It's dark and quiet here. A peaceful feeling is broken by a flicker… a fitful violet light diffused into murky patches of varying density. Darkness again. A faint and distant rumble follows, thunder's echo rolling across the sky. A rushing sound begins to build, the hammer of thumb-sized drops of rain beating on shingled roofing, and a warm yellow glow breaks the inky black, along with the purplish lightning, now confined to a thin window in a stone chamber. Candlelight dimly illuminates the circular room, a wine-red rug laid across the floor. Lilac and Kin can feel things both familiar and alien to them both… zolk strange to Lilac, but lace strange to Kin.

Lilac slowly sits up, her face more pale than usual. She reaches to touch her chest, finding it enclosed in garments finer than she's ever known. She stares down at this, her ears flicking, until lighting disturbs the gloom. Turning to look at the window, she frowns in confusion until another stroke causes her to gasp! Her hands fly up to her mouth, she she stares, eyes wide, out the window.

Umeko's eyes blinks several times, her slitted pupils dilating then contracting as they focus on her surroundings. "Mrgh," she mutters as she sits up on the bed, then balances herself by extending her arms slightly behind her and resting her palms flat. "What is going on?" she murmurs as sleep is slowly pushed away; reptiles are not known to be quick risers, after all. "And what am I wearing?"" she mutters, then tries to breath in deeply … and discovers that, well, she can't. "And what is … oh, of course. I think Xander called something that makes breathing hard a … corset," she realizes. With a rather ungraceful jumbling, she manages to get her legs over the side of the bed and her feet on the floor. The thick layers of fabric do not help with grace. "Where are we? Are you awake, Lilac?"

Lilac is on the bed, still staring out the window. "Purple lightning," she breathes, sounding frightened. "This … We … " She whips her gaze around to stare at Umeko, as if both surprised and confused by her presence. "Kinny?" She scoots to the edge of the bed, then reaches out to hesitantly try and touch Umeko. "Is that you? Are you really here?" A pause, and she casts another look around, ears going askew again. "Wherever here … Wait, is this Sylvania?"

"Yes, I'm here," Umeko says as she rubs her neck, "And how could we be in Sylvania? Viper's hold is nowhere near Sylvania. And do people in Sylvania really wear this … stuff? How do you move? How do you breathe?"

Outside the window, there's little to see. Evidently, this room is in a circular tower. Motes of yellow light flicker in the distance, the rain and low clouds blurring most everything. Every so often, the lightning picks out more towers in the gloom, their pointed roofs high above squatter but broader roofs below. Gauzy fabric is draped all around the bed, opened at one side to allow the view out the window. It's dank and chilly in here. It'd probably be considerably cozier under the numerous quilts piled on the bed rather than on top of them.

"I … " Lilac gives her surroundings another once over, sounding apprehensive as she does so, " … I don't think we're in Sylvania, not exactly. It may be more accurate to say Sylvania is in us, or … Or me. I think this is a dream. I've, well, I've had dreams like this before." She climbs to her feet, and wheezes a little at the strain of the corset. "Do you remember, when I told you the storm was coming? That, I mean, this is how I knew. The purple lightning. And … " She tilts her head this way and that, as if now trying to find something, " … the Korv ghost."

Umeko finds herself staring down at her chest. "Now this is just silly," she comments and starts poking what looks like a mammalian-style chest underneath her dress. "Someone stuffed pads in here to make me look more like you." She pauses in her studious poking and glances over to Lilac. "Oh, so this is another dream that may involve that … Korv? Shall we go look for her then?" The Kiriga slips off the bed the rest of the way and balances gracefully on her clawed toes. Her head cranes backwards and she looks down. "They also made my backside look big," she comments with a frown.

"If I know her … " Lilac looks over her shoulder suddenly, but whines a little when it's only another shadow cast by the lighting, " … she's going to find us. Maybe we should look around?" Returning her gaze to Umeko, the human woman gives her a odd look. "What are you- … Don't poke at them, that's silly! These are Sylvanian clothes, we don't have any Naga or Kiriga here." Lilac looks down at herself, then takes a moment to twirl in place and watch how her skirts move. "I always wanted to wear something like this, just … " she gives Kin a worried look, " … I never imagined it would be like this."

Umeko pauses in mid-poke, making her look … lopsided. "It is … weird," she admits as she lowers her hand and resists further poking. "We should look around, yes. Though … why am I here? The Korv is your friend and you are the one bearing the curse … why would I also now be taken? Surely they do not plan to curse me as well," she comments and tries to slip her hands in her sleeves. Doesn't work with this kind of a dress. One brow twitches and then she walks towards the door. Before opening it, she presses an ear to it.

Nobody but Umeko has answered Lilac as she looks around. The two appear to be otherwise alone in the chamber. Sitting up closer to the drapery around the bed, they can see somewhat through the material that the room is furnished in ornately carved hardwood. A fireplace is filled with ashes. A painting on the wall depicts a large male Korv looking sternly on. His beak is thick and heavy-looking, and his deep black eyes seem to follow the women in the room. He is dressed in similarly rich, but to Lilac's point of view dated, finery. A gold ring adorns one of his wing-claws.

"I don't know. I've never had this happen before – with anyone! I've only had a few of these dreams, and last time she … " Lilac's ears wilt, and she suddenly frowns, turning away to walk off. "Well, anyway, I don't know," she admits, changing the subject with distinct effort. "Please, just be careful, and be ready for anything." The human woman walks towards a window, then pauses and looks up to the painting above the fireplace. She studies it a moment, and then comments bemusedly, "Another Korv – but he's so old fashioned. Even these clothes are old fashioned. It's like we're in the past. I wonder who he is? And … " she leans forward, standing on her tip-toes, " … I think he's married. Could he be … ?"

"The husband of the Raveness you have spoken of?" Umeko finishes Lilac's thought as she tries to listen for movement outside the door. "And Lilac? Check your neck. Something is … missing."

"I think he might be," Lilac agrees, taking a moment to study the man as she reaches up to feel at her neck. A blink later, and she says, "My collar is gone! I'm so used to having it on, I didn't even notice it was gone!" Her ears flatten perplexedly, but she continues to try and memorize the man's face. "I'm sure it'll be back in the 'real world,'" she says with a sigh, adding, "I don't recognize this castle, by the way. I'm hardly an expert on castles, but I don't think I've ever been here. It must be the Raveness's Castle, though."

There is no sound behind the door that Kin can hear. Lilac, for her part, can see something as she leans closer to the painting: A small brass plate engraved beneath reads, in Sylvanian, though most of it is name anyway, "Magrod Archus Pieksvaldt, Fourth Lord Rook of the Pieksvaldt Family".

"Well, we will likely get no complete answers in this lone room, unless there is a diary or a journal. We should see if anyone else is even here, or if it is just us," Umeko says and takes a step back from the door. Carefully, she tries to operate the handle mechanism and open the room's door slowly … in case it squeaks.

"Magrod Archus Pieksvaldt … Fourth Lord Rook of the Pieksvaldt Family," Lilac reads aloud, nodding to herself. "He's one of the lords!! This is The Raveness's castle!" Turning away, Lilac rushes towards Umeko, trying to join her before she exists. "The shaman told me these things happen because someone wants them to, Lady Umeko! I think whoever brought us here, knows we're here. We should … should present ourselves?"

The door does indeed creak, but there seems to be little help for it, no matter how slowly it's opened. Nobody comes to investigate, however. A short landing leads to steep circular stairs spiraling down and away. The stairway, for its part, at least seems reasonably well lit, sconces regularly spaced along the stone walls.

"It is hardly the time to strip down bare and stand before the family," Umeko says as she gives Lilac a really strange look, though not a disproving one. Apparently presenting oneself means something entirely different in Jadai. After another odd look to Lilac, she cranes her head out the doorway. "It looks safe enough," she notes.

"What?" Lilac replies, ears shooting up. "I don't know … What are you … ? Oh, never mind!" Shaking her head in a 'I'll never understand Jadians' sort of way, Lilac follows after Umeko. "As scary as all of this is, I don't think we're in danger. I mean, not really, right? If they wanted to hurt me, they could have done it a long time ago? Or, wait, well … Oh, let's just go." The human gives a mildly put upon sigh.

"This is true. If they wished us harm we would have awoken in a dungeon with a torturer," Umeko agrees and dips her head. She slips the rest of the way out the door, then closes it behind the two. At least being used to having a tail keeps her from closing it on her dress. "So, I guess we go down?" she asks as she starts down the stairs.

"Down," Lilac agrees. She carefully picks up the hem of her skirt so she doesn't trip over t as she walks down the stairs. "Move like this, Ummy. Raise your skirt so you don't trip. This is a tall tower and it's probably a long way down!" As she walks on, the human woman adds, "You know, these are very nice clothes. I don't see why they'd give us these, if we were enemies – or victims. It's kind of like … a little girl's dream." Given Lilac's sudden faraway expression, and the way she looks down at herself and sighs wistfully, it's probably safe to assume the little girl she refers to was her.

"Like this?" Umeko asks as she tries to imitate Lilac's gestures and how she holds the dress up. For a usually graceful woman … her gait looks amazingly poor in her current clothing.

"That will … do, I suppose," answers Lilac as she's jostled out of her daydreaming to inspect Umeko's walk. "I'm hardly a lady's maid, I don't think anyone in my family even worked in a castle, but I've worn enough dresses and read enough stories to know it's something like this. And I have seen a lady." As the two descend, the human whispers, "I don't know how lords and ladies manage all these stairs … "

"Maybe they had servants who carried them up and down?" Umeko suggests.

"Now that is silly," replies the human with a snort of laughter. "I think they just had strong legs, or flew up here. They are Korvs, after all. Do you see anything?"

The stairs are steep, but better to descend down them than have to climb them, right? The ceilings here are exceptionally high, even by Sylvanian standards, and there's enough room between the walls to descend two abreast, at least. The windows along the walls aren't shuttered, and every so often the storm's fury chills the women with a blast of cold, damp air through them, though their thick dresses help to ward off the drafts a bit. The occasional door leads into furnished but unoccupied chambers similar to the one the pair just left. It's difficult to tell just how far they've descended before the two women encounter a third, a young Cervani doe dressed in a fancy black dress with white frills, though her skirt only goes to her knees instead of the gown-length ones. She carries what looks like a duster in one hand, but it appears to be made with fur instead of feathers. When she looks up and spies the two women, the doe immediately steps off to the side, bowing her head and curtsying. "'Evening, madames," the does says.

"Good evening," Umeko says and bows to the doe, "Please forgive me, but have we met? If we have, then I again offer an apology for having forgotten. Perhaps this weather is my mind. In either case … may I inquire as to your name and how long we have been here?"

"Good evening," Lilac replies reflexively, if a bit uneasily. She glances at Umeko, as if wondering if the woman sees the doe as well. Seeing that the reptile does indeed see her, Lilac turns to ask, "And, well, do you know if we've been … summoned? Or," Lilac gives the maid a curious look, then her ears lay back a little, " … If the lady of the castle is in?"

The doe gives Umeko an uncertain look, glancing at Lilac to look askance. "Beg pardon, madame? Er… I'm Annie, the chambermaid. Beg pardon again, but I don't know when you arrived. Did you not come with Dame Riesling?" When she says the name, Annie looks at Lilac, clutching the duster in both hands. "If you were summoned, Dame, I wasn't sent to bring it. I'm just here to dust the furniture and clean the chamberpots." She looks confused now. "Um… yes, Dame. The Raveness has not left the keep since the Lord Rook went out. All is quiet tonight, however. She has retired to her chambers."

Umeko glances to Lilac, then returns her attention to the doe. "Would it be possible to visit her this evening?" she asks politely. "If not, we certainly understand."

"He … went out?" Lilac gives Umeko a significant look, then suddenly asks the maid, "Annie, where are the Lady's chambers, please? I just recalled that I need to speak to her – urgently."

Annie looks increasingly uncomfortable, twisting her hands around the handle of her duster and hesitating before she answers. "… She lives in the family wing, Dame Riesling. But… has not Seneschal Kantemir said she is not to be disturbed?"

"Not that I remember. But then this weather has not been good for me," Umeko notes then looks to 'Dame Riesling' Lilac.

"Oh, well, then we'd best speak with him then. Thank you," replies Lilac, who quickly takes Umeko's hand and begins leading her off. "This is the past," Lilac whispers to the reptile, "I'm sure of it. All of this must be something we're supposed to see. And like any good story, there are parts that are important. We should try and find The Raveness, before … Before she does what she does." Several steps onward, and she adds, "I think it long before I ever set upon the road. We must be seeing through the eyes of people who were here."

Umeko nearly stumbles as Lilac pulls her away. She looks … lost. "You think this is, then, the night she did whatever horror is that she did?" she asks Lilac in a whisper.

"Maybe, but I know that she's the key character in this story – she's the one who lead the castle after the Lord Rook was reported dead in battle! It may be tonight is when she learns the truth," answers Lilac as she rushes on. "Even if we're mistaken, I have to meet her while we're still dreaming. She may be the one who cursed me, I have to know if she is, and why!"

The chambermaid curtsies again, looking relieved at not having to answer any more 'weird' questions. "Very good, ladies. I last saw the Seneschal in the feasting hall. If your guest is not inclined to climb that high, I believe there are still victuals in the kitchen. I will go turn down your guest's bed, if it pleases." She begins hiking up the stairs again. It's a good bet she's been working and living here a while if the two women glance back at her, given how strong her legs look.

"I suppose I am the guest," Umeko reasons out.

Lilac gives the maid a distracted finger-wiggle wave, then hurries on. "She said the Feasting Hall is 'high,' so we must need to reach the main part of the castle and go up," the human woman considers aloud. "If you spot any more maids or servants, please let me know. I'm not sure how long we'll be dreaming and I really can't let the chance pass! I have to know!" Hurrying onward, Lilac leads Kin into the depths of the castle …

"All right," Umeko answers as she's practically dragged along. If she didn't look ungainly before, she certainly does right now. So, for her part she tries to keep a good look on their surroundings while Lilac hurries them through.

It takes a while, but the tower eventually lets out into a corridor with several archways, between which stand busts of Korvs on pedestals. Rather than the usual wooden wheel-style chandeliers that Lilac has seen in most castles, the walls have most of the lighting here in the forms of tapers, and the arched ceiling is as high as ever. The occasional chair or chaise sits along the stone walls, along with other, more avian-friendly furniture, perches at varying heights. The largest arch is at the end of the hall, and seems to lead down wide steps.

"I don't see how anyone could run in these dresses," Umeko complains as she hurries after Lilac. "What are you going to do if he refuses you audience? Are you willing to fight your way?"

"You're not supposed to run in these dresses, Ummy," Lilac insists as she hurries along. "And this isn't real, right? Well, either way, I know how to get into places most people don't want me to be in. I snuck up on Hakuu! I can sneak up here."

"If it's not real, who's to say you could sneak up here? Especially in that dress," Umeko has to point out.

"It's … it's realish," Lilac insists. "I've been here before, you can think and feel and act, and it works like being awake! Watch out for undead Korvs though – they pop out of nowhere."

"I need my swords, then," Umeko grumbles. "I can't defeat the armies of darkness with lace and frills. What am I going to do, suffocate them in cloth?"

It takes some effort to move at any speed in the dresses, containing layer after layer of cloth, lace, and what even feels like chitin ribbing in places. Still, by picking up one's skirts, it seems possible to move at least faster than walking speed, and look appropriately dainty doing so. Eventually the hall joins another, wider one, and that in turn leads closer to the center of the castle, seeming rather like a heart now in the way thicker arteries move closer to the middle. Every so often, they're forced to climb more stairs, sense of direction being challenged by up and down as well as the cardinal directions. Abruptly, the widest corridor they've seen yet stops at what seems like a balcony… but which turns out to be a promenade leading around a massive, open-air chamber of several stories. High vaulted ceilings are paneled with thick glass, through which the fury of the storm casts flickering light.

"Oh, I don't think we'll have to fight. I just … Well, you'll see. Every time this happens, I think I'm supposed to understand something – and this time I mean to find it before it finds me!" Lilac abruptly stops when she enters the great chamber, blinking at the size of the place. "Well this is nice." She peers over the railing, looking down. "Creepy, but nice. I wish I could live in a place like this, but we don't have time to enjoy this, do we?"

"It is too cold and wet. Now, if it were hot and wet it would be better," Umeko points out as she looks around the great room. "My home back on Jadai was nicer. Don't you think?" Again, she can't help but fiddle with the dress. "And now I am lopsided," she observes in moderate annoyance. Indeed, she is; the fake chest used to give her more womanly curves is … now tilted. She fiddles with it.

Over the railing, Lilac can see a table suspended in the air. No, wait… it looks to be tethered to the promenade around it by sturdy ropes. Padded perches accommodate a number of finely dressed Korv 'seated' around the table, and the occasional chair seems to indicate more terrestrial guests are welcome at the table as well, though how they get out there is anyone's guess at the moment. There seems to be a heated discussion going on at the moment.

Lilac makes a face. "Well, I've always liked cold and wet over hot and wet. I am human, after all. I have my own heat. And this," Lilac gestures towards a window, "is my home. This is Sylvania, this is where I was born. I always loved my home, even if it's haunted and gloomy." She looks back at Umeko attempting to adjust herself, and covers her mouth with a laced hand, stiffing a giggle. "Ahem! Well, we better … go … look at that." She returns her gaze to the floating table, then frowns. "I can fly out there, but can you get there, Ummy?"

"You don't have your wings anymore, or are they buried in that mess of cloth," Umeko points out as she looks up from her futile attempts at adjustment. Her eyes follow Lilac's and she spots the table. Frowning, she observes, "If I wasn't a walking clothing store I could just climb the ropes out there. Try calling to them perhaps?" "I have my wings," Lilac insists, waving at them, "they're just covered in lace and stuff! I never considered that they could be decorated, I'll have to look into that when I wake up." Turning again, Lilac calls out, "Hello? Hellllooo? Has anyone seen Seneschal Kantemir? We need to speak with him!"

All discussion at the table stops, and the assembled black, beaked heads turn to glance at Lilac. The fellow at the head of the table raises a tuft of feathers over one eye. He's dressed in a long and fine-looking coat that lets his tail feathers out the back as if an extension of the garment. Several rings glint from his talons, and a thin gold chain hangs around his neck, mostly hidden in the ruff of his feathers except for a medallion. He coughs once, then says, "Yes, what can I do for you, Dame Riesling? I'm only too happy to divert the discussion to your no doubt urgent subject… a discussion I'd hoped you meant to attend, actually."

"Then why was she not sent for?" Umeko asks quietly and looks to the Korv. "We had to come find you."

"Oh, attend? Well … Here I am! I was just so … terribly lost, and it's quite dark here. Pardon, coming," Lilac says, after an awkward silence. She curtsies, then wings over the railing to walk down the chain, using her wings to keep herself from falling. "Come along, madam," she calls back to Umeko, giving her a wink.

"I cannot descend the ropes in this attire," Umeko points out, "It would be … unbecoming to try. Is there another way to the table?"

The Korv's other brow arches now, dark feathers switching sides like a see-saw. "She knows our custom as well as any of us," he rasps, somewhat stiffly. Still, he doesn't seem inclined to breach etiquette, and doesn't pursue the subject, instead snapping his finger-claws. A couple Cervani stride from one of the promenade's side corridors, carrying what appears to be a gangplank, though it's one with red carpeting tacked down to it, and a handrail built on. It's quickly and efficiently set to span the gap from promenade to table, near one of the more biped-friendly chairs. "Would you care to make introductions, Dame Riesling?" continues the Seneschal.

Looking thankful for the gangplank, Umeko walks slowly across it. She doesn't need the handrail, thankfully, she just needed something a little wider than the rope given the layers of unbalancing fabric she wears.

The clank of chains heralds Lilac's arrive on the platform, and she steps lightly on to the deck. "Of course, I know," she insists, trying her best to look indignant. "Now then, this," she gestures at the approaching Umeko, "Is Lady Umeko, and she is ever so happy to assist us in this matter. I was hoping The Raveness would be in attendance, as well. I am concerned for her, and would see her among us more often."

"Then you know as much as I do that the defense of our keep has been wearing on her," says Kantemir, looking equally affronted, but there's no threat behind it, just irritation. "She can't be bothered except when absolutely necessary. Thus it falls to us to handle what she cannot. Sir Greyswand and Dame Elsa have been telling us more of the dead have been encroaching on the village despite our lady's best efforts."

Taking a chance, Lilac inquires, "Then … is there another plan in mind? Do we have other options?" She glances at Umeko, hoping the woman sees what she's getting at, before looking back. "The dead … The Necromancer Armies, are they really so dangerous now, as to bring us to this?"

"It is a ruler's duty to always see to the concerns of their citizens," Umeko observes as she settles down and folds her hands into her lap. "If for nothing else, then to perhaps glean new ideas from them on how to deal with the situation. Or has the course already been decided?"

The Seneschal seems annoyed, and a murmuring goes around the table. When he speaks, he says, "I… appreciate your consultation, Lady Umeko, and I am sure Dame Riesling has the interests of Rookery Pieksvaldt at heart for bringing you, but I'm afraid you are likely at a disadvantage, not knowing our lady Raveness' methods and condition. I beg your pardon, but we cannot share that with people outside the family. Suffice it to say, she must retire to her chambers when she is not active, and none are to visit her except those bringing her… guests."

"Then she is a vampire," Umeko concludes calmly. "She already fell to the undead invaders, then?"

"I'll vouch for Lady Umeko," Lilac insists, taking her seat. "I didn't call upon her because I wished to annoy you, but because I think she be of great help – however blunt she may be." The human woman glances at Umeko, blinking, then clears her throat. "Yes, very blunt indeed, but effective! She is a fighter."

Whispering aside, Lilac asks Umeko, "I didn't know you knew about vampires! Did I tell you about them? Was it that song?"

At once, nearly all the Korv around the table rise, their throat ruffs bristling out and crests rising. "That is an OUTRAGEOUS accusation!" "How DARE you?!" The Seneschal looks momentarily at a loss for words.

Lilac adds a, "Way to go," in whisper before leaning back and trying not to blush.

In a louder voice, and patting Lady Umeko's hand, Lilac explains. "Lady Umeko is merely remarking on what she sees, or senses. She is well versed in combating many types of foes, and she is quick to … rile, in her attempts to discern truth. Now, please don't think ill of her. I brought her here because she is direct."

Umeko whispers back, "The Necromancer Wars are heard of outside of Sylvania. Your song only helped confirm some of the stories." To the others Umeko spreads her hands slightly, saying politely, "Prove me wrong and you will have my most sincere apologies. But since you wish to provide me little information, I can only make judgments on what is at hand. You have stated she must always retire when not active and has regular 'guests'. That does imply something that feeds off life, does it not? I am here to help you. Covering what is the truth of the situation only leads to worsening it."

"She is still our Lady, whatever the matter. I am worried for her, and us all," Lilac adds.

Some of the housemen and women around the table look ready to draw steel, livid, and the Seneschal's face is tight around his beak. When he speaks again, his voice is low. "Dame Riesling, if you and your guest wish to indulge her speculation, perhaps you should be next to retrieve our Lady's next visitor. I hope you've made it clear to her that she will not be leaving the Rookery for the foreseeable future."

At this, a hush goes around the assembled Korv.

Lilac lays her ears back. "Yes, of course, Seneschal," the human woman replies, in a voice bordering on whisper.

"I would be delighted," Umeko says simply, and smiles.

The uncomfortable silence that follows is eventually broken by one of the Korv at the table, who rises from his perch and clears his throat. "I'll accompany Dame Riesling," he says. "It's a fierce storm tonight, I'm sure she can use the help. It'll let me make the rounds again, and see if Dame Elsa and I missed anything on our first time out." Kantemir simply waves a wing, and replies, "If you wish, Greyswand."

"Um, thank you," 'Dame Riesling,' AKA Lilac says. She offers her arm to the Korv, since she's fairly sure that's what ladies do with escorts. "We'll just be on our way then."

Standing as well, sans escort, Umeko again tries to slip her hands into her sleeves, only to be reminded she cannot. With a small shake of her head, she says, "It has been a most interesting conversation. Thank you for speaking with us." She even bows.

The Korv crosses around the table, nodding cordially and taking Lilac's arm with his wing. His plumage is very fine, and he wears a richly embroidered vest with a white cravat at the throat. A tightly tied sash over dark breeches has a saber thrust through it, its leather scabbard intricately tooled. He offers his other wing to Kin in a gentlemanly manner, leading the way to the 'gangplank'. Behind him, the Seneschal says, "We'll continue our discussion with Elsa. I'm sure Greyswand will bring Riesling current while they're out."

Surprised at being offered a wing, Umeko accepts it graciously. "Thank you," she tells him as they head to the gangplank.

"Well, that went splendidly," Lilac offers in a higher, more lady-like voice, one Umeko can easily tell as a mix of sarcasm and amusement. "Usually, I'm the one that gets us thrown out." She glances at the Korv, and asks, "Where are we headed, Greyswand?"

"I got you your desire, did I not?" Umeko points out to Lilac. "You may get the chance to see the Raveness."

"I know! And that's good! It's just, I was so surprised when you rankled all those nobles. I mean, usually I do that. I think I'm growing on you!" Lilac then giggles, trying to wag her tail. It gets caught up in her thick skirts, simply making her rear look to be wiggling.

"Of course," replies Greyswand to Umeko. He seems to relax visibly when they pass out of earshot of the assembled Korv and the Seneschal, sighing. "We're heading to the village, naturally. Not a task any of us are quick to volunteer for, but necessary, I suppose. I'd rather you hadn't stirred up the Seneschal. Really, Eiswein, I know you're inquisitive, but there's a time and a place."

"Remind me, and thus my friend here, about the necessity of going to the village? And please, could you bring me to date on what I've missed," Lilac asks of the Korv, patting his hand.

"Dancing about an issue serves us no purpose. It is not as if we have unlimited time to deal with the matters at hand," Umeko comments as she walks, her long, golden tail trailing behind her from under her dress. She even quirks a bit grin, adding, "So, I decided to push the issue. The response was very telling."

"But telling of what? Sylvania is full of problems, many of them curses and magic-stuff, but there's a lot of them," insists Lilac as they walk.

"That my suggestion was close to the truth, Lilac," Umeko notes. "Think on what we have been asked to do."

Greyswand nods. His path leads the women down a grand hall and to a broad staircase, which expands out into a foyer, servants in attendance at the door. "I imagine you missed a lot bringing your guest here. Honestly, I can't conceive how you managed it." He gives Kin a curious, if wary look. "The swamp grows deadlier by the day. We'd have long since been overrun if it hadn't been for the Raveness. Did you catch her on the edge of the swamp?"

"Umm, I sent for her, and she … saw the sign and came! She's much scarier than she looks. She could cut an apple into apple pie before it hit the ground, and her blades flash like the sun off storm waters." Lilac reaches across the Korv to pat Umeko's hand, now. "I thought she could help, you see. You'd best tell us both."

"Except the sign did not suggest I needed to bring any weapons, alas," Umeko comments. A small frown curls on her lips as she remembers she's unarmed. "But, no matter. A weapon is merely an extension of self. I am never truly unarmed. And yes, I am here to aid 'Dame Riesling', so I am an ally … just one who needs answers to know at which shadow to strike."

The Korv laughs in that harsh cackle his people have. "I'm glad you keep your sense of humor in these trying times, Eiswein." He sobers, guiding the women to a cloakroom where he selects some voluminous oilcloth overcoats trimmed with fur, the sleeves broad and slitted for wings, and passes them out. "It's rare enough anything gets into the swamp now. Nothing gets out, not even we. Elsa and I led the Murder around the perimeter. Despite the Raveness' best efforts, it's shrinking."

Lilac dons the coat when passed to her, pulling the fur close. The effect only heightens her slightly canine appearance. "Tell my friend, um, Lady Umeko about the situation around the castle," she requests, as she bundles up.

Kin sticks a hand through one of of the wing-slits and her brow ridge arches a bit. With a small shrug, though, she slips the coat on. "It is close to a kimono, at least," she observes at the billowy sleeves. "But I still do not understand how your people move with grace in so many layers of cloth… "

Greyswand shrugs into his own coat, the flight feathers of his wings extending from the slits in the sleeves, and he ties it loosely around his body with an attached belt. "No harm in it, I suppose," he says. "The foul necromantic encroachment has infested the swamps, spread over them like an algae bloom. By all rights, the Lord Rook shouldn't have a castle to return to, but the Lady Raveness, she has her ways. We are far beyond the reach of help now, by land or by air. Nothing with taintless blood escapes notice or rotten claws outside of our protection, and even our guises are only so effective. It is a siege of the worst kind." He studies Umeko again, now bundled up in his coat, with his hood turned up. "Were you a sacrifice being transported for the Necromancers? Or did you truly think to find what became of us?"

"I am no sacrifice," Umeko answers as she tries to find some way to comfortably wear the coat with the dress. "I am the Blade of the Tsuguri family of Jadai. That which seeks to corrupt the world is my foe. Those who are closest to it will know the most about it. So, yes, I came to determine what happened with you and learn if the shadows have consumed you to fuel their slow devouring of the world." She pauses there, then looks at Greyswand, adding, "I fear not death, nor battle. But a cage is the worst of all fates. I will be no prisoner here."

"She's flowery," Lilac explains, as an aside to Greyswand.

"There is only one way out of these swamps, madame," replies Greyswand, his tone polite. "I'm sure Dame Riesling can tell you what it is. For now, by the grace of our Lady, we survive. Come then, if you would help. It is more than welcome, I assure you. I am sure the carriage is already prepared."

"Death," Lilac tells Umeko, guessing the answer. "No one escapes alive, I think." She pats the Korv's shoulder, nodding, "Well, off into the storm with us."

"What you hold in your heart determines your fate. I chose to survive; you should as well. No shadow can destroy the resolute," Umeko comments. "So, if death decides to try and come for me, it will find that I will not go lightly, if at all. Into the weeping of the heavens then, but do not let the tears destroy your greatest weapon … hope." And with that, the Kiriga loots ready to head into the rain.

The wind howls and the rain lashes, but the carriage is brought close to the door so that exposure is minimal. Sir Greyswand insists on being the last to board, holding the door open for both women, and then swinging himself up the step and inside. The whole thing begins rattling its way down a long and winding path, and to graciously keep the silence at bay, Sir Greyswand relates some history and geography. "Castle Pieksvaldt is situated on a spire of stone that we believe was once a hillside considerably higher than it is now. The land below the castle is wet, but fertile and arable, suggesting soil eroded away from the spire and settled below, where the village now lies. The swamp provided its own sustenance, or did when it was still relatively safe to go into. The Pieksvaldt family migrated from Chronotopia to settle here, marrying amongst Sylvanian nobles and establishing Castle Pieksvaldt as one of the most defensible keeps in the land, its architecture and position especially suited to we Korv.

At length, the carriage rolls into a village sprawling at the foot of the spire, warm yellow light glowing from thick bottle-glass windows. Evening still holds some light, but the storm makes it much darker, except for the occasional flash of lightning.

"And what a blessing it is, we have you Korv here for us," offers Lilac pleasantly. When the village nears, she leans over to try and peer out the bottle-glass windows, pressing head head to the glass. "I forgot just how rainy Sylvania was," she murmurs.

"I prefer the beauty of Jadai," Umeko comments as she looks out into the dark and bleak landscape.

The few villagers that can be seen from the windows of the carriage give it a wide berth, hurrying into homes or businesses. At last, the carriage arrives at one of the larger buildings in the village, a clock-tower above a squatter building built of thick beams. The sign out front reads, "Rookery Town Hall", and Greyswand makes his way out and down the carriage step, lifting a wing up to help the women down. He gives Lilac a somewhat odd look. "Don't you mean "we Korv", Dame?"

"Of course she does," Umeko notes, "She is just tired and having been around me for a time … a bit confused."

"Jadai is not as beautiful, when you're in the back alleys," Lilac replies, somewhat darkly. She pulls her head off the window, and wags, perhaps to show there's no hard feelings. "Sylvania is usually gloomy, but I like it. There's something poetic about gloom, more so than a sunny sky or a bed of flowers. Gloom is so much closer to the human hear- … " Lilac blinks at the Korv man, then smiles quickly and laughs. "Oh, why, yes – we Korvs. How silly of me. Its been a trying few days. Out we go!"

Umeko hisses softly to herself in amusement, then follows Lilac out. The chill in the air still manages through her layers of clothing … and with a shudder, Umeko's body adjusts itself into generating its own heat again. "It has been a trying time for her, yes. She has been with me … which must appear quite an odd creature to your eyes," she notes to Greyswand.

"Kinny," Lilac whispers to the reptile once the two are out. She scoots close to the woman, then stands on her toes to whisper even quieter, "I think I figured something out! I think I know who I am – I mean, how he thinks I am! I think Dame Eiswein Riesling is the Korv from my dreams."

To that, Umeko nods, then whispers, "And tonight may be the night you die… "

"I don't want to di- … Oh! OH! I see what you mean," Lilac whispers back, reaching to run at her throat. "I guess … I guess it'd be poetic justice if, if I have to go through that. Um, I hope I survive – for real."

"It would be rude of me to suggest such," says the Korv, leading the way into the town hall. He flicks his wings to shake off what rain manages to fall on him. "Folk of Nagai are not common here, it is true, but in light of your commitment, I suppose it is not outlandish. We have… HAD many adventurers pass through Sylvania, and of course Imperial scholars are renowned as tutors… many of the noble houses employ them." Inside, the trio is greeted by another Korv, this one shorter than Greyswand, a bit heavier around the middle, his plumage thinner and less glossy. He already looks worried.

"You will," Umeko comments calmly. "I have no idea how I fit into this, though." She glances at Greyswand … about to tell him that she is a noble, but then decides better of it. So, she simply nods.

Lilac, who continues to rub her throat, simply nods as she walks inside the room. "Well, here we are," she states, a bit too loudly in her nervousness.

The shorter and more rotund Korv adjusts a pair of spectacles he's wearing, and twiddles his wing claw tips together over the laces of his waistcoat. "Ah, Sir, Dame. Welcome. So good to see you again," he says, looking rather like he's not at all happy to see them. "To what do we owe the pleasure?"

For now, Umeko stands back and lets the 'Korvs' deal with the situation. she has a fairly good idea where it is going, regardless.

"Oh, well, Greyswand here will speak for me," Lilac insists, pushing the male Korv forward a bit. "Won't you?"

"Nph!" says Greyswand, looking mildly affronted. Nevertheless, he does as bid. "Good evening, Mayor," he says, a little stiffly. "We've come to extend the usual… invitation."

"Yes, the invitation," Lilac adds, unhelpfully. She glances around, as if something might leap out and throat her at any second.

The claw twiddling the mayor is doing becomes faster. "Well, ah, we had an ideal choice for you, actually. Cutpurse we'd put away, nasty fellow, don't think he was ever a citizen actually. It's just that he slipped away, must've gotten himself into the stilts district… barmy, really, he might've gone for the swamps for all I know. If you can just wait a little longer… "

Greyswand sighs, and rubs the top of his beak. "It can't be delayed, I'm afraid. I'm sorry, Mayor. We'll go make our selection now."

Umeko shakes her head, then decides something. "If you wish, I volunteer to be the visitor," the Kiriga offers in a calm and unworried tone. "To spare your already burdened town."

At this, both Korv stare.

Lilac slowly turns around, eyes widening at Umeko's offer. "Kinny," she whispers, hurriedly, "we don't know how real this may be, or not. Don't ask for it." Lilac, too, ends up staring, making for a triad of Korvs and pseudo-Korv stares.

"It would be remiss of me to endanger someone when I could face the danger in their stead," Umeko points out. "And if you wish me to send an innocent to some unknown doom … no. Cowards send others to save themselves. Those who are noble face it themselves."

The mayor blanches, looking guilty. Greyswand's expression is grim. He glances at the mayor, then at Lilac. "What say you, Eiswein? She is your guest. She seems to understand what this means."

"That's very noble of you, Lady Umeko, but I wouldn't dream of risking your life when there are other, better choices. Wouldn't dream of it, you know! It'd be almost unreal, right, Lady Umeko," Lilac insists, waving a hand towards the mayor's direction.

"Are you suggesting that their lives are not worth protecting but mine is? I am not even of your lands," Umeko says calmly and folds her arms across her chest. "If the point of a visitor is to continue to protect these lands and you consume those you are trying to protect… " She shakes her head, continuing, "Then you have already lost yourself to the shadows. You are doing their work for them."

"Kinny, this isn't real," Lilac insists after stepping forward to whisper. "It's just a memory, this is the past. It might be my destiny to die here, but you shouldn't! It may not be safe here! You may be actually dead. I'm proud that you'd offer yourself, but it's silly to offer when your life is the only real life here. You might die for someone who already died long ago, you know?"

The mayor folds his wing-claws together. "B-… bless you, stranger. Bless you." He seems on the verge of tears.

Umeko gives Lilac an odd look. "This is not about being safe. Hiding behind some wall while letting someone else face danger is … it is just wrong," Umeko asserts. "If there were a non-innocent, then there would be another option. But I will not send someone to die who has done no wrong."

"Well," says Greyswand. "I suppose our trip was shorter than I might have guessed. Let us return, then." He seems to regard Kin in a different light, his expression thoughtful.

"It's … your choice, Lady Umeko. Just remember the … the cost of death," Lilac insists, before she turns and begins walking back towards the carriage.

Umeko extends her hand and closes it over the Mayor's wing-claws. "I may not be of your people, but it does not mean I will not protect them," she tells him gently. "I ask one thing; remember this. Quit giving into the shadows. As you sacrifice the innocent, so you will further be consumed. As a leader, you must protect your people. You must face things for them and stand for them. Remember." Her hand releases and she turns away. To Lilac and Greyswand, she says, "Let us go."

The mayor looks pained, his eyes closing, but he says nothing. Back in the carriage, Greyswand rests back in his seat, talons resting on a perch bar and tail feathers angled beneath him. The rain drums on the roof, punctuated occasionally by the roll of thunder overhead. "Madame, you are a woman of very strong character, and I admire that. But to suggest that to the mayor was cruel. He must remain, as we remain, to shepherd the rest through these dark times. It is the only way for Rookery to survive."

"What will you have left to shepherd if you feed them to darkness?" Umeko asks as she looks out into the rain. "Remember what I said; I do not fear battle, nor death. You have said that I cannot leave these lands. You have said that I am caged here. I would rather give my life for others to live, than rest comfortably in a cage while others suffer for me."

"If you run out of arrows you don't throw your bow," Lilac quotes as she stares out the window. "Stories are full of heroes who died, but also those who die needlessly. Don't be in such a rush to be a hero. They're dead men under stones – it's the living that suffers for them. I mean, if this was a good time to be a a martyr that'd be another thing but … " She heaves a sigh, and is quiet again.

Sir Greyswand folds his wings over himself. "Well, in any case, we shall endeavor to make your stay as pleasant as possible. If you have requests, please let us know, that we can honor them."

"Of course you would not throw your bow. You would snap the shaft and use it as you would a grain thresher against your opponents," Umeko notes. She rolls her head to consider Lilac and asks, "And what would you do if the only choice before you as a visitor was Gibson?"

"Now you're twisting the argument, Kinny," Lilac insists. "Don't talk to me about risking my life to save other people. I've risked my life for yours many times, and I've paid a high price for my mistakes. If you die, for nothing, I have to save you." She turns around and glares at Umeko, albeit tearfully. "Stupid, it's stupid! They're memories! You're not!"

Greyswand tucks his head under a wing, seeming to make a point of trying not to listen in, as befits a Korv gentleman. The ride up to the castle is as rough and bumpy as before, but ends again by the door, minimizing exposure to the storm. The Korv gets out first to assist the women down from the step and the tall, thick wooden doors of the keep swing open.

"You do not have to save me," the Kiriga notes. As before, she waits for Lilac to disembark before she attempts to leave the wagon.

"Did you hear that?" Lilac asks no one in particular as she walks into the castle. "I don't have to save Kinny! Isn't that wonderful? "Oh, let me save you, spooky random memory," she says, "don't save me – but let me save everyone else and be a good example," she says! Fah." The bardess rambles on like that as she storms on in, only to shortly later call out, "Where am I going," in an exasperated tone.

A number of Korv dressed for inclement weather are in the foyer, moving out as a group. A voice comes from the top of the flight of stairs. "Ah… Dame Riesling. Sir Greyswand. You've returned." It's Kantemir. He glides down the stairs, his face impassive, but one tuft of feathers over an eye raised. "Is our visitor still in the carriage?"

Umeko just shakes her head as she passes Greyswand. "She is excitable," she comments.

Pausing at the foot of the stairs from her headlong, rant-inspired random walk to nowhere, Lilac looks up as Kantemir lands. "No," Lilac answers. "I'll do it. Lady Umeko should be escorted to her room. Let's go."

The Seneschal lands with a clicking of talons, and he abruptly straightens out. "Are you mad, Riesling?" he demands. "What is the meaning of this?" Greyswand seems just as surprised.

"And now you're being stupid, as you were accusing me of being unfair." Umeko comments. "You were ready to send someone you didn't know to their deaths, but when I offered in their stead … now it's important to you." To the Seneschal, Umeko says, "I am the visitor this time. Or so I volunteered in the village when the mayor had no … prisoners. I would not allow some innocent to be chosen at random."

"Someone taught me that I should sacrifice myself over others, so here I go," Lilac replies, throwing her hands in the air. "So, let's go! Come on now, before I change my mind! Aren't I the lady he-" She rounds on Umeko, mouth agape. So stunned is she, she can't seem to spit anything else out.

The Seneschal glances between the women. "I should think it's decided, then. I can't begin to guess at my lady's motive, after her outspokenness at our table," he says, gesturing at Umeko, his face grim. "But given the circumstances, there is no other alternative. I don't know what possesses you to think you can take her place, Riesling, but it's absolutely out of the question. I should like you to go to the apothecary, I fear you may be fevered."

"No, I'm going with Kinny," Lilac insists, somewhat sullenly. She folds her arms and stands there, waiting to be taken where-ever it is they're to go.

"You stated earlier that I could not leave this town. Is that not so?" Umeko asks the Seneschal.

By now, the commotion has drawn the attention of all the Korv, beaks protruding from their fur-trimmed hoods. The Seneschal nods at Umeko. "Yes. No-one leaves this town. Not with the entire Murder would it be possible."

"Then … what would I do here if I cannot leave?" Umeko asks next. "I am not one of you; these are not my lands. Dame Riesling cares much for me, even with how much I frustrate her. I could not have asked for a more caring friend in the world and I am sorry to cause her pain. But, even she knows that I have said the only thing I would not abide, was a cage. I offered myself because facing and end so that others may live is better than living a pointless existence in a cage. Not if it means it grants all of you a chance to survive. I'm a protector; I always have been. If we could be escorted to a private room there is a few things I would like to say to Dame Riesling."

Lilac shifts where she stands, closing her eyes and tilting her head downward. She doesn't say anything, but looks extremely uncomfortable, rubbing at her arm with nervous tension.

Kantemir doesn't seem entirely sure what to make of this, but folds his wing-claws together over his fine tunic and nods. "As you wish. This is an unusual turn of events, but… there were others who thought the same as you. We hold them and their sacrifice in the highest esteem. Your chambers are prepared. Rest, and call for the servants should you desire anything. You will be summoned presently."

The Seneschal pauses, then glares at the assembled Korv, and claps his hands smartly. "Were you not to go on patrol? On your way, then." The Korv hurriedly break up.

"Then let us retire, Dame Riesling," the Kiriga says to Lilac and goes to stand near her. "I have something I want you to understand, but it is not for all to hear. They are not my close friends, but you are."

"Mmmm," is all Lilac seems able to mumble. She does, however, reach her hand out of the copious cloak and take Umeko's hand suddenly.

"Brave heart," Umeko whispers, "More will be clear." And with that, Umeko and Lilac head up the long staircase to their tower room.

Umeko shuts the door behind them and folds her hands together. "This is not entirely about self-sacrifice, Lilac," she says when she's comfortable they are alone. "I am trying to help you get real answers. Had we sent some unknown to the Raveness as a visitor … what would we learn? I doubt we would be allowed near whatever ritual she does. This I could not say in their presence."

The room is much as they left it, except that the bed has been turned down, all the furniture has been freshly dusted, the chamber pot has been exchanged, and a bowl of fruit sits on the nightstand by the bed. The ancestral Lord Rook stares from his painting, and all the tapers are new and re-lit.

Lilac, who seems to have her gaze fixed floorwards, mumbles something that sounds like, "oh." She shifts her feet, then peeps up, cringing a little. "I overreacted a little, didn't I?" Her ears flatten, and her tail tucks, "I just, just didn't want to risk … risk losing you, Kinny. I mean, I get what you said, it's just these probably aren't real people. This is her memory, something she's trying to show me, and to have you die … for that … I don't think my heart can take that again." She then returns her gaze to the floor.

Umeko places her hands on Lilac's shoulders. "And I realized something out there, like how you realized they see you as the Korv you met," she continues, "As to why I am here. Maybe because the night your Korv 'friend' died, it was because the next one chosen to be the visitor was her best friend. She too could not accept that and tried to stop it. Why else would I be here? What would tie me to this place unless there was a bond that we share that was so similar to what your friend may have had?"

"I am … I think you call this, making a gamble," Umeko admits, "To get answers. And in truth, I also thought it would be safer if it were me. You already carry a curse … who knows what 'dying' here in the Raveness ritual might trigger with that. Or how it might threaten your child. I am hoping that I will suffer no long term effects from this."

Shifting her feet again, Lilac concedes the point with a bob of her head. So nervous is she, she grabs her tail and clutches it, as awkward as that makes her look. "That makes sense," she admits, in a whisper. "It's just that no one should die for me. Especially not you. And if you're cursed, do you want to end up like me, or worse? I, well … " She fiddles with her tail, and sighs softly. "I can't really convince you, can I? Let's just at least go together, so if I have to, I can do something to help."

"Ideally, no one will die at all," Umeko says and tries to lift Lilac's chin with her hand. "And how worse can I get? I'm already a heartless reptile," she points out, then tries to grin. "I will ask them that you escort me and if allowed, bear witness."

The evening is uneventful, if one ignores the anticipation. The logs in the fireplace have burned down by the time there's a knock at the door, and Annie's high voice can be heard through it. "Dame Riesling? Miss Umeko? The… the Raveness requests the honor of your presence."

Umeko slides from the bed where she had been resting in half-meditation. She stretches and rolls her spine. Well, as much as the corset allows her to anyway. "We will be ready momentarily. Thank you," she calls out, then looks to Lilac.

Lilac has been pacing around the entire time, looking at everything, and then looking at it a second, third, and fourth time. "This is it, isn't it? This is where I'll get my answer, or a answer," she says as she stops to face Umeko. "Kinny, I want you to know that no answer is worth your life, even if it will cure me. Being a were isn't that bad, and even if it was, it's still not worth your death. I just want you to promise me you won't sacrifice yourself needlessly," she insists, in a pleading voice.

"I won't do anything needlessly, Lilac. Of that you do not have to worry," the Kiriga says and pats the human on the back a bit awkwardly. "I have plans in all that I do, even if they are not always obvious. Come on, destiny awaits. Or at least perhaps the end to an old tale. Just think, Lilac, you are getting to see in person the stories you have heard about. If nothing else, take that from this place and write about it. Pass on to others what had happened here so long ago. Keep their memory alive. Craft a ballad of their memories … because, well, I want to hear one someday."

"Okay," Lilac agrees, although she sounds a bit mopey about the whole thing. Heading for the door, she says, "I'll try and remember, and I'll write a ballad, when we're both safe and free of this place. I'll make sure people remember." She reaches over and takes Umeko's hand, and nods her to lead on.

If she's afraid, Umeko doesn't show it as she goes to the door and opens it. "I am ready," she tells the servant. Her head is held high and her mane has been combed back; it hands freely and flickers in the slight breezes caused by drafts in the castle.

When the door is opened, Annie is standing there, her ears pale. Behind her are clustered many of the Korv housemen and women, wearing their finest. They move back from the steps to make way, their eyes on both Lilac and Kin. The entourage is silent, and flank the women solemnly. Greyswand can be seen among them, but he doesn't speak either, instead leading the way through the castle's many halls. There are many steps to climb, as the family wing seems to be higher in the castle, and Umeko is offered the use of a fine chair borne on poles by the housemen. The procession leads past tall stained glass windows dedicated to the history of the Pieksvaldt family, the light they admit wan and rippling from the water coursing down the panes, only occasionally brightened by lightning. At the height of the last flight, the entourage stops, only Greyswand breaking off and opening the tall wooden double doors at the top, carved to resemble wings.

Though she would normally refuse the chair … this time Umeko accepts it and is borne along the grim journey. She remains silent through the trip, expression impassive and cold. Inwardly, she is a little nervous and even she wonders if this was the right decision or not. "You have committed, Umeko. You must see it through," she reminds herself.

Lilac tries to hold on as long as she can, but must let Umeko go when she takes to the chair. Instead, she lays a hand on one of the poles and follows along beside the reptile, her knuckles white from gripping the support. When the entourage stops at the doors, Lilac swallows hard, eying the doors as if they were the very doors to the afterlife itself.

Inside, the chamber is wide and round, with stone columns supporting the roof in a circle over an inlaid marble floor. Tall windows are spaced around the walls, and can be seen between the columns in the center, but rather than show the outlying lands, the tower seems to pierce the thunderheads and the storm itself, clouds roiling around and flickering with lightning. And yet, for all the energy, the feeling here is oppressive, heavy, almost tiring. In the center of the room stands a pedestal with several prongs reaching out of the edges like iron claws, and they seem to grasp… a blot. Something, and yet… nothing. It is not black, nor is it distinct… it's like a section of blindness that doesn't move with the eye. And from behind it emerges a tall avian woman, a more palpable darkness clad in rich robes and supporting herself with the help of a long scepter.

The wing-like doors close as soon as Lilac, Kin, and Greyswand enter, but what should be a booming slam seems muffled.

The only real expression from Umeko is the roll of her brow and she looks over this strange place. Nothing she has ever read compares to what she sees in this place. Is any of it real? Was any of it ever real? Questions that pass through her mind. When the woman appears … the Raveness, Umeko dips her head and even curtsies … an action she saw the servants doing earlier. "Brave heart," she says quietly, trying to remind Lilac … and perhaps herself.

Lilac sucks in a breath at the sight of the room, pointing with but a pinky finger at the blot. The rest of the bardess refuses to move. "That's it," she whisper-hisses. "That must be it. The /heart of darkness, the, the empty heart, the incarnate nothingness … " When the Raveness steps out from behind it, the hair on Lilac's neck stiffens, and she looks even more pale than normal. "Brave heart," she repeats with Umeko, scooting closer to the woman and taking her hand again.

Greyswand bows as well, and the Raveness' scepter clicks quietly on the marble as she approaches, swaying slightly. She has the physique of a Korv, though she seems to stand more upright, almost the height of a Vartan. Her beak is long and heavy, and her eyes somewhat sunken. The furs gathered about her shoulders seem to reflect more light than she herself does, despite how well-kept her plumage appears to be, and despite her stature there seems to be a sense of weariness about her, something deeper even than the way she leans heavily on her staff of office suggests. Where Lady Pieksvaldt clutches the scepter, her wings spread away like another layer over her robe, voluminous but billowing, like she herself is wasting away beneath. When she speaks, it isn't the customary croak of a Korv, just low and soft. "Eiswein… dear… and young Brandt. So kind to visit. Do you bring word of my Lord and husband?" She smiles a little sadly around her beak. "No… no, of course not. It's time again, isn't it?"

It's the woman's tone that seems to dispel Lilac's partial petrification, her wide-eyed staring melting into a pained expression. Her ears lay back, and she looks away, a guilty gesture. "Raveness," she greets the woman, now taking a moment to curtsey, albiet late. "Oh gods Kinny, she looks awful," she whispers aside to her friend. "Scary and … awful. Sad-awful. I don't know how to feel about her, it's hard to be mad at someone like that." In a louder voice, Lilac says with a nod, "Y-yess Raveness, it, it is."

"She bears the weight of her people and her loss, Lilac," Umeko replies in a soft whisper. "She has lost her love and is losing her people. As they fade, so does she … bit by bit. This is what I fear; withering in a cage."

"And… our guest," murmurs the tall Korv. "Welcome. I am Lady Margaret Pieksvaldt, Raveness. To whom… do I owe the pleasure?"

"I thought I'd be mad at her," Lilac whispers quietly, "I thought she'd be some great monster, but she's like … a dying unicorn. She might still be dangerous but, but … She makes my heart ache just looking at her. It's like looking at loss incarnate … and that … that thing … " Lilac quiets when the Raveness speaks, straightening.

Stepping forward, the Kiriga answers. "Lady Umeko Tsuguri of the isles of Jadai," she says in her lilting tone. Again, her head dips respectfully. "It is an honor to meet you, Raveness Pieksvaldt."

The Raveness bows slightly, then climbs her way back up her staff. "The honor… is mine… " she says. "Noble blood from… so far away. Was there no other… ah, but I suppose there… never really is an good alternative… is there? How many… ? I forget now. Forget so many things." The woman shakes her head, swaying again slightly, and when Greyswand steps forward with wings outstretched, she holds a wing claw up. "I am fine, Brandt. I'll be strong… we all must be, mustn't we? Lady Tsuguri. Is there aught you would ask of me… before we begin?"

Glancing at Umeko, Lilac squeezes the woman's hand before looking at the shadowy Korv. "Raveness, can't I … ?"

"What does this ritual bring you? I have an understanding that it somehow protects you … but can you tell me more?" Umeko inquires gently as she starts towards the decaying woman. Her hand loosens and starts to slip away from Lilac's.

The Raveness smiles a little, an empty one neither warm nor cold. "Some asked why… you are the first… to ask how. Even I don't… don't fully know. I will try to explain." Her head turns to Lilac, but she still stretches a hand, palm up, out to Umeko. "Yes, Eiswein?"

"W-won't you … you … t-take me … instead, Raveness? I … " She shoots Umeko an apologetic look, ears back, returning gaze to the Raveness and blinking as if she had something in her eyes.

Umeko's free hand draws up and places it in her hand. "The why is to protect what you have left. I need not ask that," she says with a sad smile. "I want to understand how my sacrifice will help. I do this of my own free will, to spare your people more pain, if just for today." The Kiriga's head rolls around and she looks to Lilac curiously.

Lady Pieksvaldt shakes her head, chuckling a little. It would almost sound indulgent, if it weren't so hollow. "Eiswein… so impetuous. I cannot… cannot spare any more of my subjects… but I can spare you least of all. Not today… my dear." The Raveness' hand closes over Umeko's. It is gentle, but bony and cool to the touch, dry and scaly in a way different from Umeko's own. "Our salvation came… from ruin. From some of the swamp drained for farmland. Strange ruins beneath… Rephidim would have come for them, but… but the Wars began. My Lord, my husband, my love… he went forth to do battle. I wait for him now… hold the castle for him… " She seems to drift and grow distant.

"But is it truly salvation? It seems to eat at your people and even you," Umeko says to the old woman quietly.

Lilac's hand falls to her side, her ears splaying out. "But, why … ," she whispers, almost inaudible. Her one gambit exhausted, she steps forward to follow the two women, keeping her distance.

"The loss of an outsider does not impact the community," Umeko tries to answer to Lilac. "I am not one of you. My loss will have less … ripple."

The Raveness seems brought back to the here and now by Umeko's words, and she shakes her head again. "It does… for what we brought away was nothing." She chuckles again, leaning back as if reminiscing about summers past instead of this strange fate. "I understand spirits… you have to, to live and rule here. And there is that… about it. But it itself… absence… sometimes, sometimes you forget about it, even. But it can take away… take away anything. And so, it takes us away. And the dead cannot find us." She sighs, and swallows once, though her voice remains whisper-dry, and the large black wing bearing her scepter crooks around Kin, draping over her like a feathery cape.

"It hides you from those who would seek to destroy you, then," Umeko concludes as she tries to look to the odd blur. When the wing comes around her, she does not flee, nor fight. "But what is the cost?" she asks and looks to the withered woman.

"Takes things away … " An expression of dawning comprehension flits across Lilac's face at the thought. "Away, away … " She reaches up and touches her head, then gives the orb of nothing a worried look.

"Takes anything away… creates nothing. But that which contains it must be fed… for nothing is always hungry." The Raveness laughs a little at the absurdity of the sentence, and draws Umeko in close enough to hear it. The oppressive feeling of weight seems to grow on the Kiriga, but Lady Pieksvaldt continues. "It can take away anything… any quality… awareness, solid things, humanity or Korvality… and the nothingness left behind… that absence redefines things anew." She sighs, and Umeko feels a bit chilly now, and weaker. The blot on the pedestal seems to sharpen somewhat, less hazy.

Lilac, staring at the orb even though she can't rightly make it out, suddenly snaps her attention to Umeko. Her eyes widen – and then the bardess is hurrying forward. "Kinny!"

"Nnn," Umeko mutters and stumbles slightly, her body crouching over. Her slit eyes flicker and dilate as she tries to focus. After a quick head shake, she looks to the pedestal … and even holds her own hand up, looking at it. "This is … what is this?" she wonders.

The bardess finds her movement checked by Greyswand, clutching at her arm. "Riesling, what's gotten into you?" he insists, his face worried and his neck ruff puffed out.

"Let me go!" Lilac tries to jerk her arm away, using her free one to wave at the pedestal. "That thing, it's going to kill her! It'll kill us all! I've seen what it makes! Isn't it better to die for something than to fade away to nothing?" She struggles, then warns, "Don't make me … make me … show you what it can make!"

The hand that Umeko sees looks paler, the flesh between the scales lighter. It wavers a little, the Kiriga finding it a bit hard to focus, finding it hard to even hold her hand up now, and when the Raveness continues, she sounds distant, the echoing in the chamber seeming confusing and far away, though it doesn't even seem like Lady Pieksvaldt is talking to her anymore. "Even now… even now, this… it isn't enough. And our borders shrink. I must find a way to… to control it better. My Lord, my husband, my love… for him, and for us all." Umeko can feel her heartbeat slowing, her endothermic body seeming to give up on keeping its heat.

Umeko's eyelids start to droop as she can feel her body start to shut down and grow cold. Her hand shakes and then falls limply to her side. Awareness of the Raveness … Lilac… it all seems just … like they're not real. She finds it takes an amazing amount of will to even manage out a whisper, "Sometimes things end, Raveness. Sometimes we must let go. I am sorry."

Lilac's fearful, innocent face suddenly changes as she jerks her arm away from the Korv that holds her. Surprise plays to her advantage, and she frees her hand. "I'm coming Kinny," she yells, even as she drops into the trance-like state that's required for her to abandon her human form and take on that of the beast. She runs, her dress tearing and her legs stumbling as her body crackles and ripples, her flesh and bone changing as she hurls herself forward.

The chamber seems to stretch out as Lilac hurls herself forward, as if the Raveness and Umeko are at the end of a long tunnel, but even still she gets closer… running, running, almost there… something snaps at her heels… then something strikes her side, and looking back she sees… herself. Herself, except a little bigger, with shreds of Greyswand's tunic still clinging to it. Lilac is too fast, however. The Raveness and Umeko get closer and closer, and Margaret herself looks up, those sunken eyes distant even as Lilac closes in.

---

Sunlight stings the eyes even behind closed lids. It streams in from the windows of the Governess' stronghold over the large, bowl-like bed. Blankets that had been piled in the bowl have been flung over the edge, but at least most of the pillows remain.

"Well … that answers much. Perhaps I was right," Umeko mutters in a muffled and slow voice. Her body feels like ice to her. It probably doesn't feel much warmer to the human laying across her. Her hand shakily reaches and comes to rest on Lilac's arm. The warmth from that feels good, even as her body struggles to generate warmth anew.

When touched, Lilac's eyes bolt open, and her lips pull back into a vicious snarl, ill-fitting her thin, frail looking human face. She lifts her arms, as if she were trying to grab something, but catches only air. "Kinny!" The scream echoes through the room, a shriek, her hands clawing at the empty air.

"Not so loud… " Umeko whispers, "You'll wake everyone. I'm here… Cold, but here."

"Wha- … why … ahh?" Lilac looks around, finally spotting Umeko, and reaching out to hold on to her. "Oh, gods! You're okay! I … I had a terrible dream!"

"You don't have … well, it does feel good," Umeko has to admit when the human reaches out to her. Stiffly, she pushes herself upright, saying, "You had a dream of the Raveness, her court, and how she tried to protect her people."

"I dreamed of … Wait," Lilac blinks, looking perplexed, although she continues to hold on to Umeko as with an almost painful grip. "Wait, how do you know that? How do you … You were in it! I mean, you were in it, but you were … in it too? Weren't you? You saw it? The blackness and … and her?"

"I almost faded in her embrace so that you would have your answer," Umeko offers as her answer to Lilac's question. "And you shifted, Dame Riesling, to save me. I remember hearing that. I could not see it, but the sound was unmistakable."

Lilac lays her ears back, shifting to rest her head in Umeko's lap, and letting her go. "I saw you fade," she explains, sounding pained. "I know I said I'd let you try, but I couldn't let it happen. I couldn't just watch while you turned pale, and the life f-faded from your eyes. It was Dragonfly, all over again!" She looks up, frowning. "I couldn't … I ran as fast as I can and … I saw … me … No! I saw Greyswand! Greyswand was chasing me, as … as a beast! But I was faster, and I closed and … she … she looked at me and … I woke up."

"Umeko?" comes a voice from outside, and then Xander pokes his head into the room. "Did you get any sleep fin-" he starts to ask, then his ears just shoot up straight at the sight of the two women.

"I think I was partially right. I think Eiswein died by that Greyswand's hand," Umeko mutters wearily and looking very disheveled. Her head sways so she can look at Xander and blink a few times. "I didn't get much sleep," she answers.

"Errr, and Lilac?" the Lapi asks.

Lilac frowns at Xander's abrupt appearance, but turns her attention back to Umeko quickly. "I was worried about what she said," the bardess confides, "about that which holds the nothing needing to be fed. I think I hold the same … curse, or power, or whatever it is the Korvs do … and that means some of the nothing is in me. I think it's Eiswein's, but I don't know why I have it. I was worried it'd … devour you. If that was all in my, or her memory, then maybe the nothingness in me was … was hungry."

"Lilac saved me from being devoured," Umeko tells Xander and tries to wave him over., "So I do not think she got much sleep either." To Lilac, she says, "I do not think that nothingness is part of you. But, this does make me wonder … if she and her court still exist. I think that power allows them to exist outside the world and they only fade in for a time when they need to get more to feed it… "

"So… we all dreamt about getting eaten?" Xander asks, looking unnerved.

"I did get eaten," Umeko notes and holds up a shaky hand. "Now please, come over here, Xander… "

"I don't know," Lilac admits. "But that … that thing answers so many questions, just by existing – even if it shouldn't! I don't remember how I became this way. I think that's why. It takes away, and from the nothingness it creates anew … " She looks at her hands, wiggling her fingers as if she could see the absence.

Xander carefully comes over to the side of the bed, not wanting to touch Lilac and freak her out.

Umeko reaches up and grabs onto the waist of Xander's clothing. "Make me warm," she nearly pleads. "Being devoured by nothing is very cold."

The Lapi's fur stands up at the cold touch, and climbs onto the bed behind her. He wraps his arms around the Kiriga and just presses up against her, while looking over her shoulder at Lilac.

Lilac wiggles her fingers a moment more, then rubs at her throat. "Maybe … she killed her," she muses. "If Greyswand is equal, then what would the Raveness be? What comes from someone that filled with emptiness? What could it make." She shivers, thought not because she's cold.

"I do not think the Raveness could have killed her," Umeko notes as she seems to melt against Xander. "Her touch did not have that strength."

Once he's settled into place, Xander starts chanting a cantrip to warm himself (and Umeko and maybe even Lilac) up a bit.

"It sounds like Lilac has begun to remember what happened to her?" Xander asks quietly.

"What happened to a woman named Eiswein Riesling, actually," Umeko mutters. "Unless perhaps Lilac really is Eiswein and 'Lilac' is just the dream… "

"Maybe she was conserving her energy? Why did she care so much about me – I mean, Eiswein? She said 'not today,' and … Oh, I don't know! Maybe she was just sad? And, Eiswein would have … have died right in front of her." Lilac sighs heavily, letting her head fall back. She reaches up to take Umeko's hand, then places it on her head, leaving it there.