[u]Laakari[/u]

Bromelian was to stay the night. In fact he had already fallen asleep, curled up in the blanket before the hearth like some kind of animal, though Laakari had offered him a bed the pure-blooded elf was not accustomed to such luxuries. He often slept in trees or under bushes, perhaps a pile of leaves. Everything about him was so strange and wild, he was an object of fascination to little Novell, who was crouched nearby watching him with cautious curiosity. Laakari sat silently in his own chair, pondering over the implications of his cousin's arrival. He must have been truly desperate. However, something about his presence didn't add up. He felt as if there were some piece of the puzzle missing, disabling him from seeing the whole picture. It wasn't that he didn't trust the other elf, he was simply baffled by it all. Perhaps he just needed to sleep on it. 

The sense of unease failed to leave him though, and sleep fled from him that night. He sat awake until the morning light while Bromelian slept and Novell dozed on the sofa. He watched the fire dwindle down to coals and even until those were extinguished. Wordlessly he rose and departed as the sun was beginning to peek over the crest of the mountain and descended into the basement of the house, unlocking and entering the secret chamber beneath the floor. He closed the door behind himself. "Lumen," he murmured, and several teardrop shaped crystals began to glow, illuminating the small chamber. He went to the shelves and drew out a small circular mirror, its silver edges were inlaid with three opal stones. He placed it face up on the narrow counter, then searched the shelves again for a small vial of silver liquid. Carefully, he uncorked it and tipped the end over the mirror, allowing only a small drop of the concoction to fall. Instead of splatting like a droplet onto the surface of the mirror, it dripped and made tiny ripples of quicksilver roll across the reflective surface.

"Ostende mihi Jabari." Laakari's voice was barely a whisper, yet as the ripples in the mirror stilled, an image appeared on the newly smoothed surface. It was Jabari, an aerial view as if he were a bird flying over it. All the destruction Bromelian had spoken of was confirmed, and so many dead. However, the rioting seemed to have stopped, in fact fae and elf were working together to aid the wounded. Hospital tents had been erected near the town's center. Suddenly the vision changed. From peaceful to chaotic in an instant. It seemed there had been an accident, a wagon had run down the hill and mowed over one of the large tents. He could hear nothing but Laakari imagined the screams of those who had fallen victim to this calamity. Still, it wasn't characteristic of wagons to attack innocent people. "Quaerere." The vision followed the path up a nearby hill where he spotted a figure skipping a little too happily away from the scene. He could not see the face, but judging by the clothes and shape it was a woman. At her heels was a shiny black cat, which paused a moment and seemed to stare directly at Laakari through the lens of the mirror. A shiver ran down the elf's spine. He would never get used to cats' ability to see scryers. "Desino." The image of the city vanished and the only image upon the mirror now was that of his own face. He put it back in its place once more.

Something foul was afoot, he was certain of it now. He couldn't get the glare of the cat out of his head. 

---

[u]Kirin[/u]

The gentle sunlight filtering into the wagon woke Kirin from a fitful sleep. She rubbed her eyes groggily, suddenly aware of something soft and fuzzy under her arm. She was a little startled at first, but upon realizing it was only a stuffed toy and not a live animal she calmed a little. It lay nestled in the crook of her elbow, a patched up plush animal with a doll's face. She frowned, because it was rather ugly and she wondered who would ever make such disturbing toys for children. And yet, it seemed to generate its own warmth, and the fur was very soft. She hugged it close to her chest and climbed up toward the driver's seat of the wagon, peering out to see where they were. She caught word they were on their way to Hanuel, and then Eira. At least if Ada didn't take her home she would take her to Hanuel, at least she knew people there.

"Thank you again, for rescuing me," she said to the gypsy woman, and she really meant it. Ada had done so much for her. 

"'[i]No distractions[/i]'? I say, that sounds like a booooore," Aergar Wald sang from his perch atop the wagon's frame. There was no telling how long he'd been there, for his presence seemed not to add any weight to the wagon, as if he weighed nothing at all. Besides, no one ever bothered to look up even when they've checked all sides. He hung himself upside-down from there, his head dangling between Ada and Fritz's respective noggins. A few elderberries fell out of his hair and bounced off the driver's seat. He offered no excuse for himself, nor any reason for sticking around. It was his forest after all, and so long as they were in it he could very well do whatever he liked. At the moment he was happy to annoy their little party. The frightening facade had completely vanished and he now acted very childish, in spite of his apparently full-grown state. 

He calmed down after a bit, and listened to Ada's stories with the rest of them. Kirin thought he was rather odd and probably troublesome, but to her he didn't seem like a truly malicious person. However, she wondered if this was the same imp that her grandfather told her stories of, the one who led travelers astray and caused all sorts of tragedy. But somehow she couldn't picture this jovial sprite being so cruel. 

As she began lecturing the boy on alchemy and magic, even demonstrating a simple levitation spell, he burst out laughing. "Ah, what a sorceress! I am trembling at the mistress of the pebbles!" He was about to one-up Ada by casting a spell when their clear afternoon sky was marred by an inky black shape and a shrill whistle. A raven, or what appeared to be a raven by its shape and its beak, fluttered down through the canopy and came to rest on Willow's harness. It eyed those in the wagon, light reflecting off the iridescent blue feathers encircling its neck. After considering each face carefully the bird flapped its wings and fluttered to Ada's knee. Attached to one of its legs was a message. The bird pecked at the straps on its foot, eager to be rid of them.