Soahc Loves You!|Widor, New Anarlina

[Kender Bard]

Harmony didn't bothering hopping to anywhere else in Anarlina; she went straight to the point, teleporting to Zack's house. ~We're here!~ she announced to Zack, politely not heading inside yet. ~Which room do you want me to bring the guests to? There's four of us total here.~

Libre looked all around in interest. "A nice house," he noted. "With a lovely view."

"Yep, this place is great," Harmony agreed. "I like staying here when I bother to stop in Anarlina. Zira and Zack are great hosts, too. I like Zack best, though." She could see why her mother had taken him as a lover. He was fun!

[Northen Light36]

Flame also looked around in interest, but she didn't say anything. One of the lingering side effects of her mutisim seemed to be a reluctance to speak without a reason to, unlike the chatterbox she'd been before Tres' death.

Secret however wasn't so quiet, though she kept her words only to herself, Flame and her intended audience. ~Erebus? Dream?~ she called, trying to feel if her siblings were in range. This was where she thought Pixie had said their littersibs were, but she wasn't sure. One human place looked and sounded much like another, really.

[Darastrix]

Mm, corner drawing room, Zack thought. You know, the one with the tall windows that let the sun warm the room so well. I'll meet you there. After the music room, that was his favourite room in the manor.

From Dream, there was no answer, but Erebus, curled up in a shaft of sunlight in said drawing room, opened one eye and sent a sleepy-sounding ~What?~

[Kender Bard]

"One more quick hop," Harmony announced and brought them all to the designated room.

Timble began to move around the room, checking it over for any hidden dangers. Harmony rolled her eyes but Libre gave his guard a small nod of approval. Satisfied, Timble moved back to Libre's side.

Harmony settled into one of the chairs, stretching and yawning. Maybe later she could raid the larder.

[Northen Light36]

Secret immeditately troted over to invade Erebus' sunlight. ~That's a nice way to say hello, little brother~ she teased and just to be annoying, put a paw on Erebus as she began giving him a firm face washing.

Flame, watching the two cats, giggled and walked over to pat Erebus. ~Secret, play nice,~ she scowled gently and added to Erebus. ~Hello, I'm Flame, Secret's bonded. What's your name?~

[Darastrix]

~You're the one in my territory waking me up, so I'd call it even,~ Erebus pointed out, not bothering to protest the grooming. It was one less thing he'd have to do himself.

At Flame's question, he yawned and twitched the tip of his tail. ~Erebus. Zack's mine; Dream has the dove, but they're not here.~

Zack came strolling in a few moments later, stopping in surprise when he saw who his guests were. He didn't know Timble, but Flame he recognised from having seen her before--most recently when he was Anarlina's ambassador to Sensatia--and by the cat accompanying her. Erebus didn't put up with strange cats in his space. Libre, too, he recognized, mostly because Flame's presence made him think of him first. Had Harmony and Libre gotten back together? No way to know without asking, and that wasn't the sort of thing you asked in a crowd when you weren't sure of the answer.

"Now this is a surprise," he said with a grin. "Everyone sit, make yourselves comfortable. Anyone hungry? Thirsty?"

[Kender Bard]

"I could use a drink," Harmony piped up.

"I'll stand," Timble said. It was mostly on principle. He was getting his first opportunity to really flaunt his new position somewhere outside of Sensatia and he wanted to make a good show of it. He crossed his arms too.

Libre settled into a seat as well. "I'm fine, thank you," he told Zack. "Thank you very much for allowing us into your home on such short notice."

[Northen Light36]

Flame looked up from fussing over the two cats and smiled as recognision finally clicked properly. "Could I have some water please? And I think Secret's thirsty too." ~You didn't have Erebus with you when we met before. If I'd known, I'd have introduced Secret properly... But at least I'm not covered in mud this time.~ She grinned at Zack but made no move to get up from where she was sitting next to the two mind cats. "I hope we're not interupting anything?"

[Darastrix]

Zack laughed at Libre's comment as he went to ring the bell. "Trust me, we here are used to short notice. And no worries, Flame. I was just about to take a break from writing anyway. I need Zira to help me figure out what I've written."
And Secret introduced herself well enough at the time, he thought with a smile.

A moment later, a servant appeared in the doorway. "Dill, could you bring some water for Flame and her kitty, please? And is there some of that hot drink left?"

The goat-affinity grinned a little. "Despite your best efforts, yes."

"I haven't had that much."

"Just keep telling yourself and my dwindling supply of cinnamon that, Zack. I'll be back in a moment."

Zack rolled his eyes good-naturedly as he went to take his own seat. "So, what brings you all here today? Flame, I don't think I've seen you or Libre since I was Anarlina's ambassador in Sensatia. And who's your friend?" he added, tilting his head at Timble.

[Kender Bard]

Libre smiled and gestured. "I'm sorry I failed to introduce you; my manners are just appalling today it seems. This is my personal bodyguard, Timble Kenway, son of Lord Xavier Kenway, a nobleman of my home."

"Bodyguards aren't supposed to be introduced," Timble replied wryly. But he nodded politely towards Zack all the same. "And I hardly think I'm a shining example of nobility."

"You wouldn't be the first who felt that way," Harmony replied with a snort.

Timble smirked and looked Zack over. "You've probably met my sister, however. Divria; she was housekeeper to the embassy until she got bored and left to go wander around Naruta." Actually that meant she was out and about with this new demonic threat. Timble's smirk abruptly vanished at that sobering realization.

~I'll contact Xavier when we're done here~ Libre assured his friend.

"As to why we're here, it pertains to a vision my sister had from Soahc involving you," Libre said and went into the details as succinctly as he could. "It sounds crazy, but this isn't the first time Flame has had an accurate vision of great importance and the rings that Soahc gave her to distribute have already responded to the two candidates we've approached thusfar."

Harmony grinned. "They change color. It's really fun to watch. I wish I was getting one."

[Northen Light36]

Flame held out the ring to Zack. "This one's yours," she told him. ~If you have any doubts, Secret can confirm we're telling the truth. The mind cats never lie, after all.~

[Darastrix]

Zack's relaxed manner seemed to drain away as Libre explained the matter at hand. Oh no. Oh no. He didn't want one of those rings on his hand. It was bad enough hearing how it had felt to Zira and Sunny when they got theirs. At least Zira could handle pain; it had never been one of his favourite things even in play. And why him? He was hardly a model of prayerful piety. Well, okay, not many Soahcians were, but still.

He took the ring carefully between forefinger and thumb, as though it might come to life and bite him. As far as he knew, that was exactly what it would do. He was saved from having to speak up on the matter for a moment as Dillon returned with a tray containing a glass of water for Flame, a dish of water for Secret, and four steaming mugs of a dark brown liquid that smelled of chocolate and spices.

"Will that be all?"

The question jarred Zack out of his thoughts and he looked up from the ring with a reflexive smile. "Ah, yes. Thanks, Dill." After Dillon had left again, he looked from Flame to Libre to Harmony. "Did anything else happen when the other two 'responded?'"

[Kender Bard]

"No," Libre replied. "It was pretty to see, but once they changed colors that was the end of it."

"The color seems to depend on each person too," Harmony replied. And she thought of her father's eye, then, suddenly getting an inkling. "I think it might have to do with how you serve Soahc. A kind of faith-indicator. Or something." She didn't want to get into too much detail. Her father being able to show you your sin was very interesting, but she wasn't sure if she should tip her hand too much in case people got nosy. Her father was weird enough by reputation as it was.

[Darastrix]

"Reason I'm asking," Zack said, "is because Thuoth's been doing the same thing. And both people I know who got his rings were in pain from it for a while. The rings stabbed them."

[Northen Light36]

Flame blinked and shook her head. "Well we haven't seen these rings do anything like that," she assured Zack.