Kyriel and Terrance help out where they can with the preparations. As they bustle along, she does some subtle questioning of Calatin. "I heard that something strange happened near the north gate recently."

By the time things are getting into full swing at the academy, Kyriel knows that she's not going to be able to attend at least part of the Academy festivities. When she hears that she's going, she knows that she should be able to give Aelasuria the warning about the bounty then. However, she really wants to make sure that she knows before hand.

She goes to Lady Dromessa. "Are you going to send Terrance?" She's tonr; she doesn't want to miss another solstice, but she's also concerned that he might distract her.

Rory tands his chrages. He instructs them on proper musical accompanyment for the festival. He suggests pieces like Halls of the Mountain King, Harvest Dance, and Harvest Moon. Using these pieces as a guide the troop is able to construct quickly a set of pieces they will perform twice daily. The first performance will be at mid-day, in a large banquet hall and the second will be just after sunset. If possible he teaches them to summon dancing lights as well. He knows well the effects the druid wishs, he has seen many such festivals in his homeland.

As to the journey ahead...he waits a bit impatiently for it to begin. As Dromessa intimated he will start out on his own in tw days if they have not set out with him by then.

Lady Dromessa is against sending Terrance.  She has a harder time articulating why.  She could easily say, “He’s young!” but then, is Kyriel older?

Would it be proper to speak the truth?  That Kyriel is a child of the streets, and Terrance, though he’s seen more hard times than anyone should, with the loss of his city to the Huns, has mostly been a child of the Academy, safe within its walls, at home in the jungle of books and scrolls.

”It’s not easy getting volunteers,” Dromessa admits.  “It’s also..  the kind of volunteers.  I don’t think we need warriors.  One perhaps, just in case.  But Lucimburic will be as safe a place as there can be, safer than here, I’d bet, because the Huns seem to have less interest in it.  You, dear Kyriel, are the best kind of attendee- highly observant.  If I had another like that…”

In the mean time, the first celebration of the Solstice approaches, the Young Apprentices Festival.

Terrance seeks out Kyriel.

”I was wondering,” he asks cautiously, “since you may not be here for the actual solstice… attending the Young Apprentices Festival would be silly, I haven’t done that in six years.. but they always have good punch… we could be chaperones together.  Watch over the kids.  They’re always looking for volunteers.”

* * * * *

”But what is he going to say to the children, Dromessa,” the wizard Oberos asks.   The quietest one of the senior wizards, Oberos is a master of magical script; the casting of runes, the scribing of glyphs and  scrolls.  Some say he knows several modes of writing in which the letters are actually three dimensional… except that the letters bend through a third dimension which is nothing like the three people ordinarily experience.

”What do you mean?”  Dromessa asks simply.

”Calatin is a Druid, after all.  Druids believe things.  What thoughts will he put into the heads of our young students?”

“I don’t expect secret Druidly rites, if that’s what you fear.  I have no doubt Calatin will speak to the children appropriately.”

”Yes, yes, but what will he say?”

Hearing Lady Dromessa's words, Kyriel nods sadly. It makes sense, as much as she might hate to admit it. "I know. We both have jobs to do. Mine sometimes requires a lot of travel, which makes it hard to be in one place."

She's feeling rather down that she'll miss another solstice celebration when Terrance brings up an alternative. She flashes him a grateful smile; he seems to have come up with an excellent idea. Giving him a hug, she says "That would be great! I'll at least get to spend part of the celebration with you."

After everyone is gathered for the apprentices' feast, Calatin becomes aware a good many eyes are focused on him expectedly. Rather unprepared, he stands up slowly, trying to fit some words together in his head before simply blurting them out.

"First of all, I want to say thank you for having me here. Your cooperation with preparing for the festivities and your interest in our old ways has made me feel very welcomed."

He takes a long drink, piecing more words together.

"The solstice is about the rebirth of the sun, the giver of life and light. The days begin to grow longer, not shorter. If you are not here for the solstice, it is a night to remain awake to greet the new year's worth of dawns. Stoke a fire throughout the night; think of the sun's return.

For men here in the years now long by, it was a time of celebration before a time of hardship. Livestock were slaughtered to avoid having to feed them throughout the winter, and the fermenting of mead and beer was well finished. This feast harkens back to this tradition.

Here, now, with larger civilization, more widespread use of the arcane, and a network of communication not seen before, it is easier to forget how it would have been for our grandfathers decades or centuries ago. Their lives depended on the return of the light.

Those of my order are very intertwined with this coming day. I, personally, find myself much more able to grasp the connections between the creatures in our world."

Calatin pauses, thinking over what he's said

"Enjoy yourselves, and be mindful of the divine influences that shape our seasons, birth, and death. If you have any questions, I'll be around."

He then sits, visibly hoping that satisfied this obligation to the scholars. After all, the solstice was a time of action and ceremony, not formal addresses.

Woohoo 8 Charisma public speaking.

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This message was last edited by the player at 03:48, Sun 03 Feb 2013.

The Young Apprentice Festival...,

Where Calatin hails from, Druids are often much more than “people with nature magic”.  They are the bearers of wisdom.  Guides, councilors, teachers.. mentors to heroes.

Calatin is not that kind of Druid.  Never much of a public speakers, he's always left the guide and mentor stuff to other Druids.  He's aware that in the long run, it is they who are the truly powerful ones, but... he's just not confident, empathic toucher of souls that others can be.

The Academy has about a hundred young students now.  Only half of them are actually on the “future wizard” path.  The rest are here because the Academy is also a very good place to learn all kinds of ordinary knowledge, and the Academy makes money teaching these ordinary subjects.  Most of these children are now gathered in the square in the middle of the Academy, which has been prepared and decorated more or less in accordance with Calatin's directions.

Calatin has already realized what he is to these children.

He is the boring guy between the music and the food.

On the other hand, the food is good and the music, handled by Caprio Thelea and his family, is the best its ever been.

One of the wizards here, Marcus Ulpius, consoles Calatin, seeing that he's really out of his element, trying to reach scores of children.

“I have a son I have not seen in months,” the wizard says.  “And a daughter who is not really mine, though I wish she was.   I remember when they were this young, I didn't have that.. way.. with children some do.  Some of these children will be home tomorrow with their families and some, just like us, have left a lot behind.  Tomorrow.. you'll see which ones are left.  If it was up to me, we'd a festival for them.  It's hardest on them.”

It's the faculty who lead the applause after Calatin delivers the invocation.


* * * * * * *

Terrance and Kyriel have volunteered to help chaperone the herd of young students.  It's not that hard a job, and mostly involves monitoring the food tables, and intervening in a variety of child related disasters.

But it is their first chance in a long time to be together and as Terrance notes:

“This is our first time really working together, isn't it?”

Kyriel feels for Calatin; even though she's barely met the man, it's obvious that dealing with people isn't his strong suit. She gives him a smile and a nod before turning back to help with one of the more unruly apprentices. When he's done speaking, she starts clapping and encourages the apprentices to do the same. Not because he was done, but for the effort he put into this.

* * * * * * *

She's glad to be able to spend time with Terrance, even if it is acting as a chaperone at the youngest apprentice festival. It doesn't seem to be too hard, riding herd on a bunch of kids. She figures that the festival for the kids will be over fairly early, and that will give them some time later to be together alone.

Terrance's comment startles her a bit. Technically they have worked together on other things, like investigating some of the properties of the shape change cloak that Eadoin had given her, but this is different. She grins and shrugs. "I guess." She wraps her fingers around his briefly.

She uses her keen eyes and ears to pick up where trouble is starting and points it out to Terrance before it can spread too far. If he's out of position, she takes care of the problem. Between the two of them, she's pretty sure that they can deal with a lot of the potential problems before they get too bad.

Terrance and Kyriel do as fine a job of child-minding as anyone could be hoped for, especially considering half the children are apprentice wizards, which, as anyone who knows wizards knows, can be exceptionally devious.

The biggest problem of the evening seems to center around a doll.  It’s not actually here… but among the children, it seems to be a common topic of conversation.  It talks.

That’s not all that unexpected, considering this is a school of magic.  Some of the children have magical toys, some of the children are children of wizards, and some come from generations of wizards.  But this doll seems to be different.  At least, from what Terrance and Kyriel pick up on, it’s been saying Very Mean Things, and getting impressionable young children to repeat those things, which has resulted in some inter-child issues here.

What’s stranger is that the owner of the doll claims it never did that, it’s not magical anyway, it never was, if it was it wouldn’t say such things, and no, she can’t prove it because she lost it anyway.

One of the children does not believe this, claiming he saw it today.  But the doll’s owner claims not to have seen it in a week.

Upon hearing about the doll, Calatin will be sure to keep an eye out for it.

If the administrators of the school don't seem to know anything about it, he'll direct them to the same children from which he overheard the talking.

Wizards be crazy...

Kyriel's sharp ears pick up the trouble about the doll. The encounter with Arabella still rests in the back of her mind. The bickering and sharp words the kids are saying to each other remind her of the type of demon Raz had brought into the city. A demon that gains strength from biting and caustic words. The Academy is the perfect place for such a creature.

Children are the hope of the future, but they can be twisted if something happens at the right moment in their lives. The best place for it to hide and gain strength would be somewhere around here, with the children. Right now they have to do something to offset whatever damage it has done and then hunt it down. "I think that the Chucky doll may have been hit by a bad spell. If it talks to you, don't listen to it."

Now to try to undo some of the damage. She calls the children over. "Let's play a game! Calatin told us that this is a happy time. The sun is going to be staying up longer, and it will get warmer soon. Doesn't that sound good? Well, let's try to help the sun come up sooner by saying nice things to people and really, really, really mean it."

She nods at the Theleas to play a happy tune. "Terrance, is a wonderful wizard and the nicest guy I've ever met." She whispers to him "I love you."

Giving a nod to one of the girls, "Now can you say something nice?"

3. There is a moment of stunned silence after drops the “L Word on Terrance.”  After that, there are some more moments in which the silence is no longer stunned, but is awkwardly trying regain its train of thought.

Kyriel can see that she’s set Terrance’s head whirling.  He is not the sort to blurt out something stupid in a moment like this but at the same time, he’s not ready for the moment, and he doesn’t have anything smart to say either- and definitely, nothing romantic, which requires a deft balancing of the two in precise proportions.

And she chose such a public moment… the festival.

The Thelea girls stare in wonder.  Terrance isn’t anything like who they envisioned Kyriel would be with.  Nothing at all.  How could… why?   And does he know about the knife clutching shadow creeping Kyriel they’ve seen out there?  It’s like there are two different Kyriels, and with Terrance around, the Kyriel they knew… simply evaporated and left this one behind.

The fact that several other teenage girls are watching him.. with intense interest and evident glee… makes Terrance even more nervous.  He recalls how he used to be so… just so distracted by Kyriel that he once walked into a column.

The other girls are not making it any easier to focus.

There is another voice, from yet another little girl, a young apprentice wizard just  ten years old, who managed her very first cantrip with Terrance’s help only last week.

”You should just kiss her.”

Terrance takes her advice.

* * * * *

With Kyriel distracted for a while, Calatin observes the wizards reacting quickly to the description of the doll.

And quietly.  They don’t want to upset anyone.  They don’t want fear to spread.  But it is their academy, and they’ve prepared themselves for this possibility.

Gilamur, who had been attending the festival with his own children, notes to Calatin and a few other adults in earshot:

”She’s smart.  She’s doing what Telios said was strongest against Demons.  Positive emotions, especially when they are the exact opposite of the orientation of the Demon… more powerful than swords or spells, Telios said.  If this was a Demon of cruel words… a since “I love you” must have hurt it deeply.”

He looks at Terrance and adds, "The poor kid's going to be dizzy for a week, though."

"Hmph. That's more like a solstice celebration."

Calatin can't help but smirk at the situation for a moment before responding to Gilamur. "Well, if... whatever it is... I'll offer my services in constricting, stamping, or shocking it like the last little demon you had running around."

Calatin whistles for his hawk.

"If you like, tell me what's useful to know, and you have my simple means of finding it at your disposal. Terrorizing children is especially foul."

His current spell list is for overland travel and heavy synergy with his pet bear (with a few festive spells thrown in for the solstice). If there's demon hunting to be done the following day, please allow me to update the list before it's set in stone for the ordeal.

Kyriel is a little surprised at her and Terrance suddenly becoming the center of attention. Her whispered admission of love hadn't been that loud, had it? The last thing she wants to do is to embarrass him.

She sees that some of the older girls are watching to see what will happen. As much as she may want to, she can't tell him what to do. Then one of the younger apprentices says five simple words. He kisses her, and she avidly returns the kiss.

She and Terrance are rather distracted for an extended period of time. When she stops being distracted, her fingers are still intertwined with his. Her face is flushed with happiness and she has a large grin on her face. Terrence isn't the only one that will be dizzy for a while . . . .

Once she has a chance to organize her thoughts, she says quietly to the senior wizards "I can go in search of the doll if you want me to."
This message was last edited by the player at 05:15, Sun 10 Feb 2013.

1. Dromessa, who usually puts herself in charge of “special missions”  (it’s so much more rewarding for her than preparing class schedules for Apprentices) gathers Calatin and Kyriel together after the Young Apprentice Festival.

Kyriel’s offer to help with the doll is appreciated, but unnecessary.

”Telios will manage it,” she says.  “Demonology is his expertise.  Believe or not, Kyriel, we can handle some things here, we are wizards.  No, this is about the upcoming trip to Lucimburic.  You two, and Rory, have volunteered.  But there needs to be a wizard… we are a wizard academy, we need to be represented by a wizard…”

She dismisses the idea that Syanthus, who will be handling the teleport spell, is in fact a wizard of the Academy, one of high rank.

”Teleporting takes a lot out of him.  He’s a dear, and brilliant, but I worry that he’ll spend the time recovering.  He needs some support.  It has to be one of us, who can help with spells and scrolls and such, if necessary.”

”And I do not have to remind you that this is a political event of great importance.  When kings marry, it is political.  There is no avoiding it.  Theoderic is fighting the Huns, and from this point.. he will be linked to the Elves in more ways than one… we… we should find a suitable present.  What magic can we come up with, suitable for a king… a king fighting Huns… and Demons?”

Kyriel nods when Lady Dromessa chastises her. It dawns on her that she considers this place to be home even though she's only lived here a short time. It has the majority of the people she cares about associated with it. Perhaps in time she'll return to the Ardennes to acquaint herself with her family and put down roots there, but for now this place holds her heart. She wants to do what she can to protect this place. "Of course, Lady Dromessa."

The question of who else to send is one that she's not too surprised that Lady Dromessa brings up. "You'll want someone with political savvy, who is senior enough to be taken seriously but can be away from the daily bustle of the Academy and isn't integral in its defense. Who does that sound like to you? Is the Contessa up for the trip?"

The next item that she brings up is the subject of the wedding gift. "I believe that King Theoderic already has a crown that's been blessed by the gods and a sword of some magical prowess. I think that would leave one of several things. Either something that allows rapid communication or travel, some kind of defense, or . . . " she pauses thinking for a moment. "I would think something that would help him rule and rebuild after the fighting is done would be best. It would show him and everyone that the academy has confidence in his ability to wage the war against the hun and their demon masters and that we look to the future. As for Aelasuria? I would think something subtle that can get her out of a scrape if she's in trouble." She's very much aware that things could turn out badly for her friend, even if she is forewarned. Being taken to Lutetia Parisiorum isn't anything she wants to see happen to anybody let alone her!

“The Contessa is in poor health,” Dromessa explains.  “Though… yes, it’s only proper if we have a high level representation there.  I wonder… Tharus… if you can stand him.”

Tharus is the wizard who runs the “warrior mage” program at the Academy- a small number of students, all male, who are trained mostly as soldiers, but learn a few spells.  They have a reputation as somewhat thick in the head, for wizards, although they are in very good physical shape.  Tharus is constantly defending them, because the other wizard instructors complain about how poorly they do in various classes.

Dromessa thinks it through.  “If we send him, Kyriel, you will be largely on your own, as far as ‘intelligence gathering’ goes.  He would want to take charge of it, but he wouldn’t be of much help.  Still, he’s a good choice to show the flag, as it were.  And it would say something to Theoderic, sending a battle wizard, since Theoderic is at war with the Huns.  It could be interpreted as a gesture of solidarity.

And something Kyriel says opens up another train of thought:  Theoderic’s sword.

”You’ve seen it, then?  He still has it?  Good.  Each of Clovis’s sons has… or had… an enchanted sword, you know.  Clovis insisted.”

Kyriel suddenly recalls who she is talking to.  Dromessa was Clovis’s “court wizard” for years.

Dromessa continues:  “The irony was, Theoderic received one that the others didn’t want, because of how it looked, but it is a powerful weapon.  It was consecrated by priests Saturn, and when it strikes armor, it causes time itself to attack the armor.  It can make stout metal crack and rust.  Yes, quite a weapon.”

She reminisces for a while, and then realizes something.  “Clovis’s sword.. the Emperor has that, now.  But Clodomir’s sword… empowered with Elemental Earth… I don’t know where that is.  It would be a fine weapon to acquire.”

Kyriel grins when Lady Dromessa asks if she can deal with Tharus. "I think we came to and understanding on the way back from Lutetia Parisiorum. He may still think of me as undisciplined and rash, but he can't find fault with my bravery. He was the one that suggested that I get tested for wizard's training." A touch wistfully she adds "I think I would have continued my studies if I hadn't learned things about my family and myself on this last trip."

After thinking of things for a couple of moments her grin broadens. "As long as Rory doesn't object, I think he'll be very good. He and Theoderic should be able to see eye to eye. I'll just continue what I do best while I'm there, and he'll be the perfect foil. People will see him, but not the small servant girl nearby."

When the conversation turns to the sword, she shakes her head. OOC: Kyriel has been traveling with Titus, Ali'Cor, and Jaquen. All of whom (I believe) have seen the sword in action. I'm certain that it would have come up in conversation. "No, I actually haven't seen it, but I've heard about it from people who have been with King Theoderic and seen it in action."

Her interest is piqued when Lady Dromessa continues talking about different swords. "Clodomir was killed when his father was, right? Is it possible that the sword is still on the battlefield?"

The talk of consecrated swords and whatnot reminds her of something. "At some point I would like to arrange for some help for some temples near Aulercorum. They seem to be having a pest problem."

Rory finds his way or is lead to Lady Dromessa. He looks awful even for him. His color is off, more grey than green and his eyes look as though he has a hangover. He can barely stand on his own.

"Lady Dromessa, I appologize for intruding. Cassandra and I decided that it was important to consume the memory moss so that Zerova's evil would be laid bare and put to rest..." He clearly struggles but will have none of help, batting away any hands (except Kyriel, for he is is more gentle) who try. "She used it to steal memories and the memories of her stealing the memory...and on so that the person did not even know it had happened. The woman...the pristess of Pluto whom I did not meet, Leonadra? Her father was assassinated and she inadvertantly gave them how. She refused to tell but her mind thought of the things Zerova wanted and she stole the memories..."
This message was last edited by the player at 00:38, Thu 14 Feb 2013.

The druid is outside during all of this drama.

And I think you meant "awful".

The Wizards of Aurelianorum have mastered arcane rituals and knowledge barely comprehensible to much of the world, but they are Academics, and they share the common traits of Academics.  One of those is that they accumulate “Things to Do” at a much faster rate than they can actually do them, and as a result, there ratio of “Things We Do” to “Things We Talk About Doing” constantly drops over time.

On top of the absolutely essential issues of the Solstice festivities, there are these new problems:


Clodomir’s sword.. is it recoverable?  Where would it be?  How would we find it?  And yet, that is a minor issue at the moment.

And Dromessa takes Rory’s information about the stolen memories.  It’s serious, and potentially devastating news.  How much has the enemy learned this way?  And… have the Huns targeted Aurelianorum this way as well?

Would there be any way to tell?

She shares the news with the other senior wizards.  Understandably, they are of mixed opinion- some see rising paranoia and others see reasonable precautions, but they decide- let’s not send two senior wizards away.  Syanthus is enough.

They add a junior wizard to the delegation, instead; Galbertus.

Syanthus gets things ready, and assembles the group at the usual Teleportation “launch pad” in the garden.

Galbertus explains: “Teleportation is an extremely dangerous magic, so over the centuries, defenses against it were developed.  Many cities now have layers of wards against Teleporting, so much so that only specific spots within the city are open to it.  This is ours.”

”And I’ve never been to Lucimburic itself, and I have no aid to guide us there,” Syanthus says.  “We will have to go to the nearest place I know, which is Treverorum.  Excellent place.  Finest healing in the world.  A day or two from Lucimburic, I think.  Fresh winter mountain air!”

Rory feels less like going now, mentally and physically drained from the ordeal he has endured and the fact that he knows, despite what his heart tells him, that Julia will not be receptive. He is weighed upon, and the weight grows. He puts on a stiff upper lip, though, and presses on. Sythanus explaination about teleporting is intrigueing, especially since now he has a lesser version of this same ability.

"Is this true for Dimension Door spells as well?"

Kyriel is shocked by Rory's appearance; his normal skin tone is gone, replaced by a sickly grey. When he staggers, she helps him into a chair. "Don't fight me, Rory. You need to sit down."

Grimly she takes in the news that he brings. Not only did Zerova steal memories, but she stole the memory of the theft. What better way to make such a theft than to remove all traces of it! Dabbling in the stolen memories is problematical at best, given what Cassandra has mentioned. "The book we brought back records who the memories were stolen from. It might also give hints as to what they are."

Much like the Academy, her mental list of things to do is getting longer. However, she plans to get as many of them done as possible.

All in all, she has to agree with the council. Sending multiple members of the council away now is probably not prudent. Seeing that Syanthus is going to be the only senior wizard in attendance, she considers the prospects. "If Master Syanthus is feeling well enough, could we rent a carriage like last time? That way he could travel the rest of the way from the temple to Lucimuric."

Before going to the teleportation pad, she visits Master Ulpius to get the trade goods for the wereowls. Gratefully she flashes him a smile as she carefully puts the items into her bag. "Master Ulpius, how difficult would it be to find a particular magic sword?"

Once arriving at the pad, she can see that Rory is looking a little hesitant. She whispers to him, "No matter what, you'll get some closure and who knows, maybe things will work out better than you think?"

She listens carefully to the explanation about the teleporting. You never know when something like that could be useful. "What happens if you try to arrive at a place that's warded like this?"

Terrance is present as well, but not to go along- he's here to see Kyriel off, and hopes that it will be a short diversion this time.  Last time... months... far too long.

“Frequently it is,” Syanthus says, replying to Rory.  “Though it's a much shorter range spell and therefore it is not so easy to ward a large area.  One can hardly fault centuries of wizards for erecting these barriers.  Neither can one fault generations of leaders, demanding that these wards be emplaced, and now, no one is in a great hurry to see them removed."

He pauses an moment and adds:  "Heaven knows I wouldn't."

Then the old wizard pontificates.  "“You recall, Rory, that when we when to the Orrery, we had to appear at a stone terrace outside it.  That is the reason.
Do not worry, I have friends in Treverorum.  They have ready cures, in case anyone is sick from the teleport."

“Sick?” Galbertus asks.

“Displacement over many miles can have disruptive effects on the body.” Terrance says helpfully.   Syanthus nods.

They didn't tell me,” Galbertus complains.

“That is the wondrous thing about wizardry," Syanthus says.  "You are never finished learning."

During the impromptu class on teleportation Calatin arrives, packed, ready, and accompanied by... a bear.

"Goodness," Terrance says.  "Is that your familiar?"

"I believe the Druids call them companions," Syanthus says.

The druid walks up, laden with various leather pouches and sacks, most of which seem empty, or are possibly full of other pouches and sacks. One seems to be dripping a decent amount of blood.

Calatin introduces himself, despite having already met everyone at some point. He then introduces his 'familiar'.

"This is Prum. Don't mind his temperament. He's still a little ornery about being woken up in the middle of his nap. Don't try to pet him, otherwise, he's just a big harmless, grumpy thing."

850 pounds and average size for his species. If any of you have Know (nature) of a decent amount, you'd guess he's probably in his fifth winter.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eurasian_brown_bear

"At any rate, I believe we're ready to go. I've been looking forward to this."

Are we leaving before the Solstice? If so, he'd definitely address this fact.

Kyriel is glad that Terrance has accompanied her here. They arrive holding hands and she's loathe to let go. Like Terrance she feels that although the last trip was necessary it was far too long. Master Syanthus should be able to get them back relatively quickly, so this shouldn't take too long. She tries to console Terrance and herself. "I'll be back before too long; before the end of the year, I'm sure. Master Syanthus will be able to return us here once everything is done." Flashing him a grin, she tells him "Don't go looking for trouble. That's my job."

Before she lets go of his hand, she gives him a kiss. Then she hurries ver to where everyone else is waiting. She's dressed in her practical and warm traveling clothes since she's not sure what the weather is like where they're going.

Once Calatin shows up with the bear, she gets a little nervous. "Are you sure that's a good idea? I've heard that sometimes it can be a little, um, rough on the transportees."