Light Conversation and Shady Secrets - RPLOG
Participants
Date
26/4/478
Log
The shrine clearing is hot and quiet in the Sweetwater afternoon. The shrine itself is plain stone, but there is an otherworldly aura about it that seems to make the forest sounds seem distant and muted. Looks like Fenris, in all his tiny otter glory has arrived first at the glade.
Angus is the second to arrive, the leafs upon his staff where in in bloom as he steps up near the little otter. "Heh, didn't think you would be here this quickly." He states, flashing Fenris a smile before looking around.
"At least these spirits don't get under my skin," Cassidy says, leaning against a tree at the edge of the glade, the brim of her tophat casting a small shadow on her mask. "These ones I like, most of the time. They're... Rather neutral, in terms of purpose. I like that."
"Well that's good to go hearin' Cass." Kalt's voice sounding out as she makes her way to the clearing, cloak tied fast around her, with some basic gear below it all. She fiddles with her soul gems for a moment as she makes her way up to Angus and Fenris. "An' m'here now."
Rainer is here too! Not knowing why has never stopped him from being in the places he ends up in. "Oh, it's this place." the pup remarks once the shrine is in sight, slowing his place, pivoting on the ball of a foot to face back into the forest, as if he expected someone else to be following, despite his bringing up the rear. After letting his eyes roam a bit, he shivers for no evident reason and spins back around again, trotting over to the rest, where he puts hands on his hips and arches his back, gazing up upon the sky. "So what're we doin', again? And who is that?" A finger twirled to point at Fenris, without bringing his gaze down to regard the otter.
Natska lurks near her wife, her own face shaded by her wide-brimmed hat. She's dressed for travel, with her blades at her side, and she seems to be on alert for potential trouble. Even more so once people trickle in.
Fenris shrugs and smiles at Angus. "I am excited," he admits, "The Lady Sakura over there had me telling her stories of the Jadelands all morning and I am feeling in an epic adventure sort of mood." The little otter turns his smile on Rainer. "You can call me Kawa!" he says, bowing low to the wolf, so low that his little nose nearly touches the ground, "And we are here to meet with the Spirit Shaila!"
No sooner does Fenris state his purpose here, than there is a wet tearing sound in the air and a rather corpulent being with purple fur and several long, fluffy tails steps from there to here. "I thought you might come soon, dear," comes the large fox's voice, low and warm, "Though I did not expect you to be so cute from Zimla's description!" The Spirit, perhaps some sort of fox swoops down, grabbing Fenris and wrapping him in her- his? her? big, soft arms!
Angus turns to smile at Rainer, poking the wolf in the nose with his staff as he laughs. "Good to see you out and about crazy, thought you where going to hide in your room all month." Kalt gets a wave and a smile, Cassidy and Natksa get a nod in greeting. The sound of the tearing makes his fur stand on end, turning quickly to notice the spirits appearance....her apperance surprised him every time.
"Hey," Cassidy offers in greeting to Kalt as she looks up towards the spirit. "And hello to you, too. It's been a while since I've seen you manifest. I don't even remember the last time, come to think of it. But I believe we all had some questions to ask, or something."
Kalt blinks as Fenris continues the ploy, the now tree-woman frowning for a moment as she realizes she's going to have to focus... And so, she merely gives a nod of her head to Angus, and a slight wave to Rainer as he runs up. The Spirit's appearance causes her to blink and look to the spirit, watching Fenris as she sighs for a moment. "Please be careful with him." Each word meticulous and slow as she works on keeping that accent back down... Just when she thought she could relax.
Natska inclines her head towards the spirit, although she still seems to be a little tense; she remains quiet as she stands at Cassidy's side, bearing witness to the meet.
Rainer is interrupted before he can speak again by the arrival of the fox-shaped diety, and while his knee-jerk reaction is to shift into a more action-ready stance and reach for the sword strapped to his hips, just a few brief moments in the presence of the being suffices to put him at ease, and he relaxes his posture, proceeding to merely gawk. "...neat!"
"I am always careful, dear," Shaila says to Kalt, holding Fenris like a small child in. . . his arms. The Spirit seems to have a vaguely masculine bent today, though he is still as soft and fat as ever and is wearing some sort of vibrant wrap, he comes across as more masculine than feminine today. The Spirit turns a warm gaze on Cassidy. "And how can I help you children today?" he asks before a slight frown appears on his face, looking at Kalt. "My dear!" he says, "You are so uncomfortable in your skin! Perhaps this is why you have come to me?"
Angus was not expecting the spirit to be more masculine, causing him to blink just a bit before he speaks without thinking. "Actually we came here to speak about the craige." Wait, what was that about helping Kalt with being uncomfortable in their skin?
Cassidy chuckles softly and glances at Kalt. "We were waiting for help to arrive with that. And no, that's not what we came, but... Are you capable of helping them? I didn't know you ever really had the power to change people's... Species-type."
"I am sure Kalt would be thankful," Natska says quietly, crossing her arms across her middle. "But, yes, the otter wanted to ask about the Craige. We are seeking your aid, and that of your brothers, sisters, and, erm, whatever else the other members of the Court call themselves."
"Wait wot." 'sakura' blinks gently, caught off guard by the spirits words as she just stands there and blinks before she waves her hands and clears her throat. "W-Woah now, m'already all pacted with Vasht uhm, I ain't figurin' I could uh... Craige! Yeah, fightin' the Craige. Need all the spirit help an' such."
"Well it's not skin, so much as bark, right?" Rainer casts a grin in "Sakura's" direction, swinging both fists to his hips with a thump, then looking around to see if anyone else found the Spirit's perceived mix-up to be amusing as well, his poufy grey tail just a-wiggle-wagglin' behind him. So proud, he's smarter than a demibeing!
Fenris, oddly enough, seems to be sleeping in the Spirit's arms. He won't be much help, it seems.
Shaila shakes his head. "No dear," he says, "That power is not mine, but I can ease your difficulty, even if you are one of my quiet brother's vassals. He holds out a thick hand to Kalt, Fenris snoozing quietly on the other arm. "As for the earth beasts," he says, voice gentle and low, "You have my aid. I will protect the children of Promise." The Spirit gives Rainer a look, like a fond parent or grandparent to a precocious child. "I believe you will have difficulty convincing my Brothers and dear Adrestia might be averse to working with the others," she says, "But I am willing to forget and forgive. As long as She behaves Herself!" The fat, soft Spirit looks directly at Kalt's shadow for some reason. "Are you listening, Brother?" he asks.
Angus eyes Kalt's shadow, then Shalia, then the shadow again before he steps up beside Kalt. "Heh, looks like the little otter was tired." He states as he notices Fenris smiling, tail flicking behind him as he just lets the conversation continue.
Cassidy looks between Shaila and Kalt, ears flicking. "Now, if you helped her, that's not... Going to involve her suddenly thinking she was always a tree, was it? Because... This was a fleshcrafter accident. That's not her typical form," she says, nodding at Kalt. "Just so Kalt has all the information before accepting something."
"Of course not, dear," Shaila says gently, hand still outstretched, "But I can make her feel more at home in her form until she returns to normal." The Spirit smiles at Kalt and waits for the fox-turned-cherry to make her decision.
Natska tilts her head to the side a little. "Which She?" she asks, tone curious; she remains otherwise quiet as she listens to the others talking.
Kalt doesn't even seem phased as Shaila talks to her shadow, the tree turning her head slightly to address the shadow. "M'sorry, s'middle of the day. Hard to find ya good shadows right here." Before she looks at Shaila and braces herself by taking a deep breath as she looks at the hand for a moment, before reaching out carefully to touch it... Vasht would have intervened if it would have been a negative... Right?
Rainer bats his eyes. Then, he bats them again. A couple times more, and finally his jaw slacks and the wolf begins to drone out a long, monotonous "uuummm." Puppy has no idea what is going on here. Well, it's more like there are several things going on and he doesn't quite have the proper frame of reference for any of them. When in doubt, just make noise! ...wonder which Adventurer Rule that is.
Shaila takes Kalt's hand gently, and only for a moment. "There," he says, "That should feel better." The Spirit then goes back to tending the sleeping otter in her arms.
A voice suddenly comes from the darkness of Kalt's shadow. I HEAR. It rumbles in both the air and in the minds of those who hear. AND I HAVE HEARD. WHAT DO YOU ASK OF THE SHADOW?
Angus Held his breath as Kalt walked up to the spirit, waiting, before breathing a sigh if relief as nothing bad seems to happen. then he flinches a little as Kalt's shadow speaks, his ears folding as he sighs. He really didn't expect to encounter more then one spirit at a time.
Cassidy peers intently at Kalt, likewise waiting. But when nothing tragic or altering seems to occur, she sighs softly and nods once. "Do we all get to ask secrets? Or is it only one of us?" She asks of the shadow, reaching up to adjust her hat.
Natska's ears flatten for a moment as the Shadow's voice rings out. She recovers, though, then gives Shaila a nod before she turns towards Kalt. "We seek your aid against the Craige," she says. "And, as we have been told we must solicit help from all of the Courts... the Scholar has requested a Boon. A show of good faith. She would like you to return a secret you have taken from this world." She pauses a moment. "A worthwhile secret for another Spirit."
Kalt blinks some as she has her hand back, and pats herself down for a moment. "... Huh. Thank ya..." She doesn't flinch when Vasht speaks, instead the vixen makes a bee line for the shadow of one of the closest trees. "Ya ain't gonna like it, but we're needin' ya lot to work with the fellas that ran away from ya'll, an' been causin' trouble... An' the scholar said they ain't helpin' unless ya go givin' up a secret aparantly. Exactly wot Natska just said an' all, 'worthwhile' an' all the lot." The tree crossing her arms as she looks to the others.
Rainer says, "...mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm--okay now I get it." Rainer finally snaps out of it, or is startled out of it by the spirit with no indoor voice. "We came to ask this Spirit" he cocks his hand in the shape of a pistol towards Shaila as he refers to her, "to fight the Craige for us 'cuz they have -ridiculous- numbers. Kalt is a tree now" the same gesture is now aimed at 'Sakura,' "also her shadow has been possessed by a -different- Spirit WHO DOESN'T NEED TO SHOUT BY THE WAY and... I... really need to stop tuning out during staff meetings, don't I?""
NO. Comes the mental roar of Vasht from the shadows. TOO MANY SECRETS ROAM THE DAYLIGHT WORLD. I WILL LOOSE NO MORE!
Shaila frowns thoughtfully as he continues to stroke the belly of the sleeping Fenris. Awfully strange that the adventurer would be out cold for all this! "Please, brother!" he says, "Something to sate our cousin. I am sure she will tire of it quickly and it will be restored to your care. The old monsters are more important than the family feud!"
There is silence for a moment, then the voice returns. VERY WELL SISTERBROTHER. It says. THEY MAY ASK ONE SECRET AND ONLY ONE. I LEAVE IT TO THE MORTALS TO DECIDE WHAT THEY WOULD KNOW. A NAME? A WORD? A TREASURE?
Rainer blurts out, before anyone else has the chance to speak, "How do they get the caramel into the Caramilk bars?!" Just kidding.
Angus grabs Rainer by the coller and pulls him back, smiling. "Now now, that is not what we want to ask. It has to be something that would satisfy a scholar." He looks at the shadow once more, eyeing it hard. "I think we should let Kalt ask since he is her patron."
"I do not know what kind of secret the Scholar would be interested in, I am afraid. So... I will let someone else ask. There are many things I would ask, but none that would likely interest her. And if we can only ask one right now, well..."
The jaguar's eyes narrow as she spends a moment considering Vasht's offer, her tail slowly curling back and forth. "Mmmhm," Natska replies. "We know you guard your secrets jealously, Master of Shadows, and are reluctant to part with any, but we must all work together to defeat the Craige." She bows her head again. "I would ask for the word, and the knowledge it entails, unless one of our companions feels strongly about another option."
"Aw naw, I ain't gonna be the one to ask it. I weren't there for talkin' with her, an' I ain't havin' that on me." The Tree sighing as she rolls her shoulders, snickering slightly to herself at the SISTERBROTHER comment as she looks to the others, giving a nod to Natska.
Rainer suddenly finds himself being jerked around! Not for the first time in his life. Or for the first time today. "Wh-hey! I wasn't asking Shouty McBigmouth anyway!" He huffs and, soon as the todd releases him, uses his hands to smooth out the fur around the base of his neck. "Who's this fussy scholar that needs to know the secretest secrets and why do we need their help so bad, anyway?"
A WORD IT SHALL BE! Vasht's voice thunders from the shadows, I GIVE YOU THE WORD BUKAS, THE WORD OF OPENING THIS, WITH THE IRON KEY WILL OPEN THE DOOR TO THE THIRD HOUSE OF THE NIGHT. THAT SHOULD SATISFY. Then Kalt's shadow is only a shadow again.
Shaila, still cradling the sleeping otter whistles. "Yes," he says, "That should satisfy the Whisperer. Though I fear that it may seem disappointing to you. How else may I help you?"
Angus whistles as Vasht actually gives out a secret, that is something he did not actually expect. "Hm, guess that works." He murmurs, ruffling Rainer's hair a bit before he goes back to just listening.
"Bukas," Cassidy repeats, as if tasting the word on her tongue. "I'll remember that. Never know when it'll come in handy, but it'll be worth keeping for if it does. And as long as it satisfies her, that is what matters, yes."
Natska tilts her head. "Mmmh," she says, then gives Cassidy a nod. "Yes. We will have to see if it is good enough for the Scholar. Thank you, Vasht, thank you, Shailia. And what of the others of your Court? Will they help?"
Kalt remains silent as Vasht gives out the secret, speaking a soft "Thank you..." As he departs, her gaze flicking over the others, before looking to Kaila as she stands and walks forward some. The tree cupping a hand around her mouth as she whispers slightly to the spirit before looking back to the others. "So that's two down... An' is Fenris gonna be alright?"
Rainer starts to scowl and claps his hands over his ears, darting angry looks around at that voice that seems to come out of nowhere and everywhere simultaneously. When this utterly fails to reduce the bombasticity of the Spirit's word he then clutches his head and starts writhing about. "Guauuuurraaaaghh! FOR SOMEONE SO BIG ON KEEPING SECRETS YOU SURE DO LOVE YELLING THEM TO THE WORLD!" He glares off into the unoccupied distance with the biggest, surliest frown he can muster, and when Vasht speaks no more he gives a haughty snort and relaxes his stance again. "...So say 'bookass' and then use the iron key on the door of the third house on the right. I'm assuming y'already know which street that's on, eh? And where to get the key? And what's happened to Fenris now? Did he run off chasing Lost Ones on his own again?"
Shaila smiles at Kalt. "He is fine," the corpulent Spirit says, "I just like small things and the poor dear could use the rest. And you have nothing to worry about, I can guarantee that." The spirit passes the gently snoring otter to Kalt, though he does not seem ready to wake just yet. The Spirit looks over the others and holds his hands out in a welcoming gesture. "I am grateful for your hard work," he says, "And I wish you luck. Is there any more you would have from me before I go?"
Angus stretches, reaching above his head with a yawns as he watches Rainer be silly. "Nothing I can think of, but I thank you for your help." He smiles at the spirit, giving her a low bow as he watches Kalt take the little otter into her arms.
Cassidy rubs her chin, leaning over against Natska. "Not that I can think of, no. I believe I am fine! Your cooperation is appreciated. We can only hope that others are so... Willing. If what Fenris has said is true, then I suppose we'll need all the help we can get."
Natska's ears flatten for a moment as her question goes unanswered, but then she nods her head and offers Cassidy her arm. "Let us know when Fenris... recovers... and wants to talk to the Scholar. Perhaps she will be able to give us more information on Vasht's riddle."
Kalt nods gently to Shaila, the Cherry Tree smiling for a moment as she takes Fenris carefully. "Thank ya for yer time Shalia. Hopefully we won't be needin' such grim questions next time." Hergaze turning to rainer as she snickers. "Aw don't be so sour Rainer, ya know spirits do things different than us."
Rainer hums, crossing his arms over his chest as his eyes roam up and down over the figure of the ambiguously gendered Spirit. He might seem to have something on his mind, but if so he doesn't put voice to it, turning his attention on Kalt with a lazy smirk, briefly lifting a hand away to make a few fencing-style twirls and thrusts in the air. "Yeah well next time I see him I'm gonna give -him- a headache, see how -he- likes it."
Shaila nods once and smiles. "My blessing go with you," she says, then vanishes with that same tearing sound that heralded her arrival. Once more, the grove is quiet, aside from the gentle snoring if the tiny otter in Kalt's arms.
