"Thank you." Morgana replies to Amethyst with a smile. "For what its worth you make just as attractive a man as you do a woman."
"Oh, I know, darling. I know," Amethyst replies.
It's very comfortable. Extra feathers and extra cushion. It's like sleeping in the heavens themselves."
Crossing her arms and looking at Ameiko's less-than-fluffy bed, she says "Surely you don't want to sleep here, do you?" She proceeds to walk over and sit on the bed, making a show of it being extra uncomfortable.
"Oh dear. I can't imagine the soreness in the back this would cause."
The shaman arose before dawn and slipped out of her bed, making her way to the bakery like she did every morning. She greeted Alma and made small talk about the festival the day before, answering questions about the "battle" with the goblins. Working for a few hours, she makes some goodies to bring with her when the group reconvenes for breakfast.
Arriving early, she places a spread of apple pasties and delicious sugar-soaked assortments across the table for all to consume.
What did you DO to her?"
When Melody asks what she did to her, she giggles "Do you really want to know what I did to her or are you pretending to ask? Last time I tried to tell you about it you plugged your ears!"
The dancer's eyes flick over to Sabriyya and his smile widens slightly.
Sabriyya meets the smile with a twinkling one of her own, her lips twisting into a near pucker as it were.
----
Sabriyya agrees to investigate the boneyard, the thought of traversing those grounds not bothering her at all. "I frequently visit it, so I'm familiar enough with the grounds and should be able to spot something that is out of sorts."
Once the pair are in the shaman's bedroom, Amethyst lies down on the bed, silks splayed sensually around her. "Ah... Yes, this is very comfortable. Join me?"
Rolling over to look at Ms. Swan, she asks "So how does that silk keep doing that? Magic? It seems to constantly conform to your body in this sensual and mysterious way."
She clears her throat, "Not that I'm looking, Ms. Swan."
She rolls over and gives the shaman an appraising look. ”Would you like to try the outfit on? I’ll bet it would look stunning on you. I think you have an amazing body under those clothes of yours.”
Sabriyya loves compliments. "I do, don't I?" she giggles again.
Stop giggling already, girl.
Raising one eyebrow twice she says "Flattery will get you everywhere, Ms. Swan."
Rising to her knees on the bed, she runs her hands down her body and says "I'm not the strongest lady in town, but I try to put in some exercise each day to work off those puff pastries I find myself eating far too often."
Sweets gets sidetracked in the thought of a juicy cherry pie before shaking her head and asking, "Where were we? Hmmm?"
Grinning without a giggle this time, Sabriyya complies.
The shaman is not as finely dressed a the magus was. She wore no silk, but she had several layers of scarves draped around her and was a true Varisian through and through. She slowly began to remove different colored garments that exposed more and more of her olive skin.
She tried to do it slowly and provocatively, but she had no experience in such things and it looked more like she was trying to hang herself than anything else. Struggling to pull the last piece over her head, it caught on her chin and got stuck. She frantically strucggled with it as it wrapped over her head, trapping her and she gave up her show to say meekly.
"Help."
”There you are. And there you are.” Amethyst’s eyes rove up and down Sabriyya’s body. ”Exquisite, as I suspected. Truly a vision of beauty.”
Without hesitating, she scooches over to pick up the fallen silk garments and begins to put them on. It becomes apparently clear that Amethyst is bigger in both height and weight when most of them slide to the ground around her. She loops and twist them the best she can to try and tighten it.
Holding the clothes bunched up with her left hand and opening the palm to her right, she does a quick spin in place to show her new clothes off. She nearly loses her balance thanks to the wine, but recovers quickly with a braced hand against the wall. She strikes a pose and says, "How do I look?"
She touches Sabriyya's cheek and gently turns her face towards her own as she leans in for a kiss.
"I think. I think I would like that. Teach me? What. Else. Oh-" Sabriyya keeps talking and talking until the magus leans in for a kiss. Her words slow down as she approached and are interrupted completely when they lock lips.
Letting go of the bunched up silks that slide down her body to the floor, she wraps her arms around the dance instructor and says "Teach me."
"Melody, dear. Where did you disappear to last night with Ms. Deverin?"
Hemlock thanks you all for your offer of assistance and accompanies you on the short walk with you to Sandpoint's boneyard. During the walk up to the Boneyard and is quite chatty and seems overly interested with your future plans.
"I have to say, I was mightily impressed with your efforts my friends. As a team you were very effective at securing the square and street to the White Deer. So, what are all of your plans now the attack is over. Will you all continue working as a group to support Sandpoint? I don't recognise some of you so you can't be from around here?"
As you reach the boneyard, Hemlock asks, "Please would you aid me to investigate the scene?"
The vault in question is a 20-foot square stone structure that stands near the wall. Used to house the remains of previous caretakers, priests, and acolytes who served at the Cathedral, the stone door does indeed hang ajar. The ground around the place is churned up from many footprints after a recent bout of rain.
goblins and one Medium humanoid climbed the wall, then approached and entered the vault.
"So long as Sandpoint is in danger, I will do my utmost to help," Amethyst says. "It is the right thing to do."
The dancer makes an effort to look around but keeps on getting distracted by the scent of Sabriyya's hair...
Morgana does her best to investigate the scene, but sharp eyes are not her strong point and she keeps getting distracted by the scent of Vasia's hair...
When they arrive at the scene, Vasia steps aside for a moment and after a minute or so of concentration, Jenica appears.
"Now you behave," the girl whispers fiercely before returning to the group. She quickly joins the others in looking over the vault, but doesn't notice anything.
The phantom woman seems more interested in watching Morgana than in detecting any evidence.
"That woman hasn't taken her eyes off you since we got here," she whispers to Vasia. "I'm thinking she has second thoughts about not staying last night."
"And I think you're imagining things," Vasia replies with a blush climbing her cheeks.
She takes a deep breath to steady herself and then sends out her emotions to sense anything of significance.
When Vasia shakes her head in frustration, Jenica moves towards the vault itself. Ignoring the open door, she chooses to glide through the wall itself as if disdaining physical impediments.
Jenica can see a discarded patchwork cloak in the corner as well as a sarcophagus lying open with its top discarded to the side. She also readily sees two piles of bones which readily rise up to form two humanoid animated skeletons.
The two skeletons claw at Jenica, but their arms pass through her incorporeal body.
"Don't come inside, Vasia! There are undead!" Jenica calls out. "Send in Morgana and then loose me upon them!"
The woman laughs.
Amethyst strides forward, empowering her scarf and lashing out!
Melody Ummms and Errrs as she is unsure of what to do with the vault in front of her.
The skeletons claw out again, one at Amethyst and one at Jenica scratching both deeply with their sharp fingers.
Jenica laughs as the claws pass harmlessly through her. Her form is shifting - her appearance changing.
Morgana moves into the vault and lashes out with one mailed fist at a skeletons head.
Amethyst winces in pain and tries again.
She doesn't do much better, so she tumbles away!
Vasia closes her eyes and calms her feelings. Reaching out for the thin, but strong tendril that binds her bunica's phantom to herself, she twists it just a bit and feels it grow more ... real.
Inside the vault, Jenica's form clarifies. Instead of the flattering dress she was garbed in before, she's now clothed in tight leather armor and holds a pair of phantom short swords of elaborate design at the ready.
"I miss this," she says with a feral grin.
Melody finally gets her head out of her ass, or out of everyone else (figuratively) since all of them are basically at eye level to the inquisitive halfling. And all the talking, banter, not so subtle flirting has the halfling used to only a few words a day a bit befuddled
A sprint and a roll later the halfling is somewhere behind at skeleton that moves "Skeletons!" the tone is gleeful instead of fearful since halflings have something wrong with them Fear-wise. And then she stabs iy in the back of a knee.
Sabriyya was going to tell everyone to be patient while she had a look around and cast a spell to search for potential restless spirits, but that did not happen.
Why is everyone always in such a hurry?!
When the situation goes awry and skeletons appear, she makes a soured expression and throws her hands up in exasperation. There would be a stern talking to later about this, oh yes there would.
When she watches Vasia take the damage, she wonders who is taking the injury? Is it Vasia? What would happen should Vasia's body fall like this?
Hmmm. More questions for later.
As if she had been asking for it, Jennica gets slashed right before Swan does.
Not overly scared of the undead, the shaman whirls her hands in front of her and mutters the words to a spell to bless her allies.
Melody manages to disassemble a skeleton in one strike, as the bones clatter to a pile on the floor.
The remaining skeleton reaches out to claw at Morgana but merely scratches at her armour.
Morgan smashes the skeleton's skull with a single solid blow.
"Crumble and tumble, you old bones." Melody tells the skeleton as it collapses into dust and mess. She imagines that is something Lady BunBun would say to a defeated bone, probably with a delighted arrogant laugh. "Sabriyya, why are there skeletons, cause the priesty guys are supposed to say prayers and keep them sleeping forever, OH yesterday was a mess, do you think if they miss their prayers for ONE day things like this happen. What if they get sick or need a vacation?"
Melody distracts herself with inane babbling, while she slips around long legs to get behind the next skeleton.
Both of the skeletons are now simply piles of dusty bones on the floor, leaving the vault surprisingly quiet - and Melody's laugh and chatter echoes around, bouncing off the stone walls.
A search of the vault’s interior turns up two things of interest. First, the discarded robe that lies in a corner. Second, and more disturbing, is the fact that the sarcophagus that contained Ezakien’s body has been opened and his remains stolen.
Sheriff Hemlock peeks through the door, and his voice booms over Melody's. "A literal case of body snatching - well I never. I was looking at these trail marks out here, or the ones your did not all disturb at least, and most of these seem Goblinoid, one larger humanoid as well. What do you all make of this?" He asks with interest, eager to see the conclusion that the group of investigators comes to.
Melody's own tumble was a stumbling mess, causing the empty sockets to turn to the little one for the first time, making her belly go numb and put a wobble in her knees, but before the bone claws could rip her face off the mayor's niece smashed its skull in WITH HER FIST.
Melody looks down at the pile, then up at the lady knight like person "You are really good at this" with a touch of adoration in her voice.
When the sheriff comes and asks questions, Melody shuffles behind Sweets' legs, letting the big girls answer his questions. Being arrested and lectured and lectured and glared at by this man has left her more than a little timid around him.
"Well done everyone. Please gather around me for a moment. Yes, you too Vasia."
"There we go. Is everyone feeling alright now?" she asks, making sure no one is about to collapse before investigating the scene further.
Sabriyya isn't able to make heads or tails of the tracks or any clues, shrugging her shoulders she rests her hand on Melody's shoulder and says "I guess they are gone. I wonder about those humanoid prints? Did they take someone prisoner? Is anyone in town missing? Or is this an outsider working with them?"
"We could follow them and find out maybe?" a small voice from behind the skirts of Sabriyya suggests.
"I think we should follow the tracks out and see where they go." Sabriyya says loudly for everyone to hear.
"A sound plan!" Morgana agrees with a grin. "Well done Sabriyya!" She winks at the halfling who actually had the idea.
"Who is our best scout? Melody? Could you follow this trail for us, I'll be right behind you the whole way."
"Me? Umm... I can try..." Melody wants to useful but she's never ever tried to follow a set of footprints anywhere before.
But there are a lot of them at least, and one of the goblins seems to have been spitting something vile every little bit, so...
Try as she might, Melody cannot find any sense of direction from these prints with the mud so churned up from so many of them everywhere, they seem to lead to the streets of Sandpoint which makes them impossible to track.
The Sheriff butts into the search: "Perhaps, the goblin raid was a distraction so that this unknown thief could steal the remains of
the town’s previous priest. Maybe they used the goblins to help with this fact. Either way, please do keep this fact to yourselves, I think this needs further looking into. If any of you do come across any unusual information though, please ensure I am the first to know." He bows his head and makes his leave.
As you meander the streets with your friends, a young messenger boy with a scruffy cap dashes up to Vasia. "Miss Vasia, I have a note for you from Lord Foxglove" He thrusts it into Vasia's arms so she has no choice but to take it and dashes off at speed, clearly on multiple message jobs at once.
My dear Vasia, I look forward to your joyful presence at our picnic at 3pm on the nearside of the Old Light. With anticipation, Aldern.
"sorry, there is so MUCH here and there... I don't have any idea where they go." she sighs in disappointment at herself.
Once Hemlock is gone, Melody asks "Who is Ezakien? And why would anyone want his body?"
Beaming with a proud smile when Morgana calls her out, she misses the wink and moves behind Melody as she leads them in circles through the streets of Sandpoint. When they pass the bakery for the third time, she says to her friend "If you wanted another pastry, all you had to do was ask!"
"A picnic eh?" Morgana says with a smile. "Well you can't go in that dress, you wore it yesterday! You're not much shorter than me though, so I think I can help! Are we going shopping for something new or would you like to come back to the Manor and borrow something of mine?"
”Nothing better to celebrate a victory over undead than pastries! Well, maybe one thing is better,” Amethyst purrs as she walks arm in arm with Sabriyya.
Vasia clutches the note in her hand as Morgana already begins to make plans. "Uh, yes. A ... a new dress." She looks down at the plain, well worn and patched one she's currently wearing. "Yes," she says with more confidence.
Jenica - who has returned to her previous dress and her incorporeal form - nods in agreement. "A new dress is definitely on the schedule. Something that shows off your shape a little better."
She reaches out and places two spectral hands on Vasia's chest as if trying to push her bosom up. "Something that shows she's got boobs." Turning to Morgana, she raises an eyebrow. "You can do that, right?"
Vasia steps back and covers her modest chest with her arms. "Bunica!"