Envoy looks at the forced-perspective architecture with a slight feeling of dread, and turns to her companion at the gate. "Thanks for coming along, Francisco. This place makes me nervous."

The kitsune smiles a little and nods back to Envoy. "No problem," he says, then looks at the building exterior again. "I see what you mean, though. It is a kinda creepy place."

The Aeolun takes a deep breath and opens the gate, heading for the doors of the Asylum. "I wonder if the Sphynxes represent anything."

The doors of the Asylum are tall and narrow … large enough to get through comfortably, but tall enough to let even Cervanis through without troubling their antlers. The doors, at present, are closed, and a sign to one side says, "Solicitors will be eaten." Actually, it looks as if it once said "prosecuted", but someone has scratched out the old word and scratched the new one in, and nobody seems to have bothered repairing the prank. Much about this place looks like it could use some repair.

Francisco simply shrugs in reply to Envoy's question, and looks about for a doorbell or knocker.

"Maybe we just open the door?" Envoy suggests. "Knocking might upset the residents."

The house, alas, is not equipped with the modern convenience of a doorbell – an oversight that plagues every house Francisco has seen so far in Rephidim.

Envoy tries the latch to see if the door is locked.

The door is not locked, and opens easily and creakily.

Francisco chuckles a little to himself in slight amusement. This world seems to be full of little cliches like noisy doors on spooky buildings.

Envoy jumps slightly at Francisco's chuckle, then pokes her head into the open doorway and quietly says, "Hello?"

"Ladies first?" Francisco offers.

The main room sports a staircase leading up, as well as several doorways leading off into friendly-looking padded cells. A voice comes from up the stairs, in a heavy accent, but still understandable as, "Hello! Welcome to the Moth Ethley Athylum!"

Stepping inside, Envoy holds the door for Francisco.

The Kitsune steps through the door, and looks over to Aeolun. "I'm sure that someone will be down to greet us in person in a minute or two."

A tall black bat with thick glasses, a powder-blue suit, white cape and a gentleman's hat strides down the stairway. Unlike most bats, he seems to be growing a bit of a beard, though it's well-trimmed. "Ith thewe any one you have come to thee?"

Envoy nods, and smiles to the Eeee. "Yes, we were hoping to see Kame Ikata, the artist. Is he still here?"

The bat shakes his head. "Alath, the gweat Kame Ikata met hith fate in a fawaway land, aftew ethcaping fwom the Houthe fow the Dithtuwbed in Thpiwit fowah the latht time. Though legend thayth that hith GHOTHT woamth the Old Themetawy evewy night."

"His ghoth… umm… ghost?" Envoy asks. "About what time at night does it show up?"

The bat shrugs. "It ith only a legend. But thuppothedly it hauntth the groundth between hewe and the Embathy – Fowah, you thee, the Embathy wath onthe whewe hith mathtew kept him until he became … dithtuwbed."

Envoy whispers aside to Francisco, "I saw Kame alive only a year ago. Do legends normally form this quickly?"

The bat shrugs again. "Well, itth a popular thtory with the guethtth here."

"I guess it's possible," Francisco offers. "After all, this is the local looney-bin, so it's probably more like someone made up the story here."

The bat smirks.

Envoy seems to accept both explanations. "I don't suppose he left anything behind before he… departed?" she asks the bat. She tries to pay attention to the Eeee's muzzle as well, to see if he has fangs or not.

It's hard to tell if the Eeee has fangs. His beard, although well-trimmed, still manages to cover his mouth somewhat. "He left thevewal paintingth, but thothe have all been thold. Hith mathtew made quite thome money off of them onthe Kame wath gone … but then hith mathtew died in the Waw of the Plaquebwingewth, tho it didn't do him much good. Now hith ethtate ith the pwopewty of the Temple. Ekthept fow the houthe that they gave to the Babelite Embathy, of couwthe."

Envoy nods. "Did he have any friends here?"

The gray fox rubs his head a little. Trying to make sense of some of this is giving him a headache.

"Yeth, many fwiendth," the bat responds. "He wath quite good at ethcaping, and many of hith fellow guethtth were fond of joining him in hith awtithtic ekthcuwthionth. Ethpethially Thdwawkcab the Thkreek."

Envoy's ears perk up. "I don't suppose this Sdrawkcab is still around?"

"He'th in the back, ath uthual," the bat says. "Jutht lithten fow the thound of a bell."

"Thank you, Doctor… um," Envoy looks at the Eeee, hoping he'll introduce himself.

The bat smiles and bows. "Doctow Nawwow, at youw thewvithe."

Envoy returns the bow. "I am called Envoy, and my friend here is Mage Francisco. This Sdrawkcab isn't dangerous is he?"

Francisco bows also as his name is mentioned, and grumps a little to himself as he tries to sort the robe out after he straightens back up.

The doctor replies, "Good to meet you, Envoy and Fwanthithco. No, Thdwawkcab thhould be no twouble, tho long ath you do not thtawtle him."

"What would startle him?" Envoy asks. She can't help but wonder if multi-tailed foxes or hybrid unicorns would upset a disturbed Skreek.

The bat ponders this, then says, "I haven't theen him thtawtled yet. He thpendth a lot of time in the Themetawy."

Envoy hmms. "At night?"

"Yeth," the bat says. "He ith not thuppothed to be out, of couwthe, but we awe thhowt on guawdth."

"Don't you lock the rooms?" Francisco asks.

"Yeth … but they thtill get out," the bat sighs.

Envoy wonders how many of the stories about strange happenings at night in the Cemetary are the result of nocturnal escapees taking strolls.

"Thank you for your time, Dr. Narrow," Envoy smiles, and bows again. "I think I have enough information to proceed from here."

"Feel free to ekthplowe the Houthe," the bat says. "If you need anything, jutht athk."

Envoy blinks in surprise, never thinking she'd hear the words 'feel free to explore… ' on this world. It takes her a moment or two to recover. "Thank you again, Doctor."

The doctor bows. The house is open before Envoy and Francisco, with hallways leading off in different directions. The padded cells are either closed and locked (and apparently an exception to the invitation to "explore freely"), or else open and quite empty. Stairs lead to the upper level, where noises can be heard from the "guests", and service rooms (kitchen, supplies, washroom, etc.) are toward the back. Some medical rooms are off to the south, and some other rooms to the north, while this main area seems to be some sort of lounge/lobby that isn't seeing any use right now, aside from the two visitors.

"What do you think, Francisco," Envoy asks her companion. "Should I try to find this Sdrawkcab now, or follow him when he sneaks out at night?"

Francisco says, "To be honest, I'd prefer if we found him now. I've got no strong urge to go traipsing around the cemetary while it's dark."

Envoy nods, and listens for the sound of a bell down one of the hallways.

*ding* It would seem to be coming from the back, through the kitchen.

Envoy points towards the service area entry, "I hear something that way." She heads towards the kitchen.

"I hear it too, yeah," replies the fox, and follows after her.

Through the kitchen, which is occupied by a few Savanite slaves making stew, and at last to the back porch, the Skreek is at last discovered … hanging upside down from a clothesline, in which he is most securely bound up. His arms are tied up, and his eyes are covered with a blindfold, but his two hands are free, with just enough movement to hold a little bell and a ringer. *ding*

Envoy purses her lips, unsure if the Skreek is doing the laundry, perfecting an escape-artist act, or practicing some form of yoga. "Sdrawkcab?"

Francisco whispers to Envoy, "Well, I don't think he's Houdini." He grins a little at that.

"Sgniteerg," slurs the Skreek. *ding*

Envoy blinks at Francisco, "Who is Houdini?" The odd greeting catches her attention before the Kitsune can answer though.

The Aeolun squats down to bring her head level to the Skreek's. "Are you the one that has seen Kame Ikata's ghost?"

"Gnihton ees I. Drayevarg eht stnuah Ataki Emak," burbles the Skreek. *ding*

Envoy is tempted to remove the blindfold but restrains herself once she realizes the Skreek is speaking backwards.

Envoy says, "If you haven't seen the ghost," Envoy asks, "and since Kame is… or was… a Savanite, how do you know he haunts the graveyard?"

"Esuoh sih ni llewd ohw esoht ot eow!" howls the Skreek. "Mih rof evael I sgnireffo eht stae eh."

Francisco, who still hasn't realised what is being said, asks Envoy, "What's he saying? I don't speak Skreek… "

Envoy says, "Neither does he. He's speaking Standard … backwards. So far, he says Kame's ghost has been eating the offerings he leaves for him, and that those in the Embassy are in for some woe."

"What sort of offerings do you leave for the ghost," Envoy asks the Skreek. "And did you help him create the Aeonian portrait on the ground near his former house?"

Francisco oohs, at Envoy, and nods.

"Oga gnol taht edam eh. Sgub dna sburg mih evael I," the Skreek calmly burbles.

Envoy thinks to herself, The Eeee sentries might be eating the offerings instead of a ghost. Out loud, she says, "Thank you, Sdrawkcab. Please say hello to Kame for me if you run into him again. He probably doesn't know my name though."

"Ylniatrec," sputters the Skreek, and he frowns toothily … though this looks something like a smile from this perspective.

Envoy stands up and brushes off her knees. "We can go now, I think, Francisco."

The Kitsune nods silently to Envoy again, and turns to leave.

Envoy decides to 'stake out' the Aeonian statue one of these nights, to see whether there really is a ghost or not. At least the Asylum didn't turn out to be the frightening place she feared it would be…