Rinkaiel: Temple of the Divine Dwarf

[Graybeard]

Faye came to the door, Ace holding Zachary in the background. "I think I remember you. What's up?"

There was no answer, however, before the sound of the explosion reached the vineyard.

[Porcelain Fish]

"Structural integrity appears to be intact," Pai-pai announced from the corner. "I think dishes may have been broken though," it added after a thoughtful moment.

"Thank you, Pai-pai." Jin-Liu lowered his hands from where they'd been raised over his head. He glanced at Galina and Layla, dark eyes mildly concerned as he took a stubby, wand-like device out of his pocket and adjusted a knob at the base, eyes darting between them and the scintillating bands of pale green light that were racing up and down its silvery surface. "Are you unhurt?"

[Graybeard]

[OOC: Quick one, then I'm out of touch for a couple of days:]

"Are you unhurt?"

"I think so," Galina said, more startled than anything else. "That was too far away to do any direct damage, except maybe to some delicate instruments. That might be what your -- whatever-he-is is picking up. I'll look into it."

She turned to Layla. "Are you -- what are you doing down there?"

At the first sound of the blast, Layla's Wraith reflexes had taken over, and she'd dived under the table, in the process starting to draw her concealed gun, until she checked herself. "Sorry," she blushed as she extracted herself from her hiding place. "I have a little history there. I -- don't like explosions."

Unless I'm the one setting them off, anyway.

[Jack Rothwell]

Rufus never managed to get an answer for Faye's question. The old man wheeled with a wince at the smoke column now rising into the sky. A sinking feeling settled into his gut.

"I've got a bad feeling that that might have something to do with one of mine." He grimaced.

[Graybeard]

Layla clambered out from under the lab bench, feeling distinctly sheepish. "Sorry," she said. "Like I said, I get jumpy when things go boom. Let's try to get back to the lesson."

However, it wasn't long before it was clear that the time with the plates and the pea wasn't working at all for her. Residual case of nerves over the explosion? Or just a complete lack of aptitude for that kind of magic? Something else? Layla couldn't tell, of course, and Galina's frown wasn't particularly informative.

"Let's call a halt to this one," Galina finally said. "Our hearts just don't seem to be in it." (You too? Layla wondered, then recalled that her friend also had a background in security -- not with that distinctive Farrel spin on it, of course, but she might be jumpy for some of the same reasons. And there was that high-powered magic component...) "Maybe we could go out to the vineyard and relax a little? I'd like to see my daughter, anyway."

Layla emitted a big sigh of relief, only now becoming aware that she'd had the same desire to see Zachary. "Sounds good to me. Jin-Liu, maybe we can show you around and give you a sense of where you'd be working." A smile. "You know what they say: when handed a lemon, make lemonade."

-------------

"So ... am I to take it that your appearance here at the exact same time as that explosion was pure coincidence?" Faye asked Rufus, being pretty sure what the real answer to the question was.

[Jack Rothwell]

In other circumstances Rufus might've smiled at the sarcastic quip made the lady in front of him. As it was, he simply replied truthfully.

"I was looking for an employee of mine called Eve. She left the guild early this morning without telling anyone. After I'd expressly forbade her not to in fact." The old man began limping back towards his horse as fast as his leg would allow. "We we're going to hit the brothel this morning that held a lead on your investigation. The brothel that lies in that direction." He indicated the smoke, at the same time approaching his mount and clambering back into the saddle.

"Are any of your people likely to be there? I could look for them if I have time."

[Graybeard]

"Are any of your people likely to be there? I could look for them if I have time."

Faye was about to answer, when Layla and Galina arrived in the wagon, an unfamiliar Tsuirakuan with them. Introductions were made, then as Galina went off to be smothered in baby love (convenient, Layla thought; there were things here that she was happy for her friend not to know), Layla turned to her mother and Rufus. "It's about that explosion, isn't it?"

[Jack Rothwell]

"What happened? Were you there? Was Eve with you?" Rufus gigged his horse in the direction of the smoke signal as he rapid-fired questions at the vineyard owner. It wasn't panic in his voice, but the concern was obvious.

OOC I'll try and post up something more substantial on my next one. Been busy lately./OOC

[Graybeard]

"What happened? Were you there? Was Eve with you?"

Luminosita's Nethers, thought Layla. Can't there be anything bad happening in this damned city that does not involve us or the people we know?

"I don't know," she answered, "but Eve wasn't with us. We were just minding our business doing magic lessons, when there was this big boom in the distance." (She thought it unnecessary to mention the surge of magic that she, Galina and Jin-Liu had detected, at least for the moment.) "And yes, Eve was heading off to do a -- job in that general direction." She sighed. "I guess we'd better go find out what happened, hadn't we?"

[Jack Rothwell]

Rufus didn't reply, but instead barked an order to the steed he was mounted on. The animal, taking it's cue, reared, kicks its legs and began to gallop back into town.

..............

Eve and Bert turned into Barker Lane with nervous backward glances and a fair coating of sweat pouring down their faces (although Eve was from the school of thought that insisted that women didn't sweat, they glowed). The young merc put a hand of her companion's shoulder to steady herself as she caught her breath.

"Remind me... never to go to... a brothel... again." She managed.

"Only if you remind me... never to follow you... on a mission again." Bert replied.

..............

Leo met the old man as he rode up the path. No dialogue was necessary, the expression of Rufus' face told him everything he needed to know. Leo turned his own mount around and followed his employer.