"Not to worry." Rexus waves her apologies away. "Lady Jessibel intends to look at it again tomorrow. Perhaps she will be able to see more than either of us. She's picked up a great deal of... eclectic knowledge, from what I can tell."
He grins a little. "Thank you for humoring me, at any rate." The nobleman pats her shoulder. "I think that our little rebellion is looking up."
Jessibel helps briefly with some of the clean-up in the room that Chough rampaged. Her eyes detect nothing that remotely resembles a comfortable place to sleep, and her nose keeps crinkling at the smell of sewage and dead bodies.
"My family villa's not far from here," she announces, "and I could really use a good night's sleep in my old bed. I'd invite some of you along to use the guest rooms, but the more people I have with me will likely add to the number of questions I'll be asked and the number of lies I'll have to tell in response. I'll return here tomorrow, though, and I've already got a few things planned...."
The simultaneous flashing of her Aulamaxa signet ring and a winsome smile got Jessibel past the guards, through the Whitegate, and into the nobles' district known as the Greens. Jessibel headed east, to get a closer glimpse of the ruins of the Victocora estate. She briefly considered exploring the place for clues by herself, but like the other villas in the Greens, the Victocora place was walled. Remembering her embarrassing climb attempts in the Fair Fortune Livery, the bard decided not to try her luck again.
Her mother was glad to see her youngest (and most troublesome) daughter again, and seemed to fully believe Jessi's fib about being in Villegre to help a playwright compose a new piece. Her grandmother, the archbaroness, wouldn't be so easy to fool. Nonetheless, Jessibel braved the growls and incessant yapping of Lady Eldonna's beloved poodle, Harcule, to let the family matron know that she'd witnessed parts of the Aria Park riots and perhaps plumb the woman for any knowledge of recent event that might be of interest to the Silver Ravens.
Fortunately for Jessibel, the Victocora estate is not being guarded by any dottari, though perhaps that's because she has come in the midst of a snowstorm. The snow blanketing the ruins does little to help her brief examination of the place, but she is fairly certain that any exploration would not only be dangerous, but also might be fairly obvious - unless she does it at night, or perhaps during another snowstorm.
Eldonna seems to accept (if not necessarily believe) Jessibel's claim about helping out a playwright in Villegre, without making much of a fuss about it - perhaps because she knows that the Opera House is unlikely to reopen any time soon.
At the end of their conversation, Eldonna looks seriously at Jessibel. "Now, you be careful going back to your little 'apartment,' my dear." She says as Hercule yaps irritably at the young woman, apparently dissatisfied with the amount of attention his mistress has been giving her granddaughter. "I've heard tell that there've been killings in the Devil's Nursery - I have no wish to revisit the days of the Temple Hill Slasher, and without any dottari caring, the killer might move into other districts on Argo Isle."
Between the explorations of the Fair Fortune Livery and the Wasp Nest...and the taxing interrogation by her grandmother and her hellpoodle, Jessibel sleeps like the dead. She oversleeps (but just a little!) and quickly heads back to the Long Roads Coffeehouse after saying her goodbyes to her family, including her brother, Caeleb.
Figuring her new associates likely haven't cleared out a sewer entrance just yet, the bard enters through the front entrance, though she keeps her hood up to at least partially hide her identity. When she meets with her fellow Silver Ravens, Jessi asks if anyone plans on coming with her on her jaunt across the Bleakbridge, through Redroof, and to her apartment in Jarvis End. She also gives them a thorough recap of the rumor her grandma fed her .
"Oh yeah--almost forgot that Rexus wanted me to take another look at the weird magical paper we found in the livery!" the bard chirps before hunting down the rebel nobleman.
Sleep has done wonders for the moody teen. Not only does she detect faint transmutation magic from an ongoing spell, she also has a pretty good idea what spell that is.
"I think we're looking at a secret page spell," she informs Rexus. "Unfortunately, if we can't guess the password, we'd need a pretty powerful cleric or wizard to cast true seeing and comprehend languages on it to see what's written there."
The bard seems momentarily crestfallen but is beaming again a moment later. "You need anything in Redroof, Old Kintargo, or Jarvis End while I'm out?"
When she meets up with the others again, she's grinning ear-to-ear. "Anyone else awaken to a wonderful surprise this morning?" she asks. "I've gained some new spells and some more spellcasting capacity!"
Rexus frowns at the newfound information. "I wonder what it is that they found so valuable that they needed to hide it with magic more than with the code alone..." His brow furrows. "Perhaps we could dispel the spell? That might not require quite so powerful a spellcaster..." He sighs. "Unfortunately, I don't know any such that we might trust fully. Most are associated with the Alabaster Academy or various churches - the Rose of Kintargo might have such a cleric, but they've well and truly gone to ground. Maybe we should ask Laria if she knows anyone?"
For lack of a better idea as to what to do, Nyxra opts to follow Jessibel and remain quiet as she takes care of her affairs.
As everyone goes their separate ways, so too does the Raven, but first he collects an armful of the ratty old blankets a certain angry corvid had strewn about the Wasp’s Nest. Alone and sticking to the alleyways as usual, he makes for the Devils’ Nursery, stopping at a small fish stall to purchase a decent sized tuna before heading to the not-so-fair Fortune Livery. He throws the fish to the guard dogs and leaves the blankets piled in a back corner of the stable for them, then settles down in the rafters of the structure and waits out the day.
A strange day it had been. Secret tunnels, unseasonal crocodiles, pirate runaways. The Raven was not sure what to think of the tengu sisters, he had not know any tengu with any great familiarity. Common sense told him not to trust them yet they were so fitting to the current situation. Laria would be reliable and steadfast, most halflings were. Lady Talbot was a typical Iomedian but that was a good thing. He was still unsure of what to make of Nyxra but she could do a lot of damage. Jessibel seemed fun. He would Do well to remind himself that she is not his little sister and they are not orchestrating theft of sweets from the cook. She could die. She could die because of him. Vantine was... why did she keep coming into his mind? She had started as yet another dalliance as nothing more than maintenance of Alexius’ public profile. Now she was an ally in this rebellion which was a very odd coincidence, but she still occupied far too many of his thoughts. He supposed he would have until they were hanged for treason together to figure it out. ”Hopefully lord Rexus does not die soon.” The Raven says to the dogs. ”I would hate to be the only boy in the Silver Ravens.”
As the sun sinks behind the horizon and the poorest part of the city turns black with night, the Raven emerges from his den. Despite how hostile and dangerous many of the non-human members of the Devil’s Nursery look, more than a few of the tieflings scamper away from the hulking, beaked man. The Raven sells the weapons and tools of larceny they had found in the previous two days to a vaguely reliable gnome who primarily dealt in vaguely legal equipment. He acquires from said gnome a silvered dagger, a concealable wrist sheath in which to place the knife, and a bottle of bang.
His more-or-less legitimate business concluded, the Raven goes to visit the Valxes’. He ‘visits’ them in the same way he had been for years: climbing down the city wall that backed their hovel and sitting on their rooftop, listening. He cannot make out what they are saying, but they sound happy. The couple always sound happy. Freezing in their hut on a winters night and they sounded happy. The Raven could remember a time that was both not so long ago and what felt like a lifetime ago when he would throw a tantrum if a clerk took too long to count out his change. These people had nothing but each other, yet they were content. He sits there till they go to bed, feeling sorry for them and sorry for himself. Mostly for himself. As always, he leaves a small bit of silver on their doorstep and a silent promise that he would find justice for them some day.
====================
The Raven arrives to the Nest feeling as exhausted as always. Exhausted- but not in bad spirits. He felt like he had direction for the first time in years. ”Magpie. Did lord Rexus ever divine for you what those boots can do?” He asks of the spirited bard when he sees her. He doles out the tiny purses of gold he had from selling the weapons the previous night. When Aisling’s share lands in front of her with a shink, he tuts disapprovingly. ”Lady Talbot I must say I am ashamed and frankly horrified. If it weren’t enough to incite a riot, murder helpless, legally appointed dottari, break into a livery, murder helpless devils, steal everything that wasn’t nailed down AND murdering a helpless, rare albino crocodile - if all that were not enough! - you are receiving gold for your evil deeds! For shame!”
As the others prepare to leave Long Roads, Vantine does so as well. She takes Nan's fabrics and the Harrow deck and walks over to her mother's house in a nonplussed state. Laria had, albeit gently and indirectly, turned down her suggestion that soend the night with Laria. This is not a thing that happens to Vantine, and she struggles to understand the reason for it.
There is only one explanation Vantine can think of. Perhaps Laria already had plans for someone else to be with her. But Vantine thinks Laria would not have avoided saying so. It is truly a mystery.
Vantine has the unfortunate duty to report Nan's death to her mother. Kezia is saddened by the news, but does not take it so hard as Laria did. Nan was less a close personal friend than a reliable and pleasant to work with business contact for Kezia.
Vantine helps her mother make dinner, and they catch up with each other while eating. She tells Kezia she intends to stay overnight due to the curfew. She also mentions work on a new stage production she has started with a couple of friends.
After the meal, Vantine shows Kezia the Varisian fabrics and asks Kezia if she might sell them for her as consignment. She had not told her mother the true details of Nan's death, that would not do at all. Instead she simply says that when she stopped by the coffeehouse, Laria had informed her of Nan's death from an illness while staying at Long Roads. Laria had given her the items to clear them out since she did not know what to do with them herself. Vantine explains she would like to get the money upfront if possible because it is needed for set materials and other costs related to the new theatrical venture.
For the moment at least, Vantine keeps the Harrow deck, which she looks through pensively before bed.
Jessibel is absurdly pleased when the Raven calls her Magpie. "Nope!" she replies. "Nor have I, but I'll give it another shot before we head out!"
When the masked man teases Aisling, Jessi smirks at her new Iomedaean friend and quips, "Hope you know a good lawyer!"
The Raven finds that the dogs are delighted by their new food, and tolerate his presence, at least for the night. His late night shopping spree is briefly interrupted by a group of CCG militants, but he evades them easily, fading into the darkness beyond their hooded lantern.
Meanwhile, Vantine’s meeting with her mother goes well - Kezia seems to suspect nothing, and genuinely enjoys the night spent with her daughter. The Harrow deck seems to resist revealing secrets to her initially, but after a few shuffles and redealings, she gets the sense that she has only just begun a great journey, and that she will slowly grow more adept in her magic as time goes on.
The next morning is bitterly cold, with a cutting wind that seems to sap heat from one’s very bones, but the skies are clear and it hasn’t been warm enough to melt any of the snow, so there is no ice to worry about on the Ravens’ journey back to the Wasp’s Nest.
The Silver Ravens leave the Wasp’s Nest through the sewers for the first time, with Treep guiding them to a small manhole where they can exit without people noticing - in a back alley in Villegre, several blocks away from the Long Roads Coffeehouse. She makes a few gestures, one of which seems to indicate to come back here - probably rather than going through the Long Roads Coffeehouse.
With that, the group sets out in their way, the stronger winds seizing their breath and tossing snow from the rooftops and snowdrifts. Though the sun shines blearily down on Kintargo, it is not enough to truly warm anyone. They pass over Bleakbridge, where they see several dottari guarding the checkpoint again. After paying their fees and leaving the shivering men behind, they also spot a few tengu lurking around on the Argo Isle side of the bridge. The tengu look at them suspiciously, but do not make any moves other than to close ranks and chatter quietly amongst themselves.
Though he can only barely hear a few odd words in tengu, he recognizes them as ‘Red’ ‘tiefling’ (or, more accurately, ‘oni-spawn’ but the meaning is broader), and ‘crush.’
Finally, as they enter into Redroof proper, the group bypasses a patrol of dottari (just to be on the safe side) by slipping into an alleyway that leads towards Temple Hill. Before long, however, a young woman with dark hair and wearing the tattered robes of a beggar rushes towards them. ”You have to run! It’s coming after me!”
She pushes past them, but within moments, a thin, lanky, wolf-like creature with reddish fur and bright, burning eyes pads rushes around the corner. At almost four-and-a-half feet tall at its shoulder, it is truly enormous for a canine of any sort. It glares at the Ravens, before twitching its head. The meaning is clear. ”Get out of the way.” The group is left with no doubt as to what this creature is. A hell hound, an infernal beast masquerading as a canine.
And I thought Harcule was bad!
Jessibel's fright at being confronted by the monstrous canine causes her brain to freeze up at a critical moment!
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”Ah. Lady Nyxra, if I recall correctly, canines are your speciality?”
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While she's not convinced it's a good idea, Nyxra stands in the hell hound's path.
"Down." She points at the snow beneath the beast.
When Nyxra steps forwards to command the 'dog,'the winds send flurries of dusty snow throughout the alleyway as everything seems to stop for a moment. Then, upon seeing the Ravens remaining in between it and its prey, the hell hound growls angrily, baring its fangs.
It launches itself forwards with a terrible howl, hopping almost comically through the snow, before inhaling and unleashing a burst of fire from its gaping maw.
Steam erupts from the snow where the fire burst, though because of how briefly it was there, the fire doesn’t melt any significant amount of snow.
Nyxra easily leaps aside from the worst of the fire, bringing her sword up in one smooth motion and swinging it at the beast's neck.
"End this quick--we're going to have company real soon."
Spread out!" Jessi calls out belatedly to her fellow Silver Ravens, plowing into the even deeper snow bank piled against the wall of a nearby building, secretly drawing her rapier beneath the snow pile. Then she breaks out in song to inspire her comrades. If suggesting a trip across the city in three feet of snow doesn't get her booted from the rebellion, her song choice might:
"Asmodeus had a hound, Fiero was its name-O!"
The Raven “jumps” to the side of the charging doggo, managing to move out of the way of the center of its fiery blast. He swings at the hellhound while it is still recovering from its fight to move through the snow, his spiked fist hammerIng into the side of the unnatural beasts’ skull with devastating force!
Vantine moves back a little and comes as close to hugging a wall as the snow will allow. Nyxra's interaction with the hound leads her to surmise it is of some degree of intelligence. She hopes she's right as she meets it's eye with a baleful glare of her own.
Though Nyxra nimbly avoids the worst of the heat, her blade thwacks into the hell hound’s neck… before coming away unbloodied. It snarls at her, eyes flashing red.
Jessi shoves her way through the snow, bursting into a rather absurd little ditty. Nevertheless, the other Ravens feel as uplifted as usual from her singing.
Similar to Nyxra, Aisling throws herself backwards, dodging the worst of the fire, and draws her blade with a swift blur of motion. She grasps her holy symbol briefly in her offhand and chants a single verse from an Iomedaean hymn. The priestess shimmers silver for a brief moment, before the light of the magic fades, and she steps forwards to take the fight to the infernal beast.
The Raven, too, avoids most of the flaming blast from the infernal beast, and then rushes towards the creature. Unleashing a swift, devastating punch to its front right shoulder. The vigilante feels the bone crack beneath his fist, and blood spurts out of the punctures his spiked gauntlet has created. The infernal hound yelps loudly, before twisting to snarl malevolently at the mortal that dared to hurt it.
Vantine steps back and away from the hell hound before unleashing her magic upon it, cursing it with incompetence and clumsiness. The hound shudders, and Vantine knows that her hex has taken effect.
”Y-you’re crazy!” The young woman says, shocked, as the Silver Ravens assemble to once more fight the forces of Hell. She falls silent, and the Hound abruptly lets out a brief whine, before shaking its head.
The hell hound, rather upset (though perhaps ‘furious’ might be a better word) with the Raven, lunges at him, jaws glowing with fiendish heat. However, the snow obstructs its lunge, and it seems to slip as the vigilante sways out of the way of its fangs.
Nyxra adjusts her grip on her sword and swings again...
The Raven parries the dogs lunge and ripostes with his spiked gauntlet.
Vantine susses out the connection between the hound flinching and the woman. She tucks the information away for later as she begins a spell.
Vuotavat korvat sinulle!
She follows the arcane words with a scream, but it is so tightly focused only the hell hound it's directed at would hear it.
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"F-I-E-R-O! F-I-E-R-O!
F-I-E-R-O! Fiero was his name-O!"
Jessibel ignores the imperiled woman and continues her song, powering through the deep snow to take her position by the Raven's side, possibly opening a flanking opportunity soon for Nyxra. The words of some wise man or woman comes to her mind unbidden: It's not crazy if it works!
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Aisling is glad to accept Jessibel's invitation back to the noble families estates. With things as they are, traveling across town is better in company, although she doesn't ahve a lot to say for herself. When she gets there she bids Jessibel goodnight and heads off to her own house, doing her best to time things so she avoids the rest of her family. She isn't in the mood for a discussion on what she's been doing, although she has enough wisdom to know that she is only delaying the inevtable.
Aisling glares at the hellhound and steps forward to fight it, waving her sword. She strikes the monster, but not with as much force as she would have liked.
She looks back at the girl. "What did you DO to get one of these sent after you?!"
Nyxra lashes out with her sword once more, her blade flashing in the light of the distant sun. Once more she scores a hit, this time on the beast’s flank, and her blade sinks into it. It yowls, before turning its burning gaze to the elf woman once more, a growl erupting deep within its chest, though it looks much the worse for wear, as its wound seeps blood into the snow, staining it crimson-black.
Jessibel continues her somewhat eccentric song, perhaps under the (unfortunately correct) impression that it is helping the Silver Ravens fight, even as she slogs through the snow.
Aisling slashes out with her sword, moving through well-practiced (albeit adjusted) forms to strike the damned hound. Her blade strikes true, tearing deep into the beast's shoulder, which causes its growl to grow louder.
The Raven strikes out at the hound again, this time catching it in the ribcage. With a horrid crunch, he feels the creature’s ribs breaking beneath the blow, even as the spikes on his gauntlets pierce through its thick flesh. Another baleful howl erupts from its throat... before it collapses into a bloody heap on the ground, its black-red blood sizzling in the snow.
The young woman pales, stumbling back in the snow. "I-I didn't do anything! It - it wanted me to follow it, and I couldn't! I had to run away! Please, don't hurt me..."
Nyxra winces as she sheathes her sword, the pain from her burns starting to make itself known now that the adrenaline of combat is wearing off.
"We're not going to hurt you. But we need to get off this street before the dottari show up." She says as she turns to the beggar. "Are you alright?"
She offers the beggar her hand.
The young woman takes Nyxra's hand hesitantly, but her eyes widen at the suggestion that the dottari might come. "We have to get away! They can't find me." Even as she says the words, she seems somewhat surprised by them.
Something about the woman's story seems off to Jessibel, so she tries to get a read on the mysterious stranger. Why would a hell hound try to get some beggar to follow it? Did its Asmodean master fall down a city well? Maybe the woman was anti-Thrune herself, and that was why she wanted nothing to do with hell hounds and the dottari.
Jessi almost vanishes from sight as she kneels in the deep snow next to the dying hellbeast and examines it for a collar or anything else it might be wearing. Then she stands up and addresses the woman.
"Can't find you? Why not? Your footprints in this deep snow will lead them right to you." After a pause, the bard adds, "Maybe we all should get to a main thoroughfare as quickly as possible."
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Aisling thinks quickly. "Perhaps not. The trail leads here and we can't exactly hide a dead hound, but..." She concentrates a few moments in prayer and the snow around them starts to dissolve into slush, making it impossible to read any of the footprints.
"There. Anyone tracking to this point won't get any further. Teh water should wash the scent away too." She looks around. "Jessibel is right though. We should get away from here, fast." She looks at the beggar woman again. "Once we're away safely I would like to know your story. But for now at least your name would be good to ahve."
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The beggar shakes her head. "No, they could find me, but... I can't let them! Please, help me!"
At Aisling's words, the woman nods briefly. "Uh, Narcelia, I think. Yes. My name is... Narcelia."
With that, the Silver Ravens (and their new, if temporary) companion make their way to one of the main streets. As they go, Narcelia seems constantly on edge, never relaxing for an instant.
There is there is something confusing, perhaps troubling, about the things the woman says. Vantine is fairly certain she has unseen gifts, which may account for her current, seemingly fragmented mental state. It is also possible the woman isn't telling the truth, or the whole truth. It would be best to find out more if possible.
"That's why we stayed rather than running Miss, to help. Don't worry, we're neither the authorities, nor criminals. We should get something warm into you, maybe some soup? How does that sound? We'd also be inside off the street, which might be best for a little while."
Narcelia nods eagerly, her eyes widening slightly. ”I, uh, are you willing to do that?” All the Ravens know that charitable organizations are few and far between in Kintargo, especially nowadays. The Church of Asmodeus has nominal charities, but any gifts they give invariably come with consequences - some explicit (like requiring to go to an Asmodean service once a week for a period of time), while others are more insidious (giving information to the Asmodean priesthood that might be useful to their goals, for instance).
Of the religious organizations, only the Shelynites offer charity, more or less free of any expectations of return - though they do appreciate it if someone comes to view art. Secularly, there is the Cloven Hoof Society, but that focuses almost entirely on the tieflings and poor of the Devil’s Nursery. Plus, they have mostly gone to ground and ceased functioning since their leader went missing last week.
"D-do you have a safe place to stay?"
Vantine gets the sense that the girl is (unsurprisingly) confused, hungry, and terrified. Narcelia doesn’t seem to be lying, per se, and it’s clear there’s much more to her than being a simple beggar, but… there’s something that niggles at the edges of her mind about that conclusion.
”We have a barn-like structure with fearsome guard dogs in Redroof.” The Raven says. What an exciting and oddly devilish start to the day. Their secret coup attempt had barely been born the day before and already they were facing the minions of the Pit. While devils (he assumes the fire-dog is a devil of some sort, at any rate) were more common in Chelaxia that in other places on Golarion, running into two different sets of them in three days was pushing the bounds of coincidence. But what could it be other than coincidence? It is not as if Thrune knows we exist. As usual, when they reach the main thoroughfare he takes Jessibel’s arm and shuffles along, head down and hood drawn to hide his mask.
Vantine's eyes dart to The Raven in alarm when he mentions their Redroof location.
"I was thinking someplace very close by with food, so the Miss can have something warming to eat. A restaurant or cafe will do nicely."
Jessibel's deeply suspicious of the beggar woman, who seems to have just made up a name on the spot. Plus, having a hell hound sicced on you was bad no matter how you looked at it. If the thing wanted her to follow it, that meant she was likely evil herself. And if she were afraid of the dottari, that could indicate she was a criminal of some sort.
When the Raven mentions the old livery, Jessibel scoffs. "That place couldn't handle three feet of snow! It's probably collapsed in on itself!" Nevertheless, she's pleased to accept when he offers her his arm.
Giving an uncertain look back at the woman who'd nearly been hell hound chow, she adds, "I've got so many errands to run...but some soup or a spot of tea does sound good at the moment. As does getting off the streets for a spell...."
Narcelia looks between the various Ravens. "Who are you people? A new gang?" She doesn't seem to be judgmental about that idea, but mostly curious.
”I am an innocent kidnapping victim.” The Raven says. ”Looks like you too have fallen afoul of these treacherous young ladies.”
Aisling rolls her eyes. "We're not a gang, and that masked person is with us of his own free will. Who and what we are is something to discuss later, once we're out of the cold." Maybe. She isn't sure hwo much she trusts this person who clearly isn't telling them everything. Even in Cheliax, you have to do something meaningflul to get a hellhound sent after you.
She nods at Vantine. "A cafe is an excellent idea."
Vantine punches The Raven in the arm at his bicep.
"You wish don't you!"
She does it partially because The Raven deserves to be punched for all sorts of reasons past and present, and partially to add a little distracting levity to help put Narcelia at ease.
Narcelia looks from one Raven to the next, totally lost. "Uh, alright..."
The locals of the area know of a nearby cafe that is relatively private, and somewhat warmer than other buildings in this frigid weather. As they walk, Narcelia does not speak, instead keeping her eyes in motion, always waiting for the next threat. Within a few minutes, they come to the Dazzled Demibaron, a cafe run by the infamous gnome cook Firi Razzledhair.
Despite its name, the cafe is relatively low-class - the sort of place a noble might go "slumming" despite it being almost entirely safe. Nevertheless, Narcelia seems distinctly uncomfortable entering, and not without reason - she stands out like a sore thumb in her ragged clothing.
As the Ravens seat themselves, the proprietress herself appears seemingly from nowhere by their sides. "Hi! What can I get'cha today?"
Aisling suddenly realises that Narcelia must be freezing. "Oh, I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking. HEre." She unfastens her cloak and wraps it around the other woman. Turning back to Firi the gnome, she smiles. "Hello. I think we'd all go for a hot drink and whatever food you recommend."