• Closed • Acta Non Verba

[Natalia Gregorios]

Ashan 75, Arc 721

Swiftly taking her things to her room, the young woman quickly unpacked once again. It hadn’t been that long since her last visit to the North Lodge but in a way, it seemed like a lifetime ago. Upon arriving in Egilrun the first time, she had expected to stay a few trials and move on around the island, seeing what was available to her before deciding if staying in Scalvoris Town was appropriate.

What she hadn’t expected, however, was a chance meeting in a library with a truly unique personality.

Natalia had things to do, but none of them including looking like she did with dust and half the road clinging to her hair and clothes. As eager as she was to get on with the trial, that would need to be fixed first.

A half a break later, clad in a dress of silver and cloaked in black, freshly washed and everything just so, she left the Lodge on something of a mission.

Winding her way through the streets of Egilrun, Natalia considered carefully what she wanted to do. Woe was expecting her to arrive back in the village that trial, something that had been arranged upon their parting earlier in Ashan. He wouldn’t, however, be expecting her to show up at the Ranger Hall, which was exactly why the young woman was heading there.

The time spent with the man previously had been enjoyable, much to her surprise. In fact, within her life, she could think of very few people whose company she appreciated on any similar level. Stripping away the encounters to their core, the simple truth was that Natalia cherished the time she had spent with Woe, getting to know him and learning about his life. It was a feeling she was unfamiliar with but was strangely comforting.

Upon arriving at the Hall, she glanced around, not seeing him immediately. Smiling to the person that greeted her as she walked through the door, Natalia asked after Woe, asking them to kindly pass along a message that she would be waiting outside for him when he was available to speak, not wishing to disturb.

Exiting to the outside again, the young woman’s attention inward, leaning up against a nearby wall to wait. Truthfully, Natalia had no idea what she would say. She just wanted to see him again and see if he was available for dinner, and maybe then, the words would come.

[Woe]

There was a troubling feeling. Woe had opened himself up to another person, and this one much like the last person he'd confided in, had an uncanny ability to draw confessions out of Woe. Then again, who hadn't Woe overshared with, that he met lately? From Faith, to Llyr, to Elisabeth Angelus, the spigot never seemed to get the attention it needed. He thought perhaps with the use of his redemptive power gifted by Lovalus that the flow would stifle somewhat. Yet he'd still managed to leak vital information about himself to a perfect stranger. he wanted to learn how to conquer that impulse.

So what better a way to do that, than to engage the adversary head-on? He knew Natalia had a knack, similar to Llyr, and Elisabeth, and Faith to get under his skin, enough that he felt the need to share things. Her skills for getting to the heart of matter may be raw, but her talent couldn't be denied. And while he'd shared plenty, she shared comparatively little. He only had the sea monsters in her head to clue him in that things may not be all they seemed. Was she an agent of Chrien? Had not Llyr's father been some sort of Chrien Cultist or some such? Woe's memories of his old associate seemed to dwindle, but he wanted to know more. If there was some connection between the archmagus and this woman, it didn't bode well.

"Master, are you getting paranoid again?" Breen's voice filtered in from the beneath, where he rested. "Not everyone knows Mister Magpie, afterall."

Woe shook his head, as he took out the item he'd arranged to be made for Natalia. It was a finely crafted hairpin dagger. A set of two. One of Embersteel and Cobalt alloy, making it a pale, silvery color, while the other was pure Embersteel, marked with flecks of inclusions, but with a strong point that one would expect. Their handles were good for gripping, and with a fashioned pommel that resembled a horse's head for either one, jeweled with gems in their socketed eyes. The silvery hairpin dagger had a pair of opals in its eyes, the other, a pair of shungites.

But the point of giving these was not necessarily for the sake of giving her something. He had established a frequency on the silvery one, the one that resembled his horse, Opal. With the frequency established upon it, and activated, he'd be able to keep tabs on her, and know generally what direction she was. If needed, he could watch or listen in on any suspicious activities. Llyr wasn't the only one who had eyes on Woe, there was also the matter of the Crystal Blade, and the Watcher's Union. Woe had made a few extra enemies since arriving. It seemed he excelled at that, and he had to be sure she was not one of their pawns.

So he met her at the Ranger's outpost. Where he nodded to her, and bore the box containing the hairpin daggers. He smiled thinly to her, and looked toward the Outpost, breaking eye contact briefly in order to put her at ease. "Good day, Natalia. I have something for you..."

He handed her the box, and if she opened it, and saw what was in them, he'd explain, "These are hairpin daggers, for putting in your hair? But also useable as weapons, in case you find any unexpected assailants trying to grab at your horse's reins." Woe said, and waited for her reaction to the items. He maintained a slight awareness of her tangle as he spoke to her, yet didn't venture to manipulation. To do such may be far too risky and prone to discovery. However, surveillance was easy enough to conceal.

Items bought

a set of 2 hairpin daggers, good quality and made of embersteel. Will deduct from my ledger.

[Natalia Gregorios]

Ashan 75, Arc 721

The young woman had let her gaze wander afield for a moment, mind flitting from one thing to the next. She didn’t note his approach until he was almost to her, causing her a moment’s embarrassment at letting herself get lost in thought. His voice brought her back quickly enough though, turning to greet him with a smile.

His smile, however, managed to surprise her. There was something different about it, although she would be hard-pressed to explain what if questioned. They were still getting to know one another, so she wasn’t fully aware yet of any idiosyncrasies he might have, but something about his smile seemed a bit…off.

“It’s good to see you again, Woe. And you do?” Golden eyes curiously searched his face, trying to cling to any clue of what was going on. He held out the box to her, and for a moment, she was unable to suppress the surprise she felt. Gifts, of course, she had been used to getting…but in the world she left behind, they meant little. Unimportant trinkets. Her dagger and the Greyheart ring were the only true possessions she cherished – gifts from her grandfather.

Natalia had something for Woe too, which she found ironic as when she had shopped for it, she realized it was the first time she was buying a gift for someone that had any emotional significance behind it, but that needed to wait for a moment longer.

Taking the box carefully from him, her eyes kept darting back and forth between the box and him. The young woman was caught in the unfamiliar situation of not knowing what to do or say. Thinking quickly, she offered a smile, inclining her head gently to him and speaking softly. “You didn’t have to get me anything but thank you. I’m not used to presents…”

Opening the box, her hands immediately caressed the beautiful creations within, especially enjoying the form of a horse upon one and use of opals. Natalia listened carefully to Woe as he explained what they were, smiling as her eyes fell upon each one as a genuine appreciation for him welled up within. ”They….they are beautiful. I’m not sure what to say other than thank you. Again. I will wear them often.”

She felt the blush coming, slight but still evident, and decided not to avert it, giving a soft laugh. “When I was little, I remember getting terribly upset when people would cause a true emotional response in me. It’s not something a proper young lady allows, and my father was displeased when it happened, hence my upset. We are taught to only show what we wish others to see. My grandfather taught me to envision something to distract me. At the time, I was being read a story about a ship being attacked by this awful sea monster, and somehow that became my picture when I need to push down showing emotions.”

Quickly remembering her own gift, Natalia fished into the inner pocket of her cloak, drawing out a long, skinny box and handing it to him. “Apparently we were of like mind on this. It’s nothing really, but I wanted to give you something in appreciation for the time you’ve spent with me.”

If he opened it, he would find a pendant and chain. Made of similar metals as her hair pins, the pendant appeared to be a representation of a compass. Smiling at him, the young woman began to explain. “My grandfather used to tell me that sometimes, life’s journey isn’t so much about becoming what we are expected to be. He thought it was more like unbecoming all the things we aren’t, so we can be who we truly are. It’s a sentiment I’ve tried to hold true to….and the trip from Egilrun to Scalvoristown reminded me of that.”

Standing there, she simply waited to see what he would say, a bit of apprehension evident. She had never bought a gift for another before.

Gift

Embersteel/Cobalt necklace, representative of a compass, with flecks of mystic quartz in the inlay. Purchased within tier

[Woe]

There was a dual purpose to slipping these spy devices to Natalia. In the case that she was innocent of any wrong-doing or not an agent of some webspinner or another, he would learn. Sooner or later he would overhear something that would betray her. Unless she was a truly masterful deceiver, which was possible, but Woe didn't think so. She seemed actually quite clear and candid with him. It almost sent a twinge of guilt through him to suspect her. Yet, he supposed that webspinner agents engaged in other tricks on a fairly regular basis. They had guile enough to realize that some genuine moments must necessarily be attached to falsehoods. Even so, Woe found it difficult and tiresome to engage in such games. He resented that his mother forced him to suspect every shadow.

"I'm glad you're well then." Woe turned over what she said in his mind, and attempted to parse it for potential deception. At times, when he allowed people close enough to cause harm, there was a sense of dual peril. Of his capacity to do harm, and theirs to harm him. He'd fallen victim to such games in the past, if games they could be called. The people who engaged in them seemed very much to consider them recreational activities. Magpie in particular seemed to thrive on duplicity and deception.

Woe sensed no deception in what she said, however, and very soon he was coming to the conclusion that he needed not keep watch over her at all. Did she not need protection, and was the assassin who'd attempted to seize her horse, was that an isolated incident?

Woe listened to her story, about when she was a child. It seemed he wasn't the only one whose guardian suppressed emotional responses. He thought back to the shade of a Webspinner, Erastus. The old man was whispering into his mind right at this moment, even now, his words echoed. "Oh son, what have you gotten yourself into now?" A cold, yet soft and fading laugh echoed in his mind. The fit of paternalism came and went, from Erastus, and he went back to the Beyond, to feed his ephemera however he did. Woe almost missed him. Almost. He'd always had a complex relationship with the man who he'd later learned was his father. Of course, the fact that he'd murdered him complicated those feelings, but that was neither here nor there.

Woe barely heard her mention of the sea monster, but then did a double take. "I'm sorry, you said something about a sea monster?" Woe felt a cold chill down his back, as he recalled the agent of Chrien. Magpie's father had been a cultist of that Immortal, yet he felt this was a complete and utter coincidence. Not meant to suss out an emotional reaction from Woe. So he kept his face level as he absorbed the information.

"So, yes, Sea Monsters. I've sailed from coast to coast in my time. Not as a mariner, but a passenger. Nevertheless, I've seen much in my time, and heard more. Certainly if you'd spent any time among mariners, you'd have heard tales of these Leviathans and other monsters of the deep. I narrowly evaded the jaws of a King Crocodile in the Swamps east of Yaralon. Unfortunately, my travle companion was less fortunate."

Woe smiled, more genuine this time, "But that's neither here nor there. Things have gotten only messier since I left Yaralon, yet I could scarcely understand how. Yaralon is a terrible place, full of mud, monuments, and people spoiling for nothing but battle, and fractive scars opening everywhere. Horrible place when I left it."

Soon enough, they arrived at a point where Natalia had something to offer him. Woe wasn't immediately suspicious, but listened to her explanation of the gift. Woe saw the eight points, and his mind went immediately to the webspinner medalion. A trinket that Erastus had forced him to wear, as a punishment ofr foolish attachment. A girl in Lowtown who had been nice to him, had given him the spider amulet. When Erastus found out that she'd given it as a sign of affection for the youngn man who'd told her of his affiliation witih Sintra... Erastus was furious. to say the least. He made him wear it from then on, a badge of foolishness. Woe didn't see that girl again, but it hardly mattered. The Lesson remained.

"They say to give well is a sign of genius. You've clearly outdone me in this." Woe remarked as he looked over the eight-pointed compass figgure. "I don't believe I've mentioned to anyone the time I got lost in the Untold. And found my way in the most unlikely of places."

"Have you ever heard of U'frek's Realm? Raj'ufnaj? The Light of Water?"

[Natalia Gregorios]

Ashan 75, Arc 721

Her companion was a million miles away at times, and in others, completely present. It was an interesting mix of things, watching him react and then drift away again. Natalia didn’t mind, other than needing to pay attention so the young woman would know how to respond appropriately. Inwardly, there was a curiosity regarding if he was aware of the tendency, but it really wasn’t her place to call attention to it. Bad form all around and she wanted nothing to do with that.

That didn't, however, keep her from focusing on him, unable to resist the curious pull of whatever thoughts took his attentions. It was something Natalia had done thousands of times before, idly wondering about someone's musings, but this time, something rather inexplicable happened See Mod Note .

For a split trill, perhaps more, something entered her mind. It was the Woe's voice - she was sure of it - but the young woman was watching his face and he wasn't saying the words. The voice was quick, gone almost as quickly as it had arrived.

'Erastus'

Shaking her head a bit, she was the one that was drifting now apparently. What had that been? Glancing at her companion, she became curious as to if he had anything to do with what she had experienced, but it was clear he wasn't aware of anything, and as such, she kept her silence on the matter. It could have been anything, or nothing.

As for her story about sea monsters, he appeared to have missed most of that. Waving it off, she summarized quickly for him. “It was nothing. Simply a device I created when I was young using the image of imaginary sea monsters. Not important.”

Smiling, she listened attentively to him speak, telling her of his own travels. It was obvious he had extensively voyaged, leaving her a bit envious. “I’d like to hear about your journeys sometrial, if you desire to share what you’ve seen that is. I relish hearing about places I’ve never seen. I’d like to travel myself in the future.”

Yaralon, the way he portrayed it, didn’t sound like a place she would be interested in visiting anytime soon, although there were places she did want to see. Beautiful places mostly but there was a deep need within the young woman to learn about the world around her, having seen so little of it in her young life. It was true that her family was affluent, but her father had been far too busy with his business dealings to ever travel, and if he did, he had gone alone. Scalvoristown and its varying denizens was all Natalia had ever known.

Woe opened the box she handed to him, momentary anxiety washing over her. Natalia watched Woe’s expression as he looked it over, and again, he slipped away to another place. All she could do is wait for him to come back.

It didn’t take long, returning to remark that she had gifted well. His comment drew a bit of a laugh. “Genius? I don’t profess to be one of those, but the trip did remind of my grandfather. I felt compelled to offer appreciation for the time spent…and the memory. It seemed appropriate. I very much like what you chose to give to me, as well.”

Almost forgotten was the other reason she had stopped in to see him, but before there was a chance to remedy that, he was asking her if she had heard of certain things. Shaking her head gently, she replied in a light tone. “I know who U’frek is, but I know nothing of the other things. I would love to hear about them though, which brings me to another reason I thought to come and see you. I know you are busy but I was hoping to invite you to dinner tonight so we can perhaps catch up from when last we saw each other. I, of course, understand if you are too busy. We can always meet up another time as well. I’m in Egilrun for a few trials.”

It was a simple offer with no strings attached. The young woman just wanted to spend time with him and they both had to eat.

OOC Note

Discussed with Woe prior to posting, Natalia's focus on Woe is allowing her to stumble upon her first MB ability "Crystal Clear". Natalia has Competent Discipline against Woe's Expert Discipline, and since this is the first time she will accidentally use the ability, I thought it appropriate that she hears only one word. They are outdoors with no one in the immediate vicinity.

Crystal Clear

Natalia can hear the stream of conscious thoughts of those within her line of sight. The greater the number of individuals around her, the harder it is to make sense of the jumble of thoughts or to focus on one individual.

Once Natalia discovers the ability and begins to explore it, it will be overwhelming. The ability to focus on a single target will only come with time/training (unless there is only one person in her line of sight). She will need to train/experiment to understand the ability and how to use it. As the ability progresses, she will begin to be able to sort people out and understand which voices belong to whom. This will be largely contextual and depend on the situation / environment Natalia is in but her ability to discern one voice from a crowd of five or more, for example, will be based on her Detection skill in that moment. The greater the size of the group around her, the more difficult it is.

The length of time she is able to keep the connection open will be dependent on her experience with the ability and her own discipline level.

At Novice and Competent - Up to two bits.
Expert Discipline - Up to five bits
Master - Up to seven bits
GrandMaster - Up to ten bits

Discipline and Meditation experience will help her progress more quickly in this ability. Over-use can result in headaches, disorientation, dizziness (light), lingering migraines & temporary hearing/eyesight loss (mild), mania, and crushing inability to keep others thoughts out of her mind (heavy).

In order to resist this ability, the individual whose thoughts Natalia is reading must have a reason to suspect / believe / know that she is doing so. This might be her facial reaction to their thoughts, an ability which allows them to know if they are being observed in this way, etc. If they know that it is happening, then it can be resisted by anyone with a Discipline skill at the same level as her or higher or with appropriate magic / marks. This will be discussed and agreed between players on a case by case basis.

[Woe]

Woe thought he sensed something, in the middle of his reverie. Erastus chuckled into his mind, "Does she not see me, or hear me? I can sense her lifeforce, brimming with power. You know what she is, don't you?"

So having said this, Woe did wonder if he'd found another of his 'kind'. One like him and Llyr and Vega and Doran. Small world, they sometimes said, but Woe didn't believe in coincidence.

But eventually, the feeling passed, and Woe shook it off, however noting the way it made him feel. He would remember that sensation, and if it did indeed indicate what he suspected it might... It would be useful to remain mindful.

But then, their conversation drifted toward his excursion to Emea.

"It is, the Light of Water, Raj'Ufnaj in Rakahi, or so I'm told. It's his Realm in Emea. I found it, after getting hopelessly lost with an old friend." Woe thought back fondly on that trip. As confusing and tumultuous as the events surrounding their getting lost had been, they were in one piece. Ultimately it ended well enough, with them both safely back on Idalos, although only having a hazy memory of their time in that realm.

"Your grandfather sounds like a very nice man. You're lucky to have had such an influence in your life." Woe stated, but said no more lest envy leak into his psyche. At best, he had Erastus. And that was hardly comparable to a kindly paternalistic figure in his life.

"Dinner sounds good, but we should have it at the North End Lodge perhaps, or the Lemon Messy. My friend Gloom works at the Messy, and he is an expert chef. I'm sure I can convince him to make us an incredible meal."

Woe didn't want to take her back to Soraia's house. Their relationship was still strained qutie a bit from his earlier fumbling. He didn't want to jeopardize it further with an unannounced visit with a woman she'd not met yet. He would introduce them, sooner or later, but for now, best to leave things where they lie where Soraia was concerned.

"Do you have a preference for any particular kind of food? The Messy has the best seafood and citrus salads on this side of the Island."

[Natalia Gregorios]

Ashan 75, Arc 721

Woe seemed to drift a bit again. She could always tell when he wasn’t with her – something in the eyes. Instinctively this time, her hand gently reached out to touch his arm. “Is everything alright? You left me for a moment.” Natalia wanted to ask him about what she had heard in her mind, but feared worrying him, or even more so, upsetting him. No reason to do either until she had a better handle on what had happened.

Once the moment passed, he began telling her of U’frek’s realm. Just the basic points really, but it sounded interesting – his stories always were. He had been places she could only imagine, and something inside her wanted to hear about all of them.

Smiling as he concluded the explanation, she nodded in thanks. “I’m glad then that you found your way back. It sounds like a fascinating place, but then again, I suppose an Immortal’s realm would certainly be that. Not that I know anything about any of it” In truth, the young woman knew very little about Immortals or things of that nature. Yes, her father was enamored of Chamadarst for some reason, but that didn’t mean she had listened when he babbled about him. In fact, little of what her father said after about age eight had made permanent home in her mind.

Her grandfather, on the other hand…different story. Nodding gently as Woe spoke of him, she replied in a soft voice. “He was an amazing man, and yes, kind. I think, perhaps, my life would have been very different if not for his subtle influences. I owe him much and miss him even more.” Sighing softly, she let the matter pass. It wasn’t the time for mourning the dead. Not when she had life to live, and dinner plans to make.

“The Lemon Messy sounds good. I’ve only eaten at the Lodge while in Egilrun. I’m still trying to figure out where to locate myself, so I just stay at the Lodge when in town.” He mentioned a friend by the name of ‘Gloom’ who worked at the Messy, causing an amused expression to cross her lips. Woe. Gloom. Theme? Perhaps. Her friend did have a way about him, but it was part of what drew her to him.

People with serious natures were enigmas as far as Natalia was concerned, and Woe certainly qualified. She found the more she spent time with him, the more she desired to try to alleviate a bit of the seriousness, striving for those small, wry smiles that seemed almost unobtainable. In the past, she couldn’t have cared less about how someone else felt in a moment, but the more time she spent with Woe, the more she found herself concerning herself with just that.

He asked her about her food preferences and mentioned seafood. “I tend not to be picky, but seafood sounds lovely. I recently had these bacon-wrapped scallops – apparently, they are a specialty in Rharne – with a light citrus glaze. They were wonderful. I could meet you in the lobby of the Lodge in two breaks? Then we could walk over to the Messy together?"

[Woe]

Woe considered telling her about her heritage, when it became clear that she was like him, the child of an Immortal. Which Immortal? Impossible to tell without more exploration. If she was a Sintraborn such as him, she would sense the mark of Lethroda on him. If she was a child of Chamadarst, the same would be true. He stammered when she touched his arm, and looked into her eyes, thinking to himself. "What should I say?"

He thought on it for only a moment, before asking her a potentially awkward question, "I was just thinking..." He licked his lips, which were dry. "Do you feel anything... strange when you're with me?"

Erastus drifted in and out, and Woe could almost sense the hunger on the ghost through his tangle. Woe, however, tamped it down with his skill in Empathy. And by feeding ether into the ghost, the creature was satisfied for the moment with just that taste of energy, which Woe willingly gave.

Whatever her answer, if she was either Sintra's child or Chamadarsts, she would feel something strange in his presence, like a striking familiarity she wouldn't have felt with anyone else. The question being, if she was one or the other...

Which, Immortal could she be the spawn of. Was it possible he was talking to a sister? She didn't strike him as one of Sintra's spawn, assassins raised under the auspices of Labrae. No, she didn't seem the type at all, although it could be that she was just that good at deception. In any event, he reserved judgement.

She may not be the child of either Immortal. There were over a few dozen of them, afterall.

"An Immortal's realm is very much a reflection of who they are, at their heart. To be so lost, yet find your way? It's like a small revelation in itself. Have you ever lost your way, only to find it on your own power? That is what it feels like, as a sailor on the seas of Raj'Ufnaj." Woe remembered it with fondness, at any rate.

Woe nodded at her thoughts on her grandfather, who she mentioned in the past tense. He wouldn't press the issue then, knowing how sensitive an issue deceased relatives could be for those who had them.

When she said she'd prefer seafood, Woe nodded thankfully. He preferred fish to red meat of the Lodge, himself. "We'll meet at the Lobby of the North End Lodge then? In a few breaks. I look forward to introducing you to my friend. Although you'll forgive his somber manner. He makes me look like a court jester." And so, the two parted ways for that moment.



Breaks later, Woe arrived, wearing rather subdued, humble attire. Some brown leather trousers tucked into boots, with a charcoal linen shirt beneath a leather jerkin. He waved at her when he saw her, and said, "Shall we go then?"

[Natalia Gregorios]

Ashan 75, Arc 721

His voice made its way into her mind again, rattling Natalia this time, but she did her best to cover it up. She couldn’t tell exactly what was said, but it had something to do with speaking. Gazing back at him, the young woman blinked a bit, but managed a brief smile. Something was going on, and she hadn’t the foggiest idea how to gain clarity on the matter.

Woe’s question was…peculiar. What was even more peculiar was the fact that she knew exactly what he was speaking of when he asked. It wasn’t at all what it sounded like – he didn’t mean it that way and Natalia didn’t take it as such. There was a familiarity. How else could she explain that during her arcs of living, there had been very few that had ever known as much about her as he did, and none in the season it had taken them to become acquainted?

Nodding, she looked at him, trying to find the proper words to explain. “It’s….comfortable? Being around you, that is. It’s a difficult concept to put into words. I’m drawn to you in a unique way, and one that can’t really be explained away by normal justifications.” Shrugging a bit, Natalia admitted that she had done the best she could to explain. Either he would understand, or he wouldn’t.

As they continued, Woe explained about the seas of Raj'Ufnaj, and Natalia became a bit lost in thought, considering his question about becoming lost and finding one’s way. Much of her life had been similar to what Woe described, so when he spoke of it, the young woman nodded her head again. It wasn’t like being lost physically, but there were a whole slew of ways one could be ‘lost’.

Having done her best since leaving her family, Natalia often felt that she was moving against the tide, so to speak, trying to understand a world she lacked familiarity with. With that, however, came the knowledge that no matter how badly she faltered or failed, it was because of her actions and choices, not someone else's, and there was comfort in that.

The arrangements were made for later that trial, and he mentioned his friend that worked at the restaurant, giving a small smile with an arched eyebrow. “Oh really? It should be an interesting introduction then. I look forward to meeting him as well.”



The appropriate time came and as promised, Natalia strode into the foyer of the Lodge. Wearing a comfortable, simple burgundy dress with flats, the young woman waved back as she spotted him, quickly making her way over. “Ready when you are. I’ve never been to the Lemon Messy before so I’m looking forward to a new experience. I hope the rest of your trial was pleasant?”

As they started walking, her thoughts went back to the question Woe had asked her earlier, regarding how she felt around him. There had seemed to be more to it at the time, and Natalia didn’t want the conversation to get too far away from them, ever the curious creature that she was. “You asked me earlier how I felt around you. I perceived that, possibly, there was more behind that question? If not, then I apologize for bringing it up again. I was curious, is all.”

[Woe]

Although it became clear that she was a Mortalborn, of one of his patrons or the other, Woe decided not to tell her then. Perhaps he would never tell her. Open communication was not his forte. If she were a daughter of Sintra, that left a wide variety of possibilities open to her past, most of which could've been couched in deception and carefully pruned memories, beliefs, and convictions by his other sister, Labrae. Woe had an eye for deception and sniffing out hidden feelings among most mortals, but when it came to Immortal deception or the designs of his sister Labrae, they could get quite labyrinthine. He wasn't confident that he could navigate them well enough to come out the other end with anything resembling the truth.

So he had a possible younger (?) sister with him. It was intriguing, and yet also alarming. Were theWebspinners a heavy presence in Scalvoris? He knew of one location, overseen by a woman who was well-regarded by his mother. She knew much about the island, and if there were another native Sintraborn on the island, she would know that for herself. Whether she'd tell anyone, including the son of Sintra, that was an unknown.

Woe remained silent then, throughout the rest of their departure, as they bid each other farewell until later.



So they met at the appointed time and place, and then walking over on the way to the Lemon Messy in the center of town, she related her inexperience with the establishment. "Only thing you need to know about the Lemon Messy, they won't let you order water without a fight or getting thrown out. So if you don't want to insult Borg, order anything but milk and water."

That was all Woe figured she'd need to know about the Lemon Messy, not having been there before. So he left it at that. She asked a reasonable question about his earlier question, which if he was being reasonable was a strange thing to ask someone you barely had gotten the chance to know. While Woe could detect a web spinner, he was unable to sense his mother's mark upon this one. So either she was a hidden weapon or asset, or merely a mistake that his mother had made. He didn't know how mistake-prone his mother was with regards to her brood habits, but it seemed she'd made a serious oversight with regards to Woe's upbringing, so it seemed entirely possible she had other wayward children.

"I thought perhaps we'd met before, before Scalvoris. But now I know that couldn't be." Woe shrugged.

Soon enough, they were at the Lemon Messy, and a table was waiting there for them, mostly empty but for a few fellow patrons. The Lemon Messy didn't stand on reservations. You just picked a spot whether at the bar or in the middle of the Pavilion and there you'd get served. The floorplan of the Lemon Messy was open, with a large, overturned longboat serving as its roof, with multiple supports holding it over the place. In colder months, they shut it out with hides and whatever cloth or tarps they could find, in order to keep the chill-out, but for the growing warmth of Ashan, it was left open for the fresh air to pour in.

Sure enough, after Woe and Natalia took a seat, a two-and-a-half-foot-tall tunawa approached them, a sullen look on his face. Gloom sighed, "Hello Woe. I guess you'll be eating the usual. Who is this with you?"

"Gloom, this is Natalia. Natalia, Gloom."

Gloom just fixed Natalia with a placid and sullen stare, and he shrugged. "Fine to meet you. Do you have any idea what you want to order?"

Woe nodded to Gloom, "A pitcher of lemon beer. And some sardines over greens with a side of chutney."

Then, Gloom turned to Natalia, "What do you want? The lobster salad is good, and we have crab too."

Gloom went on to drone about the menu of the Lemon Messy, until he ran out of steam toward the end, stared at his feet, waiting for Natalia to make a choice.

Template by Natalia Gregorios