It's been a fairly uneventful day at the College Esoterica. The students are leaving from class sessions, returning down the mazes of corridors to the outside world.

The young Hekoye passes by the meditation area… a room where many go to concentrate on their thoughts. The door is *always* shut. But today, it's left slightly cracked open…

Jaundice pads along, fumbling with his notes somewhat as he notices the door. He considers the relatively empty hallway and pauses, lingering before heading over to peek inside.

Inside, seated faced away from the door, is a Kavi dressed in a simple white outfit.

Jaundice raises his gaze to the Kavi inside, careful of the door. { Curious. Why would a Kavi be here? I've never seen any students, and there aren't any such teachers. } He gradually opens the door, wide enough to let him slip inside.

The door swings open quietly on its hinges… but the restraining bar that fastens the door when someone truly wishes to be undisturbed clatters noisily to the floor.

Chiaroscuro's ears perk up, and he turns around, looking at the coyote.

Jaundice blinks at the sudden sound, glancing down at the fallen bar. He looks across, hoping in the split second the Kavi hadn't noticed… but he had. He bows his head and backs out slowly…

Chiaroscuro looks closely… "Pe'er?"

"Um… ?" The coyote stops just short of stepping outside at the mention of his name, and looks up blankly.

Chiaroscuro stands up, stretching as he rises. "I do not suppose you remember me… I'm the one from the marketplace, I was looking for Haskalah… " He smiles.

Jaundice tilts his head slightly, studying Chiaroscuro, judging familiarity. "… oh. Yes, sir." He stands half in and half out of the door, his sandals shuffling a bit. But he stays put.

Chiaroscuro smiles. "I don't think I ever gave you proper thanks for helping me… I doubt I'd have been able to find an easement to a personal trouble without you helping me find her." He extends a paw to Pe'er.

Jaundice listens in silence, regarding Chiaroscuro with shaky eyes and a tense but otherwise unreadable expression. He looks down at the offered paw, then up into the other's face. "Yes sir. Good that you found her."

Jaundice doesn't offer any similar gesture. he just stands in the door.

Chiaroscuro lowers his paw, saying, "Ah… handshakes must not be the local custom here. Well, no matter. Come in, come in. I was growing rather sleepy anyway, I could use someone I could talk to. The exercises Haskalah gave me are helping… but are extremely boring."

Jaundice takes a few cautious steps inside the room towards Chiaroscuro, shutting the door behind him. No need for any other overcurious students to wander in unawares. He looks expectantly at the Kavi, noting a few obvious differences particular to the one in front of him, but doesn't offer any further comment.

Chiaroscuro says, "Ah, that's how you shut the door properly," Chiaroscuro notes. "Had trouble with it… " He takes a seat, cross-legged on the floor. "So how long have you been a student of magic?""

Jaundice drops to a similar posture opposite Chiaroscuro, by habit, considering the question. "Here at the College, just over a year now… " The sentence doesn't really end, just trails off to the side, like his attention. "You're not a student here," he adds suddenly.

Chiaroscuro nods. "Very true, I am not. Haskalah gave me a writ, though, in case anyone needed to see it… " he fumbles through his pockets, not stopping in his talk. "She didn't think there'd be any trouble, though." He finally retrieves a slightly crumpled note, and passes it to Pe'er.

Jaundice seems strangely amused, examining the note still in Chiaroscuro's paw. "Oh, don't mind it. If you want to be here, I won't mind it." Amused, though not very expressive, only considering the notion of someone at the College who didn't have to be there…

Chiaroscuro tucks the note away. "Well, it's more a question of needing than wanting. I am mostly here to help eliminate a… " he pauses to consider the proper term. "… form of curse on my mind. After that's completed, I don't expect to be here much… " He mumbles a little, just at the point of hearing, "I've had enough trouble with magic for a lifetime… "

Chiaroscuro looks reflective for a few moments.

"You've had … trouble with it?" Jaundice grows more curious, even as Chiaroscuro pauses in his words.

Chiaroscuro looks at the door, to make sure it's quite well closed, and turns back to Jaundice. "Magic is the reason for the mind-curse, and… " he flick-stretches the fingers in one hand, and continues… "… the cause of other events in my life. But that is quite behind me now.", he says, with a small sigh.

Chiaroscuro smiles, hurrying on a bit in his speech, perhaps. "In any matter, I might ask the same question of you… what are you doing here? It's a bright day outside, and I know even the most serious of students ought be out enjoying it."

Jaundice's eyes widen slightly, then pauses. "I would think so, yes. I just finished classes for the day." He pauses again, then, "I don't have a lot of time that isn't taken up by studying." He snuffs reflexively, as if expelling another whiff of Bazaar air. "I don't get out very much."

Chiaroscuro frowns a little. "Now that's really a shame… even with matters such as magic to study, you ought get the chance to enjoy yourself." He takes a moment to glance up and down Jaundice's wiry frame. "I'd imagine you'd be a great Doubadi player, too."

Jaundice blinks once, puzzled by yet another alien concept. "Enjoy… what? Doubadi?" For whatever reason, he asks these holophrases aloud… slightly more at ease than he was.

Chiaroscuro smiles. "Ah, I do not think they know the game here on Si- on Rephidim." He coughs slightly. "It's a very old game with my people, however; it goes back to the time of Renba, great-grandaughter of Reyna." His voice shifts slightly in accent and depth, as if reciting.

Jaundice makes no gesture other than to shift his weight as he listens.

Chiaroscuro smiles, and begins to tell the story… "Renba was growing to her fullness of years, and needed to find her successor, as Guardian of the Gate. She had tested three young, brave soldiers, and all had proven worthy in strength, speed, and agility. She decided to give them one more test, one of ingenuity and intellect."

Chiaroscuro says, "She gathered them together, and gave each one a set of objects: a ball of rubber, two sturdy sticks of wood, a large piece of cloth, a rock, and a stick of chalk. She told each of them, "You have one week, with these objects. You are to make something useful to the tribe, that will serve for the benefit of all. You may get others to help you work, but all the ideas must be yours.""

Chiaroscuro says, "And the soldiers left, each to their own creations."

Jaundice amazingly has no response to this odd tale, making the polite assumption there's a purpose not immediately obvious to him.

Chiaroscuro says, "After a week, the students returned. The first one went to Renba, and showed her: "I have made a crutch, for a wounded one. I carved the wood, pounding it together with the stone and binding it with the cloth. The rubber I melted to cover the end, and the chalk I used only to measure it for carving." And Renba nodded, agreeing that the first invention was a worthy thing."

Chiaroscuro says, "Then the second went to Renba, and showed her: "I have made a large slingshot, to defend agaisnt the sons of Nakh. The wood forms the brace, the rubber melted for the sling, and the cloth to help brace it. It tosses the rock, and the chalk I used to design it, and see how far it threw." And Renba nodded, agreeing that the seccond invention was a worthy thing."

Jaundice's eyes droop slightly, then dart off to the side as he listens. No need to play close attention when the end moral explains all.

Chiaroscuro says, "Then the third one went to Renba, having no object in his hands. Renba asked him, "Where is your creation?" The young warrior said, "I am sorry, Guardian, but the others are using it.""

Jaundice blinks.

Chiaroscuro says, "Renba asked him further, "What do you mean?", and the soldier replied, "Follow me." He took him to an area of play, where Renba saw two young ones, happy and and excited. A chalk circle was on the ground, and they were playing a game: The ball was hit in the air with a stick, around which the cloth was wrapped. The rock stood in the middle of the circle, and each young one ran to touch it each time after hitting the ball to the other.""

A question occurs to Pe'er, but he politely waits for Chiaroscuro to finish. Maybe it'll be explained.

Chiaroscuro says, "And Renba smiled at the third young one. "Your creation is the finest," she said, "Because it has shown useful now, and the game you have made will last when the slingshot and crutch have gone to the dust. You shall be the new Guardian." Thus, Baruthbe became Guardian of the tribe, and Doubadi- meaning 'game of the circle'- was made."

Chiaroscuro smiles at Pe'er. "A rather boring story, I know. Much as I enjoy telling them, I cannot make them exciting as others do. But that is what Doubadi is, and how it was made."

Jaundice rubs his nose, sensing the end of the story. "But how is Doubadi useful?"

Chiaroscuro says plainly, "It was a new game.", as if there were all that were to it.

Jaundice remains unimpressed. "Was there… some special skill to be learned by the game? I don't understand, I'm sorry."

Chiaroscuro smiles. "Many skills, Pe'er. Speed of running. Quickness of reaction. Tracking with the eye." He pauses, voice growning a bit more to an instructive tone. "But more than these, it is a fun game… fun being its own use, its own skill, and a special one indeed."

Jaundice listens in earnest, then shrugs slightly. "If you say, sir."

Chiaroscuro's mouth quirks slightly, but he continues. "In any matter, you did not ask for a history lesson. You asked how to play Doubadi, and it is just as the tale said: two enter a circle, one stands at the rock in the center, hitting the ball up. The other must hit the ball, and then run to the stone before he can hit it again. If the ball is hit out of the circle, a point is lost by the one who hit it; if the ball hits the ground, by the one who should have."

Jaundice blinks. He doesn't remember asking how to play it. He listens out of politeness, with a growing confusion as to why he should stay.

Jaundice finally nods. "Thank you for explaining it to me, sir. I should be going."

Chiaroscuro nods to Pe'er. "Good to speak with you, Pe'er. And please, no need for sir. 'Chipper' will be more than fine." He smiles at the hekoye, and turns back to his meditation.

Jaundice nods again, pausing momentarily before rising to his feet, quietly so not to disturb 'Chipper.' Outside, he heads back to his room, carefully filing away the description of the game. Maybe he'll think about it again sometime.

Chiaroscuro sits in the room, trying to return to his mental focusings… but unable to yet. He touches his Rikkorel once on the heard, and whispers, "Lord Rik', this world has so many that are in need of your message of life and energy. Even the young need to learn of play. Help me to bring your message to them… "

Chiaroscuro sighs a bit, and returns to the excercises Haskalah taught him to rid his skullbuzz.