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Holmes: The guard had been most insistent that there was somebody that Teodric would want to see. They approach the docked sky ship - people gawking at it more than normally since supposedly they had all been grounded for the past couple of weeks - and the crowd parts to let him by revealing an old man he barely recalls.
Holmes: His father's name comes to him slowly... Lijart.
Teodric: Teodric slowly approaches Lijart. He and his father had never been very affectionate, he nods to Lijart "Father, welcome to Green Lake. To what do we owe the honor?""
Holmes: "Faulty navigation, and the only escape rout possible," he blasts at his son.
Holmes: "So this is Green Lake," he says looking about. He puts on an air of disapproval.
Holmes: "Not quite the flying city, is it?"
Teodric: Teodric rolls his eyes "Well father, no city can be like the flying city, now can it? I'm sorry to hear about your navigation, hopefully it will be fixed quickly and you can be on your way."
Holmes: "Yes, quite," he replies. "Where's the nearest navigator obelisk?"
Teodric: Teodric coughs "I'm afraid the navigator's don't have much love for Green Lake, so sadly we lack an obelisk."
Holmes: He makes a low noise in his throat, "They say that they don't intend to try another flight for a while, either."
Holmes: He throws a thumb back at the skyship sitting calmly on the lake.
Holmes: "Any caravan's north?" he queries.
Teodric: Teodric shakes his head "I think you will have to wait for your ship to be fixed. Perhaps you would like to stay with me?"
Holmes: Lijart looks around trying to discern an alternative. After some very uncomfortable moments, he says, "Uh, yes. I suppose."
Holmes: Changing his demeanor, "Just where do you live?"
Teodric: "I'm currently residing in the palace. If you'll just come this way. Do you have any bags?" Teodric begins heading towards the palace.
Holmes: Lijart gestures to a porter who picks up his things, and begins to follow his son. Soon he's huffing and puffing.
Teodric: Teodric pauses and turns back to his father "Are you alright father? You don't sound well."
Holmes: His father growls at him, and redoubles his efforts to keep up.
Holmes: His face soon turns red with the effort.
Teodric: Teodric rolls his eyes. "I'd forgotten how stubborn you are." he mutters under his breath.
Holmes: After parading half way around the lake, Lijart suddenly falls over grasping his chest. The shadows of the two trees of two-tree shrine fall over the both of them.
Teodric: Teodric stops and runs back to his father "Father are you alright." He snaps at the porter "Run and get a healer. NOW!"
Holmes: The man, not a local, hesitates quite a bit before heading back in the direction they came.
Holmes: "I...I'll be fine..." he says clutching his chest in obvious massive pain.
Teodric: "Father relax. You shouldn't have pushed yourself like this. We'll get a healer and then some transportation."
Holmes: Lijart tries to get up, and immediately collapses back. "Damn this heat!"
Holmes: "What sort of hell do you live in, anyhow?"
Teodric: "I don't notice the heat anymore. Green Lake has its own charm. I don't think you would understand."
Holmes: Lijart looks at him askance, and Teodric can't decide if it's because of his mood, or because he can't move.
Teodric: Teodric mumbles an apology for his attitude as he glances down the path after the porter.
Holmes: *
Holmes: *
Holmes: A bit later, in Thrakelust's old quarters, Lijart is resting. The healer has told him that he thinks that Teodric's father will live.
Holmes: Still, potentially disconcertingly, Fahd arrives at the door.
Teodric: Startled Teodric looks to Fahd "Can I help you?"
Holmes: "No," says Fahd in his typically enigmatic way.
Holmes: Fahd looks over at Lijart.
Teodric: Teodric sighs, tired of the games, "Is there something you want to tell me?"
Holmes: "No," says Fahd. Seeing Teodric's persistence, he adds. "I'll let you know if anything happens. I felt a possible need."
Teodric: Teodric nods "Perhaps you are telling me something after all. Thank you."
Holmes: "W..w..water," says Lijart weakly.
Teodric: Teodric strides to his father's side and pours him some water from the pitcher on the night stand. "Here you go."
Holmes: "Wh...why?" he asks.
Teodric: "Why what?"
Holmes: "Why did you go?" his father asks him in a croaking voice.
Teodric: "Go where father? to Green Lake?"
Holmes: He barely nods.
Holmes: In this one question, his father asks Teodric why he chose to spend his life in a far-flung place instead of the center of the known world.
Teodric: "I didn't want to come. Not at first. But I came and these people were strong and connected in a way that I hadn't experienced. The longer I stayed the more I got attached, and now I'm needed. I like the feeling of being part of something."
Holmes: "I..." Lijart spasms with coughing for a moment before trying doggedly again. "I could not give you that?"
Holmes: The question is rhetorical.
Teodric: Teodric's silence fills the room louder than any words.

Holmes: Tez and Agnes come strolling casually back into the market. Chimrea and Kerem have returned here, understanding that Chimrea's grandmother has certainly moved on by this point, leaving it safe for habitation.
Holmes: There is a pensive crowd tonight, much the same as it's been for the past couple of weeks in Green Lake, what with the news coming in from all over.
Kerem: "All right. Next, I need some place to stay. Someplace decent, but not too decent."
Holmes: Chimrea notes a couple talking with preoccupied looks on their faces. Normally couples who meet here are here for fun. Almost certainly this new damper has been brought on by the news about Kaitaine.
Chimrea: "There's a bunch of inns down near where the skyships dock. They get seedier the closer you get to Rhiani neighborhoods, because tourists are nervous around the savages." She frowns a bit, noticing the dampened mood.
Tez has basically stopped glowing by now, though she still looks more imposing than normal. She lets Agnes lead, not knowing anything about this town.
Agnes backhands Tez on the shoulder and points toward Chimrea. "Hey, there she is..."
Tez: "Ow." she looks over where Agnes points, "Her? Isn't she...sort of young?"
Kerem glances quizzically over at whoever's pointing at Chimrea.
Agnes: Leading Tez up to Chimrea and her male companion, Agnes barges in and sits at their table. "Hey, how's it going?"
Chimrea: "Good! This is Kerem--I'm showing him around town." Chimrea looks curiously at Tez as she answers Agnes.
Agnes: "Oh, uh, this is Tez, sorry." Agnes smiles at her faux pas. "We've been hanging out a bit."
Kerem smiles...a little. "Hi there. I'm just in from Kaitaine, don't really know the place."
Agnes: "I was just telling her about our adventure out there."
Kerem: "Hi there, Tez. Nice to meet you."
Kerem: "Sorry, I didn't get your name...?"
Chimrea: "Oh! Right, this is Agnes."
Agnes: "Hi, so what brings you to our little corner of the world?"
Tez smiles and slides into the seat next to Agnes. She is tall and wiry, with dusky skin and black hair. Her eyes seem to shift between liquid brown and a dark reddish color. Her long hair is tied back in a thick braid that runs down her back. There is a nobility to her features, though her mixed ancestry is apparent.
Holmes: As Chimrea introduces Agnes, she notes a few Vajaari individuals trying to be nonchalant while enjoying some dinner. Quite a few glances are cast in their direction, probably yet another reason for the tension here.
Tez: "Nice to meet you, Kerem, Chimrea."
Kerem: "Well, mostly the destruction of Kaitaine."
Agnes: "Yeah, that sounds like a rough patch. I wonder what'll become of the remains."
Tez: "What happened to Kaitaine?"
Kerem: "Oh, I doubt it'll stay down forever. We're pretty resourceful folk."
Kerem: "Something fell on it. Something pretty big."
Agnes waves to the food wench carrying a platter heaped with bread and stew. "Here!"
Tez blinks, "Oh. How come?"
Agnes: "A giant rock, I hear."
Kerem: "That, I don't know."
Kerem: "When I left, 'we are all sinners' was about neck and neck with 'sometimes the gods get drunk and make bets that aren't really good ideas.'"
Agnes: "I've heard that the decadence of big cities inevitably brings their downfall...but could be just superstition, y'know?"
Kerem gestures to Agnes. "See? It's a popular theory."
Tez snorts
Tez: "Perhaps someone stole a pebble." she says cryptically.
Kerem: "...uh, yeah. That's also possible."
Kerem: "So how do you all know each other?"
Chimrea isn't really paying attention, her eyes having drifted over to the table of Vajaari nearby.
Tez: "Agnes has taken me in, as it were. I had come here under unpleasant circumstances, and she assisted me in leaving them."
Agnes: "Chimrea was my guide into the White Wood. We worked very well together."
Kerem grabs a bowl of stew, his appetite not apparently quenched by the meal he just had a few hours ago.
Kerem: "I'm not surprised. She's a pretty together young girl."
Tez: "How did you two meet?"
Kerem: "Oh, you know. We just ran into each other as I was getting off the skyship."
Agnes: Agnes' attention is drawn to the table to which Chimrea is attending. "What's up?
Agnes: "
Chimrea: "Lots of strangers in town," Chimrea shrugs, refocusing on the group. "Going to be a strange month."
Agnes: "Someone causing problems? You know to trust your instincts, right?"
Holmes: Just as her eyes come off of the Vajaari, she catches sight of a spirit out of the corner of her eye. It's a plains cat.
Kerem: "I'm glad. When I first got in, I was afraid this place was going to be boring."
Tez looks over at the other table, evaluating them with a practiced eye
Holmes: Some in Green Lake consider the plains cat to be an ill omen, because of it's sometime association with the cult of Andaras.
Holmes: Stories are still told of a witch named Zoora in Green Lake...
Chimrea: Chimrea's hand moves in a warding symbol, but she doesn't seem to pay it any more mind. "Do you need anything, Agnes? I have to show Kerem a place to stay, then there's a family thing I need to do."
Tez: "I actually need one too, I suppose."
Agnes: "Well, I was kind of wondering if maybe you and your friend would be interested in some adventure? We've got something going down pretty soon and we're looking for partners."
Kerem: "Adventure?" Kerem glances at Chimrea.
Kerem: "Is this what people do for fun out in the backwoods?"
Chimrea: "Maybe," Chimrea frowns, and meets Kerem's glance with one going the other way. "What kind?"
Agnes glances at Tez. "You know, a little travel, some strangeness, grand opportunity; Adventure."
Tez looks back at the others at her table and smiles slightly. "I can guarantee it will be different."
Agnes: "Tez needs to get something and bring it back." Agnes lets Tez tell more.
Tez: "It is simply a test to pass." she looks the two new people directly in the eyes, in turn, "From Akalatan."
Kerem: "Get something and bring it back, huh? I have some friends in that line of work." Kerem smiles knowingly.
Tez: "I did too, but unfortunately they are in a distant city."
Kerem: "Yeah, mine too. I'm trying to make some new friends."
Agnes: "What about you, Chimrea? You still looking for exciting opportunities to stay away from home?"
Tez: "How convenient that we met."
Chimrea: "Akalatan? Wasn't that the god worshipped by Aysha the Snake-Hearted?" Chimrea has heard some stories.
Kerem: "So if we helped you out with this...maybe you could help me out sometime. Uh. Us."
Tez: "Perhaps, Chimrea. Snakes are his creatures." her eyes drift in and out of focus for a moment, then she turns to Kerem, "I will be in your debt."
Kerem: "You sure will."
Kerem hesitates, and glances back at Chimrea.
Tez laughs, a flash of the old Tez breaking through.
Kerem: "What do you think?"
Chimrea: "See, I'm just asking because Aysha was an *evil crazy sorceress who helped destroy Sherezak*, so it's sort of an important question," Chimrea says in a bright voice.
Kerem looks back at Tez awkwardly, then back to Chim.
Tez: "Misunderstood, perhaps. As many of us are."
Agnes: "I don't see how it matters, but I don't know the history. If it's bad, when we get there, we destroy it. If not, we use it or rescue it or whatever."
Chimrea: "Why is Akalatan testing you?" Chimrea asks Tez.
Kerem: "I mean. Bad isn't always...terrible."
Kerem: "Evil crazy sorceress doesn't sound that great, though, I have to admit."
Tez 's expression twists when she mentions destruction of her but she doesn't comment. "He is testing me to see if I am worthy, of course. And, as I said, Aysha was not evil, nor crazy."
Agnes: "How do you know Aysha?"
Tez grins, "A little bird told me about her."
Chimrea: "Really? She's sort of a local villain in stories around her. I mean, it was all before I was born, but it's sort of funny that everyone misunderstood her the same way." Chimrea is the picture of childlike curiosity.
Tez: "As I understand it, she was actually attempting to save Sherezek."
Kerem: "What exactly happened to Sherezek, anyway? I've never even heard of this place."
Holmes: Serrin comes striding into the Market. Agnes sees the elven ambassador across the distance. He seems much better than previously.
Chimrea: "Sherezak was the first Rhiani city. It was destroyed by demons twenty years ago. Then Aysha came here and was misunderstood some more. I guess it was her hobby or something."
Agnes: "Oh, I know that part. These really interesting flying golems called Gogur attacked it." Agnes smiles, remembering the diagrams that her father once showed her.
Agnes stands and waves to Serrin.
Kerem: "Ah."
Kerem: "But Green Lake didn't get destroyed by demons, at least."
Kerem: "I mean, I assume."
Tez: "I assume not as well."
Chimrea: "Nope! Hopefully Akalatan won't try to help us, too."
Tez: "Are you afraid?"
Agnes: "Maybe we should investigate Akalatan's intentions...you know, keep an eye on Tez..?" Agnes is speaking toward Chimrea, but keeping her eyes on Serrin, trying to make contact.
Holmes: Serrin sees her, and starts making his way over. His movements have the grace that only elves of his sort have, even just crossing a marketplace.
Tez rolls her eyes, "Then maybe we should invite Teodric too."
Chimrea: "Nah," Chimrea answers Tez--Kerem may notice that she's drifted increasingly into a more normal teenaged pattern of speech as the conversation goes on. "If Kerem's game, I'd like to come along too. It'll be exciting."
Kerem blinks.
Agnes excuses herself for a moment and rushes to Serrin, profering an embrace.
Kerem: "Well. This IS what I do for a living."
Kerem: "I guess we're in."
Tez tilts her head to one side, surprised. "Well. Thank you. I hope you 'have fun' on the adventure."
Chimrea: "So what are we looking for, and where are we going?" Chimrea asks, glancing over at Agnes and the elf as she does.
Holmes: Serrin returns the embrace somewhat tentatively
Holmes: "Agnes, I hope you are well," he says.
Agnes: "I'm so glad you're well. I was so worried!"
Tez: "Well, first we gather a merry band, as it were, and then we go to the grove."
Kerem: "And what do we do IN the grove?"
Tez raises her hands, palm up, and shrugs, smiling crookedly. "I don't know yet."
Kerem rolls his eyes. "Oh good. My favorite kind of plan."
Agnes: "I'm fine." Agnes pulls Serrin the rest of the way to her table of friends and begins gesturing. Tez, Chimrea, Kerem, meet my special friend, Ambassador Serrin.
Kerem shakes his hand, smiling. "Hi there. Nice to meet you."
Tez stands, and drops a fairly respectfu curtsey. She's a bit rusty, as she hasn't done so in an awfully long time, due to other circumstances.
Chimrea curtsies as well, with a similar lack of practice.
Holmes: The elf bows back elegantly, to all.
Holmes: "Well met, young ones," he says.
Agnes: "These two are new in town, but you may know Chimrea -- daughter of Isadora."
Chimrea: "I haven't had the honor," Chimrea says, trying to remember what her mother taught her about talking to important people. "Do you need to talk?" she asks Agnes, wondering if the rest of them are supposed to leave.
Tez: "I am Tezicatli" she says when the elf bows to her
Agnes raises her eyebrows at Serrin, letting him decide if they need to speak alone.
Holmes: "Ahh," he pauses, "No, that's all right. I'm simply looking to find the pulse of the city tonight. What news do people have from abroad?"
Holmes: Serrin seems deliberately distant to Agnes.
Tez: "Kaitaine got hit by a giant rock?" She says helpfully
Kerem: "Also, people are upset about it."
Chimrea: "Tez here is being tested by Akalatan," Chimrea adds proudly.
Holmes: The elf's eyes go wide. "Akalatan? I have not heard that name in three hundred years."
Tez: "Yes, and Chimrea is going to help me." She smiles sweetly.
Holmes: He ponders for a moment and then, "I suppose I should not be surprised... gods are even more durable than we elves."
Tez: "Akalatan endures."
Agnes: "Actually, we were wondering about how to gather information. Maybe you could tell us something useful?"
Chimrea marks Serrin to go and query privately about it, if she can get access to him before the departure.
Holmes: "About Akalatan?" he says. "I'm afraid that the gods of the Red Moon are forbidden to us."
Kerem: "Hmm."
Kerem: "Wild guess here, but it sounds like Akalatan is the kind of god you don't worship in public."
Tez: "A shame, really." she smiles. "He has much to teach."
Holmes: Serrin smiles to himself, "And what does Akalatan teach?"
Tez: "Come with me and find out."
Agnes looks hopeful. "Would you Serrin? We could really use the help."
Chimrea is edging back from the group a bit, trusting Kerem to keep an ear on things. Her own attention drifts back to the Vajaari table.
Holmes: The light from the torch-baskets casts fluttering shadows across the packed earth of the market as the conversation proceeds into the night.
Alquas: Alquas was not enjoying his evening so far as much as he'd hoped. While usually these diplomatic missions were great opportunities for nights out on the town where no-one knew him for what he was, something seemed to be holding him back tonight.
Alquas: Nevertheless, he caught the stare of Chimrea.
Tez looks vaguely past the others, waiting for Serrin to answer. Her gaze flits around the crowd, the beating of all the hearts surrounding her loud in her ears when she is not concentrating.
Chimrea is young, with the dusky skin and aristocratic features of her Ikaiti mother but dressed like a local, albeit in somber clothing. She looks a little nervous, but meets Alquas' gaze with raised eyebrows.
Alquas: Alquas smiles as winningly as he can as he lets his glance linger. Best to play this one quietly, he thinks.
Chimrea: With a glance to make sure that Kerem is still listening in on the ambassador and their spooky new acquaintance, Chimrea edges back further until she's separated from her group. She approaches the Vajaari table a little hesitantly.
Kerem glances at Chimrea as she steps away, then at the Vajaari. His smile thins a little, but he continues paying attention to his table.
Chimrea makes a little "don't worry" hand signal to Kerem--she'll be careful.
Alquas: So far, so good. Alquas gets to his feet. "Greetings, young lady. I do not believe I have had the pleasure?" He extends a hand.
Chimrea: "I'd remember meeting a Vajaari," Chimrea says, smiling and clasping her hand with his. "I hope it's all right if I bother you for just a moment."
Alquas: "For a beautiful young woman, I have all the time in the world." He claps the hand firmly, not letting go.
Tez gazes back at the table, notes Chimrea's new companion and ponders.
Holmes: In the distance somebody trying to break the mood begins to play the melodic toms of the Rhiani. The hypnotic beat fills the night air, and some people begin to dance (though somberly for the most part).
Chimrea: "That's very kind of you. I'm Chimrea." She seems to be a little intimidated by the Vajaari, but isn't actively avoiding looking in their direction like most people in the area.
Kerem coughs, and orders another drink.
Tez: "One for me too, please."
Tez stares off into the distance again, looking a little lost.
Alquas: Alquas smiles broadly at the start of the music. "Ah! A dance. Would you do me the honour, Chim-rea?" He over-enunciates the unfamiliar syllables.
Kerem gets up abruptly, leaving his drink to go begging, and heads over, putting his hand lightly on Chimrea's shoulder.
Kerem: "Hey." Alquas gets a brief smile. Very brief.
Holmes: Serrin sits down to watch people dance, pondering the question? Or perhaps simply avoiding it?
Kerem: "It's getting a little late. I think I'd better go find an inn and doss down for the night."
Kerem: "If you're, uh, busy, I can hunt one up on my own."
Alquas still has a firm grip on Chimrea's hand. He gives a small glance to the newcomer, but keeps the rest of his attention on her.
Chimrea: "I was just going to ask... I'm sorry, what was your name? I was going to ask him what brings a handsome young man here with an ill-luck cat padding behind him." Chimrea half-turns to address Kerem, making no attempt to remove her hand from Alquas' yet.
Alquas: Still pointedly ignoring Kerem, and applying slightly more pressure to the hand, Alquas says "My name is Alquas, Chim-rea." This time he pauses over the syllables deliberately, breathing in the name as one might fine wine."Come, the music calls us."
Kerem: "Well, you know luck spirits. They're tricky little things."
Tez laughs to herself as she watches the two men fight over Chimrea.
Chimrea: Quickly to Kerem, Chimrea adds, "Try Goat Row--the inns there aren't too bad. I'll find you in the morning." She glances furtively sideways at Agnes and Tez--she'll try to talk to Kerem alone about those two. "But now," she finishes, "I have to dance."
Tez slips her hand under the neckline of her dress and fingers the coin that hangs suspended there on a leather thong. "Bad luck for you tonight, Kerem."
Kerem: "...yeah. Well. Good night."
Alquas: Alquas smiles more broadly than ever, and now finds the time to give Kerem a long, hard stare. "Yes, we MUST dance."
Kerem almost smiles, but fails, and turns on his heel to walk away.
Kerem: "Excuse me, Tez?"
Tez looks at him and smiles crookedly. "It seemed so, at least."
Chimrea: "I warn you," Chimrea laughs as she turns back to Alquas, "I'm really not very good."
Kerem shakes his head. "You don't know anything about luck."
Kerem: "I'll catch you later. Or you can catch me first."
Alquas: "On the contrary, my dear. You shall be wonderful."
Tez: "I'll walk with you, if it's okay. I need a place to stay too, remember?"
Kerem blinks.
Tez looks over at Agnes, "Unless you have somewhere?"
Agnes: Agnes is paying poor attention to her friends; distracted as she is by the strange treatment from Serrin. "...No, go ahead."
Alquas: "With this dance" Alquas cotinues, surveying the other dancers, "I am unfamiliar. But, we shall see what we can make of it"
Tez shrugs
Tez: "The..Goat Row it is, then."
Kerem: "...sure, if you like." He smiles a bit, and takes her arm. "I bet we'll find something we both like."
Alquas: He still has firm hold of her hand, and begins to walk around Chimrea, with a quick two-three step. He raises his other hand slowly as he does so.
Tez smiles leans over to whisper in his ear, "I can help you make her jealous if you want."
Alquas: "You spoke of... cats of ill-luck?" he says, stepping faster.
Kerem: "...oh yeah?" They recede into the distance.
Agnes: Turning to Serrin, "So, what is it? Why the distance?"
Chimrea pivots in time with Alquas' steps, her skirts rustling as the pace speeds. "Maybe a silly fancy on my part--only when I saw your table earlier, I found myself thinking of the plains cats, and they're a bad omen." She looks into his face, eyes wide with curiosity.
Alquas: "Ah? Surely not. For when I examined the stars this night, I saw in them only a night filled with pleasures." He pulls on her arm to draw her in close.
Holmes: Serrin looks up at the sky, "Tlilok is visible tonight."
Holmes: Serrin refers to the moon that orbits the moon Orhan.
Holmes: He turns to Agnes.
Chimrea spins as she moves closer, pausing with her back to Alquas only for a moment before turning back out again, until she's facing him over their extended clasped hands. "We seem to have clashing omens. Me, I'm only an amateur at reading them, but even I can see that Vajaari in the city in these troubled times may bring troubles of their own."
Agnes: "Are you really OK?"
Holmes: "I find myself unable to adequately explain myself," Serrin says. "Our lives are complicated, are they not? I am the luckiest being in that I have my wife. But somehow she is not enough. And then there is this sickness. I cannot help but think that it must have a meaning."
Holmes: He looks at her deeply, "She isn't well, and Arblak is failing, I think."
Agnes is visibly shaken. "But. But you were so much worse than she. How could this be?"
Agnes: "If it cured you, how could Islitarialind..."
Alquas: Alquas grins again. "Hah! The Vajaari are a bad omen all of their own? The claim is fair. Our.. distaste for our neighbours is well known."
Alquas: He spins in toward her, raising their linked arms in a complcated movement to bring them behind his back, so they are pressed face-to-face for a moment. "Yet, myself... I have developed a taste for the.. exotic."
Chimrea: "You're dodging my questions," Chimrea points out, a little breathless, "but I suppose that's fair. You don't have any reason to trust me."
Alquas presses Chimrea close to him as he beings once again to walk around her. He holds her gaze.
Agnes: "What can I do to help? We acknowledge that I am somehow linked to the sickness -- or a tricky illusion makes us think so. So I should be able to help."
Alquas: "I trust in the poetry of an evening such as this" he says. "What would you wish me answer?"
Holmes: Serrin nods. "I am not sure, Agnes. We may leave soon for Lys. There may be healers there who can help her."
Chimrea: "Tell me what brings you to Green Lake," Chimrea says. "Stars are crashing into cities, snake-gods seek new servants, and spirits go lost off the paths of the dead. Are you here to help us, or add to our grief?" She seems wistful, hoping he'll answer honestly but doubting it.
Agnes swallows hard. "You know that I love you both, right? One reason that I've been hanging out with that young woman, Tez; She's some kind of blood priestess. There is a chance that under the proper circumstances, my blood will have a restorative effect. I'm still doing research."
Holmes: Serrin looks at her dubiously. "Is there real hope here?"
Alquas: A pause in the music. Alquas is holding Chimrea at arm's length, facing her over their clasped hands. "If I told you our mission here was peaceful, would you believe me? Diplomacy is not beyond us. Vajaar cannot be at war with all her neighbours at once."
Agnes: "I don't know yet. I'm trying the only avenues of research available to me. I sure hope so."
Holmes: Serrin wants to believe. He doesn't want to go. But responsibility weighs heavily on him.
Chimrea: "I'd believe you," Chimrea says, very quietly into the hush. "I think we neighbors need each other now, so I'd hate to think you a liar."
Holmes: From a hidden shadow in the distance comes a new dancer into the fray. His dance is crazed, however, not meant to speak to people, but to the small creatures of the far away desert. Belnif comes up to Tez, and, still dancing like mad, asks, "The desert snake is who you follow? Do you know where he leads?"
Holmes: He is old, making his gyrations a wonder. His skin is baked into crust, his black hair flying.
Alquas: The disruption breaks the moment between Alquas and Chimrea. He lets go of her hands.
Alquas: "I would hate to be thought one." he says.
Tez: "Who are you?" she looks startled at the man's approach
Alquas: "You would like a drink, perhaps?" He gestures away from the dancing, where the newcomer is making him nervous and a little irritated.
Holmes: "I am nobody important," says Belnif. "But my questions may be."
Chimrea: "I would," she agrees, stepping back just a bit as he releases her hands. "I shouldn't stay too long--my brother will be furious already." She smiles, banishing some of the melancholy that seemed to grip her before.
Tez: "I follow him wherever he leads..." her gaze stops on his face, and she shakes her head a little, feeling strange. "I think."
Alquas: "Brother? Ah, was this the man who earlier seemed so concerned for your welfare?"
Alquas: With the manner of one who is used not to worrying about money, Alquas thrusts a small pouch toward the nearest vendor. It clinks heavily as it lands. All his attention, however, is fixed on Chimrea.
Agnes intrudes on the distance that Serrin has erected between them this night. She lays her head on his shoulder and embraces him. "We'll find a way. Emotions like this are too strong to be beaten."
Chimrea: "Kerem?" Chimrea laughs at the thought. "No, he's one of Kaitaine's strays. We're helping each other out. He needs a guide, and I need someone to take me seriously..." She laughs again, but it comes out brittle.
Holmes: Belnif whirls about, a light seeming to form around his ancient limbs. "
Holmes: "Hell is not far from the desert," he says to nobody in particular.
Tez: "Nor is Green Lake."
Tez thinks about that for a minute "Wait that didn't come out right." she sighs.
Alquas: Alquas regards Chimrea intently, and for the first time with a little genuine curiosity. He says, "Imagine so beautiful a woman to have difficulty being taken seriously. Men should listen in rapt wonder to your wisdom.". Yet even as he says it, his heart really isn't in it. What was the matter with him this evening?
Holmes: Chimrea had always been told that all Vajaari were dour, and thought only of war.
Chimrea: "I love hearing you talk that way," Chimrea says with a wistful smile, "and you're not at all like I was told the Vajaari are. But really, we're just measuring out the distance between us. Everyone has secrets. I saw one of Kerem's, so he has to trust me a little. I don't know if I've seen one of yours, in that plains cat."
Alquas: This time, the stare is much harder.
Alquas: "My dear Chim-rea, I have more secrets then I know how to bear." There's a hardness to his voice that was missing before.
Chimrea: "Then you should find someone to share them, or all the dances in the world won't help." Chimrea looks sad. "I hope you find what you're looking for in Green Lake."
Alquas: Alquas now turns to regard the scene at large. He speaks as if to the wind. "I don't know what I look for on these nights. Time away, mostly. Companionship. Diversion."
Chimrea: "That sounds normal, not at all like the terrible Vajaari," Chimrea teases. She looks over the crowd, frowning a bit. "Normally it's livelier than this--people coming from Kaitaine brought fear with them."
Alquas: "The terrible Vajaari." Alquas repeats. He looks at his bottle for a moment, and drains it. "At home, all they talk of is war, and glory."
Alquas: "Much of our reputation is deserved." He mutters something in Vajaari.
Chimrea sips her own drink much more carefully. "You don't seem so bad right now, Alquas," she says seriously. "Reputations don't have to rule people forever."
Alquas: He turns to geard her again, but this time more softly. "In Vajarr, we are taught to regard foreigners with suspiscion, contempt. They are Shujak, empty people, less than alive."
Alquas: "Yet, it is when I head out on a night like this, here, among those I'm taught are less, that I feel most alive. What am I to make of that?"
Alquas: He grabs another bottle. "Perhaps the wine talks for me. I am sorry, Chimm-reah. You are beautiful indeed, but I think tonight I...."
Chimrea: Now it's Chimrea's turn to look at him hard, as if seeing a new thing in his features. "I don't know," she answers his question softly. "I'm sorry--I've ruined your escape out here."
Alquas: He stands, still clutching the bottle, then turns back to her. "I told you I would hate to be though a liar, so in truth - most of my nights in escape end this way."
Alquas: "If anything, it has been better to speak of my troubles in company. Wine is a poor listener."
Chimrea: "Then I'm glad to have listened," Chimrea says, "and I hope I'll see you again."
Alquas: "I should return to the camp. I hope our paths might cross again, Chimm-rea?" There is a sadness in his eyes now, the earlier grace an poise quite gone from him.
Chimrea: "Count on it," she says decisively, smiling to cover the sad feeling the evening has left her.
Alquas: He says something in Vajaari, bows, and takes his leave.

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