A Visitor Or Two

Beneath arching branches of stone leaves, and beside the flames of hearth-fire, sits Auranar, laughing at Verna's antics with Hunter. It seems, that the kitten has finally awoken to the knowledge that his people have this fascinating thing! Hair! How he has failed to notice this before he will never know, and how he discovered it first on Verna rather than Auranar is a mystery indeed. However the kitten in question is currently in her lap stretched WAY out trying to paw away at Verna's white locks. "I think he noticed that it got longer."

Verna may be assisting, given that she leans over as she regards Auranar; her smile and laughter. This drapes what little length of lock she bears nearer to reaching paws. "Better than him tangling yours, I believe?" As is usual, Auranar's expression is mirrored, in whole or part, in Verna's own smile.

There's a sharp rap at the door outside, the sound not immediately or urgent but loud enough to be heard. Whoever answers the door will find Dolan outside, devoid of cloaks but otherwise dressed very much as per his new usual, the chosen shirt a deep blue and heavier-weight against the gray chill of the day. He is, again, wearing the padded leather cuff over his left shoulder firmly strapped down, but added to the outfit is the leather harness he once wore, holding the mighty greatsword over his back! It is new, rather than the old one, and is reversed in orientation, to be drawn over the right shoulder rather than the left. A touch inconvenient when worn with the longsword, but he does not seem to mind, instead grinning like a cat who ate the canary, an expression that tugs even at the scarred half of his face.

Auranar looks up at the sound of the door being knocked upon, and clearly her first instinct is go get up and answer it, but she hesitates. "Ah..." She offers her hands to take Hunter from Verna. "Do you mind getting that dearest? I'll take Hunter from you."

Even though she is much better now, she's been taking it easy all morning, and has a blanket wrapped around herself to stave off the occasional chill that the priest had warned might be an issue.

Verna straightens at the knock. "Of course. You stay where you are, love." She lifts Hunter with her as she rises, then offers him to Auranar before moving to answer the door. As has become the norm, it is opened slightly first for awareness before flung more widely in invitation. "Dolan. It is good to see you, as ever. Please, enter."

"Brightest of days, you two. Thought I'd come see how Auranar was doing." Dolan steps through the door as invited, careful to avoid hitting the doorframe with the hilt of the greatsword. "That and, I realized halfway home that I left my cloaks here yesterday. Still a bit chilly yet. How does the day find you?" He starts to release the harness with his left hand, but quickly switches to his right, and sets the whole affair carefully by the door.

Auranar's smile widens at the sight of Dolan, and she allows Hunter to play with her fingers as a distraction to the open door (which he is gratefully uninterested in yet). "Dolan! Good morning to you! That's a huge sword you have there!" She watches him set it aside and glances toward where his cloaks are still hung up. "Ah, sorry about that, they're still here waiting for you obviously."

"The day is bright, indeed," Verna acknowledges. "Your cloaks are as they were," she also confirms with a gesture to their hanging. Left untouched out of deference to his belongings... or possibly utterly forgotten with all else by herself as well. "Would you care for some-thing to drink?" she offers after closing the door behind him, adjusting her choice of words mid-sentence.

"I hadn't meant to stay very long, but I've got a bit of time before I'm to be with the armsmaster. Long enough to see that you're okay after that, but probably not long enough to sit down and chat." Dolan spots the cloaks, but leaves them for the moment. "How d'you feel?" He flexes both shoulders, carefully and gently, and moves over closer to the fire.

Auranar looks almost disappointed that Dolan can't stay for long. "That sounds great Dolan! I'm so happy to hear that you can get back into training." She lets that carry into her expression and his query has her thinking for a moment. "I'm alright. Much better than before. Verna restored all of my strength so I'm not feeling so weak and such. I'm sorry that I worried everyone. I just... Didn't _want_ to worry anyone."

Verna imparts Auranar with -a look- from behind Dolan, as she has not yet stepped from the door. There may have been words to accompany, but the knock on the door precludes those. Instead, she notes, more lightly, "You appear to be in demand, dearest, to no surprise." Once more the door is cracked, in case it is unwelcome interest. Once more the door is opened wide when such is not the case. "Welcome, Cor'lana," Verna offers a light smile. "Please, enter."

Dolan's grin re-widens at the news, and at the topic. "I've been re-training the longsword, but Master Zein asked me to bring the greatsword today. I'm hoping the healers will let me start re-training it soon, too." The grin fades at something, but he doesn't give voice to whatever it was, instead turning towards the door again as Lana is announced. "I'm glad she restored your strength. That was a close one, Auranar. Don't play around when you get hit by devils or demons. Even if you think it's minor, go straight to a temple and have someone versed in fiends look at it." The smile entirely fades. "Demon and devil claws can do some nasty shit, and you won't always see it right away."

"Thank you, Verna, and hello," Cor'lana says with a wide smile as she's greeted. She steps inside... And she sees the greatsword Dolan has, and she blinks a couple of times, before the smile spreads further into an ecstatic grin.

"Oh, Pothy will be happy. That's an impressive sword you've got there, Dolan--congratulations!" Cor'lana claps her hands together, before she turns to Auranar. "And good day, sister. I heard from the doorway you're feeling better? I brought some flowers."

Auranar seems to be pleased as can be to hear Dolan's good news. "I promise to be more careful... though hopefully that will _never_ happen again." She shudders at the thought, and flashes her smile at Cor'lana. "Flowers! You didn't have to do that! Come in and sit down won't you Cor'lana, since Dolan seems to be insistent that he wont." A smile here to show she means nothing harsh by her words.

Verna closes the door and steps to rejoin. "Such will not repeat," she assures firmly as she moves to stand aside Auranar's chair. "We will be far more prudent." She does not feel the blame is solely upon Auranar; she could or should have noticed the signs prior.

Although Dolan's smile is gone, there is still something pleased in the lone brown eye. "It's not done yet, Lana. He just asked me to bring it today. I think he wants to try it. They told me I might not ever get to this point, so it's something, anyway." Unconsciously, he reaches for the leather cuff covering it, but lets his hand drop away.

"Yeah, so - good. I can't promise that you'll never meet a fiend again, Auranar. There are too damned many in this city. I'm going to call a meeting and try to hammer out a plan for getting to that portal, but that's for another day."

Cor'lana goes to sit down next to Auranar and draws out a bouquet of white acacia, yarrow, and traveler's joy flowers, a decidedly white-colored bouquet all around, from her basket. "Here," she says with a smile. "I picked out the flowers based on their meanings. White acacia means friendship, yarrow means healing, and the traveler's joy means rest and safety. All of which, you need."

She looks over to Dolan and nods soberly. "Far too many fiends in this city," she says. "Then again, the ideal amount is zero, so even one sticks out like a sore thumb. I hope your practice goes well today, Dolan." That turns the expression on her face into a smile.

Auranar has to fiddle with Hunter a bit as he keeps trying to bite her fingers as she accepts the flowers. At which point he becomes _entirely_ enraptured with the blooms. "These are lovely Cor'lana. I appreciate you telling me what they mean as I'm still learning that sort of thing."

Hunter stares at the flowers. Wiggles his butt. LEAP! Auranar manages to pull the blooms away just in time as Hunter makes his attack and she laughs helplessly. "Verna, can you put these in some water for me before Hunter decides to eat one?"

"They are lovely, Cor'lana," Verna admires the flowers and the subsequent interplay. She realizes the dangers a bit late, after the leap. "Of course..." As she takes them, Dolan is given an acknowledging look on the matters of fiends, though she does not add to the topic. Best to let it fade in this moment, perhaps? "Perhaps we need to acquire Hunter more toys to hunt?" Verna then moves to take the flowers to the kitchen, inquiring over her shoulder, "Would anyone care for anything?"

Dolan is nothing if not aware of signals, and allows the matter to fade, instead eyeing the flowers and Hunter's attempts to get at them with a laugh. "He'll probably chew on them, if he's anything like Andie's cats." Yes, he's persistent about that. "I'm fine," he shakes his head, moving to lean against the side of the sofa. "Andie gets hers in Wilderness Pointe, there's a crafter up there that makes felt and wood toys for children, and they seem to like those. I didn't know flowers had meanings."

Cor'lana grins at little Hunter's antics. Tentatively, she offers her hand out to the kitten for him to inspect and sniff, although that might not be the smartest move considering he seems to be in a playful mood. "I'll have some tea if it's not any trouble, Verna," she calls over.

To Dolan, she offers a small smile. "They do," she says. "Among the fae, that is, and more besides. Grandfather's taught me many meanings. Which, unfortunately, means Zalgiman's been sending me flowers with careful meanings. He sent me daffodils, which mean 'unrequited affection', and white roses, which mean 'innocent love'... And I highly, _highly_ doubt that it's as innocent as he claims."

Auranar looks troubled by Cor'lana's words. "How does he _know_ about your fae heritage though Cor'lana? It worries me that he knows so much about you. He seems to be putting in an awful lot of effort here for a casual dalliance." She shifts uncomfortably and watches Hunter paw at Cor'lana's fingers. Sniffing turns into a cautious nibble. Tiny kitten teeth.

Verna returns with the flowers in vase, setting them upon the table and taking a moment to turn them -just so- in attempt to make them more aesthetically pleasing. She seems to think that she has succeeded as a slender smile of contentment forms. "I may inquire of the toymaker," she notes to Dolan in thanks of kitten supplies.

Then the smile fades to neutral line at mention of Cor'lana's would-be suitor. "It is doubtful that his intentions are for dalliance, nor even casual." She returns to Auranar's side, adding, "The pot shall be ready momentarily."

"Ain't nothing casual about what he's doing," Dolan agrees, carefully folding his arms across his chest. "Don't forget who he works for, or that you're a woman between worlds, as Albus put it. I think he wants you for something, and I also think we'd better find out what." He, too, is watching the kitten nibble at Lana's fingers, a smile stealing across his features. "I still mean to take their toy away from them as soon as can be managed."

"I think..." Cor'lana sighs. "I think he knows what I am by my scent. I've always smelled faintly of lavender, and that's not because of soap or perfume. I had no idea why until I met Grandfather and learned he was my ancestor--lavender is a venerated flower among his people, and scent is one of the ways that magic bloodlines can manifest in people, sort of like how Telamon's sorcerous... 'tell', is how you can see stars in his eyes if you look hard enough."

She grimaces. "He remarked on my scent when I allowed him to kiss me on the cheek in exchange for information," she says. "And he's apparently quite active in the Theatre District. He's a fan of poetry himself. He's--"

Cor'lana winces, partially from the Hunter-nibbling and partially from the realization. "He's probably been watching me for a long time. Longer than I think. Oww, Hunter, you are _adorable_ but your little kitty-teeth hurt." She gives Hunter a little scratch on the head and draws her fingers away. "I think Zalgiman wants me for 'carnal reasons', to put it bluntly, and his own ambitions. Given the way he was willing to give me information on the camp--my bet is that he'd like to be in charge himself. To get more power. That's the man he strikes me as."

To distract the kitten from Cor'lana, Auranar resumes her petting of him, allowing him to attack her fingers as he wishes. She doesn't seem to mind his needle teeth nor his tiny claws. Eventually he settles down a bit and allows himself to be actually petted. "That sounds horrible Cor'lana... Wait... You let him kiss you?" The wild elf crinkles her nose in disgust. "Even for information on the camp... Was it really worth it to encourage him like that?"

Verna crouches next to the chair to offer another set of fingers to Hunter for scritches or hunting. A comfortable and bemusing distraction from the edges on the topic. "Prurient motivations aside, he may desire you for the same reason Zinkas, and now this fiend, sought me. We learned of the need in order to call the Red Maw. It might also be required in order to change who holds its leash." Hunter gets an extra scritch. "As well, such may not be the -sole- use for such an individual. They continued to pursue after the servitor was called. There is no reason to expect that they shall not continue further."

Dolan lets out a low chuckle, his grin crooked and mildly self-deprecating. "I'd be an ass to chide anyone about paying a high price for information, Auranar." He lets it drop, though, musing on what is being said instead and watching Hunter play with his humans' fingers. "V wants to control the Red Maw, to their own ends. We know that. I'd wager good coin that Zalgiman wants to do the same. Which means to me that our best move might just be to take the toy away from the fighting children."

Cor'lana looks... a little worn-down by the discussion, suddenly, her violet eyes turning downcast. "I know, it was stupid of me," she says. "I thought... I could handle it. That surely, if my mother, a powerful sorceress with a lover or five everywhere she went, could handle such things, and if I inherited her magic--I'd be able to manipulate Zalgiman into continuing to be a source of information that we could use to solve all of this. I was feeling... so confident about myself."

She shakes her head, her gaze cast onto the floor. "And now it's getting out of control. I'm not like my mother at all," she says. "It was so stupid of me to do that. I'd never even kissed anyone before Telamon--so of course now that he's sending me low-cut dresses, flowers, and poems, and seems to be intent on hurting my husband, I'm _scared_. My manipulation of Zalgiman was an act of desperation, a stupid thing that worked while I was hoping the whole time he wouldn't decide to just tear me apart in that bookstore we were stuck in together." Her hands tremble as she admits all of this, a far cry from the Cor'lana others have seen. "I'm a lucky idiot and I'm scared the luck is running _out_."

Seeing the effect of her words, and hearing those of the others, Auranar suddenly leans forward, touching Cor'lana on the arm and giving her a serious but comforting look. "It's him that's pushing this Cor'lana. Dolan is right, it's not my place to judge you or him for what you were willing to do to put an end to this insanity. And it's not your fault that you are being put in this position. If I can offer any advice though, it's going to be that you shouldn't let him do this to you. Don't let him harass you and take the happiness from your life. Make this _your_ game."

She settles back in her seat, a firm look on her face. "If he wants war give him war, but on your terms Cor'lana. By your rules. I wouldn't put up with it a moment longer if it were me. As soon as I'm on the mend I intend to hunt this Daechir fellow down and put a stop to this thought that he can go and try and force my wife to Charn. I don't care that he's a devil. I REFUSE to let him ruin the goodness in my life. Period."

Verna lifts her hand as if to reach out to Cor'lana, yet Auranar has done so, first, and that would require Verna moving or stretching far over Auranar. Instead, she puts the hand lightly on Auranar to make the effort joined. "Cor'lana, you acted as you thought best, with what information you had. There is no fault in that. Auranar is correct: it is best that we take the conflict to them, challenge them on our terms. I will not wait for the next strike upon any member of my family, and we would all stand together if such did occur."

"Yet we must do so prudently and to our advantage." She now looks to Auranar firmly. "I know you would not hesitate, love, yet charging into the Hells might not be to your advantage. I believe Dolan's notion is the most ideal." Verna looks to him. "Remove the portal, remove the servitor, and remove their immediate need to take either of us. Leave the squabbling children, as you dubbed them, to fight one another for whatever scraps remain."

So the topic has resurfaced, and Dolan's expression settles into a deadly, stern focus. "That name he was using-" he begins slowly. "Lana, you might want to ask Telamon about that name. It's not my secret to tell, but he's using multiple names. That ice devil was a creature by the name of Jal'goroth, and I have been pursuing him and his minions for some time. He's one of V's generals. He wouldn't have taken her to Charn."

"Auranar's right. Play the game by your rules. Don't let him bully either of you. All accounts I can find suggest that V has no interest in Ea, nor in its fate. That being's focused entirely in getting ahold of the Red Maw for its own designs. If there is no Red Maw, V's minions will probably go away. Jal'goroth's got someone summoning him, though, and we probably ought to find that cult and destroy it."

Cor'lana lifts her eyes up as Auranar comforts her, and while the violet eyes are filled with that heavy weight still, she nods to the words that are given to her from all. "If it's a war he wants, then it's going to end with his lifeless body," she murmurs. "Not Tel's. Not mine. I'm not above his dying if that's what it takes to preserve my happiness and the fate of all."

She looks to Auranar, Verna, and Dolan in turn with the discussion of Daechir. "I know Daechir," she says. "Telamon and I have been working with the woman who is in love with the real Daechir--the demon she's been tracking down stole him from her and has been wearing his appearance ever since. I have a means to kill that demon permanently, forever--but it's a matter of finding that demon. And I'm even more motivated to end that demon now that it's targeting my family."

Auranar seems actually stymied for a moment that Cor'lana has heard of this demon that attacked her before. Though in truth so many evils are running about of late that it's not as surprising as it could be. "He's a real person? Then where is he?" She looks confused, trying to figure out why anyone would _allow_ a demon to run around wearing their appearance. "If there is anything we can do to help you track the devil down, let us know. I certainly wouldn't mind a crack at them." She rolls her eyes a little. "And it's not like I'm going to actually head down to the hells to find the twice-blasted creature, but there's got to be _something_ we can do to stop him from coming around."

Verna looks to Aura anew, this time a hint of smile is on her lips. "I would not presume that you would NOT, love. You can be most... adamant, at times. I work to better ward our home, should it attempt to return." Her expression hardens again as she nods to Cor'lana. "There are enough motivated to want the fiend permanently destroyed, ourselves included. If there is any way that we can aid in you finding it, we shall grant it."

"It's after me and my family both, too." Dolan's admission is very low. "Tel knows about it. They're - trying a lot of things." His eyes drop to the floor. "I know where to find the information on how to summon Jal'goroth. It's probably in Albus' book. I can't use it, though, and doing so is really dangerous. I've sworn oaths not to attempt to summon or treat with fiends. Failing that, Mortin - another alias he uses - was at one point operating out of a dive called the Crimson Dagger. He's probably on this plane."

Cor'lana's expression is now firmly on the grim. "Daechir's been kidnapped by Jal'goroth," she explains to Auranar. "He resides on another plane. Which, I do not know, and where exactly, I also do not know, but we'll find out. We've been getting the resources together to find him, shift planes in, grab him, and get out--that will remove the shield of a hostage from Jal'goroth's chessboard."

Her eyes narrow. "And if I'm lucky, Jal will be there and I get to use the ace up my sleeve."

Cor'lana looks to Dolan. "Albus's book--if you can't make use if it... I might be able to. I am entirely disinclined to summon demons--goodness knows they already write enough trash about me in the Pen--but that lead about 'Mortin'... I'll keep that in mind. That's worth investigating. My resources will likely be expended in dealing with Zalgiman for the moment, since he's the one prowling around and sending me presents and my husband threats."

And there's a grim little smile on her face. Just a little one, but it's there. "Once he's dead, however? Jal'goroth will have my full attention." There's full and lethal intent there.

-End