(OOC) Thu -->

There's much work to be done. Even though it WAS that crazed Tigress-Khatta who wrecked the place, and she DID give Dominic a few "shiny junk things" to cover some of the damages, it still falls upon Jynx and Eve to help Dominic tidy up the place.

Eve mews, "You still smell funny, Jynxie!" as she brushes some broken pieces of a cheap clay fox figurine into a wooden dustpan.

Dominic says, "Now, Eve, you know very well that it's rude to tell your brother that he smells worse than he did when he came back from the sewers." And he hefts up a fallen display case.

Jynx gathers up pieces of a shattered vase, dumping them into a bucket beside him. He scowls at his little sister, "Yeah, so shut up! Wait… " He looks at Dominic, sighs, and goes back to work.

Eve giggles and dumps her small fragments into the bucket as well. "Well, even if you ARE stinky, I'm so proud of you, for rescuing that big silly Titanian! That was terribly heroic. I'd say romantic, but you might pop me one, and I don't want you getting into trouble with Daddy since he's watching." She smiles innocently.

A white-headed, gold-maned Exile walks in through the doorway and surveys the shop.

The older sibling cat just growls in response, fighting the urge to pop her anyway. He picks up a few more pieces and drops them in. "How long do we have to do this? I wanna go out."

"However long it takes until the shop stops looking like a war zone," Dominic responds drily, then gets up as a potential customer enters. "Please excuse the mess! We've had a little – Oh, it's YOU."

Eve giggles and mews, "Look! It's MOMMY!"

"Go out where, Feli?" Envoy asks, as she overhears the conversation, and then bows slightly to Dominic.

Jynx looks up at the aeolun, and flattens his ears at Eve. "Hi Envoy. I dunno, I just want to do something besides clean all this mess up." As if to emphasize the point, the Khatta pulls a small shard of pottery out of his paw with a wince.

Dominic smiles despite himself and says, "I appreciate your diverting the Titanian from reducing the whole stock to powder with your – ah – creative methods. As a token of my gratitude, you're welcome to pick out one of my wares for sale as a free gift."

As for the wares – there are plenty that are just broken shards and crumbled bits, but there's still a good supply that hasn't been fractured. Statues, figurines, pots, vases, plates … all of greatly varying value from taste to tackiness.

Jynx looks at his father with a look of surprise. Dom's not known to give out free stuff.

Dominic glances sideways at Jynx with a raised eyebrow and a "Don't say anything, young man!" look in his eyes.

Envoy smiles to Dominic, "Why thank you, sir! I was only trying to look out for Feli. It's something of a habit." Waving to Jynx, she says, "I'm glad to see you're recovered from your adventure, Feli… but shouldn't you take a bath?"

The young black cat just smirks, holding his comments painfully to himself.

Eve mews, "Well, thank you very much for saving Jynxie! He almost went and got himself killed again."

Jynx flares his nostrils, "I have: seven times. But the smell just won't come off." He sniffs at his arm with a grimace.

The black cat glares at Eve.

Envoy nods to Eve, and says to Feli, "Are you using soap and water, or just your tongue?"

The front door opens again, this time letting in a robed and draped Savanite, who looks furtively about the room until his eyes fall upon the black Khatta.

"Maybe you should try washing in kyootcumber juice," the Exile suggests before noticing the stranger.

"My tongue? What in the name of the Sta-" Jynx's words stop short as he feels the cheetah's gaze upon him. "Uh, hi… can we help you?"

The cheetah ducks his head a bit, and shuffles across the room, drawing a rolled parchment out of his robes. He walks right up to Jynx, and bows to him.

Jynx blinks, and repeats himself in sign, "Can I help you?"

The Savanite tucks away the scroll again, then signs back, "Greetings. Is this your father?" He gestures to Dominic. Dominic raises an eyebrow again, upon being gestured toward. "Feli, stop playing with the Savanite. I know you're probably having fun, but wiggling your fingers at them will only confuse them."

Jynx just shoots an annoyed frown at his father, then turns back to the Savanite. "Unfortunately yes, he is. Did you need to speak with him?" The Khatta looks puzzled.

The Savanite bows again … then without further explanation, shuffles over toward Dominic, the scroll once again in his hand.

Envoy hmms, and quietly asks Feli, "Don't Eeees usually deliver the mail?"

Dominic, a look of bemused puzzlement on his face, takes the proffered scroll, peering at the seal curiously.

The black Khatta watches the Savanite. What could they want with Dominic? He stares at the scroll, and notices… the sign of the Star?

The elder cat shrugs and breaks the seal, opening up the scroll. He leans forward, digging out his reading spectacles to perch upon the bridge of his muzzle.

The Savanite messenger doesn't wait around. Instead, he simply turns about and heads back to the door, bowing again to Jynx as he passes.

Jynx nods to the Cheetah as he leaves, a bit amused by the bowing. He then walks behind Dominic and looks at the scroll, "What is it Dad? It must be important… "

Envoy follows Jynx, and wonders why the Khatta thinks the scroll must be important.

Dominic snorts, then breaks out laughing! "Oh my! Someone must be pulling my tail. Makah, perhaps. Or maybe … hmm … no, this border had to COST something… "

Jynx looks frustrated, "What did it say? Tell me!"

The aforementioned border drawn on the surface of the scroll seems to writhe and move, a sure hallmark of a dweomer being placed upon the parchment at no small expense.

Dominic snorts, and then says, "Well, apparently we are formally invited to the Empire of the Savanites to have tea with their new King, or something to that effect." He chuckles, and hands the scroll to Jynx. "I don't quite get the joke, but it's fairly imaginative, I'll give them that!"

"WHAT?!" Envoy blurts out, and tries to get a look at the scroll.

Eve hops up and down, trying to get a look. "Lemme see! Lemme see!"

The Black Khatta snatches the scroll from Dominic's hand and reads it over. "The coronation's ALREADY? I didn't think it'd be for a while!" A look of sheer joy comes over the cat's face as he hogs the parchment.

Envoy shakes Jynx's shoulder, "What's going on? What about the coronation?"

Dominic goes back to brushing some debris out of a display case. "Okay, okay, Feli. Give Eve her turn, and then you can both get back to work."

Jynx looks as though he were about to blurt the whole thing out, but stops short. He rolls up the parchment and stuffs it in his pocket. "We'll talk about this later Dad." He then looks to Envoy, "Oh, its nothing… just like Dom said y'know… "

Eve pouts. "But – !"

Jynx shoots a look at Eve.

Envoy blinks three times at the black Khatta. "If it is a joke, then it is a serious one. Information about… that City… is classified by the Temple."

Eve sulks, and goes back to sweeping up dust, though doing it huffily and knocking around a bit too much debris in the process.

The black Khatta's head gears turn furiously, "Uh, well, then if its classified, you uh, don't need to know, do you?" He looks satisfied.

Envoy blinks again, several emotions chasing across her face like playful mice. Finally she says, "If you let me read it, I promise not to report any of this to the Inquisition."

If cats could sweat, Jynx wouldn't need another bath. "But then they'll know that you know something, and since I know that, they may use what I know against you, you know?" He slowly backs away as if to start working again.

Dominic lets his hand-brush clatter to the floor, and he slowly turns around and fixes his eyes on Envoy. "Friend of Feli or not, young lady, I want to have something made clear. In my store and in my house, I will not tolerate anyone speaking lightly of the Inquisition!"

Envoy tells Feli, "They already know that I know. They tortured me, afterall." Looking at Dominic, she wonders, "Lightly?"

Jynx jumps a bit at his father's sudden outburst. He never knew Dom felt so strongly about that subject.

"Tortured by the Inquisition, hmm?" muses Dominic aloud. "I think, young lady, you should get to the business of selecting yourself a trinket and moving along. We don't want any trouble here. We're honest merchant-folk, and we pay our tithe-taxes."

Jynx picks up a broom and quietly starts to sweep. He knows not to rile Dominic when he gets into a mood like this.

Envoy blinks in confusion at Dominic. "I don't understand."

"Eve, that's enough work for today. Go help your mother with supper, please," Dominic says in a tone that does not sound like a request.

Dominic's tone of voice makes Jynx's ears flatten, not in the angry way, but more in the nervous way, "Um, Envoy? Maybe you better go… Can I talk to you later?"

Envoy turns back to Jynx and nods. "Of course, Feli. I'm going to be leaving on a cruise soon though, so please don't wait very long."

Jynx just nods and sweeps slowly in an obedient manner. It seems strange to see him minding this way.

Eve puts away her dustpan and doesn't seem the least bit disappointed to be sent away from cleaning up the shop. "Okay, Papa!" The kitten bounds away, toward the Kurai residence.

Envoy heads quickly for the door before Jynx's father gets more upset, and only pauses to say, "Don't forget to try the kyootcumber juice, Feli." Then she leaves the shop.

The Black Khatta just nods again, continuing to sweep. After the Aeolun leaves, Jynx slowly looks up at Dominic.

Dominic lets out a long breath, and shakes his head. "Where do you find your friends? 'If you let me read it, I promise not to report this to the Inquisition'? This is your FRIEND?"

"I would have let the girl KEEP the parchment, for all I care, but I do not take kindly to such threats. And I warn you, I will not tolerate 'friends' of yours who threaten my family, Feli!" Dominic scolds.

Jynx winces, "She didn't mean anything by it Dad, she's just… different." He sweeps some more, "I mean, she is an exile and all," he forces a small smile.

The young cat flattens his ears at the loud tone of his father's voice.

Dominic shakes his head, grumbling. "All right, Feli. The store can wait. Take yourself another bath, get yourself some fresh air, or something." In Dominic-speak, that really means that he'd just rather have some time alone. It's not like there are any customers clamoring for attention anyway.

"Yes sir," Jynx hastily puts the broom away and makes his way behind the store counter and into the house, rather quickly it might be added.

Dominic just shakes his head, muttering to himself as his son leaves the store.

As Jynx passes out of the store and into the Kurai residence, the smells of the store are replaced with the more welcoming scents of Lylia's housekeeping and cooking. Tonight, it smells like Jynx is in for a treat of one of Lylia's noodles-and-dromodon dishes, with the obligatory helpings of vegetables on the side.

A flash of white fluff indicates Eve's presence in the kitchen, rushing about doing the usual 'busywork' that does more just to keep Eve out of the way than to actually make Lylia's job any easier.

Instead of going to the bathroom, Jynx absentmindedly makes his way to the dining room, which is attached to the kitchen. He sits down and takes out the scroll, unrolling it and looking it over again.

The scroll is just as real as ever, and the borderwork does seem to change. It doesn't really overtly move while Jynx looks directly at it. It just seems to wiggle and change just out of the corner of his eye … a slightly disturbing effect, really, but one which just won't go away, making it hard to explain as a mere trick of the light or fatigue.

Although tired, Jynx still has a bit of excitement at the prospect of attendingthe coronation. He ponders over whether to tell Envoy or not, and decides he still might as well meet with her since he said he would. By then he'll have decided.

With a yawn, Jynx rolls up the scroll and tucks it into his shirt for safe keeping. He'll have a hard time explaining this to Dominic. For now though, food is on his mind, and he heads into the kitchen.

Eve sing-songs some meaningless melody to herself, making up the words as she goes. Not entirely unlike certain bardic vulpines, but minus a lute. Lylia pulls a tray off the stove and dishes out some helpings. "Now, go set the table for me, Eve! And then go tell your father that as soon as he's closed the store, he can get himself something to eat."

Jynx walks over and peers into one of the pots, sneaking a paw in to steal a morsel.

The black feline has gotten much better at stealing morsels from the kitchen! Not even the ever-watchful Lylia notices as he steals a chunk of cooked Dromodon. Otherwise, he would have gotten a whack on the hand with the Ladle of Reproach.

The black Khatta downs the meat quickly, and looks around a bit. "When do we eat?"

"Just a little bit," Lylia answers … and then, the table is set, Dominic eventually closes the store and gets in (by which time the food has cooled down to sub-scorching levels), blessings are said, and the family digs into a dinner around the table.

Jynx puts a large heaping portion of the Dromodon meat onto his plate, downing it in his usual fashion. Chewing happily on the dinner, he suddenly remembers the scroll. "Um, Dad? About that scroll you got earlier… "

Supper has been quiet so far, before Jynx's question. Dominic has been especially so, not dominating what passes for conversation with recounts of minor incidents in the store throughout the day. Partly, that's because not really much has HAPPENED in the store lately, but he also seems to be brooding. He looks to Jynx. "What about it, son?"

The Khatta's ears droop a bit, he can tell that Dom is still in one of his moods. "Well, first of all, it wasn't a joke Makah or anyone pulled on you… its… real."

Dominic's spoon clatters to the table. "Real? Feli, this is not … funny."

Lylia looks back and forth between Dominic and Jynx. She looks like she's about to ask what is going on, but Eve interjects, "I wanna see the letter! Papa said to Jynxie to let me see it, but Jynxie still hasn't!"

Jynx's ears flatten, "I know it isn't, but its real." Jynx ponders how to explain, then pulls the scroll back out, handing it to Lylia. "Do you remember all that time I was gone?"

"Which time?" asks Eve.

Jynx glares, "The last time." He looks back to Dominic, "Well, I was kinda, in the… Savan… " He braces.

Dominic nods, not looking in the least bit surprised. "Yes, that's where that airship was when you fell overboard. So I heard. I still never quite understood how you survived." Not that he really was persistent in asking.

"Well, it's notexactly all jungle down there," The black Khatta hesitates, "There's a City… "

Dominic chuckles. "Yes, I heard about the City of Hands. It's a pity it got destroyed. The antiques would have been worth fortunes, I'm sure."

"It wasn't destroyed." Jynx looks his father in there eye, "That's where I was the whole time. And that's why I knew handsign, because," he hesitates again, "it's ruled by Savanites." He quickly takes another bite of his meal, trying to act calm.

Dominic spews a mouthful of tea. "Ruled … by SAVANITES?"

Lylia gasps. "Feli! You were staying with some jungle savages? They could have EATEN you!"

Eve sticks her tongue out at the prospect.

"No! They're civilized! And they were nice to me!" He stares pleadingly, "I got to know their leader, the one mentioned on the scroll. They're just like us! They even helped fight the Babelite raid! Honest!" He doesn't go into the 'we-all-used-to-be-their-slaves' part, since now might not be the best time.

Dominic's face drops, and he looks as if for help to Lylia.

"I wouldn't even be alive if it weren't for them Dad! They're more than just slaves, and it would mean a lot to me to attend the coronation!" He looks at his parents pleadingly, "And I'd like you all to go too!"

Lylia looks back at Dominic. "Coronation? What is this about, Dear?"

Jynx points to the scroll, "Read that Mom."

Dominic sucks in his breath, frowning, then says, "It's a letter I got today from a Savanite. I thought it was some sort of joke. But now maybe it has something to do with those rumors of Savanites rebelling and all that. You know … Savanite see, Savanite do. They must have gotten it into their heads that they're real people. But someone had to help them with that scroll. See? Obviously some magic involved."

Lylia leans forward to look at the scroll. "Oh my… " she gasps. Eve clamors under the table, dashing past Jynx's legs, and then pops up on the other side to peer at the scroll. "Ooo! Can I keep the scroll? It's PRETTY!"

Now its time for Jynx's jaw to drop, "Its real! I swear!" He looks at Dominic wildly, "And they are real people!"

Eve peers at a strange squiggly shape toward the bottom of the scroll. "What's this? It looks like someone spilled ink on the paper. Messy!" She tries to rub at it, but Lylia scoots the parchment away. After all, Eve's fingers are still a bit messy from dinner and not using her utensils in an entirely ladylike fashion.

Jynx notices the squiggle that Eve touches, and gets up to get a better look, "I didn't see that before… "

The squiggle looks like an angled shape … one horizontal bar, and another diagonally pointing "northeast", joined together … sort of like the hands on the Clock Tower at just past the third hour, or maybe a sundial stick and its shadow at noon. From here, some random squiggles and runes sprout outward. Like the border, when viewed out of the corner of the eye, they seem to shift subtly … and, really, the image itself doesn't look terribly distinct. Somehow, if it weren't for Eve pointing out the rune, it would be quite easy to miss it entirely. Magic again, surely.

The black Khatta peers at the runes. What are they supposed to mean? If whoever sent this intended him to know, they were mistaken. He feels the rune with his paw, since it seems to be raised up a bit.

The scroll itself crackles with energy, and the rune seems to swirl and spread out at Jynx's touch. Lylia gasps, and Eve mews in alarm! Dominic says, "What have you done NOW, Feli?"

Jynx jumps back with a startled mewl, "I didn't do anything!!"

The parchment, left lying on the table, appears for a moment as if it might be on fire, as tendrils of black smoke rise from the rune and slither and writhe outward through the air. No flame is forthcoming, however, and the tendrils draw back on each other – translucent and ethereal – in a way that smoke does not. At last, the coalesce into the solid, shadowy form of a female feline in exotic, royal robes, wearing a crown shaped to resemble a Creen with wings outspread, its coils hugging her head, and its own head rising above the wearer, its neck coiling to frame a glowing spot in the center of her forehead.

"Third-Eye?" Jynx says out loud. Magic! This ought to prove to Dominic that he's telling the truth!

A breeze stirs the smoky image, although the windows are not open. And then a sound whispers through the air, like a voice of rustling leaves, though with a somehow feminine touch. "Greetings, Dominic Kurai, father of the Unlucky One. I am Third-Vision, daughter of Creen-Song, heir to the throne of the Savanite Empire. It would be my desire to invite you and your family … " And the voice continues through a very formal invitation presented in a most unusual manner.

Jynx's ears turns red at the mention of 'Unlucky One'.

"… days after Candlemass. Guides will show you the way through the Xenean Jungle to our City. Thank you, Dominic Kurai, for raising such a fine young Khatta. Your family is honored through his heroic actions." And then the presentation finishes … and the image vanishes, fading into nothingness. The rune on the parchment is no longer to be seen, nor any trace that anything was out of the ordinary.

Jynx crosses his arms with a huge smile on his face, and he turns to face his family. "See? I told you so!"

Dominic slumps back in his chair, eyes wide, staring at where the image was.

Eve mews, "Neat! Is she really a princess? Are you going to marry her?"

"She's a queen, Eve," Jynx looks annoyed, but not angry, "and no, I'm not going to marry her."

Lylia chides Eve, "Now, stop goading Feli like that. You know how touchy he is about some topics."

Eve mews, "Oh," and nods, folding her hands together. "Is Zsofi going to go, too, or do we get to leave her behind?"

Jynx just sighs, "Anyways, you see what I mean? Its real! And they want us to be guests at the coronation! And NO Zsofi!"

Dominic says, "Now, just one minute! We're not going any – " He shuts his mouth and puts his hands together. "That's quite enough, Feli. I think we should call it a night, and … we'll talk about this again."

Eve smiles. "Does this mean I get a new dress to wear to the coronation?"

Lylia says, "Just what do you WEAR to a Savanite coronation – Oh, sorry, Dominic. I don't mean to suggest that I'm taking this seriously, of course, just… " She smiles pleasantly.

Jynx blinks, and just stares at his Father; all of this and all he wants to do is go to sleep? Without realizing it, the black cat gives a yawn, maybe it is a good idea after all. "Okay, we'll talk about it later," He starts off for the couch, his makeshift bed, "But we will talk about it!"