Over on the little corner stage, Envoy sings some familiar pub songs. Apparently the usual minstrel, a short foppish fox, was unavailable.

Rasha wanders curiously into the pub, eyes wide as she takes in the patrons, the decor, the severed heads on the wall… and her customer from a few days ago, singing for the crowd. She smiles, seeing her work on public display.

Another replacement is that of Jakka; the familiar grouchy griffin bartender has been replaced by an equally grouchy Rath'ani, who cleans a quartz tumbler and looks over the patrons with thinned eyes. Perhaps tonight will be a little better; the entertainment's voice seems to be better than that other fox… But the foppish fox was cheap.

The Aeolun's amber and chitin necklace does catch the light every so often as she glides a pair of small hammers across the strings of her dulcimer.

Rasha's never been in a place like this before, and it shows; she steps hesitantly between patrons and stools, making her circuitous, deferential way to the bar. "Herro," she tells the Rath'ani. "May I prease have something to drink?"

The grizzled raccoon, whose tail seems to have been hacked off halfway, peers down at the Vykarin. "Huh! A shellback. Watcha want? Cash in advance."

During the performance, the door to the bar opens again to admit the College Esoterica's newest student, the Kitsune Francisco, out running an errand for Haskalah. Looking around the place, he grins when he sees Envoy.

(Too easy,) the fox chuckles to himself as he enters.

Rasha looks uncertain. "Something with fruit in it?" she suggests hopefully, rummaging in her marsupial pouch. "What wirr it cost?"

"With booze in it? Or without?" the Rath'ani counters.

Francisco wanders over to an empty table, and listens to the performance.

Rasha says, "Ummm… without word be better."

Envoy pauses after her last song to take a sip from a glass of water and wave to Rasha and Francisco, then she takes up her hammers once more and starts a new round of songs.

"Fruit juice, two shekels," the Rath'ani says. "With a slice of erais in it, 'nother two."

Realizing that this may take a bit of time, Francisco looks around hopefully for an waitress or someone so he can get a drink.

Rasha says, "What's erais?"

Rasha twitches her tail curiously.

"Eh? One of these," the bartender says as he reaches for a fruit basket behind the bar and holds up a fresh-looking reddish-orange fruit, a tri-lobed sphere. The skin is velvety.

Rasha shrugs, "I'rr try it," she says, rummaging in her marsupial pouch for a moment, then producing a tenner, which she places on the bar.

The raccoon nips on the tenner, a ceramic piece with a bit of wire wound around the edge, then nods and gives Rasha back six shekel pieces. He puts two of the fruits into a curious cylinder and slips an endpiece in place, then presses it in and holds the spout over a glass. After a minute or so of squeezing, the liquid pouring from the device has filled the glass.

Francisco sighs, having failed to find a waitress, heads over to the bar itself.

The bartender cuts a section of fruit out and sticks it onto the edge of the glass, then slides the drink down to the Vykarin.

Rasha looks curiously at the multi-tailed fox, but having spent most of her life in the tundra, doesn't recognize him as being any more odd than the other residents of Rephidim. "Herro," she says politely, taking her drink and sipping it curiously.

Rasha takes her change, pocketing that as well.

The Rath'ani looks over at Francisco. "Yeah, Nob?"

Erais juice turns out to be a curiously salty-sweet liquid, rather thick. Perhaps it's a taste that grows on one.

Rasha makes a slight face, but takes another drink.

The kitsune smiles at the Vykarin politely, and practically glares in response to the bartender. "I beg your pardon?"

The Rath'ani pulls the endpiece out and shakes the fruit pulp into some sort of container, perhaps for fermenting later. "Watcha want, Nob?"

Rasha watches the conversation with some interest, tail slowly swaying.

It dawns on the fox at what the bartender is getting at. "A drink, and perhaps a bit of accuracy," he replies with a hmph. "I'll have you know that I'm a Kitsune, not one of these Nohbakims."

There are a few patrons in the bar listening to Envoy, but most are just preoccupied with their own concerns; there are quite a few Jupanis looking into empty space.

The bartender snorts. "Never heard of these keet-sooh-nahs. You look like a Nob. But if you've got money, I'll call ya whatever ya like. Watcha want to drink?"

Rasha sips her drink thoughtfully. She wonders if the bar serves food as well; she could use a bite.

Envoy watches her audience, and wonders which Jupani song would cheer up the morose looking lupines.

Francisco continues to scowl a little bit. "What have you got in the way of cocktails?" he asks.

"Cocktails?" The bartender looks at Francisco suspiciously. "What're you, one o' them fancy-pant Gallee lords in for a… " He mocks in a falsetto voice, "Quick glass and then around the course we'll go, me love?" Resuming his normal tone, he continues, "We got six different honest brands o' ale and beer, dark to light, an' if you're the type that likes ta drink heavy, we got twice-brewed wine. It'll take the fur off yer mouth."

"Light ale then," Francisco says.

"Right. Three shekels," the Rath'ani says.

Finishing her song, Envoy has another sip of water, and then turns up the volume for Woodland Drums, stomping her feet in time. Maybe it will break the Jupanis out of their gloomy moods.

Rasha loses interest in the conversation, wandering closer to the stage. She's never heard music like this, and it intrigues her.

Francisco hands over a few coins to the raccoon.

The Rath'ani takes the shekels, pockets them, then draws Francisco a wooden tankard brim-full of a pale liquor. It smells a little sweet.

Rasha starts thumping her tail in time to the song; the Jupani may or may not approve, but she certainly does.

The kitsune picks up his drink, and looks around for his table – which seems to have been taken while he was away from it.

The nearest Jupani perks his ears up and then looks over to the others, but the other Jupanis don't seem as moved.

Envoy sings towards Rasha now, stomping her feet harder in encouragement. The stomping seems important.

The nearest Jupani, a white-gray mix, leans toward Envoy and motions her to put off playing for a minute and listen to his whispering.

Rasha attempts to drum harder with her tail while taking another sip of her beverage. The results are beverage spilled over her muzzle and a rather erratic rhythm. She flusteredly licks and rubs at her muzzle

Envoy moves over towards the Jupani, and lowers the volume until she can hear him.

Francisco leans against the bar, waiting for Envoy to take a longer break. He tries a bit of the ale he just bought, and grimaces slightly. He's had better.

"We are mourning," the Jupani says quietly. "We grieve for the families lost in the Himar, those of us who had tribes and sent money and letters to them every spring when the passes cleared. We grieve for those of us who had lovers and will never see them again. We grieve for the ancestral graveyards where we will never be laid to rest. Your song is well meant, bard, but it is not one that will find much welcome among us." He lays his hand over Envoy's for a moment.

Envoy frowns, and asks quietly, "What will cheer them though? There must be something?"

The Jupani says, "Sometimes one must grieve, so that one can put it behind himself and walk on."

Rasha leans a bit closer to the conversation. "Perhaps then a sad song?" she suggests.

Envoy rubs the side of her muzzle, "Is it normal for them to mourn… alone like this? So quiet?"

"We are not alone," the Jupani whispers. "We are together." His gaze flicks toward the Vykarin, who seems unusually well spoken for her kind, but he shrugs and rejoins his companions.

Envoy looks to Rasha, and then goes back to the stage and plays some simple ambient tunes. Almost meditative, even, with no lyrics other than subtle chantings.

Rasha listens curiously to the new melody, sipping at her drink.

There are some muffled sobs from a Jupani woman.

The Bard keeps up the alien chants, using her second voice to add depth and echo.

The wolfish woman bursts out, "Oh, Zhan! Zhan!" She sobs, breaking into a long pitiful howl.

Envoy begins the final selection for her current set, yet another alien hymn. "Ah-vi Ma-ree-ah… "

Rasha gazes sympathetically at the overcome Jupani, wishing there were something she could do… but there isn't, and she drains her drink silently.

Francisco continues to wait at the bar, watching and listening. (Come on, take a break already,) he thinks to himself as he tries to stomach the ale.

Other Jupanis join in slowly, howling so softly that they might be crooning with Envoy, but nevertheless, their spirits pour out their cries to the Procession. The Rath'ani flattens his ears but looks as if he's not about to force them out.

Envoy finally sets aside her dulcimer and takes a longer drink of water, then gets up to stretch her legs.

The howling goes on, making Rasha's glass of fruit juice shiver.

Rasha chews on the fruit wedge sullenly. She did pay for it, after all. But now she's wishing she hadn't; the wierd salty/sweet taste isn't entirely agreeable to her palate.

(A-ha!) Francisco makes his way across the room to intercept Envoy.

Envoy waits near the stage when she sees Francisco moving towards her.

As he gets close, the Kitsune says to Envoy: "You sing very well, Envoy. I now see, or hear, what you meant by two voices." He chuckles a little.

Envoy smiles and nods, "How have you been, Francisco?"

Rasha places her empty glass and squeezed wedge on the bar, then makes her way out as she came in.

"Oh, ups and downs," replies the fox. "I lost my stall in the Bazaar, but I'm now a student of the College Esoterica."

Francisco continues, "Which is part of the reason I'm here… "

Envoy blinks, "Here in the Three Thieves?"

The fox waves a paw a little. "Not really to do with here, actually… It's more a request I have of you."

Envoy smiles and wags her tail. People don't ask her for favors very often. "What can I do for you?"

"Well, don't ask me why," starts Francisco, "but Haskalah – she's the mage I'm doing errands for – said that she requires a feather of a white-winged Aeonian. To be honest, the only one I know of is you."

Envoy blinks. "Oh… Dame Haskalah is your teacher? I suppose she must have meant me then. How big of a feather do you need?"

Francisco shrugs slightly. "She didn't really specify a size," he replies.

"Though, I doubt that she could use a very small one," he adds.

Envoy plucks a medium-sized feather than, and hands it over to the kitsune.

Just at that very moment, the Jupanis finally fall to silence.

Envoy blinks at the sudden silence, and looks around the room.

There seems to be a new sense of kinship between these Jupanis, both refugees and those who have lived in Rephidim for all their lives. They clap each others on the back and stand, beginning to file out the door… All except the first Jupani who spoke to Envoy first.

The gray-white mix Jupani walks by her table and drops six coins clattering onto its polished surface, each a ten-shekel piece. "Thanks, miss," he says gruffly before turning to join his pack mates.

"You're welcome!" Envoy calls after the retreating wolf, wondering just what happened…

Accepting the feather, the kitsune looks around at the Jupanis. "Did I miss something?" he asks.

"I guess I sang something that helped them release their pent-up grief," the Aeolun says. "So, are you studying Chaos Magic under Haskalah then? Is her office still ankle-deep in pillows?"

Francisco shakes his head. "Not Chaos, no. Kitsune are really more adept with illusions, so while I can't do things like I did back home, at least I have some understanding behind them."

"And yes, pillows everywhere," he adds with a grin.

Envoy says, "Illusion? Yes, I suppose that does fit a Kitsune best. Will you say hello for me when you see Haskalah again?"

"Oh, certainly. Of course," replies Francisco.

Envoy says, "Did you see the big battle with the Babelite plaguebringers? I was on the surface and missed it."

Francisco says, "Uh, no. I was a little distracted that evening."

Envoy blinks, "What could be more distracting than an invasion of giant bugs?"

"If bugs are concerned, anything," replies the fox.

Envoy blinks three times at Francisco, then says, "Well, it was nice talking to you again, Francisco. I have to go back to work for another hour now though."

The kitsune nods. "I think I'll stay and listen for that then, if you wouldn't mind?"

Francisco thinks it'll take him about that long to get through about half of this ale.

Envoy smiles, "Of course not!" She scoops up the sixty shekels left by the Jupani, and takes her place back at the stage. This time, her sets are a bit jauntier…