Lorenzel and Ramanzel

[Drannin]

Oh, weave. Now what? Still, Argus reached out and took the letter politely. "Thank you. I know who it is. I was wondering if I'd receive something from him." Sister Penelope smiled and nodded politely before walking off. This is the last damned thing I need. He looked at the letter as if it were poisonous. Hell, maybe it was.

Sister Rose was still staring at him quizzically. Argus cursed himself. He'd been careless. He needed to be careful. Couldn't let word of it slip...

"Are you going to open it?" Rose asked.

Argus smiled dryly. "I can guess at its contents. 'Dear Cleiviein, where the expletive are you, why haven't you expletive gotten in contact with me, you expletive expletive.' I can almost picture it." Argus snorted with amusement. "Still, I suppose I had better see what the man has to say." He went to open the letter.

[Porcelain Fish]

(OOC: Ended up a little longer than I expected for a teaser)

He stood in front of the mirror, fussing with his light brown curls, trying to tease them into that elusive, perfect balance between artlessly casual and attractively styled. He didn't much care for the lighting. It didn't accentuate the blonde highlights that gleamed like spun honey and made the whole of it look vibrant in proper illumination.

His hazel eyes dropped to their reflection in the mirror. They were set to either side of an unbroken, aquiline nose, which was astride a pair of full lips, the lower of which was caught between his teeth. He sighed. That was an unattractive habit.

He looked over the rest of his face. He had naturally good skin, and constant attention with cleansers and creams had kept it soft and blemish-free. A faint dusting of mineral powder enhanced the tone and gave it added warmth.

The malachite brooch nestled in the frothy lace of his cravat, which was the same antique ivory color of his shirt. More lace spilled from the cuffs. He'd almost reconsidered wearing the brooch and shirt both (they were a little showy) but there was nothing like a good first impression, and sophistication was always in vogue.

He took a step back, considering his overall appearance. The vest and flowing slacks were a warm amber, the long coat that reached to his ankles a soft bronze, everything in complimentary and complementary tones, the monotony of the shades broken up by the rich green of the brooch at his throat and a ring with chips of more malachite on his right hand.

The overall effect was warm and inviting, even genteel, the browns, creams, golds, and even the green soothing and inviting. For a moment he wished he was brazen enough to assume the magical glitter in his hair that was all the rage back home in Tsuiraku right now, but decided that would unquestionably be overdoing it. Natural, elegant, and understated was better, especially for his first night in Lorenzel. He could always kick things up a notch later if he wasn't getting the attention he wanted.

His mouth thinned again, and he forced it into a pleasant smile. It would be different here. His Dashing Prince Charming clearly hadn't been residing within Tsuiraku's bounds, but that didn't mean he couldn't be outside them, simply waiting for his true love to cross his path so that the obligatory sweeping off feet and living happily ever after could commence. He practiced the smile again, and again, examining it critically, searching for any hint of stiffness or insincerity.

Satisfied at last, he allowed his gaze to slip to the oblong box of polished cherry that sat on the room's small table. Curiosity stirred within him, though he felt no urge whatsoever to actually go so far as to open it. Captain Kitaura's man had been both descriptive and . . . graphic should he do so. Oh, the box's contents wouldn't hurt him, not in the slightest. It would be the lack of plausible deniability that would do him in, or so he'd been assured.

The threat was vague enough to dissuade him from any attempts at prying into the box's secrets. He was concerned of course, but it was hard to argue with the chance to leave Tsuiraku for a lark on someone else's dime.

He picked up the box with carefully manicured fingers, and tucked it into his pocket.

[Graybeard]

Sister Rose hesitated for a moment over Argus' letter, unsure whether he would benefit more from attention or disinterest, or for that matter, imminent first aid. Eventually, caution won, and she and Brother Miguel stepped a few feet away; the letter probably wasn't booby trapped, but it still wouldn't hurt to be out of the range of poison gas or shrapnel. They watched Lillith (who seemed to be having an earnest conversation with her fellow animists, topic unknown at this distance) out of the corners of their eyes, while Argus opened the letter, which indeed seemed safe enough ... although the color his face was turning suggested that there was content that might be bad for his blood pressure.

My dear Cleiviein:

On behalf of our mutual colleague whom you know as Nikolai, I should like to offer my congratulations on your successful beautification and stabilization of certain terrain overlooking the Lorenzel River. Nikolai informs me that a satisfying quantity of debris was observed downstream at Nautkia. He sincerely regrets any loss of life that may have occurred during your efforts, although he notes that casualties seem to have been kept to a surprisingly small number. I trust that you will know what he means by this observation.

Now that you have returned to more, shall I say, civilized parts of Veracia, I wish to offer you some assistance in maintaining contact with my office, which, regrettably, you were unable to establish and maintain during your peregrinations in the countryside. This letter will serve to introduce you to a young man who is awaiting you at your temple in Lorenzel. His name is Maduin Lochlear and he is an acquaintance of your lovely daughter Fayna. He will be accompanying you on the remainder of your mission; I have it on good authority that you will soon be receiving instructions as to what that mission will be. Please use his good offices to redress your unfortunate paucity of communications to this office.

I hope that you are enjoying your reunion with your long-lost daughter. Please be assured that Mr. Lochlear poses no threat to her well-being -- unlike some of the Veracian riffraff you may have the misfortune of dealing with, to be sure.

(s) KITAURA Kentauro
Captain, Tsuiraku Department of Homeland Security

[Drannin]

Argus very calmly read the letter. Very calmly read it again. Very calmly folded it and put it in his shirt pocket. Very, very calmly, it should be noted, walked over to an empty tool shed just off the road and closed the very. With suspicious calmness, he traced a ward on the door that cloaked the small enclosed space in silence, so that no sound, however loud and enraged, could get out.

Argus stayed in the shed for quite a few minutes.

When he finally opened the door again, he was flushed and gasping for air, but his blood pressure seemed to have gone down, as had the large pulsating vein in his forehead. Argus walked with genuine calmness back over to a rather concerned-looking Rose and Miguel. "So... Kitaura wants to put a watchdog on me," he said simply. "An 'acquaintance of my daughter Fayna,' whatever that means." They nodded, solemnly, carefully watching his face. "The smuggler Nikolai may realize that I duped him," Argus added. They nodded again, still watching him carefully. Argus sighed. "And I'm fine. Really." It was funny what screaming profanities could do for you.

It was really starting to be one of those days again.

Argus did not offer to show them the note.

[Graybeard]

Sister Rose raised an eyebrow. "If you say so," she said dubiously. However, it didn't seem like the time to press the point, so she turned to Brother Miguel. "Could you walk Argus and Sasha on to the temple while I wait here for Lillith? She won't know the way." And I'm curious what the animists are doing here. I can't go into their grove -- there are limits to what a Luminositan nun can do -- but it might still be interesting to watch.

Miguel wasn't entirely happy about the proposition, but it was still broad daylight, the neighborhood didn't appear too bad -- in fact Lorenzel's somewhat seedy reputation didn't seem warranted at all from what they'd been able to see -- and he was pretty sure that Rose and Lillith could take care of themselves. "If you say so," he said, leaving Rose to watch the grove. The other three characters made the short walk to the Reformed temple, where Sister Penelope was waiting outside with a man whose apparel was ... distinctive.

[OOC: AAAANNNDDD ... introducing Maduin!]

[Porcelain Fish]

"That's them," Sister Penelope murmured quietly as the three approached. Maduin's gaze flicked from her to them, taking in their garb with an evaluating gaze.

The woman was wearing armor that definitely didn't look local. She was probably a mercenary of some sort if he was any judge. Brother Miguel he'd been told about. Maduin's gaze became slightly more evaluating for a heartbeat, but he found nothing that interested him. The Veracian was in good shape, but his dimensions were too slim. The third, a lean-looking older gentleman, Tsuiraku still stamped firmly on him, was precisely as disreputable-looking as Kitaura's man had described him, but there was something in his eyes that said that he was not someone to be trifled with.

Maduin smiled warmly, summoning all his charm, determined to make a good impression. "Brother Miguel I presume, and Dr. Cleiviein . . . and Miss, I'm afraid I don't know your name." He tilted his head slightly to one side, making his smile slightly more disarming, a move designed to bare a portion of his throat and make his body language indicate a greater degree of non-threatening vulnerability. It was a move he'd been using on boys for years, almost inevitably with positive results even with heterosexuals. "It's a pleasure to meet all of you."

He reached into his pocket, withdrawing an oblong cherrywood box. "Dr. Cleiviein, I was instructed to deliver this personally into your keeping and to assure you that I am only the bearer, and have no knowledge of its contents." He held it out, smile becoming a slightly abashed grin. "I must admit to a certain curiosity however."

[Graybeard]

Brother Miguel didn't have quite Sister Rose's capacity for magical empathy, but he definitely didn't need it to see that Argus and this newcomer were not exactly hitting it off on first sight. I wonder what was in that message? It has something to do with this guy, and Argus obviously didn't like it. Well, these things had a way of sorting themselves out.

With introductions made, plump Sister Penelope spoke up. "The Abbot invites you all to dinner, but he suggests that it may be more comfortable for everybody if you join him at a place outside the temple compound. He has reserved the banquet hall at the Roaring Rooster -- that's the inn down the street. May I escort you there?" She didn't wait for an answer, but set off at an energetic pace, angling for a pedestrian-looking tavern a block or so away.

-------

Meanwhile, Rose was watching as two people, a young woman and an older-looking man, emerged from the grove to talk to Lillith. [OOC: this is the "earnest conversation" alluded to a bit earlier, slightly out of synch but we can play catchup. /OOC:]

"Merry meet, and blessed be," the young woman said. "We've heard a lot about you from our friends in Nautkia. They say thanks for your help, they said you'd know what that means and -- oh! What's that?" She stared wide-eyed at Compassion, still resting atop Lillith's head. "Wilfried! You must see this!" she called as the man approached.

Wilfried, if that was his name, stared wide-eyed at the fairy. "By the Goddess' Grove! I've never seen the like! I didn't know that our people have started taking familiars like the Tsuirakuan unbelievers ... or could that be ... a nature spirit in the flesh?" He made a quick mental calculation, reached an answer, dropped to his knee.

"We are honored, Priestess."

[Sareth]

"Thank you," Lillith replied, shifting slightly on her feet in a way that implied a small amount of discomfort. "But I'm not a priestess yet. I'm still training."

"Surely not," Willfried replied. "Someone with one of the very spirits with her has to be a great priestess indeed! To have one manifest and be at your side..."

"Yes," the woman agreed. "You've been blessed!"

Lillith held up her hands in protest. "Not really. She just showed up, and not even with me. I'm just a..."

"You simply *must* lead us in a circle!" Willfried stated, exuberantly.

"Yes! You simply must!" the woman agreed. "You can show us your faith and communion with the spirits."

"But I haven't communed with her," Lillith replied. "I don't even know her name!"

"Compassion," replied the Paedagogusi. "This could be fun! And it might help with your destiny."

"Compassion!" the woman exclaimed.

"She has a destiny!" Willfried declared.

"It's nothing like that," Lillith decried.

The man and the woman dropped down to their knees, arms held up. "Please, lead us!"

"Please don't do that," Lillith said. "I'm not something to be worshiping..."

"But you've been blessed!"

"You have the spirits at your side!"

"It's nothing of the sort..."

"Please, bless us, priestess!"

"But I'm not a..."

"Show us the way to please the Goddess!"

"But I didn't do..."

"We beseech you..."

"ROSE! HELP!"

[Drannin]

Argus thoughts on Maduin went as follows:

1) Oh, weave save me.

2) Snappy dresser.

3) He annoys me already.

Maduin was Tsuirakuan, after all. This was a major negative in his favor. With very noticeable politeness, Argus gingerly took the box from him. "Thank you," he said with a smile that had made grown men cry in fear. "I'm very curious as to just what Captain Kitarua has sent me."

Aside from a watchdog. If this guy doesn't actually know my daughter, I don't see any reason not to pop something important.

After the letter he had just gotten, Argus wasn't exactly cheery.

(OOC: Welcome to the party, PF! )

[Porcelain Fish]

It was an effort, a titanic effort that took all of his willpower, for Maduin not to cave under the weight of that terrifying smile. Still, he could feel the warmth of his blood leaving his face and he was doubly glad he'd applied the powder so that it wasn't as blatantly obvious. If he hadn't been warned about the nature his reception would probably take, he more than likely would have politely said his goodbyes and run all the way back to Tsuiraku.

He coughed politely and leaned forward slightly. "I also have something for you from Fayna. I'll need to get it out of my luggage after we've eaten though."

That was a lie. It hadn't left his person or his sight since he'd recieved it. She'd slipped it to him at a party only two days before he left. The two of them had been giggling in an alcove and whispering about the cute guys present, debating their (probable) physical merits. She had slipped the note into his pocket and then pointedly not returned his questioning look, pointing to a dark-haired young man in a battlemage's formal dress uniform.

"He's pretty," she'd murmured. "Broad shoulders. I think you'd hit it off." There had been a smile on her face, but her gaze had been on places far beyond him, and there had been a tightness behind her expression that told him her thoughts were as far away as her gaze. He hadn't pried, only patted her hand in acknowledgement.

The note had had Argus's name on it. He hadn't opened Kitaura's box out of fear. He hadn't read Fayna's note out of respect.