Perils of the road|Sensatia

[Northen Light36]

Pixie wasn't too chatty now they were surrounded by minds. She was wary of accidently being overheard. Instead of speaking, she rubbed against Talon's ankles before trotting over to a young girl and another ginger furred, blue eyed cat - though one that lacked Pixie's black ears, paws and tail tip.

Flame smiled and knelt to pat Pixie, before glancing curiously at Talon and Mat. "Hello," she called, though her voice was soft enough that it could barely be heard over the general chatter of the crowd. "I-is this your k-kitty? She's pretty, like Secret."

~Good girl,~ Secret whispered to Flame, knowing how the girl still struggled to speak, particularly in a crowd. ~That should be enough to tell them you're my bonded without revealing that we've been waiting for them. No need to let anyone wonder how a Water and a Wind know the little sister of the Master of Minds.~

Mat walked over. "She's my wife's cat, actually," he told Flame with a smile, despite his surprise to see that Secret's 'bonded' was a child no older then Bas.

[Kender Bard]

Talon was a bit surprised as well but he smiled as kindly at Flame as he had in him. "Hello there," he greeted cheerily. "As he said, it's my sister's. So, are you the talented young Mind we've heard about?"

[Northen Light36]

Flame blushed at the compliment and wished her dark skintone hadn't faded somewhat over the time she'd spent in Sensatia.

~Come, let's find somewhere a bit quieter to talk,~ Secret said quietly to Talon and Mat. ~Flame isn't particularly comfortable in crowds and you might find yourself having to answer awkward questions if those guards think you're paying too much attention to her. Follow us.~

After a brief, silent discussion with Secret, Flame led the two men to the Etafian wing of the temple. It was quiet and she spent enough time here that no one would pay much attention to her, even when she claimed a small room to be able to speak with her guests. "There," she said softly. "We won't be b-bothered now. I'm Flame R-redway." She looked at Talon. "You're T-talon? Secret thinks s-she remembers you."

~I do, vaguely,~ Secret cut in.

[Kender Bard]

"Redway?" Talon repeated. But before he could grasp that thought, he gave Secret a speculative look. "Huh. Strange, I don't remember you. Sorry. But perhaps you knew my daughter? She has a mind kitty as well, a nice tom named Summer."

[Northen Light36]

~Of course I remember my little brother and his bonded,~ Secret replied with a laugh. ~But I was only a kitten myself when I met my first bonded and my name was Aerith back then. I suppose you wouldn't have much reason to remember me. It was a long time ago.~

~I remember,~ Pixie purred. ~And so does Kitten.~

~Yes, well given that it wasn't THAT long ago that Flame and I ran into you while she was in Maelstrom, I should hope you haven't forgotten me, little sister,~ Secret replied dryly.

~You're not that much bigger,~ Pixie replied, but her smug tone had been replaced by something very close to whining.

Mat ignored the gentle bickering of the two mind cats, eying Flame. "Redway?" he repeated. "Any relation to the Master of Minds?"

Flame gave a slight nod and a small smile, but didn't elaberate on that. "You needed a seer?" she asked instead.

[Kender Bard]

"My sister is missing," Talon explained. "She was meant to be heading to Sensatia with our brother, but we found the remains of their camp up the road. They wouldn't have just dropped it so suddenly unless something serious happened. And we know they're not here in Sensatia... So we were hoping to find a place to start looking."

[Northen Light36]

Flame frowned thoughtfully, considering her abilities. What Talon was asking for wasn't too different from what she'd done to find Aly, and she was more trained in her speciality, but unlike Aly, this time she'd be looking for a stranger. That made things a bit harder. She glanced at Secret, silently asking what her bonded thought.

~I think you can manage,~ Secret told Flame privately, then spoke to the two men. ~Flame can try, but you need to understand she's not certain to get an answer that's easy to understand, if she gets an answer at all.~

"We understand," Mat murmured. "If you can't help us, then we'll try and think of something else."

Flame relaxed a little at the understanding and nodded. "I'll try my best," she promised. "Tell me about her? It helps a lit-little to know who I'm looking for."

[Kender Bard]

Talon smiled fondly. "She's stubborn for a start. Proud. A bit introverted. Wary and a little mistrustful of strangers, but very warm and loving to her family and loved ones. An excellent mother, sister, wife." He glanced at Mat, looking to see if he had anything to add.

[Northen Light36]

"She's cunning and sly when the situation calls for it," Mat added with a small smile. "And one of the most inteligent people I've had the pleasure of knowing. She has a terrible temper at times, but she's as loyal as they come and brave enough to stand up for what she feels is the right thing, no matter what the price to her might be. But she'd never let anyone she loves come to harm. Her family, partically her brothers, are the most important thing in the world to her."

Pixie pawed briefly at Flame and met the young seer's eyes.

After a moment, Flame giggled softly and gave the cat a pat. "Thank you, Pixie. I won't tell," she promised, confirming that whatever had passed between them would remain so, though judging by the disapproving stare Secret was giving her sister, the larger cat was well aware of what had happened.

Flame ignored the cats now and gave Talon and Mat a small smile. "I'll do my best," she promised, touching her sign and doing her best to summon a vision of where Acqua was, now having an excellent idea of what the missing woman was like thanks to Talon, Mat and particularly Pixie.

[Kender Bard]

Flame's vision was not altogether clear. But at least she did see something...

Tall grasses and exotic trees. The cries of strange exotic birds and the hum of dozens of insects. This was a hot place where wild things grew. But there was also a faint but pervasive sound of the sea; surf crashing against rocks and a shore that couldn't be seen through the thick forest.

An arrow piercing by so fast it whistled in the air and the anguished cry of man.

And little else, save for a strong sense of south.

[Northen Light36]

Flame shivered a little coming out of the vision. No matter how many she had, she didn't think she'd ever completely adjust to the strangeness of being somewhere or someone else. And while this hadn't been as bad as some visions she'd had, that cry had not been a pleasant sound. "I Saw something." She looked at Secret, deciding to let the cat speak for her rather then struggle with forming the words.

Secret repeated Flame's vision to the two men, finishing with, ~Other then that, all we got was the sense you should continue travelling south.~

[Kender Bard]

"It sounds... Like the Beastlands, I'd guess," Talon replied. "Or Humontis, I suppose. But if you're saying south and there's the sound of the ocean... Then most likely the Beastlands. They dominate the southern border." Forces, what were Acqua and Amaro doing there?

[Northen Light36]

Flame shrugged. "S-sorry I couldn't find out more," she murmured.

"You've given us enough to make a start with," Mat assured the young seer. "Thank you. Here, buy yourself something nice," he added, pressing a silver into the girl's hand.

Flame grinned at that and nodded, planing to buy enough sweets to make herself sick.

[Kender Bard]

Talon bid her farewell as well and slipped away with Mat, frowning thoughtfully. "What do you suppose has them that far south?" he asked Mat. "Do you think she's in Humontis to see the guild there, or..." He trailed off. There weren't a lot of other really good reasons he could think of.

[Northen Light36]

Mat shook his head grimly. "Given how much Amaro loathes Kit's 'second job', do you really think she'd go there with him? We'd have been able to hear the arguement from Talen'sul. And without their camping gear?" He sighed. "Besides, if she was in Humontis, or Ilyamen, Maelstrom or Talen'sul, I'd have known within a candlemark. The guild watches out for it's own... and you, Amaro and your families."