Reunited Again

Winnacer enters the room and greets his companions with a bright smile. As he begins to make small talk with the others, it is hard not to notice that he looks a bit different. Some of the boyishness that had predominated his features has melted away, probably helped along by the fresh scar gracing his right cheek. The scar is far from short but somehow does not seem to take away from the young Lord's good looks. His gray eyes seem more knowledgeable than before, making him look as if filled with a cool, silent confidence. Winnacer continues to stand straight, but his armor hangs heavy on his shoulders and the Belt of Yaromir is nowhere to be seen. His armor is now covered from head to toe with inscriptions, the most remarkable being the Symbol of Spravedelna over his heart and memorials to Colin, Felibarr, Zsolt, and Kesryk. Lastly, a pure silver gavel hangs from his side, tied securely into place lest it is lost. While some things may have changed, the warmth of his smile when he greets his friends has not:

"Hey guys! You all made it back in one piece! Thank Spravedelna! I figured you guys would figure out a way to handle the fur farm without getting too banged up to meet up with us. So what happened?"

Will, who, in his role as chronicler of the party's adventures, has been making mental notes of the group's progress, is able to give the young lord a very accurate summary of all that has transpired since they split:

"We have had success and misfortune," he starts, speaking honestly. "Escorting the Dobroushkans went very well, and as you can see on the floor below, they have done well in acquiring stock for the village. They do however, probably require an escort back to their village."

"We met with Konan, who was very well pleased with the entire story of our tower escapades, as well as the artifacts that we brought back."

"After leaving Sonya to care for the needs of the Dobroushkans, we journeyed to meet Elthanor, Darius and Flint. Upon the way there, we met some hunters who had captured a pair of mountain lions. So, being in the company of a militant druid," Will grins at Yaz," we found ourselves freeing the lions with some measure of force."

"Did I mention there was a great storm beating upon us this whole journey? Well we found Flint near Elthanor's place, dutifully camped out and awaiting our arrival. No Darius. No Elthanor. Thank goodness that Flint was there to fill us in on some details at least. He informed us that there had been no sign of Darius, and that Elthanor had departed this life in a terrible mishap involving holy powder drying out too near a fire."

"Yaz, not one to be discouraged by such unexpected drawbacks, did manage to use the fury of the storm with Prirodna's help, to pummel the farm's fortifications with lightning. He did a wonderful job of taking our near a dozen of the place's guards, as well as a few spots of wall and a tower or two. Needless to say, this caught the attention of the residents, who quickly realized that the repeated lightning strikes were not unguided natural occurrences. They quickly filed out of the place, upwards toward fifty of them, with blood hounds to boot in search of us."

Will pauses for a moment, gauging everyone's responses.

"This is where things really start getting interesting."

"Did I mention that Yaz couldn't walk? Oh yes, in the previous hunter altercation, a stray arrow took a terrible toll on his kneecap."

"Oh, the rain decided to let up at this time, making it easier for the hounds and hunters to make our trail in the fresh mud."

"Anyway, when we thought that we were out of harm's way, Yaz and Bennett decided to have a quick diplomacy session to discuss our situation. I think that I too contributed to the discussion," Will shakes his head at Yaz and Bennett, as if requesting affirmation of the tale," and we were about to draw conclusions from our little brainstorming session when we were interrupted."

Will stops and looks at all around," Oh, don't worry yourselves. It wasn't the hunters or the blood hounds."

"We heard a feminine voice clear her throat in the trees above us."

"Puzzled as to what woman would be climbing trees in stormy weather miles from town, we looked up."

"There on the bough of a limb, pretty as you please, sat a lady. And she spoke to us."

"She said her name was Eladria and that she was Elthanor's sister. She owned the fur farm, which she corrected us by naming it a Research Farm. She is a druid as well. She claims to have received a vision from Prirodna in which she was instructed to help alter the woodland species genetically evolve so that they can better defend themselves against the humanoids."

"She said they only pander to the Nyemetz and the scabby rich folk to fund her holy work. Why, even the games where they pit genetically deformed creatures against each other in a duel to the death is done for the greater cause of funding her holy work."

"One good thing she said was that Darius was working for her in the farm. Don't know why he didn't make himself known during the lightning fest, but that's neither here nor there, he could have been tied up with something."

"She was so cordial, that she even invited us to join in her holy work. She then mounted a giant butterfly, you heard me correctly, a Giant Butterfly, and sailed off through the trees."

"Well, needless to say, we were all convinced that she was a few acorns short of a bushel, regardless of how polite she may be. So waiting a few moments for her to leave, we began to lay plans for our deceptive insertion into the farm, and its destruction."

"It is during this planning, that Yaz, being the keen young druid he is, noticed an unusually attentive squirrel listening in on our conversation. He quietly informed the rest of us of the scurrilous spy, and instructed his hawk to capture the little guy alive for questioning."

"No laughing now," Will holds up a hand to forestall the giggles that have begun," This was a very serious situation here which was compromising our mission. And Yaz and Heathcliff the owl deserve all the credit for saving us from untold disaster were we to have been successfully spied upon. Heathcliff swooped down and quickly snatched up the fleeing rodent."

"As we all stood there watching, waiting for the little agent of espionage to be brought back to us, it began to grow and morph into the very lady Eladria. This was too much for the owl to bear, so Eladria plummeted to the floor of the forest, where upon we asked for her surrender. She would have none of it, so Flint subdued her with a little taste of Towcester. Excellent shot there by the way Flinty!"

"The only bleeding bit of pleasure I've had in the last month," Flint answers grouchily.

Will ignores Flint's comment and carries on with his story:

"After she rolled around a bit to put out the flames, she was much more willing to parlay."

"Of course we told her that we had no problem with research, but were rather disturbed by the farm aiding the Nyemetz by supplying them with worgs, as well as playing stoolie to the scabby rich in pandering to their greed for furs and entertainment for a few pieces of gold. "

"Well by this time, it was late in the night, and we decided to continue the next morning when Yaz could heal the poor lass of her burns, and either he or I could charm her and carry on with our plans."

"Unfortunately, we didn't quite make it to daybreak before the owls informed Yaz that we were being surrounded by numerous hunters."

"Weighing our alternatives, we offered Eladria a trade, her freedom for Darius. She agreed, and spoke with her husband, who was leading the search for us. Big guy. Nasty attitude."

"She was true to her word, however, and we escorted her to the farm, where she was released and Darius joined us."

"He looked quite angry. Darius that is. Eladria's husband too, he was pretty well steamed up as well. Said some such about killing us on sight or some other."

"Anyhow, we came back here, and have awaited your return."

"I suppose Darius grew tired of waiting, or else he was angrier than we assumed. He never spoke a word to any of us other than angry glares. He left in the night without a word to a soul."

Before committing any opinion to their particular brand of predicament, Winnacer changes the subject:

"Well, I'm not quite sure what to make of all of that. Let us catch you up with our happenings before we make any decisions. I'm not sure what our four-fingered host told you," Winnacer pats the old rogue on the back, "but we were pretty industrious out in Pardubitze. Seems the fuss we started back with Reinberger's assassination has been escalating. Malek has been in a bad way and marched out to basically yell at the Pardubitze Overlord, which actually ended up with some actual exchange of bowfire. Malek pledged to get Kominek's head from the Black Diamond's HQ, and the Dragons with our help managed to do that tricky task. That should add a bit more tension between the two, and as long as the Nyemetz are fighting each other, they won't be hunting us!"

"We took care of a number of other sundry tasks as well. When Milan and Tadeus are finished with their tasks, I shall introduce them to you. Both Xavier and I have taken them to be squires, pledging to train them and protect them in return for their services. Both of them are good lads with better hearts, and I'm sure they would enjoy a few nice words their way from each of you. And they sure do a better job than Robert anyway."

"We arranged a meeting with the Padre Lubosh of Radegast, and they shall send some of their veteran warriors to help train the Dobroushkans and the Twin Villagers, as I am beginning to believe we cannot sit idle for too much longer. The Padre will be a great help in helping us hold Pardubitze once it is liberated and has already begun the necessary measures. He has decided to accompany Hrust to Slovensko, using that time to secure supplies and able-bodied warriors for our cause. Hrust is going to see what he can do for us as well. He wishes all of you the best, and hopes that Bennett will understand why he could not wait for Bennett to return him to his homeland."

"We also found a ...errr... highly qualified applicant to replace Kesryk." Winnacer suddenly looks a bit uncomfortable. "Her name is Madga Valechkova and she should do just fine. We'll have to return to Holitze at some point...errr... so you can all meet her. She has the Belt of Yaromir now as well."

"It also seems Kesryk was right about me. I was ordained as a LawBringer while we were in Pardubitze. I think Xavier obtained absolution at the hands of the Padre. And Faewen'il did a bit of shopping. We accomplished quite a bit in that short time. But now that we're back together, we should decide what our next move should be. In my opinion, we should take some time now to start to recruit some allies while harassing the Nyemetz. It's been a while since we have taken any direct actions as a group against our oppressors. And with the escalation of events between the two cities, it may be time to call in a few favors and meet some new friends so we can really take advantage of what's happening here."

"I was thinking we may want to see if we can meet with Headmaster of the Dragons sooner rather than later. Perhaps we should also speak to Konan some more, for perhaps he knows of some other settlements nearby that may wish to rally to our flag. Although I would not mind escorting the Dobroushkans back. We could possibly catch Hrust and the Padre, so the rest of you can say your piece, and we could stop in Holitze for a little while as well. I did promise the High Priestess I'd keep an eye on Holitze..."

"By the by, what did Konan have to say anyway....?"

"Oh you know Konan," Will responds, "as soon as we showed him the books we brought back, we couldn't tear him away from them. He and some of the other priests did a complete inventory on the items we brought back. Wanna see something neat? Watch this!"

Will makes a flourish and says the magic word," Fabio!" Whereupon his clothes turn to field plate armor. Then he knocks his fist against it and speaks the word again, turning them back to the appearance of clothes.

"Pretty neat, huh?"

"Ah, speaking of possible allies, I forgot to mention. We also met a cell of the Wuurster-Schwienhoff Movement. Quite a lot of idealist university lads with more book learning than common sense if you ask me, but they may prove helpful to the cause."

"Also, the time is coming nigh when we might wish to make a journey to visit an old friend of mine. I am glad that so far, you have not had the need to open that scroll which I left in your things in order to find him."

Faewen'il folded her arms and waited for the response to Winnacer's question before she spoke her mind; completely ignoring Jihan the entire time.

"I be thinkin we should go free Heimlin's kin a'fore we traipse about tha land doin other thins. We promised him we would an since then we have done one thin after another without fulfillin our word." she says with a tinge of acid in her tone.

One of her hands then snakes up to toy with a stray lock of her red hair which had managed to escape the new dark blue scarf she haz it gathered up in. In fact her entire wardrobe is new and obviously purchased just recently. A loose but finely stitched blouse the same color as her scarf adorns her upper body, while a matched split riding skirt hugs her slender waist. Beneath it all she wears soft black leather boots and over it all she wears the fine fur-lined cape that the Dobroushkans had let her have from the priests. Hanging from her neck is a silver chain whose pendant is tucked underneath her blouse.

Those nearest her can also detect a faint perfume that smelled of soft musk and just a bare hint of make-up on her face.

As Winnacer looks different from when the group split up, so did she. There is a different light in her eyes now; one that speaks of fading innocence and a hardening to the horrors of war. There is also a faint aura of power about her in the way she holds herself and now meets other's stares rather than look away.

As the initial introductions and recapping of events has taken place, Jihan pipes up:

"Well, for me at least, our very next activity is obvious. The games arranged by the proprietors of the fur farm are scheduled for Monday, the day after tomorrow. As it will surely take us a day to get there, we are going to miss out on the opportunity unless we leave for there first thing in the morning."

"The reason why I say that it is obvious, is that it would allow us to kill several birds with one stone. Not only would it allow us to complete our vows to do something about the lot of the animals that are incarcerated there, but we could also strike a major blow for the cause by taking out many of the high-ranking lords with Nyemetz affiliations who are sure to be in attendance."

Boris looks up with interest as he hears Jihan's words:

"Are you talkin' about the games what's gonna be 'eld between Dvur an' Hradetz on Monday?" the old rogue asks.

"There can't be more than one," the elf responds.

"Well, in that case, it looks as if our paths are gonna cross once again," Boris smiles. "It's another one o' Viktor's special projects. 'E's been a busy boy lately, 'as our Viktor. The games are 'eld in secrecy an' so it was only six months ago that we found out about 'em. What with 'em bein' on our manor, we 'ad to go an' find out what was goin' on. The 'ole event seems to be a paradise for … errm … enterprisin' folks like us, what wiv it bein' stuffed full o' rich nobles loaded down wiv cash. The only downside is the fact that the nobles ain't stupid an' so surround themselves wiv heavies."

"We managed to get some good business from the event the last time they were 'eld three months ago. We managed to relieve some o' the nobles o' their excess wealth by stagin' hold ups there an' back which netted us a good return. We also 'ad a few light-fingered types floatin' about to punish any o' them what weren't payin' close enough attention to their money pouches in order to teach 'em a lesson so that they'll be more careful with their possessions in the future. Mind you, it were all copper an' silver business wiv hindsight."

"'Owever, the most useful thing about our bein' there last time was the fact that we got a good idea of 'ow the 'ole thing works. We now know 'ow to get the most out o' the event. The organizers o' the games make a bleedin' fortune out o' them from what we saw. Not only is there an 'eavy admission price for attendin', but the organizers control all o' the bettin' that goes on. An' there's an awful lot o' bets placed at the event, as there's nothin' that the nobles like better than to 'ave a little flutter now an' again."

"So this time we ain't gonna bugger about wiv takin' coppers from all the different nobles. We're goin' for the big one, an' that's to take out the wagon that'll be takin' all the proceeds from the event back to their fortress on the edge o' the forest. It ain't gonna be an easy exercise by any stretch o' the imagination, as they ain't idiots an' know what a fabulous prize it'd make for enterprisin' folk. Therefore, the 'ole gang is on the case again. It's bloody bad timin' actually, as our operations ain't recovered from the time we spent in Pardubitze in the week, an' we're very short o' manpower as well after losin' so many o' the boys on the Pardubitze job. But there ain't no way that we can afford to pass up that prize."

While Will was giving his highly optimistic description of the events that have transpired, Bennett grumbled about the group looking like fools in front of some psycho mad scientist Druid and how the damn goblin didn't even want to come back to the group and how it was a stupid idea in the first place. He then, however, raises himself up to speak with Winnacer when the story is over.

Looking with a critical eye over Winn's new appearance, Bennett seems a bit touched by the green monster, adding fuel to the fire when Winn mentions his new position. In addition, Bennett easily deduces that Winn has a new girlfriend as well from his stumbling over the mention of the new Priestess. However, all this goodness and light aside, Bennett grudgingly puts out his hand and says:

"Very good to see you again, Winn, and it's good to see such great things are happening for you. You deserve it, man."

Looking toward Faewen'il, Bennett absent-mindedly fingers his gem, and doesn't say anything, as she continues to scare the bejeezus out of him. 

Towards Xavier, Bennett warmly embraces his grizzled friend and presents the modified magickal 'Wind Shield' that Konan identified for them:

"You seem happier, my friend, what happened to you out there? Would that I could have been there, as both you and Winn look like you've gotten laid, and not by the hookers around here!"

Bennett then takes the first opportunity to chat with Xavier to see if he likes his new toy.

While Bennett and Xavier chat, Winnacer smiles as he hears of the Dragons' plan to relieve the lords of some of their loot:

"So it seems the fur farm still stands. And now it is going to be filled with Nyemetz nobles and gold. Seems we have a lot to gain by hitting these games on Monday. It is a pity that Darius has seemed to have lost his way and forgotten his desire to work against the Nyemetz. Ah well."

Bennett responds to Winnacer's thoughts on the fur farm:

"I'm not assuming that our plan about the Games takes precedence, but it would seem to be the closest and easiest thing to do with the most devastating results. This should then be followed very quickly by us making a plan to get into the slave mines of Kutna Hora, which I believe is more important than the Games in every respect. However, the timing of the Games makes them a do or die thing and I think it's a pretty good opportunity to wreak some major havoc. I am not anywhere near as interested in stealing from the nobles as I am in killing them, one at a time, if necessary. The hit on the wagon should prove an excellent distraction to allow him to do just that."

While Bennett has been giving his thoughts regarding the Games, Winnacer has been subtly pivoting on the spot, looking intently at all of the others. As he does so, his expression changes quickly and his smile fades in an instant. He turns to Will and speaks:

"I would make only one request before we head out to the games. I think we all should head over to pay a quick visit with Konan, for we have some urgent business with him."

Not really understanding Winn's reasons for wanting to go and visit the Librarian, Will responds:

"Yes, we do need to speak with Konan again. He has some news and a proposition for us all that we might ought to wait till we are in his secure company to discuss in order to keep from magical eavesdroppers.

"So we have several commitments once again. The Dobroushkans escort; The games; Kutna Hora; My friend of the Revolution; The Wuurster - Schwienhoff Movement lads; and Konan's proposition. Am I forgetting any?"

Winnacer is not really listening to Will, however. He has noticed Bennett's continued reactions towards the magess, and softly steps over to him. Winn whispers to the hairy warrior:

"It seems your nose has picked up the scent of evil long before Spravedelna's gifts have shown it to me. With Spravedelna's eye, her visage causes me pain. I am guessing that the pendant she has wrapped around her neck is Bosco's method of soul transmittance. I am afraid that there is more Boscobelous than Maire inside her as we speak. I suggest that we go to Konan and see if he can help us lift the curse immediately. Don't look at her, Bennett."

"Holy Crap!" Bennett exclaims as he lets loose an involuntary exclamation, then quiets down:

"Are you sure about this, Winn? Son of a bitch! What the hell can we do about it?"

All of the miscellaneous crap that was going through Bennett's head makes a quick exit and he is now more worried than he can ever remember being.

Faewen'il takes a deep breath, grinding her teeth a bit as she listens to the talk of doing yet another thing before going to rescue the gnomes. Then she expels the breath and an odd look of relief flickers across her features as she gazes about the room and particularly stares at Winnacer and Bennett before walking straight over to them:

"So ye think ye know what be wrong with me an ye think Konan be ye answer... well then we shall go bother tha priest. But ye will be pretty embarrassed when ye are told that it be tha books o magic that ye be sensin. An as soon as I be done copyin thar contents, ye can do with them what ye see fit."

"An donna go spoutin off about evil books bein burnt for it were tha thins in those books that saved us all in Pardubitze!"

"I be havin me hands full fightin back tha presence o Bosco in those tomes in order ta understand tha magic. Iffin Konan messes with them, then tha pages might very well go blank an then where will I be left when ye needs me magic ta turn tha tide o a battle?"

"Tha knowledge contained in those books be priceless an worth tha temporary touch o such a vile thin as Bosco. I donna need tha likes of ye ta make up me mind for me about what I should an should na do."

"I donna tell ye how ta be a Lawbringer an would appreciate it iffin ye give me tha same courtesy."

"An as for tha pendant; since ye all seem ta be burstin with curiosity about what it be doin...."

Faewen'il then turns and gives Bennett an abrasive glare, staring straight into his eyes.

"It be a pendant that lets me read minds.... a quite useful thin that got us through tha gates an helped in makin tha prisoner talk about tha thieves den."

She turns her gaze once more back to Winnacer, its green fires subsiding as a tired expression once more comes over her.

"An afore ye be wonderin, it be me that be thinkin an talkin... not Bosco. Not that ye will believe a word I say...."

Faewen'il then turns and walks away from the two of them muttering under her breath ".... or even care..."

"To be honest, none of us have ever interfered with your studies," Winnacer replies, trying to hide his shock. "I know I've never said, or thought, to come between you and your art. You can talk as if we have, but you know deep down we've given you plenty of space. So do not criticize us for acts we have not performed."

"We have already talked about necessary evils in the past. The TruthSeeker we met at Boscobelous' Tower thought his studies were also a necessary evil. Again, we shall not make your choices for you, but we deserve to be informed if you decide to delve into the black arts. For such acts place all with you in jeopardy, and we cannot read minds. I would advise against tampering with such evil presences, but my opinion is not one you seem to hold in high regard. But to take such risky actions without informing your comrades shows more your disdain for us rather than the disdain you believe we have for you."

"An look what happened tha last time a book o evil was found?" Faewen'il interrupts. "We would still be havin a row about whether or not ta burn tha thin!"

"Tha spells contained within donna be evil... unless ye consider tha greased stairs o tha thieves guild ta be evil."

"And as for reading minds," continues Winnacer, "I would appreciate it if you would stay out of mine, as a courtesy. If you want to know what I'm thinking, you should ask. And if you would not mind, can I see the offending books?"

"Then keep ye powers o ye god to yarself then," Faewen'il retorts angrily. "I only read yar thoughts when I felt somethin comin from ye. It be just as rude! Iffin ye wanted ta know what be wrong with me ya could have asked as well."

"An as far tha books, we will now go to Konan as ye intended."

"The book was not burned," Winnacer responds. "We all agreed that we should consult those more knowledgeable than us before making such a decision. We all knew about it and were allowed to put our two cents in. Perhaps if you would just give us all a chance, we may surprise you with our general open-mindedness. I have never said that whatever you can glean from his books is evil. But you do tamper with forces that you cannot be sure you can handle and take it upon yourself to keep it from the rest of us. Whether or not the results are beneficial or malevolent, you are taking risks with all of our lives. And we deserve to be informed of this, so we can make the moral choices that suit each of us. You have no faith in us, despite the general autonomy we grant you and the months we have fought at your side. And until you can trust us, you will continue to feel isolated, no matter how many spells you acquire and how many minds you can read."

"Despite all of this, I trust you Faewen'il, enough to have you stand at my side as we go to meet our destiny. I worry about you a lot, especially since you have suddenly become extremely quiet and obsessed with the newly acquired tomes. I feel justified in my use of Spravedelna's sight, for I wish not to interfere too much into your studies and ways, and you have certainly been behaving a bit obsessive. I do not believe that I have done much to alienate you, but I am often wrong. If there is a reason why you cannot trust me with the knowledge of the risks your art may require, I wish you would tell me. Honestly, I believe I have been more than supportive of your studies, especially since I gave you that gemstone of intellect. But all of my words mean nothing if you feel I am beneath your contempt."

"Aye, ye didn't burn tha book; but look at tha wasted time an heated words over readin it thar were" remarks Faewen'il. "Iffin I had wanted ta waste such time I wouldna be here!"

"An I thin it a wee bit wrong that it be fine for ye to decide what be best for tha group o us an yet it be wrong for me ta be doin tha same."

"Ye claim ta trust in me, yet it be a hollow trust. Iffin I thought that thar be danger I could na handle I would have said so. Iffin ye truly trusted me, then ye would trust me ta be tellin ye o such."

"Ye expect me ta be talkin to ye about thins, yet ye yarself are not holden to tha same? What kind o behaviour be that?"

"Why is it that ye are not willin ta speak ta me iffin ye be troubled about somethin? And donna give me that 'respectin me privacy' malarky. I donna consider it right that ye seek ta be bringin tha powers o yer god ta play rather than ask me about somethin. Just as ye want me ta speak to ye rather than read ye thoughts."

"An let me tell ye somethin about me 'obsessiveness and quiet' so that ye can come ta an understandin. Magic be powerful. Ye know this. Do ye have any idea o how long it takes ta copy down tha spells into a book? Do ye know how long I spend at night ta get this task done so that I can get rid o Bosco's books? How just the slightest mistake o me hand can cause tha spell ta not work or go wrong in such a way as ta be killin folk?"

"I be 'obsessed' with trying to do it correctly. I work until I canna work na more, only ta be woken up but an hour or two later ta continue on with our journey."

"An as I distinctly remember, thar be those of us here in this room that commented on me tongue bein ta sharp an active. Yet ye think I be possessed o evil because I be quiet? I would have thought ye all would be glad o me silence...."

"What iffin Bosco had laid a trap in tha books ta go off iffin people tried ta have a priest tamper with it. Did ye think o me safety then when ye tried ta use yar gifts?"

"Did ye even bother ta ask me iffin you could use them in tha first place?"

"It be ever tha same story with ye... ye always know what be best. Well then.. I have grown tired o fightin ye about it. We will go to Konan an have him examine me an tha book in me bag. It was what ye said an now we will do it. Ye be lucky this time that nothin bad happened when ye tampered with magic."

"Let us put this issue to rest," Winnacer responds. "I need to learn the limitations of my own new powers, so I ask for you to allow me to call upon Spravedelna to evaluate the books and you again. Perhaps we can save ourselves a trip to Konan and put this behind us for now. This is a reunion, and we should try to enjoy each other's company for a change."

"Be learnin them after we meet Konan. I will say na more," finishes the lass.

Will's eyes go wide in shock as he hears the exchange of words between Fae and Winn:

"Fae, are you saying that you have been having internal struggles with the spirit of Boscobelous since we left the tower?"

Will pauses for a moment not knowing for sure what to say, then makes the decision. He first turns to Winnacer:

"Winnacer, please escort us to Konan's. Your talents may be applied there. All of you please come, there is other business beyond this with the Librarian that we all need to be present for."

He then speaks to Faewen'il directly:

"Come on girl, we are going to Konan this very instant. And don't go spouting off to us about us imposing our will upon you. If you indeed have the malevolent force of the necromancer upon your person, then all the arguing in the world would not prevent me from seeing you taken before someone who I believe can help. You're not too old to be turned over my knee, little missy. Magess or no, you're coming willingly or we'll take you by the pigtails and see to it for the good of all. No deception here, so no mind reading gems will be needed. Out front and open. You are going to Konan right now whether you like it or not. Then we will see who deserves apologies, if I owe you one, then it was an action that the consequences of risking not going were well above the demands of social graces, and I will gladly give it then."

Will offers his hand to Fae," Shall we?"

Faewen'il gives an exasperated sigh in response:

"Did ye not listen to a word I said?!?!"

"It be Bosco's taint and NOT Bosco HISSELF that I be dealin with. Just as surely as I feel the presence o Master Luud in his books an have ta filter that out when I copied his spells. Magic be like that whether tha mage be good or evil o heart."

"Tha stronger a mage be, tha more his books take on a part o hisself. Tha struggle be in controllin that part while ye copy down tha spell. Thar be five books that I have ta be transposin afore I be done with them an free o tha taint. I almost be done with one o them."

"An as far threatenin ta take me ta Konan, I already told Winnacer I would go. I donna need tha hand o someone who threatens me ta aide me along." she adds frostily, as she makes to slap his hand away and then turns to Sonya.

"I be back soon an we can sit an talk. These oafs seem ta think they know all about magic and what ta do with it." she says in a resigned tone as she then turns and heads out the door; pulling the hood of her cloak up.

Will smiles and retracts the outstretched hand before contact is made by the slap. Stepping to the side, he gestures her toward the door:

"It is not wise to strike out at someone quicker and stronger than yourself when within arms reach, Fae,"

Will still gives the lass room to make her way toward Konan's.

"Though I try to act in a gentlemanly manner toward all of the fairer sex, I warn you not to attempt to strike me again, or mark my words, I will tan that backside for you. Although you know more magecraft than I, the spells that you cast are done no better than the few I do. So be wary that your attitude and your actions do not separate you from my gentleness. It is no threat, it is a statement of fact, Fae. The purring cat can quickly turn if his tail is pulled."

Faewen'il stops and turns to face him, the look on her face somewhat cool as she speaks in elven.

"Lowly one speak with mouth. Disgrace all people. Disgrace loving goddess. Matter not to People idle words. Matter not to loving goddess idle words. Idle words for not-people, think you better for idle words. All acts one with loving goddess. Use loving goddesses hand do things that mean nothing?"

"Smack at hand do I for rude words. Matter not if hand hit I. Matter not you strong or more quick I. You speak as to not-people child. Not-people child not be I. Life of you save I, yet still talk with small respect. Ask loving goddess if words true I speak."

"No more speak I to closed ears, closed heart."

Faewen'il then turns from him and walks past him as if he doesn't exist.

Will holds his peace as she walks by, his eyes watching closely for any move of escape or retaliation from the figure which he holds as possibly being Bosco. His hand is ready at his rope to react to any hostile actions, not wanting to cause any harm to the person of Fae should he have to disable her.

They all make to leave immediately for Konan in order to get things straightened out:

"Be careful on your way to and from the Library," says a worried looking Sonya as they all rush past her to descend down the ladder. "It will be curfew in less than half an hour, so take care that you are not caught by the Nyemetz."