define('WP_CACHE', true); Crossed Paths – Logs – Page 4 – The Story Thus Far…

May 05

Chapter 62: The Healer’s Web

Chapter 62: The Healer’s Web

In Which The Talismans Healers Use Are Examined.

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Yazeth: Jozra enters the healer’s house and heads towards the bed, depositing the books at the foot and leaning on the mattress for a few moments for a rest she needs but deeply resents. Sounds of conversation can be heard coming from the kitchen where apparently Fiarah and Jinx are helping Joseph prepare dinner.

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan plunks down beside her and grins as conversation in the kitchen continues. “You feeling okay hun?”

Yazeth: The ferret nods. “Yeah, just…” it pains her to have to admit it but what the hell, “…just needed a little rest.” She places her paws behind her and pushes herself up onto the bed so that she’s actually sitting on it.

Arrin Woodgreen: He grins and winks at her. “I won’t tell, you just rest a bit.”

Yazeth: Fiarah wanders out of the kitchen, wiping her paws free of flour on a towel. “Ah, I did hear you two return. How was the walk?” She casts a critical glance at Jozra. “Feel alright?”

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan answers Fiarah, “The walk was great, I was just saying to Jozra that even though she feels fine she should rest, you never know.”

Yazeth: Jozra, thankful for Soquan’s intervention, pulls her feet up and sits cross-legged on the bed, trying to look healthy and not at all tired out by the walk. Anything to leave sooner. “So, when do you think we can get on our way again?”

Arrin Woodgreen: Fiarah frowns, “Not for a while yet I’m afraid, Jozra. You may feel fine now, but imagine walking all day like you two do.”

Yazeth: The ferret harrumphs and bats idly at the wall hanging over the bed, setting the various shells and stones to jangling.

Arrin Woodgreen: Not knowing the presence of the wall hanging, the sudden noise startles the otter immensely, causing his fur to stand on end. His tenseness causes the otter to overbalance and fall to the ground with a loud thud.

Yazeth: Both Jozra and Fiarah start as Soquan topples over. The ferret pokes her head over the end of the bed to look at the fallen otter. “You alright, Soq?”

Before he can answer, Joseph hurries into the room. “Wh-what was that?” Jinx looks on from behind the mouse.

Arrin Woodgreen: His adrenaline surging, the otter is breathing heavily. “Just–  startled–” Soquan heaves himself onto his feet and turns to Joz. “What in the gods name did you hit Joz?”

Yazeth:  Joseph frowns as he leans over the bed to stop the hanging from swinging.* Y-you shouldn’t have smacked that.”

Jozra helps guide Soquan back onto the bed. “It looks like a branch and shells and things. It’s been hanging on the wall since we got here, Soq.”

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan grins at her somewhat lopsidedly. “Well I guess in the future I’ll have to feel out all the walls where we’re staying.”

Yazeth: Joseph frowns a little at Jozra, still apparently upset at her batting at the wall hanging. “Th-that’s fragile.”

Jozra glances at the now still wall hanging. “Well, what is it anyway?”

Fiarah picks the books up off the floor and sets them on the bed, glancing idly at the titles.

“It’s, it’s the Healer’s Web. Kind of a, a series o-of talismans.”  Joseph answers.

Jozra quirks an eyebrow skeptically. Despite all that’s happened to her, she’s not all that superstitious.

The vixen smoothly takes over the healer mouse’s explanation, noting Jozra’s look. “It’s a traditional wall hanging among healers. If you had been conscious, you might have noticed one in my clinic.”

Jozra grins weakly as her ears redden a little.

Fiarah sits on the edge of the arm chair and continues. “Each of the things on it represent something, though I don’t remember them all. Lets see… That big shell in the center with the rune is just the healer symbol. Most healers have that symbol somewhere outside their door.”

Jozra nods, remembering seeing that same symbol on Joseph’s door frame just that day.

“The stone hanging from it represents… I think faith in the healer’s ability. Um, the acorn is nourishment, I don’t remember what that tassel is. I think the wood holder itself is supposed to signify something.”

She glances at Joseph who merely shrugs, “The, the flat stone is t-trust and the b-black and white fea, feather is life and death. Er… th-the cone shell is…”

Fiarah interrupts, “The healer’s commitment to healing the patient and one of the other feathers is just optimism, but I don’t remember which one.”

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan listens intently as Fiarah and Joseph take turns telling the two of them about the wall hanging, a small smile touching his features. “I remember one of those used to be at the healer’s clinic in Donfin. If I remember correctly, the holder is supposed to mean some sort of stability.”

Yazeth: Anything the healer mouse might have said in response was lost as Jinx shouts from the kitchen. “Joseph! Is this supposed to smoke like that?”

Fiarah and Joseph glance at each other for a second with wide eyes before dashing into the kitchen to salvage what remains of dinner.

Arrin Woodgreen: While Joseph and Fiarah rush off to deal with the crisis in the kitchen, Soquan turns to the ferret with a grin. “So should I be expecting an apology from you anytime soon for scaring the wits outta me?”

Yazeth: The ferret eyes Soquan and then grins wickedly and says sweetly. “Apologize? I thought it was part of my job description.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He mock scowls at her and sticks his tongue out. “Well remind me next time how ungrateful you are for your friend lying for you.”

Yazeth: Jozra’s smile falters a little at the mention of lies but she grabs a book and says rather cheerfully, “I wonder if this book is going to be as good as the last one.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He grins. “Well we’re just going to have to find out, now won’t we?”

Yazeth: The ferret nods and scoots backwards until she’s can prop herself up on the pillows and opens up the book to the first page. “‘For Elianza.’ I wonder who that is?”

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan starts beside her, propping himself up on an elbow. “You said Elianza right? My mind’s not playing tricks on me?”

Yazeth: The ferret nods slowly. “Yeeeahhh… Elianza. E-L-I-A-N-Z-A.  I am pronouncing it right, right?”

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan seems a bit pale as he swallows. “That was my Grandmother’s name.”

Yazeth: Jozra flips the pages to the beginning of the story. “Weird… How common is the name?”

Arrin Woodgreen: He shakes his head. “Not very.”

Yazeth: The ferret looks at Soquan quizzically. “Why would there be a book apparently about your Grandfather to someone with the same name as your Grandmother without you knowing about it?”

Arrin Woodgreen: He shrugs, slumping back onto the pillows. “I don’t know.”

Yazeth: Jozra watches the otter for a moment and is about to say something when Jinx enters the room, smirking a little. “Well, I hope you’re not very hungry because dinner is ready but it’s a little… charred.”

Arrin Woodgreen: Deciding to risk it, Soquan, addresses the younger ferret. “Jinx, what do you know about Erran, the Northern Knight?”

Being blind, Soquan cannot see Jinx’s eyes light up, but should be very apparent to Jozra.

Yazeth: Jozra’s surprised at the recognition in Jinx’s eyes and even more intrigued as a result. The younger ferret bounces into the armchair near the bed, forgetting all about dinner.

Arrin Woodgreen: Jinx eyes Soquan excitedly, “Are you kidding Soq? Erran Woodgreen (Soquan tenses at this) is one of the most well known Northern Knights of all! He was still a new recruit when the siege of Donfin happened and he took lead after his commander fell in battle and lead them to victory!”

Yazeth: Jozra manages to keep her eyes from straying towards Soq but Jinx is able to catch on anyway. “Wait, Soq! Your last name is Woodgreen too!”

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan nods, “Aye, it is, he scratches the back of his neck. “I’m fairly certain Erran was my grandfather too.” Soquan barely had enough time to brace himself as Jinx gives a very fan-girlish screech and leaps at Soquan.

Yazeth: Jozra laughs at the general mayhem that ensues as Joseph and Fiarah come bustling back in with a loaded plate in each hand.

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan pats Jinx on the head awkwardly as she clings at him, obsessing. He throws the occupants of the room a pleading look as he tries to pry the ferret off of him.

Yazeth: Joseph looks astonished at the scene as Fiarah merely shakes her head and hands a plate to Jozra. “Wh-what’s going on?”

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan continues to pry Jinx off of him, “Well, between the three of us, we found out Erran of the Northern Knights was my grandfather and… well… this happened.” He gestures at Jinx

Yazeth: The young ferret looks sheepish as Fiarah hands her a plate. “It’s just Erran’s always been sort of my hero.”

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan crinkles his nose slightly as he takes the plate. “Well it woulda helped if I knew he was a Northern Knight.”

Yazeth: Jozra tries a hesitant taste and finds it to be alright. Not up to par with Joseph’s usual cooking but edible.The other three settle themselves about the room but Jinx isn’t able to keep her mouth shut for long. “Um… How could you not know?”

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan shakes his head, “I don’t know.”

Jinx falls silent for a bit, but not for long. “Wait! The betrayal!”

Soqua blinks. “The what?”

Jinx rolls her eyes and explains. “A small army started to make their way into the town using a secret entrance only the Knights knew about. They fought off the attack, but after that the Knights were heavily persecuted because they thought the Knights were turning against them and it scared them how much they relied on their defenders. So, the Knights, in exchange for peace in the town, vowed to lay down their arms until the need for them arose again, which it hasn’t.”

Yazeth: Jozra looks at Jinx with a mix of amazement and newfound respect. “Seems you sure know a lot about the subject.”

Arrin Woodgreen: Jinx scratches the back of her neck “Err… well, after I read about Erran, I kinda became obsessed about the Northern Knights in general, and things concerning them. I love how Springfest generated around their victory over the siege.”

Yazeth: Jozra quirks an eyebrow at the mention of Springfest but continues with her dinner. Fiarah seems to be absorbed with the wall hanging, apparently trying to remember the significance of the rest of the talismans.

Arrin Woodgreen: Jinx points to the book on Jozra’s beside table. “Yeah, I think it goes into detail about it in there.”

Yazeth: Jozra smiles around her fork, chews, swallows and replies, “I suppose I’ll just have to read it then, huh?”

Arrin Woodgreen: Jinx nods and finishes the last of her meal. “Yeah, you should, it’s a great book.”
Meanwhile, Soquan has gone quiet, pushing his meal around on his plate, taking the odd nibble here and there.

Yazeth: Fiarah finally tears herself away from the Healer’s Web and starts gathering up empty plates from Jinx and Jozra. “We should head back soon, Jinx.”

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan hands off his practically full plate to Jinx, who gives him an odd look then nods at Fiarah. “Okay Fiarah.” After depositing the dishes in the kitchen she shouts a goodbye to the two before following Fiarah out the door.

Yazeth: Soon Joseph is busy again in the kitchen with the dishes. Jozra watches the rather thoughtful looking otter before her for a while. “Want to talk about it?”

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan jerks out of his thoughts. “What? Oh… no, it’s okay Joz. I mean, I was just wondering why he didn’t tell me, even if the Knights were ‘retired’.”

Yazeth: The ferret shrugs, “Maybe he didn’t want to think about it anymore.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He nods, “True… So are you going to start reading or what?” He cracks a grin.

Yazeth: Jozra chuckles, “Sure.” She cracks the book open to the first chapter and starts reading. “My mother’s stories of magic and great heroes fueled my childhood…”

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan listens to the story of his grandfather intently for quite a while before his eyelids grow heavy, and not too long after that he listens with his eyes closed, eventually dropping off to sleep.

Yazeth: It takes a few moments for Jozra to realize her companion is asleep and that Joseph went to bed quite a while ago. She smiles faintly before marking her spot and setting the book aside to snuggle down under the covers herself.

May 02

Chapter 61: Sihayadda

Chapter 61: Sihayadda

In Which Woodgreen Is Not Jozra’s Last Name.

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Arrin Woodgreen: He listens to Jozra read for quite some time before his eyelids begin to droop and he’s listening with his eyes closed. It’s not long after that when he begins to snore softly beside her.

Yazeth: Fortunately for Jozra’s throat, Soquan begins to snore just before her voice begins to give out and she’s able to continue reading in silence.  Eventually, Joseph comes in and begins preparing lunch for the three.

Arrin Woodgreen: Due to the story, Soquan dreams of the Northern Knights. He remembers his father telling him about the Knights in their glory days and how they were respected throughout the country.

Arrin Woodgreen: A day and a half later, Soquan grins at Jozra from his seated position beside her as she finishes the book, snapping it shut. “I take it you liked the book then Joz?”

Yazeth: The ferret smiles and feels rather silly for thinking the book a mere collection of children’s stories. Oh it was certainly geared towards a younger audience, but it was well written and she found the stories captivating. “Heh, yeah.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He grins at her, stretching out on the bed. “Did you have a favorite story?”

Yazeth: The ferret thinks for a moment. “I liked the story about Coop and his friends.”

Arrin Woodgreen: His brow furrows as he tries to remember, then brightens, “Oh yeah, that one!” He grins at her again. “Fiarah’s coming again today, maybe if she says it’s okay, you and I can go to the library and you can pick something else out.”

Yazeth: Jozra’s ears perk at the possibility that Fiarah might actually let her do something other than lay in bed all day. “Do you know what time she was going to come by?”

Arrin Woodgreen: He shrugs, “Noon-ish? I dunno, that’s usually when she stops by. She DID say you’re looking a lot better last time she was here, I say it’s a good possibility she’ll let you.”

Yazeth: A slow grin spreads across Jozra’s face. She hadn’t had a chance since Jinx and Soq went to the library the first time to get out of bed and move around without somebody telling her she shouldn’t.

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan smiles, “I take it you’re glad at this then?” He reaches over to give her paw a slight squeeze, “I’m sorry you’ve had to stay cooped up in here, I know how badly you wanna move South.”

Yazeth: Jozra nods. “I do want to move South, but it’s mainly having to be cooped up… Especially after wandering for so long.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He chuckles softly and grins at her crookedly. “At least you had me to keep you company most the time, right? Some beasts don’t get that.”

Yazeth: The ferret nods again, this time more thoughtfully. “That’s very true…”

Arrin Woodgreen: Noon rolls around, and for a while it seems Soquans predictions were wrong until he sits up in bed, his ears cocked towards the door. He grins at Jozra, “They’re here.”

Yazeth: Jozra grins slyly at Soq, impressed as always at how the blind otter’s other senses have over compensated. Not a moment later, a knock is heard at the door.

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan takes the liberty of shouting, “C’mon in!” before leaning over to Jozra, whispering quietly in her ear. “No offence to the dear, but Jinx is way too easy to hear a block away.”

Yazeth: Jozra stifles a giggle as Fiarah and Jinx enter the house and close the door behind them. The young ferret bounds into the room while Fiarah follows at a more sedate pace. “Afternoon. Where’s Joseph?”

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan grins at Fiarah, “He’s out back with his plants.” He motions towards the back door. “So how are you today?”

Yazeth: Fiarah settles herself down in the armchair as Jinx pops out the back door to talk with Joseph. “I’m doing well. But I’m here to see how somebody else is doing.” She smiles at Jozra.

Arrin Woodgreen: He chuckles, “I think she’s in need of some good news.” Fiarah laughs softly and turns her gaze to Jozra. “How’re you feeling today Jozra? Any coughing?”

Yazeth: The ferret sits up straighter in bed, knowing now from experience that Fiarah rarely takes her answers to these questions at face value. “I’m feeling better. Haven’t really done much coughing.”

Arrin Woodgreen: She eyes Jozra. “Well your voice seems better, which means you’re telling the truth. How are you feeling strength wise?”

Yazeth: The ferret easily tosses the book into the vixen’s lap and grins. “Better there too.”

Arrin Woodgreen: Fiarah strokes her chin in thought, eyeing the ferret. “Well I guess you can be out of bed for little bits at a time, maybe walk around town a little, just as long as you keep Soquan close by.”

Yazeth: Jozra absolutely beams at the news.

Arrin Woodgreen: She waves a paw at the two and rises. “I must speak with Joseph, you two do as you please.”

Yazeth: Fiarah places the book back on the bed as she heads towards the back door. Jozra, feeling uncharacteristically giddy, pokes Soquan in the ribs. What weeks confined to bed will do to a ferret! “Wanna go for a walk?”

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan nods, “Of course I do!” He bounds out of the bed and on his paws in less than a heartbeat.

Yazeth: Jozra slips out of bed and is about to make her way towards the door when she realizes she’s still wearing the robe Fiarah and Joseph require her to wear. They let her wear some pants too about a week ago but they definitely aren’t… street clothes.
She glances around the base of the bed where she remembers seeing their packs but the last time she actually saw them there was a while ago. “Umm… Soq? Do you remember where our packs are?”

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan turns back to her and scoops up the book from the bed. “Check the closet; I think Joseph shuffled them into there last week.”

Yazeth: The packs are indeed tucked away neatly in the closet and Jozra soon fishes out her clothes. They’re a bit tattered, but they’ll more than do. With a little difficulty, as Jozra’s a bit more unsteady on her feet than she lets on, and a minimum of coughing, the ferret is soon changed. “It’s nice to be back in real clothes.”

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan grins at her, chuckling. “That’s good for you. Ready to go now?”

Yazeth: Jozra firmly steps towards the door with a very definitive, “Yes.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He shifts the book over to one paw while offering his arm to the ferret. “Where to first? Library?”

Yazeth: The ferret nods as they step off of Joseph’s porch. “I can’t really think of any other place to go.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He nods and pauses at the step, getting his bearings. “The library is over that way,” he points off to the Southeast. “To tell you the truth, I can’t remember all the twists and turns Jinx and I took.”

Yazeth: “That’s okay, Soq. We’ll find it eventually. As long as remember how to get back.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He laughs, “Can’t you see the temple from everywhere in the city?”

Yazeth: The ferret glances over her shoulder. “I suppose you’re right. When we were first here I just thought it was a tall snag. Didn’t realize there was an actual building connected to that spire.”

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan nods from beside her, “Okay then.” His brow furrows as he thinks for a moment, “We take a right real soon I think.”

Yazeth: After a moment, an alleyway appears on their right, cutting between blocks of houses. Jozra leads the otter through it and soon they’re standing at another street.

Arrin Woodgreen: After reaching the street, the otter thinks some more before leading her in another direction. “A left soon here…”

Yazeth: The left is a little longer in coming and the pair almost walk past it until Jozra realizes that the gap between buildings is actually a tiny alley.

Arrin Woodgreen: Once they emerge from the small alleyway, the library is in view. Soquan starts at this news. “Wow, that was fast… I guess we found a quicker way?”

Yazeth: Jozra shrugs as the pair walk towards the building. “Maybe that really wasn’t an alley back there.” The library’s shingle swings gently in the afternoon breeze as the two approach the door.

Arrin Woodgreen: As they enter the building, Soquan turns to Jozra to whisper quietly to her. “Is there a place for book drop-offs?”

Yazeth: The ferret looks towards the circulation desk but the only thing there is the marten, engrossed in a book, and his huge ledger. “Nope. I think we just leave it with the librarian.”

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan nods and places the book quietly on the desk as they walk by, murmuring a quiet greeting to the marten as he looks up, startled. He leads Jozra towards the area Jinx took him to. “This is where we picked up that book.”

Yazeth: Jozra peers at the spines of the books running down the length of the shelf. Pausing every now and then at something that looks interesting. “…”The Snail That Ruined It All?”  I’m not even sure I want to know what that one is about.”

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan snickers quietly, “I’m not quite sure I want to know either; Jinx pointed it out when we were here.”

Yazeth: The ferret stops short at a book entitled, “The Desert Rat: My Exploration Over the Eastern Mountains.” Jozra wonders for a moment if she’s just being paranoid when she thinks that checking out that book would be particularly incriminating that she’s not actually from the South, but her curiosity overwhelms her caution. Maybe she should find another book and take that too. Just in case.

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan looks over as he hears Jozra’s pause in musing over titles. “Find something?”

Yazeth: Jozra nods hesitantly, “It looks like it’s about an explorer.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He quirks an eyebrow, interested. “Oh? What’s it called?”

Yazeth: The ferret tucks the book under her arm as she turns back towards the stacks. “‘Desert Rat.’ Oooh… this looks interesting. ‘Erran: Northern Knight.’”

Arrin Woodgreen: It takes a moment for the title of the book to sink in before he starts and turns towards the ferret again, “What was that title?”

Yazeth: The ferret glances at Soq before repeating the title. “‘Erran: Northern Knight.’ Why?”

Arrin Woodgreen: He frowns, “’Cause that was my grandfather’s name. Though it could just be a coincidence.”

Yazeth: Jozra tucks that book under her arm as well. “Could be. I’m rather surprised by the amount of beasts I’ve run into with the name ‘Jozra.’”

Arrin Woodgreen: He nods, wrapping up his musing, “I’ll bet, it’s a pretty name.” He grins jokingly. “Only in your case, the name doesn’t fit the beast.”

Yazeth: Jozra slugs the otter in the arm, though, as she recognizes the comment as a joke she doesn’t hit him too hard. “Think two books are enough?”

Arrin Woodgreen: He grins at her. “At the rate your inhaled the last one, I doubt it, but we can always come back.”

Yazeth: The ferret actually laughs, and then she remembers that she’s in a library. Fortunately, the only other person in the building is the librarian, and he’s already put down his book in preparation of checking out the two Jozra places on the counter.

Arrin Woodgreen: As the two of them reach the counter, the marten relieves Jozra of her books as he writes the titles in the ledger. Sliding the books back across, he looks at the ferret, “Name please?”

Yazeth: The ferret slides the books off the counter and tucks them back under her arm. “Jozra.”

Arrin Woodgreen: The marten eyes Jozra overtop his ledger, “Last name please?”

Yazeth: The ferret glances up, just barely containing her surprise. She had forgotten that these Westerners used last names rather frequently. Mentally scrabbling, she says the first thing that pops into her head, “Ah, Woodgreen.”

Arrin Woodgreen: The marten nods and scratches down the last name, unaware of Soquan’s surprise. He starts and turns his head towards her, an eyebrow raised. As they exit the building he leans down to murmur in her ear quietly. “You have some explaining to do.”

Yazeth: Jozra grips the books under her arm tightly as they walk back down the street. Why oh why did she say that? Surely she could have come up with an innocuous, fake last name. Maybe being confined to be for weeks on end really was rotting her brain. “I… My last name is a little hard to spell… I didn’t want to have to stand there spelling it out for him.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He cocks an eyebrow as they turn down that narrow alley, not really believing her fake story. “Oh?”

Yazeth: Now’s the ferret’s chance to come up with something truly un-spellable. Too bad she’s gotten tired of lying to Soquan, especially after all they’d been through. And that one dream. She shudders slightly at the memory and then glances at the otter before replying, “…it’s Sihayadda.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He lets the name mull over a bit, falling silent for a moment. He grins and drapes an arm around her shoulders. “Well then, Miss. Sihayadda, that’s quite the last name, very pretty.”

Yazeth: Jozra flushes at Soquan’s comment and continues to walk along silently. Retracing their steps is quite simple as both beasts made mental maps, something Jozra had been making a point to do after getting vaguely lost in the SSMC’s tunnels.

Arrin Woodgreen: They walk in silence for the rest of their walk and as they mount the stairs to Joseph’s house, he opens the door and mutters a quiet, “After you…”

Apr 30

Chapter 60: Library Books

Chapter 60: Library Books

In Which Jinx Gives Soquan A Hand.

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Yazeth: Jozra’s ear flicks and with it, her consciousness rises a level. Early morning sunlight barely reaches the house, much less enters the windows, but the light outside is morning light. A rapping echoes through Jozra’s ear and breaks the last threads of sleep. Her eyes pop open — well, the eye not pressed into Soquan’s shoulder pops open — and she strains to listen for the rapping again.

Beside her, Soquan snoozes on and she can hear Joseph’s soft snores from the other room. Carefully she moves away from the otter, wriggles out from under the covers, pauses to stifle a cough, slips into a robe, across the floor and out the door.  She should have grabbed a heavier robe. Winter may be giving way to spring, but it’s still chilly in the mornings.

Again she strains to hear the rapping, the tapping, the noise that couldn’t have been anything other than a message coded in a woodpecker’s hammering. Now, did she actually hear it or did she dream it? Frankly, she admits to herself as a few dry coughs escape into the morning mist, she wouldn’t be surprised if it was the latter.

She’d been having some stranger than usual dreams since her chat with the Priestess. Well, maybe not stranger, but they tended to be more dreams and less memories and for Jozra, that’s pretty strange.

Arrin Woodgreen: Back indoors and under the blankets Soquan begins to stir and idly, a paw reaches out to locate bedmate. He jerks awake as he realizes she’s not present and he sits up as he faintly hears her coughing. He climbs out of the bed and pulls on a robe before following the sounds to outside where the ferret stood. He pads up silently behind her and places a paw on her shoulder. “South, right?”

Yazeth: The ferret starts under his paw; she was listening so hard for the phantom tapping that she didn’t even hear him pad up behind her. Wait. Did he hear it too? How could he decode the message?! “Wh… What?”

Arrin Woodgreen: He cocks an eyebrow at her. “C’mon, you’ve been talking about it all week, and I still think it’s a bad idea to get moving so soon.”

Yazeth: Oh. Right. That explains it. Jozra mentally kicks herself for automatically jumping to conclusions but her brain is still rather scattered. She looks out in the general direction of the forest. “Did you hear a tapping?”

Arrin Woodgreen: He shakes his head and wraps an arm around her shoulders, attempting to lead her back inside. “No, now c’mon Joz, it’s cold out here, I don’t think that’s too good for you. You’re still very sick.”

Yazeth: Jozra’s brow furrows at that comment. Sure she’s nowhere near as strong as she was before falling in the river and the cough hasn’t completely gone away and if she wasn’t emotionally scarred before, she certainly is now. Even as a pup she never liked the ‘stay in bed’ part of being sick. That she’s been cooped up in bed for more than a week now has made her very restless. But it is cold outside and despite rebellious thoughts, Jozra follows Soquan inside.

Arrin Woodgreen: He sighs and gives her shoulders a squeeze. “I know you don’t like being cooped up, but it’s for the best, trust me. Maybe when you’re stronger, I’ll ask Fiarah if we can go for walks or something.”

Yazeth: The ferret nods dejectedly. She’s entirely convinced that if she has to spend another week cooped up while the weather progresses every day towards spring and the pull of duty leads her brain ever South she’ll go completely insane. Her stomach growls, interrupting her thoughts. “Hrm… What do you think is for breakfast?”

Arrin Woodgreen: He chuckles. “I don’t think Joseph’s even conscious yet. It’s still early.” He helps her out of her robe and into bed before shedding his own and crawling in beside her.

Yazeth: “Hrm.” She drums her fingers against the blankets, trying to either focus her thoughts or think of nothing. Other than sleeping, dreaming or eating, she’s had very little to engage her brain the entire week other than her own thoughts: “What’s in the south and why is it important? How do I really feel towards Soquan? Is Kirrian a security risk? What’s the family up to? Probably farming.” But always her thoughts return to trying to make sense out of Alvisa’s words.

Arrin Woodgreen: From his spot beside her, the otter pipes up again. “I might go for a stroll later if that’s okay with you. Joseph said I need to start stretching out the muscles in my foot again.”

Yazeth: The ferret nods absently before realizing that’s what she’s doing. “That’s fine, Soq… I’ll be alright.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He reaches out, rubbing one of her shoulders. “You sure?”

Yazeth: Jozra smiles at the otter. “Joseph will be around and I think Fiarah was going to pop in later. I’ll be fine.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He grins and curls close, wrapping his arms around the ferret. “If you say so.” With a wide yawn, Soquan closes his eyes, intent on dozing for a bit.

Yazeth: Jozra listens for a while longer, still not entirely sure if what she heard was real or a dream echo. Eventually she dozes a little, but not for very long. When Joseph gets up her eyes follow the healer mouse as he wanders into the kitchen to start breakfast, which prompts another growl from her stomach.

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan dozes for a good while, not moving from his current position. He does however, come awake again as Joseph enters the room with their meals. He sits up, rubbing sleep from his eyes. “What’s for breakfast, Jo?”

Yazeth: The mouse smiles at his two patients. “P-pancakes, Soq. And I have some, some honey here too.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He grins and stretches out his back muscles. “Smells wonderful!” He adjusts their pillows and sits up, helping Jozra up as well. He receives a plate and gives it to Joz before taking his own. “Thank you very much Joseph.” Joseph grins, “Y- you know it’s no, no problem.”

Yazeth: Jozra takes her own plate and mutters internally, unhappy with needing to be ‘helped up.’  “Thanks, Joseph.” She digs into the pancakes, her appetite much improved.

Arrin Woodgreen: He digs in as well, happy to have some food into his grumbling stomach. He finishes rather quickly and settles back, content to listen to the sounds coming from the kitchen. He sits up suddenly. “Fiarah and Jinx are here.”
As if on cue, a knock sounds from the front door.

Yazeth: Joseph sets down his own dishwashing endeavors and shuffles to the door. “G-good morning Fiarah. Jinx.  W-we were just having breakf-fast. Come in, come in.”

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan grins in Jinx and Fiarah’s general direction as they enter. “Hullo you two, how’ve you been?”

Fiarah nods. “Well enough, Kirrian’s behaving much better now.”

Jinx grins, “Yeah, she’s moved from badger with a toothache, to hare with stolen food.”
Soquan laughs at this.

Yazeth: Jozra smiles wanly at the joke and finishes off her plate of pancakes as Fiarah and Jinx settle themselves about the room. Joseph takes the ferret’s and otter’s empty plates back to the kitchen and resumes cleaning up, leaving the other four to their own devices.

Arrin Woodgreen: He thanks Joseph as he takes their plates, and after a few minutes of small talk with Jinx and Fiarah, he looks towards Jozra. “Mind if I head off now Joz?”

Yazeth: Jozra gazes forlornly out the window for a second before responding. “Go ahead Soq. We’ll be fine here.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He reaches out and squeezes her paw slightly before climbing out of the bed. Jinx watches him. “Where are you going Soq?”

Soquan grins as he replies, “I’m going for a walk.”
Jinx perks up. “Can I come?”
Soquan shrugs, “Why not?”

Yazeth: Jozra waves to Jinx as the young ferret and the otter depart. “Have fun.”
The door shuts and Jozra sighs. “Fiarah… Please tell me you’re here to tell me I can DO anything other than sit here forever now.”

Arrin Woodgreen: Friarah shakes her head. “I’m here to give you a look over to see how you’re recovering. I can tell by just looking at you that you’re not well enough to be up and about. I’m sorry Jozra.”

Meanwhile, Soquan strolls down the street with Jinx beside him. At some point, he turns to her. “Jinx, I need your help. Joz is absolutely bored of just sitting around and doing nothing. I wanna do something to help her though.”

Yazeth: Jinx glances up at Soquan. “Well… Like what?”

Arrin Woodgreen: He shrugs. “I dunno, I wanna get her a book or something.”

Yazeth: Jinx skips along by Soquan’s side. “We could always find something for her at the library.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He starts. “There’s a library here?”

Jinx nods quickly, “Yep.”

Soquan grins at her, “What’re we waiting for then?”

Yazeth: Jinx laughs and grabs Soquan’s paw. “Follow me!” She hurries down a couple of side streets and alleys, arriving rather quickly in the early bustle of downtown Kodan. Jinx swerves around a trio of rats entering the now infamous bathhouse and continues up the street before stopping at a squat, round-ish sort of building.

Arrin Woodgreen: He grins at her, “Wow, you certainly know your way around here.” They enter the building and he lowers his voice. “Hey Jinx, I think I just found a flaw in our plan. What do we get Jozra to read?”

Yazeth: Jinx puts her chin in her paw and furrows her brow. “Hrmm… Well, what do you think she’d like to read?”

Arrin Woodgreen: He frowns, “That’s the problem, I don’t know. Do you have any suggestions?”

Yazeth: Jinx wanders off towards her favorite section, idly pulling Soquan behind her. “Well…” Jinx runs her finger along the book spines, thinking. “There’s “Xeirgo’s Folly,” and “The Forbidden Lover”… Um, “Medicinal Plants” which is good if you want to be a healer. Lets see, “Adventure on the High Seas,” that one wasn’t as adventurous as the title makes you think it is though. “Way of the Wanderer” was pretty good.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He frowns. “I dunno Jinx, none of those really seem like something Joz would read. What else is there?”

Yazeth: Jinx moves along to the next set of shelves. “Um, let’s see. There’s “Bragi” and “Springfest Romance” and “Imperial North.”” The young ferret wipes some of the dust that gathered on her fingers off on a nearby curtain.*  “Loke’s Farewell,” um, “Tales of the Knights,” “The Snail That Ruined It All,” “Red Branch”…”

Arrin Woodgreen: He starts, reaching out towards the bookshelf slightly. “What was that about Knights?”

Yazeth: Jinx backs up to the spot where that book was. “I think it’s a collection of short stories about the Northern Knights.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He scratches his chin. “Hmmm… Sounds promising, don’t you think?”

Yazeth: Jinx shrugs as she pulls the book off the shelf. “I haven’t read it but sure, if you think that’s what she’d like.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He waves a paw briefly at the book in Jinx’s paw. “I can always return it and try another if it’s not her cup of tea.”

Yazeth: The ferret grins at Soquan. “Lets go check this out then!” She leads the blind otter over to the circulation desk where a young marten is quietly dozing, a book laying open on his stomach.

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan allows himself to be lead by the paw towards the desk. He clears his throat slightly as he realizes the clerk is asleep.

Yazeth: The marten starts and nearly drops his book. “Oh, um… Ready to check out?” He takes the book Jinx hands to him and writes down the title in a rather large ledger. “Name please?”

Arrin Woodgreen: He speaks up from beside Jinx, “Soquan Woodgreen.” The marten starts and looks at Soquan oddly before shrugging and writing the name down. “Okay, thank you for supporting our library, the book is due back in three weeks.”

Yazeth: Jinx takes the book back from the marten and leads Soquan back out to the street. She idly thumbs through the book as they walk along at a more leisurely pace than the one they arrived at. “Looks interesting. Maybe I’ll have to read it when Jozra’s done with it.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He grins, chuckling softly. “Maybe I can get Joz to read some of the stories out to me then.” He points his grin at Jinx, “Thanks for taking me to the Library Jinx.”

Yazeth: Jinx grins back. “No problem. It was nice to take a little walk.” She pauses for half a second to look at some early spring flowers beginning to bloom along the street. “Should we head back to Joseph’s or do you want to wander around a little more? It’s a very nice day for walking.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He stretches his arms out a bit. “I think I should actually get back to Joz. The poor girl is bored out of her skull.”

Yazeth: The young ferret nods. “Okay then. This way.” She leads Soquan back through some side streets and the two soon arrive at Joseph’s where the healer mouse is trying to keep his bed of chamomile from being choked out by weeds.

“H-hello, Jinx. Soquan.”
He stands up, dusting some dirt off of his paws. “Jinx… F-fiarah asked me to, to tell you that she went back to th-the safe house.” Inside, Jozra slips back into bed.

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan turns to Jinx, “Why don’t you head back to the safe house then?” Jinx nods and starts to head off. Soquan calls after her before heading inside, “Thanks again for the help!” Once he slips inside, he grins in Jozra’s general direction. “
“Hullo again.”

Yazeth: Jozra coughs a little, the result of doing the traditional version of the set of exercises adopted by the Scorpions while nobody was there to tell her that she shouldn’t. “Hi Soq. Have a nice walk?”

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan nods, crossing the room towards the bed. “Yep.” He sits on the bed next to her. “Got yah something…” He tosses the book lightly into her lap.

Yazeth: The ferret’s ears perk with interest. “Oh? What’s this?” She picks up the book and glances at the title before thumbing through the first few pages.

Arrin Woodgreen: He grins at her. “Well, Jinx and I decided that maybe getting you a book will help you pass your free time, I mean I know how bored you’ve been. So when we went out, Jinx and I swung by the library and got you this.”

Yazeth: From what Jozra can tell by just glancing through the pages, it looks like a book written for children. But she smiles anyway. It’s the thought that counts, right? “Thanks, Soq. That really means a lot to me.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He beams at her. “I hope you like it, Jinx looked through it and said it looked good, but if it’s not really what you usually read, I can always go back tomorrow or something.”

Yazeth: “Heh, with the way things are going I might be finished with the book by tomorrow.” She settles the book on her lap and opens it to the first chapter.

Arrin Woodgreen: He stretches out beside her and he’s silent for a moment before he pipes up rather quietly. “Hey Joz? Do you think… maybe… if you’re up for it… do you think you could read a chapter out loud?”

Yazeth: The ferret smiles softly at her companion. “Sure thing, Soq.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He smiles and turns his full attention to the ferret. “Thanks Joz. It’s been a while since I’ve read a book, used to inhale them.” He chuckles softly.

Yazeth: Jozra props the book up a little better and clears her throat a little. “Lets see… ‘Avan always was a mischievous little squirrel, but the day he decided to take the long way home would change him forever.’

Apr 28

Chapter 59: Reconciliation

Chapter 59: Reconciliation

In Which Kirrian May Not Be All Bad.

———————————————————————————————

Yazeth: It was just past noon when Fiarah and Jinx returned to the safehouse.  Dysa let them in through the kitchen door and promptly put them to work washing the dishes from lunch. It’s a small price to pay to be let back into what has become their home without having to deal with Kirrian’s wrath.
Jinx pauses as she wipes a plate clean, her usually chipper expression furrowed in worry. “Fiarah… What will we do if Kirrian’s still mad?”

Arrin Woodgreen: Fiarah takes the plate from Jinx and dries it, her brow furrowed. “I don’t know. I could open up a healing clinic of my own.” She turns to Jinx with a bit of a smile, taking another plate. “You can come too, of course!”

Yazeth: The young ferret grins. It’s always good to know that one will have a roof over one’s head. “Kirrian looked really mad this morning. I wonder what all that was about between her and Jozra?”

Arrin Woodgreen: Fiarah shrugs. “I have no clue, maybe I’ll ask her when she’s cooled down a bit.” Jinx grins, “Do we even want to know went on through your sister’s head during all that?”

Yazeth: Fiarah grins at that comment. “Probably not.” She continues wiping dishes dry in silence for a moment. “You know, my sister and I have never really gotten along, but I’ve never known her to be so- hot headed. Oh she has a temper, but she’s never been so mean or personal. Especially to someone that needed help…”

Arrin Woodgreen: Jinx frowns. “Yeah, she’ll be kinda distant at times, but I’ve never seen her like that. Think they might actually know each other and like… hate each other or something?”

Yazeth: The vixen glances at Jinx. “I don’t think they know each other. I mean, I’ve never seen Jozra before and Kirrian’s certainly never mentioned her but that doesn’t necessarily mean anything.” Fiarah considers the possibility.

Arrin Woodgreen: Jinx mutters a quiet ‘oh’ before the conversation fades into silence. The two finish washing and drying the dishes and Fiarah turns to Jinx. “Okay, now that that’s over with, we need to get to our rooms without Kirrian noticing.”

Yazeth: Dysa, who has been preparing for cooking dinner in the meantime, peeks around the door for the pair. “Try and stay out of trouble, eh?” The rattess winks at Fiarah and Jinx as they slip out of the kitchen and into the hall.

Arrin Woodgreen: Jinx grins at Dysa, “We’ll try!”
Fiarah chuckles and the two manage to sneak upstairs into their rooms without being detected. Or so they think.

Yazeth: Kirrian had just left her room as Fiarah slipped into her own. She narrows her eyes as Fiarah’s door softly closes.

Arrin Woodgreen: Fiarah lets out a sigh and collapses on her bed. She gets to relax for only a few minutes before Kirrian walks over to her room and bursts in. “Hello, dear sister…”

Yazeth: Fiarah groans and flings a forearm over her eyes. “You know, knocking is the polite thing to do.”

Arrin Woodgreen: Kirrian eyes Fiarah with a quirked eyebrow. “I figured you’d want to… talk.”

Yazeth: Fiarah sighs and sits up. “Are you going to kick us out, Kirrian? I’d like to know now if I have to pack. I saw Deke and Nolan standing around across the street without a clue as to what to do.”

Arrin Woodgreen: Kirrian sighs. “I’ll have someone go get them and say they can come back. Jinx maybe, she seems to be rather… fond… of Nolan. You two will not be kicked out and you may stay for as long as you want.”

Yazeth: Fiarah eyes Kirrian. With the way her sister had been acting lately, this was hardly expected. She scoots back on the bed and pats the space beside her. “Why the change of heart?”

Arrin Woodgreen: Kirrian sits beside her sister and sighs. “I’m afraid I was rather… hasty about my decisions earlier, and I let myself be jaded by my own fears. I owe you and Jinx, as well as Deke and Nolan apologies.”

Yazeth: Fiarah gives her sister a long look and then finally relents. “Apology accepted, provided you explain yourself.”

Arrin Woodgreen: Kirrian sighs and leans back. “All in due time sister…” Both are silent for a good while before Kirrian speaks again, turning towards her sister. “You know Jinx isn’t from Kodan, right?”

Yazeth: Fiarah glances at Kirrian. “I pretty much assumed that, but a lot of beasts aren’t originally from Kodan. What makes Jinx notable?”

Arrin Woodgreen: Kirrian sighs and looks up at the ceiling. “She’s from a place further south called Krad. When she first came here she told me what was happening in the city she just barely managed to escape from. They treat our… our kind… differently down there. When Jinx arrived she was saying something about the stereotypically vermin species being like a whole different class of society down there.”

Yazeth: Fiarah cocks her head. Maybe it’s just the way Kirrian has been acting lately, but the vixen is less inclined to believe her sister than she would usually be. “Oh? She hasn’t told me anything of this.”

Arrin Woodgreen: She returns her sister’s gaze. She knows Fiarah doesn’t believe her, and she hopes to make her do so. “When she told me, I made her promise not to tell anyone else and it appears she’s kept that promise. Since then I’ve been hearing rumors that it’s getting worse and worse down there. I never made this news fully known because I didn’t want that type of mindset worming its way in up here.”

Yazeth: Fiarah frowns. Kirrian may have been acting strange lately, but she doubts her sister would ever lie about something like this. “What do you mean worse? What’s going on?”

Arrin Woodgreen: She turns quickly to Fiarah. “They’re locking us up, Fiarah! Like savages! They treat us like dirt!” She lowers her head, taking in a breath. “To them we might as well be beasts contracted with the Red Plague…”

Yazeth: Fiarah stares at her sister in shock. “They’re WHAT?!  How… what…. WHY?!”

Arrin Woodgreen: Kirrian’s throat has begun to tighten and her eyes begin to tear. From her place beside her sister, Fiarah stares longer as her sister manages to croak.“I don’t know, I just don’t know.”

Yazeth: Fiarah sighs and then scoots over to giver her sister a hug. “Oh Kir… What do we do? What CAN we do?”

Arrin Woodgreen: Kirrian leans against her sister’s shoulder with a sigh. “I-I think we need to warn Alvsia. She can talk to the town and let them know how horrible this is. I will NOT have this town turn out like that!”

Yazeth: Fiarah ponders this for a moment. “I think you’re right, but I think we need more evidence. Jinx will have to tell her story, of course. And we don’t really know if Alvisa knows about… THIS already.”

Arrin Woodgreen: She lets out a shuddering breath. “I-If I know Alvsia, Jinx’s story will be enough, if not she can look into it.”

Yazeth: Fiarah nods and then considers something else. “How long have you had this information? I have a feeling Alvisa isn’t going to be very happy with having to see us several days in a row.”

Arrin Woodgreen: Kirrian quirks an eyebrow at Fiarah. “I realize that. As to how long I’ve had this information, how long has Jinx been here?”

Yazeth: Fiarah scowls at her sister. “That’s my point exactly. If Alvisa doesn’t know, she might not be too happy that you’ve been keeping this from her for nearly two seasons.”

Arrin Woodgreen: Kirrian lowers her head. I know. To tell you the truth, I hoped it wouldn’t come to this, that it would be righted.

Yazeth: Fiarah sighs. “You know Kir, it wouldn’t have been as bad if you had told me about some of these things. And what was that whole business with Jozra and Soquan? That really didn’t help matters with Alvisa.”

Arrin Woodgreen: She looks at Fiarah again. “I was trying to protect you, little sister, that’s why you were not informed. And as for those two, I was worried that the ferret might have been mixed up with those things. To tell you the truth, I had no qualms about the otter, only at first when I thought he might be harming her.”

Yazeth: This statement puzzles the healer. She glances askance at her sister. “Why would Jozra be mixed up in what’s going on in the South?”

Arrin Woodgreen: Kirrian sighs. “I’m afraid I rather jumped to conclusions. You see, black-footed ferrets like Jozra are more common in the Southlands around where Jinx is from. It seems I was wrong.”

Arrin Woodgreen: Conversation sputters to a stop between the two and for a good while they sit in silence. It’s Kirrian who breaks the silence. “I… guess I better tell Jinx to find Deke and Nolan before it gets too late. I have some paperwork to finish as well.”

She rises and heads for the door turning to address her sister before leaving. A slight grin touches her features. “This was nice, we should do it again sometime.”

Yazeth: A slow smiles spreads across Fiarah’s face. “Yeah, we should.” She watches as her sister exits the room and then lays back down on her bed again to ponder the situation.

Arrin Woodgreen: Still grinning, Kirrian strides down the hall towards Jinx’s room. She’s about to burst in without knocking but stops herself. She takes a breath and knocks heavily on Jinx’s door.

Yazeth: Inside her room where the young ferret had been looking over her belongings, Jinx jumps at the knock. She mutters to herself, “Well… here we go,” before going to the door and opening it.

Arrin Woodgreen: Kirrian does her best to give Jinx a friendly smile. “If you’re not to busy my dear, I’d like you to go find Deke and Nolan and tell them they’re welcome to come back.”

Yazeth: Jinx’s eyes open wide in surprise. “Er, um… Sure!” The ferret ducks under Kirrian’s arm and dashes down the hall to find Deke and Nolan.

Arrin Woodgreen: Kirrian chuckles as she watches Jinx scamper off and slowly meanders back up the hall towards her room. She slips inside and lets out a sigh as she collapses at her desk.

At the moment, Nolan stands in Deke’s room, his bags lying at his feet. With a frown he watches as his mentor rushes this way and that, gathering up his belongings and trying to fit them into his suitcases.

Yazeth: It’s not like Deke is being particularly quiet about all this rushing around, mind, so it’s no wonder that Jinx manages to hear the commotion and skids to a halt in front of Deke’s door. She bursts through the door and manages to get a few words out around her panting. “Kirriansaysyoucanstay!”

Arrin Woodgreen: Nolan jerks around to look at Jinx and actually looks like he’s about to say something before Deke cuts the ferret off. “What? You’re kidding!”

Yazeth: The ferret shakes her head vigorously. “Nope! She said you both were welcome to come back.”

Arrin Woodgreen: Nolan gives a very un-Nolan like whoop and hugs Jinx tightly before running back towards his room with his bags.

Yazeth: Jinx grins rather bashfully as she’s hugged and stands about for a moment or two before realizing that she’s kind of hindering Deke’s process of rearranging his room back to how it was.

Arrin Woodgreen: After depositing his things in his room, Nolan doubles back just as enthusiastically, grinning at Jinx as he arrives. “Wha’d’ya say ‘Kirrian t’let us stay ‘ere?”

Yazeth: Jinx takes a second to shake out of her momentary stupor. “Nothin! She just came and knocked on my door and said you guys could come back! And she wasn’t all angry or anything.”

Arrin Woodgreen: Deke looks bemused. “Really? Strange.” Nolan flashes Jinx another grin. “Well ’tis good t’know we ‘dun ‘afta go anywhere. I like it ‘ere jest fine.”

Yazeth: Jinx grins back at Nolan, once again rather tongue tied. Deke finally gets the two moving and out of his room. “You know, it’s hard to unpack with you two just standing around here.”

Arrin Woodgreen: Jinx finally finds her voice and she gives Deke a sideways look. “Do you need help unpacking, Nolan?”

Yazeth: Nolan grins at the ferret and nods. With that, they dash off leaving Deke in his now rather messy room, shaking his head. “Kids…”

Apr 25

Chapter 58: Recuperation

Chapter 58: Recuperation

In Which The Two Can Rest Without Interruption.

———————————————————————————————

Arrin Woodgreen: The two exit the dim room and into the bright waiting room. He almost instantly senses their party in the room and grins in their direction. “Well that was fun. Shall we head back to Joseph’s then?”

Yazeth: Deke and Nolan had stayed behind as Alvisa had suggested as Kirrian walked off in a huff since even they were no longer obeying her orders. As the rest of the small party stands and exits the room to make the rather short trek back to Joseph’s cottage, Deke addresses himself to Soquan. “Wou’d you like a ‘and, Mister?”

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan’s startled by Deke’s sudden vocalization and it takes him a moment to reply. “I’m fine. Errr, thanks though.” Jinx chuckles but is silenced by a look from Fiarah. Soquan doesn’t really hear the chuckle, he’s just concentrating on getting himself and Jozra back to Joseph’s.

Yazeth: Deke looks slightly crestfallen but recovers quickly enough. Jinx grins and tugs lightly on Deke’s arm as he exits the building. “You know, you two can follow us back a ways. Just in case.” Deke looks to Nolan and shrugs and Nolan shrugs right back. They stay to the rear of the little party but by the time Soquan and Jozra are over three-quarters of the way there, they realize that their help probably won’t be needed and return to the safe house.

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan grins slightly as they reach Joseph’s house and without a word, the otter scoops Jozra up and carries her towards their sleeping area. Joseph makes his way into the kitchen to see what can be done about breakfast and Jinx gives Fiarah a pointed look while motioning subtly to the two.
The pair are now both curled under the covers of the bed and Soquan is curled protectively around his ferret companion.

Yazeth: Fiarah smiles and steps into the kitchen to let Joseph know that the two shouldn’t be disturbed, even for food, until they wake. “Come on now, Jinx. I think there’s a few things that belong to Jozra and Soquan back at the safe house.”

Arrin Woodgreen: Jinx quirks an eyebrow. “They do?” Fiarah gives Jinx a ‘You know what I mean’ look and Jinx gives a nod. “Oh right! Their stuff!” She grins and follows her mentor out the door.

Yazeth: It’s well past mid-afternoon when Jozra first begins to stir with Alvisa’s words echoing in her ears.

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan has, and still remains asleep through all this. He’s settled close with his arms around her, snoring softly. Joseph, who had poked his head in to check on the two, softly asks Jozra if she feels hungry.

Yazeth: The ferret nods blearily, still feeling partly asleep, partly awake and not at all whole. That, and it’s just occurred to her that she might be here for quite some time. Just the prospect of this sets the roots of cabin fever.

Arrin Woodgreen: Joseph pads into the room quietly a few minutes later with some heated soup, he helps the ferret sit up gently before handing her the bowl with a grin, telling her, “Eat up, doctor’s orders.”
Soquan remains asleep through this, exhausted by the events from the past few days. However, he does begin to stir partway through the ferret’s meal, the smell of the soup rousing him from his sleep.

Yazeth: Jozra pauses with her spoon halfway to her mouth as the otter stirs. She smiles down at him briefly, swallows the spoonful of soup and asks, “Hungry?”

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan grins briefly in reply before yawning broadly and stretching in a very catlike manner. “I’m famished.” As if on cue, Joseph putters into the room with another bowl. It seems he had heard the otter stirring and assumed he would be hungry.  Soquan accepts the bowl with a smile as he sits up and digs in hungrily.

Yazeth: Joseph grins, he likes to see his patients eating heartily. “Er, while you’re a, awake… How’s the p-paw, Soquan? It, it seems to have been rather, ah, overlooked l-lately. Y-you really shouldn’t be walking on, er, it.”

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan pauses his meal just long enough to give his paw a flex and reply. “It feels fine, just a little stiff if anything, it doesn’t really bother me much anymore.” He continues to eat heartily, occasionally stopping to lick bits of soup from his whiskers.

Yazeth: Jozra watches the exchange as she finishes up her soup. As she hands her empty bowl back to Joseph, the healer mouse remarks to Soquan, “Well, m-maybe I should take a l-look at it in a bit. Er, just, ah, just in case.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He nods and hands off his empty bowl to Joseph as well. “Sounds good, just say when. I don’t want to distract you if you have other things to do.” He settles back comfortably in the bed.

Yazeth:  Too awake to sleep and too tired to do anything else, Jozra lets her mind wander as Joseph and Soquan talk. “W-well I’ll just take these, er, these bowls back to the kitchen and th-then perhaps we could see, ah, about your foot.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He nods to Joseph. “Sounds good, no need to hurry yourself though.” Soquan’s ears begin to swivel as he slowly blocks out noise from the household and listens to the noise of the bustling city outside.

Yazeth: “Oh-okay.” The mouse then bustles off to the kitchen to wash the bowls quickly and set them to dry. He returns a few moments later drying his paws on a towel. “Um…” Joseph looks around briefly before pulling a chair up near the bed. “N-now, let’s look at that foot.”

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan is jerked out of his state of mind and is a bit baffled at first. However, he recovers quickly and uncovers his injured paw, angling it towards the healer mouse. “I bet it’s healing fine. It hardly ever bugs me, just a twinge here and there.”

Yazeth: Feeling better or not, it’s in Joseph’s nature to keep tabs on all injuries and illnesses. The healer mouse carefully unwraps the paw and examines the cut. “S-seems to be healing well.” Joseph takes a fresh roll of bandages from his ever-ready healer’s bag and rewraps the paw. “Y-you should try to stay off, off it a little while longer, though.”

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan nods slowly. “Of course, I would have theses last couple days, but it’s not like I could help it eh?” He gives a slight chuckle, and once his paw is rewrapped, he re-covers his feet.
Once Joseph packs away his bag, he turns to the two. “I-I have to go into, into town for some errands, I trust you two will be alright on your own for a few hours?”
Soquan chuckles again and waves a paw at the mouse. “We’ll be fine, don’t worry.”

Yazeth: The mouse nods and turns towards the closet. “I, I should be back before dark. If you get hungry, ah, there’s food in the kitchen. H-help yourself.” He takes up his walking stick and a small bag and starts out the door.

Arrin Woodgreen: He nods. “See you then Joseph.” He settles back again, going silent for a few minutes. He listens to his equally silent companion breathing for a time before turning towards her. “Joz?”

Yazeth: Jozra’s thoughts meander casually back from wherever they had been. Even she’s not sure where they were. “Hrmm?”

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan props himself up on an elbow, facing her. “I was just thinking about what happened between Sola and I in the bathhouses, about me not knowing what you look like…” He pauses, his brow furrowing. “There is something I can do to get a rough idea of what you look like, if you’ll let me.”

Yazeth: The ferret’s eyebrow quirks, her interest piqued. “What do you want to do?”

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan hesitates for a brief moment before replying. “I want to feel your face, I can get a bit of an idea of what you look like by feeling the contours on your face.”

Yazeth: Jozra smiles. For a second there, she wasn’t sure what he was going to ask. She sits up a little straighter, still feeling stiff and sore, and leans forward slightly. “Okay.”

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan grins and sits up as well. He brings his paws up and he very softly runs them over her face and neck. He deliberately begins to retrace areas he’s been before, trying to get more detail in some spots that were too rough in his mind.
At some point, he changes the method in which his paws are running over her face. His paws move now, leading more with his thumbs, almost the way some beast would mold clay. He begins by gently moving his thumbs along her lips, then down the sides of her muzzle, then across either cheek and down her neck.
If one didn’t know any better, this might seem like a caress.

Yazeth: Throughout this, the ferret sits quite still. The movement of the otter’s paws over her face, while somewhat strange at first, soon becomes very relaxing and Jozra catches herself dozing off.

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan finishes not long after the change in the method and he grins at her slightly and takes her paw, placing it on the paw remaining on her face. “Do you mind tracing the outline of your mask for me?”

Yazeth: The ferret frowns slightly. “I might need a mirror first. I’m not sure if Fiarah put they dye on the way I usually apply it.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He thinks for a moment. “Show me where you’d usually have it then.”

Yazeth: Jozra nods and does a practice run, tracing where her mask should be with her own fingers first. After she’s got a general idea of it, she takes Soquan’s paw and runs his fingers over the edge of her mask, starting at nearly between her brows, tracing it like one might draw something with two equal sides. A butterfly, perhaps.

Arrin Woodgreen: His brow furrows while she does this, trying to place this new information to the picture he has in his mind’s eye. After she finishes, he asks rather quietly. “If you don’t mind me asking, what’s your coloring?”

Yazeth: The ferret smiles to herself. “Well, right now I’m sort of a pale brown all over, except for a rather black mask, of course.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He grins and settles back down in the covers, but not before giving her a quick peck on the cheek. “Thanks Joz.” He settles down some more. “…now, if you don’t mind, I’m gonna get some more sleep.”

Yazeth: Jozra nods and hunkers down under the covers as well, tired once again. “Sound’s like a good idea.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He grins and snuggles close. “Warm enough hun?”

Yazeth: The ferret nods sleepily and soon falls asleep.

Apr 23

Chapter 57: Preistess

Chapter 57: Priestess

In Which The Dispute Is Settled.

———————————————————————————————

Arrin Woodgreen: During the short trek to the Temple, or rather to Alvasia’s office, Soquan lags behind with Jozra. He supports her as she plods along slowly and catches her as she stumbles or trips.

Although Fiarah and her party stop and wait at these intervals, Kirrian’s group continues to get farther and farther ahead with no interest to them whatsoever.

Yazeth: Normally, Jozra would at least glare at Kirrian. Normally. As it is, Jozra is quite relieved once they finally reach the door. Fiarah glances at the ferret worryingly. This is far and away from anything she would have recommended for her patient to do.

Arrin Woodgreen: To one who has seeing eyes, Alvasia’s waiting room is full of grandeur. Tapestries adorn the walls, depicting scenes and stories of two rival siblings on their path to godhood. Statuettes and relics are placed around the room and the furniture itself is lightly polished and the light reflects off it brightly.

There seems to be enough comfortable seating for their troupe but Kirrian it seems, has sprawled herself out on the only couch within the room. A satisfied smirk appears on her face as she watches Fiarah’s half of their party enter.

Yazeth: It is perhaps a testament that Jozra is getting better that somewhere in the back of the ferret’s mind without her conscious knowledge, the Scorpion stirs and records everything important about the room. Soquan tries to lead her to a seat but she shakes her head slightly. “I’m up now, let’s stay standing.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He frowns at her. “Are you sure? I don’t want you using up your energy.”

Yazeth: Jozra shakes her head again and leans heavily on Soquan. “More energy to stand again.” Fiarah scowls at her sister and then knocks gently on the door leading to Alvisa’s sanctuary, hoping the owl can settle this dispute quickly.

Arrin Woodgreen: Kirrian shoots a dirty look at the back of Fiarah’s head as she knocks, confident that she’ll win this debate and these two troublemakers would be thrown out of the city. It would show Fiarah to think first before going behind her back and disrespecting her authority.

Yazeth: It’s only a moment before the door opens smoothly on well oiled hinges. A snow-white hare dressed in a deep purple robe stands in the threshold, bows slightly, and then stands aside, beckoning all creatures in the waiting room to enter. “Please come in. Alvisa has been expecting you.”

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan quirks an eyebrow at this but follows anyway, lagging behind the group while supporting Jozra. He matches her slow, plodding pace, ignoring the tisks from Kirrian’s group and ignoring their dirty looks as well, but it’s not like he can see them anyway right?

Yazeth:  The hare gently shuts the door behind the last to enter — this being Sola as she tries to avoid the blind otter — bows into the dimmed recesses of the main chamber and retires to a side room. Those that can see stand about vaguely bewildered as their eyes adjust to the dim lighting.

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan’s ears perk up as he tries to listen to what’s going on in the room. Sadly, all he can hear at the moment is everyone breathing and the rustle of clothes as they all settle in place. He leans close to Jozra and whispers softly in her ear. “What’s going on? What do you see?”

Yazeth: Gradually Jozra is able to make out several large shapes in the center of the room. Statues? Another image soon resolves as the snowy owl steps closer. Jozra is about to describe it for the otter when Alvisa speaks. “Welcome, my darlings. I apologize for the dimness but more than moonlight damages my eyes. Come in, come in.”

A broad wing gestures them further into the room where a number of soft cushions and pillows are scattered about the floor for visitors and worshipers to sit.

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan nods briefly towards the owl and allows himself to be lead by Jozra towards one of the cushions while still supporting the ferret. He eases her down to a cushion first before plunking down on one beside her.

Again he tries to scan the room, only able to hear the same as before except now there’s the added sounds of the town coming awake for the day.

Yazeth: The owl allows everyone to settle themselves on the cushions before addressing the assembled beasts. “Now, I would have you tell me what has brought us all here this morning.”

Arrin Woodgreen: Chaos erupts in the owl’s inner sanctum as nearly everyone in the room tries to speak at once. Soquan’s startled at the sudden blast of audio stimulation and almost makes a grab for Jozra and his staff before realizing what’s happening. With a grimace he lays his ears back, he has had a headache all day so far and this was NOT helping.

Yazeth: The owl is also rather adverse to the noise. She spreads her wings wide and with a low ‘shhhh’ somehow manages to bring everyone’s yammering to a halt. “One at a time, please.”

Her voice never raises beyond a calm, conversational tone, but everyone present can tell she means business. The owl focuses her all-encompassing gaze on Jinx. “Young ferret, if you would please describe the problem to me?”

Arrin Woodgreen:  Jinx shrinks a bit under Alvisa’s gaze. Her explanation splutters to a start and she has trouble keeping her explanation from speeding up. “Y-y’see… From what I heard, Dawn and her friends brought Jozra here…” she motions briefly to the ferret, “…to the safe house all beat up like, with bruises and welts on her back and shoulders. They were convinced that Soquan…” she gestures at the otter, “…that he was doing that harm. They… err… captured them pretty quick like, cause he was still around the bathhouse and they shut him up in some storage closet. During the night sometime Jozra woke up screaming I think, and Dawn went in to comfort her, but then somehow Soquan was up there too… and then Jozra attacked Dawn and they were sent out of the safe house.”

She pauses and gasps in a breath. Soquan stares at her, amazes that she was actually talking that fast at the tail end of that last bit. “I answered the door when Soq and Joz reappeared not the next night, but the night after and called Dawn. Jozra was obviously unwell, since she was being carried by the otter, and Soquan didn’t look to be in much better shape either. Dawn wanted to leave them out there but I took them to Fiarah instead and she helped the both of them the best she could before Kirrian kicked them out just before dawn.”

“After they were kicked out, I took them to Joseph so Jozra could continue to get treatment for her hypothermia. Kirrian found out we were helping them and tried to order them out of Joseph’s house but we won the consensus that we’d come here and have you deal with the issue once and for all.”

Yazeth: It may have been fast but it was also incredibly concise for such a convoluted story and wonderfully unbiased, which might have been surprising as Jinx is obviously on Soquan and Jozra’s side, but in the presence of the Preistess, well, Jinx wouldn’t have dared to try and spin the story. Alvisa nods her head at Jinx as the young ferret sits down again with wobbly knees. “Thank you, dear.”

She fluffs her feathers briefly and then swivels her head in Kirrian’s direction. “Did you not tell me when you began your commendable project that the House would exist in order to care for those that needed it?”

Arrin Woodgreen: The corners of the otter’s mouth twitch in amusement as they vixen is put on the spot. Kirrian swallows and tries to puff herself up a bit. “But they both attacked members of my staff, what was I supposed to say? ‘Oh well’ and let it go and possibly happen again?”

Yazeth: Alvisa looks at Soquan and, though he may be blind, it’s like he can feel her looking at him. “And why did you attack Sola, dear one?” A warning light goes off in Jozra’s head. Jinx never mentioned that Soquan had attacked Sola… What was going on here?

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan closes his eyes for a moment and takes a breath before re-opening them, he ties to make eye contact with the owl as he begins. “I did not attack Sola, nor did I have any intention of going so.”

He pauses. “After Dawn and her friends took Jozra to the safe house, I was left at the bathhouses without any clue as to what in the gods name was going on. I waited for a bit before scoping out the females section. It was empty but I found Jozra’s clothes. That’s when Sola came in. I told her I was looking for a ferret and described Jozra to the best of my abilities. I guess she didn’t realize my lack of vision because she said something about me not being a very good friend if that’s all I can describe.”

He sighs, “I was a bit on edge and I admit, after that I grabbed her. Grabbed her mind you, not attacked. I thought I could maybe make her see why I’m “Obviously not a very good friend then.” After that she bit my paw for me to let go and she ran away before I could say much else… I know it was probably very stupid of me to grab her, I didn’t mean to hurt her if I did, and I’m sorry.”

Yazeth: From where she’s sitting — as far away from Soquan as she can get — Sola sniffs and starts to make a snide comment before she is brought to a grinding halt by Alvisa’s gaze. “Is what Soquan said true? Is it possible you misconstrued his intentions, dear?”

The rattess withers under the owl’s gaze and stutters out a pathetic, “…yes…”

Alvisa returns her attention to Kirrian. “Then they did not both attack members of your staff, correct?”

Arrin Woodgreen: Kirrian stands pointing to Jozra while looking at Alvsia. “Okay, so the otter may not’ve attacked Sola but she still attacked Dawn! She is a danger to everyone in the city and we will not be safe until she and the otter are out of our city limits!”

Soquan gives the lowest of growls and springs to his paws. “Now you wait just a second! Jozra is NOT a threat! She…she…” His blind world actually manages to tilt and the otter sways. “She’s not…” It happens again, except this time the otter crumples to the ground.

Yazeth: Jozra’s brain fires impulses to her limbs but they only respond marginally and she ends up sort of slouching towards Soquan instead of lunging to catch him like her brain obviously intended.

Fiarah, however, is quicker and though she’s not close enough to catch him, per se, she does manage to slip on a pillow and accidentally-on-purpose kick it under Soquan’s head before it hits the hard stone floor.

Alvisa takes a moment to sum up the situation and then gives a low hoot, a summons to the hare.

Arrin Woodgreen: Fiarah scrambles to her paws and to the otter’s side. She checks his vitals quickly before looking up at Alvisa. “With everything that’s been going on for the two, Soquan hasn’t slept much, and I’m guessing he hasn’t eaten much either. There’s nothing really wrong with him, it’s just all caught up with him is all.”

Yazeth: The owl smiles gently at the vixen before turning and addressing the hare that quickly returned from wherever he had been keeping himself. “Trendorn, the blue tea, if you please.” The hare bows and goes to fetch whatever it was his mistress requested.  Alvisa turns her head back to Fiarah, “Make him comfortable as you see fit, dear healer. He may rest for now as I do not believe we need his testimony currently.”

Arrin Woodgreen: With a nod, Fiarah gathers a few of the extra pillows from around the room. She makes them out into a bed-ish type thing and looks towards Deke and Nolan. “Hey! Muscle One and Two, get over here and help me move him will you?”

Yazeth: Deke and Nolan glance at each other, shrug, and move to help Fiarah. Gently they lift the sleeping otter and place him on the makeshift bed and then they return to where they had been sitting. Jozra feels woefully incompetent as she can do very little to help out other than twitch a couple of pillows into position.

Alvisa looks towards Kirrian once again. “As you were saying?”

Arrin Woodgreen: Her gaze drifts from Alvisa and she glares at the otter and the ferret for a moment before replying, an undoubtedly spiteful tone in her voice. “They’re both dangerous and should be run out of town.”

Yazeth: If Alvisa is irritated by Kirrian’s purely judgmental statement, she doesn’t let it show. Instead she looks to Jozra. “Would you be so kind as to explain your actions, my dear?”

Jozra, looking more like some sort of ruffian than ever with sunken eyes and matted fur, gives a very slight, mirthless grin and begins to speak but is interrupted before she can go anywhere by yet another fit of coughing.

After a moment, she is able to speak.  “Quite simply, I was being held against my will. I had tried reasoning with Kirrian and Dawn, explaining that they had gotten my situation all wrong. When they continued to hassle me about it, I lost my temper. I assure you, my intent was only to scare Dawn a little, not harm her, and knock enough sense into these… biddies so that Soquan and I could leave.”

The ferret casts a dark look in Kirrian’s direction. “And it’s not like she is completely innocent either… Any particular reason why you had us followed?” The last is directed at Kirrian, who suddenly can’t seem to keep her ears from turning pink.

Arrin Woodgreen: Kirrian regains her composure quickly and continues to glare at Jozra. “I sent those beasts to follow you to make sure what I thought about the otter was wrong.” She pauses. “Now that we’re being open with each other, I have a few questions.”

“It’s common for a traveler to carry a few knives is it not? Well while your things were being washed, our laundry assistant found at least ten knives hidden in each of your shirts. Care to explain? Or would you rather explain why a black-footed ferret is doing this far from the desert? Or possibly this?” She pulls something out of her belt pouch and slides it across the floor to Jozra, a smug look on her face.

Yazeth: If Kirrian was hoping to get some sort of visible reaction from Jozra, she failed. Actually, the ferret did pale slightly but it was unnoticeable to all but the most well trained observers as not only is the room still quite dim but the ferret is already pale as it is.

Not a flinch, though. They train those Scorpions well. Jozra gazes at Kirrian levelly and responds to each question in reverse order. “This…” She picks up the pendant and slips it around her neck “…was a gift from Soquan this past SpringFest. I’m not sure why he chose a scorpion but I’m afraid asking him would hurt his feelings.”

“My family emigrated from the desert before I was born, they tell me about sand storms and dunes but I’ve never seen them. The only reason I conceal my black feet is because other beasts tend to jump to conclusions, like you just did. And I find it best to travel prepared. There’s a lot of bandits here up North and before I met Soquan, I traveled alone.”

Jozra continues to hold Kirrian’s gaze as the vixen grows more flustered, the ferret’s eyes betraying none of her thoughts, which went along the lines of, “She knows, or thinks she knows too much. We may just have to have a Talk before I leave town…”  The stare down is interrupted as Trendorn returns with the ‘blue tea’ that Alvisa had requested.

“Set it near the otter so he may breathe the steam. Thank you, Trendorn, that will be all.”  Having regained every beast’s attention, Alvisa quietly gazes at Jozra for a while, long enough for the ferret to grow uncomfortable for many reasons, but it’s a perfectly acceptable response. Alvisa shifts her gaze to Kirrian. “The ferret’s actions may have been a little extreme but have you any reason to doubt what she said then and what she says now?”

Arrin Woodgreen: Kirrian lowers her gaze to the floor. “I’m sorry Priestess, I had no reason to treat either of them that way.” From beside Jozra, the tea seems to have worked, Soquan now groans and tries to sit himself up.

Yazeth: Jozra turns towards Soquan at the same moment their concerned doctor moves to help the otter. Alvisa waves the vixen away, however. “Give him a moment, dear. Take all of the time that you need, Soquan. There is no hurry. In a moment you might try drinking the tea, it should clear your thoughts and get you where you need to be safely.”

Alvisa returns her attention to the group at large. “Now, it appears that the issue has been settled. I have one remaining query: where shall these two travelers stay while they recuperate?”

Arrin Woodgreen: Joseph pipes up from an obscure corner of the room as Soquan manages to heave himself into a sitting position. “I-I don’t mind having the two at, at my place. I r-rather enjoy the, the company.” Soquan grins at Joseph from overtop his cup as he takes a sip.

Yazeth: Alvisa smiles benevolently at the mouse. “Then this dispute has been resolved successfully. Now, if you please, my dears, I would have a word alone with the two travelers. The rest of you may wait in the antechamber is you wish. Deke, Nolan, perhaps you should wait so that you may help Jozra and Soquan back to Joseph’s in a moment.”

Arrin Woodgreen: The muscle nods and steps out of the room with almost everyone else. Soquan listens to the shuffling and movement of everyone as he drains the rest of his tea. He looks towards Alvaisa. “Sorry I blacked out, I hope I didn’t disturb things too much.”

Yazeth: The snowy owl smiles at the otter. “Do not worry, my dear. It seems you have had a trying few days. Once you return to Joseph’s, however, I strongly suggest that you take the time to get the rest that you need.”

“Now, once you feel strong enough, I would like you to join me across the room. I would like to speak to each of you individually.” At that, the owl turns and moves away from the two, making just enough noise that the blind otter would be able to follow her path.

Arrin Woodgreen: After a few moments the otter finds his strength and he stands. He stays still for a few minutes, finding his balance before walking across the room to the priestess. “That tea works wonders.”

Yazeth: The owl nods pleasantly at the otter. “Too much of it too often can be harmful, but it will help where it is needed. Now, I have some words for you before you leave.”

Alvisa pauses a moment to make sure she has the otter’s full attention. What light there is in the room reflects strangely off of the owl’s large eyes and she begins to speak firmly but quietly, so as not to be overheard. “You have more family than you realize, my dear.  You are doing so much for your friend but soon you will have to choose.

If you choose her you must be patient and forgiving, she has need of you now and she will have need of you in the future. But take heart, my dear, you are not as alone as you may believe that you are.”

The priestess exhales softly but continues before Soquan can string any words together to question the owl. “I would like for you to remain here for a moment to think upon what I have said while I speak to your fellow traveler.”

Arrin Woodgreen: The otter nods somewhat dumbly at the owl’s words and his brow furrows slightly as he rattles all that through his brain again.

Yazeth: Jozra’s attempts to listen in on the conversation at first, but quickly finds it to be futile, as well as exhausting. She considers the possible problem with Kirrian until the owl leaves Soquan and comes to speak with the ferret. Jozra soon finds herself under Alvisa’s piercing gaze again. She squirms uncomfortably for a moment and then the priestess begins to speak.

“Your companion is more loyal than anyone you have met. Do not underestimate the lengths he is willing to go for you, not believing in something does not mean that it is not so. There will come a time where you can no longer walk alone but first, there is a chance at northern redemption.”

The ferret’s mind clamors, particularly at the last. She attempts to get information from the owl that is less vague but the best she can manage is a hoarse “Wha…” before the owl speaks again.

“Think hard upon what I have said here today. Now, if you are feeling well enough to journey back to the house of Joseph, you may do so, and remember, in times of great need, this temple is open to you.” The last is spoken loud enough for both the ferret and otter to hear, and then the owl retires into the darkened room before either of them can interject a word.

Arrin Woodgreen: He remains in thought for just a few moments more, murmuring bits and pieces of what the owl said quietly to himself. After a bit longer, he rises and looks towards the ferret. “Ready to go Joz?”

Yazeth: Jozra’s brow is furrowed ferociously as she tries to decipher Alvisa’s message, particularly the last part. She starts at Soquan’s voice and then nods. She gestures him over and then catches herself in the process. “Over this way, Soq.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He makes his way towards the ferret’s voice, shuffling around pillows and whatnot. He picks up his staff and braces himself before helping her onto her feet.

Yazeth: The ferret carefully gets to her feet and holds on to the otter for support as she  waits for her head to adjust to the altitude again. She takes a couple of short steps towards the exit. “Straight ahead, Soq.”

Apr 21

Chapter 56: Kirrian The Persistant

Chapter 56: Kirrian The Persistant

In Which Sola Doesn’t Always Rise With The Dawn .

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Arrin Woodgreen: The two sleep through what’s left of the night and well into the morning when Kirrian arrives. They do not even wake up, in fact, when she knocks loudly on Joseph’s door.

Yazeth: The mouse of the house, on the other hand, does hear the knocking, as does Fiarah. Jinx, being young and not a normally early riser in the first place, sleeps blissfully on. Joseph hastily throws on a robe and shuffles towards the door. “C, coming!”

Arrin Woodgreen: The knocking on the other side of the door continues, louder this time, as Kirrian grows impatient on the doorstep.

Yazeth: Joseph mutters almost unintelligibly under his breath as he ties the cord around his waist. “Keep your pants on, I said I was coming…” At that moment he reaches the door and opens it. “Er, er, hello?”

Arrin Woodgreen: Kirrian stands in the doorway angrily, flanked on one side by Sola and Dawn with Deke and Nolan on the other side. She says, “It’s morning. Let’s go.”

Yazeth: The mouse sighs and glances about the room, noticing the otter and ferret still sound asleep. “No, nobody else is, er, is awake yet.”

Arrin Woodgreen: Kirrian harrumphs and pushes her way into the healer’s house. “Lazy slackers!”

Yazeth: Joseph looks frantically as the five push past him. He scurries after them protesting. “It was a long night! We-we still had to, had to deal with dinner after you left!” He catches a glimpse of the outdoors, noting the darkness still out there. “The, the sun hasn’t even risen yet!”

Arrin Woodgreen: Kirrian frowns. “I’m a busy vixen! I don’t have much time for dealing with delinquents! I want to get this over with now and I want them out of this town now!”

Yazeth: Fiarah appears at the doorway to the other bedroom and growls ever so softly at her sister. “I never knew you to be such an early riser when we were pups, Kirrian. This is two days in a row now that you’re up before the dawn.”

Arrin Woodgreen: Kirrian growls back a reply, “I wake as I please. What does it matter to you anyway what time I get up in the morning?”

Yazeth: Fiarah fails in an attempt to stifle a yawn. “Just that by most beasts standards this still counts as night.” Her gaze falls on Sola, who has a slight reputation about the safe house of consistently sleeping through breakfast.

Arrin Woodgreen: Sola shrinks back at Fiarah’s gaze and Kirrian shrugs. “To Alvisa it’s her daytime.”

Yazeth: Unfortunately, neither Joseph nor Fiarah can really argue with that, though Fiarah tries. “Yes but she does keep certain hours to advise her diurnal followers.” In the other room, Jinx snores on blissfully.

Arrin Woodgreen: Dawn pipes up from Kirrian’s side. “I’d hate to agree with THEM but maybe we should let them rest some more.”

Yazeth: Fiarah quirks an eyebrow at the rattess, surprised by her support. Sure she would have expected something like that from Dysa, but Dawn? The vixen glances at Deke and Nolan before looking to her sister again.

Arrin Woodgreen: Kirrian sputters. “But, but… Just look at them! The lazy beasts have probably been sleeping every chance they get! “

Yazeth: Fiarah glares. “WHICH, I might mention, have been few and far between, at least for the otter. Jozra needs all of the sleep she can get.” Joseph, long since forgotten by the others in the room, has been busying himself with readying some tea. From experience he knows that he won’t get any more sleep this morning.

Arrin Woodgreen: Deke speaks, “Maybe we should let ‘dem sleep? Ya?”

Yazeth: Across the room, Jozra coughs in her sleep and twitches a little before settling back into sleep. Fiarah is not quite as surprised by Deke’s support. Despite being Kirrian’s lackey, the stoat tends to have a pretty level head on his shoulders. “At least another couple of hours, Kirrian. Farmers don’t get up this early.” Well, some farmers do, but Fiarah won’t mention that.

Arrin Woodgreen: At this time, Jinx shuffles into the room, rubbing her eyes tiredly, with a sleepy yawn. “What’s goin’ on, why is it so loud in here?” Soquan mutters something sleepily at Jozra’s side and moves closer to the sleeping ferret.

Yazeth: Fiarah simply gestures in Kirrian’s direction for Jinx’s benefit. “Just another couple of hours, Kirrian. It’s still dark out and Alvisa often doesn’t come back until dawn.”

Arrin Woodgreen: Jinx’s attention is shifted over to the sleeping pair a little ways off. “Maybe we should go into the other room. Y’know, and let these two sleep?”

Yazeth: Kirrian scowls. “You’re just stalling, sister dear.” The vixen narrows her eyes at the pair in bed. “I’ve half a mind to just haul them next door.”

Arrin Woodgreen: Fiarah scowls in return. “If you try to, I’ll be forced to stop you. Now, dear sister, if you would just step into the next room please.” She steps towards the door, along with Jinx.

Yazeth: While Deke and Nolan look ready to follow Fiarah and Jinx, Kirrian plants her feet and crosses her arms. “This… issue needs to be resolved NOW.”

Arrin Woodgreen: Deke gives Nolan a look, and Nolan nods. Both beasts move towards Kirrian and lift her, carrying her into the next room.

Yazeth: Dawn follows the strange procession, rather unsure if she should go to her protesting mistress’ aid. Sola remains hunkered in the doorway for a minute, and then scuttles quickly to bring up the rear. Fiarah just looks on in amazement as Kirrian rages against her own bodyguards.

Arrin Woodgreen: Fiarah and the rest of the currently conscious beasts follow the muscle into the room.

Yazeth: Deke and Nolan set the very flustered Kirrian down and for a moment she just stands in the center of the room glaring at everybody. At this precise moment, Joseph decides to stick his head in. “Do-does anybeast want some, some tea?”

Arrin Woodgreen: Fiarah turns to Joseph. “Yes please.” This is followed by a chorus of more affirmative answers.

Yazeth: Joseph nods and ducks back out to heat up enough water. It takes another moment for Kirrian to untie her tongue and start lashing everyone within sight with it. “HOW DARE YOU?!”

Arrin Woodgreen: Jinx yelps softly as Kirrian starts yelling and ducks behind the nearest beast, Deke.

Yazeth: The vixen snarls at Deke and Nolan. “YOU’RE BOTH FIRED! And YOU!” She rounds on the other vixen in the room.

Arrin Woodgreen: Fiarah blinks and takes a step back from Kirrian, wiping spittle from her face. In the next room Soquan shifts a bit and groans, the sound of yelling reaching his ears and bringing him closer to consciousness.

Yazeth: Kirrian takes a step forward for Fiarah’s step back and shoves her snarling muzzle in her sister’s face, her voice alternating between a growling whisper and a shout. “You! You’ve always been out to ruin me… Ruin my dreams and undermine MY AUTHORITY!!”

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan growls softly as he realizes the yelling is coming from within the house, from the next room even. He squeezes his eyes shut. Why couldn’t they just let him and Jozra rest?

He moves from out of the bed, careful not to wake up the ferret beside him. He strides over to the door with as much grace as a blind beast can have and flings it open. He had recognized Kirrian’s voice the moment he had woken and he snarls on her direction, sending Dawn and the other rattess scrambling.

“YOU AGAIN! Who do you think you are? Just waltzing in here and SHOUTING like you just were. There is a SICK BEAST in the next room, and she’s trying to rest.” He snarls again, “I just got her to sleep TWO hours ago, and if you just expect me to STAND BY and do nothing, you better think again, ’cause if you don’t BE QUIET, I’ll show you just how VIOLENT I CAN be!”

Yazeth: Everybody in the room jerks back a step or two, the first to recover being Fiarah, who smacks her palm to her brow and shakes her head. The otter is not helping the situation, indeed, he’s just verified the claim that he is a violent beast.

Kirrian is right behind her sister in terms of regaining her wits and she can’t seem to keep a smug expression off her face as she says, “You see? He admits to being violent!”

In the other room, huddled under a number of blankets, seasons of training awaken and drag with them a certain ferret’s consciousness. A familiar voice in what could be trouble…  Jozra cracks her eyelids open in an automatic response to acclimate her eyes to the light before fully awakening.

Arrin Woodgreen: The otter growls again. “I didn’t admit to being anything, I’m just saying that if you don’t be quiet I might have to forcefully silence you.” He falls silent, grumbling slightly as he paws sleep from his eyes.

Yazeth: This part of the conversation reaches the Scorpion’s ears and she groans, vaguely recalling something about seeing some priestess. Kirrian must be here. Sure enough, Kirrian’s voice is the next thing she hears. “Frankly, I don’t see what the point of waiting is anymore.”

The vixen sounds mighty smug which irks the ferret who quietly flings a few coarse desert words at Kirrian. “Sand-storming thorn…” It takes a couple of attempts for Jozra to rasp Soquan’s name loud enough for him to hear it.

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan’s mouth opens for him to berate Kirrian further, but he stops, mid-word as he catches Jozra calling for him. He sends a baleful glare towards Kirrian, along with a low, warning growl and slips into the other room, limping back towards the bed. “You should be resting, why don’t you go back to sleep, hun?”

Yazeth: The ferret quirks an eyebrow at the otter and rasps perhaps the most logical argument yet. “Sleep? With that shouting? I’m awake now, so lets do this… thing.” She waves a paw vaguely. “Whatever it is.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He frowns, bowing his head. “I’m sorry if I woke you. It’s just… they were yelling, and I didn’t want them to wake you. I guess I just got angry.” He pauses a moment.  “Are you sure you want to go to the Priestess now? Do you need help?”

Yazeth: The murmuring in the main room piques the interest of those in the other room. Fiarah is the first to poke her head out to see what’s going on, though Jinx isn’t too far behind. Joseph, practical as always, leans out of the kitchen and addresses Jozra. “W-would you like some tea, dear?”

The ferret nods her assent to the mouse before grabbing Soquan’s arm to pull herself into a sitting position. “I’m not sure I want to go to a Priestess ever, but if it’ll stop everybody from shouting…” She’s interrupted briefly by a fit of coughing, “…then let’s go.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He helps the ferret rise to her feet and holds her steady as she readies herself. He stays silent though, ashamed of his previous outburst.

Yazeth: Joseph distributes mugs of tea to the oddly silent beasts in the house. Even Kirrian feels somewhat… Well, not ashamed, but kind of put-out by the ferret’s complacency. Tea distributed, Joseph retrieves a fresh robe from the closet, one of a cut less likely to look out of place outside the house.

Arrin Woodgreen: Still offhandedly supporting Jozra, he sips his tea silently. His thoughts wander as he mentally berates himself for loosing his temper.

Yazeth: Several minutes later, Jozra is dressed in the new robe and she sits on the bed slowly sipping her tea. She quirks an eyebrow as Fiarah, Kirrian and the others slowly filter into the room. After a moment she asks in a gravelly voice, “So where is it we’re going?”

Arrin Woodgreen: Fiarah sips her tea and replies. “We’re going to go see Priestess Alvasia. She’s going to settle this once and for all.” Jinx nods a confirmation.

Yazeth: The ferret nods, drains her tea, chokes a little on the dregs and after a severe coughing fit wheezes, “Then lets go.”

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan, who had been seated beside her, rises and offers Jozra his arm to help her up. Kirrian harrumphs, “About time.”

Yazeth: The ferret, too exhausted to take any serious offense, merely quirks an eyebrow at Kirrian. “Imp- *cough!* -atient thing aren’t you?”

The comment, like everything else the ferret’s been saying, is spoken in a rasp, probably too low for the vixen to hear, but it’s the thought that counts, yes?

Arrin Woodgreen: The otter, who has heard the ferret’s comment, despite her rasp, chuckles softly and replies to the ferret’s comment, leaning over to whisper in her ear. “I guess we better get going then before this one gives herself a heart attack eh?” He motions subtly to Kirrian.

Yazeth: Jozra’s lips twitch upwards briefly. She grabs a hold of Soquan’s upper arm in order to pull herself up and finds herself having a much harder time of it than she expected.

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan turns to assist his companion, helping to the point of lifting the ferret from her seated position and placing her on her feet. He holds most her weight, allowing her to ease herself to the ground as gingerly and slowly as she thinks suitable. His expression has turned back to one of concern. “You alright?”

Yazeth: Jozra nods shortly, more than a little unhappy with the fact that she can’t even seem to stand upright by herself. “Let’s just get this over with.”

Arrin Woodgreen: The otter nods at her and speaks in a soft undertone. “Just let me know if you need me to carry you or anything.”

Kirrian gives a shout from the door, “Come ON! Let’s GO!” She then proceeds to sneer at the two, striding out the door and quickly followed by her four companions.

Yazeth: Fiarah put her head in her paw and mutters darkly about her sister under her breath. Jinx catches a bit of it and promptly stops her giggling when the vixen shoots a withering glare at the young ferret. The older ferret, on the other hand, is merely concentrating on putting one paw in front of the other.

Apr 18

Chapter 55: Isolation

Chapter 55: Isolation

In Which Jozra’s Subconscious Is Really Kind Of A Jerk.

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Yazeth: As the quiet sounds of beast sleeping slip through the night, Jozra briefly awakens somewhat troubled but she is far too tired to ponder why. She rolls over and swiftly falls back asleep, breathing a little easier but still with a bit of a rasp.

Were she not as exhausted, she might’ve awakened again as the troubled feeling returns but she does not. Jozra’s nightmares, though quite vivid, are usually disjointed. A muddle of images and snippets from memories she would rather forget. Tonight the flames do not rise up in her inner eye as they have before.

Tonight she simply recalls one beast, a young squirrel on the brink of adulthood. His eyes gleam in fear as he catches the movement of the ferret out of the corner of his eye and then drops dead with one of Jozra’s dark, double bladed throwing knives protruding from his throat.

The transition between memory and dreamscape is imperceptible. Dream-Jozra becomes aware of the squirrel again. There’s the version lying dead and the version that she saw grinning triumphantly at her, eyes narrowed cruelly, when she… When she…

Jozra bolts upright in bed, only to be overcome by a series of painful, wracking coughs.

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan sadly is not awaked by this and the otter continues to sleep soundly in the cot not too far away from her bed. His whiskers twitch and he shifts, his soft snoring stopping for a moment as he does so. No one else seems to wake up either and the sounds of beasts sleeping can be heard in the next room.

Yazeth: The coughing fit sputters to an end and Jozra leans back, wheezing and exhausted and very, very disturbed. The second she shuts her eyes, though, the face of the squirrel reappears. Again she eyes fly open as a thin whine escapes her muzzle. Where’s Soquan?

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan mutters something about ‘killer bed sheets’ and rolls over.

Yazeth: The ferret sighs in relief as she hears her companion nearby. She gingerly rolls onto her side and looks out into the dim room, looking and not looking at the same time.  Eventually, her vision hazes again and she begins to doze.

Falling asleep seems to be Jozra’s Big Mistake of the evening. She begins to recall each and every villager that fell to one of her knives, each one that showed up at Dark Forest’s gates, in exquisite detail. Jozra becomes more and more troubled as the dreams progress until she awakens herself with her own sobs. Without even really thinking about it, she moves towards Soquan until she’s nearly standing woozily between her bed and Soquan’s cot, tears still streaming down her face.

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan sleeps on deeply, unaware of the female’s presence and sobbing. He mutters some more and is now sleeping on his back.

Yazeth: Jozra stumbles slightly and more or less falls into the cot next to Soquan.  She wraps her arms tightly about herself and buries her head into his shoulder.

Arrin Woodgreen: He jerks awake as Jozra falls onto him and he blinks a little, just a bit confused as to what’s going on. His hears perk up as he hears sobbing and finally notices the ferret rather awkwardly pressed against him. He wraps his arms around her and immediately tries to calm her. “Easy, Sweetheart, it’s okay.”

Yazeth: The ferret’s only answer is to cling tighter to the otter, her sobs now muffled in his fur. Though terrifying in their own right, what’s bothering her now is her conscience.

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan rubs her back and rocks her slightly, muttering the usual comforting phrases.

Yazeth: Nearly an hour passes like this before the ferret begins to drop off again, worn out by tears and illness. Deep, dreamless sleep thankfully claims her for a while, but not long enough.

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan breathes a sigh of relief as she begins to drop off and carefully lies back, bringing the ferret with him. He cuddles her close as he slowly drops off.

Yazeth: The ferret sighs in her sleep. As the dampness of the fur around her freshly re-dyed mask evaporates, her sub-consciousness begins to surface. For once her dreams take on a distinctly dream like quality: surreal yet entirely believable.

Jozra’s dream self crunches through the snow, forging the way through the drifts with paws tipped with her throwing daggers instead of claws. The snow reaches to the horizon and glitters coldly in the hazy light of this dream world. A pain shoots up her foot as she takes a step and the dream Jozra finds that she has stepped on her own long knife, or rather the twin to the long knife strapped to her hip.

She straps this second knife to her other hip, noting in the process that she is dressed in desert garb even in all of this snow. Dream-Jozra pivots in place looking back down the trail she has cut in the snow. The aspect shifts and though the trail remains the same, the snow becomes golden stalks of grass, bobbing gently in the non-existent breeze.

The ferret hurries down the path as the sound of a beast under attack reaches her ears. The grassland transitions very abruptly into forest but the ferret doesn’t take notice of this, nor the fact that she is now clad in a hooded cloak. Warily she approaches the sound of battle to see a tall, broad figure fall under the blows of several other beasts.

Instinctively, the dream ferret slaps out, sending little black blades spinning through the air, each one finding a mark. The aggressors drop to the forest floor and the beast that had been under attack stands, revealing himself to be Soquan, or at least a dream version.

Though still blind, the dream-Soquan can see the bodies littered around him. He gapes at them and then stares at the dream-Jozra in horror. “What have you done?!”  Jozra looks again, surprised to find something other than Dromb and his cronies.  Instead of the few thugs, the corpses have multiplied and have changed into the villagers from Ostoria.

The forest twists and darkens, heavy branches hang over the ferret’s head and stifle the air in the grove she is standing in. Ghosts of the villagers flicker through the trees harassing the ferret on the edge of her vision but the worst part is the dream-otter’s reaction. He backs away from Jozra in fear and horror. “How could you do such a thing?!”  But the ferret has no words for her own defense and the ghosts crowd closer, jeeringly repeating the otter’s words.

She awakes yet again, shaking and ashamed.

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan shifts a bit, still asleep. He mutters something along the lines of ‘faster than the speed of ketchup’ and continues snoring softly.

Yazeth: Tears slowly track down the ferret’s face, rewetting her just dried mask. Slivers of moonlight filter through the curtains adding to the soft glow from the fireplace. In the near darkness, Jozra turns to face the otter and whispers almost soundlessly, “Would you hate me if you knew?”

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan shifts again, cuddling her closer to himself as he sleeps onward.

Yazeth: Jozra shudders as she decides that he probably would. Who wouldn’t? Just the other Scorpions that were there, and they’re probably all dead. As the night starts to progress towards morning, Jozra finds herself feeling more and more hopeless.

Even in death she won’t be free of the guilt and shame. Especially not there, because They are waiting for her. The ferret sniffles and rolls away from Soquan, ashamed. The movement prompts another coughing attack and Jozra nearly falls out of the cot, which isn’t terribly difficult considering it wasn’t very big to begin with.

Arrin Woodgreen: He wakes at Jozra’s coughing and after a moment he moves to support her, patting her back gently as she coughs.

Yazeth: The coughing fit ends, leaving the ferret breathless for several minutes. She’s moved by Soquan’s support and feels even more dispirited by the idea that if he knew he would hate her. The dream-Soquan’s words echo in her head.

Arrin Woodgreen: He nuzzles her comfortingly. “Why don’t we move over to the bed? There’s more room that way.”

Yazeth: Jozra hiccoughs and nods reluctantly. She attempts to stand but finds her knees to be too weak to carry her for some reason, not to mention the empty feeling in her chest.

Arrin Woodgreen: “C’mon.” He lifts her carefully and carries to the bed. He lays her down gently and crawls in after her, pulls up the covers. He slowly brings up a paw to caress her cheek, wiping away the residue left behind by the tears.

Yazeth: The otter’s tenderness only brings more tears and the ferret sighs brokenheartedly. She’s physically ill, her thoughts are desolate and she’s not entirely sure if she wants to move South, especially if the mission is anything like her last.

Arrin Woodgreen: He continues to wipe away her tears for a few moments then pulls her close, cuddling her against him. “It’s going to be okay, you’ll see. We’ll be well enough to continue South, and you’ll get to see your parents, don’t you worry.”

Yazeth: Jozra chokes on a bitter laugh at the comment, dully hoping that the otter interpreted the sound as a sob. All she’s done is lie to the otter and still he believes her.

Arrin Woodgreen: He frowns slightly. “What’s wrong Jozra? Please tell me what’s wrong so I can try and make it better for you.”

Yazeth: The ferret shakes her head and mutters. “Just bad dreams…” See? More lies.

Arrin Woodgreen: He cuddles her a bit longer and kisses her forehead affectionately. “Try and think of positive things when you’re drifting off, it might help.”

Yazeth: Jozra sighs and nods weakly. “I’ll try.” Of course, it doesn’t help that she can’t really think of any positive thoughts at all.  She is distracted for a while by the mental search for a truly happy memory though.

Arrin Woodgreen: He settles down in the bed and cuddles close as she thinks. He nuzzles her slightly and whispers quietly. “Try to get some rest, you really need it.” He sounds just as tired as the ferret.

Yazeth: The ferret nods again and settles back, hoping that she will finally get some undisturbed sleep, though she seriously doubts it. A few moments later her eyes pop open again and she smiles slightly. Of course, why didn’t she remember it earlier? The midsummer celebration where everything was going so right… She sighs again, once again homesick for the desert.

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan give a yawn from his spot beside here and pecks her on the cheek before rolling over. “Sweet dreams, Jozra.”

Yazeth: Sands, she hopes so…  She drifts off to flames flickering at the edge of her awareness but this time it’s the cheerful bonfires that lit the midsummer celebration and not the raging fire that destroyed Ostoria.

Apr 16

Chapter 54: On The Mend

Chapter 54: On The Mend

In Which Permanent Is Better Than Temporary.

———————————————————————————————

Yazeth: Fiarah breathes a sigh of relief before turning to Joseph. “What do you think Alvisa will say?”

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan shrugs. “I hope she listens to reason. She probably does if she’s at such a high place of command.”

Yazeth: The mouse nods. “Alvisa is very, very even, er, handed when it comes to these things.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He nods. “Good.”

Yazeth: Fiarah sighs and sinks into Joseph’s chair. “I’m afraid I must apologize for my sister. She’s always been very strong willed.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He shrugs. “It’s not your fault.”

Yazeth: The vixen shrugs helplessly. “Still…” She turns to Jozra. “She shouldn’t have said those things about you. I don’t know what she was thinking.” Jozra does, but she tries not to let it show. She smiles slightly at the vixen. “It’s alright…” She trails off into a short fit of coughing that leaves her winded.

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan pats her back gently as she coughs and lays her back as she finishes. “Rest up, I’ll be no more than an earshot away.”

Yazeth: Jozra nods weakly and shuts her eyes in exhaustion. Jinx saunters up to Fiarah and says quietly, “Do you suppose we should help her re-dye her fur?”

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan hears their whispering and noting that Jozra is now asleep pipes up. “That sounds like a plan to me.”

Yazeth: Jinx beams at Soquan. “Do you know where she keeps her dyes?”

Arrin Woodgreen: He shakes his head. “No, in her pack I’m guessing, but she said she was pretty much out of them.”

Yazeth:  “Oh.” The young ferret mulls this over but is interrupted by Fiarah. “No problem. I know where to get some more permanent dyes that should work just a well, if not better.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He grins. “She’d love that.”

Yazeth: Fiarah smiles. “How about you stay here and help Joseph put together some dinner for all of us. I’ll be back with the dye.”

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan grins and Jinx nods.

Yazeth: The vixen smiles back before exiting the house. Joseph, who’s been feeling like a mole in a tree for the past few minutes despite being the ‘host,’ finally has something to do. “Er, I suppose we could make a, ah, a stew. Is the bakery still open at this, this hour?”

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan shrugs. “I dunno.”

Yazeth: Jinx shrugs as well. “If not I could probably swipe some bread from the safe house.” She grins before catching sight of Jozra who’s staring dully off into space. “What about you, Jozra. Would you like some more soup?”

Arrin Woodgreen: He turns to listen to his friend’s answer.

Yazeth: It takes a second or two for the sleepy ferret to realize she’s being addressed. “Um…” She blinks sleepily, trying to figure out if she’s hungry or not. “Soup would be nice.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He grins. “Think you can feed yourself this time?”

Yazeth: The ferret nods slightly. “Probably.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He grins. “It’s good to know you’re getting your strength back.”

Yazeth: Jinx trots into the kitchen to help Joseph heat up some more soup for Jozra, who smiles weakly at Soquan’s comment.

Arrin Woodgreen: He sits on the edge of the bed again, thinking.

Yazeth: Jinx soon returns with a bowl full of soup for Jozra. “Here you go. I’m going to go run and see if I can get us some hot rolls.” Jozra, who has since sat up, tentatively takes the bowl, sloshing only a little bit of the soup as she settles the bowl on her lap.

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan waits to see if she needs his help.

Yazeth: The ferret, with a little difficulty, is able to manage on her own, though she eats slowly, concentrating on not spilling the bowl or what’s in the spoon.

Arrin Woodgreen: He grins at her. “How is it?”

Yazeth: She pauses between spoonfuls to answer. “Pretty good.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He grins. “Good.”

Yazeth: A few moments later, as Jozra debates trying to get the last of the soup out of the bowl with the spoon or just drinking the rest right out of the bowl, Fiarah and Jinx return.  They walk into the house as Fiarah comments, “You know, I could have picked up the bread. Nobody said anything about groceries though.”

Arrin Woodgreen: His ears perk up and he listens as the two enter the house.

Yazeth: Jinx hops into the kitchen to set down the still steaming loaf of bread before returning to take Jozra’s empty bowl. Fiarah unwraps a package and lines up a series of little jars on the counter. “Ah good, you’re awake. We thought perhaps you’d want to dye your fur again.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He turns to catch Jozra’s reaction.

Yazeth: Jozra’s rather surprised. She didn’t expect this. “But what about Kirrian? If we have to go to the temple tomorrow won’t she say something?”

Arrin Woodgreen: He turns back to the fox and younger ferret.

Yazeth: Fiarah shakes her head. “I don’t think it matters what Kirrian says. The only ones who noticed besides us were Dysa, Kirrian, Nolan and Deke. The other three probably won’t say anything if that’s what you’re worried about and Kirrian, well, it seems she has a vendetta against you in the first place so I don’t think that really matters.”

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan nods in agreement.

Yazeth: Jozra thinks about this for a bit. In the end she decides that Fiarah’s probably right and anything Kirrian could say wouldn’t be as bad as risking other beasts finding out and possibly talking about ‘that unusual ferret with black feet.’  “Okay. Ah, how do these dyes work?”

Arrin Woodgreen: He listens.

Yazeth: Fiarah glances at the bottles. “Well, they’re liquid dyes that you just rub into your fur and let dry. They’re rather permanent though. Either the color grows out or you scrub it out with a lot of soap root.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He looks back to Jozra. “I told them you needed more.”

Yazeth: The ferret nods. “I do, though mine are powdered and, er, rather temporary. Permanent will be much better.”

Yazeth: The vixen nods. “If you’re feeling well enough to stand up for a bit, we could do this now.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He waits for an answer.

Yazeth: The ferret nods hesitantly. “I suppose so.” She swings her feet over the side of the bed and begins to stand before doubling over in a coughing fit.

Arrin Woodgreen: He moves quickly over to her side to help support her.

Yazeth: Jozra gasps her thanks once she can breathe again. She uses Soquan to help haul herself upright and props herself against him.

Arrin Woodgreen: He supports the ferret’s weight and helps her towards the others.

Yazeth: Though Jinx has been in the kitchen the whole time, she’s had her ear on the other room. Now she tells Joseph to stay in the kitchen and walks into the main room drawing curtains over the windows as she goes. Joseph mutters something about having seen plenty of nude patients to himself but is content with cooking dinner.

Arrin Woodgreen: He continues to support her after they have arrived.

Yazeth: Jinx helps Jozra out of her robe as Fiarah asks how the dye should be applied.  After a moment of thought Jozra instructs the vixen. “Lighter paws and tail tip… If you can, see if you can make them match the rest of my fur. If not we may need to darken my back and sides a little. The mask is tricky. It needs to be lighter, especially across my muzzle but the white patches need to go away.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He stands patiently, listening to the conversations between them.

Yazeth: Fiarah nods in understanding and un-stoppers one of the bottles. She pours a little bit of dye onto one of Jozra’s paw and rubs it in. “Lets see if this gets your paws light enough.”

Arrin Woodgreen: Now off in his own world, Soquan hums a song softly.

Yazeth: The dye dries quickly and soon it’s evident that the light-colored dye turns the ferret’s darker patches of fur a color closer to that of the rest of her body. Jinx laughs as she points out the light patches of fur on the vixen’s paws.

Arrin Woodgreen: He continues to hum, still offhandedly supporting his friend.

Yazeth: Soon Jozra’s paws and tail tip are all a lighter color. Fiarah pauses for a moment, uncapping another bottle. “I knew it was a good idea to get a few of each color.” She begins the detail work on the ferret’s mask.

Arrin Woodgreen: After the task is done, Soquan’s attention is back at the group, he grins at Jozra. “Like the dye job?”

Yazeth: The ferret looks into a mirror that Jinx has produced from another room before nodding. “It looks good, probably even better than some of my hasty dye jobs. Is it dry enough for me to put the robe back on?”

Arrin Woodgreen: He shrugs. “Feels like it to me.” He looks to Fiarah and Jinx for confirmation.

Yazeth: Fiarah nods. “I believe so. It dries rather quickly.” Jinx retrieves Jozra’s robe and helps her back into it.

Arrin Woodgreen: He grins once she’s robed and scoops up, carrying her back to her bed.

Yazeth: Jozra protests weakly, certain she can walk back to the bed but too weary to really insist on the matter.

Arrin Woodgreen: He chuckles slightly at her protests and lays her down, pulling the blankets up around her.

Yazeth: Jozra hunkers down in the blankets, yawning widely, as Jinx and Fiarah head into the kitchen to check on the status of dinner.

Arrin Woodgreen: He tucks her in and whispers softly to her. “Get a full night’s sleep, I’ll be right here to keep away you nightmares.”

Yazeth: The ferret nods sleepily. “Okay.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He gives her an encouraging grin and slumps into the chair beside her bed with a yawn.

Apr 14

Chapter 53: Feuding

Chapter 53: Feuding

In Which Kirrian Can’t Leave Well Enough Alone.

———————————————————————————————

Arrin Woodgreen: He starts as the knock is heard. Realizing their rather awkward position, he clears his throat a bit and pulls away from her grasp slightly. He looks towards the door, waiting.

Yazeth: Once again Jinx and Fiarah let themselves in before Joseph can get to the door.  The vixen smiles apologetically at the mouse healer. “Sorry, didn’t want to risk being seen waiting out on the stoop.”

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan gives a bit of a grin and greets the two. “Hullo again.”

Yazeth: Fiarah greets Soquan and smiles gently at Jozra. “It’s good to see you awake.”

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan grins a bit, staying silent so his companion can reply.

Yazeth: Jozra grins weakly, entirely too self conscious and terribly confused as to what just happened. “Ah, pleased to meet you.”

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan attempts to slip out of the blankets. “Did you have trouble getting away from the safe-house?”

Yazeth: Jinx grins at Fiarah before answering for her. “Just the trouble of coming up with a good excuse to be in town for a while.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He gives a chuckle. “I see.”

Yazeth: The younger ferret quirks an eyebrow at the older one in amusement as she accurately reads Jozra’s expression of confusion and embarrassment. Jinx says nothing, however, and instead saunters into the kitchen and pokes around for something to eat.  Joseph, who has been standing rather helplessly in the middle of the room, suddenly has a thought. “Oh, oh! Your, your foot S-soquan. I-I keep forgetting to, er, to look at it.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He’s a bit bemused by this and it take him a while to realize what the mouse is talking about. “What? Oh, right, my foot.”

Yazeth: Fiarah pulls up a chair for the mouse, assuming the otter will sit on the bed and then stands attentively, ready to give any aid her mentor requires.

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan does indeed sit on the end of the bed and waits for the healer to also have a seat.

Yazeth:  Joseph settles himself in the chair and gently pulls Soquan’s bandaged foot towards him. He unwraps the bandages and examines the cut in the paw, noting that it could have been much more severe than it is.

He is just about to ask Fiarah to prepare a fresh poultice to put on the paw when a heavy knocking comes at his door.

Before anyone can respond to it, the door is flung open from the outside by Deke revealing a very irate Kirrian. Soquan overhears the normally very mild mannered mouse mutter irritably to himself, “I’ve got to put a lock on that door.”

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan’s on his feet right away, his paw going for his staff. Once it is in his paws, he waits fully prepared to defend himself and Jozra.

Yazeth: Kirrian stalks into the house, glaring at her sister who stands firmly by the bed. “You…  I ordered them out and this is what you do? Help them behind my back?!”  Fiarah’s lip curls automatically at her sister. “What did you expect me to do?! Just dump them on the street in the rain without any aid?” The vixen points sharply at Jozra. “She nearly DIED thanks to you ordering them out!!”

Arrin Woodgreen: He snarls silently, his grip tightening on his staff.

Yazeth: Kirrian glares at her sister, sure Fiarah is exaggerating, but then does a double-take when she catches sight of Jozra’s full mask and black paws. She also notes that the ferret is conscious as well. “Surely you exaggerate, sister. That ferret tried to harm one of my girls and who knows what else. She’s probably on the run from somewhere if she’s been disguising herself.”

Jozra can only stare at Kirrain in horror, not that the vixen notices. She can’t know! SANDSTORMS! She should have pretended to be asleep!

Arrin Woodgreen: The otter gives a much, much louder snarl this time and he crosses the room, grabbing Kirrian’s collar roughly. “How can you brush that aside so lightly? You nearly KILLED my best friend! And the only reason she ‘attacked’ one of your girls is because you were all too pig-headed to listen to either her or me and wouldn’t let her go!”

Yazeth: Deke quickly moves to protect his mistress but it’s Jozra that calls the otter off.  She rasps his name. “Let her alone…  It doesn’t matter anymore.”

It suddenly occurs to her that it doesn’t. She’s doomed but Soquan isn’t. Best keep him out of trouble.

Jinx, who had slunk back into the room at the commotion, catches the tinge of hopelessness in the other ferret’s voice and shoots a worried glance at Jozra.

Arrin Woodgreen: He releases the vixen at Jozra’s command and shoots Kirran a dirty look as he growls softly and returns to Jozra’s side.

Yazeth: Kirrian gestures at the otter, glaring at Fiarah as though everything in the entire world were her fault. “You see?! This is why I had them kicked out! They must leave!” At this comment Joseph stands to address the vixen, astonished that she would kick someone out of his house. “You, you can’t kick them out of, out of my house…”

Arrin Woodgreen: He growls again. “Is there a rule against defending you friend?”

Yazeth: Kirrian glares at Soquan now, she didn’t invite him to the conversation. “There’s a rule against assaulting other beasts!” She turns back to Joseph. “They’re dangerous beasts, they must leave!” Even Joseph’s hackles rise at this comment, but it’s clever Jinx that has a solution. The young ferret casually pipes up. “Joseph, your house is a part of the Solstice Temple, right?”

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan blinks a few times, confused as to where this is going.

Yazeth:  Joseph is as well but he nods jerkily. “Y-yes. Alvisa thought it would be a, a good idea to have a healer with, ah, near the temple.”  Jozra is still somewhat panicky but she’s trained well enough to notice Jinx’s sudden, very deliberate, hijacking of the conversation. Kirrian now turns her glare to Jinx. “I don’t see what that has to do with anything, child.”

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan’s frown deepens as his listens, his brow furrowing.

Yazeth: Jinx smiles disarmingly. “Well it seems to me that this is a Temple matter then.  Perhaps we should take it up with Priestess Alvisa.”

Kirrian’s eyes narrow but Jozra catches a glimpse of fear in the vixen’s eyes. Fiarah recalled her promise to herself to never underestimate Jinx again when the jill began to speak and now can see exactly where this is going. She smiles to herself before turning to her sister. “Yes, we should take this up with Alvisa.”

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan quirks an eyebrow, listening further.

Yazeth: Kirrian is startled by this turn of events and nervous that they may not be bluffing. No matter who was in charge of what officially, in the end it all boiled down to the snowy owl’s quiet authority over everything in Kodan. It was Alvisa that approved the plan for the safe house, Kirrian’s whole life, and should she suddenly find fault with it…  “I, I don’t think that’s totally necessary.”

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan chuckles softly, crossing his arms. “I say we take this up with the priestess, that way she can settle this once and for all.”

Yazeth: Kirrian turns on the otter, seething, but four votes beats three. Deke is rather oblivious to the conversation going on but of course he has to side with his mistress and Jozra, well, she just doesn’t want anymore trouble but she keeps her mouth shut. Joseph glances at Jozra and then back at Fiarah. “Per, perhaps I should stay here with her…”

Arrin Woodgreen: He suddenly gets an idea. “Why don’t we wait ’till tomorrow? That way Jozra has time to recuperate and we can all head out to this Alvisa’s place.”

Yazeth: Kirrian is about to protest as a matter of principle when it occurs to her that this would give her more time to prepare her argument and come across as a calm and rational beast. Besides, even Deke has this look about him as though he’s unwilling to force the obviously unwell ferret out of her bed. “Fine.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He nods. “Alright. Now leave.”

Yazeth: The vixen bristles at the otter’s tone but says nothing as she turns on her heel and stalks to the door. After a moment, Deke shrugs and follows her.