#earthrunes

Symon searches for Lilly. He checks whichever of her regular haunts he might know about...

"why are you here, Denier?" A whisper, but not Lily's. Feminine though

The answer to that depends on where exactly he IS?

He had wandered through the outside of Earthrunes, in the shadows it left. It probably does look suspicious, like he was trying to slip past a thane or gate guard, but the little girl was known to slip towards 'Zara's River' as a kind of childling challenge

"Who is asking?" He responds casually.

"Mmm are all sluagh so casual in Bergen?" but the figure steps out. Squire Velvet showing herself

She salutes with hand spread over chest "Greetings, Denier. Now we are introduced. Why are you here?"

"I'm not a part of your hierarchy, nor is court being held." He points out to the Squire. "I'm looking for Lily."

"Ah," a nod, "she is in the area, but she has been quieter of late." When a sluagh says 'quiet' of another sluaugh, that means they're borderline not talking to anyone. A worried look, " I fear she is reaching beyond a childling's means, Symon. She has tried to peek at books with grimmer means of divination"

A grumble. "When did you see her last? And do you know where she is now?"

"The River is forbidden, a place where a powerful seer and more bathes... naturally a childling who seeks to partake of such power might break all rules and go there herself" She gestures towards the River "Be very quiet on your feet. She scatters if she hears anything that isn't river flow or bird call"

"This sounds like a trap." He mutters but nods. "Thanks, I guess."

"Symon" A beat "We care about her too."

"We?" Curious.

"Miss Zara and I," a mmph "She is a kith sister, is she not? And a promising one. "

A thin smile, putting two and two together. Velvet hadn't mentioned Zara before this, just a 'powerful seer', and one that she respects - he realizes that this must be Zara's place, this riverbank.

"Yeah." He agrees, simply.

the smile seems to annoy Velvet, or pehraps she's annoyed with herself, "I grow clusmy with sentimentality. Still, she's one of the most promising sluagh of her age no matter how unnatural her arrival." A tilt of her head "Perhaps that's why she adapted best of all her family. Our kith thrives on the slightly unnatural, or at least odd"

"I'd ask you to seek her with me, but this involves secrets that belong to her. Not to me, and not even to any other cousins - not yet, anyways. I'm merely a messenger today."

"Then go, Symon, but I do ask that when all is resolved, you join me for tea when things can be discussed before others? Tis only fair"

"Of course. I'll never turn down an invite from a cousin." Perhaps 'never' is a polite fiction, but he is sincere enough. "Especially with the Librarian's tea curation."

"ah yes," A pleased smile "miss Zara should also be invited if it please thee"

"Of course. She practically runs this place." A small smirk, and he heads onward, waving to Velvet, and seeking stealthily for the sluagh childling. He keeps his eyes out of the water though, for the most part.

(Dex plus stealth, Perception plus Alertness)

/roll 7 dex + stealth

/roll 6 Perc + Alertness (Spec: Sharp Eyed)

What happens is most comical, Symon avoids detection, but then so does his quarry, the two are engaged in a game of hide and seek that only one knows he's playing and even then he's not sure if the other is around for real. So when Symon puts his foot into the carefully hand crafted pentagram made in a web design, he hears a hiss of surprise, pomegranate juice explodes, for it was being run along the web like strands of lace....

He recoils!

for a moment, Symon's foot is caught in a hoop. Perhaps 'it burns us my precious' is unfair, but sluagh really do hate being contained when they don't choose it

And a surprised lily hisses too "Ruined... who..." A fuss "Symon, you broke my dark river ritual"

A small knife comes from his pocket and he is ready to slice through the loop - but at Lily's hiss, he graciously just shakes his foot free, and leaves it intact.

"You need to take care that you don't catch prey you're not ready to face."

"I wasn't trying to catch you" a sniff. She has looked better. Even by sluagh standards she is disheveled. Her hair frayed and her garments stained , not old stains either, as is more proper.

He is not heartless, and ceases the scolding as he slides down to sit on the riverbank. "How have you been?" Checking his pockets discretely to see if he has any snacks.

"I"m well.. enough" A proud look "I have tapped into the waters where a witch bathes. I have spun the hoop of stolen sight. I have burned the orchid garden and inhaled it's fumes."

He finds he has some gummi worms

He offers them over, popping one into his own cheek to gum at.

"What's bothering you? You've had better days. I say that because I'm concerned, not to be rude."

She grabs one, and gums "Something's wrong" As if that explains it

"I know. Why don't you tell me what you know, and then I'll tell you what I know. Tit for tat."

"There were others who wanted to keep you in the dark, for your own safety. They don't realize that we are the dark."

A sigh "was it a troll? so few of them are properly trained"

A small roll of his eyes clues her that she's not wrong.

"Trolls" She sighs then says " I'm not sure what I know, so much as what I suspect? Prefer to have all the facts. I think.. I think something is broken that wasn't broken before. I think it involves my family. "

"What makes you think that? Clues? Facts? Or just a feeling?"

"Ahem .. your turn. Tell me something in exchange or what I've said so far" She picks at the ruins of her threads

He looks a little annoyed today at the back and forth game, and sighs inwardly. "I have information that may lead to Adam. Probably will, in fact. I wouldn't bet my life on it, but cold cash, sure."

"So cough up what else you know, and I'll tell you everything I know. Time might be of the essence."

"Sorry I just feel helpless and I guess I was snippy and.. " Her eyes light up "Adam? THat explains so much" She realizes she's withhholding though she doesn't mean to and hugs Symon to his surprise "Thank you. Dame Bondraste has been sick. I think she's been casting to try to help him where ever he is. fair fortune after fair fortune on a lock of hair she has of his. It's not good for her. And I tried to scry for Nab, becaus I'm good with Fae, but it's like she never existed, and if she's gone Adam is lost because she was the whole point of the quest" it's all a rush now "Then, about a month ago, I tried to seize a vision myself and a kind of glamour I never felt before, not fell, not any kith really sent letters to me.. but it was in latin. I translated it"

"What did it say? Latin's a good language to know." He nods approvingly.

He does not let his opinion on Adam show, not to the guy's sister.