Ellywick chuckles at Miss Light's apology and answered, "There's no need to apologize," When Miss Light finally asked her question, the gnome bard simply raised a finger to her mouth in a shushing motion as though to say that 'It's a secret,'. She simply answers, "I have my ways," She then speaks to Miss Light, "I also know who you're here to see, and why,"

She then looks seriously to the young warlock, and she warns her while the atmosphere around them seems to grow heavier, "Your father will need to be saved first. Forces greater than you know have been set in motion. The clock is ticking once again,"

The mood then seems to lighten again, as she apologized, "Ah, but that will start tomorrow morning and that is all I can say about it. Take the time to enjoy this night,"

The things that Ellywick revealed to know might have come as a shock to Miss Light once, but that was before she met Arkerym. Once you've gotten over the fact that your boss is a talking sword who is also a demigod who fights a cabal of magical vulture men who constantly plot the collapse of civilization, there isn't much else that can faze you after that.

That wasn't to say it didn't concern her though. If she needed to save her father, that meant her father was in danger. Her suspicions on what that danger was drifted to Arkerym. In the time they had known each other, Miss Light had gotten the sense that her Hexblade patron didn't particularly like her father or the Mister Witch her father worked with. Miss Light set that theory to one side for the time being when Ellywick mentioned the danger was in fact forces greater than she knew. That ruled out Arkerym, but she didn't rule out that he'd cause his own share of trouble down the line. As for what these 'greater forces' were, Miss Light hoped Ellywick's comment about a clock ticking once again wasn't meant as a round about way of saying that the force she would have to save her father from could control time itself. Even with Arkerym, she doubted her chances against that kind of power.

"Ah, but that will start tomorrow morning and that is all I can say about it. Take the time to enjoy this night,"

"I... suppose I could do that." Miss Light said as she tried to move her focus back to the present. "Considering how... knowledgeable you are, do you have any recommendations as to where I might find something particularly enjoyable once I've had my fill of feasting?"

Ellywick smiles and after strumming her lute a bit, she answers her, "Nope. I don't have any particular recommendations when it comes to attractions this time around. Take a look around! You may find more allies to help you with the obstacles to come. Don't forget about the fourth and eighth hour events either," She then hops off of her seat and she speaks, "Speaking of, I better get going myself. Best of luck to you, Miss Light!"

With that, she walks off and disappears into the crowds. Miss Light is left alone in the Feasting Orchard, with her dwarven companion eating and drinking at a table nearby.

Once Ellywick had made her exit, Miss Light found herself some food and drink of her own, before joining Morgran at the table he had found. As she ate some of the food and drank some of the drink, the half-elf took out her map of the carnival again and examined it. She had intended to figure out where she most wanted to go next, but was quickly distracted by the sight of her father's face on the lower right hand corner of the map. Miss Light's thoughts drifted to what she knew of Mister Light. Of what her mother had let slip to her about him over the years. Of what blanks Arkerym had filled in when they made their pact.

Many years ago, Mariah Lovelace had first learned of the Witchlight Carnival from some of her friends. These same friends helped her sneak out on the night that the carnival first arrived in their vicinity. It was during that night that she first met Mister Light. The two of them took a liking to each other, and Mariah found herself returning the next night to see him again. And the next night. And the night after that. By the fifth night, it had become abundantly clear to the both of them that they were in love. By the seventh night, the second to last night before the Witchlight Carnival departed, Mariah had resolved to run away with them.

But it was not to be.

Mariah's nightly absconding had not gone unnoticed by the rest of her family. Someone had been sent to follow her and see where she went. When the spy returned with their findings, Mariah's family made sure she would be unable to sneak out an eighth time and sent news of the carnival to the knights. And the rest, as the saying goes, was history.

Miss Light shook her head after a moment to clear those thoughts away, ate and drank a little more, then tried to focus on the map again. As her eyes flicked from spot to spot on the paper though, Miss Light noticed something that made her pause once more. But this time, the pause didn't end with Miss Light retreating into her own mind.

"Morgran?" Miss Light said as she pushed the map towards her dwarven companion. "Is it just me, or do these drawings around the edge of the map look like they are... pointing at each other?

"Hrm?" Morgran grunts as he looks away from his food and drink, and to the map in curiosity when Miss Light addressed him. He leans over and looks at the map as well, and he answers, "Aye...I see what you mean. It does look like the little drawings are pointing at each other,"

He leans closer to the map to inspect it further. A few more deep hums as he seems to study it carefully, before he leans back. He answers her, "There weren't any secret messages behind those drawings though. It seems like they were just drawn there for decoration, I'm guessin. Bah. What's one more offense on top of the capital punishment, right?"

After saying so, he takes another long swig from his mug of the blackberry wine.

"Hmm..." Miss Light hummed thoughtfully at Morgran's words. Perhaps he was right. Perhaps the drawings were just there as some kind of decoration. He seemed pretty confident about it himself... But then why were they all pointing at each other? It seemed like an odd detail to add for no reason. Miss Light followed the pointing to see if it would lead her to a conclusion of any kind. The swan was pointing at the griffin. The griffin was pointing at the axe. The axe's handle was pointing at the goblin. The goblin was pointing at the rabbit with the unicorn horn. The rabbit's horn was pointing at the treant. The treant was pointing at the apple. And the arrow in the apple was pointing back at the swan.

After going in circles for gods know how long though, Miss Light eventually concluded that she wouldn't be able to crack this mystery for the time being. If there even was a mystery to crack at all. After eating and drinking a little more, Miss Light began reading the map in earnest. "What do you think about heading to Silversong Lake next?" She asked the dwarf.

Morgran swallows the mouthful of food he had before he answers Miss Light after looking over the map, "Sure. Silversong Lake sounds reasonable. I don't think I can walk very far right now anyways," He lets out a burp as though to emphasize his last statement.

He moves to stand and he speaks, "I'm ready ta head there if you are,"

Once Miss Light gives the word, he walks with her to Silversong Lake.



Miss Light and Morgran make it to the Silversong Lake without incident. There is already a crowd forming near the shore. Mist gathers at the banks of the shimmering lake. Near its center, a mermaid lounges in a giant bowl, singing a glorious, cheerful song that captivates spectators on the lakeshore. In response, the lake water coalesces into magical sculptures that whirl around her as she performs.

Miss Light can easily tell that Palasha is singing a love song, and her spirits are high! From what she can tell from the lyrics, it seems like Palasha just got engaged to the man of her dreams!

However, during the performance, different voices rise from the crowd. Boos and hisses from different voices reach Miss Light's ears and Palasha's ears. Palasha stops singing, but she rolls her eyes. She leaps out of the bowl and into the river, to the crowd's disappointment.

Had she known how to, Miss Light would have smiled at Palasha's joyful love song. Being in love seemed nice from what she had seen of it. The few times Miss Light had seen her mother smile was when she spoke of love. The merfolk songstress out on the lake seemed to have a high opinion of it too. It made her wonder what it would be like to have somebody of her own to lov-

"BOOOO!" A voice echoed out from the crowd watching Palasha.

Miss Light looked for the source, but could see nothing from where she stood.

Another voice rings out maliciously from the crowd, "Sssss!"

Miss Light scowled at the continued heckling. A small part of her felt tempted to draw Arkerym and hunt down those responsible, but a vison from the Hexblade of Miss Light being tossed out of the carnival for committing violence was more than enough to drive that idea out of her head.

"Boooooo!" A third voice jeers at Palasha, finally causing the mermaid to roll her eyes, leap out of the bowl, and swim off down the river.

"Morgran. If I bait those hecklers into acting up again, could you teach them some manners?" Miss Light asked while absentmindedly adopting a mildly vengeful pose. "No lessons involving violence, mind you... Just tell them off and then tell them to shoo."

Morgran looks just as irritated as Miss Light felt. When she made her request to him, he answered her, "Hell yeah. That was a beautiful performance, and for that to be interrupted...Ah know ah'm not going to be able to hear that again for a long time after tonight..."

He then looks to her and he asks, "What kinda cue will ya be givin' me fer drawin' out those hecklers?"

"I'll put on a show for the people still here." Miss Light explained. "You start your hunt when you hear the first jeer. With that said, Miss Light stepped away from her dwarven companion and moved to stand in front of the lake. For a moment, she simply bobbed in time with the distant yet still audible music of the calliope. Then her performance began. Miss Light settled into her usual routine, a mix of dancing and tumbling that was occasionally interspersed with some minor jest made at the expense of an inattentive onlooker. All the while, the half-elf kept her eyes and ears open for any sign of those who were causing trouble.

With a plan in place, Miss Light begins her performance. The crowds look on before they could fully disperse, and evidently, they gather again. Laughter can be heard from the crowd as the performance continues on. Miss Light is successfully raising the spirits again!

"BOOOO!" A jeer erupts from the crowd again.

Miss Light can see that Morgran heard and he immediately starts moving through the crowds towards the sound.

"HIIISSSS!" Another jeer erupts. Morgran seems to have spotted something, and he makes his way towards the source, seeming to have narrowed in on a specific target.

"EEEWWWW-URP!" A third jeer is interrupted! Should Miss Light glance towards the edge of the crowds, she would see Morgran dragging a kenku figure into the shadows between tents, with the kenku flailing helplessly against his grip!

Were she capable of doing so, Miss Light would have smiled as her performance drew the crowd back from its dispersal and lifted their spirits. She would have continued to smile even as the hecklers started to cause trouble again. Partly because Miss Light had received far more scathing criticism from her family in the past, but mainly because she saw Morgran immediately set off in the direction of the jeering. It wasn't long before the dwarf closed in and caught his quarry. And what a curious quarry it was.


Arkerym's observations proved prophetic. Once Morgran had dragged the kenku out of sight, there was no more heckling to be heard. Even so, Miss Light continued her act. In fact, the warlock kicked things up a notch once she was no longer dividing her attention between performing and baiting the heckles. She brought out her better dance moves, her funnier tumbles, and her finer jests. All in a bid to get the crowd laughing and cheering loud enough to drown out any potential squawks that could have drifted out of the shadows.

When Morgran returned from dealing with the kenku, Miss Light went all out for a grand finale. She used her best dances and tumbles, before finally finishing off with her funniest jest. Miss Light took a bow as the crowd cheered, then called out to them when the applause died down.

"Don't stray too far now, good folks! Lift your spirits and get up your hopes!" Miss Light declared. "The hour's only just begun! And now the heckler's on the run, the lake's mermaid will be back soon! To finish her song 'neath the stars and the moon!" With that said, Miss Light rejoined Morgran. "Palasha leaped into the river when she left." The half-elf said to the dwarf. "If we follow the stream, we should be able to find her easily enough."

The crowd cheered wildly as Miss Light upped her performance and finishes it with a flourish! A loud applause can be heard from them throughout the carnival! After Miss Light makes her statement to the crowd, they all cheer for her and they remain close by the river, awaiting Palasha's return.

When Miss Light rejoined with Morgran, she finds that he is still holding onto a struggling kenku. Morgran answers Miss Light, "I'm all fer findin' this Palasha an' all, but...what do you want ta do with this heckler here? I could teach 'em a lesson or two about manners..."

The kenku's eyes were wide at the mention of being taught a lesson about manners.

"Hmm..." Miss Light hummed thoughtfully, seemingly giving Morgran's suggestion genuine consideration. Truthfully, she had no intention of agreeing to the idea. Miss Light didn't want things to come to violence unless they absolutely had to. Rather than considering the suggestion, Miss Light was considering what to do instead. She hadn't been expecting Morgran to still be holding onto the kenku by the time she rejoined him, so she had given no thought to what judgement she would pass if the choice came to her. After a moment though, Miss Light realized that it didn't need to be her choice.

"Let's bring the kenku with us." Miss Light said. They owe Palasha an apology, and I think Palasha herself deserves a say in how her heckler is handled."

Morgran gives a wide smile at Miss Light's answer, and he agrees, "Sounds good ta me! Let the heckled decide the heckler's fate!" He laughs a bit, but as he begins to pull the kenku away, the kenku starts making sounds like it wants to talk to the duo. Of course, Morgran still has a hand on the beak, ensuring it remains closed.

Does Miss Light wish to hear out the Kenku, or would she want to continue to Palasha anyways?

Miss Light walked alongside Morgan as he began hauling the kenku along the bank of the river that Palasha had swam down. As she walked, the half-elf studied the flightless avian interloper as it struggled against the hand holding its beak shut. For a moment, Miss Light wondered if the kenku was trying to intone the incantation of some kind of escape spell. But her insight told her the kenku simply wanted to say something. "It seems the kenku wishes to talk while we walk." Miss Light said to Morgran. "So long as they behave, I see no harm in permitting it."

Upon hearing Miss Light's answer about walking and talking, the Kenku rapidly shakes their head as though pleading not to drag her to the pair. However, Morgran was not swayed by this silent plea. So, the kenku raised a wing, and caused a teal cloud of gas to appear around the dwarf.

Whatever her plan was, it clearly failed. Morgran was still awake, and he was still holding onto the kenku. He smirked and spoke to Miss Light, "Oi, Lass! This one just tried to put me to sleep," He laughs at the kenku, "Nice try, birdie! You're not escaping that easily,"

As amusing as Morgran found the kenku's escape attempt, Miss Light was not so entertained. "No. None of that." Miss Light declared as she placed her hands over the bird warlock's eyes. With any luck, the spell needed a line of sight on the target to work. "Let's hurry up and find Palasha before this one tries something else."

The kenku noticeably struggles as Miss Light places a hand over her eyes. But, there is nothing she can do and Miss Light is able to drag her to Palasha. Finding Palasha was a simple matter; All she and Morgran had to do was to follow the river upstream. There, she was able to find Palasha close to the Hall of Illusions.

Palasha looks to Miss Light and she asks, "...What is this? How may I help you?"

"We caught the kenku that heckled your show. We figured you might like to know." Miss Light explained. "We also thought you'd like a say in what penalty comes their way. And then, once they're dealt with and gone, you'd come back and finish your song?" If Palasha was feeling insightful, she might find a few things about Miss Light that reminded the mermaid of the more flamboyant one of her two bosses. From the way she looked and dressed, to the way she spoke in rhyme, Miss Light carried some aspect of Mister Light in every aspect of herself.