Open Chronicles Between a Rock and a hard place

[Eilerias]

"It is certainly quite...unique..." Eilerias responded to Urchin as she placed her hand by her side. "How long are the effects of this magic? Permanent?" She asked, thinking back to some of the time she spent in Gwendolyn's archives reading books she really didn't understand at the time.

She watched curiously as Urchin plucked a flower from her vase. Of course he chose her favorite of the bunch, but she was intrigued. She wanted to see what Violet could do with his magic.

Unfortunately, he didn't seem to pick up on the verbal cues from Urchin that it was meant to become food rather than a mess on her floor as a few petals fell free from the flower. She laughed softly. "Do you reckon he can learn the common tongue?" She asked. "It might be worth teaching before you throw more of my favorite things at the door." She smiled at Urchin. Of course she wasn't mad at him, she was just as curious as he was but with Isak gone it made her heart ache a little to see one of his gifts destroyed.

"I think we should explore Gwendolyn's archive while she's working tonight." She slipped on a pair of shoes that now looked impeccably clean. "I just need to let Ogden know where we are headed in case Isak comes home and I'm not here." She ushered the two boys back down to the busy club.

"Ogden we are going to the archives for a short while." She didn't give the dwarf an explanation or time to respond before they were out the door and headed down the street towards the old archives.

 

[Urchin]

"It is certainly quite...unique..." Eilerias responded to Urchin as she placed her hand by her side. "How long are the effects of this magic? Permanent?"

"I bloody well 'ope so," Urchin said, "Else I'm gonna wake up one mornin' with a big 'ole in my stomach. Ta be honest though, I really dun know. Only met 'im a few hours ago. I 'ardly know nuthin'. I know 'es real special an' 'e got magic like I ain't never seen before. Other 'n that though, it's like talkin' ta a little kid what's only just started learnin' 'ow ta talk."

After looking at the thing from various angles, the 'Violet' looked back over at the 'Urchin' for a few moments, then over at the 'Eilerias', and then turned towards the door and threw the flower at it.

"Ah," Urchin mumbled at Violet's response... Well, he had told him to make the flower run away. "... Good try," Urchin praised the lad as he scooped what remained of the flower and stuck it back in Eilerias's vase. Well, he was no closer to understanding whether Violet had the ability to transform one substance into another. Still, it did seem that way from what he had seen tonight.

"Do you reckon he can learn the common tongue?" She asked. "It might be worth teaching before you throw more of my favorite things at the door."

"Oh sure," Urchin said enthusiastically. "'Es real smart. Learnin' new words all the time," he praised the lad, sounding like an over enthusiastic parent, bragging about how smart her new born baby is. He wasn't sure if it was because Violet had saved his life, or because of the boy's completely innocent nature, but Urchin felt very protective and responsible for Violet... Which might not be the best thing, since the lad could barely take care of himself, let a fully grown adult who could barely speak and didn't seem to understand the difference between food and a table. What in the world was Urchin to do with him?

"I think we should explore Gwendolyn's archive while she's working tonight." She slipped on a pair of shoes that now looked impeccably clean. "I just need to let Ogden know where we are headed in case Isak comes home and I'm not here." She ushered the two boys back down to the busy club.

"Sure thing, Miss Eilerias," Urchin nodded as he took hold of Violet's hand once more and led him back down the stairs once more. Poor Violet was having a big adventure today. "Ya sure Miss Gwendolyn wun mind?" Urchin asked. Polite as the woman had been to him, Urchin did find her slightly intimidating, and would like to avoid crossing her, if at all possible.

 

[Violet]

"Ah," Urchin mumbled at Violet's response... Well, he had told him to make the flower run away. "... Good try,"

The 'Violet' still looked confused, and even a bit worried, as the 'Urchin' responded to his attempt. The 'Violet' looked even more confused as the 'Urchin' scooped up the damaged flower and returned it to the container he took it from.

"Do you reckon he can learn the common tongue?" She asked. "It might be worth teaching before you throw more of my favorite things at the door."

"Oh sure," Urchin said enthusiastically. "'Es real smart. Learnin' new words all the time,"

"I think we should explore Gwendolyn's archive while she's working tonight." She slipped on a pair of shoes that now looked impeccably clean. "I just need to let Ogden know where we are headed in case Isak comes home and I'm not here."

The 'Violet' looked between them as they spoke, his confusion gradually fading as they continued to use unfamiliar words. The 'Violet' looked down at his feet as he saw the 'Eilerias' put some shoes on, but after seemingly having noticed that he was, in fact, wearing shoes, he simply looked back over at her as she continued talking. The 'Violet then looked back over at the 'Urchin' as he responded.

"Sure thing, Miss Eilerias,"

The 'Violet' mouthed the word 'Eilerias' as the 'Urchin' spoke it, and looked over to the lady who was rapidly gesturing for them to move along, seemingly intrigued by the motions, but blissfully ignorant of their meaning. He looked around for a moment, as if expecting there to be something around her that she was attempting to remove from herself. In the midst of this search, the 'Violet' flinched quite significantly as the 'Urchin' reached out and grabbed his hand, but the 'Violet' didn't appear to look worried so much as he appeared surprised by the sudden event.

Further, he seemed to get over it pretty quick, and followed along with the 'Urchin'. It seemed that the 'Violet' was able to go down the flight of stairs more easily than he had been able to go up the stairs earlier.

"Ogden we are going to the archives for a short while."

"Ya sure Miss Gwendolyn wun mind?"

The 'Violet' was once again captivated by the sights as the trio headed for the exit of the bustling tavern. He peeked back over at the 'Urchin' and the 'Eilerias' every now and then as they spoke, but he mostly seemed to be attempting to ambulate without tumbling over or bumping into people.

 

[Eilerias]

Eilerias laughed as Urchin spoke. "Well, if it is only temporary, you do have a pretty good healer right here." She pointed to herself. "Or if I'm not around, Lidia is getting pretty good with healing spells even though she's pretty new. Perhaps you should stay in one of the spare rooms for observation in the event you do develop some strange wounds."

She sensed Urchin's uneasy feeling as he asked about Gwendolyn. "She's not in right now, but as long as we don't disturb anything too bad she shouldn't get upset with us." She turned around, walking backwards as she explained in a slightly more stern tone. "That goes for both of you, don't clean her dust, don't put anything you didn't take out away. No clean."

After a short walk they were in front of the understated archive that Gwendolyn ran her business from. She pushed her way inside. "Hello Cleo, I know Gwen's not here but we need to find some information on magic." Cleo was usually nice to her, mostly due to the fact that Eilerias' magic had the opposite effect on her. Greater healing spells would likely kill her.

She began plucking books to do with healing, magic, and other topics as she roamed the large library. The others did the same, as she ordered until there was a pretty sizeable stack of large books on the table in the center of the room. "Ok..." She was a little out of breath from all the heavy lifting. "Now we start reading..." She picked up the first book on different forms of healing and began to skim the pages for anything that seemed similar to the act this Violet boy performed on her and Urchin.

 

[Urchin]

Eilerias laughed as Urchin spoke. "Well, if it is only temporary, you do have a pretty good healer right here." She pointed to herself. "Or if I'm not around, Lidia is getting pretty good with healing spells even though she's pretty new. Perhaps you should stay in one of the spare rooms for observation in the event you do develop some strange wounds."

"True that," Urchin agreed when Eilerias pointed out that she was also a talented healer. Though he was a little unsure about staying in one of the spare rooms for observation. "Ya sure Mr Isak wun mind?" he asked... As if Isak would ever have the heart to refuse Eilerias anything.

"She's not in right now, but as long as we don't disturb anything too bad she shouldn't get upset with us." She turned around, walking backwards as she explained in a slightly more stern tone. "That goes for both of you, don't clean her dust, don't put anything you didn't take out away. No clean."

"Uh oh," the boy muttered when Eilerias mentioned that they shouldn't clean anything. Urchin could certainly avoid such a task, considering he barely had the common sense to wash his own face. But Violet... Well, cleaning was kind of his thing.

After arriving at Gwendolyn's archive, Urchin did his best to avoid staring at Cleo. He was still fascinated with the woman and still had absolutely no idea what she was. Still, he knew it was rude to stare. Charity had been teaching him 'manners'... Or at least whatever manners a common sneak thief like Charity possessed.

Following Eilerias's instructions, Urchin started taking books out of their places and piling them up on the table, encouraging Violet to do the same and making a little game out of it, seeing who could make the tallest tower of books... Eilerias must've been pleased to see that Urchin was taking his job seriously.

"Ok..." She was a little out of breath from all the heavy lifting. "Now we start reading..."

"... Ah," Urchin mumbled awkwardly. "Uh... There any pictures or symbols ya want me ta keep a look out for?" Urchin asked hopefully. He doubted he'd be much help otherwise, considering he couldn't read a word.

 

[Violet]

"She's not in right now, but as long as we don't disturb anything too bad she shouldn't get upset with us." She turned around, walking backwards as she explained in a slightly more stern tone. "That goes for both of you, don't clean her dust, don't put anything you didn't take out away. No clean."

"Uh oh,"

As they continued walking around through the streets late at night, the 'Violet' continued to look around at the various oddities around them. However, once the 'Violet' noticed the 'Eilerias' looking over at him and speaking in a more stern tone, he looked over at her. The 'Violet' looked confused after her last comment, and mouthed something, but looking over at the 'Urchin', the 'Violet' started to look a little worried. He looked between the other two for a bit, but once they headed in to the library, the 'Violet' seemed to relax a bit more.

"Hello Cleo, I know Gwen's not here but we need to find some information on magic."

The 'Violet' immediately started looking around the place as the 'Eilerias' started speaking to another creature in the building that they entered. The 'Violet' seemed surprised as he looked over at the books nearby, but he remained next to the 'Urchin' up until the 'Eilerias' started pointing around and the 'Urchin' started going to fetch the hunks of paper, wood and leather off the shelves.

The 'Violet' followed along with the 'Urchin' in acquiring the books that the 'Eilerias' seemed to point out. Before long, there was a fairly large pile of books on a table.

"Ok..." She was a little out of breath from all the heavy lifting. "Now we start reading..."

"... Ah," Urchin mumbled awkwardly. "Uh... There any pictures or symbols ya want me ta keep a look out for?"

The 'Violet' looked over at the 'Eilerias' as she started to read, then looked over at the 'Urchin' as he looked over at her. After a bit of contemplation, the 'Violet' made his way around the table and looked over the 'Eilerias's shoulder at the book she was flipping through, standing a few feet away, and looking rather intrigued.

 

[Eilerias]

"Of course you're welcome to stay in the Raven Club." She looked at Violet before adding, "Violet as well. I don't think Isak would mind seeing as taking care of others is the job him and Gwendolyn pay me to do!"

She continued flipping through pages, trying to find something that even came close to what the boy just did to her back at the club. "It was like....he...manipulated the world around him in order to make everything pristine. It was unreal." She leaned on her elbow to look up from the book and noticed Violet over her shoulder. "Read?" She asked the boy, pointing at the book.

She was completely unsure he even understood what she was asking, but she thought she'd at least attempt to communicate with him. Maybe he could read really well and show them what they were looking for.

She sighed, struggling to find anything close to what she had experienced in the first book. "Honestly, Urchin I have no clue." She appeared to be getting frustrated by her own confusion. "I guess look for the word clean?" She laughed at how stupid it sounded out loud. "Or maybe materials...I just don't know."

How could this slightly abnormal man just change the world around them? It was truly a miracle to behold, but it just made no sense.

 

[Urchin]

"Of course you're welcome to stay in the Raven Club." She looked at Violet before adding, "Violet as well. I don't think Isak would mind seeing as taking care of others is the job him and Gwendolyn pay me to do!"

Well that was certainly good to know. Of course, Urchin should've expected as much. While Isak was the one who actually owned the club, he seemed to adore Eilerias so utterly and completely that the boy doubted he could deny a single request she made. While the man might be incredibly intimidating at times, Urchin was convinced that he was a good guy deep down, based solely on his treatment of Eilerias. Regardless, it was good to know that Violet had some people more reliable than Urchin to depend on for protection.

She sighed, struggling to find anything close to what she had experienced in the first book. "Honestly, Urchin I have no clue." She appeared to be getting frustrated by her own confusion. "I guess look for the word clean?" She laughed at how stupid it sounded out loud. "Or maybe materials...I just don't know."

"Ah..." Urchin mumbled. Well, he wouldn't be able to tell the difference between the word 'clean' and the words 'illiterate idiot', so maybe it was best he just skimmed through the books and looked at the artwork. "Hey look, Violet, there's some nice pictures in this one," he said as he held the book open to show a diagram of the body, color coded by the subject's seven chakras. He had no idea the different healing techniques that the book was writing about, but the bright colors were nice. Flipping through the pages, he found a page that detailed the various uses of different healing crystals such as quartz, jasper and amethyst. "Oh look, pretty rocks," he said absentmindedly, with absolutely no clue that he was technically talking to a 'pretty rock' as he spoke.

 

[Violet]

"It was like....he...manipulated the world around him in order to make everything pristine. It was unreal." She leaned on her elbow to look up from the book and noticed Violet over her shoulder. "Read?"

The 'Violet' looked over at the 'Eilerias's face as she looked over at him and said something. He then looked down at the symbols that she was pointing to, but returned his gaze to her face, still looking quite confused. Once the lady went back to staring at the symbols in the object, the 'Violet's expression mellowed out, and he seemed to start focusing in on the symbols within the book.

The 'Violet' looked surprised again once the 'Eilerias' sighed, and looked over at her. Once he saw her look up towards the 'Urchin' however, the 'Violet' went back to focusing on the symbols in the book for a bit.

"Honestly, Urchin I have no clue." She appeared to be getting frustrated by her own confusion. "I guess look for the word clean?" She laughed at how stupid it sounded out loud. "Or maybe materials...I just don't know."

Ah..." Urchin mumbled. Well, he wouldn't be able to tell the difference between the word 'clean' and the words 'illiterate idiot', so maybe it was best he just skimmed through the books and looked at the artwork. "Hey look, Violet, there's some nice pictures in this one,"

The 'Violet' seemed to ignore most of what they said, but after hearing the 'Urchin' mention "Violet", the 'Violet' looked over at him. After seeing the 'Urchin' gesture for him to approach him, the 'Violet' walked over to his side of the table and looked over the 'Urchin's shoulder, down at the book. The 'Violet's expression looked just as focused while he was staring down at the contents of the new book as it did when the 'Violet' was staring over at the book that 'Eilerias' had read through. In fact, even as the 'Urchin' skimmed through the pages with the rocks, the 'Violet' seemed more fascinated than surprised.

"Oh look, pretty rocks,"

The 'Violet' looked over at the 'Urchin' for a moment, but it only ended up being a brief glance. Thereafter, the 'Violet' went back to following the 'Urchin's investigations of the drawing and symbols strewn throughout the pages of the tome he was holding. Thereafter, the 'Violet' plucked a book out of the pile that the group had collected on the table top, and immediately began flicking through the pages.

The 'Violet's eyes scanned the pages quite energetically, and he still looked quite focused on what he was doing. Evidently, the 'Violet' was searching for something. However, after around a minute, he simply closed the book and placed it back in the pile. He looked back at the other two expectantly after having completed the task, but didn't say anything.

 

[Eilerias]

Eilerias looked over to Urchin, watching as he flipped to some pages about chakras. "Those certainly are pretty." She pointed at the page. "Have you heard of chakras before?" She asked him as she sat down next to him. "Each one of the pretty rocks corresponds to part of us...though I'm not sure how true that is, but its some pretty ancient stuff."

She watched him flip to some healing crystals. She looked it over carefully. "I'm not sure how rocks could heal you, but I guess its possible...." She looked at violet. "Do you use these?" she questioned him as though he understood. She thought maybe he was carrying some weird crystal energy with him, like some healers did. Though she assumed they were con artists when they pulled out rocks.

She watched as Violet skimmed the pages, but he said nothing and went to skim through another book. "I really don't know what it is..." She watched him close the book. "Maybe he's some sort of machine. It would explain the lack of social skills, but I'm not sure it would explain the strange magic." She laughed, walking back to where her book was set up.

"Any idea? I'm at a loss." She huffed.

 

[Urchin]

"Have you heard of chakras before?" She asked him as she sat down next to him. "Each one of the pretty rocks corresponds to part of us...though I'm not sure how true that is, but its some pretty ancient stuff."

Urchin thought carefully when asked if he'd heard of chakras. "I think so," he said. "Ain't that the real spicy kinda sausage they make over in Elbion?" ... No. Apparently it was not. "Huh? How's that work?" he asked curiously. "Ya grind 'em inta a powder an' use 'em in potions an' stuff?" Obviously the lad had absolutely zero knowledge of crystal healing... Or any kind of healing more complex than wrapping himself in bandages. He was good at that!

I really don't know what it is..." She watched him close the book. "Maybe he's some sort of machine. It would explain the lack of social skills, but I'm not sure it would explain the strange magic." She laughed, walking back to where her book was set up.

When Eilerias suggested that Violet might be some kind of machine, Urchin looked horrified at the suggestion. "He ain't no machine!" he objected, reaching over to Violet and gently stroking his arm. "Feel 'im. 'Es as real as you an' me. Ain't no machine what's made o' skin an' bone. They're all made outta metal an' stuff."

"Any idea? I'm at a loss." She huffed.

Her idea did have Urchin thinking though. Violet was no machine, but perhaps he wasn't quite human either. "Maybe 'es summin' magic?" he suggested. "Ya know, like, not summin' human, but summin' what looks like a human. Would explain why 'e can't talk no common. Like some big kinda fae or hobgoblin... Or maybe a djinn!" he suddenly declared excitedly. "Ya think 'e grants wishes?" Urchin then turned to Violet with a hopeful little glint in his eyes. "Violet, I wish fer 100 gold pieces!" Though how Violet was expected to grant that wish when he didn't know what gold was yet, Gods only knew.

 

[Violet]

"I really don't know what it is..." She watched him close the book. "Maybe he's some sort of machine. It would explain the lack of social skills, but I'm not sure it would explain the strange magic."

"He ain't no machine!" he objected, reaching over to Violet and gently stroking his arm. "Feel 'im. 'Es as real as you an' me. Ain't no machine what's made o' skin an' bone. They're all made outta metal an' stuff."

The 'Violet' looked between the two as they spoke, and looked surprised as the 'Urchin' walked over and stroked his arm. He blinked a few times, staring over at the 'Urchin', then reached over and stroked the 'Urchin's arm in return. He then looked between the two as they continued to talk, still somewhat confused. As the lady laughed and walked back to where her book was, the 'Violet' moved a little so as to stay between the other two along the side of the table.

"Any idea? I'm at a loss."

"Maybe 'es summin' magic?" he suggested. "Ya know, like, not summin' human, but summin' what looks like a human. Would explain why 'e can't talk no common. Like some big kinda fae or hobgoblin... Or maybe a djinn!" he suddenly declared excitedly. "Ya think 'e grants wishes?" Urchin then turned to Violet with a hopeful little glint in his eyes. "Violet, I wish fer 100 gold pieces!"

The 'Violet' looked a bit surprised as the 'Urchin' raised his voice, and stared at him expectantly. As the 'Urchin' looked over towards him, the 'Violet' looked over his expression and his confusion gradually changed to interest. However, the 'Violet' looked confused again after hearing what the 'Urchin' said thereafter, and still appeared to be expecting something.

 

[Urchin]

When Violet copied Urchin's gesture and started stroking his arm, the lad started laughing. "Hey, tha' kinda tickles," the boy exclaimed happily. He did notice though that while Violet's skin did indeed feel like skin, there was also something different about it. Something smoother than a normal human's skin. Cleaner, that's what it was. Still, certainly no reason to suspect that he was anything other than human.

As Violet looked at him curiously, seeming rather confused by the wish, Urchin shrugged his shoulders. "Guess he's not a djinn," he surmised. "No idea what 'e is, or where 'e gets all 'is magic... But maybe we can learn 'im some more words, an' then he'll be able ta tell us 'imself!" Turning to Eilerias, the lad looked up at her with a hopeful smile. "Ya sure Mr Isak wun mind if ya let 'im stay at the Raven Club? I'm sure 'e wun cause no trouble. 'Es a right gooden Miss Eile, honest 'e is. An' 'e can 'elp ya with all yer 'ealin' an' stuff. Please?" he begged, though he already knew that Eilerias would never turn away someone in need. She was a saint like that.

 

[Eilerias]

Eilerias chuckled at the exchange between Urchin an Violet. "Yeah, I suppose he's not a djinn." She shrugged, at his comment. "I don't think I can provide the origins of his magic, but I would love to help you teach him some more words. It'd probably be good practice for when I have to teach the little one." She noticed the look of hope on Urchin's face before he asked his next favor.

"I promise, Isak will not interfere with this. You two are both welcome any time for as long as you need." She promised the boy. "I would really appreciate the help without Isak and Lidia home." She admitted as she shut a book and began putting them back up on the shelf. "Well I suppose we can head back to teach him..." She suggested, noticing the signs of a very annoyed Cleo nearby. "We should probably get out of her hair anyway."

 

[Violet]

"Guess he's not a djinn,"

"Yeah, I suppose he's not a djinn."

"No idea what 'e is, or where 'e gets all 'is magic... But maybe we can learn 'im some more words, an' then he'll be able ta tell us 'imself!"

"I don't think I can provide the origins of his magic, but I would love to help you teach him some more words. It'd probably be good practice for when I have to teach the little one."

"Ya sure Mr Isak wun mind if ya let 'im stay at the Raven Club? I'm sure 'e wun cause no trouble. 'Es a right gooden Miss Eile, honest 'e is. An' 'e can 'elp ya with all yer 'ealin' an' stuff. Please?"

"I promise, Isak will not interfere with this. You two are both welcome any time for as long as you need." She promised the boy. "I would really appreciate the help without Isak and Lidia home."

As the 'Urchin' and the 'Eilerias' exchanged words, the 'Violet' looked between the two. When they mentioned 'magic', the 'Violet' seemed more attentive, but once they started using words that the 'Violet' didn't recognize, he gradually started paying more attention to another detail in their environment - the other, silent creature in the room who they passed by upon entering this room full of wooden materials. The 'Violet' looked between that creature and the two 'friend' in conversation a few times up until the other two seemed to start wrapping up their conversation.

After a brief period of watching the 'Eilerias' starting to put the books back on the shelves, the 'Violet' helped out, swiftly taking the books that he had pulled out from the shelves back to their original locations.

"Well I suppose we can head back to teach him..." She suggested, noticing the signs of a very annoyed Cleo nearby. "We should probably get out of her hair anyway."

The 'Violet' looked back over at the other two as they briefly started talking again, but perhaps due to not recognizing anything they said, he more-or-less ignored them and continued with his task. He was smiling a little while performing the task, and moved quite quickly, which contrasted starkly with the softness of his footfalls and his relatively impressive lack of exhaustion.

Once all of the books were back, the 'Violet' headed back over to where the other two were, glancing over at the annoyed person in the room once or twice as he went back over. He then looked over at the 'Urchin' and asked, "run away?" with a curious expression.

 

[Urchin]

"I promise, Isak will not interfere with this. You two are both welcome any time for as long as you need."

"Ah, thank ya Miss Eile!" Urchin declared, throwing his arms around her in a clingy hug. "Yer the best, ya know that? Best person in the whole world, an' tha's a fact!" She was certainly the kindest person that Urchin had ever met, and one of the easiest to get along with. He definitely counted it a blessing the day Charity introduced them.

"I would really appreciate the help without Isak and Lidia home."

"Oh sure, I can 'elp out," Urchin agreed quickly as he started putting books back on the shelves, though poor Gwen would quickly find that they certainly weren't in the correct order since the lad had no concept of how to arrange things alphabetically. "Ya need as much rest as ya can get. An' I can fix ya up some more o' that special tea if ya ain't feelin' well. Where's Isak buggered off to anyhow? He should be at 'ome lookin' after ya."

"Well I suppose we can head back to teach him..." She suggested, noticing the signs of a very annoyed Cleo nearby. "We should probably get out of her hair anyway."

He then looked over at the 'Urchin' and asked, "run away?" with a curious expression.

"Yeah, sure Violet," Urchin agreed. "We run away. Run away back ta the Raven Club, yeah?" he suggested before turning back to Eilerias. "Ya know, he were sayin' "run away" before I even taught 'im anythin'. Someone else musta taught 'im "run away", but I ain't got no idea who. It bothers me some. Worried that there's someone else out there lookin' fer 'im, but if there is, I ain't got no idea 'ow ta fine 'em."

With that, the boy offered Violet his hand instead of just grabbing him like he had been doing up till now. "Come on then kiddo, let's get ya 'ome."

 

[Eilerias]

Eilerias hugged the boy back. "That tea was pretty good actually. I wouldn't say no to that!" She watched him put the books back in no particular order. She made a note to let Cleo know so she could fix it before Gwen's return.

"I am actually not quite sure where he is at the moment." She placed her last book on the shelf. "He tells me not to worry, he's probably just out making some deals to get some new exotic drinks or foods in the Raven Club. I do worry though. All the time, so I sent Lidia to be there in case something happens." She sighed. "He always refuses to be healed by anyone other than me though, so I think he'd sooner die in a ditch than let someone else's hands heal him."

She laughed to herself as Violet mentioning running away. She raised an eyebrow and looked at Urchin. "Poor thing. Let's hope if someone is looking for him, they weren't telling him to run away from something dangerous or illegal! I don't think we need more of that on our plates." She began walking to the door, saying goodbye to Cleo as they all took their leave.

 

[Violet]

"Yeah, sure Violet," Urchin agreed. "We run away. Run away back ta the Raven Club, yeah?" he suggested before turning back to Eilerias. "Ya know, he were sayin' "run away" before I even taught 'im anythin'. Someone else musta taught 'im "run away", but I ain't got no idea who. It bothers me some. Worried that there's someone else out there lookin' fer 'im, but if there is, I ain't got no idea 'ow ta fine 'em."

"Poor thing. Let's hope if someone is looking for him, they weren't telling him to run away from something dangerous or illegal! I don't think we need more of that on our plates."

"Come on then kiddo, let's get ya 'ome."

The 'Violet' looked a bit more excited as the 'Urchin' looked amenable following the 'Violet's suggestion. As the 'Urchin' and the 'Eilerias' exchanged words for a bit, the 'Violet' looked around at the books a bit more. He seemed to just walk up to the closest book shelf and look around at the bindings of the various books, not focusing on any of them in particular.

Eventually, the other two finished up their conversation and the 'Urchin' grabbed the 'Violet's wrist and dragged him away. The 'Violet' barely even seemed surprised this time, he just stumbled along after the 'Urchin', staring over at the annoyed fellow as they headed over to the exit of the spacious room filled with wooden things.

Once they were back out in the walkways of the Shallows, the 'Violet' went back to looking around. It was a bit later in the evening by that point, so barely anyone was out and about. This made it easier for the 'Violet' to look around without seemingly getting surprised by every little thing that happened nearby, and also meant that 'Violet' didn't accidentally bump into as many people as he stumbled along after the 'Urchin'.

 

[Urchin]

When they finally made it back to the Raven Club, Urchin wove through the tavern and headed straight to the rooms upstairs, not wanting little Violet to be made skittish by the rowdy patrons, having noticed that the poor guy got extremely nervous whenever voices were raised.

"Will be nice ta sleep in a proper bed!" Urchin declared happily as if he were on some kind of exotic holiday. "Can't remember the lad time I slept in a bed. I mean, the mat I been sleepin' on in Charity's room is comfy 'nough, but a night in a proper bed would be a real treat! Not that I'm complain', mind. Honestly, I should really be payin' my own way by now. Rentin' a room o' my own an' all. But ta be honest, I kinda likes livin' with Charity. Is nice ta 'ave someone ta talk to, ya know?" Especially when that person was Charity. She had quickly become the boy's mentor and idol. He aspired to be just like her in every way and always did his best to impress the girl and make her proud, and he always felt awful whenever he let her down. Luckily she had been extremely tolerant of his mishaps.

"Where ya want us ta stay Miss Eile?" the lad asked once they made their way upstairs. "Got an empty room or summin'? Promise we wun make no mess or nuthin'. In fact I reckon the room'll be even cleaner than 'ow we left it once Violet's done with it." Cleaning sort of seemed to be Violet's thing, after all.

Still, now that he'd had a chance to think about it, Urchin realized that he didn't really have a plan concerning what to do with Violet that extended further than that night. How to care for someone who could not speak the common tongue and had absolutely no understanding of social norms? Obviously, Violet couldn't be left to fend for himself, that would invite disaster. And as a common criminal, Urchin couldn't watch over Violet all the time, and yet he was completely loath to leave him. Perhaps it would be better to find someone who had a greater understanding of who and what Violet was. Someone who could look after him properly... But could Urchin really trust anybody to take care of Voilet, and not simply use him for their own selfless ends? Of course, he trusted Eilerias completely, but she was a very busy woman and pregnant to boot. She couldn't watch over Violet 24/7. Whatever were they to do with him? It really was a conundrum.

 

[Isak Lavelle]

Isak had come home earlier from his travels. Even if it were just a simple business trip to the south, Eilerias had insisted that Lidia accompany him, and the girl had been very useful as he showed her more about his work. She had been very grateful to explore more of the countryside after their journey to Vel'Anir months ago, especially after all the hardships she endured in captivity.

They arrived back in Alliria three days earlier than expected, and by Isak's almost desperate steps, Lidia could notice that he couldn't wait to see Eilerias again, even provoking him a few times about it. He paid no mind to her though, but Isak appreciated the friendship she had with Eilerias, and she was a good student to the both of them. Isak could barely believe it when he ended up not refusing Lidia's request to buy a expensive boat toy on their way back, a small souvenir that reminded her of her father, who had now been away at the sea for a long time.

Once they got back to the Raven Club, Isak was quickly greeted by his dwarven associate and greatest friend, Ogden, who also went on to hug Lidia, bombarding her with questions about the trip as Isak looked through the movement at his club. It was one of those nights that the whole place was filled to bursting, something that yet filled him with pride, seeing the fruits of his work.

Ogden called to him, telling Isak that Eilerias had left a few hours before, with Urchin and a strange looking friend of his. Charity's little protégé... They weren't exactly the greatest of friends, but Isak was grateful for the help he provided to Eilerias once she learned of her condition. He had started to become more tolerant of the kid's presence on his club, and he had even indulged in a few of his devilish requests regarding some of his richer customers, helping him in conning them of their money without them ever figuring it out.

He had to admit, Urchin was a talented little devil, and Isak even felt the slightest connection to him, probably because both of them were loners in the past.

Isak ordered Ogden not to tell Eilerias that he had come back earlier, and left to their room while Lidia stood behind to tell the dwarf a few tales from their journey. Isak put Eilerias' gift in a water jar on top of a nearby table - a beautiful and rare flower that had been given to him by Mister Lundenholm's little daughter, a precious gesture of gratitude, for his continuous efforts to keep them protected from the greed of powerful men. He walked over to the grand windows of his room, glancing at the buildings of the Outer City at night, as he waited for Eilerias and Urchin to return.

 

[Eilerias]

Eilerias followed Urchin back to the Raven Club and up the stairs to the rooms, not noticing her apprentice, Lidia, talking to Ogden. She smiled as Urchin talked about sleeping in Charity's home. "Charity is really an angel, isn't she?" She led them to one of the rooms towards the back. "If I didn't have Isak, I think I would stay with her." She smiled, missing the girl who she considered to be a sister to her. "Where has she been these days?" She unlocked the door to the room and led Urchin and Violet in.

"There's quite a few rooms here. I always tell Isak he should rent them out and use the profits to move somewhere a little more...safe, but I haven't been successful with that yet." She chuckled. "You two can use this one for as long as you need. Sorry if there's any dust, no one really comes in here." She lit a few of the candles in the dark room.

The sound of someone moving about one of the rooms caught her attention. "Pardon me, I'll be back shortly." She promised the two boys before she slipped out of the room. She worried as she headed towards her room that there was an intruder, but something was telling her to open the door. She was glad to follow her instinct for when she entered, she was shocked to see Isak had come home early. "Isak!" She squeaked, running over to him and hugging him from behind. "What are you doing back to early? Did something go wrong? Are you hurt? I told you just let Lidia heal you!" She threw all her words at him quickly, not giving him time to respond until she was done.

 

[Violet]

Eventually, the group began to approach the Raven Club. The 'Violet's expression lit up with recognition as soon as he saw it. He looked over at the 'Urchin' and the 'Eilerias' with intrigue, but kept quiet. Once they went inside of the familiar building, the 'Violet' recoiled a little from the sudden, loud noises that were made from the patrons within. However, the 'Violet' didn't have much time to cower, as the 'Urchin' quickly pulled him along, over to the stairwell that they had gone over to prior.

"Will be nice ta sleep in a proper bed!" Urchin declared happily as if he were on some kind of exotic holiday. "Can't remember the lad time I slept in a bed. I mean, the mat I been sleepin' on in Charity's room is comfy 'nough, but a night in a proper bed would be a real treat! Not that I'm complain', mind. Honestly, I should really be payin' my own way by now. Rentin' a room o' my own an' all. But ta be honest, I kinda likes livin' with Charity. Is nice ta 'ave someone ta talk to, ya know?"

"Charity is really an angel, isn't she?"

The 'Violet' seemed to be too distracted by the chaotic sounds and movements of the people around him to pay much of any attention to the 'Urchin' or the 'Eilerias'. Once they got over to the stairwell and the noises from the previous room quieted down, the 'Violet' focused on the 'Urchin' and the 'Eilerias' more. This time, as they went up the stairs, the 'Violet' seemed to stumble a lot less.

"If I didn't have Isak, I think I would stay with her." She smiled, missing the girl who she considered to be a sister to her. "Where has she been these days?"

The 'Violet' looked between the 'Eilerias' and the 'Urchin' as the 'Eilerias' spoke. Seeing the 'Urchin' looking around, the 'Violet' started looking around too. That said, he did not seem to be searching for something so much as he seemed to be mimicking the 'Urchin', seeing as he intermittently looked back over at the 'Urchin' and inspected his expression, as if looking for a reaction. As the 'Urchin' started speaking, the 'Violet' stopped this mimicry, appearing somewhat disappointed.

"Where ya want us ta stay Miss Eile?" the lad asked once they made their way upstairs. "Got an empty room or summin'? Promise we wun make no mess or nuthin'. In fact I reckon the room'll be even cleaner than 'ow we left it once Violet's done with it."

As the 'Eilerias' pulled out some sort of metallic object and inserted it into the wall, the 'Violet' shifted his attention from the 'Urchin' over to the 'Eilerias', his mild disappointment quickly shifting back to curiosity.

"There's quite a few rooms here. I always tell Isak he should rent them out and use the profits to move somewhere a little more...safe, but I haven't been successful with that yet." She chuckled. "You two can use this one for as long as you need. Sorry if there's any dust, no one really comes in here."

The 'Violet' looked around the room once they entered. Despite how dark it was, the 'Violet' seemed to be focusing in on certain objects and inspecting various things from a distance. Once the 'Eilerias' started to ignite the various wax sticks in the room on fire, the 'Violet' seemed to focus more on them. He looked down at the floor every now and then as the loud denizens of the rather large room downstairs made unusually loud noises, but he seemed to be focused more on the details of the room for the most part.

However, much like 'Eilerias', the 'Violet' seemed to notice the dampened sound of distant footsteps and other assorted sounds from the other side of the wall, back in the direction that they had just come from. The 'Violet' didn't seem to pay it much mind other than to occasionally look over at the wall in the direction of the noises as the more salient noises happened.

"Pardon me, I'll be back shortly."

The 'Violet' watched the 'Eilerias' leave the room with a bit of surprise, then quickly looked over at the 'Urchin', as if expecting him to do something. As if for emphasis, he then looked back over at the doorway that the 'Eilerias' just left through, and then looked back over at the 'Urchin'.

 

[Urchin]

"Charity is really an angel, isn't she?"

"Ah, she't the best!" Urchin said enthusiastically. "I been learnin' so much new stuff from 'er. Ya know, the first day I met 'er, she caught me runnin' off with 'er coin purse, an' instead o' beatin' the shit outta me, she bought me dinner ain' taught me 'ow ta steal better! An' she gave me this," he said, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a little figure of a knight carved out of stone. "Been keepin' it on me as a good luck charm. Dun ya reckon that were nice of 'er?"

"Where has she been these days?"

"Oh, 'ere an' there," Urchin said with a shrug. "We been doin' a few jobs together. Findin' some good marks an' stuff. You an' Isak got any jobs what need doin' at all? Sure we'd both be glad ta 'elp ya. Charity's real fond of you, ya know? Loves ya to bits!" Charity seemed to look on Eilerias as a sister. It was quite adorable.

Shortly after that, Eilerias showed the pair into an empty room before leaving shortly after. After Eilerias closed the door behind her, the lad looked around the nice, spacious room like a kid in a candy store. "Wahoo!" he declared quite happily, running over to the big double bed and doing a little flip in the air, landing on the bed with a heavy thud. "Woah, that's comfy!" he said approvingly, getting up to his feet and rather childishly jumping on the bed. "Nice an' springy too! Ya dun mind sharin' a bed, so ya Violet?" he asked, though he knew the boy was unlikely to answer. "Ain't 'loud ta share a bed with Charity, but we're both boys, so that means it's okay, right?"

Finally getting all of the energy out of his system, the lad sat down at the edge of the bed and looked over at Violet, who seemed as confused as ever. "Ya tired, Violet?" he asked quietly, patting the bed beside him. "Want bed? Ya 'ad a real busy night tonight, ya must be exhausted." He then patted the bed several more times to see if Violet reacted in any way. "Bed," he said slowly and clearly. Surely Violet must know what a bed was... Unless he'd never had one before. Poor kid.

 

[Isak Lavelle]

Isak heard Eilerias enter the room, a smile sprouting on his face as soon as he felt her soothing presence, finally feeling at ease when she wrapped her arms around him. He slowly turned around in her arms as the priestess started to bombard him with questions, making Isak chuckle for a bit. It was such a funny contrast - she was always so patient and calm, and then out of all sudden she could burst of worry.

It was adorable, and one of the many things he loved about her.

"I'm alright, my love." He spoke after she seemed to calm down in his arms, lowering his head so he could better adjust to her embrace, feeling her warmth for a moment longer after so many nights out in the cold of the countryside.

Isak realized Eilerias hadn't noticed the gift he brought for her, the big and beautiful flower in the jar near the bed. He gently took her face in his pale hands, looking into her beautiful golden eyes. "I've got something for you." The young man pointed at the table, feeling proud of himself after seeing the way she smiled so excitedly.

Of course, Eilerias didn't let go of him so easily, and even pulled him along when she ran to inspect the flower. After a few moments of quietly watching her admire the gift, Isak could no longer hide his curiosity over something he had learned earlier.

"Ogden tells me we have visitors. Where are Urchin and his strange friend?"

Isak was very interested in meeting this odd fellow that Ogden had spoken about. And knowing Urchin, any matters related to him would hardly be dull.

 

[Eilerias]

Eilerias sighed in relief as he promised he was okay. "Well tell me how the trip was. I completely forgot what it was you were doing...something about wine or meat or...I don't know." She laughed as she held onto him.

"Oh, a gift?" She was surprised even though he always brought her little souvenirs from his travels despite telling him it would be a better use of money to provide for the people who were in streets. She pulled him along to go look at the flower. "It's so beautiful! Where did you get it?" She asked before he mentioned the visitor.

She let go of him and began walking back to the door. "How could I forget? Urchin brought a friend here. He does what I do, but better and he cleans things really well....it is so strange." She looked at him thoughtfully. "I can't quite figure out what it is, but I was so sick before they arrived and he did something that just made everything feel better. Even the room is clean...I've not been picking up after myself since you left because I was so sick."

She opened the door and pulled Isak down the hall to the room the two boys were in. "Knock, knock!" She opened their door and pushed Isak in front of her. "Isak, this is Violet. Violet, this is Isak." She introduced the two as she shut the door behind her. She made her way to the fireplace in the room which had accumulated quite a significant amount of dust in the time it's been there. "Clean?" She asked Violet, showing him a dust covered finger.