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The Rusty Dragon has been done up right for tonight’s celebration of the successful hunt.  Bunting hangs from the rafters and the smell of roasting pork wafts through the air as Ameiko Kaijitsu performs her culinary magic on the huge Tickwood boar.  A large table has been decorated with a cloth and silver candlesticks and china plates in preparation for the arrival of the victorious heroes.

Aldern Foxglove arrived first, of course.  He was resplendent in a hunter’s outfit of greens and browns, with a soft leather vest and a long-sleeved emerald-green shirt offset by a jaunty archer’s cap and serviceable leather leggings.  His moleskin boots in particular looked both incredibly comfortable and quite stylish.  He spent a great deal of time talking with Ameiko, getting everything set up precisely to his satisfaction.  He now lounged in a chair at the head of the cloth-bedecked table, chatting amiably with the omnipresent Tarvis as he awaited the arrival of his hunting companions.

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Kellan had dropped Shayliss back off at the Vinders with a little time to spare. The ride had most of the hallmarks of a first date and overall that had managed to have a fine time. Even his parents had seemed to like Shayliss, which was a big step up from the interactions with her side of the family.

Promising that he would call on her again soon, Kellan had rushed over to stable Hakon, a process which left him in no fit state to attend a dinner. A quick bath and a change of clothes preceded his arrival to the event, to which he wore more or less the same outfit he had for the first one. The salary of a town guard did not leave much for formal attire.

As he entered he gave a wave to Ameiko and walked over to shake Aldern's hand,  openly admiring the decorations.

"You seem to have an outfit for every occasion" Kellan commented as he shook the mans hand "Nice boots, in particular" admiring the footwear as he settled down into his seat looking hungry and happy after his date. He certainly seemed more comfortable than he had been during their first dinner.

Liseth arrived to the dinner seeming much less anxious than she had the previous night.  Kerr was with her, of course; the two made their appearance hand in hand.  Having only two outfits, the teenage girl was still wearing her white dress; but the necklace that she had been gifted the night before was worn alongside her ever-present holy symbol.

The pair made their way to the decorated table at Liseth's slow pace, but it seemed less a factor of reluctance this time.  She really seemed to have overcome her nervous fear of Aldern Foxglove; realizing (or perhaps hoping) that his manner did not necessarily constitute romantic overtures towards her.  And that only the basest of people would do such while she was with her new boyfriend.

"Good evening Mr Foxglove."  Liseth gave a polite curtsy when she arrived at the table with Kerr.  "I asked Kerr to come with me to dinner tonight, since he had to help Father Zantus clean up a big mess at the Cathedral today and wasn't able to go on the boar hunt with us.  Well, that and..."  The blonde girl looked up at Kerr with a dreamy smile, "Now that Kerr is my boyfriend, we're supposed to go to dinners together!"

Pisca did not immediately come downstairs for the party.  Rather, she spent the better part of half an hour at the top of the stairs, creeping down occasionally to peer in at what everyone else was wearing before running back up to the top and waiting a few minutes more.  Finally, she decided on her Shoanti leathers - the same leathers she had worn on the hunt that had produced tonight's feast.  Though neither as new and clean as the leathers worn by Aldern Foxglove, nor as resplendent, they fit the mood of the evening, and they obviated the need for things like climbing stairs.

The Cinderlander hat, however, the gnome left behind.  In its place, she wore a jaunty crimson headscarf which bound her strawberry blond curls.  The outfit did so very much need both a cutlass and an eye patch, thought the gnome as she observed herself in her new mirror.  But the odd thing about the state of the world is that one can never find a cutlass and an eye patch when one needs them.  It's something a gnome should fix some day, and maybe, some day, she might just be the gnome to do that.  But for now, she would just have to do without.

The one thing that Pisca regretted as she finally descended the stairs to the party was that without the dress there would be no hand kissing tonight.  What a cruel and capricious world it was that would deprive a gnome of both a full pirate get up and hand kissing to boot.

After taking his covered quarry to the Sheriff and filling the man in about the latest goblin activity in Sandpoint, Cato returned to his room.  He donned fresh clothes and a robe and set out for The Rusty Dragon once again, once again dressing in well-made but

Entering the inn, his eyes lingered over the fine decorations.  Aldern certainly knew how to impress.  The smells wafting from the kitchen were even more impressive, however.  Whatever skills Aldern or his hired hands possessed in making a scene look impressive, Ameiko surpassed in her ability to cook a feast more than worthy of the surroundings.  If this boar was half as good as the salmon she had served at the festival, it would rank as a great meal.  Of course, Cato might be somewhat biased, having consumed little except for Amele's biscuits since this hunt.  His stomach rumbled as the savory smells filled his nose with every inhalation, and he pushed those thoughts out of his mind as he approached the table.

He greeted Aldern first.  The nobleman seemed to be at ease in his role as the host, as he was every time Cato had seen him except during the actual goblin attack.

"Aldern."  He nodded his head.  "You've outdone yourself once again.  This looks to be the start of a wonderful evening.  I'm looking forward to sampling the results of our hunt!"

Cato walked over to Kellan.  "You certainly seem happy as well.  I trust your meeting with Vin went well?  You don't seem to have any bruises or broken limbs, at least.  I had an interesting afternoon at the Barett household, but I can fill the group in during dinner."

Cato took a seat at the table.  He looked across the table to Kerr and Liseth and nodded at the acolytes.  "Good to see you again, Kerr.  And you Liseth."

Cato turned as he heard the quiet steps of a gnome descending the stairs to the main room of the room.  He smiled and waved at Pisca, eager for the dinner to begin.

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Aldern Foxglove broke into a huge smile when he saw Kellan enter the Rusty Dragon.  “There he is!  The man of the hour!”  The noble stood and returned Kellan’s handshake with enthusiasm.  “I’ve been telling all and sundry about your heroism during the hunt.”  He clasped Kellan’s hand with both of his and leaned forward, lowering his voice.  “I may have,” he coughed slightly, “added some embellishments.  I hope you don’t mind.”

“You like them?”  Aldern lifted a boot off the ground as Kellan complimented his footwear.  “They’re made by a man I know in Magnimar.  A true artist.  If you really like them, I can get you a pair.  My treat!”  He grinned.  “Just give me your measurements before I leave.”

At that point Aldern was distracted by Kerr and Liseth’s grand entrance.  “Liseth!"  He paused slightly.  "And Kerr!”  Aldern grinned broadly.  He bent to kiss Liseth’s hand.  “You’re wearing the necklace!  I’m honored.”  The noble gave Kerr’s hand a firm shake.  “And good to see you too, acolyte.”  He looked over at Liseth.  “You should indeed!”  He bowed.  “Kerr is most welcome.  It’s good to know that the most beautiful lady in Sandpoint is being well cared for.”

Aldern spied Pisca coming down the staircase.  “Miss Pisca!  Looking as elegant as ever!  I see we had the same idea about the proper attire to celebrate a hunt.”  He winked.  “Great minds, and all that.”  He walked over, knelt before her, took her hand, and gave it a kiss.  “I have to say that I and my reputation benefit greatly from being in the company of such a stylish and cosmopolitan gnome.”

Aldern waved at Cato as he came in the door.  “And our last warrior appears!”  He gestured Cato over.  “It was really my pleasure,” he waved Cato’s compliment away, “say nothing of it.”  He turned his attention to the group.  “I think we’re all ready to see what arcane magicks Miss Ameiko can accomplish with fresh boar, am I right?”  He raised his voice.  “Lady Ameiko, we are assembled, and await the delicacies you have prepared for us!”

Aldern gestured at the bedecked table and favored the group with one of his dazzling smiles.  “Please, sit!”  He pulled out a chair for Pisca and gallantly held out a hand to assist her up into it.

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Kerr Mollin had not had a great day.  Liseth had invited him along on her hunt but Father Zantus had said that he needed to stay behind and help with the aftermath of the Boneyard’s plundering.  Kerr hadn’t been happy about it but what could he do?  So he spent the morning helping to clean up the priests’ crypt, getting ready for the consecration ceremony, and performing the ritual to re-seal the crypt.  It had been a lot of work, and he had missed Liseth terribly.

So Kerr had been overjoyed when Liseth had made it into the chapel later that afternoon and invited him to come with her to the hunt-celebration dinner.  Kerr accepted immediately; he wasn’t incredibly comfortable around Aldern Foxglove but that discomfort paled in comparison to his desire to be around Liseth.  He thought she was the most beautiful, wonderful, fun person ever.

Kerr quickly bathed and dressed in his finest formal acolyte’s uniform.  When he emerged from his chambers Liseth was waiting for him, looking incredible in her white dress.  He offered her an arm and they began slowly walking south towards the Rusty Dragon, talking about the events of the day and her search for Katrine Vinder, and receiving several mysterious smiles from passing townsfolk.

Kerr was slightly distracted by Liseth’s nearness.  He still hadn’t quite come to terms with their relationship’s new status.  She had said he was her boyfriend!  Which made her his girlfriend!  This floored Kerr; he had never had a girlfriend before, he had always been too busy with his duties and the town girls had always been much more interested in the burlier boys.  He stole a sideways glance at her as they walked, watching how animated she was as she talked about her concern for Katrine.  Kerr was completely lost in her.  She really was the most wonderful woman in the world.

Too soon they came to the Rusty Dragon.  Liseth gripped his arm tightly as they entered, but Mister Foxglove seemed to be in very good spirits and not at all disappointed to see Kerr.  He even mentioned him by name and invited him to stay!  Kerr stammered his thanks and smiled at Liseth; he knew she had been worried about how the noble would react.  As Kerr offered Liseth a chair, he could smell the amazing scents coming from Ameiko’s kitchen; he hoped she served the food soon, as he had just realized that he was starving!  He smiled at Liseth again.  His day might not have been great, but it looked like his evening was going to be better.  Quite a bit better.

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Kellan flushed a hint of red at Foxglove's high praise, he was still unused to all the flattery he had received in the past few days as was pretty evident by his somewhat nervous grin. "As long as you left out the part where I scream like a little girl, I'm sure it's fine" he joked with a wink.

When Aldern's hiked up his boot Kellan took a appraising look at them. Weapons and armor were cool and flashy but Kellan had decided early on in his career that a comfortable pair of boots was the most important piece of equipment he could own. Aldern's offer was again far to generous for the young man so he attempted to wave off the offer "Well the pair I have will last for awhile, but perhaps when those wear out I will ask for his name, they are beautiful however"

As the others filed in he greeted each in turn, obviously enjoying the atmosphere and basking in the day's events. At Cato's question he nodded with a smile, seeming very curious as to what had occurred at the Barett's. "It was a good day, I certainly can't complain...what happened at the Barret place? Aeren still a little bothered by the attack?" It had been a life event for Kellan and he could only imagine what it would be like for a little boy to witness.

"Everything go alright at the shop after I left?" He asked Liseth and Pisca as they got settled, shaking Kerr's hand as he joined them.

It was so easy to be swept up in the charm and courtly manners of Aldern Foxglove.  He was every bit the model of the modern noble gentleman.  From the cut of his attire his nobility was genuine.  His manners were sublime, the epitome of royalty.  Honest not effete, flair without flamboyancy.

And so what was it that nagged at the back of Pisca's mind as she took the hand offered and climbed up into her chair.  Motive?  Were they themselves so charming that he would want to spend so much time with them?  Did he not have any greater friends?  Money?  Was this simply the way that all of the rich lived?  Or did he seem to be casting coin about as though it were water?

"I'm looking forward to tasting that secret boar-preparation recipe that you mentioned, Aldern."  The radiance of the smile on the gnome's face rose to the nobility of their host.  He was charming, and Pisca's doubts grew distant and faded into a hazy obscurity.

"How was your business of this afternoon?" she asked.  "Fruitful, I trust?"

Cato sat in his chair, eagerly awaiting the arrival of the first course.

He leaned forward, including his fellow diners with a conspiratorial glance.  "I found out at the Barett's this afternoon that not all of the goblins fled the town at the conclusion of the attack.  Apparently one of the nasty little buggers hid itself in poor Aeren's closet.  The middle of the night troubles over at the Barett household must have been caused by the sneaky thing trying to get out."

Cato smiled a wicked grin.

"But there won't be trouble from it anymore.  When I got there, I was just trying to calm Aeren, but with the help of their dog, one I summoned, and some magic, we managed to kill the little beast.  I filled in the Sheriff before I got here."

Cato shook his head.

"A monster in little Aeren's closet.  At least no one got hurt...except, the goblin, I guess.

Liseth was still apprehensive about Mr Foxglove kissing her on the hand.  She knew that it was the courtly way for a gentleman to greet a lady, even though that didn't stop her from being uncomfortable.  It was too intimate; but withdrawing her hand would be very rude.

She was in fact very relieved that Mr Foxglove not only greeted Kerr but welcomed him to stay.  He seemed to have expected Kerr to be with her this time; which also offered more than a modicum of relief to her mind.  Though she did blush at his mention of her being the most beautiful lady in Sandpoint...and that she was being well cared for by Kerr.  "Thank you Mr Foxglove..."

Returning Kerr's smile, Liseth gingerly took her seat when he pulled the chair out for her.  Then she watched him take his own seat next to her, grabbing his hand in her own once they were both settled.

"Mr Vinder was actually friendlier once you left with Ms Shayliss; well, after he got over worrying that the goblins might come back..."  Liseth started to respond to Kellan, then looked at him quizzically, "Why isn't Ms Shayliss with you at the dinner tonight Kellan?  Didn't she want to come with you?"  Her face tinged with embarrassment when she realized that she was prying,  "Oh, I mean...you don't have to say if you don't want to."

"Um..."  Liseth changed the subject back to what Kellan had originally asked, "Well, anyway, Mr Vinder even gave me a really nice medical kit.  For free!  It has soft bandages, and rare herbs, and lots of medicine..."  The excited girl stopped describing the various contents of her new healer's bag when she registered the fact that not everyone present appreciated herbs and medicine the way that she did.

Liseth contented herself by merely holding Kerr's hand while the conversations continued around the table and everyone awaited the arrival of the meal.  It really did smell good.  She smiled at the other acolyte and was about to say something to him when Cato revealed that there was a goblin hiding in the Barret house!

"Oh!"  Her eyes widened in shock and she instantly looked towards Cato, "You killed a Goblin in Mr Barret's house?!  In his son's room!"  Liseth was clearly agitated, "How did it get in there?  Are you sure that nobody is hurt?"  She gasped, "What if there are more goblins hiding in other people's houses?!  And Pisca and I just assured Mr Vinder that there were no sneaky goblins hiding in Sandpoint!"

Liseth swallowed, suddenly feeling very insecure.  She edged closer to Kerr in her seat, "They could make a sneak attack when everyone is sleeping...or...or try to burn the Cathedral again!"
This message was last edited by the player at 15:58, Thu 31 Oct 2013.

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Aldern grinned at Kellan and slapped him on the shoulder.  “Not at all!  I thought your scream was quite manly!”  But he looked disappointed at the refusal of his offer to obtain Kellan a pair of the boots.  “No?  I assure you, they’re incredibly comfortable!”  He sat back in his chair, clearly wriggling his toes as he sighed with pleasure.  “One of the best feelings you can have with your boots on, I assure you.”  His mouth quirked in an impish smile.  “But if you’re sure, I won’t impose.  My offer remains open, however!”

Aldern sat forward in shock at Cato’s tale.  “You don’t say!”  He said.  “An actual goblin in the closet?  That must have been terrifying for that poor child.  It’s a good thing you arrived when you did, Cato,” the noble stood and lifted a glass to the wizard, and everyone at the table suddenly realized that they had flutes of sparkling champagne next to them.

“I propose a toast.  To heroes!  People are not born heroes.  Heroes are forged in the fires of action.  Many choose the easy path.  The safer path.  Few there are who choose to thrust themselves INTO danger for the benefit of others.  We call such people heroes.  It has been my pleasure to know a few in my day, and I count each of you among their number.”  He gave each person at the table an individual nod.   “Thank you for the service you have done me, and thank you for the service you have done Sandpoint.  To heroes!”  At this, the noble took an impressively large gulp of champagne.

He sighed as he sat and turned to Pisca, throwing an arm over the back of his chair.  “Business is business, I’m afraid.  If it was fun they wouldn’t call it ‘work,’ right?  But fortunately for me I am fairly talented at what I do, which allows me to enjoy myself during the times when I’m not working.  Like now.”  He grinned and gestured towards the kitchen.

As the group turned to look, they saw Ameiko Kaijitsu and a couple of her staff bringing the entire roasted boar out one of the biggest serving platters any of them had ever seen.  The boar had an apple in its mouth and was basted with some sort of dark sauce; the tantalizing smell was almost overwhelming.  As soon as the boar arrived at the table, carving knives appeared in Ameiko’s hand as if by magic.  She began to serve the board in a most entertaining manner, knives flashing and hands moving so quickly that it was almost a surprise for everyone to find a generous slice of roast boar on their plate when she finished.

By that point her staff had returned with several other dishes, including what looked like twice-baked potatoes topped with some sort of cheese and a sour cream, artichokes, baked apples dusted with cinnamon, fresh-baked biscuits with just-churned butter and homemade preserves, and what looked like a decorative salad made from iceberg lettuce and drizzled with balsamic vinegar, tiny halved tomatoes, and blue cheese.  All these were set on the table, family style, for all to partake in as they wished.

As she finished the table service, Ameiko bowed.  “It is ALWAYS my pleasure to have such eminent guests at my inn, and I hope you enjoy our efforts.  But save a little room; I’ve made my special soufflé for dessert.”  With a broad smile to the party and a saucy wink to Aldern, she and her staff swept back into the kitchen, leaving the group to feast upon the bounteous banquet they had provided.

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"A gobbie in the closet," the gnome marveled and shook her head.  "For two days.  It's hard to imagine that it could have stayed still and hidden for so long right there along side all those humans.  You have to wonder what it ate.  Better tell Amele Barett to make sure all her son's socks are still there."

When the toast came, Pisca raised her glass as well.  "To heroes!" she added, steadying the hummie-sized fluted glass in both hands to drink.

"I'd also like to propose another toast," she said as the food was being served.  "You've given us so much, Aldern," Pisca said, as she stood there on the seat of her chair.  "Since the day we met, you've been so very generous to us in ways other than simple material wealth.  You've gone out of your way to spend time with us.  You've opened yourself up to us in ways that go beyond someone who aims to repay a debt, beyond the ways of a benefactor.  I feel you've accepted us as equals.  As though you were one of us.  As though we were friends."

"So here's to friends."  The gnome lifts her glass high in both hands as though the culmination of a blessing.  "To friends."

Cato shook his head at Liseth's concern.  "I don't think it's very likely that there's a hidden force of goblins ready to attack the town again.  The only reason this goblin stayed in the closet for this long is because of the Barett's dog.  I think Petal's barking was enough to scare the creature into staying in the closet for so long.  Anyway, I've told the Sheriff about it, so if he hears anything suspicious, the town guard can take of it."

Cato nodded as Aldern began his toast.  "To heroes!" he echoed along, and took a sip of champagne.  At the conclusion of Pisca's toast, he did the same.  Sitting in the inn, surrounded by these people, he felt a great deal safer and more at home than he had perhaps at any point in his life.  Cato certainly hoped that feeling would last.  He had been deliberately trying to keep  busy the last few days, so as to avoid Brodert's final question before the Festival and the attack had begun.  His face darkened for a second, but he shook off the foreboding thoughts and concentrated on the present.

And the present was very nice indeed.  Cato stopped thinking about other things and spent the next several minutes eagerly sampling every dish on the table.  The salad and its delightful cheese, the baked potatoes and topping, biscuits, and of course boar all found their way from the table to Cato's plate to his rapidly filling stomach.

Trying to save a little room for the souffle, Cato held up his champagne glass again.  "I think we'd be remiss if we didn't toast the chef for this wonderful meal.  We might have brought down the boar, but Ameiko made it art!  To Ameiko and the staff at the Rusty Dragon!"

At least the Sheriff already knew about the goblin.  Liseth was relieved that he could move to counter any other sneaky goblins hiding in people's houses, or trying to make surprise attacks when nobody was expecting it.  And she trusted Cato; Liseth could tell that he was very clever.  He did work with a sage after all!  If he says that this goblin was an isolated thing, then she was ready to believe him.

Having been calmed greatly, Liseth looked at her champagne flute when Mr Foxglove proposed a toast.  "To heroes!," she chimed in with everyone else, then took a sip from her glass.  Then Pisca proposed a toast of her own, "To friends."  Liseth smiled before taking another sip; that was a toast that she was glad to make.  She had made so many new friends since coming to Sandpoint, and she hadn't even been in the town for two full weeks!

Liseth watched in amazement as the boar was brought to the table.  Everything was done so perfectly!  She could feel her mouth begin to water from the scent alone; it was hard to believe that this roast boar was the same angry monster that they had faced only earlier today!  As she watched Ms Kaijitsu carve the boar Liseth knew that her own skills as a chef paled when compared to the abilities of the proprietor of the Rusty Dragon.  Maybe Ms Kaijitsu would teach her a few things if she asked nicely...

Now that the rest of the dishes had arrived, Liseth found herself trying to fit a little bit of everything on her own plate; almost to be confounded by the sheer size of the slice of boar that had been placed there already.  But, moving it to the edge, she managed to get a sample of everything else portioned out.  Before allowing anyone to start eating though, Liseth closed her eyes and said a prayer over the table, "Sarenrae, we ask you to bless this meal with your holy light.  Erastil, please bless the spirit of this boar and keep it in your domain.  Desna, allow the wondrous night to wash away the trials of the day, that we might enjoy a moment of revelry amidst these troubling times."

Prayer finished, Liseth carefully cut a small piece from her slice of roast boar, eyes lighting up after she placed it into her mouth.  Chewing slowly to enjoy every moment, Liseth finally swallowed before turning to Kerr, "Kerr, this is amazing!  Do you think that I'll ever be able to cook this well?"

Then Cato called for another toast; another one that Liseth could really get behind, "To Ms Kaijitsu and the Rusty Dragon!"  Ms Kaijitsu had done so much for them these last two days.  Spending all that time cooking such spectacular meals for them.  Letting each of them stay in rooms at her inn if they wanted, for free!  She was a wonderful woman.  Liseth sipped from her champagne flute again.

She started to wonder if she should make a toast to something as well.  But Liseth wasn't good at making toasts.  Instead she looked at Kerr and Kellan, to see if they planned one as well.  At least it would give her time to think of something.

OOC: Not that I'm assuming anything; but if it matters, I cast Purify Food and Drink.

Kellan's mood instantly shifted as he heard about the goblin in Aeren's closet. He seemed to tense up a little and seemed worried.  "Another goblin? Oh... Amele must be worried sick...and I'm sure Alergast must be kicking himself.  Poor little guy...talk about saving the day man, I don't know what would have happened if anything had...well...happened.

He clasped Cato's shoulder with a squeeze "Thank's for taking care of them, I feel a little bad for not being here myself." As the toasts got going his mood seemed to lighten a little, but the others could easily tell he event was still on his mind. As it seemed everybody was adding a toast, after Heroe, Friends and  the culinary master Ameiko and her staff, Kellan waited until the right time to lift his own glass "To Sandpoint, and the people that make it such a great place to live"

After the toast Kellan resumed eating, although despite the wonderful food it seemed his appetite had been dampened. He smiled and carried on regardless but those that knew him could tell how deeply affected he had been by little Aeren being in any danger.

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Kerr smiled at Liseth between toasts.  “I think you ALREADY cook this well!”  He said loyally, trying not to savor his roast boar too noticeably.  “You’re an amazing cook, Liseth.  I bet if you opened your own inn you could give Ameiko a run for her money!”

Kerr was having a very good time; the food was absolutely amazing but he could not stop drinking in Liseth’s beauty.  He thought she must be the most gorgeous woman in the entire world, and here she was, sitting next to him and holding his hand!  He felt like he should propose a toast but every time he looked at Liseth and she smiled at him all the thoughts flew right out of his head except for how amazing she was, and he reckoned that “To Liseth!” probably wouldn’t be a very appropriate toast in this situation.  So he contented himself with enjoying the food, the company, and the conversation.

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Aldern Foxglove looked slightly stunned at Pisca’s sudden declaration of friendship.  In fact, as she progressed through her toast it seemed as if his eyes might have gone slightly misty.  “To friends,” the noble raised his glass along with the others at the table and repeated the toast in a slightly choked voice, smiling as a lone tear simultaneously rolled down his cheek, bowing his head in response to Liseth’s spontaneous prayer in an attempt to hide his emotion.

But Aldern quickly recovered to join in Cato’s toast.  “Hear, hear!  To Ameiko!”  He called, and was about to follow up on the toast when . . .

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. . . the Rusty Dragon’s door slammed open and a surly, middle-aged visitor of visibly Tianese descent bellowed out a sharp-tongued command in a strange language.

“[Language unknown: Verreswhe nt com ro i iveeinos]?!?!?!”

He stalked into the tavern, wrathful eyes scanning the room.

Everyone in the Rusty Dragon suddenly grew very quiet and became extremely interested in their meals.

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This message was last edited by the player at 18:44, Fri 01 Nov 2013.

Pisca had a smile on her face, and the hummie-sized glass full of bubbling amber spirits was raised high in the direction of the ceiling (or, as high as a gnome's arms can go, that is) when the loud crashing report broke the festivities and shattered the mood.

Lonjiku Kaijitsu.  And very clearly not having a happy human life today.  The gnome picked through the words in what she could only assume were Lord Kaijitsu's native Tianese.  But, even though she already spoke eight different languages, picking up a new one after exposure to little more than a few words was a feat few if any could accomplish.  Two things could be gleaned from this, however, aside from the obvious fact that Lord Kaijitsu was upset.  First, the use of Tianese meant that the person for whom the words were intended would most likely understand Tianese, and the person currently in the room who most likely did was Ameiko.  Second, the tone of the words was commanding, indicating that Lord Kaijitsu wanted Ameiko to do something.

All these thoughts, ideas and deductions dropped through Pisca's mind, like little steel balls falling through a maze of brass pins.  At the bottom, the inevitable end for all these steely thoughts, ideas and deductions, was the dark hole, and it was in this dark hole that resided the ultimate question:  Should she get involved?  To Pisca, being the gnome that she was, the answer was clear.  It was barely even a question at all.  The answer was yes.

"Lord Kaijitsu!"  And so it was that the words left Pisca's mouth even before she was aware of her decision.  From her place atop her chair seat, the gnome bowed at the waist, a thing that she had heard they do in far of Tian Xia.  Even the women.  "Lonjiku Kaijitsu, please come join us.  We have a wonderful feast of boar here.  Far more than even the fairly large group of us can even think of finishing.  Come, sit and be welcome."

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Diplomacy Check, please.
And, Sense Motive check.

I'm also wondering whether Knowledge Local might grant certain factoids regarding the  laws, customs, and traditions of other countries?

Liseth couldn't stop herself from giggling happily at Kerr's response to her question.  He was so sweet!  "Don't be silly, Kerr.  I still have a lot to learn." Liseth favored the other acolyte with another beautiful smile, "But thank you for saying that.  Maybe tomorrow night, I should cook for everybody!"

Starting to sample some of her side dishes, Liseth noticed that another toast was being called.  At this point, she thought that it might be necessary to follow with one of her own.  Everybody was making a toast tonight!  But before she could raise her glass the door to the inn burst open; causing the timid girl to jump in her seat as an angry man barged in and began shouting!  She didn't know what he was saying, but that didn't stop her from shrinking away when his glare passed over her as his eyes scanned around the room.

"Who is that!"  Liseth reacted by instinctively grabbing for Kerr's hand and whispering to him in shock.  "Why is he so angry?"  To say that Liseth was perturbed would be an understatement.  Today she had met some of the worst people that Sandpoint had to offer.  Before today, she had only experienced friendly and nice people in the town; Father Zantus, Ms Hannah, Kellan, Pisca, Cato, the Sheriff...even Mr Foxglove!  And Kerr.  But now she had met with rude, angry, scary, and...worse people.  Liseth didn't ever imagine someone like that coming into the Rusty Dragon while they were enjoying dinner.

Her question was answered by Pisca before Kerr even had a chance to reply.  Not that Liseth knew much about Lonjiku Kaijitsu...

She gasped lightly as she registered the name, then Liseth whispered once more to Kerr, "Is that Ms Kaijitsu's father!?"  She couldn't believe it.  Ms Kaijitsu was one of the nicest women in Sandpoint; how could her father be so mean?

Watching as Pisca approached him, Liseth just hoped that the gnome knew what she was doing.  She wouldn't want all of that wrath to be redirected towards the little gnome; but she wasn't sure that she wanted that angry man to join them at their table either!

Cato watched his new companions during the meal.  He was happy to see Liseth so obviously happy with Kerr, but Kellan's worrying about the situation at the Barett's was both sweet and troubling for Cato.  It was obvious that the guardsman had close ties with Alergast and his family, but Cato found himself second-guessing his own decisions.  Did he put the family in danger by taking on an unknown threat by himself?  Would it have been better if he had sent for the town guard, or perhaps at least Kellan, before tackling the goblin in the closet?  But if something had happened in the interim, if anyone had been hurt when Cato could have been acting immediately, it would have been terrible.  There was magic that could have helped, of course.  But Cato couldn't know every spell, nor could he cast them all in a day.  He'd have liked to have a good supply of scrolls, or wands, or something, but right now couldn't afford it.  Something to look forward to, anyway.

Cato was still lost in thought when the angry man burst through the door of the inn.  He looked up from his internal doubts as the man stormed into the inn, screaming in a foreign language.  Cato was all too ready to follow the lead of most of the inn patrons, trying to studiously ignore the man, but that plan went out the window when Pisca invited the man to their table.  After a slightly long pause, Cato nodded to the man and gestured at this food on the table.  "Yes, join us.  Ameiko's made a wonderful feast from the boar we all killed earlier."

Kellan was snapped out of whatever funk h was in my Lord Kaijitsu's thunderous arrival. The young guardsman had rarely heard the Tianese language spoken and to his ears it sounded a little comical despite the obvious undertone of the situation. Sitting up straight and wiping his mouth with a napkin he waited and watched as Pisca fluidly engaged the man.

---

---

Lonjiku's intense gaze snapped to first Pisca, then Cato.  His eyes widened, and his mouth contorted into a snarl.  "YOU!!" He said, making the pronoun seem like an epithet.  "You . . . you VAGRANTS!!  You MEDDLERS!!"

Specks of saliva flew out of the man's mouth as he loomed over Pisca.  "YOU'RE the ones who riled up the goblins!!  Who spurred them on to further attacks rather than letting trained professionals take care of them!  You IDIOTS!!!!  Why, we're lucky we still have a TOWN left after YOU got done with it!!"  He glared around the table.  "Your ill-advised ANTICS have caused nothing but trouble!!"

"And YOU!!"  He stabbed a finger at Kellan.  "Do Sheriff Hemlock or Lieutenant Barett KNOW what you've been doing?!?  Wasting the town's time and money gallavanting about with these . . . WASTRELS?"

"And YOU!!"  Lonjiku's finger stabbed again.  "LORD," he made the word sound like the most sarcastic insult one could imagine, "Aldern Foxglove!  You should be ashamed of yourself, encouraging them!  Why are you even HERE!?!  Why don't you go back to Magnimar, where you belong, rather than slumming it with the provincials?"

The Tianese noble's anger and rage seemed to wash over the entire dining room of the Rusty Dragon.  One could hear a pin drop as he paused to take a breath, and the inn's other patrons clearly looked like they wished they were anywhere else.

---

---

This message was last edited by the player at 19:46, Mon 04 Nov 2013.

Cato felt his temper rise as the old man insulted their table. He found himself suddenly on his feet, not quite able to remember jumping up from his chair. Despite that, he tried hard to hold his anger in check. Through clenched teeth, he forcefully replied to Lonjiku. "Riled up the goblins?  Sir, we did what anyone with means did. Goblins were attacking our town, and the guard needed help. We saved people, saved the town.  The trained professionals were happy to have our help, in fact."

Cato knew he should stop there, but couldn't. What right did this noble have to insult them?  "Where were you during the raid?  Guarding your pretty baubles?  I'm sure you have guards. Did they help the town?  Protect the cathedral?  Is this attack your fault for not sponsoring a larger guard?  Or funding some rangers to scourge the woods of organized goblin activity?  I think you're the one who's failed Sanpoint."

Face flushed and heart racing, Cato stared at Lonjik, then took a few deep breaths and prepared for more abuse.

The gnome stood quietly on the seat of her chair with the rabid human raining flecks of saliva down on her.  She never gave an inch.  But she sorely wished that she had opted to wear her hat tonight.

She picked up rather quickly after the man wound down, letting the awkward silence reign for but a moment before she began speaking.  "We saved lives," she replied.  "We kept the gobbies from burning down the cathedral.  Cato's even saved the Barretts from a hidden goblin in the time since the attack.  We are working *with*, and under the direction of, Sheriff Hemlock," Pisca said.  Her voice was quiet.  Her voice was even.

"We're not closed to the suggestions of others.  I think we've listened fairly to everyone who's come and spoken with us so far.  We're willing to listen to you too.  I'm willing to listen right now, Lord Kaijitsu.  I think I would have preferred not to have been insulted first, before taking your advice and direction.  But, I understand that you're upset and that can cause people to behave in ways that they might otherwise not."

"Why don't you begin by explaining what professionals we should have made way for and when it was we should have given way to their expertise.  We haven't seen anyone else at work here.  No one that we've been able to identify."

"I'm also afraid I'll have to have an explanation as to how it is that we've riled the goblins, as there really was no *us* until the goblin attack on festival day.  We were caught up in the same horror as everyone else, and in the act of fighting for our lives, we met each other and combined our efforts."

"Maybe you're referring to some other antics than that, Lord Kaijitsu," Pisca continued to speak with a calm that masked hidden anger.  "Or, maybe you were misinformed."

Lots of people get angry in different ways.  Some people shout and scream, and stomp their feet and slam doors.  That was like Mr, or rather, Lord Kaijitsu.  Other people get very calm and focused; apparently that was like Pisca.  Still more people rile up and clench their teeth to try and hold back their ire; that seemed like Cato.  Liseth didn't want to wait and see how everyone else handled their feelings in the light of Lord Kaijitsu's accusations.

Even after having withered under the sheer level of wrath that the nobleman directed towards their table, Liseth found herself standing from her chair.  Before she had even registered the fact that she had moved, the small girl was interposed between her friends and the very angry Lord Kaijitsu, "Please, stop arguing!"  To someone filled with as much irrational anger as Lord Kaijitsu seemed to be, simply laying out facts and trying to defend yourself would only be seen as cause for further rage.

Liseth nearly laid a hand on the nobleman while she tried her best to calm him; but quickly thought better of it.  She did not know how he would react to being touched, and did not want to risk it.  "Please calm down Lord Kaijitsu!  We're very sorry if we caused you so much distress.  Nobody wanted to cause any trouble!"

Kellan let out a long breath, folding his napkin in half and setting it near his plate. The other's were already asking good pertinent questions and explaining what had happened far better than he probably could have, so he chose to remain silent until those matters had been dealt with. It also gave Ameiko a few more moment to get in here and hopefully calm her father down.

Truth be told Kellan had been called worse things and as far as domestic squabbles go this was pretty civil so far in his eyes. He refrained from continuing to eat despite the tragedy of letting such fine food get cold and assumed his best "respectful listener" expression, waiting to see how his all played out.

Even under the fuming continence of Lonjiku Kaijitsu, scion of one of the Sandpoint's five noble families, the mind of Pisca Neep Freemish continued to churn away.  Both she and Cato had declared their innocence.  But, if they were innocent, then what had brought Ameiko's father to such a brimming boil?  The gnome wracked her brain for something that might give her a clue.  Something about the noble families of Sandpoint?  Something about the recent goblin attacks?  Something ...

The day of the Swallow Tail festival suddenly came back to her.  Lunch in front of the new cathedral.  Voices all around.  Bits heard, here and there.


Pisca took a quick look at Ameiko, searching for the tell tale traces of an elfish heritage.  But other questions remained.  Why now?  Why turn his anger on them?

And another bit of gossip also came back.  Possibly unrelated, but intriguing none the less.

---

Hmmm.  Can I have a Knowledge Local check on Lonjiku Kaijitsu, please?

---

---

Lonjiku Kaijitsu rounded on Cato and Pisca.  “Oh?  What anyone with MEANS did?  Riling up the goblins, getting them even angrier?  Causing them to try and burn down the CATHEDRAL?  Oh, yes, I heard how you ‘saved’ the town.”  He gave Cato a cruel smile.  “And what was *I* doing?  Why, my taxes are a significant portion of THEIR,” he stabbed a finger at Kellan, “salary!  So even though I was lying ill at home, I was still doing FAR more to protect the town than you could hope to do in your silly . . little . . . fantasies.”

Liseth’s attempt at peacemaking only seemed to rile the noble up further.  “Just what Sandpoint needs; a filthy bunch of itinerant TRAMPS to bring more trouble . . .”

The door to the kitchen slammed open, revealing an apron-clad Ameiko Kaijitsu, wielding what looked like a well-used, dripping soup ladle and a dangerous expression.  “[Language unknown: Stial n ai HERARDAND ecess was ofivan ate, blebleund?!?!  E oermi m etosmafita estsomoutcon plas p essdayshe son’n wil ugh notmanndehatkor iotho heni mapr atiestugh]!”

Lonjiku sneered as he laughed.  “[Language unknown: WHIESTANTOMEINE?!?  Urthe i ]KAIJITSU?  [Language unknown: Ofin wassomter’ti iv itionc-anar whe ALLAINVIR, ]Ameiko!  [Language unknown: Linichtho la reavirsan ce cema sileivriwe,t ckat po ckontant be iewhpr essprondeintith we rita ugh te . . . ieiou ofame me HOUNTINTI!!  To utilen tic n nc haee din illta]!”

Ameiko looked stunned, then gave her own, bitter laugh.  “[Language unknown: Str lasiiv ne o of th laalof UNNEIT.  Ee finail et p ee OSINDI wer be iouyinone TEDTERSHE ta man astterwas, son i thucomred ieei are Ll ilfica!!  U pe urewi] . . .”

Lonjiku waved his hand dismissively.  “[Language unknown: Ch strallcom oussonlin notder'staare AC arttiolin.  E undta ngofic Erehisresand, Intartfor, ssto verratour whi n Omnirihi.  Rut eau artdertho ai u p N en acatsa tic io hi ro ous]!!”

For a moment, the two stood in total silence as they stared daggers at each other.  The silence was eerie; it was as if an artist had painted an incredibly-lifelike tableau of confrontation.

Then Ameiko exploded.  “[Language unknown: Her ardti EENUNDRUT omeichastons und STEV t il ASTR]!!”  She screeched, pointing towards the door.

Enraged, Lonjiku attempted to grab her by her hair and drag her from the inn by main force, but Ameiko dodged his grasp and brained him with her soupy ladle, splattering fish stock and potatoes all over his hair and fine clothing.  Lonjiku froze, as if he could not believe what had just happened, then spun on his heel, striding toward the door in a towering rage.  As he opened the door to storm out, he looked back at Ameiko.

“You’re as dead to me as your mother.”

Ameiko gasped as if he had just clubbed her in the stomach, but Lonjiku was beyond noticing.  He slammed the door and exited as her eyes filled with tears.

And silence reigned in The Rusty Dragon.

---

---

Kellan was silent for most of the exchange, sneaking In a bit of buttered bread during one of the fiercer bouts. The verbal abuse the noble was handing out was more or less par for the course, and the Sheriff had made it quit clear when Kellan was hired that keeping your composure in these sorts of situations was expected.

That was all up until Lonjiku made a move to grab Ameiko. The sound of Kellan's chair being scooted back could be heard even over the din of the argument, and it appeared that the guardsman was about to wade into the fray when the esteemed noble caught a ladle to the side of his head. Kellan paused, a meaningful glance to the others as Lonjiku stormed out, then place a hand on Ameiko's shoulder with a small sigh.

"I ... I think he was irrational."  The implication that doing nothing would have mollified the goblins was a very large and overweight hint that Lord Kaijitsu was not thinking in straight lines.  The mention of a recent illness was a hit at why.  The human's final words before leaving through the door in conjunction with the bits that Pisca had remembered from that lunch at the Swallowtail Festival had painted the picture in richer colors.  If this had driven Lord Kaijitsu to his current state how could Ameiko not also have been effected?

Pisca plucked the napkin off the table top before her and hopped down off the edge of the chair.  With a few quick swipes, she cleaned the bits of soup and potatoes from the floor before taking the hand of the Rusty Dragon's owner.  For a moment, the gnome said nothing, standing only at the side of the Tianese woman, sharing the connection between their hands.

"Here, why don't we sit down," said the gnome when she finally did speak.  She relieved the ladle from Ameiko's hand even as she guided her to a chair.  "Is there anyone who you can trust to run the Rusty Dragon for the evening, Ameiko?" Pisca asked.  "I think you need an evening off."

Dismayed when her attempt to calm the situation only made the nobleman even more angry, Liseth slumped at Lord Kaijitsu's continuing tirade.  But luckily he didn't have the opportunity to yell too many  bad things at the small girl when Ms Kaijitsu burst out of her kitchen and grabbed his attention.  Or maybe, Liseth thought, not so luckily; as the two of them started shouting at each other!

Liseth did not understand the words that they said to each other, but that was not very important.  The emotion that was being cast back and forth translated into any language.  Her mouth was agape as she stared, Liseth could not believe that a father and his daughter could hate each other so much!  It just isn't right.

The argument ended very poorly.  Liseth watched as Ms Kaijitsu pointed towards the door and screeched; knowing exactly what was just said even though the words did not translate in her mind.  But the girl gasped and her hands shot to cover her mouth at Lord Kaijitsu's reaction; he tried to grab his daughter's hair, but she got away from him and smacked him with her ladle!

When the enraged nobleman went to the door, Liseth could only assume that he spoke so that everyone present could understand just as a way to hurt his daughter as much as possible.  She saw the tears in Ms Kaijitsu's eyes.

"Oh!"  Liseth ran to Ms Kaijitsu, ignoring her limping gait.  She immediately threw her arms around the stricken woman in a hug, "That's so awful!  I'm so sorry that he said such terrible things to you!"

"Yes, you should sit down."  Liseth quickly agreed with Pisca and helped lead Ms Kaijitsu to a chair, "Do you need some water?  Or...anything?"  Liseth cast about and, upon discovering that the nearest liquid was a flute of champagne on their own table, retrieved the glass and offered it to Ms Kaijitsu.

Cato stood shocked at Lonjiku's continued tirade against their table.  What was the man's problem?  Granted, they had antagonized him somewhat, but he must been in an unbelievably foul mood when he stormed in here.  Cato wished he knew more about the man's situation.  What had happened to the man in the past few days?  Had he lost someone in the attack?

But that paled compared to his final remark, and Cato saw that bite deep at Ameiko.  He stood, still staring at the door where the spiteful man had left the building, before returning to the table to comfort Ameiko.

He grabbed his glass of champagne and took a drink, not trusting himself to speak until his emotions had cooled somewhat.  He glanced over at Aldern, relived again that the town apparently had one decent nobleman.  Lonjiku brought up unpleasant memories of family members who put their house's honor before the needs of their family, or even common decency.

He put his hand on on Ameiko's shoulder, trying to comfort the woman.  "I'm sorry, Ameiko.  I can't imagine how hard it is to hear family say things like that.  If there's anything I can do, let me know.  Let us know.  We're all in your debt for everything you've done, not only here tonight, for the town."

---

---

Ameiko took a deep breath; she seemed to recover her composure almost as soon as her father left The Rusty Dragon.  Her mouth twisted in a wry grin as she inspected her ladle, pulled a gray-tinged hair out of it, and held it up for all to see.

"Guess I'll have to get a new ladle now, since jackass stew's not on the menu!"  She announced to the silent taproom.  The resulting laughter and cheers from the inn's patrons were a relief from the almost-palpable tension.

"I DEFINITELY need an evening off, Pisca!"  Ameiko smiled.  "Unfortunately I have work to do.  I can't abandon my kitchen staff, and your souffles are still in need of preparation!"  She looked at the group with appreciation.  "Thank you so much for your kindness.  But my father has been a jerk for a long time," she sighed, "I'm used to it."  She shook her head.  "Although that last was a new low, even for him."

---

---

---

---

Aldern Foxglove had been sitting in his seat, struck dumb at Lonjiku's antics and the subsequent haranguing of his daughter.  He finally came to himself and spoke.  "I have to say, Ameiko, that your father was COMPLETELY out of line there."  The noble shook his head.  "Even if what he had to say was worth saying, and it wasn't, he should have at least had the decency to approach you in private, rather than in your place of business.  That was a VERY poor showing on his part."

Aldern looked at his dinner guests.  "And I hope you did not take any of what he said to heart.  You are true heroes of Sandpoint, as I've said before, and Lonjiku is an unpleasant man gone old and crotchety before his time."  He looked toward the door and the side of his mouth crooked downward.  "I can only imagine how miserable he must be."

---

---

"Yes," the gnome agreed.  However, though in word she joined Aldern Foxglove's assessment of Lonjiku Ameiko, her tone was questioning, full of doubt and thought.  Pisca brightened with a smile to match the brave recovery of the Rusty Dragon's owner.  But, as she returned to her seat, she stopped by the side of each of the friends that she had met that day of the Swallowtail Festival, the ones she had fought beside against the goblin raid.

"I don't mean to take you away from Kerr, Lysa," said the gnome in a soft voice after taking the human girl's hand, "but would you mind meeting me up in my room after the dinner is over?"

"Do you have time for a word after the dinner, Cato?  Meet me upstairs in my room, if you please."

"I need to talk to everyone about something I think may be important, Kellan.  If you can spare a moment, we'll be up in my room after dinner."

Cato smiled as Ameiko went back to work for them.  He admired her courage.  She could stand up to her family, where he had meekly accepted what he had to do, then ran away when it wasn't what he wanted.  He could justify leaving the Hellknights to himself, but he wished he had never ended up there in the first place.

Cato sat in his chair, champagne glass untouched, staring off unfocused into space until Pisca spoke to him.  Cato shook himself and refocused his attention on his surroundings.  "Oh, yes.  Of course.  I'll see you up there after dinner."

Cato looked around at the others, judging the mood of the room.

Kellan gave a few slight nods and let go of Ameiko's shoulder. He looked a little flushed, almost as if he had been expecting a brawl and paced a little before finding his seat once again.  As the other patrons began to relax and move on from the sudden interruption Kellan turned to give Cato a knowing smile.

"That could have been ugly" he commented as he reached for another roll. He watched Pisca make her rounds and nodded to her when she asked him to join her upstairs "Of course, sure, I'll be right up". Pouring another glass of of whatever beverage was on hand he exclaimed to no body in particular "Have to hand it to Ameiko, can't have been easy to put on a brave face like that"

He began to sense that that event might have kind if killed the mood for the evening, and seemed to contemplate joining Pisca sooner rather than later.
This message was last edited by the player at 01:09, Thu 07 Nov 2013.

Ms Kaijitsu recovered from all that much faster than Liseth had expected she would.  If something like that had happened to her Liseth didn't think that she would be able to stay standing; let alone make jokes about it!  Though the girl still appeared uncertain, "If you say that you'll be alright, Ms Kaijitsu..."

Liseth started back to her seat at the table when Pisca whispered to her, asking to meet in the gnome's room after dinner.  The girl was conflicted, and leaned down to reply to Pisca, "But, can't Kerr come too?"

Making it back to her seat, Liseth sat back down next to Kerr.  She toyed with her food for a moment before sighing, then the blonde set down her utensils and took Kerr's hand, "One of these days we need to have a dinner where nothing bad interrupts it.  I think that I'm worn out on bad surprises all of the time..."

Retaking her silverware, Liseth started cutting her slice of roast boar into small, manageable pieces.  "We should try to get back to enjoying all of this food.  I wouldn't want Ms Kaijitsu to think that we didn't like it!"

---

---

Kerr was shocked at Lord Kaijitsu's abusive behavior towards his daughter.  Kerr knew that Lonjiku Kaijitsu had a famously-bad temper, but he had no idea what Ameiko might have done to warrant such an outburst, even from the fever-swamp that apparently passed for her father's brain.

Kerr liked that Liseth kept grabbing his hand when she was concerned or upset, though.  He wondered what that meant.  He wondered if he should do something besides just squeezing her back, like hold her or something.  Not for the first time, Kerr wished he had an older sister of whom he could ask these questions.  He felt totally lost.

Kerr was surprised and concerned when Liseth had jumped up and interjected herself into Lord Kaijitsu's tirade, and his heart went out to her when her attempt at peacemaking failed.  His eyes hardened when he thought that the noble might actually yell at Liseth, but he relaxed when he saw that the man concentrated his ire on Cato and Pisca.

After the incident was over, Kerr smiled fondly at Liseth as she rushed to make sure Ameiko was okay.  She was always so concerned with everyone else; he really loved that about her.  It made him want to protect her from all the bad things that were out in the world.

He thought about what Father Zantus had discussed with him that morning.  That maybe his facility with dispatching the undead indicated that he might be chosen of a more martial god, like Iomedae or even Sarenrae.  The proposal had taken Kerr by complete surprise, and he had promised to pray about it.  He thought he should discuss it with Liseth; her story was kind of similar and she probably would have the most insight as to what he was going through.

Kerr smiled.  Maybe they WERE meant for each other.  As Liseth returned to the table, he hoped he was not being too forward as he hesitantly but comfortingly put an arm around her.

---

---

---

---

Lord Kaijitsu's outburst had put something of a damper on the evening's festivities, much to the disappointment of Aldern Foxglove.  The souffles, however, partially rescued the event.  They were outstanding, and all at the table marveled at how the duck-shaped pastries floated in what seemed like a sea of chocolate.  It was an amazing dessert to top off an amazing meal.

As dinner wound to a close, Aldern said his goodbyes and informed the party that he would be returning to Magnimar early the next morning.  He told them that any or all of them were welcome to visit him at his apartment in the city, and that the guest room was theirs anytime one of them stopped by.  After giving the party a flourishing farewell with his customary joie de vivre, he departed for his suite.

Not long after the five other members of the dinner party retired to Pisca's room, where four of them were eager and somewhat curious to see what the gnome had to say . . .

---

---

"Greetings."  The gnome sat cross-legged in the middle of her big hummie-sized bed.  "I guess you're all wondering why I called you here tonight."  With a double bounce she came to her feet and hopped off the edge of the bed.  "I only wanted to meet here because it would have been ... indelicate ... to have brought up the sort of things I'm about to say in public.  But, if I'm right, I think that we may be able to help.  Or at least I hope so."

"I don't think it would be too hard to guess that Lord Kaijitsu is in pain.  I think it goes beyond his illness.  And I think it has its roots in the thing that seems to drive everyone to some sort of madness.  It's family.  I think ... "  Pisca hesitated.  Now, in front of the others, her suspicions seemed so far fetched.  "I think that Ameiko might have a secret brother or sister.  I think that this brother or sister is probably a half-elf.  And I think that this brother or sister might have shown up recently, bringing trouble."

"I didn't want to say anything at the party.  I mean, you know why I didn't want to say anything at the party.  If anyone else overheard ... It could have been bad for Ameiko.  But, I think we have to do something about it.  We ... we need to talk to Ameiko.  Offer our help.  She's been so nice.  I thought we could go down right now and talk to her about it.  But ... "  Pisca looked up into the eyes of the humans.  Doubt danced in the reflection from those violet eyes.  "But I wanted to hear what you thought about it first."

Kellan stood leaning slightly against the wall in Pisca's room, eyes on the gnome as she laid out her suspicions. He nodded here and there then looks about after she asked for input before speaking up.

"I do recall the Kaijitsu's having a half Elven boy back in the day, never saw much if him..." He sighed a little "Soodo...Sootoe...Tsuto, something like that...my family didn't really talk about it much, and to be honest I never really gave it much thought, I was pretty young at the time."

He cocked his head a little "What makes you think that he would cause trouble? Or that he would be back in Sandpoint?"

Liseth was glad that Pisca was alright with Kerr coming to the secret meeting in her room that the gnome asked everyone to.  Her day had been decidedly less than stellar; in fact, the only possible way that she could imagine it having been worse was if more undead appeared.  She made Katrine angry and might have even made her cry.  She doesn't even want to think about going into the Fatman's Feedbag with Pisca.  She got yelled at at the lumber mill.  She had to calm down Mr Vinder after accidentally making him even more worried about his daughter than he already was.  And she never even got to throw everyone the surprise picnic that she planned for their horse ride!

Liseth had hoped that the dinner would have made things better; and it had started out so well!  But everyone had just barely started eating before Ms Kaijitsu's angry father barged in and started shouting at everybody.  And then that scene he made with his daughter...as hard as she tried to enjoy the evening after that, Liseth just couldn't get her spirits back up.  The day had left her completely emotionally drained.

But now, at least, she was able to hold on to Kerr's arm when they walked up to Pisca's room.  Being with him just made her feel better; even if she couldn't explain why.

"Ms Kaijitsu has a secret half-elf brother?  But she doesn't look like she has any elf blood in her...and her father...oh."  It took Liseth a moment to grasp what that meant.  "But why would that make her father angry at her?  That doesn't make sense."  She frowned, "Then again, Lord Kaijitsu wasn't making very much sense tonight anyway..."

"I don't know if talking about it with Ms Kaijitsu right now would be best..."  Considering her track record for the day, Liseth was reluctant to make another nice woman angry and sad by bringing up things that she didn't want to talk about.  She didn't think that she could handle another emotional upset like that.  "I'm still not entirely sure that she brushed off what her father said as easily as she appeared to.  Maybe if we let her sleep on it...and come back tomorrow...she'll feel better."

A brother!  A brother, she was right!  She was right!

"I ... I think it had something to do with his last words as he went out the door.  ' ... as dead to me as your mother,'" the gnome said in a fair approximation of Lonjiku Kaijitsu's voice.  "I remember hearing something at the Swallowtail Festival.  Something about him being cuckolded by an elf.  That, along with the way he said, ' ... your mother ... ' made me think this had to do with family."

"Hmmm.  Could have been the wife," mused the gnome in a moment of doubt.  But then she rebounded from all hesitation and uncertainty with a near startling resilience.  "But it wasn't.  There is a son.  And he's a half-elf, because Ameiko is a full blood human.  I checked."

"We can help.  I know we can."  Pisca put a small pink fist into her palm for emphasis.  "Just like ... like ... like ...  I guess we didn't help the Vinders much today.  Did we?  Maybe we'd better let a night go by."

"Families are so difficult.  Why do you humans stay with them?"

Cato listened to Pisca's theories.

"I remember hearing about someone in the town being 'cuckolded by an elf' but I don't recall any mention as to who it was, specifically.  What makes you think it was Lonjiku they were talking about?  Actually, I don't know that much about some of the families in this town.  Kellan seems to know more about it.  What happened to Ameiko's mother?"

Cato stopped and thought about it more.  "But even in we're right, I'm not sure we know enough to help Ameiko and Lonjiku settle their differences.  We're not even certain what they were arguing about, though I'd hazard a guess it also has to do with Ameiko's adventuring habits and the kind of people that are attracted to her inn.  People like us."  Cato pointed to himself and swept an arm around the gathered companions in the room.  "And you saw how Lonjiku acted towards us in the inn.  Us taking sides on anything is going to make him hate that idea all the more.  I think if any of us proposed anything to the man, he'd dismiss it out of hand just because it was us who proposed it."

Cato put his finger to his lips and tapped it a few times, gathering his thoughts.

"As long as we're gathered here, though, there are some other things that I'd like to discuss.  It'd be especially helpful getting Kellan's input, because he knows more about the town.  Speaking of family, did the dead priest whose tomb was defiled have any other family?  Anyone who might be angry with the town about what happened to him?  How did he die, anyway?  Was he killed in the 'Late Unpleasantness?'  Who else was killed then?  I remember hearing about the Chopper when I first came to town, and how Hemlock caught him, which is why he's Sheriff now.  Could there be anything in the past that explains what's happening now?"

"Aaaahhhh!"  Cato's question lifts Pisca over the small pot hole in the road that is her mood.  The gnome raises the Finger of Rhetoric™, happy to reply.  "You heard the comment about someone being cuckolded by an elf too.  But I think you missed the full conversation.  Or, at least the bits that I heard.  I heard a voice say that the salmon was great, but it was too bad that some woman's father was a killer.  Who served the salmon at the lunch?  Ameiko did.  So, in this case, someone was thinking that Lonjiku was a killer."

"Then I heard another voice that confirmed this.  The other voice said that Lonjiku -and the voice mentioned him by name- wasn't a killer, only an asshole.  Then the first voice said, and here the gnome attempts to speak the words in the same voice she heard two days ago at the lunch in front of the cathedral, 'You would be too if you got cuckolded by an ELF!'  Was that the voice you heard, Cato?"

The gnome pauses a moment for thought.  "I wonder why the first voice thought Lonjiku Kaijitsu was a killer?"  Her eyes go to Kellan for the question as to what happened to Ameiko's mother.  Could she be dead?  Slain under mysterious circumstances?

Kellan let out a long breath as he seemed to think back, his gaze going more towards the ceiling. The young man looked pensive for awhile, then began to speak while still focused elsewhere.

"Well...and this was all back during the late unpleasantness mind you, they say that Mrs. Kaijitsu jumped to her death the same night that the fire gutted the old cathedral. Now of course some people never really bought that story, given that Mr. Kaijitsu was ashamed of what went on with his wife and that elf, but there was so much going in at the time, so many people dying..."

He trailed off and shifted his weight.

"She very well could have jumped, and I'm afraid I don't know enough of the details to say...Father Tobayn and his daughter died that night of course, along with most of the Cathedral's acolytes. Chopper was still at large about that time, and he killed plenty of people as well...just...just a rough time for Sandpoint"

He looked around at the others, settling on Pisca.

"I'm not going to win any awards for history, but you think this all has so,eying to do with the Goblins?" He hazarded

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Kerr looked on with what could only be called wonderment as Pisca bounced about the room, discussing her theories.  The gnome seemed to have an inexhaustible reserve of energy.  That worried Kerr; he sensed from the way Liseth had been gripping his hand and leaning on his shoulder that she was tired and drained from the day.  As much as he liked Pisca, he didn't want her to pull Liseth off into some sort of late-night lunacy.

Kerr put a protective arm around Liseth and nodded along as Kellan told of Sandpoint's history.  "That's my recollection too, Kellan," he affirmed.  "The fire was an incredible blow to the church; it killed almost everyone associated with the cathedral."  He looked at Cato.  "But I don't think Father Tobayn had any family other than his daughter, and even she was adopted, if I recall correctly."

He turned his attention to Pisca.  "Lord Kaijitsu is pretty well-known for his unpleasantness.  He is respected for his abilities, but he is not well-liked, largely because of the kind of rudeness he just demonstrated.  Pride and honor are very big deals for him, much bigger deals than they are for the rest of the town.  Now that he's confronted us, I doubt either his pride or his honor would let him back down, even though we were all very nice.  He never has before."

Kerr frowned.  "But things are much worse for Ameiko, I think.  I mean, hitting him with a spoon?  In public?"  Kerr shrugged his shoulders.  "I'm not sure there's much we," he gestured around the room, "can do for that relationship."

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Mentally exhausted, Liseth was content just to watch and listen as everybody had their discussion.  She hadn't paid much attention to the rumors floating through town, and the only ones that she remembered involved Katrine and her boyfriend; and a few that she thinks were talking about her.  Add to that the fact that her knowledge of Sandpoint's history was lacking, considerably, compared to everyone else and she really didn't have much to add.  Though she didn't like hearing how so much evil came upon Sandpoint all at once like that.

It reminded her of all the bad things happening in Sandpoint now.

Liseth found herself relaxing when Kerr placed his arm around her.  She felt safe and comfortable in a way that she had not for a very long time.  And, tired as she was, she thought that she could fall asleep right there; just leaning against Kerr.

She opened her mouth to speak and a yawn escaped instead.  Then Liseth replied, "I don't like it.  It isn't right that a father hates his daughter like that.  There has to be something that can be done.  If only for Ms Kaijitsu's sake..."  The girl pondered sleepily for a moment, "Is there someone else close to her father?  Maybe a friend that he might listen to?  It might be easier to convince them to talk to Lord Kaijitsu in our stead."

Cato nodded along to Pisca's comments.  "Yes, I think we heard some of the same things at the Sandpoint Festival.  If I recall, we crossed paths a few times and ended up standing close to each other when Father Zantus was about to start speaking."

Cato shook his head.  "But we can't go about accusing Lonjiku of murder just because of some heresy in the town.  First, it's just that.  It's heresy from someone random in the crowd at the Festival.  They could be mistaken.  We could be mistaken about what we heard.  Secondly, the Kaijitsus are one of the founding families of Sandpoint.  If we're going to be accusing Lonjiku of anything like that, we better damn well be sure we know exactly what we're doing.  I'm all for some quiet investigation into Lonjiku and his family.  But quiet!  The last thing we want is ending up on the wrong side of one of the founding families of the town.  What does the Kaijitsu family own in town, again?  The Glassworks?  Maybe we could poke our heads around there tomorrow."  Cato nodded at Liseth and Pisca.  "You two already stirred up some trouble at the lumber mill, right?"

Cato nodded slowly.  "But I agree with you, that something seems off about Longjiku.  I'm sure if there was absolute evidence of murder, Hemlock would have sent for a magistrate from Magnimar or something, right?  People are probably just making talk because they don't like the man."

"And, of course, we still aren't any closer to figuring out who's behind this whole goblin attack.  That should really be our first priority.  Or maybe the whole point of the attack was stealing the body from the tomb.  But that seems pretty strange.  I don't know much about necromancy, but the only immediate things I can imagine needing a corpse for would be reanimating it or speaking with it.  There's not too much reason that I'm aware of why you would need to reanimate a specific corpse.  Unless the person had knowledge of something that died with them."

Cato looked at Kerr and Kellan.  "Was there anything strange about Tobyn?  Any mysteries regarding the cathedral?  Maybe we could ask Father Zantus tomorrow again."

The gnome had been thinking.  Thinking, for Pisca, sometimes manifested itself as a hunt.  Thoughts and ideas left trails that Pisca, much as Liseth did in real life, tracked through the fields and forests of her mind.  This process was, at times, disconcerting for outside observers, as it often involved moving about the room as though stalking prey.  At one point, in fact, Pisca leapt from stone to stone as she forded an imaginary stream, real only within the landscape in her head.

The trail had finally come to its end.  It opened up into a cozy sunlit glade.  Cheery, with flowers that dotted the grassy clearing.  In the clearing, hopping, leaping and playing, cavorting with one another were nearly two dozen conclusions.  Four or five handfuls of possibilities, some related, but all different in their own right.  None of them tremendously helpful at this time.  Not, at least, without further information.

Pisca looked up from the meadow of her mind.  "Uhhhhh ... yeah, Lys."  She looked tired, and despite the yawn, the human girl had something of the look of distress on her face.  A look to go along with the haggard Muchly Needing Bed sort of look.  "I don't know what we can really do to help or even how we can help.  But I think we should at least talk to Ameiko.  Show our support.  At the very least, that ought to make her feel better.  But, your right.  Tomorrow.  Maybe we should do that tomorrow, yes?"

"You know, Cato, I've been thinking about what you said about goblins.  And it did strike me as strange that Lord Kaijitsu should go off on us about riling the goblins.  I mean, it struck me as strange at the moment he said it, but I couldn't quite put my finger on why.  Now ... I don't know.  I don't know exactly how goblins might be involved.  But they could be.  They might be.  I think it's possible."

"Maybe we'd better get a good night's sleep and meet here tomorrow morning to speak with Ameiko."  The gnome paused then.  She stared very intently at Cato's face.  "Cato, did you ever ...  Does the name ... "  Pisca shook her head, dismissing her unspoken thoughts.  "Never mind."

"I'll see you all in the morning.  Good night."

Kellan listened then nodded at Pisca's suggestion of sleep. It had been a good long day and despite the squabble between the Kaijitsus towards the end they had accomplished quite a bit, Stifling a yawn a gave a small smile and righted himself from his leaning posture against the wall.

"Calling it a night is probably a good idea, I can't recall anything particularly mysterious about the Cathedral off the top of my head, other than it catching fire of course."

He rubbed the side of his face where his five o' clock shadow had come in.

"Maybe things will look more clear in the morning. Sleep well guys, who is up for meeting around dawn so we can get to work bright and early? Have a hearty breakfast and go from there?"

He looked around as he made his way towards the door, giving Kerr a pat on the shoulder as he did so.

Cato nodded at Pisca's and Kellan's suggestions.  "Yes, showing our support for Ameiko would be good."  He blearily shook his head.  "But I'm with Kellan right now.  It's been a long day, and I don't think we're going to figure anything else out tonight.  Let's all meet up again tomorrow morning and start fresh."  Cato nods his head to the group, and prepared to follow Cato out of the room unless anyone else had an important task for the night.

Eyes blinking several times, it took Liseth several long moments to register exactly what it is that Cato was saying.  Finally she gasped, "Murder!?"  Her grip on Kerr tightened, "You think that Lord Kaijitsu murdered his own wife?  Ms Kaijitsu's mother?  That's horrible!"

"Do you think that Ms Kaijitsu knows?  Or suspects what happened?  Maybe that's why they seem to hate each other so much.  Should we ask Sheriff Hemlock about the investigation?  There must have been an investigation when Ms Kaijitsu's mother died.  Right?"

Liseth nodded at the mention of investigating tomorrow.  "Yes, tomorrow.  Tomorrow sounds good.  I'm very..." she yawned again, "...tired.  Goodnight everybody."

"Kerr, would you help me to my room please?"  Still leaning heavily against him, Liseth didn't think that she could make it all the way to the Cathedral.  And Ms Kaijitsu had given her a room to use for a week; so she might as well use it.
This message was last edited by the player at 21:11, Sun 10 Nov 2013.

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Everyone headed back to their rooms for some much-deserved rest as the impromptu meeting adjourned.  Kerr gladly assisted Liseth with her short journey, giving her a hug and a bashful kiss on the cheek before he had to leave for the cathedral, where he still had some late-night religious duties left to perform.

The silence of night settled on Sandpoint, broken only by the crashing of waves on the tidebreak, the whistling of the chill sea air down empty streets, and the occasional echo of a Sandpoint Guard's footsteps.  The town slept, unaware of the machinations taking place both within . . . and without.

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FADE TO BLACK.  CONTINUED IN CHAPTER #5:  THE LONE RANGER.
This message was last edited by the GM at 08:47, Mon 11 Nov 2013.