| Logs |
2009 December 27
| When The Bough Breaks |
| Realms |
Retired
| Reality Fault |
General Info
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| Realms: Bough Logs |
Fifth Movement, Fourth Duet
It is not long after the interrogation with sad, duped Marchorius that Vhibishana and Tawhaki approach the group. They are staving off the dryness of the mid-afternoon warmth with cups of lhassa, when the rakshasa and the demigod of Uluru find them. "Ah, there you are," Vhibishana says. "We've been looking for you!"
Tawhaki says, "I wanted to let you know that the airship is ready to depart whenever you're ready. The crew has been briefed that they will be taking you to Uluru and thence to Babylon for a special mission, nothing more. What more you wish them to know, I leave to you to tell them. I will say they are trustworthy and have been good people for many, many years."
"Even so," Vhibishana says, "do not feel you need to leave right away. But you should feel free to depart for Uluru whenever you are ready."
Mikal pauses in her contemplative brushing of Raphael's thick, heavy mane and ponders a moment more. Finally she nods to the two entities, "Thank you; we'll gladly take you up on that offer in a bit, if that's all right. First, though, unless my companions disagree, I think we need to check on those angels whose True Names we know. There are about 20 of them here, Vibhishana, and I'd think you'd want to learn whatever you could from them, yes? Also, Cat and I should likely work on our summoning skills a bit more, I think?" She glances inquiringly between Jareth and Raphael.
Jareth has his arm around Mikal when the rakshasa and the demi-god find them. The talk with the poor, deluded Mazakim has made him want very much to have his beloved pulled close against himself, like a shield against the dark. The mention of Babylon tightens his chest, slightly. The goddess that shares his soul has very mixed feelings about that place, a sort of sad longing.
Mikal smiles at Jareth's rather melancholy expression when she glances sideways and up at him, tilting her head to nuzzle gently against him.
Jareth nods to Mikal's comments about summoning, "She's right. If we are to work with and against angels, it will be to our advantage to have layers of protection available."
The group spends a week and change at the rakshasa encampment, honing their skills and training. In particular, Mikal learns more about the nuances of summoning, not only from Ravana but also a few rakshasa who are particularly adept at that. Jareth sits in on some of these lessons, focussing on refining the healing powers he found within himself. The remaining rakshasa -- and angelic -- wounded are healed, with Jareth's assistance, which does not go unnoticed or unthanked by the angels themselves. Norris completes the armor he had been working on, adding fitting and enameling finish to it.
During this time the interrogation and debriefing of the angelic POWs has proceeded. Only a handful are willing to help, and of them most seem to have less than clear-cut motives. After speaking with Moroni and Amaros, three however have cast off the '-el' from their names. They agree to aid the rakshasa, and the Dreamtime in general, against the Architect. For those who are obstinate and remain loyal to the Hosts, Vhibishana has sent squads to the other side of Mount Meru to look for suitable areas to build a prison for the prisoners-of-war. Meanwhile, Janiel – now Janni, having cast the '-el' from his name as well – has been assisting the raksasha as well.
Finally, the day comes when any further summoning training would require long, extended periods of time which the mortals -- and the Dreamtime -- simply do not have; additional practice with healing powers will need to be done practically; and there is nothing more that Norris can do to the armor he has been working on. The airship -- the Kon-Tiki -- stands ready on the morning of the ninth day. The camp is bustling about it's normal work, except for a large departure party -- not only Ravana and Vhibishana and Tuwhaki, but also the council of generals, the healers, and the many leaders of the various support elements from throughout the camp. Upon a ridge some distance away, the seven kachinas stand silently, virtually unmoving, watching as well.
For the angels whose True Names are known, the rakshasa bind them to their service, something that most of the angels so bound seem somewhat prickly about, but they can do nothing about it. The remainder of the angels are in the meantime being pressed into manual labor, nothing degrading or obscenely dangerous, mostly rebuilding and strengthening the fortifications around the camp under the watchful eye of rakshasa siege engineers. Vhibishana also notes that the angels will be needed in constructing the prison for them, though that will take longer than planned due to the need to inspect their work closely. On the other hand, it might induce the angels to take care of the construction of the prison, since they'll be living in it!
Ravana has gently taken Mikal's hands in his, bowing over them with gallant politeness and a touch of a roguish grin. "I do look forward to seeing you again, gracious lady, who is worthy of adoration... and not merely to look upon your beauty, but to partake of your wisdom and conversation again."
Mikal laughs delightedly at the rakshasa lord's charming behavior, then beams as she replies with teasing innocence, "Oh, only to talk and look? Oh! I am crushed -- how shall I carry on, knowing I have left one behind me so unimpressed with my bed?" It's clear by her unflushed face she's strongly Inanna just then!
Jareth can't quite control the amused twitch of his lips.
Ravana's grin widens, and his voice drops. "Great lady of love, I spoke not of those precious moments for I keep them safe an the treasure-house of my heart, and would not speak of them carelessly. I would almost not dare to give voice to the hope that this lowly aethyr might be graced once again with your favor." Pause. "Almost. The hope, the possibility, to lie with you again will be the greatest treasure I can carry with me through the coming battles, second only to simply seeing you again."
Vhibishana, used to his brother's wooing ways, simply looks indefatigueably patient.
Mikal awws at Ravana's words, patting him gently on the cheek when he bows gracefully over her hands -- since he's far too tall for her to do so at any other time! She beams at him, "Very nice, dear Ravana Lord! That was lovely, and most gracious of you! All teasing aside, I look forward to seeing you again also."
Ravana beams, then, genuinely affectionately. "Thank you, dear Lady. And I look forward to seeing you again as well."
Vhibishana smiles, and inclines his head. "I, too, look forward to seeing you all again. Perhaps someday, when the conflict with the Architect is over, you might return, and help us to plan truly rebuilding the city of the gods atop Meru." His smile becomes a grin. "Or at least come to visit. You are always welcome."
Mikal beams up at Vibhishana, giving the mild-mannered rakshasa a quick, exuberant hug, "We would love to! I look forward to that also -- as well as moving the 24 monks who helped Vishnu with our plan!"
Jareth nods to the brothers, "If we are able t come back, we will." He has been less melancholy over the last few days. Learning Lilith's healing touch has boosted his confidence, and hearing the stories of the angels willing to help has been a revelation to him.
Mikal steps back from the rakshasa brothers, taking Jareth's hand again. She's felt oddly protective of him for the past few days, due to how hurt the battle and its aftermath pained him. She's relieved he's been looking up somewhat in the last couple of days.
Vhibishana looks surprised at the hug, but returns it comfortably, looking like he's blushing a little under his fur.
Tawhaki inclines his head to the mortals as well, smiling. "I feel as if we had almost no time together... but while I have not become as familiar with you as the rakshasa have, please let me add my wishes to meet you again, somewhere in the Dreamtime. With what you have done here, you will be welcome indeed at Uluru.
Jareth nods to Tawhaki and says, "Thank you for bringing the kachinas. It had been hard for me to draw out the goddess before."
Tawhaki inclines his head to Jareth. "I am glad they insisted on coming. I had not dared to hope -- no, I had not even in my wildest imaginings thought to see what I have!"
Mikal smiles quietly at that as she listens. She nods politely to the Uluru delegate, not really sure what to say to him. She hopes they leave soon... she wants to get moving, and she's very curious as to what airship travel is like.
Jareth can't help but wmile wryly, "Not so long ago, I would not have imagined it myself."
Jareth nods to the delegation and says, "We should go. Even as elastic as time is here, it does pass."
Boarding the airship is much like boarding any boat, it seems: it bobs a little in the wind, but not much, like it is a very solid and firm ride upon somewhat still water. After the board, the crew raise up their voices in the commands for setting sail, the rattan-and-cloth sails are unfurled, and the sleek, grey-hulled vessel slips from her moorings, swiftly rding the wind up and away at increasing, swift speed.
Mikal clings a bit nervously to the front railing with one hand, so she can watch the amazing view. Her other hand is worriedly clenched in Raphael's mane, where the big raptor-wolf has reared up with his front paw-hands on the railing too. His multiply-fanged mouth is open in a wide grin, tongue lolling to one side as he watches with fascination as well.
Jareth is near Mikal and leaning over the railing, trying to look down. His hair has come loose of his braid around his face and is lashing a little in the wind.
Mikal says worriedly, "Sh-shouldn't you be h-holding onto the railing t-t-too, C-c-cat?"
Jareth grins over at Mikal and there's a little gleam in his eye that says he's thinking of teasing her, but he seems to catch himself and puts his hands on the railing.
Mikal gives a small sigh of relief... then grins and flushes, sticking her tongue out at him!
Jareth winks at Mikal and then pushes himself upright to move over to her. He leans against her back and puts one hand on the railing beside hers. The other arm wraps carefully around her waist, "Beloved, if you're scared, why are you right up here?"
Mikal blinks at that, leaning into Jareth as she considers for a moment. As she does so, Raphael grins wryly at Jareth, rolling his eyes in exaggerated patience at Mikal. Finally the small woman says hesitantly, "I -- it's scary, yes, b-but... w-well, I w-want to see, you know? Uh... a-and if I always hid if I was scared, I'd have been eaten long ago, you know? Er, b-by the monsters, I mean... s-so I guess, um... I guess I just learned how t-to um... to sort of channel my fear into doing whatever it is I have to do?" Uncertainly she adds, "Uh... um, d-does that make sense?"
Jareth nuzzles Mikal's temple just a little and smiles, "It certainly does explain quite a lot about you, mon lapin. Perhaps we should tie you to the rail. Would it make you feel more safe?"
Mikal does spot the air-sailors who work on the ship, and that they do in
Mikal does spot the air-sailors who work on the ship, and that they do indeed tie themselves off to the ship, though usually only when they're working aloft on the masts and sails, or staying on the quarterdeck where the ship's tiller is. She is mmming contententedly at the nuzzling, her eyes going half closed with pleasure... but at the suggestion she be tied to the railing she squeaks startledly, "Oh, no! I -- I want to be able to go belowdecks too, please!" Mikal blinks as her eyes fly open at a sudden thought, "Oh! W-wait! We forgot -- Tigernmus! We need to bring him along!"
Jareth laughs quietly, "I don't mean permanently, mon amour. I mean if you want to sightsee. And you could untie yourself. This isn't imprisonment I'm talking about."
Mikal blinks again -- then giggles at the mental image. She's still grinning as she leans back against Jareth again, "Um... w-well, if you think it's necessary... I guess?" A bit worriedly she adds, "D-do we need to ask them to turn around, or fly around the mountain, so we can find Tigernmus?"
Jareth rests his chin atop Mikal's head as he thinks, "We do know where he's headed. And he knew where we were at."
Mikal says, "He was on the slopes of the mountain, waiting for us, I thought? Mt. Meru, I mean?"
Jareth thinks on that for a moment, "I have a feeling we'll find him again or he'll find us."
Mikal nods slowly, "All right, mon chat." She thinks a moment, then adds with a smile, "So now we sail into the sunset? Er... or whatever passes as sunset here, I guess?"
Jareth nods and drops a kiss on the point where Mikal's neck meets her shoulder, "Oui, mon lapin. We sail to Babylon." He chuckles a little bit and murmurs, "How many miles to Babylon..."
The airship makes it's way swiftly through the skies; even though it is at a great height, only the stars are visible above, none of the disturbing webwork that was visible in their travel over the Mirror at the heart of the Dreamtime, weeks before. While the airship is not as fast as a dream-serpent, it does seem to be moving at a good clip. And five days later, the ship begins to descend out of a cloud bank, into the bright midday light, and before them is the vast plateau of Uluru.
It sits surrounded by high desert, a red stone pleateu that rises high from the otherwise flat ground. It lacks the height and majesty of the four sacred mountains of the Dreamtime -- it somehow seems 'normally' proportioned, rather than some titanic formation of earth and rock -- but there's something ancient about it all the same, something that makes it feel like it belongs right where it is.
The Kon-Tiki descends further from the sky, heading towards a tall, wooden tower. Even from this distance, they can see people waving in greeting, waving the ship in. An amazing variety of people are present, in clothing equally varied. Most appear to be minor aethyrs, though there are a handful of mortals on hand to greet the airship as it comes up beside the tower, the crew expertly mooring the ship in place.
Mikal watches with fascination from the front railing again. She's gotten more used to the ship over the past five days, such that she's not got a death grip on Raphael any longer. He's taking advantage of that to stand next to her and lean his head over the railing, his tongue lolling happily out again.
Mikal grins up at Jareth, "Bet Iron Antlers is going to be happy to be able to stretch his legs! I don't think he likes flying that much."
There are children present, or at least young aethyrs, thronging the dock-tower as the airship is secured, curious and excited. Even the older aethyrs are simply relaxedly curious and content. It seems like Mordred's army and the conflict with the Architect are all so very far away.
Mikal studies the people waiting down below, murmuring to Jareth, "I hope it's not hard to get these folks to help. Sometimes it's hard to galvanize people into assisting against threats they don't currently face, you know?"
Mikal goes to get Iron Antlers right away, knowing the big stag will want off the ship as quickly as possible. She stands next to him, one hand resting on his neck as she murmurs soothingly to him, waiting for the gangplank to be lowered. Her grin up at the fey-stag is quietly proud as she whispers to him, "Bet they've never seen anything so handsome as you, eh?"
Jareth, standing behind Mikal, says in a deadpan, "I'm sure I'll be able to fend them off, though. I do have a very lovely mate, after all." He didn't seem too concerned over gathering people to their cause.
Mikal blinks at Jareth -- then turns pink with pleasure and falls silent, tongue-tied!
The children are absolutely enthralled by Iron Antlers; he's much larger and more robust than the much lighter ungulates that roam the surrounding area in packs. Iron Antlers himself graciously accepts the curiousity and admiration quite, quite readily. One of the mortals -- a bright-eyed, dark-skinned man in a woven skirt -- is on hand to greet the arrivals. "Hello!" he says cheerfully. "Sorry to be asking this, but isn't this the airship that brought Tawhaki to Mount Meru? Did he come back with you?"
Jareth shakes his head to the mortal, "It is, but he did not. He stayed with the rakshasa to help with the aftermath of the battle."
Mikal cheerfully talks to the children, answering their little burst of questions and reassuring them that Iron Antlers does indeed like being petted. She assures them Raphael does too, although the children seem less enthralled with the raptor-wolf when Raphael gives them all a friendly -- and well-fanged -- grin. The more daring among them get a bad case of the giggles, though, and help Mikal enthusiastically when she demonstrates how raptor-wolves love having their tummies rubbed!
The young man ohs! and nods. "That certainly sounds like him." He beams. "I'm Tautoru, Tawhaki's aide. You're the mortals we'd heard about? The ones who clipped Uriel's wings?"
Mikal glances up startledly at that euphemism -- then blushes and ducks her head to continue patting her two animal companions. She's got a small, pleased smile on her face.
Jareth shakes Tautoru's hand and smiles a little crookedly, "In a manner of speaking, yes."
Bit by bit, the shyer animals, who scattered when the airship loomed out of the sky to dock, are coming out. Near Mikal's feet, there is a tiny 'Mewp?' and one of the girls scoops up what looks like a kitten... except a kitten with a kestrel's head and forelegs, and small feathery wings. She holds it comfortably, holding the gryphkitten in such a way that the little thing can scramble away or take flight if it so wishes, but at the moment it doesn't seem to, looking up at Iron Antlers and Mikal with large yellow raptor eyes... at least until Raphael is spotted. At which point the neck-ruff of feathers increases in size, and the fur on the gryphkitten's back goes up on end, and its tail seems to puff out, especially at the tip; and the gryphon-kit slinks behind the girl's head to peer warily at the toothy raptor-wolf, still glancing curiously up at Mikal.
Mikal's eyes widen at sight of the beautiful little creature, an awed, "ooooooh!" unwittingly escaping her lips. She reaches out a hand, murmuring softly, "Hello, you beautiful little kitten! Will you come say hi to us?"
Jareth glances over out of the corner of his eye and his smile is warm and obviously smitten as he watches Mikal with the odd little kitten.
The girl giggles, as the gryphkitten gives a strange sort of sound, a mix of a raptor's chirp and a kitten's 'prrt?' It leans forward curiously at the hand, touching it with its beak, before abruptly flapping it's wings -- they're surprisingly large for such a small thing -- and grasping at Mikal's forearm with its forelegs, before lightly scrambling onto the perch with its rear, feline legs.
Another sound of heavy, flapping wings, and a second gryphkitten has alighted on Iron Antler's antlers, looking curious and royally superior at the same time; Iron Antler's arched brow is visible in his body language. A third flapping of wings alights on the tower near Jareth's head, and he can feel a kestrel's beak lightly and curiously preening his hair. Very shortly, there are more than a few of the curious gryphons, and they've started to chat amongst each other with chirp-mews.
Mikal blinks -- then laughs with delight as the gryphkitten scrambles onto her hand! She stands there utterly engrossed, crooning to the tiny, lovely thing as she carefully and gently scritches its poll.
Tautoru grins. "That's the Grand Old Dam's grandkits," he says conversationally. "They fledged a few days ago, and they're out exploring. I'd say that I hope you don't mind... but it looks like you don't mind at all!"
Jareth tips his head back to look up at the kit that's preening his hair. He grins and holds up an arm in invitation. The tiny creature is fascinating and his voice is a little absent as he asks, "The Grand Old Dam?"
Mikal crouches, utterly missing the conversation going on over her head, and softly croons reassurance to the gryphkit on her hand as she introduces the tiny thing to Raphael. "Easy, easy... he's really just a pussy-cat, sweetie... don't worry! He's most likely to slurp you, you know? There, there..."
Tautoru nods. "A few years after the Godswar," he says, "a gryphon flew in on a broken wing and a broken prayer. She'd been injured in a scuffle somewhere, we never figured out with who or what. She gave birth to one gryphkit, and that kitten grew up to be the Grand Old Dam. She's pretty much the mother or grandmother of every gryphon you'll see here."
The gryphkit's back is still arched, and her ruff/poll is still enlarged, looking at Raphael as if she's ready to bounce and flap away in an instant. She lets Raphael sniff her, and the gryphkit relaxes a tiny bit... and at that moment Raphael does indeed *slurp!* the gryphkit in greeting, a big wet one! The gryphkit makes a highly irritated sound of complaint, flapping and scrambling onto Mikal's head, but when she settles down to preen and complain vociferously at Raphael, her back is no longer arched and her tail is relaxed.
Jareth nods in fascination to the young man, making an encouraging little whistling sound to the gryphkit that was nibbling his hair. On the ship, he'd continued with wearing the almost-skirt, but he's put breeches and tunic back on for the landing, "What happened to the injured one?"
Mikal giggles delightedly -- both that her friends are making friends with each other, and that the startled gryphkitten is still self-possessed enough to not accidentally claw her! She grins and hugs Raphael about the neck, then straightens carefully, turning towards Jareth -- then laughing as she realizes he too has... an unusual and interesting chapeau!
The gryphkit that had been preening Jareth's hair stops, the tiny little tufts of feathers that appear tobe ears perking as it peers at Jareth curiously, tilting its head from side to side. Ver-r-ry carefully, the gryphkit starts to attempt to move from its perch on the tower, onto Jareth's shoulder.
Tautoru makes a quiet sound. "The Grand Old Dam's mother passed away from her injuries and childbirth, unfortunately."
Mikal gently scoops her little rider off her head, cuddling it into one arm and helping it groom with the fingers of the other hand as she walks along with Jareth and Tautoru. She listens in silent interest.
Mikal smiles shyly, "Can we m-meet the Grand Old Dam? M-maybe after we m-meet Papa Ghede?"
Jareth nods, a flash of sadness crossing his face as he reaches up to give the little creature a more stable step between the tower and his shoulder, "Are they wild creatures?"
Tautoru smiles, "She's a bit reclusive -- gryphons at her age tend to be a little territorial -- but we can see if she'll accept visitors." He blinks. "Papa Ghede? Gosh... he shouldn't be too hard to find, I think, but you really never know with the loas."
Foot by foot, the gryphkitten edges it's way along Jareth's arm to his shoulder; his rear legs slip a little now and then, but after a bit he's comfortably ensconed on Jareth's shoulder, looking about curiously and every so often peeping in conversation with the other gryphkittens.
The young mortal nods, beaming. "Just about as wild as they come, but they're not too afraid of mortals and the like. They'll bit by bit stop being so kitten-like and be more raptor-like, and stake out territory on Uluru or the surrounding area. Still, they'll cooperate pretty well, and they have long memories -- any mortal or aethyr who's treated them well, they'll remember them."
Mikal grins up at the gryphkitten on Iron Antlers' antlers, as the big fey-stag moves regally over and lowers his head to Mikal. "Ready for the little one to be moved?" She reaches up, crooning softly to the kit, "Come here, pretty-pretty! You can sit on my shoulder, all right?"
Mikal gives the young man a curious glance, "For there to be so many kittens, and enough space for them all to live and hunt... huh! This must be a much energy-richer biome than it looks from the air, then? How big do they get? What do they eat?"
Jareth nods and smiles a little bit, "I'm glad mon lapin is good with animals to start with." Once the little kitten is ensconced on his shoulder, Jareth starts to move cautiously away from the tower.
Mikal says, "Also, if Papa Ghede's easy to find... how do we find him, please?"
Mikal beams at Jareth, inordinately pleased at the compliment!
Tautoru grins lopsidedly. "They get big. About as big as your fey-stag friend. But the Grand Old Dam is huge. She actually can't fly anymore, because of her age, so a regal of gryphons hunts for her. They eat a fair bit, but they can eat a lot and go without for a while. And they're spread out, and Uluru is very large. I'd say that in Uluru itself there are about one hundred and fifty gryphons nesting comfortably. The rest spread out throughout the area, each one staking out an area maybe two or three miles square."
Mikal nods slowly, looking around herself in puzzlement, "Huh... okay, that means there must be a ton of animals out there to be eaten. So... to remain unseen in the desert surrounding Uluru, they must either be really well camouflaged, or using magics of some sort, yes?"
Tautoru grins merrilly. "There are a lot, yes, and they hide themselves well. The griffons range pretty far afield, admittedly. There aren't a lot of herds of herbivores near the Rock itself, but the gryphons still stake out their territory. The young ones go after the smaller animals, like kiwis and dodos. When they get older, they'll join a regal which about once or twice a week will go out to unclaimed territory to terrorize a collective of ibix or emu.”
It takes a moment, but the other mortals present realize that they understood clearly that Tautoru meant 'Ayer's Rock' when he said 'the Rock.'
Mikal nods thoughtfully, "Interesting." She sighs, giving a regretful glance at the two lovely little gryphkittens nestled in her arm and on her shoulder, "I was so hoping one of you could come along with us! But I don't know if I could keep you fed or not." A little sadly she adds, "So... Papa Ghede?"
Jareth reaches over with a smile and tucks Mikal's hair back behind her ear. That strange mix of tender and fierce is what makes him melt about his mate. At her question, however, he nods, seconding it.
Mikal's grey-eyed gaze shifts to Jareth at the touch, and she grins with shy pleasure at him.
Tautoru chuckles. "Don't tell them that; they're precocious as hell at this age. They might very well try just because you said so. But, yes, Papa Ghede." He bites his lip. "He's usually on the Western edge of the Rock."
"Or," a deep, rich, and warm voice says, "he's right where you need him to be." The aethyr who approaches is brown-skinned, heavyset, with deep jowels, and thick fingers. He wears a loose tan shirt that seems to have the unfortunate effect of showing just how much he sweats, and a pair of white pants, peeking from the hems of which are a pair of brown loafers. Atop his head is a straw hat, and he walks with a cane in hand though he doesn't seem to need it at all. His eyes are bright and narrowed from endless ages of smiling, his smile bright and quick, and his accent at first blush seemingly impenetrable, and yet the mortals understand him perfectly.
Mikal blinks a bit startledly at the voice behind them, turning carefully so she doesn't accidentally dislodge a gryphkitten. She bobs a quick little curtsey, "H-hello? P-Papa Ghede? Um... um, I'm R-rabbit and th-these are Wolf and C-cat and w-we were looking for you and hoping you c-could maybe tell us some stuff?"
Jareth slips close to Mikal and slides an arm around her waist. He grins at the strangely jaunty man.
The man smiles to Mikal. "Hello there, child. Just here from Meru, yes? After giving that Uriel a taste of an arrow or three?
"Oh, I'm sorry. Yes, I'm Ghede." He takes the hat off, revealing a mostly bald pate, and fans himself with it. "Please forgive me, still not gotten used to the heat of Uluru! But I'm more'n happy to tell you whatever you might want to know."
Mikal leans against Jareth with relief -- then blinks again at the man's comment. She nods mutely, wondering how he knew so quickly it was them that stopped Uriel. She takes a deep breath, then tries to keep her voice steady, "W-we're trying to backtrack Sleipnir, Freyja, and Artemis p-please? W-would you know where they finally fell, and wh-what direction they were coming from? I-if they managed to leave any sort of m-message, we're guessing it'd be along that line...?" She sounds shyly hopeful. She adds a bit grimly, "We're also hunting Azrael's True Name, if you know aught of that." Curiously, her voice is absolutely steady on that one.
Ghede smiles gently and says, as if reading her confusion, "You came aboard Tuwhaki's airship, a quartet of most unusual mortals. Of course I'm going to guess you're the ones what stuck Uriel." At Mikal's tale, he listens quietly, pursing his lips.
After Mikal finishes, Papa Ghede thinks for a moment, then nods, "I remember somethin' about that, yes. 'Bout a hundred miles deosil or so is where they went down, across the high desert an' clear towards Kilima Njaro. Yah, that was the place. I can probably point out on a map where I saw them go down, but I'm afraid I can't give more detail than that."
Mikal brightens, "Excellent! Tautoru, can you get us a map, please? Papa Ghede, can you give us the direction they were heading? Were they jinking or running flat out in a straight line?"
"As for Azrael," his voice, too, becomes a touch grim and firm. "If'n I had that cussed angel's True Name, I'd've sent 'im to the nether ages ago. What he did to the Ghede...." He shakes his head. "Le me jus' say that there's no good blood between him and mine. Not a lot to find about him, but Baron Kriminel, he's got a lot of research done on Azrael. I'll see about getting him to talk to you." He pauses, and adds gently, "In as most a proprietous manner as possible, of course."
Tautoru is already getting a map out, looking a little surprised. Ghede comes over, lookin over the map and hmming to himself as he studies it. "Straight line, straight as a pole," he says a little distractedly. "They were flyin' hell-bent for leather."
Mikal looks a bit puzzled, "Proprietous? Will we seem to have bad manners to him?"
Papa Ghede looks up at Mikal with a bit of a twinkle in his eye. "No; in fact, jus' the opposite. But don't worry, child, I'll make sure he behaves himself." He looks back at the map, and nods, pointing resolutely at a spot about a hundred miles towards a minor mountain labeled 'Kilima Njaro.' "That's where I saw them go down. Gotta tell you, though, I did a quick search there once an' didn't find anything... but it wasn't a real good search, I gotta admit, and I didn't want to spend too much time away from Uluru. The Architect, he likes to send some of his angels out near Kilima Njaro, keep the spirits there at bay, show them he's boss."
Mikal nods grimly, studying the map, "We'll check it over carefully. Thank you, Papa. If Freyja and Artemis managed to accomplish their mission, it's our hope they left the information somewhere between where they were headed, and here," she points at the map, "where they were last seen." She sighs as she adds, "Plus one of our number, I think, dearly wishes to pay last respects to where the Huntress finally fell... and another will wish to bid goodbye to Sleipnir."
Raphael gives a faint whine at that, nodding his head to Mikal. Papa Ghede nods solemnly. "I understand, Rabbit. Jus' wish I could tell you better news than 'they went down.'
Mikal gently hugs Raphael with one arm, leaving a hand resting on her half-brother as she goes back to studying the map. Finally she looks up at the loa and smiles, although it's still a touch grim, "Thank you again. How long do you think it will take you to find Baron Kriminel and persuade him to talk to us here?"
Papa Ghede smiles a touch mirhtlessly. "Hard to say, depends on if he's in one of his 'moods.' I can have him amenable to talkin' with people by the time you get back if you head off today, that much I can promise." He winks, pulling an apple from his pocket. "Kriminel's not th' nicest of th' children, you could say." He bites into the apple with a crunch, then says, "But don't worry 'bout it; he'll be nice and proper to you and yours, child, an' won't do nothin' bad or alarmin'."
Mikal looks puzzled, but simply nods, "All right." Curiosity gets the better of her, and she adds, "What's he usually like, then?"
Ghede makes a slightly disturbed-sounding sound. "He's short-tempered, child. Soon as stab you as look at you. Cussin' something fierce all the time. Cruel boy, too, an' won't go into that no more. You're too nice a girl to know even that much 'bout a loa you'll never need to know more about, if'n he didn't have information you needed."
Tautoru proposes lunch, then, since the light is high and bright in the sky, and to help the travellers get settled onto firmer ground.
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