Fleeing the smoke, steam and noise while two Titanians hammer away at the Duchess' motor-carriage, Tulani and Arkold have joined the young Khatta woman at a table within the Blackshire Inn. The black-furred Eeee has also come inside, and now leans against the counter while watching the trio with glowing red eyes through rectangular spectacles. A matronly Jupani in a blowsy white dress and dark corset approaches the table and says, "Good evening, Duchess – and travelers. Welcome to my humble Inn! How may I serve you?"

"I'd like a warm milk, Madame Garou!" the Duchess says, then turns her eyes on her table-guests. "What would you like?"

Turning toward the Duchess, and inclining her head politely, Tulani requests a mug of ale, before looking over to Arkold.

"A tall ale and a tall woman, ha!" answers Arkold with a wink at the serving woman. He then flashes the table a faintly trained smile and chuckles somewhat uncomfortably. Oddly, perhaps, he avoids the Duchess's gaze when he can help it.

As the Jupani woman leaves to fill their orders, the Duchess gives Arkold a thoughtful look, then returns to her usual smiling countenance and asks, "So, what brings you to Blackshire? I'm Eve Kurai, the Duchess of Blackshire." She removes the driving goggles and leather helmet from her head as she introduces herself, although it doesn't make her look particularly Duchess-like.

Watching the wolf's behavior a bit worriedly, the Sylvanian Sphynx seems about to ask him something before thinking better of it for the moment and turning to the Duchess. "Nice to meet you Duchess. I'm Tulani, and this is my friend Arkold."

"Uh, yeah. Duchess Kurai. Duchess Eve Kurai, huh? Yeah, uh, we're here on a bit of a quest you might say. Lookin' for an' old piece of a puzzle really. Yeah. Thought it might be here," answers the Jupani. He runs a hand through his hair as he leans back in his chair. When the Duchess distracts herself with pulling off her goggles he flicks his gaze over the woman consideringly. Hearing his name mentioned seems to cause him some distress and he splays his ears as he nods slowly. "Yeah, uh, Arkold," he confirms with deeper discomfort.

Tulani simply nods in affirmation to Arkold's words, placing a hand lightly on his arm, giving him what she hopes is a reassuring smile, and deciding not to ask about whatever's wrong at the moment.

"Oh, a quest?" Eve asks, clasping her hands together and opening her eyes even wider. "That must be exciting! My brother used to go on those all of the time. Say, Mr. Arkold, do you have a brother on Rephidim by any chance? Or maybe a sister? You remind me of someone… maybe an old babysitter, I'm not sure."

"Er," begins the wolf as he glances at Tulani, " … well, I have a brother. Uh. But I'm sure my face is a familiar sort. See people like me all the time. Hey, Tulani, tell her about the quest." He reaches over and pats Tulani's hand reassuringly – or perhaps urgently given the insistence of the motion.

Glancing briefly at Arkold, the Sylvanian Sphynx gets the hint. Turning quickly back to the Duchess, smiling brightly and saying, "Oh! Yes… our quest. Well, right now we're looking for something like a metal puzzle piece, we were told that it was last in the possession of Duke Phelix the First of Blackshire."

"Oh, then I guess you'll want to come to the castle," Eve says, as Madame Garou returns with the ales and milk. "Thank you!" the Duchess mews to the woman, then tells Tulani, "Ysnor is in charge of all of the Duke's old… stuff. It's not anything dangerous though, is it?"

Arkold turns to smile in welcome relief at the returning serving woman. He accepts his ale and takes a long swig of it before responding. "Only for fools who like to get themselves in danger," he answers the Duchess with a chuckle. "Can't be sayin' where it leads, though. Don' want anyone getting ideas."

Accepting her own ale and thanking the server, Tulani looks seriously at the Duchess, saying, "The puzzle piece, as far as we know, shouldn't be dangerous. We already have a few other pieces, which have caused us no real trouble at all."

"Well, I suppose it'll be – " Eve begins, but is interrupted by a shaggy young Titanian head thrusting through the window, barking, "Brakes no break now!"

"You mean that they will brake then, right Oops?" Eve turns to ask the lupine.

The older lupine twists around to the source of the shouting. "Brakes no break? Uh, I never was much for machinery," he admits.

Tulani just blinks in mild confusion.

The Titanian looks confused, and asks, "You want break? Uh-oh can break again… "

"I think someone's broken. Might be me actually, don' understand a word of this," remarks Arkold.

"No, I wanted the brakes fixed, so that they would brake properly," Eve explains, as if talking to a child. This causes Oops to whine a little.

Arkold just scratches his head and glances to Tulani, curious if he's the only one hearing this crazy-talk.

The Sylvanian Sphynx smiles sympathetically at the unhappy Titanian, quietly mouthing to Arkold, "You're not alone, I don't understand it either."

"I check with Uh-oh again!" the boy says, and vanishes. Once more, the sound of banging and ratcheting commences outside.

The wolf shrugs in silent agreement before he turns back to the Duchess. "I wouldn' have expected so much machinery out this way," he comments to her.

With a slightly exasperated expression, Eve explains, "Well, they're the sons of one of my railroad engineers, you see. They're really rather clever, in their own way… just not when it comes to actually talking. Anyway… what sort of puzzle is it? One that makes a picture or shape?"

"Why don' you jus' show 'er one of the pieces, eh, Tulani? Maybe she's seen it," suggests the older wolf.

Still blinking slightly, the Sylvanian Sphynx scratches her chin, smiling, before nodding to the wolf and pulling a shiny metal piece out of an inner pocket on her shirt. She holds it out to the Duchess.

The white Khatta takes the piece in her gloved hand, and examines it while sipping at her milk. "It looks familiar," she finally says before handing it back, "but doesn't resemble any sort of puzzle I've seen, certainly. It's all full of holes!"

"Well there are many kinds of puzzles, an' many ways to fill their holes," says Arkold vaguely. "The pieces'll fill in the holes, so to speak."

Now its Tulani's turn to look a little uncomfortable, not sure of how much to say, "Well, the holes are sort of part of the puzzle."

"Oh, I thought some sort of metal-eating bookworm had been at it," Eve says, looking a little embarrassed. It passes quickly though, and she's once again all smiles and pep as she asks, "Which of you would like to ride back to the castle with me on my motor-carriage? It's really fun!"

Tulani smiles a bit at the Duchess' question, and raises her hand, saying, "It doesn't look necessarily like the most pleasant way to travel, but I must say I'm curious about it!"

The young lady claps her hands again, and gushes, "Oh great, Tulani! Nobody ever wants to ride with me it seems!"

Arkold grins at this. "Uh, wouldn't want to spoil your fun Tulani! Knock yourself out. I'll hoof it."

Leaning back in her seat, Tulani smiles a bit sheepishly and comments to Arkold, "And I can fly, so I figure if I have to bail out I can."

The ride from town is certainly memorable, if not entirely comfortable. There were several times when potholes or rocks threatened to flip the strange vehicle over or expel its passengers – but the Duchess never appeared worried or affected by the jouncing ride. For Tulani, it was a constant effort to suppress her wing-spreading reflex and keep a firm grip on her seat, despite complaints from her tail.

Trailing behind the cloud of steam and exhaust, Arkold and the Titanian boys jogged along. The two boys – apparently brothers – spent most of the journey barking and hitting eachother playfully. By the time the lupines arrived at the courtyard, Eve and Tulani were waiting by the door.

The Sylvanian Sphynx stretches widely, looking at Arkold. Despite being jolted rather painfully on the ride over, it was nonetheless very interesting, and more than a bit exciting, which clearly shows in her eyes and the silly smile on her face, even as she works some of the more painful kinks out of her wings and tail.

Turning to the Duchess and still smiling, she says a little loudly, "That was Amazing! A bit uncomfortable, and rather frightening at times, but very interesting!"

Arkold walks up the way with one boy in a headlock and another attempting to pounce on him as the older wolf fends him off with one hand. "What can I say," he says as he spots Tulani waiting for him. "We wolves stick together! Heh, heh." Then he noogies Oops and gets tackled – or rather jumped upon since he barely moves – by the other boy.

"Isn't it though?" Eve replies, also with a slightly raised voice as her ears readjust after the noise of the engine.

The doors to the castle crack open at first, then are flung wide by a tall Titanian woman dressed in – of all things – a Gallisian maid's uniform. "Oops! Uh-oh! No hurt little man! No chew!" she bellows, before bowing to Eve and saying, "Welcome home, Duchess."

The two boys eventually untangle themselves from Arkold, but have a hard time looking properly chastised about it, with their big flopping tongues and wagging tails.

"Butterlump, could you fetch Ysnor?" Eve asks her maid. "These two visitors need his help finding something important."

The "little" wolf man straightens and releases Oops as he hears their mother call out to them. He straightens his head back with a hand, grinning and wagging like the boys. He doesn't look terribly repentant either.

"Yah, Duchess!" Butterlump agrees, and heads back into the castle, bellowing, "YSNOR! YSNOR!" at the top of her substantial lungs. Oops and Uh-oh head over to the motorcar, and start pushing it towards a relatively new looking carriage house.

Tulani just smiles at Arkold's antics, calling out to him, "Please at least try to behave yourself, would you?"

"Come on inside," Eve offers, smiling to Tulani and Arkold. "You can wait in the garden room for Ysnor, while I go and change."

Arkold gives the kids a wave before he proceeds over to Tulani and the Duchess. "Aw, c'mon, it's just innocent fun. But Saints, those boys could have carried me here. They're almost as strong as I am," he calls back to the Sphynx. "Go on inside. I'll be there when I get there."

A huge glass dome tops the central hall of the castle. At one end, two curving stairways rise up from a burbling fountain to a second level that occupies the other half of the dome, containing a gallery of statues and doors that lead to the private rooms of the castle – into one of which the Duchess vanishes, promising to be 'only a few moments' while she washes up and changes. At the base of a spiral staircase that leads up into the keep's tower, a black, hunchbacked Skreek all but grovels to the guests, his one good eye twinkling. "How may Ysnor serve exalted guests of the sweet and kind Duchess Eve?" he smarms.

Severely startled by Ysnor's behavior, Tulani manages to stammer, "N-nice to meet you Ysnor, my name's Tulani. Actually, I'm waiting for my friend to come in, we're looking for a small piece of metal, shaped sort of like a puzzle piece."

Entering a minute or so after Tulani is Arkold. He looks a bit ruffled-up and dirt-covered but he otherwise seems to have survived his time with the Titanians intact. "Nice place. Older style. Can't say I've seen its like before," he remarks on entering.

"Oh," the Skreek mutters, scratching at the side of his face (and dislodging a disturbing amount of dust). "Forgive poor Ysnor his ignorance!" he pleads. "But what does this puzzle creature look like? Many legs? Horns? Scales? Ysnor know many things with scales!"

Turning towards Arkold, Tulani motions him over, gesturing to the rat, "Ysnor, this is my friend Arkold." Pulling out a puzzle piece from her shirt and showing it to the rat, she says, "It's not a creature – it should look kind of like this."

The wolf grins when the Sphynx pulls out the puzzle piece. "Y'know, I was just about to suggest you do that," he says before turning to Ysnor and extending his hand. "Nice to meet'cha. Great place you have here."

The misshapen Skreek reflexively cowers from Arkold's extended hand, as he pleads, "Please Master, don't beat Ysnor!" Despite the plea, the rat is clearly peeking through his fingers with his good eye to see what the Jupani will do.

Tulani looks startled, and more than a little horrified at the Skreek's outburst. Frowning sympathetically, she touches Ysnor lightly on the shoulder and asks, "Are you alright?"

"Er." The wolf glances at Tulani with a confused expression before he reaches over and pats Ysnor's head. The displaced dust causes the wolf to cough as he says, "Really, it's … koff … jus' a friendly gesture. Shake o' the hands, see? Shake?" He offers his hand again.

With a sigh, Ysnor stands up from his crouch at the Sphynx's touch. "Forgive Ysnor, had hard life before new Count and Duchess come," he explains, and finally shakes Arkold's hand with his own pinkish-gray one. He then takes the puzzle piece to look over, holding it close to his good eye.

"Eh, it's understandable," offers Arkold sympathetically.

"Looks like piece of old cheese," Ysnor comments, his whiskers twitching in thought. "Ysnor remembers something like this… remembers… gave it to cook! For slicing cheese." He smiles proudly, showing that dental hygiene is not one of his talents. He hands the piece back to Tulani, and offers, "I show you kitchen, Mistress?"

The wolf nods eagerly, saying, "I'm all for seein' the kitchen, Tulani. I could use a bite to eat anyway. Runnin' that far works up a hunger."

Smiling happily, the Sphynx, takes back the puzzle piece, nodding, "Yes, it would be great if you could show us the kitchens!"

Ysnor shuffles down the stairs, leading the pair to a room behind the fountain. Inside the kitchen, the Titanian maid, Butterlump, is busily pounding away at a side of meat with a tenderizing mallet. The Skreek keeps just outside of the entrance, and gestures inside to Tulani and Arkold. "Kitchen, Masters."

"So it is. Hello, Butterlump!" Arkold gives the Titanian woman a wave before he shifts to lean against the doorframe.

WHAM WHAM WHAM goes the hammer a few more times, before the Titanian realizes she has company. "Ah, hello guesties! You hungry?" she asks, smiling widely.

Waiving to the Titanian woman along with the Jupani, Tulani holds out her puzzle piece, saying, "Hi! Butterlump, some food would be nice, but we're really looking for a piece of metal like this one. Ysnor said he gave one to you."

"Some food would be great, Butterlump," answers Arkold hopefully. "I'm starved. The woman 'ere made me run all the way up 'ere! I deserve a meal. Ha."

The maid takes the piece of metal between her thumb and forefinger, and holds it up to her nose to sniff it. "Oh, cheese-thingy! I not seen for long time now," she says, then turns and bangs on the stovetop of the kitchens iron oven. "SHADDUP!" she bellows.

One of the stove grates slides over, and the soot-covered head of a Titanian pup pokes up out of it. "Yah mom?" Shaddup asks.

"I heard Sylvani has some really good cheese. I could go for some cheese right now," considers Arkold aloud.

"Where dis thing at?" Butterlump asks her youngest son, holding the puzzle piece close to his nose. Ysnor chitters at the mention of cheese, but Shaddup just looks at the thing his mother is holding, and answers, "In your hand!"

"Oh, right!" Butterlump says, and offers the piece back to Tulani. "Here! This what you lookin' for? I make sandwiches for you now?"

Tulani shakes her head at Shaddup, chuckling slightly, and says, "No, not this piece. We're looking for an object like this one that was used to cut cheese."

Arkold just chuckles again, content it seems to let Tulani argue the problem on her own.

Selecting a giant butcher knife from the selection hanging on one wall, Butterlump begins to violently slice cheese and bread, causing Ysnor to flee back to the fountain. "Oh, dat udder one!" Shaddup yelps, seeming to understand. "Gave it to spotty!"

Scratching her head at the growing circle of people to see, the Sphynx nods and says, "Could you take us to Spotty? Please?"

The wolf man stops laughing when the cheese and bread get hacked to ribbons. He shifts uncomfortably before suggesting, "A Savanite, perhaps?"

The pup whimpers, and says, "Don't know where." At Arkold's suggestion though, he perks back up and nods vigorously, sprinkling oven-soot everywhere. "Yeah! Yeah! Savee… spotty! Tall, wit brown hair! And brown eyes! Can't miss! From the spotty village!"

"Gunna take us to the Savanite Village then, eh?" Arkold pushes off from the doorframe and prepares to follow. "Well, after the cheese and bread anyway."

"Dunno where!" Shaddup pleads, then vanishes back through the hole into the oven. "Down road," Butterlump says, and holds out two thick sandwiches full of cheese and cold meat.

Tulani pauses, thinking. "Yes, I had heard there was a Savanite village being set up here," she notes, and turns to the Titanian. She accepts a sandwich, taking a big bite and muttering a muffled 'thank you!'.

The Titanian woman practically shoves the other sandwich at Arkold. "Eat! Too skinny for growed up man!"

Smirking behind her sandwich, the Sylvanian Sphynx looks at the Jupani, and nods in time to the Titanians words.

Arkold steps forward to accept his sandwich only to stumble back when it's pressed into his hands. "Uh, hey! I'm no' a Titanian! I'm big for my ra-" he glances at the large butcher knife and the mutilated cheese as he stammers, " … ra-, er, yes ma'am. Thank you, missus!" He bows slightly as he steps back and then nods to Tulani to lead on.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," grumbles the wolf good-naturedly as he gestures Tulani out the door.

Tulani bows politely in thanks to the Butterlump, her mouth still packed with sandwich and exits the room.

Nodding in satisfaction, the maid goes back to pounding on meat, while Shaddup does whatever it is he's doing inside the oven. Ysnor waits by the fountain, smiling and bowing. "You find what you want, yes?" he asks.

Frowning a bit unhappily the Sylvanian Sphynx shakes her head, "No." Then smiling again, she says to the Skreek, "But we're pretty close. Do you know where the 'Spotty' village is?"

"Ned to fwind spwotty viewdge, an' spwotty. Bwown," the Jupani answers between bites of sandwich.

"Ah, you want Kurai Village?" Ysnor asks, smiling his garish smile. "Go to train station, and follow other road from there," he says, then looks up towards the glass dome. The afternoon is already growing late, from the way the edge of the domes shadow climbs the opposite wall.

Nodding happily to Ysnor, and giving him some heartfelt thanks, Tulani suddenly looks up in realization. She looks around, saying, "Do you know where the Duchess is? We really should thank her."

"Better hurry," Arkold notes to Tulani with a gesture towards the skylight with his sandwich. "S'gunna get night soon an' we still got a walk ahead."

After sniffing the air a few times, Ysnor answers, "Bubble bath, Ysnor thinks. The Count hates baths, but the Duchess enjoys them now. I can take her message if it pleases you, Masters."

"'Sides I'm sure the Duchess it busy. We shouldn't keep her, eh," adds the wolf.

Tulani smiles brightly to the rat, saying, "That would be wonderful of you Ysnor! Please thank her for us when she comes out, as we really should be going." She motions Arkold towards the door.

The Jupani begins towards the door when he suddenly pauses. "Hey I got a message for her," says Arkold, his expression suddenly growing somber. "Tell the Duchess: I'm sorry, and I hope to make it up to her. Soon, hopefully." Then he nods slowly as he considers his words. "Yeah, tell her that. She'll figure it out."

The Skreek nods to Arkold, and repeats the message to himself several times to memorize it.

"Ysnor wishes you good luck!" the hunchbacked Skreek offers as he rushes ahead to open the main doors for the pair. "Ah, you know hand-speech, yes?"

Tulani stops on the way out, pulling out a piece of paper and charcoal, to write down Ysnor's directions while smiling and saying, "Better safe than sorry!"

"Right then. Off we go." And so Arkold walks out. Judging from the fact he didn't answer the Skreek and the focused expression on his face he probably missed the question about Sign. Likely too lost in his own thoughts to notice.

Following the older Jupani out the door while quickly scribbling down directions, the Sylvanian Sphynx waves a hurried goodbye.

While it isn't yet dark, it's late enough, and train service doesn't run at night through Sylvania. The final arrival of the day has come into the station, with only a few passengers – and none going beyond Blackshire, as the crew already begins to secure the cars for the night.

One of the last passengers eases off the train. He's an Eeee; tall, ebony furred and with long white hair. He stretches and mumbles something unpleasant about the long ride and dusts off his black clothing, then tightens his red belt-sash. He then digs in his pack, pulls out a rumpled hat, and puts it on his head, ears slipping tough cutouts in the fabric. "It's been what seems a lifetime since I've been here … and you know, it looks the same," he says and shakes his head.

With a light rustle of feathers, Tulani shakes some of the dust from the road off her wings as she walks towards the station, checking her directions occasionally. Turning to Arkold, the Sphynx blinks for a moment before saying, "Well, this is gonna be pretty hard, we don't even know the Savanite's name."

"For all their lack of language Titanians really know their stuff," remarks a blonde-haired, gray-furred Jupani to the Sphynx beside him. The lupine is dressed after the style of the locals, though he wears a patched (of both the mending and marking sort) greatcoat that bears a number of decidedly exotic symbols. That and the Emirate-style scimitar at his side mark him as a foreigner. With a shrug he responds to his fellow, saying, "How many cheese-thingies can they have? C'mon, be positive eh?"

The other passengers from the train quickly commandeer the last carriage into town, which clatters past the Jupani and Sphynx. Except for the lone Eeee, the station is effectively deserted.

Smiling again at the Jupani's words, Tulani gives the wolf a light punch on the arm saying, "Oh, alright Arkold! But just for you."

The wolf returns the punch with obvious affection. He also smiles widely. "I love it when you do things just for me. Makes me feel special. Gets me right here," he says as he pats his heart.

"Mmmm," the Eeee mutters to himself. "I should check with the Savanites up the way if the caravan has been through lately… or… " The Eeee leaves the station and heads towards the two walking down the road. "Excuse me?" he says in Rephidim standard, tainted with a Sylvanian accent. "Pardon my interruption, but has a gypsy caravan come through this way lately? Or perhaps is one still camped outside of town?"

Smiling politely at the Eeee, the black-and-white Sphynx pauses to think. "No, we haven't seen any Gypsy Caravans nearby. Do you know anywhere else they might be camped?"

The wolf points off down the road. "Haven't seen anythin' like that up by the castle. We're headin' towards spotty-land now, might be that way," suggests Arkold.

"Unfortunately not. Thanks anyway, though," he replies and pauses. He then adds, "Ah, yes, the Savanite town up the way. I should check with them too. They're a lot friendlier towards gypsies than the local law. Well, at least since the last time I was here." The Eeee then grins and says, "Bit of advice for you. Find someone who speaks silent-sign before you head to their town. Last I remember, there wasn't any one who could actually speak living there."

Tulani pauses thoughtfully, scratching her chin… "We're all heading the same way, right? Do you know silent sign? Maybe we could travel together?" She smiles hopefully.

"Eh, I usually just pant-o-mime an' they get the hint. Spotties are a lot smarter than most give 'em credit for. 'Sides we got props this time," explains the Jupani man with a smile of his own. "You're welcome to walk with us. 'Specially if you know the Sign. Last time I tried to explain something to a spotty in detail I got a cramp in my hand."

"Fancy that, I do happen to know it. Learned it from one of 'em that used to live in that town. Traveled with her for the better part of a year, so I got her to teach me," the Eeee replies and grins fangily. "Might as well. The nights here can be dangerous, after all. Not the best plan to travel the roads alone. I'm Alptraum bar Riesender, just returned from Babel. I'm trying to locate some relatives I've not seen for some time."

Giving a slight bow and straightening out her wings, the Sphynx smiles and introduces herself, "I'm Tulani Herfrell, nice to meet ya."

Arkold gives Tulani a nudge. "Funny thing havin' a woman around to teach you language. Tulani 'ere is teaching me Sylvani." He then extends his hand to the bat for a good shake. "I'm Arkold. Good to meet you, stranger."

Alptraum takes the offered hand and shakes it, commenting, "Funny how that works. A lady taught me Silent Sign, and a lady taught me Khattan, and a lady taught me Babelite." He then nods and smiles to Tulani, adding, "Ah, you're a native Sylvanian?" He pauses, then says in perfect Sylvanian, "Pleasure to meet a fellow Sylvanian!"

Tulani gives Alptraum several pats on the back, grinning and gesturing to Arkold, saying, also in Sylvanian "Try to put up with him okay? For a fellow Sylvanian, and I'll try and keep him on his best behavior."

Alptraum quirks an eyebrow at that, then chuckles in response, "Avralie." He then adds in with a grin, "You sound as if he's your lost puppy. Boy, I hope he's housebroken."

Arkold gives the bat a funny look as he speaks Sylvanian. His expression becomes even more suspicious as Tulani pats the Eeee on the back and they both turn to look at him. He quirks a brow and folds his arms. "I may not speak Sylvani but I've been around an' I know when I'm bein' talked about. Tch, Sylvanians," he says indignantly, but with a grin.