< Many Secrets | Logs | A Bonding Kind Of Thing >
Elora Elora has gathered everyone together in the courtyard, by the fountain of the Dead Maiden.... well. Everyone she could find, anyway. "See. Here it is."
Autumn Someone polite might knock on the door. Someone impolite might kick down the door. Someone insane might paint the glass of your ceiling with divine pigeon blood, a shout-out for Den Bao to come out. The rest is now history. Well, mostly, as there is enough pigeon blood left - those delicious divine pigeons! - for Autumn to paint the nearby walls with 'The Totally Awesomes were here'
Elora In the center of the plaza stands a dry fountain, containing the bottom half of a statue of a maiden, and a nameplate worn so heavily that it is unreadable.
Elora gestures to the fountain expressively. "Mean anything to you?"
Random NPC? walks past.
Autumn paints a narration on the wall 'And then, the grand detective Den Bao looked at the fountain. It was a normal fountain. Not too big, not too small. He tipped his hat, and thought of the lady. She had walked into his office, and looked desperate. Well, angry. She smelled of paperwork and swearing. And...'
Den Bao finally, not paying the random passerby much mind, approaches the fountain and kneels before it, taking a deep breath before blowing dust from the nameplate, giving it a final wipe of his thumb... and a glancing-over with sight beyond mere mortal sight.
Autumn jumps in front of the walking... whatever! "Have you seen a Maiden?"
pigeon Den Bao easily ascertains that, while the nameplate is worn so as to be unreadable, the areas that used to be covered by engraved metal are slightly less worn than the rest. The work of a moment with a handy piece of paper and some ink reveals the former text:
pigeon "The Fountain of the Dead Maiden. Fifth of the Five Unendurable Masterpieces, by Every Fifth Dove, to the order of Chejop Kejak."
Elora "That just raises FURTHER questions."
Den Bao raises an eyebrow (he likes doing that, really), before neatly folding the paper away and tucking it into his robes. "Questions have answers, to the last one. There's just varying distances between their answers."
Elora "Ok then, how far to 'what the hell does that mean'?"
Den Bao holds up a finger to Heaven... or rather, to Heaven's roof. "I can get down to that as soon as possible, but I can't make any promises. If Kejak had anything to do with this, the answers may be deeply-hidden."
Den Bao "... frankly, it's a bit exciting."
Elora also raises an eyebrow.
Autumn "Enticing! Fifth of five... so we just need to find the other four! Or Every Fifth Dove." He nods. "So, where do we go first? Raid the records of the Manse of Ivy?"
Random NPC? jumps, startled by the random person demanding knowledge of maidens. She looks her accoster up and down appraisingly. "For the right money, you just found one."
Elora "Well... I'd prefer it if the recordkeepers of Ivy stayed alive, Autumn, so maybe we should hold off on that."
Elora thinks for a moment.
Den Bao "I am... in agreeance."
Den Bao eyes Autumn with the look of someone beholding a masterpiece of abstract art made from dog vomit and nail clippings.
Autumn looks back at her, doing the same. Of course, he was odd enough, with his gigantic two-part wooden linowan mask, and the big feathers all about him. "Perfect! See, my dear." He points. "My friends are too uptight. How much for two starchosen?"
Elora holds out a hand and summons another viridian spider, this one summoned to locate the current base of operations for Every Fifth Dove.
Den Bao continues to inspect the fountain almost happily, although he isn't exactly digging too deeply. The tracing will be more than enough to conduct a proper looking-into.
pigeon The spider goes forth, but, shockingly, returns in silence -- but bearing in its venomous mouth a tiny piece of paper, which it lets drop into Elora's hands.
Random NPC? "Two?" She looks between what little she can see of Autumn, and the one he's pointing to. She names an only slightly exhorbitant figure.
pigeon "The information you have requested is currently under the protection of the Maiden of Secrets."
Elora blinks. It's never done that before.
pigeon "Signed: Jupiter."
Elora "You bitch!"
pigeon ***
pigeon "Signed: xoxo venus"
pigeon "Countersigned: Jupiter."
Autumn "Yes!" He jumps, and he is behind her, arms around her neck and pointing with fingers, first to Elora, then to Den Bao. "See? Uptight, isn't she?"
Elora "Both of you bitches!"
Elora stamps petulantly.
Den Bao walks over and has a look. "... hm. Blunt."
Autumn snatches the note with his scarves and reads, patting a hand to his heart... but since the working girl's on the way, to her breast! "Oh, Venus! Thou doth be so cruel!"
Random NPC? "Weeeelll, I'm sure I could help with that." She glances back over her shoulder, trying to look confident, but finding it hard when she is utterly clueless and surrounded by people who seem to be insane.
Den Bao "Well, I'll try on my end and see if I'm denied as well." He quite suddenly turns on the woman... and eyes her up. His brain quickly files her in the 'Not Useful Towards Completing Task' bin, and he settles in to see what Autumn has planned.
Autumn pats on the girl's back sends her straight to Den Bao's arms!
Random NPC? mentally shrugs, then inhales to give him a better feel. Coin is coi... whoop! She catches herself in the other man's arms and does her best girlish giggle.
Den Bao looks down at her. Up goes the eyebrow. "Who are you, anyway?"
Elora tries again, slightly differently this time. "What is the First of Five Unendurable Masterpieces?" She makes a little "scoot-scoot" gesture with her hands.
Autumn sends his scarves, picks Elora by her arm and pushes her to them as well, intending to wrap all three for present!
Elora coughs.
Random NPC? "I'm whoever you want me to be, but your friend seems to like the name Venus." She giggles again, "Do you like Venus?"
Elora struggles against her fate.
Autumn With Elora behind the girl, he's on mid-knot when she says that... and he stops, eyes wide, the mouth-opening of the two-piece mask opened wide. And then, its lower jaw part comes down to the floor with a CLANG!
Den Bao looks down at Venus... and his reaction doesn't change all that terribly. "It is a suitable name, yes." He then looks Autumn's way, asking a wondrously stupid-but-neccessary question. "Is something the matter?"
Elora shoots the stranger a cold look that says, "What's your damage?"
Venus looks askance at Autumn and his falling mask, but wriggles a bit to face Elora. Her return look says "don't kill me, i'm innocent!"
Den Bao "Well, I suppose a better question is what brings you to this end of Paradise, miss."
Autumn whips a new mask, a somber, slitted-eyed mask. "Why did you sign that? That was MEAN."
Den Bao isn't attempting to look mean, just somewhere between skeptical and incredulous.
Venus "I don't know what you're talking about. And just for the record? Bondage costs extra."
Den Bao , in the meantime, is quietly working his way out of the tangle.
Elora tugs her arm free and rapidly ducks while stepping backwards, to escape Autumn's horrifying clutches. She backs away, closer to the fountain, as she waits for her second spider to return.
Autumn finishes the knot. "Always worth the it!"
Autumn "See, Venny? They are no fun at all. Well, Elora is. She blushes~"
Venus sighs and looks down, now tied to herself, it seems.
Venus smiles, "It's more fun this way, don't you think?"
Den Bao looks like he doesn't quite know to answer that one, at least not immediately.
pigeon The spider has, by now, returned. "The first of the Five Unendurable Masterpieces is the Fountain of the Crippled Maiden."
Den Bao "... so. Venus. What brings you here?"
Den Bao is actually attempting to free himself, although it's not easy going. Fucking Autumn and his fucking well-done knots.
Elora "Hey! Den Bao!" Elora shouts. "Are you busy?"
Den Bao "Not particularly. What did you find?"
Venus is rather enjoying his attempts, and adds her own to the mix. "Oh, just passing" she grunts a little "..through. Was looking to find... some clients... a place to stay..." she twists a bit, eyeing Autumn to see if he's enjoying the show.
Elora "Well, the first masterpiece is the Crippled Maiden. Ring any bells?"
Venus looks a little concerned at that pronouncement
Autumn Oh, he is! And making sure to add more knots for Den Bao not to escape! "Well, you can stay with us!" He says, dancing around them. "They need you, really. Well, we all need a Venus, as it is well-known by all birds and all Lovers."
Den Bao is not blushing. Serious servants of Jupiter do not blush when faced with explicit situations. He much contain his secret (albeit small) smile. "That... does not immediately bring anything to mind, but it sounds like we have a pattern... and... miss? While I appreciate your... help, I prefer privacy."
Den Bao "... although I do believe that is no longer possible." Note to self: Autumn doesn't get a good report in the weekly Convention reviews.
Venus "You know... we've gone past TWO." she inhales, and struggles some more, pressing up against Den Bao 'accidentally'
Autumn stops and puts a finger on her lips. "Milady, you know about this fountain we seek, and you know far too much. While such secrets are the nature of Gods and Demons and the world, there comes the time when secrets must be revealed. I can see it in your face. So SPEAK!" He says, and his hands pat her belly. "Or there shall be death by tickling."
Venus 's eyes widen, her concerned look having turned into something between confusion and fear. "What? Speak about what? I don't even know what you're talking about!"
Elora takes out a piece of paper and a pen. "Oh, really? Well, then, you won't mind proving it, right?"
Venus "What? You want me to write it down for you? I have no clue! But I can't really write like this."
Autumn "You are concerned, my dear. You know what this is about. I can see it on your eyes, on your half-mask you don't know how to wear right." He picks a mask and rises it! "If you answer it like a good little maiden, I'll give you a mask!"
Venus "I'm concerned because you people seem to take everything too literally and as the official maiden of this little menage a million, I don't want to be CRIPPLED!" Elora takes out a small pocketknife and stands, grim-faced, before "Venus."
Autumn "Hmmm, you are talking about making a statue of the crippled maiden out of you? That IS a good idea..."
Venus "No! NO IT'S NOT!"
Elora leans over and chops the maiden's arms free from the ropes in one quick gesture, then pushes the pen and paper into her hands.
Autumn strokes his chin - well, his mask - and there could be a maniacal smile there. "Thank you, Venus! So, what limb shall you live without? I guarantee it will painful and interest..." He pauses as Elora frees her, "Elora, you suck."
Elora "Write 'love and snuggles, xoxoxo, Venus.'"
Elora looks surprisingly serious.
Venus gasps in relief as Elora frees her, casting a quick glance around to see if there are any avenues of escape. She looks up at Elora, who seemed so sane until just now, and takes the pen and paper with shaking fingers, writing down the words as commanded.
Den Bao , now free, dusts himself off and stuffs down the memories of the last minute or so for later perusal. "Now, now. Calm shall prevail. We can gain what we need without such... forwardness." He eyes Autumn.
Elora holds up her note and compares the two.
pigeon The two notes don't SEEM to look anything alike...do they?
Elora "Den Bao, look at these for me."
Den Bao scoots over (he's still eyeing 'Venus' oddly) and has a look-see.
Autumn wraps his scarves around Venus' waist, and looks over Den Bao's shoulder
pigeon Yeah, no, they don't look anything alike.
Den Bao ".... mmmn. Nothing similar." He turns to the woman. "You do realize that bearing that name of yours is an invitation for many potentially unpleasant things? ... wait, you likely do."
Elora "Hmmm. In that case, I apologize for wasting your time, ma'am."
Autumn "... U Npleasant??"
Autumn looked at Den Bao in disbelief. Does he know who Venus even is?
Den Bao looks back at Autumn sternly. "... hmph."
Den Bao "Now then.... as I was saying before I was so rudely conjoined to you... just why are you here, 'Venus'?"
Den Bao still isn't blushing. Nope. Not at all. She isn't that pretty. Seriously.
Autumn "Ah, Secrets always have the best pick-up lines!"
Venus looks down at her waist, a flash of irritation showing. "I told you already."
Venus "I didn't sign up for being tossed around and threatened!"
Den Bao "... very well, then. You have something you wish to say then? The best words are those offered freely, not stolen, after all." Words, secrets, same difference.
Autumn "True!" He slips a hand, and Jade coins fall on her cleavage. "For the threats!" He says, and then more coins fall too. "For the bondage!" And finally, he pushes back her waist, and puts a little rod of ambrosia there. "For later!"
Elora 's eyes bulge, just a little, before she regains composure. "Ah, yes. Thank you for your time, ma'am."
Venus "Now you're talking." she picks up the various coins and..rods.. from about her person and glares in the manner of a cornered squirrel.
Den Bao "... you're bribing her, Autumn? At least do it right." Two rods of ambrosia. In her palm, not her underthings.
Venus takes the ambrosia suspiciously. "What do you people want from me anyway?"
Elora "Well." Elora looks her up and down. "Perhaps you could start with telling us the truth about why you, an unassuming mortal, would be wandering through an abandoned district of Yu-Shan."
Autumn Cats hide their claws on their sleeves. But Autumn hides... BLING! Three rods of Ambrosia appear between the fingers of a curled fist, and soon appear on her behind, sticking out of her waist in front, and somehow on her mouth, like some erotic picture with a popsicle. "This IS the right way to gift one who works with Venus, silly!"
Elora "One for each place you want to reserve for later, Autumn?"
Autumn "Clever girl!"
Den Bao "You are, if anything, honest."
Elora looks at Venus again. "Well?"
Venus "Who said I was mortal?" she says challengingly.
Den Bao smiles. No point in trying to one-up Autumn. He's more interested in the reply 'Venus' gives.
Elora "Well, you're hooking for spare change. That paints a certain picture in my mind."
Venus spits out the rod she'd somehow spoken around. and gathers the other two with something close to affronted dignity. "My father is Ahlat." she says, making the sign of the horns. "And I was bored."
Den Bao "Hum. Interesting. Ahlat, you say..." He eyes Autumn to see how he's taking things.
Autumn "She can also be a maiden if we pay enough. Oh, wait, you do NOT work as a courtesan? I was deceived! Liar! Mischievous Minx!" The Mask is out, and he plants a kiss on her lips! "This is SO MUCH HOTTER."
Venus blinks and... kisses back! (it seems safest)
Elora tries the web of fate one more time, keeping one wary eye on Venus and at least two on Autumn. "Where IS the crippled maiden?"
pigeon "Five hundred paces northeast of your current location."
Elora "Alright. Everyone... follow me, please."
Autumn disentangles their lips from the masterful, lady-swooning kiss, having lowered her when doing so, and... did a spotlight shine from the heavens over them on that moment, like some great Yu-Shan theather? But then he lets go of her lips, and lets her regain her footing "Ooh, GOOD one, Elora! I was about to suggest that!"
Serpent pats Elora's ass by way of greeting. "Sorry I'm late."
Elora yelps girlishly in surprise
Elora "Aah!"
Autumn proceeds after Elora, keeping Venus held by the waist. "Um, do you want the knot anywhere els... oh, hey, Serpent! This is our Venus, she is not a whore! Venus, Serpent, Serpent, Venus. She's a bug."
Den Bao "An ally, I assume?"
Autumn "... well, he. You'll forgive me on that."
Autumn "It's SO CONFUSING."
Venus reluctantly gets dragged along, not looking happy at all as another man shows up.
Serpent looks at Den Bao. "You're the new guy?" He gives Autumn a look, like, seriously?
Den Bao looks back at Serpent and looks as official and productive as the situation permits. Wide fella, bald save for big, bushy eyebrows... and a look of mild annoyance. "That would be me, yes. Den Bao. A pleasure."
Elora leads the group to the northeast, speaking as she does. "Ah yes, Serpent, Den Bao, you work with each other now. Be nice, please."
Serpent "Presumptuous Serpent or Serpent Ebb, as you prefer."
Autumn nods to Serpent. "'tis him. He's all uptight and stuffs. He loves paperwork, for Venus' sake!!" Then he stops, and looks back, "Not you, honey."
Elora keeps moving 'til she finds the other statue.
Venus smiles halfheartedly, juggling her new stocks of ambrosia and jade.
Serpent "That sounds...fun." Serpent decides to keep his distance. Any friend of paperwork is no friend of his...
Den Bao nods, slowly... and looks back at 'Venus' again before grunting. "There is nothing wrong with taking pride in your duties as a Chosen of the Stars!"
Autumn "This is exactly why I take great pride and pleasure in trying to get you all laid."
Autumn nods sagely
pigeon The party quickly arrives at another disused pavilion, much like the first, except that in this one, the water in the fountain is still flowing.
Elora looks over the statue.
Den Bao is soon looking as well, Venus and Autumn and everyone else forgotten.
pigeon The statue in this fountain is whole -- it depicts a young woman, hobbling on a crutch, with half her left leg below the knee torn away viciously. The exposed bone and mangled flesh is lovingly rendered in marble and starmetal.
Den Bao "It definitely lives up to its name."
Venus edges as far away from Autumn as possible, given the circumstances.
Elora "Eew." Elora looks at the plaque.
Serpent "What a beautiful piece." Serpent runs his fingers over the crutch, feeling the chisel marks. "The subject matter, though..."
pigeon In an especially gruesome touch, the the water from the fountain sprays in spurts from the laid-open stone artery.
Venus keeps half her attention on Autumn, and the other half on Serpent, in case he does anything funny
Den Bao "Is this one because of the dearly departed one as well?"
Autumn "Kejack is a creepy old man. And not the kind that pretends to be a teacher in Realm Primary Schools."
pigeon The grimace of agony on the statue's face looks...oddly familiar to Elora.
Elora stares at the statue, speechless, for a few moments.
Autumn "That's familiar, El Elilel??"
Den Bao "Hm? Elora?" Den pats her on the shoulder, perhaps to rouse her.
Autumn turns to Venus, "Try to say it without getting your tongue twisted! Three times, fast!"
Venus eyes Autumn dubiously, "El-Eli-lel?"
Elora After a moment, Elora rouses herself enough to squeeze out some words:
Venus "How about you let me go instead?"
Elora "What the crotch....?"
Den Bao "No, the crotch looks fine."
Serpent observes Elora's distraction. "So, hey, what's with the architectural tour?"
Autumn "After we are done Venny!" He nods, then shakes Elora. "What's uppppppp, mommy?"
Venus "Done wit..." she trails off. At least he's molesting someone else for the moment. She takes the opportunity to check the knots on the scarves around her waist
Den Bao "Well, it turns out that we'd come across the most interesting statue back when you first met us, and found out something interesting about it."
Den Bao takes the plaque-scribbling from out of his robe, unfolds it, and hands it to Serpent.
Den Bao "Does a 'Dead Maiden' ring any bells?"
Serpent bites his thumb as he reads the scribbling. "Yes. Not a good bell."
Den Bao "Deeper and deeper..."
Serpent makes a dismissive gesture that, thanks to the Blue Vervain Binding, reads as, "I think I know a fairy who is acquainted with her."
Den Bao strokes his chin, grinning. "This is quite the chase... and we've not even started on an official mission. Excellent." His eyebrows 'rise' as he catches the last bits.
Autumn "Hmmm. A crippled maiden seems to ring bells to Elora, you know of a Dead Maiden... oh Venus. We are just missing Hated, Conquered and Forgotten, then. Those are the maidens in... in... Elora!" He points! "Ask what the other three are!"
Venus "Um. Yes, that."
Elora strikes out to locate the next statue!
Elora spends the two motes grudgingly and asks for the next one.
Den Bao tags along like a good little ally of heavenly order.
Serpent "I gotta learn how to do that one."
Elora strike that
Elora ...asks for the names of the others.
Autumn "Did you ask for what the other three are already?" He walks after them, a hand around Venus' waist. But still holding the other end of the scarf! That way, she can't take off the knot!
Den Bao "Simple little trick, but very effective."
pigeon "The Five Unendurable Masterpieces are the Statues of: The Crippled Maiden, The Weeping Maiden, The Enslaved Maiden, The Screaming Maiden, and The Dead Maiden."
Venus attempts to wriggle out of Autumn's grip
Elora is not really excited about that list.
Elora "Screaming. Bring me to the Screaming Maiden."
Den Bao has himself a peek. "Charming names."
pigeon The directions provided by the spider pretty clearly establish the three known fountains at the points of a regular pentagon, surrounding Elora's manse.
Venus mutters, "Charming names. Charming company."
Serpent tickles Elora's spider. "Hello spider!"
Autumn "... right, not the same list I thought! But those are the maidens. Their lost counterpoints... wooo, we can charge Kejack with treason or something! I mean, just imagine, there is a big anti-maiden sorcery or necromancy around our Manse!" He pokes Venus' chin, "Aren't you happy you're going there? EXCITEMENT!"
Den Bao 's eyes zip towards Serpent Ebb as he toys with the spider-thing. Yep. Definitely in the same mental bin as Autumn. Ah well, what's more work?
Venus suddenly realizes that this Elora person has been summoning some sort of mystical spiders. that's just creepy. "Ahh uh.. going where? What? Kejack?"
Serpent walks slightly ahead of Elora in order to nervously run his fingers through his hair, which Elora (and nobody else) understands as, ::Hey Els, there's something I haven't told you about that turning into a girl thing and you are not going to like it...::
Elora is kind of curious about that, and she's nervous enough that girltalk (or, uh... whatever) seems like a good way to break the tension. ::I am, uh... what's that, exactly?::
Elora arrives in the third statue's area.
Den Bao has, in the meantime... started on the remainder of the paperwork. It's not alot, but it does appear that he's brought it with him, and has done everything in his power to get the bloodstains out of the top requisitions sheet.
Autumn "Kejack! He used to be our leader and the best of us, but he screwed up and got tortured for eternity! Apparently, he created statues of the Maidens - like you, with your name! - as their defeated selves. All around OUR place. We are important and all."
pigeon By now it is perhaps not particularly surprising that at the third point is yet another disused plaza with another grimy fountain containing another disturbing statue.
Venus "Oh... so you want to be like him, or something?"
Elora looks at the disturbing statue!
pigeon The stone maiden at this fountain clutches her face, maddened eyes wide and mouth gaping open in a silent scream. The water trickles out of her gullet and into the reservoir below.
Elora is clearly not happy.
Autumn "Hmmmm. Well. I do want to make maidens scream, but not to cripple them. So you may say I have things to learn from him!"
Venus "What..sort of screams?"
Serpent ::So uh this fairy I mentioned is kind of my warlord and I serve in his army.::
Elora "Just my ass-knuckling luck to have these HORRIFYING statues built in a geometric ring that perfectly fucking surrounds MY GODDAMN SHITMONKEY HOUSE."
Den Bao "Look at it this way, Elora. They bring with them a sort of adventure. Something to liven up the day-to-day."
Den Bao sounds... serious. What the hell.
Elora catches Serpent's gesture just as she finishes her tirade, and she starts waving her hands rapidly in front of her face in a series of elaborate, angry swears that could never be given form in mere words.
Elora ::YOU WHAT::
Den Bao doesn't quite know what's going on, but he has this distinct feeling he's witnessed something slightly terrifying.
Serpent ::Please don't tell.::
Autumn "Aren't they LOVELY, Venny?"
Elora "..."
Serpent makes a show of examining the fountain.
Elora ::AFTER THIS STATUE THING IS RESOLVED I THINK WE NEED TO HAVE A SMALL TALK::
Serpent "So, uh, this one is screaming. That's pretty...neat?" He rests his forehead in his hand and squeezes his eyes shut. ::Yeah, I was afraid of that.::
Den Bao "It is... interesting, in a way."
Venus "So... we're not... going... to her house are we?"
Elora "So who in goddamn scabby hell is Every Fifth Dove and what the rotting cock is his problem?" Elora shouts at nobody in particular.
Autumn whispers to Venus, "Now they are saying something in secret communications! Serpent just told Elora something she reeeaalllyyy didn't want to know, apparently! Isn't it great? And of course we are! It has a very cozy bed for us!"
Den Bao "I'll look into that as soon as possible, Elora."
Venus looks vaguely ill
Elora "I think as soon as possible is..." Elora makes a fake gesture of checking for a sundial -- "oh, RIGHT NOW. So start finding out!"
Venus "You don't have any wine do you?" she asks hopefully. "I think I need some. A lot of it."
Elora closes her eyes and starts to do some breathing meditations.
Den Bao nods, bows... and scuttles off in the direction of Elora's office. Busy, busy, busy!
Elora opens her eyes and starts to apologize to Den Bao for shouting before noticing that he's gone. Shit, did she scare him?
Serpent overhears Venus and tosses a metal flask over to her. "Sip, it's strong."
Autumn "Well, I don't, but I have something that's much better! And Elora has some, we can help ourselves to some there. She won't mind, she loves me to my death!" And then, he begins to touch Venus back. On one point and another. And then one last touch... and the adage of every Joybringer comes true: Bliss Happens.
Autumn "More relaxed now?"
Venus catches the flask, then suddenly as Autumn touches her her eyes roll back in her head, her knees give out, and she screams.
Autumn holds her hand and Venus herself so she and the flask doesn't fall
Venus blinks hazily, gasping and looking up at Autumn, "What did you just do?"
Autumn looks down and blinks, surprised... then snaps his fingers! "Ah, I forgot you are a maiden... congratulations on your first orgasm!"
Venus opens her mouth and doesn't really get any further than that.
Den Bao continues his trek before he finds a place full enough of greenery for one more little tree to not stand out. With a smile, he deftly pulls a prayer strip from his sleeve, holds it open, and quietly reads it. "To know the world is to love it." He kneels, punching his fist in and out the ground, elbow-deep... then gently plants the strip and covers it up almost tenderly.
Venus takes a gulp of whatever is in the flask to cover her shock
Den Bao then dusts his arm off, rolls his sleeve back down, and calmly returns to the group at a leisurely pace. He even starts whistling.
Autumn picks Venus up on his arms and goes, dancing in beautiful arcs around the buildings, up to Elora's room, locking the door! Tonight, she'd likely sleep in the couch. Because, frankly, she'd probably not want to use her room again 'till she had someone clean it up
Serpent considers taking Elora's arm and finding a place to talk, but on second thought he probably should not touch her just now. "Hey, Elora, uh, I can explain."
Elora "I certainly hope so!"
Den Bao "Ah! Elora! I've started on matters. We should have some decent leads in a short time."
Elora "Well good."
Den Bao is quite notably displaying his Caste mark, and just faintly bleeds bits of green light from his wide frame. "Nothing a bit of Essence application can't fix."
Serpent "See, uh, binding is power."
Serpent "I gave up a little freedom to learn some things."
Den Bao then proceeds to stick around and politely not pay too much attention to the conversation. After all, he has work to finish!
Serpent doesn't wait for her to reply. "I want to fix the sky. Don't you hate this? Being part of a SYSTEM? Having to answer to those eight-legged librarians for your every adventure?"
Serpent "This is not life."
Elora is kind of stunned to hear that.
Elora "But... like... what do you want to do instead?"
Den Bao thankfully doesn't hear that. Or maybe he just selectively ignored the comment, so busy with paperwork and drifting away from the other two is he.
Serpent "Spin worlds under my fingers, effortlessly, answering to no one."
Elora "That's... terrifying."
Den Bao "You invite terrible weights upon yourself. Do you think that being free of the Weavers is being 'free'?"
Den Bao looks over. Oh, the look of sheer irritation on his face.
Serpent "We can do it. I witnessed the Greater Sign of Battles once, the gesture that turns struggle into victory. It's so clear!"
Serpent "The Weavers are liars."
Serpent "We do not need to be held in their mandibles as we are."
Den Bao "To know the world is to fear it. And to bear the world on your shoulders is to bear that fear, endlessly, eternally, until you are too wracked to even have the pleasure of going mad."
Serpent "There's always an ending, even to fear." Serpent makes a fist as if saluting an unseen flag. "But, let's not get all caught up in quoting from Scripture."
Den Bao idly signs a sheet of paper, goes to the next. "Heh. Let's not. We can chalk it up to... differences of view."
Venus makes strange, muffled noises through the door
Elora isn't sure what to say about Serpent's strange beliefs, exactly. "So... you... joined the Faerie Foreign Legion."
Den Bao has to work extra-hard to suppress his urge to shudder.
Serpent "Only a little bit."
Serpent "I'm only signed up for one campaign."
Elora is once again speechless.
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