It was a dark and stormy afternoon.

It hadn't started out that way, however. When the trio left Stonebarrow village that morning, it had been a pleasant, clear spring morning. Taking the north road out of the hamlet, they passed the decrepit old manor house that marked the northern edge of the community and began entering the more heavily wooded hill region. Only then did the sky begin to purple and fill with clouds.

The storm is sudden, as Sylvanian storms tend to be, and rolls out of the north. The wind blows hard and cold, giving extra impact to the rain and driving it nearly horizontal. Flashes of lightning outline the silhouette of a small castle off to the east with several of its windows lit up.

And then the hail started, followed shortly by the fish (possibly herring).

Alptraum mutters several curses in Sylvanian and keeps his wings craned up, shielding himself from the storm as it comes down. "All right, folks, we need to head for shelter, this is disgustingly bad. Not to mention fishy," the Eeee comments, then motions towards the lights. "I suggest there. Maybe we can find a barn to camp in."

Tulani, while attempting to shield herself with her own wings, still manages to become dripping wet, the spaces in her feathers not shielding her properly. Looking up in time to get smacked in the face with – and catching in her mouth – a flopping, the Sphynx nods, muttering, "Piddy, tashetey vough!"

Arkold walks in the rain as if the storm really doesn't bother him. From all accounts of the stories he's told this is but piss in the sea (as he said it) and nothing compared to the raging storms on Abaddon. "I love the rain," he tells the other two, "ain't nothin' like the smell of sea water carried inland."

Up close, the castle is obviously in some disrepair, with a broken curtain wall and all but one of the towers collapsed. The narrow windows of the lower floor are well lit though, and the heavy wooden knocker on the oak door looks relatively new. It is shaped into a cartoonish Eeee with an oversized smiling head, which serves as the knocker since it is hanging upside down.

Hooking another fish with her claws as it falls, Tulani replies, "So do I Arkold, just not quite this hard. Though the fish are a nice benefit," before tossing the fish at him and crying out, "Here! Catch!"

Alptraum walks up to the door and takes the head in his hand. He glances back to the others and grins widely, "I always love getting a good grip on a big knocker… " He laughs to himself, obviously amused at the joke, then raps the head against the door.

After a few moments, the door creaks open, and a strange creature peers out at the travelers. It's apparently half-Skeek, and half-Skreek – literally. The seams and stitches make it clear where one part ends and the next begins, and the fur colors don't quite match up. Even the ragged looking tail is half furred and half bare. Mercifully, it is dressed in baggy dark clothing that covers most of the body. The mismatched eyes look Tulani, Alptraum and Arkold up and down, and then the creature lisps, "Yeth? I imagine you with to thelter from the thtorm?"

Hoping to get dry soon, the wet Sphynx walks up to the door, still munching on a fish. Her eyes widen a bit when she sees the creature behind the door, but she smiles and nods saying, "Yes, do you possibly have somewhere we could stay?"

"Of course they do! They just offered, see?" Alptraum replies with a fangy grin. "Lead on!"

"Dagh's left ear what in the-" The wolf pauses as he seems to realize remarking on someone's appearance while looking for a place to stay might in fact be a bad idea. "Dagh's left ear, uh, what an amazing door knocker?"

"I thuppothe you'd better come inthide then," the doorman answers, opening the door the rest of the way and ushering everyone inside. "The mithtreth ith out tending to the thtorm netth," he explains, and leads them into the main hall.

"Follow me, pleath," the Skeek-Skreek says, and leads the group on a circuitous path that avoids any of the various floor rugs until they reach the hearth. "You can hang your cloakth here to dry," he notes, indicating some pegs kept near the fire.

Alptraum arches an eyebrow as he enters. He looks around the room slowly, then leans over to Tulani and whispers, "Good Gods, someone call a decorator." He snickers and elbows the Sphynx lightly, then glances over at the creature. "Why, thank you. You won't even notice us here." The Eeee's wings then extend some, and flick back, as he comments to the creature, "And these are attached, so, ah, thanks anyway."

Tulani's jaw almost drops open in amazement at the menagerie before them, grinning at Alptraum's comment before sitting with her back to the fire to give her wings time to dry off, and nodding to the strange creature, saying, "Thank you very much."

The thump of a door closing echoes from another part of the castle, and the little man says, "Ah, that mutht be the mithtreth. If you will pleath wait here, I'll go fetch her directly."

As Arkold walks by a particularly fierce stuffed animal he pauses to look at it critically. Then when he thinks no one is looking he elbows Alptraum and sticks his head in the creature's mouth like a circus performer.

The servant scuttles off through a side passage, leaving the trio alone for the moment – except for the animals. A plump, black Creen wearing an eye-patch shuffles from claw to claw on a nearby perch, watching the visitors. Uncountable little eyes peer out from the cages as well, reflecting the firelight.

Rolling her eyes at Arkold's antics, the quickly drying Sphynx examines some of the objects around the room, peering closely at those closest to her.

On one of the little end tables near Tulani, a closed wooden box begins to shudder and produce very odd sounding growling noises.

Alptraum clamps his hand over his own mouth and stifles another laugh, making more of a pthththtbt'ing sound. He taps the wolf's back and says, "Come on, we'd better behave. Whoever owns this place is freaky. Who knows what she's into, eh?"

Tulani flicks her ears back slightly at the noise, moving a little ways away from the box, but looking into some of the other cages nearby.

The Creen shuffles a little closer to Alptraum, then screams, "Ahhhhh! Make it stop! Make it stop! The pain! Ahhhh! Gimme a bug?"

Alptraum lets out a squeak and hops away from the Creen. He bounces momentarily on one leg, then just shakes his head. "Ah, hush, you!" he tells the Creen.

"I've seen freakier, bats," Arkold remarks as he struggles to get his head out of the creature's maw. "In fact I've seen far worse. In fact- oh Dagh's tail talking Creen!" He nearly yanks the stuffed monster on top of him as he falls over on his rump.

The first cage the Sphynx notices is full of mice. Actual mice, not just little Skeeks – although a few of them appear to be wearing tiny vests.

Alptraum reaches over and pokes the Creen. "Maybe it's not real… " he comments.

Jumping at the Creen's yell, Tulani's eyes widen and she almost starts growling, flicking her head towards the source of the cry. She doesn't seem reassured by Alptraum's comment.

"Honestly, Igor, you should have thought of this yourself!" comes a high-pitched voice from the passage the servant had vanished down. It is followed by an Eeee woman wearing a dowdy dress and carrying a pair of galoshes and an oilskin rain-slicker over one arm. The thick lenses of her glasses make her brown eyes look twice as large as normal, and a few streaks of gray line her brown hair. The servant stumbles along after her, nearly buried under a mass of heavy terry cloth. The woman pauses when she sees the visitors, just as the Creen tries to bite Alptraum's finger.

Alptraum yanks his finger back quickly. He spins to face the woman and puts his hands behind his back. He grins nervously and says, "Ah, hello. Weather is nasty tonight. We were caught in it and needed some shelter. I hope you don't mind."

"Hello ma'am!" Arkold greets the woman as he holds the stuffed monster up with one hand to keep it from falling on him completely. "Eh, heh, heh … Had a bit of a fall with ol' ferocious here an' I was jus' gettin' up."

Tulani likewise turns quickly towards the Eeee woman, placing both ears forward, and trying to look calm, as if nothing had happened, saying, "Y'yes, thank you for letting us in!"

"Oh, goodness no!" the woman says, remembering to step out of the way of the lumbering Igor. "I've brought you some bathrobes, so you can get out of those soaked clothes don't drop them Igor you idiot if you like." She steps towards the group and smiles, saying, "I am Dr. Floribunda Pike, and I welcome you to my home."

Alptraum accepts one of the robes from Igor and nods slightly. "Why, thank you. Is there anyplace I can change?" he asks and glances askance at the other Eeee.

Floribunda's gaze seems fixed on Alptraum for a moment, before she snaps out of it and says, "Oh, of course… Igor, show our guests where they can change while I go put the kettle on."

Arkold rights the stuffed animal and pushes himself up to stand. Then he brushes himself off and begins after Igor. "Nice place you got here," he remarks as he looks around.

Igor sniffs loudly, then leads the group to a small side room where they can take turns changing. "I'll put your clotheth next to the fire to dry," he tells them, while Dr. Pike goes off to prepare some tea.

Alptraum tosses the robe onto his shoulder. He glances over at the other Eeee again for a moment, one eyebrow cocked, then turns and grins at Igor, saying, "Thanks much."

Alptraum waves toward the room and comments, "Ladies first, then age before beauty." He grins.

Tulani giggles behind her hand at Alptraum's comment, before taking a robe from Igor, thanking him, and heading into the room to change. Grinning, she calls back over her shoulder, "No peeking!"

"Who, me?" Alptraum says with an innocent grin.

Arkold opts to retire to a guest room and get some sleep early, citing, "Mind your own business, bats," and, "you'll understand when you're older," as reasons for not wanting to be more social.

By the time everyone has changed into a warm, fluffy and above all dry bathrobe, Dr. Pike has returned to the hall carrying a tea tray, which she sets down on the table next to the growling box, then goes about clearing various books and papers from the chairs near the fire.

Alptraum scratches lightly at one of his ears. "So, ah, Miss Pike, what do you do out here?" he inquires. "You have an unusual assortment of stuff."

"Oh, I do research, mostly," the Eeee woman says, smiling to Alptraum again while shoving aside some books on history, demonology and a few that appear to be Sylvanian pulp-romance novels. "I do hope your Jupani friend will be okay. I'll have Igor bring him up some tea. Oh, and I didn't catch your names?"

Tulani picks up a teacup, breathing in the steam off the top. Before taking a small sip, she flicks an ear towards Dr. Pike and says, "Oh! My name's Tulani, nice to meet you! … And, out of curiosity, what's in that box?" She points to the growling container.

"Ah, Alptraum bar Reisender. The Jupani is Arkold," Alptraum says and shifts his weight from foot to foot nervously. "We're heading northwards or thereabouts." He glances over at Tulani with a ack sort of look.

"Tomatoes," Dr. Pike answers. "A cross-breed I've been working on that I hope will appeal to vampires."

Eyes widening at the doctor's response, Tulani slowly edges away from the box.

"Er, a crossbreed with what?" Alptraum inquires, also edging away.

"They're still a work in progress," the Eeee woman notes, waving a hand whose fingers have been stained by chemicals. "Oh, they've been crossed with various… things. Just a few bugs to work out still."

"Like how they viciously attack and devour any other vegetables," Igor mutters under his breath.

"Ah, yes," Alptraum says, deciding he doesn't want to pursue it past that. "So, ah, are you from Sylvania or did you move here to enjoy the weirdness?"

"Oh, I'm a native of course," Pike asserts, choosing to ignore Igor's comment. "Born and raised in Justininople, in fact. But I find the countryside so much more relaxing and useful for my studies. Why, hardly a day goes by when one of the local children doesn't come over to show me some strange new thing they've caught in the swamp."

"It can be a bit lonely though, being the only Eeee around," she adds, looking over the rim of her teacup at Alptraum through her bottle-bottom glasses.

Flicking her ears forward, Tulani listens to Dr. Pike's response, taking another sip of her tea and momentarily shuddering at the thought of some of the things that might come out of the swamp.

Alptraum is busy checking to make sure his necklace is tucked away. He feels eyes on him and glances up nervously. "Ah, yes, aren't that many Eeee around. I've only seen a few lately, myself," he says and heads over to pick up his teacup. He takes a sip from it.

"So, what is a nice young couple like yourselves heading north for?" Pike asks, changing the focus of the conversation back onto her guests. "Honeymoon tour of the country?"

Alptraum almost spits out his tea. "Honeymoon … couple? No, nothing like that. We're not a couple. We're going north to check out the state of things in Draco county, plus look into some local legends there," Alptraum says quickly and fidgets with the cup. "Nothing all that special, really."

Tulani definitely looks startled at this comment, blinking and blushing brightly inside her ears, then nodding vigorously in agreement with Alptraum's statement.

"Oh, please forgive me, I didn't mean to embarrass you," Dr. Pike says, looking genuinely apologetic. "Draco you say? My, it's been ages since I've been there. Lovely country, and there are certainly plenty of legends to look into, goodness knows!"

"Really? Can you tell us any?" the black and white Sphynx queries, ears perking up with interest.

Alptraum nods at that. "We're looking into some old stories about the Necromancer Wars, really. Probably nothing to them, but figured it would be interesting. Sure beats sitting around and doing nothing," he says as he sets the cup down and glances at the Eeee again.

"Oh my, what would you like to know?" Pike asks, looking perkier. "I've read up quite a bit about the Necromancer Wars, although of course Draco County was neutral in all of that."

"Legends about Nala, or perhaps known as Rinala, could be helpful," Alptraum offers and looks over at Tulani.

Tulani nodnods, saying, "Yes, also any specific, peculiar legends as to how the war ended would be good."

"Oh, one of the angels?" Pike asks, looking thoughtful. "I don't recall any actual legends regarding her, although the name Nala turns up near the end of the Necromancer Wars."

"Turns up? How so?" Alptraum inquires and leans in.

Tapping her chin in thought, the Eeee woman says, "Let me think… ah, it was the Champion of Nala that had to be found to defeat the King and Queen of the Necromancers. There were a few factions trying to overthrow the Necromancer King, you see, so that they could be in better positions to seize power. Necromancers didn't get on well with eachother, apparently."

Swiveling her ears forward with interest and sipping at some more tea the black and white Sphynx listens eagerly as the doctor talks.

"Not much of a surprise there," Alptraum comments and walks closer to Dr. Pike. "Sorry to interrupt. Have any books or pictures on the matter? I'd like to see how Nala was portrayed, and please continue." He smiles fangily.

Tulani almost shushes Alptraum, but holds back, waiting for Dr. Pike to continue, looking around at some of the piles of books.

"Well, The Sylvanian Heresies is considered to be the most accurate documentation of the early days of the Reign of Necromancy, but the final days were a bit chaotic," Pike explains, pausing to pour herself more tea. "I don't think any of the references I've seen mention how the Champion was chosen, or how he managed to acquire the Light of Nala. In the play that was written about it, Nala was represented by a magic sword, but in some of the partial accounts she was an actual person."

Alptraum rubs the back of his neck. "Well, other cultures view Nala as a person too. I wonder which, if either, holds the most truth," he comments. "Take Babel, for example; they have a Rinala and a Sunala, which can be linked back to Nala. Curious. What do you believe? Think it was a person or an object? What happened to Nala?"

Tulani tries to visualize Nala as a 'person', then as a sword. She shakes her head, the image forming in her mind being just too ridiculous.

With a wave of her free hand, Pike says, "Oh, I imagine the Light of Nala was some sort of magical artifact. It would take that sort of thing to defeat the Necromancer King – some kind of anti-necromancy magic. Which would fit in with the association to the goddess of life and happiness, really. Although some scholars contend that the Light was a representation of the actual manifestation of the goddess through a mortal avatar, just as the Necromancer Queen was alleged to be."

"Who was the Necromancer Queen supposed to be… ?" Alptraum inquires and takes a step back.

"The avatar of Amenlichtli, an ancient death goddess," Pike says, bunching up her shoulders and bringing her elbows in tight to her sides as if to hug herself. "The Heresies say so, at least. She was brought from some distant land or Forbidden Zone, and reawakened here in Sylvania."

Alptraum eases the necklace off his neck and offers it to the other Eeee. "Does this symbol relate to her at all?" he asks.

Tulani suppresses a shudder at the name of the death queen, flicking her eyes up to Alptraum and looking at him curiously as he takes off his necklace.

"Oh no, that's clearly the symbol of Sunala," Pike says, relaxing. "I believe she and Amenlichtli were considered bitter enemies, since one was the goddess of death and the other the patron of the undead."

Alptraum nods and slips the necklace back on. "Sorry, but, ah, my mother sort of left me this necklace. Long story," he says and waves a hand slightly. "So, what happened in the battle? Who won?"

The Black Sphynx also visibly relaxes into her chair as Alptraum replaces the necklace around his neck, leaning back and setting her almost empty teacup in her lap.

"Well, of course the Necromancer King was defeated," Pike says, grinning. "Phelix Kurai brought him down with the Light of Nala, and the new Czar made him a Duke."

"Utterly defeated? What happened to the Queen?" Alptraum inquires.

"Well, it's presumed that she was defeated as well," Pike says. "Some say she was the real power behind the King, and so she had to be killed before he could be."

Alptraum traces a clawtip around the ring of his cup and glances over at Tulani, brow furrowed. He mouths 'Lady Draco?" questioningly at her, then looks back to Pike. "What happened to the Light of Nala?"

"Oh… well, there really isn't any mention of it after the fall of the Necromancer King," Pike notes, looking thoughtful. "You'd think there would be, something as powerful as that. I suppose Duke Kurai took it back to wherever he found it or something."

Tulani nods just slightly to Alptraum, whispering out of the corner of her mouth, "That could be it."

"Or perhaps he wasn't destroyed completely and it's being used to contain him," Alptraum muses and finishes off his tea.

"What an interesting thought," Pike says. "Are you also a student of history?"

"Ah, family curiosity, you could call it," Alptraum replies somewhat vaguely.

Tulani glances at Alptraum, quirking an eyebrow, but decides not to ask about it right away.

"I see," the other Eeee says, nodding, then leans forward to admit, "I dabble a bit in genealogy as well."

"I somewhat gathered that," Alptraum replies with a grin. "Had I more time, I'd ask you to examine me. My birth was a bit unusual, and I want to understand how it may have affected me." He shrugs and holds the cup toward Igor. "More tea?" he asks.

"Yeth marthter," Igor replies, and refills Alptraum's teacup.

"Well, we could discuss it later tonight, in private if you'd like," Pike says to Alptraum, and gives him an exaggerated wink that causes Igor to roll his eyes. Or at least, one of them, the other having trouble keeping up.

Tulani stifles a snicker behind her hand at the doctor's comment.

Alptraum chuckles. "Maybe," he replies and taps near one of his eyes. "But, as an example, my eyes. Never found another natural born Eeee with similar." He sips from his tea and considers, "So, if Necromancers were defeated … why does the land still suffer? Curious, isn't it? And … would you know how long Lady Draco as ruled Draco County?"

Standing up to stretch for a moment, the Sylvanian Sphynx moves about the room looking over the shelves of books hoping to find the 'Heresies' or any other book that might relate to the conversation.

"Well, Sylvania has always had a high amount of supernatural activity, and the scars from the War are still somewhat fresh," Pike says, "Except in Draco County, of course. But Rosalind – the current Countess – has only held the position for about ten years now, I'd say. She had to leave her University studies to take it up, I remember."

Alptraum blinks at that. "You know her?" he stammers.

Tulani looks up from her book search as well, momentarily startled.

The books that fill the room aren't stacked in any kind of order, such that gardening almanacs appear next to dusty tomes on how to summon demons. There doesn't appear to be a copy of The Sylvanian Heresies present, although the cover of one novel depicting a swooning woman held by a vampire Eeee has the title 'The Sylvanian Heresy – A Romance'.

"Oh yes, we met at the University in Justininople," Pike says, smiling in reminiscence. "Although, she was a year older than me, but I was in advanced studies at the time. Pleasant girl, made me wish I had glowing eyes."

Tulani shrugs at the title of the novel and picks it up. Hey! You never know! There might actually be something worthwhile inside.

"Ah, so she is a vampiric Eeee, then. Well, rumors say the Countess is old," Alptraum says and considers. "Ah, this may be an odd question, but what year was it?"

"Ah, rumors," Pike says, giving the word an air of distaste. "As for the year, let's see… it's currently 6107, so I first met the Countess back in, oh, 6095 I'd say." The Eeee woman does appear to be in her thirties, if a bit on the skinny side.

Alptraum quirks a grin and says, "Well, part of this trip is to dispel rumors." He fidgets with his cup again, then asks, "So, are you a vampire… ?"

Tulani doesn't notice Alptraum's question, having moved a bit further away, and being absorbed with flipping through books, looking for interesting information.

"Oh my, no," Pike says, giggling. "I'm quite fond of sausage, though, if that counts for anything."

Alptraum chuckles and nods. "Not that it would matter to me one way or another, really," he replies. "So, how did your friend end up the Countess?"

There are few books that Tulani comes across dealing with the history of Sylvania before the Necromancer Wars, amidst tracts on art, surgery, and witchcraft.

"Oh, her father fell ill, the poor man," Pike says. "She knew it was coming, of course, but hadn't expected it to happen so soon. His health had been in decline for some time."

"Ah, so her father used to rule the County. Do you remember his name?" Alptraum inquires. He finishes off his tea and sets the cup aside. He then just crouches down near he fire and spreads his wings some.

Picking up several of the more interesting books she can find, including the ones on witchcraft, and surgery, and the small novel she found earlier, Tulani speaks up, saying, "I found some interesting books, and I thought I'd see how Arkold is doing, may I take them to read?"

"Jorge, I believe," Pike says, looking thoughtful again. "Oh yes, help yourself Tulani. Igor, show her to the guest rooms please."

"Yeth, mithtreth," Igor replies, and shuffles over to Tulani. "Jutht thith way mith. Did you know thith uthed to be a famouth caththle?"

Alptraum glances over at Tulani, a worried expression washing over his face. He then slowly looks back to Pike and says, "So, ah, I guess it'll be just us for a bit, eh? I hope you don't mind all my questions. I like to know about the places I'm heading."

Tulani follows behind Igor, replying with interest, "No, I didn't. What can you tell me about it?"

"Oh my, I don't mind at all," the Eeee woman enthuses. "Igor isn't much of a conversationalist, and I hardly ever get to chat with a charming young man eager for knowledge."

Leading Tulani out through one of the passages, Igor's voice fades off, saying, "It uthed to be called Dontgointhe Caththle, back in my father'th day… "

Alptraum chuckles and looks into the fire. "I'm twenty-three or thereabouts. I'm not that young anymore," he says. "What's Draco County like? I've heard it's dark. Is that true?"

"Well, it's a northern county, but really I wouldn't say it gets any darker than the rest of Sylvania," Pike says. "Unless it needs to be dark. The Draco's have a bit of influence over the weather there, being witches and sorcerers. You may have heard the old chestnut about 'the king and land are one'? Well, it's a bit truer in Draco."

Alptraum nods and that and closes his eyes for a bit. "Well, if what you say is all true, good. There's quite a bit of stories about it being ruled by an evil, undead, ruler," he replies and opens his eyes. He glances up at Pike, "How powerful are they? Enough to curse people?"

"Well, possibly, possibly," Pike says, leaning a little closer towards Alptraum. "As Rosalind explained it to me, they can have quite a bit of power while in their territory – but none outside of it. It's all due to some pact their ancestors made centuries ago with a powerful local spirit. One of the conditions they live under, however, is that they are forbidden to interfere with supernatural goings on outside of Draco itself. It's why they weren't involved in the Necromancer Wars."

Alptraum nods at that. "Ran into some creatures south from here. Cursed Gallee, really. They were attacking a local family of Eeee," Alptraum says slowly. "Said their condition was due to a curse from the Countess Draco. We, ah … killed them. There was nothing else we could do."

"Oh my, sounds ghastly," Pike says, putting a hand to her chest. "I've met with Mr. von Richebeau, and he seems perfectly nice, if filled with some strange notions about government. But I hear that other Gallee are a bit more… direct and traditional about conquest."

Alptraum glances back at Dr. Pike. "Well, most believe Eeee of the vampiric strain are monsters and should be slain," he says quietly. He then just shrugs and adds, "Anyway, I'm glad to hear most of the rumors about Draco county may be unfounded."

"Yes… well, I imagine just about anything may be possible when you have a local god on your side," Pike says. "And I find vampiric Eeee to be quite… exotic. But then, I'm probably a silly old romantic, as Igor says."

Alptraum laughs at that. "Hate to tell you this, but they're not," he says with a grin. "You've been talking to one."

Hand raised to her mouth now, Pike's eyes go wide. "Really? But then, I shouldn't be too surprised. Would you like to try one of my tomatoes?" she asks, a bit eagerly.

"The pain! The pain!" squawks the one-eyed Creen.

Alptraum waves a hand and says quickly, "Ah, no, that's okay!" He then chuckles and shakes his head, "And why shouldn't you be too surprised?"

"A tall, dark and dashing stranger shows up at my doorstep seeking succor, who is also charming and actually interested in things I know?" Pike asks, giggling. "Why, it's right out of one of my novels. I don't suppose you want to carry me off to the tower and… bite me?" she asks, looking hopeful.

Alptraum keeps himself from laughing and rubs his hand over his eyes briefly. "Ah, I've never bitten anyone, you realize. I stick to forest creatures," he says apologetically.

Pike lets out a laugh, which fades into a sigh. "Of course, of course. I can spare a rabbit for you in the morning, if you like? I've got plenty of rabbits, and I don't imagine you'd want some of Igor's sausage and fried bread for breakfast."

Alptraum shakes his head. "No. It would react rather poorly with me, I'm afraid," he admits and looks back into he fire, considering. He then stands and walks over to Dr. Pike. A momentary pause, and he actually leans in and very lightly bites her neck. He then turns away and rubs the back of his neck, embarrassed and saying, "Ah, well, I owed you for the kindness you've shown us tonight. So, ah, there. I think."

The doctor blushes to the tips of her ears, and says, "Oh… my. And you can call me Flora, if you like, I think. And I promise that you won't have to lock the door to your room tonight for fear that I'll sneak in and ravish you." She can't help but giggle at her own words.

Alptraum laughs nervously at that. He glances back and grins, then says, "Pity." A quick wink, then he turns and says, "In all seriousness, it's a pleasure to meet you. I feel a lot better about where we are heading now. Thank you." He leans against the nearby mantle, and perhaps purposefully lets the robe slip just a bit to expose his upper body musculature. "Is there anything else you can tell us about the way north? Are there places to definitely avoid?"

Pike is momentarily flustered, but finally answers, "Well, I hear that there's a Gallee noble who is settling in up north a ways, and that he's likely being raided by Count Karstein, so you should be alert for… for… well, being ambushed I suppose. And the region just south of Draco's border is rumored to be in a poor state, with people being distrustful of all strangers now."

"You all right, Flora? you look a bit … flushed," Alptraum says and cants his head. He grins a bit, then nods, considering. "Good to know. We'll need to stick to the wilderness, then, to be safe. Can you tell me anything about Count Karstein?"

"Oh, he's something of a rogue," Pike says, fanning herself with one hand. "Has a tendency to raid his neighbors, but now of course he's a patriotic hero harassing the Gallisian invaders. And he has an on and off relationship with the Countess Draco, as well."

Alptraum chuckles and rolls his eyes. "I never quite understood why women seem to find that … attractive," he comments. He looks back at Dr. Pike and says in a quiet tone, eyes half-lidded, and a bit more fangy than necessary, "Just what is it about creepy that's so alluring?"

"Oh, it's the hint of danger, of course," Pike admits, smiling back and taking off her thick glasses. "Gets the blood going and all. Oh my, the kettle has gone cold. Where has Igor gotten off to?"

"Right here, mithtreth," Igor announces from a few feet behind Alptraum and Pike, causing the woman to squeak in alarm, "I told you not to sneak up like that!"

Alptraum starts to shrug, then looks over his shoulder. He quits leaning on the wall and adjusts his robe. "I suppose it does. But real danger isn't so exciting, trust me," he says and walks closer to the doctor, if nothing more than to get away from Igor.

"I've prepared a guetht room for the young mathter, and plathed hith dry clothing there, mithtreth," Igor reports as he collects the tea service. "Will there be anything elth?"

"I… " Pike begins, then has to catch her breath before continuing, "I think I'll go out and check the fishing nets, Igor. I could use a little cooling off, I think." She smiles apologetically to Alptraum.

Alptraum grins slightly. "Ah, don't want to be carried off, then?" he says teasingly and winks.

"Maybe later," Pike says, while gathering up her galoshes and rain slicker. "When the thunder really gets going!" she adds as she dashes out of the hall.

Alptraum laughs quietly and sits down in a nearby chair. He runs his hand through his hair and glances at Igor. "Your mistress is quite unusual," he says. "She always so hyper?"

Igor raises an eyebrow (so that now both of them are actually on the same level) at Alptraum. "Pleath remember to lock your door tonight, mathter. It'th tradithonal."

"Really? She asked me not to," Alptraum replies.

"That dependth," Igor says as he gathers up the teacups. "Onth the ran about on all fourth for theveral dayth after drinking from the wrong cup in her laboratory. Barked up a thtorm, thee did. And of courth thee would athk you not to. But what would be the point of having thecret pathages and peepholeth behind the paintingth if you didn't lock the door?"

Alptraum laughs quietly and shakes his head. "I … see. Makes the game more fun, eh?" he says.

"It'th tradithon, ith all," Igor says, straightening (sort of) and picking up the tray. "But the mithtreth doeth apprethiate her little amuthementh."

Alptraum stands up and stretches. "All right. If she asks, just tell her I headed up to my room to prepare for bed," he says and stifles a small yawn. He then rubs the back of his neck and glances in the direction Dr. Pike went. "I'm not sure what got into me, really," he comments and shakes his head. "I hope it made this night one to be remembered."