Several days have passed since the three explorers made it to the top chamber of the tower. The beds in the upper chamber proved to be sturdy and fairly comfortable, although several of the awakened creatures from the garden kept scrabbling upstairs and demanding to sleep next to the closest available warm body.

The rooms have been explored thoroughly, and the furniture (and its potential purpose) has also been questioned. So far the use of the discs still remains a mystery, but there have been plenty of other things to keep the animal trainers occupied in the meantime.

The latest problem has been that several small items keep vanishing around the tower, the latest being a feather from Skye's hat… a small nut left in its place. Little berries, nuts, leaves, and small animal treats have continued to pop up in place of the small missing items.

Lakshmi is, of course, a pushover… she can often be found absorbedly taking notes, her journal propped open on one coil so she has a hand free to rub ears or tummies, and the other hand for writing with… she's been watching the animals closely for a few days, tracking behavior and making sure the ecological balance in the garden remains healthy.

My 'at!" The Skreek starts, sitting up sternly, his eyes narrowed. He pauses, straightening the wide brim, looking at it worriedly. Then he just takes a breath, turns his head and just gives Lakshmi a look.

Lakshmi grins a little sheepishly at Skye. "Umm… well… obviously Pearl has good taste in feathers?" She adds with a smile, "If you want the feather back I'm pretty sure I can find out where she's nesting, Skye."

A whiskered fish pokes its head from the pond, blows a few bubbles and then sinks back down under the water again.

The little Skreek just gives the Naga a long and dry look, so dry it makes the desert outside seem like a lush and verdant garden. "T'at was an eep feat'er, Laks'mi. Do yi know 'ow 'ard it is to find an eep feat'er wit'out getting blowed up in t'e process? And yes I do. An' I t'ink t'e nes' is right t'ere … in your 'ood!"

Lakshmi hisses softly, "Well, yes… and, um… yes… "

Fortunately for Skye, Pearl proves to be easy to bribe away from Lakshmi's cloak long enough for Skye to retrieve his plundered feather. In the meantime, Lakshmi takes the small squirmite upstairs with her … struggling with a case of the giggles.

Skye carefully retrieves his feather, brushing it out with his paws before carefully fastening it back into his hat. "Thank yi, Laks'mi. And yi … " He just gives the little squirmite a second look. "I know of a semi-carnivorous serendip I'd like yi to meet." He then follows Lakshmi up the stairs.

Lakshmi gives Skye a hurt look, and covers Pearl up with a sheltering hand!

Some time later, the group gathers in the upper room.Lakshmi has been sketching and taking extensive notes. When they're all together again upstairs, she hisses, "I've been studying the runes on the metal orrery-like thing, guys. Some of them seem to be related to the Sphere of Earth Magic, and some to the planets, I think? I was wondering if either of you were familiar with them also?"

The Hekoye nods. "They do appear to represents bodies in the Procession, yes," he says, "However, I'm not sure that they have much relevance to a mechanism for getting past the locked doors."

"T'e Sp'eres of Magic?" chitters Skye, "Not'in except t'at t'ey can be very tricky, and of t'e planets, well, t'ey are places like Sinai t'at normally yi cannot get to."

Lochinvar shrugs a little. "Not necessarily," he replies to the Skreek. "I mentioned I ventured to Arcadia, if you remember."

The squirmite's nose-whiskers tickle the underside of Lakshmi's hand.

Skye ducks his muzzle in Lochinvar's direction. "T'at's w'y I said 'normally'. I would t'ink t'at t'at would be a bit beyond normal."

Lakshmi sighs at Lochinvar's comments about the locked doors, and slithers into the middle room, squirmite safely tucked into her shirt. She settles by the table in a heap of coils, her chin resting on her hands, which she rests on the table top. She just stares at the cylinders, thinking. She muses aloud, "This tower is just so amazing… I'm finding it harder and harder to believe that just one person created it all. I mean, think about it… there's specializations in Earth Magic… like we have here in the cylinders. Sand, metal, earth, and plant… I wonder if the five place settings we've seen represent the four mages who could do one of the specializations… and the fifth person was the one that was able to create all those wonderful animals? I wonder if the tiger's eye agate statuettes were the animals that helped to prepare the land and water for the tower?"

The coyote just frowns at the discs. "I wonder what these discs have to do with anything," he says. "Or maybe we're missing something obvious."

Lakshmi uses her tail tip to nudge the compacted sand cylinder into the hole in the middle of the table, "Like levels… sand for des – " She blinks, then sits up suddenly, "Oh! Like levels!" She beams, "Sand for desert. See how it clicked into place? Then, like the tower – next should be wood for the tree – Let's see if it fits!" She carefully places the wooden cylinder on the sand one, listening to hear if it clicks.

There is an audible click as the wooden cylinder is stacked atop the sandstone one…

Lakshmi hisses softly, "Then we should have stone for the tower, and metal for the top!"

Skye's ears perk, and he smiles, "I bet t'at's it, boss'Laks'mi!"

Lochinvar merely raises an eyebrow as he watches the discs click into place.

Lakshmi beams excitedly and puts the stone, then the metal one on top. "I certainly hope so!" She crosses her fingers and watches intently as the metal cylinder is clicked into place.

The remaining two stones also click into place as they're stacked atop one another in the center depression of the table.

As the four discs are stacked one atop the other … sand at bottom, then wood, then stone, then metal on top … they fuse together, and the stack of discs changes shape, quickly turning into a miniature representation of the tree and the tower built within it, set upon a base of sand.

A wind picks up in the open-aired chamber … and with a rustling of leaves, some of the branches extend, rising up high enough to be seen from the central chamber, as they begin to twine together. Stones and sprays of sand lift as well, joined by odd pieces of metal and flowing amber. They fly about, then fuse together, as the tower seems to increase in height, the new and topmost level being an amalgam of all the materials used to make rest of the tower below. A staircase spirals on upward to some distant place far above.

Lakshmi stares at the changing objects, her mouth open in wonder. She blinks – then whips out of the chamber, heading for the balcony at a flat slither!

Black eyes sparkle as Skye spies more stairs, leading up!.

The Hekoye stares, with almost a disapproving tone in his look at the stairs, then walks out of the chamber to check on one of the doors – just in case they open now.

Lakshmi peers hopefully out the amber window of the balcony.

Skye slowly and carefully pads out of the room, to check the other locked doors before following Lakshmi to the balcony.

The balcony doesn't afford the greatest view of the tower itself… but it does appear changed. The tree has grown taller, and nestled high in its branches is now a chamber of metal, stone, wood, and sandstone. No windows from here hint at what's inside… probably only the newly created set of stairs will offer that.

Meanwhile, Lochinvar discovers that, unfortunately, none of the doors have opened.

Lakshmi oooooohs softly and happily… then slithers back to the central room – the one that's open to the sky.

Lochinvar returns into the central chamber also, and looks up. "Well, at least now we have somewhere new to go."

Lakshmi hms thoughtfully… then settles into the chair and carefully turns on the outside traps. "There… " She beams at the others, her eyes sparkling. "So! Shall we go exploring?"

Returning to the central room, Skye sets his hat smartly atop his head. He takes a long look up the new spiral stairs, and then with a shrug, he takes a first careful step up them. "Let's find t'e top o' t'is tower… "

Lakshmi hisses softly, "Waitwaitwait! I just thought – we should be careful, and lock all the animals into the bottom room! If any of them were to get out through here, they'd never survive the desert… oh, and maybe we should take some equipment with us? Rope, maybe, and water and food and stuff?"

The Hekoye gestures to the levers. "Might be a good idea. We certainly have the means," he says.

Skye lets out a disappointed sigh as he has to wait before climbing higher and higher… and he waits, on the foot of the new stairs – a very patient Skreek.

After gathering up more supplies, setting the trap in the gargoyle chamber to keep the animals from wandering too far, and dealing with a very noisy freen who demanded to be taken along, Skye, Lakshmi and Lochinvar return to the central chamber of the Orrery Room and prepare to climb another set of stairs.

Lakshmi rubs Lapis' ears absently, looking up in pleased wonder at the stairs rising above them – then she grins at the others. "Forward into the breech once more!" and heads for the stairs.

"S'all we?" And with a nod, Skye takes his first step, slowly working up and around. Each step is silent and sure, ears up and listening, eyes sharp on tread and riser and curving wall, in case something changes…

Lakshmi follows quietly behind Skye, occasionally humming happily to herself, looking around at the astonishing view and marveling.

The stairs are firm under the Skreek's feet, and under Lakshmi's coils. No traps so far.

Looking around before stepping onto the stairs, Lochinvar takes up the rear, following the others upwards.

The stairs appear to go up about three stories, above and out of the large chamber, briefly into open air (Thankfully, there's a twining wooden railing!) and into a stone hatch at the bottom of the "new" chamber above.

Skye's pace is light – especially once they break into the tree's twined branches – stopping every so often too look and lean out and smile at the far horizon. Almost rushed are his steps, as he circles higher and higher and higher. "T'is is new." Skye looks up at the rooftop hatch. He paces a small circle about, investigating. The little Skreek does chuff out a single wry chuckle. If, of course, I can reach it … .

Lakshmi shifts to provide a supporting coil, should Skye need it?

The Hekoye waits a few steps below Lakshmi on the stairs, looking for any break in the storm surrounding them, occasionally looking up to see if his assistance would be needed.

The staircase at last reaches a new chamber high above the tower, with open gaps providing a view of the desert expanse spreading out far below. Though the room is partially open to the air, no gusts of sand reach this high. The chamber is filled with strange apparati and cages, work tables and shelves, with books and vials upon them (and jars filled with preserved things floating in them, and the occasional bone book-end). What light filters in from outside is supplemented by glowing pieces of crystal and amber set in the walls, floor, ceiling, and pieces of furniture.

Lakshmi looks around slowly, her eyes wide, a wondering, soft "ooooooh… " escaping her.

Statues fill every available space on the tabletops and shelves, and they even clutter the floor. Gold, sapphire, crystal, ruby, topaz… each of them an animal unique to Sinai. Some of the creatures look fairly large. It was probably quite a feat to stuff them through the hatch.

Lakshmi looks stunned at the number of statues. She stares around in awe, and breathes softly, "How could he bear to leave?"

Skye's attention is immediately snared by the open quality of the room, and he scrambles for a look though the windows or above the crennelation, even if it means pushing an ancient chair to climb up upon. He does tarry in his quest, to look closely at a curious jar or at a more curious example of the crystal menagerie. He does reach out and tap a heavy volume, however, before he takes a look outside. "I t'ink yi mite find t'e answers 'ere, boss'Laks'mi … or per'aps more riddles."

Standing in the center of the chamber is a statue unlike any others. Fashioned from black obsidian, this bipedal thing stands slightly over four feet tall and appears to be dressed in robes. Spikes protrude from its back, and a long thick lizard-like tail coils around the statue's feet. It holds out six limbs, two shaped like tentacles, two shaped like a horrib's pincers, and two shaped like gnarled but functional-looking hands.

One of the hands is outstretched, palm upwards, while another is holding a scroll of some sort.

Lochinvar comes up from the trap door in the floor and sets his eyes on the black statue. "Who says he left?" he asks in response to Lakshmi's question. "Looks like we found a match for that chair downstairs."

Lakshmi gasps softly, her gaze caught by the central statue, and murmurs, "It's him!" She slithers with extreme care through the menagerie, so she can closely examine the statue and the scroll it holds.

The head of the statue is bent down and somewhat concealed by the obsidian folds of its robe, although two antennae protrude out from under the folds of stony cloth, and a pair of sharp looking mandibles can also be seen peeking out.

While the statue is made of obsidian, the scroll itself appears to be made of zolk.

"Uhm, Laks'mi?" Skye glances back over his shoulder, his gaze falling past Lakshmi and to the strange thing in the center. "I'd t'ink t'rice before we try an' waking t'at … uhm … critter."

Lakshmi tries to gently withdraw the scroll from the statue's stony grasp, delicately using only two fingers, so as to not tear it. She nods absently at Skye's comment, "I'd guess so. He's kind of, um… scary looking!"

The Hekoye walks over to take a closer look at the statue, and shakes his head slightly. "Maybe something backfired on him," he wonders out loud. "That's what messing with magic will get you… "

Lakshmi studies the zolk scroll for a bit, then looks disappointed and hands it to Lochinvar. "Here… it's like on the doorway. Can you read it?" She leans down to stare curiously into the strange face, and lightly and carefully lays one palm on the mage-statue's upturned one, checking how different in size their hands are.

The winged coyote takes the scroll, and looks it over.

The hand is slightly smaller than Lakshmi's… and it feels uneven and rough. The skin feels wrinkled, even frozen in obsidian.

Skye settles up on the windowsill, seeing if there's any way to go even higher.

"It seems to be written in the Khattan dialect," Lochinvar says after a moment. "It says, 'I am Barabbas and I welcome you… my successor. I have grown old and I know my time on this side of the Procession is short, so I have sealed up my children and my home so that only one worthy of inheriting my power could make it here.'"

Lakshmi murmurs softly, "I wonder if it was hard for him to live in his body… or if it functioned well, despite all the odd bits?" She blinks, looking up in startlement at Lochinvar's words.

Lochinvar pauses for breath, then continues, "As my final gift, I have focused my powers on one final spell. Place your hand in mine and ask me any three questions. If the answer is within my knowledge, I will give it to you."

Lakshmi suddenly whips her hand back away from the statue, in startled alarm! "Ack!" she says … and then just as rapidly puts it back!

The coyote rolls the scroll back up. "That's all it says."

Lakshmi swears softly under her breath – but first carefully moving her hand away!

Skye laughs brightly, looking down from his perch. "I guess all t'e critters are now yours, for real, 'eiress Laks'mi!"

Lakshmi blinks at Skye… then looks suddenly terribly worried. "Oh no! Skye, I'm not a mage! How can I take care of them all properly?!"

Skye softly chitters, "T'ey are jus' critters, Laks'mi. O' course yi can."

"Is being a mage necessary, I would wonder?" Lochinvar asks. "Maybe to create these hybrids, yes. However, it may not be required to just take care of them."

Lakshmi looks around bewilderedly at the huge number of statues… then back at Skye. "Uh… me?! but I'm just… I'm just an animal trainer! I… " She waves her hands helplessly. "Skye, what if they have special diets? What if they get sick? What if the – oh, Serpent take it! – what if the darned Temple wants to take this place apart?!"

Skye dryly chitters, "T'ey can't if yi manage it right, Laks'mi. T'is is our exploration. T'e t'ree of us. Not t'em."

Lakshmi looks down at Lapis, blinking worriedly. She stares at the tiny, trusting creature curled around her arm for a moment… and then she takes a slow breath, looking up at the other two. "That's – that's exactly it, Skye… We'll just have to convince them that they can't, right?"

Skye dryly chitters, "Remember, it's our report, yes? Our story to tell."

Skye then looks down mischievously. "So w'at are yi going to ask?"

Lakshmi takes another breath, straightening. She still looks like she knows she's way out of her depth, but she's going to give it her best shot. She pulls out her journal and pen, and opens it to a fresh page. "Okay… the most important question right now, I think, that we need answered is, 'How do we take good care of the tower and everyone in it?' Right? We don't want to waste any of the questions, after all… "

The Hekoye looks at the Naga for the comments relating to the Temple. "I would not think that they would 'take this place' apart, as you put it," he says. "However, there is a considerable amount here that may be studied in a, uh, non-invasive manner."

Lakshmi glances at Lochinvar, then nods absently. "It would be nice if they helped, yes. So… any suggestions on what to ask, guys?"

Tilting his head, Skye's gaze crosses the benches and lab tables, landing on the other volumes. "Maybe yi s'ould take a look at t'e books first, so yi don't ask a question t'at could be ot'erwise divined."

"How about 'why?'," the coyote asks. "Why did he seek to create a menagerie of hybrid animals? Did he have a purpose for them, or was he just bored?"

Lakshmi hisses softly, "Ooh, good point. Hm… well, let's either cross our fingers that he didn't always write in … um – what was it, Khattan? – or… or I'm just going to have to learn it." She glances at Lochinvar and smiles as she heads for the nearest shelf of books. "Maybe he just loved animals, and life around him, Lochinvar. Maybe the books will tell us."

"Perhaps," Lochinvar answers. "As for the books, if they are in Khattan, I could read them."

Lakshmi nods and carefully, almost reverently, takes down the first book, looking at the title.

The title is scribbled in an odd runic language, unreadable – although the cover bears an image of a fish.

The Hekoye glances at "Barabbas", and wonders out loud, "Also, is he a Nohbakim, or did he even experiment on himself?"

Lakshmi holds up the book towards Lochinvar. "Can you read this one? Does it have something to do with the aquarium?"

The Hekoye takes the book, and looks over the cover. "Hrm," he says, "Perhaps our mage was a Nohbakim after all – or at least he knows their language. The title of this book is 'Biology and Behavior of Abaddonian Ocean Rimfish'."

Skye dryly chitters, "Abaddonian?" Skye's ears perk again.

Lakshmi blinks, and she looks at the book in some startlement. "Er… non-Sinai?!"

The winged coyote looks at the Skreek. "'Abaddonian Ocean', not the planet," he says. "It's west of the continent of Ai – off of Aeztepa."

Lakshmi blinks again, and lights up. "Ooooh, still – just think what information must be here!" She looks around the collection of books almost greedily.

Lochinvar puts the book down, and looks through the piles of others. "Most of these seem to be in Nohbakim, though some are in Khattan as well as Zerdan," he says after a moment of looking.

Skye blinks and nods. "Ah. Well, Laks'mi and I 'ave not gone deep sea 'unting again, yes? So I'm a bit soft on big bodies of water."

"As for their content," the coyote continues, "they seem to be dealing with magic, and details on various florae and faunae."

Lakshmi sighs happily and pulls her journal out. "Let's get a list of all the titles, shall we? Lochinvar, can you read them all off to me, slowly please?"

With a nod to Lakshmi, Lochinvar picks up a book off the top of the pile, and reads off the name to the Naga.

Lakshmi writes quickly, noting down the title, language, and general contents.

Underneath the book are two odd strips of metal on small threads of wire.

Lakshmi gives the metals a curious glance when she looks up from writing the information down. "What's that metal stuff?"

Skye bounces down from the window to investigate. "Metal? W'a did yi see?" He lowers his muzzle, seeing how far the threads reach, and if there's anything special about the metal plates.

Lakshmi touches a delicate wire with one slender finger. "I wonder if this is somehow how the room has stayed so pristine?"

One of the strips has an image of a bed etched into it, while the other has an image of a shelf with books. The wire is just a simple loop, probably lose enough to fit around one's wrist.

Lochinvar peers at the wires. "Door keys?" he wonders to Lakshmi and Skye.

Lakshmi hisses softly, "Hm… I would guess not a duster, from the etchings… " She grins, then very carefully picks them up between her fingers, looking to see how small or large they are in comparison to both the mage-statue, and the three of themselves. "Keys… oh! The doors downstairs that don't open!"

Lakshmi beams excitedly at the other two, "Shall we try them?"

Skye dryly chitters, "T'at's a great t'ought, Loc'invar."

The strips are about four inches long and a little over an inch wide, although they're only a millimeter or so thick. the metal plates clank softly as they dangle from Lakshmi's hand.

"I would expect the one with the bed etched in it to be the mage's bedroom. After all, we only saw four beds, yet five place settings at the dining table," Lochinvar says. "The other… perhaps another library?"

Lakshmi grins greedily at Lochinvar. "More books!" She slithers slowly and cautiously through the room to the open hatchway, pausing by the mage statue long enough to gently run one of her hands down one gnarled arm, and murmurs softly, "We'll do our best to keep your children safe, I promise… " Then she slips neatly down the hatchway.

It is then that Lakshmi notices that the statue looks slightly faded for some reason.

Skye leans in to take a good look at the metal bars. He narrows his eyes, remembering the blank doors and their latches. Could they be keys?.

Lakshmi calls over her shoulder, "I wonder if after the third question, the mage goes away? If so, maybe we should avoid asking any more questions? I'd feel terrible if we inadvertently destroyed him?"

Skye dryly chitters, "W'en one is given a gift, Laks'mi, it's usually not usually wise to walk away."

"We've not actually asked him anything directly yet," Lochinvar points out.

"Umm… " Lakshmi's voice is a tad guilty, "Yes we have… He answered my question about whether it was painful to live in his body… "

Skye laughs quietly. "So we 'ave two questions left, yes?"

Lakshmi hisses softly, "Well… yes." She grins sheepishly at Skye. "I … um… didn't know."

Lakshmi slithers down to the closed doors, then looks at the possible keys dangling from her hand. "Um… suggestions, guys?" Tentatively she presses them against the door, near the door handle.

The door softly clicks open. A light gust of stale-smelling air wafts out into the circular hallway.

Lakshmi peers cautiously into the room, not touching the door, her head automatically high enough to allow Skye to look around.

Skye pokes his muzzle through the opening, looking down into what's beyond.

This is a library, possibly with more books here than in the upper chamber, although they look more academic by their build. Unlike the laboratory upstairs, this room is neat and in pristine condition.

Lakshmi sighs happily again. "Oh look at all the wonderful books, guys!"

Lochinvar chuckles to himself at the Naga's reaction and mutters quietly to himself, "Really again, just like Tock."

Skye dryly chitters, "Well, I'm glad I 'eld a question. I wanted to know 'ow to get in t'ese rooms. Now we do. So, s'ould yi look at t'e books?"

Lakshmi gives Lochinvar a curious grin over her shoulder, "Who or what is Tock?" She glances down at Skye and grins. "Oh yes! But first the other room, don't you think? Just to see?"

The library is a wooden chamber with the shelves seemingly grown out of the floor. Above, closed plant bulbs can be seen in the slightly dim light.

Ducking his muzzle, Skye follows Lakshmi to the other door. "Let's leave t'is door open, yes?"

"Um … an acquaintance of mine," Lochinvar says, slightly embarrassed at being heard. "You and he share similar qualities."

Lakshmi curiously checks the little key-wire to see if it will fit on her wrist.

It might be a bit snug, but the loop of wire looks to be wide enough to fit as a bracelet.

Lakshmi carefully folds her left hand together, and gently pushes the wire onto her wrist. She grins mischievously over her shoulder at Lochinvar again as she heads for the other door. "So… he kept you waiting a lot too while he read, eh?"

"I wouldn't say that," the Hekoye replies. "There wasn't that much to read. There are similarities in your enthusiasm, though."

Lakshmi laughs softly at Lochinvar's words and grins cheerfully at him. "Well, hopefully he was a good friend of yours, mmm?" She's still grinning quietly to herself as she studies the "keys", then selects the one with the etching of the bed on it, and carefully presses only it to the door.

The door clicks open gently. A slight vibration is felt through the wall as it seems almost as though the walls were letting the door go, more than just a simple matter of a tumbler moving.

Lochinvar simply nods to Lakshmi and follows to the next door.

Lakshmi gives the wall a puzzled glance, then peers cautiously in again, just like at the library.

Skye looks inside this door…

The furnishings in this room are a bit more plush and comfortable, but still in the same simplistic style as the rest of the furnishings. A large bed rests against a wall, as does a night stand with a book resting atop it. Something that looks like a closet with leaf-like doors is set into the wall in the back, and another closed door can be seen on the other side of the bed.

A layer of soft grass serves as carpeting for the bedroom, green as though it had just sprouted that very day.

Skye smiles and quietly padpadpadpads into the room. His whiskers twitch at the closet, before he looks at the other door, and carefully tests it.

Shrugging, Skye closes the door again. As he returns, he can't help but peer in the closet too. "In-tree plumbing… "

Lochinvar nods to the Skreek. "Some things are best left private," he notes.

Red and brown folds of cloth peek through the large leaf doors of the closet. It contains a few extra robes, some odd looking shoes, and a few other minor bits of clothing.

Lakshmi slithers slowly into the room, looking around, and hisses softly, "What a nice idea… a grassy floor! Very easy on the scutes." She then looks curiously at the bedside book.

Lakshmi holds up the book towards Lochinvar. "Can you read this one too?"

Looking at the book for a second, the coyote nods. "It says on the cover, 'Journal'," he reports, "It would appear to be his diary."

"Ooooooh!" Lakshmi glows with pleasure, looking at the book as if she were holding the treasures of the Nagai Court. "This should be a fascinating read!"

Skye sits down on the edge of the bed. "And t'us, two questions left. I t'ink Loc'invar's question is a good one, t'ough I suspect, w'ile t'e answer will be insiteful, it mite not prove to be … very … practical. A t'ird, well, t'at's 'ard. I might just ask w'at's in t'e best interest of t'e critterlings?"

Lakshmi nods to Skye happily. "That's what I'm thinking – that knowing how to best care for them should be what's in their best interests, yes? That's one of the questions I'd like to ask… but first the books, so we know we're not asking a question that we already have the answers to!"

Skye suddenly frowns.

Lakshmi hisses softly, "What, Skye?"

Skye looks down and thunks the aged mattress and blanket with a small black fist. It whumps. "Yi know, for an amazing an' smart fellow … 'e couldn't make a comfortable bed to save 'is life."

Lakshmi blinks – That came out of the blue! "Pardon, Skye?"

"Nohbakim comforts are a little different to what many are used to, Skye," Lochinvar says to the Skreek, trying not to chuckle at his sudden comment. "It was probably very comfortable to our mage."

The silent freen curled around Lakshmi's neck starts awake at the noise and makes a curious chirring noise at Skye, mimicking Lakshmi's tone.

Lakshmi grins at Lapis and gently rubs a finger under his chin. "Oh, now you wake up, mm? After all the excitement?"

Lapis yawns.

Lakshmi giggles softly. "Isn't he just amazingly cute?!"

Skye stands quietly and just gives the little critter a look. "Oh, so now I 'ave to deal wit' two of yi!" He then shrugs and smiles. "Oh well. Could be worse."

The freen chirps again and settle back down on the Naga's neck.

Lakshmi grins happily (and unapologetic) at Skye. "Oh, he is cute, admit it! And it's Pearl that stole your feather, not little Lapis here!"

Lakshmi smiles affectionately at the small freen, then looks back at the book in her hands. "Well! Let's start with translating this one, shall we? Then we can check the titles in the library… and then decide whether we want to translate them or the books upstairs first!"

Skye nods, sighs and gives Lakshmi a dry and very, very wry look. "To bad t'ere were no fuff'nars."

Lakshmi grins mischievously at Skye. "But Skye… there was a fuff'nar downstairs!" She chuckles.

The coyote nods to the Naga. "All right," he says, "Looks like we have a busy afternoon for us."

Lakshmi turns to Lochinvar happily. "Definitely! Shall we go sit in the eating room, so we have a table to work on?"

"Sounds like a plan," the Hekoye says, and heads out towards the dining area.

The three explorers (and freen) file out to the dining room, journal in hand, to set about the business of at last unlocking the secrets of Barabbas and his Earth Tower.