Reinald & Brigitte | Afternoon | 21st of Leaffall 248 A.T.C

The cave is dark on Branded's side while Reinald is already raising his hand when he fires — two beams of arcane energy. One connects. What neither of them expected is what happens next: the necklace at Salt's throat pulls some of the blast in, absorbs it, pulses once with a deep purple glow. Is Salt growing larger?

Branded tries talking to Salt — Salt, it's me, what's happening?— and gets nothing useful back. Salt lifts his hammer. Branded casts a light spell, a small flame pressed to his own shoulder so he glows in the dark, and backs away. Salt swings twice but Branded's fire barrier flares up between them just in time. Flames lick at Salt's skin and the necklace absorbs some of that too.

Reinald tries to put him to sleep. Salt shrugs the spell off without apparent effort. Reinald burns through several thunderwaves and shatter spells. Salt takes the damage but doesn't go down. He spits acid, a concentrated stream held in his mouth, aimed at Reinald's face. Reinald sidesteps most of it. Reinald realizes he needs more help, summoning Roka to the field.

Röka materializes. Not subtly — a glowing spectral fox, horned and luminous, appearing from nothing in the middle of a cave fight. Branded stares. Röka raises a paw and sends a bolt of witch lightning crackling toward Salt. It misses. Branded lights Salt's tail on fire and backs to the wall. Salt turns toward Branded once more, confused for a moment about which target to prioritize, and the necklace pulses again. He gets even bigger. He's now too large for the cave.

Röka, operating through Reinald's connection launches an orb of radiant light at Salt. The light is not absorbed by the necklace! The first thing all fight that has gotten through cleanly!

The ceiling starts to complain about this. The first rumble moves through the rocks. Stalactites shift. Everyone in the chamber hears it. Reinald tries casting a Sleep spell again. This time it lands. Salt staggers, incapacitated for a moment before the spell's power folds. But the cave keeps rumbling anyway.

The damage is already done. Branded goes invisible and presses against the wall. A stalactite drops and finds him anyway, piercing through the invisibility, dropping him to the ground bleeding. The invisibility ends. Reinald realizes that they must leave the cave, but on Reinald's side of the cave, a passage has already caved in entirely.

Brigitte comes through the cave entrance at a run and hits the rockfall immediately. No way through. She can hear something on the other side... Branded's voice, or the sound of it, the particular pitch of someone in serious trouble!

She doesn't deliberate. She doesn't negotiate with herself or weigh it up or decide anything. It happens before the thought completes. The Beast Within doesn't ask — it surges forward like a wave that was already moving before she was. Her claws hit the rockfall as claws. She starts pulling. Pepper arrives behind her, soaked and still bleeding and takes up a position beside her without even thinking about it. Two sets of claws working through the collapse together. The rock moves slowly. Then faster.

An opening!

Brigitte gets through first and finds Branded on the ground with a stalactite wound in his leg and Salt still standing — enormous, glowing purple, hammer raised, the necklace pulsing at his throat like a second heartbeat. He sees her come through the gap and doesn't recognize her any more than he recognized Branded. She puts herself between him and Branded and doesn't look away from Salt. She shouts for someone to get Branded out.

Pepper gets through the gap behind her and grapples Salt, taking the flailing that follows, giving everyone else in the room advantage on their attacks in the process. Reinald tries one more time to put Salt to sleep and it works! Salt falling unconscious. Brigitte tears the necklace off Salt's throat. The chain breaks, and she throws it into the far corner of the cave.

But the connection from the necklace to Salt remains, as there's a purple tether between the two. Brigitte watches the purple aura trying to claw its way back toward Salt.

Reinald tries to mage-hand it further. The necklace resists, pulls against the spell but then pushes through, wrestling it another twenty feet down the cave until the connection between the amulet and Salt finally frays. Salt stays large, still unconscious, but the purple glow is fading.

They need to hurry.

Branded flame-steps out on his last reserves, crawling through the gap and Reinald administers him a potion. Brigitte and Pepper haul Salt toward the entrance, dragged him across stone while the ceiling sheds pieces around them. Brigitte and Pepper pull the unconscious Salt through the entrance on the last possible second, as cave fully collapses behind them.

They made it out. Everyone bleeding. Salt unconscious. Necklace gone in the rubble.

Three city guards come running up the beach.

Reinald & Brigitte | Afternoon | 21st of Leaffall 248 A.T.C

Brigitte has returned to normal by the time she turns to face the guards, which is about the only thing going right at this particular moment. One of the guards takes one look at the scene, the collapsed cave entrance, the unconscious lizardfolk, the assortment of battered people standing around him, and asks what happened here.

Brigitte speaks first. The cave collapsed, and that these people were inside. The guard gestures at Salt. "What is... this thing?" "Also in the cave." says Brigitte. "We got him out."

The guard looks at both of them, clearly finds this situation beneath his dignity, and tells them to disperse. The other guards goes to inspect the cave entrance, confirms it is completely sealed, and that's the end of the official interest in the matter.

The group moves up the beach, away from the guards. Reinald tells Brigitte and Branded — carefully that the cave-in sealed his exit first and he had to swim out. Branded hears this. His expression says he has filed it somewhere for later. Reinald asks about the necklace.

Where did it come from? Pepper responds in his own language — a deep oceanic cadence, water and echo underneath the consonants — and none of the others can understand it.

It sounds like the elemental dialect that academy scholars described, but he never actually heard spoken. Branded steps in before the conversation can go further. He thanks Reinald and tells him, politely but without much warmth, that they'll take it from here. Reinald should go return the mushrooms to Sonya. Reinald suggests that he could help with Salt and Pepper, but Branded says they'll manage. Brigitte suggests meeting for dinner later at the Barnacled Barrel, around dusk. Reinald agrees.

On the walk back towards Allura's Haven, they all move in the same direction for an awkward stretch before Brigitte's group peels off toward The Family Hideout and Reinald continues toward the Bubbling Cauldron. Before they arrive at the Hideout: Brigitte turns to Branded.

He didn't see her transform. And it certainly was not a question.

Branded looks at her for a moment that goes on slightly too long, he says nothing.

They keep walking.

Brigitte Yrsdottir | Late Afternoon | 21st of Leaffall 248 A.T.C

Brigitte and Branded bring Salt and Pepper into the Family Hideout. Wilt is behind the bar. Sloane is on a stool. Beastie is rolling in slow circles near the far wall. All three of them watch Brigitte drag an unconscious giant lizardfolk through the door and say nothing for a moment that stretches considerably past comfortable. Brigitte deposits Salt on the bench nearest the wall. She straightens. She looks at Wilt and Sloane.

Well? Are you just going to stand there?

Wilt moves first. He speaks to Pepper in the same language — that oceanic cadence — and gets an answer. Then he looks at Brigitte and asks what happened. She tells him about the necklace. Purple glow, cursed, Salt found it in the ocean near the ambassador's beach. Thought it was pretty. Wore it. Got aggressive by yesterday, violent by this morning, and by the time anyone was in the same cave as him he was twice his normal size and trying to kill people.

Wilt and Pepper take Salt to the guest room in the Hideout, Pepper looks back at Brigitte before he goes. Something in his expression that doesn't need a language. Branded settles at the bar. Sloane moves one of her four cups sideways and puts one in front of him. Beastie rolls over and bumps against his leg. Branded looks at the drink for a while before picking it up.

Brigitte sits nearby. She doesn't try to start a conversation, not just yet.

...
...
...

After a while, Sloane takes Branded to The Family Hall to patch up his arm and leg.

Brigitte thinks about how quickly everything happened in that cave. No negotiation, no drawn-out internal struggle — just the rocks in front of her and The Beast Within already there, already moving through her hands before she'd consciously chosen anything.

"I knew you'd need me." says The Beast Within. "You can't get rid of me that easily."

She doesn't respond to it. She picks up the drink Sloane leaves near her and focuses on the weight of it in her hand.

"You didn't even try to resist me..."

There it is. Not cruel, just accurate, and that's worse.
The Beast Within is right, she hadn't tried.

Branded had gone down in that cave and she'd stood over him in a form she's not supposed to use... And the family had already voted on what that means... And none of that had entered her head in the moment... The Beast Within was already out. That's the part she can't argue with.

"I am right. You know I am."

Beastie is the one who pulls her out of her spinning thoughts. Beastie tries to cheer her up, but Brigitte can't understand him. Eventually Beastie and Brigitte decide to check in with Sloane and Branded.

In the hall, Branded sits on the table without his hood. His glasses — which she's only seen once before, appearing the moment his blindfold comes off as if they materialize with it — are cracked down one lens from the stalactite impact.

Sloane is working through the worst of the wounds with a needle and the focused disinterest of someone who has done this many times. She tells him his hair looks better without the hood. He doesn't respond but he doesn't put it back on.

Brigitte sits beside him, she wants to help him. She uses her connection to Yggdrasil and her arm covered in branches grows more flowers and leaves, a small deliberate thing, a gesture more than a healing — to take some of the edge off the wound Sloane is working through. A faint green glow settles over her hand where it makes contact with his arm. Sloane gives Brigitte the needle so she can patch up Branded's leg...

Brigitte's hesitant at first, but she wants to help him, and as she makes physical contact with him... A vision hits. It's the second time... The first was a few days ago — a flash of a younger version of him walking into something that looked like a fortress, quick and gone before she could hold it. This time it's underground. A small branch growing... A green gemstone set into it pulsing once with light before the darkness takes it back. It lasts less than a second. She doesn't let anything show on her face. She keeps that to herself.

When the moment passes she apologizes. Not elaborately — she says she came across badly, that she knows what it looked like, and that she shouldn't have said what she said the way she said it. Branded looks at her for a moment with the careful attention of someone determining whether this is going to land as genuine. Then he says "It's fine. But don't do that again."

Wilt reappears and confirms most of the story back to Brigitte, Branded, Sloane and Beastie. Salt found a necklace somewhere near the Ambassador's Pier, which lead to his aggression and eventually how he ended up in the cave. Wilt asks Branded if he wants his clothes cleaned and patched up at Laundro Mattie's. Branded agrees and stands carefully on the patched leg.

Before he goes, Wilt wonders why Brigitte's clothes are fine, Brigitte informs that Gurak gave it to her, and that it has special properties. Wilt picks up Brigitte's jacket and glances at the tag.

"Milanithorne."

He reads it, hands it back, says nothing. Brigitte noticed that whatever it means to him, it made him feel something, but she doesn't feel to be in the position to ask about it. Wilt and Branded leave. Brigitte stays with Sloane and Beastie. She takes a drink and decides to rest, for now...

Reinald Vulperian | Late Afternoon | 21st of Leaffall 248 A.T.C

Reinald gets to the Bubbling Cauldron looking worse than he did when he left it. Sonya looks up, sees the state of him, and asks what happened before he can say anything. He puts the bag on the counter, a few mushrooms... He had hoped for more. Sonya listens to his account of the cave incident. When he gets to the part about the lizardfolk, she asks if they're all right. He says he thinks so, Brigitte took them somewhere. He assumes they live in the ocean, which he acknowledges out loud might be a stereotype.

He's still talking when Sonya produces a small vial from somewhere on the workbench — herbs, concentrated — uncorks it, and holds it under his snout mid-sentence. Inhale, she says. He does. His sinuses open like a door! She calls it smelling salts. Useful for concussions, she says, or for people who are rambling. He tells her he wasn't rambling. But Sonya does not agree or disagree.

She also shows him a Healing Bauble, a little jelly-ball she made with the ooze residue. They sit on the workbench bouncing faintly, translucent and slightly wobbling. She hands him one. Solid enough to pack, she says. Don't put it near anything sharp. Works on skin contact.

He tells her the idea is genuinely excellent. He mentions Spellwhisk Academy; that they have an alchemy program, that they send and receive students across the Sevenfold Commonwealth, that creations like this would be recognized there. She has the particular expression of someone who finds the compliment interesting but isn't sure what to do with it.

Eventually Sonya says that she's going to check in with Brigitte and the others. She thanks Reinald and says that she'll see him later...

Reinald Vulperian | Late Afternoon | 21st of Leaffall 248 A.T.C

As Reinald is unsure what to do, he wanders to the small Temple of Allura on his way back to the Traders District. A deerfolk priestess — Lissa Juniperthorne — is lighting candles for the evening service. She notes the state of him without comment and offers tea and a rest. He takes both. He spends an hour of rest and the ache in his shoulder eases.

While he sits with his tea, a dwarven lady wanders in. Bare feet. Something almost martial in the way she carries herself. She goes directly to the confessional booths without looking at anyone. Lissa follows.

Röka....suggests... listening in... For a reward obviously...

Reinald tells himself this is a bad idea, but he does it anyway. He moves carefully to a pillar near enough to catch what comes through the curtain. The dwarf's voice, muffled but audible:

Dwarf
She gets special treatment... I cannot stand it! She chose to actively to... (cuts herself off)

A pause. Lissa's voice, gentle...

Lissa Juniperthorne
I understand your frustration. But it may not be her fault.

Dwarf
Why isn't it her fault?! Urgh!

...
...
...

The conversation shifts...
...
...
...

Dwarf
Last ten-day was the... anniversary of my sister.
And only that fuckward remembered!
Or even bothered to think about it.

...
...

A beat... Then bitterness that has been sitting somewhere for a long time:

Dwarf
Just because they don't want to acknowledge it, it doesn't change that she was still my sister!

Lissa Juniperthorne
Have you tried talking to them about it?

Dwarf
Pah! Urgh! Yes, Very smart of you! — Oh yes, I want to talk about my sister that went deranged!

Lissa Juniperthorne
...Let your feelings out.

Dwarf
It's just not fair, that she gets special treatment but my sister was abandoned.

Reinald backs away, he might get spotted. He steps back out into the late afternoon light with a piece of something he has no context for. A dwarf. A sister. Another story... Special treatment going to someone else in whatever house or family the dwarf is connected to...

Roka's favor has been completed, and so, a new spell page appears before Reinald.

But it carries the same purple aura as the necklace in the cave... Reinald looks at it for a long moment. Röka says he doesn't know if that's because of what they witnessed today or something older. He thinks he's experienced something like that amulet before but he can't place it. Reinald decides to follow up on Sonya's advice to get his clothes cleaned, it's on the way towards the Traders District anyways, he heads for Laundro Matties.

Reinald Vulperian | Late Afternoon | 21st of Leaffall 248 A.T.C

As Reinald wanders into the shop, he notices the marble floors, the silver kobolds in matching aprons, and a proprietor named Laundro whose head takes a second look to fully parse — scales and fur both, side-ponytail, small sunglasses perched on his head... He welcomes Reinald with genuine warmth.

Reinald hands over his outer coat and cloak, selects Concordian Orchid from the fragrance menu — noting briefly that Lily of the valley is available at five times the usual price, with a sticky note that looks recently added... He gets a tour of the process. Large pots. Silver kobolds working enthusiastically!

He sits and waits. The other occupants include several regular deerfolk commoners and a very large bare-chested figure standing in front of one of the pots watching his own laundry go around. The man's eyes glow faintly through the mask. He wears arm bracelets that match the glow. He doesn't look around. He watches his laundry with the focus of a warrior.

Before Reinald can find a reason to accidentally start a conversation, the door swings open and a Hordeling woman strides in — muscular, direct, wearing a necklace and bracelets that glow in exactly the same way as the masked man's. She goes immediately to him.

If I find a stain in one of my good garments, it's coming out of your pay.

He says the stains will be out. She tells Laundro she'll pay double if they're not, and leaves. Laundro calls the masked man "Sir Everhard". Sir Everhard picks up a bucket, looks at the cloth coming out of it, and walks out without putting his shirt back on, leaving the rest to Laundro.

Reinald is... amused but feels no need to say anything.

Shortly after, a lionfolk wearing sunglasses and Branded come in together. The lionfolk speaks to Laundro in a language that Reinald can't identify, something with a hiss at the edges of certain consonants, nothing he can place... Branded clocks Reinald across the room, makes eye contact for a moment, and then disappears into the back with Wilt and Laundro without acknowledging it further.

Reinald gets his coat back warm and clean and smelling like Concordian Orchids from one of the kobolds. He gets a membership card — one stamp out of ten, Laundro's face on it with a thumbs up. The kobold tells him their motto:

"We don't prestidigitate, because we're great!"
-- Laundro and Mattie

He asks while leaving whether anyone has gotten sick from the water lately. The kobold says he has no idea what to do with this question. Eventually Laundro re-emerges from the back, thanks Reinald for his patronage and waves him off. Reinald walks out into the early evening. He is clean, slightly better rested, and has more questions than he arrived with...

It's time for him to head to the The Barnacled Barrel...

Brigitte Yrsdottir | Dusk | 21st of Leaffall 248 A.T.C

Brigitte realizes that she still should head to the Assessor's Office, that 'Osian'-guy demanded that she'd show up there. When she arrives there, she finds a deerfolk clerk who is professionally apologetic about the fact that Commander Meadowthorne is still in a meeting with Mayor Hershkowitz. The clerk asks her to take a seat.

Brigitte sits for fifteen minutes. Clearly annoyed...Then she stops sitting.

She tells the clerk she'll leave a written account instead. The clerk explains, with increasing distress, that she was specifically instructed to wait and that leaving without meeting the Commander could become a problem... Brigitte starts writing anyway...

Before Brigitte can leave, the big door opens. Commander Meadowthorne steps out first, followed by a young deerfolk man whose antlers are notably larger than the Commander's. The young deerfolk's expression carries the specific smugness of someone who has been told repeatedly that he's doing very well. He glances at Brigitte without interest and leaves.

Meadowthorne looks at her.

"Get in."

The office smells of wet wolven fur. Brigitte clocks it, this isn't his office... The commander takes the chair behind the desk and puts his hooves on it without ceremony.

He asks why he shouldn't jail her for the incident on the beach. She says because she rescued people from a collapsing cave. He asks for more. She tells him, a human, the two lizardfolk, and a foxfolk. He notes the foxfolk and the human and says nothing about the lizardfolk.

He asks what they were doing in the cave. Gathering mushrooms, Brigitte responds. He asks what kind. She says she doesn't know. He's clearly unimpressed with her attitude. He tells her he can hold her for five days without trial for the sake of an investigation, so she should choose her tone carefully.

She does not adjust her tone, much... He asks what happened to the 'filth' lizardfolk afterward. She says back in the ocean. He raises an eyebrow. She adds that she made sure they were healed first. But Osian decides not to question further.

Then, almost as an afterthought: It's time this city changed.

She wishes him luck with that and makes for the door. The door opens before she reaches it. The city's Head Assessor, wolffolk, large, clearly accustomed to this being his office and annoyed that it's being hijacked by Commander Meadowthorne.

He takes one look at Meadowthorne sitting behind his desk, and the argument that begins has nothing to do with Brigitte. She walks out and heads to The Barnacled Barrel...

The Beast Within surfaces again, quieter than before but still there...

"You should have gone for it..."

"All that aggression and you just walked away. You're weak..."

She tries to ignore it... The Barnacled Barrel is not far.

"He-heh-heh... I'll be here... when you need me again."