The Return of Lord Explorer Thomas (28 Oct 2001) Thomas reveals his "true identity" to his friends.

Harcourt Manor
This grand old Victorian house off of Webber Way used to be the favorite 'haunted house' of the children, but a few months ago, an older gentleman moved in, Richard, who has begun to renovate the place, to their disappointment. Two gables look out from the roof of the two story manor, and vines crawl up the walls, from which plaster has fallen in places to expose brickwork.

Up in Anastasia's old (and recently cleaned up) bedroom, Agatha pulls back the curtains to let in the early afternoon sunlight. Finding the most well-lit spot, she starts dragging the old toy-box towards it. "Should be bright enough to get good pictures," she says out loud, just in case there are any lizards listening.

Up the path comes little Alice dressed in a better sort of blues than the outfit she wore last time she was here. A simple blue dress with a faint flower design in the fabric, and of course she also carries her oversized purse -- her constant accessory. In her arms rests her beloved doll Lord Mel who gazes across the way with passive attention. When the young girl arrives, she knocks, gets admitted, then can be heard making her way upstairs. "Hi Agatha!" her voice echoes.

"Hi, Alice!" Agatha calls out into the hallway. "I'm up in the bedroom!" she adds, while starting to lay out the toy soldiers for their portrait.

Agatha finishes arranging the toys, including Sir Bear, and steps back to focus her camera on them, making sure to check the shutter speed and f-stop like the photography book mentioned. CLICK

"Okay!" yells Alice back upstairs. As she walks, she pauses on the stairs, looks back down, then reverses her steps and clomps back down, stepping lighter and lighter to make it appear by sound she's really continuing on upstairs. When she gets back down, she tip toes over to peer in to the kitchen.

"I was wondering when you were going to show up," comes a voice from the far side of the kitchen. Reclining in one of the kitchen chairs sits ... Thomas? However, he's not dressed in his usual tee shirt and jeans and for once, his hair is actually combed back and staying in place beneath his beret. His tee shirt has been replaced with a semi-billowy poet-style shirt, over which is a leather vest. One foot is resting against the table edge, revealing that rugged trousers and sturdy leather boots have replaced his jeans and shoes; each boot is snugly buckled up the side to keep out stray debris. Around his waist is a crisscross leather belt, complete with pouch on one side and empty sword frog on the other.

Tom doesn't look up as he slowly shuffles a deck of cards. Instead, he flips through the deck and withdraws a single card, nodding to himself approvingly. "I think we need to talk," he says, his green eyes finally turning towards the doorway.

Alice ducks back behind the edge of the door, and Lord Mel's head appears to eye him while the girl hides somewhere beyond. "Tommy?" she can be heard to say. "Is that really you?"

The boy tucks the card into his vest and swivels some in the chair, removing his foot from the table edge. Thomas grins and says, "Hello, Alice. Yes, it's me. Didn't mean to frighten you."

The little girl's head pops back in to view followed by the rest of her. "Wow, Tommy! That's a neat costume! I didn't recognize you! You look kind of like a grownup," she tells him as she walks around the corner and through the kitchen towards him.

"It's not exactly a costume," Thomas replies. "And hello there, Mel. Boy, don't I wish you were the real thing." He shrugs, then says, "I'm not quite the same as I was a few days ago, Alice."

Simon sits nearby in similar garb, looking rather like a page in a similar shirt, though without a vest, and loose pants and soft leather buskins. "Good day, Alice," he says cheerily.

Alice looks surprised, eyes widening. "Are you sick? Oh no ... " She untwines a hand from Lord Mel and reaches to place it on his forehead. Only then does she recognize Simon. "Oh! Hi, Simon! You look very grown up, too! Were you two playing a game?"

"Well, no, not exactly," Simon says. He grins and nods toward Tom. "It's his story to tell, though."

Tom gives Alice an odd look. "No, I'm not sick. You could say I'm on the way to being well, actually," Thomas replies. "I've just gotten back after spending several days as a guest of Lord December and visiting the Palace of All Seasons. Simon was with me, weren't you, Simon?"

"Yep, but I think they figured I was just his page or something, so I'm just lucky that they didn't put a mop in my hand and make me clean up," the younger boy says with a wry look.

Drawing her hand back, Alice instead moves to have it hover over her mouth as she mouths an "Oh" in quiet surprise. "You really went there? What was it like? Was it made of glass and rubies and emeralds and all sorts of neat things? Did you meet the queen? The other knights? Were they gallant? Oh, oh!" She gestures Thomas to continue before he can even get a word in edgewise. "Please, Tommy, share?"

Thomas grins and suggests, "Shouldn't we wait for Agatha? I'm sure she'd like to hear. You would have liked Lord December's castle. It was beautiful ... Mirari was beautiful. December's servants were fascinating. His librarian, Whisper of the Stars, looked like she was made of ice. In any event, it was quite the journey. I'm afraid I've probably confused Simon during it." He turns to Simon and says, "I offer my apologies as to the way you were treated, Simon. Lord December is wary of you, though I am not quite sure why."

The little girl blinks a little. She moves to speak, but doesn't appear to have the words. She simply leaves her mouth half-open in an overwhelmed expression until she seems to realize she must look silly and covers it with a hand, hugging Lord Mel to her chest.

Simon wrinkles his nose. "I've, uh, never gotten along well with dogs. Kuon's okay, but well, he's different! Anyway, the castle looks like it's made of ice, but it's really comfortable on the inside, at least if you're close to a good hot fire like they had in the kitchen. They feed you pretty well, too."

Tom leans forward, green eyes locking on Alice. "Alice, what do you remember from when you were really young? Like Lord Mel, there. Where did he come from?" Thomas asks.

Upstairs, Agatha finishes taking pictures of the toys, the remade bed and the painting on the wall. Pausing to think of another subject while a cloud dims the light, she suddenly realizes Alice never came into the room. "Oh no. She wouldn't have gone into the dangerous areas, would she?" she mutters, and goes to the door ... where she can hear some faint voices coming from downstairs.

"Um." Alice's hand lowers from her face and wraps around her doll, and she shifts uncomfortably under Thomas's gaze. Alice rocks back and forth under the boy's scrutiny as she seems to think on the question. "I don't really remember anything, Tommy. I, um ... well I asked Mommy, and Mommy said Dad got Lord Mel for me. I got to see the little card, it was very pretty, it said ... um ... "

Simon looks askance at Tom.

"Alice?!" Agatha calls from the upstairs hall, and starts to check the bedrooms along the way to the stairs.

"I ask because the current King of Mirari had two children. His son, who died in an accident," Thomas replies matter of factly as he glances toward Simon, "and his daughter ... who died just after birth."

"It said ... 'For Alice, From your Father. A Faithful Protector' ... um.... Oh, yes, 'Always'. That's what it said," finishes Alice after she thinks on it a moment.

Alice frowns at the news. "That's very sad, Tommy." She nods a little.

Simon continues to look confused.

"No more so than being a relic of the past," Thomas replies.

"Oh!" exclaims Alice. "And Gabriel got a baseball glove! I think it said the same thing, but I don't think it said the same protector part. It would be very silly to be protected by a baseball glove except from, um, baseballs."

Reaching the bottom of the stairs, Agatha pauses to listen and see if she can tell where the voices are coming from.

"You're certain you remember nothing, then?" Thomas asks.

Seeming to pause and think for a moment, the little girl shakes her head vigorously after a moment. "Nope! I was very little, Tommy. But Gabriel might remember," she answers.

Doing her best to be stealthy (which mostly means moving slowly on tip-toe), Agatha makes her way towards the kitchen, wishing she had her sword with her.

Thomas thinks on that for a moment. "No, I don't think he could answer what I'd need to know, I'm afraid," he admits. "I wish I knew a good way to explain everything that has happened, Alice ... the things I've learned." He takes in a breath and regards the girl, eyes a bit sad.

Simon leans over to Tom and whispers, "You think there's something going on with Alice's doll?" He looks skeptical.

Thomas looks to Simon and replies, "Simon, have you ever seen another doll like that? Where else has a black unicorn like that been heard of? Who would give a gift like that? Think about it."

Agatha pokes her head into the kitchen, sees Alice and two apparent strangers, and rushes in, demanding, "Hey! Who are you and how'd you get in here? What's going on here, Alice? Are you okay?"

"Uh, well..." Simon thinks about it.

The younger boy's train of thought is abruptly derailed. "Aggie did it-- er."

Alice mirrors Thomas, frowning herself a moment after he does. She watches him uncertainly until Simon speaks. Looking from him to her doll, then holding Lord Mel up, and appears about to ask something until Agatha rushes in. The girl turns partly and points a little at the boys. "Look, Agatha! Tommy's back! He went to Mirari, but I think something's all wrong," she explains.

"Relax, Redmane," Thomas replies calmly. Slowly, he stands up and bows, saying, "Perhaps I should introduce myself. I am Thomas Winthrope." He pauses, eyes looking between the two girls. "I am Thomas, titled Lord Explorer by the Crown of Mirari for my efforts in charting the lands of Mirari. Co-founder of the Golden Hawks. Once friend of Randall, Captain of April. I am of House November. I am of Mirari."

Agatha blinks and stares at Tom, giving him the same sort of look she usually receives when she wears a dress. "That's really you, Tom?" She looks over at Simon, who at least is a bit more easily recognized.

"I knew it!" Agatha exclaims, crossing her arms across her chest. "Sitting up in that tree all alone ... you've gone squirrelly!"

"I wish, Redmane. It would make things easier," Thomas replies bluntly and sits back down in the chair. He interlaces his fingers.

Alice looks back and forth between Agatha and the others -- mostly towards Thomas, now Sir Tommy Winthrope. She blinks a little, then wraps her hands tighter around her doll and hugs him with his head tucked under hers. It makes her look small, and more than a bit overwhelmed at that.

"And what's with all this Redmane stuff suddenly?" Agatha asks, suspiciously. "Did you read those letters I left for you at the tree?"

Simon quips, "Yeah, he's gone looking for nuts, and fortunately for him, we qualify."

"I read them," Thomas replies, moving his gaze to Agatha. "I have spent the last several days as the guest of Lord December, Redmane. He opened my eyes to a few things. As did Minstrel Sam."

Agatha doesn't look shocked, yet, but asks, "The wolf was Lord December, right? That's what Elinor suspected. Did he tell you what he was doing at the corner of Lewis and Dickinson streets by any chance? And whatever you learned ... did you have any second source to confirm it against while you were with him? Did he ask you to do anything for him?"

Meanwhile Alice quietly continues to hug her doll and say nothing, stepping back from between Agatha and the boys to move out of their way.

Barking outside the kitchen door heralds the return of Kuon, accompanied by Elinor. She opens the kitchen door, and the greyhound rushes in, only to skid to a stop a few feet inside, sniffing at the air and glancing warily at the people gathered around the table. Elinor doesn't even get that far; she rests her hand against the doorjamb, gaze directed first at the oddly garbed Simon, then coming to a rest on Thomas. She stares at him, unmoving.

"Correct. The wolf was, and is, Lord December. He is an ally of mine now," Thomas answers. "And in fact, what I learned, was mainly of myself. The Librarian recognized me as Lord Thomas--" He chuckles. "-- and about had a heart attack, or some such. I spent time in the library, reading the histories of the Golden Hawks. Of ... me." The boy shrugs. "Not that I believed it at the time, as eerie as it was to read things I once told you as figments of my imagination. I've seen a 'photo' of Thomas as he was. He was older, but it was most definitely me. I fought believing it. Believe me. But, in the end, I couldn't fight it anymore." He leans forward. "The moment I admitted to myself, that somehow, some way, I was him, everything changed. Everything seemed so ... normal." His gaze turns to Elinor and he finishes his statement. "I felt ... home."

Faintly, almost as if unaware of her own voice, the raven-haired girl says, "Welcome back, Lord Explorer." She curtsies to him, bowing her head.

Simon leans forward curiously. "Lewis and Dickinson Street? Did you see the wolf there? What was he doing? Oh, hi, Elinor!"

Agatha chews on her lip, and glances at Elinor. "You know, if I hadn't seen enough stuff in this house to convince me that Anastasia Harcourt was the reincarnation of Lady Angelique of April, I'd think you were totally bonkers. Still, I think you should be checked for any magical influence." To Simon, she says, "Kuon tracked him there, and then the trail vanished. There's a house nearby with a wolf's head doorknocker though."

Alice finally says something, lifting her head to give Elinor a little wave and a "Hi, Elinor." in a quiet voice.

Tom waves a hand. "Thomas, Elinor. Titles aren't necessary with me; especially by you. Besides, I've never cared much for them," he replies, smiling. He stands, then walks over to Elinor and says, "Sam sends his regards, Rachel." In a rather unusual reaction for Thomas, he lightly hugs Elinor and mutters, "And thank you for keeping the dream alive."

Agatha's eyes nearly pop out of her head as she witnesses this display of out-of-character affection.

The greyhound trots up to snuffle Thomas over most carefully, even behind the back of his knees with a rather cold nose. His tail whips back and forth rapidly.

Simon raises his eyebrows.

Thomas laughs and reaches around to gently scratch Kuon's head. "Good to see you again, Kuon."

Elinor blushes, looking a little surprised herself. She only bobs her head in reply, whispering something too soft for the others to make out.

The little girl gives Thomas a look, nose wrinkling. "I think Mirari broke Tommy."

The greyhound seems satisfied, leaning into the scratching with a rurf, then goes over to administer a similar treatment to Simon.

Agatha looks to Alice, and gets a worried expression. "Maybe. I'd like to see the old Tom ... err ... new Tom ... OUR Tom come to the surface a little, just to know he's still there."

Simon pats Kuon on the head. "Who's a good boy, huh, huh? Go and say hello to Alice too," he says.

Apparently satisfied with the results of his inspection, the greyhound turns about and then barks up to Alice, slurping her face and nosing at her doll which she is holding rather tightly. "Woof!"

Thomas smiles and nods his head slightly to the fey girl. "Don't be so shy, Elinor. Please, come in," Thomas says, "We're discussing things that have happened of late." He catches Agatha's comment and he looks over toward her, "Like what? Like reminding you that you always smell like a horse? Or how about when we were first tracking the wolf? Or, how about the time we had to rescue Simon from that pool in the cave? I'm still me, Agatha. Just ... I now know who me really is."

"Was, you mean," Agatha points out. "Who you were."

Alice sits down where she is and unwraps a hand from her doll leaning over to hug Kuon too. She doesn't giggle like she usually is want to do when slobbered on by the friendly dog, but she does smile a little. "Hi, Kuon," she greets him, voice still quiet.

Elinor realizes she's still standing in the doorway, and she flushes brighter red before slipping inside, closing the door behind her. "My apologies," she offers, a shadow of her normal voice. She takes a seat, and for a moment a wry smile flickers over her face.

The greyhound looks at Alice, who seems unusually withdrawn today, and snuffles her face inquisitively.

Tom waves a hand and says, "Am. I'm not going to deny a part of me, Agatha. I can't." He smiles sadly. "I wish it was that easy. Do you think it was fun to go back to a place that was once your home, only to find you've been all but forgotten? Or how about finding out that all your old friends, people you spent your life with, laughed with, experienced so much with, were all gone? Well, all except Sam. He always was the resilient sort. I wish I could forget that. It hurts."

Well, now Alice does giggle, but with a reserved amount of energy. "Tommy's all weird now, Kuon. He's like a grown-up," she explains to the dog. "And he thinks Lord Mel is weird, too."

The greyhound snuffles Lord Mel over for good measure, just in case he is weird.

"Nobody ever said being a ghost would be easy," Agatha says with a shrug. "It explains a lot, though. I suppose we all have the same sort of ... background? That's what makes us able to affect things from this world."

"I wish I knew what happened to me. I know only bits," Thomas says, again walking over to Elinor. He slips his hand into his vest and produces the card he put there a while ago. "I think Elinor should know some of the story all ready," he says, holding the card out to the fey girl, a Jack of Hearts.

Lord Mel is held up for Kuon's inspection by Alice. "See? Daddy gave him to me."

"Do you still have that hair you got off the Angel statue, Alice?" Agatha asks the girl, finally taking a seat for herself. "Maybe you should let Kuon smell that."

Simon grimaces. "Minstrel Sam seemed like a nice old man. Asides from tormenting the poor barmaids and drinking weird stuff."

The older boy glances toward Agatha, then Alice. "And that is why I asked Alice about Lord Mel, and told her of the daughter of the King who died shortly after birth."

Elinor's eyes glance over the card, then up to Thomas. "Lord Explorer -- did you find him?" she asks, at length.

"Geeze, what sort of thing is that to tell a little girl?" Agatha says, giving Tom a cross look.

Something about the doll definitely seems to excite the greyhound's curiosity, as he snuffles it more closely, then starts barking and wagging his tail. He looks at Alice brightly.

Simon winces at the loudness of the barking in the kitchen, and looks in Alice's direction. "Did Kuon see something? A ghost, maybe?"

"I don't know," Thomas admits. "But, after reading the letters Agatha left for me, the part about the trap that caught Lord Bram ..." He takes a breath. "I fear I may have fell victim to a similar trap. Or perhaps not. It's a thought." He turns and looks at Agatha, saying, "I'm not going to sugar coat things at this time, Redmane. We have too little time for such pleasantries."

"Yes..," answers Alice, still quiet. She reaches to where she keeps her angel pendant, and on a separate cord, a little crystal vial with a single length of hair inside. "I didn't want to lose it," she explains as she twists opened the top and offers the contents for Kuon to sniff. "Be careful, Kuon. Don't sniff it up your nose."

Alice peers at Kuon, looking at him oddly. "Silly, what's the matter?" she asks him as she holds the bottle.

Watching Alice and Kuon, Agatha says aside to Tom, "Well then, in that case, do you know where to find the fortress of Year's End?"

"If it is the place where I fell, it would be west, through the mountains in Mirari," Thomas answers.

"I don't suppose you heard anything regarding House August?" Agatha asks. "Or the dragon mentioned in the letters?"

The dog sniffs the hair too, then barks again, even more loudly. Where, where? his pose seems to suggest, but then something catches his attention as he glances to the window where there was a flutter of motion.

Thomas snorts. "House August. That house has always caused trouble in Mirari. It was fourteen years ago when I brought their treason to the attention of the crown of Mirari. They allied themselves with the Jack of Hearts, a powerful Warlock who was merely a front for the Year's End," he replies distastefully.

"That's not--" Elinor starts to say in response to Thomas, but she stops before going further.

"Well, they're spying on us now probably," Agatha says, following Kuon's glance towards the window. "By the way, Simon ... did you do the voice of Monitor in the mine?"

A bird, noble in bearing, with patterned feathers in greys, browns and tans, perches on the window ledge outside. Despite the barking of the dog, he remains there, turning his head to one side to fix a yellow eye on those gathered around the table.

"I don't know, Kuon!" answers Alice as she lowers the bottle. "I don't know what you want. Do you want laundry soap? Um ... my room? Daddy?" She closes the vial, placing Lord Mel under an arm so she has both hands free, her eyes looking at the dog then past him towards whatever he's barking at.

Thomas looks to Elinor and asks quietly, "Not what?"

Agatha bends down to tell Kuon, "She got the hair at Siege des Anges, in the hand of the Angel there, after seeing Lord Mel walk to it from the flagpole."

Thomas glances toward the window and the bird.

"It's not a lizard. It was a lizard last time," Agatha notes, looking at the bird as well. "Or is this from some other House?"

"Not ... really fair, Lord Explorer. All ... well, most of the Houses of Mirari have caused trouble, one time or another," Elinor replies, her voice equally soft. She follows the others' gaze to the window, where the peregrine flutters its wings once for balance as it shifts its perch, but doesn't leave.

"I didn't do any voices," Simon whispers back to Agatha, looking a bit perplexed she's asking him that. He looks over to the window curiously as well, then widens his eyes at the sight of the bird. "Um, did anyone invite Lord November?"

Kuon looks up at Agatha, tail whipping back and forth. His look seems to suggest that he'd like to go there sometime.

Agatha nods to Kuon. "We can go later today probably." To the others she says, "If that's Lord November, ask him to change into a human before he can come inside, okay, Tom?"

Thomas shrugs slightly, watching the bird. "Indeed. Who invited someone from my old House to spy?" He reaches down and rests his hand on Elinor's shoulder and says softly, "My apologies then, if I have maligned them. I'm still ... bitter, from the experience. Forgive me."

"Understandable, m'lord," Elinor murmurs, her cheeks still reddened. She frowns at the bird.

"That's a falcon, not a hawk," Thomas says after a moment of inspection. "That is not from my House."

"Look," Elinor says. pointing at the small falcon. "There's a scroll case on its leg."

Agatha blinks and looks closer. "It's delivering a message then? Or maybe waiting to take one?"

Thomas follows the pointing of Elinor and walks over to the window. He rests his hand on the window latch and pauses, checking to see if the bird flees. "Shall I try to find out what's in the case?" Thomas asks the others.

The falcon watches Thomas's approach, but doesn't show any signs of alarm.

"Case?" inquires the little girl, speaking a bit louder now -- likely so she can be heard. She looks between Kuon, Thomas, then the others and nods uncertainly. "Oh ... Okay, Tommy. Check the case?"

"Hold on!" Agatha says and gets up. Going over to where she keeps her pack and the recovered bits of iron from the junkyard, she retrieves the pair of chain-mail metalworking gloves. "Put these on first, just in case."

Simon watches curiously. "Wouldn't the Golden Hawks send messages with hawks?" he asks. "Or maybe they use homing pigeons instead?"

Thomas nods and accepts the gloves. "Good thinking, Redmane," he replies, slipping on the gloves. He opens the latch and carefully raises the window, trying not to make too much noise in the process.

The peregrine clears the window to allow it to be opened, wings fluttering, but does not fly away. It waits calmly as Thomas reaches for it.

Thomas reaches out and holds his gloved hand steady next to the falcon. "Come on, then, hop on," he tells the bird.

With a flap of its wings, the falcon hops from the ledge to Thomas's wrist, shifting its claws to find secure purchase among the chain links,

Tom eases his hand back into the house. "Easy there," he says softly to the falcon, Easy. You're all right. You're safe." Once inside, he reaches carefully to the scroll case and attempts to open it.

Alice rises from where she had been sitting, brushes a bit of the dog hair off her dress, then curtsies a little. "Hello, Mr. Bird," she greets the falcon as he's carried inside. Idly, her free hand then reaches over to pet Kuon.

Kuon barks and stays where he is with good manners, as compared to jumping up and chasing the bird around the kitchen.

Unfortunately, one-handed and wearing chain link gloves, Thomas can't manage the small ties that fasten the case to the bird's leg. Seeing his difficulty, Elinor approaches to help him -- but the peregrine spreads its wings and opens its beak at her, hackles raising threateningly. She freezes, hand extended, then withdraws it.

Agatha just keeps her distance, and says, "That isn't a good sign."

Tom holds out his free hand to Elinor. "Maybe you should just remove this glove from my hand and I'll try for it. He seems to be calm with me," Thomas says.

Elinor nods, and slips the chain link glove from his hand. This much doesn't upset the falcon, who rests quiescent on the young man's right wrist.

Thomas tries for the scroll case again, going slowly to avoid startling the bird. "Thanks, Elinor," he tells the fey girl.

Down beside Kuon, Alice has taken to petting the dog idly, running her free left hand through his short fur with an uneasy energy. She holds Lord Mel against her chest with her right hand and watches, mostly silent.

With some difficulty and continued fumbling -- his left hand alone isn't well suited to the task of untying small strings -- Thomas manages at last to extract the case. It's a thin cylinder, of hollowed bone, perhaps, with a wax stopper on one end.

Tom takes the falcon back over to the window ledge and holds his hand out next to it. "Okay, hop off now and we'll see what you brought," he says to the bird.

Simon is by now fairly bursting with questions. "What does it say? Who is it from? How does the hawk, er, falcon know you?"

The peregrine disentangles its claws and returns to the sill, where it waits. After prying off the stopper, Tom slides a slender roll of thin parchment onto his palm. A thin layer of wax seals it shut, stamped with a leaping buck. Along the side is written, "For Her Highness, Princess Angel", in graceful script.

Tom grins and replies, "We'll figure that out in a moment. I have no idea." He blinks and reads the note. His brow furrows and he holds it out to Alice and says, "It's for you."

Elinor looks every bit as curious as Simon, but she clasps her hands together behind her back and keeps still and out of the way. She contents herself with leaning forward to peer curiously at the little letter.

Kuon sticks his nose out to snuffle the note, but appears to find nothing wrong with it.

"It must be from April," Agatha guesses. "That would explain why the bird didn't like Elinor."

"For me?" asks Alice, sounding astonished. "I never got a letter before that wasn't Daddy sending me a letter so I could have a letter ... " She stands up, using Kuon for a bit of support and patting his head once she's up, and walks over to the table where she begins trying to unroll the letter.

Thomas walks over and stands beside Elinor. He looks to her and smiles, then lets his attention return to the letter. Patiently, he waits for Alice to unroll and read it.

Elinor's eyes dart to Tom, standing behind her, and she bites her lip to keep from interrupting Alice as she reads the letter. The falcon is the only one who doesn't show signs of impatience; it is still perched on the open windowsill.

Alice reads the letter in silence, and when she's done, she folds it in half and turns around to look at everyone. "Um, Rebecca says 'hi', and she wants her book back," she explains. Her eyes trail past the gathered children, bird, and dog, to the door. "I think I should go get that now. Tommy, Agatha, can you walk me home?"

"Is it her handwriting?" Thomas asks. "It could be a trap to remove that book from our hands," he points out.

Agatha looks suspicious as well. "Does she say how you're supposed to return her book?"

Simon blinks. "Rebecca's sending messages by bird express now? Wow."

Instead of asking any questions, Elinor looks at Simon, not missing whom Alice had asked to walk her home.

"Wait a minute," Agatha says, looking up towards the ceiling. "Isn't Rebecca staying at House October, Elinor?"

"And," Thomas says, "Rebecca was staying with House October, correct? Why would a bird sent by House October not like someone from House October?" He places a hand on Elinor's shoulder and asks, "Does this seem odd to you?"

Agatha grins and points a finger at Tom, saying, "Jinx!"

Tom waves a hand dismissively.

Simon looks back blankly at Elinor.

"She is, Agatha," the raven-haired girl answers, slowly. "And I have been expecting to receive word from her -- letters to all of you -- but my Lord October has sent me that she has been too busy to write. Her parents have received calls from her, but..."

Alice nods her head a little. "It's Rebecca's writing, I know," she says. "And yes she said so ... but ... but ... can we go now? I want to hurry."

"Calls?" Agatha asks, stunned. "You can make phone calls from Mirari?" she asks, thinking of the odd phone number she was given in case she needed to contact Mr. Kuning.

"Why?" Thomas asks, "And can Elinor come? I need to talk with her."

Tom motions toward Agatha to approach him.

Elinor shakes her head at Agatha. "I do not think so. Either she comes to Ainigton to make the calls ... or...." She pauses, then shrugs helplessly. "House October may well be making them on her behalf. I am sure she would not want her parents to worry -- and surely they would, if they thought she was in a place where phone calls were impossible."

Agatha frowns at Alice, and walks over to Tom, whispering to him, "Think it's a ransom note?"

"Um." Alice looks between Elinor and Thomas, then around the room again and blushes faintly. She frowns too, hugging Lord Mel again, and looking vaguely guilty. "I don't know, Tommy. I ... I guess so."

Tom smiles and waves his hand. "Never mind," he says, "I was going to point out there were no phones in Mirari when I was there." He then chuckles. "But, walk Alice home, dressed like this?" He smiles to Alice and asks, "May I read the note, Alice?"

"Maybe Lady Nymuae's powers of sorcery are so amazing that she can even make phone calls from Mirari," Simon suggests helpfully.

"Okay, Tommy," the blonde agrees. She holds up but does not let go of the note, so just he can read it.

Thomas leans in to read the note.

The falcon flaps its wings, then flutters back into the kitchen, taking a perch on the table in front of Alice.

Agatha glares at the bird's boldness.

While holding up the note, Alice turns her head and looks down at the bird for a moment, then dips a little, allowing it a perch on her shoulder. "Here you go," she tells it.

The greyhound trots around to interpose himself between Alice and the falcon, growling a little warning to the little girl. Be careful, his pose seems to suggest.

"Why is the bird still here? It's delivered the message," Agatha says, more to the falcon than to anyone else.

Thomas nods, "Thank you, Alice." He leans in and whispers to the girl and nods slightly. "We will all go. But, there may be a time where we will have to separate. No questions will be asked. Is that clear?" he tells the others. There's a definite note of finality in his tone.

The falcon ignores Agatha. It doesn't look too comfortable on the table, and the table's surface gets scratched by its claws. It hops towards Alice's shoulder, but takes off again almost immediately after landing there, as Alice yelps when it tries to settle on the thin cloth that covers her shoulder.

Simon shrugs. "Maybe it's waiting for a response? Or to be told to go home?"

Agatha frowns again, but nods to Tom before going to get her pack, putting the gauntlets and camera into it next to her sword. "Give me a minute to lock up," she says, jangling the key ring and heading out to lock the front door.

The peregrine, after circling the table a few times, takes a new purchase on the kitchen counter -- which is at least more scratch-resistant than the table or Alice's shoulder.

"Ow!" cries Alice, reaching up to rub her shoulder. "Birds are very sharp." Her nose wrinkles and she bites her lip in pain. She doesn't respond to Thomas right away, just looks at him with pained "That hurt!" cast to her eyes.

Elinor watches Tom with steady eyes, then nods her agreement. "Understood." She walks to the front hall to retrieve her bag.

Tom watches Elinor leave, green eyes following her movements, thinking.

A dot of red discolors Alice's dress, on the shoulder where the falcon briefly tried to land.

Simon hops off the seat and reaches for his backpack, when he realized he didn't bring one. The younger boy tries to look as if he was just reaching to pat his belt-pouch, a near copy of Tom's, to make sure it was still there. "Aye aye, Lord Explorer," he says. "Maybe, uh..." Simon follows Tom's gaze and lowers his voice. "You've got a special reconnaissance mission for us, or something."

Out in the front hall Agatha locks the door and gives Elinor a worried look before heading back to the kitchen.

"Indeed," Thomas replies, tone steady and ungiving, "I may need someone to insure the surroundings are safe."

The little girl continues to screw up her face in an expression of pain, drawing back her finger with the spot of blood on it. "Fooey," she complains, "the birdie cut me. Mommy's going to be mad." She looks around again, then asks, "May I be excused? I need to put a band-aid on this."

Back in the kitchen, Agatha fills her pockets with some of Kuon's dog treats and also a few cubes of sugar. "Do you need any help, Alice?" she asks.

Kuon bumps up against Alice's legs as if to suggest that he'll help, though it doesn't seem like a really good idea to let him take care of washing the scratches, given his usual diet. Perhaps he's just offering his company.

"Yes, please. Can you take my purse, Agatha? I think I'm going to need some help too, I can't see my shoulder very well." Alice walks to the edge of the kitchen, pauses, then looks back and waves a little. "Sorry, Mr. Bird! Its not your fault, I know." Then to Agatha she says, "The bathroom would be good."

"Just do not go far, Alice," Thomas says, voice concerned. He looks through the doorway, looking for Elinor. "If you pass Elinor, ask her to come speak with me. I want to be sure she understands the original tenets of the Golden Hawks."

Alice looks down. "And sure you can come, Kuon!"

Agatha takes the younger girl's large purse, and says, "There's a bathroom in the maid's room; it's just down the hall."

"Thank you," says Alice before she wanders off in that direction.

A minute later, Elinor returns to the kitchen with her bag on one shoulder. She smiles at Tom and Simon, waiting alone, but she has a worried look on her face despite it. The peregrine has left -- either it received the cue it was waiting for to go, or it decided not to wait any longer.

"Elinor," Thomas says softly and gently, "Do you know what the original reasons for the formation of the Golden Hawks were?" He smiles to the fey girl, trying to mask his own concern.

"Forgive me, but I just ask because I want to make sure you remember the most important," Thomas says warmly, "We were formed not of one House, but of nearly all. We were united and served the crown. We stood beyond our Houses, as a unity of the people of Mirari. It was probably a vague, romantic hope that it would help inspire others to see beyond the boundaries of the House, but it was a hope of mine. Please, never forget that."

"Not for money, power, and fame?" Simon quips with a grin. "Well, now I'm disappointed!"

"Sorry to disappoint, Simon," Thomas retorts with a grin.

"'To serve the land and the throne, not one House alone,'" Elinor quotes, meeting Thomas's eyes. "I have not forgotten--" she starts, and then she drops her eyes, flicking her gaze to the window instead. "... I--I believe Lord October serves the same cause, Lord Explorer. If I have done as he bids me, it is only because I think he is on the right side. Not just because he is Lord October."

"I understand that, Elinor," Thomas says, walking over to the fey girl. He rests his hand on her shoulder and says, "I just wanted to make sure I could leave my friends in good hands. They may have need of your skills as a Hawk and I may not be around."

She raises his eyes to meet the young man's again, then curtsies. "Yes, my lord," she answers, simply.

This gives Simon cause for surprise. "You're not planning to go off and do something ridiculously dangerous, are you, Tom? Like Captain Randall in Minstrel Sam's story?"

Tom sighs softly. "Tom or Thomas, Elinor. Please," he says. The boy then looks to Simon and answers simply, "The future could be dangerous. We must be ready for whatever comes."

"My apologies, my l--Thomas," Elinor catches herself, grinning despite herself.

"Okay, just don't invite it," Simon warns Tom, then grins.

Thomas grins and winks at the fey girl. "Better." He looks about, "Now, shall we get going? Alice! You ready?"

"Ready!" is the return shout from somewhere not far in the house.

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This site serves as a chronicle of sessions in an online roleplaying campaign moderated by Conrad "Lynx" Wong and May "Rowan" Wasserman. The contents of this site are (c) 2001, 2002 by Conrad Wong and May Wasserman except where stated otherwise. Despite the "children's fantasy" theme of this campaign, this site is not intended for young readership, due to mild language and violence.