Salvus and homeward

[Drusia]

"Unfortunately, I'm not much of a cook."

Therese started to shudder at that last declaration, but something else had caught her attention. She stuck close to Desiree as Brad led the way into town, and when she got a chance, murmured quietly in her ear. "'Rogue spirit', he says. That thing we saw on the way here, you think -- or could it be this 'Compassion' we're looking for?"

I nod. "Possibly. Or maybe that... thing we saw on the road on the way in? Either way, we should probably talk to her."

I turn back to Brad. "Is there any way we could go see Lillith at her grove? We're actually looking for a... a missing spirit, I guess you could say, and we heard it might have come this way. I didn't really expect it to still be in the area, but hey, you never know right? Also, there were some spirit matters we wanted to talk to her about anyway."

I figure there's about a fifty/fifty chance that this grove thing is private and we'll just have to wait and talk to her here. Of course, if we do have to wait, I could always volunteer to help out with the cooking. I'm not particularly skilled myself, but from the way Brad talks, I don't think I could be much worse.

-- Desiree

OOC: Okay - have fun!

[Graybeard]

[OOC: Quick thing while I have access. Maybe also tomorrow morning, then out of touch for a couple days.]

"Is there any way we could go see Lillith at her grove? We're actually looking for a... a missing spirit, I guess you could say, and we heard it might have come this way. I didn't really expect it to still be in the area, but hey, you never know right? Also, there were some spirit matters we wanted to talk to her about anyway."

Brad looked pained. "I guess," he said. "I don't know what this spirit is, just that at night it wails like a banshee." He shuddered. "Lillith could tell you more, but like I say, I don't know where her grove is."

"Would anybody else know?" Therese persisted.

Brad's open face grew more pained. "Her... my mother-in-law would." He shuddered again, almost theatrically.

[Drusia]

"Would anybody else know?" Therese persisted.
Brad's open face grew more pained. "Her... my mother-in-law would." He shuddered again, almost theatrically.

I blink in surprise. "Lillith's mother lives here as well? That will be helpful once she gives birth." I wonder what she's like. "I'd love to meet her," I add.

-- Desiree

[Graybeard]

[OOC: Quick one to keep it open; I'll be back in full contact on the 3rd.]

Brad's eyes got wide at Desiree's words. "Well, she's ... well ... she's really very nice and she accepted me and I love her like my own, but ... well ... she's ... weird."

[OOC: The description he will give is basically what can be found here, search for "Shamhat" in the entry, most of the way to the bottom. I'm not in a position where I can write it all, but what Sareth's summary says is basically what he knows. Incidentally, there's an opportunity for Udo here.]

[Drusia]

Brad's eyes got wide at Desiree's words. "Well, she's ... well ... she's really very nice and she accepted me and I love her like my own, but ... well ... she's ... weird."

I nod, trying to keep the look of confusion off my face. She sounds... a lot like Lillith. I can't imagine why he finds Shamhat weird but sees nothing odd at all about Lillith.

"Well, if she can help me find Lillith and this spirit she's concerned about, then I would still like to meet her," I insist as politely as possible.

-- Desiree

[Graybeard]

Brad looked dubious, but he shrugged and nodded. "Just follow the -- decorations," he said, pointing to a brightly colored ribbon tied around a large rock at the edge of the field. Another such rock, bedecked with cloth of a different color, stood twenty or thirty yards beyond the first one, and other brightly-colored "decorations" stretched beyond it into the rather scruffy forest, where a similarly decorated tree or two could be seen. "Take this for identification --" he extracted a coin of obviously Veracian manufacture from a pocket -- "and tell her I said hi."

[Drusia]

Brad looked dubious, but he shrugged and nodded. "Just follow the -- decorations," he said, pointing to a brightly colored ribbon tied around a large rock at the edge of the field. Another such rock, bedecked with cloth of a different color, stood twenty or thirty yards beyond the first one, and other brightly-colored "decorations" stretched beyond it into the rather scruffy forest, where a similarly decorated tree or two could be seen. "Take this for identification --" he extracted a coin of obviously Veracian manufacture from a pocket -- "and tell her I said hi."

So we're just supposed to wander off into the forest? Great. I smile anyway, take the coin, and give Brad a warm hug. "Thanks. We'll be back in time for dinner." I hope.

I take Therese's hand and head off towards the trail of decorations.

"This isn't creepy or anything," I mutter, too low for Brad to hear, but loud enough for Therese.

-- Desiree

[Graybeard]

[OOC: Kinda winging it here, Sareth never said enough about Shamhat for us to really know what she's like. On the other hand, that also means there's no "canon" to clash with, so...]

Shamhat had gone to no great pains to conceal her whereabouts; a trail of ribbons, strings of beads, etc, led into the scruffy forest. Therese was amused. "I don't think it's particularly creepy, but she does seem to have a deplorable lack of taste," she observed, brushing a particularly garish ribbon affixed to a pine tree ... and then she pulled back. "Hm. That's odd. Got a distinct sense of magic from that. Didn't Rose say once that Lillith had more magical capabilities than she believed herself to?" [OOC: Rose may or may not have said this, but Sareth did. /OOC:] "Maybe she got it from her mother. I have no idea what it does on this ribbon, though."

The path was getting harder to follow, as ribbon-bedecked trees were proliferating in other places as well, but shortly Therese and Desiree came to a clearing of sorts. In it stood a small cabin with an incomprehensible shrine out front, and beyond this, a willowy [OOC: Sorry... couldn't resist...] woman wearing a flowing, earth-tone dress was adjusting the string of beads hanging from a rock ...

... And singing softly to the rock.

[Drusia]

Shamhat had gone to no great pains to conceal her whereabouts; a trail of ribbons, strings of beads, etc, led into the scruffy forest. Therese was amused. "I don't think it's particularly creepy, but she does seem to have a deplorable lack of taste," she observed,

"I didn't mean the ribbons," I reply, smiling. "I meant the plan where we wander off into the woods alone."

"Hm. That's odd. Got a distinct sense of magic from that. Didn't Rose say once that Lillith had more magical capabilities than she believed herself to? Maybe she got it from her mother. I have no idea what it does on this ribbon, though."

"It might be a fertility blessing," I say, although I pointedly don't go check. Best not to mess with them if they're magical. "We do something similar in Snamish. Although that's usually for crops rather than trees."

[i]shortly Therese and Desiree came to a clearing of sorts. In it stood a small cabin with an incomprehensible shrine out front, and beyond this, a willowy woman wearing a flowing, earth-tone dress was adjusting the string of beads hanging from a rock .... And singing softly to the rock.[/quote]

I hold up a hand to indicate that Therese should be quiet. Then I step forward into the clearing and quietly sit down. I make no effort to hide myself, but I also take pains not to interrupt the song. After a pause, I gesture for Therese to do the same.

I wait until she acknowledges me.

-- Desiree

OOC: Assuming that she doesn't react in some unfortunate fashion, Desiree plans, once acknowledged, to say "Hello, Shamhat. We're friends of Lillith. We need to speak to her about a spirit that she's tending to, if you could point the way for us."

If nothing overly dramatic occurs before she can say that, those are Desiree's next lines. Feel free to simply have her say the above in any reply.

On the other hand, if the situation goes some other direction, then obviously I can reply as normal. Just figured I wouldn't waste time on a fairly straightforward greeting.

[Graybeard]

[OOC: As I say, I don't really have a lot pre-arranged for this chick ("chick" as personality type, not young woman -- although she definitely doesn't look it, being half-elf, she's 68...), so let's collaborate on making her personality.]

For a few minutes the two women watched in silence as the robed woman flitted around her grove/property/whatever it was, occasionally pausing to readjust a ribbon hanging from a tree, pat a rock on the "cheek" (what a concept, Therese thought, but it fit) and inquire as to its health(!), and so on, all the time singing happily and quietly to herself (and her rocks and trees). She gave no indications whatever of actually noticing where Therese and Desiree were sitting until she floated by and almost tripped over them. Her eyes got big and her open face -- looks about Rose's age, in fact, reminds me of her quite a bit apart from the pointed ears, thought Therese -- registered first surprise and then pleasure. "Oh! Didn't see you sitting there, I was so busy talking to the spirits," she smiled apologetically. "Blessed be, and merry meet, and all that. Can I help you?"

Therese returned the greeting, suppressing a chuckle; she'd said far more peculiar things in Goriel. "We're friends of your daughter," she said, confirming what Desiree had said -- there could be no doubt from the facial shape that this was Lilith's mother -- "and would like to know whether you can help us regarding that voice that wails in the night, the spirit, your son-in-law told us about." Did I take too much of a chance by mentioning Brad?

Apparently she hadn't. Shamhat's free-spirited expression became only the slightest bit more thoughtful as she considered Therese's request for a second or two, and then she answered. "You mean the banshee?"

[OK, basic personality established, go for it in filling in some details...]