The Game is Afoot...[Yeva]

[Elisabeth Black]

25 Vhalar, Arc 720

The Game is Afoot...

The library at the Institute was one of the best ones Elisabeth had ever lost herself in. Any library – in her humble opinion – was a place worth losing a few hours in, but the larger ones? There was nothing like them. Something about the smell of the parchment and soft murmur of voices made her feel safe. She had grown up in libraries, so it made sense, but she was always struck by the level of familiarity she felt when within one.

Curled up in a small chair near the window, she was currently trying to catch up on Rharne knowledge. Written history was hard to come by other than a few rumors passed around by the academics, so she was starting with the basics.

At least she thought she would start with the basics...until she overheard an interesting conversation.

While roaming the stacks earlier, she had heard voices the next row over talking about a group called the “Wardens of Lovalus”. According to the academics, the Wardens possibly worked for the ‘Spirit of Rharne’ and protected the city from attacks and enemies. The conversation seemed to revolve around them musing if the Wardens had their own language. At least that’s what she thought she heard. None of it made any sense to her but she was always up for a good mystery and Rharne seemed chock-full of them.

She knew of Lake Lovalus…so that was something. Everything else seemed to be steeped in vagueness and speculation. So where did that leave her?

[Yeva]

23 Vhalar, Arc 720

Yeva was no stranger to libraries.

Much of her childhood in Rharne had consisted of books and ink pots, chatting with the keepers of knowledge and asking all sorts of questions. Most remarkable was the day she learned of the classification systems used in storing and finding the right information to suit her interests. However, just because one theoretically knew of how to find something, didn't mean they would.

Such was her current dilemma.

"Technology?" she whispered, fingertips brushing against the shelves as soft brown eyes flickered up and down the spines, "History? Language?"

She couldn't decide.

Her eyes dropped to the book in her hand, turning a page. Its words were neat and orderly, but every so often, Yeva had circled a word, a letter, an inconsistency. "Fiction, maybe?"

Each mark had been subtle, first noticed when she had begun to read and translate a story to some Biqaj on the way to Immortal's Tongue, a misspelling that was almost completely overlooked. But as she recited the story and struggled through its verbal retelling, Yeva had noticed another. It was barely anything to obsess over, but it continued, sporadically throughout the pages. She had yet to finish reading its tales, but there something - a gentle niggling in the back of her mind - that told her it was purposeful. There was a pattern. There was something here.

She could feel it.

"Excuse me," Yeva said softly, emerging from the aisles of books to spot a woman lounging in a chair by the window. She had dark hair with a slight frame, a gentle glow from the window illuminating her silhouette, "You wouldn't happen to know anything about Cassion would you?"

The medic held up the open book in her hand, smiling,"Or maybe linguistics, and general observations shrouded in mystery?"

It was an odd question, but what did she have to lose? Yeva sighed to herself and meandered towards a small table, setting her tome and unpacking a few of her things, one of which was a black feathered quill with an ornate pendant of metal bound around its barb, "I'm a bit at a loss. I... am looking for something, and I'm not even sure what it is," she shrugged off her Order of Adunih cloak, the color of lapis lazuli, talking almost to herself, "I've lived here all my life, but I've never seem to stop forgetting that not all information is easily read about. Hm," Yeva looked back, realizing that perhaps she was being too friendly and being more of a bother, "I hope I'm not interrupting you; I assumed student, and sometimes two heads are better than one. Just thought I'd ask."

OOC Note

Yeva's Quest: Friell's Book the first in a series of six rare, one of a kind books. Each book in the series has a highly encrypted clue as to the keys or steps needed to find/enter the foyer of Luesco's Fracture above Viden. It being Luesco's Grand Fracture is OOC info, that needs to be discovered through a lot of development and research on Yeva's Part. have fun! (P.S. The encryption is very high level and will require a LOT of skill in both research and cryptography. That part of the gathering the books will be a long-term thing, however long it takes to gather the rest of the books. I'd also encourage you to rope as many other pcs into the effort as possible, as they can help!) If at any point you try and decrypt the book(s) please contact me through pm and I will mod note your results.

[Elisabeth Black]

Her search for information was going nowhere. The book gently resting in her hands was useless. What did she expect? She was researching something she had no familiarity with...in an area she had no knowledge of... and yet expecting immediate results.

It wasn’t going to happen.

A voice pulled her out of her thoughts as her eyes gazed up at a young woman about her age. The first thing that struck her – other than the fact that she was asking her a question – was her hair color. It was one of the rarer colors she knew of and always beautifully stood out. She had always wished for reddish locks instead of the drab darkness she had been ‘blessed’ with…but to each their own. Replying to the comment with a smile, she closed the volume she had been reading and considered the question. “Cassion, no. Well, other than who he is and that he’s reputed to be something of a wandering Immortal. At least that’s what the scholars that talk about him say.”

Setting the book aside on the nearby table, her curious gaze settled on the young woman as she continued. “However, those last two subjects, I might be able to help you with…. or at least might know someone that can help. Depends on exactly what type of information you are looking for. I’ve not lived here long…and I’m not intimately familiar with this particular library as of yet but most libraries share some common characteristics. “

Watching her intriguingly as she explained her current musings, Elisa nodded carefully as she understood the underlying feeling of frustration that the young woman was expressing, giving up a soft laugh. “I’m fairly certain you aren’t the first person that has come to a library and not known what it was they were looking for. Libraries are supposed to be the record of written knowledge…yet to access that knowledge, you need a clue, or you would be looking forever. I’ve spent most of my life in libraries and even I have trouble. But maybe for this problem, I agree - two heads might be better than one”

The comment about interrupting caused another quick smile, shaking her head gently. “You aren’t bothering me at all. I was trying to sort out my own mystery, but I think I’ll have to abandon the chase for the time being. I’m a research assistant here…but you aren’t too far off the mark. I’ve always considered myself a student first and foremost because I love learning so much. Probably something I’ve learned from my adoptive parents – they are both professors.”

While a part of her wanted to know if her new acquaintance knew anything about the ‘Wardens of Lovalus’ since she had admitted to growing up in the area, but something about that felt wrong.

Maybe at a later point after they had figured out if she could be of any assistance.

Rising gracefully, she made her way over to where the woman was, holding out her hand in greeting. “Elisabeth…or Elisa if you prefer. Why don’t we sit down, and you can tell me all about whatever it is that brought you here?”

OOC Note

Elisabeth’s Quest: While in the Institute, Elisa overhears a conversation between two researchers about the "Wardens of Lovalus" - a group who work to protect Rharne from attacks and enemies. They work, apparently, for the Spirit of Rharne (so the academics say) and they are discussing whether such beings have their own language. This is the first Elisa has heard of these Wardens - but there's almost certainly more to find out ... if she chooses.

[Yeva]

23 Vhalar 720

The woman introduced herself and the medic was quick to do the same, "Elisa? I'm Yeva," at once she was smiling, and began to shuffle her things to the side, motioning for the dark haired woman to take a seat, "It seems we have that title in common: Forever learner." She was also a woman who loved to absorb knowledge and in her own experience, finding a person with a profound scholarly interest was sure to be good company indeed. In fact, the last time she had visited the library, she had met Zur'lei and he had been a well of fascinating information, "You said your parents were professors? Oh, that's exciting! At which university?" she pulled a small journal from her possessions, its cover dyed blue, "I was recently attending the branch in Scalvoris for medicine, and then I thought I could manage a letter in linguistics..."

It wasn't that she couldn't but as much as she loathed to admit it, her attention was stretched thin. She felt as if she was trying to be in two places at once, visiting family and Storm's Edge while in Rharne, doing research on some of the monsters that plagued the surrounding grassland, while her heart and mind lingered with the Faldrass aftermath, "And now... Well, I think I may have stumbled across something special. And, that's where things get tricky."

Yeva rotated Friell's book and slid it towards the woman, fingers pressed against the open spine, "So, this is what I have."

She took pause, allowing the researcher to skim its pages, "It's a collection of stories, apparently written for Cassion's Trial, which... I'm not really aware of. Nevertheless, this book was given to me by a man I met in Cylus - a shop keep. Later, while I was working on translating one of the stories to some Biqaj, I noticed..."

The sound of paper rustling played between them as Yeva found the page in question, "There was a misspelling." Yeva's dark eyes bounced from the book to the woman's face, "And I know that sounds trivial. But look... The same words are not always misspelled. Only the one on these pages-" more papers shuffled. Every third page, there was at least three words misspelled on every third line, annotated by little notes Yeva had stuck in place, "But it's only in this particular segment. The next story the pattern changes... And in others, I can't... Well, I can't quite figure it out at all."

Yeva searched the woman's face. Did she think she was utterly insane? A young lady with too much time on her hands?

Maybe.

"I know how it sounds, but the man, Friell, he... Well asked me to do him a favor. To tell his story, worthy of Cassion. And I think... Well...What if... What if this is it? What if this is how I find out the ending?"

Yeva felt a rush of excitement. She was on to something. She could feel it. But how close were the answers, really? "I've done some cryptography. Mostly self-taught research and application, but I just... It just seems too intentional to be an accident."

She was nervous, revealing her thoughts to another. A stranger no less, "What do you think? I'm not crazy, am I?"

[Elisabeth Black]

Taking the offered seat, she gave her a quick smile in response to the question about her parents. “Here, actually. We just moved here from Viden and the Academy there. I loved it in Viden, but my parents needed new challenges and positions opened here. I would have preferred to stay but I didn’t want to upset them.” It wasn’t really a lie…completely. Elisa didn’t know how Vin and Rilith would have felt about her staying behind in Viden – she’d never asked them. While she had thought about the idea, she hadn’t ever considered it a viable alternative. There were four things of permanence in her life – Vin, Rilith, her necklace, and Academia. She didn’t think she was ready to lose any of them just yet.

Yeva’s mention of medicine and linguistics made her smile. “Well, you certainly would fit right in with my family. My adoptive father, Professor Vin Hallowswift, is a Professor of Linguistics…and my adoptive mother, Professor Rilith Hallowswift, is a Professor of Medicine. They would commend you on your excellent taste in subjects. I’ve assisted both with their teachings and learned quite a bit in each field.” That fact was definitely true. While linguistics held more appeal to her than medicine, both professors had managed to make dents in her mind with their field of choice.

The conversation drifted to the discovery Yeva felt she had stumbled upon. Leaning over the table, she listened carefully to the information given. The essence of solving a problem…was knowing what the problem actually was and not being distracted by things that would never lead you to the end game. Her eyes fluttered along with the words, absorbing what was said and seeing if anything stood out to her.

Shaking her head gently, she collected her thoughts. “No, you aren’t crazy," Elisa replied thoughtfully, letting her fingers slip along the pages. Raising her gaze to meet the woman’s, she sat back in her chair, waited for a beat, and began…

“First of all, I think Cassion’s Trial is a holiday in Scalvoris? It’s in Ymiden sometime. I've never been there so I can't be sure. From what I’ve heard and read, the townspeople bring stories to a location. The entire day is about sharing stories and offering them to Cassion. The stories are collected and stored in the town library. It would stand to reason that this is one of those volumes, I presume. So, this is a story someone had placed in the book. How the book got from Scalvoris to Cylus is another mystery if they are all supposed to be kept in Scalvoris. Do you happen to know how old this book is?”

Considering further, she looked to her linguistics training for more clues. “A single author would be unlikely to make the same type of mistake in the same place – you are right. They would be more likely to misspell the same word throughout the text. Since this is supposed to be a collection of stories by different people, it stands to reason that either one person wrote every story...or a scribe translated a collection of stories and made these changes. If you don’t recognize the words in that language, you are likely looking at something in cryptography, like you said. My guess would be a code of some sort…. but it’s just a guess. If you eliminate the obvious, whatever remains, no matter how unlikely, must be the truth. Sounds like you have eliminated most of the things that could have resulted in something like this. Logic takes us the rest of the way and allows us to eliminate a few more. Is there anything else you know that might help?”

Yeva had a genuine mystery on her hands – an interesting one at that. Elisa still had one ace up her sleeve to assist the matter but refrained from mentioning it for the time being until she knew if the woman had more material to pass along. The questions she had asked would help figure that out.

[Yeva]

23 Vhalar 720

"I would like to visit Viden," Yeva had heard tales of the icy city, although majority had been laced with disdain when told by the Rharnian locals. The ice fortress was considered a dry city, and as such, held an opposite view of lifestyle than her own hometown, "I'd love to study ancient... I met a man marked by Yvithia. He taught me a few words, and in turn I gave him a medical lesson." she sighed wistfully, wondering when she would find the time to travel there, especially given the season. Temperatures would drop soon, and in Viden? The waters would be frozen over, sailing would be out of the question. "It's a beautiful language. I almost envy those who are fluent."

Yeva settled in her chair, tucking her arms beneath her and watched Elisabeth assess the tome. A beat of silence played between then as the other woman gathered her thoughts. Cassion's Trial, it seemed was a holiday. One she had completely missed, "It is?" the redhead blanched, hands rising to touch her cheeks, "I missed it completely."

She chewed her bottom lip fretfully. She had been so consumed with preparing her departure with Darius to come to Rharne, and keeping her household of refugees running smoothly, she hadn't even thought of celebration, "Friell said the book was a collection of stories written by an old man," she struggled to remember the exact phrasing, "It was a... uh..." A gift? She changed course, "I think these were all by the same author - yes, a collection of stories written by a father to his son. I remember now. I told Friell that it was a sweet gesture."

"I can't say it's an original copy... Oh! I should have made time to ask around in Scalvoris," she sighed. The last season there had been such a blur, "They had a rare book exchange, at a place called the Scholar's Nook. At the time, I didn't realize..." Yeva stared at the tome, realizing now just how interesting this little collection of stories was. And she had wanted it simply to read to children at bedtime. Had Friell known its value? Its curiosity? She recalled his smile, wondering now how she had not seemed to notice the possibility for mischief.

She rose to dig through her bag, this time to draw out a scroll casing, followed by the scroll itself. She hurriedly unrolled it, searching for any words, but it was blank. He had still not written. Not one word, "You've been a great help so far," Yeva praised, attention lowered to the blank paper. "What an obvious thing I've managed to overlook."

The blue-eyed researcher may not have told her anything she didn't already know about the text itself, but the tradition was a piece of the puzzle that had been lacking. Should she write to Friell first? Or wait?

She did not want to bother him, not while he was off on adventure...

But what if danger had already found him?

"My best bet might be to find another book. Then we can compare the writing and know for sure if the father wrote all the tomes. Sadly, I can't say the age," She doubted Friell would have any reason to lie, but had he seen them all with his own eye? "But isn't that like finding a needle in all of Idalos?" Yeva laughed, although there was a bit of truth in the jest. How was she to locate a few books when she had no idea where they were scattered to, or if they still existed?

"Maybe they have one here," Yeva grinned at the idea, knowing how very unlikely that would be, "After all, it wouldn't hurt to ask; maybe we'll get pointed int he right direction." Yeva turned, eyeing the books around them, "Adventure begins with one step, taken after another." Distractions. Detours. Diversions.

She was quiet for a moment. Pensive, "Have you ever been on an adventure, Elisa?"

[Elisabeth Black]

Listening to her, she smiled when Yeva mentioned her home city. “Viden is certainly a wonderful city. A bit eccentric for those not used to the ways there but then again, I suppose that can be said for any city. Rharne has been a big adjustment for me. I’m not sure two cities could be more diametrically opposed.” That’s when the conversation turned to Ancient – a subject Elisa happened to know a lot about. “I happen to know a bit of Ancient. I would be happy to share what I know with you…but I’m curious. You said you met someone that was marked. That must have been fascinating! I’ve never met a marked person before. Yvithia, you say? Hmmm…She’s a hard one. I grew up knowing of her because she lives in Viden but her attitude towards humans, I’ve always questioned it. Her devotion to learning is admirable….”

Realizing she had gone off on a tangent, she laughed softly. “Sorry. I tend to do that. I usually always come back around to the actual subject eventually.” As Yeva realized she had missed the fact that Cassion’s Trial was a holiday, she shrugged her shoulders gently. “I wouldn’t let it concern you too much. You can’t know everything. I wouldn’t have known if I hadn’t read it someplace. Holidays attached to Immortals are something Vin and Rilith made me research.” It was the truth. She even remembered doing a report on it for them. Such an odd pair her guardians could be sometimes.

Elisa sat and listened to Yeva collect her thoughts about the book and the mysterious man that had given it to her. The knowledge she had wasn’t lining up with the story Yeva had been given about the book…but that wasn’t all that unusual. She didn’t know this Friell fellow that her companion was speaking of so she couldn’t speak to his motives or truthfulness. There were as many possibilities as the imagination could imagine. Considering it a bit, she replied gently, not knowing how she would take her opinion. “I think you should assume that you’ve not been told everything about this book or its origins. Needle or not, sounds like that’s the task you’ve been handed. Consider this one book a sampling. You need a second book to begin the process of confirming the sampling.” Regardless of what she was doing, it always seemed like Elisa reverted to the would-be-scholar just trying to make sense of things. Or at the very least trying to explain what she was thinking to someone else – not to say that the intended person would understand said reasoning.

“An adventure?” she replied. “With every book I read, of course. But if you mean something different, I can’t say I have. My world has been books and learning. I never thought of adventure as something that I wanted…until recently.” As much as she hadn’t wanted to leave Viden, Rharne had opened her eyes to a world larger than herself.

A world not in books – a flesh and blood place.

Her arrival in Rharne had put a chain of events in motion within her. Elisa realized on a deep level that she had needed to leave Viden to get out of the comfortable embrace her hometown offered. Rharne was raw and vibrant – not the type of city she ever saw herself settling down in…but a place to push her outside her comfort zone?

Absolutely.

“What type of adventure did you have in mind?”

[Yeva]

23 Vhalar 720

The idea of being encouraged to learn about Immortal holidays was an interesting custom to Yeva. She could only recite Rharnian celebrations and her parental interest in religion had begun and almost entirely ended with Ilaren. Sure, her household had heard of Cassion and U'frek. Edasha was often blamed for broken marriage and infidelity, Zanik had something to do with music. Faldrun was a god who hated the city she called home and Aelig was the joking reason others couldn't have anything nice. But in regards to their worship and the culture surrounding these beings?

Yeva was ignorant on the matter, "I will have to follow in your footsteps," she mused, trying to remember if the Gifting Trial in Scalvoris had anything to do with Immortals. She had not thought so, "There is a celebration called Ymiden's rise here, to celebrate the season change, but...." her brow furrowed and she crossed her arms, "I wouldn't say it's a particularly religious affair. Hmm. Interesting."

She had a conundrum on her hand, no doubt. The medic agreed with everything Elisabeth was offering, how to confirm her suspicions on the first book, she would need the second. But how many more questions would that give birth to? "Friell was a..." she trailed off, bound in the memory. He had been lively and charming. Eccentric, but not so out of touch as to be a foreign mentality. And compassionate, spending his evening feeding and entertaining the children at Luna's. Even if there had been a little bit of extortion, he was quite the character, "Interesting man, to say the least. I'm sure he had more secrets than pages in this book," she snorted, unable to stop the glance at the scroll she had unrolled.

The Echo Scroll. Belonging to a pair where one was written upon, the ink should have appeared instantaneously on its other half. The dark-eyed shop keep had tasked her with transcribing his story in exchange for showing some road magic, and she had agreed. But he had not written her once and she couldn't help but wonder if his story was over before it ever began. A distressing thought that she was quick to brush away, "You know..." Yeva's hand swept across the table to wipe at invisible dust when the fellow woman admitted to having never been on adventure.

How similar they were! She had left her home once upon a time in pursuit of the same thing, "Adventure is a funny thing."

She finally was beginning to understand what it meant. The thrill, the terror, the excitement, joy, surprise, "It's never really what you expect. You can't predict it, not really..." Once upon a time, she had left the liquored streets of Rharne to chase girlish dreams of exploration only to be nearly enslaved and stranded, surrounded by wild jungle and even wilder political mess. It was just one of a growing number. It had been nothing compared to the others, flirtations of the real thing.

Faldrass had been a real one.

"We are very much alike; I was like you - I probably still am," she beamed, "I hope that's not too presumptuous to say, it's just... Well, I went to Athart. I thought that was an adventure. And then I ended on a mountain and met spirits," it felt like a dream now, realizing the existence of these things. She missed Truth, and thought of all the fanciful creatures feasting on ephemera. And yet, those were only a precursor to something even bigger, "And then Faldrass." She wondered what Elisabeth might know about the island. It wasn't far from Viden, after all. Maybe she could compare it to something in Rharne, something more familiar? "Faldrass is like Lovalus."

Then, "This might be an adventure, you know? Maybe we're meant to uncover some grand secrecy," she liked that thought. Was Friell so smart to have predicted her extended observation? Had he known she would chase for answers all along? "You said you had not met a marked, but that is not true." She felt a bit of embarrassment at what she was about to say, but so far Elisabeth had proved to be open-minded company, "I have met Cassion, once."

She tried to gauge the woman's reaction, "He marked me, and now I want to know why. I want to know who he is, because... well..." Saying 'We're bonded', sounded awfully intimate, but it was truth, was it not? They had shared blood and now his power, no matter how slight, ran through her, "It feels like an awfully big responsibility to know nothing about."

[Elisabeth Black]

She wouldn’t have blamed Yeva for thinking her eclectic range of Immortal information was odd. Elisa found it unusual herself and she was the one that had been asked to collect it. It was all Vin and Rilith’s doing and the way they raised her. Immortals had been very much at the heart of her studies – especially Ethelynda. As she got older, they had allowed her more freedom to study what she wanted, outside her research duties to both of course. That wasn’t to say that her childhood hadn’t been happy – it had. She owed both everything for taking her in and making sure she was raised in a cheerful, loving and safe home.

But yeah…it had been a bit odd.

Her mention of ‘Ymiden’s Rise’ brought a smile to the young woman’s face as she recounted what she knew about the holiday. “Well, that’s an interesting one actually. I think the holiday itself probably is rooted in religion. But Rharne…” -she had to be careful as to her choice of words- “in my opinion, loves a reason for a party. I think over time it became less religious and more in celebration of the season. I think it also depends on what the individual person wants to think of it as. Those that are more religious might tend to view it more in that respect while a laxer person in their religious beliefs might focus more on the seasonal aspect. To each their own." It was a common occurrence in holidays across Idalos so she very easily could have seen the same thing happen in Rharne.

She watched Yeva struggling with something internally, wanting to help but knowing from experience that her new companion would need to sort out her thoughts on her own. All Elisa could do was wait and offer whatever support she could.

Once Yeva began talking about, the subject was adventure and how it was never what one expected. Elisa could appreciate that. “In my experience, there are very few things that are actually what one would expect – adventure or otherwise. Even growing up around scholars, facts, and certainties, one comes to see that the only thing that is inevitable…is dashed expectations.“ It perhaps was a fatalistic approach…but she wasn’t done yet. “But that doesn’t mean that just because something isn’t what you expect that it’s not equally full of worth as an experience. It might end up being more than you expected…”

Elisa would agree that she and Yeva were very much alike, to a degree. As she told her about mountains and spirits, it was evident that she was well-traveled – at least more than Elisa herself. Yeva had seen things, experienced things, done things…that she had only dreamed of thus far. The comment about Faldrass clinched that. She had a passing familiarity with Induks but nothing more. Nodding her understanding, she allowed the woman to continue.

The comment about Cassion and being marked certainly got Elisa’s attention. The conversation had lulled to that point, Elisa allowing Yeva to grapple with whatever internal conflict was arising. But the mention of the Immortal changed that. While she hadn’t spent a great deal of time studying the Immortal of travel, adventures, stories, and hunger, she did know some…and she had a marked of Cassion right in front of her. Arching her eyebrow gently, she smiled and replied with genuine curiosity. “Really? What an extraordinary experience...and I completely understand your desire to know everything you can about him. I know some – Cassion isn’t known for really wanting to be known – but I will share with you what I can. What type of information are you looking for? Or did you want to tackle the other matter of the book first? I know someone we can talk to about it that might have a few answers for you…”

[Yeva]

23 Vhalar 720

To her relief, Elisa accepted her reveal with the utmost grace and interest, allowing Yeva to release a breath she hadn't realized he had been holding, "Isn't he?" the god of stories didn't like being known? What did the tales and fables exaggerate in the replacement of the truth? Yeva drummed her fingers against her chin, "He was a peculiar individual..." she said evenly, "Fierce and vivid but..." she recalled his face and the smile that burned bright with a thrill and the wink he had offered her. At once, Yeva covered her face, embarrassed, "I can hardly predict the motivations of a deity. I don't even know where to begin."

There was an uncharacteristic wash of helplessness that seized her, snatching her words. She chose her next words carefully, mentally shaking the feeling, "To understand any immortal, isn't it best to research their domains? Cassion is... Adventure, Stories," her fingers lifted and she tried to think of the others, "Hunger and... Roads?" She glanced at Elisa, reminded again of Friell and how they had walked down the street together, "The shop keep I mentioned earlier, Friell," she needed to use his name if his story would ever begin to grow, "He knew Cassion personally, and if this book was written for Old Dust's trial, I think it's best if we start there."

She beamed, "I really appreciate you offering to help me. I know it's probably your job, but this has been fun. I haven't talked about this to anyone..." It was nice, Who did you have in mind?" then, at once, Yeva was reminded of Friell's mention of Fractures, and wanted to ask the blue-eyed woman if she had ever heard of such mystery, but held her tongue. Friell had asked for her secrecy on the matter and perhaps inquiring about the topic so soon after all the other information might have been a bit too obvious. She chewed her bottom lip and then reached for the Echo scroll, jotting a short line upon its parchment in short script.

Would he be able to interpret her playful and curious tone? They had only met once. She smiled as she wrote, and then blew upon the magical parchment as the ink began to dry,

How can I know your story if you keep it all to yourself? I've been reading and... wondering.
Safest travels (or at least interesting ones), Y.

She wrote her initial, hoping but not expecting a response. The medic took a deep breath and began to roll the paper back up, "Would it be terribly improper to ask for an introduction? I would very much like to meet them. I'm not sure if now works for you, or them..." Way to go, Yeva. Putting a new acquaintance on the spot. But Elisa had offered, hadn't she? "But I'm ready to go when you are. You only have to say the word."

!	Message from: Pig Boy
	In moments subsequent of Yeva's writing on the echo scroll, another message appeared which was not penned by her. It read, in a flowing and meandering writing style, a very uncharacteristically laconic message, "Soon, F."