Morning sunlight rouses the occupants of the small cabin, although Arkold, Tulani and Alptraum seem to take their time waking up. There is as yet no sign of Mrs. Doom, and Lilith has already gotten one of her maps unfolded to the section of Sylvania they currently occupy. Ravenia is still a bit groggy – perhaps she isn't a morning person when left to her own proclivities.
Alptraum swings about on the rafters slowly, walking his way over so he can peer over the maps, upside down. Not to mention he finds it gives him nice, er, views, in general. "You're up early," he comments to Lilith.
Arkold sits up, pauses, then seems to remember he's last nights pillow. The wolf reaches over to shake Ravenia's shoulder to wake her. "Time to get up Raven, no rush though," he whispers.
Tulani stands from the bed and stretches carefully, leaning back until she feels a satisfying pop between her wings, yawns and then mumbles, "Good Morning." Turning to Arkold and Ravenia, she offers them each a hand up off the floor.
Brushing some white Jupani hairs off of her clothes, Raven also checks her own shoulders and hair for drool, just in case. "I was so tired, I barely noticed the floor," she mutters, as she takes Tulani's hand.
The wolf takes Tulani's other hand and helps Ravenia stand as he gets up. "Y'get used to the floor in my profession. I think I stopped expectin' a good bed some ten, fifteen years ago," he remarks.
"Us Eeee don't have to have beds," Alptraum remarks and grins.
Lilith looks up at the hanging bat overhead, and smiles. "Oh, just checking for roads and such," she reports, then points to the map. "I think we're just south of Gormless, which should be the village you saw before. If we go east along this road, here, we'll run into Vagrant in the Walking Woods."
The Sphynx chuckles to herself as the two get up, and she gives Ravenia a hand in brushing herself off, replying, "I'll take the floor next time." Smiling she walks over to where Lilith has unfolded a map.
"You need to sleep on something soft though, Tulani," Raven chides. "Until your shoulder is fully healed at least."
"Gormless," repeats Arkold with a bit of a laugh. When Raven suggests Tulani sleep on something soft he thumbs himself, volunteering.
Alptraum peers at the map. "We should make fast pace to Vagrant. We can try to get transport there to improve our travel times," he notes, then reaches down to tickle Lilith's eartips. "And come to think of it, we could all use some new clothing. We look rather ragtag."
Laughing at at the wolf's motion, Tulani walks over and prods Arkold good-naturedly on the shoulder as if emphasizing the point, but simply chuckles and says, "Don't worry Ravenia, my shoulders not that bad and being stiff in the morning isn't the worst thing I could volunteer myself for."
Lilith looks around at the group. Arkold's clothes were recently washed, at least, and the stuff they put together for Tulani mostly fits. "If we look too well dressed though, we'll be bandit bait," she points out.
"Ragtag is pretty common for Sylvania so far Bats," the wolf says. He shrugs, then works his shoulders a bit. "I'd suggest a coach if we can get a good price. We can hide in it for one, carry stuff with it for another, and sleep in it if we have to. Then later we can sell it in Draco County."
"I'm not saying well dressed, just, eh. Never mind," Alptraum grouses, then releases his feet, flips, and lands upright near Lilith.
The Sphynx comments on the subject of clothing, "I'll be happy to just have a shirt that will fit my wings and not just be built for an Eeee's frame, no offense." She finishes by smiling at Lilith and Alptraum.
Arkold eyes Tulani's shirt. "It's a little tight eh? I think it looks good, but that's me."
Ravenia nods. "I like the open-vest look myself, but on Tulani it doesn't quite seem right."
Tulani gives the wolf another good-natured punch on the shoulder at his comment, rolling her eyes.
"Bah, you dirty old dog, the wing slits are too large, too," Alptraum remarks with a smirk. "Eeee wings attach down much of the back, hers don't."
"I suppose we can only hope Vagrant has what we need," Lilith says, refolding the map to show just the necessary part. "I've never been to it, or even heard of it before."
"I don't think I have either. And I traveled a lot as a kid here, you realize. At least, I don't remember going there," Alptraum notes, then shrugs.
Arkold rubs his shoulder with mock ache. "Hey don'cha know to treat your elders better? Heh, heh." He winks at Alptraum in response to the dirty dog remark, then tells Lilith, "It doesn't sound promisin'. It sounds like they'd be worse off than we are."
"You shouldn't read much into the names of towns in Sylvania," Lilith notes, starting to pack her things. "Most people have forgotten the original sounds and meanings for them, so when things get written down, they go with things that sound similar."
"And you'd be surprised that some are rather nice. I remember passing through towns in decent shape when I was with the caravan," Alptraum adds, then starts getting together their belongings. "So, shall we get moving? Or should we wait to bid farewell to Mrs. Doom?"
"We'd probably see her outside," Lilith guesses.
"Well, the best we can do is wait and see when we get there," the Sphynx says, nodding as she listens to the two Eeees' comments, and begins to help gather their items together.
"Hey, Arkold, stick your head out and see what happens to it?" Alptraum then says to Arkold, grinning.
"I don' know about that. I mean I've been to, wut, Worms which is full of the dead, this forest which is dead-on, that castle which had an old enemy… " Arkold argues, counting them off on a hand. He shakes his head and begins walking for the door.
"Worms was fun," Alptraum reminds Arkold.
The insides of Tulani's ear turn slightly pink as she smiles and agrees with Alptraum, chuckling, "Yes, quite fun."
Peering through the door, it isn't hard to spot Mrs. Doom. The wood nymph is standing knee-deep in a large pile of compost, facing the rising sun with her arms outstretched.
"Mornin' Miss Doom," Arkold calls out to the nymph. He pokes his head out more, waves, then adds, "Looks like we're headin' out soon."
The wooden woman turns her head slowly and nods to Arkold, seeming only half-awake.
Alptraum glances toward Ravenia, then Tulani, then just grins. "Anyway, we shouldn't dawdle," he remarks and finishes getting the items he was carrying back together. "How far does Vagrant look from here, Lilith?"
Consulting the map again, Lilith says, "Well, the legend says it should be about ten miles… but the note next to the name says it could be up to twenty."
Arkold steps back in to the room and gestures at the door. "Looks like she's gettin' her mornin' sun. I don't think we ought to bother 'er, so we better jus' head on," he suggests.
"That's a long trip. We could push it in one day, I bet. Maybe two," Alptraum notes, considering. He then nods to Arkold and says, "Right. Let's make her bed back, then get moving. We shouldn't leave a mess."
Tulani was already in the process of fixing the bed she had slept in that night, picking up a packed bundle afterwards, and giving a 'ready to go' look around the room.
The wolf suddenly blinks at Lilith's comment. "Eh? Ten or twenty? That's – wait you said the Walkin' Wood? It's not actually, y'know, walkin' around with a town in tow is it?"
Lilith just shrugs to Arkold in reply.
The Disenchanted Forest is a bit grouchy in the morning, and at nearly every step the travelers suffer complaints about being too noisy, or having big feet, or being dressed funny by their mothers. Eventually the tirades fade out, though, as they reach the 'road', which turns out to be little more than some mostly-overgrown wagon ruts going roughly east to west. But the occupied village is well to their backs, at least, and the way ahead leads through normal looking forest.
Lilith nudges Alptraum, and says, "It's your turn to hunt, by the way."
Alptraum flicks his ears around a lot as they travel, listening to the goings-on. He then blinks and turns to Lilith, then nods, "Ah, right, sure. So, do you folks want to wait while I hunt?"
"Speakin' of huntin' I really ought to learn how to do that in a way that isn't related to noble recreation. Ever try and fire a flintlock on the surface? Don't. Ever," comments Arkold as he peers up and down the road. To Alptraum he replies, "You can find us as we walk right? We'd better get movin'."
"True. I could hear you from a mile away," Alptraum says and nods to Arkold. He offers the gear he's carrying to the wolf as well. "It's easier to hunt without junk."
"I can go a little further before needing to rest," Ravenia says. The woman didn't exactly have cross-country walking shoes in her wardrobe.
Tulani scratches the back of her neck, her eyes scanning the road ahead, "Arkold's right, we should keep going." As Alptraum begins to pass off his stuff she takes a few items from Arkold, "Here, I can handle a bit more."
Arkold slips some of Alptraum's stuff over his shoulder, the rest he lets Tulani handle. "We can keep goin' until we have to stop then. If necessary I can carry you farther, Raven. I jus' don' want to be caught on the road so close to Gormless," he says.
"Well, if I don't get back in an hour or so, something may have happened. Keep moving, anyway. You don't really have time to go looking for me," Alptraum notes, then nods to both Tulani and Arkold. He stretches out, wings and all, pops his fingers, then rolls his jaw lightly, fangs glinting. "Yeah, Arkold really fears the lack of gorm."
Lilith nods in agreement. "Besides, all Alptraum has to do is send out some Eeee chirps, and I can guide him back to us easily enough."
The Sphynx smirks slightly at the idea of carrying Raven, noting, "Well, let's keep moving then." She watches down the road as she walks.
"All of you better behave," Alptraum remarks, then slips off the road and into the wilderness. In a few minutes, he's out of sight.
The added weight doesn't seem to slow Arkold down and, if anything, he looks stronger than he did when he started this journey with Tulani.
Moving off to the northeast, Alptraum notices the change before the others do from the road: the underbrush thins out quickly, and soon vanishes entirely, until there is only soil and trees. The Eeee also comes across a young, but still hefty, lone boar rooting around at the base of a tree.
Alptraum crouches down and rubs his chin, considering. "Well, well … I think I'll try something here, heh. Let's see if the dagger works with boars," he murmurs quietly to himself and unsheathes the blood-bladed dagger. "Maybe it'll keep ol' Kaira from complaining at me, too." He slinks around slowly, trying to position himself directly behind it.
Holding the dagger, Alptraum can sense the presence of a loaded 'chamber' with souls ready to be transferred. The boar is too preoccupied to notice he's being stalked, and the wind hasn't shifted to betray the Eeee's scent as yet.
Alptraum's eyes narrow and he pushes off towards the boar quickly, using his wings to glide-lengthen his steps. His left hand dips, ready to grab one of the boar's ears, so he can strike with his right and the dagger.
The boar lifts its head and squeals as talons grab into its ear, and the dagger plunges in between its ribs. Alptraum feels the link opened between the blade and the beast, and can begin the transfer…
The erstwhile Barsunala manages to transfer six souls before the boar explodes. The blast staggers Alptraum, but doesn't knock him out (although a sharp rib does brush past his left ear). The noise is loud enough to be heard from the road.
"Woah, that sounded like an explosion. You don' hear things like that on Sinai – not very often. Where did that come from Lil?" Arkold asks, ears perked.
Alptraum curses and falls backward. "Alright, so that works badly when hunting for food," he grouses, now on his backside. He puts the knife away, muttering, "Okay, I guess I have to find something else."
The Sphynx continues to scan the road ahead, and though her sense of hearing is not that of Lilith or Alptraum, her ears do flick occasionally. She blinks at the noise of an explosion and turns to look off in the direction she thinks it came from.
Lilith turns to the left and points, "Over there." The underbrush is all but gone at this point, so that only the trees block any direct view.
Alptraum gets back up and heads off again, looking for something else … and won't knife it this time. Heh.
Bits of burnt pork begin to rain down on Alptraum.
Arkold turns and squints in that direction. "Whatever it is I'm thinkin' we should get far away from it. For one it was loud enough to get more attention than just ours, second whatever is exploding things is probably no' somethin' we should mess with right now," he suggests.
And the Eeee makes a face at the pig rain. "Well, some scavenger will be happy later," he grouses.
Tulani has the look of being in complete agreement with Arkold, and although she pauses briefly in step, she soon continues walking, though glancing back occasionally.
In the aftermath of the blast, the forest is amazingly silent, as anything with ears is either running away or hiding. Hunting is a bit fruitless for the time being.
Worried, Lilith sends out several ultrasonic calls to see if Alptraum replies.
Alptraum pauses, ears flicking at the sound. He looks back in the direction of the call and replies a few short bursts.
"Well, Alptraum is still alive," Lilith reports, moving on down the road. "So whatever that blast was didn't get him."
As luck would have it, Alptraum finds a pair of bushy-tailed tree-lizards that must have been stunned by the blast in mid-jump between trees. They clearly knocked themselves out when they hit their target tree with less than perfect accuracy.
Alptraum promptly grabs each and snaps their necks. "Well, the boar would have been better. I wasn't expecting it to explode like that," he mutters. He tucks them into his belt-sash, and pauses to realize just how backwoods he looks like that. He shrugs, then heads back towards the road, in the direction he had heard the chirps.
"What happened out there?" Lilith asks once Alptraum comes into view. "We heard an explo – why are you covered in bits of bacon?"
"I have learned that the dagger makes things explode. And I do mean, explode," Alptraum remarks drolly. "But, I found replacements anyway. More lizard things, but it'll do."
Arkold eyes Alptraum, then sniffs in his direction … and then reaches over and picks a burnt bacon bit off his shoulder and eats it. "Hey pretty tasty," he comments.
The Sphynx arches an eyebrow and smirks at Alptraum's new look… complete with bacon and two lizards. Reaching out, she picks one of the pieces of pork from the fold of his shirt and eats it as Arkold does the same.
"Ha ha," Alptraum grouses and pulls one of the lizards from his sash and offers it to Lilith.
Ravenia seems hesitant to try the bacon. "How does it taste?" she asks Tulani. "And now I suppose Alptraum really does need some new clothes."
"I'll wash them later tonight," Alptraum grumbles.
"I used to have one of these as a pet," Lilith comments, but bites into the animal without any hesitation.
Smiling at Ravenia the Sphynx replies with a trace of humor in her voice, "Well, it's certainly well cooked."
Alptraum winces, then nods, "Sorry." Still, he takes his lizard out and bites into it as well.
"It's good," Arkold volunteers as he takes another bacon bit off the walking bat platter. "Hopefully that stunt didn't draw the army. I'll be blunt: I figure it will. They might be mounted so be prepared for company."
"Then lets keep moving," Alptraum notes after he releases his critter. "Or perhaps I should go airborne. That way they can't scent follow."
Picking off another couple of bacon pieces herself Tulani offers them to Ravenia, "Not bad, but a little burnt."
Ravenia tries them. "Hmmm, bacon in little bits… I wonder if it'll ever catch on?" she muses, as the group picks up their pace.
By late afternoon, there hasn't been any sign of pursuit. Or of much else… whatever fauna inhabit the woods clearly remain up in the treetops, since there isn't much of anything on the forest floor. This changes somewhat abruptly though, as the tired group steps out into a large, unexpected clearing. A good-sized pond sits in the center of the clearing, and is actually surrounded by grass. The clearing even extends out into the woods along several wide lanes, where no trees take root.
"Good, a pond. I really need a bath. I reek," Alptraum remarks. His ears flick, though, listening intently. Something about this feels wrong.
"Well that was sudden", the Sphynx comments, noting the abrupt change in the layout of the land and glancing around the area curiously before following Lilith to the pond.
"It seems quiet for a watering hole," Lilith comments, but nonetheless tastes the water. "I think it's a spring, from the taste."
"I guess we better be on guard then – more than usual, eh," Arkold says. He puts down a majority of the supplies he's been carrying and limbers his sword in case he needs to draw it quickly.
"It's too quiet, and too clear. This seems … wrong," Alptraum remarks suspiciously. Slowly, he starts slipping his shirt off to clean the smell out of it.
Ravenia sits in the grass and removes her boots, airing out her toes and rubbing at her sore feet. "So, you don't think it'd be safe to camp here?" she asks the group in general.
Alptraum dips his shirt into the pond, then glances to Arkold. "My gut tells me no, but Arkold is the expert," he says.
"I'd agree, but, eh, I don't have a clear reason as to why. Alptraum's right: this place is strange. Eh. Maybe we'd better try and find out why, an' if we can't find anythin' we can take a vote later," the wolf suggests.
At Alptraum's comments on the feeling of the place, Tulani looks around a bit more suspiciously before setting down the items she carried, then walking over to one of the lanes leading out into the woods before turning back to the clearing.
Alptraum pauses. "Vibration," he replies and starts wading back out of the water. "Lilith, ear to the ground. Do you hear/feel it?" he says, looking wary.
"I thought that was my muscles twitching," Ravenia says, as she places her hands flat on the ground. Lilith also kneels down and feels the ground. "Yeah," she replies. "It's too low to hear, but I can feel it. I think it's getting stronger too."
Tulani vaguely hears the mention of vibration as she turns, walking back to the where the others sit, then kneeling down herself and querying, "What? I wonder what it is? "
Arkold doesn't put his ear to the ground. Instead he begins slowly turning around in an effort to locate the source of the vibration. "Can any of you tell where it's comin' from?" he asks.
Alptraum, now a bit soggy, goes to the gear. "Everyone up and gear up. We need to be ready to move," the Eeee says. He ties his shirt around his waist instead of putting it on. "And as for low sounds, Arkold, no, we can't. Low sound doesn't seem to ever have direction."
Lilith looks around without taking her hands from the ground. "Maybe from the air?" she suggests.
In the midst of the conversation, the Sphynx quickly grabs her bundles off the ground, and gets ready to move, slowly turning and looking off into the woods.
"Tulani, Raven, and I can grab the gear and hide somewhere – or be ready to run if that's not workin'. Lil and you Bats, you two better see what's up," suggests Arkold. He stops searching long enough to pick up what he put down.
Aside from the rustling of the leaves in the trees, nothing unusual seems to be happening in the surrounding woods.
Alptraum nods and spreads his wings. A short jog, and the Eeee takes off. He climbs quickly, echo-scanning.
Ravenia quickly puts her boots back on, and hurries after Arkold and Tulani. In the air Lilith flies a pattern that mirrors Alptraum's, then squeaks out, "To the south, in the cleared lane!"
Alptraum banks and angles himself southward, focusing his ears that way as well.
The rumbling is quite audible now, and a cloud of dust can be seen to the south, moving towards the clearing. Shapes are little more than shadows in the dust, but whatever is raising the dust must be nearly as tall as the surrounding trees.
Arkold looks around for a moment, then points towards the trees. "The bats look like they found somethin'. I suggest we head in the opposite direction there," he points to the forest wall, "an' hide."
"As long as I don't have to climb a tree!" Raven says, then scoots towards the treeline.
Tulani nods, looking into the distance southward before quickly turning and trotting off in the opposite direction, following after Raven.
"Good Gods," Alptraum remarks, eyes wide. He looks to Lilith, then looks around for the others. "Stay airborne or go to the others?" Alptraum calls over to Lilith. "I think at least one of us should stay up and keep an eye on whatever those are, in case others come from different directions."
"I'll go down then," Lilith says. "If we have to run, you'll be able to find me," she explains, and dives down towards the trees.
"Agreed," Alptraum says, then climbs a bit higher. He then takes up a circling pattern, ears alert and eyes scanning.
Arkold follows and helps the other two hide themselves convincingly in the brush.
Lilith has plenty of time to join up with the others on the ground, back behind the trees, before the dust cloud reaches the clearing. Once it hits the grassy verge, the cloud begins to break up, and what appear at first glance to be giant, six-legged tortoises burst through to surround the pond. A second glance reveals them to be not animals, but creatures made of wood. Each broad back is flat, with a railing going around it, and has a small building in the center. From this building sprout wide canopies of branches, shading the creatures. From above, unmoving, they'd appear to be just another part of the forest. Atop each beaked head rides a teenaged-looking human – albeit humans with green hair and leaves and vines for clothing, when they wear any. Their skin is the same tanned brown as the wood of the tortoise-trees.
Alptraum's curiosity gets the better of him. The Eeee starts going down and calls out to them, "Ah, hello? I come in peace! I hope you don't mind me stopping here?"
The wooden leviathans jostle for position around the pond, the larger ones pushing through to dip their beaks into the water first, while their riders whoop and yelp and slide off into the pond. The smallest of the herd sports a small building no larger than an outhouse on its back, and tries to weave its way between the larger ones.
A few of the people still riding look up and wave to Alptraum, all smiles and happiness.
The Sphynx just stares for a moment from her position hidden in the brush behind the treeline, blinking, and wondering what in the world the huge turtle-like creatures could be, mumbling very softly to herself, "Well I guess that explains the 'walking woods'."
"And why the town is called 'Vagrant' too," Lilith says to the Sphynx.
"I don't think we'll find clothes here," Ravenia adds in, sounding a bit shocked. "But… at least they have… something like coaches… "
Alptraum continues on down, alighting on the land (not a creature), and folds his wings in. "My friends and I are passing through," he says, then waves towards the bushes. "Could we perhaps get some lodging for the evening?"
"Ha! I knew it. I'm gettin' the hang of this Sylvania," Arkold declares in triumph. Then he leans forward and gets a better look. "'Ey, nice taste in clothes."
"Friends?" asks one of the female nymphs (for she looks just like a younger, fleshier version of Mrs. Doom). "Are they as cute as you?"
"Cuter!" calls a distinctly Arkold-sounding voice from the woods.
As Alptraum lands and begins addressing the people, Tulani edges out from her hidden position in he treeline, staring up at the nearest of the turtle-like creatures.
Alptraum laughs at that. "Well, I'd say a couple are. One's just old," he remarks, grinning. "And that would be him commenting on your clothing."
Having had their fill of water, some of the larger creatures pull back from the pond, letting others take their place. They move off a ways, then fold their legs under themselves to settle to the ground. The leader, a large three-bedroom cottage carrier, let's out a booming bellow before lying down.
With the chaos of arrival settling down, more of the nymphs turn their attention to the strangers, and come forward to surround them. "I like the winged one with the tail," announces one of the males, which – like the girls – are all identical looking. "You can use my cabin," offers another to Lilith. "It's the coziest!" "No way, mine is the coziest!" The nymphets tend to hang together and giggle coyly as they point to Arkold's muscles.
"This is a much better adventure experience than most," Arkold says, sounding most pleased. He also just happens to pick up, and put down, then pick up – repeat – his heavy load as he talks, turning to the nymphs and asking them half-interested questions about clothing.
Alptraum, well, he just makes a face. "Figures," he comments, then rolls his eyes. "If space is a problem, I'll just camp out under the stars," he notes. "May we at put our supplies somewhere? Ravenia is pretty tired, and I'm sure Tulani is too. We can talk afterward."
Tulani scratches the back of her neck and arches an eyebrow at the comment about herself, smiling in a friendly, but not too friendly manner. Looking more interested to some extent in the wooden creatures the Nymphs ride, she walks over to one and cocks her head as she looks at it, agreeing with Alptraum's statement, "Yes, we wouldn't want to be a bother."
The last of the big tortoise-trees settles down, apparently taking root for the night. Only the little riderless outhouse tortoise still moves, sipping at the pond and then wailing quietly at the sky.
"You can keep your things in my cottage," offers one of the nymphets, sidling up to Alptraum and rubbing against him deliberately. "I'll only ask for a few drops from you. Not even a cupful."
Alptraum's brow goes up. "Er, pardon? Drops of what?" he asks warily.
"Why, blood of course," the nymph says, smiling prettily. "For our trees. Unless you have some other kind of fertilizing fluid you'd like to offer?"
Arkold tries very hard not to grin any wider. It looks like it might break his face.
Alptraum laughs. "You know, it's not often a vampire gets asked that," he notes. He considers that, then glances to the others.
Ravenia looks a bit pale at the prospect… which in her case amounts to looking a little grayer. She keeps clear of the polite male nymphs, which turn their offers immediately towards Lilith.
Tulani moves closer to one of the resting building carriers, and reaches out to touch the side of it, before looking up at the Nymphs' mention of wanting blood or something else as a resting price, looking like she's suppressing laughter.
Alptraum glances worriedly towards Raven. "I'll stay with you outside, if you want, Raven," he says. "I … I can understand if you don't want to offer that."
Something butts Tulani in the back, but not roughly. The walking outhouse tortoise is there behind her.
"For what it's worth I'll stay with ya too, Raven, I'm jus' a bit, heh, surprised, an' maybe a little interested," Arkold tells the dark woman.
The Sphynx lets out a soft eep and quickly turns, smiling softly as she sees the littlest carrier standing behind her. Reaching out she rubs a hand under its beak commenting, "Aww, feeling lonely little one?"
Most of the girls (and some of the men) pout at the idea of sleeping outside. One of the men approaches Tulani, and says, "That's just Goolie. He's been shrinking ever since his mistress was taken away by a wizard. We don't know why he hasn't just given up and taken root in the forest yet."
Alptraum considers, then offers, "Or, if it helps, I'll cover Raven's cost too. She's been through enough."
"Good call Bats. I, too, will help the cause," volunteers Arkold.
"You must camp here in the village at least," the nymph next to Alptraum says. "It will be safer, and our trees won't move again until later in the morning. Some of us don't mind keeping you company, for a bit of fertilizer."
"Oh really? Poor thing… " the Sphynx comments as she looks up at the Nymph, then back at the carrier sympathetically, rubbing a bit more on the side of its beak. She pauses and looks like she's thinking for a moment before a sudden bright look breaks across her face. "I think I know where his mistress is." She calls out to Alptraum, "Hey! I think this little one might be Mrs. Doom's."
"Do you think this is some sort of competition, Arkold?" Alptraum asks, sounding actually annoyed. He just shakes his head and sighs. His attention then turns to Tulani and he says, "Really? We should tell the creature how to find her, then. She wasn't too happy either. Maybe re-uniting them would do them both good."
Arkold just shrugs, then wanders off to talk with disappointed nymphs instead.
"Goolie's mistress would have to return to the woods for them to reunite," the Nymph next to Tulani explains. "Our trees can't leave these woods. We had thought Gloriana to have withered by now, so far from home."
Looking over to the Nymph as he explains things to her, the Sphynx replies in a sad tone, "No, she's still alive, but trapped in a very rude forest at the moment."
Alptraum draws in a breath and looks back to the nymphet. "Really, I think Tulani needs a bed here, as she's still recovering. Myself, I can make do either way. Raven, well, do what you can for her too. I'm sure we can manage covering for them, anyway," he says, then looks for Lilith, wondering what she'll pick.
"I was actually thinking of sleeping outside myself," Tulani replies to Alptraum, looking at the small carrier sadly, as it really looks lonely. "But I guess you're right if I ever want my shoulder to heal. But I can pay for myself in blood Alptraum, don't worry about that."
"You really don't need any more wounds, Tulani, but your call," Alptraum replies with a nod.
The Sphynx throws up her hands in mild exasperation, rolling her eyes and retorting, "It's not like I'm going to fall apart Alptraum, but if you really insist, be my guest."
"Not at all. I'm just stating my opinion. It's your call," Alptraum remarks. "If you feel you can handle it, then go for it."
"Oh, it doesn't have to be blood," Tulani's Nymph says.
Alptraum smirks, then notes, "Are you suggesting a chamberpot donation?"
"Well, that would be acceptable for the tree," the Nymph explains. "If Tulani would like to thank me personally though, there are more enjoyable ways." The Nymphets giggle.
Alptraum just stifles a laugh.
Lilith and Raven exchanges glances, then look to see what Alptraum does. They're pretty sure what Arkold is going to do, after all.
The Sphynx actually seems to be considering this for a moment before she suddenly frowns and stamps one of her feet, turning to call out to the wolf who had wandered off, "Drat you Arkold! You're rubbing off on me!" Abruptly she turns to the nymph and whispers in a very quiet voice, "Well… if you promise to be careful with my wing… " The insides of her ears turn pink.
Ravenia clears her throat, and asks Alptraum, "How many rooms do you think you could get us, Alptraum?" She's obviously quite amused.
Alptraum, thankful to have Eeee ears, catches the comment from Tulani. Still, he doesn't say anything about Tulani's choice. He then glances at Ravenia and says simply, "It depends on how much blood it costs per room. If it costs more than just blood, I'm not sure if I'm really in the mood for that right now. I think I want to just sit outside and play some music for a while, in all honesty."
The mention of music brings forth a chorus of 'oos' and 'ahs' from the Nymphs, which crowd around even closer. "That's better than fertilizer!" the one clinging to the Eeee's side claims. "If you give us music, you can stay in our cabins for free."
Alptraum lets out a short laugh, then just rubs his temples. "Yes, I can. Well, if you like recorder music, anyway," he remarks, then digs into a small bag at his side to retrieve his handmade recorder. "Please, just see to my friends' needs and I'll try to entertain you this evening for as long as I can manage."
Tulani walks over to Alptraum herself, perfectly happy to listen to him play some music as well before going to rest, though not quite as enthusiastic about it as the Nymphs.
