#anywhere

"The Verbenae would agree with what I said." The Hermetic says "This intruder may have given us a clue to a truer enemy admist us. She has senses we do not. She spoke of a coldness..if she is what she is.. our extra guest, then that means something. Something hidden from us, not from her"

Cricket seems a fit young woman,Asian, but nationality unclear. She wears a buddhist like robe with a modern casualness. There is a tattoo on her neck. A dragon and tiger in a yin yang like pattern"

So far, Nigel is advocating well.

"She ... well, I have that much.You say Elijah might be a spy for the technocracy I.." she looks about "She is listening now is she not?"

"Truth to tell," Nigel looks about "I really wouldn't know. "

"What?" A frown

"Well, my senses aren't as acute as yours so... she could be out of the retreat right now for all I know" Truth

"You are evading" She says "And I am not the only one who would say ssso" A breath "But, if we have a technocrat spy, then he is the threat. We shall ..be extra careful around Elijah. "

Evasion is fine. Attention is headed for the cold one, not her. Good.

"He is our priority. I am sure our extra guest will try to remember that there are places here NO One was invited "Nigel says

Drat. he's probably trying to include the library

Secrets are hers by right, think the librarian.

And the two mages head up the stares

Stair*

Zara veils, again, and follows. Best to keep an eye on Earl. 1122 can reassure him.

1122 is just glad she's okay

The tradition mages actually begin to treat Elijah less as educators of a more serious sort, and act a bit more 'grapenut hippie' around him. Not that there is anything wrong with Grapenuts if you enjoy those. Or Hippies, if that's your jam

Zara herself slips near Earl and finds...

He has done something like this

Except, in every shadow, spirits, some ghosts, some ..something else, peek out and watch. Are they guardians? or threats? It's all rather evocative

She releases 1122 to go crawl on her troll. She doesn't wish to break her veil, but hopefully this can signal both of them are safe.

Well, safe as they can be in a room with an Autumn Willworker.

Indeed. It's touch and go. Zara realizzes the traditionlists are not trying force. It is not the fireballs and thunder in the stories

Subtlety is an art, and one sluagh appreciate.

Zara can go elsewhere, or hang about. She.. has optionss. This Hidden one IS dangerous but does not seem to be seeking Earl out

Zara can happily watch Earl paint, and does enjoy being holed away unseen. Perhaps yeti-hunting tomorrow.

Oh this is oddly good for Earl... bits of glamour from him rise

Pleased!

Some of the others, too, are likely sparking glamour... oh, it would be MOST interesting to see how these wizards "awaken" first hand...

And that night...Earl has rice with the others, and talks with others. Here's a risk from the Austrlian, who looks at him with..curiosity at times, but so far so good

Zara is not one to sniff and tell, but she notices, very subly, that the rice Elijah is served smells.. Different

Eyebrow.

It's almost like musing, but not quite. The mages expose the others to ideas that might seem exotic, alien

She kenns it, studies it... it is similar to magic she knows, but different. Cricket and the others might pick up some tingling of her resonance - she herself is unaware of it. As skilled a witch as she may be, their kind of magic is not hers.

Indeed. The Bohemian German lady is called Danube, like the river , by some

Lovely!

She tries to peg her - from her reading, she's not... no, not a verbena.. not a dreamspeaker. Low banality, for sure...

She seems to encourage some nutty things. Yoga? Fine. Mountain Climbing? A bit dangerous! Then drugs while floating down a river..err?

But that night... Earl goes looking for her. It's getting late... but he looks for her by going on the roof and waiting

Zara finds him, her cool body pressing against his side. "Have you figured it out?"

She twines her arm through his and entagles his fingers with hers before resting her head on his shoulder.

"I get the feeling not as much as you have" He admits "but I will say I know when I'm being mused. The art is being presented differently by each one. Danube has a 'hwo's it feel vibe' ... Cricket has this .. idea of tapping into something within and thus connected bit... " He takes her hand and squeezes then nuzzles

"And then there's Nigel. Who hints at the symbols and power in it."

"They are willworkers, those three."

"They seek, I believe, to inspire their version of a chrysalis. Though, of course, you obviously cannot be so transformed - the others may yet. How exciting to see that, nu?"

A blink "I took an invitation to willworker central? Right. I'll leave a note, flicker flash us.. where's 1122?"

"Nigel knows you are to be protected."

"And you DO seem to be enjoying yourself. Besides, they owe me for spotting the spy."

"Zara.. you realilze, Unseelie or not, this sets my troll urges off like you wouldn't believe"