see this evening, all at once. Lyric swept her up in her arms, twirling her around in a circle beneath the stars. What was the fascination that Lyric found in Blue? But even this too had to shift and change as Lyric set the girl down so she could go her way while the Minstrel went another. Before the night would end though she would find the girl again, just to hear her tell a story so that Lyric could 'see' it through Blue's eyes and remember when she was young as well, before life became so complicatingly uncomplicated... or whatever that means.

The Rhoni teens gathered the Minstrel into their 'realm' on this evening with the request of music. There was a hint of mischief in the Minstrel's eyes though and she wagged a finger as she leaned forward a bit to look at them all, turning as she did.

"Ohh... No, it is not so simple. Tonight, in this wondrous place we will have 'session'. Do you know what that is?" Before any could answer, the Minstrel continued because the center of the performance was hers to command right now. "In my village, so far away from here, maybe as far as Far Away Hills I have been told, we gather around with our instruments. It doesn't matter what anyone plays, or even if a person just joins us to clap their hands. We play music and we enjoy good fun and good company, and others might join to dance... and our session might become a party... There is an older word, very old, timeless that my people remember... Ceili... a dance or a party to celebrate, such as a festival like this. Ja?"

Lyric slipped the Mandola around from her back again, "So, I will play some but you will also have a task... as that is only fair. Anyone who has a whistle or something small, since it looks like none brought anything with strings or a drum to beat for the rhythm of the soul... It doesn't matter though. Join me now over there by those small rocks where we can gather... I will play and you will dance... BUT, remember, I want you to help me. Some will dance and some will help me with rhythm, clap your hands, just whistle along. Maybe you know a song you want to hear. Tell me how it goes, sing it, whistle it, and then we will play. Some will dance, some with clap... Take turns. Fun for everyone. But most importantly, it's your job to make this night fun for me too. If I am having fun, then I am inspired. I want you to be my best audience ever. That sounds fair, Ja?"


Lyric turned as if to address those others who had found their way here to witness the spectacle of love and happiness. "You are welcome to dance and be merry, because Music is meant for everyone to enjoy in whatever way you can and in whatever way you wish. There is no coin to pay the Minstrel this night. Nin. No one in the session will take money. That is not why we are here. BUT, if you wish to hear a particular tune that stirs your heart, or might impress a friend to hold your hand, maybe favor you with a dance, then you could offer a mug of something from the kegs, so we don't have to leave our session circle... We must keep the whistles wet and the fingers limber, Ja?"

"Come, Let us play, and sing, and dance..."


OOC: this music might serve as a backdrop for other conversations by other players and other NPCs. I will add more to this and I will see what opportunities present themselves


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Cesare

He is very tempted to go and join the dancing. He loves to dance, takes joy in it whether he is any good or not, matters little really. But the closeness of his kin, unknown kin, is tugging at him in a way he can't explain.

"I can't fulfil my promise to you Ma.. but maybe this is a step in the right direction?"

He whispers the words softly on his breath, missing his Ma more just then than he had allowed himself for a while.

"Hope I do you proud."

He pushes off with his hands and jumps lightly onto the grassy floor. He had already spotted Keiko with a young man, he presumes Rhoni by his dress, and so heads in their direction, hoping he isn't interrupting anything. Now he is in motion, he feels excited but at the same time fearful, having no idea what to expect.

He smiles as he approaches the couple.

"Keiko, kinswoman, I would ask a favour of you. There are Rhoni here.."

He nods amiably to Keiko's companion.

"..and I would like to know them but have little idea as to the correct approach. Could you perform introductions for me?"

Said now, no going back, his nervousness increases.

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Keiko khal’Nakano Hoshiko
[pronounced KAY-ko... do you think the GM has memorized this yet? Nope, not yet...]

Keiko started when Lyric spoke. “I know that word,” she said, barely above a whisper. “It is old indeed. It is older that Caer Maeyin, for it is of the same language as ‘caer’ itself.”

She gave Lyric an odd look but then laughed lightly. “Ah, Friend Lyric, it would appear that we have neglected to bring our instruments. Had the Young Master given us any hint that we should be prepared for a Performance...” She shrugged and noted the look on Michi’s face. “Hai?”

“Young master?”

“Oh, that is the human folk’s name for Dommi,” Tomomi replied. “The folks we trade with on Marketday! We like to call him that too.”

“Ah,” he replied, still confused but willing to accept it.

Keiko giggled and then smiled at Cesare’s approach. Nodding, she said, “It would be my pleasure to introduce you, kinsman.

“Michi, may I present to you my friend, Lyric, a minstrel of great talent, who travel with me along the Flowered Path... and our kinsman, Cesare kha’Jasmine kha’Sayako kha’Twilight khal’Horosha Danika?

“Lyric, Cesare... this is my betrothed, Michi kha’Izumi kha’Kumiko kha’Etsuko kha’Natsumi khal’Akiyama Yuri.”

He folded his hands over his abdomen and bowed slightly to the minstrel. “An honor, Lady Minstrel.” Then he turned a bright smile on Cesare and nodded. “Welcome, kinsman! You might be Lost, but you are ever welcome among us.”

After their acknowledgments, he gestured the other Rhoni over and introduced them. “My sister Rin,” he said, nodding to the youngest of the six, “and Akira kha’Anzu kha’Yuko kha’Ayane kha’Mei khal’Jinsokawa Nanami, who is courting her this lovely evening. And my cousin Jiro kha’Airi kha’Kumiko kha’Etsuko kha’Natsumi khal’Akiyama Yuri, who is courting Haruna kha’Riko kha’Miho kha’Ayane kha’Mei khal’Jinsokawa Nanami.”

He chuckled when Keiko nudged him. “That is quite a lot to remember. Rin and Akira, Jiro and Haruna,” he added as he pointed to the other couples. Then he whispered something to his sister.

“Hai!” she said as she grinned, then took Akira’s hand and pulled him along with her. Within a few steps, they were both laughing as they ran down the hill toward the encampment.

“They will fetch some instruments,” Michi said as to Lyric. “Then we will be happy to share the task of providing music. It is something we enjoy very much.”

Then he turned to Cesare. “While I don’t doubt that Keiko told my Grandmother every thought and theory she has about your family, she only shared her adventures since leaving her Family with most of us. I know I am quite interested in learning more about the people she calls friends.”


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Verchovai Daxia Yurisdotter
[Daxia serves DAYALA... the GM ESPECIALLY should get this right]

Bekkah had been right — invoking of the Mouse Spell was something to behold! Daxia was almost entirely positive this wasn’t what Bekkah had meant, but still...

The Dayalan observed the couple almost academically, as though she was still in Khorall Linnell’s court. When she looked at Kisa, noting the Heir’s pretty blush, she returned the smile.

Interesting it was that even in the Heir’s presence, she loved her chastely. ...to love pure and chaste from afar... and from the shelter of her arms, too, it would seem.

Oddly, or perhaps not, it wasn’t something that bothered Daxia.

At Dominic’s words, she was compelled once again to shake her head. “Dom Dominie...” Then she leaned forward and hugged them both. “I still say you’re a madman. And Em, I would appreciate your delicate touch in curbing m’lord’s tendency to hurt the inside of my head. I believe my liege would prefer my sanity to remain relatively intact.”

She chuckled and stepped back as the Lady in the Tree called for music, and laughed nearly hard enough to bring tears to her eyes when She demanded a dance from Morning Star.

His eyes were bigger than she’d ever seen them, so surprised he was. He took a step and then a second step back, looked at his prospective dance partner with one eye and then the other, and finally looked at Daxia.

“The Lady asked you to dance, you dingbat! Don’t pretend you’ve suddenly become less than all-knowing.” She snickered but watched as he bowed to Her — an act Daxia had never witnessed before — lowering a knee and his golden horn to the ground before rising up and prancing — magnificently, of course, around the Lady.

She looked at Broke then. “Well, come, Wuff Sister... allow me to introduce you to the Koromov and her compatriots who do their best to curb the most excessive of the rapscallion’s tricks while in Bordertown.”

Daxia winked at Kisa as she led Broke to the rocks where the three friends were seated.

“Dandelion, Harry, Garrick... this is Broke of the Forest, currently enjoying the tutelage of Starlord Priestess Kassia Dariansdotter. Broke... these are my friends, Captain Dandelion Koromov, of the Wild Horde and our Temple Sister, Captain Harry Mohlkavin of the Heavy Horse, and Garrick, the Sheriff of Bordertown.”

She raised an eyebrow in Dandy’s direction. “I saw coin changing hands. What was the wager?” As Dandy had won the betting, she was particularly interested in what Harry and Garrick had thought Dominic had been up to.


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Cesare

"Michi"

He smiles broadly, partly due to the welcome and partly on hearing he was Keiko's betrothed. There certainly seems to be a lot of love and romance around this evening, added to with the next set of introductions.

"Rin, Jiro, Akira, Haruna."

He nods to each in turn, still smiling.

"With the exception of Keiko, you are the first Rhoni I have met since leaving my family. And I am pleased to do so."

As Michi asks to know more of him, he decides to explain his beginnings and his meeting of Keiko, at least in brief.

"I never really knew my father, Yoska kha'Jaella kha'Kizka khal'Masakta Tsura, other than his name and the vague memory from my early childhood of the time my father and mother, Jasmine kha'Sayako kha'Twilight kha'Horosha Danika, parted company. I grew up with my mother, my aunt and my uncle. Then my mother died. My Aunt and Uncle did what they could to prepare me for the world and then they too followed their own path. On my own, I moved around, eventually finding a group, lead by Daxia.."

He points her out, before turning back to michi, Keiko and the others.

"We travelled together, got into mischief once or twice, some came, some went, but eventually some of us arrived at Waverider's Watch where we met with Keiko and Lyric. A good meeting."

He smiles at both girls.

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Lyric, a Midwinter Musician

The Minstrel nodded at each introduction and informed Michi, the betrothed of Keiko, that she was honored to meet him, and all of them, and grateful that he dispatched a couple of the teens to gather some instruments and grateful they went with such haste and glee. She mouthed a silent 'Thank you' to Keiko. It was so much more enjoyable to share music among friends than it was to simply perform it. Music was a part of her very being and her soul, just as much as her name stated it should be. She wanted to share and laugh and even to learn. After all, there might be a song, a special song, to be heard this night. Lyric smiled to herself at the notion that the Song that could save her people might really be an actual song and not just a metaphor. As Cesare was being introduced she slipped away to allow her Rhoni friends their privacy. It seemed the Rhoni were very protective of their identity and all that had come and gone to make them who they are as a people. Lyric could understand and respect that. She returned to her rock, playing as she did, and watching the Black Unicorn dancing with the black haired girl who had been sitting in the tree.

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The Heartwood
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Midwinter’s Hill
Restday, the Twenty-Fifth day of Crown of Ice


Bekkah, Cesare, Daxia, Keiko, Lyric and All the Hilltop Guests

Now, dancing with a unicorn, especially a black warrior unicorn, was a very silly thing indeed. After Daxia’s comment and his attempt to prance, the young woman’s exuberance proved too much for Morning Star as the Tree Girl apparently stole the lead — against all protocol and propriety. She danced her own bright jig, with the unicorn in the center now looking bemused. She was delighted at his confusion as he tried desperately to keep up and catch her, especially when she made the stalwart unicorn pivot in place trying to keep track of where she skipped.

To the side, Broke and Captain Koromov, once introduced, looked at each other suspiciously. They circled one another, sizing one another up. One was a wolf-kin, one a Trundle alley rat; at that moment, their true heritages and upbringings were obvious for all to see. While the Koromov and the Guardian measured each other, it was Harry who had to pick his jaw up from the ground. It wasn’t because this new friend of their friend had pointed ears and a muzzle but rather the veritable Khorall’s ransom in Darksteel she wore.

It was Broke who spoke first.

“Soooooooooooooooooo... you are the one who hangs my best friend from the rafters?”

Dandelion Koromov put her hands on her hips and replied fiercely, “Ja. So?”

Broke inched forward until they were nose to snout.

“My job.”

To the side, Dominic peered past Emerald and smiled. He gave Dandelion his best gotcha look. However, the Koromov didn’t back down.

“And when you aren’t there when your best friend is being an idiot?”

Dominic’s eyes went wide. He blinked. The wuffess was quiet for a heartbeat and, without backing away either, just tilted her head.

“You have my permission. Now.”

Dominic facepalmed, literally covering his face with his hand as Emerald lightly poked him in the side and giggled.

The Koromov gave Broke another two-word reply. “Fair enough.”

Still muzzle to nose, Broke had one last firm and determined question — the important question. “Ja. So. What about that beer?”

That caught the master strategist off guard enough to blink, go wide-eyed herself, and then suddenly laugh, rocking back and forth. She was the one who turned aside and nodded to Harry and Garrick.

“See? Told you I was going to like her.”

It was Garrick who explained the wager to Daxia, as Harry was still too interested in Broke’s gear and Dandelion was seeking Rory’s beer with the newest Dayalan.

“Oh, that. Well, of course, Dandelion bet it had to do with a girl. I bet that it had to do with the girl’s father. And Harry? He bet that it had to do with the girl’s father, a handful of brothers, and a mother with a rolling pin.

“Usually, Harry’s right and no matter who wins, it’s always hilarious watching Dom squirm as he tries to figure a way out without leaving anyone hurt.”

It was then that two things happened. The Tree Girl ended her dance with the unicorn with a spectacular skirt-flaring twirl, and Rin and Akira returned from the Rhoni camp. They brought back a collection of instruments, exactly what they might be temporarily hidden with finely decorated leather satchels and fancy quilted bags. Akira brought out a pair of long-necked instruments with three strings, an instrument unfamiliar to Lyric. Akira handed one to Jiro, and they shared a conspiratorial look.

The night's music had begun.

Dominic laughed. With his own dashing flourish, his black cloak snapping out dramatically as if it were alive, he gathered a happy Mouse into his arms. He swept her into a dance that fit them — not stodgy and formal, but light and bright and full of laughter and life. The black-haired lass held up a hand and put her finger to her lips, not as much to make folks silent but to let the couple have this for themselves — their very first dance. Only when the first song segued to the second did she swoop across the hill to pull Bekkah into a bright country-style step.

“And you think you are hiding that melancholy behind so very, very pretty eyes! You know and I know that at the very end of the night, when the bride tosses her bouquet into the air, you are going to be the one that catches it.”

For Lyric, this was something new... and so much more. It was a challenge. This was a type of music she had never heard before, no ballad or simple evening’s light fare. It was complex, a different set of rhythms based on a different set of scales. One of the lads, Jiro, beckoned her close so that she could both listen and watch, and then slowly, then ever-faster with each measure, join in.

The Rhoni laughed. Despite the extreme differences in their lives, their homes, their cultures, this was something they could share.

“Squuueeeeeeaaaaaaaaaakkkk!”

Tomomi was the black-haired lass’ third victim. To tell the truth, the little Mouse spent most of her time with her feet swept off the ground! She was, at the end of that festive tune, returned to Keiko, their last spin ending perfectly with the swaying Mouse looking up at her forever friend.

“Ooooo. Dizzy!”

Luckily for Cesare, the Tree Girl had a lot of victims between her and him, giving him time to speak with Michi and Keiko before he too would be swept into a dance. In a way, it was very interesting. By keeping to her word and dancing with everyone, the black-haired girl was both entrancing and, at the same time, completely harmless. For Michi, this was all very new, too. That his betrothed befriended a lone Rhoni, that could be expected. But a Mouse, a Wuff, a Noble, and a Minstrel was not what anyone could call normal at all. But riding the waves — being able to accept the currents of the world and how quickly they shifted and changed — was, at the heart of things, what it meant to be Rhoni.

For Tray, the young woman stood on a rock so she could look the tall High Seneschal in the eyes. When their dance was over, she offered him a courtly bow and a simple pair of words.

“Thank you.”

Even the two foxes that circled the base of the hill joined in, if one could call the playful game of tag that they played a dance.

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Bekkah

She tapped her foot and clapped to the music where appropriate, smiling the entire time. She would gladly dance with any that asked her, in fact at times, she seemed to be dancing in her mind as the music played. Considering the evils in the forest that they'd faced along with other evils just to get to this point, it was wonderful to just relax and enjoy life. It was for moment's like this that people like Dazi fought evil.

Then in a swirl of her dance, the tree girl pulled Bekkah up and she was twirling around to the hypnotic music. Her smile grew as it always did when she danced. At the girl's next words, Bekkah raised an eyebrow in surprise.

"We shall see. Still it is but a silly tradition. It is hardly a gage of things to come." she said completely dismissing the idea.

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Lyric, both master and student

And she did watch, but more importantly she listened. Some of the 'watching' she did was with her eyes closed. She felt the music from the 3 stringed instruments, she watched the handwork they used to deftly work the paddle-like blade of a pick. Their instruments had a twang that lent itself to a 'folksy' style of play but the rhythm and speed at which they played lent itself to a unique style that sounded and felt very cultural. They had fun doing it, and that seemed to be the most significant aspect of what she was seeing, hearing, and feeling. Possibly there was an element of showing off a little as well, and that was good. It was more like a real session then. Playing for each other and those who watched and listened and danced could feel the real and raw energy of the musicians.

Cocking her head from side to side she learned the musical style quickly. It wasn't so far different than some of the things she had experimented on her own. Okay, it was different, but the point was that Lyric could adapt to the differences and it didn't phase her at all. Most of what she had been playing since leaving her home had been tailored to what she believed was a common 'folksy' style anyway. It wasn't all that she knew.

And so, when it was time for her to add her instrument to their song, in harmony and in counterpoint. Lyric matched them and played with them. It was their song and so she supported them as a proper musician's etiquette demanded. besides, maybe one of both of the Rhoni boys were looking to impress the Rhoni girls.

And then she chose to introduce them to something a little different. The rhythm, the finger picking, and the change the tempo would reveal a new style that she felt these two could learn given what they just played with the instruments they had (which, she was feeling fairly confident were not designed with the boys style in mind)

Maybe this sounds like a song about a battle from an age long ago







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Keiko khal’Nakano Hoshiko
[pronounced KAY-ko... do you think the GM has memorized this yet? Nope, not yet...]

Michi looked at Keiko, surprise written large on his face. “Mother and Father were both Lost?”

She smiled but shook her head. “Only khal’Horosha means “Wanderer,” Michi.”

He looked at her quizzically for a moment before nodding. “Ah. The Family Sunaji. So very sad.” Michi clapped Cesare on the shoulder. “While your father’s family seems to have died out — and I say ‘seems to’ because we never know who might be hidden away in places where we haven’t traveled in generations, hai? — you still have kinfolk. Your father’s family is related to Keiko’s.”

Keiko rolled her eyes. “We’re all related, Michi. Some are simply more closely related than others.”

Michi grinned at both of them. “Once Keiko’s Journey is completed, we will be married, and I will be related to you as well!”

Keiko gave him a look of exasperation. “He already is.”

At that, Michi laughed again. “You and Grandmother have been talking, I see. And no doubt I will learn what needs to be learned at the proper time. The Card Readers can be inscrutable, Cesare,” he said to the other man. “There’s no talking them out of it, either. It’s something to expect from the Elders, of course. But when Keiko and Grandmother’s fosterling start sounding like ancient grandmothers, it can be rather unnerving.”

Once again, Keiko nudged her fiancé. “You’re being silly again, Michi. And I thought Yui was quite delightful!”

He nodded. “Yes, dear.” He snickered when she sighed.

“Surely, you can’t have gotten into so much mischief as all that, Cesare,” he continued. “You have found friends in the oddest places, though, just as Keiko has. I almost wish my Elders would give me leave to travel, but my skill is as a swordsmith. Staying with the Family’s caravan and forge-wagon is the best thing for me now — especially since I am not yet the master my father and uncles are!

“But what of this Aunt and Uncle of yours? That would be your mother’s kin?” His dark eyes sparkled with delight. “Why, perhaps I am clever enough to discern your Family by knowing who your mother’s sibling married!”

Keiko laughed. “If not, you will no doubt pester your grandmother until she tells you.”

“Oh, goodness, no! She would drop a wagon on my head!”


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Lord Protector, Her Ladyship Verchovai Daxia Yurisdotter
[Daxia serves DAYALA... the GM ESPECIALLY should get this right]

Watching her two Temple Sisters get themselves sorted out amused Daxia considerably more than all of Dominic’s machinations. They were family in a way that was difficult to describe even to Kisa, except that Kisa seemed to just understand without Daxia having to use many words at all.

She tapped Harry’s shoulder and whispered as the two Warriors went in search of beer, “Don’t stare, Harry. It’s impolite. Didn’t your mother ever tell you that?” Then she chuckled softly before shaking her head. “And ja, there’s a tale to be told that our young minstrel might repeat for you, although from her words last night and what my sister later told me, it’s not a very nice tale.” She shrugged. “Well, neither was the reality of the ruins, was it? Bad stuff happens, and we go on from there.”

From the corner of her eye, she watched the antics of the Lady and Morning Star. She tried her best not to burst out laughing. She was happy to be distracted by Garrick’s explanation of their wager.

“I don’t doubt the three of you will need to find a new way of moving coins from one purse to another.” Daxia paused as the Rhoni lads began their dance set, and smiled with fondness at the bride and groom dancing for the first time as a married couple. “Ah, sometimes I wished for a brother in addition to my dear sister. That rascal cured me such heretical thoughts. Bekkah and Dominic both have kindness and generosity in abundance. But my sister never thought to cause the level of mischief the young Korie causes.”

She shrugged again, then took Kisa’s hand when she approached. “I do see why so many people call him a dear friend. He has such a big heart. He’s most appealing and charming in small doses, though.”

{ Tadeda No Komo }

When the Lady of the Tree skipped over to Dayala’s youngest priestess and took her hand, Daxia was prepared for the same sort exuberant country dance the others had been treated to. When her partner started a stately minuet-like dance more suited to court, the Dayalan laughed.

“I don’t know why I would be surprised by this turn of events!”

The steps of the dance reminded her of some of the dance-like exercises Cesare had done most days on their journey from Cragside to Talesan’s Village. Although this dance was a once normally accompanied by serious — even dour — expressions, this evening such a thing simply wasn’t possible.

“Thank you for turning Morning Star around in circles, by the way. It’s a joy to have something new to tease him about.”

{ Nikata }

After her ever so proper dance with the black-haired Lady, Daxia found herself standing beside Lady Kara as Kisa danced with the mischievous lass. Two of the young Rhoni women joined their partners, as well — one with some sort of flute and the other a drum.

“If someone had strenuously warned me not to spend the night at Highside Heather,” she said without preamble, “I probably would have heeded the warning. Well, except Kisa seemed to know I’d wind up there, so I probably wouldn’t have had a choice in any case. My Lady has already...” The Dayalan cleared her throat. “...rewarded me for snatching one of Her stars from the sky. As if I could have done anything other than what I did! As if I even knew what I was doing at the time!”

She sighed and looked at Kara. “I hope your Lady isn’t vexed with me as well. Although how one can sleep with the Daughter when the Mother has claimed dominion over the souls, I prefer not to contemplate too deeply.” Dazi smiled brightly. “Perhaps you can share some insight, however, about the one we know only as The Snowqueen. Kisa, in all her scholastic wisdom, hasn’t been able to learn anything about her. Even the Font of All Knowledge over there can’t provide any information that we don’t already know. Who was she? What was she like? From the song, I know she had hard choices to make.”

Then Dazi snorted in a very unladylike fashion. “Of course, that twerp Talesian seems to imply I broke a curse with just the help of a ghost. And he thinks the Dall Gwynn is on the Tarn. So what do songwriters know anyway?”


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Cesare

He listens to Keiko and Michi, enjoying their repartee, thinking them a good match as below the surface they seem very at ease with each other. But he is also clinging to every word as maybe each will bring him that little step closer to his heritage. And he is beginning to realise maybe how much he has felt adrift over the last few years.

"Related to Keiko?"

Surprised but very pleased with that idea, he questions it further.

"How do you work that out? And I would be very happy to count you as family."

He had thought that he was the only one left in his mother and father's line, so Michi's explanations do not come as a shock but the thought that his father may have gone on to have other children? He is not sure how he feels about that. It might be nice to have half siblings but on the other hand it would seem as though he father had betrayed them He had always promised to return and as a boy that hope, fresh and vital at the start, dwindled a little each year, creating a pain in its place.

"As to mischief, I think I may be a magnet as trouble often seems to find me! Still it does make life interesting at times. And I too use a forge Michi. It is most satisfying to make something beautiful and practical with your own hands."

"My Aunt and Uncle, on my mothe's side were Anya and Riku."

He does not recall their full Rhoni names but maybe he can find out more here?

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Keiko khal’Nakano Hoshiko
[pronounced KAY-ko... do you think the GM has memorized this yet? Nope, not yet...]

She smiled at both men; her look for Michi bordered on indulgent.

“There are many Rhoni Families, and they have varying degrees of relationship to the other Families,” she said to Cesare. “That is what Michi means when he says we are related. Your father’s Family is... Well, I suppose the Gaija would call it cousins to my Family. We see the connectedness and responsibilities a little differently than they might, but to put it in the simplest terms, the Gaija aren’t wrong.”

“And the same would be true for your mother’s Family in relation to me,” Michi said. Then he winked at Keiko. “That narrows it down, you know. I only have four Families to choose from now!”

Rin and Akira returned just then. He was pulling a small cart with many instruments, she carried two multi-colored quilted bags, one of which he handed to Michi. “Don’t talk all night, big brother! I know Keiko will want to be serenaded!” She giggled as she skipped off after Akira.

Keiko looked over at the cart and one satchel in particular. “She isn’t wrong, you know. You play the sota beautifully.”

He handed the bag to her. “It’s a few hours early, I know. But Grandmother’s Cards told her you can carry more than just an ocarina in your pack.

She accepted the gift with grace, admiring the delicate stitching of the embroidery. “Is this your mother’s work? She’s talented enough to make me believe my own mother stitched our Family’s pattern on it.” She looked at him with a grin. “And your Grandmother is correct. I have the use of a horse for now.”

“Goodness! Had I known that I might have gifted you with even more!”

[Linked Image]She giggled. “You make me laugh, Michi. Thank you.” Carefully opening the bag, she slid out an intricately carved wooden flute. Her eyes widened with surprised. “Michi! This is far too fine an instrument to carry across the world!”

He gathered her in a hug and smiled. “Nonsense. What could be more appropriate for a Card Reader who is a musician than a dragon flute? Plus, the Master Carver near Sherman’s Town was a delight to bargain with. And I’ve seen you Dance, Keiko. I would fear for any man who tried to take it from you without your permission. Besides,” he added, eyes twinkling with mischief and delight, “I, too, expect to be serenaded.”

“Well, your logic is inescapable.” She temporarily placed the flute back in its bag before turning to Cesare.

“I would be happy to teach about the Rhoni families and how we are all related, in addition to our customs and ceremonies.” She glanced toward the other hill upon which sat one of the Pony Gates before nodding toward the bride and groom. “It doesn’t seem like the Young Master’s wedding is the most opportune time to have such a serious and involved conversation, however.”

She grinned as she watched Dommi and Emmi dancing.

“Tomomi and I had planned to go to Dawnview Vale. It seems my Forever Friend has found a mission to edge all the sleeves of the world with her lace. There will be ample time for lessons as we travel, although much of what I can share with you is for Rhoni ears alone.”

Then she sighed.

“As for your mother’s family...” She smiled sadly. “Perhaps someday I can tell you about your mother’s Family. But I journey for a similar reason that the Elders decided generations ago to hide your Family.”

“And no one but the Elders knows the reason,” Michi added. “Keiko won’t even tell me, although we all know she was forbidden to speak of it, so I’m content to travel with my Family’s caravan until our paths cross again. If you are staying in the area for a few days, you are welcome to use our forge if you have a need.”

They both chuckled at the sharing of his aunt’s and uncle’s names.

“In the previous Age as well as this one, the name Anya has been favored in most of the Families that do the majority of their traveling across the High Tarn,” Keiko said. “It is not as common as Yuri, of course, but it seems most Families have an Anya in their heritage. The use of Gaija names isn’t particularly unusual — your name, Cesare, is certainly not of the Rhoni heritage. If a name sounds pleasant, that is sometimes just as important to parents as the meaning of the name.”

“And Riku?” Michi grinned. “Why, it is only second to my own name in popularity! But if your uncle taught you to use a forge, perhaps my father and uncles can provide a clue. They seem to know every smith in their generation as well as Grandfather’s. There can’t be more than, oh, two handfuls of smiths named Riku,” he added with a wink.

“Well, I for one am hoping that the greatest mischief is behind us,” Keiko said. “Or, at the very least, it’s less bloody than the trouble we caused at Faast Keep.”

Michi hugged her again. “Tonight is a night for celebrations, for music, for dancing, and for courtship. Let’s ride that wave and worry about what tomorrow will bring when it arrives, hai?”

She nodded as she smiled at him. “Hai.”






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Cesare

"And Faast Keep is another good reason why a dragon flute is most appropriate."

He winks at Keiko.

"And though I am eager to learn as much as I can.. having found out how little I know.. I agree that Dommi and Emmi's wedding is not the right venue. And we are wasting dancing time!"

He grins at them both, eager to dance as always. It is something that makes him feel so free, so happy. Maybe that is also a Rhoni trait. He must ask Keiko about it later.

"Thank you both for sharing what you have, it means a lot to me. And would it be inappropriate kinswoman, and with Michi's approval of course, to ask you for the first dance?"

His thoughts are still with his family, the secrets hidden there, the knowledge that he craves.. but his feet are starting to tap and it is time to rejoin the festivities.

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The Heartwood
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Restday, the Twenty-Fifth day of Crown of Ice


Bekkah, Cesare, Daxia, Keiko, Lyric and All the Hilltop Guests

"You know he's totally devoted to you. I'll let you in on a secret. It's all bravado. Deep inside, he's softer than snowkitten fur."

That was Tree Girl's reply to Daxia when discussing her Unicorn.

Tree Girl was like a bolt of lightning, and the music from the Rhoni musicians and Lyric were her thunder — like lightning in the manner in which she would suddenly be there, steal someone for a dance and return them back into whatever conversation they had been taken from. A flash of brightness and ridiculousness in the deepening night. And just like lightning, she never struck the same place twice.

Which certainly made Morning Star feel a whole lot better.

That was undoubtedly how Cesare felt when he was swept away for his dance. Tree Girl was unquestionably light on her feet as she twirled with him across the hilltop. Somewhen, maybe three spins in, she turned his head. There, Dominic and Emerald had paused for their formal introductions to Harry and Garrick. Dandelion, of course, already knew who Miss Mouse was.

"Now there's a life lesson for you, Cesare Wanderer."

Dominic was comfortably sitting on the ground across from the three. Emerald stood behind him, resting her chin atop his head, slender arms wrapped tight around his shoulders.

"Chasing after girls only makes you look desperate. The truth of it, laddie, is to find the one girl who wants to chase you down."

When she returned Cesare back to his conversation with Keiko and Michi, she was suddenly still. She looked at Michi and Keiko quite seriously and nodded once.

"Later."

Tree Girl then smiled a wry and mischievous smile.

"Let's see if I can make the Koromov blush."

And she actually did. Their dance just happened to coincide with one of the slower, much more romantic ballads. And their dance was much slower and much more romantic. But it was also much more competitive — as if the Horde's Captain and the Tree Girl were engaged in a game of Trundle Alley brinkmanship as to which of the two could be the most risque. It backfired at the end when Dandy teased a kiss that the other girl most certainly did not retreat from.

It was Midwinter's after all.

Of course, it blew up in her face when Tree Girl danced with Broke. At the end of their turn, all fast and feral, full of spins and tosses — of the girl as Broke was almost twice her size — there was a sudden and very surprised eeeeeeek when Broke leaned in and gave her a long wet wolf lick from chin to forehead.

At the exclamation, Broke's ears perked, the wuffess both surprised and confused.

"What? I thought it was a Dayalan thing!"

Somewhere in all this light wedding confusion, Garrick found an opportunity to answer Daxia's question concerning their exchange of coins. He just shrugged and looked at the bride and groom.

"Well, it'd be nice to think the lad will finally settle down and be all responsible like a young Lord should be. But then the world would probably end. I am more afraid that he's now found a partner for his crimes. Uhm. Misadventures."

"Come, stepchild... it's your turn."

That was when Tree Girl chose Lyric.

The dance with the minstrel as a wild one. All full of country steps, she led Lyric all over the hill. A circle around a surprised Dominic and Emerald, as they were dancing too. In and out of the Rhoni lads and lasses, sneaking between Lord Tray and Lady Kara and even twirling close enough to share a wink with Dandelion Koromov.

"You do know that your Mistress and the Flower-child there are friends, right?"

After Lyric, and true to her word, Tree Girl returned for Keiko. And Michi! All held hands as they had a happy circle dance of three.

"I may be more mischievous than the groom, but just like him, I am no heartbreaker."

Of course, her last victims were the bride and groom. It was odd. In the end, it was she, Tree Girl, whose eyes were full of mist.

And for Dominic? During his dance, she gathered all sorts of odd things from the wedding. A cup, a biscuit, a whole lot of spoons, a rock, a couple of twigs and an apple. And in her final twirl, she tossed them into the air. When they fell, she looked at them most gravely — as if they were portents, some manner of fortune telling. Either that or she was partaking in complete nonsense. Whichever, she ended with a whisper in Dominic's ear which drained the blood from his face.

"Three?"

Tree Girl smiled and kissed him on the cheek.

"Three is always a good number. The first for Grandmother, the second for Mother and the last, the cutest and shyest one...

"For Me!"

Dominic just looked at Emerald. She blushed and smiled back at him.

He smiled too.

When he looked back, Tree Girl was gone.

It seemed the playful foxes also chose then to take their leave, except it was not two of them that left.

There was one more.

Bekkah held the bride's bouquet, which she indeed had caught. As she watched the three critters dance and weave their way into the night, the bouquet felt nothing like a coincidence.


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Bekkah

The priestess in white, never stopped smiling through the evening. She smiled while dancing, talking or simply watching the love that flowed throughout the party. She even smiled when she caught the bouquet as predicted. She still held it as the party began to wane. It wasn't that she believed in the silly tradition, it was simply that the bouquet was lovely and she enjoyed the scent of the flowers.

While she dreamed of love and a family, she knew that she had also pledged to serve her Lady. And it wasn't a promise she would ever renege on. She did want love and a family, she greatly wanted that and time was running out on that dream. What she had to do was find a way to make both dreams work. For now though, she reflexively held the bouquet a bit tighter as she watched Dommi and Emerald disappear from the party.

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Keiko khal’Nakano Hoshiko
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Lord Protector, Her Ladyship Verchovai Daxia Yurisdotter

Keiko shivered slightly at the memories of the keep, brushing at the front of her tunics where the blood stain was still evident — at least to her eyes. It hadn’t seemed appropriate at the time, and still didn’t if she were honest, but that hadn’t stopped her from offering a prayer to the Ancestors for the healing of the Dragon.

Not exactly appropriate — and yet, it had felt right.

Keiko laughed then at Cesare’s desire to dance, and Michi joined in for his own reasons. They certainly weren’t laughing at him; it felt more as though they found his comment amusing because it triggered something they shared between themselves.

“It is Festival time, Friend Cesare! It is never inappropriate to request a dance.” She glanced at Dominic and Emerald. “It would only be slightly rude to interrupt the bride and groom as they have their first dance together as a married couple.”

“And you certainly don’t need my approval, Cesare,” Michi added. “I don’t think our elders would have decided we were a good match if they believed I harbored jealousy regarding the actions of a Card Reader.”

“I’m sure I have no idea what you’re talking about, Michi,” Keiko said, smiling at him as her violet eyes twinkled with merriment.

“Of course, you don’t, Keiko,” he replied, attempting and failing to remain serious. “Grandfather has given me considerable advice on the proper comportment of a Card Reader’s husband.”

As the music ended and the dark-haired lass swooped in to claim her first dance with Lady Bekkah, Keiko laughed and took Cesare’s hand.

“Come, kinsman, let us ride the currents of music that Akira and Jiro are so generously sharing.” She laughed more freely than she had since meeting him and his group of friends in Waverider’s Watch. “Be light, be free! Let your feet match the beat of Haruna’s drum!”

* * *

Daxia smiled at her dark-haired dance partner. “I know... the devotion bit. That’s how our partnership has to work. It’s a mutual devotion, of course. And that makes things very strange inside my head, you know.” She grinned. “They’ve pledged their service to Dayala, and yet it seems the partnerships between Unicorns and Riders were designed to amuse her Granddaughter.”

The Dayalan’s sapphire blue eyes sparkled with mischief.

“Snowkitten fur, you say? And here I wouldn’t have gone any softer than a ruff’s belly!”

Between dances with Kisa and Bekkah, Daxia watched the dark-haired lass with her Temple Sisters. She wasn’t surprised to see Kisa blushing at Dandy’s performance. The acrobatics of Broke’s dance...

Hoi, I wish Romana were here. She would enjoy this so much.

...ended with a belly laugh from the Priestess.

“If it wasn’t before, perhaps you and Dandelion could make it so. And if you could get me a message about Kassia’s reaction to the new tradition that doesn’t involve bricks or pottery being thrown at my head, that would be wonderful, Sister!”

Then Daxia turned back to Garrick. “He’s responsible in his own special way, and I doubt that’s going to change.” She smiled. “I don’t think we’d want him to stop helping folks and picking up strays, would we?” She gazed at the newlyweds for a few heartbeats. “He has a unique way of trying to right the wrongs of the world,” she added softly, “but I think his instinct is as strong as mine. It’s that sort of... misadventure, as you say, that Emerald will encourage.”

The priestess blinked — the evening had gotten a bit dusty here on this hill. “I liked them both from the first time I met each of them. He was more outrageous, she was far more shy. And now? Now, they’re perfect together, Garrick.”

She looked back at Garrick and shrugged, giving him a crooked grin. “Good thing the Khorall was blessed with a third son rather than a second daughter, for there would be two Goddesses fighting over that soul.”

At that, she winked at the leader of Bordertown’s militia and headed for the group of Rhoni quietly talking.

“I’m not the least bit sorry to interrupt, for it has been far too long since we’ve had a chance to dance, Cesare! Come!” She held out a hand and smiled with happiness.

* * *

Later, when the girl from the tree decided to share a dance with both her and Michi, Keiko grinned. “Mistress, if you believe it possible to break a Rhoni’s heart at Festival time, I would leave you with this thought: Perhaps, like the rest of us, you are blessed to still have things to learn.”

Michi chuckled as he twirled both young women in opposite directions only to gather them back into their little circle. “Pay her no mind, fair damsel,” he said. “Keiko is an enigma wrapped in a riddle and cloak in a conundrum. She’s also silly.”

At this, his betrothed could only laugh. “That’s a fair cop.”


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Cesare

He feels comfortable with both Keiko and Michi. Is that because they are as close a kin as he might claim? Is it the feeling of coming home? Or is it just this happy time they are all enjoying as Dommi and Emmi finally join forces for all time? It doesn't matter but the time for dancing is here.

He has had no formal training although his small family used to dance together, so maybe some of the Rhoni steps are in there somewhere. His dancing is largely just enthusiasm and energy but he can follow a beat and a pattern and will often conform to the style and steps of his partner, once he has seen enough of them. He is not self-conscious, just happy. But this style of his leaves little opportunity to say much. Too much twirling and not enough breath.. but he does manage a few words for each of his partners.

For Keiko: "I like Michi. He is generous and true. How long before the two of you will wed?"

For Tree Girl: "Wise words but where would I find one such as that?" He grins. "I know.. look behind me!"

For Daxia, with a genuine smile of reunion: "It is good to be with you again. I used to think that it was you that lead us into all sorts of trouble.. but it seems we have found our own in your absence. I think you have awoken something of a.. crusading spirit within me." He laughs, not unhappy with the situation.

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Keiko khal’Nakano Hoshiko
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“He is all of that and more,” Keiko agreed. “My mother still worries because I can’t claim the True Love she has found with my father, but I am confident our affection will grow into it.”

She paused that conversation to head off on a tangent. “Which is it that you Dance, Daggers or Storm? The footwork here is much like the Dance of Storms.” Keiko proceeded to demonstrate the turning step. Then she went back to the previous conversation.

“We would have been married next year, probably at Midsummer. But now?” She couldn’t really shrug while spinning, but he could see her smile. “It is up to the Fates, the Waves, and the will of the Ancestors to determine when my Journey will end.”

The dance Daxia began had less spinning and twirling. It was a common country dance with a simple pattern, often danced with numerous couples and a great deal of partner changes. Tonight, it was just Daxia and Cesare, although she added her own flair to the pattern.

“Maybe it was you the whole time, my friend! I, too, thought trouble was dogging my every step, but the worst thing about our journey from Talesan’s Village to Bordertown was leaving Romana and Kay in Talantal. Oh, and that stupid song Dandelion’s friend penned. She won’t be able to protect him if I find him,” she said with a laugh.

“Come to Dawnview with Kisa and me, and bring your friends. I think I’ve convinced Bekkah to come home for a visit. But you must promise to leave your mischief-making on this side of Snowgate Pass,” she added, winking. “I’d hate to have to defend you against my Temple Sisters should they decide you’ve caused a ruckus of some sort.”

She looked him in the eye, no longer disconcerted that she was nearly as tall as he was. “I can’t promise a crusade, but I can promise you a land of beauty that I haven’t seen on this side of the Pass.” She chortled. “But I do have a few ideas for crusades — well, things to accomplish, at any rate — after I return Kisa to her Castle, see her installed as Khorall, and visit family in the Jambles.

“It will be fun!”


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Lyric, a dancing Minstrel

It was clear that Lyric would not lead when it came turn for the dancing with the Tree Girl.

Lyric already had some thoughts flitting about her mind concerning this girl whom she had watched dancing with anyone and everyone, including the Unicorn. But Lyric was occupied as such was the life of a Minstrel. And so the thoughts became nothing more than that, and she played music. She learned music, and she shared music with any and all who joined in with an instrument or just tapping feet and clapping hands.

That is, until the Tree Girl singled her out for a turn of steps. But Lyric didn't know these dance steps. She had studied all her life to be a musician, a performer, and an artist. She felt joy when others sang and danced and were entertained by her. But now she had to set aside her mandola and accept the invitation because anything else would be rude. But it was obvious that she didn't know the steps at first. She was a quick learner, smart, and light of step. She learned as she danced. But taking the lead was 'Not in the Cards' as friend Keiko might say if she were to watch.

There was but a single moment of tension in the dance. One moment where Lyric had wished she were the lead. But she wasn't and thus dancing all too close to Dandelion Koromov made her very uncomfortable and perhaps even a little shy (if that was the right word to use). Lyric lowered her head and looked away, allowing her hair to fall across her face. She wished she wore her heavy Tarnan Cloak, but then, if she had, she wouldn't have been able to move about when playing among the Rhoni. But Koromov didn't recognize her...

And the thoughts that were errant before had suddenly become much more coherent at the statement worded as a question, yes, rhetorical.

...friends?

Lyric smiled, knowing the answer to her own question, "I suppose I have always believed it unwise to test the limits of someone else's friendship."

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Cesare

"I am sure it will. There seems a desire from both sides. And yes, the Fates will decide."

He smiles at Keiko.

"Daggers is what I was taught. I do not know Storm."

But he nevertheless follows her lead, interested in this new way.

When he dances with Daxia, he adopts her pattern as best he can, still enthusiastic.

"Don't think so.. I still believe it was mostly you. I miss Romana too but I have missed you the most. And yes, I think we are planning to see Dawnview. Even more reason if you are heading there too."

He tilts his head on one side.

"So does that mean you will return to us to enlist our aid in accomplishing those things? I would welcome that."

It is good to have Daxia around again and as they dance he catches glimpses of his other friends, Bekkah catching the bouquet, Lyric dancing with Tree Girl and many others. This is a good day.

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“I learned both Daggers and Storm,” Keiko said. “Most girls learn Storm, most boys learn Daggers.” She grinned. “Some of us learn what isn’t usual, and some of us learn both. My brother is very protective of his sisters and made sure we could protect ourselves.”

Then she giggled. “Hikaru believed it was his idea, of course. I suspect my uncles and eldest cousins planted the idea, though.”

As the song ended, she led them both back to Michi, who was opening one of the leather cases and pulling out a peculiar two-stringed bowed instrument.

“Oooh! You brought your nigen too! Oh, yes, you must serenade me now!”

Michi laughed. “Borrow Rin’s flute so she and Akira can dance. You and I can join Jiro and Haruna.”

* * *

“Well, maybe you’re right,” Daxia said. “But if the trouble was following me, then we really need to blame Kisa because I was just following the Patterns she showed me. And some she didn’t.” She paused a moment. “Fine! Everything after rescuing Romana, including rescuing Romana, is all my fault! Except that business at Highside Heather — that was Dean’s fault for not remembering to tell us not to stay there.”

She laughed gaily.

“If you wish to help rebuild and reconsecrate a Dayalan Temple, you’re more than welcome to help with the heavy lifting, although I was hoping to enlist some of my new Temple Sister’s family in that endeavor,” she said with a smile. “I’m afraid you can’t be a lay member of the cult for you’ve already pledged yourself to Khannish, haven’t you? So that would leave you out of the ceremonies.” Then her eyes twinkled with mischief. “But it would be the Temple for the Wild Dayalans, and we do tend to flout the rules when it suits us. And won’t incur our Lady’s wrath.

“As for my other thought... well, it would have been nice to have Mikal’s help with the Chaos Riders. Dominic wouldn’t tell me anything about what happened to him, and I haven’t had the chance to ask Broke about it. Something happened after all of you left Waverider’s Watch, though.”

She grinned. “I’m sure the Thing would be happy to pummel us with their various weapons and stools when I mention the idea to them.”


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Cesare

And he just manages his farewells and thanks before being whisked away by Tree Girl.

He is still laughing as she mentions rescuing Romana and Highside Heather.

"We did have some very interesting times, did we not?"

And then he is ready to volunteer to help with the temple building but feels he should set the record straight but just before he can do that she asks about Mikal.

"I did not pledge to Khannish. Darian had suggested that I do so and we were trying to work out how it would all come together but in the end it was just to far away from how I live my life. Just couldn't do it. I think that is where things started to unravel for Darian and I."

He shrugs, the winds of fate swirl in unexpected ways at times.

"Mikal was starting to form his horde. Kadri, Bekkah and I went with him and a number of horses to help him get started. There was a parcel of land at Waverider's Watch deemed suitable to establish a camp. We met the others, Keiko, Tomomi & Lyric there. Then your sister did a miraculous thing. She prayed to her Goddess for the Forest Folk. Her prayers were answered. But many of them were trapped in a mine run by dwarves. By this time Dommi had arrived and we all vowed to help try and rescue those in the mines. Unforunately this was, I think, too much of a divergence for Mikal and he left that night to follow his own path. Another thing you should know. The rescue was successful but we lost Kadri in the attempt. I miss her.. and I miss Mikal."

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Tree-Girl
... during Lyric's dance

"Oh, I think that just the knowledge that they are friends is much more interesting than the limits of that friendship. At the least, it keeps me amused."

Tree-Girl smiled as she continued her weaving path, orbiting some before moving on to the others.

"Whoever knew little villages could be so full of intrigue? It's better than listening to wives talk at the village well!"

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[Daxia serves DAYALA... the GM ESPECIALLY should get this right]

“Too interesting at times, if you ask me!”

The music had stopped, but Daxia remained with Cesare to continue their conversation. She cocked her head to the side at his comments about Darian.

“Perhaps that was the catalyst. Darian never spoke much, but I had gotten the impression that you had pledged yourself to her Lord. My apologies.” She smiled. “Perhaps I’ll have the opportunity to apologize to her someday for the misunderstanding.”

Daxia’s brows furrowed. “It was an odd farewell in Talesan’s Village. Kisa and I had ensconced ourselves in the Cathedral’s library, she had gone to speak with the local Pack, the rest of you found yourselves in an adventure to save young Dydd. When we finally tore ourselves away from Brother Lew’s books — not an easy task, I assure you — Darian was there to say goodbye, and the rest of you had gone off to Mikaelsson’s Farm. I never did get the full tale of what happened beneath the docks. Ari wouldn’t speak of it. Sir Kevin had taken his squires off to deal with...”

She shrugged. “Well, possibly more roof repairs! He certainly had a knack for it. We met Broke in the baths at the Inn. That was interesting. She mentioned a misunderstanding she’d had with Mikal. I was somewhat distressed to hear that they’d had a poor beginning, but thought they might work through their differences.” She chuckled. “After all, Mikal and I didn’t always see eye to eye. I still count him as a friend and never doubted his skill or courage as a fighter. Perhaps he might have a few things to learn yet about leading a group, but that’s nothing to fault him for. After all, it’s not something that’s generally taught to anyone.”

Dazi looked at Cesare from the corner of her eye. “My sister refuses to believe me, but I had no idea was I was doing in the beginning. I barely had a clue by the time we reached Highside Heather. I’m still not sure I know how to be a leader. Kisa was trained for it. If Kassia was teaching me the same lessons, well, that’s where I’m truly a cobble block.”

She nodded at the end of his tale about Waverider’s Watch.

“Even as far away as we were at the time, we felt the power of Bekkah’s prayer to her Lady.” Dazi smiled at the memory. “I swear Kay was almost more surprised at the smile she was wearing than the morning she found herself pulled out of time.

“Bekkah mentioned very little of the rescue, but your minstrel friend told a powerful tale last night.” Then she snickered. “Of course, you might have already consumed half a barrel of beer by that time! Oh, my friend, there is joy in the indulgence of our vices, but the overindulgence can bring just the opposite.” Then she winked. “You didn’t look good at all this morning. I’m glad to see that the day managed to set you back on your feet.”

Then she sobered again. “I miss them both as well.” She glanced over at the groom. “I think Dominic knows more than he’s said about both their fates and, in this case, I am willing to remain ignorant. I share that in common with Bekkah — I’d prefer to remember my friends who no longer travel with me in the best possible light.”


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Lyric, dancing with words

It felt like a test now. Did the Girl from the tree want her to play a game. of course she did. Lyric had a suspicion earlier about the Girl and now felt very confident that her suspicion could be called a conclusion. So as they danced, the mercurial dancer spoke to amuse herself, but it was more than that. She baited Lyric. Was she seeking the repartee to see if Lyric could figure out the game? or was she dropping hints to something else?

To that thought, Tree Girl took up this dance with the Minstrel by implying they had a preexisting relationship. Oddly though, or maybe not give it was Lyric in question, the relationship concept was not an easy one for Lyric to grasp. The words themselves she understood but pairing them together created a title that had a meaning with which Lyric was unfamiliar.

While responding to the Girl's statements and questions, Lyric tried to unravel the underlying threads of meaning. Child was simple enough. Tree Girl saw Lyric as a youth. That told her quite a bit about Tree Girl. And having seen her interactions thus far, and what Lyric now believed she knew to be a truth, it was fair enough for Girl to entertain such a notion. But the Step part? She knew what a step was... a platform raised to get one from plane or level to another, either higher or lower... or a segment of a journey measured by walking. So, a Child, but not quite... No, that's not right. A child, but not your child, a segment of the journey removed from being your child. Is your interest in me based upon what my presence offers you, thus the claim of adjacent parentage? Or was it the intrigue and mystery and magic that appealed to you? You know who I am, and I am confident I know who you are. We are both playing a game of intrigue with the world around us. And my game amuses you. You know of my village, and to word it as you did means you listen to Dominic. You want me to know who you are. You might want everyone to know, but there are rules to your game, thus making it more like- You want everyone to figure you out and to do that they have to play your game. You think you own me... Not the right word. I am under your care, your protection because I amuse you. More than that, more than amuse you, I am in need of your care, and that is what you do. It is your nature, the mantle you wear and burden you bear.

Lyric was thinking she could easily confuse herself in all these circular thoughts at this point. The Minstrel had little or no experience with marriage or children so the Metaphor was mostly reasoning and guessing. And the dancing, twirling and fast paced steps kept her off-balance both physically and mentally. The proximity to Koromov was surely intentional to allow Girl to put Lyric on the defensive and make her more receptive to her testing and baiting words.

You wanted me to know I was safe with you when you pushed me close to Koromov.

Lyric smiled in understanding now.

"What else would we do to entertain ourselves, in a village such as mine, were it not for the intrigues? Right? Do something long enough and it becomes a habit. Do something forever and it becomes the way it always was."

Those first words were spoken quietly and more seriously in tone and import. But then she smiled, and shrugged as a bit of her mercurial nature showed forth. "So, without it I think our whole lives would be spent reciting the poetry written by our Shaggies."

And then it was gone, "I bear the scars of wanting to live a life that is more than just intrigues, but I suppose intrigue is what I must use to do the things that must be done in order to find a life I want and one my people need." Lyric looked sidelong to several of her friends, Keiko and Cesare. And Bekkah and Tomomi. A kind of Pack as it were. Dominic and Emerald, her Packmate Broke, who was also part of a new pack of her own, with Koromov and Daxia, and her lover. An entanglement of relationships. "I keep my secrets for their safety as much as my own. They are my first friends in all my life. I have felt loss now too, and I never want to feel that again, though I know I will. I understand it is what makes love more meaningful. So I lie to them because I care for them more than I ever imagined I was capable and because I know the danger that I put them in just for being among them. But I would give my life for them, each and every one, because my heart is not a part of my intrigue."

"Even Dominic... He amuses me," she added with a slight smile and an arched eyebrow. She used Girl's own words for the meaning of the value of a relationship.

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Cesare

"Interesting is always better than boring."

Easy to say maybe but not so easy to live by.

"And I miss Darian. We had some great times together, even being taught by a ruff.." he chuckles at the memories "..but perhaps in the end our destinies lead us to different paths. This is often the way."

He has an easy acceptance of life and what it serves up, the Rhoni heritage perhaps?

"As to saving Dydd.." he smiles again at the memory of the young girl whom he liked "..we found a door low down in the cliff where her trail led. Inside were some tunnels partly underwater as the tides would fill the tunnels from time to time. In the water were creatures that we later found to be sharks. Be battled our way in and found a temple to a shark god where Dydd was being held, seemingly intended as a sacrifice. We rescued her. A good result I think but maybe that would upset the balance of the factions there, the divide between those of the land and those of the sea. It seemed prudent to move on quickly."

He grins, easy in his own conscience.

"And Mikal was a good leader. Could have become great I think but he had his own demons to resolve. But I still count him as a good friend. And speaking of leaders, I think they are best judged by how they inspire others to follow them. And I would follow you anywhere."

This is said with a quiet determination, no sign of his usual lightness of spirit.

"Setting free those two souls from years of torture.. that changed things for me. Changed how I look at the world. You did that."

Then he grins again.

"But that still doesn't mean that i cannot indulge from time to time. Everything must have a balance, even if it swings from life changer to drunkard."

He laughs now.

"Not that I intend to ever try to mix the two."

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[Daxia serves DAYALA... the GM ESPECIALLY should get this right]

Dazi snickered. “When ‘interesting’ involves people and demons and hideous beasties and avatars all trying to kill me, I tend to favor boredom. On the other hand, if ‘interesting’ just means meeting fascinating people and seeing parts of the world that I never imagined seeing? Well, I can live with that kind of interesting.”

She shook her head as she smiled sadly. “I’m never going to get used to lopping off heads and skewering people. That’s probably the way it’s supposed to be. Kadri and I...” The Dayalan paused as she watched Tree Girl dancing with everyone, as she’d declared. “I think she had the right of it when she said that you stop being human when the killing no longer bothers you.”

She frowned at his description of the underwater tunnels and rooms. “That was once one of our great Temples, you know. The whole underground network beneath Talesan’s Village is the ancient outpost the Dayalans know as the Port of Lys. The Eastern horde ran all the way to the sea at the end of the First Age. We have stories that tell of our Sisters bravery then. I understand — mostly, anyway — why the Easterners hate Dayalans so much, but...”

Daxia looked at him, suddenly taking a different tack. “Do you ever feel like there is too much fighting for all the wrong reasons? This god and that god have a disagreement, so all their followers pay the price. Although my life has been blessed in uncountable ways through my service to Dayala, I almost envy the Rhoni’s freedom to choose your path each day.

“Human frailties and desire for power — I understand these things. I don’t have to like it, but there you go. And I understand that the Deities have their own motivations, their own desires. Maybe I simply find being a pawn in their feuds to be a heavy burden.”

She shook herself and lightly slapped his shoulder. “Well, there you go, Cesare. I have my own demons that are nothing like Mikal’s. Are you sure following along after me and my demons is still a reasonable endeavor?”

Dazi looked up at the Dark Patch where Tashka’s and Linette’s souls had returned after the wedding ceremony.

“Maybe I had a hand in it, my friend. But ultimately, my heart was listening for the will of my Lady. She created Time for a reason — perhaps She thought it would be interesting, perhaps She was bored, perhaps it was a grand experiment on Her part. It doesn’t matter why She did it, only that She did. And He Who Should Not Be Named subverted that. Perhaps it was hubris on my part, but I took offense on Her behalf. Yes, it may have lightened the hearts of three Goddesses that night, but it got Celi killed. I can’t forget that. She was still a child, still learning what it meant to be out in the world and having the need to hide her most closely held beliefs.”

Then she sighed heavily. “I suppose that, too, is a burden that a leader must bear. Perhaps that is the lesson that will push Mikal beyond merely being a good leader to being a great one.”

Finally, she rolled her eyes at him. “I suspect that ‘balance’ might be more on the order of keeping one’s seat on a horse rather than swinging wildly from one extreme to another like a child gathering momentum on her rope to fling herself farther into the waters of Sapphire Lake. But your kinsfolk would know better than I, I’ll venture,” she added with a chuckle.


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Tree-Girl
... during Lyric's dance

"And you just sussed the Big Scary Secret. Do something forever and it becomes the way it always was. And when everything is the way it always was? No matter how pretty your pool of sparkling water is, it is stagnant. How luxurious that goblet of wine? Vinegar.

"Staid. Dying. Dead.

"Boring."

Tree-Girl giggled.

"I used to visit your little village, every now and then. Nowadays, I just can't find the energy or will. I'd peek in, dance about, but you know, it was always same old, same old, same old, same old.

"Dommi-My-Darling, now him, he's never the same, he's always up to something and even when he fails I can't stop laughing.

She spun close to Lyric, for a moment nose to nose.

"Now.

"There's you.

"So serious, about your words, your duty and your bonds to your friends. Do you want a clue, sweetness?"

Her smile was very mischievous and even more vixeny than Lady.

"You could be dancing with an enigma wrapped in a mystery wrapped in a big furry coat of shaggie fur. Or you could be dancing with a girl who likes trees, dancing, smiling and having a good time because someone she cares about is having a really good day.

"I'd recommend trusting your friends and just enjoying their company.

"Because the alternative?"

The Girl shivered from tousled bangs to her toes.

"Shaggie fur really really really really itches!"

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Cesare

He shakes his head slowly.

"No. I cannot believe you would ever =choose= boredom. It is not in your nature."

The twinkle in his eyes suggests he might be teasing, just a little.

"And I agree that taking a life should always matter. For me I prefer to only do that if in defence of others, friends in particular but the Fates do thrust some nasty choices on us from time to time. Life is not always a free choice, even for the Rhoni."

And that brings his thoughts momentarily to his father. He pauses for a moment, gathers his thoughts and then there is a question in his eyes.

"The shark tunnels were once a Dayalan temple? Your temples seem to be almost everywhere one turns."

Again the teasing smile, certainly he does not want to offend, just enjoy conversing with an old friend.

"So I guess I might as well consider following you and your demons as it seems I might have a problem escaping you and yours anyway."

He follows her gaze and adds softly.

"But then it is often justice that needs serving. And I know we lost Ceri.. as recently we lost Kadri. There is an old saying is there not that you can't make an omelette without breaking eggs? It could have been any of us. We all accepted that risk."

He nods, it is a truth he believes.

"And I have learned to balance on a horse now. I have one of my own. Perhaps I might lean to 'balance more aspects of my life.. but I doubt it! I think the most important thing is to live life in a way that is true to yourself.. and your beliefs. Maybe we both do that but in different ways?"

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Lord Protector, Her Ladyship Verchovai Daxia Yurisdotter
[Daxia serves DAYALA... the GM ESPECIALLY should get this right]

Dazi snickered. “Oh, I can certainly choose boredom. However, it would seem my Lady doesn’t believe in boredom. One would think a nice hot bath at an Inn at the far edge of the mainland would be boredom enough. But no — I met a Wolfess who, by the compassion and mercy of my sister and her Lady, is now a sister in arms.

“I do have a theory regarding Dayala and boredom, but there are few who would appreciate, especially in my Order.”

She raised an eyebrow and smiled at his teasing. “Our Temples do seem to be everywhere we go, but you’re in luck. You’ve been to the two that were abandoned — Port of Lys at the end of the First Age and this one, the Temple on the Border, at the end of the Second Age. The third is in Dawnview Vale. Line them all up, and I sussed out the location of Starwatch Reaches, our first Keep. Or, as that lunatic minstrel friend of Koromov called it, the Dall Gwynn.”

It was impossible to tell if she was joking, if she was suggesting that the greatest Adventure of the past generation was within their grasp, or if she was merely teasing him in return. Her “court composure” was inscrutable.

Her impassive nature morphed to a sad smile after a moment as she regarded the Temple ruins. “It’s not as much justice I seek — I’ll leave that to the Hasturs — but righting wrongs, perhaps restoring balance to the world and to Time. And yes, all of us accepted the risk last year, and several of us came too close to joining Celi. I know I would not be standing here tonight if not for Morning Star... and Linette... the Thing... and all of you who joined me in my mad quest to right that particular wrong.”

She smiled wryly. “And returning the Temple to its rightful condition is not only something I want to do for my Order’s sake and to provide a place for my Sisters to rest in their journeys outside the Vale but for Lady Kay, too.” She gave Cesare a mischievous side glance. “I promised her the use of the well. But a properly restored Temple would have room for a proper hospice for her. Who am I to gainsay an Atteran a place in our Temple? I doubt there’s a Wild Dayalan who could put forth an argument against a hospice. Of course, the High Priestess might disagree with me, but...”

The Dayalan shrugged and snorted. “I’m more terrified of Kassia, and I don’t think my teacher and foster mother would find reasons to object. Besides...” She nodded in Kisa’s direction. “Our Order exists to this day because of the support of the Noble Family Allaine. And I feel quite confident that our new Khorall is far more stubborn than her Aunt, the High Priestess.”

She left him time to respond, of course, before agreeing with his final statement.

“Being true to ourselves is the most balanced thing one can do, I suspect. You Rhoni folks don’t have a corner on that market,” she added with a laugh. “Though I have learned a bit about balance from you, my friend.

“And now, I believe it’s time for me to... ahem, request a dance with the Koromov. Surely, she must have learned some other sort of dancing in the Trundle Alley beside the licentious display she graced us with earlier!”


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Cesare

"So I still have a keep to go?"

He winks.

"Though, in honesty, liberating this temple and freeing those two souls I count as probably the best thing I ever did in my life. And it has kind of lit a fire inside me in a way I can't explain.. but I do hold you responsible."

He raises an eyebrow and wags a finger in her direction, maybe another tease..

"And a hospice here would seem a fitting end to that chapter."

He smiles.

"Been really good to talk to you. I've missed you, you know. And good luck in =that= dance."

He laughs as he takes his leave. Maybe time to find another dance partner? Or a drink? Somehow the future seems brighter now.

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Lyric, on the question of what to do. Oh, what to do?

What was tree-Girl telling her to do? And why was she still calling her Tree-Girl. She knew her name, but she understood the power of a Name. She understood the Magic of a Name. A True Name. And that was sort of the point Tree-Girl was making, wasn't it. The Truth.

But it was more complicated than just the perspective of a mischief maker such as she. Her world had rules, that she chose to ignore at whim and portfolio. That was who she was and what she was. But Lyric's world was a world of Rules and Oaths and Fealties, All the things that replace family and friends and camaraderie when time ceases to matter to a people who are lost to the World.

But Tree-Girl had a valid point with regard to the serious attitude she hadn't even realized she had slipped from the point that young Blue first delivered the 'dire' message from Dominic. Lyric had lost the whimsy under the weight of some self-imposed duty that might not even be hers to carry, especially now that it seemed the Dayalan Warrior was reunited with her former travelling companions.

Lyric nodded, and forcibly and visibly relaxed herself, and smiled as her dancing partner. The music was waning as the song was ending. The dance was ending as well.

"Your words carry value for me. I believe I understand them, and the point you are trying to make. I must reconcile them with the words of my... Mistress. I believe that was the term you used. She saved me from terrible fate at the hands and judgment of my people. Death became Exile. Then she gave me chance at a life with meaning and purpose... Something that I have not had in a very long time, Mistress of Mischief. My Oaths are to her as is the way of my kind, the only way I know. But I have heard you."

When the music ended, Lyric stepped back, releasing Tree-Girl's hands, and bowed in respect.

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Dragonstooth Inn
Midwinter's Day


Bekkah, Cesare, Daxia, Keiko, Lyric, and Tomomi

The next morning came far too early and probably too loudly for some. At some point, they had all made it back to their respective rooms.

The night seemed like a dream, a very good dream.

Daxia and the Koromov had their dance, which was less exciting and more amusing as Dandelion stated quite firmly that no new traditions would be created that night. That was probably a good thing as Daxia was Kisa's Knight and Dandelion was the Captain of Kisa's actual military force, and that would be more than a little strange and awkward.

Later they were all treated to what an actual mousing looked like, albeit a small one, when a plastered Broke convinced a tipsy Koromov to call out that single syllable.

"Oi. I have two mice on my tummy."

"Ja."

"Cute."

"Ja."

"And you came from a Home full of Mice?"

"Ja."

"I want to mouse my older sister."

There wasn't as much a saying of goodbyes as a fading away, quiet, uneventful and in its own way comforting as it just didn't end. Like any good dream.

Then, eventually, it was a Midwinter's morning and breakfast for Bekkah, Lyric, Cesare, Daxia, and Keiko.

In some ways, Midwinter's was almost anti-climatic. It was a fine festival and, of course, gifts were exchanged. Keiko woke up to find a set of paints in their little crockery pots, all exotic colors such as purple, a metallic gold, and a blue that looked like it was full of lightning. Everyone else got ribbons with scalloped trim, even a black unicorn — although his looked a mite rushed. However, it was the thought that counted, ja?

A Knight received a leather-bound book in an oilcloth case, with latches and seals to keep it safe and dry. It was the perfect size to fit in a saddlebag, and all the pages were blank and waiting to be filled.

Lyric found she didn't have to pay for a thing that whole day, but she wasn't quite sure if that was because she was a minstrel or that Dominic left word with Family Marrennen. A small village Minstrel in a holiday market. Oh. My.

Fine. So Cesare didn't get just a ribbon. He got a scarf and a sturdy leather pouch for putting things in. Of course, when handed over by Tomomi, the scarf was in the pouch.

"It's from the sisters. Though I have never really understood that. How can they be sisters if one is a Mouse and the other is a Raccoon?"

As for the Lady Bekkah, she had a box delivered — by the Dragonstooth's master. Now in truth, it wasn't something she didn't already have. It was also not as fancy or as elegant as the one she already possessed. It was a simple gold cross pendant hung from a sturdy length of leather. It certainly lacked the artistry of a goldsmith, like the gift she’d had made for her apprentice. It did, however, have the honest ruggedness of something crafted by a blacksmith.

Elsewhere

"Trust me, Blue-Eyes."

And the white-haired lass did, letting the rough-around-the-edges once-upon-a-time farm girl slip her fingers through silken locks. The Dayalan was a bit clumsy, as she hadn't done this in years, in centuries, and it was hard. It was hard because it dredged up a memory so successfully buried of a Midwinter's in blood-soaked fields between the Mountains and the Silk Creek, when all she had to share was a scrap of cloth sliced from her own surcoat. When she was done, the newest Atteran Priestess leaned forward to see her reflection in the well, the still water as perfect as if it were a polished mirror.

"Pony tails! Hee!"

What truly made the Easterner smile, however, was the gifted ribbon of black and silver tied in an awkward bow.

When she stood up, Romana was surrounded by a gaggle of the poor ring's children, and they laughed and proclaimed her the prettiest Monster-Lady in all the world.

Kay watched and grinned, leaning on her spear, which now bore two ribbons — one white and one the softest shade of blue.

She believed, in the deepest and most secret place in her heart, that Lily-kins would approve.


The Dragonstooth Inn

For the moment they had the table in the commons to themselves, a brief respite from the day's celebrations. Keiko and Kisa sat across from each other. In truth, they were watching each other, as this was something that had not been done in at least a generation — an heir of Dawnview Keep partaking in a reading of the Rhoni Cards. The question at hand was a simple one:

What are the ebbs and flows of the currents north of here?

Or to be a bit less apocryphal, what fortunes awaited them if they followed the roads through Cragside and the Highgaard passes? The problem was that the Cards did not like being used to tell fortunes directly, so one had to be very careful how one's queries were phrased. Three cards were laid out.

The One of Stars reversed. Fog. And last, Crown of Ice also reversed.

She listened to the Rhoni's explanation, and when Keiko had finished, Kisa bit her lip and nodded.

"So we should take the Satin River Road."

It was not a question, but a conclusion, one to which her Knight nodded in agreement.

In some ways, the old trail that ran around the southern edge of the Forest of Roth was an intriguing solution. It was out of the way and relatively lightly traveled. But that was because of its proximity to the woods and the fact that almost no one lived there. It was the far borders of Amber and Corliss and thus mostly empty.

Kisa then looked up, and the little group got their first glimpse at what was meant by a Window and Watcher — an old term used to denote a combination of Rhoni and Allaine gifts.

"Everyone's eyes are on Brockman's Holdfast. The tension is on that border, to keep the Montagues on their side of Dag Brockman's lands. It has been half a year. If you were Montagues, which way would you look? It's obvious. You would not send your volatile and dangerous Warlord west; creating an incident there would bring the wrath of Talantal's knights. You'd send him east: Brementown, Cragside, the Road East.

"And that warlord also knows you, Daxia, the Scamp's Master, will be bringing me home."

And thus the southern route to Dawnview Vale was selected.


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Lord Protector, Her Ladyship Verchovai Daxia Yurisdotter
[Daxia serves DAYALA... the GM ESPECIALLY should get this right]
and
Keiko khal’Nakano Hoshiko
[pronounced KAY-ko... do you think the GM has memorized this yet? Nope, not yet...]

Their dance had not been as interesting or as amusing as Dandelion had seemed to think it was at the time.

“Do you know any proper dances?” the Starlord had inquired of the Starrider. “Or is that sexy dance the only sort of thing anyone does in Trundle?”

“NO NEW TRADITIONS!” had been the Koromov’s insistent reply.

"Hey, I'm not the trend-setter here,” Daxia pointed out. “For that, you need to talk to our Sister the Furball over there.”

The dancing itself had been energetic, but an energetic country dance that maintained propriety and left Dazi grinning.

“You sure you don’t want me to lick your face?” she asked.

YURISDOTTER!

The younger Dayalan laughed herself back to Kisa’s side and slipped an arm around the Heir’s waist.

And before the night’s festivities ended and the guests drifted off to their respective places to lay their heads, Dazi took the opportunity to bid Tree Girl a good night, gracing her with a curtsey worthy of a Noble Court after whispering in her ear.

# # #

The morning dawned bright and clear and beautiful. The Dayalans — Priestess and Heir — greeted the morning from the flat roof of the Inn, as had been their habit since arriving. They discovered the ribbons on their door handle when they returned to their room — black and white for Kisa, black and silver for Daxia.

“She’s a treasure,” Dazi remarked as she wove the ribbon into a section of Kisa’s long hair, tying off the braid just below the shoulder and letting the rest of the section hang free with of her hair. “Do you think Keiko warned her how popular she’d be in Dawnview? Well, you know what? If she didn’t, then Tomomi is in for a wonderful surprise!”

Then she tested the length of her own hair and nodded. Of course, she tied her hair back with the leather cord she used when she hadn’t hacked it short again. Then she made a large, festive bow at the nape of her neck with the black and silver ribbon.

“And if you call me ‘adorable,’ Mistress Kisa, I shall remove it immediately,” Dazi said with a grin. Then she twirled and reached into her saddlebag in the corner of the room, pulling out a small, light — nearly insubstantial, in fact — box painted with a black and red checkerboard and held it in her palm for Kisa.

When the Heir opened the box, she found an intricately folded piece of fabric that had been soaked in glue to hold its shape. It was iridescent, or possibly opalescent, depending on the light hitting it.

“The old woman who sat in the Rhoni’s booth this week convinced me that I needed it, said I should ask the young Card Reader about its story. And that was before Keiko showed up with Bekkah and Cesare!” She smiled at her beloved. “What else does one give the Heir who has everything but something small and very pretty with what must surely be an interesting story attached to it?”

Both her eyes and her smile were side as the Rhoni lass looked at the little pots of paints. “Oooh, Tomomi, these are so beautiful!” She hugged her Forever Friend tightly, or at least as tightly as she dared given the Mouse’s slight frame. Then she drew a card from one of her pouches. It was slightly larger than the Cards of her deck but of a similar type of pasteboard. On it, she had painted the Trees of Home — every hue and shade of green in her collection, some brown, and a touch of black for the shadows. Over the yellow lights of the windows, she’d sprinkled minute amounts of the precious mica dust she had been saving. Keiko had made the Dirkwood Forest and Home look magical and downright beautiful.

“I hope you like it,” she said shyly.

Dazi’s blue eyes seemed even brighter as she held the book in her hands. “Kisa... this is...” She shook her head. “Okay, I won’t say it’s too much or too nice, even though it is.”

She sat quietly for a handful of breaths, just looking at the book, its binding, the leather, the oh so lovely pages that seemed to call out for words to be penned there. Then she smiled as she looked up at Kisa again.

“Do remember all those journals in Brother Lew’s library? I’m going to write one for your library! I’ll fill it with stories of my adventures — the true stories, Kisa, not the fancified and watered down sorts of things the minstrels write. A gift from you to me will become a gift from me to your daughters, to our Sisters who serve our Lady, to the future. I like that idea very much. It makes this book perfect.”

# # #

The Knight watched with intense interest as Keiko laid out her Cards. First, there had been the Asking of the Question, something she understood to be an exacting thing. She thought back to something Romana had said when they first met...

Quote
Witches and Windows... World is change, always changing, always new, always interesting, like trying to nail down wind, world refuses, going which way and that, world is unicorn whites. Window... Window is special girls, who can open Window, see the tides and currents that push and pull lives... Rhonifolks blood. Witch... Witch interprets what Windows see. Witches are scary... Witches weave through Chaos.

Is that what she was doing out here in the world? Weaving through Chaos? She mentally shrugged. Did it matter what other people called it?

Dazi left the formation of the question to Kisa for she had been trained by both Kassia and Linnell. For all her shyness and bookish ways, the Heir did have a way with words. Message tiles? Not so much, except for their value as mementos and pieces of art. Ah, and a reminder of how Kisa felt about her.

It was the art of the cards that captured Daxia’s attention. They were exquisite!

“You painted these?” She recalled her early acquaintance with Camelia and her diligent work on her deck. Dazi wasn’t sure that Keiko’s cards could have been more different from the ones she’d seen Cami painting.

“Oh, yes. Of course. It’s...” The Rhoni hesitated, not sure how much she should share with the Gaija warrior. Finally, she merely said, “It’s the custom.”

“Ah.” The young woman’s hesitation more than her words told the Dayalan that this was a Rhoni secret and that it would be an insult to pry further.

The Card Reader looked at her Cards for such a long time that it might seem that she was not going to give an indication about their meaning. The Allaine’s question had been well-formed, and the answer was quite clear. The only problem, at least in Keiko’s mind, was that unpleasant responses were traditionally not shared on Festival days. But it was an Allaine asking...

“This tells me,” Keiko finally said, pointing to the first Card — a single star on a field of blue set in the reversed orientation — “that there are plans in the making and that they may not be in your best interests. This,” she said, pointing to the middle card that depicted only a shaded circle of gray within its border, “says that these are hidden plans, that they are important, and that they are becoming malevolent. It is an affirmation that what is hidden is not in your best interest. Finally...”

She looked at the two redheads. Then she said what every Card Reader was taught to avoid saying at Festival times: “Things will likely come to a violent end.”

The corner of Daxia’s mouth quirked up as she glanced at Kisa, nodding slightly as the Heir made her decision.

The Satin River Road. It was obvious.

She nodded again at Kisa’s explanation of her conclusion. “Add to that volatile mixture a year-long dead Velikii who may or may not have brothers, cousins, or loyal retainers set on extracting their version of justice from those of use who interfered with whatever plans the man might have had.”

“Velikii?” Keiko nearly squeaked.

“Da.”

After glancing at her Cards, the Rhoni regarded the Daylan soberly and muttered, “And I thought *I* had a good reason to stay out of Trundle.”

“I’m so glad we can agree on that!” She smiled wryly at Kisa. “I will have to, once again, regretfully decline the Captain’s generous and possibly nefarious offer to introduce me to her elder sister. As long as I can see the Patterns and Paths that end with a sword in my side, and as long as a Rhoni proskavada agrees with me, none of you are talking me into going to Trundle!”

Keiko furrowed her brow and stared at Daxia. “Proskavada?” she murmured as she gathered her Cards back into her deck. It sounded... familiar and yet alien.

“Oh. It’s Ancient. I’m not sure how to get to... the language you share with Bekkah’s apprentice. Romana has a fairly good grasp on Ancient.” She tilted her head to the side. “What would the folks to the far northeast call you... what you do here?” she asked, gesturing to the cards.

Keiko snorted. “Besides something rude? Well, I guess that’s not fair. That’s a recent affectation of theirs. But beshkhashkhatel roughly translates to ‘one who speaks reality.’” Then the Rhoni shrugged her shoulders. “They don’t always like a reality they don’t create themselves. But my Elders say that is just as true across the Tarn, from Nobles to commoners.”

Dazi nodded. “Proskavada means ‘truth speaker’ or close enough as one can get in Colonial.” She looked around at the others.

“Shall we leave after breakfast tomorrow, then?”


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Cesare

He had enjoyed the wedding celebrations. And was not the worse for wear from them either. This was mainly due to favouring dancing over drink and apart from slightly sore calves this morning, his body felt a lot better for it. He danced almost until he had dropped, even asking Broke for a dance. That might have been brave.. or foolish.. but in some ways the Forest Kin were becoming family to him and held a special place in his heart. And he is becoming acquainted with his heritage too, learning that the Rhoni were in essence a large extended family and so this Midwinters he feel somewhat less isolated or alone. Plus after that long conversation with Daxia, he also has a much clearer idea of where he wants to be and what he wants to be doing.

And that involved his travelling companions, at least for now.

He decided that it would be nice to show his affection for them all and that maybe a Midwinter's gift would be a way to do that. Nothing too fancy that would embarrass but something small and thoughtful maybe.

And so he had small gifts for each of them. For Bekkah he had a small wooden brooch carved in the shape of a fox, a reminder for her of the Forest Kin she had rescued. For Lyric, a small pot of cinnamon spice to sprinkle on food, that could not help but remind him of Romana, For Keiko, a small wooden caraven to remind her of home. For Tomomi, some small sequins that might be incorporated into her designs. And for Daxia, a hankerchief embroidered with two small stars, something that had a special significance for them both.

And he sent his wishes into the aether to Romana, to Mikal, to Darian and Longtooth hoping that wherever they were that they were having a good Midwinters and that they might meet up again someday. And he spared a thought for those he knew he would not meet again, at least in this life.. his mother, father, Kadri, amongst others.

Then it is time to take his gifts to breakfast. He is delighted to receive his pouch, which he added to his belt, and even more so the scarf inside which he immediately put on.

"It takes more than a blood or kin relationship to be sister or brother. It is a thing of the heart. And here are my gifts to you."

And he hands out the gifts all wrapped in soft cloth.

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Bekkah

Her own gift to those around her didn't come until the early morning as She rose. She simply asked her Lady to look after those she'd come to know and love. She asked that they'd always find light, even in the darkest of places and times.

Her silent prayers came as she touched the new symbol around her neck with one hand. It had replaced the one she'd worn for years. The rough feel of it bringing a smile to her pretty face.

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Lyric, fascinated by the Cards.

A Crown of Ice...

Just to hear those words was unsettling to Lyric. Every card had a meaning, and to the Reader it also mattered the orientation and the position in the presentation. Lyric watched with wide eyes, darting left and right, intent upon the cards and the faces of the Rhoni and the Noble. Their separate but seemingly related gifts were working together. To Lyric none of the cards told her what they saw, they were cards. But she respected the Gifts at play because Magic was real. Magic was a weave that ran through the fabric of the world, Those who could touch these threads gained some sense of gifting. Those that could sense these threads of Magic gained some sense of understanding, a means to step back and view the larger tapestry, to see how their thread touched another thread, or how someone else's thread was woven into a pattern of threads that might reveal future events.

To Lyric, the lat card had meaning. It was not a thread of magic she saw in a pattern. It was experience. A Princess and a Prince. It meant nothing though, right. She was not a reader... How was it said, She was neither a Witch nor a Window.

Lyric was Lyric was Lyric. That was how Keiko said it.


Earlier in the day...

There were Gifts on this day. Lyric was unaware of such a custom. A kindness shared, as much a token of appreciation as it was of love. This was alien to her but enchanting. In fact, she seemed bewildered. It was a feeling of release for the Minstrel though. Today had been tomorrow last night, and it was inevitable this moment would come. Each tomorrow becomes today eventually. You can't stop it, you can't even delay it. It just is. A means to measure and recognize that life is precious and must be lived in the moment but with a fondness for things that came before and hope for things yet to come.

Sinnomon spice... to sprinkle... or just to wet a finger and dip it into the pot and then directly to her tongue. Oh, what an intense feeling to taste it in it's purest. She loved the sensations, the shiver, the escape of breath, the moan of delight... the sigh.

The freedom to buy anything she wanted but not the inclination to do anything more than simply try a few new things. She had no need to 'buy' things. She already owned what she needed. Maybe a want or two.

And a pretty ribbon that the Minstrel ran through her fingers, over and under and over, weaving them as she pulled one end along, feeling the texture and sensation. It was a token of Tomomi in the sharing off something she contributed to the betterment of the world around her. A gifting of herself to everyone whose life she touched.

To each of her companions she would offer a flower. A simple gift, picked by her from a place close by. More of a thankyou than a real gift. Her gratitude was the only gift she felt meant the most from her heart to her friends. For accepting her, for caring for her, for including her in their world.

The Midwinter's day was a blessing, and maybe the Light in the Darkness she was Gifted unbehnownst to her, was revealed in how the troubles she was carrying seemed to fade away for a time.

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