Blackburn's Crossing Chapter 4: Snake Eater

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Arissa took the letter in one hand, and Bernard's hand in the other before walking over to the fireplace in the living room, and tossing the letter into the dying ashes. She hummed in a high pitch for a moment before snapping her fingers, causing sparks to rain down and light the letter ablaze. After watching for a few moments to be satisfied with the letter's immolation, she turned back to Bernard with a teasing smile, briefly tugging on his hand. "Well, that is enough melodrama for one night, ja? Come along, I wish to enjoy my husband's company. Oh, that does remind me. I am in need of a resizing for my ring. It would not do for me to go walking around town without our signet for long... some other dashing young rogue may steal me away."
 
Bernard felt the tug from Arissa and allowed her to pull him off to the bedroom with a smile; commenting as they went, "We'll have to find time once our work is complete, though there aren't many rogues dashing or otherwise who would stand in the path of a paladin."
 
Blackburn Manor:

“It definitely is a different beat around here than the city though I’m sure even Dementlieu cities are different than Richemulot,” says Violette agreeing with Leone about the crossing being a ‘break’ from politics and city life.

“He’s definitely more into books. I’ve been told he gets that from his mother.” Violette eyes seem to wander the room as she speaks. “The house is definitely unlike anything I’ve ever seen before, and quiet a unique sight when compared to the rest of its surroundings.”

"I've noticed you say 'his mother'. Do you not share the same mother?" asked James inquisitively. Violette shakes her head. "Ludovico is my step brother, married into the family. He was still young when he became part of the Reiner family, and with Richemulouise being more Matriarchal it was decided my step father, and step brother would take on the Reiner family name when marrying. That was of course before I was born."

"Interesting, that was something I did not know about Richemulot. Is it perhaps because of Jacqueline Reiner's influence?" asked James seemingly interested in this tidbit. Violette nodded. "There is indeed some influence from her, and the fact that our nation accepts anyone under our lands who swears loyalty to her and Richemulot. Citizen ship is fairly easy to come by."

"Well I guess that explains a few things I've heard about Richemulot and their high rate of immigrants," says James looking back to Leone as she mentions their future together. "I am sure it will be worth the wait."

Her wide smile at the subject of James and Leone’s union returns. “Sounds like you’ll just need a ceremony of a few people then, the people I guess being some of both of your close friends.” Violette finishes off the tea before standing up. “I am rather tired from our trip so if you don’t mind I think I will retire for the night. Is there anything else you wanted from me before I go?”
 
"Ah, I see. That makes sense considering Richemulot's leadership," Léone says, nodding curiously at the explanation about Ludovico and his parentage. "That's probably why he seems like a rather average person compared to his siblings," she mused to herself. "I wonder if his ancestor was one of the original settlers as well?"

She shakes her head at Violette's inquiry, letting out a slight yawn herself. "No, I'm good for now I think. I imagine we'll be seeing a lot of each other in the future anyway, so there's no point in keeping you from your bed after such a long trek in the swamp." She looks over to James and flashes a small tired smile back. "In fact, I didn't realize how late it had gotten - I might have to call it a night as well soon, myself. Or at least shower and start settling into bed."

Stretching a bit, she stands up and pushes in her seat before dusting herself off, glancing back at James. "Besides, I still have to catch you up on everything that happened while we were gone, and vice versa. Perhaps we can chat a bit more after I've changed into some non-swampy attire? Or perhaps another time, it's getting rather late already."
 
Kallisto shrugged before Marcus returned with another set of mugs -- this time after she finished she still scrunched her face a little from the taste, but ... felt a strange disconnect, like she was sort of toeing a line at the moment and could easily fall on either side.

Blearily she looked towards Marcus who was feeling the drink a bit more, his motions were a little sluggish, his mug pushed aside. She smiled towards him, "Looks like you're done ... I might as well match you, right?" Her words were a little slower than she normally spoke as Marcus shrugged. Looking around she spotted Terra and tapped on her mug, trying to ask for one last one.

This time after she finished, drinking slower than she had before, she found it difficult to focus her sight and find her balance even just sitting. The growl was back in her mind, even with the axe hidden away under her bed, but she almost felt like her own growl was starting in her throat as well. She shook her head before quickly regretting it, pushing herself out of her chair to stand, reaching into her pouch to lay out the coin for dinner, placing an extra gold in appreciation of the meal. Her legs felt a bit wobbly underneath her as she started to help Marcus up and the pair worked their way back to their house -- Kallisto's growl starting and stopping as they went ... though she had a hard time focusing on much, her mind seemed to keep circling back to how irritated she had been when the Geas had been lifted ... the needless death of the Children...

Helping Marcus get himself sorted for bed, as Kallisto got closer to her room where the axe was tucked under her bed, she felt a shift in its mental growl, almost amused at her current state -- her anger. Placing herself on her bed, she put the greataxe in her lap, dizzy from reaching down for it. Slowly she settled, though her expression still showed her irritation. She hadn't tried to speak with the weapon since before the party had left for the swamps -- partly because she didn't want to worry them, and partly because for awhile she didn't even have the weapon. "What are you -- are you a part of the Graveyard? Why were you made?"

Expecting only silence, she was surprised when the growl shifted into a voice, "I exist to kill Evil."

Kallisto scowled towards the weapon, "I doubt you stop at just 'Evil'." Adjusting her position, "Amarden said you were made from the Graveyard -- that felt neutral -- why would something made of it care about 'Good' and 'Evil'."

Again it replied, "The two who have been recently destroyed were Evil. I exist to eradicate Evil. Would you like to kill Evil today?"

Growling under her breath, "I'm so tired of that phrase -- what happens if I kill something that's not 'Evil', do you even care?"

The voice seemed confused for a moment, "Who would not be Evil? All I have killed has been Evil. I can feel it."

Silent for a moment, Kallisto took a deep breath before exhaling in a low growl. "Would I be considered Evil."

"Yes, you are Evil. I can feel the side you try to hide, within you. An eternal torrent of rage bubbling beneath. It will never go away. It is your shadow."

Kallisto's own growl rose slightly for a moment before she spoke again, "... are there any among those I travel with you also consider Evil."

The axe seemed to reply simply: "I will know when I kill them."

Shaking her head, Kallisto gave a wide grin, "Then you will never know."

Underneath the mental growl, it replied, "I am patient."

She scratched at the scar on her chest before continuing, "I was told you would have my soul upon death, and I was told you have half of it now. Which is true? I thought if we were bound, no one else could claim you."

"I taste all who attune me. The other has been consumed. One day you will be too. You alone will not finish my task. Others will help me, as others have helped me before you."

Pausing again Kallisto tilted her head slightly, "Legba told me I would be the second to ever wield you -- how would there be others." She leaned closer to the weapon, "Someone is lying to me, and I don't care for liars."

"The others crafted me into this. You are the second to wield me in this form. Others have wielded me in another manner. Others have made offerings to me far long ago. One day I will claim even Legba."

Her low growl paused for a moment as the weapon seemed to recognize Legba. "What will you do when there is no more Evil?"

There was a very long pause. So much of one that Kallisto wasn't sure the voice was still there. "I will then do nothing."

Kallisto looked at the greataxe in silence for a few moments her growl starting to fade as tiredness instead began to take over. "The other woman who attuned to you after I was forced to leave you behind ... did you consider her 'Evil'."

"Yes, though she might have been less evil than the other ones since she helped me consume a few more Evil things."

"Why did you consider her Evil? You said I was 'Evil' because of my ... rage, but what of her?" Kallisto tapped on the blade of the axe with a claw as she waited for its response.

"Things are Evil for many reasons. Hatred, Envy, Lust, Arrogance, Vanity, Greed are just some among them. She held herself above others, and held Hatred in her heart. The land has cleaved the Evil from her."

With one hand Kallisto reached to touch the armband from Ahretakan, her gaze aimed down towards her bed, not the axe on her lap. "I ... see. Then I suppose you don't consider anyone to not be Evil, do you." With a frustrated growl, she lifted the weapon off to the side of her bed, letting it drop to the floor with a loud thud and clang. Using her foot she kicked it under the bed before laying down, sprawled as she stared at the ceiling for awhile, eyes focusing in here and there but from the alcohol it was difficult. Eventually her eyes started to close, she rolled to her side, surrounding herself with her blankets in her own nest, glad at the very least to finally sleep in her bed again, for however short a time it would be.
 
Blackburn Manor:

“And here I thought swamp fashion was in this year,” says James smirking as he stood up from the table. “I’ll let you go about getting clean, and we can discuss a bit further after you are done.”
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James wrote at his desk that over looked the water of the river, which reflected the moon’s crescent in the night. Upon hearing Leone he turned around having an amused expression on his face. “I guess you want to know what I was doing in the meantime right? Well the start of it I continued to dig into the records, and I’ve found a few things. More mentions of an Alchemist, at different times throughout the years. It is unclear as to whether he is a friend or an ally to my family but he has apparently lived a long time. In addition to this I’ve found a few patterns in certain family deaths.”

“There is a usual amount of death when compared to the greater population when comparing children of the founding families to the population. Probably something to due with the pact for the guardians is my guess. Someone might have needed to be ‘sacrificed’ in order to protect the crossing as a whole. This only furthers my worry about this land being a place of power,” says James as he taps his fingers thinking. “If we add all the strange things that have been going on, to some of the records of interesting creatures that have been found dead in the river, or the surrounding swamp I think it’s clear that the land itself might be a… well a supernatural hot spot.”

“I’d wager the first settlers or at least my ancestors might have known this and sought to settle here to study the unusual creatures and happenings. It has the added bonus of being far enough away from prying eyes but along a major trade river.” James stood up from his chair walking over to pick up a small plaque. “My family has a motto much like many of the noble families around Mordent. ‘The water of knowledge sates only those who drink the deepest’. A bit ironic isn’t it? Considering how often a Blackburn has turned up drowned.”

He places the plaque back down and turns to Leone. Folding his hands into one another as he comes to sit on the bed. “Then there was the whole ordeal of Mortimus. I’m going to be interested in hearing more of what’s going on up north, I have… had friends in the academy and a few teachers that I knew well. Then there’s Azalin to consider… did he survive?” His hands grew white for a moment as he squeeze them together for a moment in what seemed like an attempt to relieve stress. “If he did then was the Helle Welle sabotaged? If it was will he seek retribution? Even if none of that is true, and he did die. What will Darkon do without a ruler? I’m not entirely sure Darkon will be able to rally it’s forces in time to meet a Falkovnian assault. Let alone it being one of the largest domains in the Core it might splinter when not beneath King Azalin’s control.”

“I would have never imagined that one of my choices would have such far reaching consequences. Ripples upon ripples extending out from what seemed to be such a simple choice. Return what was requested,” says James trailing off for a moment. He snaps back out of it. “Enough of that. There will be time to discuss such matters later, and you will need your rest for tomorrow it seems. I will not keep you up when you clearly need some beauty sleep.” James smiles at that leaning in for a brief kiss to Leone's cheek, before waiting for Leone to process all of what he had said.
 
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Léone quitely enters the bedroom, running a hand through her slightly damp hair and closing the door with the other. Dropping her bag next to the nightstand she flops onto the bed and stretches wide, sinking into the pillows. "Ah... I've missed this," she says, taking a deep breath then glancing over to James. "Writing something, huh? I hope you've kept yourself busy while we've been out."

She sits up as James begins to explain what he's found, nodding along. "I... see," she says, thinking about the family deaths and the strange creatures. "The deaths... make sense, as morbid as that sounds. I'd also wondered about whether they had already known about this being a supernatural hotspot, or if it was simply coincidence that they decided to come down here." She considers that for a second, then reaches over for her bag and pulls it over. "I've gleaned some findings on my side as well. Fortunately the tribe was extremely courteous, and shared with us much of their passed down history. Between that and the journal you had given me earlier I think I've pieced together a decent timeline." She pulls out the notebook and her own personal notes on the matter, along with the notes she wrote down on her travels for posterity's sake.

"I'll start from the top. The settlers, namely your ancestor Jamis Blackburn, originally moved out here from Mordentshire to 'put the shadow of past mistakes behind them', whatever that meant." She shrugs, idly flipping through the pages. "The Hathoways, the Von Brekkers and the Alchemist were part of the original group, though I didn't see the Einhorns mentioned until later. It took them a while to find a 'suitable spot' - mostly due to attacks from 'savages from the unclaimed lands', but eventually they managed to found the Crossing."

"It went well for a while, but soon the natives began to attack them again and there were bitter casualties on both sides. The elder even told me that some of the tribes had resorted to cannibalism to keep themselves fed. It seemed that neither side would win over the other... until a deal with struck with Legba. I don't know if he was summoned or if he had simply existed in these lands the entire time, but one way or another he was there and he created the Guardians for the settlers." She frowns, recalling the day she had helped dig one of those monstrous creatures out of the water. It felt like ages ago. "Rather than just... 'guard', as their name would imply, they instead relentlessly hunted down the natives for an entire season while the settlers built up the manor, the Einhorns assisting with the architecture and the construction of the golems. Only after the native populations had whittled down to almost nothing was a settlement reached, and the totems placed down - causing the 'veil' I mentioned before to drop down onto the swamp. I don't know if the swamp was already supernatural before that, but it definitely was by that point."

She shakes her head, trying not to go on too much of a tangent. "Anyway, I digress. So the agreement was reached, and the settlers and natives had a fairly peaceful relationship afterwards. The natives began to tell them stories about these pair of serpents that protected the swamp, having existed for as long as they had known. Jamis and the Alchemist were interested in discovering the secret of immortality, as was the elder of the tribe... so they set up a trap to kill the Great Serpent's mate in an area known as the 'Land of the Dying', a graveyard of bones. We met a snake person with the elder's memories in that very location, so it seems they succeeded to a degree."

"Regardless, the Great Serpent felt betrayed by the natives for killing their mate and began to hunt them down relentlessly. As a result they were forced to make more deals with Legba - one for protecting their village with the Maw, and another for their people to gain sustenance from blood. They've been slowly whittled down over the decades... until we came in, I suppose. Now they're beginning to settle at an oasis of sorts that the serpent had hidden away from them - hopefully they'll be alright."

Nodding at that, she flips to the last page of the journal and frowns slightly. "I think that's the gist of what I learned. Meanwhile on the other side... I still haven't figured out what this means yet." She turns it so that James can see the entry.

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558BC, Winter
Jamis is dead, killed by his own folly I believe. As events have transpired I’m afraid that an evil I can only name as the ‘Creature’ has been unleashed upon this world. I alone am responsible for this ‘thing’ or at least that is what I tell myself. I do not know Jamis’ reasons for betraying me; I had thought the creation of a secondary creature impossible beyond our first bifurcation. Perhaps Jamis had attempted what I warned him against, that could have explained much… and it would mean that he is still out there.

~A

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She continues to glance down at the words, unsure of what to make of it. "I had originally wondered if it involved the Machine, considering the mention of a 'bifurcation', but between body swappers and attempts at immortality it could be anything." She sighs, closing the book and setting it back in the bag.

Having said all that she finally leans back into the pillows, flashing a tired smile as James comes to sit down next to her and kiss her briefly. It soon fades as he brings up Mortimer and Azalin Rex once more, and she sighs and puts her hand on his. "...I don't think anyone could have expected this. Your parents, sabotaging a foreign king's project - or even conspiring with him to destroy his own people? How can you even imagine that, let alone deal with it out of the blue? There's just so much we don't know, and it almost feels like we're just pawns in a game played by gods."

Frowning again, her eyes glance out the window as she tries to figure out the right words to say. "There was... another matter that you ought to know. When Mortimer sought me out in the swamp, I think he put the pieces together and realized that we weren't what he was expecting. But before that... he asked me why you were still alive, because it was communicated to him that you would be 'taken care of in a more permanent manner'. By your parents." She sighs again, looking up to his eyes. "I'm... I'm sorry this is all happening at once. When I get back from the book I swear I'll help you get through all of this, but for now... the best I can do is a bit of comfort." She squeezes his hand softly. "... Maybe you should call it a night too?"
 
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Dawn of the 29th Day:

The day is bright and sunny as people get off to work. A few more trees are felled in the logging camp this morning as they begin their day of work. A strong wind blows in from the south making the river a bit choppy this morning. A few people have spoken that they’ve seen the head priest return form his quest abroad in the swamp putting to quiet that the group would never be seen from again.

The Gilded Ladle announced a new honey mead they had been working on and offered a free drink to anyone who wanted to come try it. Meanwhile there was some talk about a famous art critic coming to take a look at Lora’s recent paintings, and that he seemed to be taking quite a few of them back home to Borca with him.

News had also arrived about the Marshes family being considering a noble family with accommodations from Lord Jules Weathermay himself. There were additional whispers that he might be coming soon to meet with the Marshes, though where Merris Marsh had gotten off to was anyone’s guess since she hadn’t been seen for about two weeks. A few people had stopped by the house while no one was home looking to buy flowers but none had ever gotten a response.

Bjorn Stoneshatter started up the forge and got to work on some of the commissions that had already come his way. The dwarf seemed to go at it from sunrise to sunset in recent days and there was little time spent on frivolities. Today he had a few customers’ seek him out early in the morning, to buy weapons for a journey into the thick forests of Verberk.

Annabelle and Thomas had gone about training Annabelle a bit more in swordsmanship in the training grounds behind Bjorn’s forge with her permission. Throughout the week leading up to present day they could be heard practicing for at least a few hours a day. Many had commented on how Thomas seemed to be much happier in his retirement having seen him at the Roaring Rapid’s a few days out of the week and he even helped the new butcher get set up.

Grimdosh had worked through the night snipping at the brush of the small maze within the gates to Blackburn Manor and he finished a few more snipes to the bush evening out the ‘wall’ of plants. He stepped back for a moment nodding before he let the large scissors rest against his shoulder and turned to begin to walk slowly inside before the sun came up. He had made lots of progress cleaning most of the manor, and maintaining the grounds. Occasionally he had sat on a bench and watched the river for a few minutes before standing up and getting back to finding something to do.

The two lamplighters, Sir Cosse, and Alistair stayed at the Roaring Rapids after a brief encounter with Clarence who had recommended it as a more suitable establishment. Understanding the man's reasoning the two had stumbled upon a small case of a few people who seemed to have been drained of years of their life. Despite not catching the person responsible they had passed along notes to the home base in Mordentshire to watch for any sort of patterns that might form from such a method of killing.

Marcus in addition to having recently gotten a tattoo had spent many of the days working docks collecting a few rumors here and there about ships that passed through the river and headed further on down stream. The showboat had been a surprise to much of the town, when a boat with a bunch of performers had come into town, ran by a Larissa Snowmane. For a day or two in port Marcus had managed small ferries out to their boat that sat in the middle of the river which held performances for audiences to watch and some really distant members to look on from the far shores. At the end of the week he had taken to frequenting the Roaring Rapids a bit more often than usual and seemed to hold a worried look until last night.

Thackery had fully recovered finally from the injury he had taken back from the pirate attack and was back to his usual business of corralling many of the sailors that docked and passed through the town. At one point he got into a fight with a man before the guards could arrive to straighten it out.

Simon had managed to go about recruiting more guards increasing the amount of response and coverage they could provide to the town. He managed to get some of the sailors off respected crews with the wage and promise of housing in the Dancing Lady. Having bolstered this and had a few Lamplighter’s in town he had asked them to stop by to hopefully answer questions and boost interest towards the matters of investigation while also showing that some of them might eventually be able to aspire to be one of the famous detectives if they strove hard enough. It was motivation for a few of them to pick up some of the odd reports around town.

Archibald continued to give many of the sermon’s and answer questions of the acolytes and the faithful that came to the church daily. In the beginning he had attended to Jonathan until he began to get better and cautioned him against any hasty decisions such as travel, but realized he would not be able to convince him otherwise and thus had instead prepared a small pack to go with Jonathan in case the symptoms were to return. It was one of the worst cases he had ever seen of someone falling that deathly sick so quickly. Directing the Acolyte’s was an endless task but sometime during the week he had managed to find some time to offer comfort to a few people of the crossing.

Jorman for his part continued to check in with the constabulary every few days to see if anyone had heard of his boy Bernan, as well as check the dock speaking to the Dock Master Marcus to see if he had overheard anyone talking about a crewman named Bernan or to ask sailors if anyone had ever seen him.

As the sun began to rise, James takes out the book he had been asked to take care of and brought it down to the library looking at the book of nursery rythmns. He had many things on his mind but this morning the focus was allowing the others to get into this book and hopefully they'd come back out. Setting the book down on the main study table he walked about the room pulling a few books from the shelves. He had met briefly with Violette and planned to take a trip to the Dancing Lady to put up a notice, as well as send out some messages to nearby towns and villages that might be interested in hiring on. He'd pushed it out until the evening wanting to give enough time for everyone else to prepare before they headed in. Grimdosh ended up bringing him breakfast in the library, in the form of toast and jam.

"The Grimm's Fairytales huh? I don't suppose you might have penned any of them?" asks James as Grimdosh gives him a confused look for a moment and then shakes his head. James smiles at this taking another bite of toast. "I thought not. Was worth a shot."
 
In the morning, Bernard woke to the warmth of Arissa, his arms wrapped around her. Holding her close he enjoyed the company a moment longer before leaving her with a gentle kiss on her bare shoulder. Carefully slipping out of bed, he changed into a comfortable tunic and trousers, pulling his holy symbol out from beneath the cloth to rest on his chest.

Stepping out into the main entry, Bernard let out a satisfied sigh, he looked happy. Not intent on wasting much time, Bernard entered the kitchen to start the stove, pulling out a slab of bacon, a small crate of eggs, and a loaf of bread. He placed the bacon in a pan, and set it on the heat then left the loaf near the heat to dry out. Pleased with his preparations, Bernard hurried out to the front of the house to pray.

Kneeling before Airehtu, Bernard thanked Ezra for their safe return and for blessing the marriage. He asked for guidance to help Peri, and protection as they traveled into the unknown to save Merris. He finished his prayer asking Ezra to watch over the town and help Archibald lead the church in his absence. He stood, placing a hand on the tree. Returning to the kitchen, Bernard flipped the bacon and began to slice the bread.

Carefully stacking the slices to dry further, Bernard set them aside and began mixing the eggs with some cream and scraping a small amount of vanilla in as well. With the bacon finished, Bernard rinsed the pan, and set it on the stove to heat. He returned to the bedroom, placing a hand on Arissa's shoulder "Rise like the sun, my angel. Breakfast is ready to be prepared and you promised to help." He leaned in kissing her on the cheek before stepping back slightly to give her space.
 
As Kallisto slept, she found her aches to slowly fade from the comfort of her bed, the warmth of her blankets, the familiar scent of her room and the house ... its occasional creaks and groans, the faint sounds of the docks almost always present on some level as ships came and went at all hours. Rearranging herself on her bed, she went to snuggle down further into the blankets and instead was met with the sensation of coarse fur.

A broken rumble of a chuckle greeted her as she looked up, the snout of a brown bear right next to her head, its warm breath shifted her hair slightly. She felt a peck on her knee as she looked to find the hawk perched on her leg, its head twisting this way and that to get a better look at her. Looking past the hawk, Kallisto saw the area around them was once again filled with stars of the night sky, but her attention was brought back as the hawk screeched at her, "Serpent dead!" It seemed to nod, "Bear was right."

Frowning at the hawk, Kallisto spoke up, her voice a rough growl: "The serpent is dead ... yes, I just wish she had not taken so many with her... Your gift of sight was very helpful though, thank you." She flinched for a moment as the head of the bear suddenly rested on her own head, its paws wrapped around her once more.

"Death comes for all, my cub, and it is not always pleasant to see. Their cycle is broken, like yours," a warm tongue licked the top of Kallisto's head, making her hair damp before the bear huffed towards her again. "This life is where your line ends -- make your story one for the stars, however..." the bear looked up towards the starry sky as Kallisto wiped her face, various constellations seemed to come to life and move, continuing their battles or shifting across the sky in their own ways. The hawk even watched a few with interest while Kallisto's eyes were wide at the sight of what was set before her. "Among the stars, you will be home... Kallisto."

Surprised to hear her name said by the bear, Kallisto jerked awake in her bed, a slight headache and a nasty taste in her mouth. She groaned as she rolled herself out of bed, hearing Marcus busy making breakfast, before standing slowly and making her way towards her desk, trailing a clawed finger over the miscellaneous blocks she still had from when she bought them what felt like months ago. Blearily she looked over a few before deciding on one to set aside -- it would be her next project, the small boat for Atanase, to be given to him next time she saw him. Reaching into her pouch as it sat on her desk, she pulled out the TRex tooth alongside the Serpent tooth before retrieving the dream journal as well. She flipped through it for a moment, before getting to the most recent entry ... reading over it she sighed, "I wish I had asked Loretan what those animals actually are ... she might have known ... but it's too late now."

Setting it aside she moved to the kitchen for breakfast, trying to ignore Marcus' amused expression at how she looked after her first night of trying alcohol. She was pleased however to hear he managed to give Tara her pendant, though she still wished she could have handed it off herself. After breakfast she tied Sulrac to her hip, but when it came to the greataxe ... she wasn't really sure if she should bring it with her or not. The growl was back in her mind constantly, layering with the headache ... she knelt next to her bed, looking at where it had slid after she kicked it. "Bernard wants to go into the book ... but nothing says I can't come back and pick up the greataxe ... are book-creatures considered 'Evil' I wonder? Do they have anything to 'devour'? Honestly it'd be nice not to have its weight on my back for a little while..."

Having made up her mind, she made her way to the constabulary, hoping to quickly give her report for Simon, and to the Lamplighters if they were nearby.
 
Feeling a sudden absence of Bernard’s divine presence, Arissa’s eyes flicked open just in time to the bedroom door close. She sighed contentedly and streched, glancing out the window briefly to confirm that it was still dark out. Gods, why is it that he cannot sleep in for even one day? I doubt Ezra herself is even awake in this ungodly hour.

Arissa closed her eyes to fall back asleep until a thought began to nag at her foggy mind. She slid to the edge of the bed and groped inside of her bag that she had uncharacteristically tossed haphazardly on the floor, finally finding the object she was looking for after a few moments. She brought it in close to her as she got comfortable once again and opened her eyes to inspect the finely crafted wooden flute in her hands. It is certainly powerful... but I am not yet certain what dangers it may present to one less talented in the musical arts...

Arissa shrugged and began to focus on the instrument in her hands, feeling little for a few moments before she suddenly felt as if she were being attacked by on all sides by a cacophonous orchestra. Gritting her teeth as she briefly reeled against the sonic attack, Arissa slowly began to recollect her thoughts and focused on paying attention to just the wind instruments in particular, further narrowing down the instruments until she was able to parse a solitary flute in all of the chaos, although the discordant melody continued to elude her. After several more minutes of intense focus, she realized that it was not just a single chaotic piece of music, but rather several pieces layered over each other. Songs of power... I knew there were other means of learning spells, but I had no idea they were so... involved.

Over the better part of an hour, Arissa pieced together the various melodies, all of the other instruments fading away as she worked, until at last she smiled as the music faded away, although the songs remained fresh in her mind. After relaxing for a few more moments, she felt a sudden hand on her shoulder and a kiss on her cheek as she turned to smile mischievously at Bernard. “I would have thought that last night would be enough to convince you that I am no angel.” Arissa yawned and stretched again, wanting to relax in bed all day, but knowing that they still had much to do before they could be afforded that luxury. “Still, a promise is a promise, ja? Give me a minute and I will be ready.”

Arissa was about to ask him to leave before a smile played over her lips. “Actually... one moment, I wish to try something.” Arissa brought up the flute to her lips, and played a short, methodical, ominous piece, and a cloud of fog began to pour out of the end of her flute, filling the room. Arissa laughed excitedly for a moment from within the cloud before she got out of bed and quickly began to change into her armor. “It is good to see that our friend Reginauld is more than a mere charlatan, not that I had any reason to distrust the man. If the flute can do everything what he claims, perhaps I will know what it is to fly as my ancestors had, ja?”
 
"It would be wonderful if you might fly some day." Bernard agreed as he took her hand and opened the door. Once they'd arrived in the kitchen, he pointed her to the stack of bread and the egg. "We'll be making sweet egg toast. I've already dried the break so it takes on the egg, and mixed the egg with cream and vanilla." He smiled, excited to teach Arissa the dish and cook with her. "You'll take that fork, place the slice of bread into the egg, flip it over so egg coats both sides, then place it in the pan. It'll cook in the butter, and we'll flip it again. Once both sides are cooked, it goes onto a plate for everyone." He reached for a fork, offering it to her then gently pushing her forward.

As they began to cook, he guided her through the steps, allowing Arissa to do the work, but instructing her in each activity and giving pointers for improvement. "Last night was... you were..." Bernard blushed, wrapping his arms around Arissa's waist and kissing her neck. "We'll find more time for ourselves once Merris is free." He searched a cabinet removing some ground cinnamon which his added to the toast as it was stacked. "We should get Peri and Yelcan up soon so we can get on with the day. I don't want to waste too much daylight and I still need to give Kallisto the spear and possibly see Bjorn about a more effective weapon. Did you have any errands to run before we all meet up at James' Manor?" He collected some strawberries from a basket on the counter, leaving one to the side for Lina, he began slicing the others as he watched Arissa cook, mostly commenting when she should turn the toast or move it to the plate so it did not burn. "I'm worried that we waited so long. We don't know what time is like in there. I can only hope mother is ok. She'll be thrilled to hear about her new daughter... We should probably tell her when we find her, rather than waiting. I'd rather she know, and the ceremony can come later once we've had time to settle and plan." Bernard looked up from his work and shouted down the hall, "Peri, Lina, Yelcan! Arissa prepared breakfast! Come get it while it's hot!" He grinned at Arissa, "You're a natural. I look forward to cooking more with you in the future, Mrs. Hathoway."
 
After finishing donning her armor, Arissa twirled twice out of the fog to turn her cape into an elaborate crimson side cape with gold trim on it, giving Bernard a brief kiss on the cheek. "Gods, I look forward to the day where I can wear something other than this." She followed Bernard to the kitchen and raised an eyebrow at the strange meal he had planned. Uh... what is this? 'Sweet egg'? Arissa quickly hid her confusion and turned to Bernard with a smile. "Sounds lovely. I cannot wait for you to teach me how to cook it." Arissa began to prepare the meal, paying close attention to Bernard's instructions as she tried her best to replicate his words until she began to get the feel for how to cook properly. With growing confidence, she returned her attention to Bernard, hiding her blush in her work at his first comment. "It was certainly well worth the wait, but I agree that we have more important business to take care of. I am certain there is more I could be doing to prepare, but for the moment there is little that I can think of... Although I do intend on taking James up on his offer to fund our prior expedition. I believe I still owe you quite a bit of gold, ja?"

Arissa flipped over a piece of toast before turning to Bernard as he spoke in celestial. "We did not wait too long, Bernard. It has been quite some time since I considered my prior religion, but we had a saying that I believe to be relevant. Leef door geloof, niet door zicht. Merris is a capable woman, and we have to believe that she is well. Unfortunately, I cannot speak for time, but there is little point in concerning ourselves with things entirely out of our control. We will find Merris, she will be thrilled to see us, and you will have to put up with two women in your life telling you to stop worrying so much." Arissa smiled to Bernard, although she had her doubts about Merris's safety as well. She moved the last of the pieces of french toast to a platter and winked at Bernard as he complimented her. "I had told you that I was skilled, ja? Although I must admit, I did have a rather good teacher this time around." Arissa quickly cleaned herself up magically before taking a seat, waiting for the others to wake up with a contented smile on her face, trying to enjoy what little time remained to relax before they were forced to get down to business once more.
 
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Constabulary:

As Kallisto walks in there is a young man at the desk where Kallisto used to be at. He smiles in greeting upon Kallisto’s arrival. It seems there is also a new board off to the side with notices, and requests for the guards to sort through. Simon comes out of the back area as Kallisto comes up and he smiles in greeting.

“Good Morning Kallisto, I hope you have a restful evening. Nothing like sleeping on a bed after many days away,” says Simon as he looks to the young man at the desk. “Have you met Michael here yet? He’s replacing my old job, and has a few new ones such as sorting all the requests we get in, and assigning them to different people. If you’re looking for what you can help with any day come talk to him and he’ll be able to point you in the right direction whether it’s simple patrolling or if there’s something more interesting afoot.”

Michael smiles nervously as he stands up. “Nice to meet you Kallisto. Simon’s informed me that you were off on a hunt, and I am supposed to record what you can remember so that it can be referenced if someone down the line ever needs to investigate something related to it. It might also give some insight to what a few acolytes had passed on last night about potential natives coming from the swamps.” Michael offers his hand during this as a hand shake almost pulling back for a moment at Kallisto’s claws but manages to remain firm. He then takes out a sheet of paper and a quill. “Would you rather do this here or in a private room?”

"If you happen to see Bernard or Perian you should inform them they have an official letter waiting at the Dancing Lady. I've gotten a letter as well to be informed of the recent change to the Marsh Family status. Seems they have friends in high places," says Simon as he nods to them to continue on.
 
Kallisto nodded towards Simon, "Hello again, Simon -- it was definitely nice to sleep on a proper bed instead of merely a bedroll."

She bowed her head towards Michael, "It is nice to meet you as well, Michael." Frowning slightly as he winced from her claws she pulled her hand back and rubbed the pads on her palms. "I can tell much of what happened while we were in the swamps, my only question is if there's anything that should specifically be recorded compared to the rest? Many things happened, not everything might be relevant."

"I expect to see the both of them later today, I can tell them, maybe they spoke with someone during the ball?" Kallisto shrugged before turning back to Michael, "I leave to you to decide, can the desk manage without you for a while?"
 
Bernard seemed confused by Arissa's words of comfort. "You know, I understand a lot of your Carmanthian through context... but you'll have to translate that one. For all I know you could be calling me a horse." Bernard chuckled, trying to lighten the mood as he collected the tray of toast and the plate of bacon and set them down at the table. He then grabbed four more place settings to set out for each of them and a small saucer for Lina on which he placed the strawberry he'd set aside. "I'm sure there is much we can learn from each other, and there will be plenty of time to do it. No reason to hurry ourselves through the rest of our lives."

He smiled as he collected a small jar of powdered sugar from a cupboard, it was kept up high, out of most's reach and hidden behind several large jars of other more boring things like rolled oats and bran flakes as well as last seasons' raisins. He placed it on the table and a small sieve and spoon next to it. He grinned, "Don't tell Peri where to find this or there won't be any for quite a while." He took a seat and let out a small laugh as he piled a few pieces of toast onto his plate and spooned some of the sugar into the sieve before shaking it gently over his toast and topping it with fresh strawberry slices. Finally, he cut a small corner off one piece of toast and laid it on the saucer next to Lina's strawberry.

He looked up from what he was doing toward the hallway, leaning in his seat before shrugging off the others absence. He reached across the table to take Arissa's hand, "I love you Arissa, I know it's been said a lot lately, but our lives are not in danger, and there is no reason to state or affirm our feelings. I want you to know, without any reservation or source of duress, you are my light, and I love you." Bernard smiled, visibly relaxing as he told her how he felt. It was something he'd felt needed to be said, but something he'd neglected to resolve while things were stressful and chaotic. Bernard knew in his heart and his mind that his feelings were more than stress and situation forcing them together, but he also knew how hollow and forced those feelings could be when everything was going wrong around them. It felt right, in this moment to be honest without all of the pressures of the world mounted on their shoulders. He looked into her eyes and glowed with genuine joy and love.
 
Constabulary:

"It can survive for a few minutes," says Michael nodding to Simon as he gets up from the desk. "As for what should be in the report, I think that it should be anything you deem note worthy. I find it unlikely that anything out in the swamps might lead to another hint or clue in another chase but it's good to be thorough in these matters. I am fairly good at taking notes so don't worry about needing to slow down your retelling."

Michael diligently takes notes through Kallisto's retelling, nodding and showing amazement at certain parts of the story. Once he is done with a few pages of notes he puts it into a folder and then looks at Kallisto with renewed awe. "It sounds like you had quiet the adventure out there. Not sure I would have been as brave as most of you out there. Thanks for delivering the report. If you ever need anything come back and ask me." says Michael as he sits back a bit more into the chair. He seems to think for a moment more before shaking his head and standing up moving over to the door to open it. "Thank you. I think that's the most details we've gotten out of anyone coming from the Swamp in a long time. Generally we keep people outside of the swamp but if we ever have to send anyone in there we not know what to expect, and what we might run into. If there's anything else you can think of I can add it to the notes a bit later, though I've been informed by Simon that you get a little bit more time off after having arrived home from such a long case."
 
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Having fallen asleep so early the night before, Yelcan awoke early in the morning, before the sun rose even, with his stomach rumbling. He made a move to get up, but was stopped by a familiar weight on top of him, and he smiled happily as he remembered waking up briefly the night before to Peri joining him on the couch. Having already slept for quite some time, but unwilling to wake up Peri, Yelcan spent the first few hours of that day just running his hands through Peri’s hair as she slept. He was alerted to some noise in the kitchen as Arissa and Bernard made breakfast in the kitchen, but it wasn’t until the smell of food drifted into the living room that he finally decided to get up. Wrapping his arms around Peri, he kissed the top of her head and rubbed her back as he whispered “Peri...Peri its time to get up beautiful, smells like Bernard has been making breakfast.”
 
Arissa smiled apologetically to Bernard and repeats her words in celestial. “Live by faith, not by sight. Yes, Merris is gone, but we have to believe that she is safe. I may not have known her as long as you, but Merris is a strong woman, and I have confidence in her abilities.” Arissa pauses briefly to think before grinning to Bernard. “The word for horse is paard, but I would more likely be calling you an ezel. There you are, now I have taught you something as well. I am not eager to rush our way through our lives... Gods, there is so much we do not even know about each other. I doubt you even know my favorite color, ja?”

Arissa frowned for a moment and watched Bernard put on the finishing touches of the meal, but brightened as he took her hand and spoke to her again. She gave Bernard a teasing smile. “I apologize if my vocabulary has come to bore you, but ‘Mordentish’ as you call it is my fifth tongue.” Her expression grew serious and she placed a hand over Bernard’s as she met his gaze. “I know you do, and I pray that you know that I love you back with all of my heart, and always will.” She then smiled warmly in return to Bernard, knowing that little remained to be said between them then as she waited happily for Peri and Yelcan to arrive.
 
Kallisto rubbed her throat for a moment ... she'd had to talk so much lately, it wore her voice out. Pushing herself out of the chair she moved to follow Michael, "I don't know if 'brave' is the word I'd use ... sometimes you can't just stand by, even if it means you could get injured. The swamps aren't the best place to wander, but I agree, the more informed the better." She thought for a moment, "The only thing I can think of is that ... the swamp seems to shift around. The Children of Blood may be four days away now, but another day could only be a day's journey out, and some may wander closer to the Crossing while trying to hunt. They have no desire to be agressive, but with a language barrier, things might be misunderstood."

She gave Michael a smile, "I can try to teach a few of the guards phrases if they're willing to learn. I managed to learn Mordentish, a few words in the Children's language shouldn't be too much to ask, right?"

Stretching as she continued to follow, "Sadly I don't think my 'time off' will last very long, it seems I will likely be disappearing again shortly, and no idea how long it will be." As they reentered the main room, Kallisto caught sight of the two Lamplighters and bowed her head for a moment. "I'm glad you two are here, I can hopefully try to explain the Maria Einhorn case as well before I have to leave again."

Kallisto gestured for a moment towards Michael, "I just finished telling him what happened in the swamps for my report, you seemed interested, perhaps you can ask him if you don't manage to ask me about it."
 
Peri murmurs a little she had been sleeping dreamless and restfully her hands cupped and tucked close to her chest as she had wedged herself partially beside and on top of Yelcan as she slept. Blinking as she was called out to by Yelcan’s familiar voice her lips quirked into a smile a little dazed from morning.

Stretching her eyes fluttered to look up at her admirer only to hear Bernard call them from the kitchen. With a yelp she startled fully awake then burst out laughing pressing her forehead against Yelcans chest to giggle away the tension the startle had left her with.

Wrapping her arms about Yelcan tightly she held him for a few moments and then proceeded to attempt to remove herself from between him and the cusion. She was a bit stiff as she was sure he would be too but she smiled all the same and kissed him as she made her way over him. “Good morning.”

Slipping to her feet she stretched again all the way down to her toes while awaiting him to rise as well before moving to the kitchen for breakfast.
 
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As Peri and Yelcan arrive in the kitchen Bernard stopped eating to wave his arm around the table gesturing to the empty seats, "Peri, you're looking rested. I trust the couch was not too uncomfortable for you? Both of you, take a seat and enjoy. Arissa did a wonderful job with the toast and it seems I made just enough bacon." He smiled and winked at Arissa before he took another bite of his own food. "Yelcan, have you had sweet egg toast before? I'm sure Peri can teach you how to add the sugar to the top. Just that little extra bit of sweetness is really nice with the richness and weight of the eggs. It's a good meal before we go after Merris." He watched Yelcan carefully as he asked, "You are planning to join us in our quest to save mother, yes?"
 
Marsh House:

"Nom, Nom, Nom, Nom" sounds came as Lina ate ravenously at the strawberries burping loudly once she was done. She turned to look at everyone gathered around the table for a moment as she proceeded to fly around looking at what other food might be available for her to snag.
____________________________________________________________________________________
Constabulary:

Michael scribbles down a few more notes and nods. "Very well if you could give us that I think it might be a good start though I'm not sure if it will be taught to everyone as of yet," says Michael as he notices the two others come in. Alistair smiled his weird toothy grin in greetings. As they met again Michael is about to say something but as Kallisto speaks he nods. "Alright you can use the same room we just came out of if you'd like."

Sir Cosse nods to Michael for a moment. "Perhaps we shall in a little bit. I am curious about it but is not the main reason as to why we are here. Kallisto if you wouldn't mind." Heading back into the room you were just in Samuel takes a seat opposite you and Alistair off to the side. "Alright what I'd like to do is get a full account from what you know of the subject. We've been briefly brought up that there are strange circumstances to this case, and do not fret that we will not believe anything you say. We have seen many things the some would consider to be... impossible."

"Alright lets start the day of the supposed victim's death, Maria Einhorn who I've briefly heard is not Maria Einhorn. I'd like to follow the steps you took to reach the conclusion, and any of the details you can remember others having told you," says Samuel.
 
Kallisto nodded as she sat, rubbing her eyes, "If you ask Michael about my report, you will learn I too have seen many unusual things. Maybe not as impressive as your own."

Leaning back in the chair she was somewhat amused to be back so quickly, she breathed deeply, trying to think back to what felt like so long ago. "I was at the Marsh home to speak with Perian Marsh about 'Awakening' a bird friend of mine on the day of the Ball that was hosted here at the Blackburn manor. While there, Jonathan and Derek Einhorn came to the door of the house, requesting Bernard Ma--Hathoway ... I still do not know which family name he has decided upon. After he went with them, I was ... sent for, and arrived at the Einhorn Smithy to see Maria laying on the ground surrounded by blood, and a Falkovnian blade in her back that apparently had been made by Jonathan long ago. The only thing supposedly missing was something named the 'Adaptable Weapon', her latest project, but little was known of it."

She tapped the chair with a claw as she thought, "Hm ... we were concerned the killer was still around, and with all the visitors to the Crossing, they might have taken the weapon, intending to murder someone else. Bernard rode to the Manor to inform others, namely James Blackburn since his guests or even himself were at risk, and I followed along behind. On my way, I asked another guard to keep an eye on the Smithy in hopes of preventing a panic, or people disturbing things. It ... gets a little mixed up, but I recall someone saying at some point if the Weapon was magical, it likely would be considered ... 'transmutation'? We considered trying to check over the guests, but supposedly many magical items people might keep with them would be considered similar, so it wouldn't really stick out at all."

"I think we all decided to keep an eye out, then split again. Bernard and I went back to the smithy, where Thomas was there looking over things. He was working on cleaning up the scene ... so we ended up going to speak to the Einhorns. I spoke with Derek for a bit, trying to get anything I could on who Maria's enemies might have been -- try to figure out who could have gone after her -- also anything more I could learn about the 'Adaptive Weapon' to try and help the others in looking for it." Kallisto scratched her head idly, "I perhaps was not very gentle in my asking ... at some point Bernard left, and I then spoke with Jonathan, asking what he remembered. He said he and his date, Heather, had stopped by the Smithy towards the end of the day, intending to ask if he could go to the Ball I think, or if he was needed for the Smithy. Maria told him ... he could go, and she was going to close up the shop for the night, but as Jonathan and Heather were leaving, a Falkovnian entered the building. Supposedly they spoke rather casually, but Jonathan and Heather left before hearing much more. When Jonathan returned, the Smithy was dark and locked up, so he thought nothing of it. In the morning, he went to check the smithy and found his 'mother' dead."

She shifted her gaze between Samuel and Allistair, "That is as far as I managed ... the rest was Bernard, but he did explain it to me a few times, hopefully I manage to explain it as well as he did. I am not sure where it went, but his main evidence was Heather's journal. Apparently Heather was very adamant in writing daily entries, but the last few were a different handwriting -- Maria's handwriting. He also spoke with Bjorn, it sounded like he might have thought him responsible at first, before considering Maria's wound more closely -- middle of her back, but it seemed like the blade had been stopped by something." Kallisto used one hand to mimic a body on the table, and a claw on her other hand to be the blade, "Maria had been on the ground when she was stabbed, so the blade was stopped by the floor. Meaning the body had probably already been dead or at least dazed when the blade was used. Then apparently 'Heather' had misspoken about something to do with Grimmdosh, James' servant, getting hogs from Bjorn. Before getting the smithy, he was the butcher for a long time -- but I guess he usually buys the hogs already butchered, so it was strange what 'Heather' had said, and made Bernard more unsure about 'Heather'. That's when he went to question her again, but she had already left, and found the journal."

Adjusting herself in the seat she closed her eyes for a moment, trying to recall the rest of it, "The ... blade that had killed 'Maria' was actually the Adaptive Weapon, Bjorn saw Maria leave after locking up the smithy, it sounded like she chased down Heather for some reason, and then ... somehow changed bodies? I do not understand how it works, but Bernard said Jonathan and Arissa had spoken with someone and somehow met the 'true' Maria, who was only in her teens. Supposedly she had eaten something gifted by the Blackburns, and died ... but not? Something had continued living in her body." Opening her eyes again she looked over the pair of Lamplighters, "I hope that is helpful ... I wish I had been able to help more, but I was a little busy preparing for our task in the swamps, and so much of this is secondhand."
 
“I cannot say I have ever had sweet egg toast before, no, but it sounds delicious.” Yelcan said politely as he entered the kitchen. He was a tad embarrassed again as he had been caught sleeping with Peri, but the embarrassment quickly faded as Bernard asked if he would be joining them to save Merris. His eyebrows raised in surprise as he was asked and he immediately replied “Absolutely! I am definitely going to be right there with you, helping get her back safe. Why, are the others not joining us today?”
 
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