Realizing that there's something foul about the fowl, Denair decides to make her presence known as she scuttles across the roof of the Fox Den and down the wall and into plain sight of the purple-tunic guard that stands milling around. All he needs to do is turn his head and he'll see the eidolon for sure.
Sure enough, the raven turns to look directly at Denair, cocking its head to one side as it opens its' beak...and then a loud, falsetto scream pieces the air! Something about a giant bug? Purple jumps as though he's been shot with an arrow and goes racing around the southwestern corner of the building and the raven takes to the air and follows after him, fluttering across the street to land on the roof of the Fox Den.
From around the corner Denair can hear a *WHAP* and Purple asking, "Wha...what just happened?" in a very confused tone. But while the raven seems to be momentarily distracted by whatever's happening around the corner, Denair's fairly certain that it's not forgotten her presence...
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"Yes, yes, you go do that..." Viro agrees, still giving Brayden a bit of the hairy eyeball as he finally steps out of the way of the door and makes his way around the corner of the building. "What's with today anyway...?" Brayden hears him mutter.
Green, intently watching the nearby bridge that spans part of the canal, doesn't initially hear Brayden's approach and he nearly jumps into the canal when the samsaran starts talking. "Ye gods! Don't sneak up on an armed man like that, man!" he gasps. "Not unless you want to get intimately acquainted with a sap upside your head or a blade in your gut," he continues, shaking his head.
"Tian Xia, huh? If only I were so lucky," Green muses with a wry chuckle. "It's been ages since I've even been out of the city!" As Brayden launches into a rather long, convoluted story, Green seems to appreciate the diversion and throws his head back, nearly choking with laughter at one point.
"An onion!? What were they thinking?" Green chortles, wiping at his eyes. "Ah well, that's gnomes for y-"
Green's words are cut off as a bloodcurling shriek sounds from somewhere to the south, something about giant bugs! "Giant bugs? Ain't no giant bugs in Corentyn," he huffs as he draws his sap. "Giant rats, maybe! Anywaythanksforthestorygottago!" Green continues to call over his shoulder as he hurries around the northeastern corner towards the source of the noise.
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"I'm glad to hear it ma'am," Viro calls out through the door, quietly relieved when Brayden meanders off to pester one of his men for a few minutes. "And the offer of hot cocoa is very kind, but uh...wouldn't it make more sense to have hot cocoa inside?" he coughs. "Where's there's tables and chairs and a warm fire and uh...not the darkened streets?"
Good job! With a roll that well you didn't just lock the door super-good, you actually broke the lock - now no one can open the front door :)
Though there's no one around to see it, Viro's face brightens considerably when he hears the sound of fumbling with the lock from the other side of the door. "There's a good lad! Like I said, it'll only be a...minute..." he says as he tries turning the door knob this way and that but without any success. Unable to budge it, he tries a little harder, rattling and pulling on the door.
"...ah, it seems to be...stuck..." he grunts, continuing to pull on the door, now practically leaning back with all his weight on the knob. Just then, a bloodcurdling shriek pierces the air - one that even Meredith and Frankie can hear from inside. Something about giant...bugs?
Startled, Viro lets go of the door and falls flat on his backside in front of the door and scrambles to get to his feet. "Stand firm citizen, I'm on the way!"
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"Right," Mireille smiles at Saeran, "I'll try not to slow us down too much!"
Beckoning him to follow, Mireille decides to take Lazarus' advice and quickly makes her way up a small hill towards a small house. Saeran follows behind, the pair trying to move as quietly as they can. Luckily for them, there's currently a lot of distraction happening just below as Lazarus conjures his beetle and then lets out a bloodcurdling shriek that draws the attention of everyone in the immediate vicinity!
"I'm not sure if your friend there is extremely brave...or extremely foolish," Mireille whispers over her shoulder as they reach the house and duck around it, heading south. "Maybe both? If we all get through this in one piece I'll certainly have a new story to tell to the children!"
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Reaching the decision that there might be such a thing as too many fingers in the pie, Dalen decides to split off from her companions as she trusts in them to be able to see Mireille to safety. Her concern is for Velia and the children and so she carefully creeps her way down the eastern alley after them....Lazarus' fantabulous falsetto ringing out behind her, conveniently drawing the attention of the guards away from practically everything else, at least for the moment.
Down at the end of the alleyway Dalen is able to catch up with Velia and her charges, who've all stopped and seem to be of two minds on whether to keep playing the hiding game or go back and check out the big bugs.
"Aw come on Velia, don't you wanna go see the big bugs???" whines a little boy, tugging eagerly at the woman's sleeve. "BUGS ARE GROSS!" exclaims a dark-haired girl in a loud whisper. ]"I wanna keep hiding! This is more fun than lookin' at a buncha stupid bugs!"
"Mireille, if you make it out of this in one piece I'm going to strangle you myself," Velia groans softly into her hands.
What with all the distraction and Dalen's skill at sticking to the shadows, none of the children nor Velia seem to be aware of the young woman's presence.
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Frankie takes a step back from the door as the 'officer' starts yanking on it trying to get in, he puts both his hands over his mouth to cover his little giggle, which turns much larger as he hears him fall over backwards at the scream. "Did someone say bugs? That was quite the scream, I hope that woman is ok!"
After the guards all run off he turns to Meredith and whispers "I think the lock is broke.." He gives the knob a few turns and tugs, getting no where... "Seems like a good time maybe to get back to the cocoa right? We don't want it to burn!"
Frankie heads back towards the kitchen, turning around "Don't you want any cocoa? Come on, we can have as much as we want now!" He chuckles, seemly completely distracted from the actual events at hand now that the cocoa is in reach.
Just as Denair climbs down and distract the guards, another distraction occurs! She resumes hiding and crawls towards Lazarus, resembling a pile of fallen logs.
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"Thank you, brave knight. An unlicensed sorcerer, no doubt. Probably helped that slave escape. I've got my official papers, see here." While pulling out his license to practice the arcane and divine arts, his eyes flutter and he touches his forehead with a thin blue hand. "Oh my. I feel... so... light-headed... " Lazarus swoons, fainting at the guard's feet.
Feigning unconsciousness, Lazarus offers a silent prayer to Desna. Song of Spheres, send another distraction, let someone help me in this crazy ruse. But most of all, let this buy the others enough time to get Mireille and the children safely away.
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Brayden is out of ideas, and seeing as the guards are well-distracted, he moves around the building with Sir Green Eyes. "Oh, my, that did not sound good. Please, sir, allow me to assist with this fiendish vermin!"
If only I had my blade... Perhaps I'd be taking down a different sort of 'fiendish vermin'...
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Dalen quietly whispers from the shadows.
"It's okay. It's just me," she lets out in a rush as she makes herself known. "Trust me, you don't want to see any giant bugs. I've got some stories from back home that'll give you nightmares for weeks," she tells the children with a smile before turning her attention to Velia. "Is there someplace safe to take the kids?"
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Frankie slowly and loudly drags a chair over to the stove so he can stand on it to loom over Meredith's shoulder as she stirs the cocoa "More powder! Faster stirring! Its gotta be super sweet and super frothy!" He smiles, resting a hand on her shoulder while his other holds his mug tightly. I like this one, she's nice. I'll have to try to keep her out of too much trouble. Denair really likes to get her in trouble I think.
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Frankie looks up as she reminds him of everything that was going on "Oh. Ya, that's right." He pulls his hand away, but keeps his eyes on the cocoa prize in front of him. "Do you think we should take our cocoa to go and go outside to find them sooner than later? Where's Denair? I don't know if the others can be very sneaky, they're so big." His eyes go wider and his mug hand starts to shake a bit as the cocoa gets darker and more frothy. Mmmm so close...
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Satisfied the cocoa is progressing nicely, Frankie hops down and starts searching the kitchen for any other sweets or desserts to go with the cocoa. He immediately drags the chair over to the higher counter and cabinets and climbs up "Adults ALWAYS hide the good stuff up high. Don't waste time looking down low, go high first!"
He starts rummaging through the cabinets like a professional snack thief.
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"My uncle once told me: «If you fear nothing, then you are not brave. You are merely too foolish to be afraid». I'm sure Lazarus is perfectly aware that he has put himself in danger, so his action has to be defined brave, I think," answers Saeran with an almost supernatural calm as he follos Mireille to her house, keeping his eyes open for danger in the meantime.
Satisfied that their work is done for the time being, what with the busted door lock and the sudden distraction outside, Meredith and Frankie retire to the kitchen to finish brewing the cocoa. Though Velia had taken the pan off the stove before leaving with the children, it's only been a few minutes and the cocoa is thankfully still quite warm as they return the pan to the stove.
As they discuss whether to sneak out the back or serve the cocoa to the befuddled guards outside, Frankie begins to rummage through the upper cabinets for treats and promptly discovers a cookie jar hidden up high and behind some pans. Lifting the lid allows for the sweet and slightly tangy aroma of thin mints to waft out...
"Well! I'm glad to see someone saw fit to come along an' give me a hand," Velia breathes a sigh of relief as Dalen reveals herself. "Did Mireille an' the others make it out okay? Heard that shrieking just now; somethin' one of your friends cooked up?"
After Dalen has a chance to reply to her questions, Velia frowns, looking around. "Hum...well, there's a small temple of sorts not far from here. Th' big attraction's the shrine to Asmodeus of course but there's a little shrine to Abadar there too," she explains. "Should be safe enough there until those guards clear out. Anyone there has any questions we'll just tell 'em we're there to pay our respects on our way back from our walk. Sound good?"
Thankful for the sudden distraction, Denair quickly slips back into the shadows and edges closer to where Lazarus and everyone else seems to be gathering. She notices that the raven hops about for a moment and then flutters back around to where it'd first spotted Denair climbing down from the roof...but, on seeing nothing, flutters back around to land on the shoulder of Purple. It's hard to tell but the raven seems to nestle very close to the man's ear...
Viro, having managed to climb to his feet, comes running around one corner just as Green and Brayden come around the other corner, just in time to see Lazarus suddenly collapse to the ground in front of a startled Purple who holds his sap in one hand and a piece of paper in the other.
"What's going on here!?" Viro thunders, striding up next to the 'unconscious' Lazarus.
"I...I don't know! I just heard the screaming and when I came 'round the corner there were a bug, BIG beetle bug," Purple stammers. "One good whack done it in and this fellow here handed me his papers 'fore he collapsed!"
"Sonuvab#~&%..." Viro mutters, kneeling down to check on the blue man, feeling for his pulse. "Still breathing at any rate. And you didn't see anything else?" he asks Purple, looking up.
"No, nothing! And his papers look like they're in order, too...he said it might've been some sorta sorcerer lurking about. Think he's right?"
As everyone gathers around Lazarus, a small raven suddenly flutters down to land on Purple's shoulder and almost seems to whisper something into his ear. The man's face pales and he looks around in alarm. "Hey, Viro! The bird says she saw some sorta strange...wooden-looking thing?...come snaking down the building just before that screaming started! Think that's our culprit?"
"Has to be! Come on Trem, spread out and search the alleys," Viro nods at Green. "Enrico, stay here with this man and..." he stops, finally noticing Brayden for the first time. "Who're you? Friend of his?"
<<"Your uncle is a wise one,">> Mireille whispers in reply as she peers around a corner and then nervously beckons Saeran to continue following. They continue to hurry along behind the home, ducking down low to avoid being seen through any windows that might happen to be open. When Mireille comes to the next corner of the house, she peers around and then quickly ducks back into the alley.
"They're all right there around the back of the Fox Den," she whispers. "Master Logos certainly got their attention! We just need to wait for them to move again and then it's just a straight shot across that bridge right there and then along the path that runs behind that next house over there," Mireille points to a small house on the other side of the canal. "My house is on the other side of that one; if we can make it across the canal without being seen then I think we'll be okay!"
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Frankie's eyes go wide as he sees his prize... the hidden cookie jar. Jackpot! His usual sure hands dart into the cabinet to grab the jar and proceed to knock around a few pans noisily "Woah, almost caused an avalanche there! Got us some cookies thought!" He says through a mouthful of said cookies. He slams the door shut and hops down to the floor, jar cradled in his arms like a treasure chest.
He hauls it over and sets his find down on the table and grabs up his personalized cocoa mug holding it up high to be filled. "Thanks Meredith! Lets see if we can't find out what's going on with that screech!" He runs off around the house peering through windows with a steaming mug in one hand and a fist full of thin mints in the other.
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"If it needs to be sweeter I have some maple syrup in my backpack! Or we could just add more cocoa powder... or I bet she has sugar somewhere's around the kitchen mmmm lets do that!"
He races back into the kitchen to hunt for a bit of extra sugar to add, can't get too sweet for the likes of Frankie.
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Lazarus opens his eyes and blinks, but the samsaran remains where he collapsed on the pavement.
"Did I hear you say something about a 'strange wooden thing'? With an unlicensed spellcaster on the loose, there's no telling what sort of fell allies it has prowling the streets. 'Fore-knowledge is the best armor,' my master always used to say. Please, wait a moment before you rush off into unknown danger. Let me help you. I might be able to recall something about such creatures, natural or otherwise. It's the least I can do for you for saving my life."
He pauses and thinks.
"Why, it might be a treant, an animated tree with bark knotted into vaguely humanoid features, with branches for arms and roots for legs. Treants are guardians of the forest and speakers for the trees. As long-lived as the forests themselves, and seeing themselves as parents and shepherds rather than gardeners, treants are slow and methodical in most things but terrifying when forced to fight in defense of their flock. Though they rarely seek out the companionship of the short-lived races, and have an inherent distrust of change, they have been known to tolerate those who seek to learn from their long, rambling monologues, especially if the pupils express a desire to help protect the wildlands. Yet against those who would threaten the forest, especially loggers who seek to harvest wood for lumber or those who try to clearcut a section of forest in order to build a fort or establish a town, the treants' wrath is swift and devastating. They are particularly gifted at tearing down what others build—a trait that serves angry treants well.
Treants are primarily solitary creatures, with a given individual sometimes responsible for an entire forest, but they occasionally come together in small groups called groves to share news and reproduce. In times of grave danger, all of the groves in a region may gather for a great months-long meeting called a moot, but such events are exceedingly rare, and millennia may go by between them.
The typical treant is 30 feet tall, with a trunk 2 feet in diameter, and weighs 4,500 pounds. Treants tend to resemble the species of trees most common in their woodland territories."
"It's also possible the thing is a ghoran, a humanoid creature whose taut green shell extends like a cowl from chin to brow, wreathing a face of brilliant flower petals. Ghorans arose from plant life created by advanced druidic magic to be an especially hardy and adaptive food source for humans. Over the centuries, the plants evolved sentience and ambulatory bodies that mimicked the appearance of humanoids as a method to discourage their enemies from hunting them and improve their chances of survival. Their creators did not imbue them with the ability to create more of the ghorus seeds that give them life, so ghorans are fanatically protective of these seeds and consider destroying them the worst of crimes."
"Or it could be a wood golem, a human-sized automaton resembling a crude humanoid figure made of cast-off pieces of wood. A wood golem is carved from rare woods, assembled into a roughly humanoid body with articulated limbs. Their creators usually leave their bodies almost unfinished, with individual pieces of lumber and unworked wood apparent and obvious as part of their construction. A wood golem stands 6-1/2 feet tall and weighs 400 pounds."
"Thank you, kind sir." He licks his dry lips and coughs, looking around. "Might I get a drink of water? Or something stronger, perhaps?"
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Saeran nods to Mireille. “Let me go first, so if they notice me, you can stay hidden and use me as a diversion,” the half-elf whispers looking into her eyes, no sign of fear on his neutral, almost impassive face.
Without waiting for an answer, Saeran tries to stealthily get to the brige, using Lazaros’s diversion to his advantage.
In case he manage to get there without being noticed, the half-elf quickly turns in Mireille’s direction, inviting her to follow him, and then keeps moving.
Should he fail at his first attempt, however, Saeran will try to hide his stealthy posture at the best of his abilities and try to just walk unassumingly away…
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"Oh, wow! To think I'd find another one of my own kind out here!" He leans down to help Lazarus up. "No sir, I have never met this man before! A pleasure to meet you," he offers Lazarus and the guard a handshake, but doesn't mention his name.
They're not going to buy that. I need to improvise. Wait, I've got it!
Brayden kneels to collect a handful of dirt, quickly scans the ground for any shards of sharp stone he may find, and then takes out a small toolkit. "Those creatures sound nasty. Suppose any more should appear. It's best to be prepared, isn't it? Well, I'll have you know I know a thing or two about improvising when necessary, and if you'll just give me a few moments, I can craft an anti-golem-ghoran-treant weapon. Now let me see here..." With only the best intentions, Brayden starts to glue rocks together and sharpen their ends.
Denair continues to sneak across the streets, but she's way too distracted by the bird and the beetles.
Though content to sit back with their hard-earned cocoa and cookies, Meredith and Frankie do try peeking out the front window at one point but can't see what's going on outside. They can only assume that Mireille and the rest of their friends are safe as they've not heard any additional ruckus from outside.
Nothing else to do for the moment but enjoy the cocoa...and continue pilfering through Velia's kitchen!
Hoping to buy just a little more time for Mireille and Saeran, Lazarus launches into a particularly long-winded postulation of possible culprits behind the horrific beetle attack. Never one to miss a chance to educate an audience, Lazarus also helpfully includes such details as size, habitat, and ecology! Viro, Trem, and Enrico all try to follow along as best as they can but by the time the samsaran finishes his impromptu lecture all three of them are wearing rather glazed expressions.
"I...huh? Oh right, water, sure," Enrico responds in a rather dazed manner as he fumbles for his waterskin and offers Lazarus a drink. "Where'd you learn all that stuff about wood critters, anyway?"
"Wizards learn all sorts of stuff at their wizard schools Enrico," Trem remarks with a roll of eyes. "You think they just pull it all outta their arses or something? Come on man, you have to think!"
Meanwhile Viro ponders this new information. "Maybe a wood golem? Those other two things don't even make sense; why would they be here in the middle of Corentyn? And look man, you're clearly this fella's kin or something - same skin and everything," he adds, shooting Brayden a glare. "Why'd you lie? Something to hide...?"
At this, all three of the guards turn to glare suspiciously at Brayden, but then Enrico happens to glance to the south and suddenly stops - he strains his eyes as if looking for something. "Hey! I think I saw someone moving down that way, towards the bridge," he remarks as he moves closer to get a better look. A long moment passes and then he shakes his head. "Nah, must've been a cat or somethin'."
As Enrico turns to walk back to the rest of the group, the raven suddenly flutters into the air with a loud cry and soars over to a nearby house where it begins circling and uttering a shrill alarm call! Viro hurries to see what the ruckus is...and finds himself face-to-face with a strange-looking wooden humanoid with fox-like and elven-like features.
"HALT, whatever you are!" he bellows, drawing his sap and leveling it at the creature, who Lazarus and Brayden can see is actually Denair...
While Lazarus bores the hell out of the three guards with talk of treants and wood golems, Denair continues her attempts to creeping across the street unnoticed. At one point her keen ears pick up one of the guards mentioning something about seeing movement by the bridge further south but she relaxes when the guard seems to dismiss it as just a stray cat.
However, all her eavesdropping and attempts to keep an eye on the raven serve as a distraction, causing her to splash through a small puddle more loudly than she'd meant to. Suddenly the air is filled with the shrill cawing of the raven as, alerted by the noise, it begins circling overhead.
Rapid footsteps are heard as one of the guards, the one named Viro, comes thundering up - at the sight of Denair his face flickers from shock to alarm to determination. He brandishes his sap at the eidolon, calling, "HALT, whatever you are!"
"Ah...but one of your friends has already put themselves in danger for me-!" Mireille begins to protest, but to no avail as Saeran begins making his way across the bridge. Taking a deep breath, the elven woman follows behind...and then freezes in fear at the sound of approaching footsteps from the north. Saeran also stops, waiting to see if the footsteps come closer...but thankfully they don't. After a pause, the voice of one of the guards can be heard.
"...must've been a cat or somethin'."
Breathing a sigh of relief, half-elf and elf continue their clandestine stroll down the small path that runs behind another small, wooden house. They reach the corner, peering around to make sure none of the guards had wandered in that direction.
"That's it, right there! We've just about made it!" Mireille whispers excitedly, gripping Saeran's arm tightly with one hand as she points at a small but cozy-looking house just down the hill.
"Eh...shouldn't be anyone 'spectin trouble or lookin' for other ne'er-do-wells up front," Velia whispers back. "'Sides, it'd be quicker to follow me since I know the way. Just keep an eye out behind us, eh?"
With that settled, Velia turns back to the jumble of children - some of which seem to be growing bored with just standing around in the alley. "This is booooriiiiing," one of them groans. "Yeah, this game isn't that fun anymore Miss Velia! Can we go back home now?" chimes another.
"Almost, almost - but first we're gonna go by the temple real quick, okay? This nice lady here hasn't ever been so I thought we could be nice an' show her," Velia whispers to the children. "Remember what I said 'bout being neighborly? This is part of it."
That seems to satisfy the children and with Velia motioning everyone forward, they all fall into a tight jumble right behind her as Dalen brings up the rear. She periodically checks over her shoulder but doesn't see or hear anything trying to follow them, much to her relief. Whatever distraction Lazarus and the others came up with, it must've been a darned good one!
"Oh! Uh... hi!" Denair waves her long tree-like arms. "Cute raven you've got there! I guess you wanted me to... um..."
Denair realizes she stands out in the crowd, with the wood and the fox face and the leaves. "Don't mind me, I'm just... looking for some maple syrup!"
She almost shudders as she says it. These fleshy types like drinking tree sap for some reason.
"So if you know where the store is I'd love to buy some!"
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Meredith drinks the slightly bitter cocoa and munches on some more cookies. "She's doing a good job here. Kind of reminds me of all the kids that I- wait, no, the village helped raise. Sorry, memory is a bit fuzzy." The rosebuds in her hair twitch a bit.
"Man, where is Denair? I told her to come back in about 10 minutes..."
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Frankie races around the house trying to see what's going on outside and not having any luck "The windows in this house are too high! And not enough to see good, eesh." He hops up on a worn but comfy looking couch and chews through another couple cookies.
"You think we should go poke our heads outside to see what's going on? I can if you want, super easy and super fast! I can even squeeze out a window so they don't find out about the door in the back! Actually lemme go check to see its closed up good." He hops down and races off in that direction, the sugar and caffeine doing its work.
He double checks the secret door is closed up tight and checks some more windows to see what's going on.
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Saeran stiffens a bit under Mireille’s touch, not being used to any form of physical contact between humanoids. Nonetheless, he tries to pretend to be completely unaffected by the action, smiling calmly. “That’s quite exciting indeed!,” he whispers in response to Mireille. Although trying to act as an expert adventurer, this is his first real field assignment, and he can perfectly understand Mireille’s feeling. “Come on, another time and we are there. As before, I will go first.”
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"Okay!" Mireille whispers, now sounding exhilarated at knowing just how close they are to safety. "I'll be right behind you." She pauses and smiles at Saeran, giving his arm another encouraging squeeze before releasing her grip.
"We can do it. I trust you."
With Mireille's trust and vote of confidence bolstering his nerves, Saeran moves down the steps to the bottom of the hill, his charge following only a few paces behind, neither of them making a sound as they move. After a quick look this way and that to make sure that the path is clear in both directions, Saeran hurries across to Mireille's front door and the elven woman follows, her hand fumbling in a pocket for her key. The few seconds that it takes for Mireille to fish the key out and quietly unlock the front door to her home seem like minutes, but with a soft *click* the door swings open and the pair hurriedly step inside as Mireille quietly pushes the door closed again.
The interior of the home is dark and unlit, but there's just enough moonlight peeking in through a nearby curtained window that Saeran can make out Mireille's silhouette as she locks the front door once more. A brief pause follows and then Saeran can hear Mireille slowly exhale in relief.
"That's it. We should be safe here, at least for awhile. I'm very rarely at home even when I'm in the city, so they shouldn't think to look for me here for some time," she whispers. Then, much to Saeran's surprise and probably discomfort, Mireille suddenly steps forward and hugs him tightly.
"Thank you! I don't think I could've gotten away if it weren't for you and your friends," she says, sounding on the verge of tears.
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While the guard named Viro continues to brandish his sap at Denair, his two companions come hustling up behind him, seeming to forget about the two strange blue men for the moment.
"...did I just hear that right?" one of them asks, digging a finger into his ear. "It said it was looking for some maple syrup?"
"That's what I heard, Enrico," replies the other with a baffled shrug. "But it fits the bird's description, right? A tree-person? Sure looks like a tree person, anyway."
"Shut it you two!" Viro snaps, casting a quick, irritated glance back over his shoulder, before turning his attention back to Denair. "Lookin' for maple syrup, you say? What's a creature like you doing in the middle of Corentyn, anyway?" He takes a cautious step forward and pokes at one of Denair's limbs with his sap. "Definitely looks like one of those wood golems that fellow was telling us about for sure," he nods.
"Where's your master, golem!? And what's the meaning of this disturbance? Not only do we have reports of suspicious activity here at this location but now unauthorized uses of magic and conjuration! What do you have to say for yourself???" the one named Viro presses.
Though the cookies and cocoa are delicious, both Frankie and Meredith continue to find themselves increasingly curious about what's happening outside. Meredith remains up front near the door while Frankie rushes to the back of the Fox Den and makes sure that the secret exit was properly closed again once the others slipped outside, which it was.
While making his way back to Meredith, Frankie decides to check a couple more of the windows and lucks out in spotting not one but two windows positioned just above a bed in one of the many small bedrooms; one on the western wall and one on the southern wall. He hops up on the bed, giving it a couple of bounces for good measure, and cracks open the shutters of the western window just a bit to see what he can see. Frankie spots Denair just across the street from the Fox Den, surrounded by three guards who all regard the eidolon with a mixture of bafflement and extreme suspicion. One of the guards seems to be pointing a weapon of some sort at Denair - it's difficult to see just what since his back is to the window - and making some sort of demand. Frankie can't hear just what, but he recognizes the voice as belonging to man who'd slide his badge under the front door a few minutes earlier.
As Frankie quickly tries to decide what to do, he also moves to check outside the southern window and can see Lazarus sitting on the ground outside and Brayden standing next to him. There's no sign of Dalen, Saeran, Mireille, or of Velia and the kids.
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After meandering through a few more narrow alleys, Velia finally leads the children and Dalen out onto the street once more. Though the sun has now set, the many lanterns hanging outside of the local businesses and homes provides enough light to see by as the small group make their way towards the West Drenches' small temple.
Now that the group is no longer moving so sneakily or quietly, some of the children seem to feel comfortable taking a more pointed interest in Dalen. The little brown-haired girl that Frankie had set beside earlier falls back to walk with Dalen, looking up at the woman with open curiosity.
"Stories? What kinda stories?" she asks. "Yeah, what Bella said! Are they cool stories like the ones Miss Mireille tells us?" adds a gap-toothed, sandy-haired young boy. "Miss Mireille tells us all kinds of cool stories about knights fighting devils and brave elves and all sorts of stuff!"
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Frankie hops off the bed, going for distance AND speed, vaulting himself right through the doorway and into the hall That was my best one yet! Sweet! and rounds the corner to find Meredith.
"Meredith! Denair seems like he lost his hide and seek game and is surrounded by the guards! Maybe we need to go help!" He says, pupils the size of pin heads thanks to the extreme sugar and caffeine high. He waves her towards the bedroom with the windows before racing back that way.
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"So they're surrounding Denair? Good. Do you see Mirelle or the children?" When they confirm no one is around. She relaxes. "Good. I'll dismiss her and we can move. Let's sneak out the back."
Once they leave the back door and sneak out, Meredith looks around a bit. "Let's get a bit away from this building." Once they are a fair distance away, she dismisses Denair. The roses in her hair crumble to dust.
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"Tree person. Yeah, that's me." Denair puts her hand-branches up in surrender. "Um, well, syrup is nice., and you pour it on waffles and pancakes and use it to bake sweets."
Denair recites some Syrup facts. "And, well, they don't have syrup in the woods. Well, they do, but you have to cook it and that takes a while." Denair rambles on a bit. "Anyway, I guess I found what I needed, so... bye bye!"
Denair withers away, leaving behind a trio of roses that quickly crumble.
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Brayden attempts to lead two of the guards away, putting on his best charm. "Sir, you've worked much too hard today. Instead of questioning strange tree people and their syrup-loving ways, why not head for that card game and a nice, cold, frothy mug of ale over at the Wicked Fork. What do you say? Shall we head there now?"
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"Well, my uncle an' I never fought any devils out in th' Border Wood," Dalen says as a smile begins spreading on her face. "It's an old wood, full o' those that fought an' died there in th' wars 'tween Taldor and Qadira. Some never found peace and roam the shadows 'neath th' boughs lookin' for unfortunate souls to slake their thirst for blood. Others are brought back in a mockery of life by vile witches an' death mages."
Dalen puts on her best storyteller's voice and begins spinning a tale about the time she and her uncle fought a ghoul. While she leaves out the more gruesome details, like the body of the lordling that it had been feasting on when they found it, the tale is still not for the faint of heart. It was the first and only time she'd faced a ghoul, and she prayed that she'd never have to again.
Still, it was one that the children seemed to like, and is more than happy to share more of her experiences, some scary, some funny, some just bizarre, from her time under her uncle's tuteluge.