Methuselah turned in early, and was quite an easy guest to deal with … though Eve's presence in the castle got Nene so wound up and excited that it was a minor miracle just getting the kitten to go to sleep. But no ghosties or ghoulies decided to pop out and make the night more difficult, and, perhaps to Willow's relief, Methuselah did not pass away during the night, but rather got up bright and early, along with his faithful – if seemingly devoid of personality – servant, Yoshua.

Bromthen bacon, cageroot syrup, flatcakes, fruity preserves … the smells of breakfast intermingle with the scents of the flowers as they waft in through the windows that have been thrown open to let in the full glory of a spring morning in southeastern Kroz.

From the kitchen, someone pulls a rope, causing bells to jangle in the bedrooms. The voice of a male black Khatta – no, not a Kurai – calls out, "Breakfast is served! Good morning, guests of Castle Dack!"

"Five more min – WHA?" comes a Skreek yell from upstairs, followed by a flurry of splashing water, rustling cloth, and a other scrambling sounds until a couple of minutes later a freshly washed but still dilapidated looking Willow jogs downstairs.

Several minutes after that, the rat is followed by a somewhat groggy looking black Khatta. Instead of the regal attire he wore the night previous, he is now dressed in a simple brown shirt and trousers. "*MYAWN!* Blugh… is it morning already?"

In the kitchen, Sebazhan Dack, a tall and well-groomed black Khatta, brings out a plate of steaming flatcakes, holding them in thick mitts and protecting his pressed shirt with an apron that would probably look unbefitting on supposed nobility. Already seated at the table are Eve, Methuselah, and Yoshua.

Nene would be seated, but she's over next to Eve, busily giving the white feline her life story in run-on sentences. Eve is wearing another travel dress, this one sky blue with embroidered floral trim. A matching bonnet lies on an end-table nearby. Nene wears a red dress that can't be all that old, but shows signs of considerable use (and careful mending) that only a kitten could put it through.

Willow taps Sebazhan on the nose before easing herself into a seat. "You're half shadow when you want to be. Star save us should the Princess ever be as sneaky as you." She winks and then smiles at the gathering. "Good morning, everyone. Did you all sleep well?"

Sebazhan grins despite any effort to keep a serious and business-like expression, and sets down the plate, along with the other breakfast offerings for the family and guests.

Jynx scoots a chair out by Eve, and takes a set at the breakfast table. He smiles to Willow. "It was much better than sleeping in that train of my sister's, that's for sure."

Methuselah nods, smiling faintly.

The faintest whisper of a disappointed frown crosses Eve's face, but she positively beams as she looks back to Willow. "It's a fabulous place you have here!" She pauses to take in a deep breath of the air wafting in from the garden. "I wish I could take it home with me!"

Once everyone's seated, Sebazhan sets out some more utensils and napkins, then finds himself a spot. "Well … here, let us give thanks, and then we can, as I believe they are fond of saying in Rephidim, 'dig in'." With that, he clasps his hands together and bows his head, and gives a quick blessing over the food and thanks to the Star for the bounty that the principality of Dack has enjoyed, and the blessings of many friends to stop by and partake of their hospitality. That said, he closes the prayer with an "Amen", and looks up again.

Nene echoes loudly, "AMEN!"

"Amen," the Skreek says with a grin. "And thank you. Personally, I wouldn't mind having a bit of Sylvania here in Kroz either … That railroad would come in handy if I ever wanted to visit Misty or Prince Kiri."

The black furred member of the sibling duo arches a brow as he begins to fill up his plate. "Is that so? Well, that could possibly be arranged. It's part of why we're here."

Eve smiles faintly. "I'm afraid we'll have to work on the long way around, though. Gallis isn't exactly … " She sighs, shrugs, and finishes her sentence by pouring a bit of redberry syrup on her flatcake, cutting off a piece with a fork, and then daintily nibbling on it.

Yoshua goes through a ritual of taking items of food, splitting them in half, putting part on Methuselah's plate and part on his own, and taking a bite of everything before Methuselah starts eating. Sebazhan, watching this out of the corner of his eye, frowns ever so slightly, and one eyebrow – hard to see against his black-furred face – furrows ever so slightly.

Willow frowns and nods her head. "I understand. I've had enough dealings with Gallis to not like it very much … not even the mongrels. It's probably best that you go around. Gallis isn't safe unless you're a poodle." She smirks at something. "I wonder if they ever replaced Suprier le Chien… "

Eve chews a bit on a piece of flatcake, swallows, dabs ather mouth with a kerchief, then mews, "Suprier … who?"

Jynx smirks a bit as well. "But that doesn't mean we can't speed up the process a bit. Even if we have to steer clear of Gallis, there's no reason this region couldn't have its own railroad."

Eve nods, smiling. "Yes! I think it'd be lovely!"

Eve ponders a bit, then adds, "Though, with all the mountains, it would be a considerable undertaking… "

"Suprier le Chien, he ran mongrel town back when I worked the airships. We … had a clash, but I've not been back there to know whatever became of it. I'd rather not go into the details in polite company and over dinner." Willow smiles again. "A railroad would be nice, but I don't know if it would be profitable … and the mountains are more of a bother than you know. We border Bosch after all."

Eve nods. "Yes … we made certain to keep our distance from there. Bosch is a problem on the fringes of Sylvania as well, after all."

Methuselah straightens a little, and signs, "This Bosch, place of magic … do you know why this exists in your land?"

"Yes, but if a safe route can be found, then we – huh?" Jynx stops, and turns to look at the cheetah. "Come again?"

"I think the great wizards have something to do with it. There's supposedly some really powerful human wizards in Bosch. One of them by the name of Kroz is responsible for a lot of the quirks about the people in these lands." Willow sips at a glass of milk and glances at the Prince.

Sebazhan nods. "There are many legends about this land, and I've learned even more over recent years. One of them is that a powerful wizard by the name of Kroz came from Bosch, to the north. He was a human – or at least, so he was once upon a time, before the magic of Bosch warped him. It is believed he was one of several human wizards who created the madness in Bosch in the first place, resulting in the warping of the land and of their own bodies."

Jynx takes a bite out of his flatcake, and follows it up with a swig of milk. "We had a few wizards like that in Sylvania too; it kept our land full of wild magic for years, but I don't know if there were any Bosch connections."

Sebazhan continues, "This is why, it is said, that so much of Bosch is full of things that are caricatures of human features. Imps and goblins look like strange parodies of humans. Even the land itself may sport shapes that suggest human faces. Somehow, the will of the wizards was forced upon the land, twisting it into their own image, in a strange and broken way. This wizard, Kroz, wished to impose his image upon our land."

Sebazhan says, "You may have heard that Kroz – our nation – is divided into eight Principalities, ruled by eight Princes. I am one of those Princes, from a line of Princes, and I am a Khatta. Naochi, Stalto and Cobalt are ruled by Skreeks. Diamante is ruled by a family of Cervani. How can we all be princes of the same kingdom, many wonder?"

The Skreek shrugs a bit. "I don't know specifics, but something about Bosch keeps the creatures in there from coming out for too long. Kroz himself had to go back … which isn't a bad thing, considering all the problems he caused. Still, imps come down from time to time. The magic fluctuates now and again."

Prince Dack nods. "Yes, when the magic builds up, the imps get further out … and it especially troubles the northern Principalities. Dack and Naochi have long worked together to keep the imps at bay, in the mountains to the north."

Methuselah nods. "But this Bosch is a product of men, then, not something of nature?"

"It might be both, although I'm sure it's more man than nature." The Skreek spears one of the flatcakes from the serving plate.

Jynx nods. "That's the way it seems. I imagine it would all turn back to normal if it wasn't influenced in some way by the mages there."

Eve nods, too. "There, I guess Bosch has powerful wizards. In Sylvania, we had 'Necromancers', who ruined the land. Our family was forced to flee, and only recently have we gone back … and the land is a long way from recovering. The Gallisians aren't helping." She frowns.

In spite of himself, the black cat smirks at his sister, "I see you've been studying up."

Eve smiles, blushing faintly. "Well … let me clarify … actually, our ancestors fled Sylvania. My dear old aunt Alysin Kurai is the one who passed my title on to me, and she was the last of our family to still be living in Sylvania. Our mother and father live in Rephidim. Our father is quite a respectable businessman."

"And she left the castle to me," adds Jynx. "When we arrived, the Necromancer's influence was still present, but my friends and I were able to heal the land."

Methuselah nods. "I pray that some day, good men and women may be able to put things right, so that all your lands may flourish again."

"They're getting better little by little," Willow says between bites. "I think the people in Kroz are happy. We may be backwoods folk, but we don't need much either. You should visit Diamante in your travels; they follow the Star as well. Even had the books before I even knew you could get them here on Sinai."

Methuselah nods. "They are most generous in their hospitality. I have been to their lands."

Jynx grimaces with a nod. "We've been doing much better aswell, but once again a lot of our success depends on what the Gallisians do. If they have their way, all of our people will soon be wearing ridiculous hats and eating baguettes."

Eve covers her muzzle quickly with one hand, making a snorting noise, and then scrambling for her kerchief. A muffled giggle can be heard. Once she recovers, she protests, "Feli!" with a tone of mock-indignation defused by her obvious smile.

"You've been to Diamante? I hope Mother Diamante looked well." The Skreek chuckles at the Count. "I think you would look most regal in a large hat, Lord Feli."

Methuselah frowns faintly. "The good Mother Diamante, I fear, may be shorter for this life than myself … but the Light shines brightly in her eyes nonetheless."

The black Khatta brother grins a bit sheepishly, but perkshis ears up at the ensuing conversation.

Methuselah's frown fades a bit, replaced by a faint smile. "I pray that she may see grandchildren."

"She … she's earned the rest. I'll miss her like the blazes, but since she's not sad about it I won't be either." Willow gestures to the black kitten. "Mother Diamante had a daughter who was born one day before me. She was almost a sister to me, which is what made me decide to name my daughter after the two people who were like sisters."

Methuselah nods. "I was not aware. I had assumed that Prince Diamante was an only child."

"She … died, when she was sixteen. Mother Diamante doesn't like talking about it." Willow coughs into her napkin. "I stayed in her room when I visited them. It's sort of how I accidentally found out I was part of this whole odd family."

Jynx blinks at the rat, looking at her with a confused expression. "Part of the family? Of a deer family?"

Sebazhan smiles. "Not exactly. But … if you believe certain legends, the Princes are distantly related to each other. Not by natural bloodlines, though … but through magic."

"This has to do with that wizard again?" asks Jynx. "Kroz?"

The Skreek nods. "It's how Prince Dack and I were able to have a child even though by Sinai rules, such a thing wouldn't be possible. Just the children tend to favor the looks of the father."

Sebazhan grins. "Supposedly, my heritage makes me a Kattha. But as you no doubt know, a Kattha should have digitigrade legs. I do not. So I might as well be called a Khatta. According to legend, the wizard Kroz came to this place, and took the peoples he found here and made them more 'in his image'. They became part of his bloodline, even though they were many different species."

"Typical arrogant wizard, trying to be a god," Willow adds. "There's one in every country's history – even one in the family, unfortunately."

Sebazhan frowns at this, nodding faintly.

"So you're not a Khatta like Eve and I?" The black Khatta blinks. "Could you have children with a non-Krozite?" Jynx nods with a frown to Willow. "We've had a few wizards in our family as well."

Nene finishes cleaning her plate. "DONE!" she announces sothat everyone who didn't notice her scarfing down all her food will know all the same.

Sebazhan smiles to Nene, then nods to Jynx. "Yes, I could … but one peculiarity of my family is that every child born to my line is born a black Khatta, whether the mother is a brown Khatta, a Siamese, a Kattha … or a Skreek." He smirks, then reaches over and scritches Nene's ears. "The red hair is new, though."

Eve mews, "Nene has beautiful hair!"

"I used to be a redhead." Willow smirks to herself, twisting a lock of black hair around a finger. "I think it suits her."

Jynx grins, looking down at Nene. "Nothing wrong with the fur color as far as I'm concerned." He winks at the kitten.

Nene hops out of her chair. "I'm all done! Let's see da garden!" She tugs on Eve's sleeve.

Eve makes a faint squeak of surprise, and stuffs a few more bits in her mouth, and washes them down with a glass of milk, then smiles. "Oh yes, I did say we'd go do that, didn't I?"

"Nene, don't eat my sugarfir sprouts. Remember that." The Skreek sips from her glass again.

Eve giggles. "Sugarfir? Oh yes! Feli, I brought along some packets of those flowers that those nice Aelfin … oh, you never met them. I met them in Chronotopia. The red, purple and blue flowers… Oop! I'm being dragged away!"

Nene giggles even more, leading the white Khatta off toward the garden. "I'll be good, Mama!"

Jynx waves off after the duo. "Have fun! We'll see you two in a bit!" As they leave, he turns back to his plate, and chuckles. "Like two peas in a pod."

Methuselah touches his mouth with a napkin, then carefully folds it and sets it aside. "I shall be preparing to leave soon. It is time to be heading back home."

Jynx's smile thins as the old cheetah finishes up. "Leaving already?"

"I think Eve's met her match, actually." The Skreek grins after the two departing Khattas and then focuses on the table again. "I hope you found what you were hoping to find while you were here."

Methuselah's face-fur wrinkles a bit as he smiles to Jynx. "I am in no great hurry, but I have friends who will be waiting for me." He nods to Willow. "Yes, I have found far more than I expected, and much better than I was told."

Methuselah frowns slightly. "May the Star grant that the times are not so dark that my own testimony will not bear sufficient weight."

The black Khatta looks at the Savanite curiously. "It feels like we've hardly talked at all."

"You sound almost like a judge, or a witness at a trial." The Skreek's ears drop. "What were you told?"

Methuselah pauses, then signs, "I was told that this was a place of darkness and not merely of ignorance, but of the worst kinds of blasphemy and hatred of the Light. True, there are such things, but they can be found in many places."

Jynx furrows his brow, sitting back in his chair. "Who told you this? Sounds like they don't care for our region."

Methuselah regards Jynx for a moment, then signs, "No. They do not."

Sebazhan gives a "what's going on here?" glance over in Willow's direction.

"Can I go with you when you leave?" Willow blurts out, folding her hands in her lap. She glances at Sebazhan, looks up at the ceiling and then shakes her head.

The visiting Khatta does a double take, peering at the Skreek in disbelief. "Go with him?"

Methuselah looks back to Willow. "I am wondering if you realize what you ask," he signs. "My journey will take me far."

"I've been as high up in the sky as Abaddon and as deep into Sinai as the underground ocean." She rubs her sleeve. "If we're being judged, shouldn't we have a chance to speak for ourselves?" Her hands flash out. "Or sign? You were brought here for a purpose … brought to me for a purpose. I don't think it was just to observe or speak. I want to help."

Methuselah looks at Willow seriously. "My people are proud and forever angry, and the journey to return to them would take you far away from this place, and I cannot sign when you would be able to return."

The Skreek looks over to Sebazhan and swallows. "Would my testimony do any good? If you are who I think you are, I may have spoken to one of you before, or at least had the Priest-Queen pass a message onto your leader. If you are of the same people, I know the anger I would be up against, but I also know it's something that could cause great harm to this land if not turned away. I'd rather try to do it with my testimony and my signs instead of by having to battle the fires I was promised."

Jynx keeps quiet, watching the conversation as his tail twitches in thought and his brow furrows deeper.

Sebazhan's eyebrows raise, and he furls one hand into a loose fist, which he rests his chin on, in a "thinker" pose. His eyebrow flicks as Methuselah, ever so briefly, seems to smile faintly, about the time that Willow signs "your leader" … but the smile seems short-lived, replaced by a vaguely sad expression, and Sebazhan's own expression, consciously or not, mirrors it.

Methuselah signs, "It would be dishonest of me to wave off your suggestion. Your testimony might well make a difference. But I do not know how much hearts have been hardened. Still … there is hope."

Sebazhan looks to Willow. "Would it help … if I came, too? Wherever this is you're going? And what of Nene? I can make arrangements, to take care of things while we're away … but I don't want Nene to be without her mother."

Finally, Jynx decides to join the conversation. "So… there are people out there that would like to harm our lands and people? This… 'leader' you speak of?"

Methuselah signs, "You are good people, and it does us no good to sign in riddles here. Your assumptions are correct, Lady Dack."

"Sir, I am an expert on hardened hearts." Willow looks over to Sebazhan and places her hand on his. "You're … not what I expected. I was expecting fire and false gods… " She looks up to Jynx. "The false star I spoke of, the one that Jade-Eyes follows."

"Jade-Eyes? Third-Vision's sister?" Jynx arches a brow. "When did she come to think of us as enemies? We've been nothing but friends to her people for years."

Methuselah signs, "This 'false star' you speak of … is the one who hopes to take my place. Rumors spread among the people that I have already died, and his power is such that many of our colonies hear only what he has to say."

"He wishes to add this world to our empire," Methuselah signs. "He wishes to have it because it holds the secrets of the Ancients. He already holds some of their power, but he wants more. I am not such a slow learner that I have not heard the lesson of this world's history many times. The power this world offers … is a power that corrupts."

Yoshua shows the most emotion he has so far, by giving Methuselah a questioning look, but he receives only a sideways glance from the elder, and resumes his blank, "at guard" posture.

Sebazhan looks as if he's trying to follow the signs, but he's still not quite fluent in it just yet … and the obscurity of the subject matter doesn't seem to be helping him, judging from the quizzical expression on his face.

"He's lying to Jade-Eyes, Lord Feli. Making her think he is the true Star, and is being further encouraged by the Twelve. Third-Vision had the tabernacle used to speak with it declared a forbidden place, but the Twelve coaxed her into disobeying the decree." Willow sighs. "Methuselah, maybe … maybe all this work I've done in the Savan was the Star's way of training me for this? If I do nothing, then all might as well be lost. I'd rather try and fail then having never even tried anything at all."

Methuselah nods. "It is your world. For me to deny you a chance to speak for your people would make me no better than the others."

Willow nods and pats Sebazhan's hand. "If I and my daughter come with you and we run afoul of your people's anger, can arrangements be made to keep my daughter safe? My husband is right in that we shouldn't be separated, but I don't want to feel as though I'm walking into a battlefield with a baby in my arms either. In all honesty, I don't know what to expect at all… "

Jynx's head dips in thought, mulling over Willows words. After a brief moment of silence, he nods his head, and looks back up to the others. "In that case, I wish to go as well. I've worked too much to have it all demolished by some power hungry heretic." He sighs, "and besides that, I love our world too much."

Methuselah looks to Jynx, then inclines his head, and signs, "Many sad things have happened to my land, and my influence is not as great as it may have once been … but our people still have honor. I give you my word, you will be protected."

"Feli, make sure it's what you want to do. We still need someone to speak with Jade-Eyes. The 'star' will probably lie to her even further, and I'm not welcome in the City of Hands anymore. And make sure that your lands won't suffer in your absence either." The Skreek chews on her lip.

"I'm more or less a figurehead in my lands anymore; I'm sure they can get along without me," says Jynx, "and I wish to protect our lands in any way possible. Do you plan on confronting Jade-Eyes as well?"

Sebazhan smirks. "Well, I hope I'm not exactly a figurehead … but the imps have let off, and crop-planting is going just fine without me looking over the farmers' shoulders."

"Without proof, I'm just another heretic, and the Twelve managed to convince Jade-Eyes that the only proof I found was a lie. Unfortunately I'm not very good at fighting mages." The Skreek taps on her plate with a fork.

"If you would rather I speak with Jade-Eyes," continues Jynx, "I could possibly arrange that. I don't know that I'd do much better, but it would give you less baggage on your journey."

Methuselah signs, "Let it be your choice, whichever you do. I am not concerned about 'baggage', but do realize that our journey may be long, and may keep you away from this world for some time."

"The decision should ultimately be yours. I don't mind the company, but I also worry a great deal about the Queen's spiritual health. Then again… with the first negative word, she might throw you out as well. Do you think you'd do better speaking your story with us or helping here on Sinai?" She rubs her nose.

The dark furred Khatta's tail twitches for a bit, once again in thought. "Do you think Jade-Eyes is still salvageable? We need only one ambassador it seems, and perhaps I can change her. Her people are almost as much my people anymore."

"She loves the Star, which means she still has a heart … but she loves the wrong one." Willow looks at her hand and frowns. "It's the Twelve you need to worry about. I think they're trying to resurrect the old days of the Priest-King. Twilight-Wing might be a good ally if you can talk him into action … but this is a battle about faith. If you succeed in the action and lose the faith, then you've lost it all. I can give you a ring that will let everyoneknow you're one of my friends, and Moon-Brow also gave me a ring that should give you access to a weapon. Third-Vision's ring should work as well, but I'd rather have my token of her with me on this trip."

Jynx nods. "In that case, I'll stay behind. I already have many friends in the City as it is, but any help would be greatly appreciated." He grins. "Maybe I'll get to hunt some Bromthen hogs like in the old days." He rubs his side absentmindedly as he says this.

Methuselah signs, "I can tarry a while longer, so that you can make whatever preparations are necessary."

Sebazhan drums the fingers of one hand on his head, counting and recounting points on the fingers of his other hand. "I suppose I'd best not waste what time we have."

"Sebazhan?" Willow's voice quavers slightly. Whatever question she's asking she's not completely voicing it, although there's a certain urgency in her tone.

Sebazhan breaks out of his train of thought, looking up to Willow. "Yes, dear?"The Prince gets a look at Willow's face, and then his own expression softens into a smile, if a slightly uneasy one. "Just thinking about what to pack, dear."

Sebazhan then lets out a breath. "Whew! I leave the Principality for a few days, then come back and … " He laughs. "I keep telling myself I need to travel more often. So … just how far away are we going?"

Jynx grins. "I know the feeling."

The Skreek manages a smile of her own and nods, looking back to Methuselah. "Is there anything I need to be prepared for? Will I need to cover my face or avoid speaking?" She wilts a little at Sebazhan's words. "I … think we're going father out than Abaddon."

Methuselah signs, "The practice of covering one's face is a tradition unique to Abaddon … save for the sect known as the 'Order of Humility'. A veil would be appropriate during our stop on Abaddon, out of deference to the local population, but it will not be needed once we leave the Primus System."

Sebazhan's jaw drops. "My apologies, but … Did he just sign … ?"

The other Khatta's jaw nearly drops as well. "Out of the … Primus System?"

"Just like the wall in the City said. The Savanites really do come from another star." The Skreek rocks back and forth in her chair.

Methuselah nods. "The Gate has not yet been reconstructed, of course, so the Greatships of the People are unable to come here yet. But I made some special arrangements with a faithful band of the … Ah, your sign for them is 'Titanians'. They have an Ethership that will give us transport back to Zion."

Jynx grimaces. "The Titanians, you say?" He turns to Willow, "You might want to bring some survival gear."

Methuselah's face crinkles. "They are sometimes too enthusiastic, but they are for the most part well behaved."

"I've dealt with Titanians as well, although this makes me wish I'd picked up Hammersong when I had the chance now." She slaps a hand on her forehead. "I'm waiting to pass out any minute now, or find out I drank some bad milk."

"'Desperate times call for desperate measures,' the Humans say," signs the old cheetah.

Willow nods. "Do you think they'll listen to me at all?"

"They do?" Jynx scratches his head. "Those creatures are strange. At least you won't have to deal with them while you're away."

"For now, we can only hope and pray," signs the old cheetah. "For now … I think I shall do just that. If you do not mind, I think I should like to see this garden that your daughter speaks so highly of. It sounds … peaceful."

"I should probably let you in on what I know about Jade-Eyes." Willow pulls herself from her chair and puts a hand on Jynx's shoulder. "And also tell you about the Mission in Safar. They'll help you."

Jynx smiles, and gets up, patting Willow's hand. "You probably should. It's been a while. And while we're at it," he takes a long breath through his nose, "we can finish off the eats in the kitchen!"