After such an exhausting night, it isn't surprising that Alptraum's dreams were a bit chaotic. He dreamt of being pasted to the wall of the Temple of Gorphat back in Babel, while corpulent priestesses tickled him with dragon feathers. He dreamt of getting sick and coughing up black blobs of shadow that would reform into little miniature versions of himself and then run away laughing. There were glaring Korvs, amorphous blobs and Hexen dancing with Tulani, until she turned into a dragon and ate him. He dreamt, for some reason, of trying to stuff an entire melon into his mouth. This caused some very real pain in his jaw and forced him awake. That's when he realized the melon in question was actually a part of Kaira's chest. He was curled up with the dragon on the remains of Phlagaea's bed, and she was giving him an odd look. The only sound is that of running water from the bathroom.

"Mrrtghtht!" goes Alptraum, which might be Eeee for 'Why is your chest in my mouth?' He reaches to the underside of his jaw and pries it off. Then licking his lips he says, "Sorry. Very weird dreams. Very, very weird dreams." Yawning again, he asks, "she's already awake and bathing?"

"Preparing a bath," Kaira explains. "She said something about needing to wash off the markings before they cause skin lesions, I think. And sorry that I don't have any actual blood – I'm sure you're hungry and dehydrated from last night."

Alptraum rolls his haw slowly. "I'll be fine. I've gone longer without food," the Eeee admits and slowly pushes himself upright while wincing. He rubs at the spot on his chest a bit worriedly and asks in a low voice, "Lesions? And do you think her ritual actually worked for her? I mean … I thought she couldn't have children at all… "

The dragon sits up and finishes untangling herself from Alptraum. "I couldn't say. Does it worry you?" she asks, and uses a shred of bedsheet to wipe the drool off of her scales. "You seemed to be enjoying yourself for most of it… "

"Of course it worries me a little. Both could … well, if it didn't she'll be heartbroken. If it did … I'm not sure what sort of parent she would be," he admits as he slowly stretches out very sore limbs. "This was not what I expected."

"What where you expecting then?" Kaira asks curiously – and with a bit of a grin. "I can only imagine what it will be like with Mave next. I almost look forward to it."

"Well, helping her do a few rituals or whatnot," Alptraum says with a small shrug. "And just generally cheering her up." With Mave mentioned, he frowns a bit, then says, "She will likely want similar, won't she?" With the way he rubs his forehead, it looks like he's getting a headache.

A green-furred bat-head pokes through the bathroom doorway, and smiles. "Ah, thought I heard you! C'mon, sleepyhead, time to wash up!" Phlagaea cheerfully calls. "Oh… I guess you can go if you want to, Kaira. I can take care of the rest myself now!"

"Stay or go, your choice," Alptraum offers Kaira as he pushes himself off the bed and wobbles towards the bathroom. "Just don't you dare talk about this to anyone… "

"It was pretty tame compared to what the elves get up to, don't worry," Kaira says, and fades away… although for some reason her grin is the last thing to go. The orb on Alptraum's hand glows a bit brighter as the leftover energy is returned, and the Eeee can even feel it giving him a bit of a recharge.

"And she wants me to deal with the elves. I should just give them that Korv," Alptraum mutters as he slips into the bathroom. Offering a smile to Phlagaea, he says, "Well, you're rather energetic today… "

"Aren't I always?" Phlagaea asks, then starts rubbing her fingers through Alptraum's fur to try and scrub out the marks. And considering where some of those marks were drawn…

Alptraum starts dancing up on his toes. "Shouldn't I get into the tub first?" he says, looking rather amused. Of course, the next thing is him climbing into the tub. "What was in that stuff? Kaira said it could cause lesions?"

"Various sacred liquids is all," Phlagaea notes. "You need to scrub them off of me too. Are you enjoying your service to Gorphat so far?" she adds with a coy smile.

Alptraum looks for … soap. "So far it has not been what I expected," Alptraum answers with a bemused grin. "Much more pleasant."

Apparently the colored liquids in the bathwater act as soap. At least, they foam and lather like soap.

Before lathering himself up, he helps Phlagaea into the tub and starts lathering her. "Do you mind if I ask you a few things?" he asks as he works, making an effort to not be too distracting when he is actually asking a question.

"Of course not," Phlagaea says, nearly purring. "You can ask me anything you like… "

"Well, I was going to ask if you were happy here. I know this is a far cry from the life you were used to," Alptraum comments as he works. "So … are you comfortable? Are you happy enough to stay?"

"They appreciate me here, which… well, nobody else ever did," the Yodhgorphat admits. "Even in Babel. And the other places I went to… uh… it's a good thing Lucy can run fast. And you're here too, so that's another big plus. Although I've caught one of the wizards staring at my butt a few times… "

"Truth be told, I'm not sure how well the wizards see," Alptraum comments. "I guess that not everyone is willing to give someone a chance, regardless of what they may have heard about them through rumors. I still remember when I just decided to talk to you at the party in Babel. I'm glad I did it, too. You helped keep me sane in Babel; the only friend I had there, really."

"Well, it's a good thing you didn't hit it off with a Yodhblakat instead then, or you'd really be in trouble," Phlagaea says with a giggle, and then licks Alptraum's nose.

"Heh. Well, I consider Roogi a friend and she's fun to tease, but I understand your point," Alptraum comments and wipes off his nose. In retaliation, he puts a large blob of suds on her nose. "Sorry I tend to be scattered helping people. Everyone seems to want my help in some form or another."

The green bat sneezes! "Suds up my nose tickles!" she says, rubbing them off. "You'll have to appease me a few more times now. Although the bed is in pretty poor shape… "

"And what sort of appeasing do you want?" Alptraum inquires right at the same time he's cleaning the more tender areas…

"Oooo, the sweaty kind of course!" Phlagaea says. "The tables in the room look sturdy enough. Or up against a wall maybe… " The green priestess starts to get lost in thought. Or maybe it's just a side effect of the spots being cleaned just now.

"You were feeling lonely," Alptraum notes and quits teasing her for a moment. "So, another question … you you like me to try and arrange spending time as your, ah, student, now and then? Like I did this time?"

"Oh, certainly!" Phlagaea says, snapping out of her near trance. "Is there anything you'd like me to do for Sunala in exchange?"

"Possibly! But I'm not sure what quite … Hm, your offer reminds me of something I have to deal with that you might be able to help with," Alptraum muses and starts washing his own painted spots. "This information doesn't leave this room. One of the court wizards is infected by a malevolent spirit. Normally, this would be easy for me to deal with … except it is tied to an object and not her directly. It could kill her before I could completely remove it. What I was wondering is … with your knowledge of disease and sickness, is there any non-fatal ones that would induce a coma, or paralysis of its victim. If she is unaware or can't move, I think I could act before it could respond in kind and harm her."

"Well, all of Gorphat's blessings are non-fatal… if the person is strong enough," Phlagaea insists, and reaches under the water to help Alptraum with his scrubbing. "A good fever can leave one in a state of near-consciousness, where it is difficult to tell what is real from what is imagined. That would be easy to induce, but it would also leave them very weak. Does it matter how much stress the body is put through?"

"That's the problem; it does. She is already very weak," Alptraum says with a frown. "I can deal with the spirit, but saving the living in the process is … difficult with this one."

"I suppose actually killing her and then bringing her back isn't an option then?" the Yodhgorphat asks.

"Well … that would be exceedingly difficult, but it is an option. I'm trying to think of alternatives before doing something that drastic," Alptraum admits as he has to shift around from Phlagaea's touch.

Phlagaea actually tries to make Alptraum squirm some more, albeit in a playful manner. "You can bring a dreamer with you into that dagger-realm. When you do that, can they wake up before you release them?" she asks. "Does the possessing spirit sleep, for that matter? Kaira didn't sleep, and she is essentially a spirit."

"I do not believe they can wake easily. One thought I had was to draw both in, then battle him in the dagger," Alptraum comments, his voice repeatedly changing pitch from Phlagaea's teasing, "But do draw him in, as he would fight, would require me stabbing her. Willing people don't require such dangerous measures."

"Mmmmm," Phlagaea ponders, as she scoots forward to sit in Alptraum's lap. "Willingness. Certainly, something can be mixed up that would leave the wizard very suggestible, but I don't know if it would effect the spirit as well. And then there's pleasure. That could do it, although again the spirit could interfere or not be effected. I think… you need to focus on the spirit, and just assume the wizard will be willing. What does it like or desire?"

"It desires money and to cause pain. It's a rather unpleasant fellow. Though, hmmm … I wonder if Mave could seduce him. Well, that is if she were willing to seduce a female wizard possessed by a male," Alptraum says, looking rather amused by the thought. He drapes his arms around Phlagaea and starts to clean the rest of her. Well, that's the excuse anyway.

"You mean like how she seduced that monster up out of the well?" Phlagaea asks, wiggling a little and sloshing the bathwater around.

The sloshing only encourages Alptraum more. "Yes, something like that," he agrees. "Once I get him untangled from her … he's going to find it very unpleasant," he notes darkly.

"Oooo, so he can leave if he wants to?" Phlagaea asks. "If there was someone… stronger and crueler for him to possess?"

"He's bound to a necklace, so no. The person has to put it on," Alptraum notes. "I have to break him from his hold on her, plus remove the necklace. Then I can proceed to shred him slowly and painfully," Alptraum explains.

"You sound cruel now yourself," Phlagaea teases. "Why can't you just take the necklace off of the wizard already?"

"I can be cruel in certain circumstances," Alptraum says and nips her ear. "And he can control the necklace. If I try to remove it, it will just remove her head with it. Quite the problem. I want to find the wizard who cursed him into this thing and kick his butt too."

"But could he have her take the necklace off if he wanted to?" Phlagaea asks. "I assume he just has to… go back into it. How is it different from your dagger and Kaira then? When you put the dagger into your chitin gauntlet, its spirit can be made physical. Would it work if you put the necklace in it as well?"

"Into the gauntlet? Doubtful. The blade and my hand are made from the same material. They're related," Alptraum says after a moment of thought. "But, your suggestion, if I'm right, is offer myself to this creature for possession? That … hmm. I think that would be bad."

"Not offer yourself," Phlagaea says, looking thoughtful. She circles a finger around the orb of the gauntlet as she thinks. "What you want, maybe… is to let him see you put the dagger in and summon up Kaira as a physical being. But to do it so that it appears accidental. I mean… so that it seems the wizard just happened upon you doing it. That would plant the idea in the spirit's mind. And then… maybe it would try to take you over for that reason. Or scheme to. After all, you could make him alive again."

"Just make it look like it's permanent," the Yodhgorphat suggests.

"Hmmm. That's not a bad idea, actually!" Alptraum says with a rather surprised look on his face. Good thing he didn't leap up too, given she's sitting in his lap. He does, however, hug her … then even bite her neck playfully. Certainly not hard enough to draw any blood.

Phlagaea coos at the bite, since she's gotten used to them by now. "Mmmm, maybe have a gypsy friend bring the dagger to you with some story about his father's spirit being bound to it by a witch. Then when you 'release' it back to life, it'll be even more enticing."

"Well, unless Kaira can dress like a man, that'll be tricky. But, I'll talk to her about it," Alptraum agrees. "Now, I think we're done with our bath. So … what else did you wish to do today … ?"

"Well, your fur hasn't begun to darken yet, so… " Phlagaea notes, licking her lips. "We could always go destroy your bed… "

Alptraum snorts a laugh. "Let's save the bed for now. Now, breaking a table would be challenging," Alptraum says as he rubs his chin in thought.

---

The Dead Clock
Over its long history, Castle Draco has expanded to include a number support buildings on its grounds, like this clock tower. Considered a failure, the tower has long been abandoned, left to the occasional Reaper to use as their temporary home. Ancient gears of rotted ironwood stand motionless inside the silent tower, bedecked by cobwebs, with only a few pieces of long forgotten furniture to keep them company. A skywalk extends from the tower to Castle Draco itself; once used by the clock keeper,but now fallen into a state of dangerous disrepair, while an exhausting set of spiral stairs connects the clock tower to the ground entrance.

Having since made this his 'official' home since deciding to stay – not that anyone actually told him he could stay – Mortimer has begun to 'spruce' up the old clock tower to his liking. And, that means skulls. Several of Mortimer's skulls, and a few he picked up from around the castle, have been artistically placed on gears and rotting tables. He even did battle with several spiders to reclaim an old bed, which, after moving, made him decide he needed a break. Now, he's standing in the center of the room, trying to see how many old wooden bearings he can putt into a plate with his scythe. "Almost!"

"Ugh. Great Gods this place … it's so fowl in here," Alptraum complains as his head sticks around from one of the pillars. On his shoulder rests a diminutive dragon; the rather opinionated Kaira. "Really, couldn't you have found a large, gnarled, tree?"

"It does have a certain charm though," the little dragon-spirit notes. "I like what he's done with the skulls… "

A wooden bearing rolls past Alptraum, ricocheting off a gear and bouncing down the stairs with an series of thunks. "Ahh, Alptraum," the Reaper greets the bat, lowering his scythe, "this is our ancestral home, so to speak. With my presence being needed here, I've decided to arrange it for more permanent occupation. Spider?" He gestures towards a nearby cobweb, where a large black chitinous thing lurks.

"Yes, you need to keep an eye on the monsters," Alptraum comments with a bit of distaste. "I've come to offer you a proposition… "

"I don't watch monsters – not all of them, anyway," Mortimer insists. He then props himself up on his scythe and tilts his head. "Proposition?" He cackles lightly, as if the word amused him.

"Don't get so full of yourself just yet. You're not that cute," Alptraum counters with a grin, as if making a guess to what that cackle meant. "How would you like to help deal with a rather unpleasant spirit of a Highwayman that refuses to go easily into oblivion?"

"That sounds like a professional issue that's right for a Reaper," Mortimer replies, grinning. "What do you have in mind?"

"Ah, but it's not so easy. You see he's possessing a necklace that is in turn possessing someone I know. Because it is an object and not a person, it can't be so easily exorcised. Not to mention any effort to remove it makes him torture the woman he's trying to control. So … he needs to be lured off her safely," Alptraum explains as he peers around at the surroundings. He even pauses to prod one of the skulls and the jaw falls off.

"The play's the thing, with which to capture the conscience of the king!" Kaira says.

"Ahh yes, the problem of artifacts," Mortimer agrees. He walks over and bends down to pick up the jaw bone, studying it as he talks. "Destroying enchanted items – or cursed and possessed in this case – is a complicated and dangerous matter. Of course, you can physically destroy them, if that's possible. You can toss them into the ocean, which not many people think of! Or, you can magically exorcise or dispel them, which is a tricky affair." He reattaches the jaw to the skull, then adjusts it until the skull is back where it was. "As for possessing spirits, they are as varied as the living. To trick the ghost it helps to know the man."

"Imagine a greedy, obnoxious Jupani who delights in torturing the living and has an insatiable desire for wealth," Alptraum explains as he walks around the odd room. Now he pauses to pick up and examine the scythe. "A certain green friend of mine suggested that if we trick him into believing I could make him live again, he might be willing to release his hold on the woman and the necklace be safely removed."

The Korv nods, watching Alptraum handle his scythe neutrally. "Not an uncommon attitude for a highwayman, although not all are as malevolent as such. Greed is always a good point to play on – few men, living or dead, are without price. Obnoxious suggests an ego. Torture suggests both dominance and cruelty, he's unlikely to heed the weak or the useless, I think. Wealth is usually useless to the dead, but many of them can't see that. Hm, hm." He clacks his beak, thinking.

Kaira perches atop a skull, looking down into its eye sockets and saying, "Alas, poor Yorick. I knew him well, a man of infinite jest… "

"It wants to kill the spirit of its current host and take over. But not without torturing her a bit first. Anyway, the suggestion was to make it appear that we could resurrect him … which is impossible. But, eh, not like he knows. I can't do this alone because I need to be clear minded to capture and obliterate him afterward. And other current options put the host at extreme risk as they all involve taking her to the edge of death," Alptraum continues and sets the blade back down. "And Kaira has lost her mind."

"Who says it's impossible?" Kaira asks as she looks up.

"Beyond our current means, then," Alptraum notes, "Unless you have something you've not told me."

Mortimer's blade seems to be a large piece of chitin attached to a treated ironwood stock. The blade has been worked down to vaguely resemble a Korv skull, while the blade is jagged and sharp. Various dried fluids stain the blade edge, suggesting at its uses. "He may or may not realize that, should he take over, he will simply be killed again, body or no. Ghosts are often unaware of their own situation. How aware do you think he is?" the Reaper asks.

"Extremely aware. I would class him at the same level of awareness as the vampires I dealt with back in the swamps," Alptraum answers. "Which makes him extremely dangerous."

"For example, he is counting on the fact we will not harm his host to shield himself," Alptraum adds.

"Mel hasn't taught you projective kenning yet," the little dragon says. "But, if you combined that with your ability to move spirits around… and learned how to ken a spirit as well… then you could convert a hog into a person and swap in that person's spirit as well."

"That sounds extremely complicated and likely beyond me for decades, if not longer," Alptraum notes to Kaira.

"Unusual, but not unworkable," Mortimer agrees. He frowns at Kaira a moment, then shakes his head. "It would be easier to offer to transfer his spirit, and then simply let it dissipate or destroy it once it is in your control. As for tricking the ghost in the first place, it would be useful to brainstorm on what he wants, how it can seem like we can give it, and means to sever his tie to his host." The bird tilts his head, peering at Alptraum with one eye. "You say he possessed a woman? Has he been feely?"

"Well, at least you can fake it realistically," the dragon notes. "Just eat the hog while changing the shape of the shadow-mouth, and I'll put in a 'solid' spirit."

"No idea. I didn't ask him if he enjoyed feeling up the woman's chest while in partial control," Alptraum says rather flatly. The bat then eyes Kaira for a moment. "Who's spirit?"

"Well, me of course," Kaira notes. "I can disguise myself."

"It's important to know if he has a physical interest in the body he has. Few men seek to become women, after all. There may be a motivation there – may not," Mortimer explains. "If he doesn't want the body, but simply picked it for convenience, a superior body may go a long way to drawing on his greed and identity."

Aside to Mort, Kaira says, "See, it's a scam. The idea it to let this spirit see us do this when he thinks we don't realize it. Then he'll do the work of trying to convince Alptraum to do it for him as well… "

"As what? A Korv?" Alptraum asks next, then thumbs towards Mortimer. To Mortimer, he says, "He didn't choose her body, it was accidental. she found the necklace and put it on, not realizing it was possessed at the time."

"The whole thing rests on Alptraum producing the new body from a spirit that's 'trapped' in an artifact… " the dragon explains.

Mortimer leans over to listen to Kaira, then nods slowly. "An unusual method," he remarks, sounding doubtful. "But I have no doubt as to Alptraum's ability to accomplish the unusual." He stands straight, then steeples his fingers. "What I am saying is, if he sees a superior body, and is aware that you can give it to him, he may chose to take it. Were he to possess an empty body – a shell, a corpse, or what have you – we could freely end him."

"She has better faith in me than I do," Alptraum mutters. Waving that thought aside, he says, "Anyway, if we are to do this, we will need a ploy to get him to ask for it in the first place."

"I see what you mean. He must want it for himself, rather than have it suggested to him. Evil men are quick to suspect malevolence in others," the Korv says. "I take it you have a plan, then?"

"Won't matter, he'll be in the necklace," Kaira says. "The setup is that he comes across you and Alptraum, right? He sees you, a Reaper, hold up this dagger and give this sob story about some poor sap's spirit who got imprisoned in it by a necromancer or whatever. Alptraum takes the knife and says he can release the prisoner. He slots it into his gauntlet, does some mumbo-jumbo and appears to 'transform' a hog into this fellow, alive and whole again. Big Bad Wolf Guy thinks, hmmmm, I'd like my body and life back. How can I trick this bat into doing the same thing with the necklace?

"See, you get him to leave the wizard and return to the necklace so Alptraum can use it to bring him back to life, supposedly. He'll hold the wizard hostage or something to force Alptraum to give his word, and so on, but once he's in the necklace… well, that's it. He's stuck."

"The trick will be if he realizes this, or not. He may arrange for other hostages, or another way 'out' should he suspect foul play during transfer." Mortimer glances at Kaira, nods, and goes on. "He may also realize that once he has his body, he will once again be vulnerable, even if he gets all that you suggest he might. I assume he will demand this transfer take place alone, far away, so that he may escape."

"It can't be too far from me though. It isn't like I can project things more than a few feet from me," Alptraum notes a bit grimly. "Which puts me at considerable risk."

"He may just want Alptraum's body instead too," Kaira notes. "Which is really just another trap, since the Barsunala makes him sorta possession proof."

"Then again, I'm possession proof too, if you want to make him think I'm a real dragon," the little spirit-dragon suggests.

"And you say he can transfer spirits … " Mortimer muses. "Perhaps it would be better to demonstrate your own power, in the hopes he will pick you, Alptraum."

"That is true," Alptraum notes. He pauses then comments to Kaira with a grin, "Don't I possess you?"

To Mortimer, the Eeee says, "I can transfer spirits, not the spirit in question… "

"Sort of. You 'possessed' the Shadow instead of it possessing you," Kaira notes. "And I can look like Vorgulremik easily."

"Been spending quality time with him, then?" Alptraum teases Kaira. "The only other dragon trapped in there with you … all alone … "

"I am him, or a copy of him, remember?" Kaira notes. "His True Name is part of me."

"Hm. Remind me why I trust you again?" Alptraum has to ask after that little reminder.

"Because you think I'm sexy?" Kaira suggests, waggling her ears.

"I suggest, then, we develop several plans, in case the first is unsuccessful. My own education does involve incorporeal and possessing undead, although my training has largely focused on corporeal undead, and the manipulation of death's shadows, and the wraiths. Were he corporeal, I have the means to decimate both his body and spirit, but that is not the case. I could hide you or another, or perhaps the wraiths might help. Otherwise, my assistance will be quite mundane – but mundane resources are often enough," offers Mortimer.

"I think biting the Frogmilker and sucking the guy out is still an option too," the dragon notes.

"I'll hold my answer to that," Alptraum tells Kaira as he shifts back to the matter at hand. "Fair enough. The key to this is saving the one he is currently tormenting. Even if it means letting him go. I won't kill someone to stop someone else."

"But almost killing her is okay, if it's done right," the dragon comments.

"Good, we Reapers prefer to break curses and free victims rather than destroy undead at any cost," the Reaper says appreciatively.

"Still, you do have to furnish your lair somehow," Kaira tells the Korv.

"Wouldn't sucking the guy out be extremely dangerous to me?" Alptraum asks.

"I don't know, Alptraum," the dragon admits. But then she grins and says, "But I do know just how hard you can suck now… "

"Don't make me throw a skull at you, you pervert," Alptraum growls.

Mortimer holds up a hand. "Please, if you're going to throw skulls, use your own!"

"I'd show you the pucker mark, but I don't think Alptraum would be comfortable about that," Kaira whispers to Mort.

The Reaper glances at Kaira, then gives Alptraum a raised-brow, appraising look. He clears his throat, causing his chest feathers to ruffle. "Well," he begins, looking elsewhere, "there are plenty of people dying in a day. No need to hurry them on. Everyone meets Death sooner or later. Besides, wizard skulls tend to be finicky."

"You make a lousy familiar," Alptraum tells Kaira flatly. "So, do you want to take some time to think on options while I practice the one mentioned?"

"Do you mean me," Mortimer inquires, head tilted.

"Yes, I mean you," Alptraum answers.

"Well, I was only trying to be more… familiar… is all," Kaira notes. This is probably all because of that horrible pun Alptraum made on entering.

"Yes, then I will help you. It is, after all, what I am here for," the bird agrees. He gestures a wing at the surrounding room, and adds, "I will need time to prepare, for whatever plan we decide upon. As I'm sure you know, magic requires time."

"And hogs," the dragon adds.

"The complexity of the magic defines the time," Alptraum corrects with a grin. "And yes, I'm well aware. It'll take me some practice to manage what Kaira suggests, if it is even possible for me to do it."

"I have three rituals that may be of assistance, but until I know our full plan, I'll not know which to pick. I will consider our options," says Mortimer.

"Please do so. Decorating can wait," Alptraum quips as he heads for the door. As he passes Kaira, he swoops her off the skull and drops her back on his shoulder. "Come along, portable melon… "

"If you see my ball, do throw it back up here," Mortimer calls after Alptraum. "I've almost got the hang of a full-tower putt."

"Melon?" Kaira asks as the pair leaves.