Simperer: *puts his hand down* Normal? I don't believe our connotations of normal are similar. Would you inform me as to what you mean?

Timothy: I don't really know. I guess it would mostly be that I wouldn't be as noticeable without these. *wings arch* I don't really know a lot about normal though. What do you think about normal?

Simperer: I see...flight-enabling limbs are rather conspicuous. *looks surprised by question*... I think my lord's military barracks are normal. My torture chamber is normal. *simpers a little bit*

Alastair: *almost instinctively puts a hand to the scar under his eye* *glances warily at the Simperer* ... *resumes inking his sketch* I'm almost done, Trevelain,

Trevelian: *watches Alastair and subconsciously touches his own scar*

Timothy: Yeah, that sounds familiar. I don't get to talk to a lot of people because I have wings, so I'm not really sure what they think is normal or whether I would like it or not.

Lillian: *Smiles at Timothy* Yup, I am. What part of Earth are you from? I haven't seen people from Earth in FOREVER. *Smiles at Breindel and Lajh* Hi everyone!

Tynx: *Eyes wide with fascination* Cool. Can you teach me?

Mordir: *Eyes the Simperer* Oh, joy, the man who puffs himself up with big words and pretends genius returns.

Chayn: *Looks Alace up and down* Indeed you have, young master.

Lillian: *Looks around at everyone* So many different kinds of people. *Looks at Kitra* Which of your characters has wings? Or am confusing them with someone else?

Mordir: Always inquisitive.

Lillian: Can you blame me?

Mordir: No. Just be careful. Your brother will have a fit if you get hurt. Just avoid that one *nods to the Simperer* though! and you'll be fine.

Lillian: *Glances at the Simperer* Why does he smile funny? Is it like a nervous tic or something?

Tynx: *Snorts, concealing a laugh*

Timothy: I don't know, I never saw a map, and I was in the woods most of the time.

Alastair: *glances at Trevelian* be glad yours was an accident. *looks back at drawing and begins moodily shading Trevelain's eyes*

Lajh: hi! what's Earth?

Tinsley: ... I suppose I could. But I'd have to teach you which herbs to look for, first.

Me: *snickers at Mordir saying "oh joy"*

Simperer: *snaps "to attention" and makes a shallow bow, never taking his eyes off Mordir* Salutations, assassin. I am quite enthused that you recall me. And as a threat! *nods at Lillian as he continues, though he is still watching Mordir* You display more wisdom than I thought you possessed. *looks quite amused as he returns to "at ease"*

Breindel: *thinks Lillian is pretty* *SHY* *stands in far corner (away from the Simperer)*

Trevelian: A scar is a scar no matter the intentions...

Timothy: Earth is the place where I'm from, Lajh. I'm not sure how big it is, but it's pretty far from where I live now.

Lillian: I see. Was it warm or cold most of the time? *Looks at Lajh* Earth is... A huge round world that looks green and blue from far away. It's where I'm from. But now I kind of live where Mordir and Chayn live. In Allare. But Earth is really pretty.

Tynx: Okay! I like learning new things! Abigail taught me how to fence!

Mordir: *Smirks* No, she tried, and you cheated.

Tynx: *Sniffs* Well, in my defense I was clueless. How was I supposed to know? But still, I learned something.

Mordir: You learn- *Is whacked* *Glares at me as I go back to reading in the corner*

Chayn: Can neither of you converse civilly anymore? You of all people, Tynx.

Tynx: I didn't start it...

Mordir: *Looks at the Simperer* I see you as no threat. *Bows in return* I am a man of many talents. Wisdom and charm among them.

Lillian: And... you're idea of wisdom would be sneaking to my hideout in the dead of night to talk to me? You nearly got killed.

Mordir: That was different, and you know it.

Lillian: Whatever. You're still weird and dangerous.

Mordir: I aim to please.

Lillian: *Smiles at Breindel* Hi! Do you love in the same world Alace and the Simperer and Lajh live in?

Timothy: Well, it was really cold for a while... Lots of trees, the leaves were bright colored in the fall... then some snow, then it was sort of rainy for a long time...

Lajh: whoa. Earth sounds awesome. Are there green and blue plants?

Alastair: *coloring Trevelain's hair* yes, Trevelain, but if the intent I'd there, in my mind it is the more painful.

Tinsley: Tynx! All right. *holds up an herb* this is thyme. we'll start with that because it smells good.

Simperer: *dangerously quiet* And that is your first mistake. *very casually glances at Lillian*

Breindel: *looks up, displaying the ruler-straight scars running down her face and across her nose (which, if they weren't there she would be very pretty)* uh...um... yes.

Trevelian: *nods gravely* My family was good enough to not draw attention to my scar, but at times I am still agitated that I have it. It was my own fault. But you are right, there are scars that are deeper.

Timothy: *rolls over in the grass to face Breindel* What's your part of the world look like?

(There's grass? Sweet! )

Alastair: that was very kind of them. *finishes drawing and hands it to Trevelain* thanks.

Breindel: *SHY* uh...um...*grasps something on a chain around her neck under her tunic* ummm...it's cold. I used to live in a mountain village. I was a shepherdess. My brother and I watched most of the flocks. But now I live with the Ekklesia. ...*looks down*

Lajh: How about you, Timothy? *fascinated by Timothy's hair and wings* we have snow and leaves in New-Sindo, too!

Trevelian: *examines picture* Excellent work. We had thought to have portraits done one day.

Timothy: Neat! What's it like to have sheep? *to Lajh* How about me, what?

Alastair: *grins* Thanks!.

Bri:...it's hard work. You have to ensure the sheep are protected, and that none get lost. It's also very smelly. Sometimes raiders would try to steal them, then I got to use my quarterstaff. That was always scary...

Lajh: What's your world like? You asked about Bri's, and I knew she wouldn't ask back, so I did.

Timothy: Well, my part was just in the woods. So it's green and leafy and there are birds and squirrels and sometimes I'll see a deer. Once in a while there is a hunter, and then I have to be really careful because they listen really well and I don't want to be scene.

Trevelian: You're not Lor-Amaran then?

Timothy: I don't think so...

Trevelian: Odd, at times you speak like one. *looks at Timothy a bit strangely*

Lajh: A dear? Why are hunters hunting people? ...what's a skwirrl?

Me: *realizes that Lajh has never seen a deer or a squirrel*

Timothy: They weren't hunting me, well, not those hunters anyway... My captors still are... But I don't want any people to see me. A deer is... *thinks* well, it's a sort of animal with hooves like a goat, but it's not all shaggy, it's sleek and it doesn't have horns, it has branchy antlers... A squirrel has a body sort of like a rat, but it has a round face, and a big fluffy tail, and it makes a lot of chirpy noises at you if you chase it up a tree.

Lajh:...we can see you. ...*scrunches up his face, trying to picture such strange creatures* *shakes his head* if you say so...they sound weird.

Breindel: Captors? You escaped somewhere? *sympathetic*

Timothy: Alastair, have you seen a deer or squirrels? Maybe you could draw them for Lajh. *to Breindel* Yes, some men wanted to study me to see how I would get my wings.

Lillian: Uh... Yes? Sometimes. But the blue on Earth is the water, green is land. There's lots of continents and stuff.

Tynx: *Snffs thyme* Thyme. Smells good. Time is good to have, because you get things done. Got it.

Chayn: *Cocks head* You wingless ones are so funny sometimes.

*Has an idea for dragon allergies. Certain herbs*

Lillian: Cool! What do you like to do there? Are you friends with Alace? *Looks at Timothy* Wait, you have wings? *To Trevelian* I know someone who has a scar.

Her attention span is... shockingly short.

Mordir: Can you blame her? She went ballistic in Allare. It's a miracle she hasn't gone nuts here.

Lillian: Yeah, well, Gabe isn't kidnapped here.

Mordir: *Looks at the Simperer* Is it indeed? We've gone rounds before. You speak idle threats with big words and that's all you do.

*Headdesk headdesk headdesk headdesk* You don't need to disparage Abigail's villain, sir. Have a little respect.

Timothy: *looks at wings and flaps them a little* Yep.

Trevelian: *brow furrows a bit involuntarily* *nods* They are not uncommon in active lives.

Alastair: ...I'm not very good at drawing animals...but I have seen them, so I could try. *begins sketching*

Lajh: oh. So when you see it from far away, you can see the water and the land? How do you get so far away? What do you stand on? ...Me? Yeah, I'm Alace's best friend. Well, I mean, I'm not this age when he's that age, our author did a time change thing, but we're buddies.

Breindel: Ah. *smiles a little bit as a ruddy light leaks between her fingers on the hand grasping something* can you fly well?

Tinsley: very punny, fox! *puts it away and pulls out another one* this is dried lavender. It has a soothing effect.

Simperer: * walks to Mordir* I have been fractalled. You may not now find the threats so idle. *smiles rather deviously at Aris* I can handle him.

Me: *without looking up from drawing* if you hurt him you're a dead man.

Simperer: Acknowledged. *nods*

Timothy: I guess so. I don't know anyone else who flies to make the connection, but I don't crash a lot.

Breindel: I see.

Alastair: *very unhelpfully* she can fly.

Breindel: actually, it's wind manipulation using the power channel my Key unlocks.

Timothy: That's neat. It's probably pretty different from wing flying though. But you can fly and use a quarter staff. That's pretty talented.

Bri: oh, no, I'm not talented. I can't use my quarterstaff anymore, either. ...is it hard to fly with wings?

Timothy: Sure you are. It's not too bad, it's a bit weird at first because you're not used to having wings, so if you're going through the woods sometimes they hit things because I forget. When I'm flying though, that's what I'm focusing on, so it's easier.

Breindel: *blushes so badly that her scars even turn red* *whispers* thanks... *mortified of talking now* *teleports to corner and turns invisible*

Lajh: having wings sounds awesome. I wish you could teach me!

Timothy: *watches Breindel disappear* *to Lajh* I don't think I can teach you to grow wings. Maybe you could find a dragon though.

(No, she doesn't have the Ring. don't panic)

Alastair: she's...self-conscious.

Lajh: I wish you could. That would be

Tinsley: like you need another freakish trait...o.o *covers her mouth* oh, no, I didn't mean that, Timothy. They...they work for you.

Trevelian: *lip twitches at the word freakish*

Timothy: *brushes it off* Oh, you're not the first one to think so. It's what earned me my upbringing.

Tinsley: ha...it earned me mine, too.

Lajh: you okay, Trevelain, sir?

Trevelian: Fine. Thank you. *decides to go for a walk*

Timothy: *watches Trevelian leave*

XDDDDDD

Tinsley: well don't look at me, you're the one who asked him!

Lajh: So, Timothy...should we let him go, or go after him so nothing...eats him, I guess.

Timothy: I don't know... I've never met him before... You don't think anything will eat him, do you?

Tinsley: something ought to eat him for being so sensitive.

Lajh: And somebody ought to scream your ears off for being so rude! *to Timothy* I think he'll be okay, I mean, he looks brave. I'd be scared to eat him if I were a monster.

Tinsley: if anyone comes close to screaming, so help me, I will pour lye down their throats.

Simperer: *ears perk up when she mentions lye*

Timothy: *aside to Lajh* I've never met girls before. Are they always this mean?

Lajh: it depends on the girl, I guess...Tinsley has...issues. But Breindel is nice. ...she's invisible right now, though. *points to the last known location of Breindel*

Breindel: *following Trevelain* ... ... ... *reappears, limping beside him* May I walk with you? *her silvery eyes glow as she releases the Key*

Timothy: *nods* She's nice. and she has a lot of neat powers. I wish I could turn invisible. Then I could go into town and find food more easily.

Trevelian: If you would like to. *notices her limp and offers an arm*

Lajh: you think that was cool? You should see some of the other stuff she does!.... Until she prophesies. Then it's a little creepy. But when she sets fire to stuff, it's really awesome.

Tinsley: going into a town for food? ...whyyyyyy?

Breindel: *blinks, then gratefully leans on his arm a little* thank you. *rather out of the blue* don't listen to what Tinsley said, she talks without thinking. And I'm sure she didn't mean to insult you. *looks down*

Timothy: Cool. *to Tinsley* Because I get hungry.

Trevelian: *looks down and is silent for a moment* I have held this scar for seventeen years but its mark is the only thing noticed and its shadow still haunts me. At times I wonder if it is the only thing anyone will ever see.

Tinsley: *highly amused laugh* Good answer! but I meant why not just get food from the forest itself?

(Is Trevelain a Christian?)

Breindel: I'm so sorry to hear that. *raises her shimmering eyes to look at him* But...I think...that eventually, someone will come, someone will look past the scar, see through the shadow, and discern you as one made new, one defined not by your physical appearance, but by your character. If you give yourself a chance to look past it...maybe others will too.

Lillian: *Looks at Timothy's wings* That's cool. There are winged people in Allare. But I haven't seen them. One of them are scary. They feed on fear.

Mordir: *Glares at me*

You will say nothing, sir.

Lillian: *To Lajh* Well, kind of... But you're too far away to really see it. You travel in... a space ship. It's like a container, or something... But you can see Earth from it when you're far enough. You can see clouds, too.

Tynx: *Sniffs lavender* Okay. Lavender has soothing effects... When you lay down, you're probably sleeping, so you're soothed and relaxed.

Mordir: *Lifts an eyebrow* Indeed? No one of your story seems very scared of you right now. I've faced men who actually carry out their threats without being... fractalled.

*headesk*

Lillian: I'm not a mean girl. *Looks at Mordir* Am I?

Mordir: As far as I know, you're not. But I haven't seen you get angry. Really angry.

She's more than mean when she's angry.

Lillian: Oh, that's reassuring. Do I hurt anyone?

....

Lillian: Aris!

Mordir: Whoa, wait, she hurts someone? Who?

*Whacks Mordir*

Lajh: What's space? What kind of ship? A galley, with slaves and everything?

Tinsley: very good! *puts it away and opens a separate bag* this is poison ivy. Don't touch. *holds it out* after this we will get to more fun plants, like nightshade and things of that nature.

Simperer: A seemingly clever but extremely obtuse observation. *voice becomes very silky* Yet you're supposed to be an assassin. None fear you either. Is not fear an integral part? Perhaps your prowess is less than up to regulation. *deftly grabs Mordir's wrist and twists it the wrong way until it clicks* *venomously* They. All. Fear. Me. *simpers*

Lillian: Space is where all the stars, the sun, and the moon are. And other planets. But you need a special suit to go there, because you wouldn't be able to breathe otherwise. At least Earth people do. I dunno if you or people from other worlds would be able to... The ship doesn't have slaves. It's like a pointed tube, and people can sit inside it. They fly up into the sir and right into space inside the tube.

Tynx: *Sniffs* What happens if you touch it? Does it kill you?

Mordir: *Smirks* My occupation requires secrecy and stealth. People do not know to fear me, because I don't make my business public. People fear the dark, the shadows. I come on the heels of darkness. So I suppose- *Cries out in pain*

*Keeps Lilly and Chayn back* I wanna see this.

Mordir: *Glares at Simperer through a grimace* I am not feared here because Aris puts boundaries. I am to be feared when you are my victim. *Swing free fist around into Simperer's head*

*Pushes fist away* No fighting, sir. I don't have time for a duel.

Lillian: The Simperer-

That's different. Mordir kind of deserved it anyway.

Mordir: *Glares at Simperer* *In a quiet tone only Simperer can hear* I may have been mistaken, but do not think that I am not feared. My emperor fears me. I am feared because Death follows at my heels. I am darkness. I am Death. Do not underestimate me. *Flicks a tiny knife out and slices Simperer's wrist* Let. Go.

Lajh: you can fly to the stars? By all the gods, I'd love to see that! What do they look like up close?

Tinsley: *giggles* no, but it will give you a terrible rash. *pulls out another plant* this is deadly nightshade. Not so great for healing, but excellent if you need a poisoning job done on short notice.

Simperer: *actually looks mildly impressed* hmm. Brave words. Yet I find your pain tolerance sorely lacking. *glances down at his bleeding wrist* *something between a smirk and a wry grin* *slowly releases Mordir's wrist and steps away, returning to his "at ease" position* *narrows his eyes* Do not think I retreat in fear, this fear you think you earn. One does not strategize within range of an enemy's blows. *mocking smile*

Me: *petrified of Mordir* *scoots a bit further away*

Lillian: It takes just the right conditions, but yeah. People have been able to even land on the moon! As far as I know, stars look like... Clusters of light, I suppose. They're really balls of burning gas.

Tynx: Eww. *Tail twitches* Nightshade... just the name by itself sounds deadly. *Sniffs the nightshade* How fast does it kill someone?

Mordir: *Gasps in relief* Yeah, well, typically I do better when I know it's coming. *Glances at wrist, then back at Simperer* Fear me when shadows swallow you, torturer. It is then I am at my best. *Smirks* Ah, but strategizing away from your enemies gives them time to counter. And, you may want to take a seat. I'd hate for you bump your head on the way down.

You did NOT just do that.

Mordir: *Examines knife* I did. It's only a few minutes. I will not be mocked and let it go unpunished. *Glares at Simperer* *Glances at Abigail* No fears, madam. I only antagonize characters and Aris.

Oi!

Lillian: Are Simperer and Mordir always like this?

Tynx: Far as I know. They've been at each other's necks since they laid eyes on each other. I think it's a villain thing. They feel like their dominance is being threatened.

Lajh: what's gas?

Tinsley: a few hours, usually.

Simperer: *dizzy* wh...what...? *passes out*

Me: that. Just. Happened. !!! *is no longer terrified of Mordir and loves him again* Valia's dagger! Omq omq omq =)

Timothy: Because I'm a man. I need real food not just leaves and berries.

(In a sense he is, but Lor-Amar is pre-messianic, so he doesn't quite understand it yet.)

Trevelian: *smiles slightly* You speak well. I believe you are right. But for my part, it is not a shadow easily removed.

Timothy: *to Lillian* I don't feed on fear. I like chicken better. No, you're not mean. I just have to get used to being around other people. *sees Simperer hurt Mordir* Hey! Don't do that! *cuffs Simperer on the head with his wing (before he passes out, obviously)*