He looks up at her, making sure to make eye contact to let her know it was alright. ”So...fill me in! What’s with this ‘Treeslayer’ crap? Your mom never struck me as the type to tolerate nicknames. And how have you and Honey been?”
Cai’nan shrugs and asks ”Who’s that?”
With a flush of excitement, Kallie trots up the steps to Cai'nan's suite.
Kallie is enthusiastic and eager, and is happy to let him focus on her top half to cut down on the awkwardness.
Kallie can't keep the scowl off her face as Galatea speaks. She folds her arms and her tail tosses. It had been a good night and her morning afterglow was being trampled underhoof.
"M-- Gali, you've told me over and over that whenever I want to talk, you'll listen. I know that. Has it occurred to you that the reason we haven't is because I don't want to?"
She turns and goes back to the place where she'd been working on her spells and closes the spellbook. She rubs her shoulders as she fights down her anger. "I don't want to talk 'cause you won't like what I have to say. I'm not Cladissa. I'm still mad, and I can't make it go away.
"I know you're sorry, and I know you say you love me, but I can't stand even thinking about it." She fights away tears as she trembles to keep her emotions in check.
Galatea seems a little confused but shrugs, "Huh. I heard that you three escorted her to town or something. Well, I believe Corstela is the leader of some local historian group... I think it was the Order of Resplendence?"
"I understand. I'll be sure to remember that," Galatea affirms. "As for the whole 'Treeslayer' title, that would be a Zoli Tileani pun. Granted, Aunt Ellie helped cook it up, but Zoli made it popular. While you were exploring the Expanse, we managed to finally kill Treerazer, a Demon Lord who was squatting on some of our land. It took an army and hundreds of lives to bring him down, but Mom was the one who injured him the most and dealt the killing blow. She's technically the 'Champion of Kyonin' for her accomplishment, but Zoli's pun just stuck like alchemical superglue."
She pauses abruptly when you mention Honey.
"...Of course he didn't have the spine to tell you what happened," Gali grumbles under her breath. She utters a soft sigh, "...Cai'nan, Honey is... most likely dead."
Some tears fall from her dark black eyes.
Interestingly, your words seem to... calm Galatea.
"O-Okay. T-Thanks for clarifying that point, Kallie, " she remarks sincerely. "It seems that I... made some assumptions; I interpreted our conversation as... us possibly talking sooner. The uncertainty was just... starting to get to me I suppose. However, that's all on me. I apologize."
When you mention having some harsh things to say, Gali replies gently.
"Understood. I..." she begins before deciding to change topics, "Before I go, I noticed some of those looks you were giving me yesterday, and I... They're not needed. I understand that you're an adult. If you want to drink some rounds with some friends, that's perfectly fine, Kallie."
Another pause.
"I know that our situations aren't one-to-one, but I understand the... frustration with being treated like a child."
In the morning, during breakfast, your mother has much to discuss with you.
"Since you will be helping Audrahni with her investigation, I decided to make that... official," your mother begins as she promptly presents Aurealia with some fancy papers. "These documents are signed by myself and Port-Governor Thort; for all matters relating to the investigation of Sir Roderic's ghost, you two and anyone else you 'deputize' will be acting with our authority. Your Aunt Elandra has a few dozen backup copies just in case. Please act responsibly, alright?
"Additionally, I checked the town archives, and it would appear that Sir Roderic left his entire estate to the city of Roderic's Cove if he died without any heirs. Legally speaking, that's exactly what happened. Port-Governor Thort has authorized you and your friends to have the first right of salvage should you find anything... useful inside Roderic's Wreck."
Aurealia smiles, and tears glitter in her eyes. Finally! Trust.
She offers a slight bow to her mother, taking the papers gingerly and placing them in her bag. "Thank you, mother. We won't disappoint you."
Trying to resist the urge to hop about happily, she looks to Croquelle. "Ready to go find Audrahni, sis?"
A pang of guilt gets mixed into Kallie's jumble of emotions, which shows up on her face as a sour look. She busies her hands by finishing getting ready for the day's adventure.
She glances over her shoulder when Gali mentions all the looks she had been giving her. At first, a flash of confusion crosses her features, and then she actually chuckles. "No, I thought you and Cai'nan were together. The first boy I figured I'd have a real shot at, and I thought you were going to steal him out from under me." Kallie smiles dreamily and her shoulders shimmy a little. "I don't think I'm worried about that anymore."
"When Sabby became Cladissa's herald, Shiloh, Honey, and I decided that we should join our big sister. It was Honey's idea mostly, but Shy and I loved it. Shortly after you ventured into the Expanse, we officially joined the ranks of the Cladissans.
"By Shelyn, we were all treated like royalty. We were apprenticed to Lady Priscilla Moonblade. At the time, she was the most powerful and celebrated paladin in the religion. She originally served Iomedae, but Lady Moonblade was allowed to join the Cladissan ranks to bolster their status. She was a wonderful woman. Practically a second mother to all three of us. Honey in particular thought the world of her.
"For several months, the four of us went on a number of adventures that are still recounted among the Cladissan faithful. As time went on, Shiloh and Honey grew strong under Lady Moonblade's care. I... really didn't... Regardless, we eventually had a misadventure.
"For some reason that eludes me, we were supposed to find The First Norn and asked her something. Like literally the first norn to ever exist. Supposedly, everything she predicts comes true. Earthfall. Aroden's death. The Return of the Runelords. She's predicted them all down to the second.
"...Shortly after we asked the question, we were attacked by... something. I... don't recall what happened. There's this... giant hole in my memory. What do I remember? Not much. Lady Moonblade's broken body. Lots of crying. One of us pleading for mercy. Me and a comatose Shiloh wandering the wilderness for days and nearly dying of exposure. Your father and my mother appearing from thin air to save us..."
Galatea grabs some more lamb to feed Krodha.
"Of the three of us, Honey was always your father's favorite. After losing you and Imri, he... threw everything into finding her. So did Mom. The entire Church of Cladissa too. Nothing. Honey just vanished without a trace. Every divination about her returned and still returns divided by zero errors...
"Obviously, Shiloh and I left the Church of Cladissa. We originally went back to Verde Heights, but... your father and I ended up getting in an absolutely titanic verbal fight. I haven't really left Mom's side since. Shiloh? Well, as you likely saw, she's basically latched onto your old man."
Galatea speaks clearly, but the entire time she speaks, tears flow freely from her dark eyes, which now stare blankly at you.
"Part of me still thinks I'm dreaming, Cai'nan. For the last few years, the world has slowly been crumbling beneath my feet, and then... you just waltz out of the woods, almost exactly like I remember you. It still feels too good to be true..."
"Cai'nan is such a wonderful guy, isn't he? Well, rest assured, he and I are only friends," Gali affirms gently. "I wish you both the best, Kallie."
She lingers for a few seconds before deciding not to push things.
"Looks like you're about done, so I'll see myself out," Galatea says softly before tentatively walking away...
Jaya sidles up with an amused sparkle in her eyes. "I see someone's in a good mood. I'm guessing after I went to bed you and Cai'nan.. mucked out your stables? Gods that's terrible. Pretend I said something better."
***
Jaya rolls her eyes at Cai'nan. "Yes, we're familiar with her. She actually invited Kallie and me out here to examine the local ruins. Do you know who these 'shady characters' are?"
In the morning, during breakfast, your mother has much to discuss with you.
"Since you will be helping Audrahni with her investigation, I decided to make that... official," your mother begins as she promptly presents Aurealia with some fancy papers. "These documents are signed by myself and Port-Governor Thort; for all matters relating to the investigation of Sir Roderic's ghost, you two and anyone else you 'deputize' will be acting with our authority. Your Aunt Elandra has a few dozen backup copies just in case. Please act responsibly, alright?
"Additionally, I checked the town archives, and it would appear that Sir Roderic left his entire estate to the city of Roderic's Cove if he died without any heirs. Legally speaking, that's exactly what happened. Port-Governor Thort has authorized you and your friends to have the first right of salvage should you find anything... useful inside Roderic's Wreck."
Aurealia smiles, and tears glitter in her eyes. Finally! Trust.
She offers a slight bow to her mother, taking the papers gingerly and placing them in her bag. "Thank you, mother. We won't disappoint you."
Trying to resist the urge to hop about happily, she looks to Croquelle. "Ready to go find Audrahni, sis?"
Croq punches her sister in the shoulder, and gives out a howl of "OOOOOOOOOHHHHHH, YEEEEEEAAAAHHH!!!" Which she punctuates with a thunder-roll on her drum.
"We got this, Mom. It won't be at all like that time with the traveling Milliner, who you have to admit was very uptight, and lacked any taste in music whatsoever. Or like when I tried to help get the Taragoz sisters' cat down from the Old Oak Tree.
"Anyway, time to go! Duty calls!"
Aurealia laughs at her sister's exuberance, and then leads the way to go find Audrahni. "Play us a lively march," she suggests to Croquelle.
I wasn't asking for permission, Kallie thinks at Gali but elects not to say that out loud. She keeps fussing with various straps and pouches, making sure all her travel gear was properly stowed but also within easy reach. While she does so, her mind wages her familiar internal debate.
She wants to talk, so why not just let her have it? Tell her everything. Get it off my back.
'Cause she'll feel even worse, and that'll make me feel bad, and then I'll feel even worse because I shouldn't feel bad... Not talking's better. For everyone.
The silence stretched until Gali decided to let herself out. "Okay," is all she eventually says as the half-elf leaves.
Kallie's eyes go wide; one twitches involuntarily. "Gods yes that's terrible. Why would I... Ew! Stables? Really?" For the sake of their friendship Kallie pushes Jaya's comment out of her mind.
====================
"I guess we should go see who these 'shady characters' are, then?" she looks at Cai'nan, hoping he'll be in agreement.
Realization hits Cai’nan like a brick, alongside an embarrassed blush. ”Oh! Her! Yeah, uh, I guess so...”
Likely due to mother's intuition, Shalelu practically seems to read Aurealia's mind.
"Aurealia, I've always trusted you," she says reassuringly. "It's just... in a sense, I guess you could say I don't really trust the world.
"I've lost so many people over my lifetime. Countless friends. Your grandparents. Croq's father. Varisia is far safer nowadays than twenty-five years ago, but these lands are still very dangerous. I won't always be around, so I just want you and Croq to be able to protect yourselves and each other. However, I've always trusted you. Never forget that, okay?"
She offers you both a hug and a peck on the cheek.
"Jeevika and I will be leaving soon, and I'm not sure when I'll be back. Still, I'll try to keep in contact. Good luck with your investigation. I love you both, and I've never been more proud of you two."
After all the goodbyes are exchanged, Croq begins a lively beat, and you two literally march for the meeting spot Audrahni mentioned...
"You can't miss them. They're a gang of goons dressed in leather armor. They're all wearing some weird red symbol. It looks like a couple of fancy 7's facing opposite directions. I think they're called the... Horned Fangs?"
She frowns slightly when Kallie suggests going to confront the Horned Fangs and when Cai'nan appears to agree.
"...In that case, I'll trail you all to Audrahni's meeting spot; I'm pretty good at keeping out of sight. If worst comes to worst, I'll ambush and neutralize their leader, which should cause chaos among their ranks. Cheshire, you protect Jaya okay? Hopefully, the presence of an armored tiger and T-Rex will make these bullies think twice about starting anything."
At Galatea's command, Cheshire lazily yawns, stands up, and stretches. She trots over to and begins protectively hovering around Jaya.
Kallie uncoils her whip and gives it a few test flicks. "Let's go greet them."
Jaya pushes heedlessly on despite her unfortunate metaphor, "Gimme a break! When have either of us had the chance to practice with the innuendos?! You don't expect me to believe you're suddenly embarrassed about wanting to find yourself a stallion?"
***
Jaya looks very nervously at Cheshire as she approaches, getting partway through the hand gestures of an abjuration unconsciously before deciding finishing it off was a good idea anyways.
"I'm sorry, the tiger I don't know is supposed to protect me? What if this takes a while? Could I get some snacks for the trained-killer-cat so it doesn't start sniffing around me!?"
You find Audrahni easily enough. The poetic gravedigger smiles upon seeing you both. She also has a familiar friend with her!
"H-Hello, Aurealia. Hello, Croquelle. You remember Biscuit?"
The lanky elf is petting a fine specimen of a Covehound. Biscuit is a big, powerfully built dog with floppy ears and short copper fur. Her breed is often called the Roderic ridgeback. Why? Well, along the middle of her back, there's a prominent ridge of tufted fur.
"I, uh, f-figured that she could help us. Biscuit here has a good noise, so she might notice something we don't. I've also seen some, uh, shady characters hanging around town. The Horned Fangs I think. I don't know why, but big animals usually make people think twice about causing trouble, so between Biscuit, Krodha, and Cheshire, I think they should leave us all alone."
With that said, Audrahni starts leading the way to Roderic's Wreck.
"L-Let's go through the market. It's the fastest way there, and I believe I told the others to meet us there," Audrahni suggests. You both know this to be true.
"Certainly, Jaya," says Galatea as she quickly fishes out a small poach and presents it to the mage. "Whenever she gets hungry, just feed her one of these little protein pellets. I got them from the Roderic ridgeback breeder in town, and Cheshire really likes them. If she gets hungry, she usually lets me know by sitting on her haunches and making this little rawr sound."
Once everyone is ready to go, Galatea salutes you three and then vanishes from sight.
"Last I checked, they're waiting for you in the market. Coincidentally, that's where Audrahni suggested that we meet," says Galatea's disembodied voice.
You all get to the market without issue and quickly catch sight of each other (sans Gali). However, you encounter something rather... concerning. Three large groups are nearly at each other's throats.
The first of them appear to be a standard issue group of bandits that stepped right out of a Zoli Tileani play. The second group is far more intimidating. They're all dressed in leather and wearing a red symbol that looks like either a pair of 7's facing away from each other... or a mouth of jagged fangs. The final one appears the least threatening; largely dressed in greens and blues, they all largely look like they either walked out of a university or a monastery.
There are a few guards present; however, they seem too intimidated to confront the much larger gangs. Meanwhile, from what you know, all the Black Arrows are currently either at their garrison or out of town...
The leader of the middle group (who you all guess to be the Horned Fangs) notices Kallie, Jaya, and Cai'nan...
"It's those mercs Rostrata hired! Get 'em!" she exclaims with sadistic glee!
exclaims an angry, echoed voice!
The entire area goes silent. The morning sky goes dark. The air grows chilly...
In the blink of an eye, a ghostly man manifests in the center in the market. Dressed in ragged clothing that was once quite dapper, he is completely pale. Despite floating in the air, the angry spectre looks like he's actually underwater... Speaking of which, water pours from his mouth and falls off his towering frame. His eyes are somehow both dead and furious...
"S-Sir Roderic!" gasps Audrahni in complete terror.
he roars at the top of his nonexistent lungs.
...Needless to say, the bickering gangs get lost fast.
Meanwhile, no one notices an audible, closeby thud; it sounds like something ran straight into the stone wall of a nearby building, but there's no obvious source for the noise!
Jaya drops her hands to her side as the apparition roars its way through the square, clutching at the loose fabric of her harem pants to keep her hands from trembling or making threatening gestures.
"Sir Roderic. No one here wishes violence to your cove!"
Kallie rears up as the ghostly figure appears and screams. She turns her flank to the apparition, ready to bolt away if necessary, though she only flees if the rest of them do. Her instincts cause her to remain close to the group, finding safety in numbers.
Cai’nan gives Krodha a practiced whistle command and points at Kallie. He steps between her and the ghost, raking his feet along the street in anticipation. Cai’nan draws his sword and steps between the group and the gangs, working a spell to bolster his size.
__________
After a very chaotic moment, you appear to be the only (living) people left in the market square. In contrast to her invisible friend, Cheshire manages to keep calm and prepares to defend Jaya if necessary. Meanwhile, Aurealia and Croquelle appear to be completely stunned by the sudden appearance of their hometown's ghostly founder!
For a tense several seconds, it would appear that Sir Roderic might lash out. Thankfully, something about Jaya's words appears to calm him. The furious look in his eyes changes to... sadness?
Not much later, he fades away...
After a moment of silence, Audrahni finally works up the nerve to speak.
"O-Oh my," she says in shock. "Sir Roderic must be getting especially restless. To my knowledge, that's the first time he's appeared in broad daylight! Before now, it's always been at night or at least late evening..."
"Ow..." groans Galatea's disembodied voice. In a softer tone, you hear her grumble, "Who put this wall here?"
"Eep!" squeaks Audrahni in surprise.
"Relax, Audrahni; it's just me but invisible," says Gali. "Where does Sir Roderic typically manifest? You make it sound like he's never appeared so... publicly before."
Audrahni nods. "Y-Yeah. He reportedly appears closer to his old house. Coincidentally, where I was jumped last night is closer to Roderic's Wreck than where we are now..."
"Whoa. That was crazy! We have got to get to the wreck and figure out what is going on here. Then maybe we should take care of those gangs. Open warfare in the streets is not cool."
After take some time to collect yourselves, you all decide to continue with your mission and follow Audrahni to Roderic's Wreck. You soon understand how it got that name. Likely built from the local pine trees, the old two-story manor has clearly seen better days. The building is elevated above the ground on wooden pylons. Large sections of it are overgrown with moss and black mold, and one corner is partially sunk into the nearby river. Thanks to the clouded windows, it's impossible to see inside. However, the front door is already rather ominously open...
"I'm surprised it's still standing," remarks Gali. "Sir Roderic died nearly a hundred years ago, right? Outside of Kyonin, I've never heard of wooden buildings lasting that long."
Woah s@+*!
Woah s&*!!
Whoah s*!@!!
He's, uh, he's a real ghost.
Yeah. Yep. That's a real one alright. That's what that is.
Whoooooaah shhhiiiiiiiitttttttttt!!!
After boldly standing still, quivering in her boots, through the entire encounter with Sir Roderic, Croq decides to recover her cool by doing what she does best: croc out and then rock out! Being green and scaly makes her feel a bit braver. She howls out a hard rock ballad as they walk, and gets Biscuit howling along with her.
"You know, Audrahni, at first I wasn't sure I heard you right but HELL YEAH! Biscuit does have a good noise! Maybe she can join me for my gig at the Creekside Tavern on Wealday?"
She walks up to the door--trying to look braver than she feels--and gives a loud rap on it with her drumstick.
. . .
"...Biscuit here has a good noise..."
Aurealia likewise shifts into her beast form as the group approaches the wreck. She follows Croq to the door, and begins sniffing about to see if anything else has passed through here recently.
Once the shock of seeing the ghost of Roderic settles, Kallie thinks on the strange near-brawl that seemed to draw the ghost out. "That was an odd meeting, don't you think?" she asks as they head out to the wreck.
Standing outside of the dilapidated building, Kallie takes a moment to appreciate her smaller stature. Though it still irks her to no end, after having decided to become an Outcast and live amongst the two-leggers she finds more and more occasions where being small was a decided advantage. Had she been full-sized, she would have been reluctant to enter the stilt-house. Even being small, her tail tosses nervously and her hooves paw at the ground. Remember, I'll be at an advantage. Four points to distribute weight, unlike the rest of them. Well, Cheshire excepted.
Cai’nan steps cautiously up onto the porch area, Krodha following behind and sniffing at the air himself. ”The natural world is one thing, but things that don’t have bodies? I’m not sure I’ll be of much help...”
Croq's hand reaches out unconsciously to brush Lia's arm, getting a bit of courage from her sister's presence.
Cai’nan steps cautiously up onto the porch area, Krodha following behind and sniffing at the air himself. ”The natural world is one thing, but things that don’t have bodies? I’m not sure I’ll be of much help...”
With a grin, Croquelle says, "Hey, everything living or dead must bow to the Power of Rock, right?"
”I don’t see how a rock is going to hurt a ghost....” Cai’nan asks over his shoulder.
Audrahni blushes when she realizes her verbal typo.
"W-Whoops! I meant good nose! Those words are so similar in Elven..." she explains. "H-However, it does appear that Biscuit does also have a good noise!"
Croq's call doesn't get the answer she had likely expected...
As the groups begins to poke around the outskirts of the house, you all hear a sudden buzzing sound. Mere seconds later, two angry, overgrown mosquito-like creatures fly out from under the porch! Their long, sharp proboscises are clearly out for blood!
...And they almost immediately meet a swift end thanks to Croq's drumstick and Krodha's jaws.
(Clearly not liking the taste, the T-Rex makes an adorable face and spits out the remains.)
"...Stirges," Galatea remarks. If asked about how she recognizes them, she says, "I've seen Earthmother Ryli use them to devastating effect."
Once the chaos has settled, Aurealia discovers a silver locket near the front step of the porch. Inside is a picture of a young human woman. Despite your first intuitions, you eventually rule out her being Andella Roderic, the beloved wife of the town's founder; the locket appears far too new to have belonged to her.
"Elven-make, probably from Crying Leaf. Looks similar to one of the gifts my stepfather gave Mom before their wedding," says Gali. "Going by that measure, it'd probably fetch us 50 gp."
Otherwise, it would appear that the exterior of the house has nothing else of interest or danger.
Cai’nan slowly makes his way inside, gulping back his fear as he crosses the threshold.
With her whip in hand, Kallie moves in after Cai'nan, stepping as lightly as her hooves will allow.
Croq gives the locket a quick glance, but she's too distracted looking out for more stirges to really pay attention.
Aurealia takes a moment to examine the locket. "That's a picture of, ________. She..."
It's not *that* odd for a wooden house to stay standing for a century... We'll just have to watch out for the parts that are more mold-eaten than the others...
Jaya hung back towards the rear, the better to see danger coming in plenty of time to respond...
Before anyone goes inside the house, Aurealia is quick to point out some spots where the rot has greatly weakened certain floorboards on the front porch. Galatea is carefully marks these areas with long plant leaves. With that warning, everyone is able to avoid stepping on these hazards.
Despite Audrahni's experience earlier, the group is not immediately attacked by a swarm of killer spiders. There is a distinctively musty smell that hangs heavily in the air. The hallway itself has certainly seen better days. There is a set of stairs going up to the second floor immediately accessible from the left of the entrance; they appear somewhat... rickety. Where Cai'nan stops the group, he sees what looks to be the old living room off to his left...
"That is Caralee Freson. She was one of mom's old friends, used to cook for 'Elle and I. She's been dead five winters now." Aurealia pauses to trace Pharasma's spiral over her chest in a sign of respect for the dead. "Her son Julit is a commander in the guard. He and Scarlet are tight. I bet he'd want to have this back." Aurealia frowns as she pockets the locket. "I wonder how it got here in the first place? I bet she fell in love with Roderick's ghost or something totally tragic like that, right?"
She hesitates at the entrance, looking at the narrow space inside. Aurealia sets her longspear carefully aside in a dry place, figuring the eight foot shaft would be more hindrance than help inside. She concentrates for a moment, and then her ears and eyes seems to shrink to more humanoid proportions as her mouth enlongates into a bat muzzle. She licks her wicked looking fangs. Been a while since I had to bite anything. Hope the beast still lurks within.
Aurealia stays next to Croq as they enter the Wreck. She keeps her nostrils peeled for the scents of any hidden creatures near them. "Let's clear the first level first?" the bat-girl suggests. "We don't want any monștri creeping up behind us. That was one of mom's first lessons."
Croq and Aurealia step into the living room. Much like the rest of the house, it has definitely seen better days. Of note, there are some large holes in the wooden floors; going by the sound of running water, this entire room is just above the river. As the siblings search the area, they see two giant cockroaches the size of Biscuit crawl in through the gaps in the floor. They immediately move to attack the Andosana sisters!
...And meet a swift end at Croq's Drumstick and Aurealia's longspear.
Once the dust settles, in the northwest corner of the room, what immediately draws their attention is a desk with a drawer hanging out. There might be something inside...
Croq high-fives her sister, wipes the bug guts off on a decomposing couch, and goes to peek into the drawer.
From where she settles, Croq can see what appears to be the dining room.
Inside the drawer is a piece of paper with some drawings on it. It appears to be stuck in place by a layer of mold. As if ripped from something larger, the edges of the paper are jagged. Its contents show a forest with a dotted trail that leads to an X. That mark is labeled as "St. Hs."
Meanwhile, Galatea and Cheshire move their way into the room and start searching the area...
"I don't see anything else of interest..." she says.
"Hmmmmm. 'Lia, this mean anything to you?"
"Oooh," Kallie says when she gets a chance to inspect the map. "This is a map of the Churlwood. Neat! I think we've found ourselves someplace we could go next. I don't know what Saint Hs, is, but it should be worth exploring, don't you?"
"Let's finish looking through the Wreck first, but yeah, that sounds like a reasonable plan."
"Anything people draw a map to is always something they thought was worth the trip."
Kallie's ears perk up and her eyes widen. She immediately reaches for her side pack and draws out a torch and some flint. "I think I hear that swarm Audrahni mentioned." She quickly begins working to light the torch.
Croq flinches a bit as she pictures a swarm of spiders.
"Well, if it's bug crushing time, we need a bug crushing jam!" and she starts to play her drum just as someone opens the door.
She reaches down to scratch Biscuit behind the ear. "You ready to make some noise?!?"
"Jaya, can you roast them with your magic? I've got a couple of alchemist fires, but with my aim, I'd probably hit Mhar Massif instead of anything in this house," Galatea whispers as she produces one of said items. She appears happy to give either of them to someone with better aim.