AChapter 14
It's been quite an interesting third Act, the Music has taken a turn to the sober, there is much darkness, much horror and the odd shriek and cry from an audience member as Vikris, the Riddle master makes a fiery and rather over-dramatic entrance. It's good theatre and the music shakes the auditoreum. There are also some odd looks thrown toward the front row of VIP guests and there is an air too the performance as if the actors have upped their game. It might have something to do with the glittering Crystal ferret who is sat atop Silmeria's head watching the show. As the third act of the show is drawing toward a close the thunder booms, the skies scream with lightning, rain and wind and the party are victorious! Shemhazzi has been driven back, the Obsidian Mirror obtained, its power coursing through the party as they fight off the deadly wickedness of the Knights of Restoration's final attack! They are driven back, Ainsley swoons into Lee's arms as Silmeria rides a Dragon of Mist in the background.... the lights fall... the music thrums to a close.... and the audience erupts into a roaring cheer punctuated with many an enthusiastic KUPO!
Ainsley stares at that sight of the darkened stage for a while, her hand going up to rub at the side of her head. "Silmeria, riding the Mist Dragon? Goodness, that's a bit of an embelishment. I don't think the dragon has enough... enough solidity for that." She looks up toward Pounce, staring at him for a while. Then she looks around at the rest of the audience, wondering if anyone's distracted by the seneschel's presence. "I'd say that the play needs some refinement, but it's a pretty good dramatic showing of those events." She streeetches her arms over her head, yawning. "I like what they did with that riddle guardian. So... what now?" The question is directed to Lee and Pounce, glancing to either of them.
Lee heaves a sigh as the performance concludes, though he does applaud as well, nodding in agreement with Ainsley, "Quite o'er th'top, indeed. Rather glad it's over with, though. Music aside, it was a bit... much, least fer my tastes." Taking the cue from Ainsley, he too looks to Pounce, "Aye, fair question. What now?"
Silmeria's eyes stray upward to the crystal ferret on her head, then to the patrons sharing their booth, then back up. "....You *do* rather attract attention, Master Pounce," she murmurs quietly, settling in to watch the performance with mingled resignation, amusement, and no small amount of bewilderment. As 'she' rides off on the back of the Mist Dragon, the Esper's nose wrinkles. "...Well. I *certainly* prefer that telling than the reality," she says shaking her head, looking to the rest of the party. "Now? Now the actors take their bows, we find somewhere *else* to hold negotiations, and then I suppose we find how Lord Carbuncle intends to make use of your... peculiar talents, Lee."
Pounce tilts his head and grins, "It was a great story, much better then what really happened I am sure, but akll history is romanticised... you just let the imps write the story and /they/ are notorious for embellshing. Worse the Odin or Lord Mog... now then.." he shakes his crystalline body and jumps down into Ainsley's lap. "We need to pop out someplace quiet and then... Lord Carbuncle will attend... as soon as we pick an impartial adjudicator for negotiations."
Ainsley squeaks, startled by the spirit landing in her lap. Her immediate reaction is that, logically, if he's made of crystal, he must be heavy like a large piece of rock. But, well, he's not. She seems to be conflicted about whether or not it's okay to touch Pounce. Eventually, she tries to pet him, but gently and carefully. "I'm afraid I might not be qualified for that, and I'm not sure where we could find one... That's a political skill, not something I've studied into very much." She tries to stand, careful not to knock the spirit over, giving him time to move if he wants to. "Let's go, then...?"
Lee chuckles a bit as Ainsley gets a lap full of crystal ferret, and nods, "Sounds like a plan t'me... As fer an adjudicator, hell, any fair-minded bloke'd do, I think, but not sure if I've a say in th'matter r'not." He stands as well, offering Cadence a hand up, "So, where's this 'someplace quiet', then? If Lord Carbuncle 'isself is gonna be present, then I'd guess it might not be exactly near 'ere? I mean, just a guess, I'm not knowledgeable on what 'e prefers or th'like."
"Probably best, yes, Lee," Silmeria says with a nod, rising from her seat and looking to Candace, smiling. "Any idea where we might be able to find a nice quiet room to tuck ourselves into, preferably one where we won't be interrupted?"
Pounce leans into the petting, the surface of his body is sleek and warm to the touch and as Ainsley stands he scampers up her arm and perches on her shoulder and peers at Cadence who smiles at him then turns to Lee, "Are you sure about this son?" She asks softly.... Pounce meanwhile looks around the emptying auditorium and hums, "Hmm oh location... oh we'll go someplace... i'll ask in a bit... but we need an adjudicator. I mean i'd suggest SIlmeria here but well she is all involved... mmhmm.... i mean we could just negotiatie between us if you trust us to be fair?"
Ainsley giggles as Pounce climbs up onto her shoulder, reaching up to keep petting at him. "I trust the spirits to know how to be fair. I cannot say that I know how you all think, but I imagine it's better than /some/ deals I've gotten myself into." She smiles and glances aside at Pounce knowingly. "I promise I'll try to keep a clear head during the negotiations." She looks aside at Lee, a worried look in her eyes, for a moment.
Lee gives Cadence a cheeky grin and a wink as she questions his certitude, "Aye, mum, as sure as th'trade winds." At the mention of fairness, he turns his attention to Pounce, "If nuthin' else, I can always decline if'n th'terms aren't some measure o'fair. You know yer master better'n us, though. An' I mean no disrespect by askin', but is 'e th'type t'load a deal unfairly in 'is favor?"
"An adjudicator would make life a good deal more simple," Silmeria offers, looking to each in turn. "Involved or no, I *could* be impartial enough to do the job, I hope. I should think that the concern, Lee, is less 'are the Spirits trustworthy' than 'is either side going to upset the other by ill-chosen phrasing?' Which means..." Here, the blond spreads her hands. "You'll need *someone* to translate at need, we've no proper Summoner, and few other Mortals really know the fine edges of respect and protocol. Master Pounce, I really do think that having me mediate is the most expedient choice."
Pounce gives Lee a loooong look, "Your talking about Lord Carbuncle! The master of Memory... he's half terrified to meet you as is! And ah... he's picked a meeting location he says he'll feel safe in." he nods and beams, "Very well then, Lord Carbuncle has asked a favour from dsomeone to be adjudicator and if Miss Silmeria will act as Interpretor then we are all set. If everyone is ready..." he jumps off Ainsley and perches on the edge of the stage, "Just look at my body..."
Ainsley looks over to Silmeria silently, smiling more brightly, and then shrugs. When Pounce hops away, Ainsley looks over at him, and leeeans over to peer closer. It looks a little silly, but she's just trying to make sure that she's only looking at Pounce and won't get distracted. And maybe try to figure out what kind of gemstone he is by seeing the quality of light as it hits him. If she figures it out herself, obviously she won't need to ask him!
Lee raises his hands placatingly as Pounce, offering a smile, "No offense or disrespect intended, sir, I just 'ave very little experience wi' Spirits an' th'like." He nods as Pounce declares that the arrangements are made, looking from Cadence to Ainsley, then to Silmeria, before turning his gaze back to Pounce, doing as the crystal ferret instructs, "Right, let's get th'party started, eh?"
"ANd this is why we need someone to make sense of things for you," Silmeria replies, bobbing her head. "Well, if Lord Carbuncle has a mediator, that's to the good then." Drawing in a breath, she glances about the party, and nods once, turning her eyes to the ferret's coat as intructed.
Sadly for Ainsley no matter how hard she stares at Pounce she just cannot tell what crystal or gem he is made from, it is like nothing she has ever encountered before. AS everyone stares at the crystalline ferret everything starts to grow hazy... light plays all around and there is a strange moment when Pounce seems to expand! Growing HUGE and then.... he is back to normal and they are in a different place. There are great green-marble colouns, delicate, beautiful fluting and buttresses ovber head. Sparkling crystal windows of stained glass depicting warriors, all of them female in various heroic poses. Walking toward the party, coloured dust motes trailing from her antennae is a large, golden furred squirrel with bright, irridescent wings that buzz behind her as she seems to glide across the floor. "Hello, Hello everyone, welcome to the Palace of the Valkyries, be welcome all as guests of Lord Carbuncle and myself here in Valhalla.""
There's a loud gasp of surprise from Ainsley as the spirit expands, and her arms flail out to grab for Lee... and then the world returns, and they're in the spirit realm. She looks around, and frowns lightly. Then looks off to the... golden furred... squirrel. "... huh. I don't think I've ever heard of you," she mentions, quietly, sort of amazed by this. "But then, I'm not a summoner." She smiles, and relaxes.
Lee gets a brief bit of queasiness from Pounce's expand-o-matic trick and the brief havok it plays on his perceptions, and he slips an arm around Ainsley's shoulders as she grabs for him in the transition. When it's all over and done with, though, a quick breath is all it takes to restore his balance, and he takes a look around at the stained glass and cathedral-like architecture, until his attention is drawn to the winged squirrel by the greeting she gives, leaving him to bob his head in reply, "Thank ye'fer th'ospitality, marm."
Silmeria shakes her head as the crystal ferret returns to his normal, shape, rubbing at her eyes for a moment. Then, her breath catches as ther surroundings become clear, and a slow, wide smile forms upon her face. "Oh," she breathes, standing up a bit straighter and turning to the winged squirrel approaching them. "It's *truly* a pleasure to be here, Lady... thank you, and Lord Carbuncle, *very* much for meeting us."
There is a faint "Breeheeeaaaak" from somewhere and everywhere and the squirrel laughs warmly and enfolds a warm arm about Ainsley's shoulders. She smells faintly of fresh baking and her smiles is warm. "He says thankyou, he'd come out and say hello but he is very shy, come, come you are all our guests. I am Abir, Matron of the Emerald Castle, it is a pleasure to have you all here." She leads the party over to a table set up in the middle of the room. It is laden with food and drink and there are just enough chairs for everyone and a stool for Pounce. "now then we are here to discuss a contract between Lee the Black Dragon and the Lord of Memory. He has agreed to restore the full memory strata of the Lady Cadence in exchange for which Lee shall agree to serve Carbuncle in retrieving a lost memory that was stolen from the Vault some time ago by the Occuria... he believes you will encounter it upon your journey at some point."
Ainsley squeaks as Abir touches her. And immediately, and completely, relaxes at the smell of baking. It makes her look gleeful and bright, and she immediately asks, "Is that blackberry I smell?" Her voice is hushed and excited, her mouth cracked into a big grin at Abir. "I think I like you already." She looks at Lee and continues grinning, knowing his knowledge of Ainsley's /love/ of sweets and baked goods.
Lee follows along to the table, taking a seat next to Ainsley and looking over the selection of food and drink, catching Ainsley's grin and chuckling, picking out a blackberry tart from the assembled array of foods and handing it to her before resuming his own examination of the selection once more. He pauses, though, at mention of the Occuria, a shiver running through him despite tales of them being little more than boogie-man legends remembered from his youth, leaving him eyeing the stronger of the drinks on offer, though he doesn't take one just yet, "Th'Occuria... How long ago, if I may ask, did this theft 'appen? I mean, I wouldn't be likely to encounter any of 'em, would I? There's 'istory there, 'tween them an' my people, after all, an' not o'tha good sort."
"If we meet the Occuria," Silmeria says, her voice flat, "then we have a *great* deal more to worry about than Father's traitor child returning to the world, Master Lee." Picking up a plate, she arranges a small selection of breads, cheeses, and meats on it, before looking up at Abir, eyebrow rising. "Besides, I *highly* doubt Matron Abir would be suggesting that Lord Carbuncle sees brushing against the Occuria as a fair trade for one mortal's memories... Be she ever so precious to you. Would I be correct, My Lady?"
Matron Abir looks scandalised by the mere suggestion and there isa Breekeeeea! As Carbuncle lands on the table in front of Lee. He bounces up and down and waves his paws around, the bright aquamarine critter shaking his head and bouncing and then he vanishes with a flompf and a Blackberry tort lands in front of AInsley. "There will be little chance of encountering an Occuria, but it is an importnat memory his Lordship would ask you to recover. Once you have it drop by a shrine to Carbuncle and let him know and someone will come collect it." Ainsley has acquired two baked masterpieces. One for each hand! She slowly enjoys one of them, blushing lightly and showing the most joy she has since... well, ever, outside of being at home and enjoying dinner with Lee or other such simple occasions. Carbuncle's appearance surprises Ainsley, but she's so pleased with the food that she can only smile at him. Lee's admittance about the history of the dragons gets a veeeery curious stare out of her, mildly confused. "Huh. So that's where all the secrecy comes from...?" Yeah she isn't very knowledgeable about the spirits. "If we're going to find the memory along the way, anyhow, this is a pretty good deal. I'd assume it would look like a gem, then?"
Lee nods to Silmeria, with a bit of a shrug as well, "Aye, well, best t'be sure, right?" He looks back to Abir, noticing her scandalized look, and blinks, "Wot?" And then Carbuncle lands on the table in front of him, startling Lee somewhat, who's eyes go wide at the spirit's wild gesticulations, before Carbuncle vanishes again, and a second blackberry confection lands before Ainsley to boot. Abir's translation, or so he assumes, of Carbuncle's message brings him back, though, and he coughs a little into one gloved hand, "Yes, well... Didn't think it'd hurt much t'ask. M'apologies, though." He clears his throat, reaching for a glass of wine to sip at, nodding to Ainsley, "Yeah, so th'stories go, luv. Remind me sometime, an' I'll tell ya a bit about it." Then, to Abir, "So, this mem'ry, 'ow am I t'know it should we come across it? Will it be a gem, like Ainsley guesses, or sumfin' else? An' am I allowed t'know what tha mem'ry itself is, or is that irrelevant?"
Silmeria leans back in her chair as Carbuncle makes a grand and showy entrance, piece of cheese held in her mouth as she simply stares, quite surprised, blinking rapidly once the Spirit departs. Slowly, she picks up a cookie, then another... and after a moment's pause, three more, stacking them on a small bread plate. Then, the laden plate gets set, carefully, on the ground, and slid under the tablecloth. "I'll not presume to know the contents of the memory are truly our business... Though what we learn from it incidentally, likewise not our fault. Do we know *where* to look within the Vault, My Lady?"
Abir smiles and looks across at Pounce, "It will appear as a chiliagon shaped Sapphire, you will I am lead to understand encounter it someplace in the Catacombs when you reach them. I cannot say how or why but when you see it you will know it for what it is and should make efforts to retrieve it for Lord Carbuncle." She looks to Pounce who nods and then returns to the apple pie he is devouring, "It is a memory from.. very long ago, another age of Terra, a recording of a great love story, a epic tale of love, a struggle against dark forces..... a memory.... that is mising and lost.... if you can return it your contract with Lord Carbuncle will be made good." The squirrel lady stands up, motes of golden light flowing from her antennae as she starts to pack baked goods into the very large hamper tha tis just there on the table. "If you agree... then these negotiations are complete."
Ainsley finishes off the second confection and reaches over to the hamper, pulling it over to get a look inside. She may or may not have the happiest, most gluttonous look on her face, barely restraining herself from drooling. "I'd like that, love," she tells Lee, "Always good to hear some real history from the people that should know." She doesn't look at him as she says this, though, too concerned with the sweets. She would even try to hand one off to Silmeria, grinning brightly at her, if she's allowed. She pauses, though. "... oh, right. We still need to go to that priestess after this. I can't stuff myself on this..." She stares at the hamper like she's going to cry.
Lee listens to Abir's explanation, accepting the information given, and not pressing for any more about the memory itself. He takes note of the form the memory will take, and that it's somewhere in the Catacombs. He considers for a moment after, then nods, "Sounds fair 'nuff t'me... Very well, it's agreed, then. An' her memory will be repaired or restored or whatever upon completion, I take it?" He smiles a bit, patting Ainsley's shoulder, "Dun fret, luv, I'll take y'out t'buy some sweets later."
Silmeria chuckles quietly, bobbing her head and nibbling away the last of the scant foods on her plate. "Then, thank you again, Matron Abir, and my best to Lord Carbuncle. ...Also the cookies under the table, those are for him too. I thought he might wish to enjoy them in privacy. Anyhow." Sliding her plate forward, she slips out of her chair and sketches a deep curtsy before Abir. "Also, my thanks to Lord Odin and his Valkyries, for allowing us the use of this *lovely* room."
Abir whaps Ainsley's paw in a very motherly way, "Now now, I am just packing up a little something to take back with you all, I'll leave it with Lady Silmeria here to carry." She looks over at Lee and nods, "Well then if everything is agreed on... Lord Carbuncle?" She glances at the end of the table, the Aquamarine spirit is there weaving through the confections as Abir packs up the hamper. He stops to nose at Silmeria and breees out a thanks for the cookies, stopping to brush his whiskers clean and then chitters at Abir who nods. "You were most welcome, we owed Lord Carbuncle a favour.... ah he is starting. Carbuncle believes in setting memories in their place before not after... if you fail to keep the bargain. He'll take restitution from you not your Mother." Carbuncle then moves to stand before Cadence who smiles at him and then the gem on his fore-head glows! The red light drowns out everything and as it fades the group are standing beneath a very large cathedral roof. An elderly moogle is sat on the altar beneat the HUGE statue of Lord Mog and he peers through his glasses and shakes his head, "When I was told to expect guests..." Abir shrugs and buzzes her wings and hands the hamper to Silmeria and turns, Carbuncle on one shoulder and Pounce on the other. "Thus is the bargain written... Lady Cadence?" The bard smiles, adjusting her cloak and walks over to touch Lee's arm and kisses his cheek, "Hello son... it is... nice to be me..." She turns to look at the Mog who is wating and watching and then she lifts her harp and walks forward playing a song.... the music rising slowly, it pulls at the emotions of everyone watching... sadness, happiness, joy... endearment, fear... they all are pulled out of the depths of the listeners mind as Cadence plays...."
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