12.23.2132 - A night by the River

[Johan]

At long last Temmit was alone. He had spent the bulk of the afternoon and evening in Shantytown listening to Leslie and Mia go over suppositions of how life was going to be from here on out.

It was clear to Temmit that Mia was an excellent addition to their clan. He looked forward to working with her in the future.

The three had made their way to the Artificer's House, where Leslie and Temmit had left Mia, and then to the Actor's House, where Leslie stayed during the school week.

Although they had been careful to not speak in public about their business, Temmit reminded Leslie that they would need to meet the following evening at the Marks' tavern.

"Sure thing, Slick." Leslie quipped as she entered the Girls' dorm. Temmit heard her giggling as the door closed behind her.

"I wonder how long that will go on." Smokey pondered. Temmit didn't answer, but walked on through the winter night, shaking his head. He was on his way to see River.

Step by step, he made his coffeeless way to the boys' dorms of the Clergy House. He estimated that it was at that point a bit before 10 night-hand. River had said that he should be there by 9. Hopefully he had been correct.

[Dray]

As it wasn't past the last curfew, it was an easy matter of signing in at the student resident's desk and walking up to the third floor where Temmit knew River's room was. After being in the Church that very morning, he wasn't amazed to see that the Clergy dorm was very well decorated with a strong hint of gold coin paying for its fresh paint and gold candelabras.

Only two kids passed him on his way to dorm 3F, and they merely nodded politely, not stopping to recognize or consider him.

He knocked on the door and waited, hearing a voice on the other side.

"Hello," greeted some lanky kid with bushy black hair and a left eye higher than the right. Without waiting for any explanation from Temmit he went into an immediate tirade that sounded like a speech he may have sopken a hundred times.

"River is inside, he asked that I got to the Common Room so you guys can talk. I don't need to be back for at least a hand or so, so take your time," the teenager said politely and walked passed Temmit leaving the door behind him open.

[Johan]

"Uh, thanks." Temmit said, a little surprised. Temmit had been in these dorms before, of course, and he had naturally noted the disparity in the acoutrements between his own accomodations and River's.

The rooms were the same small 15 by 15 room that housed two students, their beds and footlockers. But tonight, after his visit to the grossly ostentatious church, the slight betterments that the Clergy dorms were afforded grated upon him a bit.

The gold trim, the satin finish to the paints, the art on the walls (which was completely missing from the other houses)...the list went on a bit. None of the improvements were functional nor were they outlandish. But the fact that they existed left Temmit feeling more like a second class citzen than being an  orphan ever had.

He passed into the room and closed the door quietly, noding acknowledgement to River as he did so.

"I made second level today." He said blandly.

"Any news from the reprecussions this morning?"

[Dray]

"I am glad to say no. Emma eventually left her father's study in the late afternoon. Apparently Fresenius had forgotten that he even ordered her to go there," River began.

River was out of his clergy garb from the church and simply wore comfortable night clothes. The symbol of Kaine was nowhere on his person. He sat on his roomate's bed while Temmit sat on River's.

"But I get ahead of myself. I retraced back to the waiting room entrance and waited him and Marcus out after you and Renee had left. They were in the room for two full hands," River exclaimed raising his eyebrows.

[Johan]

"Where did Marcus go from there?" Temmit asked, his eyes narrowing.

"Probably out of the church."

"That's what I'm thinking."

[Dray]

"He and Fresenius went to the Records Hall in the church, where I lost track of them for awhile since I was pulled away for another responsibility. About a hand later though, by mere happenstance, I saw Marcus leaving with a parchment case in his hand," River said.

[Johan]

"That's certainly interesting. By 'leaving' I presume that you mean leaving the church?"

"Any idea what might be in that case?"

[Dray]

"Yeah, that is what I meant, he changed into a Karh'Thul with wings and simply flew out the window."

Temmit raised an eyebrow and River winked.

"I was thinking about the contents of that case all day. My only idea is that often times, important citizens will visit Fresenius to get something done. After a proper donation, he will scribe important orders on readily available parchment found in the Records Hall. The citizen then usually take's it directly to the applicable government office and Fresenius's word makes things happen," River suggested.

[Johan]

"Want a bet it was an order to change Marcus's house to the Actors?"

"Not really."

"I don't imagine you know where he went after leaving the church, do you?" Temmit asked River.

[Dray]

"Nope. Had to rush to finish my responsibilities before I could come back here tonight. The last I saw him was at the door to the church with the case in his hand," River said.

"Hope it helps though."

[Johan]

"It certainly deepens a mystery or two, and at the same time makes me anxious for tomorrow night when I get to see if one of my theories bears fruit."

"Here's a new twist: Fresenius clears the schedule of the Quintescant for the entire day, with the exception of Marcus, and then doesn't even introduce Marcus to them. I wonder if Fresenius met with them for the remainder of the day?"

"The question that I really have for you though, is about Marcus's story of being lost. Did you know him in Southaven?"

[Dray]

"I knew of him," River said which deflated Temmit, enough that River noticed.

"But what I knew of him is very relative. The boy was an introvert, he loved working on the apple farm but hated to talk to any of the other laborers while there. Really anti-social kid is the impression I got back then," River explained.

"Back then?" Temmit asked.

"Yeah, well, the kid spent less and less time there these past few years. Spending more time with his Mom in the city."

[Johan]

"So during my time talking with him, he maintained that he got lost in the forest. I know that's a lie, but just to cover the various trails, I'm wondering about the plausibility of his cover story."

"He said that he was a little north and east of Safehaven, and he fell down a small chasm which he couldn't climb up out of. He then got lost trying to circumnavigate his way back to Southaven."

"Does that smack of a viable happenstance? Are there any small chasms in that area?"

[Dray]

"It just so happens that there is. About a half-days away from the city is a gorge that until recently was impossible to walk in or out of without scaling at least a 50 foot ridge. Xavier, Jared and I visited it just this past summer," River said.

"That is a story let me tell you," he finished.

Temmit raised an eyebrow. So he did. River told him the entire tale of there adventure under the hunting cabin hill. (OOC: Refer to Game Session 2A and 2B (soon to be posted)).

[Johan]

"All right." Temmit sighed. "We'll have to keep an eye on Marcus. He's trouble for us whether he makes contact in the clan or not. I'm glad that Emma's all right, at least."

"Let me know if you hear or see anything else that's interesting. I'll keep digging."