"Ithar...do you have a way to communicate with the cat lady's owl friend? It seems something is wrong wit her..."

Sae then looks to Freya

Freya, all I cao do is see if my Ithar can speak with your owl. If he can, I will let you know of anything I learn...

The elven woman sighs, "Well, that was short lived. I thought for certain at least one of them would be more interested." "Perhaps 'tis not so glum as you believe, my lady. You have just emerged from an orc tent in a quite comely state, and now the elven gentleman reserves a tent of his own. Perhaps he plans to do the same?" "Perhaps indeed," Ara smiles, patting Jean on the top of his beret, then walks gingerly over to the tent where Silvan disappeared moments before.

Jean wanders over to the group beside the construct in the center of camp. He pokes Taylen's thigh with his finger. "If you don't mind me interrupting," he interjects after Taylen's thoughts fall silent, "what's all this talk of poisons and potions? Does it have anything to do with that glop all over your hand?"

[Aust]

Aust listens and watches, then finally walks up to Taylen shortly after Jean's approach. "I was wondering," he says to the armor-clad elf, "has anyone tried pushing the handles one at a time? I know we pushed them all together just now, and Freya mentioned that different posts might work different rings."

For a moment, Twin Moon continues to play with your fingers, while the daysprite appears distracted. Then her small companion appears, and lands on her shoulder. It remains silent for a few seconds, before chirping at your owl companion. Soon the two of them begin an exchange of chirps, hoots, and squeaks. They both flap their wings repeatedly, as if ready to depart to the trees again, but neither leaves. Following a couple moments of this pattern, Twin Moon returns to her playful nipping at your fingers.

Falaanla

"Owl? Ithar no food! Ithar no food! Ithar no... you say talky?" Ithar blurts out, at first in a panic, then shifting to a confused tone. "You want me talky with owl? Owl no eat me?" There is a brief pause. After a moment, Ithar pops out of the tent top, and flits down to your shoulder. "Okay, if owl no eat me, I talky. But I not talky much owl talk."

The two birds chirp and hoot in an indiscernable exchange. Each periodically flaps its wings in what appears to be a nervous twitch, or perhaps readying themselves for flight, it's difficult to tell. Occasionally, Ithar feeds you one or two words. "Bad place." "Eyes." "Want leave." "Cold." "Orc place."

Finally, after a couple moments, the owl goes back to playing with the fellin woman's fingers. "She say she hungry, and want leave," Ithar says in answer to your initial question.

Reyolen

You manage to fit all the coins in your carry pouch, with hardly any room to spare. It adds a couple pounds to the little bag's weight as well, and would be uncomfortable if worn on your belt. The stones are small, and easily fit in your vest pocket. As you turn your attention to the rings, their purpose quickly becomes apparent. These are signets, probably confiscated from the fingers of nobles or wealthy merchants in whatever caravans passed this way before the ragtag group you now travel with. You recognize one of the insignia from your past dealings as belonging to the head of a trading company, who might not have been pleased to see you again in person.

As you're examining the rings, you hear the rough slap of someone pulling open the tent flap behind you. The three signet rings are still in your hands, though you might be able to shove them in your pockets before anyone notices.

ooc:
For reference, I have no qualms about any level of detail that shows up in the name of roleplay. If, however, anyone else raises an objection, I will edit overly obscene or vivid entries to tone them down for the general reading public.

A sly smile crosses Ara's lips, with one corner curled tightly. Her eyes narrow slightly, and she flutters her eyelashes. "Well, Silvan, this is a side of you I haven't seen before," she says softly in Elven. "Going to such lengths just to get in bed with me; I never suspected you were such a hopeless romantic." Her words flow from her tongue as smoothly as silk on the hands, as she steps foot-before-foot over to Silvan, swaying her hips ever so slightly as she goes. She brings one hand up underneath the elven man's chin, and whispers in Common but with her same elven accent, "I suppose it couldn't hurt to give you a small taste of what you're pining for..." With that, she presses her lips to Silvan's, engaging him in a kiss.

Freya...it turns out that my Ithar was able to understand your Owl. Sure, at first he was a bit afraid he would be eaten...Sae Chuckles... It turns out that your Owl is afraid of this place, and is hungry... Also Ithar mentioned something small about "Orc Place" and "Eyes", though nothing more on that...

Sae shrugs

I don't know what to make of the last part either...but lets do what we can to find your owl some food, yes?

But her look suddenly turns gravid at the mension of eyes. "Eyes?" She closes her eyes, wondering if any ofer her senses can pick up anything.

You can hear nothing unusual in your surroundings. There is a light morning breeze blowing, and you can hear the usual forest chatter of insects and the song of morning birds. Except for the hardness of the beaten earth below your feet, nothing stands out as unusual.

Freya, I have an idea. I will see if I can have Ithar pass the message to your owl, see if we can have her show me where those eyes are. I can follow her through the trees or whatnot...

I just wanted to check with you first. Just a moment...

Sae then looks to Ithar, and doesn't say anything audible, but thoughts race through her mind...

"Ithar, can you ask the owl to show me where the problem is, what the "eyes" were that she was talking about? Tell her I will follow her so I myself can see them also."

Aust shrugs, "Seems quite unlikely such a device would encorporate complex combinations, if it was ever intended for the orcs' use. Such primitive creatures could hardly be bothered to learn which combinations would activate which rings."

[Jean]

"So that's what this is all about," Jean states bluntly, with a slight exclamation of sudden understanding. "The posts on that structure make the rings exude that red ooze. Well, I'm inclined to agree with Aust in this case. You obviously have at least a few rings in your possession, and there are yet more back by the bridge." He pauses for a moment, then adds, "It's not harmful on the skin, is it?"

[Ara]

When Silvan takes the initiative and leans Ara backwards, a nervous squeek escapes through her lips into his. A second later, she looses her hand from underneath the elven man's chin, and wraps it around his back beneath his arm to support herself. Her other hand lands upon the seat of Silvan's pants soon after that, and she wraps one of her calves around behind his.

She remains liplocked and tongue-entwined with Silvan for a few seconds longer, before taking another initiative of her own. With a twist of her hips, Ara leans back, and tenses her entwined leg while pulling heavily on her lower-placed hand, trying to pull Silvan's form down to the ground with her own.

"It killed the man you're talking to. Only a breach of nature saved him."

Ithar stares at you for a few seconds, then at the owl, then back at you, then chirps. "Sorry," you hear from your companion, "I not know words for all that." He flits away again, back into the tent where he had ducked into earlier, "You play hide seek now? I find good hide place!"

Reyolen

For a brief moment, it's difficult to tell whether you're playing along with Ara's game, or she with yours. That quandry soon becomes moot, however, as Ara pulls you forward, sweeping your leg out from underneath you. You manage to ready your arms, catching both her weight and your own as your palms strike heavily upon the beaten earth. Now the two of you lie upon the ground chest to chest, your body atop hers with her back against the earth, your kiss broken as your hands came to ground. Beneath your chest, you can tell that Ara's breathing has grown heavy.

Aanile

The daysprite once again appears distracted, most likely communicating with her companion. You overhear a comment from behind you, in the deep voice of the lizardman. He mentions something about a "breach of nature".

However, hearing the lizards claim of Aust's death made her scowl. "He was NOT dead!" She says with a firm tone, and low growl in her throat. "Do not claim such what you do not know forrr surrre!" It's obvious she is still aggrivated by what had happened.

Taylen listen to the arguement brewing between Frey and Drak and slides the final ring into his pocket, then moves over to lay a hand on Frey's shoulder. He then leans in to whispers to her in Sylvan "Calm, Frey. Be like a willow and not a lion for a bit. It will service you better in this situation."

The lizardman's eyes close, as he recites the words in a long, low voice.

"Those who separate the path of natural beings from the course nature would have them take commit a grievous error, in assuming their own will was meant to rise above that of nature itself."

He turns to Aust slowly.

"You have been caught in an awful web. The blood-water these orcs posess would have taken you from nature's rightful life, but more interference brought you back to it. Those who would steal the Shalm's tune have played you a shrill melody."

Drakkenclaw then moves away slowly, his eyes opening again as he walks back to peer at the monolith curiously. He mutters to himself, seemingly in thought.

"What nature means for those so twisted in lies as this, I do not know. They talk to the animals themselves, but deny all the laws those creatures follow."

Her tense muscles jump slightly to Tay's touch and words. Slowly, she relaxes, still a growl in her throat. She just moves off, heading towards the woods. Being out in the open has some what made her uneasy.

"I'll make you a deal Ithar. We can play hide and seek if you can find a way to get the owl to show me where the eyes are. Deal?"

"That no fair. I no know word for all that in owl. No know word for talky. No know word for follow. No know word for problem. Think word for see same word for eye, but not sure. You find word I know, or I no can help more." You can hear what sounds like pouting in Ithar's words. "I try, but you no happy! You no play!"

Aanile

All the yelling between you and the lizardman frightens Twin Moon, and she once again flies into the trees, perching on a high branch near the clearing's edge. She watches from above, and once you leave the clearing, she flies from branch to branch above your head, descending to lower branches as you move further from the clearing.

"Ithar, we will play in a few moments, but I hope to help the cat lady here find out what is wrong with her owl friend..."

During the fellin woman's argument with Drakkenclaw, her owl friend departed into the nearby trees. Freya departed soon after in a huff. You hear no response from your magpie familiar.

"Ithar, if you wish to come along with me, stay in the trees as I do. Otherwise, please stay back here in the camp."

[ 10-08-2002: Message edited by: Reyolen ]

Once she felt a comfortable distence from the camp, she slips up a tree and makes herself comfortable on a sturdy branch.

Ara accepts the elven man's hand up, standing slowly, then dusts herself off. "You speak as if you expected that little performance to go further," she says in a slightly sarcastic tone. "And what, exactly, have I of yours? Oh, you've judged rightly about my habits, but I'd hardly consider these to fall under the category of your personal possessions." Reaching into her pocket, she pulls out two dull grey stones, and holds them between her fingers. "And unless you plan to share whatever else you tucked away from that chest, I'll be keeping one of these for myself. Besides, you never did pay me for your misconceived errand from last week." She places one of the stones in Silvan's open palm, and slips the other back in her own pocket. "What kind of stones are these, anyhow? They don't look like anything special."

Setting a light three-clawed marking on each tree you pass leaves a fairly easy trail to follow, without causing more injury to the trees than they could heal. You get a good distance from the orc campsite, then begin to ascend the side of a thick-trunked tree. In your distraction, one of your foot-claws slips part way up, but you catch yourself, and keep going.

Once seated on the branch, you don't have to wait long before your owl companion perches beside you. She looks up at you, and lets out a single long hoot. It appears that she has calmed down a bit. You can't see the camp through all the branches, though the daysprite appears to have followed behind you (or perhaps above you), as she is not far away.

Falaanla

The fellin woman heads a significant distance from the orc camp before she picks a tree, and begins climbing. It takes her a moment to get up to a comfortable branch, and sit down with her feet dangling. Her owl lands beside her. You have lost sight of the camp and your other companions.

Reyolen

You already have one of the stones in your hand. As Ara, or Ariana as she has asked you to call her, releases the stone, it sits in your palm for a few seconds, then suddenly darts up over your shoulder. A second later, you notice it repeatedly passing through the top edge of your vision, much like an annoying insect, except more consistent. It appears to stay about a foot away from your eartips.

"How courteous of you," Ara answers Silvan's suggestion that she exit first. Without even noticing what happens to the stone she returned to Silvan, she pushes the tent flap aside and exits, with the other stone still in her pocket.

[Jean & Aust]

The halfling scratches his head behind his beret, and glances up at Aust, "You know, for a dead guy, you look pretty good. What's your secret?"

"I'm not dead," Aust replies.

"What, don't feel like sharing? Sure we've only known each other a little while, but that's no reason to keep this to yourself," Jean persists.

"Really," Aust replies again, "I'm not dead. See? Perfectly alive." He takes a deep breath, and blows it out.

"Hey, that's neat! Does it take an effort to work those, or do they work like when you were alive?"

"That's enough, Jean," a tone of annoyance laces Aust's voice. "I'm alive, I've always been alive, and I'm not dying any time soon."

"You're immortal? Neat, I've never met an immortal before. So, what's it like?"

"For the last time, I'm not immortal, and I'm not dead!" Aust exclaims.

"I know," Jean snickers, "just foolin' with ya. Had ya goin' for a second there, didn't I?"

Aust rolls his eyes, then turns to the construct, looking from one part to another with no real pattern. Jean wanders into the southwest tent, brushing the tent flap aside on his way by. It drops closed again behind him.

"When they'rrre done, I'm surrre Taylen will find us, and we can go." She thinks to herself slightly "We still haven't met him yet."

She looks up when she notices the day sprite. "You followed." Is all she says.

Catching the stone proves rather simple. When you place your hand in its path, it hits you palm with a soft tap. It begins to roll off your palm, but you close your grip on it, and the stone yields no resistance.

[ 10-11-2002: Message edited by: Reyolen ]

So far as you can tell, the stone is round, smooth, and perfectly symmetrical. There are no visible markings on its surface, and could easily be mistaken for just any old dull grey stone... if not for the rather obvious fact of having taken up orbit around your head. You have no difficulty placing it in your pocket.

As you exit the tent, you find Ara standing just outside, and have to sidestep to get around her.