Turn 49

Upon being reunited with Nyala, ibn Fadil actually embraces her in public, a first. He then proceeds to fuss quietly over her injuries; when he learns the xixchil bit her, he looks very much like he wishes he had bashed the creature a few more times when he had the chance. A bit taken aback by the public display of affection, she does not however appear displeased.
    In the discussion of the mosquito and its contents, ibn Fadil makes it known that he wants to name the ship _Twist of Fate_. It seems to mean something to him, though he refuses to explain. He looks at all the goods with interested curiosity but says he will be perfectly happy with part of their cash value.
    "I was not showing off," ibn Fadil tells Nyala later on, half-jokingly, as if continuing a conversation that began aboard the dwarven citadel. "Jumping down and hitting the bear thing with my sword would have been showing off, except that is more likely to have made me look foolish."
    "Foolish? How so?"
    "Well, I probably would have missed, and hit the ground or something. Have you ever hit stone with a sword at full force?" He grimaces and flexes one hand reminiscently.
    "Rather than hitting the... bear with your feet at full force?" There is the faintest hint of laughter around her eyes. "Given your skill in striking xixchil - invisible, no less - I am sure you would not have missed this easy a target."
    "Mmm." He also smiles, just a bit. "On Zakhara we have somewhat more mixed feelings about luck." But he shrugs off whatever was troubling him. "My skills are rusty but adequate, I think; they are just not up to hitting invisible anythings without a dose of luck. Now, when we get to a place that has horses and we have some free time, then I will try to show you some *real* showing off."
    "I look forward to it." She looks out the window into the pearly Flow. "I wonder where we will go after this return to Bral; I suspect our captain has some plan."
    He eyes her uneasily. "I had hoped to start working our way toward Errinald - the only point of departure for Zakhara. A dull and smoky sort of place," he adds reflectively, "very urban but not very civilized."
    "Sounds splendid," she replies dryly. "You have determined to return to your home, then?"
    "Er," he says, realizing that he has somehow failed to bring this up before. "I had not really been thinking past Bral. I suppose ..." He stops to think, quite surprised with himself. "I am out of the habit of making definite plans. And I have never had to include anyone else in my plans before," he adds weakly.
    She shrugs, amused. "As you know, I have had no plans at all since leaving Windhold. One direction is much the same as another. I am curious about what the others intend, however."
    Relieved that she is not annoyed, he continues his own train of thought, speaking more quietly than before. "Back on Janik, I sent a letter to my uncle telling him that I was putting myself on leave and that I would report to him when I could make my way there. As long as I get there within a year and a half or so, that should be all right. I suppose there is no need to hurry just yet ..." Still, the thought of being out of touch with home for that long makes him uneasy.
    She shakes her head, still a bit baffled by the nature of the duties that rule him, but says only, "Perhaps there will be news on Bral of what they wish for you?"
    "It is just barely possible, but not likely," he judges. "But my uncle will be worried, you know. If anything were to happen to me - well, he would have to explain it to my mother. He would want me to report in as soon as possible. And there is another reason to go to Errinald," he adds diffidently. "There will be a good seven years' worth of back pay waiting for me there. If you do not want to visit Zakhara right away, we might be able to afford the Grand Tour of Everard."
    "Ah, there is the accountant again," she smiles impishly. "If our captain speaks truly, money will be no difficulty for the near future. Are there spheres you long to see, then?"
    He looks unsettled again. "No, not really. I -- have never given any thought to where I might go if I could choose."
    "Having never anticipated the choice? There is at least no shortage of time for thought out here." She sighs faintly at the thought of the journeying still ahead.
    "True enough. They say that Mwera is the most beautiful city in the Loop. I know -- cities are not your favorite. Let me see ... I have heard that the festival of the harvest gods on Mohala is worth seeing, and their horses too. The mountains of Leda are supposed to be spectacular but too dangerous to actually visit ..."
    Many of the long hours of the rest of the trip are thereafter spent talking about the interesting places scattered across the Flow.
    * * *

    Val is prepared to pass off his meager skill with lockpicks as a legacy of the Taros shipping industry--stuck cargo locks, that sort of thing--but Delmar doesn't ask. He's not sure what to make of this.

* * *

    Alais casts Detect Magic and hauls off everything in the hoard that gives off any aura. In his free time, over the next few days, he spends his time laboriously trying to determine what exactly they have on their hands. Having done so, he summons the party. The items are spread out in the galley on the table.
    "Gentlebeings, after much work and spellcasting I have unlocked the secrets of most of the dweomered objects we have captured. The scroll and potions are easy enough. The scroll contains some spells, including the famous "Fireball." This potion here is Garshung's Oil of Resistance to Corrosive Liquids. The other is simple healing, but not from Bral's sphere or Janik's, because it lacks the hallmark smell of rosemary. I'm curious if it might be a xixchil formula-the color is quite distinct.
    "As for the more interesting items: This ring is cheap silver and has a word engraved on its inner surface. This could be the command word or of course some kind of trap. I will have to continue my investigation when we return to Bral.
    "The black gem is a complete enigma. My educated guess is that it is some sort of warding amulet. Again, I will investigate further on Bral.
    "The armor, sword, and axe all radiate a small degree of magic. I think they are enhanced in some way. The sword has engravings on it; I'm not sure of the derivation.
    "And then there is this...." He holds up the griffin egg. "The dweomer on this egg is oddly strong. Griffin eggs, to the best of my knowledge, do not naturally give off any magical energies. I look forward to puzzling out its secrets.
    "Our finds are, I suspect, extremely valuable, and I am certain they will be most welcome by any competent museum. If anyone has any questions about any of the objects, I would be happy to answer them as best I can. "
    Emmett, somewhat appalled at his own lapse in allowing Alais anywhere near it, takes charge of the griffin egg, although the question of what to do with it remains. He also takes the scimitar; although not his favored weapon, it seems too useful to let go.
    On an impulse, Val plucks the ring from the table, glances at the lettering and says, "Pennyroyal."
    "Hey...HEY!" the mage yelps. "Empirical experimentation is not called for at this stage in the research!" But Alais objects too late.
    For a few seconds, nothing at all happens. Then Val disappears!
    Hiro mutters something under his breath.
    Val reappears in the corridor just outside the room. For the first time, a definitely acquisitive expression crosses ibn Fadil's face...
    "You fool! You had no idea what could have happened there! You're lucky we aren't scraping bits of you off the oven! Now...was that a instance of teleportation or did you become invisible and walk out of the room?" Alais asks.
    Hiro rolls his eyes and mutters some more. "Shiroi mahoutsukai no baka..."
    Val sheepishly looks around at the others as he steps back into the cramped room. "Truth to tell, I didn't *walk* anywhere..." he says, a bit confused himself. "Maybe I *should* be more careful next time. I could've ended up outside the ship..."
    He gazes at the ring a while before giving it to the mage, "Maybe you should study this some more, Alais. It could be quite useful, but it *might* be better to test it in a more...stationary place." It is obvious Val is shaken by the experience.
    "I see. Well, that certainly seems to indicate teleportation. Did you send any signal of dislocation intention?"
    "Dislocational intent?" Val simply stares at the mage. "Er...no. I wasn't thinking of anything, really."
    Pham looks on at the antics of Val and Alais with a wry smile. "Alais, sometimes deliberate action *does* get results in a way that contemplation and study cannot. And besides - would the xixchil have been carrying something that would have been blatantly harmful to himself? Most mages I've met are far too ... obsessed to be suicidal."
    Pham then looks over towards Hiro, switching to the tongue used in their common homeland. However, Pham's accent shows much of his peasant upbringing; his voice sounds harsh and unrefined compared to Hiro's more sophisticated tones.
    "Might this humble one have a moment of your time?" he asks the kensai. "I noticed you seemed displeased at my actions back in the citadel. I would like to know if I have given offense. None of your vocation have ever graced my home village, and I know little of your ways."
    "Very well," Delmar determines. "Alais, please retain charge of the ring and the mystery stone until we can determine what they are. The rest I'm sure we can dispose of when we get to Bral, if no one wants it."
    Yestin picks up the bottle Alais has identified as a healing potion. "If it's all right with the rest of you? Just in case my luck doesn't change," he adds with a grin.

    * * *

Over the remainder of the voyage, Alais very carefully inquires into and records the state of everyone's digestion.
    In response, ibn Fadil resumes his (probably fruitless) efforts to comprehend Alais's inversion theory.
    "Digestion, you see, is the most experience most mortals have with elemental changes-food is broken down into component elements and reformed into the elemental structure of the body. As the parameters of elemental change are altered, everyone's digestion should go straight to hell," Alais explains.
    "So it is not my cooking?" he inquires. "A joke, a joke!" he adds hastily. "I have not had any problems. But I am still wondering about how you would calculate the chance that a given sphere would experience this inversion...."
    Although he is learning to follow Alais' style of conversation, the half-elf leaves this one not much wiser than he entered it, lost in a maze of references, asides, and commentary that further enshroud the already difficult subject.
    "I wonder if that young human is crazy," Nyala remarks later. She does not particularly appreciate having her digestion inquired into.

    * * *

    One of the nights were the Distraction and the Lazy Cat are tied up, Emmett has, as usual, sent his long suffering roommate Yestin off on patrol to spend some quality time with Inez. The room is unlit, with only the light coming from under the door to provide the shadows any depth. There's a chair against the door, and the half-man's bedding is spread across the floor.
    There are two lumpy shapes in that mass, curled together.
    "We're coming back to Bral soon..." Emmett whispers. Inez can tell from the tone in his voice that this has just strayed into 'serious conversation' territory.
    "Hmmmpph," suggests she's awake.
    "That means we're heading right back into that whole Victor mess..."
    "Oh." That sounds *much* more alert.
    "Yeah, well, that means that stuff's gonna be happening. I don't know what the little twerp is planning on doing, but I'll bet big that he's gonna take a shot at Val." Emmett leans in closer. "I told him I'd watch his back on this, and it ain't over yet. That doesn't mean you have to be anywhere near it."
    After a quiet moment she admits, "I don't think I want to be. And I think you're kind of crazy for making an enemy like that, but then I already knew you had to be." She runs a hand down his arm.
    Emmett breaths an inward sigh of relief. "Only kind of crazy? I happen to think I'm the best kind of crazy."
    The half-man rolls onto his back, his voice losing the joking edge it had held just a second before "My only other option was letting a vicious little thug terrorize a pregnant woman, and leaving a friend in the lurch. I suppose I could have thought about it more, but I always just fly right into these things. I am sorry I dragged you into it."
    "Vicious for sure, but little? And I could have said no...."
    Emmett leans back into her, "Naaaah, I'm too charming for you to resist. And thanks for going along with it, if I haven't said it before. But I think you're right in not getting near it again this time."
    "And that means staying away from me once we get back on Bral. He's going to be going after Val, and I'm going to be watching Val's back. I hate the thought of not seeing you fir a while, but until he tips his hand, if you're near me, you're in it."
    "I guess." She doesn't sound happy about it. "Maybe none of us should stay there long...."
    "That isn't for us to decide - at least not for me. This Three Trees job is too good to for me to pass up, and I spent too long on that rock last time around. So I'm there until the bosses say it's time for the Distraction to move on."
    "But this is still several days away, and our ships are only going to be tied up for another few hours..."

    * * *

    A long last, the blue-and-white bulk of Haven is visible to the eye, and the speck that is the orbiting Rock grows swiftly larger. The usual crowd is assembled on the docks, and the crews of all three ships line the rails. There are still giff guards on the Rock, though the _Magnus_ is nowhere in sight. It's hard for the _Distraction_'s crew not to bristle a little when they spot the xixchil J'x'st in the crowd.
    Ibn Fadil watches Delmar as the captain oversees the last pre-docking work. He has been curious about what the man thinks of his work, given his inglorious past on Bral and hasty departure therefrom, and what he might have said to Theo, but the man's close-mouthed nature has made it difficult to satisfy that itch. Nearby, Nyala leans on the rail and regards Bral with decidedly mixed emotions.
    Emmett is sticking close to Val, wary of what Victor might try.
    Val, unbeknownst to anyone else, has an errand to run; he watches the _Cat_ depart for the oligarchal dock after off-loading most of her crew.
    "Meet back here at noon the day after tomorrow and I'll let you know what's been decided about the _Twist_ and the items aboard," Delmar tells them while doling out the pay. "Excellent work on this voyage, all of you."

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