"Tina?"

You quickly notice that everything in your vision appears white and fuzzy. It reminds you of having several veils in front of your face. The water reaches up above your navel while standing, and it takes a few seconds before you can make out the girl's outline. A familiar tingling feeling covers your skin.

"I'm fine," Tina answers, sounding a bit miffed. "Just tripped. I can't see through this damned crazy cloud."

Tania sits back down, leaning against the side of the pool. "Anyway, she said she'd be back inna bit."

Arthur pauses and focuses his attention back on the gnome. "I'm sorry sir, I don't mean to ramble, it's just that patience isn't always my best trait and I guess I got a little carried away. I really need to see the elders, I'm not sure I'll be able to sleep tonight until I do, I have so many things in my mind... so many questions that need answered.. too many things that need explaining."

Arthur's voice dies down as he finishes his sentence. He then appears to be in a saddend state, shoulders slumped, head focused more to the ground then anything now.

"I'm certain some of them have," Regalor answers, leading you southward away from the conference hall. "Unfortunately, they don't often get the chance to report their findings. We get news of bandits of course, and of orc attacks in the woods. But when we send the hunts, either they come back empty handed, or they don't come back at all."

Traveling along a wide walkway, you pass a number of elven homes. Unlike the lower tier, there are no simple domes here. The simplest houses look like those nearer the spire on the lower tier, with woven branch walls, leaf-covered rooves, and moss-curtained windows. Some homes appear large enough to house extended families. Only a few people remain outside. Mothers gather their children, and a few elves walk the streets here and there. Most nod politely, or wave, as you pass, receiving a wave in return from the green-robed elf beside you.

After pausing to wave to a young elven couple, Regalor continues, "That's why the news from Terranada has Sorillin in such a hurry. They claim to have discovered the location of a slaving camp on the south coast."

Reyolen

"There are a few... delicate topics I would like to ask about, but this is the wrong time for it. You've come back home, we should enjoy the occasion," Sastak smiles, taking a bite of the orange sweetfruit. "Have you been back to the gardens? I think the caretakers have added a few new blooms since you left." He tops off your wine glass.

Pvednes

"I just asked that," Tina replies to your question about the mist, the annoyed tone still in her voice. After you tell her what Ralora said, she sounds a bit calmer, "This is the sort of thing they should warn visitors about. That and meat-eating plants. Did you notice them in those hanging gardens?"

You didn't notice anything you would call a meat-eating plant, though you don't know that much about plants.

Kilrath

"No need for apologies," the gnome puffs out a miniature smoke waraxe, "your kind don't live long enough for patience. I suppose you could ask the wayguards at the entry gates. Head for the spire, but down instead of up. When you reach the bottom, ask someone down there to point the way. Then again..." he pauses for a moment, smoking his pipe, "if you spot an elf with a bow, good chance you've found a wayguard. They could help you better than I."

Tania shivers, and lays back in the warm pool.

Regalor laughs, "When looking for a city on the shore, one generally need not stray far from the shore to find it. The lizardman's directions were rather vague, but if I recall the landscape correctly, it should lie roughly due south of us. Strangely unsheltered, but easily overlooked."

Pvednes

"They looked a bit too big for bug eaters," Tina ponders. "Maybe small birds or fish. They were blocked off and tucked out of the way, but I'm sure I saw them."

"You have a keen eye," the familiar voice of Ralora comments from somewhere nearby. You hear the gentle clack of her cane as she moves through the room. The haze still blocks your vision. "I brought drying cloths, and a comb. Put out your hand, please."

Regalor comes to a sudden stop. He looks at you, first in the eyes, then down the length of your body, his brow slightly lowered. He brings his walking stick into the same vertical poise as the other elders held theirs, and its end hits the ground with a quiet thack.

"What sort of people are your travelling companions," he says slowly and resolutely, "and why exactly are they headed in that direction?" He pauses a few seconds longer, then adds, "You say you found a map. Do you still have it?"

[ 07-15-2003: Message edited by: Taylen ]

"Ah, I see. That works out well for us both, then. We should meet with your travelling companions as soon as possible." Regalor resumes walking, picking up his pace a bit from before.

You soon find yourself approaching a structure with a design oddly characteristic of buildings in a human city. Three rows of evenly spaced square windows line the rectangular building's woven branch walls. Sounds of a crowd flow from a large doorway, muffled by vine doors of shimmering silver akin to those at the city gates, though not as vibrant, and not at all invisible. Painted letters above the door read, "WHISPERING WOOD INN".

Regalor comes to a stop a few paces from the door. "Shall we inquire after the others inside?"

This place is getting to him.

Tired and worried, he lets out a large sigh. As he looks as his wet stuff, Barry decides to just put on his pants, taking his sack in one hand and the wet clothes in the other. He then goes out. Stuffing his armor in his bag, he then moves to the girls' bathhouse. Letting his bag drop, he knocks on the door, looking to the road,

"You girls done yet?"

"Umm.. miss Ralora, what is this haze of, anyway? It seems to have gotten considerably thicker.."

Walking through the silvery doors, you find yourself in a large, crowded, and rather noisy room. People from an assortment of races sit on carved wooden chairs around woven branch tables. Some sit chatting with ale mugs in front of them. Others sit together as families, enjoying an evening meal. A bar lines much of the far wall. Nearly every seat in the place is filled.

A pair of elven barmaids run around carrying drinks, and a fellin woman enters the room from a door beside the bar, carrying a tray on each arm. A single elven bartender hurriedly serves drinks to the customers at the bar, as well as taking orders from both barmaids.

Regalor walks past you, taps you on the shoulder, points to the bartender, taps his left ear, then heads for the bar, weaving carefully between the tables while holding his staff out of the way.

Ukko

With the room no longer dark, you have no difficulty finding your way around. The exit turns out to actually be an exit. Your armor fits easily in the bag. Looking around, however, you can't recall where the ladies went.

After a moment, your dilemma solves itself. A fellin woman wearing a pink apron and a white skirt passes along a nearby walkway, riding a large bear, and carrying a bundle in one arm. You recognize her from before. The bear walks up to one of the bathhouses, where the cat woman climbs down and enters. You follow them there, and knock.

A few seconds later, you hear a slightly muffled female voice from behind the door. "Not yet," the voice says. She continues to speak, but you have trouble making out all the words, "Theyunwunzneyafewminnissooryeoff."

Pvednes

You feel a cloth land in your palm. "It hasn't gotten thicker, dear. You just have water on your face. They're attracted to water, you know. Dry your face, and you'll be fine."

"You look like a walking cloud!" Tina giggles. A second later, you hear a sequence of thuds, followed by a muffled male voice. You can't make out what he says... but apparently Ralora has no difficulty. "Not yet," she says loudly, making her voice sound a bit hoarse. "The young ones need a few minutes to dry off." Speaking more quietly, she adds, "Such a sharp-toned language was never meant for shouting."

[ 07-16-2003: Message edited by: Ford Prefect ]

"Everything so well made here, all so perfect."

He then takes a moment to stretch a bit and put most of his weight to the wall,
"So perfect that I can't really like it, something missing,"
he lets out a sigh of boredom.

"It's just not home."

Tania immediately dries off her face.

Once you wipe your face, the room appears much clearer. A pair of worn-looking towels hang over the rail on the wall. Aside from Ralora, everything in the room looks like one big cloud. The floors are covered in mist, as is most of Tina. You can see her face and ears, her neck, and some of her hair, which she is busy drying with a small cloth of her own.

You, too, are covered in cloud. From where your ankles disappear into the general fog of the floor, up your legs and chest, and back down your arms to your hands, everything appears white and fluffy. A thin mist settles briefly on the wash cloth in your hand, then disburses.

After a moment, Tina stops drying her hair, and starts rubbing the cloth on her shoulders. Everywhere the cloth passes, the mist brushes away, revealing a swath of bare skin underneath. Ralora steps behind Tina. Placing one hand on the girl's shoulder, she brings her other hand to Tina's hair, holding something small and metal. "Ow, hey!" Tina whines as the shiny object disappears into her hair.

Reyolen

Sastak thinks for a moment. "You know, most of them haven't really kept in touch. Elysia comes here sometimes after a rough day. I ran into Rintaularein not too long ago, he tends the arboretum." You remember racing Rin through the gardens long ago. The world seemed much larger then. "That's how I heard about the trappervines they planted last year." He pauses again, "Well, most of them haven't kept in touch." His eyes turn to his plate, where he concentrates on cutting a slice of the roasted bird.

"Am I interrupting anything?" a soft, hauntingly familiar voice says from the doorway. With slender green eyes, full rosey lips, soft cheeks, and dagger-point ears reaching out through wavy strands of long raven hair, the face of Neloreas could enchant an army. Her shoulders sport a blue silk nightgown that reaches down past her chest and around her abdomen... which you suddenly realize could rival the belly of a dwarf... and stops just above her bare feet. "He's feisty this morning," she quips to Sastak, who knocks his chair over as he rushes to the doorway to meet her.

Arthur puts his hand out as if offering a handshake.

The little man sets down his pipe, hops up on the table, and takes your hand in both of his, shaking it vigorously, "Seledandy Rumbucket Thistenhop Undertruffle Alabaster Poppentuck Vorvalvinden Lasterthatch Treantrider, but if you're short on time, just call me Vinden. Well, not much left of the evening, guess I'll pack it in. Safe journey to ye."

He lets go only after finishing his statement, then promptly hops down from the table. Picking up his pipe with a quick sweep of his hand, he walks away in the direction you came from a short while ago.

[ 07-20-2003: Message edited by: Ford Prefect ]

[ 07-21-2003: Message edited by: Taylen ]

Your companions are not in easy view. Considering that you were the last to leave the conference hall, they should have beaten you here. Then again, Freya never liked crowded places. Though a few tables have open seats, the tables themselves are all in use.

A seat opens up near the end of the bar, as a heavyset human leaves his seat, headed through the doorway in the corner. Regalor approaches the bar, and slips nimbly between two patrons. One of them turns towards him, glaring, and starts speaking. From across the room, you cannot hear what he says.

After finishing drying herself off, she starts toweling her hair.

The toadstool beneath you feels springy and quite comfortable. The armor leans against the side of the bar, its contents drooping out slightly. Regalor stands several seats away, patiently watching the bartender run back and forth along the bar. The human beside him has his back to you, as he continues speaking in angry tones.

"... people sittin' here, ya know. If ya can't wait yer turn like a good little elf, then jus' go somewhere else. You heard me, get goin'. I ain't givin' up my seat, an' I ain't movin'." He continues along these lines, and sounds slightly drunk, though it may just be part of his accent. Regalor ignores the man entirely.

For a second, the bartender approaches you. Before he can open his mouth, someone from the other end of the bar shouts, "What's the hold up down there?!" and the bartender hustles away again before you can get a word in.

"Well if ya ain't gonna move, I'll move ya!" the human beside Regalor shouts suddenly. He draws his arm back, and takes a backhand swing at the robed elf. Regalor doesn't move. With a quiet crunching sound, the man's hand strikes Regalor's face. Regalor doesn't even flinch.

Pvednes

"Hold still, dear, you still have a few tangles to comb out," Ralora tells Tina, who whimpers slightly in response. When you look for your clothes, they are no longer where you left them, but they aren't hard to find. They now hang from the rail beside a conveniently placed towel, and appear dry.

Looking up at your question, Ralora lets out a light laugh. "Most everything in Destindeterre is alive. Don't worry, though. Mist mites are harmless. They usually live in bogs, but I suppose they serve their purposes for the more... modest residents here." She pats Tina on the shoulder a second later, "There now, that wasn't so bad, was it?"

"No," Tina answers half-heartedly. She has already dried most of herself with her hand towel, which now has a thick cloud surrounding it. When Ralora stands, Tina pulls her clothes off the rail near the door, and starts dressing. Ralora walks over to you, and holds out the metal object, "Would you like to use this again?" It looks like the same metal comb she offered you back in her home, except that the only hairs in it now match Tina's head.

Several people turn to see what has caused the sudden commotion. You find yourself one among many to rise from their seats. The human reaches for the sword at his hip, glaring at you, a sneer plastered across his face. But Regalor merely raises his hand, and says calmly, "Be well." Midway through drawing his blade, the human stops.

"You look tired," Regalor tells the human, still speaking calmly. "Maybe you should settle your tab for the evening, and get some rest. Do you have a room here?"

"Y..yeah, second floor. Goodnight," the human answers reluctantly. The gathered crowd parts as he passes through, disappearing behind the door at the end of the bar.

ARRRRRRRRRRGGGHHHHHHH!!!!! She swears in her mind, somewhat similar in manner to the sailors whom manned her father's ships.

With that he looks in the direction that the friendly gnome had given to him. The spire, or so it was called. Then at a brisk pace makes his way towards it, keeping a eye out in hopes to maybe catch a way gaurd on the level he is currently on.

"Silvan, it's so good to see you!" Neloreas beams, as Sastak helps her into a seat at the table. "I have been very well. Sastak sees to all my needs, and with so many new faces, I have yet to find myself at a loss for conversation. Oh! Oh my, I think the baby wants to say hello."

Pvednes

Tina giggles at your frantic reaction. "Bugs? Really? Wow, that's neat! Hehe, they were all tingly, too. Think I could take some home?" "Perhaps," Ralora answers her, "but they do not travel easily. You would need to carry an open bowl of water with you for the whole trip, and keep it full. If any of it spilled, some of the mites would follow after. I think you would find the task of transporting them less pleasant than bathing with them." "Awe," Tina sighs.

Once you and Tina finish dressing, Ralora opens the door. "We are ready to go. Do you have somewhere to spend the night?" she asks, with her head poked out the doorway. Outside the bath house, you can see what looks like a muscular arm and a leg, covered in thin white mist.

Ukko

After a few minutes of waiting, the bath door opens, and the old fellin woman peers out. "We are ready to go. Do you have somewhere to spend the night?" she asks you, peering at your backpack, and at the sack with your armor.

Kilrath

You hardly see anyone around as you make your way towards the spire. Though you spot someone in the distance, he disappears before you can reach him (or perhaps her, you could not tell). As you approach the colossal tower, it comes into focus. Ramps wind around an enormous tree, leading both up as far as you can see, and down into the branches beneath your feet.

The sight sparks a vague memory of your arrival. You can recall being carried steadily upward, until open air surrounded you. The four elves set you down there, and stepped aside. From nowhere, an elven woman with silver streaks through her blonde hair appeared. She said something quietly to you. You recall a brief, searing pain, then a feeling of relief.

A familiar voice interrupts your thoughts. "Arthur? Is that you?!" A brown-haired elf in plain travelling clothes approaches you, carrying a backpack and a wooden staff. You recognize his face immediately as one of the mercenaries with you on the expedition to clear the southern wagon routes. Last time you saw him was just before the battle.

She picks up her spellbook, padding over to Ralora, and has a proper look.

[ 07-31-2003: Message edited by: Dr. Pvednes, PhD ]

Tina's face adopts a quirky expression, with one side of her mouth smiling, the other side frowning, one eye squinted with the eyebrow lowered, and the other eyebrow raised. As you turn away to approach the doorway, she announces in your wake, "Lady, you're weird."

You confirm on sight that the man in front of Ralora is, in fact, the same adonis you met before. Through the mist, you can tell that he has removed the leather garb, and now stands topless, with damp pants clinging to his legs. Then he mentions his wife.

As you approach, Ralora looks at you, then at the large human. She speaks to both of you, turning her head slightly back and forth to meet both your eyes and his. "My home will not suffice for this many guests. You two seem fit enough to spend the evening on your own. We should find you somewhere to stay."

"What about me?" Tina asks, looking up from beside Ralora's cane.

"You will stay with me, little one," Ralora tells her. "You have been through an ordeal, and may not yet have felt its full effects." She looks at you and the large man again, "We should visit the Nightshade, then the Whispering Wood. They've been crowded, but one of them might have a room to spare, if the two of you don't mind sharing."

Ralora approaches the bear laying outside the bath house, and strokes its head between the ears. Tina follows her, approaching Boltat from the side. "Can I ride him?" she asks hopefully. Ralora nods, and gives the girl a boost onto the bear's back.

Ukko

The pretty young lady you met in the meeting hall appears in the doorway behind the fellin woman. Her hair glistens in the dim light shining from the branches above, but otherwise she hardly looks any different from when you left her company earlier in the evening.

Upon the girl's approach, the fellin speaks to both of you, turning her head slightly back and forth to meet both your eyes and hers. "My home will not suffice for this many guests. You two seem fit enough to spend the evening on your own. We should find you somewhere to stay."

"What about me?" Tina asks, looking up from beside the fellin's cane.

"You will stay with me, little one," she answers Tina. "You have been through an ordeal, and may not yet have felt its full effects." She looks at you and the young lady again, "We should visit the Nightshade, then the Whispering Wood. They've been crowded, but one of them might have a room to spare, if the two of you don't mind sharing."

Approaching the bear a few feet away, the fellin strokes its head between the ears. Tina follows her, approaching the bear from the side. "Can I ride him?" she asks hopefully. The fellin woman nods, and gives the girl a boost onto the bear's back.

Taylen

After the human's departure, the bartender spends a moment involved in conversation with Regalor. Several elves around them, including the two barmaids, listen intently to the conversation, giving a hissed "shush" to anyone who calls for drinks.

When the two of them separate, the bartender approaches you. The younger of the two barmaids uses the open seat beside Regalor to hop over the bar (receiving a few wolf whistles from patrons who catch a glimse under her ankle-length skirt), and starts serving drinks in the bartender's place. Regalor then sits down with his back to the counter, watching the crowd.

"Elder Regalor tells me you're here looking for a few of your friends," the bartender mentions. "Can you describe them? If they've been through here, I can probably tell you where they went."

Reyolen

"Just about nineteen months now," Neloreas answers cheerily. "Mylenni says I only have a few more months yet. Last month I started having these strange cravings for..." Sastak takes a slice of fruit from his plate, and slides it daintily between his wife's lips, which prevents her from speaking further for a moment. Her face carries a continually blissful look, and her eyes shimmer in those moments when she has them open.