Lore of Leyuna RPG (FRPG)

[C S]

"Feeling mittens." Dahnae fumbled about with her hands. It was a chore taking off a mitten with another mitten, she found out. She bit onto the end of one and pulled it off, and used her freed fingers to work the other mitten off of her hand. She then handed them both to Viho. More accurately, she took his good hand and put them into his palm, before hugging him.

[Hopeflower]

The momentary confusion over being handed mittens was lost in returning the hug with a warm, if brief one-armed squeeze. "I'm sure you remember how meditation goes," Viho stated, offering a small smile as he stepped back to let Dahnae take her seat. He set her mittens on the desk she usually claimed as he passed it and settled back on his desktop.

[The Kingpin]

Dahnae's arrival had stirred the Knight from his reach exercise, but the fact Viho had risen and spoken to her was probably what drew his attention the most. He was tempted to drop his exercise entirely, to see the one he had heard about; the reason he was formally a part of this investigation.

But he did not. For the sake of not wasting the time and effort Viho was offering him to improve his psychomantic abilities. He was sure he'd learn more of the shapeshifter, and even speak to her, soon enough.

[C S]

Dahnae sat down at the desk and took her hat off. Her messy hair fell over her face. Paying it no mind, she stuffed the hat and her mittens into her coat pockets. She questioned why Viho even bothered with worrying about her health; the closest thing to exertion Dahnae felt was all in her head. The thought that she could have been back days ago reared itself, but then she remembered that Firel would not have it.

Dahnae beamed a smile at the elf, then with that out of her system, moved on to clearing her thoughts.

She found that the hours passed easily for her again when she was back in the classroom.

[Hopeflower]

When the time came to start considering where he was going to get his lunch today, Viho cracked his neck and rose smoothly to his feet. Now was the best time to bring Solaurn to meet the research team, he felt. He usually gave his students more than enough time to eat and unwind a bit, and this would hopefully not take too long. He picked up his coat, slung it over his good shoulder, and requested, "Solaurn, would you mind coming with me?"

Firel was slower to rise, taking the time to note his progress in the journal he'd started bringing to class. The pace at which his skills were developing was...disheartening. But every time he found himself starting to consider giving up, his stubbornness reared its head and made him push harder. He had limited time to understand why a mind failed, sure, but he could get there. Dropping his studies altogether was not an option, hadn't been from the moment he'd left home. More than his pride was riding on this, he reminded himself.

[C S]

The dwarf looked up from her tablet with mild surprise. "Sir?" she asked. Gwenviere, at the base of Solaurn's desk, looked at Viho with a face that required no additional translation of her chattering. She was just as puzzled. Just off to their side, Dahnae slipped out from her seat, rolled across the small space between her and Firel, and slowly rose up behind him.

Inch by inch, she looked over his shoulder without really seeing what he was writing, or what he'd written.

[Hopeflower]

"You're not in trouble," Viho was quick to assure her. "Your help has been requested for a project our research team is working on." Our research team, he reflected and resisted the urge to snort. He hadn't been aware there was one working downstairs until earlier.

Firel turned his head to keep an eye on what Dahnae was doing, his shoulders tensing a little as she gradually invaded his personal space. "Notes," he explained, moving his hand to uncover part of what looked like disorganized scrawls. Phrases floating apart from anything else, the odd grouping of numbers and symbols - nothing that would make much sense to anyone but the one who'd written them down. "Just things to keep in mind for later."

[C S]

Dahnae hummed neutrally and rested her chin on a tense shoulder. One hand rummaged about in her pocket, outside of Firel's view. It came around his other side, dropping her gloves over the notebook. "Mittens," she replied, "because my hands get cold."

"My help?" was Solaurn's next question. Her eyes were wide with intrigue and the novelty. "Why, I can't imagine how an official team of researchers could ever benefit from my... help. Am I a test subject?" If size wasn't enough to go by, the inquiry most honestly reflected her mountainhome background. It was common for dwarves to put each other at risk of losing life and limb in the name of science. Gwenviere slapped a paw against Solaurn's thigh for even asking the question.

[Hopeflower]

Viho blinked and tilted his head. Filing that insight into dwarven research away, he replied, "No. We believe your tablet will help with a breakthrough on one of our current projects." That he was to be the test subject for that particular project was something for him to worry about when the time came.

"So I see," was Firel's somewhat uneasy response to that. He still wasn't sure he'd ever get used to Dahnae's apparent need to touch him. Maybe it was a cat thing. "Was there something you wanted?"

[C S]

"Oh. This old thing." Solaurn sounded as unmoved as she looked, eyes gazing on the stone resting on her desk. She piped up, adding, "If it will help people..." Solaurn picked up the slab and scooted out of her seat. Gwenviere fell into step beside her, chittering words of vaun encouragement that she could not understand.


"I gotta go run soon. It's snowy all over the place and I don't think these shoes are good for that. Going to try paws. Just wanted to spend some time with you before I did it," Dahnae responded. She gathered up her mittens and stuffed them back in her pocket.

[The Kingpin]

"I wouldn't recommend it," came Andruil's voice across from Firel, Andruil rising from his seat.

The darkening of the sky above Daaven was not caused by the Scholar's arrival, but the fact it seemed to trail behind his wings as they rolled over and down the Boldrim was certainly something that would unsettled the people of the Green and Silver State. As it was, Septimus's approach was as muted as a dragon of his scale could manage, flying low over the tree tops. Sticks and twigs snapped off the tops of the highest pines, the ones that had the misfortune of being in the way of the leading edge of the Hueilin's wings.

He was forced to make a running approach when he finally reached the home of the two elder Barks, his wings furling as he landed in a gallop mere yards from busy bystanders. Shrieks of surprise and panic alike sounded out as what seemed to be a beast as big as a small house barrelled at them far too fast to stop. It was a surprise to them all, then, when that massive beast was engulfed in a cloud of smoke, a small, shockingly fast figure bolted out of its midst, skidding to a halt a few yards down, kicking up a healthy spray of snow in front of him as he stood directly in front of the Barks' doorstep. Murmurs of crazy dragons and their crazy magic would linger in the taverns of Daaven for weeks after that, though it was perhaps more than safe to say that they would be murmurs unsaid in the Scholar's company.

[Hopeflower]

"We're hoping it will," Viho replied, starting for the door. He pulled it open and stepped back to let Solaurn leave first.

Firel glanced up at the sound of the new student's voice, curious but silent - and waiting for the inevitable reaction to the young woman's oddities. He tried to focus more on the conversation and the fact that Dahnae's chin was warm on his shoulder than the underlying urge to shrug her off.

[C S]

Solaurn exited a moment later as it took her a few strides to match one of Viho's. Gwenviere's path out involved a few skips and hops to keep up with the dwarf in turn. Across the classroom, Dahnae's orange eyes found Andruil, and in that moment there was a sort of intuitive understanding of what she was dealing with.

"Wuzzat?" she replied.


Syria was sitting at her desk, dressed and currently putting her hair up in a bun with the help of her magic. She paused when she saw the hectic scenery and shocked faces pass her by through the transparent walls. "Sep--" She stopped herself, knowing it was far too late to intervene. The guards at the gate had probably already sent word down the line that the harbinger of flowers had returned to the city, but their voices were nowhere as fast as the Scholar was. "You know how to make an entrance."

[The Kingpin]

"I would not recommend it," repeated the Knight as he approached. "Cold ground, cat paws. Not a pleasant mix. Well, unless you're a Snow Cat," he explained off-handedly. "Dahnae, right?" he asked, the question more for the sake of conversation than for a genuine need to know.

"I have to be. The people of Daaven have come to expect it of me. I would hate to disappoint them," responded the Scholar in a dutiful tone, as though he were honour-bound to that cause. She could not have seen the Scholar's stern visage fracture into a smile, barely keeping it from shattering entirely into laughter as he added, "You have to admit there'll be plenty of stories for them to tell their friends and family over drinks and merriment this evening."

[C S]

"Jungle cat. It won't be pleasant but snow will not stop mail," Dahnae said, inferring at the stranger's pleasantries and finding it redundant to confirm what he already knew. "Who are you, dogmun?"


"Diplomat," Syria deadpanned. "Now, could you imagine if Ceridwen got through with her meeting with the thunderbird? Daaven might just go back to being its own closed-off state again because visitors shake things up too much," she joked. Finishing up the large, tight red bun, she sat back. "Oh... dear."

[The Kingpin]

"Dogmun?" The title caught Andruil by surprise, needing a moment to figure out that she was quite literally calling him a dog-man. Clearing his throat, he responded, "Ah. Perceptive, I see. I'd expect as much from a Kleidde. Though it's actually wolfmun, to use your wording." The scraps of her description and mannerisms pieced together quite neatly, giving the Knight a clear picture of just what he was dealing with. Quite a feline indeed. "My name is Andruil. I'm a... friend, of Viho's."


"Not too long, I don't think. They'd miss the excitement before long," responded the Scholar as his demeanour settled somewhat. Noting what she had said a moment afterwards, he echoed the term, curiosity lingering in his voice as he said, "Oh dear?"


"Grandma Willow, what was that?" asked the young Pyromancer, referring to the distant yelps outside. Her mind swam with visions of obscure and incomprehensible celebratory activities, all of which suddenly involved screaming and gasping as though at risk of being trampled.

[C S]

"What's a 'kladle'?" spouted the jungle girl, living up to the curious aspect of her more paw-bearing side, all while her head was weighing on poor Firel's shoulder.


"I just had a little thought about Daaven shutting its gates and then never knowing what happened to all the heroes that came out of the Dark God's campaign against Aster. You being one of them, of course," Syria explained. "And... uh... I kinda remembered a little discussion I had with Vixen before we left Brodudika. What I'm trying to say is, unlike Beshayir, I kinda-sorta just disappeared on her after letting it slip that we'd be facing peril that even Desrium is staggered by. Now, given our plans for Thimeyra and Drakhunmiir... I'd rather not leave a friend thinking that we're dead when we have the Eye to use. Wouldn't you agree?"


Willow was putting her skills of deduction to use in the interim as she stirred a thick batter. "Last I heard, that blasted Urlox hasn't been in Daaven for some time... couldn't be him and that pie-flipper of a sword at large..."

[Hopeflower]

Firel somehow restricted his reaction to a cough and a clearing of his throat as he turned back to his notes, letting the two shapeshifters find their footing with one another. He shifted his weight, managing to casually ease Dahnae's chin away from where it was digging into bone and starting to ache.

The climb down the stairs was uneventful, if somewhat longer than Viho was used to with Solaurn and Gwenviere in the lead. Upon reaching the door behind the stairs, the psychomancer forced himself to take a deep breath and reminded himself that he couldn't put all of his hopes in this being a success. Failure was something that he was well acquainted with, especially in matters of magic. If this didn't work...he would just have to find the patience to sit and wait a few days. While people were attacked and his students were at risk.

Right.

Despite everything weighing on his shoulders, Viho did his best to remain the outwardly calm and professional teacher his students knew him to be. Once more, he opened the door and stood back to let Solaurn enter first.

[The Kingpin]

"Kleidde. One with the Will of the Wild within them. Like you and your jungle cat, or me and my wolf," he explained. It was rather simplified compared to the long version, but he generally found it easier for them to accept it that way. Ease them into the knowledge rather than hitting them in the face with it.


Septimus hummed thoughtfully at that. It was a reasonable concern, Vix being one of their rather small circle of actual friends. "Fair enough. I had assumed Faruq would have told her. You mentioned you ran into her in the library while he was there. But I suppose we could speak to her soon. Perhaps after we've knocked on the door and had our overdue conversation with Willow and the Professor. Ready?"


"Pie-flipper-of-a-sword?" The elf pulled a face of utter confusion, her knowledge of the language completely failing her this time. She had absolutely no idea what to make of it.

[C S]

Solaurn descended into the cellar that she wasn't aware the school had with Gwen hopping down the steps not far behind. "What a fascinating place," the dwarf had echoed Viho's earlier sentiments when she caught sight of the ensemble of mages around the corner of the stairwell. There were a lot more of them on duty than those hours prior, but when one glimpsed the small lady and alerted the others, a crowd had formed to meet her.

Solaurn looked from one face to another rather bashfully. "Oh my. I'm not used to this level of celebrity," she said amidst the clamor.

"Isn't that one the thing that fell through the ceiling in the herb storage room?" was heard vaguely in the crowd of excited mages. Gwenviere gave no indication past a flick of her ears that she picked up on it.


"Oh. Okay. This 'kladle' has the will of getting paid to heed, though," Dahnae replied. She pulled herself away from Firel and did not bother him further as she stood up.


At the Scholar's words, the satchel's top flew open. Syria summoned her staff from its resting place against a fabric shelf and hopped onto it from her chair. In the next moment she soared up and over Septimus, coming to a bobbing hover in front of him. "What do you think?" she asked, prodding the hair bun with her palm.


Willow took in a breath. "As the tale is told, Beshi-dear, a long time ago, a baker in Daaven tried to find a way to handle a pie while it was still baking, for reasons lost to time. Or my memory. He made this long wooden board that looked like a boat oar and a spoon combined. It's as ridiculous an image as you expect, trust me. The problem with the design was, whenever he tried to pull a pie out of the oven from however far away his work station was, he would flip it. He would flip his pie and ruin it and everyone was sad and hungry." Willow tsked. "Anyway, this man, Urlox, has a sword that might as well be the pie-flipper paddle made out of metal. It can't be him outside. Hmm..."