Strange fruit

Yelrona is sitting on the pedestal of a nearby statue, staring intently at an unusually clean-looking patch of ground in the Temple plaza.

Aya crosses the bridge to step into the plaza harboring the more common temples of the city. Her attention skims over several as she passes them, but lingers on none in particular.

It takes Rona a while to notice the Mul's presence... she is clearly absorbed by something. When she does, she waves idly... then does a double-take, and approaches her. "Aya! You may be the perfect person to help me solve a problem, here." She frowns, trying to get her thoughts in order. "So, you may have heard about a demonic intrusion here the other day? We fought it back, and the priests closed the portal, and we captured one of the people involved... a Thulian agent who was apparently summoning, or controlling, or something, some Taarite Abyssal larvae. Or trying to, anyway. Things were moving pretty fast, but it seemed like the larvae turned on him... and when we interrogated him, he was talking about conflict between the Thulians and the Taarans.

Which just doesn't make any sense to me, given everything I'm hearing about Thulian/Taarite weddings -- like the one you showed me the other day.

Does it make sense to you? If so, can you explain it to me?"

Aya's head rotates quickly at the call, then arches a brow at the approach and mention of an issue. As Yelrona explains further her issue, the other brow lifts to join its companion. After a moment of pause, possibly in thought, she speaks,

"First, it is Maugrimites and Taarans who are staging the ridiculous farce of matrimony. I doubt that Thul much cares. His only interest in the living, so far as I know, is what their souls and bodies can provide Him after death. As for the summoning, I'm not an expert on the topic, but I would expect it's a case of an overzealous mage attempting to control forces he doesn't have the knowledge or power to manage. It's a very common problem."

Yelrona smacks her forehead and feels dumb. "Oh. Right. I'm getting my Maugrimites and my Thulians mixed up... no wonder I'm confused."

She pauses a moment, working through that in her head, then nods. "OK. That makes sense. And, sure, I understand about summonings going wrong, but the Thulian was talking more broadly about conflict between the Thulians and the Taarans... which, OK, isn't _nearly_ as confusing as it was, now that I've got Maugrimites and Thulians straight. But... it seems like a useful thing to understand, and I honestly don't. Do you know anything more about the Thulian/Taaran conflict?"

Aya rolls one shoulder. "Not off-hand. It could be a new development. As I pointed out, I haven't been active in Charn in decades. It could also be some sort of counter-ploy against the solidarity they are trying to display with the marriages."

Morgan has arrived.

Svarshan has arrived.

Svarshan goes Bridge <W>.

Svarshan has left.

Yelrona nods. "Sure. I just figured, since you had more background there, you might know more." She shakes her head. "It's such a mess! I mean, it's great when our enemies don't get along, but I hate having to rely on it."

Aya dips her chin. "Good to take advantage of, but bad to rely upon, yes." After a moment, she adds, "I'm surprised that anyone would be so bold as to summon such things here." She gestures one hand vaguely about, "and nearly as surprised that the deities whose temples surround us didn't stop it."

Banshee has arrived.

Banshee goes Bridge <W>.

Banshee has left.

Morgan comes from behind the Eluna temple with a basket full of weeds. Slowly she is looking at the edges of the buliding for more

Yelrona nods. "I suppose one could argue that they did... through us. Vaalyun and the other priests were the ones to close the portal, through their prayers. But... yes, it should not have gotten that far." She shrugs helplessly. "Something is clearly happening, but I don't know what."

"There never seems to be a shortage of someting happening," Aya agrees, "especially in this city." The movement at the temples' edge at the corner of her eyes draws her attention to Morgan.

Morgan does not have much to pull as the peole here keep up on that. She gives the othe two a wave

"True, that," Rona agrees with a laugh. "Hey, Morgan!" She's not entirely sure why the half-sil is weeding, but she's learned not to ask. "Learned any new spells of late?"

Morgan smiles as she walks towards them "two spells one that lets me change in to small animals, and another that lets me plant small suggestions on people."

Yelrona looks interested. "How long does the first one last?"

Morgan says "I can keep it up for about a hour."

Aya arches a brow at Morgan. "Both of those could be useful, so long as you don't run into hunters or your target doesn't resist the effect, respectively."

Yelrona smiles. "Well, not running into hunters is good advice, whatever your form... at least, if they're hunting you."

Morgan nods "well the good thing about the spell is its hard to know its being casted unless you know a lot about spells. And what I can turn in to most hunters dont want to hunt unless they are hungry. What I am more concerned about is bigger animals."

Aya dips her chin to Morgan. "A wise concern." Her eyes then shit to Yelrona. "Yes, they're quite annoying. Unfortunately, I still deal with that, from time to time."

Yelrona is less surprised by that than she could be, at this point. "Who hunts you?"

Morgan looks to Aya "still problems with that royal prat?"

"The 'duke,'" Aya emphasizes enough that the quote marks are audible, "is more an anonyance than a worry. No, it's the many, not the few, that can be most dangerous here. With tensions as they are, most any mul'niessa become a target for angry drunkards, battle-shocked soldiers, or any with vengence or hatred..."

Yelrona nods and scowls. _That_ much, she understands completely. "Who has attacked you," she asks in a dangerously quiet voice, "for being Mul?"

Morgan nods as shes been attacked for being a half elf and a wizard... not as much for the later as she can fireball. "Well I hope you taught who ever a leason for that."

Aya rolls one shoulder at Morgan. "I couldn't say. Me? Attacking a fine, upstanding citizen of Alexandria? That wouldn't improve my position at all, now would it?"

"No, it wouldn't," Rona replies. "But neither would telling me who is attacking Mul in this city harm your position. And if _I_ choose to do something about it, for the protection of other Mul, and I am successful, then your position is improved. So you should tell me." The basic self-centeredness of Aya's reasoning gives her a headache, but by now she's come to understand it a little. And just because Aya is unlikely to care about the condition of others of her race, is no reason Rona can't.