Cellawyn curses and lunges at the farmer again with her rapier.
With Naught's chilling words to her, the gypsy witch's glazed eyes suddenly spring to alertness once more. This time, there is a more sinister expression upon her face...
An expression of wicked pleasure.
Taking a careful sidestep from the shovel-bearer, Aliseya points to the one whom he looks towards, who he called Reuben. Glancing towards Naught a moment, "D'na'ahh mtlivehtma."
Aliseya's sharp-tipped fingers then slither like serpents as she motions for Reuben to approach his friend, "F’ukhyoi."
To Reuben, "End him."
As soon as the man sees the witch twitch her muscles and fingers in unusually flexible and precise ways, especially her clawed fingers, which seem to act as ten independent entities attached to her hands, he attempts to hit her with his shovel. He seems to see some humanity in her, as he fails to have the guts to attempt an intentionally vicious attack. His hesitation gives Aliseya(?) more than enough space to dodge.
Aliseya successfully weaves her incantation into Reuben's mind, as he completely interrupts the thought of his response to Zelda and snarls a righteous and terse "NO!" to the witch.
Having no visual components to go off Naught mistakenly believes Aliseya's order was for her. With a roll of her eyes she'll reply, "Fm’latgh glaaki. Latho Glaaki. N'gha mg glaaki." Catching on that the others might not be able to speak like they do she'll switch back over to Taldane. "I do not want any low life's seeking wrongs on the professor's resting place after we leave. Just knock some sense into them." With that she'll take another swing at one of the ruffians.
Mirelinza is at a loss. 'What to do? What to do? I can't attack these farmers but then I can't attack my fellow pall-bearers. I owe some small allegiance to the friends of the Professor but then this is no fair fight and the farmers deserve some protection.' What to do?'
"The Dawnflower teaches me to be as a caring parent or sibling to all those in need. To be the guiding light of truth."
"Nothing shall be gained by violence here. We come to bury a friend and no god I care to name as a god would stop this funeral," she stares at the farmers at this point.
"Or wish to spoil it," now she stares at the pallbearers.
After Cellawyn delivers an angry blow to the man's head, almost strong enough to knock him out, he drops his tool and stumbles away from the elf, trying to recover from the dizziness. He notices that one of his fellows is unconscious, and so yells to Reuben (to whom Zelda was talking), amidst some groaning from the pain "Reuben, Lawrence's passed out, and the witch will kill us if we stay! All these outsiders have sided with'em, help me get him out of here!"
In his momentary confusion, the man whom Cellawyn hit seemed to have ignored the specifics of what was said by Mirelinza Zelda, and, of course, the two other ladies conversing in Aklo.
Reuben, after resisting the allure of the witch, and instead of deciding to strike against her, drops his shovel and runs away from Zelda and Mirelinza, not heeding their arguments, so as to help the other man lift Lawrence up.
Mr. Hephenus, while turning back to Ravengro, seemed to have noticed the precarious situation of his fellows, so he ran back the fastest he could to assist them, yelling and gasping "The misfortune that will befall us will be upon you strangers! Ya think that just because you're soldiers you can get away with anything you want, even burying a necromancer in our Restlands! There're limits, ya hear! Limits! You won't get away with it!"
Mr. Hephenus seems to be running to the two men that are assisting Lawrence in order to help them make their escape. He is carrying no weapons.
Naught will cross her arms and begin rocking back and forth on her feet, as if the procession disturbers can't flee fast enough to her liking
Cellawyn will refrain from making an attack of opportunity. "Next time you won't be so lucky."
She then turns back to the group, "Shall we continue with the funeral procession?"
As words are exchanged and the ruffians retreat, Aliseya's sadistic expression fades first to confusion. Her eyes then glaze over once more... then twist upwards, into her head, leaving naught but the whites of her eyes showing.
With a sigh, the exasperated young woman's body goes limp. She falls to the ground with a thud.
Naught jumps when she hears the thump behind her, seeing the unconscious Aliseya she will hustle over to the fallen lady to see if she is okay. "Miss Ali! Are you okay?!?!"
Mirelinza will not make any effort to attack anyone. Shaking her head at the challenge her god has put in front of her, she wonders what to do when she hears the sound of a thud behind her.
Seeing the short woman rush to her aid, Mirelinza stands back and watches - one eye on the retreating farmers, in case they change their mind.
Kendra rushes ahead of the others towards the commotion as the three remaining men, assisted by Mr. Hephenus, rush away.
"Are you all alright?" she asks, but as she approaches and sees Aliseya fainted on the ground, she comes around the group and kneels down "Oh, my, this is all my fault, I should have taken matters upon my hands when those brutes decided to bar us from entering the Restlands... I... I am sorry that this situation has come to pass, I must say I was worried this would turn into a bloodbath, but I am glad you handled it as non-violently as the situation permitted..."
Hey, lady! Can you hear me?! she says in loud voice while shaking Aliseya's shoulder, but the lady's eyes seem to stare and move about blankly. Naught makes the correct decision of lifting Aliseya's legs, supporting them with her shoulders, and you can see color returning to the pretty Varisian face.
The other members of the procession seem to stay at a short distance, observing.
Cellawyn kneels down to examine Aliseya, "Yes, let's get her to a healer. I'm not from around here. Is there anyone here from Ravengro whom knows of a healer?"
Aliseya's blank eyes suddenly sharpen back to alertness as she gasps aloud. She quickly lifts her torso upon bent arms, blinks a few times, and looks all around herself.
She then focuses her attention on the peculiar sight of Naught holding her legs over her shoulders. A quizzical look comes over Aliseya's face, "Wha... what did I miss?"
"You collapsed after those jerks ran off. Are you okay? Can you stand?" Naught will badger Aliseya with appearantly rhetorical questions as she effortlessly scoops up the dainty lady in her arms and lifts her up.
Mirelinza walks over to the woman that's just regained consciousness. "I'm no expert, but I have some experience with standard ailments. Permit me?" If the woman does not object, Mirelinza will check her over for obvious signs of anything untoward.
"Oh, I'm Mirelinza by the way," she offers by way of a bedside manner as she performs her checks.
"Oh! I'm Naught. Pleased to meet you." She will smile widely as she greets the paladin, unintentionally showing off a set of teeth more befitting of a shark than a lady.
As the impromptu introduction of the outsiders commences, the other members of the procession come in.
The two military men introduce themselves with pompous bows as "Lieutenant Hearthmount, Councilman of Ravengro" (the fat man) and "Major Gharen Muricar, and I also happen to be a councilman."
You recall that Lt. (Vashian) Hearthmount is the councilman who invoked you in writing to attend the reading of Petros Lorrimor's last will.
Gharen firmly grabs Aliseya by the arm with one hand, and runs his index fingertip over one of the scratches on her shoulder twice or three times, adding "The wound does not look deep, fortunately..."
Zokar Elkarid and his son Pervin also introduce themselves, as well as, of course, the apothecary Jominda Fallenbridge.
"Those ruffians have been acting up these days," remarks Jominda. "I know them well," says Zokar as he grabs hold of the coffin, seizing the opportunity to also be a pallbearer, "and I am surprised they went so far with their harassment." After a brief silence, he turns to his son Perv, make yourself ready."
The euphoria ensuing the just-ended violent tension seems to alleviate the emotions of all but Kendra Lorrimor, who maintains a somber brow.
A polite woman, she introduces herself as well "I am Kendra Lorrimor, and I am pleased to meet you. I wish we had met in more pleasant an occasion, and circumstances had not put us at such odds so... suddenly. I feel I must apologize for my reproach a few minutes ago, but... Well, no excuses, it was impolite of mine. I am grateful that you have not blemished this day of remembrance with bloodshed."
As she says this last sentence, though, she seems reserved about her words applying to Aliseya, who had just displayed such an aggressive and irrational behavior... and spoken Aklo. "The pretty one was conversing in Aklo with the short one... What is her name? Yes, Naught. Is she a tiefling? I am sure this has not gone unnoticed to this Sarenrae paladin either... Let us see how... Mialee? Let us see how she will act on it."
She turns to Zelda and Cellawyn and says "Perhaps I missed your names?" with her hands folded low, over her dress.
Cellawyn stands and straightens her uniform before introducing herself to Kendra. "I am Lieutenant Cellawyn Cayentelva. I did an extended sabbatical with your father. I'm so sorry for your loss and I'm sorry we had to meet under these circumstances. I promise that I will work with the local authorities to ensure those miscreants are held accountable for their disrespect."
Kendra simply smiles to Zelda, with gratitude. "Let us leave it aside, Lt. Cayentelva, those men's ignorance will bring them the fair measure of ordeal."
Kendra seems a bit reserved about extending friendship to Aliseya, but adds "I hope you are alright, in spite of those scratches, the fall and the..."
"It is best if we proceed with the ceremony," she says, finally.
Kendra is clearly more concerned about set the burial in motion, than to socialize. Perhaps at a later time she will be more open to conversation.
Thus, the pallbearers, now assisted by Zokar, lift the coffin, and cross the last few yards up the gravel trail towards the entrance of the Reslands.
The cemetery is modest, a nearly rectangular area, about 380-feet wide and 180 feet-long. The area is surrounded by 5-feet tall walls of tightly laid clay bricks, with heavy white stone blocks on top, all stone aged into a dark tone by years of rain and moss.
The Restlands are a peaceful place, with much grass, many trees and bushes overgrown to alleviate the heat of noon, with some vines crawling over the tombs and tombstones, and branches arching over the crypts.
There, the metal rusts, and the stone darkens.
The procession enters through the southern entrance, and proceeds to the left and up through the curvy, earth-laden path of the Dreamwake, where the vegetation gives space to more tombs and tombstones.
If Ravengro was the domain of a number of dogs, the Dreamwake is under occupation by an even more abundant number of crows perched on the tombstones, ever watchful, and some hopping about on the ground. It was a murder large enough to create the eerie feeling that the black birds could simply hoard on you and peck every tiny patch of your flesh with no chance that you could run away from their feast.
The crows, however, remain neutral but noisy, as you cross the path, until you come away from them, turning right around a sizeable crypt, into the straight Eversleep.
The tombs at the border of the Eversleep block the view of the the more modest tombs to the center of the cemetery, but there is not much to notice, because after walking for a few feet, you spot a priest (of Pharasma) and two acolytes, who diligently dug the grave, waiting.
Standing on her feet now thanks to the assistance of the muscled lady with shark teeth, Aliseya smiles, "Oh my, well that was... unnecessary. But thank you. My name is Aliseya, but you can call me Ali."
To Mirelinza and her checkup, "Thank you. I think I am fine now." Aliseya brushes off the gravel and dirt from her outfit, frowning at the mess upon her new black shawl.
"I remember screaming for everyone to calm down... then, I remember Naught lifting my legs." she responds to Zelda with furrowed brows. A worried look comes across her face, "I am sorry for screaming. And I... may have used some profanity? I am really sorry about that," she looks to Kendra now, apologizing for using profanity at her father's wake (as if that were the worst of her offenses).
Continuing with Zelda's query, "I just... don't deal with violence very well. Why faint? I don't really know... guess those angry men, the threat of violence, and all the while mourning the poor professor's death all combined really got to me."
With her mention of the late professor, tears well up in Aliseya's eyes as she turns to look at Kendra Lorrimor. Nodding her head in agreement with the need to proceed, she rubs her eyes dry, "Yes, yes. So sorry to delay this even more than necessary with my silly fainting. Let's go."
For the remainder of the procession, Aliseya likewise silently and somberly bears the casket to its final resting place.
Mirelinza falls into step and continues to carry the coffin...silently.
Naught will also fall in line as the coffin continues to its final destination.
Likewise, Cellawyn carries the casket silently, staring into the distance.
As you approach the tomb with the coffin, you see the tomb itself, the group of acolytes and priest in more detail.
The tomb is a modest stone construction standing 3 feet off the ground, and those who peer inside can see it is plated with lower-grade slabs of stone -- thus no dirt mound, but, rather, just a large and thick slab of marble slid to the side of the tomb.
The acolytes are a young man, in his twenties, and an older one, in his late thirties. The priest ("Father Grimburrow" you hear amidst some of the attending locals' whispered remarks about him), on the other hand, is so old that he looks like he could break apart at any moment. With a very thick and hard wrinkled skin over his protuding bones, the man has an appearance that is expected of his venerable age, the late eighties.
After the older acolyte guides the pallbearers to set the coffin on the straps that have been set accross the grave to help lower the wooden casket, the younger one grabs a basket with fresh-cut white lillies, and circles the group, giving them the opportunity to grab one or two flowers to throw into the tomb.
Fr. Grimburrow remains in silence, waiting for everyone to settle around the tomb, and then he comes to hug Kendra. She corresponds with a warm embrace, and whispers a brief conversation to him. An experssion of concern comes to his face, but the priest and the young maiden stop talking and go back to their respective places.
Then, the priest starts, in a deep, carefully-paced voice, far stronger than his weak aspect may suggest: "'Tis a day of sorrow for us all, my dear friends, and friends from abroad, the day we bid goodbye to our brother, Petros Lorrimor, as we remain upon this land to grieve his tragic departure, and feel the weight of his absence. Today he has been led by his friends and family to the place of his sleep, where we hope and pray peace will be with him, for we recognize that, only through mercy and prayer, will his soul find rest and redemption. We gather here to remember life and of death, to recall the noble deeds through which, aided by grace, Petros showed light to each one of us, and to pray for his soul, so that his errors be forgiven and he be saved. Let us pray."
He then opens a thick purple book, extends his right hand, and reads a few Pharasmin prayers, while the group responds after each prayer. Perhaps some of the outsiders fail to track at first, but then they learn the simple, cyclical responses.
The priest closes the book, and the acolytes carefully lower the coffin with the Elkarids' help. With the rudimentary procedure, the coffin descends in a rather tilted position, but it gently arrives at the bottom of the tomb.
The straps are pulled, the flowers are jected, one by one, into the tomb, with sorrowful thoughts and tears, perhaps a message of adieu.
Then the marble slab is slid over the tomb, and the same silence that certainly lies under the stone also seals its wordless surroundings.
In peaceful silence, the group will return as a procession to Ravengro. As they cross the threshold of the Restlands, it is easy to notice the sudden absence of vegetation, apart from grass, on the way to Ravengro.
You see that the group breaks down into small clusters.
The two military and the younger acolyte approach Aliseya. Gharen Muricar says, dazzled by the Varisian's looks, "So... I take it that you knew the Professor?"
The apothecary, Jominda, seems to be close enough to Naught, so she also asks "Where are you coming from... Knotte, right?"
Cellawyn exoticness seems to draw Pervin's curiosity, who promptly, and finally asks, incapable of holding his words any longer "Are you an elf too?" His father comes along, apologizing "Now, now Perv, don't be rude! Please excuse us, miss. Perhaps you would be kind enough to share with us about your friendship with Petros. Well, surely, it would take a great friendship for someone to come this far, to Ravengro!, for the burial... I also take it you are departing soon?" he says with a chuckle. You can see that the exercise is brining sweat and redness to his overly white skin.
The older acolyte and Fr. Grimburrow come to Zelda, and the priest asks, gently and fatherly, "Now, how did this pretty lady meet the Professor?"
Kendra approaches Mirelinza and her clanking armor. She asks about Mirelinza's connection to her father, but she is clearly more interested in prompting the paladin about another matter.
---
Jerking to attention at the apothecarist adressing her Naught will reply solemnly yet happily. "Yes, Pleased to meet you miss. I come from over here and over there... Petros saved me, the least I could do for him is see him laid to rest. Yes, it's the very least after all he's done. He saved me." She pauses momentarily as she pushes her hat off head, letting it hang slumpenly against her back by a cord around her neck. Her dark hair begins to writhe undulatingly after being suppressed by the heavy hat for so long. Her ears extended outward and flapped once or twice before retracting back to the sides of her head. Neither elf not human they resemble the wings of a bat moreso than what would be expected to be coming out of the sides of a person's head. She readies herself for a moment before continuing, as if the light, dim as it may be, unnerves her as it now bears down on her unshielded head. "He saved all of us..."
"I am sorry for the delay, Father, some farmers wanted to ruin the funeral, and they came with tools to threat us... It was horrible."
"Oh, my! How come you are here? Don't tell me these outsiders..."
"No, no, there was some confusion and battering, but no one got hurt... but once this day is over we can talk."
Cellawyn gives the villagers a withering look, "Yes, I am an elf." She turns and stares into the distance. "I was a student of Professor Lorrimir. You see, the Ustalav Army had an arrangement with the University of Caliphas where they would provide advanced training for selective officers. I was lucky enough to be selected for the program and even luckier to have Professor Lorrimor selected as my instructor. His training profoundly altered the course of my career. Because of him, I dedicated my life to eradicating undead."
Cellawyn turns back to the men, "Pervin, you seem like a good boy. You and your father should be wary. Professor Lorrimor was too intelligent to die from a common accident. There are nefarious forces at work in this town. Beware the evil that lurks in the shadows."
Oh. My. Gods. He's, like, old enough to be my GRANDfather...
"Yes, Mr. Councilman." Wiping a few tears from her sorrowful eyes as they walk, Aliseya pauses thoughtfully after this brief response to the hot and bothered councilman. She smiles politely to him, but strongly intends to suggest nothing more by her smile. Though Gharen might see it a bit differently...
Aliseya spots where Kendra is, and suavely paces her steps, aiming her small cluster towards the late professor's daughter.
The young gypsy lady then continues where she left off a moment before, "Yes, I knew the professor. For but a year, yet it felt like a lifetime. He most graciously assisted me, during one of his scholarly expeditions into my country of Varisia, and continued to be supportive of me through correspondence ever since."
Now close to Kendra, Aliseya's eyes meet hers. She smiles kindly, and grasps Kendra's hand with sincere feeling, "I just wanted to say, it's so nice to finally meet you Kendra Lorrimor, though I TRULY wish it were under FAR BETTER circumstances. Your father," as she speaks, her voice increasingly trembles and cracks, "he was such a good man, Kendra. I lost my father too, you see... a year ago... and I was SO fortunate to have met the professor when I most needed his guidance... and wisdom..."
Tears begin to trickle down Aliseya's cheeks. She cannot contain her emotions any longer as she moves in to fully embrace Kendra in a heartfelt hug of consolation.
After getting a partial grip of herself, she smiles through her lingering tears at Kendra, "I'm so sorry."
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Zelda give father Grimburrow a half smile.
"How did I meet the professor?" she asks
I believe the professor found me. My town was hit by a plague or should I say the plague was brought to my town. You see we believe a witches coven brought it for some reason. The people of the area were happy to let us all die off but not the professor. He and his friends rode into town, cure those that were still alive and buried the rest. The only thing left of my town is a small piece of wood."
As she says this Zelda pulls out a small bundle carefully wrapped in cloth. Then carefully unwraps the bundle. It appears to be a small piece of wood with a symbol on it. Zelda holds to wood out so Father Grimburrow can see it.
"Have you ever seen this symbol before?" she asks
"It is the symbol the witches left behind. I believe it is the sign of their coven." Zelda looks at the father, desperately hoping for some clue to send her in the right direction.
After the professor responds Zelda carefully wraps the wood in the cloth again and puts it away.
Mirelinza listens to Kendra and pauses before replying, as if considering her words carefully. "My relationship with your father was professional.
The Dawnflower wished me to vanquish evil and eliminate remnants of the Whispering Tyrant’s long reign - and Ustalav was a good place to start.
Anyway, I survived an encounter with a particularly fearsome undead creature that that was terrorising a village. And that is when I met your father.. He approached me as part of his studies, and seemed amazed stha I had avoided death or even injury. This meeting soon developed into frequent correspondence until a few months ago.
Your father assisted me by providing me with insight into the anatomy and defences of the undead. I'd be surprised if he ever mentioned me."
She wonders if the Professor's daughter has another motive for speaking to her.
"The sole remnant of the Whispering Tyrant's reign is moral corruption" Kendra states incisively. "Perhaps Ravengro is far less affected by the Ustalavic ill-will, but in Lepidstadt, oh, there you can see that the government of the principalities still rots."
"...do you even remember the undead clearly? My father used to tell me about them, very convincingly, but I find it hard to believe they are not simply very sick individuals, with gruesome appearance and, well, unfortunately insane behavior. Plague can be very cruel to people..."
Kendra dismisses the small talk, and approaches Mirelinza, saying a few sentences in lower voice.
"I am concerned about those two speaking the Twisted Speech, though." Clearly, she is talking about Naught and Aliseya. "The short one... is she... human? More importantly, is the other one a witch? Her beauty is so impressive that it almost looks... fake, as if while speaking Aklo and behaving like a beast she had revealed her true nature. A wolf in a sheep's hide... Do you know either of them?"
Kendra, unlike Gharen, is not very impressed with the approaching Aliseya's display of emotions. She seems to ignore Mirelinza, trying to indicate that the whispered conversation is over for the time-being.
Kendra listens to the Varisian with attention and respect, but with a good measure of reservation and judgment. "What kind of guidance did you need from my father?" she asks coldly.
No one seems to be particularly moved by the stories told, or very eager to bond with the outsiders, but the way to Ravengro is long enough for some more conversation happen, and these people are (mostly) polite.
Naught can notice that Jominda has goosebumps from the sight of the bat-like ears, but at the same time she seems a bit intrigued with medical curiosity as if she was finally seeing live something she had already read about, from books perhaps. The woman remains quiet as both her and Naught walk alongside. As if finally finding something to say, but still trying to avoid staring, Jominda prompts "If I may ask... what kind of concoction caused these reactions? How did Petros treat you for poisoning?"
The other individuals, except Kendra and the priest, eventually lay her eyes upon Naught by accident, only to awkwardly dodge the sight, but then after resting from the terror cannot withhold a side-glance with curiosity. The perceptive lady does notice the undesired attention.
"Undead, miss?" retorts Zokar. "Undead are a legend from the time of our grandfathers! I am afraid you have been preparing yourself for hunting things that are in people's imagination... Still, if your training allows you to kill a wolf or two, and gives you any chance against a small bear, then it's not too bad... I bet you being in the army you have dealt with more living crooks than undead," the large man jests.
The man's pale skin blushes from exercise; sweat coats his wide face with an almost greasy look, and his breath gets heavier and heavier under his heavy fat chest and through his thick mustache, with so much exercise from the walk.
Pervin remains dazzled with the looks of the slender elf, and did not seem affected by Cellawyn's bitter gaze.
"Now," Zokar lowers his voice and comes closer to Cellawyn, with some friendly advice. "I am not one for spreading rumors or for gossiping, but I feel I must tell you somethin'. Certain things are better left... alone, you know. The professor passed away in most unfortunate circumstances... The walls of Harrowstone are very sturdy, but, well, those are called ruins for a reason... The structure was weak and the wall collapsed on him when he tried to climb it, that's what they say. Besides, you should for sure not be stirring up trouble in town, with all this talk about the evil and the lurking and the shadows. If you have a concern, talk to the Sheriff and let him work it out, but regarding the professor he already did the investigation that had to be done, I am sure..." He pauses, and lowers his voice even more "But I tell you: if you start meddling with the city's affairs like it is your own... what do they call it... jurisdication," -- "jurisdiction" Pervin corrects, and his father continues -- "People are going to throw some pretty bad looks at you. Especially if you start with this talk about 'nefarious forces'."
Councilman Gharen seems to follow Aliseya as she approaches Kendra, and the other two men go astray, as they form a new cluster and start talking to each other.
"I am sure Petros took very good care of you," interrupts Gharen, with a smile.
"I am sorry to hear that, Zelda." The old man wheezes, tired from the stride. It seems as though the group of foreigners is vigorously dictating the pace of the walk towards Ravengro, a toiling exercise for the commoners.
The younger acolyte seems ready to help Father Grimburrow walk and maintain balance, but the elder does not require any assistance. The young man listens to the conversation, but lets the priest do the talking.
"Pharasma teaches us, however, that those who die in sickness, sleep peacefully. I hope you can find peace in your heart as well... As for this symbol... It means nothing to me, unfortunately, but I am not one to ask, perhaps Kendra has seen it, as I would guess her father -- may his sleep be peaceful -- might have..."
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Zelda notices the towns people are struggleing to keep up. She looks at the father and speaks in a voice loud enough for the others to hear
"Carrying the coffin appears to have winded me. Do you mind if we slow down a bit."
Zelda knows the father will see the lie for what it is and just smiles kindly.
"My belief is just a little different. I believe my family and friends are now enjoying themself, full of health and vigor. My sorry is because I can no longer see them or spend time with them. I am not sorry they are in such a wonderful place." Zelda quickly wipes her tears away.
"I know the living must carry on as best we can. Come now its time to talk of better things. Please tell me about your wonderful town. What brought you to settle here?" Zelda asks quickly trying to change the subject.
Cellawyn shakes her head at the boy and his father,"Perv, my friend, there is more beyond the mortal world than you see. I pray that the evil in this land does not touch you. Thank you for the information on Harrowstone. I suspect the Professor was not just killed by a simple falling wall. I believe I will investigate further."
Zokar lifts both hands and sights, as if surrendering the discussion to Cellawyn.
That does it for killing the conversation between Cellawyn and the Elkarids.
Fr. Grimburrow slows down and manages to catch his breath for more conversation. "I actually have not been here for more than eight years. I came to Ravengro for my retirement, perhaps for my last days. They call me the pastor here, but as a matter of fact Evnar, that gentleman over there," he says, pointing to the older acolyte, "takes care of most things. I am here just to help however I can..."
"It seems there is work to be done by these old hands upon these lands, still, as I outlive yet another fine gentleman..." the priest laments.
Kendra notices the silence installed among the group returning to Ravengro. The "entrance" of the village is already in clear sight, and she says in a loud enough voice to Aliseya and Mirelinza, hoping that the other ladies from out of town would take part in the conversation. "As part of my father's desires, I would like to extend you my hospitality, so that you can stay at our house" she seems to notice that there is no more "us", but she does not rectify herself. After a brief silence, she resumes "We have rooms prepared to accommodate the five of you, in case you are not staying at the Outward Inn. It goes without saying that you are also invited for a noon-meal and dinner, and perhaps it would be best if you were there in wait for the reading of my father's last will."
Councilmen Muricar and Councilman Hearthmount come together again. (The latter seems to ignore Kendra's remark, as if he were not the one who would read the last will of Petros Lorrimor that night.)
The two military men interrupt Kendra to restate their condolences. They bid good-bye to Kendra, Fr. Grimburrow, Evnar, Zokar, Pervin, Jominda and the young acolyte.
To the outsiders, they signal a modest "farewell". They rush ahead of the group into Ravengro, and are the first ones to depart.
At Jomida's question Naught will roll her eyes up a bit as she thinks, "Um, I'm not quite sure. I spent most of the transformation and recovery in a fever haze. It never really occurred to me to ask him what all he actually did to save me. And now I can't..." Her eyes fall towards the ground as her words leave her, Petros' cessation sinking in even more, like a dagger.
--------
Upon hearing Kendra's generous offer Naught will become slightly flushed as her eyes behind the rose colored glasses begin to well up. Taking the young lady's hands in hers she will bring them to her lips before uttering, almost mumbling, "You're too kind. Just like your father. You're both too good for this world."
In response to Kendra's earlier query about the nature of her father's guidance, Aliseya dries her eyes as she responds enigmatically, "I would love to chat with you about it, Kendra. Perhaps it would be best to discuss it in private, though..."
Hmmm, she seems rather aloof towards me. Guess it's just her way of dealing with his death...
...
With Kendra's generous offer, Aliseya smiles broadly. "You truly are too kind. I graciously accept."