In which she still lives

The room set aside.

As far as stone rooms go, this one is looking a lot nicer now. The beds are back, there are tables and chairs. The box which recently held their things has been unpacked, but it's still out and ready to be used. There's a rack for hanging up Zeke's vestments, and a mirror. Also, somewhere a miniature version of the Dragons of Light mana lights has been found and moved here. It gives off a warm glow and makes things a little cosier, even if it is still mostly stone.

Cryosanthia walks in and holds the door, waving for others to enter. She's slipping her backpack off. "Sit anywhere. We can start up some tea. This one wants to sit and not watch for unexpected arrivals." The whitescale still watches Zeke, less like he's going to break at any instant, but still with concern. Her tail sways behind her and she smells happy.

Zeke follows in Cryosanthia's wake. He pauses elsewhere briefly, to aquire some tea, but even with his brief stop off, he's not left behind. It's amazing to him how quickly these halls have become familiar once more. How quickly it has become second nature to find his way to this room. There's a table in the center of the room, and he sets the tea service down there, and begins to steep the tea before sitting down himself. It's clear that he's exhausted from the way he sis down so carefully and slowly. "Tea isss a good idea, ssso thisss one hasss sstarted sssome." He wags his tail softly at Cryosanthia.

Kira follows Cryosanthia and Zeke inside, delighted to see them both happy, as they should be. The change in the room seems to reflect and amplify that. "Thank you for inviting me." She moves off to the side so she doesn't prevent anyone else from walking in.

If the others are relaxed and pleased, Seldan is quiet and impassive, his thoughts his own as he trails the others into the room. "The invitation is kind of you," he agrees, moving off to the side as well and politely waiting for the others to seat themselves before taking a chair. He says nothing else, only looks from face to face.

Braelnoir follows the couple in after Kira, glancing at her feet every now and then. Once inside the room, she unhooks the crossbow from wence it hangs and carefully decocks it before laying it against the wall by the door. She then follows Kira's cue with, "Thanks, luvzs." before looking the place over, but, rather than settle in just yet, the chimera drifts around everyone to a particular indulgence: the mirror.

Cryo puts her haversack on the bed. She concentrates and her robes vanish, turning back into sleeves. It's moment for her to take off her mail shirt, which she folds and puts in the pack, and then she switches her clothes to a long shirt over top of loose pants, which include a short tail-sleeve and dragon-eyes decorating around the cuffs. She takes a small tin and cloth out and comes up beside Braelnoir at the mirror, "I saw this in the market and I thought of you. It's a mercurial silver and some bees wax, for buffing scales like yours. Fills in little scratches they'll look really shiny."

Stepping back, she looks over at Zeke, "I'll try peach today, if there's some left Zeke." Then she sits on the bed, "You're looking stern, Seldan. Um... there was a favour Kira wanted to ask me. Could you help Zeke while I find out?"

Zeke waves to the chairs around the table, seeming a bit bemused. He slowly rises once again to find the tea, nodding to Seldan. "Thisss one isss glad that you are here kin. How are you doing?" He wags his tail slightly at the other man as he shifts through the teas.

Kira nods to Cryosanthia. "Yes..." She glances briefly to Zeke and Seldan, and Braelnoir at the mirror, then she moves to Cryosanthia rather than asking her over. It's her room, afterall, and ... maybe this will make things easier. She takes a seat next to her, not unlike prior times on the steps, then hesitates a moment before whispering to her ear... frill.

"Of course." Seldan straightens and goes over to Zeke, leaving Kira and Cryosanthia alone. He had had with him a set of practice weapons and armor, that he had picked up and brought with him, and sets them down just inside the door as he, perhaps interestingly, turns his back on the both of them. "I am well enough," he answers Zeke. "What of yourself? Did you find aught to your liking, in your search? He offers a hand with the tea and tea set, should Zeke want it.

Braelnoir looks into the mirror with an expression betraying a certain... studious wonder before the faces start; baring her interlocking teeth, sticking a forked tongue out at her reflection, et all. A hand lifts to gently caress the bared side of her scalp and brushes her earring in the doing before Cryo joins her with presents. The chimera blinks up at her and smiles, "Thhankss, luv!" More shiny, precious! Though, as things move into favors and everyone's mood seems a little less casual than she was thinking, she looks between the lot. A shrug and she drifts to what seems a properly tail-friendly seat and settles down, cradling her presents in her lower hands, but doesn't interrupt.

Cryo leans in to listen to Kira, then nods her head. She glances in the direction of Zeke and Seldan, then looks carefully at the woman's clothes. Her voice is low when she replies, not easily overheard.

"We went to a few places Seldan, wherever the whim took us," Cryo adds for the other Paladin.

Zeke looks over his kin carefully, and lowers his voice somewhat. It's strange, but in a way they're all having their own private conversations in this room. The sith allows Seldan to take the tea set, just in case his strength fails him.

Kira shakes her head to Cryo and then turns a little, putting her back more to her and her front towards others and untuck her robe and tabbard from under her. She then reaches back around her sides to grab tabard, robe, and shirt to hike them all up her back.

Cryo moves so her view is unrestricted, and watches as Kira exposes her back. She doesn't take long in her examination, and only helps lift the clothes a little across Kira's shoulders to peek underneath. It's rather quick, then she pats her on the shoulder.

Braelnoir looks between the pairings for a moment and turns her attention to the jar of scale polish, cracking it open for a quick look. A sniff-sniff, then the lid is set back into place.

Kira is partly relieved at the pat, and lowers her garments back down. "Thank you." Most of the pink in her cheeks is gone as she resituates herself, both so her robe isn't bunched up and to look to Cryo with apprehensive curiosity.

"I was going to say, your back and shoulders are fine, and that the only place you could have one I couldn't see, would be if you were sitting on it. Except, there is a mark where a tail would be if you were sith, as if she was planning to attach one. This one wonders more about the Mistress' scrying choices, she wants to see people watching you walk? Few will see it, unless you do grow out the tail.""

Kira's curiosity fades while her apprehension simply takes a different route. Then she looks confused as she near whispers, "Watching people watch me walk?" A moment later, the illusory mana lamp over her head may have flicked on, as her blush returns with a vengeance.

Seldan takes the tea set willingly enough, and carries it as Zeke directs, pointedly keeping his back on the women. He, too, keeps his voice down, allowing the multiple disparate conversations to continue.

Braelnoir arches an eyebrow at the whisper, then looks at the males for a moment, her tail's movements getting more energetic, as one of the toes on her left foot starts to tik-tik-tik a claw against the floor.

Zeke nods to Seldan, then sits down. He keeps his green eyes on his kin, but then something that Kira says makes him look up. "Who isss watching you walk Kira?" The words are curious, but he begins to pour out tea for everyone. A smooth practiced movement with little hesitation. "Have sssome tea. Sssit down. Pleassse."

Tea. Yes. Sitting. Yes. Kira focuses on those words so she can maybe feel less awkward. "Thank you. No one that I'm aware of." She gets that brief answer out as she moves to the table and takes a seat. With that thought planted, though, she does pay a bit more attention to the three flicking or waving tails in the room. What would that be like? Uncomfortable on furniture? Knocking things over by accident?

On the bright side, at least she now knows. She looks to Seldan. "To answer your earlier question, it seems that yes, I am."

Cryosanthia looks about to answer, then decides it is really up to Kira. As an alternative, she stands and collects a teacup and saucer for her, bringing them over and handing them to the paladin. The second thought catches up with her, "It's a... a hypothetical, if anyone could scry on these marks, or if I could message someone else with one or something." Her tail seems very carefully controlled. It's right where she wants it to be, behind her, and not doing a thing at all.

Seldan simply nods mutely to Kira, then executes a swift set of gestures and a phrase that leaves a shimmering golden/silver field before his eyes. He peers through it, at all present, without a trace of anything except deep, intent focus. Something is most clearly on the Silver Guard's mind, but what it is, he does not seem inclined to say.

GAME: Seldan casts Detect Magic. Caster Level: 14 DC: 17

Braelnoir reaches out with her unoccupied hands with a distracted, "Thankss, luv." before she starts to look between the people again and muses, "Ssusspensse izs overrated." That said, she brings the teacup to her face and flicks her tongue over it as she breathes in. With Seldan's sudden casting, she stands, a hand crossing to her sword, "Sss! What izs it?" looking about.

Zeke's green eyes flicker from one person to the other. "Thisss one doesss not undersstand what you all are talking about." He looks around once again, picking up his tea cup and sniffing it.

"Mikilos suggested I keep my hand in an extradimensional space, like a bag of holding or my backpack." Cryosanthia says, removing her left glove to look at the Snowflake mark on the back of it. She holds her hand out towards Zeke, "I meant this, if I could talk to other people with it, or if we were somehow connected still."

The whitescale looks over at Kira, "Can't really get a bag of holding for... yours. Gives a new definition to fanny pack though. I suppose you could line a skirt with a portable hole, wrap it around. No, that wouldn't work, you'd fall in when you sat down."

Seldan is silent for the space of several heartbeats, but his gaze lands on Cryosanthia's hand as she pulls it from the glove, and he tells her, abruptly and tersely, "You are." His eyes seek out the whitescale, his gaze attempting to be meaningful. He takes his tea, wrapping hands around it, but says nothing further.

Kira tries to sip her tea, and politely so... even as her cheeks flare back to life as Seldan casts. And then Cryosanthia makes a suggestion that has her blinking initially... and sputtering out her tea with a cough at the side-effect of falling through. Even Kira isn't sure whether it was supposed to be a gasp or a laugh. Either way, tea goes the wrong way.

Zeke's tail has grown silent, his eyes narrow. "You mean that Kira hasss..." He is tense suddenly, looking at Cryosanthia's hand. His scent is fading away, folding until it's gone. "Cryosssanthia isss? Now?" He's not particularly good at being subtle.

"Ooooooooooooooh. Well that's me sitting with my hand in a bag for the rest of tonight." Cryosanthia says, picking up her haversack, closing the flap and wiggling her hand in. For good measure she sits to the right of Kira and tucks the backpack against her. The whitescale balances her teacup on a knee, steadying it with her right hand. "Something is going on Zeke. I don't know what. And she marked everyone. Almost everyone."

Kira recovers from her sputtering with blinks of worry,now. She looks between Seldan, Zeke, and Cryo and back around. "What is it?" the questions is for any or all.

Braelnoir's hilt creaks slightly as the enigma continues into outright tension, she looks between the others, trying to put things together. Despite the comforting sensation, she releases her grip on the weapon and waits for the all clear and/or more information to work with, heightened agression, alertness in her scent.

From the shimmering field before Seldan's eyes, he has not let the spell drop, nor does he plan to, despite the narrowing of eyes that suggests one looking at fairly bright lights. "Sentinel, Sunguard, I would not willingly offer offense." He's leaving something unspoken there, explaining nothing, the Myrrish-tinted words spoken quietly and with a taut reserve. He is saying no more than he must, right now.

Zeke lets out a long breath. Not just one, but several. His tea cup shakes in his hand until he places it down on the table. The smell of peaches is strong in the air thanks to Cryosanthia's request. "Thisss one doubtsss that sssuch a idea will... help Cryossanthia." He moves suddenly, standing more quickly than he ever does and paces the few steps toward the beds, turns his back on the room.

Cryosanthia lifts up her tea and takes a sip, then sets it back down on her knee. How to explain without explaining. She can smell that Zeke and Braelnoir are on edge, and a lot of peaches. She concentrates on the peaches. Her own scent is mostly absent. "The plague ooze changed people and may have left them all connected in a way, as well, a lot of people share the same mark. So with two strong magical influences it makes a network and it could be used for things. Who, or what, or why, I don't know. Mine was off for a while, it's back on, I don't know what it means. Except it's usually bad."

Her cihuaa's odd behaviour draws her attention, "Zeke... are you ok? I can go... sit in a box or something. I wish that magic mansion spell was easier. I'd live in that. A house I could re-arrange like my clothes. I'm sorry to dump all this on you Braelnoir, I really wanted to show you how to use the scale polish."

Kira is more than a little... lost, still. Aside from Cryosanthia's words, now, that suggest bad things. Now she's looking between Zeke and Seldan, unsure if she should move or not move or... is there a third option? Kira finally settles on Seldan (as Cryo already questions Zeke) to ask, "What should I do?"

"We are being watched, Sentinel." Seldan's terse, taut explanation to Kira is delivered without him taking his eyes from Zeke, and there is real regret there amid the tension. "I know not if the mark upon you may be used as she uses Cryosanthia's, or no. I can tell when she is using Cryosanthia's, but I must be able to see the mark itself to do so. I would not offer offense."

Braelnoir's tail lashes behind her as she empties tense hands onto a table and she turns intent eyes on Cryosanthia when she begins her explaination, nodding crisply once. With the inquiry of Zeke, her attention turns that way, at her side, two of her hands make several odd, perhaps arcane gestures, "What's the plan?" Even though history's told her not to expect an answer. <handspeech>

Zeke simply stands where he is for several long moments, but when he finally turns around he seems to have control over himself. "Kira, you may alssso be being watched. But we can not know if we can not sssee the mark." He breathess deeply and looks at Seldan with a haunted expression "Thisss meansss that sshe... ssshe isss alive. Not defeated." His shoulders hunch at his own words.

"They need to see if your hiney is shiny, we'll know if the faerie is getting hairy." Cryo translates, looking at Kira.

Kira isn't sure what Cryosanthia's can be used for, other than the mentioned scrying. This does nothing to ease her apprehension. On the other hand, modesty is not worth danger to anyone, much less her friends. "I understand. No offense taken." She's not overjoyed, but at least worry beats out blush. To make things easier, she stands up and turns away from Seldan before hiking up the back hem of tabbard, robe, and her shirt. At least she can leave her breeches where they are, she hopes, revealing most of the mark near the base of her spine.

Ok, she wasn't blushing until Cryo says that. At least she's looking away from Seldan?

Despite himself, Seldan laughs openly at the translation, ignoring the muttering and at least one open wolf whistle that seems to be coming from his left hip. It sobers quickly enough, though. "You as well, Sentinel," is all he says before turning to watch Zeke again, standing and setting aside his teacup. "I knew, kin. I did not wish to burden you with the knowledge, not until you were well. We defeated her double." He starts across the room in Zeke's direction, but stops himself, letting Zeke have his space. "I dare not say more here."

Braelnoir rumbles a low growl and shakes her head at Zeke's words, "Lot of that goin' around, lately" she grits through her teeth. She looks to Seldan, seeing if he's still holding his spell, and, as Cryo makes her remark, the chimera lets out a sharp bark of laughter, of tension edging back to something approaching her.... typical pre-charge ebb. She looks to Kira, then back to Seldan.

Zeke blinks at Seldan's sword, curious at its odd noises, but ignores it for the most part. Still, the paladin's words send a shiver down Zeke's spine and he looks around the room. "Thisss one..." He hesitates, looks around the room and then moves quickly toward the door. He is careful, stepping around Seldan and shaking his head. "Thisss one can not." He's muttering under his breath, that same phrase over and over, until he is at the door, bristling and smelling of fear.

Her teacup clatters as Cryo moves it off her leg onto the bed. She's standing and following after Zeke, pulling her backpack up her left arm past where a normal pack would have stopped at her elbow, tucking it under and leaving her looking somewhat armless on that side. So just one hand to calm Zeke, but she wouldn't be touching anyhow. "It's Ok, you don't have to, don't worry Zeke, don't worry. Stay with me, we are here. Inhale, can't you scent the incense from the altar. We're safe, it's fine."

"Zeke! It's alright..." Kira seems to forget about the awkward rather quickly and drops her clothing to drape normally. She echoes Cryo's concern and, while she doesn't step after Zeke, it's fairly obvious that she wants to. Shared concern, or proof of some other connection between the Marked?

"Cryosanthia, I, too, should leave," Seldan tells the room in general, more evenly, but that taut reserve is still very much present. "I do not fault you, but it may be best if one unmarked accompanies him." There's a pleading in the ice-blue eyes that look from face to face. "I shall protect him."

Braelnoir steps around the furniture to Seldan's side as everyone in the know starts to react to Zeke's response. There's a quick scan of the others on the Silver Guard's words before she whispers something under her breath to him. She turns to the others, then and, "Then ssomeone'll hafta watch thhem, too." The subtle shift in her posture, the fact that her scent is still one of being on alert probably suggest her volunteering, but she says it anyway, "I can do thhat. Gonna be able t'reach uss if thhere's trouble, Ssel?"

Zeke stalls at the door and looks at Cryosanthia. "We are not sssafe. It isss not fine." His voice warbles and he shakes his head. "Thisss one can not." The door opens and he escapes to the outside. His posture stiff and defensive. He doesn't really look back to see if anyone is following him, he doesn't move too quickly though, he could be followed if one intended to do so.

And the whitescale looks away, not meeting his eyes. Cryo nods once, abruptly, staring at the floor and steps back. She sits on the bed, coils her tail around her side and takes hold of her tailtip, twisting her arm so they entwine. There's a new spot on the floor to stare at, one that's suddenly very interesting. "Follow him. Keep him safe." She sounds empty.

Seldan listens closely to Braelnoir's comments, both the spoken and the whispered, and nods taut agreement to something said. "Her light shine upon your path, all of you." With that, Seldan picks up his practice gear by the door and turns to follow Zeke, swiftly and purposefully.

Kira will never claim to feel about him as Cryosanthia does, but she's worried for Zeke nonetheless. She's also equally unable to help, so she can at least comiserate. Or console, as she moves to sit beside her and offer a scale-less hug if allowed. "He'll look after him. They'll be safe."