Snow Proposal

Log Info

• Title: Snow Proposal
• Emitter: Seldan
• Characters: Seldan, Azog, Ezil, Cryosanthia, Kaelyn, Shagara, Braelnoir
• Place: A10: Temple District
• Time: Sunday, February 16, 2020, 12:58 PM
• Summary: Seldan and Azog are shoveling snow at the temples, and Azog is taking some breaks to do a little shadowboxing. Ezil arrives, and soon after so does Cryosanthia. The purpose behind shadowboxing is explained, and Cryo gives it a show, although she wanders into shadowdancing territory. Kaelyn awakes, being covered in a snow and resembling a snowbank. Shagara comments on Azog's technique, while Cryo engages in what seems to be some sort of dating ritual with Ezil, giving him first one of her scales, and then what appears to be a marriage proposal. He isn't offerred to turn it down. It turns out to be a joke, the rings being necesary for them to deal with Ezil's pet demon. Braelnoir, the latest victim of Kaelyn's lost arcanist artifact, is stumbling around as a silver chimera, attempting to get her body under control. The other two scaley women get in some flirtatious exchanges with Ezil before he rushes off in embarassment. Cryo gives some movement instructions to Braelnoir, and the three scaley amigos depart for an Inn to get some food and follow up on what happened to Braelnoir the night before.

-=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=<* A10: Temple District *>=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=-

The air of solemn, heavy divinity in the area is often broken by laughter. The dual presence of the deities Althea and Daeus, man and wife, stand towards the center, with their children and their children's temples positioned around them. The presence of the divine is felt not only by their temples, but also by the actions of their worshipers. The great plaza is as a social center, paved in brilliant, white flagstones and covered in benches and sitting areas. Priests, acolytes, and servicefolk of all stripes roam the plaza, going from one task to the other.

At the front of the temples of Daeus and Althea, at the Plaza's centermost point, rests a great fountain, the cheerful waters reflecting the Sun during the day, and the Moon and Stars at night. The fountain is strategically centered, and is oft a place for wisdom and lesson-giving. It is not uncommon for a priest of some stripe or the other to stand there, surrounded by the curious and faithful, delivering messages of hope or contemplation. At other times, it and the plaza become a landscape of celebration of the holy holidays.

Few vendors are seen in the plaza--the nearby temples provide most food or services. Towards the west, the great Bridge stretches across the river, and towards the east, the Redridge mountains. The plaza rests in the midst of it all, the temples massive and grand on the Alexandrian scale.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-  Appearing, in order  -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Seldan       5'11"    187 Lb     Human             Male     Red-blonde Eldanar man wearing Eluna's colors and symbol.
Azog         7'0"     350 Lb     Orc               Male     A huge male orc with long black hair in a topknot.
Ezil         5'11"    175 Lb     Human             Male     An armored man with dark skin, and grey-blonde hair.
Cryosanthia  6'7"     245 Lb     Sith-Makar        Female   A dashingly tall, lithe white lizardgirl with tattoos.
Kaelyn       17'4"    800 Lb     Feather Dragon    Female   Tall-ish, extremely curvy 5'4" redhead Elf... (VERY ENERGETIC!)
Shagara      6'10"    320 Lb     Orc               Female   Large oruch female with long hair                              
Braelnoir    5'11"    246 Lb     Silver Chimera    Female   A rough and tumble brunette wielding a scythe and a feral grin.     
-=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=

At long last, a bright, clear day, and it seems that Seldan isn't alone in shoveling snow away from the Temple walls. Some might think that such would be a job for acolytes, but he at least welcomes the physical labor involved, and someone needs to monitor the young ones in their work. He wears a thin silver headband to keep his hair out of his eyes, but otherwise seems content with a winter-weight shirt and trousers, and sturdy boots, for attire, with only an open, thin robe over it for warmth on a foxy day. He doesn't seem the least bit bothered by the cold, and indeed is working up something of a sweat.

He seems to have started up a race between himself and three of the kids, outside of Eluna's temple, to see who can reach the grand temple stairs the fastest, and there is laughter amid the work as the kids race to keep up.

Azog is, for his part, shovelling snow. Or he was. The noontime sun, which on the snow is dazzling, casts his shadow in sharp relief on he walls of the Temple compound, and Azog is taking some time out of shovelling to shadowbox, examining his stance and technique with a critical eye.

The All-Friend can be seen coming from inside the Temple of Althea, his cloak adjusted as he feels the cold. A shudder, his breath coming with a puff of vapor as he descends the steps and looks about the district with interest. The children playing with Seldan, and Azog working hard at his task bring a smile to his face. It isn't long before he's headed towards the orc's direction.

"Azog! Is this a penance, or is it work?" Ezil muses when he's close, taking care not to get in the way. "Would you like some help?"

A white-scaled sith-makar strolls up the street. Cryosanthia, wearing her leather armour, a hat, and contrasting her otherwise unseasonal apparel, a pair of leather boots which are calf high with fur rim. The boots are shaped to fit around the reptilian nature of her feet, with large individual toes. Even her claws have a metal tip, covering them. She makes clickity-clickity sounds as she walks, tapping through the snow to strike the cobbles beneath. Arriving in the center, she gazes around at all the temples, then spots Seldan and Azog, shoveling and shovel-shadow-boxing. Oh! There's Ezil too!

Seldan continues with shovelling and watching the acolytes.

Azog looks over to Ezil, and huhs? "A penance? For what?" he wonders. As to whether it's work or not, he says, "Walking through snow builds endurance, but the civic leaders are weak and request we clear the way for weak worshippers." He laughs, "As if such a thing existed." Not in the Temple of Angoron, anyhow. "If the trek was a thousand stairs that had to be taken at a sprint, it would be better," he opines. But as to the shadowboxing, he explains, "I saw an opportunity for training, so I am training. They say we must shovel, but they make no demands on what else we may do with our time."

And off to the side of the bridge is a big snow drift... Next to it is a covered wagon! Snow blows over said drift occasionally carrying or adding flurries And occasionally, said snow-drift blinks? Yus, blinks, there's a pair of slitted, seemingly luminescent blue eyes looking out from it somewhere near the bottom third to middle....

Cryosanthia clickity-clicks over to Ezil and Azog, waving, "Peace on your nests, Hello." She caught some of the Orc's explanation, enough to smile.

"This one would want lungs left to sing, a thousand steps might be too far to run. That... thing you're doing, with the shadows, how is it supposed to work?"

"Then I will help." Ezil's reply a bit simple to Azog. He smiles, looking about the grounds and then back to the orc. "Any spares?" motioning to the shovel as he looks up to hear and see the snow-trudging Cryo.

"Peace on your nests, White-One." laughing at her second comment. "I might make it, but not at a sprint. My endurance has its limits, and a mountain of stairs.... that might be it." not noticing this living snowdrift for the moment.

Kae hears something she recognizes, vooiiices, those slitted eyes, swivel to said voices.... The snow-mound shifts eeever so subtly as she just kind of watches......

Azog explains shadowboxing to Cryosanthia like this: "You can see your form as the shadow against the wall, and so you strike at the shadow as if it were an opponent, and you can see how well you're moving as you watch the shadow." He will hand Ezil his shovel if he wants to shovel. It's /a/ way to work out, so that's good, but Azog's got better ways.

"Oh. I see..." The white sith says, moving to a spot where her shadow looks good. She throws a few punches, watching her form. She seems distracted by her posture, straightening, adjusting the set of her shoulders. Captivated, she appears to be working on her silhoutte's appearance and over-all body language. She murmurs, "Oh that's what my tail is doing when I feel that."

Kae peeeers, then slowly well, her head pops out of the snow drift, all backswept horns, long slender muzzle aaand of cours fur and feathers... She's now slow-lashing her tail as she watches the shadown boxing very curiously.

The clearing process over in front of the Elunan Temple nears its end, with both groups working from each side towards the middle. They're nearly done when Seldan looks up, over at them, and then at the mound of snow with blue eyes. Transfixed, he stops long enough that the trio of laughing acolytes gets ahead of time, and reaches the Temple steps before he does. Whether he let them win, or he truly was distracted, is difficult to say, but he looks away from the snowdrift at the laughter from the acolytes, and laughs brightly himself. "Well done, all of you. Finish up, and I shall walk yours to see how well you did."

There's a chorus of objection. "But you didn't finish yours!" "Why should we do your work?" "Not fair!"

"Did not the Maester bid you clear the snow yourselves? I have done near half your job for you, and working near as swiftly as three of you together. No more complaining. Be off with you, and I shall check your work. If you did a poor job, you will do it again."

Ezil takes that shovel and sets to this task of shoveling, giving Azog a break from his training. 'Whiff' a shovel of snow tossed aside as he makes his way towards that large snow mound at a simple, but steady pace.

"I'd never had it explained to me before. Didn't know what others were doing when I had seen that." The Tsuran admits, committing to the task, and throwing another load of snow. He wasn't paying much attention to the drift in front of him until now, that subtle swaying and jostle of powdery snow causing him to pause. "Azog, what's that?"

At the sound of Seldan going about his work with the children, this makes him wary, approaching the drift with the shovel slung over his shoulder. Children close and then a mystery is a bit... concerning.

Azog peers at Cryo as she works out her own shadowboxing. "You see the knowledge it brings, now," he agrees, and works on his own form. No monk, he's not /bad/, he could certainly do well enough in a bar fight. Apart from him being seven feet tall and built like a fortress. He even gets a table to himself in the Ox if he wants it, and that's something of a feat. Looking over to Seldan, he says to Ezil, "That's just Seldan, he's with the Temple of White Disk." That being the Oruch name for Eluna.

Kae blinks, she was gonna come out of the drift, having fell asleep out here last night, buut she freezes again, subtly shifting her tail a bit and legs to get more comfortable, as she watches the oncoming folk with the shovel? Blink... blink...

Cryosanthia seems to be shadow-dancing more than shadow-boxing at this point, adding swirls and some spins, hip and tail action. A couple sweeps and jumps. Her motions are very fluid, somewhat beautiful, even if they're not specifically combat related. She makes an effort to throw a couple punches, but seems to prefer slapping or slashing motions which lend themselves better to the spiral motions she's using overall. "Excellent. Thank you Azog, this is an interesting idea I shall use more often."

She steps back, watching Ezil work with the shovel, then holds up her hands. This shows off her new guantlets well, which are made of a white-scaled lizard leather, and has her Arcane Mark debossed on the back of the hand. She wriggles her fingers through arcane gestures and the marks glow with a pale blue-white light. She waves them in small circles. The snowdrift she's focusing on starts to vanish, slowly... evaporating or otherwise disappearing. "This seems to work. I wonder where it goes?"

After some more grumbling and complaining, the acolytes set about finishing the job. In truth, it doesn't take them more than a few minutes to do the final cleanup, while Seldan walks around the other side of the building to examine their handiwork. Sloppier than his, but enough is cleared to satisfy him, and he nods. Ezil approaching with the shovel, though, gives him pause, and he turns to watch. "I am not certain that that is all snow," he calls to the Sentinel.

Ezil had been focused on the Kae-Drift, but his attention was shot back at Azog and Cryosanthia when the orc seemed to miss his meaning. He had opened his mouth to speak, but the sudden shift of Kaelyn's tail startles him, and when turning to see what was moving he almost slipped on ice beneath the powder. Luckily his footing was sure, only giving himself a scare with a bit of a flail to catch his balance. "It moved!" he calls to Seldan with a bit of a laugh, relieved he wasn't the only one who saw it.

Azog watches Cryosanthia critically as she works, and says, "You are not bad for someone starting out. You have some natural agility and decent instincts. Continue to train and you will do well." As Ezil shovels, he continues his own shadowboxing, throwing mainly rights. He doesn't have the mixing it up thing down yet. He peers at Ezil and Seldan again, and he says, guessing at the objection, "That's /definitely/ Seldan. I know him quite well. I see him often out here." Then it becomes clear even to him that it's the big snowdrifttaur he's referring to, and Azog can only shrug.

First one wing, then another brightly plumed wing pops out of the drift, followed by Kae raising her head completely out of it as she grins "See! I figured out how I can like sneek up on things!" She says, a huge cheerful toothy grin on that draconic face of hers!!! "Oooh sooo evidently, my fur and feathers and stuff does wonders for keeping me very warm even out here!!!" She adds as she sits back on her haunches, over waist deep in snow as she waggles her arms out to the side. Her wings are joining in now, seems Kae's undergone yet another change!!!

"It's entirely possible that someone took refuge under the snow...to keep warm." Calls a voice from the top of the Temple of Eluna. It's not too striking of a character.....if you're an Oruch. Then Kae reveals herself and the figure shakes it's head. "Have you gone to the Progrssive arcanists? Or even to the temple I'm standing on? If you wish to change back...they are your best help...since it seems your condition is somewhat arcane in nature." And the figure hops off of the temple to walk towards the group.

"Thanks!" Cryo says, flattered and now lighter on her feet with the encouragement. Her tail swishes strongly, "I shall."

"Peace to you Seldan."

Her attention turns to Kaelyn, emerging from her snowdrift in a spraw of flurries. She turns her white glove cleaning action on the Feather Dragon. It's been an interesting tingling sensation, sort of a warm wave, when she's used them on herself. What effect Kaelyn might feel, Cryo has no idea, but the snow begins to vanish from her. She nods briefly to the approach orc, and also calls out, "Ezil. I have something for you, when you're done."

Seldan can only stare helplessly in bemusement, before laughing himself. "Truly does magic do strange and wonderful things," he allows. At the voice from the top of the Temple, though, he cranes his neck, peering up, the laughter fading abruptly. "Peace to you as well," he answers Cryosanthia back, although that is not where his attention is. "Do you often climb Her walls?" he calls to Shagara instead.

Ezil has confusion on his face. The Kaelyn-drift mystery was solved, but Cryosanthia's words caught his attention. "I'm glad you were warm. I'm glad I didn't fall." laughing a huff as he speaks to the Feather-Dragon, taking up the shovel and heading towards Cryo.

As the Tsuran draws back closer to Azog and Cryosanthia, he stands the shovel in the snow next to him with a soft spike. "Is it the scale? I told you I was serious. I'd make it a fancy dangler."

Azog nods at what Shagara says. "If you are unable to find refuge from weather, a dugout made in the snow will serve you as you wait out night or storms to complete your trek." To Shagara, he says, "I have seem arcanists use spells to change forms. I assume that she doesn't out of some strange personal preference." The disparaging tone he says that in makes his personal opinion clear on the matter. To Ezil, he asks, "What scale? What are you talking about?"

"Climb? No. I wouldn't mar the temple's stonework so. Far easier to jump. Plus...the temple's rooftop gives the best view of the White Disc when it rises." Shagara then looks to Azog. "I don't need shelter. I was meditating after my early morning workout. Also, Azog....focus on using your left fist more. You're telegraphing your right far too often. Condition your opponent to look for your left....then nail him with your right." It's only then does she look to Seldan. "Working on clearing the drifts were you? Or were you enjoying yourself?"

Kae hears the mentions of wanting to stay this way and she blinks... "Noooo, I wouldn't be working on cures for this if I completely wanted to stay this way..." She says as she peers at the others, droping to four so she can get the rest of her out of the snowbank... "Aaanyhoos, I'm being affected by an artifice that continually reinforces locks the change in... sooo remove curse, nope it no workie, dispelling? Do it too much it changes you further, or completely scrambles..." She now sits back on her hind legs and uses her hands to motion at her self..."Too much dispelling and you could end up a furry feathery dragon thing... with zero clue how to flue..." She says and then motions to her wings... "I know, I tried it last night, I could barely manage a bit of a glide..."

Cryosanthia smiles towards Ezil as he approaches. She gives a small head nod towards Seldan, and greets Shagara with "Peace on your nest, or Hello, as I understand oruchs prefer." She undoes her gauntlets, removing them. Underneath are a matching pair of snakeskin gloves, also white, also with her Arcane Mark, that seem like a second skin on her and blend well with her own scales.

Hands freed to be dextrous, she now opens the pouch around her neck and carefully picks out a large white scale. "It's a sith tradition to give one of our scales, especially one we've lost through wounds, to friends or combat companions to remember us in case we fall in battle. I have had some... close calls recently. This one is for you, Ezil. Keep it close. Remember me." She holds the scale between thumb and forefinger, then presents it to him.

The scale resembles a Dragon-scale, smaller, slightly domed in shape and somewhat like a rounded diamond or guitar pick. It has Cryo's symbol written very small on the inner side.

"Many things may be achieved at once," Seldan calls up to Shagara calmly. "A warmup, and persuasion of acolytes to do the Maester's bidding without being all day about it." He turns to face the others, looking over at the crew, but does not interfere with what appears to be a ritual of some sort between Cryosanthia and Ezil. "Not all of magic's workings are welcome, or easily reversed, Azog. Kaelyn's situation is ... complex. I have seen ... other workings of magic that can prove troublesome, even dangerous." Suddenly, he frowns, a stormcloud of a troubled look settling in. "I had too long forgotten that...."

Ezil takes that scale, looking at it for a few brief moments when it's in his fingers. "Thank you, White-One. I feel honored." his smile broad as he shifts to stow it in a pouch on his belt, glancing back up to the Sith-Makar. "You finally got your gloves!." taking notice of them now that he's closer, patting her shoulder. It's Azog's words that cause his attention to shift.

"I was going to make a dangler for my belt. It's an ornament of sorts. Usually they are for dancing. That I do not." speaking of some Tsuran thing surely, but he doesn't dwell. As to Seldan, he looks back to the man, raising a brow at the change of his mood. "You okay over there?" looking about the square as people begin to gather.

Azog hrms at Shagara's boxing advice, and he puts a few more lefts into his combinations. Of course he's a swordsman by training, it's no big mystery where a four-foot blade is striking from in a fight. But with the fists, he can see where a bit of mystery could help. Kaelyn's problem is dismissed as more reason magic is untrustworthy and not-his-problem. He hrms at what

Seldan says, but offers to Kaelyn, "/None/ of the other wizards have this problem, so you must have done /something/ wrong. Ask that Arvek fellow, Stirling, he's one of your kind of wizard, I think." He hrms about Ezil's dangler, but nods, "I see."

Kae blinks a few times and shruuuuuugs... "Ummmm, yeah sooooo I was researching ancient artifice? Someone stole it and started using it and that's what's caused this." she says and tilts her head "So while I was studying it, i didn't use it!" She says and then looks to the others curiously...

"Not all arcane casters fall under the same name." She says to Azog. "You learn these things when you're under the tutelage of the White Disc." She does listen to Kae and tilts her head. "Then we should look towards Ancient Artifice first, and see what we can do for you." She gives Cryosanthia a look as well...mostly to her gloves, like she can see that her gloves are magical....even if she wasn't using them. However, she looks to Seldan. "If you push too hard, one need to only step out of your way, and you shall stumble. Push too little, and your obstacle will not move." She then tilts her head....and starts to put her hair into a ponytail. "I am Shagara....Acolyte in the Order of the Thinning Veil. I am still learning....but one day, I'll be fully inducted into the order....and shall earn a name."

"Attach it tight Ezil, it can be dangerous to me if you lose it. A wizard could use it as a focus." Cryo touches the pouch around her neck, "That is not a concern for the lost friends I keep here."

"This one is Cryosanthia, a Speaker of the Sith-makar," She replies to Shagara, "Luck in your studies."

Then a strange smile crosses her face as she looks back at Ezil, "There is a second thing also, give me your hand."

Ezil watches Shagara with a raised brow, listening to her talk with Azog. "No worries, White-One. Danglers are only worn for the dance. It will be with the one made by my mother." he muses to the Sith-Makar, turning to watch her. "They're memories, and things I keep close, but don't wear. I'd hate to lose it in a battle."

To Shagara the Tsuran offers a raised hand. "Hello." he greets openly. "I am Ezil, All-Friend, and Sentinel." seeming to have adopted that last word, as he used to deny it.

Azog sighs at Kaelyn, and says, "You clearly did -something-. You used to be an elf. But if Stirling can't help you, Mikilos probably can. He's pretty magical. Or else ... what's that fellow, haven't seen him in ages. Used to be a bit strange as well, you'd probably get along with him. Cesran, I think his name was." He doesn't really keep track of casters. But he's been around Alexandria for years. He nods slowly to Shagara about the different types of casters. "I know that there are different types," he agrees. "I just don't know," or care, he leaves unsaid, "about the difference between them. They're all cheaters. But the White Disk knows them," he agrees. "She can certainly keep them straight." Which is more than he makes the effort to do.

Seldan nods upward at the monk, although he has not lost the troubled look. "I find wisdom in your words, and yet is it incomplete. Seldan Padaryn, of Her Silver Guard." Before he can say more, though, the door to the Temple opens, and one of the snow-covered acolytes from earlier peeks out. "Seldan, the Maester calls you."

"Forgive me," he says generally to those present. "Although use of Her gifts is hardly cheating." With that, he takes himself inside the Temple, the door closing behind him. Seldan has disconnected.

Kae umms "Sooo yus, I've talke do all those folks, I'm part of that order too... I've come up with a way to cure some folks with a lesser form of this condition, buuuuuut, I can't get mine and a few others... If we can find the stolen item, I can better examine it and devise a better 'cure'." She says and shrugs "Not that this is really a disease, it's a reoccuring, reinforcing enchantment that when you try to remove it, it aggressively rebuilds its self... It's crazy..." She says sighs, huffing a bit of multi-colored smoke...

Kae then looks around curiously some more... "Sooooo.... anyhooooooos, other'n me being a critter, how's everyone doing?" She asks and gives a biiiig toothy smile, then her head swivels toward Cryo, she perks her ears, then beams again, ears slicking back again along her neck and behind those horns of hers.. "Ooh see you got the gloves back under control!"

"The more you know about them, Azog....the better you can fight them. It is what my old master in the Sky Curtain Mountains Monastery used to say as one lesson was ending. It stuck with me for many years.....and while I keep them close, I do pass them on when they are needed." She smiles to Seldan as he withdraws before she looks to Cryo and Ezil. She keeps her words to herself about what they are doing, since she doesn't know the ritual, but she lets out a breath. "I bid you all a temporary farewell, I must get back to my training and meditation." And she leaps onto the roof of the temple, once again, and hops from rooftop to rooftop......

The white-scaled sith waves at Seldan as he vanishes in the temple, then watches Shagara as she takes to the rooftops and bounds away across them. "I didn't know that was allowed. I'm going to have to try that. Is one only allowed on her home temple, or all are game?"

Cryo listens to Azog and Kae's conversation. She's had too much on her plate to help resolve this. Finding the artifact appears to be the solution, but only Acedia is on the case for that, and is missing information. Her eye ridges raise, her grin growing, "Watch closely Kae, you won't want to miss this."

Looking directly at Ezil now, Cryo winks. Her voice a teasing and drawn out, "This one desires your hand Ezil, give it to me"

Ezil is puzzled as Cryo makes a show of those around, wanting his hand. He obliges, but warily. "You have my full attention." and his curiosity, but he seems to be a good sport. He looks back towards Kaelyn and Azog, shrugging. He has not much to comment.

Azog snorts at Kaelyn. "Well, if you can't get it fixed, I guess that's just how it is." He considers Shagara's reply to him, but says, "I already know more about them than I'd like. Asking me to study magic is too much." He peers at Cryo asking for Ezil's hand.

Kae blinks and is well sitting attentatively back on her haunches and watches Cryo curiously, with wide eyes... "Ooooh!" She says and well her ears flick forward as she watches a biiiig grin on her face.

Cryosanthia takes Ezil's hand, holding his wrist from underneat with her fingers, pulling it towards him. She makes a gesture in the air with her other hand, reaching near his ear, and then producing a golden ring held between fingers. She draws her hand back so he can look directly at it. She announces, "A single ring."

A flip of her hand, she now has two rings, spaced between fingers, "Now a pair. One for thee..." She brings her hand down, drawing out his fingers, slips the ring on Ezil's finger.

"And one for me." Releasing his hand, hers moving distractingly, she then holds her hand up with the matching ring around her finger, over her glove. "Now we are paired as they are."

The Tsuran feels a strange tingling around his head as the ring goes on, then a shield go up. Isolation.

"I mean, I always hear marriage was easy, but....." Ezil's mirth flaunted as he tries to stifle a laugh. "Where did this come from?" he asks, lifting his his hand to inspect the heavy gold ring. A strange glance crosses his face, blinking and shaking his head as if he was in a stupor for just a second. "What did it just do, White-One?" the Tsuran's words a bit confused, but he seems to collect himself just fine. "This made me a bit light headed."

Azog peers at Cryosanthia and Ezil. "It's different for Oruch. And I don't know how it's done among your kind," he says to Cryo. "But as far as I know, between humans, you have to ask them first before you can get married."

Kae blinks and looks between Cryo and Ezil and then tilts her head... She's never heard of Sith and Humans getting maried? She tilts her head.... "Can humans and Sith even have kids?" Yeah that's the first thing that goes through her mind with the whle ring thing... She blinks a few more times, maybe she's serious? Or maybe she's teasing, who knows... Body language might hint at a bit of both....

Twos and fours. Twos.... twos.... and fours. Fours, fours and twos.... twoooooos... skitter-skitter-thud "Shit!" A bubble of vaguely puzzled, vaguely alarmed people shifts through the traffic as Braelnoir tries to navigate the road from the bridge in some...thing(?) else's shoes. When feeling more confident than she perhaps should, she stands upright, clopping unsteadily for several paces before collapsing into a desperate hug around a lamp post. A few breaths and she tries again. Clop, clop, clop-clop, clop, clopclopclop-crash, "Damnit!" One of the sparse vendors in the area, his wares in disarray, begins a vicious tongue lashing in response, getting a woman's resigned, "Yeah-yeah, I'll pay you back. I said I'll pay!" About the time the sounds of love being in the air over yonder, he chokes back his vitriol in alarm when the figure responsible rolls over and tries to get back up on her hooves and he gets a good look at her.

"Oh my heart is broken!" Cryosanthia cries dramatically, complete with hand to her forehead and a swoon. Held for a second, then she starts laughing. And laughing, loudly and long, snickering with deep hissy chuckles. She gives Ezil a slap on the shoulder, "You ruined the joke! You were supposed to play straight man, drag it out. Say, 'I dunno, she's kinda big, I think I'll agree and try to get away later' to Azog, or 'but my heart is hers' and point at Kaelyn. You missed the mark!"

She laughs some more, curling her hands across her stomach, her tail coiling and wrapping inwards. With a deep breath, she straightens. "They're on loan from Svarshan. They are Mind Shield rings, we need. For a thing. I couldn't resist making a joke with them."

"It was a joke?" Ezil's words coming with a bit of faux confusion. "I had thought you....." snorting and shaking his head. "I can't do it. I really can't." he notes with a laugh, not able to keep a straight face. At the pat to his shoulder, he just nods. "These will come in handy, but I do love you White-One." casting a wink. "Just... not in-love with you. You'd break me."

As the Tsuran shifts, he takes notice of the figure that collapsed near the lamp, watching as he talks a bit absently. "On loan? I need to get one of these for myself then. There have been demons everywhere."

Azog peers critically at Kaelyn. "Men can marry men and women can marry women, so what's having kids got to do with it?" To Cryosanthia, he squints, "So you two are /not/ getting married?" He has to make sure when people say things now. They never say what they mean. He says to Cryosanthia, "I do not think you can marry Svarshan, either. I think he is already married, to someone else. Or do the Sith do the harem thing?"

Kae shrugs "Didn't say they couldn't get married, I was musing on whether Sith and Humans could have kids. Both have very different... Delivery methods." she sasy and taps her chin with a clawed finger as she muses things over...

Then she hears people yelling, and hoofs and big things moving around? Her head slowly shifts and she looks in the general direcion of mayhem?

"Oooh someone causing stuff and it's not me this time." She says and tilts her head to the right, then left and shrugs before starting to move toward the noise.

Braelnoir gets up, finally, though the vendor has a few fresh claw marks in his countertop and she rests her weight upon her forelimbs as she looks the man in the face, "Relaaaaax. Breathe." She shifts slightly as she tries to get her footing right to risk standing freely again, a bit of sun gleaming from her shoulder, "I ain't whatcha think, luv. Hell, we're surrounded by temples, right? I ruined... what, twenty silver worth'a goods? I promise I'll pay ya back ten times that once I get this straightened out, just... need ya patient, alright?"

"What, you..?" Cryo rears her head back, looking at Ezil with wide eyes, then, "You're getting it!"

She keeps laughing, although it has died down to quick chuckling and turned into a bouncing gait. "Azog, we are not getting married. It was a jape. We need the rings to keep demons out of our heads. The scale, that was not a joke. Svarshan is indeed married, and the sith do not do collectivity that way. The women are too stern and the men do not share."

She looks at Kaelyn with an uncomfortable expression on her face, "This one does not wish to discuss that subject. Yes! There is one in moneylending peril! To aid!" She rushes to lead, not follow, Kaelyn towards Braelnoir.

Azog looks around, eyes the position of the sun, shrugs. "I must go," he says, and retrieves the shovel from Ezil and makes his way back into the Temple of Angoron.

Ezil moves to follow, laughing as the subject changes and the group has found a new interest. He hangs back from the other two rushing to aid, taking his time and watching the odd scene unfold. Yes, this has been an interesting day. He again admires that ring as he walks, nodding his head at it. "I like the little touch on it." he muses to Cryosanthia.

Kae now sees Braelnoir and she binks a few times, now sitting back on her haunches to peeeer, squint... Tilt head, squint... She blinks a few more times..... "Ooooh yup, she got nailed REALLLLY good..." Kae syas, now staring owlishly......

She then looks around on her self, trying to find something before she pulls out an odd slightly hexagonal device, roughly shaped like a wand with a display on it.. She then peers at the small buttons and siiighs... Next Kae holds it out to Cryo or Ezil.... "Can one of you hit the blue crystal on the side and then wave that around her as you walk around her?"

Another day in the big city.

Cryosanthia stares at Brealnoir, automatically taking the device from Kaelyn. The merging of scales and mammal is unsettling to her, too much like the taboo topic Kae wanted to raise. She circles the somewhat wingless gargolye shaped woman, with a human head holding wolf eyes, a sphynx-like torso and paws, and the elongated legs of a deer below her waist, and shiny split tail. "Is this... She? One of yours Kaelyn. What does this device do? I would not risk invoking a worse transformation. My apologies if this is your natural shape."

Braelnoir takes a deep breath and very... carefully straightens up, holding her arms out to her sides to try and help her balance. She considers the merchant, an older fellow who looks like he's trying to remember where his spiritual ledger stands, "Y'ever had one a'those days when ya just... didn't feel like yeself...?" While annoyed, the figure -is- trying to lighten the mood, and it's really not the guy's fault she fell into his stall. To be fair, she probably has a number of 'demon' checkmarks on her appearance, though she's devoid of wings at the moment. Her head pivots slightly with a little cant as she hears a small stampede coming her way and she turns with more haste than would be advisable just yet, and she stumbles, but not before accidentally clearing the table and slapping the poor merchant with her tail(?), "Whoa!" Thud! Honestly, the eyes are probably hers, anyway, "Hey, hey hey! Don't you point that thing at me!" Then the question toward Kaelyn makes her stop, blink and look up at the fluffeathery dragon, "Kae...?" a moment of dumbstruck wonder, then, "I think yer boy got me."

Ezil watches closely as he catches up, looking at Brealnoir with a soft sigh. "I don't think this is natural." looking to Kaelyn with a puzzled glance. "So still no leads on the device?" having heard the term 'nailed' and thinking of the artifice blowgun that was mentioned.

As Braelnoir turns, and shows off her clumsiness, he tales quick step back again, smiling softer. "It looks like this is going to keep going until it's stopped. Where did this happen?"

Kae peers at Braelnoir.. "Yup it sure looks like." She says and then looks to Cryo... "Sooo that's one of the scanning devices I made to help out folks aflicted with the artifice transfiguration... It'll tell me how many 'thorns' she has in her, so I can see if I can cure this quickly... If noooot." She blinks and peers at Brael...

She then hmmms "Well an option is to dispell magic till you're in a shape you can live with for a while.... And as far as walking on those hooves, think of it as walking on your toes.." Kae stands up on her hind legs. She even walks around fairly well, just not near as quick as when she's on all fours... "I'm not exactly built to stand all the time on my back legs.... And they really are that, buuuut yea, so yer up on your toes..." She says before sitting back on her haunches and hmms..

Kae then grins and motions to Cryo.. "Look how she walks, up on her toes, the very front of her feet, her 'heel' is way off the ground... That would be her haunch...."

Braelnoir frowns and nods, "I noticed this mornin', little inn called Steelbelt's, west edge o'town. I's sleepin' pretty hard after some... proper drinkin'." She considers her gleaming limbs for a moment, "Was extremities, first." then extends her arms up to her pals, "Hand up, m'luvlies? Mind th'claws, ain't got them, proper yet." WHich probably explains why her attire is 'gently used' in places, though it doesn't look like it's been off the shelf more than a day.

"Recently? Did you see who did it, were there other witnesses, where was the location? How long ago?" Cryosanthia rattles off a series of questions. Answers could be solid leads, enough answers could resolve the madness. In an attempt to be of assistance, more questions flow "Was there a sensation as you were struct? Kaelyn's transformations are immediate when someone dispells you, was yours as active?"

Then suddenly, she is a model for walking! "Uh... yes... this is... how one walks." She strides a few steps, turns, strides the other way. While not exactly the same proportions at Braelnoir's legs, they have a similar structure and the long ankle with toe focused walking. She also points the scanning device at Braelnoir, and walks around her with it activated.

Ezil listens, raising a hand to his chin as the two other women tend to Braelnoir. He will let them tend to the matter more than himself, but he listens with interest about this artifact. "It seems to be causing a bit more trouble every day. What happens when you remove the darts?" he asks, but doesn't really contribute much more.

Kae blinks and tilts her head tot he left then to the right, then looks at Ezil "If you don't get all of them, they regenerate the others, even 1 is enough to regenerate every other one in you. And when it does, it comes back stronger... Dispells seem to run interferance for a bit, too many caue changes... They can be random or fixed, but as far as I can see no real set pattern." She says and rubs her neck again, before looking at Brael again....

Kae then shrugs "Anyhoos, could be worse I guess, you could like be completely feral in form..." She adds, then ooohs "Speaking of which, I've never heard of anyone being completely feral of mind... Still though, if'n that form is undesirable and you caaaan't handle it or want to stay that wai, should I not be able to cure you now, we can use dispells on you till yer into a shape you can live with for a bit.... Oh and dispells launched from artifice make for stronger changes too, so do powerful sorcerer dispells... " She adds and ummms... "It kinda giggles at remove curse..."

Kae then looks from Ezil to Cryo, then back again and asks Cryo... "Soo how many thorns?" She asks curiously, the scanner will tell you, just read the displays, it's all in draconic..."

Cryo offers her hand to assist Braelnoir's stabilization. She's strong and solid as a sith, and her tail is lightning quick for small balance adjustments. One would only find better support with handles on a pillar. She slips her gauntlets over her delicate gloves in response to the claw warnings. The gloves are magic, but no sense testing them. "You... this one has watched how humans walk, like balancing two logs on top of each other. My legs work differnetly, you might envision yours as springs bent in an 'S'. They work better in motion than static, you would find running easier than walking. Walking easier than standing. This may be why your balance collapses. This one can run with you, but there is only a slight cleared patch. You might aim for the snow-drift over there, to stop."

She looks at the device in hand, "Kaelyn, they number four."

"Yeah... hnnnnn..!" she starts with effort, tail lashing a bit as she is helped to her feet, "Thanks, luv.." she smiles, then, still holding her hand, she makes a couple of tiny, experimental steps, "Think it come out while I was asleep. I didn't notice one, anyway, I's a little distracted." Ahem, "Gettin' decent an' down the stairs was an issue. Landlady near passed out, but, she fixed up some threads for me an' helped me get dressed. I ended up fallin down the bloody stairs. That took a while, then, while I was wandering town lookin' fer Kae, since I figgered ya'd wanna know fast as possible, I run into a couple o' casters, tried t'help me out. The tail an scales happened, then, and the paws turned inta hooves and that musta been what happened to the tail." She looks to Ezil, then Kaelyn, "I'm... mostly worried about movin' at the moment, but I been too busy shamblin' around to work on..." she wiggles the digits on her forelimbs, "Dexterity. Least I still got my ring on." A cant of her head then, "Let's see how this all works a'fore we mess with it some more... How bout you, luv? You doin' ok?"

"Well, you're doing well." Ezil says with a bit of a smile. "Probably better than I would, anyways." watching the three as he still goes about in his own thoughts. "It took how many of the darts to do this? Does more darts mean more....." motioning then to Braelnoir, and sighing. "Changes?" Yes, he's not going to help with this, putting hands on a woman in such a state seems a bit wrong. Let the other women handle it.

Kae blinks, and well extends a wing, using the crook just past the wing root there to try and help out Brae... And said wing is incredbly strong... "Ummmmmmm.... Soo it doesn't affect how much is changed so much is how strong it reinforces things..." She says and tilts her head... "The more you have, the stronger set the transformation, the harder it is to move it..." She says and then umms "Hence why she is changed, she prolly was hit by some entry level type dispells, and not a powerful one." She adds. "Oor it woulda been a complete transform as supposed to this chimera look." She adds and shrugs again... "I can do more research into how the darts work, I been mostly trying to research how to get em out." She adds...

Kae then sighs, and notices Ezil... She then gets a big slyyy grin... She keeps trying to use her wing to try and support Brae as she stands upright, and even tries cocking a hip.... "Hee.. suddenly shy? And you has yet to comment how I'm running around pretty much naked." She says, a wink is even pointed at Cryo, before Kae then sighs "Eef 4 and I was hoping this would be a quick fix.."

Kae's head snakes back around and she looks to BRae.. "Soooo again, we can hit you with a couple biiig dispell magics, get you into a form you're more comfortable with your you can continue trying to be a chimera..." She says and sighs "I Dunno if I can fix you right away or not... Now that being said, I have seen these things kind of 'burn' them selves out before and the person change back without any interfearance..."

"Yes. I'm ok." Cryo's tail is working to provide necessary counterbalance, shifting off to one side of her hips, being held, pulling in, moving further in a direction. From minor tail-tip curls to full length coiling she adjusts her center of gravity as she keeps Braelnoir upright. The sith walks alongside the involuntary chimera, holding her hand, her other on the womans' leonine arm, she says, "Slow as you need, get a sense. You have a tail now. Slow, move it with the roll of your hips, running, it serves better as a rigid bar. At high speeds there is a corkscrew effect, but concentrate on keeping it straight behind and how your legs move against it. A rudder, for your boat."

She listens, as Kaelyn details the effects and her prognosis, and laughs at her flirting with Ezil. She winks, "So many proposals today."

"I have no recomendations, waiting it out might be better than trying to change, but it is your comfort. At least this is not all bad. The servers at the Steelbelt, or the owner, may have witnessed things. Servers have a sense for who might trouble. Cads betray themselves to our rears. It was last night, so the time frame is tight and memory is still good. I think it would be worth to speak to them and the landlady that helped you with your dress. It's good you've kept your things, you may need a backpack to hold them in the meantime. Also, more might have been affected. Do you recall anyone, buying your drinks, being rebuffed, strange attention that might indicate you caught their attention? Kae, have any men been aflicted? This might be the work of a vile Romeo." Cryo keeps up her questions.

Brae looks to the fellow hanging back, gives a sort of playful, gleaming grin, "Don't sell y'self short, luvvie, I always been a run with't sorta girl an been in a lot of situations that went south alla sudden and learnin' to roll with things, 'specially on contracts dealin' with th'spooky, just part o'the business." She shrugs a little, looking down at herself, then to the sith as she explains the situation, "A'ight, Cryo, I'ma let go now an' see if I can't manage this, thank you." She thinks about something, then, "I hate askin', but it's easier fer one a'you t'find me than some merchant, one of y'all mind paying that guy like... two-two an' a half plat, and I'll getcha back when I get back t'my purse?" As she's not actually 'thinking' about it, in the wake of Cryosanthia's advice, just letting the tail do it's thing, she manages the maneuver without any real fuss, even managing to extend one of her leonine digits indicatively his way, "An' let him know it's from me, please? I promised." The repeated offer from Kaelyn, "Hell, Kae, I's gonna ask how ya felt like that."

Ezil flushes as he now turns his back on the women, huffing a hesitant laugh and hiding his face from view. "I didn't think of it like that till...." droning off and sighing heavily, letting a hand run through his hair as he buys time to find the words. "This is going to be awkward for a while."

"So, four darts." the Tsuran trying to take his mind off of the topic, and thinking deeply. Nope, nothing deep. "I'll have you know, while I flirt... I.." snapping his mouth shut. That thought won't work either. "And is it really a proposal? I think it would be more awkward for me and Kaelyn than it would be with you, White-One." he finally grunts out. "I mean, the feathers, and her shape. How would that even work?"

Kae laughs.... "Physically I'm a dragon." She says to Brae.. "not a big one, but still, I got measured, I'm some 800 pounds, and 17 feet long from nose to tail tip... Otherwise, I'm ok.." She says and then grins and even spreads her wings, they're frigging wiiide... "LOok at this, I can reaaaly take up space!" She says then, she laughs and peers at Ezil..

"Ummmmm, you'd probably get squished." She says to Ezil "I'm litterally as big as a small horse" and grins again, it's a toothy grin as she perks her ears... Her tail lashes once and she's back to folding her wings tight to her back and sitting on her haunches.. "Basically, I have a very very feral form.." She says to Brae... "I move quicker on fours, I can walk around on my hind legs, but it both gets tiring and slow... I don't know how to fly, but I tried gliding last night and could manage a couple hundred yards or so while jumping off low obstacles." She says and she then adds 'Ooh and I do eat less than when I was a taur and it's more efficient... Buut oh yeah, I also have a breath weapon... Which, by the way, I can't control that either..."

"Sure. I'll hand him some coin. " Cryosanthia releases Braelnoir's hand, stepping back and watching her, nodding with approval.

She laughs as Ezil turns his back, "Blessed-one, keep your eyes on the stars, then lower them enough to see her face only, and observe her that way. Truly, you told me the season does not affect you so much, but now this one wonders. Hopefully your guest was not entertained with such thoughts, this one would blush right through the spectrum and turn black if so and he laid eyes on me." She shakes her head, she's not even answering about the feathers.

"A strange rainbow bomb. The most effective launching is to pull her wiskers. One can also aim her head that way." The sith has been thinking practically. She also suspects Kaelyn is lying about her weight, but best not to bring out that accusation. Once again she points at a distant snowbank, "If you lose control, try to go faster and get it back, and if you need to crash, there is that. At low speeds, curl your tail into the turn, at high speeds, curl it out and lean, then whip back to go straight again."

Advice delivered, she walks over to the merchant and counts out some coins.

A nod, "Yeah... ended up on fours most of the way here, but I's hoverin' too close t'horse pies fer my likin', so I kept trying to stay upright, but I guess I was fightin' the tail and all too much." Shining face split by her typical wolfish grin, Brae muses, "Just more o'ya t'love, sugar. Tha'sall." She thinks about things a moment, looking at the silver sheen encasing her flesh, "Hadn't thought about it at the time, but I ain't really been cold since this come in." A shrug, and she clip-clops a bit as the wind shifts her balance a touch, then as she looks toward Ezil, "Love is a special kind a loyalty an' care, not always the other thing. Lotta marriages start as contracts and, if yer lucky, love grows in during the tenure." Then, with a grumble in her belly, "Anyone else really wanna tear up some beef'r somethin'?"

"That advice is... wonderful." Ezil notes to Cryosanthia, sighing then, but not turning around. "My guest has done little corrupting, but I am fallible too. I do flirt, and gamble coppers." Oh, such sin. Sooooo much sin. "Though I worry what the creature will think when he can not read my mind. I wonder if it shall alert him." his brow furrowing. "I am going to talk with someone at the Temple of Daeus. I think they might have some answer about that." turning to strut that way, not giving a look back. Nope, he's still embarrassed. "Meet me for a drink later if you can, White-One." waving from over his shoulder.

Though Braelnoir's words slowly sink in, pausing for a few steps. "There are many kinds of love, yes. I was more talking of the kinds with marriage and oath.... the familial love of starting a family. I prefer the other loves. The ones of bonds hard forged by circumstance and proximity. Of friends, and those you trust. I prefer sisters and brothers. Not a wife. I'd make a terrible husband." he muses. "Be well, all of you."

Kae giggles, yes, giggles... It kind of sounds wierd, what with her throat and draconic build and all.. She then peers at Cryo.. "And umm just an fyi.. Horses range between small horsies at 800 pounds up to 2000 pounds, I stood next to a cart horse, and I'm the same height at the shoulder." She's longer.... lots longer...

Kae grins cheerfully "Soo 800 pound is as good a guess as any!!!" She adds.. "besides I feel light!" That is, if 800 pounds was 'light'...

Kae grins a bit at Ezi, then tilts her head curiously before asiding to Cryo... "Think if he turned any more red, he'd heat up enough to act as a space heater?" She asks curiously.. Kae then tilts her head the other way and looks around the place curiously "Mebbe we should go to your bar Brae? Go check and talk with folks that were there last night? See if they saw something?" She says and looks around again curiously...

The white-scaled sith sways her tail in thought. "He will question. You can't go without now, as you might think you have the ring. Tell him... some truths. You battled a great demon lord, he read our minds, you are worried what more might be read and that his secret might get out while you wander down the street. It is for his protection, and taking it off would be unwise, now that you have drawn other fiendish attention." She laughs, "Or tell him I took your hand and placed it, and you are frightened to remove it. See what answer you can find, I am going to speak with Mikilos' clutch-cousin."

"Silver dragons are immune to cold, as are White. I have to go to extremes to feel it, perhaps it has given you some of that blood. Be wary, wizards will want to bleed you for it." Cryo tells Braelnoir. "I am hungry and would eat, that is a good idea."

"If you say so Kaelyn, this one does not question weights!"

Watching Ezil leave and taking in his parting words, one of her paws lifts to brush against the charm in her ear, "Everyone says that..." Kae's quip brings the grin back to her face and she flicks a clance her way, "A mystery fer another time, mebbe?" she muses, a dare in her tone. Cryosanthia's musings now draw her focus, "Make's about as much sense as the rest of it. Wizard can try, an I'll hollow'm out like a feast-bird. If nothin else, Steelbelt's next to'a butchery so, yeah! Plus, we can check my room an I can getcha back yer money, luv."

Kae looks around curiously, and well there's a dull rumble, and Kae blinks.. "I sooo didn't mean to do that." More rumbling and she sighs, ears drooping. "Yup! I forgot breakfast..." she mutters and grins a bit as she watches to where Ezil was going... "OOOh I bet his ears alone could probably melt snow..." She says curiously.

"This one suspects he did not see that in a mirror," Cryosanthia observes opaquely, watching the Tsuran man depart. She tilts her head, catching Braelin's gesture to her ear, "Are you married? Is that of significance."

Kaelyn's belly rumbles interrupt, "We had better go, she might be hungry enough to eat a horse, or us both." It's very suspicious that Kaelyn knows exactly how much they weight!

"Would you lead the way? You seem to have your feet under you. I would enjoy a brew as well."

"Ha! Just wait till he notices the warmth in his-" Brae starts with a mirthful tone, though it sobers quickly with Cryosanthia's question. She looks to her paw, wincing some as it seems the tip of one of her mostly retracted claws is caught in the ring, "No. Never married..." she says in probably the most serious tone she's ever been heard using, not boastful, or angry, maybe just... yeah, "...one day, maybe...." and then the moment is lost as she struggles to get herself free without tearing the obvious memento out of her ear. That done, she manages to escape her dilemma and begins to lead the band of scaley ladies off toward the scene of the crime.

Dramatis Personae

Shagara
Standing 6'10" tall, this tall woman has very long black hair with red tips, and a single lock of all red hair. Her face is angular, with large blue eyes and dark eyebrows sloping each one. She has full, red lips underneath a small pert nose and between high cheekbones.
She has a full, athletic body, which is covered by comfortable, sleeveless clothing to allow her full range of movement, colored blue, but she is barefoot. She usually carries around a sword, either in her hand or upon her back.

Braelnoir
A curious figure, this, possessed of facial features fitting an Acanian woman of perhaps twenty years with fine, even features and stern eyebrows over wolflike amber eyes. Raven hair, knife shorn to a toussled shag, fluffs out from her scalp to drape down and obscure most of her shoulderblades. Her torso largely carries to a human shape, with slightly broader shoulders, suggesting perhaps an additional Aesir heritage, though her arms are more muscular, ending at shimmering leonine forepaws, and her legs crook into a hooved deerlike format a little past her calves. Around the base of her spine, a long, slender tail extends about two and a half feet before splitting in two; capped after two more feet with spaded tips. A multitude of miniscule silver scales turns her skin in a somewhat clouded mirror, save where a smooth, bone white scar from a brand rules the knot of muscle at her right shoulder, framing the silhouette of a howling skull within the outline of a heart. Her voice is a smokey tennor, accented to the particulars of Stormgarde. The only 'jewelry' upon her person is a copper earring in her left ear, from which dangles a small brass skeleton, and an ornate gold ring around one of the digits of her left forepaw.
She has taken some pains, perhaps with assistance, to modify and affix a short, rather plain cotton dress to her altered personage. The ragged hems of the short sleeves and skirt suggest some difficulties in managing this solo.