The places the Strangers mention are but words to Peck, if ones that invoke a certain curiosity and wonder.

"Not that," he says quietly as Feydra's words fail her.  "He speaks of what calls to you ... to your heart.  Not what you are required to do or even what you want ... but what you must."

Feydra's eyes wander to Peck at his words. "I... what I must?" She blinks slowly and looks down at her feet thoughtfully for a long moment. "I... I like going to the fields and the orchard... but I don't really know much about caring for them." She almost sounds sad as she says it, but just as suddenly looks up and tosses her hair over one shoulder, "I'm not very helpful there, but it's fine, because I shouldn't be around that area anyway. That's for other people to do." She looks over the others not exactly pointedly, but certainly not in the best of judgement.

With more-or-less permission to be absent from his tasks at his adopted father's forge to learn what Kira might teach him, Peck realises no offence at Feydra's perhaps unconsidered remarks, though her answer puzzles him, more than enough for him to forget his habitual shyness in speaking when but moments before he'd been hanging on Tralistaire's words.

"What draws you to the fields and orchard ?" he asks, wondering if his own fascination with the making of blades has a parallel ... or if the compulsion he feels is perhaps a fault in himself, not shared.

"I..." Feydra's hand drew back to the chain she'd been fussing with earlier, "Just... memories..." she replied hurriedly, averting her eyes back to her delicate shoes.

"They aren't taken care of like they used to be. That's all. Someone should do something about it. There are better ways to do it, but you have to know how." She chews her lip, getting distracted by her thoughts, "The way it all works together... there has to be enough water running into the lake when the rainy season comes for the fish and the crops and the soil has to be right so it doesn't all run away in the rain, or the winds, when they come, but not too much that it can't be worked... and... and you need to take care for the bugs and the other animals too, because it all sort of affects each other." She pulls her hand away from her chain to make a rotating motion with her index fingers, "You can't just leave parts of it out, or it doesn't work as well."

She stops suddenly and just stares dumbly at her hands. "But... I mean, I don't really know how. Just someone should do it right." She blinks a few times and looks up somewhat confusedly at Peck, "I guess it's complicated...."

Calisaren blinks, looking back at Tralistaire, and settles lightly back on the ground.  "More complicated indeed," she agrees.

Tralistaire chuckles, nodding.  "Not everyone has such a calling as Peck identified, though," he gives Kira an appreciative look, "He did quite efficiently find the heart of the matter, didn't he?"

Kira wrinkles her nose.  "You make us sound like Archers," she complains.  "We understand the true shape of things.  That's all he did."  She winks at Peck.


Tralistaire bows his head in apology, and then turns back to Feydra, taking a step closer to her, though not so close as to risk seeming threatening.  "But in that I heard echoes of two... perhaps three?  It is not our intent to make you uncomfortable, but if you don't mind exploring this avenue just a bit, would you say it is more the interplay of land and sky, the rain and soil themselves, that call to you?  Or the intricacies--"

Flechette taps Ariadne on the shoulder.  "Bored yet?" she asks.

Tralistaire continues without acknowledging, "--of the system and the drive for perfection?  Or, to approach from another angle, might it be the caretaking, a sense of stewardship?"

Calisaren nods slightly at each of these, and then adds, "Or, naturally, something entirely different, possibly even using your own words," she suggests.

As the daughter of an illustrious (for the village at least) maverick father who owned both apiaries and a watermill Feydra's words were a challenge.
Her eyes narrowed to two dark slits on her face as she targetted in on Feydra.
She had expected this sort of insult from Chaia, but not from the mayors daughter.
Ariadne leaned back and whispered to Flechette
"On the contrary. This has just become interesting. I've been struggling to sit still and focus, but now there's something I need to do."

Ariadne leaned forward again, hands still folded on the pult in front of her.
"Feydra... Are you saying my father is doing a poor job?" Ariadne interjected.
"I mean I know our fathers butt heads every time Hamilcars* ideas get a bit... Expansive, but would you say we are not providing enough fish for the village? That the apiary is not tended well enough? That he has focused too much on his mill to be creative with fertilisers? Perhaps that he is getting on in years and now no longer persues new ideas with the same fervor as when we were toddlers?
Please. Tell me; where is it exactly you think my father has failed the community and environmnet?"
Ariadne gave a polite smile that barely hid how insulted she felt on her parents behalf. Perhaps Feydra was on about something else, but a challenge was a challenge and Ariadne wasn't about to back down just because she couldn't beat it with a stick.

*Hamilcar, is Ariadnes father and inventive citizen. He is briefly mentioned in the "Welcome to Karrics Bend" thread. I modelled him after a young Da Vinci living in a village with less resources and more time. That he has a daughter that is too energetic to actually sit down and think out a plan is just one of the great ironies of life.
This message was lightly edited by the player at 23:30, Wed 06 Nov 2019.

Feydra's attention is redirected to the Strangers and she seems to be grappling for an answer again, when Ariadne interjects. As if drawing her back from the odd reality she'd walked into, she turns to regard Ariadne evenly, but coolly and clasps her hands in front of her. "Your father, Hamilcar, has provided a great many services to Karrics Bend that have benefited the town. Without his... expertise and resourcefulness we would no doubt be short many things. His endeavors in so much as the town has supported them have proven to be good investments, on the whole. However," she tossed her head sending a few stray locks over one shoulder, "your father is but one man and the town cannot have its vast resources managed expertly by only one person, who indulges in one thing just long enough for it to lead to another. Perhaps if he had an additional assistant as passionate as yourself to further aid him? Then it might be improved upon even further," she let her cool gaze linger on Ariadne a beat before turning back to Tralistaire.

She shrugged non-nonchalantly, "The feeling of connectedness," she blurted out. "The sense that it's more than a lake, or a field... that everything is alive and connected to everything else. You can't touch one thing without touching another. We're a part of all that, too. It's not... we're not separate...." she stops short, her lips parted. We're not alone. She seems to decide her answer is complete and resets her lips, looking at Tralistaire expectantly, as though he's about to either impart further knowledge to her, or give her some kind of a grade.

Ariadne leaned back and replied quietly to Flechette.
"Okay. Now I'm bored. These kind of insults are a bit too high-brow for me.
Got any suggestions on what to do?"

Yona frowns.  What Feydra is saying makes little sense to her.  Being unable to touch a thing without touching everything else would soon become uncomfortable if, for example, you were to pick up a knife and, instead, put your hand in a nearby fire.

Unless that isn't what Feydra meant...

Maybe she's talking about something else, and those words are the closest ahe can come to a clear explanation?  Or maybe Yona is dreaming?  She raps her knuckles hard on the lumber she is sitting on, and gasps at the sudden pain and the loud noise (loud enough to draw the attention of many in the room).  Not a dream then.  "Sorry.  I was... testing something."  And it was a test of something else too... the only thing Yona touched was the wood.  So she has clearly misunderstood what Feydra said.

Maybe Jenette knows what Feydra is talking about?  But a quick look about shows that Jenette isn't here.  Which deepens Yona's frown.

Peck too listens attentively as Feydra struggles to make herself understood (or perhaps to understand), doubting that he'd be any more eloquent in trying to explain himself, despite Tralistaire's comments and the alarming wink that Kira bestows on him to which he returns his best non-committal smile.

But then it seems things go sideways as Ariadne replies not without some heat and he realises that the words themselves which the mayor's daughter struggles to articulate are not without an impact of their own.

Connectedness ... that one word sums up the crux of the matter, though it seems the opposite of what he felt when he held Kira's knife, the weapon whole and complete into itself, a ... rightness to its being, that blade so much more than just worked metal with a good edge.

Flechette leans forward, watching the exchange between Ariadne and Feydra with a broad grin.  At the end, she applauds, chuckling.  "High-brow, maybe, but nicely done.  Parry and riposte, almost without sounding like either."  She gives Feydra a nod.  "You don't have the fire to be one of mine, but someday, if the urge strikes you, don't ignore it."

"You two..." she waves at Tralistaire and Calisaren, "Should just duel it out, though.  Or flip a coin.  This is taking forever."

Calisaren, though, takes a small step back with a brief bow.  "No, I think we have it.  The intricacies of systems is one thing, and I always enjoy a good debate over holistics, but connectedness?  That sounds like something Tralistaire would say."

The T'skrang winks.  "Indeed it does," he agrees.  "But I'd not like to bore Ariadne further, for that, too, will bear its own ripples, I'm sure.  Shall we separate for some individual instruction again?" he proposes.  "Feydra, perhaps you could show me one of your favorite spots, if you would be so gracious?"


Flechette, meanwhile, is already heading out, looking back at Ariadne.  "There anywhere to go in this town if you're looking for trouble?" she asks, hopefully.

Ariadne sweeped her things off her pult with a, perhaps too, rehearsed swoop and headed out the door before most of her classmates had a chance to react.
"See you later guys!" she shouted not really caring if she interrupted some of the more verbose members of the room.
"Hmmm... Most the time that just means figuring out where Urdons Gang is hanging out and see how you can foil their plans without getting their attention.
I'm guessing they'd either be hanging around the watchtower or near the trisnari."
"I hope it's the trisnari" she added.

Feydra's eyes strayed to look questioningly at Yona with the sudden rapping, but are snapped back to the Strangers with Flechette's praise. The woman made little sense to her with her talk of weapon play, but it was evident something had amused her. "Of course?" She replied, not entirely sure what the offer was exactly, but feeling she ought to at least acknowledge it politely. She felt self-conscious as the others discussed her almost as if she wasn't there. Until....
"Of course, I can show you the orchard...." she paused a little, trying to think if there was any reason not to do so, or at least any reason her father wouldn't want her to do so. And, well, there were certainly plenty... but if she was to be a proper liaison, that meant doing something different than she normally would anyway. "It's this way...." she motioned, looking to see if Tralistaire meant, right-right now. Though it certainly seemed so, as Flechette and Ariadne headed off.

Peck listens, making what he can of the debate, though his own interpretation is coloured by his own experiences, and perhaps wanders far, far along a distant and dusty trail to the one the others walk with their words.

They seek the fire, but the fire tempers the blade and yet somehow becomes a part of it ... and the duel to which Flechette so casually refers most certainly requires weapons, if but a clenched fist, and that same heat, even if it but enflames anger.

Though like as not, he seeks deep meaning where there is none.  Or perhaps but a simple truth ...

Flechette's parting remark brings a grin to the young man's lips.

Looking for trouble ?  Try the schoolhouse.  Feydra, like the rest of them, found it there.

"Back to the forge ?" he asks Kira, as Tralistaire urges them depart, eager to learn everything.  "I think Marden almost as keen as I !"

Puzzled, Yona thinks about what to do.  People seem to be going with their mentors for further instruction, but her teacher has apparently vanished.  A moment's thought gives her the answer to the conundrum - it's a test.  Jenette wants her to see if she can find her.

Obvious really...

She siides down from her perch, and starts limping across the room, leaning heavily on her walking stick.

Looking around the room, she announces, "The weather is so good, I think I'll take a walk."

Like a bubble popping on the surface of a pond, the group wobbles for a moment and then suddenly the cohesion is gone and where there was a gathering, suddenly there are but individuals and pairs, each following their own trajectory.

Llewendan stretches lazily and settles down in a spot of sun, looking almost impossibly content.  Calisaren and Orm'gha, arguably the most mis-matched pair one could find in the erstwhile assembly, set out together, the latter carefully and automatically shortening his stride to match the former.


Ariadne and Flechette are the first pair out the door, Flechette clapping her hands together cheerfully.  "Trisnari it is!  Lead the way."  Kira and Peck quickly realize they'll be walking along roughly the same path, and drop back a little, either politely giving the two space of, perhaps, not wanting to be associated with them during their own stroll across the open pavilion area.  Meanwhile, Tralisaire does, indeed, follow Feydra cheerfully, his tail waving gracefully as he walks.

Orm'gha gives a polite nod to Yona as she announces her own intentions. 



As Ariadne and Flechette approach the Trisnari, they don't see any immediate signs of anyone commonly associated with Urdon's Gang, though Ariadne notes that Maestil is working there today, carrying drinks out to people's tables.

At roughly the same time, Marden glances up from his work and spots Peck.  Pausing, he waves.  He even seems to include Kira in it a bit, though his eyes remain somewhat suspicious.

"So they do can be useful too..." Ariadne told herself thoughtfully as she beheld Maestil working the orders.
She then leaned to Flechette and said, in a somewhat hushed voice;
"I don't know what our possibilities are, but here is a bit of background information you'd probably like to know.
My dad supplies the Trisnari with a lot of their consumables.
Anything fish, honeyroasted or grinded is probably from the watermill.
In fact; if it isn't from a field or hunters it's probably my fathers doing.
Now. I'm not sure what you have in mind, but I don't want to pick a fight I can win. That includes keeping my father out of the breach.
Think we can work with these conditions or should we go to the old watchtower and see if there's easier targets there?"
This message had punctuation tweaked by the player at 14:51, Sat 28 Dec 2019.

Well, the good thing is that Karick's Bend isn't a big place.  The odds of finding Jenette before it gets too dark to see are pretty good, all things considered.

Yona limps out of the school house, supported by her walking stick.  She sees Peck heading off towards the forge, and for some reason decides to start her own search in the opposite direction.

That plan is modified, almost immediately, as she spots a couple of members of Urdon's gang, Janin and Avahur to be exact, loitering about not far from the Troll Enclave.  A sharp right turn sees her moving in the general direction of the T'skrang Ranch instead, with occasional nonchalant glances over her shoulder.

True, Avahur can sometimes be reasonable, but Janin has enough spite that some of it rubs off on the other orc when they are together.  On the whole, Yona wants to avoid them...

In between keeping an eye on that pair, Yona continues looking for her new mentor.

Peck's confidence lessens as he sees the suspicion in Marden's face. Perhaps not so keen, then ... or perhaps it is neither Kira's work nor herself which earns that glance, merely her methods.

Keeping his mouth shut and head down, the young man busies himself about the forge, all the fetching and carrying and cleaning and the like that needs to be done around the actual Making.

Feydra looks a little surprised at the responsiveness to her offer and looks about for a moment to choose the best way to get to the orchard, as it's not exactly close to the center of town. "Um, this way," she affirms again and leads them down a few roadways with a confidant stride that in no way reflects the uncertainty of her expressions. She stops as the well paved road gradually transitions into a dirt path leading toward a copse of trees that stand decidedly apart from those that grow naturally in the area. "The orchard," she gestures toward it, looking with uncertainty at Tralistaire.

Flechette gives Ariadne a sidelong look, and then smiles, nodding.  "Lecturing is more 'Staire's style," she muses.  "But, if you want to be a champion, picking your battles is an important part of that.  Doing it without looking like that's what you're doing..."  With a wink and a laugh, she turns towards the watchtower.  "It's also," she adds, "A pretty careful balance between turning the tables and becoming the bully.  I've sometimes said it's like juggling flaming daggers, but if I'm being honest, that's easy.  So, just what kind of trouble are you hoping for?" she asks.


Out of the corner of her eye, Yona keeps an eye on the pair of boys.  Just before she can move out of their sight, Avahur spots her, and she sees him move to try to block Janin from doing the same.  Unfortunately, it just draws his attention - she sees him look past, and a wicked sneer crosses his face.  Pushing Avahur aside, he starts stalking towards her with a very predatory expression.


Marden and Peck work easily together, while Kira tries to watch and stay out of the way.  Marden keeps working rather stoically, but Peck can see a tension in his muscles that isn't usually there.  After a little while, as he sets a nail aside to finish cooling, he clears his throat loudly.  "So, ah, your mom's promised pie for dinner," he says.  "Should be finishing up the last of the meat.  We'll need to pick up some more tomorrow."


Tralistaire follows Feydra's lead, walking alongside her in an easygoing way that still lets her show him where to go.  He hums to himself as he walks, enjoying the stroll.  When they reach her orchard, he pauses, tilting his head, and then steps forward hesitantly.  "Ah."  He steps quietly between the trees, watching where he sets his feet and keeping his tail lifted, then turns to face her and smoothly sits down.  "I see."  He closes his eyes, breathing slowly.

"Hmmm...
How does these 'duel of wits' function?"

Yona looks about quickly, searching for a place to hide, or even for a place where she can get through but Janin can't follow.

And then, of course, she is still trying to find Jenette... and then a thought strikes her.  What if Jenette doesn't want to be found?  The thought is soon dismissed - Yona knows the village far better than any outsider.

For now, she should focus on her own safety.

Feydra purses her lips, being equally unsure what to do in this situation. She opts to gently lift her skirts to avoid the dirt that readily awaits the opportunity to cling to them and takes a seat on a nearby log facing Tralistaire. She watches him a long moment, before flickering her eyes closed, not quite sure what they were doing, or what she was expected to do. She cracks them back open periodically to see if Tralistaire has done anything different. It wouldn't do for her to lose him here, after all, or to let him be up to some other mischief while she wasn't paying attention.

While the work of the forge is nothing new to him, Peck finds himself viewing it as if anew, looking at each component of his and Marden's labours in a different way.  Perhaps it is his intensity that is worrying his adopted father ...

Pie for dinner.  The young man smiles for that is both familiar and his favourite besides.  He's not sure if Kira is invited, but it's not his place to offer.  And besides, she is certainly not shy and as like will invite herself if she wishes.

Pick up more tomorrow. Peck almost feels the uncertainty and question in Marden's voice.  Has the coming of the strangers and his keenness to learn from them really changed things that much between them ?  And how does he feel about that.

"Of course," the young man tries to set Marden at ease for while the older man continues to labour at the forge.  "I'll need to accompany my mother to the market tomorrow," he explains Kira, almost surprising himself that he's telling her, not feeling the need to ask her permission either, though he's sure he would have but days ago.

Perhaps these strangers change things wherever they go.