Goblin Town -- Logs

Cinnamon tilts her head thoughtfully for a moment... then curiously asks Killian, "You said nearly decent. What more did you want?" Maybe, the little dragon thinks, finding out what the poor, sick sidhe was aiming for will help them figure out what went wrong in him?

Killian looks at Cinnamon, and if looks could kill she would be dead on the floor! "A kingdom! Not this fiefdom. Once all the trods were under a king. By birthright, I should rule them!"

From behind him there's low murmuring. One of the beansidhe whispers in horror, "Stars and stones -- he's insane...!"

Cinnamon studies Killian for a moment... then says softly, "Why? Why you... and not someone else?"

Killian glowers at Cinnamon and spits on the floor in front of himself -- it's largely blood, "Because I am a direct descendent! Through my mother's line."

Siobhan sighs and shakes her head, "Killian... there are several of us out there who claim direct descent from him."

Killian snarls at the elder, "None of them have the pride and the will!"

Siobhan dryly replies, "None of them have the arrogance."

Thorn has been stewing in fury, but he finally snaps, "'Birthright'?! Birthright! You talk about the glory of being a king -- of pride and will! -that you should be king simply because of your blood and boldness! What actions have you done that make you worthy of being a king or leader?! Poisoning and murdering and assassinating and, and -- all the rest of it?!"

Killian whips his head toward Thorn, splattering those nearby with his blood as he snarls, "You have no say here, human! You should bow before your b-" -- and a hand is hastily clapped over his mouth to stop him.

Cinnamon tilts her head consideringly again, then finally looks up at Siobhan, "Do we... have any idea what happened to him? Any idea why he... well, sort of went mad about this? Or has he always acted like he was the center of the universe?"

Siobhan says, "It... he has always been proud, but he has kept us safe..."

Cinnamon curiously asks, "Has he? Or has he convinced you all to fear the world outside?" There's no acrimony in her voice -- she's genuinely wondering.

Shane snorts a little; Siobhan gives Cinnamon a troubled glance, "That... is possible." She stands and rubs her forehead with the tips of three fingers, shaking her head as she does so, "A healer is better by far than a poisoner and a traitor, Killian... and you are both those vile things."

Thorn actually expected a ridiculous non-answer like the one Killian gives. "As I figured," he says darkly, his fists shaking with the immensity of his anger. "Not even the flimsiest of excuses for what you've done!" Rafe lays a calming hand on Thorn's shoulder -- as Killian shoots visual daggers at Thorn, trying to shake off the hand over his mouth. Thorn's mouth is set in a hard line as he returns Killian's gaze.

Cinnamon glances at poor Thorn, then pragmatically points out to Siobhan, "After all, the Trod of the Elm was safe for centuries, if not more... until Killian's and Qadan's greed caused them to betray those who trusted them. Same for the Trod of the Rowan... and same for Coblyn Street... right?" She gives Killian a faintly disgusted look before she adds to Siobhan, "Also, what sorts of magic require someone's hair, please?"

Siobhan says, "Elm's roots are in Germany. To even reach there is beyond what even the king here in Ireland tried. That is outright war on an enemy." She blinks at the apparent non sequitur, adding, "Some... conjurings. Some bindings. Why do you ask?"

Cinnamon hmms thoughtfully... then, instead of replying, she asks, "Do you recognize any of these names, ma'am?" She lists four or five of the names attached to the locks of hair. Thorn wonders dryly what Killian's reaction is going to be -- as Cinnamon reads off the people he's doubtless charmed or enchanted. Indeed, Killian's eyes almost seem to bulge as the little dragon reads the names.

Siobhan blinks slowly, "Some of those are members of this trod... but that one -- that last one -- is a member of Rowan. And the second one is a member of Oak."

Cinnamon nods thoughtfully, "Interesting. So I'm guessing you'd like to know about these, which I found left in that cache there? ...along with some paperwork and this jewelry?" She lays the locks of hair out on the desk, adding quietly, "If I burn them all, with that destroy the bindings?"

Thorn doesn't smile; he's feeling no happiness in the world falling apart around Killian. Instead he grunts and shakes his head, turning away from the former chieftain. "More people we have to cure of his poisons," he says grimly. "More of his messes we have to clean up."

Siobhan looks over the locks of hair and starts separating them out. As she does, she says the names of different trees: Oak. Rowan. Apple. Hazel. Alder. Elder. Yew. Holly. Most of the locks are from Holly, but there's at least one from each of the other tree names.

Shane blinks slowly, "Those are almost all the trods in Ireland."

Cinnamon rests a hand on Thorn's upper arm, her voice gentle, "Maybe just burning them will work, Thorny. Don't let his madness hurt you too, please?" She glances at Shane next, adding, "Do you know the Rowan person, or have any idea why Killian would want to... to latch onto them so?"

Thorn deflates a little at Cinnamon's touch. "Don't worry," he says quietly, smiling,"I won't." He isn't sure what he would have done, though, had Killian had a lock of hair from someone in Elm.

Cinnamon grins in relief at Thorn, gently squeezing his arm. To everyone else she says, "So he really was working on being king of all Ireland, I take it? Do you guys want to keep the little labels as proof before I burn the hair? 'Cause... I know I wouldn't want something like that hanging around for others to play with!"

Siobhan nods grimly, "Burning should destroy any bonds," then shakes her head, "We are going to have to ask for help from your trod, Shane -- and perhaps some of the others."

Cinnamon's small smile is wry, "Maybe that's how the various trods will pull together, finally... in an effort to prevent anything like this ever happening again." She quietly starts untying the labels and leaving them in a neat pile for Siobhan, letting the sidhe know as Cinnamon does so... because she's going to burn the hair as soon as possible. The names seem both feminine and masculine. Killian is trying to struggle, jerking toward Cinnamon as she starts untying the locks of hair. Rafe pats Thorn's shoulder again, looking grim. It's obvious the healer is upset; this makes Rafe unhappy.

Siobhan sighs and shakes her head, "We are going to have to pay restitution to these people." She looks at the members of Holly in the room, almost all of whom are typically beansidhe colored -- though a handful have red or blonde hair, and says, "We can't exile him. He's mad and he would cause harm to both humans and the rest of us." She closes her eyes as if in pain, "Put him not just in a room, but in the cell." She motions one of the Holly beansidhe over and hands them a heavy key.

Cinnamon gathers up all the locks of hair and steps around everyone in the room to the fireplace. She kneels on the stone hearth, gently laying out all the hair, and sighs as she considers the gleaming little heap. When she speaks, her voice is soft, "I'm so sorry to all of you, even though you don't know... and I promise this won't be used to hurt you all any more. So much pain... I just wish I'd figured it out sooner."

Shane moves over by Cinnamon, voice soft, "Acushla, you've only been among us a few months. How much sooner could you have known?"

Cinnamon smiles ruefully up at Shane, "Oh, I know. I just... well, I feel bad for them? And..." she glances towards Killian, her voice musing, "oddly enough... I feel sorry for him. I don't know what tore up his mind so bad but... wow, has he totally lost any shred of guardianship, or what?! All he's been doing for the past however many years is hurting people. That's... just so terribly sad, you know?"

Shane nods and sighs, "It is." Killian is by this point screaming and thrashing to break free of his captors... and utterly failing. His ranting is either in a dialect Cinnamon doesn't recognize, or it's not Irish at all. Siobhan looks tired and sad as she makes a waving motion. The two beansidhe holding Killian start to drag him away.

Thorn lets out a breath, shaking his head. "I'd... heal him, if I could. If for no other reason then he could make restitution," he says quietly to Cinnamon and Shane. "But I don't know if I can. Or even if he would accept it right now."

Cinnamon nods gravely to Thorn, reaching up from where she's kneeling to pat the healer's hand, "You remember this isn't your fault either, okay?" She smiles at him, then takes a deep breath... then turns and exhales an intense burst of flame into the fireplace. She keeps it going for a few seconds so as to be sure there's absolutely nothing left of the stolen hair. The room is immediately filled with the scent of burning hair, making most people pull an unpleasant face. It is, after all, an acrid and unpleasant scent.

Siobhan sighs, "We are going to have to ask Rowan's help... and I think we will have to invalidate the treaty to do so."

Cinnamon apologizes for the stink as she rises to her feet and dusts off the knees of her jeans... then gives Siobhan a worried look, "Invalidate? What does that mean, please?"

Siobhan looks unhappy, "Break it. Take it out of effect. I want Quinn to be able to come here with some of his trusted guardians. We need to... clean house."

Cinnamon nibbles on her lower lip, then asks, "Does that mean that war is a possibility too?"

Siobhan scrubs her hands over her face, "Between us and Rowan? Perhaps I should say renegotiate."

Cinnamon nods with a hint of relief, "Okay. So..." she glances around for Shane as she adds to Siobhan, "why not just ask for help? Is there something in the treaty that says you guys can't just be nice to each other?"

Shane smiles grimly, "The treaty states that the chieftain of Rowan must stay on Rowan's land and can't leave for more than 24 hours. This sounds like it could take more."

To Cinnamon, Siobhan replies, "It doesn't say that, but we need to remove temptation for anyone else that might try for a power bid."

Cinnamon nods to Shane, then gives Siobhan a slightly perplexed look, "Well, okay... though I thought you agreed already to removing that stipulation about the Rowan chieftain for part of the weregild?"

Siobhan sighs tiredly, then nods, "We did. We did. You're right." She raises her head and looks around, "Things are starting to feel... different here."

Thorn arches a brow. It hints at something he's been suspecting, but... "How do you mean, Siobhan? In a good way, I hope?" Cinnamon also looks intrigued -- that's a curious thing to say! Could Killian have actually... well, sort of, um... 'miasma'd' fear all over the trod?

Siobhan takes her hands away from her face, "Yes. I'm... it's like a fog I didn't know was there."

Cinnamon beams delightedly at that, "Really?! That's awesome! I hope it feels better and nicer for you all, then!" Thorn nods at Siobhan's words. It's what he suspected; there was this... psychic reek throughout the trod. Maybe with Killian's loss of his last shred of decency and sanity, he lost the power of whatever it was he was doing to the trod he had sworn to protect. Cinnamon glances down at the forgotten jewelry she'd found... then grins and holds some of it up, "So do you recognize any of these? They were in with the hair as well!"

Siobhan studies the lovely things, eyes narrowed, "Some of that... it is not his personal treasure! We'd thought it lost!" She starts to point out pieces that are supposed be in the trod's treasury.

Cinnamon looks even more pleased, "Oh, wonderful -- I'm so glad we were able to help you all get back your treasures!" She's dragon enough to love having her own hoard... and to be darkly furious, internally, with Killian for thieving from his own! She happily sorts out the pieces Siobhan claims, then gets a thoughtful expression as she studies the rest of the jewelry, "Do you suppose... that some of this might be stolen from other trods as well? Like with the hair?" She glances up, searching for Shane again, "Hey, Shane? Can you check this over too, please?"

Shane moves over and looks over the jewelry... then grins wryly at Cinnamon, "Sorry, acushla, you'll need to ask Quinn or Saoirse."

The young dragon nods, "That's fine!" She smiles at Siobhan, "May we borrow this just long enough to figure that out, please? Also, if any of it turns out to be Killian's, I'd like it to go to those he's harmed. Maybe that'll help you all with the restitutions?" Then she blinks at another thought, "Oh, my! Do you suppose there's more stuff like this... in Darragh's and Niamh's rooms too?"

Thorn grimaces painfully at the thought, "If they took that much after their father...." Cinnamon nods ruefully to Thorn!

Siobhan nods, "Yes. Please... I know none of you have eaten. Let us have a meal while I get people ready to carry messages back to Rowan." She pauses, "Unless you'd like to return yourself?"

Cinnamon glances inquiringly at Shane -- what does he think would be best? The half-beansidhe considers, then replies, "I think we should sent Maebh back with a representative from here... possibly with copies of a rewritten treaty to officially let Quinn come."

Thorn nods to Shane. "The sooner this is settled," he says, "the better for everyone involved."

Cinnamon beams excitedly at that! She's so pleased to hear the treaty is going to be officially fixed that way! She's still beaming at Shane... when something occurs her. Tilting her head, she says curiously to Siobhan, "Actually... may I ask one question, please? If it's rude, feel free to ignore it, of course, but... I've been wondering? Like... aren't beansidhe usually dark haired? But here, in Holly... there's an awful lot of blondes and redheads! So... what's going on with that, please?"

Siobhan sighs wearily yet again, "Yes, we are most often dark haired and pale of skin. There was some intermixing of the bloodlines several hundred years ago."

One of the other beansidhe mutters grimly, "By which she means some of our trod were seduced and some of our trod purposely tried to bring in gealsidhe blood. I personally believe it was an attempt to breed us out of existence."

Cinnamon blinks startledly at that, her eyes widening for a moment... and then she realizes: this is clearly a rather, um, sensitive subject! She makes a mental note to ask Shane for more information later -- but for now she just nods slowly, then carefully replies, "I'm really sorry to hear that, sir." She considers for a few seconds, then checks with Siobhan, "So... did someone frisk Killian too for stuff?"

Siobhan looks at the man that just spoke; he replies in the same grim tones, "Yes... thoroughly. Whilst wearing very thick leather gloves."

Cinnamon nods and smiles in relief, "Oh, good! Did you find anything?"

The warrior snorts, "Only about two dozen items! Weapons. Poisons. A couple of letters. A nice cache of gems and metals... even a chunk of human money. Something like eight thousand pound sterling."

Thorn blinks in surprise, "Well, he really packed to run far."

Cinnamon too blinks startledly -- then frowns, "Okay. I'd like the poisons, please. I'm pretty sure they won't survive fire!" After a moment she adds, "Oh! Also, who were the letters to or from?" Musingly she mumbles, "Wonder if any of them were from either his daughter or Qadan? -though... bet he didn't yet know they were captured? Maybe?" It doesn't take long before the things that Killian had are brought for everyone to look at. One letter is from Killian's daughter; two of them are from Qadan and one is in some kind of code. The poisons are wolfsbane, cyanide, arsenic, and apparently some of the nettle poison. The gold and jewels are half set into jewelry and half loose stones and small gold ingots.

Cinnamon sighs and shakes her head, then looks up at Siobhan, "May I simply flame the poisons, ma'am?" She also runs her fingers lightly over the jewelry to verify they are real... the metals and gems are all real. The gold is very pure. What little silver there is, is also unusually pure. Most of the gems are of astonishingly high quality. The little dragon then checks the letters -- she's curious as to what the co-conspirators had to say! Thorn grimaces. So there's likely more of the nettle poison floating around in the world. Even if they destroy the patch here, there's still likely some of it out there.

Siobhan frowns and sends someone after the botanist/alchemist that had the stash of the poison, then nods to Cinnamon, "Destroy it."

Cinnamon lets folks know about the gems and precious metals, then smiles in relief at Siobhan, "Happy to!" Again, she carefully carries the poisons to the nearest fireplace... then decides to be even more cautious, since she doesn't want poison dust or ash flying about! She gets a wet rag, makes sure the poisons are also soaked with water so they won't fly about... then carefully flames them one at a time to ensure nothing escapes. After that she curiously checks the coded letter as well. Is it in the same code as the papers she picked up from the cache in Killian's room? The cipher does seem to be the same.

Thorn feels a sense of relief as Cinnamon torches the poisons. There's a lot of coming and going and people speaking quietly with Siobhan. Before long, the botanist is brought in. He looks as if he might have fallen into a door... or someone's fist. Cinnamon smiles ruefully at that, while Thorn arches a brow at the botanist's appearance. Cinnamon hmms thoughtfully as she pulls out her little notebook and pencil, then spreads out the various coded letters and papers she's got. She starts examining them with a critical eye... maybe she can break this code? That'd be fun, if so!

The letters don't seem to be in a simple letter substitution code and they don't seem to be mathematical. Cinnamon grins -- awesome! A challenge! She starts checking for other 'tells' -- is it rot13 or something similar? One after the other she checks for a shifted, reversed, or mixed alphabet. She'll try other options if none of those work... and indeed, none of those options seem to crack the cipher. Cinnamon hmms... then checks to see if the 'native' language is Irish rather than English. Unfortunately, even trying with Irish doesn't make it a simple mathematical cipher. However, the spacing on it seems to group slightly into three-number clusters.

Shane moves over toward Siobhan and the botanist as the sidhe is being questioned. When it's done, Shane is rubbing his forehead with his fingertips, "He's telling the truth. That was the only bottle missing from his stores." He lets out a breath and looks the botanist over, "Who punched you?" Thorn moves closer to Shane; he's also interested in finding out who did the damage. To him, that's not right -- a botanist is a noncombatant.

The botanist winces as he's brought ice, carefully putting it over one of his eyes, "Killian. I was trying to keep him and two of his men from looting my supplies."

Thorn asks the botanist, "Do you know what happened to the two men?" He glances to Siobhan. There's clearly going to be a problem with 'loyalists' in the trod.

The botanist tips his head back and sighs, "I don't. Though I'd suspect they're still somewhere close if they expect Killian to meet them."

Siobhan nods, "That's why I want Quinn and Shane here for at least a few days. We don't have anyone with quite their talents."

As Cinnamon looks over the ciphered letters, she remembers reading somewhere at some time: 'There is a very simple cipher that is nonetheless nearly impossible to break. It depends on upon having two copies of the same printing of some book.' Cinnamon frowns thoughtfully, raising her head to study the bedroom/office -- are there any books visible? There are, actually... and one shelf of them is quite disturbed. There's also a knapsack that was brought in with Killian that no one has seemed to remember. Cinnamon grins cheerfully! While other folks are occupied, she gets up and checks the knapsack for any books in it. She finds two, in fact, though one looks like a journal. The other might seem out of place in a trod -- it's a copy of the King James version of the Christian Bible. Cinnamon raises an amused eyebrow at that! Holding the book in her hand, she grins excitedly -- this could well be an Ottendorf cipher! The code, after all, is three-number groups, with the first number being the page, the second being which line on the page, and the third being how many words into the sentence one must count. That would also mean Killian and one or more people have the same printing of this bible -- and a bible is an easy thing to find!

Cinnamon pauses, then empties out the knapsack as well, making sure everything is set out where folks can find it. Then she goes back to her coded papers. Once she's got the key, the cipher is easy but time-consuming to work out. It requires a lot of flipping back and forth in the book and counting small words. She starts by translating the first and last lines in the letter -- hopefully that way she'll know who this... letter? -is to and from. This one seems to be from Niamh. Cinnamon nods once to herself, smiling... then happily sets to work. Meanwhile, the botanist is giving information on the men who were with Killian. His voice has that nasal sound of someone who's recently had a nosebleed, "I think there are only a handful of real loyalists. Mostly the ones he was favoring anyway."

Thorn takes a look over the botanist to make sure there are no broken bones or anything worse than a contusion. He's especially checking for poisons, as well, though he lets the botanist talk as much as the sidhe wishes. To that last comment he dryly replies, "Even so, they shouldn't have roughed you up like that! The sooner the favored ones are rousted out, the better." He glances to Siobhan to make sure she got the part about two of Killian's men who are likely outside the trod. Siobhan is indeed listening and nodding -- she's not making notes, but she is taking note.

The botanist seems a little logy, but that's more likely due to painkillers than poison. His nose may well be broken, in fact. Thorn thinks a little magic is called for here, both as a courtesy and also as a show of good faith. He carefully urges the magic to re-seat the poor man's nose to heal it as painlessly as possible. Unfortunately the magic just doesn't come to Thorn this time... though at least it's clear he tried. Finally, though, he shakes his head, apologizing to the botanist, "Here, let me at least make sure your nose heals straight, please." Carefully and with as little pain as possible, Thorn straightens the nose, helping the botanist to stuff tissues in to keep it straightened.

The botanist laughs tiredly and winces a little, saying, "Thank you. When you live a long life, you don't want to look at a crooked nose every day." It's clear he's trying to make a joke.

Thorn smiles at the joke. "There is that," he says warmly.

Siobhan rubs her face with both hands, then sighs and says firmly, "Right, then. Guards at the hallway for the visitors, and on the entrances and exits to the trod. Messengers to get Quinn here and change the treaty. How did we miss this?"

Cinnamon glances up, her voice abstracted, "Um... maybe you didn't want to see it?" She looks back down at the letter she's just finished decoding, happily adding, "I've got a letter from Niamh to Killian translated here! Want to see?" She beams excitedly at Shane as she adds, "It's a nice, straightforward Ottendorf cipher -- and I found the book! It'll be easy to translate all the paperwork now!" The letter is from Niamh, giving Killian information on where she's staying and how to access her bank account. It also mentions not just a bank account but a storage unit. By what she's written, most of what's in the storage unit are practical things like clothes and rations -- the perfect cache for someone trying to stay hidden. Cinnamon adds less excitedly, "This page is just contact information type stuff from Niamh... but maybe some of the other letters will be more incriminating?"

As it becomes obvious that it's going to take some little time to figure out who the loyalists are and to get Quinn back with the rewritten treaty, Siobhan makes an offer for the visitors to stay at least one more night. She also swears that she herself will bring their food in the morning, adding, "If you feel the need, we will also provide food and drinks for anyone you feel you need to set as guards. Those here have already broken hospitality, so I understand if you feel somewhat unsafe or want to sleep outside the trod."

Arvid smiles tightly, "We will stay if these people wish to. My wolves will stand guard. We have gotten soft, sleeping an entire night." It's obvious he's trying to make a small joke, while making it completely clear that the Havvarger are going to guard Thorn, Cinnamon, and the others. Siobhan doesn't take it a bit amiss and even asks if they would like to moved to different quarters. After some conversation, a move seems to be agreed-upon... one the loyalists won't even know about, if it is done stealthily enough.

The visitors are given food, and several members of the trod approach -- respectfully and under the eye of not only the Havvarger but several Holly guards -- to thanks all of the visitors and to offer any assistance they may. Cinnamon gladly accepts breakfast when it arrives -- she's really hungry by now! She also keeps working with slow doggedness on the coded letters, though if anyone who isn't already busy offers to help, she's happy to have another set of hands as well to look up the words. Thorn is grateful for the delayed breakfast, and even more grateful for the Havvarger being guards. He really needs to think of another way to thank them, since this is most likely not what they had originally signed up to do! Siobhan does her best to be a good hostess. The other two elders appear once in a while, but seem not quite so sociable as she -- Siobhan seems very set upon restoring the reputation of her trod. Breach of hospitality, after all, is serious. In the old days it could have led to war.

As the day progresses, Thorn is curious to discover if there are actually any healers here. Therefore, once they've made sure the nettle poison is destroyed, he makes himself available to Siobhan in case any of the people in the trod need more than normal medical assistance. The trod does seem to have a handful of botanists/herbalists but no one that does physical doctoring beyond some first aid. Siobhan is quite humbly thankful for Thorn's offer of assistance, seeming to take it as a sign that the trod isn't being held responsible for the bad apples. As it turns out, a few of the trod members who went out after Killian and his loyalists do have some small injuries... and one has a couple of cuts that need stitching.

Thorn is more than happy to help out medically, though most of the work he does is more mundane medical healing. It's not that he doesn't feel they deserve his magic -- it's more that he needs to keep that precious but finite resource in reserve. He's almost certain this will not be the last shenanigans from Killian and his bunch, no matter how deep a hole the Hollies put the former chieftain into. Everyone that Thorn helps is quite grateful -- and apologetic! Some of them seem to feel like getting hurt was their fault -- that asking for his help is in some way slightly rude. Thorn reassures those people that it's not their fault they got hurt! He's glad to help them.

During the day Cinnamon discovers the papers are largely big, glaring signs effectively saying, 'We have plotted to kill a lot of people!' There's correspondence with Qadan and Niamh about the progress of their plotting. There are no normal names, though -- they're all in code. Interestingly, there's an account of the attack on Elm with some bad information -- Qadan seemed to think at the time that none of the mercenaries survived. Cinnamon quietly brings the translated letters to both Siobhan and Quinn -- this is, after all, yet more proof they have the right to see. She also checks with Siobhan: does the elder have any questions regarding the initial packet of paperwork she was given? Siobhan shakes her head, "I had one of our people that does our mundane banking review it. She was horrified."

Cinnamon nods to Siobhan, "Okay. Just wanted to be sure!"

When Quinn arrives -- along with two more of Rowan that apparently didn't want their Chieftain going to Holly without guards -- it's remarked upon how quickly they got arrived. Quinn's voice is wry, "Amazing how quick you can move if you're pissed off, innit?" Every single member of the original party gets a hug from Quinn, right down to Veles and Thorn. Cinnamon gives a small, startled squeak -- but then grins shyly as she returns the hug! Thorn is glad -- if also a bit shy -- in hugging Quinn back, though he too is surprised Quinn got there so quickly. Maybe they had some other means of travel which is swifter with only a handful of people?

When Quinn gets a look at the papers Cinnamon has translated, the look on his face is something close to rage. Cinnamon also makes sure to show the remaining jewelry pieces to Quinn, to check if any of them actually belong to Rowan... and she asks about the Rowan person whose hair was burned. Are they okay? Quinn smiles wryly, not quite a smirk, "Aye, she's fine. She fainted out of the blue. When we found out about the binding, it made more sense. She's been spending the last bit crying."

Cinnamon looks horrified, "Oh my gosh, did the poor woman not know?!"

Thorn shakes his head at Quinn's news. "I just hope the others who had their locks burned didn't go through too much trouble. They'll have to be informed, though, somehow."

Maebh, who returned with them, says, "No. I don't think she did. She simply thought her love affair with the man from here was a bit of a Romeo and Juliet thing. Romantic."

Cinnamon winces unhappily at that, "Oh, no... the poor thing!" She pauses, then worriedly adds, "So... did I make everyone faint when I burned their hair?"

Thorn says gently, "Not you. Killian did. He made them faint when you freed them from the binding he put them in."

Cinnamon gives Thorn an unhappy look, "I agree he's responsible for making the bindings, but... was there a gentler way I should have removed them, maybe?"

Thorn shakes his head, "I think what you did was better. It was fast, it was quick, and... honestly, if Killian somehow breaks out again, you've protected them from him."

Cinnamon considers that for a bit... then gives Thorn a small, slightly tremulous smile, "Well... I hope that's true."

Shane gives Cinnamon a squeeze, "And fainting is a f... a whole lot better than being bound by an unscrupulous sociopath, acushla."

Cinnamon squeaks startledly at Shane's unexpected hug, then grins shyly at him, "Okay, that... yeah. You're both right. Thanks, guys."

Quinn looks through the jewels and metal, "I don't recognize any of this as belonging to Rowan. We're going to have to call in representatives from other trods to have them look... especially if there were people bound to Killian in each of them." Cinnamon nods and thanks Quinn quietly, then simply gives the rest of the jewelry back to Siobhan for safekeeping until that can be done.

Siobhan looks at Quinn, "A moot? I know there hasn't been one in at least a century..."

Cinnamon blinks at the two elders... then whispers to Shane, "What's a moot?"

Shane says -- loud enough for anyone else that might be wondering, but still low enough not to interrupt anyone else talking, "Think of it as an international summit: elders or representatives from all the trods meet, usually at some place considered neutral. It used to be a yearly thing."

Cinnamon nods to Shane, "Ah, so it's a sidhe thing! Got it." She pauses, considering... then curiously adds, "Why did it stop? Oh, also! Did anyone search the rooms of Killian's kids too?"

Shane smiles wryly, "Got unsafe... and it's not just a sidhe thing. The humans used to do it too."

Siobhan replies to Cinnamon, "They haven't been searched yet. I wanted to wait until we have vetted at least a half-dozen to be absolutely sure they are trustworthy." Her voice is wry, "In other words... we were waiting for Quinn."

Cinnamon grins at Siobhan, "Well, while they're being vetted... may we take a peek?" To Shane she curiously asks, "Unsafe how, please? Like hard to get to? Or like killing each other there?"

Shane explains, "Full-blood beansidhe and gealsidhe don't look fully human. Nowadays you might be able to pass as someone cosplaying. In 1915, 1920, there was no such thing. Prosthetic makeup was really obvious. There was no such thing as costume contacts. Imagine him..." he points at his father, "walking into a shop on the high street."

Cinnamon turns to study Quinn, her head tilting thoughtfully as she does so... then hmms and nods slowly, "Okay, I think I can see it." She grins at the father and son, adding, "I mean, I've been getting so used to it on Coblyn that I sorta forget to see it, but... now that you're mentioning it... yeah, it's definitely there. He's... it's not just the eyes and the ears, after all, right? He moves like... like a dancer or something, right?" She frowns at a sudden thought, "But... you all could start having moots again now, maybe, right? I mean, even if it's once a decade, surely that's better than not, so as to prevent something like this madness from happening again?"

Quinn laughs, "Shane's mum used to tell me that. I say I move like a warrior."

Siobhan says softly, "It's been said that we move like animals."

Cinnamon nods cheerfully to Siobhan, "Yeah, I could see that too -- I read once that dancers aspire to move with the thoughtless, natural grace of animals!" Then she grins shyly at Quinn, "Sorry! I just... well, I've watched more dancers than warriors, you know?" A second later she blinks at another sudden thought, her head whipping around to Siobhan and her voice worried, "Oh! Oh, was that meant as an insult -- the animal thing? I'm so sorry, if it was! I didn't mean to be rude about that!"

Siobhan laughs and waves it off... and at that, the visitors can see she's quite beautiful when she's not worried, "I never took it as an insult. They meant to say we seemed like something wild."

Quinn snorts, "They took us for predators." He pauses... then has to admit, "Some of us were... are, maybe."

Cinnamon smiles at Siobhan, "Oh, good." She looks relieved... then glances inquiringly between the two elders, "So... yes, no, maybe on the regularly scheduled moots? I mean, if the Council can meet every three or four months... maybe you all can too every handful of years or so?"

Quinn grins, "Now that I can leave the trod, I'd be happy to. It would indeed help, I think, to keep things like this from happening. We used to use them for trade and treaties and... other things."

Shane murmurs to the little dragon, "It's how they kept from getting too inbred."

Cinnamon nods in understanding -- she thinks all of those reasons are excellent ones! "Awesome. Okay, so you'll all be finding trustworthy folks here, and..." she smiles inquiringly at Siobhan, "you never said about some of us taking a peek now?"

Siobhan says, "I would rather have some of my people with you."

Quinn nods relaxedly, "Then grab two people you're fairly sure you can trust, and me son and I will tell you if you're right."

Cinnamon beams at that, "Okay!" She checks herself to make sure she's handed off all the jewelry and paperwork she'd picked up previously... then grins cheerfully at Quinn and Siobhan, "Ready!"

Not fifteen minutes later, two members of Holly are in the room -- one female, one male. The male is one of the red-haired, blue-eyed sidhe, while the female has the traditional beansidhe coloring... in an almost extreme way. Her skin is almost ivory and her eyes are past amber into yellow. They are introduced as Jack and Lea. Both of them look serious and even irritated. However, it only takes a few minutes of conversation -- apparently small talk with Quinn -- to have them relaxed. Siobhan then explains that they're going to ask a few questions, adding, "I know and you know that you are trustworthy. But we must be able to assure everyone that you are. Please cooperate." Thorn remains to the side, quiet and contemplative. He really hopes this can be sorted out quickly, since relationships between Holly and every other trod is kind of at stake. Cinnamon watches in wide-eyed fascination! Both sidhe know they're being examined, after all, and are consenting to do so... so she isn't worried or upset for them.

The two beansidhe listen to the questions, which are very blunt: 'Did you conspire with Killian to harm anyone?' 'Can you be trusted to assist in searching this trod?' 'Can you be trusted to protect the inhabitants of this trod and any guests?' Both sidhe give exactly the answers they should, and Shane is quite satisfied. Siobhan nods to Cinnamon and her companions, "Please. See what you can find." Thorn nods soberly to Siobhan, then smiles to Jack and Lea. He'll be coming along as well, just in case they come upon anything that requires a medical touch.

Cinnamon says, "OK! Thanks!" She turns and patters first into Darragh's room, though her cheer fades quickly when she remembers how the poor fool died. She sighs, then glances around carefully, her voice muted, "We... should keep an eye out for another hidden cache again too, maybe -- though if you find one, please let me open it? The last one was booby-trapped."

Darragh's room is smaller than his father's -- just one chamber, divided into sections simply by what furniture is in each area -- but it's just as opulent. There's a desk with a sturdy, comfortable chair; there's a small grouping of a loveseat and some chairs around a low table; and there is a large, four-poster bed with luxurious hangings. The walls are hung with artwork that looks very much to be from the human world. Some of the abstract and almost cubist prints seem almost jarring in this setting. Cinnamon narrows her eyes thoughtfully at the paintings... then starts checking behind them. Thorn mentally grimaces at the paintings, remembering that Killian had mocked him for being merely human; of being beneath the sidhe. That doesn't bother Thorn too much -- it's the hypocrisy that gets to him! He does a more cursory sweep of the room, checking the wardrobe, beneath the bed, beneath the desk... nothing invasive just yet.

As they search, the little group starts turning up several things. There is indeed a cache -- not a safe, since safes are most often iron -- but a cache behind one of the paintings. The painting itself is an abstract piece made of sharply-angled shapes in jewel tones. Cinnamon beams as she calls to her friends, "Ooh, think I found something!" She sets the painting carefully aside, then runs her fingers lightly over the cache -- she doesn't want to trigger any needle traps here either, after all! Thorn also finds a heavy wooden box in the bottom of the wardrobe. It seems to be all wood and seems to not have a lid. It's simply a wooden cube. He sets the cube carefully down on the bed, studying it but not touching it. It looks like a puzzle box, but it's just as likely to be trapped to hell and back. He'll wait until Cinnamon has finished with the cache behind the paining.

Jack goes to Cinnamon, Lea goes to Thorn to examine what the two visitors have found. They both look moderately thunderous. Cinnamon looks relieved once she realizes the cache is fronted by a locked little door set into the wall -- with absolutely no iron! She lifts up the heavy brass lock to study it, then glances around, "Did any of you find a heavy key here?" Jack and Lea both shake their heads.

Lea examines the box Thorn holds, saying, "That's lovely, that is. I have a wee one in my room that me gran gave me."

Cinnamon hmms as she looks back at the lock... then considers. She's supposed to be strong, right? Experimentally she closes her fist around the lock, takes a deep breath... then tightens her fist as hard as she can while yanking ferociously down on it! The lock seems like it's going to hold for about a half-second... but then the half-circle of metal tears out of the locking mechanism! -leaving Cinnamon with a twisted device in her hand and bent hasp on the cache itself. Thorn blinks. Slowly. Cinnamon has clearly been eating her vitamins of late! Jack also looks a bit shocked... at what looks like a small, slightly dumpy human ripping apart a pretty serious lock! Cinnamon herself blinks startledly at the cache -- then looks down at her hand, murmuring, "Whoa! I... wasn't sure that would work!" She slowly opens her hand and examines the crushed body of the lock lying in her palm... then laughs excitedly! "Awesome! OK, the locked box is open, folks!" She sets it aside and cheerfully reaches to open the brass-hinged door to see what's inside.

Opening the door takes a minute or two, since Cinnamon has to bend the hasp back into place to let it slip through the slat which was originally holding the door closed. Inside there's a pile of paperwork, a smaller pile of gold and jewels, and a passport -- along with a wallet that has a driver's license and a couple of credit cards. Cinnamon carefully pulls it all out, spreading the various goods on the bed so everyone can see. She waves a hand over the precious items, verifying they're truly what they appear to be, before she curiously picks up the paperwork. Cinnamon is mostly checking for bank accounts; she'll check the wallet too once she's done with the paperwork. Considering how much restitution it looks like the poor Trod of the Holly is going to have to pay... she's quite happy to help dig up all the Killian family's ill-gotten gains! Thorn eyes the credit cards flatly. He reminds himself that snarky comments at the sidhe's expense are probably not in good taste.

None of the paperwork seems to be from a human bank. Largely, they're letters -- enciphered letters in what looks like another Ottendorf cipher. There are, however, no books in Darragh's room. Cinnamon hmms... then tentatively guesses the necessary book is the same as the father's cipher. She'll check it out later, though. She lets Jack and Lea know that she'd like to keep the coded letters long enough to try and break them... then she checks the wallet too. Jack nods, "Please. Keep the letters if you need to."

Cinnamon beams at Jack, "Thank you!" She carefully runs her fingers through all of the wallet, to be sure she's found any folded or tucked-away papers within. Darragh was either more arrogant or less tricksy than his father, in some ways. All that's in the wallet are the things a human might take out in the world... meaning that Darragh has most likely spent more time outside the trod than your average sidhe.

In the meantime, Thorn examines the puzzle-box for any seams or discolorations. He wears a pair of heavy gloves as he does so, and he doesn't try to open it, but he thinks maybe this way they'll save some time. There are seams on the box in some sort of complex parquet pattern. Lea is crouching next to Thorn, looking at the box without touching. After a moment she points out that one of the seams is a little wider than the others. The difference is almost invisible. Thorn hmms at the seam. "Just the right size for a poison needle to slip through," he says. "I don't trust this not to be trapped, especially since Killian's cache was." Like father, like son, after all -- though he won't say that out loud. He'll wait for Cinnamon to be done with the wallet before calling her over to the box.

Cinnamon glances up alertly, "Oh! Thorny, let me try opening it then, please? Don't get hurt!" She sets the wallet down and patters over to where Thorn and Lea are studying the box, "Can I help?"

Lea nods at Thorn's comment, eyes narrowed, "Or a blade of some kind. My wee box like that has little seams that, when you twist it just right, little delicate wooden flowers pop out of them."

Thorn makes room for Cinnamon. "Sure, please!" he says to the young dragon -- then adds to Lea, "I think a blade would be the least of the things we need to worry about with this." He considers, then nods and holds the box out to Cinnamon.

Cinnamon grins shyly at Lea, "Sounds really pretty!" She thinks a moment, then asks, "Could you... bring your box here? Maybe they're by the same maker or something?"

Lea glances over at Jack, who is leaning against the wall near the door; he nods back. She stands up, "I'll be right back. I think they could be from the same person. There's a woodworker from Apple that does a lot of this kind of stuff..." Thorn opens his mouth, then closes it; Apple in this context is probably Apple the Trod and not Apple the company. Cinnamon takes the wooden box and starts carefully examining it. She's in no rush -- she'd far rather not break the pretty little thing, after all! The metal Cinnamon senses under the wood is bronze, just like the fittings on the little cache. The box is intricately put together and made of different grains and colors of wood. Some of them are dark. Some of them are light. There are at least eight different types. Cinnamon starts gently prodding the box next, trying to feel which way the pieces want to slide without actually moving them. She figures she can collect all the relevant information possible before Lea returns. The box feels solid, but some of the pieces seem to have a tension to them... as if they're not just set there, but also held in place. Cinnamon quietly starts mentally marking them out as potential joints or slide points. She can try them out later, once Lea's back with her box and they've examined it as well.

Lea returns in just a few minutes with her small box. It's about the size of a Rubik's cube and build much the same, with different colors of wood. Hers, however, has little carvings on each piece of wood on the top. Cinnamon glances up at the others, relating her discovery of the bronze within the cube -- then brightens when Lea arrives, asking permission to handle that box as well... and she'll also ask Lea to show her how the cube opens and closes. Lea lets Cinnamon see the little box. It's delicate and there's some bronze inside it as well. Lea smiles, "It's a learning puzzle, see?" She sits by Cinnamon and starts speaking, "The pliant honeysuckle if thou burn, wailing of misfortune will abound. Dire extremity at weapons' points or drowning in great waves will follow..." She pushes a square that has a honeysuckle flower on it.

Cinnamon blinks at the little verse Lea relates, asking curiously, "What's that from?" Thorn watches carefully and attentively. He's pretty sure that if there was a trap that could injure the dragon, Killian would have had it. But even so...

Jack is the one that answers, smiling, "Fairie King's Advice on Trees."

Lea flashes a grin and nods, "Burn not the precious Apple tree of spreading and low-sweeping bough. Tree ever decked in bloom of white, against whose fair head, all men put forth the hand." This time, she presses a little apple blossom. "It sounds better in old Irish." Cinnamon watches attentively, trying to figure out how the little box is put together. As Lea recites the poem and presses the squares on the little box, Cinnamon notices each of the little squares is a different type of wood. Different colors. Different grains -- like Darragh's box, only smaller and with a less intricate pattern. Cinnamon hms thoughtfully, studying the box... then turns and picks up Darragh's box as well. Turning it over in her hands, she decides to try something similar -- perhaps a modified version of the pattern Lea is showing her?

It takes a few minutes to go through the whole thing, but when Lea is done, delicate little wooden flowers -- two-dimensional, but whimsical -- pop up around the top edges of the box. It's like suddenly having a miniature wooden garden. "It's meant to teach you the trees. We all learn the poem," Lea smiles, "and each little carving is on a different kind of wood. Except the ones like honeysuckle." She points, "Apple. Apple wood." She points to the top of Darragh's box, "Apple wood. The honeysuckle on mine is on pine. So..." She shows Cinnamon a piece on the top of Darragh's box, "That's pine." It hits then: Darragh's box is the grown-up version of the learning puzzle... except this one is large enough for all the different wood to be on the top.

As Cinnamon presses the pieces of wood in the order Lea shows her, she feels small clicks and the pieces pressed stay slightly depressed. Thorn is holding his breath. He isn't sure what's going to happen -- he has faith in Cinnamon's skill but he also has faith in Darragh's bastardry. When they come to the end of the poem, ending on yew -- which is the very center piece -- there's a sharp snick... and the top of the box releases around three edges, starting to lift. The seam that Thorn and Lea found turns out to be the outlines of the hidden lid. Cinnamon gasps excitedly, "It worked! Lea, look -- we did it!" She's beaming as she carefully brings out the box's contents, laying them out for everyone to see. Inside the box are some photographs and a satellite phone. The photographs are of different members of the council -- both old and new.

Thorn blinks. "You don't see too many of those anymore," he murmurs. "A satellite phone?" The last one they've seen was, in fact, in the belongings of the traitor at Rowan.

Cinnamon grins excitedly as she holds the phone out to Thorn, "Want to check it out?" She carefully turns each of the photos over, checking for any notes on the back... or for anything still inside the box. Curiously she adds, "Why would he hide something as simple as photos of the Council?" After a bit, though, she realizes they aren't just photos -- this is surveillance! Most of the pictures are of people on the 'hide' faction side. But there are also photos of Marcus, Jalil, and several people who aren't familiar... except that Nasteexo's interpreter is always shown with them. There are only two or three of Cinnamon, and they all have her in company with someone else. The little dragon checks curiously to see who else is in the photos with her... then wonders worriedly: does this mean those folks are targeted too?

Thorn examines the phone, rather surprised that a sidhe could operate it. Then again, it wouldn't have very much steel in it. He checks to see if it has a code to get into it, and if not, then the contacts list and the 'last dialed' list -- which has only two numbers. One looks like a US telephone number. The other is listed in the contacts as 'Rowan.' The last call between the two phones was the day the little contingent from the US arrived at Rowan.

One of the photos of Cinnamon is of her with Josie and Shane. Another is of her with Marcus at the tea shop -- which makes her eyebrows go up in shock! This was really sneaking around, if they actually followed her off Coblyn to take this photo. The last one is of Cinnamon with Spice and Josie. Cinnamon finds dates and times written on the backs of all the photos. Unsurprisingly, the ones with Cinnamon are all dated after her joining the council. She frowns, considering... she should show these to both Shane and Josie, as well as Jaeger -- so they're all warned. She sighs, then smiles worriedly at Thorn, "Well... at least you're not in any of the photos!"

Thorn nods soberly, also worried, "Still... I don't like the look of this. It means that this is not merely a conspiracy -- it's a network, a web of conspirators -- and it's not finished with Killian."

Cinnamon nods glumly to Thorn, then glances around before checking with the others: is there anyplace else that needs searching? She'd like to take all these items to the others once they're done, after all -- she feels this material is worthy of concern. Fortunately the room has been pretty thoroughly searched... and what they've found is pretty incriminating. Cinnamon gets the others to help her gather it all up, then, so they can give it to the elders. There's still one room left to search still, after all. She adds excitedly, "It's my guess the cipher on the letters is another Ottendorf... and if we're lucky, it's with the same book -- the King James version of the bible! Hopefully there'll be information on their bank accounts there... or something, at least, on where they're stashing their family fortunes, you know?" Cinnamon grins happily at the others as she adds, "Shall we check Niamh's room now? I mean, I doubt there's much there, since she's been in Boston for... what, 20 years? -but I figure it doesn't hurt to be thorough?"

Thorn nods, "I don't think there'll be anything there, either, but it's definitely worth checking." He considers thoughtfully for a moment. "I wonder why they chose the King James version. It's pretty language, but even so...."

Cinnamon grins at Thorn as they all head for the last bedroom door, "Ease of finding it, is my guess! It's like the most popular book in the world, isn't it? The bible, I mean... and the King James is probably the most well known version?" She giggles as she adds, "Plus... who'd think a sidhe would want the holy book of a religion that dislikes them?" She thinks about that for a moment before she turns the door handle... then grins shyly at the two accompanying sidhe, "Well... I'm just guessing there. It just seems christianity's kind of... um, uptight for sidhe to be part of it, maybe?"

The two sidhe with Cinnamon and Thorn both shake their heads wryly, "It's a flowery language. And Killian..." Lea snorts, "Killian is flowery and overblown." Cinnamon giggles at that! Then she heads on into Niamh's bedroom, looking around with curiosity.

Niamh's room has the look of a place that has been kept pristine whilst its occupant is elsewhere. It's actually slightly less opulent than those of her brother and father. There's still art on the walls and the furniture is beautiful, but it's not quite as... Versailles. Cinnamon grins ruefully... then starts examining the room in the same manner as they all searched the other two. If there's anything here, she intends to find it!

Cinnamon glances around after a while, checking to see if anyone has found anything... since she hasn't. Lea looks around the room and frowns, then looks at her companion. "You knew her pretty well once..." He nods and then the pair of them start searching. Cinnamon nods once to herself at Thorn's frown -- looks like he's not found a thing! She turns and watches hopefully as the two sidhe search as well.

It turns out that 'knowing her pretty well once' translates to 'knew her secret hiding place.' The male sidhe drags over the chair that was at Niamh's vanity and steps up into it. He lifts up a panel on the top of the high garderobe and lifts out a flat wooden box. Unlike the one in Darragh's room, this one's lid just lifts. Perhaps Niamh trusted to her guile more than her brother. After all, most people are going to look for hidden areas on the insides and undersides of furniture. Cinnamon whews silently at that! Then she grins excitedly, "What's in it?"

Jack smiles wryly, "She wasn't always like... she is." He sets the box down on the bed and opens the lid. Inside, there are papers... but these look less personal. They've got seals and ribbons attached.

Cinnamon tilts her head thoughtfully at Jack, then inquires, "What happened? Did her father bend her too?" She goes over to curiously study the papers over Jack's shoulder, though she knows to be polite and not grab at anything.

Jack nods with a sigh, "I think so. She was... fun. And carefree. And giving. As giving as most beansidhe get, anyway." He's ruffling through the papers as he adds, "These... some of these are copies of treaties with other trods. Some quite old."

Thorn frowns slightly, "Hardly the sort of thing to keep hidden...?"

Cinnamon nods puzzledly in agreement with Thorn, adding musingly, "Wouldn't this sort of thing be kept by elders? Like... wouldn't they have noticed it was all missing?"

Thorn asks, "Are they annotated, or did she write notes on them? Highlighting anything?"

Jack turns one of the papers around and points out notes, "She's been keeping track of genealogy. This is the old treaty with Rowan." He turns it over so the back shows -- there's a sketched-out family tree which seems to go back a handful of generations. In sidhe terms, that's centuries. Branch after branch is snipped off with dates of death noted. It ends at Quinn.

Cinnamon huhs at Thorn's good thought, and checks the various treaties while Jack's demonstrating the notes on the Rowan treaty. She's kind of curious as to whether all the various trods mentioned here are -- or rather, were -- on Killian's 'takeover' list. She smiles with quiet warmth at the Rowan guardians family tree, "Bet Shane was a real big surprise!"

Thorn frowns, shivering at the 'snipped' family trees, "Why would they keep track of other chieftains' genealogies?"

The one that Cinnamon turns over also has a family tree on it. This one has more 'live' branches -- there are four still-living lines. Lea looks over Cinnamon's shoulder, "That's Apple." She taps a name: Aoife, "That's Apple's current Chieftain."

Cinnamon murmurs, "Oh, dear..." and sighs. "So Killian really was planning to... to sort of absorb all the clans he could, as their new guardian, I take it?" She quietly flicks through all the other treaties, checking them all.

Lea looks grim, "Didn't he say something about being king?" She flips another of the treaties, "Ash. Darragh was betrothed to the Chieftain's daughter there once... until she told him to fuck off."

Cinnamon nods quietly to Lea... but then can't help the giggle! She grins, remembering Caradog's suggestion, "Did Killian ever try to marry Niamh to... to Quinn, or to Shane?"

Jack snorts, "He tried very, very hard to nudge her at Quinn when he came back. She went to visit a year or two after Branigan's death... and came home huffy. Apparently Quinn was... not cold, but he told her up front that he'd no desire to have a lover or a betrothed."

Cinnamon laughs softly, nodding once, "No surprise there! So Killian didn't realize Shane was Quinn's son, then, I take it?"

Lea grins wryly, "None of us even knew Shane existed when that happened. From what I gathered, even Quinn didn't know Shane existed -- until the boy showed up at Rowan seventeen or eighteen years later."

Cinnamon laughs again! "Good point. So I guess by then Killian wasn't interested in trying to get Shane and his daughter together either?" She isn't quite sure why that pleases her so, internally... though she finds herself slightly, fiercely proud of Shane -- oh, and his dad too! -- for being so good at resisting unpleasantly manipulative women.

Lea chuckles, "Niamh left for good not long after that. She'd only come back because Killian sent for her after Quinn's return."

Cinnamon tilts her head curiously, "Was there... anger between them? Or was it just that she'd been sent to do a job?"

Jack shakes his head, "No anger. She was across the pond; got called back. Left again after Quinn showed no interest."

Cinnamon huhs thoughtfully as she considers... then just smiles shyly and ducks her head, going back to examining each of the treaties. Is it just Ash and Rowan with notes scribbled on them, or are there more? Every treaty -- or in some cases simply official letters -- has a family tree on it. There are even letters from both Elm and Sequoia. Thorn glances over and says, "It does look like some kind of surveillance, but for what? Were they planning on seeing if they could eliminate all the heirs and then take over each trod? But wouldn't the trod elders just select a new chieftain? Or..." He nibbles on his lower lip, then sighs, "I feel like I'm missing something here."

Cinnamon says quietly, "What if your guardian lineage died out... and you were afraid -- so afraid that there was no one left to protect you? ...and then someone came striding in, and they were, like... oh, like the answer to your prayers! Strong and tall and powerful and... and everything a guardian should be! And they promised to take care of you! -- keep you safe and well -- and all you had to do... was follow them?" She gives Thorn a small, sad smile, "Wouldn't that be tempting?" She tilts her head thoughtfully as something occurs to her -- then she straightens and quotes from a movie she loved, many years ago, "I ask for so little! Just fear me, love me, do as I say... and I will be your slave!"

Lea mutters at almost the precise same moment, "I ask for so little. Just fear me, love me, do as I say, and I will be your slave."

Jack says dryly, "You've watched too many human movies."

Cinnamon giggles in spite of herself, her eyes dancing as she grins at Lea! The beansidhe smiles back, then looks at Jack, "Hey, he's a pretty man. I always wondered if he was half-sidhe."

Cinnamon says, "David Bowie?" She looks intrigued for a moment -- then laughs! "Well, hard to ask, but..." she grins cheerfully at Thorn, "Makes sense, doesn't it?"

Thorn says, "Hmm... so Killian wipes out the guardian lineages, induces fear in the trod, walks in and gets named the guardian chieftain of another trod... mmph, dodged a bullet here, I think. Hopefully nobody else develops a similar knack for fear, along with ambitious aspirations."

Cinnamon blinks at a sudden thought, looking back at Lea and Jack, "Hey! Is there a way to, um... to, like, block a knack or something? To stop its working?"

Jack considers, "Well... some people are just resistant to them... and some people... like, if you have the opposite knack...?"

Cinnamon thinks about that for a bit... then sighs and shakes her head, "Oh, well... I was wondering if the fear knack could be safely removed from Killian or something, you know? That way he wouldn't be as dangerous... and Holly wouldn't be stuck having to hold and guard him for the rest of his life." Her voice is soft as she adds, "I'm so sorry, guys. I wish I could have been bringing better news to you all here..."

Jack says, "Quinn wouldn't be affected."

Cinnamon blinks puzzledly at Jack, pushing up her glasses, "What? He wouldn't? Why not?"

Jack grins bemusedly at Cinnamon, "Because his knack is trust."

Cinnamon looks intrigued, "Really? Oh! Like the opposite of fear -- got it! How cool!" She grins, gathering up all the treaties and gently tapping them back into order as she lays them in the box again, "Well, I think we're all done here. Shall we go back and share everything we've learned with Quinn and your elders?"

Thorn nods, "Yes, let's. They'll be... very interested, I think." Cinnamon happily gathers up as much as she can carry, waits until everyone has picked up everything else... then patters out of the room and off to the main hall. Lea keeps hold of the treaties and letters, shuffling through them as they walk. Occasionally she mutters a name or a mild curse along the lines of 'dangit!'

In the main hall more food and drink have been brought, and Quinn is speaking seriously with Siobhan. Cinnamon's voice is excited as she enters, "Quinn? Siobhan, everyone? Guess what we found!" Then she brightens at sight of the food set out, "Ooh, yummy! Is that for everyone?"

Everyone looks up as Thorn, Cinnamon, Jack, and Lea enter. Quinn can't help but chuckle, "I take it you found something interesting."

Siobhan nods, "It's for everyone, yes. We wouldn't set out food guests can't have."

Cinnamon beams and nodnods to the two elders, "We did, Quinn! Thank you, Siobhan!" She sets the various items she's carrying on a nearby table, careful to leave room for the other stuff which everyone else is carrying, then heads for the food -- she's hungry! As she does so, she cheerfully gives a sort of stream-of-consciousness reply to Quinn, "There's a passport and wallet with driver's license and credit cards for Darragh to pass as human, as well as a bunch more coded letters I'm gonna try breaking, and a bunch more really nice gold and gems, and a pretty tree-learning-style puzzle box that had a satellite phone and surveillance photos of almost all the councilors -- including some of the 'expose' side, oddly enough! -- and a box of all the trod treaties with notes on the back about the guardian lineages of each trod-" she pauses from loading up her plate to curiously ask Siobhan, "which made me wonder! Did you guys not notice all those were missing?"

Siobhan and Quinn are already looking at the treaties and letters. Siobhan shakes her head, "For the most part treaties are signed, sealed, and archived. We rarely go into the archives. Most of us know the details of the treaties..." She's frowning, "Some of these trods aren't even in Ireland. Sequoia? That one is an American offshoot of Oak, I think."

As she turns to patter over to an empty chair Cinnamon beams, "Elm's in America too -- near Coblyn Street!" She adds to Thorn, Lea, and Jack, "I think we all did good, right?!"

Quinn smiles, "Aye. You did good."

Cinnamon looks up at Quinn, half a sandwich in her hand as she beams delightedly at him, "Thank you!" She has a huge bite, chewing for a while before she muffledly adds, "'Fo wa'fs nex'?!"

Thorn hmms at Siobhan's comment, musing, "Are these originals, then? Or are they copies of treaties?"

Cinnamon finishes chewing and swallows, her bright, interested gaze on Siobhan, "What happens if you need to refer to them and they're not in the archive any more? Does that negate them or something?"

Siobhan is looking through the papers as she murmurs absently in reply, "Some of these are official copies. Some of them are the originals." She starts sorting out the copies from the originals. The ones with ribbons are all originals, but even the copies have wax seals on them. Quinn frowns over the family tree for Rowan; it's taken centuries for all the offshoots of his lineage to be cut off.

Cinnamon leans to murmur to Thorn, "Bet the ones with the ribbons and stamped seals on them are originals!" She continues eating her sandwich as she waits curiously for Siobhan's answer to her query.

Thorn nods thoughtfully to Cinnamon, "This is a lot to take in." A rumbling in his stomach makes him realize he hasn't eaten yet either, so he goes up to the table to get some food as well... after making sure the werewolves have gotten their meals. The wolves are quite happily eating. Shane, however, isn't present.

Cinnamon glances around curiously, then swallows another bite and asks, "Where's Shane and Josie?"

Siobhan looks up as if she's just now remembering the question Cinnamon asked, "No, they're still in effect. The seals are..." She makes a rocking motion with her hand as she looks for a good word, "they literally seal the treaties. If they weren't in the archive, someone would start asking around for the scholars that might be studying them." Cinnamon nods at that, obscurely reassured... then glances hopefully at Quinn -- surely he knows where Shane is? And Josie too?

Quinn says ruefully, "Shane and Josie went out for a walk. Poor lad said he felt like his brain was dirty after talking with Killian and some of the others. Josie wouldn't let him go alone. They'll be back in maybe an hour."

Cinnamon nods in relief at that, "Oh, good -- they'll keep each other safe." She has another, thoughtful bite of sandwich, chewing it as she considers... then shakes her head ruefully, "Yeah... that Killian's just... wow. Messed up!" She goes back to hungrily devouring her sandwich, taking almost fierce bites and scowling as she considers what Killian wanted to do to all the innocent folks around him.

Siobhan is murmuring to herself, having spread all the treaties and letters out facedown, "I'm concerned about these family trees. Some of these symbols..." She taps a few of them, "These aren't standard genealogical notations."

Quinn shakes his head, "Nay, they're not. But I suspect they mark... well, marks." He points to Branigan's name, where there's a small symbol that looks like a six-spoked wheel. He then points to another one further up his family tree, "She died of an infected wound." He points to something on the back of Apple, "See the X there? Just add one more line and you've got the six spokes."

Cinnamon's chewing slows at that... then she swallows and says in quiet horror, "He was... murdering them as well? Oh my gosh... how many folks have died due to this stupid nettle?!"

Thorn rubs his forehead, then sighs. "How long has he been at this," he says at last. "It looks like... centuries."

Quinn shakes his head, "Not all these deaths were poison. This one? This was a battle. But the symbol's a little different -- it's eight spokes. I think that might be an accidental death."

Thorn murmurs, "It sounds like Niamh had her own code for these genealogies."

Quinn nods to Thorn, "It does look like a personal notation, aye. Some of these are lines that died out because there were just no children -- dead-ended naturally. Happens in human genealogies too."

Cinnamon slowly shakes her head, utterly appalled. A moment later she sighs and has another bite of her sandwich before quietly adding, "Are we really sure we got all the nettle destroyed?"

Siobhan glances up at that query, her expression grave, "As far as Quinn and Shane can tell, aye -- and I trust them both implicitly in this."

Quinn nods, "Aye, I believe we have." He rubs his face with both hands, "Well, the chieftainship's out of Killian's hands... out of his bloodline completely, in fact."

Siobhan nods, "We'll be investing Lorelei as Chieftain later this week."

Cinnamon sighs in relief -- on both counts! "Oh, awesome!" She finishes off her sandwich, then smiles as she adds, "So, what's left for us to do, then?" She starts neatly slicing up a piece of fruit as she asks.

Lea muses, "It's been a goodly time since anyone's had to have that sort of investiture..."

Siobhan nods again, "That's why next week. We're sending out messengers to all the trods on the island. We're going to have a moot."

Thorn nods at mention of holding a moot, "That's an excellent idea."

Cinnamon beams again at the news, "Oh, yay! That's fabulous -- and it'll allow you all to keep an eye on each other's trods so this sort of thing doesn't happen again too!"

Siobhan nods, "Aye. We've not had one in a very long time. It was wrong to let it fall out of practice."

Cinnamon thinks as she nibbles the pieces of fruit. It sounds like the goals she and her friends had, in coming here, have all been fulfilled -- except for flying Quinn's Janet here to see him again. So... what's left? Hmm... maybe she can call Spice on the sat phone, to purchase some tickets -- best ask Quinn for when and where on those -- and then... maybe they can head off to Wales? She glances around for Shane -- he might be best to ask his father about the where and when of bringing Janet here. Thorn leans over to Cinnamon, murmuring, "Do we want to stay for the moot?"

Cinnamon smiles and shakes her head, "No. We'll be late for the next Council meeting if we do. We're kinda on a schedule here, you know?" She grins as she adds, "Plus, this is their business! I don't want them to think the councilors are butting in and trying to take over or anything!"

Quinn and Siobhan both smile at that, and Quinn says, "You'd be welcome at the moot, but your duties are global." He yawns and shakes his head as if to clear out the cobwebs, "I think we've got a bead on who Killian's cabal are now... and we've found a goodly number of loyal, honorable warriors and guardians to help get everything back to the way it should be..." He glances at Siobhan and she nods. Cinnamon looks pleased! She figures that's precisely what the locals need to do -- and Quinn is right: the Council is global. To stick around feels too much like micro-managing to Cinnamon... and she hates that when it's done to her! Quinn taps the table with his hand twice and nods, "One more night here to recoup and then we'll be heading back to Rowan. After that you can take your trip to Wales."

Cinnamon brightens at that, "Oh! You know about that? Okay, awesome!" Thorn nods enthusiastically. That sounds like a good plan, all in all. Cinnamon's eyes sparkle with excitement as she decides she'll ask Shane as soon as he comes in, to talk to his father about where and when to meet Janet -- that should be lovely too! Then, once she finishes her meal, she finds the King James bible and sits down to decode the letters she found in Darragh's room. The letters are mostly boring, dry letters of state -- things like congratulating members of the trod on milestones in their lives, or commiserating about bad occurrences. They seem mostly chosen for their trod of origin than for any content. Cinnamon is starting to be a bit puzzled -- where do sidhe keep their money? There's been no mention of banks or such in any of the letters yet!

Shane and Josie arrive a little less than an hour later. Shane is looking solemn, but Josie beams at seeing her friends safe and healthy. Both Thorn and Cinnamon get big hugs from her. Cinnamon happily returns the hugs! She checks with Shane at the same time: "Hey, Shane? Where do sidhe keep their money? Do they not use human banks at all? Also..." her eyes sparkle with excitement after she's made sure they're alone and can't be overheard, "can you ask your father something for me? Spice will need to know where and when for the plane tickets!"

Shane looks around, then lowers his voice, "I'm not asking him. I'm telling him."

Cinnamon bounces excitedly on her toes, not quite clapping her hands as she squeaks happily, "Oh, yay! When?!" She blushes and laughs at how high her voice got, but then grins sheepishly, "Gotta tell Spice, after all!"

Shane smiles, "Can we get her over here the same day we leave from Galway? Quinn will come with us there and we can surprise him with her."

Cinnamon beams excitedly, nodding several times, "Bet we can! I'll call Spice, then you call your mom, okay? Let me see if the extra connectivity I paid for on my cell works!" She'll try Spice first, still jittering slightly with happy excitement.... then pauses with a wry look, "Wait. We're in a cave, aren't we. I need to be outside for this to work, don't I?" She rolls her eyes amusedly at herself, then grins at Shane, "C'mon! You can use my phone to call your mom, if you want!"

Shane grins at her realization -- they're probably a good hundred feet underground! He walks up and out of the trod with Cinnamon, then calls his mum and tells her (just like he said he'd tell Quinn) that he's buying her a plane ticket and she will take some of her accrued time off and come to Ireland! There's someone here she needs to see. By the time they're off the phone, Shane is laughing, "I think she believes I'm flying her out here to see me!"

Cinnamon also calls Spice, letting her know the dates for the plane tickets. When she hangs up, after Spice promises to take care of everything, the little dragon squeals delightedly, throwing her arms about Shane in a big hug, "Ooh, this is so! Cool!"

Shane laughs and hugs his friend tightly, eyes twinkling, "I can't wait to see da's face..."

Cinnamon is beaming gleefully, "Me too!"

The night spent at Holly is restful; there are no more instances of attempted violence. The next morning the group all start back for Rowan. It's much like the hike out, but they camp at the halfway point, giving everyone time to rest. Oddly enough, Cinnamon finds the hike back to Rowan to be slightly less exhausting than the one out to Holly. Pondering that as she trudges along, she decides that it really helps that she isn't afraid of how things will turn out. She grins quietly to herself as she also realizes: she's excited about both Wales... and being able to help Shane get his parents together again! That kind of lightens the metaphorical load, she decides. Thorn is likewise hopeful: with Killian no longer in control of Holly there's a very good chance that this vicious web of intrigue has been broken -- at least to some extent. He knows there are still threatening remnants of it that will continue, but for the time being it should be safer.

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Last modified: 2019-Jun-12 19:53:32

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