The Price Paid for Knowledge

Log Info

• Title: The Price Paid for Knowledge

• Emitter: Ravenstongue

• Characters: Auranar, Dolan, Ravenstongue

• Place: Ravenstongue and Telamon's house

• Summary: Dolan and Auranar arrive (albeit independently and separately of each other) at Ravenstongue and Telamon's house, finding that Ravenstongue and Pothy are there (but no Telamon). The three have a conversation that, while it starts off as tense, moves on to discussing information that Cor'lana bought with a kiss from Zalgiman. Eventually, an important realization dawns on the group regarding the little dragon, Tanith, and her identity.

Lúpecyll-Atlon house, late morning.

The sky is grey, but the wind is as mild as the temperature, which means it's an occasion where the kitchen window is open in the Lúpecyll-Atlon house. Cor'lana hums a merry tune as she finishes putting away plates she's washed in the washing basin, and Pothy sits on the kitchen counter, snacking on a bowl of shelled nuts as he observes Cor'lana in action.

"I thought Telamon was never going to leave this morning," Pothy remarks. "I mean, he came home and just held you forever."

"I know, Pothy," Cor'lana says with a little smile, walking over to the snacking bird and petting him on his fluffy head feathers. "I needed it too. When you have a telepathic bond to someone you love, and it just vanishes into nothing out of the blue--you worry. It'd be like how I felt if I suddenly stopped feeling your connection. Because I love you too, you know that?" She leans down and kisses Pothy on the head, which results in all of Pothy's feathers puffing up. She picks up the fluffy bird and puts him on her shoulder, walking back into the living room.

It's at least a decent hour. Or, so Dolan hopes. It's after morning prayers, which should be a decent hour for the majority of people. Tel and Lana, one never knows. So he raps quickly on the by-now-familiar door. Warmer weather invites a bit of relaxation in dress, but for Dolan, that means skipping the cloaks, and little else. The sheepskin longcoat is still the same, over a shirt that is lower-collared to reveal the twin marks on the side of his neck, and the same leather cuff on the left shoulder.

Pothy turns his attention towards the door. "Do you think that's Zalgiman?" he asks Cor'lana. "You know, coming over to try and get the full mouth-on kiss. Maybe more--"

"I will throw up all over your pretty feathers," Cor'lana deadpans, and she shakes her head as she walks over to the door. She is very, very happy when she opens it and she sees it's Dolan, not Zalgiman. "Dolan! Hey! Come on inside! Tel's not in at the moment; he's off on errands."

"He's awake?" Dolan laughs, a cheeky grin splitting the mobile side of his face and tugging on the scarred half, and accepts the invitation. "Brightest of days, Lana. It must have been important. He told you what happened, right?" He steps inside, and leaves boots and weapon-belt at the door without a word of comment. It's something he has done every single time he sets foot in the house. "What is the date today?"

"Oh, I know," Cor'lana replies as she shuts the door behind Dolan, locking up the house. She smirks in that mischievous way that suits her, really, a sparkle in her violet eyes. "Today's the seventh of Eatonis."

"Eleven days until Cor'lana's birthday," Pothy says from his convenient perch on Cor'lana's shoulder. "Given any trip into that realm, Telamon could have missed it entirely, and that would have been fun." Fun in the chaotic sense, not in the fun sense.

"Telamon wouldn't let go of me when he got home," Cor'lana says with a smile as she walks into the living room, gesturing for Dolan to follow her. "We have a fixed telepathic bond--and it went deadly quiet when he went into my Grandfather's realm. I'm told you had a nice time with Tanith, however." She goes to pour tea from the teapot on the living room table into a teacup.

No sooner than does Dolan set aside his weapons, and Cor'lana has begun to pour tea, when there is another knock at the door.

Something in Dolan's expression clears as Lana makes it clear that she already knows what is going on. He starts towards the living room, only to pause at another knock on the door. "You're the popular one today," he turns around, still grinning. "I bet not. We were there for days. I guess time moves differently there, it's a good thing or Andie's cats would have been pretty damn hungry."

"I've been popular lately, it's true," Cor'lana remarks, walking back to the front door. "And don't you dare say anything in reply to that, Pothy."

Pothy huffs in that defeated-little-brother way. "Fine. I'll go where my humor is appreciated," he says, and he flies over to the chair where Dolan had sat the other day. "Come hang out with me, Dolan!" His tail wags up and down.

Cor'lana, meanwhile, unlocks the door, opening it to see who's on the other side.

The person standing at the door is none other than Auranar, looking perhaps a bit harried and holding her usual basket of goodies in one hand. She doesn't come over to Cor'lana's house without a guest-gift after all! She's breathing a little heavy as if she ran the last few feet or so. "Hello!" She offers a touch breathlessly and looks at Dolan through the doorway. "I saw Dolan up the street, but couldn't get here quite quick enough to come in with him. I hope I'm not interrupting anything?"

Dolan's eyebrows - intact and not - go up into his hairline at that statement, but that might not be something to ask about just yet. His caution is confirmed at the sound of Auranar's voice, and he instantly tenses. He turns around to walk over to where Pothy landed, grinning down at the bird. "May I sit down?"

Pothy flaps up onto the back of the chair, allowing Dolan to sit. "Of course," he says happily, still wagging his tail. "Come on, come on!" He really does sound like a little brother begging his older brother to come play when he does that, on account of sounding like a rather young boy--even if it's a voice that says complicated words (and swears) far more confidently than any voice like that should.

Cor'lana grins and gives Auranar a hug. "Hi sister," she says. "Of course you aren't. Come on inside, let me take the basket from you and set it down in the kitchen." She holds her hand out to take the goodie basket, presumably while Pothy is distracted with his best buddy Dolan (since she's now chopped liver).

Auranar gratefully hands the basket over after returning the hug, her face flushed with happiness as she comes into the room and takes off her cloak. She knows exactly where it goes and hangs it herself before half-following Cor'lana. "There's meat pies enough in there for everyone and... a little something extra for you-know-who." She doesn't say Pothy's name so that he doesn't find his attention drawn to their little conversation. "I think you'll be able to tell what it is."

She pauses near Dolan and offers the man a polite nod. "How are you doing Dolan? I..." The wild elf seems awkward suddenly. "I need to apologize for your last visit. If there is any way I can make it up to you..."

Something awkward definitely happened between these two the last time they saw each other, that much is clear as daylight. Dolan is just seating himself when Auranar approaches, and scratches uncomfortably at his hairline, just above his ear. He offers a grin in response that tries and fails to be cheery and easy, something that once came naturally. "Ah, don't worry about it. You shouldn't have had to see that. Thanks for the book, I'm about halfway through reading it. It's got some really good information on it, but I haven't seen anything about V yet. Maybe it'll come later in the book, I'll keep reading. We can go ahead and activate the spell whenever you and Magpie are ready to." Eyes don't quite meet hers.

He sits down and offers a hand to Pothy, allowing the bird to hop down and onto his leg if he likes, and covers part of his leg with the hem of the jacket to offer a more comfortable spot.

Cor'lana closes the door and locks it up again before she takes the basket and puts it away into the kitchen. When she emerges into the living room again, it's into that awkward moment between her sister and her good friend, and the sorceress opens her mouth to ask a question--

And then Pothy hops down from the back of the chair and onto Dolan's hand. And then, he flaps a little and lands on the leather that's on Dolan's shoulder. There's a thoughtful look in Pothy's blue eyes... and then he nuzzles into Dolan's hair. "It's okay," he says. "You know more for it now." Those are cryptic words for everyone but Dolan--and surprisingly carry a weight of shared knowledge, too.

Cor'lana looks at Pothy for a moment, and then at Dolan for even longer. And then realization crosses her face. "Pothy, you are way more perceptive than I am, sometimes," she says, and she shakes her head, putting her hand up to her face. "I'm sorry, Dolan. I should have realized sooner."

Admittedly, Auranar seems... emotionally fraught after Dolan's words to her. It's hard to say what she's feeling because the emotions are too deep and complicated to easily be understood just by looking at her. They aren't happy ones however. She starts to speak, but... she doesn't really know what to say. "Ah... yea." Of course. The book. Her eyes drift down. It's clear that she wishes she knew what to say to make things less awkward between them.

Pothy's words then come as a complete surprise. She looks up at the bird and blinks at him. Then she realizes that he's sitting on Dolan's protected - still injured - shoulder. "Pothy-" But it's not really her place to say something like that is it? Not after... She bites her lip and stands there awkwardly. "I just... I don't want what happened to be between us like this Dolan."

The words come out of her in a rush. And she glances toward Cor'lana and ducks her head. Now is not the time. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't bring it up. I should go..."

And - Dolan seems to take it okay. He's surprised at first, sure, when the bird lands on his shoulder, but he lets it sit a minute, and nods to himself, as if in a this is okay sort of acceptance. The hair nuzzle comes as a surprise, and he cranes his head to stare frankly at the bird. "Yeah, I know. I got what we needed." A shudder ripples down his spine, a visible one. "I think - maybe it was the only way." The words stick - they're hard to say, but he forces them out.

Was it really? his inner voice whispers. Did you really have to give up your ability to fight for it?

No! I haven't given it up. I didn't give it up last time, and I'm sure not giving it up now.

This is worse than last time, the inner voice whispers. At least last time your limbs still functioned.

I'm not giving up!

From outside, the inner war is plainly written on Dolan's features, in a crumpling of the mobile side of his face. After a long moment, he sucks in a breath, hard, and looks up. "Um. Look. Auranar. I'm not mad. I'm just sorry you had to see that. Some days are better than others. Just get rid of it. That's all I ask. Please."

Pothy looks at Dolan with those blue eyes of his, and while a raven's eyes always have that spark of intelligence and life to them, his are filled with knowledge--and the weight of it. "It was the best way," he says, that child's voice disconcertingly comfortable with what he speaks about. "For the people you loved. For you. And you will live with it forever, but you will live with it. You are one of Daeus's own, just as I was charged with knowledge, and we have causes to serve. People to support. Battles to fight."

And he nuzzles into Dolan's hair again. "You are okay. This house is safe. That goes for you too, Auranar." And then he leaps down from Dolan's brace onto his leg, his talons carefully tucking in and finding a perch before Pothy sits, becoming more of an elegant down pillow than a shoulder-weight.

Cor'lana nods soberly, and she goes to Auranar's side, putting a hand on her arm as a silent signal for her to stay. "Pothy's right," she says. "About everything. I think all of us here have... been through a lot. Been through things that taught us something about the world. Stay."

She looks between Dolan and Auranar and says, "I have information I think would benefit both of you to hear, and I paid a price for it, so I'm getting my return on investment one way or the other." She smiles. Just a little.

Auranar seems hesitant, but Dolan's words are enough to convince her that she's not unwelcome at least. "It's gone Dolan. I saw to it myself. It will never hurt you or anyone again." That said she sits down in one of the seats, and turns her face up at Cor'lana, clearly curious as to her information. "Then you better tell us." She says, offering a small smile.

Dolan's lone brown eye blinks as Pothy hops down onto his leg, and he absently reaches out to stroke the bird's feathers with his sword-callused hand. "No, I'm not. I will be, though." He exhales another hard breath, and looks up. "You're right. I've got shit to do. The Knight already told me what he wants me to do, and I'm damned well doing it."

He finally turns his face towards the two women. "I'll thank you not to discuss that with Tel. He doesn't get it, and I don't want him thinking I'm not fit to fight. Let's hear it, Lana." He tries on a smile. "And can someone hand me my teacup? I've got a bird." The one he's still petting, so he clearly doesn't mind.

Cor'lana nods to Dolan's request, and she politely retrieves the teacup for him since, well, Pothy's got him locked to the chair now. "He's sweet like that," Cor'lana says with a grin down to Pothy. "I won't say anything to Tel. He's a wonderful man--but darkness like we've endured is something that he's never gone through himself, and I hope, beyond hope, that he never will."

"I'm sweet because of all of the sugar I eat," Pothy says in agreement. He seems very happy with Dolan petting him.

Cor'lana ensures Auranar has a teacup, too, and then she takes a seat on the sofa. "Well, I'll hop to it," she says, and she looks... mildly bashful. "I got information out of Zalgiman. I learned two things: they tried to bring back Kol, but his soul can't be brought back. He's gone forever. And... There's only one devout member of the Hound at the camp. Kill him and it all tumbles."

Auranar takes the tea cup with a little bob of her head and a small smile, a light laugh rising at the words that Pothy says. Then she's listening attentively to Cor'lana's information. She blinks, then grins fiercely. "Good! I'm glad that the vampire is gone for good. Though it troubles me that they could or would try to bring him back... Still! If we have fewer enemies than we thought... so much the better." She takes a sip of the tea. "I don't suppose he was kind enough to give you a name?" She doesn't ask how Cor'lana got the information out of the man. Probably better that she doesn't.

The language that comes out of Dolan's mouth could scour a ship's deck, and he slams a hand into the arm of the chair. "Dace Zinskas!" he fairly shouts. "Sweet gods holy and unholy, if I'd known. Tel caught him with a spell that almost fucking killed him, and we didn't finish him because that giant wolf was dispelling magic and Ous was being killed by the totem! We had to get out of there! If I'd known I'd've wrung his thrice-bedamned neck." Frustration and exasperation sings through the words. "We had him on a rope and let him go. Fuck me sideways."

He finally takes the teacup from Lana, and sips at it. "Thanks. Damn it."

Dolan's outburst gets a sympathetic look on Cor'lana's face. She's an adventurer--she knows how it feels to learn victory was potentially at hand. "You had to prioritize other things," she says. "And you didn't know. But now you do. Speaking of which..."

Cor'lana takes a sip of her tea. "I was certain he was referring to Dace Zinskas as well," she replies. "I believe he and Zalgiman are possibly blood-related due to physical similarities. Stormguardian, the similar builds, the height, the eyes. I feel it was Dace who was specifically working with Kol, too--I think Zalgiman is simply sort of the financial backing for the operation. And... he seems willing to sell them out. At least, for me."

Pothy stares at Cor'lana. "Aren't you supposed to not kiss and tell?" He looks very innocent.

Cor'lana glares at Pothy over the rim of her teacup... and then she smirks. "That sounds like you're getting a smaller order of peanuts next time I go to the market, Pothy." That's a threat.

"What makes you think it's this Dace Zinkas and not... Some other person?" Asks Auranar. They both seem so certain really, but she doesn't know as much about the situation as they do. "Before we go and hurt someone, I know that I at least would like to make sure that we have the right person."

She looks at Pothy thoughtfully and flushes dark enough for it to be noticeable even on her dark cheeks. So that is what Pothy has been going on about.

"It's Zinskas, Auranar. If there's only one, it's Zinskas. Andie and me got inside his cave room. There's an altar there, and he was using incense that induced a communion with a servant of the Maw. Verna got caught by it, which was how Zinskas found us." Dolan's still shaking his head, and he drains his teacup quickly and rests it on his other knee, watching the interaction between Pothy and Cor'lana. "It's a tactic as old as the Source itself," he tells Pothy. "Long as Tel approves, I can't pass judgment on that." The amusement that lights the warm brown eye fades, though, at some inner thought.

"I have to tease Lana," Pothy says with entirely too much contentment in his voice. "Someone has to. Otherwise she'll fly too close to the sun one day, doing something she shouldn't. Like letting powerful enemies kiss her on the cheek."

Cor'lana rolls her eyes. "Tel's not thrilled," she says, "but yes, he approves. Zalgiman asked for a kiss in exchange for some information. I told him that he could kiss my cheek, and he accepted it, then told me the bit of information about the camp. He seems... very taken with me. I'm not an idiot enough to think that will always be the case."

And then she remarks as she lifts up her cup again. "But... I can use him. For now." Siiiiiiiiiiip. "I am certain it is Dace Zinskas. He's the man that has attacked Telamon and I when we were in the dreams together, likely on account of our telepathic bond, and even though I didn't have a totem myself, I was able to prove a match for Dace until he fed blood to his totem."

Cor'lana smiles lightly. "But now I do. Which means, Dolan, if you have need of me in the dream--please call on me."

The wild elf hums to herself thinking. "Do you think you could get more information out of him then Cor'lana?" Auranar doesn't particularly like the idea, but if they can just get a little more information... It feels like they're right on the precipice of being able to put a stop to this once and for all.

Dolan, on the other hand, is still frowning, and a troubled look settles over both sides of his features, dragging it downwards. "Yeah, uh, be careful, Lana. I did that with Kol. It worked, but -" Another shudder ripples through him. "Watch what you promise," is all he says, but the words hold a weight.

Pothy sighs. "I think it's inherited," he says, looking up at Dolan. "Lana's mother was a gigantic flirt. Successful at it, too, because she was beautiful and knew how to use it. She specialized in enchantments, just like Lana does. Throw in the fact Lana's descended from Grandfather through her father, and you've got trouble."

Cor'lana shakes her head. "I may, but I would have to talk it over with Telamon," she says. "I... have suspicions about further contact with Zalgiman. He may not be devout to the Hound like Dace, but I can't help but think."

She sips from her teacup a moment more. "I proposed this to Auranar. There's a connection between the dream and Quelynos. It's said that Ni'essa created Quelynos and the first of the fae. If that's true, then that might explain why I was able to deal with Dace Zinskas without a totem in the dream--and also why he told me it was dangerous for me to be in the dream. But I am not a religious scholar."

"I looked into it." Auranar admits. "But there's not much information on the fae lands in general. Not that I've been able to find." She nods to Dolan and sips her tea. "Dolan is right. The last thing you want is to go and bite off more than you can chew. As you said, he may not be devout, but outright betrayal may be beyond him. It could be that he'll try to get you to give up information that he needs or wants that'll give them the upper hand."

At Pothy's explanation, Dolan chuckles, some of the weight easing off of his features. "I wouldn't want to be in Tel's shoes, that's for certain sure." He looks over at the teacup that he had rested against his leg, but it is empty, and he toys with it with his free hand, the other one going back to stroking Pothy. "Go easy on that. There are other ways, Lana. You said you've got a totem. I'll come find you tonight and show you how to use it to help you find things. You've attuned it, right?"

He doesn't wait for an answer, but goes on instead. "Quelynos and the dream," he murmurs slowly. "Tanith took us to a place where we could see this mountain in the distance. The weird part - when I asked the Knight to show me magic - Tanith and that mountain looked exactly alike. Exactly. No two things look exactly alike when you look at them that way, but those two, did. Of course, this was before my eye went wild and I had to take it out so I could see properly."

"I'm attuned, yes, and I agree, Auranar--I'll let sleeping dogs lie. Or wolves, in this instance." Cor'lana smirks. She thinks she's clever. "Find me in the dream, then, Dolan."

Pothy continues to enjoy Dolan's pets, nuzzling into his hand like a cat might when enjoying affection. Cor'lana, meanwhile, looks increasingly thoughtful. "I was blinded when I saw the mountain-sized wolf, too," she says. "With a magic detection spell, that is. That means it's so powerful that it's beyond the ken of mortals to comprehend. But--I housed Tanith for weeks. Fed her and cooked her all sorts of fish dishes."

She thinks. "But, she is powerful. And... that mountain wolf is certainly some sort of servant of--"

Cor'lana pauses mid-thought, her eyes widening, and she hurriedly puts down her teacup onto the table. She slaps her hands to her face, and there's a muffled, "aaaaah" noise from underneath her fingers.

She emerges from her hand-prison and looks at Auranar, Dolan, and Pothy. "Quelynos. Servants of gods. Eluna. TANITH. I'm right. There's a connection. There's a connection. Has to be. Tanith is..." Cor'lana sighs.

"Tanith?" Auranar questions, feeling suddenly entirely out of the loop. "Who... or what, is Tanith?" It seems a timely question to her.

"Tanith's a little golden dragon that pops in when she wants to, and she'll help you if you give her fish. Lots of fish," Dolan explains, grinning despite himself. After all, he is fond of the little dragon too, even if he is discovering that being explicit with her is very beneficial. "But what does Eluna have to do with Tanith? You're referring to the goddess, right?"

"Yes, I'm referring to the goddess," Cor'lana says, looking almost woozy. "Telamon's a follower of her. And Tanith started showing up here and living here after he attuned to the totem of Eluna--she's showed up in Telamon and I's dreams with his totem, too. And if Tanith's giving off the same magic energy as a powerful servant of the Hound..."

Pothy makes a grumbling noise. "I don't care if Tanith is a powerful servant of Eluna. She's a bully. She keeps knocking me out of the air."

Cor'lana snaps upright and looks at Pothy. "Pothy, you will let her do whatever she wants because I do not want a goddess looking down on me for any reason whatsoever. If she pounces on you, let her." Finally, she sinks into her couch, looking like she's about ready for a nap. "I've been feeding a goddess's powerful servant for weeks. Thank goodness she's been well-cared for and happy."

"A little gold dragon?" Auranar asks, and then Cor'lana's words make her eyes widen and widen and she would say something but her mouth is just hanging open in shock. "I'm... I think I'm a little jealous of Telamon right now. He has the totem of Eluna and a servant of hers flying around... here?" She looks around suddenly as if she might spot the little golden dragon. "Is she here? Now?"

"So wait. Tanith's a divine servant of - that explains shit." The memory of watching Tanith go after the massive wolf flashes crystal-clear through Dolan's mind, and he, too, blinks. Whoa... His right hand lifts to scratch at his hairline. "So if that's true, that mountain has got something to do with Eluna. Maybe Tanith was trying to tell us something, bringing us there - nah. It was just safe." He scratches some more - that's a lot to take in. "She's um, probably asleep right now. She worked pretty hard, helping us out. I don't want to push her." He continues to stroke Pothy. "You'd think a little dragon would be a divine servant of the Sunlord - but I guess his daughter would make sense too."

Pothy hides his face into Dolan, like he's just expecting the golden dragon to appear and pounce onto him at any moment. "Big bully," he mutters, resembling more of a chicken than a raven.

"Considering Tanith's nature of whim and playfulness?" Cor'lana says with a smile. "Dreams are exactly the place for that. I think it's a fitting match--and as you said, the Sunlord is Eluna's father. Maybe He made Tanith as a gift?"

Her violet eyes twinkle. "I think I like the idea of that too much," she says. "Maybe I'll write a poem about it. The Sunlord gifting His noble daughter a present."

Thankfully for Pothy, there seems to be no sign of the little golden dragon, but Auranar is admittedly a little disappointed in this fact. She sighs wistfully and makes a mental note to bring fish to the house the next time she stops by. "If the mountain has something to do with Eluna, don't doubt that the servants of Red Maw will be looking for it too. They seem to be persistently after things to do with her. Which isn't surprising given his status as a nightmare, but it does leave one to wonder if they're after more than 'merely' breaking him out of his prison. Maybe they're actively seeking to weaken Eluna in some way so as to... do something."

"Yeah. They tried to get Phyrelia," Dolan mutters, snuggling Pothy closer with his hand. "And - shit, the lunar eclipse. I think we'd better go back to Quelynos and try to get to that mountain. See what's there, and make damn sure we aren't followed. Figure out what they want, and what they're up to. Pretty sure they want to release the nightmare. Do they want control of the Dream?" He's half-muttering to himself, not looking at the other two.

"I think Auranar's probably right," Cor'lana says. And then she offers a small smile to Dolan. "Would you like me along if you're going to Quelynos, Dolan? If I go with you, the fae will know better than to hurt me while I have the Wee Queen's protection."

Pothy continues to snuggle into Dolan, seemingly placated by having a big strong big brotherly friend to cuddle into. Child that he is, sometimes all he wants is to be held.

Auranar presses her lips together, then purposefully takes one last drink of her tea. "It's hard to say what they want for sure. But I'd hazard that they will take whatever they can get their grubby little claws on." She looks at Cor'lana. "You have protection from the fae? Since when?"

Having heard this tale a few days ago, Dolan sits back with his empty teacup and a cuddly bird, stroking the bird now and then, and allows Lana to explain about the Wee Queen. This is not, after all, his story to tell. "Andie's likely to have kittens at the idea of going back there," he mutters. "I'll try to talk her into letting me go without her."

Cor'lana looks a little bashful again. "That was another piece of information and news I received since we last spoke," she tells Auranar. "The Wee Queen sent a representative--a fairly important individual, although I didn't catch his exact title--from her Court to greet me. We arranged a meeting to be held soon. And then he gave me a gift from the Wee Queen herself: her protection, which will tell other fae that they risk her wrath if they are to interfere with me, which will last til our meeting occurs."

Pothy lifts his head up from Dolan's form. "You skipped the part where he tested you." Little brother mischief again.

"Peanuts and dried fruit," Cor'lana says dangerously. Pothy only snickers as he resumes snuggling into Dolan. Cor'lana rolls her eyes and looks back up at her sister and her friend with a smile. "I have this gift--so I might as well use it to aid my friends while I have it, right? Don't worry about your fiancée, Dolan. I've stayed home plenty while Telamon went off to save the world; someone's got to make sure there's a house to come back to."

"I know that feeling." Auranar states somewhat drolly. She is after all the one who cares for the home in Verna's absence which has been quite often of late. She smiles though. "Verna is giving over some of her duties at the church so that we can spend more time together." She sets her tea cup aside and looks warmly at the other two. "I wish you luck on your trip, goodness knows that protection or no you'll likely need it in the fae realms."

At that, Dolan chuckles, a genuinely cheeky grin of old returning to his features as he continues to relax. It even tugs at the scarring. "Yeah, I've fed the cats for a few days when Andie's doing Guild work. I'm just about done with the task set to me by the temple, I'm just waiting for -" he pauses, and picks up, "- one thing to happen, and I'll have done what was asked of me. I'll be able to leave after that. I should see about having an enchantment done before I go, and Magpie's right about not sleeping on the ground. I'll need to make a change to my gear."

"I've been studying how to transport to Quelynos," Cor'lana says, "but I'm not quite there yet. I think Telamon is capable of it, however, if he had the scroll. So, this might be an occasion where you have the two of us--and that might not be a bad idea, considering he had Dace on the ropes the other night."

She smiles. "I may likely need to invest into enchantments, myself," she says. "I have plenty in my traveling gear, but some could stand to be improved, I think."

Auaranar arches an eyebrow at Dolan's secretive mission for his temple, but doesn't pry into it. Instead she lets him trail off and move the subject of conversation along a little. "Transporting to another location is difficult magic." Auranar states, knowing that it's far beyond her ken as well. "That all being said though, the reason I came over was to talk to you Cor'lana about the garden? I need to know what you'd like planted. You too Dolan."

She smiles warmly at the man and the conversation shift to plants and which ones should be planted in the 'garden' that Auranar intends to build.

OOC

After the set:

<OOC> Ravenstongue says, "Wish fulfillment RP for other people involves picking up pretty people and doing action hero antics. For me: it's kissing ravens on their fluffy little heads."

Tanith and Pothy:

<OOC> Auranar says, "SHE JUST WANTS TO PLAY POTHY (all the time)"

<OOC> Ravenstongue says, "Pothy: "I'M BEING BULLIED. OPPRESSED. I AM THE DOWNTRODDEN!! I WILL NEVER KNOW PEACE!!!""