“well, I shall guess we will see the Crispian soon enough, but I must ask you propose with Arcalan. She does not matter to me in the least, but having been around your self, Jashen, and a few others for a while. One does tend to get curios about things” pausing long enough for a sip “I am not sorry if I pry, as Emily needs to know this” Achou finish with a wink to the greenish simm standing right next to him with a Mug of Cognac.


“one more thing, it is good to see you did not stay long on the street, as this place if full of Rouges, Vagabonds, and other not fun people” with a huge smile he signaled for another round of drinks “beside, I am but a lil’ Saracen Cabbalist, I can harm few… so Tobyas, once of the street, now a man of the cloth, and a Sergeant of the league, please tell, me… tell me a nice story, it will be fun” With that he took another sip of the whiskey.

Tobyas sat back, weighing this Saracen in his mind for a moment. Achou had been a good companion for some time now, hunting and learning, and drinking together.


“To be honest, I am not sure what I would do with Arcalan. However, she must be trusted to move about unobserved.” He glanced about. “I feel in my heart she is evil, my friend. And not because she is a cabalist. You have put a lie to that thought,” he lifted his goblet in salute, finishing the first and starting the new one that had just arrived.


“A fun story, eh?” he smiled whimsically. “The only tales that come to mind at the moment, friend, are poor tales of requited love and friends in trouble.” He tipped the goblet again.

“tales of requited love and friends in trouble” looking thoughtfully in to the young priest eyes, “well, that story does not sound fun at all, no it does, not like me see if I call tell a tail, a tail for two cities, one much more run down than the other, one that seems to be the life of the country. We can call the smaller one… Abredine, and the larger one Omedyre. With in these two cities we have to large and weather families.”


“these family have been feuding for some time now, and at some point in the past an evil elven mage had helped one become far more superior. The Omedyre family had this elven mage cast a spell of sorts on the fertile fields of Abredine, making them unable to grow any thing other than Turnips. Now, where that may not be all that bad,” Achou said pausing to take another sip “ it does not alow for much growth. Think, would you want to go to the capital of turnipia?” Achou smirk “ I did not think so.”


“any way, I digress” taking another sip “you know, after three of these I tend to for get my stories,a dn there was going to be a point… but let us not talk of these things, tell me young Brit. Hows does one go from the streets, to Crispian to the church? I do care to hear that, how Lil’ Toby picking pockets, becomes a member of the Church?”


“Emily, please get us some more” and with a flick of the wrist, The Simm, walks over to the bare area “Tobyas, I know you have known me only a short while, however, I do not want to see you get hurt to badly, a little is good for you” with a laugh, Achou start on the new drink Emily brought back yo him, and hands Tobyas a new whine

D’Vena considered her new blond plaything. The last was gasping the end of his life out now, and she had been amused with him. But this toy, this Azi…


“So, you are his little bolster of strength, eh?” she muttered, the laughs interrupting about every third word. “Now, you are here,” her eyes grew distant, “but I know not how, just that it had to do with my Grimoir.” Her fingers sketched a line on Azi’s face. “Ah, I sense that you have been a vessel of Will before,” she said with a low cackle. “So, some channels might be open,” she said with her eyes holding closer to Azi. “Now, allow me to see what can be done to,” she paused, a grin playing her lips, “help you help me!”


The work of tampering with a mind can be subtle, but D’Vena was far past her old subtleties. So much had been shattered in the months of her reduction. Her work was swift and brutal, setting compulsions and drivers in place, enough to make that little blond man miserable. In the end, the dual laughter was eerie, and Azi’s own eager look as she stepped from the hidden house would have chilled Crispian to the bone.

 

-----signature-----

Tobyas lifted his wine, taking a drink. God, how he hated cheap wine now that he had been exposed to better. “A young Toby picking pockets?” He smiled. “No, I never did that.” He paused, then decided to tell a bit of it all.


“My father was a noble man, made not born. He was given lands in Dartmoor that now the ponies over run. It was once beautiful. We had grapes and other small crops we grew, and a house that is now a shell for giants.” He could see the house perfectly. “As my parents got older, my mother died, and then my father turned to drink.” He hoisted his own goblet. “A lot of drink. Eventually, he lost it all. The Land, the house, and finally, the son,” he managed a grim smirk.


“So,” he continued, “at twelve, I found myself a possession of a Cornwall leader. He was kind enough I suppose, for he did not kill me, or use me badly. He passed me along later to the owner of the Mermaid, may he rest in hell.” He swallowed, checking his own anger and fear. “He used magicks to keep us all in check at first, until he could figure out your vice, and turn it against you.” Tobyas looked deep into the emptying goblet. He seemed reluctant to press on.


“My vice was, or is really, a desire to,” he paused, having never really said it aloud, “be with a man, as with a woman as the Good Book would phrase it. And thus did I start to pay my father’s debt off to the trader in human miseries. Oh, I was not alone in my wants, I can tell you. There are more than some think here in fair Camelot, and from elsewhere.


“Thus is was that Crispian found me, some weeks ago. He paid his coin like any other man, and then we were together that night.” He almost smiled at the memory, but too much pain was happening now. “In the morning, Crispian whom I knew not other than a customer, left me a handsome sum of gold and instructions as to how to find Tannir. So, I bought my freedom and left that place.


“But what does a veteran of that trade do after it is over? I was free, for the first time in years, and could make a life for myself.” He smiled finally. “Because of a young Lord with a kind heart, for which I love him. But the Church called to me, and there I have made my new life, my new start.” He examined the table for a bit. “And now, I have the League, I have some good friends, and I still have the Church. Lord Crispian’s role beyond this mess right now is, well, undecided,” he fell quiet.


“But my friend, I must check on some information now, if I may have your leave?”

"yep yep, you may go check on a few thing, these drinks have been a fun time I would say, no?" almost gleefully Achou jumped from his chair

"Thank you my friend this has answered a lot of my questions, about thing only thing it did not is how one from the street would be so free with the truth of the stories. But that does not matter, ‘tis done now, I have no worries of my tong, it quits safe in my quite month, as with Emily’s. But as you need to go find out something, I must go be a message boy the Master Cabalist.” As he headed out the door, he looked back one last time, almost a sad smile on his face that turned to a huge grin “ByeYas Toby! Send word to me if you can when you need me, or I shall be forcer to do some thing like you have done here!” and with that he and the simm were gone

Tobyas watched the little Saracen depart, with his hulking mass of rock defender. He laughed a bit. How does one get so comfortable with the truth? Something he would have to think about, when time allowed.


He slipped out the back door and pulled his plain cloak around him. Like a wraith, he slid down long familiar paths, not even lifting his hem to clear it of piles of refuse. If there was anywhere he had called home, no matter how unpleasant, these alleys and streets would be it.

Azaeli squinted into the harsh sunlight as she stepped outside into Lyonesse. Her thoughts were a jumble, her mind clouded with unpleasantness.


Her bare feet crunched on dry leaves and twigs as she made her way northeast. Not really ever having been in Lyonesse before, she didn't know her way, but something pulled her in that direction, and so she walked.


Her light sleeping tunic and under-leggings didn't do much to sheild her from the mid-morning breeze, but that didn't seem to bother her. Two thoughts ran through her mind: Get to Cornwall, then, find Crispian. She found the road to Cornwall quickly, suprised and yet not suprised at the ease at which she did so. It was a long walk, and by mid-afternoon she had gotten back to the little station and into her rented room.


Unclear, no, unholy thoughts drifted through her mind as she slowly strapped on her armor and fastened her cloak around her neck. Laughter rang through her head again, so loud that she dropped to her knees and prayed fervently until it stopped.


She packed her few belongings, shoving the tome and parchment into her packs, and strode down the stairs to the bar.


"Wine. Red." She slapped a coin onto the bar and glared at the barkeep, who raised an eyebrow. Azi had patronized this inn long enough for him to know that the young miss never drank anything but tea, but he set down a wooden goblet and filled it up anyway.


"E'erythin alrigh' miss?" He asked cautiously,wondering at the obvious change in the young paladin's usual kind and soft nature.


"Fine." Azi winced inwardly at her own harshness and drank deeply, feeling the rich warmth of the drink fill her. The barkeep nodded sheepishly and turned his back to fill the mug of a friar who was rapping it impatiently on the bar beside her.


No wonder why Crispian always had a tankard closeby..she thought to herself as she drained her goblet. The effect was soothing at the least, and it did clear her thoughts a bit. But the hour was growing late, and she still had to seek out the Seneschal...

Crispian looked firs at the king, then to his friend Arguyle. He felt a bit sheepish still being in such company, but with his life in the balance, what could he do? He gave a small shrug and turned to the highlander, careful to keep hands clear of weapons.


"Lord General, what questions can I answer for you?"

 

-----signature-----

/bump!

 

-----signature-----