There's been some time to get settled in… or at least as settled in as one can manage in such a grim environment. A great iron bell… it must have cost a fortune in its time… tolls the hour, announcing the evening's repast has been laid in the cavernous feasting hall. The center is dominated by an absurdly long table, such that people on one end would have a difficult time seeing the person sitting at the head through the forest of candelabra… though currently, the great wooden perches at the master's place are empty. The seats around it the table's sides are more varied, some perches, some high-backed chairs… a third of them, perhaps, are occupied by nervous clusters of 'guests' in varied quality of dress. Most are men, some dressed in the grubby clothes they arrived in, some at least having been cleanred up, and some wearing borrowed finery. All are either silent, or else talking in hushed tones, except for one… a rather portly Khatta dining near the head of the table is laughing, and calling for more mead. His plate looks like it's already been filled and emptied once or twice.

Umeko glides into the banquet room, dressed in finery far different from anything she has ever worn before. It's a ruby-red gown, complete with a structured corset laced tightly in the back. The corset is ribbed and fitted flush to chest and stomach. Despite the close fit, the neckline is cut squared to lie just below her collarbones, and has a large ruff of lace around the neck in the noble style. Her long mane has been pinned up into a bun then delicately wrapped in a long string of pearls. As for the rest of the dress, its embroidered with gold thread in a pattern of vines. The skirt portion is heavily layered, with some sort of structure in it that makes it stand out from her legs by a small amount. The down itself is sleeveless, but her arms are by no means bare. She has been fitted with zolken black evening gloves. They trail up her arms, stopping a mere two inches from her shoulders. When her arms and fingers roll to spread out the delicate lace fan she was given, they look like liquid obsidian.

Xander enters behind Umeko. The brown Lapi buck is wearing a charcoal gray dress shirt with a white zolk cravat, brown trousers and bare feet (as finding boots for a Lapi is always difficult). Over this is a heavy, broad-shouldered, double-breasted greatcoat with split tails in the back. It seems more suited to someone with a large frame, so Xander wears it open like a cloak, the big brass buttons and golden tie cords left unused. There's a thick leather belt with an iron buckle that's also undone, since it would cinch the coat below the Lapi's hips if used.

Lilac enters following Umeko, and she's as respectable looking as she's ever been. Dressed in a corseted gown embroidered with the Procession, with her hair in a bun, she could pass for a true noble – if she didn't fidget so much. Gesturing with a hand at herself, the elbow-length cut trailing from glistening weights, she tells Umeko, "I've never dressed like this before, outside a dream! I feel so proper, especially with my hair up. It's such a weird feeling, considering how the last several months have gone for me." She shakes her head a little, shifting the collar of black feathers that frame her head from behind. She takes a breath, then whispers, "And I'm not sure if it's the baby weight or the corset, but this is very tight."

"It's… uh… a good look for you though, Lilac," Xander whispers. He's still staring at Umeko when he says it though.

"The hairpin has a jewel in it, in the style of a Korv. With the black feathers, I wonder if this is what Dame Riesling wore? They seem specific to the noble theme of this place, you know?" adds Lilac. She gives Xander a smile, briefly glancing at him. "And you look, um, good too." Her hand lifts, as if she were about to pat his head, but she resists.

Not long after, Anisa appears in the entrance way as well, her movement betraying an elegant grace that is usually buried underneath her tomboy exterior. Her black and silver dress makes her appear as a totally different person; it has no sleeves, but still possesses ruffles just below the shoulder. Her blouse is similarly ruffled at the neckline, and cut somewhat low underneath a very tight corset laced in a criss-cross pattern. The dress itself is a very simple cut, with light skirt layers that flow around her legs in lieu of any kind of unnatural support - it is, however, decorated with trailing ribbons, with one bow tied a her waist and another at the small of her back. The garment has no collar, leaving the doe's shoulders bare, but she instead wears a zolken choker, decorated with embroidery depicting flowers in bloom. The young woman looks embarrassed, with furiously blushing ears set back sheepishly.

"Do I have something out of place?" Umeko finally asks Xander after she couldn't figure out why he is staring. "I think it is fitted in the same manner as how they fitted Lilac. I do have to agree its tight and a bit hard to breathe … but the lacy underfittings are surprisingly comfortable." She also flashes a smile to Lilac, offering, "And it does look good on you … you just need to be more still. Fidgeting is a bad habit for a Lady."

"Um, where-where are we supposed to sit," Anisa asks the others as she joins them, looking around the room in embarrassment.

"Everything is in place!" Xander blurts, and then when he looks at Anisa… and notices how embarrassed she is… he Lapi-whispers to her, "I'll never tell anyone about this if we make it out. But you do look more grown-up than I've ever seen you before."

At this comment, Anisa's already red ears turn a deeper crimson. "Th-thanks… "

"I can't help it! I feel so self-conscious like this, like I might break it, and that would be tragic. This is by far the nicest I have ever looked, and this gown is brilliant. And you know my history with clothes," the bardess insists. "Plus, I can't help but feel I look like an evil queen or sorceress, especially with my wings out. Looking good makes me think just how weird I look." She shifts her gaze to Anisa as she approaches, and waves to her, making her sleeve dangle. "I bet we're supposed to be seated by someone, like we were in Nagai."

From one of the opposite archways, the familiar figure of Lord Vandringar emerges, the click of his hooves and cane muffling when he steps onto the rich royal-blue carpeting spreading out from the banquet table. He carries himself with his usual mix of casual and regal, and he wears his customary white, but the cut is a little more archaic and even more formal than before. His swordsman's cloak has been traded for a heavy mantle linked at the throat with a polished steel cloak pin, the spike long and pointing over his shoulder, and the hem of his coat rests low over his belt, buttoned with silver and accented by a golden watch chain. A ceremonial saber rests on one hip, tasseled on the pommel and at the tip of the scabbard. He crosses the rug toward the Lapi, Kiriga, and bardess, smiling. "A fine evening to you," he says, as if the circumstances were perfectly ordinary.

"And you look so adorable Anisa! I know you hate me saying so, but it's true," the human adds to the doe.

"Whatever you do, ladies, curtsy instead of bowing," Xander whispers out of the side of his mouth.

"Oh good," Umeko says, slightly relieved. "And Lilac is right, you look beautiful," she tells the doe. As Vandringar passes Umeko actually curtsies and her head bobs lightly as she says as she flashing a polite, if toothy, smile, "And a finer one yet come."

The ceiling is very high… in fact, it looks like there's another floor up there, a platform suspended between thick ropes from balconies ringing the hall. The bottom of the platform is painted with the Great Gear and scenes of historic examples of Order triumphing over barbarism. The spaces around the platform are large enough for several Korv to fly through easily, even side by side. Chandeliers hang from the corners of the platform to light the terrestrial table settings below. Most of the activity seems to be on the ground floor, at any rate… carts of covered dishes make rounds around the perimeter, servants scooping up empty platters and replacing them. Some guests eat reluctantly, some ravenously.

A hint of red peeks through Anisa's fur as the doe grips her dress harshly, pulling the hem out of the way of her feet. "Thanks," she says quickly, making an exaggerated curtsy to Vandringar. "Its an evening all right, time will tell if its fine or not."

"Vandringer might be dashing if he wasn't such a jerk," Lilac whispers aside to Anisa when she spots Vandringer approach. As he arrives, the bardess follows Umeko's lead and curtsies, though she winces a little. "Hello, Vandringer."

The Cervani seems to pick up on Anisa's confusion, and steps closer, offering his arm. "May I say that you and your party look absolutely stunning, tonight? Fashion may be fleeting, but true beauty is timeless."

Anisa looks taken aback at this, her face momentarily going blank at Vandringar's offer. Almost timidly, she takes the Cervani's arm, and tries to keep her ears up – although they still appear reddish in color. "You may say it, if you like."

Not wanting to leave the others unescorted, Xander steps between Lilac and Umeko, offering an arm to each of them.

"Ever greedy," Umeko teases Xander playfully on his offer to two women. Still, she doesn't reject him and lightly slides her arm to entwine with his. Not unexpectedly, it's cool to the touch. "If there is a dance after the meal, I expect least one with you," she tells him.

"I thought Sir Greyswand might show up to escort me, but I suppose not," Lilac admits to Xander, taking his arm. "I keep hoping someone will step forward and show some interest in me, but I think, maybe, they really haven't ever met me before."

"I shall then, but words hardly do justice," says the stag. With Anisa on his arm, he leads the way toward the head of the table, his normally long strides cut shorter to keep an even pace with the Lapi. "Interesting, isn't it? To see the styles and customs that were in vogue from the era of the Necromancer Wars. It wasn't really so long ago, but so much was lost, simply swallowed up."

"They are being cautious," Xander offers, and looks for signs of the Murder, even glancing up at the suspended platform.

Sure enough, Xander's sweep can pick them out… the housemen have a way of staying in the background, but they are ubiquitous, and the Midnight Murder are nothing if not alert and attentive. They do little, if any, mingling.

Following Xander's gaze, Lilac remarks, "That's the meeting 'hall,' where the leaders of the Murder gather to discuss important things. Ummy and I saw it in the dream, along with a few of the Murder you've met, including Sir Greyswand."

"Its too bad those styles aren't still around," Anisa replies, her look of embarrassment dropping as she instead takes in the dining hall for the first real time. "It's better than some of the crass stuff back on Rephidim. I might actually get used to this." Looking on the two at this point, one wouldn't even know that they were old adversaries.

"Maybe he's up there then," Xander says, following Vandringar's lead to the head of the table, and pulling out chairs for both Umeko and Lilac. "I'll try to dance slowly for you, Umeko," he promises the Kiriga.

Umeko slides gently into her seat and rests her hands in her lap. As she looks over those gathered, she notes quietly to the two, "In many ways this is a farce. You can see the fear in their eyes. They do not feast out of celebration, but of fear for what may happen if they refused."

"Maybe he is. Actually, now that I look, some of the Murder are here. I think you see them too, Xander? I'm going to go say hello – it's not often I get to meet anything with my curse. It's a bit like meeting long lost relatives," says Lilac. She pats Xander's hand again, and then turns to walk towards the nearest Murder.

Xander seems frozen for a moment when Lilac moves to talk to the Murder, but finally takes his own seat next to Umeko. "Well, Lilac doesn't seem afraid. Do you have worries still, Lady Tsuguri?"

Vandringar chooses a spot on the right and a couple seats down from the head of the table, and draws one of the high backed chairs out for Anisa, offering it to her. "Ah yes, Rephidim and Gallis are both hubs of fashion, and it's good to experiment… but I believe there's something to be said for traditions of elegance. I could see a revival of the old styles happening if you were to bring them back to Rephidim."

Sweeping her dress underneath her legs, Anisa takes the offered seat, a hint of crimson returning to her ears. "I dunno that anyone'd look to me for fashion cues – everyone thinks I'm the sporty chick."

The perches for the Lord Rook and Lady Raveness have backs as well that would frame their owners if they were here, but they stand empty. Places are set for them anyhow, silver plates and dining utensils neatly arranged, silver goblets standing full of water. There's no trace of dust, they must be set every time a meal is laid.

Uncertain of just what to say, and not possessed of a particularly cautious nature, Lilac goes with her first impulse. Cocking her head to the side, folding her hands behind her back, and leaning forward slightly, she asks the Murder member, "So, you're a werewolf too? I'm a werewolf." She smiles, awkwardly, wondering if she didn't just sound as stupid as she thinks she did.

"Oh, there are always worries, but none that you need concern yourself with, Xander," Umeko tells the mage and even reaches over to pat his hand, "Thank you for your concern, though." The Kiriga, for the moment, watches the goings on and notes who pays attention to who.

One of the housemen turns when addressed by Lilac. He's dressed more for travel than the other housemen arrayed around the hall, wearing a sword rather than carrying a halberd like the house guards, and dressed in an open coat over tabard with the Pieksvaldt crest on it. "I beg your pardon?" he says, arching a brow.

Xander watches Vandringar mostly. "So, Lord Vandringar," he finally says, "what is it you hoped to gain here, if I may ask?"

The heavy-looking Khatta looks up when Kin and Xander sit, a haunch of meat in one fist and his mead cup in the other, and he grins broadly, the corners of his mouth somewhat stained with gravy. "Well, finally! Some other folk without the thousand league stare!"

Lilac blinks at the response, leaning back. "Oh, you know, a werewolf? We change into beasts? Black, glowing eyes and um, well you know, the Murder all seem to be like me. It's a bit exciting, since until I came to the Rookery, I never met anyone else with my curse. I just thought, well, maybe we would have something in common," the bardess explains to the travel-dressed Murder member.

"Lady Umeko Tsuguri of Jadai," Umeko introduces herself politely to the rather loud Khatta, "And my companion, Xander Lightfoot. May you be so kind as to bless us with your name, good sir?"

Vandringer smiles, lacing his fingers together on the table. "Straight to business? Well, the same thing you're here for, I assume."

Anisa looks almost… annoyed at Xander for butting in. "We're here to help our friend," the doe says. "Nothing more."

"I'm here to look after the people I care about," Xander replies. "You seem to be on your own, however, sir." He also turns to nod and smile at the Khatta.

The Khatta, meanwhile, wipes his mouth with the edge of his hand, and nods amiably. He's dressed fairly well, but similarly to Xander. "Carrow's my name. Pleased t'meetcha both. Have you just come in, then? You don't have the look of the ones that've spent a night here. Or several nights." He wipes his hand on the tablecloth, then extends it across the table to offer a shake.

Reaching across, Xander shakes the offered hand. "You seem more of a merchant than a mercenary, Mr. Carrow," he comments.

The Korv Lilac is talking to narrows his eyes. "What of it?" he says, frost in his voice.

Umeko very 'delicately' shakes it as well. "A pleasure, kind sir," she says. "We have faced greater horrors than dwell in this place; it is no terror for us. If I maybe so bold in asking, how long have you been here?"

Lilac's ears promptly wilt at the cold shoulder. She frowns, and begins fidgeting with her hem. "Oh, well, I just thought we might share insights or, or ideas, maybe fellowship of a sort, but … But I suppose not." She glances back towards her friends, then adds, "I should probably go? I'm sorry to have bothered you."

Vandringar holds his reply for a moment while introductions are made with the plump Khatta, who gives Xander's and Umeko's hands each a firm shake. "M'lady, m'lord. Oh, I've done a bit of this'n that. Trading, goods-running… most recently treasure hunting, but you can see how that turned out. Not really much of a fighter, no." He laughs.

"And what treasures were you seeking?" Umeko asks of the Khatta. "Much is treasure that does not glitter."

The Murder houseman eyes Lilac up and down. "Because we share a malady? Yes, I remember hearing tell of you, now. Brought in with the rest today. We'll see in just what way you serve our lady of sorrows."

Lilac doesn't move away immediately, her departure stalled by more information than she seemed to expect. "We share more than a malady, we share Sylvania in common," she insists, trying to sound hopeful despite her steadily declining spirits. "But you say, you think I serve The Raveness? Do you remember the day my likeness appeared on the tapestry, or know anything of me? Anything at all?"

Carrow shrugs his shoulders, taking up his drink again. "Well, the usual glittering variety, m'lady. Metal, artwork… heard of all kinds of things being found in that swamp." He rubs a doubled chin. "The funny thing is, though… it turned out pretty good anyway. Certainly never ate like this back home."

"Well, you seem to have a healthy attitude on how best to spend one's time then, Mr. Carrow," Xander remarks with a grin.

"Where are you from, the emirate? Have you long been here?" Umeko inquires next, still smiling. "Is there much you could share with us on the particulars of those that rule here? Patterns? Places forbidden?"

Anisa watches the feline chomp away on the slab of meat, and her ears turn from red to a slight shade of pale. "How did you come to this place, Mr. Carrow?"

The Korv croaks, "Everyone here will serve the Raveness in some way. I know nothing of you, but we all have our parts to play. Find one of the brothers that cling to their old customs and natter at them if you must."

"Well. I suppose I will, at that," Lilac replies to the frosty Korv. She offers the man a curtsy, followed by a "good bye," and then she walks back to the table. As she flounces into her chair, she sighs. "I suppose it was too much to hope for some sort of friendliness, camaraderie, something. He was about as friendly as ice."

"These people don't have any warmth left in them, I think," Xander whispers to Lilac. "Don't be upset with them over it."

Carrow gestures with his haunch of meat at the assembled. "Same way as all of you, I expect. Looking for loot, and got snatched up by our hosts like a Creen snapping up a fat coolect caterpillar." He laughs again, then nods at Xander and Kin. "Nay, not from the emirate, but with the right attitude, yes. Nobody else will listen to me, 'course. They all think I'm mad when I say I like living here. I can tell you where you shouldn't go, sure… that's how I keep my happy home here.""

The white doe makes a non-verbal "blecch!" face as the meat is waggled at her, and she leans as far back in her chair as it will allow. "S-So you've been here for a long time?"

"I'd think we'd very much like to hear what you know then, Mr. Carrow," Xander says to the Khatta. "After all… we want our stay to be pleasant as well!"

"I guess you're right, Xander. Maybe it's part of the curse, or the greater curse of this place, that eats at their body and soul. I wonder if I'll be like that, some day?" The bardess looks distinctly gloomy at that thought, ears wilting, a frown marring her face. She shakes her head, and goes on. "He said I should find a member of the Murder who 'cling to the old ways,' then he said I natter. I don't natter! I wonder who he means, look for someone 'old ways-y' Xander."

As Umeko listens to the Khatta, her eyes flick back to Anisa and Vandringar, curious if they are interested in what this Khatta may have to say.

"Well, Sir Greyswand perhaps?" Xander suggests to Lilac.

For her part, Anisa looks torn in three: Her face has an almost abject look of horror at the Khatta's meal, while one ear points at Umeko and the other at Vandringar.

"Oh, I suppose we should actually try to eat something, now that Lilac is seated," Xander notes, and waves to the nearest cart-pusher making rounds.

The Khatta takes another bite, and speaks around it when he replies. "Oh sure," he says. "Probably the longest of anybody here, I think." When Umeko looks at the other guests, Vandringar does indeed seem to be taking a keen interest, though he just silently looks on. Carrow continues. "See, everybody else, they're dead set on either getting away, or they just fold up. The ones that fight usually go first. Some that come to grips with the situation, they settle in a bit, get all mopey. They look at it like a lottery, and when they draw the short stick, their time is up, and it is."

"He never really talked to me either," grumps Lilac to Xander. "But maybe he's all the choice I have. I wonder where he's off to?" Looking around, Lilac scans the room and the air above in search of the wayward Korv.

"Who does the choosing, as it were," Xander asks Carrow. "The Raveness herself? You make it sound as if the victim calls fate down himself."

A quick glance around the room finds no sign of Sir Greyswand at the moment, though there are a number of other housemen dressed similarly. A Skreek maid slows when Xander waves, and wheels her cart closer. Rather than interrupt the conversation, she draws dish covers back to reveal aromatic baked cheeses, herbed bread, a cut of broiled Rughrat with some slices already carved away, and various vegetable pastries and pies, plus a small pot of soup.

The Khatta splays his hands. "Yes and no. I'm sure my time will come eventually, but people can make their stay shorter or longer."

"Hmm, I can see why you enjoy the meals at least," Xander notes, and fixes up plates for Umeko and Lilac first, since he's a gentleman.

Carrow adds, "Aye, our Lady hostess does most of the choosing, but that's not to say she won't drink up somebody that removes himself from the running."

"I don't see him, bu-" Lilac's nose suddenly wiggles as she sniffs the air. First her ears turn, then her eyes, as the cart grabs her attention like a bear trap grabs the foot. "Oh, that does smell delicious. I suppose I could eat a bit, but I really should do more investigating. I saw a group over there," she points with a lacy-encrusted arm, "that looks likely. I'll just … get up and … go that way." She slides out of her seat, and takes a few steps away … before backtracking, nabbing her plate, and shooting Xander a grateful smile.

"Would you like something from the tray, Anisa?" Xander offers, before Vandringar can.

"Sure," Anisa says, making sure to avert her eyes from Carrow's ravenous maw lest her appetite disappear entirely. "Just a little bit though – I think if I eat too much this corset will crush me."

"Ah, thank you for the food, Xander. You are a true gentleman," Umeko tells the buck as she takes the newly prepared plate. Flashing another smile to the Khatta, she asks, "And how, if I may ask, have you extended your stay? Surely you would be willing to share a secret with me." For the last bit, Umeko actually reaches over and lightly brushes her fingertips along the back of his hand.

Vandringar seems nonplussed, but he's been murmuring to one of the servants, who listens intently and then hurries away. When he returns his attention to the conversation at hand, he's still quiet.

"Ah, corsets can be loosened!" Xander notes. "You don't want to ruin your figure with it, after all." Despite the request for a small serving, the buck fills the plate for Anisa.

Anisa shoots Xander a look, her ears fully back in complete irritation as she takes the plate from the buck. As Vandringar murmurs to the servant, the doe catches the end of it and tries to listen in, but she isn't fast enough. Setting the plate in front of her, she tears a small corner of one of the pastries off and nibbles on it like… well, a rabbit.

The touch makes Carrow's ear's swivel forward and his whiskers rise up with a smile… even he didn't seem to expect this gesture. "Well, certainly m'lady. And I gotta say, it's nice to see some womenfolk here that'll meet your eye and say more than, 'Yes master, no master.'" He gives the Kiriga's hand a little squeeze between thick thumb and forefinger for a moment, then sighs. "It's a grim business, of course… I try not to think about that too much, but everyone here is meant for the grinder, after all. First thing you should know about is nightfall." The jovial Khatta's face becomes serious.

"The twilight. When monsters dance and play, and those of innocent souls retreat within hallowed stone walls for solace," Umeko comments with a small smile, a tilt of her head, and even a bat of her eyelashes. "Do, please, continue. This is most fascinating; what terrors stalk nightfall here?"

Xander ignores Anisa's angry look, and fills a plate for himself. Maybe he's trying to distract himself from the hand-holding a little too.

"I don't know that it's actually night… it's hard to tell time here," says Carrow, shaking his head. "Most everyone goes to their chambers, even the housemen. You'd think that'd be a good time to sneak about without the guards after you, and some that want to do some mischief try it. But you're right, Lady Tsuguri. SHE walks the halls, for one thing. And if she finds you, that's it." He draws his finger across his throat. "S'usually when she's thirstiest, though if she's drank before then, she might not need to again for a li'l while. But that isn't the whole of it."

"How often does she need to feed? Has anyone tried to … map out the time between each? Grim, yes, but it helps predictions," Umeko inquires next. Under the table … Umeko's tail curls lightly around the Lapi's foot to show she's not deliberately ignoring him.

"Not the whole of it?" Anisa asks. "What more could there be?"

The servant returns with a dark and somewhat dusty bottle, which Vandringar takes in hand by the neck. He studies the label a moment, then looks satisfied and tugs the cork out with a quiet 'poonk'. The aroma is heady and slightly sweet, and the stag takes up Anisa's goblet. He keeps his voice low so as not to talk over Carrow too much. "Chuveau 6016, a good year. It may bring some color back to your ears and help you with that plate," he murmurs, pouring some of the liqueur into the goblet and offering it.

The Lapi buck listens closely while eating (he was actually pretty hungry) and tries to keep an eye out for Lilac as well.

Plate in hand, Lilac makes her way towards the assembled formal-looking Korvs she spotted earlier. Somewhere along the way she seems to have managed to procure a fork and knife, allaying any fears she may have thought to eat with her hands. "One of the other Murder said I might speak with you all," she tells the Korvs, trying a more careful approach this time. "My name is Lisandra Dragomir." She curtsies.

The Khatta shrugs again. "Near as I can tell, at least once every few days. Sometimes it's more, and she won't pass up what's… ehh, offered by someone having an accident. Sometimes she goes for as long as a week. Doesn't seem to be a bottom to her, though." Carrow turns to Anisa. "As for the others, well… even the ones that die don't always leave this place. There's restless shades here. When the castle is quiet and dark, you can hear 'em… footsteps, or voices. Sometimes you'll see something out of the corner of your eye, turn, and there's nothing there. Sometimes the statues weep. Old history seems to… well, it seems to still live here, in some way. And if you run across it, they might find you lying on the floor in the morning, if our lady hostess hasn't already."

"Now that is interesting," Xander comments on the deadly spirits.

The aroma of the wine wafts to the doe's nose almost as soon as the popping sound reaches her ears, and she quickly swivels her head to look at the goblet. "6016? By the Star, that bottle must be worth a fortune… " Anisa's nose twitches rapidly at both the smell and in curiosity, and she gently takes the glass by the stem with a nod of thanks. Swirling the liquid, she takes a deep breath, ears forward as she takes a small sip to taste.

"Indeed? Have there ever been any rumors of a shade of the Lord Rook walking the halls? Or any whispered stories of him?" Umeko inquires as she finally begins eating the food Xander selected with dainty bites. "If anyone were to weep, it must be him. His lands lost and his wife tormented."

A trio of Korv that were quietly conversing fall silent as Lilac approaches. Each are wearing the house livery, but dressier and less like guards than the ones around the hall bearing halberds. When addressed, all three return short bows, one of them replying in an neutral tone. "Yes, Miss Dragomir? What did you wish?"

For the first time, Carrow looks a little uncomfortable, and he leans closer to talk. "Well, I heard tell the Lord Rook rode out to battle… everyone knows that, right? And the legions of the damned took him, or so the story goes. But his name carries around here. Sometimes the Raveness talks about the Lord Rook, but sometimes Magsbed Pieksvaldt's name can be heard in little snatches. Truth to tell, I don't go out at nightfall. If you want to survive here, to live here, you have to live with the castle, not against it."

"What about the town itself?" Xander asks. "Have you visited it during the day?"

"I had hoped we could talk," the bardess replies. She glances at the men, each in turn, then continues. "I have many questions, and what's more, you all are the only people like me in all the world. I have some connection to this place, and to all of you, and I would know what it is."

"I wonder, I wonder," Umeko murmurs as she thinks. The pensive look fades quickly enough and she takes another bite of her food, chewing slowly and enjoying it. She doesn't ask another question for the moment.

Anisa's wine has a surprisingly crisp taste to it, hints of spice that warm the tongue when her sip rolls around on it. The wine has a feel as much as it has a taste, as much like zolk as it tastes like fruit, and the aroma travels up through Anisa's nose to carry a scent that brings to mind cold autumn nights. It doesn't taste quite like anything she's experienced in Rephidim, but from the year alone it would carry a cost measured in silver at the very least, and possibly gold.

Carrow shakes his head. "We don't go to the town. The Murder say they won't let us bother the folk, and trying to get out at nightfall… well, nobody's managed it."

"Have others tried?" Umeko inquires. "And as for those who violate rules … are they sent to the Raveness, or are there cells to hold them?"

The doe's ears twitch in surprised delight as the wine's bouquet sinks in, and with a smile, she takes a slightly larger sip. "I will say this for you, Hagan – you have good taste." Smiling to the buck, she holds her glass up to eye level and forwards in a small toast gesture. "To momentary truces."

Xander raises his glass of water, and adds, "And enjoying life."

The stag smiles, and brings his goblet up as well. "To cooperation and discovery," he agrees, glass ringing against Anisa's and lifted to Xander's as well. Carrow lifts his own goblet at Xander's toast, mead slopping over the lip. "Oh, I'll drink to that. It's not a bad life here when you think about how some folk had to grub on the outside. Here it's good meals, hot baths scented with rose petals, fine drink, attentive staff… and finally, some decent conversation."

Umeko, for her part, raises her glass as well, held gently between just her thumb and forefinger. "And to the future, which in my heart I know will still shine brightly," she adds.

Meanwhile, the three housemen around Lilac exchange quizzical and slightly annoyed glances. The one who spoke says, "You presume too much, miss. We are sworn to House Pieksvaldt, that is our bond."

Clinking her glass with Vandringar's, Anisa takes a deeper sip from her goblet – followed by a smaller quick follow up. Her visage is one of full bliss as she takes another nibble of pastry. "Baths with rose petals? That doesn't sound so bad. The Inn merchants could learn a thing or two from this place."

"Hear, hear," says Vandringar. He tips his glass back for a sip of his wine, looking thoughtful. "As fine as the accommodations are, I think I might be inclined to risk a shorter stay, my friends. I mean to have a look around after nightfall."

The Lapi mage nearly chokes on his water. When he recovers, Xander asks, "Just because the Lady fed a little while ago doesn't make it safe. What do you hope to find?"

"You and I share similar thoughts," Umeko notes to the Cervani. Quirking a small smile to him, she adds, "I did, after all, walk into the dragon's den, in disguise, back in the canyon. A shade does not seem so terrifying as that."

After another pull from her glass, Anisa looks at Vandringar, nearly flabbergasted. "Didn't you hear what Carrow said? Sneaking around after nightfall here is nearly a death sentence!" She turns to Umeko, her expression of dismay deepening. "What? You too?"

Now Xander goggles at Umeko. "This is… Look, the only one of us who might be safe snooping around is Lilac… and she'd only be safe from the Raveness, I imagine," he says. "Remember, I can only hold one decent spell for defense, and I don't know if ghosts burn or not," he adds a bit more quietly.

"I prefer to smile and face death, than just let it come for me," Umeko notes with a small shrug. "If Lilac has difficulty in learning much, we have little choice."

The stag sets his goblet aside and leans forward, steepling his fingers in front of his nose. "It could be, I don't doubt that. As Lady Tsuguri says, however, our options for learning more are limited. I think in avoiding the other half of this place's nature, we would live as Mr. Carrow does, but be missing a great deal. The risk is there, but we also bring something else no previous visitors have."

"Fine," Xander says, putting down his glass. "But I'll be with you, so… so I'll be with you," he states, frowning a bit. "Dagh, I really wish I wasn't so bad at golem-work. Then I could have sent a familiar to snoop instead."

"The stones that link you," Umeko commends quietly and slips her hands back into her lap. After a moment, Xander feels Umeko patting his leg in an attempt to reassure him.

Finishing off her glass, Anisa sighs, and sets it down on the table. "Well, if you two are going," she says, picking up the wine bottle and refilling Vandringar's glass, "then so am I. I don't think I could just sit in my room all day anyroad." She refills her own glass, replaces the bottle to the table, and leans back in her chair matter-of-factly… followed by another sip.

The Khatta himself looks uneasy with the idea. "C'mon now… I was hoping you all might be coming around to my view. It's a fine living here, and it's the ones that raise Dagh that turn up dried out."

Anisa looks to Umeko. "Our pendants? You think they'll give us an edge?"

Lilac's ears lay back, her lip quirking with her own frustration. "I didn't mean it like a demand, or anything! Look, now, I just want to help us all, and anything I can learn about how I tie into this, why I'm cursed when clearly the curse is almost unique to this place, would be very helpful. I know the man who escaped here wasn't cursed, and I've heard it said I've never been seen by any of you – so there, we have a mystery. Don't you want to figure it all out?" She gives each man a inquiring look, brow raised.

"We have no intention of dying here, my fine friend," Umeko tells Carrow with another pleasant smile. To Anisa, the Kiriga nods, "Think on it. If the shades are made from the orb of void, and your pendants link to the orb… It has possibilities."

"Detectors?" Xander asks Umeko.

Vandringar smiles, and lifts his newly filled glass for a drink, taking a moment to let the wine rest on his tongue, then swallows and nods at Umeko. "As Lady Tsuguri astutely suggest, I think the First Stones are indeed a factor as she says. I don't know that the shades are involved with the Void artifact, but I do believe they give us some proof, or at least some warning from the Raveness herself. For where she goes, the artifact goes, of this I am convinced."

Anisa swirls her wineglass, ears cocked forward in thought. "So you think… you think she is the orb?"

"So… uh… " Xander starts to say, then goes ahead; "Do we have any idea how fast she can move when on the hunt? Detection won't help us if she can detect us the same way. She knows this castle and we don't yet."

"Correct," Umeko says with a nod, "They react to presence."

The Korv exchange glances again, frowning around their beaks. "We cannot know how you came to bear what you bear. We have our place, and we do what we must. There is nothing you can do to help us except to live in peace."

Carrow sighs, tipping his chair back and rubbing his whiskers. "Eh… I seen it happen a few times, Mr. Lightfoot. The Raveness doesn't move fast, exactly… but she moves through the castle at will, if that makes any sense. She can be walking with that rod of hers, and you round the corner, and look again, and she's not ten paces behind you. If she has a design on you, she'll have you, as far as I've been able to see, but… well, she's a thinking creature, sort of. So I figure there's ways to give her the slip if she's not absolutely after you."

"We'll see about that. You may have given up on the Rookery, but I haven't given up on you." Lilac gives the lot a glare as she stuffs her face full of Bromthen meat; the stress of trying to squeeze anything out of the Murder taking its toll and driving her to comfort in food. After swallowing, she waves her fork at the three. "Cannot or will not. I saw the tapestry, so I'm a member of the family too. If you decide you want to be more helpful, please, tell me. Now, I'm going back to my friends, and I'm eating this food, because you all are quite impossible and if I don't calm down, I might sprout fur." She curtsies awkwardly, then determinedly walks back to the table.

Vandringar nods at Anisa again. "Not exactly is, Miss Snowshoe. But I think she carries it. When you last consulted your First Stone, do you recall it speaking of… containment?"

Xander gets up to hold Lilac's chair out for her, now that he sees her returning. "That bodes ill," he comments to Carrow.

Another sip of wine, and the doe leans forward, putting an elbow on the table, resting her chin in a paw as she swirls her glass. "As a matter of fact, I do. I thought that was a bit odd – none of the other orbs said that, at least not that I know of. Could someone have used the orb to keep her in check?"

"I suspect it is that her body is being used to keep the orb in check," Umeko offers to Anisa. "Remember the other cryptic message we heard before coming here? The one about being broken?"

"Keep who in check?" Lilac flops back down in her chair, putting her plate on the table, then resting her elbow next to it before propping her head on her hand and looking a mix of glum and annoyed. As an afterthought, she says, "Thank you, Xander."

"We were just discussing the nature of the Raveness and the Orb of Void," Xander tells Lilac, and quickly fills her in on what they've learned from Carrow.

Anisa frowns, and nods. "I suppose that's possible, but I find it odd that a single person could keep an orb in check – those things are more powerful than anything else I know of."

"Does she seem like a person anymore?" Umeko asks and rolls those thin shoulders of hers. "She reminds me more of one of those … observers."

"It's not a single person, it's all of them," Xander says, gesturing with his fork. "The whole town. They're here keeping her in check."

Lilac listens, nodding a few times as she eats bite after bite, then after one more serving she nods. "I think I have an idea about that," she offers the others. "Ummy, remember the dream? Do you remember what happened at the end, and what the Raveness was like? And the orb? In the dream, the orb was on its pedestal, and she had to bring people to it. Now the orb seems to be with her, in her somehow. I think something happened that day, the day the dream showed."

"If there was even any true reality to that dream, Lilac," Umeko points out, "Remember, I was in that dream and died there. I'm hardly dead. I would not place too much in that dream for facts. More of … suggestions of what may have been."

"The Raveness seemed to know about them though," Xander points out.

The stag shakes his head. "I think it may be the other way around. Lady Tsuguri may have the right idea. In our studies, we were of the mind that the artifacts are the very essence of what they represent. Your orb of Being demonstrated absolute control over life, form, mental capabilities, and more. Void is nothingness, absence, space… I suspect it would annihilate anything it touches. It must be contained with something intangible. Imagine if it were to simply fall to the ground."

"I'm not so sure. I think we might have been seeing it through someone else's eyes, but everything we've seen there is here. And besides, that's not the only dream I've had. The dream taught me to control my beast, and showed me a storm coming over the Temple of Being. Another one knew of my pre- … um, other condition. Always the same person, and her wounds tied into what happened in that dream. I can't be sharing dreams of the same person without meaning, right?" Lilac looks to the others for support, brows raised.

"There must be something to them," Xander agrees.

Anisa frowns deeply at Vandringar's words, and takes another deep drink of her wine. "Why would the First Ones create such a thing? The other orbs at least seemed… useful – this one seems like bad news all around." She leans back in her chair again. "Does that mean the Raveness is actually… good? I mean, if she took this upon herself… "

Vandringar looks at Lilac curiously, resting his chin on his knuckles. "And Miss… Dragomir, was it? She is the other thing we have that nobody else coming here has. The Midnight Murder may not like to talk about their duality, but who knows what else might regard her in a different light?"

The Cervani lord smiles slightly. "Come now, Miss Snowshoe. I know your imagination is strong, I'm certain you can think of uses for such a thing, even if you don't find them agreeable."

"I would argue that the orb of Being was not a wonderful thing. Not with what it did to me. Even if one of the company present enjoyed watching it," Umeko comments a bit dryly and looks directly at Vandringar.

"I think Dame Riesling couldn't take this anymore. By all accounts, she was a good person with a kind heart. Both the Raveness and Sir Greyswand were very fond of her. I think she tried to intervene, like I did, and … I think she was killed. The Raveness was already grieving, imagine what would happen to her mind if her dear friend was killed right in front of her. Maybe she became desperate to forget, and overtaxed the orb. Or as Anisa suggests, maybe she became so full of guilt over what she had wrought she tried to make amends by consuming the orb – holding it inside, since you can't destroy Nothing." Lilac then blinks at Vandringer, and asks, "She is the other thing? Do you mean me?"

Anisa grimaces, leaning forward into the palm of her paw once more. "I guess I can, even if it does seem insane." The doe winces when Umeko mentions the Orb of Being and its effects upon her.

Vandringar seems to take little note of Umeko's look, and continues, "In any case, speculation will carry us only so far. Thus, we will have to look deeper. I shall be exploring the grounds after nightfall, and would welcome company."

Lilac looks sober at the mention of the Orb of Being, suddenly taking a interest in the image wrought upon the hanging platform. "They seem like the sort of thing a wise man would create, to know the world diluted into its barest essence. If you just take what the Orb of Being did of its own accord, then it made a being that sought to be – to master being, to know all about it. It's like the the philosopher's stone creating the alchemist. Isn't that odd?"

"Doesn't sound odd to me at all, Lilac," Xander says.

"We should separate into groups to explore. Two, each with a stone bearer, perhaps," Umeko now offers as she shifts slightly in her chair. "That also provides advantage in one person can search while others keep watch."

"There are five of us though," Xander points out.

Carrow sighs, and then refills his cup from a jug. "Well, you can't say I didn't warn you. Be careful. I wouldn't go anywhere near the Raveness' tower, if I were you."

"Oh, that's right, you want to explore, don't you? I was already planning on doing so, so this is all fine by me. And, what you said about ghosts is interesting to me, Xander. Maybe if the living don't recognize me, the dead will. So far, the dead woman in my dreams has been much more friendly than these living Korvs," says Lilac. She then glances at Xander, and offers, "I can go alone? I might be safest exploring the area closest to the tower – the Raveness doesn't seem to feed on the Murder, and I can try and convince her I came by to see how she is."

Anisa finishes off her second glass, and sets the goblet down on the table. "I guess that means me then – but I was gonna join in anyway." The doe actually manages a smile – although it's a bit of a bleary one. "We'll go where we need to go, Mr. Carrow – official business you know."

"Err," Xander says, looking at Anisa, "Maybe we should wait a night, until Anisa is sobered up… "