It's nearing sunset in the Half Valley, so things are not much brighter outside the drear guardstation as they had been inside. Still, it's certainly more pleasant outdoors. Crickets are beginning to take up where the bird chorus is leaving off, and if one squints hard enough, fireflies can be made out appearing on the forest edges. Despite Marshal Thistlewithers' warnings, the Magistrate has given Chiaroscuro the benefit of the doubt in regards to this kavi strangeness, so the mongoose has been released with a mission and an enthusiastic Skreek river-archer for a companion.

Chiaroscuro walks along, steadily gaining confidence in direction in the town, and talking with the Skreek. "… and so I followed them in the next balloon, but by the time it landed… they had dissappeared. Not at all how I had planned to spend the day."

Kal walks spryly beside the mongoose, now sporting a chitin helmet and breastplate to go with the leather jerkin he normally wears. He carries an unstrung lamanate bow, made of several types of wood, along with a quiver of arrows and other smaller weapons. For all his haste, it took the Skreek a long time to get ready, as he went through almost every knife, arrow and sharpened stick in the armoury before he found the 'right ones'. He managed to catch up on events as well, "Well, as my cousin Dreeet, twice removed and once hung said, 'It's those unexpected surprises that really ruin your daaGH!' Still, you wouldn't want things to be boring, right?"

Chiaroscuro smiles. "Certainly not! Much of the richness in life is walking down paths undiscovered." The fingers of his left hand fidget slightly at his neck, before his hand returns to its side. "And this has been a pleasant place, though there is much I still need to know… such as what the 'Pearl' is."

Zieekal scoots out in front of Chipper, and walks backwards, his hands waving around to help his description. His tail flails with purpose, warning him of imminent tripping hazards, or more commonly, walls. "It is the place! Everyone comes here, to go there, well if they're a big time game hunter at any rate. The Pearl, Levitha's Pearl is an island several miles off the coast of the valley."

The mongoose nods. "Ah, so I see. The island must have many beasts to hunt, then?"

"Legend has it, that the sea-serpent Leviathiqualios-Who-Touches-The-Ocean-Floor was trapping things in her coils, to pull up all the creatures she would make into the land species." Kal makes a wide sweeping motion, as if hauling a tremendous weight. "She had dredged deep for her last catch, and when she turned towards to the mainland, the Pearl slipped from her grasp. It stuck off shore, along with all weird crustaceans she brought from the ocean bottom; they are there to this day, and those are the beasts the hunters come for."

"It's not true of course, but thats what we tell the hunters, depending on season." The Skreek skips back a few more paces, "Theres lots of silly stories about what lives in the Basin, but they're not true. Except the ones about the Basin-Scuttlers, and the Observor."

Chiaroscuro strokes his chinfur with a paw. "Crustaceans… I do not know exactly what that word means." He listens carefully to the Skreek, ears perked. "Basin-Scuttlers, and the Observor?"

"They're like insects, like this." Kal darts sideways and grabs something from a merchant's cart. It has some sort of shell, many legs, a segmented tail, and pincers. He waves it in a sweeping arch above his head, "But huge! Differnt kinds too. They're are the Basin-Scuttlers. The Observer is a gigantic Scuttie. That's what we call them, scutties, instead of just BS or something."

The Skreek lobs the crustacean back towards the merchant, and continues. "The Observer is the biggest scuttie of them all. Five times bigger than the biggest one that's ever been through here. That's pretty big you know, ask anyone. It's cunning! It can pick a man out of a group without the others even noticing, except for the squelching noise as he's cut in half."

"He's black, or he changes colour, or he digs into the ground, or has eight eyes, or maybe just one big one. Black and Eight is the commonest. Many people go out there, mages, warriors, hunters. Few come back, Chia-Kavi." Kal says happily.

Chiaroscuro hmmms. "I see, I see. So these are giant Zelaks, with one very large, stealthy one. Do they spend their time in the sea, or on land?"

Chiaroscuro smiles. "And please, do call me 'Chipper' for short."

"Chiaroscuro call me Chipper?" The Skreek announces, "Great! I'm Zieekal, call me Kal."

"Well… some kinda look like Zelaks, some look like scorpions, spiders, dragonflies… almost any kind of insect. Some look like herbivores. It's a whole little collection of oddities." Kal answers.

"I see, Kal." Chiaroscuro hmmms. "And they spend their time principally on dry land, or on the sea?" He turns a streetcorner, spying the inn he ate lunch at.

Kal bounds along behind Chiaroscuro, his tail held up above the dirt, "I don't know, I've never been, and I've never seen a live one. They just bring the dead ones through. They don't look like swimmers, not even short dippers actually."

A warm, flickering glow emanates from the frosted-glass windows of Levitha's Blanket, and some smoke still continues to curl from the chimney, despite the 'closed' sign hanging on the door.

Chiaroscuro nods, knocking three times quickly on the door to Levitha's blanket. "Good then. I have had enough of sea insects for my lifetime." he says with a smirk.

Before long, the door creaks open. In the doorway stans, of all things, an enormous insect…

"These are good dry land ones," Kal nods several times quickly, "but it's kinda hot and humid there so you'll be wet all the time anyhow."

"There's one now! Ha, kidding." The Skreek jumps about.

Chiaroscuro nods to Kal… and to Pond. "The land ones I can deal with. Hello, Pond. Could you please tell Piksil that Chiaroscuro is here?"

Pond's antennae wiggle in several directions, and without answering, the tall Zelak turns and walks back into the inn. Before long, a high, musical voice says, "He is? Where? Don't tell me you just left… tsk. Chiaroscuro? Please come in!"

Chiaroscuro smiles, and enters the door… turning around to the Skreek. "Will you be joining me, Kal, or shall I see you in the morning? I do not expect much will happen that I need your help by then."

"Weeeeell… I'm not supposed to let you out of my sight, so I won't, but I'm going to be watching you over there." The Skreek points down the street, and over a building, "Not here. Don't try and sneak away though. Like my half brother Neeka, who incidentally spent two years in a maze, said, 'I'll never give up!' Actually, that doesn't really apply, but I thought I'd say it anyhow. I will find you if you disappear, I'm bladesharp like that, you'll see."

"So, gotta go, and I'm watching you!" Kal darts away.

Chiaroscuro nods to Kal, calling out. "Meet me at dawn!" before shutting the door behind him.

The inn is fairly dark now, except for where the fire in the hearth casts its light, and a lamp from the kitchen burns. Only half a cord of wood remains in a nearly empty bin by the fireplace.

Chiaroscuro looks around for Piksil… checking around the room first. When he sees no sign of her, he walks over to the Ktichen counter… "Piksil?" He asks a bit quietly.

Wooden plates clack against one another in the kitchen, mixed with the sounds of sloshing water. Before long, the small, four-eared Cervani girl rounds the counter, wiping her hands dry with a dishrag. "Sorry to keep you waiting, Chiaroscuro! Keeping this place running is an all-day job, even with Pond's help. Sometimes because of it." She stifles a giggle to herself, and waves a slim paw at the rocking chairs by the hearth, where Pond is already standing quietly. "Please, sit down. Do you want anything while I'm up?"

Chiaroscuro takes a seat… "Please, if you would… though I see you seem to have the kitchen closed for the day. A bit of bread, or whatever would be easiest for you, would be appreciated."

Piksil soon joins the mongoose, bearing a tray with a small basket of rolls, and two small clay pots with flat wooden spreaders in them. Two mugs of Rughrat milk are there as well. "You really should have been back for an actual supper you know," scolds the diminutive doe mildly. "These rolls are left over, but they shouldn't be too stale yet."

Chiaroscuro smiles, balancing the tray easily on his lap even as the chair rocks back and forth. "They will be fine, Piksil, thank you." He breaks a roll open and spreads some butter from one jar onto it. "And I would have returned, except for some unavoidable circumstances… "

While eating his rolls for the next few minutes, the mongoose tells Piksil of his encounter with Marshal Thistlewithers and Magistrate Whitewhiskers; what they mentioned about the hunter and kavi, and his 'volunteering' to help them in this mystery.

Piksil settles into a rocking chair opposite Chiaroscuro's to listen, framed by the firelight, and every so often taking a sip from her mug. "Mmm… I kind of figured as much, really. The Marshal's heart is in the right place, but I wonder about him, sometimes. I was afraid he'd single you out for being… well, looking like a kavi, and with those other kavis being so stand-offish and aloof, I'm not surprised he started trying to explain things the way he did. As for your talisman… well, I guess I made the same mistake in assuming." She tilts her head to one side curiously. "Still… I can sense something from you… "

Chiaroscuro drinks some milk. "I did know magic, in my homeworld, lady Piksil. It passed out of me when I came to Sinai… though it left a farewell present." He puts a hand to his forhead, out of reflex. "But that has passed as well, though for a time I needed magical aid to overcome it."

"Ahh, well… that makes sense, I suppose," says the Cervani-alike, nodding her head. Her ears twitch a little. "Picking up that residual magic is probably what kept me from thinking you were a kavi right from the start, and your mannerisms certainly were different. As for the hunter… " The girl sighs, looking into her mug. "Half Valley's been alive with speculation on that front, but everyone's worried. This is a big place, but our population is relatively small… word gets around fast, and gossip gets around even faster. A farmer breaking his arm is news, let alone an Imperial citizen turning up missing."

Chiaroscuro hmms at Piksil. "You can sense magic, then? Pardon my curiousity over the trivial… "

The innkeeper looks up from her mug. "Oh, not to worry, Chiaroscuro. Even after living this many years here, I get asked all sorts of questions. It took me that long to be accepted, after all." Piksil's eyes grow distant as she silently reflects for a moment… and then come back into focus. "I'm a magess. Nothing spectacular. I know enough about the sphere of air to get a little extra work sometimes. As if I needed more." Another stifled fit of tittering, and Piksil composes herself.

Chiaroscuro smiles. "I can understand that, Piksil. It is still hard for me to make this planet my home, sometimes." He looks up slightly, eyes peering out a windw. "Especially at night. No bright, white moon to fall asleep to its light, just a thousand tiny ones in the Procession."

Piksil's chair creaks slightly as she slowly rocks herself, pausing to cast a glance out of an unshuttered window. "Really? I'd feel strange if I didn't know my folks were up there. You know. To watch over me. Anyway… what can I help you with?"

Chiaroscuro says, "Well… two things, only. Firstly… I was hoping you might have a room left open here, or know of another place in town that did, since i may be staying a while. I would be willing to help you with chores and the work, even with the Magistrate's offer to pay my room and board."

"Oh, tish-tosh," laughs Piksil, waving away the offer. "It's tempting to have another set of hands around here, but you don't have to do that. If Warren says you're here to do something important, I wouldn't dream of wasting your time with dishwashing and carrot peeling. I don't think Kal would stand for being trapped in my inn either, no matter how much he likes my xocholatl turnover cake."

She continues, "All my guest rooms are filled with Rephidim overhead, but there's a spare cot in Pond's attic, if you don't mind sharing with him. He's an excellent roomie, he never snores."

Chiaroscuro smiles. "Well yes, the… " He pauses for the right word. "… seeking I will be doing shall occupy much of my time, but if you need an addidional hand and I am available, please ask." He nods. "A cot will be all I need, thank you, Lady Piksil."

"You're quite welcome!" replies the smiling doe, setting her now-empty mug on the floor by her chair. "What else can I do for you?"

Chiaroscuro twists his long neck slightly to either side, stretching a bit. "Well. you had said you'd heard gossip and information about the Naga hunter, and the Kavi. Whatever you could tell me would be of benefit."

Piksil bites her lip, looking lost in thought for a moment. "Hmmm… I'm afraid I'm not sure how much help I can be, there. The hunter stopped by my inn only for a little while. He'd packed most of his own provisions, so he looked in just for a quick drink. I don't know much about hunting… but he looked prepared, so I guess he must have been at least a little experienced. As for the kavi… I really don't know anything anyone else wouldn't. The only kavi that come into my inn are usually outsiders, and seem perfectly normal, for kavi. The ones that blow through town only ever pause to trade at the market, and they make a pretty quick job of that as it is."

Chiaroscuro rubs his chin, and nods. "That would be why I got so many stares in town… I was in no such hurry and was not trading anything." He rocks back and forth in the chair, tail draped in his lap. "That is all I needed to ask… I expect Kal and others will help fill in many details as to what happened. But I am keeping you up late… " He says, rising up in an easy motion that leaves the chair perfectly still.

The innkeeper has to scoot forward, and get enough momentum to rock her chair forward as well to be able to get her feet on the floor, but seems to have practiced the maneuver before. She stands, and Pond finally moves, if only to make Piksil's chair still again. "Mmph… " says the doe, stretching and yawning. "Yes, I probably ought to get to sleep. Pond will take you to the attic and show you your cot. See you tomorrow morning!"

Chiaroscuro yawns himself. "Good night, Lady Piksil."

Collecting her mug, Piksil pauses only to stir the slowly dying fire with a stone-tipped hardwood poker, then shuffles off past the kitchen to a door by the stairs, closing it behind her.

Chiaroscuro's eyelids are already drooping slightly as he turns to the Zelak. "Will you lead me to the attic, Pond?"

Rather than answer directly, the creature simply turns around, and strides ponderously toward the stairs.

Chiaroscuro follows the untalkative Zelak… not that even the most verbose of Zelak are truly talkative… up the stairs to the attic.

The huge zelak eventually leads the way to a trap-door in the ceiling, near the top of the stairs. He reaches up and pulls it down, unfolding another set of stairs, short and steep, that give access to a spacious, if dusty, attic. The place is surprisingly warm, with most of the heat apparently coming from a section of the chimney which is built into one of the walls. Pond spends about five seconds standing by an empty cot beneath a small skylight, before moving off to rest in a strange nest of old clothes and knick-knacks emptied from some upset trunks. Whether or not he actually goes to sleep is difficult to discern.

Over the next span of minutes, Chiaroscuro performs his nightly prayers, thanking Rik'Tik'Tav for safe passage through a day and the granting of a new adventure, and asking wisdom to discern the right path to run. Finally, he lays down in his underclothes on the cot… eyes closing. One last whispered phrase escapes his lips as he goes to sleep… not a prayer to Rik'Rik'Tav, Reyna, nor any saint…

"Forgive me, Envoy… I will make this up to you when I return. Forgive me… "