Delendir opens his mouth shocked by the revelations. "Pregnant? For Erastil's sake! That's an scandal, such a young girl!" Delendir thinks a moment in the information. "The fire has been a convenient event to hide it then. I don't know what can we take from that but there's that detail also. Adopted. So why? Do you know her real origin?"
Vivi, not seeing the effect his words have had on Kiley, continues in a conspiritorial whisper to them both, keeping his eyes open for Ameiko while he does.
"You know, when she first drew my attention I only saw her red hair and heard her soft voice... so I jumped to the conclusion that she might be my goddess, Daikitsu, better known to us as the Fox Spirit. There is certainly an element of the lady of Foxes to this lady, though I do not really know why I think so. She seemed to think I would find the hunting of rats enjoyable, which is odd... perhaps she too views all life as sacred and knew that I would strive to not kill the poor animals! Oh, but before I was interrupted by her rat problem I was going to find a present for Lady Ameiko to thank her for her hospitality to a stranger such as I. She is willing to teach me Minkai, and has been so very accomidating in my meals... which I need to ask her if I can have one, in addition to the cheese and peppermint needed for the rat problem. Perhaps you would be willing to help me pick something out for her? The man who sold me my purification items suggested jewelry. I hate to say it but my knowledge of such things is limited. And after we deal with the rats and go shoping, perhaps either of you would be interested in participating in my purification ritual for yesterday's killing? I have the necessary elements ready."
Vivi smiles as he talks, his usual carefree self.
"I'd be happy to help you shop Vivi, though you're on your own with the rat problem, I hate rats. much like those goblins, I'm sure Shelyn finds beauty in them somewhere, but I can't see it myself. Good luck with them."
"Oh I can understand on that score, still all life have purpose and value, so I must try to find a nonlethal solution. Perhaps you can keep the lady company upstairs while I coax them to leave her father's basement, and from there we can go shopping for a gift."
"Kiley and I were about to eat lunch so why don't you deal with the rats and come back for us? Besides, you might need her to point out where they are hiding and such to better place your bait."
Vivi's stomach growls at the mention of lunch.
"Well, I left her there to make sure they did not escape... or that others did not accidentally stumble into them... but some lunch does sound good about now. Perhaps I should eat first while Ameiko-san is preparing the cheese... it has to be odorous enough that the rats cannot resist it, and large enough that they cannot carry it away. Once they get inside the cheese, you then drop a box around it and can then safely move them. The peppermint then is applied to the areas you think they came in from to keep them away. They do not like the smell of it for some reason."
Again, the rumbling can be heard from Vivi's midrift, and his touching it makes him remember something else.
"Oh, and perhaps I could ask that you fix my tunic again? I am sorry to undo your hard work so soon."
"Well then, you could join us but I would think the lady would prefer that you deal with the problem quickly as I'm sure she doesn't want to stand there all day. Feel free to leave your shirt and I can work on it while you do, it'll be ready by the time you get back." Jessica looks back to Kiley, "Since I'll be occupied would you please order something for me while I focus on mending his clothes again?"
@Tal & Delendir - "If Tobyn knew who the father of the child was, he kept it to himself. Such secrets are too juicy to not share, and I have not heard a peep about it. Still, to set fire to the building? It seems extreme for such a shy girl."
"Wait, Shayliss? Shameless Shayliss?! Vivi, that girl is nothing but trouble. She tries to bed anyone in town while Ven is too busy fretting over Katrine. She's also a little snake. A couple of years ago she started a rumor about me that took me and Ameiko six months to squash it." Kiley's expression likes like it did when she saw she was covered in goblin blood yesterday.
Quink chuckles in his wavery old man voice at Tal's jest. "She had no friends in town, that I know of. She was a curiosity to them. I know Father Tobyn meant for her to serve in the Church, so he kept her close at hand, for the most part."
The old man motions to Delendir, "Sit down friend, and take down a book. I have an excellent piece on Chelish history, or would you prefer a book that theorizes how Starfall came about? It's very interesting reading!"
Vivi takes off his shirt and undershirt (again stained with his own blood and torn with holes) and hands them to Jessica, about to agree to go see to the rats when Kiley interrupts him with her revelation about Shayliss. Vivi's expression becomes confused.
"So... what about her rats? Is that a lie or have rats been known to show up in these parts?"
Clearly Vivi would like to give the girl the benefit of the doubt, but also he trusts Kiley's opinion and knowledge of the area.
Ameiko comes walking up at the tail of the conversation, giving a loud harrumph at the mention of Shayliss. Seeing that Kiley has things well in hand, she begins to draft the three some ale, bringing the mugs to the table. "Anything to eat? You all look starved from your shopping trip!"
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Tal strokes his chin in contemplation for a moment.
"Hmm I see. Well that could explain if she is the culprit why she didn't come back to town. Do you per chance know about the goblin tribes outside of town? In particular how often they attacked us in force?
And if you have any insight in rituals that use the bones of a clergy or a father, that would be enlightening." Tal asks Quick.
"The culprit? You think Nualia might be behind all this? Hmmm..." The sage murmurs politely, but does not seem terribly optimistic about this line of thinking.
"There are five main tribes close to Sandpoint, but none have attacked in force since the town's finding. It was interesting to note that members of more than one tribe were found, which indicates a level of cooperation we have not seen before." The old man seems concerned about this prospect, but not overly so. He apparently believes the Town will stand in the event of a full-blown invasion.
Quink shakes his head, "I can't think of anything like that. There are many rituals that take bones, but none that I know of that require such specificity."
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The mention of multiple tribes raises Tal's eyebrow. Someone was able to get the tribes to work together...troubling news.
"I am not sure yet who did it. I am trying to find any who could have ill feelings for the town and the father. By your story, the girl, if she survived, is the only one who fits the discription for now. But what could have driven her to murder and graverobbing I know not." Tal explains.
"You have given us much to think about. Thank you for the information.
Come Delendir, we should meet up with the others and my stomach growls. My familiar indicates they returned to the Rusty Dragon.
Good day Quink!" Tal says as he heads out and towards the inn.
-Posted with Wayfinder
"That sounds interesting Quinn. Do you have something about mechanical devices? I would love to improve my traps with new ideas." after guiving a look towards whatever he is offered, Delendir follows Tal to the inn.
"Uff, if goblins are cooperating and coordinated... perhaps we are in danger. Hemlock shall be informed early enough"
As Delendir enters the Rusty Dragon he asks for a new tank of ale as the night falls.
The sage starts to think on Delendir's request, and both Tal and Delendir are quite sure the man has fallen asleep sitting up after a long pause. Wanting to leave at this point, they gladly slip out the door and head to the Rusty Dragon.
"More than likely. If she said there were rats in the basement, she probably has a cot or mattress down there and was going to let you have your way with her." Kiley told Vivi. Her tone and posture give away that wait over the rumor was it was bad enough to really have fazed the young woman, and it's probable that there were more rumors.
Kiley's mood improves considerably when Ameiko shows up and mentions food.
"Oh yes! Wha'dya have in the kitchen?"
-Kiley stuffs her shirt to appear to be bigger, if y'know what I mean. (Started when Kiley grew what little bosom she's got.)
-Kiley is a changeling and her true mother is a hag in the depths of the Tickwood. She was the one that drove the Chopper to kill all those people. (Started when someone remarked on how small Kiley still was.)
-The fire that consumed the old church was started by Kiley, and it was no accident. (Started a few days after Kiley barely kept herself from breaking Shayliss' nose.)
-Kiley's actually half-goblin.
-Kiley is sleeping with none other than Sheriff Belor Hemlock. (This one earned Shayliss a black eye, courtesy of Kiley's fist)
-Kiley and Ameiko are lovers. (Considering Ameiko's back story, and Kiley's relationship with Ameiko, this one likely got both of them ticked at Shayliss once they found out who started it.)
Most of these are suggestions, but I'd like for at least the first and third rumors to be ones that actually got started.
As I said, feel free to add to or change this list.
"I've got some spiced stew, sliced ham, fried potatoes, and of course some fruit and vegetables for Vivi here." She grins at Kiley, making a point of ignoring the bags around her eyes that can only come from crying.
"Talking of Shayliss, are we? What a b+!%~, that one is. To think of the filth she spreads considering her own exploits!" Her face screws up as she walks to the back to scrounge up some grub for the three.
"I'll take a little of each please!" Kiley says when Ameiko lists what's on the menu.
After Shayliss comes back up, Kiley's mood darkens again.
"And Ven thinks she can do no wrong either." she mutters under her breath.
Ameiko comes back with a helper, the two setting out bread trenchers to fill with stew, a steaming pot of the fine-smelling food, a bowl of the spicy fried potatoes, a platter of the promised ham, and a tray of apples, lemons, carrots, tomatoes, and a quarter of a watermelon, quite a treat this late in the growing season. The Minkai woman's gaze lingers on Vivi for a moment before she adds to the conversation.
"Aye, but he's not to blame. Katrine is off with that lumberman, and her da's in fits about it. At least she's only seeing one man. Hmph!" Ameiko's dark complexion grows darker still. It is obvious that she does not think highly of Shayliss.
Vivi thanks Ameiko for the food, and thinks about what they have said.
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Outside the store Tal walks with Delendir to the Rusty Dragon.
"You are learning to be nicer against people Delendir, but you should make it a point to comment on different things for ladies and lads. Though ladies would have enjoyed those comments, men aren't waiting for compliments on their outfits from other men. For now just stick to saying 'hi' and 'how are you doing' and take it from there." Tal says with a grin. "Let's hope that Shalelu has some good news and more information when she returns."
Tal enters the Rusty Dragon with Delendir in tow.
"Hi everyone, good to see you all back in one piece, though with a little less clothes than I expected." He says with a smile towards Vivi.
"Ameiko could you poor me some wine and get us some of your delicious cooking?" Tal asks Ameiko.
As he takes a seat with the others Tal starts to recount what they learned from Quink.
"Quink had some interesting things to say, most importantly that there were several goblin tribes that worked together in the assault. Apparently someone was able to get the tribes working together. Either someone very powerful or very charismatic could force those critters to work together." Tal says. He takes a moment to sniff the wine and take a sip of it, savoring the flavor.
"We also found out some information about Nualia. She's not father Tobyn's real daugher. Furthermore, it appears that the girl was pregnant and her foster father kept her at home after he found out. No clue who the father was though." Tal takes another sip to let it sink in.
"Kiley, I think you would have known bother Father Tobyn and Nualia well, correct? What do you remember of them and their relationship?"
"Well, perhaps there is a way that we can show him what his daughter has become. Ameiko, do you have peppermint and a large block of pungent cheese? Perhaps we can go as a group to help the little fox with her 'rat problem' once and for all."
Vivi's smile to Kiley and Ameiko is mischievous, only more compounded by his current shirtlessness. "And then we can go shopping, eh?"
Vivi smiles and nods as about this time Tal and Delendir arrive.
"Well my friend, I yet again need repairs and the kind Lady Jessica is helping me look less homeless. Perhaps you would be kind enough to join us in a 'rat' hunt after lunch."
Vivi's smile again almost turns devilish, and he digs into his vegetables and fruit, allowing Kiley to fill Tal and Delendir in on the details.
Delendir seems to get a bit angry externally although his head clearly becomes shaded with shameless. "Ah! People is so complicated!"
Once at the inn he seconds Tal's affirmation with nodding of his head. The he asks "What's this thing about rats? Well, I guess I can set some traps for this woman, but that will cost her some money. Traps are not free."
Delendir grabs some of his trapping material. If Vivi shows the stuff he has been gathering the half-elf says "I can use the bait you gathered Vivi, I think you made a good job."
He will follow Vivi to the shop unless requested not to do so.
Finishing her prayer to mend Vivi's clothing, Jessica hands it over to him, "You're welcome Vivi, it's no trouble. Besides, it's not a bad view when you have your shirt off like that, knida nice." Looking aside at Kiley and Ameiko, " Don't you think so ladies?" She laughs a moment and begins eating, "So, at least some of what you found out might be worthwhile. Particularly about the goblins. I don't know that what you found about Nualia will be worth anything, but if she did somehow survive the fire, then why didn't she come forward, just because she was pregnant, or was there something more?" She grabs Tal's hand when he comes near and pulls him down on a seat next to her.
Ameiko nods approvingly at Jessica's comment, openly peeking at Vivi's abs one last time before he slips back into his shirt. She looks confused as the conversation continues. "I thought she died in the fire?"
"Just be careful, Ven's well liked in town and he's an honest man, but he has a temper from what I've heard," Kiley warns, and before she tries to hide the blush from Jessica's observations behind her mug.
She had to admit, the monk was good looking, and...
Down girl! You just met him yesterday!
Once her mind had moved from contemplating Vivi's physique to the question of Nualia, her eyes darken and her smile disappears.
"Well, if she was pregnant, that'd certainly explain some things. Father Tobyn was a strict man, but I can't imagine what he could have done to make Nualia set fire to the church. It was just an accident. A curtain caught, or something and the whole place went up like kindling. Nualia just always seemed so reserved and quiet, like someone that knows they don't fit in."
"Perhaps not Nualia, but someone else made the fire. What if the father of the child wanted to free it from the Church grasp?" reflects Delendir in loud voice at Kiley statement.
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Tal gets pulled down on the seat and can't help but grin at Jessica's action.
"Well these are the only curiosities surrounding the father and Nualia that we could find out from Quink and the proof before us. There might be something there, but there are hardly any tracks or clues to follow further I guess. I'm afraid we will have to hunt goblins and hope they can tell us some more about this 'longshanks' who took the bones. Let's see if Shalelu has news for us when she comes round" Tal says between bites. Out of sight of the others he places his hand on Jessica's lap and gives it a quick squeeze.
"Interesting brands Vivi, are those dragon's I spot on your forearms? Did you get them in Tien?"
Ameiko catches Kiley's admiring glance, and the warrior woman feels an elbow nudge into her ribs, the taller woman grinning at her as her dark eyes crinkle in amusement.
"What kind of Father would frown upon the Church of Desna? It would have to be a dark one, indeed..." The Minkai woman shakes her head. "If ya all need anything else, let me know. I've got to start making supper preparations." The lovely woman rolls her eyes, winking at Kiley, then Vivi, before scampering to the back.
Jessica looks slightly startled for a brief moment, but it passes quickly, and she continues eating her food.
Between Jessica and Tal's comments and Kiley and Ameiko's looks, Vivi grows a tad more self concious again and blushes a reddish bronze as he quickly puts his shirt and tunic (once again freshly repaired) over his chest.
Vivi is almost forlorn as he speaks, the words coming out with a thicker Tien accent than he normally has, though they are still intellegible.
How many years has it been... at least five...
In almost a whisper, he speaks seemingly to himself.
He shakes his head to clear it, buttoning his tunic's buttons.
"Well, what shall we do about this Shayliss person? I want to teach her not to be so... how do you say... whimsical... with her requests for liasons, and to perhaps be a bit more direct. Also I want to help her father see the truth he might be blinding himself to... he seems a good man. Any suggestions? My current thought is to act like I don't suspect her intention and have someone get her father to so watch secretly the whole thing... but it seems uninspired to me."
"I would suggest you go there and tell him the truth. He has to face it and probably he already suspects it. Bad news, the fastest and clearest they arrive the better." proposes Delendir without fully understanding what the problem is about.
Then he asks for a stewed potatoes dish to provide his beer with company.
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Tal nods to Vivi in response to his explanation.
"Who is this Shayliss girl you are talking about? You drew a girl's attention and you left her behind? Oh she will not like that. And telling a girl's father she is easygoing will give you two black eyes, one from her, one from the father, hehe. Ah when I was younger an angry father confronted me and I let that slip. I couldn't see for a week." Tal grins at the memory.
"That was a long time ago of course. But my point is that a father will not want to believe it. And a girl scorned...well lets just say they will get their revenge somehow. You got yourself in a real pickle there Vivi. Best try to let the girl off easy and avoid the father."
-Posted with Wayfinder
"I don't understand what is the big problem. If this girl allowed some rats to roll over her bed, it is nothing his father will not forgive. I can help you set the trap, I can even go and set some of my traps there. Yet if what you want is to get rid of the girl, you just need let me share a couple of words with her." sets Delendir with serious expression while sipping his beer.
Vivi shrugs to Tal. "If she had been open about her intentions I might have had the opportunity for that. Instead she approached me as if she had a secret rat problem that she did not want her father to know of. If I had not taken her at her word and came here for natural rat bait and repellants I might have found myself in a very ackward position."
He shakes his head. "Tal is right though, Delendir... talking to him off the bat without proof would not be helpful either. Some things, sadly, have to be seen to be believed."
"In that case, I can go there just after you and ask his father for something he has to pick up from the basement." Delendir starts eating the stewed potatoes as they arrive to the table.
"Whatever you decide, I suggest you check it with the pillow. I will help you with it tomorrow after breakfast once you tell us your decision."
"Calling it an early evening Delendir? I do not think the sun has even begun setting, has it?" Vivi smiles at the ranger, but then returns to semi-seriousness. "I imagine you have to check your traps though, so I understand that you might not be able to help. I really had best get this finished today if possible, and though your help would be appreciated I think that Kiley, Jessica, Tal and myself might be able to handle this ourselves."
"Quite a dilemma Vivi, much as this Shaylis person sounds like a spiteful young woman, maybe she has a reason for it? I don't like that she obviously has said things about Kiley and Ameiko, but I think that angering her or her father is a bad idea." Thinking a moment over another bite of food, "It might be best to just give her what she wants and hope she loses interest after. Of course maybe if she finds the right man she will stop being such a problem, maybe that could be you." She looks a little down, "I'm afraid that, despite Shelyn's teachings, when it comes to matters of love or lust I am not very good at them, and if you want trickery and revenge, you need a Calistrian and I don't know if there are any here in this town."
Vivi laughs, but there is little mirth in it.
"Revenge, no no... not that. I am more thinking of restoral of balance. And no, giving her what she might think she wants is not the correct choice either. I am not a member of a ... celery... no ... celestial... no not that either... celibate, yes celibate... order, but I do prefer my unions to have more meaning than the physical alone provides." Vivi looks to the kitchen where Ameiko has retreated briefly, then looks at Kiley as briefly, blushing again, before continuing.
"I do not wish to anger the father more than the truth will probably do, and even then I would spare him the anger if I could. Still, anger might be the right response to learning that your angel of a daughter is not as angelic as you thought... and it would be the first step in correcting those traits while time still exists to do so."
Vivi sighs, and shakes his head. "Lady Kiley, Lord Talwin, do you have any ideas?"
Suddenly understanding what is going on Delendir starts to get into the conversation more meaningfully "Why don't you just be sincere with her Vivi? Tell her you are for meaningful relations, that you need to know her better before proceeding to the sexual act. Perhaps have a walk together and some lunch. Explain her you might have bad spirits or diseases inside you and she needs be more careful on picking her lovers."
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"Actually, Delendir has the best advice. Be truthful to her about your feelings. Avoid involving her father and the issue of the rumors.
Though I never thought she was the one that told everyone about Kiley and Ameiko's intimate relationship hehe." Tal snickers.
"But you best hurry back with some rat bait. Or she might let out a rumor about you too. " Tal warns Vivi.
-Posted with Wayfinder
Ameiko returns with some potatoes for Delendir, grinning at the grizzled ranger. "I hope you enjoy them!"
"As far as that one goes, she's going to run her little b*+&% mouth, regardless, so take that into account. Giving her a bit of a comeuppance sounds like fun, but she doesn't seem worth it."
She glares at Talwin. "That's a rumor I best not hear again, even in passing, or I know an elf that won't be welcome here for a week."
"And I know one that will be sporting a nice shiner." Kiley growls.