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Tenebrynn shoots Al a look like he just coughed up a ball of spiders when he calls a bleached gnome 'a bit pale'. "You had several hours of work left and we just ruined it, didn't we? I'm- sorry. We really didn't mean to bother you like that. We were on a bo- a ship for weeks and books just made me, well," she points to the white half of her hair. "I like drawings though. If Skywin had some of those on the ship, I think it would have been a better trip. For me, at least." Shaking her head and shrugging, she shifts out of the way.
Tristain stays out of things, trying not to dwell on what has happened today. Oh no, not Tristain, constantly returning to the day's trauma and going over and over it in his mind. He wouldn't do that for hours. No.
"Oh," the gnome stops at Tenebrynn's words. "You know Skywin? How is the Sellen Starling? Is she still doing well?"
Tristain stops bonking for a moment as Tenebrynn wisely says the magic word, and then continues his bonking. He's interested in the conversation, but has nothing to add at the moment.
*bonk!*
*bonk!*
*bonk!*
This day will never end. At least I had cheese.
Tenebrynn blinks. ”Wait, you know Skywin too? Has she taken you down the Sellen too then? She and the Starling were both good when we got here, but not for lack of stuff trying to kill us as we came down the river.”
"Yes, I oversaw the construction of the Sellen Starling, so I'm glad to hear she's still doing well, and Skywin too," he says in his quiet voice. He seems to have calmed down with discussion of the ship, and not be in a rush to leave, though still looks like he could startle with any too-sudden movement.
Outside, a waiter moves past Kyffin. He glances at the group gathered outside the room, but shrugs and continues on his duties. He seems more suspicious of what you might be doing lurking in the hall than he does for any actions he's taking.
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"You oversaw the construction of the Sellen Starling, that's amazing! Is that drawing your latest construction project? What are you building now?" Al tries to adopt Tenny's quick jumble of questions approach hoping the gnome finds that more engaging.
Kyffin feels like glaring at the waiter, but figures intimidation will just stir up trouble. So he tries to look innocent, which probably looks even worse on him.
He resolves to ask for a drink next time the waiter come by, so he's seen at least as a paying customer.
He hopes it's going well inside.
Tristain continues to listen patiently, only mostly bonking. He’s glad that Al is speaking up.
"Oh, yes, this is indeed what I'm working on now, but it's not ready for anyone to see!" He clutches the plans behind his back, but seems much more comfortable talking about the ships and his craft. You think you can ask him about other things -- such as Mun -- if you wanted.
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"Oh sure, we understand about those plans. What other ships have you built besides the Starling? Is she your favorite? Did you build it for Skywin? Are there other ships of yours in the harbor? Did a person named Miacknian Mun arrive on a ship recently? Do you know him?" Al continues with the barrage of questions in a Tenny like manner.
Tristain bonks excitedly at this line of questioning. It is good. Good job, Al.
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”Wow! And- and, do you have any drawings you could show us?” Tenebrynn gives Al’s pant leg an encouraging tug at the knee. She helps by trying to keep Al away from the topic of bleaching or from saying words like “pale” again.
Starflit grimaces at Tristain's continued bonking; it obviously unnerves her.
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"I don't believe he's had the pleasure of a voyage anytime recently," Ethem says in his quiet voice. "His interests lie in other directions. He's an alchemical genius, you know. His experiments are sometimes off-putting and shunned by established scholars, but they're genius nonetheless.
"Did you know he had to take to sleeping behind bars to keep the ignorant and upset out of his lab? I suppose it was inevitable..."
A little more prodding gets the bleachling gnome to reveal Miacknian Mun lives in an old prison infirmary.
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Kyffin smiles unevenly at passers by, looking more menacing as he continues to loiter outside the door. He wishes he smoked or something so he'd have something to do with his hands. He tries crossing his arms, but decides that sends the wrong signal. So he drops them to his sides, but then he feels exposed and guard-like, and he doesn't want people thinking that.
So he fidgets with his rings, a fanciful gold one, lightly etched with the symbol fo Sarenrae. Then onto his signet ring, with a fancy, but simple, crest not his own. Well, not anyone's really. It looks nice though. It's another gold ring with an onyx stone carved with the crest. Then onto his magical ring, a simple silver device devoid of markings and the plainest of what he wears.
When he's done fidgeting with his rings, he drops his hands again. That doesn't last though and he begins to cross his arms again before remembering. So he keeps one hand up by his neck and he plays with a brocaded heavy gold chain briefly before tucking it back under his armor.
He waits.
Tristain pays attention, finally getting some actionable information to add to his thought-bonk process.
"Oh...where is the prison? And...uhm...is it a friendly nice place? Or and unhappy place?" he asks, mildly curious of Ethem.
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"An old prison infirmary, ewwww! Why would anyone want to live there? Is it for his genius experiments? What's he experimenting upon? Does he keep his experiments locked up too? Is the old prison haunted? I bet its awful in there, what do you think an old prison infirmary smells like?" Albert has no understanding of how Tenny keeps up such exhausting dialogue on a regular basis.
"The prison itself isn't there anymore," Ethem explains. "Most of it fell into ruins and was reclaimed by the swamp. Miacknian bought the infirmary and was able to keep it from a similar fate. I don't know what sort of experiments he's doing. If you believe the rumors -- and I don't -- they're horrible. That's why he needed someplace secure to live and work. But I don't think Miacknian would do anything that bad."
At Tristain's prodding, he offers you directions to where you can find the lab.
"Wow, horrible rumors, what are they? The rumors I mean, what are those, not what is a rumor. I'm glad he wouldn't do anything bad. We definitely don't need to visit that place, it sounds terrible, all falling into a swap and smelly. Nope, not us, we're going to get some clean, fancy clothes and drink fine beverages instead, yep, that's what we're going to do." Al gracefully extracts the party from the conversation without giving the gnome any indication that they're going to the swamp, or so he hopes...
"Oh yeah, thanks for the directions. That's a great help. Yes," Tristain stops bonking to acknowledge the gift. "Ayep. Like Al says. Exactly."
Bluff to aid.
"All sorts of unsavory things," Ethem says, with a slight shudder. "You know how people are."
"I need a night of rest and food. And those new clothes. Maybe we can head out to the jail in a few days or weeks, I dunno. Might give us time to learn more about it," Tristain says when they leave the place. "But we're shopping, are we?"
Tenebrynn shrugs at Tristain’s question, ”Thought we were going to go before speaking with Ethem, but happy to go now if everyone wants. Good idea if intending to stay here longer.”
Kyffin jumps a bit when the door behind him is opened and folks come streaming out. He walks back to their table to hear how it went though folks seem ready to go shopping.
"Sure, let's get some fresh threads, but do tell. How did your meeting go?" Kyffin asks as they walk. "Where is he?"
"He's in a falling down building in a swamp doing horrible things. I say we go there before getting nice clothes, it being a swamp and all, plus we don't need Mun to hear we're looking for him before we arrive."
Tenebrynn nods. "Sensible order. Swamp, bathe, shop."
Starflit nods her agreement. She looks to Tristain with concern. "Are you up for that?"
"Sensible order. Swamp, bathe, shop."
She looks to Tristain with concern. "Are you up for that?"
Tristain's eyes cross, wondering why Starflit is asking. After all, Tristain just offered that as a suggestion.
"Yes, I just said I would. Why would you think I would not? I've...I've just had a bad day is all. I'm sure it will be fine. Just need to relax, I'm sure," Tristain responds, trying to put on a brave, normal face. "Yes, I'll be fine. We'll fun(!)." He offers a bit too much fake gusto, but does try to put Tenebrynn's meanness behind him.
Tenebrynn sighs. Unable to avoid giving Tristain the attention he keeps trying to get from her, the little gnome explains calmly, ”Starflit asked because we’re talking about going now, Tristain. You suggested waiting days or weeks. If we do go now, we won’t be shopping until we get back.”
Kyffin agrees, "Sure, we can go now, and shop later." he pulls a loose thread from his current outfit and rather more comes off than he'd hoped.
He checks his gear and finds he's ready to go.
Tristain doesn't answer Tenebrynn because he's unsure what he can or can't say, and just goes to follow Kyffin away. He'll also stay close to Starflit who seems really nice and caring.
Tristain mopes.
Deciding there's no time like the present, you make your way into the Admiral's Fen district, where you find the building. The gales of the Inner Sea have taken their toll on this grim old pile, thick with the fetid odor that blows across Blackwood Swamp when the wind is high. A venerable building rises from a windowless ground floor to a high steep gable several stories above. A single great iron door scowls at visitors. A small and austere garden decays out front, surrounded by a rusting iron fence six feet high and pierced with a gateway. Perched upon the gate are a murder of crows.
"Well... that's not at all ominous." Kyffin says dryly. "Remember, we're just here to talk. Right?"
He considers preparing a few spells, but in the end trusts to his dailies for now. He'll stride forward among the crows and see if there's a bell or other way of knocking, before he tries to open the gate. If he gets through OK, he'll walk to the iron doors and knock, loudly.
A dangling sign above the iron door held by a trio of smiling angels reads, “Give succor to the troubled.” A great iron knocker hangs at the door’s center.
As Kyffin approaches the door, you suddenly hear in your heard clicking noises and the sound of lapping water mixed with a drawn-out whisper that says, “The blot quivers. The lake ripples. His stain is here.” There's then the sound of a tolling bell.
Tristain moans and steps back from the door, asking Kyffin to hold for a moment.
"Did any of you hear that? I mean, really HEAR that?!" He looks around with concern, trying to find the source of the whispers, and the bell.
"Hear what?" Al cups an ear and strains to hear the ghostly sounds. "I don't hear nothing but the wind in the trees."
"I heard nothing," Starflit admits as well, giving Tristain a worried, perhaps pitying, look. To be safe, though, she concentrates and tries to detect any evil presences in the immediate area.
Tenebrynn nods. ”Heard it too. Same voice as before, I think. From after the dreamlands pool and the poet. Voice surrounded by odd noises.” She shakes her head then shrugs. ”Right place at least.”
"Ugh." Kyffin frowns again as only the insane, or at least previously insane, hear the voice.
"Well." he begins, unsure what to say about it. "I suppose Tenebrynn has the right of it. We're in the right place. That's a pretty sure sign he's not one of the good guys." He tells the others what he heard.
He takes a moment at the doors to cast Bull's Strength as he begins to pound on them.
Pound. Pound. Pound!
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Tristain is well aware of what Kyffin’s anger can bring, and moves back out and away from the door.
”Starflit, you might want to be careful now. As I told you before, it’s dangerous with us. Being around us. All the time.”
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As she finishes her scan for evil, Starflit gives Tristain a nod and quick smile. "Thank you for your kind concern." The young woman reaches into her tan pack and removes an item that appears to be a half-mask/half-wig. With practiced ease, she dons the mask, attacking it in part to the hood of her cloak. Gone is the simple, innocent-looking blonde lass; in her place now stands an embodiment of the empyreal lady she serves: a woman of shadow and mithral with silvery-white hair. Starflit reaches for a starknife sheathed at one hip and prepares for trouble.
She turns her eyes again to Tristain and offers one last smile, to assure him she's the same person underneath the mask.
Tristain offers a sharp intake of breath as he sees what Starflit becomes.
Tenebrynn, meanwhile, shakes her head. ”Windows always better than doors, Kyffin!” She waits for a response from within the foreboding building alongside the others, then causes a little jet of wind to stir Starflit’s cloak after she dons the menacing mask. A blade of lightning briefly coils around the gnome’s arm before fading at her approving nod. ”Good. You’ll fit right in.”
After a few moments the door opens, and a tall, gaunt man is standing there. He has wild blonde hair. From behind his glasses, beady eyes seem almost ready to pop from his skull. He is lithe and pale, and his body shows signs of recent injury and past self-abuse.
"Ah," he says without preamble. "I'm afraid it's just not a good time. My apologiies, but I'm busy with an experiment for the Taldan Navy and simply cannot be disturbed right now. I do hope you understand. Please, if you can just return tomorrow, I should be more able to accommodate whatever request you have."
"Eh. Are you sure? It'll only take a moment. You know how imagination is, maybe it'll do to give your mind a rest. For just a few minutes surely."
Kyffin is willing to wait until tomorrow, but he'd rather try for now if he can. So he does.
"What? Don't you even know why you should talk to us?" Tristain asks. "Besides, are you hurt?"
Tristain tries to put in a good word, but isn't good at good words and doesn't do much good.
"My friend here has the right of it, you don't even know why you should be talking to us, so you can't determine if it's a priority or not. What if we were here from the Taldan Navy and had urgent news for you? Now, spare a few moments and indulge an old man." Al steps forward to the doorway with Kyffin and the clear intention of walking into the building.