Icebergs

Log Info

• Title: Icebergs
• Emitter: Cryosanthia
• Characters: Cryosanthia, Seldan, Aya, Sabina
• Place: A10: Temple of Eluna, A03 The Tarrace
• Time: Thursday, August 19, 2021, 8:47 PM; Friday, August 20, 2021 10:00PM; Sunday, August 22, 2021 3:55PM
• Summary: In the aftermath of the Queen of Endless Winter's visit to Alexandria, Cryosanthia seeks out Seldan to warn him and share her thoughts. She wants to share a lot of thoughts, and when Aya appears, invites her to the TarRaCe as well. She wants to check her for demonic pact markings, and talk about what's bothering her. Seldan agrees to join them later, and the Sith'Makar and the Mul'niessa go for a swim and an inspection. Cryo bares her thoughts, which are a mess. She's glad to have confronted Salina, depressed and demoralized that she had no words for her. She explains how the Fey Queen controlled everything, was everything, for a long time and her re-appearance has pulled up memories she's uncertain how to deal with. Cryo shares that her mental happy place, is an arctic tundra with icebergs, and rather resembled the effect Salina had on the harbour and ocean. It was as if she stepped directly into her head. She laments she can't do more, feels like a nest-mother to many. Seldan arrives and they join him, and she explains how she feels Salina is no longer a threat, that her visit was largely to warn about Eclavdran, that Seyardu has a scroll of interest, and that her main concern is that Zeke will become lost in this. She has done her best to re-assure him, but experiencing the sane Salina directly assisted her and the indirect experience is not as strong. Sabina drops by, and laments Seldan no longer trusts her because of the succubus, which diverts the discussion to Rupi. Cryo leaves with a lot of messy fried meat-bites for Lily, to reward her for standing up to Salina also.

-=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=<* A10: Temple of Eluna *>=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=-

Eluna's temple stands near her brother's, and trees of the grove often wander their vines that way, only to be chased away by the priests--much as two children might battle in the back of a cart. Eluna's temple is composed of solemn, alabaster pillars and marble, as ancient as Her brother's though more austerely kept. Each pillar represents a phase of the moon, over which She has dominion. Their surface is scribed with the words of ancient dreams, those first recorded in the known world, when mankind was first awakening to their significance.

In the center of the temple lies a grand pool. Serene in its surface, it reflects the open sky overhead, though the temple is covered by an arched ceiling. At all times within the surface may the stars be seen. Surrounding this pool are a number of tasseled rugs, on which petitioners sit and meditate, or seek counsel for interpretation of their dreams.

Warriors of Daeus are often found here, providing guards where the wards of Eluna prefer introspection and contemplation. These fighters bear dual symbols, signifying the tie between divine father and divine daughter. They and the priests here speak in quiet voices, reminiscent of Eluna's place as the Dreaming Goddess.

To the north of the temple is a modest library, its function primarily in the way of records--recording of dreams, of meditation, of theories of the proper use of magic--teachings directly opposed by the Shadow Goddess, Taara. It is this last shift that has seen an increase in the number of guards among the temple, and the increased adoption of the Star of Tears among the belts of Seers.

-=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=-

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=  Appearing  =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Cryosanthia  6'9"     291 Lb     Sith-Makar        Female    A dashingly tall, elegant white-scaled lizard woman.
Seldan       5'11"    187 Lb     Human             Male      Ginger-blonde human in armor wearing Eluna's symbol.
Aya          4'7"     105 Lb     Shadow Elf        Female    Mul'niessa. Braided hair. Simple clothing.
Sabina       5'4"     130 Lb     Human             Female    Tsuran woman of dark hair and green eyes.
=-=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=

The Temple

It is night, the sky a patchwork of dark clouds that seem like dark holes into an abyss, and the remaining patches of visible stars which shine brightly through. As the clouds move they make changing patterns which are almost magical.

The day was warm and sultry, and most definitely not magical.

The day before now, that was unusual. Hailstones that rained down on all of Alexandria, stretching almost as far as the north gates, and landing on the Sage Orum plaza, the Quill's repose, even the Temple District.

Some storm was brewing, out at sea, of an unparalleled intensity. The harbour froze. Ships were locked in ice. Citizens in light summer clothes ran for shelter, risking exposure. It was as if the dead of winter had come to visit at the height of summer.

Which is not entirely untrue.

The next day however, things had returned to normal. Prayers and the Temple activities occurred as planned, there were no interruptions. Although word eventually comes to Seldan. The lizard woman he knows is hanging around.

Not looking for him, not asking for him, perhaps not even looking for him. It's a message delivered in passing that's easily overlooked. If Cryosanthia had wanted him, she would have asked for him. This is why another passing comment, hours later, that the white Sith'makar is still there might cause some concern.

Cryosanthia stands out of the way at the entrance to the Temple of Eluna. A similar spot where she waited to meet Seldan when she came to apologize to him. Unlike previous, she isn't looking in, nor at anyone passing. She's staring out at the Temple District, at the fountain. Her posture is very erect. Sith'Makari do not stand that straight and tall with ease. Nor do they keep their tails flat against their legs. She wears a robe of light velvet, white with pale blue furred ruffs. It splits at her waist to accommodate her physique. It has snowflake embroidery, curling blue borders and lines. It's her casting ensemble, which she rarely adopts. Her hands are clasped in front, resting on her abdomen.

There is a wide circle of frost surrounding her, except for one edge that has been trodden clear.

That Cryosanthia still is around can mean only one thing - she wants to talk to someone here, and on a topic that she doesn't want to make public. It doesn't take Seldan long to decide to investigate. As has been his wont since learning of Eclavdran's return, he has adopted his usual full panoply, not bothering to disguise armor or weapons, a thin silver headband mostly keeping that unruly lock of hair out of his eyes. He brushes it aside now as he approaches. "Cryosanthia."

Aya is not a frequent visitor to the temple district much less individual temples. More recently, however, she has become a visitor less-infrequently, as much as that is a distinction. She is also relatively observant. Given that she notes Cryosanthia in the same location after more than one trip through the plaza, and being quite aware of very recent events, the course of her latest traversal diverts towards the whitescale and The Moon's temple. The arrival of Seldan is not unexpected, and does not subsequently alter her course.

"Evening," she offers both in greeting as she steps into comfortable conversational earshot.

Hearing her name, her head turns then the rest of her follows. Cryosanthia looks at Seldan with the minimal expression typical of the lizard folk. None of her usual efforts to 'humanize' herself with a quirky smile or odd tilt. She gazes in a way that emphasizes her bestial side, although there is an aloof distance that she adopted from somewhere else. The body language is unmistakable.

She reaches out with her hand and gently touches the armour over his shoulder. The one she sank her teeth into, with the arm she nearly tore off and the wounds that became infected. Her thick fingernails, which can become claws in an instant as the Silverguard also remembers, slide over the metal.

Remembering a triumph, or a moment of shame. It's not clear. Aya's hail seems to break her out of her strange observance. She raises her gaze to meet Seldan's, blue eyes to blue. Her pupils wider than slits, but not at her extremis.

"She returned, Seldan. That was Her, yesterday, in the harbour. You need to know, but not to worry."

The gesture is an unusual one, and his eyes follow her claws in some confusion, but the frost surrounding her, and the body language, is unmistakable indeed. There is no doubt in Seldan's mind - Cryosanthia is definitely troubled about something. He inclines his head in a form of greeting towards Aya, but his attention is on the sith-makar, a breath he doesn't realize he is holding retained. Recognition flickers across his features, and he watches her soberly - until she speaks.

Her words make the matter clear enough, and he -stiffens-. In an instant, the impassive alabaster pillar is in full force, and he draws another deep breath, holds it, releases it. Apparently the admonition not to worry has zero effect. Memories war behind the facade , the ice-blue eyes full of a gamut of emotions that do not express themselves fully in any other way.

"Tell me what befell, Cryosanthia," he replies soberly. "Is she once again a threat?"

"We should go inside." The whitescale says, her voice calm and distant, flowery edges to her pronunciation that's been long absent. There's a flicker of a smile along her snout, which fades. Old habits have returned with strength, it would seem, even if they were unbidden, "This one feels watched."

Of course standing in one spot for hours will draw a few looks, but it's not the first time for being spyed upon either.

"Aya, Peace on your Nest, you should come." Cryo lets her hands drop in front, "This one will share all. Aya witnessed."

That flowery edge, the cool distance, reminds Seldan of far more dangerous times, and his stance subtly shifts, into a swordsman's guard pose. Not quite a ready stance, but the stance of one who may swiftly shift to defense, should the situation call for it. "Come. Inside, yes, but not into the Temple, not if Her eyes may be upon you. Is it a roof you seek, privacy, or both?"

Aya may be the only one not stiffening, offering many yard stares, or other such reactions. That said, she does appear to readily understand the general magnitude of the situation. The explanation is currently left to Cryosanthia as we asked, though she nods an acknowledgement of the move. "Inside."

"Hers are not, Seldan, they're not." The whitescale says, her clear inner eyelids blinking and staying closed. Her crest is laid down, her ears-frill tilted partially open and up, mimicking Fey ears. There's the slightest headshake. "Inside, privacy, a place to sit and have tea."

Followed by a question in a more vibrant voice, "What would I want to do on the roof?"

Aya adds, after a moment, to Seldan, "There are already many eyes on this temple, but I don't believe that hers are among them." "I wished to know whether it was inside that you sought," Seldan nods his acceptance of the preference. "That may be so, but there are many who might wish eyes inside the Temple, a thing I will not risk. Perhaps we should seek an inn?"

Cryosanthia nods, with a slow glance towards Aya and a thought from the other day. Her gaze returns to Seldan, "Anyplace will do. This one... wishes to talk about her feelings. They are likely not of interest to scryers."

"Perhaps the Fernwood." She suggests, another place of the past with deep reminders for them all. No. That may not be a good choice.

"Perhaps the Tarrace." Her voice is still a little dreamlike, and her gaze distant. She's raised her hand to touch Seldan's armour again, and almost does before she notices and lowers it once more. "Perhaps the baths there. I want to see you naked Aya."

It's said without allure or flirtation. Clinical, as if she's ordering a drink. She turns and drifts off like a very solid ghost, "I'll meet you there."

Aya is aware that Cryosanthia was significantly affected by the arrival of Winter; she knows that Cryosanthia is behaving uncharacteristically. Still, the flat comment at the end catches her by surprise and brows arch... then pan to follow the moving sith. The shock is such that a moment passes before she recalls some past comments and the implications thereof. Only then does she step after the Sith.

The Baths

-=--=--=--=--=--=--=--<* A03: The TarRaCe - Bathhouse *>--=--=--=--=--=--=--=-

A light, warm mist welcomes those entering the grand bathing chamber. Rising from pools warmed by unseen sources of heat, the moisture makes the air somewhat muggy but still comfortable to breathe. The room it fills has been divided into three portions - the dividing walls, like the bathing pools themselves, clad in pale marble that contrasts with the dark granite that bears the weight of it all.

Attendants politely direct people to changing areas and appropriate services, and ensure that no one winds up where they should not. The central pool is open to both sexes, with a strict requirement for bathing attire to be worn. Those located to either side are mirrors of each other, each restricted to one sex and discreetly guarded to preserve patrons' privacy.

Beyond the central pool a pair of massage tables offer another form of politely-supervised relaxation, with cabinets holding an impressive array of aromatic oils for the use of trained members of staff. More prosaically, signs announce the availability of a service to clean clothes while patrons wash themselves, so that they can return to the outer world fresh from head to toe.

-=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=-

It's late in the evening and the TarRaCe baths are mostly empty. There are a couple attendants, though things are quiet.

Cryosanthia remained much like she was at the Temple of Eluna after her strange offer, walking as if in a trance, staring into the distance and expertly dodging around people in the street with minimal effort. She often picked a path to avoid getting close to anyone. No words were exchanged with Aya on the way. While her feelings might be uninteresting to passers-by, she was unwilling to share random snippits of them across Alexandria.

Thus, she will inflict them on those at the baths. It takes a while for her to change, she has a lot of magic gear. She also does not so much change as strip, removing every piece of clothing.

Revealed in all her scaley glory, she enters on the women's side of the baths with a rolled up towel under her arm, approaches a heated pool, and lets herself slide in.

She's colder than normal and the steam that rises is more pronounced. She sinks down until it's just her head above the water.

Aya is uncertain what to say to Cryosanthia that might improve matters. Afterall, all of what she knows is second-hand, and most is from Cryosanthia; thus she has more than enough context to understand the impact, and some general notion as to the why, yet without helpful pertinent details.

The distrust, suspicion, or similar, however, she is all-too-familiar with, if not so much directly from Cryosanthia, herself. Perhaps that is part of why she accompanies her, or why she chooses to similarly disrobe. Her attire is relatively simple, enchantments aside, so it is not an arduous process. That, or perhaps she is merely talented at doing so, if some might choose to believe this and infer whatever they will.

Now holding naught but a towel at her side, she approaches the pool yet stops short of entering it as she looks to the whitescale. "Now will you share your thoughts?" Despite some annoyance on her features, her inquiry does not carry such in its tone.

Cryo looks up, rises up enough her shoulders are exposed. Water streams off her neck, taking a longer while to drain from the scales on the back of her neck where it's more complex. "Thank you Aya, for coming to listen and indulging this one."

Her eyes focus on Aya's annoyed expression, then slowly roam over the exposed skin. Her voice still seems distant, neutral. "I don't know what to think, Aya. My mind feels like an empty landscape."

"Yesterday was like stepping into a dream. Back into a dream." Her voice fades off again. She's staring at one of Aya's feet. Her examination so far hasn't been efficient nor extensive.

Her eyes raise up to the Mul'niessa's. "Do you have a place where you go, in your head where you see yourself?"

It may not be unnaturally cold any longer, but Aya is not immune to temperature; not at present. Still, she makes a slow turn in place, arms lifted out from her sides in presentation, perhaps solely for Cryosanthia's benefit. She then steps into the heated waters opposite and settles herself. This allows her some time to consider her words, and her expression to soften; to the normal neutral, at least.

"You are welcome. I cannot undo what was done, nor begin to offer any insight, but it seemed that, whatever things were, they are not so any longer. It may not alter the past, but perhaps it offers some assurances of the future?" At the question, her brows arch. "What do you mean?"

The whitescale lizard watches intently as the Mul'niessa turns about. She examines her for markings, like she's seen in the Iron Books, on Darius and Malik, and on Ezil. There is nothing on Aya to indicate a pact, only the recognizable scars of combat. She dips her head. "This one will display for you, if you wish it."

She inhales slowly, then lets her breath out. "When you dream, and feel you are home, is it a place you've seen, or been? Or a place created of imagination? When you need to... remove yourself from where you are physically awake, do you envision yourself someplace? Like... a swamp?"

That is an interesting question, and perhaps unexpected as Aya's brows quirk further, now in surprise. They subsequently lower as she take several moments to consider. Whether in self-examination or choosing of words is unknown.

"A palace. A stronghold. One partly of imagination, and partly of memory. A place where no possible threat can exist."

"I have that too." Cryo says, looking at Aya's eyes. Looking into them. Her own are often featureless, like sapphire gems. Odd times and strong emotions make her pupils spread wider, making them kitten-like and vulnerable. A strange sight in a face that is covered in thick scales, with horns and protective ridges, a natural barrier to the world.

"Mine... is like yesterday. It is the frozen north, ground and sea. Open water, and ice-bergs. There is a tower." Her head lowers, she looks at the water, at the rippling distortion of Aya's body close by. Her snout raises, "Her Tower. The Shard Tower. My home. Not a happy home, but home."

"Yesterday, it was as if we stepped into your palace, with you. Does this make sense?"

Aya considers that scenario. "So it was as if you were there, but it was no longer safe? That would be ... unsettling... but that tower is no longer your home, correct?" A single brow lifts, now in query. "You have made your own, away from her. One that is -yours-."

"It's still... it's still..." Cryo says and her gaze drifts off to slide along the walls, watch the water and reflections. The motion of the ways. "This one can't find the words."

An admission of failure, as a Speaker. She leans her head back, lets herself sink down. Her horns end up hooking on the tiles beside the pool, bracing her at a point so she sinks no further. "This one was there for a human lifetime Aya."

"The Tower was my whole world. It was unchanging. It was unbreakable. Ceinara teaches to use what happens to you as inspiration. The Mountain, Angoron, I needed a way to be strong, like the him."

"It's _MY_ tower." She says suddenly, forcefully. "I took it over in my head. I live in it. Nothing can get through. I can climb to the top of it and see for miles, what She never let me do, and it is beautiful, and wonderful, and I watch the arctic animals burrow in the snow."

This is followed by a long pause, then a lament, "I made it mine, then she stepped in it."

Aya accepts the correction and simply nods. A pause before she meets the slightly dilated blue gaze. "If it is yours, then she only enters because you allow her to. Do not grant her entry, and she cannot."

After stressing that point and allowing it to linger, she adds, "What we saw may have resembled your tower, but that does not make it one and the same, any more than another city is this one, nor another whitescale is you."

"This one is not confused by that." Cryo shakes her head, nose lowered, eyes closed, speaking at the water, "the disorientation was great. The sensation I was dreaming, my entire life since was a dream. The unreality of it."

"This one did not give her my fear, this one did not submit, this did not let anything show. This one gave her what she gave me for years, cold indifference."

She's still shaking her head. Perhaps she doesn't believe her victory. Perhaps it wasn't a victory, and she is re-casting it as best she can.

That the encounter has left her a mess is very obvious.

Aya is still working to understand the finer details of Cryosanthia's ordeal, and reaction to the same. Fortunately, she has a fair amount of general context and experience to draw upon. "You returned what was given, what she expected? That could well be how you endured, how you survived. I did much the same, once, for decades. What you did then was not -you-. It was ... a role. A part in some bard's play."

"I wanted one word and she wouldn't even give that." Cryo says bitterly, shaking her head, "My Kobold daughter of less than a decade understands saying sorry. I can only imagine it takes immortals longer to figure out the basic things, if they ever do."

She sighs, "No, the plays are better. And mirroring her, anything to please her, everything to please her. The things she did... the things I did for her."

The whitescale stares at Aya, "She took people apart. To see what they looked like. Cut them to pieces. While they were living. This one had to pick up their parts."

She sinks into the water, "She took me apart. It's..."

Another exhale, "It doesn't matter. It happened. It's done. I told her I am no longer hers, and she ... answered me, like an equal. So it is so."

Aya's expression seems to soften on its own at mention of Lily, even to a smile. "That is because she learned from you. Not from this Endless Winter." As Cryo sinks, however, Aya's visage firms anew. She rises upright in counterpoint to the sinking. Perhaps, in this moment, she might even be the one looming, comparatively. Her words take on a harsh tone, as well.

"As you said, it happened. It is done. Look to your future now; not the past. Would you teach your child to be cold? Indifferent? If you were like that Salina, would you even feel anything for a thousand younglings, much less one?"

"She is the strongest thing I've known, and she is what power and presence look like to me." Cryo says facing Aya, "I like snowflakes, I like cold. I'm not her. I'm teaching Lily what she needs to know."

She sighs, "She's teaching me."

"It was still not an encounter this one wanted. There is too much I wanted to stay in the past, and she brought it back."

Aya's attempt at stern schooling and/or harsh truths is rather thwarted by mention of one individual. Her expression and voice soften. "She's teaching many of us, I think. She had no fear. No hesitation. Only her concern for you. She proved stronger than the Endless Winter, to me. Perhaps Lily would be the better one for you to emulate and admire?"

"Oh Silver Empress no, Aya." Cryo chuckles, "I'm still returning things she takes off shelves. She keeps getting into Mikilos' lab. This one is just clever enough to keep up with her, but she runs on a faster clock."

"She has a red's blood, no doubt. Her resilience is remarkable. She is my missing piece, Aya, she's what's holding me together."

The whitescale rises in the water, making a small wave, faces the Mul'niessa, "this one has to be strong for her. For all of them. This one feels Nest-Mother to all, to Aryia, to Seyardu..." She sighs, "...to Merek even. I'm not sure they truly hear my warnings, and I can't save them."

"You were there, you saw him. This time, it was as if he had no idea who she was. Maybe... maybe he never did."

Aya can at least be content in that Cryosanthia's mood has lightened. Warmed, one might say. "You are strong for her, I have witnessed as much. As for the others..." one shoulder rolls. "You can advise all you wish, but it is up to them to heed." One brow then arches high. "He? Merek? I doubt he was fully aware of the situation."

"Perhaps it was the mind-control magic." Cryo says, adjusting her shoulders so her partial wing-spars rest on the decking behind her. She exhales, cold enough to make her breath mist as it hits the water. Her fingers wiggle, there's a sparkle across her scales then a pale blue ray that freezes a small cone of ice. It rotates and bobs, point up, and she knocks it, watching it drift away in the pool currents, melting as it goes.

"Braelnoir worries about him. Still beats herself up over his actions. Seldan says we shouldn't abandon him..." She snorts again, "Why is this one worrying about him because Salina appeared? How is he tangled in."

"I feel... I could almost grasp what upsets me so, if I could spread it out like a tapestry and see the weaves and threads."

Aya lips purse at that mention, considering her recent experience with such. "Perhaps." She exhales, as well, though it does not mist on it's own as she lowers herself back into a more comfortable position in the water. Her eyes lift to the ceiling briefly. "Seldan is strong, but idealistic. Perhaps too much so. As idyllic as some might wish the world to be, the truth of reality is far from it."

When her focus returns to Cryosanthia, she makes a thoughtful sound. "Perhaps you could. You may well, in time. Until then, you at least understand that it does upset you. You don't need to know the full details of a threat to make allowances and contingencies for it."

"Seldan's concern is that he will fall to temptation. I think he's becoming a black dragon. I have looked for horns growing in. They are not known for restraint, only the desire for power." Cryo muses, paddling with her feet and rising up so she's almost horizontal under water.

"One day this one will understand." She murmurs, "This one... is most concerned for Zeke. This one at least got to confront Her." Back to Salina again. "This one got to see, to smell, to sense, to experience her presence. There are changes. She is not what she was, this one saw that."

"He has only the memory of the nightmare. She did... horrible things, to us both. He would not eat. She convinced him he was becoming cannibal, and a Forgotten."

"Wouldn't that make him all the more one to help you, and you him?" Aya poses somewhat rhetorically. "You both survived. That is no small thing. You are already connected in many other ways. His strength could be yours, and yours his."

He has only ..." Cryo starts to say when she's interrupted by an attendant. "Are you Cryosanthia? There is a silverguard waiting for you in the Tarrace."

The whitescale looks over, "Okay. Tell him we will join shortly."

She turns to Aya, "this one wished to speak to him about Zeke also. Let's get dressed and continue over tea."

She surges out of the water, large runnels of it running off her body, streaming down to drip off her tail. She leans, extending a hand to Aya to help her out.

"Thanks for indulging me." There is one last look, perhaps more curiosity this time.

Aya looks to the attendant at the message, then nods to Cryosanthia. She accepts the hand to exit the pool, a brow quirking at thie whitescale's last glances. "Do you suppose he will demand his own examination? Perhaps it would be easier if I waited to dress until after we meet?" Her tone is far more dry than her skin, and her appearing smirk confirms the wry as well.

"This one thinks... he does not share the curiosity for softskins that this one has, nor the worry of markings, so I think he will not." She says contemplatively, "still, you might emerge with a robe ready to do so. This might even discourage the request."

She winks.

The Restaurant

-=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=-<* The TarRaCe *>--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=-

Inside, this two-story structure has been almost completely opened up. Generous windows on both stories allow daytime sunlight and cooling night breezes to flow in as needed, while the brick walls have been whitewashed - contrasting with the dark-stained beams and supports, and the rich polish on the wooden floor. A broad strip of stone runs from the entrance to a framed doorway set into the opposite wall, with a sign above the lintel declaring that the baths are to be found that way.

The ground floor is sprinkled with tables and chairs of assorted sizes, offering welcome to guests both large and small. One whole corner of the building - into which guests are not permitted entry - has been given over to the kitchen, which serves as the domain of the famed monster chef Ligum Serforus. Mundane meals are available, but the chef delights in offering up obscure dishes made from the freshest of monster ingredients.

Opposite the kitchen a small bar runs in front of an array of shelves, displaying a broad selection of beverages (most of them alcoholic). The bar-top has been fashioned from what looks to have been old pieces of armor, fused and welded together before being polished to provide a near-smooth finish. Set above it, three human-sized statues have been built into an alcove in the wall: Tarien, Rada and Ceinara jointly keep benevolent watch over the room and its occupants.

To the right of the entrance, a small stage offers a platform for a handful of performers at a time. To the left of the door, a spiral staircase of wrought iron winds its way up to a balcony dining area, that is chiefly reserved for special events and parties.

-=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=-

Out in the main room, Seldan's easy to spot. Not that he isn't easy to spot just about anywhere, no matter how much he tries to dress down, but here, especially so, because he just does not _fit_, amid the clientele of this place. Far too stiff, far too formal, and the first two would be enough to make him stand out, but he looks tense as well, despite at least mostly managing o cover it under that cool reserve. It's there, though, for eyes that look. He has ordered an ale and a plate of the special today, and has settled down with it in a chair to one side of the expansive room, but has hasn't eaten more than a bite or two. He's getting his fair share of sidelong glances.

He appears to have opted for pale blue shirt and trousers beneath the robe, and only Reunion at his hip, bright hair bound back with a decorated leather thong.

Cryosanthia emerges from the baths, dry and dressed down. She has something loose, in a long shirt that hangs to mid thighs, and pants that flow down to her feet where they spread out to accommodate her strange ankles. Her tail somehow has a space and a half skirt of sorts on the upper portion. Her partial wings are unbound, and she seems better at keeping them folded in.

"Peace on your Nest again, Seldan. Thank you for meeting us. We had a relaxing bath, and discussed some things. Topics still unsettled." The whitescale says, looking for a bench and finding only a chair. She spins it to sit reversed, leaning on the back, arms folded across the top.

"This one... this one wants to speak of Zeke, but it relates to Her, and you have questions. What should I answer first?"

Aya emerges shortly behind Cryosanthia, and off to one side to avoid the tail. She wears most of her typical attire, though a number of smaller accessories are still carried in hand. "Silverguard." Greeting and acknowledgement in one, she holds further comment in lieu of Cryosanthia's questions. There are numerous imminent topics she expects to arise without the need for her to prompt.

Seldan's tension does not abate on seeing the other two, and he stands when they arrive, inviting them both to sit before himself resuming his seat. "I would hear your tale," he says simply. "When did she come to you, and what was said?"

Cryosanthia inclines her head, then gracefully takes her seat, even if the way she drapes herself over it is more akin to Braelnoir's causal and rough manner. "She came to Alexandria."

She looks across the table to Seldan, "Not to me. She had not one word for me. This one was there by happenstance, it could have been any other she met. Indeed, Merek attended, Seyardu received the warning, in a scroll."

"Salina approached by sea as close as she dared, bringing winter, ice and icebergs, to warn Alexandria that the Demon Duke walks the streets. That there is turmoil in the Iron Hells, even a prophesy and song sung by minor fiends trapped there."

The whitescale exhales, setting her hand on the table halfway towards Seldan and looking at a spot on the surface. "It was not her dream self. It was not the child we freed from the ice. It as... I think, another simulacrum of her, but one awake..."

"... and sane."

"I would have the words of the prophecy," Seldan replies quietly, letting the words linger in the air while he considers heir meaning. Some of the tension leaves his posture at the mention of _sane_. "She did not seem as an enemy to you?"

"She came to warn, rather than as a threat," Aya adds as she takes a seat, "or so it appeared. She was not aggressive, and claimed to keep her distance to spare the city the winter that accompanied her. I know little of what she was before, but she seemed far different from those tales."

Cryosanthia shakes her head, her sapphire eyes, so featureless and so gem-like, fixed on Seldan's. "She did not seem an enemy." She exhales and scratches at the table, "What I saw warred with all I know of her, all those years, all our experiences..."

"No. Not an enemy. Indifferent, with a purpose. Someone else. She kept her promise..."

She looks off to the side, at nothing, "You can't understand how her voice runs through me. How... her everything, scent, gestures, presence, mannerisms... how much... so much..."

The white Sith'Makar's head turns back to face Seldan, her composure firming up again, "She is not a threat. The scroll is with Seyardu. She..."

"She leaps in like ... I used to. Be careful, for her."

"No. I cannot." Seldan's answer is even, quiet, even gentle, although some of the tension returns as he watches Cryosanthia. "She is no longer a threat, and yet do you carry that burden with you still. If she is indifferent, I can but pray that she has delivered her warning, and does not return."

He sits nearly unmoving, never taking his eyes from the sith-makar, even as he acknowledges Aya's words with an inclined head towards. "I offered her mercy, because Eluna bade me do so, and because what I saw within the ice was not the same mind and soul that caused so much suffering. I must trust to Her wisdom, that she bade me do rightly, and that do I firmly believe that we did. As for Seyardu, I shall watch over her, and her friends. It is in my mind that they swim in pools deeper than they guess, and likely it is that they will pay dearly, do they remain unawares. I shall protect them as best I may."

"Thank you Seldan." Cryosanthia says quietly, going still and gazing at him for a silent moments. Her eyes twitching, she looks at his face, the set of his shoulders. The way she inhales, she might be scenting him.

Of course, she knows what his blood tastes like.

"This one told her I would not go with her. She said she would not ask." The whitescale says, then snorts a laugh suddenly, "And Lily shot her."

She leans forward, "Seldan, Zeke has not had this. This one spent all night, convincing to calm him. Being able to... tell her no, and have no punishment, this I can build on, but Zeke hasn't had that."

"You must know, with everything that happened after he was alone, how much worse it was for him. You saw, you saw how I couldn't heal him, only made him worse. Please, keep this in mind. I don't want to lose my cihuaa again."

For a moment, it's a very tense thing, that scenting. He draws - no, not back. Upright. Ramrod-straight, in the way of a soldier being judged - or preparing to defend himself. Why would he need to defend himself here and now?

And then, the laugh. He shifts, relaxes, at least a little. Back to the quiet reserve he'd been seeking earlier, only this time, it is a touch more natural-looking. "My brother's mind is known to me. Mal and I shall see to him," he answers quietly, but with conviction. "I ask only that you do not broach the topic of Salina in his presence, and we shall see to it that he heals. I cannot promise that all will be as it was, only that we will seek a measure of peace."

Aya is quiet for a time as the matter shifts to more personal impacts of the event. She knows very little of Cryosanthia's ordeals and even less of Zeke's. There is further delay before she speaks. "I understand that her arrival was ...unpleasant, but the nature of it is a boon, yes? Even if she is otherwise uninterested or neutral, one enemy is better than the two, before."

Cryo's head bobs in agreement, "Knowing she is gone is better than hoping she remains gone. This is true. And Seldan, Zeke knows she visited, this one told and this one has assured him she was different, and was there for him, but you are right I should not open the wounds that healed over. This one will try to drop it."

If only the reminders weren't so persistent. Every winter, the sight of snow, the whitescale's own powers, call her back to her mind.

"The Demon Duke too." Cryo looks at Seldan again, "I won't ask that you, or he, stop the pursuit. It has made him stronger. This one cautions..."

"Remember his nest-mother. Remember her obsessions. This one... this one suspects there is a flaw in the people's minds, that we become to fixated, to focused."

"Perhaps all suffer temptations..." She muses, looking at Aya with a blank expression before returning to face Seldan, "I can lose him in this quest. I will do my best to support and distract him, and pull him away, to give him moments of happiness. Know that this worries me also. Please."

"I dare not cease the pursuit," Seldan answers simply, his eyes lowering to the food and drink forgotten on the table before him, that he shares with Cryosanthia and Aya. It's a quiet, earnest conversation. "Does he succeed in his aims, there shall be neither escape nor flight from his wrath. I would say to you also, that pursuit of a goal has sustained many a man through his wounds. It may yet be so with him, and less a flaw in the People."

"He is my brother, the only one that remains to me, Cryosanthia. Think not that I will not see to his care."

Sabina steps out of the baths looking refreshed if a tad tired. Her magical sleeves have formed a dress of white and gold feathers. Too ornate by half for a normal evening the Tarrace but it seems to make the priestess smile a touch wider.

She afixes her mask on her face and then catches sight of the serious group of folk she knows (for the most part). She purses her lips momentarily and pauses by the bar to get a platter and drinks which she moves towards the table with. "Hello to you all. What has frowns apon faces and brows furrowed with concern?" She sets the drinks down for all to share.

"Obsession can drive one to self-destruction," Aya notes, though promptly caveats, "but I agree that this is an exception. A cause shared by many; one that should not be dismissed. Not that any and all should throw themselves headlong and heedless at him."

Cryosanthia touches the small pouch that hangs around her neck, "My sympathies for the loss of your brothers," She says carefully, unsure if the Silverguard means war-brothers like her scale-sister does, or clutch-mates of the same nest-mother, or more kin the way he is with Zeke and she with Braelnoir.

She nods slowly to both, "Mikilos needed something. This one understands a man focusing on a cause. This one does not doubt you Seldan. I want you to know I am behind you, and my cihuaa."

The corners of her mouth curl up in a slight smile, and puts her hand in the aisle, "Just very far behind. Peace on your Nest Salina. We discuss our pasts and our future, and those who have shaped them for good or ill. Mostly ill."

"That is well indeed." Seldan offers a warm, easy smile for that, much of the tension flooding from him. "I must share words with the Hearthguard very soon, then, that I might understand the message sent. It may well be of import." He rises when he spots Sabina, and bows formally, his own food and drink momentarily forgotten in front of him. "The past rises again, although not quite in the same way. Her light upon your path."

Bina nods slowly. "I have heard the rumors of once fought demons returning as well as those who once enslaved others through time and magic. At least we do not have a certain vampire returning as well. I do not think we'd be able to wrestle him into the fountain a second time." She gives them a wry smile as she pours a cup of wine for herself. "Is there aught I can get for you all?"

Aya looks up to Sabina. "Hello, and no, thank you." She holds up a hand to decline. A thought occurs and she looks back to her tablemates. "She claimed that he was within the city, that she could sense him. Do you think that the reverse might be true? If so, could he still have an agenda against her?"

"She said he walked the streets and she expressed some feeling regarding Silvermoon and her people." Cryo confirms, "Tea please Sabina and... oh... whatever Lily would eat."

She grins, "This one should emulate her more. She shot at a God and didn't miss. The leftovers will delight her."

She leans, "Perhaps Aya, but what can we hope? That he chases her in revenge? He wanted Mortal Dread to slay her, without it, I am not sure who is the stronger."

"Since She had him bound, this one would suspect Her."

"I do not wish to learn the answer to such a question, for the loser in such a titanic battle is Ea itself." Seldan re-seats himself, once Sabina has done so, and while his glances go from time to time to the Trickster, he remains focused on the topic at hand. "It may well be that he wished her ill, but I must speak with the Hearthguard, to learn the contents of the scroll, ere I guess at his intent, or hers."

Finally, he picks up fork and spoon and takes another bite of his meal. "Your cook is superb."

Bina motions to one of the servers and quietly asks for tea and a meaty dish for Lily, speaking her name and asking the server to let the cooks know as they have had much time with the small kobold.

She then grins at the paladin. "Thank you! But don't tell them that. Those three Luchts in there would hardly be able to move about the kitchen without bumping into each other's swelled head if you told them that, Seldan. But I will let them know they keep getting compliments."

Aya listens to details she may not have had before, or not confirmed. A nods to Cryosanthia before she rolls one shoulder. "There may be no ready answer, but it seemed worth the question. He does not seem one to be easily defeated by simple force of arms. To me, that means he must be outwitted, and all possibilities considered."

To Seldan, she notes, "I am as curious of its contents as others, and would welcome any information that is gleaned from it." As she did not request food nor drink, Aya curiously tends to casually donning the accessories she brought with her from the baths

Cryo smiles at Sabina, "Well, do share that I've given compliments too, then. I find their meals delightful, and am grateful they are kind to Lily and let her help out. I look forward to what they prepare."

Looking at Seldan and Aya once more, the whitescale sighs, "this one wishes you well in that regard. Lily, Giggles, the Phalanx Falcis, my cihuaa most gladly, and the mundane tasks this one fills her day with have me overwhelmed."

She leans back, sighing and looking at the stage. "The band, Band Name Here, is arguing. In all this, this one is nest-mother to musician golems acting like hatchlings too. It is absurd sometimes, the world is falling apart but they are unconcerned because their world is falling apart."

"Griva's task must come sometime too..." She looks at the wall, the wall she should paint.

Again, Seldan sets down his utensils and lowers his eyes, looking up first at Sabina. "I shall remember your words."

Aya gets a slower answer. "It is even as you say. He is well beyond any present, in magic or force of arms. He must be outwitted, his weaknesses turned against him. I shall share what I learn, for I do not face this alone. Still - I would not overburden Cryosanthia, for it is as she says, she has enough to worry about."

"You cannot control all things at all times," Aya notes to the whitescale, possibly in assurance, "nor can anyone." A glance to Seldan. "Only so much at a time. I will be prepared for Griva's task, and try to be so for the next." She re-pins the brooch her her clothing. "To that end, I should go."

Aya rises from her seat, nodding to Seldan's words before looking to Crysanthia once more. "Try not to overburden yourself, either, Cryosanthia. You and Zeke more than earned a respite, and are still mending from the last."

Bina nods to Seldan but raises a brow as well at the response. "I'm sorry we keep interrupting your eating, Seldan. But you have the right of things as usual, as does Aya. There needs to be a spreading of work out to each other and more. I'd offer myself as well if you need more aid." She looks over to Seldan then. "Though I fear that I've tarnishes my already tarnishes reputation and trust with Seldan here. I would still help if you have need."

The food comes and it is a meat plate of many things, some breaded and fried, others baked, broiled with so many sauces one could fingerpaint on the side. No clothes will be safe. A good thing the whitescale's have been magical for decades.

Cryo grins at Aya, "This one has an idea, a waterfall in the wilderness I have not seen this summer. The pool is wonderful to lie in, and watch the water rain down on your face. I took him there once before, perhaps again."

It's Sabina's curious statement that draws a look from the whitescale, "Hmm? Tarnished?"

The question draws Seldan's curiosity as well, his eyebrows lifting, but his gaze level on Sabina. "Tarnished? Not the succubus?"

Bina shrugs. "The mention and thought of it had you looking hard at me, Seldan. Not without cause, I grant you. I was thinking that I had damaged something between us and assumed trust but I did not think that it was a good time to ask, our last talk." She takes another sip of wine and shrugs.

"It sounds most interesting, " Aya opines to Cryosanthia. If it is an invitation, that could be her acceptance. Having somewhat excused herself, and the topic shifting to other, more personal matters for others, she simply offers a dip of a nod to the table. "Good day to you all. Until the next time." That they meet, that some threat wades through the city, or that a world-ending event arises? Perhaps some combination thereof.

"Succubus? Wait, what?" Cryosanthia blinks, but there are social niceties to attend to. "Peace on your Nest, Aya. Find us tomorrow, bring a suit. You need not bathe as bare today."

She wobbles her head in a wide grin, watching as the Mul'niessa departs before turning to Seldan and Sabina once more. "What succubus? The story? You wrote it Sabina? Or something else?"

"Demons do not make good pets, ask Ezil." Although as demons go, Jerboba was fairly innocuous.

"Rupi is not as she appears to be," Seldan tells Cryosanthia gravely. "It is not my place to challenge her, does she not threaten the innocent or violate Alexandria's laws, and yet would I have you be wise to her wiles, the better to foil her." His eyes remain on Sabina, intently, but the gaze holds concern, not judgment.

"Rupi? Your dockworker friend? The other one?" Cryo looks at Sabina incredulously, "She's a succubus? I thought they were... more comely."

The whitescale is confused. She's also notoriously bad with disguises, despite using many of her own.

Her eyes widen, "Are you sure this one is safe? This one does not need another threat prowling around." She stares at Sabina.

Bina chuckles at Cryo's reaction. "Safe? Oh I don't think she's safe. But then again there are normal humans and elves and Luchts and others that step into this place every day that I do not believe are safe to be around either." Another sip of wine. "I do, however, thank you both for the concern. As far as she goes, Rupi seems to not be like the stories and writings speak of them. Similar but not fully. No rash actions. No killing or the like that I have seen. As Seldan says. She hasn't done anything to break the laws here that I know of. That in itself would speak to how different she is."

The mention of the dockworker entices a tiny smile to play around Seldan's lips, tugging at its corners, but he does not look at Cryosanthia. "Infernals are no fools, and yet do they specialize in deception. I caution you against deals with her, that she may twist to her advantage. Her goal may not be you, but your business. It is a place from which many people may be watched, at their most vulnerable."

"This one would be worried if you said she was safe." Cryosanthia admits, looking at Sabina, leaning close and cautiously inhaling, scenting her. If something is revealed to her nose, she does not share it. Attention turns to the well sauced meat and she eats a few bites which leave her fingers and snout smeared. The napkin will have its work cut out.

"Yes... it, doesn't work out. This one had a mind shielding ring." She chuffs, frowning a little, taking a long sip of tea. "I wonder what I'd see if I wandered Alexandria with truesight up."

Another piece of meat, another thought, "So... Rupi is ... from the bottom of the barrel?"

Bina, snorts into her wine and almost spills it at Cryo's comment. She coughs and laughs, then looks over to Seldan. "I do not think she took your words to heart." Then to the sith Bina speaks. "She was under magical disguise, Cryosanthia. I have seen her true form. She is most lovely I assure you. Inhumanly lovely just as the tales speak of them."

Back to Seldan. "I had thought of that. I also informed her I would kill her if she harmed folk that visited here. I value the place I have created. One that I strive to make happy and relaxing so that folk will smile and take pleasure in being here."

"It is in my mind that you would see a great many nobles and merchants in less than flattering attire," Seldan replies, and pushes back from the table. "I highly doubt that she took anything I said to heart, it troubles me not, for it is to be expected. But, I should return to the Temple, and seek out the Hearthguard. If you will forgive me."

"Peace on your Nest, Seldan. Thank you for listening." Cryosanthia says, rising as the Silverguard leaves, then taking her seat once more. She watches Sabina, nodding slowly, "That's reassuring. This one is trying to relax."

"So, most curious. I don't know what to think. This one has thoughts crashing together like giant ice-bergs."

"Mmmm," Sabina says, taking a chunk of meat and heading into the kitchen, "gotta check something."

The whitescale finishes her meal alone, then boxes the remainder which is more than she managed to consume. Lily will be pleased.

Viginette

Rupi shows up in Sabina's office, eating some cheesecake and carrying a plate with another slice, and a bowl of salad, "So, this cheesecake is awesome. Want to see what you'll like like if you add a slice of it to your diet for a month, oooooor, if you don't and have only a salad for lunch?"
Sabina snerks.
Rupi says, "Hey, some like a little extra."
Sabina punts Rupi from office :D