Sunken Amphitheater
The high stone walls of this wide chamber are almost completely covered in vegetation. Giant tree roots curl down from the upper rim like the claws of giants, while lianas, lichens and mosses hang down like green curtains. A channel has been worn in the north wall by a small stream that's eaten it away over the centuries. This feeds a clear pool that covers the stage for several feet, and drains out through two flooded passageways. The stone slab stadium seats are worn and weathered, and largely covered with layers of soil. Where part of the outer wall has collapsed and created a mound, a small stand of rubber trees has taken root, clustering close together. High above, the forest canopy tries to cover the sky, but even the giants of the Gnarly Wood are unable to completely block out the light.

And the bath lingers on … and on … and on. Just when they're about to get out things get a little interesting and well, the two find they have to wash again. So … once again Olivia is trying to escape the water. Except there's this rat holding onto her tail and just not letting her out.

"Hey, ve ain't all pruney vet, vou know. Could spend a leetle more time in the water," Djivan insists.

Olivia responds by grabbing hold of the hands being used to keep her in the pool and pulling on them to try and draw Djivan out. "C'mon now, we have to put out our bedrolls sometime," she insists, laughing, secretly enjoying their tug-of-war.

In an odd twist, something grabs onto Djivan's tail as well. And then twists it oddly.

"Pah, if just t'ink vou gonna sleep just wait unt … eek!" Djivan gleeps and nearly leaps up and out of the water. He starts doing what almost looks like the legendary butt-shimmy of infinite fertility dance as his hands are held on one way and his tail held the other. "Leggo!"

Whatever grabbed the rat's tail lets go. And then something brushes up against Olivia's feet.

"Wha-?" Olivia squeaks, relaxing her hold on Djivan's hands momentarily as she watches him suddenly lose his mind. "What are you doing?"

"Somethin' gots me butt!" the rat complains as he continues his odd shimmy.

"There's something in the pool?" Olivia squeaks again, then re-tightens her grip on Djivan and tries even harder to pull him out. "Can you see what it is?"

"Not vith vou both trying t' pull me in two!" the rat continues to complain as he tries to twist his head around and get a look.

Something long, white and segmented seems to retreat back into water behind the Skreek.

Olivia belatedly feels something swim around her ankles, then she starts violently when she sees the segmented thing in the water. "Uh, now would be a very good time to get out of here!" she gasps.

"Don' have to tell me twice!" Djivan agrees and makes a mad, thrashing, scramble towards the shore. "I knew dat Kadie was tryin' t' get me killed! Bet that soap was laced with some sort o' monster food!"

Once the water settles, a white worm-like thing pokes up about a foot above the surface, looking at the wet Skeek and Skreek with a single black button-eye at the center of its head. Then three more eye-worms pop up to stare.

Olivia retreats towards the door of the garden room, as well, picking up her belongings as she goes. "Maybe the mint or whatever herb it is in that soap attracted it?" she wonders aloud.

Djivan waves his hands frantically at the strange creatures. "Shoo! Go 'way! We don' vant any! No nummy rats here! Go go go go!" he tells them rather vehemently. He's still backing slowly towards his stuff while Olivia has already bailed. Wise Skeek, she is.

At the waving, the worms sprout bright feather plumes (gills?) and fan them around while gyrating and dancing in the water.

"Cut it out, Djivan," Olivia hisses from the doorway. "It might think you're doing a mating dance or something! Let's just get back to where we'll be sleeping!"

Djivan stops and stares. "What de heck?" he says rather confusedly. He continues the frantic waving though, only pausing long enough to grab up his stuff.

Two of the tentacles 'wink' at Djivan, and another one makes what might be interpreted as a 'come-hither' gesture.

"Uh, I had me fun vith someone grabby, sorry. Vou vouldn' come close to an Eee I know," Djivan tells the tentacles and then makes a mad dash for the door. Zoom!

"You see there?" Olivia insists, pointing at the creature. "Now you've done it! I think it likes you." However, she quite happily follows the Skreek out the door by backing away from the pool. Very quickly.

"I be sexy like dat," Djivan tells Olivia as the two make their retreat.

A disbelieving snort is the Skeek's only reply as they head for the staircase.

The air inside the tall light-tower is pretty warm, so by the time the pair has reached the top their fur is nice and dry (if in need of brushing).

"I'm telling ya, dat Kadie has it in fer me. I bets she bribed dat t'ing t' come after me," Djivan wheezes when he reaches the top of the stairs and falls face-first onto the platform. Splut

Olivia has just enough breath left to laugh at the Skreek's pratfall as she plops down next to him and puts down her things. "Well, you didn't help matters by flirting with it," she pants, grinning.

"I wasn' flirting! Kin I help it if I be irresistible?" Djivan asks as he rolls over. Tiredly, he reaches for his pants. He manages to get one leg in before he seemingly gives up. "Okay, I tired now."

Olivia watches Djivan try to get dressed with amusement. "You know, if we're just going to go to sleep in two or three hours, you don't have to put any clothes back on," she points out. "I can make up our bedrolls and we can just lie there… or are you hungry?"

"Vell, I figured vhile I vas 'panting', vell, vou know," Djivan mutters and holds up his single, clothed leg. His tail flicks about slowly, leaving little green crusty bits in its wake.

Olivia rolls her eyes heavenward and crawls to her feet. "Ha ha, very funny. I think I will get out the bedrolls, rather than listen to you make corny jokes all night!" With that, she moves her bath things aside and kneels by their packs.

"Not corny at all. Dis place isn't a maze, yannow," Djivan comments, a wry grin creeping over his lips. He sits up and now stares at his goo-coated tail. He pokes at it a bit, testing the current consistency.

Several Creens alight on the sun-crystal atop the arch, but don't come any closer. They just watch Olivia with fascination. Until something else moves and draws their attention, anyway.

"Great, mint slime," Djivan mutters as he starts picking the junk off his tail. "Look like me tail got shoved up somet'ing's nose."

Olivia pretends to ignore the gypsy's latest joke and continues untying their bedding from their backpacks, then shakes everything out. She eyes the Creens warily, having sudden memories of Gaspode, but does nothing about them for now.

"Grea' I bet dey be brain suckin' Creens," Djivan mutters when he finally notices the creatures. "Or Amelia-trained attack Creens."

Creens can be clever at times, and those that hang around towns probably have learned to recognize certain tones of voice. A big red Creen tries to drop a fecal-bomb atop Djivan, but instead of falling straight down it slides along an invisible dome-shaped surface to vanish beyond the edge of the tower platform.

"I just don't like the way they're… staring… at me," Olivia grumbles, setting out the mattress pads, blankets, and tiny camp pillows. "I feel like I'm going to be pecked to death at any moment. I wonder what they want?"

"See? I knew dey vere after me," Djivan notes and points at the creatures. "Hmph."

"Great, now I wonder if it's safe to sleep in here!" Olivia says. "I should've brought umbrellas… "

"Vell, something did seem t' stop it," the Skreek points out. He pushes himself to his feet, that one unused pantleg dragging along beside him. When near the platform edge he tries to reach out and touch the 'invisible' dome.

Something rustles the leaves of the tree, and the Creens scatter off in a cacophony of trills and squeaks and something that sounds suspiciously like a quack.

Whatever the barrier is, it doesn't seem to affect Djivan.

"Vierd," says the one-pantleg wearing, mostly nude, Skreek.

Olivia, who has been watching Djivan's progress, now frowns. "A barrier that lets us through, but not anything else? That is weird. I wonder how it works… "

Djivan finally pulls on that errant pantleg. He spends all of a minute contemplating the weird 'dome'. Then he gets bored and just shrugs. "Ey, as long as it works, doesn't really matter, righ'? No poo showers fer us!" he reasons.

Now that the beds are finally made, Olivia rummages around in her pack and pulls out a comb to untangle her wet hair with. She sits on her own bedroll and says, "You know, if this is supposed to be Amy's secret date spot, I'll bet she's taken Zahn out here, too. Maybe I can ask him about the workings of the place sometime, since he's the mechanically-inclined one."

"Vho says dis place is mechanical? Looks like magics ta me," the Skreek comments as he wanders over to a bedroll. With slovenly flop, the Skreek splays himself out on it, then yawns.

Olivia grins over at the partially-clad Skreek and comments as she combs out her hair, "Some complex machinery can often imitate the effects of magic – or so Zahn keeps telling me, at any rate!"

The warm air coming up the shaft of the tower helps to dry Olivia's hair while she combs it.

"Plus, how yas know he kin even figure de place out even iffin it was mechanical," Djivan points out, "He seems, kinda … well, a failure. Not like any of his recent things even haf vorked, from vhat I heard."

"Only his flying machines have been spectacular failures," Olivia explains. "All of his other more practical inventions work just fine. Besides, he's a Wingnut – they all build things that blow up occasionally! Or try to eat you, as in the case of our Loom #4."

A few Creens begins to come back to the arch, where they perch and watch the pair of bipeds.

"Heh. Vhy don' vou jus' get rid o' dat t'ing and git a safe one," Djivan comments idly. Apparently he's not worried about his hair being a mess. He's now more interested in making faces at the curious Creens.

As with the worms, Djivan's antics cause the Creens to start dancing about and displaying their plumage while ducking and bobbing their heads while singing.

Olivia puts aside her comb now and begins braiding her hair, so when she takes it down in the morning, it will be all nice and wavy. "Big looms like that one are expensive. Apprentices are not," she says with a touch of cynicism. Then she quirks an eyebrow at the Creens and asks, "Djivan, what are you doing to those birds? They look like they're having seizures!"

"Yeah, dat's right! I just be dat hot," Djivan declares to the Creens as he grins like mad. He tries to smile winningly to Olivia, noting, "Just sharing de awesomeness dat is me, of course! Don' vou just vant to dance vhen vou see me?" His eyebrows waggle.

Olivia snorts. "Only when you try to tickle me," she says. Then she gives the Creens a more appraising look and comments, "I wonder why they keep coming back up here, anyway? It's not like we have any food out right now. Or are they just really, really bored?"

When the spectacle of Djivan winds down, the Creens go back to staring at Olivia.

"Probably bored. No like dey have much brain t'think of things t' do," Djivan notes right before he yawns widely. "An … huh. Dey seem t' like vou right now. Peh, good taste or no, dey can't have vou!"

Olivia gives Djivan a quick smile, then stares back at the birds. "What are they so interested in?" she muses, picking up her comb again and raising it over her head, just to see what the Creens will do.

The Creens follow the motion with their heads.

"Heh, mebbe vou haf a future as a Creen charmer?" Djivan suggests to Olivia. "All worship Olivia, mighty subduer of de evil and viciously … not very big Creen!"

Quickly tying a short bit of ribbon to the end of her braid so it won't come apart, Olivia pushes to her feet and walks slowly to the edge of the barrier, although she is careful not to put any part of herself outside it. Again, she watches for the Creens' reactions.

The Creens still seem focused on Olivia's head, but now that she's close she can see from the way their heads twist back and forth that it's her ear-clips that command their attention.

"Oooh, I gets it. Dey want t' crawl in vour head and nest in vour brain," Djivan observes, then forces himself to sit up again. He waves his hands at them, saying, "Shoo! Mine! I gets t' rot her brain, no, vou."

The Creens fly off as Djivan shoos them away.

Olivia thoughtfully watches as the Creens fly away, knowing that they'll probably be back. "I'm sure I have a bit of extra sparkly somewhere… " she muses softly, then walks back over to her pile of folded clothes. She fishes out her rose hat and checks the secret pocket on the inside of it. A moment later, she comes up with a piece of flat, pink ribbon that looks like it has chips of silvery mica pasted onto it. While she's at it, she takes off her ear-clips and stows them away in her pack for safe-keeping.

"Afraid de're gonna attack vour head vhile vou sleep?" Djivan asks the Skeek from where he rests like a rather unkempt, ugly, rug. "Jus' don forget if you leave dem out too long de hole closes. Lili vould haf to suck on yer ear again."

Olivia gives a short laugh and returns to the bedrolls, flopping down beside Djivan with the ribbon in her hand. "I'll bet she'd enjoy that. Thanks for the warning, though – I'll only keep them out until we leave here tomorrow. And I don't think the Creens can get past this magical barrier, but I can feel them when they stare at me. So I want to give them less of a reason to do that!"

"So … kin I suck on yer ear instead?" Djivan asks as he waggles his brow. "An vou shoul' learn t' be more like me. I kin sleep through anything! So, stare away."

One particularly big, green Creen returns and, predictably, stares at Djivan instead of Olivia.

Djivan makes kissy lips at the green Creen.

Olivia snuggles up close to the Skreek and grins. "You sucking on my ears I don't mind. When Liliana does it, even if it's just to pierce the earlobes… well, that makes me nervous!"

"Eh, Lili's a big ol' softy. Nothin' to be afraid of around 'er, really," Djivan tells the Skeek with a grin. "She jus' likes to shock people."

The big Creen goes into a strange, spread-winged dance that looks more like a challenge than courtship. The screeching probably reinforces that notion as well.

"Yeah, well, it's the way she wants to shock me that I don't appreciate," Olivia grumbles. "Don't get me wrong, she's a good friend, but I feel like I have to be on my guard around her half the time."

Djivan makes a rude gesture to the Creen. "'Ey, I t'ink dats' de alpha male or somethin'," he notes offhandedly. Returning his attention to the topic at hand, he tells Olivia, "Dat's because vou do. She likes t' push stuff. Dat's just de vay she is. Y'get used to it."

The big Creen replies to Djivan with a raspberry noise, and cries out, "Here mouse mouse mouse! Here mouse mouse mouse!"

"I certainly hope so," Olivia sighs. "But I'm warning you, you may have to rescue me from Lili if she ever does snog me. I have a feeling I'd… er… pass out." Then she starts violently as the Creen talks to them. Her head swivels around in the bird's direction and she asks stupidly, "What did you just say?!"

The alpha-creen struts along the arch, bobbing its head and repeating its call. "Here mouse mouse mouse!" it Creens, swishing its tail in a taunting manner.

"Rescue you? I'd join you two," Djivan teases with a grin. His reaction to the Creen is less dramatic. he rolls onto his back and stares up at it. "Ey! Shut yer yap or I'l find one on me socks and vhack yas vith it!" he comments. Then lazily, he gets up to his feet and walks over closer to the thing.

The Creen retreats to one of the big, wide branches of the tree, well out of reach, and repeats its taunt.

Olivia gets to her feet as well and warns the Skreek, "I know that bird isn't too big but I'd be careful. Once you step out of the barrier, there's no telling what that thing will do to you! Plus, it might bring its friends!"

"Yeah, dat's right. Yer afraid of de awesomeness dat is me," Djivan says with a rather smug look on his face. He even hops outside the field for a moment and gives it a raspberry.

As soon as the Skreek steps into the open, there is a flurry of wing beats overhead. The spot where Djivan had just stuck out his head is bombarded with a barrage of Creen droppings, which would have made for a very messy hairdo.

"Hah!" Djivan retorts, having narrowly escaped the poo of doom. He wanders back to the bedroll and flops down. "De worl' just tryin' t' keep a Skreek down. Well, dey no match for Skreek power!" he says and shakes his fist triumphantly.

The big Creen squawks angrily and flies off for now.

Olivia just puts her head in her hands and says between her fingers, "Well, at least now I know why Amy told us not to move from this spot during the night! Well, one of her reasons, anyway."

"Dat's right! Fear da rat!" Djivan calls after the creature.

Olivia sits back down next to Djivan and asks him, "Well, are you going to taunt Creens all night or do you want to do something else?"

"Vell, ve could eat before beddin' down," Djivan suggests. "Might vant to get dressed first, tho. … Unless vou vant me ta licks da meal off ya?" he offers, leans in, and narrows his eyes in a rather predatory look.

Olivia makes Djivan's eyes cross by tweaking his nose gently. "Dinner is a good idea but I could do without that last part, thanks," she teases. "Then I'd just have to wash off in the pool afterwards and that thing in there might drag me under. Unless you want to be lonely all night?"

"Pah, I'd just go rescue you from de evil tentacle monster thing!" Djivan reassures Olivia. He sits back, then gets up and goes over to their supplies. "Vou get dressed, I sets out food stuffs."

"Fair enough." Olivia kisses Djivan on the forehead and gets up to dress herself again. She carries the bit of pink ribbon with her to stick into a pocket, in case the shiny-loving Creens return.

Djivan's method of setting out dinner apparently involves … dancing. Sort of. He pulls out a blanket first, then pirouettes around the platform before unfolding it onto the floor. Out come the various breads and cheeses next … which he apparently has to dance with before he sets them down onto the blanket. The dancing is intermixed with lots of bizarre phrases like, "Ba-dum-cha!"

This performance brings the Creens back in force, and they circle the platform in rapt attention – of the food. For once, they seem to ignore the dancing Skreek.

Olivia shakes her head again, but she starts laughing, too. "Dinner and a show!" she comments. "Very nice! What's your next trick?"

The response to that is a burp. A very loud burp. He grins, bows, and finishes setting up for dinner, topping off the mix of grains and cheeses with a bottle of wine and a couple glasses. "Booze, o'course," he says.

The collected Creens start to coo and trill and otherwise serenade the couple now, in the hopes of getting some of their food.

Olivia grimaces when the Skreek burps, but she eyes the bottle with some interest. "Why, are you trying to get me drunk just so you can take advantage of me later?" she asks, feigning astonishment.

"Vould I do dat?" Djivan asks in mock disappointment and yet keeps pouring the wine into a pair of glasses. "Vhy, I be hurt!" he declares. And somewhat annoyed by the noise now, he throws part of a loaf of bread outside the field to see if it buys them a bit of silence.

The mob of Creens chase after the loaf of bread, even when it bounces off of a branch and drops out of sight.

Olivia finishes pulling on her clothes and grins. "Oh yeah, riiiight. I can see how really hurt you are, uh-huh," she teases him again, taking her place on one corner of the blanket.

Djivan settles himself down on the blanket and sighs "Ahh, silence! I know I am awesome an all, but even I need a break from my admirers," he comments and waves his hand around. The Skreek then starts filling one of the plates with things he wants to eat.

Olivia takes a glass and sips the wine experimentally as the Skreek loads up on food. "Nice apple wine," she remarks as her eyes tear up a bit, "although just a tad on the strong side… "

"Put hair on yer tongue!" Djivan declares with his signature grin. He tears up his bread into bits … and then starts tossing then up into the air. With darting snaps of his muzzle, he swipes the bread out of the air and swallows. "I still t'ink Amelia has planned somet'ing t' get rid of me on dis trip," he notes in between his game of food toss.

The evening breeze rustles the leaves of the giant tree, and the glow of the light-refracting crystal begins to slowly dim.

Olivia glances at the fading crystal as she chooses her own bits of cheese and bread. "We may be eating by lantern-light soon," she says, pointing upward at it.

"Oh noes! Eating in de dark!" Djivan says in mock horror. He leans over to tickle Olivia's side playfully. "I isn't so bad. Makes de meal an adventure, no? Why, the danger of missing yer mouth is just too much to bear."

Olivia pokes Djivan back while still managing to hold onto her wineglass. "I did bring a lantern, you know," she giggles. "We won't have to grope around for the food… besides, knowing you, that's not what you want to grope around for, anyway!"

"Drat, yas found me out," Djivan retorts and snaps his fingers. He settles back and resumes eating him meal. Or putting a show on while he eats his meal. The juggling of some small cheese wheels is a bit much…

Olivia foils his act by quickly snatching one of the little wheels of cheese out of the air and proceeding to eat some of it while laughing!

The big crystal atop the tower arch must be able to store sunlight, because it keeps up a dim glow even after the sun has dipped below the horizon. But then, the overcast skies of Sylvania tend to glow for a bit after sunset anyway.

"Curdles, foiled again!" Djivan laments. "I must be gettin' moldy fer someone t' swipe me cheese!"

Olivia grooooans and puts aside her plate and glass, then jumps on Djivan and pins him to the blanket, sending cheese and bits of bread flying! "Arrrrgh! Take that back! That was terrible!" she says, sitting on the gypsy so he can't get away.

"Wah!" goes Djivan as he topples backwards, sending bits of bread, crust, and cheese everywhere. "I vill not!" the rat retorts defiantly, "It vas good, it vas funny! A joke for de ages, dat was. I like a nice aged joke. Dey're great for playful cheddar, afterall!"

Olivia arrrghs again, loudly, and proceeds to tickle the Skreek's sides without mercy. "You will take it back – all of it!" she insists, swatting his arms away when he tries to roll her off him and laugh at the same time. "No more punishment from you!"

"Eeek! Ack! Ooof!" goes Djivan as he squirms beneath the unrelenting assault from Olivia. "Gunther vas righ' vou are an evil horde!"

"And Gunther still needs to learn to count!" Olivia exclaims, continuing with her tickle-attack. "And you won't get any more dinner until you say uncle!"

During the tussle, a green serpentine head peeks up over the inner rim of the platform. The alpha-creen must have flown down through the open amphitheater and followed the scent of food down the tunnel and up the tower stairs. He hops over and starts snatching bits of bread and cheese.

"Aunt! Grandmother! Brother's, cousin's half-sister," Djivan babbles off. In fact, he says just about every relationship possible (and a few that are not) … but he doesn't say uncle.

Olivia now starts laughing, too, and pushes herself off Djivan to let him breathe again. Then her eyes light on the Creen and she starts again, noticing its closeness. "Is that thing inside the magical barrier now?" she gasps. "If so, that means… "

"It be fightin' time!" Djivan declares as he rolls to his stomach, then scurries on all fours directly towards the green Creen. "Grr!" he says, "I fierce!"

The big Creen flaps it's wings and flies to the center of the shaft, hovering beneath the light crystal (now dim enough to not burn it) and out of reach of the Skreek. "Heeeeeeere mouse mouse mouse!" it cries.

In the meantime, Olivia starts packing away their picnic as fast as she can, hopefully to deter any other Creens that might be lurking around!

Djivan grabs a hunk of cheese and throws it at the Creen! "Go away before I catch yas and make you marry dat Gaspode of de silly Eee!" he growls.

The green feathered serpent dodges and twists in the air, managing to catch the cheese in it's clawed feet. It makes a chortling sound and then dives down into the tower. It lands on the stairs midway down to enjoy its feast.

"You know, if you keep throwing food at it, the longer it's going to stay," Olivia comments, half-smiling at the bird's victory. "And if the barrier is gone now, then it can bomb you with more droppings!"

"S'ok. I know vou vill defend my honor," Djivan comments dismissively. He starts to help clean up the dinner mess now too. "So, its gettin' dark. Did ya want to go t' sleep early? We don' vant to use up de lamp oil afterall."

"I still think I should've brought an umbrella," the Skeek mutters, putting away the picnic things with Djivan. "Sure, sleep would be good. If we stop moving around and just lie there, maybe all the Creens will get bored and leave us alone?"

"Dat vould be good, yah," Djivan agrees as he tries the bags tightly closed. "Plus ve could hide unner the blankets as an umbrella anyway."

"True enough," Olivia says, then looks down at her clothes. "Heh, I'll have to get undressed again. Although I did bring a nightgown… might be a good idea to slip into that just in case we have to escape to someplace else!"

When things settle down (and there aren't any more easily obtainable bits of food), the big Creen flies up and past the tower's arch, giving off a flash of light as it passes the barrier boundary. Apparently keeping things out doesn't mean it will also keep things in.

"Or yous kin run naked. I vouldn't complain," Djivan points out with a grin. He's still only wearing his pants, himself.

Olivia looks up from where she is digging her nightgown out of her pack. "Well, if things do settle down and we decide to, um, stay awake, you can always take it off me again," she smiles.

"Ooooo," goes Djivan. Apparently he likes that idea. As a safety precaution for during the night … the Skreek ties the bags they brought together, to make the weight heavy enough that moving them would be a moderate challenge.

Olivia grins and wriggles out of her clothes again, then puts on the nightgown and walks towards the bedrolls. As she moves, Djivan can see that the gown is white, short and lacy, cinching in around her ribcage and flowing away from the rest of her body. Obviously, the Skeek knows how to make frilly underthings, too.

From outside the barrier, a Creen wolf-whistles.

Djivan just grins. He finally quits organizing and goes to the bedrolls. The blankets are pulled back and the Skreek settles into them. He pats the spot next to him, then waggles his brow.

Olivia glances over her shoulder in the direction of the whistler and growls, "This nightgown isn't for you, so put a cork in it!" Then she slips between the blankets and snuggles up to Djivan again. "Mmm, better," she murmurs. "Nice and warm."

Djivan curls his arms around Olivia. "Ves, much better," he agrees as he rests his chin atop the bridge of her muzzle. As energetic as the Skreek was earlier, it's obvious he's pretty tired by now as he's content to just hold the Skeek and slowly drift off into sleep.

After the whistle, the night become eerily quiet. Soon even the insects stop making noise, so that all that remains is the sound of the night breeze through the leaves. This makes the few noises that do occur stand out all the more. A few hours into the night, something big moves around on the forest floor, cracking underbrush and twigs.

"G' t'bed, Bravil," Djivan murmurs in his half-asleep state. Apparently his usual experience with large things moving around have tended to be that Jupani.

Olivia slowly opens one eye, being partly disturbed out of her dreamless sleep by the noise. She doesn't say anything as yet, but listens in case there is something approaching that she needs to be worried about.

The sounds begin moving away, as best as can be determined from this high up.

"Dunno vhy he sneaks aroun' at nigh'," Djivan mutters sleepily. "No' like ve don' know he visits 'er in the evening."

Well, Amy did say that we should ignore the noises as best we can up here… and that we are supposed to be safe, Olivia thinks to herself. She smiles at Djivan's half-unconscious commentary and closes that eye again, trying to sink back into sleep.

Nothing else seems to disturb their sleep, until midnight nears. A low, thumping vibration pulses through the floor of the tower, followed by the sound of stone sliding against stone.

"Dis is not restful," Djivan complains as he slowly sits up; woken by the strange vibrations. He rubs at his ears, annoyed. He slides along the platform on his stomach then peers over the edge.

The bottom of the tower shaft is all but invisible, but the sounds of movement can be picked up: a sort of shuffling-scurry of claws on stone.

"'Ey, we gots company," Djivan whispers back towards Olivia.

Olivia now sits up within the bedrolls, her heart hammering at the noises. "Can you see what it is?" she whispers to the gypsy.

"Nope! I juts see a lotsa dark," Djivan notes.

"Great," Olivia grumbles. "Something large is coming but we don't know what it is. If it comes up the tower stairs like that Creen did, we are in big trouble. It'll be in the barrier with us!"

"Eh. I'll just scare it off," Djivan says in an attempt at a reassuring voice.

The mass of whatevers moves off, apparently towards the amphitheater. In any case, the noise dies down.

The thumping beat does not, however, and the scent of sulfur wafts up the shaft of the tower as well.

Olivia rolls her eyes towards the ceiling and asks, "Did you bring your throwing knives with you? I've got mine. When Amy described this place to me, I thought they might be needed!"

"I always gots em vith me," Djivan notes as he sits back from the edge. "An vhatever it is, it stinky. But … dey don't seem to be coming up here, so I t'ink ve safe. Amy said no to go down, afterall."

Olivia nods her agreement. "That's true. Okay. Well, uh, I'm gonna get my knives out and put them near me, but after that I'll get back into bed. Don't know if I'll go back to sleep, though," she says nervously.

Djivan nods at that. He slides over to his pack and fishes his knives out as well, setting the wrapped bundle down near the bedrolls. "Y'know, dis place isn' very romantic," he comments.

Olivia gets out her own set of knives and lays them by her side of the bed. "Yeah, I'm beginning to get that feeling, too. First a water monster, then the Creens, and now this!"

"I'm telling yas, she's tryin' t' do me, or us, in," Djivan notes as he settles back onto his bedroll.

After a few minutes that seem like an hour, the sounds of movement return, and then the stone-on-stone noise. Finally, there is only the deep thumping, which beings to fade as well. The stink remains though.

"Shoulda brought some mint t' stuff in me nose," Djivan mutters. "Can't sleep wit' dat smell."

Olivia slides between the blankets again and lies down, as well. "I hope not, but… She has a very odd idea about what places are romantic!"

Olivia now wonders what they will find in the morning when they leave the place… assuming they live through the night, of course.

"Eh, well, as long as nothing other den de smell comes up here, ve be fine. I gonna bleach Amelia's tail white after dis, tho," Djivan complains.

"I'd give you the bleach, but I don't run as fast as she does," Olivia replies.

"You kin provide the rope t' tie her up with," Djivan suggests.

Olivia laughs a little at that and puts her arms around the Skreek so she can hold onto him again.

It takes the better part of another half an hour, but Djivan eventually falls back to sleep … as evident by his snoring.

Olivia, who was falling back to sleep, as well, is awakened by this sound and pokes the Skreek a few times to make him roll over.

"Zzznk!" goes Djivan. He does stop snoring, at least.

Olivia thanks the gods and settles back against her pillow, dozing off within minutes.

The Skeek has an odd dream about her various ribbons coming to life and twining into her hair. It's just disturbing enough to cause her wake slightly – and then she can feel something really brushing through her hair.

How can something be going through my hair when it's in a braid? the Skeek thinks, the idea coming from nowhere into her alarmed mind. She slowly opens her eyes and braces herself for anything…

The Procession doesn't pierce the cloud cover, but some of the glow diffuses through. Enough to make out silhouettes against the sky, at least. There are the branches of the tree, the arch over the top of the tower, and something very squat just above Olivia's face. She can feel that her braid has been undone, as well, by whatever it is that's playing with her hair still.

Olivia turns her head so that it is facing the ceiling and tries to focus on the squat form above her. Her heart is hammering again, but by some amazing feat of will, she doesn't scream. Yet.

"Ooo, veah, righ there. Dat's de spot," mutters a still sleeping Djivan nearby. "Vou know vhat I like."

There's a faint luminescence about the thing, especially in the bulging white orbs that are probably its eyes. It freezes when Olivia moves, however. The stink of sulfur is heavy on it, but aside from its own slightly raspy breathing it doesn't make any noise. It can't be more than a foot tall.

Very, very gently, Olivia clears her throat and says softly to the creature, "Uh, hello? What are you doing?" She's careful not to make any sudden or threatening moves, since it's so close to her now.

At the sound of Olivia's voice, the little creature panics! It lets go of her hair and scrambles under the blankets, down Djivan's back and across Olivia's legs trying to escape.

"Wargh!" goes Djivan and he jerks upright! Instinctively, he tries to grab onto whatever it is that is running under their blankets.

The Skreek manages to grab onto one of Olivia's legs and a loose fold of cool skin along the critter's side.

"Wait, Djivan! If you grab it, don't hurt it!" Olivia cries, pulling back the blankets on her side to try and catch a glimpse of where the creature has run to.

The little thing goes limp in Djivan's grasp, possibly playing dead.

Feeling the strange skin in his hand, Djivan tries to get a better grip on the thing. "What iffin it tries to hurt me?" he asks. When it goes limp, the Skreek tries to carefully pull back the covers and get a look at the thing.

It's still too dark to really make anything out beyond the bulging eyes and loose shape.

"I don't think it will – when I opened my eyes a minute ago, it was only playing with my hair," the Skeek replies, getting carefully out of the bed to grab her lantern and lighting tool from her pack. When the lamp flares into life, she brings it back to the bedrolls so she can get a better look at the critter.

Still wary, Djivan keeps a firm grip on the critter.

The creature looks vaguely like a baby Skeek in form, except that it has oversized ears and wide, spade-like claws. Its pale skin seems a size too big, hanging in loose folds and completely furless, although the texture looks a bit reptilian. The oversized eyes jut out from the skull like those of a frog and don't seem to be lidded, each orb a blank, pupil-free white. It has only a stub of a tail, and what might be thick hairs or small spikes growing along its spine and back.

"Geh, boy is dat ugly," Djivan mutters, looking a bit ill. "Vhat de heck is dis thing? A troll?"

Olivia seems rather taken aback by the creature's appearance, too, but she leans in to get a closer look, especially at the spade-like claws and hair-like things growing from its spine. "What are you, little thing?" she wonders aloud. "I didn't think baby trolls looked like this!"

The creature starts to struggle again, and even snaps its jaws, revealing oversized, chisel-shaped teeth.

Djivan continues to hang on. "Oh no you don't!" he growls at the thing. To Olivia, he suggests, "Mebbe offer it some cheese or something!"

Noticing the large, pointed teeth, Olivia thinks for a second and says, "Hang on, I have something that it might like better." Then she goes right back to her pack again and rummages through a front pocket, coming up with a few strips of fish jerky (a strange taste she acquired from the otters). She goes back to the creature and offers it a piece with trembling fingers.

The thing stops squirming to smell the dried meat, then snatches it up with its long fingers and begins to tear it apart with its teeth.

"Ew," declares Djivan, "Why did you have that nasty stuff?" He does finally let go of the strange thing … and can't help but wipe his hands on the blanket afterward.

The trollette drops onto the bedroll and rights itself without pausing in its eating. When it squats down, the folds of skin almost form a skirt that covers its legs.

Olivia shrugs, her eyes still on the strange little figure. "Because I like fish jerky, that's why. Nene and Bebe taught me how to make it. Besides, I thought meat might make a more appropriate meal for it."

"Vhat a veird an ugly thing … vonder iffin it related to Amelia," Djivan comments as he peers at it. "An … I t'ink it be a baby or somethin'."

"Which makes me wonder where its mother and father are," Olivia says ominously. "We'd better keep an eye out."

The creature turns to Djivan, and sticks out its tongue – which appears to be capped in bone and comes to a hollow point, like a blunted hypodermic needle. And as soon as Olivia utters her question, the sound of sliding stone can be heard coming up from the base of the tower again.

Djivan leans in a bit to peer at the odd tongue. "Did someone glue somethin' on its tongue?" he asks, ears flicking slowly.

The creature hisses through the tongue-hole, sounding like someone trying to whistle, and then makes a dash for the lip of the shaft and stairwell.

Djivan doesn't try to grab the creature this time. "Prolly should let it go, eh?" he suggests, "I think it vas jus' curious about us."

Olivia nods. "I think it's for the best. If its mom and dad are around, better for us that they don't miss their baby!"

"No kiddin," Djivan agrees. He waves to the strange creature, saying, "Bye bye little veird t'ing!"

The little monster doesn't pause when it reaches the edge of the shaft – it leaps right out into the air, and then plummets three-hundred feet down to land with the sound of wet bag of flour.

"Uh," Djivan says, "Did it just kill itself?"

"I dunno," Olivia replies. "Can you hear it moving around down there?"

Djivan goes to the edge of the platform and looks over it.

There are some uncomfortable crackling sounds from below, and the lantern light causes the tower walls to glow enough to make out a form at the bottom. It seems to be straightening out its broken limbs. Then it stands up mushily and shakes itself, causing another crackle of shifting bones. It glances up once, then runs out into underground roadway. The sliding-stone sound starts up a few seconds afterward, ending in a 'thunk'.

"Dat's … uh, really gross," Djivan mutters. "It made it … somehow."

Olivia goes and replaces the rest of the fish jerky in her pack with a thoughtful look on her face. "Something about those claws," she mutters. "I think I've seen their like before. But where?"

Djivan shrugs. "Dunno! I haven't seen anyt'ing like it before. Vell, except dat one time I gots drunk an woke up wit … , er, vell, nevermind dat," the Skreek comments.

Olivia appears to think more as she gets back into bed. "I may need to pay Zahn a visit later. I think I should listen to those sound cylinders again, the ones we took from Dr. Pike's basement. Something's a little too eerily familiar here."

"Oookay, vell, ve should get some sleep an get out o' here as early as possible tomorrow," Djivan mutters as he slinks back to his bedroll. He pulls his knives closer, too, just in case.

---

With morning, the Creens return and begin their singing, even before the sun is fully up.

Olivia puts her camp pillow over her head and groans. "Throw a knife at those things, wouldja, dear?" the Skeek asks in a muffled voice.

"I hate Creens," Djivan mutters. Realizing he's not about to get any sleep now, he slowly sits up and rubs his eyes. Gently, he nudges Olivia and adds, "Vakey, sleepyhead."

Olivia rrrrghs and rolls onto her back. "A restful night, this was not. And we have to walk all the way back home! Ah well."

"Yah, vell," Djivan mutters. He gets to his feed and packs up his bedroll. Once that's away, he pulls on a shirt, then stifles a small yawn.

Another sound intrudes from the base of the tower now; the familiar voice of Amelia calling up, "Are you two decent up there? I don't want to be surprised by Djivan's underwear."

"The surprise would be iffin I wore any!" Djivan calls back down to Amelia.

"Hang on just a minute, Amy! I'm still not dressed yet!" the Skeek calls back, sliding out of her own bedroll so she can put it away.

Once that is done, Olivia gets out a clean outfit and puts that on, while trying to pack her nightgown away at the same time. At last she gets it all together and takes out her comb, calling down, "Okay, it's safe to come up now!" Then she sits to comb out her hair before putting on her rose hat.

Djivan takes a few minutes to double-check he's packed everything while he waits for Amelia to come up to the platform.

It takes a little while for Amelia to reach the top of the tower, but when she makes it she presents a basket full of fresh warm muffins. "So, how'd it go?" she asks, smiling. "Enjoy the privacy?"

"'Cept for the crazy Creens an baby trolls accosting us at night, sure," Djivan mutters, then sticks his tongue out at Amelia. "It didn't vork. I still alive and ve still together."

"The crazy Creens and… baby trolls?" Amy asks, her eyebrows raised. "I've never seen any Creens up here before. And I didn't think the trolls would climb all the way up here, unless you did something to get their attention?"

Olivia puts down her comb and goes over to take the muffins from Amelia with a half-smile. "Thanks! But we didn't have that much privacy. As Djivan says, Creens kept watching us and a water-monster popped up out of that pool downstairs after we'd had a bath and a… thing… woke us up at midnight!"

"A monster in the pool, too?" Amy asks in surprise. "I've never seen a water monster in there before! What did it look like and how did it behave?" she asks.

"It grabbed me butt, is what it did. Then tried t' flirt wit' me. I know I'm awesome, but I don't go fer slimy," Djivan comments with a small shrug. He wanders over and grabs a muffin to munch on.

The Kadie looks skeptical now after Djivan's report. "A butt-grabbing flirt monster? Are you sure you didn't just see your own reflection in the water?" she asks.

"It had tentacles, if that helps," Olivia adds quickly. "And eyes on the end of one of them!"

Amelia looks at Djivan, and then says to Olivia, "Well, he's got one of those, doesn't he?"

Olivia chokes back a laugh, then says, "And it really did try to flirt with him, but I think that's because he taunted it first. It must've thought that was part of a mating ritual or something!"

"Well, I guess Djivan does have a talent after all," Amy says, rubbing her chin. "Must have learned it from Lili. Did you have fun at least?"

"Ha ha," Djivan comments and picks up his stuff. "Had fun, yah, ready to go home, tho."

Olivia stows away her comb, puts on her hat and picks up her own pack, as well. "By the way, Amy, d'you know if Zahn has fixed any of those sound cylinders yet? You know, the ones we found in Dr. Pike's basement all that time ago?"

"Dr. Pike played a few of them for us, but they were pretty choppy," Amy notes. "The player works though."

"I thought he had also taken some of them back to his shop to work on them," Olivia says. "In any case, I think I might want to listen to them again or see if there are any others to listen to. That 'baby troll' that visited us in the middle of the night… I don't think it was a troll. Amy, it had spade-like claws. D'you remember that severed arm we found down there, too? Its claws were like that, although I couldn't tell if they were silvery or not."

"Yeah, that arm had metal-coated claws," Amelia notes. "But I think only the adult trolls get those. They're a lot bigger and have glowing red eyes."

Olivia nods slowly. "Whatever this was, it had to be a baby – it wasn't more than a foot tall and had large, white eyes. They almost glowed, but their color wasn't red. It also threw itself down the stairwell and got back up to crawl away!"

"After it straightened out its broken limbs," Djivan adds as he finishes eating his muffin.

Amelia blinks at this. "I didn't see any splat marks at the bottom!" she exclaims. "How could anything fall that far and survive?"

"I had no idea," Djivan says with a shrug, "But it did."

"That's what I'd like to know," Olivia replies darkly. "Are we sure it's just a baby troll? I didn't think trolls could survive falls of that kind!"

"Well, we know they have to be strong to burrow through stone," Amy notes, looking thoughtful. "I guess I'll have to do some research on trolls and find out what the witches and mages know. Maybe Dr. Pike has more information too."

"Vell, vhatever it vas, let's get out of here, eh? We aren't gonna learn anything more standing up here," Djivan points out.

Olivia smiles at the gypsy and shoulders her pack. "Okay. Whatever else we have to discuss, we can do it while walking home, anyway," she agrees.

"Right, follow me then," Amelia says, and starts down the stairs.