A night has passed since Kia paid a visit to the Collegia Esoterica, and now the first rays of sunlight start to filter through the cracks in the shuttered windows of Kia's shop. A few of the clocks in various states of repair go off, announcing the early morning hours, while the larger clock tower solemnly agrees with its smaller brethren.

Most of the Bazaar outside is still quite asleep, but the mouse has always been an early riser, and her two guests should be at her door soon enough, both of them wanting breakfast no doubt.

The Skeek hums whimsically as she stands before a counter on the second floor of her shop, in an area loosely sectioned off as her kitchen (as opposed to the work-room area). She cracks a few of eggs into a bowl already filled with ingredients, measures in some milk, and begins whipping them together while a skillet heats on the stove adjacent.

Through the window looking down onto the street outside, a few of the other early risers of the Bazaar can be seen creeping around … as well as some of the shadier Darksiders who are creeping back to wherever they came from. Some fleeting notes from the minstrels creep through the thick morning air, buoyed by the laughter of Kia's neighbors as they wake up and prepare for the day with their families.

From one of the streets, a glint of light catches Kia's eye. It's just a quick flash and then vanishes again.

After mixing the ingredients thoroughly, she tests the skillet with a drop of water, which sizzles on contact. Kia smiles to herself, and at the noises from outside, and drops spoonfuls of pancake mixture onto the skillet. She sets three to cooking, and then sets the bowl down for a moment to scurry to the window and see who's about outside, and blinks at the flash of light.

There it is again, a glint from a space between two of the shops. It's a bit hard to make out at first, but as the Skeek's eyes adjust, they can just make out the shape of someone in tattered black robes aiming a small pocket mirror at Kia's window. It couldn't be Fenter or the Jupani yet; it's still a bit too early.

Kia waves, looking puzzled, to the individual flashing a mirror towards her. "Good morning," she calls out.

The other people outside are just a few street performers trying to snag the prime spots in the Bazaar before anyone else can and some of the breakfast merchants. Binter, a portly Rhian, looks like he's dragging himself out to open his shack again. He's never been much of a morning person… which might explain his cooking. The hidden figure waits for an opening in the streets as the group of people pass by and then waves back to Kia. It points to her door, puts its hands on its chest and then holds its arms out to the mouse.

With a slight frown of bemusement, the mouse nods to her apparent visitor, and calls out, I'll be down in a few minutes. I've got pancakes cooking." She waves, then returns to her stove to flip the pancakes.

The figure appears to wince and then pulls an arm out of its wrappings. The fur is white with splotchy brown, red, and black markings all over it. It places a finger against its lips and then shrinks back into the alley.

Kia wrinkles her nose at the person's odd behavior, while she waits, a bit impatiently, for her pancakes to brown on the bottom. Once they have, she flips them onto a plate and hurries down the stairs to the front of her shop, where she unlatches the door and throws it open.

The robed figure jogs up to Kia's doorstep and pulls its hood back. It's a Calico Khatta by the looks of it, although a bit on the mangy side. "Are you Madame Kia? I was told that… um… " He looks around nervously, as if fearing he had some assassin or great beast on his heels or that the very streets had ears. "I was told that you help people in need. I came here to ask if you could keep a friend of mine safe for tonight. There's people after her… "

The Skeek's frown deepens further, as she wipes her hands off on her apron. "Perhaps you'd best come in," she says softly, standing aside from the door. "Who's looking for your friend?"

Obligingly the Calico steps into the shop. His cloak catches on a few stray bits of junk and machinery and tears in one spot, but the cat doesn't seem to notice. "Half of Darkside probably. A prisoner from Faraon's Dome that managed to escape. I only know her as Silk." The Khatta hugs his robe over his shoulders. "Do you understand Savanite sign at all?"

Twitching her whiskers, she shakes her head. "No, I'm afraid I don't. She's a Savanite? Poor thing. Are you being followed, as well? You seemed quite nervous."

"She's not a Savanite, just a mute." The Calico grits his teeth and forces himself to smile. "I don't think I was followed, but I believe in being cautious. I don't think I want to get the Dragon mad at me if I can help it." He rustles his cloak again. "So do you think you can help her? She just needs a safe place to stay for a day or so, then I can get her on a ship and we both can get the scrud out of Rephidim."

Kia wipes her hands on her apron again, reflexively. "All right," she says slowly. "Do you have a way of getting her here safely in mind – where is she now?"

"She's in the burrow under my shack near the old bottle factory. I was going to sneak her here after sunset. She's good with disguises and won't drum up much suspicion unless someone tries to talk to her." The Calico's tail lashes nervously. "Does this mean you'll help us?"

"I'll help you. Do you think Faraon's people will be searching your place? I just want to be sure it'll be safer to move her here than to leave her where she is." She watches the calico carefully, studying his expression and demeanor.

The Khatta seems nervous, like a kitten that's just been pounced from behind. He's probably not any older than fourteen or so. "I had a close call earlier last night, people sniffing around my shack and threatening to kick me out. If we walk from there straight to the docks, someone might notice us." He taps his fingertips together. "Darkside belongs to Faraon; if Silk stays there, it's only a matter of time until someone catches her. He doesn't have his big golden claws in the Bazaar as deeply. I just think she'd be safer here."

Kia nods again, soberly. "What time tonight did you want to bring her here?"

"Before sunset, or maybe just after. If I wait too long, the folks there will start waking up and paying attention." He grins, showing a large gap in his mouth where one of his canines should be. "They're groggy until the sun stops touching them, most of the time."

She shares his smile for a moment. "Did you want to get going now, or would you like to stay for breakfast?" she inquires. "I'm making pancakes now."

The Calico licks his lips. "I could smell them from the street! If you wouldn't mind the company I'd be glad to – " His cuts off his speech as someone raps on the shop door.

The Khatta's tail POOFS out.

With a reassuring smile to the Khatta, Kia says softly, "I'm expecting company. I'm sure that's them. Go on upstairs, though, in case there's trouble. If it's my friends, you can join us for breakfast." She moves to answer the door, waiting for the calico to depart if he's concerned.

The cat nods and rapidly jogs up the steps.

Kia swings the door open, smiling brightly to welcome whomever's there.

"Good morning, Miss Kia." Fenter bows, swinging an odd little manifestation that's hovering over his head into the mouse's view. It looks like a bunch of multicolored streaks of light bouncing around and chasing each other. "I've brought my held spell… Do you have that compass ready? Or some miscellaneous bit of junk will do just as well if you'd rather have me focus on a draw instead of a follower." Behind him, a bone skinny Jupani squints inside the shop. His fur is bone white, except for a few streaks of pepper-gray hinting at his original color. His skin shows pinkly through around his muzzle.

"Good morning, Mr. Fenter," she says brightly, and rather more loudly than would be strictly necessarily, though not too loudly. "I'm glad you could make it." She reaches into a pocket of her apron and pulls out a compass. "I've one right here. What do you mean by 'focus on a draw instead of a follower'?" she inquires.

The raccoon pats the wolf on the shoulder, who responds by flinching a little and readjusting his uniform. "Well, I can do three variations. The first is that I can make the compass point to the closest missing piece of your little butler friend, the second is that I can make it a draw so that the pieces would have a better chance at stumbling through your shop, or I can do a variation on both, but it might not be as strong. It's all a matter of what would be best for you." He points to the wolf. "Oh yes, and this is Herf. He was the guard I told you about."

"Ma'am." Herf nods to the mouse.

Kia looks thoughtful. "Maybe we should try it as a follower. If all the missing pieces are together somewhere, then we might find them fastest that way." She pauses. "Although… "

Shaking herself from her reverie, the mouse beams at Herf. "Pleased to meet you!" she says warmly. "I'm sorry for being rude; I get wrapped up in my thoughts sometimes," she adds apologetically. "Did you want to cast the spell as soon as possible, Mr. Fenter?"

The wolf stretches and several of his joints creak and pop in a manner that doesn't sound all that comfortable despite his blissful expression. He snaps out of it long enough to nod at the mouse again.

"I suppose it could wait, but if you wish to put things off for another day, I'd have to dispel what I'm holding now, which would mean another couple of hours casting again." The chaos mage shrugs.

She shakes her head quickly. "Oh, no! I wouldn't want to put you to all that trouble. I've just got the stove lit and a friend upstairs, and I wanted to shut things down and let him know I was leaving, if we're going before breakfast." Kia smiles.

"Going?" Herf tilts his head to the side and then eyes the raccoon. "I thought yuh said this was jus' gonna be a free breakfast?"

Fenter rubs the back of his neck. "Well, I hadn't intended on actually going with you… although I suppose I could if they could do without me guarding the warehouse for a bit."

Herf rolls his eyes.

Kia blinks a few times, and then says, "Oh! I think I misunderstood how your spell was going to work. How long will my compass point towards the missing piece, after you've cast the spell, Mr. Fenter?"

The raccoon removes his hat and the little light manifestation hovers a bit closer down to occupy the empty space. "A full strength one? About a month, maybe two if it really is a magical item."

The Skeek smiles again. "A month should be plenty of time. I don't presently plan to shut my shop down and go gallivanting across the world looking for lost pieces. I'm pretty sure this is quite an ordinary compass," she adds. "Would you like to cast the spell now and then we'll have breakfast?"

"Sounds like a delightful idea. This will take a few minutes… Meanwhile, I'm sure that Mister Herf will be happy to answer your questions about the robbery." Fenter holds his hand out towards the compass while the wolf stares off into the distance and scratches at his backside.

After delivering the compass to the Rath'ani, Kia smiles again at the Jupani. "Mr. Fenter told me that the robot and other pieces he brought to my shop were what remained after a robbery at the campus. He said you might know more about what had been stolen?"

The raccoon takes up the compass and moves into a corner of the shop, crouching down to hold the item in his hand and whispering to it while the little streaks of light over his head twirl around a blue gear held in one hand and then into the compass. Herf just shrugs at the whole thing and walks into the shop the rest of the way, sniffing at the air and glancing at the little knickknacks on the walls. "Well, I know that the box labeled the thing as being an 'Azul', whatever that is. It was an experiment for spirit and mind mages. Supposedly something to help train students in their spheres."

Concentrating on the Jupani's words proves difficult, as the mouse's gaze keeps darting towards the magic being worked in her shop. "Um… " Her whiskers twitch as she thinks. "Did the intruders break the box it was in open, and take parts of it, do you know?" She rubs the tip of her nose.

The Jupani seems unaffected by the magic, of course considering that he is a guard on the Collegia grounds… "They smashed the crate open and then dragged out the Azul. Best I can guess is that they were squabbling over who got it and played tug of war on the body. Thieves usually don't break into screams and profanities when they're in the middle of trying to swipe something." He grins. "I'd gone to check things out when next thing I know these three Kavi come streaking past, spraying gears and wires in their wake. I tried chasing them, but my legs aren't as good as they were in the good 'ol days."

Kia giggles. "I suppose they don't." She frowns at a thought. "But I shouldn't think they'd start fighting over it while still on the campus… You'd think they'd have the sense to steal first and fight over it later." The mouse nibbles at the corner of her lip. "Oh, would you excuse me for a moment? I should let my other guest know we'll be up in a minute. Do make yourself comfortable, please."

"My opinion exactly, ma'am." Herf nods and then seats himself. "As long as I don't got to move nowhere I'm in no rush. Take yer time."

The Skeek scampers up the steps and surveys the room, glancing around for signs of the Khatta, and checking her stove to make sure nothing untoward has happened to it while she left it unattended to see to guests.

The Calico has apparently done a good job at keeping himself occupied as he spatulas out a lumpy looking pancake from the griddle and adds it to Kia's pile. Perched on his shoulder is a small vermite… a rather familiar looking vermite at that.

Blinking as she walks towards the stove, Kia says in a quiet voice, "Thank you for making more pancakes. We'll be up in a moment to eat them. Is there any way you'd like me to introduce you?" She glances to the vermite on his shoulder, counting its five-and-a-half legs. "And how did you get out?" she asks it lightly, making a "tsk" noise.

"Oh! My name's Patch." It's a common calico name, which hints that it might not be his "real" name. "As for your pet, well… he was just looking at me so sweetly from the trunk. I didn't think you'd mind me taking your pet out." He hands the vermite a miniature pancake created by dribbling a couple of drops of batter onto the griddle, which promptly vanishes in the rodent's cheek pouches.

The Skeek wriggles her whiskers, amused. "That's fine. He's not my pet, exactly, just … sort of … leftover parts, I suppose. I don't know exactly what to do with him." She leans forward to peer at the vermite. "He must be getting friendlier. Do be careful with him – I've not gotten bitten by him yet, but I don't usually let him get into a position where he can. Anyroad! I should go back down to see how Fenter and Herf are doing. Be back in a few moments."

"Leftover parts?" The calico looks at the mouse quizzically but leaves his question unasked for now. "I… er… probably shouldn't be staying too long. Would it be all right if I slipped out and took come of the cakes to Silk? She's probably starving."

Kia nods. "Feel free. Take care of yourself, now," she admonishes. "There's a roof exit if you're good at climbing – otherwise you'll have to come back downstairs to use either the front or rear doors."

"I can climb just nicely, thank you. And thank you again for all of your help. I hope I can repay you someday." The calico carefully drops his shoulder companion back into the chest and shuts the lid down. The vermite looks fed and lethargic to the point of barely noticing. "I'll see you again around sunset."

"Farewell, Patch," she says softly, waving to the Khatta as he departs, then descending the stairs again to check on her other guests.

Back downstairs, Fenter looks like he's just about finished with the compass while Herf has already begun to doze off. The raccoon grins at the mouse and holds his prize out to her. It looks exactly the same as before, except for the fact that the needle isn't pointing north anymore. "All finished, my lady. I hope it serves you well."

Kia accepts the compass gratefully. "Thank you!" Her tail swishes with excitement. "My friend had to head out. Would you like to come upstairs for pancakes now? I was going to make omelets, too, and bacon, if you're interested."

The raccoon seems to be focusing all of his resolve to not openly drool at the mention of the food. "Ahem. We'd be delighted. Spellcasting can drain a man of nutrition you know." He pats his paunchy stomach, which doesn't appear to be undernourished in the least.

"A perfect bedtime feast." Herf grins, pulling himself up from the floor.

After being thoroughly stuffed, the raccoon and the wolf stumble out of Kia's shop. They ate quite a bit, but they were probably the most well mannered pair of guests Kia's had in awhile. Herf had quite a few questions about mechanics while Fenter mostly chatted about the weather and how business in the Bazaar has been lately. All in all, it was a pleasant morning experience, although the dishes might taint that opinion a bit once Kia gets to them.

Once she's bid farewell to her guests, Kia piles the dishes into the sink to soak, then removes her apron and hangs it on a hook beside the stove. She skips downstairs again, compass in the pocket of her skirt, whistling. The mouse takes a pocket watch from beside the register, a light cloak from a rack by the door, and steps outside. After locking the shop up behind her, she removes the compass and holds it before her, watching the direction the needle points in.

The needle currently is angled towards the Scholar's Quarter, although the precise direction seems to change as Kia moves.

A block away, Astaro the cloth merchant can be heard singing to himself as he fluffs his wares out around his shop for display. A flock of Creens circle overhead as well as they hunt for their own breakfast.

"Hmm," the mouse murmurs to herself. "Good morning, Binter," she calls to one of her fellow shopkeepers, and "Good morning, Astaro!" while she orients herself behind the needle. She looks from side to side, trying to decide which street best aligns with the way the compass points.

The brightly colored bat waves back to the mouse while the fat Rhian simply grunts. A high pitched squealing can be heard from his food tent, followed by a sharp WHACK.

The needle appears to be angled down Little Babel Way, although in the opposite direction from Little Babel.

The mouse winces reflexively, then shakes herself and smiles towards the Rhian's tent before she sets off down the road, following the magically-influenced needle.

It's not quite a perfect path to follow, winding through some of the busier sections of the Bazaar and over some piled crates, but nothing horrible. Thankfully, the needle also doesn't seem to be leading the mouse into Darkside. Soon the Skeek finds herself in the Scholar's quarter, past the Shiny Shoppe and its Vartan patrons and a bookstore or two.

As the Skeek continues moving, she notices an odd behavior in the needle of the compass. It appears to be twitching from side to side just a little.

Kia takes a moment to catch her breath and re-orient herself, lest she get lost on her search. She watches the needle quiver, and thinks to herself, "This is silly. I should triangulate instead … if I can, anyway." She puts the compass flat on the ground and watches to see how much it changes by, when still.

It's almost like a pendulum, twitching one way and another. It still continues to point to the street, but won't hold still despite the fact that it isn't moving at all.

While Kia studies it, the twitching starts to grow more pronounced.

The mouse wrinkles her nose in concern. She plucks the compass up again, and heads a few dozen yards down the street with it, in the same direction she'd been going, watching to see if it continues the same behavior.

As the mouse moves forward, a pair of Jupani children come into view, playing a game of kickball in the middle of the road.

… although the 'ball' appears to be less than perfectly round, and an odd color of blue.

Kia stops. She looks at the ball. "Oh!"

One of the pups laughs and lets out a whoop, kicking the thing further up the street and towards the mouse while his companion chases after it. They're dressed in Temple Scout robes, probably on their way to school.

The ball is now in a much better view. It sports two triangular ears, almond-shaped eyes, and an almost comical looking grin.

After a moment's thought, the Skeek turns her attention to the children. She smiles at them as they approach her with their "ball". "Good morning," she calls out.

Both of the wolf pups freeze and look nervously at one another. "Um, hello Miss Mouse," the larger of the two barks.

The mouse's skirts sway as she walks towards the pups' ball. "I've been looking for that," she tells them pleasantly, indicating their toy, and smiling to put them at ease. "Would you be able to tell me where you got it, please?"

"Does it belong to you? A Kavi traded it to us for some boxes of cookies." The younger pup looks put out and adds, "It doesn't make as good of a ball as he said it would."

The mouse nods seriously. "No, it doesn't look like a very good ball. It was stolen from the old campus of the College Esoterica. Using it as a ball probably isn't a very good idea," she adds thoughtfully.

Both of the wolves go wide-eyed. "It's magic? Will it grant wishes if we rub its head?"

Kia bites down on a grin. "I'm fairly confident that it won't grant wishes if you rub its head," she assures them. She stoops to lift it, asking, "May I?"

"Sure. It makes a lousy ball." The older wolf folds his arms and adopts the commonly known "grump" posture while his smaller companion whines, "We're gonna get in troooouble!"

"I'm not going to get you in trouble," the mouse says, lifting the robotic head and dusting it off with the corner of her cloak. "Do you know the name of the Kavi who sold it to you?" she inquires. "Or where this person normally sells from?"

The head looks distinctly like a Khatta's, although its features are simplified somewhat. It looks like it has some sliding panels that might serve as eyelids, eyebrows that wiggle, a mouth that moves open and closes, and ears that appear to be somewhat mobile. Several wires sprout from the neck of the thing.

"We gave away six boxes of cookies for that. The den leader's not going to be happy," the younger wolf barks. "We dunno who the Kavi was. Guess we were stupid, huh?"

The older Jupani adopts an even sterner "grump" pose. "We're not stupid."

The mouse fights back a grin as she studies the marvelous articulation of parts on the head, using her fingers to open and close one eye. As the wolf cub speaks, she looks to him, and smiles. "I wouldn't say that. But you should always make sure you know who you're buying from. And what you're buying." She tucks the head under her left arm and holds her right out to the children. "My name's Kia. I run a store in the Bazaar, "Kia's Restoration", and I think I might just have a ball or three that could better suit your needs," she offers with a mischievous smile. "Or maybe something to cheer that den leader of yours up."

Both of the wolves break into grins, although the younger one drops his as quickly as he gained it. "We're on our way to school. We'll get into even more trouble if we're late."

The Skeek nods. "Fortunately, my shop's in the same direction as your school. If you can be quick about picking out what you'd like, you'll have no trouble making class in time." She glances to the children meaningfully. "And it didn't look like you were in a terrible hurry just now, so I assume you're not running late yet." She winks.

The two pups both look rather guilty at this revelation, but they don't deny it. "All right. Do you think you could buy some cookies from us? They're a shekel a box." The younger one pulls a box of Crunchy Cricket cookies from his backpack.

Crunchy Cricket? Kia thinks. "Let me see what flavors you have as we walk, shall we?" I suppose the vermite would like it, come to think about it…