2017-03-25: How About Them Apples

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<Pose Tracker> Leon Albus has posed.

Leon Albus is still getting used to Adlehyde.

The kingdom doesn't really register with him the right way. After living in Kislev for so long, in a military environment that was quite regimented, Adlehyde feels too relaxed somehow. It makes him feel listless -- and he walks, hands in the pockets of his coat. His grey coat hangs off him, neatly, and he has the white shirt and suit vest on underneath it.

He doesn't, at a glance, look like a soldier. But he does look at the pavilions of the fair curiously. His silver eyes narrow, a little, as he peers at a booth that has a man shouting about the astounding medicinal properties of the jellyfish oil that he is selling. Leon shakes his head, then he crosses his arms, and looks around.

He feels more listless without Lily at his side, but she needs her rest. The mission she took with the sand pirate took a lot out of her.

Kourin has arrived. 

<Pose Tracker> Catenna has posed.

Something keeps bringing Catenna into town. Maybe she's going soft - and she can't even blame old age for it, since she's not old yet. Maybe it's the fact that it's totally unlike what she's used to - a strange kingdom with interesting people.

She's quick to spot one of those people, even as she trudges through the street, her hood up to half-conceal her face and her cloak drawn around her. From beneath the shadow of it, she blinks, recognition dawning on her as she recognizes not only the grey coat, but the face and bearing of the man who wears it. Instinctively she glances around, but doesn't find what she's looking for, frowning thoughtfully.

It doesn't stop her from changing course. Stepping away from the pavilion she was at - and carrying a small basket of fat red fruit with her, she makes her way over towards that figure. She's neatly silent about it aside from the very soft sound of her footfalls, but even that is easy to lose.

"Hello again," she greets Leon, voice low as she steps up beside him, hood pushed slowly back. "I trust you have been well, and Lily also." 

<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.

Some distance away, the esteemed Dr. Cameron Bridges is organizing the careful assembly of several life-size Metal Demon replicas, as well as smaller dioramas and Metal Dragon fossil material. This seems to involve a lot of yelling, and regular drinks from a hip flask. This state of affairs may be related to the fact that his /archnemesis/, Dr. Stein of Meria Boule is also in the area, and setting up his own display of finds. The two areas are dangerously close, and both sides have their share of tough-looking people present to discourage would-be saboteurs from the other party.

Ida has nothing to do with either of them. In fact, the whole thing is, quite frankly, embarrassing for her. This is why she's walking down a smaller promenade, eating some sort of sweet bun she got from a baker's stall. So far, she's just enjoying the fresh air and sunshine, insofar as she can enjoy anything while the issue of a cursed friend is still present. She hasn't noticed Catenna yet, most likely because of that cloak. Cloaks are useful like that. 

<Pose Tracker> Parbody has posed.

A woman in an extremely flatteringly cut dark gray suit, wearing what appear to be reinforced boots with significant heels to them, saunters out of one of the fairground alleyways and - with metallic clanks and clicks - crosses over, approaching towards that pavilion where Catenna is just now departing.

Parbody is also wearing a gas mask, which only doesn't pop ominously here because about 2% of the people here are already wearing some kind of dopey mask, face paint, or other signs of festivity. A small child comes up to Parbody, in fact, and asks, "Are you a monster?!"

Parbody turns her head to look at the waif, and says, not unkindly, "After a fashion."

Then: "Excuse me!" This is aimed towards Catenna. Parbody is approaching her. "Pardon, pardon - if I could have only a single precious MOMENT fo your TIME -" 

<Pose Tracker> Leon Albus has posed.

Leon hears Catenna approach, but that isn't easy. Experience with dealing with ambushes is part of the reason that he even does -- and he turns, then, silver eyes looking sideways at the hooded woman. Recognition is instant, because they worked together and because he is good with names and faces. Then, he nods. "Catenna," he says. It is a greeting. "A pleasure to see you again."

He considers how much she knows and what she might have heard. He settles on not making assumptions and not digging that hole deeper, if she heard anything. "We're both well. You, too?"

He catches sight of Ida, but it's a busy street. Leon looks right past her when Parbody approaches. He approves of someone who can wear a suit well, though the heels catch his ears immediately, and then he sees the gas mask. It draws a longer look -- but not immediate alarm. Instead, he looks up, and stays quiet as she talks to Catenna.

But he gives the priestess a look. A friend, perhaps? 

<Pose Tracker> Sephilia Lampbright has posed.

Sephilia is bouncing around happily with Chauncey, in Ida's wake. She has meat pies! And a curse. But right now she's focusing on the meat pies. "Do you think she'll try anything here, Ida?" Sephy asks, around a mouthful of food. She swallows, then repeats the question. "Cause it's a nice day and I don't wanna ruin it."

She spies Leon and waves! And then doesn't get noticed by Leon. 

<Pose Tracker> Catenna has posed.

Hey, Catenna put her hood down! She gives her head a shake; thick, dark hair spills down around her shoulders, a long, loose braid drawn over the right and bound by a trio of big bangles. They're fairly elaborate and not of a common style for Adlehyde.

Politely, the dusky-skinned woman folds her hands together, basket hanging from the crook of her elbow. "I've been quite well. Things are moving peacefully, I suppose," she says, her voice quiet. "I am glad you are well. I... enjoyed our journey together, some time ago." That's pretty high praise for her.

Spotting a small girl waving, she blinks and cants her head to the side. Ida she recognizes, nodding politely to the woman -

Until someone calls to her. She turns a little, opening her mouth to say somethi-

GAAAAS MAAAASK

Catenna gets a funny look on her face. Her eyebrows come up and her lips press together, cheeks sucking inward, and she angles her head back a couple of inches, shoulders coming up.

She lets her breath out, bringing her face back under control. The glance she shoots back to Leon comes with a small shrug before she moves one hand to her hip and gives Parbody a slow nod, brows coming down into a furrow. "Is there... a thing that I can do for you, ma'am?" she asks, her tone level and with a distinct accent. 

<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.

Ida had no idea Sephy was there. This becomes immediately apparent as she all but whips around, blinking at the young woman. "You're getting much better at tailing," Ida says, her voice hushed. She bends down a little, and looks into Sephy's eyes. "I hope not. But don't worry about that, dear. If she does, I'll protect you." If she can. Ida looks up, and cases the crowd again--

And spots an entirely different horrible person who is horrible for different reasons. She takes Sephilia's hand, and pushes the sudden spike of fear and anger behind her public face. Ida starts to walk away, but things get more complicated when she recognizes the woman Parbody is talking to. Oh, /hell/, Ida thinks. She stops, and as an afterthought: "Would you like a piece of sweet bun? They're very good." If Sephy accepts, she gets a piece!

All the while, Ida is keeping a weather eye on what is happening to Catenna. She is at least sure she could manage a warning shot this time; her temper's hot enough. 

<Pose Tracker> Parbody has posed.

"Yes," Parbody says, clapping her hands together once, resoundingly.

She reaches forwards to take an apple out of Catenna's basket without asking. "This fruit," she explains, leaning in close enough that Catenna can smell weird mentholated chemical fumes and, more prosiacally, rubber, and possibly feel physically threatened. "It's so ripe. So perfect. Fat and juicy, like a pig... I'd go so far as to say that if you care for apples that are of the red persuasion, it's a perfect example."

She holds it up, grasping it by the stem. Looking to the small cluster here, she says, "Wouldn't you agree? Verify me here, back me up. We can't reach conclusions based on subjective opinions." 

<Pose Tracker> Sephilia Lampbright has posed.

Sephilia looks a little chagrined. "Sorry, Ida," she says apologetically. "I didn't mean to be sneaky, I just...didn't want to stay cooped up anymore. It's hard and I knew you'd look after me.

"Sure, I'd love some!" Sephy munches happily on the sweet bun, offering a bit of her share to Chauncey.

Chauncey graciously declines.

"Who is that and what is she /wearing/?" Sephy asks, spying who Ida is looking at so intently... 

<Pose Tracker> Leon Albus has posed.

Leon nods to Catenna, when she says that. "It was a successful venture," he says. "After the trouble those ruins gave us, I was pleased." It's muted praise, but praise nonetheless. He turns, though, when he sees Sephilia approaching. He blinks -- and then there is a faint smile, before he nods. "Ah, Sephilia. Speaking of the Sult Ruins..."

He waves once, and then he looks up at Ida. He blinks once, before he tilts his head slightly to the side. "I don't believe I've had the pleasure to meet your friend, before."

Which is when he catches Parbody reaching for an apple from Catenna's basket. His eyebrow furrows, and he looks up at her, sizing her up for a moment. "I suppose," he concludes, "that it's red."

He says it a little flatly. 

<Pose Tracker> Catenna has posed.

Inhaling, Catenna immediately crinkles her nose. She knows what fire smells like but she's never smelled chemicals before. With a soft click of a bootheel against the cobblestones, she takes a step back, though her expression doesn't change - her body language does instead, from the way she leans her shoulders and upper body back to the way her right hand slips into the folds of her cloak as if going for something. She doesn't seem like she's about to attack, though.

Again her eyes dart to the side, to Leon, then Ida. For a moment she's glad Leon is here for this.

Parbody takes one of her apples. Scowling slightly, she doesn't reach for it. The small frown she offers up conveys her dislike of this situation. The woman throws a few larger words at her, and she lowers her eyelids, trying to convert them in her mind to her own language and then back to the one they speak in Ignas.

"...It is red, yes," she finally agrees. "And ripe. Why, have you not... looked at a ripe red apple before?" 

<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.

"Not someone nice," Ida says, her voice a thin little whisper. So far it doesn't look like Parbody's done much more than buttonhole Catenna with her bizarre question, but best to keep an eye on things. She breaks off about half of the remaining sweet bun, and gives it to Sephilia. It's a good sweet bun.

"I agree," Ida says. She looks like the very image of polite discourse. "It's red." 

<Pose Tracker> Parbody has posed.

"Hmmmm... impertinence," Parbody muses aloud, before her gaze addresses Sephi. "It's a suit, darling. Do you like it?"

Then aloud, she says, "Do you commonly encounter people who do not know an apple from an orange, or their ass from their elbow? Or do you seek to express the fear and dismay of everyday life into hostility? We have nothing to dispute over," Parbody concludes, putting the apple back in Catenna's basket, very gently, as if it were made of fragile glass.

"I only sought, dear lady, to ask: Where did you get these? And... did they have many left, or does this lovely laden basket represent the end of the crop?" 

<Pose Tracker> Sephilia Lampbright has posed.

Sephy frowns. "Why are you trying to be so confusing?" she asks. Direct. To the point. Undiplomatic. 

<Pose Tracker> Leon Albus has posed.

Leon glances down at Sephy. Then, he looks back up at Parbody. His frown intensifies, slightly, as he looks at her. "I think you're scaring the girl," he says. "You may want to dial it back."

He words it like a suggestion, but he doesn't voice it like one.

Then, he glances sideways at Catenna. An eyebrow lifts, before he looks back at Parbody. "I know they have better luck with crops in the east. More farmlands. Even a few orchards. They do look tasty."

Better than field rations. 

<Pose Tracker> Catenna has posed.

She may not know Sephilia from a hole in the ground, but Catenna glances sidelong at the girl as she slides up, nodding to her politely. Ida gets a glance too. At least she's got friends with her.

As the apple is returned to her basket, she makes a mental note to throw that one out. "I do not commonly encounter people who wear masks like that," she says, her voice tightening ever so slightly. "But if all you wish is to buy apples, you may... locate them some paces towards the north end of the... the festival-lands. There is a stand there where you may buy them. I imagine that some are left."

once more she cradles her basket in her left hand, her right remaining within the folds of her cloak; it's parted a little but it doesn't do much but show off the fact that what she's wearing under it is rather feminine. Certainly not fine men's fashion.

She frowns slightly. "And," she says, "I do not know if I would... describe life as a thing where fear and dismay are... of the every-day." 

<Pose Tracker> Parbody has posed.

Parbody looks at Leon with a ten degree tilt of the head, as if she were a shoebill crane. "I'm sure I don't know what you mean," she tells him, before crouching slightly to get nearer to eye level with Sephilia. (The boots get in the way here.) To her, she asks, "Am I scaring you?" while staring dead ahead with tinted glass eyelets.

She raises an index finger, one moment, and then tells Catenna brightly, "THANK you! That's wonderful. I have a list, you see." Then back to Sephilia.

"I'll get you an apple for yourself if you'd like to walk with me," she tells the girl, "while I do my grocery shopping." Well that's not ominous at all. 

<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.

Ida takes another bite of her sweet bun, and takes her time chewing. This is mostly an excuse to keep from talking further as Parbody expresses her eccentricities to everyone within range. That is, until she comes dangerously close to Sephilia.

Ida turns around in one smooth motion, and with Herculean force of will, keeps from either snatching Sephy away or interposing herself between the two. Instead, she rests a hand on Sephy's shoulder. "Or we could buy one on our way home," Ida says. 

<Pose Tracker> Sephilia Lampbright has posed.

Sephilia swallows hard, hugging Chauncey. "N-no, I'm not afraid of you," she says. "But I'm not going to go anywhere with someone whose face I can't see." She sets her jaw. "Besides, I bet this lady would sell me an apple just fine if I use my own money," she adds, agreeing with ida.

"You would, wouldn't you?" Between meat pies, sweet buns, and apples, Sephy is making out like a bandit with snacks! 

<Pose Tracker> Leon Albus has posed.

"I advise against it," Leon interjects after Parbody's offer to Sephilia. He gives her a look when she says she isn't scared -- he is a little skeptical -- before he looks back at the gasmask-wearing woman. "Best of luck with the apples."

This, he decides, is a little weird.

Then, he looks at Ida. "You can probably find a few decent places. One of the stalls was selling some local sausage on a stick. It was passable, for Adlehyde's sausage."

Kislev has better, he thinks. 

<Pose Tracker> Catenna has posed.

In spite of herself, Catenna can't help but smile faintly at the way Parbody tilts her head.

The rest of what the woman says is less smile-inducing, though seemingly innocuous. She shifts her left arm, the arch of her basket hanging from the crook of her elbow, mostly so she can set her left hand just above her hip. "I assume the list is a grocery list," she murmurs with a slow arching of her eyebrows. "And I would think that you are scaring more than a few people, if I would be so... inclined to say this much."

She clears her throat, glancing from Leon to Ida, then canting her head to one side and opining, "There are some fruits at the local stands that are worth getting. I cannot... recommend other foods to you because I do not know most of them." 

<Pose Tracker> Parbody has posed.

"Mmm, well then," Parbody says, straightening up and adjusting her cravat. "You're quite wise, girl. Faces are important. Be careful with your own..."

She then turns round, gives Catenna a brief amiable clap on the shoulder unless dodged, and saunters off towards the fruit tents without further ado.

The contact left a little stray chalk on Catenna's shoulder if she didn't dodge, but that's probably nothing.

(It's actually nothing. But there's no clear sign of that right away.) 

<Pose Tracker> Sephilia Lampbright has posed.

Sephy shudders. "People shouldn't be allowed to talk about other people's faces like that!" she declares firmly. 

<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.

"Shh," Ida says, to Sephilia. "She's gone." She gives the younger woman a comforting squeeze, and turns back to Leon the others. "Miss Catenna," she says. "And you, sir, I don't think we've met...? Ida Everstead-Rey, of Guild Galad." She offers a handshake, which is nothing but professional. "Sausage is a bit much for me at the moment, I'm afraid, but perhaps some other time." She pauses a beat, considering something. "Do they have any more artifacts or specimens up yet? I heard some of them might be late getting in." 

<Pose Tracker> Sephilia Lampbright has posed.

"And I'm Sephilia Lampbright! And this is Lord Chauncey of Foxington! My bodyguard!" Sephy also offers a hand eagerly. 

<Pose Tracker> Leon Albus has posed.

Leon looks after Parbody, frowning a little more sharply. He glances at Catenna's shoulder, but leaves the chalk -- he hopes it is only chalk -- to her. Then, he looks at Ida, and takes her hand in his. He has a firm handshake.

"Leon Albus," he says. He still doesn't bother to hide his name. "You're a friend of Sephilia's, then?" he asks. "We worked together once, in the Sult Ruins. Catenna, likewise, assisted me--though another time."

A more successful one, but he doesn't say that, to spare Sephy's feelings. 

<Pose Tracker> Catenna has posed.

Catenna doesn't dodge the clap. Her expression doesn't even change as she watches Parbody saunter off.

Only once the woman is out of view does she unclasp her cloak, grimacing and fishing a small brush out of a pouch at her waist and attempting to brush the chalk off. It's also evident that what she was holding in her right hand under there was a small stone tablet with some symbols carved into it. One of them is a crescent moon. "What an unpleasant person," she murmurs, squinting at the cloak a moment, before looking back up as Ida speaks up again. "Hello, Ida... I hope you have been well, and your friends also."

As the cheerful girl with the stuffed fox introduces herself, Catenna can't help but smile faintly, reaching down to briefly touch her hand to Sephilia's. "Hello, Sephilia. I am called Catenna."

She picks up her brush again, then, and swipes at her cloak a few more times. "Ida was with me the first time we explored the ruins," she explains to Leon. 

<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.

"She's with that gang," Ida says, her voice low and dangerous. "Those Black Ties. I don't know why she's here." And then, on to more pleasant topics. "Yes, she's a friend, and a creative young woman." Catenna asks her how things are going, and she just laughs pleasantly. "Oh, you know how it is. Things can be so unpredictable, but overall, everyone is all right." The ruins. Ida passed on the information to Catenna, of course--the mysterious soldiers are from a nation called Garlyle, which up until recently was a major force on Elru. What they're doing here /now/ is another question. "I, ah, was hoping we could dig into the matter of Sult some more in the future." 

<Pose Tracker> Sephilia Lampbright has posed.

Sephy glances at Ida. "Did that door beat you, too? Even Chauncey couldn't break through it," she adds mournfully. "I still need to go back too, because I bet there's something cool behind it and my Dad would disown me if he found out I just gave up! My dad's a famous explorer," she explains, turning to Catenna. "He taught me everything!" 

<Pose Tracker> Leon Albus has posed.

The Black Ties. Leon's brow furrows -- and then he nods. He may wear a suit vest, with a shirt and coat, but he skips the tie. The Black Ties are one reason why. The last thing he needs is to be mistaken for a criminal. "I see," he says. "Thank you for telling me." He glances after Parbody. "Good information to have."

Then, he looks back at Ida, and nods at her -- and to what Catenna tells him. "I heard about that," he says. "Garlyle... their forces work with Aveh's. I wonder if Shakhan knows they're out here." He hesitates. "I wonder if he cares, if he does."

There is a slight familiarity, in how he talks about Aveh. He frowns for a moment more, though, before he looks back at Ida. "Be careful, if you go in. That place turned me back three times--and my partner, and others besides. We found a statue in there, but it can be dangerous in the extreme. I wouldn't underestimate it."

His expression becomes distant when Sephy mentions her father -- but Leon doesn't say anything. His lips tighten, though. 

<Pose Tracker> Catenna has posed.

And Catenna passed the information on to Leon, though she got the idea it didn't matter. Mostly she's embarrassed that she didn't recognize those soldiers sooner.

"The Black Tie Gang?" she echoes with a blink for Ida, frowning slightly and folding her arms across her midsection, still hanging onto her basket. Her tablet, moon symbol and all, has been tucked away for now. "Unfortunate... I am told they burned a village recently. It is sad to see such banditry here."

Smiling faintly at Sephilia's enthusiasm, she nods to the girl once, appreciative - though there's an obscure sadness behind her eyes, there if one's perceptive enough to read it and looking at her at just the right time.

Only when Leon goes quiet, too, does she try to save it. "...I also wish to look into the matter of Sult. I do not know how much more we can find /there,/" she muses, brushing at a lock of hair. "I try not to involve myself in the affairs of nations, but the men of Garlyle are...."

Trailing off, she glances down at Sephilia, then up to Ida again, then Leon. "...They are perhaps closer to my normal understanding than most in Adlehyde," she murmurs. " 

<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.

"Garlyle, yes," Ida says. Apparently her lone expedition was either extremely skilled, extremely lucky, or--most probably--a combination. "I'm unfamiliar. Whatever they were after, they cared enough to deny a respected academic permission to the site. If they're there to /loot/, well, that's completely unacceptable." She smiles at Sephilia. "Your father would be proud of you, regardless," she says, and she means it.

"You sound as though you know this situation the best out of both of us," Ida says. "What does this Shakhan want out of ruins? And why is Garlyle--" Here, she looks at Catenna. "here, and not there? Beyond the obvious." 

<Pose Tracker> Leon Albus has posed.

"Mm." Leon looks at Catenna, then nods. He doesn't know where she is from, but he files that away. That provides some context for him. His eyes narrow a moment, and then he looks to Ida. He hesitates -- and then shakes his head once. "I don't know. I've fought Aveh forces before, but the Prime Minister is unknown to me. I don't doubt he knows of Garlyle's activities, since they work with him. But I don't know that he is involved, either."

He shakes his head, before something catches his eye down the street: a new merchant, just setting up his cart. "Ah--my pardons. I need to speak with the ARMsmith setting his cart up down there," he says. "Some special ammunition for my ARM that I commissioned. It may take some time."

And some haggling.

"Miss Everstead-Rey, it was a pleasure," he says. "Sephilia, Catenna, I'm sure we'll meet again in due time." He gives them a wave, and then he turns and walks down the row and out of earshot in short order. 

<Pose Tracker> Catenna has posed.

Ida explains. Catenna lowers her head a little and closes her eyes, bringing her fingers up to her cheek and chasing a strand of hair back. "I do not know what they would want. I do not play the game of nations, or... understand this Aveh," she murmurs.

She looks up again, her jaw set, though her eyes have softened somewhat. "They come from Elru," she explains to Ida, her voice lower. "And there would be nothing for them there... for there is nothing for anyone there, save those of Elesius. And the strangers. Certainly not for Garlyle, which has been..." She gropes for the right word. "...Lost," she decides.

Then Leon scampers off. Catenna arches her eyebrows, but nods to him nevertheless. "I see. Be well, Leon," she offers. 

<Pose Tracker> Sephilia Lampbright has posed.

Sephilia has very little to offer on the political situation or local geography, so she's being quiet. 

<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.

"Indeed," Ida says. Special munitions, hm? Was that man a mercenary, or a soldier? As far as she knows, the only nation engaged in extensive warfare with Aveh is Kislev, so is Leon--

Questions she might not raise out loud, yet.

"They were looking for /something/," Ida says. "That bundle we found was direct orders from an officer. We've stumbled across something, and I... well, I don't feel like I can rightly walk away, knowing it." Poor Elru. A thought strikes her, then. "Do you know anything of Arctica?" Ida says, "or settlements around it?" 

<Pose Tracker> Catenna has posed.

There's a shotgun hanging behind Catenna but it doesn't look like it takes special munitions. But then, she's not a soldier or a mercenary, is she?

"Yes... I do not know what they would want," she admits, her voice low as she steps slowly closer to Ida, moving to stand beside her. Folding her arms beneath the curve of her bust almost as if to try and hug herself, she rocks her shoulders slowly from side to side in a bit of a nervous gesture, pursing her lips. She doesn't answer the questions right away. They hang in the air for several seconds.

"I did not make it as far north as Arctica," she admits, her voice very quiet, as if she doesn't want it to carry much past Ida. "Or past the areas where the strangers are." 

<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.

Ida senses she's struck a nerve. She assumed that people from Elru were sort of... inured to it all, but it appears that was a mistake. It would be asking too much from any one human. "The strangers?" she asks, after a moment. She seems a bit more subdued, now, more somber. 

<Pose Tracker> Catenna has posed.

Catenna's situation is a little specific.

Her arms tighten around herself a little more as she closes her eyes, breathing out a slow breath that verges on a sigh. "They lived to the north of my people," she explains, her voice still quiet. "No one went to the centre of Elru, because of the... earthquake, and the strangers who live there now. The name most give them is Veruni. I know little more than that... but I know that the lands I come from are the only human ones left."

The woman opens her eyes. "Elesius is the only kingdom," she murmurs. "And the people who live at the edge of the wilderness. The Zortroa." She sets her jaw. "My people."

Tesni Inoue has arrived. 

<Pose Tracker> Sephilia Lampbright has posed.

Sephilia has finished snacking on the sweet bun. She's listening quietly, taking away what a teenager from another planet might be able to decipher of a conversation about politics and geography from another world.

"Um, can I ask you a favor?" she says, rummaging in her satchel for her journal and opening it to a rough, incomplete map of Filgaia as she's been able to puzzle it out, with help from her friends. "Can you show me where your people come from? I'm...from somewhere far away myself," she adds. 

<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.

Ida recognizes the name. It's the sort of thing her people have consigned to myth and legend--but to Catenna, it's something far more personal. "I can show you where I'm from, too, if you'd like," Ida says. She had no idea Sephy was making that map! Initiative! 

<Pose Tracker> Sephilia Lampbright has posed.

Sephilia nods eagerly to Ida. "I hope it's...accurate," she says. "I'm still learning." 

<Pose Tracker> Catenna has posed.

"I would appreciate you keeping the knowledge to yourself," Catenna says to Sephilia, keeping her voice low.

Nevertheless she traces her finger across the girl's map, expression serious. She takes a moment to get her bearings and figure out where everything is.

"...Why is Ignas the farthest thing east," she asks, blinking. "And upside down." 

<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.

"Sephi," Ida says, "did you make this just from what everyone was saying?" The shapes are accurate, though there's still quite a bit of conjecture. Aquvy is still kind on indistinct network, but the general idea is there. "The penmanship is excellent, and the script is legible." Which are both high praise from someone who has made a name on taking /so many notes/. 

<Pose Tracker> Sephilia Lampbright has posed.

Sephilia nods shyly. "I told you my dad taught me a bunch of stuff about being an explorer," she explains. "Sometimes that means you gotta make maps from what the local people tell you about it, and then you gotta confirm it by proper exploring." 

<Pose Tracker> Catenna has posed.

"...Then you have done well, to start with," Catenna murmurs, her cheeks darkening with a gentle blush. Her eyes lift to Ida and hold for a moment.

Then she shakes her head. "If that shape there is Elru...." She draws her finger in a broad circle around the southern part of the continent. Not too specific. 

<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.

Aha, Ida thinks. That explains it. She gestures at a big landmass at the southeastern end of Aquvy. "Make this roughly two or three times the size. Guild Galad is on the southern coast, about here."

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